Wild Western #3

Guns Bark In Batesville!

On his way into Batesville the Two-Gun Kid stops Cyclone at a skeleton with a note nailed into it. It is a warning to travellers of what happens to those who cross "Smiling Joe" Bates. Having to do with his business in that town, Two-Gun rides in and is spotted by Jane Collins, who called Two-Gun into town. When Two-Gun rides in Cyclone is attacked by a rattlesnake, but the gunslinger shoots it dead. Spotting Smiling Joe's office, the Kid heads to it, ignoring Jane's calls, making her believe that nobody will help her with her plight. Two-Gun was also observed by Bane, who offers him a job. Two-Gun mockingly declines it and tells him that he has come to eliminate him. A brief fight breaks out between Two-Gun, Bates and his assistant Monk, but Two-Gun manages to disarm Joe by shooting the gun out of his hand and then demands to know where he can find Jane Collins.

He is directed to a nearby boarding house where Jane is happy to see him. She explains that her father was murdered and shortly thereafter she learned that her father had apparently sold the family ranch to Smiling Joe. She suspects that Bates did so after her father beat him up for trying to force Jane to go to a dance with him. After she explains a gunman under the employ of Bates tries to shoot them through a window, but Two-Gun kills him. Deciding to pay Bates another visit, Two-Gun dispatches more of his hired killers and then heads to his office. Suspecting a trap, Two-Gun calls Cyclone and uses the horses hoofs to trick Bates and Monk that he is outside the door. While they are firing, Two-Gun smashes through the window and quickly ducks behind Bane's desk. While they are searching for Two-Gun, the Kid mimics Monk's voice and suggests turning Bane in for killing Jane's father.

However, Bates finds Two-Gun and trains his rifle on him and threatens to shoot him dead. Two-Gun is not scared and asks Bates if he's ready to confess that he forged the land sale document to get Sam Collin's property. When Bates denies and is about ready to shoot he is distracted by the hoof clomping from Cyclone outside, giving the Kid the opening he needs to quickly disarm the killer. He ties Bates up and brings Jane and the sheriff to his office. When Bates refuses to confess, Two-Gun convinces him with two well placed shots on either side of his head. Smiling Joe goes coward and confesses to the whole deal and is taken away to be hanged for his murder. Before Jane can thank him Two-gun has already ridden off and has left a new note outside of town telling people that Smiling Joe Bates has been taken to justice and will hang for his crimes.

Recurring Characters

• Two-Gun Kid

• Cyclone

Rustler's Gold Means Hot Lead!

Tex Taylor rides into a ranch hoping to find a bite to eat and a place to rest up when suddenly he is shot at by the ranch hands. Before he can fight back he is lassoed up and the head ranch hand, named Blaze, accuses Tex of being part of a gang of rustlers that has been stealing his employer Mr. Mason's cattle. He then has Tex tied up and placed under guard in the barn.

When his guard becomes too engrossed in his whittling, Tex dog piles him and knocks him out. Using the knife to cut himself loose, he confronts Mr. Mason and learns what's going on. Convincing Mason that he is not a rustler, he agrees to help him capture the men stealing his cattle. Mason takes Tex down to the spot where the cattle trail disappears, near a spot where they take ore out to be shipped by rail. Noting that the cars here are too small for cattle he decides to look further while Mason goes back to his farm. Alone, Tex is attacked by some gunmen and dives into a nearby lake where there is a waterfall. His shooters believe him dead and decide to leave the scene. However, on the other side of the waterfall Tex finds a cave where the stolen herd is being kept. Following out the other side he finds more rustlers and knocks them out as well.

Tex rushes back to Mason's ranch where he leads the ranch owner to where he has learned the stolen cattle are taken. On the other side of the waterfall cave they see a rail line where the stolen cattle have been slaughtered and are being loaded onto a train to be sold elsewhere. Spotting that Blaze is the leader of the rustlers, Tex and Mason attack. Mason is winged by a bullet but Tex manages to gun down Blaze and the rest of his gang, ending their rustling days. In the aftermath, Mason thanks Morgan for his help, who accepts no payment for his assistance and rides off into the desert.

Recurring Characters

• Tex Taylor

• Fury

Annie Rides the Owl Hoot Trail

Arizona Annie and Slim Smith ride into another town and spot a wanted poster for a local outlaw named Pretty Face Grimes. They begin to debate about how much better the world would be if women were in charge. Annie believes that if women ran things there would be less outlaws on the loose because women are not prone to crime. Slim doesn't believe it and his point is apparently proven when they ride in and Annie is accused to being the leader of a gang of rustlers that is apparently led by a woman and is arrested along with Slim.

That night in her jail cell she hears the outlaw gang making another robbery and is shocked to see the leader is apparently a woman. Annie then uses her hair pin to pick the lock of her cell and escapes the sheriffs office, leaving Slim behind. Mounting her horse she follows the outlaws back trail to their camp. Caught by the gang Annie is brought before their leader. She tells the woman that she has come to join them, impressing the leader who agrees to let Annie join their posse. However, when Annie asks for a smoke, the gang leader offers it to her in an unlady like fashion. Before the gang leader can reveal a secret, Annie tosses dirt in the woman's eye and guns down her men. She then rides the leader into town and presents him to the sheriff. She unmasks the gang leader, revealing it not to be a woman, but a man, and in fact Fancy Face Grimm.

With Grimm arrested Annie and Slim are released and all charges cleared. The next day as they ride out of town Annie gloats about her world view much to the chagrin of Slim Smith.

Recurring Characters

• Arizona Annie

• Slim Smith

Draw, Killer, Or Die!

A man is crawling to his death in the Painted Desert when he is found by Tex Morgan and his partner Lobo. As they try to help the man he tells them to warn Widow Brown that her cattle were stolen by a man named Grasson and then dies. After burying the man, Tex and Lobo ride off to visit the Widow and warn her of what has happened. There they find Red Grasson trying to force Widow Brown and her son Andy off the land and send them packing with gun fire.

She explains that Red Grasson has been trying to drive her off her land which she uses for sheer and cattle herding. When Tex tells her about the man they found in the desert, she is upset because Grasson has stolen the cattle she intended to send up to Fort Benson to sell so that she could pay her mortgage before it defaults the next day. Tex and Lobo agree to help and begin following the cattle's path along the River Trail. They follow the cattle to a ranch nearby and find that they are penned in there. Tex and Lobo try to subdue the men inside the cabin but find themselves out gunned and are forced to stand down.

However before they can be gunned down, Andy Brown arrives -- having followed the two Rangers -- and gets the drop on Grasson's men. Freed, Tex and Lobo tie up Grasson's men and free the cattle and continue their run up to Fort Benson. Some of Grasson's men start a stampede when they camp for the night, but Tex manages to stop it and lead the cattle onward until they cross paths with a group of soldiers from the Fort who had come out looking for the cattle and pay Tex for it. He, Andy and Lobo rush back to Widow Brown's home and learn that the creditors are planning on meeting tonight to foreclose on her home before she can pay them.

They rush into town and demands to know why the creditors are pushing the foreclosure before Window Brown can give them the money she owes and learns that Red Grasson is forcing them to do so otherwise he has threatened to shut them down. Rushing outside, Tex and Lobo find that they are surrounded by Red Grasson and his men. Even though they face impossible odds they fight with guns blazing. However the tide is turned when military forces arrive to lend a hand and when Grasson attempts to shoot Tex, the hero is warned by Lobo and guns him down.

With Grasson and his gang dead, Tex delivers the money to Widow Brown who can now pay off what she owes on her ranch.

Recurring Characters

• Tex Morgan

• Lobo

• Lightning

• Cloud

Law Comes in Greased Holsters!

Sheriff Blaze Carson's peaceful town is threatened when a outlaw named Cactus Joe comes to town and starts causing trouble. However, Blaze easily deals with him and has him arrested in a local saloon. In the aftermath of the fight, the locals congratulate Blaze for his bravery and wonder if there is anything that can strike fear into the heart of their sheriff.

This question becomes a shocking reality when Durango the Killer comes into town and starts causing trouble. The locals are surprised when not only does Carson refuses to stop Durango, but allows the outlaw to slap him in the face, then Durango warns him that he has 24 hours to blow out of town or be shot dead. They all believe that Blaze is a coward as the disgraced sheriff walks home defeated. There he brings out a picture of his late wife and mourns her death and wallows in misery as he still plans to keep the promise he made to her on her death bed.

The following day when the sheriffs 24 hours are up, Durango goes to Blaze's home with all the locals following in tow, placing bets on the outcome of that day. When he demands Blaze leave town or die, Durango spots the picture of Carson's wife and snatches it out of his hand. Looking at it in contempt, Durango shoots the photo, causing Blaze to snap out of his apparent cowardice. Feeling that his promise no longer needs to be kept, Blaze then easily bests and defeats Durango. He then tells the defeated outlaw to leave town and warns him against crossing his path again. Durango makes a hasty retreat much to the surprise of the locals.

Blaze tells his people the truth behind his apparent cowardice: When his wife was fatally ill he made a promise never to harm her brother -- Durango, and he made that promise just before he died. He kept that promise until Durango disrespected the memory of his own sister by blasting the picture with his gun and promises the people of his town that a coward by Durango always lives by the way of the gun, and without honour.

Recurring Characters

• Blaze Carson