Western Kid #11
Dead Eye!
Tex Dawson the Western Kid and his animal pals enter a town and witness as local trouble maker Biff Holloway shoots his guns up into the air, raising a racket. When Biff tries to pick a fight with the Kid, Lightning jumps Biff, causing him to drop his guns. The Kid teaches Biff a lesson not to put innocent people at harm with his recklessness and beats him in a fist fight in front of everyone in town, making Biff a laughing stock.
While the locals are happy that someone stood up to Biff, but they suspect that he isn't going to take losing to well and try to get back at him, however Dawson is not worried. That night, Biff breaks into Dawson's hotel room and shoots at the bed thinking that Tex is sleeping in it. However the Kid suspected that Biff was going to try something like this and was hiding in the closet. When locals come in to see what the noise is all about, they take Biff into custody. After everyone has left, Tex notices that somehow Biff managed to get the key to his room in order to gain entry and suspects that someone else might be working with him.
Meanwhile, Mr. Jones takes Biff to the local jail and then berates him for failing to eliminate Dawson. He then tells Biff that he has left the jail cell unlocked and to break out later and eliminate the Western Kid for good. However before Biff and Mr. Jones can hatch their scheme, the Western Kid comes busting through the window. When Jones tries to escape, he is stopped by Tex and Lightning and Tex forces Jones to confess. Jones explained that he used Biff to terrorize the town to distract the locals from noticing that he had been embezzling from the bank. With Jones and Biff in custody, the Western Kid and his animal pals head out of town for some place quieter to camp out for the night.
The Western Kid
As he rides with his animal pals, Tex Dawson the Western Kid come across a sign looking for men to work at the Circle T ranch and decides to take the job. He meets with the elderly Mike Spears who tells Dawson that he will personally see to protect the ranch from people employed from the local railroad who are trying to force them from his land, Spears insists that Tex shoot to kill any trespassers. He tells Tex that he is holding out until they match his selling price.
Tex beds down in the barn and tells Lightning to keep an eye out for things while he takes a nap. That night Tex is awoken by the sound of gunshots. When he tries to shoot at the shooter as he runs away, Lightning takes the gun out of his hand. The Kid wonders why and rushes after the shooter, following his trail back into the house. However when the Kid gets to the door, Spears storms out of the house with a smoking gun, accusing the Western Kid of not doing his job. The Kid looks around the house and finds no trace of the shooter.
The next morning, the Western Kid goes into town to do some investigation and asks the sheriff about Mike Spears. Who tells him that he Spears property isn't being sought after by a railroad and that there is no outlaws gunning for him either. The sheriff tells the Kid that Spears' wife is in the hospital awaiting the birth of their child and that he barely has enough money to keep his ranch or pay his medical bills. He talks to Miss Spears and learns that he has been doing everything he can to sell his property. Tex pays the visit to the local insurance company and learns that Spears has a $50,000 life insurance policy and upon his death the money would go to his wife.
The Western Kid rides back to the Circle T ranch and finds Spears, who has doffed his elderly old man disguise and claims to be Spence Calhoun, the man hired by the railroad to kill Spears. However, the Western Kid isn't fooled and refuses to shoot "Spence Calhoun". Shamed, Mike drops the ruse and admits to trying to trick Tex into killing him so his wife gets the insurance. However, Tex has an idea that will help him out and works for Mike helping him make money from his ranch in order to pay for his medical bills and other expenses.
Bullets at Tombstone!
The Western Kid rides into the town of Tombstone, where he finds a sign warning everyone coming into town that they have to turn their guns into the local sheriff before entering or stay out. However as he rides into town he hears gunshots and rushes in, sending Lightning into the house where the shots are coming from. Getting into the sheriff's office, the Kid learns that they are pinned in by Bard Rand and his gang of rustlers who are hiding out in a building across the street. He learns that the sheriff has wired up explosives and plans to blow the place up. Fearing that Lightning might get caught in the explosion, the Western Kid asks for a chance to get Rand and his gang to surrender.
The sheriff cannot stop just for a dog and plans on setting off the explosives in five minutes. Tex is convinced that this is more than enough time and storms the house. When Rand and his men attempt to shoot at the Kid, Lightning strikes. With the help of Whirlwind and Lightning, the Western Kid overpowers the Rand gang and forces them all to surrender with a minute to spare.
The Outlaw Breed!
The Western Kid is participating in a rodeo and his horse Whirlwind catches the eye of Sime Walker, a New York rodeo owner who orders his men to get the horse for him by any means so he can use it as an attraction. After the rodeo, the Kid puts Whirlwind up for the night and leaves Lightning on guard while he goes and visits his friend Dave, the local sheriff. The discussion, incidentally enough, turns to Sime Walker, whom the Western Kid knows for his crooked ways and tells Dave that he has set up a trap for him should he cause any trouble while he is in town. Suddenly, Lightning starts barking and Tex matter-of-factly tells Dave that his horse has been stolen, and shocks Dave by doing nothing. Tex explains that Lightning was given orders to follow the horse thieves and then lead them to their hideout later. Tex also knows that Whirlwind will not take being stolen so well either, as Sime was responsible for slaughtering several horses including Whirlwind's sire. However he worries that should Whirlwind kill Sime it might make him go outlaw once again.
Sure enough at Sime's mountain hideout, when Whirlwind is brought before him the horse begins to buck and cause trouble. Sime is reminded of a horse he once met years ago and orders Whirlwind locked up in the corral. Later, Lightning returns to the Western Kid and Dave and head off, they both race to Sime's hideout. Meanwhile, Whirlwind recalls how Sime killed his sire and then charges at him, kicking down his cabin and sending Sime running. When the Kid and Dave arrive at the scene they spot Whirlwind chasing after Sime. Soon enough, Sime is caught between Whirlwind and Lightning and realizes that escape is futile and surrenders.
