Monte Hale Western #64

Old Slick tries to cheer up Gus, who’s down in the dumps, but ends up being the one who needs a pick-me-up when Gus suggests he’s “just what the doctor ordered”—a pill. The punchline hinges on a humorous misunderstanding, with Old Slick’s reaction selling the gag.

Sheriff Slim and his aide Bodkins listen to Gabby Hayes spin a spooky tale of the Headless Horseman, unaware that a group of outlaws is planning to rob the stage using the legend as a distraction. As the men go their separate ways, Bodkins schemes to scare Gabby by pretending to be the ghostly rider, only to find himself terrified when a mysterious rider—actually Gabby in disguise—appears and plays the part even more convincingly.

In the dusty frontier town of 1951, Monte Hale is honored when J.P. Farnum, a collector of Western relics, requests his engraved six-gun to complete his traveling Curio Caravan. After donating the weapon, Monte returns to find Farnum dead and is framed for the murder by Farnum’s partner, Curry, who demands a thousand dollars to keep the crime from the sheriff. As Monte escapes from a locked chamber rigged with a wax replica of Farnum, he realizes the entire setup was a ruse—Farnum is alive, and the real danger lies in uncovering the truth behind the elaborate deception.