{"id":2543,"date":"2005-09-08T23:50:11","date_gmt":"2005-09-09T03:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2543"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:10:38","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:10:38","slug":"conquering-the-stillness-within-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2543","title":{"rendered":"Conquering the Stillness Within – Part 2 (by Kenda)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0<\/span>“Conquering the Stillness Within” is an alternate universe story to the 12th season aired episode “The Stillness Within.” Or maybe better put a, “What if it would have happened like this. . .” story. Although the character of Jamie Hunter appeared in “The Stillness Within,” he doesn’t appear in “Conquering.” Candy, who did not appear in “The Stillness Within,” is included in this fan fiction story.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rated:<\/span>\u00a0K+ (45,425 words)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Conquering the Stillness Within Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Part 1<\/a>
\nPart 2<\/a>
\nPart 3<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Conquering the Stillness Within<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/span>Chapter 24<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joe rubbed his damp palms across the legs of his trousers, hoping they hadn\u2019t been covered with sweat when he\u2019d shaken hands with each of the ten school board members. He sat in Adam\u2019s office at the institute, waiting to hear the outcome of his job interview. Adam was still in the conference room with the board members, saying what, Joe didn\u2019t know, but he supposed putting in a few good words for him before the vote was taken.<\/span><\/p>\n

The man\u2019s left hand rose to his black string tie, but just as he was about to undo it and loosen the top button on his shirt, he thought better of it. What if the board members wanted to see him again before they voted? He\u2019d better stay all \u201cgussied up,\u201d as Hoss would say, until this ordeal ended.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s first exposure to the school a week earlier had been a positive one. Like Adam said would happen, the kids took to him the second they realized he was carrying bags of candy. Aside from meeting many of the children who boarded at the school for the summer, Joe had met the small contingent of staff on hand, who oversaw and provided for the students unable to travel home, wherever \u201chome\u201d might be.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMany of them simply live too far away,\u201d Adam had explained about the year-round students after that initial visit was over, and he and Joe were walking back to Beacon Hill with Shakespeare. \u201cIt\u2019s too much of a hardship for their parents to pay for passage to places like California or Texas. We even have two students from Nevada.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou do?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, one teenage boy who went home to Carson City for the summer, and one ten-year-old girl who lives in Silver Peak. You met her. Hannah Robinson.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe nodded, but in truth he had no idea which one of the children who\u2019d clamored around getting acquainted with him by feeling his facial features with their hands, was Hannah Robinson. All the names ran together. He was just beginning to learn how difficult it was to distinguish one person from another, when you had no visual clues to draw from, like hair color, eye color, height, or body size.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then there are those students whose families refuse to have them come back home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRefuse to have them? Whatta ya\u2019 mean?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause they\u2019re blind, Joe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s. . .well, to some families it\u2019s an embarrassment. Having a blind child, that is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s arm slid around Joe\u2019s shoulder. \u201cBut not to the Cartwright family. Not ever.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe had smiled at his brother. \u201cI know that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOf course I\u2019m sure. Don\u2019t worry about it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou sound upset.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOnly because of what you told me. About how some of the kids don\u2019t get to go home because their parents refuse to have them. What happens to those kids when they\u2019re too old to continue attending the institute?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThose who come from wealth, generally go on to college, and then upon graduation, advance to careers that allow them to live independently of their parents. Other students \u2013 those whose parents won\u2019t entertain the notion of college, or can\u2019t afford it \u2013 return home despite the lack of a warm welcome, though to what type of futures, I\u2019m not certain. I sometimes wonder if all we taught them is lost, simply because they have no support from their parents or siblings.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose that\u2019s possible,\u201d Joe had agreed. He wondered what it would be like for a child raised in a school for the blind, to return home after years of absence to people who wanted nothing more than to pretend that his or her handicap didn\u2019t exist. Or that he or she didn\u2019t exist for that matter.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOthers go on to find work here in Boston, or in New York, or Chicago. And when worst comes to worst, I\u2019ve allowed those in need to stay at the institute beyond the age of eighteen, until I can find something for them \u2013 a job, a place to live, a decent start in life. I\u2019m not supposed to do it, but what the school board doesn\u2019t know, doesn\u2019t hurt them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI like your devil-may-care attitude, big brother.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou should. I learned it from you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe laughed that afternoon, but what Adam said about the students who weren\u2019t welcome back in their parents\u2019 homes stayed with him. He couldn\u2019t imagine turning his back on one of his own children, regardless of what illness or tragedy might befall him or her. The same went for children of Adam\u2019s or Hoss\u2019s. If Joe were needed to take care of any offspring either of his brothers had, his door would always be open to them. And if one of those children was blind, or deaf, or crippled in any way by an illness or problem at birth, it wouldn\u2019t matter to Joe. And he didn\u2019t just feel this way because he\u2019d lost his own sight. It wouldn\u2019t have mattered to him before that, either.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe went back to the school with Adam and Shakespeare four more times between that first day and today. Originally, he tagged along for no other reason than for a way to pass the time. But by his second visit, he was looking forward to doing whatever he could to help. There were no formal classes during the summer months, but the kids who remained behind while their schoolmates went home, were kept occupied with all types of projects and activities, as well as the weekly publication of the school\u2019s newspaper. Laddie had put Joe to work right away assisting with the boys, and going along as a chaperone on \u201cday trips,\u201d as she called them. As near as Joe could tell, \u201cday trips\u201d gave the kids an opportunity to do what he\u2019d done on the Ponderosa since he was old enough to walk \u2013 fish, swim, hike, and go on picnics. It was amazing what people in Boston would pay a fee to do.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve gotta remember to tell Hoss about this, Joe thought one day when the school had paid for the younger children to ride ponies at a stable. He and I should have come up with this idea years ago. We could have gotten rich charging city people to spend a few days on the Ponderosa fishing, swimming, and riding horses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe didn\u2019t get paid for his help at the school, of course, but he didn\u2019t care. It gave him something to do \u2013 a way to feel useful, and it gave him a chance to get to know some of the other teachers. However, those days spent at the institute also meant it would be that much harder on Joe if the school board didn\u2019t hire him, but he didn\u2019t allow himself to dwell on that. Boston held a lot of possibilities, and Adam knew a lot of people. If Joe wasn\u2019t hired to teach, maybe he could get a job doing. . .well, what, he wasn\u2019t sure, but something where it didn\u2019t matter if he was blind or not. And if all else failed, he\u2019d return home with Hoss and Pa in the fall, and make the best of things on the Ponderosa. It wasn\u2019t what he wanted to do, unless Pa could come up with some jobs for him, but it was comforting to know there was always that option.<\/span><\/p>\n

As he now waited for the school board\u2019s decision, Joe\u2019s legs jiggled up and down with uneasiness. He heard some of the kids passing by in the hallway, but he didn\u2019t open Adam\u2019s office door and greet them. He didn\u2019t want them to know he was here. The children hadn\u2019t been told he was applying for a job at the institute. They only knew he was Headmaster Cartwright\u2019s brother, who was visiting from Nevada. They didn\u2019t even know he was blind. Some of their teachers were blind, like Laddie, while others were sighted, like Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

If the way the morning had started off was any indication of what the day held, then this long wait could only mean one thing \u2013 that the school board didn\u2019t find him qualified to teach. Joe had felt fine at breakfast, and after a walk around Adam\u2019s yard with Shakespeare, he\u2019d gone upstairs to bathe and get dressed in his black suit. He was scheduled to meet with the board members at eleven. He\u2019d just gotten his clothes out of the closet, when pain lanced through his head so sudden and strong that it dropped him to his knees. He grabbed for the washstand, caught just a corner of it, and sent it crashing to the floor. The pitcher and bowl shattered, splattering Joe with water. He barely took notice, though, because he began throwing up more violently than he could ever remember doing in his entire life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam had still been sitting on the back porch reading the newspaper when Joe went inside, but Mrs. O\u2019Connell was in the kitchen washing dishes. Joe barely registered her running footsteps on the backstairs, and then her startled cry of, \u201cJoseph! Joseph, what\u2019s wrong with yeh?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Even if Joe had been able to answer the woman, he wouldn\u2019t have known what to tell her. He\u2019d experienced numerous headaches since the explosion, but none as severe as this one.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was dimly aware of the woman\u2019s short, choppy steps as she sped from the room calling, \u201cMr. Cartwright! Mr. Cartwright, come quick, Joseph\u2019s ill! Mr. Cartwright! Mr. Cartwright!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The next thing Joe was aware of was heavier footsteps racing up the backstairs. By this time he had nothing left in his stomach to bring up, and was curled on his left side moaning in pain, his hands clutching his forehead.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam didn\u2019t shout. Thank God he didn\u2019t shout, Joe would think later, because surely his head would have split open had his brother yelled his name like Mrs. O\u2019Connell had done. Instead, Adam kept his voice soft and calm.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe. . .Joe, can you hear me?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes were squeezed shut against the pain, but he managed to give a slight nod.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, Joe, listen. I\u2019m going to move you just a little bit here. Get you out of this mess you\u2019re lying in, all right?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At that moment, Joe didn\u2019t care what he was lying in, but he was too sick to tell Adam to leave him alone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOn three, Joe.\u201d Adam\u2019s arm slithered beneath Joe\u2019s shoulder and the floor. \u201cHelp me if you can by moving backwards, but if you can\u2019t, that\u2019s okay, too. One. . .<\/span>
\ntwo. . .three.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe felt himself being scooted back toward the bed. He tried to help as Adam had asked him to, but he didn\u2019t accomplish much more than sliding his boots along on the Oriental rug he\u2019d just decorated with his breakfast. A blanket was spread over him, and then his head and shoulders were gently lifted into Adam\u2019s lap. He heard Mrs. O\u2019Connell say, \u201cHere, Mr. Cartwright. Here\u2019s a cool cloth.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe wasn\u2019t sure how long he remained on the floor in Adam\u2019s lap, Adam holding a cold cloth across his forehead. He knew the cloth was replaced every so often with a fresh one that had been doused in water, but that was about all he was aware of, other than Adam\u2019s voice drifting in and out as the waves of pain came and went.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll be okay, Joe,\u201d Adam assured in that steady way he had, as though the world wouldn\u2019t dare defy what Adam Stoddard Cartwright dictated. \u201cYou\u2019re going to be fine. Obviously, Mrs. O\u2019Connell\u2019s cooking isn\u2019t quite as good as everyone thinks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That joke got a small smile out of Joe, which was probably what Adam was hoping for. At least it told Adam that Joe understood what was said to him, which likely lifted a portion of Adam\u2019s worries.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t yeh speak ill of me cooking, Adam Cartwright,\u201d Mrs. O\u2019Connell scolded, while she swept the broken glass into a dustpan and then rolled up the soiled rug. \u201cT\u2019wasn\u2019t anything I cooked that made poor Joseph so sick.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. . .\u201d Joe\u2019s voice was barely stronger than a whisper. \u201cWas-wasn\u2019t your cooking.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was just kidding her, Joe,\u201d Adam said, as the woman left the room with her broom and dustpan. \u201cI know it wasn\u2019t her cooking. Now don\u2019t worry about it. Just lie here quietly and rest for a little while. If you\u2019re not feeling better soon, I\u2019m sending Mrs. O\u2019Connell for my physician.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t. . .don\u2019t need a doctor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou promised me on the train that if this happened again, you\u2019d let a doctor look at you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was. . .I was fibbing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph Cart. . .oh, what\u2019s the use. Just be quiet and rest. As long as you\u2019re living under my roof, I\u2019ll decide whether or not a doctor should be sent for.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSound. . .sound like Pa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGood. Then maybe you\u2019ll listen to me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t. . .I wouldn\u2019t bet money on it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAllow me to assure you that I\u2019m not that foolish.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Just as had happened on the train, Joe\u2019s headache passed within the hour. When he felt like he could sit up without vomiting again, he slowly pushed himself from Adam\u2019s lap. His brother kept his arm on Joe\u2019s back, offering support if Joe should sink to the floor again.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you all right now?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Joe nodded. \u201cA little shaky, but I\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019d better get word to the board members that we won\u2019t be there today. I can reschedule with them for–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Adam. I don\u2019t want them to think I can\u2019t do this job.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat time is it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cThe time? What time is it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNine-thirty.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen I can still clean up, get dressed, and be there before eleven.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can, but I don\u2019t think you should. I think you\u2019d better stay here and rest today.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRest for what reason?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, gee, I don\u2019t know. Maybe because you\u2019ve just spent the past hour lying in my lap moaning with pain.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell I\u2019m not in pain any more, and I don\u2019t wanna miss this interview.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just nerves, Adam.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never known Joe Cartwright to be struck with a case of nerves. Especially not to the point that it makes him sick.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, maybe I\u2019m not as hardy as I once was.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOr maybe you need to let a doctor examine you. Have you experienced any other headaches since arriving here?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe hesitated just long enough for Adam to know the answer to that question.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe could tell he was trying Adam\u2019s patience, when Adam asked again, \u201cWhen, Joe?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe. . .the first night I was here. It started during supper.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you say anything?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause it wasn\u2019t that bad, and I didn\u2019t wanna spoil things for you and Laddie.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat was considerate of you, but you still should have told me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTold you what? That after a long trip, and then getting robbed and lost in a strange city, I had a headache? Anyone who\u2019s gone through all that in one day is entitled to a headache.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe so, but you still should have said something about it. How bad did it get?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot as bad as some of them have. Not as bad as the one this morning. I slept it off.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you haven\u2019t had any again until today?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not lying to me, are you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Adam, I\u2019m not lying to you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right. But if it happens again. . .\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know, I know. I have to see a doctor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou do, Joe. The institute consults with an eye specialist when needed. Maybe we should have you see him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy? So he can tell me I\u2019m blind?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, help me up. If I didn\u2019t puke on my suit, I need to get dressed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t puke on your suit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGood. That\u2019s the one thing that\u2019s gone right so far today. Maybe my luck will hold when I meet the school board.\u201d The suit was placed in Joe\u2019s hands. \u201cOh, and about the rug–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry about the rug.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As though Adam hadn\u2019t spoken, Joe said, \u201cI\u2019ll pay to have it cleaned.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t need to do that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I do. I\u2019ll wire Pa and have him send some money from my bank account. I should have done that the day after my wallet was stolen, so I could give you something for expenses.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I told you that\u2019s not necessary. Besides, after today you\u2019ll be earning a salary.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI might be earning a salary.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou will be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe didn\u2019t have time to debate that fact with his brother. Besides, he appreciated Adam\u2019s confidence in him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam remained by Joe\u2019s side as he walked from his room to the lavatory. Adam probably would have come in there with him, too, had Joe let him. But Joe closed the door in his older brother\u2019s face; assuring Adam he\u2019d be fine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCall me if you start to feel sick again. I won\u2019t go far.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure you won\u2019t,\u201d Joe had said dryly.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Joe didn\u2019t feel sick again, and by ten-thirty, he and Adam were riding to the institute in a carriage the school provided for Adam, complete with its own driver.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe wasn\u2019t certain what time it was now. One of the first things he planned to invest in, when and if he was hired, was a Braille watch. He thought his interview with the school board had taken about thirty minutes. The men asked him a lot of questions, but he was pretty sure he\u2019d held his own, displaying a firm confidence he wasn\u2019t necessarily feeling inside, along with the business-like manners he\u2019d learned at his father\u2019s knee, and just the right amount of Joe Cartwright charm thrown in for good measure. He\u2019d been honest with the men when he\u2019d said that no, he didn\u2019t have a teaching certificate of any sort, and no, he\u2019d never attended a college of any kind, and no, he\u2019d never taught school, other than that time three years ago, when he\u2019d briefly substituted for Abby Pettigraw in Virginia City, but he was a hard worker, a quick thinker, determined, and resourceful. He\u2019d also learned a lot from Adam in recent months about how to teach skills to the blind, and he was willing to put in extra time without getting paid for it, in order to learn from any of the teachers on staff if that\u2019s what the school board wanted him to do.<\/span><\/p>\n

After that, there wasn\u2019t much else Joe could say, other than to thank the board members for considering him for the job. That\u2019s when Adam had told him to wait across the hall in his office.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s attention was drawn to the door when it opened. It closed, as one person entered the room.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re taking the vote now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe nodded in the direction of his brother\u2019s voice. As administrator of the institute, Adam was considered a board member with full voting rights. But where this particular vote was concerned, Adam was forced to exclude himself, as Joe expected would be the case.<\/span><\/p>\n

By the proximity of Adam\u2019s voice, Joe could tell he\u2019d sat down on one corner of his desk. Joe was seated in one of the chairs across from the desk.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou did good in there, Joe. I\u2019m proud of you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThanks. And thanks for talking me up to them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you know I talked you up? Maybe I told them what a thorn in my side you\u2019ve been since the day you were born.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUnless you want me living with you for the next forty years, I know you didn\u2019t tell them that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam chuckled. \u201cWell, not quite. But either way, you presented yourself well. I think they were impressed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI hope so.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll find out in a few min–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Before Adam could finish his sentence, there was a knock on the door, and then a man entered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam. . .Joe. . .\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe turned toward the sound of the board president\u2019s voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy to tell you the vote was unanimous. You can start work tomorrow if you\u2019d like, Joe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A smile split Joe\u2019s face. He stood and walked toward the man with his right hand outstretched. \u201cThank you, Mr. Sheridan. I\u2019ll be here bright and early. And please tell the other board members I said thank you, as well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll do that.\u201d The man\u2019s voice was now directed at Adam. \u201cThe board is ready to conclude the meeting, Adam, unless you have something else we need to discuss.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I don\u2019t have anything else to bring up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right then, I\u2019ll see you at September\u2019s meeting.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Bob, I\u2019ll see you then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGoodbye, Joe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBye, Mr. Sheridan, and thanks again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re welcome. Your brother has done an outstanding job for us. I\u2019m sure you will, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll try my best.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re anything like Adam, your best will exceed our expectations. Gentlemen, I\u2019ll make my leave now. Good day to you of both.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After the door closed, Joe felt his way back to the chair, sank down, yanked his tie loose, undid the top button on his shirt, and sighed with relief.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGlad that\u2019s over with, huh?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can say that again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow about if we celebrate by eating lunch out? Then we\u2019ll come back here, and I\u2019ll get you familiar with your classroom. Actual teaching sessions won\u2019t start for two more weeks, when the remainder of the students return from summer break, but I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll find things to keep you busy until then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure I will, too.\u201d Joe stood and walked to the door with his brother. \u201cHey, Adam, do you mind if we stop at a telegraph office and wire Pa and Hoss with the news?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t mind at all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd uh. . .listen, thanks again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor all you did to help me get this job. I\u2019m not kidding myself. The school board didn\u2019t come to that meeting today thinking some blind cowboy from Nevada is gonna make an outstanding teacher. It was because of you. . .because of your reputation here, that I got hired.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh no. If you think they hired you as a favor to me, then you\u2019re dead wrong. I told them straight off that they had to hire you on your own merits, and not based on my work for the institute.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStill, I\u2019m sure it made a difference that you\u2019re my brother. I won\u2019t let you down, Adam. I promise, I won\u2019t let you down.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never thought for even one second that you would.\u201d Adam held his arm out to Joe, placing Joe\u2019s hand at the crook of his elbow. \u201cNow, how about if we send that wire, and then eat?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t argue with either one of those suggestions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor once you\u2019re not arguing with me. Joseph, you just might give me a heart attack if you make this a habit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor the sake of your health then, I\u2019ll do my best not to.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And that\u2019s where the conversation ended, as the brothers made their way out of the school that now employed two men with the last name of Cartwright.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 25<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Ben leaned back in his chair, kneading the strain from his eyes with his right thumb and forefinger. It seemed like the print on these timber contracts grew smaller and smaller each year. Or maybe Ben just wasn\u2019t used to looking at them. Joe had reviewed the contracts the previous year, and the year before that, as well. It wasn\u2019t that Ben was ready to put himself out to pasture just yet, but little by little since Adam\u2019s departure six years earlier, he\u2019d been turning the running of the Ponderosa over to Hoss and Joe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben had never quite known for certain whether or not he was somewhat to blame for Adam leaving. Adam had assured Ben that wasn\u2019t the case, but still, a father wondered. Ben understood that there comes a time when a man needs to feel like he has something to call his own. Something his efforts allow him to take pride in, and reap the benefits from. Maybe a little bit of glory he doesn\u2019t always have to share with his brothers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Which was why, after Adam left, Ben was mindful of trying to give Hoss and Joe some glory now and again that they could each call their own. Not that the two of them seemed to care one way or another, but then, given how close they\u2019d always been, that didn\u2019t come as a big surprise to Ben. Adam was the trusted older brother Hoss and Joe had looked to for everything from help with homework, to questions about the birds and the bees, to advice and guidance as they\u2019d passed from their teen years, to young adulthood. But Hoss and Joe \u2013 they\u2019d been to one another what Ben thought all brothers should get the opportunity to be, but only a lucky few were able to attain. Playmates, best friends, confidants, and co-conspirators in more pranks and schemes than Ben could keep track of. Which were just a few of the reasons why Joe\u2019s absence now was so difficult for Hoss. Not that Hoss had said much about it, or seemed anything other than his friendly, amiable self. Still, Ben could tell it was hard for Hoss to be the only Cartwright brother left on the Ponderosa, now that Adam and Joe were both gone. It didn\u2019t seem to matter to Hoss that the running of the entire ranch was his for the taking, but then, Ben had known all along that it wouldn\u2019t. Hoss wasn\u2019t a man motivated by power or greed. As long as he had miles of open space before him, and the day-to-day ranch chores to attend to, Hoss was happy. Or at least he had been before Joe left for Boston.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben looked at the timber contracts he\u2019d laid on his desk, idly fiddling with a corner of the papers. They\u2019d heard from Adam just once since the boys had left three weeks earlier. The day after they\u2019d reached Boston, Adam sent a telegram that was short, and to the point.<\/span><\/p>\n

Arrived Boston Safely. Joe Fine. Will Write Soon. Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben had smiled a little at his oldest son\u2019s abrupt ending of \u201cAdam.\u201d It spoke volumes about the man he was, and even the boy he\u2019d been. The feelings were there, but kept inside for the most part, under wary guard. Had Joe sent the telegram, he would have signed off, \u201cLove, Joe,\u201d without hesitation. If it had come from Hoss, it would have read, \u201cTake Care, Pa,\u201d at the end. But overt sentiment wasn\u2019t Adam\u2019s way. Or maybe it was, but only if a person took the time to study his actions. Like how he\u2019d dropped everything at the institute \u2013 possibly even risked his job by being gone so long \u2013 to come here and help Joe. Then extending an invitation to Joe to return home with him, and attempting to procure Joe a teaching job.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben opened his top desk drawer and reached for that telegram he\u2019d saved, but before he could retrieve it the front door opened. He didn\u2019t have to wonder long about the identity of his visitor. The heavy footsteps against the floorboards told him Hoss had returned from a morning of running errands in Virginia City.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Pa,\u201d Hoss greeted as he rounded the corner with a bundle in his right hand. \u201cHere\u2019s the mail.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben stood, taking the bundle from his son.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you. Have you eaten?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. Stopped at Mizz Lucy\u2019s \u2018fore I headed home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you might.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Miss Lucy\u2019s was a caf\u00e9 in Virginia City where a hard working man was served large portions of the daily hot lunch special, and could get a second helping of pie for just ten cents, which was why the caf\u00e9 held such an appeal to Hoss. Or maybe it was, as Joe claimed, \u201cMiss Lucy\u201d who appealed to Hoss.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI told Hop Sing not to keep lunch warming for you. I assumed you\u2019d make yourself a sandwich if you hadn\u2019t eaten.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMight just make me a sandwich any way, now that ya\u2019 mention it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben smiled, then started to thumb through the mail. He didn\u2019t get beyond the third piece before Hoss fished an envelope from his shirt pocket.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, here. Almost forgot. I gotta a telegram for ya\u2019 too. \u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben set the mail on his desk and took the sealed envelope his son handed him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cProbably from Harry Deevers, wanting to know when I\u2019ll be putting these timber contracts in the mail.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019s eyes twinkled as he glanced at the pile of papers on his father\u2019s desk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s kinda what I figured when Dave tracked me down at Mizz Lucy\u2019s and delivered it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben slit the envelope open with his forefinger and pulled out the tri-folded paper inside. As he unfolded it and read the address of the sending telegraph office on top, he frowned.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter, Pa?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s from Boston.\u201d Ben\u2019s brows knit together with concern. \u201cI was expecting a letter from Adam one of these days soon, not another telegram. I hope everything\u2019s all right.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI hope so too.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As Ben read the telegram, his frown changed to an ever-growing smile.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s it say?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben glanced up at his son, and then back down at the paper again.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt says, \u2018Pa And Hoss, Good News. Got The Teaching Job. Start Tomorrow. Adam\u2019s Buying Lunch To Celebrate. Love, Joe.\u2019 \u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben handed the telegram to Hoss. \u201cWell, now, that is good news, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss read through the message for himself while slowly nodding. \u201cYeah. . .sure. It\u2019s good news. I\u2019m real happy for him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t sound real happy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss shrugged. He let the telegram flutter to his father\u2019s desk. \u201cI. . .I guess I was kinda hopin\u2019 Joe wouldn\u2019t get that job, and that he\u2019d come back home with us in the fall. I know it wasn\u2019t right of me, Pa, wishin\u2019 for somethin\u2019 like that. I just. . .\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou just miss him,\u201d Ben finished softly for his son.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss dropped his gaze to the floor, giving the boards a slight scuff with the toe of one boot. \u201cYeah, Pa, I miss him<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know, son,\u201d Ben nodded. \u201cI miss him, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Because there wasn\u2019t anything either of them could say that the other didn\u2019t already know where this subject was concerned, Ben put an arm around Hoss\u2019s slumped shoulders and walked him toward the kitchen.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome on. Let\u2019s go make that sandwich you\u2019ve got a hankering for. Maybe I\u2019ll even make myself one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSounds good to me. Ya\u2019 know how I hate ta\u2019 eat alone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Ben agreed, eyeing his ample-sized son. \u201cI surely do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd say, Pa, how \u2018bout if we wire a telegram to Joe tomorrow and congratulate him on gettin\u2019 that there job? And maybe wire a separate one to Adam, thankin\u2019 him for all he\u2019s done for Joe. I know Joe didn\u2019t say a lot in that message, but I could tell he\u2019s happy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben smiled. Whether Hoss knew it or not, his heart was always in the right place.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s a fine idea, son. We\u2019ll ride into town together first thing in the morning and send telegrams to both of your brothers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s promise seemed to lift Hoss\u2019s spirits some, though the man wasn\u2019t fooling himself. Both he and his middle son would have their ups and downs in the months to come where Joe\u2019s absence was concerned, just like he, Hoss and Joe had experienced ups and downs after Adam first left for sea. But eventually, you get used to the way your household has been altered by the departure of a loved one. You might never grow to like it, but you do get used to it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Or at least that\u2019s what Ben Cartwright told himself fifteen minutes later, as he sat at the kitchen table with Hoss eating a sandwich, while trying not to notice how quiet the house was.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 26<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The two weeks that passed between when the school board hired Joe, and the children returned from summer break, were amongst the busiest of Joe\u2019s life. He gained a newfound respect for how Adam earned his living, and no longer thought that \u201creal work\u201d was only defined by a full day of physical labor outdoors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe crammed as much learning into those two weeks as he could. Adam helped him create a lesson plan that covered each school day until the start of Christmas break in mid-December, and provided him with a Braille copy of the institute\u2019s teachers\u2019 handbook. The students who ran the school\u2019s printing press published the little leather bound book, that contained the rules and guidelines the institute expected its teachers to follow. There was a separate handbook for the students that Adam also gave Joe a copy of to review.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Joe walked home with his brother carrying the books, he hefted them with his left hand and teased, \u201cSeems like a lotta rules for a man to follow, Headmaster Cartwright.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure it won\u2019t take you more than five minutes to break at least two of them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Adam, come on. You don\u2019t give me enough credit. If it takes me more than five minutes to break at least four of them, then you\u2019ll know something\u2019s wrong with me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ten years ago, Adam would have taken Joe seriously, and lectured him on putting his best foot forward, setting a good example, honoring the Cartwright name, and two dozen other things that would have caused Joe to yawn with boredom, and Adam to threaten to let Pa deal with him. But Adam had learned not to take some things quite so seriously since leaving the Ponderosa, and one of those things was a younger brother who thrived on getting a reaction out of him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Adam had countered, \u201cif it takes you more than five minutes to break at least\u00a0six<\/em>\u00a0rules, that\u2019s when I\u2019ll know something\u2019s wrong with you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Like Adam, Laddie helped Joe in any way she could. She gave him a stack of her old college textbooks on various teaching methods, that he studied each evening in his room at Adam\u2019s house. She also passed along many tips and pointers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe beginning of the school year isn\u2019t easy for any teacher, Joe,\u201d Laddie assured on a day when Joe was having doubts that he could actually live up to what the school board expected of him. \u201cNot even a seasoned one. It takes the children a few days to settle into the routine of having to sit still, listen, and do their lessons. And without a doubt, they\u2019ll test you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTest me?\u201d Joe asked, from where he sat at a student\u2019s desk in Laddie\u2019s classroom. Shouts and laughter drifted in from outside, where the children boarding at the school for the summer were playing on the grounds behind the building.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo see how strict or lenient you\u2019ll be. To see what they can get away with in your classroom, and what you won\u2019t tolerate. To see if you\u2019ll send anyone to Adam\u2019s office for a paddling.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The discipline section of the teachers\u2019 handbook stated that only the headmaster was allowed to deliver corporal punishment to the students, but Joe hadn\u2019t thought too much about it until now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA paddling?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cAnd Adam\u2019s the one who does that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs the headmaster, yes, that\u2019s part of his job.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou sound like you don\u2019t approve.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not that. Believe me, I was raised by a father who declared if his son earned a licking in school, he got another licking when he arrived home.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe could hear the humor in Laddie\u2019s voice. \u201cI bet it didn\u2019t take a boy long to learn to avoid getting lickings in school then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cProbably took Adam just once, Hoss probably never had to be taught that lesson at all, but as for me. . .well, as my pa would tell you, I preferred to learn things the hard way. But even at that, three times, maybe four at most. After that, I got smart.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI see. So you were on your best behavior.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe laughed. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say that. I\u2019d just say that I learned how far to push things, and when to bring my fun to a halt. Once Miss Jones came when I was eleven, things got easier.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow so?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe was sweet on Adam, so she tended to look the other way when it came to my \u2018tomfoolery,\u2019 as Pa would call it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSweet on Adam, was she?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh yes, Ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll have to remember that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t have told you if I didn\u2019t want you to remember it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Laddie laughed. \u201cJoseph Cartwright, I suspect you didn\u2019t learn anything from those lickings you earned.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot much of anything, no,\u201d Joe agreed with a laugh of his own.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo, if you don\u2019t disapprove of a paddling when it\u2019s needed, why do I get the impression you don\u2019t like the idea?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI guess I just can\u2019t imagine spanking someone else\u2019s child, so it\u2019s hard for me to picture Adam doing it. I mean, sure, I\u2019ve encountered kids that I thought needed a trip to the woodshed \u2013 like those two hooligans who stole my wallet \u2013 but thinking it, or even saying it, doesn\u2019t mean I could really do it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDiscipline must be maintained, Joe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf we let one student\u2019s bad behavior go unchecked, then other students will think we\u2019re giving them permission to behave in any manner they please.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know that, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, I\u2019ll let you in on a little secret if it will make you feel better.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam doesn\u2019t appear to be fond of spanking someone else\u2019s child, either. He uses it only as a last resort when all other forms of punishment have failed to get through to an errant youngster. I haven\u2019t known him to paddle more than two or three boys in the three years he\u2019s been here, and I can\u2019t fathom that he\u2019d ever paddle one of the girls. He\u2019s really quite good with the children. They all respect him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure they do.\u201d Joe grinned and quipped, \u201cBesides, how hard can a one-armed man possibly paddle?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe jumped when a strong hand clamped down on his left shoulder from behind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe you\u2019d like to find out, little brother.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe glanced up, removing his brother\u2019s hand. \u201cNo need. My students and I will be models of good behavior.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam gave an exaggerated, choking cough. \u201cExcuse me, I think I need a glass of water. Students of Joe Cartwright\u2019s as models of good behavior? Now that I\u2019ll have to see to believe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When Laddie said, \u201cOh, Adam, by the way, I\u2019d like to talk to you about someone named Miss Jones,\u201d and Adam growled, \u201cJoe. . .\u201d Joe made a hasty retreat to his classroom, laughing all the way there.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aside from lesson plans, studying the books Laddie gave him, memorizing the teacher\u2019s handbook, and getting his classroom in order, Joe also used the time he had before school started to grow accustomed to the building, and the 30 acres of land it sat on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Based on Adam\u2019s descriptions, and the tour he\u2019d taken Joe on, Joe knew the institute was a four-story, brick structure that housed three dozen classrooms, Adam\u2019s office, a conference room, a supply room, an infirmary, a massive kitchen, and a dining room large enough for all two hundred students and their teachers to eat in at the same time. A long, one-story dormitory for the boys sat behind the institute, while the girl\u2019s dormitory was attached to the school building itself. Aside from teachers, the institute employed two stable boys who took care of the horses and carriages, a contingent of cooks, building caretakers, groundskeepers, two nurses, and a dorm \u201cfather\u201d and \u201cmother\u201d \u2013 an older married Irish couple, who had been with the institute since Laddie attended school here as a child. Adam had told Joe that each dorm room held four children, two teenagers and two younger children. The help gleaned from the older children lessened the responsibility of the dorm parents somewhat, though Adam said he\u2019d recently told the school board they\u2019d have to consider hiring additional adults for dorm supervision within the next year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur student body just keeps growing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAren\u2019t there any other schools for the blind anywhere?\u201d Joe had asked Adam during his first tour of the grounds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are, though few with as good of a reputation as ours. We turn students away every year because we just don\u2019t have the room for them, or the staff to teach them. We could really use more schools around the country that are directly affiliated with ours, but until the necessary funds are raised, and someone volunteers to run such a school, I\u2019m afraid we\u2019ll have to continue to turn children in need away.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe didn\u2019t think that seemed right. Any blind child should have the opportunity to attend a school that could help him learn the necessary skills for survival in a dark world, but Joe didn\u2019t bother saying so to Adam, because he had no doubt Adam was well aware of it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Much of the school\u2019s acreage had been donated by Laddie\u2019s father. Trees that were on this land when the pilgrims first arrived provided shade for little girls having tea parties with their dolls on a hot summer day, and made great places for a boy to climb into when he wanted a little time to himself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Slides, merry-go-rounds, seesaws, sandboxes, and wooden swing sets dotted various areas of the grounds, as did a baseball diamond specially modified for blind players. Joe himself knew the game by the name of stickball, a schoolyard activity he\u2019d enjoyed playing as a boy that didn\u2019t involve anything as fancy as a \u201cdiamond,\u201d or wooden bats, or leather mitts, or bases, other than what he and his friends designated as such, like the pump, the schoolhouse steps, the hitching post, and the flag pole.<\/span><\/p>\n

A few days before school was due to start, Adam took Joe to an exclusive men\u2019s shop, where Joe supplemented the clothing he\u2019d brought from home by purchasing two additional black suits, two gray suits, half a dozen white shirts, and three black string ties, so he\u2019d be in compliance with the school\u2019s dress code for its male teachers. He wouldn\u2019t entertain the notion of black shoes to replace his well-worn tan cowboy boots, but did agree to a pair of black cowboy-style boots when Adam suggested them. Joe hadn\u2019t earned his first paycheck yet, but rather than having to continue borrowing money from Adam, he\u2019d opened an account at Adam\u2019s bank, and had money wired into it from his account at Virginia City\u2019s Cattlemen\u2019s Bank. After he\u2019d finished making his clothing purchases, Joe bought a wallet to replace the one that had been stolen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The night before the new school year began, after Laddie had dined with the brothers at Adam\u2019s house and then left in her father\u2019s carriage, Adam took Joe into his study.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have something for you that I purchased at a shop that carries Braille supplies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBraille supplies?\u201d Joe questioned, hearing a desk drawer open. \u201cI think I have everything I need for my classroom.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I have here isn\u2019t for your classroom.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam stepped out from behind the desk. \u201cHere. See what you think of this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe took the round, smooth object Adam slipped into his left hand. He felt the chain, and then the stem that opened the lid. As Joe\u2019s fingers explored the raised Braille numbers on the face, he smiled. \u201cIt\u2019s a watch.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat it is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is one thing I\u2019ve really missed since I lost my sight \u2013 knowing what time it is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know. That\u2019s why I thought it was the perfect gift. I was going to wait and give it to you as a birthday present, but I was afraid you\u2019d go out and buy yourself one before then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can call it my birthday present.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not opposed to that,\u201d Adam teased.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDidn\u2019t think you would be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It was as Joe explored the watch a second time that he discovered the Braille lettering engraved on the inside of the lid that read:<\/span><\/p>\n

Sept. 1872<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe,<\/span><\/p>\n

To Success!<\/span><\/p>\n

Your brother, Adam<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe let his fingers read the words again, then shut the lid and slipped the watch into his pocket. He knew that short phrase, \u201cTo Success!\u201d was Adam\u2019s way of telling him how far he\u2019d come in the months since he\u2019d lost his sight, and that Adam had faith he\u2019d have nothing but success as he began his teaching career.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s voice was husky with emotion when he stepped forward and hooked an arm around Adam\u2019s neck, pulling his brother into a hug.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Adam. It\u2019s a beautiful watch. It\u2019ll always be special to me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re welcome. I\u2019m glad you like it.\u201d Adam clapped Joe on the back. \u201cCome on. We\u2019d both better turn in. As I\u2019ve come to learn, the first day of school is always a long one. By the time we get back here tomorrow evening, we\u2019ll be ready to collapse.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s even worse than the first day of a cattle drive?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAllow me to assure you, little brother, it\u2019s worse than the first day of any cattle drive you\u2019ve ever been on.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s skepticism was plain to hear.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think you\u2019ve been away from the ranch too long. A bunch of kids having to settle in for the first day of school can\u2019t come close to comparing to a bunch of stubborn cattle that don\u2019t wanna leave their grazing land.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam chuckled with what Joe perceived as delight, while they walked up the stairs together.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re still willing to say that at this time tomorrow night \u2013 if you\u2019re even still awake to say it \u2013 then I\u2019ll owe you dinner at my favorite restaurant.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, you\u2019ve got yourself a deal. And if I\u2019m not willing to say it, which I won\u2019t be, but if I\u2019m not, I\u2019ll buy you dinner at that favorite restaurant of yours.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGood thing you had some money wired here then, because you\u2019re going to need it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The brothers bantered back and forth on this subject until they reached their rooms. Once they\u2019d said good night, Joe shut his door and got ready for bed. He removed the watch from his pocket and placed it on his dresser. He chuckled a bit when, thirty minutes later, he found himself tossing and turning while having trouble falling asleep.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For the first time in his life, Joe Cartwright was excited over the thought of attending school.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 27<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey!\u201d Joe ducked when another paper wad clipped him on the side of the face. \u201cCut that out!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He made a blind grab as running footsteps flew past him. \u201cGet back in your seats!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The noise level in the room only increased, as boys talked, laughed, whistled, and shouted. One little guy clung to Joe\u2019s legs, crying for his mother, while Joe held a fistful of a teenager\u2019s shirt and propelled the boy toward a seat. For all Joe knew, he was throwing the kid on top of another boy, but he was long past caring.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow sit down and stay there!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Another paper wad bounced off Joe\u2019s shoulder, and then some maverick with a peashooter hit Joe in the middle of the forehead with a pebble.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOuch! Why you little. . .\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

These kids are blind, for cryin\u2019 out loud! How can they have such good aim?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Before Joe could sort out which kid had the weapon, a bell clanged in the hallway, signaling the end of the school day. The older boys rushed for the door, eager to go outside and play.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWait! Hey, wait! You\u2019re supposed to leave as a class in an orderly fashion!\u201d Joe shouted, quoting a rule from the students\u2019 handbook. \u201cAnd don\u2019t run! Boys! Boys, get back here! Boys, the stairs! Be careful on the stair–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The child clinging to Joe\u2019s legs tugged on his trousers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Cart-Cart-Cartwright?\u201d the six-year-old hiccupped between his tears.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat, Billy?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want-I want-I want-I want my papa to come get me and take me home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe patted the boy\u2019s back, mumbling, \u201cI know just how you feel, Billy. Believe me, I know just how you feel.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Billy\u2019s sobs caused the other little boys left in the room to start crying and saying they wanted to go home, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no.\u201d Joe stumbled toward the sounds of distress coming from all directions. \u201cDon\u2019t cry. Come on now, don\u2019t cry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want my mama!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want my pa!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wanna go home!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Thankfully, the boys\u2019 dorm father, Killian Murphy, entered the room before the sobs and cries for parents and home could escalate further.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought yeh might need me help, Mr. Cartwright. I know how hard the first day is on these young ones who\u2019ve traveled so far to attend our fine school.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe wanted to say that he was sure by now everyone in the institute probably knew he needed help, but he managed to swallow his sharp retort because he wasn\u2019t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Mr. Murphy. I appreciate it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe passed the weeping Billy over to the dorm father, at the same time resisting the urge to get down on his knees and kiss the Irishman\u2019s boots in gratitude.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome along, young lads. Come with me. We\u2019ll go outside to play until supper is served.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The sounds of sobs, hiccups, sniffles, cries for \u201cMama!\u201d and shuffling feet, lingered for a moment, then slowly began to fade as Mr. Murphy led the littlest members of Joe\u2019s class \u2013 boys just six and seven years old \u2013 outside to a playground.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Joe sensed he was finally alone, he trudged toward the front of the room, swearing when he banged his shins into a student\u2019s toppled desk. Still wincing from the smarting pain, Joe navigated gingerly toward his own desk. He felt his way around the wooden structure and dropped to his chair. He propped his elbows on the desktop, buried his head in his hands, gave a defeated sigh, and wondered if he\u2019d be the first teacher Adam had ever fired after just one day of employment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 28<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Adam leaned against the doorframe, trying to suppress a grin. If he didn\u2019t know better, he\u2019d have sworn the Battle of Vicksburg was fought in this room. Paper wads littered the floor like cannonballs, desks were overturned like dead horses, textbooks were strewn from one end of the room to the other like fallen soldiers, and the general \u2013 his curls limp with perspiration, the first two buttons on his collar open, his tie askew, and his suit coat hanging by just one shoulder from the back of his chair \u2013 looked like he was ready to wave a white flag.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

No less than a dozen smart remarks immediately came to Adam\u2019s mind. The kind of quips one Cartwright brother would toss to another during a situation such as this, like: \u201cYou mean to tell me that you can break twenty horses in a day, but you can\u2019t control twenty boys?\u201d Or, \u201cSince when did reenacting the Civil War become part of our curriculum?\u201d Or, \u201cNow you know how every teacher who ever taught you felt at the end of the first day of school.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But Adam squelched the urge to say any of those things, because Joe looked so forlorn and beaten. The smart remarks could wait for another time. Right now, Joe needed a little brotherly support, rather than brotherly humor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam pushed himself away from the doorway, making his presence known as he walked into the room. His tone was soft and sympathetic.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRough day, huh?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s head came out of his hands. \u201cYou\u2019re the master of understatement.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome on. Let\u2019s get this place cleaned up, and then head home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe pushed himself to his feet. \u201cJust get it over with, Adam.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGet what over with?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGo ahead and fire me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFire you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to fire you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh come on. Don\u2019t do me any favors just because I\u2019m your brother.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not doing you any favors.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe extended an arm. \u201cLook at this room. I don\u2019t have to be able to see to know it\u2019s a mess.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a mess all right. I won\u2019t deny that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the kids did nothing but yell and run around like wild animals all day long. That is, when they weren\u2019t throwing paper wads, or using their peashooters. And the ones who weren\u2019t doing any of that stuff spent the whole day crying.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what makes that different from any other first day of school?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes it different is that none of it was happening in anyone else\u2019s room. Only mine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam approached his brother. He lifted his hand and squeezed Joe\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, sit back down for a minute.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cJust sit down. I think we need to talk.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe did as Adam asked of him, while Adam perched on a corner of Joe\u2019s desk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLook, it\u2019s okay. Just fire me. I\u2019ll explain it all to Pa. I\u2019ll let him know you gave me a fair shot.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh for heaven\u2019s sake. I\u2019m a little too old to be worried about what Pa would have to say if I did fire you \u2013 which I\u2019m not going to do, by the way \u2013 so it\u2019s a moot point.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, just be honest with me. If I was anyone but your brother, would you fire me for my performance today?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I wouldn\u2019t. What I\u2019d do for that fictional teacher you\u2019re speaking of who isn\u2019t my brother, is give him a second chance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think a second chance is gonna make much difference.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never known you to hang up your spurs without a fight.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I\u2019ve fought about all I can. I don\u2019t know what else to do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWant some advice?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe shook his head. \u201cI\u2019m not up for advice at the moment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d Adam agreed, knowing full well that Joe only accepted advice from someone when he was darn good and ready to. He\u2019d try to work the problem out on his own for days, maybe even weeks. If by then he didn\u2019t meet with success, he might be willing to listen to what Adam had to say, but prior to that, Adam would just be wasting his breath.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe was quiet for a few seconds; then said, \u201cI just can\u2019t believe a roomful of blind kids could be so much trouble.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam chuckled.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s so funny?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cKids are kids, Joe. It\u2019s doesn\u2019t matter that they\u2019re blind. And you have to remember that some of them have been blind since birth, so they\u2019re used to navigating in strange places, even though their methods of doing so might be sloppy at best, ill mannered at worst. And keep in mind, too, that many of them have never been to school. So in some cases, you\u2019re being forced to teach a sixteen-year-old what most kids learn at six.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow to sit in a classroom and be respectful of the teacher and other students. Also, it\u2019s not unusual for many of the children to come to us spoiled and pampered. Some of them have never been made to do anything for themselves, and because they\u2019re blind, and no one at home could bear to discipline them, they\u2019ve gotten away with behavior our father would have had us over his knee for.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe gave a slow, thoughtful nod. Adam knew his brother had read the summary reports on each of his students that had been converted to Braille type for him. Therefore, Joe possessed the same knowledge of the boys Adam did prior to this first day of school.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Henry Thompson was sixteen, and blind since birth. He\u2019d never attended school, and was only here now because a wealthy aunt had stepped forward and paid for two years\u2019 worth of tuition.<\/span><\/p>\n

John Dugan was fifteen, and also blind since birth. Like Henry, what little education John had received was given to him at home by his mother. His parents had scrimped and saved to get him here.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anthony Marcelli was fourteen and blind since the age of three, again with no formal education of any kind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Caleb Greers was ten years old, and blind for just nine months. Prior to that, he\u2019d lived a normal life with his parents and three brothers on a farm in Pennsylvania.<\/span><\/p>\n

Six-year-old Billy Fitzgerald lost his sight at age two, and was now many miles away from his home in Minnesota.<\/span><\/p>\n

The remaining fifteen boys in Joe\u2019s classroom were no different from Henry, John, Anthony, Caleb, and Billy. They ranged in age from six to sixteen, some born blind, while others had lost their sight due to illness or accidents. Those who had lost the ability to see after the ages of six or seven, had at least some experience attending school, while for those who had been blind since birth, or who had lost their eyesight when very young, like Billy, this was their first time in a classroom.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, the first day of school is always like this. Between the confusion and chaos as the children arrive, attending the morning assembly, saying goodbye to their parents, getting them into their classrooms \u2013 well, it never goes smoothly. Not for anyone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe so, but I didn\u2019t hear anyone else experiencing the Battle of Bull Run in their classroom.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam smiled at Joe\u2019s Civil War reference, but didn\u2019t comment on it other than to say, \u201cGreat minds think alike.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cNothing. Listen, Joe, whether you realize it or not, you\u2019ve got the hardest job here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI do?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes you say that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause aside from Laddie, you\u2019re the only teacher who doesn\u2019t have students who\u2019ve attended the institute in prior years. This is a brand new experience for the boys in your classroom. And, like you just a few months ago, they\u2019re completely without any skills other than what they\u2019ve taught themselves.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut I didn\u2019t hear any problems coming from Laddie\u2019s room.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s because she\u2019s a seasoned teacher. As well, she\u2019s teaching only girls this year. It\u2019s been my experience that girls don\u2019t cause nearly as much trouble as boys, and certainly aren\u2019t as loud and physical about it when they do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow you tell me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam smiled, while clapping Joe\u2019s shoulder.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEnough of this talk about being fired. Let\u2019s clean up this room and go home. I promise, tomorrow will be a new day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you say so.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI do. Now come on. Mrs. O\u2019Connell will have supper waiting for us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The brothers worked together righting the desks, and picking up papers and books. When Adam declared the room was back in order, they headed for his office to collect Shakespeare before walking home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Adam?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cIf I\u2019ve got the hardest job here like you said, I\u2019d like to put in for a raise.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh you would, would you?\u201d\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. I need that extra money, because I owe my brother dinner at his favorite restaurant.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam laughed. \u201cWorse than the first day of a cattle drive, was it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs much as I hate to admit this, a lot worse. Just don\u2019t tell Hoss I said that, \u2018cause he\u2019ll never believe me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen perhaps we should put Hoss in charge of a roomful of boys on the first day of school.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe grinned. \u201cYeah, perhaps we should.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As they walked out of the building, the men joked back and forth over the thought of their big-hearted middle brother trying to ride herd on a classroom of rambunctious, ill-behaved boys.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At least Joe\u2019s in better spirits, Adam thought when they arrived home and Joe greeted Mrs. O\u2019Connell with a grin and a compliment about the meal he could smell cooking.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam hoped Joe\u2019s good spirits would last beyond the next morning when he returned to his classroom, and as well, he hoped Joe wouldn\u2019t allow his pride to keep him from asking for advice if he needed it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 29<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The only thing Joe could find to be thankful for during the early days of his teaching career was the arrival of the weekend. The school term had begun on the first Monday in September. By Friday, Joe felt like he\u2019d been riding the range under a high-noon sky for three weeks straight. Adam\u2019s promise that \u201ctomorrow would be a new day,\u201d came to pass, Joe supposed, but not in quite the way Adam expected it to, and certainly not in the way Joe wanted it to. The only thing new about each day was the way the older boys in his classroom increased the level of pranks and noise. Frogs and snakes were smuggled in from the playground and let loose down the little boys\u2019 backs, which sent Billy Fitzgerald into a whole new round of crying for his mother. Mashed potatoes somehow found their way from the dining room to Joe\u2019s chair, as did a piece of chocolate cake with a thick layer of chocolate icing that soiled the seat of Joe\u2019s gray trousers. Not that Joe could see it, but he could easily imagine what it looked like, and spent the rest of the day tugging on the hem of his suit coat, as though doing so would make it longer, and cover the embarrassing stain.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the end of each day, instinct told Joe his classroom once again looked like a battlefield, and he had no doubt he was fighting on the losing side. By Friday afternoon, when he\u2019d no more than get one boy seated, before having to give chase after another one in some kind of an absurd game of blind man\u2019s bluff, any reservations Joe had about spanking someone else\u2019s child left him. If he could have gotten his hands on that paddle in Adam\u2019s office, he\u2019d have warmed more than a few pairs of britches.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam stopped by the room each afternoon and helped Joe put it back in order; something Joe wished he wouldn\u2019t do. For one thing, the thought of Adam seeing him fail so miserably was humiliating for Joe, and for another, he wanted to handle this situation his own way, despite the fact that currently, he had no idea what exactly his \u201cown way\u201d entailed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Saturday passed quietly, with Adam doing paperwork in his study, and then taking Laddie to a concert in the evening. He invited Joe to attend as well, but Joe declined. He was determined not to intrude on Adam\u2019s private life, or be the \u201ctag-a-long little brother\u201d \u2013 a role he\u2019d outgrown many years earlier. As for Joe, he spent most of Saturday walking the flower-lined paths of Adam\u2019s yard with Shakespeare at his side, wondering what the future held if he wasn\u2019t cut out to be a teacher.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam attended church on Sunday with Laddie and her family, as he did every Sunday, followed by lunch at the Brockington estate. Church attendance followed by lunch was one invitation Joe didn\u2019t turn down, but only because Laddie wouldn\u2019t hear of it. It was tradition that Laddie, her parents, her sisters, their spouses and children, were present in the pews at Boston\u2019s First Presbyterian Church each Sunday, and then gathered at her parents\u2019 home afterward. This tradition had included Adam for the past year, and by virtue of Joe being Adam\u2019s brother and houseguest, had included him ever since his arrival from Nevada.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although Joe was still in the early stages of getting acquainted with Laddie\u2019s family, he didn\u2019t have a bad word to say about any of them, other than he found one of her brothers-in-law, Gilbert Hall, to be a pompous know-it-all who ran on at the mouth, and didn\u2019t understand that silence could indeed, be golden. But then, Adam said Laddie\u2019s entire family thought Gil was a pompous know-it-all, as did Adam, too. Adam even suspected Gil\u2019s wife, Florence, wasn\u2019t exactly enamored with the man.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t suppose it can be a complete bed of roses in a family as large as Laddie\u2019s,\u201d Adam had commented.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I don\u2019t suppose it can,\u201d Joe agreed. Considering Laddie had five sisters, and equal the number of brothers-in-law, Joe guessed one \u201cbothersome bloke,\u201d as Mrs. O\u2019Connell would say, wasn\u2019t anything to complain about.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because the Brockington clan was accustomed to Laddie\u2019s lack of eyesight, they knew how to make Joe feel comfortable, while at the same time not making him feel singled-out or \u201cdifferent.\u201d Laddie still resided with her parents, and their Victorian mansion was set up to accommodate her needs. The same held true outside, where everything from lawn tennis to croquet could be played by a blind person. These were new games for Joe, and though not something he could ever picture himself and Hoss playing on the ranch, Joe appreciated the Brockingtons including him in all they did each Sunday once lunch was eaten and they headed outside for \u201camusements,\u201d as Laddie\u2019s father referred to it. With sixteen grandchildren scampering over the grounds, along with fifteen adults, it made for a lively time. This particular Sunday, Joe wasn\u2019t much in the mood for croquet, or tennis, or a new game some of the grandchildren wanted to try called badminton. He hung back on the large veranda, as everyone else clamored down the steps.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, you coming?\u201d Adam called from somewhere down on the lawn.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. Think I\u2019ll stay up here for a while.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s voice was closer this time, as though he\u2019d walked toward the section of porch railing Joe was leaning his palms on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Quietly, Adam asked, \u201cYou okay?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have a headache, do you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. No headache. You go ahead and get everyone started on an exciting game of croquet. I\u2019ll join you later.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Adam asked, pretending to be offended. \u201cCroquet isn\u2019t your style?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s put it this way, it\u2019s not three-card stud, a horse race around Virginia City, or tracking a mountain lion, but I guess for Boston on a Sunday afternoon, croquet is about as good as it gets.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust about.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe smiled and assured again, \u201cI\u2019ll join you in a little while. Go and have fun.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re sure you\u2019re all right.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m all right, Adam. Go on. The kids are waiting for you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOkay. See you in a little while then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Joe agreed, as his brother headed off toward the group of Laddie\u2019s nieces and nephews calling his name and begging him to get the game started. \u201cSee you in a while.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe heard the swish of a woman\u2019s dress as someone approached.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot going to play this afternoon, Joe?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He turned toward the voice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot right now, Mrs. Brockington. A little later maybe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She patted his arm.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou join us when you\u2019re ready. In the meantime, I\u2019d better go make some children mind their p\u2019s and q\u2019s.\u201d The heels of her shoes clicked against the wooden steps as she descended. \u201cBernard! Grandmother saw that! Don\u2019t you push your sister, young man, or you\u2019ll go straight to the back of the line! Amelia, honey, tie your bootlaces so you don\u2019t trip! Jerome! Douglas! Get down from there before you fall! How many times must I tell you boys not to climb on the carriage house roof?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe shook his head over the way a woman thirty years his senior could make children behave, while he, a man in the prime of his life, couldn\u2019t keep order over a handful of blind kids confined to a contained space.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo, Joseph, how\u2019s the teaching going?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe turned at the sound of Edward Brockington\u2019s voice. Had he been paying attention, he\u2019d have known the man was near him just by the pungent smell of his pipe tobacco. And aside from Mrs. O\u2019Connell, Mr. Brockington was the only other person in Boston who regularly called him Joseph, though Joe had no idea why.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe felt the man stop beside him, sharing the porch railing with him as a resting spot. The picture Joe had in his head of what Mr. Brockington looked like was based on a description provided by Adam. The man was a little over six feet tall and slender, with a salt and pepper handlebar moustache, a full head of dark, wavy hair that was graying at the temples, and bright blue eyes that were the first thing you noticed about him. His voice was a deep baritone, which had initially given Joe the impression that Mr. Brockington was closer to Hoss\u2019s size than to his own. But according to Adam, while Edward Brockington wasn\u2019t large in stature, he was nonetheless a formidable presence \u2013 a man others respected and admired, who\u2019d made his money through real estate sales, and numerous other business dealings he\u2019d been involved in over the years.<\/span><\/p>\n

In response to the man\u2019s question, Joe almost said, \u201cIt\u2019s going all right, thank you for asking,\u201d just to put a quick end to the conversation. But for some reason, he found himself being more forthright with Mr. Brockington than he\u2019d been with any other member of Laddie\u2019s family who\u2019d made this same inquiry of him today. Maybe it was because the pipe smoke and deep voice reminded Joe a little bit of his father, and made him homesick for Pa\u2019s advice at a time when he could really use it. Or maybe it was just the fact that everyone else was occupied, and therefore he and Mr. Brockington could talk privately. Or maybe the heavy meal he\u2019d just eaten, combined with the warm September sunshine that caused autumn to seem months away yet, lulled Joe into forgetting his pride.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s. . .well, to tell you the truth, Sir, it\u2019s not going very good.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe sighed. \u201cNo.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMmmm. . .I\u2019m sorry to hear that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, me too. I. . .I was hoping this would work out. I really hate to disappoint Adam, but–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think you need to worry about disappointing Adam.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe speaks highly of you, Joseph, as he does of your brother Eric.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe smiled at the use of Hoss\u2019s given name. Evidently, Mr. Brockington didn\u2019t cotton to nicknames.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what makes the thought of disappointing Adam all that much harder.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat seems to be the problem, son?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat isn\u2019t the problem? The kids are unruly, they won\u2019t stay in their seats, they won\u2019t listen to me, they pick fights with one another \u2013 when they\u2019re not pelting me with paper wads, that is \u2013 and the little ones cry all day for their mothers. So far, I haven\u2019t been able to figure out if I even can teach, because I\u2019m spending all my time trying to ride herd on these boys.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRide herd?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cKeep them in line. Get them to head where I want them to.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAh. I see.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The man took a few puffs on his pipe before speaking again. \u201cLaddie had much the same problem the first year she taught.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe did?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe certainly did. Got herself quite down in the mouth over it, you see. Told me she was going to tender her resignation, that she wasn\u2019t made to be a teacher \u2013 all kinds of foolish nonsense such as that. And do you know what I told her?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. What?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Brockington tapped Joe\u2019s chest twice with his knuckles. \u201cI told her to talk to her mother.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHer mother?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes. To see what her mother would do in that same situation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, but I don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no. Of course you don\u2019t. It\u2019s like this, son. I have six daughters, as you know, so I left the disciplining of the girls to Mother. I rarely got involved, other than to back Mother up when she needed me to, or to offer a stern look or word. I still don\u2019t exactly know what Grace\u2019s secrets were when it came to bringing up six fine girls, but I\u2019m pleased with the results, and I told Laddie so. I said, \u2018Speak to your mother. However she tells you to handle the discipline, is the way to proceed.\u2019 And that\u2019s what she did. So I suggest you speak to your father about such matters, Joseph.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy father?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt appears to me that he did an upstanding job of raising you and Adam. And I\u2019m sure of raising Eric, as well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe did, but unfortunately, my pa\u2019s not here to ask.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh. . .oh no. No he\u2019s not, is he. Silly of me, now wasn\u2019t it? Well. . .<\/span>
\num. . .that does present a bit of a challenge, doesn\u2019t it. I wish I could offer you a few words of wisdom, but having raised only girls, I\u2019m afraid I\u2019m not much good where boys and discipline are concerned.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s all right.\u201d Joe tried not to sound downhearted, though he didn\u2019t think he\u2019d succeeded. \u201cThanks anyway.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Brockington fell silent for a few seconds; the only sound on the porch was of the man\u2019s teeth clacking against the mouthpiece of his pipe.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUpon giving it further consideration, Joseph, I suggest you spend some time contemplating what your father would do in a situation like this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The thought that immediately came to Joe\u2019s mind made him chuckle. \u201cTan some hides.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Brockington laughed. \u201cThat\u2019s what my father would have done, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Before the conversation could progress, a little boy called, \u201cCome on, Grandpapa! It\u2019s your turn!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAh. It appears as though a croquet mallet is waiting for me.\u201d The man patted Joe\u2019s back, signaling an end to their discussion. \u201cAbout this school issue. You\u2019re a smart young man. You\u2019ll figure things out. And as the expression goes, it\u2019s always darkest before the dawn.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Sir,\u201d Joe agreed. \u201cThanks for the. . .\u201d by the time Joe finished with, \u201cadvice,\u201d Mr. Brockington was striding across the lawn out of hearing range.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe felt his way to the porch swing behind him. He sat down, gently rocking the swing back and forth while doing what Mr. Brockington had suggested \u2013 contemplating what Ben Cartwright would do if he were in charge of teaching twenty boys in bad need of guidance, direction, leadership, and some basic manners.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe was still lost in thought thirty minutes later, when a small hand tugged on his arm.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Joe. Adam says it\u2019s time for you to play croquet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe smiled at the child. He recognized the voice as belonging to Laddie\u2019s niece, Frances. It was a standing joke between them, that her first name was the same as Joe\u2019s middle name. Franny found it funny that a man had what she declared was a girl\u2019s name, and in return Joe always teased her, telling her he didn\u2019t think it was funny at all, and how he wished his father had given him any other middle name but Francis.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhatta\u2019 ya\u2019 want your middle name to be today, Joe?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMmmm\u2026let me think. How about. . .Beauregard?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This was a part of their game, too \u2013 Joe coming up with the oddest name he could think of to replace his middle name.<\/span><\/p>\n

The five-year-old giggled. \u201cIf you ask me, that\u2019s a lot worse than Francis.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, not if you ask me. I kind of like it, Miss Frances. Joseph Beauregard Cartwright. I might even write to my pa and tell him that\u2019s what he should call me from now on.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The girl laughed again, while at the same time tugging at Joe until he stood. As she led him down the steps and across the lawn she yelled, \u201cAdam! Adam, you\u2019ll never guess what.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat, Franny?\u201d Adam called back.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2019s middle name is Beauregard now!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s tone was filled with exaggerated shock. \u201cBeauregard?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUh huh. Joseph Beauregard Cartwright. That\u2019s what he just said.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, he did, did he? Then I hope he\u2019s the one who plans to break that news to our father.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe is! He said he\u2019s gonna write your papa and tell him all about it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy to hear that, since generally this oldest brother is the bearer of bad news on behalf of that younger one there. Now why don\u2019t you get Joseph Beauregard over here, and tell him to take his turn.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe heard the amusement in Adam\u2019s voice, and was glad he\u2019d put it there. He didn\u2019t want to ruin his brother\u2019s day with Laddie\u2019s family, or spoil the fun. Because of those reasons, the younger Cartwright went through the motions that afternoon, laughing when it was expected of him, playing whatever game was suggested, eating cookies and drinking lemonade when snacks were served, but all the while gnawing on the thought nagging at the back of his mind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Would he be able to get his students under control, or would Adam be forced to fire him and put him on a train headed back to Nevada?<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 30<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until after lunch on Monday, that Joe Cartwright finally figured out he couldn\u2019t beat these kids at their own game. None of them knew he was blind, which was probably a good thing, since that knowledge would have likely made their behavior even worse. Regardless, chasing after them, yelling at them, demanding that they sit in their seats and be quiet, was getting him nowhere. It was when Joe accepted this, that he changed his tactics. It was when he thought of the things Adam had taught him, that Joe knew he still had ways to triumph. And it was when he thought of how, as a kid, he was far more unnerved by his father\u2019s silences when he\u2019d misbehaved, than he was by any yelling Pa did, that Joe realized he might actually have a chance to succeed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, Joe didn\u2019t attempt to stop any misbehavior on Monday afternoon, nor did he attempt to stop it on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or even Friday. He sat silently throughout the week observing his class, using his sense of hearing to get to know every voice, every footstep, every bit of trouble instigated, and every habit all twenty children possessed. To some degree, his silence intimidated the kids, in the same way Joe\u2019s father\u2019s silences had intimidated him, but at best it only caused a pause in their misbehavior now and again, as opposed to putting a stop to it. That was all right though, because Joe hadn\u2019t expected silence alone to correct the misdeeds, and bring these children together as a class eager to learn. He had to be the leader here. The shepherd who guided his flock in the right direction, rather than off the end of a cliff, which was pretty much where they\u2019d been headed up until now.<\/span><\/p>\n

Amongst Joe\u2019s other observations as that week progressed \u2013 Adam\u2019s sympathy for him was waning. Adam still came by the room each afternoon and assisted Joe with righting the desks, picking up books, and throwing away paper wads, but he no longer asked Joe if he wanted advice. Instead, Adam offered it willingly while they cleaned.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t let this continue, Joe,\u201d Adam declared on Thursday afternoon.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOther teachers are complaining about the noise.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Cross came right out and accused me of nepotism today.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry to hear that. I hope there\u2019s a cure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe,\u201d Adam said with exasperation, \u201cnepotism means–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know what nepotism means. You don\u2019t need to explain it. And as for Crabapple Cross–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe! You can\u2019t refer to a colleague that way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can and I will if it applies, and where Cross is concerned, it does. Besides, I already know what his opinion is. He passed me in the hall yesterday and mumbled something about my incompetence, and that if I wasn\u2019t the headmaster\u2019s brother I\u2019d have been fired by now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen all the more reason to listen to my advice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cBecause Cross\u2019s father is a school board member.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh really? Well, well, well, how do ya\u2019 like that? And that horse\u2019s behind had the nerve to accuse you of nepotism.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, just have a little faith in me, okay? I know what I\u2019m doing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t look like it from where I\u2019m standing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI realize that, but as Pa would say, you\u2019ve gotta crawl before you can walk, and you\u2019ve gotta walk before you can run, so I figure I\u2019m in the crawling stage right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell if you don\u2019t move to the walking stage fairly quickly, you\u2019ll leave me no choice but to. . .\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut to what?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI. . .Joe. . .I don\u2019t want to have to let you go.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFire me, you mean?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes. I don\u2019t want to do that, but we\u2019re more than halfway through the second week of school, and these boys are only getting worse, instead of better. Now, if you\u2019d let me sit in class with you for several days, give you some hands-on guidance and\u00a0<\/span>
\ndirection–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t need your help.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs headmaster of this institution, I think you do. This isn\u2019t the time to be stubborn.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not being stubborn.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen what are you being?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m being like pa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re what?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLike Pa. I\u2019m doing what Pa would do in a situation like this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd just what pray tell is that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLetting the bear cubs think they\u2019ve outsmarted me. In due time, they\u2019ll find out there\u2019s a fox in the den.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe could feel Adam studying him. Adam finally sighed, and Joe pictured his brother throwing up his arm in defeat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, all right. You win. I\u2019ll give you a little more time. But if these kids haven\u2019t straightened up by the end of next week, and if there\u2019s not some teaching going on in this room by then, I\u2019ll have no choice but to ask you to resign.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI understand.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t let it come to that, please. Let me help you. Let me sit in here with you and–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. I can do this by myself. That\u2019s the only way I\u2019ll earn the boys\u2019 respect. If they think I\u2019m gonna run to the headmaster and tattle every time they misbehave, they\u2019ll never be willing to learn from me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what Elias Cross does.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRuns to you and tattles when his students misbehave?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Joe snorted. \u201cFigures. I had that whiney jackass pegged as a snitch from the first day I met him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe. . .\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, come off it, Adam. Quit acting so prim and proper. You think he\u2019s a whiney jackass, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell. . .okay, I do, but–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know, I know. He\u2019s a colleague, and his father\u2019s on the school board. I get it. I\u2019ll be on my best behavior around him, don\u2019t worry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPart of being on your best behavior is getting your students under control.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I will. Just give me a few more days, like you said you would. Please. Just through the weekend. That\u2019s all I need.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe weekend?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe nodded. \u201cI\u2019ve got some things I need to get done on Saturday. I\u2019ll be here most of the day. Don\u2019t worry if you don\u2019t see me until after you come home from your date with Laddie. Better yet, enjoy an evening alone in your house with her. I promise I won\u2019t be home until well after you two are done doing whatever it is you do when I\u2019m not around, and Mrs. O\u2019Connell is at her sister\u2019s house.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe! Laddie\u2019s not that kind of woman.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe winked. \u201cAll the more reason to marry her then, and make her that kind of woman.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe laughed. \u201cListen, I personally don\u2019t care what you two do. Stay home, go out, hunker down in a closet together. . .I\u2019m just lettin\u2019 you know I\u2019ll be busy on Saturday, and that by next week things should be improving in this room.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow are you going to get back and forth from my house to here?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m twenty-nine years old. I can make my own arrangements.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, everything you taught me was to help me gain my independence. I know plenty of the staff here now. I can get a ride with someone, or pay one of groundskeepers to walk me home, or ask Mr. Murphy to. Don\u2019t fret about it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy can\u2019t I come with you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause what I have to do. . .what I wanna accomplish, I need to accomplish on my own. Without your opinion coming into play.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSince when is my opinion poison to you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not. I respect your opinion more than I\u2019ve probably ever told you. But I have to do this on my own. If I succeed, I\u2019ll prove to myself that I know what I\u2019m doing. That I can teach these boys. If I fail. . .well, if I fail, I\u2019ll at least be able to tell\u00a0<\/span>
\nmyself. . .and Pa, that I tried.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to tell Pa anything. He\u2019ll know you tried.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe probably will. But still, it\u2019s important to me that I do this on my own, no matter what the results are.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cAdam, please. Trust me with this. I\u2019m the one who\u2019s allowed these boys to get this far out of control. Now I\u2019m the one who has to rectify that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think you\u2019re being too hard on yourself. You\u2019re new to teaching. You–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter. I have to fix this myself. Without your help.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe envisioned Adam shaking his head with disgust.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy is that little brothers are so all-fired determined to do things by themselves, when a big brother is willing to help?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. Why is that big brothers are so all-fired determined to offer their assistance, when a little brother says he wants to do something on his own?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps those are questions we\u2019ll never have answers to, huh?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat seems to be the case, yeah. Now, if you really wanna help, you could straighten the desks after I pick them up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMmmm. . .somehow I knew any help I was allowed to give would be on your terms.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, Adam, you\u2019re gettin\u2019 plumb smart in your old age, as our brother Hoss would say.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what he\u2019d say about you, is that you\u2019re getting more bull-headed and ornery.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe just might at that,\u201d Joe agreed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once the room was back in order, the brothers went to Adam\u2019s office to get Shakespeare. Adam and Joe walked to and from the institute on most days, Adam almost always bringing his German Shepherd with him. Only on rainy days, or during the middle of winter, or on a day when Adam knew he\u2019d be short for time, did he make use of a carriage and driver to cover the two mile distance that separated his home from the school.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the way home, Shakespeare walked ahead of Joe, as had become his habit in recent weeks, as though he\u2019d appointed himself Joe\u2019s guardian. When they reached Adam\u2019s house, Shakespeare led Joe through the open iron gate. Joe gently tugged on the dog\u2019s leash, stopping their progress on the walkway leading to the front door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cI just wanna let you know that if things don\u2019t improve by the end of next week like I hope they will, I\u2019ll give you my resignation before you have to ask for it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll give me. . .what\u2019s that supposed to mean?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t put you in a position where you have to fire me, and I won\u2019t hang onto the job so that other teachers besides Cross start accusing you of favoritism. I\u2019ll resign if my plan doesn\u2019t work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe–\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll resign, Adam. That\u2019s all I have to say about it.\u201d Joe walked forward again, Shakespeare taking that as his cue to walk as well. \u201cNow come on, let\u2019s go in and see what Mrs. O\u2019Connell has made for supper.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStubborn and ornery, Joseph!\u201d Adam called after his brother. \u201cStubborn and ornery both.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s my middle name.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it was Beauregard.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe laughed as Shakespeare led the way into the house. He kept the mood light the remainder of the evening, not wanting Adam to detect that he figured he had a 50-50 chance at best, that come one week from now, he wouldn\u2019t be tendering his resignation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 31<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It was late by the time Joe returned to Adam\u2019s house on Saturday evening. He\u2019d left before Adam was up that morning, and spent the majority of the day at the school, except for one trip to the Braille supply shop where Adam had bought his watch. Despite Joe\u2019s assertion that Adam should enjoy his time alone with Laddie on a rare evening when both Joe and Mrs. O\u2019Connell were away from the house, Adam must have been watching for him. Joe didn\u2019t even get his hand on the front door knob, before Adam yanked the door open.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho walked you home?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd a how-do-you-do to you too, big brother.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe brushed past Adam with Shakespeare leading the way. There was a long enough pause that Joe knew Adam was looking up and down the sidewalk, trying to determine if anyone had accompanied him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHi, Joe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe smiled in the direction of Laddie\u2019s voice as he unhooked Shakespeare\u2019s leash and hung it on a hook in the foyer\u2019s closet. The dog went over to his favorite spot in front of the fireplace hearth and plopped down, as though he\u2019d done a full day\u2019s work and deserved a nice, long rest.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHi, Laddie. I hope my brother hasn\u2019t bored you this evening by doing nothing but staring out the window watching for me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, he\u2019s come up with a few other ways to pass the time, but yes, mostly he\u2019s been staring out the window.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI got that impression when I practically fell in the front door.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, who walked you home?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe turned at the sound of Adam\u2019s voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShakespeare.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShakes. . .Joe. . .\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou asked.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou told me you\u2019d make arrangements to get yourself to and from the institute.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI did. With Shakespeare. Didn\u2019t Mrs. O\u2019Connell tell you he was with me?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe did, but she never mentioned that you\u2019d left here by yourself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t leave here by myself. I told you, I had Shakespeare with me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cAdam, this dog knows what he\u2019s doing. Don\u2019t worry, I was perfectly safe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhere you and worry are concerned, I\u2019m second only to Pa in how much of it I do. You can\u2019t use a dog as a companion to get you to and from places.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe not to and from some places, but to and from the places he\u2019s familiar with. He took me right to the school, and brought me right home. When I had another errand to run today, where I knew Shakespeare had never gone, I got Mr. Murphy to go with me. But I took Shakespeare, too, so he\u2019d know the way from now on. I\u2019ll tell ya\u2019, Adam, I think this dog could be trained to take me a lot of places. Ever since I\u2019ve been walking back and forth to the institute with you and Shakespeare, I\u2019ve noticed that he always stops when we have to step off a curb, when we come to stairs, if there\u2019s a carriage headed our way. . .smart animal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSmarter than you, evidently.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that supposed to mean?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt means that you can\u2019t trust a dog to keep you safe. I think Shakespeare\u2019s smart too, but not quite as intelligent as you\u2019re giving him credit for. And just what errand did you have to run today that I couldn\u2019t have taken you on?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNever mind. It\u2019s not important.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh. Another errand where my opinion wasn\u2019t welcome, is that it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, come on. Don\u2019t take it personally. I told you that I have to do this on my own. It has nothing to do with whether or not I want your opinion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, maybe you need my opinion. Walking home alone after dark was stupid, Joe. You shouldn\u2019t have even considered doing it. You told me you\u2019d have someone bring you home. You said–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI told you I\u2019d make my own arrangements, which I did.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut you didn\u2019t tell me those arrangements were going to be with a dog!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you didn\u2019t ask!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd why would I have thought to ask? I wouldn\u2019t have guessed you\u2019d be that absurd, though I suppose I should know better by now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho are you callin\u2019 absurd?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou! That\u2019s who!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you think that just because I can\u2019t see I won\u2019t pop you one right in the jaw, just keep it up!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if you think that just because I have one arm, I won\u2019t pop you one right back, just try me!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Laddie\u2019s laughter was like a bucket of cold water being thrown on the altercation that was just starting to heat up.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s so funny?\u201d Adam asked the woman.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou two. You sound like a couple of little boys who need a \u2018trip to the woodshed,\u2019 as I believe people from Nevada refer to it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t need a trip to the woodshed,\u201d Adam growled, \u201cbut I sure know someone who does.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you think you\u2019re a big enough man to do it, is that it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI just might be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh yeah? Well. . .\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Laddie came to stand between the two warriors. \u201cBoys, boys, boys. Enough. I thought we were past silly arguments like this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe would be, if he hadn\u2019t done something so foolish.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t foolish!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Joe, I don\u2019t think it was, either.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It was when Laddie made that declaration, that Joe wished he could have seen the expression on Adam\u2019s face.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you just say?\u201d Adam asked Laddie.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI said I don\u2019t think it was foolish, either. Well. . .possibly a little foolish, but if Joe says Shakespeare is capable of keeping him safe, then I believe it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA month ago, you were the one scolding me for leaving him alone by a bench, and now you\u2019re endorsing this. . .this. . .this guide dog idea of his?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGuide dog,\u201d Joe mumbled. \u201cI like that. Good name for it, Adam.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not trying to find a name for it, because it\u2019s not something you\u2019ll be doing again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam. . .\u201d Joe balled his fists, but almost as quickly, relaxed them. When all was said and done, Shakespeare was Adam\u2019s dog, and to argue for the right to use him wasn\u2019t Joe\u2019s place. He took a deep breath and counted to ten, then whistled for the dog.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Shakespeare, let\u2019s go to the kitchen and get you some food and water.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

What transpired in the parlor during the extended period of time Joe remained in the kitchen with Shakespeare in an effort to calm his temper, Joe wasn\u2019t sure. All he knew was that when he returned, Laddie had left to go home, and Adam offered an apology.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLook, Joe, I\u2019m sorry. I still think what you did was foolish, but if you say Shakespeare is capable of doing the things you outlined, then I believe you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe is, Adam.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI. . .I\u2019d like to use him sometimes to take me places, if that\u2019s all right with you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all right with me under two conditions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat conditions?\u201d Joe asked warily, sure his newfound independence would be snatched from him before he even got the chance to experience it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNumber One. That I have the opportunity to watch him work for you, and he proves to me he can do the things you say he can.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that if you\u2019re going out after dark, or returning after dark, you let me accompany you, or you get someone from the school to do so. Someone who\u2019s sighted, that is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, come on. It\u2019s always dark for me now. What difference does it make?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know what difference it makes. Boston\u2019s like any other city. There\u2019s a higher incident of crime after dark.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTell that to the kids who stole my wallet in broad daylight.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be happy to, if I ever run across them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThose are the conditions, Joe. Take \u2018em or leave \u2018em.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe hesitated a few seconds, but only to save face.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right. I\u2019ll take \u2018em.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen it\u2019s settled.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Adam.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re welcome.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Right before Joe headed up the stairs, he turned toward his brother and grinned.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith the way that woman has you apologizing to me left and right, you really do need to marry her.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A sofa pillow smacked Joe in the back of the head. He laughed, but let the subject of a marriage between Adam and Laddie drop as he walked up the stairs to his room.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 32<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Joe stood in the doorway of his classroom on Monday morning, waiting for the bell to clang that signaled the start of the school day. He took his watch out of his suit coat pocket, flicked open the lid, and felt the position of the hands. Eight twenty-eight. He shut the lid and returned the watch to his pocket, then took a deep breath. This either worked, or he was headed back to the Ponderosa to live out his life trying to find ways to be useful.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s room was on the fourth floor of the building, with Laddie\u2019s room down the hall from his. Elias Cross\u2019s room was housed on this floor, as were the classrooms of several other veteran teachers. Joe wondered at the logic of putting the newest students on the uppermost floor of the building, meaning they had to navigate the most stairs, but he supposed it didn\u2019t hamper them much. Or least ways, he couldn\u2019t tell it by how the boys in his class charged up those stairs like a herd of stampeding cattle.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking of stampeding cattle, at the sound of the bell, the stairs vibrated with pounding footsteps. Joe heard the disapproving, \u201cTsk, tsk, tsk,\u201d from the other side of the hall, where Cross was no doubt standing at his classroom door, waiting to monitor everything Joe and his students did.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, Joe was ready for those stampeding cattle. He grabbed the first boy to reach his door by the arm and brought him up short, causing the other boys to bump into him. From the sounds of things, Joe guessed a few had fallen on their rear ends, but he figured it served most of them right.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey, what\u2019s the big idea?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe immediately identified the speaker.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe big idea, Henry, is that things are going to be done differently in this classroom starting right now.\u201d Joe \u201clooked\u201d at his students. \u201cBoys, I\u2019m leading Henry into the class. The rest of you will follow in an orderly fashion, just like the school rules state.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t waitin\u2019.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe was prepared for the boy who tried to plow his way past Henry. So prepared, that he could have predicated the teenager\u2019s actions. Joe grabbed this boy with his free hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh yes you are, John. Now come on. It\u2019s your lucky day.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLucky day?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou and Henry here, have the privilege of setting an example for your classmates.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe marched the two troublemakers into the class, his grip firm and strong.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey, you\u2019re hurtin\u2019 me!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen quit trying to twist out of my hold, Henry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This was the first time Joe had called the boys by name on a regular basis, because it was the first time he could easily identify who they were. His week of observation was already paying off. It seemed to make Henry and John a little nervous now that Joe was directly calling them on their misbehavior.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe turned to face the others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, boys. Come in the room. But don\u2019t sit down.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause, Tony, there\u2019s a new seating order.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNew seating order?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right, Pete. Everyone stay where you are, while I lead Henry and John to their seats.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of the younger boys giggled at the thought of the \u201cbig boys\u201d being led to their desks like little kids.<\/span><\/p>\n

Henry turned. \u201cShut up!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe gave the teen\u2019s arm a firm squeeze. \u201cNo, Henry. No more talk like that in this classroom.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTalk like what?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTelling someone to shut up. Calling someone names. Hitting, throwing things, tipping over desks. . .it stops as of today.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if we don\u2019t wanna stop?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what you want. I\u2019m in charge here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHaven\u2019t been up until now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, kid, it\u2019s a new day.\u201d Joe propelled the boy forward. \u201cNow come on.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When Joe came to the first desk in the first row, he let go of the boys, took Henry\u2019s hand, and ran it over the wooden placard screwed to the back of the seat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is your name written in Braille. It\u2019s the first thing you\u2019re gonna learn today. Now sit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if I don\u2019t wanna?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe shoved the boy downward. \u201cDo it anyway.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe smiled as he heard Henry trying to do exactly what he\u2019d expected once the boy was seated \u2013 tip the desk over.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t waste your time, Henry. The desks are bolted to the floor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe smiled again at the collective, \u201cAwwww,\u201d of disappointment that resounded throughout the room.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow come with me, John. Your seat is the last desk in the last row.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut I wanna sit by Henry!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure you do. But starting today, you\u2019ll sit back here. Give me your hand. This is your name written in Braille.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Once Joe had John seated, he turned to go and retrieve another boy. However, he was forced to make a detour to the new bookcase he\u2019d had installed on Saturday, where he heard someone trying to open the doors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s locked, Henry. Until you boys can learn books are for reading, and not for throwing, it\u2019ll stay that way. Same goes for the paper. It\u2019ll stay locked in that bookcase until you learn it\u2019s for writing on.\u201d Joe placed his hands on the boy\u2019s shoulders. \u201cNow come on. Back to your seat.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite Henry\u2019s resistance, Joe ran the teenager\u2019s fingers over the name placard again, telling him once more, \u201cThis is your name in Braille.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As Joe assumed would be the case, he didn\u2019t meet with resistance from the younger boys when it came to the new seating arrangement. It was only the older boys who voiced their displeasure with it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what difference it makes to you guys anyway,\u201d Joe quipped at the complainers as he seated Tony Marcelli, \u201cit\u2019s not like you can see the blackboard, no matter where I put you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s comment was met by shocked silence at first, followed by a smattering of laughter from the teenagers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGood joke, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d John said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d fifteen-year-old Pete Simmons agreed. \u201cPretty funny.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Although Joe didn\u2019t tell the boys this, there was a reason for the new seating arrangement. On the first day of class, the boys had been made to sit according to the Braille seating chart provided for Joe, which placed them in alphabetical order based on their last names. By the end of that first day, however, they were sitting wherever they wanted to. Which meant, like Pa often used to say rather pointedly to Joe when he was a boy, \u201cSomehow the troublemakers always find one another.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Pa\u2019s wisdom regarding troublemakers proved to be sound where Joe\u2019s students were concerned. Therefore, his new assigned seating arrangements split the troublemakers up, and had younger boys seated between them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Three times during the process of getting everyone familiar with the Braille version of their names, and then getting them seated, Joe had to tell older boys to return to their desks. But now he didn\u2019t feel at a disadvantage, because he recognized every voice and every footstep. He\u2019d immediately refer to a youngster by name, and command that he get back to his seat. Joe\u2019s sense of hearing told him if his command had been complied with or not.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe walked over to shut the door, and then seat the last child.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Caleb. Let me show you to your desk.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The boy yanked himself from Joe\u2019s grasp. \u201cI can find it myself!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe was taken aback by the child\u2019s anger. Because his attention had mostly been on the teenagers the last two weeks, he hadn\u2019t observed a lot, good or bad, about Caleb Greers, other than the boy was quiet and seemed to keep to himself. At a time when Joe was desperate for a quiet boy, he took Caleb\u2019s silence to be an indication of good behavior.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe didn\u2019t try and touch Caleb again. The boy stumbled around the room feeling for an empty desk, Joe following behind him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, kid, let Mr. Cartwright help ya\u2019,\u201d Tony advised. \u201cIf you hadn\u2019t noticed, you\u2019re blind.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, kid, quit trippin\u2019 over your feet and sit down!\u201d Henry called. \u201cYa\u2019 can\u2019t see the broad side of a barn, ya\u2019 know!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Caleb whirled toward Henry\u2019s voice. \u201cI can too! I can see! I can!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen whatta\u2019 ya\u2019 doin\u2019 here? Take a wrong turn on the way to Georgia or somethin\u2019?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Laugher erupted at Henry\u2019s remark.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, boys,\u201d Joe said, \u201cthat\u2019s enough. Go on, Caleb. Find your seat.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can do it myself!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI never said you couldn\u2019t. Just find it, please, and then sit down.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe waited until he knew the boy had found the only empty seat left in the room.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYour name is on the back of it in Braille. Why don\u2019t you see what it feels like.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c \u2018Cause I don\u2019t wanna! I can read real words! Regular words written like they\u2019re supposed to be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBraille is regular words, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo it\u2019s not, and you can\u2019t make me learn it!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo you\u2019re going to do your lessons in \u201cregular words,\u201d is that it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right. If you can do it, I\u2019ll accept your work that way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can do it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d Joe agreed, hearing the anger and defiance in the boy\u2019s voice, as though he was daring anyone to say he was blind. \u201cWhen we get that far, we\u2019ll see how it goes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll go fine!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe ignored the boy\u2019s declaration, instead, turning his attention to the entire class. For once, the older boys were riveted by someone causing trouble other than themselves. Joe walked up and down the four aisles made up of five desks each. He didn\u2019t realize how much he sounded like his father when he spoke, both in tone of voice and words chosen, though if Adam or Hoss had been present, they would have had hard a hard time discerning who was in charge of this classroom \u2013 Joe Cartwright, or Ben Cartwright.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBoys, as I said earlier to Henry, it\u2019s a new day in this room. Name calling, hitting, pushing, shoving, running in the halls, throwing things, shouting, and switching seats, won\u2019t be tolerated. Therefore, Pete and John, get back to your assigned seats.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe listened, smiling when he heard the two boys mumble under their breath as they did as he commanded.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d Joe then told the boys, wanting to give them the respect they deserved for obeying him. He kicked Tony\u2019s feet aside as he continued to walk the aisles, causing the boy to grunt with pain.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if you\u2019re smart, you won\u2019t stick your feet out and try to trip anyone either, will you, Tony?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Mr. Cartwright.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGood man. You learn quickly. \u201cNow–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe grabbed his forehead. Once again, he\u2019d been the victim of someone\u2019s peashooter. But this time, he knew right where it had come from. He\u2019d heard the boy take a deep breath, and then let it out fast and hard. He walked over to the first desk in the first row, and held out his hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGive me the peashooter, Henry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t got no peashooter.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe peashooter.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m tellin\u2019 ya\u2019, Mr. Cartwright, I don\u2019t got no pea–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe grabbed the boy by the shirt collar and yanked him from his seat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe peashooter, kid. Now! Or you\u2019re gonna find out I\u2019ve got me a real nasty temper that my father\u2019s warned would get the best of me someday. I don\u2019t think you want that to be today, now do you, Henry?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUm\u2026um\u2026uh\u2026no. Uh\u2026here it is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The peashooter landed in Joe\u2019s palm.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you. When the rest of us go out for recess after lunch, you\u2019ll go to Headmaster Cartwright\u2019s office, and write five times in Braille, \u2018I will not bring peashooters to class.\u2019 \u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut I don\u2019t know how to write in Braille.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure Headmaster Cartwright will be happy to teach you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut it might take me more than one recess to get it done!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen that\u2019s the price you pay for bringing your peashooter to class.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll escort you to his office after we eat. And take it from me, Headmaster Cartwright is a real stickler for things bein\u2019 done all nice and perfect-like, so you\u2019d better plan on doing a good job right from the start, or you\u2019re liable to be spending two months\u2019 worth of recesses in his office.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAw, Mr. Cartwright, that\u2019s not fair.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Henry, I hate to be the first one to break the news to you, but life isn\u2019t fair sometimes.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe turned to face the rest of the class.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnyone else with a peashooter, I suggest you either turn it in to me, or keep it in your pocket, unless you wanna join Henry in the headmaster\u2019s office. And don\u2019t bring them to class again, boys.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGolly, but this class sure ain\u2019t no fun any more.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe smiled at John\u2019s remark. \u201cThere\u2019ll be plenty of fun if everyone behaves, and you work hard at learning your lessons. The reward for hard work is fun. The reward for not working hard, is more hard work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Before any of Joe\u2019s students could comment on that, someone knocked on the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome in!\u201d Joe called, already certain he knew the identity of his visitor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIs now a good time, Joseph?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Mrs. O\u2019Connell, come in. Boys, say hello to Mrs. O\u2019Connell.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A chorus of \u201cHello, Mrs. Connell,\u201d sounded around the room.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHenry, I didn\u2019t hear you say hello to Mrs. O\u2019Connell.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHi, Mrs. O\u2019Connell,\u201d the teenager grumbled.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy my my, what nice young gentlemen yeh have in yer class, Joseph. They wouldn\u2019t be hungry fer a snack now, would they?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The smell of chocolate and warm cinnamon traveled with the woman as she walked toward Joe\u2019s desk.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I don\u2019t know. . .\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hungry!\u201d John called.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMe too!\u201d Pete and Tony echoed. Even Billy Fitzgerald joined in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hungry, Mr. Cartwright!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I\u2019m glad to hear yeh lads say that, because I just took some cinnamon rolls from the oven, and I just finished icing some chocolate doughnuts. I even stopped on me way here, and bought a cold pail of milk from that nice Mr. Harvey at the market down the street. Joseph, have yer boys here been good enough to have a snack, or should I just leave everything for yeh and the headmaster to share?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMmmm. . .\u201d Joe pretended to contemplate this proposal that he\u2019d prearranged with Mrs. O\u2019Connell, \u201clet me see. Other than a few small incidents, I\u2019d say yes. These boys deserve the snacks you brought.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEven me?\u201d Henry asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Henry, even you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Mrs. O\u2019Connell took plates and cups from a picnic basket, along with the rolls and doughnuts she\u2019d made that morning after she\u2019d gotten breakfast on the table for Adam and Joe. Adam hadn\u2019t even realized she was up to something. He didn\u2019t pay much attention to the running of the kitchen, allowing his housekeeper free rein over the planning of the meals. He might make a special request now and again when he was having company, but overall, he let the kitchen be Mrs. O\u2019Connell\u2019s domain, in much the way the Ponderosa kitchen was Hop Sing\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe asked Mrs. O\u2019Connell to pass out the plates and let the boys choose a treat from her basket. While she started that process with Henry, Joe went to the other side of the room with the pail of milk and the cups, giving the boys their first lesson in how to pour their own drink. A few of the boys had mastered this skill on their own at home, but most of them were like Joe had been just a few months earlier \u2013 dependent on someone to pour their milk for them.<\/span><\/p>\n

The boys were eager to learn this new skill. Joe smiled a little at something he was learning as well \u2013 that you could make schoolwork fun, and in so doing, the kids didn\u2019t realize they were actually completing an assigned lesson.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Joe was showing Billy how to tell when his cup was full, Mrs. O\u2019Connell gave a startled cry. Joe heard a \u201cthud!\u201d and rushed to the woman\u2019s aid.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. O\u2019Connell, are you all right?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes. . .yes. . .\u201d the woman answered a little breathlessly. \u201cI think I\u2019m okay. . .me old body doesn\u2019t take a spill like it used to. Thanks be to Saint Thomas that I didn\u2019t drop me basket of treats.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cI tripped.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe turned at the sound of a snicker.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCaleb, did you trip Mrs. O\u2019Connell?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo what if I did?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Joseph, surely the lad didn\u2019t do it on purpose.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe crossed his arms over his chest. If he\u2019d had his sight, he\u2019d have stared a hole through the boy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have to differ with you on that. I think Caleb did do it on purpose.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo what? You gonna make me write sentences in the headmaster\u2019s office, too? I can do \u2018em in regular writing, ya\u2019 know. I don\u2019t need to learn none of that Braille stuff.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNope, no sentences, Caleb.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Cartwright! That\u2019s not fair! You\u2019re making me write sentences!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBe quiet, Henry.\u201d Joe turned to face Caleb again, taking the plate off his desk that held a warm cinnamon roll. \u201cAs for you, young man, no snack this morning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care! I didn\u2019t want it anyway!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that\u2019s good, because you\u2019re not gonna have it. Snacks are rewards for good behavior, and obviously, your behavior toward Mrs. O\u2019Connell is about as far from good as it gets. You don\u2019t ever treat a woman that way in my classroom, Caleb. You go it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When Joe was met with nothing but silence, he poked the ten-year-old in the chest with a firm finger.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCaleb, I asked you a question.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d the boy grumbled.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah what?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI got it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGood. Now apologize to Mrs. O\u2019Connell.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When Caleb didn\u2019t do as Joe ordered, Joe repeated, \u201cCaleb, apologize to Mrs. O\u2019Connell.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Caleb hesitated, then finally mumbled, \u201cSorry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYour apology is a little short on sincerity, but I\u2019ll let it go for now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCan the boy have his roll back now, Joseph?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Mrs. O\u2019Connell, not today.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut he apologized and–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe gently urged the woman to move on up the aisle to the next child waiting for a treat from her basket. \u201cYeah, he apologized, but he lost his chance at a snack when he tripped you. Now come on. Let\u2019s get the rest of these boys fed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While Mrs. O\u2019Connell continued on her way with her basket, Joe resumed passing out cups and teaching the boys to pour milk. When he came to Caleb, he said, \u201cYou can have milk if you want some.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t want any!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d Joe agreed, moving on to the next boy. Despite what Caleb claimed, Joe knew better than to think the boy didn\u2019t want something to eat, and a cup of milk to go along with it. No ten-year-old refused a doughnut or cinnamon roll, and especially not when the rest of his classmates were enjoying one.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Let him be punished by his own stubbornness. That\u2019s what Pa would tell me to do. Lord knows I punished myself that way a time or two when I was ten.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the boys had been taken care of, Joe pulled a chair up to his desk and insisted Mrs. O\u2019Connell sit down and eat with him. Joe chose a doughnut from the basket, while she chose a cinnamon roll. After everyone had finished, Joe asked the boys to bring their plates and cups to the front of the room. Again, many of them were learning a lesson without realizing it \u2013 how to pick up after themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe helped Mrs. O\u2019Connell pack her basket, then thanked her for coming.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBoys, thank Mrs. O\u2019Connell for bringing snacks to us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you\u2019s\u201d were called out. Joe took note of how Mrs. O\u2019Connell\u2019s presence seemed to be a positive thing for the younger boys \u2013 especially Billy, who hadn\u2019t cried at all since she\u2019d entered the room. He decided she\u2019d become a regular visitor to his classroom.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow, a man always walks a lady to the door. Henry, can you do that today, please.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe heard the pride in the teenager\u2019s voice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSure.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The boy stood and waited for Mrs. O\u2019Connell to reach his side. When she did, he walked with her to the door and opened it. Joe just about fell over with shock when Henry said, \u201cThank you for comin\u2019 here today with your snacks, Ma\u2019am. Please come back sometime.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy, but aren\u2019t yeh a nice lad. I\u2019ll do that \u2018Enry. Maybe bring some of me sugar cookies next time. Would yeh like that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After Mrs. O\u2019Connell left, Joe told Henry to shut the door and return to his seat. Henry did as Joe asked without hesitation, which was a first where Joe and Henry were concerned.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Henry. You\u2019re quite the gentleman, aren\u2019t you,\u201d Joe teased, with just the right amount of humor. He could picture Henry blushing as John and Tony joined in the teasing, but he sensed Henry liked it. Maybe this was the first time Henry had ever gotten attention for good behavior, as opposed to all the attention he\u2019d garnered over the years as a result of bad behavior.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, boys, that\u2019s enough. Settle down. It\u2019s time all of you start learning to walk around a room without bumping into things. Billy and Henry, come up here, please. We\u2019ll start with the two of you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And that\u2019s how the morning proceeded. Joe paired an older boy with a young one, and then taught them the basic lessons of navigating a room, just like Adam had taught him. When it came to anyone giving him problems, it wasn\u2019t Henry, or John, or Tony, or Pete, but instead, Caleb, who refused to employ the methods Joe showed him. The boy stumbled around the room in the same way Joe remembered stumbling around the ranch house. He purposely pushed a chair in Caleb\u2019s path, wincing when he heard the child topple over it. He reached down to help the boy up.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow you know why you should do what I tell you to. You wouldn\u2019t have fallen over that chair if–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLeave me alone!\u201d Caleb twisted from Joe\u2019s grasp. \u201cJust leave me alone! I don\u2019t need ta\u2019 learn any of your dumb ol\u2019 lessons \u2018bout bein\u2019 blind. I\u2019m not blind; do you hear me? I\u2019m not blind!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen why–\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe clamped a hand over Henry\u2019s mouth. \u201cBe quiet,\u201d he told the teenager.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCaleb, you\u2019re right. If you\u2019re not blind, you don\u2019t need to be here. You can go ahead and leave.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLe-leave?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. Go ahead. Leave the room. You might as well pack up your stuff and go home. It\u2019s silly for you to be here learning with us, if you\u2019re not blind. I\u2019m glad I got to meet you, but seems to me it\u2019s a waste of my time and yours if there\u2019s nothing you can learn from me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right then. I\u2019ll leave.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe was taking a big gamble that the boy wouldn\u2019t actually leave the building and disappear somewhere in Boston. But it was a gamble Joe was willing to take in an effort to deflate some of Caleb\u2019s bravado.<\/span><\/p>\n

And it was a gamble that paid off, because when the bell clanged an hour later signaling the start of lunch break, Caleb was leaning against the wall outside Joe\u2019s classroom. The only thing Joe said to the youngster when the boy tried to sneak by him was, \u201cGet in line, Caleb. We\u2019re going to lunch now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t need to be here, ya\u2019 know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI realize that. But until I figure out how you got sent here to the institute by mistake, you might as well keep comin\u2019 to my classroom, don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Caleb refused to answer, but for some reason, Joe knew the boy would be present in his assigned seat when recess ended.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After lunch, Joe took Henry to Adam\u2019s office and explained what the boy\u2019s punishment was. As Joe knew would be the case, Adam took exaggerated delight in using this opportunity to teach Braille to Henry.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHenry, I admire a boy who\u2019s so diligent that he volunteers to stay in at recess to do his lessons.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDidn\u2019t volunteer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPardon?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI. . .I mean, yeah. Sure. Sure, Headmaster. Whatever you say.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s better. Go on, Henry. It\u2019s eight steps straight ahead to a chair by my desk. I\u2019ll be right there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam pulled Joe out into the hallway. \u201cHow\u2019d this morning go?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe smiled. \u201cBetter. A lot better.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought as much since I haven\u2019t heard any crashes coming from above, and since Cross hasn\u2019t been in my office with a battle report.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt hasn\u2019t all been smooth sailing, and it probably won\u2019t be for a few days yet, but I. . .I think I\u2019m on my way, Adam.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam clapped Joe\u2019s upper arm. \u201cGood for you. What\u2019s your secret?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSecret?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. How\u2019d you turn things around?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI told you. I\u2019m being like Pa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAh. A fox in the bear cub den, is that it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSomething like that. Listen, I gotta get outside and help supervise recess. . .plus say a couple of \u201cI told you so\u2019s\u201d to Cross. See ya\u2019 later.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam normally would have admonished Joe to leave Elias Cross alone, but not today. Today, he wanted Joe to revel in his victory, because God knew Joe deserved to.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 33<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

That afternoon, Adam didn\u2019t have to help Joe pick up desks, papers, or books. Instead, he silently admired his brother\u2019s ingenuity when he stopped by Joe\u2019s classroom at the end of the school day.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho helped you do all of this?\u201d Adam asked, referring to the desks bolted to the floor, the name placards on the back of them, and the new bookcase.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people. Ray and Boyd helped me with the desks,\u201d Joe said, naming two of the building\u2019s caretakers, \u201cand some of the kids on the newspaper staff did the placards for me, and Mr. Murphy went with me to get the bookcase, along with a few things I wanted from that Braille shop where you bought my watch.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Joe answered vaguely, \u201cOh, just some toys, games, things like that.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, you\u2019re not going to bribe these kids, are you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever works, big brother.\u201d Joe grinned as he passed Adam on his way out of the door. \u201cWhatever works.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam followed in Joe\u2019s wake. \u201cPa never resorted to bribery.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe not with you he didn\u2019t, but with me he did.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll the more reason not to be the oldest child.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe laughed. \u201cGuess not, if that means you missed out on chocolate drops every time you were good after a visit to Doc Martin, or on new marbles every time you sat still in church.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou got marbles for sitting still in church?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The only answer Adam received was another laugh.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As Joe lay in bed that night drifting towards sleep, he smiled over his successes as a teacher. Like he\u2019d told Adam after lunch, he still had a ways to go before the seas weren\u2019t a little choppy now and again, but overall, it had been a good day. A day Joe was proud of. A day he\u2019d remember for a long time to come. Granted, he hadn\u2019t made any headway with Caleb Greers, but right now, as Joe basked in victory, one angry ten-year-old was the least of his worries.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 34<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Joe Cartwright was likely the most unorthodox teacher that the Boston Institute for the Blind had ever employed, but the headmaster was willing to look the other way \u2013 not because Joe was his brother, but because his methods worked, and his students were prospering. After all, as Adam told Elias Cross one morning, how could a teacher be held at fault who had, despite an unproductive start, managed to make up two weeks worth of missed lessons by the end of September, and now had his students on schedule.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut there\u2019s too much laughter coming from that room, Headmaster,\u201d Cross complained.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t that better than shouting, and crying, and general chaos?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt disturbs my students.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen perhaps you should tell them not to concern themselves with what\u2019s going on across the hall, and instead, focus their attention on you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Cross glared at Adam, then moved on to his next complaint.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe allows his students to go outside during times that aren\u2019t designated as recess. He says he\u2019s holding lessons out there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen I\u2019m sure he is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPlaying horseshoes and baseball?\u201d The man sneered with disgust. \u201cI highly doubt it, unless horseshoes or baseball will somehow become a way for blind men to gain employment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPossibly not employment, but I\u2019m sure it\u2019s teaching them teamwork, while building their self-confidence.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSelf-confidence? And just how might that be?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d suggest you run around a base path with your eyes closed to discover the answer to that question.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt appears to be nothing other than fun to me. Of no value whatsoever.\u201d Cross shrugged, \u201cBut you\u2019re the headmaster, so if you disagree. . .\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo be it. But one thing you can\u2019t disagree with me about, is that your brother takes off his suit coat and tie, and rolls up his shirtsleeves, not five minutes after the morning bell rings. All of that is a direct violation of the dress code for this school\u2019s male teachers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSince his students can\u2019t see him, I don\u2019t think it makes a lot of difference, do you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t be saying that if he wasn\u2019t your brother.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam sighed. Maybe Cross was right about that. He\u2019d told Joe more than once in recent weeks to put his coat and tie back on. Joe would apologize sheepishly, claiming he \u201cforgot\u201d about the dress code, and then do as Adam asked. Somehow, though, by the time their paths crossed again during any given school day, Joe\u2019s memory where the dress code was concerned had managed to fail him. Adam finally gave up on trying to make Joe adhere to it, figuring his brother deserved a little leniency given how hard he\u2019d worked to master his new career.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLook, Elias, I know my brother\u2019s ways are a bit. . .informal, but you have to keep in mind that until very recently his life\u2019s work was as a rancher. He\u2019s used to a more relaxed atmosphere.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen perhaps he should return to roping steers, or panning for gold, or chasing Indians, or doing whatever it is you people do out West.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam shook his head as the scrawny man with the stick-thin legs and arms turned on one heel and walked stiffly from his office. If Joe could see Cross, with his erect bearing and beak-like nose tilted upward with disdain, he\u2019d ask Adam who\u2019d shoved a hot branding iron up the man\u2019s ass.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The headmaster chuckled at that thought, then walked to his office window. He looked toward the ball diamond, seeing Joe\u2019s class engaged in a game. Adam knew Joe was using some of these impromptu trips outside as a way of rewarding the boys for good behavior, and for working so hard to get caught up in class. Despite Cross\u2019s complaints, Adam was hard-pressed to find a reason why Joe couldn\u2019t reward the boys every now and again. Plus, Adam truly believed they were learning from each new experience Joe gave them, even if it was playing baseball. When it came to engaging in common schoolyard games, they were discovering they could enjoy the same entertainment sighted children did, albeit adjusted in some ways to allow for their handicap \u2013 like the rope strung around the diamond that guided the boys as they ran from base to base, and the ball with jingle bells inside of it, that allowed them to use their hearing to track its movements as it was pitched, and then hit. Shakespeare, who now went to Joe\u2019s classroom on most days, chased the boys around the bases, playfully barking and nipping at their heels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s shouts of encouragement drifted in through the window, as did the boys\u2019 laughter. Adam couldn\u2019t tell who was having more fun \u2013 Joe, or his students. Well, all except for Caleb Greer, who was sitting on a bench and not participating. An educated guess told Adam the boy was once again being punished for misbehavior. So far, nothing Joe had tried seemed to get through to the ten-year-old. He was the only student of Joe\u2019s lagging behind where progress was concerned.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They\u2019d had a few students like Caleb since Adam\u2019s tenure at the institute. Angry, sullen children, who refused to learn, and who Adam eventually sent home to their parents. Adam hated giving up on those kids, but since so many other children were waiting for a place at the institute, he couldn\u2019t see the point in keeping a student who didn\u2019t want to be here. He\u2019d broached the subject of Caleb\u2019s possible dismissal with Joe, but Joe wouldn\u2019t entertain the notion.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll get him to come around. Just give me more time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not saying I\u2019m sending him home tomorrow, Joe. I\u2019m just saying that he\u2019s been here for a month now, and he hasn\u2019t made any progress. If I don\u2019t see his attitude change soon, then quite frankly, notifying his parents and asking them to come get him is my only option. There are too many other deserving children on our waiting list.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGive me more time, Adam,\u201d Joe requested in that voice that sounded so much like Pa\u2019s \u2013 the one Adam doubted Joe even realized he used when he was determined to accomplish something. \u201cGive both Caleb and me more time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that supposed to mean?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t give up on me when I didn\u2019t wanna learn, so don\u2019t ask me to give up on him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam had reluctantly agreed to do as Joe asked, but added, \u201cI\u2019ll give you until Christmas break. If Caleb\u2019s still refusing to learn at that time, then I\u2019ll have to tell his parents not to send him back to us when school resumes in January. Deal?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDeal,\u201d Joe nodded in agreement.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam watched out the window now, as Joe called a halt to the ball game and told the boys they had to return to class. Joe put a hand on Caleb\u2019s shoulder, but the boy jerked from his grasp. While the other boys walked across the grounds toward the building with one arm protecting their faces, and the other arm extended in front of them, Caleb stumbled along, tripping over everything in his path.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam shook his head, wondering if the boy would ever be willing to learn, or if, when school resumed after Christmas, another child would take his seat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 35<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

October had always been one of Joe\u2019s favorite months. The days were still warm enough to make being outdoors enjoyable, but the nights spoke of winter\u2019s pending arrival. It was a time on the ranch when they\u2019d be busy making repairs to buildings and line shacks, so animals and people had protection from the cold, and getting ready for the cattle drive. Hop Sing would be bringing in the last of the vegetables from the garden, filling the kitchen with rich smells as he canned pumpkins and squash for winter pies, cakes, and breads. That was one of the few memories Joe had of his mother \u2013 the way she\u2019d help Hop Sing in the garden all summer and fall, and then helped making jams, jellies, pies, as well as canning whatever vegetables were currently being harvested.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam said autumn in New England was truly a season of beauty, with brilliant oranges, golds, yellows, and reds bursting from the trees. Joe would have loved to see the colors that spoke of an old year slowly slipping away, but then, he would have loved to see a lot of things. He still wasn\u2019t completely used to being blind, and wondered if he ever would be \u2013 or ever fully accepting of it, either, for that matter. He kept that non-acceptance well hidden now. After all, it seemed petty to wallow in self-pity when he was surrounded by children who didn\u2019t complain about their misfortune in life. A misfortune just like his own.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s teaching skills continued to grow that fall. As he\u2019d known would be the case, it wasn\u2019t all smooth sailing. The entire month of September was as much a learning experience for Joe, as it was for his students. His confidence grew as October progressed, and the boys settled into the daily routine. No longer was Joe confiscating peashooters, or sending someone to Adam\u2019s office to write sentences, or dealing with John, Henry, Pete, and Tony, doing their best to switch seats at the start of each day. The younger boys were thriving, too. The calm routine that prevailed in the classroom now seemed to put their fears to rest, and even Billy no longer cried for his mother.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mrs. O\u2019Connell made \u201csurprise\u201d visits now and again, bringing treats baked in Adam\u2019s kitchen, and Joe also gave out other rewards for good behavior, or lessons well mastered. For the little boys, the rewards were things like tin whistles, toy soldiers, Braille building blocks, wooden horses, hand-carved cowboy and Indian sets, modeling clay, Braille card games and board games, and candy from Casey\u2019s Sweet Shop \u2013 everything purchased with Joe\u2019s own money. The older boys received \u201cpasses\u201d to places Joe took them on Saturdays \u2013 horseback riding at a nearby stable, a picnic at a park down the street from the institute, and upon an invitation from Laddie\u2019s father, \u201camusements\u201d at the Brockington estate. Mr. Brockington even taught Joe and the boys a new game called golf. It seemed silly to Joe, trying to hit a tiny ball into a small, round hole, but Mr. Brockington claimed the game would be all the rage soon. Silly or not, it didn\u2019t matter to the teenagers. A day away from the institute was a treasured prize. They didn\u2019t care where Joe took them, they were just happy to have the opportunity to leave the grounds with him, which probably accounted for at least some their good behavior in class.<\/span><\/p>\n

The only child who had yet to earn a reward was Caleb Greers. He\u2019d taken over where the older boys had left off when it came to disruptions. Tripping his classmates, striking out at them in anger, name calling, sweeping books off his desk, shouting at Joe \u2013 and if he wasn\u2019t doing those things, then he was sitting sullenly, refusing to learn, all the while maintaining that he could see and shouldn\u2019t be at the institute.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSaying it doesn\u2019t make it so, Caleb,\u201d Joe had told the boy more than once.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes it does!\u201d the stubborn child insisted, and kept on insisting it even when all the other younger boys were playing with new toys and games Joe had given them.<\/span><\/p>\n

At least Joe was dealing with only one child not willing to learn now, instead of twenty. He continually thought of ways to make the boys\u2019 lessons fun. When Adam discovered the older boys reading dime novels in Braille with titles like, \u201cThe Adventures of Tex Mathers and the Cowboy Kid,\u201d and \u201cShootout at the Circle B Ranch,\u201d and \u201cPistol Pete and His Trick Horse Maverick,\u201d he told Joe, \u201cI can\u2019t believe you\u2019re letting them read that trash.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat \u2018trash\u2019 as you refer to it, entertained me on more cold winter nights than I can remember when I was a kid.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhich explains a lot.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe ignored his brother\u2019s teasing sarcasm.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re perfect for teenage boys just learning Braille.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd why is that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause those novels make them want to read, that\u2019s why.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThoreau and Hawthorn should make them want to read, too. Not to mention Shakespeare.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll those guys ever did for me was put me to sleep. But either way, there\u2019ll be enough time for Thoreau and his buddies next year, when the older boys are in your literature class. In my class, it\u2019s nothing but Tex and Pistol Pete.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd candy, and games, and my housekeeper showing up with a basket of cookies, and–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd whatever works, Adam,\u201d Joe said with a grin. \u201cWhatever works.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When it came to Joe teaching the boys table manners, Adam thought he\u2019d gone too far when all of them but Caleb, who\u2019d refused to leave the institute with his classmates, showed up in Adam\u2019s dining room one Saturday evening. Laddie, however, thought it was ingenuity at its finest. The boys took turns pulling out her chair for her, spreading their napkins across their laps, passing dishes of food without spilling anything, filling their own plates and cups, and then offering Laddie their arms and leading her to the parlor after the meal was finished. The final touch was when the boys wrote Adam a thank you note in Braille to express their gratitude for the evening.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI would have never guessed you knew it\u2019s proper to send a thank you note to your host after a dinner party,\u201d Adam told his brother on the evening the thank you note had arrived in the mail.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s because you think all the manners Pa taught us only rubbed off on you. Hoss and I picked up on a few things, too, ya\u2019 know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m beginning to learn that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAbout time you did, big brother. About time you did.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s headaches continued to come and go during September and October, but he\u2019d been able to keep their existence from Adam. Some were mild enough that Joe could go about his normal routine without interruption. He\u2019d had a bad one on a Saturday evening when Adam was out with Laddie, and Mrs. O\u2019Connell was doing some kind of charity work for her church, which made it easy to go to bed early without Adam being the wiser. Another bad headache occurred one day at school right before lunch. That day, Joe managed to keep the pain hidden while getting Laddie to take his boys to the dining hall, and then to recess, saying he had things to catch up on his classroom. By the time the boys returned an hour and a half later, the headache was gone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But probably worse than any headache, was the heartache Joe felt when one particular letter arrived from Pa. Adam, of course, had to read Pa\u2019s and Hoss\u2019s letters to Joe. After Adam had read the news Pa wrote about the price he was anticipating for the fall market steers, and that the nights were growing colder, and that Hoss was busy repairing and stocking line shacks while wishing Joe was there to help him, and how old Bart Thomas was predicting a bad winter because his bursitis was bothering him something fierce, Adam\u2019s voice faltered and trailed off.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIs that it?\u201d Joe asked, from where he was seated in what had become his favorite easy chair in Adam\u2019s parlor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUh. . .no. There\u2019s. . .there\u2019s one more paragraph.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGo ahead then, read it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

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

\u201cUm. . .never mind. It says. . .it says. . .\u201d Adam took a deep breath, then read, \u201cJoseph, I\u2019m sorry to have to write of this news, son, but I didn\u2019t think it was right to keep it from you. Sally Morris\u2019s parents have announced her engagement to Carl Jeffers. The wedding is to take place in February.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe stood as Adam finished reading.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t say anything, Adam. There\u2019s nothing you can say.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow about, I\u2019m sorry?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo need to be sorry. You didn\u2019t do anything wrong.\u201d Joe whistled for Shakespeare and went to the closet for his leash. \u201cI\u2019m taking Shakespeare for a walk around the neighborhood. Be back in a little while.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou want company?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. Thanks but. . .no. Not right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam was still sitting in the parlor when Joe returned a half hour later. Joe knew this was his brother\u2019s way of saying he was available to talk if Joe wanted to, but Joe didn\u2019t want to. Instead, he bid Adam good night, and went upstairs to bed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe lay awake for a long time that evening, trying not to feel sorry for himself, while thinking of all the dreams that had died when he\u2019d lost his sight.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 36<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Caleb. Let\u2019s go. That was the breakfast bell.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still dressing!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell hurry! I\u2019m not gonna be late for breakfast again \u2018cause a\u2019 you. Last time that happened, that ol\u2019 weasel Cross gave me detention.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen go on without me! See if I care, why don\u2019t ya\u2019.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Caleb could tell the older boy had paused with indecision. Emil Sheen was the \u201csergeant at arms\u201d of this room, meaning it was his job to make sure the daily rules were followed; like beds being made, clothes being folded and put in the dresser, the floor swept, and getting to breakfast on time. Caleb\u2019s other roommates, a teenager named Hal Jenkins, and that stupid crybaby Billy Fitzgerald, had already left for the dining hall.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust go on!\u201d Caleb yelled, when he couldn\u2019t stand Emil\u2019s silent presence any longer. \u201cI don\u2019t need you walkin\u2019 me there anyway.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my responsibility.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care about that. I don\u2019t care about anything!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t need to tell me. Pretty much figured it out the first day I met ya\u2019.\u201d Emil didn\u2019t attempt to keep the disgust from his voice. \u201cFine. Have it your way. I\u2019m not servin\u2019 detention again \u2018cause a\u2019 the likes a\u2019 you, that\u2019s for darn sure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust go then!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry, I am.\u201d Emil stomped out of the room, muttering, \u201cLoony kid,\u201d as he headed for breakfast.<\/span><\/p>\n

Caleb finished buttoning his shirt, though his state of undress didn\u2019t really have anything to do with why he was running late. He was lagging behind on purpose, hoping a long-awaited opportunity would finally present itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

The boy dropped to his knees beside his mattress. His was the lower bed of a wooden bunk bed set. Emil slept above him, with Hal sleeping on the upper bunk of the other bunk set in the room, Billy on the bed below him.<\/span><\/p>\n

The beds reminded Caleb of the room he shared with his brothers at home. Matthew slept above Caleb, and Phillip slept above James. Caleb remembered when James was still too small for a bed, and slept in a cradle in Ma and Pa\u2019s room. But James had grown quickly, like Mama said he would, and it seemed like in almost no time at all before he joined Caleb and the older boys in the \u201cbunk house,\u201d as Pa jokingly referred to their room.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no bunkhouse on a farm, Pa,\u201d Caleb would say at those times. \u201cRanches have bunkhouses, not farms.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Caleb\u2019s father would laugh again and agree, while telling Caleb what a smart boy he was. Caleb didn\u2019t know how he came to have all the knowledge that seemed to be stored in his head, ready for him to pick and choose it at will. Maybe he was smart because he\u2019d always liked to read, or because sums came easy for him, or because he was a good speller, or because, unlike a lot of other boys his age, he liked school. Or at least he had liked school until his parents sent him to this stupid place. He didn\u2019t need to be here. He\u2019d told them that before they brought him. He told them he didn\u2019t want to come, but they wouldn\u2019t listen. He promised he\u2019d earn his keep by doing the same chores on the farm that he\u2019d done before the accident, but Ma had cried a little when he said that, and Pa had hugged him, and told Caleb that the school in Boston would teach him how to do those chores.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut I don\u2019t need anyone to teach me! I know how to do my chores! I been doin\u2019 \u2018em by myself since before James was born!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

However, when Caleb tried to prove that to his father, he fell over a milking stool, knocked over the pail of milk that Phillip had just gotten out of Susie, and somehow ended up face down in a pile of manure.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, Caleb had ended up here, at this dumb school with all these blind kids. He wanted to be at his own school, the one just over the hill from his parents\u2019 farm, where Miss Kennelworth taught. She was pretty, and she smelled pretty too \u2013 sweet, like the way a lilac bush smells when it blooms in the spring. Not like Mr. Cartwright; he smelled like men\u2019s cologne. Caleb didn\u2019t want a teacher who smelled like a man. He wanted a teacher who smelled like Miss Kennelworth. And besides, he was the one who was supposed to be in charge of James this year. James was going to school for the first time, and just like Matthew had been in charge of Phillip, and Phillip in charge of Caleb, it was Caleb\u2019s turn to look out for a little brother and show him what school was all about. But they sent Caleb to Boston instead, and Phillip probably got to look out for James, or maybe Matthew, \u2018cause he was the oldest.<\/span><\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t right that one of them got to do Caleb\u2019s job. It was an important job, too. Pa said so. But Pa seemed to forget that it was supposed to be Caleb\u2019s responsibility to see that James made it to and from school safely, and learned where he should hang his coat, and what shelf his lunch bucket went on. Ever since Caleb and his best friend, George Fillmore, had played with those firecrackers, nothing had been the same. It wasn\u2019t fair! George hadn\u2019t been hurt when they went off \u2013 he\u2019d hadn\u2019t gotten so much as a scratch. Not that Caleb wanted George to be hurt. Ma would say a good Christian boy didn\u2019t wish for bad things to happen to his friends.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, maybe a good Christian boy didn\u2019t, but Caleb wasn\u2019t even sure if he cared about being a Christian any more. Right after the accident happened, he\u2019d prayed and prayed and prayed that God would give him his eyesight back. But so far, God hadn\u2019t answered his prayers, and Caleb no longer believed you could call upon Him for all of your needs, as Mama often told Caleb and his brothers was the case.<\/span><\/p>\n

Footsteps coming down the hall caused Caleb to sweep his hands under his mattress. He smiled when he encountered what he\u2019d smuggled from his winter coat pockets into his suitcase before leaving home. These would sure make a jim-dandy noise in class today. Billy would cry for his mother again for days on end.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Caleb stuffed his treasures in the pockets of his woolen trousers, just as someone stepped in the room.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAh, Caleb lad, there yeh are,\u201d Mr. Murphy said. \u201cGlad to see yer sayin\u2019 yer prayers. Now finish up, and let\u2019s hurry on to breakfast. There\u2019s barely \u2018nough time left to eat a\u2019fore classes get underway.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Caleb stayed on his knees a few seconds longer, pretending to do the activity Mr. Murphy mistakenly thought he was engaged in. He mumbled, \u201cAmen,\u201d for good measure, then stood. He didn\u2019t even pull away when Mr. Murphy laid a hand on his back and urged, \u201cCome along, lad.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Had Caleb\u2019s mother been present, she would have realized what her son was up to, because in some instances, for reasons known only to God, little boys don\u2019t always learn their lesson the first time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 37<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Joe winced, trying to fight off the throbbing pressure building behind his eyes. At least in this roomful of blind boys, he had no worries that anyone would notice he was in pain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As Joe stood beside the desk of seven-year-old Jacob McGregory, helping the boy do a few simple sums, he struggled to keep his concentration focused on the child. He realized now that he should have told Adam he wasn\u2019t feeling well, and stayed home. But Joe wasn\u2019t one to shirk his responsibilities. When he was younger, playing hooky every so often from his ranch duties wasn\u2019t beneath Joe, but with age comes maturity. Or so he\u2019d often overheard Pa assure Adam would eventually happen where Joe\u2019s occasional waywardness was concerned. Currently, maybe Joe was letting his maturity and dedication to his job override his common sense. Or, more likely than that, Joe hadn\u2019t wanted to tell Adam he was under the weather, because he didn\u2019t want Adam taking him to a doctor.<\/span><\/p>\n

So Joe had toughed it out through breakfast with his brother, and then on the walk to school, never giving Adam any indication that this headache had been brewing since the previous evening. They\u2019d parted ways once they reached Adam\u2019s office, Shakespeare continuing up the four flights of stairs with Joe. The dog now lay beside Joe\u2019s desk, ready to guide him from the classroom if needed, or play outside with the boys.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe winced again, massaging his temples while requesting that Jacob repeat the question he\u2019d just asked. He grabbed Jacob\u2019s desk as a wave of dizziness swayed him back and forth. The animated chatter coming from the older boys, who were gathered around Henry\u2019s desk plotting a wagon train route from Boston to Virginia City on a Braille map, grew distant and fuzzy. The younger boys went about working their sums quietly as they\u2019d been instructed to do, or so Joe assumed was the case. The teeth-clenching pain was making it so hard for him to concentrate, that the little boys could have been dancing on their desktops while singing \u201cOh Susanna\u201d for all Joe knew.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo the best you can on your own, Jake,\u201d Joe mumbled to his student. \u201cI\u2019ll be back in a few minutes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Just make it to your desk<\/em>, Joe told himself as he walked on weak legs toward the front of the room.\u00a0Make it to your desk and sit down. You\u2019ll be okay in a little while. The pain\u2019ll get worse yet, then it\u2019ll pass. It always does.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

For just a brief second, the black curtain that had been pulled over Joe\u2019s eyes ever since the day Charlie\u2019s shack exploded was lifted. Or at least it seemed that way to Joe, when suddenly, his world was a foggy, out-of-focus murky gray. Before Joe could figure out if this alteration was real, or a product of his imagination, or the result of a pain-addled brain, a mighty succession of \u201cBang! Bang! Bang\u2019s!\u201d resounded from the back of the room.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe dived for the floor as children screamed and Shakespeare barked.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGet down! Get down!\u201d Joe yelled. \u201cGet under your desks!\u201d he ordered, as the explosions continued.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The eruptions were over with almost as quickly as they\u2019d started. However, when you\u2019re blind and lying on the floor praying to God someone wasn\u2019t standing in your classroom doorway taking potshots at your students with a gun, the situation seems to go on forever. But when the room was finally quiet again, other than the sound of Billy Fitzgerald\u2019s wails for his mother, Joe came to a very quick conclusion based on the smell of burned fuses. His headache forgotten for the moment, Joe jumped to his feet, demanding, \u201cWho shot off those firecrackers?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A smattering of, \u201cNot me, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d came from the teenagers huddled beneath Henry\u2019s desk. They all sounded sincere to Joe, and plenty scared, as though they feared they\u2019d be blamed for something they hadn\u2019t done. Six weeks ago, Joe wouldn\u2019t have believed them, but now he had no reason to doubt their honesty. Which left just one culprit on Joe\u2019s list.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCaleb?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A defiant, \u201cWhat?\u201d told Joe his suspicions were accurate.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll make things easier on yourself if you tell me the truth.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t gonna lie anyway. It was me who did it. So whatta\u2019 ya\u2019 gonna do about it? Make me write sentences?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe advanced toward the boy, doing his best to keep his temper in check. He had yet to send any of his students to Adam\u2019s office for a paddling, so stood there in silent debate with himself, wondering if that\u2019s exactly what Caleb needed. Considering the danger the boy had just thrust upon his classmates with this latest prank, Joe was tempted to turn the kid over his own knee and give him a few whacks, before passing him on to Adam for more of the same treatment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, Caleb, when I was a kid, behavior like this in a schoolroom \u2013 endangering my teacher and my classmates the way you just did \u2013 would have earned me a trip to the woodshed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care. Besides, you can\u2019t give me a lickin\u2019, only the headmaster can.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen maybe you and I need to take a walk to his office.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFine with me! Go ahead and tell him what I did! He can give me a lickin,\u2019 and then send me home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It was with those words that Joe fully understood the reason behind Caleb\u2019s surly attitude and frequent misbehavior. While Joe had known Caleb was in denial about his loss of sight, he hadn\u2019t realized the kid was bucking for a one-way ticket back to the Pennsylvania farmhouse he\u2019d been born and raised in.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe abruptly changed his stance on the form of punishment Caleb needed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cI said I don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that supposed ta\u2019 mean?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt means you won\u2019t be going to the headmaster\u2019s office after all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not fair, Mr. Cartwright! If me, or Tony, or Pete, or John had just done what that stupid kid–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBe quiet, Henry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Mr. Cart–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHenry, I said be quiet. I\u2019ll handle the discipline in this room the way I see fit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d Caleb screamed. \u201cNo! I wanna go to the headmaster\u2019s office! Take me there! Tell him what I did! Tell him!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the teacher here, Caleb, not you. I don\u2019t have to tell the headmaster anything I don\u2019t want to.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes you do! You do! You do!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The boy launched himself from his desk. Joe heard the movement, but Caleb was too quick for him. Before Joe could jump out of the way, the boy was on him like a frenzied bobcat, clawing, biting, and unlike a bobcat, throwing punches in a whirl of flying fists Joe couldn\u2019t get under control.<\/span><\/p>\n

The boy\u2019s unexpected weight threw Joe off balance. He fell backwards, slamming his head against the floor with a \u201cthunk!\u201d The other boys rushed to Joe\u2019s aid, which only made matters worse instead of better. As Shakespeare darted around the room franticly barking, as though trying to summon help, Joe ended up on the bottom of a suffocating pile of tangled arms and legs. Boys\u2019 frenzied shouts and cries, and in the case of Billy Fitzgerald, screams of terror, punctuated the air.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe tried to fight his way out from under the kids, tried to order them to stop, but it was like a mob gone out of control. If their original intention had been to pull Caleb off of him, it had quickly changed to beating Caleb up, and in the process, accidentally hitting each other, and Joe, as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe wasn\u2019t sure how long the free-for-all went on before he heard a shout over all the noise.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on in here?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

No one answered the headmaster. The boys were too caught up in their brawl to even take notice of his presence, and Joe was barely able to get any air beneath the weight of their bodies, let alone give his brother any kind of response.<\/span><\/p>\n

Soon, the burden on Joe began to lessen, as boys were plucked from the pile by some of the building\u2019s caretakers and Mr. Murphy, who had either been summoned by the noise, or by Adam, Joe wasn\u2019t sure which. He could have sworn he heard Elias Cross snickering somewhere by the door. He pictured the yellow-bellied snake being the first one to run to Adam to report the disturbance, but the last one willing to offer a hand when it came to breaking up the brawl.<\/span><\/p>\n

A hand finally grasped Joe\u2019s arm and pulled him to his feet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened here, Joe?\u201d Adam demanded over the cacophony of young voices offering explanations and accusations to the adults in the room. \u201cWho started this?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe swiped at the blood running from a corner of his mouth. \u201cNo one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam squeezed Joe\u2019s arm. \u201cI don\u2019t believe I heard you correctly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou did. We were. . .we were goofing around, and things got outta hand.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, not here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam started to say something, but then squelched it, instead letting his aggravation come forth in the form of a sigh.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome on. We\u2019re going to my office.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe squeezed his eyes shut against the renewed pain pounding between his temples, but said nothing about it to his brother. Adam paused just long enough to ask Mr. Murphy and Laddie, who\u2019d been drawn from her room by the noise, to take charge of Joe\u2019s students, and get any boys who needed medical care to the nurse\u2019s office. Adam also asked Mr. Murphy to look after Shakespeare for the time being, to which Mr. Murphy responded, \u201cBe \u2018appy to keep me eye on \u2018im, Headmaster.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And so, when someone was finally marched to the headmaster\u2019s office that morning, it wasn\u2019t Caleb Geers, but instead, Joseph Cartwright.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 38<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHold still!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe steeled himself not to jerk away from Adam again, as a handkerchief soaked with some kind of liniment that stung like the dickens was dabbed against the cut on his mouth.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere.\u201d Adam returned the liniment bottle to a bottom desk drawer, then folded his blood-speckled handkerchief. He put it in his suit coat pocket, planning to deposit it in the laundry bin when he arrived home. \u201cThat\u2019s about as patched up as I can get you. Lucky for you, where you and patching up are concerned, I\u2019ve had years of practice. Now, about that explanation you promised me on the way down here. . . .\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe sat in a chair beside Adam\u2019s desk. He propped an elbow on the desktop and rested his head in his hand, which was the only way the pain allowed him to remain upright.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI already told you,\u201d Joe said quietly, because to talk with any kind of volume only made his head throb with more intensity, \u201cwe were goofing around and things got outta hand.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I already told you, that I don\u2019t believe a word of it. Unless you were goofing around with firecrackers, that is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe brought his head out of his hand, \u201clooking\u201d up at his brother. \u201cDoes that sissy Cross have anything better to do than tattle?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cApparently not. Now what went on, Joe? There\u2019s no point in protecting whichever boy started this. I\u2019ll find out who it was soon enough. The other kids won\u2019t keep it a secret for long.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell. . .?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can handle it on my own, Adam.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t doubt that you can, but as the headmaster of this institution, it\u2019s my responsibility to step in and discipline a child if his behavior has endangered other students. In this case, neither of us can deny that\u2019s what\u2019s happened. Aside from the firecrackers, there\u2019s the little matter of the brawl that ensued afterwards.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe kids were just trying to help me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHelp you? You\u2019ve got a black eye, a goose egg on the back of your head, and a split lip. That\u2019s their idea of help? And why\u2019d you need help, anyway?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When Joe refused to answer, Adam took an educated guess.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the boys attacked you, is that it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe gave a reluctant nod of his head, though just that slight movement made him vow not to repeat the action.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe same one who blew off the firecrackers,\u201d Adam deduced.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Joe confessed, all the while hating himself for what he considered his failure with Caleb, \u201cthe same one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhich boy, Joe?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Had Joe been feeling better, he\u2019d have held out a little longer before revealing the child\u2019s name. He might have even been able to convince Adam to let him handle the situation without interference. But his headache was rapidly escalating once again, making coherent thought difficult, let alone the ability to employ stubborn resistance. On the heels of a sigh wrought with weariness and regret, Joe told his brother the boy\u2019s name.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCaleb.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCaleb?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right.\u201d Disappointment filled Adam\u2019s voice. \u201cI have no choice but to paddle him, and then send him home for good.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s exactly what he wants \u2013 on both accounts.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen it appears he\u2019ll get his wish.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBoy, Adam, you didn\u2019t learn anything from Pa, did you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that supposed to mean?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t punish a kid by making the punishment exactly what he\u2019s hoping for.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you have another suggestion?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot yet, but give me some time and I might.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, the boy put you and every student in your room in danger. His behavior instigated a brawl that could have left someone seriously injured, or even dead! As it is, you\u2019re not exactly looking robust yourself right now. Maybe I should take you to the nurse\u2019s office.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe ignored the latter half of Adam\u2019s sentence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know what Caleb did, and I know what could have happened. But don\u2019t you see, he wants to go home. He wants to do something that\u2019ll get him sent home so he doesn\u2019t have to try. So he doesn\u2019t have to admit he\u2019s blind, and needs help.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen I\u2019d say he\u2019s accomplished just that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, I have a list of children waiting for the opportunity to attend this school. I can\u2019t justify keeping one child who doesn\u2019t want to learn, when I have fifty more desperate to be here. Besides, once the school board hears about this, and trust me, Elias will see to it that they do, they\u2019ll demand that I remove Caleb.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou make it sound like he\u2019s a horse we no longer have a use for.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not how I mean for it to sound, but–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can get through to this boy if you\u2019ll just give me a chance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have been giving you a chance!\u201d Adam turned away from his brother to pace the floor in frustration. He didn\u2019t like the thought of Caleb being expelled from the institute any more than Joe did, but he was the headmaster, and in the end, these types of decisions fell in his lap. \u201cFor weeks now, I\u2019ve been giving you chance after chance after chance with Caleb. But when his misbehavior reaches the point that it puts others in danger and–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam–\u201d Joe interrupted, his brow furrowed as he tried to concentrate on verbalizing his suddenly muddled thoughts. \u201cAd. . .Adam–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLook, Joe,\u201d Adam said from where he now stood by the window, absently looking out at two of the groundskeepers raking leaves, \u201cI understand that you don\u2019t want to give up on Caleb, and I commend you for it, but–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. . .no. . .I. . .Adam, I-I think. . .I think I need a doctor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam whirled around. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe half-stood from the chair, his hands groping blindly in front of him as though he was searching for his brother.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAd. . .Adam?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m right here, Joe,\u201d Adam assured, grasping his brother\u2019s right arm. \u201cI\u2019m right here. Come on, let me help you sit back down.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. . .no. . .flo-floor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou want me to help you to the floor? Do you need to lie down?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam took Joe\u2019s barely audible, \u201chuh\u201d to be a yes. Joe\u2019s weight slumped heavy and pliant against Adam\u2019s chest as his legs gave out from under him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, stay with me.\u201d Adam eased Joe to the floor. \u201cCome on, stay with me, Little Joe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam turned his brother on his right side, so if Joe vomited he wouldn\u2019t swallow any of it. He knelt beside Joe, crouching close to his face while brushing a tangle of salt and pepper curls away from his brow.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, what\u2019s wrong? You need to tell me what\u2019s wrong.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe grimaced with agony. \u201cHead. . .head. . .head–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHeadache? You\u2019ve got a headache?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYe-yeah.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s fingers lightly probed the bump on the back of Joe\u2019s head.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. . .no,\u201d Joe said, trying to give Adam more information. \u201cNo. . .had it. . .had las-last night.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve had the headache since last night?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe gave a nod so slight Adam almost didn\u2019t see it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you say something?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThought. . .thought it\u2019d go. . .go away.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam kept his tone light \u2013 more teasing than scolding, though there was an element of both behind his words.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBy the looks of things, little brother, you thought wrong.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Footsteps sounded outside Adam\u2019s office. He craned his head, looking through the doorway to see one of the caretakers passing by.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRay! Hey, Ray!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The man stopped when he heard Adam call his name. He turned around, barely getting to the office doorway before Adam ordered, \u201cSend someone for Dr. Nichols. Then come back and help me get my brother to the infirmary.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hiram Nichols was Adam\u2019s personal physician, and served as the physician for the institute\u2019s pupils when needed. His office was just three blocks north of the school.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. . .\u201d Joe whispered, clutching Adam\u2019s sleeve. \u201cNo. Don-don\u2019t mo-move me, please. Don\u2019t. . .move. . .\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, Joe,\u201d Adam soothed, sliding his brother\u2019s upper body onto his lap. \u201cOkay. If you don\u2019t want to be moved, we won\u2019t move you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s attention returned to the caretaker. \u201cRay, hurry and do as I asked! Send someone for the doctor. Then go to the infirmary, get a blanket, a pillow, and bring one of the nurses back here with you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRight away, Headmaster.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The man\u2019s eyes darted briefly to Joe, who was now withering against his brother\u2019s chest with his hands pressed to either side of his head.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with \u2018im, Sir?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. Now go!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Sir!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ray\u2019s pounding boot steps echoed off the hallway walls as he raced to do Adam\u2019s bidding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Left alone with Joe now, Adam struggled to keep him from rolling into the desk.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe. . .Joe! Lie still! Joe, lie still.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHurts,\u201d Joe confessed, squeezing his eyes shut against the agony that felt like his brain was being clawed from his skull. \u201cHurts.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know it does.\u201d While cradling Joe against his chest with his knees, Adam used his thumb and forefinger to massage Joe\u2019s temples. \u201cJust try and take deep breaths. Deep breaths, Joe. A doctor\u2019s on the way. He\u2019ll be here soon.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSor-sorry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShould tol-told you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTold me what?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat I. . .I wasn\u2019t fee-feeling good.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s water under the bridge now. Just stay quiet, okay?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe ignored his brother\u2019s directive. \u201cDid-didn\u2019t wan-wanna miss work.\u00a0<\/span>
\nBoys. . .boys depend-depending on me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s why you need to stay quiet and still, so you can be back in class with them as soon as possible.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe suddenly cried out, arching his back against the pain. Adam was sure his brother was going to die, but could do nothing other than hold Joe close while promising everything would be all right.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It had been a long time since Adam Cartwright thought about the vast distance that separated Boston from the Ponderosa, but right then, when he felt it was urgent that his father and Hoss be at Joe\u2019s side too, that distance spanning 2,500 miles seemed tragically insurmountable.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 39<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Adam rolled his head from side to side, working the kinks from his neck and shoulders. He\u2019d sat in this chair beside Joe\u2019s bed for too long now. He\u2019d caught just a few hours of sleep the previous evening, when Laddie stopped by after supper and insisted Adam get some rest while she remained with Joe.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe probably won\u2019t wake up until morning,\u201d Adam told her. \u201cHiram had to give him several doses of laudanum before the pain finally eased.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen just that much more reason for you to get some rest. Joe won\u2019t wake up, so all will be well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf he does–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf he does, I\u2019ll come and get you. I don\u2019t think Joe would appreciate finding a woman in his room when he wakes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam had chuckled at that remark. \u201cWell, under other circumstances, I wouldn\u2019t exactly say that, but given he\u2019s set on being related to you through marriage \u2013 though not a marriage between the two of you \u2013 he might be slightly embarrassed to find you here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEven though I can\u2019t actually see him in his nightshirt.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam laughed again. Bless this woman for all she brought to his life.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, even though you can\u2019t actually see him, once he got to feeling better, he\u2019d probably give me an earful in the way only Joe Cartwright is prone to doing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he will get to feeling better soon,\u201d Laddie assured.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor now, anyway,\u201d was all Adam had said in return, because \u201cfor now\u201d meant that the laudanum had put Joe into a deep sleep, thus making him oblivious to any pain. But as Dr. Nichols had told Adam, it wasn\u2019t a cure for the headaches by any means, nor could it be used on a regular basis as a way to control the pain because of its addictive properties.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTake him to see Rick,\u201d the man advised Adam, referring to Dr. Richard Warren, the eye specialist who consulted for the institute. \u201cI don\u2019t know what conclusions he might come to, but his knowledge in the area of residual pain as related to eye injuries is far superior to mine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So, while had Joe slept on a cot in the school\u2019s infirmary, Adam wrote a note to Dr. Warren, briefly explaining his brother\u2019s situation, and asking to set up an appointment for Joe as soon as possible. He sent Ray to deliver the note, then took Hiram up on his offer to assist with getting Joe in a carriage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe never woke up as he was transferred from the infirmary to the carriage, where they sat him in a half-reclining position against Adam. Adam thanked the doctor, assuring the man he wouldn\u2019t need further assistance when it came to getting Joe into the house, because the stable boy driving the carriage could give Adam whatever help he needed.<\/span><\/p>\n

While Joe slept the afternoon and evening hours away in his own bed, Adam sat in a chair beside him. He left Joe\u2019s room only long enough to eat the lunch Mrs. O\u2019Connell prepared for him, and then again, when Ray arrived later that afternoon. The caretaker had brought Shakespeare home, along with a note from Dr. Warren that stated Adam should bring Joe to his office at nine on Monday morning. Adam asked Ray to make sure a driver and carriage were waiting outside of his home at eight-thirty on Monday. Ray nodded.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Sir. I\u2019ll deliver the message soon as I git back to the school.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam then gave the man a handsome tip for all of his assistance that day, and wouldn\u2019t consider taking it back, even when Ray tried to stuff the money into his hand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until Laddie came over and insisted Adam get some rest; that the headmaster left his brother for any great length of time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now night had passed to morning, and Laddie had gone home hours ago. Joe slept on undisturbed, showing no signs that pain of any sort was interrupting his slumber.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam spent a few minutes in the lavatory cleaning up and shaving, then ate breakfast in Joe\u2019s room. His concern at leaving Joe alone stemmed from not wanting his brother to wake up disoriented and perhaps stumble down the stairs. Adam knew from personal experience that the mind-numbing effects of laudanum could last a few hours after the patient awoke, making the world around him seem tilted and out-of-focus. These last two characteristics of the drug prevailed whether you were sighted or not, which Joe proved when he finally began to wake up shortly after ten a.m.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Joe stirred and mumbled something incoherent, Adam placed his hand on his brother\u2019s arm.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe turned toward his brother\u2019s voice, his face scrunched with confusion.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, it\u2019s Adam.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe rose on his elbows. \u201cAdam?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A smile twitched at the corners of Adam\u2019s mouth. Dryly, he intoned, \u201cYour brother.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This time Joe\u2019s, \u201cAdam?\u201d sounded like he was trying to figure out what his oldest brother was doing sitting beside him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re home, Joe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cNo, not at that home,\u201d Adam said with chuckle. \u201cAt my home in Boston.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe sunk back to his pillow, his sightless eyes focused on the ceiling. His words were thick, as though his tongue was too big for his mouth. Again, another side-affect of laudanum that Adam was familiar with.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I\u2019ve been on one very long, strange trip.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI understand completely. And you\u2019ll probably feel that way for a couple of hours yet. But you\u2019re fine. You\u2019re in your room at my house on Beacon Hill. Sound familiar?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe nodded. \u201cFor a minute there, I think I lost a few months, but it\u2019s starting to come back to me.\u201d Joe turned his face toward his brother again. \u201cWhat time is it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA couple of minutes after ten in the morning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe shot up. \u201cAfter ten! I\u2019m late for school! Why\u2019d you let me sleep–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam gently pushed his brother back to the mattress. \u201cWhile you can\u2019t imagine how amusing I find it that you\u2019re concerned about being late for school, just relax. It\u2019s Saturday.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSaturday?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAt just about this time yesterday morning, you were in my office getting patched up after–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t need to remind me. Unfortunately, it\u2019s all coming back in vivid detail.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe sat up on his elbows again. Adam propped his pillows behind him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere, you can lean back now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThanks.\u201d Joe did as his brother encouraged, sinking into the three fluffy pillows propped between his shoulders and the bed\u2019s headboard. \u201cHow\u2019d I get here, anyway?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam explained the events that took place from the time the headache had overtaken Joe in his office, until Joe woke up just a few minutes earlier. The only detail he left out was Laddie sitting by Joe\u2019s bedside for several hours.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about my boys?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about them?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIs everyone okay?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOther than a few scrapes and bruises, everyone\u2019s fine. They\u2019re pretty worried about you, but Laddie did a good job of calming their fears.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWorried about me? Why?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHenry and John were still in the infirmary being tended to when we carried you down there. As soon as they were released, they spread the word to the other boys.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cCaleb\u2019s fine too, though in Mr. Murphy\u2019s protective custody for the time being.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBetween the firecrackers, the way he attacked you, and then everything culminating with your headache, Caleb\u2019s not exactly what I\u2019d call popular with his classmates at the moment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFirst of all, he didn\u2019t attack me. He\u2019s ten years old, for cryin\u2019 out loud.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTell that to your black eye.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd second of all,\u201d Joe went on as though his brother hadn\u2019t spoken, \u201cCaleb\u2019s behavior had nothing to do with my headache.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know, but try convincing a few headstrong teenagers of that. Either way, don\u2019t fret over it for right now. Mr. Murphy\u2019s keeping a close eye on Caleb, and as for the other boys, you can explain the situation to them when you return to school on Tuesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTuesday?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou have an appointment with Dr. Warren on Monday.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought your doctor\u2019s name was Nichols.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is, and like I already told you, he saw you at the school yesterday. He\u2019s the one who provided you with the nice night-night drug.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAh. Powerful stuff.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLaudanum usually is. Unfortunately, Hiram \u2013 Dr. Nichols \u2013 doesn\u2019t feel as though he\u2019s qualified to determine the source of your headaches, so he wants you to see an eye specialist.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis Dr. Warren you mentioned?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes. He\u2019s the consultant for the institute. He can see you at nine on Monday morning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about my class?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLaddie\u2019ll cover for you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut she\u2019s got her own class.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Murphy\u2019s going to help her. It\u2019s only one day. Things\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHalf a day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPardon?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf my appointment\u2019s at nine, I can go to school after this Dr. Warren is done with me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s wait and see how you\u2019re feeling on Monday.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll feel fine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll feel fine, Adam. As a matter of fact, I feel fine now, other than things being a little muddled.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhich is the normal state of your brain.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen I don\u2019t suppose either of us has anything to worry about, do we?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam shook his head in exasperation. You\u2019d think he\u2019d know by now that arguing with his youngest brother was like trying to push a stubborn steer up a ravine. All you got for your efforts were sore arms, muddy boots, and a string of cuss words flying from your mouth that you wouldn\u2019t want your minister to overhear.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSpeaking of things to worry about,\u201d Adam said, \u201cI\u2019ve got a question for you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow angry will I be when I find out how many headaches you\u2019ve had in recent weeks that you haven\u2019t mentioned to me?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes cast downward, as if focusing on his covers. Adam held back his laughter over the way Joe could still look like a nine-year-old doing his best to weasel out of trouble \u2013 something Joe\u2019d had plenty of practice at.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUh. . .I\u2019d say pretty angry, so maybe you\u2019d better not ask.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take your advice where that\u2019s concerned then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGood idea.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI just want you to know, though, that you gave me one hell of a scare.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know, and I\u2019m sorry. By the time I realized that I should have told you about the headache and stayed home from work, Caleb\u2019s fireworks were going off, and from\u00a0<\/span>
\nthere. . .well, you know the rest of the story.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI certainly do.\u201d Adam stood from his chair. \u201cAll right, let\u2019s put it behind us for now. Just promise me that you\u2019ll tell Dr. Warren the complete truth \u2013 number of headaches, frequency, intensity, and anything else he needs to know \u2013 when you see him on Monday.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI will.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOkay. I\u2019ll take your word for it. In the meantime, do you want some breakfast?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSure. I feel like I could eat yours and mine both.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019ll make Mrs. O\u2019Connell happy. She\u2019s anxiously waiting for her \u201cJoseph\u201d to wake up. I think she\u2019s got everything from pancakes, to scrambled eggs, to bacon, to toast, to blueberry muffins, in the warmer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t turn down a breakfast like that. Especially since I missed lunch and supper.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll bring you up a tray.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe reached out and grabbed Adam\u2019s arm. \u201cNo. I\u2019ll get dressed and go downstairs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure you feel up to it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI will after you help me make a trip to the water closet. I\u2019d like to clean up, shave, and get dressed. Then maybe eating breakfast on the back porch will clear the rest of the cobwebs from my head.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam agreed. \u201cIt just might.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It was a bright, sunny, mid-October day. The kind where the sky was so blue and clear that it looked like you could reach up and touch it. Though the air temperature was on the cool side, it wasn\u2019t prohibitive to breakfasting on the veranda if one wore a jacket. Adam had used this method of fresh, brisk air to clear his head of laudanum more than once back when he first lost his arm.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam tossed the bedcovers off Joe\u2019s legs and helped his brother stand. As he\u2019d expected, Joe was a little shaky on his feet, but it wasn\u2019t anything a good meal wouldn\u2019t cure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIs your head okay?\u201d Adam asked as they walked to the lavatory.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo pain?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNone at all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGood.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam stood outside the lavatory as Joe went about his personal business, entering after he heard the toilet flush and water running at the sink. He waited while Joe shaved, brushed his teeth, and tamed his tangled curls with a comb and a little bit of hair tonic, then offered a steadying hand once again as they walked back to Joe\u2019s bedroom.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam remained nearby as Joe dressed, but didn\u2019t interfere and offer help since Joe didn\u2019t ask for any.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As Joe tucked his shirt into the waistband of his gray trousers, he said, \u201cAdam, can I ask you a favor?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSure. What is it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t do anything about Caleb until I\u2019m back at work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, I can\u2019t make a promise like that. The school board–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPlease, Adam. Please just hold off until I\u2019m there. You said yourself I can probably be back on Tuesday at the latest.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI said we\u2019d wait and see how you feel.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll feel fine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLook, I know I\u2019m trying your patience where Caleb is concerned, but all I\u2019m asking is that you give me the next couple of days to think things out. Maybe I can still come up with a way to get through to him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Joe turned to face his brother. \u201cI know I\u2019m asking a lot of you, and it\u2019s not my intention to jeopardize your job in any way. If whatever I come up with doesn\u2019t work, you can tell the school board that I asked you to delay Caleb\u2019s dismissal. You can tell them I\u2019m the one who should be fired, not you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to tell them that!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it\u2019s a lot better than the alternative, don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam thought a moment, then sighed as he gave in to his brother.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m in good enough graces with the board members, that I don\u2019t think we have to worry about either one of us losing our jobs if we don\u2019t act immediately where Caleb is concerned. They\u2019ll likely be willing to give me through this coming week to either get that boy on the right track, or send him home to his parents.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe grinned as he pulled on his tan boots. \u201cThanks, Adam.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam held up an ominous finger, despite the fact that Joe couldn\u2019t see it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019m warning you, Little Joe, you get one, and I do mean just one, more chance with Caleb. If whatever you come up with doesn\u2019t work, he\u2019s gone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI understand.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cNo arguing with me at all if I\u2019m putting him on a train before the month is out?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. No arguing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right. I\u2019ll hold you to that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can. I promise.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOkay. Now that we\u2019ve got that settled, let\u2019s get you downstairs for breakfast. Grab your green jacket out of the closet. The sun\u2019s shining, but it\u2019s chilly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe did as Adam instructed. He shrugged into the jacket, then willingly took hold of Adam\u2019s arm when it was offered to him.<\/span><\/p>\n

As they walked down the hall toward the backstairs, Joe asked, \u201cOh, by the way, since when did you start calling me Little Joe again?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUm. . .rather recently it would seem,\u201d Adam said, thinking back to the previous day in his office when Joe was felled by his headache. \u201cWhy? Does it bother you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI guess not, as long as you don\u2019t slip up and say it in front of my students. . .or Laddie, or her family, or any of the staff at school, or heaven forbid, Mrs. O\u2019Connell. I don\u2019t think I can take being called \u201cLittle Joseph\u201d for more than about one day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLike Miss Jones used to do?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t remind me. I always hated that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou seem to enjoy reminding me of Miss Jones.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, and it\u2019s a lot more fun that way, rather than the reverse.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, I\u2019ll do my best not to call you Little Joe in front of anyone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That was a promise Adam kept as he ate his second breakfast of the day, a muffin and a cup of coffee, while Joe polished off everything Mrs. O\u2019Connell sat in front of him. When Joe was done he wanted to take a walk in an effort to chase away the remnants of drowsiness as caused by the drug he\u2019d been given. Adam obliged, putting Shakespeare on his leash, and then walking beside his brother and the dog as they took a stroll around the neighborhood.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When they returned home, Adam retreated to his office, where he had mail to open and paperwork to complete. Joe retreated to the parlor, sitting in front of the fire burning in the fireplace. Adam quietly checked on his brother several times throughout the late morning hours and into the early afternoon, stepping from his office and looking through the dining room. Joe seemed fine, though lost in thought, which Adam surmised meant that his brother was trying to figure out a way to help Caleb.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam considered telling his sibling that until Caleb was willing to accept help, there wasn\u2019t much that Joe, or anyone else could do for the boy. But Adam knew Joe already realized this, so he left his little brother alone, hoping Joe would find some kind of comfort \u2013 and maybe even an answer or two \u2013 in the flickering flames of the crackling fire he couldn\u2019t see.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 40<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Joe was quiet on the ride to the institute Monday morning. His appointment with Dr. Warren had lasted an hour. When the visit drew to a close with the doctor saying Joe could return to work whenever he felt ready to do so, Joe knew any argument Adam wanted to initiate about him needing to rest at home for the remainder of the day had just died a quick death.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam asked Joe on the carriage ride to school if he was all right. Joe gave a brief, \u201cYeah, I\u2019m fine,\u201d which Adam accepted without further question. More than likely, he understood that while they were in the presence of the stable boy driving the carriage, Joe didn\u2019t want to discuss the details of his doctor\u2019s visit. Once they reached the institute, however, Adam wouldn\u2019t let the discussion be put off any longer. He didn\u2019t allow Joe to escape to his classroom, but instead insisted, \u201cCome on, let\u2019s go to my office for a few minutes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut my boys–\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYour boys will wait. Between Laddie and Mr. Murphy, they\u2019re in capable hands. You can join them in a little while.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe walked beside his brother to the headmaster\u2019s office. He heard the door shut behind him and allowed Adam to lead him to a chair. As near as Joe had been able to discern the first time Adam had given him a tour of this space, the office was as simple and plain as the rest of the school. Any elegance normally reserved for the headmaster of a private institution, Adam hadn\u2019t afforded himself because of the school\u2019s tight budget. The items that decorated the room had been brought from home by Adam, or purchased with his own money. Like the comfortable, overstuffed chair Joe was sitting in now beside the fireplace hearth; its twin set at the same angle a few feet away.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet me get a fire started, then we\u2019ll talk.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not much to talk about.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For the moment, Adam didn\u2019t push Joe into further conversation. Joe heard him moving about, adding kindling and newspapers to the cold logs in the fireplace, and then striking a match. Burning paper crackled and spit, sounds that grew louder as the kindling, and then the logs, caught on fire.<\/span><\/p>\n

By the proximity of Adam\u2019s voice, Joe realized his brother had now sat in the chair beside his.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what do you think?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAbout what?\u201d Joe asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRick\u2019s proposal of surgery.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you wanna know the truth, I don\u2019t think much of it at all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt might give you a chance to see again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, a chance so low that he couldn\u2019t even quote me odds or percentages doesn\u2019t seem like much of a chance from where I\u2019m sitting.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know, but–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t know if it\u2019ll help me. He admitted that when it comes to restoring my eyesight, it\u2019s a long shot. A real long shot. I\u2019m not exactly fond of the thought of having my skull sliced open for. . .what kind of surgery did he call it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cExploratory.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. Exploratory. Exploratory surgery that could leave me with more problems than I\u2019ve already got.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When Adam didn\u2019t respond, Joe knew his brother couldn\u2019t argue with anything that was just said. Dr. Warren had told them the headaches could stem from numerous causes. They might be a leftover side-affect of the concussion Joe had suffered in the blast, in which case, surgery wouldn\u2019t make them go away. The doctor said some patients suffered severe headaches on and off for the rest of their lives as a result of a concussion, while for others, it was a relatively short-lived experience. If the concussion was, in fact, the cause of Joe\u2019s headaches, Dr. Warren couldn\u2019t predict how long Joe might be bothered by them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf that\u2019s the case, Joe,\u201d the man had said, \u201cyou just may have to learn to live with them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That hadn\u2019t sounded like such a good bargain to Joe, until Dr. Warren started talking about the possibility of a cancerous brain tumor. Joe knew enough about cancer to know it was a death sentence, and not a pleasant death, either. Unfortunately, the only way this could be determined was through that exploratory surgery the doctor mentioned, which would have to be performed by a surgeon Dr. Warren knew who taught at Harvard Medical School.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a couple of other possibilities, as well. Either of which I\u2019m strongly inclined to believe are the root of your headaches, considering you told me that on Friday you briefly saw gray, foggy images.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI said I think that\u2019s what I saw. I wasn\u2019t far from passing out from the pain at that point, so I might have been imagining it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou might have been,\u201d the doctor agreed, \u201cbut you might not have been, either.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean by that, Rick?\u201d Adam had asked. He\u2019d been in the examination room upon the advice of Dr. Warren, who said it was always beneficial for the patient to have an extra pair of ears present to hear what was discussed. The doctor claimed the final decision-making process was easier for the patient if he had someone to turn to he could trust for sound advice. Joe figured when it came to sound advice, Adam was about the most trustworthy source he could think of, so he didn\u2019t object to his brother\u2019s presence.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I mean is, although it\u2019s rare, eyesight can return even many months after an injury like Joe has suffered. Seeing shadows and gray, murky images like Joe described, is one of the first signs of sight a patient will have.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam grew far more excited about this prospect than Joe. He didn\u2019t want to get his hopes up, so he allowed Adam to question the doctor further.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen what are these possibilities you mentioned?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe could be dealing with swelling of the optic nerves. That in and of itself shouldn\u2019t cause the severe headaches, but such inflammation can compress other nerves nearby, which could then result in the pain he\u2019s enduring. Or, and this is far more life-threatening, he could have a blood clot behind the eyes as a result of the head injury he suffered in the explosion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA blood clot?\u201d Adam questioned, in a tone that told Joe his brother didn\u2019t realize a man could live for months with a blood clot floating around in his head. But then, Joe hadn\u2019t realized it, either.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes. Blood clots can be very painful. And again, given that Joe thought he had some minor return of eyesight on Friday, that could be an indication that the blood clot was moving. You see, a clot lodged behind the eyes can cause blindness.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhich means if it can be removed through surgery Joe might be able to see again?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what it means, though such surgery is very new to the medical community \u2013 so new, it\u2019s still experimental in nature \u2013 and the failure rate far exceeds the success rate at this point.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe joined the conversation again. \u201cIf it is a blood clot, will it go away on its own?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn rare cases, blood clots do spontaneously dissolve. So yes, Joe, it\u2019s a possibility. But I can\u2019t quote you odds. To say living with a blood clot is dangerous is a gross understatement of the facts.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take your word on that, but I don\u2019t think this surgery you talked about sounds like a great alternative.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t say it was a great alternative. It is, however, something for you to give consideration to.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s when Adam asked about the potential dangers of the surgery. Joe wasn\u2019t too fond of the answer he heard, since those dangers ranged from paralysis, to personality change, to being left an imbecile, to death from infection, blood loss, or numerous other reasons doctors had yet to be able to define.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019m better off with the headaches,\u201d he half-joked after Dr. Warren finished his litany.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOnly you can decide that,\u201d the man conceded. He even refused to give Adam an answer when Adam asked, \u201cRick, if Joe were your brother, what would you advise him to do?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs I just told Joe, only he can decide.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe took that to mean that the odds of him surviving surgery unscathed were slim to none. Of course, the headaches might kill him if a blood clot was involved, but as far as Joe was concerned, that was better than being left in an infantile state that meant his family would have to take care of him for the rest of his life. Drooling, spitting up his food, and wearing diapers, had been fine when he was six months old. But a man about to turn thirty didn\u2019t want to face that kind of future.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam now interrupted Joe\u2019s thoughts regarding the doctor visit, bringing him back to the present.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo you want to know what I think?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs long as you don\u2019t expect me to agree with you, sure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe heard the smile in his brother\u2019s voice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t expect you to agree with me, but I have a feeling that this time you will.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right. In that case, tell me what you think.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think you should hold off on making any decision until Pa and Hoss get here. We should discuss this as a family. Rick\u2019s right. In the end, only you can decide if you want to have the surgery or not, and I know Pa and Hoss will respect that. But I also think you\u2019ll feel better about whatever you decide after you\u2019ve had a chance to hear what they have to say.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what you have to say, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what I have to say, too. Yes. In addition to that, if you do choose to have surgery, Pa\u2019ll want to be here for it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe gave a slow nod. His father and Hoss were due to arrive sometime in the next three to four weeks. They wouldn\u2019t be in Boston in time for his birthday at the end of October, but Pa\u2019s last letter stated he tentatively planned that they\u2019d arrive no later than mid-November, or if luck held, maybe a bit earlier. It was later than Pa had wanted to leave Nevada because of the possibility of snowstorms across the western plains, but ranch obligations had interfered with his original hope that he and Hoss would be in Boston in time to help celebrate Joe\u2019s thirtieth birthday.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam,\u201d Joe requested, \u201cdon\u2019t write to Pa about any of this, okay?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPlease. I know it\u2019s a lot of me to ask, but he\u2019ll be here in a few weeks. We can explain everything to him then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think that\u2019s a good idea?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe understood what his brother meant by that question without having to ask. If another headache occurred and for some reason it took Joe\u2019s life, Adam was going to be the one Pa turned to for explanations. And one of the first things Pa would demand to know was why he hadn\u2019t been told Joe was suffering from headaches, and had consulted a specialist about them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t suppose it\u2019s one of my best ideas, no. But on the other hand, there\u2019s no point in setting Pa to worrying any sooner than we have to. He\u2019s. . .he\u2019s not a young man any more, Adam.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou make it sound like he\u2019s got one foot in the grave.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe smiled. \u201cI don\u2019t mean to make it sound that way. But still, there comes a time when you start to realize that your father\u2019s aging, and that you don\u2019t wanna pile any more concerns on him than you have to.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAh. So that explains your good behavior ever since I left home. And here I thought you were just trying to fill my boots.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo desire to do that, big brother. Your boots walk too straight of a line for my tastes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI imagine they do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo anyway, as far as Pa and Hoss are concerned, let\u2019s wait until they get here to tell them about the headaches and my visit to Dr. Warren today. If anything happens to me before then–\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt won\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cProbably not, but if it does, you tell Pa that I asked you not to write him with the news. Let him know it\u2019s my doing that it was kept from him, not yours.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right. That\u2019ll be the first thing I shout at your funeral.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe laughed. \u201cGood. Should make for an interesting time. . .and hey, I wouldn\u2019t want it any other way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure you wouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe sat in Adam\u2019s office a little while longer, mulling over the choices he faced in the coming weeks. Adam didn\u2019t seem to be in a hurry to rush him off. He sat there quietly, making himself available in whatever way Joe might need him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u201d Joe questioned after several minutes of silence.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cWhen you lost your arm, how did you decide whether or not you should have the surgery?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam was quiet a moment, as though Joe\u2019s question had caught him off-guard. When he finally answered, he said, \u201cI didn\u2019t have a choice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. When I woke up, I was in a hospital and the arm was gone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh. . . .Can I ask how it happened?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Before Adam answered, the bell clanged, indicating the end of morning classes and the start of lunch. That seemed to be just the opportunity Adam was looking for because he stood, clapped Joe on the shoulder, and said, \u201cCome on. Let\u2019s get you to the table with your boys. I don\u2019t know about you, but I\u2019m hungry. After lunch, go ahead and return to your class. We\u2019ll discuss how we\u2019re going to handle the Caleb situation over supper this evening.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe nodded. \u201cAll right.\u201d He did want to discuss Caleb with his brother, because over the weekend he\u2019d come up with an idea that just might work where the boy was concerned. It was far from a guaranteed success, but it was worth a final try.<\/span><\/p>\n

If asked, Joe wouldn\u2019t deny that he also wanted to discuss what had happened to cause Adam to lose his arm, but it was a subject Adam continually evaded, or just downright avoided.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the men walked together to the dining hall, Joe resigned himself to the strong possibility that he\u2019d never discover what past tragedy had befallen his brother.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 41<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s arrival at his students\u2019 assigned table in the dining hall on Monday was greeted with cheers and applause. This enthusiastic welcome touched Joe. It was hard to believe that less than two months earlier, these same boys were doing all they could to disrupt the school day and cause him trouble. The exception to the warm welcome was Caleb, who sat in stony silence, not commenting one way or another on Joe\u2019s presence. Adam told Joe the boy\u2019s room and personal belongs had been searched for more firecrackers, or any other item he could use to cause trouble with. Since nothing was found, Adam had decided Caleb could return to class for the time being.<\/span><\/p>\n

That night over supper, Joe discussed his plan of action regarding Caleb. Like Joe, Adam thought the possibility of success was small, but he didn\u2019t deny Joe the opportunity for one last attempt. As he said, Joe was far more versed than he in the ways of punishment where little boys were concerned, so with a chuckle, Adam allowed that this was Joe\u2019s area of expertise. The only stipulation Adam put on Joe, was that the discussion with Caleb take place in his office. He didn\u2019t want the other boys to overhear or interrupt, and given Caleb\u2019s attack on Joe, he didn\u2019t think Joe should be alone with the child.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWould you quit bringing that up?\u201d Joe moaned. \u201cAnd for heaven\u2019s sake, when Hoss gets here, don\u2019t tell him I got beat up by a ten-year-old.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you said you didn\u2019t get beat up by a ten-year-old.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t, but you keep insisting that I did, so considering that, I know Hoss won\u2019t be off the train more than five minutes before you\u2019re tellin\u2019 him things that aren\u2019t true.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI never speak anything but the truth.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen let me use this opportunity to remind you of the time when you were seventeen, and swore to Pa you\u2019d been busy rounding up strays all day, when you\u2019d actually snuck off to meet Mary Katherine Paulson by Miners Creek.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Joe waggled his eyebrows. \u201cTold you I\u2019ve had years of practice at paying close attention to things you or Pa wouldn\u2019t tell me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was seventeen, you were only five,\u201d Adam scoffed. \u201cThere\u2019s no way you knew whether I was rounding up strays or not.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYep, I was only five. But you made the mistake of asking Hoss to cover for you with Pa, and Hoss told me, so the rest, as they say, is history.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHoss told you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBig brother, if you haven\u2019t figured it out by now, Hoss has always told me everything. He couldn\u2019t keep a secret when he was kid if he tried, and he\u2019s still not any good at it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll keep that in mind.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWise idea.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

On that note, Joe stood to head to the parlor and read the latest weekly edition put out by the New York Braille Press. It was a newspaper published specifically for blind adults that kept them abreast of what was going on in the world, just like any newspaper available for sighted people. Adam had given Joe a subscription to the paper as another \u201cearly birthday present.\u201d Between the Braille watch and the newspaper subscription, Joe would have figured further doings for his birthday would be limited to a special dinner cooked by Mrs. O\u2019Connell, topped off by cake, if he hadn\u2019t overheard Laddie and Adam talking about a party one evening. He wasn\u2019t privy to the details, however, because he hadn\u2019t meant to eavesdrop, so had quietly backed through the dining room and returned to the kitchen, where he\u2019d been filling Shakespeare\u2019s food and water dishes.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Joe sat down in his favorite chair to read the paper, he heard Adam walk up behind him. A hand touched his shoulder, giving it a squeeze, before Adam moved on to the settee.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI just wanted to say that if what you\u2019re planning with Caleb tomorrow doesn\u2019t work, I don\u2019t want you thinking you\u2019ve fallen short in some way. You\u2019ve done all you could for the boy. You can walk away holding your head up high, knowing you gave him everything you\u2019ve got.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose,\u201d Joe agreed, having no desire to think about the possibility of failing Caleb, because it hit too close to home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Caleb\u2019s anger and refusal to learn mirrored Joe\u2019s emotions of just a few months earlier. If Adam hadn\u2019t stuck with him and pointed him back in the right direction every time he\u2019d veered off course, Joe knew his life wouldn\u2019t be as rich and full as it was today. Would he prefer to be living on the Ponderosa, working beside his father and Hoss, rather than teaching school in Boston? Yes, even with all the rewards teaching brought him, Joe wouldn\u2019t hesitate to take his old life back if someone could give it to him. But his old life was just that \u2013 old, a thing of the past. This was his life now. Boston. The institute. And his place in Adam\u2019s home. It wasn\u2019t necessarily the life Joe wanted, but it sure beat sitting in a chair in the ranch house trying to stay out of everyone\u2019s way, while bitterness and anger ate at his soul and turned him into a miserable person no one in his right mind would want to be around.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe kept his thoughts to himself. Instead, he said what he knew his brother needed to hear.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know it\u2019s not a great plan, Adam. Don\u2019t worry, I\u2019m prepared for it to fail.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Those words seemed to ease Adam\u2019s concerns, because he didn\u2019t say anything else, and soon, Joe heard the pages of a book being turned. In actuality, Joe wasn\u2019t nearly as prepared for his plan to fail as he\u2019d told Adam, but if he did meet failure head on, he\u2019d keep the promise he made to his brother on Saturday. The one about allowing Adam to put Caleb on a train bound for home without giving him any arguments over it.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was the last thing Joe wanted to see happen to the boy, but as he started to read his newspaper, he was forced to acknowledge Caleb\u2019s permanent expulsion from the institute was a very real possibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 42<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

After lunch had been eaten on Tuesday, Joe grabbed Caleb before he could rush outside for recess with the other children.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Caleb. You have an appointment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The boy squirmed, trying to yank himself from Joe\u2019s grasp.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know anything \u2018bout no appointment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith the headmaster.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The delight that suddenly filled Caleb\u2019s voice was impossible for Joe not to hear.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cReally? Is he gonna paddle me, and then send me home?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, you\u2019re not supposed to look forward to a paddling,\u201d Joe grumbled as he kept a firm grip on the boy, while leading him down the hall to Adam\u2019s office. \u201cIf I\u2019d been in the position you are now when I was your age, I\u2019d have earned myself a darn good lickin\u2019 from my pa when I stepped off that train at home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I\u2019ll probably get a lickin\u2019 from Pa all right. But that doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

No, I don\u2019t suppose it does, you little imp, because you\u2019ll be right where you wanna be. Back home with your parents and brothers.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

When they arrived at Adam\u2019s office, Joe stopped when he felt the closed door. He raised a hand and gave three firm knocks with his knuckles.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome in!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Upon hearing Adam\u2019s invitation to enter, Joe opened the door and led Caleb inside. He shut the door, then placed a hand on Caleb\u2019s back, urging him farther into the room. Not that Caleb needed any urging. As soon as he heard Adam say, \u201cHello, Caleb,\u201d the boy asked, \u201cYou gonna give me that paddlin\u2019 now, Headmaster, and then put me on the train for home?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, young man, I don\u2019t know. Mr. Cartwright wants to talk to you about your punishment first. Let\u2019s wait and hear what he has to say on the matter.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s there to say? I brought firecrackers to class and blew \u2018em off. A kid should be paddled and sent home for that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I suppose that\u2019s one way of handling things. But I believe Mr. Cartwright has another way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Caleb whirled and \u201clooked\u201d up at Joe, Adam\u2019s presence forgotten for the time being.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnother way? What other way? I should be paddled and sent home. That\u2019s what it says in the student handbook.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t read Braille,\u201d Joe pointed out. \u201cHow do you know what the student handbook says?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy ma read her copy to me \u2018fore she and Pa sent me here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvidently, you did a good job of memorizing it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDoesn\u2019t matter if I memorized it or not. You have to do what it says, Mr. Cartwright. If a student puts his fellow classmates in danger, then the headmaster has to paddle him and send him home for good. It says that right on page nine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It was all Joe could do to keep from laughing. He hadn\u2019t seen this side of Caleb before. The earnest, intelligent, lively boy, determined to figure out a way to get sent home. It made Joe think of himself at the same age, and what extremes he\u2019d have gone to in order to be reunited with his father and brothers if he\u2019d been sent away to a boarding school.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell now, Caleb, that\u2019s where you\u2019re wrong. I don\u2019t have to do what the handbook says, because it\u2019s just a guideline.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGuideline? What\u2019s that mean?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt means that I can ask the headmaster to paddle you, and then send you home, or I can come up with some other form of punishment for you misbehavior.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut I don\u2019t want another form of punishment! I wanna be sent home!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry to hear that, because unfortunately, I can\u2019t oblige you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI said I can\u2019t oblige you, son. Your parents sent you here to learn how to cope with being blind, and–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve told you a million times that I\u2019m not blind!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019ve told\u00a0you<\/em>\u00a0a million times that saying it doesn\u2019t make it so. You are blind, Caleb. You\u2019re blind, and you were sent here to learn how to live without your sight. I won\u2019t be doing right by your parents if I just give up on you and send you home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t even know my parents!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s true, I don\u2019t. But I\u2019m a teacher, so it\u2019s my job to see that all my students learn their lessons. Now, since you\u2019re so far behind on those lessons, it seems to me that the only solution is for you and I to have private tutoring sessions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTutoring sessions?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhere it\u2019s just you and me in the classroom. We\u2019ll start today after school is dismissed. You\u2019ll stay behind, and we\u2019ll work together for an hour or two. We\u2019ll do this every day, Monday through Friday, for the next few weeks. Come Saturday, we\u2019ll work together again for several hours in the morning. We\u2019ll continue to do that, too, until you\u2019re caught up with your classmates.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care about bein\u2019 caught up with them! I wanna go home!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you will, at Christmas time, if you know all your lessons. If you don\u2019t, you\u2019ll stay right here at school and I\u2019ll continue tutoring you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe imagined the boy bent partially at the waist, his hands balled into fists, and his face red with fury as he screamed, \u201cYou can\u2019t do that! You can\u2019t keep me here at Christmas! My pa and ma won\u2019t let you! They\u2019re expecting me home for a whole month come Christmas time!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll write to your mother and father. Explain to them that you got off to a bad start, and are behind the other boys where your lessons are concerned. I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll understand. After all, they sent you here to learn, didn\u2019t they? This school is costing them a lot of money.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou won\u2019t wanna be stuck here with me at Christmas,\u201d Caleb said in a triumphant tone, as though he\u2019d just figured out something Joe hadn\u2019t thought of. \u201cYou\u2019ll wanna go home to your own family.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHeadmaster Cartwright\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0my family. He\u2019s my brother, and I live at his house right here in Boston.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know that, but you said you got a pa and another brother in Nevada. You told us that in class. You\u2019ll wanna go home and see them, I\u2019ll bet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNope. Won\u2019t need to do that, because they\u2019re coming to visit the headmaster and me in a few weeks. So see, when Christmas arrives, I won\u2019t have any place else to be but right here, and nothing better to do but spend my time teaching you. Heck, with no classes in session, not to mention no chores to do every morning, or horses to break, or supplies to get from town, or fences to mend, or cattle to round up, or brand, or move from one pasture to the next, I\u2019ll be\u00a0lookin\u2019<\/em>\u00a0for stuff to do. That\u2019s the one thing I haven\u2019t gotten used to about Boston yet, Caleb. All this free time I\u2019ve got. Spending it with you, helping you get caught up to the other boys, sounds like more fun than staying at home over Christmas break, listening to the headmaster snore after he falls asleep in his chair reading one a\u2019 them fancy books of his.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam remained silent through all of this, as he\u2019d previously told Joe he would. He\u2019d said he\u2019d step in only if he deemed his intervention necessary. So far, he must have thought Joe was handling things okay, because based on how quiet Adam was, Joe would have sworn his brother had left the room if he didn\u2019t know better.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t do that!\u201d Caleb shouted. \u201cYou can\u2019t keep me here!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can, unless you earn the right to go home by learning your lessons.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The boy cried out with rage and launched himself at Joe in a flurry of flying fists, but this time, unlike last, Joe was expecting the tantrum. He snared Caleb by the wrists, keeping the boy far enough away that his flailing feet couldn\u2019t make contact with Joe\u2019s shins.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo! No! You can\u2019t do that! You can\u2019t! I\u2019ll. . .I\u2019ll burn the school down if you do. I will! You can\u2019t make me stay here! You can\u2019t keep me here through Christmas! Ma and Pa are expecting me home! Matthew and Phillip and James \u2013 they\u2019re expecting me too! You can\u2019t do this! Paddle me! I don\u2019t care, paddle me \u2018til I can\u2019t sit down for a week, and then send me home! Send me home now!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Joe maintained firmly. \u201cI\u2019m not gonna do that. There\u2019ll be no paddling, and no train ticket home. You\u2019ll stay here and learn, Caleb, and if takes through Christmas break to get that into your stubborn little head, then so be it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Caleb wrenched himself from Joe\u2019s grasp and backed up, coughing and sputtering as though his temper was getting the best of him. As though he was so angry his body no longer knew how to handle his fury.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t understand!\u201d the boy yelled, sobs gulping out between each word. \u201cYou don\u2019t know what it\u2019s like to be me! To be blind! I. . .it was them dumb ol\u2019 firecrackers! I didn\u2019t know. . .I didn\u2019t mean for anything bad to happen with \u2018em. George and me, we found \u2018em on New Year\u2019s Eve! Me and my family were at George\u2019s for a party. It was the first party I was ever at. We had roast turkey, and potatoes, and stuffing, and bread, and pies. . .more pies than I ever saw in my whole life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Now that Caleb had started confessing his wrongdoing, he couldn\u2019t seem to stop. Joe got the impression the boy had never actually told the entire version of the story to anyone else, not even his parents, and that by telling it to his teacher, he was trying to absolve himself of the guilt he\u2019d been carrying as a result of his disobedience that night.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe were gonna stay up until midnight, to see in the New Year, Ma said. George\u2019s pa was gonna shoot off fireworks, only me and George shot \u2018em off first. Our folks told us to stay outta the barn. They told us not to touch anything, but we didn\u2019t listen. We snuck off while everyone else was playin\u2019 charades, and we found the box of firecrackers and some matches. I swiped some \u2013 firecrackers and matches both \u2013 and put \u2018em in my coat pockets. So did George. He said it was okay. That his pa would never miss a few, and that maybe we could shoot \u2018em off in one of the fields come summer. Then he lit a match and said we should blow off some of the firecrackers right then. I. . .I told him we shouldn\u2019t, but George said it would be okay. He said everyone would be laughin\u2019 and carryin\u2019 on so much in the house that they\u2019d never hear. I. . .I don\u2019t know what happened after that. I was standin\u2019 there holding some firecrackers, and then all of a sudden I wasn\u2019t standin\u2019 there at all. I was layin\u2019 on the ground, and my eyes felt like they were burnin\u2019 up right in my head. George ran into the house screamin\u2019, and the next thing I knew, my pa was running with me in his arms and climbing into our wagon. George\u2019s pa drove us to Doc Berry\u2019s house. He wound a buncha\u2019 bandages around my head, but said there was nothing else he could do! He told my. . .he told my. . .\u201d Caleb\u2019s sobs threatened to overtake him at this point. The boy took a ragged, deep breath. \u201cHe told. . .he told my pa and ma that I\u2019d never see again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe stepped forward. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Caleb. I\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo you\u2019re not! You\u2019re just like all the rest of them! You don\u2019t care, you just wanna stare at me \u2018cause I\u2019m different now! \u2018Cause I\u2019m the little blind boy. You don\u2019t know what it\u2019s like! You say you\u2019re sorry, but you\u2019re not. I can\u2019t do my chores any more! I can\u2019t go to my old school where Miss Kennelworth teaches. I can\u2019t walk through the meadow to George\u2019s by myself, or ride my horse, or. . .or. . .or play with my brothers. I can\u2019t do the things my brothers do, not even James, and he\u2019s the baby! They leave me out! Ma says they don\u2019t mean to, but it doesn\u2019t matter, \u2018cause whether they mean to or not, they still leave me out. I hate it! Do you hear me? I hate it!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Caleb turned and raced around the room, sweeping his arms out, trying to destroy everything in his path. Books, a clock, and paperwork on Adam\u2019s desk went flying. Joe ran after the boy, whose movements were easy to track based on the noise. Maybe Adam ran for him, too. Joe figured his brother probably did, but Joe got to Caleb first.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI hate it!\u201d the boy screamed again, kicking as Joe grabbed him from behind, spun him around, and held him at arms length. \u201cI hate it! I hate being blind! I hate it, and don\u2019t tell me you understand \u2018cause you don\u2019t!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Caleb?\u201d Joe yelled just as loudly in return. \u201cI don\u2019t? Is that what you think? That I don\u2019t understand what you\u2019re going through because you can\u2019t see? Well if it is, then you thought wrong, kid, because I\u2019m blind too!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe shook the boy a bit for emphasis. \u201cI\u2019m blind, Caleb, and believe me, I hate it just as much as you do! Until a few months ago, I still had my sight! Then, like you, I had an accident. A stupid accident. And like you, too, I have brothers, so I know what it\u2019s like not to be able to do the things they do! I know what it\u2019s like to feel left out! I know what it\u2019s like not to be able to do my chores, or ride my horse, or feel like I no longer belong in the house I was born in! I know what it\u2019s like, Caleb, so don\u2019t you dare tell me I don\u2019t, because the one thing I pray to God for every night, is that I\u2019ll get my sight back. My sight, Caleb! That\u2019s all I ask for. That\u2019s all I want.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At Joe\u2019s final words, the boy melted against his teacher, sobs once again overtaking him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d Caleb cried into Joe\u2019s shirt. \u201cI know, \u2018cause that\u2019s what I ask God for, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe held the boy close, stroking a hand through his hair, not paying any attention to the tears running down his own face. God, it hurt so much. Saying those things to Caleb brought all the pain and hopelessness of being blind back in full force.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe let Caleb cling to him and cry until the boy didn\u2019t have any tears left. Joe bent down then, pulling his handkerchief from his back pocket and wiping it over Caleb\u2019s face.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou okay now?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The boy sniffled. \u201cYe. . .yeah. Guess. . .I guess so.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo you still wanna go home?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI. . .I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCaleb, listen to me. I know you\u2019re a smart boy. I read everything about you in the reports your parents and Miss Kennelworth gave us. Because of that, I also know that if you\u2019re willing to work real hard during the next few weeks, you\u2019ll be able to earn the right to go home for Christmas break.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow. . .how many weeks away is that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAbout eight. Two months.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIs. . .is two months enough time to learn my lessons, and be caught up with my class?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor a smart young fella like you, I\u2019d say so.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd. . .and will you still help me after school?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou bet I will.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd on Saturdays?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd on Saturdays, too,\u201d Joe confirmed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a quick learner, Mr. Cartwright. Honest I am. I never had to stay after school in my whole life to do lessons. When I could see, I was always at the top of my class.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I bet you\u2019ll be at the top of your class again by the time you go home for Christmas.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou really think so?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The boy wrapped his arms around Joe\u2019s neck and buried his face in Joe\u2019s shoulder. \u201cI still don\u2019t wanna be blind. I\u2019d give anything to see again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe rubbed a hand up and down Caleb\u2019s back. \u201cI know you would, because I feel the same way. But if you\u2019ll let me help you, being blind will get easier. I promise.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Caleb lifted his head. \u201cWho helped you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe headmaster.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd did you cause him trouble like I\u2019ve caused you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe chuckled. \u201cSome.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam interrupted for the first time with a questioning, \u201cSome?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s the headmaster\u2019s way of saying I gave him quite a bit of trouble now and again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut then you got caught up with your lessons, right? You must have learned \u2018em jim-dandy like, \u2018cause you\u2019re here teaching us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I\u2019d say I learned my lessons pretty well, but then, I had a good teacher.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Caleb seemed to be thinking things through while remaining securely encased in Joe\u2019s arms. When he finally spoke, he said, \u201cI\u2019d. . .I\u2019d like to try, Mr. Cartwright. I\u2019d like to try and learn, if you\u2019ll still teach me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI will.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The boy eased out of Joe\u2019s embrace, then slowly turned toward Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHeadmaster?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Caleb. I\u2019m right here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know you gotta paddle me for the firecrackers. It says so in the book. If\u2026could you do it now, while the other guys are at recess?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose I could,\u201d Adam said with great sincerity, as though he was thinking Caleb\u2019s proposal over, \u201cbut how about this instead? If you don\u2019t cause Mr. Cartwright any more trouble, and if you stop picking fights with your classmates, and if you behave for Mr. Murphy, and if you\u2019re completely caught up with your lessons by the time Christmas break arrives, then there\u2019ll be no paddling, and no need for me to mention any of your transgressions to your parents.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cReally.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can do all of those things. Really I can, Headmaster. I hardly ever got in trouble at home. My pa always said I was a good boy. And I never got a lickin\u2019 at school. Never. Not even back when Mr. Cooper was our teacher, and he was a lot stricter than Miss Kennelworth.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt sounds like you know how to behave yourself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI do.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGood, because if you so much as step out of line even once, I\u2019ll paddle you so hard that when you ride that train home at Christmas time, you\u2019ll be standing up the entire way. Do you understand?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes. . .yes, Sir,\u201d Caleb gulped.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, young man, there\u2019s still twenty minutes left before your fellow students come in from recess. I\u2019d say this would be a good time to return to class with Mr. Cartwright and start working on those make-up lessons he\u2019s been discussing with you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Sir. I think so, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGlad to hear it.\u201d Adam turned to Joe. \u201cMr. Cartwright, take your pupil and teach away. I\u2019ll expect a full report on his behavior tonight at dinner.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Headmaster,\u201d Joe said, putting a false note of sternness in his voice that Adam no doubt recognized as a disguise for humor, but that Caleb would take seriously.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe told Caleb to thank the headmaster for his time, to which Caleb dutifully said, \u201cThank you, Headmaster,\u201d then led him from the room.<\/span><\/p>\n

As had been the case with his other students when their behavior finally began to improve, Joe wasn\u2019t foolish enough to think Caleb wouldn\u2019t have a few up and downs in the coming weeks, but Joe had faith in the boy. And sometimes, as Ben Cartwright\u2019s faith had taught him on numerous occasions, all a kid needed in order to stay on the right path, was an adult who believed him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 43<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Adam walked around his office, picking up the mess Caleb had created. He supposed he should have made the boy stay and pick it up himself, but Adam thought that Caleb getting a start on all those lessons he\u2019d missed was more important than a few books and papers scattered about.<\/span><\/p>\n

Being a silent observer was enlightening, as Adam had known since childhood. His silent observations today revealed what an excellent teacher Joe really was. Not that Adam possessed any doubts about his brother\u2019s newfound abilities; he just hadn\u2019t realized what a natural gift Joe had for the profession. And then the things Joe had said about being blind \u2013 how his lack of sight made him feel left out, and made him feel like he didn\u2019t belong on the Ponderosa any more. If Adam had given it any thought, he\u2019d have easily concluded Joe felt those things at times, but as the old expression went, \u201clife goes on,\u201d and pretty soon what was at first a tragedy \u2013 like Joe\u2019s blindness \u2013 slowly begins to seem normal. Or at least to the man who can still see.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s words to Caleb had reopened some old pain within Adam that he\u2019d thought was long healed. Feeling on the fringes of your family circle. Feeling like you no longer had a place, or purpose, in the home where you were raised. Feeling like a failure because you could no longer do all of the things you used to. All of the things that had once defined you as a man.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, Adam understood exactly how Joe felt, because even though over three years had now passed since his accident, Adam had yet to grow completely accustomed to missing an arm.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 44<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s thirtieth birthday marked the closing of October. He decided he\u2019d heard Adam and Laddie wrong when it came to a party \u2013 or at least a party for him \u2013 because the day was honored quietly, with dinner cooked by Mrs. O\u2019Connell, followed by one of Joe\u2019s new favorite desserts, Boston Cream Pie. The \u201cpie\u201d part of the dessert\u2019s name was deceiving, since it was actually a rich concoction consisting of a two-layered sponge cake filled with vanilla custard and glazed with chocolate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The celebration took place on Thursday evening after the school day ended, with only Adam and Laddie in attendance, and at Joe\u2019s insistence, Mrs. O\u2019Connell. She protested the notion of dining at the same table with her employer and his guests, but Joe wouldn\u2019t allow her to refuse, telling her if she didn\u2019t join him for his birthday dinner, he wasn\u2019t going to eat it.<\/span><\/p>\n

After the meal, there were presents for Joe to open. Laddie gave him a set of handkerchiefs with his initials embroidered on them in Braille. From Adam, Joe received a set of a dozen Braille dime novels as a joke, which Joe appreciated much more than his brother could imagine, along with a subscription to a magazine printed in Braille. Joe was grateful for these gifts of new reading material, because as he\u2019d told Caleb, he had a lot of time on his hands now, and was always looking for ways to fill it.<\/span><\/p>\n

From Mrs. O\u2019Connell, Joe received a book, also printed in Braille, about the history and settling of New Orleans.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeh told me, Joseph, that yer mam was born and raised in New Orleans. I thought yeh might like to read a book \u2018bout where it is she came from. Mr. Cartwright ordered it special for me from the Braille shop.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you. I know I\u2019ll enjoy it.\u201d Joe ran his fingers over the cover and felt the raised Braille lettering that read: New Orleans, The History of a Southern Jewel. \u201cBut you shouldn\u2019t have spent your money on me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAck,\u201d the woman scoffed, \u201c \u2018an just who else do I have to spend me money on? I wanted to wish yeh a happy birthday, I did, an\u2019 no proper birthday wishes come without a present or two.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe would have protested further over what the book must have cost the woman, but he knew he\u2019d only hurt her feelings. So, instead, he graciously accepted the gift while telling Mrs. O\u2019Connell that he was certain it would be one of his favorites.<\/span><\/p>\n

After Laddie had left to go home, and Mrs. O\u2019Connell had retired to her room for the night, Adam gave Joe one more present by surprising him with letters that had arrived that day from their father and Hoss, both of which included birthday wishes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll celebrate your birthday after we arrive, son,\u201d Pa\u2019s letter stated, which Joe knew probably meant a few more presents, and another big dinner topped off by Boston Cream Pie \u2013 a desert that would be new to Hoss, and one that he\u2019d no doubt want two or three helpings of.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The thought of further presents was of no interest to Joe. The gift he cared about the most would arrive in the form of his father and Hoss walking through the front door of Adam\u2019s house.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDoes Pa say when they\u2019re coming?\u201d Joe asked, when Adam had finished reading. The brothers were in the parlor now, with Shakespeare lying between the chair Joe was sitting in, and the settee where Adam sat.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. Other than when he told you he\u2019d see you soon, there was no mention of a date. I suppose that means he\u2019s still planning on a mid-November arrival.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhich means they must be leaving Virginia City sometime in the next two weeks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d say so,\u201d Adam agreed. \u201cIf you want to write him back tonight and ask him, you can dictate a letter to me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not tonight. It\u2019s been a long day. Maybe we can just send Pa a telegram tomorrow or Saturday.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSure. We can do that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Although Joe appreciated all of the assistance his brother gave him, the one thing he hated was not being able to write to his father and Hoss without the letters being dictated to Adam. There was something personal lacking in this kind of correspondence. The funny little stories he wanted to tell Hoss about Adam\u2019s infatuation with Laddie went untold, and the opportunity to thank his father for all he\u2019d unknowingly taught Joe about how to handle mischievous, energetic boys, also went unsaid. So for now, when dictating Hoss\u2019s letters, Joe limited his news to tales about his visits to the Brockington estate, places he\u2019d gone with Adam, and all the new foods he was encountering in Boston. To Pa, he sent general sort of news \u2013 like letting Pa know that things were going well at school, and that he was fine, and that he and Adam were managing to live together without killing one another, or even threatening to.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam must have been able to read Joe\u2019s thoughts, because he asked, \u201cYou\u2019re looking forward to their arrival, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe couldn\u2019t keep from smiling. \u201cYeah, I sure am. I have so much I wanna tell both of them. So much I wanna show them. Hey, do you think it\u2019d be okay if they came to school one day and sat in on my class \u2013 met my boys?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think that would be just fine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd do you think Laddie\u2019s parents might invite Pa and Hoss to their home one Sunday for dinner?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have no doubt such an invitation will be extended.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t wait for Hoss to learn to play croquet, or golf. He\u2019ll probably think they\u2019re the stupidest games he\u2019s ever seen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam smiled. \u201cHe probably will.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut you know Hoss. He\u2019ll be too polite to say so, which means Franny will have him playing about a dozen rounds of croquet before he finally manages to get out of her clutches.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI imagine that\u2019s the way things will unfold. Hopefully, it doesn\u2019t snow before Hoss has a chance to swing a croquet mallet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s okay if it does. Then they\u2019ll just have to stay longer if the trains can\u2019t leave.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

There was a long moment of silence, then Adam said, \u201cYou really miss them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe hesitated before finally nodding. He didn\u2019t want to hurt Adam\u2019s feelings, or make Adam think he was any less important to him than their father or Hoss. Adam seemed to understand though, because he said, \u201cI miss them, too. It\u2019ll be good to have them here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As long as they were talking about Pa and Hoss, now seemed like as good a time as any to Joe to bring up something he\u2019d been mulling over in recent weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, can I talk to you about something?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLittle brother, I thought we had that talk about fifteen years ago.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe did, and by the way, you were about a year too late.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that supposed to mean?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe laughed. \u201cIf you can\u2019t figure it out, I\u2019m sure not explaining it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes I still don\u2019t know when you\u2019re kidding me, and when you\u2019re telling me the truth.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGood. Keeps you on your toes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll say.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo anyway, what I wanted to talk to you about. . .?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSure. Go ahead.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know. . .well, I know this is kind of jumping the gun, because I realize it\u2019ll be a couple of years or so before I really have the experience under my belt that I need,\u00a0<\/span>
\nbut. . .uh. . .I\u2019ve been thinking. . .\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve been thinking what, Joe?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt might be a dumb idea, but remember when you told me there\u2019s a need for schools other places around the country that are affiliated with the institute?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I remember.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell. . .do you think. . .I mean, given some time and some more experience<\/span>
\n. . .that I. . .well, that I could open one of those schools and teach there?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When Joe\u2019s question was met with a lengthy silence, he gave an embarrassed laugh. \u201cLike I said, it\u2019s probably a dumb idea. I know I\u2019m just beginning to learn and–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s not a dumb idea.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. As you said, you need some more experience, but two or three years down the road, I think it\u2019s feasible, Joe. I really do. Though there\u2019s a lot more to it than just deciding to open a school.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLike what?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGetting investors involved to financially support the school, for one thing. Getting approval from our school board. Getting some estimates together on how many students you think would attend the school, what size the building needs to be, how many staff members it\u2019ll take to run it, the monthly costs of maintaining it, where the best location would be–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUm. . .I was thinking of Virginia City,\u201d Joe said in a sheepish tone, as though he expected Adam to laugh at the notion.<\/span><\/p>\n

But instead of laughing, Adam agreed. \u201cThat\u2019s certainly something to consider.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWithout a doubt. We have a number of students who travel to us from west of the Rockies. Virginia City would be a lot closer to home for them than Boston.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right about that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll tell you what, let\u2019s put this idea of yours on hold until Christmas break. Past experience with Boston winters tells me there\u2019ll be days when we\u2019re snowbound in this house. That\u2019ll be a good time for us to sit in my office and get some facts and figures together, don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSure. Sounds fine to me. Thanks, Adam. Even if this idea of mine doesn\u2019t turn out to be worth pursuing, I appreciate your support.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re welcome.\u201d Adam was quiet a moment, then stated, \u201cYou\u2019re homesick.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUm. . .well, yeah, I guess I am. Don\u2019t get me wrong,\u201d Joe rushed on to say, \u201cit\u2019s not that I don\u2019t like living here, or appreciate all you\u2019ve done for me, or–\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know that, Joe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad, because I don\u2019t want you to think that I\u2019m trying to find a way to leave. If I have to live here the rest of my life. . .well, that\u2019ll be okay. Really it will. But no matter how hard I try to get used to Boston, the Ponderosa will always be home to me. I\u2019ve known it since the day we got here. Plus, you need your privacy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPardon?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI shouldn\u2019t be living with you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, we talked about this before we left Nevada. I told you that I don\u2019t mind. I want you here. It\u2019s worked out well, don\u2019t you think? Like you said to Pa in one of your letters, we haven\u2019t killed each other yet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know, but it\u2019s just that you were used to living here alone. I feel like I\u2019ve intruded on your territory. . .on your privacy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes living alone doesn\u2019t just translate to privacy. Sometimes it translates to loneliness.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen ask Laddie to marry you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not kidding. What\u2019re you waitin\u2019 for anyway?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe right time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell tell me when the right time is gonna be, and I\u2019ll leave the house for a few hours and take Mrs. O\u2019Connell with me. You can ask Laddie then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe heard the amusement in his brother\u2019s voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got this all planned out, is that it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLook, Adam, I\u2019m just trying to give you a push in the right direction, is all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t need any pushes, thank you very much. When I\u2019m ready to ask Laddie to marry me, I will, and not one minute sooner.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, but you\u2019d better keep in mind that I\u2019m not getting any younger.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s your age got to do with a marriage between Laddie and myself?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUncle Joe would like the chance to swing your kids in the air before rheumatism sets in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo now I have kids, do I?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI hope a whole passel of \u2018em. Five or six boys just like me, and then you can start in on making a few girls.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFive or six boys like you? I don\u2019t think I\u2019d live through their childhoods.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe not, but it\u2019ll sure be fun watchin\u2019 you try.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry for the disappointment, but it\u2019s not an amusement I\u2019m going to provide you with any time soon. Therefore, let\u2019s put an end to this talk about my privacy. You\u2019re welcome to stay here as long as you want to. Even if Laddie and I do marry in the future, you\u2019re still welcome to stay.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I\u2019m sure Laddie will appreciate that. The brother-in-law who\u2019s the permanent houseguest on the second story.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMore like the crazy uncle in the attic, but either way, for reasons I can\u2019t fathom, Laddie\u2019s quite fond of you. Therefore, I know she\u2019ll extend the same invitation to you that I just have.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, just marry the girl for cryin\u2019 out loud, and quit worrying about me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe. . .\u201d Adam warned, in a tone Joe knew better than to ignore.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right. All right. End of discussion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you. And on that note\u2026\u201d Adam stood. \u201cI\u2019ll wish you a final happy birthday, young man. . .or perhaps I should say old man, now that you\u2019re thirty, and your hair has more gray in it than mine.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As Adam passed by his brother\u2019s chair, he paused and squeezed Joe\u2019s shoulder.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGood night, Joe. Happy birthday.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe patted his brother\u2019s hand in return. \u201c \u2018Night. Thanks for everything.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re welcome. Sleep well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI will. You too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Shakespeare remained in the parlor with Joe, inching closer to Joe\u2019s chair on his belly as Adam made his way up the stairs to bed. When the dog nuzzled Joe\u2019s leg as if to say, \u201cHey, I\u2019m here,\u201d Joe reached down, running a hand back and forth across soft fur.<\/span><\/p>\n

All in all, it had been a birthday worth remembering. The meal was excellent, the presents appreciated, and the conversation afterwards with Adam a rewarding one. Maybe opening a school in Virginia City was just a dream that would never bear fruit, but if there was any way Joe could make it happen, then he was determined to do so. Because, despite being thirty years old, like Caleb Greers, Joe desperately wanted to return to the only place he thought of as home.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 45<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

By the time the weekend following Joe\u2019s birthday arrived, a person knew winter wasn\u2019t far off. The autumn nip that had been in the air previously, grew just a bit nippier as November replaced October. Adam told Joe the trees were now rapidly losing their leaves, and that the first snowfall probably wasn\u2019t far off.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe walked to school that Saturday with Shakespeare as his guide. He\u2019d kept his promise to Caleb regarding private tutoring sessions, and this was the third Saturday in a row that they\u2019d met. Joe worked with the boy until lunchtime. He was pleased with Caleb\u2019s progress, and told him so.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou keep working as hard as you have been, and you\u2019ll be on that train home come Christmas.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI hope so, Mr. Cartwright. I really hope so.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe clearly heard the longing in the boy\u2019s voice. \u201cWell, I know so,\u201d he emphasized, in order to give Caleb further confidence. And besides, unbeknownst to Caleb, Joe had no intention of not letting him return home for Christmas, provided the boy continued to be diligent with his studies and behaved himself. If he was still a week or two behind his classmates where lessons were concerned when Christmas arrived, so be it. He\u2019d get caught up easily enough when school resumed in January. Now that Caleb was on the right track with his behavior, he was easy to teach, and Joe had already awarded him for his academic advancements with a set of tin soldiers and a card game.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe ate lunch with the students at the institute that day, but begged off participating in a baseball game with the boys from his class, saying he was sorry, that he needed to get home. In truth, though, Joe felt a headache coming on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While teaching Caleb that morning, Joe\u2019s black world had turned murky gray for all of twenty seconds, and then suddenly a vague shadow that seemed to shimmer back and forth sat in front of him, making Joe think of a ghost child. But it wasn\u2019t a ghost child; it was Caleb. Before the boy came into focus, however, Joe\u2019s world went black again.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

No pain had accompanied that experience, but Joe couldn\u2019t deny it was unnerving. Now, as he walked home with Shakespeare leading the way, the pain increased, though not enough to knock him off his feet, thank goodness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam wasn\u2019t at the house when Joe arrived, for which he was grateful. After the visit to Dr. Warren, Adam had made Joe promise that he wouldn\u2019t keep any more headaches a secret, but Joe figured what Adam didn\u2019t know wouldn\u2019t hurt him. Besides, Adam had plans to dine at the Brockingtons\u2019 that night. Something about some old friends of the family that Mr. and Mrs. Brockington wanted Adam to meet. Adam frequently met with people who might be potential financial supporters of the school, so Joe assumed this dinner would be more business in nature than pleasure. Or at least, that\u2019s the way Adam had made it sound when he spoke of it earlier in the week. Regardless of the dinner\u2019s purpose, Joe didn\u2019t want his health to keep his brother from his evening out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mrs. O\u2019Connell was also gone when Joe got home. Adam gave her Saturdays off unless he was hosting a dinner party, so she usually left shortly after breakfast, and didn\u2019t return until sometime in the early evening hours. Her absence was beneficial to Joe, as well. He was able to go right up to his room and lie down without anyone questioning if he was ill, or reporting his behavior to Adam.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The headache didn\u2019t escalate to a point much beyond painful inconvenience. Which, in Joe\u2019s opinion, sure beat rolling around on the floor moaning, and throwing up on your brother\u2019s expensive rug. Joe had another brief episode of seeing a foggy, out-of-focus world when he stood to walk to the lavatory to get a cold cloth to place on his forehead, but once again, the phenomenon passed almost as quickly as it came.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe couldn\u2019t deny it worried him \u2014 these headaches combined with the fleeting moments of vague eyesight. He wondered if they meant a blood clot was moving, or if he had a tumor, or something else was going on that no doctor could cure. But even the fear over his health didn\u2019t prompt Joe to tell Adam about the headache when the man arrived home a couple of hours later. By then, Joe\u2019s pain was gone, and he was sitting in the parlor reading one of his new dime novels.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI see you made it home all right,\u201d Adam said, referring to Joe\u2019s trip back and forth to the institute with just Shakespeare as his guide. It was a habit Joe knew Adam still wasn\u2019t keen on, but after having seen for himself that the dog could do all the things Joe claimed, Adam had kept his end of the bargain regarding Joe\u2019s use of the animal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYep, made it home just fine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019re Caleb\u2019s studies coming along?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cReal well. He\u2019ll earn that Christmas train ticket without any problems.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd even if he is still lagging behind the other boys, you plan on letting him go anyway,\u201d Adam said knowingly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs long as he continues to work hard and behave himself, yeah, I do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d argue with that, but you know what, I can\u2019t think of one good reason to.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam Cartwright, I\u2019m disappointed in you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cYou\u2019re gettin\u2019 soft in your old age.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMust be the bad influence my baby brother is having on me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMust be.\u201d Joe turned in his chair as Adam passed by on his way to the stairs. \u201cWhere were you, anyway?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust out running some errands. . . .Oh, and by the way, I stopped and sent a telegram to Pa for you. Maybe we\u2019ll have an answer back on Monday as to the exact date they\u2019ll be arriving.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cProbably will. Thanks.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re welcome. Now I\u2019m going to soak in the tub for a while, then grab a short nap. Elliot\u2019s picking me up at six.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe nodded, while resisting the urge to tell Adam for what would probably be the tenth time in the past two months, that he needed to have a carriage house built on this property, then get his own horse and carriage. However, Joe knew he\u2019d just get the same argument in return \u2013 carriages were easy enough to hire throughout Boston, and the streets of Beacon Hill were never short of cabbies looking for fares. In addition to that, the school provided Adam with a carriage and driver when needed, not to mention that Edward Brockington was generous toward Adam in this regard, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBetter marry that girl,\u201d Joe quipped, as he returned to his book.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cLaddie. You\u2019d better marry her, if for no other reason than having free use of Elliot and that carriage he drives.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, you\u2019re incorrigible, you know that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow that you mention it, seems I\u2019ve heard my oldest brother say that about me a few times.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYour oldest brother is a very wise man then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf nothing else, he seems to think so.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d love to continue this pointless conversation with you, but a hot bath awaits me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe smiled and shook his head, but didn\u2019t say anything further. He remained where he was, sitting by the fireplace reading, while Adam bathed, and then took a nap. The smell of cologne preceded Adam when he finally returned to the main floor. Joe could picture him dressed in his best black suit, with a crisp white shirt, minus his tie yet, because he\u2019d have to ask Joe to tie it for him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe stood and held out a hand before his brother had the chance to make the request. He crinkled his nose when he felt what was placed in his palm.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI hate tying this stupid Ascot tie for you. Feels like a bib.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI happen to like the way it looks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGuess if you wanna wear a bib, that\u2019s your choice. But I\u2019ll tell ya\u2019 one thing, brother, wearin\u2019 a tie like this in Virginia City would get a man laughed clean outta town.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can do without the commentary, Joseph. Just tie it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While Joe did as Adam ordered, he laughed and said, \u201cDid you ever think about how ridiculous we look? A blind man knotting a tie for his one armed brother.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam couldn\u2019t help but laugh at Joe\u2019s words. \u201cI suppose it does look kind of odd, uh?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d say so. I hope no one\u2019s peering in through your windows.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe could tell by Adam\u2019s movement that he\u2019d craned his neck to look out the front window.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no one\u2019s peering in, though I see Elliot\u2019s waiting. I\u2019d better go. Will you be okay until Mrs. O\u2019Connell gets back?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOf course. It\u2019s not like I haven\u2019t been alone before on a Saturday night when you\u2019ve had a date with Laddie.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. O\u2019Connell left chicken and dumplings in the warmer for you. And bread she baked before she left this morning. And she said something about a cherry pie on the sideboard. Have a piece of that, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe couldn\u2019t figure out why his brother sounded so. . .guilty, was the only way Joe could think of describing it. Like he felt bad about having plans this evening, and leaving Joe home by himself. But that didn\u2019t make any sense, because Adam had gone out with Laddie on plenty of other Saturday nights and left Joe by himself without sounding remorseful about it. Maybe he was just feeling bad for some reason, because he had a woman to court, while Joe didn\u2019t. Which, admittedly, would have been unheard of for Joe Cartwright prior to his loss of sight.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll have some of everything,\u201d Joe assured, with regard to the food Mrs. O\u2019Connell had left for him. \u201cNow go on.\u201d He brushed imaginary lint from the shoulders of Adam\u2019s suit coat, then gave his brother a little shove toward the door. \u201cYou don\u2019t wanna be late when it comes to meeting the Brockingtons\u2019 friends. You know what Pa always says about first impressions.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes it\u2019s the only impression you have a chance to make.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cExactly. So go. Have a good time. Behave yourself. And don\u2019t do anything I wouldn\u2019t do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019d better just stick to not doing the things I wouldn\u2019t do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cProbably. If nothing else, that whole first impression thing will likely be a bigger success.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wholeheartedly agree.\u201d Adam\u2019s footsteps indicated he was moving toward the foyer closet to retrieve his coat and hat. \u201cDon\u2019t wait up. It\u2019ll be late before I\u2019m back. You know how these business dinners go.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. Long and boring. But still, try and have fun.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Adam agreed, with a laugh that sounded uncomfortable to Joe. \u201cI\u2019ll do that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After the front door closed behind Adam, Joe briefly wondered what was wrong with his brother this evening. Adam always looked forward to being with Laddie, regardless of what plans the night held. But as Joe returned to his book and resumed reading, he soon forgot about Adam\u2019s mood. He became so lost in the adventures of Sheriff Cimarron and his deadly foes, the pistol-packing Parker Brothers, that he read right through the dinner hour, and didn\u2019t realize he\u2019d missed his meal until Mrs. O\u2019Connell came home. Joe put his book down and ate in the kitchen with the woman, enjoying her company. When the meal was over, he took Shakespeare outside for his nightly duties, then reentered the house with the dog and went upstairs to bed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe slept so soundly that he didn\u2019t hear Adam come home. The next morning over breakfast, when Joe asked his brother how his evening went, Adam said in a noncommittal, indifferent tone, \u201cIt went fine. The Brockingtons\u2019 friends were very nice,\u201d and then changed the subject without offering further details. Joe took that to mean the night was just as long and boring as he\u2019d imagined it would be, and not for the first time, he was glad he hadn\u2019t been invited.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 46<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Adam and Joe attended church with the Brockington family the next day, the brothers arriving outside of the building in one of those hired carriages so readily available in Adam\u2019s neighborhood. When the service was over, they rode to the Brockington estate like they did each Sunday \u2013 in a carriage with Laddie, that was just one amongst the fleet of carriages Mr. Brockington owned in order to transport his large and ever-expanding family.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam said the sun was out, but because of the way the temperature had dropped that weekend, Joe wondered if after-lunch \u201camusements\u201d would take place outside today, or inside, in the form of parlor games like dominos, or charades \u2013 the latter with Adam and Laddie\u2019s sister, Margaret, assisting Joe and Laddie by verbally describing what the person in the front of the room was doing. Or maybe everyone would gather around the piano and sing while Laddie played. Joe was amazed at her talent on the instrument. He admired her parents for giving Laddie the same opportunities throughout her childhood that had been given to her sisters, while raising her to believe her lack of eyesight couldn\u2019t prevent her from accomplishing anything she set her mind to doing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whether after-lunch entertainment took place inside or outside didn\u2019t matter much to Joe either way. He had a warm coat on, and gloves in his pockets. He assumed all of the children were dressed warmly too, and eager to run around the grounds surrounding their grandfather\u2019s home. He wondered how many games of croquet Franny would make him play before someone came to his rescue.<\/span><\/p>\n

This Sunday seemed no different from any other Sunday to Joe as he exited the carriage, and waited for Adam to lead both him and Laddie to the house. Laddie took Adam\u2019s left arm, while Joe stood on his right side. Joe had gotten pretty good at memorizing the layout of the Brockington home, so overall, he didn\u2019t need much guidance from Adam any longer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe, Adam, and Laddie brought up the rear of the procession, as the family paraded in the front door of the mansion. As Joe knew it would be, the marble foyer that was big enough to host a dance in was full of adults and children chattering away while taking off coats and hats, with three maids on hand to hang everything in a closet. Smells that made a man\u2019s stomach growl wafted about from the kitchen, filling the house with a mixture of pleasant aromas that ranged from turkey, to roast beef, to freshly baked bread, to pies just out of the oven. Everyone headed for the dining room in one large group when Mr. Brockington said, like he did each Sunday, \u201cCome along, my dear family and friends. Lunch is about to be served.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But this Sunday, before Joe could reach the long table and the chair he always sat in on Adam\u2019s right side, shouts of, \u201cSurprise, Mr. Cartwright!\u201d mixed with other shouts of \u201cSurprise, Joe!\u201d just about knocked Joe over.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He stood there for a few seconds caught off-guard, and having no idea what was going on until boys\u2019 voices shouted in unison, \u201cHappy Birthday!\u201d and small hands grabbed each of his. The person on his left spoke first.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you surprised, Mr. Cartwright? Uh, are you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe grinned. \u201cYeah, Caleb, I\u2019d say I\u2019m surprised, all right.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter you went home yesterday, Headmaster came to the school and invited us to the party. We couldn\u2019t wait to get here!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Now Joe knew the nature of those \u201cerrands\u201d his brother had been running the previous day. Adam wouldn\u2019t have wanted the boys to know about the party any sooner than necessary, for fear one of them would accidentally let the secret out in class.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I\u2019m real glad you were able to come. It sure wouldn\u2019t have been much of a party without you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s felt a tug on his other hand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is gonna be the best party ever, Mr. Cartwright, don\u2019t ya\u2019 think? There\u2019s lots of stuff to do here,\u201d Billy Fitzgerald said. \u201cThe big boys already told me about everything, \u2018cause they said you\u2019ve brought \u2018em here before. We all get to go outside and play in a few minutes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Before Joe could answer Billy, each one of his students approached him to wish him a happy birthday, the little ones grabbing onto his hands and arms, the older boys patting him on the back and shoulders while extending their good wishes. Killian Murphy was even in attendance. Joe supposed Adam had invited the man for two reasons \u2013 one, because Joe had grown to become friends with him, and two, Adam was likely paying Killian to keep an eye on the boys throughout the afternoon\u2019s festivities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe turned to his brother while the room swelled with conversation, friendly shouts, laughter, and the sound of excited children dashing to and fro.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019d you get the boys here?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEdward sent carriages to pick them up after the morning service.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

By \u201cmorning service,\u201d Adam was referring to the church service held at the institute on Sundays for the children and live-in staff.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat was nice of him. This whole party was nice of him and Mrs. Brockington. I\u2019ll have to thank them \u2013 if I can ever find them in this crowd.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure you\u2019ll run across them soon. As for the party, it was Laddie\u2019s idea really.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh no,\u201d Laddie said, \u201cthat\u2019s not true, Joe. It was all your brother\u2019s idea. Every single bit of it. I just provided the place to host it, when we realized the guest list had grown so large that Adam\u2019s home wouldn\u2019t hold all the people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, either way,\u201d Joe said, in-between acknowledging pats on the back and words of birthday congratulations from various members of Laddie\u2019s family as they walked past, \u201cthank you. Thank you both. I sure never expected something like this. To say I\u2019m surprised doesn\u2019t even begin to describe it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen maybe you can\u2019t take one. . .or better put, two more surprises,\u201d Adam said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat surprises? Adam, come on, you\u2019ve given me enough presents for one birthday.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNormally, I\u2019d agree with that, little brother. But this year. . .well, a man only turns thirty once, and because of that, I wanted to get you some special presents.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat kind of special presents?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPresents I had to send far away for.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFar away for?\u201d Joe tried to think of what foreign treasures Adam had at home, that he\u2019d admired by feel alone and voiced a desire for. Trouble was, while Joe had admired numerous things, like a set of African tribal masks and the maracas, he couldn\u2019t remember ever saying he actually wanted any of them. \u201cWhat did you have to send far away for?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Upon saying those words, Adam urged Joe to turn slightly so he was now facing the massive foyer. He waited for Adam to place something in his hands, or lead him somewhere, but then he felt two hands come to rest on his shoulders, and heard a familiar voice say, \u201cHello, son. Happy birthday.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe didn\u2019t think his own voice worked when he mouthed \u201cPa?\u201d with stunned shock, but it must have, because his father replied, \u201cYes, Joseph, it\u2019s Pa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe raised trembling hands to either side of his father\u2019s face, his fingers tracing the features as though he still didn\u2019t believe the man standing in front of him was Ben Cartwright. Calloused hands covered his and gently squeezed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSon, it\u2019s your pa,\u201d Joe\u2019s father reiterated, as if he understood his presence had caught Joe by such surprise, that Joe wasn\u2019t sure if he was awake or dreaming.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa. . .Pa, it\u2019s really you,\u201d was all Joe could think to say before being pulled into his father\u2019s strong embrace.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Time seemed to stop for Joe. He could still hear the animated conversations coming from all corners of the home\u2019s main floor, he could still hear the pounding footfalls of running children as they raced in and out of the front door, he could still hear maids hustling back and forth, but he paid no attention to any of it, and didn\u2019t care who witnessed him clinging to his father while tears ran freely down his face.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really me, Joseph,\u201d Joe heard in his right ear as a hand came to rest on the back of his head. Pa\u2019s voice had a funny catch to it, like he was speaking around a lump in his throat. \u201cIt\u2019s really me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it\u2019s really me, too, Short Shanks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Somewhere in Joe\u2019s subconscious mind, he\u2019d known Hoss must be in the room too, but he was so focused on his father that he\u2019d momentarily forgotten about his middle brother.<\/span><\/p>\n

A hand the size of one of those baseball mitts the Brockington grandsons owned cupped the back of Joe\u2019s neck. Joe turned, stepping from his father\u2019s embrace and into Hoss\u2019s. He swore he felt a tear splash against his face, but he didn\u2019t tease Hoss about it, because God knew Joe couldn\u2019t hold back his own tears, and he\u2019d venture to guess Pa was crying, and that Adam\u2019s eyes were moist too.<\/span><\/p>\n

The tears quickly turned to a good deal of laughter and backslapping, as they generally do with men. Questions flew from Joe\u2019s mouth almost faster than he could coherently verbalize them. Over the next couple of minutes, he found out that his father and Hoss had arrived in Boston the previous morning, and that Adam met them at the train station and brought them directly to the Brockington house. They\u2019d been invited to spend the night here so their arrival could be kept from Joe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe turned around, where Adam still stood behind him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo that\u2019s why you sounded so guilty last night.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI sounded guilty?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure did. Like you felt bad about going out and leaving me behind.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI guess I almost gave it away, uh?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say that. It wasn\u2019t like I figured out why or anything. I just thought you sounded kind of funny. Like you were dreading the evening.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll admit it; I did hate having to fool you. I kept thinking that while I was going to be here eating dinner with Pa and Hoss, you were going to be sitting home alone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As Joe felt his father\u2019s arm come to rest across his shoulders, he grinned at Adam and absolved his brother of any remaining guilt.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor this surprise, Adam, I\u2019d say it was well worth sitting home alone.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGlad you feel that way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBelieve me, I do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe started leading his father and Hoss away. \u201cCome on, I want you to meet my boys. And hey, Hoss, there\u2019s a little girl around here somewhere who\u2019ll just be itchin\u2019 to teach you a new game.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy I do I get the feelin\u2019 I ain\u2019t gonna like this \u201cnew game\u201d none, little brother?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, trust me, you\u2019ll love it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, it always gives me a downright terrible pain in the pit of my stomach whenever ya\u2019 tell me to trust ya\u2019. You comin\u2019 to live here in Boston ain\u2019t changed that, and don\u2019t ya\u2019 go forgettin\u2019 it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Before Joe could say anything else, Franny ran up and grabbed his hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, come on! Let\u2019s go play croquet. We\u2019ll have time \u2018fore everyone\u2019s ready to sit down and eat.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFranny, this big, friendly looking fella here is my brother, Hoss. And you know what?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cHe\u2019s never played croquet before.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNever?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNever.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Franny transferred her hand from Joe\u2019s to Hoss\u2019s.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, come on, I\u2019ll show you how we play croquet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, now, Miss Franny, I don\u2019t reckon I ever heard of that game before.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s okay. You\u2019ll like it. Joseph Beauregard does.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph Beauregard?\u201d Joe\u2019s father questioned, with a certain air of sternness Joe immediately recognized.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s. . .uh. . . it\u2019s just a game Franny and I play, Pa. It doesn\u2019t mean anything.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause Joe doesn\u2019t like his middle name,\u201d the child volunteered before Joe could stop her.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, he doesn\u2019t, does he? And just what\u2019s wrong with being named for your grandfather, young man?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe could picture his father standing before him with his arms crossed over his chest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUh. . .nothing, Pa. Nothing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFrances is a girl\u2019s name, Mr. Cartwright. It\u2019s my name. That\u2019s why Joe doesn\u2019t like it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Trying to put an end to this subject before the child got him in any more trouble, Joe urged, \u201cFranny, why don\u2019t you take Hoss outside and show him how to play croquet.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOkay! Come on, Hoss. Let\u2019s get your coat. I already know it\u2019s the biggest one in the front closet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Joe ignored Hoss\u2019s plea, to instead laugh, as he pictured little Franny leading his brother around for the rest of the day. It was kind of like picturing a lively elf dragging a shy giant through the house.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd now, about this middle name business, Joseph. . .\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe put a quick end to his father\u2019s focus on this subject.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa, have I told you yet how nice it is to have you here?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Pa laughed, knowing exactly what Joe was up to.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe not in so many words, but it was well understood.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Next, Joe turned around, \u201clooking\u201d for Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRight behind you, Joe. Just enjoying the fact that it only took you five minutes to cause some family upheaval, which means Hoss owes me ten dollars.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTen dollars? Why?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause he said you\u2019d be so surprised to find him and Pa here that it\u2019d take you at least an hour before you got around to causing trouble.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGlad to hear I made you some money.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad to hear it, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe stepped forward, giving the surprised Adam a quick hug.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Adam. No matter how long I live, no one will ever give me a surprise as good as this one\u2019s been. Or as appreciated.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re welcome. I was happy to do it.\u201d Adam patted Joe\u2019s back. \u201cNow go on. Take Pa outside so he can meet your boys, and then enjoy Franny making Hoss play croquet until he starts hiding the mallets on her. We\u2019ll call you when lunch is ready.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right. See you in a little while.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As often happened at the Brockington house, a maid seemed to magically appear, as though she\u2019d anticipated the needs of the guests. Joe\u2019s coat was placed in his arms.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHere\u2019s yer coat, Mr. Joe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe recognized the woman\u2019s voice. \u201cThanks, Maureen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYer very welcome. And yer coat, Mr. Cartwright.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Miss.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe put his coat on, feeling his father doing the same beside him. When they were bundled against the late autumn chill, Joe put a hand on his father\u2019s arm and walked with him toward the back of the house. He couldn\u2019t put into words how happy he was, but then, he didn\u2019t figure it was necessary. The grin Joe couldn\u2019t stop wearing probably said all that he wasn\u2019t able to voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

As they stepped out the back door onto the veranda, Joe said, \u201cPa, I\u2019ve been wanting to thank you for everything you taught me about being a good parent.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAbout being a good parent?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe laughed. \u201cAfter you meet all twenty of my boys, you\u2019ll know just what I mean.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo what you\u2019re saying is that, in quite an unexpected way, all those times I said, \u2018Joseph, someday I hope you have one just like you,\u2019 have now come to pass.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s exactly what I\u2019m saying. Only you usually yelled it, Pa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Now it was Joe\u2019s father\u2019s turn to laugh. \u201cWith good reason.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t deny that, so I won\u2019t even try.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d better not, you young rapscallion you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t how good it is to hear you call me that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you don\u2019t know good it is to have the opportunity to call you that. Now come on and introduce me to those boys of yours. I\u2019ve been looking forward to meeting them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

From the introduction of his students to his father, to the huge meal, to the games out in the yard once the meal was over, to adult conversation in the parlor later in the afternoon, Joe savored every moment of that day. When all four Cartwrights were finally headed to Adam\u2019s house in a carriage driven by Elliot long after dark had fallen, Joe\u2019s family must have found him to be unusually quiet, because at various intervals throughout the ride, each one in turn, asked him if he was all right.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d Joe assured for the third time, after Pa had asked, \u201cJoseph, are you okay?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Pa was sitting next to Joe, so he turned to face the man and smiled.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy, is all. I\u2019m just happy, Pa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe felt his father\u2019s arm slip around his shoulders. Pa pulled him sideways, holding him in a half embrace for a moment before releasing him. Nothing else was said after that, but then, nothing else needed to be.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Disclaimer:<\/span>\u00a0All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

Next Story in the Conquering the Stillness Within Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Part 3<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

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

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

Summary: \u00a0“Conquering the Stillness Within” is an alternate universe story to the 12th season aired episode “The Stillness Within.” Or maybe better put a, “What if it would have happened like this. . .” story. Although the character of Jamie Hunter appeared in “The Stillness Within,” he doesn’t appear in “Conquering.” Candy, who did not appear in “The Stillness Within,” is included in this fan fiction story.<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0K+ (45,425 words)<\/p>\n

Conquering the Stillness Within Series, links to all the stories within the series included.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":2540,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,23,27],"tags":[14,16],"class_list":["post-2543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-a-u","category-drama","category-whi","tag-adam-cartwright","tag-joe","wpcat-7-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-27-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":2147,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Stillness-Within-copy.jpg?fit=629%2C470&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2537,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2537","url_meta":{"origin":2543,"position":0},"title":"Conquering the Stillness Within – Part 1 (by Kenda)","author":"Kenda","date":"September 8, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0\"Conquering the Stillness Within\" is an alternate universe story to the 12th season aired episode \"The Stillness Within.\" Or maybe better put a, What if it would have happened like this. . . story. Although the character of Jamie Hunter appeared in \"The Stillness Within,\" he doesn't appear in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Alternate Universe"","block_context":{"text":"Alternate Universe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Stillness-Within-copy.jpg?fit=629%2C470&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Stillness-Within-copy.jpg?fit=629%2C470&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Stillness-Within-copy.jpg?fit=629%2C470&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2545,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2545","url_meta":{"origin":2543,"position":1},"title":"Conquering the Stillness Within – Part 3 (by Kenda)","author":"Kenda","date":"September 8, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0\"Conquering the Stillness Within\" is an alternate universe story to the 12th season aired episode \"The Stillness Within.\" Or maybe better put a, \"What if it would have happened like this. . .\" story. Although the character of Jamie Hunter appeared in \"The Stillness Within,\" he doesn't appear in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Alternate Universe"","block_context":{"text":"Alternate Universe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Stillness-Within-copy.jpg?fit=629%2C470&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Stillness-Within-copy.jpg?fit=629%2C470&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Stillness-Within-copy.jpg?fit=629%2C470&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1740,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=1740","url_meta":{"origin":2543,"position":2},"title":"The Letter (by BluewindFarm)","author":"BluewindFarm","date":"April 20, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 Hoss has a very important message to impart.\u00a0 A missing scene from The Stillness Within.\u00a0 Rating:\u00a0 K (775 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Chaps and Spurs"","block_context":{"text":"Chaps and Spurs","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=39"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Hossb.jpg?fit=444%2C339&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12700,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12700","url_meta":{"origin":2543,"position":3},"title":"Rescuing the Stillness (by BluewindFarm)","author":"BluewindFarm","date":"March 16, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 WHN for The Stillness Within.\u00a0 Was it really that easy to understand and accept? Rating:\u00a0 K\u00a0 (905 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Brothers"","block_context":{"text":"Brothers","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1009"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Joe-Hoss.jpg?fit=505%2C638&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9917,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=9917","url_meta":{"origin":2543,"position":4},"title":"Last Christmas (by Inca \/ aka Tye)","author":"Inca \/ Tye","date":"December 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"All these years he had been listening hard for the song of the stars only to be disappointed. But now... his soul was at peace as he accepted what would be.... Rating: K (760 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/WoF-37Edengirl.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/WoF-37Edengirl.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/WoF-37Edengirl.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/WoF-37Edengirl.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":23200,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=23200","url_meta":{"origin":2543,"position":5},"title":"A Disquiet Spirit (by Hart4Ben)","author":"Hart4Ben","date":"July 28, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: An enhanced scene from The Stillness Within by Suzanne Clauser which takes place prior to Jamie's adoption. Joe's reflections are from The Artist. lessons in Ben for Jamie as told by the sons. Rating: K+ WC: 967","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"joe, jamie","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/stillness.png?fit=720%2C506&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/stillness.png?fit=720%2C506&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/stillness.png?fit=720%2C506&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/stillness.png?fit=720%2C506&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/73"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2543"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2543\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}