Mystery Ranch

As a chapter in a Western novel is read, its action is depicted onscreen: A band of incompetent outlaws threaten to set fire to a hapless young woman, but are interrupted by the arrival of an heroic if bumbling cowboy, who sneaks up on them while "covering" himself with a small tree branch. Although the outlaw leader orders his men to "tear him to pieces but save the hat," the cowboy beats his foes with one well-placed blow and frees the girl. As the chapter's action concludes, the father of Robert Morris, the story's best selling author, reproaches his son for grossly misrepresenting the West in his fiction. In response to his father's criticisms, Morris shows his father a letter he has received from Mrs. J. H. Henderson, in which she chastizes him for downplaying the true excitement of the West and invites him to visit her Mystery Ranch in Salinas. Morris accepts the invitation and heads off for Salinas with his secretary, Percy Jenkins, unaware that Mrs. Henderson plans to use his status as a popular fiction writer to help her struggling dude ranch. Mrs. Henderson, her daughter Mary and ranch hands George Andrews and Sam meet Morris and Percy at the train station. After he witnesses the hanging of Jim Crocker on the way to the ranch, Morris saves Mary when her buckboard horses run wild. At the ranch, after two men settle an old feud by killing each other, Percy finally has deduced that the Hendersons have been staging events. Capturing a pair of supposed cattle rustlers, Morris gives them a mock spanking, and the Hendersons realize he is aware of their trick. In spite of his hosts's chicanery, Morris falls in love with Mary. Later, Morris and Percy sight a gold robbery in progress but ignore it, believing it has been arranged for them. The robbery is real, however, and the thieves come to the ranch when their car breaks down. Morris finds their gold and transfers it to another bag but is watched by Sam, who switches the gold back again. Percy, following Morris' instructions, steals the gold and abducts Mary but is waylaid by Sam, who ties him up. Discovering he has been fooled, Morris escapes the sheriff, and the real robbers flee for the border. Finding Percy, Morris learns the truth, catches Sam and fights the robbers until the sheriff arrives. Morris tells Mary the West is exciting enough for him, and he will write a story based on his experiences, but only if the hero gets the girl in the end.