Summary: Little Joe is asked to fill in again as Sheriff of Rubicon, but surely nothing could go wrong this time.<\/p>\n
Rating: K+ (2794 words)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Crossing the Rubicon . . . Again\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cJoseph wants to take a job as . . . sheriff . . . of Rubicon!\u201d Ben pronounced with gleeful grin just before popping a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat, again?\u201d Adam asked with a knowing smirk.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, little brother,\u201d Hoss chuckled, \u201cdidn\u2019t you get enough of that the first time?\u201d\u00a0 He reached for the platter of steak.\u00a0 They were cut small, and he, as well as both his brothers, had polished off one already.<\/p>\n Adam snared it first and pulled a second piece of meat onto his own plate.\u00a0 \u201cYon fair maiden of Rubicon must again be in distress and has called upon her knight in tarnished armor to rescue her,\u201d he submitted.<\/p>\n \u201cVery funny,\u201d Joe retorted with a scowl.\u00a0 \u201cSome people get caring folks in their family; I get jokesters.\u201d\u00a0 In annoyance forgetting his table manners, he reached across the table to spear a steak from the platter as it passed from Adam to Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, we care, little brother,\u201d Hoss assured him, although he was still grinning. \u00a0He slid a steak onto his plate.\u00a0 \u201cWe just ain\u2019t so sure that Sylvie Ann\u2019s the gal for you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn fact, we\u2019re quite certain she\u2019s not.\u201d\u00a0 Adam stroked his chin between his thumb and index finger.\u00a0 \u201cSeriously, Joe, what is this about?\u00a0 I thought you\u2019d given up the notion of playing sheriff.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe bristled.\u00a0 \u201cI wasn\u2019t playing, Adam, and if I recall, even you thought I did a doggone good job last time.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded soberly.\u00a0 \u201cYou did a fine job, Joe, and we were all proud of you, but that doesn\u2019t mean we want to see you make a career as a lawman.\u00a0 Irritating as you are, we were sort of planning to keep you around awhile longer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo help out with the barn chores, mostly,\u201d Hoss put in, still with a twinkle in his eyes.<\/p>\n Joe exhaled with an elaborate sigh.\u00a0 \u201cJokesters, the both of you.\u00a0 You don\u2019t deserve an explanation.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI would personally appreciate it if you gave them one, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n Though in Joe\u2019s opinion Pa had instigated the teasing, he had too much respect for his father to refuse.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just for a week,\u201d he explained.\u00a0 \u201cThe sheriff of Rubicon had a death in his family and needs to travel to California to settle the affairs of the deceased.\u00a0 Since I\u2019d filled in before\u2014right well, I might add\u2014I was the first man the town council thought of.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sliced off a bite of his steak and waved it toward Joe for emphasis.\u00a0 \u201cJust so long as you don\u2019t say, \u2018What could happen in a little town like Rubicon?\u2019\u00a0 As I recall, those words were the prelude to a wild ride to your rescue.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t need rescuing,\u201d Joe pointed out.\u00a0 \u201cYou just made a wild ride for a cup of coffee in my office.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWorst brew I ever tasted,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cDefinitely weren\u2019t worth the ride!\u201d\u00a0 He broke out laughing, and the sound was so irresistible that even Joe joined in.<\/p>\n * * * * *<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss had been right about his coffee-making skills, Joe conceded as he sipped a cup in his office.\u00a0 Over the four days he\u2019d spent here in Rubicon he\u2019d had ample time to bemoan his loss of Hop Sing\u2019s good coffee and nourishing meals.\u00a0 Except for a little awkwardness the first time he and Sylvie Ann had crossed paths, Joe\u2019s stay here had been uneventful.\u00a0 As a lawman, even a temporary one, he knew that was a good sign of a well-ordered town, and while he wouldn\u2019t have wanted a repeat of the excitement of his last stint here as sheriff, this time he felt like the only thing keeping him awake was cupful after cupful of his strong-enough-to-walk coffee.<\/p>\n Things could change tonight, though.\u00a0\u00a0 It was payday, and the town would be crowded with men out for a good time and trying to find it in a bottle of whiskey.\u00a0 The trouble might come if they didn\u2019t find it in the first or second and felt obliged to seek it in more liquor and more action at the poker table.\u00a0 Or a dozen other ways.<\/p>\n Joe finished his coffee and, adjusting his gun belt to rest easily on his slim hips, went out to make his rounds.\u00a0 Everything seemed quiet, at least for a Saturday night.\u00a0 Sure, there was some rowdiness coming through the bat wings of the saloon where Sylvie Ann still worked as hostess, but that was normal.\u00a0 With a gusty exhale Joe walked in, just to make his presence known.\u00a0 He\u2019d learned that most men could keep themselves in line, if they knew there was someone nearby to make them reap the consequences if they didn\u2019t.\u00a0 The sight of Sylvie Ann, though, always left a bad taste in his mouth, a memory of how he\u2019d been used two years before.\u00a0 Nonetheless, she was a citizen of Rubicon, same as any other, and just as entitled to the protection of the law.\u00a0 So he brushed aside his sour attitude and went into the saloon every night, just in the line of duty.<\/p>\n Tonight, as usual, he gave Sylvie Ann a cool nod.\u00a0 She set down the drinks she\u2019d just brought to a trio of cowhands and moved toward him.\u00a0 \u201cCare for a beer, Sheriff?\u201d she asked, her manner to him as cool as his toward her.\u00a0 \u201cOn the house.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll take one,\u201d Joe said, \u201cand a sandwich if it isn\u2019t too much trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n Sylvie Ann shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cA man\u2019s gotta eat, they say.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shook his head as she walked away to get his beer and sandwich.\u00a0 Such a nice girl she\u2019d seemed when he first met her\u2014and was, for that matter.\u00a0 She\u2019d done the right thing, finally, telling the youthful sheriff of her boyfriend\u2019s plan to kill a man, and she hadn\u2019t meant to hurt Joe.\u00a0 But she had.\u00a0 He\u2019d thought she really cared for him, as he did for her, but all the time she\u2019d been in love with another man.\u00a0 He was over it, his star-crossed foray as Romeo to her Juliet; he\u2019d handled it like a man, but he still cringed to think what a boy he\u2019d been back then.\u00a0 A boy sheriff.\u00a0 Exactly what they\u2019d wanted, and he\u2019d given it to them, played the part for all he was worth and in the end proved himself a man, even to his toughest critics, namely Hoss and Adam.<\/p>\n A ruckus at the far side of the room drew Joe from his reverie.\u00a0 He instinctively came to his feet when he saw two men facing each other down across a poker table.\u00a0 \u201cYou dirty, thievin\u2019 cheat!\u201d one was yelling, while the other protested his innocence with equal vehemence.<\/p>\n Joe was on his way toward them when he saw the accuser reach for his gun.\u00a0 He drew his own pistol with lightening speed and shouted, \u201cHold it!\u201d<\/p>\n Gun half out of his holster, the man turned, and when he saw the tin star pinned to Joe\u2019s chest, he let the gun slide back down.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s cheatin\u2019, Sheriff,\u201d he sputtered.\u00a0 \u201cHe drew the ace of spades from the bottom of the deck.\u00a0 I\u2019m no gunman, but I ain\u2019t lettin\u2019 no two-bit tinhorn cheat me out of my week\u2019s wage.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not cheating,\u201d the other man spat back.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s just a sore loser.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTurn up every card,\u201d Joe ordered.\u00a0 \u201cEverybody!\u201d he barked when the players were slow to respond.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s see where that ace of spades is.\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone except the man accused moved quickly this time, but he turned each card over with painstaking care.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not cheating,\u201d he insisted, \u201cand I resent this insult to my character.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe had noticed the nervous tic in the man\u2019s eye and suspected it was the stress of guilt that activated it.\u00a0 \u201cResent it all you want,\u201d he said as he gingerly turned over the final card.\u00a0 It was the ace of spades.\u00a0 \u201cMister, you\u2019re going to jail.\u201d<\/p>\n Two men, who had also been in the poker game stepped closer to protectively flank the accused cheater.<\/p>\n \u201cYou gentlemen want to join him, the city jail will accommodate all of you,\u201d Joe said tautly.<\/p>\n The accused waved his defenders aside.\u00a0 \u201cGood of you strangers to stand by me, but one innocent man in jail is enough.\u00a0 I\u2019ll go peaceable, Sheriff.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSmart decision,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cYou can tell your story to the judge in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFine,\u201d the man snuffled gruffly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d rather deal with a man than a boy, any day.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s mouth twisted into a wry grin.\u00a0 Two years ago that kind of remark would have gotten under his skin, but he was no longer a boy needing to prove himself a man.\u00a0 He was a man and knew it and needed no one\u2019s affirmation to undergird his security.\u00a0 \u201cFine and dandy,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cIf the judge decides you\u2019re innocent, all it\u2019s cost you is one night on a hard cot.\u00a0 It came close to costing you your life, mister.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou got a point, Sheriff,\u201d the man replied, his manner a sudden study in meekness.\u00a0 He turned toward the other poker players.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cYou men are my witnesses, and I\u2019m sure I can count on you to aid me in my quest for freedom.\u201d\u00a0 He gazed into their eyes and gave an imperceptible nod before swiveling and holding his hands out to Joe.\u00a0 \u201cYou want to put the cuffs on, Sheriff?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019ll be necessary,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cJust don\u2019t make any sudden moves, \u2018cause my gun won\u2019t be back in my holster until you\u2019re locked in your cell.\u201d\u00a0 He motioned the prisoner toward the door and began backing toward it himself, keeping his eyes peeled for any suspicious movement from anyone in the room.<\/p>\n No one moved, either in the saloon or on the street, and soon the prisoner, who gave his name as Emmett Carlson for the record book, was behind bars.\u00a0 Taking the keys with him, Joe went back to the saloon to finish his sandwich and then continued on his rounds.\u00a0 It was, as he\u2019d feared, a rowdy night.\u00a0 He\u2019d had to break up one fight between miners and cowhands in a different saloon (and had the bruises to prove it), but he\u2019d let the men off with a stern warning and a levy for damages, paid to the place\u2019s owner.\u00a0 Good thing for all concerned it was payday.<\/p>\n It was late before the town quieted down enough that Joe felt that he could turn in.\u00a0 The summer air was stifling in his little room off the sheriff\u2019s office, and even stripped down to his drawers, he was sweating.\u00a0 Too, while he wasn\u2019t seriously injured, breaking up the fight had left him sore enough that he couldn\u2019t seem to find a comfortable position.\u00a0 He drifted in and out while the rest of Rubicon slept.<\/p>\n Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, Joe roused with a jerk.\u00a0 At first he thought it was just more of the same sleep difficulties he\u2019d had all night, but then he heard movement in the outer office and realized that was what had wakened him.\u00a0 He slipped soundlessly out of bed, took his pistol from the holster hanging near his head and silently crept to the door in his bare feet.<\/p>\n In the dim moonlight coming through the front window, he saw at the door of the prisoner\u2019s cell a figure fumbling with the keys on the ring.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, get it right this time,\u201d Carlson hissed.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m doin\u2019 the best I can,\u201d the other man snarled back under his breath.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s a sheriff need with so dang many keys, anyhow?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll soon know,\u201d Joe said, cocking his gun.<\/p>\n The man at the cell door froze, but a shot rang out in the darkness and Joe suddenly realized he was facing two opponents, instead of the one he\u2019d seen.\u00a0 He grunted as the bullet grazed his right side, but he aimed at the smoke now drifting in the moonlight and heard a sharp cry, followed by a thud.\u00a0 Joe ran into the room, but before he could check on the condition of the man he\u2019d shot, the other one dropped the keys and reached for his gun.\u00a0 Joe kicked out a leg and toppled the man to the floor, but his opponent grabbed Joe\u2019s leg as he fell and pulled him down.\u00a0 They struggled, each for the other\u2019s gun, while the wounded man fired wildly in their direction.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t shoot!\u201d his partner cried.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll hit me, you fool!\u201d\u00a0 But shouting the message distracted him enough that Joe had time to aim a solid blow at his jaw, and those were the last words the man spoke until morning.<\/p>\n Sensing that his partner had been disarmed, the wounded man fired again.\u00a0 Joe instinctively lunged to one side, and though he felt the wind whiz past his ear, the bullet missed him.\u00a0 He surged forward to grab the man\u2019s gun hand and easily wrestled it away from him.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t try anything,\u201d he warned, keeping his gun on the man while he reached down for the key ring.\u00a0 He opened the cell next to Carlton and ordered the man inside.<\/p>\n \u201cHow?\u201d the man snarled.\u00a0 \u201cYou hit me in the leg.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMister, you can crawl for all I care,\u201d Joe said.<\/p>\n Sensing that the young sheriff meant what he said, the wounded man did just that.\u00a0 Once he was locked in, Joe opened another cell and dragged the unconscious man inside.\u00a0 Only when both new prisoners were secured did he light a coal oil lamp.\u00a0 \u201cWell, well.\u00a0 I should have guessed,\u201d he said as he recognized the two men who had supported Carlson in the saloon.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019d have been better off to accept these accommodations the first time I offered, gents.\u201d<\/p>\n A loud banging on the door told Joe that the commotion at the jail had not gone unnoticed.\u00a0 Hand resting just above his right hip, he stepped to the door.\u00a0 \u201cAttempted jailbreak,\u201d he explained to the half dozen men gathered outside.\u00a0 \u201cAll taken care of, but I\u2019d appreciate it if one of you went for the doctor.\u00a0 We got a couple of men here need some attention.\u201d\u00a0 Three, to be exact<\/em>, he admitted to himself as he shut the door and pressed his covering hand against his bare side to stop the bleeding.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t about to let the townsfolk know he was hurt until he had to.\u00a0 Some other idiot might decide a wounded sheriff represented a good opportunity for a little late-night lawbreaking.<\/p>\n * * * * *<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Little Joe dismounted cautiously, hitching in a sharp breath as the movement pulled at the stitches in his side.\u00a0 The wound wasn\u2019t serious, and he\u2019d managed to hide it from most of the people he was hired to protect throughout his final days in Rubicon.\u00a0 He would, of course, eventually have to admit it to his family or renege on his promise to the doctor to take it easy for a few days, but he didn\u2019t want to spoil his homecoming by spilling that pile of beans first thing.<\/p>\n He moved toward the front door, opened it and forced himself to enter with an easy lope that actually required intense concentration and acting skill to rival that of Edwin Booth himself.\u00a0 \u201cHello, brothers,\u201d he called to the pair playing checkers before the fire.\u00a0 \u201cI see you two are working hard as ever.\u201d<\/p>\n With a wide grin Hoss looked up from the game.\u00a0 \u201cHey, little brother, good to see you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood to be home, brother.\u00a0 Good to be home,\u201d Joe replied as he took off his hat and jacket.<\/p>\n \u201cGood to have you home,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the barn chores?\u201d Joe teased, curling his gun belt atop the credenza.<\/p>\n \u201cPrime reason,\u201d Adam chuckled.<\/p>\n Ben came from the alcove where his desk was to engulf his son in a side-squeezing hug.\u00a0 Joe returned it, hiding his face on his father\u2019s shoulder so no one would see him wince.\u00a0 \u201cI missed you, boy,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n \u201cSame here, Pa,\u201d Joe said as he held his father at arms\u2019 length and gazed warmly into the beloved face, \u201cand I don\u2019t reckon I\u2019ll be straying far from home for quite some spell.\u00a0 I think I\u2019ve had my fill of sheriffing.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam seemed to sense something more than homesickness underlying that remark.\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019d it go, Joe?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 \u201cAny trouble crossing your Rubicon . . . again?\u201d<\/p>\n It was the perfect opening, but Joe wasn\u2019t ready yet for the inevitable hovering that would greet his announcement of his injury.\u00a0 \u201cYou didn\u2019t have to ride to my rescue, did you?\u201d he asked with a cocky grin.\u00a0 \u201cAfter all, Adam, what could possibly happen in a little town like Rubicon?\u201d<\/p>\n The End<\/p>\n \u00a9 May, 2006<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tags:\u00a0 Family,\u00a0Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Summary: Little Joe is asked to fill in again as Sheriff of Rubicon, but surely nothing could go wrong this time.<\/p>\n Rating: K+ (2794 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