Was it a joke gone wrong-or something more sinister? It's summer in Colorado, and Sir Edmund Marsland's family are enjoying their visit to the West-though not everyone at the Wellman ranch is quite as happy with the company of the English family. The mood changes for the worse when an accident with a horse nearly claims the life of Sir Edmund's young son. And with the discovery that someone deliberately caused the accident, suspicions and tensions divide the party. Was it meant for a practical joke-or was it for spite-or was there a motive for murder? Mrs. Meade may be the only guest at the ranch without title or fortune, but she may also be the only one who can get at the truth... "The American Pony" is a novella , approximately 21,000 words long.