Summary:<\/b> \u00a0Strange things start happening when Joe is found bound in strange looking knots. A surprise visit from an old seafaring friend of Ben’s deepens the mystery.<\/p>\n
PG 13 WC 19,000<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tied in Knots<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2026\u201d The moan was weak, barely audible.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Long lashes fluttered as pain filled eyes strained to open.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOhh\u2026\u201d This time the moan was louder and had there been anyone near, they could have heard it, if they had been listening for it.\u00a0 As it were, no one was anywhere near the one who voiced the mournful sounds.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The eyelids fluttered once again and this time the eyes stared upward into the blackness of night.\u00a0 The sky was clear and the stars sparkled their brilliance throughout the wide expanse of the heavens.\u00a0 At any other time, he would have enjoyed the sight, the twinkling of the stars, the wide-opened spaces beyond, but now his head throbbed where he had been struck from behind.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOhhhh\u2026\u201d Again the sound rang out in the darkness, the vast emptiness, this time filled with the pain that seared throughout the body that lay upon the cold damp ground.\u00a0 He tried to move but the bonds that held his arms tightly behind his back stopped him from doing so.\u00a0 He attempted to sit up but found that the ropes extended down to his knees where his legs were tied tightly together then further down to the ankles which were pulled upward and connected to the ropes midway of his legs.\u00a0 Even those had been securely bound together stopping him from doing anything more than lying there.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHmm\u2026\u201d cried the wounded one as he turned his body face down to the ground and rested his aching head in the coolness of the soft earth. Shifting his weight slightly caused another moan to escape and again he felt the pain that spread outward and engulfed his body.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He shivered slightly causing small goose bumps to rise on his arms. The temperature was dropping and the chilly night air seemed to be soaking into his body as water would to a sponge. Again he shivered and wished that he had listened when he had been ordered to return promptly after finishing with rounding up the strays that had somehow broken through the fence.\u00a0 He remembered stopping to inspect the fence before being jumped from behind.\u00a0 It was just before that that he had witnessed the four riders off in the distance and then when he had stopped at the fence, he had found that the fence had been cut.\u00a0 Someone had used wire cutters on the barbed wire thus allowing the cattle to escape, or had they been stolen?\u00a0 He squinted his eyes shut trying to remember; how many men had there been?\u00a0 Three\u2026no\u2026four.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t positive.\u00a0Had the four riders in the distance been part of the group of men who had accosted him and then knocked him out after beating him?\u00a0 There were too many questions and not enough answers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He moved slightly and nearly screamed as the pain within his rib cage caused daggers of agony to shoot upward and into his chest practically cutting off his ability to breathe.\u00a0 When the men had ridden up to him, they had seemed friendly enough but having forgotten a valuable lesson that he had been taught his whole life, he had turned his back on the strangers thus giving them the opportunity to start a bombardment of assaults on him.\u00a0 He had fought with all the strength that youth provided but he had been out numbered four to one.\u00a0 Fists had come from all directions and when he had finally dropped to the ground, he had received kick after kick to his mid section then his back and once had felt the sharp pointed boot connect with his face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rolling over again he tugged at the ropes that restrained him.\u00a0 It was no use, whomever had tied his wrists, legs and ankles must have known what they were doing for he could not begin to loosen them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The moon moved behind a large billowy cloud as he watched and the darkness around him took on an eerie feeling without the moon\u2019s soft glow.\u00a0 In the distance he heard the sorrowful howling of the coyotes and hoped they would keep their distance.\u00a0 From a branch high in a tree an old owl hooted and somewhere in another tall pine it\u2019s mate answered.\u00a0 Something rustled in the bushes nearby and he tried to focus his eyes on the spot where the sound had been heard all the while willing his heart to slow its rapid beating.\u00a0 As he strained his eyes the moon slipped from behind the cloud and instantly two tiny field mice could be seen scurrying after one another.\u00a0 With a sigh of relief he allowed the breath he had been holding to slip through parted lips in a swishing sound.\u00a0 He hated the dark, he hated being alone in the feared darkness, he hated that he was scared and he hated himself for being so foolish as to allow himself to have become tangled in a mess such as this.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n His only hope now was that his family would come searching for him.\u00a0 He hoped it would be soon, it was getting colder by the minute and with each minute that the temperature dropped his body seemed to become stiffer.\u00a0 He could no longer feel anything in his hands and fingers; the binding had cut the flow of blood into his hands and moving them was impossible.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe closed his eyes against the pain and cold and tried to remember the faces of the men who had jumped him.\u00a0 One man\u2019s face stood out in his memory but he could not put a name to that face.\u00a0 He was sure that he had met the man before or at least thought he had but could not recall where or under what circumstances it had been.\u00a0 The man\u2019s eyes was what had stuck out most in Joe\u2019s mind, they were cold, calculating and totally without feelings of any kind other than the cruelty that had matched the force behind his strong fists when they rained their consternation onto his face and body.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe felt his body begin to shake violently and he moved trying to draw his knees upward into his chest in hopes of warding off some of the cold but even his legs refused to obey the commands of his brain.\u00a0 Joe yawned and then wished he hadn\u2019t.\u00a0 His jaw was hurting from where he had been beaten about the face.\u00a0 The larger man of the group, the one whose name evaded him, had seemed to take special delight in pounding on his face and Joe remembered that the fist that struck him had been rock solid.\u00a0 The attacker had strength that surpassed that of his brother, Hoss.\u00a0 Joe wished he could rub at the soreness on the side of his face but knew that was impossible.\u00a0 He raised his head slightly and looked off into the distant darkness wondering briefly if his family had started searching for him and praying that they had and that before much longer he could hear his father\u2019s soothing voice and rest safely in his comforting arms.\u00a0 At eighteen, Joe still needed the comfort and reassurance that his father\u2019s presence always offered him and now he yearned to have his father by his side.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe fought to remain awake but his eyes seemed to have taken on a mind of their own and slowly they closed.\u00a0 Something snapped, a twig or perhaps a branch, and instantly his eyes popped opened and searched the area but was unable to see anything.\u00a0 Joe knew he had to stay awake, if he fell asleep now he could very well freeze.\u00a0 How he wished for his heavier jacket instead of the thinner one he was wearing.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s teeth began chattering and the sound reminded him of the pecking sound of a woodpecker as it pecked away at a spot on a tree.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n With teeth gritted to stop his cries of agony, he rolled over and over until he came to rest beneath the low hanging branches of a tall Ponderosa pine.\u00a0 He chose this tree because of its location directly in front of a small mound of rocks that he had seen earlier.\u00a0 He hoped that the low branches would stop the cold wind that had suddenly rose blowing in from the north and sending it\u2019s chilly clutches into his bones.\u00a0 Joe fought with himself to keep his eyes open but the exertion of rolling time and time again had taken its toll on his battered body.\u00a0 The burning pain had been unbearable and the damp ground had caused his clothes to become wet, further adding to his discomfort and then causing his muscles to have spasms that took his breath away.\u00a0 Joe screamed only once before he slipped into unconsciousness.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The night birds ceased their calling; the small ground creatures scurried into their burrows and hiding places and a short distance away, a doe and her fawn momentarily stopped their grazing and listened as the heart wrenching scream broke the silence of the night.\u00a0 For several seconds the woodland was void of any sound other than the raspy breathing of the boy who clung to life.\u00a0 Minutes later the forest animals returned to their nightly routine totally unaware of the injured boy who lay unconscious under a nearby pine.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGood morning to you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam turned from saddling his mount and looked up as the man and his companion rode slowly into the yard.\u00a0 The big man was nearly as large as Hoss but where Hoss still held on to his boyish physic, this man was solid, muscular and gave the appearance of being very sure of himself.\u00a0 His eyes, the color of fresh mined coal, but dull and menacing, giving Adam the feeling that he was staring into the depths of obscurity.\u00a0He was older, probably near fifty or better, guessed Adam, and when he dismounted the man stood well over six feet tall.\u00a0 When the man extended his hand out, Adam acknowledged the greeting by offering his hand in return and was amazed at the strength in the man\u2019s handshake.\u00a0 Briefly, Adam wondered what it might feel like to be punched by such a powerful man and then as quickly, hoped that he would never have to find out.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cName\u2019s Alexander Manning young man and I am looking for Benjamin Cartwright.\u00a0 Is this the Ponderosa?\u201d Alex inquired finally releasing Adam\u2019s hand and swiftly glancing around his surroundings with his ominous eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Unknowingly, Adam rubbed at his hand, \u201cYes sir, this is the Ponderosa, Ben Cartwright is my father.\u00a0 Do you have business with him?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Alex looked the young man up and down before he spoke, a look of distaste hidden behind his smile.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m an old friend of his.\u00a0 What might your name be, boy?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam saw the way the man\u2019s eyes had assessed him and something in the way that the man had referred to him as \u2018boy\u2019 sent off a small warning alarm in his sub-conscious.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m Adam Cartwright, his oldest son.\u00a0 I\u2019ll tell my father that you are here,\u201d Adam said<\/p>\n as he scrutinized the older man and his younger companion quickly with his own dark brooding eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam turned and left the two men standing where they were as he headed for the house. The men, especially the one who called himself Alex, bothered him but he could not understand why.\u00a0 Maybe it was the way the larger man had looked at him, spoke to him or maybe because the man\u2019s size left him feeling somewhat intimidated, something that Adam was not accustomed to experiencing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben walked out into the yard with his oldest son and wondered at the expression on the young man\u2019s face.\u00a0 Before he could question his son, a booming voice as large as the man that voiced it roared through the air, \u201cBenjamin Cartwright, my old friend!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben looked up into the face of the man in front of him momentarily searching the face for recognition before he broke into a loud laugh.\u00a0 \u201cAlex Manning, why you old son of a gun.\u00a0 What in heaven\u2019s name are you doing in this part of the country?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben clasped the man\u2019s hand into his own giving him a firm handshake. Alex gathered Ben into a bear hug and each man patted the back of the other.\u00a0 It was obvious to Adam that the man and his father were old time friends, just as Alex had stated.\u00a0 Adam felt himself relax at the knowledge and thought possibly that he had misread the man.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss joined his brother and father in the yard as Adam finished saddling his horse.\u00a0 Ben turned when Hoss approached and Ben made his introductions.\u00a0 \u201cAlex, this is my middle son, Hoss.\u00a0 Hoss, this is Alex Manning, an old and dear friend of mine.\u00a0 We once sailed the high seas together, but that was a long time ago,\u201d laughed Ben.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHowdy sir, pleased to meet ya.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss tipped his hat, offered his hand to the man and waited for the man to return the gesture.\u00a0 Instead Alex turned to his companion and introduced him, totally ignoring Hoss\u2019 out stretched hand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBen, this is my nephew, Daniel.\u00a0 Daniel, meet Mr. Cartwright.\u201d\u00a0 Alex smiled in satisfaction when Ben offered his hand to his nephew and Daniel excepted the acknowledgment.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss had moved to stand next to Adam and both brothers exchanged skeptical looks.\u00a0 Adam mounted his horse and motioned for Hoss to follow suit.\u00a0 \u201cPa, we will be back before nightfall.\u00a0 We\u2019ll find that wayward son for you,\u201d said Adam and he gave his father a reassuring smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben excused himself from his company and moved to his son\u2019s side.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, let me know as soon as you find him.\u00a0 I\u2019m worried that something might have happened to him.\u00a0 But if he is caught goofing off, I swear I will tan his backside for scaring the life out of me.\u00a0 I knew I should have never let him ride out there by himself, not with our cattle being carted away by the hundreds.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa, try not to worry.\u00a0 Joe can take care of himself, he ain\u2019t gonna let anyone get a drop on him, not if\u2019n he can help it any ways,\u201d encouraged Hoss who tried to hide his own worries behind his smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI hope you\u2019re right Hoss, but I still can\u2019t help it, I\u2019m worried.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t like Joseph to stay out all night without letting one of us know.\u00a0 And I doubt seriously that he has been working all of this time.\u201d\u00a0 Ben gave his sons a frail smile and bid them good-bye.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Alex and Daniel moved to stand behind Ben and the uncle smiled slightly at his nephew. Ben had missed the exchange and was unaware of the pleased looks on the face of his friend and his nephew.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSomething wrong Ben?\u00a0 Sounds like someone\u2019s missing,\u201d asked Alex as he and Daniel followed Ben into the house.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben shook his head, \u201cI\u2019m not sure.\u00a0 My youngest son, Joseph, didn\u2019t come home last night.\u00a0 Adam and Hoss are going to search for him.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Daniel laughed, \u201cMaybe he has a girlfriend you don\u2019t know about.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben turned his dark eyes to the younger man who appeared to be around Adam\u2019s age and studied his expression.\u00a0 The boy seemed to have a smirk on his face that instantly annoyed Ben.\u00a0 Ben moved his eyes to his friend\u2019s face half expecting the older man to make a comment on his nephew\u2019s audacity but the man did not open his mouth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben let the comment drop, better to keep his thoughts to himself.\u00a0 He had noticed that Alex had acted strangely when he had been introduced to Hoss and had refused his son\u2019s polite hand movement.\u00a0 Perhaps his friend\u2019s rudeness had been an oversight and Ben pushed the incident from his mind as he made his company welcomed in his home.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe opened his eyes slightly.\u00a0 Even that small movement sent sparks of pain seemingly through the front of his head and out the back.\u00a0 Every muscle in his body begged to be released from their tight confines.\u00a0 His hands had lost all feeling and his legs cramped, the muscles in his back ached from the onslaught of the kicks it had received and his chest felt as if each and every rib had either been cracked or broken.\u00a0 Joe tried to draw in a breath of fresh air but his throat was now so sore and raw that he felt as if it were on fire.\u00a0 Swallowing was almost impossible and when he tried to call out for help, he could not gather enough air from within to complete a word.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Panic began to rise in Joe\u2019s heart, what if no one found him. Where was his family?\u00a0 What if they didn\u2019t find him in time?\u00a0 Didn\u2019t they even care?\u00a0 What was keeping them?\u00a0 Didn\u2019t they know how badly he needed them?\u00a0 Joe\u2019s body trembled with fear as the forbidding thoughts came to play in his mind.\u00a0 He had to move, he told himself, he had to get out from under the tree and into the open so that he might have a better chance of seeing someone should they ride by.\u00a0 Fighting to control the piercing pain that plagued his body, Joe attempted to roll over as he had done the night before but his body refused to follow his mind\u2019s order.\u00a0Joe felt the tears that gathered in his eyes and when they began to roll onto his cheeks he made no effort to stop them, instead he gave him self over to his despair.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2018Pa,\u2019 he cried silently wishing that the older man were there now, \u2018this isn\u2019t the way it was suppose to happen.\u00a0 I\u2019m supposed to grow old, be a grandfather before I die.\u00a0 Oh God please\u2026I don\u2019t want to die\u2026not like this.\u00a0 Not alone, not way out here where no one even knows where I\u2019m at\u2026not by myself.\u2019\u00a0 Joe could not stop his tears and as he closed his eyes he felt himself slipping back into the darkness and was unaware that just over the rise his two older brothers were searching and calling out for him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss pulled his horse to a stop and handed the reins to Adam as he dismounted.\u00a0 Adam waited, knowing that if there were any tracks to be found, Hoss would locate them.\u00a0 After several minutes of walking in a wide circle searching in all directions, Hoss returned to stand next to Adam\u2019s horse.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDadburnit Adam, I can\u2019t find nuthin\u2019, not a hint of a track any where.\u00a0 Wonder where in tarnation that boy got to?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss looked up into the face of his brother and the worry he saw in the dark eyes that stared back at him was reflected in his own blue eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know Hoss.\u201d\u00a0 Adam scanned the horizon to the east of him with his eyes then returned to look down at Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cI think Pa might have been right in worrying.\u00a0 Joe has done some pretty stupid things in his life, but staying out all night just to round up strays is not one of them.\u00a0 I\u2019m getting worried Hoss, I don\u2019t like this one bit.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss saw the expression change on his brother\u2019s face.\u00a0 Earlier both of them had been aggravated at their youngest brother for the extra time they were having to spend looking for him, but now those feelings had turned first to concern and now to worry.\u00a0 Hoss pulled his hat from his head and swiped the sweat from his brow before returning it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLet me ask ya somethin\u2019 Adam.\u00a0 What\u2019ca make of that Mr. Manning and that nephew of his?\u201d Hoss wanted to know Adam\u2019s thoughts on the two men.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u00a0 What did you think of them?\u201d Adam replied watching his brother\u2019s reaction and wondering if he had gotten the same uneasy feeling about the pair as he himself had gotten.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAw, I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 That Alex fella, well to tell ya the truth Adam, I got a funny feelin\u2019 about\u2019em.\u00a0 Did ya see the way he just looked at me?\u00a0 Didn\u2019t even bother to shake my hand.\u00a0 And that nephew of his\u2019n, he looked like he could kill ya and never bat an eye while doing it,\u201d Hoss stated his feelings about the two men, one which claimed to be his father\u2019s friend.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDid\u2019ca see the look in his eyes and the way they darted back and forth?\u00a0 Strange if\u2019n ya ask me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam handed Hoss back the reins to his horse and this time searched the western horizon, shading his eyes against the sun\u2019s glare.\u00a0 \u201cI got the feeling Pa\u2019s so-called friend is nothing but trouble.\u00a0 I\u2019ve never been really afraid of any man Hoss, but to tell you the truth, that man gives me the jitters. Did you see the size of his arms and his hands?\u00a0 The man makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up, know what I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss remounted his horse and turned to face his brother, somewhat surprised at his older sibling\u2019s confession, \u201cYeah Adam, I know what\u2019ca mean.\u00a0 But why?\u00a0 We ain\u2019t even met the man before have we?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss felt uneasy, never before had he known Adam to have such an instant dislike of another man and one that he admittedly was leery of.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know Hoss, like I said, I can\u2019t explain it.\u201d\u00a0 Adam nudged his mount forward, saying nothing more about the men in question.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, it\u2019ll be dark before much longer and we have to find Joe.\u00a0 Let\u2019s ride over that rise and then we can start back on the other side.\u00a0 With any luck, maybe we can find something.\u201d\u00a0 Adam allowed Hoss to ride in front so that he could search the ground for any signs that their youngest brother had possibly been by this way.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n From under the tree the young boy struggled to return to consciousness.\u00a0 When he was finally able to open his swollen eyes, the sun had moved starting its westward descent in the evening sky.\u00a0 The sky had darkened somewhat and Joe realized that nightfall was once again fast approaching.\u00a0 Fear clutched at his heart as the thought of spending yet another night alone in the dark, bound hand and foot and not knowing if help would arrive in time, came into mind.\u00a0 The pain and stiffness in his body warned him that time was running out and fear caused him to force himself to cry out.\u00a0 As the mournful whimper rose from his chest Joe felt the fire burning within his throat but he managed to swallow the boiling bile that filled his mouth.\u00a0 Once again tears formed in his hazel eyes and as hysteria seized his heart, he began jerking and pulling, fighting at his tightly knotted bounds in a frail attempt to free himself but the well tied mariner knots refused to give.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam and Hoss stopped once again as Hoss searched the ground.\u00a0 \u201cNuthin\u2019 Adam, not a sign.\u00a0 Let\u2019s start back, maybe he\u2019s already gotten home.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss\u2019 face held the expression of hope as Adam nodded his head in agreement.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Both brothers rode in silence as they headed home each lost in their own thoughts regarding their brother\u2019s whereabouts.\u00a0 Suddenly Hoss pulled his horse to an abrupt halt causing Adam\u2019s horse to jerk to the side.\u00a0Quickly Hoss jumped to the ground and bent down to examine the dirt as he lightly ran his fingers over the area in question.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHey Adam, will ya lookit this?\u201d he called over his shoulder.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam joined his brother on the ground and examined the scene.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss looked hopefully into the older boy\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cHere,\u201d he pointed to a spot, \u201cit looks like something either crawled away or was dragged away.\u00a0 See how the dirt is pushed to the side?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss took a couple of steps forward.\u00a0 \u201cAnd look,\u201d Hoss stooped down and picked up a fallen leaf.\u00a0 \u201cThis is blood Adam, see?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss handed the leaf to Adam so that he could inspect it.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s more,\u201d he pointed to the ground, \u201cand lots of it over here.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCould have been an injured animal Hoss,\u201d suggested Adam, trying to calm the fear that had begun to surface.\u00a0 He hated to think that his young brother might have laid out in the cold all night and then again today injured and bleeding, or worse.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam, lookit this,\u201d Hoss handed Adam a small scrap of material and watched as his brother held it in his hands.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s brown worried filled eyes met those of his brother\u2019s worried blue eyes as realization set in.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe\u2026it\u2019s a piece of his green jacket, Adam.\u00a0 That means he was here.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss\u2019 voice had risen an octave as dread filled his heart.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s been hurt Adam.\u00a0\u00a0 And badly from the looks of all this here blood.\u201d cried Hoss as he moved forward following the indention\u2019s in the dirt until they ended at the pine tree where unknown to both brothers, the youngest member of the family lay unobserved and lost in the darkness of unconsciousness.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Twilight had nearly fallen on the two distressed figures as they stood by the tree.\u00a0 Hoss exchanged glances with his older brother asking with his eyes for reassurance.\u00a0 Adam reached an arm out to his middle brother and together they knelt down as Adam drew his gun from his holster on the chance that under the large low hanging branches might lay an animal that had been wounded.\u00a0 With his large hand, Hoss pulled away the branches and when their eyes fell on the lone figure lying unconscious on the ground both young men gasped.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh God,\u201d cried Adam aloud as he crawled under the tree trying to reach Joe\u2019s side.\u00a0 Hoss moved hastily to join Adam and together they turned Joe over so that they might see his face.\u00a0 Quickly Adam laid his long fingers to Joe\u2019s neck searching frantically for a carotid pulse.\u00a0 When his fingers found their mark, his eyes swiftly darted to Hoss and he smiled faintly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s alive,\u201d Adam stated and began working at the knots that held his brother\u2019s arms and legs bound together.\u00a0 Hoss used his hand and carefully wiped the dirt from the boy\u2019s face as Adam continued to struggle with the ropes.\u00a0 Finally Adam pulled his knife from his pocket and sliced through the ropes, freeing Joe of the tight restraints that had held him captive for innumerable hours.\u00a0 For unknown reasons Adam stuffed the knotted ropes into his jacket pocket and returned his knife to the pocket of his pants.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe?\u201d whispered Hoss, \u201ccan ya hear me?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss cradled Joe in his arms and continued to speak softly.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, open ya eyes Punkin.\u00a0 It\u2019s me, Hoss.\u201d\u00a0 Joe lay in his brother\u2019s strong arms, totally unaware that his family had at last found him.\u00a0 When he made no response to his brother\u2019s pleading, Hoss drew the boy to his heart and wept.\u00a0 \u201cCome on baby, answer me, please,\u201d he cried into his brother\u2019s ear.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam rested his hand on his brother\u2019s large shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cHoss, he can\u2019t hear you.\u00a0 We have to get him help.\u00a0 Come on, let\u2019s get him out from under this tree and get him warm.\u00a0 He\u2019s freezing.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam started backing out from under the pine and Hoss, carefully holding on to the injured boy, followed him.\u00a0 Instantly Adam ran to the horses and removed his and Hoss\u2019 bedrolls returning to wrap Joe\u2019s shivering body into the folds.\u00a0 Hoss gently lowered the boy to the ground and began gathering wood to start a fire.\u00a0 When that was completed and the fire roaring, he returned to Joe\u2019s side where Adam knelt speaking in soft tones to his brother and Hoss saw Adam\u2019s tears as they dropped from his quivering chin.\u00a0 He stood silently, allowing his oldest brother the time he needed to come to terms with what had happened to their baby brother.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When Adam looked up and saw the tear stained face that watched him he regained control of his own emotions and instantly took charge of the situation.\u00a0 \u201cHoss ride to the house.\u00a0 Tell Pa that we found Joe and have one of the hands ride to town for the doctor and have him meet us back at the ranch.\u00a0 Bring a wagon back to get Joe home in.\u00a0 We can\u2019t get him on a horse, he\u2019s too badly injured to try to ride home.\u201d\u00a0 When Hoss made no attempt to move, Adam looked again into his brother\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cHoss,\u201d he said loudly bringing the other boy back to his senses.\u00a0 \u201cDid you hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I heard ya.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry Adam, it\u2019s just\u2026well\u2026what if\u2019n\u2026\u201d Hoss stopped; he could not finish putting his fears into words.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be back as soon as I can.\u00a0 Ya take care of little brother now, ya hear?\u201d he called over his shoulder as he turned to mount his horse.\u00a0 With one last glance at the badly beaten boy lying helpless on the ground, Hoss kicked Chubb hard in the flanks and took off at a gallop, headed for home and help.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam turned his full attention back to Joe.\u00a0 Taking water from his canteen and wetting his handkerchief he began cleaning the battered and bruised face.\u00a0 Joe stirred slightly as the coldness of the water touched his skin.\u00a0 While Adam worked, he spoke in whispered tones, hoping that the boy might respond.\u00a0 He was afraid for the boy; Joe\u2019s injuries appeared severe.\u00a0 He had lost a large amount of blood and he was running a fever.\u00a0 Adam worried about internal injuries and hoped that Hoss would return before long with the wagon so that they could get Joe back home and have the doctor examine him. Adam continued talking to the boy and was rewarded a short time later when the eyelids began to flutter and the eyes at last opened.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHey little buddy,\u201d smiled Adam speaking in a low controlled voice.\u00a0 \u201cLooks as if you\u2019ve had a rough time.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe blinked his eyes trying to focus on the face in front of him.\u00a0 He recognized the voice of his oldest brother but he was having difficulty bringing the face into something other than the blurry form he was seeing.\u00a0When he opened his mouth to speak, he could not complete a sound, so inflamed was his throat and he struggled even to swallow.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam tried to reassure the boy as he gathered him into his arms.\u00a0 The sight of seeing his baby brother in such a condition ripped at the walls of his heart allowing ire and loathing to flood their way within.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShh, don\u2019t try to speak, Joe.\u00a0 Hoss has gone for help.\u00a0 As soon as he gets back, we\u2019ll get you home.\u201d\u00a0 Adam continued to hold his brother and watched as Joe once again tried to form his words.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tears filled the bruised and swollen eyes as Joe looked into the face of the man whose arms held him.\u00a0 Again he tried to speak and still no words could be heard.\u00a0 Joe squeezed his eyes tightly and allowed the tears to roll down his cheeks.\u00a0 Adam watched with dismay as his brother struggled with his words as he tried to understand what it was that Joe wanted to tell him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it Joe?\u00a0 What are you trying to say?\u201d he asked never allowing his eyes to leave the wounded boy\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t try to talk, just form the words with your lips.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe opened his eyes and relaxed against Adam\u2019s chest.\u00a0 He could hear the steady beating of his brother\u2019s heart and instantly Joe was comforted.\u00a0 He formed only one word using his lips as Adam had instructed and struggled to watch the face to see if his brother had understood.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam\u2019s eyes lit up when he realized what his brother had said.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s coming Joe.\u00a0 I promise, Pa will be here soon.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam watched the tears of relief flow from the eyes of his brother and felt his own eyes fill with tears.\u00a0 Adam had known in his heart that the first person his brother would have asked for would have been Pa.\u00a0 The bond that existed between their father and his youngest son was one that only God in heaven could explain and one that no man could sever.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam watched as Joe struggled with his misery and wished that he could do something to make the boy more comfortable.\u00a0 Several times Joe had attempted to cry out while flinging his arms about in the air and Adam had known that the discomfort in the boy\u2019s hands was due to the feeling returning to them. The rush of oxygen deprived blood that flowed forth to feed the hungry veins of his hands caused the boy to have excruciating pain. Adam had only been able to hold the arms close to Joe\u2019s body gently massaging the hands hoping to alleviate the tingling sensations that he knew were causing the boy severe anguish.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While Joe slept, Adam added more wood to the fire and decided that it would be in Joe\u2019s best interest to remove his damp clothing.\u00a0 As Adam undressed his younger brother he was amazed at the number of bruises that covered the boy\u2019s body.\u00a0 Adam felt his blood begin to boil with the anger that he felt toward the perpetuators that had inflicted the injuries to Joe\u2019s flesh.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam wrapped Joe back in the bedroll and hung the damp clothing on a nearby branch close to the fire so that they might dry.\u00a0 When Adam returned to Joe\u2019s side he noticed that Joe had kicked aside the lower part of the blankets and that the muscles beneath the battered skin of his legs had started to spasm.\u00a0 Adam watched in alarm as Joe\u2019s body tensed as the convulsive movements of the muscles took control of the body.\u00a0Quickly kneeling down Adam pulled the remaining covers from around Joe\u2019s legs and began massaging the taunt members until he felt the muscles begin to soften.\u00a0 After Joe\u2019s body had relaxed and he had replace the blankets, Adam stood taking the canteen from his saddle and pouring a small amount into his hat, he held it high enough over the open fire to allow the heat to warm the contents without burning the hat.\u00a0 When the chill had been knocked from the water, he returned to his brother\u2019s side and raised Joe\u2019s head.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe, wake up little buddy,\u201d encouraged Adam.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe\u2019s eyes slowly opened and he was able to give his brother a tiny smile.\u00a0 Adam poured a small amount of warm water into his cupped hands and offered it to Joe.\u00a0 Joe sipped slowly, allowing the warm liquid to fill his mouth.\u00a0 Suddenly Joe gagged causing the water to seep from the sides of his parched lips.\u00a0 Joe looked into Adam\u2019s eyes and Adam could see the sudden fear that reflected in the hazel depths.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s okay Joe, we\u2019ll try again later.\u00a0 Once Pa gets here and we get you home, Doc will make you feel better, I promise,\u201d soothed Adam as he tenderly brushed back the stray curl that had fallen on the boy\u2019s brow.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam started to move away but was stopped when Joe whimpered drawing Adam\u2019s attention back to his brother.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is it Joe?\u00a0 What do you want?\u201d Adam asked kindly as he knelt down watching Joe\u2019s face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe formed the word once again as his eyes filled with tears.\u00a0 Adam saw the pleading look cross the young face and had to fight to hide his own tears from his brother.\u00a0 Never before had Adam seen his brother as he was now, helpless, wounded, defenseless, and vulnerable and it tore at the very core of his being.\u00a0 Once again Adam offered encouragement to the boy.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, I promise, Pa is coming.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe tried to raise himself from his spot on the ground but was stopped by Adam\u2019s restraining hands.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, you need to lay down and be still,\u201d instructed Adam but Joe turned his head until it rested on his brother\u2019s arm.\u00a0 Adam raised the quivering chin with one hand and held the boy in a semi-upright position with the other.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t understand what it is you are wanting little buddy?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe forced his aching arms upward until he could almost rest them on his brother\u2019s shoulders and tried to pull Adam\u2019s body toward his.\u00a0 Suddenly Adam understood his brother\u2019s need.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, do you want me to hold you?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe nodded his head up and down as Adam moved to sit behind the boy and gather him into his arms.\u00a0 Reaching for the blanket, Adam recovered Joe from his shoulders down to his feet and leaned back, cradling the young boy as he had often done when Joe had been a small child in need of his brother\u2019s comfort.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam was suddenly awakened from sleep by the sound of an approaching wagon.\u00a0 Glancing down at the boy he still held in his arms and seeing that he was still sleeping, Adam being careful not to wake him thus igniting his pain once again, quietly laid the boy on the blanket where he had been sitting.\u00a0 As he rose, Hoss and Ben pulled the horses to a stop.\u00a0 In a movement that reflected the dexterity that his father still maintained, Ben jumped from the wagon and was beside his youngest son instantly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben was shocked at the discoloration that adorned his son\u2019s once handsome face and he looked questionably up into the face of his oldest son.\u00a0 Adam could not miss the look of anguish that clouded the dark eyes of his father.\u00a0 Ben returned his attention to Joe and carefully began to unfold the blanket that Adam had covering his youngest son\u2019s body.\u00a0 He wanted to inspect the extent of the boy\u2019s injuries and with each bruise that his father counted, Adam could see the pain multiplied within the dark penetrating eyes.\u00a0 Adam knew that his father was struggling to maintain control of his emotions as the tears dripped from his father\u2019s eyes onto the blanket that covered his youngest son.\u00a0 Once, Adam had seen the clenching and unclenching of his father\u2019s jaw as he struggled with the hatred Adam knew was growing within and silently prayed that his father\u2019s faith in God would prevent him from doing something that he might later regret.\u00a0 Vengeance was forged on every line that had furrowed their way onto the older man\u2019s face as Adam watched in awe of the deepening creases that manifested themselves.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben was incensed, angrier than he had ever been in his entire life.\u00a0 How dare a man, any man, lay their hands in such a manner to one of his sons?\u00a0 This was just a boy, not fully grown and yet, he had suffered a beating that most men could not have endured.\u00a0 And for what? Ben questioned himself, a few heads of cattle, money?\u00a0 What reason would a monster have to batter a boy to such a degree and then leave him wounded to die alone in the elements?\u00a0 Ben struggled to keep his disgust at the injustice of the situation within himself but he had lost the battle with his tears.\u00a0 As they spilled over once again, he made no move to hide them from his two older sons who had each come to kneel next to him beside their brother.\u00a0 Hoss and Adam watched their father\u2019s breakdown and knew how he felt for just a few short hours ago, they too had fought their own private hells as to how and why this had taken place.\u00a0 Now they waited patiently as their father fought to conquer his own living hell, ready to give their support.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa,\u201d Adam spoke softly and laid a reassuring hand on his father\u2019s slumped shoulders.\u00a0 Ben raised his tear-streaked face briefly and stared blankly into his oldest son\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cWe need to get him home.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam stepped across Joe\u2019s prone body and as he knelt on the opposite side, Joe moaned in pain.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s thoughts snapped back into the present and instantly he gave his young son his full attention.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, sweetheart, your Pa\u2019s here.\u00a0 Son, can you hear me?\u201d\u00a0 Ben waited with baited breath as Joe struggled to find his father\u2019s face in the dim light of the fire.\u00a0 When his eyes at last found what they had been searching for, Joe opened his mouth and tried to speak but the only thing that was heard was soft protesting sounds.\u00a0 Joe made a scowl and tried a second time but still his voice continued to evade him as silent tears of yearning filled his eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa, his throat has been so sore, he hasn\u2019t been able to say a word,\u201d Adam explained to his father.\u00a0 \u201cI think what he wants to say is that he is happy you are here.\u201d\u00a0 Adam turned to Joe, \u201cis that right, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe nodded his head yes in response to his brother\u2019s question.\u00a0 \u201cI came as soon as Hoss told me what happened son.\u00a0 Now, let\u2019s see about getting you home and having Paul check you out.\u201d\u00a0 Ben bent down, placed a kiss on Joe\u2019s brow and gave his son a smile that was meant as encouragement but Adam saw that the smile was only on the lips and never made it to light his father\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Together Ben and Adam carried the injured boy to the back of the wagon and with care placed him on the bed of thick hay that Hoss had spread about for Joe\u2019s comfort.\u00a0 Joe tried not to cry out as he was carried to the wagon but twice the pain in his hands and legs reach unbearable magnitude forcing his voice to crack through the burning canal of his throat.\u00a0 By the time his father and brother had tenderly placed him in the wagon, Joe had fainted.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben crawled in next to his son and made sure that Joe was covered warmly with the extra blankets that had also been tossed into the wagon earlier.\u00a0 Hoss climbed into the seat as Adam gathered his belongs, doused the fire and mounted his horse.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss guided the horses carefully through the darkness, moving at a snail\u2019s pace to avoid jarring his brother and causing him more discomfort.\u00a0 The ride was slow and by the time they reached the yard of their home, the morning sun\u2019s rays could be seen rising atop the distant mountains.\u00a0 Paul Martin and Roy Coffee met the Cartwright family as the horses were called to stop.\u00a0 Paul stopped the family from moving Joe as he jumped into the wagon to briefly check out his young patient.\u00a0 Right away Paul did not like what he saw and the look of grave concern that showed on his face was mirrored in the four faces that watched him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCarefully, move him very carefully,\u201d instructed Paul.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure he has some busted ribs, maybe a concussion and God only knows what else.\u201d\u00a0 Paul jumped down from the wagon and walked ahead of Adam and Hoss who carried Joe\u2019s body inside and up the stairs.\u00a0 Ben and Roy followed closely behind, Ben giving no thoughts to the two men, which stood across the yard watching.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The two men watched from the side of the yard as the injured boy was lifted from the wagon.\u00a0 Stepping a bit closer, both gasped softly when the boy\u2019s beaten face came into view.\u00a0 When the family had all entered the house, Alex looked to his nephew with a troubled expression on his face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou idiot,\u201d he muttered, \u201cdon\u2019t tell me you didn\u2019t know that was Cartwright\u2019s son?\u201d accused Alex.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you think I am paying you for, goofing off?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The younger man stood as if in shock unable to speak.\u00a0 Alex slapped the stunned face and repeated his question.\u00a0 \u201cDid you know that was Cartwright\u2019s boy?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo uncle\u2026honest, I had no idea,\u201d Daniel rubbed at his stinging cheek as he tried to plead his case.\u00a0 \u201cBesides, why are you yelling at me?\u00a0 You\u2019re the one who beat the boy like that, all I did was kick him a few times.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Daniel\u2019s lips parted in a small smile as he recalled how the boy had cried out painfully for his father each and every time that his pointed boot had connect to the boy\u2019s body.\u00a0 Daniel laughed at the mental picture of the boy when he had screamed as the boot had ended up in his face, bringing forth the blood and splattering droplets on the hard surface of the ground only to be absorbed by the dirt.\u00a0 His amusement was quickly dashed as Daniel\u2019s attention was reverted back to his uncle when he heard the anger in his voice as the elder man snapped at him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Daniel\u2019s statement infuriated the older man and he turned on his nephew, \u201cyou had better keep those thoughts to yourself, or I\u2019ll give you a taste of what I gave the boy there.\u201d\u00a0 Alex nodded his head toward the retreating backs of the men as they closed the front door of the house.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou had better get rid of that pinto you were planning on keeping before anyone finds it and puts two and two together, and do it soon, understand?\u00a0 Because if you don\u2019t there will be hell to pay,\u201d Alex turned in a huff from his nephew and moved to enter the house.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Daniel stood in silence until his uncle entered the house before he walked to the barn and saddled his horse.\u00a0 Minutes later he rode away from the house heading to the hideout to do his uncle\u2019s bidding.\u00a0 He had wanted to keep the Cartwright\u2019s pinto but knew that now it would be impossible, if anyone recognized the horse, his uncle\u2019s plans to send the Cartwrights into financial destruction would be foiled.\u00a0 Daniel knew that Alex would do to him what he had done to the young boy inside.\u00a0 More than once he had felt the sharp pain that came from his face making contact with his uncle\u2019s powerful fists and he did not intend to feel it again so soon after the last time.\u00a0 Daniel briefly wondered how the boy had managed to live throughout the night, they had tied him in such a manner as to prevent his escape and his uncle had assured him that the kid would be dead by morning.\u00a0 Neither had realized that the boy was the youngest son of the man he planned on destroying.\u00a0 Uncle had under estimated the boy\u2019s will to survive.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the house, Joe had been placed carefully on his bed for Paul to start his examination.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s blanket had been removed leaving the boy\u2019s body fully exposed except for his lower extremities, which Paul had left covered to avoid embarrassment.\u00a0 Gasps filled the room as four pairs of startled eyes took in the sight of the battered boy.\u00a0 The bruises were better seen in the brighter light than they had been in the dim glow of the campfire from the night before.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe\u2019s family could not hide their shocked expressions that had suddenly become visible on their startled faces and the looks that where exchanged between themselves spoke volumes about the turmoil that brewed within each man.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Paul turned to Ben and his sons requesting that they leave him to examine the boy. No one made a move to exit the room each shaking their heads no, indicating to the doctor that they were not about to be leaving.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Paul shook his head and mumbled under his breath, \u201cI should have known, Cartwright trait, you are all as stubborn as mules.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Paul started his examine beginning at Joe\u2019s head and turned slightly as he heard the approaching footsteps behind him.\u00a0 When he looked up, Ben, Adam, Hoss, and now Hop Sing had circled him around the bed.\u00a0Roy had chosen to wait in the great room and visited with Ben\u2019s friend, Alex Manning.\u00a0 Inwardly, Paul smiled; he knew this family\u2019s great love for his young patient and had known ahead of time that the family would remain close to the boy\u2019s side.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe opened his eyes when he felt the doctor\u2019s hands on his brow.\u00a0 Paul noted the rise in temperature and immediately noticed the white of the right eye was bright red, indicating that it had hemorrhaged.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe, have you experienced any pain, double vision or decreased vision?\u201d\u00a0 Joe could only shake his head yes.\u00a0 Paul took note that the pupil was larger than the left eye and that the right eye drifted in the opposite direction than what the other eye was focusing on.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBen, this particular injury of the eye his called hythema, or bleeding into the anterior chamber of the eye, thus obstructing the iris.\u201d\u00a0 Paul went on to explain what treatment he would be administering.\u00a0 \u201cProper treatment is to place a protective shield over the injured eye to prevent further injury.\u201d\u00a0 Paul looked into the concerned faces and continued before giving the men a chance to react.\u00a0 \u201cI am going to cover both eyes to minimize movement and strain on the healthy eye.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe searched for his father\u2019s face, the fear clearly etched on his own.\u00a0 Tears filled the wounded eyes as a soft whimper escaped through the cracked lips.\u00a0 Ben knelt down beside the bed and took his son\u2019s enlarged hand into his own.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, it will be okay, I promise.\u00a0 Try to calm down, please.\u00a0 You will not have to go through this alone.\u00a0 One of us will always be close by.\u201d\u00a0 Ben watched as the tears continued to roll down Joe\u2019s face and felt his own tears join his son\u2019s.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Paul continued with his examine wanting to finish before Joe became too distraught.\u00a0 Paul felt the glands on the side of Joe\u2019s throat taking note that they were swollen.\u00a0 At that point, Joe was instructed to open his mouth, which he complied.\u00a0 Paul used a small candle holding it within inches of Joe\u2019s mouth and peered inside.\u00a0 The throat was raw and inflamed thus being the reason for the boy to be having problems swallowing and speaking.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe, your throat is a mess.\u00a0 It is very raw and I\u2019m sure very painful for you.\u00a0 That is the reason you are having trouble swallowing and speaking. That\u2019s the cause of your drooling also, but don\u2019t be alarmed, I will take care of all of that for you.\u201d Paul then turned to Hop Sing and instructed the little man on how to prepare a mustard plaster to wrap around Joe\u2019s throat.\u00a0 Turning back to Joe he explained to the boy what he was going to do.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe will wrap the plaster around your throat until the swelling subsides and the soreness is gone.\u00a0 It will be uncomfortable but well worth it, I assure you,\u201d smiled Paul as Joe nodded his head to show the doctor that he understood and excepted the treatment.\u00a0 Hop Sing left Joe\u2019s bedside to do as the doctor instructed as Paul worked his way downward in his examination.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Paul left along each of Joe\u2019s arms, relieved that there we no breaks.\u00a0 Paul saw the rope burns on each wrist and that Joe\u2019s hands were badly swollen.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, you will be unable to use your hands for awhile.\u00a0 Look at these fingers, the joints are so swollen that you are not able to bend them.\u00a0 This was caused by your wrists being bound so tightly and cutting off the blood flow to your hands and fingers.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Moving over to the chest cavity, Paul gently probed along the ribcage frowning as his fingers felt the numerous cracks to the ribs along both sides of the thorax.\u00a0 Paul cast worried eyes at Ben, knowing that he would have a fight on their hands when the boy realized that not only would his ribcage be bound but that the arms would have to be bound as well in order to avoid unnecessary movement that might cause further damage.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Gently probing the abdominal area and noting the large black and blue bruise that spread from the hips to the genital hairline Paul applied a small amount of pressure which caused Joe to stiffen his body in pain.\u00a0Paul looked up at Joe and apologized for hurting him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry Joseph, but I needed to find out if this was a bruise that resulted from the beating or an internal injury as a result of the beating,\u201d Paul explained.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When Paul again applied the same pressure to the area above the hairline, Joe\u2019s bladder unexpectedly reacted and released itself.\u00a0 Joe turned his head to the side hiding his face in embarrassment as the tears fell from his eyes.\u00a0 Ben who still knelt at Joe\u2019s side gently drew his son\u2019s face into his chest and lovingly stroked the back of his head.\u00a0 Ben knew the abashment Joe was feeling and wanted to shield his son from the faces of the other men who stood watching.\u00a0 Adam turned his head and Hoss felt his own face redden at his brother\u2019s humiliation and quickly left the room.\u00a0 He returned moments later and handed Ben dry blankets that Ben quickly substituted with the wet ones.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Immediately Paul saw the reddish tinge in the urine confirming his suspicions that there had been trauma to the kidney.\u00a0 Paul moved to the legs as his friend continued to console his son. \u00a0Again rope burns were seen about the knees and under the tender probing of Paul\u2019s expert fingers he could feel the tightness of the muscles from being confined in an unnatural position for an extended period of time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Paul leaned back after finishing his examines and took a deep breath before facing the boy\u2019s family.\u00a0 Ben moved from his spot where he had been kneeling next to Joe\u2019s bed and sat down next to his son on the side of the bed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, what do we do first?\u201d Ben asked and then watched Joe\u2019s face as the look of panic rose into his eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoseph,\u201d started Paul, as he looked the boy in the face.\u00a0 \u201cThe first thing that I want you to do is to take a sedative to help you relax and rest.\u00a0 It will make you sleepy, which is what I want you to do and what you need to do.\u00a0 When you are fully relaxed, I will then bind your cracked ribs and apply the application to your eyes.\u201d\u00a0 Paul saw the tears that welled up in the sad bruised eyes and felt his own heart become heavy with sympathy for the boy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe, remember I have to also bind your arms when I do the ribs, so you won\u2019t have use of them for awhile.\u00a0 I just wanted you to remember so that when you wake up, you won\u2019t be scared.\u00a0 Do you understand?\u201d\u00a0Joe shook his head in understanding and then cast his panic filled eyes at his father.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben caressed his son\u2019s arm hoping to calm the boy\u2019s fears.\u00a0 \u201cSon, one of us will always be with you.\u00a0 Try not to worry.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe watched as Paul dug into his black bag and whimpered when he saw the needles and vials that the doctor pulled from his case.\u00a0 Paul turned at the sound to see Joe attempting to rise from the bed.\u00a0 \u201cWhoa, where you going boy?\u201d asked Paul, knowing that Joe feared the dreaded needles.\u00a0 Joe stopped and sank back down against the pillows, he knew there was no escape, the doctor covered one side of him, his father the other and both his brothers stood at the foot of his bed.\u00a0 Joe reluctantly resigned himself to his fate.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe turned toward his father and buried his face into the older man\u2019s chest as Paul prepared to administer the first shot.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s arm tightened slightly as he felt the needle penetrate the skin.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe, I\u2019m going to wait until you fall asleep before I give you the morphine for the pain, how\u2019s that?\u201d\u00a0 Joe did not bother to answer the doctor but instead, kept his face buried in his father\u2019s chest.\u00a0 Within minutes Joe had fallen to sleep leaning against Ben.\u00a0 Ben held Joe in his arms and watched as Paul inserted the second needle carrying the morphine to relieve his son\u2019s pain.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While Ben held Joe in an upright position Dr. Martin began wrapping both the ribcage and arms leaving enough space to enable the lungs to expand without causing the boy any further discomfort.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hop Sing returned to the room bringing with him the mustard plaster for Joe\u2019s sore throat and blankets that he had warmed.\u00a0 Paul took the plaster from Hop Sing and loosely secured it around Joe\u2019s neck.\u00a0 Ben lowered his son back into the pillows and covered him with the blankets, being sure to tuck them in securely.\u00a0 Ben looked at his son and thought how vulnerable he looked.\u00a0 A stray curl had fallen onto the boy\u2019s brow and Ben could not resist the urge to brush it back. Lightly his hand moved from the boy\u2019s brow to caress the bruised cheek.\u00a0 Leaning down in order to reach his son\u2019s face, Ben placed a kiss on each side of the battered face.\u00a0 Tears gathered in his brown eyes as he thought of the senseless pain that his son suffered, and silently vowed that if it took the rest of his life, he would hunt down the man or men who had done this to his boy and bring them to justice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Paul wet the eye compresses in warm water and placed them over Joe\u2019s closed eyelids.\u00a0 Paul then secured the bandages by tying a small knot in the material at the back of Joe\u2019s head.\u00a0 The doctor rose from the bed and as he began gathering his instruments he instructed the family on his patient\u2019s care.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBen, the boy must have as much liquids as you can get him to drink.\u00a0 His throat should be somewhat better by the time he wakes up, try just a little then.\u00a0 Don\u2019t force it, but be persistent.\u00a0 Rest; make sure he gets plenty of rest, which will aid in the kidneys healing much faster.\u00a0 And please, try to keep him as quiet as possible.\u00a0 Under no circumstance is he to leave that bed, is that clear?\u201d\u00a0 Paul looked from Ben to Adam, Hoss and finally to Hop Sing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo worry doc, Hop Sing keep litle one in bed,\u201d promised the little Chinaman bowing respectfully to the doctor.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI will leave you a sedative.\u00a0 Give this as needed to help him rest and the painkiller every eight to twelve hours.\u00a0 Both are in powder form; I gave him the shots because I wanted them to work faster, God knows the boy needed some relief.\u201d\u00a0 Paul turned to Adam and Hoss, \u201cif you can, you might try massaging his back and legs to help loosen those muscles.\u00a0 We don\u2019t want them to spasm.\u00a0 That would likely be most unbearable for him.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben walked with the doctor to the door, \u201cThanks Paul for coming out, you know I appreciate it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBen, you know I always come anytime you need me, you know how I feel about your family, especially that boy upstairs.\u201d\u00a0 Paul put on his coat and reached for his hat.\u00a0 \u201cIf you need me anytime today or tonight, send word, otherwise I will be out in a couple of days to check on him.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben closed the door and for just a quick second, rested his head on the frame as he sent a plea of mercy for his son, heavenward.\u00a0 Drawing a deep breath and straightening his back, Ben turned toward the great room.\u00a0 It was then that he remembered his friend who was now visiting with the sheriff.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Roy stood when Ben moved to sit in his chair; Adam and Hoss had remained with their brother upstairs, which did not surprise their father, he knew they would.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s the boy, Ben?\u201d Roy was the first to ask, concern evident in the tone of his voice. Alex remained seated and listened intently for Ben\u2019s reply.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben rubbed the back of his neck hoping to ease the tension that had settled there.\u00a0 \u201cNot good, Roy.\u00a0 He\u2019s in a bad way, nearly every rib was cracked, he can\u2019t see well, his kidney is injured, his throat is so sore and swollen he can\u2019t even speak.\u00a0 And his hands\u2026God, Roy, you should see them\u2026and the pain\u2026\u201d Ben\u2019s voice cracked and he stopped, unable to continue.\u00a0 From out of no where, Hop Sing appeared with a glass of brandy and handed it to Ben.\u00a0 Ben excepted the glass and smiled his thanks as Hop Sing moved to pour one for each of Ben\u2019s two guests.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Roy moved to stand in front of Ben\u2019s chair, on the settee, Alex\u2019s thoughts were dancing in his head, this was getting better by the minute, he thought.\u00a0 The plan is working better than I even thought it would, and I didn\u2019t even know that the damn kid was Cartwright\u2019s.\u00a0 Alex covered his mouth, faking a small cough to hide his smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBen, hang in there, Joe is young and he\u2019s healthy and strong.\u00a0 He\u2019ll pull through this,\u201d encouraged Ben\u2019s best friend.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI know Roy, it\u2019s just hard to see him like that.\u00a0 I know he\u2019s hurting, but he\u2019s scared too.\u00a0 We have to find the people that did this to him,\u201d Ben looked up at Roy with a look that Roy had never before seen on his friend\u2019s face, hatred, cold and unconfined hatred.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHas the boy been able to tell you anything about what happened or who was involved?\u201d asked Roy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo Roy, not yet.\u00a0 We haven\u2019t even asked him.\u00a0 We thought it best to get him home first and have Paul examine him before we started questioning him.\u00a0 Hopefully in the morning or the day after he can tell us something.\u00a0 I\u2019ll let you know as soon as the doctor says it\u2019s okay for you to talk with him.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Roy bobbed his head up and down.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, Ben, but you let me know as soon as you can.\u00a0 I want these people in my jail soon.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be back tomorrow, you try to get some rest ole pal, that boy\u2019s gonna need his pa.\u201d\u00a0Roy gathered his belongings and showed himself to the door.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Alex watched Ben from under downcast eyes as his friend stood and stretched.\u00a0 Suddenly Ben spoke and turned to Alex.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going to sit with my son Alex, I hope you don\u2019t mind.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNot at all Ben, you go right ahead.\u00a0 I\u2019ll make myself at home and wait for Daniel to return.\u00a0 He\u2026hmm\u2026had a couple of errands to do for me.\u201d\u00a0 Alex gave Ben one of his most charming smiles and stuffed the small piece of cord he had been knotting back into his pocket.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll see you at supper.\u00a0 If you need anything, just let our cook know, he will take care of everything for you,\u201d stated Ben turning toward the stairs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben climbed the stairs slowly and returned to Joe\u2019s room.\u00a0 Adam had made himself comfortable in the overstuffed chair in the corner and Hoss had moved the old rocker from his father\u2019s bedroom into Joe\u2019s room and placed it close to the bed.\u00a0 Ben found Adam reading and Hoss was leaning over Joe, lovingly running his large beefy fingers through Joe\u2019s thick curly hair and whispering softly into the sleeping boy\u2019s ear.\u00a0 Ben smiled at the sight, his sons might fight and argue amongst themselves, but when the chips were down, they always managed to come together united in brotherly love.\u00a0 That knowledge was confirmed in the way in which both boys tended to their youngest sibling, not just in his waking hours but also while he slept, being by his side constantly hovering over him lest he need anything.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou boys need to get busy, there is work to do.\u00a0 Adam, will you check with the cowhands?\u00a0 Take one of them with you and find out if we have any more cattle missing. Hoss, I need you to ride over to the Devlin\u2019s, don\u2019t you go alone either, I want you to take someone with you.\u00a0 Ask Charlie, he\u2019ll ride with you.\u00a0 Let them know what has happened, tell them to be careful, we don\u2019t know who these guys are or just how far they will go to get what they want,\u201d Ben gave his orders and his sons stood ready to leave.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa, please try to rest.\u00a0 When Joe wakes up, he\u2019s gonna be a handful, you know that the same as I do.\u00a0 You will need all your strength to handle him,\u201d advised Adam as he patted his father\u2019s shoulder and went out the door.\u00a0 Ben smiled and lowered his body into the seat that Adam just vacated.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam\u2019s right Pa.\u00a0 And besides, when we find these guys\u2026well\u2026aw shucks, Pa.\u00a0 You know what I mean,\u201d stammered Hoss.\u00a0 Hoss paused at the door and glanced back at his younger brother.\u00a0 \u201cTake care of \u2018em Pa,\u201d whispered Hoss as he joined Adam in the hallway.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Two days later there was a frantic knock at the door and Alex lifted himself from Ben\u2019s favorite chair to see who could be making such a racket.\u00a0 The rider explained to Alex that he needed to speak with Adam Cartwright.\u00a0 Alex had no choice but to force his large body up the stairs and seek out the young man.\u00a0 As he approached the bedroom where his friend Ben, the doctor, sheriff, and both of the older Cartwright brothers stood huddled around the bed of the beaten boy, Alex paused and stood quietly just outside of the door listening to the questioning going on inside.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe, did you know the man who did this too ya?\u201d questioned Roy.\u00a0 Joe moved his head slowly from side to side. \u2018Only that his fists were made of rocks,\u2019 thought Joe to himself.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOkay son, can you tell us how many men there were?\u201d continued the sheriff.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2018Felt like a couple dozen,\u2019 Joe\u2019s mind cried out.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe moved his lips and tried to speak.\u00a0 His throat was still raw but the swelling had gone down somewhat making trying to talk a bit easier.\u00a0 \u201cFour,\u201d came the raspy one word answer to Roy\u2019s question.\u00a0 Before Roycould comment, Joe tried to speak again.\u00a0 \u201cMore.\u201d\u00a0 The word was expressed in a soft voice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Roy had misunderstood what Joe was trying to say.\u00a0 \u201cFour?\u00a0 Did you say four, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe again moved his head slowly from to side to side.\u00a0 Adam moved in closer to his brother and leaned down near to the boy\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cSay it again Joe, one more time, slowly, so that I can hear you and tilt your head up slightly so that I can see your face better,\u201d Adam instructed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe repeated himself and Adam looked up into his father\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cMore.\u00a0 He said there were more.\u201d\u00a0 He turned his attention back to his brother.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, were there four men present when they jumped you?\u201d\u00a0 Joe was nodding his head indicating to Adam that was correct.\u00a0 \u201cThen there were four more men.\u00a0 Eight all together, is that what you want us to know?\u201d\u00a0 Again, Joe confirmed Adam\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cEight men altogether.\u00a0 That at least gives us an idea as to what we are up against,\u201d commented Roy.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, this next question is very important son.\u00a0 I know you\u2019re getting tired, so I\u2019ll hurry.\u00a0 If you saw the men who attacked you, could you identify them?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe squirmed on the bed; the questioning was beginning to annoy him.\u00a0 What he really wanted was to be left alone so he could sleep and try to forget everything that had happened to him.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to remember how his face had hurt each time that the big man had hit him or when the smaller man had repeatedly kicked him when he had fallen to his knees and minutes later when his face was in the dirt.\u00a0 He wrinkled up his face when he thought of those eyes, so dark, so menacing and so terribly frightening.\u00a0 He no longer wanted to remember his fear as they tied his wrists, legs and then rode off taking his horse, leaving him alone to die with their laughter ringing in his ears.\u00a0 Most of all, thought Joe, he wanted to forget that he had been scared, terrified that he would die and yet with the piercing pain that had been racing throughout his body, he had hoped that he would die.\u00a0 At least in death there would be no pain, but his Cartwright spirit and strong sense of survival refused to allow his innermost self to succumb to the body\u2019s desire of death, he could not do that to his family; so he lingered, hoping, wishing and praying.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben saw his son\u2019s hesitation and laid a reassuring hand on his son\u2019s brow.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, it\u2019s all right son.\u00a0 Roy just needs to know, so that we can find these men and put them behind bars where they belong.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe shook his head yes. Alex took that time to step into view at the door and watched as the beaten boy nodded his head in the affirmative.\u00a0 Alex drew his lips together tightly and vowed at the first opportunity he would take care of this loose end; he did not need someone to be able to identify him.\u00a0 Right now he only hoped that the boy would not recognize his voice and alert his family.\u00a0 He needed just a little more time before he would be successful in bringing the mighty Ben Cartwright to his knees, and what better way than to strike him where it hurts the most, in the heart.\u00a0 It was no secret how the man felt about the young boy laying in the bed fighting for his life.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cExcuse me gentlemen, I don\u2019t mean to intrude.\u00a0 Adam, there is a gentleman outside to see you.\u00a0 He said it was urgent.\u201d\u00a0 Alex delivered his message, glanced at the boy lying in the bed and left the room, the sneer on his face unnoticed by the men in the room.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Alex was pleased with what he saw, it would be days before the boy could talk well enough to give any information and just as long or longer before he would see well enough to identify him or his nephew.\u00a0 By then, it would be too late; the boy would be dead, without anyone knowing he had been behind Cartwright\u2019s destruction and his son\u2019s death.\u00a0 He and Daniel would suddenly disappear and the next time he came across the name of Ben Cartwright it would be when he read of his losses in the local newspapers.\u00a0 The taste of victory was already in the mastermind\u2019s mouth and he savored the flavor.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam excused himself and met Mat in the yard below.\u00a0 \u201cMat, what\u2019s up?\u00a0 Hope there\u2019s nothing wrong.\u201d\u00a0 Adam greeted the miner with a firm handshake and lost his smile when he noticed the dirt and dust that covered the man\u2019s clothing and body; even the tiny particles of crushed rock remaining in the man\u2019s hair had not gone unobserved by Adam\u2019s sharp eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWish I could tell ya there wasn\u2019t, but there is.\u00a0 James sent me to fetch ya.\u00a0 Walt\u2019s been murdered and James said fur ya to come quick.\u00a0 The mine had been sabotaged.\u00a0 We can\u2019t even work it now, best hurry.\u201d\u00a0 Mat relayed his message to his boss and waited until Adam informed his father of what had happened.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As Adam opened the door, Roy and Ben were descending the stairs.\u00a0 \u201cRoy, you better come with me.\u00a0 Walt\u2019s been murdered and we\u2019re needed at the mine shack.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWalt\u2019s been murdered?\u201d\u00a0 Ben moved to the door with Adam and Roy.\u00a0 \u201cFirst Joe, then the cattle, now Walt, what next?\u201d\u00a0 Ben\u2019s worry and concern showed in his eyes and on his face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa, the mine has been sabotaged too.\u00a0 Mat said it would be days maybe even weeks before they can dig out the mess.\u201d\u00a0 Adam watched his father and noticed the expulsion of wind from his father\u2019s lungs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDo you realize how much all of this is costing us?\u00a0 Not that the money is that important.\u00a0 The lives of our men are, but without those cattle and now the mine, we can\u2019t even pay our workers.\u00a0 What then?\u201d\u00a0 Ben shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cGo son, you better see to Walt.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam, Roy and the young miner, Mat, mounted their horses and rode quickly to the mine camp.\u00a0 James, the foreman\u2019s right hand man was waiting at the door of the shack when the three riders dismounted and greeted his boss with a handshake and frown on his weathered face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam, you need to see this.\u00a0 Walt\u2019s been murdered, beaten to death.\u201d\u00a0 James stepped aside and opened the door to allow Adam and the sheriff to enter.\u00a0 He stepped in behind Roy and closed the door, barring the entrance to the small group of miners who stood outside anxiously waiting for news regarding their foreman.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam stopped at the sight on the floor and instantly felt his stomach move to his throat as he struggled to keep down his dinner.\u00a0\u00a0 Walt was unrecognizable; his head had been pulverized and was lying in a pool of blood that had seeped from the wounds about his face.\u00a0 Walt\u2019s nose was no longer in the middle of his face; it lay lopsided nearly under one eye, and left no question to Adam that it had been broken.\u00a0 The face was black with bruises that cover both eyes and the jaw line.\u00a0 The jaw its self, laid slack, broken and both the upper and lower lips had been split open.\u00a0 Walt\u2019s forehead had a wide nasty gash where he had either been hit with something hard or had fallen into something sharp; nonetheless, his head had nearly been split in two.\u00a0 The blood was thick and it was everywhere, turning Adam\u2019s stomach once again.\u00a0 But all of that was not what held Adam\u2019s attention; it was the way in which the mine foreman lay bound.\u00a0 Adam stooped down next to the man\u2019s body and examined the knots.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cRoy, look at this,\u201d pointed Adam, drawing the sheriff\u2019s attention to the way in which the knots were made.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Roy inspected the ropes, \u201cstrange lookin\u2019 knots.\u00a0 But what\u2019s botherin\u2019 ya son?\u201d\u00a0 Roy asked looking to Adam and waiting for the younger man to find the words he needed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe way Walt is tied, it\u2019s the same way we found Joe.\u00a0 Arms pulled tightly behind his back, tied at the wrist, legs knotted together and feet pulled up behind him.\u00a0 And these.\u201d\u00a0 Adam pulled the ropes with the funny knots that had held his brother bound in the same way from his pocket and showed them to Roy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Roy took the ropes from Adam and compared them to the knots that held Walt\u2019s battered body tied.\u00a0 \u201cThe exact same.\u00a0 That means, whoever beat your brother, must have also killed Walt.\u00a0 Adam, have you shown these ropes to Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo, with everything going on with Joe, until now I had forgotten about them,\u201d Adam confessed and wished he had remembered to show them to his father.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam, these knots look kinda like the knots sailors use aboard those ships that your daddy used to sail on,\u201d Roy turned the ropes over in his hands.\u00a0 \u201cNo wonder Joe couldn\u2019t work himself free, I can\u2019t even get them untied.\u201d\u00a0 Roy handed the knotted rope back to Adam and Adam returned them to his pocket.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what I was thinking, and right now, I know of only two people that know how to make knots like these,\u201d Adam said and used his knife to slice through the ropes on the dead man.\u00a0 He slipped those into his other coat pocket.\u00a0 \u201cOne is my father, the other is his so-called friend, Alexander Manning.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you suggesting, Adam?\u00a0 That Manning had something to do with this?\u201d Roy pointed at the bloody body, \u201cand with what happened to Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, they used to sail together years ago so they would both be familiar with how to tie these and we know for certain it wasn\u2019t Pa, don\u2019t we?\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s voice had taken on a slightly vicious ring to it.\u00a0 \u201cJames, has anyone other than yourself seen this?\u201d\u00a0 Adam pointed at Walt\u2019s body and then pulled the knotted rope from his pocket and held them up for James to see before returning them to their hiding place.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo sir, boss.\u00a0 Just the three of us,\u201d answered James. \u201cThat\u2019s why I sent Mat to fetch ya.\u00a0 I stayed here so\u2019s no one would bother nuthin\u2019\u201d he finished.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGood, let\u2019s keep it between the three of us.\u201d\u00a0 Adam knew he could trust James.\u00a0 He had been working for the Cartwrights at the mines for over five years and had on several occasions proved himself to be a trustworthy and loyal friend.\u00a0 \u201cTake care of Walt for me James, please.\u00a0 He has no family, so if you don\u2019t mind, see to all the arrangements while you\u2019re at it.\u00a0 I need to get back home and show this to Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSure thing, Boss. Don\u2019t ya worry about nuthin\u2019.\u00a0 I\u2019ll take care of everythin\u2019 fur ya,\u201d agreed James.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThanks James, I\u2019m leaving you in charge.\u00a0 I\u2019ll inform the men as I leave.\u201d\u00a0 Adam turned to Roy, \u201cI\u2019m riding back to the ranch, I think Pa might want to see these and I may ask his so-called friend a few questions myself.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s jaw had begun clenching and unclenching as Roy saw the sparks that seemed to shoot from the dark eyes of his young friend.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Roy placed a restraining hand on the young man\u2019s shoulder stopping him from going out the door.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, show Ben the ropes, but not in front of Manning or his nephew.\u00a0 Let me send a few wires and ask a few questions before you confront the man.\u00a0 Maybe, just maybe we can find out something that will help us put that beast away for the rest of his life.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam nodded his head; \u201cYou\u2019re right Roy.\u00a0 If he did beat Joe and leave him to die and kill Walt, I want to see the man hang, not just go to jail.\u201d\u00a0 The hatred had once again returned to reveal it\u2019s self in the depths of his eyes, turning them from brown to ebony.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As Roy and Adam walked out on of the weathered porch of the shack, a rider had just stopped his horse and bounded off.\u00a0 \u201cMr. Cartwright,\u201d called the agitated man running up to Adam.\u00a0 \u201cYa gotta come quick, the northern edge of the timber is on fire.\u00a0 It\u2019s spreading like a prairie fire.\u00a0 And that wind up there isn\u2019t doin\u2019 nothin\u2019 to help it either.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam could not believe his ears.\u00a0 Someone was out to destroy his father and he and his brothers as well.\u00a0 \u201cWhat happened, what started it?\u201d asked Adam as he ran for his horse.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The young man followed Adam and mounted his own horse as well,\u00a0 \u201cJesse said it was started intentionally.\u00a0 Someone set it ablaze, Mr. Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDamn,\u201d cursed Adam and kicked Sport into a full gallop headed for the lumber camp, the peculiar knotted ropes momentarily forgotten safely tucked away in his coat pockets.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll catch up with you later, Roy,\u201d he called over his shoulder to the sheriff.\u00a0 Roy\u2019s reply was lost in the wind as Adam galloped from the yard of the mine shack heading in the direction of the lumber camp.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Later that afternoon, Hoss returned to Joe\u2019s room to find that his father had remained by his brother\u2019s side through out the day.\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019s he adoin\u2019 Pa?\u201d Hoss asked as he stepped close to his brother\u2019s side and watched as the boy moved slightly trying to find a more comfortable position.\u00a0 Hoss noticed that Joe\u2019s face became distorted, as the pain seemed to follow him about on the bed and moved to sit next to the boy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been sleeping about all day.\u00a0 Once his legs cramped up pretty badly and it took Hop Sing and I both massaging them until the muscles relaxed enough that he could rest again.\u00a0 Other than that, he\u2019s done pretty well,\u201d Ben explained to his middle son as he watched the large boy caress his young brother\u2019s cheek.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss turned tear filled eyes to look at his father not the least ashamed that his father saw that he cried.\u00a0 \u201cWhy Pa?\u00a0 Why would anyone want to do this to him, he\u2019s just a boy?\u00a0 I don\u2019t understand it, so much pain\u2026so much suffering.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t even know him did they Pa?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss didn\u2019t wait for an answer; the events of the last couple of days had taken their toll on him as well as his whole family and his heart was in his mouth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThey couldn\u2019t have, not the way we know him.\u00a0 They knew nothin\u2019 about him, not his humor, not the way he liked to play practical jokes on all of us, they didn\u2019t know his ability in breakin\u2019 horses, they didn\u2019t know that Christmas was his favorite holiday.\u00a0\u00a0 They didn\u2019t know about his quick temper or how quickly he could forgive and forget or how he could always turn somethin\u2019 serious into somethin\u2019 funny.\u00a0 They never even heard his laugh; they didn\u2019t know how it sounded when he had the giggles or that after awhile how it could grate on your nerves.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t they know how much I love him, how much we love him, Pa?\u00a0Didn\u2019t they even think about those things before they tried to destroy him?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss\u2019 sobs racked his body causing it to shake uncontrollably and he buried his face in his large opened hands allowing the anxiety to liberate its self.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben quickly rose to his feet, slipped his arm about the sobbing young man\u2019s shoulder and drew him close.\u00a0 \u201cNo son, they didn\u2019t.\u00a0 Beasts that do things to boys like this could care less.\u00a0 They have no conscience, they don\u2019t care who they hurt; they only care about themselves and their needs. But Hoss,\u201d Ben drew his son back, \u201che\u2019s going to be okay.\u00a0 He knows you love him\u2026that we all love him, and that love is what is going to help him through this.\u00a0 Do you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI understand,\u201d Hoss wiped the tears from his face with the backs of his hands and looked back at the young boy on the bed, his tears now spent.\u00a0 \u201cBut I promise ya this Pa, when I find the man who did this to my baby brother, I\u2019m agoin\u2019 to kill him with my bare hands.\u00a0 I swear to God, I will.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss left his father standing alone in the room and as he left, he failed to notice the lone tear that somehow had managed to slip passed the bandaged eyes, down the cheek, and came to rest on the pillow that cradled the wounded boy\u2019s head.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By early evening a lone rider rode into the yard and pounded on the heavy door of the house.\u00a0 Hoss answered and was surprised to find one of the lumberjacks from the timber camp standing on his porch.\u00a0 \u201cMr. Cartwright, I was sent to get you and your Pa.\u00a0 There\u2019s a fire up at the camp and you\u2019re needed there.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben had heard the pounding on the door and the anxiety in the man\u2019s voice as he stopped mid way on the landing of the stairs.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong son?\u201d he called as he descended the remaining steps to inquire as to the man\u2019s message.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cFire at the camp Pa.\u00a0 We gotta hurry.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss grabbed his hat and gun belt before he went out the door.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben hesitated briefly, not sure as to whether he should leave Joe or stay.\u00a0 He was confident that Hoss could handle whatever was going on at the lumber camp.\u00a0 With Adam already taking care of problems at the mine shack, he had just about decided to leave his two oldest sons in charge when his attention was drawn to Alex, who had just started speaking.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Alex saw Ben\u2019s indecisiveness and recognized this as his chance.\u00a0 Everything was working as planned.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll sit with the boy Ben, if you want me too.\u00a0 You\u2019re needed elsewhere right now, you run along.\u00a0 The boy will be fine,\u201d he offered hopefully.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWould you mind?\u201d asked Ben.\u00a0 \u201cI really shouldn\u2019t leave him but he should sleep for several more hours.\u00a0 I shouldn\u2019t be long.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cFine, you hurry along and I\u2019ll go up and make myself comfortable.\u201d\u00a0 Alex fingered the small piece of cord he carried in his pocket as he climbed the stairs.\u00a0 When he heard the heavy door close, he laughed out loud, the sound echoing in the upstairs hall.\u00a0 Quickly doing an about face, he silently stole into the kitchen where he found the family cook busy at the stove.\u00a0 Gently he tapped the little man on the shoulder and as Hop Sing turned around, he was met with an iron like fist to his nose.\u00a0 Instantly the oriental fell to the floor, his head hitting the hard wooden boards beneath him.\u00a0 Alex laughed, \u201cone down, one to go,\u201d he jeered as he easily lifted Hop Sing in his arms and carried him down the cellar steps only to drop him to the floor in a bundle.\u00a0 Alex locked the cellar door when he returned to the kitchen.\u00a0 As he passed by the small worktable, he grabbed a fresh baked cookie from the cooling rack and crammed it into his mouth.\u00a0 He paused briefly at the foot of the stairs, an evil look clouding his eyes as he rubbed his strong hands together in anticipation of his next victim.\u00a0 Nonchalantly, as if with no care in the world and all the time to waste, he made his way upward, pausing only momentarily before entering Joe\u2019s bedroom and closing the door quietly behind him<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam pulled Sport to an abrupt halt.\u00a0 \u201cPa, Hoss,\u201d he said in a stunned voice.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are the two of you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam had been surprised to find both his father and brother in the lumber camp and he knew instantly that Joe had been left unguarded at home.\u00a0 Neither his father nor his brother was aware of the evidence that implicated Alex Manning as the man who had so savagely beaten the younger Cartwright and murdered their hired man, Walt.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe got word of the fire and were needed here.\u00a0 Why son?\u00a0 What\u2019s wrong?\u201d questioned Ben noting the worried expression on the handsome face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam\u2019s brow wrinkled as deep furrow lines etched their way across his forehead drawing his dark brows together, \u201cWho\u2019s with Joe?\u201d he barked in a fearful tone of voice at his father.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAlex, he offered to sit with the boy.\u00a0 I told him I wouldn\u2019t be long, why?\u201d Ben asked watching Adam\u2019s face as it turned red with anger.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cManning!\u201d Adam nearly screamed.\u00a0 \u201cDear God!\u201d\u00a0 Without another word, Adam spun his horse around and spurred him into a gallop.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s thoughts ran rampart with his fear as he continued to urge his horse to go faster.\u00a0 \u2018Please God, don\u2019t let me be too late,\u2019 he prayed silently.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam had finally put all the pieces together concerning his brother\u2019s beating, the missing cattle, the mine foreman\u2019s murder, the destroyed mine and now the fire that had wiped out hundreds of acres of prime timber.\u00a0 While Alex had been playing at being his father\u2019s long lost friend, the man\u2019s nephew had suddenly disappeared, making sure that all of his uncle\u2019s orders were being carried out sending his family in all different directions at the same time.\u00a0 The pair had devised a master plan to wipe out all of his father\u2019s holdings and crumble his empire.\u00a0 But Adam was not sure of Manning\u2019s motive.\u00a0 What had his father ever done to the man that Manning could hold such hatred toward his father?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Whatever the reasons, now his youngest brother\u2019s life was in danger of being snuffed out by the very man his father had considered a friend.\u00a0 Joe was the only one left alive who could identify the men who had so savagely beaten him and left him to die a slow and painful death alone and frightened.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam slowed his horse before he rode into the yard, not wanting to draw attention to his urgent return.\u00a0 Quickly and with quiet caution Adam entered his home.\u00a0 Silence hung heavy in the large house and Adam listened intently for any strange sounds that might signal danger.\u00a0 As he neared the foot of the steps he heard it.\u00a0 From upstairs came the muffled cries of someone struggling.\u00a0 Throwing caution to the wind, Adam bounded upward, taking the steps two at a time.\u00a0 The sound was coming from Joe\u2019s room.\u00a0 As quietly as a snake slithers through the tall grasses, Adam pushed open the bedroom door.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Alex had taken pleasure in tormenting the boy.\u00a0 He lay bound by his bandages, blinded by the cloths wrapped about his head.\u00a0 The boy had sensed his presence when he had entered the room but was unable to speak more than a weak whimper and there had been no one to hear the cry other than himself, and he had laughed at the boy\u2019s failed attempts.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo one\u2019s going to hear you, everyone\u2019s gone.\u00a0 It\u2019s just you and me and shortly, very shortly, it will be only me.\u201d\u00a0 Alex\u2019s laughter sent chills down Joe\u2019s spine as recognition woke his dulled senses and he fought with the blankets trying to free himself from the bed.\u00a0 As he raised up, Alex slapped his face with his large opened hand and roughly shoved him back down onto the bed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou aren\u2019t going anywhere, except to heaven, maybe even hell, depends on how good you\u2019ve been.\u201d\u00a0 Alex ripped the mustard plaster from around Joe\u2019s neck and slung it to the floor.\u00a0 Joe squirmed on the bed until he was on the far side but Alex only laughed again as he snatched a handful of Joe\u2019s hair pulling him back to the other side. He grabbed Joe\u2019s upper arms, sending currents of pain downward and into his injured hands and fingers. Again he laughed as Joe struggled to make a plea for help.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cStop fighting so much, make it easy on yourself.\u00a0 This won\u2019t take long, I promise.\u201d\u00a0 The man\u2019s laughter was driving Joe insane and feeling totally at the mercy of this madman scared him more than anything that had ever scared him before.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe continued to twist his body around ignorant of the pain in his ribcage as he tried to escape the death like grip that held his arms.\u00a0 Brutally Alex ripped the bandages from Joe\u2019s eyes and the boy fought to find a way to shield them from the light.\u00a0 A second time Alex slapped Joe, this time across the mouth snapping his neck backward from the force.\u00a0 Joe tasted the blood in his mouth from where he had bitten the inside of his cheek.\u00a0 He could feel his head spinning and fought to stay awake.\u00a0 He knew if he passed out, he would never wake up, the big man would kill him instantly.\u00a0 His only chance was to fight, or die trying.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When the big man tired of toying with his victim, he pushed Joe\u2019s head down against the mattress and with one last laugh at the terror in the boy\u2019s hazel eyes, he covered the boy\u2019s face with his own pillow and pushed downward.\u00a0 The last thing Joe remembered hearing was Alex\u2019s instructions that he bid the world good-bye.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The sight before him literally stopped the beat of Adam\u2019s heart.\u00a0 On the bed, Joe was desperately thrashing his lower body from side to side as he fought the massive weight of the big man that held him captive.\u00a0Alex sat on the bed, straddling his brother and with his large powerful hands he was pushing the pillow tightly down on Joe\u2019s face, forcing the boy\u2019s head deeply into the mattress.\u00a0 Joe was fighting for release but Alex held firmly to the snowy white pillow, pushing harder the more Joe struggled.\u00a0 Alex was suffocating his brother!\u00a0 The laughter that filled the bedroom was loud and heinous, sending chills of fear down Adam\u2019s spine.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s legs slowly ceased their thrashing as air continued to be denied from filling the lungs.\u00a0 With his arms still bound to his chest and in his weakened condition, the boy stood no chance against the man who was determined to stamp out his young life.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam heard the loud roar of his own voice, totally unaware that he had made the noise.\u00a0 In a single bounding motion and with adrenaline pumping in his veins, he sprang onto the bed, catching the larger man off guard.\u00a0 Adam grabbed at the insane man\u2019s arms and tried to pry them free from the pillow.\u00a0 Alex was too strong and as the anger filled his soul and hate, his heart, he held the pillow with one hand and with the other he backslapped Adam hard across the face.\u00a0 The force from the blow sent Adam tumbling backwards to the floor below.\u00a0 Instantly Adam was back on the bed but Alex had anticipated his move and as Adam rose up against the man, a powerful punch was delivered to his chin.\u00a0 Again, Adam was knocked to the floor.\u00a0 Shaken and seeing stars, Adam fought to reach his brother but before Adam could pull himself up, he saw Hoss\u2019 massive form standing in the doorway of the room.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cStop!\u201d screamed Hoss.\u00a0 Alex looked over the back of his shoulder and saw his second and most aspiring opponent in the open doorway; the look of deep rooted hate embedded into the fine lines of his young face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n With one hand Alex reached for the gun hidden within the folds of his jacket and smiled at Hoss as he pointed the weapon in his direction.\u00a0 Hoss had seen Alex slip his hand into his coat and had predicted the move.\u00a0 With speed that surprised the evil man on the bed, Hoss pulled his pistol from it\u2019s holster and fired a single shot, hitting the man in the right shoulder.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam had also seen the move and at the same time that Hoss had fired, he had also fired his gun, his bullet hitting it\u2019s target in the left arm.\u00a0 Alex toppled backward from the bed but moving with lightening speed, undaunted by his wounds, he pulled himself to his knees and once again pointed his gun in Hoss\u2019 direction.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss pulled the trigger a second time and this time the bullet accomplished what it was designed to do.\u00a0 Alex’s body slammed heavily into the wall behind him as the bullet passed through his heart and out his back.\u00a0 The man lay dead, propped against the blood stained wall of Joe\u2019s bedroom.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam immediately was on the bed with his frightened brother who was attempting to fill his lungs with air and attempted to gather the boy into his arms.\u00a0 When Joe felt hands grabbing at his shoulders he began to kick and thrash himself about, desperately trying to free himself from the unseen hands that continued to hold him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam realized that Joe thought the man who had been trying to kill him was again attempting to harm him.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s bandages hung precariously about his injured eyes and he had no idea that the arms that held him were the same loving arms that had often cradled him as a baby and small boy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe, calm down buddy.\u00a0 It\u2019s Adam.\u00a0 Everything is okay now,\u201d said Adam in a soothing voice, all the time maintaining his firm hold on his brother.\u00a0 He knew Joe needed to be still; he was risking the chance of adding more injury to his already damaged body.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe, he\u2019s dead\u2026Alex is dead Joe.\u00a0 He can\u2019t hurt you anymore.\u201d\u00a0 Adam felt Joe\u2019s body relax slightly as his words began to register in the boy\u2019s mind which had closed down to everything except fighting to stay alive.\u00a0 Adam used the opportunity to draw Joe into his embrace.\u00a0 As Adam felt Joe\u2019s body begin to relax more, he restored the wraps around Joe\u2019s eyes and retied the strip of cloth at the back.\u00a0 This would just have to do until the doctor returned to examine Joe for new injuries or damage to the present injuries, thought Adam.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss stepped over Alex\u2019s body and sat on the opposite side of Joe.\u00a0 \u201cAdam\u2019s right, Punkin.\u00a0 I killed him.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss reached out his hand and laid it on Joe\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 Suddenly Joe whimpered and flinched at his brother\u2019s touch.\u00a0 Hoss drew back his hand as if it had been slapped and Adam watched as his middle brother\u2019s blue eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe,\u201d whispered Adam, \u201cthat was just Hoss that touched you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe forced the air up into his lungs, giving his vocal cords the strength to work.\u00a0 \u201cHoss.\u201d\u00a0 The name came out slightly slurred but clear enough that the larger brother understood and he smiled even though Joe could not see how his brother’s sad face had suddenly brightened.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah little brother, it\u2019s just Ole Hoss.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss patted the boy\u2019s shoulder once again and this time Hoss was rewarded with a small smile.\u00a0 Hoss could not contain his joy at seeing Joe smile, be it how small, and he laid his open hand on the boy\u2019s head and rumpled his curls as he leaned down and placed a kiss on his brother\u2019s battered face.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s smile grew a little bigger.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam leaned Joe back into the pillows as he and Hoss both rose from the bed.\u00a0 Joe felt the movement on either side of him and as his brothers stood he struggled to speak again.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam,\u201d cried Joe is a raspy voice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam saw the quivering chin and returned to his spot on the bed.\u00a0 Cupping his brother\u2019s face with one hand, he turned Joe to face him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong buddy?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cStay.\u201d\u00a0 It was a simple one-word request from a frightened teenage boy to his oldest brother.\u00a0 Adam felt his throat tighten.\u00a0 He knew that his brother, helpless in this condition had been terrified of dying.\u00a0 Adam nodded his head at Hoss and then at the body on the floor, an indication that Hoss remove the dead man while he remained with Joe.\u00a0 Hoss quickly went to work.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll stay with you Joe.\u00a0 Pa will be back soon, I\u2019m sure.\u00a0 He had some trouble at the logging camp but that shouldn\u2019t take much longer.\u00a0 You rest pal, I\u2019ll be right here next to the bed,\u201d Adam reassured the boy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPromise?\u201d muttered Joe weakly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam smiled, \u201cI promise little buddy, I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When Hoss returned a short time later he brought with him a sleeping powder ready for Joe.\u00a0 He thought it would help the youngster to relax enough to rest.\u00a0 His ordeal with Alex had upset him, moving about on the bed had brought a return of pain to his slow healing body and Hoss knew that Joe needed to calm down.\u00a0 Without the medicine, Hoss doubted that the boy would ever close his eyes, let alone go to sleep.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI thought he might need this.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss offered the water and powder to Adam and watched as Adam held the glass to Joe\u2019s lips and instructed him to drink it.\u00a0 Without his usual complaints at having to drink the bitter liquid, Joe drank the offered medication and before long the exhausted boy was sleeping soundly, his ear lying precisely over his brother\u2019s beating heart.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Weary himself and not wanting to pull himself away from his brothers or the inviting chair, Hoss knew there was unfinished business.\u00a0 Hop Sing was missing and fearing for the family servant and friend, Hoss went in search of the little man.\u00a0 After searching for Hop Sing in his private quarters he located the man locked in the cellar.\u00a0 Hoss helped Hop Sing back up the cellar steps and into the kitchen where he went about cleaning the blood from the cook\u2019s face.\u00a0 After several unsuccessful attempts to put his friend to bed, Hop Sing who was adamantly refusing to go to bed had returned to his kitchen duties.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was late by the time Ben returned, cursing himself for having left his injured son for such a long period of time.\u00a0 Hopefully, Joe had not awakened long enough to become too upset with finding him gone.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Things had gone from bad to worse after Adam had ridden off leaving him wondering.\u00a0 Minute\u2019s later Hoss deserted ranks and had followed his older brother, leaving him alone at the lumber camp to deal with matters there.\u00a0 Later, Roy had showed up with telegraphs from various places regarding his friend, Alex, and his long list of devious dealings.\u00a0 Roy and a posse had caught Alex\u2019s nephew red handed riding Joe\u2019s pinto, Cochise, and the young man had, when threatened with a hanging because of horse stealing, had spilled his guts about his uncle\u2019s activities and his own role in the plans to crumble the Cartwright\u2019s domain.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was only after hearing of Alex\u2019s plans to financially destroy him and Roy\u2019s explanation of the knotted rope pieces had Ben then fully understood Adam\u2019s sudden shock at finding that Joseph had been left alone at the ranch with Alex.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben entered the house cautiously, not knowing what he might find.\u00a0 As he made his way across the room and up the stairs, his eyes fell on the small droplets of blood that dotted the rugs that covered the wooden floor.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben felt his stomach lurch as he followed the droplets until they stopped at Joe\u2019s bedroom door.\u00a0 With gun in hand, Ben silently pushed the door opened.\u00a0 When he saw his sons, he returned the pistol to its holster and smiled at his oldest son who had been watching him creep into the room, armed and ready to do battle if need be.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss slept slumped in the chair, snoring loudly.\u00a0 Adam was holding his sleeping brother in his arms and in his free hand he held an opened book.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat took you so long?\u201d Adam smiled broadly at his father, he knew Ben must have run into more trouble after both he and Hoss had deserted him on the trail.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben first stepped close to the bed and gazed at his youngest.\u00a0 He pushed back the infamous stray curl that clung to his forehead and brushed lovingly the cheek that still held the imprint of a hand.\u00a0 Ben looked suspiciously into Adam\u2019s dark eyes for the answer all the while fighting to control the sudden anger and rage that threatened to resurface once again at the injustice that this boy had been subjected to.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He\u2019s dead Pa.\u00a0 Alex is dead, Hoss killed him,\u201d explained Adam.\u00a0 \u201cHe was trying to suffocate Joe, I tried to get him off of the boy, but the man was too strong.\u00a0 He knocked me to the floor; that\u2019s when Hoss showed up and when Alex drew down on him, both Hoss and I fired.\u00a0 The man refused to stay down and when he aimed at Hoss a second time, Hoss shot him through the heart.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was when Adam was telling him the story of how Alex died that he saw the dark bruise on the side of his oldest son\u2019s face and he lightly traced the mark with his fingers.\u00a0 Adam feeling drained himself, leaned into his father\u2019s touch and smiled slightly at the man in front of him who had always been his source of strength.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThank God, the three of you are safe.\u201d\u00a0 Ben sat on the foot of the bed, shaking his head from side to side.\u00a0 The events of the last several days had finally begun to take its toll on the monarch and it showed on his tired face and reflected in his dark eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI came very close to losing all three of you tonight. \u00a0Adam\u2026if that had happened\u2026I\u2026I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa, it didn\u2019t happen\u2026Thank God, all four of us are all right.\u00a0 Especially this little scamp,\u201d Adam smiled down at the sleeping boy.\u00a0 \u201cEven with his arms bandaged to his sides, he was still trying to take the manout, he was determined not to give up, Pa.\u00a0 This boy never ceases to amaze me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam leaned down, planted a kiss on Joe\u2019s head and then rested his chin on the top of the thick dark curls.\u00a0 He then briefly closed his eyes; glad that he would not have to know what life would be like without his \u2018little buddy\u2019.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben explained to Adam the events that had transpired after he had left to return home to find Joe struggling with Alex.\u00a0 Ben would have to retell the story again when Hoss woke and again a week later to Joe who had by then recovered enough to have his bandages removed from his eyes and to be allowed to join his family down stairs in the great room.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe\u2019s questions were endless as was his chatter and Ben spent hours patiently repeating himself just to satisfy his youngest son\u2019s ever amazing curiosity.\u00a0 He had come so very close to losing the boy that it was nearly impossible for him at this point to deny the boy anything, especially his time, for time, like a river, would continue on when life had ended.\u00a0 Ben wanted, even needed this time with this extraordinary son, he craved it, yearned for it and found happiness and peace in it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss would laugh and even teasingly threaten to gag Joe if he did not stop his endless questioning.\u00a0 It was as if Joe himself was making up for the days that he had not been able to talk at all and acted as if his voice would suddenly be snatched from him, unannounced.\u00a0 Ben sensed an underlying fear that was still present in the boy\u2019s mannerisms that told him that his son\u2019s ordeal was still very much alive in his thoughts though Joe tried desperately to hide that fact from his family, especially his father.\u00a0 Unfortunately for the boy, his father could read him as well as his oldest son could quote a verse from one of his favorite sonnets.\u00a0 And Ben worked hard at putting the unspoken fears to rest with lots of attention, comfort, and most of all, love.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI think I liked little brother here,\u201d Hoss and Joe sat on the settee and Hoss had pointed his thumb at Joe, \u201cbetter when he couldn\u2019t speak.\u00a0 At least we had a little peace and quiet then,\u201d teased Hoss as he ruffled his brother\u2019s curls.\u00a0 Adam and Ben joined in the laughter and even Joe saw the humor in his family\u2019s teasing and he too laughed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe\u2019s recovery continued to improve daily.\u00a0 When Joe\u2019s hands had healed to the physician\u2019s satisfaction, his arms had been released from the tight confines; Joe\u2019s spirits soared higher, much to the delight of his family.\u00a0 Even when the doctor had re-wrapped his ribs, Joe held his usual complaints to himself delighting his family even more.\u00a0 From there it had been smooth sailing; having been witnesses themselves to Joe\u2019s outbursts and denials of medical attention in the past, the complacency that the youngest now displayed was a welcomed change.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Only once during Joe\u2019s recovery had he had a nightmare.\u00a0 That night in the wee hours just before dawn, Joe\u2019s screams had pierced through the walls of the large home, bringing from their warm beds his father and brothers.\u00a0 As the older members of the family raced into the hall, the screams became more intense from within the forth bedroom.\u00a0 Ben yanked the door opened and ran to his son\u2019s bedside, Hoss and Adam circled the bed, each wanting to calm and reassure their brother.\u00a0 Joe was fighting with an unseen assailant, his arms flinging about in the air in an unwarranted attempt to hold the imaginary intruder at bay.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben struggled to hold the boy\u2019s arms as Joe continued to fight against him.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, son, wake up,\u201d soothed Ben in a calm voice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben gently pulled his son close to his chest until he could secure his arms around Joe\u2019s chest holding the boy\u2019s arms to his sides.\u00a0 Ben continued to speak in soothing tones to his son until at last the sound of his father\u2019s voice registered.\u00a0 When Ben felt Joe\u2019s body begin to relax, he turned the curly head until the boy\u2019s ear was directly over his heart and rubbed at the back of Joe\u2019s neck, comforting his son.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe\u2019s eyes slowly opened and glancing up saw his two brothers standing at the side of the bed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d\u00a0 It was all that he spoke as the tears began to roll from his eyes down his cheeks.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben tightened his hold slightly as the trembles engulfed Joe\u2019s body and whispered, \u201cIt\u2019s okay son.\u00a0 Shh\u2026you just had a bad dream.\u00a0 We are all here now and you are safe.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t mean to wake you,\u201d Joe raised his head to look into his father\u2019s dark eyes and saw the love that was reflected back at him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, it\u2019s okay.\u201d\u00a0 Ben returned his son\u2019s head to the pillows and tucked the covers about his body.\u00a0 \u201cYou go back to sleep, I\u2019ll stay right here with you.\u00a0 It\u2019s almost morning anyway, but I want you to rest.\u00a0 Now close your eyes young man.\u201d\u00a0 Ben smiled and kissed the boy\u2019s brow before getting comfortable in the overstuffed chair Hoss had pulled to the side of the bed for him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss tousled Joe\u2019s hair and smiled down at his baby brother.\u00a0 \u201cYou rest Short Shanks, I\u2019m gonna go back to bed for a while.\u00a0 Night young\u2019on.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNight Hoss,\u201d replied Joe and turned his attention to his oldest brother.\u00a0 \u201cSorry that I woke ya, Adam,\u201d smiled Joe through his tears.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam returned the smile and patted Joe\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cNo problem little buddy.\u00a0 I was already awake, I was just putting off getting up, and now since I am awake and up, I think I will go have some coffee and get an early start. \u00a0I\u2019ll see you later Joe.\u00a0 Pa, I\u2019ll take care of your chores, you sit with Joe and I\u2019ll have Hop Sing bring the two of you up some breakfast later.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam turned to leave but stopped at the door and glanced back at his brother and father.\u00a0 Joe had already closed his eyes and his father was redoing the blankets that had been fine in the first place.\u00a0 Adam had seen the worry come into his father\u2019s eyes and knew that the older man found as much comfort in staying with the boy as the boy received by the father\u2019s presence.\u00a0 Adam smiled, his face dimpled and he quietly closed the door on the endearing scene.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The bad luck that had befallen the Cartwrights when Alex Manning and his, just as evil nephew, had ridden into their yard suddenly changed with the man\u2019s death.\u00a0 Late that same night, unseasonal rains doused the fires, saving hundreds more acres from being destroyed.\u00a0 Daniel Manning had informed the sheriff of the whereabouts of the Cartwright cattle that they had stolen and the six other men who had been part of the plan.\u00a0 Both the missing cattle and the rustlers had been rounded up, the cattle returned to their proper owners and the cattle thieves locked safely in Roy\u2019s jail awaiting trail.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Daniel had confessed his part in everything, the thief of the cattle, beating Joe, starting the fires and destroying the mine, but he adamantly denied any involvement concerning the murder of Walt, the foreman at the mine shack.\u00a0\u00a0 At his trial, he continued to maintain his innocence, claiming to be as much a victim of his uncle\u2019s cruel plots as Joe had been a victim of his uncle\u2019s beating.\u00a0 Even after being sentenced to the state penitentiary, Daniel had screamed out his innocence as he was led from the courtroom but those proclamations had fallen on deaf ears, justice had been served.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben had been able to recoup most of his losses much to his satisfaction.\u00a0 But what gave his heart the greatest joy was knowing that his family was safe and that his youngest son was on the road to recovery and to hear, once again, the sound of his infectious laughter filling the walls of his home and his heart.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n THE END<\/strong><\/p>\n December, 2001<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Thanks to Jennie for her thoughts on my story and for her favorite book, her medical journal!\u00a0 Without it, I could not have gotten Joseph the proper medical treatment that he so often tries to refuse.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tags:<\/strong> Adam Cartwright, Ben Cartwright, Hoss Cartwright, Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright<\/p>\n