Monte Hale Western #88

A man admires a woman's stylish bangs and suggests his girlfriend get the same look—by using dynamite in her hair to create the effect. What could possibly go wrong in this frontier comedy?

Monte Hale rides into Fort McKechnie just as it comes under siege, and when the garrison's ammunition runs dangerously low, he volunteers to reach the main fort at Shelby for reinforcements. With help from both soldiers and civilians, Monte must get a raft loaded with vital ammunition downriver while evading the attacking Ojipways and their relentless arrows.

Carpet Minded Carter shows off his newly carpeted ranch house to a visiting neighbor, who becomes curious about the cost and practicality of the fancy new flooring. When Carter explains the pricing and wear patterns, the punchline reveals the absurd economics of carpet—a humorous take on frontier life meeting modern domestic conveniences.

Benjamin Sweeney has built a fearsome reputation around a gun he acquired at auction—Wild Bill Hickok's own pistol—and he's convinced the weapon is unstoppable. When Monte Hale interferes with Sweeney's plans and survives what should have been a fatal ambush, the outlaw's faith in his "lucky" gun begins to crack, especially after Hale appears mysteriously alive at the Gold Dust Saloon. Monte then infiltrates Sweeney's gang to catch them red-handed during a stagecoach robbery at Hangman's Bend, forcing a final reckoning between the two men—one confident in superstition, the other in skill.

When the ex-sheriff Old Timer learns that the dangerous Red Benson—a man who's sworn vengeance against him—has escaped jail and is headed to Prairie Gulch, he faces a choice between his past and his present. Rather than meet Benson head-on, Old Timer appears to ride away to a nearby ranch, leaving the new young sheriff to handle the threat. But nothing is quite as it seems when Old Timer returns to town to settle the score on his own terms.

A cowboy named Molasses Mouth offers his friend a cigar after dinner, and when his friend declines, Molasses Mouth decides to light one up for himself. When questioned about why he tosses away his first match, Molasses Mouth reveals a humorous quirk about his cigar-smoking habit that lands the joke perfectly.