{"id":14413,"date":"2017-06-30T00:44:23","date_gmt":"2017-06-30T04:44:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=14413"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:41:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:41:09","slug":"the-deadeye-kid-rides-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=14413","title":{"rendered":"The Deadeye Kid Rides Again (by Puchi Ann)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/strong>: \u00a0My Camp in the Pines, 2017 story. \u00a0In this sequel to The Daring Deeds of the Deadeye Kid, Little Joe once again draws inspiration from his favorite dime novels when he is kidnapped and held for ransom.<\/p>\n

Rating: \u00a0K+ \u00a0\u00a0Word count 15,138<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Deadeye Kid Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Daring Deeds of the Deadeye Kid<\/a>
\nThe Deadeye Kid Rides Again<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Deadeye Kid Rides Again<\/strong><\/p>\n

With a sigh the warden closed the folder on his desk.\u00a0 Everything was in order, and there was no reason to delay the release of the prisoners.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t even sure keeping them here in Nevada State Prison would do any good.\u00a0 Two years was a fair sentence for what the quartet of siblings had done, so maybe it was best to get them away from the more hardened criminals before they turned to stone themselves.\u00a0 Trouble was, he\u2019d already seen signs that the hardening process had, at least, begun.\u00a0 Yes, it was time.\u00a0 If these four had any hope of redemption, it would have to lie outside these walls, not here where they could learn to be worse.\u00a0 He stood and walked into his outer office, where one of the more trusted prisoners worked.\u00a0 Giving the four names, he told the man to have them prepared for release and brought to his office.<\/p>\n

An hour passed, little enough time for four inmates to take a decent bath and clothe themselves in a set of donated apparel.\u00a0 Ushered into the warden\u2019s office, they stood in a line before him.\u00a0 He remained silent until each set of eyes was focused on his face.\u00a0 \u201cI trust these two years have taught you something,\u201d he began, while secretly fearing the lessons they might actually have picked up, \u201cI sincerely hope that I will not see any of you here again.\u201d\u00a0 He paused, apparently waiting for an answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure won\u2019t, warden,\u201d the oldest man said, and the other three quickly echoed the sentiment.\u00a0 And they meant it.\u00a0 Maybe not the way he wanted them to, but one way or another, they\u2019d be certain not to end up back in this place!<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish you well, then,\u201d the warden said.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re free to go.\u00a0 The trustee will escort you to the gate.\u201d<\/p>\n

They filed out of the office, and the warden closed the door behind them.\u00a0 Shaking his head, he returned to his desk.\u00a0 They\u2019d said the right words, but what had glittered in their eyes was not the sparkle of new purpose, but the glint of bitterness that he so often saw from departing \u201cguests\u201d of the State.\u00a0 Two years, a fair sentence.\u00a0 Not even a hard one, considering the crime had been attempted robbery and imprisonment of an entire family, but long enough to do the damage.\u00a0 Those four would be back; he\u2019d lay odds on it.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hauled into Carson City, courtesy of the State, the four former convicts didn\u2019t make it past the nearest bar that first day.\u00a0 Two years without liquor was far too long, they mutually decided, even the woman.\u00a0 She plunked down at a table with her brothers, her expression challenging the bartender to spew the usual nonsense about not serving ladies.\u00a0 She needn\u2019t have bothered; a bar this seedy had no scruples about serving anyone, so long as they had a short bit to pay for the drink.\u00a0 It was, in fact, quite accustomed to being the first stop for the shipwrecked lives departing the State Prison, and the bartender could smell an ex-con a mile coming.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t care: money was money.<\/p>\n

The eldest brother took a long quaff of his beer and set the mug down with a curl of his lip.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t the best I ever tasted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s for sure,\u201d muttered his next younger brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best was the last drink we had,\u201d the youngest boy put in.\u00a0 \u201cThat was prime liquor them folks had.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was,\u201d the woman agreed, \u201cbut it was hanging around for that prime liquor\u2014and the Chinaman\u2019s roast pig\u2014that got us caught.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNaw, that ain\u2019t what got us caught,\u201d argued the oldest brother.\u00a0 \u201cIt was that dadgum Deadeye Kid.\u00a0 If\u2019n it weren\u2019t for him, we\u2019d\u2019ve had plenty of time to eat the pantry bare.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d the youngest agreed.\u00a0 \u201cNot to mention him nigh-on to killin\u2019 us with his wild shootin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

The middle brother nodded grimly.\u00a0 \u201cHe owes us, that stinkin\u2019 Deadeye Kid . . . for the two years he took from us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman, her face as hard as that of any of her brothers, said, \u201cHe owes us . . . and he\u2019ll pay for every miserable day we spent in that place.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Little Joe jumped down from the buckboard and cocked his tan hat at a jaunty angle, quite literally setting his cap for the next pretty face, before he sauntered into the general store in Virginia City.<\/p>\n

\u201cCasanova Cartwright appears to be on the prowl,\u201d Adam observed as he more sedately stepped down from the seat of the wagon.<\/p>\n

Moving still more slowly, Hoss joined him.\u00a0 \u201cWhen ain\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAn excellent point,\u201d Adam said dryly.\u00a0 \u201cPerhaps we should hasten inside to rescue any fair damsels in distress from his attentions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cGot a feeling that don\u2019t distress \u2018em much, older brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrue, but it might well distress Pa, given the youth of his baby son.\u00a0 And when Pa frets over Little Joe. . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, now, when you put it like that. . . .\u201d\u00a0 Laying a beefy arm across his brother\u2019s back, Hoss steered him toward the store.<\/p>\n

As both he and Adam could have predicted, Little Joe was engaged in animated conversation with a girl, even if the only one available was the storekeeper\u2019s daughter.\u00a0 Despite her being closer to Adam\u2019s age than his own, whatever Little Joe was saying had Sally Cass held in captivated giggles.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t bring you along to entertain the populace, younger brother, although that does seem to be your idea of what comprises a day\u2019s work,\u201d Adam said, as he gave Sally a conspiratorial wink over Little Joe\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cI handed Miss Sally our list,\u201d the youngest Cartwright said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019d better get to filling it,\u201d she said, smiling warmly at Adam as she slipped away.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks a heap, older brother,\u201d Little Joe said peevishly.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa strictly ordered us to bring you home single,\u201d Adam said with a provoking grin, \u201cand unbetrothed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlways does give us the hard chores,\u201d Hoss said, making his best effort to copy Adam\u2019s expression.\u00a0 On him, it looked more like a petulant child\u2019s pout.<\/p>\n

\u201cHa, ha,\u201d Little Joe said without a trace of humor.\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t here to entertain the populace, either, brothers, and that\u2019s a good thing \u2018cause you sure ain\u2019t as good at it as me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lips pursed, Adam arched an eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d be interested in your demonstrating that you can load supplies as well as you entertain ladies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll do my share when the time comes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll hold you to that!\u201d Hoss declared.\u00a0 \u201c\u2018Bout time you did your share of some kind of work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will Cass, the store\u2019s proprietor came in from the back.\u00a0 \u201cHey, boys.\u00a0 Mighty good to see you.\u00a0 Get over to that candy jar and help yourself, Hoss.\u00a0 Save it \u2018til you get out on the street, though, so\u2019s you can drum me up some business.\u00a0 Got some new books in, too.\u00a0 Not sure it\u2019s the sort you favor, Adam, but, Little Joe, the latest Deadeye Dave came in this week, so I know you\u2019ll want a look at that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure thing, Mr. Cass,\u201d Hoss said and headed straight for the counter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Mr. Cass,\u201d said Adam.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll take a look.\u201d\u00a0 The storekeeper had never been able to pick books for Adam\u2019s esoteric and evolving tastes, once he\u2019d passed the dime novel stage, so he doubted that there\u2019d be anything of interest to him, but it never hurt to look.<\/p>\n

Little Joe thanked the man, but muttered something about needing a new neckerchief.\u00a0 A man could always use a new neckerchief.<\/p>\n

Cass smiled in satisfaction.\u00a0 He\u2019d been giving out free candy to the Cartwright boys since they were little\u2014well, all but Adam.\u00a0 That boy had never been much for sweetening, even as a little tyke preferring a new book to candy.\u00a0 In the early days, before Ben had become a prosperous rancher, the storekeeper would sometimes slip one of the dime novels into the Cartwrights\u2019 crate of standard supplies. \u00a0Ben had seemed to understand that it wasn\u2019t charity, so much as a second chance for Cass to share in the upbringing of a son.\u00a0 Later, he\u2019d taken pleasure in giving the same candy and cheap books to Little Joe as he had the older two, but now both the oldest and the youngest seemed to shy away from taking gifts.\u00a0 Nowadays, even Hoss wouldn\u2019t take more than a piece or two of sweetening, and then only because Cass had convinced him that he viewed the big fellow\u2019s sucking candy on the street as the cheapest and best advertising a man could get.<\/p>\n

Little Joe dawdled around the none-too-stylish neckerchiefs as long as he could stand and then slowly began to inch his way toward the book table.\u00a0 He was hoping Adam would have moved elsewhere by the time he reached it, but unless he wanted to hover near a display of ladies\u2019 underthings (which he decidedly didn\u2019t) there wasn\u2019t much to interest a man between those two points.\u00a0 Apparently, against all odds, the Plato of the Ponderosa had found something to intrigue his peculiar taste in literature, \u2018cause he wasn\u2019t budging an inch, like some kind of cougar, ready to pounce once his prey came into range.\u00a0 Finally, Little Joe had to take the final step and brace himself for what he knew was coming.<\/p>\n

At first Adam said nothing, and Little Joe began to hope that his older brother\u2019s book choice was so fascinating that his own selection might go unnoticed.\u00a0 Hopes dashed when Adam, without even looking up from the text, said, \u201cWhen I was a child, I thought as a child, I read as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was a more subtle mode of attack than Little Joe had expected, so it took a moment for him to come up with a response.\u00a0 \u201cPa won\u2019t think much of you disrespecting Scripture, older brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s head slowly turned, and he raised his eyes from his book to his brother\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cYou know perfectly well I wasn\u2019t doing that.\u201d\u00a0 He pointed his chin toward the paperbacked book in Little Joe\u2019s hand.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, I wouldn\u2019t expect you to recognize the difference between a quote and a literary reference, when you fuel your mind with that sort of fodder.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s he got?\u201d Hoss asked, as he ambled over, peppermint stick in hand.\u00a0 Then he gave what passed, for him, as a wicked grin.\u00a0 \u201cOh, let me guess: Deadeye Dave savin\u2019 some pretty little gal . . . again.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t you a mite old for such as that, little brother, now that you\u2019re out of school and workin\u2014well, sort of\u2014full time on the ranch?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep it up, and I won\u2019t share this one with you,\u201d Little Joe threatened, effectively quelling any more sass from Hoss.\u00a0 He turned to Adam.\u00a0 \u201cAs for you, maybe you oughta remember that I owe my life to Deadeye Dave, not to mention yours and Hoss\u2019s and Pa\u2019s!\u00a0 And you never know when I might need his inspiration again to get the three of you out of trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re referring to the supposed threat from the Stumblefoot Gang,\u201d Adam snorted, \u201cI believe we were in far greater danger from a certain fool kid with a gun, the one who styled himself the Deadeye Kid, as I recall.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI dead sure was in more danger from the Kid than them four,\u201d Hoss grunted, rubbing the back of his britches in remembrance of the sharp pain of that encounter two years before.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, all right,\u201d Little Joe said, reaching up to pat Hoss on the shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cDidn\u2019t mean to bring up bad memories for you, big fella.\u00a0 Looks like Miss Sally and her pa has got our order together, so I reckon it\u2019s time the Cartwright men got back to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMen,\u201d Adam scoffed.\u00a0 Seeing his youngest brother\u2019s mouth tighten, he said conciliatorily, \u201cYou\u2019re right, though; we do owe a small debt to Deadeye Dave.\u00a0 Go ahead and get the silly book, solely in the interest of encouraging the virtue of loyalty.\u00a0 Just so you don\u2019t start styling yourself the Deadeye Man.\u00a0 I\u2019m afraid that\u2019s more than I could stomach.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe, neither,\u201d Hoss declared.<\/p>\n

Little Joe laughed.\u00a0 \u201cAnd we all know you got an iron one!\u201d\u00a0 Laughing, the Cartwright brothers set to work loading the supplies and were soon back in the buckboard, headed for home.\u00a0 Little Joe lay in the back, enjoying another dime adventure with his hero.\u00a0 Though he would not for the world have admitted it to Adam, he really was getting too old for dime novels, as a general rule, but he still couldn\u2019t pass up a Deadeye Dave, for exactly the reason he\u2019d put forth to his older brothers.\u00a0 No matter how many times they teased him about rescuing them from a gang so clumsy that Adam\u2019s name for them made perfect sense, Little Joe was sure it had been Deadeye Dave\u2019s inspiration that had helped him save them all.\u00a0 His brothers knew that as well as he did, and while Adam might not share his loyalty to the little books, Joe knew perfectly well that Hoss would be asking him what ole Dave was up to now, just as soon as Adam was out of sight.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A week later Little Joe was dawdling his way home from Virginia City, simply because he needed more time to relish his satisfaction with the way his first solo excursion to town (at least, his first with responsibility attached) had gone.\u00a0 Oh, it wasn\u2019t any big responsibility, not like bringing home the payroll or anything that might put him at risk of being waylaid on the road; he\u2019d just had to deliver some signed papers to Hiram Wood, the family lawyer, pick up a few small items for Hop Sing at a Chinatown store and \u201ccome straight home.\u201d\u00a0 The first two items on the list were quickly and easily accomplished, and as for the final one, well, he hadn\u2019t exactly come straight home, but he was sure Pa had meant that to be interpreted loosely.\u00a0 He\u2019d only added a little purchase for himself at the general store, which hadn\u2019t taken more than a few minutes, and it hadn\u2019t been a dime novel, either, so there was nothing for Adam to sneer at.\u00a0 Then, he\u2019d made one short stop by the Bucket of Blood for a beer . . . or was it two?\u00a0 No matter.\u00a0 Pa couldn\u2019t fault a fellow for quenching his thirst on a hot day like this, could he?\u00a0 Of course not!\u00a0 On second thought, given the fact that he was still only sixteen, Pa might not be as easily persuaded about that last stop.\u00a0 Best keep it to himself.<\/p>\n

He blew a few somewhat less than musical notes into his newly purchased harmonica and shook his head with a frown. \u00a0Apparently, he was going to need more practice, if he planned to serenade some girl like Adam did on his guitar. \u00a0Adam would probably be happy to help him master the thing, though.\u00a0 After all, he was always harping at his younger brother about putting his mind and his time to good purpose, and he loved music, and it would give them something in common, and maybe they could even play duets together to entertain Pa and Hoss of an evening, as soon as Joe got a mite better.\u00a0 He liked the picture he was painting in his head, but he had a feeling he\u2019d be painting one a whole lot darker if he didn\u2019t stop dawdling and get on home.<\/p>\n

Moving the instrument toward his pocket, he tapped his heels lightly to Cochise\u2019s flanks.\u00a0 Responsive to his master\u2019s touch, the horse sprang forward.\u00a0 Suddenly a lariat dropped over Little Joe\u2019s head and cinched his arms to his side.\u00a0 The harmonica flew from his fingers as he was jerked from the saddle and hung suspended in midair for a moment before crashing to earth.\u00a0 Momentarily dazed, he could not recognize the hazy figure bending over him, but he heard the man\u2019s nasty cackle.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, well,\u201d a voice that sounded as grizzled as the man\u2019s beard scoffed, \u201cif it ain\u2019t the Deadeye Kid.\u00a0 Shot up many backsides lately, Kid?\u201d\u00a0 Not waiting for an answer, he straightened up and hollered to someone on Joe\u2019s left, \u201cGet his horse, Jack!\u00a0 Don\u2019t want it headed home just yet, do we?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure don\u2019t, Zack,\u201d the other man called as he spurred his horse in pursuit of Cochise.<\/p>\n

Jack . . . Zack\u2014the names sounded familiar, but Little Joe couldn\u2019t place them.\u00a0 \u201cWhat you want, Mister?\u201d he demanded as he was pulled to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t carryin\u2019 much cash, if that\u2019s what you\u2019re after.\u201d\u00a0 Truer words were rarely spoken, since he had exactly twelve cents left to his name after buying the harmonica and beer in town.\u00a0 He was never more glad that he had ignored Adam\u2019s persistent advice that he save more of his money.\u00a0 Riches only made a man a bigger target he\u2019d tell his big brother next time he saw him, confident that he\u2019d soon be on his way to deliver that message.<\/p>\n

Zack\u2019s nasty laugh rang out again.\u00a0 \u201cCarryin\u2019 cash?\u00a0 No, I wouldn\u2019t expect \u2018em to trust you with more than enough for penny candy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou ain\u2019t got any of that stashed in your pockets, do you, Kid?\u201d another man asked as he ambled over.\u00a0 \u201cMy sweet tooth could favor some, if\u2019n you do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zack pulled Little Joe\u2019s pearl-handled handgun from his left-sided holster.\u00a0 \u201cHang on to that, Mack,\u201d he ordered.\u00a0 \u201cIf there\u2019s one thing we can\u2019t afford, it\u2019s lettin\u2019 this kid anywhere near a gun!\u201d<\/p>\n

Mack laughed, and though the sound carried none of the menace of the older varmint\u2019s, it still wasn\u2019t pleasant.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s the truth!\u00a0 You been practicin\u2019, Kid?\u00a0 Got to where you can hit anything smaller than a long clock yet?\u00a0 Or is the big \u2018un still willin\u2019 to let you do your target practice on him?\u201d\u00a0 He bent over, slapping his hands to his knees and grinning like a fool.<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s eyes narrowed.\u00a0 Zack . . . Mack . . . Jack . . . a shot-up clock and some \u201cbig un\u201d he was supposed to be using for target practice.\u00a0 Little Joe groaned as the picture started to clear.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t sure Hoss had forgiven him yet for his wounded backside.\u00a0 Then there was what had happened to Little Joe\u2019s own, once Pa had realized . . . oh, yeah he knew exactly who these men were.\u00a0 He had fallen, once again, into the hands of what Adam had all too aptly called the Stumblefoot Gang only days before.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you want?\u201d he demanded again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got what we want,\u201d Zack said, a snide curl lifting the left side of his lip.<\/p>\n

Jack came back with the pinto, and Little Joe was thrown into the saddle and his hands tied to the horn.\u00a0 Jack lifted the boy\u2019s chin with the end of his pistol.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t try nothin\u2019,\u201d he warned.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll be watchin\u2019, every minute.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd keep quiet, too,\u201d Zack ordered.<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, there ain\u2019t no one around to hear,\u201d Mack muttered, \u201cespecially not where we\u2019re goin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s that?\u201d Little Joe asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep your mouth shut!\u201d Zack snapped.\u00a0 \u201cNow, come on, boys, we got to get off this road \u2018fore anyone comes along.\u201d<\/p>\n

As they headed for the woods, Little Joe weighed his chances of breaking free.\u00a0 \u00a0Three-to-one odds against him, and not one of his captors hampered by having his hands tied.\u00a0 They\u2019d said they\u2019d be watching, too, so he probably wouldn\u2019t get far, but poor as his chances were, they weren\u2019t likely to get better once they reached the cover of the trees.\u00a0 Would Deadeye Dave let a bunch of hooligans run off with him without lifting so much as a finger to help himself?\u00a0 Hardly!\u00a0 Neither would either of his big brothers.\u00a0 No question then; he had to try.\u00a0 Tightening his hold on the saddle horn, he kneed his pinto hard in one flank.\u00a0 Faithful Cochise spun to the right in response and took off.\u00a0 \u201cRide, boy, ride!\u201d Little Joe urged.<\/p>\n

He headed for the road, where the packed ground would help him gain speed.\u00a0 For a moment he thought he might make it.\u00a0 Catching the Stumblefoot Gang off guard had bought him precious seconds, but not enough.\u00a0 He soon found himself surrounded by angry faces.<\/p>\n

Zack drew back his arm and slapped the boy across the face.\u00a0 \u201cI told you not to try nothin\u2019!\u201d he yelled.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, all right,\u201d Little Joe said. \u201cbut I had to try, didn\u2019t I?\u00a0 Couldn\u2019t call myself a man otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other three hooted.\u00a0 \u201cDid you hear \u2018im, Zack?\u201d Mack snorted.\u00a0 \u201cThinks he\u2019s a man!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re just a kid\u2014the Deadeye Kid, remember?\u201d Jack said with a grin.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, and you\u2019ll be just a dead kid if\u2019n you try that again,\u201d Zack grunted.\u00a0 \u201cYou hear me, Deadeye?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe barely opened the lips he had instinctively pursed at the vile phrase \u201cjust a kid\u201d and\u00a0 grunted \u201cI hear you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re comin\u2019 along peaceable then, ain\u2019t you?\u201d Zack pressed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d\u00a0 The word dragged out with an air of defeat that apparently convinced Zack that he had effectively intimidated his prisoner this time.<\/p>\n

Deadeye Dave never gave up, though, no matter how many pages stood between him and final victory, and the Deadeye Kid had been weaned on his exploits, not to mention the real life ones of the courageous Cartwright clan.\u00a0 The gang would be watching him even more closely, at least for a while, so he\u2019d bide his time, wait until they weren\u2019t being so careful or, maybe, pick a time when one or more of them had taken off.\u00a0 Yeah, that\u2019s what Deadeye Dave would do.\u00a0 For now, he\u2019d just keep his eyes and ears open.<\/p>\n

As they quickly moved behind the cover of the trees, he concentrated on where they were headed.\u00a0 If he could get away later, he\u2019d need a clear idea of where he was, so he could find his way home or go for help or find a place to hide, if all else failed.\u00a0 So far, that was no problem; they were crossing the Ponderosa, where he knew every stick and stone on the property, and that was barely an exaggeration.<\/p>\n

Little Joe cast his mind back to his first meeting with . . . for the life of him, he couldn\u2019t remember their real last name.\u00a0 He must have heard it at the trial, but it hadn\u2019t been important enough to remember.\u00a0 He\u2019d thought he was shed of them for good, back then.\u00a0 Well, the name Adam had come up with would do for now, at least inside his own head.\u00a0 Probably best not to call them that to their faces.<\/p>\n

What did he actually know about the Stumblefoot Gang?\u00a0 Deadeye Dave always said it was important to know as much as you could about an enemy, but Little Joe had to admit he didn\u2019t know much about this crew of would-be cutthroats.\u00a0 There\u2019d been four of them, a sister in addition to the three bungling brothers, and they weren\u2019t the sharpest knives in the drawer, but that was about all he remembered.\u00a0 He wondered if they\u2019d smartened up any in the last two years.\u00a0 He\u2019d grown up plenty himself, grown from a boy into a man or, at least, next door to one, no matter how Hoss and Adam poked fun at the plain fact.\u00a0 He\u2019d outwitted this bunch back then; surely he could now, too.\u00a0 Just a kid, indeed.\u00a0 He\u2019d show them.\u00a0 The Deadeye Kid would ride again!<\/p>\n

His confidence plummeted with a thud of chagrin when he abruptly realized that he wasn\u2019t exactly Deadeye Dave, manly hero and rescuer of frail females, in this real-life dime novel.\u00a0 This time he was playing the part of the frail female!\u00a0 It left a sour taste in his mouth, because some of those gals had been helpless, simpering ninnies.\u00a0 They were was no examples to follow!\u00a0 A few, though, had been sharp-witted enough to aid in their own rescue.\u00a0 Yeah, those were the ones to take his ideas from.<\/p>\n

Miranda May from down New Orleans way had been his first literary sweetheart, and she still remained his favorite.\u00a0 It helped, of course, that her city of origin reminded him of his mother, but beyond that, Miranda was no cowering female.\u00a0 She had wit and she had spunk.\u00a0 The first thing she\u2019d done to help Dave find her was to drop clues as she was being dragged off by the villain, Scarpathio McSwain.\u00a0 With his hands tied, Little Joe didn\u2019t see much way to drop anything, other than the harmonica he\u2019d lost when he was first grabbed.\u00a0 However, as he passed beneath one of the trees, he raised his head just high enough to let a branch knock off his hat with its distinctive band, which any of the other Cartwrights would recognize in a blink.\u00a0 The Stumblefoot brothers just laughed and let it lie where it fell, a sure sign that they were still the least savvy bunch of would-be outlaws in the entire West.<\/p>\n

It wouldn\u2019t be enough, though, given all the debris littering the floor of the woods.\u00a0 Little Joe finally realized he had only one way of helping anyone follow him.\u00a0 It took him a moment to steel himself against the pain, and then he rode directly into another low-lying branch and let it smack him in the face.\u00a0 He shook his head as much as possible, as if he couldn\u2019t get it untangled from the branches, and his cackling captors never suspected that he was marking his path in the only way open to him.\u00a0 Hoss was a good enough tracker to know that those bent and broken branches meant someone had passed this way.<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t sure he dared risk the maneuver again, but he had to try, so the next time their path made a significant turn, he pulled the same stunt with the same result.\u00a0 He dared one more time and was sure his ruse had been discovered when Zack stopped his horse and sat staring at his captive.\u00a0 \u201cYou sure ain\u2019t a fast learner, are you, Kid,?\u201d he finally said with a disgusted shake of his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe was plannin\u2019 to hand you back to your folks in the same shape we found you,\u201d Mack added with a mocking grin, \u201cbut you don\u2019t make that easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMake sure you tell \u2018em the mess on your face was all your own doin\u2019, you hear, Kid?\u201d Jack, not to be left out, put in.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019ve got the hang of it now,\u201d Little Joe said quickly.\u00a0 \u201cProbably won\u2019t happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSee it don\u2019t,\u201d Zack grunted.\u00a0 \u201cIf\u2019n I didn\u2019t know better, I\u2019d think you was tryin\u2019 to slow us down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you know better?\u201d Mack asked, giving Little Joe a suspicious look.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Cause anyone too dumb to duck can\u2019t hardly think out a plan like that,\u201d Jack snickered.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but you\u2019re dumb as him, dawdlin\u2019 here, flappin\u2019 your jaws, when someone might miss him any time now,\u201d Zack snorted.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf\u2019n I was his kin, I\u2019d miss him \u2018bout as much as a toothache,\u201d Jack snickered.<\/p>\n

\u201cForget that foolishness,\u201d Zack said sharply.\u00a0 \u201cTime\u2019s wastin\u2019.\u00a0 We got to get back to Tildy by dark.\u201d<\/p>\n

They finally passed beyond the tree line into higher ground.\u00a0 At first, Little Joe had no notion of how to mark his path.\u00a0 Then, with a stifled grin, he used his knees to direct Cochise into a subtly weaving pattern that would look odd to the trained eye.\u00a0 The rocky terrain would make tracking him harder, but Hoss would keep looking until he found those strange tracks again, and Pa and Adam would be right there to point out any stray sign he might miss.\u00a0 Against the three of them\u2014four, counting Joe himself\u2014the Stumblefoot Gang had no chance.<\/p>\n

It took them the better part of an hour to notice anything.\u00a0 Then Zack pulled them up short and demanded, \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter with you, boy?\u00a0 Can\u2019t you even sit a straight saddle?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe almost panicked in that moment, as his brain raced to come up with an answer short of the truth that would make at least one lick of sense.\u00a0 Sadly, the only one of Deadeye Dave\u2019s damsels in distress that came to mind was the one Little Joe always referred to as Simpering Sue, who pretty much whined her way through the pages of her dime novel.\u00a0 Though it killed his manly soul, he put her whine into his own throat and bleated out, \u201cI\u2019m tryin\u2019 the best I can, fellas, but it\u2019s mighty hard to steer a horse with my hands tied.\u00a0 Couldn\u2019t you cut \u2018em free, now we\u2019re so far from nowhere, so\u2019s I could hold the reins.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo I look like a blame fool, boy?\u201d Zack snorted.<\/p>\n

Keeping his true opinion close to his vest, Little Joe said, \u201cNo, sir, \u2018course not, but I won\u2019t try nothin\u2019.\u00a0 I promised, didn\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did, Zack,\u201d Mack offered.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I kept my word, didn\u2019t I?\u201d Little Joe asked quickly, praying they\u2019d stay blind to what he had been trying to do all through their trip into the high country.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s gonna commence to bawlin\u2019,\u201d Jack snickered.<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s lip curled.\u00a0 It might help if he did shed a few tears, of course, but to playact being any more of a Simpering Sue than he already had was more than his manly soul could stomach.\u00a0 He swallowed hard, as if trying to keep sobs down, and begged in a quavering voice, \u201cPlease, mister.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, you asked real pretty,\u201d Zack said, \u201cbut I ain\u2019t a blame fool.\u00a0 Don\u2019t want you hurtin\u2019 yourself no worse, though, so Jack here will take your reins.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe sighed.\u00a0 Maybe the Stumblefoot Gang had picked up a little outlawing savvy in prison, after all.\u00a0 With someone else leading Cochise, he probably wouldn\u2019t be able to leave behind any more suspicious tracks.\u00a0 Hoss was good, though; surely he\u2019d be able to figure it out somehow.<\/p>\n

As he was led further into the hills, he tried to recall some of Deadeye Dave\u2019s other gals that had helped themselves somehow.\u00a0 Most of them were plumb worthless for the purpose, but Lucinda Louise, familiarly known as Lucy Lou, had managed to make her captors think she was friendly to them and that had made them careless enough so she could get away.\u00a0 Seemed like a slow, not to mention distasteful, way of helping himself, but he couldn\u2019t see any other option open at the moment.\u00a0 \u201cSo, uh, how\u2019s your sister?\u201d he made himself ask cordially.\u00a0 \u201cShe decide to stay on the straight and narrow after her time in prison?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoots and snorts met that suggestion.\u00a0 Little Joe nodded.\u00a0 It figured.\u00a0 The sister, as he recalled, had been the brains, such as they were, behind the foursome.\u00a0 These three didn\u2019t have the sense to blow their own noses, much less plot a successful kidnapping.\u00a0 He focused his thoughts on ways to charm the woman.\u00a0 He\u2019d become pretty good at charming ladies the last year or so.\u00a0 If he could just disarm her, so to speak, maybe he\u2019d get a chance to disarm her worthless brothers of their real hardware.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 At the sound of hooves entering the ranch yard, Ben Cartwright halted his edgy pacing of the front porch.\u00a0 The expectant light in his eyes faded when he saw his two older sons ride in and dismount; it was replaced by a glint of frustration and irritation, tempered only slightly by concern.\u00a0 \u201cYou didn\u2019t happen to see your young brother while you were riding in, did you?\u201d he asked Adam and Hoss as they approached him after looping their horses\u2019 reins around the hitching rail.<\/p>\n

\u201cAin\u2019t seen hide nor hair of \u2018im all day, Pa,\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNor did we expect to,\u201d Adam added with a trace of tartness.\u00a0 \u201cWe, after all, have been working all day.\u201d\u00a0 While he understood his father\u2019s purpose in giving Little Joe the assignment he\u2019d had, it was hard not to begrudge the boy a trip to town that any one of them would have preferred to mending fence.<\/p>\n

\u201cAin\u2019t he back yet?\u201d Hoss asked, his brow furrowing in unconscious imitation of his father\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, he\u2019s not,\u201d Ben stated curtly, \u201cand he\u2019s had more than enough time to do everything he was told, which included, I might add, coming straight home when finished.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou surely didn\u2019t expect him to heed that part of your instructions, did you?\u201d Adam asked with an arched eyebrow and a half smile on the same side of his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cI most certainly\u201d\u2014Ben cut short his sharp answer.\u00a0 \u201cWell, no,\u201d he admitted.\u00a0 \u201cI expected a certain amount of dilly dallying, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably stopped off for a beer or two, Pa, is all,\u201d Hoss suggested.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince when does your young brother drink beer?\u201d Ben demanded.<\/p>\n

Realizing his mistake, Hoss looked frantically to his older brother for help.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one\u2019s saying he does,\u201d Adam inserted quickly, \u201cbut it is a temptation fellows Joe\u2019s age are subject to, and if a friend were in town, pressing him\u201d\u2014he spread his hands to suggest the likely result of such pressure.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he\u2019s been drinking all this time,\u201d Ben snorted, \u201che\u2019s probably passed out in some alley, completely besotted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot likely,\u201d Adam hurriedly said.<\/p>\n

\u201cShoot, no, Pa,\u201d Hoss assured his father.\u00a0 \u201cHe ain\u2019t no drunk; he don\u2019t hardly ever finish even one beer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam moaned under his breath, as Ben rounded on his middle son.\u00a0 \u201cThen you have seen him drinking, perhaps even furnished the beer yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss hesitantly held up one index finger.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I\u2014I did once . . . for his birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben merely grunted, although he seemed somewhat mollified.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the other hand,\u201d Adam said, in an attempt to change the subject before Ben figured out the discrepancy in Hoss\u2019s statements, \u201cif an attractive skirt happened to swish past him . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

Eyes wide with gratitude for the diversion, Hoss nodded his complete agreement.<\/p>\n

Ben exhaled in exasperation.\u00a0 \u201cWell, he\u2019d best enjoy it while he can, because he isn\u2019t likely to see town again for quite some time, and if he doesn\u2019t manage to get home by suppertime, he can dine on bread and water for all I care!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam exchanged a knowing wink with Hoss.\u00a0 As they both well remembered from numerous previous edicts, dietary discipline had never had much effect on their younger brother.\u00a0 As far as Little Joe was concerned, if there were a choice between food and fun, fun would win out every time.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When the Stumblefoot brothers finally pulled up before an unassuming one-room building, Little Joe felt his jaw drop, but quickly pulled it back into place.\u00a0 Really?\u00a0 Their idea of a good hiding place was a line shack on the Ponderosa, his own land?\u00a0 Far be it from him, however, to point out the place\u2019s fatal flaws.\u00a0 If they wanted to make it easy on his family by picking a hideout that was both close at hand and completely familiar to the folks looking for him, Little Joe had no objection whatsoever, no siree.\u00a0 He only hoped he\u2019d been able to leave enough clues behind to point them in this direction, for surely they\u2019d think of this shack, once they got close.<\/p>\n

After fastening the reins of both his own horse and Cochise to the top rail of the small corral at the side of the line shack, Jack came back and, untying Little Joe\u2019s hands, reached up and grabbed him beneath both arms.\u00a0 \u201cDown you come, little feller,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Just in time Little Joe stopped his eyes from rolling.\u00a0 Obviously, they still thought of him as a kid. \u00a0It was an easy mistake to make and lots of folks made it.\u00a0 He\u2019d always been small for his age; Hoss even called him the \u201crunt of the litter,\u201d one of the few faults he found in his big brother and best friend.\u00a0 Ordinarily, he took instant issue with it and had even been known to punch a few noses over it.\u00a0 Here, however, letting them think he was younger, dumber and altogether more helpless than he really was could be an advantage, so he just suffered the indignity and even forced himself to wipe his sniffling nose and mutter, \u201cThanks, mister.\u201d\u00a0 It earned him a small pat on the head; he pressed his lips tight together and endured it.<\/p>\n

The door opened, and the woman came out.\u00a0 She was cleaner than Little Joe remembered, but that was about it.\u00a0 Must not have been out long enough to get greased up, he realized with gratitude.\u00a0 Even so, he didn\u2019t think he had the stamina to put up with what his poor brother Adam had endured when she\u2019d pressed her attentions on him.\u00a0 So, he\u2019d have to concentrate on keeping his charm boyish and never let her dream how he\u2019d grown into a man in whose embrace any woman would happily swoon.<\/p>\n

She stomped over to him and grasped his chin between strong fingers, turning his head this way and that.\u00a0 \u201cWhat you done to this boy?\u201d she demanded of her brothers.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot a thing, Tildy,\u201d Jack protested.\u00a0 \u201cDumb-as-dirt Deadeye here rid hisself straight into \u2018most every tree in the woods.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure this ain\u2019t your work?\u201d she asked skeptically.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re sure,\u201d Zack said.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a miracle we got the Kid here in one piece, the way he rides.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matilda harrumphed.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019d best hope his kin don\u2019t pay less for damaged goods or it\u2019ll come out of your share.\u201d<\/p>\n

So that was it!\u00a0 They planned to hold him for ransom.\u00a0 Now that Little Joe thought of it, it was the only thing that made sense out of this caper.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t pay a red cent to get \u2018im back,\u201d Mack snorted, \u201cbut the way I hear it, them Cartwrights is kinda fond of each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the way it is, right, boy?\u201d Matilda asked, head cocked and eyes narrowed.\u00a0 \u201cYour kin is fond of you, ain\u2019t they?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKind of.\u00a0 I been kind of troublesome of late, so I couldn\u2019t promise they\u2019d pay much,\u201d Little Joe replied.\u00a0 He was still hoping for escape or rescue, but if his father did have to pay for his release, maybe he could, at least, keep down his captors\u2019 expectations of sudden riches.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh!\u00a0 You\u2019d better hope they do.\u00a0 Well, get on inside,\u201d she said, giving him a shove toward the door, \u201cand I\u2019ll see what I can do to make you look a mite more presentable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mindful of his plan to lower their guard by acting friendly, Little Joe offered her a small smile and said, \u201cThank you, ma\u2019am.\u00a0 I\u2019d appreciate that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dinner at the Ponderosa that night was devoid of the banter and laughter that commonly circled the table.\u00a0 Not surprising, Adam thought, with the chief merry-maker absent.\u00a0 Beyond that, a heaviness hovered over their heads, for reckless of rules as Little Joe could be, he rarely pushed his luck this far.\u00a0 \u201cSomething\u2019s happened to him,\u201d Ben finally said, pushing away his barely touched plate.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t say that, Pa,\u201d Hoss pleaded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI shouldn\u2019t have sent him into town alone,\u201d Ben chided himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, Pa, there\u2019s no reason for anyone to bother a kid like Joe,\u201d Adam argued.\u00a0 \u201cHe wasn\u2019t carrying anything of value.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are men who don\u2019t need a reason to bother a boy!\u201d Ben snapped.\u00a0 \u201cAnd don\u2019t trot out that tired joke about chasing skirts, either.\u00a0 No young lady merits this amount of attention!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe the bank got robbed, and Little Joe joined the posse,\u201d Hoss suggested.<\/p>\n

The glare Ben threw his direction made the big man gulp and cower back in his chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Roy Coffee agreed to that, he\u2019ll be looking for a new campaign manager next election!\u201d Ben snapped.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure he didn\u2019t,\u201d Adam pacified.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019d want seasoned men for a job like that.\u00a0 Look, why don\u2019t Hoss and I ride into town and look around.\u00a0 He\u2019s probably just lost track of time . . . or he might have had too much to drink, after all, if some of his friends egged him on.\u00a0 Either way, we\u2019ll find him and bring him home.\u201d\u00a0 Patting his mouth with his napkin, he tossed it onto his plate and stood up.<\/p>\n

Hoss automatically did, too.\u00a0 As soon as they were out of Ben\u2019s hearing, he asked, \u201cWhere you think we oughta look for the youngun, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll check with Hiram first, make sure he got there safely,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cThen we\u2019ll see Roy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019s jaw dropped.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t really think Little Joe\u2019s out with the posse?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam slowly turned to face his brother and with a look of strained patience asked, \u201cWhat posse?\u00a0 Oh, you mean the one out chasing your made-completely-from-whole-cloth bank robbers?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss chuckled edgily.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, that one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat possessed you to plant an idea like that in Pa\u2019s head?\u201d Adam demanded with a perturbed shake of his head.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t we have troubles enough without a fretting father to make it worse?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry,\u201d Hoss said with a sheepish shrug of his shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cIt was all I could think of.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNext time, leave the thinking to me.\u201d\u00a0 With a brother like Little Joe, Adam was completely confident that there would be a next time.\u00a0 The two older brothers quickly saddled fresh horses and rode down into Washoe Valley.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Little Joe had eaten even less than his family, but not because he was worried.\u00a0 With complete confidence, both in his own resources and the abilities of his family, as well as the utter invulnerability the young customarily feel, he was sure he\u2019d be rescued.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t for lack of food, either.\u00a0 The Cartwrights kept their line shacks well stocked at all seasons of the year.\u00a0 The Stumblefoots had commented on it.\u00a0 \u201cEven the Cartwright help lives higher on the hog than most folks,\u201d Mack had said with a bitter grunt.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s for folks passin\u2019 through, too,\u201d Little Joe had told them.\u00a0 \u201cIf\u2019n a man was to get stranded by bad weather or some such thing, this gives him a place to stay and something to feed on \u2018til he can move on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack had snickered at that.\u00a0 \u201cWell, that\u2019s us, then\u2014just folks passin\u2019 through, needin\u2019 a place to stay \u2018til we gets rich as Cartwrights.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mack had whooped, then.\u00a0 \u201cBet that\u2019s not what ole Ben Cartwright put it here for!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot exactly,\u201d Little Joe had admitted without a trace of the friendliness with which he\u2019d been trying to disarm them.<\/p>\n

No, neither worry nor lack of food had left Little Joe hungry, but the sheer selfishness of four supposedly grownup people.\u00a0 He finally swallowed his pride and asked if he could have some beans, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe, if\u2019n there\u2019s enough,\u201d Matilda said.\u00a0 \u201cMy brothers come first.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you, ma\u2019am,\u201d Little Joe said with a renewed show of meekness.\u00a0 \u201cAfter all, you cooked it, and the Good Book says the laborer is worthy of his hire\u2014hers, in this case.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo it?\u201d she asked, impressed.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you know its words good enough to pull that out on the spot, do you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of \u2018em,\u201d Little Joe replied.\u00a0 \u201cPa uses that one a good bit, ma\u2019am.\u00a0 I can tell you where to find it, if you want to see for yourself.\u201d\u00a0 He pointed toward a small cupboard in the corner, where supplies were kept.\u00a0 \u201cPa keeps a Bible in there, just to give folks something to read if they do get stranded here.\u201d\u00a0 He\u2019d tried to convince his father that a few of his old dime novels would take up no more space and be a lot more entertaining, but that hadn\u2019t gone over well at all.\u00a0 Pa had insisted that the Good Book was full of exciting stories of its own and better fitted to meet the reading needs of a wide variety of people than Deadeye Dave and his lot.\u00a0 Little Joe supposed he had a point, but what he wouldn\u2019t have given for a stack of those old adventures right now!<\/p>\n

\u201cNever learned how,\u201d Matilda said.\u00a0 \u201cMa dyin\u2019 early like she did and me bein\u2019 the only girl, I had to cook and clean for the family, so I never got much schoolin\u2019.\u00a0 Zack don\u2019t read, neither, but Mack and Jack both had some schoolin\u2019 and can read a mite.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe smiled at her in genuine sympathy for once.\u00a0 \u201cI lost my ma early, too,\u201d he said.\u00a0 He felt sorry for that little girl, who\u2019d given up her own childhood to care for others.\u00a0 Probably never had a choice<\/em>, he thought.\u00a0 Small wonder she turned out poorly.<\/em>\u00a0 Then he realized with sudden insight that his friendliness had just netted him his first piece of usable information: only Mack and Jack could read and, maybe, not all that well.\u00a0 No doubt he\u2019d be asked to write his own ransom note, and if he worded it carefully enough, he might be able to drop some kind of clue to his family!<\/p>\n

By the time the others had eaten their fill, only a couple of spoons full of beans remained in the pot, but Little Joe didn\u2019t complain.\u00a0 Despite the rumbling in his stomach, food didn\u2019t seem half as important as coming up with the right words to let his family know who had him and where.\u00a0 Even being ordered to wash up the dishes didn\u2019t faze him; dawdling with his hands in the suds just gave him more time to think.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam and Hoss stood stymied on the main street of Virginia City.\u00a0 After verifying that Little Joe had delivered the contract to Hiram Wood, as directed, they\u2019d visited with Roy.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen Little Joe in town earlier, he said, but had no idea of his present whereabouts.\u00a0 Then they\u2019d made a thorough search of all the places in town a boy of Little Joe\u2019s tender years had any right to enter, as well as a few he had no business in.\u00a0 All they\u2019d learned was that he\u2019d been to the general store and bought a harmonica, the very thought of which made Adam\u2019s musical ears cringe, and to the Bucket of Blood, where he\u2019d had one beer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you have any other notion where he could be?\u201d Adam finally asked his brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cNary a one,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cYou reckon we could have missed him on the way in?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t think so,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cMore likely, he slipped out of town while we were here chasing our little wild goose, and if that\u2019s the case, I\u2019m ready to head home and pluck his feathers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019ll be glad to help you,\u201d Hoss said, looking disgruntled.\u00a0 Then his countenance perked up a bit.\u00a0 \u201cAfter we have a beer ourselves, maybe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019ve earned it,\u201d Adam said, throwing his arm around his brother\u2019s brawny shoulders.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNow, don\u2019t try nothin\u2019, you hear me?\u201d Zack said with a threatening scowl.<\/p>\n

Little Joe was seated at the table, blank paper before him, pen in hand.\u00a0 \u201cI hear you,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Zack grunted his acceptance of the response, no more aware that Little Joe hadn\u2019t actually promised anything than Pa usually was when the boy employed the same strategy at home.\u00a0 \u201cGet to writin\u2019, then; we aim to deliver that there ransom note tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, sure.\u00a0 Good thinking,\u201d Little Joe said as he started filling the page with the words he\u2019d planned out over the soapsuds.\u00a0 He\u2019d been told what to say, but since the exact wording had been left to him, he was pretty sure he could carry out his plan to drop a couple of subtle hints.\u00a0 \u201cDear Pa,\u201d he began.<\/p>\n

Sorry I didn\u2019t come straight home, like you told me.\u00a0 I tried to toe the line, but was prevented by getting myself kidnapped.\u00a0 Now, here I am shack led in fear of who knows what happening to the Deadeye Kid if you do not come up with $10,000.\u00a0 Bring it to the old Cooper Mine entrance and leave it just inside.\u00a0 Then ride away without looking back.\u00a0 Come back in one hour and you will find me there.\u00a0 I hope I\u2019m worth it to you, Pa, four these are scary people.<\/p>\n

Your son,<\/p>\n

Stumblefoot Joe<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, all done,\u201d Little Joe said, laying down the pen and starting to fold the note.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot so fast,\u201d Zack ordered.\u00a0 \u201cJack, get over here and read this, make sure he ain\u2019t said more than he should.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack walked over and took the note.\u00a0 Squinting, he mouthed each word, as if he were sounding them out, syllable by syllable, although he made no sound.<\/p>\n

Little Joe bit his lower lip, pretty sure Jack was skipping over some of the words and praying wholeheartedly that he\u2019d slide right over anything he shouldn\u2019t see.<\/p>\n

Jack finally set the note down in front of Little Joe and pointed at the final two words.\u00a0 \u201cThat don\u2019t look right,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust signed my name,\u201d Little Joe said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I seen \u2018Joe,\u2019\u201d Jack grunted, \u201cbut there\u2019s somethin\u2019 in front of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe almost breathed a sigh of relief.\u00a0 That was probably the least important clue he\u2019d put in, so maybe there was no harm in losing it.\u00a0 Still, if Adam remembered their conversation at the store a few days ago, it would tell him who the captors were, so in hopes of keeping it, Joe said, \u201cOh, you mean Stumblefoot.\u00a0 That\u2019s just a nickname Pa gave me \u2018cause I\u2019m always stumblin\u2019 into trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

That answer set Mack to snickering.\u00a0 \u201cThat you are, boy; that you are.\u201d\u00a0 He picked up the note and pointed to the word.\u00a0 \u201cYep, that\u2019s what it says, all right, Zack.\u00a0 F-o-o-t spells foot, right enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, then,\u201d Zack said.\u00a0 \u201cYou and Jack ride over to the Ponderosa and tie the Kid\u2019s paint pony up in the front yard with that note pinned to the saddle blanket, so\u2019s they\u2019ll see it plain.\u00a0 Just make sure they don\u2019t see you.\u00a0 Easier to get away clean, if\u2019n they don\u2019t know who we is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, yeah, good thinkin\u2019, Zack,\u201d Jack said.<\/p>\n

Just in time Little Joe stopped himself from laughing out loud.\u00a0 Were they really so stupid as to think he wouldn\u2019t tell his family who\u2019d grabbed him the minute he was free?\u00a0 Unless, he realized with a gulp of sudden discernment, they killed him as soon as they had the money.\u00a0 The Deadeye Dave books were full of that dire possibility, and this bunch had just spent two years with people who knew how to keep the law off their tails.\u00a0 When it came down to it, maybe the stupid one in these four walls was actually . . . him.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam and Hoss had indulged in glorified fantasies of all they would do to their rascally little brother once they got home, but when they rounded the final bend, Adam reined up in the darkness at the side of the barn.\u00a0 Hoss automatically followed his older brother\u2019s lead.\u00a0 \u201cUh-oh, bad sign,\u201d Adam muttered, staring at the brightly lit front window.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2019s still waiting up,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cThat, I fear, means that baby bird has not yet flown back to the nest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe Pa\u2019s waitin\u2019 up for us,\u201d Hoss suggested with a sloppy grin.\u00a0 \u201cWe may be big birds now, but we\u2019re still his little birds, ain\u2019t we?\u201d\u00a0 The grin faded when Adam slowly shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur baby brother is a bird of a whole different feather.\u00a0 Pa knows where we were and knows we can take care of ourselves, especially when we\u2019re together,\u201d Adam explained.\u00a0 \u201cNo, if Joe were home, he\u2019d go on to bed, confident that we\u2019d be along soon.\u00a0 He\u2019s still up, so that means only one thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe ain\u2019t home yet,\u201d Hoss said soberly.\u00a0 \u201cAnd he ain\u2019t in town, neither, so\u201d\u2014he swallowed down the enormous lump that had catapulted into his throat\u2014\u201csomethin\u2019s happened to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t panic,\u201d Adam advised.\u00a0 \u201cWe don\u2019t have a snowball\u2019s chance of keeping Pa calm unless we act that way ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood luck with that,\u201d Hoss returned with a sickly scowl.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d\u00a0 Adam needed no one to tell him that he was elected to be whatever calming influence was to be found inside the house tonight.\u00a0 Some things just went with the territory of who a man was and his place in the family.\u00a0 \u201cCome on.\u00a0 Might as well get it over with.\u201d\u00a0 He moved his mount forward and after a moment\u2019s hesitation, so did Hoss.<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright was out the door before they could dismount in the yard.\u00a0 \u201cWhere is he?\u201d Ben demanded.\u00a0 \u201cHiding in the barn?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Pa,\u201d Adam said with studied steadiness.\u00a0 \u201cWe couldn\u2019t find him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why are you here?\u201d his father asked testily.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause we\u2019ve already looked any and everywhere he might be in town,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSearched high and low, Pa,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cHe ain\u2019t there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s face washed free of anger, only to be replaced with a nameless fear.\u00a0 \u201cNo sign of him on the road?\u00a0 Or . . . or\u201d\u2014his voice wavered\u2014\u201cto the side?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Pa,\u201d Adam said quietly.\u00a0 He laid a hand on his father\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll go out again at first light, but with only a sliver of moon tonight, we can\u2019t see well enough to look for signs until then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll find him in the morning, Pa,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cI promise you we will.\u201d\u00a0 The determined set of his face added emphasis to the words.<\/p>\n

Ben raked anxious fingers through gray locks so tousled that it was obvious he\u2019d already done that multiple times throughout the evening.\u00a0 \u201cYes . . . yes . . . I suppose there\u2019s nothing we can do until morning.\u201d\u00a0 He gathered himself and looked at the two birds he had back in the nest.\u00a0 \u201cYou must be hungry.\u00a0 I think Hop Sing left food warming in the oven.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe grabbed a sandwich at the Bucket of Blood,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll stable our horses; then, if you don\u2019t mind, I think I\u2019ll head up to bed, get a couple hours sleep before we head out again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, yes.\u201d\u00a0 Ben was all but babbling.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t fret, Pa,\u201d Hoss said, although his own brow was wrinkled with fret lines and he hadn\u2019t even perked up at the mention of food.\u00a0 He followed Adam into the barn, where they made quick work of grooming their horses.\u00a0 Then they returned to the house to find Ben seated in his armchair, staring into the fire.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t you go on up to bed, too, Pa?\u201d Adam suggested as he laid his gear on the table by the door.\u00a0 \u201cWorrying won\u2019t get him home a minute sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019ll wait up just a little longer,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure,\u201d Adam said, knowing a hopeless battle when he saw one.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Hoss.\u00a0 First light comes early.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I reckon.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss moved toward the stairs, but halted at their foot to look back at their father.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t sit up frettin\u2019, okay, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

A half-smile tweaked at Ben\u2019s mouth.\u00a0 Fool boy, didn\u2019t he know that\u2019s what fathers did?\u00a0 \u201cOkay, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was an idle promise, and Adam saw right through it, but Hoss, always willing to believe the best, tapped the stair post in satisfaction and headed up to bed.\u00a0 Ben settled back, again staring into the fire, and prayed that his youngest would soon come sneaking through the front door.\u00a0 Then he could go back to feeling simply angry, instead of afraid.<\/p>\n

He must have drifted into a light sleep, for he found himself suddenly shaken awake by a vague awareness of having heard something outside.\u00a0 He sat up, listening carefully for the slightest sound.\u00a0 There!\u00a0 That\u2019s what he\u2019d heard: a horse whickering in the yard. \u00a0Since Sport and Chubby were already in the barn, it had to be Cochise, didn\u2019t it?\u00a0 Relief washed over him, but he pushed it down and adopted a stern visage as he rose and headed for the front door.\u00a0 That boy had a serious talking-to coming, and middle of the night or not, he was going to get it!<\/p>\n

When he opened the door, he saw the black-and-white pinto tied to the hitching rail, but no sign of his youngest son.\u00a0 The rapscallion was hiding from his just reward, was he?\u00a0 \u201cMust\u2019ve seen the light and known I was up, waiting,\u201d Ben muttered.\u00a0 Raising his voice, he yelled, \u201cJoseph!\u201d and when there was no response, he called again, louder this time, \u201cJoseph!\u00a0 You\u2019d best show yourself, young man, if you don\u2019t want more trouble than you\u2019ve already got!\u201d<\/p>\n

Still no answer.\u00a0 Frowning, Ben strode toward the barn, stopping at the hitching rail to pick up Cochise.\u00a0 Whatever his young master might be up to, the poor horse didn\u2019t deserve to stand untended in the cool night air.\u00a0 As he reached for the reins, however, he saw an envelope pinned to the saddle blanket, and his heart again leaped into his throat.\u00a0 Something very strange was going on here.\u00a0 He took the envelope in hand and headed back toward the house, where the light was better.<\/p>\n

Adam was coming down the stairs in his bare feet.\u00a0 Hoss was still snoring like a grizzly bear in hibernation, but Adam tended to be a light sleeper.\u00a0 Though he hadn\u2019t been able to discern the words, his father\u2019s shouts in the yard had wakened him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is it, Pa?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 \u201cDid Joe finally make it home?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben raised anxious eyes to his oldest son\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cNo, but Cochise did.\u00a0 This was on the horse.\u201d\u00a0 He lifted the envelope.<\/p>\n

Adam padded down the stairs as his father opened the envelope and removed the short note.\u00a0 Seeing Ben blanch, he hurried forward and placed a supportive hand beneath the older man\u2019s elbow.\u00a0 \u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a ransom note,\u201d Ben said, voice quavering.\u00a0 \u201cThey want $10,000.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam snatched the note and read it for himself.\u00a0 \u201cOdd wording,\u201d he mumbled.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt strikes you that way, too?\u201d Ben asked.\u00a0 \u201cWhat on earth does he mean by \u2018shack led\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he meant \u2018shackled,\u2019 just put too much space between his letters,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cA bit melodramatic, which only proves what I\u2019ve been saying for some time: he reads far too many of those trashy dime novels.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that where this Deadeye Kid nonsense comes from?\u201d Ben queried.<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose,\u201d Adam said, \u201calthough . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Adam shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNot sure.\u201d\u00a0 Something was niggling at the back of his mind, but he couldn\u2019t quite pin it down.\u00a0 \u201cLet me take a closer look at this, Pa. \u00a0The wording really is odd, even for Joe.\u201d\u00a0 He walked toward his blue chair and, sitting down, read the note through again, searching for significance in each individual word.<\/p>\n

\u201cOdd way to sign his name, too,\u201d Ben observed as he stood behind the chair, reading the note over Adam\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cStumblefoot Joe.\u00a0 Does he mean he just stumbled into this trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s it!\u201d Adam cried.\u00a0 \u201cI know who has him, Pa!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d Ben demanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you remember a couple of years ago, when the house was invaded by that quartet of louts who caught us off guard and tied us up and then proceeded to eat us out of house and home before a certain youngster burst in, gun blazing, shooting everything but what he was aiming at?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0 Ben\u2019s slow drawl was a clear request for more information.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you remember what our so-called rescuer called himself?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Deadeye Kid,\u201d Ben said after a moment\u2019s reflection.\u00a0 \u201cHe really had been reading too many dime novels back then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, we were talking about that gang in town just the other day,\u201d Adam said, \u201cand I made a joke about how inept they were.\u00a0 I called them the Stumblefoot gang, and we all laughed about it.\u201d\u00a0 He pointed at Little Joe\u2019s signature.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s what he\u2019s trying to tell us, that the same Stumblefoots have him again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s one flaw in your reasoning, Adam: that gang is in prison.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe not,\u201d Adam argued.\u00a0 \u201cThey weren\u2019t considered serious criminals, so they got a short sentence.\u00a0 With good behavior, they might be out by now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRoy should have told us,\u201d Ben grumbled.\u00a0 \u201cSee if I manage his campaign next election!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAgain, not considered a serious threat,\u201d Adam said, ignoring the overused one directed at the absent sheriff.\u00a0 \u201cHere\u2019s another confirmation, Pa.\u00a0 Look at the last few words Joe wrote: \u2018four these are scary people.\u2019\u00a0 Now, I grant you that Little Joe is not the world\u2019s best speller, but even he knows it\u2019s \u2018f-o-r,\u2019 not \u2018f-o-u-r.\u2019\u00a0 It\u2019s another clue.\u00a0 All four of that same gang is in on this, and he wanted us to know exactly what we were up against.\u00a0 Smart kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded in sober acceptance of Adam\u2019s interpretation.\u00a0 As another snore rattled the suddenly silent house, he looked toward the sound.\u00a0 \u201cGet your brother up,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cWe leave at first light . . . or sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir,\u201d Adam said, taking the stairs two at a time.\u00a0 It never occurred to him that his little brother was even smarter than he\u2019d given him credit for or that he himself had missed the one clue that would have led him straight to Little Joe.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Little Joe curled up as close to the fire as he could.\u00a0 It went without saying that he hadn\u2019t been offered one of the line shack\u2019s two narrow cots.\u00a0 Those had gone to Zack, as the oldest man, and to Matilda, the only lady in residence.\u00a0 Mack and Jack were stretched out on the floor, too, but they, at least, had a blanket to cover them.\u00a0 Little Joe had nothing but his corduroy jacket and whatever heat from the fire the two younger brothers didn\u2019t block with their larger bodies.\u00a0 Thankfully, it wasn\u2019t winter, but this high in the mountains the nights were always cool.\u00a0 At least, he\u2019d only have to bear it a single night.\u00a0 He was certain he\u2019d dropped enough hints in his ransom note to insure that he\u2019d be rescued quickly, probably not by breakfast, but surely not long after.\u00a0 He\u2019d soon be home with Hop Sing frying him up a platter of bacon and a mountain of scrambled eggs.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 After more than an hour of ranging out from both sides of the Virginia City road, Hoss suddenly dismounted and bent over.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou find something?\u201d Adam called.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t the tracker that Hoss was, but he felt foolish, just following along in his brother\u2019s wake, so he\u2019d occupied himself with a so-far vain search on the opposite side of the road. \u00a0Now he walked Sport toward Hoss, keeping on the road, so as not to damage any tracks his brother had found.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Hoss said, holding up a harmonica.\u00a0 \u201cDidn\u2019t Mr. Cass say Little Joe had bought hisself a harmonica when he was in?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam took the instrument and examined it.\u00a0 \u201cThis is brand new.\u00a0 It probably is the one Joe bought.\u00a0 You think this could be where he was taken?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGround looks considerable disturbed,\u201d Hoss reported.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, is it anything or not?\u201d Adam asked sharply.<\/p>\n

Hoss looked up, perturbed.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, what I can\u2019t figure is why we sent Pa off to town, if\u2019n you\u2019re gonna act just as fretsome as him.\u201d<\/p>\n

When they\u2019d met before the first rose-lilac rays of light touched the dark evergreens of the Ponderosa, they\u2019d decided\u2014that is to say, Adam and Hoss had decided and Ben had been reluctantly persuaded\u2014that the two brothers would do the searching, while the frantic father rode to town.\u00a0 \u201cThe kidnappers might just have a man posted in town, to see if one of us came in to the bank for the ransom money,\u201d Adam had argued.\u00a0 \u201cAfter all, it doesn\u2019t take all four of them to guard one skinny kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWanna bet?\u201d Hoss had mumbled under his breath, but a pointed glare from his older brother had made him quickly change his tune.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, that\u2019s right, Pa.\u00a0 We for sure gotta make \u2018em think we\u2019re doin\u2019 like we was told.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExactly,\u201d Adam had quickly agreed, and that final shot had won the day.\u00a0 Hoss was right, though: Adam himself had become as anxious as their father would have been to find some sign of his little brother.\u00a0 An hour gone and, so far, there\u2019d been nothing but this harmonica, a good sign, but not one that would lead them far.\u00a0 \u201cAnything else?\u201d he asked again, although more softly this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooks like there was some kind of kerfuffle here, all right,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s scout around easy-like and see if we can figure out what kind.\u00a0 Pity Pa had him change that cracked shoe on his horse last week.\u00a0 Would\u2019ve made it easier to know which tracks was his.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Adam returned with an uneasy laugh.\u00a0 \u201cMakes you wonder whether we oughta just let the kid be the kid sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss\u2019s echoing laugh was equally edgy.\u00a0 Joe bein\u2019 home, just bein\u2019 Joe was all he could have asked for, this side of heaven.\u00a0 He kept looking around; then he straightened up and pointed west.\u00a0 \u201cFour horses, headed that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat would make sense,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe and the three Stumblefoot brothers.\u00a0 The woman probably wouldn\u2019t be with them for the capture.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Hoss agreed, beginning to walk in the path of the four horses.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t gone far before he stopped again and stared at the ground.\u00a0 \u201cSomething happened here.\u00a0 One horse headed that way, riding hard.\u201d\u00a0 He pointed north and then back at the ground.\u00a0 \u201cThe other three followed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLooks like little brother made a break for it,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, he would,\u201d Hoss agreed.\u00a0 \u201cReckon we better follow.\u201d\u00a0 At Adam\u2019s nod of agreement, Hoss mounted Chubby and walked the horse alongside the tracks.\u00a0 He\u2019d almost gotten back to the Virginia City road when he stopped.\u00a0 \u201cEven bigger kerfuffle here.\u00a0 Farther off the road than I was scoutin\u2019 or I\u2019d\u2019ve seen it before.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re doing great, brother,\u201d Adam said with enthusiastic encouragement.\u00a0 \u201cCan you tell where it leads from here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Hoss said with a note of sourness.\u00a0 \u201cBack the way they came.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMust\u2019ve headed for the trees, to get under cover,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cMight as well ride straight there ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, make a beeline for the trees, and I reckon we\u2019ll pick up the trail again.\u201d<\/p>\n

They did, with little problem, but once the trail entered the woods, tracks became harder to follow.\u00a0 Hoss was able to pick up prints here and there, mainly because four horses tended to make more marks and stir up more dead leaves and fallen pine needles than a single animal would have done.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait up,\u201d Adam suddenly called, urging his horse forward.\u00a0 He dismounted and scooped up what he\u2019d seen lying on the ground.\u00a0 Holding the hat aloft, he shouted back to his brother, \u201cIt\u2019s Joe\u2019s!\u00a0 I\u2019d know that band anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOught to,\u201d Hoss said, joining him.\u00a0 \u201cYou give him that hat for his last birthday.\u201d\u00a0 He took it from Adam, turning it in his hands as a big grin split his face.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s his, all right.\u00a0 We\u2019re for sure on the right track now, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks to little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou reckon he lost it apurpose?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s possible, given that savvy little ransom note he composed.\u00a0 Let\u2019s hope he dropped a few more bread crumbs for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBread crumbs?\u201d\u00a0 For a moment Hoss looked puzzled; then the childlike grin returned.\u00a0 \u201cOh, yeah, Hansel and Gretel.\u00a0 Reckon all them bedtime stories you read us is paying off, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would appear so,\u201d Adam replied with a satisfaction he would scarcely have felt had he realized that the real inspiration for the clues came from stories of a type he\u2019d never approved.<\/p>\n

No matter how carefully they scanned the ground, however, they found not a single \u201cbread crumb.\u201d\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t until Hoss looked up at the trees that he noted something unusual.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Adam,\u201d he finally said, \u201cdon\u2019t these branches look a mite peculiar?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of them are broken,\u201d Adam said with a shrug.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not sure it\u2019s significant, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but they\u2019re fresh broke, and these ain\u2019t the first I\u2019ve seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d\u00a0 Adam looked at the cluster of mangled twigs with greater interest.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe third I\u2019ve noticed,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cI think, maybe, little brother is marking his path, best he can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe, though I can\u2019t imagine them leaving his hands free.\u00a0 Still, let\u2019s keep an eye out for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soon there was no doubt in either brother\u2019s mind that Little Joe was, indeed, trying to show them the way he had passed.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t as clear a track to follow as horses\u2019 hoof marks on clear ground, but it worked until they came out of the woods.\u00a0 At first, there seemed to be no trail at all to follow, for the ground was too stony to show the tracks of any horses and there were no trees with branches to break.\u00a0 A hoofprint here or there kept them encouraged, but they were getting harder to see.\u00a0 Then Hoss noticed that one set of tracks appeared to be meandering aimlessly.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe again?\u201d he asked his brothers.<\/p>\n

\u201cCould be,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cNot sure how many we\u2019ll pick up on this ground, but let\u2019s try.\u201d\u00a0 They were only able to pick up those odd tracks for a short time, however, before they disappeared, along with the straighter ones, along the rocky shelf overlooking the valley they\u2019d left behind.\u00a0 Apparently, Little Joe had run out of options and so had his brothers.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow what?\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Adam replied.\u00a0 \u201cObviously, they\u2019re headed west, into the mountains, but that covers a lot of territory.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGot to be somewhere close, don\u2019t it?\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cElse how could they reach the Cooper Mine to pick up the ransom?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood point,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s close enough for that, in this direction?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cOnlyest thing I can think of is a line shack.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOn our own land?\u201d Adam scoffed.\u00a0 \u201cCan they be that stupid?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey weren\u2019t none too bright,\u201d Hoss pointed out.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but\u2014wait a minute.\u201d\u00a0 Adam pulled the ransom note from his pocket and scrutinized it, line by line.\u00a0 Then he looked up at Hoss and grinned.\u00a0 \u201cThey are that stupid, and I\u2019m feeling none too bright myself, to have missed this.\u00a0 Look.\u201d\u00a0 He held the note so his brother could see and pointed to the pertinent lines.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Here I am shack led,\u201d Hoss read, face crinkling.\u00a0 \u201cStill don\u2019t make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt does if you look close enough,\u201d Adam said spiritedly.\u00a0 \u201cSee how the swirl at the end of the \u2018k\u2019 pulls your eye to the word above.\u00a0 I thought his hand had just slipped, but I think it may have been intentional.\u201d\u00a0 He let his finger slide almost directly upward.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Line,\u2019\u201d Hoss read in an awed whisper.\u00a0 \u201cThey do have him in a line shack, and it\u2019s nigh on got to be the closest one, don\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d say so, since they only gave themselves an hour to get Joe to the mine after collecting the ransom, or,\u201d Adam said, mulling it over quickly, \u201cit might be the Reynolds\u2019 northernmost one, if they were, by some miracle, bright enough to stay off the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m bettin\u2019 they ain\u2019t,\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m prayin\u2019 they ain\u2019t,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, let\u2019s go get \u2018im!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWait a minute,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019d be outnumbered.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, the woman don\u2019t count,\u201d Hoss argued, \u201cand if we can catch \u2018em off guard, like they did us the first time around. . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shuddered at the remembrance of what that woman had done to him \u2018the first time around.\u2019\u00a0 \u201cShe counts some, even if her weapons don\u2019t operate on gunpowder,\u201d he grunted.\u00a0 \u201cI think we\u2019d better meet Pa at the rendezvous point and formulate a plan.\u00a0 Safer all around.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I reckon.\u201d\u00a0 There was no missing the deflation in the big man\u2019s spirits.\u00a0 \u201cJust don\u2019t like to think about Little Joe bein\u2019 in the hands of them louts any longer than necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on now, Hoss,\u201d Adam said in bolstering tones.\u00a0 \u201cThose louts will just have to look out for themselves until we can get there to rescue them.\u201d<\/p>\n

That brought a bubble of mirth soaring up Hoss\u2019s throat.\u00a0 \u201cYeah,\u201d he chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019ll just have to deal with the Deadeye Kid \u2018til we get there.\u00a0 Maybe he could grab a gun and shoot up their backsides, even the odds a mite.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Deadeye Kid was feeling decidedly put out.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t expected his family to begin their search until dawn, of course, but with the great clues he\u2019d sent them, he had fully expected to be home by lunch time.\u00a0 Instead, he was still here, still waiting hand and foot on a quartet of grub grabbers as greedy as ham on the hoof.\u00a0 He\u2019d gotten a single piece of bacon and an undersized biscuit for breakfast, and it was beginning to look like his prospects for lunch weren\u2019t any better.\u00a0 What was keeping those lazy, no-good brothers of his, anyway?\u00a0 It went without saying that it couldn\u2019t possibly be Pa\u2019s fault.\u00a0 Pa didn\u2019t have faults, except for the completely convenient one of being a mite too willing to accept some of his youngest\u2019s fanciful excuses at face value.\u00a0 Pa, of course, would do everything he could to find his beloved boy.\u00a0 Joe wouldn\u2019t have thought that even Hoss and Adam would be willing to see him suffer like this, but they should have been here by now.\u00a0 Looks like I\u2019m on my own<\/em>, he concluded.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Kid, bring me some more coffee,\u201d Mack ordered.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, yeah, keep your shirt on,\u201d Little Joe said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t get smart-mouthed with me, boy!\u201d Mack growled.\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t too big to have your britches tanned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe pursed his lips tightly.\u00a0 He most certainly was!\u00a0 He\u2019d kept up his strategy of friendly cooperation, still hoping they\u2019d stop watching him so carefully, but he\u2019d draw the line at submitting to a tanning.\u00a0 Not even Pa punished him like that anymore!\u00a0 But since making his captors see him as younger and more helpless than he was still formed part of his plan, he just said, \u201cOkay, okay, I\u2019m comin\u2019.\u201d\u00a0 As he took the pot of steaming coffee from the stove, however, it occurred to him that this was a chance to sweeten the odds for when he did make his escape attempt.\u00a0 He just had to make it look like an accident, so it didn\u2019t get him killed first.<\/p>\n

Wrapping the handle of the pot in a cloth, he approached the table.\u00a0 Just as he came to Mack\u2019s right side, he appeared to stumble over his own feet.\u00a0 He kept a firm grip on the handle, but the scalding contents of the coffee pot flew forward, landing on the back of Mack\u2019s gun hand.\u00a0 Little Joe backed away, looking horrified as Mack yelped and almost fell from his chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, wow!\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry!\u00a0 That must sting,\u201d Little Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cLet me wet you a cold rag to put on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou keep away from me!\u201d Mack yelled, cradling his burned hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just trying to help,\u201d Little Joe protested.\u00a0 \u201cIt was a mistake, honest!\u201d\u00a0 He held his crossed fingers behind his back.<\/p>\n

Zack flew from his chair and across the room.\u00a0 Drawing his hand back, he struck the boy\u2019s left cheek with his open palm and then backhanded his right one.\u00a0 Holding his hands before his face, Little Joe cringed back with a whimper of fear that was only half feigned.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s enough, Zack,\u201d Matilda protested.\u00a0 \u201cHe tripped; you saw him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t so sure of that,\u201d Zack said with a snarl.\u00a0 \u201cEven so, he\u2019s got to pay for hurtin\u2019 Mack.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrue enough,\u201d the woman agreed, \u201cbut you can\u2019t go damagin\u2019 the goods, if\u2019n we\u2019s to get top dollar from his pa.\u00a0 I\u2019ll work him extra hard this afternoon, and he\u2019ll go without food the rest of the day.\u00a0 Reckon that\u2019ll make him think long and hard about gettin\u2019 careless again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh!\u201d Jack snorted.\u00a0 \u201cPa never let us boys off that easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa was a hard man,\u201d Matilda said, \u201cand you was hard-headed boys, the lot of you.\u00a0 This one\u2019s been raised gentle-like.\u00a0 I reckon it\u2019ll take less to make him mind.\u201d\u00a0 She turned on Little Joe.\u00a0 \u201cYou are gonna mind all you\u2019re told, ain\u2019t you, boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe let his head bob in frenetic agreement.\u00a0 \u201cYes\u2019m, I sure am.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, then.\u00a0 You get out to the pump and bring in some cold water, so\u2019s I can tend Mack\u2019s hand,\u201d she ordered.\u00a0 \u201cThe pump and no further or I\u2019ll blister your britches myself!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, ma\u2019am!\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe grabbed the bucket and hightailed it out the door.\u00a0 It was a simple enough chore and had the further virtue of putting him out of reach of Zack\u2019s heavy hand.<\/p>\n

Mack scowled at Little Joe all through the process of having his hand coated in grease and bandaged up.\u00a0 \u201cYou better hope your pa thinks you\u2019re worth what we asked,\u201d he growled, \u201cor I\u2019ll take the rest out of your hide my own self.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, Mack,\u201d Matilda soothed.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t fret yourself over such as that.\u00a0 Just rest that hand and let it heal, instead of plottin\u2019 ways to hurt it worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReckon you\u2019re right, Tildy,\u201d he said.\u00a0 He slouched over to one of the cots and stretched out full length, figuring that not even Zack would deny a bed to an injured man.\u00a0 And if he tried, Tildy could be counted on to stand between \u2018em.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately for Little Joe, Tildy could also be counted on to carry out the punishment she had laid down for him, and as soon as Mack was settled, she put the boy to work.\u00a0 \u201cFetch some fresh water and get them dinner dishes scoured up, and when you\u2019re done with that, get on your knees and scrub this here floor.\u00a0 I aim to leave the place better\u2019n I found it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSince you got me to do it,\u201d Little Joe grumbled.\u00a0 She landed a wallop on his backside painful enough to make him reconsider giving her any more sass.\u00a0 He dragged through the dishes, wondering if the damage done had been worth it.\u00a0 His odds had improved, of course, if he did spot a chance to make a break.\u00a0 The way Matilda was watching over his work, to make sure he didn\u2019t shirk a minute made that chance less likely, though, and doing chores to ingratiate himself in hopes of escape was a far cry from doing them as punishment, he decided.\u00a0 That wouldn\u2019t get him any closer to freedom.\u00a0 And, doggone it, where were his ornery brothers?<\/p>\n

In a blink his odds improved still more.\u00a0 Zack poked his head in the door.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s time.\u00a0 I\u2019m ridin\u2019 out to fetch our ransom money.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou takin\u2019 the boy with you?\u201d Matilda asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd risk him hollerin\u2019 out to his folks?\u201d Zack snorted.\u00a0 \u201cNaw, keep him here.\u00a0 If\u2019n all goes like it should, we\u2019ll just put him on his horse and send him off.\u00a0 You can find your way to the Cooper mine, I reckon?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir, I can,\u201d Little Joe said.<\/p>\n

Zack pointed a bony finger at him.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t try nothin\u2019 while I\u2019m gone.\u00a0 Jack\u2019s still here, and he\u2019s got a steady trigger finger.\u00a0 No Deadeye Kid shenanigans, you hear?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir,\u201d Little Joe said with a semblance, if not the weighty substance of meekness.\u00a0 As he finished up the dishes, he pondered whether he should try to escape or not.\u00a0 If Pa really was gonna pay the ransom, instead of trying to rescue him, maybe he should just sit tight and let it play out.\u00a0 Most kidnappers he\u2019d read about in his dime novels would have just killed their captive as soon as they got the money, but he had a feeling this set wouldn\u2019t, mostly thanks to Matilda\u2019s influence.\u00a0 Maybe Pa was betting on that, too, although it sent a lump up Little Joe\u2019s throat to think that his pa would place bets on his life.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t a sure thing, after all.\u00a0 Neither was trying to escape.\u00a0 Jack might get trigger happy without Zack around to keep him in line, and Mack was sure to hold a grudge after that coffee business.\u00a0 By the time he finished the dishes, Little Joe still wasn\u2019t sure which way to go.\u00a0 With a sigh he set the final plate aside and put the dishpan full of soapy water on the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you about, boy?\u201d Matilda asked, frowning.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou said I had to scrub the floor,\u201d Little Joe said, adding with a hint of hope, \u201cunless you\u2019ve changed your mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t,\u201d the woman declared, \u201cbut I\u2019m of no mind to have it scrubbed with that greasy water.\u00a0 The very idea!\u00a0 You pick that up and empty it outside.\u00a0 Then bring in fresh water and lather up a pile of suds and get to scrubbin\u2019. \u00a0No dawdlin\u2019.\u00a0 I know how boys is about housework, and Cartwrights what ain\u2019t never done a hard day\u2019s work in their lives is probably lazier than my brood, any day.\u00a0 Now, get to it!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, ma\u2019am,\u201d he said with an even deeper sigh.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd stop that mopin\u2019,\u201d she ordered.\u00a0 \u201cYou sure wasn\u2019t this fretsome yesterday.\u00a0 What\u2019s got into you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hungry!\u201d Little Joe snapped.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you\u2019re gonna stay that way,\u201d she stated firmly.\u00a0 \u201cAfter what you done to Mack, an empty stomach is the least you deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can say that again, Tildy,\u201d came from the cot in the corner.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce had better be enough,\u201d she said with a stern look at Little Joe.\u00a0 \u201cI told you to get to work!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, ma\u2019am,\u201d he said.\u00a0 Looking docile enough to satisfy her, he picked up the dishpan and headed for the door.<\/p>\n

Jack looked up from his perch on a stump in the yard, where he was whittling a stick to pass the time.\u00a0 \u201cWhat you up to, Kid?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe hefted the dishpan up.\u00a0 \u201cJust emptyin\u2019 this.\u00a0 Then I got to fetch more water to scour the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack laughed.\u00a0 \u201cGot your comeuppance, didn\u2019t you, Deadeye?\u00a0 Well, dump it, then; just don\u2019t do it here in the yard.\u00a0 No sense makin\u2019 mud to track in, right?\u00a0 Or maybe you like floor scrubbin\u2019 so much you wouldn\u2019t mind makin\u2019 more work for yourself.\u00a0 Wouldn\u2019t bother me none to see you on your knees all afternoon, like a sinner at the mourners\u2019 bench.\u201d\u00a0 He let loose another string of cackles that almost had him doubled over.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take it over yonder,\u201d Little Joe said, gesturing to his left with his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t go past the end of the house,\u201d Jack ordered.<\/p>\n

Little Joe nodded curtly and moved toward the side of the shack.\u00a0 As he approached the edge of the yard, though, he was stopped in his tracks by the \u201cquee-ark\u201d call of a mountain quail.\u00a0 It was almost perfect, differing mostly from the real thing in its softer volume.\u00a0 A grin split his face.\u00a0 Hoss!\u00a0 It had to be Hoss.\u00a0 And, probably, Adam was out there somewhere, too.\u00a0 And Pa!\u00a0 His gaze falling to the pan of water in his hands, Little Joe decided there was one more thing he could do to sweeten the odds for his family.<\/p>\n

Peeking over his shoulder, he saw that Jack had his eyes fixed on his whittling.\u00a0 Little Joe turned, took a step toward him and then another, wracking his brain for an explanation if Jack happened to glance up and catch him.\u00a0 Suddenly, a loud crack came from the opposite side of the yard, and Jack automatically turned that way.<\/p>\n

It was hard to move fast with a full pan of soapsuds, but Little Joe did the best he could to cover the ground between them before Jack turned back toward him.\u00a0 When he did, Little Joe splashed his load forward, aiming for the gun holstered at the man\u2019s side.\u00a0 He hit his target with far greater success than the Deadeye Kid had done with a gun two years before.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy you little brat!\u201d Jack hollered, coming after Little Joe, who turned and ran toward the sound of that quail, which suddenly got as loud and sharp as that of a real bird.<\/p>\n

As Hoss rose up from the brush, Jack reached for his gun.\u00a0 He got it out, but the grease from the dishwater made it slick, and before he could get a good enough grip to pull the trigger, Hoss hollered at Joe to get down and fired a warning shot at the other man\u2019s feet.\u00a0 Startled, Jack dropped the gun, started to stoop for it, but halfway down he apparently realized he\u2019d never make it, and he squatted there, hands in the air.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t shoot!\u201d he hollered.<\/p>\n

The front door flew open, and Matilda stood on the porch, yelling at Jack to get inside.\u00a0 Another warning shot landed between them, this one coming from the opposite direction.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re surrounded,\u201d Adam called, moving from the brush beside the corral.\u00a0 \u201cThrow down your weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd go back to prison?\u00a0 Not likely,\u201d Matilda shouted.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetter that than the alternative, ma\u2019am,\u201d Ben Cartwright said as he walked up the hill directly in front of her, holding Zack by the arm.\u00a0 He tugged off the gag he\u2019d employed to keep the oldest brother quiet during their siege.<\/p>\n

\u201cGive it up, Tildy,\u201d Zack said.\u00a0 \u201cDadgum Cartwrights hold all the aces again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matilda slumped, letting the rifle hang loose from her hand.<\/p>\n

Adam came forward and gingerly plucked it from her, keeping as much distance between them as possible.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s the other one?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cInside,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cHe won\u2019t give you no trouble.\u00a0 The Deadeye Kid seen to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam arched an eyebrow at the mention of that notorious name.\u00a0 Edging past her, he carefully peered around the door and saw Mack sitting up on the cot, bandaged hand and its mate both held over his head.<\/p>\n

Little Joe, lying prone in the brush, finally raised his head.\u00a0 Then he jumped up and made a beeline for his father, shouting, \u201cPa!\u00a0 Pa!\u00a0 I knew you\u2019d come!\u201d\u00a0 Whatever moments of doubt he\u2019d felt had vanished at first sight of his father\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u201d Ben cried, pushing Zack aside so he could open his arms to receive the exuberance propelling toward him.\u00a0 \u201cMy boy, my boy,\u201d he crooned as he stroked the tousled chestnut curls.\u00a0 For the two of them, time stood still, while all around them, culprits were corralled and tied in preparation for delivery to Sheriff Coffee.<\/p>\n

Finally, Adam and Hoss felt free to join the other Cartwrights.\u00a0 Hoss took one look at his little brother\u2019s face and grabbed it between thumb and fingers.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019d they do to you, boy?\u201d he demanded angrily.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, hey, that\u2019s all his own doin\u2019,\u201d Mack protested.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t go blamin\u2019 us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, he rid hisself into every tree in the woods,\u201d Jack chimed in.<\/p>\n

\u201cTruer than true,\u201d Matilda said.\u00a0 \u201cI cleaned him up best I could, Mr. Cartwright, but you might wanna take that youngun in and get him fitted for spectacles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam and Hoss exchanged a glance of sudden understanding, and then Adam looked over at Little Joe.\u00a0 \u201cHard way to leave a trail, kid,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did it apurpose,\u201d Zack growled as the light finally dawned.\u00a0 \u201cShould\u2019ve known the Deadeye Kid would be neck deep in nasty tricks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSee?\u00a0 Told you it wasn\u2019t our fault,\u201d Jack snorted.<\/p>\n

Adam drew back his fist and slugged the man.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that for?\u201d Jack demanded as he lay splayed on the ground.\u00a0 \u201cTell him, Kid; tell him you did it to your own self.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam grabbed the man by his shirt front and hauled him to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cWhy did he need to?\u201d he challenged.\u00a0 \u201cCould it have anything to do with you kidnapping him in the first place?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh . . . well . . . maybe,\u201d Jack sputtered.<\/p>\n

Adam thrust him away in disgust, and Jack again fell sprawled on the ground and began scooting out of reach on his backside.\u00a0 Adam turned to Little Joe.\u00a0 \u201cAre you hurt any other way, boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cJust hungry.\u00a0 They plumb starved me.\u201d\u00a0 It was the closest he\u2019d come to an outright whine since the whole thing had begun.<\/p>\n

At that, Hoss hauled off and slugged the nearest man, which happened to be Zack.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll take care of that as soon as possible,\u201d Ben soothed, holding his son closer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a sandwich in my saddlebag,\u201d Adam said with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cThat should hold you until we can get to town.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 Thanks,\u201d Little Joe said.\u00a0 He really did have a fine pair of brothers; he\u2019d known it all along.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Little Joe jumped down from the buckboard and cocked his tan hat at a jaunty angle.\u00a0 Not only did it give him the devil-may-care look girls seemed to relish, but it effectively hid the few cuts and abrasions remaining from his ordeal of two weeks earlier.<\/p>\n

\u201cRein it in, Cassanova,\u201d Adam advised as he stepped down from the wagon.\u00a0 \u201cThis is a quick trip, \u2018load the supplies and get home\u2019 being Pa\u2019s exact words.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can stretch that to include lunch at Daisy\u2019s, cain\u2019t we?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cI think so, provided we don\u2019t dawdle here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, come on, then,\u201d Little Joe urged.\u00a0 With the quick steps habitual to him he entered the general store and greeted the shopkeeper.<\/p>\n

Busy with another customer, Will Cass just waved and said, \u201cBe with you soon, boys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since Adam had the list this time, Little Joe wandered around the store, checking first to see if the proprietor had gotten in any new fancy neckwear.\u00a0 With the big barn dance coming up at the end of the month, he wanted something to give his plain white shirt a bit of flash.\u00a0 Eventually, though, he ended up at the table of books and aimed, of course, for the paperbacked ones that cost only a dime, about all he ever had available to splurge on a book.\u00a0 A quick glance told him that there weren\u2019t any new Deadeye Dave novels available, but he didn\u2019t feel the surge of disappointment he used to when he was just a kid.<\/p>\n

As he looked over the other books on the table, he found himself wondering whether Adam hadn\u2019t been right about him needing to raise his horizons a mite when it came to reading material.\u00a0 Despite the techniques for manipulating kidnappers that he\u2019d gleaned from Deadeye Dave, he had to admit that the little books didn\u2019t hold a whole lot of suspense anymore.\u00a0 Given his recent experience, too, maybe it was time he took a more serious interest in genuine crime detection, instead of fanciful adventure tales.\u00a0 He casually picked up a title that looked promising by an author with experience handling real criminals, not made-up ones like Scarpathio McSwain and his ilk.\u00a0 Yeah, maybe this little book by Inspector Foote of the Yard was exactly what he needed.\u00a0 He pulled a dime from his pocket and headed for the register.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The End<\/p>\n

\u00a9 June, 2017<\/p>\n

Required words from the fishing pond:\u00a0 shipwreck, lariat, harmonica<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tags:\u00a0 Adam Cartwright, Ben Cartwright, Hoss Cartwright, Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright, Ransom<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

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

Summary: Little Joe once again draws inspiration from his favorite dime novels when he is kidnapped and held for ransom.<\/p>\n

Rating: \u00a0K+ \u00a0\u00a0Word count 15,138<\/p>\n

The Deadeye Kid Series, links to stories within the series are included.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":14414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,23,4,30,40],"tags":[120],"class_list":["post-14413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actionadventure","category-drama","category-humor","category-prequels","category-challenges","tag-citp","wpcat-2-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-4-id","wpcat-30-id","wpcat-40-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":2464,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/DimeNovel-2.jpg?fit=200%2C253&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9461,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=9461","url_meta":{"origin":14413,"position":0},"title":"The Daring Deeds of the Deadeye Kid (by Puchi Ann)","author":"Puchi Ann","date":"November 24, 2001","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0When bandits invade the Ponderosa, a fourteen-year-old boy with an overactive imagination fed on dime novels decides that he and he alone can save his family. Rating: K \u00a0 Word Count: 6,040 The Deadeye Kid Series, links to all stories of this series included.","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/DimeNovel1.jpg?fit=293%2C370&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":36207,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=36207","url_meta":{"origin":14413,"position":1},"title":"Another Guise (by BettyHT)","author":"BettyHT","date":"October 9, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: In the eighth story in the Traci Series, there are some who want to disrupt the Ponderosa operations and will use any means to do so. Adam is the first target, but he and Joe wonder who else in the family is in the crosshairs and why. It\u2019s a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Action\/Adventure"","block_context":{"text":"Action\/Adventure","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/The-Auld-Sod.jpg?fit=600%2C453&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/The-Auld-Sod.jpg?fit=600%2C453&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/The-Auld-Sod.jpg?fit=600%2C453&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":29110,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=29110","url_meta":{"origin":14413,"position":2},"title":"To Teach an Old Dog (by KateP)","author":"KateP","date":"January 21, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 Young Joe helps a ranch hand. Rating:\u00a0 G\u00a0 (1,180 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/LJC.jpg?fit=201%2C258&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7445,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7445","url_meta":{"origin":14413,"position":3},"title":"Honor Among Thieves (by slaine89)","author":"slaine89","date":"October 13, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0A stranger finds Joe near death and decides to help him but things are complicated by Joe's inability to remember who he is and by the man's own dark past. \u00a0 Rated:\u00a0 T (18,985 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Emily.png?fit=631%2C434&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Emily.png?fit=631%2C434&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Emily.png?fit=631%2C434&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2100,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2100","url_meta":{"origin":14413,"position":4},"title":"Bedside (by JoanS)","author":"JoanS","date":"September 9, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0Adam, Hoss and Ben try to will Little Joe back to consciousness after an accident Rated: K (3,490 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/normal_MBK-JC2.jpg?fit=400%2C320&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":38608,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=38608","url_meta":{"origin":14413,"position":5},"title":"He’s Gone (by Annie K Cowgirl)","author":"Annie K Cowgirl","date":"March 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: Joe's thoughts as he rides after Billy Chapin. A missing scene from\u00a0The Legacy. Rating: K+ Word Count: 575","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Joe_Racing_Cochise.jpg?fit=840%2C725&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Joe_Racing_Cochise.jpg?fit=840%2C725&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Joe_Racing_Cochise.jpg?fit=840%2C725&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Joe_Racing_Cochise.jpg?fit=840%2C725&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14413","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\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14413\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}