Today we finish out the Lone Rider's opening adventure, "Double Trouble" from Lone Rider #1 (APR 1951)
When last we left the Rider, he'd just come to the rescue of the little brave Bright Feather, who previously saved the Rider and provided cover fire with LR's own handguns! (Don't ask...it's too convoluted to explain...just see the previous post here.) After bandaging up Bright Feather's wrist (we're never given clear specifics, but it appears the little guy only suffered a flesh wound from a grazing bullet), the implied sidekick informs Lone Rider that he caught a glimpse of the "evil white man" who had fired on them both. Based on Bright Feather's description, the Rider concludes they're looking for someone with a large facial scar.
At some point (and for some utterly inexplicable reason) the off-panel assailant(s) quit firing at our heroic duo, and they set off to retrieve Lightnin' (the Rider's trusty steed). Unfortunately, Lightnin' has disappeared! Lest this seem problematic, the story provides a totally plausible in-narrative explanation: the horse might've been blindfolded.
The Lone Rider acknowledges there's no point in trying to follow Lightnin's tracks on foot. Instead he and Bright Feather head back to the Indian camp for a spare horse. Once there, Bright Feather pleads to accompany the Rider, but is rebuffed with the eminently rational explanation that there will likely be trouble and that where the Rider is headed is, "no place for a boy." Our hero then heads off in search of his pilfered horse...and epistemic shenanigans again ensue.
In the course of his pursuit, the Rider comes across a man who's steer has fallen down a ditch. Being the right-neighborly masked gunman that he is, the Rider helps retrieve the animal, but once having done that is shocked to find himself staring at the business end of a revolver!
That evening, the Rider is settling down by his prairie campfire and musing on the events of the day when he hears a twig snap and quick draws his pistol. Yes, you read that right. The same man who didn't notice the absence of his guns and belt at the beginning of the story has a hair-trigger reaction to a twig snap. But it actually gets even better.
The Rider, who is using a borrowed horse to track down his stolen steed addresses that borrowed horse as "Lightnin'"! (Maybe you can explain this away as force of habit...but to me it just looks like absence of editing.)
It turns out that the snapping twig is due to Bright Feather. The Rider gently scolds the boy by warning, "You almost stopped a bullet!" Bright Feather explains that he was following the Rider to ensure the latter safely arrived in town, when he observed a "great danger."
The Rider decides to head back to town to get to the bottom of things, and tells Bright Feather to return to his tribe. Unfortunately, as soon as our hero meets Sheriff Steve, he's accused of being a thief and killer.
As the Rider is locked up in the county jail, we learn that he and Sheriff Steve have somewhat of a history...not that that's really helping the Rider out now.
Moments later, a young man barges into the Sheriff's office and announced that the Lone Rider has just raided the mail coach. Slowly, Sheriff Steve puts two and two together...but not before our hero betrays his Old West moxie by trolling the lawman.
"Sensing that the Lone Rider is in some sort of strange trouble," our hero's faithful steed turns on (and thereby exposes) the imposter.
It's nice and touching (bond between a man and his horse and all) but I have some questions. If Lightnin' can sense when the Rider's in danger, why didn't he do so earlier--when his owner was
being ambushed on the plain? And why did Lightnin' allow himself to be led off by the Faux Rider in the first place?!
The hombres beg, plead, and demand their "right" to go to a white man's jail. After being reassured by the Lone Rider that the white man's laws and punishment will be "as effective and just as your own," the Chief agrees to let Sheriff Steve take the criminals back to town and stretch their necks a bit.
And we close the narrative loop with this moment of high plains levity.
When last we left the Rider, he'd just come to the rescue of the little brave Bright Feather, who previously saved the Rider and provided cover fire with LR's own handguns! (Don't ask...it's too convoluted to explain...just see the previous post here.) After bandaging up Bright Feather's wrist (we're never given clear specifics, but it appears the little guy only suffered a flesh wound from a grazing bullet), the implied sidekick informs Lone Rider that he caught a glimpse of the "evil white man" who had fired on them both. Based on Bright Feather's description, the Rider concludes they're looking for someone with a large facial scar.
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| So...I don't know that I'd describe the typical facial scar as looking like "war paint." |
 | |
| So, while the Rider was bandaging Bright Feather's wrist, some ne'er-do-well scuttled down and blindfolded this wild and mighty stallion and led him away before the Rider could return? Suuuure he did. |
The Lone Rider acknowledges there's no point in trying to follow Lightnin's tracks on foot. Instead he and Bright Feather head back to the Indian camp for a spare horse. Once there, Bright Feather pleads to accompany the Rider, but is rebuffed with the eminently rational explanation that there will likely be trouble and that where the Rider is headed is, "no place for a boy." Our hero then heads off in search of his pilfered horse...and epistemic shenanigans again ensue.
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| Seriously? This chief is sooooo lucky there was no Child Welfare office back then. |
In the course of his pursuit, the Rider comes across a man who's steer has fallen down a ditch. Being the right-neighborly masked gunman that he is, the Rider helps retrieve the animal, but once having done that is shocked to find himself staring at the business end of a revolver!
That evening, the Rider is settling down by his prairie campfire and musing on the events of the day when he hears a twig snap and quick draws his pistol. Yes, you read that right. The same man who didn't notice the absence of his guns and belt at the beginning of the story has a hair-trigger reaction to a twig snap. But it actually gets even better.
 |
| Notice who the Rider is addressing? |
It turns out that the snapping twig is due to Bright Feather. The Rider gently scolds the boy by warning, "You almost stopped a bullet!" Bright Feather explains that he was following the Rider to ensure the latter safely arrived in town, when he observed a "great danger."
 |
| Thus the title of the story is finally explained. |
The Rider decides to head back to town to get to the bottom of things, and tells Bright Feather to return to his tribe. Unfortunately, as soon as our hero meets Sheriff Steve, he's accused of being a thief and killer.
As the Rider is locked up in the county jail, we learn that he and Sheriff Steve have somewhat of a history...not that that's really helping the Rider out now.
 |
| Locking up a "long-time friend" for murder, but you're mostly thinking about how you won't have to pay out for his execution? You cold-hearted Sheriff Steve. |
The Rider is released, and the trio charge out to intercept the Identity-Theft Bandit. Once they find their numerically-superior foes, however, our heroes promptly give up the element of surprise by loudly announcing their presence. And no...it's not the young, rattled stage hand who puts their lives in danger by loudly narrating their actions. It's the FREAKING SHERIFF!!!
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| Sheriff Steve doesn't know how to keep a low profile. Lone Rider has trouble keeping up with his guns and his horse. I just can't imagine why there's so much crime in them there parts.😏 |
So anyway, our noble paladins charge right down and promptly get themselves surrounded and nearly out of ammunition. The unlikely deliverance comes for our hapless heroes in the form of Bright Feather's tribe which arrives en masse to punish these men. As it turns out, the desperados being led by Not-Lone-Rider are the same ones who were trading with tribe at the beginning of the story.
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| Apparently, "injuns" have lots of gold...but don't inspect any of their goods before handing over $$. Also, I guess Bright Feather's tribe is into referring to themselves in the generic third person. |
While the braves are busy meting out high plains justice on the underlings, Lone Rider has one thief in particular that he "wants a piece of."
Naturally this leads to your classic "oh-no-we-can't-tell-which-one-is-the-real-Lone-Rider!" dilemma. When not even Bright Feather can distinguish the hero from the huckster, shrewd ole Sheriff Steve gets hisself an idey.
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| Horsey-sense, tingling! |
being ambushed on the plain? And why did Lightnin' allow himself to be led off by the Faux Rider in the first place?!
Anyway, Sheriff Steve announces that he's got a rope that'll just fit this desperado's neck, when the (STILL UNNAMED) Chief of the (STILL UNSPECIFIED!) tribe asks that he Indians be allowed to punish this criminal instead.
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| I guess he's the chief on account of he's the only person in the valley who can say "indians" instead of "injuns." |
The hombres beg, plead, and demand their "right" to go to a white man's jail. After being reassured by the Lone Rider that the white man's laws and punishment will be "as effective and just as your own," the Chief agrees to let Sheriff Steve take the criminals back to town and stretch their necks a bit.
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| I'm thinking, "Our-laws-are-as-just-as-yours" probably wouldn't work as reassurance for someone whose land had been stolen with the approval of those same laws. |
And we close the narrative loop with this moment of high plains levity.
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