Summary:  Adam and Joe go to War, but it’s not your usual brother-against-brother Civil War story.  There’s not much about war, but there is spying, romance with a little help from a brother, a tale of revenge, and suffering among other things.
Rating: T  Word count: 15,777

Choosing series:
Choosing Blue (by BettyHT)
Choosing Sides (by BettyHT)

 

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Choosing Blue

Chapter 1 The War

In the winter of 1865, Joe Cartwright had his first encounter with the enemy. His company was on the winning side and managed to take three prisoners as well. The prisoners were bound together with their wrists tied behind their backs. It was nearly dark which made the soldiers nervous, but they managed to get the prisoners back to camp without mishap. There they found out that they had managed to get an officer and his aide as well as his clerk. Joe’s commanding officer was quite pleased. He had Joe and the other soldiers stay especially when he heard Joe address the clerk as his hat was pulled from his head and he was ordered to look at Joe’s sergeant.

“Adam, I never expected to see you.”

“I could say the same, Joe, especially in that uniform.”

“Nothing is more of a shock to see you in that uniform.”

“We all do what we have to do.”

Before anything more could be said, the men were ordered to be silent as the Confederate prisoners were to be interrogated individually. The officer was taken in first. Then his aide was taken in. Both exited in much poorer condition than they entered the tent where the commanding officer asked questions. Adam was taller and stronger than either of those men had been. When Adam was taken in, Joe was summoned.

“We’ll need more help with questioning this one. You won’t need your rifle. Your fists are all we need and maybe your boots.”

Once inside the tent, Joe was shocked to see Adam leaning over the table and talking with the commanding officer. Adam pointed to the map giving coordinates and information. The two talked quietly as the other men in the tent took turns hitting a weighted bag so it would sound as if someone was being beaten. When Adam finished with what he was doing, he turned to Joe.

“Glad to see we’re on the same side.”

“You’re a spy?”

Adam shrugged as the commander answered.

“He’s the best we have in this theatre of the war.”

“I don’t know how much longer I can do this though. If they figure out how many times I’ve been captured and managed to escape, they’re going to get suspicious.”

“One more time then, Captain. We need to know the destination of those troops headed east. If you can find that out, you can retire back here.”

“Time to get to the hard part then, I guess.”

“You’re an officer?”

“I was in command of a unit until I was legitimately captured and escaped. It seems I have a good eye for troop movements and other things as well as a good memory. They decided I could be more help doing it a few more times.”

A few minutes later, with nose bleeding and an eye swelling, as well as noticeable bruises, developing, Adam wrapped arms around his ribs as if they were hurting and was escorted to a tent to be confined with the other two who had been questioned. There, Adam showed the other two a knife.

“I got it when they hit me and I fell over the damn officer’s mess table. They never saw me take it.”

“We can stab the guard and get a rifle then.”

“There are three guards at the front of this tent. It’s suicide to go out there.”

“What’s the point of having a knife then?” The clerk sat down heavily discouraged when a moment before he had been ready to attack a guard and escape.

The officer though regarded Adam with some curiosity noting how the man looked through the slit in the front of the tent to see what was happening outside.

“What do you suggest? I’m assuming you have something in mind to do with that knife or you wouldn’t have risked taking it. Are you thinking like I am that we sneak out of here and use that knife to kill a picket and take a rifle?”

“Only partly, sir. I’ll cut a slit in the back of this tent. We’ll slide out and make our way past their sentries heading north. They won’t suspect that. We can circle around and when we get far enough, we can head to our lines. We can be there by morning.”

His captain was offended to be opposed in his plan. “Why not do it my way instead of sneaking around like cowards?”

“Captain Wallace, sir, on the way back, I saw that their pickets are all set in pairs and in line of sight of each other. Our odds of getting away are not good. We would likely just be killed before we could even do any damage.”

“All right, I guess we can do it your way. It sure is helpful to have some of you westerners in the company. Who was that one you called Joe?”

“Someone from the same town. I never thought he would join the other side.”

“He seemed surprised to see you on our side.”

“Probably because of the side my father was on. Like a lot of families, we didn’t agree. In fact, Joe’s mother was from New Orleans so I was equally surprised to see him in that blue uniform.”

“That makes sense, I guess. When do we go?”

“Sir, we should probably act like we’re cooperative so they relax a bit. How about some sleep first or at least some rest?”

“One should stay awake. It’s your plan so you stay alert and wake us when it’s time.”

For the first time, Adam was a bit nervous at the tone in his commanding officer’s voice and the several times he had been equivocal in his responses. He realized he may have been too forceful in his ideas. He hoped that was all that it was. He apologized.

“I’m sorry, sir, for being so forward with my ideas. I was the oldest in my family, and I do have a tendency to get bossy when there is trouble. I will make a greater effort to curb my bad manners.”

Phrasing his behavior as inconsiderate and from the eldest sibling in the family had the desired effect. At least it seemed so. Captain Wallace smiled and accepted his apology gracefully.

“That’s all right. I understand, as long as it doesn’t happen again.”

“No, sir, it won’t.”

In the camp, Joe couldn’t sleep. He waited for shots fired fearing Adam and the other two might be discovered as they tried to escape. He went to the latrine twice mostly because he was nervous not because he had issues like the other men he saw there. On his second trip there, he saw something he thought was odd. One of the men who had been in the tent when Adam was being supposedly questioned, was headed out of camp. Leaving camp at night was odd enough, but he seemed to be headed south which was exceptionally odd. Going back to his unit, Joe thought about it briefly and then woke his sergeant and told him without telling him too much. Because he couldn’t tell him about Adam, his sergeant wasn’t too worried except he could see Joe was.

“I haven’t known you long, boy, but I think you got a good head on them shoulders. I know you was in the commander’s tent with the man you say left the camp. If you think there’s a reason to be suspicious, maybe we ought to go over there and tell them. They’ll know whether I ought to put you on report or maybe listen to you and do something about it.”

Worried about how it could turn out in either case, Joe knew it was what he needed to do so he agreed. They headed to the commanding officer’s tent and got a frosty reception until Joe blurted out what he had seen. The aide immediately told Joe to be quiet and entered the officer’s tent. Soon Joe was escorted inside with his sergeant.

“All right, you both know enough to be sworn to secrecy. Joe, your brother is escaping tonight. If Andrews is sneaking out of camp, he might be a spy for the other side. We’ve been worried that something like that could happen, but now that he’s gone, we can’t question him. We have nothing except this to go on. There’s been nothing else that’s suspicious. He’s only been here a week, but he was sent by the War Department.”

“Are you sure of that, sir?”

A little affronted by Joe’s question, the officer calmed himself holding his temper in check as he told his aide to go check Andrews’ paperwork. The aide brought it in after only about fifteen minutes.

“It looks good, sir.”

However, Joe sniffed the air as the paper was handed back and forth between the two men, and he asked to see it. The officers shrugged thinking it could do no harm to let the young man see it. Instead of looking at it, he sniffed it first. Then he looked at the back of the paper nodding as he did so before examining the front of the paper. What he said was a shock.

“My guess is the real clerk is dead somewhere. Smell the paper, sir. Bleach has been used. Keeping it in that leather envelope kept some of the smell. Then look at the back of the paper, if you would, sir. The bleach washed some of the ink to the back of the paper and there’s a stain behind where the name is. If you look at it carefully, the writing and the inks do not match perfectly. They tried, but not hard enough.”

The aide and the officer took the paper to a table and looked it over carefully with a lit candle as their light. After a few moments of intense study, the aide turned to his commander.

“He’s right, sir. It looks like a forgery.”

“Damn, I had a damn spy right here in my tent. Son, you should be a detective.”

“My brother Adam would disagree with that, sir, but we can’t let him go back now. They’ll know he’s a spy. What do they do to spies anyway?”

“If they’re lucky, hanging or a firing squad.”

“That doesn’t sound lucky.”

“The other possibilities are far worse. It’s probably too late to stop him. By my estimation, he’s likely gone already and taking those other two back to their unit.”

“My guess is that he’ll head north first. Maybe I can catch up with him and warn him. At least Andrews was headed south and not chasing right after them.”

“Andrews would have to leave that way if he was leaving. Anyone leaving camp and going north would be suspected of skedaddling. That could get a man shot at worst and arrested at the least.”

“Can I go after my brother, sir?”

“My guess is that you’re likely to go whether I say yes or no if you’re like your brother at all. Yes, of course, you can go, but do you think you can find him in the dark?”

“If I don’t, I will never forgive myself. He and my other brother taught me to track so this will be the test of how well I learned from them. Oh, and please don’t let anyone shoot me when I leave. I’ll be heading north most likely.”

As Joe packed up a few necessities to take with him, the aide arrived with one more item packed in a canvas bag. It was a captain’s coat.

“It will help you get your brother safely back here.”

“Thank you.”

Then Joe headed to the tent where the three had been confined, and as expected, he found the slit in the canvas at the back and the telltale signs of the men sliding on the ground for at least twenty yards until they crawled further into the brush before rising to begin a careful exit away from the camp. About three hundred yards from the camp, a fourth man joined the three. Joe’s stomach churned because he knew that man had to be Andrews. From that point on, there were signs that Adam was leaving a trail. He must have known that Andrews was a spy and was going to reveal him as a spy as soon as they were further from the camp. His life was in danger, and because he knew it, he was leaving signs so that he could be found if anyone at all was following Andrews.

Nervous energy and raw gut-burning fear drove Joe to push harder, but it wasn’t fast enough. After only a half-hour of following the trail, he heard a shot, and he had little doubt as to what had happened. Yelling as loud as he could, he rushed forward knowing he was close and took a chance that there was still hope. Hearing some shouts and yells by the other men and then the noise of their retreat, he continued his headlong rush to where he had heard the shot doing his best to try to sound like more than one man. It probably didn’t matter too much as the three Rebels had panicked and run. They weren’t likely to come back in the dark to face the unseen enemy in Union territory.

“Adam? Adam? Where are you?”

Although Joe knew he had to be close to his brother, he didn’t know where he was. Standing still, he waited to hear if there was any sound or sign of where Adam could be. Then he heard it. It was a slight moan, but it gave him a direction to go and some hope. It meant his brother was alive at least. Picking up sticks along the way, he planned to start a fire as soon as he found him. He was going to need it to see how badly Adam was wounded and to keep him warm. Refusing to consider anything worse, he kept walking in the direction of what he had heard until he saw the light color of Adam’s Confederate coat. He knelt beside him and called his name.

“Joe?”

“Yes, Adam, it’s me. Thank God, I found you. Where are you hurt?”

“I knew he was going to shoot. I tried to get away, but he shot me in the back. It came out the front. Joe, it’s bad, but I don’t know how bad. I can’t move much. It hurts a lot if I try to move.”

“I’ll get you to a hospital. We’ll see how bad it is.”

“No, the only way anyone leaves a hospital here is with a death notice to the family.”

“Adam, there’s nothing else I can do.”

“Then tell Pa and Hoss I love them. I love you too, Joe. I do.”

“I love you, Adam, and you can tell Pa and Hoss yourself when you see them.”

But Adam didn’t answer. He had used up what energy he had left and lapsed into unconsciousness. Joe wouldn’t be able to talk to him for several days. It took some time to get the Confederate coat off of Adam and slip the Union captain’s coat under him. Joe used the Confederate coat for strips of cloth to tie bandages in place. After he did that, he pulled Adam’s arms into the Union uniform and buttoned it up as well as he could. There wasn’t much bleeding, but he didn’t know if that was good or bad. He kept the fire burning for light and what little warmth it provided. It took hours to get everything done. Wrapping himself around his brother then, he tried to keep him warm until dawn lightened the sky. His plan was to try to find a road or easier way back to camp, but sounds of gunfire and roars of artillery salvos in that direction let him know that plan wouldn’t work. He couldn’t drag Adam into a battle, so he tried to think of what he could do to get help. As it was, help came to him.

“What are you doing there, soldier? You skedaddling away from battle?”

“No, sir, I was sent to find this officer and help him. He was shot in the back by a Confederate spy. He needs medical care, and I can’t take him back to camp with all the shooting so I don’t know what to do.”

“Is that Captain Cartwright you’ve got there?”

“Yes, sir, it is.”

“Good man. It was only a matter of time until they found him out. We have no medical personnel with us, but if you can move him directly north a few miles, they should be setting up some field hospitals or at least bringing in some hospital wagons.”

“I don’t have a way of moving him that far.”

“We can give you a blanket, but we’re moving forward to the lines so we’re traveling light.”

“Thank you. I’ll take anything that would help.”

Although Joe had hoped the unit would turn over one of their horses, they were heading to battle so they probably weren’t going to give up anything that might help them there. Instead, he got a blanket and managed to get Adam secured in that and started to pull him as soon as the troops had all trudged past him. Two hours later, he found the hospital wagons. There were no wounded there yet of course so the doctors spent some time with Adam assuring Joe that his wound was not fatal in itself. However, they did caution him that blood loss, shock, and infection could still cost Adam his life.

“What can be done about all of that?”

“In a day or two, these hospital wagons will head to a hospital. There, bandages will be changed, and he will get round-the-clock care. Until then, we don’t have enough people to do much at all once the battle casualties start coming in.”

“But he needs care now. He needs someone to give him water and maybe some broth and so on. He’s going to need those bandages changed.”

“Listen, you’re in an infantry unit, but if you’re willing to work here, we can get your assignment changed. You can take care of your man here as well as help with all the others who come in. We can definitely use the help. You seem to know the kinds of things that need to be done, and we never have enough men to do the necessary work. It’s a thankless job out here, but the reward is that more of these men will live if we have more help.”

“That’s the only way I can help him?”

“Otherwise we have to send you back to your unit.”

There was no hesitation for Joe.

“All right, I’ll stay here and help.”

“Now I have a question for you. Why is a Union captain wearing Rebel trousers?”

“I don’t know if I’m supposed to tell you.”

“You better tell me or he may be going to a prisoner of war camp.”

“No, he shouldn’t. He’s Captain Adam Cartwright, and he’s been, ah, he’s been on the other side getting information.”

“He’s one of our spies?”

Joe didn’t know if he should answer so he shrugged. The doctor began to guess some of what had happened.

“They found out who he was.”

“Yeah, and shot him in the back. When we found out they were onto him, I was sent to find him and let him know, but they had already shot him.”

“Why you?”

“He’s my brother.”

“Ah, that answers a question I hadn’t asked yet. I did wonder at the strong loyalty. Very well, it all makes sense. We’ll get him squared away and have one of the men get you briefed on your duties before any of the wounded show up here. We have Negroes who go get the wounded and haul them back here. During the battle, we get mostly those who are conscious and can seek help. Usually, it’s after the shooting stops that the worst ones get brought in. I have to warn you not to eat anything when you hear the guns go silent.”

“Can I get some breakfast now?”

“Yes, it’s cold but there’s plenty to eat. You have seen the elephant, haven’t you?”

“Yes, sir, I have. I haven’t been here long, but I’ve been in battle.”

“Good, then you know how much damage those minie balls can do. That and artillery rounds do the worst. We’ll have a stack of arms and legs outside our surgical tents by tomorrow. Don’t worry. We cover it up, and they’re buried with those who have died. But while they’re there, it’s hard on the eyes and the heart and the mind not to mention the stomach no matter how many times you see it happening.”

During the rest of the morning, Joe heard more stories about the horrors of a hospital encampment. By the end of the first day, he had seen things that made the stories seem mild by comparison, and he knew there were some images that would forever be imprinted on his mind. There would probably be nightmares too, but it was all worth it because Adam was resting in a hospital wagon. Several times during the day, Joe had been able to take water to him, change his bandages as needed, and make sure he was doing all right as much as possible. It was warm enough where they were when the sun was up, and Adam may have had a fever, but it was impossible to tell under the circumstances. At least Joe was able to make sure he had enough to drink, and that he had a blanket over him at night.

When the second day dawned, the stretcher-bearers began to bring in the men who had been laying on the battlefield since the day before. The wounds were horrendous in some cases, and the death rate was almost ninety percent, but they did save some of them. When there were none left to save, the wagon train of hospital wagons headed north to take the wounded to a proper hospital or what passed for one. In this case, it was a warehouse converted to a hospital. Joe knew why Adam had told him men only left the hospital when they died. He was assigned work in the hospital and was told he would stay there until the field hospital unit was called forward again because of a battle.

What alarmed Joe was that Adam appeared to be growing weaker, thinner, and less able to communicate as he stayed in the hospital. The doctors assured Joe that there was no infection, but apparently, blood loss and shock had done damage as well as the other internal damage Adam must have suffered. When Adam began to be reluctant to eat, Joe became frustrated.

“You have to eat. You’ll never get strong enough to leave here if you don’t eat.”

“Joe, I’m getting weaker every day. Like most, I think I know how I’ll leave here.”

“Adam, you’re not going to die here.”

“I will unless you get me out.”

“How can I do that?”

“Tell them I died, wrap me in a shroud, and have them carry me out. Take me home.”

“We would-be deserters.”

“Not if I order you to drive me there so I can recuperate. I can have an aide as an officer. I can appoint you as soon as I’m out of here.”

“You sure about that?”

“Sure enough.”

“What happens when you get better?”

“I would have to come back if the War was still going, but it won’t be. The other side is down to melting railroad rails to make cannonballs, and they have been cut off from the food supplies they were getting from west of the Mississippi. They have only months to go at best.”

“They’re losing?”

“They lost when they lost control of the Mississippi at Vicksburg and then lost at Gettysburg. The only thing is they have to do is accept that they lost. Their government is on the run and their economy has collapsed. There is no food supply from farming. The whole system is a mess.”

“All the men who died since then died for nothing?”

“All the men on that side who died since it started died for nothing.”

Although Joe wanted to argue that, he couldn’t. It was a terrible way to think about the War, but it was probably true. Adam had been blunt but honest. It was the way he usually was. There was no reason to doubt his assessment of the War nor of his own future. Joe followed through on the plan.

 

Chapter 2 Beginning the Journey Home

There were a number of problems after Adam was out of the hospital. One was that he was dead according to records so that had to be resolved before anything could be done about Joe’s assignment. There was quite a bit of paperwork that Joe had to take back and forth between Adam and Army headquarters there in town before they accepted what he told them. Then Adam had to get the paperwork approved to be furloughed until he recovered. Joe was assigned as his aide as requested. The worst problem they had was the matter of money because neither of them had been paid for months. While in Army camps, it was not a major problem because their basic needs were always provided, but away from the camps, they needed to pay for things. Adam had arranged for money to be in bank accounts for him to access as needed, but he couldn’t physically go to a bank so he had to sign papers allowing Joe to have access to his accounts. With all the rampant fraud, the bank officials were reluctant to accept those papers. It was delaying their departure even as they made plans.

“Getting to St. Joseph won’t be too difficult, but after that, we’ll have to join a wagon train. In your condition, you can’t ride.”

“Maybe by that time, I could.”

“You’re lying to yourself if you think that. You can barely walk a few steps. When you try, you can’t even do that without my help.”

That was greeted with a scowl because Adam didn’t like being reminded of how weak he was. He couldn’t deny it though. Sleeping about fifteen hours a day and napping during some of the other hours were the most obvious indications of his incapacitation. There wasn’t much Adam could do. The only good thing was that Joe could see that Adam was no longer losing weight and even seemed to be gaining some back. The only reason he had gone along with Adam’s desperate plea to have him declared dead and then to haul him out of the hospital as if he was a corpse was that if he didn’t, he was afraid that too soon that might have literally been true. Adam was getting grouchy too which was a sure sign that he was getting better, but it didn’t help their situation any. He couldn’t even do much for himself except feed himself and do basic grooming. If they were going to travel, they probably needed someone else to go with them.

“The doctor said you’ll take as much as six months to recover from that wound and the blood loss. You agreed that he seemed competent. That means I’ll have to drive the wagon, take care of the horses, maintain the wagon, get firewood, cook the meals, do cleanup, make sure we have water, and anything else that needs to be done. Someone has to take care of you. We need to have someone else travel with us to share the work with me.”

Adam didn’t like that idea. However, someone showed up at their door who put a completely different spin on the argument the two brothers had been having. Joe answered the door.

“Yes, ma’am, can I help you?”

“You can if my husband is here.”

“It’s only my brother and me here, ma’am. Nobody’s husband is here. Sorry.”

“Are you a Cartwright too?”

Startled, Joe didn’t have an answer right away.

“Maybe you are, but you don’t talk like the other one. Now, where is Adam anyway? I know he’s here.”

The woman brushed by Joe even as Adam answered from the bed.

“I am not your husband.”

“I had to tell your landlady you were so she would let me come up here. Besides, you will be when we get married.”

“We’re not getting married either.”

“You asked me to marry you.”

“You said no.”

“Maybe I’ve changed my mind.”

“Maybe I have. Besides, you can’t change your mind on something like that.”

“Oh, really. Where is that rule? I only said no because you refused to listen to my conditions.”

“You can’t tell me how to live my life.”

“At least I was concerned about you living which you clearly were not. Your present condition is proof enough of that. Anyway, you can’t tell me how to live my life either. We’re not married yet.”

Unable to resist any longer, Joe interrupted.

“Adam, are you going to introduce me to our guest? It seems rude to ignore that.”

That earned Joe glares from Adam and their guest, but it did get the introduction Joe wanted and an entry into the discussion.

“Joe, this is Gail Chapman. Gail Chapman, this is my youngest brother, Joe. There, you’re introduced.”

“Ma’am, what do you mean about him not wanting to live?”

“Oh, I didn’t say he didn’t want to live. I said he wasn’t being careful enough. I didn’t want to be married only to become a widow. Do you know what he was doing?”

“I do. Well, I found out when I ran into him here. I didn’t know until then.”

“I’m glad you got him out of that warehouse hospital if it can even be called a hospital. That kind of place isn’t good for the continued health of patients. Oh, there are some good ones, but not the ones like they set up here. It was a warehouse, for God’s sake. Did I mention that? How could that be good for patients? How did you get him out by the way?”

“Ah, it was Adam’s idea. I told them he was dead, wrapped him in a shroud, and had him hauled out. I had a wagon ready and said I was taking the body away. Later I said I found he was still breathing and took him to a doctor. That part was actually true.”

“Oh, my. I hope your letter home gets there before the official notice.”

“Official notice?”

“Yes, the card with his death and the cause of it and the date. That would have been sent home very soon after it was reported. They’re very good at that part.”

Adam and Joe looked at each other with equally shocked expressions. Neither had known about that. They told her that.

“Oh, Lord, Adam, the rest of your family is going to think you were killed. There’s likely no way to get word to them before that Army dispatch gets to them. Mail travels rather fast right now. Of course, you could send a telegram and hope it get there first.”

That brought another unhappy look from the brothers.

“We haven’t been able to get to Adam’s bank accounts. He can’t walk, and they don’t want to accept any documents I bring in.”

“I should be able to help with that. Adam looks exhausted. He can sleep, and we can go to the bank. They won’t deny the fiancé of a wounded Army officer access to his accounts so she can take care of him.”

“You are not my fiancé.”

“All right, betrothed. Is that better?”

“No. That’s a lie.”

“We can talk about it when we get back with some of your money. You might find me useful to have around.”

Grinning, Joe held the door open for Gail, and the two left as Adam, steaming with his anger, lay powerless to stop them. They both heard him groan in frustration as they pulled the door closed.

“This is good for him. He’s learning what it’s like to have somebody else in charge.”

“Gail, you must know my brother well enough by now to know we’re both likely to pay for this. I hate to think of what revenge he might be planning.”

“Adam? He would never do anything like that.”

“Ma’am, I think you met a different man than the one I know.”

“I think perhaps you don’t know him as a man but only as your older brother. Did you hear him tell us not to go or say it was a bad plan? As soon as I saw him, I knew I needed to stir up the fight in him. What’s happened to him has him close to being defeated. You’re right. I heard you talking as I was about to knock on the door. The two of you need someone with you when you take him home, and I think that someone is me.”

“He said he won’t marry you.”

“That may be true, but I am still his friend, and I still love him. I said no to his proposal because I did the only thing I could think to do to try to stop him from his, ah, activities. As you know, it didn’t work. But that is one worried man in there now.” After a pause, Gail explained more. “I only found out that he was wounded after you got him out of the hospital. There’s this story that’s making the rounds of the brother who took his brother out to bury him only to find he was still alive. When I heard that name, I had to find him.”

“I didn’t know that people were spreading the story. Adam won’t like that.”

“It won’t last. There’ll be another story soon that will capture everyone’s attention. Now, tell me how he got shot and how you ended up taking care of him.”

She wanted details so even though Joe tried to tell a short version, by the time she was done asking questions, he felt there was nothing he had not told her. She knew everything he knew. He had a feeling she might even know more.

“You know how he blames himself for things. So, getting found out means he’s probably thinking that it’s his fault which makes him think getting shot is his fault by the way he reasons things out. Somehow the enemy knew our side was getting information and sent a spy to find out how they had been doing it. Adam most likely feels responsible for men who died or were wounded in that battle after the Rebels found out he was the spy.”

Staring at Gail, Joe was astounded. He didn’t disagree, but he had not thought it all the way through as she had. With her analysis, he had a better understanding of his brother’s melancholy state and his attitude that he didn’t need nor apparently deserve help. When he nodded in agreement, Gail sighed. She had held out some hope that she was wrong, but Joe’s apparent acceptance of her reasoning had come quickly.

“When we get some money, you should start making arrangements for travel. I can stay with Adam when you go out to do business. Now let’s go in this bank and raise some hell.”

In the bank, raising hell, legal papers, and logic were making progress in their quest to get money from Adam’s accounts, but it was her tears that made it all happen fast. Joe could swear the tears and the words seemed absolutely genuine. The more he saw of her with Adam later, the more he believed that was true.

“The longer you make me wait here, the longer Adam lays in that bed all alone in that room. I had to leave him to come with his brother because you wouldn’t accept the documents Adam sent. Oh, my God, do you know how that man has suffered, and now he is suffering more because of this.”

Breaking down in tears, sobbing nearly uncontrollably for a short time, Gail got the bank officers to move quickly to agree to her request. In a very short time, they had a small withdrawal as requested and Joe’s name on a signature card so he could draw on Adam’s account. Tucking the cash into his pocket, Joe wrapped his arm around Gail’s shoulders then and said they should go because Adam would be frantic waiting for her return. They hurried out then with sincere gratitude expressed to the bank officers.

When they returned to the room, Joe realized that Gail’s opinion that Adam was sinking into melancholy was correct. Joe had been thinking that all the quiet times were because Adam was so exhausted. When he saw Gail sit on the side of the bed and put a hand on Adam’s chest making Adam squeeze his eyes shut, Joe knew. Gail began to softly caress Adam’s chest as she spoke softly to him.

“Adam, none of this was your fault. You acted honorably and well. You brought back so much information the Rebels had to wonder how our side knew so much. If anyone is at fault, it was command for sending you so often, too often.”

“But men were killed so they could get a spy on our side. It was because they knew there was a spy working their side. Then men were killed in that battle because I was found out.”

“Yes, and again, none of that was your fault.”

Gail turned then and addressed Joe.

“Don’t you have some business to go do?”

“Yes, ma’am, I do.”

Fascinated by the interaction between Adam and Gail, Joe had forgotten about what he needed to do. Reminded, he was a bit chagrined to know how easily she commanded him. In a different setting, Adam would have been grinning at him then, but he looked over to see that Adam had seemingly not even noticed. Joe left to buy the wagon, team, and supplies they would need for the first part of their journey. Prices were high, but his uniform helped get a decent price because sellers worried about things being commandeered if prices got too high. It took more than two days to get what they needed. On the third day when he returned to the boardinghouse, he found Adam on the porch reclining in a chair.

“What happened?”

“They won’t let me stay here with him. It’s ridiculous, but we decided we should go anyway before anything more goes wrong.”

“Adam doesn’t look too happy about it.”

“Is he happy about anything these days. Well, he wanted to go, but he didn’t want me to come along. I’ll explain more about that later. First of all, are those the best horses you could get?”

“With the money I had, yes.”

Perturbed by her tone, Joe spoke sharply and saw Adam wince. Incorrectly assuming he had upset his brother, he didn’t realize until later that Adam thought there was going to be an explosion of temper from Gail. He was relieved there wasn’t. There was a mattress in the back of the wagon. Between the two of them, they got Adam situated comfortably on that. Noting that Adam was fully dressed but had not been when he left that morning, Joe held his comments on that not wanting to stir anything up or at least not until they were out of town and could talk privately.

Once they left town, Joe was surprised though to be directed away from the main road after a few miles and down a series of roads until they turned into a small farm. Though well-kept, it appeared almost abandoned except the gardens were in good shape, and some of the fields were planted with early spring crops.

“It’s my farm. There are a few hands and their families still living here. I want to see what I can still salvage that I want from my things here, and then I will settle up with them. What I hope is that we can spend the night here.”

“Gail, how will your father react to me being here?”

“Father is not here. He went to the capital. He’s hoping that he can be a politician now that he is no longer a wealthy landowner. It seems one can be one without the other now. Being a politician is a career all by itself.”

“What?”

“He turned the farm over to me. Without anyone to work it, it wasn’t worth much.”

Surprised and almost shocked, Adam was quiet for a moment before he asked his next question.

“What are you doing with it?”

“That’s why I want you to stay here tonight. I want to let you see for yourself.”

Two black men approached the wagon then and deferentially spoke to Missy Gail who asked if it would be all right if they all spent the night in the house before leaving the next day. The men agreed and then smiled broadly to find that Mister Adam was in the wagon but were dismayed to find the condition he was in. Carefully and with Joe’s help, they got him in the house and settled in a bed. Within a short time, a woman brought bowls of soup for all of them with a broad smile as she served Adam. Once she and the others left the room, Joe had a question too.

“All right, I have a question. Why is this your farm, but Adam gets all the smiles?”

Gail looked over at Adam who feigned sleep to avoid that conversation. Turning to Joe, she decided to tell the whole story although in abbreviated form. From what she knew about Joe, she guessed he would be asking many questions eventually anyway.

“My father owned this land and worked it with slave labor. When the war started, this state chose the Confederacy, but my father opposed that position. When the Union Army arrived, he cooperated fully and helped put together a new state government. When the new rules were put in place freeing slaves, it only freed those in areas still in rebellion. Adam objected to my father not freeing the people here when that law was passed. They argued over it numerous times, and it became much more heated with each encounter. My father eventually forbid Adam to see me or come here again. Adam said he wouldn’t follow that because my father was a slaveowner and didn’t deserve respect. I saw Adam anyway, and he asked me to marry him. I said yes, but then I found out what he was planning to do. I said I wouldn’t marry him if he did that. He said he would so I didn’t. Adam also had instigated a campaign to have all slaveholders removed from state government. My father was forced to make his choice. He freed the people here. He was furious, but Adam was already gone off on his missions by then.”

“What did the people here do?”

“Many of the young men signed up for the Army. Some of them went west. The rest are still here. Now, this is where we are.”

“Now what are you going to do?”

“I’ve already done most of it. I wanted Adam to know. That’s why we’re here.”

“What have you done?”

It was the most interest in anything that Adam had shown since Gail had shown up in their room. Joe decided she had to come with them all the way to Nevada because she brought life into Adam’s eyes like nothing or no one else did. Although he had no idea what would happen between them, he had high hopes that somehow, they would work things out. It seemed they were making small steps in that direction.

“I’ve got the papers to sign over the property to the men who are still here. They’ve been working it and living here since I left. It’s time to settle this for good.”

“You would give it all away?”

“You pointed out to me long ago that we only had it because we built our family fortune on the backs of others. Well, I’m giving the family fortune or what’s left of it back to the families, or what’s left of them, who did the building. I thought you would be pleased.”

“I only wish you hadn’t been forced into the decision.”

“I haven’t been forced. I had other offers for quite a lot of money, but this seemed the right thing to do.”

There was a knock on the door then, and when Joe answered, several men asked to enter the room saying Missy Gail had asked them to come to see her. Joe could see how apprehensive they were, and the stories Adam had told him about slavery began to hit home as nothing else had. To always have to fear what a white is going to do to you next must be. a terrible way to live. However, he could see too that when Adam smiled and welcomed them, they relaxed. They could tell a good man from one who meant them harm. Joe tried to have the same kind of smile Adam had, but they didn’t know him and still gave him wary glances. Adam noticed.

“This is my brother, Joe. There’s a lot he doesn’t understand, but he means no harm, and he came from Nevada to offer his help in the cause.”

That got Joe some genuine smiles of welcome. He relaxed more. Then it was Gail’s turn.

“I know you have a reason not to trust me or any member of my family. I have kept my word with you so far though so that should mean something. Now I have papers here to transfer ownership of the farm to you and your families. Each family will get one hundred acres with shared ownership of the main buildings.”

Stunned, the men looked to Adam for confirmation. Gail handed the papers to him knowing that if he affirmed that what she had said was true, they would believe her. After looking at the papers only briefly, he nodded and handed them back to her.

“It’s what she says they are. You are not only free. You are landowners as soon as you sign.”

“They will have to turn in copies at the land office, Adam.”

“Then perhaps we should wait here one more day to make sure that happens as it should.”

She knew what he meant.

“We can spare the time?”

“We only have to get to St. Joe by the end of April. We should be there well before that.”

“Then perhaps Joe could ride in with me when they turn in the papers. A soldier in the office will likely make it more likely the deeds are registered as they should be. There may be those who would cheat these men of what is rightfully theirs, but they won’t do it in front of someone from the Army.”

As a result, their stop lasted another day until they were sure the transaction had been recorded properly. The time was especially valuable because Adam got more rest and good food. Both Joe and Gail thought he was still too weak, but they had no idea why that was so. It worried them, and that would be their biggest concern as they traveled. They had no idea that it was bothering Adam too who wondered at his condition and why it was not improving. The headaches, occasional nausea, low fevers, bouts of chills, and general fatigue and aches were enough to make him worry about surviving. He had a rash too that hurt more than it itched. Joe noticed too that he wasn’t arguing about Gail traveling with them. To him, that was confirmation that Adam was worried about his condition which made Joe worry even more.

 

Chapter 3 Travel to Nevada

Although in general, things were going smoothly as the three traveled, Adam had other symptoms besides being weak, even though all were relatively mild. Mostly, Gail and Joe attributed them to his recuperation from his wound which had been quite serious. Yet it had been a long time since he had been wounded, and he did not seem to be improving. As they began the trek to the Mississippi River and the crossing there, they began to talk about the situation when Adam wasn’t listening which was usually at night when he was sleeping.

“If we were home on the Ponderosa, Hop Sing would brew up some tea or some other concoction to help him. Here, I don’t know what to do.”

“Several times, Adam mentioned Hop Sing and now you do too. Who is she?”

Chuckling, Joe thought about how Hop Sing would react knowing Gail had thought he was a woman. Although he was a mother hen to them, he was a man.

“Hop Sing is our cook, our housekeeper, our friend, and almost like one of the family. He came to us when Hoss and I were very young. Actually, he started before I was born helping out when Hoss was too young to be left alone.”

“Hop Sing is a man? I guess I assumed with the things that were done that it was a woman doing these things.”

“No, he is very much a man. But he knows more about medicine than some doctors do. He certainly seems to know how to help calm a fever or soothe a headache. It was a blessing to our family that he came to China and became part of our household. Adam could use his help now.”

“I doubt we can find any Chinese man like him this far to the east, but maybe we need to explore our options when we cross the Mississippi. I’m nervous about setting out on this trip with Adam as weak as he is.”

Joe agreed. When they brought up the idea with Adam, he thought it was too much of a bother but was outvoted. The trio took a side trip to St. Louis. There they met with a number of different healers and doctors. On their third day of searching, they found a man in a building with an apothecary sign hanging outside. As soon as they walked into the shop, he noted their look.

“Is the patient in the wagon?”

It was the first time anyone had shown such interest and initiative. It was a hopeful sign. After asking if he could go visit with Adam, the shopkeeper called out to the other clerk in the store to take over. About twenty minutes later, he was back. He had been gone so long, Joe and Gail had been about to go see what was wrong. Apparently, nothing was wrong other than what they knew.

“Adam and I had a nice chat, and he let me take a quick look at him. He swears by the teas this Hop Sing he knows brewed for him in the past. That gives us an opening to pursue a treatment plan for him.”

“A plan?” Joe wondered what they had gotten themselves into.

“Yes, I have teas with turmeric and some with ginger. Those are closely related and very helpful. I have some small containers of charcoal. I wish I had more quinine, but I do have a small amount. There isn’t much demand for that here, but travelers like yourselves coming through sometimes require it. Adam may not require it, but it might be needed, and where you’re going, there won’t be any if things take a turn for the worse.”

“Need it?” Now Gail wondered what was happening.

“Most likely, his symptoms are as you assume from his serious wound and less than adequate care in that warehouse that they called a hospital. The teas and the charcoal, as well as a change in his diet we will discuss, should help, but the symptoms fit a mild case of malaria too or it could be a case of the shingles.”

“Malaria? Shingles?” Joe and Gail said that in chorus.

“Malaria is possible considering where he said he had been. I don’t know at this point how we could tell with any certainty. His symptoms are not specific enough for either disease. He has a slight rash which would fit shingles, but it could be from the bed rest he’s been on too. I simply cannot tell.”

“You mentioned a change in diet.” Joe knew it probably meant buying more supplies.

“Nothing too drastic, but for your trip, buy some lemons or limes. Carry a couple of chickens with you so you have fresh eggs. If you can find some supplies of apples and carrots, buy them. Then brew those teas and have him ingest some of that charcoal every few days. I’ll write down all the specific instructions, but I already mentioned all of this to Adam, and he is agreeable. I’ll get everything together for you. An improved diet as well as more rest and fresh air, and I believe you should see improvement in the next couple of weeks. At this point, our patient is worried too so he should be compliant.”

Soon, they had a package wrapped in brown paper and a list of instructions including the suggestions for items to buy elsewhere. There was one more question to ask of the man.

“How did you learn about these things?”

“Young man, I was in the navy. I saw things like this and worse. We seldom had the medicines we needed so we learned how to make do with the things we could get. Many times, we found those things worked better than what any doctor could give us. Your brother has served his country too, and he deserves to be treated far better than he was when he was wounded.”

“Thank you. How much do we owe you?”

“Nothing. I feel I owe you for all you both have done.”

“I thank you again, but I have to tell you my brother would never forgive me if he found out I didn’t give you something. He’d probably ride all the way back here to pay you.”

Grinning, the man said they couldn’t have that and thought two dollars would be fair. They shook hands and said their farewells. They wouldn’t know for months what it was exactly that had caused Adam’s symptoms, but within two weeks, he began to feel much better. They could tell when he began to complain about the teas and the charcoal and demand coffee in the morning instead. When Gail limited him to an hour sitting on the bench seat of the wagon in the morning and again in the afternoon, he was even more grouchy, but Joe backed her rules.

“The rest you’ve been getting is how you’re feeling good enough to argue with us so don’t fight it when we tell you that you need to continue resting until you’re back to full strength.”

“When did you get to be the older brother anyway?”

“When you decided not to do the smart thing.”

Gail had to grin as the two brothers glared at each other waiting to see what would be said next. She was surprised by Adam’s response.

“Well, then, don’t push me to go to bed so early in the evening. If I have to rest or sleep during the day, let me stay awake in the evenings to visit with the two of you and others on the wagon train.”

“That’s fair enough, but if you look too tired, that deal is off.”

“Yes, Pa.”

Almost retorting with one of their father’s famous responses using boy, Joe was wise enough to hold back on that and only smiled. He and Adam were finding ways to get along better than they ever had. Gail had a question for Joe later about why he didn’t respond to Adam’s last comment.

“You seemed nervous about what Adam said or more about what you wanted to say in response. Why?”

“I almost slipped and called him boy which Pa often does, and Adam hates. At his age, it is something that he takes as an insult. I’ve never been able to tell if it’s become a habit with Pa or if he uses it to keep Adam in his place.”

“Keep him in his place?”

“Yes, it’s some of the reason I think Adam went off to fight in the War. Pa didn’t want him to go. In fact, he told him not to go. He said it wasn’t our fight and he wouldn’t have it in our house. Adam didn’t like that. He and I argued about the issues, and Pa didn’t like that either.”

“No, he didn’t, but that brings up another issue.”

Adam had come back from doing his necessary business. They had been so intent on their conversation, they never heard him approach. Startled and then a bit frustrated by the situation, Joe blew his breath out forcefully and turned back to Gail.

“Hoss always says he’s a bit Paiute the way he can sneak up on people like that.”

“Yes, he can be awfully quiet when he wants to be.”

Not wanting to pry too much but intrigued by that anyway, Joe let it go. He knew though that Adam wasn’t going to let the other issue go. It was time to explain how he ended up choosing blue over gray.

“I suppose you want to know how I ended up in this uniform.”

“It has crossed my mind a few times.”

“Once you left and it wasn’t a rivalry with my older brother, I had to look at the issues squarely. A lot of the things you had said to me made too much sense to be ignored. How could they have argued about slavery for sixty years and then suddenly decide to have a war about states’ rights? It didn’t make much sense. I looked back at the other places where northerners fought southerners, and it was always about slavery. There was Bloody Kansas especially. I couldn’t go fight to save something like slavery. It’s an evil thing.”

“But you didn’t have to join at all. You could have stayed home.”

“Somehow I couldn’t. Something else you said pushed me to do it. It was stronger than anything Pa said. You said doing nothing was the same as supporting the wrong side. I think it was something like not fighting evil when you have the chance is the same as accepting evil. If I did nothing, it would be worse because I would let evil fight my brother, and evil could have won.”

“I’m sorry that I got you involved in all of this.”

“Don’t you dare say that. I’m a man who makes his own decisions. You always want to be responsible for what other people do. It shows a lack of respect for other men. Don’t you see that? It’s arrogant for you to think you are responsible for what others do. You’re no better than anyone else. You’re only responsible for yourself and no one else. I made my decision. Me. All by myself. Whatever I did, I did. Not you.”

Shocked, Adam was speechless. Joe stalked off as Gail came to sit down wondering how Adam would react. Quiet for ten minutes, he finally asked a question.

“Do you see it that way too?”

“I never let you do that, but yes, I see that with your brother. If it’s happened often in the past, I could see how irritating it could be.”

“I didn’t mean it to be the way he saw it.”

“I know.”

“You do?”

“Of course. I know how you were responsible for him and your other brother when you were young and quite a bit later. You never got over it. That’s all. He needs to understand that and you need to adjust to him not needing you to watch over him.”

“It seems like it’s been the opposite lately anyway.”

“It’s about time. I thought you might have noticed that a bit sooner.”

When Adam did a mock look of being insulted, Gail had to chuckle, and Adam couldn’t help himself and did too. Joe walked back and misunderstood. They could tell by the look on his face and Adam raised his hand to try to halt Joe from leaving. It wasn’t enough because Joe whirled around to stalk off and would have done so except for one thing.

“I’m sorry. Joe, I’m sorry for everything, but we weren’t laughing at you. We were laughing at me. You know I don’t lie.”

“So, what exactly are you sorry for?”

“You’re going to make me grovel? Well, here goes. I shouldn’t act like I’m the older brother who needs to watch out for you. You’re more than capable of watching out for yourself. In fact, I needed you to watch out for me. You saved my life. Thank you.”

Sitting down, Joe poured himself a cup of coffee and stared at the fire for a few minutes. Frowning, Adam looked at his brother and then at Gail who motioned for him to wait. It was good advice.

“Adam, I think I might be the reason you got shot. I was telling people I had a brother, Adam. Then when I saw you, I called you Adam. It would have been a huge coincidence for me to know two Adams. Then I got called into the tent for your questioning, and that must have been how Andrews or whatever his real name was figured it out. He was sent there to catch the spy, and I gave all the clues he needed to do his dirty job.”

“Joe, they were already looking for me. They didn’t know who it was, but I was under suspicion as soon as I walked into that camp. It was me or the other guy. I’m just glad you came after me. I would have been dead otherwise.”

“We’re both being so nice to each other. You know Pa isn’t going to believe who we are when we get back.”

Then it was time for Adam and Joe to chuckle. Gail had a warning to pass on.

“First we all have to get there. The wagon-master said the next part of the trip is the worst.”

“No, it’s not the worst. The Humboldt is probably the worst, and before that, the Sand Hills are difficult. Of course, this crossing of the Platte is hard, but mostly because of the mud and the risk of disease.”

Both Joe and Gail stared at Adam who shrugged.

“I made the trip before.”

“It’s depressing the way you describe it.”

“Gail, it’s not fun.”

“I could die out here. You dragged me out here, and I could die, and I wouldn’t have anyone, no husband, no family, nothing.”

“I didn’t drag you out here. You insisted you had to come along.”

“You were going and you needed me. I had no choice.”

About to say something, Adam changed his mind and sat silently.

“What were you going to say?”

“I can marry you if you want.”

“The love and enthusiasm oozing from that statement has left me breathless.”

With that, Gail stood and walked off leaving Adam frustrated with himself. He didn’t know what to say to her or to Joe who was angry.

“You can be such a jackass. After everything she’s done, why would you hurt her like that? You didn’t have to be that cruel. She’s a really nice lady, and she cares a lot for you. Any man would be lucky to have her love him, and you just don’t accept it.”

“Joe, I asked her to marry me once, and she told me no. She hasn’t said she changed her mind again. I would like to hear her say she would like to marry me.”

Startled, Joe stared at Adam before smiling and shaking his head.

“Damn. For two people who talk so much, you two don’t communicate very well. I’d say go after her, but you’d probably fall down after fifty yards, so I’ll go after her and send her back to you. You better work on what you’re going to say because you made a mess of it a minute ago.”

It didn’t take long to find Gail because there weren’t many places to go without running into people or into unpleasant surroundings. Joe guessed she might be with their horses, and that was where he found her. Even in the limited light available because of the setting sun, he could see the tracks of tears on her cheeks.

“Did you ever tell Adam you changed your mind again about his marriage proposal?”

“Yes, I did. Well, maybe not in those exact words, but I introduced myself to you as his wife or fiancé or something like that. Then I said the same things to Adam.”

“I recall the two of you arguing about that, but I don’t think it was clear that you had changed your mind only that you were calling yourself that so you could get in to see him.”

“So, he doesn’t know I changed my mind again?”

“Nope.”

“And is that why he gave that half-hearted offer to me? He didn’t want me to be able to hurt him again with a rejection?”

“I don’t know about the second part, but that first part seems to be the case. He’s waiting for you to go back to our wagon. He wants to talk with you. He needs to talk with you.”

Smiling then, Gail kissed Joe on the cheek. “I was going to ask why he didn’t come after me then, but I guess we both know the answer.”

When Gail got back to the wagon, she found Adam leaning on the back of it. Saying nothing, he took her hand to help her into the wagon. She guessed he wanted some privacy for their conversation, but what she found was that he had prepared a romantic setting as well as he could under the circumstances. He had lit a candle and used some bay rum on his cheeks. He handed her some of her lavender water and pulled the canvas closed. Pulling her close once she dabbed a little on her neck, he kissed her letting her know that he did love her and wanted her. He tugged her to the cot making his intentions known, and she willingly went with him.

“I love you, Gail. Will you marry me?”

“Yes. I love you, Adam.”

When Joe returned to the wagon, the sounds he heard from the wagon though muted were enough to let him know he was going to have a sister-in-law. The next morning, it was up to Joe to find the wagon-master and ask him when a wedding could be arranged.

“Once we get well away from the Platte and get to some drier land, we can have a wedding. The folks would likely enjoy a celebration one of the evenings. I can’t give you an exact day because it will depend on circumstances, but tell your brother to be ready. It will happen. The ladies on this train will be more than happy to pitch in when it’s time.”

“I think Adam was thinking of a small private wedding.”

“Oh, no, if I’m doing a wedding, it’s everyone is invited or I don’t do it. There’s little to celebrate on a trek like this so everything we can is shared. You tell him that.”

As a result, a week later, when the wagon train stopped for a day where there was good water and grazing, it meant there was also plenty of time for a wedding. Because they were married and were intimate, Gail saw more of Adam without clothing. She noticed the rash he had was still there even though it was diminishing to scabs.

“Does this rash itch?”

“It never itched that much. It was more of a burning sensation.”

“It’s like a band all the way around the left side of your back.”

“I’m just glad it’s going away.”

“You must have been miserable, but you kept saying you were fine.” She frowned. “That must be why Joe said you spoke in code. I said you said you were fine, and he said that was another reason we needed to see what help we could get for you in St. Louis. Does fine mean you’re hurting, but you can live with it?”

Climbing up to the bench seat to drive the wagon, Joe heard enough and started to laugh. Adam snarled at him about not eavesdropping and to pay attention to his driving. Gail nodded.

“I think I have my answer. I’ll tuck that away for the future.”

Adam still had a scowl.

“We’re family now, and yes, we will talk about you. There was nothing gossipy or mean about it.”

She guessed there was only one way to get him to forget that line of thinking. She moved over to him and kissed him. He was resistant at first but couldn’t help himself and yielded to the pleasure of the moment. Looking back over his shoulder, Joe decided he better start looking for a wife. It looked like a wonderful way to live the way his brother and Gail were doing it.

The rest of the journey was uneventful even if difficult at times. When they got to Salt Lake City, they wanted to stay a few extra days, but because both Adam and Joe were technically still Union soldiers, they were not welcome to stay. They moved on and headed toward the Ponderosa with a few others who broke away from the wagon train to go to Nevada instead of California. They skirted the worst of the Humboldt following Adam’s suggestions and arrived on the borders of the Ponderosa in good shape. They were met there by riders intent on turning them away thinking they were migrants on the way to California.

“Hey, Joe, what are you doing driving that wagon?”

“I brought Adam home and his wife too.”

“His wife? Now that might be a big surprise for your father.”

“It sure will be. Ride in and tell him his sons are back, but please make no mention of Adam being married, all right?”

“Sure, I guess so. What about these other wagons?”

“They’re heading to Virginia City so they can keep going.”

“All right. Should we show them the way?”

“Thank you. That would be helpful. See you at the house later.”

“Is there going to be a party to celebrate?”

“I hope so.”

“We do too.”

Some of the responses seemed odd, but Joe and Adam weren’t going to understand why until they got back and Hoss told them what had happened in their absence.

 

Chapter 4 Home but not all is well at first

When Adam and Gail finally got some quiet time in his old bedroom, Adam collapsed on the bed with an arm thrown over his eyes. Gail couldn’t tell if his problem was physical, mental, or emotional.

“I simply don’t know you well enough yet to guess. You’re going to have to tell me what’s bothering you most.”

“It’s not bothering you?”

“Oh, that your father didn’t seem as happy as you expected to find that you were married. He seemed angry with you yet over you going off to war, and in his words, ‘dragging your younger brother after you’ or his pointed references to your ‘questionable’ service in the war effort.”

“Yes, there was all of that, but what bothered me most of all was that he would treat you with less than the respect he owed to you as my wife and to you as a respectable woman. I don’t know what he thinks, but it doesn’t matter. He behaved poorly.”

“What do you want to do?”

“I think you know.”

“I’ll only unpack what we need for the night. We can leave first thing in the morning. Where are we going to go?”

“We can go to town and get a room at the hotel for a week while we talk and make plans. I have enough money in the bank and in investments to finance us doing something other than staying here.”

At that point, there was a knock on the door. Hoping it wasn’t his father, Adam got up and cracked the door open to see who it was. A smiling Hoss was on the other side.

“Sorry I didn’t say nothing while you was downstairs. I know that was hard on both of you, but I didn’t want to set off a whole brouhaha. I got to tell you though that when the two of you went up here, me and Joe told Pa exactly what we thought about what he said. When we finished, he wanted to come up here to apologize, but we said he’d done enough for today. You can expect that apology tomorrow morning. Pa’s been worrying about you and Joe for so long and he let his emotions run over everything. When he got that notice that you had been killed, he fell apart for a time, and then he found out it was all a trick by you and Joe, and he got upset because he had to tell people that.”

“It’s no excuse.”

“No, it ain’t because he should have been happy you were alive. That’s why he’s going to apologize, and he better improve how he’s been talking and acting too. He wanted you back so bad, and we told him what he did was going to make sure you weren’t going to stay. You are planning to leave again, aren’t you?”

Hoss didn’t need to hear that answer because he could see it in Adam’s look. All he could hope was what he had said would be enough for Adam to reconsider that decision.

“I’d like to tell your wife too that I’m real sorry about not saying nothing when she was down there too. She’s a real nice lady and should have been treated a whole lot better by Pa. Joe’s busy telling Pa all about her and about the troubles you had and how she helped. Pa should have heard those stories from you, but of course, it’s his own fault that he didn’t.”

“Why was he so negative? That’s what surprised me the most.”

Hoss looked so embarrassed at that point that Adam knew there was something he didn’t want to tell him.

“Hoss, just spit it out. We can’t deal with it if we don’t know what it is.”

“Adam, it’s pretty bad stuff, and I don’t think I even want to say some of it in front of your wife.”

Looking over at Gail, Adam waited for her to say what she thought.

“Hoss, I agree with Adam. No matter what it is, we need to hear it in order to face it.”

“All of it?”

“Tell us all of it. Gail and I can handle it.”

“Adam, there’s been a man in town talking bad about you. He’s been telling folks about how you was a spy and how you got people killed by letting the Rebels know who you were so they were ready for that last attack after you got found out. He seems to know a lot about you and even talked about you getting married except he said Gail was in the spy business too. He said she even lived with black men when her father was so disgusted with her behavior that he left.”

“Damn! What’s his name?”

“Wallace. He got here only a short time ago pretty bitter about the War being lost and complaining about how some didn’t fight with honor. When they asked for examples, he used you. Then he started telling more stories and your wife got brought into the nasty stories he was telling. He really hates you.”

“He’s the officer that was the last one I fooled. He probably got into trouble for that and blames me for any trouble he had. But why would he attack Gail?”

“I think I can tell you, Adam. Those who owned slaves had some very strong-held ideas about whites and Negroes. There are laws making it illegal for whites and Negroes to marry. You can go to prison for trying.”

Adam understood then. “When you freed the family slaves and gave them property, you made yourself a pariah.”

“Maybe worse than that or definitely worse than that. They would see me as a traitor and as immoral.”

“For doing the honorable and moral things that you did.”

“Yes.”

“But why would Wallace come all this way to do this to you, older brother?”

“He’s from Texas. He probably thinks I acted dishonorably and maybe he blames me for men who died in that last battle too. I don’t know what to do about him. You know some people are going to believe him or at least believe some of what he says.”

“Did he have one arm when you knew him? He’s got one arm partially gone now. It’s wrapped in leather from the elbow on down like a club.”

“Which hand?”

“It’s his right hand.”

“I guess that rules out challenging him to a gunfight.”

“Adam, you wouldn’t.”

“Challenging him isn’t the same as doing it. If he was smart, he’d back down.”

“Why would he back down?”

“Why would he back down if he’s smart? Ma’am, Adam’s that good, and if Wallace has checked around at all, he’d know that.”

Looking at Adam who shrugged, Gail got confirmation of what Hoss had said. Looking back at Hoss, she had another question.

“If that can’t be done, what do we do?”

“I’ve been thinking on that and got an idea.”

Hoss spelled it out, and both Adam and Gail approved. It was only a matter of timing before putting it into effect. With some things settled, Hoss bid them goodnight, and Adam and Gail were able to sleep better than they would have otherwise. In the morning, Ben apologized especially for letting himself be influenced by gossip and by letting his emotions affect his behavior so much. Adam was equally frank.

“Pa, all too often this has happened in the past. I am not interested in meeting the standards you have set. I am going to live my life by my own standards. We are visitors here. We will not be staying longer than a visit would be. We will discuss our options and then decide what we will do next.”

“I never meant to push you away from your home.”

“It was my home. It isn’t anymore. My home is now wherever Gail and I decide to live.”

“I hope you would be willing to consider an option we could offer you too.”

Pausing for a moment, Adam agreed to that with Gail smiling at his response.

“Hoss and I have something to do in town. We plan to do that later today. Joe might want to come with us.”

Although Ben wanted to say something about work that had to be done, he was wise enough to know he shouldn’t say anything. Instead, he accepted what Adam had said. He did note that Adam seemed interested that he had mentioned an option that he would propose. Guessing that it was the voluntary nature of that idea as well as curiosity about what it might be that would work in his favor.

First, though, Adam was intent on whatever task he and Hoss were planning on carrying out in town. Gail wanted to go along but knew she might make it more difficult for her husband so she only wished him well and said she would pray for success.

“Thank you. The man has a high opinion of himself so that should work to our advantage, and he’ll try to enlist support in the crowd. That should work to our advantage too.”

In town, Joe did the scouting around because they didn’t think Wallace would likely remember him well enough to remember him especially when he was dressed in his green jacket and his usual ranch clothing. Joe found Wallace in the Silver Dollar Saloon and alerted his brothers who walked casually in that direction. Once in the saloon, they leaned on the bar ready for their act. Wallace was surprised and spoke loudly about the dirty sneak and coward who had wronged him and his whole command.

“Interesting, ain’t it, Adam, that a man who shoots another man in the back would call the man he shot a coward.”

“And sneaky. You forgot sneaky.”

“Oh, and dirty. He said that too.”

There was some loud murmuring in the saloon then that Wallace knew he had to counter.

“I didn’t shoot you in the back. You ran away and told the other side what we were doing so they could attack us when we weren’t ready and murder our boys practically in their sleep.”

“Oh, you didn’t shoot me in the back? Then it’s interesting because there was a bullet fired from the pistol Andrews gave to you and a bullet came out the front of me leaving a big hole.”

At that point, Joe jumped in and took up the narrative.

“Yeah, if I hadn’t been looking for him and yelling for him, you probably would have shot him again. Instead, you ran away from me. You were the coward who ran. You and two others ran away from me. I found Adam, and it took hours before any of our soldiers found us. They gave me a blanket to drag him to a field hospital. He was unconscious so he couldn’t tell anybody anything. You weren’t hurt though so if anyone told somebody something it would have been you. Our troops were already on the move, but they didn’t know a spy had told the other side where our troops were.”

“No, he was the spy.”

Adam was ready to answer that one.

“I was captured several times and paid attention to what was going on around me and then escaped and told our side what I saw. You can call that spying. I guess I call that your side being too stupid to be able to keep me locked up. I escaped so often, I hardly was worried about being caught.”

“Well, I escaped from your side.”

“You escaped only because I helped you. I took you along when I escaped. I didn’t know you had one of our men murdered and had one of your men take his place. Poor man’s body was never found. His family will never be able to bury him.”

The mood at the saloon had definitely turned. Many had been reluctant to believe the stories about Adam, but Wallace had been an insistent and persistent storyteller. Now the men heard a much more plausible story and Wallace looked bad as Adam’s story made more sense. Staying cool and calm, Adam was a great storyteller and his comments made Wallace mad making it sound true too. Adam was able to add more and more details as well which further strengthened his story. He talked about how he got Wallace and the other man out of the tent and how he got them away from the camp without being detected. Joe added how he spotted Andrews leaving and reported it. All of it made sense to the men familiar with surviving in the west. Wallace seemed like more and more of an incompetent leader. Wallace knew he was losing the crowd too so he switched tactics, but that was a mistake.

“What about that whore you married after she was living with those black men.”

“Out here, we don’t take kindly to men insulting women like that. My wife’s father inherited slaves from his father. He was brought up that way and didn’t know any better. When the issue was explained to him, he freed those slaves. Some went to fight in the war. Others chose to leave and move west. Some of the families chose to stay and live on the farm. Yes, she owned the farm, but she did not live there. She lived in town and arranged to turn ownership over to the families who had created that farm. When she did that, she left with me, and we were married. If you insult my wife ever again, I won’t care what’s wrong with your hand.”

“Wrong with my hand? I lost my hand, you fool. You cost me my hand, my honor, and my command.”

“The reason you came here was for revenge?”

“It’s not revenge. I’m from Texas. We believe in an eye for an eye. That’s justice.”

“Then I should be able to shoot you even if you’re unarmed. It’s what you did to me.”

“That’s illegal, and I never did that to you.”

“I think commanders in war tell their men not to shoot unarmed men, especially in the back. My question is about your hand. You’ve been telling people you lost it, but most people who lost a hand don’t wear a leather shield. I mean, what are you shielding? Air?”

“Yeah, dadburnit, if it’s so bad and you want people to blame Adam for it, you ought to be willing to show it to the men here. It ain’t like they’re some women can’t take looking at a thing like that. Adam will show the scars from the bullet that went right through him and nearly killed him. You ready to show your hand or what’s left of it?”

A chorus of affirmative answers came from the men in the saloon at Hoss’ challenge. Adam began to unbutton his shirt willing to show the horrible scars he had. They were still rather ugly and the shingles rash had left a lot of redness too across his back too which only made the scar there look worse.

“You can’t make me humiliate myself by showing my mutilation.”

A few men stood and approached Wallace with the clear intent of disputing that assertion.

“Normally, that would likely be true, but this isn’t a normal kind of thing, is it?”

“No, it ain’t normal, mister. You accused Adam here of some nasty things. Now, he’s willing to show he can back up his story. You need to show if you can back up your story.”

As Wallace moved to walk out of the saloon, two of the men grabbed him and others stood to block his way. He knew it was over. Adam pulled his shirt from his pants and showed his scars. The smaller one in the back and the larger one in the front supported the claim that he had been shot in the back. The nasty red scars also supported his claim that he had been unable to do anything and could have died. The men then reached for the leather encasing Wallace’s right hand. Pulling the straps loose, they got the leather shield off to expose a fully functional hand that did have a few scars. The men started laughing.

“Don’t that beat all. Adam, you always was a good storyteller, and this was one of the best ever, and it’s true too.”

Joe and Hoss moved to stand on either side of their brother as he buttoned his shirt.

“Thank you, and I trust you will tell your friends, and especially tell your wives and special lady friends so the true story gets out there soon. I don’t want my wife to have to deal with any ugliness when we come to town.”

Again, there were a number of affirmative responses. When Hoss said he and his brothers were buying a round to reward them for their friendship and their cooperation, there were a lot more of those affirmative answers. Nearly everyone forgot about Wallace. Luckily Sam, the bartender, who had experience with disgruntled customers did not. He called Adam’s name to get his attention and inclined his head toward Wallace to alert him. Sam was already pulling his shotgun up though because he knew Adam wasn’t going to be able to react in time. The blast from the shotgun stunned everyone who turned in time to see Wallace hit the floor as his gun landed and slid across the floor.

“Dadburnit, Adam, he was going to shoot you in the back again.”

Joe was shocked. “I should have known. I should have been watching.”

Quiet then, Adam asked if they could go home.

“And don’t any of you ever tell my wife that I defended her father. I will never live that down if you do.”

“Hoss, I think we have something to hold over our older brother’s head if we ever need to blackmail him.”

“Little brother, I think you’re right about that.”

It would take some time for what happened in the saloon to work its way through town. Because of that, Adam still had to endure some nasty looks and a few unkind comments before the brothers left town. Once they were on the way home, the mood was lighter again as they were able to discuss the future and happier things.

“You two going to tell me the option you all have in mind for me to consider?”

“We thought Pa ought to tell you.”

“Hoss, Pa telling me things hasn’t exactly gone so well, has it?”

Looking at Joe, Hoss had that scrunched-up face that said he wasn’t at all sure what he should do. Joe looked back equally unsure what to do.

“Joe, you went to war and defied Pa to do it. It seems you could tell me what you want without being afraid of what Pa is going to say now.”

“He’s right, Joe. We should talk it over. After what we just went through together, we need to trust each other.”

“Yeah, that’s true. All right. We want you to take over the business end of things with contracts and bank meetings and stuff. You can be as good with that as anyone and maybe better. You don’t want to work on the ranch, but if you handle those things, we have more time to put in with the other work. We want to hire a foreman too and a stable boy so we aren’t doing things that can be handled by someone not in the family. That would free up our time to handle the other ranch work we need to do.”

“Pa don’t know about those other two ideas yet, but me and Joe figure it’s all part of what needs to change.”

“Yeah, Hoss and I are thinking maybe of hiring a manager for the timber operations and the sawmill. Silver prices are dipping down so we’re thinking of selling off the mining interests we have and putting the money into buying up other businesses like maybe freight hauling or stuff like that.”

“Would I be in charge of that too?”

“If you wanted to be, that would be good. Me and Joe know how you got the way of making money so we thought maybe you could do the investing for all of us.”

“What if I make a bad decision?”

“Aw, Adam, we know that happens. We figure there would be more good deals than bad ones so we all would come out ahead. Besides, you can still talk things over with me, Joe, and Pa whenever you want.”

“That all sounds intriguing. I would have to talk it over with Gail to see if it fits with our plans.”

“What are your plans? We told you ours. Seems only fair that you tell me and Joe what you been thinking.”

“I want to get into construction. If you were agreeable to the idea, I would start using Ponderosa timber and lumber for projects, and if we can do freight hauling, we could cut costs enough to be one of the most competitive businesses around.”

“All right, then, we got a plan. We’ll talk to Pa and bring him around on everything, and you talk to Gail. We’ll work out all the details until everyone is ready to accept a new way of working together.”

“Hoss, it’s a good plan. Who came up with it?”

“Ah, that would be me, Adam.”

“Don’t look so worried, Joe. I like it. It gives me the flexibility that I need, and Gail and me get the freedom to have our own life. But we keep ties to the family and the Ponderosa so we can all keep the family together. I think Gail is going to like it. You have the tough job, and I don’t plan to help you with it. You convince Pa to go along with what you laid out for me, and I think it will work.”

“Oh, I think you are helping with the plan.”

“I am?”

“Oh, yeah. The way you are now, and the way you got Pa twisting in the wind worried that you’re going to leave for good is gonna help us out a bunch. You just keep being yourself, and we got this all wrapped up with a ribbon on top.”

“He’s that worried that I’ll leave?”

“You got a hard edge to you since you got back. I’ve said this to Joe already, and I’ll say it to you. I think Joe’s a lot tougher than he was before too. Pa’s having to get used to the two of you being different.”

That’s how it went. Ben Cartwright had to step back as his sons asserted themselves. The Ponderosa became a more modern operation with each son taking charge of specific aspects of the economic empire their father had started. Diversification and management efficiency became the way the Ponderosa made money. The cattle operations eventually were a side business as more lucrative economic enterprises were developed. Ben’s dream was made into a legacy for future generations. Family stories, and there were many of them, always included the tales of how two brothers went to war and came home to make the family stronger and more resilient.

 

Tags:  Adam Cartwright, brothers, Joe / Little Joe Cartwright, romance, SAS