The Lone Ranger and Tonto by Fran Striker, Francis Hamilton Striker

to their urge for action.
    In scant seconds after the first of the old man's shouts, the first of the townsmen were on the scene, shouting to make themselves heard above the clatter of horses' hoofs and gunshots. Men fired blindly, just for the sake of shooting, without an idea of trying to hit anything.
    "What's the matter, Langford?" one of the men shouted from the back of his rearing horse. "What's this shoutin' about a robbery?"
    "He broke into my house," cried the old man through the shattered remains of the window, "and went out this window. I fired after him, but I guess he got away."
    The Lone Ranger had no trouble hearing what was said now. Each word was shouted. "What's stolen?"
    "Jewels! My wife's jewelry!"
    A lighted lamp appeared at the window behind Langford. The Lone Ranger saw a white-haired old lady whom he identified as Mrs. Langford.
    More men rode up to join those already on the scene. "Someone broke into Langford's place an' stole his wife's jewels," the first townsmen explained.
    "When did it happen?"
    Langford himself replied, "Just now. I don't know what caused me to awaken, but I saw the thief in my house. He was taking something from a little box which belongs to my wife—the box in which she keeps her jewelry."
    "We didn't know you had any jewelry," one of the men said.
    "It was the last of what I brought from the East," said Martha Langford, speaking for the first time. "The last of my jewels!"
    "I got my dueling guns," went on the husband, "and called to the thief to stand where he was, but instead of obeying me, he leaped for this window and ran out into the night. I fired after him but he seems to have gotten away."
    The Lone Ranger heard the old man's explanation, knowing there was not a word of truth in it. He could not understand Langford's reason for telling such a string of falsehoods. It had not yet occurred to anyone to search the proximity of the house.
    But then a new arrival spoke. "How do you know," he said, "that this thief got away?"
    "Of course I don't know for certain, but he seems to have done so," Langford said. "Didn't you fire at him?"
    "Of course."
    "How do you know you didn't drop him?" The speaker turned to the men. "Let's spread out fan-shape and ride out from this window an' see if there's any sign of the thief havin' stopped one of Langford's bullets."
    "That's better'n doin' nothin'," agreed a voice. Plans were quickly made, and the men rode away from the window. Two of them were heading straight toward the tree where the Lone Ranger stood. They came slowly, studying the ground in the moonlight. To remain where he was meant certain discovery, and to flee would be to invite death from a bullet. The men were ready to shoot on sight, and shoot to kill.
    The Lone Ranger formed a hasty plan. He crouched by the tree until the horsemen were but a few yards away. Then he removed his battered black hat and scaled it high up among the branches. The hat brushed leaves, and the horsemen, skilled in detecting the slightest unusual sound, were quick to catch the rustle.
    They halted instantly. "Hear that?" said one of them.
    "I heard it all right. It sounded as if someone moved up in that thar tree."
    "An' there ain't no breeze tuh stir the branches." The speaker raised his voice and shouted, "Come down from there afore we start blastin' yuh out."
    The Lone Ranger counted on this very thing.
    The men were concentrating their attention on the branches of the tree. He leaped from behind the trunk, and raced toward the house, and toward the nearest horseman.
    The man looked down as the Lone Ranger came close to him. "Thar he is," he yelled, bringing his gun down. But the Lone Ranger was upon the rider, clutching at him, and dragging him from the saddle. Wild shouts filled the air.
    No one dared to fire for fear of hitting their companion, but all leaped to the ground to join the fight. Rough hands tore at the masked man's clothing, trying to pull him away from the man with whom he