Jack of the Pony Express | Page 3

widow, and she
and her only daughter, Jennie, a girl of about sixteen, lived in Golden
Crossing, where Mrs. Blake was postmistress. Jack and Jennie were the
best of friends.
"Well, if dad doesn't come pretty soon, I'm going to eat," decided Jack.
"He won't mind, I'm sure. But I would like to know what's keeping him.
I hope he hasn't had any accident. His pony is sure-footed, I know, but
I'd feel better if he had Sunger."
Jack was plainly nervous--that is as nervous as a young, healthy lad can
be. He went outside again, and walked a little way back along the trail
over which his father would come. But the trail seemed deserted. The
Bailey cottage was in a rather lonely location, there being no other
habitation in sight.
There were other houses not far away, and a number in the town, but
because of the winding nature of the trail, and the ruggedness of the
mountains, they could not be seen from where Jack stood.
As the lad was about to turn back and again enter the cottage with the
determination to eat his supper, he heard something which caused him
to start.
"Here he comes!" he exclaimed. "But he's walking his horse! That's
queer! Something must have happened!"
Speed was one of the prime requisites of the pony express. The men
who rode the routes over plains and mountain trails secured the
speediest horses or ponies possible. Their life, when in the saddle, was
a continual rush, for the mail and express matter must go through as
quickly as possible, and where no steam and railroads were available
recourse was had to horseflesh. And knowing the value of speed Jack

wondered when he heard the approach of a horse at a walking pace.
Mr. Bailey was supposed to arrive at Rainbow Ridge in time to deliver
his express and mail matter to the night stage coach going east, and the
hour for its leaving had passed some time since. Of course, the stage
would wait for the pony express, but this meant a delay all along the
rest of the route.
"Something sure must have happened!" said Jack to himself. "I'll go to
meet dad."
He set off on foot, but came running back.
"I'll get Sunger," he told himself, speaking aloud, a habit engendered by
the lonliness of the mountains. "He's quite a way off yet, but Sunger
will make short work of the distance."
Though the sound of the approaching footsteps of the horse of the pony
express rider could be plainly heard by Jack, so clear and resonant was
the mountain air, he realized that his father had yet nearly half a mile to
travel.
Leaping to the saddle of his pony, and patting the animal lovingly on
the neck, Jack set off once more. He went quickly, for Sunger was fresh
and eager.
In a few minutes Jack turned at a place where the trail followed a great
rocky ledge, and in front of him, almost collapsed in the saddle was a
man. He seemed to sit on his horse only by a great effort, and on his
face was a drawn look of pain.
"Why, Dad!" cried Jack. "What's the matter? Has anything happened?
Did they hold up the mail?"
"No, the mail and other stuff is all right," was the answer, broken by an
exclamation of pain. "But I'm all in, Jack. I'm afraid I'm going to be
quite ill. It was all I could do to ride the last few miles, but I wouldn't
give in."

Jack was at his father's side in an instant.
"Get on Sunger," he urged. "He's easier for you to ride. Let me help
you. What is the trouble? How did it happen?"
"I don't know, Jack, my boy. But I won't change horses. I can keep on
until I get to the cabin. Here, you take the mail and express and ride on
with it to the stage. I'll keep on toward home. Come back as soon as
you can, and you--you'd better bring the doctor with you!" he faltered.

CHAPTER II
POSTMISTRESS JENNIE
For a moment Jack Bailey did not know what to do. He looked at his
father, who was evidently quite ill and suffering much pain. Then the
lad glanced at the bags of mail and small express matter which lay over
the saddle in front of Mr. Bailey.
"Take the mail, Jack, my boy!" the pony express rider exclaimed, with
an effort. "Take the mail, so the stage can get off. I'm late now, but I
couldn't make the trail any faster. Get the mail through, and then stop
and bring a doctor back with you if he'll come."
"But I can't go away and leave you like this,