Hopalong Cassidy #71

Hill Billy brings his heifer to Farmer Brown’s pasture for two weeks, agreeing to pay a fair price. When he returns, Farmer Brown claims the pasturing is worth the heifer itself, prompting Hill Billy to offer an unexpected counter: if Farmer Brown keeps the heifer for two more weeks, he’ll give her up.

Whitey Whiskers tries to trade his dog Cactus for a few ears of corn from Hank, claiming the dog is brilliant enough to hunt only what Whitey’s gun is aimed at—birds, deer, even worms. Hank isn’t convinced, but the absurdity of Whitey’s tall tales about growing corn so large crows could only perch on one ear might just be the key to getting his meal.

Pattie and Jesse Flint encounter each other in the dusty town, where Jesse’s exaggerated boasts about his outdoor lifestyle are met with skeptical amusement. When he claims to have gone half-crazy from being indoors, Pattie’s pointed question about whether he was indoors two days sends him into a flustered retreat.

In the wake of a suspicious fire that destroys Twin River’s town hall, Sheriff Hopalong Cassidy races into the burning building to save vital documents—only to uncover evidence that the blaze was no accident. As the town launches a lottery to raise funds, Hopalong notices a troubling pattern in the tickets, leading him to suspect foul play when the crooked editor Glynn is revealed to have printed counterfeit tickets and hidden the proceeds.