By Lyn
Copyright 1999
The two boys stood at the entry. Mother Mary Josephine looked at them, sadness in her heart, but jubilant at the same time. They weren't really boys anymore, but young men, about to embark on the biggest journey they would ever experience, that of life. And they had overcome so much already, in the few short years they had been under her care.
"So, the time has finally come." She said, keeping her emotions in check. She truly cared for the pair before her and was sad to see them go. But that was the nature of her calling.
"Yes, Mother Superior." One of the pair murmured as the other just nodded his head and looked at his feet.
"Ike, always look a person in the eye. You have no reason to feel ashamed, so don't look at your feet as if you are."
The young bald headed man looked up, a shy smile appearing on his face as he nodded once again.
"Well now, we have done the best we could for you while you were here. I truly hope that we have taught you all that you will need out there and that we have not failed you."
"You haven't failed us, Mother Superior. We have both learned a lot and are deeply in debt to you and the other Sisters. We won't disappoint you." The second boy was tall with dark skin and ebony hair, obviously of mixed heritage. That hadn't mattered to Mother Mary Josephine, but had caused the youth much trouble in the four years at the mission school. Thankfully Buck had found a friend in the mute boy, Ike McSwain. The two had helped each other through many a difficult time.
"Then it is time to go. You have a long walk ahead of you before you reach St. Joseph. May God be with you." She reached up and stroked the cheek of each boy then watched them walk off. She said a silent prayer on their behalf, then closed the mission doors behind them.
The two reached St. Joseph in the late afternoon. Ike had been in to the city before but Buck had not, preferring to stay at the mission when some of the other orphans had taken trips to the "big city". He would venture in to the smaller towns nearer the mission school when he needed to be fitted for new shoes or clothes, or when running an errand for one of the Sisters.
He tried not to stare as they walked through the streets looking for a boarding house, but things were so much busier than any other place he had been to before. They had been told to look for Hannah's Boarding House. The owner was an orphan herself, raised by nuns, and was said to be more than helpful to other orphans. Buck asked directions of several people, but most scurried away from him in fear. Others just walked right by. They came across their destination by luck.
True to what they had been told, Miss Hannah took them under her wing, giving them a room, food, and helping them find work. Most of the jobs only lasted a day or two, but they saved as much money as they could, knowing that they would need horses or at least stage fare, in order to find more permanent work.
Within two months they had saved enough to buy at least one horse and had spent some time looking around for the right one.
One Saturday, they snagged a ride with the owner of the livery, who was going to a ranch outside of town to look at stock. The two boys examined the available horses, helping the man pick his own stock, and choosing one to their liking. They easily decided the animal would be Ike's, simply from the way horse and rider acted together.
Ike handed over the money and he and Buck stood off to one side as the livery owner concluded his business. They had noticed a young child playing around the yard earlier under her father's care for the day while her mother was in town and Ike searched for her now. When they both realized that they could neither hear her or see her they began searching the yard.
As Buck rounded the corner of the house he heard a very soft, distant sobbing sound. It had an echo-like quality to it. Heading around to the back of the house, he saw a stone well. The sounds were coming from within.
Buck yelled at Ike and ran toward the well. He was tying off a length of rope that was used to haul water in a bucket up from the bottom as Ike ran up to his side. Climbing up onto the edge of the well, he began to lower himself inside. Even as he his head disappeared over the edge, the livery owner and the girl's father came running up to join them. The father began to shout into the well, the sound ringing in Buck's ears as they bounced against the stone walls and mingled with the cries of the little girl.
Buck continued down, moving hand over hand, leg wrapped around the rope to keep from sliding too fast. It seemed to take forever before he reached the sobbing child. He picked her up and she immediately threw her arms around his neck, wailing all the louder. Buck took the rope and tied it under his arms and around the little girl. Once he had them both secured he yelled at the others to pull them up. He braced his feet against the well walls to keep the girl from getting bumped and scratched against the rough stone.
The girl's father grabbed the little girl as soon as he could reach her. The other two pulled Buck out. He had numerous scrapes and scratches, but was otherwise unharmed and his concern went to the little girl. Surprisingly, she had even fewer bumps than Buck.
"What's your name, boy?" the father asked as he shook Buck's hand.
"Buck Cross."
"Well Buck Cross, you saved my little girl. Anything I have is yours. Just name it."
"Well, I don't have a horse."
"The choice is yours. Whichever one you want." The group walked back around to the front of the house and Buck and Ike headed back to the corral. Buck looked the stock over, choosing a spirited bay.
"That's a good choice son. I owe you so much more."
"This is plenty, Mister. It's more than enough."
"Well, it's yours. And thank you again."
Buck and Ike rode back to town with the livery owner on their new animals. Along the way the livery man told them of a job notice that had been posted at his business that morning, wanting young men with no family and a great deal of courage to ride for a new company called the Pony Express.
The next morning Buck and Ike went to the Pony Express offices and took the oath:
I do hereby swear, before the Great and Living God, that during my engagement, and while I am an employee of Russell, Majors & Waddell, that I will, under no circumstances, use profane language; that I will drink no intoxicating liquors; that I will not quarrel or fight with any other employee of the firm, and that in every respect I will conduct myself honestly, be faithful to my duties, and so direct all my acts as to win the confidence of my employers. So help me God.
They both willingly signed the agreement and were handed a bible, a gun, and twenty-five dollars, along with their instructions to report to a small town called Sweetwater.
They headed back to the boarding house after stopping long enough to buy saddles for their new mounts. Packing their few belongings, they said their fond farewells to Miss Hannah, and rode out of town to start a new aspect of their lives.
