Summary:  How do you get a sixteen-year-old son or a younger brother to be careful with their first pistol?  You tell them the story of the oldest son and brother and his first pistol to teach them as well as make them willing to follow the rules. Written on another site as a challenge  to use cowboy lingo in a story; definitions are at the end of the story.
Rating: PG    Word count: 6,749

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The Twelve-Year-Old Gunman

Chapter 1

Work was hard on a ranch. That was especially true for the spring roundup, cattle drives, and moving the herd down to winter pastures and keeping them alive there. Rounding the cattle up and branding them had been done. It was time to move some to market and Little Joe Cartwright had earned the right to take a few turns as a flank rider. For two years, at age fourteen and fifteen, he had been allowed to work as a drover but only on the drag crew rounding up strays and making sure the ones in back didn’t lag behind too much. That had been better than the previous two years when he had been a cook’s helper and all-around errand boy. Now though, Adam had told him that he would be rotating in with the flank riders although he would still take turns riding drag. However now he would be in charge of the drag crew when he was back there. Their father had questioned that.

“Pa, he’s a Cartwright. He shouldn’t be taking orders from someone with less experience on a Ponderosa cattle drive. He knows what he’s doing when he’s back there. When he rides flank, he’ll be taking orders and staying toward the back. You know that’s how it goes.”

Grudgingly, Ben Cartwright had accepted the facts, but he didn’t like them. Little Joe was still small, and it was difficult for his father to imagine him taking care of himself in dangerous situations. Adam’s raised eyebrow said Little Joe was never going to learn how to do that if they never gave him the chance. Everything about him said he was always going to be small. Now though he wanted a pistol, and Ben wasn’t ready to concede that point. He was plenty worried that wearing one would lead his youngest to want to use it. That had not happened with his eldest, but it so easily could have. Not ready to give up, Little Joe started asking questions.

“Pa, when did Hoss start to pack iron?”

“I believe he was sixteen. But Hoss worked on this ranch since he was eleven years old and was much bigger than you at that age and as he got older. He was as big or bigger than the men who worked here.”

“Well, what about Adam then? You always talk about how skinny he was then and how he was so skinny when he went off to school, but then he came back a man.”

Still irritated at how much Adam controlled what happened in his life, Little Joe couldn’t help a sneer then but wondered at the little grin his oldest brother had especially as he looked to their father. It was curious too why Hoss was purposefully looking anywhere except at any one of them. When Adam raised that one eyebrow as he looked to their father, Ben was exasperated and threw up his hands and shook his head as if frustrated again with sons who wouldn’t listen to his instructions.

“Better that one of us tell him, Pa.”

“He doesn’t need to know.”

“We can start small and see how much he wants to know. Hoss doesn’t even know all of the story. Pa, would you let anyone of us keep that kind of secret?”

“All right, but be kind.”

Although confused by what had been said so far, Little Joe knew a good time to ask a question.

“So when did you start wearing a pistol on your hip?”

“When I was twelve years old. I was rather lucky to make it to thirteen.”

Shocked but impressed too, Little Joe’s curiosity was stirred. Not expecting he would get an answer from their father after what had been said earlier, he relied on Adam for information.

“Why would you have a gun at that age?”

Knowing he had to tell the story but looking to their father for permission to continue, Adam had to extract a promise from Little Joe before he would say anything more even when their father nodded his permission to proceed.

“I’ll tell you the story but only under one condition. When you know it, you have to keep that dry.”

“Huh?”

“Joe, he means you can’t tell nobody.”

“Oh, I promise.” Little Joe looked at his father then aware that it seemed this story might upset him. He was too curious to stop though. He had to hear what Adam had to say and gestured for him to begin.

“All right, here goes. It was the first time we took a trip to California to try to bring money home. We took furs, a few cattle, and a few green-broke horses. We had packhorses and plenty of supplies, and the trip went rather smoothly until we got to a little settlement that isn’t even there anymore. It’s a ghost town now. Colina de Frambuesa was a place with a pretty name and an ugly life. They decided to try to take people hostage to get what they owned. It was how they made some of their money. They kidnapped Pa. When Dusty checked, they let him go to tell us that the payment to get him back was the horses, the cattle, and the furs. We couldn’t afford to lose it all.”

“What did you do?”

“Pa was in custody so we knew the law was in on it. Cookie came up with a plan.”

Hoss was skeptical. “C’mon, Adam, be honest. We all know it was your plan. Ain’t nobody around here who can plan like you.”

“I was only twelve then. The only part of the plan that was my idea was wearing my jacket under Pa’s shirt so that I looked bigger than I was. I was tall enough, but like Pa likes to tell you, I was rather thin. I wore two pair of trousers on over long johns too. It helped keep that belt up. I had suspenders on under that shirt as well. It would have been darn embarrassing to have my trousers fall to the street.”

When Adam talked about using his jacket to look more muscular or at least bigger and more manly, he could see Little Joe processing that information and probably thinking of how he could use it. Adam didn’t have any idea what that use would be but could only assume it would mean trouble for his little brother and by extension, one or more of the family. Often that meant him because he was the one usually left in charge of watching over the youngest and supposedly keeping him out of trouble. That was an impossible task so cleaning up after him was the more manageable task.

Under the circumstances, Adam said he wasn’t sure how wise it was to share all the details of the story. Then his father concurred with the wisdom of telling it. There was no backing out once that happened.

“I guess it should be told. I know I’ve told you boys that facing the truth however painful is a sight better than facing the aftermath of covering it up.”

“If that’s what you think, perhaps there are a few others we ought to discuss.”

“Adam, one at a time, please.”

It was an order not a request. Adam heard the tone and his expression showed that he had determined it was not a time to test his father. He sat in his favorite chair and prepared to tell a story.

“All right, I want to know why Pa was in jail.”

“Little Joe, if I’m telling the story, I’ll tell it from the beginning. He wasn’t in jail. He was confined or restrained would be more accurate.”

“Would you get started with the story then?”

“There were a few workers here that weren’t worth keeping on the payroll. Pa and I discussed what to do about that.”

“When you were twelve?”

A glower shut Little Joe up. He didn’t interrupt again as he got caught up in the story.

Picturing in his mind the story that Adam was telling, it became a real event of series of events that had a huge impact on his family and therefore on him.

 

Chapter 2 –the story

“Pa, those two men who were supposed to finish running that trap line out for us. They came in with less than half the furs we expected.”

“I know. Those two give every job a lick and a promise and not much more. I’ve kept them on because it’s so hard to find anyone to work for us, but we have to let them go.”

“How can we do that? They’ll likely try to steal whatever they can on the way out.”

“I have an idea. We should try to sell some of our horses and cattle in California. We can keep a few men here near the house to watch over what we have left for breeding stock. We can take the other two men with us to drive the stock. We can pack all the furs with us too. Cookie can cook and take care of the camp duties. He’s quitting anyway and said he’s going to California. This way, he’ll get paid to go and not have to travel alone. We’ll let the other two go and tell them they can come back next year if they’re in the area. They won’t be. They’ll take the money I pay them and head to town and waste it drinking and bucking the tiger.”

With a grin, Adam added more.
“From what I’ve heard, they’re about as good at that as they are at anything else. Then I suppose they will ride out of here on that crow bait each of them rode in on. It’s why I thought they would try to steal horses from us. But what about Marie and Hoss? Who will take care of them while we’re gone?”

“They’ll stay here with the men we trust. Hop Sing will be here too.”

“Marie won’t like that.”

Slightly rankled that his son still refused to call Marie by anything except her name, Ben paused before replying. Adam knew what had bothered his father, but his own irritation at Marie being there was still strong. It was the first issue that had cropped up between them and it wasn’t yet resolved.

“She won’t mind too much if I tell her what I plan to do with the extra money.”

All Adam did was raise an eyebrow to let his father know he wondered too. Ben let him stew about it for a time.

“I’m going to buy her things for the nursery.”

That got the desired responses.

“What? A nursery? She’s having a baby? You’re having a baby? I didn’t know.”

“You do now, but I would appreciate you not telling your little brother or anyone else. Keep that dry.”

“I won’t tell. Pa, is that why she’s not been feeling well lately?”

“So you noticed that.”

A little chagrined not to have said anything previously, Adam nodded.

“I’ll try to be nicer to her, Pa. I’m sorry for making her life a bit harder than I should have.”

“Thank you. Now, realize she may not take this news very well. Please, be understanding.”

“I will. I promise.”

The two men who were let go weren’t at all happy, but with all the activity, there wasn’t an opportunity to steal horses or cattle. By the time they could plan anything, the opportunity had passed. They did as predicted and lost their money gambling and drank away the rest. Facing half a year with no money, they headed out of town to try to find work in a warmer climate.

On the trail, Ben and Adam found nothing more serious than what they had anticipated. Pack horses carried what they needed and most were destined to be sold in California. Once they got on the western slope, they thought their troubles were over.

“It’s clear sailing from now on, boys.”

“Huh?” Most men in the west were still confused by Ben’s use of sailor terminology.

“He means we won’t have any more trouble. My father was a sailor before he came west, and he still uses a lot of the language of the sea. Clear sailing means no trouble ahead.”

“Hope he’s right. From what I’ve heard, a lot of these Spanish in California don’t like all these Americans moving in, and there are a bunch of stories about plenty of trouble that’s happened. I’m just glad it ain’t my horses, cattle, and furs that are on the line.”

“You’re going to stick with us, aren’t you?”

“Adam, I ride for the brand. I ain’t a lily liver. You ought to know that about me by now.”

“I’m sorry, Dusty. Yeah, I know that. I know you’ll stick with us and stand up to anyone. You’re as loyal as anyone ever could be. I guess I got worried about what you said and wasn’t thinking right.”

Again everything went well until Ben headed into a small settlement to get supplies they needed. When he didn’t return, Dusty rode in to find out why he was delayed. He came back with bad news.

“They want the furs, the cattle, and the horses, and then they’ll let your pa go. Adam. It’s a damn shame after all the work we did.”

“Who said this?”

“The guy in charge of the town. He knows English pretty well. He’s got your pa tied to a tree and said we got until tomorrow noon to bring the furs, the cattle, and the horses to town to trade for your pa.”

“Or what?”

“He said he’d hang him in that tree and then come after us for trespassing on his land.”

“His land? He thinks he owns all this land?”

“He said he has a grant that makes it all his.”

Cookie stepped up the fire then. “How many men did he have?”

“From the looks of it, only two or three. Not sure how good they are with guns. They looked to be kind of ordinary.”

Cookie rubbed his chin thinking about things.

“How often do you suppose people travel through here and give him the opportunity to do something like this?”

“Aw, heck, other than a couple of small wagon groups and probably some fur trappers, hardly nobody. I bet we’re some of the first ones ever tried it in a small group like this.” Then Dusty smiled as he understood what Cookie was thinking. “So he’s trying out a new way to make some money. What we got to do is call his bluff. Bet nobody’s done that yet either”

“Yes, but we all look kind of ordinary too.”

All the men were quiet until Cookie had an idea.

“Except we can make Adam look more like a gunman. He’s the only one young enough to make it look real. By our ages, gunman are dead or retired.”

“Yeah but he’s too young, and the boy don’t even have a pistol.”

“He’s no boy, and you know it. He’s already got some hair showing on his face and lucky for us, he didn’t clean that up during the drive. With that scruff, he looks older.”

“I can talk for myself. Cookie, what is it you want me to do?”

“I know you’ve been borrowing Dusty’s pistol and practicing drawing and shooting when your pa is away. How good are you?”

When Adam only shrugged, Dusty spoke up.

“He’s pretty fast, but that ain’t the best part. He hits what he’s aiming at. He’s a better natural shot than anybody I ever seen.”

Turning to the twelve-year old, Cookie asked the important question.

“Do you think you could shoot a man if it came down to a fight?”

“If it was to save my Pa, I would.”

“Yeah, I think you would. It’s a good thing I’m quitting this job though. When we get your pa back, my hide ain’t gonna be worth two bits.”

“Cookie, I can give him my pistol to strap on, but he’s still twelve. How we gonna make a boy look like a gunman?”

“Hmm, well he says he can speak for himself. Adam, you got any ideas on that?”

“If I wear my jacket under one of Pa’s shirts and wear two pairs of trousers like I do in the winter sometimes, I’ll look bigger. It’ll help me keep the pistol belt on too.”

“Maybe wear suspenders under that shirt to help you keep the trousers up too.”

“I can wear long johns too. But I can’t do much about my voice.”

“Yeah, that’s going to be a problem. All right, I’ll do the talking. Dusty, you stay back with a rifle, and Adam, you do your best to look mean. I know you can. I’ve seen the looks you give your pa and your stepmother when you ain’t happy. Now, when we’re there, if I want you to show off your shooting skills, you just do what I say. All right?”

“I’ll follow your lead.”

“Dusty, can he hit a moving target?”

“If it’s not too far away, I think he could. We could practice some to make sure.”

“All right, we’ll do that, but first, let’s move the stock away from here a long way to make it harder for them, and in the morning, we’ll head in to get your pa, Adam.”

Leaving two men to guard the stock and the packhorses, the three rode into the settlement the next morning. Ben had apparently been left tied to the tree all night. His condition was deplorable. It didn’t take much to get Adam to have the mean look Cookie had asked him to have. He slid from his horse and walked at Cookie’s side as the leader of the small settlement came out expecting them to concede. He was surprised by demands instead.

“We came to get our boss. You try to stop us, and there’s likely to be blood in the dust here today.”

Only a little upset because he had three men backing him up, the man responded with confidence.

“One man with a rifle and one little man with a pistol are hardly enough to accomplish your task. Turn over the furs, the cattle, and the horses, and you can leave here with your lives.”

“One man here with a pistol can take all of you by himself. In America, we have gunmen. He is young one, but he is very good. Would you like to see a demonstration?”

“Sure, if you would like to entertain us, go ahead.”

From his coat pocket, Cookie took out two small bottles.

“Maybe you want to set them on the ground a few feet in front of you so the little one cannot miss?”

He laughed then as did the men behind him. Ben was watching intently from where he was tied because he knew the so-called gunman was Adam and wondered what would happen. He was as shocked as the Spanish were. Instead of setting the bottles anywhere, Cookie tossed them in the air. With a fast draw, Adam hit one in the air and the other as it hit the ground. Then he calmly reloaded his pistol as if what he had done was quite ordinary. The smoke cleared, and the Spanish were not at all confident any more. Cookie took advantage.

“Unless you have many more men than the three rather ordinary men standing behind you, I suggest you let us take our boss and leave. This little one, as you call him, could take all of you before you raise your pistols to fire. We also have a marksman behind us. He hits whatever he is aiming at. I think you know already that I tell you the truth.”

“Get out of here and never come back on my land. I let you go this time, but I will not be forgiving the next time.”

Cookie put a hand on Adam’s shoulder. “Watch them.” Then he went to Ben and freed him. They got his horse from where it was tied and got Ben mounted up. Cookie mounted up and drew his pistol signaling Dusty to keep watch.

“All right, Adam, you can mount up now, but keep a close eye on them.”

When the three got near Dusty, they all turned to face the Spanish men as Dusty mounted up, and then all four rode out together. Once they were a mile out of the settlement, Ben called a halt and asked for water and if they had anything to eat. Cookie had both for him. Then Ben looked at Cookie and Adam.

“This is going to be a discussion at some point, but right now, we need to get away from here. And thank you. All of you.”

The discussion went better than Adam had anticipated. All the men thought that Adam ought to be wearing a pistol now that he had shown he could be responsible in its use and because he worked like a man with his father. Ben accepted that but gave his son a warning that the right could be rescinded if he misused the right or if there was any legal challenge anywhere they traveled. Adam agreed to those conditions. Instead of harsh words, Cookie got a bonus. He was pleased.

“Boys, I had a lot of time to think while I was tied to that tree. I thought I was probably going to die there. It makes a man re-evaluate some things when he’s in a situation like that, and makes him see what is most important.”

The rest of the trip was relatively uneventful. They arrived in a larger settlement and sold the furs, the cattle, and the horses for good prices. Then they were able to do some of the shopping Marie had asked her husband to do. In the stores, Adam was surprised though at the first purchase. His father asked the storekeeper if they had any books in English. They did. He told Adam to pick out six.

“Marie said not to buy anything until you had some new books. She said the baby could make do with many things for a long time, but a young mind has to be nurtured.”

Although Adam said nothing, Ben saw his eyes glistening. On the way home, Adam did not touch the books wanting to wait until he was home to savor them. When they rode into the yard of the ranch, Hoss and Marie were on the porch. Adam swung down first and hugged his little brother. Then he stood and approached the porch where Ben first hugged and then gave Marie a chaste kiss because of the audience. Marie addressed her stepson.

“Did you have a good trip, Adam?”

“Yes, I did, and thank you for the books. Merci, Maman.”

Then Hoss wanted to have Adam’s attention and turned him away so Adam didn’t see the tears in Marie’s eyes, but Ben did. He smiled though knowing they were tears of joy. She didn’t even say anything about the pistol that Adam wore which had been another purchase in California. Ben knew that would come up later because it was what had Hoss so interested already and asking many questions. He smiled listening to Adam talk to his brother.

“No, you can’t hold it. It’s not a toy. It’s a tool. It has its uses, but it is not something one plays with.”

 

Chapter 3

“That sounds just like what you said to me when you taught me to shoot too. And dadburnit, Adam, but that story was even better hearing it this time than the time you told me. I sure wish I coulda been there to see that happen. Now that would have been something special to see.”

“As to those rules, Hoss, it’s how I learned and what I believe to this day.”

“Then you can teach me the same way, right?”

“Little Joe, that’s not up to me, is it?”

The three all looked to their father then. He knew the arguments they were going to make. Little Joe was working like a man on the ranch. There were dangers on the ranch and on the drive that might make having a pistol necessary. Adam could teach him as he had taught Hoss at about the same age. The rules would be the same and Little Joe would know that too. His right to wear the pistol could be rescinded for infractions of those rules. Seeing the slight smile on Adam, he knew his oldest son had guessed what was going to happen so he handed off the responsibility to him.

“You’re so anxious to see another pistol packing gunman in the family, you know the system. Let’s go through it point-by-point. Little Joe, if at any time, you disagree with anything Adam says, then the discussion is over until another day when you’re ready to agree.”

Ben almost smiled then as he saw his youngest about to object to that until he realized what it would mean.

“Yes, Pa. I agree to everything in advance, and I promise to do it all too.”

Now that did get a grin from Adam and a smile from Hoss. Both knew how difficult it was for Little Joe to say that but how much harder it was going to be for him to keep that promise too. But all three knew too it was a necessary step in the process of the youngest Cartwright growing into a man.

“Now first of all, you need to pull in your horns when you’re wearing a gun. Sometimes there are men just itching for a fight, and they see you with a pistol on and think it’s time to test themselves. It could be they’ve had too much to drink or maybe they’re mad because they just found out their woman is somebody’s left-handed wife. The most dangerous of course is a long rider. We don’t get many here, but those are men with nothing to lose. Loudmouths, troublemakers, and anybody airing their lungs are men to be avoided. Walk away if you can. Don’t be all jo-fired to show how good you are. You could kill someone, and believe me, you will never forget the faces of any man you shoot and their faces will haunt you if you kill someone.”

“Do you remember every man you killed?”

Little Joe got a look that said he should never have asked that question. It did give him a lot to think about. Adam said he had until the next morning to come up with questions and they would have their first lesson after he had questions. He had a difficult time coming up with questions but he had agreed to the process so he had to ask.

“Why doesn’t Pa like guns?”

“None of us like guns.”

“Then why do you carry one?”

“Because I told Inger I would protect Hoss, and then I told Marie I would protect both of you. I can’t protect my family out here without guns, so I got good with them, and I carry them. It’s the tool I need to do my job just like I use an iron to brand cattle. It’s not that I enjoy the branding iron. It’s that it is an implement to use for a purpose for which it was intended.”

“The way you talk about it, it’s not much fun having a gun.”

“And there’s your second lesson.”

“I thought this would be better than it is.”

“That’s the third lesson. It’s not better or worse than anything. It’s only necessary.”

“When do I get to practice my quick draw and shooting at bottles in the air?”

“Maybe in six months or so.”

“What?”

“First, we start with loading, cleaning, and how to handle a pistol properly.”

“I know all that.”

“Then show me.”

Little Joe took out his pistol with all six chambers loaded. He had brought it out where Adam was going to show him how to shoot, and he wanted to be ready.

“You failed the first test.”

“What?”
Pulling out his pistol, Adam put it next to Little Joe’s and asked him to compare the two.

“Adam, you forgot to load one chamber.”

“No, I didn’t want to accidentally shoot myself. You keep an empty chamber under your hammer at all times unless you’re in a fight and need all shots, and your gun is in your hand already.”

“Oh.”

“When did you last clean your pistol?”

“I don’t know.”

“You failed the second test. You should check before loading and clean it then if needed. A lick and a promise are never good enough when it comes to your pistol or a rifle either. Now, what should we do next?”

“I guess I need to shoot this six times and then I can clean it and reload it.”

Adam said nothing and Little Joe knew he should have given the other answer that he had not wanted to give.

“I should unload the pistol and clean it. But then it will be time for lunch, and Pa said we only had this time for our first practice.”

“Yes, and patience is something you have to learn to be a good shooter. Now, let’s head back to the house.”

Little Joe was about to put his pistol back into his holster when he realized his error. He kept it in his hand and saw the slight smile that Adam got. He carried it back, unloaded it there on the porch, and got his cleaning kit from the house. Adam went inside as Little Joe got to work. Inside, Ben smiled.

“The same experience you had with Hoss?”

“Almost exactly. Hoss is going to get a good laugh out of this one. The only difference is Little Joe wanted to practice a quick draw.”

“You’re not going to teach him, are you?”

“Yes, I will. Pa, he’s going to learn it from someone. Better me than someone else, don’t you think?”

“I guess so. It’s just so hard to face my youngest doing this.”

Outside, Joe had overheard the conversation. He had suspected as much but liked the part about the quick draw. At least he knew Adam would teach him that. He was going to ask Hoss too about how to avoid mistakes so the lessons could go faster. Adam would probably guess that too, but it wouldn’t matter as long as he learned. Little Joe thought he had pretty good brothers even if they were a bit overprotective, but they did get their father to let him have a pistol. Joe moved away from the window then to finish cleaning the pistol. He didn’t want to do anything that would get his father to rescind his right to carry it because he didn’t want to do something that would cause him to lose his pistol. That would be too embarrassing now that he knew that Adam had one when he was twelve. He saw Hoss coming toward the house and called him over.

“Hoss, do you believe that story that Adam told about him having a pistol when he was twelve?”

“Sure I do. He told it right in front of Pa just like he did last time. Now Adam might try joshing with us and tell us a tall tale, but Pa wouldn’t let him get away with having us believe it, now would he?”

“No, I suppose he wouldn’t.” Little Joe had to grin. “Especially when he spent most of the best part of the story tied to a tree.”

The two brothers had to laugh about that, and then Hoss began helping Little Joe clean the pistol knowing how Adam would carefully inspect it when Little Joe said he was done.

“Hey, did you ever ask Dusty about it?”

“Yeah, and he said Pa didn’t want him to talk about it. Told him he better keep that dry and I figure Dusty knows what that means.”

“Well, that makes it sound even more like it really happened. Boy, I sure would have liked to pack iron when I was only twelve.”

“I don’t know, Little Joe. Maybe some of us wouldn’t be alive if you had a pistol when you was twelve.”

Hoss laughed his big laugh as Little Joe scowled at him.

Inside the house, Adam took a careful look out the window and announced that they were safe from eavesdropping with his two younger brothers engaged in conversation well away from the window.

“So he believed that whole story about you getting a pistol at twelve?”

“He’s never questioned any part of it. Hoss still believing it helped.”

“Well it worked with Hoss and it seems it will work with Little Joe. Hoss didn’t want to lose a right at sixteen that you supposedly had at twelve, and now neither does Little Joe. You certainly are a good storyteller. In fact, you did a much better job with it this time. Some of the details you added made it seem even more real than when you first told Hoss that story. When you get going on telling all about that time, I almost believe that happened to me.”

“Don’t you remember, Pa? It must be like a nightmare to you.”

Adam grinned as his father scowled at him.

“What if Little Joe asks Dusty about it?”

“He’s been warned. He’ll keep that dry and just say what he said to Hoss. ‘It’s too awful a thing to have to talk about.’ It’s his place to act as if it’s something we agreed to keep quiet years ago, and he keeps his promises.”

“Give him another bonus. That does help the man keep our secrets.”

“It certainly does.”

“Of course, the real secret is what I did when I found out that Dusty was teaching you to shoot when you were twelve.”

“You would never have found out if I hadn’t shot the toe off my boot.”

“Yes, he shouldn’t have tried to teach you a fast draw. Even his pistol was too heavy for you at that age to try that.”

“It would have stayed our secret otherwise. Otherwise, I was lucky. I could have shot off my toe.”

“Or worse. Men have done worse trying to draw and fire.”

“Not me, at least with a pistol.”

“You are very good at secrets without any incentive. Have any you want to share with your father now?”

“No, not at this time.”

After directing a cheeky grin at his father, Adam went out to check on Little Joe’s progress as Ben could once more only shake his head about his eldest wondering what secrets he did have locked away in that memory of his. The look he had whenever Ben asked him a question like that said there were at least a few his father would like to know, or maybe it would be better he didn’t know.

 

Epilogue:

The story was destined to be found out. Years later, Dusty had too much to drink when he was with Hoss and Joe and spilled the beans under their persistent badgering. The next morning, the two brothers were ready to grill their father too, but he only smiled when they revealed they knew the truth. He looked down the table at the empty spot that used to be occupied every morning by his eldest son. His smiled took on a wistful quality as he realized it might only be these stories that he would have left for years or perhaps forever.

“It wasn’t all a tale concocted by your brother. Most of the story was true except for that little foray in which I was supposedly taken hostage. That never happened.”

“So Adam never had a pistol when he was twelve!”

Joe was almost angry to know he had been fooled so completely and had followed rules based on that fabrication. His father held his hands though to stop his youngest from saying anything more.

“Adam did use a pistol when he was twelve but not in the way he presented it. This is the true story. Dusty was showing him how to shoot when I wasn’t around. You do know how persistent and persuasive your brother could be.”

Both Hoss and Joe had to agree to that although their looks were less than positive by quite a wide margin. Ben expected that and continued.

“I found out about it when he shot the toe off his boot.”

“What?”

It was a chorus from the two brothers who were suddenly far more interested in the story.

“What happened?”

“Dusty tried to teach him how to do a fast draw. He wasn’t strong enough and pulled the trigger before he should have and shot the toe of his boot. Lucky for him it wasn’t any worse. Well, he had to tell me what happened then. Your brother isn’t very good at lying except by omission. I was furious with him and with Dusty. I forbid him to have anything more to do with a pistol until he was at least sixteen.”

“So he didn’t get to use a pistol until the same age as us?”

“Well, no, because I did send him out to work more than I ever sent the two of you. The men did speak up for him. So, I relented and let him take the pistol along with two conditions. No fast draw, practice or otherwise. And he couldn’t wear it unless I was there or Dusty was there to supervise.”

“So, he was always being watched and never on his own until he was sixteen?”

“Well, no, because he worked on his own quite often so for his own safety, there were times I let him wear it when he wasn’t supervised. Now those were more dangerous times, and you have to realize he needed it to protect himself.”

“So why didn’t you tell us the true story, Pa?”

“Joe, I think you know the answer.”

“What?”

“Joe, because we would have wanted to do like Adam did, and I’m guessing that had already scared Pa enough, and he didn’t want to go through that again.”

“Oh. Uh, Pa, you said the rest of the story was true. How about that part about Adam calling my mother, Maman?”

“He did. He left out the part about her bursting into tears and burying her face in my chest as she sobbed. He looked at me and said he was sorry. I told him it was all right. Ladies who are with child are sometimes very emotional. I told him he did a good thing. Of course then Hoss had some questions because I had let slip about Marie’s condition so Adam had another job to do.”

“Did he tell you everything, Hoss.”

“He sure did, Joe. I couldn’t sleep for a week.”

And they began their day with laughter instead of sadness.

The End

 

Notes:

1. Shells for pistols could be loaded with bird shot which made hitting a glass bottle in the air much easier. You can assume that Dusty did that for Adam in this story if it had been necessary. The Colt Paterson revolver was available then. It was patented in 1836 and sold mostly in Texas and the west in 1839 and later. Known as the “Texas Colt”, it was the precursor to the later, better known Colt Dragoon.

Yes, pistols were heavy and it was unlikely a twelve-year-old could fast draw one and fire accurately.

 

2. Cowboy lingo used in the story:

pack iron- to carry a revolver or “shooting iron”

keep that dry- keep it secret

a lick and a promise- to do a haphazard job or do half the work required

bucking the tiger- to play faro and/or poker

crow bait- the lowest quality horse; an insult

ride for the brand- cowboy loyal to the ranch and rancher who pays him and keeps him employed

a lily liver- a coward

pull in your horns- quit looking for trouble or a fight; back off from a confrontation

left-handed wife- mistress

long rider- an outlaw especially one who has been on the run for a time to escape the law

airing their lungs- cussing

jo-fired- great, immensely, very; hell-fired; all-fired

 

Tags:  Adam Cartwright, Ben Cartwright, Hoss Cartwright, Joe / Little Joe Cartwright