{"id":10705,"date":"2015-03-12T11:48:04","date_gmt":"2015-03-12T15:48:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=10705"},"modified":"2025-02-18T19:10:56","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T00:10:56","slug":"the-triple-cord","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=10705","title":{"rendered":"The Triple Cord (by Krystyna)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/strong>:\u00a0 Joe insists on accompanying Ben to Boston to attend the funeral of a long-time friend; only to become separated shortly thereafter.\u00a0 This is story of fate, perseverance, and a family’s love.<\/p>\n

Rating<\/strong>:\u00a0 K+\u00a0 (15,950 words)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Triple Cord<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The funeral of Captain Duncan McLeish was well attended by friends and family.\u00a0 Over fifty people crammed themselves into Mrs. McLeish\u2019s parlour and bemoaned his loss. \u00a0 Ben Cartwright stood out amongst them just as much as a Ponderosa pine would effectively do in an orchard of apple trees.\u00a0 Tall, tanned and at ease in his own skin, Ben mingled amongst the gathering comfortably.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It had taken quite a lot of time to get to McLeish\u2019s funeral. \u00a0 The town in which it was being held was a 2 day train journey from Boston, a sprawling metropolis to Little Joe Cartwright who had insisted on travelling east with his father.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone has to make sure he gets there safely,\u201d he had argued to his brothers, who had nodded and smiled indulgently as they agreed that he was right, of course.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As Adam said later to Hoss, the kid needed a break; \u00a0a change of lifestyle and climate. \u00a0 Ben had later promised that they would visit old friends in Boston, which had the effect of adding further excitement to the adventure for Joe. \u00a0 Adam had glowered and smouldered for a while but accepted the fact that it would broaden Joe\u2019s horizons to see the old city.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Now here they were in the late Captain McLeish\u2019s old house with some of Ben\u2019s old friends from the days when he was a seaman.\u00a0 They had given Ben a firm handshake in greeting, their weather-beaten faces ruddy from sea and storm. They had greeted Joe warmly, welcoming him as the son of an old companion.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Captain McLeish\u2019s grand-daughter was a pretty green eyed slip of a girl with bright auburn curls teasingly kissing her brow.\u00a0 As she walked around the room with trays of food which she offered to the guests, her eyes drifted over to the young man who stood by the door.\u00a0 A handsome youth who looked poised for flight.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad you came,\u201d she said when she eventually reached his side, looking up into hazel eyes and then hastily lowering her own as a slight blush mantled her cheeks.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPa insisted on coming.\u00a0 He had fond memories of sailing with your grandfather.\u201d \u00a0Joseph replied and softened the words with a smile which made the green in his eyes twinkle as he looked at her with obvious admiration.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I\u2019m sure he did. \u00a0 Grandpa was always talking about Ben Cartwright.\u00a0 He was quite annoyed with him for going to Captain Stoddard.\u00a0 But I believe there was more than one reason for his doing so,\u201d now it was her turn to twinkle her eyes up at him and she smiled.\u00a0 A dimple appeared in one cheek.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean Pa\u2019s interest in his daughter?\u201d Joe sipped some of the wine and nodded, “Yes, I guess you could be right about that, she was a real pretty lady from the picture I’ve seen of her.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMy father was quite enamoured of her, you know.\u00a0 And you’re right, she was considered quite a beauty.\u201d she looked over at the gathering of friends and old acquaintances, “Grandfather was hoping for a match there too, but more for business reasons than romantic ones.” she looked at him again with renewed interest “But she wasn’t your mother, was she?\u00a0 You look too young \u00a0….”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo, she wasn’t my mother.\u00a0 She died when my brother, Adam, was born.” \u00a0He swallowed more of the wine and sighed, “Not exactly the cheeriest conversation to have at a funeral, sorry.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Oh, no, don’t be…it was my fault, father always says I ask too many questions for my own good.” \u00a0she turned to face him and smiled once more, the dimple in her cheek flashed and she took his empty glass and carried it to a table, he naturally followed her after all she was the only one of his age group there, and not only that, she was an extremely attractive young woman..\u00a0 She leaned towards him, \u201cWhen did you actually arrive here?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cEarly this morning. \u00a0 We came straight here from the hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cOh, that means you haven\u2019t been shown the sights yet then?\u201d she blinked once or twice, fluttering her long eyelashes and appearing thoughtful and coy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I think Pa intends for us to stay a week here, then travel on to Boston for a few days.\u00a0 He wants to visit old friends there,\u201d Joe took a nibble at a biscuit and frowned slightly, \u201cIt\u2019s never much fun looking around anyplace on your own though.\u00a0 You need to be with someone who lives there ..or here\u2026to enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cOh yes, I know,\u201d she sighed and looked around the assembly as though seeking someone upon whom she could rely to perform the task.\u00a0 Then she looked again at him, \u201cI could show you.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCould you?\u201d Joe replied eagerly, perhaps too eagerly and too loudly as people turned to stare at him before they resumed their own business, \u201cThat would be great.\u00a0 I\u2019m Joe Cartwright, by the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI know,\u201d she smiled, \u201cRosemary McLeish. \u00a0 Shall I meet you tomorrow afternoon?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not have lunch first?\u00a0 There\u2019s a fine restaurant on the corner of the street where we are staying.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI know it well.\u00a0 I\u2019ll meet you there at mid-day.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe smiled and nodded. “I’ll look forward to it, Rosemary.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She didn’t reply but her smile was enough to confirm that so would she and as she strolled away to talk to other guests, Joe thought with pleasure of the next day\u2019s company.\u00a0 Perhaps there was going to be some enjoyment in the trip after all, his Pa could spend time with his ‘old’ friends while he could pursue some youthful dalliance of his own; he was smiling to himself rather smugly when his father approached and stood by his side, a glass of wine in his hand and a frown on his face “Are you alright, Joe?”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Sure, Pa, I’m fine.\u00a0 Why’d you ask?” He reached out for a fresh glass of wine and sipped it slowly, searching for a sight of Rosemary among the throng of people around them. .<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Well, I was just a little concerned that you would be bored after all most of the people here are of my generation and I don’t think for a moment that you would find anything they had to say of much interest.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe shrugged, grinned and sipped more wine “Don’t worry, Pa.\u00a0 You just go ahead and enjoy meeting up with your old friends…” his grin widened when Rosemary turned and caught his eye, exchanged a smile and a slight fluttering of the eyelashes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Well, I won’t be much longer,” Ben assured him and catching sight of someone who had served with him on McLeish’s ship strolled over to spend some time with him.\u00a0 Joe watched him with a smile on his face, much like the smile of a proud parent watching his child making a new friend at school and hoping the acquaintance would be a happy one.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was an hour later before Ben finally pulled himself away from the few that remained to give their last farewell to Duncan McLeish; Joe had seen Rosemary briefly more than 30 minutes previously, and confirmed the arrangements to meet the next day with the blessing of her parents, a couple who were still emotionally in turmoil over the loss of a dear parent and confident that the son of Ben Cartwright just had to be a paragon of all the virtues.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rosemary McLeish went to her bed humming a tune beneath her breath and dreaming about the handsome young man she had met, it just showed one should never assume that any social event – such as a funeral – would be utterly boring and without anything worth thinking about because here she was with just about so much to ponder over.\u00a0 She smiled dreamily and closed her eyes .. she had to think about what to wear, what to say, where to take this handsome young man.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben smiled over at Joe as they settled back into the hotel room “I hope it wasn’t too boring for you, son.” he pulled off his black tie and threw it over the back of a chair, then began to pull off his jacket.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“No, it was fine, Pa… I told you already, didn’t I?” \u00a0 Joe muttered and slumped down in a comfortable chair in order to pull off his boots, “Met a pretty girl there…” that was one off, and it thumped down on the floor “Captain McLeish’s granddaughter.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Rosemary?” Ben darted black eyes in the direction of his youngest and frowned “Yes, she is a pretty girl, takes after her mother.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Oh, I didn’t notice.” off came the other boot to be slung down beside the other, he tugged at his tie “She said she’d show me the sights tomorrow.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Oh did she?” Ben frowned a little more, “Just the two of you?”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Well, she didn’t mention anyone else…” \u00a0Joe said slowly “Why?\u00a0 Is it a problem?”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Ermmm, hereabouts it would be frowned on, things aren’t done the same as in Virginia City, my boy.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe grinned and shrugged, he had no intention of anything getting in the way of his enjoying his time with Rosemary.\u00a0 He stood up and stretched “Well, good night, Pa.\u00a0 See you at breakfast.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben nodded and watched his son stroll to his bedroom.\u00a0 At times, he thought, Joseph Francis was just too handsome for his own good, and sadly, he knew it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 2<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright paced the floor anxiously glancing to the clock, to the door and then to the window as though each of these could answer the questions racing through his head. \u00a0 The clock reminded him of the lateness of the hour.\u00a0 The door assured him that his son would come bounding through at any time, apologising profusely for being so late in returning to the hotel.\u00a0 The window reminded him that the hour was late, the sun had set and now stars twinkled along with the street lamps and the lights from many windows lining the streets of the town.He took a deep breath as though in resignation and paused to look down upon the empty streets.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A hansom cab appeared and for a moment his heart beat faster as he anticipated it stopping at the hotel entrance to deposit Joe at the door.\u00a0 The thoughts that passed his mind of the things he would say to the errant youth were fleeting as the cab driver urged the horse onwards and into the distant shadows beyond the lights. \u00a0 The sound of a train\u2019s whistle echoed eerily through the darkness.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is that fool boy?\u201d Ben asked for about the hundredth time that evening.\u00a0 He clasped his hands behind his back and bowed his head so that his chin rested upon the folds of his burgundy dressing gown. \u00a0\u201cHe should have been back here hours ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

His fingers clasped and unclasped in exasperation and frustration.\u00a0 He should never have let him out of his sight earlier that day when Joe had insisted on meeting McLeish’s grand-daughter on his own. \u00a0 Not that Ben had thought much about it at the time for he admired beauty in a girl as much as his son ever would, but now, with hindsight, Ben anguished over his negligence.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a grown man,\u201d he told himself again, and again. \u00a0\u201cHe doesn\u2019t need me to wet-nurse him.\u00a0 He has the right to enjoy lunch with a pretty girl and a ride around the city.\u00a0 After all, this is a once in a life time experience for him and he\u2019d want to be able to tell his brothers about it all.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He had said as much when he had met old friends that evening at a restaurant for supper. They had smoked cigars, drank good wine and eaten a fine meal. Talk had been about old times, ships and storms, of McLeish\u00a0and the subject closest to Ben’s heart, his beloved Ponderosa.\u00a0 This had led them to enquire about Joe\u2019s absence and their agreement that oh yes, had they been young like Joe, they would much have preferred the company of a pretty young woman than that of a roomful of old sailors.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But that had been hours ago.\u00a0 Ben had returned to the hotel expecting to find Joe in their suite of rooms but had found them empty. \u00a0 The Hotel Clerk, upon enquiry, confirmed that he had not seen Joe since the young man had left prior to mid-day. The bass note of a church clock struck two.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben glanced once again at the little ormolu clock that stood on the mantle. Two o\u2019clock had struck, a tinny echo of the bold chime from the church clock. \u00a0 Rubbing his face with one hand, clasping and unclasping the fingers of his other hand, Ben paced up and down anxiously while he chewed on his bottom lip and asked himself once again \u2026 where could the boy be at such an hour?<\/p>\n

……………..<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Twelve hours had passed.\u00a0 Ben Cartwright had listened as Miss McLeish confirmed what the Restaurant Owner had told him some hours previously, there had been no one of the name of Joseph Cartwright at the restaurant the previous day.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI was so annoyed at him not being there Mr. Cartwright, that I didn\u2019t think to come to the hotel and see you about it.\u00a0 I just thought he had decided not to come and being \u2013 well \u2013 not a town person, had not thought of the polite way to send his apologies or excuses.\u00a0 I thought if I came to the hotel and found him here, I would just be so angry with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t even see him?\u201d Ben\u2019s brow had wrinkled and the dark eyes had seem to pierce through to the girl\u2019s heart as he turned the full force of his gaze upon her.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNothing at all.\u00a0 I waited outside for a while, with my friends whom I had thought Joe would find pleasant company, and then we went back inside\u00a0in case he was there and we hadn’t noticed but -” she sighed and had shaken her head, obviously embarrassed at the memory of what had happened after all no pretty woman likes to be left standing, obviously waiting for someone to come who has no intention of arriving. Worst still when in company with friends who had begun to wonder if such a person as Joseph Cartwright actually existed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Back now in the hotel suite and Ben began to fear the worst had happened, he was attempting to collect his fears and worries together and formulate a plan to search for the youth when there was a light tap on the door. Momentarily Ben thought, ‘This is the scamp, lost his key and no doubt expecting me to welcome him with open arms.’ as he crossed the room and opened the door to find the Hotel Manager standing by the side of a uniformed law officer.\u00a0 Both of them looked at him with a measure of gravity that caused Ben\u2019s heart to sink.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cM. Cartwright?\u201d the Hotel Manager stepped forward, followed by the lawman who seemed to be attached firmly to the Manager\u2019s left arm.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u00a0 What\u2019s happened?\u00a0 Has anything happened to my boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Cartwright,\u201d the lawman now spoke and produced a leather wallet, \u201cthis was handed in to us a short while ago.\u00a0 I believe you came to the station to enquire about the whereabouts of a young gentleman?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He stopped as Ben snatched the wallet from him and then, discreetly, kept silent. \u00a0 The sight of distress in such a man was never pleasant.\u00a0 It upset him very much every time he was in such a situation as this one.\u00a0 He sighed and waited for the inevitable questions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhere did you find this?\u201d Ben asked in a voice that trembled no matter how hard he tried to keep control of it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNot far from here, Sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNothing else?\u201d Ben asked, staring at the wallet as though it, and not the policeman, would supply him with the answers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNothing, Sir.\u201d McCarthy cleared his throat, \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“There must have been something?\u00a0 My son couldn’t have just – disappeared?” \u00a0 Ben looked from one man to the other, noticed a discernable shake of the head from the Hotel Manager and a droop of the shoulders from the lawman “Take me to where you found it.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“It won’t do any good, sir.” McCarthy said quietly, “There really wasn’t anything else to be found, just this empty wallet and that had been kicked beneath a bench, it was pure chance that even that was found.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“It doesn’t matter, I still want to see where you had found it.” Ben insisted and grabbed at his coat as he passed the chair towards the door, closely followed by McCarthy who was shaking his head in resignation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 3<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI falter where I firmly trod,<\/p>\n

And falling with my weight of cares<\/p>\n

Upon the great world\u2019s altar stairs<\/p>\n

That slope thro\u2019 darkness up to God,<\/p>\n

I stretch lame hands of faith and grope<\/p>\n

And gather dust and chaff, and call<\/p>\n

To what I feel is Lord of all\u2026<\/p>\n

And faintly trust the larger hope”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright opened his eyes and heard his own voice fading away.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss Cartwright jerked upright and stared about him as though the shock of the roof falling in upon him had been the cause of this sudden unexpected arousal from a deep sleep. His head buzzed and his ears rang and his heart was pumping so fast that it was a wonder the thin fabric of his nightshirt could contain it.\u00a0 He drew in his breath and forced himself to listen. Downstairs someone was moving very stealthily around the main room.\u00a0 Hoss waited until his heart beat had steadied and he thought out who it was who could be creeping around the house at such an early hour. Very carefully he pulled open the drawer of the cabinet next to the bed and drew out a gun. With a steady and determined hand he pulled back the safety catch.\u00a0 Stealthily he tip toed to the door of his room, opened it and with the gun firmly in hand he listened for a moment more. There was the sound, he shook his head and lowered the gun and refastened the safety catch, before going to the head of the stairs<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Adam\u2026what you doing up so early?\u201d he boomed and in the silence his voice bounced off the walls and even made him wince.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are YOU doing up so early?\u201d his brother replied with a slight edge to his voice.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThat ain\u2019t fair, I asked first.\u201d Hoss grinned and came downstairs. Seeing his brother\u2019s eyes fasten onto the gun in his hand he self-consciously brandished it and shrugged \u201cI thought perhaps we had unwelcome guests.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMmm.\u201d Adam frowned and continued to pull on his jacket \u201cSo? What got you up then, Hoss? The call of the stomach?\u201d he asked without even a smile and Hoss frowned. \u00a0 Something, he surmised, was wrong.\u00a0 He shook his head and narrowed his eyes<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on? Where are you going?\u201d his eyes glanced rapidly to the clock, to Adam and to the bureau where only his brother\u2019s hat and gunbelt now remained. Adam shrugged and looked down at his feet, and then at his brother. His brown eyes were thoughtful and he chewed a little on the inside of his cheek as though considering whether or not to reply.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, the fact is, Hoss, I woke up reciting a poem from Alfred, Lord Tennyson, it\u2019s called \u2018In Memorium\u2019 and \u00a0– .\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cShucks, no wonder you woke up with that kinda stuff in yer head.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt jangled my nerves, and I got kinda spooked, you know?\u201d he raised one dark eyebrow and Hoss frowned and nodded,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s kinda odd,\u201d \u00a0he murmured \u201cI woke up feeling as though I were being pulverised by a steam engine.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I got \u00a0– \u00a0spooked.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

They looked at one another and frowned. Adam licked his lips and picked up his hat and looked at Hoss again, \u201cHow long will it take you to get ready?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHardly any time at all.\u201d Hoss replied, Adam nodded as his brother turned and took the stairs faster than one would expect a man of his build capable of moving.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll see if Pa has sent us a cable when we get into Virginia City\u201d Adam said loudly enough for Hoss to hear \u201cthen we\u2019ll cable him, even if he hasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss said nothing but yanked out his shirt and vest and hurried to dress, there was only one thought hammering through his brain at that moment and that was that, somewhere, their little brother needed their help.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Downstairs, impatiently waiting for his brother’s return Adam paced the floor in a similar manner to his father so many miles distance.\u00a0 How could anyone explain something as irrational as ‘a feeling’? \u00a0 How could anyone explain when a feeling was so strong that it pulled one to action, a conviction that drove a person to do something, anything, to protect those they love?\u00a0 Was it blood calling to blood?\u00a0 Did that explain it?\u00a0 The fact that Hoss had felt the same compulsion at the same time must surely account for something, must surely explain the possibility that rationality didn’t enter into the matter of a bond that existed between brothers … could it?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He looked up as Hoss came downstairs “What kept you?” he growled and then turned towards the door only to be confronted by an irate figure in a voluminous nightgown holding a candle in his hand, the flame of which flickered and caused his face to look like some macabre death head.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Where you go?\u00a0 Why all noise for?\u00a0 What happen?”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hop Sing glared from one brother to the other, his black eyes glinting as the candle flame reflected upon them, Adam glanced over at Hoss who was now busily buttoning up his old brown coat, then he looked at Hop Sing “We have to check something out, Hop Sing.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Yeah.. make sure Little Joe is alright.” Hoss muttered as he stretched out a hand to pick up his hat.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hop Sing scowled “Liddle Joe with Mr. Cartwright, he alright, no good you go now, you have water hole clean out, fence put in, calf to brand…you not get out of work so quickee quickee…no excuse now…you stay put.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Sorry, Hop Sing, no can do.” Adam replied as he raised the latch to the door and swung it open.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The fresh night air drifted in, snuffed out Hop Sings candle flame and caused his night shirt to billow out in the breeze, Hoss swept past him and nodded politely and then was gone, marching side by side with his brother towards the stable.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It wasn’t long after that when the sound of horses leaving the yard was heard as Hop Sing slowly closed the door and dropped down the latch, he sighed, shook his head and shuffled back to his bed where he fell to wondering what the brothers knew that he didn’t about the goings on concerning Joseph Cartwright.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

They had not gone too far along the road before Hoss said “We could be wrong. \u00a0 He’s probably having a great time, found himself some gals, getting himself all gussied up and fussed over by them fancy females, could be we’re jest over reacting.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adams face crumpled into a scowl “In which case we’ll find out for sure and then come back home to clean out the water holes, put the fences in and brand some more calves.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss decided that he’d say nothing more, for a while anyway. \u00a0 “Could be indigestion.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I don’t get indigestion.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Shucks, no, you don’t do you?\u00a0 Odd though…”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“What is?” Adam growled, as he urged the big horse onwards to town<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“That we both had the same dream?”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“The same what?” \u00a0Adam looked over at his brother in astonishment “You were dreaming that you were reciting In Memoriam by…”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Nah, not that, I weren’t dreaming nothing, I jest woke up feeling like – like -”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Like?” \u00a0Adam gripped the reins tighter as Sport tossed his head and did a fancy side step.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Like I had to get moving, Joe needed me.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam’s lips firmed against his teeth, he lowered his hat and nodded, there was an echo there somewhere of how he had felt, it hadn’t been for Hoss or for Pa, but LIttle Joe … \u00a0 how could anyone explain it?<\/p>\n

…………<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Wal?\u00a0 What’s it say?” Hoss said as he peered over his brother\u2019s shoulder to stare at the words on the cablegram and Adam said nothing but passed it to him to read for himself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There wasn’t much, just a few words and that was to the effect that Joe had disappeared into thin air, vanished … \u00a0a search had been made but the only clue had been that his wallet had been found in the railway yard of the town.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam was already inside the building sending a cablegram of his own winging its way back to his father.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 4<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The foulest of smells hit his nostrils and as he gasped the stench wafted down his throat and made him retch. He put a hand to his mouth and tried to sit up and found it impossible to do so. He struggled and realised that there were no visible bonds securing him down, only pain and weakness that held him fast to stinking fetid straw scattered on thin planks through which cold draughts cut into his body. He closed his eyes and groaned.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIs he alright?\u201d someone whispered from the far corner.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019d I know?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cGo and find out?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCome with me then\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Two faces peered down at him. Two pale crescent moons that swam in a stagnant pool reflecting the greater glory above. Little Joe focused his eyes on them and eventually realised that two men were staring back down at him. He blinked.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWal, he\u2019s alive\u201d one man said slowly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cGood. Last year I travelled with a corpse and it stank. \u00a0 Hey, you\u2026\u201d a hand shook Joe by the shoulder, rattling the young man\u2019s head and sending pain stabbing behind his eyes and down his neck \u201cHey, what\u2019s yer name?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cName?\u201d Joe gasped.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s yet name?\u201d the other, younger man asked thickly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCartwright\u2026Joseph Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Mick\u201d the younger man said and he thrust out a mittened hand, \u201cGood to see yer alive and kickin\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Chuck.\u201d the other man offered his hand, \u00a0\u201cWhat you doin\u2019 here?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHere?\u201d Joe groaned and sat up only to fall back into the straw which was so thin that his head banged against the wooden plank . \u201cI don\u2019t even know where here is meant to be?\u201d He was aware now of a strange noise. Whooshing and clanking and chugging. Machinery, he thought. I must have fallen down a well. \u00a0 A mine?\u00a0 He closed his eye.\u00a0 There was a rhythm to the sounds, a regular chug chug chug.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDo you do this often?\u201d Chuck asked.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDo what?\u201d he muttered, his eyes still closed while the cold breeze froze his body and the regular chug chug made his heart pound.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cRide the trains?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d he sighed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that surpassed ta mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. What do YOU mean?\u201d \u00a0 Joe\u00a0forced his eyes open and stared at them. \u00a0 \u00a0Now he realised in the cold light of the new day just how dirty and unkempt his companions actually were. He shook his head and everything inside his skull seemed to clang.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHitch a ride on a train, that\u2019s what he means?\u201d Mick said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I don\u2019t.\u201d Joe replied in a tone of confusion and irritation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThen what you doin\u2019 here now?\u201d Chuck asked.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d Joe forced himself up onto his elbows and screwed up his eyes to get them into focus \u201cWhere exactly am I?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re in a rail car of a train en-route to Boston\u201d Mick replied.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBut I can\u2019t be,\u201d Joe heard his voice, like a scream, inside his head \u201cI can\u2019t be\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMost of us choose it this way. \u00a0 It\u2019s a good way of travelling around, free of charge\u201d Mick commented, as though Joe had not spoken.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t understand,\u201d Joe struggled upright and supported his head between his hands \u201cThis is a train?\u201d he forced his voice not to wobble so that he could make some sense of what was going on. He had to have coherent answers, and if he sounded incoherent then what could be expect from his companions?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He glanced up at Mick and Chuck who surveyed him and then each other. Mick shrugged,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPart of a train. We jumped it at Hillington, but you were already here. We thought you were a gonner for sure, fact is, we were going to throw you out in the next tunnel.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThrow me out?\u201d Joe raised his head and stared at them in horror \u201cYou were going to throw me out?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s no good having a stiff as company. If we\u2019re caught free loading a ride we get trouble, but with a stiff as well,\u201d Chuck shook his head as though what was left unsaid was sufficient in itself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe get accused of murder.\u201d Mick continued \u201cNo matter if the geezer died of cold or starved to death, they won\u2019t take that into account. We jest git busted for murder and that means jail and hard labour.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhy am I here? How did I get here?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWho knows? Can\u2019t you remember?\u201d Mick asked.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe last thing I can recall is chasing after some men who stole my wallet.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhere was that?\u201d Chuck asked.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe frowned and cradled his head in his arms and began to think of the time prior to losing consciousness. \u00a0 He could hear Mick saying how they had been travelling for two days.\u00a0 Two whole days. \u00a0 \u00a0Joe\u2019s brain nearly exploded in his skull at the thought. Chuck pulled a bag towards him, an old worn satchel thing that had seen better days, as could his clothes. Joe stared at them in horror as daylight flashed upon them in streaks through the gaps in the wagons walls.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rather generously Chuck handed him an apple, some bread and a lump of rather woebegone cheese. Mick rummaged about in an equally awful carrier and produced a jerry can and poured Joe some water. \u00a0 The youth drank it greedily and ate the food with a haste that would have done credit to a wolf.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSo you sayin\u2019 some guys you were chasing caught you down a dark alley?\u201d Mick asked.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThey gave you a beating that\u2019s for sure.\u201d Chuck murmured, looking at the handsome face with the bloodied cuts and bruises on it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMust have had time to change clothes with you too.\u201d Mick tugged at the jacket that Joe was wearing. \u201cI can\u2019t imagine anyone wearing rags like them would have tempted anyone into thinking they had anything worth stealing.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe glanced down at his clothes and was sickened at the realisation that the smell that had caused his initial revulsion actually came from the clothes he was wearing. His only comfort were his shoes, for some reason they were his own and still on his feet.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll jump off at Boston. \u00a0 We\u2019ll tell you when and how,\u201d Chuck said with a kindness in his voice that quite belied his rough exterior.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSure, if you jump too soon you could lose your legs. I\u2019ve known too many who have done that.\u201d Mick whispered gently \u201cBut the best thing for you now, is sleep. \u00a0 We\u2019ve a while to go yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sleep?\u00a0 It was impossible to sleep. Apart from the smells, and the hunger, and the pain that made every movement agonising, Little Joe was scared and confused. He could recall telling his Pa that he was going to a nearby restaurant. \u00a0 He had promised to be back at a certain time. \u00a0 But that was now two days ago. \u00a0 \u00a0He rubbed his temples and tried to still the throbbing behind his eyes while he concentrated on what had happened next.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He could remember walking to the restaurant. There was the noise of laughter behind him, but not at him. \u00a0 Traffic going by sounded a little muffled because it was moving slowly. \u00a0 A girl came towards him, smiling. \u00a0 \u00a0What had happened then? He struggled to remember beyond the time of the girl smiling at him as she approached. \u00a0 Then someone had bumped into him and he had fallen back against someone else. Little Joe groaned aloud. What a fool, what a fool he had been to have gone off like some harebrained green kid. He remembered yelling at the men and running after them.\u00a0 Then came the scuffling in the alley.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He relived the moment several times over before he finally succumbed, once again, to unconscious thought.\u00a0 He never thought it possible to fall asleep in such dire circumstances. He had lain down shivering in the straw. He had stared at the flashing light gleaming through the walls and listened to the raw power of the train as its wheels ate up the miles of track. \u00a0 Even as his brain repeatedly asked itself what it was going to do next, he had fallen asleep.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He woke up to see Chuck sitting in the door way, watching the scenery slip away while Mick slept and for a while Joe just lay still watching Chuck and the views as they flashed past them. He assured himself that everything would be alright. He had only to go to the law enforcement office in Boston. \u00a0 Even check in at some of their old friends, Pa\u2019s old friends, and Adams college contacts. \u00a0 It would all be alright.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

His eyes grew heavy and his head hurt terribly. He fell asleep again. He could not remember how often he woke and fell back to sleep.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Eventually Mick was shaking his shoulder and urging him to get a move on. \u00a0 He found it extremely difficult to get his near frozen sluggish body away from the floor. He crawled his way to the door where Chuck was standing, his bag slung over his arm. Chuck looked at Joe thoughtfully and shook his head,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure you should try this. It may be better if you just let them find you.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWho are they?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe station police.\u201d Mick said \u201cThey got dogs and come and search the rail cars.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll jump with you\u201d Joe said, having a sudden flash of insight into the reasoning of dogs and not having a high opinion of their ability to distinguish a decent law abiding citizen dressed in rags from a small time crook dressed likewise. \u201cWhat do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJump and roll when I say\u201d Chuck replied \u201cWatch Mick first. When he rolls then you jump, roll, get behind one of them stacks of wood. \u00a0 Right, get ready\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe rubbed his face and hoped to bring some life and alertness into it. He watched Mick poise himself for flight and then throw out his bag before he jumped. Joe watched him land and winced. \u00a0 \u00a0It looked painful.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cRight\u2026go..go\u2026don\u2019t wait..GO!\u201d and a hand pushed him in the small of his back.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 5<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe felt himself free falling from the confines of the train. His body hit the ground, he rolled, not so much from ability but because of the steep incline upon which he had landed. When he finally stopped he managed to scramble to his feet and shuffle to a stacked pile of timber planks behind which he wriggled into a gap and waited. He was not sure for what he was waiting but for some time he did not move.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He huddled up close against the wood and prayed for his head to stop pounding, while he cautiously began to touch various parts of his face to locate the\u00a0bumps, cuts, bruises with his fingers. \u00a0 \u00a0He knew that he must look the worst kind of villain. He thought of his father and felt ashamed, knowing that Ben would be frantic with worry about him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

BY night fall he still hadn’t moved from where he had hidden himself by the wood stack, for some time he had expected to have been joined by Chuck and Mick but there hadn’t been any sight nor sound of them since he had jumped.\u00a0 Physically he felt so ill and weak that he honestly felt that if he remained where he was for much longer he would stiffen and die so with the greatest reluctance he slowly crawled from the wood pile and staggered to his feet.\u00a0 Within minutes of beginning his walk through the unfamiliar streets it began to rain.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

People glanced over at him and looked away as though the sight of him embarrassed them with the result that he found himself naturally seeking the darker streets and the meaner alleyways, pulling at the thin remnants of clothing to shield himself from the relentless downpour that had soaked him to the skin within the short time it had taken him at leaving the train yard to get into town. \u00a0 As he walked, paused, walked on a little more, hesitated to get his bearings he noticed a large sign just ahead of him, \u00a0It gleamed some message of hope and comfort for it bore the legend \u201cSoup Kitchen\u201d. Well, he thought, this would save a few nickels if he had any, apart from which it would provide some warmth and comfort as well as somewhere to sit and think of some way to get out of the mess he was in.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Men and women, and some children, tumbled down the rough steps. They were ill dressed and unkempt, and Joe realised with a jolt that among them he now no longer stood out as different in any way at all. In such a short time he had been stripped, not only of his clothing and money, but of his identity, and had been reduced to the lowest ranks of humanity. The rain trickled down his neck, and he shivered. A pain niggled in his chest and his legs demanded a rest. He turned slowly and made his way down the steps, being jostled and pushed about by the more knowing crowd, the regulars, who knew that first come, first and better served.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He had no energy to push and shove so trailed along behind them to the counter where several men and women were handing out food. Wooden trays were handed to them, and mugs, then a man filled the mug with something hot, someone else placed a lump of rye bread and a bowl of soup alongside the mug and then they were rushed to the tables. Several men and women were passing to and fro and refilling the bowls as they emptied, trying to look cheerful as though it was a far better task they were performing than if they were serving at the Mayor’s table for a seven course banquet<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe took his tray and looked at the young woman with a mute expression on his face and she smiled at him. It was a blank non seeing smile.\u00a0 More like a slap in his face for Joe had always been certain of some flash of recognition when he looked upon a woman with his sad hazel eyes.\u00a0 He passed on and found somewhere to sit and stared at the tea, the bread and the soup. \u00a0 After some seconds he began to eat and drink as greedily as any of the others there.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

They tended to leave after the second helping as though knowing that the hour was all that they were permitted. The more people who stayed inside the cellar for warmth the more time it stole from others who had equal needs for some little warmth and nourishment. They left and others came.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe pulled the collar of the jacket he wore higher to stop the worst of the rain and wind drifting down his neck. He walked the wet streets between the tall buildings feeling as though he were trapped in a nightmare.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To Joe this was an alien world. This vast sprawling city that had been established even as far back as the American War of Independence. \u00a0 Here were the buildings and streets of great age to prove it. \u00a0 To his eyes, as the son of a man who had settled in the wilderness and who had seen the mushroom towns of the gold booms of the west, the enormity of this vast town made it terrifying.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He glimpsed his reflection in a shop window and drew closer to examine it. He was unable to believe his own eyes at the wild image that stared back, disheveled and ragged and bloodied.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 6<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Officer stared down at him from a desk that stood on a raised platform.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI want some help,\u201d Joe said honestly, wondering if his words made sense as they sounded mangled even to his own ears.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cReally? Name?\u201d the Policeman paused and looked down at the youth \u201cYour name?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph Cartwright?\u201d He looked again at the ragged figure standing before him and sighed \u201cWhere do you come from, Mr. Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Joseph Cartwright.\u00a0 My Pa is Ben Cartwright, from the Ponderosa ranch, Nevada.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The officer wrote it down laboriously and then put down his pen and leaned forward to examine him, as though he were a new species of ant he had found crawling over his desk. To Joe, who was used to a more positive response when he mentioned the name of his father and the Ponderosa, the man’s total lack of interest was disconcerting.\u00a0 He felt a sinking of\u00a0the heart and shivered as much from apprehension as from the wet clothing that was doing little to cool his burning skin.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Finally the police officer spoke as though the silence had even got on his nerves, or perhaps, Joe hoped, he was actually interested \u201cThat\u2019s a long way from here, Mr Cartwright, and how did you get here?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI came with my father. I mean, my father isn’t here, not with me. He’s still back at Slocombe. Why do you need to know how I got here?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI have to establish the fact that you are the person you claim to be, and with Virginia City being so far away, how are we going to be able to prove that?\u00a0 Do you have any identification on you?”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo, \u00a0I was robbed, these aren\u2019t even my clothes. They stole my clothes and they stole my wallet.\u201d Joe drew in a deep breath, he could hear the sound of his voice, it was getting too shrill, an indication that he was beginning to panic.\u00a0 He licked dry lips “You could send a cable, send to my Pa, or my brothers. \u00a0 Send to Sheriff Coffee in Virginia City?”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen did this happen, sir?\u201d the Police officer was still writing slowly on the paper, his eyes didn’t look down at Joe but were fixed to the paper and the words he was writing, he paused “This alleged attack…when did it happen?\u00a0 Where did it take place?”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. \u00a0 Some days ago\u2026\u201d he felt himself shaking now and his voice trembled, he could taste vomit at the back of his throat, \u00a0 \u201cI was attacked by two men. They beat me up and tossed me onto a train. \u00a0 I got off when it stopped here.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd where\u2019s your father? In Boston, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no, I told you already, he\u2019s still back there.\u201d he had to get out, his head was spinning and his stomach turning cartwheels, \u201cHe\u2019s with some friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cFriends?\u00a0 You seem to have a lot of friends, sir.\u00a0 Where are these friends?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe stared at the police man and frowned, \u00a0\u201cCould you send him a cable.. and a cable to Sheriff Coffee?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIs there anyone I can contact to verify your story, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cVerify? What do you mean\u2026verify?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIs there anyone I can contact who can confirm the truth of what you have told me?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I just told you…Sheriff Coffee in Virginia City, he’ll tell you who I am.” he paused, looked at the policeman who was staring down at him, “My Pa, cable him, he’s staying at the Hotel Majestic in Slocombe.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“That’s a good two day journey from here, Mr. – er – Cartwright.” the ponderous voice boomed over his head wrapped in a long drawn out sigh of boredom.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I know, I know that… but …if you could cable him to let hm know I’m here.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe stared at him and the cold dark eyes of officialdom stared back at him.\u00a0 It was then that Joe realised that the man did not believe him and had no intention of helping him. Had there been a fat wallet to flash about under his nose, or the names of people in town to use as an open sesame perhaps there would have been a difference.\u00a0 He bit his lips and offered the names and addresses of some old friends of Adams.\u00a0 He watched as the officer wrote them down on a sheet of paper as though doing so taxed his endurance to the limit.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCome back in three days and we might have a reply.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThree days? But\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThree days.\u201d the officer said and placed the sheet of paper on top of a pile of others and turned away, dismissing Joe from his mind and sight as effectively as though he had brushed a speck of dirt from his sleeve.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe stumbled out into the street, found a bench and sat down. \u00a0 He closed his eyes. His head ached so much that he could not think of one coherent thought, apart from the fact that the soup kitchen would be open in five hours\u2019 time. He felt the rain and cold seeping into his bones and with a groan he bowed his back and clutched the sides of his head between his hands as though that was the only way he would be able to keep it on his shoulders.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHere, take a swig of this, it keeps the cold out.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe glanced at the begrimed hand, the filthy face and shivered in revulsion. But he took the bottle and lifted it to his mouth. He swigged at it as he had been told. The raw alcohol burned his already raw throat, and he retched, coughed. The old man took the bottle back and began to talk and Joe listened, hugging his arms about his body to keep warm while staring through the rain at the people as they walked, ran, strolled through the park.\u00a0 They had homes and could shake off the rain drops and sit by their fires and eat their food. Joe closed his eyes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hunger this raw was something new to him, and it came very hard.\u00a0 O\u2019Leary, the Police officer walked past, a tarpaulin cape keeping the rain from penetrating through to his uniform. When he saw the youth with the weathered old tramp he sighed.\u00a0 So the lad had been lying after all, he mused to himself. He had hoped the boy to have been genuine, but then that sort would do anything for a dry cell and some hot food.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, move along there,\u201d he yelled, his voice harsh in disappointment.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cC\u2019mon, we got to move on\u201d the tramp tweaked at Joe\u2019s sleeve, but the boy said nothing, he was too numb with cold to reason why, or to argue.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When the old man got up to go, he did likewise and walked off, hunched over, behind him \u201cWhat\u2019s yer name?\u201d the old man said as they walked quickly through the streets, away from the park and the grand big house and the shops.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe told him in a croak of a voice and the old man winked and nodded,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Fred. \u00a0 Come with me.\u00a0 I gotta nice billet, snug and warm and dry.\u201d He grinned, his teeth blackened and his eyes shone like a rats.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Snug? Warm? Could such a place exist Joe wondered for the likes of them? Joseph shivered, and with his head bowed followed on behind the old man. They trudged through narrow streets that got steadily narrower and down steps worn from many years wear from millions of feet until they finally reached Fred’s warm and snug haven. It was actually a broken old celler in an empty tenement block long abandoned to the rats and vermin of both rodent and human variety.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 6<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Men and women roamed there and slept there.\u00a0 A fire constantly roared and blackened the walls.\u00a0 When Joe saw the fire he felt happier and drew closer to the flames, he sat hunched over feeling the warmth of the fire and thought of his father, and of Hoss and Adam.\u00a0 What would they be doing now? Would they be looking for him? How would they know where to look? He raised a hand to his face and realised that he was crying, like a girl.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Was it because he was afraid?\u00a0 Or because he felt ashamed and everything was so unnatural in this strange world in which he found himself. \u00a0 It all seemed so wrong and so unfair. He strained his brain to try and think of some solution, but it seemed elusive, hovering somewhere on the peripherals of his mind, seemingly within grasp but always slipping away.\u00a0 HIs inability to think of some way out of the situation he was in created further panic in his head and his stomach went into turmoil as a result.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fred nudged him and offered him the bottle. It was a kindly gesture, but he pushed the dirty hand away and buried his face in his arms. Tomorrow he had to find a way of getting back home. Drunks rolled along the streets or lay in the gutters, yelled at one another or snored themselves into oblivion. Some slept under newspaper, some died under newspapers. Joe listened to their yells and curses, their mumblings and the whispers, then he turned away and stared into the flames of the fire as he continued to clutch his head between his hands.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A man with a sack around his shoulders was kicking the wall with a shoe that had lost its toe cap. He was sniveling and his shoulders jerking in spasms. It made Joe sick to the stomach to hear the dull thud of the foot against the wall, and he wanted to yell to him to stop. He knew if he allowed that yell to pass through his lips it might never end. \u00a0 He stared into the flames of the fire and thought of those he loved, and longed to see. He wondered if he would see any of them again as he clasped his hands about his knees, bowed down his head and closed his eyes and prayed. \u00a0 \u00a0He was cold, and hot, and very tired.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

 <\/p>\n

He had had a plan but it had all gone wrong. A whole day spent trailing from one house to another. \u00a0 The addresses of names that he could remember his brother having mentioned at some time or another. He never got beyond the front door. Not one person could be bothered to take his name, to listen to his plea or to believe that he was Adam Cartwright\u2019s brother or Ben Cartwright\u2019s son.\u00a0 All he received in answer to his plea was a lift of the nose, the jut of the jaw and the disdainful cold eyes.\u00a0 Never had he been more conscious of the truth of the proverb ‘Clothes maketh the man’ and he thought if a man were to be judged merely by the clothes he wore then what chance did he currently have, and what a miserable world to be born into.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Another night, it was dark but he was still alive.\u00a0 During the day of stumbling about trying to find some form of help, he had slipped over and fallen prostrate in the street and the people who had been walking past him had scurried away as though the touch of a flailing hand or foot would somehow contaminate them..\u00a0 Someone had come to help him up and given him a coin, pushing it roughly into his hand and saying \u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t spend it all on drink, young man, get something hot inside of you\u201d and patted Joe on the shoulder.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe had been propped up against a shop window. He had been too weak to be angry, but had just stared at the retreating back.\u00a0 The storekeeper had come out and yelled at him to clear off and somehow he had forced his feet to carry him away.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He had bought some food and now it was clutched in his hands as he stumbled towards the rail yard. Fred had found him a thick long coat and that had been a blessing. \u00a0 How strange that those who had nothing were still so willing to give.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 7<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There was sleet falling with the rain now and the coat seemed to hold the damp so that the young man felt cold to the bones.\u00a0 He had left the shelter of the tenements and was now regretting it as it took him away from the food kitchen and the warmth there, plus the only hot food available.\u00a0 He tried to imagine, as he slipped and slid along the sidewalk, how Hoss or Adam would have managed in this situation.\u00a0 Probably better than he was doing and the thought niggled at the back of his mind and made him ache for the sight of them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sleet merged into snow and he stood still in order to get his bearings.\u00a0 The realisation that he was lost came like a hammer blow to his hopes of leaving the sprawling town that seemed to be suffocating him with its lack of empathy and care.\u00a0 He looked around him at the passers-by who hugged into their coats or hid behind umbrella’s with their heads down so that they saw nothing but their own feet hastening their way to their various homes.\u00a0 Joe glanced around him and darted down a side alley which led to a huddle of houses with long gardens, a gate swung too and fro against the wind and buffeting snows, but in the corner he could see a shed, a small compact structure that would surely provide him some shelter for a short while at least.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

His fingers were numb and he fumbled badly trying to get the door open and slip unnoticed inside….smells of earth and damp, things he’d not seen or thought of before drifted to his nostrils, but the most important thing was that it was dry and once the door had been closed, protected him from the winds.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After stumbling about for a few moments he found a corner into which he could huddle and sunk down gratefully, pulling the coat closer around him.\u00a0 As he closed his eyes, for his weakness compounded his weariness, he thought of the soup kitchen, the kindness of the people there and as he slowly drifted into sleep he wondered, as he had every day of his going there, why the soup always tasted the same. \u00a0‘Nothing like Hop Sing’s…’ was his last drifting thought as he slipped into sleep.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Who’s there?\u00a0 Come on… I know someone’s in there… come out, come out before I call the police…”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The door shuddered as a heavy fist beat\u00a0upon it and startled the young man awake.\u00a0 Befuddled and heavy eyed Joe rubbed his eyes, his face and struggled to sit up.\u00a0 The voice beyond the door was thin, trembling “I can see your foot prints in the snow,\u00a0I know you’re there…”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Another voice now, a patient chiding voice of a woman “Come along, father, come on in, it’s too cold for you to be here.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Someone’s in there, Flora.\u00a0 I can see foot prints in the snow… \u00a0tell them to come out.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The thin tremulous voice of an old man, Joe thought as he cringed into the corner and hugged his remnant of food into his chest, poor fellow, if he only knew he had nothing to fear, not really. “Come along, father, back indoors, it’s cold.\u00a0 There’s no one there, you’ve just imagined it.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe closed his eyes tight ‘Please, please don’t open the door, don’t come in…don’t come in and find me.’ he whispered.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A last stubborn thump on the door and then nothing… Joe, tense and fearful, waited but no one came, there was only the sound of the wind blowing snow against the little building so that it shuddered every so often against its malignant force.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As light seeped through the cracks between the wooden slats Joe crept out and away, better to go before the household wakened to find that there had been a stranger in their garden.\u00a0 It would be unfair to die there and cause the old man nightmares forever after….<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The snow was deeper, footprints followed him away from the garden and into the street so that they began to merge and mingle with the footprints of others who had made an early start to their day… perhaps on their way to their work, to something that would provide them with food, security, warmth.\u00a0 Joe thought of all the things he had taken so much for granted, Hop Sings meals and he felt saliva gather in his mouth at the thought.\u00a0 His room and comfortable bed for which his body now ached.\u00a0 His brothers … and tears rose and fell from his eyes at the thought of Hoss and Adam working together on the Ponderosa, not knowing that their brother misssed them, loved them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Head bowed he made his way through the streets, desperation enabled him to ask a passing man the way to the railway station and was grateful for the hastily provided directions.\u00a0 At one time he paused and raised his eyes to the sky, an unfriendly sky that suited well such an unfriendly city, and from which snow tumbled unheedingly upon his face. \u00a0 He had been lost before, but in the vast emptiness of a land that was familiar to him, but this vast sprawling monster of a city was like hell on earth to him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 8<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright sat in the railway carriage and watched the view from the windows as the train sped along its way.\u00a0 He pulled his coat more closely around him as the cold crept into his bones.\u00a0 Snow splattered against the windows now and the ground wore a thin layer of the white sparkling stuff that would soon, he knew, become a thick blanket. He was exhausted.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The search for Joe had been emotionally and physically wearing to the extent that when Adam had urged his return, he had been weak enough to agree.\u00a0 One positive had led to others however, one of the attendees of McLeish’s funeral had returned to his home in Boston, and had been told \u00a0by his son of a vagrant who had claimed to be Joseph Cartwright from the Ponderosa.\u00a0 He had been sensible enough to send a message to Ben’s hotel in Slocombe just moments before the rancher was about to leave.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNot very important in itself, my friend, but several others have reported the same thing.\u00a0 A young man, barely out of his teens, with hazel green eyes and wild hair.\u00a0 I believe he also approached several of Adam\u2019s friends who, I understand, sent him on his way without hesitation. I am mentioning it now because I heard from Olsen that your son has actually disappeared for some days and caused great concern.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Thinking this to be something of a co-incidence, but bearing in mind the great kindness you have extended to me in the past, I have made further enquiries on your behalf.\u00a0 This has led me to discover that the same young man approached the local Police requesting help. \u00a0 He gave his name as Joseph Cartwright, named you as his father, and the Ponderosa, Nevada, his home.\u00a0 I write this in haste, Ben, as O\u2019Leary, the Police Constable to whom I spoke, made further enquiries of his own, and has told me that this young man was seen hanging around the railway station and is understood to be considering returning home by riding the freight wagons.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben sighed again and buried his chin into the fleece of his collar.\u00a0 As he stared out of the window at the passing landscape, he recalled the days that had followed his arrival in Boston, full of hope and energy as he had fully anticipated meeting Joe on the platform at the railway station. \u00a0 But there was no sign of his son there and with dread and dismay now filling his thoughts Ben had made his way to his friends’ home.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

An interview with O\u2019Leary had confirmed all his fears and trepidations. \u00a0 In this vast sprawling city he knew his son was in great danger.\u00a0 Lost, alone, and perhaps, even, very ill.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The soup kitchen had offered him some hope.\u00a0 A young man of Joe\u2019s description had been a visitor there for some days.\u00a0 He had volunteered to do some menial jobs in exchange for a razor and soap.\u00a0 Each morning he had arrived earlier than anyone else and had gone into the back room to shave and wash.\u00a0 Then he had done the chores given him.\u00a0 His reward had been a decent breakfast as well as the soup. It had encouraged Ben to hear of this initiative of Joe\u2019s.\u00a0 He may have been down but he was certainly not out!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was when they had told him of Joe\u2019s plan to get back to Nevada by jumping the trains box wagons \u00a0that Ben once again felt fear gnaw at his heart. He made his way to the station and paced up and down the platform.\u00a0 He wandered around the box wagons, and peered inside those that were unlocked. \u00a0 He scouted around the storage and packing freight abandoned there in the hope, a feeble hope, that he would find some evidence of his son\u2019s whereabouts.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe best thing is to get back home,\u201d his friend advised him, \u201cIt strikes me that Joe is more like his father than you realise.\u00a0 But he\u2019ll need you there when he gets home.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So, here he was, on this train.\u00a0 On the long journey back home. Changing from train to stage-coach as the need may be.\u00a0 He cabled all the stations from Boston onwards requesting them to keep a look out for Joe and to notify him should there be any sign of him.\u00a0 To keep him safe, should he be found.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How his heart would have broken had he known that the day he boarded the train at Richmond his son was shivering in the corner of a wagon merely feet away from him.\u00a0 In ignorance of this fact, all that Ben could do was exercise patience and faith that with God\u2019s help he would reach Placerville in time to welcome his son home.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 9<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joseph Cartwright sat with his back against the walls of the rail car and munched on an apple which he ate in its entirety. \u00a0 It had taken a while to work out how the railway system worked.\u00a0 He had jumped one freight train and spent a day travelling back to his original destination.\u00a0 Another time the carriage he had chosen had been uncoupled from the engine and left in a siding.\u00a0 It had wasted time but he had gained in experience.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

During the long days of travelling he had \u2018changed\u2019 trains several times.\u00a0 Jumping from the wagons into emptiness and trusting to a higher power to keep him safe from broken bones as he landed.\u00a0 Then he would scrabble to the train station and scrutinize the boards that told any honest traveler the direction to be taken by the trains due for arrival.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Day by day, mile by mile, he was getting nearer to home.\u00a0 This last train would take him all the way to Placerville, a town that he could consider as home territory. \u00a0 Once there, he told himself, he would contact his father\u2019s associates for help.\u00a0 It would take no time at all for them to cable through to Virginia City and then it would be just a matter of time before he was safely home at last.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He had seen the views change, and had experienced the change in weather.\u00a0 From where he sat he could see the landscape flashing past him and everywhere was covered in a thick blanket of snow. The trees were bowed down by the weight of it and sometimes the train would halt while the track was cleared from it and he would bury himself between the piles of boxes and crates that formed the contents of this particular wagon. There was ample straw littered about and he had made himself a comfortable nest into which to burrow when he was too cold or too tired.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He lost track of how long he had been there. Sometimes when sleep was stealing up on him he would recall the days he had spent at the soup kitchen, the kindness that so many had taken for granted had impressed him considerably.\u00a0 He often thought about that now, as the trains rumbled along and he had so much time to think back to those days in Boston, when the only kindness he had been shown had been by the very poorest among the populace, and the very self sacrificing men and women who had laboured long and hard preparing the food, meagre though it was, for the hungry.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He remembered one particularly bitterly cold day when he plucked up the courage to ask them if he could do some work, anything that would keep him in the warmth and perhaps enable him to gain an extra meal.\u00a0 When they suggested that he chopped up the logs outside he set to with a will, seizing the axe with a determination that would have made his eldest brother smile.\u00a0 He chopped so many logs that he gained two days of extra meals, he had also gained a measure of self respect when he had felt the lowest of the low, and had gained a little strength from the exercise.\u00a0 Two days when he had been really warm, really well fed in comparison to the past week or so when tramping around that wretched city.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It had gone without saying that the volunteers there had asked questions\u2026 who was he? \u00a0Where was he from? \u00a0Why was he in Boston?\u00a0 He had told them everything, perhaps he had hoped at the back of his mind that one day they would meet with Pa or his brothers, and tell them that he had tried his best to do what he could to improve matters. \u00a0 One man there, elderly and stooped over, had loaned him a razor and suggested he ‘tidied himself up a mite’\u00a0which Joe was more than happy to do, relishing the touch of smooth skin as he ran his hands over his jawline.\u00a0 That had brought more interest in him, from the female members who gave him extra bread, some fruit and one even gave him some money.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As Joe leaned against the wooden slats of the wagon in which he was travelling he recalled the way she had handed him the money, taken his hand and folded his fingers gently over it. \u00a0“It’s not much, but you have worked hard. Why not try the police again?\u00a0 Perhaps they could help you.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So much trust in the authorities, Joe sighed, but then those who have an address, a home, clean and pleasant clothes, look decent and honest, yes, they could trust because they would have been considered ‘trust worthy’.\u00a0 The reminder of his previous brush with the law was still a bitter taste in his mouth and he just smiled and had nodded. “What will you do, Joe?\u00a0 You can’t stay here throughout the winter.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“No,” he had replied quietly “I need to get home.\u00a0 I thought I’d catch a train …”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She had looked at him long and earnestly, knowing full well that the money she had given him would never cover the cost of a ticket to Nevada territory.\u00a0 She sighed and nodded, “Be careful, Joseph, don’t take unnecessary risks.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He had bought bread and pies and fruit for Fred with the money, it had been little in comparison to the extreme kindness the homeless man had shown him.\u00a0 Fred had thanked him and shaken his hands, said he was a true friend, and had gathered everything together and shuffled off to where some others were crouched around the fire.\u00a0 Joe had stood and watched as the old fellow had handed out and shared his bounty, and then, with a long sigh he had walked away and taken himself towards the rail yards.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So, here he was, it was boring and cold and the tension when the train did stop was unbearable. Several times the car door had slid open and a light had flashed illuminating the inside of the carriage and showing the guards faces like pale moons under their peaked hats. Then the doors would slide shut again and Joe was able to relax and force himself not to faint or pass out from relief.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 11<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A tall broad shouldered man entered the small Post Office of a town that, were it not for the telegraph poles announcing its presence, could have been considered a forgotten speck on the map. \u00a0 The clerk looked up and nodded when the stranger gave his name at the same time stamping his feet to remove the snow and blowing on his hands to get some warmth into them<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Cold day?” the clerk observed<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam said nothing but nodded, almost impatiently he snatched the paper from the clerks hands and asked him when it had actually arrived, to which the clerk replied “Two days ago.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Taking the paper with him the young man left the building and joined his brother who was standing with the horses outside, “Any news?” Hoss asked hopefully.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Yes, a cable from Pa.” Adam replied as he pulled on his gloves and shivered.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Nothing else?”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Who else would know we’d be here, Hoss?” Adam snapped and immediately felt sorry for having done so, he nodded over at a restaurant that was tucked in a corner of the street “Let’s get something to eat and drink. We can read it in comfort, huh?”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Sure, I’ll get the horses settled in the livery stable first, they deserve their oats today.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam said nothing to that but took the reins of his own horse into his gloved hands and walked alongside his brother to where the livery and blacksmiths were, leaving the animals there with a request that they were well cared for and given a rub down with clean straw.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

At last, in the warm confines of the small restaurant they ordered food and hot coffee, pulled out chairs and settled down at the table, Adam smoothed out the paper “Joe left Boston some days ago … thought to be headed for Placerville … I’m enroute to meet up with him there”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss grimaced “We’re miles out of our way.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Hardly surprising, considering we didn’t know exactly where he was or where he would be headed.” Adam frowned and gulped down his coffee “I mean, we knew where he was headed, it was obvious he’d be trying to make it for home, but we just didn’t know from which direction he’d be coming from or how.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“We’ll have to head back along and detour across open country to pick up the way to Placerville.” Hoss sighed and pulled his plate of hot beef stew towards him, “Don’t look too bad, nothing as good as Hop Sings though.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam said nothing to that but stood up and strolled over to the Manager of the establishment who was sitting on a stool reading a newspaper “Excuse me, do you happen to have a map of the territory?”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“A map?”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Hu-huh”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The manager nodded and clambered off his stool to go into a back room, he presently returned with a rolled up paper in his hand “This is the most recent ordnance map we have, the railway folk left it behind for us.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam took it and carried to where his brother was just scraping his plate empty, pushing everything on the table to one side he unrolled the paper and after placing the salt celler and pepper pot on two corners to weigh them down and prevent it rolling back on itself, the two brothers leaned over it and located the town, marked with a red circle.\u00a0 Adams finger traced the railway line to the adjoining settlements which he now saw would take them days away from their desired destination.\u00a0 He nodded “Open country it is…”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“In this weather too,” Hoss grumbled and sighed, “Fact is, whether Joe’s at the end of this ride or not we’d have had to go in that direction anyway in order to get home.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam nodded, his eyes still on the map as though seeking to imprint it on his memory. \u00a0“No point in complaining, Hoss. If we want to find Joe we need to cut across here and here -” his finger stabbed at two locations, “We’ll meet up with the railway track hereabouts … if he is on a train we may be able to board it just here and, who knows, might even find him on it.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss frowned “How’d he get the money to pay for a ticket?”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam \u00a0shook his head “Order another meal, Hoss, you’ll need more ballast inside you if we’re to ride out through this snow.” he rolled up the map and returned it to the manager before pouring himself some more coffee “There’s more than one way to ride on the trains, Hoss.\u00a0 I think Joe knows all about that now…”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 11<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As the train chugged away at the miles Joe sat with the cold wind blowing against his face marveling at the beauty of the land which lay spread out before him, a panoramic view of such splendour that he found himself envying those artists who could capture such beauty with a stroke of paint and a brush for all the world to see. \u00a0 He took sips of water from the flask and then slowly made his way to the door and peered out. It was enthralling to see the views unfold before his eyes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe sat still but was aware now of the train gathering momentum and power to climb a steep gradient and he wondered how long it would be before they reached the top. \u00a0 After that there would be the rapid descent on the other side.\u00a0 He waited and could sense when the train had reached the top of the gradient and began its descent. Brakes squealed and sparks hissed as the great wheels screeched along the snow covered tracks. The driver struggled to slow the speed knowing that he would have the added difficulty of a sharp curve before he reached the level track again, but he was approaching it far too quickly. . Brakes squealed and sparks hissed as the great wheels screeched along the snow covered tracks.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe stood up and leaned against the door frame. His coat billowed out about him like a cloak and slipstream stung his eyes and made them water. He put a hand to his face to wipe his eyes free and as he did so the train hit the curve. The passengers in the comfort of their carriages were thrown against one another rather unceremoniously and those sitting near the aisles found themselves actually prostrate in the aisles themselves. \u00a0 The ladies screamed and the men shouted (and some men screamed and some ladies shouted) and children whimpered and shouted for their moms and pa\u2019s.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the dining cars cups and plates tumbled everywhere and smashed onto the floor. \u00a0 \u00a0Porters and guards were flung off their chairs and fell over themselves. Unlocked doors slid open and the rail cars shifted. It was during that instance that Little Joe was flung from the rail car and catapulted out into the air to land some distance from the track into thick snow.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

No one noticed the dark shape apparently take flight from the rail car apart from a little boy who had been staring out of the window.\u00a0 He saw the spectacle as ear of the train rounded the curve. \u00a0 He saw a dark shape fly out of the carriage. It was to give him nightmares for many years to come being convinced that he had seen the devil himself and that was what had caused the near crash. But good had defeated evil, he had been cast out and the train had been saved. \u00a0 Of course, no one took any notice of him and when he persisted in telling the story he would receive a sharp tap on the head to shut him up!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 11<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe felt he was drowning in snow. \u00a0 After struggling for some time to get to his feet the train was already a dark speck on the horizon with only a black trail of smoke and hot cinders in its wake. He glanced about him and above him and knew fear once again for the vastness of the land that had been so beautiful, and was still beautiful, was now also a monster unleashed upon the unwary and unprepared.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Every frontiersman knew the wisdom of never venturing out into the wilderness during the snows unless they were well equipped and preferably, had company. But Joe was not only totally unequipped, he was also well aware that he was miles from his destination and other dangers now beckoned before him.\u00a0 Blizzards could whirl into existence with a suddenness that could paralyse a man.\u00a0 Creatures roamed on four legs that would be happy to have him as dinner. Even now the sky was leaden with the promise of more snow.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Profound silence sifted about him and settled like a mantle everywhere. He felt the stab of the brutal coldness against his face, and pulled at the coat and held it close against him. If he reached the trees, he thought, then he could make himself a shelter. He could find dry kindling and make a fire. He was a westerner and he could survive. He felt safer than at any time since he had arrived at Boston<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

 <\/p>\n

Against the blinding whiteness of the snow the train cut a black swathe across the horizon as it continued along its way.\u00a0 Plumes of sooty smoke billowed into the sky and hung like a dark pall in the azure blueness.\u00a0 Adam Cartwright blew on his hands and pulled back his gloves as his eyes followed the trains progress to Placerville.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cProgress, huh?\u201d Hoss shouted, \u201cWe should be on thet thar train instead of freezing to death out here.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe trouble is, Hoss, we could still miss Joe.\u00a0 Pa said he was told that Joe would hardly be a paying passenger.\u00a0 How do we know which train he\u2019ll be hitching a ride on?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam rubbed his face and narrowed his eyes against the shimmering white that surrounded them, \u201cHow can we find him, Hoss?\u00a0 We\u2019re struggling against the odds here as it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss nodded, understanding only too well what his brother meant.\u00a0 It had been hard work ploughing through the snow, caring for both themselves and their horses.\u00a0 He thought of his father, whom they had last seen some days earlier.\u00a0 He had not admitted to Adam just how anxious he had felt about Ben, but the exhausted, sunken eyed man that they had met had caused him severe anguish of heart.\u00a0 Now his greatest desire was to bring Joe safely home to him, and to see the light shine in those dark eyes once more.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve gotta have faith, Adam.\u00a0 Shucks, I\u2019ve bin prayin\u2019 so hard to find Joe that if I didn\u2019t think my prayers would be answered I\u2019d turn right on back home and stay thar until the spring thaw comes.\u201d \u00a0Hoss pulled off his mittens and blew on his hands, like his brother, the cold was beginning to bite.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThat wouldn\u2019t help Joe much,\u201d Adam said grimly, and he turned Sport away from the emptiness about them, and away from the sight of the train that was now a dark speck far out on the horizon.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe gotta make use of the snow, Adam.\u00a0 Everything is so white and unspoiled out thar, anyone would see a man \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cA man?\u00a0 Walking alone enjoying the sights, I suppose?\u201d Adam\u2019s voice had a touch of sarcasm that sharpened the words, and he shook his head, \u201cI think we made a mistake riding out here. \u00a0 Joe would stay in the wagons until he reached a station that would bring him to familiar territory. We need to ride on towards Placerville.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019d we know he\u2019d be heading for Placerville?\u201d Hoss snapped, his temper fraying from the effects of the cold, hunger, weariness and anxiety. \u201cCould be he changed his mind, could be …” he stopped himself from saying anything as his mind strayed into an area none of them permitted themselves to even consider.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam sighed and bowed his head, \u201cWe don\u2019t know, Hoss.\u00a0 We’ve only got what Pa assumed from what he’d been told back in Boston.\u00a0 If Joe has changed his mind, we’ll soon find out.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He urged the horse forwards, narrowing his eyes against the dazzling shimmer of snow. \u00a0 He felt totally frustrated and lost.\u00a0 No matter how he tried to imagine himself in the situation in which Joe was now placed, he kept finding countless little reasons that would prevent or forestall the solutions he created in his mind.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Countless questions reared their ugly heads to rip apart the practical or logical events that would bring his brother safely home. \u00a0\u201cWhat if\u2019s- \u201cabounded. He raised a hand to his eyes and pressed his fingers against the aching orbs.\u00a0 Joe, Joe\u2026where are you now?\u201c<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He could have got off anywhere,\u201d Hoss said for about the hundredth time that day.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u00a0 That\u2019s what worries me.\u00a0 But, Hoss, wouldn\u2019t it make more sense to stay where you are reasonably warm and safe? \u00a0 Stay put someplace until you reach a station near home?\u00a0 Someplace where there would be a friend to bail you out, send Pa a cable, something like that?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss shook his head, and cast an anxious look at his brother.\u00a0 It seemed to him that Adam was getting frayed around the edges more than usual.\u00a0 But then, this was an unusual situation and Joe was never predictable.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou thinkin\u2019 of givin\u2019 up?\u201d he asked cautiously.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s unthinkable, Hoss, and you know it.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but there\u2019s a whole lot of space out there.\u00a0 How do we find one man amongst all that\u2026\u201d he swept his arm wide in a gesture that was to encompass the white wilderness.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cExactly.\u201d Adam said crisply, \u201cNo one would be idiot enough to step off a train and walk through this, so that means Joe would stay in the wagon and wait until he reached town.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but which town?\u201d Hoss\u2019 brow furrowed in thought, and he sighed deeply.\u00a0 It was so cold that his breath froze into gleaming diamonds of ice upon his muffler instantly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam shook his head.\u00a0 Which town?\u00a0 Which train?\u00a0 What day? How did he know?\u00a0 How could he know? He looked up into the sky and searched for the shrouded haze of the sun.\u00a0 He had to have faith.\u00a0 He\u2019d prayed, hadn\u2019t he?\u00a0 He\u2019d begged God for direction and help.\u00a0 He\u2019d talked it over in prayer, putting forwards suggestions, and then asking for the discernment to act on what guidance he had been given.\u00a0 Now he felt despair tug at his heart.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The horses would need to stop soon, they were struggling against thick snow and the cold and the strain was beginning to tell on them.\u00a0 He knew how tired he and Hoss were,\u00a0they were urgently in need of the warmth of a fire, something hot to drink.\u00a0 It would all take more time.\u00a0 The day was short enough as it was and Placerville was still some days travelling in this weather, under these conditions. He turned to look at his brother, who rode with his chin resting upon his well buttoned up coat and mufflers. \u00a0 Hoss was strong, and determined, he would force himself onwards until he dropped, and that would be long after Chubb had collapsed.\u00a0 He could see his brother\u2019s eyes moving to the left, right.\u00a0 Searching, seeking, hoping\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Of course, they could get to Placerville and find Joe had got there days before them.\u00a0 Well, that would be good.\u00a0 He would take himself off to friends they had in town and get taken care of, which would make the trip home far better. \u2018But what if \u2026\u2019 promptly slipped into his mind, \u2018what if Joe had got off elsewhere?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHe could be dead.\u201d Hoss\u2019 voice broke into his reverie, so deep and sad that it sounded like a death knell amidst all that silence. \u00a0\u201cHe could, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d already thought of that\u2026\u201d Adam snapped, and turned his head away from his brother, wanting to close his mind to the worse probability of all.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHe could have been dead a long time ago, and no one knew to tell us.\u201d Hoss intoned, and he bowed his head and emitted a sigh that was so close to a sob that Adam\u2019s heart quivered in his breast.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou never gave up on me, did you?\u00a0 That time I was in the desert with Kane?\u201d Adam said sharply, \u201cHow did you know where to find me? Tell me, Hoss?\u00a0 How did you find me in all that desert?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe jest did, thet\u2019s all.\u201d Hoss frowned, recalling those dreaded days when the heat of the day tormented them as much as the cold of this present day gnawed at them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben had insisted, Hoss recalled, to search for one more day.\u00a0 He\u2019d prayed, and so had Hoss and Joe.\u00a0 Then, when they were about to give up, Joe had seen them, a man walking, no, staggering as he pulled a travois with a dead man on it; staggering in the desert as close to death as a man could possibly be \u2013 but he had survived.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to have faith\u2026\u201d Hoss said, quietly, as though to himself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIf only I had a sign,\u201d Adam said to himself, \u201cto know that Joe was alive and safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

They pushed the horses forwards through the drifts. \u00a0 Adam was becoming weak from exhaustion as the cold bit into his bones and tightened its grip around his skull.\u00a0 He turned to Hoss, it was time to stop and make a fire.\u00a0 He could stand the cold no longer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cLook at that, over there.\u201d Hoss pointed and Adam followed the direction of his brother\u2019s hand, \u201cI didn\u2019t expect to see that thar.\u201dA small cabin, and from the chimney smoke billowed in soft white clouds.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam felt strength flow through his limbs, as he turned his horse in the direction of the cabin, hope returned to warm his heart.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 12<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The man who opened the door pulled it wider as he saw the two men dismounting. \u00a0 He was still clad in thick outer garments and snow was still mounted on his boots like little hillocks.\u00a0 He pulled the door shut behind him as he trudged up to the brothers, preventing the snow from entering the room behind him the warmth of which the brothers sensed rather than felt.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll see to your horses.\u00a0 Get yourselves inside and warmed.\u00a0 My wife has broth cooking.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Thank you” Adam muttered as he slid from the saddle rather than dismounted with his usual alacrity, his legs were frozen, “I wasn’t expecting to find a cabin hereabouts?”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Just not long been here,” the man replied gathering the reins of the horses in his hands “I’m a surveyor for the Railway, they build this house for me and my wife so’s I can get a better idea of the area… best get inside, we can talk more when your mouths have unfroze.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss and Adam said nothing to that but like drunken men made their way to the door, which they pushed open.\u00a0 The warmth in the room hit them immediately.\u00a0 It bathed them in a glow that sent the blood pulsing through their veins.\u00a0 Hurriedly divesting themselves of their outer garments they nodded over to the woman who was stirring food on the black stove that seemed to positively throb from heat.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By the time the surveyor had returned and assured them that the horses were well, Adam and Hoss were seated by the open fire, enjoying the pleasure of the flames that was warming them through so effectively.\u00a0 The woman had spoken not a word but had simply nodded a greeting, smiled and indicated chairs for them to sit upon.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe name\u2019s McIntosh.\u201d he extended a hand to them and shook their hands warmly, “Managed to get everything we needed before the storms blew up.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCartwright \u2013 Adam Cartwright, my brother, Hoss.\u201d Adam indicated Hoss with a grateful smile to their benefactor,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Wouldn’t it have been wiser to have waited for the spring? Winters can be pretty mean out here.” Hoss ventured to say as he left the comfort of the fire to sit in the chair.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

McIntosh nodded “Probably so, but me and the Missus had no other place to go between times so we said we’d like a start right off.\u00a0 The railways stocked the place up for us so we don’t even have to go into town for staples.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Well, as I said before, we hadn\u2019t expected to find your cabin here,\u201d Adam said honestly, \u201cIt certainly came as a very welcome surprise.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo doubt,\u201d McIntosh leaned towards the fire and held out his hands to the flames.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDinner won\u2019t be long,\u201d the woman said quietly from her place by the stove, \u201cI\u2019ll just take a small portion of it into the lad.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAye, you do that, Martha,\u201d McIntosh nodded over to his wife, and then looked back into the fire<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

.\u201cYou have a child?\u201d Adam asked, watching as Martha filled the bowl with the broth and then carefully carried it into an area screened off by a heavy curtain.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no.. in time perhaps,\u201d McIntosh smiled dreamily, \u201cNo, I found another traveler today.\u00a0 He must have seen the smoke from the chimney, like yourselves, and forced himself to get here.\u00a0 Had I not been in the wood shed I would never have seen him as he fell back into the snow.\u00a0 Perhaps his body would never have been found until the spring thaw. \u00a0 \u00a0Funny how things happen like that, you see no one for months and then our first visitors arrive in a batch of three.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam felt his throat tighten and he darted a glance at Hoss who was already standing on his feet<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCan we \u2026 can we meet this traveler?\u201d Hoss asked in a voice that seemed to come from the depth of his boots.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCertainly,\u201d McIntosh smiled and nodded towards where Martha had just gone, \u201cHe\u2019s plain wore out.\u00a0 Doubt if he\u2019ll have much to say for himself, but go ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Neither man could at first believe that the youth sprawled on the bed, attempting to swallow the broth, was their beloved Joe.\u00a0 Disheveled, bearded, with dark hollows around the sockets of his eyes, the poor youth looked a pale and sick shadow of his handsome self.\u00a0 It was as he turned his head towards them that the gleam came into his eyes and he reached out a thin, gaunt hand.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d \u00a0 The voice whispered close to his ear and when he looked into familiar brown eyes that gleamed with what seemed tears.\u00a0 But, exhausted even by the hope that he had felt surge through his body, he closed his eyes again. \u00a0\u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Now he opened his eyes, looked up and into those brown eyes and smiled, his one word came in a sob “Adam?”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWelcome back to the land of the living, brother,\u201d Adam spoke the words softly, as though had they been spoken too loudly his brother would have noticed the emotion in his voice<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss stepped forward, wiping his eyes and nose on a handkerchief and not ashamed to let them see the tears, honest heart felt as they were “Joe…it’s me… Hoss.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Now Joe indeed did burst into tears, his weakness left him trembling with emotion, but the emotion he felt at the sight of his two brothers so overwhelmed him that he allowed himself to be engulfed in their arms … \u00a0eventually they released him as though realising that if they held him much longer they’d have suffocated him. he sunk back upon the pillows and his tear filled eyes looked from one to another of them “Is Pa here?”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“No, not yet…” Adam said softly<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“He’ll be here soon as he knows you’re here, shortshanks.” Hoss whispered and patted Joes shoulder as though he had to touch him again just to make sure he was there, that it was real flesh and blood and not a mirage or hallucination.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhere am I?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAt the McIntosh place, about two days ride from Placerville.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHow did you find me?\u201d Joe\u2019s voice trembled as he closed his eyes again.\u00a0 This must be a dream brought about by the storm, lack of food.\u00a0 Was it what happened before one died?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam smiled and looked up.\u00a0 Hoss stepped forward and leaned down and looked at his little brother with a warm smile, his blue eyes twinkled.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t find you, you found this place, the McIntosh\u2019s cabin.\u201d Hoss pulled a chair close to the bed and sat down at his brother\u2019s side, \u00a0\u201cYou\u2019ll soon be \u00a0feeling better now, Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBetter than I\u2019ve been for a long time, Hoss,\u201d Joe whispered.\u00a0 How hard it was to get those words past his lips, but to hear their voices again was wonderful and his heart was aching with relief, joy and a whole tumult of emotions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re safe now, little brother,\u201d Adam said in the gentlest tone of voice, one he knew how to use when comfort was needed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, I never felt so alone before. I felt so ..so alone.\u201d \u00a0Joe sobbed, his hands to his eyes as though ashamed that the tears hadn’t stopped yet and seemed to be an unending torrent.\u00a0 Even the relief and joy of being found by his brothers seemed to weaken and exhaust him …<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou weren\u2019t alone, Joe.\u201d Adam squatted down on his haunches so that his face was level with his brothers and he stroked back the dark unruly mass of curls gently \u201cSomeone was there to care for you.\u00a0 How else could you have ever have found us, huh? Now, get some sleep. You\u2019re safe now.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Within minutes they could hear the youth breathing evenly and steadily in sleep, a small smile on his lips. \u00a0 They turned and smiled at one another and nodded, both feeling the emotions of the other, but not needing to find the words to describe them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Finally Adam sat down and took the young man\u2019s hand in his own and held it gently and whispered, as though in thankful prayer, \u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThat friend of mine who lives in God,<\/p>\n

That God, which ever lives and loves,<\/p>\n

One God, One Law, One element,<\/p>\n

And one far off divine event<\/p>\n

To which the whole creation moves\u2026\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

~The End<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tags:\u00a0 Adam Cartwright,\u00a0Ben Cartwright,\u00a0Hoss Cartwright,\u00a0Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

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

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

Summary:\u00a0 Joe insists on accompanying Ben to Boston to attend the funeral of a long-time friend; only to become separated shortly thereafter.\u00a0 This is story of fate, perseverance, and a family’s love.<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 K+\u00a0 (15,950 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":145,"featured_media":6085,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","wpcat-23-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1924,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/When-dawn.jpg?fit=635%2C480&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13202,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13202","url_meta":{"origin":10705,"position":0},"title":"The Funeral (by silver sven)","author":"silver sven","date":"August 9, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0a missing scene from \u201cForever\u201d Rated: \u00a0K+\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Word count: \u00a0971","rel":"","context":"In "Missing Scene"","block_context":{"text":"Missing Scene","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=61"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Poker-2016.png?fit=1109%2C750&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Poker-2016.png?fit=1109%2C750&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Poker-2016.png?fit=1109%2C750&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Poker-2016.png?fit=1109%2C750&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Poker-2016.png?fit=1109%2C750&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17742,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=17742","url_meta":{"origin":10705,"position":1},"title":"Without You (by PSW)","author":"PSW","date":"July 14, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: The brothers share a bittersweet day.\u00a0 Written for the July 15 Pinecone Challenge and (very slightly) expanded for inclusion here.\u00a0 Prompt\/lyrics: God only knows what I'd be without you. 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It describes a possible future for the surviving members of the Cartwright family, as their legacy gets passed on to a new generation. Rating:\u00a0 G Words:\u00a0 3,500 Part of the Legacy Series, links included within","rel":"","context":"In "Alternate Universe"","block_context":{"text":"Alternate Universe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14370,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=14370","url_meta":{"origin":10705,"position":3},"title":"Houston, We Have a Problem on the Ponderosa (by Robin)","author":"profrobinw","date":"January 1, 2000","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0There's a problem, and only Houston can help the Cartwrights. Rating: \u00a0T \u00a0(1,100 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Crossover"","block_context":{"text":"Crossover","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=24"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/ARLE-e1497282889671.png?fit=570%2C416&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/ARLE-e1497282889671.png?fit=570%2C416&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/ARLE-e1497282889671.png?fit=570%2C416&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15538,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=15538","url_meta":{"origin":10705,"position":4},"title":"Goat Cheese on the Comstock (by Robin)","author":"profrobinw","date":"June 4, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0\u00a0A variation on A Stranger Passed this Way. 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Written for the Sept 1 Pinecone challenge and expanded for inclusion here. 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