BILLY STEELE: KID RANGER--THE DARK SKULL'S REVENGE

BILLY STEELE: KID RANGER

By Ronald Binder

He was known as The Sidewinder. He was only 13 years old, but his likeness hung on wanted posters throughout the West. This adolescent committed violent crimes too numerous to mention. He stood lanky and mean, had sandy hair and steel blue eyes. He wore a flat, black hat; its band decorated with the shell casings from the bullets he fired into his slower, defenseless victims. His black vest’s pocket held his cigarettes and he lit one before he slaughtered the cattle he just rustled for his evening meal. Out of the corner of his eye, The Sidewinder saw an unwanted presence spying on his desolate camp site.

The ominous smoke from The Sidewinder’s cigarette caught the cruel vision of a merciless bounty hunter, a sleazy, long-coated, thin lipped bushwhacker hungry to earn the price on The Sidewinder’s head-"Wanted: Dead Or Alive, $1,000 Reward," read the poster. The veteran, viciously armed hunter set up an ambush for The Sidewinder, for the bounty killer already envisioned The Sidewinder’s body draped over his mustang. But the wily bounty hunter’s crackling of fallen leaves and sagebrush beneath his spurred boot alerted the young gun to slap leather like lightning. Bang! Crack! And as the smoke cleared, the bounty hunter’s body had fallen to the ground. His blood flowed over the dead leaves, turning their color from bright orange to ghastly red. The Sidewinder could add another notch to his gun handle.

The teen outlaw knelt over his victim and was just about to rob the dead when The Sidewinder then heard the hoof beats of a posse approaching. Then the young gunman swiftly saddled his night black steed to high tail it to Paradise Valley-the fire in the youth’s eye mirrored his soul’s purpose, the Sidewinder’s self inflicted mission, his cold obsession, is to kill Billy Steele!

Many miles away, in Billy’s home town, Paradise Valley was having its first gala "Founder’s Day" celebration. The streets were lined with red, white and blue flags and banners. Cowboys, ranchers and their families, cavalrymen from Fort Yuma, the entire territory joined in the carnival like festival. The town’s ladies competed in cooking, baking and quilting contests, as their men folk proved their prowess in rodeo events and wagon races. Man-mountain Sgt. Big Boy Haliday retained his crown as champion of the town’s flapjack eating contest, and the comedic, voice throwing Cpl. Jubilee Jones, and his wooden headed partner, sang "Oh Suzannah" for the boisterous crowd. Salvation McCoy and his musket, "Old Betsy" won the grand prize in the marksmen contest against men half his age. All of Paradise Valley town ship became blanketed in the warmth of the day’s glory.

The 12-year old blue eyed Billy Steele, wearing his newly cleaned uniform, and his square jawed adopted father, Col. Tim, leader of Holt’s Rangers, happily strolled the festive streets and soon, they met Miss Cartright, Billy’s pretty teacher. Soon the always, impetuous Billy convinced the shy Col. to become the engaging blonde’s partner for the square dance. Billy watched them swing and sway to the fiddler’s calls; he was quickly approached by his classmate, Lupe. The usually tomboyish, jean-wearing Mexican girl was now a reluctant portrait of female grace in a lacy, store bought dress. And when she asked Billy to dance, the usually brave, courageous and bold Billy began to retreat from the opposite sex.