Monte Hale Western #43

An Easterner invited to spend the weekend at a ranch finds himself at odds with the rugged frontier lifestyle, rejecting every activity his well-meaning host suggests—horseback riding, fishing, hiking, and more. When a cowpoke makes one last-ditch effort to get the city visitor interested in a swim, he gets a sharp lesson in frontier humor that lands like a punch line.

Monte Hale takes on a solemn duty when dying Texas Ranger Jim Dunn passes him his badge and asks him to capture the escaped outlaw known as the Texas Kid. Following a crucial clue—a boat ticket found on a fallen accomplice—Monte races against time to reach the Gulf port and stop the Kid from fleeing the country aboard the Santo Paolo. It's a race of vengeance and honor as Monte works to finish the job his fallen friend couldn't complete.

When a band of ruthless land sharks learns of a cattlemen's association's plan to irrigate fifty thousand acres of prairie land through Dodger Pass, they scheme to buy up the key parcels—and aren't shy about using intimidation to force sales. Monte Hale finds himself racing against time to stop the gang from registering a deed to the crucial property they've stolen, leading to a desperate confrontation on a perilous mountain bridge. Can the surveyor turn the tables and deliver justice before the crooks lock in their illegal claim?

Bronko Betsy shares her clever take on what makes a smile so special in this lighthearted western tale. A simple question leads to a witty answer that's sure to bring a grin to any reader's face.

When a homesick Eastern boy named Sonny Jones arrives at the Bar-O Ranch to recover his health, Gabby Hayes discovers that nothing will perk him up until he gets a chance to play baseball—so Gabby arranges for the St. Louis Blues to visit the ranch for a game. What follows is a hilarious collision between cowboy common sense and baseball rules, as Gabby and his crew learn the finer points of America's pastime the hard way.

When Old Slick stands up to a bully harassing a dog, the aging character refuses to back down despite being taunted about his years—a moment of real courage wrapped in frontier humor. This one-page story captures the heart of the Old West through a simple act of bravery that has nothing to do with guns or showdowns.

Bronko Betsy visits Rancher Eskins to collect money for her birthday party, and he offers her a choice between a dime and a dollar. When she selects the dime—following her mother's lesson to always take the smallest piece—she then asks to borrow the dollar as a wrapper to keep her dime safe, outsmarting the rancher with her clever thinking.