The Texas Kid
by Patricia Henry
Chapter Four
�Uncle Mort, you should have seen him!� Cecily�s eyes widen with excitement. �Just like out of the book. Jack...�
�You mean Jess?�
�Oh yes, he calls himself Jess, was so brave. Isn�t he the most wonderful cowboy that you ever met?�
�Jess?�
�Yes!�
�Jess will do in a pinch,� Mort said with a smile tugging at his lips.
�I was thinking that I could ask him for dinner. Here.�
�Here?�
Mrs. Corey smiled patiently. �What your Uncle means, dear, is that his place doesn�t lend itself too well to cooking.�
�I usually take my meals at the boarding house down the road. I thought we could eat there tonight. Every Wednesday she serves fried chicken.�
�Do you know what Jess likes to eat?� Cecily questioned. �Does he like fried chicken?�
�Well...last time I ate out there, he was real happy to get fried chicken.�
�Fried chicken,� she repeated as if the words gave her great joy. �You know the Texas Kid often dined on fried chicken. Though his favorite meal is rattlesnake.�
�Rattlesnake!� Mrs. Corey exclaimed with distaste. �Someone would eat rattlesnake?�
�The Texas Kid says that helps to keep him ready to strike out against those bad outlaws. The venom makes him tough.�
�More likely the venom would kill him,� Mort explained.
�That�s what Jess would have done if those outlaws hadn�t given up. But they knew they didn�t have a chance against such a tough hombre as Jess.�
�Sounds like she�s reading out of one of them dime store novels,� Mort said to Mrs. Corey.
�Word for word.�
�Oh Uncle Mort, you should have seen it! And just before he captured the outlaws, Jess rescued the stagecoach from crashing.�
�Crashing!� Mort and Mrs. Corey said with surprise at the same time.
Cecily continued, �Jess just rode down that hill on Traveler and saved us all.�
�Dear, I hardly think we were in much danger,� Mrs. Corey said.
�But Mother, we were! But Jess-�
�Sounds like Jess had an awful busy day,� Mort said with a grin. �Hope he found time, in between saving you two, to work. Slim won�t like it if all he does is ride around the country side saving damsels in distress.�
Cecily frowned. �Uncle Mort, you�re making fun of me.�
Mort laughed. �Maybe a little. But then I know Jess. Never thought of him as a hero.�
�Oh but he is!� She was suddenly thoughtful, then blurted out, �Uncle Mort, could I go riding tomorrow? To see the country side?�
�Well I guess. I could go with you after lunch.�
�Oh I�m a good rider. Tell him, Mama!�
�She has taken lessons. And when we�re home, she rides in Central Park every day.�
�Things can be different out here, Mona,� Mort said.
Mrs. Corey smiled at her daughter. �Dear...�
�I won�t go far. Oh please, Uncle Mort!� Cecily begged.
Mort had a hard time turning down any pretty female, especially one that he was related to. �Well if you don�t go far and you stay on the road. No venturing off. We still got wild animals around here, like coyotes and bobcats.�
�I promise.�
�All right. Tomorrow we�ll go by the stable and pick out a very gentle, slow moving horse for you.�
***************************************
