Summary: Another prequel, but Little Joe is eleven in this one, Hoss is seventeen, and Adam is twenty-three. Climbing that pine tree is again key to the story, but it is what happens after that which is most significant.
Rating: T  Word count: 5, 575

Pine Tree series
Pine Tree (by BettyHT)
Pine Tree Challenge (by BettyHT)
Pine Tree Loss and Gains (by BettyHT)

 

---

Pine Tree Challenge

At seventeen, Hoss Cartwright was working as a full hand on the Ponderosa. As big as the largest man in the Comstock and just as strong, he had earned the right to enter any saloon in Virginia City. His father however didn’t like it, and one way to control that behavior was to limit the young man’s funds. Hoss wasn’t paid like the other men but had to ask his father for money when he went to town. Usually, the amount was small unless he had some necessary item he had to buy while he was there. Several times they had discussions about that.

“Pa, I work like the other men. Why can’t I get paid like them?”

“You’re my son not my employee. Your work is in building this ranch which you will own someday with your brothers. That is your pay. I don’t pay myself. I take money as I need it. Can you say you need more than I gave you today?”

“Well, no, I can’t say as I need more money.”

“Then, have fun in town, but don’t stay too late.”

Ben’s strategy worked until Hoss found a way around it and then Adam returned from college. The two things worked together in Hoss’ favor because he had found that telling stories got men to buy him beer in appreciation or sometimes to keep him talking. With a good knack for telling stories, he was able to entertain quite well. When Adam returned and was willing to lend his storytelling skills and his abilities to recall more details as well as colorful descriptions, the beer was even more plentiful. One of their best collaborations was telling the story of how Little Joe had climbed the pine tree behind the ranch house and how Adam had gone up after him.

“I damn near wet myself when that little scamp slipped and came flying down from above me. I managed to pluck him out of thin air like grabbing a rooster that’s about to be Sunday dinner. Once I had him in close, Shorty down below was safe. My heart kept pounding away, but other parts went back to being under control.”

At first, Hoss had been a little uncomfortable with Adam’s earthy descriptions and comments in their storytelling even if they were funny or the men thought so. As he got used to them though, he found they did make the story more interesting especially for men to hear.

“Anything else happen while you were up top in that pine tree?”

“Oh, yeah, we rocked back and forth for a bit. All I could do was pray that the top of the tree wouldn’t snap off and send us down below to smash into the dirt or drop me onto the broken trunk.”

“Oh, that would hurt, wouldn’t it? So you were afraid up there.”

“Yeah, I sure was because it probably would have taken months to get all the splinters out of my ass if I fell onto a broken trunk up that high.”

The roar of laughter was accompanied by a tray of beer so Hoss was happy to accept Adam saying whatever he wanted to say. Hoss wasn’t yet aware that these stories were helping his older brother to get accepted on his return to the Ponderosa. The men were getting to know him on a different level and liking him better this way. They were getting over their ideas about what a college education might have done to him. Hoss finished telling the story while Adam drank some beer.

“So we all watched as Adam climbed down that tree with Little Joe hanging onto him. Looked like he had a little bird cradled against his chest. It seemed to take forever, and Pa and Mama were yelling the whole time. You know, the kind of advice you don’t need, but they think you do.”

“Oh, yeah, we all been there.”

“They were telling Adam about being careful where he put his foot next, and not to drop Little Joe, and not to go too fast.”

“Yup, Ben does that kind of thing with us too. He doesn’t seem to think any of us got a lick of sense. I’d like to tell him what to do with his advice, but then I remember I like this job.”

Although Hoss bristled a little at the criticism of his father, he noted that Adam laughed with the others apparently in agreement with them. He thought about it and knew they were correct too. He guessed he just didn’t like hearing others say it even if he thought it too. He got on with the rest of the story.

“So Adam finally got down far enough that Shorty met him and had him pass Little Joe down. Shorty passed him down to the next man. Mama and Pa grabbed him and went in the house, and I was so happy, I went with them. Shorty and the other man got a few slaps on the back for their part, and the men went back to the bunkhouse because it was almost dinnertime. The big adventure was over.”

It was quiet for a few moments.

“You mean to say nobody hung around to tell Adam here that he done a good job?”

“Yeah, what did Adam do?”

“Adam, what did you do?”

“Once I got down out of that damn tree, I went to the barn and finished my chores. My arm and shoulder were sore from catching Little Joe when he fell so I was a little slow. Pa was mad that I was late to dinner. Later, he said he was sorry.”

Again, it was quiet for a bit. Hoss had forgotten that last part. He should have known Adam would never forget it. The men moved on without saying anything more about it and asked for another story, but Adam had gotten a nickname. It wasn’t likely to last long being born mostly from good cheer brought on by liberal doses of beer.

“Hey, Tree Climber, what other story can you and Hoss tell us tonight?”

“There is one about Little Joe burning up most of our clothes while we were swimming in the lake.”

“Oh, yeah, Adam, and throwing your new boots in the lake.”

“That sounds good. Let’s hear that one.”

There were many hoots and hollers with that story and another round of beer. Hoss was feeling pretty good about his Saturday night in town. It was after midnight before he and Adam got their horses for the ride home.

“Hoss, if we’re going to stay this late, we ought to think about taking a room on a Saturday night. Seems kind of crazy to waste all this time riding home and then back again tomorrow for services when we could use those hours for sleeping.”

“I can’t afford to take a room, Adam.”

“I’ll pay if that’s your only objection.”

Thinking about it for a time, Adam had to pursue it further.

“Why can’t you afford it? We get free beer, and you’re working as a full hand? You should have a bunch of money stashed away.”

“Uh, cause Pa don’t pay his sons wages like he pays the hands. He says we’re sons not employees, and our pay is building the Ponderosa that we’re going to own.”

Pulling up his horse, Adam surprised Hoss.

“What? He pays me full wages. What gave you the idea he doesn’t pay his sons?”

“Cause he told me what I told you.”

“That damn pirate is robbing you blind. Now, we’re going to get you full wages. Don’t argue with me when I bring up the subject. I figured out why already. He doesn’t want you drinking and thought holding money back might work. You were smart to come up with a solution.”

“You mean like Pa’s been kind of lying to me about this all along? Why would he do that?”

“Power and control are always important to him so he can get the world he lives in to go by his rules. I’ve already got a plan. This won’t be difficult but it might be a bit explosive. Don’t say anything about this until I set it off. It’s like handling dynamite trying to pull something from Pa that he doesn’t want to give up. I’ll pick the time carefully.”

A few nights later at dinner, when the main meal was done and Hop Sing served coffee and had some cookies for them, ranch business was discussed. They talked about the best time to take some horses to the Army to get the best price. How many cows to cull from the herd for the best return on investment was a topic that took some time. Then Adam had a question for Ben.

“As long as we’re discussing ranch finances, I’d like to put in for a raise in my wages.”

“Uh, Adam, that’s not something we should discuss here.”

“Why not? We’re discussing other financial matters, and I’m sure Hoss would be interested as it could have an impact on his wages and on Little Joe in the future.”

“That’s enough.”

“Pa, what does Adam mean about his wages? I thought you said your sons didn’t get paid like employees.”

“All right, we can have some changes. Adam, you can be paid more because you act more like a foreman so that will be your pay level, and Hoss will get what a full hand gets.”

Not willing to let it go at that with all the time Hoss had already worked without being paid fair wages, Adam pushed for more.

“What about all the time he’s worked without being paid?”

“You’re overstepping, but for the sake of family peace, I’ll grant him a bonus of one month’s pay.”

Before Adam could counteroffer and perhaps escalate the discussion into an argument, Hoss intervened.

“Adam, that sounds right fair, I think. I like it.”

There wasn’t time for Adam to respond before Little Joe offered additional distraction.

“Hey, what about me? I work around here too.”

“Little Joe, you do chores and you go to lessons over at Mrs. Johnson’s house every other day.”

“But sometimes I help with the horses or help with the cattle.”

“Very well, on days when you do that kind of work, you will be paid quarter wages.”

“When do I get full wages?”

“When you work every day as a full grown man.”

“What about when I’m done with schooling but I’m not done with growing?”

“Half or three-quarter wages will be worked out then.”

As they left the table, Ben put his hand on Adam’s arm. He spoke quietly but with force.

“Don’t think I don’t know that you set this all up in advance. You knew what you were doing the moment you asked your question. I don’t appreciate being manipulated this way.”

“As I’m sure Hoss doesn’t appreciate being lied to all this time.”

“I didn’t lie to him.”

Pulling away, Adam walked off to sit by the fireplace. He knew he had shattered one more link in his relationship with his father. He guessed that eventually, he would break enough of them that he would be ready to leave, but that wouldn’t be for many years. His brothers needed him yet. Little Joe came near, sat on the settee, and asked him a question.

“Adam, why do some of the men call you Tree Climber and then laugh. One of them even called me Little Tree Climber. Hoss said it had to do with you climbing that pine tree behind the house. He even said you were scared when you did.”

“Do you remember when you were little, about four, almost five, and you climbed up to the top of that pine tree behind the house? I went up that tree to bring you down. As far as being scared, that tree swayed with my weight, and I worried it might even snap off once I had you in my arms. It didn’t. You had come down to me but you fell part of the way. I was able to catch you, but that’s when the tree really swayed. It scared me, but I got you down safely.”

“Yeah, I kind of remember that. Mama wasn’t too happy with me. I do sort of remember that. I don’t remember her too much anymore, but I remember being up in that tree. If I climbed that tree, why couldn’t I climb down by myself.”

“Climbing down is more difficult than climbing up. You were too little. As it was, you tried and you fell. Luckily, I was close enough to grab you.”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Hoss and I told that story to the hands, and they started calling me Tree Climber. I’m sure they’ll get over it soon enough.”

They might, but every time Little Joe heard that nickname, he got a bit more upset and unhappy. He didn’t like being paid part-time and as a quarter-hand to boot. Then to be reminded of being rescued by Adam from that pine tree made him look helpless while Adam who was a full-time full hand was a hero. Somehow and in some way, he thought he needed to do something about that. In less than a minute, he had the first ideas of what he could do.

Unfortunately, that meant that on Saturday, Ben, Adam, and Hoss walked out behind the house to hear Little Joe hail them from the top of the pine tree. The noise drew the attention of some of the hands which was what Little Joe had hoped would happen. He was happy about that and a bit excited. He grinned for the benefit of those down below who indeed looked quite small from where he was perched atop that pine tree. He was also scared more than he could ever remember being scared. The worst thing for him was that he knew he was going to scare himself even worse. Slowly he began to rock the tree side-to-side and heard his father and Adam yell out to him not to do it.

“Little Joe, don’t do it. It can snap.”

“You could fall, Little Joe. Please stop that.”

At Adam’s instructions, Hoss and Shorty had run to get some blankets. On their return, the men grabbed the blankets and held them up hoping to catch Little Joe if he fell. Adam and Ben gave instructions on how to hold the blankets to give the greatest cushioning effect and not hurt the men’s arms and have them hang on. Even as small as Little Joe was, hurtling down at them as he might, it would be a challenge to catch him and not have him hit the ground with force.

When it happened, it was all so fast as Little Joe tumbled down the tree grabbing at branches and trying to stop his fall. That made it difficult for the men down below to move into position to catch him. They managed though and Little Joe landed in the blanket. He was brought to a stop just above the ground except for one leg that missed the blanket and hit the ground with a sickening crack. They all knew what it meant before Little Joe screamed with the pain.

Later in Little Joe’s room, Ben stood by his son’s bed and watched the last strips of cloth get wrapped around the splints. It was a bad break but not a compound one. There had been some laudanum for the boy so setting the leg had not been the ordeal it could have been. It had been traumatic for the family to see Little Joe hurtling down that tree almost in slow motion as he grabbed at one branch after another only to lose his hold almost immediately and fall again. Then the family was forced through another trauma with setting Little Joe’s leg. They were not doing well emotionally or mentally when they were finally able to tuck the boy into his bed to rest. Unfortunately, it was also when Ben decided to express his opinions about what had happened.

“If you two hadn’t been telling that story about Adam climbing that tree to rescue Little Joe and especially if Adam hadn’t been bragging so much as to get a nickname for it, this wouldn’t have happened. You set a red flag challenge out there for this boy. There’s no wonder that he ran for it.”

About to explode in an angry response, Adam was held back by Hoss’ hand on his arm as he pointed to their younger brother lying in the bed. Hoss’ look conveyed everything. Instead of an angry response, Adam walked from the room as did Hoss who also said nothing. Both backs turned to their father should have said enough, but Ben was too distraught over the pain Little Joe had suffered. He didn’t read the responses correctly. To him, they were feeling guilty, and he carried that misconception for too long.

For the next few weeks, Little Joe was unable to do much of anything for himself except take his meals and drink. Bored by inactivity, he needed constant supervision so that he wouldn’t try to get out of bed. Ben read stories to him and talked to him. Hoss came in and played checkers as much as he could. Adam read stories, told stories, and tried out various crafts with him. At first a bit surly when Adam would show up with something else he didn’t know how to do, Joe began to look forward to his times with Adam because of the break in the routine that he provided. He tried to predict what his brother might bring the next time and a few times got it right surprising Adam.

“I guessed you would bring the wood carving again.”

“How did you guess that?”

“Because Pa said he was going to town.”

Pausing briefly, Adam grinned.

“You might make a good lawman someday. That was as good as any detective could do. Yes, Pa grumbled about me bringing sharp instruments to you when you were already hurt so with him going to town, it was logical to think I might take advantage of that absence to bring them back up here.”

They spent an enjoyable few hours doing some wood carving, and Hop Sing didn’t even complain about the few wood chips and shavings that slipped away and ended up on the floor. Little Joe was in such a good mood after these sessions that any small chore was worth a little cleaning up. Then when Little Joe presented him with the carved tray he had made, Hop Sing was overcome with gratitude.

“Was he crying?”

“He might have been. It might be why he left so suddenly.”

“Adam, I didn’t want to make him cry.”

“Little Joe, there is such a thing as tears of joy, and I think you had your first experience at causing them. Never feel bad about that.”

“Maybe I should have given it to Pa.”

When Adam didn’t respond, Little Joe thought he knew why.

“Only he wouldn’t have had tears of joy, would he? He would have said something about me at least not cutting myself when I made it. That would be because you helped me, right?”

“Maybe.”

“Why is Pa so mad at you? What did you do?”

“He blames me for you climbing that tree so it’s my fault you got hurt.”

“Your fault? No, I wanted to be better than you. I wanted to show everyone I could do things better than you. It was stupid, and it was all my fault. Pa should know that. If I would have thought about it, I never would have done it. Besides, I’ve been thinking. That tree is a lot taller now than it was when you did it. So really, I did climb higher than you at least.”

“And you came down faster too.”

The two only paused briefly before laughing loudly for quite a long time. Ben heard them while he was sitting at his desk. He couldn’t imagine what was going on with those two. He had thought Little Joe would be upset with Adam yet he seemed to prefer his company over either him or Hoss. It didn’t seem to make any sense at all. A few days later, he heard Little Joe grumbling and that fit more with what he assumed should be the natural order of things, but he had no idea what was coming next. He didn’t know that Little Joe was grumbling about losing another chess match and that only served to make him more determined to win the next one. Adam knew that the boy couldn’t resist a challenge and that it would make his time in bed pass that much more quickly. Then Adam added to the challenge and got a big grin from Little Joe who thought it was one he would relish achieving.

After four weeks, the doctor said that Little Joe could be carried to the main room as long as he was kept in one place there with his leg elevated and protected. So he was placed on the settee each day and got to see more of the family and participate in more of the normal activities each day. On the second evening, his father and Hoss were playing a game of chess.

“I’ll take on the winner.”

“When did you learn how to play chess.”

“Adam taught me, Pa.”

“How much could you learn in a few weeks?”

“Not enough to beat Adam, but maybe I can beat one of you.”

“So you didn’t win one game against Adam?”

“Not one.”

“Of course not. Why would he concede one to you. He always needs to be the best at everything.”

Getting the message, Adam left the house. He wasn’t sure where he was going, but anywhere was better than the toxic atmosphere wherever his father was when he was in a mood like that. It was early, but he had no idea where he was going until he was hailed from the bunkhouse.

“We got a guitar if you got fingers that can play it.”

“I do if Shorty promises not to sing along.”

“We’ll gag him if he tries and hogtie him if need be.”

Although Adam was soon happily settled in the bunkhouse playing and singing, Ben didn’t know that and nearly lost his chess match to Hoss because he was so distracted. Hoss teased him a little about that but stopped with the retort he got.

“I don’t need to worry about your brother. He worries enough about himself.”

With that response and a loss, Hoss excused himself to go to his room saying it was time for him to turn in. Upstairs, he left his door ajar in case there was a need to intervene in things later. Even at seventeen, there had already been enough times when he had to step in between his father and Adam to stop a situation from getting too serious. Meanwhile, he could pull off his boots and lean back and relax. That wasn’t something he could do so easily because he lived with his father and two brothers who made relaxing difficult much of the time. For the moment though, there was peace.

“Pa, I said I’d play the winner.”

“Yes, you did, Little Joe. I guess there’s time for a quick match before it’s time to take you up to bed.”

“Wow, you think I can beat you that fast, Pa?”

Bemused, Ben could only shake his head and chuckle at his young son. A short time later, he was no longer smiling. Little Joe had taken him completely by surprise. Too late, he realized the boy was playing the Scotch game and opened with the Scotch gambit, but he had disguised it with another one probably part of the Italian gambit or even the Goring gambit. He guessed those because Adam had mastered them so it would make sense for Little Joe to have learned them from his brother. After more than an hour of intense play, it was nearing the point where it was likely to be a marathon. Ben conceded.

“I’ll concede the win to you because this could go on until midnight and even then, I am not so sure I could win. You must have studied hard to learn to play so well.”

“No, Adam taught me by playing. He said he knew me well enough to know I wouldn’t study the game but he guessed I would play and try to beat him. We played pretty often. He taught me lots of other stuff too. I really liked spending so much time with him.”

“But he’s the reason you got hurt.”

“What? Pa, that’s crazy.”

“But he bragged about climbing that tree, and you got it into your head to do it too.”

“That’s not what happened at all, Pa. I’m the reason I got hurt. If I would have thought about it, I never would have done it. I wanted to climb that tree because Adam did. Yeah, only I forgot I already had climbed that tree, and I climbed it higher than he did. I didn’t think about that. Besides, it was Hoss that told the story not Adam, and Hoss did it to get beer in the saloon. He’s been telling stories for a long time now because people like to hear them, and they buy him beer to drink.”

All of that made Ben sit back and think. He knew then how Adam had found out that Hoss wasn’t being paid wages. Adam probably didn’t like Hoss telling all those stories about him either so a solution was for Hoss to have money to buy beer himself. Hoss wouldn’t have wanted to tell his father anything like that much like Adam didn’t confide in him because of how he reacted when he did. Now he found out that Little Joe knew more about everything than he did. Moreover, he had made assumptions about what happened with Little Joe and not talked to him about what happened either. It wouldn’t do much good to say he wished they had told him. He had a fair idea of why they had not. The question was what he would do about it.

“Little Joe, would you rather have me or Hoss carry you up to your bed and help you do what you need to do?”

“Hoss.”

As Ben suspected, there was no need to call Hoss who was coming down the stairs only a short time after Little Joe said his name. When he was about to gather Little Joe in his arms, Ben put a hand on his shoulder.

“Thank you. Thank you for everything.”

Hoss nodded in appreciation, picked up his little brother with ease, and headed up the stairs. Watching them go, Ben walked to the front door, opened it, and wondered where Adam was. The sound of singing gave him enough of a clue. He didn’t need to worry about his oldest son who seemed to always take care of things on his own. He settled into a chair to read until Adam came back into the house. When he smiled at his son, Adam had a question.

“Little Joe beat you in chess?”

“No, but was that your plan? I conceded, but he did have a good chance of winning if we had been willing to play long enough. I wanted him to go to bed so I conceded.”

“So, he won.”

“All right, he won.”

“I like to hear the truth.”

“I like it too. There hasn’t been enough of that lately, and mostly that’s been my fault. I had a certain young man tell me that tonight even though I don’t know if he knew he did.”

“He knows more than we give him credit for sometimes.”

“That is probably true. He’s smart.”

“And he learns quickly.”

“Thank you for working with him. I’m sure everything you’ve done has helped his recuperation go much faster.”

With so much reconciliation achieved, the two men were able to sleep better that night than they had in weeks. Ben knew that Adam had been more responsible that night for any progress that had been made. Ben learned more the next day. Hoss and Shorty were working together in the barn, and when Ben went to find Hoss to get him to do some work for him, he overheard their conversation.

“You know, Adam’s got a way of swearing and a way of hollering that sometimes makes you think and sometimes makes you laugh. The other day, he told Hank that he better not ever do what he done again or it would be, what’d he say again? Oh yeah, he said, ‘You do that again, your funeral, my trial.’ Then he walked away and Hank was scratching his head for a mite while the rest of us broke out laughing.”

“What’d he mean by that, oh, damn, that’s funny. He does have a funny way of talking.”

“He talks pretty mean and dirty sometimes too but in a flowery kind of way not the way you and your pa does. He sure keeps things interesting.”

“A flowery kind of way?”

“You know like comparing a mean ornery bucking horse to a painted lady who ain’t very cooperative. Oh sorry, you don’t know what I mean.”

“No, I don’t, but I wish I did. I asked Adam about that kind of thing, but he said I ain’t ready for that.”

“Your brother is a good man.”

“Yeah, he is.”

Ben walked away thinking the same thing. Then he got back to the house and had to wonder.

“Why did you draw all over my good drawing and drafting paper?”

“Because I was upstairs and I needed some paper.”

“Why not use your paper?”

“It was down here, and I can’t come down the stairs by myself.”

“Damn, sometimes I’m sorry I caught you when you fell out of that pine tree.”

Shocked by that, Ben had to intervene.

“Adam, how can you say that to your brother?”

“Sorry for swearing at you, Little Joe.”

“No, you know exactly what I meant.”

“Did I?”

And Adam was out the door before Ben could say anything more. He turned to his youngest son who was grinning.

“You’re not upset at what he said?”

“Nope.”

“Why not? It was mean.”

“Maybe, but he was only blowing off steam. You know he has to do that sometimes.”

“Only blowing off steam? How could you know that?”

“He wasn’t as mad as he made out to be. He brought the paper I drew on down in a folder and dropped it in my lap. Now I can draw some more. It’s a lot nicer paper than what I had to use down here.”

At dinner, things were fairly quiet except for Little Joe chattering on. He decided that big pine tree in the back ought to be trimmed up from the bottom.

“You know, so no young whippersnapper could get it into his head to try climbing it.”

Hoss grinned, but there were no smiles from Ben or Adam.

“Then when it’s trimmed up high enough, maybe you could hang a swing on a branch. Seems like it might be a good place for a swing. Maybe a girl or two could be talked into walking back there for a swing.”

“Little Joe, ain’t you a mite young to be thinking of having a girl back there?”

“Hoss, I was thinking it might be a good thing for you.”

“Oh, well then, maybe I would like to do that. Pa, that all right with you?”

“If that’s what you want to do.”

It broke the tension as they all sat back to listen to the elaborate plans Little Joe was devising for the swing and the area behind the house. Most of the rest of the night was saying no to his grand plans. Three men were glad he still had splints on his leg and couldn’t do anything about what he wanted. He would be forced to take some time to think about it. If only that could happen every time in the future when he was making plans, but they knew it wouldn’t. Hoss expressed what they were all thinking.

“It’s a good thing there’s three of us watching out for him.”

But Ben added a caveat.

“It’s not going to be enough.”

All three laughed and Little Joe acted as if he didn’t know why, but he added a few fancy ideas to his plan. He got the reactions he expected. Adam rolled his eyes, and Hoss looked up to heaven as if there was help there. Their father shook his head like there was no solution. Little Joe was happy. He had them right where he wanted them. He figured much of his plan would be implemented before he had the last of the splints off his leg. He did get one suspicious sideways look from Adam but gave him his most angelic smile. That took care of that, and he looked forward to that new swing he was going to have in that pine tree.