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<\/p>\nSummary: When a color truly matters.<\/p>\n
Rating:\u00a0 G\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 5,935 words<\/p>\n
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Scarlet Ribbons<\/b><\/p>\n
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Scarlet Ribbons<\/strong><\/p>\n Little Joe Cartwright moved down the street with a sprightly step and a sparkling grin for everyone he met, first because it was simply part of who he was, but also because he was, at this moment in his life, supremely happy. Only a few days until Christmas and for once in his life he was prepared. Presents were purchased and even wrapped, much as his fingers had fumbled in the doing. He\u2019d found just the right gifts for Pa, Adam, Hoss and Hop Sing, as well as for that new, special person in his life, Miss Sara LeAnne Jamison, soon to be Mrs. Joseph Francis Cartwright, if all went as he hoped. He\u2019d even purchased the gift with which he wished to announce that and wrapped it in a box within a box within\u2014he grinned impishly. It was an ornery trick to pull on the woman he hoped to spend the rest of his life with, but she\u2019d get a kick out of it, especially when she found the stunning ring in the tiny innermost box. He just needed one thing to make the package perfect, and he was headed for the general store now to make that final purchase.<\/p>\n As he passed the Silver Dollar, he heard music wafting through the batwing doors and paused a moment to listen. Three proper young ladies were listening, too, risking their reputations by practically draping themselves over those batwings as Andy Walker crooned the song that was making him famous, not only in Virginia City, but in every town this side of the Sierra Nevada mountains. \u201cAnd for me, some scarlet ribbons, scarlet ribbons for my hair.\u201d The girls were sighing over every emotional word. That Andy sure has a voice, Joe thought, mouth clucking in admiration, sharpened with the slightest tinge of envy, his own singing tending slightly toward flat notes, or so Adam said. His big brother had a fine voice, too, but Andy seemed to caress the words in a way that didn\u2019t just tell the story, but made you feel it, too.<\/p>\n Joe would have liked to go inside, have a beer and listen to ole Andy sing the story one more time, but he still had that errand to run, and Andy to thank for it, in a way. Every girl in town, Sara LeAnne included, had gone foolish over that song, and to prove their devotion, most of them were tying up their curls with scarlet ribbons. That was what had given Joe the idea to wrap up his own gift to Sara in some pretty hair ribbons of scarlet red. Tipping his hat to the three ladies outside the saloon, who had just confirmed his choice, he strode down the street toward Will Cass\u2019s general store.<\/p>\n \u201cHowdy, Mr. Cass,\u201d he called as he walked through the door.<\/p>\n The storekeeper turned from his perch on a ladder, where he was stocking the shelves with some sort of canned goods. \u201cHey there, Little Joe. Good to see you, boy. You here to pick up ranch supplies or do some last-minute Christmas shopping?\u201d He grinned broadly as he descended the ladder. \u201cI\u2019m guessin\u2019 it\u2019s the latter.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe grinned back at him good-naturedly. \u201cCome on now, Mr. Cass, it ain\u2019t as last-minute as usual . . . for me, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n Sucking in his cheeks, the storekeeper nodded. \u201cYeah, when you put it that way, you\u2019re plumb early this year, boy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust got one little item I need,\u201d Little Joe said. \u201cSome hair ribbons.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHair ribbons!\u201d Will Cass slapped his thigh. \u201cYou\u2019ll look mighty fetchin\u2019 in \u2018em, Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHa, ha,\u201d Little Joe said dryly, but the grin never left his face. He never minded being the butt of a friendly joke. \u201cI want \u2018em to wrap a pretty bow on a little package for someone special.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou think you can tie a pretty bow with them two left thumbs of yours?\u201d Cass teased.<\/p>\n \u201cYou forget I\u2019m left-handed,\u201d Joe jibed back, \u201cso two left thumbs would just make me twice as good at it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a good one,\u201d the storekeeper chuckled. He might have known any one of Ben\u2019s boys\u2014exceptin\u2019, maybe, Hoss\u2014would get in a last zinger in any joust of jokes. Just one of the things he liked about them. He headed toward the notions department. \u201cStock\u2019s a little low just now, with all the Christmas shopping, but I got a few yards left. What color you fancy . . . or have you even give it a thought?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, yeah,\u201d Little Joe said. \u201cThat part\u2019s easy: scarlet.\u201d<\/p>\n Coming to a dead stop, Will Cass groaned and shook his suddenly bowed head. \u201cOh, no, not that again. That infernal song!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with the song?\u201d Little Joe demanded. \u201cI think it\u2019s real sentimental, and Andy sings it just about perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, he sings it just fine,\u201d Cass said, lip curling, \u201cand it\u2019s downright good for business . . . or was until I ran out of scarlet ribbons and every lady in town let me know they might have to take their business elsewhere if\u2019n I wasn\u2019t gonna stock what they needed, when they needed it. But how was I to know there\u2019d be a run on scarlet ribbons when I placed the order? Nobody\u2019d heard the infernal song back then!\u201d<\/p>\n The disappointment on Little Joe\u2019s face was palpable. \u201cWell, maybe somewhere else.\u201d Quickly realizing what he\u2019d said, he hurried to add, \u201cNot meanin\u2019 to take my business elsewhere . . . except for this one thing, I mean. It\u2019s just . . . well, my girl\u2019s real fond of that song, the way Andy sings it, and\u201d\u2014he shrugged\u2014\u201cit\u2019s Christmas, and it\u2019s a good color for that, too, and . . .\u201d<\/p>\n Cass held up his palm. \u201cSpare me the Joe Cartwright version of why he needs what I ain\u2019t got. I reckon I can do without the Ponderosa\u2019s ribbon business. Not sure you\u2019ll have much success anywhere else, though. I\u2019m cheaper than the fancy dress shops, but they might have more in stock.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe gulped. \u201cFancy dress shops?\u201d He was beginning to reconsider Sara LeAnne\u2019s absolute need for hair ribbons of scarlet, if getting them meant him traipsing into fancy dress shops.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter?\u201d Cass snickered. \u201cAin\u2019t your girl worth it, boy?\u201d His wide grin had taken on a decidedly taunting feel.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s worth it.\u201d Little Joe sighed, steeling himself for the embarrassment to come. He started to leave, but then turned back to the storekeeper. \u201cMaybe I ought to get a set of some other color, just in case, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood idea,\u201d Cass said. \u201cWhat color you want?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat color you got?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll check.\u201d The storekeeper opened a drawer and rifled through the spools of ribbons stored there. \u201cWell, I got black, white, orange and blue. What\u2019s your pleasure?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s pursed lips slid left and right, left and right as he mulled over the choices. Black would look striking in Sara\u2019s light hair, but black didn\u2019t seem very festive for Christmas, much less for a proposal of marriage. White wouldn\u2019t show up well, and orange\u2014well, orange just seemed wrong, especially for Christmas, and he\u2019d never seen her wear a dress of that color. He couldn\u2019t remember whether she\u2019d ever worn blue, either, but he\u2019d dated a lot of girls who did, and it seemed to be a color most ladies looked good in. Blue it was, then, he decided and placed his order, which Will Cass promptly filled.<\/p>\n *****<\/p>\n The front door opened and quickly closed to shut out the blast of icy air that rushed in. \u201cJoseph? Is that you?\u201d a voice from the dining area boomed in a potpourri of irritation, anxiety and relief.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, Pa,\u201d Little Joe called as he shrugged out of his flannel and fleece coat and flung it, along with his hat onto the pegs beside the door. Taking off his gun belt, he coiled the leather and laid it on the credenza.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re late,\u201d Ben said as his son rounded the corner and moved toward the table. \u201cVery late,\u201d he emphasized. \u201cWe didn\u2019t wait supper.\u201d<\/p>\n That was obvious from the half-emptied plates set before each of the three men already at the table as Little Joe slid into his place and smiled gratefully at their Chinese cook, who placed a warm plate of food in front of him with only a mildly reproving frown. \u201cGlad you didn\u2019t,\u201d Little Joe said, \u201cand I\u2019m sorry I\u2019m late. I ran into a bit of bother, trying to finish up my Christmas shopping.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019d you get me?\u201d Hoss asked playfully just before shoveling in another bite of mashed potatoes.<\/p>\n \u201cNary a thing,\u201d Little Joe returned with a teasing grin. It faded slightly as he added, \u201cAnd nary a thing I was looking for, either\u2014and I went all the way to Genoa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, that explains the lateness,\u201d Adam observed wryly. \u201cWhat was worth a detour of that length?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHair ribbons,\u201d Little Joe said with a long sigh.<\/p>\n Hoss almost spewed the potatoes in his mouth, but managed to swallow them before croaking out, \u201cHair ribbons? Have you plumb lost your senses, little brother?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe question implies he had some to begin with,\u201d Adam said with a mirthful smirk.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I ain\u2019t, and, yes, I did,\u201d Little Joe answered them both. Then ignoring them both, he returned to his long-delayed dinner.<\/p>\n \u201cFor Sara, I presume,\u201d his father said.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, for Sara,\u201d Little Joe said. \u201cHoss nor Adam, neither one, has got the hair to carry \u2018em off proper.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, funny,\u201d Hoss snorted. \u201cThat don\u2019t seem like much of a present for your girl, though. Thought you liked her better\u2019n to give her just hair ribbons for Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt does seem a bit meager for someone you\u2019ve been squiring exclusively for months,\u201d Adam commented.<\/p>\n Little Joe laid aside his fork with a sigh. Obviously, there was to be no dinner until he\u2019d poured every detail into three sets of itching ears. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t gonna be her only present,\u201d he said. \u201cGuess you might as well know. There\u2019s a small package I\u2019m gonna give her when I ask a certain question at the party here on Christmas Eve. I was gonna tie it up with the hair ribbons, just to make it a mite more special.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI knew it!\u201d Hoss cried. \u201cI knew you was gonna ask her. Just didn\u2019t know it\u2019d be for Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s brow furrowed with concern. \u201cAre you sure you want to do it that way, son? In front of so many people, I mean. If she were to say no, or even just want to think about it, you\u2019d both be embarrassed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe won\u2019t say no,\u201d Little Joe said with confidence, \u201cand she don\u2019t need to think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause no one could say no to Joe Cartwright,\u201d Adam put in, adding a roll of his eyes for emphasis.<\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019s nose scrunched up as he stared at his oldest brother. \u201cNo,\u201d he drawled out. \u201cBecause we\u2019re right for each other.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou sure are!\u201d Hoss declared. \u201cI knowed it from the start. You ain\u2019t got nothin\u2019 to fear about askin\u2019 her, Shortshanks. She\u2019s gonna say yes.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam apparently concluded that this was no longer an appropriate time for teasing. \u201cI agree. I think you two are meant for each other.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, brothers!\u201d Little Joe exclaimed. He slanted a hopeful look toward his father.<\/p>\n Under that gaze Ben broke into a huge smile. \u201cWell, I think so, too, so perhaps it is time to cast caution to the winds. Of course, she\u2019ll say yes, and I couldn\u2019t be more pleased, Joseph!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam cleared his throat. \u201cNow that that\u2019s settled, may I inquire why purchasing a simple hair ribbon made you late? They are readily available in any number of mercantiles in Virginia City, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot scarlet ones,\u201d Little Joe moaned.<\/p>\n \u201cMust they be scarlet?\u201d Adam asked with a chuckle.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s what all the girls want.\u201d Then Little Joe explained how Andy\u2019s rendition of \u201cScarlet Ribbons\u201d had made them the most desirable item on every girl\u2019s Christmas list this year. \u201cAnd the most impossible to find,\u201d he finished with a disconsolate sigh. \u201cBelieve me, I looked high and low, in places I shudder to think about.\u201d Even thinking about his trials of that long afternoon sent a tremor shivering through him. \u201cLadies\u2019 dress shops. You got no notion the kind of things they got sittin\u2019 out in plain sight in them places.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, some of us might,\u201d Adam said lightly.<\/p>\n Both Hoss and Little Joe stared at their older brother when he made this pronouncement, while Ben arched an eyebrow, his head cocked quizzically.<\/p>\n Seeing it, Adam somehow managed to keep a straight face. \u201cI was, of course, referring to you, Pa, the only one among us who has been married.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben still looked skeptical. \u201cI would be pleased to hear, young man, that you have as little experience with ladies\u2019 undergarments as your young brother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, a little more,\u201d Adam said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. After a pregnant pause, during which the other three Cartwrights, for varying reasons, all held their breaths, he added with a smug smile, \u201cAfter all, Pa, you brought two women into this household after my birth, and I have, therefore, more than a passing acquaintance with delicate laundry on the line.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shook his head at his eldest\u2019s sass, though his amused expression blunted even that mild rebuke. \u201cThat had better be the extent of your acquaintance with such things,\u201d he said, the eyebrow arching up again.<\/p>\n Adam made no response, leaving each of the others to draw his own conclusion. \u201cSo, no scarlet ribbons,\u201d he said, primarily to divert their attention from whatever acquaintance with ladies\u2019 lingerie he might have. \u201cWell, I\u2019m sure Sara will be just as pleased with her gift, even without a pretty bow on top.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, there\u2019ll be a bow,\u201d Little Joe said. \u201cI just wish it could be the color she\u2019d like best, but I reckon it\u2019ll be just as pretty with blue ribbons.\u201d He grinned broadly. \u201cSign of the first-place winner at the county fair, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s brow wrinkled with frown lines, while Hoss stared across the table, aghast. \u201cBlue? You got her blue ribbons?\u201d the middle brother asked after swallowing down the mountainous lump in his throat.<\/p>\n Little Joe shrugged as he forked up a sizable bite of mashed potatoes. \u201cBest Mr. Cass had. I couldn\u2019t give her black or orange, could I? It ain\u2019t Halloween, brother!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI would,\u201d Hoss muttered beneath his breath. \u201cLess likely to get Halloween that way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was that?\u201d Ben asked, his resemblance to his oldest son emphasized by the wrinkles now adorning his forehead.<\/p>\n \u201cNothin\u2019, sir,\u201d Hoss said quickly. While everyone else returned to their dinner, he stared down at the table without seeing anything on it. Instead, whatever vision he was viewing inside his own head put a most uncustomary frown on his genial face.<\/p>\n \u201cNot going off your feed, are you?\u201d Adam asked dryly. \u201cYou\u2019ve only had three chops.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d The big man\u2019s lips pursed more tightly together and then with a decisive nod, he looked across the table and said, \u201cYou can\u2019t do it, Joe; you just can\u2019t give her them blue ribbons.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not?\u201d Little Joe asked, fork poised halfway to his mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cWell . . . well . . . \u2018cause.\u201d Hoss\u2019s round face grew redder between each of his stammered words. \u201cBlue is . . . well . . . unlucky-like.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSince when?\u201d Little Joe demanded.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Hoss said, looking perturbed. \u201cFar back as there was Cartwrights, I reckon.\u201d He looked to his older brother for help. Getting nothing in return but a taut frown, he insisted, \u201cTell him, Adam. Tell him about the Blue Curse on the Cartwright Clan, like you told me.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam closed his eyes as his mind scrambled for something . . . anything . . . he could say that would enable him to keep faith with Hoss without bringing down his father\u2019s ire on his hapless head. \u201cIt was only an observation,\u201d he finally said weakly, knowing even as he said the words that they would accomplish neither of his aims.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s spine grew rigid as he sat straighter in his chair, and his voice also hardened as he said, \u201cBy all means, enlighten the rest of us with your observation, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam exhaled slowly to give himself time to find the words that would enable him to keep his head attached to his shoulders. \u201cI merely made a calculated correlation between the preferred color choices of ladies we Cartwright men have loved . . . and the potential for a lasting relationship. The percentages are not high for those wearing blue. That\u2019s all.\u201d He spread his palms and earnestly prayed it would be \u201call\u201d that was said on the subject.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t, of course. Little Joe spoke first, but no blame attached to him, since all he uttered was a baffled, \u201cHuh?\u201d And who could blame the kid when his oldest brother\u2019s entire intent had been to obfuscate.<\/p>\n Hoss, having started this whole thing, was another matter altogether, as he jumped in with what he surely felt was a required explanation of words Adam intended to be inexplicable. \u201cWhat older brother means, little brother,\u201d Hoss said, ignoring older brother\u2019s warning shake of the head, \u201cis that no good comes of it when Cartwright men take up with women what wear blue.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s poppycock,\u201d Little Joe said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt certainly is,\u201d Ben agreed with a scowl toward his eldest. \u201cIs this what comes of a college education, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course not! I think this ranch has already seen what comes of a college education, Pa!\u201d It was only later\u2014much later\u2014that Adam realized his desire to defend his alma mater and all he\u2019d learned there had cost him his one chance to clear things up in a less damaging way than Hoss\u2019s continued explanation.<\/p>\n \u201cIt ain\u2019t poppycock,\u201d Hoss insisted, right on the heels of his older brother\u2019s interruption. \u201cThink back on all the girls you\u2019ve loved and lost, little brother. Didn\u2019t most of \u2018em wear blue? And didn\u2019t your ma and my ma, so Adam tells me? He ain\u2019t sure about his, of course, havin\u2019 never seen her, but he\u2019s guessin\u2019 she did, too, and, well, we all know what happened to them.\u201d Hoss gulped in sudden realization that he might just have gone a step too far in sharing his older brother\u2019s calculated correlation.<\/p>\n Adam, his head having fallen into the palm of his hand at the first mention of the mothers, groaned. Only Hoss could have had such an innocent heart that he wouldn\u2019t foresee the likely reaction to what he\u2019d just blurted out for the entire Cartwright world\u2014most importantly, Pa\u2014to hear. That reaction wasn\u2019t long in coming.<\/p>\n \u201cEnough!\u201d Ben\u2019s bellow brought the room to ominous silence, but the low-toned growl that followed carried even more portent. \u201cHow dare you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, Pa. I didn\u2019t mean . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t talking to you, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n Clamping his mouth shut, Hoss cowered back in his chair and wisely, although belatedly, decided to keep his own council.<\/p>\n Assuming that Pa wasn\u2019t talking to Little Joe, either, Adam reluctantly raised his head and faced his father. \u201cI didn\u2019t mean any disrespect to their sacred memory, Pa,\u201d he began.<\/p>\n \u201cI said, \u2018Enough!\u2019\u201d Ben shouted. \u201cI don\u2019t want to hear another word from you, young man.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam started to open his mouth, to inquire why he\u2019d been asked a question if Pa didn\u2019t want to hear an answer, but being more circumspect with his words than his innocent-hearted brother, he managed to keep them in the back of his throat.<\/p>\n \u201cAll I want from you, young man, and from you,\u201d Ben said, glancing from his eldest to his middle son, \u201cis your promise that you will stop filling your young brother\u2019s ears with this superstitious nonsense!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course,\u201d Adam promised quickly, praying he could actually get off that easily. Hoss, still cowering, quickly bobbed his head as he kept his lips pursed tight together, and with the blessing that often befalls the innocent of heart, his silence went unnoticed by his father. As for Adam, the only person\u2019s ears he intended to fill belonged to that innocent blunderer who had brought the wrath of Ben Cartwright down upon them.<\/p>\n Ben, face still fuming with said wrath, rose from his chair. \u201cI would also advise you to stay well away from me for the rest of the evening,\u201d he said. Seeing the troubled look in his youngest\u2019s eyes, he softened his voice. \u201cThat does not refer to you, of course, Joseph.\u201d He laid a hand on the young man\u2019s slender shoulder. \u201cDon\u2019t give a thought to this nonsense, son,\u201d he said. \u201cYou go right ahead and give Sara your gift, topped with the prettiest blue bow you can tie. I assure you, nothing but happiness will ensue.\u201d With a final pat on the shoulder of his youngest son and a final glare at his oldest, he rounded the table and headed up the stairs.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks a lot, brothers,\u201d Little Joe grunted, tossing his napkin beside his barely touched plate and following in his father\u2019s wake.<\/p>\n Seeing Hoss start to rise up also, Adam grabbed his arm with a restraining hand. \u201cNot now,\u201d he whispered, adding once Little Joe was out of earshot, \u201cYou\u2019ve done quite enough for now.\u201d<\/p>\n *****<\/p>\n Clad in his warm, quilted robe, Adam sat at his angled architectural table, finessing the lines of the drawing atop it. He had no current project, but often sat here at night, working on some idealized structure he would probably never build, but taking joy and relaxation from the creative process. It wasn\u2019t working tonight, and when the tap sounded on his door, he knew why. He\u2019d been watching, waiting for that very sound, not sure whether it would come from Little Joe, here to demand explanation, or from his father, here to ream him out more thoroughly over what had transpired at the dinner table.<\/p>\n Then he shook his head. The very fact of a knock negated the possibility that it was Little Joe; the kid always blared straight in when he had something to say. Pa, then. As he called, \u201cCome in,\u201d he braced himself, watching the door slowly open, waiting for a lambasting that never came. Instead, his brother Hoss walked in, both steps and facial expression tentative.<\/p>\n \u201cSaw the light and figured you was still up,\u201d Hoss said. \u201cNeed to talk some, if\u2019n it\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlways okay for you, big fella,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n Hoss grinned. \u201cLong as I ain\u2019t Pa, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOr Joe,\u201d Adam added with a soft chuckle, \u201calthough I think I could handle him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI talked to him,\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n \u201cIn spite of what Pa said?\u201d Adam shook his head in amazement. \u201cYou\u2019re a braver man than I am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust wanted to make sure the boy was okay,\u201d Hoss said. \u201cHe is, but I can tell it\u2019s worryin\u2019 him some, that Blue Curse thing . . . and it worries me, too, more than some.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, buddy. Never meant to worry you. Should have kept my observations to myself, I suppose.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, no,\u201d Hoss said as he came to perch on his brother\u2019s bed. \u201cI needed to know. Joe needed to know. Pa . . . not so much.\u201d He winced with chagrin.<\/p>\n Adam pulled his chair around to face his brother. \u201cPa\u2019s right, you know. It is superstitious, and I normally don\u2019t hold with that sort of thing. I just found it hard to escape the correlation, with there being so many instances of it. Still, I could be wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAin\u2019t often,\u201d Hoss said loyally. \u201cYou\u2019re the smartest fella I know, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, thank you.\u201d Straightening up, Adam asked, \u201cSo, what can I do to help . . . either you or Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m gonna help Joe,\u201d Hoss said decisively. \u201cAll I need from you\u2019s to keep your mouth shut, so\u2019s I can.\u201d<\/p>\n Suddenly wary, Adam asked, \u201cWhat are you up to, big fella?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m gonna get little brother some scarlet ribbons.\u201d The rigid set of the big man\u2019s chin declared unalterable determination. It was a look that rarely sat on Hoss Cartwright\u2019s face, but on the rare occasions it did, it was absolutely and irreparably immovable.<\/p>\n \u201cGreat idea,\u201d Adam said. \u201cOnly one problem. Joe\u2019s already looked everywhere from here to Genoa without success, and in this instance, I think we could count on his having been thorough.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know that,\u201d Hoss said, his attitude that of a parent speaking patiently to a young child. \u201cGot a whole list of where he\u2019s been. That\u2019s why I got to go beyond Genoa to get \u2018em. Andy ain\u2019t sung over to California none yet, so maybe the gals there ain\u2019t raided every ribbon shop in the state.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s jaw dropped at what Hoss was proposing. \u201cHoss, it\u2019s only three days to Christmas Eve. You\u2019d have to ride day and night\u2014and that\u2019s if you find what you want in Placerville. Much beyond that, and the trip\u2019s pointless.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know all that,\u201d Hoss said, chin jutting out with true Cartwright stubbornness, \u201cbut I gotta do it, Adam . . . for Joe. He loves Sara . . . and I just know she\u2019s meant to be part of this family, and I can\u2019t let that Blue Curse get her and make her just ride off into the sunset or\u201d\u2014he gulped\u2014\u201cworse.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhoa, whoa.\u201d Adam patted the air with restraining palms. \u201cMaybe we need to rethink this Blue Curse business. Maybe it doesn\u2019t exist, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n Mouth pursed, Hoss shook his head. \u201cCan\u2019t take the chance. I gotta go, and I\u2019m goin\u2019. Just figured someone oughta know what I was up to, if\u2019n I get delayed some, and, well, I couldn\u2019t very well tell Pa, could I now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh . . . no.\u201d The horror of that notion sent a shiver up Adam\u2019s spine.<\/p>\n \u201cAll right, then,\u201d Hoss said. \u201cI\u2019m gonna leave right away, ride through the night. Now, what I need you to do is keep Pa and Little Joe from figurin\u2019 out what I\u2019m up to.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, you can count on that!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss grinned. \u201cYeah, I figured, and if you can, big brother, get them blue ribbons away from little brother and hide \u2018em somewhere the sun don\u2019t shine. Fireplace sounds about right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat might be harder,\u201d Adam said after exhaling a slow stream of air.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but you\u2019re the smart one, remember?\u201d Hoss laid a hand on his brother\u2019s shoulder as he stood, and to Adam it felt like an act of commissioning. \u201cAnd if I am a mite late,\u201d Hoss said, extending the commission, \u201ctry to make little brother wait \u2018til I\u2019m back before he gives her that gift.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo my best,\u201d Adam promised. As Hoss clapped his shoulder and left the room, he stared at his desk and wondered if even the fanciful project he was currently contemplating could keep his mind occupied and off whatever explanation he would have to make when the rest of the family arose the next morning.<\/p>\n *****<\/p>\n Dressed in his party clothes, Adam stood in the yard and stared at the snow-capped mountains with a grim expression. Christmas Eve had come, and the guests would soon be arriving, and there was still no sign of Hoss. The fresh snowfall on the mountains, beautiful as it was, might well be the reason. Quite a storm going on up there, and if Hoss hadn\u2019t gotten through before it hit, he might very well not make it.<\/p>\n \u201cThink he\u2019s okay?\u201d Little Joe, coming up behind his older brother, asked anxiously.<\/p>\n Adam turned and aimed toward him an encouraging smile. \u201cOf course, he\u2019s okay. Hoss knows how to take shelter in a storm, little buddy, even if it caught him unawares.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStill don\u2019t see why he had to go clean to California for that last-minute shopping you said he had to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam was just grateful that both his little brother and his father had accepted that explanation for Hoss\u2019s precipitate departure. Still not feeling free to reveal the truth, he only shrugged now. \u201cJust said it was for something special, and I\u2019ve learned not to inquire too closely when it comes to Christmas gifts.\u201d He laughed dissuasively. \u201cAfter all, the surprise I spoil might be my own.\u201d<\/p>\n Still not dreaming that the surprise was actually to be for him, Little Joe chuckled. \u201cYou got a point there, brother.\u201d Then he sobered. \u201cStill . . . I hate for him not to be here when I ask Sara that certain question. You think I ought to wait?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWait as long as you can,\u201d Adam advised, \u201cbut, no, I don\u2019t think you should change your plans. Hoss wouldn\u2019t want you to.\u201d Actually, Hoss might well have wanted those plans changed, but then, he didn\u2019t know that Adam had managed to fulfill his commission of filching a set of blue ribbons by offering to hold the gift until Joe was ready to make his presentation, on the pretext that Sara might discover it if it were on Joe\u2019s person or under the tree. If Hoss didn\u2019t make it back in time, and it was looking as though he might not, there\u2019d be explanations to make later, but he\u2019d cross that bridge when he came to it. And, at least, Sara would have been spared any potential danger from the curse, if it did exist.<\/p>\n The first buggy from town arrived, and the Cartwright brothers, along with several ranch hands, joined forces to welcome their guests and assist in parking the vehicles efficiently and stabling the animals with a Christmas apple presented to each horse who\u2019d braved the frosty air that starry night. Little Joe\u2019s assistance, all too typically, lasted only until Sara LeAnne arrived with her family. Then the younger Cartwright decided that his attention was best directed toward guests inside the house, and Adam conceded with only a slight skew of his smile to indicate that he saw through his little brother\u2019s professed concern for others. It was, after all, a special night. Not, he admitted with another anxious glance toward the snowy peaks to the west, as special as it would be if Hoss made it back in time, for reasons that had nothing to do with scarlet ribbons.<\/p>\n The dancing began, and the house soon rang with merry laughter and silvery chatter, despite everyone\u2019s expressed concern for the missing Cartwright. An hour slipped by and then two, and finally Little Joe left Sara for a minute and sidled up to his oldest brother. \u201cGuess he ain\u2019t gonna make it,\u201d he said. \u201cYou might as well fetch out that special box from wherever you got it hid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll get it,\u201d Adam said, as disappointed as Little Joe at the absence of their big-hearted brother. Someday he\u2019d tell Joe what Hoss had tried to do, but he wouldn\u2019t spoil the magic of this moment for the happy couple and only hoped the absence of that blue bow wouldn\u2019t send Joe into a moment-spoiling fit of temper, either.<\/p>\n As Adam headed for Pa\u2019s desk, where he\u2019d secreted the box in the bottom drawer, all eyes turned toward the front door, and shouts of happy greetings went up as a big man, looking even larger in his huge, woolly coat, came in with a blast of shivery air. \u201cHowdy, folks! Merry Christmas!\u201d Hoss said, bracing himself as his little brother slammed into him with a bear hug almost worthy of Hoss himself. \u201cLet me breathe, Shortshanks,\u201d he said. Then grabbing the younger boy under one arm, he scrubbed the top of Joe\u2019s head with his knuckles. \u201cYou didn\u2019t think I\u2019d miss your big night, did you, little brother?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot unless you had to, you big lug,\u201d Little Joe said, \u201cbut you sure cut it close.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGive me a minute with Adam before you start, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe stepped back, cocking his head quizzically as he stared up into Hoss\u2019s face. \u201cWell . . . sure,\u201d he said. \u201cThat who your special present is for?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss grinned. \u201cNot exactly, but I need a word with him.\u201d He moved past Little Joe and his father, breaking short his welcoming embrace, and all the guests who wanted to express how glad they were he\u2019d made it home safely. He drew Adam into their father\u2019s study alcove. \u201cYou know where he\u2019s got it hid out?\u201d he asked in a dramatic whisper.<\/p>\n \u201cI have it hid out . . . right here, as a matter of fact.\u201d Adam opened the drawer and drew out the white box.<\/p>\n Hoss gave him an appreciative nod when he saw not a sign of any dangerous blue ribbons. \u201cGood man.\u201d Then, while Adam helped him shield the process from the others in the room, he drew a pair of scarlet ones from his pocket, and Adam, with his more adept fingers, tied up the package with a big, bright bow.<\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019s mouth gaped open when he saw the package Adam stealthily handed him. \u201cWhere? How?\u201d he blathered.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss,\u201d Adam said, knowing the single word was all the explanation needed.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s crazy,\u201d Little Joe muttered.<\/p>\n \u201cUmm-hmm.\u201d Adam grinned. \u201cNo more putting it off, little brother; the time has come.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t . . .\u201d Then, realizing he was being teased, Little Joe grinned back, took the package firmly in hand and headed toward Sara. Drawing her off to one side of the room, he said, \u201cA little present for you, sweetheart.\u201d<\/p>\n Sara squealed with delight. \u201cScarlet ribbons! Where on earth did you find them? I\u2019ve wanted some so much, but all the stores in town are sold out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t I know it!\u201d Little Joe said. Angling his head toward his big brother, he said, \u201cHoss brought \u2018em.\u201d Figuring any further explanation could wait, he hinted, \u201cBut the ribbons are just the decoration; the real present\u2019s inside. Hope you like it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, I will!\u201d she declared as she tore the paper aside. She laughed when she opened the first box, only to find another wrapped box inside it, and her laughter only grew brighter as she opened box after box.<\/p>\n Then, as she was lifting the lid of the final one, Little Joe went down on one knee, and when he heard her gasp of surprise, he asked plainly, \u201cWill you do me the honor of becoming my wife, Sara? I love you, darlin\u2019, and I want you by my side for all the Christmases to come.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be there,\u201d she said, her eyes shining into his.<\/p>\n The dancing had stopped while all the guests watched the tableau unfold, and they broke into applause at her answer. Then the happy couple were engulfed by hearty congratulations, none heartier than that given by the big man still clad in his woolly coat. \u201cHope you like the ribbons,\u201d Hoss said. \u201cThey\u2019s my contribution to a happy marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI love them!\u201d Sara cried.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle brother here was gonna saddle you with blue ones,\u201d Hoss said with a teasing grin, \u201cbut I saved you from that, and you gotta promise me you ain\u2019t never gonna wear that color, little lady.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I never do,\u201d Sara said. Leaning forward as if to convey a great secret, she whispered in his ear. \u201cYou see, blue\u2019s kind of an unlucky color in our family, so we outlawed it long ago.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI knew you was meant to be a Cartwright,\u201d Hoss said, as his big laugh filled the room.<\/p>\n The End<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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