{"id":1009,"date":"2008-07-16T17:41:18","date_gmt":"2008-07-16T21:41:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=1009"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:12:21","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:12:21","slug":"the-sacrifice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=1009","title":{"rendered":"The Sacrifice (by DBird)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0<\/span>Cartwright relationships are threatened, when Hoss is suspected of murder and Ben is the sole eyewitness. \u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Rated K+\u00a0 (14,845 word)
\n<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Sacrifice<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\n

\u00a0<\/span>It wasn’t easy, being the son of a righteous man.<\/span>The thought had occurred to Adam Cartwright from time to time, and that afternoon was no exception. He’d spent a long week working with his brothers, riding the herd and cutting out stock to fulfill his father’s contract with the buyer in Sacramento. Ben Cartwright had promised the best of the herd, and therefore nothing but the best would do. No papers had been signed. It was a typical business agreement, sealed with a handshake and a decanter of his father’s best brandy. A man’s word was as good as any legal document, and Ben’s word counted for more than most. He held himself to the highest moral standard, and he expected his sons to do no less.\u00a0<\/span>Sweat dripped down Adam’s forehead and into his eyes. He wiped it away impatiently. He’d been waiting for Little Joe to return from town for the better part of the afternoon. He honestly didn’t know what he’d been thinking when he sent his kid brother. Joe was a poor choice for rounding up a dozen drovers who were likely drunk and disorderly from too much time in town. It didn’t take much imagination to picture him warming a cot in Roy Coffee’s jail for joining along with them. However, Hoss was supposed to have come back with him, and it wasn’t like Hoss to dawdle when he knew how much work still needed to be done.<\/span>“What could be taking him so long?” Adam muttered.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Adam! Adam!”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam heard his younger brother hollering at him before he saw him, as Joe came pounding in at a hard gallop. To his immense irritation, Adam noted that Joe was alone. No drovers in sight. No sign of Hoss. Just Joe, swinging down from his poor, lathered horse, consumed with whatever drama had kept him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam crossed his arms so he wouldn’t be tempted to use his fists, decking his little brother.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Don’t tell me. There was a little blond who told you that you were the only one… all I can say Joe is that I hope she was pretty damn nice to look at, if she kept you – “<\/span><\/p>\n

“Stop it, Adam – you don’t understand!” Joe blurted out, grabbing hold of him. “We’ve got trouble. Something’s happened, Adam.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Immediately, Adam’s annoyance faded away, when he realized that Joe was sincerely upset. Whatever his shortcomings, his younger brother generally told the truth and was terrible at hiding his emotions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Is it Pa?” Adam asked, sounding a whole lot calmer than he felt inside.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe shook his head, trying to catch his breath. Sweat dripped through his hair and down his face, leaving dusty trails on his cheeks.<\/span><\/p>\n

“No, it’s not Pa,” he panted. “It’s Hoss. Something happened in town. A murder. They’re saying Hoss might be the one who done it. Pa said to come and bring you with me right away.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Fear hung over his kid brother. Joe was awash in it. Adam placed his hands on his brother’s slim shoulders to settle him down and could feel him shaking. Whatever had happened in Virginia City was serious. Joe was scared, and he wasn’t one to scare easily. He tried to make sense of what Joe was saying, tracing the morning’s events in his mind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben and Hoss had gone into town before dawn to purchase the camp supplies and select the saddle horses for the remuda. All of the hands had already been hired and were waiting in town. Normally, Adam would have been the one to take care of last minute details with their father, but Hoss was dead set on going into town. He said he had his own business to attend to, which was a strange thing for Hoss to say, but Adam shrugged it off at the time. He’d agreed to let Hoss go in his place. All morning, Adam and Joe had struggled to do the work of a dozen men, and it didn’t improve his mood to hear Joe swearing over and over that “one damn cow is the same as any other.” Adam didn’t always agree with Pa’s unimpeachable standards any more than Joe did, but he knew enough to be quiet about it. By noon, Adam had succumbed to the heat and to his kid brother’s complaining and had sent Joe into town to retrieve the others.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trying to calm Joe down, Adam took a deep breath and attempted to take control of the situation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Listen to me, Joe,” he said, “I need you to slow down and tell me what happened. What happened to Hoss? Who was murdered?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I don’t really know what happened,” Joe said. Adam handed him the canteen, and Joe gratefully took it. “It was over before I rode in. I didn’t get past the livery before half the town was trying to tell me about it. They found Ned Kramer’s body lying behind the International House. His neck was snapped in two, and they’re saying that Hoss did it.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“That’s ridiculous,” Adam scoffed. “What cause would Hoss have to kill Ned Kramer?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Even as he asked the question, Adam knew one possible answer. A year earlier, Hoss had been sparking Annie Dillon, a quiet young women who most folks expected he’d marry. However, any plans Hoss might have had for marriage had fallen apart the day Ned Kramer came to manage the International House. Annie never gave Hoss the time of day after setting her sights on Kramer. Even with that history between them, the idea that Hoss could murder another man was utterly absurd. Hoss was the most gentle man Adam had ever known. His brother’s heart might have been broken over Annie, but he’d never have hurt anyone else over it. Hoss resorted to violence only when he had no other choice left to him, and it was always in self defense or in defense of others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“I don’t know what cause he’d have,” Joe said, “but Sheriff Coffee seemed mighty convinced that Hoss needs to stay in jail until he could figure out what happened.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Why?” Adam asked angrily. “Because he once sparked Kramer’s girl?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“No,” Joe said, suddenly unable to meet his brother’s eyes. “Because there was an eyewitness who found him with Kramer’s body.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I don’t believe it,” Adam said, his anger mounting. “I’ll never believe it. Let’s go meet up with Pa and get this whole thing straightened out.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“That’s just it,” Joe said, and then Adam heard it. The fact that anger had joined with fear in his brother’s voice. “Adam…. you don’t understand. It’s Pa. Pa’s the eyewitness. He’s the one who’s testifying against Hoss.”<\/span><\/p>\n

**********<\/span><\/p>\n


\nBen glanced over at his young son, Adam. He could hear the baby crying nearby, but he hadn’t finished reading the evening’s Scriptures to his older boy. It was a time he considered sacred, a ritual literally carved out of the exhausting workload of their day.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Out of the well-worn volume, he read, “And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains, which I will tell thee of.”<\/p>\n

Ben put down his Bible and studied his boy’s reaction. It was a disturbing story to say the least, but an important one, and Ben knew that he could not spare difficult stories from this particular son. He looked into Adam’s eyes, but couldn’t say for sure what he saw there. He was a difficult boy to read, so sober at such a young age. He was a boy who’d been confronted by things that men four times his age had not had to face. Adam was the type of child who always knew the right answer, but wasn’t easy to know. He kept his heart well guarded. Hoss was still crying, but the story had to be finished. It couldn’t simply be left there.<\/p>\n

Ben continued until he reached the critical passage, the one that he’d never brought himself to understand.<\/p>\n

He hesitated for just a moment and then he read, “And Isaac spoke unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.”<\/p>\n

Ben felt distinctly uncomfortable, even as his young son stared at him impassively. He wanted to hurry ahead to the ending – the knife frozen in midair, the boy awaiting his fate, the sacrificial ram caught in the thicket, a merciful God providing a way out of the impossible command. The voice of the angel from Heaven calling, “Stop! This was all a mistake!”<\/p>\n

“And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him; for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not witheld thy son, thine only son from me.”<\/p>\n

Ben sighed in relief. He was glad to be finished with the story. It was the ultimate nightmare of any father, being asked to sacrifice one’s own child. No matter how many times he had read it, he hadn’t come close to understanding it. Ben fervently believed in the principle behind the story of Abraham and Isaac.. Obedience to righteousness often came at a terrible cost. He looked for any sign that the boy had been shaken. However, Adam continued to appraise him with dark, unblinking eyes.<\/p>\n

“This is a hard story, son,” Ben said, resting his hand on his boy’s knee. “Do you want to talk about it?”<\/p>\n

Adam took a moment before answering quietly, “No. I think I understand it.”<\/p>\n

“Do you understand what God was looking for?” Ben asked, encouragingly. “Why he was testing Abraham’s faith?”<\/p>\n

Adam turned over a piece of wood he’d been whittling. He ran his finger along the rough edge before answering<\/p>\n

“No,” the boy finally replied. “It’s like God was lying. It makes me feel like I couldn’t trust a God like that.”<\/p>\n

“But, God had no intention of having Abraham sacrifice his son,” Ben protested. “God needed Abraham to understand that he was willing to give up everything to follow Him. That God would make everything right and his faith would be rewarded.”<\/p>\n

“Good thing that angel wasn’t late,” Adam said, quietly. “Might have made for a different kind of story.”<\/p>\n

Adam returned to his whittling, and Ben frowned at the small, inscrutable boy, his features shadowed in the dwindling light.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

**********<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben rested his head against the wall and could smell the whitewash, recently slapped on. Roy prided himself on maintaining a tidy jailhouse. The sheriff had just left to fetch their supper from Milda, who was known to have a soft spot for condemned men. Hoss said he was hungry enough to eat a chuck wagon, but Ben doubted he would be able to find a way to stomach food after the day that had just passed. It was hard to believe that he’d awoken that morning with nothing more on his mind than driving a thousand head of cattle to market. It had seemed so important at the time. Ben knew from hard-earned experience how quickly a man’s life could change. How suddenly it could fall apart. It was why he taught his boys to treat each day with the utmost respect. A man never knew how many days he’d been given.<\/span><\/p>\n

Admittedly, Ben was still reeling from the events of the morning. Waves of memory still lapped back and forth in his mind. Ben had finished ordering supplies at the mercantile and had gone looking for Hoss to help load the wagon. He wasn’t exactly sure where to look. Looking for Joseph, on the other hand, was an easy enough task. All he had to do was follow the swishing skirt and laughter to the nearest saloon, and there he would find his youngest, leaning back in his chair and into a good time. Lately, his boy had been a little too much of a good time, wearing his brothers out, just trying to keep up with him. Adam was also fairly predictable. Dependable Adam could have been found going over the numbers at the bank or might be at the attorney’s office, checking the contract for any details they had missed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With his middle boy, it was different. Ben had no obvious place to start. There was only one thing he knew for sure. He was unlikely to be in trouble. He’d been a pleasure to raise as a boy. With few exceptions, Hoss obeyed without question, helped without being asked, righted wrongs, and cheerfully lived his life under the values by which he’d been raised. So when Ben found Hoss’ horse hitched in front of the International House, he didn’t think much of it. The desk clerk pointed him around back, saying that he had seen Hoss heading in that direction earlier. In the distance it took him to walk from the front desk to the back alley, his world had been turned upside down. Perhaps he’d been guilty of arrogance. There was nothing more dangerous than assuming his job as a father was done.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Pa!” Ben heard Hoss call him from the cell in the back room, and he hurried over to the bars that separated them.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Are you doing all right, son?” he asked. “What do you need? Roy’s gone to get us some supper.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“He sure trusts you,” Hoss said, smiling at that. “I reckon you’re not likely to be staging a jailbreak any time soon.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“This is just a formality, son,” Ben said, uncomfortable with talk of jailbreaks. “Roy doesn’t believe you had anything to do with that man’s death any more than I do. He’s simply holding you until he can sort out what happened.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Although he tried to infuse his words with normalcy, there was nothing normal about the situation they were in. Ben reached through the bars and placed his hand on his son’s shoulder. He could feel the natural strength in his son’s body, honed by a lifetime of hard work. Physically, Hoss was probably the strongest man in the territory but there was no way – no way at all – that Hoss could use his strength for anything but doing good. Even though he knew what he had witnessed, it would be easier to believe that his own eyes had betrayed him. And yet Ben had found him crouched over the body of the smaller man, his hands at the man’s throat. Hoss had jumped when his father approached him from behind, almost appearing to drop the man’s body. Ben had no idea what was going on, but the image was ingrained in his memory – the man’s broken neck, his son’s strong hands…\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben shuddered. He couldn’t help himself, but looked to his son for an answer, as he had all that day. He’d begged and pleaded with his boy to explain the situation. Hoss had been uncharacteristically silent. He refused to say much of anything, one way or the other about what he was doing behind the International House with Ned Kramer’s body. If Ben didn’t know any better, he’d have called him stubborn. Hoss himself went inside the hotel and asked the clerk to send for the sheriff. Ben stood in vigil by the body, gazing at it in true bewilderment for any story it could tell him. Hoss came back the long way around and stood by his father. Side by side, they waited for the law to arrive.<\/span><\/p>\n

By the time Roy made it to the scene, Hoss still wasn’t talking. He just stood against the building, staring down at the man’s body with a palpable aura of regret. Even as Roy led him back to the jail, it almost seemed like Hoss was waiting for someone besides Roy to show up. He kept looking over his shoulder, but Ben dismissed his observation as his nerves talking. Roy immediately questioned both father and son and when Hoss refused to answer, it was left to Ben to describe what he had seen. He had no choice. He’d always done his best to follow the law, and this was no exception. Confused by the whole predicament, poor Roy Coffee declared he had no choice but to arrest Hoss until somebody could tell him what the devil was going on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thinking on that same thing, Ben turned his attention back to his son. Hoss stood before him and hung his hands in his pockets with real regret.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I’m worried about Little Joe,” Hoss said. “He was right riled up, Pa, when he left here. I’m worried about what he may be thinking.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben was worried about that too, but he replied, “He’s concerned about you, Hoss. He wants to get this straightened out, the same as the rest of us. Don’t worry about your little brother. He’ll do as he’s told. Son… please. Isn’t there anything you can tell me that might explain what happened? Why were you in that alley?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss shook his head. “Pa, I done told you. I ain’t gonna talk about it. I’m not trying to be disrespectful, but I ain’t got no choice right now. I gave my word. I’m real sorry, but I just can’t, Pa.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Don’t you see,” Ben asked incredulously, “that you have to talk about it? I saw you in that alley. Unless you’re willing to clear yourself, there’s a good chance I’ll have to testify against you. Hoss, you have to explain what happened. You don’t have a choice!”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I’m sorry, sir,” Hoss said, sincerely, “I’m real sorry, and I’m sorry for upsetting Little Joe. I reckon I do have a choice, and, I know you have to do the right thing too. You gotta tell what you saw, and I trust you. But I gotta do the same. I need you to give that to me, Pa. If you trust me, you’ll leave it alone until it’s the right time. I don’t want to hurt you none, that’s for dang sure.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Exasperated, Ben pulled away and looked out the window. Spires of dust were rising in middle of the street, and the air shimmered in the heat. He had worried about driving the herd in such weather, and yet the cattle drive was now the least of his worries. Dust in the wind. All of his previous concerns had been reduced to that, in light of what they were facing.<\/span><\/p>\n

As the only eyewitness to place Hoss at the scene of the crime, Ben knew his legal choices were limited. Unless he was willing to recant, he would have to repeat that he had found his gentle yet powerful son crouched over the victim’s broken body. Certainly, he could have covered for his son. All he had to do was tell Roy that that he and Hoss had chanced upon the body at the same time, and that the lawman had misinterpreted his report when he’d first come upon them. Everyone knew Hoss’ character, and Ben doubted that such a case would ever get past a judge, let alone a jury. For most men, it wouldn’t have proved to be much of a dilemma. What kind of fool would sacrifice his son for a moral conviction? However, Ben had lived his life by those convictions, they had served him well throughout his life, and he didn’t think he could turn his back on them. He tried one more time to reason with his middle son.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Hoss,” he urged, “all you need to do is tell Roy that you had nothing to do with that man’s death and explain why you were there. Don’t you see you’re getting in the way of him catching who really did it? If you don’t tell Roy, he won’t have any choice but to turn the case over to a judge, and from there it could get out of our control.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I know what you’re saying, Pa, and I want to help. I really do. I just can’t, Pa. Not yet. You gotta trust me,” Hoss said again, his face crumpled and miserable. Hoss hated causing pain of any sort, and Ben knew that nothing bothered him more than believing he was hurting his family.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben said as firmly as he knew how. “I saw you with your hands on the body of a dead man, and I’ve got to testify to that, unless you can provide a better explanation.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Pa,” Hoss said, “I know you’ll do the right thing. I’m counting on it. Things will be fine. I promise you that.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben felt the impact of his son’s faith like a punch in his gut; his innate decency had never failed to move him. Hoss’ face looked like it was carved in pain, for the trouble he was causing. Ben could hardly stand to look. He turned away, just as the front door was yanked open. His other two boys had finally made it back to town.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Hoss!” Joe’s voice could be heard first, but Ben had no doubt that Adam was with him. They rushed into the back room. If Adam was a quiet squall, then Joe was a tempest. Neither had bothered to wash up before coming in. They carried the day’s work with them – dust, sweat, and horses from a desperate ride. He didn’t kid himself. The moment they entered the jail, Ben felt the brunt of their anger aimed directly at him.<\/span><\/p>\n

“What did you get yourself into this time?” Adam strode calmly to Hoss, his demeanor deceptively casual. Ben did not miss the fact that he also walked past him as if he wasn’t there. No doubt about it. Adam was every bit as upset as Joe, although he was better at hiding it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe didn’t bother concealing his outrage.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Why is my brother still here, Pa?” Joe asked, with a tone that would have earned him a talking-to under different circumstances. “I can’t believe that you’re still accusing him!”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I am not accusing Hoss!” Ben felt irritable despite his resolve to hold his temper. Nobody got a rise out of him like his youngest son. “I am simply standing by what I saw and am trying to get your brother to explain himself.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“He shouldn’t have to explain himself if you were backing him like you should,” Joe protested. “For God’s sake, Pa! Tell the sheriff that you made a mistake, and we can straighten it out at home! You’re the only witness, that’s what Roy said – “<\/span><\/p>\n

“Now that ain’t called for, Little Joe,” Hoss scolded, trying to jab his finger at his brother through the bars.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Don’t worry, Hoss,” Adam said. “Let Pa and Joe say their peace, and then we’ll decide what to do next.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I trust Pa,” Hoss said simply. “Little Joe, you oughta know better and do the same. What’s come over you, anyhow?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben tried to put his arm around Joe’s shoulders to reassure him, but Joe ducked out from under his pa’s reach. His face softened as he moved closer to his much loved big brother.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Hoss, I know you didn’t kill that fellow. Pa’s gotta know it too. Just tell us what you were doing there, and Sheriff Coffee will believe you. I know he will.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I’m sorry, Short Shanks,” Hoss said, leaning through the bars to tousle his little brother’s hair. “I know you’re fretting, and I’m right sorry bout that. I can’t to Sheriff Coffee right now, but don’t you worry none. Everything’s going to be all right.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe’s breathing was ragged, like a colt who’d been run too hard. He was barely holding it together, and Ben saw him exchange a hard look with Adam. Both of them, oldest and youngest, turned to face their father. From where he stood, Ben could see a whole gamut of emotions playing out on his youngest son’s face. Joe was an open book to all of them; his desperation to free his brother felt almost visceral in the small room. Adam, on the other hand, was as inscrutable as ever. With a slight frown, Adam could have been puzzling over a column of numbers that didn’t add up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Pa,” Adam began, “let’s go in Roy’s office and sit down. It’s been a long day, and I’m bone tired. So’s Joe. Obviously, Roy trusts you enough to leave you alone with Hoss. Let’s see what we can work out before he gets back.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Immediately, Ben understood the intent behind Adam’s words and witnessed the small, grateful look that Joseph aimed at his older brother. Ben knew what Adam was trying to do, and he didn’t like it.<\/span><\/p>\n

“There’s nothing to work out,” he said, “until Hoss is willing to tell us what happened. He won’t do that, so I’m stuck with telling exactly what I saw.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam glanced at the cell and saw the pained look on Hoss’ face. “We’ll be right back, brother. Just give us a couple minutes. Come on, Pa. Let’s go in Roy’s office.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Like a disciplinarian taking on a recalcitrant child, Adam took his father’s arm and guided him out of the room.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Before he followed, Joe leaned against the bars and whispered, “Don’t worry, Hoss. There’s no way I’m going to let anything happen to you. Believe me on that.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Little Joe – ” Hoss began, but Joe fled the room before he could hear the rest of the warning. He knew very well what his brother was going to say about his promise and had no intention of arguing about it. Hoss had looked after him most of his life. It was time to return the favor. Joe would see to it that Hoss was safe, whether his brother wanted him to or not.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inside the office, Adam was trying to reason with his father, tossing his arguments at him gently, like skipping stones into a stream.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Pa, think about what you really saw,” he reasoned. “You walk into an alley and see Hoss standing over Ned Kramer’s body. What does that really mean? How do you even know what you were looking at?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben sighed. “Adam, all I can tell anybody… Roy…you…Joe… is that I walked into the alley behind the International House and found Hoss crouched over Kramer’s body. He had his hands on the man’s neck when I got there. That’s all I have to tell, Adam. It’s not much, but it’s the truth. Until Hoss gives an explanation, that’s all we’ve got to go on. Son, I’m not going to lie to the law, and I’m not going to perjure myself.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Nobody’s asking you to lie, Pa, and no one’s asking you to perjure yourself,” Adam said. “All I’m asking is that you’re sure of what you saw. I know as well as you do that the light’s not good in that alley with the buildings so close together. Don’t you think it’s possible that you and Hoss got there at the same time, and the shock of finding Kramer’s body got you confused at first? Everybody knows that when things happen so fast, it’s easy to get confused about what’s true or not.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Can you explain to me how your version of events is the truth?” Ben asked grimly, his brow deeply furrowed. “Considering the fact that it didn’t happen that way, your version sounds very much like a lie. Haven’t I told you boys that the law must be respected and followed, even when it’s not convenient?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“This is hardly about convenience! Can you possibly believe that Hoss murdered that man?” Adam asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Of course not,” Ben thundered, “and that’s exactly why I am going to let the law take care of this. I don’t believe that Hoss had anything to do with that man’s death, and I’m sure that this is going to be cleared up in the morning. I have faith that your brother will explain himself, and until then, I don’t intend to take the law in my own hands!”<\/span><\/p>\n

“What about the cattle drive?” Adam asked quietly. “We can’t leave the herd where it is. We’re going to have to move ahead with it.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben considered the point and said, “Charlie can get the drive started with the other men, and we’ll meet up with them on the trail.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“How can you be talking about the cattle drive?” Joe suddenly exploded. “What the hell can a herd of cattle mean to us while Hoss is in danger of hanging?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Both men turned immediately to the youngest Cartwright. He had been standing so quietly in the corner listening to their exchange, that they’d almost forgotten he was there.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Joseph – ” Ben began, reaching for him, but Joe backed off, unwilling to hear him out. He was as upset as his father had ever seen him.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Easy, Joe,” Adam said. “We’re not going to let anything happen to Hoss, but we still need to take care of business. Now, keep your voice down, will you? I don’t want you upsetting Hoss.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben tried not to feel hurt by the fact that Joe managed to calm himself down at his brother’s command, even as he bristled at his father’s. Standing as close as he was, he could sense almost a palpable sense of betrayal coming from the boy. Joe was very close to losing control, and all of them knew it.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Then what about it, Pa?” Joe asked, lowering his voice so Hoss couldn’t hear him. “Are we going to end this now, or are you going to help put a noose around my brother’s neck?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe pushed it too far. The silence between them was terrible and hung over the room like it could swallow them whole. Ben forced himself to count way past ten, before he trusted himself to speak to his son. He kept his hands contained into fists at his side, lest he be tempted to use them. When he finally answered, his voice was dangerously quiet.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Listen to me, Joseph. I want you to get yourself back to the Ponderosa, and I want you to stay there. You hear? You are in no state of mind to do your brother one bit of good, and I’m frankly at the end of my patience. Go on now, and don’t make me repeat myself. Now get!”<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben handed Joe his gunbelt and watched as his son stormed out the door, slamming it behind him. The rafters seemed to shudder in response.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Well, that went well,” Adam said laconically, raising an eyebrow. “All right, Pa, now that Joe’s gone, let’s talk this over.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“I don’t think we should talk about anything right now,” Ben replied firmly. “Once your brother explains himself, this will be over, and we can go back to worrying about the drive.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I should go tell the drovers that Charlie’s the boss until we catch up with them,” Adam replied, just as Roy Coffee nudged the door open with his shoulder, carrying in an armful of baskets.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Howdy, Adam,” he said, setting their supper down onto the desk. “If I’d have known you were coming, I’d have ordered more.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I’m not hungry,” Adam replied coolly, “and I’d like to know why you feel justified in holding my brother.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I passed Little Joe,” the sheriff said, dodging Adam’s request, “and he looked as likely to shoot me as give me the time of day.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Joe will be a whole lot more sociable once you’ve let our brother out of jail,” Adam said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Scowling, Roy appraised the oldest Cartwright boy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“All right, Adam,” he said, “let’s get to talking. I want to let Hoss go as much as you do. But so far, I’ve got a dead man with a broken neck stretched out in Doc Martin’s office, his girl unable to say a word because she’s crying her eyes out, and one eyewitness placing Hoss at the scene of the crime, which happens to be your pa. It doesn’t help none that Annie Dillon used to be your brother’s girl. Hoss refuses to say anything to clear himself. Now, I’ll ask you – what do you expect me to do with what I’ve got to go on?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam sighed and leaned against the door frame. The sun was setting outside, and shadows pooled in the corners of the room. He hoped Joe would make it home before dark but then chided himself for worrying over his brother like he was still a kid. He glanced over at his father again. Whatever Ben had seen, he believed in it. He wasn’t budging from his story; Adam could see that now. He’d always deeply admired his father’s code of morality. He’d always found it honorable and had done his best to live up to it. But now it seemed as archaic to him as Old Testament law and every bit as dangerous.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam had seen too many trials in Virginia City and elsewhere that resulted in an innocent man being found guilty. Trials in the territory had a tendency to move faster than justice could keep up. It would look very bad for Ben Cartwright to be the witness that placed his son at the scene of the crime. In fact, it would be far more damning for Hoss to have his own father accuse him before a jury than if a stranger had pointed him out. There was no possibility of misidentification, no chance of suspicious motives. It occurred to Adam, for the first time in his life, that he might need to think of his father as the enemy if he wanted to help his brother.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Forcing a warmth in his voice that he didn’t feel, Adam said, “Come on, Pa. Let’s go have supper with Hoss. If I’m hungry, he’s got to be starving.”<\/span><\/p>\n

**********<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe was half way down the street before he realized that he had no intention of obeying his father.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nobody was following him, and he wasn’t a kid any more. He could make his own decisions. The moon was rising in the still light sky. It was a waxing moon, and it would be a relatively dark night. It didn’t concern him, because he had no intention of riding home that night. If he went anywhere, it would be with his brother Hoss, riding at a hard run, like the devil was at their tails.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even though he’d kept himself from actually threatening his father, he could still feel the anger churning his belly until he felt sick from it. He didn’t know what they were facing, but there was something about this situation that made him feel ungrounded. Joe understood that Pa thought he was doing the right thing, and yet it made no sense at all. He needed to stop and think, to clear his head, and moreover to tamp down on the terrifying idea that his pa cared more about the law than his brother.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe slipped into the Bucket of Blood and grimly noted all the eyes on him. He stormed to the bar and ordered a drink, glaring around the room to make it clear he’d take on all comers. He didn’t need a whole lot of provocation to make it worth their while. After a time, it was obvious he didn’t have any takers. They all knew Little Joe and liked Hoss. The general consensus around town was already that if Hoss Cartwright killed a man, he must have had a real good reason.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe had started on his third shot of whiskey, when a dance hall girl came along beside him. Her name was Lily, and he’d been taken with her for nearly a month, a long time by Joe’s reckoning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“We all know about it,” she said, “and we’re sorry. We’d all do anything for Hoss.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe’s frown softened just a bit. Her type of beauty was like moonlight on water, and it lightened his mood just to look at her. He reached for her hand and kissed it. She smelled like soap and sawdust all mixed up together.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Thanks, Lily,” he said. “I’ll tell Hoss you’re thinking of him. I know it’ll mean a lot.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Is it true about your father?” she asked. “Is he the witness against your brother?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe’s expression hardened, and he let go of her hand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“It’s true,” he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I just don’t understand it. I know he’s a good man, likely the most decent around. But why would he take a chance of putting someone like Hoss in danger? Ned Kramer was always flirting with trouble. He’d likely have gotten what he deserved, one way or the other.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I know it.” Joe stared down at the table, almost in tears. “Pa thinks he’s doing the right thing. But I know he’ll never forgive himself if anything happens to Hoss. I’m not about to let that happen to either of them.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“What are you going to do?” she asked and leaned in closer.<\/span><\/p>\n

He looked at Lily and realized he should kiss her. It might be the last chance he had. On a normal night, they might have ended up together, collapsed against the bar, laughing and singing off color songs into the early hours of the morning. Yet, it was anything but a normal night. For a moment, he wanted to forget what he was planning to do and stay with her instead. He’d rather spend the night with her than with the demon thoughts about his father that wouldn’t let him alone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe was angry at his pa, furious even, even though he’d been trying to contain it. It wasn’t like he hadn’t gotten mad before. Yet, somehow this was different. Hoss was his brother and his best friend. Joe would have given his life for him, a thousand times over, and he knew his father would do the same for Hoss or any one of them. Ben Cartwright would sacrifice his life for his son, yet it seemed like he was unwilling to sacrifice his principles to save him.<\/span><\/p>\n

What was Joe going to do? Truth be told, he had no idea, and he told her so. Lily smiled and took away his glass just as the barkeep brought the whiskey bottle over.<\/span><\/p>\n

“You’ve had enough,” she chided. “You need to sober up, if you’re going to stay upright in the saddle.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe raised an eyebrow at her. “Am I going somewhere?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Aren’t you?” she countered.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe sighed. He wanted to rest his head on the table and leave it there. He was so tired, and the adrenaline of the situation was beginning to wear off. Maybe Pa was right. Maybe Hoss would come to his senses in the morning and would explain what he was doing there next to Kramer’s broken body. Adam was there with them, and Joe knew the meaning behind the look his big brother had given him. Even though Adam kept his head better than he did, he wasn’t about to see Hoss hang. Joe couldn’t believe that his father would allow that to happen either.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I don’t know,” he replied. “I’m thinking I need to get some sleep before I make any decisions. Pa’s got to know what he’s doing. Besides, it’s not like he saw Hoss kill Ned Kramer. He just saw him next to the body. Hoss and Annie haven’t been together for nearly a year. He was just saying that there’d likely be a wedding between the two, and it sounded like he was happy for them. He got over her months ago. There’s no motive. Hoss isn’t a killer. Everyone knows that.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Lily lowered her voice, even though no one in the saloon appeared to be listening to them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Joe, I know something,” she said. “I’m not supposed to say it, but it might be important for Hoss. Annie…. she… she was going to have a baby. Ned’s baby. He told one of the other girls that he wasn’t too happy about it and was thinking about leaving her.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Up to that point, Joe had been beginning to relax. The whiskey was doing its job, and his anger never stuck around for long. Naturally optimistic, he was prone to think the best of a situation unless he had reason not to. However, with Lily’s revelation, Joe immediately knew what he was hearing – the motive that the sheriff and judge would be looking for. If Hoss had heard that Ned Kramer was planning on leaving Annie when she was going to have a baby, there was no telling how angry he might have gotten. Joe still didn’t believe his brother would have killed the man. He’d stake his life on it not being true. However, Annie’s condition, combined with his father’s testimony, could be enough to send his brother to the gallows. Suddenly, having a judge hear that his father was the eyewitness seemed even more ominous, part of a chain that could set events in motion that would be out of their control. It didn’t take long for a jury to find a man guilty in the territory. In some towns, they started building the gallows before the verdict was in.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Do you think Hoss could have found out about Annie,” Lily whispered.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe set his jaw and pulled his pistol out of its holster, making sure it was fully loaded.<\/span><\/p>\n

“It doesn’t matter if he found out or not,” he said. “This isn’t going to go any further. Nobody is going to lay a hand on Hoss. I’m gonna see to it.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“But your father – ” she began to protest, but he didn’t let her get any farther.<\/span><\/p>\n

“My pa,” Joe said, “is not going to have to make this decision. I won’t let him do it. He’d never be able to forgive himself if he did anything that hurt Hoss.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Would you be able to forgive him?” she asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

He looked up at her, the broken look on his face saying it for him. Lily understood why her friend, barely a man, had already left a trail of aching hearts behind him. She’d have to let the feeling get away from her. It wasn’t a night for falling in love, and she had to get back to work. So did he. Still, she longed to hear his answer.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Could you forgive your father if anything happened to your brother?” she asked again.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I don’t know,” he said, after thinking on it for a while. “I don’t know if I could forgive him.”<\/span><\/p>\n

It was an honest answer, and it lingered in the smoky air of the room, long after he had disappeared into the night.<\/span><\/p>\n

**********<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam paced the length of the jail. The lamp was burning. It was absolutely dark outside. Hoss was asleep in the back cell. Every now and then, Adam could hear him snoring. Even though he was sure of Hoss’ innocence, Adam still found it remarkable that he could get a good night’s sleep, while possibly facing murder charges in the morning. It helped reinforce Adam’s conviction that his brother was innocent. If Hoss had had anything to do with the death of Ned Kramer, his night would be as sleepless as the rest of theirs. He felt his father’s eyes upon him, as he paced.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Why don’t you get your book?” Ben suggested, smiling gently. “I know you packed one in your saddlebag. It might make the night go easier.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam looked at his father and shook his head. Sometimes he felt like his father knew everything about him, and other times, it was like he knew nothing at all. As it was, Adam was worried that he knew his father too well. Ben Cartwright was convinced that the truth would win out in the end. That was partly what Adam was worried about. All night, he had wrestled with a piece of the truth that he would have liked to keep to himself. He doubted he had a choice in the matter. When it came to light, it just might force his hand. If he’d been worried before, his concern had since turned into something else altogether.<\/span><\/p>\n

Annie Dillon was going to have a baby. Doctor Martin had quietly handed Adam that information when he had gone by himself to the doctor’s office to try and find out more about Ned Kramer’s death. The information was intended for his father. It was a favor from one old friend to another, and Adam knew it would reach his pa sooner or later. However, for some reason, he wanted to hold off as long as possible from sharing it with either his father or the sheriff. Roy’s guard was down, because he didn’t really believe Hoss had anything to do with it. There wasn’t a motive, as far as the sheriff was concerned. As soon as he found out about Annie’s condition, all that would change. There was no way that the baby belonged to Hoss. Adam was sure of it. There was every likelihood that the baby was Kramer’s, but it was entirely possible that Hoss had found out about it. He remembered how determined Hoss had been to get to Virginia City. A jury might ask if Hoss had gone into town to hunt down Kramer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam knew where that information could lead a jury. He didn’t know where it would lead his pa.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Too late for reading,” Adam said, answering his father’s question. “Besides, that lamp would do in my eyes. Pa, we really need to talk.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Adam, I really don’t think we should talk about this, until Hoss is ready to tell us what happened. He asked me to trust him, and I do.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“But you’ll testify to a judge if it comes to that,” Adam said, keeping a careful eye on the door to Roy’s bedroom, carefully left ajar. He’d confiscated their guns before turning in for the night.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“We are nowhere near any talk of testifying,” Ben protested. “It’s highly unlikely this will ever go to trial. The only information I can give is what I saw. Surely, you know that’s not enough to convict your brother. Roy is simply not taking any chances. You know how he likes to handle things so every possibility is investigated. Roy’s only trying to protect your brother from being incriminated later.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“It’s not that simple, Pa!” For a moment, Adam envied his little brother his wild displays of emotion. He was so tired of keeping himself together. “You’re the only one who saw anything. Nobody would fault you if you let this all go away.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“You want me to make this go away,” Ben repeated. “Son, do you really take the law so lightly?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Lightly enough that I won’t sacrifice my brother’s life to it.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben started to answer but was interrupted by the softest noise outside. He glanced meaningfully at his son. Neither had their guns nor were prepared to hold off any self-appointed vigilantes. However, it seemed unlikely that anyone would be motivated to stir things up at that time of night. As far as Adam could tell, few people were all that riled up over Kramer’s death. He had been a vain, haughty sort of man, while Hoss was well liked by just about everyone. Nobody was eager to see Hoss Cartwright’s life taken at the end of a rope for Kramer’s sake.<\/span><\/p>\n

“We need to wake up Roy,” Adam whispered. “Get our guns back.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“No, wait. Let’s not do anything we’ll regret. No guns. Not yet.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben crept to the window, keeping his head low, trying to see out in all that darkness. At that moment, the door flew open and Joe launched himself through it, his gun drawn and ready.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Joseph,” his father roared. “What in tarnation do you think you’re doing? I told you to go to the ranch!”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Little Joe?” Hoss’ sleepy voice called from the other room. “Are you back? Watcha doing? It’s awful late!”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Stay where you are, Pa,” Joe warned. “I’m dead serious that I’m not going to let this happen.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Before Ben could answer, Roy stumbled into the room, half awake, carrying his holster with his gun still in it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“What’s the ruckus all about?” he asked, obviously exasperated, and then he saw Joe holding his gun. “Now see here, Little Joe… this is a real bad idea.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I know that Sheriff, but it’s the only idea I got,” Joe said. “Now put down your gun, and go stand next to Pa.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Little Joe Cartwright, I’ve known you since you had colic! You ain’t about to shoot me, and you know it!”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Roy’s commentary was cut short when Joe cocked the hammer. He moved in and out of the dark like a shadow.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Joe! Little Joe!” Hoss hollered from his cell. “I don’t know what you’re planning, boy, but I ain’t going along with it. This is a fool thing you’re doing!”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Hoss, you’re not gonna stop me,” Joe hollered. “I know you didn’t kill anyone, and I ain’t gonna let this go any farther!”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Joseph!” Ben hissed before he lowering his voice. “Son. This isn’t necessary. Everything will work out without you doing this.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I guess I don’t have your faith in justice, Pa,” Joe said. “I’m doing this for your sake, as well as Hoss’.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“How so, boy?” Ben asked, moving closer. “How can ruining your life be for my sake?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Pa, you believe that if you do the right thing, everything will be all right.” Joe’s voice was little more than a sob. “I know what stake you put in it. But what if the right thing is really the wrong thing? Oh Pa, we can’t take this in front of a judge with you saying you saw Hoss. We can’t take the chance of what it might come to.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Now you listen to me, Little Joe,” Roy said, taking a step forward. “This stunt’s gonna land you in a whole heap of trouble. You could go to prison for this sort of thing, and I’m not talking about jail here in Virginia City!”<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe stepped back and fired at the ground, near Roy’s feet. The smell of gunpowder filled the air, and the room echoed with the gun’s retort. Outside, late night revelers were firing their guns into the starry sky. In the typical drunken nightlife of Virginia City, Joe’s single shot wouldn’t attract much attention. But inside the jail, all eyes were fixed on him. Joe had made his point. He was dead serious, and he aimed to free his brother.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Little Joe, please don’t do this,” Hoss pleaded from his cell, a desperation rising in his voice that he hadn’t shown for himself. “You’ve got it all wrong. This ain’t what I’m waiting for. I can’t let you do this!”<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss was waiting for something. It was a strange thing to say, but Ben didn’t have time to question it. He needed all his focus for the wayward son who stood in front of him. He knew his boy – inside and out – and he was far more worried about Joe’s fear than he was about his anger. Joe’s temper was legendary, inside his family and around the territory, but it was never long lasting. His fear made him far more unpredictable. For the first time since he’d found Hoss, Ben began to doubt himself. If Joe was this unnerved, he must have a good reason.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Son, let’s talk this out,” Ben urged, keeping his voice low and easy, as if soothing a frightened child back to sleep. “I know you’re angry with me. I can see that, and I don’t blame you for it. You’re worried about your brother, and you have a right to be. But we’ve been through worse, boy, and things have always – “<\/span><\/p>\n

“Don’t you see Pa?” Joe asked, crying despite his determination to keep himself under control. “Things don’t always work out. I’m sorry for this, but I’d rather have you hate me than yourself. Sheriff, I need you to take your keys and unlock the cell. I don’t want to fire this gun again, but I’m a good shot and I know how to aim and not kill you. I don’t want to hurt you. I just want my brother.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Off to the side, Adam was watching the situation unfold with profound attention. His choice was a weighty one. A logical man, he realized what his choices were almost before Joe had time to aim his gun. Joe was right on one account. There was no way they were going to let Hoss hang for something he didn’t do. He believed that Hoss was innocent, and he knew his father felt the same way. His pa had been calm about Hoss’ situation, and yet all that assurance was completely gone, as his youngest son stood in front of them, ready to throw his own life away. Part of Adam was tempted to throw in his lot with Joe. However, something about the situation was wrong. He needed to stop Joe, if nothing else to buy them some time to figure out why Hoss wasn’t talking.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam moved before Joe had time to react. He threw himself on his kid brother, knocking them both to the floor, and Joe’s gun went off when it hit the ground. Joe let go of the weapon but fought back hard, slamming his knee into his brother’s ribs and twisting out from under him. Adam was still stronger than him and got in a couple blows before Joe had time to deflect them. Just as Joe lunged for his gun, Adam landed a sharp blow to his jaw, knocking him back again. Adam felt Roy grabbing for him, even as he watched Ben reach for Joe, restraining him in a tight hold.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam shook off Roy, saying, “It’s all right. It’s over.”<\/span><\/p>\n

In his father’s arms, Joe looked small and utterly defeated. He glared at his older brother, angry and betrayed, but Adam shook his head ever so slightly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam leaned close and whispered in his ear, “Not yet. Wait for me to tell you when.”<\/span><\/p>\n

He backed up, as Joe’s defeated expression turned into confusion and then to curiosity. Finally, he nodded. Adam sighed in relief, while holding his bruised ribs. He’d gotten through to him. If his big brother had a plan, Little Joe Cartwright was with him all the way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben felt his own body trembling from head to toe. He didn’t know whether to keep holding his boy or thrash him. As it turned out, he had time for neither. By the time he had run his hands over Joseph’s face and reassured himself that he was all right, Sheriff Coffee had retrieved his gun and was making it clear that it was time for Little Joe to join his big brother in the cell. Ben had to let his son go. He didn’t miss the fact that his old friend intended to put Joe in with Hoss, even the adjoining cells were empty. It was a small blessing, but Ben was grateful to the sheriff for that.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Sheriff Coffee unlocked the cell, Joe turned and quietly pleaded with his father. “Pa, don’t do this. Think about what you could be sacrificing. This is Hoss we’re talking about, not some high and mighty moral code.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Joseph,” Ben urged, cupping his hand against his son’s cheek. “Please, listen to me. You’re not thinking clearly right now. It takes very little effort for a man to walk foolishly, but it comes at a great cost. I know your heart is in the right place, but you’ve made a very foolish decision.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe pulled away, and Ben started to reach for him again, but Adam took hold of his father’s arm. “Let him be, Pa. He’ll be safer in here. He’ll calm down, and Hoss can look after him.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Reluctantly, Ben watched as Joe stumbled into the cell. Hoss immediately pulled his little brother into a fierce hug. Then he pulled away and shook him a little.<\/span><\/p>\n

“You dadburned knucklehead!” Hoss scolded, “What did you think you was doing, anyhow?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam couldn’t hear Joe’s answer, but noted that he didn’t pull away either. Hoss ruffled his brother’s hair and then shoved him onto the other cot. No doubt Joe would get the talking-to he deserved and would have no choice but hear it. He was in good hands. Nobody looked after Little Joe like Hoss.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam turned to his father, who stood outside the cell, deeply troubled. The sun was beginning to rise already, filling the jail with dubious light. It had been a long, hard night, but Adam knew what he had to do next.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Pa, let’s go to Milda’s restaurant and get a cup of coffee,” he said. “There’s something you need to know.”<\/span><\/p>\n

**********<\/span><\/p>\n


\n“Pa, I’ve got a question.”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

“What is it, Little Joe? It’s way past your bedtime, and I’ve put you back to bed five times already. I only have so much patience, and you’ve used up most of it.”<\/p>\n

“But Pa, I’ve got something to ask you. It’s real important.”<\/p>\n

“All right,” Ben sighed, “go ahead and ask. But then you’re going right back to bed, you hear?”<\/p>\n

Ben looked down at his youngest son’s face. He was six years old and too full of questions to waste his valuable time sleeping. It was an exhausting task raising this last child, with Marie gone, and when Ben was tired, he put the boy to bed, whether or not he was ready to go to sleep. However, on that particular night, the little boy looked truly worried. Experience told his father that something was really bothering him this time. Ben leaned down and pulled him onto his lap, glad that Hoss was already upstairs and Adam was still out with friends. Despite being bone-tired from his day, it was a pleasure to have a single moment with one boy at a time.<\/p>\n

“You see, Pa, I can’t stop thinking about it,” the little boy began, “and I need you to tell me again so I can get it out of my mind.”<\/p>\n

Ben knew right away what was coming next. “Son, are you worried about that story again?”<\/p>\n

Little Joe nodded. “Can’t stop thinking about it, and I need you to tell me again.”<\/p>\n

“Little Joe, I’ve told you again and again that God only told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac to test his faith. God would never have actually let him do something like that.”<\/p>\n

“But how do you know?” Little Joe asked.<\/p>\n

“Faith, son,” Ben answered. “It’s all about faith. God is good and would never have allowed such a thing to have happened.”<\/p>\n

“Pa, if you was Abraham and I was Isaac, and God told you to sacrifice me, would you do it?”<\/p>\n

Ben felt his heart drop again at the dreaded question from his difficult, difficult child. He had long since regretted the day he had read Little Joe the Biblical story about Abraham and Isaac, but he’d had no idea it would have made such an impression. It had gone over rather well with Adam and Hoss, but this was a different child altogether. The boy had become obsessed with the story, begging him to tell it again and again, and asking him the same unanswerable question after each and every telling.<\/p>\n

Once again, Ben tried the same answer he provided every night. “Little Joe, God would never ask me to do such a thing. He only asked it one time and for a specific reason.”<\/p>\n

Joe replied, “I know God would never ask such a thing, and I know he did it for a reason. But let’s just say he did. Please Pa, I just wanna get it out of my mind. If God did ask you to kill me, would you do it?”<\/p>\n

Ben leaned his head back against his chair, and raised up his hands in exasperated surrender. Did God really know what he was doing when He made him a father? He gazed down at the sweet little face looking up at him and knew what his faith required him to say. However, he just couldn’t say it. Utterly defeated, he took his son’s small hands in his own.<\/p>\n

Ben answered, “Little Joe, if God asked me to sacrifice you, I wouldn’t do it.”<\/p>\n

“You mean, you’d disobey God?” Little Joe asked.<\/p>\n

Ben couldn’t win, and he knew it.<\/p>\n

“Yes,” he replied. “I’d disobey God.”<\/p>\n

Wide-eyed, Little Joe asked, “You mean you love me more than God?”<\/p>\n

At that, Ben decided it was time for the conversation to come to an end. “I love God, and I love you. And I love God for giving me you. Now, will you please go to bed?”<\/p>\n

Completely satisfied, the boy leaned in for a kiss and launched himself off his pa’s lap, taking the stairs two at a time.<\/p>\n

Little Joe never asked his pa the question again. He’d finally gotten the answer he’d been looking for…<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

**********<\/span><\/p>\n

“Pa, what are you thinking about?”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The question caught him unaware, and he looked up from his coffee and up across the restaurant table at his oldest son. Ben wasn’t sure where the memory had come from or why it had chosen that moment to take over his thinking. He certainly had other things to worry about than a little boy’s obsession over an ancient story. Part of Ben was glad those days were over. Another part still grieved the loss of them. It was impossible to know during the early years of parenting that the responsibility of it never came to an end. He imagined the worrying would only end when he took his last breath of life. There were things that a father couldn’t control, no matter how deep or wide his love. Every wise parent learned that truth, sooner or later.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Just an old memory,” Ben said softly and cleared his throat. “Now what was it you wanted to tell me?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam leaned forward. “Pa, you need to think hard about changing your testimony.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I know that’s what you want, son,” Ben replied. “You’ve been very specific about how you feel about it. But I think that you’re overreacting, and I think that Little Joe’s lost his mind altogether. Even Roy isn’t terribly worried that this is going to go much further. There was no reason for Hoss to go after Ned Kramer.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“There’s something that you and Roy don’t know,” Adam said quietly. “But I think Joe knows it, and it’s why he tried to break Hoss out. Pa, Annie is pregnant, and rumor has it that Ned was the father.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben began to ask, “But what does that have to do with Hoss?” but then he stopped himself, reconsidering.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam continued, “Rumor also has it that Kramer wanted nothing to do with Annie, once he learned she was with child. Pa, what do you think that would have done to Hoss when he found out such a thing?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben suddenly found himself struggling to speak. “Hoss still would never have killed another man. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances were. He simply wouldn’t have done it. I have total faith in your brother.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“You have faith in him, and so do I,” Adam said. “Joe knows he’s innocent too. But what about a judge who doesn’t know Hoss? What would a jury decide? Pa, don’t you see that your testimony might be the thing that tips the balance against him? Can you really take such a chance when Hoss’ life might be at stake?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Hoss is innocent,” Ben said softly.<\/span><\/p>\n

“And innocent men are hung all the time. We’ve both seen it happen.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Both men were quiet with their thoughts for a long time. Ben lifted the coffee to his lips but didn’t taste it. He thought of his middle boy, the one who never demanded his fair share of attention. He had been an agreeable boy to raise, easy to know, and hardly ever in trouble. Whether or not he liked to admit it, Ben knew he had often taken Hoss’ good nature for granted. It was the curse and blessing of being the least difficult child. It was easy to dismiss trouble when it inevitably came along.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, Ben had little choice but to face that Adam was right. Hoss was in trouble, and his own testimony was bound to make things worse. Yet, Ben had never knowingly lied to the law. It went against everything he believed in. He had taught his boys that the way a man lived his life told more about him than anything else. Truth was more important than knowledge or power or gold. If Ben turned his back on the truth, would all his teaching have been nothing but a convenient sham? What was Ben Cartwright willing to sacrifice for the truth? There was one thing he knew for certain. Everything in his being cried out that he try to protect his sons.<\/span><\/p>\n

Across the table, Adam was thinking of other things. He was thinking of chances he wasn’t willing to take. As he sipped his coffee, he also thought of the money he’d wired to an old friend in Indigo Flats, along with instructions to buy three tickets on the next day’s stage. He’d cleaned out his bank account when he heard the news about Annie, meeting with the bank’s owner after the bank had closed. He had then arranged to have supplies packed for a long day’s ride, enough to keep three men fed and satisfied until they were ready to begin their new life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam loved his brother. There was no sacrifice he wouldn’t make for him. He simply needed to know that it was a necessary sacrifice before he went through with it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“What would you have me do?” There was no ignoring the pain in Ben’s voice. “I’ve never lied before the law.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“It would be a sacrifice,” Adam allowed, “but could you do any less for Hoss? Is your righteousness worth that much?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss and righteousness. In all his middle boy’s years, the two had stood, arm-linked together in his mind. Ben refused to believe they were now on opposite sides. If only Hoss would explain himself! He couldn’t say how he knew it, but Ben still felt that Hoss must have had a good reason for not talking. He didn’t know what it was, but Hoss had told him to believe in him. That was something he could do without question. Hoss had faith in him, and he returned that trust whole heartedly. As for Joe… Ben wasn’t so sure that his youngest boy’s trust would be easily mended. Even if he changed his testimony, he had already seen the look of betrayal in his son’s eyes. Ben wasn’t sure when things would be the same between them.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Do you think Little Joe will forgive me?” Ben asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Will you forgive yourself?” Adam countered.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I don’t know if I can. I’ve always held to God’s law, and I’ve expected you boys to do the same.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I know you have, Pa,” Adam said, drinking the last of his coffee, “but there’s a lot about that law that I don’t understand.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben’s testimony rattled in his mind. He felt hollow inside, drained of faith and his convictions. He believed in the truth. He believed in his sons. He believed that justice would ultimately triumph. However, as he gazed into the dark eyes of his oldest son, he wondered if you ever truly came to know another man. Adam would do what he needed to, as he always had. Joe’s emotions would sometimes do him in, and he’d live his life with sin and repentance fighting for equal time. Hoss would seek out the truth. He would try to do the right thing, however difficult. Ben had raised his boys the best he knew how. They’d do what they felt they had to, and he would have to do the same.<\/span><\/p>\n

At that moment, Ben envied Abraham and his heaven-rattling conviction. All the same, he wondered what passed through the patriarch’s mind when he lifted that knife. He wondered if the angels held their breath to see what would happen… Joe had been right about worrying over that story when he was little. Sacrificing one’s child was not part of the natural order of things. A father was never meant to make that sort of decision.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben knew what he should do but didn’t know why he’d been asked to do it. He imagined Abraham felt the same way. Adam was watching him carefully, but Ben didn’t think his son was holding his breath to see what happened.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Let’s go see your brothers,” Ben said. “and I’ll decide whether or not to put down the knife.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Pardon?” Adam asked, frowning.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Never mind,” Ben said, sadly. “It’s an old story. The kind that nobody really likes to hear.”<\/span><\/p>\n

**********<\/span><\/p>\n

When he opened the door to the jail, Adam heard a woman crying. He’d told his pa to go on ahead while he tended to some more business, and Adam could hear Ben’s voice mixing with the others. Roy’s twang rose above the rest, and then he heard the familiar voice of his accused brother, soothing and gentling, like he would with a wounded animal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Something had happened while he was gone, and Adam suddenly had the sickening feeling that he wasn’t in control of the situation any more. His gun was holstered, along with the additional pistol he’d secreted away. He’d decided that the gun might also be needed to “convince” Hoss to come along. If he went ahead with his plan, he was going to rescue his brother, whether he liked it or not. Adam planned to wait out his father’s decision, but not a minute longer. He didn’t want to take a chance on Roy getting tighter on security around the jail, once he discovered that Hoss might have had a motive to go after Kramer. Three horses were waiting in the alley, complete with packed saddle bags, just down from the jail house. If his pa was going to follow through with his convictions, then Adam was going to pursue his own.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He yanked open the door to the cell and was astonished to find Annie Dillon, perched on a chair next to Hoss. She was crying, and the others were obviously trying to comfort her. Little Joe noticed Adam first. From behind the bars, he came over to his older brother. The entire side of his face was blue and swollen where he’d punched him. Adam was sorry he’d hit him so hard.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“What’s happened?” Adam asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Annie’s brought us some… news,” Ben said without turning from her.<\/span><\/p>\n

“It’s all right now,” Hoss said to Annie. “You’ve gone and done the right thing. I knew you could do it.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I didn’t mean for it to happen,” Annie sobbed. “Ned had been drinking all night, and he always got mad when he was drinking. We went outside to the back landing. I tried to stand up to him, just like Hoss told me, and tell him that he’d have to do right by me and the baby. He came at me, and when I stepped away, Ned fell from the rail. I knew he was dead when I looked down. His neck was broken. He was everything to me, Mr. Cartwright. I’d have jumped after him, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“You needed to protect your baby,” Ben answered gently. “It was the natural thing to do.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I’d been talking to Annie about her situationfor a few days,” Hoss said. “I was waiting for her downstairs in the lobby while she was talking to Ned. I reckon I just couldn’t believe a man would walk away from his own baby. I still don’t believe it. It don’t make no sense at all.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“It happens all the time,” Ben managed to choke out. “Selfishness sometimes wins out over love. It’s not always in a man’s nature to do the right thing.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe had been quiet through the whole interrogation but softly asked, “Why’d you do this, Hoss? Why didn’t you tell us what happened right off?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I promised Annie I’d give her time,” Hoss said, placing his hand on his brother’s shoulder, real regret on his face. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am, Little Joe, for putting all of you through this. But she needed some time, and I gave her my word. The whole thing was an accident. Annie warn’t ready for her pa and ma to know… about her condition. She reckoned it would come out as soon as she told what happened. I went down to carry Ned’s body to Doc Martin, and that’s when you came along, Pa. I couldn’t talk about what happened without lying. You know I’d never lie to you, Pa, so I couldn’t say nothing at all.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“What made you come forward, dear?” Ben asked Annie gently, his face lined with compassion for the hard road she was sure to travel.<\/span><\/p>\n

Annie looked up and smiled through her tears. “It was Joe’s girl, Lily. She came to me last night and told me what Joe was going to do. Said I had to come forward, otherwise innocent people were going to be hurt. That I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if that happened. She’s awfully sweet on you, Little Joe. You be good to her.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe blushed and glanced at his pa.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Good work, Lily,” he said, under his breath.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I knew Annie would do the right thing,” Hoss said. “I just didn’t know how long it was gonna take.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“And what if she didn’t come forward?” Adam asked sharply.<\/span><\/p>\n

“You had faith in her,” Ben said, with quiet conviction.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I reckon I did at that,” Hoss said. “Things usually work out for the best, don’t they?”<\/span><\/p>\n

**********<\/span><\/p>\n


\nBen had reached the end of the terrible story, and he looked down at the expectant face of his middle son. The boy had been quiet, while his father read, and unlike Adam, his wonder at the story was all over his face.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

“Did that boy’s pa know what was gonna happen before the angel stopped him?”<\/p>\n

“No. He didn’t know,” Ben replied. “He only knew he was obeying.”<\/p>\n

“Do you think he would have done it?” Hoss asked quietly, fiddling with the lariat he’d been braiding while he listened. “Abraham, I mean… would he have gone ahead and killed his own boy?”<\/p>\n

“I don’t know the answer to that, son,” Ben replied. “I don’t know if anyone can know what they’d do, until they’re placed in a hard situation. I expect that’s why God doesn’t ask many people to make such hard decisions.”<\/p>\n

“God must have loved Abraham a whole bunch,” Hoss said, “to give him a decision like that.”<\/p>\n

And they call Adam the bright one, Ben thought to himself, smiling. He closed his Bible and looked across the yard. He needed to go check on Joseph upstairs in the house. He could swear he heard something breaking all the way from across the yard and wondered why Marie wasn’t watching him.<\/p>\n

“Pa, I got a question,” Hoss said suddenly. “What about his boy? What about Isaac?”<\/p>\n

“Well, he married and had two boys of his own, Jacob and Esau. Now that’s quite a story – ”<\/p>\n

“No Pa, that ain’t what I mean,” Hoss interrupted.. “I wanna know what his boy thought about it. How’d he feel when his pa tied him up like that and raised that ol’ knife right up over him?”<\/p>\n

I hate this story, Ben thought to himself, and wondered, not for the first time, why God saw fit to put the human race through the ordeal of reading it again and again.<\/p>\n

“I don’t know,” he admitted, placing his arm around his own boy’s shoulders. “I can’t imagine what the boy must have been thinking.”<\/p>\n

“I think I know,” Hoss said and smiled with blissful understanding. “You know, Pa, he let his pa tie him up and all.”<\/p>\n

“Do you think so, Son?” Ben asked, wonderingly. He had to admit he’d never thought of that part of the story before.<\/p>\n

“Yep,” Hoss replied. “I knows it. He didn’t fight back none. That boy just waited.”<\/p>\n

“What do you think he was waiting for?” Ben was actually curious about his son’s opinion. “Do you think he was waiting for the angel? For God to stop it from happening?”<\/p>\n

“No sir. He was waiting for his pa to do what was right,” Hoss said. “That’s why he warn’t scared none. He knew his pa would take care of him.”<\/p>\n

“But how could Isaac know something like that?” Ben asked. “What gives a young boy that kind of faith?”<\/p>\n

“He learned how from his pa,” Hoss replied. “I \u2018spect he’d been watching.. God knowed it too. I don’t reckon God would have gone and chosen that boy’s pa, iffen he didn’t know what he was gonna do next.”<\/p>\n

“I still don’t understand,” Ben admitted. “Hoss, I think I’ve read this story hundreds of time, and I still find it upsetting.”<\/p>\n

“It’s all right, Pa,” Hoss said. “If Isaac, warn’t worried, I wouldn’t worry bout it none. That boy was lucky to have a good pa. That’s why folks still talk bout it. It’s a good story, ain’t it?”<\/p>\n

“I suppose it is, son.”<\/p>\n

“Little Joe’s up to somethin’, Pa. It sounds like he’s in Adam’s room.”<\/p>\n

“Well, Adam won’t like that, now will he?”<\/p>\n

And the boy got up and ran back towards the house. His father followed slowly after him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

**********<\/span><\/p>\n

Epilogue<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben sent the drovers ahead with their foreman to drive the herd into Sacramento. His boys were truly incredulous when he insisted the four of them stay behind, but their father waved them off, saying, “Let them take care of it. That’s what they’re paid for. We don’t have that kind of time.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Even with most of the men gone and the month freed up like that, things didn’t go back to where they’d been before. Ben noticed that his middle son stayed almost constantly by his side. Whether out of guilt or regret, Ben didn’t know. Even though Hoss had tried to do right by Annie, he still felt responsible for the rift it had caused between his father and brothers. It did not go unnoticed the way he volunteered for every tedious task that the others avoided. He was trying to make it up to all of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

One evening, Ben came alongside his middle son while he was trying to fix the axel of their old buggy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Son,” he said, crouching beside him, “why don’t you come out from under there? Hop Sing’s got supper ready. He made your favorite, I do believe. Pot roast and potatoes.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Little Joe and Adam home for supper?” Hoss asked, his face scrunched up underneath the rig.<\/span><\/p>\n

“No,” Ben admitted, “they’re not home. Joe’s still in town, and Adam’s coming back tonight. He should have been done stocking those line shacks yesterday, so I expect him home any time.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss pulled himself out from under the rig and sat back on his haunches. “Pa, when do you think they’ll ever get over what happened in Virginia City?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I’m not sure,” Ben said, and uncharacteristically, he sat in the dirt next to his son. “It shook them up quite a bit. It’s only been a month since it happened. Give them time. They’ll come around.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Who do you reckon that they’re mad at?” Hoss asked. “Me or you?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Oh, I think they’re mad at both of us.” Ben smiled. “But probably more me than you.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I’m just about ready to pound some good sense into Little Joe,” Hoss scowled. “Do you reckon he’s getting in trouble again?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I hope not,” Ben sighed. “I believe he’s spending time with that woman again.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“The dancing girl?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Yep. The dancing girl.” Ben could feel his teeth gritting when he thought of it. Joe had a particular way of making choices that kept a father up late at night. “I only hope he’s not seeing her to prove to me that he can. That wouldn’t be very fair to her.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Aw, I don’t think Little Joe would do that, Pa,” Hoss said. “I saw them in the Bucket of Blood, last week. I think he’s right sweet on her. I don’t think it has nothing to do with getting back at you. Not that I think he’d try to get back at you, Sir!”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Oh, he’d very well try to get back at me,” Ben said wryly, and they both smiled. “But I hope you’re right about the girl. Come on in, Hoss. Let’s go eat.”<\/span><\/p>\n

He offered a hand to him and smiled when Hoss went to go clean up. They shared an amiable meal together that got even better when Adam made it home earlier than expected. Ben and Hoss waited at the table for him to finish his supper, and both beamed when Adam proclaimed it the best meal he ever had.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam had been gone for the better part of the week, and Ben had longed for his return. His oldest boy had been perfectly civil over the past month, pleasant even, but that didn’t change the truth between them. A week after Annie confessed, Ben learned all about the emptied bank account from Abel, his loyal, old friend who owned the bank. The poor man had been worrying himself sick over keeping it a secret and had only told Ben about it when Adam didn’t put the money back after Hoss was released.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben chose not to ask his oldest son about the account. He knew exactly what the money had been intended for, but Adam had a right to his own choices, the same as he did. A certain part of him was gratified to know that Adam would sacrifice so much of what was dear to him, for the sake of his brothers. However, Ben breathed a huge sigh of relief the following week when Abel reported that his oldest son came in and put his savings back into the bank. It had taken some time, but apparently Adam had chosen to stay.<\/span><\/p>\n

As always, Joe was a different story. Ben understood his reaction for what it was. His youngest boy felt betrayed by his father’s convictions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Two days after it was over, Ben overheard Joe telling Adam, “If Pa could turn his back on Hoss, he’d turn it on any one of us.”<\/span><\/p>\n

While Ben listened in the other stall, Adam tried arguing Joe out it and might well have succeeded. To Ben, it didn’t matter. The question Joe raised remained the same.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Would you disobey God for me?”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Joseph’s question, a dozen years later, had apparently returned to haunt the boy. Desperately, Ben wished he could make it easy for him, but he knew he couldn’t. Joe would grow up into the man he was meant to be, but he would have to find his own answers.<\/span><\/p>\n

That night after supper, Ben went out to stand underneath the stars and savor his coffee. Joe hadn’t yet returned home, and Ben tried to keep his heart from worrying over him. As he always did at such a moment, he stared up at the night sky and marveled at all he didn’t understand. Ben was grateful that he didn’t know what the days ahead would bring. A man wasn’t meant to know such things, and Ben was grateful not to have any hard decisions for the moment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben startled when Adam suddenly appeared beside him. His oldest son was like a cat. You never knew when he was hurt, and you didn’t hear him coming unless he wanted you to.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben smiled at that thought and placed his arm around his son’s shoulders.<\/span><\/p>\n

“It’s a beautiful night.” he said. “I’m glad you’re home, son.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“They’ve had good weather for the drive,” Adam said. “Have you heard anything from Charlie?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben took a long sip of his coffee. “Not a word. I’m not worried. We hired good men this time. They can handle things.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“We should have taken the cattle to market ourselves,” Adam said abruptly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben looked at him in surprise. “That’s not what you were saying in the weeks before the drive. I’d have thought you’d be glad to put it on anyone else’s shoulders.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“It was our responsibility,” Adam said. “You gave the Cartwright name as guarantee, and we should have been the ones to back it up.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Adam,” Ben said gently, “this isn’t about protecting the Cartwright name. You know that.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Then, what is it about, Pa?” Ben could almost hear the pleading in the young man’s voice. His unknowable son was letting his guard down. “Can you please tell me what this is about?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Hoss understands what I had to do,” Ben said. “He doesn’t hold it against me.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Hoss understands,” Adam hissed. “Of course Hoss understands! You and Hoss both made your decisions, regardless of what it almost cost us. Don’t you know that Little Joe could have gotten himself killed that day? Have either of you weighed that small fact against your convictions? The two of you scared the hell out of him!”<\/span><\/p>\n

“And you?” Ben asked softly. “Did we scare you?”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018And me,” Adam admitted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The father and son stood quietly for a moment, watching the moon hover over the dark edge of the treeline. For the first time in weeks, the silence that followed felt companionable and not awkward. Stars were falling all around them. A particularly dramatic one plunged towards earth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Well, that was something,” Adam said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“It sure was,” Ben replied, shaking his head in the wonder of it.<\/span><\/p>\n

“You think Joe will be back by morning?” Adam asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I don’t know.” Ben tried a sip of coffee, but it had grown quite cold. “He’s seeing that woman.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Her name is Lily.” Adam gave his father a wry smile. “She’s actually very nice. You should invite her to supper. That would bring Joe around, more than anything.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I might just do that,” Ben said, and decided right then and there that he would pay a call the following morning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“One more question, Pa.” Adam said. “What would you have told Roy if Annie hadn’t confessed what happened?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Ah, the question! Ben had been waiting for it, but it surprised him, coming in off-center like that. As usual, Adam had caught him by surprise. Ben thought back to the ancient story – the knife poised in midair over the boy, the ram waiting in the wings, next to the thicket, a willing sacrifice. He gazed at his own son, more vulnerable than he’d been as a boy, and he shrugged sadly.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I don’t know,” Ben said. “I honestly don’t know. God only knows what I would have done, and maybe that was the reason for staying my hand.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam studied his father, before finally looking away. After a moment, he said, “I think I’ll go inside and see if Hoss is up for a game of checkers.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The two men smiled at each other, and Ben watched as his son headed inside. There were times, over the years, when he’d felt entirely inadequate as a father. There were other times, when he felt like he’d been born for the task, as if it were a matter of destiny and not his own free choice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What would he have decided? Who really knew in the end? Ben cast up his choices to the heavens and looked back to his feet on the ground, grateful to have his boys in better hands than his own.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Before he followed Adam, Ben stopped for a moment to check that the lamp on the stand had plenty of fuel and that the wick was still trimmed. He wanted to be certain that the lamp would keep burning to help his boy find his way home. His convictions hadn’t failed him yet. Joseph would be riding in sometime during the night. Ben was sure of it.<\/span><\/p>\n

THE END<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Disclaimer:<\/span>\u00a0All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0Cartwright relationships are threatened, when Hoss is suspected of murder and Ben is the sole eyewitness. \u00a0<\/p>\n

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