The Lone Ranger (8:27)
You won't get no such offer like as not. That's fool's gold anyhow. Ain't neither. Well, buy me out for a thousand. That's a good bargain if your place is worth 20,000. All right, I will. Thousand dollars cash money. But now wait, Riggs. You know blame well I ain't no cash. Cash is what I'm after. I'd have it blamed soon if I could dig that land. The paper says you go to jail as soon as you start digging. Look here, Biggs. I'll make a deal with you. Listening. I'll pay $2,000. That sounds good, but not cash money. I'll give you 2000 if you let me dig my land to get it. It ain't no deal. The law says you can't dig. But I could. If you wish to let me. I'll sign a paper pledging $2,000 to you and you take. Have the judge take the paper back. Call that injunction. No. Your place ain't worth 500. What more do you want? Ain't no good when I see you, Jim. Reckon I'd be a blame fool to let this chance go by. Sooner or later you'll have to sell your land, won't you? Why sell it or starve? I don't reckon anyone would buy it with me holding this injunction. You better sell to me while you got the chance. Cause maybe when you want to sell, I won't be willing to go as high as a hundred and a half. Polecat, that's what you are. You know just enough about the law to use it for your selfish ends. You're misjudging me, Jim. You're the one that's being selfish. You're like the dog in the manger. You can't use the land yourself and you won't let no one else use it. Well, I can wait. I reckon you'll sell when you begin to get good and hungry. Several days went by. Jim Flood, unable to sell to the Eastern syndicate and unwilling to sell to Riggs, began to feel the pinch of poverty. As our next scene opens, we see him in the Silver Glove Cafe and watch him as he approaches the bartender. If you'd just let me have a little more credit, Steve. I'd like to, Jim, but you already owe a sizable amount here. But it's grub I want. Bibbles Taint Liquor. No. Don't you see? Food costs money. Jim, I'm afeared your credit here has come wore out. You won't give me none, Steve. Reckon not. You ain't heard from that eastern company, have you? No, not yet. I didn't figure you would. Riggs was talking about the fool's gold you thought was genuine. Riggs. That Orn Riggs says that you never would hear from that company. Says we'd be foolish to let you have more credit. We never will get our money. Riggs is trying to make me sell out to him. That's why I say in them things. Well, maybe you better head sell out for $150. Oh, Steve, you know what my place is worth? Well, it ain't worth much if it's got fool's gold on it. Let me tell you something, Jim Plodd. Yeah? If you don't sell out pretty quick, me and Sam over in the general store is going to have to go to law. I suppose that's Riggs suggestion. Well, it's a good one. You owe us both considerable money. It's up to us to get it. We can force you to sell out if we have to. Pardon me. Oh, yeah. What'll it be, stranger? I happen to Overhear you two talking. I reckon we was talking a little too loud. Who is this man? Riggs? What you want no fer who is he? He lives up on the hillaways just below my house. I've heard something about the situation on that hill. Your name is Flood, isn't it? That's right. What's your handle, stranger? Suppose you call me friend. Friend. Reckon that's one thing I ain't got right now. Flood, you'll sit over here at the corner table with me. I'll stake you to a meal. Thanks, stranger. It ain't so much that I'm hungry. It's the Mrs. My wife. She's home. When you go home, you'll take food to her. Flood, I ain't taking charity from no stranger. You're looking for word from the east, aren't you? Yeah. Hey, stranger, you sort of talk like an Easterner. Is that where you're from? Picks up some food for Flood to take home when he goes. You'll be paid for it. Are you from the Eastern miners in the Kate? Suppose we sit over here at this corner table and talk. I don't know when food ever tasted better. Stranger, tell me more about this letter you've been looking for. Seeing as you ain't from the mining company, I reckon I ain't looking for no letter. Just what was it to be? Well, I reckon there ain't no use talking about it now. I sort of hoped I might get an offer for my land. I can't work it on account of its being on a hill. The stone falls down on Riggs land. I heard about that. He has an injunction that prevents you from working your land. Yeah, that's right. He wants to buy your place from you for $150. That ain't very much, but I expect I'll soon have to sell to him. Suppose the eastern company did buy the land sucks. They'd be able to rake up the cash and pay Riggs what he wants for his place and work the claim. But you can't pay the cash, huh? Gosh, no. I can't even raise the price of a square Neil no more. How to ever get a thousand dollars? I'd like to see Harb Riggs. Oh, he'll be coming in here real soon. Blowing off his mouth and bragging how he put a slick deal over on me. You just stick around, stranger, and you'll see him. The Lone Ranger gave food to Jim Flood and loaned him money. Then covering his disguised face with his mask, he left town and Rode to the small, well concealed camp where Tanto waited for him. You fine feller. Yes, Hunter. I found Jim Club in the cafe. Whatn him like? He's all right, Tanto. He's up against hard luck. Mighty hard. I also saw Harv Riggs. He came in before I left. Impeller. You want ask Hudder. He's the fellow the poy rider described to us. Impeller who shoots pony rider Tutta. Harv Riggs is our man. How you prove that? With the pony rider dead, I don't see how we can prove that Harv Riggs is the one who stole the mail. Unless we succeed in the plan. I haven't mind what that the pony rider told us. Rake stole one letter from the mailbag. Then him leave pony rider. He left the rest of the mail as it was strapped to the back of the rider. It looked like Indians had done the killing. I think the paper Riggs stole was an offer from the east to buy Jim Flood's claim. What we do? Unless Flood has that paper, he'll sell out for practically nothing. Then Riggs will sell to the Eastern Corporation. I want to find that paper, Tonto. Must be someplace in Harv Riggs house. You'll have to go there tonight and search the place. Me do? We'll watch you go in when Riggs leaves. And when we've got the paper, Tanto, we're going to stake a claim of our own. We'll stake it on that same hill higher up in Jigging Flood's place. The curtain falls on the first act of tonight's Lone Ranger drama. Before the next exciting scene. Please permit us to pause for just few moments now to continue our story. You will recall that in the first act of our Lone Ranger drama, Dim Flood found himself unable to work his mind or fell it because of the opposition of his neighbor. A letter to Flood from the Eastern Syndicate was stolen by Riggs before it reached its true destination. Riggs had also won an injunction prohibiting Flood working the claim on the grounds that loose rock endangered his property. At this point, the Lone Ranger took a hand in the affair by giving financial help to Jim Flood, the famous masked rider determined to bring Riggs to justice. That night, Tonto entered Riggs home in search of the missing letter. In the meantime, Riggs had gone to call on Jim Flood. We hear him as he raps on the door of Jim's home. Evening, Jim. I figured you might want to talk to me tonight. Oh, you. Well, come in, Riggs. Come in. Heard you was having A hard look in town today. You knew I was going to have hard luck before I went there, Riggs. It's your talk that's had them shut off. All my credit everywhere. Well, you can't blame a man for being a shrewd business dealer, can you, Flood? I'd almost sooner starve than sell out at your price.
