Hopalong Cassidy #67

In Twin River, Sheriff Hopalong Cassidy investigates a string of mysterious disappearances, including that of his cousin Jed Allen, finding no clues and no motive—until a slab of unburned wax leads him to Hiram Fleer’s candle factory. There, he discovers the missing men encased in eerie, lifelike wax figures, revealing Fleer as the madman behind the crimes. Now, with Fleer revealed and the sheriff tied up, the true horror of the murderer’s twisted ambition is just beginning.

Hopalong Cassidy, broke and desperate, finds a bent rifle in the town dump and hatches a scheme to sell it as a miraculous weapon. He spins an elaborate tale to Rancher Phelps about how the rifle's curve allowed it to shoot around a hill and kill a moose, but his plan unravels when the real owner shows up and exposes the ruse.

Hopalong Cassidy investigates a supposed petrified giant discovered on Bart Hawks' ranch, suspecting the spectacle is a fraud after noticing inconsistencies in the stone figure. When he traces the carving to an old mountain tunnel, he uncovers evidence that the giant was actually chiseled from the rock—leading him to confront the real culprits behind the scam.

Windy, convinced that his artistic ambitions will land him a patron from the dude ranch, tries to impress a visiting gentleman by claiming he’s a master artist—complete with exaggerated boasts about his work being displayed in world-class museums. When Hopalong Cassidy challenges him to prove it by painting his portrait, Windy’s antics take a hilarious turn, culminating in a slapstick beat-down that leaves him ruefully admitting he’s only good at fooling himself.

Hopalong Cassidy investigates a series of mysterious deaths linked by a foul-smelling poison gas, after a boardinghouse professor’s experiments go awry. When the sheriff discovers the same deadly fumes at both a bank robbery and a hay delivery gone wrong, he races to uncover the truth behind the stench before more lives are lost.