The Brave Riders Had to Meet Many Dangers
“Another interesting thing about letters written many years ago is that they were not placed in envelopes.”
“Why not?” asked Edith, in great surprise.
“Because,” replied grandpa, “there were no envelopes. When a letter was finished it was folded into the form of an envelope and fastened by means of sealing wax.”
IV
THE PONY EXPRESS
“You know,” he continued, “that our mails are now carried across the country on fast railroad trains. A letter can be sent from Boston to San Francisco, a distance of over three thousand miles, in about four days. But when I was a young man there were no railroads in the far West, and the mails traveled very slowly.
“In those days many people were moving into the western country, and they felt the need of a better mail service. Some wealthy men talked the matter over and decided to use swift ponies to carry the mails. So in 1860 they planned the Pony Express.
“This was a very daring thing to do, because those were the days of Indians and outlaws, and the brave riders would have to meet many dangers.