{"id":3123,"date":"2004-04-24T23:14:46","date_gmt":"2004-04-25T03:14:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=3123"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:08:26","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:08:26","slug":"the-quick-and-the-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=3123","title":{"rendered":"The Quick and the Dead (by Rona)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 <\/strong>Adam has something to tell his brothers, but Joe doesn\u2019t want to hear it.<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0 T \u00a0 (3,215 words)<\/p>\n

Disclaimer:\u00a0All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Quick and the Dead<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, of course I understand,\u201d Ben Cartwright assured his son. \u201cBut I\u2019m going to miss you, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, Pa,\u201d Adam replied. \u201cAnd I\u2019ll miss all of you, but I\u2019ve got to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll have to tell your brothers,\u201d Ben warned him. \u201cDo it gently, Adam, especially with Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biting back the comment that his father was mollycoddling Joe again, Adam simply nodded. He didn\u2019t want to argue with Ben such a short time before leaving. Already, he felt freer, as though a great weight had lifted from his shoulders, allowing him to breathe deeply for the first time in years. He knew he\u2019d made the right decision.<\/p>\n

The hard part would be explaining it to Hoss and Joe.<\/p>\n

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

The weather had been bad for more than a week. Rain had fallen relentlessly every day for hours at a time. Clothes never seemed to get completely dry, and the house felt damp, despite roaring fires. The boys never came home clean – never mind dry – and conversation was in short supply as the hard work in the constant downpour left them all exhausted.<\/p>\n

Getting his brothers on their own was proving harder than Adam had anticipated. They were all working separately and didn\u2019t always manage to get around the table together for supper. But having made his decision to leave after round-up, Adam was more relaxed and knew that he had a couple of months to tell Hoss and Joe his plans.<\/p>\n

Since he was leaving, Adam found that he was often seeing things through fresh eyes. And the thing he noticed most was how grown-up Joe had suddenly become.<\/p>\n

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

Like many older siblings, Adam had become accustomed to watching out for both his younger brothers, but particularly for Joe. And because Joe was shorter than the rest of his family, Adam still tended to think Joe was younger than his years. The boyish charm and impetuosity that Joe displayed made him seem young, too. But now that Adam was looking at Joe more closely, he could see big changes in his younger brother.<\/p>\n

The first sign was when they were in town. Adam and Joe had packed the supplies into the wagon, then Adam had gone down to the post office to check the mail. Joe headed for the saloon, which didn\u2019t come as a surprise to Adam at all. Walking slowly back along the street sifting through the mail, Adam belatedly became aware of a fracas at the saloon.<\/p>\n

Hurrying his steps, Adam headed in that direction, tucking the mail safely away in his pocket. Pushing his way through the crowd, Adam saw exactly what he had expected \u2013 Joe was right in the middle of the fight.<\/p>\n

Heaving a sigh of disgust, Adam shoved past the interested spectators and prepared to defend his youngest brother once more. But it had been some time since Adam had seen Joe in a fight and he saw at once that Joe was standing up to his taller, broader opponent. He was keeping his cool and allowing his greater agility to keep him out of trouble, although the occasional punch still broke through.<\/p>\n

Relaxing slightly, Adam hesitated, unwilling to go to Joe\u2019s rescue when he so clearly didn\u2019t need rescuing! At that moment, the barman recovered from the pounding he\u2019d had and retrieved his scattergun from under the bar. He fired it into the ceiling and Joe flinched, caught by surprise. His guard came down and his opponent hit him with a quick one-two, right in the face. Joe went down.<\/p>\n

Leaping forward, Adam was just in time to see Joe kick the feet from under his opponent and the other man went down too. By now, the by-standers were moving in the separate the fighting men, and moments later, Sheriff Roy Coffee appeared to take them into custody.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you all right, Joe?\u201d Adam demanded, as he helped Joe to his feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d Joe assured him, shaking off Adam\u2019s hand. He mopped the blood coming from his nose and mouth.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2019s going to be livid that you started another fight,\u201d Adam commented. \u201cI don\u2019t know if I can help you out here, buddy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Giving Adam an unfriendly look, Joe replied, \u201cWhat makes you think I started this, Adam? And what makes you think I need your help?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou all right, Joe?\u201d asked another voice and Adam glanced around at Cosmo, the barman. \u201cI\u2019m real sorry I didn\u2019t fling that fella out earlier. I knew he was trouble just by lookin\u2019 at him! But I didn\u2019t expect him to jump on you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine, Cosmo,\u201d Joe answered. \u201cAnd it\u2019s not your fault.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were real restrained, waitin\u2019 for Roy ta get here,\u201d Cosmo added.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn\u2019 I remember the days when you\u2019d have caused the fight in the first place,\u201d added Roy Coffee. He peered at Joe. \u201cD\u2019you need ta see the doc, boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, the bleeding\u2019s stopped,\u201d Joe replied. \u201cThanks all the same, Roy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean the fight wasn\u2019t Joe\u2019s fault?\u201d Adam asked, gazing from one to another.<\/p>\n

\u201cNope,\u201d agreed Cosmo. \u201cThat big fella\u2019s bin in here all day, itchin\u2019 fer trouble. He took a dislike to Joe\u2019s green jacket there and next thing, he was poundin\u2019 on him! Then everyone else joined in, but Joe hardly threw a punch! Not like in the old days, eh, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Giving Adam a look, from which triumph was remarkably absent, Joe smiled. \u201cNo, Cosmo, not at all like the old days,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cHey, look, Adam, I haven\u2019t started a fight in ages,\u201d Joe protested as they drove home. \u201cOkay, sure, I still lose my temper; I haven\u2019t changed that much! I\u2019m not a kid any more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know,\u201d Adam replied. He wondered if now was the time to tell Joe he was leaving, but decided against it. Joe was still annoyed that Adam had assumed that he was guilty of starting the fight in the saloon. Besides, Adam wanted to tell Hoss first, so that the middle brother would be on hand to talk Joe round if the youngest son took it badly.<\/p>\n

So he was glad to see Hoss in the yard as they drove in. Getting rid of Joe wasn\u2019t hard, especially as Ben came out to greet them and immediately commented on Joe\u2019s split and swollen lip and hustled him off inside to take a closer look. Joe\u2019s rolling eyes provided adequate comment on his feelings in the matter!<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted a word with you, Hoss,\u201d Adam said, as they unloaded the supplies.<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds serious,\u201d Hoss replied, uneasily. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m leaving,\u201d Adam responded. \u201cAfter round-up is over.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a long moment, Hoss just looked at Adam, and Adam\u2019s heart sank. \u201cWhere are ya gonna go?\u201d Hoss asked. He sounded unutterably sad.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, exactly,\u201d Adam answered. \u201cBack to Boston, first. I\u2019ll see my friends there and then see what happens. I\u2019d like to see the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre ya ever comin\u2019 back?\u201d Hoss asked. Adam could hear the tears in his voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, someday,\u201d Adam replied, but even he could hear the uncertainty in his reply. In truth, he hadn\u2019t thought of coming back; his mind hadn\u2019t really travelled beyond leaving.<\/p>\n

\u201cI unnerstand, Adam,\u201d Hoss told him. He put his hand on his brother\u2019s shoulder and squeezed. \u201cWe\u2019ll miss ya.\u201d He cast a look at the house. \u201cHave ya tol\u2019 Pa an\u2019 Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI told Pa,\u201d Adam agreed. \u201cBut I haven\u2019t told Joe yet. I thought I\u2019d tell you first. I might need you to talk sense into the boy. We both know he doesn\u2019t think half the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, that ain\u2019t true!\u201d Hoss protested. \u201cJoe\u2019s as smart as a whip! Sure, he goes off half-cocked, but he wouldn\u2019 be Joe if\u2019n he didn\u2019. But he\u2019s steadied up a lot. Ain\u2019t ya noticed?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, not until today, if truth be told,\u201d Adam admitted slowly. \u201cI thought he\u2019d caused that saloon fight, but he didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe ain\u2019t started a saloon fight in a coon\u2019s age,\u201d Hoss agreed. \u201cThat\u2019s what I mean. But Joe ain\u2019t gonna take yer leavin\u2019 well, Adam. He loves ya, ya know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know,\u201d Adam replied, uncomfortably.<\/p>\n

\u201cBreak it to him gentle, like,\u201d Hoss advised.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will,\u201d sighed Adam.<\/p>\n

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

It was the next morning before Adam got Joe alone. He had lingered in the barn, saddling Cochise for his brother, until Joe, last out because of Ben\u2019s insistence on checking that he had no new bruises or injuries from the previous day\u2019s fight, appeared. \u201cHi, Adam,\u201d Joe cried cheerfully as he went in. \u201cI thought you\u2019d be long gone! Thanks for saddling Cochise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted a word with you,\u201d Adam told him and watched as Joe\u2019s face fell.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re leaving, aren\u2019t you?\u201d Joe accused. He had known for some days that Adam was behaving differently, and he instinctively feared the lure of the east, where Adam had gone to college. Unwilling to face his suspicions, Joe had submerged the thought, although it had resurfaced in his dreams, causing him to sleep poorly the night before.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Adam nodded. \u201cBut not till after round-up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d Joe blurted, unhappiness rushing to blot out all other feelings. \u201cIs it something I\u2019ve done?\u201d He thought miserably of the way he had shrugged off Adam\u2019s helping hand the day before.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy does everything have to be about you?\u201d Adam demanded. \u201cThis isn\u2019t about you, Joe; this is about me! I need to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it is me,\u201d Joe muttered. \u201cAdam, I can change, I know I can. Please, don\u2019t go!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe,\u201d Adam began, not seeing that he hadn\u2019t answered Joe\u2019s question. He swallowed his exasperation as best he could. \u201cI need to get away from here, that\u2019s all. Unlike you, I\u2019m not content to live in one place all my life.\u201d Adam hadn\u2019t realized his words sounded like a criticism to the young man in front of him.<\/p>\n

Unbearably hurt, Joe lost his temper. \u201cYou always have to throw that up at me, don\u2019t you?\u201d he cried. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to go to college, and I still don\u2019t! Well, fine, Adam, you leave; see if I care!\u201d He grabbed his horse\u2019s rein.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, Joe,\u201d Adam started, but that was exactly the wrong tack to take with Joe at that moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t bother trying to concoct any more excuses, Adam,\u201d Joe told him, although Adam hadn\u2019t offered any excuses for anything. \u201cYou\u2019ve made it quite clear! You can\u2019t stand to be near me any more.\u201d In one swift movement, he vaulted onto Cochise\u2019s back and rode out of the barn. Moments later, Adam heard Cochise\u2019s hooves speed into a gallop.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn the boy!\u201d Adam muttered under his breath. He led Sport from the barn. \u201cHi, Pa,\u201d he said, as he came out and almost walked right into his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cI gather you\u2019ve told Joe?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, and he thought it was because of something he\u2019d done. Why does he always think he\u2019s the center of things?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you tell him it was nothing to do with him?\u201d Ben enquired.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure!\u201d Adam responded indignantly. \u201cI told him it wasn\u2019t about him, it was about me. Then he threw a tantrum, went on about not going to college again and rode off. And here I was thinking he\u2019d grown up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has,\u201d Ben snapped. Softening his tone, he went on, \u201cI didn\u2019t hear what was said, son, but I don\u2019t think Joe got your message clearly. But either way, you need to go after him and make sure he does understand. He will accept your leaving, Adam, but you know how Joe is about people going away. Remember how he used to be when I went on trips after his mother died? And how he was when you left for college? For Joe, this\u2026\u201d with a sweeping gesture, Ben indicated the ranch, \u201cis his whole world, and he finds it difficult to accept that it\u2019s not your whole world, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go after him,\u201d Adam agreed, somewhat ungraciously.<\/p>\n

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

As he raced Cochise across the ranch, Joe had no immediate destination in mind. But his subconscious was working, and he headed towards the lake and his mother\u2019s grave. He replayed the conversation he and Adam had just had in his mind, and realized that Adam hadn\u2019t said that it was Joe\u2019s fault that he was leaving. \u201cAm I really that self-centered?\u201d he whispered to himself.<\/p>\n

Pulling his horse to a slower gait, Joe rode on. The rain started again, coming down in huge, cold, drops. Joe turned his jacket collar up some more, as he had left his slicker hanging in the barn. \u201cI don\u2019t want Adam to leave, Cooch,\u201d Joe muttered. \u201cThat is selfish of me. I don\u2019t want him to leave because I\u2019ll miss him.\u201d Swallowing against the lump that had risen in his throat, Joe went on, \u201cBut it\u2019s natural that I\u2019ll miss him, so maybe I\u2019m not being selfish.\u201d Frustrated by his whirling thoughts, Joe let out an incoherent shout of anger. Cochise took this as an indication to go faster and broke into a gallop again.<\/p>\n

They were down by the shore side by then, and Joe didn\u2019t stop the horse\u2019s headlong pace. The sheer exhilaration of riding at speed helped ease his confusion slightly. The rain flew into his face, causing him to screw up his eyes and squint into the wind. Next moment, Cochise shied violently to the right and Joe, caught completely unprepared, was thrown off the left side of the saddle.<\/p>\n

He landed on a patch of sand that squelched nastily. The next instant, Joe was sinking!<\/p>\n

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

Quicksand! Joe knew about quicksand, and that struggling was the worst thing you could do. But he had never before been deposited into quicksand at high speed, and he had already sunk up to his waist. With a gargantuan effort, he freed his left hand, and forced himself to stop struggling. At once, he stopped sinking.<\/p>\n

Taking a deep breath, Joe waited until his pulse rate had dropped slightly before moving slowly to try and stretch out on the surface of the sand, as though he was swimming. But the quicksand, caused by the heavy rain, and unusually deep because of this, had set like concrete around his legs. Joe was trapped.<\/p>\n

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

Following in Joe\u2019s wake, for it was never difficult to guess where to find Joe when he was upset, Adam was also reviewing their conversation. It was hard to admit he was wrong, but Adam was willing to admit it this time. He had handled Joe badly, and he thought he knew why. He was feeling defensive about his reasons for leaving. Although he knew that Ben accepted his leaving, he also knew that Ben was disappointed, as he had built the Ponderosa for his sons. But something in Adam was not settled, and Adam wasn\u2019t sure he would ever be able to settle. Was it because of his nomadic childhood? Had that given him his wandering foot? Adam didn\u2019t know the answer; he just knew he needed to get away.<\/p>\n

In the distance, Adam could see Cochise grazing by the shore. He frowned. Marie\u2019s grave lay almost a mile further on. Why had Joe stopped there? Was the horse lame? Adam glanced around, but there was no sign of his brother anywhere.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until he reached Cochise that Adam spotted Joe. Jumping down from his horse, Adam hurried as close as he dared. \u201cJoe! Are you all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think so,\u201d Joe replied. \u201cBut I\u2019m stuck.\u201d Joe was coated with the oatmeal-colored sand and was barely discernable from the surrounding ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t move,\u201d Adam reminded him. He went back to his horse to get a rope. Swiftly making a loop, Adam threw the rope to Joe, who caught it with his left hand, the only one above the surface of the muck, and struggled to get it over his head.<\/p>\n

At last, Joe had it positioned as best he could, and Adam tied the other end of the rope to Sport\u2019s saddle horn. \u201cReady?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess so,\u201d Joe replied.<\/p>\n

Slowly, Adam took up the slack, then began winding the rope around the saddle horn as he began to take the strain. And it was quite a strain. Joe did what he could to help, which wasn\u2019t much, and for Adam, it was like pulling a dead weight.<\/p>\n

Finally, with an horrendous sucking noise, Joe was pried loose from the patch of quicksand. He sprawled on the ground, unable to help as Adam swiftly pulled him clear before rushing over to kneel by his brother.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s boots were missing, and he was unable to move, due to the consistency of the sand, which had set hard. \u201cAre you all right?\u201d Adam asked, disentangling the rope.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, thanks,\u201d Joe panted. He hadn\u2019t noticed before that he had been finding it difficult to breathe. He gulped in huge draughts of air while Adam did his best to scrape the muck off him. Finally, Joe\u2019s limbs were free and Adam helped him to mount.<\/p>\n

They rode home in sober silence.<\/p>\n

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

Bathed and changed, Joe sat down in front of the fire in the great room and sipped the hot coffee gratefully. He had been shivering violently when he had arrived home, but he now felt that he was human again. He had no discernable injuries. And he had learned that emotions could be like quicksand, too. When Joe stopped focusing on his hurt, the voice of reason was able to assert itself and Joe came to an understanding of his brother\u2019s needs and motives. When he had fought them, he had become stuck, just like he had become stuck in the quicksand.<\/p>\n

Coming into the room, Adam sat down. \u201cI\u2019ve left Fred trying to scrape the stuff off your saddle,\u201d Adam told him. \u201cBut I\u2019m not sure it\u2019ll ever recover.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d Joe replied. He glanced at Adam. \u201cAdam, I wanted to say how sorry I am about the way I reacted earlier. I know you weren\u2019t getting at me, and I was just being selfish, because I\u2019m going to miss you. But you\u2019re right; we\u2019re different people, and I\u2019m happy to stay here forever. You\u2019re not, and so be it. I will miss you once you\u2019ve gone, and I\u2019ll never entirely understand your need to leave, but I give you my blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Joe,\u201d Adam replied, an unaccustomed gruffness in his voice. \u201cI wanted to apologize, too. I hadn\u2019t noticed you growing up and was still treating you like a kid. I didn\u2019t mean to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d Joe assured him.<\/p>\n

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

When Adam rode away a few months later, he looked back just once. Ben, Hoss and Joe stood there, smiling and waving, hiding their hurt under a show of support for him. Adam didn\u2019t know if he would ever return but he knew one thing for sure.<\/p>\n

The Ponderosa would always be his home.<\/p>\n

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

 <\/p>\n

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

Summary:\u00a0 Adam has something to tell his brothers, but Joe doesn\u2019t want to hear it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0 T \u00a0 (3,215 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":3878,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","wpcat-23-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/BenHossAdam.jpg?fit=800%2C569&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3123\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}