Part 1 (1/2)
Jack of the Pony Express
by Frank V Webster
CHAPTER I
JACK IN THE SADDLE
”Your father is a little late to-night, isn't he Jack?”
”Yes, Mrs Watson, he should have been here a half-hour ago, and he would, too, if he had ridden Sunger instead of his own horse”
”You think a lot of that pony of yours, don't you, Jack?” and a e and peered up theOut on the trail itself stood a tall, bronzed lad, as, in fact, about seventeen years of age, but whose robust frame and athletic build made him appear several years older
”Yes, Mrs Watson,” the boy answered with a ser, and he's worth it, too”
”Yes, I guess he is And he can travel swiftly, too My goodness! The way you sometimes clatter past my house makes me think you'll sure have an accident Soer is pretty sure-footed, even on worse e to Golden Crossing,” answered Jack with a laugh, that showed his white, even teeth, which forer,” repeated Mrs Watson, ly ”What an odd name I often wonder how you came to call him that”
”It isn't his real naave another look up the trail over which the rays of the declining sun were shi+ning, and then walked up to the porch, where he sat down ”The pony was once owned by a Mexicanin Spanish which ed the sun Sundodger hat the naht hier is too hed at his idea, ”so,” he went on, ”I shortened it to Sunger, which does just as well”
”Yes, as long as he knows it,” agreed Mrs Watson ”But I guess, Jack, I had better be going, I did think I'd wait until your father came, and put the supper on for you both, but he's so late now--”
”Yes, Mrs Watson, don't wait,” interrupted Jack ”I don't knohat toour own ht”
”Oh, I know you will For twoI shall have to call you avery well indeed”
”Yes, I' of a cook myself,” admitted the lad ”But I can't quite equal your biscuits yet, and there's no use saying I can
However, you baked a pretty good batch this afternoon, and dad sure will be pleased when he sees 'eh,” and once more Jack Bailey arose and went out to peer up the trail He listened intently, but his sharp senses caught no sound of clattering hoofs, nor sight of a horseood viehich could be had from in front of the house that stood on a bend in the road
”Well, then, I'll be getting along,” Mrs Watson resuh the day had been war of night ”Everything is all ready to dish-up” went on the ate, ”The chicken is hot on the back of the stove”
”Oh, we'll ht, thank you,” called Jack after her, as she started down the trail Mrs Watson lived about a quarter of a rown daughter, so it was quite convenient for Mrs Watson to come over twice a week, or oftener on occasions, and do the housework in the cottage where Mr Peter Bailey and his son Jack lived Mrs Watson would do the sweeping, dusting and as o back to her own home
Jack's ed for some years without the services of a housekeeper Mr Bailey was a pony express rider, carrying the es between the settle Mr Bailey and Jack lived on the outskirts of Rainbow Ridge
This was in the Rocky Mountain country of one of our western states, and the trails were so wild and winding, and, for that matter, so unsafe, that it was out of the question to use a e coach between the two places
Fro east, which took the ht in by Mr Bailey And froe was a settleh strea heavy rains or freshets
So the pony express, as run by Mr Bailey, was the only regularand Rainbow Ridge It was of ies went through, the route being shorter and quicker than by a roundabout stage line
When Mrs Watson was out of sight around a bend in the trail, Jack went into the cottage It really was a cottage, though when Mr Bailey first brought his family to the West it had been but a cabin, or shack But Mr
Bailey and his wife had labored hard to make it more of a ”home,” and they had succeeded very well Then came the sad occasion of Mrs Bailey's illness and death, and for a time life had seemed very hard to Jack and his father