Summary
Hidden Loot is a high-stakes frontier drama that pivots on a case of mistaken identity and the surprising ingenuity of a canine companion. The story opens with Anna Jones, a spirited ranch owner’s daughter, engaged in a competitive gallop against her brother, Dick. When a passing stranger named Cranner perceives her speed as a runaway emergency, his intervention is met not with gratitude, but with Anna’s sharp-tongued dismissal of him as a 'bonehead.' However, the domestic friction of the ranch is soon overshadowed by criminal intent. Big Bill, a disgruntled employee, orchestrates a payroll heist and retreats to a woodland hideout with his gang. Cranner, observing the theft, attempts to intervene but finds himself outmatched and imprisoned in a remote shack. The narrative takes a tactical turn when Cranner’s dog, Bunk, executes a daring window-leap with the stolen loot, burying it in the wilderness before returning to orchestrate a subterranean jailbreak for his master. As Cranner evades the bandits, he crosses paths again with Anna. Despite her suspicion that he is the thief, she is captivated by his relentless gallantry. The finale erupts in a desperate rescue mission where Cranner must save Anna from Big Bill’s clutches, leading to a revelation that reframes his 'bonehead' interference as the calculated work of a Texas Ranger.
Synopsis
Anna Jones, racing her brother Dick to their ranch, is "rescued" from her fast horse by a stranger (Cranner) whom she indignantly brands a bonehead before riding away. "Big Bill," a ranch employee, steals the payroll bag and joins his gang in the forest, where the stranger sees them hiding the bag in a shack. He investigates and is captured by the gang. His dog, Bunk, however, leaps through a window with the loot, buries it, then returns, frees Cranner by digging a hole under the wall, and keeps the bandits at bay while Cranner escapes. Anna encounters Cranner, and though she believes him guilty, she is so impressed by his gallantry that she falls in love with him and helps him evade Bill and his gang. Cranner follows Anna and rescues her from the clutches of Bill; then the posse arrives, and Anna discovers that the stranger is actually a Texas Ranger.
