{"id":13056,"date":"2016-06-15T12:10:49","date_gmt":"2016-06-15T16:10:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13056"},"modified":"2025-02-18T19:10:16","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T00:10:16","slug":"13056","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13056","title":{"rendered":"Just A Taste of Vengeance (by Little Jo Cartwright)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/strong>:\u00a0 After Adam Cartwright is shot down by an old enemy of Ben Cartwright’s, Joe swears to get even with the man who seriously injured his brother. Joe travels to Carson City in pursuit of Jed Clemens, his brother’s would-be murderer. But after Joe manages to locate\u00a0Clemens, things start to go wrong…<\/p>\n

Rating\u00a0 T\u00a0 (7,050 words)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Just A Taste of Vengeance<\/strong><\/p>\n

The young man sat beside his older brother’s bed, his eyes burning with
\nunshed tears.<\/p>\n

“I’ll make him pay for this, Adam,” he vowed to his unconscious brother. \u00a0“I’ll find him, and I swear to God I’ll make him pay for what he did to
\nyou.”<\/p>\n

He was just a seventeen-year-old kid, but he knew how to handle a gun as\u00a0well as anyone else, and almost everybody in town knew that though he was\u00a0young, he was one of the fastest guns in Virginia City, Nevada.<\/p>\n

Joe Cartwright stood up, giving Adam one last glance. He had a pretty good\u00a0idea about who had shot his brother in the back and taken everything\u00a0valuable he had had on him. Joe had been in the saloon with Adam, and\u00a0recalled thinking what a sore loser the man had been.<\/p>\n

\u2014Two Days Previous\u2014<\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright laid his cards down on the table. “Full house, gentlemen.”\u00a0He grinned as he began collecting his winnings. He didn’t make a habit out\u00a0of playing cards like his youngest brother seemed to, but today was his\u00a0birthday, and he’d made it an exception.<\/p>\n

“You’re a cheat,” one of the players sitting across from Adam accused\u00a0angrily.<\/p>\n

Joe, who stood leaning against the bar sipping his beer, raised his\u00a0eyebrows and grinned. Adam merely stood to his feet.<\/p>\n

“Why don’t you empty your pockets then, boy?” The man asked.<\/p>\n

“I’m not emptying my pockets, Clemens,” Adam said calmly. “You’ll just have\u00a0to take my word that I’m not cheating.”<\/p>\n

Clemen’s hand flew to his side, but he never brought it up as he heard a\u00a0gun click behind him. “Don’t try it, Mister,” Joe said from behind. “Or\u00a0I’ll blow your head off.”\u00a0Adam took out Clemens’ gun. “I don’t think you’ll be needing this anymore.”<\/p>\n

“You’re a cheat and a liar,” Clemen’s said.<\/p>\n

Joe turned angrily on him, his left fist raised, but Adam caught it.\u00a0“C’mon, Little Joe,” he said, taking his hotheaded young brother’s arm and\u00a0steering him toward the saloon doors.<\/p>\n

“I’ll make you pay for cheatin’ me out of my money, Cartwright!” Clemens
\ncalled after them.<\/p>\n

\u2014Present Time\u2014<\/p>\n

At the time, Joe had thought nothing of the threat. But that was two days\u00a0ago, and a lot can happen in two days. And now, Joe Cartwright was out for\u00a0vengeance.<\/p>\n

His brother might die because some stinking lousy gunslinger couldn’t stand\u00a0to lose a few hundred dollars, and Joe wasn’t about to let him get away\u00a0with it.<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

Snow was falling heavily as he tied his horse to the hitch rail in front of\u00a0the International House and walked into the hotel.<\/p>\n

“Hi, Little Joe!” The clerk smiled from behind the counter. “Something I\u00a0can do for you?”<\/p>\n

Without returning the smile, Joe nodded. “Do you have a man named Jed\u00a0Clemens registered here?”<\/p>\n

“Jed Clemens?” The clerk echoed. “Used to. He checked out early this\u00a0morning.”<\/p>\n

“Did he leave a forwarding address?”<\/p>\n

“Sure did. I’ll write it down for you.” Scribbling down an address, the\u00a0clerk handed it to Joe.<\/p>\n

Taking it with a slight nod of thanks, Joe headed for the door.<\/p>\n

“He a friend of yours?” The clerk asked as Joe pushed open the door.<\/p>\n

Joe ignored the question and stepped out into the road, untying his horse\u00a0and swinging into the saddle.\u00a0Joe Cartwright was too blinded by rage and vengeance to think that the\u00a0forwarding address could have been left as a trap.<\/p>\n

As he rode out of Virginia City in pursuit of his suspect, everything his\u00a0father had ever taught him, especially moralism, was forgotten, and caution\u00a0was thrown to the wind.<\/p>\n

When Joe found Jed Clemens, he would shoot him down like a dog.<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u2014<\/p>\n

It was dark when Joe finally reached Carson City. He was chilled to the\u00a0bone and under most circumstances, he would have stopped by the saloon to\u00a0get a cup of coffee. But, tired, cold, wet and hungry as he was, he stopped\u00a0in front of the hotel on the address. Tying his horse up, he stepped in,\u00a0welcoming the warmth coming from the fireplace. As much as he would like to\u00a0go and sit in front of it, though, he walked straight up to the desk.<\/p>\n

“Have you got a Jed Clemens registered here?” Joe asked, removing his\u00a0gloves.<\/p>\n

The young clerk glanced up. “Yep. Room 7.” As Joe turned away, the clerk\u00a0said, “Gosh, sir. You look half froze to death. Want a cup of coffee?”<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head. “No, thanks.” He climbed the stairs, snow falling from\u00a0his hat and coat.<\/p>\n

He located room seven and rapped loudly on the door. A moment later the\u00a0door opened a crack and a pistol stuck out. “Who’s there?”<\/p>\n

Without giving his name, Joe said, “I want to talk to you.” When Clemens\u00a0still didn’t open the door, Joe pushed it open himself, pushing past\u00a0Clemens. “Said I want to talk to you.”<\/p>\n

Jed grinned at him. “Hey, I know you from somewhere, don’t I? Now\u00a0don’t remind me.” He snapped his fingers. “It’s comin’ back to me now.\u00a0You’re that young hotheaded brother of Adam Cartwright’s, aren’t you?\u00a0That’s right. Little<\/em> Joe Cartwright.” He clearly put an emphasis on the\u00a0word ‘little.’<\/p>\n

Joe stuck his chin out indignantly. “I didn’t come here to talk to you\u00a0about my name, Clemens. I came to talk to you about my brother Adam.”<\/p>\n

By now, Clemens had holstered his gun. “What did he do? Send you out here\u00a0to give me that money he cheated me out of? His conscience must be\u00a0bothering him.”<\/p>\n

Joe’s green eyes flashed angrily. “My brother doesn’t know I came here. Frankly, right\u00a0now he does’t know anything because he’s lying back home with a bullet in\u00a0his back.” Joe ignored the tears he felt welling in his eyes. “Dying. Dying\u00a0because you couldn’t stand to lose a few hundred dollars in a fair game.”<\/p>\n

Clemens stared at him, and then suddenly burst out laughing. “Are you\u00a0accusing me of shooting your brother?”<\/p>\n

For an answer, Joe’s left hand flew to his hip, bringing out his\u00a0ivory-handled pistol. “I sure as hell am. I’m gonna kill you for it.”<\/p>\n

Too late, Joe felt the presence of someone else in the room behind him.\u00a0Before he could turn around, he felt something crash down on his head, and\u00a0everything went black.<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

When Joe finally awoke, his head was pounding, and something was cutting\u00a0into his wrists. As his head cleared, he realized that he was tied to a\u00a0chair, and he was in a cold, dirty room, much unlike Jed Clemens warm motel\u00a0room. It was dark and windowless, and the only other piece of furniture in\u00a0the room was a rather old looking bed, which had almost as many cobwebs as\u00a0the room it was in.<\/p>\n

But the door leading out was open, and Joe could see two men sitting by a\u00a0fireplace, drinking and talking. He tried to open his mouth to speak, only\u00a0to find that something was tied tightly around it. Rolling his eyes in\u00a0exasperation, Joe craned his neck to see if either man were Clemens. But\u00a0their backs were to him, and it didn’t seem they were going to turn around\u00a0any time soon, so he finally gave up and sat back.<\/p>\n

He began wriggling his wrists, hoping to loosen the ropes, when a voice\u00a0from behind interrupted him; “There ain’t no way you’re gettin’ out of\u00a0those ropes, sonny boy.”<\/p>\n

Joe gave a start. The speaker was beyond a doubt Clemens. The two men in\u00a0the other room glanced up. “See he finally decided to come to,” one said,\u00a0grinning.<\/p>\n

“About time,” the other said. “He’s been out since last night.”<\/p>\n

Joe gritted his teeth angrily. Why did he have to be so impulsive all the\u00a0time? All it had ever done for him was to get him in trouble.<\/p>\n

Joe glanced up at Clemens came around to face him and took out a pocket watch.\u00a0Joe knew Clemens was trying to stir him when he noticed ‘A. Cartwight’\u00a0engraved on the back of the pocket watch. Nevertheless, Joe kicked out his\u00a0leg, catching Clemens in the shin. Joe didn’t give a damn if Clemens was\u00a0trying to start a fight or not. Right now, he was more than happy to oblige.<\/p>\n

Clemens stumbled backwards, but was on his feet in no time. As he\u00a0approached Joe, the boy stared defiantly up at him, fire flashing in his\u00a0green eyes.<\/p>\n

“Damn you, boy,” Clemens said angrily. Joe closed his eyes expectantly as\u00a0Clemens raised his hand. But the blow never came. He opened his eyes as\u00a0Clemens said, “Untie him, Jake.”<\/p>\n

One of the men, apparently Jake, took out a knife, cutting the ropes on\u00a0Joe’s wrists. Yanking the gag from his mouth, Joe jumped to his feet. He was ready\u00a0for this. He lunged madly at Clemens, busting him in the mouth as they both\u00a0fell to the floor.<\/p>\n

Grabbing Joe’s shoulders, Clemens pushed him violently backwards. Joe\u00a0landed on his back, his head striking one of the bed posts. He lay there,\u00a0dazed, as Clemens approached him. He felt himself being yanked to his feet\u00a0by his collar, and then several stinging blows to the sides of his face.\u00a0Clemens shoved him roughly back into the chair. “All the fight out of you\u00a0yet, hard-head?”<\/p>\n

Wiping his bloodied lip with the back of his hand, Joe rose slowly to his\u00a0feet. His head was spinning and he felt as though he might topple over any\u00a0minute, but he steadied himself, looking Clemens squarely in the eyes. He\u00a0ducked as Clemens swung at him. Grabbing Clemens’ collar, Joe\u00a0pulled him forward, clipping him in the jaw.<\/p>\n

Clemens returned by landing several blows to Joe’s midsection. Joe sank to\u00a0the ground, gasping for breath. “Tie him up,” Clemens muttered in disgust.<\/p>\n

Joe set his jaw in determination. Before either Jake Moore or Matt Frielle\u00a0could reach him, Joe was on top of Clemens. It took both Frielle and Moore\u00a0to drag the boy, kicking and punching, off Clemens’ back. Moore held him\u00a0down by sitting on top of him while Frielle tied his ankles together and\u00a0his wrists behind his back. Joe struggled, trying to wriggle out from under\u00a0Moore, but when Clemens threatened to bust him over the head with his\u00a0pistol, he abruptly stopped, and Frielle dragged him up against the wall.<\/p>\n

The three men left the room. “Why don’t we just kill the kid?” Joe heard Jake ask.<\/p>\n

There was a pause. “I once knew the boy’s father,” came the reply.<\/p>\n

Joe gave a start of surprise.<\/p>\n

“He sent me to prison for murder about thirty-five years ago,” Clemens\u00a0continued. “I would have been hanged but my brother Howard risked his own\u00a0life to rescue me. He…was captured by the boy’s dad, and they hanged him.\u00a0After that, I swore vengeance\u00a0on Ben Cartwright. Then one day I was passing through Virginia City, and by chance, I learned\u00a0that Ben Cartwright and his three sons lived not thirty miles from town.\u00a0When he sent me to prison, he wasn’t even married…hell, he was no more
\nthan a kid.<\/p>\n

Anyway, I got into a game of poker in the saloon, only to learn that one of\u00a0the men I was playing with was his oldest boy, Adam. Not to mention Adam\u00a0Cartwright’s kid brother was in the saloon. I had plans of taking both of\u00a0them down when they left town, but the older boy left before the kid, who\u00a0apparently has a thing for women.” He chuckled. “So I followed Adam out of\u00a0town a few miles, and took advantage of our being alone. Poor kid.”<\/p>\n

Joe’s chest was heaving up and down in fury, his teeth clenched tightly\u00a0together. “Fiend,” he muttered. He would kill Clemens if it was the last\u00a0thing he ever did.<\/p>\n

“I figured it’d be Cartwright himself come after me, after he learned that\u00a0I was in town. Then I woulda made him suffer. Instead, I got his hot-headed\u00a0little boy. But I think I like it better this way. I’d like to see Ben\u00a0Cartwright crawl. And I have ways.”<\/p>\n

A shudder ran through Joe at the cruel malice and hate in Clemens’ voice.<\/p>\n

“I was thinking,” Clemens continued. “That if his oldest boy, Adam lives,\u00a0then he’d get his little boy Joseph back\u2014in a box. But if Adam died, we’d\u00a0get his body\u2026and if he wouldn’t give it to us, we’d kill Joe, and ole Ben’d\u00a0never get him back!” At this, the three broke into uproarious laughter.<\/p>\n

Joe’s face turned white, and he bit his lip so hard he could feel a drop of\u00a0blood roll down. What would his father do? Joe himself was not afraid to die. He’d do anything to keep his older brother frim dying.<\/p>\n

Clenching his eyes shut, he leaned his head back against the wall. “Oh,\u00a0God.”<\/p>\n

“Ya hear that, kid?” Joe heard Clemens yell from the other room. “Either\u00a0way, one of you die!”<\/p>\n

Joe knew that no matter what happened, he wouldn’t go out without a fight.\u00a0He glanced around the small, dark, windowless room. If he could get himself\u00a0untied, maybe he could sneak past the men when they were all asleep.<\/p>\n

But those hopes were dashed as Frielle stepped in for a moment, then turned\u00a0and shut the door. Joe heard a click as it was locked. He was left alone in\u00a0the dark.<\/p>\n

\u2014Next Day\u2014<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright paced the floor, hoping his middle son would soon return\u00a0from town with Little Joe. A feeling of unease crept up his spine as he\u00a0thought of the possibility that his young, foolhardy boy was not in town at\u00a0all, but out looking for the man who had shot Adam. If so, Ben knew that\u00a0the seventeen-year-old could possibly meet much more trouble than he could\u00a0handle.<\/p>\n

Ben glanced upstairs where Adam was. Doc Martin had been by earlier, and\u00a0said that with plenty of rest, Adam would be fine. If Joe got himself\u00a0killed, or did something that he would regret for the rest of his life, Ben\u00a0knew he would never forgive himself\u2014he couldn’t bare to have one son given\u00a0back to him and then his youngest taken.<\/p>\n

At that moment, the door opened, and a large men of about twenty-three\u00a0stepped in, looking worried. He was alone.<\/p>\n

“Hoss?” Ben asked, awaiting his son’s explanation.<\/p>\n

“He’s been in town alright, Pa. Early this morning John saw him the hotel.\u00a0Said he was looking for a man named Jed Clemens.”<\/p>\n

Ben’s eyes widened. “Jed Clemens?”<\/p>\n

Nodding, Hoss continued, “John said he’d checked out, so he gave Joe the\u00a0forwarding address Clemens had left, and that was the last John saw of\u00a0him.” Pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket, Hoss said, “I think\u00a0you’d better read this, Pa. Roy found it on his door just before I came\u00a0into town. He didn’t read it because it was in an envelope addressed to\u00a0you, though.”<\/p>\n

Taking the note with shaky hands, Ben read it. It was short, blunt, and\u00a0heart-breaking. Then end of the note read, ‘Don’t get the sheriff involved\u00a0or you’ll never see your precious boy again.<\/p>\n

-JC’<\/p>\n

“Have you read this, Hoss?” Ben asked.<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded. “Are you gonna go, Pa?”<\/p>\n

Ben gave him a short, jerky nod. “Yes, I’m gonna go.”<\/p>\n

“You know it’s probably a trap or something?”<\/p>\n

“Yes, Hoss. But I’m going, anyway. Stay here with your brother.”<\/p>\n

Hoss sighed. “Alright, Pa. If you say, but I think you should at least take one\u00a0of the hands along with you.<\/p>\n

“No, Hoss. I have to do this alone.”<\/p>\n

“When are you leaving?”<\/p>\n

Ben bit his lip. “Clemens said to meet him at noon tomorrow.”<\/p>\n

\u2014Previous Day\u2014<\/p>\n

“Why’re you tellin’ him you’re somewhere you ain’t?” Frielle asked,\u00a0hovering over Clemens shoulder as he wrote the note for Ben.<\/p>\n

“Because I am going to be there. Waiting for him. Then I’ll bring him here, just in case he decided to tell anybody where he was gonna be. I’d like to see him
\ncrawl. Like to see him beg me to let his little boy go. And then I’d let him watch\u00a0Little Joseph die. He’d be next.”<\/p>\n

Moore chuckled. “Boss always had more brains than you did, Matt.”<\/p>\n

Frielle glared at Moore, but said nothing.<\/p>\n

-Two Days Later-<\/p>\n

“Well, I’m off, boys,” Clemens said. “If I’m not back in four hours, shoot\u00a0the kid.”<\/p>\n

“Guess we’d better feed the boy,” Moore said, standing to his feet as the\u00a0door shut behind Clemens.<\/p>\n

A few minutes later the two stepped into the dark room. Frielle lit a\u00a0lantern as Moore crouched down in front of Joe, a bowl in his hands. “Guess\u00a0I’ll have to feed you myself. The boss says you’re not to be untied.”<\/p>\n

“I’m not gonna be fed like a baby,” Joe growled, letting his pride get in\u00a0the way. “Either untie my hands or you can throw the damn food to the
\nhorses.”<\/p>\n

Moore rolled his eyes. “It won’t do any good if you starve, boy. We’re\u00a0supposed to keep you alive. For now, at least.”<\/p>\n

Joe pursed his lips stubbornly, turning his head away, refusing to say another word.<\/p>\n

“Can’t make him eat, Jake,” Frielle said. “C’mon. We’re wastin’ time.”<\/p>\n

“Yeah, whatever.” Moore sighed and stood to his feet, following Frielle out\u00a0of the room. A few moments after they had locked him in, Joe heard a door\u00a0slam, and he realized they had gone outside.<\/p>\n

Biting his lip in concentration, Joe brought his arms underneath his legs,\u00a0bringing them up in front of him. He began working on the knots that held\u00a0his ankles together.<\/p>\n

Nearly an hour passed before the boy finally managed to loosen the tight\u00a0knot. Grinning in triumph, he slipped the ropes off.<\/p>\n

But he knew his hands wouldn’t be half as easy. Over two hours passed as\u00a0he painstakingly worked on the ropes that bound his hands, sometimes\u00a0rubbing them against the rough wall to loosen the knots, and other times\u00a0pulling them with his teeth. Finally, the ropes fell away and he sat back,\u00a0sighing in relief. Jumping quietly to his feet, Joe loudly yelled, “Hey, I\u00a0changed my mind! I’m starving in here!”<\/p>\n

Grinning to himself, he dashed behind the door. A few minutes later,\u00a0Frielle walked in, then Moore.<\/p>\n

They didn’t even know what hit them. Taking Moore’s gun and the keys to the\u00a0door, Joe hurried out, locking the two in. Tossing the keys into the air\u00a0and catching them, Joe headed toward the door, gun in hand. As he ran\u00a0toward the stable for his horse, he glanced over his shoulder at the small\u00a0shack he’d just left. Suddenly, he bumped into something. He had a\u00a0sickening feeling in his gut as he turned slowly around. He met\u00a0face-to-face with the muzzle of Clemens rifle. Grimacing, he bit his lip.<\/p>\n

Without saying a word, Clemens snatched the gun from Joe’s hands. His fist\u00a0shot out, clipping Joe in the jaw and spinning him\u00a0around. He crumpled to the ground.<\/p>\n

Taking Joe roughly by the arm, he yanked him to his feet and pushed him toward the shack.Opening the door, Clemens shoved Joe to the floor. “Alright, son. Out with\u00a0it. Where are they?”<\/p>\n

Joe said nothing.<\/p>\n

Clemens glanced at the door to the room where Joe had been held. “They’re\u00a0in there, aren’t they?” Without waiting for an answer, Clemens bent down\u00a0and reached into Joe’s pockets, pulling out the keys.<\/p>\n

“If you’ve killed them\u2026” he threatened as he unlocked the door.<\/p>\n

——<\/p>\n

Joe had lost count of how many times he’d been hit. Blood was coming from\u00a0his nose and running down his lips. His felt as though every inch of his\u00a0face was bruised or bleeding.<\/p>\n

He sat on the old bed, his back against the backboard, his wrists tightly\u00a0bound to the bedposts. His ears were ringing, and he felt that at any\u00a0moment he might black out. Just as his vision was dimming, he heard\u00a0Clemens’ voice, “Enough, Frielle! Enough. You’ll kill him.”<\/p>\n

“The hell with it!” Joe heard Frielle yell, although his voice sounded\u00a0distant. “I don’t give a damn if I do. The stinkin’ little bastard.” Joe\u00a0felt another backhand to his bruised face.<\/p>\n

Clemens grabbed his arm, yanking him away from Joe. “I said stop. You’re\u00a0just lucky the kid didn’t kill you when he had the chance. Now, if you two\u00a0can calm down, I’ll tell you about my little visit with Ben Cartwright.”<\/p>\n

At this, Joe struggled into a sitting position, and for the first time, he\u00a0realized that his father was not with Clemens.<\/p>\n

“Alright, alright,” Frielle muttered, sitting down.<\/p>\n

“He was there alright, waiting. I told him that if he wanted to see his boy\u00a0again, to meet me here at five PM today. He agreed, so I suppose it’s\u00a0settled. Today is the day Cartwright dies.”<\/p>\n

Joe blanched, a look of fear coming into his green eyes. “Fiends,” he
\nmuttered.<\/p>\n

This only earned him a kick in the side from Moore, and the sound of their\u00a0mocking laughter.<\/p>\n

“But why didn’t you do like you planned” Moore asked. “I mean, take him from that one place to here? Seems safer.”<\/p>\n

Clemens shrugged. “He wouldn’t dare do anything that would risk his boy’s life.”<\/p>\n

The three turned and left the room, leaving Joe alone in the dark to think\u00a0about his fate.<\/p>\n

An hour later, Moore came in, cutting the ropes from Joe’s wrists. “Jed\u00a0says your father’ll be here any minute. he wants you out there.” Leading\u00a0Joe into the main room, Moore shoved him into a chair that was facing the\u00a0door, tying his arms to the arms of the chair.<\/p>\n

It seemed like an eternity to Joe before the door opened, and Ben\u00a0Cartwright stumbled in, Clemens behind him. “Joseph!” Ben exclaimed at the\u00a0sight of his youngest’s abused face.<\/p>\n

“Pa!” Joe cried. “Are you alright? You shouldn’t have come, Pa. They’re\u00a0going to kill you!”<\/p>\n

At that, Moore shoved the butt of his rifle into Joe’s stomach. “Shut up,”\u00a0he growled.<\/p>\n

Joe gasped for breath.<\/p>\n

Ben angrily shoved Moore aside, and was at Joe’s side in a moment. “What\u00a0have they done to you, boy?” He asked, stroking his son’s curls, soaked\u00a0with blood and sweat.<\/p>\n

Joe managed a weak, lopsided grin. “I’m fine, Pa,” he lied.<\/p>\n

“No, you’re not, son,” Ben said quietly. “You need a doctor.”<\/p>\n

“Really, Pa,” Joe said, his voice equally quiet. “I’ll be fine. But you\u00a0shouldn’t have come. This was all just a trap. I heard them talking, Pa.\u00a0They’re going to kill you.”<\/p>\n

“I don’t care, Joe. I had to see you, even if only for the last time.”<\/p>\n

Clemens took Ben by the arm, pulling him to his feet. Joe’s ropes were cut,\u00a0and Frielle pushed him out the chair with the muzzle of his gun.<\/p>\n

As the five walked outside, Joe felt his heart skip a beat as he saw\u00a0Clemens pull a whip from his saddle bag. So they were going to use a whip on his\u00a0father before they killed him. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to hold\u00a0back tears. How could anybody be so cruel?<\/p>\n

They walked around to the back of the little cabin where two trees stood\u00a0side by side, only a few feet apart.<\/p>\n

Clemens turned to Joe. “Take your shirt off, boy.”<\/p>\n

Realization hit both Ben and Joe as the latter shrugged off his grey jacket\u00a0and began to slowly unbutton his shirt. The whip was not meant for his\u00a0father, but for him.<\/p>\n

Ben stared in horror as Joe’s wrists were tied tightly to either tree.\u00a0“No, you can’t do this! Let him go!”<\/p>\n

Clemens ignored him. “Would you like to do the honors, Jake?” He asked,\u00a0handing Moore the whip.<\/p>\n

Joe stared ahead stoically.<\/p>\n

“No!” Ben cried as the whip rose and fell on his son’s bare back. “No,\u00a0don’t hurt him, please. Please.”<\/p>\n

The whip fell again with a resounding crack. Joe winced, trying to hold the\u00a0tears of pain back. Clemens held up his hand for Moore to stop.<\/p>\n

“Will you beg? Get down on your hands and beg me?” Clemens asked, grinning\u00a0insanely. He was clearly enjoying himself.<\/p>\n

Joe couldn’t help the cry the escaped his lips as once again the whip landed on his\u00a0back.<\/p>\n

“Yes,” Ben said, falling to his knees.<\/p>\n

“No!” Joe cried, staring in horror. “No, Pa! Don’t do it! They’ll just\u00a0kill us anyway!” There was a pleading look in his eyes.<\/p>\n

“Shut up!” Moore yelled. Joe clenched his eyes shut as the whip fell again.<\/p>\n

Ben was on his knees at Clemens feet. “I’m\u2026I’m begging you to cut him down.\u00a0Don’t hurt him. Do what you want to me, but please don’t hurt my boy.\u00a0Please!”<\/p>\n

“Pa, stop it!” Joe yelled, his eyes filled with tears of pain and anger.<\/p>\n

“Please!” Ben cried.<\/p>\n

By now, Clemens was laughing hysterically. Ben could bare no more. Blindly\u00a0he lunged at Clemens, only one thought in his mind: to kill this man with\u00a0his bare hands.<\/p>\n

Frielle’s hand went to his side. The shot echoed loudly as Ben fell to the\u00a0ground. Moore came over and crouched down beside Ben, feeling for a pulse.\u00a0“He’s dead.”<\/p>\n

“Oh my God.” The tears now fell freely down Joe’s face.<\/p>\n

Clemens backhanded Frielle in the face. “You fool! I wasn’t done with him!”<\/p>\n

“He tried to kill you!” Frielle protested in surprise.<\/p>\n

“He wasn’t even armed! You could have easily pulled him off of me.”<\/p>\n

By now, Joe had completely forgotten the pain in his back. His father was\u00a0dead. And all it had taken was the slight movement of a mans finger, and he\u00a0was dead. Gone. Forever. Joe couldn’t believe it.<\/p>\n

He would welcome death with open arms\u2014he was more than ready to go home to\u00a0his mother and father.<\/p>\n

Eventually, the attention was turned back to Joe. “Cut him loose,” Clemens\u00a0growled. “Then I want you and Jake to bury Cartwright.”<\/p>\n

“What about him?” Moore asked, nodding at Joe.<\/p>\n

“We’ll take care of him in the morning,” Clemens said. “Right now, I’m too\u00a0mad to do anything.”<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

Joe lay on his back on the bed, his hands tied so tightly to the posts that\u00a0the ropes cut into his flesh. A candle burned on the table beside him. But\u00a0tired as he was, he forced himself to stay awake. All his dreams were\u00a0filled with dark nightmares, memories of his father’s face just before he\u00a0died, when he fell to the ground. When Moore had said he was dead.<\/p>\n

As he lay there, it suddenly occurred to him that death wasn’t the path he\u00a0must take if he could help it. He had to avenge his father’s, and maybe\u00a0even his brother’s, deaths.<\/p>\n

And what if Adam did die? Hoss would be alone, with nobody. A hot rage\u00a0filled Joe as he realized that his brother might also die.<\/p>\n

Desperately, he glanced around the room looking for anything\u2014anything at\u00a0all that might help him escape.<\/p>\n

Joe’s\u00a0eyes fell on a nail sticking out of the side of the bed, just a few\u00a0feet away. He didn’t stop to think why a nail was sticking out of the\u00a0bed; he just went into action.<\/p>\n

Bending his legs, he used his feet to pry the nail out. Pulling himself\u00a0into a sitting position, with the nail tightly between his feet, he managed\u00a0to lay it on the bed beside him. If he could just get it in his hand\u2026taking\u00a0a deep breath, he picked the nail up with his feet again, and reaching up,\u00a0managed to drop it into his left palm after several tries. His hand closed\u00a0tightly around it, and he sat there, breathing heavily, and wondering if he\u00a0had the strength to saw the ropes.<\/p>\n

But within a few minutes, he had begun the strenuous task. He moved his\u00a0left hand up and down, the nail always between his wrist and the ropes. It\u00a0took well over three hours, and he imagined that it had to be dark by the\u00a0time he finished his left wrist.<\/p>\n

Flexing his free hand, he began to sever the ropes on his right wrist.\u00a0Next came his ankles, and he was free.<\/p>\n

Jumping from the bed, he tried the door, which was, not to his surprise,\u00a0locked. ‘Just have to wait it out,’ he thought to himself. Tedious hours\u00a0passed as he waited out the night.<\/p>\n

Finally, heard a click, and the door opened. Moore entered, but Joe didn’t\u00a0give him a chance to see he was untied. Before long, Joe had him tied and\u00a0gagged. Pocketing the door keys, he took Moore’s gun, sticking it in the\u00a0waistband of his pants. Joe crept out the door. He had something special\u00a0planned for Clemens and Frielle. He found them both asleep beside the\u00a0fireplace. He stared down at them for a moment. This was something he’d\u00a0been looking forward to for a long time. And he wanted them to know what\u00a0was happening. He gave them both a hard kick in the side.<\/p>\n

Frielle, then Clemens, woke, a dazed and surprised look on their faces.\u00a0“Wha\u2014?”<\/p>\n

“Get up,” Joe said in a fierce, yet quiet voice. He held Moore’s gun aimed\u00a0at them. When neither complied, his voice raised, “get up!”<\/p>\n

The two jumped to their feet, shock, anger, and almost fear registered on\u00a0their faces.<\/p>\n

“I’m gonna take you both out,” Joe said evenly. “Now who wants to go\u00a0first?” There was a strange mixture of anger, hurt, pain in Joe’s dark\u00a0green eyes. A kind of fire that could send the chills down a man’s spine.<\/p>\n

But even as he raised the gun, all that his father had ever taught him came\u00a0back to mind. What would he do if he were standing here right now? His father wouldn’t want him to do this. There
\nwas a battle going on inside Joe’s head, and moralism was, seemingly,\u00a0winning out. His hand dropped to his side. “I can’t do it,” he said quietly. “I’d be no better than either of you.”<\/p>\n

There was nothing more Joe wanted to do than to kill the stinking,\u00a0murdering scum who had seriously injured his brother and gunned his father\u00a0down, but that would make them just as low as Frielle and Clemens. He’d be a murderer, too. Raising the gun again, Joe said, “Moore’s tied up\u00a0in that room.” He tossed the keys to Clemens. “Get him out here.”<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

Riding all the way to Virginia City with three outlaws was a dangerous thing to do,\u00a0Joe knew, but he arrived without mishap. Stopping in front of the sheriff’s\u00a0office, Joe dismounted, then helped the three, who were tied up, down from\u00a0their saddles.<\/p>\n

After Sheriff Roy Coffee had the men locked up, and Joe had told Roy and\u00a0Clem hiis tragic story, he asked about Adam.<\/p>\n

“Adam’s just fine,” Clem told Joe, hoping this would lift the boy’s spirits\u00a0a bit. “He’s still in bed, but Doc Martin says he’ll be up and around in\u00a0just a few weeks. Just needs a lot of rest.”<\/p>\n

Joe looked relieved, though the look of sorrow and exhaustion didn’t even\u00a0begin to leave his eyes, his face.<\/p>\n

Roy lay a hand on Joe’s shoulder. “I’m awful sorry about your Pa, Little\u00a0Joe,” he said genuinely. “If there’s anything I can do\u2026? If you’d like, I\u00a0could send Clem out to\u2026to get his body and bring him back here.”<\/p>\n

Joe gave him a forced half-smile. Fighting back tears and looking down at\u00a0his hat he held in his hands, he shook his head. “No thanks, Roy. I\u2026I’d\u00a0rather do it myself.” He bit his lip, trying to keep it from quivering.<\/p>\n

Roy smiled sympathetically. “I understand, son. You want me to tell Hoss?”<\/p>\n

Joe, not looking up from his hands, shook his head once again. “It’s my\u00a0place to tell him. It’s practically my fault it happened\u2026if I’d just left\u00a0Clemens to the law\u2026” at this his voice broke off with emotion. He ran the back of his hand over his eyes.<\/p>\n

“Wasn’t your fault, Joe,” Clem said. “You couldn’t and can’t control themfuture. That’s in God’s hands, and you just have to trust in him.”<\/p>\n

For the first time, Joe looked up, meeting Clem’s dark eyes. “Thanks,\u00a0Clem.” Without another word for fear he might shame himself in front of the\u00a0two law men, he ducked his head away and left the office.<\/p>\n

Once outside, he took hold of the saddle horn and swung into the saddle.<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

It was dusk when Joe finally reached the cabin where he had been held\u00a0captive. Dreading the task before him, he dismounted from Cochise. It\u00a0didn’t take him long to locate the grave\u2014just a mound of dirt tossed\u00a0carelessly over the body of a man in a shallow grave.<\/p>\n

Finding a shovel, he scooped up a shovelful of dirt, tossing it aside. Then\u00a0another, and another. Before long, Joe had the body completely uncovered.<\/p>\n

A tear rolled down his youthful face at the sight of his father’s face, so\u00a0cold and gray. And dead. Dead. The word hit Joe like a bombshell. His\u00a0mother had died when he was just a little boy\u2014he’d hardly even known her.\u00a0And now his father. Joe sank to his knees beside his father, his shoulders\u00a0shaking with every sob. Dead. It seemed the word would haunt him for the\u00a0rest of his life.<\/p>\n

When he had finally regained his composure, Joe rose to his feet, drying\u00a0his tears with the back of his hand. Lifting his father, he gently lay him\u00a0over Ben’s horse’s, Buck, back, tying him to the saddle. Mounting his own\u00a0horse, Joe took Buck’s reins, and they left for the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

Joe glanced up at the dark sky as he led Cochise and Buck into the stable.\u00a0Carefully untying his father from the saddle, he lay him on the hay.<\/p>\n

“I’ll be back, Pa,” he said quietly. Joe left the stable to do the hardest\u00a0thing he had ever done in his life\u2014to tell his brothers that their father\u00a0was dead.<\/p>\n

He was not surprised when he stepped into the house to find Hoss awake. He\u00a0was pacing the floor worriedly. He’d been planning to go after his father\u00a0when it became a bit lighter outside.<\/p>\n

Glancing up at the door as he heard it open, he stopped in his tracks. “Little\u00a0Joe!” he cried in delight. “Where’s Pa?”<\/p>\n

Joe walked forward, looking down at his feet, not able to meet his\u00a0brother’s expectant eyes.<\/p>\n

When Joe didn’t answer, Hoss said, “Joe, what’s the matter? Isn’t Pa with\u00a0you?”<\/p>\n

Joe didn’t look up. “He’s dead.”<\/p>\n

Hoss stared at him. “What?” Joe didn’t reply. Hoss shook his shoulders.\u00a0“What did you say, boy?”<\/p>\n

Slowly, Joe’s green eyes rose to meet Hoss’ blue. “He’s dead, Hoss. He’s\u00a0dead.”<\/p>\n

Hoss stared at his little brother in surprise. After a moment, he said,\u00a0“where is he, Joe?”<\/p>\n

Joe felt a tear trickle down his already tear-streaked face. “The stable.”<\/p>\n

As Hoss pushed past Joe, Joe grabbed his arm, stopping him. “Hoss-”<\/p>\n

Shaking off Joe’s arm, Hoss opened the door and ran out to the barn. Joe\u00a0followed slowly behind.<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright’s funeral was held the next day. His grave was next to Joe’s\u00a0mother, Marie’s.<\/p>\n

Roy told the Cartwright boys that all three outlaws had been wanted in\u00a0several states for murder. He had wired the circuit judge, and the trial\u00a0would be held in four days.<\/p>\n

There was a long line of people, telling the boys how sorry they were and offering any help they might need.
\n\u2014<\/p>\n

It was four weeks since Ben’s murderer’s had been hanged. Joe’s sorrow had\u00a0turned to rage and depression, and he was as wild as ever. Adam often found\u00a0himself riding into town to pull his baby brother out of some wild saloon brawl. Joe practically lived in the saloons, Adam thought. If he didn’t make it part of his responsibility to ride into town and bring his brother\u00a0home, he wasn’t sure if he would<\/em> come home.<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

“Hey, Little Joe!” Joe Cartwright looked over his shoulder to see a man\u00a0about his father’s age standing behind him.<\/p>\n

“What do you want, Corby?” Joe growled, not turning around. Marvin Corby was a man who had long hated\u00a0of Ben Cartwright, jealous of his wealth, land, and a\u00a0loving family.<\/p>\n

“I was thinking’, now,” Corby said evenly, twisting a cigar in his fingers,\u00a0“now that your greedy old man’s gone, maybe you boy’s would be willing to\u00a0sell me some of your land, for a reasonable price?”<\/p>\n

“I wouldn’t sell you an acre for all the money in the world,” Joe said\u00a0calmly, his back still to Corby as he looked down at the beer glass he was\u00a0turning slowly in his hands. But now, setting the glass down, he turned to\u00a0face Corby, and without a word, he sent a flying punch to Corby’s face,\u00a0which set him flat on his backside. “And you just keep your mouth shut\u00a0about my father, you damned bastard,” he added.<\/p>\n

Corby rose slowly to his feet, glancing over Joe’s shoulder.<\/p>\n

The next thing Joe knew, somebody had grabbed him by the arm. Spinning him\u00a0around, one of Corby’s men sent a punch to Joe’s face, knocking him to the\u00a0floor. With wild yells, three more of Corby’s men had piled on top of Joe.<\/p>\n

“Don’t mess with Marvin Corby,” Corby muttered, grinning, as Sam, the\u00a0bartender, yelled, trying to get order, but he was unheard.<\/p>\n

Joe was unconscious when the saloon doors swung open and Adam stepped in.\u00a0He had a feeling where his younger brother was. Sighing, he pulled his gun from its
\nholster, firing a shot into the air. “Alright, that’s enough. Everybody\u00a0off!” One by one, he pulled Corby’s men off his brother.<\/p>\n

“Gimme a glass of water, Sam,” he said, kneeling beside Joe and laying his\u00a0head in his lap.<\/p>\n

Joe’s eyes fluttered open as cold water was sprinkled onto his face. Taking\u00a0him by the arm, Adam pulled him to his feet. He led Joe, staggering, toward\u00a0the saloon exit.<\/p>\n

“Yes, sir,” Joe heard Corby say behind him. “Old man Cartwright must have\u00a0been some man to have raised a little brat like him.”<\/p>\n

Joe spun around angrily. “I told you to keep your filthy mouth shut about\u00a0my pa!” Adam grabbed Joe’s arm, jerking him back around.<\/p>\n

“Come on, Joe,” he said quietly.<\/p>\n

“He’s bad mouthing Pa, Adam,” Joe growled angrily, trying to jerk his arm\u00a0free of his older brother’s vise-like grip.<\/p>\n

“I know,” Adam said, not loosening his grip.<\/p>\n

Giving up, Joe said, “You should’ve let me hit him.”<\/p>\n

Adam sighed. “That’s what he wanted. He wanted to provoke you into a fight.” He paused. “And it’s seems he did.”<\/p>\n

“That’s right Adam,” Corby called after them. “Take care of baby brother.\u00a0Don’t let him get into trouble.” Laughter broke out among Corby and his men.<\/p>\n

Adam tightened his hold on Joe’s arm as he tried to turn. “Drop it, Joe.\u00a0Ignore him.”<\/p>\n

“I’m tired of being called a baby,” Joe fumed as he mounted onto Cochise.\u00a0He looked Adam squarely in the eye. “And I’m tired of you treating me like \u00a0one. I can take care of myself.<\/p>\n

“Then maybe you should stop acting like one,” Adam said simply. “And a great job you did of taking care of yourself in there.” He urged\u00a0his horse forward.<\/p>\n

Most of the ride home was quiet, until Adam finally broke the silence; “You\u00a0know you can’t go on like this forever, Joe.”<\/p>\n

Joe had been deep in thought, and when Adam spoke, it sounded as loud as a\u00a0gunshot. His looked up, but said nothing.<\/p>\n

“Pa wouldn’t want it like this,” Adam continued. “We have to go on with our\u00a0lives. Pa’s gone. Getting yourself drunk silly and into stupid fights won’t\u00a0bring him back,” Adam said gently.<\/p>\n

“So you just want me to forget, uh?” Joe asked. “Just forget all that\u00a0happened? Well it’s not so easy as you might think. You weren’t there,\u00a0Adam.” Joe’s voiced choked. “You weren’t there when they shot Pa down like\u00a0a dog. He wasn’t even armed!”<\/p>\n

“Joe, I didn’t say to forget him. I said we need to go on with our lives. We\u00a0still have a ranch to run, and Hoss and I can’t run it alone. We need your\u00a0help.”<\/p>\n

“I don’t give a damn about the ranch,” Joe said. “Sell it, for all I care.”<\/p>\n

Adam ignored him. “After my mother died, my grandfather told Pa to keep a\u00a0warm place in his heart for her, but not to carry her on his shoulder for\u00a0the rest of his life. And that’s what I want you to do for Pa\u2014that’s what\u00a0he would want. The past is in the past, Joe. You miss Pa, and so do I. But\u00a0you can’t forget that you have family. Family that love you and need you,\u00a0and it won’t help them any if you’re too caught up in your own grief to love them.”<\/p>\n

Joe didn’t reply as he sat in his saddle, thinking over what Adam had said\u00a0to him.<\/p>\n

A few minutes later, as they dismounted, Joe said, “Thanks for talking to\u00a0me, Adam.” He smiled.”Guess I’ve been neglecting my work and family lately,\u00a0haven’t I? Will your forgive me?”<\/p>\n

Adam smiled. “You bet, Joe.”<\/p>\n

Joe grinned up at Adam. It was the first genuine smile Adam had seen Joe do since their father’s death. “Thanks, older brother,” he said sincerely.<\/p>\n

THE <\/strong>EN<\/strong>D<\/strong><\/p>\n

A\/N Hey, hope you liked this! Please comment, and feel free to crtiique, just be nice about it. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this!<\/p>\n

~Josephine<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tags:\u00a0 Adam Cartwright,\u00a0Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright,\u00a0Poker,\u00a0revenge<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 After Adam Cartwright is shot down by an old enemy of Ben Cartwright’s, Joe swears to get even with the man who seriously injured his brother. Joe travels to Carson City in pursuit of Jed Clemens, his brother’s would-be murderer. But after Joe manages to locate\u00a0Clemens, things start to go wrong…<\/p>\n

Rating\u00a0 T\u00a0 (7,050 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8459,"featured_media":11800,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","wpcat-23-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/A-J.jpg?fit=400%2C320&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13056","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\/8459"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13056"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13056\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}