One More Adventure

by Ellison Rose                                                                     

July 12
        I was hanging out with Sadie on Saturday. We had to say goodbye to the good old days. I am pronounced unfit at school since I play with Sadie, but I don’t care. I am so busy that I barely have enough time to ride Taffy, yet alone playing with Sadie. And Sadie has been crazy and doing some crazy things with Zeke. Mother also told me not to play Sadie anymore. But here is the story of our last adventure together. 
***
        “Andi! Look!” I run over to where Sadie is standing on top a hill. Below us are three men. I look closer. I have never seen them before.
        “Who are they?” I ask Sadie.
        “I have no idea.” Sadie tells me. We look to our left. A stagecoach is quickly approaching. Then we witness something neither one of us want or thought we’d witness. The men run out in front of the stagecoach and hold the passengers at gunpoint, and take the rifle from the shotgun driver, and shoot the driver and the shotgun driver. They make everyone climb off and they take the stagecoach and their horses. Three ladies are stranded with two shot men. Sadie and I both watch the stagecoach take off, leaving behind a cloud of dust. Sadie and I are shocked.
        “Let’s go see the victims.” I tell Sadie.
        “Ok.” Sadie replies. We hike down the hill, tying our horses to trees. I can see two victims,
        “Hi, I’m Andi Carter.”
        Taking my lead, Sadie also introduces herself. “I am Sadie Hollister. We seen you get robbed.” One lady, who identified herself as Mrs. Parker, started talking, only to burst into frantic sobbing.
        “Her baby is on the stagecoach.” The other lady, Mrs. Myers, explains, “Her baby is in a basket, and when they robbers kicked us off, she was shoved off before she could grab her baby. She tried to tell them her baby is on the stagecoach, but they just told her to shut up.”
        “My baby’s name is Hannah Claire.” Mrs. Parker said between sobs.
        “We know our way around Fresno.” I tell the ladies, “I’ll grab my brother Justin, along with Sheriff Tate and a deputy or two. They’ll know what to do.”
        “Thanks, girls.” Both ladies reply. At the tone, Sadie and I climb up the hill to get Taffy and Jep. We mount our horses, and are on our way to Fresno.
*****
        Sadie and I would have gone all the way to town, except three miles down the road, I found something that distracted us.
        “Sadie! Look!” I point to the ground.
        “A pocket watch!” Sadie exclaims. “I seen it on one of the robbers!”
        “Look, Sadie! There are hoof prints!”
        “And they lead that way, Andi!”
        “Sadie, let’s follow them!” Sadie and I weave our way through the hills and plains for about a mile, then we come near a hollow. We leave our horses tied to a tree, and walk closer to investigate. We hear some voices coming out of the side of the hollow with a huge opening. Being careful, I stick my head around the edge, and can see three men, not just any men, the men that robbed the stagecoach, and the stagecoach. Sadie and I put our heads together, and think of an idea. I run to Taffy and grab my lasso. Now I pray all works out well, just as Sadie and I plan.
*****
        I give Sadie our thumbs up signal. She repeats the signal back to me. Be strong and courageous. I can use a lot of courage right now. I keep wondering what will happen if something goes wrong. Or one of us gets hurt, or maybe even killed. God is with me, no matter what happens. Sadie starts on cue.
        “Hey you guys! I need some help!”
        All three men run out of the hollow with their rifles, and just start shooting. I pray the bullets don’t hit Sadie and I. After not seeing or shooting anyone, the robbers go back into hiding. Sadie again gives me our signal thumbs up, and I toss her my one end of my lasso.
        “We gotta get out of here, Roy. Someone knows we’re here.”
        “I agree with Ted, Roy. We gotta get out of here before the Sheriff comes.”
        “Well, where do we go, Frank?”
        “I’ve always wanted to see Texas, so how ‘bout there?”
        “Sure, but I gotta get some water. My canteen’s empty, and I’m dead thirsty.”
        “Well, I guess, but let’s take the most valuable loot. We can sell it if need be. We’ll come back for the stage coach if we aren’t on the run.”
       The men grab their most valuable loot and run out as if someone is watching them.  
       3, 2, 1. I mouth as Sadie and I both yank on the lasso rope, and all three men with the loot fall everywhere. During the commotion, Sadie and I tie each man up in a row by the arms, then we tie up their legs and their waist. We take them to a thick tree and wrap them around, and tie a big knot. We know they can get out, it’ll just require teamwork, something we can already tell they were bad about.
       Sadie and I mount our horses, and ride the rest of the way into town. We grab Justin, Sheriff Tate, Deputy Kent, and Doc Weaver. Sheriff Tate and Deputy Kent took care of the robbers, and Justin went to the ladies with Doc Weaver to tend the shot drivers. Sadie and I even get the privilege of giving Mrs. Parker her baby back. The crooks were transported to Sacramento, where they have been wanted for over month. Mrs. Parker and her baby was reunited with Mr. Parker in Fresno, and continued their journey to Oakland.
      As for Sadie and I, we didn’t know this would be our last adventure together.