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JACK OF THE PONY EXPRESS

The Young Rider of the Mountain Trails

FRANK V. WEBSTER

CHAPTER

I. JACK IN THE SADDLE

II. POSTMISTRESS JENNIE

III. A NARROW ESCAPE

IV. IMPORTANT LETTERS

V. JUST IN TIME

VI. THE SECRET MINE

VII. THE STRANGERS AGAIN

VIII. A NIGHT ATTACK

IX. IN BONDS

X. A QUEER DISCOVERY

XI. DUMMY LETTERS

XII. A RIDE FOR LIFE

XIII. THE INSPECTOR

XIV. THE CHASE

XV. A CAUTION

XVI. SUNGER GOES LAME

XVII. AN INVITATION DECLINED

XVIII. A QUEER FEELING

XIX A DESPERATE RIDE

XX. AT GOLDEN CROSSING

XXI. THE ARGENT LETTERS

XXII. THE MASKED MAN

XXIII. THE ESCAPE

XXIV. JACK'S IDEA

XXV. JACK'S TRICK—CONCLUSION

CHAPTER I

JACK IN THE SADDLE

"Your father is a little late to-night, isn't he Jack?"

"Yes, Mrs. Watson, he should have been here a half-hour ago, and he would,too, if he had ridden Sunger instead of his own horse."

"You think a lot of that pony of yours, don't you, Jack?" and amotherly-looking 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 older.

"Yes, Mrs. Watson," the boy answered with a smile, "I do think a lot of
Sunger, and he's worth it, too."

"Yes, I guess he is. And he can travel swiftly, too. My goodness! The wayyou sometimes clatter past my house makes me think you'll sure have anaccident. Sometimes I'm so nervous I can't look at you."

"Sunger is pretty sure-footed, 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 tannedface.

"Sunger," repeated Mrs. Watson, musingly. "What an odd name. I often wonderhow you came to call him that."

"It isn't 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 that's whatI called him.

"But Sundodger is too much of a mouthful when one's in a hurry," and Jacklaughed at his idea, "so," he went on, "I shortened it to Sunger, whichdoes just as well."

"Yes, as long as he knows it," agreed Mrs. Watson. "But I guess, Jack, Ihad better be going, I did think I'd wait until your father came, and putthe supper on fo

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