Lone Ranger, The (Disney Junior Novel (ebook))

by Elizabeth Rudnick Disney Book Group

  “You check under the carriage?” he asked. The men nodded. “Well, check again.”

  The men grumbled and got to their feet. They had checked. More than once. What was the captain so nervous about? Who would even think about hiding under the train?

  But what they didn’t know was that at that very moment someone was hiding under the train. Tonto, his fingers gripping the train tightly, held his breath as he heard the cavalry begin their inspection. He had nowhere to go. If they found him…

  Suddenly, he heard a commotion. Looking over, he saw the bottoms of several women’s dresses. And one very white fake leg. He smiled and waited to hear what would happen.

  Fuller had also seen the dresses—and the women in them. Leading the group was the woman with bright red hair. “May I help you, madam?” he asked, blocking them from coming closer.

  Red Harrington smiled. Then she lifted her fake leg onto a stack of crates. “Seems I have a run in my stocking,” she replied, all sugar and spice. Raising her skirt, she displayed the white limb.

  Fuller’s eyes grew wide and he involuntarily took a step closer. “Ivory?” he asked, stretching out a hand as if to touch it.

  Red smiled. Every man had his thing. “Most mistake it for scrimshaw,” she answered.

  “Heathens,” Fuller said under his breath, forgetting all about his duties and the train that still needed to be checked. The other soldiers were equally distracted by Red’s girls.

  Under the train, Tonto nodded and resumed making his way down the car’s length. He would have to remember to thank Red—if he ever got out of this adventure alive.

  Back at the station house, the railroad’s shareholders entered a long, narrow room. A big rectangular table dominated the room. In front of each chair a legal document had been placed.

  “Have a seat,” Cole instructed. Confused, everyone did as they were told. “The men in this room represent the finest families in this country as well as the controlling interest in the Transcontinental Railroad Corporation.” Cole began to pace the room, his voice becoming more animated as he moved. At the table, the shareholders raised their glasses. Cole went on. “I congratulate you. Through money you inherited you are now in a position to control what I built with my hands, my sweat, my blood.”

  Slowly, the shareholders lowered their glasses.

  Pleased, Cole continued his speech. “What you cannot know is that over the last six months I have leveraged a position that will make me the single largest shareholder when the company is listed Monday morning on the New York City Stock Exchange.” He paused, savoring the moment. “In essence, gentlemen, you work for me.”

  Around the table, the shareholders exchanged looks. What was going on? Could this be true? “You propose to buy the railroad?” one of them asked.

  “Just the majority stake,” Cole replied, nodding.

  “Do you have any idea the cost?” another shareholder ventured.

  Stepping forward from where he had been hovering, Wendell held up a slip of paper. “Fifty-eight point two million dollars,” he said matter-of-factly.

  “Each of those freight cars contains four and a half tons of purest raw silver,” Cole went on, nodding toward the Constitution. “Once it reaches the bank in San Francisco, sixty-five million dollars’ worth. What you might call a hostile takeover.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out Habberman’s token. “You can keep the watch.” Throwing it on the table, he smiled as the shareholders began to shout among themselves. It was the sweetest sound he had ever heard.

  Outside the station house, the Lone Ranger and Tonto were busy putting their plan into motion. Crawling under the train, Tonto stopped beneath the parlor car. Looking up through a grate in the floor, he saw Danny Reid. Wrapping his fingers around the grate, he pulled himself up until his painted face was pressed to the brass. Danny, who had been acting as errand boy for the soldiers guarding him, saw the fingers and then Tonto’s face. His eyes grew wide.

  Holding a finger to his lips, Tonto motioned for Danny to come closer. Making sure the soldiers weren’t looking, Danny leaned down, pretending to have dropped a piece of fruit. Tonto nodded and then pushed a single silver bullet through the grate. Danny grabbed it and pocketed the ammunition.

  That part of the plan complete, Tonto continued on his way, but not before snagging a grape from Danny. After all, he was hungry.

  At the stable, Red’s bodyguard, Homer, was doing his part to help. All the cavalry’s horses were inside, being guarded by several of the soldiers. Eyeing the men, Homer drove his wagon up to the stable entrance. In the back of the wagon, several crates marked PICKLES rattled about.

  “Hey, you can’t leave that here,” one of the soldiers shouted.

  Homer shrugged his big shoulders. “Mr. Cole’s pickles,” he said. “Take it up with him.” He jumped down off the wagon and walked away, leaving the pickles behind.

  While Red continued to distract Fuller and his men, Tonto finally arrived at the Constitution’s engine. Inside, the engineer and firemen sat entranced by the festivities going on outside. They were completely unaware of Tonto as he climbed up into the car, his knife drawn. He took a step forward, his shoe scraping on the floor.

  Hearing the noise, the engineer whirled around. His eyes grew wide as he took in Tonto. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Robbery,” Tonto replied.

  The engineer laughed. “We don’t have no money, boy,” he said, chuckling.

  Tonto held up his blade and the man instantly stopped laughing. “Train robbery,” he corrected.

  Exchanging looks, the engineer and the firemen hastily climbed out of the car.

  Turning to the train’s controls, Tonto eyed them curiously. There was one small hiccup in their plan. He had no idea how to drive a train. But how hard could it be? Randomly, he began to pull on various levers. With a groan, the train lurched forward.

  Tonto smiled. That hadn’t been so hard after all. He pulled another series of levers and the train began to move backward. His smile faded. So maybe he still had a few things to figure out.

  Back in the station house, the shareholders were still in an uproar. Just as their voices reached a fever pitch, the door to the room opened and Cavendish entered, pushing Rebecca ahead of them. The shareholders barely noticed.

  “This is an outrage!” one of the men cried.

  “I, for one, am not going to sit here and negotiate with one of my employees,” Habberman said, struggling to his feet. Lifting his head, his eyes grew wide. Cole had a gun in his hand. It was pointed right at him.

  “Then let’s get down to it, shall we?” he asked. He pulled the trigger. Habberman let out a scream as he fell to the floor, clutching his leg. “Gentlemen,” he went on. “Due to an accident, your chairman has had to take a sudden leave of absence. You’ll need a replacement. Nominations?” He looked around the room, the gun at his side still smoking.

  For a moment, no one spoke. Finally, one of the men held up his shaking hand. “I nominate Mr. Latham Cole,” he said.

  “I second,” another one added.

  Turning to look at Rebecca, Cole smiled, as if to say, I told you so. Then, turning back to the shareholders, he nodded. “I accept.”

  Behind him, there was a commotion. But Cole didn’t bother to turn around. This was the best moment of his life. He controlled the railway. And in a few days more, he would be one of the richest men in America. Nothing could go wrong now.

  “Um, Mr. Cole,” Wendell stammered, pointing out the window.

  Cole stifled a groan. What did the man want? Could he not just have a moment to enjoy his victory? Turning, he followed Wendell’s finger. He felt his heart stop for a beat and then begin pounding wildly. Outside, in front of his very eyes, the Constitution was moving. The big iron machine pulled back from the Jupiter, destroying the iconic moment when the trains had made history. It knocked over the stage, ripped down bunting, and sent people running as it moved farther along the track. “They’r
e stealing my train,” he hissed in disbelief.

  “They’re stealing your silver,” a shareholder corrected him. “No silver, no deal.”

  With a cry of rage, Cole raced out of the room. Cavendish, Wendell, and Rebecca followed close behind.

  Outside, they were met with chaos. A loud explosion rocked the air as, nearby, the stable entrance blew up, trapping the horses inside. Now the cavalry had no way to follow the train.

  There was another bang, and Cole turned to see Fuller fall back away from Red, the woman’s leg still smoking from where she had shot at the wagon, blowing it up in a spectacular explosion. It hadn’t been full of pickles after all.

  Cole felt a wave of hot anger wash over him. Everything he had worked so hard for, everything he had schemed for and plotted for, was being destroyed right before his eyes.

  Just then, the engine car passed right in front of Cole. Sitting at the driver’s seat, looking happy as a pig in mud, was Tonto. With a tip of his head, he blew the train’s horn as it continued reversing through town.

  “Shoot him!” Cole yelled, turning to one of the soldiers standing nearby. The young lad was manning one of the Gatling guns. He hesitated.

  “Danny’s in there!” Rebecca shouted, struggling in Cavendish’s grip.

  Cole ignored her. “That’s an ORDER!” he screamed to the soldier.

  RATATATATATATATAT!

  The air filled with the sound of gunfire. As people ran screaming, bullets ricocheted off the Constitution, ripping holes in its side and shattering windows. From inside the parlor car, soldiers clambered out onto the train’s roof. Seeing his men on board, Fuller ran up and jumped on the train, soldiers following. Soon they had joined the men on the Constitution’s roof.

  Suddenly, a single white lariat flew through the air, hooking around the Gatling gun. Turning, Rebecca gasped. Up on the roof of the courthouse, the Lone Ranger reared back on his big white horse. He gave the lariat one swift tug. It tightened around the Gatling gun and then, as Rebecca watched, the gun began to swivel. In moments, it was firing right at the soldiers on top of the train!

  The Lone Ranger continued to pull on the lariat as soldiers ducked for cover atop the Constitution. The Gatling gun swiveled farther and farther, bullets flying. Finally, with one last tug, the Lone Ranger disengaged the gun. It fell silent.

  Looking around, the Lone Ranger started to smile, pleased to see no one had been hurt. But the smile faded on his lips. Cole had ordered his men to start the Jupiter’s engine. The other train was already in motion, and as the Lone Ranger watched, Cole dragged Rebecca inside. He had to do something—fast!

  “YA!” Kicking his horse forward, the Lone Ranger began to gallop along the rooftops, gaining on the departing trains. He looked over his shoulder, gauging the distance between the roof and the iron beast. He gulped. It wasn’t exactly close. But he was running out of rooftop! Taking a deep breath, he tugged on the reins and gave the white horse a mighty kick. The horse leaped, flying through the air. They hovered for a moment, the Lone Ranger’s heart in his throat. And then with a clatter of hooves on steel, they landed on the Jupiter’s roof. A moment later, they passed the last building. The Lone Ranger let out a sigh of relief. That had been a little too close for comfort.

  As the two trains hurtled into the desert, the Lone Ranger lowered his hat. It was time to go save Rebecca. And bring justice to Cole and Cavendish once and for all.

  The Constitution flew backward along the track, Tonto at the engine. Looking out the window, he saw the Jupiter, which was moving forward and gaining speed. Cole stood in the Jupiter’s engine car, pushing her on faster and faster, while Cavendish lowered himself onto a wooden platform of the train so he could get a better shot at Tonto. It wouldn’t be long before the two trains would once again be touching. Tonto couldn’t let that happen.

  He pushed the throttle down as far as it would go. But they were already at maximum speed. And all the silver was slowing them down. He had to think of something—and soon—or else the Jupiter would run right into the Constitution!

  Glancing ahead, Tonto smiled. A switch was rapidly approaching. If Tonto could hit it in time, the Jupiter would jump to the track running parallel to his. It would hopefully buy him some time. But he needed something to hit the switch. He scanned the small engine room, his eyes coming to rest on a shovel. Picking it up, he moved closer to the car’s door.

  The switch came closer. And closer. And still closer. At the very last moment, Tonto held out the shovel. CLANG! It hit the switch and the tracks instantly began to split. With a mighty iron groan, the Jupiter tilted on its wheels as it followed the track that veered slightly right. The Constitution continued on straight.

  Stepping back into the engine room, Tonto smiled to himself. That had gone rather well, or so he thought. As Tonto looked up, his smile faded. The Jupiter, which was moving faster without the weight of the silver, was now right next to the Constitution. Which meant everyone, including Cole, had a much better shot at Tonto. He was a sitting duck. As gunshots once more filled the air, Tonto returned fire with whatever was handy. He tossed a bucket, some coal, even a shoe as he frantically tried to think of a new plan.

  Suddenly, he knew just what to do. Turning back to the controls, he reached out and yanked—hard—on the brake lever.

  The air filled with a horrible screeching, and sparks flew as the Constitution began to come to a stop. On the parallel track, the Jupiter flew past. As Tonto watched it go, his eyes grew wide. On the roof of the other train, the Lone Ranger and his horse were racing along. How had they gotten there? Then he shook his head. Nature was indeed out of balance. But for once, that was okay with him.

  Captain Fuller was furious. He had let the train be stolen right out from underneath his nose all because of a pretty lady with a fake leg. He was determined to fix things. And that meant getting the silver back. Fuller made his way down to the head of the freight cars. Frantically, he began to try to decouple the cars. But the speed of the train was making it hard and he let out a frustrated groan as he failed over and over again.

  Hearing a strange noise, he looked up. He watched as the masked man raced across the Jupiter, riding a white horse. Leaning out, Fuller called to Cole. “The ranger!” Fuller shouted. “He’s on the roof!”

  Inside the Jupiter’s engine, Cole hovered over the controls. On the floor nearby, Rebecca sat, cradling her head in her arms. Hearing Fuller’s shout, Cole craned his neck out the window. He stepped back, his face murderous. “How many times do I have to tell you to kill that ranger?” he screamed to Cavendish as the other men entered the engine cab.

  Cavendish followed the other man’s gaze. “Just once,” the outlaw said. Walking over, he grabbed Rebecca and yanked her to her feet. She would come in handy.

  Quickly, the outlaw made his way out onto the roof. Using Rebecca as a shield, he glanced around until he spotted the Lone Ranger. He began to fire.

  Back on the Constitution, Fuller resumed working on the coupling. He tugged and shook the pin holding the freight cars to the Constitution. Grabbing the pin one last time, he heaved with all his strength. To his amazement, the pin finally slid free. The silver was no longer attached to the Constitution. But instead of slowing down, the freed freight cars kept coming.

  Up on the roof of the Jupiter, the Lone Ranger dodged and weaved as Cavendish continued to pepper him with gunfire from several cars away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Constitution. Suddenly, it appeared to rise higher. That was strange. As the Lone Ranger looked ahead, his eyes grew wide. The Constitution wasn’t getting higher. The Jupiter was getting lower! They were heading right into a tunnel. And on horseback, he would never clear it.

  Noticing the ranger’s look, Cavendish turned. The tunnel was now just a hundred feet away—and coming up fast. Throwing Rebecca down, Cavendish followed suit, pressing his body as close to the roof of the train as possible. On his car, the Lone Ranger kicked his horse forward—racing toward the oncoming tun
nel. Seventy-five feet. Fifty feet. The Lone Ranger kept spurring his horse faster. Peering up, Rebecca let out a shout. He was never going to make it. Twenty-five feet. Ten feet. Five feet. Just as the car plummeted into the tunnel, the Lone Ranger and his horse jumped down into a flatbed car, the roof of the tunnel passing harmlessly above.

  The Lone Ranger let out his breath and reached down to pat his horse. That had been a close one. Spurring the horse on, the Lone Ranger opened the train’s door and made his way inside a passenger car. Several of the passengers, unaware of the chaos happening around them, screamed. The Lone Ranger moved along, apologizing as he went.

  Entering the next car, he was about to apologize some more when the windows shattered. Looking over, the Lone Ranger saw Captain Fuller, keeping pace in the parallel train. He had a gun in each hand and was firing. The Lone Ranger ducked down on the side of his horse. They made their way to the end of the car—and then the gunfire stopped. Looking over at the other train to see what had happened, the ranger smiled. Tonto stood, shovel in hand and Fuller at his feet, knocked out cold.

  The Lone Ranger nodded his thanks. Now that that was taken care of, he needed to find Cavendish.

  As the freed silver cars continued to barrel along behind the Constitution, the Lone Ranger quietly made his way onto the roof of the Jupiter’s freight car. Ahead of him, his back turned, stood Butch Cavendish. He held on tightly to Rebecca.

  The Lone Ranger straightened up and called out the outlaw’s name. Whirling around, Cavendish fired his gun. Click. He pulled again. Click. The gun was empty. Seeing her chance, Rebecca tried to break away. But Cavendish pulled her back.

  “Let her go,” the Lone Ranger said, his tone threatening.

  “Gladly,” Cavendish said, shoving her closer to the edge of the speeding train. “Unless you want to put that gun down.”

  The Lone Ranger’s jaw hardened and his face remained unreadable. “Go ahead,” he replied, nodding at Rebecca. “She married Dan, not me.”