Six-Gun Heroes #42

Jingles agrees to guard the town's pooled funds—a crucial $25,000 meant for the railroad—but when the local banker doctores his coffee with a powerful sedative, Jingles falls asleep at his post and the money vanishes, replaced with cut paper. As suspicion falls on the sleeping guard, Jingles pieces together clues that point to an inside job, leading him to confront the real culprit before the stolen money leaves town on the morning train.

When the widow Hawkins arrives in town and speaks against violence, Jingles gives up his guns to win her approval—only to find himself the laughingstock of every troublemaker within a hundred miles, including the cocky outlaw Slim Whitman and his gang. As the widow's affections shift toward displays of brute strength, Jingles must decide whether to stay disarmed and lose her respect, or reclaim his six-shooters and prove he's more than just a "big meanie" with a badge.

Pinto Pete spots Fishing Phil with an impressive catch and decides to have a laugh at his expense, posing a riddle about where fish keep their weight—a bit of frontier humor that catches Phil completely off guard. It's a quick, lighthearted gag that showcases the kind of good-natured ribbing that passes for entertainment in the Old West.

When bank robbers flee south of the border with their stolen loot, Jingles gets permission from the Mexican government to pursue them—but he'll need to go undercover as a bandito himself to infiltrate their hideout in the hills. With a disguise and some quick Spanish, Jingles sets out to track down the thieves and bring them to justice, discovering that not all outlaws are what they seem.

Wild Bill Hickok takes note when a mysterious drifter arrives in town with a scraggly horse called Dusty and starts challenging the locals to a high-stakes race, drawing bets from nearly everyone—including the shifty Andy Walsh. As the race day approaches, Marshal Hickok suspects Walsh is planning something underhanded, and John Porter seems to know more than he's letting on. The real race isn't just about horses and money, but about who can outthink whom when the stakes get this high.

Lash Larue arrives in town just as the Durkin gang is making their getaway from a bank holdup, and pursues them to their stronghold atop Chalk Mountain—a natural fort so defensible that one man could hold off an army. Refusing to admit defeat, Lash devises a clever strategy to smoke out the outlaws and get inside, where he finds himself outnumbered but far from outmatched. With quick thinking and grit, he turns the tables on the gang and reclaims the stolen money.