Bill Boyd Western #21

Windy Whooper spins a tall tale about the time he hurt his finger in Silver Territory and visited the newly arrived Dr. Quack for treatment—only to find the quack's advice getting progressively worse as the swelling spreads from finger to hand to whole arm. When a six-year-old nephew's opposite recommendation finally brings relief, Windy storms back to confront the doc with hilarious results.

Bill Boyd traces a glittering trail of gold dust left behind by a fleeing criminal, only to discover it's part of an elaborate trap that locks him and the Sheriff inside a burning shack. With danger closing in and the stolen loot still missing, Boyd must outsmart his enemies and uncover a second secret hidden in the feed store—but his search takes an unexpected turn when he stumbles into a mysterious hole with no way down.

Bill Boyd discovers a hidden tunnel beneath the feed store and uncovers the stolen loot—but before he can act, he's ambushed by the criminals and left for dead. When he comes to, Bill pieces together their escape plan: they mean to blow up the jail cell with corpses inside to fake their deaths, then slip away with the treasure. Bill tracks them to the graveyard where the scheme is unfolding and moves to stop them before their deadly gambit can succeed.

Hamlet Hambone returns to his hometown after twenty years away, now convinced he's a great actor touring the country with his self-written, self-directed play "East of West" at the local music hall. When his old acquaintance Seth attends the show and meets him backstage, the two engage in a battle of wits where Seth's brutal honesty about Hambone's theatrical talents clashes hilariously with the actor's unwavering self-confidence.