As the lad was getting himself a drink, and letting
Sunger get some from a pool below the spring, Jack
heard the sound of a galloping horse, and looked up
in surprise.
A QUEER FEELING
Jack’s first thought was that Ryan had ridden
off in haste after having helped himself to a drink
from the flask, but, somewhat to his surprise, he
saw the man who had removed the stone from the pony’s
hoofs still standing beside his horse. The galloping
came from another rider who seemed in haste.
He waved his hand to Jack, and cried:
“Hold on! Wait!”
“Well, I wonder what’s up now?”
mused the pony express lad. “He seems to
want me.”
“I was afraid I wouldn’t catch you,”
exclaimed the young fellow who had ridden up in such
haste. Jack recognized him then as Harry Montgomery,
an employee of the stage line that ran out of Golden
Crossing to the west.
“Do you want me?” Jack asked.
“Yes. They forgot to give you some important
mail stuff when you rode out to the stage a while
ago. The stage has come on into Tuckerton now,
and the driver sent me on to see if I could catch
you. He wants you to ride back into town, if
you will, and get the stuff he forgot to give you.”
“Why didn’t he let you bring it?”
asked Jack, not much relishing the ride back.
It would delay him still further, and he had enough
valuable mail in his possession now without wishing
for any more.
“The driver said he didn’t like to have
me carry it, as I’m not supposed to do that.
Besides he wants you to receipt for it. But if
I couldn’t catch up to you I guess he intended
to hold the stuff over until your next trip.”
“Oh well, as long as it’s only a case
of a mile’s ride back to Tuckerton, I suppose
I’d better do it,” Jack reasoned.
“You wouldn’t have caught me, only my
pony went lame and I was delayed getting the stone
out,” he said to Harry. This gentleman
helped me.”
“Oh, it wasn’t much,” said Ryan,
nodding to Harry. The latter did not appear to
know him. The flask which had been in so much
evidence a little while before was not in sight now.
“Yes, I’ll ride back and get the stuff,”
Jack decided. It had come into his mind that
perhaps the forgotten package contained the letters
Mr. Argent was expecting. They might have been
sent by special mail, and not be in the regular sacks.
It would be best for Jack to go, though he would be
delayed.
“And if it’s too late, and if I think
they are the letters about the secret mine, I won’t
do any night-riding,” Jack decided, mentally.
“Well, I’m glad I caught you,” Harry
said, as he turned his horse about.
“Yes, it would have been too bad if you had
had your ride for nothing,” the pony express
lad said. “Well, Sunger, old boy, we’ll
hit the back trail again for a little while,”
and Jack swung himself up into the saddle.
