Evening journal., 1898-10-11
THE PONY EXPRESS.
Mark Twain's Description of Mail
Delivery in Bnrly Times
Ont West.

In a little while all interest was
taken up in stretching our necks
and watching for the pony rider-the
fleet messenger who sped across the
continent from St. Joe to Sacramento,
carrying letters 1900 miles in eight
daysl Think of that for perishable
horse and human flesh and blood to
dol
The pony rider was usually little
bit of a man, brimful of spirit and en-
durance. No matter what time of the
day or night his watch came on and no
matter whether It was winter or sum-
mer, raining, showing, hailing or sleet-
| Ing, or whether his ''beat" was q level
straight road or crazy tran over
mountain crags and precipices, or
whether it led through peaceful re-
gions, or regions that swarmed with
hostile Indians. he must be always
ready 70 leap into the saddle and be
oil like the wind. There was no idling
time for a pony rider on duty. lie
rode 90 miles without stopping, by day
light, moonlight, starlight or through
the blaclness of darlkness--just as il
happened. He rode n splendid horse
that was born for racer and fed
and lodged like gentleman; kept
him at his Utmost speed for ten miles
and then, as he came crashing up 60
the station where stood two men hold
ing fast a fresh impatient steed, the
transfer of rider and mailbag was
made in the twinkling of an eye, and
away flew the eager pair and were out
Of sight before the spectator could
get hardly the ghost of a look.
The stage coach travelled about 100
10 125 miles day GA hours), the pony
rider about $50. There were about Sc
pony riders in the saddle all the time
Right and day, stretching In a long
scattering procession from Missouri tc
California. 40 flying eastward and Al
toward the west, and among then
making 400 gallant horses earn q stir
ring livelihood and see deal of scenery
every single day in the year. We have
had a consuming desire from the be
ginning TO see pony rider, but, some
how or other, all that passed US auC
all that met us managed TO streak by il
the night, and so we heard only 1
whizz and hail, and the swift phan
tom of the desert was gone before vi
could get our heads out of the win
dows. But now we were expecting
. one along every moment, and woul'
see him in broad daylight. Present.
the driver exclaims:
Here he comes"
Every neck Is stretched further an
every eye is strained wider. Ava
across the endless dead level of tn
prairie a black speck appears agains
the sky and IL is plain that it moves
Well. should think sol In secon
or two II becomes horse and ride
rising and falling, rising and falling
- sweeping toward us nearer and neare
growing more and more distinc
" more and more sharply defined-nea'
er and still nearer, and the ftutter {
Tho hoofs comes family TO tho ear
another instant q whoop and hurro
from our upper deck, wave Of q
, riders hand, but no reply, and a ms
and horse burst past our excited fac
and 60 winging away like a belat'
= fragment of a storm.
- So sudden is IL all and so like flas
- CT unreal fancy that but for the flal
. Of white foam left quivering and pc
- ishing on n mail sack after the visio
lad flashed by and disappeared, "
right have doubted whether we hr
seen any actual horse and man at a
From Mark Twain's "Roughing It