Summary:  Ben tries to teach a young Hoss the parable of ‘The Good Samaritan’, but Hoss turns the tables on him, and Ben learns the real meaning of the story.
Rating:  G  (12,000 words)

THE GOOD SAMARITAN

                The small mining community was quiet on this Sunday morning.  Most folk were either in church or working their claims and the tented saloon and the dry goods store were closed and silent.  It seemed peaceful enough, but a chain of events was in motion that would change the lives of a small group of people forever.

Two men rode down the track that passed as a main street.  Their eyes darted this way and that as if expecting trouble.  Both wore guns, one easily with familiarity and the other awkwardly as if unused to its weight and even the most innocent bystander would have known these men were hunting for something or someone.  One slightly better dressed than the other nodded to his companion and they halted outside the saloon, lounging in the sunshine waiting for it to open its doors.

Across the street a lanky youngster of around sixteen and a younger girl watched them from their hiding place.  In contrast to the two well-fed and confident men, these two were undernourished and frightened.  They had been running for days and it seemed there was no end to their journey and no place that was safe from their tormentors.

In the church with its canvas roof, which also served as a schoolhouse, the tall thin pastor droned on unaware that in the warmth of a spring morning most of his congregation was only pretending to listen.  Ladies fanned themselves to keep cool, children fidgeted and old men dozed.  Halfway back from the altar a ten-year-old boy fidgeted more than most.  He hated wearing his best clothes and sitting still when he could be outside playing was an anathema to him.  He was seated beside his older brother and he was convinced that Adam wasn’t paying any more attention to the sermon than he was, it just looked that way.  Recently all Adam’s attention had been focused on girls and today he was preoccupied with a planned buggy ride with his newest conquest.

Hoss surreptitiously peered around his brother to look at his father who was seated on Adam’s right.  Pa looked as if he was concentrating on Pastor Wright’s every word; he was facing forward and surely couldn’t see Hoss unless he turned around.  Slowly the boy put his hand into his pocket and pulled out a length of fishing line, a hook and some feathers.  If he could make this up before the end of the service then he would be all ready to go trout fishing with his friend Andy.

He worked for a while undisturbed until he felt a sharp nudge in the ribs from his brother.  He looked up to see his father’s eyes on him and his hand held out.  Swallowing hard Hoss passed the half finished fly to his father and blushing furiously settled back into his seat.  For the next ten minutes until the pastor finished speaking he concentrated very hard on the story of the Good Samaritan.  He was relieved when they stood to sing the final hymn then apprehensive when the service ended and he felt his father’s firm grip on his arm

Outside the makeshift church Ben Cartwright stopped to talk to several people but all the time he maintained his firm grip on his young son.  Finally he marched Hoss over to the family’s wagon.  “Get in that wagon and sit while you still can,” he said sternly.

Adam flashed his younger brother a sympathetic grin.  “Pa, I’ll be back before dark,” he said cheerfully as he made to head over to a group of boys chatting in the sunshine.

“You’ll ride back with us now and eat the lunch Marie will have cooked,” Ben snapped.

“But Pa,” Adam pleaded, “I’m going for a ride with Margie Johnson.  You said it was all right yesterday.”

Ben nodded.  “And it is…after lunch.”

Adam frowned and threw Hoss a less than flattering look.  This was all his fault; he had put Pa in a bad mood.   The ride home was a silent one.  Hoss didn’t dare speak and Adam was fuming at having to ride home when he didn’t need to.  It would have been so much better to spend an hour or so with his friends in town before collecting Margie for a pleasant Sunday afternoon ride.  Lunch wasn’t much better.  Ben explained to Marie what had happened and she was as disapproving as her husband.  Because of her Catholic faith, Marie did not attend church with them when the visiting pastor came around but she insisted that Ben continue to take the boys whenever he could, while she looked after Joe’s religious education at home.  She could see a time coming when her small son would either want to know why he couldn’t go with them or would crow over the fact that he didn’t have to.  Knowing small boys, probably the latter, she thought.

As soon as lunch was finished, Hoss was dispatched to his room to learn twelve Bible verses from the parable of the Good Samaritan.   His fishing trip was now but a distant hope, since he would never learn them in time to go.  Adam rushed to saddle Sport and headed for the Johnson farm with his father’s instructions to be back before chore time ringing in is ears.  Ben spent an hour giving Little Joe a riding lesson and then when the little fellow was tired enough for a nap he read him a story.

“Peace at last,” Marie smiled dropping into a chair on the porch having tucked her son into his bed for the afternoon.

“I doubt this family knows the meaning of the word.”  Ben laughed.

*****

“Adam, would you go and fetch your brother, please?” Ben asked, settling himself in his armchair by the hearth as he waited for supper to be served.  Adam had only been back a short time.  He had enjoyed his afternoon with Margie and even managed to steal a couple of kisses, but wasn’t pleased to find that he had Hoss’s chores as well as his own waiting for him.

Adam nodded and sped up the stairs.  He pushed open Hoss’s door and leaned in.  His brother was sprawled out on the bed with the family Bible open in front of him.  “Know it all yet?” Adam grinned.

Hoss grimaced.  “Twelve verses…..” he moaned.  “I ain’t done but six or maybe seven and I ain’t sure o’ them, neither.”

“Well, you’d better pray Pa’s in a good mood then, ‘cos he wants you down there now.”

“Oh, hell!”  Hoss exclaimed.

Adam chuckled, “I’d watch that too unless you want your mouth washed out and another dozen to learn.”

Hoss reluctantly followed Adam downstairs and stood hesitantly in front of his father, while Adam loitered nearby.

“Go finish your chores, I want to talk to your brother alone,” Ben flashed a stern look at his oldest son.

Adam retreated to the kitchen door but didn’t leave the room.  He leaned on the doorframe and waited for Hoss’s recitation.

Ben took the Bible from his son’s hand and nodded to him, “Let’s hear it.”

Hoss began slowly and managed three verses without too much trouble then he began to stumble over his words. The more Pa glared at him the more nervous he became.  He looked up to see Adam mouthing the words to him and he concentrated very hard, managing another two verses and launching into the sixth.

Suddenly Adam froze as he felt a tap on his shoulder and he was pulled back into the kitchen.  He turned to face a very stern Marie and swallowed hard as she nailed him to the wall with her eyes.  “You had better not let your father see you unless you want to spend your free time learning all four gospels and probably doing it standing up,” she said sharply.  “Now, go and do as you were told.”

Adam retreated backwards through the kitchen door to finish off his own and Hoss’s yard chores, while his brother struggled on without him.

“Not exactly a faultless performance.”  Ben commented when Hoss finally gave up at the eighth verse and admitted he didn’t know anymore.  “Perhaps in future you will pay attention to the sermon on a Sunday morning.”

Hoss nodded.  “Yes, sir.”

“Do you understand what the story is trying to teach us?”  Ben asked.

Hoss shifted uncomfortably for a moment as he considered what he had read.  “That we oughta look after folk no matter who they are and even if they ain’t friends,” he said hopefully.

Ben smiled, “Well, something like that, yes.  It seems you did listen to at least part of the sermon and since you’ve missed your fishing trip, we’ll say no more about it.  Now, you’d better go and wake your little brother from his nap or none of us will get any sleep tonight.”

*****

Several days later on his way home from school Hoss was distracted by a movement in the tall grasses of Washoe meadows.  He dismounted and dropped to the ground to lie perfectly still watching the tiny brown cub as it rooted around the body of its mother.  He watched for almost half an hour, carefully keeping down wind of the animals in case they sensed his presence.   He was pretty sure the mother bear was dead but he knew better than to approach the cub until he was absolutely certain.   Slowly he got to his feet and moved nearer. The cub didn’t seem startled at his approach, more curious.  He held out his hand and allowed the cub to sniff at him then bent down and gathered the baby into his arms.

“What’s Hop Sing yelling about?” Ben asked as he came in from the yard for supper.

Marie sighed. “We’ve lost another chicken, that’s two in the past week.”

“Coyotes or bobcat?”  Ben queried.

“Hop Sing’s not sure. There are few feathers around and no tracks.  He thinks the thief has two legs not four.  He says he saw someone a few days back and chased them off with a shotgun.”

“Probably Indians,” Adam commented from his seat at the table.  He barely looked up from his books and didn’t see his father’s exasperated expression.

“There is no reason at all to suspect the Piautes, so don’t make statements you can’t support,” Ben retorted irritably.  “And where’s your brother?  He should have been home hours ago.”

Adam leaned back in his chair and stretched.  “I rode home with Margie. He went off someplace with Andy.”

Ben stood with his hands on his hips in lecturing mode, “He is supposed to come home with you and you are supposed to see that he does.”

Adam rubbed his ear and avoided answering.  They had been down this road too many times lately and any protest on his part only brought trouble crashing around him.

“Do you hear me?” Ben bellowed.

“Yeah, Pa, I hear you,” Adam replied with as much insolence as he thought he could get away with.

Ben was about to respond, when the door crashed open and a four-year-old hurricane came into the room.  “Hoss’s got a bear!”  Joe cried dancing into the room and making a lot of noise.

Adam grinned with relief at the distraction, realizing he had probably been heading for trouble.

Ben stopped his youngest son’s headlong dash.  “Little Joe, calm down,” he cautioned, then did a double take as he understood what Joe had said.  “What!”  He headed for the door with Adam and Marie at his heels. Sure enough, Hoss was just disappearing into the barn with a large brown furry bundle.

Ben hurried across the yard and stood at the barn door.  “Hoss…what’ve you got there?” he asked.  Although as Hoss turned at his father’s voice it was obvious that what he was holding was a small bear cub.

“It’s a bear cub, Pa,” Hoss replied unnecessarily. “His mama’s dead and I thought…”  he stopped as he saw his father’s expression.

Ben was standing with his thumbs hooked into his pants pockets and that firm look on his face that told his sons he was not about to concede to any requests.  “Well, you can think again.  We are not acquiring any more animals, especially a bear cub.”

“But Pa, he’s a baby and he needs me,” Hoss pleaded as Joe reached out a chubby hand to stroke the cub’s fur.

“Hoss, he’s a Grizzly.  Do you know how big he will grow in the next few months?”

Hoss’s face fell.  He knew it was going to be hard, if not impossible, to change Pa’s mind.  He glanced at Marie.  Maybe Mama could… But no, she looked as immovable as his father.  “He’ll die,” he said sadly, cuddling the bear cub to him and making it grunt in protest.

Joe ran to his father and pulled on his pants leg.  “I wanna keep him, Papa,” he said staring up at his father with wide sad eyes.

‘I’m sorry, son. Even the smell of him is making the horses nervous.  Hoss, give him to me and I’ll take him back into the woods.   Maybe another family of bears will find him.’

Adam glanced from his father to his brother, wondering if Hoss knew what Pa intended.  It would be cruel to leave the cub to starve to death and Adam knew his father wouldn’t do that.  He would shoot the cub as soon as he was out of earshot of the house.  He could tell from Hoss’s face that Pa’s intention had slowly dawned on him, too.

Adam jumped in quickly.  “Pa, if we could find somewhere away from  the horses to keep him for tonight, I could take him up to old  Red Hawk.  He’d take care of him until he’s big enough to survive on his own.”

Hoss saw an opening and added his plea. “Please, Pa. It’s way up in the mountains and he’d be safe there.  You said we should help.”

Ben frowned.  “When exactly did I say that?”  He asked.

“Sunday,” said Hoss promptly.  “You said we had to be good Samaritans and help folk even if they weren’t our friends.”

Marie chuckled, the idea was so comical and she waited with a wide grin for her husband to dig his way out of this one.

Ben sighed,  “Hoss, that means people not bears.”

“But, Pa, God made bears too didn’t he?  I mean, we should look after all animals, too.”

Adam tried to hide his grin.  Pa was weakening merely because the argument was getting too deep for easy conversation.  “He’s right, Pa, you always taught us to respect animals.”

Ben rounded on Adam and glared at him.  “It’s not the same thing at all,” he protested.

Joe stroked the little cub. “Look, Papa.  He likes me.  Can I go wiv’ you to find him a new Mama?”

Adam nudged Hoss, they were almost there.  Pa couldn’t agree to Joe’s request if he planned to kill the little cub and he couldn’t refuse without giving an excuse or Joe would have one of his infamous tantrums.

Ben raised a hand in defeat,  “All right, all right.  One night, one!  And you keep him away from the stock.  Put him in the woodshed and tomorrow you take him up to Red Hawk and don’t bring him back,” he said sternly or as sternly as he could manage with all three sons and his wife grinning at him.

*****

“Hey, Hoss can you ride home on your own and take your time?’  Adam asked as the two brothers left Red Hawk’s camp.  Red Hawk had taken the cub and explained that the bears were important to the Paiute and he would take care of the little one and release him into the wild when he was big enough to fend for himself.  Hoss had promised himself that he would visit from time to time to see that the cub was all right.  “I want to make a quick visit to the Johnson place.”

Hoss looked askance at his older brother, “Okay, but Pa won’t like it.”

Adam grinned.  “He won’t know. I’ll be back before chores.  You take your time getting back and he’ll never notice.”

After Adam had disappeared down the road to the Johnson farm, Hoss decided to use the time he had to spare by visiting a few of his animal friends.  He rode along the stream until he came to his favorite spot.  A family of beaver was building a dam and he had spent hours watching the industrious little creatures over the past few weeks.  As the sun began to dip he made his way homeward hoping that his older brother wasn’t far behind.  He hated having to make excuses to Pa.

He was almost at the yard when a movement behind the back of the barn startled him.  He walked over to investigate and found a young girl, maybe a few years older than he was, in ragged clothes, crouching between the corral fence and the barn wall.  The girl looked up nervously, she was thin and gaunt with sunken eyes and her dark skin had a gray sheen.  To the rotund, well-fed Hoss she looked half-starved.

“What ya doin’ here?”  Hoss asked, as softly as he could so as not to startle her more.

“We wasn’t doin’ no harm,”  the girl replied in a weak voice.

Hoss surveyed her critically.  “You hungry?”  he asked, then realized she had said we.  “Who’s with ya?”  he said glancing around a little nervously.

“Only my brother.  He’s gone huntin’ food,” she replied and then began to cough miserably.

Hoss went to her and knelt beside her.  “I could get ya some water from the pump.”   He suited actions to his words and fetched the dipper for her.

The girl drank greedily.  “You won’t tell no one we’s here, willya?  Ain’t doin’ no harm and your barn’s nice an’ dry for sleepin’.”

Hoss shook his head.  “I could tell my Pa.  He’d let you stay, I know he would.”

The girl looked alarmed.  Then Hoss remembered the bear cub, maybe Pa wasn’t in such a good mood lately.  He might just turn her away, especially if there was a brother, too.  She looked too frail to harm anyone but her brother might be different. Hoss decided to keep it secret for now.  “Okay, I won’t tell no one,” he said kindly.  ‘If’n you stay here I’ll go see if I can sneak you something to eat.”

Hoss crept into the kitchen and peered around.  No sign of his stepmother or Hop Sing.  He took a small sack and went to the big cold store.  The shelves were lined with food but it was hard to know what to take that would not be missed.  He decided on a piece of cheese and some slices of ham, a loaf of bread, and some crackers.  It looked better to take the whole loaf.  Maybe Hop Sing hadn’t counted how many he had made this morning.  Cutting into one would show more.  He was just leaving when he spotted an apple pie.    Hoss loved apple pie with its lovely crisp brown crust.  He broke the pie in half and put half in the sack and began to eat the other half.  He had almost made it to the door when he heard someone approaching from the dining room.  He quickly ducked out into the yard and ran for the barn.

Adam stood in the doorway watching his young brother racing across the yard.  He grinned.  What had Hoss been up to now?  There were no donuts on the table, not even an empty plate, so it couldn’t have been that.   He shrugged and went hunting for something to assuage his own hunger until suppertime.

*****

Marie came into the dining room shaking her head.  “I don’t know, Hop Sing.  I haven’t touched anything in the kitchen today,” she called back over her shoulder.

“What’s the problem?”  Ben asked from the depth of his armchair.

Marie perched herself on the arm of the chair. “Oh, Hop Sing baked this morning and he says someone has taken things from the pantry.”

Ben chuckled. “Adam was sneaking around there a few minutes ago and you know Hoss is always hungry.  Maybe they helped themselves.  I’ll speak to them about it.”

Marie frowned.  “I don’t think that covers it.  It was a whole loaf and an apple pie and a few other things.”

“Boys do have big appetites but they shouldn’t be stealing from the kitchen.  Where are they now?”

“Adam’s in his room, I think.  I haven’t seen Hoss since he and Adam went up to Red Hawk’s with the bear,” Marie replied.

“I see’d him,” piped up Joe from the hearth.  “He was runnin’ ‘cross the yard just now.”

Marie scooped the little boy up into her arms and sat down on the sofa.  “Oh was he?  And you didn’t think of running after him did you?”

Ben chuckled.  “He not only thought, he would have done but my arm’s longer than he realized and he was arrested before he got to the door.”

Ben looked up as Adam came down the stairs.  “Hey, Marie, is supper almost ready? I’m starving,” Adam asked ruffling Joe’s hair and making the little boy struggle in his mother’s arms.

“Almost.  If you will entertain this little mischief, I’ll go finish it.”

Adam picked up one of Joe’s blocks and started to build.  “What shall it be, Joe?”

“A  fort,”  Joe replied promptly and slid down on to the floor to help.

“Adam, did your starvation drive you to take food from the kitchen without permission?”  Ben asked quietly.

Adam looked up and flushed with embarrassment.  “It was only a couple of cookies, Pa, and Hop Sing wasn’t around…”  His voice tailed off at his father’s stern look.

“Are you sure that’s all it was?  Not that the degree matters, the fact that you took anything without asking first is unacceptable.”

“Honest, Pa, it was just two cookies,” Adam replied anxiously.

“Was your brother with you?  Did he help himself too?”

Adam hesitated a second then decided he had no proof so he shook his head.  “He wasn’t in the kitchen when I was there, Pa.”  He neatly side stepped the second question and continued with building the fort for Little Joe, avoiding is father’s searching look as much as he could.

Hoss came into the room from the yard, hot and bothered from running around.  He stopped as he saw Adam tapping his fingers on the table and glancing at Pa’s chair. They had a set of signals and this one usually meant trouble

Sure enough, Pa beckoned to him.  He moved slowly to the edge of the table and waited.

“Where have you been since you got back with Adam?”   Ben asked.

Hoss saw Adam’s plea to keep quiet.  In any case it would do no good to say he hadn’t come home with Adam.  Pa would only question him more closely.  “I bin in the barn.”  Saying as little as possible seemed the best policy right now.

“Doing what?”  Ben asked tipping his head on one side to observe his son, who shifted uneasily from one foot to the other.

“Nuthin, Pa,” Hoss replied his eyes fixed firmly on his feet to avoid catching the eye of his older brother who was grinning at his discomfort.

Ben grunted. “Does nothing include hiding something from Hop Sing?”

Hoss considered very carefully how to word his answer so as not to mention his new acquaintance.   “I didn’t hide nuthin’, Pa,” he said slowly.

Ben drew in a breath and spelled out his request very slowly.  “Did you take some food from the kitchen without asking either Hop Sing or your mother?”

Hoss bit his lip and considered all the angles.  “I ate some apple pie…” he said softly, then glanced up for his father’s reaction.

“Hoss!  You march right out into that kitchen and apologize to Hop Sing.  You know better than to help yourself.  If you are hungry then you ask. Not that you could possibly be hungry after the enormous breakfast and lunch you ate,” Ben said sternly.

Hoss almost breathed a sigh of relief.  If Hop Sing hadn’t mentioned the bread then a quick apology would get him off the hook this time.  “I’m sorry Pa, I’ll go tell him so now,” he said quickly.

The conversation at supper ranged from ranch chores to new furnishings but through it all Hoss stayed silent.  He ate steadily and at every opportunity slipped small quantities of food into his napkin.  Maisie was hungry and Hoss had now met her older brother and he was even more emaciated than his sister.   The boy had bulging eyes, which stood out in his thin face, and his limbs were like matchstalks.  They had both fallen on the bread, meat and cheese and had declared that they had never before tasted apple pie.  Hoss couldn’t believe that there was anyone who didn’t know about apple pie.

Marie watched her young stepson with concern.  He had eaten well today and if Hop Sing was right had taken almost another meal from the pantry but it didn’t seem to have stopped his hunger.  He was on his second helping of everything.  She shrugged. He was a growing boy but at this rate he would outgrow his clothes again in a few weeks.

They had barely finished their meal when there was a sharp knock at the door.  Adam and Hoss glanced across the table each expecting the other to answer it.

Ben gave an exasperated sigh, “Adam, you’re the nearest.  Would you mind?”

Adam got to his feet grumbling as he did so, “Why always me?  Hoss can open a door.”

He came back a minute later to announce, “Two fellas to see you, Pa.”

Ben frowned, “Well, invite them in.  Where are your manners, boy?  Don’t leave them standing at the door.”

Adam did as he was bid and Ben regretted his insistence.  Neither man looked the sort of person he wanted in his house.   The bigger of the two looked like a convict.  He was dressed in heavy work clothes that were none too clean and he wore the gun on his hip far too easily.  The smaller man was better dressed but his eyes darted from place to place as if searching for something and he made Ben feel uncomfortable.

Ben nevertheless held out his hand.  “I’m Ben Cartwright.  What can I do for you?”

The smaller man shook his hand, surprising Ben with the firmness of his grip.

“Macey,  Alex Macey.  And this is my…  er, colleague,  Cade Henderson.”  He indicated the bigger man who made no attempt to shake hands.  “‘We’re looking for two runaway kids.    We’ve been in town and now we’re checking the ranches and farms hereabouts.  You seen any strangers?”

Ben shook his head.  His eyes were on Macey and he didn’t see his middle son’s startled glance.  “You the law or from some sort of orphanage?” he asked.   He looked Henderson up and down.  He didn’t look like a lawman but neither did he appear to be the sort of person generally employed by the churches who ran most of the orphan homes.

Macey gave a grim smile. “I guess you could say we’re the law where we come from, but that ain’t why we’re lookin’ for ‘em.”

“And where exactly is that?”  Ben growled.

“A fair piece from here. I was passing through on my way to San Francisco when the kids run off.”

Marie got up from her chair and moved into the center of the room so that she could see them.  She grasped hold of her husband’s arm as if for protection.

“You’re their father?”  Ben asked, a little puzzled at the man’s attitude.

Marie shook her head and curled her lip in disgust. “No, Ben.  He’s their owner and this excuse for a man is his overseer.  You’re a long way from home right now, Mr. Macey.”

Macey moved toward her threateningly,  “So are you, Ma’am, and the law’s on my side.  Runaway slaves are property no matter what territory I’m in and harboring ’em is illegal.”

Ben put an arm around his wife. “Macey, this is my house and you will not threaten my family or me.  There are no slaves on this property.  Now, I suggest you leave before I have you thrown out.” His voice was like ice as his eyes bored into the smaller man.

Macey turned on his heel and swore softly.  “If I find you got them kids here I’ll see you in jail, Cartwright.”

Ben let out a sigh of relief as the door closed behind them.  “How did you know what they were?” he asked Marie as he led her back to the table.

Marie gave a hollow laugh.  “I’ve seen too many of them, and his accent was so obviously Mississippi.  The only mystery is why he brought two slave children way up here,” she shrugged.  “I doubt we’ll see them again.  Let’s finish supper.”  She nodded slightly in the direction of the boys who were listening avidly to the conversation.

Hours later Hoss cornered his older brother in the upstairs hallway.  “Come in here,” he invited, opening his bedroom door and almost pushing Adam inside.  “I wanna ask you sumthin’.”

Adam regained his balance and grinned.  “Something you don’t want Pa to hear, right?”

Hoss ignored the comment and carefully closed the door.  “Them men that was here tonight… Was what they was saying right?  Can some folks own people?”

Adam pursed his lips in distaste and nodded.  “Yeah, they were right.  In some states rich white folk can own Negro slaves.”  Adam dropped down on to Hoss’s bed.  “Nasty idea but it’s true.  You musta heard Marie talk about it.”

Hoss shook his head. “What’s a Negro?”

Adam sighed.  “Boy, you are stupid.  A Negro is a person with black skin.  You’ve seen them in books.”

Hoss nodded slowly as realization began to dawn on him.  “I never knew that’s what they was called,” he said slowly.  “Are all Negroes slaves?”

Adam shook his head. “No, but I guess in this country most of ‘em are.  They mostly live in the south, so we don’t get to see them.”  He glanced at his brother. “Why are you asking all these questions?  Do you know something about those runaways?”

Hoss turned his back on Adam and began fussing with a lariat left lying on his night table.  “What would happen to someone who helped them”’

Adam sat up straight and contemplated his brother’s rigid back.  “They’d go to jail, I guess,” Adam said slowly.  “I think it’s kinda like hiding a bank robber.”  He waited a few seconds.  “Hoss?  If you know something you ought to tell Pa.”

Hoss shook his head,  “Would Pa help ‘em, d’you think?”

Adam now knew that Hoss was hiding the children.  He had to be to ask all these questions.  “I don’t know, maybe.  But he’d do it within the law.  What you’re doing is not.”

“How d’you know I’m doin’ sumthin’?” Hoss rounded on his brother.

Adam chuckled, “Because you’re no good at keeping secrets or telling lies, little brother.   Now, how about you tell me everything for starters.”  He leaned back against the bed head and showed no inclination to move until his brother complied with the request.

Hoss sighed and related his story, his voice showing his concern for the two youngsters.  “You mustn’t tell, Adam.  Lijah says he’ll die if they go back and he says that awful things will happen to his sister.”

Adam nodded. “” ‘Older’n me.  Maybe twelve or thirteen and Lijah said he thought he was sixteen.”  He looked up puzzled, “How come he don’t know?”

Adam reached up and pulled Hoss down beside him.  “I don’t suppose anyone ever told him.  Maybe he got sold away from his family,” Adam said sadly.  “Where you got them hiding?”  he asked, casually.

Hoss hesitated for only a second.  He knew he’d have to tell his brother or Adam would tell Pa and it would all come out anyway.  “In back of the hayloft,” he sighed.

Adam bit his lip and thought. “That isn’t a very safe place.  Pa or one of the hands could go up there anytime and find them.  We need to think of somewhere better.”

Hoss looked at him in amazement and then grinned.  Adam was gonna help after all.  “You mean you ain’t gonna tell?”

Adam shook his head. “Not until I’ve had a chance to talk to your friend Elijah.   I may have to then, but at least I want to hear his story.”  Adam pushed to his feet and dragged Hoss with him “C’mon, no time like now.  Pa and Marie will be talking and the hands are in the bunkhouse.  We can go down the backstairs.”

The two boys crept quietly out of Hoss’s room and along the hallway, listening at every step for the sound of their parents’ voices to reassure themselves that they were safe from discovery.  Once inside the barn Adam lifted the lamp from its bracket and lit it, shielding it as much as he could.

“You go up first so they don’t get scared,” he said pushing Hoss toward the ladder.  By the time Adam had followed him Hoss had reassured the two children and he was talking quietly.

“This is my big brother, Adam,” Hoss said softly.

Adam peered into the darkness, the lamp barely illuminating the corner of the barn.  The boy was probably about his age but he looked older, his face thin and careworn.  The girl, despite her ragged appearance and haunted expression, was pretty in an elfin way and Adam smiled reassuringly at her.

“Its okay, he won’t tell no one,” Hoss said quickly as Lijah looked alarmed.

Adam frowned. “I didn’t exactly say that, Hoss,” he corrected.  “I want to know a bit more first, but this place isn’t safe.  There’s an old mine working  a couple of miles from here, no one ever goes there.”  He grinned at the boy, “We have a kinda camp there.  You can use that.  It’s got candles and matches and some blankets and stuff.”

Hoss smiled.  Why hadn’t he thought of that?  The hideout was the perfect place.  No one knew about it, not even Pa.   Over the past five or six years, he and Adam had built up quite a store of things there.  Adam didn’t often go there now he was older but it was fun to have a place that was their own.

Adam led the way down the ladder and before he reached the door he blew out the lamp plunging them into darkness.  Carefully he pushed the door open and peered toward the house and then the bunkhouse.  There was no one in sight so he pushed the other three out into the yard and followed closing the door quietly behind him.  “C’mon.  We’ll have to walk or someone will hear the horses,” he said softly.

*****

Marie sank into a chair and threw up her hands in despair.  Ben working at his desk grinned at her.  “Do I take it from all the French and Chinese emerging from the kitchen that you and Hop Sing have had a falling out?” he said mildly.

She started to yell then subsided and giggled,  “I suppose it was rather loud.  We both got a bit heated over the plans for supper.”

“Are we getting any?”  Ben asked his face creased into a grin.

Marie got up and wandered over to the desk perching beside him.  “That could be doubtful.”

Ben raised an eyebrow.  “Hop Sing’s that mad?”

She shook her head, “No, but he can’t cook without supplies and ours have dwindled.”

“I went to town a week ago.  He had at least a month’s supply of dry goods,” Ben protested.

“Oh, that’s not the problem.   It’s cooked food that is disappearing.  Pies, bread, baked ham… that sort of thing;  although the crackers and cheese are nearly all gone, too.”

Ben’s frown deepened.  “Hoss, it has to be.  I’ll have a few words to say to that young man.”

Marie shook her head. “Your theory doesn’t fit,” she said with a smile.  “He hates cheese.  I can’t get him to eat it unless I insist.  He’d never steal cheese.”

“Then it has to be Adam as well.” Ben was now getting angry, “’ve told them several times and this is the last straw.  Where are they?” He pushed back his chair and closed the account books.

Marie moved back in mock alarm.  “’m not sure.  I wanted them to look after Little Joe for a while but I couldn’t find them.”

This didn’t improve Ben’s temper. “hey should be back to do chores by now, “he said crossly.  “I’ll go and get started.  If they come into the house send them out to the barn.”

Marie raised her eyebrows as her husband went out slamming the door behind him, a practice that, if performed by his sons, made him angry.

A few minutes later Adam and Hoss did come into the kitchen, laughing and pushing each other in friendly teasing.

“Hey, Marie.  We’re starving.  Can we have a snack to keep us going until supper?”  Adam asked putting his arm around Marie’s shoulders.  He was now quite a bit taller than she was and he grinned at his brother over her head.  “Swimming sure makes me hungry.”

“I think you’ve had more than enough to eat today and your father wants to see you in the barn right now,” she said crossly, shrugging off his hand.

Adam bit his lip and raised an eyebrow at Hoss.  “What does Pa want?” he asked warily.

“You mean apart from you two doing your chores?” she replied with a snap.  “You’d better get on out there and find out.  I wouldn’t keep him waiting, he’s not in the mood for tardiness.”

As they walked across the yard Adam leaned toward Hoss.  “He must know about the food.  Now, let me do the talking.  We’re probably gonna get it in the neck for taking it but he doesn’t have to know about Elijah and Maisie if we’re careful.”

Hoss nodded, only too happy to let Adam be in the front line.  Adam cautiously opened the barn door and moved toward Sport’s stall.  His father was filling a bucket with oats and spoke without looking up.  “About time too.  Where have you been all afternoon?”

Adam bridled a bit.  It was Saturday, after all, and they were usually free to do as they pleased once the chores were done in the morning.  He was about to make an angry retort when he thought better of it.   It wouldn’t do to get Pa any more riled up than he was already.  “We went for a ride and then had a swim in the lake,” he said quietly and respectfully.

Ben stopped what he was doing and moved across to stand in front of them.  “You helped yourselves to a picnic too, didn’t you?” he accused, wagging a figure under Adam’s nose.

Adam almost smiled but stopped himself just in time.  Pa had just given him the perfect excuse and the perfect opening for his apology.  He scraped his toe in the dust as if ashamed and embarrassed.  “Yes, sir.  I’m sorry about that.  We wanted to get away and Hop Sing wasn’t around and Marie was busy with Joe.  We made some sandwiches.”

Ben grunted at his son’s quick and unsolicited apology.  It was not like Adam to apologize so freely  “A sight more than a few sandwiches and you’ve been told more than once not to take food without asking,” he said slightly mollified at this sons’ rapid repentance.  “Maybe going without your supper tonight will make you think before doing it again,” he finished, turning back to his work.

Hoss drew in a sharp breath.  He was hungry.  To him there was no worse punishment than missing a meal.  Adam relaxed and winked at his brother.  It could have been so much worse.

When they were washing up at the pump Hoss complained about his missed meal.

“Huh,” Adam grunted.  “If Pa had found out where the food was really going it would have been a whipping.  Think yourself lucky, little brother.”  He stuck his head under the pump then shook his hair sending spray everywhere like a wet dog.  “We’d better sort out something more permanent for them tomorrow.  We can’t take any more food from the kitchen or we’ll be in big trouble and we can’t keep enough of our own to feed them.”  He straightened up and pushed his black hair back from his forehead then shook the water off his hand.  “You got any money?”

Hoss shook his head.  “Only twelve cents,” he replied ruefully.

“I got maybe a dollar and a half.  It’s not enough to feed them for more than a day or two or buy them a way out of here,” Adam mused as they walked toward the house.  “We’ll go up to the hideout tomorrow and see if Elijah has any ideas.”

*****

Ben paced anxiously back and forth across the rug.  “Just wait ‘til I get my hands on those two.  They are going to wish they’d never left the yard,” he stormed.

Marie watched him pace and cuddled Joe close to her.  The little boy was in his nightshirt and ready for bed and was waiting for his mother to read him a story.  His eyes widened at his father’s anger.  He tucked in closer to Mama and hoped Papa wouldn’t shout at him.

“They’ll be back.  I expect they lost track of the time and only noticed how late it was when the sun started to set.” Marie tried to calm her husband but it was a lost cause.

“It’s after seven.  They should have been back two or three hours ago,” he complained “Did they give any idea of where they were going?”

Marie shook her head. “They asked for a picnic and said they were heading over towards the north end of Washoe Lake, but they didn’t say where.”

Ben ceased pacing and peered out of the front door.  “It’s less than an hour’s ride from the furthest point of Washoe to the house.”   He came back inside and picked up his coat and gun belt.  “I’m going looking for them and when I find them riding is going to be the last thing on their minds.”

Marie sighed as she watched him leave.  “C’mon little one, let’s get you to bed and read that story,” she said setting Joe on his feet and taking his hand.

“Papa’s vewy cwoss with Adam and Hoss, ain’t he Mama?”  Joe said anxiously as they climbed the stairs. “They get lost?”

Marie smiled down at him.  “No, I don’t think they got lost, sweetie.  I think they got into some game or other or maybe fishing and forgot that they had chores to do.  When your Papa finds them I don’t think they’ll forget again for a while.”  She picked him up and set him on the bed.  “Now, what story are we going to read tonight?”

*****

Across the valley, Adam sat back on his heels and sighed.  “It’s no good, Elijah.  We’re never going to move all this rock.  There has to be another way out.”  He glanced around as the flame from the candle stub flickered in his hand.  They had been discussing what to do to get Elijah and Maisie away from here when Hoss had backed into one of the timber uprights sending showers of dust and rock on to them.  Adam had tried to push it back into place but had only succeeded in starting a massive rock fall as the timber gave way.  Luckily none of the children had suffered more than a few cuts and bruises but the entrance was very effectively blocked.  Adam, Hoss and Elijah had worked for maybe an hour and made no impression on the blockage.  In fact, as they worked more rocks fell and Adam was afraid that one of them would get hurt or they would bring the whole roof down on them.

The colored boy sat back on his heels and nodded, “I doan like bein’ shut in.  We gonna go find another hole?”

Adam wiped his cheeks with a grimy hand. “One of us should stay here with the kids…” he indicated Hoss and Maisie.  “Then if we get lost we can shout and find our way back.  We’re gonna have to feel our way.  We don’t have much candle left.”

Maisie began to cry.  “I’s ‘fraid of the dark,” she whimpered. “‘Doan leave me ‘Lijah.  We’s gonna die, ain’t we?”

Hoss put an arm around her skinny shoulders.  “It’s okay.  My brother will find a way out, you’ll see.”

Adam was touched at Hoss’s faith in him but he felt that on this occasion it might be misplaced.  These shafts were small, dug in the early days when gold lay near the surface.  This one had three tunnels leading off the main one but he guessed that they only went a few yards into the mountain.  The miners hadn’t needed to do much heavy work and didn’t unless they found a seam and this one had no sign of extensive working.

The first two tunnels were very short and ended in rock faces, marked and scarred by pickaxes.  The third was slightly longer and ended with a pile of rocks not unlike the one at the entrance.  This tunnel, too, had suffered a cave in sometime in the past.  Adam pulled at few stones but it didn’t seem any easier to move than the other blockage and this one would only lead deep into the mountain.  He turned to go back to the others, his heart heavy with the knowledge that unless someone came looking for them there was no way out.  A rescue was unlikely.  No one knew where they were.  In fact, he and Hoss had deliberately misled Marie into thinking they were heading up to the north end of Washoe.   Any search party would be miles away.  It was true that in daylight you could see the mine workings from the valley floor but they had deliberately tethered the horses out of sight so that nothing would give them away and in the dark any trail would be invisible.

“There’s no way out down any of the tunnels,” he told his three companions.  He set the candle down on the floor and gazed at it for a moment.  “That’s funny, it’s still flickering,” he mused softly.  “Everybody keep real still.  Yeah, see that?  It flickered.  There must be some air getting in here from somewhere.”

Elijah looked admiringly at his companion,  “You mean there’s gotta be a hole someplace?”

Adam nodded.  “All we have to do is find it.”  He picked up the candle again and began to search the tunnel walls.

“Didja try the roof?”  Elijah asked.

Adam’s face lit up.  “An air vent, you mean?”

The colored boy wasn’t sure what a vent was but he nodded anyway; Adam seemed to have understood him.

The candle flickered more as Adam lifted it higher.  “There….there!” shouted Hoss.  “I saw somethin’.  It’s a different color.”

Adam ran his hand along the area Hoss pointed to and nodded.  “It’s soft, like earth.”  He pulled a handful down and small stones rattled around him making Maisie shrink back in alarm.

“We can dig our way out?”  Hoss shouted; relief evident in his voice.

Adam looked at Elijah. Neither of the older boys looked so pleased.

“Well, we can, cain’t we?”  Hoss asked, seeing their somber expressions.

Adam grasped his brother’s shoulder.  “Think, Hoss.  Think about the entrance.  The mountain rose up above it.  We are about ten feet inside the entrance so we could be seven or eight feet under the surface.  That’s a lot of digging and we would probably hit rock again.”

“But the air…?”  Hoss persisted.

“It could be just a tiny shaft drilled out to give a little air, or it could be that some of the rock has water running down it making a channel.  It doesn’t have to be much to make the candle flicker.”  Adam saw his brother’s face crumple and the first signs of defeat and tears.  “It’s okay.  Pa’ll find us, and when he does you’ll wish we’d been stuck here longer.”  He tried to grin to ease the tension.

Elijah looked at Adam in the dim light.  “We could go on diggin’… It’s sumthin’ to do.”  He indicated the two younger ones.

Adam nodded.  At least it would take their minds of the hopelessness of the situation.

Ben rode slowly in the fading light.  First he headed toward the north end of the Washoe Valley but here he could see for miles and there was no sign of any boys.  Then he turned towards the slopes around Washoe diggings; maybe some of the miners had seen the boys.   After more than an hour of riding and no sign of anyone he moved to riding the trails that overlooked the valley on the west side above the Ponderosa ranch house.  His anger was now translating to fear.  The boys were quite capable of taking care of themselves in normal circumstances but to be out this late wasn’t normal.   They might tempt fate a little, hoping he wouldn’t be too angry, but they knew that once it started to get dark he would worry and his anger, and consequently their punishment, would escalate.  No, something had to be wrong.

He saw horses in the distance and watched as the riders moved along the ridge, stopping every now and again to check the mountainside as if searching for something.  Maybe these men had seen the boys.  He pushed Buck into a faster gait and angled across to meet the men.  As he drew closer he recognized Macey and Henderson.            “Well, well, if it isn’t Mr. Cartwright.  You’re out a mite late, ain’t you?”  Macey drawled.

“I’m looking for my sons Mr. Macey.   I don’t suppose you’ve seen them?”  Ben tried to keep his voice even and polite.  If they co-operated these men might save him a long ride along the ridge.

Macey shook his head.  “Nope, but then I reckon you know where our young friends are so maybe we can help each other.  You tell me where I can find those runaways and me and Cade here will help you look for your boys.”

Ben raised himself in the saddle and made to turn away.  “I’ve told you that I’ve no idea where those children are.”

“But we could make it a double search, Cartwright.  You help us and we’ll help you.  If those kids are still in the area the only place we ain’t searched is these old mine workings.  It’s almost dark and we need to get to the end of the ridge by nightfall.  We ain’t gonna have time if we have to go into each one but together we could cover the last few in maybe half an hour.  Then we’ll ride with you to look for your boys wherever you say.”

Ben considered the proposal.  Riding back to the ranch for more help would take time and it would be dark before he could mount a proper search.  Against his better judgement, worry for his sons won over worry for some unknown slave.  “All right, Mr. Macey.  I accept your offer.  You check this end of the ridge and I’ll check the other and we can meet in the valley and you can help me check over the south end of the lake.  It’s the only part I haven’t covered.”

Macey nodded and smiled, or rather leered, at Ben.  “A gunshot to let us know you’ve found something.”

Ben rode slowly along the ridge wondering if his own sons had decided to explore the mines.  He had told them often enough to keep out of them but that was no guarantee that they had obeyed.  Adam, particularly, had a curiosity with the mining process and boys were often foolhardy and reckless when they wanted to do something.  The first shaft he entered was low and dark and as he brushed cobwebs from his face it became obvious no one had been in here for months, maybe even years.  The next had a large rock fall within three feet of the entrance and the third ended after about ten yards in a solid rock face.  He walked slowly back to Buck intending to mount up and ride down to the valley but something drew him back along the ridge.  At the second tunnel he examined the rock fall; it was recent.  He bent down and examined the ground around the entrance.  There were several sets of footprints going into the mine but none coming out.  He looked closer: two sets of boot prints in similar sizes, one large set of bare footprints and another smaller set. He sat back on his heels and pondered.  Events began to fall into place: the boys’ evasive answers to his questions, the missing food and now the footprints.  Could it be that his sons had been harboring the slaves up here in this shaft?   He hesitated a moment, then getting close to the rocks, he called out,  “Adam, Hoss are you there?”  For a second he waited then repeated the shout a little louder. Faintly, from behind the rock wall he heard an answering shout.

“It’s Pa,”  Hoss exclaimed excitedly.  He hugged Maisie.  “It’s my Pa and we’re gonna be all right,” he grinned.

Adam and Elijah had already moved some of the rock, now they bent to their task with renewed vigor.  After a few moments of rejoicing Hoss and Maisie added their efforts to their brothers’.

It took about twenty minutes before the first glimmer of fading light from outside could be seen by the children

When the cool evening air touched his face Hoss cheered.

Adam raised an eyebrow at him. “You think we’re safe?  Our hell is just beginning,” he said under his breath.  “A few hours from now being buried might seem like a better fate.”

A few more minutes of work made it possible for the youngsters to crawl out into the gathering twilight.

“Thank God you are all right,” Ben commented in relief as he checked Hoss over and eyed Adam up and down.  He looked at the other two children.  “And who might these young people be?”

Hoss pushed in front of Adam.  They were his responsibility and he intended to explain.  “This is ‘Lijah and his sister, Maisie, and they’re my friends.  Those men are bad and ‘Lijah’s hiding from them.”  Ben nodded wisely.  “So you thought you’d help by hiding them out in an old mine that isn’t safe?”

Hoss looked a little disconcerted.  “We had to help Pa and Adam said …”

“Ah yes, your older brother had a bright idea, I suppose.   Instead of doing the right thing and coming to me, he decided he could solve their problems.”  He swung around and fixed Adam with a stern stare.  “Just how did you plan to feed them?  More stealing?  Were they supposed to live in this mine over the winter, too?”

Adam shrank back a little at his father’s tirade and Maisie hid behind him.  She didn’t like this man shouting; he scared her almost as much as Cade and her master. 

“You are supposed to be old enough and intelligent enough to think before you act,” Ben continued.

Adam felt Maisie trembling in fear and it made him brave.  “What should I do then?  Hand ‘em over to that man and his overseer, so that he can beat them and take Maisie back to give satisfaction and amusement to her ‘master’?”  He said the last word sarcastically relishing the shocked look on his father’s face.  “That’s why he wants her back, isn’t it?”

“That’s nothing to do with us,” Ben blustered, taken aback by Adam’s mature reading of the situation.  He turned to look back along the trail where dust from the two horses was already visible.

“You’re gonna just hand ‘em over,” Adam said in shock.  He couldn’t believe his father would do such a thing.

Ben hesitated. “The law says we have to,” he finally pronounced.  Elijah looked up at him in despair.  They had come so far and to lose now was unthinkable.  “They plans to sell us in San Francisco.  They ain’t takin’ my sister or me alive, Mister.”

He spoke quietly and calmly and Ben was shocked at the determination in his eyes.  The boy meant it.

“Now, that’s a stupid thing to say.  Frightening your sister like that,” he responded in a reasonable tone.

“She ain’t scared o’ me or dyin’, she’s scared o’ the master and Cade,” he came back angrily.  “They took us from our folks and they ain’t taking Maisie from me.” He was now obviously upset and nervous and he began to back away down the slope.

The sound of horses could be heard clearly now and the cloud of dust had become two riders.

“Wait,” Ben commanded.  “Maybe there is something I can do.”

Adam and Hoss both grinned in delight.  They had supreme confidence in their father.  If he said he would do something then something would be done.  Elijah wasn’t so sure and although he stopped, he also hid Maisie behind him.  Ben moved between the children and the approaching horses and waited for Macey and Henderson to dismount.

“Hey, you found ‘em.”  Macey waved his hand at the children.  “And surprise, surprise they was with your boys, who, of course, knew nuthin’ about ‘em.”

Henderson started to move toward Elijah and the boy gripped the rock he had concealed behind his back with a greater strength.  “You get over here, boy,” Henderson rapped out.

Elijah didn’t move but he did glance at Ben.

“Wait a minute, Henderson.  The boy doesn’t want to go with you,” Ben interrupted.

Macey gave a low animal laugh. “He don’t have no choice.  He ain’t free to choose, he’s my property.”

“Maybe where you come from, but this territory is free,” Ben tried.

Again Macey laughed.  “You been outta touch too long, Cartwright.  Mexico don’t own this land no more.  Been nigh on four years now, you been part of Western Utah and the law says you’re a territory of the US of A and I have rights here just same as back home.”

Ben swore under his breath.  The man was too clever and likely had all the papers he needed to prove his case if it came to the law.  “All right, Macey.  I’ll buy the children. Name your price.”

Macey looked interested, but said nothing.

Ben shrugged.  “You hold the papers don’t you?”  His scheme would work only if Macey was as greedy and broke as Ben suspected.

“Yeah, I got their papers”’ Macey said warily.

“So name your price.  You give me the papers and go on your way.  You won’t have to worry about them any more.”

Macey rubbed his chin and considered his options.  He was tired of chasing these kids all over the territory and here was a way of making the money he wanted a little sooner.  It would be a pity to miss out on the girl, but there would be others in San Francisco.

“Two hundred,”  Macey said quickly. It made Henderson whistle and earned him a sour look from Macey.

Ben smiled. “Kinda steep for two kids, skinny kids at that.”

“Boy’s got muscles, he’ll work hard for ya.  The girl…well, she’s almost growed.  You could have a lot of fun with her, Cartwright, or your boy could.”  He leered at Adam.

“I’ve been to slave auctions and you and I both know that’s ridiculous. Fifty,” Ben replied, ignoring the man’s lewd suggestions.  “Take it or leave it.” He knew he was offering them enough to see them over the mountains and staked.

As Macey hesitated, Ben’s hand edged toward his gun.   He was now determined that the children wouldn’t go with these men, even if he had to use a gun to prevent it.

Macey hesitated before responding.  “Make it a hundred and you got a deal.”

“Sixty is all I’ve got with me, you want more you’ll have to come back to the house and take a note for the bank.”

Macey nodded.  “All right Cartwright, you got a deal.”  He leered again at Adam as Ben counted the notes into his hands and he handed over the papers.  “Enjoy her kid.  Wouldn’t mind her meself.”

Ben watched them ride away in disgust and then turned to the two children he now owned.  The thought left a nasty taste in his mouth.  “Let’s get home.  Marie will be worried,” he said gruffly.

Elijah reached out and touched his sleeve.  “Thank you.  I knows you’ll be a kind master.”

Ben recoiled in shock.  “I’m not your master,” he snapped.  ‘Tomorrow we’ll go see if we can find a circuit judge in Carson City.  I’ll get the papers signed so you are free.”  He didn’t wait for Elijah to respond.  Pulling Buck to him he lifted Maisie into the saddle and set off down the trail leaving the others to follow.

Adam touched his new friend’s arm. “He’s not as bad as he sounds,” he said softly so his father wouldn’t hear. Then realizing his own likely fate, he added, “He’s mad at me and maybe Hoss, but he won’t be mad at you.”

Marie was watching anxiously for them but she was not expecting four children.  As the group entered she gave a sigh of relief to see her stepsons safe, and then raised an eyebrow at her husband when the two Negro children followed them in.

“Elijah and his sister will be staying for a while.  Ask Hop Sing to find them some food and make up the beds in the guest room.   I’ll explain later.”

Marie nodded, recognizing that her husband was still seething with anger over the incident, whatever it had been.

“Adam, show Elijah where he can wash up and I’ll take care of the little one,” Marie said kindly holding out her hand to Maisie.

Used to total obedience to white folk or suffering painful consequences the two children followed like lambs.  Hoss, too, escaped with his brother to clean up.

“You think Pa’s gonna yell at us?”  Hoss asked his older brother when the three boys were at the pump in the yard.

Adam shrugged, “He sure isn’t gonna let it go by with out some comment.  He’s told us hundreds of times to avoid those mines and if he finds out it was a proper hideout that we used regularly he’s gonna have a fit.  Not sure what he’ll do about us hiding Elijah here and his sister.”

“I doan wanna get you in no trouble,” Elijah said, as he finished washing and took the towel Adam handed him.

Adam gave a grim laugh  “We’re already in it… up to our necks.”  He smiled reassuringly  “Don’t let it worry you.  We’re not strangers to trouble with Pa and his bark’s worse than his bite.”  Even as he said it he wasn’t sure he believed it this time.  Pa looked pretty angry.

After supper, which to Elijah’s amazement was eaten at a shared table (he had never eaten with white folks before) and the amount of food daunted him, he was taken to one side by Ben for a discussion.  He had explained that the farm Macey had owned had hit hard times and been sold for taxes with the few slaves he had owned.  Elijah had been kept so that Maisie would come along quietly; the master liked her.  He suspected that the plan was to sell him in California if the need arose and keep Maisie for himself.  Cade had been Macey’s overseer and latterly his partner and was the violent one.

Ben listened in horror to the stories Elijah had to tell and could understand why the boy had been ready to kill himself and his sister to avoid falling into Macey’s hands again.

“It’s all right now, lad.  We’ll see the judge and get you papers and then maybe you can find yourself work.  For now you go get some rest.”  Ben showed him into the bedroom off the big room and returned to talk to Marie.

“Have the boys gone up to bed?” he asked, tapping his pipe against the hearth.

Marie glanced up at him worriedly,  “Yes, they are rather expecting a visit.”

“I don’t intend to disappoint them,” he responded in a firm voice. “Adam should know better than to fool around those mines and as for hiding those children…”

Marie got to her feet and put a hand on his shoulder. “They were trying to help.  It’s hard for a child to understand that running away isn’t the answer.  For Elijah it was the only way he knew and for Hoss and Adam the concept of slavery is so strange that they couldn’t believe they were breaking the law.  Don’t be too hard on them,” she begged.

He kissed her lightly on the cheek. “I’ll see what I can do but I make no promises,” he muttered as he went up the stairs.

Hoss had put on his nightshirt and was curled up in bed, his head resting on his arm as he watched his older brother staring out of the window.  “Shouldn’t you be in bed too when Pa comes up?”  he asked not really wishing his brother to go but worried that it would make Pa even more angry to find Adam in his room.

Adam half turned and shook his head.  “He’s gonna be mad whatever I do, so I might as well keep you company.”  He walked slowly over to the bed and sat down then swung his long legs up on to the bed, hugged his knees and surveyed his stockinged feet as if they were of intense interest.

“What’ll happen to ‘Lijah and Maisie now?”  Hoss asked.

His older brother shrugged.  “I don’t know.  Pa said something about seeing a judge and setting them free, but I don’t know what they do then.  They’ve got no place to go and no way to support themselves.  It’s kinda like you and me being left to fend for ourselves.  I suppose I’d have to find a job but that would be easier for me than it will be for Elijah.”

Hoss sat up and looked at his brother in surprise. “Why?”

“Because he’s black,” Adam stated coldly.  “Folks don’t give jobs to black folk easy.  They don’t trust, ‘em I guess.   Marie says that in New Orleans Negroes get blamed for everything .  She said how funny it is that the rich folk then let them look after their children as if that’s somehow different and they don’t need to be trustworthy for that.”

They stopped talking as the door was pushed open. Both boys scrambled to their feet and stood facing their father.

“You decided to share rooms?” he asked sarcastically.

“No sir, I came to say good night to Hoss,” Adam replied respectfully, keeping eye contact with his father.

Ben grunted.  “Well, since you are here I might as well speak to both of you at once.”  He turned to Hoss.  “How long have you been hiding those children and deceiving me?”

Hoss swallowed hard but managed to explain how he had found Maisie and what had happened since.

“So the mine shaft was your idea,” he swung around on Adam.  “How long have you been going up there?”

“We went up every day to take them food,” Adam replied deliberately misunderstanding his father’s question.

“I meant how long have you known about that mine shaft and been visiting it?”  Ben replied his voice hardening at Adam’s evasion.

Adam shrugged and looked at Hoss.  “Three or four years, I guess,” he admitted. “Ever since it was abandoned.”

Ben’s jaw dropped.  “And how many times in those years have you been told to stay away from the mine workings and from Washoe diggings?”

Adam had no answer and stared at his boots.

“You must know how dangerous it is.  Well, you do now,” he thundered making Hoss jump.  “I ought to take a strap to the pair of you.”

Adam almost sighed with relief.  If Pa was saying ought to then he had no intention of doing it.  Long years of listening to such lectures had attuned him to such nuances.

Ben turned back to Hoss “Why didn’t you tell me about Elijah and Maisie when you found them?”

“I thought you’d give them back to those men,” Hoss said quietly, his voice muffled as he dropped his head to his chest.

“And what did you propose to do with them?”  Ben placed his hands on his hips and glared at his son.

“L…look after them,” Hoss stuttered.  “Like a Good Samaritan,” he added hoping that would gain sympathy.

Adam stifled a chuckle and almost choked as he saw his father raise an eyebrow at this remark.

Ben leaned in toward Hoss making him step back in alarm.  Adam held his breath if Pa thought Hoss was being insolent, nothing would save his brother from that tanning.  Hoss’s expression remained totally innocent and Ben glared at him but relaxed a little.  Adam breathed again.

“Yes.  Well, you couldn’t look after them, could you?” he said, finally, his voice quieter now.  “I think both of you should consider yourselves confined to the yard with the yard chores to do for the next week.  You will also apologize to Hop Sing about the food.”

Adam jumped in quickly before Pa could say anymore.  “Yes, sir.”

Ben nodded and turned to go.  “Adam, get back to your own room and get ready for bed and leave your brother to get to sleep.”

Adam moved to follow his father and was surprised when Ben turned back again,  “And make no mistake, I’d better not find you’ve been back to those mines or you’ll get that tanning I mentioned,”  Ben said sternly.

Downstairs Marie was waiting for him.   “Everything all right?” she asked as he dropped into his chair and fished for his pipe.

“Yes, I think so.  I’ll talk to the judge over in Carson City tomorrow and see what I have to do to get Elijah his papers free and clear.  Then all he’ll need is a job.  It won’t be easy to find him one but I’ll try.”

“You could offer him one with us for a while,” she said softly.  ‘Maisie needs some loving and I…” she faltered.

“And you would like a little girl to spoil,” he finished, knowing she was thinking of their loss.  “All right, I can’t fight everyone.  I’ll get Jake to find him some chores for him to do until he’s stronger and he can move into the bunkhouse.  Maisie can stay in the guestroom for a while.”

“Will the men accept him in the bunkhouse?”  Marie queried, her eye”’

“Pretty special sons, too,” she added. “I mean, if it hadn’t been for Hoss being a good…”

“Good Samaritan,” Ben laughingly finished for her.  “Yes, he’s already told me that.”  He got up and moved to her chair putting his arm around her he kissed her cheek.  “They are pretty special, aren’t they?” he said, glancing up at the staircase.

THE END