Summary:  Written for the 2018 Missing Man Challenge.  Allow me to post here a very short story.   If it’s ok, I’ll take it back after and I’ll work on it better. With school, I had not enough time to do what I wanted to do.

Rated:  K+   Word Count:  854

Idiots, Plenty Idiots Rascals

Adam Cartwright was tired. Taking a deep breath he sat in the chair near the fireplace and opened a copy of the San Francisco Chronicle in front of him and perused small article on the front page. The paper was a small daily theatrical advertising sheet consisting of four pages. Novelty, sensation and scandal were the hallmarks of the paper .

His brow grew more furrowed with each word he read.

Saturday, April 24, 1865

A fire occurred about 11 o’clock, P.M., in a frame building occupied by a number of Chinese families, on Sacramento Street above Kearny. The building was consumed, but the damage was slight. A Chinaman named Tong Yung was suffocated by the smoke.

Deputies have arrested the young McClendon who damaged the County Sheriff’s Office headquarters building.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, an employee was sitting at her desk when a man outside approached her office window and began yelling obscenities.

The young man then shattered a large glass window with a chair before fleeing down East Onondaga Street. The incident occurred on Wednesday at 7:30 a.m.

The same day five telegraph pole, tall wooden pole with telephone wires attached to it, connecting several different buildings to the telephone system were found destroyed, on the ground.

When he finished, he shut the newspaper and grumbled, “Idiots.”

The reporter was claiming, something had to be done to stop those vandals who kept destroying things and hurting people. Adam did wonder if the reporter had any suggestion on the matter. Businessmen and vandals sure benefited from the growth of San Francisco, Adam was watching it, the town began to transform into a major city, starting with massive expansion in all directions, yes, in all directions, good and bad.  The West was still wild.

Adam’s architectural practice was a large part of his life, he spent several hours in his office, often late at night because he insisted on finishing up the jobs he had in progress before he went. He was doing so well, that he had now an associate, Barnett McDougall. The association had brought him new clients but a large bag of problems. How a famous established forty year old architect had decided to work with a younger architect, a very talented one of course. A few months before Barnett McDougall had been charged by the Financial Services Commission with mismanaging. A very complicated investigation had proven him innocent but the damage had been done. The man’s reputation had been sullied. Adam Cartwright had been the only one to trust him again and to offer him an association. The day Adam hat met him for the first time he had immediately had the feeling that the guy was innocent. He had been He used to say « there is so many ways to reach out and help », one of them was sweeping rumors and gossips away. They had captured an impressive list of commissions for municipal buildings, banks, business blocks, hotels, and homes in the Valley. And school. In this business Adam Cartwright had a hudge success. Reorganising the rented building had been an easy thing, with the help of his associate. Courting the young teacher promised to that school was not so easy.

Later

“Idiots,” this is what I said,” idiots,” reacted Adam with anger in his voice, hearing that his wife Daisy hadn’t been able to send the telegram to Virginia City, because of the destruction.

**********

Adam and Daisy managed to turn the frustration into action. It gave them a solid occasion to take the train, direction Virginia City.

**********

Adam had come as soon as he’d finished to prepare bags and luggages. It took days, but he arrived in Virginia City and was met at the stage by silent people. Some of them kept saying, “I’m sorry. Please accept my deepest condolences for your family’s loss.”

Adam was petrified with shock, why were people telling him, that his father had to be thanked for all what he had done for the city. Words used were the one told to grieving people. His father, dead? No it couldn’t be possible. Ben Cartwright, he thought, it couldn’t be possible. Ben was a man of motion, always moving. He flew off the handle quickly and always had a quick reaction to a silly remark made by his youngest son or any injustice Adam had been made aware of.  He had a ‘look’ for whomever dared to stand up to him. Suddenly somebody had killed Benjamin Cartwright. Ponderosa could have lost his soul?  No, Adam couldn’t accept that, the information was too much for him.  Daisy didn’t know what to say, she had grabbed her husband’s arm and was trying to give him comfort. She couldn’t believe what she was facing.

**********

A few hours later Adam would find his father in the ranch. If only idiots shouldn’t have destroyed the poles. He would have got the telegram sent by Joe, the telegram he never got. He would have known about the pseudo-death of Ben Cartwright. He would have avoided a big amount of grey hair.