Summary:<\/b> \u00a0When Joe becomes dissatisfied with his lot in life and decides to leave home for good, he soon learns that not all roads lead home, sometimes you have to take a detour.<\/p>\n
Rated G \u00a0WC 20,000<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Detour Home<\/strong><\/p>\n Ben glanced upward at the sun,<\/strong> it had begun moving toward the western horizon and the weary man knew that time was running out.\u00a0 The day had dragged by slowly and still he had found no trace of his son.\u00a0 Ben pulled back on Buck\u2019s reins, bringing the big buckskin to a halt as he pushed back his hat and swiped his brow.\u00a0 He was worried sick about his youngest son; the worry had replaced the anger he had been feeling at the boy when Joe had came home the week before and announced to them that he was leaving.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben pinched his lips together and frowned, the disturbing thoughts making his anger to simmer once more.\u00a0 Joe had proclaimed that he was tired of being bossed by everyone in the house.\u00a0 He had even shouted at them that Hop Sing tended to boss him around.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2018Eat your supper, wash your hands, stay out of my kitchen, why you always make such mess?\u2019 Joe had grumbled, mocking their Chinese cook and housekeeper.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2018Well, I\u2019m tired of it, I\u2019m leaving, going someplace where there\u2019s no one to tell me what to do,\u2019 proclaimed Joe, and before anyone could so much as say a word, the boy had turned and run from the house.\u00a0 By the time that Ben, or Adam and Hoss, could get out the door, Joe and Cochise was rounding the corner of the barn.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019ll be danged,\u201d Hoss said, scratching his balding head.\u00a0 \u201cWonder what got under his craw?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben stood, shaking his head, his anger showing in his dark eyes.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWho\u2019s to say what goes on in that mind of his.\u201d\u00a0 Ben turned to go back into the house.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAren\u2019t you going after him?\u201d Adam asked, somewhat surprised at how his father seemed to dismiss the matter altogether.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben stopped and turned back around.\u00a0 \u201cWhy should I?\u00a0 He made it plain, didn\u2019t he, that he didn\u2019t like it here anymore, so why should I go to all the trouble to drag him back when he\u2019d only sneak out later and leave anyway?\u201d\u00a0 Ben flung himself around, muttering to himself and went back inside to finish his supper.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIf he thinks things will be any different elsewhere, then let him try it\u2026He\u2019ll come home, with his tail tucked between his legs, begging me to let him stay.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss stood watching his father\u2019s retreating back.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s words stung and Hoss had to fight back the tears that wanted to well in his crystal blue eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam, ya don\u2019t reckon Pa\u2019s gonna let Joe get by with this do ya?\u00a0 I mean, the kid\u2019s only seventeen, he ain\u2019t never been anywhere by hisself,\u201d Hoss worried aloud to Adam who stood beside him, just as concerned.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam\u2019s dark brows raised slightly and he studied his brother\u2019s face.\u00a0 Poor Hoss, thought Adam; he looks miserable and looks about to cry.\u00a0 Gently he squeezed the bigger man\u2019s shoulder, at twenty-three, Hoss wasn\u2019t much more than a boy himself, thought Adam.\u00a0 Kind, caring and loving, always the peacemaker between each of them, that one oft forgotten that his heart was easily broken or that he was such a worrier when it came to their kid brother, for Hoss had deemed it his duty to protect the boy from life\u2019s hardships.\u00a0 But this time, his hands were tied, in a fashion, for Pa had just seen fit to cut Joe\u2019s apron strings and in so many words, had forbid them to go search for their youngest family member.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry big guy, Little Joe will come back, just like Pa says, he always does,\u201d Adam tried to reassure Hoss.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss shook his head sadly and when he glanced over at Adam, his eyes had welled with unshed tears.\u00a0 \u201cI reckon ya right, Adam, but Joe sure was mad this time, madder\u2019n I\u2019ve ever seen him.\u00a0He was hurt too, by what we all said to\u2019em.\u00a0 And I seen tears in his eyes, Adam, and his chin was quivering, and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHoss, I saw all that too, but you know how Joe is, he\u2019s always so dramatic, he\u2019s used those ploys before.\u00a0 Why, I bet right now the boy\u2019s up at his mama\u2019s grave, already wishing he was back home.\u00a0 But he won\u2019t come home tonight, maybe not even tomorrow night, but I can almost promise you, by the third night, Joe will ride in here, just like he always does, and act like nothing\u2019s ever happened.\u00a0 Now, come on, let\u2019s finish our supper and stop worrying about the rascal, he\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben took a long swig from his canteen and popped the cork back into the spout, lacing the long strap over his saddle horn.\u00a0 He straightened his back, ridding so long without stopping, had made his back stiff and sore and had done nothing to help his bad mood.\u00a0 He glanced again at the setting sun, and groaned.\u00a0 Joe had been gone for nearly a week.\u00a0 At first, Ben had been angry with the boy, Joe had grumbled all day about nit-picky things. He\u2019d complained about such things as his assigned chores, mucking out the barn, feeding the chickens, helping Hop Sing in his garden, not being allowed into town by his self, being told to pick up after himself, keeping his feet off the furniture, and even told when to go to bed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben sighed, and shook his head back and forth as he leaned forward to pet Buck\u2019s long silky neck.\u00a0 \u201cWhen I think about it ole boy, I guess we all played a part in driving the boy from his home.\u00a0 We still treat him as if he were a child, not a young man.\u201d\u00a0 Ben pressed his lips tightly together, \u201cGuess it\u2019s mostly my fault, I tend to want him to stay my little boy\u2026I wasn\u2019t being fair to him, and now he\u2019s gone.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben continued with his thoughts.\u00a0 \u201cIt wasn\u2019t that Joe had minded doing his part, it was being reminded on a regular basis to do them, like the rest of us thought that he wasn\u2019t old enough to remember to wash his own hands before eating, or that it was his time to do the mucking.\u00a0 We acted like he didn\u2019t have enough sense to know when he was tired enough to go to bed, or that the chickens needed feeding, or the stock watered, or the eggs gathered, or\u2026.or\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCome Buck, get moving, I\u2019ve got to find my son, and tell him I\u2019m sorry,\u201d whispered Ben, gently kicking at his mount\u2019s sides and urging him on.\u00a0 \u201cAnother hour, and we\u2019ll be in Genoa, I sure hope Adam\u2019s having better luck over in Carson City than what we\u2019ve had.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was nearly dusk by the time that Ben Cartwright slipped from his saddle and tied the reins around the hitching post in front of the Red Dog Saloon.\u00a0 He gave Buck a quick but gentle rub on the end of his velvety nose and glanced over his shoulder, taking in his surroundings.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As he pushed the double half doors opened, the sound of laughter, the smell of thick smoke and an overall feeling of festivity had filled the room and spilled over into the street.\u00a0 Ben paused in the doorway, giving his eyes time to adjust to the dim lighting and then scanning the room, hoping against hope that he might find his youngest son sitting among the assemblage.\u00a0 Slowly Ben sauntered up to the bar and ordered a beer.\u00a0 The man next to him bumped his arm; Ben turned the man\u2019s way and excused himself.\u00a0 The cowpoke touched his hat in compliance and then returned his attention to his mug of frothy ale.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben thanked the barkeeper and tipped his own beer up, drinking long at the cool beverage.\u00a0 From behind him, he picked up the sounds of a high pitched giggle, causing him to spin around sharply.\u00a0 Frantically, his eyes searched for the man, finding him sitting in a far corner, the man\u2019s back facing him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben smiled; he recognized the dark curls and began to weave in and out among the crowd.\u00a0 As Ben neared the young man, the gentleman stood, gathered up the money he had obviously won while playing poker and stuffed the bills into his pocket.\u00a0 As he turned, the boy bumped into Ben.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cExcuse me sir,\u201d the younger man smiled and then walked passed Ben, who stared in disappointment, for he had been sure that the boy had been his own son.\u00a0 Suddenly a great feeling of loss washed over the worried father and silently, he cursed himself for having been so unfeeling toward his son on the evening that Joe had left home.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben sighed deeply and followed the young man out of the saloon.\u00a0 As Ben stood silently on the boardwalk and watched the cowpoke walking slowly down the street, Ben brushed his hand across his face, wiping away what he knew were the unexpected rush of remorseful tears that had filled his eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoseph\u2026Joseph\u2026\u201d his heart cried.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Without another thought, Ben untied Buck and walked slowly down the darkened street toward the livery.\u00a0 He\u2019d get a good night\u2019s rest and then start fresh in the morning.\u00a0 He would wire Adam in Carson City and Hoss in Virginia City and let them both know where he was.\u00a0 Maybe, prayed Ben, Joe had seen fit to find his way home, or perhaps Adam had found the boy in or around Carson City.\u00a0 Ben knew that there were plenty of ranches in that area where Joe might have found work.\u00a0 There was no doubt that Joe was a good ranch hand, he had tried hard over his short lifetime to prove that fact to both his father and his two older brothers.\u00a0 But had each of them, given the boy the credit that he had so deserved, or yearned for?\u00a0 No, reckoned Ben, all three of them had continued to treat him as if he were still a child, and that treatment had sent the boy fleeing from the very ones who had loved him the most.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The stable master was just closing the doors for the night when Ben arrived to stable his mount.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cExcuse me, but am I too late?\u201d Ben inquired.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The old man turned, staring at Ben and taking in everything about his appearance.\u00a0 \u201cI was just closin\u2019 up, Mister, but since ya here, take\u2019em on in.\u201d\u00a0 The man pulled the door open just enough that Ben could lead Buck into the barn.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The man, Guss, he told Ben, pointed to an empty stall and waited until Ben had Buck secured inside.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGive him some extra feed, if you don\u2019t mind.\u00a0 He\u2019s earned it,\u201d Ben said wearily, pulling some coins from his vest pocket and putting them in Guss\u2019 outstretched hand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSure \u2018nough stranger,\u201d Guss said, turning to Buck with the feed-sack and slipping it over his head.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be back in the morning,\u201d Ben began and then stopped in mid-sentence.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben stared in disbelief at the black and white pinto that whinnied softly to him from the far corner of the barn.\u00a0 Quickly, Ben reached out and petted Cochise\u2019s soft nose.\u00a0 He turned back to Guss, a grim expression on his tired face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDo you happen to know where the boy is, that brought in this horse?\u201d Ben asked, hope beginning to grow once again in his heart.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Guss turned, seeing the expectancy in the stranger\u2019s deep, brown eyes.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I know where he\u2019s at,\u201d Guss said and then turned back to caring for Ben\u2019s horse.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben waited momentary.\u00a0 When Guss said nothing more, Ben hurried to the old man\u2019s side.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell?\u201d he practically shouted.\u00a0 \u201cAre you going to tell me, or are you just going to stand there?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Guss looked up at Ben, \u201cNo need to get so worked up mister, the boy ain\u2019t gonna be goin\u2019 nowhere\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd why not?\u201d growled Ben, his patience with the man growing thin.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNow looky here, Mr. Whateveryousaidyournamewas, which question do ya want me to answer first\u2026where is he or why ain\u2019t he?\u201d muttered Guss, wrenching his arm free of Ben\u2019s hand, which had grabbed for him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe name\u2019s Cartwright, now, where is the boy?\u201d growled Ben.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell now, let\u2019s see, I reckon ya can find him down the end of this here street,\u201d Guss said, glancing sideways at the agitated Ben.\u00a0 \u201cWhy, what\u2019s the boy to ya?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhere at the end of the street?\u201d Ben demanded, ignoring the other question.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGenoa Cemetery, that\u2019s where!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben\u2019s heart skipped a beat; he gulped as the tiny beads of water dotted his brow.\u00a0 He opened his mouth, and moved his lips, but no words came out.\u00a0 He felt his body grow weak, and he was forced to cling to the post nearest him.\u00a0 His stomach churned, and for a minute, he thought he might start vomiting.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Guss watched as the color drained from the stranger\u2019s face and saw the man stagger and grasp the post next to him.\u00a0 Cautiously, Guss approached the man, taking Ben by the arm and leading him to a crate where he instructed the stranger to sit down.\u00a0 He turned quickly and dipped Ben a cup of water from a bucket and made him take a swallow.\u00a0 Patiently, Guss waited until Ben was able to find his voice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben nodded his head and handed the cup back to the stable-master.\u00a0 \u201cThanks,\u201d he muttered, his voice sounding weak even to his own ears.\u00a0 When he glanced up at Guss, the fear in his eyes was plainly visible.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean, cemetery?\u00a0 How\u2026I mean\u2026are you sure it was the same boy who stabled this horse?\u201d whispered Ben, dreading the old man\u2019s answer.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYessir,\u201d nodded Guss, \u201cI\u2019s sure.\u00a0 He was young, no more\u2019n eighteen, maybe nineteen, maybe even younger than that.\u00a0 He was a right nice lookin\u2019 kid, too.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t seem to me like someone who\u2019d gun down a man, but he sure \u2018nough did, seed it with my own eyes, I did.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben stood to his feet and began pacing, his hand constantly rubbing across the front of this face.\u00a0 When he tired to breathe, his breath was in short gasping intervals as he tried to steady the trembling that had consumed his body.\u00a0 He turned suddenly and grabbed Guss by the front of the shirt, hauling the old man up to his toes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTell me exactly what you saw\u2026and don\u2019t leave out a thing!\u201d demanded Ben.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Guss wrestled with Ben\u2019s hands until he was able to free himself.\u00a0 He took several paces backward, distancing himself from the angry man.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMaybe ya best go talk to the sheriff.\u00a0 He\u2019ll tell ya himself what happened,\u201d stammered Guss.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI intend too, but first, I want to know what you saw, why you say my son is buried in the cemetery and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYour son, ya say?\u201d gasped Guss.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right, my son!\u00a0 Now get to talking,\u201d ordered Ben, advancing on the old man.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOkay, okay, mister\u2026I\u2019ll tell ya\u2026but it ain\u2019t my fault they dun hanged that boy.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t the only one what saw the shootin\u2019\u2026honest, Mr. Cartwright!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThen, please\u2026tell me what happened to my son,\u201d Ben\u2019s voiced sounded as if he were pleading with Guss.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben motioned for Guss to take his seat on the crate, which Guss, seeing the mixture of anger and fear on the face of the troubled father, complied with Ben\u2019s wishes.\u00a0 Ben however was too nervous to sit, so he paced back and forth in front of the stable master while Guss told his story.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt happened four days ago, Mr. Cartwright.\u00a0 Your boy came ridin\u2019 into town early that evenin\u2019.\u00a0 I was just goin\u2019 into the saloon when he follered me inside.\u00a0 I \u2018member, cause I said howdy to\u2019em on the way in.\u00a0 He said howdy back and then I ordered a beer, so\u2019d the boy.\u00a0 We stood and chitchatted for a minute or two, I \u2018member he asked me if there were a livery where he could stable his horse fur the night.\u00a0 I told\u2019em I was the livery boy and then he asked if\u2019n I\u2019d care to take his horse on down to that stable fur him.\u00a0 He paid me right then and there, so\u2019s I took his pinto on down to my stable.\u00a0 The last time I saw him that night, he was joining some ole boys at the poker table,\u201d Guss explained to Ben, who had stopped in front of him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Guss looked up at Ben, who seemed to be lost in thought.\u00a0 \u201cHe paid you right then?\u201d questioned Ben.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYessir, and he paid fur my beer.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cStrange,\u201d muttered Ben.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t remember Joe having any money on him when he left home.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe?\u201d Guss repeated the name.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMy son, that was his name,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2026he didn\u2019t tell me his name,\u201d Guss explained.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened after that?\u00a0 When was it that you claimed you saw him kill a man?\u201d Ben asked as he pulled another crate over and sat facing Guss.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Guss scratched his head, mussing his gray hair.\u00a0 \u201cTwas the next mornin\u2019 when the kid came for his horse.\u00a0 I\u2019d just finished saddlin\u2019 the pinto and Joe, as you call him, was leadin\u2019 him to the door.\u00a0 That\u2019s when this here other man, Marcus Bass stopped ya boy from leavin\u2019 and then they started to argue, Bass accused ya son of cheatin\u2019 him at poker the night before and called the boy such, ya know, liar and cheater.\u00a0 Afore Bass could say another word, ya son dun pulled his pistol out and shot the man in the chest.\u00a0 Bass crumbled to the ground, dead afore he hit the dirt, he was.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t never seen a man who could draw so dang fast,\u201d Guss exclaimed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat then?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, I just stood there, shocked.\u00a0 The boy got on his horse and rode off just as if nuthin\u2019 had happened.\u00a0 By that time, there was a crowd gatherin\u2019, and I had someone go fur the sheriff.\u00a0 After Sheriff Webster seen what happened, and I told\u2019em I saw it with my own eyes, he dun got some men together fur a posse and took out after the kid.\u00a0 It took\u2019em til that evenin\u2019 to catch up with\u2019em, but they sure \u2018nough did, and brung him back and tossed\u2019em into jail.\u00a0 The next day, they dun had the trial.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t take long, what with me havin\u2019 to tell\u2019em what happened and all.\u00a0They found him guilty five minutes later and early the next mornin\u2019 yesterday t\u2019was, they hung\u2019em. Ya just missed the hangin\u2019 by a few hours, Mr. Cartwright.\u00a0 And they buried ya boy right away, cause of the heat and all.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Guss stood to his feet, brushed his dirty hand over his weather worn face and glanced at Ben.\u00a0 He could almost feel sorry for the man, what with just finding out that his son murdered a man and was hung for it.\u00a0 Mr. Cartwright seemed like a nice enough man, someone who seemed truly shocked to find out that he had a no good murderin\u2019, cheatin\u2019 boy for a son.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGuss, you said someone else saw what happened, who was it?\u201d Ben questioned, looking up at the man who now stood, looking down at him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPete Grissom.\u00a0 He\u2019s my helper, Pete was just comin\u2019 to work, he was standing right over there,\u201d Guss pointed to a spot just outside the door, in plain view of everything that Guss had explained to Ben.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI see,\u201d muttered Ben, standing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDo you know what happened to my son\u2019s things, I mean, his gun, rifle, saddle and bags?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYessir, I got the boy\u2019s saddle and bedroll over there in the corner.\u00a0 His other things are over to the sheriff\u2019s office.\u201d\u00a0 Guss paused and eyed Ben from beneath lowered lashes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYa goin\u2019 over and have a talk with the sheriff?\u201d he asked after several moments.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben took a deep breath, fighting down the nausea that caused his stomach to churn.\u00a0 He shook his head and met Guss\u2019 gaze.\u00a0 \u201cI reckon so,\u201d Ben murmured and then turned to leave.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMr. Cartwright,\u201d Guss called out to Ben, causing Ben to halt his steps at the door.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry about ya boy,\u201d Guss said in a soft voice.\u00a0 \u201cI had a son once myself, I know what\u2019s ya afeelin\u2019 right about now.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben, overcome with emotion, could not force any words from his throat; he shook his head sadly and turned, walking out, into the fading light.\u00a0 When he finally stopped, he stood before a crudely made cross that stood lopsided where it had been haphazardly hammered into the ground.\u00a0 The letters, even more crudely carved into the wood, spelled out his youngest son\u2019s name,Joe Cartwright, Hung for Murder.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Ben felt his stomach lurch, the rolling and rumbling that caused his head to swim, finally splashed forth and emptied itself onto the hard packed earth, inches from where his youngest son was laid to rest.\u00a0 Ben braced his hand against the top portion of the cross and allowed his stomach muscles to push upward forcing the hot bile to spill again and again until there was nothing left to the vomit but the dry heaves.\u00a0 Tears filled Ben\u2019s dark eyes, the blood had rushed to his face and he looked down at his hands, they shook uncontrollably.\u00a0 He tugged at his neck scarf, fumbling with the knot until he was able to pull it free and then wiped the spittle from his mouth and face.\u00a0 Sucking in large gulps of air, Ben turned back to the soft mound, beneath which laid his most precious of life\u2019s gifts.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben began to weep, softly crumbling to his knees as the sobs wracked his body.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoseph\u2026my son\u2026you were my heart\u2026my soul\u2026and now you are\u2026no more,\u201d wept Ben, muttering in a soft whisper.\u00a0 \u201cHow can I go on?\u00a0 Oh son\u2026why\u2026why\u2026did this have to happen to you?\u00a0\u00a0 WHY!!\u201d screamed Ben, falling across the mound of new dirt.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben had no idea how long he lay across his son\u2019s grave, only that when he at last was able to pull himself up, the night air had grown chilly and he shivered slightly.\u00a0 With his hands, he dusted himself off, removing all traces of the dirt that clung to his clothing.\u00a0 He turned slowly, leaving the remains of a lifetime behind him and slowly made his way to the sheriff\u2019s office.\u00a0 It was dark inside, as he pushed opened the door.\u00a0 The sheriff, seated in his chair with legs propped on the top of his desk, dozed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When Ben closed the door, the sheriff woke with a start, jumping immediately to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cWhat the\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSorry Sheriff,\u201d Ben said, \u201cdidn\u2019t mean to startle you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The sheriff wore a look of intolerance on his face as he settled back into his chair, placing his feet back on the desk.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat can I do for ya, mister?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMy name\u2019s Ben Cartwright, and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou the Ben Cartwright from Virginia City?\u201d asked the sheriff, removing his feet and straightening himself in the chair.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right, I\u2019m here about my son\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYour son?\u00a0 Who\u2019s your son?\u201d interrupted the sheriff.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe Cartwright\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat kid we hung yesterday?\u00a0 That Joe Cartwright\u2019s your son?\u201d the sheriff inquired, getting to his feet and moving around his desk, where he settled himself on the corner.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right.\u00a0 I came here looking for him, only to be told he was hung for murder,\u201d Ben explained, growing impatient with the man\u2019s off-handed attitude towards him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, Mr. Cartwright, you\u2019ll find the boy\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve already found him, thank you,\u201d Ben growled.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThen why ya bothering me?\u00a0 As far as I\u2019m concerned, that case is closed.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben gritted his teeth; he was in no mood for the sheriff\u2019s seemingly indifference to his feelings.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve come for my son\u2019s personal belongings.\u00a0 Guss over at the livery said they were here,\u201d Ben informed the sheriff.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, sure,\u201d said the sheriff, digging in his vest pocket for a small key, to which he used to unlock the top drawer of a filing cabinet.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He dug around briefly in the drawer until he found what he was looking for.\u00a0 When he turned, he held out his hand toward Ben.\u00a0 Ben stared at the pearl handle pistol and intricately engraved leather holster that his son had been so proud of.\u00a0 With hands that had begun to tremble once again, he took the fine pieces into his own hands, holding them as his eyes fixed on the items.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou okay, mister?\u201d the sheriff asked when Ben said nothing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben gulped swallowing the thickness that had arose in his throat and nodded his head.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The sheriff returned to the filing cabinet, glancing over his shoulder at Ben who had yet to find his voice.\u00a0 \u201cThis was his too, Mr. Cartwright.\u00a0 I was sorta surprise to find this many gold pieces on a boy that young.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben\u2019s eyes followed the movement of the sheriff\u2019s hand as the lawman dropped the coins gently, one by one, on to his desk.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of the coins.\u00a0 He glanced questioningly up at the other man.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe had these in his pockets?\u00a0 I don\u2019t understand, as far as I know, he didn\u2019t have any money on him when he left,\u201d muttered Ben, picking up one coin and fingering it.\u00a0 \u201cThis is solid gold.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYep, and it appears that there were lots about that kid of yours that you didn\u2019t know.\u00a0 Must have led a double life,\u201d the sheriff snickered softly and then stopped suddenly, seeing the dark anger that had filled Ben\u2019s ebony eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhatever you think, mister, my son was no murderer, and he sure as hell didn\u2019t live a double life,\u201d growled Ben.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHey, sorry Mr. Cartwright, I just call\u2019em as I see\u2019em.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know all the facts, not yet at least, but I aim to find out.\u00a0 Joe wouldn\u2019t gun down a man for no reason.\u00a0 He\u2019s never killed a living soul\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cUntil now, ya mean,\u201d the sheriff said with a smirk.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cUntil now,\u201d agreed Ben.\u00a0 \u201cBut whatever happened, I know he wouldn\u2019t have killed a man with out just cause, and certainly not just because some cowpoke called him a cheater and a liar, neither of which he was.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s your opinion Cartwright, there were eye witnesses that says otherwise,\u201d the sheriff informed Ben.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSo I\u2019ve heard.\u00a0 Tell me, where can I find this Pete Grissom?\u00a0 I\u2019d like to hear his side of the story,\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOle Pete, he\u2019s probably over at the Red Dog, usually is this time of night.\u00a0 Just ask anyone, they\u2019ll point him out to ya.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben took another deep breath.\u00a0 \u201cThanks sheriff, I\u2019ll do just that,\u201d Ben said as he turned toward the door.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCartwright,\u201d called the sheriff, moving from his perch on the desk to stand in front of Ben.\u00a0 \u201cRegardless of what you think of me, or this town\u2026I didn\u2019t relish hanging a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben studied the man\u2019s face for several seconds and then pinching his lips tightly together, nodded his head.\u00a0 \u201cThank you sheriff.\u00a0 But nonetheless, you\u2019ll never convince me that my son was a murderer, let alone a lair or a cheat.\u00a0 There has to be some mistake,\u201d said Ben softly, jiggling the five gold coins in his hand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben\u2019s walked revealed his weariness as he crossed the street and entered the hotel.\u00a0 The innkeeper was nowhere in sight as Ben leaned against the counter.\u00a0 One glance over his shoulder told him that the room was deserted.\u00a0 He mashed the tiny bell that rested on the counter, making a dinging sound that soon brought the clerk from the back room.\u00a0 It was obvious that the man had been sleeping and from the expression on his face, Ben could tell that the clerk was not happy about having been disturbed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like a room, please,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWith or without a lock?\u201d muttered the clerk, already turning his back to Ben as he reached for a key.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWith a lock,\u201d Ben answered, signing his name in the registry.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat will be a dollar,\u201d the clerk said, spinning the book around as he placed the key in Ben\u2019s hand.\u00a0 \u201cHmm\u2026Ben Cartwright,\u201d the clerked mused, glancing up at Ben.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNot the<\/em> Ben Cartwright?\u201d\u00a0 It was more of a statement, directed at no one in particular, rather than a question.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben raised one eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cYes, the, <\/em>Ben Cartwright,\u201d said Ben, mocking the man\u2019s condescending tone.\u00a0 He turned checking his room number first and then climbed the long narrow stairs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When he reached room three, Ben paused and then placing the key into the lock, he unlocked the thick oak door and slipped inside the dimly lit room. The room was stuffy and Ben hurried to raise the window to allow the cool night breeze to filter in.\u00a0 He moved to the wash stand and groaning, picked up the pitcher and went back down stairs to get fresh water for bathing.\u00a0 As he lumbered back up to his room, his mind kept recalling the story that Guss over at the livery had told him.\u00a0 In his pocket, the five gold pieces made clinking sounds when he moved and Ben unconsciously slipped his hand inside his trousers pocket and fingered the gold coins.\u00a0 How had Joe come by the coins?\u00a0 Did he win them in a poker game, and if so, where had he gotten the money to play in the first place?\u00a0 What had, before his death, the man seen while playing the game, that made him believe that Joe had cheated, for Ben had never known Joe to cheat, expect when playing checkers with his middle brother.\u00a0 That thought, brought a tiny smile to his face but it quickly vanished, for his heart held no joy, only sadness and grief, and he wondered how in the world would he be able to break the news of Joe\u2019s death to his two brothers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh dear God,\u201d Ben moaned as he poured fresh water into the basin and splashed it on his face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben lay across his bed, trying to gather his thoughts, trying to form a plan, something\u2026anything that would turn back the hands of time and return to him, his beloved son.\u00a0 His eyes, filling slowly with tears, his lashes dampened by the weight of those tears, drooped heavily until at last his eyes closed in slumber.\u00a0 When Ben woke, it was morning, the sun had returned, as always, to shed its bright rays upon Ben\u2019s troubled world.\u00a0 It was a surety, for never once had the sun, since the time of creation, failed to appear at its appointed time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben pushed himself up, into a sitting position and swung his long legs over the edge of the bed.\u00a0 Taking a deep breath, Ben yawned and then stood, walking slowly to the window and brushing back the sheers in order to see out.\u00a0 People had already began to gather on the street; shopkeepers were opening their doors and some where placing sale items out front, on the boardwalk.\u00a0 Ben watched the activity below without really seeing the hustle and bustle of the awaking town.\u00a0 When he at last dropped the curtains and turned, it was with a heavy heart, weighted down by his grief and sorrow over the loss of his youngest son.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben swiped his hand across his mouth; his whiskers making a brushing sound in the palm of his opened hand.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not dream,\u201d he whispered to his reflection in the mirror.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s really gone\u2026my son\u2026my baby\u2026is\u2026is\u2026dead,\u201d murmured Ben, watching in the mirror as his dark eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben\u2019s head dropped to his chest and he felt his chest heave as the sobs overtook him.\u00a0 For several moments, the grief stricken father sobbed out his loss until, exhausted from the effort, he at last regained control of his emotions.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben splashed water onto his face and then grabbing the towel, wiped it dry.\u00a0 When he had finished shaving and donning fresh clothes, he slipped from the room, down the stairs and into the lobby of the hotel where he tossed the key on the counter.\u00a0 The same clerk was on duty, though it was obvious that the man had somehow managed to change clothes and look refreshed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be back later,\u201d Ben called as he went out the door.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Once outside, he glanced up one side of the street and then the other.\u00a0 He knew he should find someplace to have breakfast, but just the thoughts of eating, caused his stomach to churn.\u00a0 For now, he decided, he would forego eating and search for the telegraph office instead.\u00a0 It was vital that he send a wire to Adam in Carson City and Hoss at home, instructing both boys to come to Genoa.\u00a0 Only after they both arrived, would Ben then tell his sons of their brother\u2019s untimely death.\u00a0 After the wire was sent, Ben would talk with Pete, Guss\u2019 helper down at the livery stable and find out what the man knew about what had taken place that fateful morning when Joe supposedly shot to death another man.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben stopped a passerby and asked where the telegraph office might be found and after thanking the man, headed down the street as the man had directed.\u00a0 Ben pushed opened the door and entered.\u00a0 The little bell attached to the top of the door facing dinged softly, calling to attention the office clerk behind the counter.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMornin\u2019,\u201d the clerk called.\u00a0 \u201cWhat can I do for you?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to send a couple of telegrams, please,\u201d Ben informed the man.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The clerk handed Ben some paper and a pencil and instructed him to write out his message and to whom it was to be sent.\u00a0 Ben quickly scribbled a note to Adam and one to Hoss and handed the paper back to the clerk, who smiled in a friendly manner at Ben.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n His eyes quickly read over the notes as he turned to his equipment and sat down at his desk.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThis shouldn\u2019t take long, hmm, Mr. Cartwright.\u00a0 Ya wanna wait for a reply?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo, it might take awhile to find my sons.\u00a0 I have some business in town, just have the replies delivered to the hotel.\u00a0 I\u2019ll check back there in a couple of hours,\u201d instructed Ben, tossing some coins onto the counter to pay for the telegraphs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes sir,\u201d the clerk said, still tapping out the message, the first one being sent to Adam.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhere might I find the undertakers?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The clerk, finished with the first wire, paused and glanced up at Ben.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t mean to be noisy, but ya gotta have your son dug up and take him home with you?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben\u2019s eyes must have shown his surprise, for he had no idea that this man would have any inkling to what his business was, here in Genoa.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI was on the jury, Mr. Cartwright\u2026there was no question as to your son\u2019s guilt,\u201d stammered the clerk.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben was speechless as he stared at the man.\u00a0 The clerk began to fidget nervously with the paper in his hand as he stepped up to the counter that separated him from Ben.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI hope ya don\u2019t hold it against me, I was only doing my duty\u2026serving on the jury, I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2026you had to do what was required by law once you were summoned to jury duty.\u00a0 But tell me one thing,\u201d Ben stated.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSure Mr. Cartwright, if I can,\u201d the clerk said, seeming to relax a bit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow did my son seem to you?\u00a0 I mean, was he remorseful, frightened, angry, what?\u00a0 Did he ask that someone send for his family?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The clerk seemed to be thinking and it was several seconds before he met Ben\u2019s piercing gaze.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, if you ask me, I thought the boy seemed sorta\u2026hmm\u2026what\u2019s the word?\u00a0 Indifferent\u2026like he didn\u2019t really care whether he was found guilty or not, or more so like he thought he wouldn\u2019t be found guilty.\u00a0 I would say, the kid acted like he didn\u2019t care one whit that he had shot a man down in cold blood.\u00a0 And his eyes\u2026that\u2019s what really got me\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben straightened up to his full height, intrigued by the man\u2019s words.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about his eyes?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCold\u2026that\u2019s what. And the way he looked at each us, it was like he could see right through us\u2026scared the bee-gees outta me.\u00a0 I seen that look before, on hardened killers, but never on a boy as young as your son, Mr. Cartwright\u2026sir.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd he never asked for me\u2026or one of his brothers?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo sir, but the judge, when he sentenced that kid, asked if he had family he wanted a message sent to, and your boy just shook his head.\u00a0 He never muttered a word, never asked for mercy, nothing atall\u2026even refused to say anything in his own behalf\u2026he just stood there like a statue when the judge told him he was to hang by the neck until dead.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The clerk shook his head as if agreeing with himself.\u00a0 He snapped back to the present when he heard Ben huffing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSorry sir\u2026didn\u2019t mean to make you feel bad\u2026I\u2019ll finish sending these wires now and soon as I hear something back, I\u2019ll take them to the hotel for ya.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben couldn\u2019t find words to express his feelings; he just turned and walked from the office.\u00a0 His head was spinning and he needed fresh air to clear his jumbled thoughts.\u00a0 He stood on the edge of the walkway, basking in the warm morning sun until his rapidly beating heart had slowed and his breathing had returned to normal.\u00a0 When he felt surer of himself, Ben turned toward the livery and headed up the street in search of Pete.\u00a0 Perhaps the man could tell him something more of what had transpired between Joe and the man that had been gunned down.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean, he didn\u2019t come in this morning?\u00a0 I thought he worked for you?\u201d demanded Ben.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLike I dun told ya, Mr. Cartwright, this is Pete\u2019s day off, he ain\u2019t agonna be comin\u2019 in today,\u201d Guss tried for the second time to explain to Ben.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, why in heaven\u2019s name didn\u2019t you tell me that last night?\u201d Ben growled.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Guss tossed down his rake and glared at the angry man.\u00a0 \u201cCause ya didn\u2019t ask me that last night.\u00a0 If\u2019n ya did, I would\u2019a told ya that today was Pete\u2019s day off.\u00a0 Now I\u2019s got work to do.\u00a0 Do ya want me to saddle ya horse fur ya, or not?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben took a deep breath, today didn\u2019t seem as if it would be any better than the day before.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll saddle him myself.\u00a0 Do you have any idea where I might find this Pete fellow?\u00a0 Does he live around here somewhere?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Guss stepped out of Ben\u2019s way as Ben grabbed the saddle blanket and tossed it over Buck\u2019s back.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe lives over yonder hill, has a shack about a mile yonder side.\u00a0 As to where ya might find him, I couldn\u2019t tell ya.\u00a0 He don\u2019t stay home much on his day off, tends to wonder around them hills, lookin\u2019 for SusieQ.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben paused and turned around to look at Guss.\u00a0 \u201cSusieQ?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYep, Susie was his gal\u2026way back when\u2026but she runned off with some old fella what showed up around here about ten year ago.\u00a0 Broke ole Pete\u2019s heart, he sure did love that ole gal, ain\u2019t never been quite right sense then,\u201d Guss explained.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow do you mean?\u00a0 If he isn\u2019t\u2026sane\u2026how could he be positive of what happened between my son and the other man?\u201d Ben questioned, beginning to doubt even Guss\u2019 sanity just a bit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, he\u2019s sane \u2018nough for that cause.\u00a0 Only time he ain\u2019t right in the head, is when there\u2019s a full moon and he sets about wondering the hills, lookin\u2019 for SusieQ.\u00a0 Last night was a full moon, that\u2019s why ya won\u2019t find\u2019em home this mornin\u2019, probably wondered about all night and most likely laid up in them there hills all night, drunk, no doubt,\u201d Guss said, going back to his rake and picking it up.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYa sure do ask a mighty lot of questions, mister,\u201d he muttered as Ben backed Buck from his stall.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben had found the old cabin; it was, as Guss had proclaimed, Pete was nowhere to be found.\u00a0 Ben had pushed opened the door and stepped inside.\u00a0 The place looked as if it had been ransacked, but in truth, Pete was no housekeeper.\u00a0 There were dishes stacked on the table, in the washtub, the bed looked as if it had never been made and dirty laundry was scattered about the entire room.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben stepped back outside, standing on the broken down porch.\u00a0 \u201cPETE!\u201d he yelled, listening for an answer.\u00a0 \u201cMR. GRISSOM!\u201d he shouted.\u00a0 When he received no reply, Ben crossed the clutter filled yard and checked inside the barn.\u00a0 It was empty, having appeared thus so for sometime.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben returned to Buck and mounted up, heading for the hills where he hoped to find the missing stable hand.\u00a0 For half a day, Ben searched every gully, every hillside and looked under nearly every rock big enough to hide a man.\u00a0 Still, he was unable to locate Pete, whom Ben wished to question.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hot, thirsty and hungry, not to mention disappointed Ben headed back to his hotel.\u00a0 Perhaps, with any luck, Pete had wandered into town and was even now, enjoying a cold beer.\u00a0 Ben would check at the Red Dog Saloon first and then his hotel room to see if there had been a reply to his telegrams.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben\u2019s thoughts turned to his two surviving sons, and how they would take the news of their brother\u2019s death and the situation surrounding it.\u00a0 To Ben it seemed a dream, a nightmare from which he could not awaken. Try though he might, Ben struggled with the knowledge that Joe\u2019s death had, in part, been his fault; for had he been more in tune with his son\u2019s emotions, or state of mind, perhaps Joe might not have felt the need to distance himself from his family.\u00a0 It was for that reason that Ben blamed himself and would have to live the remainder of his life always wondering, could he have prevented such a merciless ending to his son\u2019s life.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Both, Adam and Hoss would be crushed to learn that Joe would never be coming home, that they would never again hear the sound of his infamous giggle or see the twinkle in the hazel eyes when they danced with mischief.\u00a0 Nevermore would they find themselves the butt of one of Joe\u2019s practical jokes, or listen to the soft sound of their brother\u2019s voice as he sang his father\u2019s favorite songs.\u00a0 Christmas would never be for the family, the joyful occasion that it had always been, gone now from their lives was the heart of the Ponderosa, for the steady beat had been silenced forever.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben felt his heart lurch, such sweet memories, his heart cried.\u00a0 How could he bear the loneliness that Joseph\u2019s absence would cause in his life, or in the lives of Adam and Hoss?\u00a0 Nothing could ever fill the gaping hole that Joe\u2019s death would leave in their hearts or grieving souls.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben reined in his mount in front of the hotel and dismounted.\u00a0 He carelessly wrapped the reins around the hitching post before stepping up on the boardwalk.\u00a0 With a heavy sigh, Ben entered the establishment and slowly made his way to the desk in order to collect his room key.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When the clerk behind the counter turned around and saw Ben, he smiled.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAny messages for me?\u201d Ben inquired.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo sir, Mr. Cartwright, but there is someone here to see you, a gentleman, sir.\u00a0 I had him wait in the dining room, he\u2019s sitting at the back table,\u201d the clerk said, giving Ben the information.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben glanced over his shoulder, half expecting to see his visitor standing behind him and then turned back to the clerk.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d he said and then went in search of the unknown caller.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben couldn\u2019t have been more surprised when he spied Adam sitting in the far corner of the dining room, sipping a cup of coffee.\u00a0 Instantly Ben felt part of his burdens lift from his shoulders and by the time that he stood before his oldest son, Ben was able to force a welcoming smile for his son.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam stood to his feet and returned the smile, noting the haggard expression that had left its configuration upon his father\u2019s face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHello, Pa,\u201d greeted Adam, giving his father\u2019s shoulder a welcoming squeeze.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHello, son,\u201d Ben said and then pulled out the chair across from Adam and sat down.\u00a0 \u201cHow did you get here so quickly?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam\u2019s face was one of puzzlement.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean?\u00a0 I left this morning and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh,\u201d interrupted Ben, \u201cthen you didn\u2019t get my telegram?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTelegram?\u00a0 No sir, why did you send me a wire?\u201d Suddenly Adam smiled, \u201cI take it you found Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam watched as Ben pressed his lips tightly together, pinched his eyes shut and dropped his head.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d Adam muttered, reaching across the table and placing his hand firmly over his father\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong\u2026what\u2019s happened?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The air between them had grown heavy with impending dread and for several long moments, neither father nor son spoke a word.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYour brother is\u2026dead Adam.\u00a0 He was hung for killing a man\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam felt as if he had been hit in the chest with a cannon ball.\u00a0 For several seconds it seemed his heart had stopped its continual beating and the wind had been forced from his lungs.\u00a0 The hand that rested on Ben\u2019s arm suddenly began squeezing tightly, as if his father\u2019s arm was all that kept the shocked young man from sinking down into the pits of hell.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat in Hades are you talking about?\u00a0 Surely you can\u2019t be serious\u2026Joe hung?\u00a0 I don\u2019t understand, Pa\u2026Joe\u2019s never even fired his gun at anything other than wild game, or maybe a snake\u2026how could he have killed a man?\u201d stammered Adam.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know Adam, I\u2019m still trying to piece together the story.\u00a0 What difference does it make right now anyway\u2026your brother is\u2026is\u2026buried over in the cemetery,\u201d Ben said, his voice heavy with emotions that threatened to spill over.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Had it been any one other than his father telling him that Joe had actually killed a man, and been hung for it, Adam would not have believed the story.\u00a0 But one look at his father\u2019s face, told Adam that this was no joke, Pa was serious and after studying Ben\u2019s face in detail, Adam was sure that his father had spent several hours weeping over the loss of his youngest son.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t we go upstairs, Pa?\u00a0 We can talk in your room,\u201d suggested Adam, finally finding his voice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben looked up into the face of his son, as Adam slowly pushed back his chair and stood up.\u00a0 The boy looked as if he were angry, but Ben knew that the anger was only a cover to mask Adam\u2019s true feelings from those around him.\u00a0 Ben saw the shine of tears that glistened in his son\u2019s hazel eyes, and the way in which Adam\u2019s lips were pressed into a fine straight line, and when Adam moved his hand out toward him, Ben saw how the hand trembled.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAlright Adam,\u201d said Ben in a near whisper.\u00a0 Ben stood to his feet as well and led the way from the crowded dining room, up the stairs and to his room.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Once inside the room, Adam helped his father to the nearest chair and made him sit down.\u00a0 Adam sat down on the bed, sucking in large gulps of air to fill his lungs.\u00a0 When he glanced up, he saw that his father was watching him with tear filled eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI promised myself I wouldn\u2019t cry anymore,\u201d Ben said in a low whisper.\u00a0 \u201cBut I just can\u2019t seem to stop\u2026the tears just spring up announced.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam quickly wipe his hand across the front of his face, he willed himself to be strong, for his father and then moved from the edge of the bed to his father and dropping down on one knee, gently rested his hand on his father\u2019s leg.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s okay, Pa\u2026I understand how you feel,\u201d whispered Adam, his voice beginning to quiver.\u00a0 \u201cWhat I don\u2019t understand is, what happened?\u00a0 Who was Joe supposed to have killed and why?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben raised his head, meeting Adam\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s hand moved to the back of Adam\u2019s head and tugging gently Ben pulled Adam toward him.\u00a0 The anguished father wrapped his arms about the trembling body of his oldest son.\u00a0 The pair gave in to the sorrow and for several moments, they remained, locked together in the comforting arms of one another.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam\u2019s reserve crumbled the second he felt his father slip his strong arms about his body.\u00a0 His sobbing sounded as if it were being wrenched from the depths of his soul as Ben allowed Adam to rid himself of the overwhelming grief.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGo ahead son, get it all out\u2026\u201d murmured Ben softly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After what seemed a lifetime to both father and son, Adam pulled back from Ben\u2019s embrace and stood to his feet, turning his back to his father.\u00a0 He quickly pulled his handkerchief from his pants pockets and wiped the dampness from his tear-streaked face.\u00a0 When he turned again to face his father, his expression showed nothing of the sorrow that had embedded itself in his heart and soul.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTell me what happened,\u201d Adam said, placing himself back down on the edge of the bed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure I have all the details, but from what I can gather, Joe showed up here about four, maybe five days ago.\u00a0 Guss, the man who witnessed the shooting, said he met Joe as they were both going into the saloon.\u00a0 Joe bought him a beer and then paid him to take his horse over to the livery, that\u2019s where Guss worked.\u00a0 Guss said when he was leaving the saloon Joe had joined a couple of fellas in a poker game.\u00a0 That was the last time Guss saw Joe, until the next morning when Joe came for his horse.\u00a0 Guss said that as Joe was fixing to leave, this other fella came up and started to argue with your brother.\u00a0 The man accused Joe of cheating him at cards the night before and demanded that Joe give him back his money; called Joe a lair and a cheat, so Guss says.\u00a0 Joe just pulled his gun and fired at the man, hit him in the chest and killed him instantly, Guss claims.\u00a0 After that, Guss said Joe just slipped his pistol back in his holster, stepped over the dead man, got on his horse and rode off as if nothing had happened,\u201d Ben explained.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat doesn\u2019t sound like Little Joe,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019d never just gun down a man, hell, he hasn\u2019t even been wearing his pistol more than six months, Pa\u2026you just started letting him when he turned seventeen.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI know that Adam, but I also know what a hot head your brother can be at times\u2026and we have to admit\u2026Joe is fast with that gun; faster than most grown men,\u201d Ben said, voicing his thoughts aloud.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSure he is Pa, but still\u2026to kill a man and then walk away as if nothing happened, that\u2019s not the Joe Cartwright we know\u2026not my brother\u2026not your son\u2026not\u2026\u201d Adam stopped, seeing the look that suddenly washed over his father\u2019s face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, Pa\u2026are you okay?\u201d Adam asked, getting up and moving to stand beside Ben, who had also gotten suddenly to his feet.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam,\u201d Ben said in a low voice, turning his head so that he could see into his son\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cWhat if\u2026\u201d Ben had a strange, twisted smile on his face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat if, what, Pa?\u201d Adam said, feeling his stomach tie itself in knots.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat if, the man they hung, really wasn\u2019t Joe?\u201d Ben said with new hope in his heart.\u00a0 \u201cWhat if it were really some other young fellow?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhoa\u2026wait a minute, Pa,\u201d Adam stammered, staring in disbelief at his father.\u00a0 \u201cFirst you tell me that my brother killed a man in cold blood, and was hung for it, now all of a sudden you want me to believe that there\u2019s a possibility that the man they hung for murder wasn\u2019t really Joe at all, but someone else?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben took a deep breath and sat back down in his chair.\u00a0 When he looked up at Adam, the old sorrowful look had replaced the moment of hope.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWishful thinking, I suppose,\u201d Ben muttered, \u201cbut it isn\u2019t impossible, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI know that, Pa, but I think you\u2019re grasping at straws.\u00a0 There was an eyewitness\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTwo, the man who worked for Guss, Pete Grissom, saw the shooting as well,\u201d Ben added.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOkay, two eyewitnesses, and if they both pointed Joe out\u2026how could the sheriff not have hung the right man?\u201d Adam felt his father\u2019s tremble as he placed his hand on Ben\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd what did this second witness tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben shook his head, his expression grim as he looked at his son.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNothing, I haven\u2019t been able to find him to ask him,\u201d explained Ben.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s where I was just before I came back here.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been looking for him all day and can\u2019t find him.\u00a0 It\u2019s like the fella just dropped off the face of the earth\u2026Adam?\u201d said Ben suddenly.\u00a0 \u201cYou said you didn\u2019t get my telegram\u2026how\u2019d you know to come here?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI just decided to, I couldn\u2019t find a trace of Joe over in Carson City, so I gave up and came here, hoping to catch up to you,\u201d Adam told his father.\u00a0 \u201cPa, does Hoss know about Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben shook his head, \u201cNo, I sent him a wire at the same time I sent yours and asked that both of you come here, immediately.\u00a0 I was going to wait until both of you were here and then tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A sharp rap on the door halted any further conversation as Ben turned to see who was at the door.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTelegram, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d said the clerk from the office.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d replied Ben, taking the paper and dropping a coin into the messenger\u2019s waiting hand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben pushed the door closed and began unfolding the paper.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIs it from Hoss?\u201d asked Adam, looking over his father\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben scanned the words and then folded up the paper, sticking it in his pocket.\u00a0 \u201cYes, he\u2019s on his way, should be here by morning,\u201d Ben told his son.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGood\u2026you hungry, Pa?\u00a0 You look as if you haven\u2019t had a decent meal in a week,\u201d Adam surmised, giving his father a small grin.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not hungry, Adam\u2026I can\u2019t get Joe off my mind.\u00a0 I still can\u2019t believe that\u2026he\u2019s gone,\u201d muttered Ben.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam moved to stand behind his father, who stood before the window, gazing out.\u00a0 He placed his hand on his father\u2019s shoulder and gently pressed his long slender fingers into the flesh.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNeither can I, Pa,\u201d whispered Adam, \u201cneither can I.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss urged his mount on.\u00a0 Pa must have found Joe, determined the big man, and something must be wrong, why else would he be summoned to Genoa?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCome on Chubb,\u201d voiced Hoss, \u201cya can do better\u2019n this,\u201d Hoss said, pressing his knees into this mount\u2019s sides.\u00a0 \u201cWe ain\u2019t got far to go.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The sun was just rising over the top of the distant hills as Hoss rode into town.\u00a0 He had stopped the night before, only for a few hours to give himself and his horse time to rest, and then had saddled up and rode on.\u00a0 He had sent word to his father that he would arrive sometime before noon, but something about the wire had tugged at the big man\u2019s thoughts and an unspoken fear had urged him to hurry.\u00a0 Hoss wondered briefly whether or not Adam had received a like message and might already be in Genoa with his father.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss spotted the sign that read \u2018Hotel\u2019, and pulled Chubb to a stop in front of the establishment.\u00a0 Quickly he tied the reins about the post and pausing just long enough to brush the trail dust from his clothes, hurried inside.\u00a0 He was surprised to see his father and Adam coming down the stairs as he entered the lobby.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa!\u201d called out Hoss, greeting his father and Adam with a smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHoss,\u201d Ben said, surprised that his middle son had made such good time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe weren\u2019t expecting you this early,\u201d continued Ben, glancing at Adam and seeing the dread in the dark eyes that looked back at him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s Joe\u2026you did find him, didn\u2019t you?\u201d Hoss inquired.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam took a deep breath, \u201cYes, we found him\u2026or rather, Pa found him,\u201d Adam said solemnly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s go back upstairs, I\u2019ll explain things to you,\u201d Ben said quietly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss glanced first at Adam and then at his father.\u00a0 His blue eyes clouded with worry as he silently read the expression on each face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, Pa, Adam?\u00a0 Where\u2019s Joe?\u201d Hoss demanded, the fear making his voice to quiver.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben placed a steadying hand on Hoss\u2019 shoulder and gently turned the boy toward the stairs.\u00a0 \u201cI said I\u2019d explain it when we get back to my room.\u00a0 Now please son, let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss gulped, glanced again at Adam and then followed his father to their room.\u00a0 Adam climbed slowly up the stairs behind Hoss, dreading the scene that he knew would soon be taking place, for their worlds had changed dramatically since they all had last been altogether.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOkay, out with it,\u201d said Hoss, is usual jovial voice sounding fearful of the unexpected.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s Little Joe?\u201d he asked, looking first at his father and then at Adam.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSit down, son,\u201d Ben ordered softly, with no real authority in his voice.\u00a0 He pointed to the lone chair in the room and waited until Hoss had complied with his wishes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHoss\u2026this isn\u2019t easy to say\u2026much less to believe,\u201d his father said, glancing at Adam.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss was quick to notice the exchange between his two senior family members and slowly stood to his feet.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSumton\u2019s happened to Joe\u2026I can see it in your eyes, both of you,\u201d declared Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u00a0 Is he hurt?\u00a0 You said you found him\u2026where is he?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss\u2019 voice was getting edgy as he pushed his father for an answer.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s\u2026dead, son,\u201d Ben murmured, raising his head slightly and watching as the color drained from his middle son\u2019s face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Instantly the blue eyes filled with tears as Hoss scrunched up his face in disbelief and began to slowly shake his head.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d he said flatly, \u201cJoe cain\u2019t be dead\u2026he\u2019s just\u2026just a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben glanced at Adam and then moved to slip an arm about the massive shoulders that had begun to tremble.\u00a0 \u201cHoss\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss yanked away from his father, anger and fear replacing the shock on his rotund face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYa lyin\u2019, Pa\u2026why\u2026why ya atellin\u2019 me that my little brother\u2019s dead\u2026when ya know that cain\u2019t be?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss\u2019 eyes had filled to capacity and the tears rolled over the rims and began their slow descent downward.\u00a0 His shoulders heaved as the sobs wracked his large frame and the sound of his weeping ripped the heart out of his father as he stood and watched and listened.\u00a0 Ben closed his eyes to the sight as he stepped up to his distraught son and placed a comforting hand on Hoss\u2019 arm.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHoss please\u2026\u201d whispered Ben, his own eyes beginning to water.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa\u2026Adam,\u201d said Hoss, turning to his older brother and seeing in the dark eyes that refused to look at him, the same truth that his father had told him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNO!\u201d screamed Hoss, grabbing his hat and flinging it across the room.\u00a0 The Stetson flew into the air, striking the lamp on the dressing table and sending it crashing to the floor, breaking into a dozen pieces as the glass shattered.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n By the next morning, it was evident that the three surviving Cartwrights had, for the present, come to terms with their deep abiding grief.\u00a0 When Ben and his sons left the hotel, no one could tell by the expressions on their faces that each of them had suffered an enormous loss, or that their lives had changed in such a way that the three of them would never know life as they had once known it to be.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s see if we can find that Pete, fella.\u00a0 Maybe he can shed some light on what happened,\u201d suggested Hoss as he took the lead, heading straightway for the livery stable.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam and Ben had no choice but to follow along in Hoss\u2019 footsteps.\u00a0 The middle son seemed determined to find something that would exonerate his brother.\u00a0 At this point, there was nothing that any of them could do to bring back the boy who had been the center of their lives.\u00a0 Hoss deemed it his mission in life to prove to the town, to the world, and to himself, that his little brother was not the type of person that Genoa had labeled him to be.\u00a0 Joe might have been a rapscallion at home, what with his practical jokes and all, reasoned Hoss, but a murderer and a liar?\u00a0 No\u2026that wasn\u2019t Joe Cartwright, youngest son of Ben Cartwright and Hoss aimed to prove to the world that they were wrong in assuming so.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss reached the stable ten paces ahead of his father and brother.\u00a0 When he yanked opened the door, it was nearly pulled from its hinges.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPETE GRISSOM!\u201d shouted Hoss while standing in the doorway with his hand placed firmly on his hips and his feet standing apart.\u00a0 He towered over old Guss who stepped from the shadows and glanced up at the taller man.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPete\u2019s in the back, mister.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t no call fur ya to shout loud \u2018nough to raise the roof off\u2019n my stable,\u201d Guss said, glaring at the huge man.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThank ya,\u201d Hoss said and walked on through the barn to the rear entrance where he shoved that door opened as well.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n An old man was shoveling manure from the wheel barrel and failed to see the visitor until Hoss stood behind him, tapping him softly on the shoulder.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou Pete?\u201d Hoss inquired, aware of his father and brother and the other man who had followed him out back.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I\u2019m Pete\u2026who wants to know?\u201d asked the old man, turning and giving Hoss and his family the once over.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMy name\u2019s Hoss Cartwright, and this here fella\u2019s my Pa, Ben Cartwright and this is my brother, Adam.\u00a0 We wanna ask\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCartwright, ya say?\u201d Pete said, \u201cAin\u2019t that the name of that kid what killed that fella a coupl\u2019a days ago?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes, that\u2019s right.\u201d Ben stepped in front of Hoss and answered for his son.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m Ben Cartwright, the boy\u2019s father, and\u2026\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019d just like to hear your version, you know, so we can get things straight in our minds, before we have my brother\u2019s body dug up and moved back home,\u201d Adam stated.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGonna dig\u2019em up, heh?\u201d Pete said, turning back to the Cartwrights.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d Hoss grumbled.\u00a0 His patience was wearing thin.\u00a0 \u201cIs there a problem with that?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2026no, not atall,\u201d Pete agreed.\u00a0 \u201cSo ya wanna know what I seen, do you?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben took a deep breath and glanced at his sons.\u00a0 \u201cIf you wouldn\u2019t mind, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pete looked at Guss who just shrugged his shoulders at his friend.\u00a0 \u201cGo ahead, tell\u2019em, they ain\u2019t never gonna leave us alone if\u2019n ya don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben and both his sons turned and gave Guss an aggravated look.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, ya ain\u2019t, is ya?\u201d Guss fumed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cReckon not,\u201d growled Hoss, just as put out with the man as the man was with the three of them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAlright, I\u2019ll tell ya, but listen up cause I ain\u2019t gonna tell it again,\u201d Pete said, setting his shovel aside.\u00a0 \u201cFoller me,\u201d he said, leading the way back through the stable until they were all standing in front of the entrance.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI was standin\u2019 just over thar.\u00a0 See, I was just comin\u2019 to work that mornin\u2019, when I heard shoutin\u2019, so I stopped and when I did, I saw them two fellas.\u00a0 Your boy was just comin\u2019 out of the stable, leading that pinto of his\u2019n.\u00a0 This here other fella, he was older about your age,\u201d said Pete pointing to Adam.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat then?\u201d asked Ben, wanting Pete to finish telling his side of the story.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell mister, like I dun told ya, they started arguin\u2019.\u00a0 The older man called ya boy a liar and a cheat, said the boy cheated him at poker and he wanted his money back.\u00a0 The boy got awfully mad and said he tweren\u2019t givin\u2019 back nuthin\u2019.\u00a0 Your boy said he won it fair and square.\u00a0 That\u2019s when the other guy called him a liar and accused him of cheating fur the second time.\u00a0 He said he was gonna go fur the sheriff and he\u2019d be back.\u00a0 That\u2019s when your son pulled his gun and shot the man, hit him right in the heart he did, killed that old boy deader\u2019n hell.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou sure, that\u2019s the way it happened?\u201d Adam asked, still not fully believing that his youngest brother could or would shoot a man for such trivial reasons.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSure I\u2019m sure.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t never seen a man as fast as that kid was.\u201d\u00a0 Pete made a quick movement, imitating a fast draw.\u00a0 \u201cBAM! BAM!\u201d t\u2019was all it took, only the kid was faster,\u201d Pete said, with the makings of a tiny smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben watched, perplexed over what he was seeing.\u00a0 Something about what the man had told them and the way, in which Pete mimicked the fast draw, troubled the grief stricken father.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShow me again,\u201d asked Ben, trying not to let his inner feelings come through in his tone of voice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Again Pete drew down, pointing his shooting finger of his right hand, at Adam.\u00a0 \u201cBAM! BAM!\u201d laughed Pete.\u00a0 \u201cKid sure knew how to use that pistol.\u00a0 Twirled it around like a pro, onlys one thing I never could figure out,\u201d he said, turning to Guss.\u00a0 \u201cWe both noticed it, we even talked about it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd what might that be?\u201d asked Hoss, standing propped against the side of the barn, his long arms folder across his wide chest.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, might not mean nuthin\u2019 to ya.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t make no never mind to the sheriff, he said tweren\u2019t important, a man could wear his six shooter anyway he\u2019d a mind to,\u201d Pete continued to explain.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben and Adam swapped troubled looks.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhy would he say that? I mean, what was wrong with my son\u2019s six shooter, as you called it,\u201d Ben said, interested in any detail that might explain to him why his youngest son had acted as these two old men claimed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, that boy of yours was awearin\u2019 a left handed holster and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe was left handed, so naturally he\u2019d be wearin\u2019 one,\u201d Hoss jumped in to explain.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pete scratched his head and looked at Guss, who also wore an odd expression on his face.\u00a0 Old Guss stepped up to Ben, his face wrinkled in a frown.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t make no sense to me.\u00a0 The kid was wearing that there left handed holster of his\u2019n on his right side, backwards like,\u201d said Guss.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, and he didn\u2019t use no left hand to draw on that other fella, either\u2026\u201d Pete opened his mouth to say, but was cut off when Ben grabbed his arm.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWait a minute!\u201d Ben nearly shouted.\u00a0 \u201cAre you saying that my son didn\u2019t use his left hand at all, but his right instead?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd he was as fast as you say?\u201d Hoss quizzed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe wore his holster backwards, on his right hip?\u201d Adam had to know, for surely there must have been some mistake.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNow wait just a dadburn minute,\u201d Pete fussed, pulling free of Ben\u2019s strong fingers.\u00a0 \u201cYa all just heard me tellin\u2019 ya\u2026the kid was right handed, not left handed.\u00a0 I might not look like no educated city slicker, but I ain\u2019t no bloomin\u2019 idiot either, the kid drew down on the old man, using his right hand!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDear God,\u201d muttered Ben, swaying slightly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss and Adam both reached out to support their father to keep him from falling.\u00a0 Carefully they backed Ben up until he could sit on an old crate.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When Ben looked up, into the two pairs of eyes that watched him, his own dark chocolate eyes were damp with tears.\u00a0 Ben wiped his hand across his face and took a deep breath; his voice quivered when he tried to speak, but his face wore a smile and the stress from the long days of worry and woe had vanished.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t Joe,\u201d he said in a near whisper.\u00a0 \u201cThey didn\u2019t hang my baby\u2026my baby,\u201d Ben gulped.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam knelt down on one knee, his hand resting on his father\u2019s leg.\u00a0 \u201cPa\u2026let\u2019s not get our hopes up, not just yet.\u00a0 It sounds as if it really was someone else, but if so, we now have a bigger problem.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben studied his son\u2019s face and then glanced up at Hoss, who seemed puzzled by his brother\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019ca talkin\u2019 about Adam?\u00a0 What other problem do we have?\u201d Hoss spoke up first to inquire.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam stood and glanced from his father to Hoss and back down at Ben.\u00a0 \u201cIf they didn\u2019t hang Joe, where is he?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh,\u201d hummed Hoss.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd is he alright?\u201d Ben added, standing to his feet, a new set of worries drawing their funny little furrows onto his brow.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben pushed passed Pete and Guss and motioned for Hoss and Adam to follow him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThanks Pete, Guss, we appreciate all that you\u2019ve done for us,\u201d Ben tossed over his shoulder as he walked away.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Quickly Adam and Hoss fell into step beside their father.\u00a0 \u201cWhere we headed, Pa?\u201d Hoss questioned.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou have a plan, I can tell, but are you going to share it with us?\u201d Adam added, hurrying his steps in order to keep up with his father.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben stopped quickly and turned to face both sons.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re going to do what I should have done in the first place,\u201d declared Ben.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re going to dig up that grave and have a look at who\u2019s inside that casket.\u00a0 If I\u2019m right, it won\u2019t be your little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss grinned broadly, showing the gap between his two front teeth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam felt the fresh hope that sprung forth like new life to his soul, but he remained realistic.\u00a0 \u201cAnd if it is Joe, what then, Pa?\u00a0 Can you live with that?\u201d Adam asked in a soft, compassionate voice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben\u2019s smile disappeared and he looked grim for just a moment before speaking.\u00a0 When he at last found his voice, it was without emotion that he explained what he would then do.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIf it is Joe\u2026then I\u2019ll take him home and bury him up at the lake\u2026next to his mother.\u201d\u00a0 Ben pivoted on his toes and marched off down the street toward the sheriff\u2019s office.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It took nearly two hours for Ben to convince the sheriff that they should open up the grave. What with the things that both Guss and Pete had told them, there was now sufficient doubt as to the casket\u2019s occupant.\u00a0 Ben had to know; he had to be sure, for he could not live the rest of his life always wondering.\u00a0 Perhaps, he would never know what really happened, if the remains turned out to be his son, but at least he would be able to take his son\u2019s body home\u2026home where Joe belonged.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was passed noon by the time that the sheriff finally agreed and had spoken with a judge who would have to give his consent to the opening of the grave.\u00a0 Ben hired two men to dig and along with the sheriff and the judge, plus Adam and Hoss they walked the short distance to the cemetery.\u00a0 When Ben heard more footsteps behind him, he turned, curious as to who else might be tagging along.\u00a0 A large crowd of men and women had joined the procession, headed by Pete and Guss.\u00a0 It seemed as if the entire town had turned out to see for themselves if the young man buried in their town\u2019s cemetery was the son of one of Nevada\u2019s wealthiest men.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The sun had crested, the air was still and hot and the two men, who did the digging, were tired and thirsty.\u00a0 After nearly three hours of digging in the hard packed earth, one man\u2019s shovel struck the wooden top of the pine box.\u00a0 Everything fell strangely quiet as every man, woman, and child froze, as if time had stopped and each individual had petrified and become as pillars of salt.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam broke the silence as he slipped into the deep grave and gave a nod at his brother.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHelp me slip these ropes around this box, and then we\u2019ll pull it up,\u201d he ordered.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When the ropes were in place, Adam motioned for the four men who had volunteered to help to begin raising the coffin.\u00a0 It was only minutes before the pine box was safely on the surface and Adam knelt, hammer in hand, and with one last glance at his father and brother, began removing the long nails that sealed the top of the box.\u00a0 When each nail had been removed, he tossed aside the hammer.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss and Ben joined Adam, kneeling on the ground at the head of the box.\u00a0 Ben gulped, Hoss wiped his hand across his mouth and Adam pinched the bridge of this nose with the fingers of his right hand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One deep breath and Adam filled his lungs, holding in the air.\u00a0 One gentle tug on the lid and the box was opened.\u00a0 With bated breath and trembling hands, Ben leaned over and slowly began unfolding the burial cloth that covered the face of the coffin\u2019s occupant.\u00a0 Hoss\u2019 wide brow was beaded with tiny droplets of perspiration and his breathing was unsteady while his heart pounded deep within his chest.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben lifted up the last fold and peered at the face of the dead man.\u00a0 Around him, no one moved or whispered a word; every soul waited as Ben\u2019s mind registered what his eyes were seeing.\u00a0Without warning, the silence was shattered by the loud, wracking sobs that ripped from the deepest depth of the senior Cartwright\u2019s heart.\u00a0 The cries of not only the dead man\u2019s father, but his brothers as well, left the crowd wondering\u2026was the boy in the coffin the man\u2019s son, or was it not.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoseph\u2026oh Joseph,\u201d sobbed Ben, reaching out and gathering both Adam and Hoss into his arms, each man clinging to the other for support as the truth began to dawn on them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t believe it\u2026Dear God\u2026my son\u2026my son\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Drake hurried from the house, it looked as if it might rain and he didn\u2019t want to get caught in the downpour.\u00a0 He could still do his barn chores and not get wet, but the fencing that his father had wanted him to check on, would have to wait, at least until the rain stopped.\u00a0 The young man had just pulled the door opened and was about ready to slip inside when the sounds of a man\u2019s moaning stopped him in his tracks.\u00a0 Carefully he cocked his head to one side, trying to determine which direction the strange sounds had come from.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Drake was just about to believe he had imagined the sounds when he stopped a second time.\u00a0 He listened intently; the sounds were coming from around the corner of the barn.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Drake eased over to the side of the barn and peered around.\u00a0 Nothing, and then he heard it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPlease\u2026some\u2026one\u2026help\u2026me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The voice was weak, barely audible, but Drake saw the slight movement beneath the bushes and he hurried to the wounded man\u2019s side.\u00a0 He was surprised when he carefully turned the man over and saw the gapping hole in the man\u2019s stomach.\u00a0 Quickly he ripped the sleeve from his shirt, knowing it was the last of his good work shirts, and stuffed the cloth into the bleeding wound to squelch the seeping fluid.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2026\u201d cried the man as Drake slipped his arms beneath the injured man and with care, lifted the man\u2019s body into his arms.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d\u00a0 The pitiful cry caught Drake\u2019s full attention and he paused, staring down into the man\u2019s face, seeing the distorted features for the first time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019ll be darned,\u201d Drake muttered to himself.\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t no man, you\u2019re just a kid, and I bet ya ain\u2019t even as old as Johnny.\u00a0 He\u2019s my brother,\u201d Drake whispered to the boy in his arms.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPA!\u00a0 PA!\u00a0 Come quick!\u201d shouted Drake, carrying the boy toward the house.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stuart Casson pushed the screen door opened and Drake heard it bang against the wall as his father rushed to meet him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat in the world do you have here?\u201d Stuart questioned his son.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Drake stopped and let his father take a quick look at his bundle.\u00a0 When Stuart lifted the make-shift bandage, he frowned in dismay.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBetter take him inside, put him in the back room, and then fetch my medical supplies.\u00a0 That bullet\u2019s gotta come out.\u00a0 Hurry up, get moving, the kid\u2019s near dead now,\u201d ordered Stuart, giving Drake a gentle nudge on his shoulder to hurry his son along.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYessir, Pa,\u201d Drake called over his shoulder.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He rushed inside and carefully wove his way about the furniture until he reached the back room.\u00a0 Using one hand, he twisted the doorknob and shoved back the door.\u00a0 The room was dark with little light in which to see by, but neat and clean.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSarah!\u201d shouted Stuart, \u201cCome in here and help me!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A young woman of about eighteen hurried into the room.\u00a0 She was small for her age, but had a crown of golden curls that hung to her waist and her eyes were blue, like the crystals on the Tahoe.\u00a0 Her face was twisted out of shape by the frowns she wore but the expression changed to one of compassion the minute her eyes saw the bundle her brother carried within the folds of his arms.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh dear, Drake, put him in the bed.\u00a0 Wait\u2026let me turn back the covers.\u00a0 There,\u201d she said, stepping aside to allow her brother room.\u00a0 \u201cEasy Drake, he looks like he\u2019s bleeding badly,\u201d Sarah whispered.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stuart pushed his way between his daughter and his son to get to the bed. He quickly lifted the bloodied rag to inspect the wound.\u00a0 His face became distorted when he saw the damage done to the boy\u2019s flesh.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMy bag, please Drake.\u00a0 Sarah, I will need some clean bandages and linens, and would you please put some water on to boil, I need you to sterilize my instruments for me,\u201d Stuart ordered gently as he worked at removing the wounded man\u2019s clothing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes, Papa, I\u2019ll hurry.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stuart glanced up and smiled at his daughter.\u00a0 \u201cThank you my dear.\u201d\u00a0 He then turned his full attention to the boy who lingered between life and death.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, now,\u201d Stuart said softly, \u201csomeone must surely have had it in for you.\u00a0 From the looks of this bullet wound, they must have thought you dead, or shot you and left you to die,\u201d he murmured, knowing full well that the unconscious boy could not hear him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat a shame too, you look like a nice kid, though looks can be deceiving,\u201d he whispered, tugging at the soiled trousers and finally getting them down enough from the slender waist that he could pull them off, over the boy\u2019s dirtied feet.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDid he take your boots, too?\u201d the gentle man asked, glancing at the boy\u2019s face, only to see his features scrunched up, telling the one in charge, of the pain that coursed through his body.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Drake returned in the same instant that Sarah carried in the basin of hot water and set it down on the table beside of the bed.\u00a0 Stuart quickly pulled the light blanket over the boy\u2019s body to cover the lower extremities from his daughter\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 Though the girl had served as her father\u2019s nurse for the last three or four years, and had been witness to many sights that most young women her age, had yet to see, there was something about this boy\u2019s allure that caused Stuart to want to shield his daughter.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSarah, go\u2026I need to bath this boy, Drake can help me do that.\u00a0 When I am finished, I will need you to help me operate, that bullet must come out,\u201d Stuart explained to his daughter and Drake who was already getting the linens ready for his father.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSarah,\u201d Stuart called as the girl stopped in the doorway.\u00a0 \u201cWould you mind telling Johnny what\u2019s happened and to please do the chores for Drake until he\u2019s finished in here?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo Papa, I don\u2019t mind, just call when you\u2019re ready for me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sarah started to turn but stopped and glanced again at the unresponsive boy in the bed.\u00a0 He was so near death, she feared; and so handsome her heart cried out.\u00a0 She closed the door silently and made her way to the kitchen, still pondering over the handsome youth.\u00a0 Who shot him\u2026and why, she questioned herself.\u00a0 Was he a bandit, had he gotten shot while trying to rob another, or maybe he had gotten caught rustling cattle from a nearby rancher.\u00a0 Her mind seemed to be working overtime, conjuring up reasons as to why such a strikingly handsome young man would end up with a life-threatening bullet wound in his gut.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stuart, a retired army doctor who had given up the life of a solider to become a rancher, leaned low over the body on the bed. He probed gently for the bullet, but it was deep and the boy had lost a large amount of blood.\u00a0 Sarah wiped carefully at the beads of sweat that continued to gather on her father\u2019s brow and then handed him another swap to dab at the blood that still seeped from the open wound.\u00a0 The boy was burning with fever and Stuart wondered how the kid had managed to hang on as long as he had, for the wound looked as if it were at least two, maybe even three days old.\u00a0 The flesh had become inflamed and infection had started to set in; gangrene was a worry as well, for once the bullet was removed, he would have to cut away the flesh that showed tiny spots of rotting. It was the worst type of surgery that Stuart performed, for he had seen more than his share during his lifetime, especially while serving in the military.\u00a0 He had seen men died needlessly because of gangrene, and even now, considering the poor condition of this current patient, the boy might well die before his time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHang on, kid,\u201d Stuart murmured softly to himself.\u00a0 \u201cJust don\u2019t give up yet\u2026something sure has kept you going.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stuart probed a little deeper, pausing when the boy moaned softly.\u00a0 The doctor glanced down at his daughter and saw that she was watching the boy\u2019s face too.\u00a0 When she looked up at the father, her face was grim.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIs he going to make it, Papa?\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know Sarah,\u201d her father replied and returned to his probing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stuart carefully, with the skill of a talented surgeon, dug deeper.\u00a0 He could feel the bullet, but it was lodged in the stomach muscle and he would have to be extremely careful when he began bringing the bullet upward.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The boy moaned again, turning his head slightly to one side.\u00a0 \u201cGive him another drop of the ether, Sarah, I can\u2019t have him waking up before I\u2019ve got this bullet.\u00a0 The pain alone would kill him.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sarah hurried to do as her father had instructed and added one tiny drop of ether to the mask that covered the injured boy’s face.\u00a0 The medication worked its miracle and within seconds, the boy became still once more.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got it,\u201d whispered Stuart, more to himself than to his nurse.\u00a0 \u201cNow, all I have to do is get this infernal bullet out without ripping the muscles.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stuart took a deep breath to steady himself, and waited until Sarah had dabbed at the beads of water on his brow before he began pulling gently on the bullet.\u00a0 It seemed as if it was taking forever, but within moments, the pellet was dropped into the china basin where it made a dinging sound.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhew,\u201d sighed Stuart softly.\u00a0 \u201cNow all I have to do is get rid of this rotting flesh and sew the boy up,\u201d smiled Stuart to his daughter.\u00a0 \u201cShouldn\u2019t take much longer, how\u2019s he doing?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s okay\u2026Pa?\u201d Sarah said softly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stuart worked as he talked quietly with his daughter.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it, Sarah?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI wonder why someone shot him.\u00a0 He isn\u2019t any older than I am\u2026and he\u2019s so\u2026\u201d Sarah glanced at her father, her facing beginning to turn pink.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stuart smiled and continued his work.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know why, he was shot, he doesn\u2019t look as if he were an outlaw.\u00a0 Who\u2019s to say, maybe he got in an argument over a girl.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh Papa, really!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been known to happen.\u00a0 Men will kill over a woman\u2026they don\u2019t have to have a big reason, sometimes just looking the wrong way at a man\u2019s woman can get a fellow shot.\u00a0 Maybe this boy\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cFather, please\u2026just hurry,\u201d sighed Sarah, glancing up at Stuart.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The father chuckled softly.\u00a0 \u201cTell you what daughter, when the boy wakes up, why don\u2019t you just ask him why someone shot him?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sarah rolled her eyes and shook her head, but she did wonder how and why the boy was attacked, and who was he?\u00a0 Was he from around here or a neighboring ranch perhaps, or was he a drifter?\u00a0 He didn\u2019t appear to be, he didn\u2019t look like the other drifters she had seen, the ones hanging around town at the saloon on Saturday nights when she had been in town with her father and brothers.\u00a0 No, this boy was different, he was\u2026was\u2026what, Sarah thought\u2026different, that\u2019s what.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s about it,\u201d Stuart said, several minutes later.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m finished, now it\u2019s up to the boy.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The physician dropped his instruments into the china basin that Sarah held in her hands and turned to wash the blood off his own hands.\u00a0 He glanced at the boy, watching the steady rise and fall of the boy\u2019s chest; then when he had finished, Stuart turned, dried his hands and then pulled the blanket up around the boy\u2019s chin.\u00a0 He turned to Sarah and with a grim expression on his face, voiced aloud his thoughts.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe should know something within the next few hours.\u00a0 If he survives the night, he might have a chance, if not\u2026well\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPlease don\u2019t say it, Father.\u201d\u00a0 Sarah\u2019s eyes were dark with worry as she glanced back at the sleeping boy.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d like to think that he\u2019s strong enough to pull out of this.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you think that somewhere\u2026he has a mother and a father who surely must be worried sick about him?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stuart smiled down into the face of his daughter, \u201cYes child, I\u2019d rather think so.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThen we have to do everything possible to save him, Papa\u2026so that he can go home.\u00a0 Drake said he heard the boy calling for his father, so he must have a family.\u00a0 Please Father\u2026\u201d Sarah leaned against her father\u2019s chest.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stuart wrapped his arms tightly about his daughter and sighed deeply, she was everything to him, as were his two sons.\u00a0 Since the death of his wife, many years before, his three children were all that he had that really mattered to him.\u00a0 As he held Sarah within his arms, he glanced at the boy; he was someone\u2019s son, reckoned Stuart.\u00a0 Regardless of how or why the boy had been shot and left to die, the fact remained the boy was some man\u2019s son and was no doubt loved by that man.\u00a0 Stuart put himself in that father\u2019s place and knew instantly how he would feel, had the boy in the bed been one of his own sons.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll do all in my power Sarah, to keep the boy alive, but the final decision is not up to me, it\u2019s up to God,\u201d whispered Stuart, leaning his daughter back so that he might look into her eyes.\u00a0\u201cGod\u2019s will child, not mine,\u201d he said softly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n For three days the boy lingered between life and death.\u00a0 His fever skyrocketed and it took both Stuart and his daughter keeping the boy bathed in cool water to fight the fever.\u00a0 The boy moaned and groaned, and cried out in his delirium, struggling to free himself from the tangle of blankets that held him prisoner in the bed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The boy wept; muttering unintelligible words that neither Stuart nor Sarah could understand. He called names of individuals that neither of them knew and they watched as the boy groped the air, searching for a handhold that might keep him from slipping closer to the door of death.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stuart held the hand of the boy and felt the dwindling strength as the fever raged and slowly sapped from the boy, the willpower to fight.\u00a0 It was a losing battle; the boy was becoming too weak to even cry out; but just one lone word lingered on his lips.\u00a0 The only word that the compassionate doctor recognized\u2026Pa\u2026and the lone word tore at his heart.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI wish I knew who he was, I could get word to his pa,\u201d Stuart told his son, Drake.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know either, Pa.\u00a0 He ain\u2019t from around here, I\u2019d know if he was, and he don\u2019t work at any of the ranches, I\u2019ve already checked with some of the men.\u00a0 They don\u2019t know him either,\u201d Drake told his father late one afternoon while he sat with Stuart.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJohnny went into town yesterday and talked to the sheriff, but Gill ain\u2019t heard of no shooting or killing that might have happened.\u00a0 He told Johnny to let him know if the boy were to be able to talk, he\u2019d come out and question the kid,\u201d Drake informed his father.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIs he going to ask around?\u201d Stuart asked, standing to his feet and feeling the boy\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s still hot.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes sir, Johnny said that Gill would send a wire to the sheriff in Genoa and see if anyone there might know who the boy is,\u201d Drake answered.\u00a0 \u201cI got chores to tend to, want me to send Sarah in while you take a break?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stuart pulled back the blanket and checked on the bandage.\u00a0 \u201cYes, if you would.\u00a0 I need some fresh air, in fact, if you will saddle my horse, I need to go into Dayton.\u00a0 I think I\u2019ll go have a talk with the sheriff myself.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Drake slipped from the room and went in search of his sister.\u00a0 He found Sarah in the kitchen, standing at the stove.\u00a0 He smiled at her when the girl turned to see who had slipped up behind her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou are a vision, little sister,\u201d smiled Drake, sniffing the pot that was simmering on the stove.\u00a0 \u201cAnd such a good cook, too,\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDrake Casson, I swear, you are as bad as Father,\u201d she giggled, slapping at his hand, which he was dipping into the pot.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOuch!\u201d he cried in mock pain.\u00a0 \u201cThat hurt,\u201d he grinned, licking his finger.\u00a0 \u201cPa needs you to sit with the boy, he wants to ride into Dayton and have a talk with the sheriff,\u201d Drake informed his sister.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAlright, just let me move this pot to the back burner,\u201d Sarah replied, taking a potholder and carefully moving the hot pot.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be in the barn, helping Johnny, he\u2019s still complaining about having to do his share of the chores.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know about that boy, think he\u2019ll ever grow up?\u201d laughed Drake.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOf course he will,\u201d laughed Sarah, untying her apron and tossing it on the back of the kitchen chair.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s only sixteen, he\u2019ll get there, and when he does, you won\u2019t have a baby brother anymore\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThank goodness for that\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDrake\u2026just because you are ten years older than Johnny, doesn\u2019t make you Johnny\u2019s father\u2026or his boss.\u00a0 You need to lighten up and give that boy time to grow up, all you do is order him around, always telling him to do this and do that\u2026why it\u2019s a wonder that he doesn\u2019t run away from home.\u00a0 If I were he, I know I would, what with both you and father and me, always telling him to wash his hands, go to bed, get up, clean the barn, feed the chickens, eat your supper, don\u2019t talk with food in your mouth, take a bath\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n At the sound of her brother\u2019s laughter, Sarah stopped talking.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d she grumbled.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNow you sound like ma used to sound when she was scolding Pa,\u201d Drake snickered.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, it\u2019s true big brother, I\u2019m surprised that Johnny hasn\u2019t already thought of running away,\u201d smiled Sarah, no longer angry with her older brother.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not going to run away,\u201d a voice from behind them said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sarah and Drake both turned, smiling at their younger brother as Johnny entered through the back door.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe were just saying\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Johnny hung his hat on the peg next to the door and turned, smiling at his brother and sister.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI heard what you were saying, and I have to admit, the thought did cross my mind.\u00a0 But don\u2019t worry, I\u2019d rather stay here and put up with the likes of you two, than to be out on my own, maybe getting myself shot up like that kid in there,\u201d Johnny said, staring at the closed door on the other side of the room.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s he doing?\u201d he asked, looking toward Sarah.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sarah shook her head, \u201cnot too well, I\u2019m afraid.\u00a0 Which reminds me, I need to go relieve Papa,\u201d she said and then left her two brothers alone.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPlease\u2026oh\u2026it hurts\u2026Pa\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sarah heard the soft whining sound as she slipped silently into the room.\u00a0 She hurried to the bedside where she joined her father.\u00a0 Stuart was wiping at the boy\u2019s brow with a cool cloth and he looked up when he saw his daughter.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe seems to be cooling off some.\u00a0 I can understand part of what he\u2019s saying.\u00a0 Seems to want his father,\u201d Stuart said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh Pa, I wish we knew who he was, maybe having his father here would help him get better,\u201d sighed Sarah, taking her father\u2019s seat in the chair which remained by the boy\u2019s bedside.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSo do I, Sarah, but until the boy is able to tell us his name, there\u2019s nothing we can do for him.\u00a0 I have to go now, you stay here with him and I\u2019ll be back soon,\u201d Stuart told his daughter.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOkay Papa,\u201d Sarah said, smiling up at her father.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe might as well head home, Pa,\u201d Adam said, glancing at Hoss and then back to Ben.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben stood at the window.\u00a0 He\u2019d been standing there for nearly half and hour and in that time, had said nothing to either Adam or Hoss.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam\u2019s right, Pa.\u00a0 If we start back, maybe we can find some trace of where Joe might have gotten too,\u201d Hoss added.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s bound to turn up, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben turned at last from the window to stare at his two sons.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve covered nearly every inch of this country.\u00a0 In the last two days, we\u2019ve traveled from here to Reno and back and we\u2019ve still not found anything, or anyone who has even admitted to seeing him.\u00a0 And now, you two want to give up and go home?\u201d Ben nearly shouted.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa\u2026that\u2019s not what we meant\u2026\u201d began Adam, frowning.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThen what?\u00a0 First I find out my son shot and killed a man, and was hung for it.\u00a0 I nearly die from the shock, I cry myself into a stupor for the ache in my heart and then I\u2019m told it really wasn\u2019t my son.\u00a0 But no one can tell me where Little Joe is and now the two of you want to throw in the towel and go home!\u201d\u00a0 Ben stomped back to the window and spun back around.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGo home, call it quits, but I\u2019m not a quitter.\u00a0 I intend to find my boy, with your help or without it!\u201d ranted Ben, moving to the bed and grabbing his things.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He practically ran from the room and when he slammed the door behind him, Hoss and Adam jumped at the loud sound.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam expelled the air from his lungs and glanced at Hoss.\u00a0 His middle brother looked as if he were on the verge of tears.\u00a0 Adam got to his feet and placed a reassuring hand on his brother\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t take it to heart, Hoss, Pa\u2019s just at his wits end with worry.\u00a0 He\u2019s been through hell these last few days, he doesn\u2019t mean what he says,\u201d Adam said, though he secretly wondered if he was right in assuming that his father did consider them quitters.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cReckon ya right, Adam, come on, lets get a move on,\u201d Hoss said, grabbing his things from the dresser top.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When they reached the stable, Ben was just coming from the barn, leading Buck and Cochise.\u00a0 He smiled slightly when he saw his two sons.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGlad you decided to join me,\u201d he uttered.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa\u2026listen\u2026\u201d began Hoss.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo, you listen.\u00a0 Look Hoss, Adam\u2026I\u2019m sorry for snapping at you.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t mean what I said back there, it\u2019s just that\u2026well\u2026I\u2019m just sick with worry\u2026and fear,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss pressed his lips tightly and nodded his head in understanding.\u00a0 \u201cWe know Pa, so are we.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJust give us a minute to saddle up and we\u2019ll be on our way,\u201d smiled Adam, heading into the dark barn.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Minutes later Adam and Hoss were leading their horses out into the bright sunlight.\u00a0 With ease, they swung into their saddles and turned to their father.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s ride,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n They had ridden for hours and at last pulled their mounts to a halt.\u00a0 Ben pushed back his hat and turned to his sons.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019ll ride over toward Dayton before heading home, just to see if anyone there might have seen him,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHome?\u00a0 But I thought you said\u2026\u201d began Hoss.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI know what I said, but we have to face it son\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo Pa, we don\u2019t.\u00a0 Hoss and I have already agreed, we\u2019re not quitting until we know something for sure\u2026one way or the other.\u00a0 Now, it stands to reason we know that Joe didn\u2019t go to Carson City, I checked that out thoroughly.\u00a0 We know that he had to be close to Genoa that\u2019s where we found his horse and belongings.\u00a0 Who ever took Cochise and Joe\u2019s things, couldn\u2019t have been too far from town\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow do you figure, Adam?\u201d Hoss inquired.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBecause the man rode into town late at night, played poker for awhile and then was ready to move on by the next morning,\u201d supplied Ben.\u00a0 \u201cJoe had to be within at least a day\u2019s ride to Genoa, and the next closest town is Dayton.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThen let\u2019s get a move on,\u201d Hoss ordered.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The three anxious men kicked at their mounts and for another couple of hours rode without stopping.\u00a0 When they finally did stop, they were on a small rise, overlooking a small ranch.\u00a0 From where they sat mounted on their horses, they could see the white frame house, the big barn that stood off to the left of the house and beyond that, they could see the rich fertile pastures.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLooks homey,\u201d smiled Adam.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, and whoever lives there is a good cook.\u00a0 I smell beef stew, baked sweet potatoes and homemade apple pie,\u201d said Hoss, sniffing at the air.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben and Adam swapped smiles and then laughed out loud.\u00a0 \u201cYou hungry, son?\u201d teased Ben.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAin\u2019t I always, Pa?\u201d Hoss said, licking his lips.\u00a0 \u201cWe is gonna ride down there and say howdy, ain\u2019t we?\u201d he beamed brightly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOf course we are,\u201d agreed Ben.\u00a0 \u201cWouldn\u2019t be neighborly if we didn\u2019t\u2026and maybe, they\u2019ve seen Joe,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben urged his mount down the hill and within moments, all three had made it to the hitching post just on the outside of the white picket fence that surrounded the house.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben dismounted and was just starting to open the gate when the front door opened and a man, about Ben\u2019s age, stepped out, onto the porch.\u00a0 The man paused, seeing as how he had company, and then walked slowly to the fence.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAfternoon,\u201d he greeted Ben and his two sons.\u00a0 \u201cWhat can I do for you?\u201d he asked Ben, who had stopped at the gate.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHello\u2026I\u2019m Ben Cartwright, and these are my\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBen Cartwright, did you say?\u201d the man said, as his eyes opened wide in surprise.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes\u2026I\u2019m Ben Cartwright\u2026why?\u201d stammered Ben, looking at Adam and Hoss with some doubt.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The man began to laugh.\u00a0 \u201cWhy Ben\u2026you old goat\u2026don\u2019t you remember me?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben studied the man\u2019s face intently, trying to dredge from his memory this man\u2019s name.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cStuart\u2026Casson, we served together in\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cStuart Casson, you old son of a gun, of course I remember you!\u201d laughed Ben as the two men made a lunge for each other and wrapping their arms around one another.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMy God Ben, how long has it been, twenty years?\u201d laughed Stuart.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNearly, why the last time I saw you, you had a wife on one arm, a toddler in your other arm, and if I remember correctly, Martha was expecting!\u201d laughed Ben.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re right, Drake, my oldest son is twenty two now and the baby Martha was carrying, she\u2019s eighteen, Sarah\u2019s her name, and I have a younger son, Johnny, he\u2019s sixteen.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stuart pulled back from Ben\u2019s embrace and looked up at Adam and Hoss who still sat astride their mounts.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThese your sons, Ben?\u201d asked Stuart, moving outside the fence and offering his hand to Adam.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m Adam Cartwright,\u201d grinned Adam, \u201cI\u2019m the oldest.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam took the gentleman\u2019s offered hand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThis is Hoss,\u201d smiled Ben, pointing to his middle son, my second son.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHowdy, please to meet ya,\u201d smiled Hoss.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNice to meet you too, Hoss,\u201d greeted the doctor and then he turned back to Ben.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m forgetting my manners, won\u2019t you come inside?\u00a0 Sarah\u2019s got a good stew brewing, and some baked sweet potatoes?\u201d Stuart offered, with a grin.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s a good cook,\u201d he laughed, hoping to temp his old friend into staying for supper.\u00a0 His trip into Dayton had completely slipped his mind with the arrival of his old friend.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, I suppose we\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The front door burst open, nearly coming off its hinges as Drake tore out onto the porch.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa!\u201d he shouted.\u00a0 \u201cOh, hello,\u201d he said quickly to his father\u2019s guest.\u00a0 \u201cPa, ya better come quick, it\u2019s the boy\u2026he\u2019s trying to get up and Sarah and me can\u2019t get him back in bed.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSorry, Ben\u2026I have a patient, please come on in, and make yourself at home.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be right back,\u201d Stuart said, rushing to follow his son inside.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben paused and glanced up at Adam and Hoss who were just dismounting.\u00a0 \u201cMight as well go in,\u201d Ben said, opening the screen door and allowing himself inside.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam and Hoss shrugged their shoulders and followed their father into the house.\u00a0 Quietly, each man found a place to sit and wait for his host to return.\u00a0 From the back of the house, they could hear the loud moans of Stuart\u2019s patient, and they swapped looks with one another.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSomeone must be hurtin\u2019 real bad,\u201d whispered Hoss, concern for the unknown person sounding in his voice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPA!\u00a0 PA!\u201d the scream rang throughout the house, startling the three men in the parlor.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPLEASE\u2026I WANNA GO HOME!\u201d the individual yelled.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben stood to his feet; his heart began to pound as he glanced in the direction from which the piteous wailing was coming.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPAPA!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d uttered Ben, turning troubled eyes on his sons.\u00a0 \u201cThat sounds like\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Instantly, Hoss and Adam were on their feet, following Ben through the house and to the room where the wounded boy was struggling to free himself from the hands that restrained him to the bed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cQuick Sarah, hand me my bag.\u00a0 I need to give him something to calm him down,\u201d ordered Stuart as he held the boy\u2019s body pressed down against the bed.\u00a0 From the corner of his eye, he spied his guest standing in the doorway.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry Ben, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben, wide eyed and frightened at what he was seeing, moved slowly toward the bed.\u00a0 Sarah handed her father the syringe filled with medicine used to calm the boy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWait!\u201d demanded Ben, brushing the doctor aside and taking the physician\u2019s place on the bed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He grabbed the boy\u2019s shoulders as he tried to rise from the bed.\u00a0 Ben wrapped his arms about the trembling body and pressed the sweat soaked curls to his shoulder.\u00a0 He could feel the heat from the fever that still lingered in the boy\u2019s flesh.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoseph\u2026Joseph, son\u2026Papa\u2019s here now, it\u2019s okay, precious,\u201d muttered Ben, his eyes filling with tears.\u00a0 \u201cShh\u2026you\u2019re going to be alright now, son.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stuart stared in shock at the boy leaning against Ben Cartwright.\u00a0 Ben had actually embraced the boy as if he had known the kid all of his life.\u00a0 He had seen the swell of tears that filled the dark eyes and the look of disbelief that shadowed his friend\u2019s expression when he had first seen the boy trying to get out of the bed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBen,\u201d Stuart said softly, moving toward his friend.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam reached out and placed a gentle but restraining hand on the doctor\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t, please.\u00a0 Give him a minute, that boy is my brother,\u201d explained Adam.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBrother?\u201d stammered Stuart, backing up to give Ben time to calm the boy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, open your eyes, son\u2026\u201d Ben said, holding his son tightly, against his breast.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa\u2026pa\u2026please\u2026I wanna go home!\u201d wept the boy.\u00a0 The fever burned through Joe\u2019s flesh and Ben could feel the heat even through his own clothing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou will son, but first\u2026you have to get better,\u201d soothed Ben, brushing his hand through the mass of thick, damp curls.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNow, lay back Joe, please\u2026Pa\u2019s right here with you,\u201d Ben comforted.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d Joe struggled to open his eyes as his hand reached through the air, seeking the man with the deep, comforting voice that had always, in the past brought such soothing to his tormented soul.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right son, open your eyes,\u201d smiled Ben taking Joe\u2019s hand in his.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The long lashes fluttered and finally the eyes could be seen staring back at him.\u00a0 The pain that Ben saw shining in the hazel depths gnawed at the walls of his heart as he smiled down at his son.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d Joe cried in a low voice, filled with pain.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m here, son,\u201d whispered Ben, leaning down and placing a kiss on Joe\u2019s fevered brow.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m\u2026sorry\u2026I didn\u2019t\u2026mean\u2026those things\u2026I said,\u201d Joe tried to explain.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI know son, it\u2019s okay, honest,\u201d smiled Ben, bringing Joe\u2019s hand to his lips and kissing the dampened palm.\u00a0 \u201cYou try to rest Joe, and when you\u2019re better, we\u2019ll go home.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe fought against the urge to close his eyes and allow himself to sleep.\u00a0 He had to explain himself; he had to make his apologies to his father and brothers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam?\u00a0 Hoss?\u201d he called.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re here, little buddy,\u201d Adam said, moving with Hoss to the side of the bed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t mean those awful things\u2026I\u2019m sorry\u2026\u201d Joe said, the tears gathering in his already clouded eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry about it,\u201d Hoss grinned, \u201cya oughta know by now that we don\u2019t take you seriously,\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Before Joe could comment, he lost the battle to stay awake as he drifted slowly into the world of slumber.\u00a0 \u201cPa,\u201d he muttered.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t go\u2026stay\u2026with\u2026me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben swallowed the lump in his throat.\u00a0 He seriously doubted that he would ever leave his son\u2019s side again, not after what he had been through, but he smiled.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be right here sweetheart,\u201d promised Ben as he watched the boy drift off.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Late that same night, Joe\u2019s fever broke.\u00a0 Ben had made his son a promise and he held true to his word.\u00a0 Joe slept the better part of two days, and when he finally opened his eyes, his father\u2019s tired and whiskered face was the first thing that he saw.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d muttered Joe, stretching out his hand and placing it over his father\u2019s arm where Ben had rested his head on the bed, next to his son.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben was awake in a flash.\u00a0 He hurriedly wiped the sleep from his eyes, and smiled.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, welcome back,\u201d he whispered, allowing Joe to hold on to his arm.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben watched as Joe moved his hand down to his bigger one and then as Joe\u2019s fingers entwined themselves around his palm, Ben closed his own fingers around Joe\u2019s.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re still here,\u201d the sleepy boy smiled.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI promised you I would be,\u201d Ben said, giving the hand a tiny squeeze.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Pa\u2026I was afraid you\u2019d\u2026leave me,\u201d Joe stammered, his eyes filling with tears.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cEven after I promised you, I\u2019d be here?\u201d Ben asked, somewhat surprised that his son had doubted his word, for he had never broken a promise to any of his sons.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI guess I thought that\u2026that\u2026\u201d Joe paused, swallowing away the thickness that had suddenly tightened his throat.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry Pa\u2026for everything\u2026\u201d sniffed Joe, glancing up into Ben\u2019s face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhy Joe?\u00a0 Why did you run away?\u201d began Ben.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t run away\u2026or at least I wouldn\u2019t call it that,\u201d Joe said quickly.\u00a0 \u201cI just\u2026left home\u2026I wanted to be on my own\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben studied his son\u2019s face and noted the quivering chin.\u00a0 \u201cWere you so unhappy at home that you felt you had to leave?\u201d asked Ben, suddenly realizing that his youngest son must have felt as such to want to leave so badly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI thought I was,\u201d whispered Joe.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd now?\u201d asked Ben, cupping the quivering chin in the palms of his hands.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Joe said honestly.\u00a0 \u201cI just wanted to try being on my own.\u00a0 I wanted to be my own boss, not have everyone always telling me what to do and when to do, and how to do it.\u00a0 I was tired of being shoved around, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben frowned and let his hands drop to his side.\u00a0 \u201cShoved, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe reached for his father\u2019s hand that he had been holding and tightened his grip.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s what I was feeling\u2026but now\u2026\u201d Joe\u2019s eyes clouded with tears as he searched his father\u2019s face for a sign that his parent understood how he felt.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd now?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI just want to go home,\u201d muttered Joe softly.\u00a0 \u201cHome ain\u2019t so bad\u2026please Pa?\u00a0 Will you say you forgive me and let me come home with you?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben saw the lone tear that slipped from the corner of one eye and rolled slowly down his son\u2019s pale face.\u00a0 With his free hand, Ben wiped away the tiny droplet and smiled.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat depends, son,\u201d he said and smiled at the expression that crossed Joe\u2019s face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOn what?\u201d stammered Joe, taken back by the fact that his father might not be so willing to forgive him, and he feared that Ben would not permit him to come home.\u00a0 His eyes had grown wide and Ben felt the hand within his begin to tremble.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDid you learn something from your experience, son?\u201d questioned Ben.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe hesitated only for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cYes sir,\u201d he said in a low voice and then relaxed when he saw the smile that crept onto his father\u2019s face.\u00a0 He knew then what it was that his father was doing; Ben aimed to make him admit the truth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd what might that be?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat no matter where I go, or what I do, or how long I stay away\u2026home is still the best place to be.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that what you\u2019ve always told us?\u201d smiled Joe.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes that\u2019s right son, but while you were gone, what did you learn?\u201d Ben pushed ahead with his questioning.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI learned that not everyone feels the same way about their home\u2026or their family, as I do.\u00a0 When I met up with Cody, that\u2019s the fellow that shot me, I thought at first he was a pretty good guy.\u00a0I rode with him for a day or so, and that last night, the night he left me to die, we were talking about our homes and families, and why we left.\u00a0 You know, Pa, we left for the same reasons, we each felt as if we weren\u2019t being treated as equals.\u00a0 Cody said his brothers and sisters and his parents were always bossing him around, and one night, his oldest brother slapped him.\u00a0 Cody said he got real mad and grabbed his brother\u2019s pistol and shot him.\u00a0 He said he just ran off and never went back\u2026that was about two years ago; he\u2019s been on his own since then,\u201d Joe explained.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow did you get shot, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, I got to thinking, it might have been me, you know, instead of Cody.\u00a0 I know Adam and I go at it a lot and probably most of that\u2019s my own fault, but I couldn\u2019t ever see myself shooting my own brother\u2026not for any reason.\u00a0 Cody told me that he could never go any place without always having to look over his shoulder, or he could never trust anyone, cause he thought everyone was always out to get him.\u00a0 He wanted to settle down, but he said he couldn’t and then he confessed that his brother wasn\u2019t the only man he\u2019d killed.\u00a0 He said he had to kill a man over in Carson City, cause the man accused him of cheating, but Cody said he had to cheat cause he needed the money.\u201d\u00a0 Joe paused and looked down at his hand, still clinging to his father\u2019s.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe said no one loved him anymore.\u00a0 He claimed that he\u2019d been a rotten son, a sorrier brother and that his family had turned their backs on him,\u201d gulped Joe, raising his head and looking at his father.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSuddenly, right then and there I knew I had to go home.\u00a0 I was scared of becoming the same kind of person that Cody had become.\u00a0 So I figured, once he fell asleep, I\u2019d just saddle up and leave.\u00a0 But he woke up and wouldn\u2019t let me leave, that\u2019s when he pulled the gun.\u00a0 We got into a scuffle and the gun went off, that\u2019s when I felt this burning pain in my gut.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe wiped the tears from his face with his free hand.\u00a0 \u201cHe left me there alone, to die.\u00a0 I watched while he ran his horse off and took mine.\u00a0 He even looked back at me and laughed.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe had to stop to catch his breath.\u00a0 Ben watched the play of emotions that crossed his son\u2019s young face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe,\u201d he said softly, \u201cyou don\u2019t have to tell me the rest if you\u2019d rather not.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe jerked his head up, \u201cYes I do!\u00a0 I want to, please Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben nodded in agreement.\u00a0 \u201cThen go on.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, I laid there, bleeding for what seemed like hours.\u00a0 My middle hurt something awful and it burned like it was on fire.\u00a0 I knew I was dying, but I was determined not to.\u00a0 I had to find help, I had to get back to\u2026you.\u201d\u00a0 Again Joe swallowed, and took a deep breath.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t want you, or Adam and Hoss to\u2026to\u2026stop loving me,\u201d cried Joe, his voice cracking as he began to weep.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t want to end up like Cody\u2026with no one to care about me.\u00a0 So I crawled as far as I could.\u00a0 It took me most of the night, but by daybreak, I\u2019d made it to this place.\u201d\u00a0 Joe sniffed his nose.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAll I could think about was you\u2026and how much I\u2019d hurt you\u2026and how much I wanted to come home\u2026and tell you\u2026that I was sorry\u2026and that\u2026I loved you,\u201d sobbed Joe, pulling his hand free of his father\u2019s and leaning up to wrap his arms around his father.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI am sorry, Pa\u2026please say you\u2019ll forgive me\u2026and let me come home\u2026please Pa\u2026please,\u201d sobbed Joe.\u00a0 \u201cI wanna go home\u2026it\u2019s the best place in the whole world\u2026home\u2026and family who loves me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben took his son into his arms and held him until Joe had finished sobbing and was able to regain control of his emotions.\u00a0 His long slender fingers gently entwined themselves into his son\u2019s mass of thick curls and Ben tenderly pressed his lips to Joe\u2019s head, kissing the top of the dark crown several times.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n His own emotions had been stretched to their limit and Ben fought against the tears that threatened to spill over onto his own cheeks.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s nothing to forgive, Joseph.\u00a0 I understand how you must have felt.\u00a0 I think even your brothers learned something about mutual respect.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThen I can come home?\u201d Joe asked in a wee voice, refusing to remove his self from the comfort he had found in his father\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou really think you\u2019d be happy there from now on?\u201d Ben smiled behind Joe\u2019s back.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI know I would, even if my brothers still boss me around.\u00a0 Home is where the heart is, not where you hang your hat,\u201d Joe said softly.\u00a0 \u201cHome is where your family is, where love dwells and where there\u2019s always someone to point out your mistakes to you,\u201d Joe stated, trying to smother the giggle that wanted to voice itself.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben felt Joe\u2019s body shudder and he pulled back gently, looking into the cherub face of his youngest son.\u00a0 In the hazel eyes that returned his gaze, Ben could see the twinkle that fathered the beginning of mischief that sparkled brightly and he could do nothing to stop the smile that spread across his face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSurely you don\u2019t mean me?\u201d he smiled.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOr me!\u201d Adam called from the doorway having stopped to listen to the last few declarations made by his little brother.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t do it\u2026whatever happened,\u201d added Hoss, coming to stand behind his older brother, peeking into the room.\u00a0 \u201cMust have been Joe\u2019s fault,\u201d Hoss decided aloud.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSee what I mean, Pa?\u201d laughed Joe, glancing around at his two brothers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI reckon I do son, I reckon I do,\u201d Ben said, joining his son in laughter.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben gathered Joe back into his arms and as he held his giggling son, Ben winked at Adam and Hoss who stood, smiling at their father and youngest brother.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWelcome home, son,\u201d Ben said in a whispered voice, meant only for Joe\u2019s ears.\u00a0 \u201cI love you Joe, now and forever more.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThanks Pa\u2026and Pa\u2026I love you, too, but when can we go home?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSoon, very soon.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And they did, too, three days later.\u00a0 What about the five gold coins, you might ask?\u00a0 Well, Cody won them in a poker game before running into Little Joe; it was the only time in his life he had played fair\u2026and he still lost, big time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n THE END<\/p>\n JUNE 2003<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Summary: \u00a0When Joe becomes dissatisfied with his lot in life and decides to leave home for good, he soon learns that not all roads lead home, sometimes you have to take a detour.<\/p>\n Rated G \u00a0WC 20,000<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9052,"featured_media":13100,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[23,1008],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-family","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-1008-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Promises-to-Keeep.png?fit=759%2C568&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12267","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9052"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12267"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12267\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u201cI know who ya is, Guss there told me ya was lookin\u2019 fur me.\u00a0 Just what\u2019ll ya fellas want with me?\u00a0 I dun told the sheriff and judge and all them there other folks what I dun saw,\u201d Pete said as he began shoveling again.<\/p>\n