{"id":12815,"date":"2016-04-14T05:40:04","date_gmt":"2016-04-14T09:40:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12815"},"modified":"2025-02-18T19:10:19","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T00:10:19","slug":"family-ties-by-pkmoonshine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12815","title":{"rendered":"Family Ties (by pkmoonshine)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 <\/strong>Still haunted by the death of his wife six years before, Joe seeks comfort in strong drink. Will his family ties be enough to save him? This story is based on an idea given to me by another fan who goes by Australian and Joe’sAussieFan.<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 T\u00a0 (27,525 words)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Family Ties<\/strong><\/p>\n

Zachariah Carson brought Zephyr, his big palomino gelding, to a halt before the narrow path leading from the road to the old foreman\u2019s cottage roughly a quarter mile distant, where Joseph Cartwright, one of the men working for his father, lived with his four children. Joe\u2019s wife died six . . . going on seven years ago now, in the course of a bank robbery in Virginia City, when daughter Marie, his youngest, was just a baby. Zach climbed down from the saddle, and for a time stood, unmoving, with the lead of his horse clasped firmly in hand and eyes fixed to the path before him, uneasily contemplating.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The job lying ahead of him was by far the hardest thing he\u2019d ever had to do.\\<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMister Cartwright ain\u2019t here, Boys . . . . \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The hoarse, gravelly voice of Emil Driscoll, the duly elected lawman for the better part of the last twenty-five years of a small town called Mormon Springs, located twenty miles south of the Circle C Ranch, echoed once again in the ears of his inward hearing. The sheriff stood beside that enormous roll top desk of his with back straight as a poker and arms folded loosely across his broad chest.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201c . . .THIS time you\u2019ll find him over at Doc Jacobs\u2019 office.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cDoc Jacobs\u2019 office?!\u201d Aaron echoed with a bewildered frown. \u201cWhat the hell\u2019s he doing over THERE?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cFrom what I\u2019ve been able to piece together, it seems he mistook that new gal over at Fat Annie\u2019s Saloon for that dead wife o\u2019 his,\u201d Emil replied in a wry tone of voice, as he reached into the front pocket of his shirt and pulled out a chaw of tobacco. \u201c\u2018Lucky\u2019 Larry . . . you know . . . that big, mean fella working that claim ol\u2019 Ben Yoder abandoned ten years ago? Well, HE took exception.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Zach groaned softly. Everyone knew that \u201cLucky\u201d Larry had staked his claim on that new gal almost from the minute she had started work at Fat Annie\u2019s and avoided her like the plague. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHow bad is he hurt?\u201d he asked.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cDoc said he\u2019s got a couple o\u2019 cracked ribs . . . a lump on his head the size of a goose egg . . . a sprained ankle . . . a gash down his cheek that took thirty-two stitches . . . and he\u2019s gonna be black \u2018n blue all over come morning . . . but he\u2019ll live.\u201d Emil paused briefly, then added, \u201cA miracle considering that he tangled with \u2018Lucky\u2019 Larry . . . . \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Zach bristled against the wry, sarcastic tone by which Emil had just recited the litany of injuries sustained by Joe Cartwright. His mouth thinned and his jaw tightened, as he fought to contain his rising ire. \u201cSo tell me, Sheriff . . . is \u2018Lucky\u2019 Larry at Doc Jacobs, too?\u201d he drawled, as he straightened his own back, and glared down into the sheriff\u2019s flaccid, unshaven face. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNope,\u201d Emil responded, seemingly unimpressed by the man every bit of six feet four inches towering head and shoulders above his own height of just under five feet seven.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThen why isn\u2019t he locked up?\u201d Zach gestured to the row of empty jail cells behind Sheriff Driscoll with a sweep of his arm.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause \u2018Lucky\u2019 Larry didn\u2019t start that fight . . . Joe Cartwright DID,\u201d Emil replied.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cDammit, Sheriff . . . . \u201c Zach exploded, his temper getting the better of him, \u201cthere\u2019s a whole world of difference between a man rightly defending himself and a big, strong man like \u2018Lucky\u2019 Larry beating another who\u2019s smaller and weaker to a pulp. If you DON\u2019T know that, then maybe it\u2019s high time you LEARNED.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like this any more than YOU do,\u201d Emil angrily shot right back, \u201cbut in case you\u2019ve forgotten, Bright Boy, MY job is to uphold and enforce the letter of the law, \u2018n like it or not, the LETTER of the law says \u2018Lucky\u2019 Larry was defending himself.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Aaron ,\u201d Zach said, seething, \u201clet\u2019s get Joe from the doc\u2019s office \u2019n get him home.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNot so fast, Boys. The only place Joe Cartwright\u2019s going when he leaves the doc\u2018s office is right back here,\u201d Emil said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder at the row of jail cells behind him. \u201cMiss Pietrov told me she intends to press charges for all the damage done to her saloon.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHow much?\u201d Zach demanded.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got the bill right here.\u201d Emil picked up the two sheets of paper lying on top of the pile neatly stacked in the middle of the desk. \u201cThe total comes to a couple o\u2019 thousand.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cA couple o\u2019 THOUSAND?!\u201d Aaron echoed, incredulous. \u201cHow in the ever lovin\u2019 world can a fight between two men POSSIBLY do two thousand dollars to a saloon barely worth fifteen hundred?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cEasy when a dozen or so friends get into it,\u201d the sheriff retorted.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201c Pa\u2019s gonna have a fit when he hears about this,\u201d Aaron muttered.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAaron, Pa\u2019s not gonna hear about this,\u201d Zach declared, \u201cbecause I\u2019M not gonna tell him and neither are YOU.\u201c<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?!\u201d Aaron exclaimed. \u201cZach, are you crazy?!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cSheriff . . . . \u201d Zach ignored his brother and turned his attention to Mormon Springs\u2019 lawman.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou tell Cosima . . . uhh, Miss Pietrov I\u2019ll make good on ALL the damages\u2014 \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t BELIEVE this,\u201d Aaron angrily grumbled.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cShut-up, Aaron,\u201d Zach growled.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you intend to pay for two thousand dollars with of damage to Fat Annie\u2019s saloon?\u201d Aaron demanded. \u201cYou tell me HOW when you\u2019ve just about run through your entire savings bailing Joe Cartwright out of one scrape or another\u2014 \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cLook! I\u2019ll BEG or BORROW it if I have to,\u201d Zach argued, \u201cbut I WILL make good on the damages at Fat Annie\u2019s.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you\u2019re not, Zach . . . not THIS time,\u201d Emil said. \u201cMiss Pietrov was real clear about that, too. She told me in no uncertain terms she intends to give this bill to your PA.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll talk to her,\u201d Zach said.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNot a real good idea right now,\u201d the sheriff warned. \u201cMiss Pietrov was madder \u2018n a nest full of disturbed hornets when she came in here with that bill an hour ago. She told me she\u2019s long past sick \u2018n tired of Joe Cartwright comin\u2019 in her place every pay day . . . gettin\u2019 himself fallin\u2019 down drunk, and picking fights with every blamed yahoo that so much as looks at him cross-eyed. \u2018N to be up front \u2018n honest? I can\u2019t say as I blame her, because I\u2019M mighty sick \u2018n tired of it, too.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Upon their arrival home that night, they saw the lamp burning in the window of their father\u2019s study, sure sign that he was waiting up. Zach and Aaron decided the better part of wisdom and valor would be for them to tell their father, the formidable Samuel Wycroft Carson, all that had happened at Fat Annie\u2019s Saloon and Joe Cartwright\u2019s involvement before Sheriff Driscoll and Miss Pietrov had the chance. Pa would be very angry of course . . . no getting around that. But, he would be a whole heckuva lot LESS angry, hearing what had happened from his sons first, Zach especially since it had been his idea to hire Joe in the first place.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI see,\u201d Samuel murmured quietly, after Zach and Aaron finished talking. \u201cCome morning, I\u2019ll ride into town and take care of things.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou, uhhh . . . want me to go with you?\u201d Zach hesitantly ventured, astonished and wary of his father\u2019s cool, calm, and collected demeanor.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Zach, but I think it would be best if I went into town ALONE,\u201d Sam said as he rose from his place behind the desk in his study, and stretched. \u201cAaron?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Pa?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cReuben\u2019s upstairs in his room reading,\u201d Sam said. Reuben, aged twenty years, was the second youngest of the five Carson children. \u201cHe, of all of us, seems to have established the best rapport with Joe\u2019s oldest boy, Jess. Ask him if he\u2019d be willing to stay the night with the Cartwright children.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Aaron responded with a curt nod of his head, before bolting across the room and bounding up the stairs, taking them two at a time.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cPa . . . . \u201d Zach ventured, after Aaron had gone upstairs.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Zach?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI promise you, I\u2019ll pay you back every cent\u2014 \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Sam held up his hand. \u201cThat WON\u2019T be necessary, Zach,\u201d he said complacently. \u201cLord above knows you\u2019ve done more than your share to help Joe . . . . \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHe saved my LIFE, Pa. I OWE him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI know, Son, and believe me, for that I\u2019ll ALWAYS be grateful,\u201d Pa said, his tone and manner softening, \u201cbut it\u2019s long past time you . . . me . . . and the rest of us faced the facts.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat facts?\u201d Zach queried with dread.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe man who saved your life . . . the man you know and remember as friend . . . he\u2019s gone, Son,\u201c his father said sadly, \u201cdead \u2018n buried, like as not, along with that wife of his, may God rest her soul.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cSo what happens next?\u201d Zach asked with trepidation and with heaviness of heart.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI ride into town in the morning and do what I can to straighten things out,\u201d Sam replied. \u201cIn the meantime, you\u2019d best g\u2019won up to bed. Those calves up from the south pasture ain\u2019t gonna brand themselves.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

True to his word, Sam Carson rode into Mormon Springs the following morning and made good on the damage done to Fat Annie\u2019s Saloon. He also offered owner Cosima Pietrov another fifteen hundred over and above to make up for the business she stood to lose during the clean-up, the extensive repair work, and waiting for the delivery of new furniture and other goods, if she would agree to drop the charges.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201c . . . I also had to promise Miss Pietrov AND Sheriff Driscoll this wouldn\u2019t happen again . . . ever,\u201d Pa told their mother, Rachael, Aaron, and himself after the family had eaten their breakfast this morning. David, the youngest, aged seventeen, had left for school; Reuben presumably was still with the Cartwright children at the old foreman\u2019s cottage; and daughter Lucy, the middle child, had stayed the night in town at the home of Johanna Hals, her best friend.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cPa . . . how can you possibly MAKE such a promise?!\u201d Aaron demanded. \u201cYou know as well as I do the minute he\u2019s feeling better, he\u2019ll be trotting off to town with money in his pocket he DIDN\u2019T earn by the way . . . drinking himself into oblivion and getting into more barroom brawls . . . same as he\u2019s ALWAYS done.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAaron, what happened at Fat Annie\u2019s night before last will NOT happen again,\u201d Pa replied.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHOW do you know?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI know because as of this morning, Joe Cartwright is no longer on our payroll,\u201d Pa replied in a grim, somber tone of voice.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about time!\u201d Aaron crowed, drawing a stern glare from his father. \u201cCome ON, Pa . . . . \u201d he entreated in a more conciliatory tone, \u201cfor the better part of the last year, even YOU\u2019VE been complaining about him not putting in anything CLOSE to an honest day\u2019s work because he\u2019s either drunk as a skunk or holed up nursing a hangover.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAaron, ease up willya?\u201d Zach begged. \u201cHis wife\u2014 \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHIS wife . . . HIS wife . . . dammit, Zach, I\u2019m sick to DEATH of hearing you go on and on about HIS wife,\u201d Aaron shouted. \u201cIn case you\u2019ve forgotten, Brother, I<\/strong> lost a wife, too . . . AND our son.\u201d He threw down his napkin and shot out of his chair. \u201cI-I have NOTHING left of the time Annabelle and I had together . . . nothing except memories that grow dimmer with each passing day. HE has their children . . . something for which he oughtta be down on his knees thanking God instead of . . . of . . . of trying to drown himself at the bottom of a bottle of cheap rotgut whiskey.\u201d Aaron abruptly turned heel and stormed out of the room.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cSamuel . . . there must be SOMETHING we can do . . . . \u201d Ma spoke up for the first time.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAnother chance, Pa . . . please? Can\u2019t we give him one more chance?\u201d Zach begged.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Sam reluctantly shook his head. \u201cZach, you\u2019re a good man. I know of only one other man with a kind heart like yours, who genuinely cares so much about people,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cI\u2019m proud . . . very proud indeed to be able to call a man like you my son. You\u2019ve helped a lot of people who have stumbled and found themselves down on their luck to get back on their feet again, but, Son . . . there\u2019s no way in the world you can help a man who\u2019s plain and simply hell bent on destroying himself. If you\u2019d like . . . I\u2019LL ride over and tell him.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Pa,\u201d Zach said stiffly, as he rose from his place at the table. \u201cSince I\u2019M the one who hired him . . . it\u2019s up to ME to fire him . . . . \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMight as well get it over with,\u201d Zach muttered under his breath as he climbed back into the saddle, and urged Zephyr down the path.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHorse,\u201d Jess Cartwright muttered as he tore noiselessly across the cottage\u2019s small common room to the dirty window looking out onto the parched, dry yard outside the front door. He spit on the heel of his left hand and rubbed it across the center window pane.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJess?\u201d Lucy Carson queried, taking care to keep her voice low so as not to awake the boy\u2019s father, who had been snoring raucously in the smaller of the two bedrooms ever since the deputy sheriff brought him home earlier that morning. She removed the coffee pot from the stove and carried it to the small, crudely fashioned table set square in the middle of the common room. \u201cJess . . . can you see who it is?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNot yet, Miss Lucy.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d better g\u2019won, get your brothers and sister up,\u201d Lucy said quietly, as she cracked open the eggs Margaret Loomis had brought over within ten minutes after Joe Cartwright had finally arrived home. Margaret\u2019s husband, William, had worked for the Carsons as a wrangler for the better part of the last decade or so. They had six fine healthy sons, ranging in age from just barely five to seventeen years. Margaret longed to have a daughter, but following the birth of their youngest, had been strongly advised by Doctor Jacobs not to have any more children. It was no secret she eyed Joe\u2019s daughter, named Marie Rebecca for both of her grandmothers, like a hawk.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNow you be sure to tell Mister Cartwright if he . . . well, if he needs someone to look after of that beautiful daughter of his, I\u2019m more than willing,\u201d she said after she had given the eggs to Lucy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Loomis, my pa and I can look after Marie just fine,\u201d Jess said, his face darkening with anger, as he stepped in front of Margaret, barring her path to the closed door of the larger bedroom in the cottage, where his only sister and two younger brothers lay sound asleep on the floor.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJess, this is something you\u2019ll understand a lot better once you\u2019ve grown, married, and had a daughter of your own. I\u2019m sure you and your pa CAN look after her, but a little girl like her . . . well, she needs a MOTHER\u2019S love.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lucy and Jess both shuddered upon hearing Margaret\u2019s words and the condescending sing-song tone of voice by which she had uttered them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNow you be sure to tell Mister Cartwright what I said,\u201d Margaret blithely continued, returning her attention to Lucy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThank you very much for the eggs, Mrs. Loomis,\u201d Lucy said, as she took the older woman by the arm and began walking her toward the open front door.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMiss Lucy?\u201d Jess queried, drawing her from her reverie.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m gonna get Benjy, Toby, \u2018n Marie up \u2018n dressed . . . but I\u2019m NOT going to school,\u201d Jess said firmly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJess, you promised Mister Reuben\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI know . . . . \u201d Jess said miserably, \u201cbut when I promised, I didn\u2019t know Pa was gonna come home all busted up like he is.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJesse Holmwood Cartwright, you missed school yesterday AND the day before,\u201d Lucy said sternly. \u201cTell you what . . . I\u2019LL stay here and look after your pa until you, your brothers, and sister get home from school.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDo as Miss Lucy says, Jess.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Both turned and found Joe Cartwright leaning heavily against the branch he occasionally used as a walking stick, still clad in the same clothing he had worn now for the past two days. The ripped, torn shirt hung open on his near emaciated frame, looking very much the worse for wear.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJoe . . . you shouldn\u2019t be up . . . . \u201d Lucy admonished him gently, as her eyes took in his battered, swollen, discolored face and the tight binding around his ribcage. \u201cCome on . . . let\u2019s get you back to bed\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe angrily waved off her attempts to help. \u201cJess,\u201d he snapped, glaring down at his son. \u201cNow.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Pa . . . M-Miss Lucy . . . well, she can\u2019t look after you all by herself,\u201d Jess stammered.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t NEED Miss Lucy to look after me and I don\u2019t need YOU either,\u201d Joe said stiffly, the scowl on his face deepening. \u201cNow you g\u2019won \u2018n get yourself ready for school like Miss Lucy said. I won\u2019t tell ya again.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYessir,\u201d Jess murmured, before darting past Lucy and his father toward the bedroom he shared with his brothers and sister.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When Zach reached to the old foreman\u2019s cottage, he found his sister\u2019s chestnut gelding, Star Bright, tethered to the hitching post, much to his dismay and outrage. He dismounted quickly, and after securing his own horse to the hitching post alongside his sister\u2019s, he bounded up to the front door.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . and just what the hell are YOU doing HERE<\/strong>?\u201d Zach demanded the instant the door opened and he found himself face to face with his only sister.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cOh for\u2014!!!!\u201d An exasperated sigh exploded from between Lucy Carson\u2018s lips, now thinning with her rising anger. \u201cZachariah Livingston Carson, get your mind out of the gutter.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s Reuben?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cReuben left at sun-up and headed out to Black Rock Canyon to help Jim and Eli round up some cattle of ours that\u2019s strayed out there,\u201d Lucy said stiffly. \u201cZach, I swear . . . everything was strictly on the up and up. If you don\u2019t believe ME, you can ask Reuben yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI intend to,\u201d Zach angrily vowed. \u201cI also intend to tell Ma and Pa that you LIED to them about staying in town with Johanna and HER family.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI did NOT lie,\u201d Lucy returned, her voice rising. \u201cI DID go to Johanna\u2019s day before yesterday, but when I heard the sheriff was going to throw Joe in jail, I rode out here straight away. Zach . . . SOMEONE had to come and help Jess look after the younger ones . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhy YOU?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhy NOT me?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYour reputation\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lucy groaned loudly and rolled her eyes heavenward. \u201cZach, I FAIL to understand how spending two nights in a cabin with my younger brother and four children can possibly sully my reputation.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou thick headed, stubborn\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHey! If the two of ya hafta argue would you mind taking it outside and far away?\u201d Joe growled, as he reached up with one hand to gingerly massage his throbbing right temple.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Joe,\u201d Lucy murmured, contrite.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, I need to talk to you, but it can wait until\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cZach, look. I\u2019m real sorry about the other night,\u201d Joe said his voice assuming a softer, more deferential tone. \u201cI . . . won\u2019t be able to do much work for the next day or so . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry about that right now,\u201d Zach said, trying his best to ignore the ice cold lead weight that had coalesced deep in the pit of his stomach.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . I\u2019m gonna pay it all back,\u201d Joe continued. \u201cI\u2019m gonna pay back every last cent not only for the other night at Fat Annie\u2019s, but for all the other times, too.\u201d He paused, grimacing in agony when he tried to take a deep breath. \u201cI mean it, Zach.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI . . . I know you do, Joe,\u201d Zach said. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you g\u2019won back to bed and get some rest? We can talk later\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The scowl on Joe\u2019s face, borne of his physical agony and the emotional turmoil raging within him, deepened, upon realizing Zach Carson\u2019s eyes seemed to be glued firmly to the bit of floor space separating them. \u201cYou\u2019ve come to fire me, haven\u2019t you?\u201d he accused.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lucy gasped. \u201cJoe . . . no! Of course he hasn\u2019t\u2014 Zach?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m . . . I\u2019m afraid he\u2019s right, Lucy,\u201d Zach said, deeply relieved that the reason for his visit was now out in the open, yet feeling very much the coward because Joe had been the one to bring it up.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cZach! How COULD you?!\u201d Lucy demanded, outraged and righteously indignant.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s PA\u2019S decision, NOT mine,\u201d Zach said tersely, taking his guilt and anger out on his sister. He, then, turned back to Joe and this time forced himself to meet his eyes. \u201cWhat happened at Fat Annie\u2019s the other night between you and that cowardly bully of a prospector was the last straw.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe hobbled over to the table, set for breakfast, and fell heavily into the nearest chair, his senses reeling. \u201cZach . . . I told you I\u2019d pay it all back,\u201d he said, tersely.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCosima\u2019s bill for all the damage done to her saloon totaled nearly two thousand dollars,\u201d Zach said in a somber tone.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCosima!\u201d Joe spat with contempt. \u201cThat greedy, thieving, li\u2019l\u2014!!!\u201d He broke off upon catching sight of Lucy Carson standing at his elbow, wringing her hands. \u201cZach, ain\u2019t no possible way two men could to that much damage. She . . . well let\u2019s just say she\u2019s exaggerated that total a mite?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe damage to Fat Annie\u2019s wasn\u2019t caused by two men, but by nearly a dozen after other men who work for pa and that prospector\u2019s friends got into it,\u201d Zach said. \u201cJoe, if Cosima DID exaggerate the total on her bill, it was because she UNDERestimated. I saw the damage myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cOk,\u201d Joe said curtly, closing his eyes against a room that suddenly began to pulsate nauseatingly before him. \u201cZach, you\u2019ve said what you came to say, now the BOTH of ya . . . get out.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJoe,\u201d Zach entreated. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I truly am\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI DON\u2019T need your pity,\u201d Joe said stiffly. \u201cYou tell your pa my kids \u2018n I\u2019ll be out of this shack and off his land within the next hour.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, I\u2019m sure pa would allow you and the children to stay here until you find work,\u201d Lucy said quietly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cLucy,\u201d Joe said through clenched teeth, \u201cyou\u2019ve done a great deal for my family and me . . . and I\u2019m grateful. But, I won\u2018t take charity.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2018s go, Lucy,\u201d Zach said curtly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cZach . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI SAID, \u2018Let\u2018s go.\u2019 There\u2019s nothing more we can do here.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, I . . . I don\u2019t know about this,\u201d Frank Barker ventured hesitantly. He stood framed in the open door of Abel Barker and Sons Livery Stable, with one hand planted on his hip and the other nervously stroking his neatly trimmed salt and pepper beard.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Frank had been sole owner of the livery stable since the death of his father and the subsequent departure of his two older brothers, one out to California in search of his own pot of gold and the other somewhere back east. He had bought out his brothers\u2019 share of the livery and, in the years since his father\u2018s passing, turned it into a prosperous, thriving business. Three years ago, he married the former Martha Travers, no raving beauty, but sturdy and as faithful as they come. They had two wild, energetic sons and a third child well on the way.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAww . . . come on, Frank,\u201d Joe wheedled, \u201cmy kids and I need a place to stay until I\u2019ve mended enough to start looking for work. I promise ya, it won\u2019t be any more than three days, four at the very most.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThree or four days?!\u201d Frank echoed, incredulous. \u201cJoe, who do you think you\u2019re kidding? Busted up as you look\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cOk, fine!\u201d Joe snapped. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to help me out . . . well that\u2019s just peachy dandy. We\u2019ll go somewhere ELSE. Jess . . . gimme a hand will ya?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess ducked past his father and stepped into the barn. \u201cMister Barker, please? Please DON\u2019T turn us away,\u201d he begged.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe turned and glared down at his oldest son. \u201cJess, stop it,\u201d he growled, wincing with every breath. \u201cWe don\u2019t need HIM . . . Sam Carson . . . or anyone else\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cTell you what, Mister Barker,\u201d Jess continued, turning deaf ear to his father. \u201cIf you\u2019ll let us stay, I\u2019ll help you around the livery. Tend the horses . . . muck out stalls . . . keep the tack room straight . . . anything you want. I\u2019ll work from morning \u2018til night . . . six days a week\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cOh all right,\u201d Frank reluctantly gave in. \u201cBut you\u2019ll work for me AFTER school, Jess, \u2018n all day Saturday,\u201d he said sternly. \u201cThat understood?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMister Barker, I CAN\u2019T go to school,\u201d Jess argued. \u201cI have to look after Pa\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJess, I told you before I DON\u2019T need your help,\u201d Joe said curtly. \u201cI\u2019m perfectly able to look after myself. Now you\u2019ll do as Mister Barker says. Clear?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Pa . . . clear,\u201d Jess said reluctantly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got three empty stables in the back,\u201d Frank said as he stepped aside, allowing Joe and his children to enter. \u201cThe straw\u2019s clean and if it gets chilly come night, you can borrow a horse blanket from the tack room. Come morning, you can wash up in the horse trough outside.\u201d He fell silent for a moment. \u201cSorry I can\u2019t offer you better . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c \u2018S ok, Frank. This\u2019ll be fine,\u201d Joe said, suddenly weary. \u201cI\u2019m much obliged to ya. Jess . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, Pa?\u201d Jess queried warily.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cGimme a hand, will ya?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYessir.\u201d Jess moved in and took firm hold of Joe\u2019s left arm. He, then, turned to his younger siblings. \u201cToby, you g\u2019won in the tack room and get Pa a blanket. Benjy . . . Marie . . . you get our stuff out of the buckboard Mister Reuben loaned us and put it in one of the empty stalls in the back.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The younger children all ran to do their oldest brother\u2019s bidding . . . .<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He stood at the front of the church in Virginia City, dressed in his very best Sunday-go-to-meeting suit, surrounded by his three brothers, Adam, Hoss, and Jamie. Hoss was his best man, Adam and Jamie his groomsmen. Pa, Hop Sing, and Hoss\u2019 wife, the former Bessie Sue Hightower , sat together on the very front row, their faces and eyes shining with sublime happiness. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 daughters, Inger and Hannah, twins, then aged three, sat between their grandfather and Hop Sing, while infant George, rested quietly in his mother\u2019s arms. The sun shining in through the clear class windows bathed the sanctuary, filled to overflowing with good friends and well wishers, with a gentle, white, ethereal light, transforming the familiar to something otherworldly.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The organist had just finished playing the fanfare, and moved into the traditional wedding march. Everyone in the sanctuary rose to their feet in unison and turned as one Amanda Joy Holmwood, looking radiant in her white wedding gown, entered the sanctuary, her gloved hand resting lightly on her father\u2019s arm.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The instant Amanda took her place beside him, gunshots rang out, and the church transformed to a bank, dimly lit and shrouded in deep shadow. Amanda, still clad in her wedding gown, lay at his feet, unmoving, with blood the color of a deep rich port wine flowing like a river from her chest and pooling on the floor beside her. He knelt down beside her, knowing deep in his heart she was dead, yet desperately praying he was wrong.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy, Joe?\u201d Amanda\u2019s round unseeing eyes, gone from sparkling blue to a flat slate gray, accused. \u201cWhy did you let me die?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Amanda . . . . \u201d he sobbed . . . . \u00a0<\/em>\u201c . . . so sorry . . . f-forgive me? Please . . . forgive me, Amanda,\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Joe moaned softly, his head tossing to and fro on his makeshift pillow of rough horse blanket.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s heart wrenching pleas roused his oldest son, Jess, from a sleep, that had been at best troubled and fitful.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mercifully, the watery veil of his own bitter tears obscured the sight of his wife\u2019s lifeless face and those accusing eyes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

His father\u2019s voice shattered his veil of tears into a thousand million pieces. The bank and the sight of his wife, lying dead at his feet, had vanished. He found himself kneeling in soft earth, freshly turned, before an obelisk of pristine white marble, thrusting into the clear blue sky above like a knife. The words \u201cAmanda Joy Cartwright . . . beloved wife of Joseph Cartwright . . . loving and devoted mother to Jesse, Benjamin, Tobias, and Marie . . . gone now to her eternal rest\u201d were cut into its face. Beneath the words were the years of her birth and untimely death.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe,\u201d Pa entreated. \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Joe slowly lifted his head, and found himself staring up into the shocked, grief stricken faces of his father and brothers. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHow could ya let it happen, Li\u2018l Brother?\u201d Hoss queried.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy did you let Amanda die, Joe?\u201d Adam asked.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d Jamie begged . . . .<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201c . . . accident . . . didn\u2019t mean it . . . f-forgive me? Please, Pa? Please? H-Hoss? Adam? Jamie?? Forgive me?\u201d Joe wept. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry . . . . \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

With heart in mouth, Jess knelt down beside his father, and with tentative hand, reached out and touched his forehead.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPa, no . . . . \u201d Joe tearfully begged, still trapped in his nightmare. \u201cDon\u2019t LOOK at me like that . . . f-for the love of God . . . DON\u2019T . . . LOOK<\/strong> at me like that . . . . \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . burning up,\u201d Jess murmured fearfully. He leapt to his feet with the swiftness and grace of the very young and made his way to the tack room in search of something . . . anything . . . that would hold water. After what seemed an eternity of groping about in the darkness, his small hands finally seized upon a canteen lying in a far corner. Jess wrapped one arm tight around the canteen and stumbled through the darkness toward the door by sliding his free hand along the doors to the stalls. Once outside, he made his way to the horse trough in the back, and filled the canteen with water.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJess?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He started upon hearing his name, and peering into the darkness saw his brother, Benjy, standing just inside the door, \u201cDad blast your hide, Benjamin Nathaniel Cartwright!\u201d Jess blustered, sotto voce. \u201cYou nearly scared me outta ten years growth! You oughtta know better \u2018n to creep up on a body like that!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cS-Sorry,\u201d Benjy meekly apologized, as he jogged to keep pace with his older brother\u2019s longer stride. \u201cI heard Pa and saw YOU gone . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c \u2018S ok, forget it,\u201d Jess said with a sigh. \u201cToby and Marie still asleep?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYeah . . . I think so.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cGood. Since YOU\u2019RE awake, go into the stall where our things are and find me something I can use as a rag to bathe Pa\u2019s face,\u201d Jess ordered. \u201cHe\u2019s burning up with fever.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s two oldest children remained with him the next couple of hours, taking turns drawing water from the horse trough cooled by the dropping night temperatures, and bathing his face and neck, with few words spoken between them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThirsty . . . . \u201d a hoarse voice rasped from the darkness in the still hours just before dawn.<\/p>\n

Jess peered hard into the darkness. \u201cP-Pa?\u201d he ventured.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThirsty,\u201d Joe said again. \u201cMy bottle . . . gimme my bottle . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess closed his eyes and swallowed nervously. \u201cY-Your bottle\u2019s EMPTY, Pa,\u201d he said, his voice a calm, near dead monotone. \u201cRemember? You drank all there was after we got here . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Joe half sobbed, his entire body trembling like a leaf. \u201cThirsty . . . I . . . I n-need a drink so bad . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJess?\u201d Benjy queried, his eyes filled with fear. \u201cJess, what\u2019ll we DO?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou stay here with Pa,\u201d Jess ordered. \u201cI\u2019ll see what I can find.\u201d He rose and went back to the stall he shared with his brothers and sister. He knelt down on the straw, taking care not to wake Toby and Marie. Grabbing hold of the jacket he had used for a pillow, he reached into the inside pocket and pulled out a small, drawstring bag, made of red silk with embroidered Chinese dragons, bats, and white lilies.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThis for YOU, Little Joe Number One Son . . . . \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

He heard the voice of the Chinese man who had presented the bag to him on the occasion of his fifth birthday, and saw his rounded, smiling face in his mind\u2019s eye.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201c . . . dragon . . . bats . . . red . . . all good luck<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Inside was a bright, shiny, fifty cent piece, minted the year he was born.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He had kept that bag and the fifty-cent piece contained therein a closely guarded secret, one he didn\u2019t even share with his brother, Benjy, Mister Reuben, or Miss Lucy, the only three people he trusted in the whole wide world. In the years since his mother died, he had added to it, a penny from an odd job done for Mrs. Loomis, a nickel for helping Mister Reuben or Mister Zach stable their horses. At last count, he had nearly a dollar fifty. Surely that would be enough to buy something to slake his father\u2019s thirst.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The instant Jess put his hand to the latch on the livery stable door, a stronger hand wrested it from his grip. The dark silhouette of a big man loomed menacingly just on the other side of the threshold. Jess instinctively moved away from the door, swallowed nervously, and mentally braced himself to stand his ground for the sake of his family.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJess?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was Mister Barker. Jess exhaled a sigh of deep, profound relief, collapsing to the straw covered floor when his shaking legs would no longer support him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJess?! You all right, Boy?\u201d Frank Barker queried anxiously as he rushed to the boy\u2019s side.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cFine, Mister Barker, I\u2019m fine, really, I\u2019m fine,\u201d Jess babbled.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI woke up a short time ago \u2019n couldn\u2019t get back to sleep, so I thought I\u2019d come over \u2019n see how you and your family were getting on,\u201d Frank said, as he helped Jess to his feet. \u201cWhere were YOU off to in such a hurry . . . and at this time of night, too?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2019s thirsty,\u201d Jess said, \u201cI was gonna see if I could get something . . . maybe whiskey from one of the saloons around here.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d have wasted your time,\u201d Frank said sternly. \u201cNo bartender in his right mind\u2019s going to sell to a young \u2019n like you.\u201d Especially if his name happens to be Cartwright.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDo YOU have any whiskey to spare, Mister Barker? Please?! Pa needs some awful bad . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCome on. Jess . . . let\u2019s you \u2019n me go have a look at your pa,\u201d Frank said, hearing the note of urgency in the boy\u2019s voice. He found Joe lying on his back, half covered by a horse blanket taken from the tack room, his eyes wide open and staring. His breathing was shallow and rapid, and his entire body was drenched with sweat. \u201cJoe?\u201d Frank spoke the stricken man\u2019s name softly as he knelt down alongside him. \u201cJoe, it\u2019s me . . . Frank. Frank Barker.\u201d He lightly touched Joe\u2019s forearm, and to his dismay found the skin cold and clammy to the touch. \u201cJoe,\u201d he said raising his voice slightly, \u201cJoe, can you hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPa w-was . . . he was calling out to Mama just a minute ago, telling her he was sorry about something . . . then he just all of a sudden got quiet,\u201d Benjy said, his voice shaking, his eyes round with fear.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBoys,\u201d Frank said grimly, \u201cwe need to get your pa to Doc Jacobs right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess collapsed to the straw covered floor, his senses reeling. \u201cWe can\u2019t . . . w-we\u2019ve got no money . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJess, if we don\u2019t get your pa to Doc Jacobs right now this instant, your pa stands a real good chance of dying.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess Cartwright flew right out of his chair the instant he heard the latch of the door to the Jacobs\u2019 parlor, where he sat waiting with Frank Barker. Frank rose, walked over to where the boy stood, his entire body stiff as a board, and placed a gentle and he hoped reassuring hand on his shoulder. \u201cEasy, Jess . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Doctor Stanley Jacobs entered the downstairs parlor of the townhouse he shared with Vera, his wife for the better part of the last thirty years, clad in the clothing he had worn the day before.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDoc, how\u2019s Pa?\u201d Jess demanded, his face white as a sheet, his eyes round with shock and terror. \u201cIs he gonna be ok? Doc, he\u2019s not gonna . . . h-he\u2019s not gonna . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cEasy, Son,\u201d Stanley, Stan to friends and family with the exception of his wife, gently admonished Jess. \u201cFor the moment, your pa\u2019s resting comfortably, and appears to be stable, but he\u2019s far from out of the woods.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s THAT mean?\u201d Jess demanded, laboring desperately to keep hold of himself amid the panic rising swiftly within him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s sit down,\u201d the doctor suggested . . . .<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess sat huddled in the bay window of the Jacobs\u2019 family room upstairs, his face turned to the well-manicured flower and vegetable gardens out back, both of which were maintained with love and fierce pride by the doctor\u2019s wife. He, his brothers, and sister had stayed the night here at the doc\u2019s, while he sat up the entire night with pa. Come morning, Toby and Marie appeared to have slept well enough, something for which he was thankful, but Benjy, bless his heart, hadn\u2019t slept a wink, his protestations to the contrary not withstanding. After lunch, the younger children had gone to the mercantile with the housekeeper, while Benjy retreated to the guest room upstairs, unable to stay awake a minute longer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As his eyes followed the neat rows of spindly, barely half grown tomato plants, Jess could not ever recall a time in his life when he felt so frightened, alone, and utterly helpless. Pa had awakened several times during the morning, usually just long enough to beg for a drink, something \u201ca whole helluva lot stronger than water or that damned watered down tea.\u201d The very last time Pa woke up, however, he had gone into a violent spasm of what the doc called dry heaving. Jess was terrified, but he remained with Pa, nonetheless, stroking his hair, promising over and over and over again that everything was going to be all right, all the while desperately aching to believe it himself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess was troubled not only by the fact that Pa hadn\u2019t moved a muscle since that horrible bout of dry heaving, but by the return of those frightful nightmares about Mama he had back when they first left his grandpa and uncles.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSo tell me, Vera . . . what ARE Mister Cartwright\u2019s chances?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was Mrs. Loomis, their neighbor when they still lived in the old foreman\u2019s cottage on the Circle C. From the sound of her voice, she stood just on the other side of the closed door to the family room.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cGuarded,\u201d the doctor\u2019s wife replied.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHow is he REALLY?\u201d Margaret Loomis pressed with a sly smile as she threw open the door and sailed into the room. \u201cI\u2019VE heard from a couple of very reliable sources that Mister Cartwright practically lies at death\u2019s door.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNO!\u201d Jess shouted, his face suddenly contorting with raw fury. \u201cNO! MY PA\u2019S NOT GONNA DIE AND EVEN IF HE DOES . . . I . . . I\u2019LL SEE YOU GO TO HELL BEFORE I LET YOU HAVE MY SISTER!\u201d With that, he leapt to his feet, and bolted from the room.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Margaret stared after Jess\u2019 retreating back as he tore down the stairs to the first floor. \u201cW-Well I . . . I . . . n-never . . . . !!\u201d she stammered the instant she found her voice.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMargaret, first of all, your sources are WRONG about Mister Cartwright practically lying at death\u2019s door,\u201d Vera said in a very quiet, yet very firm tone of voice. \u201cWhen I said his condition is guarded, I meant exactly that. He has every chance of pulling through as he has of . . . of not.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cStill and all, that boy was quite RUDE,\u201d Margaret replied with an emphatic nod of her head.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s frightened,\u201d Vera immediately came to Jess\u2019 defense, \u201cfrightened his father\u2019s going to die, and perhaps even MORE frightened about the prospect of his family being split up. It\u2019s no secret, after all, the way you\u2019ve been eyeing Marie like she\u2019s something good to eat, and the Williamses have been looking at Toby and Benjy in very much the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI just remembered an appointment,\u201d Margaret snapped. \u201cGood afternoon, Vera.\u201d She, then, turned, and flounced out of the room and on down the stairs.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stan Jacobs frown as he stepped from the examination room, and saw the oldest Cartwright boy beating a straight path toward the front door. \u201cJess?\u201d he queried.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess turned. \u201cTell me the TRUTH, Doc,\u201d he begged. \u201cIs my pa gonna live or die? Please, Doc . . . I gotta KNOW!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The doctor took due note of the boy\u2019s agitation, his pale face, and trembling hands. \u201cJess . . . please . . . . \u201d Stan entreated, taking care to speak calmly and quietly. \u201cI need for you to take a deep breath, and try to calm yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep ragged breath once, then again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI want you to listen to me very closely,\u201d Stan continued. \u201cRight now, your pa\u2019s condition is stable and he appears to be sleeping. To be honest, it\u2019s possible he might die . . . but it\u2019s equally possible he\u2019s going to pull through. You, your brothers, and your sister have every reason in the world right now to hope and pray for the best. Do you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Jess replied, nodding his head. \u201cYes, Doc, I understand. I just remembered something I wanted to fetch from our stuff in Mister Barker\u2019s livery . . . would it be ok if I went?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stan smiled. \u201cI see no reason why not. Just don\u2019t be too long . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t, Sir,\u201d Jess promised.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess hated himself for telling the doctor such a blatant, bald faced lie. He had no intention of going to the livery stable, rather he was headed for the telegraph office. It was a crazy idea.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . Jess, the truth of the matter is we CAN\u2019T go back,\u201d he remembered his pa saying the last time he had asked about a grandfather and uncles, whose memories dimmed with each passing year. \u201cMy pa . . . your grandpa threw us out. You, me, your brothers, and your sister, too . . . bag and baggage.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d Jess demanded.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHow should I know?\u201d Pa returned, angry. \u201cJess, my pa told us to leave, and THAT plain and simply is that.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Upon reaching the telegraph office, Jess paused for a moment. Pa would be very angry if he found out. Furthermore, if what Pa had told him about his grandfather was true, who was to say that he wouldn\u2019t toss the message aside and simply decide not to come?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMister Reuben\u2019s always telling me nothing ventured, nothing gained,\u201d he mused silently, \u201cin any case, I don\u2019t know what else to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess closed his eyes, took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and marched almost defiantly into the telegraph office, turning deaf ear to all the nagging doubts that continued to plague him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMay I help you, Young Man?\u201d the telegrapher asked politely.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Sir,\u201d Jess responded. \u201cI\u2019d like to send a wire to Mister Benjamin Cartwright. I think he\u2019s in Virginia City.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright stood unmoving before the white marble gravestones marking the final resting places of Marie and Amanda Cartwright, respectively the beloved mother and wife of his youngest son, Joseph Francis Cartwright.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he murmured softly, his voice filled with bitterness and deep regret. Two words, in his mind woefully inadequate to express the burden of guilt he had carried in his heart for the past six years now. \u201cI failed him. At a time when he needed me the most, I . . . I FAILED him . . . and in failing HIM, I\u2019ve failed YOU as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Memories of that last argument he\u2019d had with Joe returned with raw, brutal crystal clarity, as if those events had taken place the day before rather than nearly six years ago.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben set the pencil in hand down on the desk alongside his open ledger and rose the instant his youngest son appeared at the top landing, still wearing the clothing he worn the day before. Joe paused for a moment, then started down the stairs, clinging to the banister as if for dear life, grimacing with each step. His stomach lurched when Joe stumbled upon reaching the middle landing, and for a long moment that seemed to stretch into eternity, teetered perilously over the remaining steps leading down to the first floor.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

With heart in mouth, Ben bolted out from behind his desk and tore across the room, beating a straight path toward the stairs. Joe, by sheer luck and perhaps a measure of divine intervention, managed right himself before taking what would have surely been a very nasty fall. He paused once again, then started down the remaining stairs, treading very slowly, and very cautiously, moving more as one very elderly rather than as a man in his early thirties.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s stomach churned, and for one brief, uneasy moment, he feared that he was going to return the large breakfast he had eaten a short time before with his other sons, Adam, Hoss, and Jamie, the young man he had adopted about a year before Joe\u2019s marriage to Amanda. Of all his sons, Joe had always been the easiest to reach in times of trial, whether it was tending to a skinned knee at the age of five, helping him find his courage in the midst of near paralyzing fear atop Eagle\u2019s Nest, or seeing him through the sudden, tragic deaths of his own mother and two lovely young women with whom he had fallen in love as a very young man: Amy Bishop and Laura White. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Now . . . .<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

. . . when Joe needed his family, his pa especially more than he had ever had need of them before, he pushed them away. Ben felt angry and frustrated, but those feelings were directed toward himself mostly, for his inability to reach through the walls Joe had erected, walls that grew higher and wider with each passing day.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe . . . we have to talk,\u201d Ben said in a firm, no nonsense tone of voice once his son had finally reached the safety of the first floor.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Joe closed his eyes and moaned softly. \u201c Aw, Pa . . . can\u2019t this wait?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Son, this CAN\u2019T wait,\u201d Ben said stiffly. \u201cYour drinking\u2014 \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve been harping on my drinking for last month,\u201d Joe argued. \u201cAll right . . . I\u2019 HAVE been drinking a bit more than usual lately . . . but I can handle it . . . and in any case it\u2018s MY business. Not YOURS and not anyone else\u2018s, either.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNow THAT\u2019S where you\u2019re dead WRONG, Joseph,\u201d Ben angrily returned. \u201cWhen Jamie and Candy hafta do YOUR chores in the morning along with their own . . . when ADAM has to step in and take over YOUR job breaking a string of horses for that Army contract with Colonel Dawson . . . when Hoss and his wife, Bessie Sue, have taken over the job of caring for YOUR children along with theirs because if you\u2019re not falling down drunk, you\u2019re violently ill from a hangover . . . your drinking problem becomes OUR problem, too.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cPa, you\u2019re making a damned mountain out of a molehill! First off, I do NOT have a drinking problem,\u201d Joe vigorously denied Ben\u2019s allegations, \u201cand second . . . I never asked anyone to step and look after my children OR do my work.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll keep a civil tongue in your head when you speak to me, Boy,\u201d Ben responded speaking in a low, almost menacing voice, enunciating every word, every syllable, \u201cor so help me, I\u2019ll drag you out to the barn and thrash you within an inch of your life. You understand me?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cPa, I\u2019m NOT a child\u2014 \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThen stop ACTING like one.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIn case you\u2019ve forgotten, my wife died\u2014 \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201c . . . and in case YOU\u2019VE forgotten, you have three sons and a daughter who desperately need their father,\u201d Ben said, his voice colder than the deep snow and cutting winds that blow in the Sierras during the winter. \u201cI\u2019ve got a real good mind sue you for custody of those children.\u201d He regretted giving utterance to that threat the instant he saw the look astonishment and horror on Joe\u2019s face.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cON WHAT GROUNDS?\u201d Joe shouted, his initial shock and horror quickly giving way to raw fury.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cON THE GROUNDS THAT YOU\u2019RE SHOWING YOURSELF TO BE MORE AND MORE UNFIT AS A FATHER WITH EACH PASSING DAY!\u201d Ben yelled back, unable to contain the fear, anger, and frustration that had grown steadily since the day they had buried Amanda . . . . <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

To say that things went downhill from there would be to grossly understate the matter. Bitter, angry words were exchanged; words that in the years since, Ben fervently wished every day he could take back. At dinner that evening, Joe\u2019s face was pale and his stomach felt rocky . . . his words. But he was alert and sober as a judge for the first time in many weeks, and much to Hop Sing\u2019s delight, managed to eat a good bit of his supper. Joe was a mite on the quiet side, but was attentive to his children and engaged his brothers in a few snatches of conversation. Ben guardedly hoped that maybe . . . just maybe . . . had had finally gotten through to Joe, and steered him back toward the right path.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Nothing could have been further from the truth.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The following morning, Jamie, then aged thirteen, ran down the stairs and told the family that Joe and his children were gone.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cWhat you mean they gone?\u201d Hop Sing demanded with a bewildered frown.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI mean they\u2019re GONE!\u201d Jamie answered, just as confused and bewildered as the Chinese member of the Cartwright family. \u201cJoe\u2019s bed hasn\u2019t been slept in, and all of their belongings are gone. The only things left\u2014 \u201d He broke off for a moment, just long enough to take a couple of shallow breaths and swallow. \u201cThe only things left are . . . Amanda\u2019s things.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

A subsequent search of the barn revealed that a wagon, and Billy Boy, one of the draw horses, were missing. Cochise, however, remained in his stall, quietly munching on hay given him earlier that morning. For one brief, blessed moment, Ben felt a sense of deep, profound relief. Surely Joe would never, not in a million years, ever leave his beloved paint behind if he had intended to leave for good and all. That assumption and blessed relief were shattered when Hoss\u2019 wife, Bessie Sue, somberly announced that she had found Joe\u2019s note lying on top of the credenza by the front door.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cPa,\u201d the note read, \u201cI need to take my kids and get away. Too many painful memories. Will write when I can. Please don\u2019t look for us. Joe.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Ben and his remaining sons, Adam, Hoss, and Jamie had searched diligently for Joe. He had even gone so far as to ask Roy Coffee send to wire every lawman he knew of between San Francisco and Texas, inquiring about Joe and the four children. The only response was from a Sheriff Judd Ames in a little hole-in-the-wall town, somewhere in Arizona, consisting of a half dozen houses, a saloon, a church, and a jail. Short and to the point, the message stated, \u201cNothing. Sorry.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Adam had gone so far as to hire Jack Cranston, a man he had met during the years his wanderlust took him away from the Ponderosa. Jack was a Pinkerton man, one of the very best, according to his first born. But even the very best came up empty handed.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

It was as if Joe and his four children had vanished right off the face of the earth.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss climbed down from Chubb\u2019s saddle and tethered his horse to a nearby tree. Peering through the delicate interlace of tree branches and saplings, he saw his father standing before the marble stones marking the final resting places of the woman he knew as simply Mama and Joe\u2019s wife, Amanda. For the past six years now, Pa had come here, to this place on the day they found Joe and his children gone, seeking absolution he had yet to find, and in all likelihood, would never find . . . until the day Joe finally came home. Hoss knew in his heart that he would never stop hoping for that eventuality, for his pa\u2019s sake especially, but for the rest of them as well. They had gone on as best they could, but Joe\u2019s departure had left a void in all of their lives, one that would never be filled until the day he and his children returned home where they belonged.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss walked to the clearing in which his pa stood, and upon reaching the edge, he made his presence known by clearing his throat.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben started slightly, then turned.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPa . . . sorry, I didn\u2019t mean t\u2019 intrude, but a wire came for you . . . I\u2019ve not read it, but George at the telegraph office said it was urgent,\u201d Hoss said as he reached into the pocket of his shirt and drew out an envelope with B. Cartwright hastily scrawled across its face.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben took the proffered envelope from Hoss, lifted the flap, and pulled out the single sheet of paper, neatly folded in half. Short and to the point, the message read:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cTo Ben Cartwright<\/p>\n

Virginia City<\/p>\n

From Jess Cartwright<\/p>\n

Your grandson.<\/p>\n

Mormon Springs<\/p>\n

Please come. Pa very sick. Need help because I don\u2019t know what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben read the message through once, then once again through eyes round with shock. \u201cI . . . I don\u2019t believe this,\u201d he muttered, his voice barely above the decibel of a stage whisper. \u201cAll this time . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d Hoss queried with an anxious frown. \u201cPa, what is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHere! Read for yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss took the message from his father\u2019s trembling hands, and read. \u201cWell I\u2019ll b-be dadburned . . . . \u201d he murmured softly. \u201cH-He\u2019s been in Mormon Springs all this time?!\u201d Like his father, he found it inconceivable that Joe had spent the last six years living in a little town barely a day\u2019s ride from the Ponderosa. Then, a memory, obscure and elusive, rose like the thin tendril of smoke from a candle, just snuffed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was about a year, maybe a year and a half after Joe and his four children had left . . . .<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201c . . . Adam! Good! This saves me a long trip out t\u2019 the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

It was Roy Coffee, sheriff of Virginia City, and long time friend of the family. Hoss and his older brother were in front of the mercantile loading supplies, just purchased, into the back of their buckboard.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cGeorge over at the telegraph office asked if I\u2019d deliver this,\u201d Roy continued as he dug into the right hand pocket of his vest. \u201cSays it\u2019s from that friend o\u2019 yours . . . y\u2019 know . . . the Pinkerton man?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Hoss favored Adam with a long searching look upon hearing the words Pinkerton man.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Roy,\u201d Adam said, as he took the proffered envelope from the lawman\u2018s outstretched hand.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that all about?\u201d Hoss asked after the sheriff had bid them a polite good afternoon and continued on with his rounds. \u201cThat ain\u2019t the friend you hired t\u2019 look for Joe after he . . . after he, uhhh . . . left . . . is it?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Adam replied, \u201cthis is from my friend, Jack. Says he was in Mormon Springs working for another client, when he spotted a man who appears to be the same height and build as our brother, though grayer around the edges and more unkempt . . . . \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat ELSE does he say?\u201d Hoss demanded.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cJack says he spoke to the man, but he vigorously denied being or even knowing our brother,\u201d Adam responded with a doleful sigh.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou still have that friend o\u2019 yours lookin\u2019 for Joe?\u201d Hoss queried, mildly surprised. \u201cAfter all this time?!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Adam nodded. \u201cI\u2019m paying him a monthly retainer to keep his eyes peeled,\u201d he replied. \u201cJack\u2019s picked about a half dozen or so leads over the past year, all of which, unfortunately, turned out to be dead ends.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou checked \u2018em out?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Adam slowly nodded his head. \u201c . . . and I\u2019ll go right on checking them out until either Joe comes home on his own accord . . . or we find him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI, uhh . . . guess that means you\u2019ll be takin\u2019 a trip out t\u2019 Mormon Springs sometime real soon . . . . \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m leaving tomorrow morning at first light for Genoa to get a look at that colt sired by Major Collins\u2019 prize stallion last spring,\u201d Adam said. \u201cI\u2019ll stop off in Mormon Springs on the way.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam . . . . \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Hoss?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou, uhhh . . . know Mormon Springs lies a whole day\u2019s ride in the opposite direction?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Hoss . . . I have a very good working knowledge of local geography,\u201d Adam retorted with a wry half smile, then turned serious. \u201cI want you to promise me something . . . . \u201c <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Hoss frowned. \u201cWhat\u2019s that, Adam?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cPlease don\u2019t tell anyone else,\u201d Adam begged. \u201cIf this lead doesn\u2019t pan out . . . well, I don\u2019t want to raise hopes only to see them dashed later. This has been very hard on all of us . . . especially PA.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t,\u201d Hoss solemnly promised, \u201c \u2018n I hope THIS lead pans out.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI hope so, too . . . . \u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The brothers\u2019 hopes were in vain. Adam never saw any man even remotely fitting the description his friend, Jack Cranston, had given him, and when he had asked folks straight out whether or not they actually new a man by the name of Joe Cartwright, they shook their heads or shrugged their shoulders, then walked away. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Chances were, the man Jack had encountered was a drifter just passing through.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On the other hand, however, Joe\u2019d had a knack for hiding right out in plain sight, just like that big calico barn cat everyone referred to as Mama Sam, from the time he was a small child playing Hide \u2018N Seek with his two older brothers. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYep! If that li\u2019l brother o\u2019 mine don\u2019t wanna be found, ain\u2019t no one EVER gonna find him.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you say, Son?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss started, for he had been completely unaware until that moment he had just spoken.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothin\u2019, Pa,\u201d he replied, \u201cnothin\u2019 . . . just thinking\u2019 out loud \u2018s all.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Over the past couple of days that big bay window in the Jacobs\u2019 family room had become a place of refuge for Jess, a place he could be alone with his troubled thoughts. He watched the doc\u2019s wife moving among the rows of spindly, fledgling plants, gently watering them from an enormous red watering can.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAaaahhhhh\u2019ma gonna gitcha!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess heard the delighted squeals of two boys . . . two very young boys, not much more than babies, assail the ears of his inward hearing. They stood in the midst of another garden, filled with lush, ripening vegetables, tended by the same Chinese man, who had given him the drawstring bag in which he kept the money he\u2019d managed to put by.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAaahhhh\u2019ma gonna gitcha!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A man wearing a green jacket, with the same thick, chestnut brown mane he and Toby had, lumbered into their midst, his bright, emerald green eyes sparkling with pure mischief.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAaahhhh\u2019ma da boogeyman, \u2018n Aaahhhh\u2019ma comin\u2019 t\u2019 gitcha!\u201d the man growled, all the while trying his hardest to look mean and fierce.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The two boys turned and ran, fast as their pudgy little legs could carry them, their laughter sounding for all the world like a litter of playful puppies. The man in the green jacket lumbered after them. He caught up with them easily and scooped one, then the other up in each arm.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cGotcha!\u201d he said, before breaking into peals of the kind of laughter that made everyone around him want to laugh, too.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The three of them collapsed to the ground, laughing, much to the annoyance of the Chinese man.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAwww . . . c\u2019mon,\u201d the man in the green jacket begged, still chuckling, \u201cwe were just playing . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou play, you play in front of house,\u201d the Chinese man snapped.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . tomorrow,\u201d another voice, a woman\u2019s, chimed in. \u201cIt\u2019s time now for THREE mischievous little boys to come in and wash up for supper.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The voice belonged to the most beautiful woman Jess had ever seen. The had the same color hair as his sister, Marie, with the same curls . . . the same bright sky blue eyes . . . .<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was a dream. It had to be. Odd thing was, he couldn\u2019t remember ever having that dream . . . .<\/p>\n

\u201c . . . and the Chinese man IS real,\u201d \u00a0Jess ruminated silently. Had he not given him that silk drawstring bag?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But if the garden, the two boys, the man in the green jacket, and that beautiful woman were also real, then who was the other boy? He was older than Jess. Not by much, but he was older.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess vigorously shook his head, as if to physically dislodge the last vestiges of . . . of whatever that garden and the people in it were and all of the confusing thoughts and uneasy questions that always came with those pictures. Then, all of sudden, seized by an intense, fearful need to know where his brothers and sister were, he abruptly turned, nearly toppling from his seat in the window. He was greatly relieved to find all three safely present in the room with him. Marie, bless her heart, slept fitfully on the settee, her eyes still red and swollen from the many tears she had shed earlier. Mrs. Jacobs had removed her shoes and covered her with the knitted afghan she kept draped over the back of the settee. Benjy and Toby sat on the floor with their heads together, trying to puzzle out an arithmetic problem.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, God,\u201d\u00a0 Jess silently, gratefully prayed, as he slowly let out the breath he had been holding. But how much longer would he be able to keep them all together, especially after what happened this morning . . . .<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cToby, how many flapjacks\u2014 \u201d Mrs. Jacobs\u2019 words ended with a terrified gasp.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess, his brothers, and sister were seated at the kitchen table, washed, dressed, and ready for school. The doctor\u2019s wife had just turned from the hot stove, with the bowl of batter tucked in the crook of her left arm, and saw her husband standing framed in the door between the kitchen and the dining room. His patient stood behind him, a little to his right, pressing the barrel of a derringer up flush against his temple.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cP-Pa?!\u201d Toby queried, his voice shaking, his cherubic face white as a sheet.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cQuiet, Jess,\u201d Joe said tersely, his face contorted with raw fury.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cB-But, Pa . . . I-I\u2019m not Jess . . . I\u2019m TOBY!\u201d the boy protested.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI told you to keep quiet!\u201d Joe snapped. \u201cNow you get down, you hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Toby remained in his chair, paralyzed by shock and fear. Every muscle in his body had gone rigid, and his breath came in ragged, shallow gasps.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJess,\u201d Joe growled, the black scowl on his face deepening, \u201cI TOLD you\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPa . . . . \u201d Jess rose very slowly to his feet, his heart racing. \u201cPa . . . I\u2019M Jess\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSit down,\u201d Joe snarled, \u201cand keep those hands right there on the table where I can see \u2018em.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Pa\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJess, you do as your pa says,\u201d Vera Jacobs ordered, laboring to keep her voice calm and even. She set her bowl down on the table, then straightened, and turned to face his father. \u201cMister Cartwright,\u201d she said, \u201cplease . . . let my husband go.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYour husband robbed a bank and killed my wife,\u201d Joe shot right back.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re mistaken, Mister Cartwright . . . my husband is NOT the man who killed your wife,\u201d she stated, with fear and trembling. \u201cMy husband is the doctor here in Mormon Springs . . . you\u2019re his patient.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The rage that stood poised and ready to eat Pa whole vanished in an instant, leaving him completely disoriented. \u201cMuh-Mormon Springs . . . . \u201d he muttered, his eyes darting from one face to the next.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right . . . you\u2019re in Mormon Springs,\u201d Vera carefully pressed, \u201cin the home of Doctor Jacobs. You were ill last night . . . Stan and Mister Barker brought you here. Do you remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI . . . no,\u201d Pa shook his head, \u201cdon\u2019t remember . . . m-my wife . . . where\u2019s my wife?\u201d He gazed about the room with the wide eyed look of a trapped wild animal.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPlease, Mister Cartwright . . . let my husband go,\u201d Vera begged.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAmanda?\u201d Pa cried out. \u201cAmanda!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s not here,\u201d Vera said evenly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWHERE\u2019S MY WIFE?!\u201d Pa shouted, his face once again contorting with fury. \u201cAMANDA?\u201d he yelled, with tears streaming down his face. \u201cAMANDA! ANSWER ME, AMANDA . . . PLEASE!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pa\u2019s hold on the sawbones loosened. Gritting his teeth, Stan Jacobs drove his elbow into Pa\u2019s abdomen. Pa doubled over, bellowing like that crazed bull Mister Carson had back on the Circle C. The derringer flew out of his hand and came to rest on the kitchen floor next to the table. The doctor\u2019s wife bent down and retrieved the weapon as Pa dropped to his knees with a dull, sickening thud and toppled over on his side.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAmanda . . . . \u201d Pa whimpered softly, as he slowly rocked back and forth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJess, please . . . help me get your pa back into the examination room,\u201d the doctor said. \u201cI\u2019ll give him a sedative . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess wasn\u2019t sure what hurt the most: Pa reliving what was more than likely Ma\u2019s dying, and nearly killing Doctor Jacobs; or the fact that Pa didn\u2019t even recognize him. After the doc had sedated Pa, he tried to explain that what had just happened was part of a process called withdrawal and it had something to do with the fact that Pa hadn\u2019t had any of what the Temperance League in town called strong drink in the last three, maybe four days.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIs Pa gonna be all right?\u201d Jess demanded. \u201cHe\u2019s not . . . h-he\u2019s not going to . . . to\u2013\u201d He broke off deathly afraid of giving voice to the dire question that yet remained uppermost in his thoughts.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, Jess,\u201d the doctor said gravely. \u201cYour pa\u2019s in a bad way right now, and as bad as things were this morning, they\u2019re more than likely going to get worse before they begin to get better. I promise you I\u2019m going to do all I can to help your pa through this, but whether he pulls through . . . or not . . . will depend on your pa . . . and on God.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess wanted to remain here with his father, of course, but the doc and Mrs. Jacobs insisted that he accompany his brothers and sisters to school.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe doctor and I will be right here, Jess,\u201d Mrs. Jacobs assured him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYour pa\u2019s more than likely going to sleep the rest of the day, all night, and well into tomorrow morning,\u201d the doctor said in a quiet, yet firm tone of voice. \u201cI think you wanting to stay by your father\u2019s side is very commendable, but there\u2019s no point. He wouldn\u2019t even know you were there.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d Jess reluctantly gave in. \u201cI\u2019ll go to school but you have to promise you\u2019ll to send for me if . . . if Pa\u2019s condition changes.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI will, Jess,\u201d the doctor replied. \u201cI give you my word.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The school day, or perhaps more accurately, the half school day was a humiliating disaster from the moment Mister Polk, the school master rang the bell, signaling the start of class. Although Jess had seen to it that Benjy, Toby, and Marie went to school and kept up with their class assignments, he had done neither for the better part of the last year, with Pa growing sicker with each passing day and the responsibility of looking after his younger siblings falling more and more on his shoulders.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess took his place among the other students his age, and discovered much to his embarrassment that he had forgotten most of his multiplication tables, and long division problems, something his classmates had learned at some point during the last year, proved itself a process far beyond his meager ability to grasp. The teacher had given two pop quizzes; one in spelling and the other in U. S. history. He got a big fat red zero on the spelling quiz, and though he had somehow managed to correctly answer half the questions on the history quiz, he had still failed the test. Thankfully, Jess remembered his letters, how to read and write, but according to his teacher, a first grader just learning had much better penmanship, and his reading . . . .<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . wasn\u2019t at my grade level either,\u201d \u00a0\u00a0Jess mused in silence, his face reddening again upon hearing his teacher make that assessment in front of the entire class, and the entire student body, except for his brothers and sister, laughing uproariously in response.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But as bad, as humiliating as the morning had been, the worst was yet to come.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYOUR pa\u2019s nuthin\u2019 but a no good, dirty, fallin\u2019 down DRUNK!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That voice belonged to Tommy Miller, a fourth grader who, along with his brother, Pete, seemed to take pleasure in bullying students younger and smaller than themselves. They got away with it easily because none of the little ones the Miller boys singled out as victims ever told on them because the very few who had were the ones who got punished because Tommy and Pete\u2019s mother just happened to be Mister Polk\u2019s oldest sister.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDidja HEAR me?\u201d Tommy demanded. \u201cI SAID your pa\u2019s nuthin\u2019 but a no good, dirty, fallin\u2019 down DRUNK!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHe is NOT!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess glanced up sharply upon recognizing his youngest brother, Toby.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWell I <\/strong>say he IS,\u201d Tommy countered with a smug grin Jess wanted so badly to smack off the boy\u2019s round, pudgy face.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYOU\u2019RE A LIAR<\/strong>!\u201d Toby yelled back.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The smile on Toby\u2019s face instantly vanished. \u201cTake it back,\u201d he ordered in a voice low and menacing.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNO!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Toby . . . please?\u201d Marie begged. She caught hold of her brother\u2019s arm and tried to drag him away from the older boy looming so high above their heads.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSissy boy, sissy boy,\u201d Tommy taunted as he strutted like a fighting cock that had just won the day amid the crowd of children now gathering around him and Toby. \u201cSissy boy . . . hiding behind his LITTLE sister\u2019s skirts.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The other children laughed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As Jess rose to his feet, he saw Benjy walk up behind Tommy and tap him on the shoulder. \u201cI\u2019d say YOU\u2019RE the REAL sissy boy,\u201d Benjy said, \u201cthe way you seem to like picking on kids a whole lot smaller than you . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou sayin\u2019 my brother\u2019s chicken?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That was Tommy\u2019s oldest brother , Pete, who stood nearly as tall as Jess and weighed a good ten pounds, maybe fifteen, more.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWell if HE\u2019S not, I sure as shootin\u2019 AM,\u201d Jess declared as he waded into the fray.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pete gritted his teeth and swung at Jess. Jess easily dodged, then followed through with a hard jab to Pete\u2019s face. Pete reeled backward two or three steps, then fell, landing ignobly on his rump, eliciting gales of laughter from the circle of children gathered to watch.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pete scrambled to his feet, his face beet red with humiliation and rage. He lowered his head and charged Jess like a bull, catching him square in the abdomen. Both boys fell, and upon striking the ground, began rolling in the dirt, pummeling each other with their fists and calling each other every vile name and expletive they knew at the tops of their voices.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tommy, in the meantime, turned and advanced on Toby, with murder in his eyes. \u201cNow I\u2019m gonna get YOU,\u201d he vowed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou big bully!\u201d Marie screamed with angry tears flowing down her face like rivers. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you leave us ALONE?!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAww,\u201d Tommy taunted, \u201ccry baby cry!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Benjy eased his way between his younger brother and only sister. \u201cYou want to get my brother and sister, you no good worthless yellow bellied coward, well, you\u2019re gonna have to go through ME!\u201d he declared, gazing down on the younger boy with the meanest, nastiest glare he could summon.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on here?\u201d a deep, stentorian voice bellowed. It was Mister Polk. He leaned over and seized Jess and Pete by the shoulders, and forcibly separated them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHE<\/strong> STARTED IT!\u201d Pete shouted, pointing his finger at Jess.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJess did NOT!\u201d Marie cried, outraged and highly indignant. \u201cTOMMY \u2019S the one who started it!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI did NOT, you li\u2019l liar!\u201d Tommy returned, his face contorted with rage.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThat will be quite ENOUGH,\u201d the schoolmaster declared in a tone of voice colder than ice. \u201cPete . . . Tommy . . . and the rest of you children, go on back inside. Recess is OVER.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The other children groaned, but obediently turned and shuffled reluctantly toward the schoolhouse.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou Cartwrights!\u201d Mister Polk exclaimed, his voice filled with contempt. \u201cQuarrelsome trouble makers each and every one of you. Thoroughly rotten to the core same as that miserable excuse for a father\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBut TOMMY\u2019S the one\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mister Polk glared balefully down at Marie. \u201cYoung lady, I will NOT stand for you making accusations about my nephew when he\u2019s not here to speak in his own defense. You will apologize at once.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMy sister will apologize to you after YOU\u2019VE apologized to US for the things you just said about our PA . . . with HIM not here to take up for himself,\u201d Jess said evenly as he stepped between the school master and his younger siblings.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou insolent young pup!\u201d Mister Polk exclaimed, his face blackening with rage. \u201cSo help me . . . so HELP me . . . if I never teach you anything else, I WILL teach you respect for your betters.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He reached for Jess, with every intention of giving the boy a beating he would never forget, and one that would make sitting an uncomfortable prospect for the better part of the next week.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess stepped back, eluding the school master\u2019s grasp. \u201cYou so much as lay a hand on me . . . OR my brothers and sister for something we DIDN\u2019T do . . . I\u2019ll KILL you,\u201d he passionately vowed. \u201cI swear, I\u2019ll kill you.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mister Polk stared at him for what seemed an eternity, then stepped back. \u201cYou kids get out of here,\u201d he ordered, his voice shaking, \u201cand if any of you so much as come within ten feet of this school, I\u2019ll fetch the sheriff.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The worst . . . the absolute worst and most fearsome thing of all was a heated conversation between that horrible Mrs. Loomis and the doctor\u2019s wife, when the woman came by right after they had all finished lunch. Jess hadn\u2019t meant to eavesdrop. Pa had taught them all better. But when he heard Mrs. Loomis utter his name . . . .<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know which is worse! That child being under the influence of a father who\u2019s clearly unfit . . . or being under the influence of her dreadful brother, Jess,\u201d Mrs. Loomis ranted.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The doc\u2019s wife stood at the bottom of the stairs while Mrs. Loomis paced back and forth in front of the front door. Jess, who was on the top landing, quickly moved out of sight.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure you heard what happened at the school today,\u201d Mrs. Loomis continued. \u201cJess threatened the school master\u2019s LIFE!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAll things considered, I\u2019D say he had good cause,\u201d Mrs. Jacobs said evenly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a bad apple, same as his father!\u201d Mrs. Loomis declared. \u201cI just got through filing for custody of Marie Cartwright on the grounds that her father is woefully unfit, and I understand the Williamses intend to do the same with regard to the YOUNGER boys, if they\u2019ve NOT done so already.\u201d She paused for a moment, then gave Mrs. Jacobs a smug, triumphant smile that sent a chill racing down the entire length of Jess\u2019 spine. \u201cMy lawyer assures me that I have a solid case.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are you telling ME this, Mrs. Loomis?\u201d Mrs. Jacobs demanded.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBecause you AND the doctor will be called upon to testify as to Mister Cartwright\u2019s unfitness as a father,\u201d Mrs. Loomis said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo. Stan and I WON\u2019T do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou won\u2019t have any choice . . . not after the lawyers representing my husband and me . . . AND the Williamses . . . have you subpoenaed.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess quietly fled from his hiding place and returned to the Jacobs\u2019 family room, his thoughts and heart racing a mile a minute. He gave serious thought to running away, taking Benjy, Toby, and Marie with him . . . .<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . but . . . what about PA?\u201d he silently fretted. He couldn\u2019t just pick up and leave Pa. Jess felt as if he were drowning. \u201cPlease, Grandpa,\u201d he silently, desperately prayed, \u201cplease, please, PLEASE . . . send word that you\u2019re coming . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That evening over supper, Ben told the family about the wired message he had received from Jess that afternoon. A stunned, uneasy silence fell on everyone gathered at the table, child and adult alike.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cGrandpa?\u201d Hoss\u2019 third child, George Hightower Cartwright, aged thirteen, at length, broke the strained silence. Named for his maternal grandfather, he was the image of his father; a big man, with the same reddish brown hair and blue eyes, and same heart larger than the great outdoors.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, George?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s our uncle,\u201d Inger replied. She was Hoss\u2019 oldest by virtue of entering the world almost two minutes before her twin sister, Hannah.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSame as Uncle Adam and Uncle Jamie?\u201d George asked.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201c Ben replied. \u201cExactly the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cUncle . . . Joe. Uncle Joe,\u201d George silently ruminated. He felt an odd stirring deep inside.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . your Uncle Joe and his children have been gone a long time,\u201d Ben continued with a touch of sadness. \u201cYou and EJ . . . . \u201d short for Eric Hoss Borgstrom Junior, \u201cwere pretty little . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhad about ME, Gran\u2019pa?\u201d Hoss\u2019 youngest, Jeremy, short for Jeremiah, demanded.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou were just a baby,\u201d Hoss replied . . . .<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAaaahhhhhh\u2019ma gonna gitcha!\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Grandpa\u2019s news and the name, Uncle Joe . . . Uncle Joe, turned over and over and over again in Daniel\u2019s mind drew forth . . . a dream perhaps? Or was it something else?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAaaahhh\u2019ma gonna gitcha!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

For a moment, he found himself standing in the midst of Hop Sing\u2019s garden out back. There was a man out there, whose face he couldn\u2019t see, wearing a green jacket, Hop Sing, of course, and two very small boys, younger even than EJ.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAaaahhhhh\u2019ma da boogeyman, \u2018n Aaaahhhhh\u2019ma gonna gitcha!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The man\u2019s voice was low and hoarse, kind of a cross between a low croon and a playful growl. The boys turned and ran, laughing and squealing with pure delight.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAaaahhhhhh\u2019ma gonna gitcha! Here I come!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The man lumbered after them, half bent over. He caught the younger boy first, then the older. The three of them tumbled to the ground, much to Hop Sing\u2019s chagrin. The two boys ganged up on the man in the green jacket and began tickling him silly. The man laughed, making them laugh, too. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Hop Sing muttered something in Chinese, interspersed with an occasional \u201cBad boy! Very, VERY bad boy!\u201c <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The man in the green jacket laughed. \u201cKnow what, Hop Sing? These two fine piglets I just caught are so cute, I\u2019m gonna eat THEM for supper. Whaddya think about THAT?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing think too much foolishment. Supper ready, two minute.\u201c With that, he turned and stomped back into the house.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou heard what Hop Sing said, Bad Boys . . . .\u201d came a voice George hadn\u2019t heard in a very long time. It belonged to Aunt Amanda, who lay buried in the family cemetery down by the lake, next to the grave of Grandma Marie. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201c . . . enough foolishment! Let\u2019s get inside and get washed for supper before Hop Sing decides to feed it to the chickens . . . . \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Then, with a start, George all of a sudden realized that he was the older boy in the garden, and the younger boy\u2019s name was Jess, same as the one who sent Grandpa that telegram.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A hard kick to his ankle rudely jolted George back to present time and place. He turned and found EJ glaring up at him ferociously.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c \u2019Bout time you woke up!\u201d EJ admonished. \u201cI\u2019ve been askin\u2019 \u2019n askin\u2019 \u2019n askin\u2019 ya to pass the mashed potatoes . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

George opened his mouth with every intention of promising EJ a bath in the horse trough out front, only to snap it shut upon seeing the grim looks on the faces of his father, grandfather, and his uncles. \u201cAww, dadburnit, EJ, here\u2019s your mashed potatoes,\u201d he growled, as he placed the large bowl in front of his brother.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c \u2019Bout time,\u201d EJ growled back.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cEJ, I believe the right word is thank you,\u201d his mother, Bessie Sue, said in a quiet, complacent tone of voice.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d EJ said with a disparaging sigh.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMormon Springs.\u201d Adam, meanwhile, said slowly, thoughtfully. \u201cMormon Springs.\u201d He shook his head very slowly. \u201cHas he really been so close all this time?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t understand that myself,\u201d Ben said. \u201cI know Roy sent a wire to the sheriff there, and we know people in Mormon Springs, Sam Carson and his family, Gene Kramer among them.\u201d The latter owned a small but very lucrative horse ranch called the Sierra K. \u201cIf Joe HAS been there all this time, why in the WORLD didn\u2019t anyone see fit to tell us?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSo far as I\u2019M concerned, that don\u2019t matter none,\u201d Hoss said firmly. \u201cOnly thing that DOES matter is, we can go \u2019n fetch him \u2019n his kids back home where they belong.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen do we leave?\u201d He, Hoss, and Jamie turned to Ben expectantly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI<\/strong> leave tomorrow morning, first light,\u201d Ben said firmly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAlone?\u201d Adam queried, with eyebrow slightly upraised.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t ALL go,\u201d Ben pointed out. \u201cSomeone has to stay here and keep things going. We\u2019re still in the midst of calf branding for one thing\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCandy \u2019n Hank can oversee that,\u201d Hoss pointed out.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . and just about everything ELSE,\u201d Adam added his own two cents worth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2018s true . . . Candy and Hank are more than able to oversee the calf branding, and all the other daily chores,\u201d Ben had to concede, \u201cbut they can\u2019t negotiate that timber contract for the Gould and Curry.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPa, we could postpone\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, you know as well as I do that the owners of the Gould and Curry are very anxious to have their timber, and any delay at this point might very well end up costing you that contract,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBen\u2019s right,\u201d Bessie Sue said very quietly, \u201csimply because we\u2019re counting on money from that contract to buy winter feed for the stock AND to hire extra men to drive the cattle to market come Fall.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad someone at this table sees things my way . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNow you hold on just a second there, Ben,\u201d Bessie Sue said. \u201cSure, I agree with ya as to why Adam can\u2019t go, but I DON\u2019T agree you should go alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSurely you\u2019re not about to suggest Jamie\u2014?!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhy NOT, Pa?\u201d Jamie demanded.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I wasn\u2019t,\u201d Bessie Sue responded, \u201cand it\u2019s NOT because I or anyone else here has any doubts about your capabilities, Jamie. It\u2019s because YOU have a whole lot of studying yet to do and not much time left to do it in.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam had been tutoring his youngest brother, Jamie, just turned twenty, preparing him to take the entrance exams for his old alma mater, Harvard University, for the last year and a half. If Jamie passed, he would enroll and spend the next four years studying English Literature with a minor in Art History.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Bessie Sue,\u201d Jamie protested, \u201cSeptember\u2019s five months away.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMore like four and a half,\u201d Bessie Sue said, \u201cand that time\u2019s gonna pass by almost before you know it.\u201d She, then, turned back to her father-in-law. \u201cBen, you need to take Hoss with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Bessie Sue . . . what if the baby comes while Hoss is gone?\u201d Cecilia, Adam\u2019s wife for the better part of the last year, asked.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWE . . . . \u201d Hannah cast a sidelong glance over at her twin sister, Inger, \u201ccan help Ma if Pa\u2019s not here when the baby comes.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou bet!\u201d Inger agreed with an emphatic nod of her head.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCecelia, I\u2019ve had five now without a lick o\u2019 trouble,\u201d Bessie Sue said, \u201cand I expect no different from this one. Mrs. Shaunessey\u2019ll be moving day after tomorrow and will remain until the baby comes. Between her and my daughters, I\u2018ll be just fine.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Ben . . . that wire you got from Jess says Joe\u2019s ailing. Tending to him AND looking after his four children . . . it\u2019s a lot for one man to do all by himself, and though Jess, bless his heart, is around same age as George, I\u2018VE got a real strong feeling he\u2018s been looking after things ever since Joe became ill, and he\u2018s worn to a frazzle from doing it. You\u2019re gonna need Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHow \u2018bout ME, Ma?\u201d Jeremy piped up. \u201cCan I go with Pa \u2018n Gran\u2019pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I\u2019m gone, I\u2019m gonna need you here t\u2019 help your older sisters \u2018n brothers look after your ma,\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMister Cartwright?\u201d It was Hop Sing, standing at Ben\u2019s elbow with a pot of coffee, just made.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Hop Sing?\u201d Ben queried.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou and Mister Hoss, you bring Little Joe and Little Joe children home where they belong,\u201d the Chinese man none too gently admonished, punctuating his words with an emphatic nod of his head.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe WILL, Hop Sing, you can count on it,\u201d Hoss promised, all the while silently praying that he and his father wouldn\u2019t end up arriving too late.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Late the following evening, two men arrived in Mormon Springs. They had set out that morning, just as the dim gray twilight gave way to the silvery light of the dawn. Their journey was a silent one, each man lost in his own anxious thoughts at to what they would find upon reaching their destination; and though it had passed without incident, the long hours spent in the saddle coupled with their great concern for a man who was son and brother had left them bone weary. They climbed down from their saddles and tied their horses\u2019 leads to the post just outside.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBen?\u201d a voice called from the darkness. \u201cBen Cartwright?!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The big silver haired man turned upon hearing his name, and saw a man roughly his own height, though a good twenty or thirty pounds heavier and a handful of years younger. \u201cDo I know you, Mister?\u201d he queried, peering hard into the darkness obscuring the other man\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSam Carson, Circle C,\u201d the man replied. \u201cIt\u2019s been a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSam Carson, Circle C,\u201d Ben murmured softly with a puzzled frown. \u201cSam Carson . ..\u201d Then, suddenly, the light of recognition dawned. \u201cSam Carson. Of course.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a few years . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSam, I\u2019d like a chance to visit with you and your family, but, well . . . another time,\u201d Ben implored. \u201cI just received word that my youngest son and his family are here. You wouldn\u2019t happen to know where they are\u2014?!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBen, I . . . I had to FIRE him . . . I guess it\u2019s been four days ago now . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou . . . WHAT?!\u201d Ben demanded, his face darkening with anger.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cTo make a long story short, he started work for me five years ago, and\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben drew himself up to the very fullness of his height and glared down into the face of the man standing before him. \u201cYou mean to tell me that Joe\u2019s been working for you all that time, and you never saw fit to let me know?!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHe asked me not to,\u201d Sam said ruefully, \u201cthough I suppose I should have when he\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSay, Mister . . . did you say you\u2019re related to Joe Cartwright?\u201d another voice asked.<\/p>\n

\u201c . . . and YOU are?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cFrank Barker, Sir. I own the livery stable here in town. You\u2019ll find Joe and his family over at Doc Jacobs\u2019 office.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s Doc Jacobs\u2019 office?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBack the way you came, \u2018bout a quarter mile or so,\u201d Frank replied. \u201cI\u2019ll show you the way if you\u2019d like. I\u2019ll be going by there to get to the livery stable . . . and home.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Mister Barker. We\u2019d be much obliged to ya,\u201d Hoss replied.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou can call me Frank, Mister Cartwright . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . \u2018n you can call me Hoss,\u201d he said as the three climbed up into their respective saddles.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCOMING!\u201d Vera called out in response to the loud pounding on her front door. She made her way from her husband\u2019s examination room down the short expanse of narrow corridor fervently praying the late night caller hadn\u2019t come with some dire medical emergency. \u201cWHO IS IT?\u201d she demanded upon reaching the closed and locked front door.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMY NAME IS BEN CARTWRIGHT! I\u2019VE BEEN TOLD MY SON\u2019S HERE\u2014!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Vera immediately threw the door open. \u201cPlease come in,\u201d she invited, standing aside to allow the two men standing at her threshold to enter. \u201cYou say you\u2019re Joe Cartwright\u2019s father?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben nodded.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI had no idea he had other living relatives . . . apart from his children, that is,\u201d she said, before turning her attention to Hoss. \u201cAnd you, Sir?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHoss Cartwright. I\u2019m Joe\u2019s older brother . . . one of \u2018em anyway. Ma\u2019am?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Mister Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPlease, call me Hoss. With all these Mister Cartwrights around, things\u2019ll be a whole heckuva lot less confusin\u2019 that way . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAll right . . . Hoss it is,\u201d she responded with a weary half smile. \u201cMy husband is with your son and brother right now. Why don\u2019t you both make yourselves comfortable in the parlor\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cGrandpa?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben, Hoss, and the doctor\u2019s wife turned and found Jess standing at the top landing, clad in a nightshirt a few sizes too big.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The boy stared hard at Ben for a long moment. The face was a mite thinner and had more lines than he remembered, but the hair and voice were still the same. He tore down the stairs, running as if he had the very devil himself holding fast to the hem of his nightshirt. \u201cGrandpa,\u201d he murmured softly, incredulous, his voice shaking. \u201cThank God\u2014 \u201d Jess collapsed into his grandfather\u2019s outstretched arms, buried his face tight against Ben\u2019s shoulder, and wept as he never had before.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben placed his arms around the boy and held him close. \u201cI\u2019m here, Jess . . . your uncle, Hoss, and I are both right here,\u201d he whispered softly, his own voice breaking, \u201cyou g\u2019won . . . let it out now . . . just let it all out . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDoc . . . what did your wife mean when she said she had no idea that Joe had other livin\u2019 relatives other than his children?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He and Doctor Jacobs were seated at the kitchen table, with two steaming hot cups of freshly brewed coffee before them, virtually untouched. Vera Jacobs had gently escorted Ben and Jess to the formal parlor, then ushered her husband and Hoss to the kitchen. After making up a pot of coffee, she had gone to sit with Joe, who still remained well sedated.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cTwo years ago, I treated him for a broken leg,\u201d the doctor explained, \u201cthe break was a bad one . . . left him with a bit of a limp, but all in all, it\u2018s a miracle he can walk at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019d it happen?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHe was trying to break a wild horse, part of a herd Sam Carson\u2019s son, Aaron, and a few hands brought on off the range,\u201d the doctor replied. \u201cAaron told me he was tossed, and while he was still lying on the ground, the horse stomped on his left leg.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss winced. \u201cI don\u2019t understand how such a thing could happen,\u201d she said quietly, shaking his head in disbelief. \u201cJoe was the one o\u2019 the best Pa ever had when it came t\u2019 breakin\u2019 wild horses, if not THE best.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMister Cartwright . . . uhh, Hoss, first time I met your brother . . . it was not long after he and his family arrived in Mormon Springs, he had a reputation for being a heavy drinker,\u201d Stan Jacobs explained, \u201ca reputation that was well deserved. He went to work for Sam Carson after his first employer, a man by the name of Karl Wilson sold out and took off for California in search of gold. So far as I know, Sam\u2019s been more than satisfied with him work, until after the accident in which your brother broke his leg. He started to drink more heavily after that, and has declined markedly since, especially over the course of the last year.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAt any rate, when I treated his broken leg, there was a real good chance at the time of him never walking again. I asked if he had other family he could go to . . . he told me there was no one. I, mistakenly it seems, took that to mean that he had no other living relatives.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJess said in his telegram that Joe\u2019s very sick . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stan nodded. \u201cHe\u2019s not had any beer or whiskey since the incident at Fat Annie\u2019s Saloon . . . I guess it\u2019s been four nights ago now, maybe five,\u201d he said. \u201cHe\u2019s going through a process called withdrawal\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that mean . . . exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe alcohol in beer, whiskey, brandy, and the like is a drug, Hoss,\u201d the doctor explained.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cLike opium?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Stan Jacobs replied, \u201cvery much like opium and in its own way alcohol is every bit as addictive. When a man who\u2019s used to drinking very heavily . . . like your brother . . . suddenly stops, he\u2019s likely to suffer from symptoms ranging from mild like headaches, insomnia, loss of appetite, anxiety, and nightmares . . . to very severe like vivid hallucinations, fever, and seizures.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIs Joe gonna pull through this?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d say right now his chances are fifty-fifty,\u201d Stan said somberly. \u201cI\u2019m doing all for him that I know how to do, but as I explained to your nephew after . . . well after what happened yesterday, whether he pulls through this or not is going to be up to him and God.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened yesterday?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYesterday morning, it would seem he mistook me for the man who killed his wife,\u201d the doctor replied, his voice suddenly shaking. \u201cI went in to check up on him while my wife was fixing breakfast, and the next thing I knew he had a hammerlock grip around my neck and the derringer I keep in the top left hand drawer of my desk pressed right up against my temple.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2019s a strong, wiry fella . . . \u2018n he\u2019s always been able t\u2019 move real fast,\u201d Hoss said. He picked up the cup of coffee before him and took a tentative sip. \u201cI, uhh . . . hope he didn\u2019t hurt ya . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not physically at any rate. My wife, bless her heart, was able to talk your brother through the hallucination he suffered. Jess and I took him back to the examination room, where I gave him a sedative . . . as strong a sedative as I dared,\u201d Stan said. \u201cHe\u2019s roused from time to time through out the day, and when he sleeps, he cries out for Amanda. I assume she WAS his wife?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYessir.\u201d Hoss drank more coffee from the cup in hand, wincing against its strong bitter taste. \u201cShe died . . . . \u201d He fell silent for a moment to do a bit of mental figuring. \u201cI guess it\u2019s goin\u2019 on six years now. She was killed during a bank robbery.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know all the details, Doc. Joe \u2018n Amanda were in the bank at the time along with a couple o\u2018 tellers \u2018n a few others . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was a standoff. Roy Coffee had the bank completely surrounded by armed deputies. The four robbers, the infamous Wilson brothers, were effectively trapped. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Victory for the good guys right? <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

It would have been if the Wilson gang didn\u2019t have hostages, which included two tellers, Heather Lowell, Mark Everly and his daughter, Jill . . . Joe and Amanda, along with a few others. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The sound of gunfire and a scream the like of which Hoss had never heard issue from human or wild animal shattered the tense, uneasy silence that had begun to settle over everyone in town that day into a thousand, million pieces. A second gunshot was heard less than a moment later. Almost without thinking, Hoss charged in with Roy Coffee following close at his heels. Inside, he and Roy found Heather Lowell, Mark and his little girl, and the other customers in the bank that day pale and shaken. Jill Everly clung to her father, as if for dear life, while trying desperately not to cry. Hoss very quickly and easily disarmed the boy standing look out by the door, and the eldest brother, Frank Wilson. Roy found of the tellers lying dead on the floor behind his cage, and Ed Wilson as well, shot down in the bank vault by the surviving teller. His brother, Joe, was found straddling the fourth robber, Emil Wilson, raining down blow after blow after bow to the man\u2019s face and head. Amanda lay sprawled on the floor not ten feet away, bleeding profusely from a bullet to the heart. It took three very strong men, including Hoss, to drag Joe off of Emil.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Amanda was taken straightaway to Doc Martin\u2019s office, but there was nothing the kindly physician could do except pronounce her dead. <\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . \u2018n somewhere in all that confusion, Emil Wilson got clean away,\u201d Hoss concluded the grim, tragic tale.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so sorry,\u201d Stan Jacobs said very quietly. \u201cI . . . I can\u2019t begin to imagine what your brother went through then . . . what he\u2019s still going through now. Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, Doc?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t misunderstand . . . I\u2019m grateful you and your father are here,\u201d Stan said earnestly, \u201cbut I am curious as to how you both KNEW to come . . . or is your arrival a lucky happenstance?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPa got a wire from Jess late yesterday afternoon sayin\u2019 that his pa was very sick \u2018n he didn\u2019t know what to do,\u201d Hoss replied.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThat nephew of yours is quite a boy, Hoss,\u201d the doctor said, with a touch of awe and a great deal of respect. \u201cFor the past year or so, he\u2019s been the glue that\u2019s held his family together, but there\u2019s only so much a boy can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss frowned. \u201cIs there somethin\u2019 y\u2019 ain\u2019t told me, Doc?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t mean to eavesdrop, Grandpa . . . truly! Pa taught us better than that . . . . \u201d Upstairs in the Jacobs\u2019 dark guestroom, Jess had spent the better part of the last hour pouring his heart out to Ben. He knew this was a man he could trust and rely upon from the first moment he laid eyes on him standing at the bottom of the stairs with that big man wearing a the biggest ten gallon had Jess had ever seen.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . that\u2019s your Uncle Hoss,\u201d Grandpa said . . . .<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI know he did, Son,\u201d Grandpa said in a firm, yet kindly tone of voice. \u201cI also know that a child or a young man like yourself sometimes overhears things without meaning to initially.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t gonna stay and listen until I heard the name Loomis,\u201d Jess continued. \u201cThat Mrs. Loomis . . . . \u201d he shuddered, \u201cshe\u2019s got six boys, Grandpa, but she wants a little girl. I don\u2019t suppose there\u2019s anything wrong with that, except she wants MARIE to be her little girl. She\u2019s . . . she\u2019s filed something, Grandpa . . . something that would give her the right to take Marie away from us, and there\u2019s another family, too. Name\u2019s Williams. THEY want Benjy \u2018n Toby, but between you \u2018n me? They don\u2019t love \u2018em . . . they don\u2019t care much about \u2018em at all. They just want hands who\u2019ll work for nothin\u2019 on that farm Mister Williams just saved up enough money to buy.\u201d Jess\u2019 words tumbled out of his mouth one, after the other after the other. \u201cThey say . . . they say Pa\u2019s unfit . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . and what of YOU, Jess?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo one much likes me, I\u2019m afraid, except Doc Jacobs and his wife . . . Mister Reuben, and Miss Lucy.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWho are Mister Reuben and Miss Lucy?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMister Reuben\u2019s one o\u2019 Mister Carson\u2019s sons, and Miss Lucy\u2019s his daughter,\u201d Jess replied. \u201cThe Loomises and the Williams . . . they work for Mister Carson, same as Pa . . . or same as Pa DID . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJess, I want you to listen to me, and I want you to listen real good.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The firmness in his grandfather\u2019s tone mixed with a certain gentle quality, caught and held Jess\u2019 attention.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cFirst, we\u2019re ALL going to do what we can for your pa,\u201d Ben said, \u201cDoc Jacobs, his wife, your uncle, me, and you, too, Son . . . you, your brothers, and you sister. If . . . . \u201d He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. \u201cIf your pa doesn\u2019t pull through, then you, Benjy, Toby, and Marie WILL come home with your uncle and me. You have my word on that, Jess, and you have my word that the four of ya will remain together.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess\u2019s eyes began to blink excessively against the acrid sting of a fresh onslaught of tears, just forming. \u201cGrandpa, what if . . . what if the Loomises and the Williamses try to s-stop you?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThey can\u2019t,\u201d Ben said with confidence. \u201cIf your pa doesn\u2019t pull through, the law says you go with your next of kin. That would be me and your uncles.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cUncles?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes. You\u2019ve seen your Uncle Hoss, and you have two more waiting at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cUncle . . . Adam and . . . Uncle Jamie?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes. You remember them?\u201d Ben queried, mildly surprised.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess shook his head. \u201cTheir names came to me just now, but I don\u2019t remember them . . . not really. I dream, I think, about playing with another boy . . . he\u2019s older, but not by much. There\u2019s a man, who\u2014 \u201d He choked back a sob. \u201cThere\u2019s a . . . a man who looks an awful lot like Pa there, with a Chinese man and . . . and a woman. I can\u2019t see her face, but she\u2019s got the same kinda hair as Marie.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThat other boy\u2019s your cousin, George. Hoss\u2019 son,\u201d Ben explained, his voice filled with sadness. \u201cWhen you both were real little, your pa used to rough house with ya in Hop Sing\u2019s garden\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing! Is he the Chinese man?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s REAL? He\u2019s not someone I dreamed up?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing is very real, Jess,\u201d Ben hastened to assure the boy. \u201cSo\u2019s George, though, like you, he\u2019s not a real little boy anymore, and your pa . . . . \u201d He remembered Joe as he was in those years now gone by, how he, according to a very annoyed and irate Hop Sing sometimes, was \u201cmore little boy than little boys.\u201d He wondered, then, if he would ever see that side of Joe, that naughty, mischievous little imp that had so endeared him to Amanda, and his father as well, ever again. Or had that wonderful, naughty little boy died by the same bullet that had so cruelly taken his beloved wife?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cGrandpa?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The sound of Jess\u2019 voice in the darkness stirred Ben from his melancholy reverie. \u201cYes, Son?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe woman who\u2019s also in the garden, you know, the one with hair like my sister? Is SHE real, too?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s real, Jess, though she\u2019s no longer with us,\u201d Ben replied, his heart all of a sudden unbearably heavy. \u201cShe is . . . was . . . your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After Jess had finally, at long last, dropped off to sleep, Ben slowly made his way downstairs, his head, his senses reeling from all that his grandson had told him. He saw the light in the kitchen, upon reaching the first floor of the Jacobs\u2019 home, and walked down the long, narrow corridor toward it. Hoss and the doctor were seated at the kitchen table, each with a near full cup of coffee before them, that had long ago gone ice cold.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . uhhh . . . Doctor Jacobs. Am I right?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss and the doctor glanced up sharply and found Ben leaning heavily against the door jamb.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed you are, Mister Cartwright,\u201d the sawbones said, rising. \u201cHow\u2019s Jess?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSleeping now, thank the Lord,\u201d Ben murmured wearily, with gratitude deeply heart felt.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPa, maybe you\u2019d best come in \u2018n sit down,\u201d Hoss said, with a worried frown. \u201cSome o\u2019 what the doc here just told me . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . is, I have the feeling, the same as a lot of what Jess told ME,\u201d Ben said. \u201cMorning\u2019s soon enough to talk about things. Right now, I want to see my son.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It had been an odd dream filled with voices, familiar and much loved . . . voices he\u2019d not heard in a very long time . . . men\u2019s voices that conjured up a whole string of images from memories that seemed to belong to a whole other lifetime . . . .<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

. . . a young man galloping across a wide meadow on a black and white pinto, with the wind in his face, chasing a beautiful young woman with a long, thick mane of wavy chestnut brown hair, the sound of her teasing laughter rising like a song above the sounds of their horses\u2019 hooves striking the earth . . . .<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

. . . two brothers standing up for a third on the day he took that beautiful woman with that long, thick mane of wavy chestnut brown hair for wife . . . .<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

. . . the birth of that young man\u2019s first child, a son named Jesse Holmwood for the man who had long ago adopted the infant\u2019s mother when both of her parents were killed, and raised her as his own . . . .<\/em><\/p>\n

. . . of that same young man playing in an enormous vegetable garden with his own son and his nephew, son of his older, biggest brother . . . .<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

. . . a cake, lavishly decorated, set square in the center of the dining room table in honor of that young man\u2019s birthday. He stood at the head of the table, surrounded by three very fine sons, two brothers, a father and sister-in-law, two nieces and nephews, and a Chinese man, tenderly cradling the infant daughter born early that morning . . . .<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMake wish,\u201d the Chinese man said.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI already have everything I could possibly ever wish for,\u201d the young man said . . . . <\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

His eyelids cracked open slightly, then slammed shut under their own, unbearably heavy weight a second later . . . .<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was one of the voices that had through some strange kind of bewitchment that had summoned forth all the good, kindly, loving images from times past, so very different from the ones, filled with pain and devastation, that had haunted him for the better part of the last year now.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Joe . . . c\u2019mon now . . . time t\u2019 wake up.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He forced his good eye wide open, so wide he could feel the minute muscles, many he never realized he had until that moment, straining. A big face, set with a pair of eyes the color of the sky on a bright sunny day, and crowned with a thinning halo of reddish brown hair, peered down into his own.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cH-Hoss?\u201d he rasped, astonished at how hoarse and feeble his own voice sounded in his ears.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The lips parted to reveal a big gap toothed smile that lit up his entire face. \u201cBig as life \u2018n twice as ugly, Li\u2019l Brother,\u201d the face responded.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . must be still dreamin\u2019,\u201d he murmured. His eyelids banged shut, and he allowed sleep to claim him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPa? Oh, Pa, I . . . I\u2019m burning up . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cShhh, Son . . . rest. You rest now . . . . \u201d He felt the gentle pressure of a cool, wet cloth against his forehead. \u201cI\u2019m here, Joe . . . I\u2019m RIGHT here . . . and I\u2019m gonna STAY right here . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cP-Promise?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI promise . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

He had to be dreaming. There was no way in the world his pa could be here sitting beside him. Even though he was but a day\u2019s ride from the Ponderosa, Pa had no idea where he was . . . no idea as to where to begin looking.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Still, hearing his father\u2019s rich, warm, baritone voice uttering those words so quietly, yet with conviction stronger and more firm than the earth upon which they all stood, soothed and reassured even though it was part of a fevered dream.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSleepy,\u201d he sighed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t you close your eyes and sleep for a while? Sleep would probably be the best thing in the world for you right now . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWill you be here when I wake up?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Son . . . I will.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPromise?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI promise . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben set the half empty bowl of ice water aside, then reached out and placed his hand over top Joe\u2019s forehead. \u201cStill hot,\u201d he noted with concern.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cGrandpa?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben slowly lifted his head and found Jess standing in the open door to the doctor\u2019s examination room, just on the other side of the threshold, with his younger brothers and sister, crowded in close behind.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s late,\u201d Ben said with a kind, if weary smile. \u201cThe four of you should be in bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t sleep,\u201d Jess replied. \u201cHow\u2019s Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s sleeping now.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCan we see him, Grandpa?\u201d Jess begged. \u201cPlease?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, seeing that the four of ya can\u2019t sleep anyway, I suppose it\u2019ll be all right,\u201d Ben relented, \u201cbut you\u2019ll have to keep very quiet so you won\u2019t wake him.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That was all the invitation Marie needed. She neatly sidestepped around Jess and boldly marched across the room. \u201cAre you REALLY our grandpa?\u201d she asked in a quiet yet very bold tone of voice.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Sweetheart, I am,\u201d Ben replied, his voice catching. She was the image of her mother with that thick, wavy chestnut brown hair, and in the way she carried herself. Her eyes and the fire in them, however, came from her father . . . and her namesake. He reached down and gently lifted her into his lap.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cGrandpa?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cY-Yes, Marie?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAre you crying?\u201d she asked in a very solemn tone of voice, while her brothers silently filed into the room.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cA little . . . I g-guess.\u201d Keeping one arm wrapped around her shoulders, he reached up with his free hand to brush away the single tear now lowing down his cheek.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Grandpa. I didn\u2019t mean to make you sad . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Marie . . . no. You didn\u2019t make me sad,\u201d Ben hastened to reassure. \u201cSometimes grown-ups cry when they\u2019re very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She leaned against Ben\u2019s chest while mulling over his words. A moment later she lifted her head and looked him square in the face. \u201cAre you saying you\u2019re happy?\u201d she asked, favoring him with a dubious glare.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I am,\u201d Ben replied, his heart swelling when she reached up with her small hand and gently wiped away the second tear that had just slipped over his eyelid.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy because I\u2019ve finally found your pa . . . and all of YOU.\u201d His watery gaze took in his three grandsons, who stood clustered together in a semi-circle before him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou ARE?!\u201d Benjy queried, incredulous.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYour uncles and I have been searching for you since the day we woke up and found you and your pa gone,\u201d Ben said earnestly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cGrandpa?\u201d Toby, the next youngest, barely a year older than Marie stepped closer and placed both hands on the leg not occupied by his sister.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Pa\u2019s all better . . . are we gonna go with YOU?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben wished with all his heart he could respond in the affirmative, but what if Joe ultimately opposed the idea?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cToby . . . . \u201d another voice replied before Ben could begin formulating an answer to his youngest grandson\u2019s question. He looked over at the examination table and saw Joe staring up at him, the eyelids of his good eye barely cracked open. \u201c . . . the answer\u2019s yes. When I\u2018m better . . . we\u2018re going with your grandpa.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThen you\u2019re . . . you\u2019re N-NOT mad because I . . . because I sent f-for grandpa?\u201d Jess asked, then mentally braced himself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe shook his head, wincing. \u201cNo, Jess . . . I\u2019m not mad . . . you . . . y-you did the right thing . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Margaret Loomis sailed into Judge Silas Mason\u2019s chambers with back straight, head held high, a triumphant smile on her face, and her eyes sparkling with intense anticipation. Her husband, William, a quiet, mild mannered man trailed meekly in her wake. Yesterday afternoon, she and William received word that Judge Mason wanted to see them this morning, nine-thirty sharp in his chambers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s going to grant our petition for custody,\u201d Margaret crowed the night before, though she was somewhat surprised the judge had come to a decision so quickly. Judge Mason tended to err so much on what he referred to as the side of caution, it took him three times longer to make up his mind than it did anyone else.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll see,\u201d William grunted after he\u2019d finished the last of his supper.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Her sons were less than enthusiastic about the idea of having a little sister to put it mildly, and her husband honestly had no care one way or the other. Though disappointed, Margaret Loomis was bound and determined not to let them dampen her delight at the prospect of finally having the daughter for which she had yearned for so long.<\/p>\n

After Judge Mason ruled in favor of their petition, and she knew beyond all doubt that he would, she and her husband would be able to take Marie home straight away. Certain formalities had to be observed and requirements met before they could legally adopt her, but their lawyer had assured them all those trivialities could be wrapped up within six months to a year.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Margaret and William had a daughter born to them, a year and a half after the birth of their oldest son. They had named her Miranda Elizabeth for the mother Margaret had lost when she was a small child. She was so perfect with that fine halo of spun gold framing a cherubic face with pink cheeks and bright blue eyes. Six weeks later, her healthy appetite began to decline, and she began to slowly waste away. Doctor Jacobs had done everything he knew to do, but in the end, the little girl couldn\u2019t be saved.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Failure to thrive, Doctor Jacobs said . . . .<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Five healthy, robust boys followed. A month after her youngest son was born, the \u201capparatus for having babies\u201d . . . the doctor\u2019s words, had to be surgically removed due to complications. Margaret Loomis had no idea as to the nature of said complications, nor did she particularly care. The only thing she DID know was, she couldn\u2019t have any more children.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ever.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Just at the point Margaret Loomis had come to a grudging resignation of sorts, Joe Cartwright hired on out at the Circle C and moved into the old foreman\u2019s cottage with his four children that included a beautiful baby girl she just plain and simply couldn\u2019t get out of her mind.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning, Mister and Mrs. Loomis,\u201d Judge Silas Mason rose from his place from the enormous roll top desk that dominated the small, windowless room. He shook hands with the husband first, then the wife.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Margaret was a bit surprised to see Aubrey and Louise Williams there as well . . . . \u201c . . . but perhaps I shouldn\u2018t be,\u201d \u00a0she ruminated silently. She\u2019d heard that they had filed to take custody of Joe Cartwright\u2019s two younger boys. Aubrey and William worked together out at the Circle C, but the Williamses were a dour, taciturn couple, who tended to keep very much to themselves.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMister and Mrs. Loomis . . . Mister and Mrs. Williams, first of all, I want to thank all of you for coming on such short notice,\u201d Silas said apologetically. \u201cThis is Mister Eric Cartwright . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCartwright?!\u201d Margaret queried with a dubious frown and an uneasy sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. The frown deepened when she glanced up and saw the big man standing behind Judge Mason, with his fingers curled loosely around the rim of an enormous ten gallon hat.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Ma\u2019am,\u201d Hoss affirmed, his tone of voice polite, yet cool.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSurely you\u2019re NOT related to . . . uhhh . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re askin\u2019 whether or not I\u2019m related t\u2019 Joe Cartwright, Mrs. Loomis, the answer is yes. I am,\u201d Hoss replied. \u201cHe\u2019s my brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cY-Your brother?!\u201d Margaret echoed, incredulous. \u201cI was under the impression he . . . that Joe Cartwright had no living relatives . . . apart from the children, that is . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSo was I,\u201d William Loomis said very quietly, \u201cbut to tell the truth, I can\u2019t ever recall a time Joe out and out SAID that his folks had all died.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMister Cartwright here and his father arrived last night after receiving word that Joe Cartwright was ill,\u201d the judge continued. \u201cIf he\u2019s found to be unfit, or if he dies, heaven forbid, custody of Marie Cartwright AND her brothers automatically goes to Mister ERIC Cartwright and his father.\u201d He paused briefly, then said with a sidelong glance over at Mister and Mrs. Williams, \u201cI have no choice but to deny both of your petitions for custody.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNO!\u201d Margaret cried out in anguish and outrage. \u201cJudge Mason, no! You CAN\u2019T do that!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d William stepped forward and took his wife\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Margaret easily pulled her arm from her husband\u2019s grasp. \u201cMister Cartwright, for the last five years I\u2019ve given your brother and his children food . . . what little I could spare, of course . . . my older sons kept that shack they called home on the Circle C in good repair . . . and many\u2019s the night my husband brought your brother home because he was too damned drunk to sit his horse. Where were you and your father all that time?\u201d she demanded, with arms folded tight across her ample, heaving chest.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMargaret, please\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI have a right to know, William,\u201d she insisted.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMister Cartwright, I apologize for my wife\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c \u2018S ok, Mister Loomis. I don\u2019t mind answerin\u2019 her question,\u201d Hoss said, then turn his attention to Margaret Loomis. \u201cMa\u2019am, since the mornin\u2019 my pa, my brothers, \u2018n me woke up \u2018n found Joe \u2018n his kids gone . . . we\u2019ve been searchin\u2019 for \u2018em ever since. My brother, Adam\u2019s, been payin\u2019 a good friend o\u2019 his, who happens t\u2019 be a Pinkerton man, a monthly retainer t\u2019 keep an eye out.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a shame no one in your family even thought to look right here in Mormon Springs,\u201d Margaret observed with rancor.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe did, Ma\u2019am . . . \u2018n every time folks either said they didn\u2019t know my brother, or they shrugged their shoulders \u2018n walked away.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMister Cartwright, speaking for myself, I\u2019m very happy to know that Joe has other family members who care about him, in addition to the children,\u201d William Loomis declared with an emphatic nod of his head. \u201cWhen Joe gets to feeling better, please tell him I wish him all the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Mister Loomis. I\u2019ll be sure t\u2019 tell him.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMister Cartwright,\u201d Margaret said, with tears borne of great sorrow and anger coursing down her cheeks. \u201cYou\u2019ve NOT heard the last of this\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMargaret, stop it,\u201d William ordered, his face darkening with anger. \u201cThe law says if anything happens to Joe, his kids go to his pa and brothers. There\u2018s nothing you or anyone else can do to change that. Now let\u2019s go. You have six boys at home who need their mother.\u201d With that, he took hold of her arm once again and ushered her toward the door.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Margaret, crestfallen and utterly defeated, meekly followed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI got three queens,\u201d Toby declared, grinning broadly. \u201cSee? One . . . two . . . three.\u201d He placed the queens of hearts, clubs, and diamonds down on the table placed in front of the settee in the Jacobs\u2019 family room upstairs, where Joe had been moved with help from the doctor and his father.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAww, dadburn it!\u201d Marie sighed. \u201cAll I got \u2019s three jacks \u2019n two fours.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou got ME beat,\u201d Jess declared, as he placed his own cards face down on the table.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou got ME beat, too, Princess,\u201d Joe said, smiling. \u201cLooks like you and Toby are the big winners.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI got fifty matchsticks \u2019n Marie\u2019s got fifty-three,\u201d Toby declared. \u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Son?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019s that work out in pennies?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cTwo match sticks for a penny,\u201d Joe declared, \u201cIF you both keep up with your school work.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Pa,\u201d Marie responded.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Toby vigorously nodded his head.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHave you done the lessons your grandpa asked you to do for today?\u201d Joe asked, his gaze taking in Jess along with his two youngest.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve all done our arithmetic problems, Pa,\u201d Marie replied. \u201cBut I ain\u2019t done my spelling words yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou HAVEN\u2019T done your spelling words yet,\u201d Jess automatically corrected his young sister.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI just said that!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you kids have about an hour or so before Mrs. Jacobs serves up lunch,\u201d Joe said. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you g\u2019won and get some work in on those spelling words? And Marie . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think maybe YOU need to make a point of going over your English grammar, too,\u201d Joe said, with an amused half smile pulling hard at the corner of his mouth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Sir,\u201d she responded with a melancholy sigh. English grammar was by far her least favorite subject.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Marie . . . you, too, Toby,\u201d Jess said quietly, as he turned to usher his younger siblings out of the room.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJess?\u201c<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, Pa?\u201c<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to talk to you for a minute,\u201d Joe said quietly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSure thing, Pa,\u201d Jess replied, before turning to Toby and Marie. \u201cYou two, g\u2019won ahead. I\u2019ll be along directly.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe waited until the two younger children had left the room. \u201cJess, first off, I want to let you know how proud I am of you for all you\u2019ve done to look after your brothers and sister. I . . . Son, I know I\u2019ve been a miserable, lame excuse for a father, this past year especially\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c \u2018S ok, Pa,\u201d Jess said, not quite knowing what else to say.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s not,\u201d Joe said firmly, \u201cand I promise you THAT\u2019S going to change.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pa had made that promise so many times before, only to break it a day or two later. Jess had long ago come to the place of taking his father\u2019s promises to do better with a grain of salt. But today, hearing his father utter those same words, something was different. He felt the stirring of something deep inside, something he\u2019d not felt for a very long time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hope.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou will, Pa,\u201d Jess said quietly, believing his father\u2018s words despite any and all intentions to the contrary. \u201cI KNOW you will.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . ok, Toby . . . summer,\u201d Jess read the next word down in his old third grade spelling book.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s easy,\u201d Marie piped up with a confident smile. \u201cS\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMarie, it\u2019s TOBY\u2019S turn,\u201d Jess chided his sister, not unkindly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSummer,\u201d Toby said slowly, \u201csuh . . . mer . . . . \u201d Then, suddenly, the puzzled frown evaporated as the light dawned. \u201cSummer,\u201d he repeated the word with a broad grin. \u201cS-U-M-M-E-R. Summer.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s absolutely right,\u201d Jess declared with a wide grin. He, then, turned to his sister. \u201cYOUR turn, Marie . . . camp.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cOh, that\u2019s easy,\u201d she responded in a dismissive, ever so slightly condescending tone. \u201cK . . . . \u201d She paused for a moment, frowning. \u201cNO . . . that ai-, uhh ISN\u2019T right . . . camp. It\u2019s a C word. C<\/strong> . . . A-M-P.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess closed the speller, smiled over at Marie first, then at Toby. \u201cVery good. You got \u2018em all right first time around.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCan Toby \u2018n me . . . I mean Toby \u2018n I<\/strong> . . . play some checkers until we eat lunch?\u201d Marie asked, with a longing gaze over at the board and pieces set up for play on the cedar chest placed at the foot of the double bed her two older brothers shared.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess glanced over at the regulator clock hanging above the fireplace mantle in the Jacobs\u2019 guest room. The time was a quarter before the hour. \u201cI guess it\u2019ll be ok,\u201d he decided, reasonably confident the two younger children would perform equally well for their grandfather later when he tested them on their spelling, \u201cbut you two mind the rules and keep it quiet.\u201d This last he added with an anxious glance over in the direction of their brother, Benjy, who yet remained under the covers, with his back pointedly turned toward his family.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Toby and Marie quickly chose their colors, then settled themselves on either side of the checkerboard, and began to play.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess, meanwhile, walked around the bed, and knelt down bringing him face to face with Benjy. \u201cYou feeling any better?\u201d he quietly asked.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Benjy responded in a sullen tone, with his eyes squeezed shut.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou want me to ask Doc Jacobs\u2014?!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo. I just want you to leave me ALONE.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess reached over and placed the back of his hand against Benjy\u2019s forehead. \u201cCool as a cucumber,\u201d he murmured softly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Benjy opened his eyes and glared over at Jess. \u201cYou calling me a liar?\u201d he demanded, outraged and righteously indignant.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Jess replied, \u201cI just said you didn\u2019t have a fever \u2018s all\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cA guy CAN be sick without running a fever, y\u2019 know . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes . . . I know.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThen why are you making such a big deal over whether or not I have a fever?\u201d Benjy demanded.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess frowned. \u201cBenjy, I\u2019M not the one making a big deal . . . YOU are,\u201d he countered.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWHY DON\u2019T YOU JUST GO AWAY AND LEAVE ME ALONE?\u201d Benjy yelled, then yanked the bedclothes up over his head and turned away from his brother.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHey . . . what\u2019s all this?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Three heads, three pairs of eyes turned toward the open bedroom door, just as Uncle Hoss stepped into the bedroom.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess immediately rose to his feet. \u201cIt\u2019s Benjy, Uncle Hoss. He says he\u2019s not feeling well,\u201d the boy replied sheepishly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI see,\u201d Hoss murmured, as his eyes drifted to the small mound in the middle of the double bed. \u201cJess, would you do me a favor?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSure, Uncle Hoss. Anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Jacobs told me she\u2019s gonna have lunch ready in another five minutes or so,\u201d Hoss said. \u201cWould you please take Toby \u2018n Marie down to the kitchen \u2018n see they get washed up?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Kids,\u201d Jess invited, as he made his way across the room toward the door.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cUncle Hoss?\u201d Marie queried. \u201cDid you take care o\u2019 that mean ol\u2019 Mrs. Loomis?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYep. Now that the judge knows about your grandpa, me, \u2018n your two uncles back home, he told Mrs. Loomis, \u2018n the Williamses, too, they got no grounds for takin\u2019 custody over YOU, Young Lady . . . OR Toby \u2018n Benjy,\u201d Hoss replied. \u201cI\u2019ve not told your pa \u2018n grandpa yet . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Benjy pulled the bedclothes down to his neck. \u201cDon\u2019t NEED to tell PA,\u201d he said peevishly. \u201cLike as not he didn\u2019t even KNOW about the Loomises \u2018n the Williamses wanting to split us all up . . . \u2018n even if he did? Wouldn\u2018t have mattered, because he doesn\u2018t give a flying fig about us . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . uhh, Jess?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Uncle Hoss,\u201d the boy said quickly. He took his youngest brother and only sister by the hand and lead them out of the room.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBenjy, I don\u2019t know who told you a thing like that, \u2018n t\u2019 be honest, it don\u2019t matter none, \u2018cause it plain \u2018n simply isn\u2019t true,\u201d Hoss said very quietly, yet in a very firm tone of voice. He walked over to the side of the bed his young nephew occupied, and carefully sat down on the edge. \u201cI KNOW your pa\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Benjy angrily folded his arms over his chest and glared pointedly up at the ceiling. \u201cYou DON\u2019T know my pa, Uncle Hoss. Neither does Grandpa! How could you possibly know him when y\u2019 ain\u2019t even SEEN him in six years?!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s true . . . your grandpa, your uncles, \u2018n me haven\u2019t seen your pa in six years,\u201d Hoss admitted, \u201cbut we . . . all of us except your Uncle Jamie, have known him since he first came into this world. Your pa\u2019s had a real rough time of it since your ma died, \u2018n I know it\u2019s not been easy for you, Jess, Toby, \u2018n Marie, but things are gonna change.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI HATE him.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t MEAN that . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I DO!\u201d Benjy ardently, passionately declared, his eyes blinking against the sting of angry tears, newly formed. \u201cIf he ain\u2019t out drinkin\u2019, or sleeping it off, he\u2019s mean, \u2018n nasty, \u2018n . . . \u2018n he\u2019s a LIAR, Uncle Hoss. Nothin\u2019 but a dirty, stinkin\u2019, lyin\u2019 DRUNK.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss closed his eyes and slowly counted to ten. \u201cBenjy, that\u2019s NOT your real pa,\u201d he said quietly, fighting back the urge to drag the boy out of bed and down to the Jacobs\u2019 gardening shed for what Pa oft times called a \u201creal necessary talking to.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s six years o\u2019 whiskey talkin\u2019, \u2018n I\u2019m real sorry that\u2019s the only thing y\u2019 see when y\u2019 look at your pa. You wanna know what kinda man he really is deep down inside?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Benjy pulled the covers up over his head and turned away.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYour pa came into this world about a month or so early,\u201d Hoss continued. A nostalgic half smile tugged against the corner of his mouth. \u201cPa . . . MY pa that is, your grandpa . . . said he was impatient t\u2019 get out in the world \u2019n start livin\u2019. He was right, too, \u2019cause I\u2019ve never met a man with more love o\u2019 livin\u2019 life than your pa. He\u2019s a good man Benjy, with a real good heart . . . \u2019n you know what? We\u2019re gonna see that man again real soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Benjy remained under the covers, with his knees up under his chin. Hoss thought for a moment he had caught the sound of a strangled sob. He placed his hand on his nephew\u2019s shoulder and gently squeezed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the meantime, Marie and Toby trooped into the Jacobs\u2019 family room, washed and ready for lunch, with Jess following close behind.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJess?\u201c Joe asked. \u201cWhere\u2019s Benjy?\u201d He had shifted from lying on the settee to sitting up, with a fluffy down pillow behind him and his slippered feet propped up on the ottoman.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHe ain\u2019t . . . I mean isn\u2019t! Feeling good, Pa,\u201d Marie responded as she flounced across the room and climbed up in the empty place on the settee next to her father.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u201d Joe queried, looking from his daughter to his oldest son.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2018t say HOW he was feeling sick, just that he is,\u201d Jess said. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t have a fever though. I checked.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad to hear that,\u201d Joe said, \u201cbut he still needs to eat\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all right, Mister Cartwright, let the boy rest,\u201d Vera Jacobs said as she entered the room, with Hoss following behind carrying an enormous tray, laden with food. \u201cI\u2019ll fix him a couple slices of toast and some peppermint tea after we have our lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMister Cartwright?\u201d Stan ventured, as his wife quietly told Hoss where to set the tray down.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d three men automatically responded in unison.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cOops, sorry, I meant Mister JOE Cartwright,\u201d the doctor said sheepishly. \u201cI\u2019d be more than happy to take a look at Benjy if you\u2019d like.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe winced against a sharp stab of pain right between the eyes. \u201cMaybe you\u2019d better call me Joe,\u201d he said with a weak half smile. \u201cLess confusing that way, \u2018n besides . . . I tend to think of Mister Cartwright as being my pa\u2019s name anyway . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou all right, Son?\u201d Ben asked. An anxious frown deepened the lines already etched into his brow.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m ok, Pa . . . just a bit of a headache\u2019s all,\u201d Joe replied. The delicious, heady aromas of chicken stew, biscuits piping hot from the oven, and fresh brewed coffee began to turn his stomach.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d Marie solemnly, fearfully ventured. \u201cAre you sure you\u2019re ok?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe gave the child what he hoped was a reassuring smile. \u201cI\u2019m fine, Marie.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Marie shifted from sitting to kneeling. \u201cYou feel kinda warm,\u201d she said softly as she placed her hand against Joe\u2019s forehead.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe gently took her hand in his and kissed her palm. \u201cNow that you mention it, Sweetheart, your pa IS feeling a bit warm, but I\u2019m gonna be ok.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPromise?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI promise.\u201d Joe, then, turned to the doctor\u2019s wife. \u201cMrs. Jacobs, you\u2019ve fixed a real scrumptious looking feast, but I . . . all of a sudden, I\u2019m feeling a mite sick to my stomach. I-I\u2019m sorry . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

Jess immediately leapt to his feet. \u201cPa? You want me to take you back to your room?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Joe replied. \u201cThank you, Son.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll give ya a hand, Jess,\u201d Hoss said, as he also rose to his feet.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Jacobs, I-I\u2019m so sorry . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve nothing to apologize for, Mister Ca\u2014 Joe!\u201d Vera said, kindly yet firm. \u201cYou lie down and rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThank you . . . . \u201d Joe sighed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Li\u2019l Brother,\u201d Hoss murmured softly, as he reached down and helped Joe to his feet. He deftly slipped Joe\u2019s right arm about his own shoulders, then looked down at Jess. \u201cWould you mind gettin\u2019 the door?\u201d he asked, favoring the worried boy with a warm smile.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Toby and Marie left their places and walked over to the easy chair that Ben occupied.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cGrandpa?\u201d Toby asked, his voice barely above the decibel of the softest whisper. \u201cIs . . . is Pa gonna die?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben patted his lap and opened his arms. The children immediately climbed up and snuggled close. \u201cNo,\u201d he said firmly, \u201cyour Pa\u2019s NOT going to die.\u201d He looked down at Marie with a tremulous smile. \u201cDidn\u2019t he just promise you he was going to be ok?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Marie replied.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Toby nodded. \u201cI\u2019m scared, Grandpa . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMe, too,\u201d Marie said with a half sob.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s ok to be scared,\u201d Ben said softly, his own voice catching. \u201cI\u2019m feeling a little scared, too, but I know your pa\u2019s going to get well, then we\u2019re ALL going back to the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cGrandpa?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Toby?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI think I feel a little less scared \u2018cause YOU\u2019RE here . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss half dragged, half carried his younger brother down the room they shared with their father at the end of the hall. Mrs. Jacobs had apologetically explained last night that it was their twin daughters\u2019 bedroom. The girls were back east in New York, visiting their maternal grandmother for the summer. Come Fall, Vera had said, they would move into one of the dorms at the finishing school they would be attending for the next two years. Hoss felt a mite uncomfortable sleeping in what amounted to a world of white and varying shades of pink, amid ribbons, ruffles, lace, and all the fru-fru gewgaws that remained in the room, much to Joe\u2019s amusement and that of their father.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

With Hoss\u2019 help, Joe eased himself down on the bed set against the wall to the left of the door. His face was white as a sheet and he balled his hands into a pair of tight fists to try and quell their trembling. \u201cH-Hoss, I . . . I think I\u2019m g-gonna be . . . . \u201d He squeezed his eyes tight shut against an environment that had started to pulsate and spin before his eyes with nauseating intensity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess immediately dived under the bed slept in by his grandfather and dragged out a chamber pot of white porcelain painted with dainty pink roses. Clutching it close to his chest, he tore across the room to his father\u2019s side, and shoved it under Joe\u2019s head. \u201cHere y\u2019 are, Pa,\u201d he whispered, his own face a sick ashen gray hue and his eyes filled with fear.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe bent his head over the chamber pot and returned the breakfast he had eaten that morning, while Hoss gently held his head. After his stomach had emptied, he went into an intense spasm of dry heaving. \u201cD-Drink . . . . \u201d Joe gasped, \u201cH-Hoss . . . drink . . . n-need a drink . . . please . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess jaw dropped upon hearing those words. \u201cPa,\u201d he begged, wagging his head slowly back and forth. \u201cPa, no! You promised.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . flask . . . in my bag,\u201d Joe continued, oblivious to the stricken look on his son\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, you can have all the water y\u2019 want, or if you\u2019d rather, a cup o\u2019 that peppermint tea Mrs. Jacobs is gonna fix up for Benjy,\u201d Hoss said very firmly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . no,\u201d Joe moaned, \u201cs-something stronger . . . please . . . all I need\u2019s just one sip . . . . \u201d He struggled mightily to rise, and Hoss, much to his astonishment found himself suddenly hard pressed to keep his younger brother down.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJess, go fetch the doc,\u201d Hoss ordered.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess remained, as if he had taken root, with his arms wrapped tight around the near full chamber pot, staring over at his father, with tears streaming down his face, still shaking his head.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNOW, Jess,\u201d Hoss said tersely.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess started violently upon hearing his uncle\u2019s voice and dropped the chamber pot, which upon striking the floor, broke, spewing its contents over the pink and white rag rug in the middle of the room.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cGo get Doc Jacobs,\u201d Hoss urged again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess turned heel and fled from the room.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The grandfather\u2019s clock, standing against the wall to the left of the Jacobs\u2019 front door, chimed the hour of three in the morning rousing Ben from a sleep, fitful at best. He glanced down at his son, lying on a cot in Doc Jacob\u2019s examination room, and noted with a measure of relief that for the moment he still slept.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThank God Jess had the wherewithal to send that wire,\u201d Ben murmured softly, his heart breaking anew at the sight of Joe\u2019s battered face and the sound of his shallow, labored breathing. Doctor Jacobs has assured him, and Hoss, too, that his ribs would heal, the lurid bruising on his face would fade, and, if Joe was lucky, the scarring from that jagged cut on his cheek, held together with neat, tiny stitches from black thread, would be kept to a minimum.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHard to believe Joe and the kids\u2019ve been here . . . in Mormon Springs . . . right under our very noses,\u201d Ben observed in a melancholy tone. \u201cIf only we\u2019d been more diligent in our search for Joe and the kids . . . more thorough . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben knew that Joe had forgiven him when he told his children they would be leaving Mormon Springs and returning home, to the Ponderosa. Question was, would he ever be able to forgive himself for all the suffering Joe and the kids had endured for the past six years.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDOC JACOBS!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The sound of Jess\u2019 voice, filled with fear and anguish, echoing in the ears of his inward hearing drew Ben from his self recrimination and guilt.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The boy had burst into the Jacobs\u2019 family room, breathless, his face white as a sheet, his eyes round and staring, reminding Ben of a trapped wild animal. \u201cDoc Jacobs! Please!\u201d Jess begged. \u201cYou gotta come quick! My pa NEEDS you!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben leapt to his feet in the same instant as the doctor, his heart racing. Almost from the instant he stepped out into the long, narrow hallway, which led from the family room to the bedrooms at the back of the house, he could hear Joe crying out for Amanda.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDoc Jacobs . . . Pa . . . I\u2019m sure glad you came quick as you did, \u2019cause I don\u2019t know how much longer I can keep him down,\u201d Hoss greeted them as they burst into the room belonging to the Jacobs\u2018 twin daughters. His face was red and brow covered with sweat from the exertion.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stan Jacobs lost no time in taking charge of the situation. \u201cMister Cartwright . . . Hoss . . . let\u2019s see if we can get him down to my examination room,\u201d he said grimly. \u201cWe can bind him to the cot down there much more easily than to this bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cB-bind?!\u201d Ben echoed, outraged and feeling very sick at heart.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMister Cartwright, the state your son\u2019s in right now poses a great danger to himself and to everyone else in this house,\u201d Stan said curtly . . . .<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe had snapped the rope they had initially used to bind him with an ease both ridiculous and terrifying, all the while screaming for his late wife. In the end, Mrs. Jacobs brought in a pair of bridles belonging to their daughters. She and Ben cut them into long ties, while Hoss and the doctor struggled to hold Joe down, then set to work securing Joe\u2019s ankles and wrists to the cot. Ben knew it was necessary, but the act of binding his own son same as he might a wild animal was as a knife wound straight through his heart.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The doctor gave Joe a mild sedative . . . .<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . this is all I DARE give him,\u201d Stan said as he deftly filled the syringe. \u201cI just hope and pray it\u2019s enough . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After what seemed a dreadful eternity, Joe fell into a troubled sleep, sobbing his wife\u2019s name over and over. Ben realized, then, that Jess, who had remained in the room through out most of the ordeal was no where to be seen.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll look for him, Pa,\u201d Hoss offered, exhausted and, from the look in his eyes, every bit as heartsick as Ben himself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo . . . I\u2019LL look for him. You sit down a minute and rest . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben found Jess outside, sitting on the steps leading up to the kitchen door, with back slightly bowed and arms folded tight across his chest.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJess?\u201d Ben said softly as he sat down beside the boy. \u201cYou all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess slowly raised his head, and looked his grandfather square in the face. His eyelids were red and swollen and his cheeks were wet with tears. \u201cH-He promised, Grandpa,\u201d the boy said softly, his voice breaking.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben automatically reached over and gently rubbed his grandson\u2019s back, same as he had done for the boy\u2019s father from the time he learned to walk almost until the day he had picked up his children and left whenever he was upset or bothered by something.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHe PROMISED that . . . that things were going to . . . to change,\u201d Jess sobbed, \u201cbut when Uncle H-Hoss and I took him to his room? He was BEGGING Uncle Hoss to give him whiskey.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI heard your pa make that promise, too, Jess,\u201d Ben said, \u201cand no matter how things look right now, I have no doubt in my mind that he\u2019s going to KEEP his word.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess stared up into Ben\u2019s face earnestly. \u201cH-How can you be s-so sure?\u201d he whispered, wanting so desperately to hang on to the hope he had felt earlier that morning when his father had made that promise.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cFaith,\u201d Ben replied. \u201cFaith in the man I\u2019VE come to know and love very much as my son.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI . . . I\u2019m n-not sure I understand, Grandpa . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cFaith is believing in something even though you can\u2019t see it yet,\u201d Ben patiently explained. \u201cRight now, your pa\u2019s a very sick man, Jess. When you heard him begging Uncle Hoss for whiskey, that was his sickness talking. But, I know your pa\u2019s going to find the strength and will to overcome his sickness and keep his promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess silently mulled over his grandfather\u2019s words. \u201cGrandpa?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Son?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI WANT to believe you . . . and I want to believe PA, too,\u201d Jess said, his voice shaking, \u201cbut it\u2019s so HARD.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou were a real little fella when your ma died,\u201d Ben said quietly, \u201ca bit younger than your sister now, but . . . can you remember anything from that time?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s this dream I keep having, leastwise I thought it was a dream until you and Uncle Hoss came . . . but now I\u2018m not sure,\u201d Jess began haltingly. He, then, shared the picture of two small boys in a garden tended by a Chinese man playing with another man wearing a green jacket that he had seen from time to time in his mind over the years.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI . . . remember that day very well . . . . \u201d Ben said wistfully, drawing a sharp glance from his grandson.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThen it\u2019s NOT a dream,\u201d Jess murmured softly. Somehow knowing that for certain warmed his heart, though he had no idea in the world why.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo. It\u2019s NOT a dream,\u201d Ben affirmed. \u201cJess . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cY-Yes, Grandpa?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI have a feeling your pa\u2019s promised you before that things were going to change . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cLots of times,\u201d Jess replied, wiping his eyes and cheeks against the heel of his left hand, \u201cit got so I didn\u2019t believe him anymore . . . \u2018til today.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhy did you believe him today?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jess shrugged his shoulders helplessly. \u201cI dunno, Grandpa . . . something was different, I guess . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI think maybe the something different was you heard the man in that green jacket, the one you remember playing with in the garden, make that promise, not the sick man,\u201d Ben explained. \u201cNow it could be the sick man wanted to keep that promise, but he\u2019s never had the strength. The man wearing the green jacket DOES have the strength. It\u2019s going to take him time . . . a lot of time, maybe, for him to overcome the sickness so he CAN keep his promise, but he WILL.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAmanda . . . . \u201d Joe\u2019s voice, so gravelly and hoarse, drew Ben from his musings back to the here and now, \u201cAmanda? Where ARE you?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben stared down at his youngest son, now beginning to stir, not knowing how he should respond.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAmanda . . . where ARE you?\u201d Joe demanded, his voice rising. \u201cAmanda!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, she\u2019s not here,\u201d Ben responded, surprised at how calm and even his voice sounded in his own ears. \u201cAmanda\u2019s not here.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe open his eyes slightly and stared long and hard into Ben\u2019s face. \u201cP-Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here, Son,\u201d Ben assured him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPa, I\u2019ve got to find Amanda,\u201d Joe insisted, panic stricken. He began struggling to rise.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJoe . . . stop, please,\u201d Ben implored, fearful that Joe\u2019s physical exertions might cause him more injury. \u201cPlease, Joe . . . you need to rest\u2014!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAMANDA! AMANDA!\u201d Joe screamed, his head tossing rapidly back and forth. When he turned again to his father, Ben saw no sign of recognition whatsoever in those emerald green eyes. \u201cWHERE\u2019S MY WIFE?\u201d he demanded. \u201cWHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY WIFE?! AMANDA!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Acting purely on gut instinct, Ben took Joe\u2019s head in both hands, stilling its agitated tossing about. \u201cJoe, please! LISTEN to me! Amanda\u2019s dead, Son . . . she\u2019s DEAD . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Joe, but there\u2019s nothing I can do for Amanda,\u201d Doctor Paul Martin said, his face a few shades paler than normal, his voice dreadfully calm. \u201cShe\u2019s gone.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

With a strangled cry, Joe shoved the doctor out of the way. He collapsed to his knees beside the cot upon which his beloved wife, the woman he had many times professed to love more than life itself, was lying in Paul Martin\u2019s examination room.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

She couldn\u2019t be dead, she couldn\u2019t be. She had a husband, four children, one of them still a baby, who needed her and wasn\u2019t the seventh anniversary of their wedding day next month? He had made plans for them to take the honeymoon trip they had postponed seven years ago to San Francisco. She couldn\u2019t be dead.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAmanda?\u201d he called to her softly, relieved to find that the blood from the wound in her chest no longer gushed forth like a mountain spring. He gazed down into her face, into those eyes still half open . . . .<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d those eyes, those beautiful luminous eyes, begged. \u201cWhy did you let me die?\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI-I\u2018m sorry, Amanda . . . forgive me? Please . . . please forgive me,\u201d Joe sobbed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben, with tears flowing down his own face, loosed the leather ties binding his son to the cot in Doctor Jacobs\u2019 office and pulled him into his arms. Joe held on to the material of Ben\u2019s shirt, clutching as if for dear life, and buried his head tight against his father\u2019s shoulder, and wept.<\/p>\n

They remained thus until the dark, early hours of the morning, began to give way to the silver light of dawn.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI killed her, Pa,\u201d Joe said, his voice painfully hoarse after the many hours he spent weeping.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWho, Son?\u201d Ben reluctantly asked, as he gently eased his son back down on the cot.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAmanda. Dear God in Heaven, she loved me . . . trusted me . . . she c-counted on me to protect her that day and I . . . I as good as killed her,\u201d Joe replied.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Ben vehemently protested. \u201cJoe, please . . . LISTEN to me. You did NOT kill Amanda, you didn\u2019t.\u201d He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep, ragged breath. \u201cSon, you need to rest,\u201d he said in a tone of voice more kindly. \u201cWe can talk later, after you\u2018ve\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNOW, Pa,\u201d Joe pleaded. \u201cPlease, I HAVE to say this now.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d Ben agreed, then mentally braced himself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHe was right you know . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWHO was right?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe man who led the gang who robbed . . . who TRIED to rob the bank that day,\u201d Joe replied. \u201cHe told me I . . . that I was responsible for my wife\u2019s death.\u201d A single tear slipped down over Joe\u2019s eyelid and flowed down his cheek. \u201cI wanted to beat his brains out for saying that . . . and God help me, I . . . I tried . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben saw Joe with tears streaming down his pale face and eye blazing with a fury the like of which he had never seen before, straddling Emil Wilson, leader of a gang of brothers who had tried to rob the bank in Virginia City six, going on seven years ago now, raining blow after merciless blow on the man\u2019s face. The bank robber\u2019s arms were tightly pinned against his sides, rendering completely helpless against the onslaught of Joe\u2019s tight, rock hard fists.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It had taken three very strong men, including Hoss among them, to drag Joe off the man . . . .<\/p>\n

. . . and it wasn\u2019t until the following morning when Emil Wilson turned up missing that Ben and Roy Coffee learned he . . . Emil . . . had been the man who had pulled the trigger, killing Joe\u2019s beloved Amanda in cold blood.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone said I w-was a hero,\u201d Joe half sobbed, \u201cbecause they found me trying to beat him to death. But, Pa? How can I possibly be the hero everyone said I was . . . when I ended up killing my own wife?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben was afraid to ask the question that had just popped into his mind, but gut instinct told him he must. \u201cJoe . . . . \u201d he ventured with fear and trembling, \u201cwhat, exactly happened the day Emil Wilson and his brothers tried to rob the bank?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was the last day in August. The afternoon was pleasantly warm, but the nip in the air upon rising presaged the end of Summer and the approach of Fall and Winter. The sky above was the same bright blue as his wife\u2019s eyes, with not even the slightest wisp of cloud to obscure its pristine appearance.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cLast one into the bank\u2019s a rotten egg,\u201d Amanda declared with an impish grin. She abruptly turned and darted across the street before Joe had the slightest chance to think of a response.<\/em><\/p>\n

Joe set off after her at a dead run, catching up to her just as she reached the other side of the street. They darted into the bank, laughing like a pair of errant school children who had just decided to spend a lovely day like this one playing hooky from school.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI win,\u201d Amanda laughed.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got your nerve . . . you know that?\u201d Joe queried, trying his utmost to summon the meanest, most ferocious scowl it was in his power to call forth.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d she demanded. The smile on her face and the laughter he heard in her voice told him that she wasn\u2019t the least bit impressed.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe way you keep referring to ME as a child . . . .\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI guess it takes one to know one,\u201d Amanda quipped before giving him a playful kiss right on the tip of his nose.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Had they not been out in public . . . .<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cChildren, children, children . . . .\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Joe and Amanda looked over and smiled upon seeing Heather Lowell standing before them with arms folded across her chest, shaking her head. The mischievous gleam in her eyes gave lie to the stern school mistress\u2019 demeanor, something she had had plenty of time and opportunity to cultivate over the last three years serving as teacher at the school in Virginia City.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cDoes this mean we have to stand in the corner?\u201d Joe teased.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201c . . . AND wear the dunce cap,\u201d Heather added with a chuckle.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019s Sarah?\u201d Joe asked, turning serious. The oldest of the Lowell sisters had come down with one of those summer colds back in early June, and for the life of her, she just couldn\u2019t seem to shake it. Seemed every time she showed signs of getting better, she\u2019d suffer a relapse.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cShe seems to be on the mend,\u201d Heather replied. \u201cThe new medicine Doctor Martin gave her\u2014 \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, everyone . . . stay right where you are,\u201d a rough voice ordered.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Joe, Amanda, Heather, and the other patrons in the bank turned and saw four men standing just inside the door, with guns drawn.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cJeb . . . . \u201d the man who seemed to be the leader growled. Joe would later find out his name was Frank Wilson, and that he and his three brothers were wanted for bank robbery and murder in California and Nevada.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

A very young man, not much more than a boy actually, nodded curtly in response before closing the door, and flipping the sign around indicating that the bank was closed.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNone of you\u2019ll get hurt, just so long as you do exactly what we say and don\u2019t try anything stupid,\u201d Frank continued, turning his attention back to the patrons and the two tellers. \u201cYou!\u201d He glared over at Joe and Wally Jones, whose family had recently laid claim to that small spread up by Montpelier Gorge, the one left abandoned when Dowd and his partners were sent to prison many years ago now for stealing medicine Joe badly needed. \u201cUnbuckle those gun belts nice and real slow . . . and toss them right here at me feet.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Joe and Rick immediately did as ordered.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNow all of you . . . over there against that wall,\u201d Frank ordered with a nod of his head toward the outside wall to his right.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The patrons did as ordered, talking very softly among themselves. Joe made sure he kept himself between Amanda and the gun barrels aimed in their direction.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cShut up,\u201d Frank growled, and immediately everyone fell silent.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

While the four bank robbers\u2019 attention was momentarily diverted toward the nine patrons in the bank, Danny Brooks, the younger teller, all of nineteen years old reached for the revolver he kept hidden at his station for just such a happenstance. He aimed, but before he could even think of squeezing the trigger, the man standing behind Emil, to his left, fired hitting the teller square in the chest.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Danny Brooks was dead before he hit the floor.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cY-You . . . you KILLED him!\u201d Jill Everly, aged six whispered, staring up at the man who pulled the trigger through eyes round with horror. She was there with her father, who owned and ran the hardware store in town.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cOf all the damned, stupid . . . .\u201d Frank sputtered, as he turned and glared over at the brother standing to his left, the man who had just fired. \u201cFrank, if you weren\u2019t my brother\u2014\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIf I hadn\u2019t shot him, he would\u2019ve shot YOU,\u201d Emil said complacently.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNOW what\u2019ll we do?\u201d Jeb queried, his eyes round with fear. \u201cWe\u2019ve got witnesses\u2014 \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Frank quickly resumed charge of the situation. \u201cYou,\u201d he barked at the remaining teller, \u201cstart gathering up all the money you got in this bank. Ed, you go with him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The fourth man nodded, and set off after the teller.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cFrank, there\u2019s a crowd gathering outside,\u201d Jed reported.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Frank swore. \u201cIs the sheriff\u2014?!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah . . . he\u2019s pushing his way through the crowd now,\u201d Jed replied.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cED!\u201d Frank yelled. \u201cHURRY IT UP BACK THERE!\u201d He, then, turned to Frank. \u201cYou grab whatever money \u2018n valuables these folks here have on \u2018em and make it quick.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Emil sauntered over to the patrons crowded together. \u201cAll right, folks,\u201d he said with a nasty smile as he removed his hat, \u201ccome on now, let\u2019s ante up.\u201d He held his hat out to Heather Lowell first.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Heather removed the few dollars she had in her small reticule and placed it in Emil\u2019s hat.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Lady . . . ALL of it!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s all I have,\u201d Heather protested.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Emil snatched the reticule from Heather\u2019s hand and turned it upside down. Upon seeing it was completely empty, he threw it down on the floor in disgust. \u201cThat ring!\u201d he growled, with a pointed glare at the gold ring set with a single garnet on the pinkie finger of Heather\u2019s right hand.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Heather removed it without a word and placed it in Emil\u2019s hat.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, come on, we ain\u2019t got all day,\u201d Emil growled as he moved in front of Joe.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Joe pulled his wallet from the left hand pocket of his jacket and tossed it in the hat. Amanda placed her handbag in the hand.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThose earrings, too, Lady, and that ring,\u201d Emil snapped.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Amanda removed the earrings and placed them in the hat.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNOW, Lady,\u201d Emil growled when she hesitated before removing her wedding ring.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

A loud pounding on the door of the bank startled everyone, eliciting a gasp from the elderly woman standing on the other side of Joe and a cry of alarm from Jill.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is Sheriff Coffee,\u201d Roy called out. \u201cWe\u2019ve got the building surrounded. Throw down your weapons\u2014 \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cED,\u201d Frank yelled, \u201cGRAB WHAT YOU CAN AND GET OUT HERE! EMIL, YOU GRAB THE KID!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Mark Everly shoved Jill behind him. \u201cNo,\u201d he said, his voice calm and even, \u201cyou can\u2019t have my daughter.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Emil lashed out with a powerful straight jab, hitting Mark square in the face. He toppled over backwards, and crashed to the floor with a dull, sickening thud.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cPA!\u201d Jill screamed, as she knelt down beside him. She lifted her head and glared murderously at Emil. \u201cYOU KILLED MY PA!\u201d she yelled with tears streaming down her face.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cDammit, Emil, grab the kid!\u201d Frank said through clenched teeth.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cLeave the kid alone,\u201d Joe said, as he cautiously stepped between Emil and the girl. \u201cIf you want a hostage, take ME.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe!\u201d Amanda gasped.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be all right,\u201d Joe said, with far more confidence than he felt.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cY\u2019 know? Now that I think about it, I\u2019d rather take HER!\u201d Emil reached past Joe and seized hold of Heather Lowell\u2019s wrist. \u201cThis one\u2019ll be a helluva lot more fun to play with than that whiny little kid . . . or you, either, Mister.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cED!\u201d Frank, meanwhile, yelled again, louder this time.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The sound of gunfire came in response.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Emil turned, and Joe wasted no time taking advantage of the momentary distraction. He struck the bank robber with a powerful right cross and immediately followed through with a jab to the abdomen. Roy Coffee burst into the bank with his deputy, in the same instant Emil doubled over and fell to his knees. Before anyone had timed to react, Emil raised his gun, took aim, and fired.<\/em><\/p>\n

Amanda Cartwright collapsed without a sound and lay on the floor ominously still, like a marionette whose strings had just been cut.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s YOUR fault she\u2019s dead,\u201d Emil taunted. \u201cIf you hadn\u2019t rushed me . . . it\u2019s YOUR fault! Your own wife, Mister, and YOU as good as KILLED her.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

For what seemed an eternity, Joe felt as if he couldn\u2019t breathe. There was a roaring in his ears that completely obliterated the sound of a child weeping, of booted feet clattering across the floor of the bank, of voices raised in urgency. In the distance some one screamed, then, for Joe, everything went black.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The next thing he knew, Hoss and three other men were dragging him off Emil Wilson\u2019s battered form.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI killed her, Pa . . . God help me, I . . . I killed my own wife,\u201d Joe wept anew.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben gathered Joe in his arms and held him close, his mind, his senses reeling. Had Joe actually been blaming himself for Amanda\u2019s death all this time? He bitterly castigated himself for what he saw as his inability to reach the son he now clasped so tightly in his arms.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJoe . . . Son . . . please? Look at me?\u201d Ben pleaded when, at long last, Joe\u2019s piteous, gut wrenching weeping subsided to a whimper, barely audible.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe raised his head and gazed warily into his father\u2019s face and eyes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you never again hear another word I say to you, please, PLEASE hear this,\u201d Ben continued, wincing against the sting of new tears in his own eyes. \u201cYou did NOT kill Amanda.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe closed his eyes and shook his head. \u201cI d-didn\u2019t mean to, but I did all the same,\u201d he said dolefully.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d Ben ardently, passionately pressed. \u201cYou acted to keep a gang of men known to be violent, cold blooded killers, from taking a frightened child as their hostage, but that does NOT make you in any way responsible for Amanda\u2019s death. Emil Wilson . . . the man who pulled the trigger . . . HE\u2019S the one who killed her.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThen I . . . I didn\u2019t . . . . ?!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Son, you didn\u2019t! You couldn\u2019t!\u201d Ben insisted. \u201cI wish I\u2019d KNOWN . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not YOUR fault, Pa. So many times I wished I could tell you how I felt, what was eating at me, but I couldn\u2019t bring myself. I felt so ashamed.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou have nothing to be ashamed of, Joe. Nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . and neither do YOU, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSo . . . what\u2019s the word, Doc?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Doctor Jacobs, clad in nightshirt, robe, and slippers, yawned just as the grandfather\u2019s clock in the downstairs hallway struck the hour of five in the morning. Joe Cartwright sat on his examination table, while his father stood nearby, trying his best not to hover too closely. Hoss and the four children were outside loading the wagon that Ben Cartwright had purchased from the livery stable the day before in preparation for their trip back home to the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, the good news is given time, plenty of rest, three hearty squares a day from your Hop Sing, and a little patience . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

At this, Ben good naturedly rolled his eyes heavenward.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . you can expect to make a full recovery,\u201d Stan Jacobs continued. \u201cThe ribs are going to need more time to mend, but you\u2019re walking much better on that ankle now . . . that gash in your cheek\u2019s healing nicely . . . the swelling in your face is gone, and so will the bruising be within a week, two, maybe at the very outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cOk . . . what\u2019s the bad news?\u201d Joe asked, then mentally braced himself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe bad news, Joe, is . . . you can\u2019t touch another drop of alcohol . . . ever,\u201d Stan said sternly. \u201cIf you do, the best you can expect is all the pain and suffering you\u2019ve gone through this last year especially.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c . . . and the worst?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt could very well kill you,\u201d Stan replied.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The doctor\u2019s pronouncement hung over father and son like a pall.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI think I can safely say that the worst of the withdrawal\u2018s behind you, but I know from experience, as a doctor and personally, that the real hard work lies ahead of you,\u201d Stan continued. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a day to day struggle, especially in the beginning, but if the brothers at home are anything like the men Hoss and your father here are . . . and with those fine children of yours, there\u2019s every reason in the world to be optimistic.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Doc,\u201d Joe said, holding out his hand, \u201cfor everything. I wish there was some way to repay you . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou get better and keep working on being the kind of man your father, brothers, and children can be proud of, that\u2019ll be more than enough payback for me,\u201d Stan said as the two shook hands. \u201cYou\u2019re a lucky man, Joe. I hope you know that.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI do, even though it\u2018s taken me six long years to come to that realization, \u201d Joe replied.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAll the best, Son . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Doc.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Li\u2019l Brother?\u201d Hoss queried when he saw Joe and their father approaching the wagon now loaded and ready to go. Doctor and Mrs. Jacobs followed close behind. \u201cDid the doc say you\u2019re fit t\u2019 travel?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIf I had any real say in the matter, Hoss, that brother of yours would\u2019ve waiting another week at least, maybe two,\u201d Stan replied with a smile, \u201cbut I can understand why you all might be anxious to get home.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAll we\u2019ve gotta do now is get Joe settled,\u201d Hoss said, \u201c \u2019n we\u2019re ready t\u2019 go.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI wish you\u2019d stay long enough for me to fix you a proper breakfast,\u201d Vera said ruefully, while Hoss and Jess helped Joe into the back of the wagon, \u201cbut I know you\u2019ve got a long trip ahead of you.\u201d She handed the enormous basket in hand over to Ben. \u201cI\u2019ve fixed something for you to eat on the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Mrs. Jacobs,\u201d Ben said gratefully.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou bet,\u201d Hoss added with a broad grin, \u201c \u2019cause I\u2019m powerful hungry right now . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSo what ELSE is now?\u201d Joe quipped, eliciting a chuckle from his son, Jess.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cLi\u2019l Brother, if it weren\u2019t for those broken ribs, I\u2019d be real tempted t\u2019 drop ya right on your head,\u201d Hoss returned. The sparkle in his blue eyes gave lie to the ferocious scowl on his face, something not lost on Jess from the amused smile on his face.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c \u2018S ok if you do, Uncle Hoss,\u201d Toby said with a yawn, \u201c \u2018cause all us Cartwrights have real hard heads.\u201d He looked over at his father and smiled. \u201cAin\u2019t that right, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t,\u201d Joe automatically corrected, while trying his best not to wince as Hoss and Jess helped him get settled in the back of the buckboard.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cGuess that means Toby has to study HIS grammar more, too, hunh, Pa?\u201d Marie queried with sleepy smile.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe started to laugh out loud at the comically grotesque face his youngest son pulled. Less than a moment later he gasped when his mending ribs gave agonizing protest.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou ok, Pa?\u201d Jess inquired anxiously as his uncle, grandfather, and brother, Benjy climbed up into the seat of the buckboard.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI will be, Son,\u201d Joe promised, giving his firstborn what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He knew the road before him would be difficult. But coming to the realization, finally, that he bore no responsibility for Amanda\u2019s death brought a measure of healing to his tormented soul, yet at the same time was akin to ripping open a very deep wound that had lain festering for many years just under the surface. His grief and sorrow over her loss was every bit as raw and fresh as if it had all happened six minutes ago.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He also knew that he had a lot to make up for to his children. They, like every child, deserved a father who loved and cared for them, and he was fiercely bound and determined to be that, and to the best of his ability fill the role as mother, too, same as his pa had done.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Lord,\u201d he silently prayed, \u201cfor giving me a second chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The End<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tags:\u00a0 addiction,\u00a0Alcoholism,\u00a0Ben Cartwright,\u00a0Grief,\u00a0Hoss Cartwright,\u00a0Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright<\/p>\n

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

Summary:\u00a0 Still haunted by the death of his wife six years before, Joe seeks comfort in strong drink. Will his family ties be enough to save him? This story is based on an idea given to me by another fan who goes by Australian and Joe’sAussieFan.<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 T\u00a0 (27,525 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":2540,"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_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[7,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-a-u","category-drama","wpcat-7-id","wpcat-23-id"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Stillness-Within-copy.jpg?fit=629%2C470&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12815","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\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12815"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12815\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}