The Pony Rider Boys in the Rockies | Page 4

quickly on all fours, and,
walking up to Tad, rubbed his nose against the lad's cheek again.
"Good boy," soothed Tad, returning the caress, his eyes swimming with
happiness.
But as Tad stepped back Jo-Jo insistently followed, alternately pushing
his nose against the boy's face and tugging at his shirt.
"He wants to do it again, Tad," cried Chunky, enthusiastically.
The freckle-faced boy grinned knowingly.
"Got any sugar, Walter?" he asked.
Walter thrust a hand into a trousers pocket, bringing up a handful of
lumps that were far from being their natural color. But Tad grabbed
them, and an instant later Jo-Jo's quivering upper lip had closed
greedily over the handful of sweets.
"That's what the little rascal wanted," breathed Tad with a pleased
smile. "I could teach that pony to do 'most anything but talk, fellows.
I'm not so sure that he couldn't do that in his own way, after a little time.

What did you give for him?"
"Father paid the man a hundred and fifty dollars."
Tad uttered a long-drawn whistle; his face sobered. It was more money
than he ever had seen at one time in his life. Would he ever have as
much as that? The freckle-faced boy doubted it.
"We fellows were talking about getting up a club," spoke up Walter.
"Club? What kind of a club?" asked Tad absently.
"Oh, some sort of a riding club. Chunky is going to ask his uncle to buy
him a pony; then we are going out with my tutor on long rides in the
country.
Tad eyed them steadily.
"Somehow we can't just decide on the name for the new club. I thought
maybe we would call ourselves the Bough Riders. Chunky doesn't like
that name. We had an idea that, perhaps, you could give us one. What
do you say, Tad?"
"Chunky's uncle is going to get him a pony?" asked Tad a bit
unsteadily.
"We hope so," nodded Walter. "And that's not all. We are going to get
Ned Rector to join the club. He already has a pony. Wish you might
come in with us, Tad."
"Wish I might," answered Tad wistfully.
"Of course, we know you can't really, but you belong to us just the
same. You can be a sort of--of honorary member. We will let you ride
our ponies sometimes when we are in town, though, of course, when
we go out for long trips we can't take you along very well. You
understand that, don't you, Tad?"
Tad inclined his head.

"And now about the name. Got anything to suggest?"
The freckle-faced boy walked over to the pony and laid his cheek
against its nose, which he patted softly, his head averted so that the
others might not see the pain in his eyes.
"You--you might call yourselves 'The Pony Rider Boys,'" suggested
Tad, controlling his voice with an effort.
CHAPTER II
THE PONY RIDER BOYS' CLUB ORGANIZBD
The Pony Rider Boys, as a club, met for the purpose of organization,
with headquarters under a tent in Banker Perkins's orchard. It was the
tent in which Walter, under orders from the family physician, had been
sleeping during the spring. Over the entrance the boys pinned a strip of
canvas on which they had printed in red letters, "Headquarters Pony
Rider Boys' Club."
"Now they will know who we are," explained Walter, standing off to
view their handiwork. "You see, people can read that from the street.
Everybody who passes will see it."
"Yes," replied Ned Rector, who already had been enrolled as a charter
member. "But I hope they won't think it's a blacksmith shop over here,
and drive in to get their horses shod."
The boys laughed heartily.
"The next question is, whom shall we have for president of the club?"
asked Walter. "I suppose we ought to elect one to-day so we can be
regularly organized."
"Yes, that's so," agreed Chunky. "What's the matter with having Tad
Butler for president? He knows all about horses, even if he has none
himself."

"But he's not a member of the club," objected Ned.
"No," agreed Walter, "but I had thought we might make him an
honorary member. We ought to take him in, someway, for I know he's
anxious to join us."
"Then, I would suggest that we organize first," advised Ned, who
possessed some slight knowledge of parliamentary law. "You can
choose one of us for temporary chairman, and then we will go ahead
and form our organization just like a regular club."
"That's a good plan. Will you be the chairman, Ned?"
"No, Walt. I think I should prefer to be on the floor, where I can talk.
Neither the chairman nor president has the right to argue, you know.
I'm afraid I shouldn't be of much use to the