, 1923-09-09
Continued from Page one.)

AACAA 1oeo OAS
Crate, when I heard a stirring IN the
nearby room. and very soon Billy
Fisher appeared at the door.
Tit old Pony-Rider could not have
weighed more than n hundred and
twenty pounds, and he was a bit
orumpled with painful rheumatism,
but he was still full OF pluck. We
helped him across the room to the
other big chair his solicitous wife
had drawn up on the other side Of
the fire for him. II. eat there a few
moments thawing the pain out OF
his ansts, before he added anything
TO the Good mornin' - with which
he hsd first greecei me. Then he
said:
Glad to see yor! The school
superintendent. John Condie. old me
you was comm What can I do for
your"
"oh, I'm Just hungry to hear
some real stories of the Pony Elk
press from one of the boys tina rode
In Il. I know you are full of them.
Mr.. Fisher"
IT used &c be-" he answered; "but
this blamed rheumatism has been
takin' all my attention lately. 1
amt had much time to think about
the old days since 1t got me. But
20 ahead. mebbe ! csn answer somo
of your questions"
Where did you do most OF your
riding on the Pony E~xpress?" I
began.
From Faust station into Salt
Lake City. But I rode over all the
other parts of the Utah and Nevada
desert trail too. Once I mad near
ly a 800 mile run from Rees River
clear to Salt Lake. I used eight
horses on that trip and one mule
learned my passage on that darncd
mule, too: he was a mean devil"
why did you have to make such
Q long ride as that?"
. The damned indians ed cleaned
up most of the stations. and killed
toe ones that were left to sit the
na'i through"
Ibid you get into any tight places
during that rider"
Not sc very. The Indians was
iayin' for me. all along the trail.
But I managed to keep my scalp
by takin' cutoffs and getting off the
regular trail when I could"
What is the most exciting ex.
p~erience you had while carrying the
mail?"
1T was all more or less exciting.
only we didn't think much about 1t
that way. We Just took things as
they came. But I guess the time /
had the closest call want with the
Injuns a. all: It was when I was
saved by a ~jack-rabbit."
Saved by a jack-rabbitr' /
echoed him; "Eow did hat happen
We'll. it was this way. You see
we'd given u word of honor that
we'd carry the mall through. That
was our slogani The mails got to
70 through And we carried 1t
through. but sometimes Il tested
mettle to dc it"
The intrepid old riders voice had
a real ring Of youth in It as he on
><inued-
one morning the rider from the
West chased me out of Faust Sta
ton-over there in Rush Valley,
about 60 miles from Salt Lake City
and I started on the jump for the
next place.
81 hadn't gone morn a mile when
a storm struck me; wind and
blindin' desert dust at first, then
snow. 1t vas about the fercest
blizzard 1 ever faced. But I kept
my horse plugging away over the
bare hills till we made the next sta.
ton. then 1 got a fresh pony and
away i went again down towards
Camp Floyd. where old Albert Sid
ney Johnston had his soldiers. BY
the time I got there the snow was
coming so thick 1 could hardly find
the stations
""You'n never make II through
this Storm the hostlers said: bet.
ter wait here. Billy. TIL II clears
THE nails got to go through
] said; and they got me my horse.
I started out. battlin' my way
through the snow until finally I
IAN n n OF the Russell, Majors
and Waddeli oxtrains headed west
with freight for the soldiers. I
pretty nigh bumped into tho lead
team; the blizzard was so thick l
couldn't see n rod ahead of me-"
The wagon boss and the boys
begged mo to urn back to the camp
with them. but I said. I guess III
make It all right and I kept on for
about an hour. I guess. Then I
found myself off the trail. up on
the hills among the cedar trees. I
didn't know where I was, so 1 Just
got off my horse and sat down to
rest by n thick tree which partiv