Monte Hale Western #72

Monte Hale and government agent Floyd Wiley discover that a beautiful woman smuggling farm equipment is actually Carlotta Montez, a cunning gunrunner supplying rifles to the rebel bandit El Leon across the Mexican border. When Monte trails her into Acatera to stop the weapons shipment, he's captured—but Carlotta, disillusioned with El Leon's true ruthlessness, helps him escape so he can warn General Montalvo of a secret tunnel assault on the governor's palace. With the general's forces ready and waiting, Monte must race back into danger to ensure the rebellion is crushed before it can take root.

Dimwit Diddle has a bone to pick with hunting dogs—specifically pointers, which he claims have a terrible habit of pointing at the wrong target when danger strikes.

Aunt Hester sets her heart on winning the affection of Gabby Hayes with her homemade fudge, but a sweet-toothed outlaw called Fearless Fudgy keeps stealing candy and valuables across town—and now he's got his nose on Hester's prize batch. When a mousetrap fails to catch the confection bandit, Gabby cooks up a clever scheme involving pebbles, fake fudge, and a dentist's chair to finally corner the sugar-loving varmint.

Monte Hale investigates a seemingly generous grubstaker's suspicious pattern of prospectors dying in convenient accidents after striking silver, only to walk straight into a trap when he discovers a rich vein himself. With Crackerbarrel Caulkins and his gang closing in for the kill, Monte must use his wits to turn the tables in a deserted mine shaft.

When Bronko Betsy shows up late to class with a dubious excuse about her geography homework, her teacher decides to test her knowledge on the spot—demanding she name six wild animals from Africa. Betsy's answer is so hilariously literal that it lands the perfect punchline in this quick Western humor bit.

In the sweltering heat of the Old West, a cowboy yearns for something ice cold to drink—until his quick-thinking friend offers an unconventional solution. This one-page humor tale delivers a groan-worthy pun that hits harder than the desert sun.

A rancher suspects his neighbor Hank Pringle of raiding his chicken coop and pays him a visit with a pointed warning about what happens to prowlers caught near his henhouse at night. Old Slick's ominous threat lands hard enough to make Hank think twice about his thieving ways—though whether the message truly sticks remains to be seen in this quick, tongue-in-cheek Western tale from 1952.

When farmers in Shanda Valley attempt to build a protective dam against the region's devastating droughts and floods, power-hungry cattleman Rance Weldon and his hired gunmen wage a brutal campaign to stop them—sabotaging their work and threatening their lives. Monte Hale arrives to broker peace, but when Weldon refuses to back down, Monte sides with the farmers and helps them push the dam toward completion despite escalating violence. As the valley fills with heavy rains and Weldon makes one final desperate play to destroy everything, Monte races to stop him and settle the conflict once and for all.