Star Ranger Funnies #15

Tenderfoot Mary's disastrous pie-baking mishap leaves a fellow hiccupping uncontrollably in Skull Valley, prompting him to test her wits with a simple arithmetic problem—only to discover her brand of frontier logic might just be unbeatable. This lighthearted tale from *Star Ranger Funnies* #15 (1938) captures the comedic chaos of the Old West with the kind of good-natured ribbing that made these pulp pages so much fun.

Deep in the untamed Alleghenies, the Thorne family faces a desperate siege when mysterious Indian attackers descend upon their isolated cabin. As ammunition runs dangerously low and their daughter Alice vanishes into the chaos, a legendary figure emerges from the wilderness—a masked scout known only as the Ermine, feared by the Indians themselves for reasons the family is about to discover. Who is this enigmatic avenger, and will he prove friend or foe to the beleaguered pioneers?

Wild Tex Martin rides into Caribou County to save his friend Sandy Hawks from the gallows, only to discover that the county's seemingly respectable lawman, Moss Sharpe, has orchestrated the whole frame-up as part of a scheme to steal miners' gold. With the help of the local garrison, Tex must expose Sharpe's corruption and prove Sandy's innocence before justice becomes just another casualty of greed in this lawless territory.

A greedy storekeeper's inflated prices spark rebellion when a cowboy named Red decides to drive to Dry Gulch for better supplies—but the merchant and his partner have a deadly ambush planned. Red and his allies turn the tables with a clever substitution that leaves the crooks outsmarted and facing justice.