{"id":14362,"date":"2017-06-08T20:14:29","date_gmt":"2017-06-09T00:14:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=14362"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:41:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:41:10","slug":"defying-logic-by-robin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=14362","title":{"rendered":"Defying Logic (by Robin)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0<\/strong> What happen next for the episode, The Hayburner.<\/p>\n

Rating: \u00a0T \u00a0(20,375 words)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Defying Logic<\/strong><\/p>\n

Preface<\/u><\/em><\/p>\n

Years later, no one could really remember how it all started but Patrick Manogue was forever grateful that it all ended just the way it did. Probably most of the people in Nevada territory were happy as well. It involved obtaining a thousand dollars, a top hat and a mahogany clock that helped put him on the right path for the rest of his life.<\/p>\n

Was it luck or coincidence? Or, as Patrick sometimes wondered, perhaps it was a miracle?<\/p>\n

Patrick would never quite know. Some things defy logic and demand faith. All he did know, in his heart and soul, was that it was easy to make a fortune but a lot tougher to make a difference.<\/p>\n

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

Outside Virginia City<\/u><\/em><\/p>\n

1854<\/u><\/em><\/p>\n

Enos Milford was thoroughly amazed at his unexpected good luck.<\/p>\n

The rancher never dreamed of owning such a fine horse, not even in his wildest dreams. He had the horse on his ranch for less than a month, but her reputation had already got around the territory. He turned down quite a few offers to buy the mare because this beauty was going to be used to improve the blood lines of the stock on his own ranch.<\/p>\n

Enos sincerely hoped his beloved wife never got wind of the entire story of how he came to own this remarkable horse. Cora really would be angrier than a wet hen to discover he had been sitting in the Silver Dollar Saloon gambling at cards all that afternoon instead of being held up at the freight terminal like he claimed. It wasn\u2019t his fault that he got sidetracked breaking up some brouhaha outside the school house. Passing by on his way to the freight terminal, Enos saw Little Joe Cartwright and Eden Saunders rolling around on the in the dust, pounding on each other like there was no tomorrow. The two boys were going at it hammer and tongs while bits of torn paper blew around them like a snow storm in the Donner Pass. The minister\u2019s boy, Billy, and a couple of the school girls were shrieking and hollering and trying mighty hard to gather up the scraps of paper. The late spring gusts blew the flotsam and jetsam half way to Carson City so the children weren\u2019t having much success.<\/p>\n

The new young school marm was trying valiantly to sort out the chaos. Feeling that he had to step in to help out the poor little school marm, Enos jumped off his horse and hollered at the children. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on here, you kids? Quit this, the both of you! Joe! Eden, Stop!\u201d He and young Billy attempted to pull the two boys apart but didn\u2019t have much success until two of the older girls heaved buckets of water on the two scrappers like they were breaking up a pit bull fight in a back alley.<\/p>\n

The second bucket of water hit the boy while he was on top of Eden, shoving his face into the school yard dirt which was quickly turning to mud. Joe may have been close to winning the brawl, but Joe\u2019s prize was getting more than his share of the buckets of water. Eden jumped on his horse and took off like a band of Paiutes on the warpath. Poor Little Joe Cartwright was covered in muck and soaked clear to the skin. After a brief discussion, the sodden boy quickly pushed a stack of school books at Billy Felcher and headed for home, soaked to his long johns. The teacher called after him but Joe ignored her and just kept going like he was shot out of a cannon.<\/p>\n

By the time Enos helped the sort things out, the freight office was locked up for the day. Seeing that the freight office had already shut down, Enos Milford decided that it made no sense to let the trip into Virginia City go to waste. He had worked up a quite a thirst hollering at the school kids, so he headed for the Silver Dollar.<\/p>\n

One beer led to another and another. Before he knew what he was doing, Enos was playing card with a table full of strangers. He sat at that hot poker game until well past suppertime.<\/p>\n

Cora Milford sincerely hated the idea of anyone gambling, especially her husband. Enos was positive that his wife would be mighty angry, even though he had won and won big. He left the saloon with more than five hundred dollars in cold hard cash, the deed for piece of land up in a place the fellow who lost it called Elm Grove, and the wonderful sorrel that ran like the wind.<\/p>\n

Enos easily explained how he obtained the horse. He told Cora that he had slickered Lobo Michaels, the horse trader, and picked up the fine horse real cheap. She hadn\u2019t even thought to ask about the freight depot. Enos had quickly decided he wouldn\u2019t mention a word about having the extra cash or the deed for the land but decided to leave them wrapped in his slicker secreted in his saddle bag. Cora would never go poking through his gear, especially if he kept it all in the barn. She would be none the wiser that he had this deed or an extra bit of cash that he could use as he saw fit. A man\u2019s got to do what a man\u2019s got to do.<\/p>\n

Now, he was heading back into Virginia City to see if his run of good luck would continue at the freight auction. Perhaps he could pick up some furniture or a something Cora would like to fancy up the house for a few dollars.<\/p>\n

Just as Enos galloped down the hill and passed the turn off to the Saunders ranch, he saw a pair of riders coming towards him across the ridge. He slowed his horse up a bit. The glare of the bright noon day sun was right in his eyes as he tried to make out who they were. He thought he heard them calling to him but he wasn\u2019t quite sure. Was it someone he knew? Saunders? One of the Cartwrights? Or were they travelers looking for the Virginia City road?<\/p>\n

He pulled up on his reins and slowed his horse to a walk figuring the riders could catch up to him. Two other riders approached, and then another pair of riders surged out from behind a cluster of trees. Before he knew it, he was surrounded by four, belligerent armed men.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet off that horse!\u201d one of the men ordered in a gruff voice. \u201cGet off your horse or I\u2019ll shoot you off.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was the last thing Enos Milford remembered until he woke up in Doc Martin\u2019s office late the next day.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cIsn\u2019t that Enos Milford\u2019s horse? The one you was interested in buying?\u201d Hoss said pointing to a long legged sorrel mare being tied up in front of the Silver Dollar. The lanky rider strode towards the saloon with the brisk step of a thirsty man.<\/p>\n

Adam nodded. \u201cNow that you mention it, I think you are right. Looks like a stranger riding it though.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dMust be his new hired man,\u201d Hoss decided. \u201cPa said that Mr. Milford was gonna get some new men to work out there on his place. It was more than he could manage without more help.\u201d He fanned himself with his hat.<\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright wearily leaned on the hitching post outside of the freight station and fanned himself with his black hat. He was hot and sweaty and he needed to catch his breath for just a moment. It was about ninety five degrees in the shade but at least there was a bit of a cool breeze blowing off the mountains. Inside the boarded up freight depot, it was like the devil\u2019s own blast furnace. He and his two younger brothers had spent most of the hellishly hot, early summer morning endlessly searching through the crammed, disorganized warehouse of the soon to be bankrupt Western Territory Freight Company. They were hunting for the long overdue blades and machine parts that the Cartwrights needed to get their saw mill up and running.<\/p>\n

Little Joe stumbled out the door of the dark depot and gasped for air in the glaring sunlight. Then and there, he decided that staying in the schoolhouse would have been a far better idea than working with his older brothers. He was filthy from head to toe and his clothes were in tatters. One knee of his pants was torn and his sleeve was ripped just above the elbow where the fabric had snagged on a nail. The boy took a deep breath and started to choke again. He coughed up all the dust he had inhaled ferreting through the cellar and attic of the ramshackle building.<\/p>\n

Joe rubbed the throbbing knot on his forehead. The boy had injured himself when he bashed his head on a splintering beam as he climbed over a teetering stack of wooden packing cases. One was labeled Waltham Clock Works, Waltham, Massachusetts. The other was stamped \u201cFragile Handle with Care! Glass\u201d and a third was addressed to Lowell\u2019s Hardware which had closed up years earlier. Clearly, none of those were the machine parts for the Cartwright\u2019s saw mill.<\/p>\n

Little Joe should have known he was in for it when Pa gave him permission to miss school. \u201cI\u2019m mighty tired of pawing through this miserable stuff!\u201d Joe declared loudly.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe too,\u201d agreed Hoss. He was also coated with sweat and filth and had a good sized sliver stuck in his right hand. The husky young man picked on it until he removed most of the splinter.<\/p>\n

\u201dThe sheriff will be padlocking the place at sundown so we better find those crates by then, boys,\u201d Adam reminded his brothers. \u201cWhen Roy Coffee says sundown, he isn\u2019t fooling.\u201d<\/p>\n

The owners of the poorly run freight company had gone bust. Before they disappeared, they left the ramshackle building in the hands of the illiterate, drunken freight clerk who was part of why the business failed miserably. All the creditors had demanded that the contents of the depot should be auctioned off. Sheriff Coffee gave everyone until sundown to claim any of their property in the place. Then, what remained would be seized and auctioned off to the highest bidders.<\/p>\n

Most of the freight was unlabeled or addressed to customers in other towns. A few packages were for folks who once lived in Virginia City but who had moved on. That made the search even more grueling. Trying to find the crucial shipment of machine parts in the chaotic jumble seemed completely impossible but Adam was determined to succeed. At first, Hoss thought they would have to move every single box, crate and barrel to find the one addressed to the Ponderosa. It was their father\u2019s clever idea to get agile Little Joe to squeeze in all the tight spaces to hunt for their booty. Ben was so desperate to get the vital gears that he even gave permission for Joe to miss school to do the job.<\/p>\n

Adam uncorked the half-empty canteen and handed it to his youngest brother. Joe took one long swallow of the tepid water and then another. He offered the canteen to Hoss who waved it away.<\/p>\n

\u201dFinish it yourself. My throat is mighty, mighty dry but I\u2019d much rather to go over to the nice cool saloon for a nice cold, wet beer,\u201d Hoss said, wiping his face with his bandana, then he smiled hopefully at Adam. The Silver Dollar was right across the dusty street.<\/p>\n

Little Joe quickly looked at Adam. \u201cAren\u2019t you thirsty, Older Brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dNow that you mention it, a beer sure would cut the grit in my throat,\u201d Adam nodded.<\/p>\n

Joe coughed once more for good measure and echoed, \u201cA beer would be mighty fine. Mighty fine. My throat is really gritty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you buying, Little Brother?\u201d Adam teased knowing what the answer would be.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know I don\u2019t have any money,\u201d the slender boy shrugged. Not one to let an opportunity slip through his fingers he quickly replied, \u201cHow about if you lend me the money and I pay you back when Pa pays me for all this important work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201d You still owe Pa for the money you borrowed to replace those school books that disappeared last week.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dHey, that warn\u2019t my fault,\u201d Little Joe defended himself. There was no way he was going to let anyone know what really happened to his books. \u201cHow was I supposed to know they\u2026 they\u2026 would fall into the creek when I was\u2026 I was\u2026 fishing? The bank is real narrow there and drops off sort of sudden,\u201d Joe hoped that his brother believed his lie. Then he added a bit of the truth. \u201cBesides, Pa told me to avoid getting into any more fights in school and I figured if I wasn\u2019t in school, I could be sure to avoid getting into any scraps.\u201d It wasn\u2019t Little Joe\u2019s books that accidentally wound up falling the Truckee River, but his friend Billy Felcher\u2019s books that were ripped to shreds by Eden Saunders. Eden didn\u2019t like the idea that Billy studying with Jennifer Biel, the pretty new girl that Eden had claimed for himself. Little Joe jumped into the scrap and gave Eden a shiner. Then he generously gave his own books to poor Billy to replace the ones that were destroyed.<\/p>\n

Joe knew Reverend Felcher would not be as understanding as his own Pa when it came to ripped trousers, bloody noses and, most importantly, destroyed school books. Joe was fairly sure Eden would keep quiet, especially when Joe said he would make sure Mr. Saunders would see his son with two black eyes instead of only one if Reverend Felcher got wind of what had happened. Eden was far more afraid of his father than Billy ever was afraid of his.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t believe you let your books fall into the river,\u201d Adam chastised his brother for the fourth time. When he was Joe\u2019s age, Adam would have given his right arm and ten years off his life to own a fine set of school books. Little Joe just took his books for granted.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least he jumped in after them, Adam,\u201d Hoss defended his little brother. \u201cYou should have seen him when he came home, soaked to the skin, covered with mud and stinking to high heaven and shivering like he was going get swamp fever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Too weary to debate another round with his irresponsible little brother and the brother who faithfully defended him, Adam just rolled his eyes and wiped his brow.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo does that mean we ain\u2019t going for beers?\u201d Joe gave his suggestion one more try.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat part of \u2018no\u2019 don\u2019t you understand?\u201d Adam glared at him.<\/p>\n

\u201dBesides, you know Pa would skin you alive if he found out you was drinking beer, Joseph!\u201d Hoss reprimanded the boy. He fanned himself with his hat.<\/p>\n

\u201dAnd Pa will skin the two of us if we let Joe have one,\u201d Adam reminded his middle brother in case his resolve got swayed by Joe\u2019s skillful persuasion.<\/p>\n

\u201dHeck, then we all would be skinless!\u201d Hoss quickly nodded in agreement and put his hat back on his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you buy the beers. I won\u2019t tell, Pa. Not one word, Adam. You can trust me. Let\u2019s go!\u201d Joe grinned and took two steps in the direction of the saloon.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, you are barely twelve years old. No beer,\u201d Adam said. He firmly grabbed the boy by his shirt collar and spun him around.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere did that goldurn clerk go? He was supposed to be giving us a hand looking for those goldang crates,\u201d Hoss grumbled. He squeezed out the last fragment of the splinter in his palm and wiped his dirty hand on the front of his shirt. \u201cIf we ain\u2019t getting a beer, then give me that there canteen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI bet that clerk is over in the Silver Dollar drinking his lunch and won\u2019t be back anytime soon,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWant me to go hunt for him?\u201d Little Joe said hopefully. \u201cI got real sharp eyes. You said so yourself, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only hunting you\u2019ll be doing with your sharp eyes is with us for that missing crate.\u201d Hoss said firmly. Once Joe was out view, he would find something interesting, get distracted and forget to come back to work.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t go anywhere until we find that big crate,\u201d Adam reminded his brothers. \u201cWe\u2019re wasting day light.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s true,\u201d Hoss sighed. He took the canteen from Adam and finished off the tepid contents. \u201cI sure wish this was beer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dHeck, you have me doing the hardest part of the work, climbing down into that hot, dusty store room, squeezing in between those dangerous tight spots between all those tipping boxes and splintery barrels and looking for that stupid big crate.\u201d Joe complained again.<\/p>\n

\u201dBut you are so well suited for the job, Little Joe. Only you can fit in between the crates and boxes and barrels in that stacked up mess. And you bragged you have sharp eyes. You are the logical candidate,\u201d Adam cajoled. \u201cI have faith in you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the two of us have to move all that stuff so you can squeeze in,\u201d Hoss pointed out.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t we just go on home?\u201d Joe pleaded. The three brothers were all hot and dirty and disgusted. \u201cI found this really good spot for fishing on the river last week. It\u2019s where the bank is sort of narrow and drops off a bit. \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just have to be careful not to knock anything in the river like school books? \u201c Adam said pointedly.<\/p>\n

Joe pretended that he hadn\u2019t heard Adam\u2019s remark about his books falling in the river. That was the lie he told his family when he came home soaked and without his school books. He couldn\u2019t tell them what really happened and that he gave his own books to Billy Felcher.<\/p>\n

\u201dWe can go as soon as we find that crates. We need those gears and the blade for the lumber mill. Did you check that back corner under the eaves, Joe?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

\u201dYes, I checked the back corner, Adam. Remember! That\u2019s how I got this!\u201d Joe held up his scraped hand. \u201cAnd the front corner and all the corners upstairs and down. No great big crate addressed to Pa. And the cellar and under the stairs too. No great big crate addressed to Pa. Under the stairs where there were a couple of great big fat rats like the two of you! I looked at their beady red rat eyes and said \u2018Howdy, Hoss! Howdy Adam!\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHere, let me wrap that up for you,\u201d Hoss said digging out his bandana. He was feeling badly. He knew the kid was working hard and getting the worst of things squeezing into the awkward, tight spaces that he and Adam couldn\u2019t manage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is like looking for a needle in a hay stack,” Joe grumbled as Hoss bound up his hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat might be easier than this is. Hay is easier to move,\u201d Hoss said<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you know that needle is there. Why the heck would someone put a needle in a haystack? That sure don\u2019t make much sense to me,\u201d Joe muttered.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe that big crate ain\u2019t even there?\u201d Hoss said, tying up the bandana on Joe\u2019s hand. Even easy going Hoss was getting discouraged by this situation.<\/p>\n

Suddenly Adam got a brilliant idea. \u201dMaybe we are going about this the entire wrong way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dYeah, maybe we are. Maybe it isn\u2019t even there Maybe we should just go home. Hoss can tell Pa that we tried and that big box just wasn\u2019t there,\u201d Joe griped.<\/p>\n

\u201cHush up, Joe. What do you mean we\u2019re going about this the wrong way, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dWe all keep assuming the parts were all shipped in one big crate so we are looking for a big box. What if they were shipped in a few smaller parcels?\u201d Adam pushed his hat to the back of his head and smiled for the first time since they had started on this job. \u201cIsn\u2019t that logical?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dIt sure makes sense. There were a whole bunch of small crates and kegs up in the loft that we didn\u2019t even check because we were looking for one great big crate,” Hoss said. \u201cAnd a few down in the cellar too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBet that\u2019s where those crates are, in the loft. Sometimes things are right in front of your eyes and you don\u2019t see it because you are looking for something else,\u201d Adam decided.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe you are right, Adam,\u201d Hoss agreed. \u201cThey shipped the parts in a few smaller crates, not one big one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a genius, Adam. You got to be right,\u201d Joe exclaimed.<\/p>\n

\u201dI\u2019m always right. It\u2019s about time you learned that, Little Brother,\u201d Adam grinned.<\/p>\n

Within ten minutes, the Cartwright brothers had uncovered the missing crates in the loft and made quick work of loading them into their wagon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were right in front of our eyes!\u201d Joe exclaimed.<\/p>\n

\u201dIt\u2019s amazing what happens when change your point of view,\u201d Adam smiled. He was delighted to be able to successfully accomplish the mission Pa had sent them on.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow let\u2019s go get some grub. My stomach is so empty it thinks my throat was cut,\u201d Hoss declared.<\/p>\n

Just then a wagon rattled up.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey Hoss! Adam! Where\u2019s the doc at?\u201d called Otis Massey from the back of the buckboard. \u201cWe got us an injured man here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dWhat happened, Mr. Massey? Who do you have there?\u201d Hoss asked. They all could see someone lying unconscious in the back of the buckboard covered over with a horse blanket.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Enos Milford!\u201d Adam said recognizing the man.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Milford!\u201d Little Joe\u2019s jaw dropped. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone must have bushwhacked him,\u201d Otis explained. \u201cMe and Patrick found him on the road into town. We were headed in to buy things at the freight auction and spied him just lying there in the gully.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe told us someone took his money and his horse and knocked him down in the gully when he tried to fight back. It looks like the poor fellow broke his leg,\u201d said the driver, a husky, broad shouldered man with an Irish brogue. Patrick was in his late twenties and had black hair and dark eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cPoor fellow passed out from the pain jest as we got here into town,\u201d Otis said \u201cWhere\u2019s the doctor\u2019s office?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam quickly took charge. \u201cLittle Joe, you jump in the wagon and show them how to get to Doc Martin\u2019s office. Hoss, you come with me.\u201d He checked to see if his gun was fully loaded. Hoss and Adam strode across the street to the saloon to grab the stranger who rode in on Milford\u2019s horse.<\/p>\n

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

The horse thief didn\u2019t put up much of a struggle with Hoss calmly holding a gun in the small of his back while Adam questioned him about having a bill of sale for the Milford\u2019s sorrel. The stranger made absolutely no fuss as they walked him down the street to the sheriff\u2019s office. Thanks to Adam and Hoss, the bushwhacker was quickly caught and locked up in Sheriff Coffee\u2019s jail.<\/p>\n

Adam knew that they had to get word to Cora Milford about her husband\u2019s mishap. She would be worried sick if he didn\u2019t show up at home. On the other hand, work was completely stopped at the Cartwright\u2019s saw mill until the missing machinery parts were brought up there. The mill was in a completely different direction from Virginia City than the Milford spread. Adam quickly solved the problem. He and Hoss would go to the mill. Little Joe could go by the Milford Ranch and tell Mrs. Milford what happened. If she needed, he could stay the night with her to help with chores. Then he could bring her into town to fetch Enos home when Doctor Martin said he could make the trip.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure you know your way up there from town, Little Joe,\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

\u201dI\u2019m sure, \u201cLittle Joe insisted.<\/p>\n

\u201dAre you really sure?\u201d Hoss asked again. Joe might have known how to go to the Milfords from the Ponderosa but he had never traveled there on his own from Virginia City. \u201cMake sure you don\u2019t miss that turnoff just past the Saunders place and wind up in the desert and bump into those renegade Paiutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe argued. \u201cI sure know how to get to the Milford\u2019s. The turnoff is just past the Saunders and if I…\u201d He caught himself before he said that if he saw Eden Saunders, he would be glad to gallop over him and trample his miserable face into the dust for all the trouble he caused for Billy Felcher. \u201cAnd if I know the way to go, I know the way. Don\u2019t fuss over me like a mother hen, Brother! Besides, Hoss, Kapusta ain\u2019t been seen a real long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe lad is right,\u201d Patrick Manogue agreed. \u201cThose poor Indians haven\u2019t been seen in months.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPoor Indians?\u201d Adam wasn\u2019t quite sure if this Patrick fellow was sympathetic to the Indians or just being sarcastic.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast time anyone spotted Kapusta, he was half way to Canada. He was spotted in the north country,\u201d Patrick added. None of the others noticed his fingers were crossed.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot Mexico?\u201d Hoss asked. \u201cI thought them defiant Paiutes would head south.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patrick and Otis both shrugged and said absolutely nothing more about Kapusta.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t I just come along with you, Little Joe? It would be real nice to take a trip in that direction. Perhaps I can see if there is good prospecting down that-a-way,\u201d Otis quickly suggested. \u201cPatrick\u2019s claim is pretty much played out. It\u2019s getting time for me to be looking for a new place to find my fortune.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss smiled. He was relieved and nodded appreciatively at the prospector\u2019s offer. He felt much better knowing his little brother wasn\u2019t totally on his own. Joe had to not only manage the sorrel and carry the bad news to Cora Milford but also take on ranch chores and then bring Cora back to Virginia City to fetch Enos home. It was a lot for the young boy to manage on his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like a fine idea, Mr. Massey. You go with Joe out to the Milfords,\u201d Adam agreed.<\/p>\n

Even though he felt bad about Mr. Milford\u2019s injury, Little Joe couldn\u2019t be more delighted with the plan. He loved hearing Otis Massey\u2019s tales about prospecting. Not only was he being given permission to miss more school, no one fussed over him better than Cora Milford. She would tell him how she and his Ma were good friends and cook up anything he liked. The boy was sure he could convince her that she needed him to help out for at least a week, maybe more, and stuff himself on her fine cooking. How could Pa deny poor Mrs. Milford the willing help of a fine hard working boy?<\/p>\n

Never one to miss an opportunity for a good meal, Otis suggested that they all should eat before leaving Virginia City. \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t be fair to poor Mrs. Milford if a couple of hungry men showed up and she felt that she had to give us a meal when she was upset about her husband being all busted up?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA couple of hungry men?\u201d Hoss asked. He turned his head left and right as if he was hunting for the other man who would be accompanying Otis out to the Milfords.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell a hungry man and a starving boy who is almost a man,\u201d Otis clarified, patting Little Joe on the back.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir. I\u2019m sure starving! \u201cJoe agreed. He was flattered that Mr. Massey noticed how he was growing up.<\/p>\n

Before Joe could bring up something about going to the Silver Dollar again, Hoss quickly suggested they could eat at the new caf\u00e9 that had just opened down the street from Doctor Martin\u2019s office and that was where they all headed.<\/p>\n

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

The crowded caf\u00e9 was filled with noisy, hungry men demanding to be fed. There were a few merchants and ranch hands having lunch but most of the customers had come into town for the freight auction hoping to score a treasure for pennies on the dollar. The two waitresses, one stout and blond and the other tall and skinny, were trying as best as they could to serve the demanding customers.<\/p>\n

A crudely lettered sign was nailed on the wall next to the entry. The sign declared, \u201cPicks Penn. There are two cherces for lunch, and two cherces for supper and Sunday dinner 2. Beaf stew and beaf stew and if U do nott like our beef stew, git the hell out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPick\u2019s Penn? Or pig\u2019s pen?\u201d Hoss pondered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe place looks pretty clean to me even if there spelling isn\u2019t,\u201d Patrick said as the group found a round table across the room. \u201cAnd they do have two choices. Beef stew or beef stew.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose we\u2019ll all have beef stew,\u201d Adam told the waitress. The busy waitress quickly slapped a chipped plate of steaming stew in front of each of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeconds are half price,\u201d she explained. \u201cPickles are free.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI sure hope Mr. Milford is ok,\u201d Hoss said. \u201cI can\u2019t believe he got bushwhacked right near town.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat kind of place is this territory where a hard working man gets set upon by outlaws for his few hard earned dollars? Have folks\u00a0abandoned their religion, leaving their souls on the plains and desert like trunks deemed too cumbersome for the journey.\u201d Patrick sighed. He hungrily dug into his hearty food.<\/p>\n

\u201cSadly, some folks have,\u201d Adam agreed. \u201cIt\u2019s a mighty harsh country out here and not everyone has come west with the most upright intentions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if they did have good intentions, a lot of folks loose them along the way,\u201d Hoss sighed. He bit into his biscuit. \u201cA lot of folks are blinded by trying to find gold instead of building ranches and farms and decent towns for raising families.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019All the gold which is under or upon the earth is not enough to give in exchange for virtue’,”\u00a0Manogue quoted.<\/p>\n

\u201cOr silver too,\u201d Hoss added, passing the small crock of pickles to Little Joe. The boy carefully eyed each pickle in the container before spearing the largest one with his fork with the precision of a mate harpooning a whale.<\/p>\n

As famished as he was, Adam paused. He leaned back in his chair and took a long considering look at this stranger who had arrived with Otis Massey. Patrick Manogue was about his age, broad shouldered but huskier than Adam. His hair was just as dark, but bushy and straight, combed straight back from his broad forehead. Adam was pleasantly surprised to meet someone else here in Virginia City who knew the classics and could quote them as well \u201cIs that Plato you are quoting?\u201d Adam asked even though he knew it was.<\/p>\n

The mine superintendent smiled modestly. \u201cIt is, indeed, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sound like an educated man, Mr. Manogue,\u201d observed Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cI studied classics and mathematics in a college in Callan County Kilkenny before coming to America,\u201d Manogue explained. Then he added proudly, \u201cI was a Latin scholar, Mr. Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were?\u201d Adam smiled. \u201cI am quite impressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, sir. When I came to this country, I attended the University of St. Mary of the Lake, in Chicago, where I followed a course of theology and philosophy but, unfortunately, I interrupted my studies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dWhat happened?\u201d Hoss asked. He could tell Patrick must love books and learning as much as Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cTis a long story. Sadly, I couldn\u2019t afford any more tuition, and even more important than my studies was my family. I truly wanted to bring my sisters and brothers here to America. Things are terribly hard back in Ireland. Their well being is far more important than finishing my studies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded. \u201cFamily is important to us too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dI\u2019d quit school in a flash to help my brothers,\u201d Joe declared.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d quit school to help Mrs. Milford\u2019s three legged pig turn into bacon,\u201d Hoss teased.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what did you do, Patrick?\u201d Little Joe asked. He wondered if Patrick was a riverboat gambler or a gun fighter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThinking I would find my fortune, I set off for the gold fields.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlong with everyone else, \u201cAdam sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust like Mr. Massey,\u201d Joe grinned at the man sitting to his right. \u201cAnd he\u2019s going to find more gold and silver than anyone else ever did. Maybe diamonds and rubies and emeralds too. Aren\u2019t you, Mr. Massey?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI sure hope so, Little Joe,\u201d Massey smiled. He was quite fond of the all Cartwright boys, the youngest in particular. Little Joe still believed all the tales he told and was enthusiastic to receive the bits and pieces of worthless iron pyrite he gave the boy.<\/p>\n

\u201dBut not very many of the prospectors were Latin scholars,\u201d Patrick winked.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur brother Adam went to college back east, Mr. Manogue,\u201d Joe boasted. He pointed at his brother with the same fork he had used to spear the pickles.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid he now?\u201d Patrick Manogue smiled. He took a healthy bite of his stew. \u201cIt\u2019s not often I meet a man of letters out here on the frontier. What did you study, Mr. Cartwright? Classics? Literature?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCall him Adam,\u201d Little Joe interrupted. \u201cMr. Cartwright is our Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manogue hesitated, not wanting to be impolite to a man he just met based on the suggestion of an enthusiastic lad.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2019s right. Call me Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dAdam it is. Call me Patrick. What did you study?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dMy degree is in engineering but I tried to take as many courses in literature and the arts as I could,\u201d Adam explained.<\/p>\n

The second waitress set a pitcher of beer and glasses in front of the men. \u201cI brought cider for the boy.\u201d She patted Little Joe on his head and rushed away to the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo need!\u201d Little Joe called but no one paid him any mind.<\/p>\n

\u201dWell ain\u2019t this something? Here I am havin\u2019 dinner with probably the only two fellers who been to college in the entire territory and me with barely any education at all,\u201d Otis chuckled. He took a swallow of his beer. \u201cNow, ain\u2019t that something, Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded. \u201cAdam is mighty smart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam is real smart and reads books all the time. He teaches me all sorts of things,\u201d Little Joe bragged. He took a long swallow of the cider and drained half the glass before he came up for air.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd when I find my gold mine, I\u2019ll get him a set of fine books bound in leather and gilt and a shiny sterling silver ink well and a fine silver pen to match\u2026\u201d Otis promised. \u201cAnd some books for you too, Patrick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam is mighty smart!\u201d Hoss repeated in a voice that was just a bit too loud, too forced. He wanted to interrupt before Otis started in on his gold mine rants and Adam said some hard-hearted logical thing that hurt the man\u2019s feelings. Why squash Mr. Massey\u2019s dreams with granite-headed logic?<\/p>\n

The two shopkeepers seated at the adjacent table quickly turned around to see who was speaking so loudly. They both knew from sad experience that loud voices, beer and a caf\u00e9 crowded with gun toting men could easily explode into a brawl or worse. Neither of them wanted to be hit by a stray bullet.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam is mighty smart,\u201d Hoss smiled and waved at the storekeepers. The two relieved merchants smiled back and continued eating their lunch.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know some Latin,\u201d Little Joe interrupted from the far side of the table. He quickly chewed the food in his mouth, swallowed and smiled knowingly. \u201cI really do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dDo you now, lad?\u201d Patrick asked with an encouraging smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure don\u2019t know Latin, Little Joe,\u201d Hoss challenged. \u201cQuit your lyin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dSure I do! Adam taught me!\u201d Joe argued. Adam just rolled his eyes in disbelief and devoured another biscuit, dunking it into the abandoned puddle of gravy on Little Joe\u2019s plate.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam is real smart but you sure don\u2019t know any Latin, Little Joe. You barely know how to speak English.\u201d Hoss took a long swallow of his beer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll bet you half of your beer that I know Latin!\u201d Little Joe\u2019s eyes twinkled mischievously.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich half of the glass, Little Joe? The top half or the bottom half?\u201d Adam asked. He glanced around the room coolly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh? Top half or bottom? The part with the beer,\u201d Joe stammered.<\/p>\n

Positive that his young brother was just boasting, Hoss challenged \u201cThen say something!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSemper ubi sub ubi\u201d Joe proclaimed snaking out his hand to snag Hoss\u2019 beer.<\/p>\n

Adam and Patrick laughed loudly and Adam swatted Joe\u2019s hand. \u201cGood try, Little Brother. Good try. You get the top half of the glass. The part with the air.\u201d He pushed the glass towards Hoss and making sure it was just out of Joe\u2019s reach.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did he say? What did he say?\u201d Hoss asked, swiveling his head around to the others. He wanted to be in on the joke too but certainly not give a drop of his beer to his kid brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, what did the boy say, Patrick?\u201d asked Otis.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell as close as I can translate Little Joe said \u2018always wear underwear\u2019,\u201d Patrick laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s just what I said,\u201d Joe agreed, eyeing Adam\u2019s cold beer and wondering if he could sneak a quick sip or two of the golden nectar without getting noticed.<\/p>\n

Patrick reached across the table, pulled the boy\u2019s hat down over his eyes with one hand and quickly moved Hoss\u2019 beer beyond Joe\u2019s reach with the other. \u201cJust like my own little brother! And don\u2019t ye go doin\u2019 what your own older brother told you not to do. Lord knows, you aren\u2019t getting away with this sort of mischief so fast, lad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe looked sheepish realizing he couldn\u2019t easily put one over on this friendly stranger.<\/p>\n

The waitress brought the men another round of beers and handed Little Joe another glass of cider. \u201cTo Enos Milford\u2019s good health and fast recovery!\u201d Otis said hoisting his beer into the air.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo Enos!\u201d they all toasted boisterously.<\/p>\n

Being with the three Cartwright brothers reminded Patrick of how terribly much he missed his own treasured his brothers and sisters. \u201cTis nice that you boys are so proud of your brother,\u201d Manogue said. “I do long for my own brothers and sisters quite a bit. I think I stayed here seeking what I shouldn\u2019t have been looking for in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you a prospector like Mr. Massey?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir. I\u2019ve been a prospector. A miner too. I\u2019ve held a drill when, at every strike of the hammer, the fire flew from the quartz like it was a flint. For now, I own a share of the mine in Moore\u2019s Flat but I\u2019ll be more than glad to sell that and be done with it all. \u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s where we met, out in Moore\u2019s Flat,\u201d explained Otis. \u201cI had a claim not far from Patrick\u2019s diggings.\u00a0He wasn\u2019t afraid to use his physical strength and smart head to help others and to sort out disagreements and make those men act decent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe men feared my size far more than they feared hell fire or damnation,\u201d\u00a0<\/em>Patrick explained how after he got the men settled in, he promised that someday he would find a way to make sure they could have mass each Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cSize, strength, do have a way of convincing people,\u201d Hoss pointed out.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd goodness. Folks know Patrick is a good fellow. He even leads folks in prayers most Sundays. I could hear them singing hymns from my diggings across the hills and I couldn\u2019t help but quit my work and go over and join them,\u201d said Otis.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter all, it is the Lord\u2019s day, Otis,\u201d Manogue chided his friend. He didn\u2019t share that he promised some of the miners that he would come back some day and conduct a real Mass for them.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you get much gold from there, Mr. Massey?\u201d Little Joe asked hopefully. He was far more interested in getting a fortune than in being pious on Sundays. \u201cDid you get your big strike?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not this time, Little Joe,\u201d Otis Massey shook his head. \u201cNo treasure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust a bit of religious faith and to some that is a treasure,\u201d Patrick pointed out.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed. Anyways, my claim went belly up but I saw that Patrick\u2019s claim was doing pretty well so I went to work for him and his partner. And I sure liked not having to take that long hike acrost the valley to get to the hymn singing. I was right there. Maybe I\u2019ll get lucky the next time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLord knows,\u201d Adam muttered.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo bad about not getting a strike, Mr. Massey,\u201d Hoss sighed. \u201cBetter luck next time. Keep hunting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat brought you two into Virginia City?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking to sell my share of the mine and move on to other things. My partner said one of the other mine owners he knew here in town would be interested. Mr. Fischer or Mr. McKay or a rancher named Saunders. And the freight auction too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know Mr. Saunders. He\u2019s a good man. He and our father are close friends. I\u2019m sure he would give you a fair deal if he is interested in a mine investment,\u201d Adam explained. \u201cAnd his boy Eden is a good friend of Little Joe\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dEden? Not really,\u201d Joe muttered but no one paid him any mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe and Patrick came into Virginia City hoping to bid on some tools and the like. I need to get me a grub stake so I can move on too. Someday, I\u2019ll find gold. I know I\u2019ll find a fortune someday and I\u2019ll pay your Pa back for everything he lent me over the years. Every red cent. And I\u2019ll give some money to charity too. Patrick gave me that idea. Maybe I\u2019ll set up an orphanage or take care of the miners\u2019 widows. \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr both?\u201d Hoss suggested.<\/p>\n

\u201dThat\u2019s a good idea!\u201d Otis agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd help the Paiutes too,\u201d Patrick added. \u201cThey are the Lord\u2019s children too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Paiutes?” Joe argued. \u201cAre you crazy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam kicked him under the table. \u201cMind your manners, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCharity is a good idea. Pa likes the idea of being generous and gives lots of charity,\u201d Adam rolled his eyes. Otis Massey was oblivious to Adam\u2019s pointed remark.<\/p>\n

Hoss gave his brother a sharp elbow in his side. \u201cLots and lots. But he invests in good things too. He invests generously too, Adam. Pa has faith that folks will succeed if he gives them a hand. Folks helped Pa when he was starting out and he\u2019s just doing the same. You got to have faith in folks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just gotta look in just the right place, Mr. Massey. It could be right under your nose. Like we did with the crates that Pa sent us for. They were right there. Right there! When we stopped looking for the wrong thing, we found just what we wanted,\u201d Joe encouraged. Both he and Hoss were terribly fond of Otis Massey. Despite Adam\u2019s claim that the man was just a foolish dreamer and took unfair advantage of Ben Cartwright\u2019s generosity, his two younger brothers were absolutely positive it was only a matter of time before Otis struck gold.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou jest have to keep on hunting,\u201d Hoss agreed with a nod. He pushed aside some of the bowls and plates on the table. \u201cAny of them pickles left?\u201d
\nAdam shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had the last one, Hoss,\u201d Otis Massey confessed. \u201cSorry!<\/p>\n

\u201cFor some people out here in the west, gold has become their god,\u201d Patrick observed. \u201cThat\u2019s why I am thinking of letting someone buy my share. Mining isn\u2019t for me. I surely miss my family like a miner misses the sunshine when he is digging beneath the earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI sure would pick my family over gold.\u201d Hoss readily agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo question in my mind on that choice either,\u201d Adam agreed. \u201cGold fever can destroy families.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLook how some of them miners left their kin back East and never sent for them and just never went back,\u201d Joe said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the big mine owners live over in the hotel and don\u2019t care one bit that they have wives back East. They act like they are bachelors, if you get my drift,\u201d the stout waitress said as she started to clear off their dirty dishes. \u201cWe call them Washoe widowers. One of our girls what used to work here\u2026 well, she don\u2019t need to work here or no where no more since she met up with one of them Washoe widowers, if you get my drift.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe wasn\u2019t quite sure what the waitress was talking about but he could see both Hoss and Patrick Manogue turn bright red.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd lots that have their families out here let their children starve or wives die from lack of a roof over their heads in the snow to dig for gold,\u201d Adam shook his head in disgust. \u201cNothing worse than gold fever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr they try to cut each other\u2019s throats for a wee bit of riches. Or they bushwhack someone like the fellow we brought here.\u201d Manogue added. \u201cI\u2019ve broken up many a brawl between miners fighting over a mine claims or a few cents on the gambling table. Quite a few fellows died and us with no doctor near.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood thing the doctor was here to help Enos,\u201d Otis sighed. He and Hoss had to help hold Mr. Milford down while Doc set his broken leg.<\/p>\n

\u201dGood thing,\u201d Little Joe nodded. He held up his right hand as a bid for sympathy. Doc Martin had replaced Hoss\u2019 bandana with a nice clean bandage.<\/p>\n

Thinking the boy was signaling her, the stout waitress brought another round of beers over to them. \u201cAnyone interested in some pie? We have fine pie, three kinds. Apple, blueberry and rhubarb.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPie? Me and my brother Hoss would like some pie. I sure worked hard today!\u201d Joe answered. \u201cBring us one of each kind and a knife to cut it and \u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be so greedy, Joseph,\u201d Adam reprimanded the boy. \u201cJust bring each of us each a slice of blueberry, Miss. That is, unless my rude baby brother is picking up the tab for the rest?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe pay for it? \u201c Joe shook his head. \u201cOne slice of blueberry pie would be fine, thank you, Ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur father saw what that greed did in Sutter\u2019s mill and to his friend John Sutter\u2019s land and will never, ever let that sort of wild greed destroy our ranch.\u201d Hoss explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever!\u201d Adam said firmly.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen Cartwright is a mighty good man,\u201d Otis said. \u201cSmart too. And generous. I\u2019ll pay him back every cent when I make my fortune.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2019s mighty charitable,\u201d Adam repeated once more. He leaned back in his chair. \u201cGenerous to a fault sometime.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat slice of pie would be mighty fine right now,\u201d Joe said, looking for the waitress.<\/p>\n

\u201cOtis told me about your fine charitable family and how stubborn you all are is about protecting your fine land. He said your father is limiting the sale of all your timber to the miners. There is quite a fortune to be made from all that lumber. I was hoping to strike a deal with him but Otis said that I might not be able to if Mr. Ben Cartwright, himself doesn\u2019t like the idea. I don\u2019t need the large quantity that the mines here in Virginia City want. Just a wagon load and my partner, Mr. Biel, can pay top dollar.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the mention of the name Biel, Joe\u2019s eyes widened. \u201cMr. Biel is your partner?\u201d Jennifer Biel was the source of all the conflict between poor Billy Felcher and Eden Saunders. Billy was fond of strawberry blonde Jennifer but too shy to do anything about it. Eden was sweet on Jennifer too. He found out and teased Billy mercilessly, and when Billy wouldn\u2019t fight, he ripped up Billy\u2019s school books.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not about the money. Our father is adamant about not cutting down too many trees just to please the mine owners in the short term and destroying our ranch in the long run. Without those trees, the hills will wash away when the snow melts and the spring rains come and we won\u2019t have any pasture land for grazing. We are building a ranch for the long term, for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Pa makes us plant a little sapling or two for each big tree that gets cut down,\u201d Hoss explained.<\/p>\n

Little Joe added. \u201cThere are trees my brothers planted when Pa a first started cutting timber. There are trees Adam and Hoss planted before I was born first that we are going to cut down in the fall.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, your Ponderosa is a fine big forest of tall trees?\u201d Patrick asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo sir, it\u2019s not just trees. We raise cattle and horses too, and can\u2019t do that without good grazing land,\u201d Hoss added. \u201cHe won\u2019t let no miners dig up the Ponderosa and ruin our ranch or cut down all our trees or spoil our water.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome men love gold and what it will bring; others, their land,\u201d Adam pointed out. \u201cWe love our land. Denique non omnes eadem mirantur amantque. ‘All men do not admire and love the same things’.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHorace?\u201d Manogue correctly identified the quote from the Roman poet who fought in Brutus\u2019 army.<\/p>\n

\u201cHorace,\u201d Adam smiled in agreement. It was not often he met such a well educated man in Virginia City and he was thoroughly enjoying his company.<\/p>\n

\u201cHorace? Big Horace, the wrangler over on the Winslow ranch? Or that big yapped fellow who runs the saloon over in Gold Hill, Horace Brewster?\u201d asked Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cNah, bet it\u2019s the sneaky kid Horace that works for Lobo Michaels, the horse trader. That kid has backdoor trots for brains,\u201d Joe said, wiping his chin with Adam\u2019s napkin and tucking it back on his brother\u2019s lap. His own napkin had long since disappeared under the table. Otis had picked it up and pocketed it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the ancient Roman poet, Horace,\u201d Adam explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh,\u201d said Hoss, turning red. \u201cI shoulda guessed that it weren\u2019t no saloonkeeper or fool kid working for a horse trader who would bilk his own grand mama. You know, Lobo Michaels wanted to buy that horse from Mr. Milford?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI told Enos to steer clear of that flannel-mouthed liar Lobo and I would give him double anything Lobo offered whenever he was ready to sell that mare. He said he wasn\u2019t interested in selling it to anyone,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a mighty fine horse,\u201d Hoss added. \u201cFast, long legs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMighty fine,” Patrick agreed, even though he wasn\u2019t much of a judge of horses. Patrick Manogue was a better judge of men than horses. He judged that the Cartwrights were fine fellows, just as Otis Massey had told him. He had a notion that Milford\u2019s sorrel resembled the horse owned by one of the Paiutes who came around Moore\u2019s Flat but that seemed highly unlikely. The brave treasured that horse and claimed it had helped him out run danger many times.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe sure is,\u201d Little Joe agreed. \u201cThink I could be the one to ride it back to the Milfords?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe,” Hoss said. \u201cWhat do you think, Adam? Think the kid can manage the trip out to Milfords?\u201d<\/p>\n

The victory of finding the missing crates and the pleasant conversation over lunch and the cold beers put Adam in an amiable mood. \u201cIf Little Joe says he can manage, Hoss, I have faith he can, even using Enos Milford\u2019s saddle. After all, the boy claims he learned everything he knows from us.\u201d Adam drained his beer glass and set the dirty glass directly in front of Little Joe. \u201cJust make sure you adjust the stirrups properly before you set off, Joe. And check the cinch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dYes, sir!\u201d Joe agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly the good Lord in his own sweet time can make a piece of fine green ranch land filled with meadows and trees and blue lakes,\u201d said Manogue. \u201cI surely miss that working below ground in the mines. It\u2019s an awful life and not what I want to be doing for much longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like you don\u2019t really have your heart in mining, \u201cHoss observed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose you are right, Hoss. Sometimes I think this whole territory is an absolute moral abyss. The men I meet are tempted by saloons selling rotgut, hoodwinked by card sharks dealing monte and enticed by prostitutes in brothels.<\/em>\u201d Patrick sighed. \u201cTis sinful what becomes of folks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat brought you out here if you feel so strongly against the way folks live out here?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

Manogue then explained how had hoped to finance his own education and bring his brothers and sisters to America by mining. He hadn\u2019t really found a fortune in cash but he might have found other things about his true calling \u201cI must admit it was the lure of gold, and then silver, like many of others. I made some money but I remained in this occupation too long. I want to help folks to find a pathway to decency. To regain some civility in this brutal land. Sometimes you come looking for one thing and find another. Perhaps it is time for me to follow my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dMy heart is in the Ponderosa,\u201d said Hoss.\u00a0He grabbed the last biscuit with his long reach before the waitress could take the basket away. \u201cAfter all, we all own the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam turned to Patrick Manogue and explained. \u201cOur Pa says he\u2019s building the Ponderosa for all of us, for our future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMine too,\u201d Little Joe agreed. Then not to be outdone by anyone, he added. \u201cAnd the Ponderosa is in my blood too. Every single drop.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust like Pa,\u201d Adam said matter of factly, not revealing what his own heart\u2019s desire was. He wasn\u2019t quite sure what his heart\u2019s desire was but he was sure it wasn\u2019t ranching like his brothers or being content to stay on the Ponderosa for the rest of his life like Pa and his brothers. The Ponderosa was beautiful, so beautiful, so complete, so much in their blood that it was their entire world.<\/p>\n

The Ponderosa was only part of Adam\u2019s world. He certainly loved the Ponderosa. It was his home but it wasn\u2019t his whole world like it was for his two brothers and their father. Adam knew there was more out there than the Ponderosa and would never be content to remain there forever.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Ponderosa is a mighty beautiful place,\u201d Otis agreed. \u201cYou should go see it, Patrick. It\u2019s like heaven right here on earth. Tall pines that touch the sky like church spires, blue lake, green pastures as far as the eye can see and Ben Cartwright has a fine, grand house with soft beds and a big grandfather\u2019s clock. I\u2019m gonna get me a clock like that when I make my fortune. Ben sets a mighty fine table too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have the absolutely finest ranch in the entire territory!\u201d Joe bragged. \u201cIn the entire country! In the whole wide world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe entire world? Well, this I must see, Little Joe,\u201d Patrick answered.<\/p>\n

\u201dPlease, come be our guest, Patrick. Pa would be glad to meet you and show you the Ponderosa,\u201d Adam graciously invited.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd let you sleep in one of our soft beds and tell time with our grandfather clock. You can sleep in my bed if I stay to help Mrs. Milford. It\u2019s a real soft bed,\u201d Joe offered.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, Little Joe has a real, real soft bed. It\u2019s so soft that many a morning we can\u2019t roust him til noon,\u201d Hoss teased. \u201cAnd that\u2019s on school days. He don\u2019t care what time it is on Pa\u2019s big clock. Joe sleeps to noon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe boy doesn\u2019t sleep until noon,\u201d Adam said. He took a bite of his pie.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I don\u2019t sleep until noon!\u201d Joe was surprised that Adam was defending him from Hoss. It was usually the opposite.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe only sleeps until eleven; he just takes until noon to figure which feet to put his boots on,\u201d Adam responded.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey! I work real hard!\u201d Joe defended himself. \u201cAnd I know which feet my boots go on!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you? You can sure fool me,\u201d Hoss grumbled. \u201cWe should really be hitting the road. It\u2019s getting late.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTime\u2019s money,\u201d agreed Otis. \u201cUp at dawn and work until it is too dark to see what you\u2019re doing. That\u2019s why I want me a fine big clock to tell me how many hours I spend working. \u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cWon\u2019t matter what time it is to Joe,\u201d Hoss grumbled. He tossed his napkin at Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t pick on our hardworking little brother, Hoss.\u201d Adam waved to the waitress to bring over their check.<\/p>\n

\u201dHardworking? Hardly working, I would say. Only thing Little Joe works hard is on sleeping until noon. That big clock chimes right on the hour and it don\u2019t matter one bit to Little Joe if\u2019n it chimes ten or twelve or hundred.\u201d Hoss elbowed Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t pick on your brother. He does his share,\u201d Otis defended Little Joe as the boy had defended him many times.<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose he does,\u201d Adam agreed. He winked at Little Joe who smiled back.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should hear the sound that big clock makes, Patrick. Just like church bells,\u201d Otis explained. He pocketed the last piece of pie wrapped in Hoss\u2019 napkin.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally? Sounds grand,\u201d said Patrick. \u201cI miss hearing the sound of church bells.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReal heavenly,\u201d Otis sighed. \u201cBack East, when I was a boy, we had fine bells in our church steeple. A fine big clock too. Your Pa has that fine clock on the Ponderosa but this was a real big one in the church steeple so everyone could see it from all over. \u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe when you find gold, you can get a big clock just like that one or one like the one Pa has,\u201d Joe suggested. \u201cNot only does Pa\u2019s clock have a real pretty sound, there\u2019s a little door and a shelf where you keep the key to wind it, like a secret compartment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore Pa got the safe, he would hide valuables in that little compartment in the clock,\u201d Adam recalled.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight there, under your nose but no one would have thought to look,\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is unless the clock needed winding,\u201d Adam laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cTime is money, boys. You have to get up early. If you get up before dawn, you might just make your fortune,\u201d Otis pointed out to Joe. \u201cTime is money. And I sure do like that big, tall clock your Pa has in the house. It chimes the hours and has that real pretty case on it. You know it\u2019s a sign of having lots of money when you can have a big tall clock like that in a big fine house. I don\u2019t know which your Pa loves more, showing off his fine ranch or bragging about his boys\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBragging about us, of course,” Joe answered without hesitation. \u201cAdam is mighty smart and Hoss is mighty strong and I can do everything they can do!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dReally, Shorty?\u201d Hoss laughed. \u201cEverything? Can you see over the top of that big tall clock in the house? That\u2019s where Pa hid your birthday gift for the last three months.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dMy birthday gift is there for three months? On top of the clock? You are joshing! What did Pa get me that\u2019s hid there?\u201d Joe sincerely was hoping for a rifle and that sure wouldn\u2019t fit up on top of the grandfather clock without him seeing it. What could Pa have hidden on top of the clock?<\/p>\n

Picking up on Hoss\u2019 joke, Adam said \u201cWhat did Pa get you? Oh, pair of silk underdrawers and a fine volume of poetry by Horace. Pa knows how much you love reading all the classics since you can do everything me and Hoss can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnderwear? A poetry book? Pa got me a book?\u201d Joe\u2019s jaw dropped. Then when Adam and Hoss started to laugh, the boy realized his brothers were just teasing him again. \u201cQuit your joking. Pa wouldn\u2019t buy me a book of poetry for my birthday. Maybe I can\u2019t see the top of the clock yet but I sure can do almost everything you can. I\u2019m real good with horses and cattle and I know how to use every tool in the barn and in the tool shed and I\u2019m getting to be a pretty good shot\u2026 well, maybe not quite everything, not quite yet but I will someday because you and Adam and Pa are teaching me everything you know and\u2026and \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd?\u201d Adam stared at his enthusiastic kid brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I even know a bit of Latin too!\u201d Joe puffed out his little chest. \u201cAnd you have faith in me too!\u201d<\/p>\n

The men laughed at the boy\u2019s exaggerated boast and rapid attempt to save face.<\/p>\n

\u201cAb ove maiori discit arare minor,\u201d quoted Patrick.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you say, Patrick? Is this something else about wearing long johns or washing behind your ears once in a while?\u201d Hoss asked. He gave Little Joe a little poke and pulled at the boy\u2019s ear.<\/p>\n

\u201d\u2019Ab ove maiori discit arare minor\u2019 means \u2018from the older ox the younger learns to plow’,\u201d Patrick translated.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, you big ox!\u201d Joe returned the poke Hoss gave him. \u201cShow me how to plow!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, in that case, since my little brother has been such a good student, Joe, you and Otis can surely manage helping out Mrs. Milford between the two of you. Even if there is plowing to do. Joe\u2019s invitation still holds. Why don\u2019t you come along to the Ponderosa with me and Hoss, Patrick,\u201d Adam decided.<\/p>\n

\u201cI accept!\u201d Patrick Manogue said.<\/p>\n

Adam reminded Little Joe of the correct route to travel from Virginia City to the Milford Ranch and reminded him not cross over onto Duprey land to take a shortcut. \u201cNo need to stir up trouble,\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe nodded. \u201cNo need.\u201d The boy was determined to show his brothers he was responsible and would handle the job just as well as they would.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Duprey has a grudge against our Pa,\u201d Hoss explained to Patrick Manogue.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Duprey has a grudge against Pa and a shotgun that he won\u2019t hesitate to use against trespassers without giving a warning,\u201d Adam said ominously.<\/p>\n

When Adam was finished lecturing their brother, Hoss reminded Little Joe to be polite and helpful to Mrs. Milford. \u201cDon\u2019t wait for her to ask you to help out, Little Joe. You just go do the chores like you know they should be done.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the older Cartwright brothers finished giving their little brother marching orders, Joe\u2019s brothers and their new friend, Patrick Manogue, set off towards the Ponderosa with the crates of machine parts for the saw mill.<\/p>\n

Finally free of his brothers, Little Joe eagerly led the way to the livery stable to get Milford\u2019s sorrel. Even though it was late in the afternoon, they wanted to head out to his place to tell Mrs. Milford the bad news and bring the stolen horse back to the Milford ranch.<\/p>\n

\u201cMilford\u2019s saddle and bridle is over there on top of the feed bin. Don\u2019t you forget his saddle bag, neither. It\u2019s hanging on that hook over there,\u201d Nate, the livery owner pointed to behind Joe. \u201cAnd you owe me two bits for the stall and the feed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dHurt your hand, boy?\u201d the livery owner asked. He eyed the fresh white bandage on Little Joe\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cA bit. My brothers forced me to go scrambling up in the freight office looking for some crates for Pa. They just let me do all the hard work while they sat back and watched.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dDid they now?\u201d Otis asked but Joe ignored the question.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Massey here and his friend Pat found Mr. Milford. Doc Martin bandaged up my hand after he took care of Mr. Milford\u2019s broke leg. Doc said if it was a bit worse, he might have had to amputate it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMilford\u2019s leg?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dNo, that was just broke. My hand was hurt real bad,\u201d Joe claimed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you better take good care of yourself, Joe. Do you think them Injuns jumped Milford? Kapusta could have done it,\u201d Nate asked.<\/p>\n

Otis Massey quickly shook his head. \u201cWasn\u2019t any Indians. It was some drifter cowpoke. The Cartwright boys saw him ride in on that there horse and they grabbed him in the Silver Dollar and hauled him off to the sheriff. That cowboy ain\u2019t Kapusta. Not by a long shot. He ain\u2019t even Kapusta\u2019s son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOk! Don\u2019t get so huffy, Mister. I was just surmising. And I didn\u2019t know Kapusta had any wolf pup son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dBesides, I heard Kapusta was seen all the way east, in Ohio or Kentucky,\u201d Otis said quickly changing the direction of the conversation.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t say? Will you be back for Milford? He\u2019s staying with the doc.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dDoc Martin has Mr. Milford resting up in his office at least until tomorrow,\u201d Joe nodded. \u201cMe and Mr. Massey will help Mrs. Milford with the chores and bring her back to town to fetch Mr. Milford when Doc says he can come back home. I might just stay out at the Milfords a few weeks to help out Mrs. Milford.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dWhat about school, Little Joe?\u201d the livery owner asked. He leaned against the side of the stall and spat out some tobacco juice into the hay. \u201cAnd your poor tore up hand?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHelping a neighbor is far more important than me going to school,\u201d Joe sincerely hoped his father agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHorse don\u2019t look like she wasn\u2019t too happy being stuck in a stall all day either,\u201d Otis observed.\u00a0He hoisted the saddle onto the sorrel\u2019s back.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019ll just have to tough it out best I can with one bad hand,\u201d Joe said trying to sound blas\u00e9.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you say so.\u201d Nate scratched the back of head. \u201cHaving your hand almost cut off ain\u2019t nothing to sneeze at. And, you owe me two bits for the stall and the feed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe carefully counted out the coins from the money Adam had given him to settle the livery bill.<\/p>\n

\u201cFour bits?\u201d Otis closed one eye and stared at the livery owner. \u201cDidn\u2019t that horse come in this afternoon?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI took good care of her. Fed her my best feed too,\u201d Nate said defensively.<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard this is one mighty fast horse,\u201d said Otis.<\/p>\n

\u201cYup. She\u2019s real fast.\u201d Little Joe gave the horse an appreciative pat on the rump as Otis finished adjusting the cinch on the saddle.\u00a0Then, knowing that Mr. Massey wouldn\u2019t think to protest, the boy added confidently. \u201cI\u2019m going to give this horse her head and let her run for a bit. My brother was interested in buying her and I said I would tell her how she ran.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, Joe. Give her a try,\u201d Massey agreed with a careless shrug. The prospector didn\u2019t even consider that the horse might be more than the boy could manage. Little Joe grew up riding horses. Otis remembered hearing that,\u00a0even before Little Joe could walk, Ben Cartwright would proudly ride around the Ponderosa with his youngest son perched in front of him in the saddle.<\/p>\n

Little Joe led the sorrel out of the shadowy livery into the searingly bright sunshine and climbed into the saddle.\u00a0The prospector flicked the reins on the back of his team and headed the buckboard down the bustling main street. Joe trailed behind on the sorrel. They passed the freight office just as Sheriff Roy Coffee elbowed aside a knot of curious folks. The sheriff padlocked the front door. Then he nailed up a sign saying, \u201cForeclosure Auction Tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Little Joe and Otis Massey came to the edge of town, the traffic disappeared. Joe\u2019s horse started moving faster. Soon the boy was galloping far ahead of the buckboard.\u00a0Massey could see boy leave the road, then cross the open field at a fast clip. He raced past a man and a boy digging out stumps. The two stopped working and watched as Joe galloped past them and quickly out of view.<\/p>\n

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

John Saunders paused for a minute. He watched the sorrel race past.\u00a0The boy rode with bravado and confidence.<\/p>\n

Eden leaned on his shovel and angrily complained. \u201cWell, look at that, Pa! Joe Cartwright is riding on our property!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dThat boy surely can ride well.\u201d John admired. \u201cBeautiful horse! I think that is Milford\u2019s horse. Do you think Ben Cartwright convinced Milford to sell it to him? Joe sure looks fine on her back. He rides mighty well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eden quickly countered. \u201cI can ride just as well as Little Joe Cartwright. Better! I just don\u2019t have a good enough horse, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father ignored his envious comment. \u201cIf it was up to your mother, you would. I\u2019m not your mother, Eden. You have to earn a better horse. Finish this work and maybe we can discuss how you can manage to secure a better horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe probably just stole the horse. Everyone thinks Joe is so special but he\u2019s just a low down dirty horse thief.\u201d Eden grumbled. He angrily kicked a clod of dirt that hit his father\u2019s leg.<\/p>\n

\u201cA horse thief? Little Joe Cartwright? \u201d John shook his head and brushed off his pants. \u201cI sincerely doubt that, Eden.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dYou always stick up for him!\u201d Eden yelled sullenly. He stomped off toward their buckboard and threw his shovel in the back. \u201cI\u2019m done working.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you are finished acting like a spoiled child, you can pick up that shovel and finish digging out the rest of these roots,\u201d Saunders growled.<\/p>\n

Eden glared defiantly at his father. \u201cNo! Are you going to buy me a new horse, Pa? We can\u2019t let Joe have a better horse than me, Pa. You don\u2019t want to have the Cartwrights make us look bad. How would that look?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would look like Ben Cartwright made his boys work for what they wanted, Eden! Get back to work, you lazy, spoiled good for nothing! I bet Ben Cartwright never has to stand over his boys tell them to work harder,\u201d John Saunders roared at his irresponsible son.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sure would work harder if you got me a fine horse like that sorrel,\u201d Eden muttered sullenly under his breath. He avoided looking directly at his father, and as slowly as he could manage, went back to digging out the tree roots.<\/p>\n

A few minutes later, Joe rode back into sight. He crisscrossed the Saunders pasture and rode back onto the dusty Virginia City road. For the next hour, as Otis Massey in the buckboard followed the dusty, rutted road, Joe galloped back and forth on the high-spirited sorrel horse up the pastures and fields and down. The boy didn\u2019t even notice the two other riders who were trailing them, but Otis did.<\/p>\n

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

Cora Milford was thoroughly resigned to the fact that she would have to handle the evening chores on her own. Enos was the one meandering to Virginia City on his long-legged sorrel hayburner and she was the one who would do the evening milking. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind. No matter what her husband promised about getting home for supper, Cora knew that was entirely wishful thinking on his part. She was the sensible one and he was the one with his head in the clouds.<\/p>\n

Enos was a good man, a hard worker, even though he was sometimes a foolish dreamer. Dear sweet Enos always meant well and had the best intentions but he was a dreamer. She had a knack for loving dreamers. No matter how much she argued with him, Enos insisted that they had the spare cash to bid on some abandoned freight at the auction. She was adamant that they needed the extra cash to tide them over until they sold their herd but, as always, Enos wouldn\u2019t listen to her logic and reason.<\/p>\n

Cora stomped her foot and demanded to know her where all this extra cash had come from. Enos just hemmed and hawed. He told his wife that she should quit her worrying and he would be home for supper with some fine surprise he would get at the freight auction in Virginia City. He said there were treasures to be snapped up for pennies and he was going to fetch home some fantastic treasure like a marble topped dresser or crystal lamp or a Dresden china figurine for the mantle or a bolt of dress silk. He would get something remarkable for her even though she didn\u2019t want him to be so frivolous.<\/p>\n

She asserted that if they had all that extra cash for foolishness and were doing so well, maybe he should hire a few extra hands right now instead waiting for the end of the summer when they were facing round up. The brash young fellow they had working for them since late winter wasn\u2019t much help. A few days earlier he had up and quit when Enos caught him poking around in the barn instead of tending to the fences.<\/p>\n

There was absolutely no doubt in Cora\u2019s mind that her husband would never be home early enough for supper. The woman resigned herself to doing all the evening chores. Privately, Mrs. Milford was looking forward to a quiet evening on her own. She wouldn\u2019t mind being alone to savor the peaceful solitude of the warm spring evening. Without her husband to accommodate, she could eat a quick quiet meal of crackers and cheese instead of cooking a big, hearty evening meal. With only one dirty dish and no pots and such to clean up, she had more time to finish the eyelet collar on her new Sunday dress. She spread her fabric out on the kitchen table and began to work while there was still a bit of day light coming through the kitchen window.<\/p>\n

She moved closer to the window where the light was better to thread her needle. Some movement outside caught her eye. Something, perhaps a deer, darted through the clearing and disappeared into the trees, a swift rustling of the branches on the line of aspen saplings the only evidence of its presence. She looked harder, further away. Something else was moving in the distance past the fence line. Then she spotted someone riding across the crest of the hill beyond the corral. Perhaps that is what startled the deer? She moved the calico curtain aside trying to see if it was Enos finally returning home. It wasn\u2019t. It was two Indians on horseback.<\/p>\n

Even though things with the Paiutes had been peaceful for quite a long while, Cora held her breath until she saw the Indians were moving away from her home. They looked to be riding over the hill towards Cherry Creek. She assumed they were just a pair of Paiute braves out hunting for deer. Kapusta and the few rebellious braves who were stirring up trouble had been expelled from the tribe by Chief Winnemucca. Enos heard that the defiant faction had headed south to be as far from the cavalry in Fort Churchill as they could.<\/p>\n

Folks around the territory were blaming Kapusta and his followers for several raids on nearby ranches. Cora told Enos not to believe everything he heard. Lots of people exaggerated stories as they passed them on to other folks. It was impossible for Kapusta to be responsible for all the trouble in all the places that people said they saw them. Every strayed calf, hen that got eaten by a fox and misplaced pair of reading glasses got chalked up to being stolen by Kapusta\u2019s thieving band of renegades. One small band of braves couldn\u2019t possibly have stolen everything folks claimed. They would need wagon train to haul off all their booty and a town full of warehouses to store all the liquor and household goods and a few corrals to hold all the livestock folks claimed Kapusta stole.<\/p>\n

She knew very well how to use the loaded rifle hanging near the door and wouldn\u2019t hesitate to use it. Just the same, Cora was relieved when she saw that the pair of Indians were riding away from her home.<\/p>\n

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

As the prospector and the boy passed the fence marking the far boundary of the Saunders place, Little\u00a0Joe reined his horse in next to the buckboard and kept pace with the team.\u00a0He was quite proud that he had taken on the job of guiding Otis Massey and returning the sorrel and was doing so just as responsibly as Adam or Hoss or even his father would have done.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re most of the way to the Milford ranch. This here is the turn off that my big brothers were worried I wouldn\u2019t remember. If you keep going straight this way, you head out to the desert,\u201d the boy explained. He pointed towards the flat lands. The trees and lush green pasture lands quickly became sparse in that direction. The land in a distance was grimly desolate, rocky and gray.<\/p>\n

\u201dGood prospecting territory out there?\u201d Massey asked. He squinted his eyes and looked out to the horizon. He glanced over his shoulder to see if the two riders he had previously noticed were still trailing them.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe. But I bet it\u2019s also good territory to run into Kapusta,\u201d Joe warned. \u201cLots of caves and boulders and good hiding places for someone who don\u2019t want to be found.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKapusta?\u201d Massey shook his head. \u201cI\u2019m not scared of Kapusta. He\u2019s headed straight for Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dI thought you and your friend Patrick said he was up north in Canada,\u201d Joe challenged. \u201cThen you told the livery owner he was in Ohio or Kentucky.\u201d The sorrel tried to surge ahead but Joe reined her in to keep pace with the sluggish team pulling the buckboard.<\/p>\n

\u201cTexas or Canada or Ohio. Not much difference.\u201d Massey quickly caught himself. He shifted his weight on the hard wooden seat of the buckboard.<\/p>\n

Joe shrugged. \u201cNot how I learned it in school, Mr. Massey. Canada is that way.\u201d Joe pointed north, the direction they traveled to the Milford Ranch. Anxious to pick up the pace, the sorrel stomped in the dust. Again, Joe pulled back on the reins. \u201cAnd Texas is that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKapusta is not around here. So, you been learning about maps and such in school, Little Joe? Good boy. I\u2019m always interested in maps. Drew me quite a few of them in my time. Where I looked for gold. Where I found water.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll tell you, if you don\u2019t have drinking water, all the gold in the world won\u2019t help you from dying of thirst,\u201d Joe said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven Eldorado?\u201d Otis teased.<\/p>\n

\u201dHuh?\u201d Joe cocked his head to the side. \u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dIt\u2019s the lost city of gold that the explorers hunted for in the old days. They all\u00a0spent years trying to find the city. Every time those fellers asked for directions, the Indians would say \u2018It’s not here fellers. Keep on going. It’s straight ahead\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally? A city of gold? \u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cEldorado. Lost city of gold. That\u2019s why I put springs and creeks and places I prospected and such on my map, boy. I keep them with all my important papers. Any water left in that canteen? All this talking about springs and creeks and gold is drying up my throat.\u201d The prospector quickly changed the subject. He glanced around to check on the two riders who had been trailing them from a distance. They had evaporated into thin air. Massey didn\u2019t mind one bit. There was no need to even mention them to the boy now that the two had gone on peaceably on their way.<\/p>\n

Joe reached behind him on the saddle and grabbed the canteen that was tied next to the saddlebag. He gave it a shake. \u201cNo, sir. It\u2019s empty. I should have filled up a second one before we left town. Don\u2019t worry. We\u2019re not too far from the Milfords. But if you are really thirsty, we aren\u2019t too far from Cherry Creek.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dGood. I\u2019m thirsty and I bet the horses are too,\u201d Mr. Massey said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m real thirsty too. And hungry and hot.\u201d Joe tugged at his shirt collar and then unbuttoned one more button. Then he fanned himself with his hat. Otis Massey kept his battered top hat right on his head and his shirt button right up to the top button. Joe figured the prospector wasn\u2019t bothered by the heat as much as he was. Then again, he had been racing the horse back and forth while Mr. Massey just sat in the high buckboard seat and rolled along. \u201cI sure am thirsty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd tired?\u201d Massey asked.<\/p>\n

Joe nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll sleep real sound tonight. That is, after we tell Mrs. Milford about her poor husband\u2019s mishap and then help the lady with her chores. How\u2019s your almost amputated hand, Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy hand? Still attached to my arm, Mr. Massey.\u201d The boy smiled weakly in an attempt to seem brash. He shifted his weight in the uncomfortable borrowed saddle and tucked the dangling end of the bandage back in place. Little Joe suddenly realized that riding Mr. Milford\u2019s long legged sorrel was getting to be far more work than fun. The long day had started too early and hand was starting to throb. The boy was too worn out to enjoy battling with the skittish horse who only wanted to gallop full out ahead of Mr. Massey in the buck board.<\/p>\n

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

As soon as they came over the crest of the hill, Milford\u2019s sorrel recognized she was getting close to home. She raised her head and started to pick up speed. Her only desire was to leave the road, head cross country again and race home as fast as she could.\u00a0Little Joe tried unsuccessfully to rein her in and keep her on the road. The third time the horse tried to take off cross country over the hills towards the Milford Ranch rather than staying with the buckboard, Little Joe got furious. Unfortunately, his temper got the best of him. The bandage Doc Martin had wrapped around the boy\u2019s hand quickly loosened up and then untied completely. The flapping strip of white cloth waving against her face just served to stir the horse up even more. She pulled back her ears and ran harder. In an instant, Joe lost the bandage and a wind gust caught it. The cloth fluttered across the range like a dying dove with a broken wing.<\/p>\n

The spirited, long-legged steed was considerably stronger and quicker thinking than the exhausted, impatient boy. It wasn\u2019t that Little Joe Cartwright was inexperienced in dealing with horses.\u00a0The boy knew that you control a horse by controlling its mind and that you control a horse\u2019s mind by controlling your own first.\u00a0His own weariness coupled with his anger at the disobedient sorrel simply got the best of him. Normally,\u00a0Little\u00a0Joe knew if a horse starts to run away, the rider is better off hanging on and riding\u00a0his mount, rather than trying to stop her. Unfortunately,\u00a0the exhausted boy was impatient and acted in the heat of the moment without a thought to what he knew he should be do with a runaway horse .<\/p>\n

Joe hung hard to the back of the horse as it\u00a0rounded the curve that swept around the bluff overlooking Cherry Creek. To compound his troubles even more, as they approached Cherry Creek, the thirsty horse took off like a shot. She galloped through the thick underbrush with the boy hanging on the horse\u2019s neck.\u00a0The mare knew perfectly well which of the two of them was in control, and it sure wasn\u2019t the boy on her back.\u00a0The horse ran even faster. Joe ducked to avoid a low hanging tree limb. His had got knocked off fell into the brush.<\/p>\n

Otis Massey chased after them as far as he could on the buckboard. When he couldn\u2019t take the rig any further into the thicket, he halted the team, jumped off and gave chase on foot. He spotted Joe on the run away horse heading towards the brush.<\/p>\n

\u201dWhoa! Damn horse! Whoa!\u201d Joe bellowed.\u00a0\u201cStop!\u201d As they came to Cherry Creek, the runaway horse galloped down the steep bank and splashed across the rushing stream.\u00a0Bracing his feet in the stirrups, Joe angrily grabbed the left rein in both hands, leaned back in the saddle and hauled on the bit with all his strength until\u00a0the mare\u2019s nose was almost to his knee. Pulling the runaway horses head around to one side and locking it there created real balance problems for the horse.<\/p>\n

Off balance, the long legged horse stumbled up the steep, uneven bank. Half way up, she reared\u00a0in fright. Joe struggled to keep his seat on the unmanageable animal. He\u00a0grabbed for the saddle horn but his injured hand slipped and he couldn\u2019t hang on. The horse easily tossed Little Joe off her back. He plunged into the creek with a huge splash. The cold water was just deep enough to break his fall and soak him to his skin. Joe was hopping mad. He spit out a mouthful of water as he struggled to his feet. As soon as he regained his footing, the angry boy, cursing a blue streak, scrambled up the bank and chased after the sorrel.<\/p>\n

The horse spun around and struggled to continue running but was slowed by the thick underbrush tangle of willows that side of the creek. The trail narrowed along the steep bank of the creek. A cluster of angular boulders, surrounded by dense brush and a grove of trees restricted an easy escape. The horse saw she was being pursued by Little Joe. Skittering on the bank, she stopped to look over her shoulder to judge his progress.<\/p>\n

Joe froze where he stood. He was afraid if he raised his hand to wipe his eyes, the horse would bolt. Cold creek water ran from his hair into his eyes and sluiced down his neck. He took a deep breath and tried to get a handle on the situation before he approached the horse. He knew if he got too upset and started yelling and screaming he would just scare the horse and that would make her bolt again. He made a conscientious effort to relax. If he was calm and confident, the horse would settle down as well.<\/p>\n

By now Milford\u2019s horse was ready for a rest. She lowered her head and drank from the creek. Joe watched from ten feet away, biding his time, taking it slow.\u00a0He was determined to not let the sorrel run off.\u00a0The horse raised her head and paused for a minute to see if he was going to come closer. Joe just stood his\u00a0ground. The horse took a few steps away from the bank for a few bites of grass around bend in the trail.<\/p>\n

Mr. Massey pounded through the brush on the far side of the creek. At that point, the bank was a steep rocky drop and Massey wasn\u2019t sure he could get across fast enough. It probably would scare the sorrel and make her run off before he could get up the far bank. He tried to catch his breath and leaned on a tree trunk. He looked back and forth to see if there was a place for him to get across the creek quickly to help Little Joe. There was none.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe! Joe! Get her hemmed in near those rocks. You go left and I\u2019ll try to go around the other way back near the road!\u201d Otis called from the other side of the creek. He quickly headed back the way he came.<\/p>\n

The horse stopped once again. Little Joe cautiously circled wide and landed himself between the horse and the narrow gap between the trees and boulders. His heart pounded as he forced himself to stand stock still. He was too weary to act quickly, too angry at himself for letting the horse get the better of him. He sucked in a deep breath and took a careful step towards the skittish sorrel. He slid his foot forward slowly. Joe took one small, cautious step and then a second and then a third. The horse shuddered and bobbed her head. Her nostrils twitched, catching the scent of water mixed with the scent of the boy who had ridden her all afternoon.\u00a0Joe backed off for a few minutes and gave the horse time to calm down before he made another attempt to approach her. He grabbed a handful of long, green grass from the edge of the creek.<\/p>\n

Joe slowly approached her speaking softly. He kept his head a bit down and didn\u2019t look the horse directly in the eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome here girl, look what I have, look what I have for you, girl,\u201d the boy murmured.\u00a0\u201cCome here, girl. \u201c\u00a0A few slow deliberate steps and he quickly reached up and snagged the dangling reins. The drenched boy had the sorrel by the reins once more. One leap and he was back in the saddle, riding out of the thicket toward the buckboard to show Otis his success.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood job, Little Joe!\u201d Otis shouted. \u201dI think you better tie her to the back of the rig and ride with me, Joe,\u201d Massey suggested. The boy was glad to get out of the saddle.\u00a0He was soaked to the skin and he was too tired to argue.<\/p>\n

Between the two of them, they calmed the horse down enough for Joe to tie her reins onto the back of the buckboard. They unsaddled her, then stowed the saddle and saddle bags in the back of the buck board.<\/p>\n

Little Joe wearily climbed up on the seat of the buckboard.<\/p>\n

\u201dWell, she sure does run fast, but she goes whichever way she wants.\u201d Joe grumbled. \u201cDamn, stupid horse.\u201d He was glad his father and brothers didn\u2019t see him let a horse get the best of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are soaked right down to the skin, Little Joe,\u201d Otis Massey observed. He poked around in the back of the buck board for something that the boy could use to for drying himself off.<\/p>\n

\u201dIt\u2019s good to cool off a bit, Mr. Massey. Besides, my brother Adam told me to wash up real good before we got to Milford\u2019s. Mrs. Milford don\u2019t like folks coming to the table all dirty from working.\u201d Joe joked wearily. He leaned back in the high buckboard seat and rubbed the back of his neck. \u201cI\u2019m hungry and tired and ready to call it a day. Even worse, I lost my almost new hat that I bought with my own money. I wish I was anywhere but here with that stupid horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEven in school?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe. Even in school. Maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe there is something in here you can use to dry off a bit,\u201d Otis opened Milford\u2019s saddle bags and poked around. Joe was so worn out that he didn\u2019t bother turning around to watch as the prospector took off his battered brown hat and rearranged things behind him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new girl in with strawberry blond hair said I looked real good in that hat,\u201d Joe sighed. Her name is Jennifer Beal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mine owner\u2019s daughter? I was once in love with a gal with strawberry blond hair when I was not much older than you. She had more red haired than yellow haired. I heard that she married another fellow after I left to go hunting for gold. I guess I can\u2019t blame her for not waiting as I never wrote or nothing. Don\u2019t know where they wound up. Someday, when I strike it rich, I\u2019ll settle down and marry me a fine wife with red hair.\u201d Otis finished sifting through the saddle bag and set his hat back on his head. \u201cToo bad you lost your new hat, Joe. Especially if a young lady complimented you wearing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cToo bad your gal married another man, Mr. Massey. My friend Billy Felcher is sweet on Jennifer and so is Eden Saunders. Billy was helping her study and Eden got real jealous. He has a real nasty temper when he don\u2019t get what he wants. Don\u2019t tell my Pa but that\u2019s what happened to my schoolbooks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dWhat does any of this have to do with your schoolbooks, Little Joe?\u201d Otis asked as he made sure the sorrel was tightly tied to the buckboard.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Billy\u2019s a good friend. His Pa is Reverend Felcher so he ain\u2019t allowed to get into any scraps being the preacher\u2019s kid and all. Reverend Felcher said that the good Lord don\u2019t want Billy to engage in any fisticuffs. He should turn the other cheek, the reverend says. So when Eden tore up Billy\u2019s schoolbooks, I just had to jump in and wallop Eden a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust a bit?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dJust a bit,\u201d Joe yawned and then added, \u201cThe Lord didn\u2019t say that that Joe Cartwright couldn\u2019t engage in any fisticuffs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot that I know of, Little Joe,\u201d Otis Massey smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then I gave Billy my books. He\u2019s a good friend.\u201d Joe yawned again. The boy sagged into the seat.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you said. Your Pa would be proud that you stood up for a friend. The Lord too.\u201d The prospector glanced towards the thicket and was surprised to see the man who had been trailing him standing watching them. The tall dark man with raven black hair and high cheek bones was hidden in the dark green shadows behind a tall pine. He stepped forward and gestured for Otis to come closer. Then he waved the hat Little Joe had lost while riding the runaway sorrel.<\/p>\n

The prospector reached for his rifle. \u201cLittle Joe, you stay here in the wagon and take it easy for a bit. I\u2019m going to\u2026 to…see if I can shoot us a rabbit or two to bring to Mrs. Milford for dinner. You just stay put where you are, boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The exhausted boy immediately dozed off where he was sitting his chin against his chest. Little Joe slept so soundly that he didn\u2019t even realize less than five minutes had passed when the prospector returned without firing a shot. Otis hoisted half a deer carcass into the back of the buckboard. He yanked the Paiute arrow out of the deer and quickly tossed it into the underbrush. Then Otis plopped Joe\u2019s hat back on the sleeping boy\u2019s head without even waking him. Joe didn\u2019t open his eyes until Otis stopped the buckboard in front of the Milford house.<\/p>\n

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

The hot dusty road paralleled a fast running, meandering creek as it wound down from the mountains. Patrick Manogue looked left and right not knowing which vista to enjoy first. He waved his hands turning his head forward and back looking at the amazing, vibrant landscape surrounding them. \u201cAll this is yours?” Patrick asked the two Cartwright brothers as the three men in the buckboard traveled towards the mill.<\/p>\n

\u201cYup, all of it\u201d Hoss said proudly.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of it? This is wonderful! It\u2019s so green, so green. I never realized there were so many shades of green.\u201d Patrick Manogue could see colossal evergreens and immense hardwoods extending for miles and miles in a vast, leafy emerald swath up the sides of the hills and mountains. It was broken only by an occasional blossoming glade or a broad open meadow filled with grazing cattle.<\/p>\n

Silhouetted against the cloudless blue sky, the uneven crowns of\u00a0sugar pines had a ragged quality to them. Each one had a unique shape. Some of the other tall conifers had straight, massive trunks with craggy brown bark. Hoss identified these lofty trees as sugar pines. Others were taller, even more stately, with straight, massive trunks and relatively long, symmetrical crowns. Their numerous huge cones were bee hive shaped, like nothing Patrick had previously seen.<\/p>\n

Those enormous, towering trees, Adam explained were the Ponderosa pines. \u201cPa decided to name our ranch after those trees. That\u2019s how impressive they were to us when we first saw them.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the heavily loaded buckboard rounded the bend, Patrick saw the watery blue shimmer of a huge water filling the horizon. Dark green pines and tall oaks were mirrored on the sparkling surface of a huge body of water.\u00a0\u201cIs that the ocean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ocean ain\u2019t nowhere near here. That\u2019s Lake Tahoe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLake Tahoe? It looks like an ocean. It\u2019s so big! Everything here is so big.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam pointed to the west. \u201dThe Pacific is on the other side of that mountain range, about a hundred miles away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe water in Lake Tahoe is so clear you can see the fish swimming near the bottom.\u201d Hoss pointed out proudly. \u201cAnd so cold\u2026well it’s so cold I wish I was one of them fish swimmin\u2019 in it right now.\u201d\u00a0He fanned himself with his hat.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll this is yours?\u00a0All of it yours? And that blue water. And the wide sky! It\u2019s like heaven on earth.\u201d Patrick was astounded.<\/p>\n

\u201cYup! It\u2019s all Cartwright land. The Ponderosa goes right down to the shore of Lake Tahoe,\u201d Hoss called proudly from the back of the rattling buckboard. The husky young man sat squeezed in between the wooden packing crates and heavy sacks filled with flour, sugar, potatoes and corn meal for the loggers\u2019 kitchen.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take long for the deep, clear, blue waters of Lake Tahoe surrounded by the snow capped mountains to capture Patrick Manogue\u2019s heart. \u201cAll this fine flourishing land is yours?\u201d Manogue repeated with amazement. \u201cIt\u2019s all so cool here. So green! I haven\u2019t seen so much green since I left home in Ireland.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s legally Pa\u2019s ranch on the deed but we all own it,\u201d Adam explained. \u201cEven Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only land my dear father ever owned in Ireland was the six feet of ground that formed his grave. And the only land I can call my own in America is my share of the diggings with Mr. Joshua Biel.<\/p>\n

Adam pointed to the hills towards Mount Davidson. \u201cAnd that\u2019s part of our land too. All up that slope to where that stand of timber ends at that granite cliff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manogue was awestruck by his surroundings. \u201cGoodness gracious! There\u2019s enough timber in those forests to… to… build a tower to reach clear to heaven and a bridge to come back. Remarkable!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dBut not all at once,\u201d Adam laughed. \u201cWe cut only what we need and then let nature renew itself or make sure we replant enough to replace what we cut.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you have so many trees, Adam. Hundreds, thousands,\u201d Manogue pointed out.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we cut them down, the spring rains will wash those hills down to the lake and all we\u2019ll have left will soon look like a mud hole or the desert out by your diggings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you can\u2019t graze cattle on swamp land or dust and rocks,\u201d Hoss added.<\/p>\n

“That\u2019s part of the dispute we have with the mine owners. All they are interested in is our timber, not our land. Just the timber.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dAnd they\u2019re not building no tower to heaven, neither. Just shoring and braces for the silver mines to make them rich silver barons richer. And they don\u2019t care one bit about our land being ruined as long as they get their timber,\u201d Hoss added. \u201cThe mill is just around that bend.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa will be mighty glad to get these crates and finally get the mill up and running again.\u201d\u00a0Adam cautiously drove the team pulling the heavily loaded buckboard down the last steep slope to the mill.<\/p>\n

The Ponderosa sawmill stood on a swiftly flowing stream that emptied into Lake Tahoe.\u00a0Adam Cartwright had designed the Ponderosa timber mill to be built right in the forest. It was powered the current of the stream as it\u00a0rushed from the mountains and emptied into the lake.Three small buildings had been constructed out of logs. The larger one, closer to the rushing stream housed the saw mill. Another structure, served as a bunk house and kitchen for the loggers. The smallest shelter was storage for the some of the logging equipment and barn.<\/p>\n

The trees were cut and trimmed by the loggers. Next, the logs were either floated down the stream or skidded to the mill by teams of horses or oxen. During the previous winter, when there was some snow to provide lubrication, the loggers managed to slide down an enormous amount of timber from the mountain side.\u00a0The trimmed logs were neatly stacked in massive piles ready to be finished into planks. Unfortunately, earlier in the spring, some of the machinery that was essential to the operation of the mill had broken. Production had fallen behind schedule as the Cartwrights waited for the arrival of the new parts from the now bankrupt freight company.<\/p>\n

Virginia City was booming.\u00a0Stores, hotels and houses were being erected.\u00a0The mine owners desperately needed the Ponderosa timber to brace the mines digging out the Comstock Lode\u2019s mountain of silver. The demands for lumber far out stripped the Ponderosa\u2019s ability to provide it.\u00a0That didn\u2019t stop the mine owners incessantly demanding more Ponderosa lumber than Ben Cartwright was willing to provide. One of the most persistent mine owners was Joshua Biel.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s unload these crates and then I\u2019ll introduce you to Pa,\u201d Adam told Patrick Manogue.<\/p>\n

\u201cPatrick, it looks like your partner is in there having his regular set-to with Pa,\u201d Hoss as he shouldered a heavy wooden crate and headed into the mill. \u201cThat\u2019s his rig over there near the bunk house.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Biel?\u201d Pat was surprised to cross paths with him at this location.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s his rig and that\u2019s his daughter sitting in it waiting for her father to finish spouting off. She goes to school with Little Joe,\u201d Adam pointed out. He and Patrick carried the larger crate between them.<\/p>\n

The elegant surrey with a fine pair of horses sat in the shade of a tall Ponderosa pine. A beautifully attired little girl strolled nearby indifferently picking a bouquet of wild flowers under the watchful eye of the uniformed driver, Peter Ripp. \u201cNow don\u2019t go wandering off, Miss Jennifer,\u201d Ripp warned sternly as he polished the seats. \u201cThere are wild animals and savage Indians in these forests. Outlaws too. Crude loggers with axes. And hungry wolves!\u201d<\/p>\n

Rather than being frightened by the warning, Jennifer\u2019s eyes lit up. \u201cWolves! Maybe we can find a wolf pup and keep it as a pet! That would be so exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dJust stay right here near me. Your father will be right out after he talks to Mr. Cartwright. That shouldn\u2019t be very long. It never is. Then we can ride down to the lake where it is cooler and you can have the refreshments that Cook packed.\u201d Ripp was an ambitious man and wasn\u2019t going to let being a driver or minding his spoiled daughter be the pinnacle of his career for Biel. He hoped to be a silver baron too.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow boring!\u201d the girl declared and she started feeding the flowers to the horses.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoshua Biel or one of the other mine owners comes by a couple of times a week to pester Pa for more timber, and if that don\u2019t work, the mine owners threatens him that he\u2019ll take their business elsewhere. Biel is the worst and comes by the most but they all must take turns.\u201d Adam explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike a conspiracy?\u201d Patrick had no idea that any of this was going on.<\/p>\n

\u201dSort of. Anyway, Biel threatens to go by timber somewheres else but Pa or Adam tells him to go right ahead, go somewheres else, like over to the Dupreys or Saunders or Winslow Ranch or Oregon Territory. Or Canada for all we care.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut none of them have the quality or quantity of timber we have. Duprey might come close but he doesn\u2019t have the manpower nor the mill and won\u2019t negotiate price with the mine owners, especially any of them who might trade with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAny friend of a Cartwright is an enemy of old Carl Duprey,” Hoss pointed out. \u201cAnd Canada is a mite too far.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA mite,\u201d Patrick laughed. \u201cOregon too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJest a mite,\u201d Hoss smiled.\u201d So Mr. Biel just comes back and starts up pestering Pa and offering more money and if that don\u2019t work, he offers to buy the Ponderosa. Of course, that don\u2019t work neither because we\u2019ll never sell the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam set his end of the crate down near the office door. He started to look for a pry bar and a hammer on the tool bench. \u201cHe can threaten all he wants but we will never, ever sell, not for all the silver in the Comstock Lode.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo Biel goes off in a snit by dinnertime or when his daughter starts up whining more than he can tolerate.\u201d Hoss laughed. He handed his brother the pry bar that was leaning against the log wall of the mill. \u201cLet\u2019s get these parts inside to Pa. He\u2019s gonna be mighty happy to see them.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Years later, no one could really remember how it started but Patrick Manogue was forever grateful that it ended the way it did. The only part Manogue could really recall was that the argument started shortly after he was introduced to Ben Cartwright at the mill and quickly escalated to a fever pitch. When it was done, just like when a fever breaking, Patrick Manogue\u2019s path in life was forever changed.<\/p>\n

First, Mr. Cartwright asked after Little Joe. Adam quickly explained to his father about the Enos Milford being bushwhacked, the wonderful sorrel horse being stolen and then recovered, and giving permission to Little Joe to accompany Otis Massey out at the Milford place to lend Cora a hand. Patrick Manogue explained how he and Ben Cartwright\u2019s old prospector friend were working together. When Patrick made an off-handed remark about Otis attending the Sunday services he ran at the mine and that Otis sang louder than the Paiutes who also attended, suddenly, Joshua Biel was thoroughly enraged that Manogue permitted the Indians to come anywhere near his miners’ Sunday worship. \u201cHow can you let that happen? I forbid you!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI encourage them. Why not?\u201d Manogue explained. \u201cSome of the Paiutes even bring their friends and families. Some of them come every Sunday and one of them even brings us fresh meat, venison and the like every time he comes by. And you know how hard that is to get out in the diggings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dHow dare you let any Indians anywhere near my men when they are praying! They are blood thirsty savages.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patrick responded calmly \u201cThe Bible I read preaches brotherhood for all of God’s children.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dSuppose their skins weren’t white. Are they still God’s children? \u201cJoshua Biel argued.<\/p>\n

\u201dMy Bible says absolutely nothing about the pigmentation of their skin. The Indians may worship different then we do, but they are still God\u2019s children\u201d said Patrick Manogue.<\/p>\n

Biel shook his head. \u201cYou\u2019re a crazy man, Patrick. Why would you side with those blood thirsty savages? Why let them lurk around! And on Sundays to boot! They are murdering heathens! Look at all the trouble they make! Kapusta alone has rampaged through the territory and things are not safe for anyone. \u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cI highly doubt if Kapusta is to blame for everything folks say his does.\u201d Manogue didn\u2019t mention that Kapusta was the brave who brought them venison almost every week.<\/p>\n

\u201cI say he is!\u201d Joshua Biel pounded his hand on the packing crate.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t we simply slaughter all of the Indians and get them out of the way of decent civilization?\u201d Adam interjected with a look of disdain on his face. Hoss was stunned for an instant at his brother\u2019s horrifying remark but quickly realized that Adam was just cynically mocking the mine owner.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not?\u201d Biel agreed. \u201cJust kill them and get them out of the way. I call that progress.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dProgress? And while you are at it, clear cut all the timber you need from the Ponderosa?\u201d Ben added.<\/p>\n

Biel smiled like the cat that swallowed the canary.<\/p>\n

Hoss couldn\u2019t believe his ears. Was his father agreeing with Joshua Biel? Pa always wanted peace with the Indians. He forever told his sons to respect their ways but there was something about Kapusta that made Pa\u2019s hackles rise. A few years earlier the Cartwright family were passengers on a stage coach that was attacked by Kapusta and his band. \u201cWhat are you saying, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat am I saying? Let\u2019s clear cut all the trees. Chop them all down and then blast out the stumps with black powder. There sure won\u2019t be any trees for those awful, blood-thirsty heathens to hide behind if you do! And you and the other mine owners can expand your mines much easier if you strip mine all the mountains too!\u201d Ben growled. He spread out his arms gesturing to the surrounding hills covered with towering green pines. Then, with a loud bang, he pounded his fist on the rough table that was serving as his desk. \u201cBlast it all clear and flat. Flat as this table top! Strip mine it too! Then move on with a fortune to invest in grand homes and fine carriages and fancy clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd spoiled children, and fancy women,\u201d Adam muttered under his breath but only Patrick heard him.<\/p>\n

\u201dExactly what I\u2019ve been saying, Ben. Time is money. Now you see it clearly. There is a fortune to be made for all of us. You included.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd certainly the Lord would agree with every word you are saying.\u201d Patrick Manogue was finally seeing his partner for what he was and realizing that he had to put his own life on a very different path.<\/p>\n

\u201cCertainly!\u201d For an instant Biel\u2019s eyes lit up, thinking that Ben Cartwright was offering him all the timber he needed for the expansion of his own mine and the mines owned by McKay, Fischer and Fair and all the self-serving interests of the rest of the greedy mine owners.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd certainly the road to heaven certainly is paved with the shiny silver you pull from the Comstock Lode?\u201d Patrick stepped closer to Adam\u2019s father. Suddenly, Manogue had no doubt what path he should follow, which way was his calling.<\/p>\n

\u201cTime is money,\u201d Joshua Biel repeated. \u201cLet\u2019s write up this contract right now, Ben. Why waste time? Ride back into Virginia City with me tonight and I\u2019ll arrange for the transfer of cash to you. Then you can have your loggers commence cutting that hill first thing in the morning. Cut all the way up to the stand of fir near that granite faced cliff.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTime is money, you say? Well, Joshua, I\u2019m building the Ponderosa over time for the long haul, not a quick buck. Not just to make a fast fortune and cut and run. I\u2019m investing my time, my sons\u2019 time to build the Ponderosa for them and their children after I am gone. If I cut down all the trees and strip mine, there won\u2019t be anything left worth having. \u201c<\/p>\n

\u201dBut you\u2019ll have a bloody fortune!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat fortune won\u2019t buy another Ponderosa, ever or another legacy for my sons. Time may be money. And you can\u2019t buy time. And you, Mr. Biel, can\u2019t buy the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you have money, you can buy whatever you want. You can possess anything under the sun. You make your boys work like ordinary cowhands, Ben. Are you a lunatic? Even you Adam, with all your education! You won\u2019t have to sweat another day in your life.\u201d Then Joshua Biel looked into Ben Cartwrights angry dark eyes and Biel quickly recognized that the formidable rancher was pulling his leg and had absolutely no intention of selling him so much as a twig or a blade of grass.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothin\u2019 wrong with doing an honest day\u2019s work and raising a good honest sweat, Mr. Biel,\u201d Hoss interjected.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe for someone like you\u2026\u201d Biel looked disdainfully at the husky young man who was sweaty and soiled after his long day of hard work.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe you should try it someday, Mr. Biel,\u201d Manogue suggested.<\/p>\n

Joshua Biel turned to Adam Cartwright. \u201cWhat about you, Adam. You are an educated man. Aren\u2019t you ashamed to be filthy with calluses on your hands and be breaking your back on such a hot day?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m extremely proud to work side by side with my father and my brothers. And for your information, Mr. Biel, I sincerely wish I could accomplish as half as much in a day as my younger brother, Hoss, is able to do. I\u2019m never ashamed of doing an honest day\u2019s work, Mr. Biel. Even with my education.\u201d Adam stared at the mine owner.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe you should be, Adam,\u201d Joshua Biel spat back. Then he turned to Ben and said, \u201cWith the money you can get by selling your ranch, if you follow my lead, you and your family can live a life of ease and comfort any where you want\u2026 New York! St. Louis, Boston, San Francisco! Even London or Paris. My daughter will be able to do all those things with the money from my silver mine. Who needs to stay here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dI do, Joshua. My sons do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biel leaned forward as if he was confiding a secret to Ben. \u201cIt\u2019s easy to make a fortune, Ben. Think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have all I need right here on the Ponderosa. And I would thank you to leave my ranch. On your own or with my help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr mine,\u201d added Hoss with a quick smile. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t mind working up a bit of a sweat hauling you off the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biel glared at Ben. \u201cYou must be joshing, Mr. Cartwright. And this big ape threatening to man handle me? Heathens and trees are more important than doing business with me? I don\u2019t appreciate your attitude or the underhanded tactics you are using.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dAnd myself as well,\u201d declared Patrick. He threw back his broad shoulders and stood as tall and as straight as one of the cloud piercing Ponderosa pines.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd with my partner, Mr. Manogue, as well,\u201d Biel added. He incorrectly assumed that his business partner, Patrick Manogue shared his opinions. The mine owner threw his arm around his partner in a companionable fashion.<\/p>\n

Patrick stepped away from Biel. \u201cNo, you misunderstand me Mr. Biel. I\u2019m agreeing with Mr. Cartwright. And I\u2019ll help Hoss toss you off their property if he needs a hand. We need to be stewards of the world that God created for us, not destroy it or abuse His children. Any of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dBut you are my partner, Manogue! You can be rich too. Enormously rich.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dThere is more to life than money, Mr. Biel. What would you give me for my share of my diggings?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dRight now? Right this minute?\u201d Biel smiled slyly. He was a risk taker, a gambler and was not going to waste time to dicker over a potentially rich strike with anyone. If he could shove out a wearisome partner and own it entirely for himself, so much the better. Biel quickly reached inside his expensively tailored coat and pulled out his calfskin bill fold. He hastily counted what was in the wallet. Then, he estimated what was the minimum he could offer Patrick Manogue for a total buy out. \u201cWould two hundred dollars satisfy you, Patrick?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not five hundred?\u201d Ben urged. Manogue might be total stranger but for some reason, Ben Cartwright was determined to lend him a hand in the negotiations. He took an immediate liking to the earnest young man his boys had befriended.<\/p>\n

Looking over Biel\u2019s shoulder, Adam peered at the silver baron\u2019s thick wallet. He quickly made some mental calculations. \u201cHow about a thousand dollars, Biel? Five hundred dollars right now and your note for five hundred more payable in cash when you get back to Virginia City. Tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTonight?\u201d Biel raised his eyebrow.<\/p>\n

\u201cTonight,\u201d Ben said firmly. He had no doubts that Biel had that much cash or more on hand in his office safe.<\/p>\n

\u201dAnd that top hat on your head,\u201d Hoss added pointing to Biel\u2019s expensive top hat. \u201cI think our friend Otis Massey had been eyeing a fine hat like yours for a mighty long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell I don\u2019t know\u2026give me a minute to ponder on this,\u201d Biel wasn\u2019t quite sure if he was being hoodwinked or being made into a fool or if he was making a shrewd bargain by pushing Patrick Manogue out of the partnership.<\/p>\n

\u201cTime is money,\u201d Ben smiled repeating Biel\u2019s oft used phrase. He was enjoying having the upper hand with the irritating mine owner. He was even more amused at the idea of his old friend Otis getting an expensive top hat out of the deal.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd throw in that nice mahogany clock you have in your parlor. The one with the chimes and the fancy gingerbread carvings,\u201d Patrick added following the brazen lead of his new friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy new parlor clock?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOtis would certainly be fond of that as well,\u201d Patrick decided.<\/p>\n

\u201cOtis sure would, \u201cHoss grinned widely. Adam couldn\u2019t help but smile at his brother\u2019s enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

\u201dTime is money,\u201d Patrick reminded his partner. He appreciated the support the Cartwrights were giving him in the conflict with Biel. After all, they had just met that very morning. It was like God had orchestrated the entire sequence and the Cartwrights were the Lord\u2019s designated angels to set him on the right path. \u201cDo we have an agreement, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dYes, yes, certainly, Patrick. Time is money. Five hundred cash it is.\u201d Joshua Biel smiled. He drew the bills out of his wallet and counted them out into Patrick\u2019s open hand. \u201cI hear my daughter calling to me. She must be getting impatient with how long this is taking. I promised to take her for a cool ride down by the lake.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam tilted his head and held up his hand to signal for quiet. \u201cGee, I don\u2019t hear Jennifer calling. Do you, Hoss? You ears are far sharper than mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss shook his head. \u201cUh huh, I don\u2019t hear Jennifer calling, Mr. Biel. All I hear is some birds singing in our trees. Sounds pretty don\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dShe\u2019s a wee girl but she has a mighty loud voice and I most certainly don\u2019t hear her calling, Joshua. Peter Ripp will tend to her. Don\u2019t worry. Peter always takes very good care of her.\u201d Manogue told his partner.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t hear your daughter calling either. Just birds and the rush of the mill stream. Adam, give me a bit of paper, and Hoss, hand me that pen and ink. I want to draw up an agreement for Mr. Manogue and Mr. Biel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss quickly handed his father the ink well and the pen from the small wooden desk in the corner of the mill house. Adam looked around for some paper but found none. He reached into his shirt pocket and fished out the folded shipping receipt from the case of machine parts.<\/p>\n

\u201cUse the back of this, Pa,\u201d Adam said smoothing out the piece of paper.<\/p>\n

\u201cFive hundred cash now and five hundred within twenty four hours to Patrick Manogue.\u201d Biel dictated as Ben wrote out the agreement on the back of the packing sheet.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that hat on your head, Mr. Biel,\u201d Adam reminded them.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the clock,\u201d Patrick Manogue added. \u201cThe mahogany parlor clock, specifically. Not some broken time peace from the trash heap behind some saloon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biel hesitated. His wife and daughter particularly liked that clock. He had it shipped from Switzerland. It chimed the hours and impressed visitors to their new mansion.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe price is going up the longer you hesitated Biel,\u201d Ben declared firmly.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so is my temper,\u201d added Hoss. He stepped a bit closer to the mine owner and glared at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s fine, that\u2019s fine. The hat and the clock too. Write it down, Ben, and give me the pen and I\u2019ll put my signature on it. I\u2019ll buy my daughter and wife a new clock if they protest. A better more expensive clock.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe money, the hat and the clock. Time is money,\u201d Patrick Manogue smiled.<\/p>\n

That morning he had not more than a dollar in his pocket and the part ownership of a struggling mine. By afternoon he had rescued a stranger, Enos Milford who had been bushwhacked, met some wonderful new friends and by the time he would go to sleep on the Ponderosa, he would have enough money to finish his education and bring his family from Ireland.<\/p>\n

Most importantly, Patrick had decided on the pathway for the rest of his life. Spontaneously, Patrick started to recite the poem he had learned in school.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod moves in a mysterious way,<\/p>\n

His wonders to perform;<\/p>\n

He plants his footsteps in the sea,<\/p>\n

And rides upon the storm,\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright smiled at his new friend and recited the next verse of the familiar poem.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeep in unfathomable mines,<\/p>\n

Of never failing skill,<\/p>\n

He treasures up his bright designs,<\/p>\n

And works his sovereign will.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easy to make a fortune but much harder to make a difference,\u201d Patrick said. He pocketed the five hundred dollars and the contract with Biel and then shook hands with each of the men. He knew what he wanted to accomplish with the rest of his life was going to be very hard, but the difference he could make was going to make it worthwhile.<\/p>\n

Was it luck or coincidence or was it a miracle?<\/p>\n

Patrick would never quite know.<\/p>\n

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

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

Author’s Notes:<\/u><\/em><\/p>\n

Joshua Biel and his daughter Jennifer are fictional characters who were mentioned in the episode \u201cThe Abduction\u201d. Eden Saunders and his family were fictional characters featured in the Bonanza episode \u201cMy Son, My Son\u201d. The Milfords, Enos and Cora, were characters in \u201cHay Burner\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n

Otis Massey, Kapusta, Peter Ripp, Biel\u2019s driver and most of the other characters are also fictional.<\/em><\/p>\n

On the other hand, Patrick Manogue is a very real historical person of the Comstock era. In researching the history of Cartwright era Nevada, I read a bit about him and decided that he might just fit into a Bonanza Fan Fic.<\/em><\/p>\n

From Online Nevada (http:\/\/www.onlinenevada.org\/Patrick_Manogue):<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cFather Patrick Manogue is one of the most widely celebrated figures of the\u00a0<\/em>Comstock<\/em><\/a>. Born in\u00a0<\/em>Ireland<\/em><\/a>\u00a0in 1831, Manogue immigrated to the United States at seventeen and began his studies of priesthood at St. Mary’s Seminary of Chicago. Unable to continue financing his education, he left the seminary and joined the\u00a0<\/em>California Gold Rush<\/em><\/a>. He labored in the mines of Moore’s Flat for two years when he met Archbishop Joseph Sadoc Alemany, who persuaded Manogue to continue his studies at the seminary of Saint Sulpice in Paris, France.<\/em><\/p>\n

After receiving his priestly ordination on December 21, 1861, Father Manogue returned to California. There, he received instructions from Bishop Eugene O’Connell to travel to\u00a0<\/em>Virginia City<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and set up a ministry encompassing a territory that included what is now the state of Nevada. O’Connell apparently chose Manogue for this task because his previous experience as a miner would be instrumental in attending to the needs of the mining community. First-hand accounts report that the popular priest often traveled the entire Nevada territory to minister to his flock.<\/em><\/p>\n

Perhaps Father Manogue’s most well known accomplishment is his role in the construction of one of the first Catholic churches in Virginia City, which was dedicated\u00a0<\/em>Saint Mary in the Mountains<\/em><\/a>\u00a0by Bishop O’Connell in 1864. The church still stands close to its original location today and is ornamented with tributes in memory of Manogue.<\/em><\/p>\n

In 1881, the Archbishop Alemany of San Francisco’s St. Mary’s Cathedral ordained Father Manogue a Bishop. He returned to Virginia City to continue his service as pastor of St. Mary in the Mountains and was named coadjutor (assistant) bishop to Bishop O’Connell of the Grass Valley diocese. In 1884, Bishop Manogue was permanently called away from Virginia City to replace the aging Bishop O’Connell in his role as the Bishop of the Grass Valley diocese, which became known as the Sacramento diocese in 1886. Bishop Patrick Manogue became the first Bishop of the new Sacramento diocese, where he served until his death in 1895<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tags:\u00a0 Adam Cartwright,\u00a0Ben Cartwright,\u00a0Hoss Cartwright,\u00a0Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 What happen next for the episode, The Hayburner.<\/p>\n

Rating: \u00a0T \u00a0(20,375 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":14363,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","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":[23,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-whn","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-13-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\/2017\/06\/capture1.png?fit=755%2C474&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14362","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\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14362\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}