Lash LaRue Western #23

In a humorous western tale, a hungry and boastful man known as Molasses Mouth refuses to ask Farmer Jones for food, claiming his trousers were frayed on account of the farmer’s dog. When challenged, he explains his fear with a mix of exaggeration and comic timing, turning a simple meal request into a tale of near-physical peril.

Dusty arrives at Dr. Yankem’s office seeking relief from a toothache, only to find the dentist more focused on collecting payment than treating him. As Dr. Yankem uses increasingly absurd methods to identify the painful tooth—ranging from mallet taps to mistaken diagnoses—the nervous cowboy tries to escape, all while the dentist insists on being paid in full before letting him go.

Lash LaRue and Wagonwheels share a humorous exchange after Wagonwheels returns from a fruitless hunt, claiming he’s suffered “Bald Man’s Luck.” The punchline unfolds when he reveals he searched the woods for a hare but only found hair — a pun on the word “hare” — leaving the situation delightfully absurd.

Big Bow and Little Arrow head to a fish-themed party, where Big Bow’s dread of fish—and worms—clashes with Little Arrow’s sharp wit and growing annoyance. As they bicker over manners, stolen silverware, and Big Bow’s questionable hygiene, their banter escalates into a playful feud that ends with a surprise twist at the circus gate.

Lash LaRue stumbles upon a trapped prospector, Clem Watkins, at the bottom of a hidden shaft near Devil’s Gap, only to find the man mysteriously vanished the next morning. With no signs of forced entry and a secret tunnel leading from the hotel room to the gambling casino, Lash must unravel which of three suspicious locals is behind the disappearance. As he confronts the suspects, he realizes the truth lies not in their alibis, but in their reactions to the danger.