{"id":2460,"date":"2011-09-22T21:23:38","date_gmt":"2011-09-23T01:23:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2460"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:25:11","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:25:11","slug":"the-black-wreath","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2460","title":{"rendered":"The Black Wreath (by VCLS)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0<\/b>Joe returns to the Ponderosa after a short trip only to find no one home and a black wreath on the door.\u00a0 What could have happened?\u00a0 Read on . . . .<\/span><\/p>\n

Rated: \u00a0T \u00a0WC \u00a011,300<\/b><\/p>\n

Story Notes: \u00a0<\/b>A Summer 2011 Round Robin Challenge.\u00a0 BB Fanfic writers were invited to submit an opening chapter.\u00a0 Members voted on their favorite, with the top three forming the first link in their respective chain.\u00a0 Each chain consisted of eight authors who collaborated to complete the story over the summer.<\/span><\/p>\n

The writers for The Black Wreath included (in alphabetical order):\u00a0\u00a0AnnieK, BnzaGal, DanceDiva, Deansgirl, Faust, Freyakendra, Inca, and\u00a0MicheleBE.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Black Wreath<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There was a black wreath on the front door.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0Joe saw it just as he was starting to dismount and then he froze, standing in his stirrups. His entire body went rigid, his hands clenched into tight fists around his reins.\u00a0 A moment earlier he had been so eager to get home, he\u2019d pushed Cochise harder than he knew he should, his thoughts focused on a hot bath, a soft bed, and one of Hop Sing\u2019s fine meals. There was nothing like two weeks on the trail to remind a man how much he had waiting for him at home.\u00a0 Yet, suddenly, Joe didn\u2019t know\u00a0what<\/em>\u00a0waited for him on the other side of that door.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to know.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Barely able to breathe, Joe brought his leg around and slowly dropped to the ground, his gaze locked on the wreath the whole time. He turned away from it just long enough to give his horse a gentle pat and wrap the reins loosely around the hitching post; even then he could feel the thing at his back, taunting him almost like an accusation. He\u2019d dallied too long. He\u2019d ridden too slowly.\u00a0 He should have worked harder, faster. He should have been home sooner, before\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Before what?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Taking a deep breath, Joe forced himself to move forward.\u00a0 Each step was a struggle, weighing him down.\u00a0 He could almost imagine what it felt like for a man to walk those final steps to a hangman\u2019s noose. Maybe he wasn\u2019t walking to his death, but the idea of facing the death of one of his own was no less horrific. Who was it? Pa? But Pa was neither old nor sickly. His hair might be white, but he was as fit and as strong as he\u2019d ever been. Adam?\u00a0 But Adam was too cautious, too focused in his thinking to ever take a misstep.\u00a0 If it was Adam, it couldn\u2019t have been an accident.\u00a0 Or what about Hoss?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 Hoss was as strong as an ox. Stronger. Nothing could bring him down, not for good, anyway.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0It couldn\u2019t be any of them, not a one. And yet there was a black wreath on the front door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0When Joe reached it, he stared at it as though it were a living thing, a creature that belonged to the night, to the shadows that existed somewhere outside reality. It certainly did not belong in his reality. It did not belong on his front door.\u00a0 He found himself afraid to move his hand to the latch, half expecting the wreath to strike out at him like a snake sinking its fangs into his heart.\u00a0 He could already feel its venom coursing through his leaden legs, turning them numb.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0With another deep breath he steeled himself to step inside.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201dPa?\u201d he called out softly as he crossed the threshold. \u201cAdam? Hoss?\u201d His eyes scanned the large room. It was empty.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201dPa?\u201d he called louder. \u201cAdam, Hoss?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Receiving no reply, Joe went to the kitchen. It too was empty, and though it was less than an hour to suppertime, there was nothing on the stove. The pots and pans were all secured away to the hooks and crevices where they belonged. In fact, the kitchen seemed too clean. Had Hop Sing done any cooking at all that day?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201dPa!\u201d Joe shouted, hurrying from the kitchen to the stairs and then taking them two at a time until he reached the top. \u201cAdam! Hoss!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0He opened every bedroom door, never once bothering to knock. Every room was empty.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0The entire house was empty.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Panic set his heart on fire. Joe raced back down the stairs and then out the front door. Panting by the time he reached the barn, Joe threw wide the door to find it as deserted as the house. Every one of Cochise\u2019s companions, Sport, Chubb\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0even Buck was gone, each stall was as empty, as untouched as the bedrooms upstairs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Joe could feel the emptiness around him creeping into him, making him feel hollow and lost. He had only been gone for two weeks.\u00a0 Two short weeks.\u00a0 Could a man\u2019s entire life change in so short a time?<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cLittle Joe!\u201d said Sheriff Roy Coffee, raising his eyebrows in some surprise as he came out of his office and almost bumped headlong into Joe who was bounding up the steps as though the town were on fire.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI need to speak to you, Roy.\u00a0 Something\u2019s happened.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I need to speak to you, too, Little Joe.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know when you were due back.\u00a0 Come inside.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It was already getting dark.\u00a0 Joe saw the keys in Roy\u2019s hand.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, you were just on your way home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Roy shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThat don\u2019t matter, Joe.\u00a0 This is important. Come inside.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe realized how breathless he was as he sat down in the familiar chair in front of Roy\u2019s desk while the sheriff lit the lamp.\u00a0 He\u2019d ridden hard into town, driven by dread.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou said something had happened.\u201d\u00a0 Roy pulled back his chair and sat down.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 Something\u2019s not right, Roy.\u00a0 Do you know where Pa, Adam, and Hoss are?\u00a0 And Hop Sing?\u00a0 There\u2019s no one at the Ponderosa.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t even find any of the hands.\u00a0 The bunkhouse is deserted.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The words had spilled out in a gabble.\u00a0 Joe paused and drew a deep breath.\u00a0 \u201cAnd,\u201d he added, unable to keep the fear out of his voice, \u201cthere was a black wreath on the front door.\u00a0 What\u2019s happened, Roy?\u00a0 Is somebody dead?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The sheriff was looking at him with an odd expression that did nothing to reassure Joe\u2019s thudding heart.\u00a0 \u201cA black wreath?\u201d said Roy with a bemused frown.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t know anything about\u00a0that<\/em>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A knot had been growing in Joe\u2019s stomach ever since he had laid eyes on that grim token of death on the ranch house door.\u00a0 The way Roy spoke and the sober look on his face dragged the knot even tighter.\u00a0 When the sheriff hesitated before speaking again, Joe couldn\u2019t contain his impatience.\u00a0 \u201cDo you know where they are, Roy?\u00a0 If you do, please tell me!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Roy Coffee was never a man to be hurried.\u00a0 \u201cHold your horses, Little Joe.\u00a0 I do know where Hop Sing is. He\u2019s fine.\u00a0 He\u2019s here in town, staying with his uncle.\u00a0 I told him to leave the Ponderosa when your pa and Hoss didn\u2019t return.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa and Hoss?\u00a0 What do you mean?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGive me a moment, son, and I\u2019ll tell you.\u00a0 It was Adam who went missing first.\u00a0 Ten days ago.\u00a0 Set out for the lumber camp but never arrived.\u00a0 Ben and Hoss went looking for him.\u201d\u00a0 Roy shook his head as if he was sorely troubled by something.\u00a0 \u201cYour foreman, Pete, came into town to find me when they didn\u2019t come back either.\u00a0\u00a0 He and a few of the men rode over to the camp but no one there had seen any sign of Adam or your Pa, or Hoss.\u00a0 They found tracks leading up into the mountains, but they lost them after a few miles.\u00a0 So I organized a couple of search parties, but we couldn\u2019t find anything different.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry, Joe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe started to feel slightly sick.\u00a0 He gave a shake of his head.\u00a0 \u201cWell, they can\u2019t just have disappeared!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe looked for three days.\u00a0 Then I came back here into town, and\u2014\u201d\u00a0 Roy stopped and pulled open the drawer in his desk.\u00a0 He drew out a folded newspaper, \u201c\u2014and I saw this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The hard knot in Joe\u2019s stomach was fast becoming a heavy lump.\u00a0 He reached out and took the newspaper from the sheriff\u2019s hand without a word.\u00a0 Roy pushed a calloused finger at a column on the right hand side.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s stomach did yet another uncomfortable flip when he saw the heading:\u00a0Obituaries<\/em>.\u00a0 His own name leapt out at him:\u00a0Cartwright<\/em>.\u00a0 And under that, two words:\u00a0Passing imminent<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Roy had risen from his desk.\u00a0 Joe, still staring in bewildered disbelief at the black and white print in front of him, smelled the whiskey before Roy pushed the glass under his nose.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHere, son.\u00a0 Drink this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRoy, what\u2019s going on?\u201d\u00a0 He didn\u2019t like the bleak look on Roy\u2019s weathered face.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not all, Joe.\u00a0 One other thing.\u201d\u00a0 Roy held out a sheet of paper.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe knocked back the whiskey before he reached out his hand.\u00a0 His breath was coming hard, as though he\u2019d been running.\u00a0 He saw the name across the top of the paper.\u00a0 Thos. Chatton.\u00a0 Everybody in Virginia City knew that name.\u00a0 Thomas Chatton, undertaker.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thos. Chatton.\u00a0 Immediate request.\u00a0 One plain pine coffin. Six feet four inches.\u00a0 White silk.\u00a0 Ben Cartwright<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa sent this?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Roy shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cWe don\u2019t know, Joe.\u00a0 When he received it, Tom brought it over to me and I hung onto it.\u00a0 Sent from Carson City.\u00a0 And before you ask, yeah, I\u2019ve checked with the telegraph office there.\u00a0 The note came in via a third party.\u00a0 A boy was paid to deliver it.\u00a0 His description of the man who gave it to him could a fit your pa, but it could just as easily have fit a hundred other middle-aged men.\u00a0 Do you want another drink, boy?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe shook his head, his mind churning.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you want to do, Joe?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe looked up into Roy\u2019s face.\u00a0 If ever he had needed the sheriff\u2019s measured wisdom, it was now.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know, Roy.\u00a0 I guess I just have to keep on looking.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Roy nodded and laid a hand on Joe\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cYou know I\u2019ll do whatever I can to help.\u00a0 You want to stay here at my place tonight?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThanks, Roy, but no.\u00a0 I\u2019ll find Hop Sing; see if he knows anything else.\u00a0 And then I\u2019m going to ride on back to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 If somebody came by and left that wreath on the door, maybe they left some other clues.\u00a0 Tracks maybe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d said the sheriff.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe.\u201d\u00a0 But he didn\u2019t sound convinced.\u00a0 As they reached the door and he put his hand on the latch, Roy hesitated again.\u00a0 His voice was as somber as a death knell.\u00a0 \u201cI know it\u2019s not something you want to hear, son, but it\u2019s been ten days.\u00a0 You need to consider the possibility that your pa and brothers\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0might already be dead.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Little Joe walked out of the sheriff\u2019s office, his heart heavy.\u00a0 His family could not die.\u00a0 But he had told Roy he would visit Hop Sing and he wanted to know what Hop Sing knew.\u00a0 There was only one uncle that Hop Sing would stay with and Little Joe headed there.\u00a0 Yes, Hop Sing was in, the uncle reported.\u00a0 No, he was not speaking to anyone.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTell him it\u2019s Little Joe,\u201d Joe begged, his eyes wide with fear, fear for his family.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019ll see me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The uncle could make no promises.\u00a0 He was gone only a minute, then he opened the door and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cCome in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hop Sing was alone in a room in the back of the house.\u00a0 He seemed glad to see Little Joe and motioned him to sit on the mat next to him.\u00a0 \u201cSo glad to see you, Joe,\u201d he started.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing, who are you afraid of?\u201d Little Joe asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot sure,\u201d Hop Sing replied.\u00a0 \u201cSheriff say better I not stay at Ponderosa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe still could not understand things and he had questions.\u00a0 \u201cWhat happened?\u201d he demanded.\u00a0 \u201cDo you know where Pa, Adam, and Hoss are?\u00a0 And who put the black wreath on the door back home?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hop Sing looked startled.\u00a0 \u201cBlack wreath?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe nodded.\u00a0 \u201cDid you put it there, Hop Sing?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hop Sing shook his head, his eyes wide.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing no put black wreath on door or anywhere else.\u00a0 Black wreath in China is sign of heaven.\u00a0 The Heavenly Emperor lives on North Star so we give it to family when someone dies in hope that they meet Heavenly Emperor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe felt a catch in his throat.\u00a0 \u201cIf you didn\u2019t put it there, who did?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hop Sing shuddered.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing not know.\u00a0 Little Joe stay with uncle.\u00a0 Not go to Ponderosa.\u00a0 It bad luck there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have to go, Hop Sing,\u201d Little Joe answered.\u00a0 \u201cI have to find my family.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

The Ponderosa ranch house looked empty and forlorn as Little Joe pulled to a stop in the yard.\u00a0 There was something unnatural about the place; a strange stillness that Joe had never experienced before suddenly filled his heart with dread.\u00a0 Something was wrong, something was definitely wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then he saw him\u2014a\u00a0 man sitting on the porch whittling.\u00a0 The shavings had fallen to his feet and he held his knife poised above the block of wood.\u00a0 He said nothing.\u00a0 Wary, Joe dismounted, and walked Cochise toward the water trough.\u00a0 Then the man spoke.\u00a0 \u201cI wouldn\u2019t touch that water.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe spun around.\u00a0 \u201cDid you say something?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI said, \u2018don\u2019t touch the water,\u2019\u201d the man replied, standing up and moving towards Joe.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s been poisoned.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf I told you that\u2026\u201d then he shook his head when he saw the look in Joe\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cAll right,\u201d he answered.\u00a0 \u201cI poisoned it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was supposed to meet someone here,\u201d the stranger answered.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone I didn\u2019t want to meet.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t show up.\u00a0 Who are you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe Cartwright. I live here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u201d\u00a0 The man paused for a moment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho were you going to meet?\u201d Joe demanded.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone,\u201d he replied evasively.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe someone who put the wreath on the door?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho was it?\u201d Joe demanded.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know for sure,\u201d the man replied, \u201cbut I have a suspicion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s his name?\u201d Joe pressed, stepping closer to the man and laying a hand on his gun.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t try to draw on me,\u201d the man warned.\u00a0 \u201cI have a secret you might want to hear.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe eased his gun back into its holster.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI live up in the mountains.\u00a0 A man stumbled into my home and murmured one word: Cartwright.\u00a0 Then he collapsed.\u00a0 Do you want to see him?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow do I know who he is?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou won\u2019t until you see him,\u201d the man replied.<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe thought that over for a minute.\u00a0 \u201cHow do I know you\u2019re telling the truth?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t.\u00a0 You will just have to trust me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d Little Joe answered. \u00a0\u201cYou lead.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

The home to which Little Joe was led was typical of mountain cabins.\u00a0 It was rustic, quiet, and very, very still.\u00a0 There were no horses in the yard or nearby.\u00a0 The man jumped off his horse, an odd look on his face.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s too quiet,\u201d he whispered to Joe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe drew his gun.\u00a0 If there was trouble afoot he wanted to be ready for it.\u00a0 The man flattened himself against the right side of the cottage just outside the front door; Joe did the same on the left.\u00a0 Then the man kicked the door open and rushed into the house.<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe entered cautiously and looked around.\u00a0 It was a one-room cabin with a loft that held only the barest necessities:\u00a0 a couch to the left on which a blanket had been tossed carelessly aside as though someone were in a hurry, and an overturned table and chair in the center of the room and another broken into pieces.\u00a0 A painting had been knocked off the wall and a large candlestick lay on its side on the floor.\u00a0 \u201cYour man must have put up quite a fight,\u201d Little Joe said after surveying the room.<\/span><\/p>\n

The house was definitely empty.\u00a0 The man looked around in mock horror then exclaimed, \u201cHe\u2019s gone.\u00a0 That poor man is gone!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s gone?\u201d Joe asked.\u00a0 \u201cThe man that was here?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The man nodded.\u00a0 \u201cSomehow, someone got here and took him away.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBy the mess, he must have fought for all he was worth.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The man nodded his head.\u00a0 He reached down by the sofa and picked up a tiny item, looked at it for a moment, then passed it to Joe.\u00a0 \u201cHe said your name often when he was delirious.\u00a0 Have you ever seen this before?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe took the object.\u00a0 His heart beat faster and for a moment the room swam in front of his eyes.\u00a0 Then he nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes, yes, I\u2019ve seen it.\u00a0 My brother never went anywhere without it.\u201d Joe passed a hand in front of his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a picture of Adam\u2019s mother.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Joe jumped, startled by another man\u2019s entrance.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Icy blue eyes glared at them.\u00a0 The intruder\u2019s clothes were torn, and his hair matted with sweat and trail dust.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHold it,\u201d he shouted, the gun in his hand more commanding than his words.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe focused on the man\u2019s eyes rather than the weapon.\u00a0 \u201cWho are you?\u201d he asked. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on here?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The gunman smiled.\u00a0 It was a cold grin that never reached his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cThis gun here says I\u2019m the one gets to ask questions.\u00a0 But I reckon I can oblige you some.\u00a0 Most folks call me Triton.\u00a0 Now, how \u2018bout you?\u00a0 You got a name yerself?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe Cartwright.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, another Cartwright,\u201d Triton replied, ignoring the younger man\u2019s words. \u201cI\u2019d suppose then that your brother is Adam\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0Adam Cartwright.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is he?\u201d Joe breathed heavily with worry.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, he\u2019s just having some fun in a silver mine somewhere near here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Triton turned away from Joe, and turned to the man that stood beside him. \u201cYou. You were supposed to meet me at the Ponderosa. Why didn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When the old man smiled, Joe felt himself growing cold.\u00a0 It was like that smile changed the man from a curious stranger to a cold-hearted\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0what?<\/em>\u00a0Murderer?\u00a0 Had he wounded Adam himself, right there in that cabin?\u00a0 Or worse\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0had he killed Joe\u2019s oldest brother?<\/span><\/p>\n

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

I was falling, falling off my horse. Did I hit something that spooked him?\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

A swift pain permeated my skull and after that, the world went blank.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

When I came to, I tried to sit up, but the world spun dizzily around me. I lifted my hand on instinct, intending to explore the wound in my head but instead discovered a sharper, blinding pain in my arm. Blackness far deeper than the surrounding night tried to pull me in again. I fought against it with everything I had. I needed to figure out what was going on.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Slowing my breaths, I first assessed my own condition. My right arm was broken, and my scalp creased by a thick, bloody trough I could only imagine had been caused by a bullet. But who had fired it? And why?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I focused my attentions outward, finding myself in a small camp. I saw two men sleeping near the fire.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t sure what they wanted, or why I was with them; I just knew I needed to figure a way out of there despite my injuries.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

So, while the stars sparkled and the moon gleamed down\u2014I planned my escape.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

My breakout was simpler than I thought possible.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

All I did was check to see if either of them were awake, and then began walking the best I could without making my wounds worse.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I walked straight the whole time. I saw a cabin in the distance and headed for it. I needed help.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The stranger was generous while I was there, but then he left and another man came.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

He snatched me by grabbing my torn up shirt, and dragging me out the front door. Despite the throbbing in my head, I remember dropping my mother\u2019s picture on the floor.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Now I can feel my own blood flowing freely down my head and arm. Where I lie is still, earthy, and cold. No other words to describe it. Except for the fact I can hear others moaning in front of me.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

They look familiar.\u00a0 One was silver haired, and the other is a giant of a man. They both are obviously in pain, but the big one\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0he looks like he is at the end of his endurance.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cHello out there.\u201d\u00a0 The deep rumbling voice could only belong to Ben Cartwright. \u201cMy sons need medical attention.\u201d\u00a0 The words echoed off the walls of the dark mine shaft and yet no one replied. Ben divided his gaze between his two sons. Unable to help them, he whispered encouraging words and promises that he had no way of keeping. \u201cWe\u2019ll get out of this mess yet, Hoss. Joe\u2019s still out there and you know that brother of yours will never give up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI hope he does.\u201d Hoss\u2019s voice was weak and fading faster than the light had when the man who had dumped Adam next to them many hours before, had walked away with the lantern. \u201cHe\u2019ll only end up tied up next to the rest of us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam groggily nodded his agreement.\u00a0 \u201cHe won\u2019t give up though.\u201d\u00a0 He tried to reposition himself and hissed at the pain that shot through his arm. \u201cYou know he\u2019ll never quit \u2018til he\u2019s dead or with us.\u00a0 But there\u2019s no chance he can drag us all out of here. He\u2019ll try, but it\u2019s a hopeless cause.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you reckon these fellers are after anyhow?\u201d Hoss squeezed his eyes closed against the pain that surged through his very core. \u201cThey won\u2019t want Joe if they need someone to collect them a ransom.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wish I knew,\u201d Ben sighed and leaned his head against the rough stone wall.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve been asking them that ever since they jumped me and Hoss. I\u2019ve yet to get any hint let alone an answer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss allowed his head to loll to the side and rest on his pa\u2019s shoulder just like he used to when he was a young boy too tired to stay awake any longer.\u00a0 In the dimly-lit cave, the foggy image of Adam was growing more shadowed.\u00a0 He could feel the pull into nothingness and, try as he might to fight it for the sake of his family, he knew he was losing the battle. He\u2019d put up quite a fight, that was for sure. Maybe even the fight of his life. With his hands tied behind him and a bullet hole in his side, Hoss never stood a chance.\u00a0 He\u2019d tried to fight them even so.\u00a0 Now his head felt like it was about to explode, and he figured he probably had a busted rib or two.\u00a0 A feller\u2019s body could only take so much punishment before even the strongest of men faded away into the sea of swirling blackness.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Joe felt his heart sink at the words that came from the cabin owner\u2019s lips. \u201cI figured it would be easier this way,\u201d the older man said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd since when do you make any decisions, Harley?\u201d\u00a0 Triton growled, slipping his gun back into his holster.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt worked out didn\u2019t it?\u201d Harley said smoothly. \u201cYou have your Cartwrights. That\u2019s what you wanted isn\u2019t it? That Adam didn\u2019t suspect a thing the whole time he was here\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0when he was conscious.\u201d He gestured toward Joe, \u201cNow you have the final piece of your little puzzle. He walked in willingly. If we had done it your way we would have had a time trying to get him out here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe searched for a way of escape while the words were exchanged. There was a window just off to his left.\u00a0 Triton stood near the door but wasn\u2019t fully blocking it.\u00a0 Joe tensed readying himself for his only chance to save his family.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t try it, Cartwright.\u201d Harley produced a gun and pulled back the hammer. \u201cI\u2019d just as soon shoot you in the leg to be sure you don\u2019t try anything stupid, but then I\u2019d have to scrub my floors.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019d have to drag you instead of letting you walk to your horse.\u201d Triton raised his own gun and leveled it at Joe. \u201cSo let\u2019s get going. Your family is waiting for you. No doubt they are worried sick over you.\u201d\u00a0 He took a step back and waved his gun toward the door. \u201cLet\u2019s not keep them waiting any longer. Tie his hands, Harley.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Harley holstered his weapon and dug around in a crate in the cabin\u2019s far corner until he found a length of rope. The older man pulled Joe\u2019s arms roughly behind his back and started to wrap the rope around Joe\u2019s wrists.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s gotta ride a horse to the mine, Harley. How\u2019s Cartwright supposed to sit a horse with his hands behind his back?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust \u2018cause you can\u2019t seem to stay on your horse on these trails with both hands free don\u2019t mean that everyone is like that. I watched the kid ride up this mountain. He can handle it.\u201d Harley finished trying the rope and stepped back to survey his job. \u201cOf course, we could always drape him over his saddle like you did to the big one after you near killed him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Triton snorted, \u201cThe way the old man squawked you\u2019d a thought it was him I\u2019d had the boys rough up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s feet itched to run, but the gun in Triton\u2019s hand was still leveled at his chest.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat your plan now and when do I get paid?\u201d Harley shoved Joe forward.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve just got a few more loose ends to tie up.\u201d Triton smiled but his eyes remained cold.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve carried out my end of the bargain and then some.\u201d\u00a0 Harley raised his voice a fraction. \u201cJust give me my money and leave me be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLike I said,\u201d Triton rolled his eyes, \u201cI\u2019ve got a few loose ends to rid myself of.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The gun shot echoed through the mountain peaks. Joe threw himself to the ground on instinct.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGet up, Cartwright,\u201d Triton motioned with his gun.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe struggled with his hands secured behind his back, but finally managed the action.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you live to make it out of this, Cartwright, which you won\u2019t,\u201d another cold smile twisted Triton\u2019s mouth, \u201calways remember to never leave a trail that can be followed, a clue that could lead a sheriff to your door, or a man that could turn against you. Now let\u2019s go join your family.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Triton helped Joe mount his horse, \u201cIf you go falling off that beast I\u2019ll just kick you down the side of the mountain and watch you roll to the bottom. Understand?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe glared at Triton\u2019s back as he awkwardly mounted his own horse. Centering his balance and gripping with his legs Joe started praying harder than he had ever prayed before. He didn\u2019t know what he was going to do when they got to wherever it was they were going, but just getting there was going to be challenge enough.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is this all about?\u201d Joe tried to keep the contempt out of his voice but failed miserably.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf I went and told you, it wouldn\u2019t be a surprise now would it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cMiss Maycombe?\u201d Carl Smithers stood hesitantly in the open doorway, self consciously turning his hat in his sweaty hands and unsure if he\u2019d be supposed or even allowed to just step into the room. The servant who\u2019d led him here had looked at him as if he were a particularly revolting specimen of an insect, and his condescending tone had told Carl that he didn\u2019t estimate him a suitable visitor for his mistress.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, he wasn\u2019t here on his own account; he was here because she had hired him, because\u00a0she<\/em>\u00a0needed\u00a0him<\/em>, but she had made clear from the very beginning that she didn\u2019t consider him her equal in any way.\u00a0 She used him like one used a spittoon\u2014he was utilitarian, but she was disgusted by him nonetheless.<\/span><\/p>\n

She did pay a helluva lot of money, though, and that\u2019s why Carl played along.<\/span><\/p>\n

Miss Maycombe looked up from the desk behind which she had entrenched herself.\u00a0\u00a0No, not this one.<\/em>\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t the kind of woman who\u2019d entrench herself behind anything\u2014ever.<\/span><\/p>\n

She might not have been a tall woman, but she had a big presence. Her black hair was tied up to a loose braid, some stray locks surrounded her beautiful face with full red lips, high, finely shaped cheekbones and big dark eyes, but all that beauty was marred by the disdainful curl of her mouth and the chilling cold in her look.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSit,\u201d she commanded, not so much as flicking a finger of the hand in which she was holding an elaborate pen, then shifted her attention back to whatever she had been writing, crossed out something here and added a word there, calmly ignoring the waiting man on the visitor\u2019s seat in front of her desk.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eventually she put the pen down\u2014folded her hands under her chin\u2014a gesture that might have looked coquettish in another woman, and raised an eyebrow.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI take it you\u2019ve finally found the scum?\u201d It was more of a threat than of a question.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, we did. Triton\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve told you before, I\u2019m not interested in names.\u00a0 Just tell me what I need to know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have him at the camp. He\u2019s mighty relieved his family is alive\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou haven\u2019t reunited them already, have you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, \u2018course not. You\u2019ve told me not to.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She looked up and joined her hands at the fingertips. She looked at a point that didn\u2019t even seem to be in the room, and over her face spread a smile that gave Carl the chills.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cVery well,\u201d she drew out. \u201cVery well, indeed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, we\u2019ve got them all together, as you wanted. What\u2019s next?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s next?\u201d Her sharp gaze went to his face, and Carl wished it hadn\u2019t. He had never seen so much hate in a person\u2019s look\u2014it was as if the devil himself was staring at him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s next is that Joe Cartwright will endure what I did.\u00a0 An eye for an eye, Smithers. A father for a father, a brother for a brother.\u201d She leaned forward. \u201cHe will feel exactly the pain I felt. He will lose his father and his brothers. He will watch them die, and there will be nothing he can do to save them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her voice was soft, velvety, she spoke in a strange sing-song pattern. While speaking, she rearranged the things on her desk, shifted the pen so that it lay perfectly in line with the table\u2019s edge, moved a ruler to a place precisely perpendicular to the pen, arranged a stack of paper to lay exactly parallel to both the front and side edge of the desk.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou will show him his family. Take them out of that mine.\u00a0 Show him the shape they are in.\u201d She corrected the position of the rocker blotter.\u00a0 It was now equidistant from both the ruler and the pen.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then you\u2019ll let him decide whom you will put out of his misery.\u201d She looked up. \u201cMake him believe the others will survive if he singles one out. Give him a deadline\u2014tomorrow at sunrise. Tell him if he doesn\u2019t decide whom he will sacrifice for the survival of the rest until then, you\u2019ll kill them all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen kill the one he picks out.\u201d She took up the pen and drew a tiny circle on the corner of a paper. \u201cHang him, like my father was hung.\u201d A cruel smile split her pale face. \u201cAnd let the scum shoo away the horse on which the delinquent sits.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Carl nodded. \u201cAnd what about the rest of them?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Miss Maycombe leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms, the pen dangling from her right hand. \u201cYou kill them, too, of course. I\u2019ve told you, Cartwright will have to go through the same as I have. Give him a day or two, so that he can ask himself if he made the right decision, and then kill the other two. Make it slow and painful, and let him watch it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat won\u2019t be a problem, ma\u2019am. My men know how to hurt a fella.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She raised an eyebrow. \u201cI most certainly hope so.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are we going to do with Joe then, ma\u2019am?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, you\u2019ll bring him here. I want him to know who\u2019s responsible for all this. I want him to know that it is his fault his family has died. I want him to know that he should never have interfered with my life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She uncrossed her arms, looked at the pen as if she saw it for the first time, and, with a disgusted snort, broke it in two.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then,\u201d she smiled amiably at Carl, \u201cand then Joe Cartwright will die, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

When they reached camp, Triton roughly dragged Joe off his horse and shoved him to a barbed-wire fence within clear view of a mine entrance.\u00a0 He forced Joe to the ground and tied him to one of the fence poles.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAny wrong move and these barbs will pierce you, Cartwright.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat’s going on?\u00a0 Are my father and brothers here?\u201d Joe demanded.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet’s just say there’s going to be a family reunion of sorts.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat’s that supposed to mean?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey, I ain’t spillin’ all the beans, Cartwright!\u201d\u00a0 Triton kicked Joe in the ribs and walked away, laughing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIs my family in there?\u00a0 I want to see them now, alive!\u201d Joe yelled after him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI ain’t sayin’ where they are.\u00a0 You’ll have your chance to see ’em soon enough, Cartwright.\u00a0 Here\u2019s an idea . . . think about your old girlfriend to pass the time until you see your dear family.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhich one?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, that’s right:\u00a0 you just kiss the girls and make them cry, dontcha!\u00a0 Does the name Maycombe ring a bell?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Maycombe, Maycombe, where have I heard that name?\u00a0 Maycombe!\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Joe shuddered with a shock of recognition at the mention of the name.\u00a0\u00a0Beatrice Maycombe!<\/em>\u00a0 Her father and\u00a0brothers had been hung after being convicted of murdering the Hensen family, burning them in their home and then blaming the act on Commancheros.\u00a0 Joe had been in Carson City during the trial.\u00a0 He had met Beatrice a couple of days earlier and had even taken her to dinner that night at the Crown Restaurant, hoping dinner would lead to more time with her. \u00a0 She on the other hand, was looking for a shoulder to cry on.\u00a0 She had told Joe about the upcoming trial and that her family was innocent.\u00a0 Joe sat in on the trial to pass some time, hoping to be supportive of Beatrice after her testimony.\u00a0 But as he listened, he knew she was committing perjury.\u00a0 She swore her father and brothers were home with her during the time of the murders.\u00a0 She had been putting the finishing touches on lunch while they had been in the barn milking the cows at high noon.\u00a0 She remembered because the sun was directly above the horizon.\u00a0 The men had come into the house afterwards and sat right down at the table.\u00a0 But Joe knew she was lying.\u00a0 She was no homesteader. She held herself too fine, and issued orders to the restaurant staff as though she was accustomed to it.\u00a0 However her family had tried to play it, she was a woman of means.\u00a0 Her father and brothers had probably never touched a cow before, let alone given any thought to milking one.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe did some digging of his own, discovering Beatrice’s father was an investor, not a farmer. Weeks earlier, Joe had heard talk of an area near Carson believed to harbor a new silver bonanza; a visit to the land office proved to him that the Hensen property was right in the middle of it. Equally interesting was the fact that Mr. Maycombe already had part ownership in one of the older mines, one that had closed some time ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe had approached the prosecuting attorney and told him about the holes in Beatrice’s testimony as well as the results of his own investigation.\u00a0 And Joe was put on the witness stand to contradict Beatrice’s words.\u00a0 It was partly due to Joe’s testimony that Beatrice’s father and brothers had been convicted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe now knew that Beatrice had revenge on her mind.\u00a0 She blamed him for the hangings.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nIf his family was in that mine in front of him, he’d have to figure out a way to rescue himself and them.\u00a0 He was sure Adam was hurt, but the extent of his wounds was unknown and there was no telling how bad off his father and Hoss might be.<\/span><\/p>\n

Getting out of this before further harm came to his family was going to take some cunning.\u00a0 And of all the Cartwrights, there was no one more cunning than Joe.\u00a0 It was a good thing Triton hadn’t thought to search Joe.\u00a0 All Joe had to do was reach for and open his jackknife, but it wasn’t going to be an easy task considering Joe’s hands were tied behind his back and he was bound to that barbed-wire fence.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

After an hour of twisting his hands back and forth in an attempt to free himself from his bonds, Joe gave up. There was no way he could reach his hidden weapon in the present situation. He felt blood oozing over his skin, soaking into the fabric of his jacket.\u00a0 Releasing a frustrated sigh, he laid his head back against the rough wooden post.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mentally cursing himself for being five kinds of a fool to assume that his troubles were over, he wondered how he could have been so blind. Beatrice was pure poison, but he had been drawn in by her sob story, lovely form, and seductive eyes.\u00a0 In his mind’s eye, he could see the venomous glare he had received from her when he had left Carson City; he had thought that would be the last time he would ever see the woman.\u00a0 Apparently, Miss Maycombe had other ideas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Anger built up inside of him until he thought he might burst; needing a way to relieve some of the pressure, he unthinkingly jerked his arms. An agonized scream nearly tore from his throat, but he managed to suppress it\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0barely.\u00a0 Gradually, the pain receded and the weariness of a day in the saddle caught up to him, dragging his lids down as if they were weighted.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cHey, you! Cartwright!\u201d A foot shot out and caught the unsuspecting prisoner in the ribs, making him gasp.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnswer me when I’m talking to you,\u00a0boy<\/em>!\u201d The man stressed the last word and Joe clenched his teeth on a biting remark.\u00a0 Peering up, he could make out the features of Triton leering over him; if looks could kill, the man would have been dead three times over from the acid look the youth sent him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Squatting on his haunches, Triton snorted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHa! More like what do\u00a0you<\/em>\u00a0want.\u201d When he only received a blank stare, the man went on.\u00a0 \u201cMiss Maycombe has kindly given you a choice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat kind of choice?\u201d Joe hated to seem interested, but his curiosity was aroused.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho dies and who lives.\u201d Informing the captive of the decision he had to make, he cackled at the horrified expression that flitted over the bound man’s face.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy that little b\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A hand shot out and slapped Joe soundly across the face before he could finish his curse.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow if I were you, I’d keep that smart tongue of yours in check before ya find yourself lacking it! You’ve got until tomorrow to give me an answer.\u201d\u00a0 He started to rise, but Joe’s reply made him turn back.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t have to wait until tomorrow to answer you since I know darn well whom I will choose now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Triton raised an eyebrow, the unspoken question hanging between the two men.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMe,\u201d Joe said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Triton blinked, taken aback by the boy’s bravery, but then he laughed.\u00a0 \u201cThat’s not an option, but don’t worry, you’ll die . . . like the rest of your family, if you don’t choose.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With another guffaw, he stood up and sauntered away until he disappeared into the shadows of a nearby tent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

The night passed with agonizing slowness for Joe as he sat bolt upright without even the luxury of being able to shift positions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Your family will die if you don’t choose.<\/em>\u00a0 The words echoed in his brain, tormenting him with its endless ringing. Groaning aloud, he tried desperately to think of a way out of the mess he was in\u2014the mess he had gotten his innocent family into.<\/span><\/p>\n

If only I’d kept my mouth shut at that trial\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0if only I hadn’t begged to go to San Francisco on that business trip\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0if only I’d come home sooner<\/em>\u2014and the biggest if only of all<\/em>\u2014if only I had never met Beatrice Maycombe!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

He shook his head.\u00a0 If only\u2019s and what-might-have-been\u2019s were a useless waste of his time.\u00a0 Glancing up at the skyline, he could just make out the faint tinges of pink that announced the sun’s arrival. Time was running out and still he had not made his decision.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is ridiculous!<\/em>\u00a0 Joe fumed, inwardly.\u00a0\u00a0Why is she punishing them when this is all my fault?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The last thought gave him pause; skimming through his memories of his trip to Carson City five months ago, Joe found nothing that made his present predicament his fault.\u00a0 No matter, the guilt barraged him anyway.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stone grated under boots as Triton appeared in the red haze of the early morning light.\u00a0 It was a crimson dawn and the old seaman’s proverb his pa had taught him flitted through Joe’s mind, \u201cRed sky at morning, sailors take warning; red sky at night sailors delight.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

How ironic, he mused. A storm was brewing somewhere in the peaks that surrounded the old mine.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYer choice awaits, Cartwright.\u201d The man’s mocking voice sent chills up Joe’s spine.<\/span><\/p>\n

His time was up.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Adam\u2019s moments of lucidity were growing fewer and Hoss had shown no sign of waking for hours now. Whatever these men had planned for them, time was running short:\u00a0 Ben\u2019s sons were dying.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cJoe!\u201d Adam\u2019s shout pulled Ben\u2019s gaze toward the mine\u2019s entrance, where a thin, orange glow told him another day was dawning.\u00a0 An acidic mix of hope and fear churned his stomach as he wondered whether Joe had found his family, or been taken like the rest of them.\u00a0 But as the shadows of five men came toward him, none had the gait of Little Joe, or wore the distinct holster for a left-handed gun.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe lake,\u201d Adam added a moment later. \u201cUnder\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0look\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0look in the water.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

No. Adam\u2019s words were calling to another time and place, swimming through the broken thoughts in his fevered mind.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben took a deep breath, giving his attention to the shadows .\u00a0.\u00a0. knowing in his heart this would be the last dawn he would see from this dark place.\u00a0 One way or another, his family\u2019s captivity would be brought to an end.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Five men.\u00a0 There were five men altogether.\u00a0 Joe had been watching long enough to be certain of the count. When all five disappeared into the mine\u2019s entrance, he knew it was his last chance\u2014his only chance.\u00a0 The ropes that bound his wrists, now moist with his blood, were finally starting to give. He pulled and twisted, numb to the pain, hopeful that his blood would provide enough lubrication.<\/span><\/p>\n

It did. His right hand slipped free.<\/span><\/p>\n

Encouraged, his heart beat harder, faster as he focused on working his left hand free as well\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0and then his heart seemed to stop beating altogether when he saw two men emerge from the mine, dragging Hoss between them. Was Hoss already dead? Was Joe already too late? He stared at his brother as they drew nearer, sickened by the blood staining Hoss\u2019s shirt and trousers, and caked along the side of his head. Hoss didn\u2019t move; he didn\u2019t move at all.<\/span><\/p>\n

They dropped him no more than six feet from Joe, close enough to allow Joe to see the slow, steady rise and fall of Hoss\u2019s chest. For an instant, Joe wasn\u2019t entirely sure he should be thankful to see Hoss was still alive. If Joe failed, if he could not break free, if he could do nothing at all except to watch his family die\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.<\/span><\/p>\n

As long as there\u2019s life, there\u2019s hope<\/em>. Joe could hear his pa\u2019s voice as though he was standing right beside him.\u00a0 He held to it; clung to it, forcing himself to believe that even when there was nothing else, there was always hope.<\/span><\/p>\n

While he renewed his efforts at freeing his left hand, two more men came out of the mine, dragging Adam between them.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s oldest brother was stumbling, and clearly in no condition to help Joe even if he did break free.<\/span><\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t matter.<\/span><\/p>\n

As long as there\u2019s life, there\u2019s hope<\/em>, his pa said, over and over again in Joe\u2019s mind.<\/span><\/p>\n

And then his Pa emerged as well.\u00a0 In the grip of Triton himself, Pa was walking toward Joe without assistance.\u00a0 His hands were tied, but his back was straight and sure, making him look strong, maybe even stronger than ever. It was strange, then, to see something of a look of resignation in his father\u2019s eyes, as though his Pa himself had lost hope.<\/span><\/p>\n

No, Pa<\/em>, Joe said deep inside himself, putting steel into his own gaze, determined that his Pa would see it.\u00a0\u00a0As long as there\u2019s life, there\u2019s hope.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTime\u2019s up, Cartwright,\u201d Triton said as he pulled Ben to stand directly in front of Joe. \u201cWho\u2019s it gonna be?\u201d\u00a0 He actually grinned, as though he were eager to make the kill.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo one,\u201d Joe glared back at him.\u00a0 Something in the rocks at Triton\u2019s back caught Joe\u2019s eye\u2014a brief flash, like a reflection.\u00a0 He looked up, just for an instant, but he could see nothing. Dawn\u2019s shadows were still too new, still too long.\u00a0 He could only pray it wasn\u2019t another of Triton\u2019s men, hidden away, waiting to take back whatever last chances Joe might yet find.<\/span><\/p>\n

Triton\u2019s grin died as he followed the line of Joe\u2019s gaze to the rocks beyond, though he, too, could surely see nothing.\u00a0 \u201cI already told ya\u2019,\u201d he said then, returning his attention to Joe. \u201cIf it\u2019s no one, it\u2019s everyone. You really want that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe fought against the urge to look again toward the rocks.\u00a0 Triton\u2019s reaction had given him hope.\u00a0 If it wasn\u2019t one of Triton\u2019s men, whoever it was might be able to offer help.\u00a0 It was a long shot, but a shot, nonetheless.\u00a0 Keeping his eyes on Triton, Joe filled his lungs, and pulled his back straighter, taking cues from his Pa\u2019s posture.\u00a0 \u201cDo you really expect me to believe you\u2019d let any of us go?\u201d he said, somehow finding comfort in that very realization.\u00a0 There was no choice to make, and none he would offer.\u00a0 He shook his head. \u201cAs long as one of us is still alive, you\u2019ll hang, and you know it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Triton\u2019s confidence seemed to waver.\u00a0 He got sloppy, loosening his grip on Ben and turning just the slightest bit toward one of his men.\u00a0 Joe didn\u2019t hesitate.\u00a0 He yanked his left hand free in one final, agonizing pull, and then threw himself at the man.\u00a0 He heard movement behind him, around him, as his head slammed into Triton\u2019s chest, driving the man backward.\u00a0 Whatever anyone else was doing didn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 The only thing Joe could do was bring Triton down once and for all.\u00a0 He reached for Triton\u2019s gun.<\/span><\/p>\n

The man was strong, stronger than Joe. Wrestling his arms out of the tangle of Joe\u2019s, he grabbed Joe\u2019s right wrist, but he couldn\u2019t get a clean grip.\u00a0 His fingers kept slipping; there was too much blood.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Joe, there was too much pain.\u00a0 His vision grayed, but somehow he found more strength, as though the pain itself had spurred him on.\u00a0 Barely aware of how it even got there, suddenly he had Triton\u2019s gun in his hand.\u00a0 There was no time to think, no time to even aim.\u00a0 He pulled back the hammer.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Gunfire exploded around Ben.\u00a0 The first shot, clearly coming from where Joe struggled with Triton, made Ben\u2019s blood run cold.\u00a0 He tensed, still reaching for the gun from the man he had plowed into as Joe had plowed into Triton.\u00a0 The other shots quickened his own struggle, worry for Joe set briefly aside for the sake of the sons who could do no fighting of their own.\u00a0 Even with his hands still secured in front of him, he somehow managed to grasp the man\u2019s gun.\u00a0 He pulled back the hammer\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0only then did he realize the man was already dead.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stunned, Ben swiveled around to see they were all down.\u00a0 All five of the outlaws had been shot.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the sound of horses turned him around again, he watched a group of men approaching, one of whom was wearing a tin star\u2014the Carson City sheriff.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGot here quick as I could, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d the Sheriff said as he dismounted. \u201cI come out here yesterday on a hunch.\u00a0 After I saw what was goin\u2019 on, I headed back to collect as much help as I could find.\u00a0 I expect Sheriff Coffee will be along any time now, but, well\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u201d He scanned the tangle of bodies and shook his head. \u201cIt was clear I couldn\u2019t wait any longer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben gave no answer; instead, he turned back to his sons and quickly assessed their condition.\u00a0 Adam was sitting up, looking around as though confused.\u00a0 Strangely, there was a gun in his hand.\u00a0 Hoss\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0Hoss lay still, yet Ben still saw the soft rise and fall of his chest. Two sons still lived.\u00a0 Steeling himself, Ben looked toward where his third son had been struggling with Triton.\u00a0 What he saw caught his breath.\u00a0 His knees, suddenly weak, could barely move him forward.\u00a0 Joe lay on his back, his arms stretched out to either side of him.\u00a0 His chest\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0the front of his shirt was thick with blood.\u00a0 There was too much of it.\u00a0 Too\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0too much.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet me help you with that, Mr. Cartwright.\u201d The sheriff tugged at the bindings on Ben\u2019s wrists.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben pulled away from him. \u201cMy son,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat was sure a crazy thing he done.\u201d The sheriff sounded\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0pleased; almost cheerful.<\/span><\/p>\n

Furious, Ben wanted to hit him.\u00a0 He would have hit him, but he had to reach Joe. Lurching forward, he dropped to his knees beside his youngest son, reaching out with his still bound hands. \u201cJoe,\u201d he said softly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s chest rose noticeably then, his lungs filling with a deep breath.\u00a0 And then\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0then Joe gave a small, gasping laugh.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t believe it, Pa. I just can\u2019t\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0I never thought\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u201d Taking another deep breath, he pulled himself up, resting on his elbows. \u201cI had to try, but I never thought\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u201d His grin faded as his gaze strayed to his brothers.\u00a0 \u201cI had to hope,\u201d he said more softly, seeming on the verge of tears. Finally, he looked right at his Pa, his gaze as worn and weary as Ben\u2019s own.\u00a0 \u201cI had to, Pa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know, son.\u201d\u00a0 The words could barely escape Ben\u2019s throat. \u201cYou\u2019re not\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u201d He reached for Joe\u2019s bloodied shirt.\u00a0 \u201cNot hurt?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe laughed again, softly, sadly.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s Triton\u2019s\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.Triton\u2019s blood.\u201d\u00a0 The laugh nearly turned into a sob. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Pa. None of this\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0none of it should have happened.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not your fault.\u00a0 You\u2019re sure you\u2019re not hurt?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe started to rise, but when he planted his hand on the ground, Ben saw him wince in pain and pull back, cradling one bloodied palm with another.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYour hands.\u201d\u00a0 Ben tried to reach for them, suddenly angered by the ropes still constraining him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe pulled away. \u201cThey\u2019ll heal, Pa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben followed his gaze toward Hoss\u2014strong, valiant Hoss. Ben\u2019s bear of a son had kept fighting far beyond what should have been the limits of his endurance, spurred on by the harm he\u2019d seen done to Adam and the cruel taunts of the men who had taken them, taunts describing what would be done to Joe as soon as he, too, was in their hands. Now, days later, Joe, like Hoss, had fought despite impossible odds, spurred on surely by the sight of his injured brothers. Ben could have lost all of them, all three of his sons, perhaps only for the fact that they cared too much for one another. Even Adam\u2014that gun in his hand proved he\u2019d fought, too; fevered, his thoughts muddled, still he must have seen the danger to his family. It was a bittersweet realization, one that warmed Ben\u2019s heart and left him feeling cold. Yes, he could have lost all three of his sons; he could still lose two of them, given the damage already done.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey will heal, too, Joe,\u201d he said, praying to heaven he was right. \u201cWith God\u2019s grace, they will heal, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But Joe did not look convinced.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cWell, now, you’re both lookin’ a heap better than you did the last time I saw you.\u201d Sheriff Purcell was smiling as he rose from his desk in the Carson City jailhouse to greet Joe and Ben.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben seemed as cheerful as the sheriff. \u201cI can assure you we’re\u00a0feeling<\/em>\u00a0a heap better than we did last week,\u201d he said, chuckling softly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYour other boys, too?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam and Hoss, too, thank heavens. A few more days of rest should see them both fit enough to head home. They were in a bad way when you found us, sheriff, but the worst is over. Doc says they\u2019ll both be fine in time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Purcell nodded.\u00a0 \u201cGlad to hear it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Unable to find a smile of his own, Joe obligingly took a seat in front of the sheriff\u2019s desk, his gaze straying toward the door to the cells.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, son,\u201d the sheriff said, apparently noticing where Joe had focused his attention. \u201cShe’s back there, alright.\u201d\u00a0 He retook his own seat, settling in with a grunt, \u201cThat Smithers fella gave us plenty to go on, and all so he could make himself look better in the eyes of the judge, of course.\u00a0 Now your testimony and that of your pa and brothers will lock this case up tight.\u00a0 She won’t be playing games with folks’ lives no more. You can bank on that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His testimony.<\/em>\u00a0 Isn’t that what started this whole thing? If Joe had never testified against the Maycombes, Beatrice would have had no reason to go after his family. But perhaps then her family would have gone free, and the Hensens’ deaths would have given the Maycombes exactly what they’d wanted in the first place:\u00a0 mining rights on the Hensen property.\u00a0 Two families were dead already, the Hensens and the Maycombes\u2014except for Beatrice. And Beatrice\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0she’d wanted to bring about the end of a third family as well.\u00a0 Joe’s family.\u00a0 No, he could not have done anything different.\u00a0 He knew that; and yet, he felt guilty.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI heard tell Smithers was lookin’ into reopening that mine for her,\u201d the sheriff was saying, \u201cI thought that whole business with mining would have been the last thing on that poor girl’s mind. And Smithers?\u00a0 He ain’t the minin’ sort. He wouldn’t know the first thing to do about it.\u00a0 Even if he did, everyone knows that mine was played out years ago.\u00a0 That\u2019s when I reckoned I ought to check it out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re certainly grateful you did,\u201d Ben said. \u201cYou saved all our lives back there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a wonder I made it in time.\u00a0 But this boy of yours, he sure wasn’t about to give in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe bristled at the light tone in the sheriff’s voice.\u00a0 The man made it sound as though Joe’s battle to stay alive, to keep his whole family alive, had been just another game.\u00a0 No.\u00a0 None of it had been a game.\u00a0 And Beatrice had not been playing; she had been intent on killing every last one of them.\u00a0 Anger filling his lungs with bitter air and Joe found it impossible to stay seated.\u00a0 He rose and moved toward the inner door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d Ben called out.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to see her, I bet,\u201d the sheriff said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe heard a chair slide across the floor, and then the sound of keys rattling. He never took his eyes from the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCan’t say as I blame you, none,\u201d the sheriff went on as he squeezed past Joe to open the door. \u201cHard to imagine though, a high falutin\u2019 woman like that bein’ responsible for all that mess.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Inside the cell, Beatrice Maycombe was sitting just as tall and proper as she had in the restaurant all those weeks ago.\u00a0 She had a regal air about her, even there in that jail cell, sitting at a table so small a tray of food covered it completely.\u00a0 But then Joe noticed something else, something\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0odd. She was not eating the food; she was\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0arranging it. She picked up her fork, cast her eyes around the small plate, and then moved two green beans until they sat in perfect alignment with the others.\u00a0 After she very meticulously set the fork down again, exactly where it had been before, she lifted the salt shaker.\u00a0 But instead of salting her food, her hand hovered in the air for a moment, circling the table with the shaker until her eyes locked in on one particular spot to the left of her cup of coffee.\u00a0 She seemed to study the spot with keen interest, and then very carefully, as though taking precise aim, set the salt shaker down upon that spot.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone here to see ya’, Miss Maycombe,\u201d the sheriff said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSit,\u201d she said without looking up, her attention drawn by the pepper grinder.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe looked at the sheriff, who shrugged back at him. \u201cBeatrice?\u201d he called out softly.<\/span><\/p>\n

She looked up, her eyes glaring. \u201cThat should be Miss Maycombe to the likes of you.\u201d And then she looked to the table again, focusing on her knife.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBeatrice?\u201d he said more pointedly.<\/span><\/p>\n

This time when she raised her eyes, there was venom in them. \u201cI will not be addressed in that manner.\u00a0 Leave me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Joe found himself replying.<\/span><\/p>\n

She turned her head without looking up, and then rose with as much precision as she had applied to arranging her tableware.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot until you tell me why,\u201d Joe went on.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d she said back to him. \u201cWhy?\u201d she repeated, now making her way toward the bars separating them. \u201cYou have no right to ask me why. I am the lady of this house and you will do as I say, or be cast back out into those vile streets where I found you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo you even know where you are?\u201d Joe heard his pa asking.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou, sir, remove this insolent wretch from my sight. And tell my father I wish to speak with him at once. These rooms are completely unacceptable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYour father?\u201d Ben asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou heard me. Now go.\u201d She waved her hand in dismissal.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMiss,\u201d the Sheriff cleared his throat, \u201cyour father was hanged five weeks ago.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She looked at him, curious. The way her head tilted first one way and then another reminded Joe of a cat studying the slow movements of spider in its web. \u201cYes,\u201d she said softly after a moment. \u201cQuite. And is it finished, then?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIs what finished, Miss?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know perfectly well! Is it finished?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The sheriff cocked head. \u201cMiss?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She threw herself toward him, her fists wrapping around the bars. \u201cIs he dead? That miserable, lying monster, Joe Cartwright.\u00a0 Is he dead?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Confused, Joe looked to his pa. \u201cB-Beatrice?\u201d Joe said then, still expecting her to recognize him.<\/span><\/p>\n

She turned her head slowly until she saw him. \u201cHe is dead, isn’t he?\u201d she went on, her voice softer. \u201cHe is dead. Tell me he’s dead.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBeatrice? I\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0I’m not\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u201d Joe shook his head.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Ben said sternly. \u201cHe is not dead. Your plan failed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She shuddered, as though stricken, looking at Ben in what could almost have been horror if Joe could believe a woman like Beatrice Maycombe could be afraid of anything at all.\u00a0 But in an instant the look was gone.\u00a0 A deep breath pulled her back as straight and tall as ever. \u201cYes,\u201d she said, her forehead smooth, her eyes calm. \u201cYes,\u201d she said again as she turned away, walking back toward the table. \u201cHe’s dead. Thank you.\u201d\u00a0 She reclaimed her seat and picked up her fork. \u201cThat will be all,\u201d she said, setting her fork down and picking up the salt shaker.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Later, when the night was thick and Sheriff Purcell lay on his cot, snoring softly, Beatrice Maycombe awoke trembling. Her eyes were wide as she gazed into the darkness around her.\u00a0 She rose frantic and stumbled against the small table, sending a glass of water tumbling to the floor. The gentle clink as it shattered at first stole her breath\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0and then calmed her.\u00a0 She reached for it, like a child grasping a favorite toy. When it sliced into her palm, she pulled her hand back, at first startled by the pain and then mesmerized by the blood.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reaching for the glass again, she picked it up, studying the red spots along its jagged edge. S he looked at her palm, and then at the glass, and realized something wasn’t right. Something was out of place.\u00a0 Needing to find a way to make it right again, she pulled the glass across her other palm and then compared her hands.\u00a0 They weren’t even.\u00a0 Frustrated, she tried again, and then again.\u00a0 But she just couldn’t get it right.\u00a0 No matter how many times she tried, she just couldn’t get it right\u2014not until she reached her wrists.<\/span><\/p>\n

She watched the blood and saw a river, and then, closing her eyes, she let it carry her away.<\/span><\/p>\n

Epilogue<\/span><\/p>\n

As they neared the house, Joe felt his heart pounding heavier against his chest and he found it increasingly difficult to catch his breath. There was nothing to worry about; he knew that.\u00a0 Beatrice Maycombe was dead, as were all of her hired guns.\u00a0 Only Carl Smithers remained, and he was not a man to fear.\u00a0 Even so, Joe could not shake a feeling of dread.\u00a0 He could not forget arriving home to the sight of the black wreath, a sight that had unnerved him enough to cloud his judgment, and rather than saving his family, he had needed to be saved right along with them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pulling back on his reins, Joe slowed Cochise until he fell a step behind the buggy his Pa had rented to bring Adam and Hoss home.\u00a0 Maybe if he was able to watch them arrive ahead of him, proving to himself they were really home and the house was no longer deserted, maybe then he could breathe easier\u2014maybe then he could finally find the comfort he’d been eager to reach since he had left San Francisco.\u00a0 It had been over a month since he had felt the comfort of home.\u00a0 Now it was finally close at hand and yet it didn’t\u00a0feel<\/em>\u00a0close at hand. Something was wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hop Sing greeted them with more enthusiasm than Joe had ever remembered seeing before, and Joe found himself laughing right along with everyone else\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0yet when he started toward the front door he felt that heaviness again. The wreath was gone, but he could see it in his mind as though it was right there in front of him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI’ll take care of the horses,\u201d he found himself saying, holding back while Pa helped Hoss inside, behind a slow-moving Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe have more important work to do,\u201d Hop Sing called out from the doorway.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe studied him, surprised. \u201cI do?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou come inside. You see.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe glanced back at Cochise, suddenly terrified to see him drinking from the trough.<\/span><\/p>\n

The whittling man had warned it was poisoned.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

No argument mattered anymore.\u00a0 Joe went to his horse to draw him away from the trough, ignoring both his pa and Hop Sing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe said it was poisoned!\u201d\u00a0 Joe shouted over his shoulder as he started to lead Cochise toward the barn.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWater not poison!\u201d Hop Sing shouted back. \u201cHop Sing horse fine. No sick.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe stopped and turned, glancing between the trough and Hop Sing.\u00a0 \u201cHe said it was poisoned.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWater fine.\u00a0 Now you go inside.\u00a0 Have work to do!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tired and confused, Joe felt his shoulders sag.\u00a0 \u201cLet me just\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCochise fine.\u00a0 Little Joe go inside.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Without even knowing what sort of battle he had been fighting, Joe felt defeated.\u00a0 He sighed, shook his head and then returned Cochise to the hitching post, still unnerved by the sight of the water, yet grudgingly trusting in Hop Sing’s judgment.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cLittle Joe stay right there,\u201d Hop Sing commanded.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sighing again, Joe crossed his arms in front of him and watched the Chinese cook shuffle quickly away. An instant before disappearing into the kitchen, Hop Sing turned back and aimed a finger at the fireplace. \u201cStay there!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI’m staying, Hop Sing,\u201d Joe promised.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe’s sure got you where he wants you,\u201d Hoss said from where he sat on the settee.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think he’s got all of us where he wants us,\u201d Adam added from his place in the blue chair.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut why?\u201d Ben asked from his favorite, red leather chair.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe found himself chuckling softly along with the rest of his family until he saw what Hop Sing brought out from the kitchen. Then his heart went cold and his lungs seemed to have forgotten how to draw air.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe stay!\u201d Hop Sing commanded as Joe started to turn away.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe ignored him. He walked sluggishly toward the stairway and then leaned against the newel post, keeping his back to the cook and the black wreath in his hands. \u201cWhy didn’t you just burn it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause that task for Little Joe.\u201d Hop Sing’s voice was softer now, less commanding but somehow more compelling.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe waited a moment before facing the man again. When he did, Hop Sing lifted his hands, holding the wreath out like an offering.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe burn,\u201d Hop Sing said. \u201cSend away evil.\u00a0 Make Cartwright home free of\u00a0shiong<\/em>, bad omen.\u201d Hop sing lifted his hands again. \u201cYou burn.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe met his pa’s gaze and saw understanding in them, maybe even appreciation. Then he looked to Hoss and Adam. Both had anger in their eyes, eager to jump up and burn the thing themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe, burn away\u00a0shiong<\/em>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Heaving a weary sigh, Joe came forward. He took the wretched thing from Hop Sing and then quickly threw it into the fireplace, anxious to be rid of it, somehow feeling as though holding it for even one second too long would be more deadly than the most venomous snake in the desert.<\/span><\/p>\n

And then\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0he felt oddly relieved, as though watching it burn was the exact thing he’d needed to do.<\/span><\/p>\n

When he looked to Hop Sing again, he saw a familiar, knowing smile. He returned it with a genuine smile of his own, the first he’d felt since\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0since before he’d first set eyes on that black wreath.<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe finally felt comfortable.\u00a0 He was home.\u00a0 They were all home, right where they belonged.<\/span><\/p>\n

End<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

Summary: \u00a0Joe returns to the Ponderosa after a short trip only to find no one home and a black wreath on the door.\u00a0 What could have happened?\u00a0 Read on . . . .<\/p>\n

Rated: \u00a0T \u00a0WC \u00a011,300<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":375,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[23,40],"tags":[18,916,22],"class_list":["post-2460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-challenges","tag-hop-sing","tag-rrc","tag-roy-coffee","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-40-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1948,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/coming-soon-5.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":40518,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=40518","url_meta":{"origin":2460,"position":0},"title":"A Wreath of Blessings (by PuchiAnn)","author":"Puchi Ann","date":"December 14, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 A poem originally inspired by a Christmas card showing a wreath made from pine branches and cones and sent out years ago to Bonanza friends. 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Rating:\u00a0 K+\u00a0 (775 word) A Modern Cartwright Story Series, links to stories within the series are included.","rel":"","context":"In "Alternate Universe"","block_context":{"text":"Alternate Universe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19239,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=19239","url_meta":{"origin":2460,"position":4},"title":"Attic Window aka Lucia (by Foreverfree)","author":"Foreverfree","date":"December 25, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: Written for the 2018 Advent Calendar, based on the quilting prompt, Attic Window. Hoss tells Little Joe about Saint Lucia, as only he can. 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