Summary:\u00a0 A tale for our times.\u00a0 17 year old Adam Cartwright is sure he’s up to taking care of his two younger brothers while his Pa and Marie head into town.\u00a0 And he would have been, had an unseen and deadly enemy not come to call.<\/p>\n
Rated PG-13<\/p>\n
Word count: 20,692<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Frail Branch<\/strong><\/p>\n Be as a bird perched on a frail branch that she feels bending beneath her, still she sings away all the same, knowing she has wings. Victor Hugo<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n ONE<\/p>\n Hoss Cartwright shook his head and remarked, \u201cLook at that, Adam.\u00a0 Just like a butterfly.\u201d<\/p>\n The boy\u2019s remark elicited a snort from his companion.\u00a0 \u201cButterfly?\u00a0 I disagree.\u00a0 A butterfly floats elegantly upon the wind, lighting gently and gracefully for only the briefest of moments before once again returning to the sky.\u00a0 I\u2019d say this one is more like a toad.\u201d<\/p>\n As he spoke, there was a decided \u2018squish\u2019 of mud, accompanied by an exhilarated hoot and holler.<\/p>\n \u201cYou got it right, Adam,\u201d Hoss exclaimed.\u00a0 \u201cLook at that little toady hop!\u201d<\/p>\n The two of them were watching their baby brother \u2013 literally \u2018watching\u2019 him while their pa and ma went into the settlement to visit Paul Martin and his wife.\u00a0 Pa\u2019d said they might even stay overnight if it got too late.\u00a0 That left him and Adam free to do pretty much whatever they wanted to \u2013 with the exception of the fact that they had to mind their inquisitive, unstoppable, exasperatin\u2019 and adorable little brother.<\/p>\n They\u2019d decided the best thing to do was wear him out.<\/p>\n Ten-year-old Hoss lifted his head to look at the sky.\u00a0 The sun was slippin\u2019 down toward the horizon, its last gasp of light paintin\u2019 the majestic mountains to the north of their property copper as the bottom of one of Hop Sing\u2019s pots.\u00a0 Dropping his eyes, he fastened them on his little brother who was joyfully \u2013 mostly because he knew Ma would kill him if she found out \u2013 hopping from one mud puddle to the next, landing with gusto and sending geysers of the wet brown stuff up into the air.<\/p>\n Hoss let out a little sigh.\u00a0 \u201cYou s\u2019pose he\u2019s ever <\/em>gonna wear out?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam grinned.\u00a0 \u201cYou know Little Joe.\u00a0 He\u2019s like a cook stove fire.\u00a0 Blazing all day and then out in a second.\u201d<\/p>\n A smile \u2013 perhaps a bit of a wicked one \u2013 spread over Hoss\u2019 chubby cheeks.\u00a0 \u201cYeah\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n His older brother leaned his weight on the fence that ringed the field.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll let him splash for a few more minutes and then race him to the house.\u00a0 That should about do it.\u201d<\/p>\n So far Little Joe had rode horses, roped fences, dressed up as an Indian, shot both of them with stick arrows and <\/em>tied them up as his captives, and then put on Adam\u2019s black hat and become a sheriff and freed them.\u00a0 He\u2019d done his own chores and helped with theirs where he could. \u00a0Hoss snorted.\u00a0 Adam chopped wood and had baby brother haul the pieces over to the pile \u2013 one at a time!\u00a0 Little Joe thought it was great fun, of course, but both of them could tell \u2013 by the end \u2013 he was beginnin\u2019 to wear down.<\/p>\n That\u2019s when they\u2019d rewarded him with a trip to the field out back of the house where Hop Sing planted his corn.\u00a0 It had rained the night before and the pasture was plentiful with puddles and the perfect place to let the four-year-old whirlwind use up the last of his energy.<\/p>\n Hoss drew in a breath and held it in anticipation of what was to come.\u00a0 After they bedded Joe down, Adam was gonna teach him how to play chess!\u00a0 He already knew how to play checkers, but chess, well, knowin\u2019 how to play that made a man feel\u2026important somehow.<\/p>\n And smart.<\/p>\n His brother nudged him.\u00a0 \u201cHoss.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam indicated the field.\u00a0 Little Joe was sittin\u2019 in the middle of a puddle, unmovin\u2019.\u00a0 As he watched the little boy\u2019s head went down and then snapped up.<\/p>\n And then went down again.<\/p>\n Older brother tipped his hat.\u00a0 \u201cI think it\u2019s time for the sheriff to come to the rescue.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss shook his head as he looked at the soggy field.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re gonna be muddy as the Mississippi.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam grinned as he put one hand on the fence rail and hopped over.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will all come off in the wash.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The \u2018wash\u2019 took longer than either he or Hoss had hoped.\u00a0 Little Joe was a dead weight in the teenager\u2019s arms as he plucked him out of the mud puddle and carried him home.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the water in the tub revived the tiny boy and it was another hour before he and Hoss finally took their respective positions at the chess board in front of the fire.<\/p>\n He\u2019d forgotten about Marie\u2019s ritual.\u00a0 First came the washing and drying, and then the struggle to get Little Joe into his night clothes.\u00a0 Joe insisted that his mama let him sleep \u2018nakibud\u2019 and ran around the room to escape the dreaded garment, which Pa insisted on.\u00a0 After baby brother was corralled and clothed, that <\/em>engendered a five minute talk on lying and its consequences.\u00a0 Then there was the bedtime story and prayers and a glass of water and a quick snack from the kitchen and\u2026.<\/p>\n Adam leaned back and let out a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cHoss?\u201d<\/p>\n His young brother looked up from the chess board.\u00a0 \u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf I ever <\/em>decide to have children, I want you to remind me of tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss chuckled. \u00a0\u201cLittle Joe sure is a handful, ain\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n The teenager opened his mouth to correct his brother\u2019s grammar, but let it go with a second sigh.\u00a0 Hoss spent a lot of his time around the hands and, for some reason, Pa seemed more amused by his colloquial speech than annoyed.<\/p>\n So who was he to argue?<\/p>\n \u201cHe certainly is,\u201d he said as he leaned in and moved his knight.<\/p>\n \u201cHey!\u00a0 I thought you said the horse had to move over one and up two.\u00a0 You just moved it over two and up one!\u201d<\/p>\n The subtleties of chess were difficult for adults.\u00a0 Hoss was really doing well, though he could tell his brother would have preferred to be playing checkers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can do both,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n Hoss scowled.\u00a0 \u201cThat ain\u2019t fair.\u201d<\/p>\n That <\/em>made him laugh.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose it isn\u2019t, but then life isn\u2019t<\/em> fair.\u201d<\/p>\n At that moment a bolt of lightning cut through the night sky, striking not too far in the distance.\u00a0 It made them both jump.\u00a0 The rain had started up again shortly after they\u2019d come in from the field and it had been raining ever since.<\/p>\n \u201cWow! That was a big one!\u201d Hoss exclaimed as he jumped up and went into the dining room to look out the window.\u00a0 \u201cThat there Zeus you was talkin\u2019 about sure picked a big bolt to toss this time!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss wasn\u2019t afraid of storms, but he wasn\u2019t too fond of lightning.\u00a0 They\u2019d had a hand struck once.\u00a0 The man survived but he\u2019d never been the same.\u00a0 He bore hideous scars from the burns and was unable to control his left side.\u00a0 The trauma of that event left Hoss frightened of storms and Little Joe terrified of them.<\/p>\n Speaking of which\u2026.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019ll do it for Little Joe,\u201d Hoss said as he came back.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t exactly frowning, but they both knew what it meant.<\/p>\n Another postponement of their plans.<\/p>\n Adam rose to his feet and looked toward the stair.\u00a0 \u201cDid you hear him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNope.\u00a0 But it won\u2019t be long.\u201d\u00a0 He turned toward the window.\u00a0 \u201cThat storms comin\u2019 this way.\u201d<\/p>\n As his brother spoke, there was another crack of lightning \u2013 closer this time. \u00a0\u201cI better go up and see of \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam?\u201d a tiny voice said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019s scared.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe had made an appearance at the top of the staircase.\u00a0 His golden blond curls looked like they\u2019d been caught in a whirlwind.\u00a0 His blue and white night shirt \u2013 which once, many years before, had been his \u2013 was wrapped around his tiny frame like a shroud; its tail dangling perilously on the ground.<\/p>\n That was all<\/em> he would need \u2013 to have his baby brother tumble down the stairs!<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe, stay where you are!\u201d the teenager ordered as he rose and started for the staircase.<\/p>\n Joe turned and looked at the window at the end of the hall just as another bolt struck. \u00a0\u201cBut I\u2019s scared, <\/em>Adam!\u201d he insisted as he began to move.\u00a0 \u201cThe lighting is gonna come in the window and get me!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe lightning <\/em>won\u2019t get you, Little Joe.\u00a0 I promise.\u201d\u00a0 Thanks, Pa, Adam thought as he continued to move.\u00a0 He remembered that talk.\u00a0 Pa had told them all to stay away from the windows during a storm.<\/p>\n Joe was nowhere near <\/em>the window.<\/p>\n \u201cYou<\/em> don\u2019t know nothin\u2019!\u201d baby brother declared indignantly.\u00a0 \u201cPapa\u2019s always right.\u00a0 I want Papa!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam winced as Joe started down the stairs.\u00a0 The tangle that was his bare feet and nightshirt tail was bound to trip him up within a few seconds.\u00a0 Little Joe pulled up short as another bolt struck, announcing the close proximity of the storm.\u00a0 Then his eyes went wide and he started to run \u2013 and tripped \u2013<\/p>\n And fell straight into his arms.<\/p>\n Adam did a three-sixty and turned around and sat down heavily on the step, clutching his brother to his chest.\u00a0 The whole thing had knocked the wind out of him and so he remained where he was as Little Joe began to sniff, and then to shudder, and then to wail.<\/p>\n It was at that moment that the knock came at the door.<\/p>\n Hoss turned toward it.\u00a0 His head snapped that way.<\/p>\n Neither of them moved.<\/p>\n \u201cShould I\u2026should I open it, Adam?\u201d his young brother asked with trepidation.<\/p>\n Outside the wind and water were striking withering blows against the ranch house. \u00a0The storm was at its height.\u00a0 Anyone caught out in it was in danger of their lives.<\/p>\n Still, he was alone in the house with his two young brothers.\u00a0 Hop Sing had gone along with their parents to the settlement to visit his parents.\u00a0 Hop Ling, his father was ill.\u00a0 When Pa hesitated about going, he\u2019d stood up to the older man and told him he was seventeen now and old enough to look after his brothers alone.<\/p>\n Now he wished he was twelve.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome here and take Little Joe,\u201d he said even as the knocking resumed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll see who it is.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019s fingers grasped the fabric of his deep wine shirt as he spoke, twisting his collar so tightly Adam thought he might choke.\u00a0 Even though the little boy had thought he <\/em>was minced meat when compared to Pa two seconds before, now it seemed he was vital to his survival.<\/p>\n \u201cNoooooo!!\u201d Joe wailed, digging in even deeper.<\/p>\n Hoss sat down beside them and touched Joe\u2019s arm. \u201cHey, there, Little Joe.\u00a0 You remember that game you and I like to play whenever it\u2019s stormin\u2019?\u00a0 You wanta play it now?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s head surfaced from his shirt long enough for the little boy to peer over his arm at his brother.<\/p>\n He shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cAh, come on, Joe.\u00a0 You know, I\u2019m skeered of storms too.\u00a0 I need you to help me.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss held out his hand.\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019s about we hide under Pa\u2019s bed and play that game?\u201d<\/p>\n The teenager hid his smile as he felt his baby brother relax \u2013 just a bit.\u00a0 Hoss always knew just <\/em>what to say to Little Joe. \u00a0Not only was the game a brilliant idea to calm the little boy, but middle brother knew that Joe would not be able to resist doing what he was not <\/em>supposed to \u2013 which was being in the room Pa and Marie shared when they were not in it.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on,\u201d Hoss coaxed, wiggling his fingers.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe hesitated only a second before scrambling out of his arms and into Hoss\u2019.\u00a0 As he did, a second series of knocks sounded on the heavy wooden door.\u00a0 Adam watched the pair ascend the stair and turn the corner before he descended.\u00a0 Once there, he paused long enough to pick his pistol up from the credenza, and then \u2013 with some trepidation \u2013 opened it.<\/p>\n The man looked like he\u2019d been caught in a flash flood.\u00a0 It took Adam a second to recognize him since his hat was tipped down so the rain could run off and he was buried in a slicker.<\/p>\n \u201cDeputy Coffee?\u201d he asked, his tone somewhere near incredulous.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are you doing out here at this time of night \u2013 and in this storm?\u201d<\/p>\n Roy sniffed.\u00a0 \u201cMind if I come in, boy?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam frowned and stepped back.\u00a0 \u201cOf course.\u00a0 I should have offered.\u00a0 Forgive me, you\u2026startled me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know it and I\u2019m sorry for it, son,\u201d the lawman said as he stepped inside and removed his hat.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fire\u2019s hot.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you go over there and warm up.\u201d\u00a0 He started for the kitchen.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll get you something hot to drink.\u201d<\/p>\n A hand on his shoulder stopped him.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s no time, boy.\u00a0 I come here to deliver a message from your pa and then I got other folks to see.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam turned back.\u00a0 \u201cA message?\u201d<\/p>\n Roy nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m afraid your ma and pa ain\u2019t comin\u2019 home tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI knew that was a possibility.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s brow furrowed.\u00a0 \u201cPa wouldn\u2019t send you out here just to tell me that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, son, I don\u2019t s\u2019pose as he would.\u201d\u00a0 Roy hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cI think I will <\/em>take this old carcass over to the fire for a minute if you don\u2019t mind.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow about the coffee?\u201d<\/p>\n The lawman thought a moment and then grinned.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, you talked me into it.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam went to the kitchen and quickly returned.\u00a0 Roy thanked him for the coffee and sipped it slowly before speaking.<\/p>\n \u201cThose little brothers of yours in bed?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re hiding under Pa\u2019s,\u201d the teenager replied with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cHoss\u2019 idea.\u201d<\/p>\n Roy nodded as he placed the empty cup on the sofa table.\u00a0 \u201cYou pa was worried about the little one. \u00a0Said he was scared of storms.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe will be all right with Hoss.\u201d\u00a0 Adam took a seat on the settee.\u00a0 \u201cNow, what\u2019s this about a message from Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour ma and pa are at the Martin\u2019s.\u201d\u00a0 Roy paused.\u00a0 \u201cYour ma\u2019s not feelin\u2019 too good.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMarie was fine when they left.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what Ben said.\u00a0 Seems she got to feelin\u2019 bad on the trip in.\u00a0 Your pa had to help her out of the wagon and into the house.\u201d\u00a0 The lawman met his puzzled gaze.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t gonna mice words, Adam.\u00a0 Paul thinks it\u2019s influenza.\u201d<\/p>\n Influenza.<\/p>\n Good Lord.<\/p>\n Adam sucked in a breath.\u00a0 \u201cIs he sure?\u201d<\/p>\n Roy nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYou knew Hop Sing\u2019s pa was sick?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u00a0 He was going to visit him and\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s voice trailed off.\u00a0 \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSeems it\u2019s runnin\u2019 through China town.\u00a0 The people in the settlement, well, they\u2019re sayin\u2019 it came over on a ship bringing Chinese immigrants here.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam knew what that meant.\u00a0 \u201cIs Hop Sing okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSafe, you mean?\u201d Roy shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cSafe as can be.\u00a0 Robert\u2019s got men on the streets keepin\u2019 watch for trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Robert\u2019 was Sheriff Robert Olin.\u00a0 He was a tough, savvy man who had taken up the mantle of sheriff in the settlement and taken on policing its hard-bitten, hard-living and even harder-drinking citizens.<\/p>\n \u201cHave the Chinese been threatened?\u201d<\/p>\n Roy nodded as he rose to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cOne business burned down, two men beaten, and it\u2019s only gonna get worse.\u00a0 It don\u2019t take much to turn ordinary people into a mob when they\u2019re scared for their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n Sophocles had said, \u2018To him who is in fear, everything rustles\u2019<\/em>.\u00a0 The philosopher was right.\u00a0 Roy was right too.\u00a0 In the space of a heartbeat, for everyone in Gold Hill, their world had changed.<\/p>\n His<\/em> world had changed.<\/p>\n \u201cHas Paul quarantined Pa and Marie?\u201d<\/p>\n The lawman nodded.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s shut Chinatown down too. \u00a0And son, the doctor\u2019s quarantined you and your brothers.\u201d\u00a0 The older man\u2019s look was sympathetic.\u00a0 \u201cI already told the boys in the bunkhouse they\u2019d best give the house a wide berth.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sucked in a breath.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t thought of that.\u00a0 If Marie was ill, then they<\/em> too had been exposed.<\/p>\n \u201cAny of them feeling ill?\u201d<\/p>\n Roy pursed his lips.\u00a0 He shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cHow long?\u201d the teenager asked as he swallowed over his rising fear. \u00a0\u201cHow long are we quarantined?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPaul says it\u2019s best to give it a week.\u00a0 Seems it usually shows up one to three days after a person\u2019s been exposed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen you\u2019re<\/em> taking a risk coming here.\u201d<\/p>\n Roy Coffee laughed as he headed for the door.\u00a0 He clutched the handle and opened it to the wild night outside before replying.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m countin\u2019 on the fact that God protects fools, drunks, little children \u2013 and ornery lawmen.\u201d\u00a0 When he said nothing, the deputy inquired, \u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019d paled he was sure.<\/p>\n \u2018Little children\u2019.<\/p>\n Marie would have been closest to Little Joe.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n TWO<\/p>\n Thirty-seven year old Ben Cartwright stood at the window.\u00a0 He was in one of the upper rooms of the house belonging to his friend Paul Martin.\u00a0 Behind him, in the bed, lay his beautiful and beloved wife.\u00a0 Marie moaned, deep in the throes of a fever that had come upon her suddenly as the crack of a rifle.\u00a0 Before him, twenty miles away, through darkness so thick he could cut it, along a deserted road drenched and muddied by a sudden storm, alone and without succor or support \u2013 were his three young sons.<\/p>\n Ben let out a sigh.<\/p>\n A sudden storm.<\/p>\n He\u2019d weathered them before when he sailed the seas \u2013\u00a0 unexpected squalls that arose without warning and threatened to leave every man-jack of them buried in the depths.\u00a0 Often, just before they arose, the waters would be calm; the sky a crisp clear blue.\u00a0 Any seaman worth his salt knew that a peaceful and serene sea was often the harbinger of danger.\u00a0 Landlubbers called it as \u2018the calm before the storm.\u00a0 Where he came from, in New Englander, there was a saying: \u2018A clear sky of feckless blue means a storm within a day or two.\u2019<\/p>\n It seemed to him, in this fallen world, that when things were ship-shape the captain had better check the hull for holes.<\/p>\n He\u2019d lived through this kind of \u2018storm\u2019 before.\u00a0 Back in 1831, when he\u2019d been a boy, influenza had hit the Continent claiming thousands of lives.\u00a0 In the end a quarter of the population of Stockholm succumbed to the contagion, along with nearly one hundred thousand other people.\u00a0\u00a0 America had been spared that plague.\u00a0 In the new world. the scourge had been Yellow Fever.\u00a0 In the late 18th<\/sup> century New England\u2019s young and burgeoning capital of Philadelphia had been devastated by the loss of nine percent of its population.\u00a0 His family had not been unaffected.\u00a0 His mother\u2019s grandfather and several other relatives had fallen to that scourge.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s troubled gaze traveled along that lonely stretch of road toward his home.\u00a0 He\u2019d left Adam in charge.\u00a0 At seventeen, his eldest was nearly grown.\u00a0 Due to the choices he had made and the life they had lived together before settling in the Gold Hill area, Adam had become a man at a very tender age.\u00a0 He had a good head on his shoulders and those shoulders were broad and able to bear great responsibility, but\u2026.<\/p>\n Adam was still a boy.<\/p>\n A boy who might be facing one of the greatest challenges of his young life.<\/p>\n Once she knew she was ill, Marie had pleaded with Paul to be allowed to return to the Ponderosa, but the physician had forbidden it.\u00a0 They boys might not<\/em> be infected.\u00a0 It would be irresponsible for either of them to return without knowing as they could carry the contagion to them.\u00a0 The rancher turned and looked at his wife where she lay pitching and tossing on the bed.\u00a0 But even more than that, Marie had a delicate constitution.\u00a0 She\u2019d nearly died in childbirth four years before and been less robust ever since.\u00a0 Paul had cautioned his wife to be careful, but \u2018careful\u2019 was not a word in Marie De Marigny Cartwright\u2019s vocabulary.\u00a0 Like a wayward horse she chomped at the bit of that prognosis, and strained against the rope the physician\u2019s diagnosis had tethered her with.\u00a0 Instead of listening, Marie had gone about her headstrong way and this had been the result \u2013 a susceptibility to infection.<\/p>\n Ben moved from the window to take a seat at his wife\u2019s side.\u00a0 Though it nearly killed him to be separated from his boys, he lived for the fact that he was with Marie and would be the one to tend her.\u00a0 Paul had wanted him to sequester himself as he\u2019d shown no signs of the disease as of yet, but he refused.\u00a0\u00a0 Marie needed him.<\/p>\n Just as he<\/em> needed to do something.<\/p>\n There was a gentle knock on the door, and then it opened to admit Paul Martin.\u00a0 The physician stood for a moment looking down at his patient before asking, \u201cAny change?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHer fever is higher,\u201d Ben answered as he picked up and ran a cool cloth over his wife\u2019s brow.\u00a0 \u201cMarie complained of a headache when she woke up a little while back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know she is experiencing exhaustion and aching,\u201d his friend said as he moved to the opposite side of the bed.\u00a0 \u201cHas she complained of any tightness of the chest or difficulty breathing?\u201d<\/p>\n The rancher shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 Is that a good sign?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it\u2019s not a bad one.\u201d \u00a0Paul smiled wearily.\u00a0 \u201cBen, Marie is\u2026.vulnerable as you know.\u00a0 We will have to watch her closely.\u00a0 If you notice any congestion let me know immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n He rose to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cDo you need to examine her now?\u201d<\/p>\n The physician ran a hand over his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 Actually, I am on my way to my bed.\u00a0 I just finished making rounds in China town.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow is Hop Ling doing?\u201d<\/p>\n Paul chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s a tough old bird.\u00a0 He\u2019s holding his own against this, which is amazing.\u00a0 It\u2019s the oldest and youngest who are the most at risk at these times.\u201d<\/p>\n The physician started toward the door.\u00a0 He called him back.\u00a0 \u201cPaul?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph.\u00a0 I know you\u2019ve had\u2026concerns about his health since he came into this world.\u201d\u00a0 He indicated his wife where she tossed and turned in their bed.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe would have been the closest to Marie over the last few days.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s true and, as I said, he is at risk due to his age.\u00a0 However,\u201d Paul chuckled, \u2018that boy\u2019s lungs are top quality.\u00a0 He has every chance of surviving this if he contracts it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut also a chance of dying?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0 Paul nodded.\u00a0 \u201cAs do we all.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was strange to see the main pathway through the settlement emptied of people.\u00a0 As the morning dawned, Ben had returned to the window.\u00a0 He was looking out of it now.\u00a0 There was some commerce \u2013 wagons rolling in and out with supplies, the grocer heading toward the mercantile, even a businessman or two hustling toward their offices \u2013 but for the most part the main street was deserted.\u00a0 In the space of one day, everything had changed.\u00a0 The locals were sequestered in their homes now, afraid to open their doors.\u00a0 Word spread quickly amidst such a small population.<\/p>\n As did fear.<\/p>\n Ben stretched and walked over to the round table that occupied one corner of the room and held his breakfast tray.\u00a0 He thought he might be able to eat now.\u00a0 Roy had brought it in a short time before.\u00a0 His friend had come to tell him he\u2019d been out to see the boys and that, so far, none of them showed any signs of becoming ill. \u00a0Like Paul, the lawman was exhausted.\u00a0 Roy told him he\u2019d been up all night traveling from one outlying spread to the next, making certain everyone knew to give the settlement a wide berth for at least a week \u2013 and maybe longer.\u00a0 Once he arrived at the table, the rancher looked at the eggs, bacon, and toast and decided he didn\u2019t<\/em> have an appetite.\u00a0 Catching hold of the handle of the Havilland tea cup, he raised it to his lips and took a sip of coffee.\u00a0 It was lukewarm, but he was used to that.\u00a0 On the trail a man cherished the precious liquid and drank it \u2013 with thanks \u2013 in whatever condition it was presented.<\/p>\n With thanks.<\/p>\n He had yet to say his prayers today.<\/p>\n It was his custom to begin each day with a Psalm, and almost always with one of praise. \u00a0\u00a0Though he was ashamed to admit it, right now, that word brought a taste worse than old coffee to his mouth.<\/p>\n After putting down his cup, Ben picked up the Bible that lay beside it.\u00a0 It was the small pocket one he always carried in his saddlebags.\u00a0 To put it mildly, it was well-worn.\u00a0 He\u2019d had this Bible since he\u2019d left his boyhood home.\u00a0 His father had given it to him as he left on his first sea voyage, as a \u2018present help in times of trouble\u2019.\u00a0 Ben turned to look at his wife where she lay languishing, and then slowly and dutifully turned to the Psalms and let his finger run down the page until it decided to stop.<\/p>\n His feeling of shame intensified as he read the words the Lord had chosen to give to him in Psalm 34.<\/p>\n \u2018I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.\u00a0 My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.\u00a0 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.\u00a0 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.\u00a0 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.\u00a0 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.\u00a0 The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.\u00a0 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018This poor man cried and the Lord heard him\u2019.<\/p>\n Ben laid his hand on the page as his lips began to move in prayer, as he pleaded with the Lord to spare his wife\u2019s life \u2013 as he begged for protection for his sons \u2013 and as he asked for forgiveness for thinking of only his own.\u00a0 Paul said the epidemic was only now beginning; that those who had been infected \u2013 and inadvertently infected others \u2013 were just falling ill.\u00a0 There were many worried fathers, desperate mothers, and terrified children in the area of Gold Hill right now.\u00a0 He prayed for them as well as his own, and for the Chinese in particular, who bore the brunt of people\u2019s ignorance and fear.<\/p>\n His lips had just formed the \u2018amen\u2019 when he heard Marie call his name.<\/p>\n Closing the Bible, Ben returned it to the table-top and went to her side.\u00a0 He clasped his wife\u2019s feverish hand between his own as he spoke to her.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m here, my love.\u00a0 I will <\/em>be with you until you are better.\u201d<\/p>\n Marie licked her dry and cracked lips.\u00a0 \u201cL<\/em>\u2019eau?\u201d <\/em>she mouthed, asking for water.<\/p>\n He gave it to her and waited while she drank.\u00a0 After returning the cup to the bedside table, Ben asked. \u201cHow are you feeling?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery tired,\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n \u201cPaul said to expect that.\u00a0 He also said you were doing well.\u201d<\/p>\n His wife\u2019s fever-bright eyes locked onto his.\u00a0 \u201cYou are all right?\u00a0 You are not sick?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d he said as he brushed a sodden lock of golden-blonde hair from her forehead.\u00a0 \u201cYou just worry about yourself and getting better.\u201d<\/p>\n Marie\u2019s eyes closed and stayed closed so long he thought she had returned to sleep.\u00a0 Then, without opening them, she said, \u201cIt was Providence that we did not bring the boys with us.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben flinched slightly.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n Marie couldn\u2019t see his face, but she didn\u2019t miss it.\u00a0 Her eyes shot open.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing,\u201d he assured her.\u00a0 \u201cGo back to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre the boys sick?\u00a0 Benjamin, tell me the truth!\u201d she demanded.<\/p>\n So much for Paul\u2019s diagnosis of a weak constitution.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, they are not sick.\u00a0 They\u2019re safe at home.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to worry about them.\u00a0 They won\u2019t\u00a0 catch anything from anyone in town.\u201d<\/p>\n That seemed to appease her \u2013 for about three heartbeats.<\/p>\n \u201cBut they are in danger from me?\u00a0 Non?<\/em>\u201d\u00a0 Marie\u2019s voice broke along with her heart.\u00a0 Tears rolled down her feverish cheeks.\u00a0 \u201cFrom my hugs and kisses?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy love.\u00a0 Calm yourself.\u00a0 You won\u2019t save the boys by working yourself into a state.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSave<\/em> them?\u00a0 You are not telling me the truth!\u201d\u00a0 His wife sat up, took hold of her covers, tossed them back, and swung her bare feet over the side of the bed faster than he could stop her.\u00a0 Of course, he didn\u2019t have to.\u00a0 The infulenza did.\u00a0 \u201cMon Dieu<\/em>\u2026\u201d she breathed as she headed for the floor.<\/p>\n Ben caught Marie and returned her feather-light form to the bed.\u00a0 Taking hold of the covers, he drew them up to her chin and then planted a kiss on her hair.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m cold,\u201d she moaned as she began to shiver. \u00a0\u201cSo\u2026.cold\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n The rancher placed a hand on his wife\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 It was hot as the business end of a branding iron.\u00a0 \u201cYour fever\u2019s up.\u00a0 Really, Marie,\u201d he scolded gently, \u201cyou have to learn to behave.\u201d<\/p>\n A slight smile lifted one corner of her rose-bud lips.\u00a0 \u201cI believe, my love,\u201d she replied as she drifted off, \u201cthat it was you who said\u2026I do not know the\u2026meaning of the word.\u201d<\/p>\n He cupped her chin in his hand.\u00a0 \u201cYou must use every ounce of strength you have to stay with me and return to the boys.\u00a0 Do you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n With tears in her eyes, Marie nodded.<\/p>\n And was out.<\/p>\n Ben gazed at his beautiful young wife a moment longer and then returned to his station at the window.\u00a0 The light was up and the day begun.\u00a0 The rain had ended and the main street of the settlement was drying out.\u00a0 He looked to the horizon again.\u00a0 It would take less than four hours to get home on the back of a strong horse.\u00a0 He could be there and return in less than half a day.\u00a0 If the boys were well, he would let them be, but if they weren\u2019t, he would bring them to the settlement and shelter them\u2026somewhere.<\/p>\n Except he couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n And wouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n They were better off where they were, and they were together.\u00a0 Adam, Hoss, and even Little Joe would look out for one another.<\/p>\n As God would look out for them all.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n THREE<\/p>\n Roy Coffee warned him to keep his distance if he chose to speak to the ranch hands.\u00a0 Adam felt he needed to, so he left the house, crossed the yard, and halted ten feet away from the bunkhouse before calling out.\u00a0 Pa intended to add a wing to the house for their workers one day, but for now the dozen or so men he employed shared a rugged structure that had been pitched halfway between the main house and the barn.\u00a0 Spring had sprung and they were at top capacity, but \u2013 as it turned out \u2013 half the men were in the fields with the stock and the other half were up at the timber camp marking and cutting trees.\u00a0 There were only four men occupying it now \u2013 Dusty McGraw, Jeb Wilson, and a pair of brothers named Jim and Jack Shackley.<\/p>\n Which was, given the circumstances, a blessing.<\/p>\n The first to emerge was old Dusty, followed closely by Post Hole Wilson\u00a0 The pair were older men \u2013 regulars who came and went with the season, but always returned.<\/p>\n Dusty had been with them so long, he was practically family.<\/p>\n \u201cHow are you doin\u2019, boy?\u201d the old cowpoke asked.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd those two young scallywags?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFine too.\u201d\u00a0 \u2018At least for the moment\u2019<\/em>, he thought to himself.\u00a0 \u201cHow about you and the others?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAin\u2019t much in the way of what I\u2019d call \u2018others\u2019 left,\u201d Dusty replied.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just Post Hole and me.\u00a0 Them young\u2019uns took off right after Roy Coffee came by.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTook off?\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cRoy told us about your Pa and the Missus.\u00a0 Seems the Shackleys done lost family to the influenza awhile back.\u00a0 They said they wasn\u2019t gonna stick \u2018round here to catch it and die.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut if one of them is infected, they could spread it,\u201d Adam protested.<\/p>\n \u201cTold \u2018em that.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t care.\u00a0 Seems they was only interested in keeping their own skins whole.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam ran a hand over his eyes and sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cYou sure you\u2019re all right, son?\u201d Dusty asked.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re lookin\u2019 kind of peeked.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d he muttered in return.\u00a0 \u201cI have<\/em> to be fine.\u00a0 I have two small brothers to look after.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat youngest one behavin\u2019 himself?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe\u2019s not up yet.\u00a0 He and Hoss spent most of the night under the bed, hiding from the storm.\u00a0 I let them sleep in.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat must be why the cow\u2019s complainin\u2019,\u201d Dusty said with a wink.<\/p>\n \u201cTarnation!\u00a0 I forgot about their chores.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou just let them boys sleep, and you get some extra rest too.\u201d\u00a0 The older man looked at his companion.\u00a0 \u201cPost Hole and I can take care of the animals.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure will, Adam,\u201d the big man said.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Dusty.\u00a0 Jeb.\u00a0 I appreciate it.\u201d<\/p>\n He turned to go, but the old cowpoke called him back.<\/p>\n \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n Dusty\u2019s look and <\/em>tone were serious.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m willin\u2019 to chance it, son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChance what?\u201d he asked, confused.<\/p>\n \u201cCatchin\u2019 whatever this is.\u00a0 If you need help in the house\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n He thanked him again. \u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you ain\u2019t, you let me know right away.\u00a0 Promise?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI promise.\u00a0 I\u2019ll fire off three shots, Cartwright style,\u201d he said with a grin.<\/p>\n The older man shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cYou put a hole in that pine ceiling of your pa\u2019s, you ain\u2019t gonna have to worry about gettin\u2019 sick.\u201d<\/p>\n The smile died.\u00a0 \u201cDusty, you have no idea how happy I would be to have Pa yell at me right about now.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam watched Dusty and Post Hole return to the bunkhouse before heading for the house.\u00a0 Halfway there, he changed his mind and headed to the stable instead.\u00a0 Since he had no idea when he\u2019d get out again, he wanted to check on his new horse before going inside.\u00a0 His birthday gift this year had been a beautiful copper-coated thoroughbred that he\u2019d named \u2018Sport\u2019.\u00a0 Over the next few years \u2013 while he was away at college \u2013 the horse would be cared for and trained so he could become his chief mount when he returned.\u00a0 He\u2019d barely had any time to spend with the animal between preparations for leaving and fulfilling his duties to the ranch and his family.<\/p>\n He wanted to say hello and goodbye\u2026just in case.<\/p>\n As he stood there, stroking the animal\u2019s satiny nose, Adam considered the fragile nature of life.\u00a0 Shakespeare put it succinctly when he wrote, \u2018Tis a vile thing to die, my gracious lord, when men are unprepared and look not for it.\u2019\u00a0 <\/em>Yesterday everything had been fine.\u00a0 Marie kept Little Joe in the kitchen with her and Hop Sing. The trio spent the entire day baking batches of cookies to take to the church social the upcoming Sunday.\u00a0 The house had been filled with enticing aromas and the sound of their combined laughter when he, Pa and Hoss arrived home.\u00a0 They\u2019d spent most of the day on horseback, checking out fences.\u00a0 Supper had been a joyous affair and they\u2019d spent the evening together as a family.\u00a0 He could still see Pa carrying Little Joe up to bed, cradled against his shoulder.\u00a0 The tiny boy had fallen asleep in mid-sentence as he watched him and Hoss play checkers.<\/p>\n It all seemed so sinister now.<\/p>\n Marie hugging and kissing their baby brother.\u00a0 Little Joe kissing her back and then turning and blowing the raspberries in Hoss\u2019 face for something the youngster said. \u00a0Him taking Hoss by the hand as he led him up to his room; sitting by the youngster as he read him a passage from Charles Dickens\u2019 Oliver Twist<\/em>.\u00a0 Dickens created a horrific picture of the filth and disease-ridden streets of London.\u00a0 You\u2019d expect disease to be rampant there.<\/p>\n But not here.<\/p>\n Adam shuddered as words from the sermon the Sunday before echoed in his ears.\u00a0 \u2018And I looked, and behold a pale horse, and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n The hell of contagion.<\/p>\n He permitted himself a half-hour with Sport before he returned to the house.\u00a0 The sun was just cresting over the mountains as he went inside.\u00a0 As he suspected, neither brother greeted him.\u00a0 Hoss and Little Joe were still asleep, tucked under the covers in Pa and Marie\u2019s great Tudor-style bed.<\/p>\n The teenager had to admit that he loved this time of the morning.\u00a0 He craved quiet, and it was hard to come by in the midst of the hustle and bustle that was necessary to keep a ranch a quarter of the size of Rhode Island going.\u00a0 Pa knew of his early morning longing and often arranged it so he had at least a half-hour alone.\u00a0 During that time he would read, or sit and think, or even \u2013 in spite of Marie\u2019s misgivings about his faith \u2013 pray.\u00a0 He believed in God and believed in petitioning Him.\u00a0 It just so happened he also believed that when God granted answers to those prayers, the Man Upstairs often expected you<\/em> to make them happen.<\/p>\n Sitting down in his chair by the fire Adam picked up his current read, opened the book to where he had it marked, and began to read.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t five minutes later that Hoss called him.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam.\u00a0 Little Joe don\u2019t want to wake up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen let him sleep,\u201d he called back.\u00a0 It was going to be hard enough to entertain a four-year-old all day when they were restricted to the house.\u00a0 \u201cDusty and Post Hole are doing your morning chores.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss appeared at the top of the steps in his night shirt.\u00a0 \u201cIt ain\u2019t that, Adam.\u00a0 It\u2019s like he cain\u2019t <\/em>wake up.\u00a0 Even if I shake him, Joe just groans and pulls the covers over his head.\u201d<\/p>\n Somehow, he didn\u2019t see anything out of the ordinary in that.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s just being stubborn as usual,\u201d Adam replied with a scowl as he read the same sentence for the third time.<\/p>\n \u201cI ain\u2019t so sure, Adam.\u00a0 He keeps sayin\u2019 he\u2019s cold, but I felt him and he\u2019s hot as a cook fire.\u201d<\/p>\n The teenager put his book down and rose to his feet.<\/p>\n And so it began.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The sickness descended like a swift hawk.\u00a0 It gripped Little Joe in its deadly talons and refused to let go.\u00a0 The tiny boy\u2019s failure was a painful thing to watch.\u00a0 In two hours his fever was sky high and what had been a dry, upper-chest cough descended into his lungs and became a low, wet bark.\u00a0 The teenager did his best to mask his emotions when he went to Hoss\u2019 room to update the ten-year-old on \u00a0his baby brother\u2019s condition.\u00a0 Once he realized Joe had the influenza, he\u2019d sent the youngster there and told him to stay put.\u00a0 He explained it was to keep him safe \u2013 and it was \u2013 but there was another reason.\u00a0 He wanted Hoss close where he could watch him. \u00a0After all, the two little boys had spent the evening together under the bed and then slept in it side by side.<\/p>\n And he had let them!<\/p>\n Unfortunately, he\u2019d read far too many medical journals.\u00a0 He knew the symptoms and the disease\u2019s progression.\u00a0 After learning of the 1831 influenza epidemic from their father, he\u2019d developed a somewhat morbid fascination with world-wide pandemics and read as many eye-witness accounts as he could get his hands on. \u00a0For the influenza, the first symptom was often body aches.\u00a0 Then came chills and fever, and after that, debilitating weakness.\u00a0 For the fortunate ones, this was a far as it went.\u00a0 For others, it was only the beginning.\u00a0 As their temperature skyrocketed even higher, the patient\u2019s lungs would fill with a viscous liquid, making it hard to breathe.\u00a0 This was the crisis point.\u00a0 Those whose fevers broke, most often recovered.\u00a0 In the very young and the very old, the fever could prove fatal as the intense heat triggered an extreme inflammatory response in their exhausted bodies that often led to sepsis and death.<\/p>\n Sometimes in one day.<\/p>\n Adam closed his eyes for a moment, preparing himself, and then placed a hand on his baby brother\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 To his surprise, Little Joe opened his eyes and looked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cMy legs hurt,\u201d Joe moaned as tears streaked down his chubby cheeks.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, make\u2026my legs stop hurting.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI would if I could, buddy,\u201d he said gently as he reached behind the little boy and rubbed the skin \u00a0above his tailbone, hoping to ease the pain.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2026hurts too,\u201d Joe whimpered, and then he coughed.<\/p>\n And coughed again.<\/p>\n Adam righted the little boy and sat behind him.\u00a0 He placed one hand on his brother\u2019s chest and the other behind his back and held him until the fit passed.\u00a0 The teenager cursed silently under his breath as he listened to his brother struggle to breathe.\u00a0 There were several things he could do to help.\u00a0 Steam would be immensely useful.\u00a0\u00a0 Plus there was a syrup he could make that would help clear Little Joe\u2019s chest.\u00a0 Hop Sing always cooked up a batch when they had the croup.\u00a0 He could easily heat the water and make the syrup, but there was one thing he couldn\u2019t<\/em> do and that was leave.\u00a0 Little Joe was too sick and he couldn\u2019t risk Hoss sitting with him and contracting the disease.<\/p>\n A sound in the hall caused Adam to turn his head.\u00a0 Hoss had pushed the door open with his foot and was struggling to carry in a large copper kettle brimful with steaming water.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you think you\u2019re doing?\u201d he snapped.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re supposed to be in your room!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss\u2019 crisp blue eyes locked on his.\u00a0 His look was defiant.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I know.\u00a0 You already sent me there, so what\u2019re you gonna do about it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, I\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Adam fumbled for words, at a loss.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2026.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want you to get sick.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAin\u2019t nothin\u2019 you can do about that,\u201d his young brother said as he lowered the kettle to the floor and stepped back to miss the splash of boiling hot water.\u00a0 \u201cI already been exposed.\u00a0 If I\u2019m gonna get it, I\u2019m gonna get it.\u00a0 You ain\u2019t God, Adam.\u00a0 You cain\u2019t stop it and you cain\u2019t take care of Little Joe all by yourself!\u201d<\/p>\n The ten-year-old held his gaze a moment longer and then went back to work.\u00a0 Hoss stoked the fire \u2013 something else<\/em> he had had no time to do \u2013 and carried the kettle over to it.\u00a0 After that, the youngster reached into a pack he\u2019d slung on his shoulder and drew out a bundle of pine branches, which he then proceeded to twist so he could drop the needles into the water.<\/p>\n As the healing scent filled the sick room, Hoss came to his side and looked down at Little Joe who was still awake and coughing, but barely aware of their presence.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Little Joe,\u201d the youngster said.\u00a0 \u201cHow you doin, punkin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe focused on his brother as even more tears trailed down his face.\u00a0 \u201cI hurt, Hoss.\u00a0 Real<\/em> bad.\u201d The little boy coughed several times, which left him gasping.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t\u2026breathe.\u00a0 Hoss\u2026can you\u2026help me breathe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou bet!\u201d Hoss replied.\u00a0 \u201cI brought you some hot water and pine needles.\u00a0 You\u2019ll be breathin\u2019 better in no time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s\u2026Hoppy?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss glanced at him before answering.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing went to town, Joe.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you remember?\u00a0 With Ma and\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam winced.<\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019s lower lip trembled.\u00a0 The tears quadrupled.\u00a0 He sucked in a breath, coughed, and then shrieked, \u201cI want my\u2026mama!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cJoe, you ain\u2019t listenin\u2019, \u201c Hoss tried.\u00a0 \u201cMa\u2019s in the \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s feverish gaze switched to him.\u00a0 Even sick, it was a formidable sight.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam!\u00a0 Go get my mama!\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, Little Joe couldn\u2019t know about Marie; that his beloved mama was as sick as him \u2013 if not worse.<\/p>\n \u201cI will as soon as I can, Little Joe,\u201d he said, brushing a few curls back from his brother\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cBut I can\u2019t go until you\u2019re better.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss can\u2026take\u2026care of me,\u201d Joe protested amidst coughs.\u00a0 \u201cWon\u2019t\u2026you\u2026Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, listen to me.\u201d\u00a0 Adam waited until his brother met his gaze.\u00a0 \u201cYou need to be quiet. \u00a0It\u2019s the only way you\u2019ll stop coughing. \u00a0Lay back and breathe as deeply as you can.\u00a0 You don\u2019t want to get worse, do you?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019s quixotic green eyes narrowed and then \u2013 quicker as a lightning flash \u2013 he was out of the bed and on his feet.<\/p>\n For approximately two seconds.<\/p>\n The sound of that little body hitting the floor brought, in turn, a silence as profound as a desert night.<\/p>\n Hoss was faster than him.\u00a0 The ten-year-old had Little Joe in his arms and had pulled him close and was kissing the top of his head.\u00a0 He wanted to scold him, but he didn\u2019t have the heart.<\/p>\n Whatever happened, they were in this together.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sleep soon became a word without meaning.<\/p>\n Adam scrubbed his hands over his face and rose to his feet.\u00a0 His walk was a little unsteady as he crossed the kitchen to look out the window.\u00a0 He had no idea what time it was.\u00a0 The pale light outside could mean the sun was coming up, but it might just as well have meant it was going down.\u00a0 Shortly after Hoss brought the water into Joe\u2019s sick room, he\u2019d gone downstairs to accomplish some necessary tasks.\u00a0 The first was to relieve his bladder.\u00a0 The second was to splash water on his face and shave, using the supplies in the downstairs guest room.\u00a0 It was a little thing, and he begrudged the time it took, but it made him feel halfway human again.\u00a0 Then he came to the kitchen and got to work, putting more water on to boil, fixing a pot of soup to keep him and Hoss going, and making a cough syrup for Joe that he thought the little boy would swallow without too<\/em> much fuss.\u00a0 Adam made a face.\u00a0 Hop Sing\u2019s favorite<\/em> was a mixture of kerosene and sugar.\u00a0 Their cook would never admit to it, but he\u2019d<\/em> \u2018nosed\u2019 the volatile liquid right away.\u00a0 The Asian man claimed the recipe was an ancient family secret.\u00a0 Pa told him with a laugh that the \u2018ancient family member\u2019 who had given it to their housekeeper was a young Paiute woman.\u00a0 He\u2019d watched Hop Sing and his youngest brother battle before over him taking it.\u00a0 He just didn\u2019t have the heart to do that to the little guy when he felt so bad.\u00a0 Adam chuckled.\u00a0 Another remedy \u2013 this one recommended by Old Dusty \u2013 was pouring rotgut down a man\u2019s throat to clear it of phlegm.<\/p>\n That one, of course, was out of the question.<\/p>\n The third came from Marie\u2019s family.\u00a0 Hop Sing begrudgingly admitted to its efficacy while disputing the fact that Little Joe welcomed it.\u00a0 It was created by boiling cherry tree bark, sweetening it with honey, and then adding a little moonshine at the very end.<\/p>\n Adam lifted the lid from the kettle and checked the concoction.\u00a0 It was thickening, but not quite thick enough to pull it from the fire and add the corn juice.\u00a0 He\u2019d found a bottle of moonshine tucked at the back of the liquor cabinet.\u00a0 It had been a gag gift to his Pa from Roy Coffee who well knew Pa\u2019s penchant for fine French brandy.<\/p>\n That gave him time to turn his attention to the construction of the tent.<\/p>\n He\u2019d remembered, somewhere between midnight and noon \u2013 or noon and midnight \u2013 that once upon a time when he\u2019d been young and sick, he\u2019d been put under one.\u00a0 Pa had found temporary work in a town and they\u2019d rented a room at a boarding house.\u00a0 The landlord had a boy about his age and the two of them had become chums and spent most of their free time roaming about together.\u00a0 One fine winter day, on a dare, they shimmied out of their clothes and took a dip in a frigid pond.\u00a0 They each won a bottle of apple cider and a knife.<\/p>\n And lost their health.<\/p>\n The next day he woke up with a slight fever.\u00a0 When the cough developed \u2013 and deepened \u2013 he had to admit what he had done.<\/p>\n Two days later he sicker than a dog.\u00a0 The doctor who came to look at the landlord\u2019s son \u2013 and at the kind woman\u2019s insistence took a look at him \u2013 wasn\u2019t sure either of them would survive.\u00a0 He suggested Pa use their sheets to build a tent and bring the hot water under it where he could breathe it directly.\u00a0 It was a long haul, not all of which he remembered, but he survived.<\/p>\n He was going to build Joe one of those tents.<\/p>\n A scavenger hunt through Hop Sing\u2019s closets provided the clean sheets.\u00a0 Their housekeeper was going to kill him when he saw what he did to them \u2013 and to the great room draperies \u2013 but it had to be done.\u00a0 Using an awl he punched holes through the fine linen fabric.\u00a0 Then he dumped the draperies on the floor and pulled out the rods so he could lace the sheets to them.\u00a0 He intended to hang the tent from the wooden frame of their parents\u2019 bed.\u00a0 It was a tester and would work better than Joe\u2019s small four poster.\u00a0 Before coming down, he\u2019d started the fire in that room, so it was growing warm.\u00a0 By the time everything was done and he went back upstairs, it would be ready to move Little Joe into.\u00a0 He figured he could take the mattress from Joe\u2019s bed, flip it over and cover it with new sheets, and Hoss could sleep on that so he could be near him.<\/p>\n He<\/em> wouldn\u2019t be comfortable sleeping anywhere other than the bedside chair.<\/p>\n Adam checked the syrup again and decided it was done.\u00a0 He pulled it from the fire, uncorked the moonshine, and held the bottle over the kettle.\u00a0 For a moment he just stood there; then he lifted the bottle to his lips and upended it.\u00a0 One swallow of the homemade stuff was enough to send fire \u2013 and renewed energy \u2013 through his lean frame.\u00a0 After that he added the corn juice to the mix.\u00a0 The scent was invigorating.\u00a0 It was also a bit heady.<\/p>\n Adam closed his eyes as the world slipped to the side.<\/p>\n \u201cGod, no,\u201d he breathed, meaning it as a prayer and not a curse.\u00a0 He shouldn\u2019t have taken that shot.\u00a0 He was too tired.\u00a0 It was making him dizzy.<\/p>\n Damn it!\u00a0 He was<\/em> tired.\u00a0 He had every right<\/em> to be tired.\u00a0 Not only had he been up for more hours than he could count, but he was worried about his brother \u2013 about his brothers.<\/em>\u00a0 So far Hoss had shown no symptoms of the illness, but that didn\u2019t mean anything.\u00a0 It could strike out of the blue like an arrow released from the bow.\u00a0 The teenager sucked in air and pulled back from the table.\u00a0 He\u2019d finish the cough syrup and take it and the hot water up to Pa\u2019s room.\u00a0 Then he would come back down for the food.\u00a0 He could care less about eating, but both he and Hoss needed to consume something to keep up their strength.\u00a0 Once they\u2019d eaten he\u2019d bring the tray back down and collect the elements of the tent and then go back upstairs and erect it.\u00a0 After that, He\u2019d move Little Joe\u2019s into Pa\u2019s room.<\/p>\n It all sounded exhausting.<\/p>\n As he wobbled a second time, Adam\u2019s gaze fell on the pot of coffee he had put on to perk along with the syrup.<\/p>\n Coffee.\u00a0 That was what he needed.\u00a0 It would keep him going.<\/p>\n The teenager took a step and the world spun again \u2013 faster and farther out this time.\u00a0 \u201cNo, he breathed between teeth clenched in despair.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n God would not do this.\u00a0 He would not<\/em> let him get sick when Little Joe and Hoss needed him so.<\/p>\n Then he remembered another epidemic that had struck a nearby settlement.\u00a0 An entire family had died.\u00a0 Father.\u00a0 Mother.\u00a0 Nine children \u2013 including their responsible oldest brother.<\/p>\n Adam closed his eyes as he fought for balance.\u00a0 He was not <\/em>sick.\u00a0 He was not going to be <\/em>sick.<\/p>\n He had no time for it.<\/p>\n But time waits for no man.<\/p>\n Or teenager.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n FOUR<\/p>\n He wanted to take his fingers and stop his ears.<\/p>\n As if blocking the sound would make it go away.<\/p>\n Ben Cartwright stood once again at the window, staring out toward home and longing for what had been.<\/p>\n For everything he\u2019d had and had taken for granted.<\/p>\n For nearly a day now the only sound in<\/em> the room had been his wife\u2019s labored breathing.\u00a0 At first Marie had held her own against the invisible enemy that sought to devastate her.\u00a0 Then, suddenly, she began losing ground.\u00a0 Paul had come in a few hours back with a cautious smile on his face and left with a decided frown.\u00a0 His beloved\u2019s symptoms were somewhat asymptomatic.\u00a0 Marie\u2019s fever was mild.\u00a0 Her chest, clear for the most part.\u00a0 The aches and pains that had kept her tossing and turning from one side to the other seemed to have ceased.<\/p>\n But she was slipping away.<\/p>\n He\u2019d been with her throughout the night, bathing her forehead and slender form; talking to her all the while.\u00a0 At first she didn\u2019t respond.\u00a0 Then, there\u2019d been a word or two and \u2013 once \u2013 even a weak smile.\u00a0 As of this morning she\u2019d become unresponsive.\u00a0 Paul said Marie had fallen into a coma, which was not necessarily a bad thing.\u00a0 It meant his wife\u2019s body had shut her down and was marshaling every resource for the battle ahead.<\/p>\n He feared it was a losing one.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s gaze returned to the street before him.\u00a0 Though nearly devoid of humanity, it echoed with the persistent sound of hammering.\u00a0 While businesses considered \u2018luxuries\u2019 languished, others labeled \u2018necessary\u2019 flourished.\u00a0 The settlement\u2019s carpenters had more work than they could handle, building caskets out of pine.\u00a0 A committee had come to him and asked him if they could use his timber.\u00a0 He\u2019d told them to take what they needed.<\/p>\n In some cases, it was the last thing he could do for his neighbors and friends.<\/p>\n And while the sound of the hammers was maddening, there was another he found even harder to bear; the creaking of wooden wheels.\u00a0 Wagons of all shapes and sizes rolled through the settlement in a ceaseless parade, bearing those freshly made caskets to the edge of town and the mass grave that had been dug there.<\/p>\n Ben closed his eyes.\u00a0 He drew in a breath and let it out with a prayer.<\/p>\n Why, Father?\u00a0 Why?<\/em><\/p>\n He\u2019d read a passage from the second chapter of the book of Joel the night before.\u00a0 It had troubled him.\u00a0 He was familiar with it, of course, but in the light of what was happening it struck him hard.\u00a0 Always before he had taken it as a reassurance that God would see his people through dark and dreadful times.\u00a0 This time it was different.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t verse twenty-four that struck him, but twenty-five<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u2018And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2018My <\/em>great army which I sent among you\u2019.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s gaze returned to the dirt road he and the other landed men of the settlement had dreamed would one day turn into a paved street.\u00a0 Fine buildings would rise and line both sides.\u00a0 There would be prosperity and wealth.\u00a0 Men and<\/em> women would come, and their small town would grow into a metropolis that would rival Stockton and the other great cities of the West.\u00a0 There would be more than enough for everyone; enough to feed their families and to allow them to live at ease.\u00a0 Their sons would be men among men; the proud inheritors of vast tracts of land, of cattle and other goods.<\/p>\n The rancher snorted.\u00a0 He\u2019d read that <\/em>passage too.<\/p>\n \u2018Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n Were they swollen with pride?\u00a0 Had they grown too self-important and self-sufficient?<\/p>\n Had they forgotten their need of God?<\/p>\n The thought humbled him.\u00a0 Their century had seen innovations that bettered men\u2019s lives.\u00a0 The electric dynamo and telegraph.\u00a0 Fuel cells and refrigeration.\u00a0 With each invention \u2013 each innovation<\/em> \u2013 man felt he had more control over his destiny.<\/p>\n How simple, how childish they were.<\/p>\n There was no control. \u00a0No matter how hard a man tried \u2013 no matter what tools he had \u2013 there was nothing he could do in the face of death.\u00a0 Paul said it was his belief that disease was caused by something so small it could only be seen with a microscope.\u00a0 In the early part of the century a man named Bassi had claimed that these microscopic organisms were the cause of disease in silk worms.\u00a0 Science was on the threshold of figuring out what it was that caused a man to sicken and die.<\/p>\n But science could do nothing about it.<\/p>\n Paul had a habit of saying a man\u2019s cure was \u2018up to God and his constitution.\u2019\u00a0 He believed that, just as he believed the Good Book when it said a man\u2019s days were numbered.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s lips moved as he quietly recited another of the Psalms.\u00a0 \u2018Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is, that I may know how frail I am.\u00a0 Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee. Verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity.\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n A handbreadth.<\/p>\n Marie was breathing.<\/p>\n There was time still.<\/p>\n Ben walked to his wife\u2019s side and stood for a moment looking down at her.\u00a0 Marie had already lost weight.\u00a0 Her beautiful face was drawn; her cheeks sunken and her color, sallow.\u00a0 Paul had done all he could, administering what medicine he had, and then left shaking his head.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s jaw grew tight as he knelt by the side of the bed.\u00a0 Paul might have given up, but not him.\u00a0 He would not<\/em> give up so long as Marie was alive.\u00a0 Neither would he despair, though it took everything that was in him not to.\u00a0 He told his boys each and every day that their Father in Heaven loved them; that He was looking out for them \u2013 that there was nothing that would come into their lives that God did not permit, allow\u2026or cause for the good of those who loved Him and obeyed Him.<\/p>\n The rancher\u2019s lips pursed with concern.\u00a0 He worried about his oldest boy.\u00a0 Like Jacob, Adam wrestled with God.\u00a0 The boy had been through so much.\u00a0 He also had a mind that did not easily accept another\u2019s authority.\u00a0 God had made him that way, and so the rancher trusted that, one day, Elizabeth\u2019s boy would find peace with His maker.\u00a0 That thought led Ben to another, briefly pulling his mind away from his wife\u2019s plight.\u00a0 How was it with their sons?\u00a0 He\u2019d originally intended to bring the boys to the settlement with them, but at the last minute had given in to Adam\u2019s request that he be allowed to care for his brothers at home.\u00a0 Was that <\/em>God\u2019s hand?\u00a0 Had it kept the boys from exposure and sickness?\u00a0 Ben lifted his head and looked at his wife.\u00a0 But then, they\u2019d already been<\/em> exposed.\u00a0 Through no fault of his own, Hop Sing had brought the sickness to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Marie spent that last day with him and with Little Joe.\u00a0 Was the boy as sick as his mother \u2013 or even sicker?<\/p>\n Was his precious Petit Joseph<\/em> even alive?<\/p>\n Ben gripped Marie\u2019s hand and laid his forehead against it.\u00a0 No.\u00a0 There was nothing to gain by going to there.\u00a0 Joseph \u2013 all of his boy\u2019s were in God\u2019s hands as surely as their mother.\u00a0 The Almighty would watch out for them.<\/p>\n He had better.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The light was fading by the time Paul returned.\u00a0 His old friend looked exhausted.\u00a0 Without a word the physician checked Marie\u2019s vitals and then dropped into the chair by the window and proceeded to stare out of it.\u00a0 Ben was sitting on the bed beside Marie.\u00a0 He\u2019d been wiping her face and neck with a cool cloth.\u00a0 His wife\u2019s breathing remained shallow, but seemed to have evened out.<\/p>\n He just wished he knew if that was a good or a bad<\/em> sign.<\/p>\n After a minute Paul said, \u201cTen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTen?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTen dead.\u00a0 In a settlement this size, that\u2019s a heavy toll.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood Lord!\u201d\u00a0 Ben glanced at his wife.\u00a0 Would Marie be number eleven?<\/p>\n Paul was slow to reply.\u00a0 \u201cI believe that, Ben.\u00a0 God is<\/em> good.\u00a0 But at times like these\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n The rancher rose and went to sit in the chair opposite his friend.\u00a0 Outside the hammering continued and the heavily-laden wagons rolled by.<\/p>\n \u201cI think\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Ben cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cWe assume God\u2019s plans are in line with our own.\u00a0 We forget that His ways are not<\/em> our ways.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see death on a weekly basis, Ben.\u00a0 Sometimes even daily.\u00a0 But this\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Paul drew in a sharp breath.\u00a0 \u201cThe Williams lost their son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBilly?\u201d<\/p>\n Paul nodded.<\/p>\n Billy Williams \u2013 William Williams, the second \u2013 was the same age as Little Joe.<\/p>\n Paul winced.\u00a0 \u201cHis little heart just\u2026gave out.\u00a0 His mother was with him.\u00a0 She\u2019s sick too.\u00a0 Will begged me to tell him that she would live, but I\u2026couldn\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0 The physician looked at him.\u00a0 \u201cDid you know they have the streets blocked at the edge of town?\u00a0 Robert Olin has established patrols.\u00a0 There\u2019s a curfew, Ben, and a warning that anyone who violates it could be shot.\u201d<\/p>\n The rancher was shocked.\u00a0 \u201cHas there been trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlenty in China town \u2013 and before you ask, Hop Sing is fine.\u00a0 He\u2019s hunkered down with his family.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs there more?\u201d<\/p>\n Paul nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes, there\u2019s more.\u00a0 There are snake oil salesmen on every corner selling \u2018cures\u2019.\u00a0 Robert doesn\u2019t have the time to arrest them.\u00a0 And there\u2019s looting, Ben.\u00a0 I saw windows broken out on my way here and empty shelves.\u00a0 People are frightened, and they have a right to be.\u00a0 The reverend petitioned Robert for the right to hold a service tonight before the curfew falls and he reluctantly granted him permission.\u201d \u00a0His friend hesitated, as if considering his words.\u00a0 \u201cI doubt anyone will go.\u00a0 They\u2019re angry with God.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben studied his friend.\u00a0 \u201cTell me, Paul.\u00a0 Are you?\u201d<\/p>\n The physician\u2019s jaw grew rigid.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve seen epidemics before, haven\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u00a0 But none that move so swiftly or kill so efficiently as this particular influenza.\u00a0 There is something\u2026evil in this, Ben.\u00a0 I\u2019ve heard from colleagues.\u00a0 We are not the only ones suffering.\u00a0 It\u2019s\u2026like a cancer overtaking the world.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord<\/em>,\u201d he quoted quietly \u2013 as much for himself as for his friend.<\/p>\n \u201cI know my Bible, Ben!\u201d Paul snapped.\u00a0 \u201cWhat I don\u2019t know is how a good and loving God can let something like this occur!\u201d<\/p>\n The rancher thought about all the times in his life he had questioned God \u2013 when Elizabeth died; when Inger fell to an Indian\u2019s arrow so shortly after they had wed.\u00a0 He\u2019d cursed and railed and even upbraided God, telling Him he was cruel and unfair.\u00a0 He had even lost his way and his faith for a time.\u00a0 He\u2019d thought it would bring him relief \u2013 that believing he<\/em> was in control and the master of his own destiny would somehow make the world make sense.<\/p>\n He\u2019d been wrong.<\/p>\n \u201cIs there someone you can find who can safely watch Marie for an hour or so?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n The look Paul gave him was almost comical.\u00a0 \u201cThere \u2018s a woman in the hotel who has had the influenza before,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cShe could.\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cGood.\u00a0 Tell her to come then.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere are you going?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot me, we<\/em>,\u201d he replied.\u00a0 \u201cGet your hat, Paul.\u00a0 We\u2019re going to church.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was spare, the attendance.\u00a0 There were, perhaps, twenty people seated in a room that could easily hold fifty or more. \u00a0They were clustered in family groups, separated by distance from their fellow citizens.\u00a0 A few had scarves tied over their nose and mouth, as if that small gesture could stop the contagion.\u00a0 He supposed it couldn\u2019t hurt, even though Paul said most likely it wouldn\u2019t help.<\/p>\n Still, it gave them something to do<\/em> \u2013 and he well understood the need for that.<\/p>\n The current reverend was a fairly young man.\u00a0 He\u2019d come to the Gold Hill area about a year before from New England and was a solid, staunch fellow with a ready smile who wasn\u2019t above looking the other way at his parishioner\u2019s minor offenses.\u00a0 The settlement was young as well, and rough and raw as the ore men came here to mine.\u00a0 The reverend, whose name was Josiah Brown, believed in lifting men\u2019s souls and not in grinding them into the dirt.<\/p>\n His coming had been a breath of fresh air.<\/p>\n As he and Paul took a seat, the reverend moved up the steps toward the makeshift altar.\u00a0 Ben supposed one reason he liked Brown was that the man had spent his first five years of ministry as a chaplain on board a sailing vessel.\u00a0 He took his place at the pulpit and held it like the captain of a ship.<\/p>\n Of course, that\u2019s what he was \u2013 the captain of a ship of souls.<\/p>\n Josiah cleared his throat before addressing the congregation.\u00a0 \u201cFirst of all,\u201d he began in a rich and melodious baritone, \u201cI thank you for coming.\u00a0 And Robert, I thank you for allowing this gathering.\u201d<\/p>\n The sheriff was there, at the back of the sanctuary.\u00a0 He nodded his head.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is in times like these, when our world is rocked and its very foundation shaken, that we most need to draw together to support and uplift one another and yet, due to what is happening, it is a risk simply to gather in such a place.\u00a0 There are those who say we should not and I understand their concern.\u00a0 This is a fearsome illness.\u00a0 A man can feel healthy in the morning and face his Maker before the day is done.\u00a0 So, I will keep this brief.\u201d \u00a0The reverend smiled.\u00a0 \u201cFor those of you who came here expecting to hear a fiery sermon or even a learned man\u2019s words of comfort, I am sorry to disappoint you.\u00a0 I have no wisdom beyond your own.\u00a0 I am <\/em>only a man and, as such, am fallible and as vulnerable as you.\u00a0 The Good Book warns that we are not to lean on our own understanding, and so I intend to let the Lord do the speaking.\u201d\u00a0 Josiah laid his hand on his Bible.\u00a0 \u201cFor those of you who have your Bibles with you, please turn to Job, chapter thirty-eight.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben had left his Bible at the hotel with the woman watching Marie.\u00a0 But he didn\u2019t need it.\u00a0 He knew the passage by heart.<\/p>\n He read it whenever he got too big for his britches.<\/p>\n Adam had remarked once that Josiah had the elocution of a Shakespearean actor.\u00a0 It was true.\u00a0 The cadence of his voice, the way he spoke the words \u2013 with beauty and brilliance \u2013 made the scripture come alive.<\/p>\n \u201cThen the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?\u00a0 Gird up now thy loins like a man for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.\u00a0 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? \u00a0Declare, if thou hast understanding.\u00a0 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest, or who hath stretched the line upon it?\u00a0 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened, or who laid the corner stone thereof when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The reverend paused before continuing to look at each one of them in turn.\u00a0 He then read on to the end of the chapter, finishing with Job\u2019s response to God.<\/p>\n \u201cThen Job answered the Lord, and said, I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.\u00a0 Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge?\u00a0 Therefore have I uttered that I understood not, things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The room was silent.\u00a0 Josiah closed his Bible and placed his hand upon it.\u00a0 \u201cWe will conclude with the 23rd<\/sup> psalm,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n As Ben recited the oft-repeated words, new life and meaning was infused into them.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.\u00a0 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters.\u00a0 He restoreth my soul.\u201d <\/em>\u00a0Tears flowed down his cheeks freely as he continued.\u00a0 \u201cHe leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.\u00a0 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.\u00a0 Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.\u00a0 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies, thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>The rancher glanced at his friend as he drew breath to finish.\u00a0 Paul\u2019s eyes were shining with tears as well.\u00a0 \u201cSurely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Amen,\u2019 Paul mouthed.<\/p>\n \u201cAmen,\u201d the reverend said.\u00a0 \u201cGo home, friends, to your families.\u00a0 Cherish them.\u00a0 And when this is over, remember this night and continue to cherish them as if \u2013 at any moment \u2013 they could be snatched from your hands, because they can.\u00a0 May God bless you all.\u201d<\/p>\n The crowd that ushered from the borrowed building was a quiet one.\u00a0 No one said a word, but hurried to their homes with the reverend\u2019s parting words ringing in their ears.\u00a0 As Ben walked by Paul\u2019s side, a voice began to speak to him. \u00a0By the time he reached the hotel, he knew what he had to do.<\/p>\n He had to go home.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n FIVE<\/p>\n Hoss Cartwright stood in the doorway of Little Joe\u2019s bedroom, staring down the hallway.\u00a0 He wondered what was keeping Adam?\u00a0 It had been a long time since older brother had gone down to the kitchen to heat more water and make some cough syrup for Little Joe.\u00a0 Hoss turned and looked at the bed.\u00a0 The little feller had plumb done wore himself out coughin\u2019 and was sleepin\u2019 now. \u00a0There was a rattle in Joe\u2019s chest that he didn\u2019t like.\u00a0 Adam was s\u2019posed to bring up the fixin\u2019s to make a tent too, so they could put the kettle under it.\u00a0 Joe\u2019d seemed kind of scared when he told him they was gonna do that, so\u2019s he\u2019d made up a story about Paiute warriors and wigwams and deep medicine.\u00a0 The only Indians Little Joe knew was friendly ones, so that made him smile.\u00a0 Pa\u2019d told them once upon a time that the Indians knew some things better than white men\u2019s doctors and it made the little boy feel kind of special thinkin\u2019 one of them had somethin\u2019 to do with takin\u2019 care of him.<\/p>\n Crossing back over to the bed, the ten-year-old pulled the covers back and checked on his brother.\u00a0 Joe was near pale as the sheets.\u00a0 His little chest rose and fell rapid as snow-melt tumblin\u2019 over rocks in the spring, and every once in a while he made a little sound, kind of like a puppy whimperin\u2019.\u00a0 Just before the little feller fell asleep he\u2019d asked again for their ma.\u00a0 He\u2019d had to lie and he hoped God would forgive him.\u00a0 He told Joe he\u2019d see her soon.<\/p>\n If Ma died\u2026.<\/p>\n Hoss closed his eyes and willed his mind elsewhere.\u00a0 After a few moments, he found himself listening.\u00a0 Night had fallen and, with it, nature had gone to bed.\u00a0 He s\u2019posed Post Hole and Old Dusty was in bed too.\u00a0 There were no wagons rollin\u2019 in \u2013 no horses hooves clompin\u2019 across the hard ground.\u00a0 Other than the soft sounds Joe made every once in a while, it was silent; kind of like life had packed up and left for somewhere better.<\/p>\n Except there was another sound; a new one.<\/p>\n Someone was calling him.<\/p>\n Like a shot the ten-year-old was out the door and bounding down the stairs.\u00a0 He paused at the bottom to listen and then he called out.\u00a0 \u201cAdam?\u00a0 Adam, is that you?\u201d<\/p>\n His answer was yet another sound.\u00a0 A metallic one, like a pan hitting the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam?\u201d Hoss called again as he headed for the kitchen.\u00a0 \u201cAdam!\u00a0 You answer me!\u201d<\/p>\n The sight that confronted him when he came to the end of the hall stopped the youngster in his tracks.\u00a0 The kitchen floor was littered with pans and broken crocks and in the midst of all of it lay his older brother.\u00a0 Terror gripped him.<\/p>\n And then, Adam moved.<\/p>\n Hoss ran to his brother and fell to his knees at his side.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, please,\u201d he wailed.\u00a0 \u201cC\u2019mon.\u00a0 You cain\u2019t do this to me.\u00a0 You just cain\u2019t<\/em> be sick.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot sick.\u00a0 Can\u2019t be sick,\u201d the older boy said as he stirred.\u00a0 Adam reached up and caught the edge of the table with his fingers.\u00a0 \u201cHave to\u2026take care of\u2026Joe and Hoss\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n His brother was pale as new cheese.\u00a0 Sweat trailed down Adam\u2019s lean face, mingling with the tears flowing from his eyes.\u00a0 The teenager worked himself to his knees before his fingers slipped and he fell back to the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t\u2026be sick.\u201d<\/p>\n But he was.<\/p>\n Adam had the influenza, just like Little Joe.<\/p>\n For a moment Hoss panicked, but then he remembered he was a Cartwright and Cartwright\u2019s didn\u2019t panic.<\/p>\n Much.<\/p>\n The youngster placed a hand on his brother\u2019s cheek.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, can you hear me?\u00a0 It\u2019s Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam blinked.\u00a0 For a moment his eyes were without focus, but then he seemed to recognize him. He nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cYou got yourself a case of that influenza,\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u00a0 And it don\u2019t do no good sayin\u2019 you don\u2019t, \u2018cause you do.\u201d<\/p>\n His brother\u2019s eyes narrowed as they searched his face.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re\u2026okay?\u00a0 Not\u2026sick?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure am.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sighed as he closed his eyes and rested his head on the floor.\u00a0 Then, they flew open. \u201cLittle Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Joe\u2019s doin\u2019 all right. \u00a0He\u2019s asleep,\u201d he answered.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t do no good to tell Adam anythin\u2019 else.<\/p>\n \u201cGood.\u00a0 Sleep.\u00a0 I\u2019ll just\u2026sleep here.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss shook him. \u201cAdam, you cain\u2019t sleep here on the kitchen floor.\u00a0 The fire\u2019s out.\u00a0 It\u2019s cold.\u00a0 Adam, you hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n His brother groaned as he began to rise.\u00a0 \u201cFire.\u00a0 That\u2019s right.\u00a0 I have to\u2026light the fire.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou cain\u2019t do that either.\u00a0 You\u2019re too sick.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss ducked down.\u00a0 He lifted his brother\u2019s arm and placed it around his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cCome on.\u00a0 I\u2019ll take you to the settee.\u00a0 The fire\u2019s still burnin\u2019 in the hearth.\u201d<\/p>\n The look Adam gave him was near enough to break his heart.\u00a0 \u201cHoss, I don\u2019t\u2026know if I\u2026can make it that far.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure you can,\u201d he replied. \u00a0\u201cAin\u2019t you the one who told me a man can do anythin\u2019 he puts his mind to?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam snorted as he worked to right himself.\u00a0 \u201cDid I\u2026say that?\u00a0 I\u2019m an\u2026idiot.\u201d<\/p>\n The ten-year-old grinned.\u00a0 \u201cCan I have that in writin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, really,\u201d the older boy protested.\u00a0 \u201cYou have to\u2026let go of me.\u00a0 You\u2019re too\u2026close.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUse that head of yours, older brother, like you always tell Little Joe and me to do,\u201d he huffed.\u00a0 \u201cI been takin\u2019 care of baby brother for over an hour now by myself and he\u2019s coughin\u2019 his head off.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be fine.\u00a0 God\u2019s gotta leave one of us on our feet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShould\u2026be me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut it ain\u2019t<\/em> and you\u2019re just gonna have to live with that.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam stared at him for several heartbeats.\u00a0 \u201cRemind me of how old you are\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n He felt old as Methuselah.<\/p>\n \u201cTen.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam leaned more heavily on him as they began to make their way through the hall.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a\u2026good thing you\u2019re twice\u2026the size\u2026you should be,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Lots of people thought he was a man, but he wasn\u2019t.\u00a0 He was a boy and he was scared.<\/p>\n Only he couldn\u2019t let Adam know it.<\/p>\n \u201cJust keep movin\u2019, older brother.\u00a0 I need to go back up to check on Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam was breathing hard by the time he deposited him on the settee.\u00a0 The teenager sat for a moment and then leaned back and rested his head on the wooden frame.\u00a0 \u201cI made\u2026the tent, Hoss.\u00a0 It\u2019s\u2026in the\u2026kitchen.\u00a0 All you have to\u2026do\u2026is hang it from the tester.\u201d\u00a0 Adam gripped his hand.\u00a0 Hoss could feel the heat rising in him.\u00a0 \u201cGo to Little Joe, Hoss.\u00a0 He has to be\u2026scared.\u00a0 He\u2026needs you more than me.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking at older brother, Hoss wasn\u2019t so sure. \u00a0Adam was all sort of gray and his eyes looked mighty funny.<\/p>\n \u201cHow come?\u201d he asked without meaning to.<\/p>\n \u201cHow come\u2026what?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss swallowed hard.\u00a0 \u201cHow come I<\/em> ain\u2019t got it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGod alone\u2026knows.\u00a0 Just thank\u2026God you don\u2019t,\u201d the older boy replied as he shifted and laid his head on the arm of the settee.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s eyes closed for a moment and then opened again.\u00a0 \u201cHoss?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cForget\u2026what I said.\u00a0 You should\u2026go get Dusty.\u201d<\/p>\n The younger boy frowned.\u00a0 \u201cI thought we was quarantined.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are \u2013 and for good reason.\u00a0 But Hoss, you\u2019re ten.<\/em>\u00a0 You\u2026can\u2019t do this alone.\u00a0 You\u2026need\u2026help\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n Quick as greased lightning, Adam was out.<\/p>\n Hoss took a few steps toward the front door and stopped.<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t know what to do.<\/p>\n Older brother was beginnin\u2019 to moan. \u00a0It wouldn\u2019t be long before he was sick as a cat eatin\u2019 rats.\u00a0 Little Joe was upstairs coughin\u2019 like crazy and cryin\u2019 for his mama.\u00a0 Dad-blame it!\u00a0 He was cryin\u2019 too! \u00a0He wanted to go to Joe, but there was so much he had to do before he could.\u00a0 He needed to light the fire and start the water boilin\u2019 again.\u00a0 He needed to finish the cough medicine.\u00a0 He had to find that tent and take it upstairs and put into place, and then move Little Joe from his room to Pa\u2019s.\u00a0 He needed\u2026.<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t need Dusty, he needed <\/em>his pa.<\/p>\n Hoss sucked in a breath and held it.\u00a0 He closed his eyes as he fought for control.\u00a0 Truth was, whether he wanted to face it or not, his pa and<\/em> ma could both be dead.<\/p>\n If Little Joe\u2026if Adam\u2026died<\/em>\u2026.<\/p>\n He\u2019d be all alone.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss didn\u2019t know why<\/em> he was so tired.\u00a0 Seemed to him he was just about as tired as he\u2019d ever been.\u00a0 Fact was, the only other time he could remember bein\u2019 this tired was when they lost Little Joe in the snow and spent the whole day and half the night lookin\u2019 for him.<\/p>\n Had that been last <\/em>night?<\/p>\n The ten-year-old shifted and groaned.\u00a0 He could feel the rising light striking his eyelids, but decided he\u2019d pretend he didn\u2019t.\u00a0 That way he wouldn\u2019t have to get up.<\/p>\n Funny thing was, he should have been <\/em>up and at his chores if it was already light.<\/p>\n Maybe Pa had let him sleep in since he was so plumb tuckered out.<\/p>\n \u2018Well,\u2019 the youngster thought to himself as he wrinkled his nose and let out a sigh, \u2018Pa ain\u2019t gonna let me lay here forever, so I best get myself up and on my feet afore he comes poundin\u2019 on the door.\u2019<\/p>\n Slowly, Hoss opened his eyes.\u00a0 The sunlight made him squint and sneeze.\u00a0 He lay for a moment, watching the dust dance in its golden beams, and then he threw his feet over the edge of the bed.<\/p>\n Only he wasn\u2019t in a bed.\u00a0 Fact was, he wasn\u2019t even in his own room!\u00a0 He\u2019d just woke up on the floor of his ma and pa\u2019s room.<\/p>\n Just\u2026woke\u2026up.<\/p>\n Dear Lord in Heaven!\u00a0 He\u2019d fallen asleep!<\/p>\n Hoss\u2019 gaze shot to the window.\u00a0 It was morning.\u00a0 The last time he remembered lookin\u2019 at the tall case clock, it had been just after midnight. \u00a0He\u2019d finally given in and gone to the bunkhouse, only to find that Old Dusty was just as sick as Adam and Joe, and Post Hole was gone.\u00a0 He felt bad leavin\u2019 the older man there to take care of himself, but Dusty insisted.\u00a0 He\u2019d returned to the house then, and known the moment he opened the door that Adam had lost all his supper.\u00a0 Cleanin\u2019 older brother up took about an hour.\u00a0 The exhausted youngster sighed.\u00a0 He recalled the clock striking one as he headed upstairs with yet another bucket of boilin\u2019 hot water to feed the steam in Little Joe\u2019s tent\u2026.<\/p>\n He\u2019d been asleep at least four hours.<\/p>\n Fear gripped him.\u00a0 No.\u00a0 Not fear \u2013 terror<\/em>.\u00a0 Four whole hours!\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n Anything could happen in four whole hours.<\/p>\n Hoss\u2019 fingers clutched the cording on the edge of the ticking beneath him.\u00a0 He closed his eyes, whispered a prayer, and then listened.\u00a0 Little Joe was lyin\u2019 in the big bed just above him. \u00a0Baby brother had been coughin\u2019 his head off the night before \u2013 even fightin\u2019 for breath.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t coughin\u2019 now.\u00a0 It was silent.<\/p>\n He couldn\u2019t hear anythin\u2019.<\/p>\n The ten-year-old fought to make himself stand up and look.\u00a0 Sittin\u2019 on the floor, pretendin\u2019 everythin\u2019 was okay, wasn\u2019t gonna do anybody any good.\u00a0 Either Joe was\u2026alive\u2026or he wasn\u2019t. \u00a0If he was, then he needed him.<\/p>\n But he was afraid.<\/p>\n He was afraid to look.\u00a0 To find out.\u00a0 Afraid of what he\u2019d do if\u2026.<\/p>\n Hoss choked back a sob.\u00a0 He closed his eyes and sought\u2026somethin\u2019\u2026that would get him up and on his feet.\u00a0 As he sat there, close to despair, a breath of wind wafted through the room, stirring \u00a0his downy red-blond hair.\u00a0 With it came the words of a prayer his ma had taught him.<\/p>\n I hear no voice, I feel no touch,<\/em><\/p>\n I see no glory bright;<\/em><\/p>\n But yet I know that God is near,<\/em><\/p>\n In darkness as in light.<\/em><\/p>\n He watches ever by my side,<\/em><\/p>\n And hears my whispered prayer:<\/em><\/p>\n The Father for His little child<\/em><\/p>\n Both night and day doth care.<\/em><\/p>\n God had heard his prayers.<\/p>\n He wasn\u2019t sick.<\/p>\n And if he<\/em> wasn\u2019t sick, that must mean there was still someone he needed to take care of.<\/p>\n A slight smile tugged at his lips.\u00a0 Mama had something else she liked to say.<\/p>\n \u2018Courage<\/em>, mon nounours<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>\n Taking that courage in hand, Marie\u2019s little bear stood up and moved to the bed.<\/p>\n Hoss\u2019 hand shook as he took hold of one side of the tent and pulled it back.\u00a0 The scent of pine was strong even though the kettle of water had long since gone cold.\u00a0 He\u2019d propped Little Joe up the night before to help with his cough, but the little boy had slipped down off his pillows and was layin\u2019 still.\u00a0 Pretty much all that showed was Joe\u2019s s honey-colored curls peekin\u2019 out from under the coverlet. \u00a0Hoss blinked back tears as he touched one of them, and pert near dropped to his knees when his baby brother rolled over and looked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2026come\u2026you\u2019re cryin\u2019, Hoss?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n The ten-year-old sucked back snot to answer.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m just happy to see you\u2019re awake.\u00a0 How are you doin\u2019, punkin?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2026kay.\u201d\u00a0 Joe\u2019s lids were droopin\u2019, but he was lookin\u2019 around.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s sleepin\u2019 just like you,\u201d he replied.\u00a0 It weren\u2019t exactly the truth, but it weren\u2019t a lie either.<\/p>\n \u201cIs he sick too?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, Little Joe, he\u2019s sick.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s Mama?\u00a0 I want..Mama.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you remember, Little Joe? \u00a0Ma\u2019s in the settlement with Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n Tears entered his brother\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cDoes she know I\u2019m sick?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u00a0 If she did, you know mama would be right here.\u00a0 Nothing could keep Ma from your side when you\u2019re sick, little brother.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss laid his hand on his brother\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s fever was still really high. \u00a0As he stroked his brother\u2019s cheek, it suddenly dawned on Hoss that Joe wasn\u2019t coughing.\u00a0 He was just about to shout \u2018hooray\u2019 when he remembered somethin\u2019 Doctor Martin had said to Pa that time he had bronchitis.<\/p>\n \u2018The danger begins, Ben, when and if he stops<\/em> coughing\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cCan you breathe okay, Little Joe?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 When Joe said nothing, he took hold of his shoulder and shook him gently.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet me sleep,\u201d his brother replied as he rolled back over.<\/p>\n Should he?<\/p>\n How did he know?<\/p>\n Hoss blinked back the tears.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m gonna go get you some more hot water, Little Joe.\u00a0 You need to keep breathin\u2019 that steam.\u00a0 Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n His brother\u2019s ragged breaths were his only reply.<\/p>\n Hoss dropped the edge of the tent and crossed over to the door.\u00a0 He turned and looked at the bed again before heading into the hall and down the stairs.\u00a0 At the bottom he halted in surprise.<\/p>\n Adam wasn\u2019t on the settee.<\/p>\n In fact, his brother wasn\u2019t anywhere.<\/p>\n The ten-year-old crossed to the hearth area.\u00a0 The blanket he\u2019d covered Adam with was layin\u2019 in a heap on the floor.\u00a0 The pitcher of water he\u2019d left on the table was also on the floor, broken into a dozen pieces.\u00a0 As he continued to look, Hoss noted a few dark droplets on the carpet.\u00a0 Bending down, he fingered one.\u00a0 The youngster drew a breath when he realized what it was.<\/p>\n Blood.<\/p>\n Adam must have knocked the pitcher over and then cut himself somehow on the shards.\u00a0 The trail led toward the kitchen, so maybe older brother had been thirsty and he\u2019d headed for the pump.\u00a0 Hoss made his way quickly through the dining room and down the hallway.\u00a0 The kitchen was empty too.\u00a0 Panic began to set in.\u00a0 Where was Adam?\u00a0 He needed him.\u00a0 He needed to know what to do about Little Joe.<\/p>\n He needed\u2026.<\/p>\n A sound called the ten-year-old\u2019s attention to the fact that the back door \u2013 the one that led into Hop Sing\u2019s garden \u2013 was open.\u00a0 Hoss ran over to it.\u00a0 Outside, not five feet from the stoop, was Adam.\u00a0 Older brother was layin\u2019 on his stomach with one arm stretched out like he was reachin\u2019 for somethin\u2019.<\/p>\n Hoss dropped at his side\u00a0 \u201cAdam?\u201d\u00a0 When he got no response, he tried again \u2013 louder this time. \u201cAdam!\u201d<\/p>\n The teenager\u2019s eyelids fluttered, but that was all.<\/p>\n The ground was wet with dew; the air, chill.\u00a0 The morning mist had yet to lift completely from the land.<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s clothes were soaked through.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, older brother.\u00a0 Wake up!\u201d Hoss said as he pulled at the teenager\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2026gotta help me.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t strong enough to pick you up and get you back into the house.\u00a0 You\u2019re gonna hafta help me.\u00a0 Adam!\u201d<\/p>\n He was crying freely now.\u00a0 Both of his brothers were dyin\u2019, he knew it.\u00a0 And there was nothin\u2019 he could do about it.<\/p>\n Dashing into the kitchen, Hoss went to the cabinet where Hop Sing kept fresh his tablecloths and such, grabbed an armful, and then went back outside and wrapped as many of them as he could as tightly <\/em>as he could about Adam\u2019s long lanky form.\u00a0 After that, he ran back upstairs to make sure Little Joe was still breathin\u2019.<\/p>\n It happened as Hoss descended the stair for the second time.\u00a0 He wavered and almost missed a step. \u00a0The youngster blinked and shook his head as he got to the bottom.\u00a0 He\u2019d been on a ship once with his pa.\u00a0 They\u2019d been in California.\u00a0 There was a man there Pa\u2019d sailed with who invited him and Adam aboard.\u00a0 It was a windy day and, while they was on her, a big old wave came in and struck the vessel and rocked it.\u00a0 It felt like the Earth moved under his feet.<\/p>\n This felt like that too.<\/p>\n Hoss took a step and faltered as the world spun.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d he whispered.\u00a0 \u201cPlease, God, no\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Courage, mon nounours<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n The youngster straightened up.\u00a0 There was only one thing to do.\u00a0 Even though he knew it was forbidden, Hoss went to his pa\u2019s desk, opened the top drawer, and pulled out the loaded revolver the older man kept there. \u00a0Then, slowly \u2013 haltingly \u2013 he walked to the front door and opened it.<\/p>\n Pa was smart.\u00a0 He\u2019d taught them what to do when all hope was gone.<\/p>\n Pointing the weapon at the sky, Hoss pulled the trigger three times before collapsing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n SIX<\/p>\n Ben had stopped on the road to relieve himself and rest his horse.\u00a0 He\u2019d pushed the animal unmercifully, and he knew it.\u00a0 Traveling at a fast pace had gained him precious time.\u00a0 Still, the twenty miles between the settlement and home had never seemed so long.\u00a0 As he sat on a rock and unstopped his canteen, he cast his mind back, recalling his departure from the settlement.<\/p>\n It had not been without\u2026incident.<\/p>\n ______<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean, you\u2019re going home?\u201d Paul Martin demanded.<\/p>\n \u201cYou said Marie is better,\u201d Ben replied.<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u00a0 She\u2019s past the crisis point and on the road to recovery.\u00a0 But, Ben\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n Marie woke and took a sip of water just after they returned from the service.\u00a0 Paul thought it a good sign until her fever soared so high he feared convulsions.\u00a0 Then, by the grace of God alone, it broke.\u00a0 His beloved\u2019s chest was still congested and Marie was not completely out of the woods, but she\u2019d awakened again just before sunrise and been able to take a few spoonfuls of broth.<\/p>\n A miracle in itself!<\/p>\n \u201cI trust you, Paul.\u00a0 I know you will look after her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, I will!\u201d the doctor huffed.\u00a0 \u201cBen, I completely understand your need to go home.\u00a0 You\u2019re worried about the boys.\u00a0 But \u2013 and this is a big but \u2013 even if<\/em> I gave you my blessing, just how <\/em>do you propose to get out of town?\u00a0 Robert has deputies on every corner.\u00a0 As of this morning, the settlement is under quarantine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOn your <\/em>orders.\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cMine and the other medical men in residence.\u201d\u00a0 Paul sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Ben. It\u2019s just too dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll go straight to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 I promise I won\u2019t speak to anyone along the way.\u201d He drew a deep breath to stem his rising anger.\u00a0 \u201cPaul, my boys have already been exposed.\u00a0 My presence can\u2019t harm them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not that, Ben.\u00a0 If Robert allows you to leave, it will open a flood gate.\u00a0 Others will defy him and follow.\u201d\u00a0 Paul laid a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cYou are a man of your word.\u00a0 I am afraid that is not true of everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n He understood Paul\u2019s fears, but he also knew they were the fears of a man who, with good cause, feared \u2013 no, believed <\/em>the worst.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll speak to Robert in private.\u00a0 No one will see me leave.\u00a0 I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Ben.\u00a0 I told Robert to lock up anyone who tried.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s jaw grew tight as his temper flared.\u00a0 He fought to control it.\u00a0 Paul was only doing what he thought best.<\/p>\n \u201cThe streets are deserted,\u201d he shot back. \u00a0\u201cThere is no one to<\/em> infect!\u201d<\/p>\n The physician eyed him.\u00a0 \u201cThose two young men you hired recently.\u00a0 Do you know what happened to them?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYoung men?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Shackley brothers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI assume they are still on the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, then, you\u2019d assume wrong.\u00a0 They came into town shortly after you did.\u00a0 I know because I witnessed Robert hauling them out of the saloon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJim and Jack told Robert they\u2019d spoken to Roy Coffee and he\u2019d informed them that Marie was ill.\u00a0 They left the Ponderosa rather than risk infection.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben scowled.\u00a0 \u201cWhat does this have to do with my wanting to go home?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRobert told the Shackley boys to stay put since they\u2019d been exposed.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t listen.\u00a0 They left and went to Dry Diggings.\u00a0 They have it now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho has what now?\u201d he snapped, impatient.<\/p>\n \u201cThe influenza, Ben.\u00a0 It\u2019s in Dry Diggings and Jack is dead.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul\u2019s words gave him pause, but it wasn\u2019t enough to alter his plans.\u00a0 \u201cBut I\u2019m not going to another town, I\u2019m going home.\u00a0 Tonight!\u201d<\/p>\n Paul stared at him a minute before speaking.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Ben, I\u2019m afraid you\u2019re not.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was a few hours before Marie woke again.\u00a0 This time she was more lucid and had enough energy to talk.\u00a0 The first words out of her mouth were the ones Ben expected.<\/p>\n \u201cAre the boys all right?\u201d<\/p>\n How did he answer that?\u00a0 Did he dare tell her the truth \u2013 that he didn\u2019t know and couldn\u2019t find out?<\/p>\n \u201cMon cher?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Tears kissed his eyes.\u00a0 He lowered his head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n His wife straightened up against the pillows.\u00a0 It pained him to see her.\u00a0 She\u2019d lost both weight and color.\u00a0 In fact, Marie looked like her own shade.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean you \u2018don\u2019t know?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve been very ill, my love,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve been at your side day and night.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut who is with them?\u201d<\/em> she demanded, growing agitated.<\/p>\n Paul had warned him to make certain she did not <\/em>do just that.<\/p>\n \u201cMarie, you need to calm down.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will not\u2026calm down!\u00a0 They are my b\u00e9b\u00e9s! <\/em>They need someone to\u2026look after\u2026them.\u201d\u00a0 His wife reached out and grasped his sleeve. \u201cYou must go!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI want to.\u00a0 I\u2026need<\/em> to,\u201d he responded.\u00a0 \u201cThey won\u2019t let me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cQui?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u00a0 Everyone!<\/em>\u00a0 They\u2019ve quarantined the settlement, Marie.\u00a0 No one is allowed to go out or in.\u201d<\/p>\n Her jaw set.<\/p>\n \u201cI <\/em>will\u2026go out,\u201d she declared as she put her hand to her covers and tossed them aside.\u00a0 \u201cLet them\u2026try\u2026to\u2026stop me!\u201d<\/p>\n A moment later they were both on the floor and he held her in his arms.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are not well enough, my love,\u201d he whispered as he kissed her forehead.<\/p>\n \u201cThen you\u2026must <\/em>go,\u201d she insisted as her tears wet the fabric of his shirt.\u00a0 \u201cDo not\u2026let them stop you.\u00a0 Find a way!\u00a0 Our son\u2026our sons<\/em>\u2026need you.\u201d<\/p>\n Her spirit shamed him.<\/p>\n Even as Marie lost consciousness and he returned her to her bed, Ben\u2019s resolve hardened into action.\u00a0 He was<\/em> a good man and a law-abiding citizen, but he was also something else.<\/p>\n He was a father.<\/p>\n His sons needed him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Most jailbreaks were made at midnight, so Ben staged his for the crack of dawn.\u00a0 He bid Marie farewell and left with her blessing.\u00a0 She assured him she would be a \u2018bonne fille\u2019<\/em> while he was gone and asked that he send word as soon as he knew that the boys were well.<\/p>\n God grant the boys were<\/em> well.<\/p>\n Paul had gone home to catch a few hours of sleep.\u00a0 He\u2019d assured his friend that he would do the same while he was gone. \u00a0His old friend trusted him and he was loathe to break that trust.\u00a0 He knew their friendship might never be the same.\u00a0 Still, his allegiance and duty was to his wife and children and he had decided that \u2013 no matter what it took \u2013 he would carry it out.<\/p>\n Fortunately, he\u2019d chosen to wear his black shirt and dark gray pants for their night in the settlement, and so he blended in as he moved through the shadows from one building to the next, drawing his horse after him.\u00a0 The first checkpoint he\u2019d passed was manned by a friend of Adam\u2019s whose haphazard tin badge looked out of place on his hand-me-down plaid shirt. \u00a0The boy was sitting on the porch of the seed store with his head tipped back against one of its posts.<\/p>\n He was snoring gently.<\/p>\n The second check-point, which was located closer to the edge of the settlement and watched by two men, one of whom was a deputy, was considerably more challenging.\u00a0 Ben had to cross a span of growing sunlight to move past them.\u00a0 In the end he used the oldest trick in the book.\u00a0 He tossed a stone to one side and sent them scrambling.\u00a0 He was at the last check-point now.<\/p>\n Roy Coffee manned it.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Ben.\u00a0 I just can\u2019t <\/em>let you through.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not asking you to let me through, Roy,\u201d he said, his tone as determined as the look on the lawman\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m telling<\/em> you to get out of my way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Fraid I can\u2019t do that either.\u201d<\/p>\n The deputy hadn\u2019t drawn his gun yet, but his fingers were dangling just above it.<\/p>\n \u201cRoy.\u00a0 Out there,\u201d he indicated the road and what lay beyond, \u2018twenty miles away, there are three young boys who\u2019ve been on their own for three days.\u00a0 Anything could have happened.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam\u2019s mindin\u2019 the place.\u00a0 He\u2019ll take care of the other two.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat if Adam<\/em> is sick?\u201d he snapped.<\/p>\n Roy ran a hand over his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cEveryone\u2019s sick, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen let me go!\u00a0 What will it matter if everyone<\/em> \u2013?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re tryin\u2019 to make sure no one else gets it.\u00a0 You know that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going straight home.\u00a0 I\u2019m<\/em> not going to give it to anyone, Roy.\u00a0 You <\/em>know that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the principal, Ben.\u00a0 If I let you go, I have to let the next feller go too \u2013 and the next.\u00a0 Soon, it\u2019ll be like a flash flood.\u201d<\/p>\n The rancher opened his arms and indicated the empty street.\u00a0 \u201cJust who <\/em>do you think is going to know?\u201d<\/p>\n Roy\u2019s crisp blue eyes narrowed.\u00a0 \u201cI <\/em>will.\u00a0 I got my duty to uphold the law.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd does that duty include keeping a father from his children?\u00a0 Does it include letting them die?\u00a0 What if it was your <\/em>child?\u201d<\/p>\n Roy frowned.\u00a0 \u201cNow, you know that ain\u2019t fair, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n Yes, he knew.\u00a0 Nothing about this was fair.<\/p>\n Ben was silent for a moment.\u00a0 When he finally spoke, it was slowly and with added weight given to each word.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand what you\u2019re saying, Roy, but I\u2019m sorry, I can\u2019t let it stand.\u00a0 Now you can arrest me \u2013 or shoot me \u2013 but short of you doing one of those two things I am walking past you, mounting up, and going home to my boys.\u201d<\/p>\n The tips of Roy\u2019s fingers brushed the handle of his gun. \u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t push me, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n Their gazes locked.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t try