Hopalong Cassidy #21

When the town of Twin River needs funds to build a new hospital, Hopalong Cassidy sets out to locate a hidden treasure using a map left by a deceased townsman—but the shrewd Arizona Kid has other plans. Caught between capturing an outlaw and saving the treasure that the desperate town is counting on, Hopalong must outthink a cunning adversary who's willing to do anything to claim the prize for himself.

Hopalong Cassidy returns to Twin River with a valuable treasure meant to build the county's first hospital, and the whole town turns out to celebrate—but our hero's mind is already on settling an old score with a rival. When Hopalong and a companion stand side by side, one of them cracks a joke about their combined silhouette looking like the number "10," leading to a quick-witted punchline that proves there's more to this cowboy than just his quick draw.

A young Boy Scout heading to Mt. Tepid for an overnight camping trip gets a ribald lesson in hillbilly humor when a country fellow warns him that sleeping in a pup tent comes with an unexpected drawback. The joke lands with characteristic 1948 comic-page groan-worthiness, proving that even wholesome Americana has room for a well-timed pun.

When the Army's mules vanish from Twin River, Hopalong Cassidy is called in to track them down—but the stolen stock never crosses the Mexican border, which means they're still hidden somewhere nearby. His investigation leads him to suspect the Bar 66 ranch and its owner, but uncovering proof of the rustling scheme requires more than suspicion. With some clever detective work and a little help from an unexpected source, Hopalong pieces together the evidence he needs to corner the culprit.

Whitey Whiskers boasts to Daniel Boone, Jr. about his legendary fishing prowess—so fearsome that fish scatter at the mere mention of his name—and spins tall tales of his greatest catches and close calls. When a school of swordfish finally decides to take matters into their own hands and challenge the self-proclaimed greatest fisherman in the world, Whitey must put his skills to the test in a battle that doesn't quite go as planned. This humorous western tale proves that sometimes a fisherman's reputation can catch up with him in unexpected ways.

When Mesquite receives an invitation to join the prestigious Law and Order Club, he sets out eagerly to meet the membership at their secret gathering place in the hills—only to find himself captured by Native Americans and facing a deadly initiation he never bargained for. What Mesquite doesn't realize is that the Club's membership test is far more theatrical than it appears, and that the man behind his harrowing ordeal is none other than Hopalong Cassidy himself.

A sharpshooter with a reputation discovers that marksmanship and body count aren't the same thing when someone questions why his guns bear no notches. Slim Holt's easy confidence meets a harder truth about what it really means to be good with a gun.

When Bike Keesler's stepbrother Steve refuses to repay a loan, a heated confrontation turns deadly—and Bike ends up shot in the saloon. Sheriff Hopalong Cassidy must untangle the truth: was it self-defense as Steve claims, or cold-blooded murder as Bike's son Randy insists? With the evidence pointing toward a darker conspiracy, Hopalong races to stop Steve from silencing the only witness before justice slips away.