Chapter Two

Ben leaned back in the chair and took a swallow of his coffee. Roy may be a good friend, but his coffee was certainly not the reason anybody ever called on the sheriff. It often sat brewing away on the stove while Roy was out and about and Ben wondered if his old friend ever remembered to actually wash out the pot between brews. As he tried to scrape the grit of coffee beans off his tongue without being too noticeable about it, he noted Roy watching him.

“What’s the boy done this time?”

“Huh?” Ben jolted back to the room and noticed Roy smiling at him.

“Whenever you get that look on your face, it’s a sure bet you’re wonderin’ just how much of his mother that young fella of yours inherited. Leastways that easier than thinkin’ on how much he takes after his pa!”

Ben laughed outright at the smirk on Roy’s face and knew he’d been caught out. It wasn’t the first time he’d wondered aloud if Joe had more of his mother’s Southern sense of things in him than he’d realised. It was the way he chose to explain just why his youngest son was so very different from his brothers and while it was meant affectionately, it still had a grain of truth to it. Of course, the fact Marie could twist him around her little finger was a trait her son seemed to have as well. At least Joseph thought he did.

“Roy, some days I wonder just who is running who in my family!”

“So back ta my question – what’s the boy done this time?”

Ben suddenly sobered and leaned forward in his chair. “I don’t know exactly. Something has changed in that boy in recent weeks and I don’t like it. He’s lying to me, but I can’t prove it.”

“Lyin’? Little Joe? Ben … are you sure ’bout that?” For all his many and varied youthful faults, lying was not one of them.

Ben heaved a deep sigh as he twisted the empty mug in his hands. It felt like a physical blow to admit it aloud as honesty was something he highly valued and demanded from his sons. Joe may not always get to the point immediately, but he would not normally outright lie.

“He’s been evasive with answers until pushed to the point of punishment and even then … Roy, even then I’m still not sure. He’s often late home with no real explanation for where he’s been. He’s shirking chores and twice in the last week he’s come home with torn clothes and refused to tell me what happened. Both times he claimed it was an accident, but I think he’s been fighting.”

“Well let’s lock ‘im up! I got room in there right now for the young criminal. We should be able to save ‘im from a life of crime if we act fast.”

Ben looked up to see Roy trying to smother a laugh.

“Sounds like a pretty normal young lad to me. It’s been warm weather and them boys are like to go fishin’ after school. Climbin’ rocks means clothes get torn. He don’t wanta tell his pa he’s been off playin’ hookey when he shoulda been doing somethin’ else. When you was his age, Ben, what woulda you been doin’?”

Ben scratched at the back of his neck and slowly shook his head. “I know what you’re saying Roy, but it’s more than that. I just know it and I can’t explain it any better than that.”

The conversation continued on for a bit on less meaningful topics as Roy attempted to ease his friend’s concerns. Little Joe was a handful, no question about it, but the sheriff didn’t seem too concerned about his future welfare.

“Now if you really wanta be a father who needs to worry, spare a thought for poor old Frank Johnston. His boy, Kent, escaped from prison this week and the word is that he’ll head back here to Virginia City. He blames his pa for puttin’ him in prison and Frank’s no match for that sorry excuse of a man he calls a son.”

Ben frowned as he recalled the bitter trial that had sentenced Kent to thirteen years of hard labour. “As I recall it, Roy, that “boy” as you call him was very vocal about what he’d do to you as well.”

Roy shrugged at him as he stood up to stretch. “Ain’t worried about his threats. The boy’d have to be pretty stupid to show up in town and get hisself arrested again when he’d haveta know there’s a warrant out for him.”

As Ben placed his hat back on his head and made his way for the door, he shook his head at his friend. “Nobody ever said criminals were known for being smart. And revenge is a pretty strong motive. Just be careful, Roy.” He slapped a hand on his friend’s shoulder as he passed him by.

“Always am. And you quit worryin’ over that young fella of yours. He’s a good boy.”

All the way home to the Ponderosa, Ben mulled over their conversation. He agreed with his friend that Joe was a good boy, but there was no denying that something had changed and he did not and could not agree with Roy that he needn’t worry. He would worry at it until he knew what was going on and found a way to deal with it.

---

Joe glanced up to see the sun was lower in the sky than he had realised. The first time he’d followed the boys home it had been out of curiosity. Derek had been very hesitant to share any details even as Joe had continued to share food with the two of them. Mitch had soon figured that if he kept Derek occupied, maybe Joe could use his charm to wangle something more out of Matthew. It felt like bribery as Joe dangled sweets in front of the young boy, but he figured it was worth the cost. The pieces of information that the frightened boy had spilled seemed so unlikely that Joe found himself biting back some smart remarks. He knew families that lived in poverty and he was not so naïve that he didn’t know many of his friends had less than he did, but this was something else entirely.

At first, Derek had been furious that Joe had tricked his younger brother until both Joe and Mitch had managed to assure him that they were only trying to help. It bothered both of them to see that Derek sometimes turned up to school looking like he’d gone three rounds with a bear. Walter seemed to enjoy demanding the impossible from the boys and beating Derek when they failed to measure up. For some unknown reason, the old drunk had not yet taken to Matthew, but Derek wasn’t convinced that would last.

Joe knew that he’d be late home again and he had no wish to take another tanning from his father along with a lecture on his disappointing attitude to responsibility. He urged his horse into a gallop across the open meadow and prayed for some kind of miraculous intervention before he reached the house. The idea that children could be sold by orphanages had shocked him, but Joe had always figured that anybody who adopted an orphan did it because they wanted a child. To think that children were sought after as cheap labour was such a foreign thought that he had balked at the idea for days. He might butt heads with his family from time to time, but there was no doubt that he was loved. He wasn’t always keen to get his own chores done, but what Derek had revealed to him in halting bits and pieces left him thoroughly shocked. He decided he needed to see it for himself and maybe do something to help his friends. Each time Joe or Mitch came by on the way home from school and helped them get a little ahead on their chores was another day that Derek could possibly escape a beating. It was only a stopgap measure, but none of them knew what else to do. Derek’s oft-repeated pleas rung loudly in Joe’s ears as he galloped home.

“You can’t tell anybody, Joe! Walter paid for us. He owns us.”

The first time he had said it, Joe and Mitch had stared at him, open-mouthed and too stunned to speak. Nobody owned other people! When Joe had finally recovered his wits enough to speak, there was only one thought that came to mind.

“You mean like some kinda slave?”

The look on the boy’s face answered his question and Joe determined he needed to talk to his father and do something to help. Surely the sheriff would do something if his pa asked him to. His pa knew the law and his pa would know what to do.

Hop Sing watched from the safety of the kitchen as Joe pushed at the meal on his plate without really eating much of it. It seemed that the boy’s newfound appetite had disappeared again. Perhaps it had something to with a visit to the barn with his father after he galloped into the yard well after Ben had arrived home. Joe had arrived at the supper table with a sullen expression while his father had tried to contain the look of disappointment on his face.

“Joseph, stop playing with that food and eat it. Hop Sing doesn’t waste his time cooking for this family for you to throw out good food.”

It was a variation of a comment that Joe had heard many times and yet this time around it was like a knife in the gut. He’d never really known up close what it looked like for somebody to face daily hunger until he met Derek and Matthew and he knew how much both boys would scramble for the food on his plate. It made him feel sick to his stomach as he stared at the plate and was oblivious to his father’s next words. It wasn’t until Ben’s voice had risen to another level that he reacted.

“Joseph!”

Joe startled at the anger in his father’s voice and looked up, blinking rapidly. Hoss was trying to indicate something with his eyes while Adam simply watched him without giving away anything.

“If you insist on sleeping at the table then perhaps you need to go to bed.”

“But Pa! It’s not even…”

“Don’t raise your voice to me, young man.”

Joe stared at his lap, trying to figure just how he had gotten himself into his father’s bad graces so quickly again. It seemed that it was becoming a regular occurrence lately.

“Yes, Sir.”

Any thoughts of asking his father the questions he desperately needed answers to were totally gone as he pushed himself out of his chair and made his way towards the stairs. The remains of his meal sat glued to his plate and Ben sighed as he realised just how little of it Joe had actually eaten.

Ben watched his son leave while Adam was watching his father. He noted the tension lines along his father’s jaw, but said nothing. Hoss looked thoroughly miserable as the tone of the meal had dropped so quickly while Hop Sing made himself scarce back in the kitchen.

---

“But, Pa! That’s not fair!”

“Fair? Joseph this has gone well beyond fair! You will come straight home from school this afternoon and start on that tack room. With no further arguments!”

Ben’s hands were clamped onto his hips in a desperate attempt to control the well of anger that was boiling up from his insides. He needed to keep himself in check before he said something he knew he’d regret, but his youngest son was walking a dangerous line. At almost fourteen, Joe was leaving childhood behind, but was certainly not half as grown up as he fancied himself.

“Now get out there and finish saddling your horse before you are late to school.” The irate father held up a hand to forestall any further comment. “And don’t speak another word!”

Joe glared at his father and seemed as if he was going to defy the directive when he suddenly deflated and walked towards the front door. From his perch on the landing, Adam could see both his father and brother from behind and he saw the same thing in both of them. Tension had set both of them into a rigid posture and he would have smiled under other circumstances. He’d thought it more than once that Joe was more like his father than either of them would admit. He briefly wondered if his grandfather had ever borne the brunt of his father’s anger when he was a youngster and quickly decided it was a question he would never dare ask. Especially not given Joe’s latest round of trouble. He slowly made his way down the stairs, being sure to make enough noise with his boots to alert his father to his presence. Sneaking up behind Ben Cartwright in his present mood was not a good idea!

“Pa. Everything alright?” He knew very well that it was not, but he wanted to hear his father’s summary of the situation.

“Fine!” It sounded so like Joe that Adam almost laughed.

“Well, okay then. I’m just heading on into town for that contract paperwork.”

Ben had paced across the room and turned back to face his oldest son. “Do you know what’s going on with that boy?”

Adam watched the expression settle on his father’s face and he slowly shook his head. “No idea. But you know Joe, Pa. Whatever this is will blow over by next week and he’ll have forgotten all about it. Assuming he lives that long!”

Ben looked up to see Adam’s wry half-smile. He slumped back against the desk and shook his head. “I know he’s always been … Joseph! But there is something more going on here than normal. He’s hiding something and that worries me. The boy is impetuous and stubborn and a great many other things, but he is not devious. He owns up to his mistakes and usually takes his punishment.”

“With a little righteous indignation thrown in for good measure.”

Ben actually allowed himself a smile at that comment. “Well I’d be worried if he didn’t argue back, at least a little. I’d think he was sick or something.” Suddenly his face turned serious again. “But Adam, something is different this time. I can’t explain it. Just put it down to a father’s intuition.”

Adam clapped a hand on his father’s shoulder. “Your intuition is usually right, Pa. But Joe will snap out of this mood too. Trust me. Older brother intuition!”

Ben smiled at him as he waved towards the door. “Of course he will. Now you need to get on into town and get those papers.”

As Adam climbed up onto his horse and turned towards Virginia City, he glanced back towards the barn. His father’s intuition wasn’t the only one shouting a warning. He considered offering to ride with Joe, but quickly surmised it would be seen in the wrong light by his furious little brother. Something was very wrong with Joe’s attitude and behavior and he decided when he got home again he’d be having a little personal chat with his youngest brother and get to the bottom of whatever was going on.

---

Joe finally finished dealing with the pile of soiled straw and he stepped back to survey the barn. The physical work had done nothing to shift his mood, but it had given him time to think. He’d felt his eldest brother’s eyes on him that morning as he struggled to hold his temper in check and he’d almost blurted the truth to both his father and Adam. It would have been a disaster and he swallowed down the lump that rose up his throat. Derek and Matthew couldn’t afford for him to let things slip. At least not until he knew exactly where the law stood on his friends’ dilemma. If Walter really did own them, then he could do whatever he pleased with them.

His father’s demand that he come straight home from school and not linger with any of the boys would hopefully only last a day or two. Once his father found something else to focus on, he figured he’d be free to head back over to give Derek a hand. In the meantime, he just hoped the two boys could manage to keep out of Walter’s bad books and he’d still see them each day at school.

Adam led his horse into the barn and headed for his stall, unaware that Joe was sitting up against the wall nearby. He was pleased to see that his brother had at least done as his father had demanded that morning and done a good job of it. It was one less thing that could cause an eruption between the two of them. He reached to place his saddle on the rail behind him when he spotted Joe.

“It looks good in here. You’ve been busy.”

Joe barely nodded at the compliment, too absorbed in his thoughts to really pay it much mind. Derek and Matthew hadn’t shown up for school and he had no option to go looking for them after school without facing his father’s wrath.

Adam continued on with brushing down his sweat-soaked horse and tried to decide how to instigate the conversation he wanted to have without pushing things into an argument. It didn’t feel like he could say much right to Joe lately without the two of them soon butting heads. He sighed as he worked, thinking how much easier it would be to be having the conversation with Hoss. But then again, Hoss wouldn’t be needing this conversation! By the time he’d finished, Joe had barely said two words and his demeanor was beginning to worry Adam.

“Say Joe, wanna come and see if we can’t sweet talk Hop Sing for some of those blueberry muffins he was talking about this morning?”

Joe looked up in surprise. It wasn’t often that Adam instigated anything with just him.

“Uh, sure.”

As Adam held out a hand to pull him upright, Joe gripped tightly to his brother’s hand. Adam bit back the comment he wanted to make and watched intently as Joe made his way back towards the house. It was crystal clear that Joe was troubled by something and he hoped he would find the right questions to ask.

By the time the two of them were settled on the porch chairs with a muffin each and a drink, it was Joe who decided it was time to talk. He’d tried asking his father, but it just seemed that he never got the timing right. Every time he got up the nerve, he seemed to be in trouble for something else.

“Adam … how do people get to be slaves?”

It was such an unexpected question that Adam gagged on the muffin crumbs and began to cough. By the time he stopped, Joe was watching him intently.

“Slaves? Well … that’s not a simple question to answer.” Adam was acutely aware that Joe knew next to nothing of abolitionist politics while it was something very dear to him. The idea that one human being could own another made him sick to his stomach. Joe’s heritage lay in the south and he knew that one day it could become a bone of contention between them. He was still thinking how to answer when Joe changed tack.

“Is it legal? Can people really own slaves?”

“Yes, Joe. It’s legal.”

Joe frowned at the answer before he tried another question. “How do you stop being a slave?”

“Well, one day, hopefully the government will make it illegal. Until then, a slave is a slave until they die. Unless their owner sets them free, but that isn’t very likely because slaves are worth money.”

“Until they die?” Joe’s response was barely a whisper and Adam leaned closer, wondering why it was suddenly so important.

“Of course, there’s a rumour that some slaves have escaped and started new lives in states up north where slavery isn’t legal.”

“Slaves can escape?” Joe’s eyes grew wider as he considered the comment.

“Some have, but not many. If they get caught, they get punished.” He didn’t add that they were usually punished by death as he didn’t figure Joe needed to know that detail just yet.

“What happens if somebody helps a slave that escaped?” Joe held his breath as his mind was racing with newfound possibilities.

“It’s against the law to aid an escaped slave. Anyone who finds one is supposed to turn them in to the authorities.”

Joe stared out into the yard as he considered the implications of Adam’s words. Derek and Matthew could escape and start over somewhere else. Maybe they could even find a family that would love them. He wished it could be his family, but that was clearly impossible. He couldn’t bring the law down on his family and force Sheriff Coffee to arrest his father or brothers.

---

The next couple of days saw things settle back into the normal routine that Joe would usually have chafed against. He kept his head down and tried his hardest not to draw his father’s ire or attention in any way. As he sat at the table and pushed food from one side of the plate to the other, he was unaware that he had actually managed just the opposite. His father was wary of his suddenly compliant and quiet son.