Produced by Charles Franks Christopher Lundand the Online Distributed Proofreading TeamJACK OF THE PONY EXPRESSOrThe Young Rider of the Mountain TrailsByFRANK V WEBSTERCONTENTSCHAPTERI JACK IN THE SADDLEII POSTMISTRESS JENNIEIII A NARROW ESCAPEIV IMPORTANT LETTERSV JUST IN TIMEVI THE SECRET MINEVII THE STRANGERS AGAINVIII A NIGHT ATTACK IX IN BONDSX A QUEER DISCOVERYXI DUMMY LETTERSXII A RIDE FOR LIFEXIII THE INSPECTORXIV THE CHASEXV A CAUTIONXVI SUNGER GOES LAMEXVII AN INVITATION DECLINEDXVIII A QUEER FEELINGXIX A DESPERATE RIDEXX AT GOLDEN CROSSINGXXI THE ARGENT LETTERSXXII THE MASKED MANXXIII THE ESCAPEXXIV JACKS IDEAXXV JACKS TRICKCONCLUSIONCHAPTER IJACK IN THE SADDLEYour father is a little late tonight isnt he JackYes Mrs Watson he should have been here a halfhour ago and he wouldtoo if he had ridden Sunger instead of his own horseYou think a lot of that pony of yours dont you Jack and amotherlylooking woman came to the doorway of a small cottage and peeredup the mountain trail which ran in front of the building Out on thetrail itself stood a tall bronzed lad who was in fact about seventeenyears of age but whose robust frame and athletic build made him appearseveral years olderYes Mrs Watson the boy answered with a smile I do think a lot ofSunger and hes worth it tooYes I guess he is And he can travel swiftly too My goodness The wayyou sometimes clatter past my house makes me think youll sure have anaccident Sometimes Im so nervous I cant look at youSunger is pretty surefooted even on worse mountain trails than the onefrom Rainbow Ridge to Golden Crossing answered Jack with a laugh thatshowed his white even teeth which formed a strange contrast to his tannedfaceSunger repeated Mrs Watson musingly What an odd name I often wonderhow you came to call him thatIt isnt his real name explained Jack as he gave another look up thetrail over which the rays of the declining sun were shining and thenwalked up to the porch where he sat down The pony was once owned by aMexican miner and he named him something in Spanish which meant that thelittle horse could go so fast that he dodged the sun Sundodger was whatthe name would be in English I suppose and after I bought him thats whatI called himBut Sundodger is too much of a mouthful when ones in a hurry and Jacklaughed at his idea so he went on I shortened it to Sunger whichdoes just as wellYes as long as he knows it agreed Mrs Watson But I guess Jack Ihad better be going I did think Id wait until your father came and putthe supper on for you both but hes so late nowYes Mrs Watson dont wait interrupted Jack I dont know what tomake of dads being so late But were used to getting our own meals soyou neednt worry Well get along all rightOh I know you will For two menfor you are getting so big I shall haveto call you a man and she smiled at him For two men you really getalong very well indeedYes Im getting to be something of a cook myself admitted the lad ButI cant quite equal your biscuits yet and theres no use saying I canHowever you baked a pretty good batch this afternoon and dad sure will bepleased when he sees em I wish hed come while theyre hot though andonce more Jack Bailey arose and went out to peer up the trail He listenedintently but his sharp senses caught no sound of clattering hoofs norsight of a horseman coming down the slope a good view of which could behad from in front of the house that stood on a bend in the roadWell then Ill be getting along Mrs Watson resumed as she threw ashawl over her shoulders for though the day had been warm there was acoolness in the mountain air with the coming of night Everything is allready to dishup went on the motherlylooking woman as she went out ofthe front gate The chicken is hot on the back of the stoveOh well make out all right thank you called Jack after her as shestarted down the trail Mrs Watson lived about a quarter of a mile awayHer husband was a miner and she had a grown daughter so it was quiteconvenient for Mrs Watson to come over twice a week or oftener onoccasions and do the housework in the cottage where Mr Peter Bailey andhis son Jack lived Mrs Watson would do the sweeping dusting and as muchcooking as she had time for and then go back to her own homeJacks mother was dead and he and his father had managed for some yearswithout the services of a housekeeper Mr Bailey was a pony express ridercarrying the mail and small express packages between the settlements ofRainbow Ridge and Golden Crossing Mr Bailey and Jack lived on theoutskirts of Rainbow RidgeThis was in the Rocky Mountain country of one of our western states andthe trails were so wild and winding and for that matter so unsafe thatit was out of the question to use a mail or stage coach between the twoplacesFrom Rainbow Ridge however there was a stage route going east which tookthe mail and express matter as it was brought in by Mr Bailey And fromGolden Crossing going west the same arrangement was made Golden Crossingwas a settlement on the banks of the Ponto River a small enough stream inordinary times but which was wild and dangerous during heavy rains orfreshetsSo the pony express as run by Mr Bailey was the only regular means ofcommunication between Golden Crossing and Rainbow Ridge It was ofimportance too for often valuable mail and packages went through theroute being shorter and quicker than by a roundabout stage lineWhen Mrs Watson was out of sight around a bend in the trail Jack wentinto the cottage It really was a cottage though when Mr Bailey firstbrought his family to the West it had been but a cabin or shack But MrBailey