"Come on son, give it all ya got," Jimmy Hickok encouraged the small child who was concentrating hard on pitching the ball. As the redheaded boy threw the ball with all his might, Jimmy caught it with ease. "Good shot, Mikey. Now keep your hands cupped and don’t take your eyes off the ball," he added.

The game was going fairly smoothly, Mikey was getting better at catching all the time. Jimmy had felt sorry for the small boy when the other children had refused to let him join the game going on behind the schoolhouse.

As he gently tossed the ball directly at the child’s cupped palms; Jimmy couldn’t help reminiscing about his days of childhood when his father had had time to play ball with him.

Absorbed with his thoughts, Jimmy missed seeing the boy catch the ball.

"Ain’t ya gonna play no more, Mister?"

"Huh? Yeah, let it fly."

Swinging his arm around in a crazy attempt to increase the distance it flew, Mikey pitched the ball. It landed on the boardwalk across the street, just as Rachel and Cody were stepping out of Tompkin’s store.

"Good catch, Hickok!" Cody scoffed, bending to scoop the ball up. After straightening, he laid his new dime novel in Rachel’s basket, snatching up an egg in the same movement.

"Just give me the ball, Cody."

"Try catching it this time!" Cody laughed as he readied himself to throw the ‘ball’. Unbeknownst to Jimmy, Cody has pocketed the ball and exchanged it for a new weapon.

"Throw the dang ball, would ya?"

At that, Cody let the egg fly. Jimmy raised his hands to catch it, the impact causing the egg to explode in his hands.

With a gasp, Jimmy looked up to see Cody bursting into laughter. "Wild Bill" was dripping with egg goo. His black hat, his face, and his long hair were covered with the messy substance.

"You son of a – "

"James!" Rachel’s voice cut through the air, preventing him from finishing the statement.

Spotting the egg basket on her arm, Jimmy saw his opportunity.

"You’re a dead-man, Cody!" He shouted, sprinting to the storefront.

Grabbing the basket from Rachel’s arm, he charged after the fleeing rider, throwing egg after egg.

Cody dashed to the left and leaped onto the street at a dead run. Jimmy followed in hot pursuit, throwing eggs haphazardly in his "friend’s" direction.

Just then Teaspoon stepped out of his office, nearly colliding with the blond rider. Cody tripped, falling backwards, just as another egg was thrown.

Unfortunately for him, the Marshal was on the receiving end.

Gasping and wiping egg residue off onto his sleeve, Teaspoon sputtered a stream of words that Rachel was sure to disapprove of.

"What in tarnation is goin’ on here?"

Sprawled in the street, Cody rolled onto his backside, and yelped. "Oh! My ankle!"

"Serves ya right, Cody"
"That’s it! I wanna know what’s goin’ on and why I got hit with an egg!" Teaspoon thundered, the boisterous sound of his voice catching the attention of many of the townspeople.

Ducking his head, Cody pretended to be innocent.

"You two are in deep trouble!" Rachel hissed, her hands on hips, lips drawn in a straight line.

"Sorry Teaspoon," Jimmy apologized. "I was tryin’ to hit Cody."

"I’m glad you weren’t shootin’!" the marshal scoffed, wiping his face again with a faded red bandanna. "Now, why were you throwin’ eggs at ‘im? "

Jimmy too, ducked his head in shame at his childish behavior.

"Cody hit Jimmy with an egg, so he retaliated. They wasted almost a dozen eggs in the process!"

"Sorry Rachel," the two added simultaneously.

Giggles were heard from a number of people in the small gathering.

"Y’all go on back to you’re business. Ain’t nothin’ to see here," the marshal admonished.

Turning to the other riders who had gathered, he added, "Not you. "

Ike and Buck stepped off the boardwalk, bent and helped Cody to his feet.

"Now, as soon as you two have all the egg mess cleaned up, I want you to go home an’ get ready to make a run to Ft. Kearney."

"And Cody’s gonna pay for those eggs!" Rachel added with a scowl.

"Ah Rachel, I only threw one," he complained, before thrusting his hand into his pocket.

Counting out a few cents, he laid the coins in Rachel’s palm.

Turning, he gasp and grimaced, a look of pain covering his face.

"Teaspoon, I don’t think I can ride. I think my ankle’s broke."

"I’ll bet! Of course his leg’s broke," Jimmy growled, throwing his hands up in frustration. "I get to clean up the mess and take the run and he doesn’t get any punishment other than a slap on the wrist.

"Well Cody, you know what we could do if your leg really is broken," Noah began.

"Take ya out and shoot ya." Buck finished with a broad grin.

"It’s the only humane thing to do in your case." Kid finished, slapping Noah on the back.

Jimmy couldn’t help but laugh at the comment.

"I wouldn’t be laughin’ too hard there, Jimmy. If I were you, I’d go get me a mop and bucket. You’ve got some work to do," Teaspoon said as a smile spread across his weathered face.

As Jimmy stepped inside the Marshal’s office to grab a bucket and mop, he heard Teaspoon clear his throat.

"Noah, take Cody over to the Doc’s office and make sure he ain’t bluffin’," He instructed, "as fer the lot of you, I need a volunteer to go with Hickok to Ft. Kearney."
"I’ve got a run tomorrow," Buck said quickly.

"I promised to fix some stuff around the station."
"Well, that leaves you Ike. What’s your excuse?"

Shrugging, Ike nodded. <I’ll go.>

"Good. I didn’t have to pull any teeth," Teaspoon said with a grin.

"Boys, I do believe you have some more supplies to load up, so let’s get a move on," Rachel suggested, indicating the buckboard in front of Tompkin’s.

"Have fun mopping, Hickok!" Kid laughed before turning to return to his chores.

Glancing up, Jimmy let out a low growl and mumbled a few obscenities before beginning the process of scrubbing the boardwalk.

* * *

"This here’s a real important document, so I want you to be careful. You can’t go straight to Ft. Kearney, 'cause it'd be obvious to anybody thinkin’ of stealin’ the mochila. So I made up a map fer ya to follow. "

"Come on Teaspoon. It’s not like we’ve never taken a dangerous run before."

"I know that! I got word last week that the Dalton gang has been seen between Kearney an’ Rock Creek. They’re ‘bout the lowest lot of bastards on God’s green earth. They’ll stoop to ‘bout anything for a buck. "

Jimmy shrugged and Ike simply rolled his eyes.

"I want you boys to drop the mail at the Pumpkinseed Station. Leave there, straight away, no foolin’ around, and head north. Kinda try to follow the map and steer clear of the Pawnee thereabouts. No foolin’ around or mixin’ yourselves up in other people’s business. That document needs to get directly to Major Benjamin T. Briggs and none other. Understand?"

"We’ll be careful Teaspoon."

"Good. Now, pack your rain gear just in case and … well just in case you run into some trouble, I want one of ya carryin’ a rifle. "

Ike nodded, signaling that he would carry it.

"I think you boys should take these too, " Teaspoon added, reaching into his desk to pull out two shiny *Deputy* badges. "And tell Rachel I won’t be home ‘til late, so she shouldn’t wait supper on me."

Nodding, Jimmy took the badges and turned to leave.

<We’ll be fine, Teaspoon.> Ike signed with a slight grin then waved and stepped out the door.

"Ride safe," The old marshal added as the door closed. He hated having to send his boys out on special Army dispatches when it wasn’t really in their job description. Especially now, with the war growing closer with each coming day.

* * *

The two young men rode out of Rock Creek less than an hour later, heading west at a hard gallop.

"Sorry you had to get takin’ this run Ike," Jimmy said after they had been riding for almost an hour.

<I don’t mind.>

"What do you think of all that stuff Teaspoon was saying?"

<He seemed really worried.>

"Let’s get a move on then. I want to get past Pumpkinseed tonight if possible," Jimmy suggested, giving his gelding a longer length of rein.

* * *

At mid-afternoon, they stopped to rest the animals along a small creek. Leaning back against a tree, Ike sighed and then began to chuckle silently.

"What’s so funny?"

<Do you think that Teaspoon would have sent you on this run even if you hadn’t hit him with the egg?>

"Probably. I ‘suppose that you thought that was pretty funny, huh?"

<How did that get started anyway?> Ike asked, smothering a grin.

"I was playin’ catch with Mikey Wood. Cody had to get in the middle of it and took the poor kid’s ball. Then he hit me with an egg, so I went after him."

Jimmy paused, beginning to chuckle himself.

<I knew you’d think it was funny eventually.>

"It’s not funny. I – I just wonder if Cody’s ever gonna give the kid his ball back. I’ve heard his sister is a force to reckon with!"

<Holly Wood? Doesn’t she work with the seamstress?>

"Yeah, I think so. I’ve heard she’s got quite the temper," Jimmy said with a smirk.

<Maybe Cody’s met his match!>

The two riders remounted and set off again, lessening the pace some, as the temperature rose.

At dusk, they reached the station. After passing on the pouch and watering the horses, they were off again, heading north this time, leaving the Pony Express trail behind.

CHAPTER TOW