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OW
that you've just ventured through some of the captivating tales in the Stories from the Golden Age collection by L. Ron Hubbard, turn the page and enjoy a preview of
The Toughest Ranger.
Join gun-shy cowboy Petey McGuire, who's been kicked around
all of his life. Faced with starvation, he bluffs his way into a job with the
rough-n'-tumble
Arizona Rangers
. But when he's
chosen to hunt the most dangerous desperado in the state, Petey's forced to discover
what it really means to be Ranger-tough.

The Toughest Ranger

H
E
did not know how far he went as
his legs were numb and walking, mechanical. But when he looked up he was on the
outskirts of a small pueblo. The biggest building in it was a fort-like 'dobe
structure which presented an arched gate to the road. There was a sign about
that gate: “THE ARIZONA RANGERS.”

Petey stopped, hardly seeing the sign
at all. In this town, he knew, he could swab out a bar for food. He could clean
up a stable. . . .

But Pat had to have shoes and oats
and a few weeks' rest.

He turned and looked at the weary
little cow pony who didn't even raise his head. Pat pushed ahead a staggering
step and shoved his muzzle into Petey's chest.

“Yeah,” said Petey. “Yeah. I know. I'm
hungry too.”

He went toward a saloon and wrapped
Pat's reins about the hitchrack. Petey stepped through the doors and into the
dim interior.

The bartender was a thick-jowled
fellow, shining up glasses. He took one look at Petey and marked him for what
he was—saddle tramp.

“Beat it,” said the bartender before
Petey had spoken. “We got a swamper. There ain't no room in Cristobal for
saddle tramps.”

“Look,” pleaded Petey.

“Yeah, but you better do the lookin'.
Captain Shannon locks up every man that can't pay his way. He's cleanin' up the
country, see? He's tough, the toughest Ranger in the state and you better take
my tip. Beat it.”

“You mean . . . you mean just because
I'm broke he'd lock me up?” said Petey.

“Well? Why not?”

A chill of terror shook Petey. He
turned around and went out into the street. He stopped with Pat's reins in his
hand and stared at the big 'dobe building which was marked with the sign: “THE
ARIZONA RANGERS.”

He knew what he faced. If they locked
him up, Pat . . . He hadn't realized until now how shabby Pat looked after a
thousand miles. They wouldn't take care of Pat.

But he couldn't go on. No, he couldn't
take to the desert again. That way lay death. And here was death for Pat.

His hand was shaking as he pulled his
hat brim down. He had no solution for this. Captain Shannon was tough, toughest
Ranger in the state. . . .

Petey swallowed hard.

If Pat . . .

Suddenly he wanted to hit somebody,
anybody. He wanted to lash out and slay these ghosts which had stalked him for
twenty-four years. His rage began to mount.

They had no right to do this to him.
No right to kill Pat by loosing him on the waterless desert. Pat needed care!

Suddenly Petey McGuire felt cold. His
wits felt like crystal in his head. He was not shaking. He had felt himself
grow taller and the experience did not even surprise him. His young face was
set and his blue eyes were suddenly hard.

They couldn't kill Pat.

And he knew what he could do.

It was an amazingly brazen idea.

Without any volition of his own he
found himself leading Pat across the road and to the 'dobe fort's gate.

Petey was without any fear of
anything. He was five times bigger than the sentry.

Maybe it was the sun. Maybe it was
starvation. Maybe it was the thought of losing his only friend.

But Petey snapped at the
leather-faced sentry, “Where's Shannon?”

He did not recognize his own voice.

The sentry jerked his thumb toward
another archway within. Petey, leading Pat, went toward it.

He could see a man beyond. That must
be Shannon. A granite boulder behind a desk.

Half of Petey was suddenly scared to
death. But the other half of him would not stop walking. He dropped Pat's reins
and stalked into the office with a careless, impudent swagger.

Captain Shannon looked up, annoyed,
starting to stamp the caller by his dusty, torn clothing.

But Petey was without fear now.
Nothing could stop Petey. Not even himself.

“M'name's McGuire,” said Petey in a
challenging tone. “Petey McGuire. You've heard of me.”

Shannon started to make a biting
remark, but Petey rushed on without any help from Petey.

“Petey McGuire. From Kansas City to N'Orleans,
what I say goes. I'm so tough I'd give a rattler nightmares. You're Shannon and
I hear you need tough guys. Well, you ain't got anybody around here that'd
stand up to me.”

“I don't think . . .” began Shannon
sarcastically.

“Hell! You trying to tell me you
never heard of Petey McGuire? G'wan, I ain't in no mood for telling funny
stories. Where's my badge and where's my bunk? And don't take all day about it!”

Petey was scared down. He was so
scared he expected Shannon to leap at him across that battered desk.

But Shannon looked at a dusty,
hard-faced, reckless fellow with a twisted grin on his mouth and a swagger in
the way he stood.

Shannon was taken not a little aback.
He knew his own reputation and now that he was getting old he was guarding it.
He had reasons. He had made enemies in his day. And this tough-talking kid had
more brass than anybody Shannon had seen for many a year. Shannon's reputation
was such as to demand respect. And here was a young
whippersnapper
. . .

Shannon got up and came around the
desk. He was taller than Petey by half a foot and heavier by fifty pounds.

With malice, Shannon said, “So you're
tough, are you, sonny?”

Petey startled himself by bristling, “The
name's McGuire. Petey McGuire, and if you ain't heard of me you don't know
nothin'. Where's the badge and the bunk?”

Shannon scratched his jaw and
squinted up a cold, gray eye. He was amused. But now was not the time. Oh, no.
He could read this kid like a book. Youngster putting on a front and nothing
more and when the guns began to go . . .

Shannon had a sense of humor.

“Hunter will show you the bunk. We'll
see about you later.”

To find out more about
The Toughest Ranger
and
how you can obtain your copy, go to
www.goldenagestories.com
.

Glossary

S
TORIES FROM THE
G
OLDEN
A
GE
reflect the words and expressions used in the 1930s and 1940s, adding unique flavor and authenticity to the tales. While a character's speech may often reflect regional origins, it also can convey attitudes common in the day. So that readers can better grasp such cultural and historical terms, uncommon words or expressions of the era, the following glossary has been provided.

alkali:
a powdery white mineral that salts the ground in many low places in
the West. It whitens the ground where water has risen to the surface and gone
back down.
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allus:
always.
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Arizona Rangers:
a group of mounted lawmen organized in 1901 to protect the Arizona
Territory from outlaws and rustlers so that the Territory could apply for
statehood. They were picked from officers, military men, ranchers and cowboys.
With maximum company strength of twenty-six men, they covered the entire
territory.
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Battle of the
Marne:
the name of a battle of World War I that
took place near the Marne River in northeastern France in the summer of 1918.
It was there the US 3rd Division joined British and French forces to stop the
advance of the Germans into France. In two scorching hot days of bloody,
hand-to-hand fighting, the US 3rd Division proved themselves to be brave and
aggressive and helped to tip the balance of power in favor of the Allied
forces.
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batwings:
long chaps (leather leggings the cowboy wears to protect his legs)
with big flaps of leather. They usually fasten with rings and snaps.
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beeves:
plural of
beef,
an adult cow, steer or bull raised for its
meat.
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border roll:
to spin a gun, with the forefinger slipped through the trigger
guard, so that the gun butt is spun back into the palm of the hand, ready to
fire.
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border shift:
the throwing of a gun from one hand to the other, catching, cocking
and, if need be, firing it without seeming to pause.
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buckaroo:
a cowboy of the West known for great horsemanship and
horse-training techniques. Buckaroos distinguish themselves by their open-crowned
hats with short flat brims, silk scarves, chinks (shorter leather chaps),
high-heeled boots, dark wool vests and white, long-sleeved, button-down shirts.
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buckboard:
an open four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage with the seat or seats
mounted on a flexible board between the front and rear axles.
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bull's-eye
lantern:
a lantern with one or more sides of
bulging glass. Dark until it was suddenly switched on by opening its door, it
focused its light to some extent.
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bulldogger:
one who bulldogs, to throw a calf or steer by seizing the horns and
twisting its neck until the animal loses its balance and falls.
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chaw:
a wad of chewing tobacco.
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chute:
a passage between fences or rails, sometimes narrowing, in which
horses or cattle are driven into rodeo arenas, corrals, onto trucks, etc.
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Colt:
a single-action, six-shot cylinder revolver, most commonly
available in .45- or .44-caliber versions. It was first manufactured in 1873
for the Army by the Colt Firearms Company, the armory founded by American
inventor Samuel Colt (1814–1862) who revolutionized the firearms industry with
the invention of the revolver. The Colt, also known as the Peacemaker, was also
made available to civilians. As a reliable, inexpensive and popular handgun
among cowboys, it became known as the “cowboy's gun” and a symbol of the Old
West.
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concha:
a disk, traditionally of hammered silver and resembling a shell or
flower, used as a decoration piece on belts, harnesses, etc.
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Cordilleras:
a mountain system in the West, including the Sierra Nevada, Coast
Range, Cascade Range and Rocky Mountains.
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Curly Bill Spin:
used when handing a gun over to someone. As the gun is handed over,
butt first, the forefinger is slipped through the trigger guard and the gun
butt is spun back into the palm of the hand, ready to fire; so named because
Curly Bill Graham, a nineteenth-century outlaw, used this maneuver to kill a
marshal during an attempted arrest.
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'dobe:
short for adobe; a building constructed with sun-dried bricks made
from clay.
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dogs and
children:
referring to the old saying that one
cannot fool dogs and children: “If dogs and children like you, then you must be
okay.”
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dons:
Spanish gentlemen or aristocrats.
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drill:
shoot.
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Ellensburg Rodeo:
Ellensburg is located just east of the Cascade Mountain Range in
central Washington. The Ellensburg Rodeo was founded in 1923 by ranchers,
farmers, Native Americans and community-minded citizens with the desire to
celebrate a vanishing frontier way of life and to promote their community.
Ellensburg lies in the heart of the cattle region, and roundup competitions
were commonplace with the cowboys of the region.
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fall guy:
an easy victim.
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fanned:
1. fanning; waving or slapping the hat against a horse's sides
while riding a bucker. Using the hat in this manner serves as a balance and when
a rider loses his hat, he is usually not long in following it to the ground. 2.
fired a series of shots from a single-action revolver by holding the trigger
back and successively striking the hammer to the rear with the free hand.
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forked leather:
mounted a saddled horse.
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forty-five
or
.45:
a six-shot, single-action, .45-caliber revolver.
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Fry, Elizabeth:
(1780–1845) an English prison reformer, social reformer and
philanthropist. She was the driving force in the legislation to make the
treatment of prisoners more humane.
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ginger:
with great care or caution.
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G-men:
government men; agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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hackamore:
a halter with reins and a noseband instead of a bit (a metal bar
that fits into the horse's mouth and attaches to the reins), used for breaking
horses and riding.
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hair pants:
chaps (leather leggings the cowboy wears to protect his legs) made
with hair-covered hide.
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half-breed:
a person with parents of different races, usually a white father
and Native American mother. The term originated in the East, not the Western
frontier.
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hazing:
driving from horseback.
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high-hatting:
treating in a condescending way; showing haughty disdain for.
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hog leg:
another name for the popular Colt revolver also known as the
Peacemaker.
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hoof, on the:
a cow that is still alive.
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hoosegow:
a jail.
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hornswoggle:
to trick, deceive or cheat.
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hostler:
a person who takes care of horses, especially at an inn.
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John B.:
Stetson; as the most popular broad-brimmed hat in the West, it
became the generic name for
hat.
John B. Stetson was a master hat maker
and founder of the company that has been making Stetsons since 1865. Not only
can the Stetson stand up to a terrific amount of beating, the cowboy's hat has
more different uses than any other garment he wears. It keeps the sun out of
the eyes and off the neck; it serves as an umbrella; it makes a great fan,
which sometimes is needed when building a fire or shunting cattle about; the
brim serves as a cup to water oneself, or as a bucket to water the horse or put
out the fire.
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lariat:
a long noosed rope used for catching horses, cattle, etc.; lasso.
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lights:
mental ability, knowledge or understanding.
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livery stable:
a stable that accommodates and looks after horses for their owners.
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lobo:
wolf; one who is regarded as predatory, greedy and fierce.
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locoweed:
any of a number of plants widespread in the mountains of the
Western US that make livestock act crazy when they eat them.
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lynch mob:
a group of people who capture and hang someone without legal arrest
and trial, because they think the person has committed a crime.
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Major Reno:
Major Marcus Albert Reno (1834–1889); a career military officer in
the American Civil War, most noted for his role in the Battle of Little Big
Horn, also known as Custer's Last Stand, on June 25, 1876. Custer split his
command of the US Cavalry Regiment, numbering 650 men, into three battalions.
Reno commanded one battalion and crossed the river to attack the southern end
of the Indian camp. Realizing a trap had been set, he ordered his men dismounted
and went into a defensive formation. Colonel Custer, originally intending to
support Reno, attacked the middle of the encampment instead, where he and all
197 of the men in his battalion were killed. Major Reno's battalion of 134 had
36 men killed and 26 wounded.
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Marshall, John:
a book by John Marshall (1755–1835), an American statesman and
jurist who shaped American constitutional law and made the Supreme Court a
center of power. He was the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, serving
from 1801 until his death. He participated in over one thousand Supreme Court
decisions and wrote 519 of the opinions himself.
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Morris chair:
an early type of reclining chair from 1866
manufactured by William Morris' firm, Morris & Company. The characteristic
feature of the Morris chair is a hinged back, set between two un-upholstered
arms, with the reclining angle adjusted through a row of pegs, holes or notches
in each arm.  
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old saw about
“dogs and children”:
referring to the old saying
that one cannot fool dogs and children: “If dogs and children like you, you
must be okay.”
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outlaw:
a wild or vicious horse.
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Overland:
Overland Stage; stagecoach line in the mid-nineteenth century that
transported mail and passengers.
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papooses:
Native American infants or very young children.
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physiognomy:
the features of somebody's face, especially when they are used as
indicators of that person's character or temperament.
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