Summary:<\/b>\u00a0 All Joe Cartwright wanted was a date for the dance, instead he ends up with more trouble than he had ever thought possible.<\/p>\n
Rated PG \u00a0WC 15,000<\/p>\n
Truth Be Known<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was getting to be late afternoon<\/strong> and young Joe Cartwright knew he should hurry home, he had chores waiting for him back at the ranch.\u00a0 The warm sun beat down on his face as he ambled along, his thoughts turning to the barn dance coming up on Saturday night and Joe pondered the idea of which young miss he would like to invite.\u00a0 His best friend Mitch had already asked Cindy Wilson, Joe had considered asking her himself but Mitch had been so taken with her that Joe hadn\u2019t the heart to step ahead of his friend so had decided to let Mitch have the honors.<\/p>\n There was Sara Beth Hamilton, she was pretty thought Joe and smiled at the memory of the kiss he had stolen from her at the last barn dance.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s hand moved upward where he gently rubbed the side of his face, and he laughed out loud.\u00a0 Sara Beth had walloped him good too, for stealing that kiss.\u00a0 He shook his head no; Mr. Hamilton hadn\u2019t been very sociable about it either once he had found out.\u00a0 He paid a call to Joe\u2019s father and poor Ben had had to stand silent in front of Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton while the irate father had berated his son in front of his brothers as well.\u00a0 Adam and Hoss who had been standing behind Ben at the time had fought the urge to giggle and once, Ben had had to turn around and warn them with a dark scowl.\u00a0 Joe laughed again, \u2018Poor Pa,\u2019 thought Joe, \u2018I sure do put you in the middle of my woes sometimes.\u00a0 Sorry, Pa.\u2019<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s thoughts turned to the petite Anna Rose Jeffrey.\u00a0 Now there was a real charmer, with just enough fire and spirit to keep an evening interesting.\u00a0 He had spent some time alone with her once before and had thoroughly enjoyed himself.\u00a0 Joe smiled, Anna Rose hadn\u2019t slapped his face when he kissed her, and it was more like she had kissed him.\u00a0 They had been standing under the dim light of one of Hop Sing\u2019s Chinese lanterns, the guests had all been inside at the time and much to Joe\u2019s surprise, Anna Rose had slipped her arms about his neck and pulled his face down to his.\u00a0 When she smiled up at him, her green eyes shining with excitement, Joe allowed her to place her lips over his.\u00a0 He was somewhat surprised at her forwardness, but did not object when she kissed him a second time.\u00a0 He was about to suggest that they take a walk in the moonlight when the front door opened and several other couples ventured out into the night, his brothers and their young ladies included.\u00a0 Adam and Hoss had spotted their younger brother the minute that he and Anna Rose had turned when hearing his brothers approach.\u00a0 Joe cringed as the next thought called from memory how he had been just about to kiss the pretty little lady for the third time when suddenly she had turned away from him and walked off, leaving him to stand alone with his older brother\u2019s laughter lingering in his ears.\u00a0 They had teased him for days about trying to steal kisses, unsuccessfully from the daughter of a preacher man.\u00a0 Joe finally gave up trying to convince his brothers that in fact it had been she who had been trying to take advantage of him, not the reverse.<\/p>\n Joe pulled Cochise to a stop, removed his hat from his head and swiped his brow with the sleeve of his shirt.\u00a0 Giving a glance up at the sun, Joe determined it was getting close to dinnertime.\u00a0 To confirm his calculations, his stomach growled and then rumbled.<\/p>\n Joe plopped his hat back on his head and urged his mount toward home, he was hungry but still his thoughts returned to the local ladies as he fought with himself, trying to make his decision.\u00a0 Lori Macintosh was a nice girl.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t a real looker like Anna Rose or even Sara Beth, but the girl had brains and didn\u2019t appear to be like the others girls in the way that they stood together and giggled over silly things.\u00a0 She was quiet and reserved, ladylike, decided Joe.\u00a0 He had spoken with her a couple of times when he had run into her while in town on errands for his father and he had liked the girl right away, and, he remembered, she had seemed to like him as well.\u00a0 Trouble was, Joe had never seen her at any of the usual town gatherings or church socials.\u00a0 His father had told him that her father, Luther Macintosh, was an odd man, strange in his ways and thinking and that it might be best for Joe to stay clear of the young woman.\u00a0 Luther also had a couple of sons that were just as strange as their father and had been known to be overly protective of their younger sister.\u00a0 No, Ben had warned his youngest, Lori Macintosh had best be classified as off limits.<\/p>\n Still, thought Joe, there was something about the girl that intrigued him and Joe determined right then that he would seek the girl out and ask her to the dance.\u00a0 He knew several of his friends had noticed her as well, though they had thought her as odd as the rest of her family and tended to poke fun at her, making crude remarks about the way in which she dressed and spoke, he found those same traits interesting.<\/p>\n Joe had really never paid the girl any mind until Lucas Tatum, an old rival of Joe\u2019s, had brought the girl to his attention.\u00a0 Lucas had been sweet on the girl, remembered Joe and even bragged that Lori had seemed to feel the same way about Lucas.\u00a0 Joe had seen them together several times after that but recently, Lucas had been acting strangely toward the girl and Joe had supposed that they had gone their separate ways, thus giving him the chance to ask the girl out on a date himself.<\/p>\n Joe stopped again, glancing to his right.\u00a0 The Macintosh ranch wasn\u2019t far from where he sat on his horse.\u00a0 Joe wondered if he dare to ride right up to the girl\u2019s front door and inquire if she would do him the honors of being his date for the upcoming dance.<\/p>\n \u2018Why not?\u2019 he questioned himself, \u2018all she can do is say yes or no.\u2019<\/p>\n Smiling, he turned Cochise toward the Macintosh homestead.\u00a0 Joe had reached the shallow creek that was a short distance from the Macintosh house.\u00a0 The creek was spring fed by an underground water supply where the Macintosh family got their fresh water.\u00a0 Joe was just about ready to cross through the creek when the sounds of shrill screaming could be heard coming from a short distance down from where he had pulled his mount to a halt upon hearing the pleas for help.<\/p>\n Quickly, Joe kicked at his horse\u2019s sides and in a matter of moments had arrived on the scene.\u00a0 Jumping from his mount, Joe began grabbing first one boy and then another as he tried to remove the four boys from the hysterical young woman whom they had pinned to the ground.\u00a0 Joe was stunned to find Lori, lying helpless beneath the huddle of boys, her eyes closed, her dress was torn, her lips were bleeding, but before Joe could help her up, he was jumped from behind.<\/p>\n Now with his own battle going on, his thoughts turned to defending himself as two of the boys pounded away at him.\u00a0 From the corner of his eye, he could see the other two boys grabbing at Lori again.\u00a0 One boy grabbed the front of her dress and Joe\u2019s ears picked up the sound of the material ripping as the girl fought to cover herself.\u00a0 Joe managed to duck the next fist that came his way and as he turned, he grabbed at the boy who had lowered himself down on Lori.<\/p>\n Suddenly one of the boys began shouting at his friends, pointing to something in the distance and sending all four boys running in different directions.\u00a0 Joe, unaware of approaching riders, stooped to offer his help to the sobbing girl who lay face down in the dirt.<\/p>\n From out of nowhere, Joe felt himself jerked to his backside, away from the girl as a rope circled his body, pinning his arms to his sides.\u00a0\u00a0 The startled young man tried to turn to see who had roped him and why but before he could regain his senses, Joe felt fists hammering away at his face and mid-section.\u00a0 The rope had been pulled tightly about him, and soon he was knocked onto his back as he sprawled in the dirt.\u00a0 There was no way to protect himself, the fists drove deeply into his stomach, his lower back and Joe screamed out in pain.\u00a0 When the hammering fists stopped, Joe felt his legs pulled up behind him and the rope twisting tightly about his ankles, leaving him hog tied in the dirt.\u00a0 His body aching from the beating he had just received, Joe lay motionless, his ears picking up the soothing words that Luther Macintosh was mumbling to his daughter.<\/p>\n Joe could see the older man helping Lori to her feet and checking her over to assure himself that she had been more frightened than hurt.\u00a0 Luther whispered something to his daughter and pointed toward the house.\u00a0 Slowly Lori began walking in the direction of her home and when she had moved far enough so as not to be able to distinguish her father\u2019s words, Luther Macintosh turned to the wounded boy in the dirt.<\/p>\n He stooped down and flipped Joe onto his side.\u00a0 Blood oozed from the cuts and scrapes that had damaged Joe\u2019s handsome features.\u00a0 The lower lip had been busted opened and seeped blood as well.\u00a0 The red sticky substance trickled from the corner of Joe\u2019s mouth as well from the inside of his cheek where he had bitten the insides of his mouth when he had been hit.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s left eye was swelling shut; a dark black circle was forming around the entire eye as the bruise stood as evidence to his beating.\u00a0 Joe could barely make out the man\u2019s features as Luther hovered over him.\u00a0 He tried to speak, but his face ached so that just forming words caused him more pain, but he watched and the hate that he saw clouding the older man\u2019s eyes wrought fear in the younger boy\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n Joe tried to shake his head no, tried to tell the angered man that he had only been trying to help his daughter, not harm her, but the man paid his intentions no mind.<\/p>\n \u201cHow dare you come onto my property and force yourself on my daughter,\u201d growled Luther, his spittle spraying into Joe\u2019s face as he vented his wrath.\u00a0 \u201cJust because you\u2019re a Cartwright, that doesn\u2019t give you the right to take advantage of a young girl, especially my daughter.\u00a0 You\u2019ve been warned before,\u201d he shouted.<\/p>\n Luther had recognized Joe from the times that he had caught Lori talking to him in town and the irate father had taken an instant dislike to the youngest Cartwright that same day.\u00a0 Joe had tried to explain to the man then that he was only trying to be friendly, that he meant nothing wrong.\u00a0 But even at that, Luther had cut his words short and had literally shoved his daughter into the waiting wagon with a stern warning tossed to Joe over his shoulder that he had better never catch Joe so much as speaking to Lori ever again.<\/p>\n \u201cNow it\u2019s time you learned your lesson.\u201d\u00a0 Luther moved to cut the ropes from around Joe\u2019s hands, leaving the rope securely tied about Joe\u2019s ankles.\u00a0 He motioned to his son and then Drake, the oldest of the Macintosh brothers, tied his end of the rope tightly to the saddle horn on Joe\u2019s horse.<\/p>\n Before Joe could do anything to untie his feet, Luther Macintosh stepped up to Cochise who paced nervously and tossed his massive head about, in fear of the strangers.\u00a0 Suddenly Luther\u2019s opened hand came down on the horse\u2019s rump, startling the frightened animal into a run, dragging Joe\u2019s fraying body behind him.<\/p>\n \u201cThat should teach him a lesson.\u00a0 By the time that horse gets back to the Ponderosa, there won\u2019t be enough of that boy left for the high and mighty Mr. Ben Cartwright to even bury.\u00a0 Now come on boys, let\u2019s talk to your sister and find out who those other boys were.\u201d<\/p>\n Cochise ran for what seemed like a lifetime to the young boy who bounced over hard ground and harder yet, rocks and stones.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s body beat and banged, flopped up and down as Cochise galloped for home, the screams from the tossing body that followed in his hoof prints scaring further the already terrified horse.\u00a0 By the time that the painful wails had died, the horse, its sides heaving, finally stopped.\u00a0 The body of his master lay silent and still in the dirt behind him.\u00a0 Cochise nickered softly and turned approaching Joe with caution, his large dark eyes watching for any movement that might warn the horse of any lurking danger.<\/p>\n Cochise\u2019s cold nose sniffed the still form.\u00a0 He knew the boy\u2019s smell, knew that this person who had oddly grown unresponsive and soundless, was the one who had always cared for him.\u00a0 The horse snorted and raised his head, looking about him, as if wondering where help might be.\u00a0 Cochise took a couple of steps but stopped short when Joe groaned softly.\u00a0 Something wasn\u2019t right, the boy was supposed to get up, but Joe remained where he was.\u00a0 Again the horse moved forward and stopped.\u00a0 Instinct warned the horse that moving caused his master to cry out in distress.<\/p>\n Joe had trained his pinto with loving care and devotion.\u00a0 The horse had responded well to that special treatment and somehow knew or sensed that now the boy needed him.\u00a0 With his nose sniffing at Joe, the scent of blood fresh in the air, Cochise whinnied loudly several times as he stood watch and waited, pawing at the ground next to the unconscious boy.<\/p>\n Ben slung his saddle unto Buck\u2019s back and pulled the chinch tightly.\u00a0 He was angry, he had repeatedly warned his youngest son not to tarry along the way but to hurry home from town where he had sent the eighteen-year-old to do some errands for him.\u00a0 Adam and Hoss had led their mounts from the barn and waited in the fading evening light for their father to finish saddling his horse.<\/p>\n \u201cPa ain\u2019t too happy with Little Joe.\u00a0 I\u2019d hate to be that boy, when Pa catches up to him,\u201d mumbled Hoss to Adam who was mounting his horse.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know why that boy insists on pushing Pa the way he does.\u00a0 When is he ever going to learn that if he would just do as Pa asks, he\u2019d live a whole lot happier life, but then, so would the rest of us,\u201d groaned Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cI heard that Adam,\u201d stated Ben as he pulled the barn door closed behind him and turned to mount his horse.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I agree with you.\u00a0 Joe should have been home hours ago.\u00a0 Look at this hair, no wonder I can\u2019t find any dark hairs anymore, Joseph has managed to turn them all silver.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben turned his head to hide his smile.\u00a0 He was angry with the boy who often refused to obey his commands, though he knew that most of the time it was unintentional and more by nature, not by blatant disobedience.\u00a0 Right at present, he was more worried about what might have happened to his son than he was angry because the boy had failed to show up by dinnertime.<\/p>\n The three men had ridden for several miles, the evening light beginning to make it harder to see and Ben was just about to call a halt to his search when the sounds of a horse in distress reached his ears.<\/p>\n Cochise, picking up the scent of his stable mates, whinnied loudly.\u00a0 Ben stood in the stirrups, seeking the direction from which the sound came.<\/p>\n \u201cCochise,\u201d shouted Adam, pointing to his father\u2019s left.\u00a0 Kicking his mount hard, Adam tore down the hillside, Ben and Hoss behind him.<\/p>\n Cochise skirted to the side as Adam bounded from his saddle and tried to grab the frightened horse\u2019s reins.\u00a0 \u201cWhoa boy, easy now,\u201d Adam said softly, his fingers wrapping around the strips of leather.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph,\u201d Adam heard his father mutter and glanced over his shoulder at Ben who was gently turning Joe over onto his back.<\/p>\n Joe lay face down in the dirt.\u00a0 His shirt, which had been relieved of its buttons, was tattered and lay over Joe\u2019s dark mass of curls.\u00a0 The boy\u2019s arms were stretched out over his head, and when Ben made to take Joe into his arms, the unconscious boy moaned weakly.\u00a0 Ben glanced down and noted the rope that bound his son\u2019s feet, only one foot remained housed in his son\u2019s boot while the other boot had been lost in the wild run.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s trousers were covered in dirt, the boy\u2019s back and stomach blackened by the bruises that covered his bleeding flesh. Cuts and scrapes had begun to bleed but the blood had been squelched by the amount of dirt that filled the openings and added the danger of infections to Joe\u2019s already feverish body.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s hair was coated with dirt, leaves and twigs had tangled themselves in the crown of dark curls that lay in damp ringlets about Joe\u2019s head and face, and his hat had long since been swept away.<\/p>\n \u201cDear Lord,\u201d cried Ben as he wiped the dirt from Joe\u2019s face with his hand.\u00a0 Adam, who had untied the rope from the saddle horn, handed his father a canteen, which Ben quickly pulled the cork from the spout and tipped it to Joe\u2019s lips.\u00a0 The water ran down his son\u2019s chin, Joe was not even conscious enough to drink from the cool offering.<\/p>\n Hoss met his father\u2019s eyes and saw the anger that turned the brown depths to dark ebony.\u00a0 He felt himself shudder slightly, knowing that Ben\u2019s wrath was quickly building.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was no accident,\u201d grumbled Ben, holding Joe\u2019s head pressed against his heart.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone beat him badly before tying him to his horse like this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut who Pa, and why?\u201d asked Hoss, \u201cwho\u2019d wanna hurt the kid like this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know, but I will find out and when I find the man whom\u2026\u201dstarted Ben and suddenly stopped, seeing the same hate reflected back at him from Hoss\u2019 blue eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, go for the doctor, Adam and I will get Joe home.\u00a0 And Hoss, tell Roy to come with you, I want to talk to him,\u201d ordered Ben as he carefully lifted his injured son into his arms.<\/p>\n \u201cYes sir,\u201d Hoss complied and hurried to his horse.\u00a0 \u201cI won\u2019t be long, just take care of \u2018em Pa,\u201d said Hoss with a catch in his voice.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry Hoss, Pa and I will have Joe all ready for when you get back with the doctor, just hurry,\u201d he added with strained emotion embedded in his tone of voice.<\/p>\n It was much later that Ben and Adam carefully carried Joe into the house and quickly hurried to place him on his bed.\u00a0 Using caution so as not to cause the boy any further discomfort, Ben and Adam removed Joe\u2019s tattered clothing and while Hop Sing readied the water to bathe Joe, Adam gathered clean cloths and towels.\u00a0 Ben remained by his son\u2019s bed whispering softly his words of comfort to his son that had begun to moan as the pain intensified throughout his body.<\/p>\n \u201cPa,\u201d muttered Joe, struggling to open his eyes and keep them that way.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m here son,\u201d soothed Ben, brushing the cool damp cloth across Joe\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 \u201cWhat happened son, who did this to you?\u201d whispered Ben, as he glanced up at Adam who had joined him at his brother\u2019s bedside.<\/p>\n Joe closed his eyes and scrunched up his face, the pain nearly more than the young man could stand.\u00a0 Slowly Joe shook his head back and forth.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t\u2026do anything\u2026to her,\u201d he stammered in a muted voice.<\/p>\n Ben again swapped anxious glances with his oldest son and then cut his attention back to Little Joe.\u00a0 \u201cYou didn\u2019t do anything to who, son?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam and Ben were both sitting on either side of the bed and were leaning forward in an attempt to hear and understand the mangled words that Joe was uttering.<\/p>\n Adam touched his father\u2019s arm, \u201cI can\u2019t make out what he\u2019s trying to tell us, can you?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben kept his eyes focused on Joe\u2019s face but shook his head in answer to Adam\u2019s question.\u00a0 \u201cNo, only that he didn\u2019t do anything to\u2026her?\u00a0 But who is he talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe tossed his head as Ben and Adam hurried to clean his wounds, wiping away the dirt that had collected over the upper half of his body that had been exposed to the hard, rough ground when his shirt had been ripped to pieces.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly\u2026help\u2026\u201d whined Joe, his thoughts muddled as he tried to make them understand what had happened.\u00a0 \u201cOhhh\u2026\u201d cried Joe when Ben raised his right arm to wash away the dried blood and dirt, \u201churts\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Ben gently lowered the arm, placing a small soft pillow under the elbow to keep the arm level with the rest of his son\u2019s body.\u00a0 Gently, Ben pulled the blanket up to cover Joe, tucking it carefully around the boy\u2019s body.<\/p>\n \u201cShh\u2026I know it hurts Joseph, but the doctor will be here soon and will make it stop,\u201d Ben assured his son.\u00a0 \u201cTry to lie still son, and rest, I\u2019ll be right here.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe continued to toss about on the bed.\u00a0 Adam and Ben, with Hop Sing\u2019s help managed to bathe Joe and by the time that Paul Martin arrived, Joe had slipped into unconsciousness.\u00a0 The physician was ushered into the room and within minutes was by Joe\u2019s side caring for the numerous cuts and abrasions that adorned the boy\u2019s body.<\/p>\n \u201cPa,\u201d whispered Hoss while Paul tended to Joe.\u00a0 \u201cRoy\u2019s downstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben glanced down at Joe and together with Adam, slipped from the room and followed Hoss down the stairs.\u00a0 Roy stood in front of the fireplace; his thoughts trying to piece together the bits and pieces of information that had filtered into his office during the course of the day and how he was going to explain the situation to his best friend.<\/p>\n \u201cRoy, thank you for coming,\u201d greeted Ben, extending his hand and grasping Roy\u2019s into his.\u00a0 \u201cI guess Hoss explained to you about finding Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n Roy shook his friend\u2019s hand while nodding his head.\u00a0 \u201cHoss told me, and said you have no idea who could have done such a thing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right Roy, or why.\u00a0 Joe hasn\u2019t been able to tell us anything; he\u2019s only mumbled a few words about trying to help someone.\u00a0 From what we can make out it must have been a female.\u00a0 But we have no clue as to who she might have been,\u201d explained Ben, offering a brandy to the sheriff.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d said Roy, accepting the goblet.\u00a0 \u201cBen, where did you and the boys find Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben went into details to explain to the sheriff that Joe had been late in returning home and when he failed to show up after dinner, they had gone to look for the boy.\u00a0 Joe had been unconscious when they had finally found him, bound and tied to his horse as he had been.\u00a0 It had been in the boy\u2019s favor that his horse had been trained well enough to at last stop and just stand close by, waiting for help to arrive to give aide to his young master.<\/p>\n Ben explained that Joe must have been on his way home from town, at least, Ben said, that was where he had sent the boy.\u00a0 How he came to be in the meadow to the west of their property line, he had yet to find out.\u00a0 He could give no reasons to the sheriff as to why his son might have ventured so far off course, but he would find out, determined Ben as he voiced his promise aloud to the sheriff and his two sons who stood silently to the side.<\/p>\n Roy set his brandy on the coffee table and turned to face Ben.\u00a0 \u201cI gotta ask ya something Ben,\u201d started Roy, eyeing his friend closely.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d questioned Ben and then glanced at his two sons before returning to study the sheriff\u2019s face.<\/p>\n Roy tapped his ten fingers together slowly.\u00a0 \u201cDo you know if Little Joe was over to the Macintosh place any time recently?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben looked lost in thought.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I don\u2019t believe so Roy, he was told to stay away from there.\u00a0 Why?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I cain\u2019t say that this has anything to do with your boy, but old man Macintosh and his two sons came into town earlier and was spouting off their mouths about seeing some boys hanging around out at their place.\u00a0 He claimed to have not been able to see their faces but he managed to run them off but swore to find out who they were and when he did, he and his sons would take care of the rest of them,\u201d explained Roy.<\/p>\n Adam interrupted before Roy could go on, \u201cthe rest of them?\u00a0 What did he mean by that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what I was awondering, Adam,\u201d said Roy, shaking his head in thought.\u00a0 \u201cI sorta got the idea that maybe he had already \u2018taken care of\u2019, as he called it, one of the boys,\u201d he informed the Cartwrights.<\/p>\n \u201cYa think he meant Little Joe?\u201d asked Hoss as he gave his father a questioning look.<\/p>\n \u201cRoy, are you saying you think that Luther Macintosh might be responsible for what happened to Joseph?\u201d asked Ben, surprised at the insinuation.\u00a0 \u201cI know he is a strange man, but Roy, what reason would he have to hurt Little Joe like that?\u201d<\/p>\n Roy shook his head and picked up his brandy, finishing off the small amount that had remained in his goblet and then looked long into the dark eyes that watched and waited for his reply.<\/p>\n \u201cLori Macintosh, that\u2019s what I think,\u201d supplied Roy.<\/p>\n \u201cHis daughter?\u201d stated Ben glancing toward Adam and Hoss who seemed just as surprised at the idea as their father seemed to be.<\/p>\n The sheriff nodded his head.\u00a0 \u201cBen, he\u2019s kept that girl hidden away for years now.\u00a0 Seems like the young men around here finally got a glimpse of her and since have been trying to go acalling now for weeks.\u00a0 Ole Luther keeps \u2018em run off best he can, but some of them have managed to seek around to meet up with her when her pa and brothers are working in the fields.\u00a0 Rumor going around, and mind ya, I say rumor, is that the girl might be in the family way.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s mouth dropped opened and Hoss gave Adam a startled look.<\/p>\n \u201cRoy, you aren\u2019t suggesting that my son might have been involved with her, are you?\u201d demanded Ben angrily.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, no, of course not Ben.\u00a0 I was just wondering if\u2019n maybe Little Joe might be able to shed some light on the matter, that\u2019s all,\u201d Roy quickly replied.<\/p>\n Ben glanced over at Adam and Hoss who stood silently, heads lowered.\u00a0 \u201cDo either one of you know anything about what Roy\u2019s talking about?\u201d he asked in a deep voice.<\/p>\n Hoss glanced at Adam but his older brother refused to look at him.\u00a0 Ben witnessed the exchange between the two brothers and knew right then that both of them knew something that they had obviously wanted to keep to themselves.\u00a0 Watching the expression on his middle son\u2019s face, Ben targeted Hoss for his source of information.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss?\u201d demanded Ben.<\/p>\n \u201cAwe Pa\u2026\u201d the big man stammered feeling cornered by the pressure his father had just put on his massive shoulders.\u00a0 He suddenly wished that his youngest brother had not taken him into his confidence the other day by telling him that he was thinking about asking Lori Macintosh to the dance this coming Saturday night.\u00a0 Hoss had reminded the boy of their father\u2019s warning to stay away from the young woman, but Joe had cast all caution to the wind and had seemed determined to pay no mind to their pa\u2019s warning.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss!\u201d Ben all but shouted, bringing the worried young man back to the present.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe said he was thinking about asking the girl to the dance on Saturday,\u201d Hoss rushed through his little confession.\u00a0 \u201cI warned him to stay away, but\u2026well\u2026you know Joe, once he sets him mind to something, there ain\u2019t no changin\u2019 it.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben slapped the side of his leg with his opened hand, angered at learning that once again, Joseph had defied his orders.\u00a0 \u201cWhen will that boy ever learn to follow orders?\u201d grumbled Ben and stepped up closer to Hoss, who stood with his chin on his chest.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, did your brother say whether or not he had been with the girl before?\u201d questioned Ben.<\/p>\n Hoss shook his head and then looked into his father\u2019s dark eyes that seemed to be fixed on his own face and noted the uncertainty in their depths.<\/p>\n \u201cNo sir.\u00a0 Joe just said that he liked the girl and thought he would ask her to the dance.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t got no idey whether or not he\u2019s been slipping around to see the girl, honest Pa, he ain\u2019t said,\u201d added Hoss for good measure.<\/p>\n Before Ben could question his son for more information, Paul Martin slowly made his way down the stairs and joined the four men already in the room.<\/p>\n \u201cPaul?\u201d questioned Ben facing the physician.<\/p>\n \u201cBen, the boy\u2019s resting comfortably right now.\u00a0 He\u2019s been in a lot of pain and I\u2019ve given him something for that.\u00a0 I left the powders with Hop Sing with instructions on how and when to give them to Little Joe.\u00a0 The boy\u2019s right arm is broken and I\u2019ve set that.\u201d\u00a0 Paul took a deep breath and glanced around at the worried faces of his friends.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has been through a lot Ben.\u00a0 His upper body has been scraped and torn, bruised by all the hard knocks he\u2019s taken.\u00a0 I\u2019ve sewn a couple of the worst gashes up; the others I applied some medicated suave to.\u00a0 How the boy managed to get through what he\u2019s been through with only a broken arm is beyond me, I don\u2019t need to tell you Ben, just how lucky the boy was in that respect.\u00a0 But Ben, now we have to watch for infection and fever.\u00a0 Joe had a nasty pump knot on his head, I believe that is partly what has kept him so disorientated.\u00a0 I\u2019m hoping after he gets some rest, and the pain becomes less, he will be more coherent and can tell us what happened,\u201d concluded the doctor.<\/p>\n Ben let out a long sigh of relief and offered the first smile of the evening.\u00a0 \u201cThank God,\u201d he uttered softly.<\/p>\n Luther\u2019s eyes were red with anger as he stomped around the table where Lori sat silent in a chair.<\/p>\n \u201cYou tell me who the boy is, now!\u201d he demanded, lowering his body so that his face was inches from his daughter\u2019s.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll whip the hide right off\u2019n ya body, if ya don\u2019t tell who it is that did this to ya!\u201d he threatened.<\/p>\n Lori\u2019s face was wet where her tears had dampened her cheeks.\u00a0 Her body trembled in fear of her father\u2019s wrath and she used every trick she could think of to avoid telling her father who she had been secretly meeting.<\/p>\n \u201cSpeak up girl!\u201d shouted Luther, his loud boisterous voice giving his young daughter cause to tremble.<\/p>\n Lori cast anxious eyes up at her father, her nose picking up the scent of alcohol on his warm breath and she cringed.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on girl, tell Pa who the boy is!\u201d ranted Drake loudly as he paced back and forth across the room.\u00a0 He stopped suddenly and grabbed his sister by the hair and forced her to look at him.<\/p>\n Lori screamed and grabbed at her head, \u201cStop, stop,\u201d she cried as Drake hauled her to her feet.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know, honest,\u201d she screamed as she yanked away from her brother\u2019s hold.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s lying Pa, I know she is!\u201d shouted Drake.\u00a0 \u201cMake her tell us, I\u2019ll kill the bastard for touching her\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHold on, hold on,\u201d shouted Luther and grabbed Lori\u2019s arm, forcing her back into the chair.\u00a0 \u201cListen up girl, I want to know right now\u2026who have ya been sneaking off to meet?\u201d<\/p>\n Lori\u2019s tears began dripping down her cheeks again, afraid to give away her secret.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s that Cartwright kid, ain\u2019t it?\u201d yelled Drake.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve seen the way he looks at you and he thinks no one notices.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCartwright?\u201d bellowed Luther.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t that the kid we tied to his horse the other day and run off?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s him\u2026Ben Cartwright\u2019s youngest boy.\u00a0 Pa, if ole man Cartwright finds out who had his kid dragged like that, he\u2019ll be coming after us,\u201d said Drake suddenly worried.<\/p>\n \u201cLori, is the Cartwright boy the one ya been meetin\u2019 up with?\u201d demanded her father.<\/p>\n Lori trembled in fear of what her father might do to her if she did not tell him what he wanted to know.<\/p>\n \u201cYes Pa, Little Joe and me have been seeing each other for about three months now,\u201d Lori proclaimed.<\/p>\n Luther gave Drake a sly smile.\u00a0 \u201cThat could be to our advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean, Pa?\u201d\u00a0 Luther had Drake\u2019s full attention and neither father nor son noticed when Lori slipped from the room and out the door.<\/p>\n \u201cYou idiot, don\u2019t you see?\u00a0 Lori\u2019s gonna need money to take care of that baby of hers.\u00a0 You know we ain\u2019t got enough as it is.\u00a0 And we both know that the Cartwrights would never agree to one of theirs marryin\u2019 one of ours.\u00a0 So, we tell them that if\u2019n they don\u2019t give Lori enough money to get outta town and enough to properly care for that brat of hers we\u2019re gonna tell everyone who will listen that my grandchild is a bastard Cartwright,\u201d laughed Luther gleefully.<\/p>\n \u201cBut Pa,\u201d worried Drake, \u201cwhat\u2019s gonna happen if\u2019n the boy tells his Pa he ain\u2019t the daddy of Lori\u2019s baby?\u00a0 His old man ain\u2019t gonna believe anything we say, he\u2019s gonna believe his own son, \u2018sides, we aint\u2019s so sure the boy\u2019s even alive, not after what we done to\u2019em.\u201d<\/p>\n Luther seemed lost in thought and scratched his head.\u00a0 Seconds later he turned to look into his son\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cHe ain\u2019t dead, if\u2019n he was, we\u2019d aheard about it.\u00a0 Come on, let\u2019s us take a little ride over ta the Ponderosa and have a little talk with the mighty Mr. Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPA!\u201d cried out Joe, his conscious mind drifting in and out of what he considered the real world.\u00a0 He longed to be able to talk to his father, there were bits and pieces of conversation that he had overhead, things that troubled him, yet he could not get focused enough to be able to form his words so that his father could understand.<\/p>\n \u201cShh\u2026\u201d whispered Ben trying to calm his anxious son.\u00a0 Ben had held steadfast to his duty of remaining by his son\u2019s bedside.\u00a0 Joe had spiked a fever, infection had settled in several of the gashes that had been cut into the boy\u2019s upper body and the pain medicine had seem to offer little relief to his son\u2019s agony.<\/p>\n \u201cTry to rest son, your Pa\u2019s right here,\u201d soothed Ben as he brushed back the wild curls that had stuck to his son\u2019s sweat coated forehead.<\/p>\n Joe tossed his head from side to side and moaned, his body ached from the abuse it had suffered and Joe\u2019s subconscious had long since given up the idea of trying to ignore the pain.\u00a0 Tiny clear droplets of water trickled down the sides of his face and Ben dabbed gently at the swollen cheeks with a soft cloth.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s face was bruised, his left eye was now swollen shut, the dark bruises had begun to turn red and yellow and looked to Ben to be painful enough by them selves, let alone added to all the other injuries.<\/p>\n Ben lifted his head at the sound of hooves in the yard below and slowly crossed the room to peer from behind the clear shears that hung at the window.\u00a0 Instantly Ben felt his anger begin to boil as he watched Luther Macintosh, his daughter Lori, and his oldest son, Drake dismount from their horses and move across the yard toward the house.\u00a0 Quickly, giving one swift glance at Joe who had drifted into a troublesome sleep, Ben hurried down the stairs.\u00a0 Just as he reached the landing, the front door to his home opened and Adam entered first, followed by Luther and his family.\u00a0 Hoss stepped inside behind the trio, glancing upward at his father who still remained positioned on the landing.<\/p>\n Adam hurried to cross the room as Ben descended the steps and met his father just as Ben placed his foot onto the wide boarded planks of the floor.\u00a0 Adam noted the dark menacing look that had developed in his father\u2019s eyes and placed his hand firmly on his father\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n \u201cPa,\u201d he spoke in a quiet calm voice that drew his father\u2019s attention.\u00a0 Ben stared into the piercing eyes of his oldest son and sensed the fire that burned beneath the calm exterior of his son\u2019s composure and knew that Adam was feeling the same animosity toward their guests as he was.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Macintosh and his daughter wish to speak to you,\u201d he said, hiding his true feelings by keeping his back to the unsavory family group.<\/p>\n Ben met Adam\u2019s stare and took a deep breath to steady himself.\u00a0 He knew that as of yet there was no proof that Macintosh and his sons had attack Joe and realized that at this point it would be best to hide any hints that might give the suspect an inkling to their suspicions.<\/p>\n \u201cLuther,\u201d greeted Ben and accepted the man\u2019s hand when Luther offered his and then fought the urge to wipe the feel of the man\u2019s flesh from his own hand by wiping his palm on the leg of his trousers.<\/p>\n Adam stood slightly behind his father, peering over his shoulder.\u00a0 Hoss had moved to position himself behind the older man and his daughter.\u00a0 From his position, he had a good view of Drake who had stepped to the left of his father.<\/p>\n \u201cMiss Lori,\u201d Ben tipped his head slightly, \u201cwhat brings you out our way?\u201d asked Ben in a voice the kept hidden his distaste for the ones who now stood before him.<\/p>\n Luther cast a wary glance at his son and daughter and then cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cWell now, Ben, I don\u2019t exactly know how to say this\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not just come right out with it?\u201d urged Ben, anxious to know the reason for the man\u2019s visit and more anxious to return to his son\u2019s bedside.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright, guess there ain\u2019t no sense in beatin\u2019 \u2018round the bush.\u00a0 I\u2019ll just say it plain and simple like, my Lori here and your youngest boy\u2026\u201d Luther paused to take a breath.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe?\u201d supplied Ben.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, the one ya call Little Joe\u2026the good lookin\u2019 one that\u2019s always after the girls, that\u2019s him,\u201d grunted Luther.<\/p>\n Hoss bristled at the comment and cast angry eyes at Adam who was clinching his jaw tightly.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about Little Joe?\u201d asked Ben, getting perturbed at the man for taking up so much of his time.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, your boy, Little Joe, and my Lori\u2026well, they\u2019s agonna have a baby, that\u2019s what.\u201d<\/p>\n Luther watched Ben\u2019s expression and smiled to himself when he saw the shock that caused the distressed father\u2019s face to drain of color.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s lower jaw dropped slightly but he was quick to recover and stepped closely in behind his father, placing a reassuring hand on Ben\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 Hoss too had moved until he stood face to face with Luther who appeared to be gloating at the Cartwright\u2019s sudden discomfort.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do ya mean, havin\u2019 a baby?\u201d demanded Hoss angrily.<\/p>\n He was stunned, he had known Joe had intended to ask the girl to the dance, and he did have his suspicions that Joe might be sneaking around to see the girl, but to have a baby?\u00a0 No, Hoss didn\u2019t believe that for one minute.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss,\u201d stammered Ben, struggling to compose himself.<\/p>\n \u201cLuther, Miss Lori, please, have a seat.\u00a0 I think we need to talk,\u201d suggested Ben and stepped aside to allow his company to sit.\u00a0 Lori placed herself next to her father on the settee while Drake stood quietly to the side, a tiny smirk on his face that did not go unnoticed by Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cNow Lori, please, can you tell me what has been going on?\u201d encouraged Ben who had lowered himself onto the table in front of the couch.<\/p>\n Lori lowered her head, to hide her embarrassment, or so the Cartwrights thought.\u00a0 In truth, she was trying to hide her smile for it appeared that her plan was working, by allowing her father to draw his own conclusions, Lori hoped to have enough money to escape from her father\u2019s home and leave her secret behind.\u00a0 She would give up the child just as soon as the baby was born, let her father and the Cartwrights wonder about the baby, she didn\u2019t care, she could not afford the burden it would bring.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d said Lori in a quiet and meek voice.<\/p>\n She raised her head slightly and looked at the man across from her under lowered lashes.\u00a0 He was angry; she could tell that much just by the expression on his face and from the way his eyes had turned from brown to ebony.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s true sir, Little Joe and I have been seeing each other for several weeks now.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t want anyone to know, so we sneaked around every chance we got.\u00a0 Pa found out the other day when Little Joe came calling\u2026\u201d Lori lowered her head again in fear that Ben might be able to tell by the look on her face that she wasn\u2019t nearly as upset as she would lead him to believe.<\/p>\n Ben glanced over at Luther and then up at Drake who had remained silent through the whole conversation.\u00a0 Probably warned by his father to keep his mouth shut thought Ben, glancing back at the girl who appeared to be rather nervous.<\/p>\n Ben studied the girl\u2019s face, not sure if she were telling the truth or not and secretly hoping that she might be lying.\u00a0 But if she weren\u2019t\u2026dear God, thought Ben\u2026a baby?<\/p>\n \u201cMiss Lori,\u201d said Ben softly then turned to her father, \u201cLuther, I am at a loss as to what to say.\u00a0 If this is true\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYa callin\u2019 my sister a liar, mister?\u201d shouted Drake, coming around the settee.<\/p>\n Ben rose to his feet just as Hoses stepped between his father and the younger man who had moved his hand to his side close to his pistol.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, by all means I am not.\u00a0 I did not mean to imply that she was lying, all I meant was that I have yet to speak with my son on this manner; to hear what he has to say,\u201d replied Ben quickly.<\/p>\n Luther stood to his feet, \u201cwell Cartwright, what\u2019ca intend to do about this?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben glanced at his sons and then back at his guest.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t intend to do anything about this, that is until Joseph can tell me his side of this story,\u201d stated Ben firmly.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s true Mister Cartwright, honest,\u201d whimpered Lori as she began to cry.\u00a0 \u201cWe didn\u2019t mean for it to happen, but it just did.\u00a0 We only\u2026well\u2026it was only one time, honest.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben sat back down on the coffee table and took the girl\u2019s hand into his.\u00a0 \u201cPlease don\u2019t cry Lori.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure we can work out something.\u201d\u00a0 Only one time, thought Ben, didn\u2019t they realize that one time is all it takes?<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s head was beginning to throb, surely, he thought; Joseph couldn\u2019t have done what this girl was implying.\u00a0 He had hoped that he had raised his son better than to\u2026to\u2026lose control of his emotions and take advantage of a young woman!<\/p>\n Ben sighed deeply, his woe clearly plain on his face. \u201cI\u2019m sorry Lori, but I need proof.\u00a0 Right now Joe is in no shape to tell us anything.\u00a0 He\u2019s\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSick,\u201d supplied Adam, sensing his father\u2019s hesitation and not wanting to let on to this family of misfits, Joe\u2019s condition.<\/p>\n Luther sat down next to his daughter and nudged her with his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cTell him daughter, tell him what ya told me.\u201d\u00a0 Luther stood to his feet and faced Ben.\u00a0 \u201cShe has proof\u2026she knows somethin\u2019 about your boy that would be impossible for her ta know, unless the boy was\u2026naked,\u201d leered Luther, spraying his spittle into Ben\u2019s face.<\/p>\n Ben took a step backward, a son on each side of him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d he demanded in an angry tone.<\/p>\n \u201cMister Cartwright, Little Joe\u2026well\u2026he has a scar.\u00a0 On the inside of his left leg, right about here,\u201d Lori pointed to the top of her leg, where she claimed Joe\u2019s scar was.\u00a0 \u201cI noticed it when we\u2026umm\u2026were alone.\u00a0 He told me that he got it when he was little and fell while hiding in the barn loft.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sensed rather than felt the tremors that coursed through his father\u2019s body and watched as the anger suddenly changed to defeat.\u00a0 He knew the girl was right about his brother having a scar and he also knew that the only way she could have known about it was if she had seen it.\u00a0 Plus she knew the story behind the cause of the scar.<\/p>\n Looking up at Luther, Ben rose again, slowly.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is it that you want?\u201d<\/p>\n Luther had to struggle to keep his pleasure from showing on his face.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I don\u2019t suspect ya want these two kids ta get married now do ya?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s head shot up, \u201cI want to do what\u2019s right for the girl\u2026and the baby,\u201d stammered Ben.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2026need time\u2026to talk to Joseph, you understand.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben heard his stomach rumble.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t hungry; he was sick, sick with fear and dread.<\/p>\n \u201cMister Cartwright,\u201d Lori whispered in a soft voice.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2026I\u2026I don\u2019t want to marry Little Joe,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cNow daughter!\u201d Luther nearly shouted, he had hoped he could force a marriage, just think he told himself, the Ponderosa\u2026part of it could be his\u2026ere\u2026his daughter\u2019s.\u00a0 But he could benefit from that he silently told himself.<\/p>\n Lori whirled around, her eyes dark with unspoken anger, her nostrils flaring.\u00a0 \u201cI said, I do not want to marry Joe Cartwright.\u00a0 And you, or you,\u201d she turned and pointed a finger at Ben, \u201ccan\u2019t make me!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlease calm down,\u201d Ben said quietly, placing his hands on the girl\u2019s shoulders.\u00a0 He could feel the tension in her body.\u00a0 \u201cNo body is going to make you do anything that you do not want to do.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure we can find a solution to our problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Lori began to weep and leaned her head against Ben\u2019s chest.\u00a0 \u201cI want to go away.\u00a0 I want to go back east, to live with my aunt.\u00a0 But I don\u2019t have any money, please\u2026\u201d she sobbed.<\/p>\n Ben cast worried eyes first at his two sons and then at the girl\u2019s father.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t got money to send her Ben, and I surely ain\u2019t got money to give her to care properly for the babe,\u201d stated Luther.<\/p>\n \u201cPa,\u201d said Adam and stepped to his father\u2019s side.\u00a0 \u201cWhy not give the girl what she needs?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben turned confused eyes toward his son.\u00a0 Surely Adam wasn\u2019t suggesting that they buy the girl off?\u00a0 No matter what Joseph had done, this young woman was carrying his grandchild.<\/p>\n \u201cHow much do you think you would need?\u201d asked Adam, turning from his father\u2019s dark probing eyes to face Luther, who seemed pleased with the offer.<\/p>\n Lori had moved to her father\u2019s side, Luther\u2019s arm was placed protectively around his daughter\u2019s shoulders.\u00a0 With his free hand, he scratched at his face where the day old growth of hair formed a dark shadow over his chin.<\/p>\n \u201cHmm\u2026well it is mighty costly to raise young\u2019ons nowadays.\u00a0 What might ya offer?\u201d he said, hopefully.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy I\u2026I\u2019m not sure,\u201d stammered Ben.<\/p>\n \u201cHow about the cost of the ticket back east and say\u2026hmm\u2026twenty five thousand dollars?\u201d suggested Adam quickly before giving his father time to respond.<\/p>\n Adam noted the pleased expression that darted into Luther\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 He was right, the man was here attempting to swindle money from his father.\u00a0 Adam was surprised to see that his father had not caught on to the deceptive man\u2019s little game.\u00a0 Adam glanced at his father and saw the strained expression on his face.\u00a0 Ben had been so worried about Joe\u2019s condition and health that he had been unable to think clearly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d think perhaps, twice that much might be more to our likin\u2019,\u201d Adam heard Luther say.<\/p>\n \u201cFifty thousand?\u201d roared Ben.<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2026now ya wouldn\u2019t want the good people of Virginia City to get wind of this, now would ya?\u00a0 I mean, a man with ya reputation, might not be so well looked upon if\u2019n they were ta find out that one of ya boys fathered a bastard.\u00a0 And ya gotta think about the baby, how\u2019d think it\u2019ll feel, knowin\u2019 he was a bastard Cartwright?\u201d Luther said forcibly, his smirk well hidden behind his hand that he used to wipe the drool from his mouth.<\/p>\n Ben was livid and he turned to Adam.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s not too much, Pa\u2026after all, we have our reputations to consider.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMista Cartlite, come quickly,\u201d called Hop Sing from the top of the stairs, interrupting Ben and his guest.\u00a0 \u201cLil\u2019 Joe, he ask for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben hurried toward the steps but stopped and turned.\u00a0 \u201cGet out of my house Macintosh, now!\u201d demanded Ben as he bolted up the stairs.<\/p>\n \u201cYa best leave now, Mister Macintosh,\u201d said Hoss as he moved to open the door.<\/p>\n Luther snatched up his hat and glared at Adam, \u201cYa best make sure that father of yours listens ta ya.\u00a0 My daughter cain\u2019t wait much longer afore getting\u2019 outta town.\u00a0 I meant what I said boy, about the good folks around here.\u201d<\/p>\n Luther took Lori by the arm and rushed her out the door.\u00a0 Drake followed, but paused momentarily, giving both Hoss and Adam an evil glare.<\/p>\n \u201cThat brother of yours is lucky to be alive.\u00a0 I\u2019d a kilt him if\u2019n pa would\u2019ve let me.\u00a0 If\u2019n my sister ain\u2019t properly cared for, I\u2019ll make sure the boy is dead next time.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss made a movement to grab at the despicable man, but was stopped when Adam grabbed his arm.\u00a0 \u201cLet him go Hoss.\u00a0 He just bought himself some jail time.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s mind was crowded with disturbing thoughts and worries as he rushed to his son\u2019s bedside.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s head was tossing from side to side, his brow was beaded with droplets of sweat and Joe struggled to open his one good eye.<\/p>\n \u201cPa\u2026Pa\u2026\u201d whined Joe, his hand searching the air for his father\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n Ben caught Joe\u2019s hand as it frayed about in the air and held it firmly within his own.<\/p>\n \u201cShh\u2026Joseph, I\u2019m right here son,\u201d Ben said in a quiet voice.<\/p>\n Joe turned his head toward the sound of his father\u2019s voice.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2026didn\u2019t\u2026\u201d Joe\u2019s voice faded, his strength had been worn by such a small effort as to seek his father\u2019s face and comforting voice.<\/p>\n Adam appeared at the door; the anger that had drawn his handsome face into a nasty frown glowed angrily in the soft glow of the lamp.\u00a0 Quickly he pulled up the chair next to the bed and lowered his body onto the cushion.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s he doing Pa?\u201d asked Adam, stretching his arm out to place his hand on Joe\u2019s brow.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s still pretty warm,\u201d surmised the oldest Cartwright son.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s trying so hard to tell me something, but he doesn\u2019t have enough strength to even get his words out,\u201d muttered Ben sadly and then turning to face Adam.\u00a0 \u201cGod son,\u201d he whispered, \u201ca baby\u2026\u201d Ben\u2019s voice trailed off into silence and Ben covered his face with his opened hand.<\/p>\n Hoss had slipped silently into the room and joined his brother and his father.\u00a0 \u201cTry not to worry Pa,\u201d offered Hoss, placing his large beefy hand on his father\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cWorry?\u201d stammered Ben, choked with emotion.\u00a0 \u201cDidn\u2019t you hear what that girl said?\u00a0 She\u2019s going to have a baby, a baby son, Joseph\u2019s baby!\u201d Ben blared and moved from the bed to the window where he stood for several moments with his back to his sons.<\/p>\n \u201cPa\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Ben whirled around and rushed back to the bed, taking Joe\u2019s hand into his.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is it sweetheart?\u00a0 What are you trying to tell your Papa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBaby\u2026no,\u201d cried Joe, the sudden rush of tears springing from his eyes.<\/p>\n Adam glanced at his father and saw the frightened look that had crossed Ben\u2019s face.<\/p>\n \u201cSon,\u201d said Ben softly, brushing Joe\u2019s cheek with the back of his hand.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you know about the baby?\u201d he encouraged.<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2026baby,\u201d Joe\u2019s voice strained at the words that seemed locked in the back of his throat.\u00a0 \u201cHurt\u2026\u201d he forced himself to say.<\/p>\n \u201cI know you hurt son, but\u2026\u201d began Ben but stopped when Joe began to whither in pain.<\/p>\n \u201cNO!\u201d he cried out.\u00a0 \u201cNo\u2026hurt her\u2026she\u2026Lori\u2026father.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, I don\u2019t understand what it is you\u2019re trying to tell me, son?\u00a0 Its Lori Macintosh you\u2019ve been seeing, isn\u2019t it?\u201d\u00a0 Ben hoped to help his son untangle the meaning to his mysterious words.<\/p>\n \u201cLori\u2026yes\u2026\u201d Joe managed to keep his uninjured eye opened just long enough to get a peek at his father\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cSorry\u2026\u201d he whispered, his voice muted by lack of strength and thick with emotion.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s head dropped, his hopes had been shattered and he fought to control the onslaught of tears that threatened to fill his eyes.\u00a0 Adam, seeing his father struggling to control himself, reached across the bed and laid his hand on his father\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n \u201cPa,\u201d whispered Adam in a soft voice so as not to disturb his brother who had finally relaxed enough to fall into a deep sleep.<\/p>\n The softness of Adam\u2019s voice was in contradiction to the anger that could still be seen on his face, but the tone was enough to catch Hoss\u2019 attention as well as his father\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cPa,\u201d repeated Adam, \u201cI don\u2019t know what their game is, but I assure you the girl was lying.\u00a0 Now as to whether or not her father knows, I can\u2019t be sure, but the girl was lying,\u201d Adam told them.<\/p>\n Hoss scrunched up his nose and glanced at Ben.\u00a0 \u201cHow ya figure, big brother?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smiled a crooked little smile.\u00a0 \u201cHoss, where is that scar Miss Macintosh was talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n Both Ben and Hoss appeared deep in thought and then suddenly Ben smiled but waited for his middle son to answer the question.<\/p>\n It was as if someone had tossed a lighted match onto dry twigs, the light came into Hoss\u2019 eyes.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s on the inside of short shanks right leg, just above the bend of his knee!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right brother, not on the inner thigh of his left leg!\u201d smiled Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cWell I\u2019ll be, I guess I was so caught up in Joe\u2019s other problems here and all that garbage about Joe and Lori that I wasn\u2019t paying much attention to the important things.\u00a0 But you are right son,\u201d replied Ben.<\/p>\n \u201cBut,\u201d said Ben standing to his feet and motioning for Adam and Hoss to follow him out into the hallway.\u00a0 \u201cThat only proves that Miss Macintosh was mistaken about the correct location of Joe\u2019s little scar.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t mean that Joe hasn\u2019t been\u2026intimate with the girl.\u00a0 We all heard what he said a little while ago.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but Pa, I don\u2019t think Short Shanks did what that little filly\u2019s accusing him of doing.\u00a0 Joe might be a lady\u2019s man, or try to be, but Pa, when it comes to respecting a lady, Joe always does that,\u201d added Hoss, constantly quick to defend his baby brother.<\/p>\n Ben smiled slightly at the thoughts of his eighteen-year old son being a lady\u2019s man.\u00a0 \u201cI hope you\u2019re right Hoss, God I hope you\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n Kit Macintosh slipped from the barn and quietly into the house.\u00a0 He had overheard his father\u2019s plans to extort money from the Cartwrights.\u00a0 He felt bad for the family, it wasn\u2019t right, he knew and his conscience was beginning to bother him.\u00a0 He had already played a part in injuring the youngest Cartwright boy.\u00a0 Kit had been stunned to return home with his father and brother and see the group of boys pawing after Lori as they had been doing.\u00a0 He had been more shocked to see Little Joe among the group.\u00a0 He had always considered Joe a friend of his but now, he wasn\u2019t so sure.\u00a0 If he had not seen it with his own eyes, he would have never believed that Joe Cartwright could have stooped so low as to join in with the gang of ruffians who had attacked his sister.<\/p>\n Kit had seen the problem coming for weeks now.\u00a0\u00a0 The young men around in the area had taken a sudden interest in the pretty girl once they realized she was alive and it had been about all his father and brother and himself could do to keep them run off.\u00a0 But now the truth was out, Lori was going to have a baby, soon the whole town would be talking unless they could find some way to get the young woman out of here, and soon.\u00a0 He supposed that the plan his father had come up with, to spread the gossip about Little Joe and his sister would work, Ben Cartwright had too much to lose by letting his good name, or that of one of his sons, be dragged through the dirt.\u00a0 But still, it didn\u2019t seem quite right somehow deemed Kit, considering his part in the triangle.<\/p>\n Little Joe hovered between the darkened world of nothingness and the real world from which he belonged for several more days.\u00a0 His temperature had skyrocketed and it had taken Ben and his sons\u2019 untiring efforts to keep Joe from succumbing to his injuries.\u00a0 Several times Paul Martin had been sent for, as fear of death lingered at Joe\u2019s bedside.\u00a0 Ben had prayed night and day for his son\u2019s recovery, finally giving in to his faith and promising God that whatever the outcome, he would accept God\u2019s decision concerning Joe\u2019s life.<\/p>\n During these days of brooding, Luther Macintosh continued to pay frequent visits to the Ponderosa attempting to pressure Ben into money.\u00a0 Each time, Luther was turned away with angry promises that as soon as Little Joe was well enough to tell his father his side of the grim tale, then and only then would Ben speak with him in regards to funds for Lori and her unborn baby.<\/p>\n Ben sent Adam into town nearly everyday hoping to hear news from the sheriff about Joe\u2019s beating.\u00a0 Roy sent word back that nothing more had been found, though from all accounts and going only on the words of gossip, it appeared that Luther and his sons were at fault.\u00a0 Adam relayed to the sheriff, Drake\u2019s near confession to the crime but Roy still insisted that without proof, nothing could be done.\u00a0 Hopefully, he told Adam, Joe would recover enough to be able to name his attackers and then, only then Roy stated firmly, would he have cause to arrest the family.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on Lori, we have to get out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u00a0 Not yet, we need that money from Mr. Cartwright.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you understand its fifty thousand dollars!\u00a0 Just think what we could do with money like that,\u201d Lori stated and turned her back on the other person.<\/p>\n \u201cIt won\u2019t mean a plug nickel to us if\u2019n old man Cartwright finds out who beat up Little Joe.\u00a0 Now I think it would be wise for us to get outta town now, your Pa can wire you the money later.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u00a0 Are you crazy?\u00a0 If Pa ever gets his hands on that much money, you know darn well that he\u2019ll never send me a penny of it,\u201d Lori nearly shouted and stomped off in anger.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t need it Lori\u2026honest, I can take care of you and the baby, if you would just give me the chance.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know you would, honest, but just think\u2026fifty thousand dollars!\u201d stated Lori, turning and smiling.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t let them do it Lori.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t right, and we both know it.\u00a0 Little Joe was only trying to protect you; God only knows what those boys would have done to you if he hadn\u2019t come along when he did.\u00a0 It ain\u2019t right to demand money from them now.\u00a0 You have to tell your father Lori, and soon.\u00a0 You know what he said he\u2019d do if\u2019n he didn\u2019t get the money soon.\u201d<\/p>\n Lori hung her head and sighed deeply.\u00a0 \u201cIf I tell Pa, you know he\u2019d beat us both half to death.\u00a0 I\u2019m afraid of him,\u201d cried Lori and allowed the arms of the young man to slip around her shoulders and hold her tightly.<\/p>\n \u201cI love you Lori, I won\u2019t let him hurt you, ever again, I promise.\u00a0 But we have to tell the Cartwrights.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d whispered Lori.\u00a0 \u201cI just wish\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYa wish what daughter?\u201d shouted Luther as he entered the barn and pulled the door tightly shut behind him.<\/p>\n Lori screamed as her father advanced toward her, his arm raised to strike out at her.\u00a0 Suddenly there was a loud boom; Luther froze in his tracks before falling to the ground in a heap at the young people\u2019s feet.<\/p>\n Lori screamed again as she felt herself shoved toward the barn door.\u00a0 Quickly her companion yanked opened the door and pushed her outside into the bright sun, \u201crun Lori, run.\u201d<\/p>\n Luther groaned and struggled to his feet, groaning loudly as he pushed himself up.\u00a0 Staggering to the door, Luther pointed his pistol and fired.<\/p>\n Lori watched in horror as her companion\u2019s body stiffened and slumped to the ground, writhing in pain.\u00a0 \u201cGo Lori, run\u2026don\u2019t let him catch you,\u201d came the agonized plea.<\/p>\n Lori, who had already mounted her horse, glanced one last time at the body on the ground.\u00a0 \u201cI love you,\u201d she heard as another shot ripped the silence that had settled about them, putting an end to the young life at her feet.<\/p>\n \u201cYou come back here, daughter,\u201d shouted Luther angrily as he clutched at his side where the first bullet had entered his body.<\/p>\n The horse bolted nearly flinging the young girl from the saddle.\u00a0 Somehow Lori managed to remain seated as the horse galloped off in fright of the unfamiliar loud noises.\u00a0 Lori\u2019s tears blinded her, she had dropped the reins and there was nothing she could do but to hold on as the horse made it\u2019s way into opened country.<\/p>\n From across the mesa, Hoss and Adam were slowly making their way homeward.\u00a0 Ben had sent both of his sons into town, hoping to give them a break from their constant vigil at their brother\u2019s bedside.\u00a0 They had been to see Roy trying to find out if he were any closer to finding the responsible parties that had first beat and then tied their youngest brother to his horse to be dragged.<\/p>\n They were nearly back to the ranch when a cloud of dust on the horizon caught Adam\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, hold up, look,\u201d said Adam as he pulled his mount up and pointed off into the distance.<\/p>\n \u201cLooks like a run away horse,\u201d muttered Hoss as he shielded his eyes from the bright sun.<\/p>\n \u201cLooks like they\u2019re headed straight for the ranch, come on.\u201d\u00a0 Adam kicked at Sport\u2019s sides and took off after the runaway rider.<\/p>\n Lori\u2019s horse stopped suddenly, causing her to slip from the saddle.\u00a0 Quickly she ran, screaming hysterically toward the house and nearly collided with Ben as he rushed out the door to see what the ruckus was.<\/p>\n Adam and Hoss rode into the yard just in time to see their father gathered the young woman into his arms as she collapsed to the ground.\u00a0 Ben began talking in a calm voice, his hand brushing back her hair that had escaped the hairpins so that he might see the girl\u2019s face.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s dead\u2026he\u2019s dead\u2026\u201d she wailed in a screeching voice that rang in the ears of the three men who gathered around the young woman.<\/p>\n \u201cMiss Macintosh, please,\u201d soothed Ben, \u201cwho is dead?\u00a0 Who are you talking about?\u201d\u00a0 Ben cast anxious eyes at his sons who looked as baffled by the girl\u2019s words as he was.<\/p>\n \u201cHe killed him\u2026Oh, Mr. Cartwright\u2026he killed him!\u201d Lori continued to scream.<\/p>\n Ben gathered the young woman up into his arms and motioned toward the house.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s get her inside.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss hurried to open the door and Ben carried the distressed woman to the settee where he gently laid her down.\u00a0 Adam quickly poured a brandy and handed it to his father.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease, Miss Lori, drink this,\u201d offered Ben, holding the tiny glass to the girl\u2019s lips where she sipped slowly of the sweet tasting liquor.<\/p>\n Lori stared into the faces of each man and began crying once again, her shoulders trembling as she sobbed.<\/p>\n \u201cMiss Macintosh, Lori, can you tell us what happened?\u00a0 Who is dead? And who killed who?\u201d asked Ben gently, seeing that the brandy was beginning to have a calming affect on the weeping girl.<\/p>\n Lori looked into Ben\u2019s eyes and brushed at her tears.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s all my fault\u2026my fault,\u201d she wept.<\/p>\n Ben was becoming exasperated, and gently shook the girl by the shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cTell us what happened, please,\u201d he encouraged.<\/p>\n Lori sniffed her nose.\u00a0 \u201cMr. Cartwright, Kit, he\u2019s dead,\u201d cried Lori.<\/p>\n \u201cYour brother?\u201d asked Hoss, shocked.\u00a0 \u201cBut I thought you just said your Pa killed someone?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou aren\u2019t saying that your pa killed your brother are you?\u201d inquired Adam, giving his father a troublesome look.<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u00a0 Pa caught us together in the barn.\u201d\u00a0 Lori hung her head and then glanced around at the three Cartwrights.\u00a0 \u201cKit wanted to tell you\u2026he said it wasn\u2019t right what Pa was making me do to you\u2026all of you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust what are you talking about girl?\u201d\u00a0 Ben\u2019s voice had taken on a dark ring to it; Adam and Hoss both were aware that Ben was quickly getting angry, not so much at the girl, but at what he suspected the girl\u2019s father of having done.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease, start at the beginning,\u201d ordered Ben, sitting on the table in front of the crying young woman.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst I want to tell you how sorry I am\u2026for lying\u2026and for Little Joe getting hurt the way he did.\u00a0 Kit didn\u2019t mean no harm to come to Little Joe, honest Mr. Cartwright.\u00a0 But when Pa came home that day and found him there\u2026well, Pa got real mad like and he and Drake beat up your son and then tied him to his horse and had him dragged.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam could see his father\u2019s nostrils begin to flare as Ben\u2019s anger mounted.\u00a0 \u201cSo he did attack Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes sir,\u201d answered Lori.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u00a0 What reason did your Pa and brothers have for doing what they did to my brother?\u201d demanded Adam.\u00a0 \u201cIs he or is he not the father of your baby?\u201d\u00a0 Adam, who had been sitting next to the girl, jumped to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cYou lied to us didn\u2019t you?\u00a0 Who were you covering up for?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTake it easy son, you\u2019re scaring the girl,\u201d said Ben softly and then turned back to Lori, placing his hands over hers.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam\u2019s right isn\u2019t he?\u00a0 You were covering up for someone else, weren\u2019t you?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Lori nodded her head, \u201cYes sir.\u201d<\/p>\n She raised her head and stared into Ben\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe ain\u2019t the daddy of my baby, Mr. Cartwright.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know why he was over to my place that day, but it was lucky for me that he came when he did.\u00a0 Some of Drake\u2019s friends stopped by to see him, but when I told them he wasn\u2019t there, and that I didn\u2019t know when he would be back, well they\u2026they attacked me.\u00a0 Little Joe was trying to protect me against all four of them and then when Pa and my brothers rode up, they all ran off and Little Joe was the only one there.\u00a0 Pa didn\u2019t take no time to ask questions, he just roped your son and then he and Drake beat him.\u00a0 Drake tied the rope to your son\u2019s saddle and Pa walloped his horse on the rump and scared him off.\u00a0 Kit didn\u2019t do nuthin\u2019 to your boy, honest Mr. Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam and Hoss exchanged glances with their father.\u00a0 \u201cBut why did Luther kill Kit?\u00a0 I don\u2019t understand.\u00a0 And why did you lie about my son and you?\u201d<\/p>\n Tears formed in Lori\u2019s eyes and dripped slowly down her cheeks.\u00a0 \u201cCause, Pa found out about the baby, after he done what he done to your son.\u00a0 He was raving mad, he slapped me around, and Drake, he pulled my hair and called me names.\u00a0 Pa demanded that I tell him who the father was\u2026and I was\u2026scared, Mr. Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo ya lied,\u201d stated Hoss firmly, his lips pressed tightly together.<\/p>\n Lori bobbed her head up and down.\u00a0 \u201cI thought that Joe was dead, I knew if he was, Pa couldn\u2019t hurt my baby\u2019s papa.\u00a0 And when he asked me if it were Little Joe, I just let Pa and Drake think that it was,\u201d confessed the girl.<\/p>\n \u201cSo your father decided then to try to blackmail me into giving you the money, so that you could go away.\u00a0 Is that right?\u201d Ben asked, softly.<\/p>\n \u201cYes sir, \u2018cepting, I knew that once Pa got the money, he wouldn\u2019t give me and Kit any.\u00a0 We knowed he keep it all for himself.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t really care anything about Kit or me.\u00a0 Drake was his whole life,\u201d Lori continued.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere does Kit fit into all of this?\u201d questioned Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cKit\u2019s the father of my baby,\u201d Lori told them.<\/p>\n Silence hung heavy in the large opened room as three mouths dropped opened in shock.<\/p>\n \u201cYour brother, is the father of your unborn baby?\u201d asked Ben when he was finally able to find his voice again.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Cartwright, Kit ain\u2019t really my brother.\u00a0 Oh, people around here think he is, but he ain\u2019t really no blood kin.\u00a0 His real ma and pa were killed by injuns when Kit was a little boy and my Pa and Ma took him in.\u00a0 Pa was always mean to him, Kit, he weren\u2019t nuthin\u2019 like Pa and my brother Drake.\u00a0 Kit was good and sweet and I suppose I\u2019ve loved him for years, and he loved me\u2026not like a sister, but you know\u2026like a man\u2019s suppose to love a woman.\u00a0 Well, when Pa found out that Joe wasn\u2019t really the baby\u2019s father and that now he didn\u2019t have no way of getting money out of you, he started beating me again, and Kit tried to help me. Kit stepped in and when he did, Pa gunned him down.\u201d<\/p>\n Lori had begun to weep again and leaned against Ben\u2019s chest.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s dead Mr. Cartwright.\u00a0 We was on our way over here to tell you the truth, about Little Joe and Pa overheard us, that\u2019s when they started fighting and Pa shot Kit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, ride into town and get the sheriff and tell him what Lori just told us.\u00a0 Hoss, you ride over to the Macintosh place and check about Kit.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to put the girl to bed in the spare room and then check in on Joseph,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n \u201cMiss Lori, you come with me, boys be careful, Luther is still out there somewhere and God only knows where that son of his might be,\u201d instructed Ben as he helped Lori to her feet and guided her towards the stairs.<\/p>\n \u201cI have just one question first Pa,\u201d stated Hoss stopping at the door and turning to face his father and the girl who stood at the bottom of the steps.\u00a0 \u201cMa\u2019am, how did you know about my baby brother\u2019s scar he had on his leg?\u201d<\/p>\n Lori looked from Hoss to Adam to Ben and back at Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cDrake told Pa and Pa made me tell you that I had seen it.\u00a0 He used to tag along with Kit and Little Joe when they used to go down to the creek and go swimming together.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHeh,\u201d muttered Hoss more to himself than to the others.\u00a0 \u201cHe was wrong ya know.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s scar is on the right leg, behind the knee, not on the left leg.\u201d\u00a0 The look on Hoss\u2019 face was just almost a smirk.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t know that Hoss.\u00a0 I\u2019ve never see it,\u201d Lori whispered and then cut her eyes at Ben, surprised to see a tiny smile on his face.<\/p>\n Adam opened the door just as a round of gunfire erupted.\u00a0 Quickly he slammed the door shut, locking it.\u00a0 Hoss ran to the window, his own gun pointed at the crazed man in the yard.\u00a0 Ben took charge of Lori and nearly dragged her up the steps and pointed down the hall at Joe\u2019s bedroom door.<\/p>\n \u201cYou stay with Little Joe.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you dare come out of that room until I call for you,\u201d ordered Ben as he turned and ran back down stairs to help his sons.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s Luther Macintosh and his son.\u00a0 They\u2019s crazy Pa!\u201d Hoss called out to his father as bullets rained into the heavy front door and through the window where Hoss stood returning the gunfire.<\/p>\n \u201cLuther!\u201d shouted Ben through the broken window.\u00a0 \u201cGive it up, we know about you killed your boy,\u201d Ben yelled.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an accident, Cartwright,\u201d shouted back Luther from behind the woodpile where he was squatting.\u00a0 He fired two more shots toward the house.<\/p>\n \u201cAll I want is my Lori back.\u00a0 Ya cain\u2019t hold her there agin her will,\u201d Luther called out.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s not here against her will Macintosh,\u201d Ben called out.\u00a0 \u201cShe told us what happened.\u00a0 She also told us about you and your sons attacking my boy, we know it all Luther, there\u2019s no sense in us shooting it out, and it\u2019ll only mean more deaths.\u00a0 Give it up!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou give me that fifty thousand dollars you was atalking about and me and Drake\u2019ll back off.\u00a0 Ya send it out with my daughter and we\u2019ll be on our way, Cartwright,\u201d Luther yelled.\u00a0 \u201cIf\u2019n ya don\u2019t let her and send the money, I\u2019m gonna strike a match to this here barn and burn it up Cartwright.\u00a0 I want that money!\u201d shouted Luther angrily.<\/p>\n \u201cHe means it Pa,\u201d said Hoss glancing over at his father.\u00a0 \u201cThe horses are in there, all the equipment, hey, where ya going Pa?\u201d asked Hoss watching his father move to the safe.<\/p>\n \u201cYou just keep an eye on those two,\u201d ordered Ben as he opened the safe and began counting out bills.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t have that much in here,\u201d he said and moved back over to the door and opened it slightly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m coming out Luther and I\u2019m not armed,\u201d called Ben, placing his weapon on the credenza before slipping out the door.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t shoot!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, Drake\u2019s moved to the side of the house, keep your eye on him.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got the old man in my sights,\u201d Adam called over to this brother.\u00a0 \u201cBe careful Pa, we got you covered.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben didn\u2019t turn back to look at Adam; he just answered with a nod of his head.\u00a0 \u201cLuther, I don\u2019t have the entire amount, I have about thirty thousand, it\u2019s yours.\u00a0 Just take it and get out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot without my daughter,\u201d mumbled Luther, groaning from the pain in his side.\u00a0 \u201cSend her out or this barn goes up in flames.\u201d<\/p>\n Drake pressed his body tightly against the wall of the house, unseen by Ben as he slowly made his way across the porch.\u00a0 Slowly he raised his gun and pointed it at Ben.<\/p>\n Ben caught the movement from the corner of his eye and stop in his tracks.\u00a0 \u201cTell your boy to back of Macintosh\u2026I have the money right here in my hand.\u201d\u00a0 Ben held his hand out so that the man could see the bills.\u00a0 From where he stood, Ben could see the gleam in the greedy man\u2019s eyes and he had hopes then that his situation could be stopped before someone else had to die.<\/p>\n \u201cDrake, stay where ya are boy.\u00a0 I\u2019ll get the money,\u201d called out Luther.\u00a0 Luther stepped from behind the woodpile; his gun still pointed at Ben and stumbled slowly across the yard toward the porch.<\/p>\n Ben noted the blood that had soaked through the man\u2019s shirt where he had been shot.\u00a0 It took the wounded man several moments to reach Ben and when he was nearly to the porch, he stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cI want my daughter, Cartwright.\u00a0 I have to tell her something, please,\u201d begged Luther.<\/p>\n Ben hesitated briefly before speaking.\u00a0 \u201cHoss tell the girl to come down here, and stay with Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes sir, Pa,\u201d shouted Hoss as he hurried to do his father\u2019s bidding.<\/p>\n \u201cTell your boy to put away his gun, it\u2019s over Luther,\u201d said Ben, glancing at the man\u2019s son who now stood in full view.<\/p>\n \u201cDo as he says boy,\u201d ordered Macintosh swaying slightly.<\/p>\n Lori was ushered out onto the porch but refused to go near her father and stopped next to Ben.\u00a0 Adam had moved to the porch as well when Drake had slipped his sidearm into his holster.<\/p>\n \u201cI ain\u2019t got nuthin\u2019 to say to ya Pa,\u201d Lori told her father.<\/p>\n \u201cListen to me daughter, I\u2019m hurt, bad\u2026I ain\u2019t long for this ole world.\u00a0 All I wanna say to ya is that I\u2019m sorry, I didn\u2019t mean for things to get so far outta hand.\u00a0 I was wrong Lori Beth, I love ya girl, I always have,\u201d confessed Luther, taking another staggering step toward the small group of people.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t want ya money, Ben\u2026I\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I do\u2026I need that money,\u201d shouted Drake pulling his pistol and pointing it at Ben.\u00a0 \u201cGive it to me or I\u2019ll shot ya right in the gut,\u201d he yelled.<\/p>\n Adam thought he was the only one who heard Drake cock his gun, but the others had heard as well.<\/p>\n \u201cNO!\u201d screamed Luther as he somehow found the strength to move and positioned himself between his son and Ben and Lori.\u00a0 The cracking sound made by the release of the bullet from Drake\u2019s gun, drove the group of people into action.\u00a0 Ben had grabbed Lori and hauled her body to the ground with his in an attempt to protect her from the onslaught of bullets that buzzed by their heads.<\/p>\n Adam fired his gun at Drake at the precise moment that his middle brother, who had rejoined the group, had fired his.\u00a0 Drake dropped to the ground instantly as the bullets pierced his body.\u00a0 Luther lay in a huddled on the ground in a heap.\u00a0 Instantly Ben was by his side, checking his injuries.<\/p>\n Bright red blood oozed from the newest wound in the middle of Luther\u2019s stomach.\u00a0 As Ben cradled the dying man\u2019s head in his arms, Lori knelt beside her father, tears of sorrow forming in her sad eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cOh Papa, why\u2026why\u2026\u201d she sobbed.<\/p>\n Luther slowly lifted his hand and touched his daughter\u2019s face.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m\u2026sorry\u2026child\u2026forgive me.\u201d\u00a0 Luther\u2019s hand dropped to his side, his body went limp in Ben\u2019s arms; the man was dead.<\/p>\n Hoss gently placed his hands on the girl\u2019s shoulders and stirred her into the house, away from the scene.\u00a0 Adam looked down at his father and shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cDrake\u2019s dead as well, Pa,\u201d he said as Ben rose to his feet.<\/p>\n Both men turned at the sound of horses coming into the yard.\u00a0 \u201cBen, we heard shooting, what in the world happened here?\u201d called out Roy as he slid from his saddle and hurried to Ben\u2019s side.<\/p>\n All he had to do was glance at the two men lying dead on the ground to know the answer to his question.\u00a0 Slowly he shook his head, \u201cWe just came from the Macintosh place, we found Kit in the yard, he\u2019d been shot, twice.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded his head and then guided the sheriff toward the house.\u00a0 \u201cLori told us he was dead,\u201d Ben informed the sheriff.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, would you help the deputy take care of those two?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDead?\u00a0 Ben, the boy ain\u2019t dead, he\u2019s wounded but one of my deputies took him into town for the doc to take a look at,\u201d explained the sheriff.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u00a0 Why Roy\u2019s that wonderful, wait until Lori hears about this!\u201d exclaimed Ben excitedly.<\/p>\n Ben hurried to explain things to Lori about Kit.\u00a0 Ben couldn\u2019t remember when he had seen such a beautiful smile on a young woman as what Lori Macintosh had on hers.<\/p>\n \u201cOh Mr. Cartwright, I\u2026I can\u2019t believe it!\u201d she wept happily.\u00a0 \u201cNow Kit and I can get married, Pa said he\u2019d die first afore he\u2019d let us\u2026guess he kept his word, heh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n All heads turned toward the top of the steps.\u00a0 Joe held firmly to the railing, Hop Sing standing next to him, his hand resting on Joe\u2019s shoulders.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph!\u201d shouted Ben as he hurried up the stairs.\u00a0 \u201cSon,\u201d whispered Ben as he reached his arms about his son\u2019s body to steady the weak boy.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s all the racket?\u00a0 Can\u2019t a guy get some sleep around here without having to listen to so much noise?\u201d\u00a0 Joe smiled at his father but made no complaints to the embrace that Ben held him in.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on son, let\u2019s get you back to bed,\u201d Ben laughed lightly and attempted to turn Joe toward his room.<\/p>\n Joe stopped and looked over his shoulder, forcing Ben and Hop Sing to stop as well.<\/p>\n \u201cHey ya Miss Lori.\u00a0 I been meanin\u2019 to ask ya to the dance on Saturday.\u00a0 Wanna have the pleasure of being my date?\u201d giggled Joe, his words beginning to slur slightly.<\/p>\n Adam pinched the bridge of his nose and Hoss laughed along with Lori and Roy.\u00a0 \u201cI think the boy\u2019s drunk, Ben,\u201d called the sheriff from the bottom of the steps.<\/p>\n \u201cDrunk?\u00a0 I ain\u2019t drunk.\u201d\u00a0 Joe smiled and looked up at his father.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t drunk?\u00a0 Am I Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben smiled and tightened his grip around Joe\u2019s waist.\u00a0 \u201cNo son, you aren\u2019t drunk.\u00a0 It\u2019s just the medicine in you, now come on, back to bed with you.\u201d<\/p>\n By the end of the second week, Kit had recovered enough that he and Lori were able to travel.\u00a0 They stopped by the Ponderosa on their way to Carson City to bid farewell to the Cartwrights and to thank them for all their help.\u00a0 Ben had presented a large sum of money to the couple as a wedding gift with wishes from both himself and his three sons.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s injuries had mended well enough that Paul had allowed the young man time downstairs with his family, restricted of course and under the watchful eye of his father.\u00a0 It was during one of these times that Lori and Kit had chosen to stop by.\u00a0 When the hard rap sounded on the door, Hoss jumped to his feet and hurried to answer it.<\/p>\n He was surprised to see Kit and Lori standing in the doorway, smiling happily.\u00a0 Hoss ushered them into the great room where Ben and Adam stood to their feet and greeted them.\u00a0 Joe remained seated on the settee but smiled up at the couple as they entered.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just stopped by to tell everyone good-bye.\u00a0 We\u2019re going back east for a while, probably until after the baby is born.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure if we\u2019ll come back here or not, what with all the talk and all, you understand,\u201d explained Lori as she sat between Little Joe and Kit on the settee.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, we understand Lori.\u00a0 We wish you both all the luck in the world,\u201d smiled Ben as the young couple rose.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe,\u201d said Kit and reached for Joe\u2019s hand to shake.\u00a0 \u201cThank you, I mean for helping Lori that day.\u00a0 And\u2026\u201dhe stammered, \u201cI\u2019m sorry, for what happened to you.\u00a0 I\u2019m glad you\u2019re alright.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe slowly got to his feet and smiled at the couple.\u00a0 \u201cThanks Kit, you too Lori.\u00a0 You two just take care of yourselves and let us know when that baby gets here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh we will Joe.\u00a0 Kit done said that if it was a boy, he was gonna name it Joseph, after you, and I hope he grows up to be just like you,\u201d beamed Lori and laughed when Joe\u2019s face turned red with embarrassment.<\/p>\n Ben stepped behind Joe and placed his hand on his son\u2019s shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s quite an honor son, but do you really think the world is ready for another Little Joe?\u201d laughed Ben and then thought what his world would have been like without his Little Joe.\u00a0 Suddenly Ben sobered as Lori and Kit walked with Adam and Hoss out the door.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph?\u201d said Ben softly.<\/p>\n Joe turned to face his father and saw the strange look on Ben\u2019s face.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s eyes had darkened slightly and Joe knew that his father was struggling with some unspoken emotion.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben stared into the hazel eyes of his youngest son; his heart had jumped into his throat making it difficult for his to speak.\u00a0 He had come very close to losing this boy of his and it had just struck him how changed their lives would have been if Joe were no longer with them.<\/p>\n Ben placed both hands on Joe\u2019s shoulder and squeezed gently.\u00a0 His left hand moved slightly to the back of Joe\u2019s neck and he smiled.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s been a good while since I\u2019ve told you how proud of you I am.\u00a0 I just wanted you to know that I am, very proud of you, son.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s smile was somewhat crooked, he wasn\u2019t sure what had possessed his father\u2019s words but it make him feel like a million dollars.\u00a0 \u201cThanks Pa.\u00a0 That means a lot to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI love you Joe.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t told you that in a long time either,\u201d confessed Ben.<\/p>\n Joe suddenly felt a bit nervous; it wasn\u2019t like his father to become so impassioned in his speeches.\u00a0 \u201cAre you feeling alright, Pa?\u201d Joe asked Ben.\u00a0 \u201cYou sure are acting strange all of a sudden.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben tossed his head back and laughed loudly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m acting strangely?\u00a0 Joseph, my youngest son comes home, his body dragged behind his horse.\u00a0 Some wisp of a girl claims she going to make me a grandfather.\u00a0 A deranged man demands fifty thousand dollars from me, you nearly die, the girl\u2019s brother ends up not really her brother but is her husband instead.\u00a0 Two men are gunned down in my own yard and you wonder why your Papa acts strange?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe couldn\u2019t help but giggle at his father\u2019s expression.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry Pa, really.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shook his head slightly and crossed the room to stand in front of the fireplace.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a good thing the truth finally was told.\u00a0 I\u2019m too old for this Joseph,\u201d laughed Ben, \u201cI\u2019m not sure those young folks know what they\u2019re doing, naming a son of theirs after you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw\u2026come on Pa, I ain\u2019t really all that much trouble, am I?\u201d questioned Joe, a look of mock hurt on his handsome face.<\/p>\n Ben smiled, \u201cYes Joseph, you are.\u00a0 But I wouldn\u2019t have missed it for the world.\u00a0 Now get to bed.\u00a0 Paul said you could only stay up for short periods of time, and your time has just run out.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben pointed to the stairs and Joe reluctantly headed in that direction.\u00a0 \u201cAlright Pa, but I have only one thing to say,\u201d said Joe, stopping on the landing and turning to face his father.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that is, young man?\u201d\u00a0 Ben had both hands on his hips staring up at his son.\u00a0 He could see the shine in the boy\u2019s eyes and silently thanked God that the glow had returned, for he had come very close to loosing it forever.<\/p>\n \u201cJust be thankful I wasn\u2019t a twin\u2026talk about a nightmare, just think of all the tricks we could have played on you and those two brothers of mine, why we could have\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood night Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNight Pa,\u201d giggled Joe and started upward once more.<\/p>\n Ben stood at the base of the staircase and listened for the door to Joe\u2019s bedroom to bang shut.\u00a0 WHAM!\u00a0 Ben sighed deeply, it was always the same with that boy, some things, never changed when he was around and yet Ben pondered the idea that he wouldn\u2019t want it any other way.\u00a0 Joe was Joe, yesterday, today and tomorrow, thank God.<\/p>\n THE END
\nOctober 2002<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n