Two-Gun Kid #5
The Rider of the Owlhoot Trail!
Two-Gun Kid is riding the range when he spots a coach that appears to have been robbed. Going to the aid of the passengers and coach riders who have been tied up, he learns that they were attacked by someone calling themselves the Black Rider, who rounded them up but oddly enough did not steal a single thing. The Two-Gun Kid decides to go out and investigate for himself. He searches the Black Rider's backtrail and is soon ambushed, with the Black Rider pulling Two-Gun off his horse with a lasso. After delivering this humiliating defeat, the Black Rider rides off laughing. Furious, the Kid tries to ride after the Black Rider. He is stopped as he passes Old Hank Lewis' ranch, Lewis shows the Kid a note from the Black Rider informing him that he has kidnapped Hank's niece Kim. Hank explains that Kim worked for a travelling circus until she had a bad fall and came to his ranch to recuperate.
Two-Gun promises Hank he'll find Kim and bring her back home and resumes his chase of the Black Rider. Two-Gun is almost pulled off Cyclone again by the Raider's lasso, but Two-Gun manages to roll loose and takes a shot where he thinks he sees the Black Rider hiding, but finds it was only the outlaws hat placed as a distraction. Two-Gun is once more caught in a lasso, and then has a bucket of water dumped on his head for good measure. Two-Gun gives Black Rider a chase, but the outlaw gains grown by riding off by horse. Two-Gun however gives the Raider a taste of "his" own medicine by roping "his" horse with a lasso, knocking the Black Rider off. Two-Gun then unmasks the Black Rider and is shocked to find out that not only is the Black Rider a girl -- but is Kim Lewis herself. She tells Two-Gun she created the Black Rider persona because she thought it was clever. Furious, Two-Gun shows her how clever he thinks it is by giving her a spanking and then marches her back to her uncles ranch determined to tell Hank what was going on. However, when Two-Gun delivers Kim, but after she kisses him he decides not to tell the truth. As he rides off on Cyclone, he admits that he'd rather tangle with a rustler or desperadoes since they're easier to deal with than a woman.
Recurring Characters
Two-Gun Kid
Cyclone
Guns Blast in Thunder Pass!
In the Western Prairies Molly Prentice is riding her horse when somebody shoots the horse in the head. Thrown from the dying mare, Molly lands in the path of a rattlesnake about to strike. Before it can it is shot dead by the Two-Gun Kid. Two-Gun checks on the girl and introductions are made, but they are soon interrupted when Molly's guardian Brad Bancroft arrives demanding to know what happened. Bancroft tells Molly to get back to the hotel, where he intends to keep her until a week after her birthday. The Kid does not like the way Brad is talking to the girl and tries to get in the middle of things and is punched in the face for his troubles.
Alone again, Two-Gun rides into town and sees a signs for the Prentice and Bancroft mines. He suddenly recognizes the name as the mine is owned by Jasper Prentice, and realize that Molly is his daughter and that her father is rich. Arriving in town he finds that the locals are celebrating Founders Day and learns from the newspaper man Dan Mathews also tells him about town history, how the Prentice mine was prosperous and the Bancroft mine petered out. Two years ago, Prentice was mysterious shot and killed leaving Bancroft as Molly's guardian. His will had stated that if Molly could get married before her 21st birthday the mine would go to her and her husband.
Bancroft makes a speech to those gathered in town and offers to entertain the people with a fist fight with anyone brave enough to face him. Two-Gun, remembering the punch he got earlier takes him up on the challenge. The Kid easily bests Brad Bancroft in a fight while Molly and Dan watch. Two-Gun retires to the local hotel and is later visited by Bancroft who offers his congratulations after reading a story in the paper about how Two-Gun and Molly are to be married. This shocks Two-Gun but he keeps his mouth shut until he can speak to Molly. Visiting her hotel room she explains her predicament, and Two-Gun decides to play along. They are interrupted by Molly's step-brother Stephen who remarks that Two-Gun is brave. Later outside, Two-Gun asks Stephen about the remark he made and Stephen explains that the three previous men who tried to marry Molly were all shot dead by an unknown shooter.
The Kid pays a visit to the Bancroft office and asks Brad to see the books to make sure nobody has been stealing from his future investment. Brad reacts angrily and pulls a gun, but Two-Gun shoots it out of his hand. Brad relents and lets the Kid examine the books, but the gunslinger finds nothing amiss. He returns to Molly's hotel room to report back to her when somebody peeks the barrel of a gun through the door. Two-Gun is able to push Molly out of the way before a shot is fired. Rushing out into the hall, Two-Gun bumps into Dan who tells him he came rushing after he heard a shot.
The Kid, suspecting that there is a second set of accounting books later sneaks into Bancroft's office in the middle of the night. As he snoops around he is hit over the head with the butt of a gun and is knocked out. He is revived by Dan who found him passed out and they search the office but find that all the books have been taken. Two-Gun then gathers everyone together and accuses Bancroft of stealing money. Suddenly Stephen pulls out a gun and shoots Bancroft. Two-Gun, having suspected Stephen the whole time shoots him. As he dies, Stephen explains that he made the phony books so that Bancroft would be blamed and hanged, and that he planned to kill his sister so he would inherit the mine. With Bancroft cleared, Stephen dead, Molly reveals that she and Dan were planning to get married all along. With the mystery sorted out, the Kid rides off into the night once more.
Recurring Characters
Two-Gun Kid
Cyclone
Annie Clicks in Politics!
With an election under way in town, Slim Smith recons that the mayor will get re-elected. This gets the ire of Arizona Annie who believes a woman would do a better job in politics than a man. Slim then tells Annie to put her money where her mouth is and run for office as well.
Annie does just that addressing the public, and deals with hecklers by shooting at them. Annie ends up winning the election by a landslide and Slim tells her that she did not win the role of mayor -- but as the town dog catcher. Furious, she chases Slim away with guns a blazing. Still fuming, Annie then manages to round up Slim and the mayor and parade them around town in her dog catching wagon for a good laugh.
Recurring Characters
Arizona Annie
Slim Smith
Shotgun Justice!
Two-Gun Kid rides into a western town to see an outlaw named Samson making the local sheriff dance under the shots of his six-guns. The Kid gets in the middle of things and when Samson balks, Two-Gun punches him out. He then leads the sheriff away and learns why he was not armed when he was chased out of the saloon: His brother was the original sheriff, and Samson gunned him down. Although he had no experience with guns, he decided to take up the role to avenge his brothers death.
Since the sheriff has no experience firing pistols, Two-Gun takes him to the local gunsmith and buys a double barrel shotgun and shows him how to use it. With his new gun and a new sense of confidence, the sheriff and Two-Gun go back to the saloon where the sheriff orders Samson to leave town. Two-Gun goes back to the jail house to relax while the sheriff goes out on patrol. Two-Gun soon hears the shotgun go off -- both barrels -- and realizes that the sheriff might be in trouble.
He rushes back to the saloon to find that the sheriff had shot one of Samson's men dead and now has an unloaded gun against Samson himself. Two-Gun rushes in and shoots Samson dead, and with the danger passed Two-Gun reminds him to always be aware of the limited ammunition in the shotgun.
Recurring Characters
Two-Gun Kid
Cyclone
