Chapter Seven: Ride of Your Life
Tom, a cowboy at a ranch just outside Colorado Springs, had been surprised when the young lad had come in asking to buy a horse. The lad had told him his name was Spot Watson, and he was looking to buy a horse that he could ride back east to visit his ailing mother. Tom, however suspicious, had agreed to sell him one after Spot had produced ten dollars from his pocket.
Now, Tom watched as Spot mounted the horse, his saddlebag strapped tight behind the western saddle.
"Careful riding him too fast," Tom said. "He's a wild one. You're in for the ride of your life kid."
Spot just laughed and took off on the horse, and within an instant he was gone from sight. Shaking his head, Tom turned back to his work, wondering how soon it'd be before the horse came galloping back to the ranch riderless.
Criss-Cross grinned as Dan pulled the gleaming chestnut to a stop in front of the lodging house.
"I got the right horse, right," he asked as he dismounted.
"Yeah. 'E's da same crazy hoise I'se rode out heah on" she responded, swinging herself up into the saddle.
"What's his name," Dan asked, curious.
"Red Hot Pokah," Criss-Cross replied with a laugh"An' 'e's'll shoah give yas da ride a yer life if yas not ready foah 'im. Wells, I'se guess I'se should be off." With that, she tipped her hat, clucked to Poker, and was off in a flash.
Specs looked up at the lodging house with a sigh. Stepping inside, he was surprised to find a boy at the desk, who, quite obviously, was not Criss-Cross.
"Can I help you?" the other boy asked, and Specs gave him a bewildered look.
"Yeah. I'se lookin' for a goil named Criss-Cross. She's da leadah a dis house" Specs responded somewhat uncertainly. If Criss-Cross is da leadah, he wondered, then why is dis guy behind da desk?
"You just missed her" the other boy replied. "She just left for a trip back to her roots to, um, settle some conflicts. I'm afraid she won't be back for quite a while. In the meantime, is there anything I can do"
"She-She went back?" Specs asked, surprised. He didn't for the life of him think that she'd go back to New York, but according to this boy she had.
The other boy nodded and turned back to the desk, slowly looking over some paperwork.
"Dat's all I'se needed ta know. Thanks," Specs replied, and swept out of the room, headed for the trainyard.