Summary<\/b>: \u00a0Seventeen year old Adam risks his father’s anger when he brings home yet another stray, but help comes from a surprising source.<\/p>\n
Rating:\u00a0 G (3,990 words)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A Job for Japser<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAnd stay out!\u201d the burly bartender bellowed. \u201cThere ain\u2019t no work for your thievin\u2019 kind here!\u201d He dusted off his hands and marched back into the dull gloom of the bar, leaving the boy he\u2019d just thrown out sprawled in the dirt almost at Adam Cartwright\u2019s feet.<\/p>\n \u201cHey!\u201d Adam yelled, interrupting his best friend Ross. Ross glanced down at the boy, now picking himself painfully up off the ground, and then back at Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, no!\u201d Ross exclaimed, recognising the look on his friend\u2019s face. The look that said, \u201cHere\u2019s someone who needs help, no matter what!\u201d He\u2019d seen that look many times before, and it nearly always got Adam into trouble-usually with his Pa. \u201cThat boy\u2019s a gypsy. You know how your Pa feels about gypsies, especially since that tribe stole three beeves last month. And you know what your Pa said about picking up strays!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam pulled a face. \u201cYeah, I know, Ross, but he\u2019s only a kid.\u201d He went to help the boy up. The boy cringed involuntarily at his touch and then swiped a dirty sleeve across an equally dirty face as he squared thin shoulders.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t need no help, mister. I don\u2019t want no charity, neither. I jus\u2019 wanna work.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all right, kid.\u201d Adam\u2019s voice was gentle, but he carefully refrained from coming too close. \u201cWhat did you do to upset Sam?\u201d Adam didn\u2019t know the bartender very well; Ben Cartwright was not a man to encourage his seventeen-year-old son to spend much time in saloons, but Sam had always been friendly enough to him.<\/p>\n \u201cNuthin\u2019\u201d The boy drooped a little. \u201cIt\u2019s always the same. They call me a thievin\u2019 gypsy, but I ain\u2019t no thief. I can\u2019t help bein\u2019 a gypsy. It\u2019s what I am.\u201d His dark eyes, too big for the thin face, snapped with hurt and outrage. \u201cI just wanna job. An\u2019 my name\u2019s Jasper, not kid,\u201d he told Adam, indignation brightening him up again.<\/p>\n Adam laughed. \u201cSorry. Jasper it is. Where\u2019s your family?\u201d<\/p>\n The boy ducked his head as a flush stained his cheeks. \u201cThe tribe didn\u2019t want me when my Mama died. They didn\u2019t want no\u2026no half-breeds.\u201d His voice was soft, but Adam could hear the pain in it, so bravely hidden.<\/p>\n \u201cYou got anything you\u2019re good at?\u201d Adam asked, wanting to help. Jasper was just a kid.<\/p>\n The boy\u2019s face lit. \u201cI like working with horses.\u201d The light faded. \u201cThe guy at the livery threw me out too.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam tilted his head to one side, considering the boy. \u201cYou ever worked on a ranch?\u201d<\/p>\n Ross\u2019 sharp intake of breath attracted Adam\u2019s attention. \u201cAdam! You can\u2019t! Your Pa will kill you!\u201d Ross had known Adam\u2019s Pa for many years, and the idea of\u00a0 facing Ben\u2019s anger didn\u2019t cheer him at all. He watched Adam\u2019s face, and what he saw made him nervous. \u201cYou\u2019re on your own, boy,\u201d\u00a0 he told Adam. \u201c I ain\u2019t facing your Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t ask you to.\u201d The voice was flat, uncompromising. Ross knew that voice. There were going to be major ructions at the Ponderosa between Adam and his father. He\u2019d seen Adam butt heads with his father before and he certainly didn\u2019t want to be caught in the middle. He definitely wasn\u2019t going to the Ponderosa tonight.<\/p>\n It was almost suppertime by the time Adam and Jasper rode into the yard of the Ponderosa. Skittish Sport had taken a little while to settle down to two riders, although not nearly as long as Adam had expected. Adam was not surprised to see his father standing, hands on hips, on the porch.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re late,\u201d he said without preamble, his voice harsh. \u201cYou should have been back three hours ago.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, Pa,\u201d Adam said with a lightness he wasn\u2019t quite feeling now that he could see his father\u2019s stormy face. \u201cI met Ross, and I brought home someone.\u201d He pulled Jasper to the front. \u201cPa, I\u2019d like you to meet Jasper. I\u2019ve offered him a job.\u201d<\/p>\n Jasper held out a thin hand. Ben took it automatically then looked at the boy properly. There was a very long silence. Skinny, dirty, ragged and obviously a gypsy. Ben took a very deep breath.<\/p>\n \u201cFind Jasper a bed in the bunkhouse and some food. Then I\u2019ll see you inside.\u201d Each word was clipped. He turned and stalked into the house.<\/p>\n Uh-oh, Adam thought. Pa\u2019s a lot angrier than I expected. Perhaps I overestimated his tolerance.<\/p>\n \u201cUh, Mr Adam?\u201d Jasper\u2019s timid voice broke into his thoughts. He turned and smiled at the boy. The boy\u2019s anxious eyes looked up at him. \u201cYour Pa\u2019s real mad, ain\u2019t he?\u201d he asked. \u201cI don\u2019t want ya to get in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam forced a smile. \u201cIt\u2019s not you. My father doesn\u2019t like surprises,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n It was a while before Adam came in. It was a homely, comforting scene. The fire burned brightly in the big fireplace, the smell of supper wafted out from the kitchen where Hop Sing was rattling dishes as he prepared the meal, his little brothers were talking loudly as they washed up for supper. There was nothing comforting about the expression on Ben\u2019s face as he sat behind his desk, puffing furiously on his pipe; the big ledgers open in front of him. He had worked himself into a fine rage and he didn\u2019t even wait until the young man had put his gun belt down.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean by bringing a boy like that here?\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n His father\u2019s tone set something off in Adam. \u201cA boy like what? A hungry one, you mean?\u201d He sounded far calmer than he felt.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean a gypsy. You know they can\u2019t be trusted. Look what happened when that last caravan came through here!\u201d Ben\u2019s voice rose with his anger.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s ridiculous, Pa! You can\u2019t compare the cases. That was a tribe. This is just one person-a scared, hungry kid! What would you have me do? Leave him alone and hungry in the streets of Virginia City? You taught me not to succumb to prejudices. Besides,\u201d and Adam played his trump card, \u201cHow many times were you thrown out of places because the owners didn\u2019t want vagrants hanging about?\u201d He spat out the word, bringing back unpleasant memories for both himself and his father.<\/p>\n Ben glared at him. \u201cThat is entirely different!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow?\u201d The question hung in the air, unanswered. It was obvious to his son that he had no answer.<\/p>\n Ben stabbed his finger at Adam. \u201cThis is MY ranch, boy. I make the decisions around here. I decide who will stay on this ranch-not you! You don\u2019t just bring home another one of your strays without discussing it with me! I\u2019ve told you before that I will not tolerate you bringing God knows what here! Even if you didn\u2019t think about asking permission, you might at least consider your little brothers. That\u2019s a dangerous world out there, boy, and their safety is paramount! Do you recall what I told you the last time you felt inclined to rescue someone?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam was silent. It had been a while since he had made his father so angry. He did remember. Pa had told him specifically he was not to bring anyone home without permission, among other things. He wavered a little, wondering if he had done the right thing after all. He hadn\u2019t meant to disobey his father. Then he caught sight of his twelve-year-old brother, Hoss, peering nervously round the kitchen door, sympathy for his big brother written all over his round face. It made him think of the scared boy he\u2019d brought home. The doubts vanished.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, just a minute, Pa,\u201d His angry voice cut across his father\u2019s tirade. \u201cThat kid out there is hardly any older than Hoss. What if it were Hoss? Or me? Would you want us to be left hungry and in need?\u201d It was an unfair argument, and Adam knew it. He knew just how much Ben worried about what would happen to the boys if he wasn\u2019t around, although that worry had faded a little as Adam grew.<\/p>\n As Adam\u2019s words sank in, Ben realised the boy was right. That was just a child out there. He probably would have done the same thing himself. It didn\u2019t make him any less angry, but he took refuge in a mundane disciplinary matter instead.<\/p>\n \u201cYou watch your manners, boy. How dare you raise your voice to me?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam knew he\u2019d won, if only for now. It wouldn\u2019t hurt to bank his father\u2019s fire. \u201cSorry, sir,\u201d Adam replied, meekly. A little too meekly, his father considered.<\/p>\n \u201cHm\u201d Ben grunted, unappeased. \u201cThat boy is your responsibility. Anything happens and it will be on your head. Understood?\u201d He waited for Adam\u2019s nod. His tone softened fractionally as his anger cooled. \u201cHave you considered just what you are going to do with him? He\u2019s not like the orphan animals Hoss brings home, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam pinched the bridge of his nose. \u201cI hadn\u2019t thought about it that far,\u201d he admitted. \u201cI just felt that he was being treated unfairly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you rescued him.\u201d Ben was thoughtful for a moment. \u201cWhat I said stands, Adam. You are responsible for him. Do you know anything about him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot much. He\u2019s a\u2026a half-breed. His tribe threw him out when his mother died. He\u2019s been living on his own for about six months.\u201d Adam\u2019s voice was soft. He was beginning to see just what problems he did have. \u201cI will have to see if I can find someone who can take him on.\u201d His eyes brightened as he looked hopefully at his father, but his father shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. I just told you; you can\u2019t keep him. We don\u2019t have the work to keep a boy like that on permanently. He can stay for a month, but you\u2019ll have to find something for him. And on your own time. Not mine.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s shoulders sagged. \u201cYes, sir,\u201d he said, meaning the respect this time. There went any and all of his free time, until he could find something for Jasper. And that wasn\u2019t going to be easy. His father was one of the most tolerant men he knew, and even he didn\u2019t trust gypsies. Where was he going to find a job for Jasper?<\/p>\n First, he had to find out what Jasper could do. He took his responsibility seriously, as always, and his father permitted him to include Jasper in all of the tasks that he was assigned. That those tasks were the ones Adam liked least had more than a little something to do with the fact that his father was seriously displeased with the whole situation and was letting Adam know it in no uncertain terms. Jasper was a hard worker, and he had an instinctive feeling for horses. Adam didn\u2019t want to admit that maybe there was something in the old notion that Gypsies had some kind of magic with horses, but certainly the boy handled them with understanding. Cattle, on the other hand, the boy loathed and made it clear to Adam that he would rather do anything that work with them.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re just so stupid, Mr Adam. Ya tell a horse what to do an\u2019 he does it. You try to get a cow to do somethin\u2019 an\u2019 it does just what you don\u2019t want it to.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam laughed, even though privately he agreed with him, but the cattle had to be brought to the lower meadow, and that\u2019s what they were going to do. Ben was pleased when they completed the job in record time.<\/p>\n \u201cYou did well today, Adam,\u201d he remarked over supper. Adam was cheered by the compliment. It was the first time for days Pa hadn\u2019t growled at him.<\/p>\n When he wasn\u2019t working, he visited all the people he knew trying to find Jasper a job. He got varying receptions, but once they saw that Jasper was a gypsy, the result was always the same. \u201cSorry, Adam, we don\u2019t have any work for a boy.\u201d They meant, specifically, a gypsy boy. Some of his father\u2019s friends pulled him aside and in various polite or less than polite ways, told him much the same thing\u2013Jasper was a gypsy and gypsies were thieves. They couldn\u2019t trust a gypsy. And many of them said, if Ben Cartwright wouldn\u2019t employ him, why should they? Ben was wealthier than many of them. He tried asking about work without Jasper in tow. That didn\u2019t work either. They wanted to know where he was, or they wouldn\u2019t consider him without seeing him.<\/p>\n Adam came in from yet another of these fruitless missions radiating disappointment. Displeased as Ben had been when Adam had brought the boy home, he had come round to approving of what Adam had done and to liking the boy for himself. The boy might be a gypsy, but he was a quick learner and pleasant enough to have around. Hoss had taken to him and the two spent much of their free time together. Ben sighed. He still didn\u2019t like Adam bringing home waifs and strays, but he knew Adam would keep doing it. He applauded the hard work Adam was putting into to finding the boy a place. Adam shook his head. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t seem to matter who I ask or talk to; no one wants a thirteen year old gypsy anywhere near them. If they aren\u2019t afraid that he\u2019s a thief, they\u2019re afraid that he\u2019ll put some kind of spell on them. The month\u2019s nearly up, and..and\u2026oh, Pa. I don\u2019t know what to do!\u201d He dropped heavily into a chair, his head in his hands, the picture of seventeen-year-old misery and despair.<\/p>\n Ben refrained from saying, \u2018I told you so.\u2019 It wouldn\u2019t stop Adam from trying to help the underdogs of this world, and it wouldn\u2019t find Jasper a job either. Much as he wanted to help Jasper, he felt strongly that this had to be Adam\u2019s responsibility. If he persisted in bringing home strays, he had to learn there were consequences.\u00a0 It looked like the boy would be with them for a while yet. Gypsy or not, Ben was hardly going to turn a child out. He patted Adam\u2019s shoulder. \u201cThe month doesn\u2019t matter. You know I won\u2019t throw him out. But you\u2019ll have to keep trying. Have you tried the stables in Virginia City?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, an\u2019 the horse doctor. An\u2019 everyone else I can think of who might be able to use him. It\u2019s the same story all the time, Pa. No one will take him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTomorrow I want you to take those two new horses over to Carson City. Charlie Abernathy has been asking for them. Take Jasper. Maybe you\u2019ll get lucky! Charlie might want a hand.\u201d He clapped Adam\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n Adam didn\u2019t laugh at his father\u2019s remark even though the idea of curmudgeonly Charlie taking Jasper in was ludicrous. Charlie owned the livery stables in Carson City, and the only thing he valued more than his stables was his\u00a0 pretty sixteen-year-old daughter, Corinna. Charlie hated almost everything else with a passion. Especially gypsies. And small boys. Adam heaved a sigh as these thoughts swirled around his head.<\/p>\n \u201cIs somethin\u2019 wrong, Mr Adam?\u201d Jasper asked. He liked Mr Adam. He was the first person who had been kind to him since his mother had died. He had even stood up for him with Mr Cartwright.<\/p>\n \u201cN-no, I was just thinking,\u201d Adam replied hastily, recalled from his thoughts by his companion.<\/p>\n Jasper nodded but didn\u2019t reply. If Mr Adam didn\u2019t want to talk, that was fine with him. Jasper had that rare quality of being able to not only endure silence but to tell when not to talk, so he stayed quiet as they finished the ride into Carson City.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, boy,\u201d Abernathy growled as Adam signed the receipt for the money. He was secretly very proud that his father trusted him with it.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t see young Dave here, \u201c Adam remarked as he put the money away carefully.<\/p>\n \u201cHad to fire him,\u201d was the laconic reply.<\/p>\n \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t want to hire another one would you?\u201d Adam asked hopefully. \u201cJasper here\u2019s looking for a job for the winter.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHire that\u2026that\u2026 gypsy?\u201d he responded, his disgust evident. \u201cHe\u2019s a really good worker. And he\u2019s no trouble. All the men on the ranch like him,\u201d Adam offered quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cIf he\u2019s so likeable why don\u2019t you keep him?\u201d Charlie laughed, pleased with his own witticism. \u201cI don\u2019t know what the Cartwrights are doin\u2019 with a gypsy, but I don\u2019t hold no truck with them. They\u2019re all thieves. No, I ain\u2019t going to hire him.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam was disappointed but not surprised. He turned to call Jasper when the afternoon was split by a scream and a horse thundered past the corral with a girl clinging to its back. The horse had been running hard\u2013its brown flanks were darkened with sweat and lather flecked it. The girl\u2019s long brown hair was blowing out behind her, and her long skirts had been thrown up to catch on the saddle. Adam caught a quick glimpse of a pale and frightened face as the horse pelted past him, the girl trying desperately to reach the reins she had dropped<\/p>\n \u201c That\u2019s my Corinna! That horse is heading to the river!\u201d Charlie exclaimed, afraid for his daughter. Even as he ran to the horses someone was there before him. A slight figure leaped onto the back of one of the horses and took off after the runaway.<\/p>\n \u201cJasper!\u201d Adam yelled, taking off after him.<\/p>\n Jasper took no notice. He was bent low over the horse\u2019s neck, his fists locked in its mane, his heels drumming on its ribs. He whispered in its ear, pleading, begging, encouraging it to go faster. It responded to whatever Jasper\u2019s magic was as he pushed it harder. He could see the river ahead; its waters swift and cold. Corinna would have little chance in that with a frightened horse and her heavy skirts. He urged the horse on. \u201cC\u2019mon, we\u2019re catching up!\u201d he told the horse. The horse responded and as they drew level, Jasper leaned across and grabbed the trailing reins of the runaway. There wasn\u2019t a chance he could haul the frightened animal down\u2013he just wasn\u2019t strong enough, but he did his best. The horse slowed in its headlong rush for a moment, then took off again, dragging an unexpected weight along behind it. It pulled Jasper off his horse. He couldn\u2019t keep his feet, but he hung onto the rein for dear life, regardless of the risk to himself. His weight slowed the horse further, allowing Adam and Charlie to catch up and stop it, just on the bank of the river. Charlie lifted his frightened daughter down.<\/p>\n \u201cSweetheart? Are you all right?\u201d Charlie asked, with a tenderness Adam had never heard him use before.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine, Papa. Rainbow was spooked by a snake.\u201d She shuddered, and her father folded her into his arms. \u201cI was so scared.\u201d She smiled across at Jasper. \u201cI don\u2019t know who you are, but thank you!\u201d<\/p>\n She impulsively leaned over and kissed Jasper on the cheek.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s ok,\u201d he muttered, embarrassed as only a thirteen-year-old can be .<\/p>\n \u201cOh! You\u2019ve hurt yourself! You\u2019re bleeding!\u201d she exclaimed.<\/p>\n Jasper looked down at himself. He hadn\u2019t noticed before. His pants were ripped and torn where he\u2019d been dragged over the rocks, and there was a spreading patch of blood on his knees. His arms were scraped and raw too, and there was a big tear in the front of his now very dirty shirt.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, boy, we\u2019ll clean you up,\u201d Charlie said gruffly.<\/p>\n Jasper was bathed and bandaged by Adam and Charlie. He was silent through the whole process, although he winced as they cleaned the dirt out of his abrasions.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Mr Adam,\u201d he said finally. \u201cI\u2019ll pay for them.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam was puzzled. \u201cPay for what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe clothes. I didn\u2019t mean to damage them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Charlie stared at the boy sitting in front of him. \u201cWhere did you get those clothes from, boy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMr Adam lent them to me. My own were dirty, and Mr Hop Sing said they had to be washed.\u201d He looked very unhappy. \u201cI\u2019ll pay for them,\u201d he repeated, \u201cbut I\u2019ll havta wait till the month\u2019s end.\u201d<\/p>\n Charlie Abernathy folded his arms across this chest and leaned against the doorframe. \u201cLet me get this straight,\u201d he said, his voice puzzled. \u201cYou tore them clothes rescuing my daughter and now you want to pay for damaging them?\u201d<\/p>\n Jasper nodded. \u201cI don\u2019t take nuthin\u2019 that ain\u2019t mine,\u201d he said proudly. He suddenly remembered the horse. \u201cI\u2019m sorry I took your horse without permission.\u201d He swallowed really hard and blinked back tears. \u201cI know they hang horse thieves.\u201d His voice had dropped to barely above a whisper, and it\u00a0 shook.<\/p>\n Suddenly, Charlie saw, there in front of him not one of \u2018them thievin\u2019 gypsies\u2019, but a scared, injured youngster\u2013a youngster who had saved his precious daughter, at great risk to himself.<\/p>\n \u201cLike horses, do you, boy?\u201d<\/p>\n Jasper nodded, a quick smile flitting across his pale face. \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam grinned. \u201cThey certainly like him. I haven\u2019t seen a horse that didn\u2019t yet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood,\u201d Charlie said. \u201cThat\u2019ll be real good in a livery stable.\u201d<\/p>\n Jasper turned a puzzled face to Adam, who, quicker on the uptake, smiled broadly. \u201cI think Mr Abernathy is offering you a job.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf ya want it, that is,\u201d the man said gruffly. \u201cI expect people who work for me to work hard, but ya get fair pay for it. An\u2019 not just a job. A home. But I won\u2019t have no thievin\u2019. You do right by me, boy and I\u2019ll do right by you. Deal?\u201d<\/p>\n Jasper looked dazed. \u201cI..I\u2026don\u2019t know what to say.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSay, \u2018yes, sir\u2019,\u201d Adam advised him, grinning.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir!\u201d Jasper said, obediently.<\/p>\n Ben met Adam in the yard of the Ponderosa. \u201cEverything all right son?\u201d he asked, noting Adam\u2019s preoccupied face.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir. Here\u2019s the money,\u201d he said, extracting it from his pocket.<\/p>\n \u201cYou seem to have mislaid something on your way home.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s querying expression made him laugh.<\/p>\n \u201cJasper.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Jasper! Pa, Charlie did give him a job! I left him there. He was too sore to ride.\u201d He quickly described the day\u2019s events. At the end of his recital, his brow wrinkled. \u201cWhat if Charlie changes his mind, Pa? What happens if he stops being grateful and remembers Jasper\u2019s a gypsy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened once Jasper settled in here?\u201d his father asked.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople got to know him for\u2026oh, I see,\u201d Adam said. \u201cOnce they get to know each other it won\u2019t matter that he\u2019s a gypsy. And Jasper will prove his worth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right. As you have, once again, to me.\u201d He clasped Adam\u2019s shoulder briefly, and his son smiled his lovely slow smile that went right to his eyes. The one Ben didn\u2019t see nearly often enough.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Jasper has one more thing going for him, son. A good friend, who will stand up for him against all comers-even his own father. You and your underdogs!\u201d He shook his head .<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s your own fault, Pa,\u201d Adam told him. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have raised me to be just like you!\u201d He evaded the playful swat his father aimed at him as he led his horse into the barn. At the door, he turned for a moment. \u201cAdmit it, Pa. You wouldn\u2019t have me any other way.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben chuckled, \u201cNo, I wouldn\u2019t. But I could wish you didn\u2019t always have to choose the harder road, son.\u201d He shook his head. \u201cOf course, then you wouldn\u2019t be my Adam,\u201d he said, too quietly for Adam to hear. His smile was proud.<\/p>\n August 2002<\/b><\/p>\n
\n\u201cNo success, son?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\nAdam looked around quickly, but Jasper was on the other side of the stable\u2019s corral, and hadn\u2019t heard.<\/p>\n