Summary:  Punishment turns into a summer of memories, all while tending the garden.

Rating:  K  (3,900 words)

 

The Garden’s Secret

“Hey!”

Sixteen-year-old Adam Cartwright stiffened at the outraged shout and skidded to a stop on the worn dirt path.

“Little Joe, quit yelling. You want Pa to hear you?”

The little boy stuck out his lower lip as his eyes sank to the ground. “No . . . but he hit me!” Little Joe’s bright green eyes shot fire as he pointed a tiny finger at the tow-headed ten-year-old standing next to him. Hoss, looking appropriately shocked, quickly pleaded in his defense. “I never touched him.” Now it was the Little Joe’s turn to look shocked, and Adam dove to get a hand over the young boy’s mouth. Shooting a quick glance back toward the house, Adam waited until he was sure his pa wasn’t coming and Little Joe was calming down. Finally, after a few minutes of struggling against his older brother’s strong grip, Little Joe sagged in defeat.

“Joe, if I move my hand, you had better not make a sound. Got it?”

Little Joe nodded his head and mumbled a “got it” through his brother’s fingers.

Adam kept his voice stern as he slowly released the young boy. “Okay, this is what we’re going to do. We’re all going to close our mouths, tight, walk over to the garden, quickly, and then get to work, quietly.” Adam cast one more nervous glance toward the house and then holding a finger up to his lips, he nodded his head toward the large gated off section where the unlikely trio had been sentenced to work for the duration of the summer. They were nearly there before Adam heard a soft thump and then another sharp, “hey!” Raising his eyes to the sky, he set his mouth in a thin line and spun around.

“Joseph, not one more word. And you,” he said turning his dark eyes on his Hoss, who already had his mouth hanging open and his arms up in surrender. “I know, you didn’t touch him,” Adam continued and then setting his hands on his thighs, bent down to look at Hoss eye level. “I’m only going to say this once so listen good. If you don’t touch him one more time I’m going to not touch you and see how you like it.”

Hoss swallowed hard as he nodded. “I won’t, Adam . . . I mean I will . . . I mean . . .”

“Good,” Adam interrupted. “Now, come on.”

Little Joe ran ahead and attempted to lift the heavy gate latch, but Hoss was right on the smaller boy’s heels and within seconds, a scuffle began as each boy insisted on being the one to open the gate. Adam dropped his head into his hands and bemoaned his fate. It was going to be a long summer.

~~~

Three weeks later, Adam wiped a sweaty arm across his even sweatier brow as he stopped to stretch the kinks out of his back. The day was hot, but after the countless hours he and his family had spent shut inside during the colder seasons, he wasn’t about to complain of the sunshine. He would have preferred spending his time in the sun in a way of his own choosing, but if he was honest with himself, he was the one to blame for his current predicament. Well, himself and two overly active, slightly ornery little brothers.

The unusually long winter had been taxing for the entire Cartwright family, and the wet, windy spring that followed had been almost as bad. Looking back, Adam was surprised he and his brothers had made it as long as they had before snapping. For at least the last three weeks of May, there had been nothing but irritating, teasing, and whining and his little brothers had been even worse. Finally, Ben declared enough was enough and the boys had been sent to different corners of the house, as far apart from each other as Ben could manage. The boys hadn’t dared argue after that, loud enough for Pa to hear at least, but the glares and rough nudges they’d given one another over the next few days had driven both Ben and Marie to distraction. In the end, it was she that had suggested their sentence, and Ben had braved the spring snows in order to plot out a half acre of what Adam was sure must be the most undesirable piece of land on the entire Ponderosa. It was there that the boys had been told they would spend every day until noon for the rest of the summer—together, turning the rough and tangled mess of earth into a garden. The loud protesting that had ensued was quickly silenced by Pa’s thunderous voice, and three very contrite boys spent the remainder of the day in their rooms contemplating their fate.

Now, as Adam gazed across the open field, he couldn’t help but be impressed with how much he and his brothers had accomplished. There were only three stumps left to be dug up and they were tiny in comparison with the first few. It had taken him and Hoss, two borrowed mules and a week to get those first three stumps out. If Adam could have had his way, he would have used blasting powder, but he’d had a feeling that asking his pa about it might light a fuse of another kind, so he’d resorted to using good old-fashioned hard work instead.

Adam rubbed at his neck, gently massaging the tense muscles and turned his gaze to where his brothers were supposed to be piling sagebrush. It took him a moment to locate the two boys huddled together near one of the every growing piles of weeds. He couldn’t make out exactly what they were doing, but from their hushed voices and anxious glances, he guessed it wasn’t anything that would be approved of. Setting down his pickaxe, he crept up on the other side of the pile and ducked down beside it.

“Little Joe, I told ya to leave it alone, didn’t I?” Hoss whispered. Adam scooted a touch closer and tried to peer through the branches, but whatever they were looking at was on the ground and he couldn’t see. He heard Little Joe give a stifled sob and realized that whatever had happened, it was big.

“Ah, don’t cry, Joe,” Hoss continued, reaching out to comfort the small boy. “I bet if we tell Adam, he’ll help us come up with somethin’.”

Wiping a dirty sleeve across his nose, Little Joe whimpered. “Nah uh, he’ll tell Pa.”

Adam decided it was time to let his presence be known. “Tell Pa what?” he asked, coming around the pile of weeds.

Hoss and Little Joe immediately scrambled in front of . . . whatever it was, in an attempt to hide it. Adam, ignoring their protests, pushed them both aside. What he saw caused his face to fall. “Now you’ve gone and done it,” he murmured and then immediately regretted his words as Little Joe began to cry in earnest.

“It was a accident,” the young boy sobbed between hiccups.

Adam pulled out a handkerchief, handed it to Little Joe, and then picked up very large, very beautiful, very dead chicken. He grimaced as the hen’s head swung limply back and forth.

“Little Joe,” he said with a sigh, “of all the chickens in the hen house, why this one?”

He lifted Little Joe’s chin to look at him, though he didn’t really expect an answer. Little Joe’s large green eyes were pooled with tears and his lower lip trembled. Adam couldn’t take the pitiful sight for more than a few seconds, so he turned his gaze to Hoss, who quickly raised his hands in innocence. “It wasn’t me.”

Adam covered his mouth to hide a grin. Hoss’s standard answer to most questions these days was, “I didn’t do it.”

“I didn’t say you did,” Adam replied, “but, I think you know what happened, so start talking.”

The story was long and fragmented but eventually, Adam discovered that Little Joe had taken a detour on his last visit to the outhouse. This detour had included a retrieval of his favorite slingshot, and a few minutes of target practice which resulted in the expiration of Marie’s prize hen. Adam was tempted to point out the fact that using a chicken for a target, whether or not you meant to kill it, was likely not to be considered an accident, but the young boy was already distraught, so he laid a comforting hand on his the boy’s shoulder instead.

Adam already had an idea circulating in his mind, but he wasn’t sure if he was willing to risk his own neck in order to save his brother’s hide. He looked up to where Hoss was standing and the silent pleading coming from those deep, blue eyes pushed him over the edge.

“Okay, Little Joe,” he said. “Listen, if we bury this chicken out here, you might be okay. There’ve been an awful lot of coyotes around lately, and if we’re lucky, your mama might just think they made off with the hen.”

Little Joe stopped crying and rubbed his palms across his damp cheeks. “You think so?”

Adam ruffled the boy’s hair and gave him a wink. “It just might, but . . .” Adam stood up then and gave his brother a stern glare. “It’s going to cost you.”

The hope that had lit Little Joe’s eyes a moment ago faded somewhat as he waited for Adam’s pronouncement. Adam held out his hand, and Little Joe instantly drew the slingshot out of his back pocket. With some reluctance he handed it over.

It only took a few minutes to dig a hole and even less time to bury the chicken, along with the weapon that had killed it. Little Joe sighed as Adam patted the down the last shovel full of dirt, but Adam noted a look of relief in his eyes despite his loss. Setting down the shovel, Adam drew his brothers close. “This is a brother’s secret,” he said, keeping his voice low. He then put out his hand palm down and Hoss and Little Joe were quick to put their hands in too. After a quick shake, Adam ordered them back to work.

If Little Joe had slacked off earlier in the day, he made up for it in the next hour, and Adam wasn’t a bit surprised when a little later, Hoss tapped him on the shoulder and pointed toward one of the bigger piles of brush. Lying underneath, curled up and with his thumb in his mouth was Little Joe, sound asleep.

“He sure is cute, ain’t he?” Hoss asked, scrunching up his nose as he smiled.

Adam chuckled, “Yes, and it’s going to end up being his salvation or his demise; only time will tell.”

Hoss started to laugh and then his brow wrinkled. “Huh?”

It was Adam’s turn to laugh, and he gave Hoss a playful shove before turning back to the stumps. That night at dinner, Marie kept lamenting over the fact that her hen was missing, but between Adam’s evasive answers and Hoss’s constantly dropping things, the three brothers managed to make it through the meal without being any worse for wear, although Little Joe left the table still hungry, having refused to touch any of his fried chicken.

~~~

Five weeks later, Adam opened the latch on the garden gate and called out as he stepped inside. It didn’t take him long to locate his middle brother; he just followed the sound of sniffling and soon came upon him sitting under the shade of a row of cornstalks. Corn was about the only thing the boys planted that had come up.

“Want to talk about it?” Adam asked, sitting down next to the young boy.

“Ain’t nothin’ to talk about. Pa ain’t gonna change his mind and I can’t read that whole dumb book by Saturday.”

Adam stretched his long legs out in front of him as he leaned back on his palms. He chewed on the end of a long piece of grass as he tried to think of a way to help his brother. To his way of thinking, Pa was being a little hard on Hoss. The whole thing had started the day before. In an effort to help Hoss keep up with his studies, Marie had given him the assignment of reading a chapter. Hoss hadn’t exactly lied when she’d asked him later if he read it, but when she began to quiz him on the text, it was obvious that he hadn’t read much more than the first paragraph. Unfortunately for Hoss, Pa had been working at his desk and had heard the entire exchange. By the time his lecture on honesty and responsibility was finished, Hoss was in tears, and then Pa had given him the assignment of reading the entire book, letting him know that he would personally be quizzing him on it Saturday night.

Adam picked up the book that Hoss had tossed onto the dirt beside him and smiled. “Did you know that this is one of Pa’s favorites?”

Hoss looked up, and Adam noted the slight spark of interest in his eyes. “Pa used to read this to me all the time when we were out on the trail. I still have portions of it memorized.” Adam’s voice grew wistful as he continued. “It’s been a long time since I’ve read it.” He paused for a few minutes as he thumbed through the worn pages. After a moment, he pursed his lips and then spoke without taking his gaze from the book. “Can you keep a secret?” he asked his little brother.

Hoss scooted closer to his older brother and kept his voice low as he answered. “Yeah.”

“For every page you read out loud to me, I’ll read two of them to you, and then if you have any questions you can ask me and I’ll try and explain.”

Hoss’s eyes were the size of saucers by the time Adam finished and a moment later, Adam had the wind knocked out of him as his grateful brother barreled into him with a hug.

“Can we start right now Adam, please?”

Adam pushed his brother off his chest with a grunt. “Sure, right after I . . . catch my breath.”

During the next two days, Hoss and Adam took turns between weeding, gardening, and reading. Little Joe would find a place in the shade and fall asleep to the sound of his brothers’ voices. The day before Saturday, Hoss had just finished reading his page to Adam when the sound of Pa’s voice startled them.

“That was very good, son.”

Hoss gulped as he placed the book into his a’s outstretched hand. “I see you’re almost done with it.” Both boys held their breath as their pa shifted his gaze from one to the other. “You know what I think?” he asked, and the two brothers jumped as he snapped the book shut. Finally, he moved his piercing gaze off of them and onto the area of land that Adam had sectioned off for the corn. Adam gave a sharp elbow to Hoss’s side, and the younger boy remembered to breathe. “I think,” Pa continued, “that you boys having been working hard at gardening, and . . .” he then looked Adam straight in the eye and handed him the book, “at getting along. What do you boys think about stopping early today and getting in a little fishing?”

“Fishin’,” came a cry from a row of corn where Little Joe had been sleeping soundly only moments before. “Can I come too, can I Pa, please?” The small boy rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he got up and raced over. “Well, I don’t know,” Ben teased as he scooped Little Joe up. “It looks to me like you were doing more resting than working.” Little Joe placed a hand on his father’s cheek as he answered earnestly. “Oh no, Pa, I was just checkin’ my eyelids for holes.” Ben and Hoss immediately erupted into laughter while Adam twisted his mouth into a frown. His pa hadn’t found it nearly that amusing when he’d given the same explanation after church last Sunday.

~~~

It was a moonlit night, almost a month later, when Adam woke up to the sound of hushed voices in the hall. Recognizing the voices as his pa and Marie, he was about to roll over and go back to sleep, but then a stifled giggle from Marie roused his curiosity. Sitting up, he listened until he was sure they were down the stairs. Slipping on his trousers, he grabbed his shirt and boots and then followed after them. The front door clicked shut just as he reached the top of the stairs, and his heart was beating wildly as he yanked on his boots. There had been a few occasions in the past when he’d stolen quietly out of the house at night; not quietly enough since most of the time his pa had been right on his heels, and Adam smiled at the thought of the tables being turned for once. It didn’t take long for Adam to realize that they were heading for the garden. For a brief moment, he wondered if they were checking up on their progress, but then Ben stopped and turned to Marie. Her hair shone like silver in the moonlight as she gazed up into his father’s eyes, and Adam blushed clear to his toes when their lips met. Afraid to give himself away, he waited quietly, hoping they would move into the garden before he found himself in a really difficult situation. He had no desire to follow them any further; some secrets were better left kept. The stars seemed to hear his silent wishing and a moment later, Ben and Marie entered the garden hand in hand. As soon as they were out of sight, Adam turned and headed back to the house, the sounds of their quiet laughter keeping him company, and for a brief moment, he felt he understood what true love was.

~~~

A few weeks later, on a night much different from the one where he had followed two lovers, Adam found himself sitting alone under the shelter of the now full grown cornstalks. Their long leaves couldn’t provide him with total protection from the rain however, and he shivered as the falling water began to soak through his clothes. He pulled his knees into his chest and wrapped his arms around them. His chin quivered as he rested it on his knees, but he was determined that the only drops on his cheeks would be those from the rain. A splash in a pool of water followed by the rustling of leaves to his right made him jump, but then his pa appeared. Adam stiffened, waiting for a reprimand, but instead, his pa slowly lowered himself into the mud beside his son. Suddenly, Adam was embarrassed that his father had found him like this—grieving over a girl that hadn’t even had the decency to tell him she’d accepted an offer from someone else for the evening. Adam felt like a fool. He’d shown up on her doorstep with a bouquet of handpicked flowers. He’d left the buggy, an old one his pa had told him he could have if he fixed it up, tied to the picket fence. He’d been about to knock on the door when another buggy pulled up—shiny and new, with a fellow at least five years older than Adam. The man jumped down, holding a single red rose. Adam narrowed his eyes as the man came up the walk, but then the front door opened and Jenna had come bustling onto the porch. She walked right past Adam up to the stranger and gushed over the rose, then took his arm as he motioned toward the buggy. Adam had stood dumbfounded until the man turned and gave him a wink as he helped Jenna into the buggy. Adam had turned crimson and he twisted the flowers he was still holding in his hand. Then they’d driven off without a word—he doubted Jenna had even seen him. He thought about following them into town, and confronting them right there in front of everyone at the dance, but he was too humiliated.

Adam’s thoughts were brought back to the present when he heard his pa clear his throat. “Do you want to talk about it, son?”

Adam looked into his father’s eyes; he saw nothing there but empathy, but there was still a lump in his throat, so he shook his head and turned away.

For a while, nothing interrupted the silence except for the gentle dropping of rain.

“You know, son,” Ben said, after a few minutes, “you’re going to meet all kinds of people in life. Some men, some women, some will have money, while others will be poor, some will be filled with hatred, but some will be full of kindness. What you need to remember is that what’s truly important is what kind of person you are. And,” Adam turned as his father placed an arm over his shoulders, “you’re someone that I’m proud to call, son.”

Adam’s shame vanished with that statement, and he couldn’t help but give a small smile. Ben squeezed his arm and then reached up and pulled a corncob off a nearby stock. “This is a great place for secrets,” he said. “If you want to talk; I’m all ears.” Adam laughed as his father offered him the corn.

~~~

The end of the summer brought a bountiful harvest and while Hop Sing and Marie’s garden produced more of a variety of vegetables, they all agreed that the boy’s corn was the best tasting they’d ever had. One evening, later that fall, the family walked through the now bare garden. Little Joe and Hoss ran and laughed as they threw dirt clods at each other. The other Cartwrights were more sedate in their meanderings, and Adam dragged behind as Ben and Marie strolled arm in arm. The air was getting cool again, and Adam welcomed the reprieve from the heat of the summer.

“What’s this?” Ben asked stopping, and Adam hurried up beside his father. There, half dug out of the ground, were the remains of a chicken. Adam held his breath as Marie bent down and picked up a feather lying beside a worn slingshot. She frowned as she examined the unique pattern, and then she looked up at him. Adam felt his stomach sink, but Marie raised a finger to her lips, and nodded her head in Ben’s direction. She gave Adam a wink, and his apprehension dissolved. Their secret was safe.

~~~

The garden was forgotten in the events that occurred during that next year. The weeds once again took over and eventually, the fence was torn down for use in other places. But it’s still there, keeping forever buried, whispered secrets and private thoughts. The memory of intimate passions and unbreakable promises still linger in the air and on soft moonlit nights, sometimes you can hear hushed voices and quiet laughter; especially if it’s raining.

~The End