Sample Chapter

"Pony Express Rider"

Chapter 1

 Starlight

      The crescent moon was just rising as I saddled my horse and led him out of the stable. The cool spring air was damp, and I shivered a bit as I swung into the saddle. I gave the reins a gentle flick and my horse responded. We were off.

            As we crested the hill, I wanted to turn back and catch a last glimpse of the farm that had been my home for the past three years, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. If I stopped, even for a moment, my resolve would vanish, and if I looked back, there was no question what I would do.

            “Well, Matty, this is it,” I said out loud. “You didn’t think I would do it, but here I am.” My thirteen-year-old sister had been unhappy when I had told her that I was thinking of leaving. She had bet me that I would lose my nerve at the last minute. I hadn’t told her when I decided to go since I knew she would cry and then she would have won the bet. There is something about her tears that just rips my heart out.

            “I have to do it,” I said, repeating the speech I had given her so many times. “This drought is killing the crops, and we will lose the farm if we don’t earn some money soon. Pa can’t leave, so it has to be me. It has to be me.”

            Saying those words aloud in the dark was comforting, and I tried to think not about leaving, but returning—soon, very soon.

 *   *   * 

            Approaching Bascom’s farm, I slowed to a walk. Chet Bascom was a light sleeper, and I did not want to awaken him, as he would think that I was a night rider and take a shot at me—and he would be right to do so. You don’t take chances in Kansas Territory with unknown riders in the middle of the night. If you do, you end up dead as often as not.

            Past Bascom’s was the California Road, and I felt a new excitement as we turned westward. Even though I was only a few miles from home the sense of adventure was beginning to build, and I thought about the newspaper clipping in my pocket.

             Wanted: Skinny, young, wiry fellows not over eighteen, must be expert riders willing to risk death daily, orphans preferred. Wages $25 a week. Apply Central Overland Express.

             Twenty-five dollars a week! With a salary like that, in no time at all I could earn enough to solve all our problems and return home a hero, with presents for Pa and Matty, and a money belt filled with gold coins.

            “You’ll see, Matty. I’ll be the most famous Pony Express rider ever.” My heart beat faster as I thought about it: riding at breakneck speed across the prairie, over the mountains, through Indian territory, across the deserts to California. 

*   *   *

             My plan was to follow the Kansas River west and head north up the Big Blue River to Marysville, which was a home station of the Pony Express, and the place to apply for a job. I had no illusions though. Like all boys in Kansas Territory I had heard the stories and knew the dangers: hostile Indians, desperadoes, highwaymen. The most difficult aspect of the job was the riding. It was hard, bone-crushing work riding at top speed, hour after hour, protecting the precious cargo of letters. I hoped I could do it, but I knew the only way to find out was to try.

            As I neared the Kansas River, my stomach rumbled loudly, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten breakfast. Life on the trail was going to be very different from the comfort and safety of the farm. I would probably miss many meals before I returned home. I tried to think of the fun and freedom of the journey, but my thoughts drifted to bacon and eggs, and biscuits with homemade raspberry jam.

            “You make sure you take good care of Starlight,” Matty had said one evening. I looked at her blankly, and then it dawned on me that she meant when I left. “That horse has been good to you. Riding by Starlight will always bring you home,” she said smiling. “The stars will show you the way, and Starlight will do the rest.”

            Riding along in the dark, I hoped she was right.

Original Artwork

Pony Express Rider illustrated by Lisa Goldfinger. Each chapter comes with its own drawing, and the story has its own distinctive logo. Also included are hand-drawn maps and illustrations for the teacher's guides.

    Teacher's Guide

        Chapter 1: Starlight 

             New Words or Terms:

             Crescent moon – a moon that is very thin and looks like the letter C

             California Road – an old trail that extended from Kansas to California

             Breakneck speed – extremely fast

             Home Station – every forty miles or so a major station was built to provide the riders with a place to live while riding for the Express company

             Desperadoes – dangerous men or outlaws

             Highwaymen – robbers or outlaws who attack travelers

             Questions:

             What is the setting of the story? How do you know?

             Why do you think Henry is leaving home?

            Geography:

             Find a map of the Pony Express route. Did it go through Kansas? How far does Henry have to ride to reach the express?

          Historical Notes:

             “…this drought is killing the crops…” In the spring of 1860 Kansas was suffering from a drought (lack of rain) that lasted for more than a year.

             “…he would think I was a night rider…” Pre-Civil War Kansas was a battle ground over the issue of slavery and it was not unusual for farms in Eastern Kansas (an anti-slavery area) to be raided at night by pro-slavery riders.

             “…Wanted: Skinny, young, wiry fellows…” This ad supposedly appeared in a San Francisco newspaper in the spring of 1860 but no evidence of the original exists and some historians doubt that it is authentic.

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Last Updated on 06/20/08