Summary: \u00a0It is 1847 and such a winter had never been seen!\u00a0 Snowstorms and squalls.\u00a0 Sleet and ice.\u00a0 Winds so ferocious they built drifts high as a man.\u00a0 Driven by a need to escape the memory of his late wife, Ben Cartwright ventures out into a frozen landscape and becomes lost.\u00a0 As he seeks a way to survive, he has no way of knowing that another member of the family has become lost as well.\u00a0 Will the killer snow claim two Cartwright lives?<\/p>\n
Rated PG<\/p>\n
Word count 20,990<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
White.<\/p>\n
There was nothing else.<\/p>\n
No trees. \u00a0No sky.\u00a0 No mountain ranges.\u00a0 No lake.\u00a0 No\u2026nothing.<\/p>\n
Just white.<\/p>\n
Thirty-seven year old Ben Cartwright reached for the collar of his corduroy coat and drew it closer about his throat to stave off the cold.\u00a0 He\u2019d lost his hat in the last blast of frigid air and the scarf that anchored it to his head in the one before that.<\/em> \u00a0Winters were often harsh in this part of the territory, but this one redefined the word.\u00a0 Bone-chilling cold.\u00a0 Snow followed by ice, followed by more snow.\u00a0 Hurricane force winds.\u00a0 Man-high drifts.<\/p>\n In other words, if he didn\u2019t find shelter soon<\/em> he was dead.<\/p>\n The older man ran a trembling hand through his gun-metal gray hair to dislodge the cap of snow that had settled there in lieu of his missing hat.\u00a0 Then he looked at the sky.\u00a0 It was white too; a sort of grayish-white like a fog laying low over a harbor.\u00a0 He had no idea what time it was.\u00a0 He\u2019d ridden out from the Ponderosa early that morning and arrived in the settlement just as the merchants were opening their shops.\u00a0 Knowing the ride home was close to four hours, he\u2019d left just after noon. \u00a0The weary man let out a sigh. \u00a0He could still see Adam standing by the settee \u2013 arms folded, a scowl on his young face \u2013 chiding him for even attempting<\/em> the journey.\u00a0 \u00a0Before he left, Hoss and Little Joe had peppered and pestered him with questions \u2013 \u2018Why, Pa?\u00a0 Why <\/em>are you going?\u2019<\/p>\n He had no answer.<\/p>\n Call it wanderlust.\u00a0 Or maybe, a restiveness.\u00a0\u00a0 Christmas was approaching.\u00a0 It would be the first without his beloved Marie and, though he\u2019d made his peace with her loss, the sight of the house decked out for the holidays had produced in him a deep melancholia.\u00a0 He\u2019d done his best to keep it from the boys.\u00a0 After all, hadn\u2019t he just put them through six months of heartache?\u00a0 It had taken him that long to come to terms with his wife\u2019s sudden and seemingly pointless death, as well as to reconcile himself with the concept of a God who would allow such a thing to happen.<\/p>\n Three times.<\/p>\n He had his sons, he told himself.\u00a0 He had his Ponderosa.\u00a0 God had been good to him.\u00a0 He was blessed.<\/p>\n But he was also lonely.<\/p>\n An unexpected nudge on his shoulder moved Ben forward nearly a foot.\u00a0 The tired rancher turned to face his horse.\u00a0 Buck was staring at him as if he had lost his mind.\u00a0 The buckskin snorted and then struck the earth with his hoof as if to say, \u2018I\u2019ve had enough of this!\u00a0 I\u2019m cold!\u00a0 Let\u2019s get going!\u2019<\/p>\n The rancher chuckled as he reached for his pocket.\u00a0 His fingers were stiff from the cold, so they protested as he lifted the pocket flap and pulled out a lump of sugar.\u00a0 Buck was proving to be a diligent and trustworthy companion.\u00a0 Earlier, and without warning, a portion of the road they traveled had given way.\u00a0 He was sure the buckskin would panic and they\u2019d plunge into the chasm it created.\u00a0 Instead, Buck remained calm.\u00a0 \u00a0He leapt forward and landed \u2013 safely \u2013 on the other side.\u00a0 The rancher placed a hand in the crook of his back and stretched.\u00a0 He\u2019d been thrown from the horse as they landed, but any injuries he\u2019d incurred were more than worth the price!<\/p>\n Ben patted his friend\u2019s nose and then moved to the animal\u2019s side and mounted.\u00a0 He\u2019d been walking for some time in order to give Buck a chance to recover.\u00a0 Earlier he\u2019d considered removing the buckskin\u2019s saddle and sending him home.\u00a0 If Buck pulled into the yard \u2013 riderless \u2013 it would be a sure sign that he was in trouble. \u00a0There was only one problem.\u00a0 He knew<\/em> who would come to rescue him \u2013 his seventeen-year-old son.\u00a0 The last place he wanted Adam was out in this cold.\u00a0 The boy had been sick recently.\u00a0 In fact, all three <\/em>of his boys had been sick.\u00a0 The illness ran a two week course.\u00a0 During that time, he\u2019d had to face the very real possibility that one or more of them could die.\u00a0 They were better now, but none <\/em>of them needed to be exposed to weather like this.<\/p>\n Vicious <\/em>weather that had moved with the stealth of a cat seeking its prey and pounced without warning, catching everyone off guard.<\/p>\n Winter had come early this year.\u00a0 It arrived mid-November with a heavy fall of snow that measured nearly three feet.\u00a0 The sudden storm cut them off from the settlement.\u00a0 As November turned to December, there\u2019d been an unexpected change in the weather.\u00a0 The sun came out and much of the snow melted away.\u00a0 There was, of course, no way of knowing how long this beneficence would last.\u00a0 More snow was on the horizon and it was a sure bet that, once it started, it was unlikely to stop.\u00a0 So, he\u2019d decided to ride in to the settlement today and order supplies.\u00a0 He\u2019d visited the mercantile first and then the hardware store.\u00a0 While there he\u2019d spent some time chatting with friends and catching up, and then headed for his horse with the intention of riding home.<\/p>\n Tomorrow he would send in a couple of hands in to fetch what he\u2019d bought.<\/p>\n Or so he thought.<\/p>\n As he neared the settlement, the weather shifted.\u00a0 The temperature fell, the wind rose, and tiny flecks of white began to appear.\u00a0 By the time he\u2019d completed his business, small drifts had formed.\u00a0\u00a0 Fearful that he might not reach home in time, he\u2019d headed for Buck and put his foot in the stirrup \u2013 only to return it to the ground as Beth Riley called his name.\u00a0 She took him by the hand and dragged him into her pie shop, and then insisted he wait while she filled a tin with hot coffee and put together a sack of food for him to take along on his journey.<\/p>\n Once she\u2019d put the coffee on, Beth came to the table carrying two slices of dried apple pie.\u00a0 She sat down and scooted the second piece his way.\u00a0 He admitted with chagrin that he hadn\u2019t eaten all day and dug right in.\u00a0 As they ate, they talked \u2013 about her shop and the future of the settlement, as well as the Ponderosa and his boys.\u00a0 It was only natural that their conversation turned to Marie and his unexpected loss.\u00a0 Tears filled his eyes as the rancher explained his reason for coming to town.\u00a0 He confessed he felt lower than a snake for putting a damper on the boys Christmas\u2019 joy.\u00a0\u00a0 When he spoke of how hard their first Christmas would be without Marie, Beth gasped and stood up.\u00a0 She muttered something he missed and then headed into the back room where she slept.\u00a0\u00a0 The blonde woman returned a few minutes later with a large box and sat it on the table.<\/p>\n Beth and Marie had been great friends.\u00a0 The talented cook had attempted to teach his New Orleans\u2019 bride the art of cooking pies.<\/p>\n Ben hid his smile.<\/p>\n The operative word being \u2018attempted\u2019.<\/p>\n Beth smiled wistfully as she lifted the box lid and drew out several garments.\u00a0 It contained a small coat of green corduroy, a large black cloth one, and an even larger coat, brown as the earth.\u00a0 The blonde woman explained how she\u2019d been in financial straits the year before and how Marie had insisted on paying her ahead of time for new winter coats for the boys.\u00a0 When his wife died, she\u2019d set them aside until she could work on them without shedding tears.\u00a0 Beth said she\u2019d meant to bring them out to the Ponderosa before the snow set in, but had lost her chance when the weather shifted.<\/p>\n Ben glanced at the thick bundle that was tied securely to the back-housing of Buck\u2019s saddle.\u00a0 The coats were there, wrapped in a slicker to keep them from getting wet; ready to be presented to their new owners when he arrived home.<\/p>\n The rancher glanced up.\u00a0 Several thick snowflakes settled on his lashes as he did.<\/p>\n That was, if he ever got <\/em>home.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe!\u00a0 Dang your ornery hide, baby brother!\u00a0 You get back here!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam Cartwright sighed as he lowered his new book and looked toward the staircase.\u00a0 At first all he saw was Hoss turning the corner at the top, but then he noted the small figure \u2013 wearing a cut-down version of his<\/em> old blue and white nightshirt \u2013 barreling toward him across the freshly polished floor. \u00a0The teenager steeled himself for the collision and was pleasantly surprised when it didn\u2019t happen.\u00a0 Then, he wondered why<\/em> it didn\u2019t happen.\u00a0\u00a0 A soft touch on his ankle made Adam lean over and look under his chair.<\/p>\n One thing he had to admit was that Marie\u2019s boy was just about the cutest thing he\u2019d even seen.\u00a0 With his wide green eyes, cherubic face, winsome smile, and mop of golden-brown curls, Little Joe was adorable enough to charm the birds out of the trees.<\/p>\n He was also adorable enough to get by with murder.<\/p>\n Baby brother put a finger to his lips.\u00a0 \u201cShh!\u00a0 Don\u2019t tell Hossy I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Hossy\u2019, of course, was five feet away and staring directly at the underside of the chair where Little Joe was \u2018hiding\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cHow come?\u201d Adam asked.\u00a0 \u201cDid you do something wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d \u00a0Joe scowled.\u00a0 \u201cHossy did.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam glanced at his other brother.\u00a0 Hoss shook his head and rolled his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what crime exactly is it that Hossy stands accused of?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe blinked.\u00a0 \u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSorry.\u00a0 What did Hossy do wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe yelled at me,\u201d Little Joe pouted.<\/p>\n \u201cGoldarn, it, Little Joe!\u00a0 No I didn\u2019t!\u00a0 I was just trying to \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n Adam cut Hoss off with a look.\u00a0 He really <\/em>wanted to hear what Joe had to say.\u00a0 \u201cWell?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe coughed.\u00a0 He struggled for a second before replying.\u00a0 \u201cHossy wants me to drink that stuff.\u00a0 I won\u2019t!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss held out a familiar blue bottle and a silver spoon.<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean the medicine Mister Paul left for you?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s nose wriggled.\u00a0 \u201cYuck.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam put his book on the table and slid to the floor next to the chair.\u00a0 Little Joe, being the youngest, had been hit by the influenza the hardest.\u00a0 For a day it had been touch and go.\u00a0 Now, nearly a week later, the just turned six-year-old was feeling better, but still on the mend.\u00a0 Paul Martin, their father\u2019s friend and the settlement\u2019s unofficial doctor, had come out a couple of days back and pronounced Little Joe well enough to get out of bed.<\/p>\n The teenager stared at his brother as he considered how best to deal with the situation.\u00a0 Little Joe was nothing if not<\/em> obstinate \u2013 especially when he was overly tired \u2013 and he really <\/em>needed to take his medicine.\u00a0 \u00a0Adam wiggled his fingers, indicating Hoss should place the medicine in it.\u00a0 Once he had it in hand, he popped the cork and lifted the bottle to his nose.\u00a0 \u00a0As he breathed in what was admittedly a vile scent, the teen\u2019s eyes widened.\u00a0 Quick as a bunny, he replaced the cork and handed the medicine back to Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cPut this in the cupboard!\u201d he ordered.<\/p>\n Middle brother was scratching his head.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cHow come?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam effected a frightened air.\u00a0 \u201cWe can\u2019t leave that out where anyone could get hold of it.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t <\/em>Joe\u2019s medicine!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt ain\u2019t?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss opened the bottle and sniffed.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cWhat is it, then?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam looked directly at his baby brother.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s magic.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Those wide green eyes blinked.<\/p>\n \u201cMagic?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss made a face.\u00a0 \u201cYou sure you got that right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, I\u2019m sure.\u201d\u00a0 The teenager dropped his voice to a conspiratorial level and leaned in toward his baby brother.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cI bet you\u2019ve wondered how Hoss got so big,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Little Joe eyed Hoss from his hiding place and nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cA long time ago \u2013 when Pa sailed the seas \u2013 he found himself in the middle of a storm. \u00a0He spotted a small ship adrift and knew the crew were in trouble.\u201d\u00a0 Adam made a \u2018whooshing<\/em>\u2019 noise.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cThe rain was coming down in sheets and the wind was howling.\u00a0 The waves rose tall as a Ponderosa pine.\u00a0 Pa braved them and went to that ship.\u00a0 He climbed on board and searched it from stem to stern.\u00a0 Strange as it seems, there wasn\u2019t any crew.\u00a0 There was just one<\/em> passenger; an old lady with gray hair and wide, wild <\/em>lavender eyes.\u00a0 She was all bent over and couldn\u2019t stand up straight.\u00a0 There was no way she could have saved herself.\u201d<\/p>\n By this time Hoss had taken a seat on the hearth and was listening as intently as Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cThe lady asked Pa to take her back to his ship and drop her off at the next port.\u00a0 He agreed and, once she was on land, made sure she was well looked after.\u00a0 He paid for her hotel and her doctor bill and even left extra money so she had a way to get back to her family.\u00a0 A week later, he went back to sea.\u00a0 In time he forgot all about her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened after that?\u201d Little Joe asked.<\/p>\n \u201cOne year later, Pa was sleeping, \u00a0when \u2013 bam!<\/em> \u2013something woke him up.\u00a0 \u00a0With a start, he realized there was someone in his room!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWas it an old lady?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n Adam shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 It was a young<\/em> lady with pale yellow hair and violet eyes; beautiful as a May morning.\u00a0 Pa demanded to know who she was.\u00a0 She told him that she was<\/em> the old lady he\u2019d rescued and that she\u2019d been in disguise.\u00a0 She was actually an angel, and God put her there to test the officers of passing ships, to see if they were worthy.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe had wiggled out from under the chair and was sitting beside him.\u00a0 \u201cAnd Papa passed the test!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe did.\u201d\u00a0 Adam brushed his little brother\u2019s curls aside, surreptitiously using the touch to check for any lingering signs of fever.\u00a0 \u201cDo you know what the angel said next?\u201d<\/p>\n Both Hoss and Little Joe shook their heads.<\/p>\n \u201cThe angel told Pa he\u2019d earned a reward.\u00a0 He got one wish, and it could be for anything<\/em> in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did Papa wish for?\u201d his little brother asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Joe, Pa didn\u2019t really know what<\/em> to wish for. \u00a0He thought about gold or a really long life, but finally said, \u2018My wish is for three strong, tall, and handsome boys.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 Adam gestured to Hoss, indicating he needed the bottle again.\u00a0 \u201cShe gave him this<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe looked skeptical.\u00a0 \u201cThe yucky<\/em> stuff?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh huh.\u201d<\/p>\n The little boy cocked his head.\u00a0 \u201cDid you<\/em> take it?\u201d<\/p>\n Six-foot tall Adam nodded solemnly.<\/p>\n \u201cThen how come you\u2019re smaller than Hossy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI done took a double-dose, Little Joe,\u201d Hoss said, catching on.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry now I was tryin\u2019 to feed it to you.\u00a0 I done thought it was your medicine.\u00a0 You\u2019re too little to be taking a magic potion.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe thrust his lower lip out.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss is right, Joe,\u201d Adam said solemnly.\u00a0 \u201cWe can\u2019t have you growing taller than either of us!\u00a0 We\u2019re a lot older.\u00a0 What would Pa think if you suddenly shot up like a tree?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut I want to be tall as you!\u201d\u00a0 Joe made a grab for the bottle.\u00a0 \u201cGive it to me!\u00a0 I\u2019ll drink it all!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam held the bottle just beyond his brother\u2019s reach.\u00a0 \u201cThis is special <\/em>magic, Little Joe.\u00a0 It could make you grow so<\/em> tall you won\u2019t be able to fit in the house anymore!\u00a0 You don\u2019t want that<\/em>, do you?\u201d\u00a0 As his tiny brother shook his head, the teen uncorked the bottle. \u00a0He gestured for Hoss to hand him the spoon.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you think, Hoss?\u00a0 One teaspoon at night and one in the morning ?\u00a0 That should be safe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow long will it take me to get big as Hossy that way?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think you\u2019ll need to take it for a week at least.\u201d\u00a0 That was how long Paul had prescribed the medicine for.\u00a0 The teenager poured a teaspoon full and held it out.\u00a0 \u201cAre you ready?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe made a face and then opened his mouth.\u00a0 He almost spit the medicine back out, but in the end took it like a man.<\/p>\n Adam looked him up and down.\u00a0 \u201cCan you feel yourself growing?\u201d<\/p>\n Baby brother concentrated hard for a few seconds \u2013 before his eyes opened wide and he nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cGood.\u00a0 Now, I want you to go back upstairs with Hoss and let him tuck you in.\u00a0 You need to sleep.\u00a0 Otherwise the magic won\u2019t work.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe sniffed.\u00a0 Then he leapt forward and threw his arms around his neck.\u00a0 \u201cI love you, Adam!\u201d<\/p>\n The teen returned the hug.\u00a0 \u201cI love you too, Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ten minutes later Hoss returned to the great room.\u00a0 Middle brother took a seat on the hearth and stared at him.<\/p>\n Adam put his book down \u2013 again.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?<\/p>\n \u201c\u2019What\u2019<\/em> is right. \u00a0What\u2019re you gonna do when Little Joe figures out that there medicine ain\u2019t any kind of magic.\u201d<\/p>\n He folded his hands over the book.\u00a0 \u201cAnd just how <\/em>is Joe going to figure that out?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen he don\u2019t grow tall as a Ponderosa pine by New Years Day!\u201d<\/p>\n The teenager shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cWho\u2019s to say he won\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, we both know Little Joe ain\u2019t never gonna be tall as you, let alone me.\u00a0 He\u2019s on the shy side of big just like Mama.\u201d<\/p>\n The teen thought a moment before a sly smile crept across his face.\u00a0 \u201cBut Joe\u2019s heart<\/em> isn\u2019t small.\u00a0 Even at six, his heart\u2019s big as all outdoors.\u00a0 I\u2019ll tell Joe the medicine went straight there and that a big heart is more important than a big body.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss considered it and then chuckled.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s still gonna pop you on the nose.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI can take it.\u201d<\/p>\n A sudden sound made them turn toward the kitchen wing.\u00a0 Hop Sing was just entering the dining room.\u00a0 He came to their side before speaking.<\/p>\n \u201cThis one hear Little Joe talk talk.\u00a0 Sick little boy supposed to be in bed!\u201d\u00a0 His black eyes narrowed as he peered around the dimly lit room.\u00a0 \u201cWhere big brothers hide boy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe ain\u2019t hidin\u2019 him, Hop Sing,\u201d Hoss replied.\u00a0 \u201cI just tucked Joe in bed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe was down here because he ran from Hoss when he tried to give him his medicine.\u00a0 We convinced him he should take it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBoy take medicine and not spit it out?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe did.\u201d<\/p>\n The Asian man\u2019s lips curled at the ends.\u00a0 \u201cChristmas time for miracles.\u00a0 How Mistah Adam work this one?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam done told Little Joe the syrup was magic and it\u2019d make punkin grow tall as me…in about a week.\u201d<\/p>\n Hop Sing shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cMistah Adam most unwise.\u00a0 \u00a0Best cook liniment along with supper.\u00a0 He need it for sore knees!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd his sore nose!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam rose to his feet and put his book down on the chair.\u00a0 \u201cI know\u2026.\u00a0 How about I put Little Joe on my shoulders and walk around with him for a week?\u00a0 That way he\u2019ll be taller than any<\/em> of us\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 The teenager turned toward the front door.\u00a0 \u201cDid you hear that?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss and Hop Sing exchanged a glance before shaking their heads \u2018no\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019d you hear?\u201d middle brother asked.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026.\u00a0 There it is again.\u00a0 Do you hear it?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss did this time.\u00a0 \u201cSounds like a harness jingling.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam breathed a sigh of relief.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t said anything to his brothers, but the deteriorating state of the weather had him alarmed.\u00a0 While Pa was an excellent rider and more than capable of taking care of himself, tonight the older man was up against a capricious and unpredictable woman.<\/p>\n Mother Nature.<\/p>\n \u201cThat be Mistah Ben come home,\u201d Hop Sing agreed.\u00a0 \u201cI go finish food.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam completed the short journey to the door and opened it onto a hellish night.\u00a0 Following a day of almost unprecedented snowfall, the temperature had risen and it had begun to rain.<\/p>\n Ice.<\/p>\n Sleet pelted the teen\u2019s exposed skin like gunshot as he left the porch and stepped into the yard, seeking the source of the sound.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s heart plummeted to his toes when he found it.<\/p>\n Buck was there.<\/p>\n Without a saddle or<\/em> a rider.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n TWO<\/p>\n He\u2019d hated to do it but he\u2019d removed his saddle, slapped Buck on the rump, and sent the horse flying for home.\u00a0 Ben was counting on his mount\u2019s keen senses to get him there.\u00a0 The temperature had risen with the setting of the sun and a soft rain begun to fall.\u00a0 He\u2019d ridden for nearly an hour at a pace before it plummeted and the rain turned to sleet.\u00a0 Buck\u2019s steps had grown unsteady and they\u2019d begun to pitch and slide.\u00a0 It was only a matter of time before they fell.\u00a0 In the end, the only logical thing to do was to part ways.\u00a0 Providentially, just as the rancher came to that conclusion, a light appeared on the horizon and he caught a whiff of smoke.\u00a0 Ben couldn\u2019t tell if it was a campfire or a chimney, but either way, the promise of shelter and assistance offered a hope he had all but abandoned.<\/p>\n Without both, he wouldn\u2019t make it through the night.<\/p>\n Ben shook his head as he moved through the thigh-high drifts.\u00a0 He must look a sight!\u00a0 With his hat and scarf gone he\u2019d feared frostbite, so he\u2019d opened the bundle and removed its contents.\u00a0 First he tugged Adam\u2019s black coat on over his own. Then he used little Joe\u2019s green one to cover his head, crossing the sleeves under his chin and tying them like a scarf.\u00a0 Hoss\u2019 coat, rolled up, served as a muff to keep his hands warm.<\/p>\n Before leaving the settlement he\u2019d lifted his face to Heaven, where his late wife now walked, to tell her \u2018thanks\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0 He did so again and the stars \u2013 bright as Marie\u2019s mischievous eyes \u2013 sparkled and said, \u2018You\u2019re welcome!\u2019<\/p>\n The rancher pulled his small son\u2019s coat closer about his cheeks as a fierce chill shivered through him.\u00a0 He could barely feel his fingers or his toes.\u00a0 The idea of a nose had become a distant possibility.\u00a0 Ben trained his eyes on the light that shone through the trees and through sheer force of will continued to make his way toward it.\u00a0 His body was slowing down.\u00a0 His thinking was muddled.\u00a0 Each step he took required a hundred times more grit and determination than the last.\u00a0 He wanted to give up, to lie down and sleep, but he couldn\u2019t \u2013 he wouldn\u2019t<\/em>.<\/p>\n His sons were counting on him to keep his promise that he would never leave them again.<\/p>\n After what seemed an eternity, Ben reached the homestead.\u00a0 He pushed a rickety gate open wide enough that he could pass through and stepped into the yard before stopping to take a look around.\u00a0 There was nothing he recognized, which made the rancher wonder just how <\/em>far off the beaten path he had strayed.\u00a0 The main dwelling place was a humble one \u2013 more of a cabin than a house.\u00a0 It was constructed of rough logs with a coarse sort of chinking in-between.\u00a0\u00a0 The roof was more than half of the cabin and descended at a sharp angle toward the ground.\u00a0 It was covered with foot-long hand-hewn shingles, some of which had fallen off and lay scattered about the yard.\u00a0 There was a single low door \u00a0in front, along with two windows.\u00a0 The light he\u2019d seen flickered feebly behind the isinglass, and spilled out to illuminate the virgin snow beneath it.\u00a0 Ben glanced at the chimney and noted that smoke was rising from it.\u00a0 So someone was home.<\/p>\n He had no choice but to find out who.<\/p>\n As the rancher neared the cabin, the wind rose.\u00a0 It howled around the simple structure and drove stinging snow into his eyes so that he stumbled.\u00a0 Ben thrust a hand out to stop his fall and was startled when his fingers found something unexpected.\u00a0 Whatever it was, it lay just beyond the reach of the light.\u00a0 He straightened up and reached out again, this time with deliberation.\u00a0 At first he thought it was a log, but then he felt the lip of a boot and several stiff, ice-coated shoelaces<\/p>\n It was a woman.<\/p>\n Frozen solid.<\/p>\n Ben fought losing what little food he had in him.\u00a0 He spit out bile and drew a deep breath before exploring further.\u00a0 When he touched the woman\u2019s corpse, it gave off a hollow metallic sound indicating that death had occurred a good many hours before.\u00a0 In the dark it was nearly impossible to determine the poor woman\u2019s features, but he could tell she was young.\u00a0 As the rancher shifted forward to brush snow and ice from her face, he heard a familiar \u2018click\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cYou get away from her, mister.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben looked up.\u00a0 A boy stood in the open doorway.\u00a0 At a guess he would have put his age somewhere between Adam and Hoss.<\/p>\n He was holding a rifle.<\/p>\n The rancher spread his hands wide as he rose to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cSon \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI ain\u2019t your son!\u201d he snarled.\u00a0 \u201cNow, you get them hands up higher or I\u2019ll blow your head off!\u201d<\/p>\n Another young face, framed by a halo of rampant golden-brown curls, appeared behind the boy.\u00a0 The little girl was diminutive in stature and might have been anywhere from five to eight.\u00a0 Her brown eyes were wide with fear.<\/p>\n Ben raised his hands higher as he indicated the fallen woman with a nod.\u00a0 \u201cYour mother?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAin\u2019t none of your business if she is or isn\u2019t.\u00a0 Now, you just turn around and march out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m afraid I can\u2019t do that.\u00a0 I need warmth and food to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you count on getting it here!\u00a0 Like I said, you get out of here.\u00a0 Otherwise I\u2019ll have to shoot you!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben stood his ground.\u00a0 \u201cGo ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf I go back into the snow, I\u2019ll die slowly.\u00a0 I\u2019d rather have a quick and clean death.\u201d\u00a0 He lowered his arms and opened his hands wide.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d suggest aiming at my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n The boy\u2019s finger tightened on the trigger. \u00a0\u201cI\u2019ll do it!\u00a0 I swear I\u2019ll do<\/em> it if you don\u2019t go now!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Ben shrugged.<\/p>\n The boy was obviously trying to be brave and wanted to protect his sister.\u00a0 He admired that, but he couldn\u2019t let the child\u2019s fear keep him from what he needed.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2026you really <\/em>want me to shoot you?\u201d<\/p>\n The boy was obviously conflicted.\u00a0 The weapon was loose in his hand; it\u2019s tip rising and falling with indecision.\u00a0 Rising\u2026falling\u2026rising\u2026.<\/p>\n Ben moved quickly.\u00a0 He advanced on the boy and drove him back into the cabin, even as he took the rifle from his hands.<\/p>\n Seconds later the little girl was kicking at his shins.\u00a0 \u201cYou leave Robby alone!\u201d she shouted.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you hurt my brother!!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSally Ann, you stop that!\u00a0 Come here!\u201d Brave lad that he was, Robby circled his sister with his arms, gave her a hug, and then placed himself between them.\u00a0 \u201cMister, you take whatever you want, but don\u2019t you hurt Sally Ann.\u00a0 I swear I\u2019ll follow you if\u2019n you do and make you pay!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben hid his smile.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure you would,\u201d he replied, \u201cso it\u2019s a good thing I don\u2019t want anything other than a cup of hot coffee and a place to sleep before the fire.\u201d<\/p>\n Robby swallowed over his fear.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2026we ain\u2019t got any coffee, Mister.\u00a0 Sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n He smiled.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe tea?\u201d<\/p>\n The little girl\u2019s eyes misted with tears.\u00a0 \u201cMama loved tea,\u201d she said and began to cry.<\/p>\n Ben glanced at Robby, seeking permission, and then knelt before his sister.\u00a0 \u201cDo you like tea, Sally Ann?\u201d<\/p>\n She sniffed and nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cI bet you know where it is.\u00a0 Can you show me?\u201d<\/p>\n Sally Ann glanced at her brother for permission.\u00a0 Robby eyed him and then gave a tentative nod.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll put the water on to boil,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d Ben replied.\u00a0 \u201cI appreciate it.\u201d<\/p>\n Robby had stopped and was staring at him, a frown on his face.\u00a0 \u201cMister\u2026.?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBen, please.\u00a0 Call me Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay\u2026Ben.\u00a0 Can I ask you a question?\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cCertainly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhatever is that you\u2019re wearin\u2019 on your head?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss Cartwright finished his descent and headed for the kitchen.\u00a0 It was three in the mornin\u2019 and he was a mite peckish.\u00a0 Hop Sing\u2019s supper had been great as always, but none of them had any stomach for it.\u00a0 Adam was worried about Pa, and even more worried about letting Little Joe<\/em> know he was <\/em>worried about Pa.\u00a0 They\u2019d done their best to keep Joe from knowin\u2019 that Pa was missin\u2019, and might have done it if one of the hands hadn\u2019t come to the door lookin\u2019 to talk to him.\u00a0 Jim had seen Buck in the barn and figured Pa was home. \u00a0Joe\u2019d finished his nap and was sittin\u2019 at the table, so there weren\u2019t no way to keep the little feller from hearin\u2019 what was said.\u00a0 Adam told Jim that Pa was overdue and most likely caught out in the storm.<\/p>\n After that, well, Joe, he got real quiet.\u00a0 Baby brother did that sometimes.\u00a0 It was like, when them wheels started turnin\u2019 in his little brain, he didn\u2019t have no energy left for words.\u00a0\u00a0 Adam closed the door and came back to the table and sat down.\u00a0 Every so often he glanced at Little Joe \u2013 and in-between would glance at him.\u00a0 They both knew little brother real <\/em>well and was sure he was cookin\u2019 somethin\u2019 up.<\/p>\n They just didn\u2019t know what.<\/p>\n He was the one got to take Joe back to bed.\u00a0 He had him all tucked in and was reachin\u2019 for a book to read when he realized the little boy was snifffin\u2019.\u00a0 When he turned back, he saw the tears streamin\u2019 down his cheeks.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it, punkin?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe sniffed again and shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Little Joe, you can tell me.\u00a0 I\u2019m your best friend.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s jaw tightened and his chin jutted out.\u00a0 \u201cNo, you ain\u2019t!\u00a0 You lied to me!\u201d<\/p>\n He was genuinely surprised.\u00a0 \u201cJoe!\u00a0 You know I don\u2019t tell no lies.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, you do, and Adam does too!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, punkin, if I am, then you tell me what I\u2019m lyin\u2019 about.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe sucked in a shuddering breath.\u00a0 It came out in a stream of words.\u00a0 \u201cPapa\u2019s dead!\u00a0 <\/em>Papa ain\u2019t lost like Adam said, he\u2019s dead!\u00a0 Papa\u2019s dead!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n He slipped onto the bed then.\u00a0 \u201cNow, Little Joe,\u201d he said, \u201cyou listen to me, boy.\u00a0 Pa ain\u2019t no such thing. \u00a0He\u2019s just late gettin\u2019 home.\u201d\u00a0 The youngster stared at his brother for several heartbeats and then pulled the little boy\u2019s covers back.\u00a0 \u201cYou get your robe on and come with me.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s brown brows formed a \u2018V\u2019.\u00a0 \u201cWhere are we going?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust over here.\u00a0 I want to show you somethin\u2019.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss waited until the little boy covered up, and then picked him up and headed for the window. \u00a0\u00a0\u201cWhat do you see out there?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe looked.\u00a0 \u201cNothin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean \u2018nothin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s nothin\u2019 out there but colors, Hossy.\u00a0 It\u2019s all blue and white.\u201d<\/p>\n The little boy was right.\u00a0 The moon was shinin\u2019 down on the snow, casting blue shadows before and beyond the white dunes.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re right, Little Joe.\u00a0 There ain\u2019t <\/em>nothin\u2019 but blue and white.\u00a0 Those colors you see are snow.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s gotta push Buck through all of that.\u00a0 That takes time.\u201d\u00a0 He thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cYou remember last year when we went sleddin\u2019 and the snow started fallin\u2019 and just kept fallin\u2019 and fallin\u2019, and it took us hours and hours to get home?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s eyes went wide.\u00a0 Even more tears fell.<\/p>\n \u201cMama<\/em> was there.\u201d<\/p>\n Goldangit!\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t meant to remind little brother about Ma!<\/p>\n \u201cI miss her,\u201d Joe said in a wee tiny voice.<\/p>\n \u201cI do too, punkin,\u201d he agreed, and meant it.<\/p>\n \u201cHow come Mama had to go live with God?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss considered it.\u00a0 \u201cWell\u2026I guess \u2018cause God needs her more than we do.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s tiny fingers formed fists.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m gonna box God\u2019s ears!\u201d<\/p>\n The youngster stifled a chuckle.\u00a0 Knowing little brother, he would!<\/p>\n \u201cNow, punkin, God\u2019s got His reasons and they\u2019re the right ones\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat<\/em> reasons?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss shifted uncomfortably.\u00a0 He sure<\/em> wished Pa would step into the room right now!<\/p>\n The twelve-year-old closed his eyes.\u00a0 Behind them he could see Mama comin\u2019 down the stairs for last year\u2019s Christmas dinner.\u00a0 Her golden hair was spun so high on her head it looked like flax on a distaff!\u00a0 \u00a0Around her neck was the pearls Pa had given her the night before.\u00a0 Just for them, \u2018cause they wasn\u2019t goin\u2019 anywhere, she\u2019d put them on along with one of her fancy dresses; a green one made of velvet with gold trim.\u00a0 It was like lookin\u2019 at a livin\u2019 Christmas tree.\u00a0 They all loved Mama, but Little Joe needed <\/em>her more than the rest of them \u2018cause he was just a little tyke.\u00a0 Hoss remembered thinkin\u2019 then how lucky little brother was on account of he got to know his mama.<\/p>\n Never<\/em> havin\u2019 one was a different kind of pain.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat reasons?!\u201d baby brother demanded.<\/p>\n He thought a second.\u00a0 \u201cWell, you know, God don\u2019t have a wife.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe frowned.\u00a0 \u201cHe don\u2019t?\u00a0 How come?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJesus didn\u2019t either.\u00a0 They was just too busy, I guess.\u00a0 I\u2019m thinkin\u2019 God needed Mama to brighten up Heaven.\u00a0 You know how she put flowers everywhere and was always singin\u2019? \u00a0Mama\u2019s singin\u2019 with the angels now, Little Joe.\u00a0 Maybe even leadin\u2019 them in a song.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe seemed to be thinkin\u2019 that over.\u00a0 \u201cHow come he didn\u2019t take someone else\u2019s mama?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss let out a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cCause there weren\u2019t no other mama like <\/em>Mama.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe slipped out of his arms.\u00a0 Once on the floor, he went to the window where he pressed his nose against the glass.\u00a0 He stood like that for several heartbeats before lookin\u2019 over his shoulder and askin\u2019, \u00a0\u201cDoes God need Papa too?\u00a0 He sings pretty.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss went to stand by his brother.\u00a0 \u201cHeck, no, Little Joe.\u00a0 God knows we need Pa here<\/em> since Mama\u2019s with him.\u00a0 You\u2019ll see.\u00a0 Pa will be home anytime now.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe turned to look at him.\u00a0 \u201cPapa\u2019s really not dead.\u00a0 He\u2019s just lost?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The twelve-year-old nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s right, Little Joe.\u00a0 But he\u2019s only lost \u2018til someone finds him.\u201d<\/p>\n His brother continued to stare at him.\u00a0 Then, without another word, Joe went back to his bed and climbed in.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right, Little Joe,\u201d Hoss said as he pulled the covers up to his punkin\u2019s chin.\u00a0 \u201cYou go to sleep and you\u2019ll see, Pa\u2019ll be here when you wake up.\u201d<\/p>\n His brother\u2019s large limpid eyes were trained on him.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPromise?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPromise.\u00a0 Now, how about you and I say a prayer that God makes it so?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss bowed his head.\u00a0 He cracked one eye to make sure his brother was doin\u2019 the same before he started.\u00a0 The words sounded hollow as he spoke them, but he knew from Pa that you had to have faith that they were true.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst off, God, thanks for listenin\u2019.\u00a0 Little Joe and I love you and we know you love us.\u00a0 Our pa\u2019s out in the cold, so we\u2019re askin\u2019 you to keep him safe and warm and see him home.\u00a0 I made a promise to little brother here and I\u2019d like to keep it, so I\u2019m askin\u2019 for another thing too.\u00a0 Tomorrow when the sun shines \u2013 when Little Joe opens his eyes \u2013 please let the first thing he sees be Pa.\u00a0 Thanks again, God, for hearin\u2019 us.\u00a0 Amen.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s voice chimed in.\u00a0 \u201cAmen.<\/p>\n Hoss reached out and ruffled his brother\u2019s curls.\u00a0 \u201cNow you get yourself to sleep and don\u2019t you worry none.\u00a0 You\u2019ll see Pa come daylight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI ain\u2019t worried,\u201d his brother said as he disappeared under the covers.\u00a0 \u201cI know I will.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019d been about five hours back.\u00a0 He\u2019d gone to bed and laid there thinkin\u2019 about what he\u2019d said, and about Mama.\u00a0 He was kind of scared about Pa too, though he wouldn\u2019t admit it to Little Joe.\u00a0 After a few hours of tossin\u2019 and turnin\u2019, he\u2019d decided maybe puttin\u2019 somethin\u2019 in his stomach would help, and so here he was paddin\u2019 through the empty house in his stockings.<\/p>\n Only it weren\u2019t empty.<\/p>\n A shadow shifted near Pa\u2019s desk and someone spoke his name.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss.\u201d\u00a0 When he jumped, the speaker went on.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, I didn\u2019t mean to startle you.\u201d<\/p>\n It was brother Adam.\u00a0 He was dressed and had a rolled-up map under his arm.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019re you doin\u2019 awake?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n \u201cThe same as you, I imagine.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t sleep.\u00a0 I figured I might as well prepare for the morning\u2019s ride.\u00a0 With all the snow, it\u2019s not going to be easy to find Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou really think he\u2019s lost?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the only thing I can think of.\u00a0 Otherwise, he\u2019d be home by now.\u201d\u00a0 Older brother walked to the door and opened it.\u00a0 The wind was howling. \u00a0More snow was falling, buryin\u2019 the ice from before.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cI\u2019m hoping this stops by dawn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa won\u2019t like you goin\u2019 out in it.\u00a0 Not with you bein\u2019 sick such a short time ago.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam closed the door and turned to face him.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t care whether Pa likes it or not!\u201d he snapped.\u00a0 A second later older brother passed a hand over his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Hoss. \u00a0I know <\/em>Pa won\u2019t like it, but it\u2019s not like I have any choice.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, can I \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, you can\u2019t come with me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow come?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn the first place, you\u2019re only twelve.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s gaze traveled the stairs to the second floor.\u00a0 \u201cIn the second, I need you to look out for Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing can do that.\u201d<\/p>\n His brother placed a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cThink about it, Hoss. \u00a0Marie is dead.\u00a0 Pa is missing.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to disappear.\u00a0 If you\u2019re gone, there will be no family left.\u00a0 We can\u2019t do that to Joe.\u201d\u00a0 Adam paused.\u00a0 \u201cNot after what he\u2019s been through this year.\u201d<\/p>\n Mama died back in the spring.\u00a0 It had been a sad one ever since.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I guess you\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know<\/em> I\u2019m right.\u201d\u00a0 Adam brightened.\u00a0 \u201cNow, what are <\/em>you doing up?\u00a0 Wait, I know.\u00a0 You\u2019re hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n He pursed his lips.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m just a growin\u2019 boy, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026and growing and growing.\u00a0 You\u2019re going to be taller than me soon!\u201d<\/p>\n He had just turned twelve come December.\u00a0 Brother Adam was seventeen and a half and they was nearly of a height.\u00a0 Pa told him it was the Viking blood in his veins.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s blood wasn\u2019t Viking.\u00a0 According to the people in the settlement, it was blue.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just waitin\u2019 on that day, older brother,\u201d he answered with a grin.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you think you\u2019re going to get out of your chores, just because you\u2019re bigger than me, then you have another \u2018think\u2019 coming.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw, shucks.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to get out of any work.\u00a0 I figure, when I clean out the stable, I\u2019ll just pick you up and use that fancy hair of yours as a broom!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam took a swipe at him.\u00a0 Hoss ducked under his arm and headed for the kitchen.\u00a0 When he returned, food in hand, it was to find his brother sitting, staring at the fire.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to prepare ourselves.\u00a0 Not that I think anything has happened to Pa, but\u2026just in case.\u201d<\/p>\n It was the risk of livin\u2019 where they was.\u00a0 God done made the mountains and the lakes and the trees that surrounded them to show His glory, but all them things didn\u2019t give a fig about whether or not a man survived. \u00a0They knew other kids their age who had lost both parents and were on their own.<\/p>\n He nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cNight, Adam.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you take off \u2018til I\u2019m up to say goodbye.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re leaving around eight.\u00a0 Soon as the sun is up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be there.\u00a0 Night, brother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGoodnight, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss glanced at the tray he carried.\u00a0 His appetite wasn\u2019t what it had been and he was tempted to return it to the kitchen.\u00a0 Instead, he started the short trek up the steps.\u00a0\u00a0 A full belly would help him fall asleep.<\/p>\n Or at least he hoped<\/em> it would.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n THREE<\/p>\n When Ben Cartwright laid down to sleep on the floor next to the wood stove, he considered what he should do next.\u00a0 Earlier that evening he\u2019d found a stack of children\u2019s books in a trunk tucked in the corner of a back room.\u00a0 One of them was a compendium from which he\u2019d selected a cheery tale entitled \u2018Old Mother Mitten and Her Funny<\/em> Kitten\u2019 to read to Sally Ann.\u00a0 The little girl had cried her grief out and then refused to go to bed, stating she was scared of the big white monster outside.\u00a0 He\u2019d chuckled at her choice of terms, thinking of his own small son who loved snow and lacked a healthy fear of it.\u00a0 From the time he\u2019d been old enough to walk out the front door, Little Joe had been fascinated by the idea that you could take plain old rainwater, add cold air, and \u2013 poof! \u2013 you had a wintry wonderland.\u00a0 Joseph loved to leap in and out of the white dunes and to build snow-block fortresses with his older brothers.\u00a0 Thinking of his youngest made Ben realize just how much he missed the boy and longed to touch him.<\/p>\n Just like Sally Ann missed her mother and longed for her touch.<\/p>\n As soon as the little girl fell into a deep sleep, Ben returned to the common room.\u00a0 Once there, he and Robby set to work plugging the holes in the windows and walls with wadded up cloth.\u00a0 It was imperative they prevent the wind and snow from blowing in.\u00a0 When they were done, they covered the walls with an extra layer of blankets and in no time the humble cabin was warm.<\/p>\n It took Robby a little longer to thaw, but eventually the boy started talking.<\/p>\n His parents had prepared for winter, he said, but not for the winter they got.\u00a0 The Hutchins were Easterners who\u2019d farmed a small plot of land outside of Sacramento for a few years, before selling it and making their way to the Utah Territory.\u00a0 Their first winter here had been mild and they\u2019d expected this one to be the same.\u00a0 Little did the Hutchins or anyone else know that this<\/em> winter would turn out to be a winter unlike any other, with constant squalls of snow, moments of spring-like warmth, and then ice and more snow.\u00a0 It was during the last thaw that Robby\u2019s father headed out to hunt.\u00a0 In his absence, their mother insisted on minding the animals \u2013 even in the midst of a horrific storm.\u00a0 Robby and his sister huddled in the cabin with strict orders not to follow.\u00a0 They waited and waited \u2013 and then waited some more.\u00a0 When morning came and their mother had not returned, the boy stepped outside to look for her.<\/p>\n And found her frozen to death not ten feet from the door.<\/p>\n Robert James Hutchins was a quiet child who, in many ways, reminded him of Adam.\u00a0 The boy was dark-haired and pale-skinned and quite a thinker.\u00a0 Robby was fully aware that the care of his little sister had fallen squarely on his twelve-year-old shoulders and he was doing his best not to let it cow him.\u00a0 He\u2019d admitted that the gun he\u2019d held on him wasn\u2019t loaded.\u00a0 He said his pa had taught him that just the sight<\/em> of a gun was often enough to make a cowardly man fly.<\/p>\n Just like he\u2019d taught his sons.<\/p>\n It was possible Robby and Sally Ann\u2019s father would return.\u00a0 He might have been caught in the hills, unable to descend.\u00a0 Of course, it was just as possible that the man was dead.\u00a0 So it fell on him to see that Alexander Hutchins\u2019 children came to no harm.\u00a0 In doing so he was faced with a choice \u2013 remain here and hope that the storm ended soon, or take two small children out into the worst winter tempest he had ever seen.\u00a0 Their best chance lay in the hope that Buck had reached the ranch and sounded the alarm.\u00a0\u00a0 If Adam used his head, he would send out some of the more experienced men to conduct the search.<\/p>\n If the boy used his heart, he would come himself.<\/p>\n His eldest kept his feelings close, but there was a bond between them that went beyond father and son.\u00a0 \u00a0They were friends and companions; joined at the hip by a dream that had driven them from the streets of Boston to the mountains of the Sierras.\u00a0 \u00a0Adam was his second, his right arm \u2013 his prop.\u00a0 Though he hoped the boy wouldn\u2019t come, he knew better.\u00a0 There was no way the Adam he<\/em> knew would sit still and wait while others sought him.<\/p>\n God protect him.<\/p>\n \u201cMister Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben rolled over in his make-shirt bed to look at Robby who was sitting up on the cot where he had been sleeping.<\/p>\n \u201cJust Ben, please.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t\u00a0 think my pa would like me callin\u2019 you by your first name\u2026sir.\u201d<\/p>\n The rancher nodded.\u00a0 He understood the value of respect.\u00a0 \u201cWhat can I do for you, Robby?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you gonna take us away from here tomorrow?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shifted and sat up.\u00a0 \u201cDo you think I should?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d be okay, but, Sally Ann\u2026.\u00a0 Well, she ain\u2019t used to doin\u2019 things the hard way.\u201d\u00a0 Tears welled in the boy\u2019s eyes, but didn\u2019t fall.\u00a0 \u201cMama kind of spoiled her.\u201d<\/p>\n Sally Ann was seven.\u00a0 Only a year older than Joseph and five years younger than her brother.<\/p>\n Ben nodded.\u00a0 \u201cWe need to take care of her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to go,\u201d Robby said as he looked around the cabin, \u201c but I think we should.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt will be a hard journey.\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cImpossible, maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t see as we have a choice, Mister\u2026Ben.\u00a0 I gotta get Sally Ann somewhere safe and warm.\u00a0 We don\u2019t have much wood and our supplies are runnin\u2019 low.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019d checked the larder earlier.\u00a0 The boy was right.\u00a0 They had enough food for, perhaps, two days at most.\u00a0 There was <\/em>wood outside, of course, but it was buried under several layers of ice and snow.\u00a0 Even if they could get to it, it would be all but worthless.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re both welcome to stay at the Ponderosa until your father returns.\u00a0 We\u2019ll leave him a note so he knows where to find you.\u201d<\/p>\n The tears fell this time.\u00a0 \u201cDo you really<\/em> think Pa is alive?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben stood up and crossed over to the boy.\u00a0 He sat beside him and placed an arm around his shoulders.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cYou have to have faith, Robby.\u00a0 I know it\u2019s hard \u2013 hard to understand and even harder<\/em> to accept.\u00a0 We have to keep on believing that your Pa is alive until we know otherwise.\u201d\u00a0 He smiled.\u00a0 \u201cAs Hop Sing says, \u2018Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps the singing bird will come.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Robby sniffed and ran a hand under his nose.\u00a0 \u201cWho\u2019s Hop Sing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA very wise man.\u00a0 You\u2019ll meet him when we get to the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2026think I\u2019d like that.\u201d<\/p>\n He rose to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cSon, you need to get some sleep.\u00a0 Tomorrow will be a long, hard day and you\u2019ll need to be at your best to protect Sally Ann.\u201d<\/p>\n The boy scooted down into his covers.\u00a0 \u201cMister Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour boys?\u00a0 Hoss, Adam and\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n Robby nodded.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe.\u00a0 They\u2019re awful lucky to have you as a pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, son.\u00a0 Your pa is lucky too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou think so, Mister Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben grinned.\u00a0 \u201cI know<\/em> so, son.\u00a0 He has you<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was after eight and Adam was ready to depart.\u00a0 He\u2019d been ready for hours, but acknowledged the fact that he needed light to navigate his way through the white world he was about to enter. \u00a0The snow had tapered off \u2013 finally \u2013 but was still falling.\u00a0 It had topped the fence rails the night before.<\/p>\n Now they were nowhere to be seen.<\/p>\n While he\u2019d been getting ready, Jim had cleared a path to the barn from the house and saddled their horses.\u00a0 His new mount, Sport, was still skittish, so he\u2019d decided to ride one of their older, steadier horses.\u00a0 Captain was part Fresian, the child of a draft horse and a thoroughbred.\u00a0 He measured sixteen and a half hands and had an even temperament and just about the surest step he\u2019d ever seen. \u00a0And best of all?\u00a0 The horse had no fear of snow.\u00a0 In fact, he relished it!\u00a0 Jim\u2019s mount, a Gypsy Vanner, was of a similar size and temperament.\u00a0 Together, the stolid animals would shepherd them along a road that was no longer visible and through drifts the height of a man.<\/p>\n \u201cYou gettin\u2019 ready to head out, older brother?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam turned to find Hoss coming down the stairs.\u00a0 He was alone.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStill sleepin\u2019.\u00a0 I just checked on him.\u201d<\/p>\n The teenager nodded.\u00a0 \u201cGood.\u00a0 He needs his rest.\u00a0 I heard him coughing last night.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLeastways his cough ain\u2019t as deep as it was.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou be sure to keep him warm.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will, Adam.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n He winced and then grinned.\u00a0 \u201cSorry.\u00a0 Pa isn\u2019t here, so I <\/em>get to be the mother hen.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss snorted.\u00a0 \u201cI guess you do at that.\u201d<\/p>\n A knock on the door turned them both toward it.\u00a0 Adam went to open it.\u00a0 Jim was standing outside, kitted up for an expedition to the Arctic.<\/p>\n Which wasn\u2019t too far away from where they were going.<\/p>\n \u201cYou ready, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlmost.\u201d\u00a0 He turned back to Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cYou keep the home fires burning \u2018til I get back, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure will.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd keep both<\/em> eyes on that little brother of ours.\u00a0 I\u2019m counting on you to make sure Little Joe is safe and well, even if you have to sit on him to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing help.\u201d<\/p>\n The Asian man had just come into the dining room.\u00a0 He advanced toward them, linens in hand.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Hop Sing.\u00a0 I appreciate it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSun\u2019s up, Adam.\u00a0 We best get movin\u2019,\u201d Jim said.<\/p>\n \u201cAll right.\u00a0 Hoss, I\u2019ll be home as soon as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWith Pa, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWith Pa.\u00a0 You make sure Little Joe knows that.\u00a0 Okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n And with that, Adam turned and walked out the door.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss watched his older brother go and then followed Hop Sing into the kitchen and helped him finish up breakfast.\u00a0 The smells were almost more than he could take \u2013 blueberry flapjacks , maple syrup, hot bacon and sausages, and crisp brown hashed potatoes.\u00a0 He helped Hop Sing set the table before heading upstairs to wake his little brother.\u00a0 As he climbed the stairs the twelve-year-old let out a sigh, thinking of the battle to come.<\/p>\n When he was sick, Little Joe was just like a fat mouse what didn\u2019t want no more food.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s room was dark.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s friend Paul Martin told them to keep the curtains drawn so Little Joe wouldn\u2019t wake up too soon.\u00a0 They was open just a peep and Hoss could see the snow falling outside.\u00a0 He\u2019d been kind of surprised when Adam opened the door at just how much the temperature had dropped.\u00a0 The youngster shivered.\u00a0 Fact of the matter was, it was right cold in here!<\/em>\u00a0 He glanced at his little brother\u2019s fireplace.\u00a0 It was blazin\u2019 away.\u00a0 Puzzled, the youngster followed the trail of cold air over to the window and \u2013 dang it!<\/em> \u2013 if it wasn\u2019t open a crack.<\/p>\n Hoss glanced at the small lump in the bed behind him.\u00a0 What in Sam Hill was<\/em> little brother thinkin\u2019?\u00a0 Pa\u2019d skin his scrawny hide if he knew Little Joe\u2019d opened the window and let in the winter air.\u00a0 The twelve-year-old leaned on the sash and closed it.\u00a0 As he did, he noted movement outside and saw Adam and Jim pullin\u2019 out of the yard.\u00a0 He sure was sure<\/em> gonna miss older brother.\u00a0 Even more than Pa, Adam had a way of puttin\u2019 what he called \u2018pre-spective\u2019 on things.<\/p>\n Older brother was calm as Lake Beigler after a storm \u2013 even in the middle <\/em>of the storm!<\/p>\n Hoss watched until his eldest brother disappeared and then turned and walked to his baby brother\u2019s bed.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019d moved into his own room and his \u2018big boy\u2019 bed just before Mama passed.\u00a0 Seemed to him there wasn\u2019t quite enough of the boy yet to fill it!\u00a0 Up near the pillows there was a funny little lump.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s covers was usually wrapped around him like a twister, but tonight they weren\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, punkin, time to rise and \u2013 \u201d Hoss gasped.\u00a0 \u201cNo!\u201d<\/p>\n Tate\u2019 lump\u2019 was two pillows squished up together to look like a boy!<\/p>\n Hoss turned on his heel and looked around the room.\u00a0 Then he dropped, pulled up the dust skirt, and looked under the bed.\u00a0 Desperate, he ran to his little brother\u2019s closet and rummaged through all the toys and clothes on the floor.<\/p>\n No Joe.<\/p>\n By this time he was plain scared.\u00a0 Hoss glanced at the window again, shook his head, and left the bedroom.\u00a0 He ran down the hall, heading for his Pa\u2019s room.\u00a0 Five minutes later he\u2019d checked all of the other rooms on the upper floor too.<\/p>\n Still<\/em> no Little Joe.<\/p>\n The youngster stood for a moment, his heart fair knockin\u2019 the ribs out of his chest, and then he flew down the stairs shouting, \u201cHOP SING! \u00a0HOP SING!!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Before he reached the settee, the Asian man appeared, towel in hand.\u00a0 \u201cWhat Mistah Hoss shout for?\u00a0 All time shout like father!\u00a0 Shout so loud make dishes jump from shelves!\u201d<\/p>\n He was panting so hard it took him a moment to find his voice.\u00a0 \u201cHop\u2026Sing\u2026.sorry\u2026sorry, I\u2026yelled\u2026but Little Joe\u2019s\u2026gone!\u201d<\/p>\n The older man\u2019s eyes narrowed.\u00a0 \u201cWhat boy mean brother \u2018gone\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGone!\u00a0 Joe\u2026ain\u2019t in his\u2026room.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBoy look under bed?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd in\u2026his closet and in all the\u2026other rooms upstairs.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss drew a deep breath.\u00a0 \u201cHe ain\u2019t up there!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe boy play game and hide.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI sure hope so, Hop Sing.\u201d\u00a0 He had his voice at last.\u00a0 \u201cWhen I went into Joe\u2019s room it was awful cold.\u00a0 The window was open.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWindow open?\u00a0 Little boy sick.\u00a0 Why<\/em> window open?\u201d<\/p>\n He shrugged.\u00a0 He really had no idea.\u00a0 Unless\u2026.<\/p>\n The twelve-year-old swallowed over his fear.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t suppose\u2026\u00a0 You don\u2019t suppose Little Joe went after Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow boy do that?\u00a0 Go out window, over roof, and down tree?\u201d Hop Sing shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 He too small.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019d done it before ,though neither he or Adam had told the grown-ups.\u00a0\u00a0 One time, when he was just about four, Joe\u2019d decided he wanted to visit a nice lady that lived in the settlement.\u00a0 She made real <\/em>good cookies.\u00a0 It was cold, so he wore his hat and mittens \u2013 and just about nothin\u2019 else.\u00a0 Luckily, he and Adam spied the little boy walkin\u2019 down the front path.\u00a0 Of course, Joe didn\u2019t know how long it took to get to the settlement.<\/p>\n Little brother didn\u2019t know he would have died.<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing, you\u2019ve been in the kitchen, we\u2019re here now, and punkin ain\u2019t upstairs.\u00a0 Where else<\/em> could he be?\u201d<\/p>\n The Asian man nodded.\u00a0 \u201cMistah Hoss go get coat and extra clothes for little brother.\u00a0 Come back here, quick, and put on coat. \u00a0First we search yard.\u00a0 If not find little brother, find father\u2019s men and make them<\/em> look.\u201d \u00a0Hop Sing glared at him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat boy wait for?\u00a0 Go now!\u00a0 Chop chop!!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n There was no way of knowin\u2019 when Joe\u2019d snuck out, but it\u2019d already been a quarter of an hour since he\u2019d found him missin\u2019.\u00a0 It was snowin\u2019 again to beat the band and mighty cold outside. \u00a0Punkin was just a little feller.\u00a0 He could step into a snowdrift and disappear.<\/p>\n Hoss took off running.\u00a0 His coat and hat was by the door but little brother\u2019s was in his room since he\u2019d been off his feet so long.\u00a0 The youngster went there first to gather up what he needed, and then went into his own room where brother Adam\u2019s old coat was hangin\u2019 in the closet.\u00a0 He\u2019d outgrown it so fast, it was still in pretty good shape.\u00a0 It\u2019d add a layer of warmth when they found Little Joe.<\/p>\n And they was<\/em> gonna find him!<\/p>\n Hop Sing entered the great room just as his feet hit the floor.\u00a0 The older man had his outdoor gear on and was carrying several blankets.\u00a0 Hoss made a beeline to the chest tucked in the corner by the stair and came back with another one.\u00a0 It was a thick green wool.\u00a0 Pa used it to tuck over his feet when he was readin\u2019 late at night; when it was extra cold.<\/p>\n Maybe since it smelled like Pa, it\u2019d make Joe feel better.<\/p>\n \u201cThat work better.\u00a0 Not too big for small boy,\u201d the Asian man said as he abandoned the blankets in his arms.\u00a0 \u201cNow, Hop Sing need Mistah Hoss listen to him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing search around house back and front.\u00a0 Want Mistah Hoss to search barn and stable.\u00a0 You stay <\/em>in yard when done.\u00a0 You no<\/em> go outside yard looking.\u201d<\/p>\n That was a hard <\/em>promise to make.<\/p>\n \u201cBut, Hop Sing, what if Little Joe ain\u2019t in<\/em> the yard?\u00a0 What if he\u2019s out in the snow somewhere, maybe just on the other side of the gate?\u00a0 I gotta \u2013 \u201c<\/p>\n The Asian man placed a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cThen we go look for little brother together.<\/em>\u00a0 No good go alone.\u00a0 Father not want Mistah Hoss go missing too.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss spent the next fifteen minutes frantically searching the barn and stable, as well as the yard as far as the fence went.\u00a0 He was heartbroken when he didn\u2019t find anything.\u00a0 His little brother was out here \u2013 somewhere \u2013 in the middle of all this white stuff, probably freezin\u2019 to death, and he couldn\u2019t do anythin\u2019 about it!\u00a0 Like a flash flood, a bleak future opened up before his eyes \u2013 Little Joe dyin\u2019, Adam blamin\u2019 himself for leavin\u2019 and not takin\u2019 care of Joe; him blamin\u2019 himself for not findin\u2019 punkin in time.\u00a0 Pa comin\u2019 home to the fact that he\u2019d not only lost Mama but all that was left of her too.\u00a0 Pa was barely survivin\u2019 now.<\/p>\n This would kill him.<\/p>\n A whinny and snort drew his attention back to the stable.\u00a0 It was repeated two times.\u00a0 If his hat hadn\u2019t been tied to his head, the youngster would have scratched it! \u00a0He\u2019d just been in there and all the horses seemed fine.\u00a0 So why was one puttin\u2019 up a fuss now?\u00a0 \u2018Course, he should of taken time to make sure they was all bedded down and fed when he was in there.\u00a0 They\u2019d expect that this time of night and he was usually the one to do it.\u00a0 Instead he\u2019d taken a turn around the stalls and hadn\u2019t even said so much as \u2018howdy!\u201d. \u00a0Hoss eyed the house, searching for some sign of Hop Sing.\u00a0 It took him a minute to spy the lantern-light near the back.<\/p>\n Since the Asian man had told him to stay put, he guessed he had time to go and see what that horse was worryin\u2019 about.<\/p>\n Hoss opened the door again, stepped inside, and remained still, listenin\u2019.\u00a0 The horses had a peckin\u2019 order of their own and sometimes they took care of their problems without no human interferin\u2019.\u00a0 Pa\u2019d taught him to give them time to do that.\u00a0 He\u2019d just about decided to leave when the horse started talkin\u2019 again. \u00a0This time it neighed and nickered low like it was worried about something.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m comin\u2019, boy,\u201d the youngster said as he headed for the back of the stable.\u00a0 The stall next to the last held the pony Pa was groomin\u2019 for Little Joe.\u00a0 His name was Cadfan and he was a Welsh Cobb.\u00a0 Cadfan was as even-tempered as they came and smart as a whip.\u00a0 He and little brother done took to each other right away.\u00a0 Pa told Little Joe that, come this spring, he\u2019d get to ride him.\u00a0 He\u2019d even bought little brother a new saddle as a promise.\u00a0 It was kind of cute to watch punkin come out and climb up on that big old horse and pretend to ride.\u00a0 Sometimes Joe did it bareback, and sometimes they\u2019d take the saddle from the stall wall and put it on Cadfan\u2019s back for him and\u2026.<\/p>\n The saddle weren\u2019t there.<\/p>\n Hoss frowned and looked around.\u00a0 It had <\/em>to be in the barn. \u00a0It was too small for anyone else on the ranch and, \u2018sides that, Pa didn\u2019t let no one use it.\u00a0 He wondered if maybe it had fallen onto the floor and that was what had the Cobb scared.<\/p>\n \u201cEasy, boy,\u201d Hoss said as he patted Cadfan\u2019s nose.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cEasy there.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t nothin\u2019 to be scared of.\u00a0 You just let me check and see if that old saddle\u2019s at your feet.\u00a0 I\u2019ll get it out if it is.\u201d<\/p>\n The horse nickered again and then groaned as if in pain.\u00a0 A quick look-over didn\u2019t show Hoss nothin\u2019 wrong with it.\u00a0 He gently moved the Cobb to the opposite side of the stall and then \u2013 with one eye on the nervous animal \u2013 knelt in the wet muck and began to search.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t take him long to find it.\u00a0 The saddle was on the floor just like he guessed.\u00a0 It was layin\u2019 at sort of an odd angle, so Hoss stood up before he lifted it.\u00a0 When he did, he heard a small sound.\u00a0 At first the youngster thought it was Cadfan, groanin\u2019 again.\u00a0 Then he realized he hadn\u2019t only found the saddle.<\/p>\n He\u2019d found Little Joe.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben Cartwright glanced at the children by his side.\u00a0 He\u2019d been lucky \u2013 no \u2013 blessed<\/em> to find not only a sleigh in the Hutchins\u2019 stable but a single surviving horse.\u00a0 All he could think was that the diligence of Robby and Sally Ann\u2019s mother in tending to their animals that last fateful night had saved their lives.<\/p>\n Her name was Rachel.<\/p>\n He prepared the sleigh as best he could for travel through a wild and wintry landscape, loading it with what little food remained and several containers of hot liquid.\u00a0 He\u2019d also boiled some potatoes and placed them in the children\u2019s pockets and at their feet to keep them warm.\u00a0 Snow was falling again, adding more inches to those already deposited.\u00a0 The wind was chilling and nipped not only at one\u2019s nose but their cheeks as well.\u00a0 In the cabin he\u2019d found a few extra garments for the children to don and then placed Beth Riley\u2019s precious coats over the top of them.\u00a0 Sally Ann was wearing Little Joe\u2019s.\u00a0 The sight of the little girl with her golden-brown curls in his small son\u2019s coat stabbed his heart.<\/p>\n Why had he left home?\u00a0 What was he thinking?<\/p>\n How could he be<\/em> so selfish?<\/p>\n Then again, if he had not left and been drawn out of desperation to the Hutchins cabin, most likely the two children sitting beside him would have died, either of starvation or the cold.\u00a0 As he often told his own children, God\u2019s ways were mysterious and wondrous to behold.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t it say in Luke? \u00a0\u2018Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?\u00a0 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.\u2019<\/em>\u00a0 He\u2019d read to the children from their family Bible the night before, noting the entries for births and deaths, marriages and funerals.\u00a0 Alexander and Rachel had lost two children.\u00a0 From the dates, it appeared the couple was \u00a0on their own with no parent to assist them. \u00a0The family had already known much sorrow.<\/p>\n Just as he <\/em>had known sorrow.<\/p>\n Sadly, it was the way of the fallen world they lived in.\u00a0 God created impossible beauty, and even more impossible, offered companionship with Him.\u00a0 Mankind rejected His covenant and His love, just as it rejected His son, Jesus.\u00a0 They were all paying the price.\u00a0 One day \u2013 Ben drew a breath \u2013 one day there would be no more sorrow and all who believed would be reunited again. \u00a0The rancher smiled.<\/p>\n He wondered which<\/em> of his three wives would greet him first.<\/p>\n Ben jiggled the reins and, with one last glance at the Hutchins\u2019 cabin, ordered the horse forward.\u00a0 For some time the three of them rode in silence, and then a little voice spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cMister Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n He looked down at Sally Ann who was nestled in the crook of his arm.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you think your little boys will like Robby and me?\u201d<\/p>\n Robby was there, beside his sister.\u00a0 The boy had kept vigil most of the night and, in spite of the cold, had fallen sound asleep shortly after they departed.<\/p>\n He kept his voice low.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure they will love<\/em> you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are they like?\u201d<\/p>\n He thought a moment before speaking, mostly about how amused seventeen-year-old Adam would be to be called a \u2018little\u2019 boy.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, let\u2019s see.\u00a0 Adam would seem all grown up to you.\u00a0 He\u2019s almost as tall as me.\u00a0 He has black hair and wise hazel eyes and the girls think he is very<\/em> handsome.\u201d\u00a0 Sally Ann ducked her head and hid her smile.\u00a0 It was amazing<\/em> how young it started!\u00a0 \u201cHoss is the same age as Robby, but he\u2019s almost as big as Adam.\u00a0 You\u2019ll think he\u2019s a giant.\u00a0 Don\u2019t worry, though.\u00a0 You won\u2019t meet a gentler one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s Hoss look like?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe has brown hair that looks red sometimes.\u00a0 He\u2019s got a big broad face that matches his big broad laugh, and eyes clear and clean and blue as the waters of Lake Beigler.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s another little boy, right?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s attention was drawn for a moment to the sleigh, which he navigated through a thick bank of snow before answering.<\/p>\n \u201cThat would be Little Joe, or Joseph.\u00a0 He\u2019s younger than you.\u00a0\u00a0 He has curly hair just like you do and it\u2019s about the same color.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what he looks like,\u201d she said with a yawn, \u201cbut what\u2019s he like?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cOh, you mean is he a good boy or a bad boy?\u201d<\/p>\n As Sally Ann leaned against him Ben\u2019s thoughts flew back nearly a year, to the last Christmas he\u2019d shared with his beloved Marie.\u00a0 Joseph had just turned four and come into his own as far as mobility \u2013 and mischief!\u00a0 They\u2019d brought a huge fir tree into the house to decorate for Christmas.\u00a0 It was a massive<\/em> tree with evenly spaced branches for candles and a substantial trunk.\u00a0 Even Adam clapped as it slipped into the housing that would hold it for the next two weeks.\u00a0 They\u2019d started that night to place the ornaments, but time ran out and they\u2019d sent the boys to bed and then retired themselves.\u00a0 Around three o\u2019clock in the morning they heard the most horrendous CRASH!<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0 He and Marie, and Hoss and Adam, met in the hall.\u00a0 Marie flew into Joseph\u2019s room to check on him and emerged almost as quickly to tell them he was not in his bed.<\/p>\n There were pine needles everywhere \u2013 <\/em>as well as shards of broken dishes and the remnants of his favorite reading lamp.\u00a0 The tree had fallen over and come to rest on what was left of his leather chair.\u00a0 Under the chair, was a very contrite and completely terrified Little Joe.<\/p>\n The little boy had tried to climb the tree to put the angel on the top.<\/p>\n \u201cMister Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n The rancher chuckled. \u00a0\u201cI apologize, Sally Ann, I was thinking about Little Joe.\u00a0 Joseph is the sweetest, most loving child I know.\u00a0 He is also a little dickens!\u201d<\/p>\n She snuggled in closer.\u00a0 \u201cYou mean he gets into trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u00a0 All the time.\u201d<\/p>\n The child wrapped her arm around his and leaned her curly head on it.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll get along just fine,\u201d she said, her voice falling off to almost nothing.\u00a0 \u201cPa called me\u2026his\u2026little dickens too\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n Sally Ann fell silent.\u00a0 The night fell silent too.\u00a0 The moon was large and high.\u00a0 Snow was falling and, for the moment, their sleigh was gliding easily over the blue-white dunes. \u00a0At this rate it wouldn\u2019t take very long to get to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t have expressed just how much <\/em>he wanted to be home even if there had been anyone around to listen.<\/p>\n No.<\/p>\n There was <\/em>someone to listen.<\/p>\n With that thought, Ben Cartwright\u2019s lips began to move in prayer.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n FOUR<\/p>\n Adam Cartwright dropped to his knees in order to search the ground for any sign of his father.\u00a0 He knew it was pointless, but what else<\/em> was he going to do?\u00a0 He was not about<\/em> to give up looking.\u00a0 Since there were no tracks, he and Jim had agreed to take the path he knew the older man used to get to the settlement. \u00a0It brought them to the place where his father abandoned Buck.\u00a0 He\u2019d found Pa\u2019s saddle.<\/p>\n Now he had to find Pa.<\/em><\/p>\n There wasn\u2019t much between the Ponderosa and the settlement other than a few homesteads set pretty far back from the road.\u00a0 They made it a habit to visit their neighbors from time to time to check on them and to offer assistance where it was needed.\u00a0 He knew where most of their houses lay and was sure he could find them \u2013 on a clear day, with a clear perspective and no white stuff coming down to block his view.\u00a0 \u00a0He and Jim had parted a short time before.\u00a0 The place where Pa\u2019s saddle lay had been near a fork in the road.\u00a0 One trail led up and the other continued on toward Reno.\u00a0 He\u2019d chosen the more difficult path and sent their hand on to follow the road.\u00a0 They\u2019d agreed to meet back at the Ponderosa by dark.<\/p>\n The teenager stood and dusted his knees off.\u00a0 He drew his hat down over his eyes and tightened the collar of his coat before looking around.\u00a0 It was cold \u2013 so<\/em> cold you could see it in the air.\u00a0 There was no sound.\u00a0 The animals were hunkered down and the birds, wisely, sheltered deep within their nests.\u00a0 Adam snorted.\u00a0 Middle brother was right.\u00a0 Hoss said man was the only animal stupid enough to venture out into a killing snow.<\/p>\n The landscape was desolate, but brightened by the fact that everything everywhere<\/em> glittered. \u00a0It reminded him of the world described in Spenser\u2019s Faerie Queene<\/em> or the one created by the Bard for Midsummer\u2019s Night Dream<\/em>.\u00a0 He would have loved to wax poetic about it \u2013 if<\/em> he was at home with his family sitting around the fire listening to him.\u00a0 The teenager grinned at the thought of his little brother\u2019s reaction.\u00a0 Little Joe would squirm and then sigh, and then beg and bargain, and then \u2013 finally \u2013 fall asleep in their father\u2019s arms.\u00a0 Joe had the potential to be a scholar.\u00a0 He had a sharp inquisitive mind.\u00a0 What he lacked was the patience or drive to study.\u00a0 Everything had to come quickly with Joseph Francis Cartwright or it was put aside as something irrelevant.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Marie had been the same way.<\/p>\n The teenager ran a gloved finger under his nose.<\/p>\n \u201cCold air must be getting to me,\u201d he muttered as he blinked back tears and headed for his horse.<\/p>\n It was then he heard it.<\/p>\n Singing?<\/p>\n Adam took a step back and looked up the hill.\u00a0 There was something there.\u00a0 It was gliding toward him, so he guessed it was a sleigh or sledge.\u00a0 He raised a hand and squinted against the dazzling landscape, trying to make out who was driving.\u00a0 It was a man, with either a gray hat or hair.\u00a0 The horse that pulled the sleigh looked to be done in.\u00a0 By its size and shape, it was obviously a plow horse and not one trained for such a vehicle.<\/p>\n Did he dare hope that man \u2013 with the glinting gray cap \u2013 was his pa?<\/p>\n Then again, there was that music.<\/p>\n The man wasn\u2019t alone.\u00a0 There had to be at least one child with him.\u00a0 Maybe more.\u00a0 As the sleigh glided along, the occupants sang.\u00a0 They passed the verse as they passed through the trees and went on to the refrain, so what greeted him on this cold, desperate, hopeless morning were the joyous strains of \u2018Glo-o-o-o-o, glo-o-o-o-o , glo-o-o-o-o-oria!\u00a0 In excelsis de-e-e-o!\u2019\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n It was as welcome as the song the angels sang on the night of the Savior\u2019s birth.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d Adam shouted as he started up the hill.\u00a0 \u201cPa?\u00a0 It\u2019s Adam!\u201d<\/p>\n He heard the man shout, \u2018Whoa! Whoa, there!\u2019, in a voice that should have shaken the snow from the trees.\u00a0 \u00a0And then, a question came that let him know he\u2019d been right.\u00a0 \u201cAdam?\u00a0 Son, is that you?\u201d<\/p>\n It was tough going, but the teenager slogged the rest of the way up the hill to his father\u2019s side.\u00a0 By that time Pa was out of the sleigh and coming toward him.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam!\u201d Pa shouted as he caught him in a bear hug that took his breath away.\u00a0 The older man moved back and took a look at him.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cAre you all right?\u00a0 What are you doing here?\u00a0 You should be in bed!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine, Pa.\u00a0 And what I\u2019m doing here is looking for you!\u201d<\/p>\n His father\u2019s smile was chagrined.\u00a0 \u201cI guess I am a little <\/em>overdo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBuck came into the yard without a saddle or you.\u00a0 We were afraid\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, son.\u00a0 It was the only way I could think of to let you know I was alive and <\/em>headed for home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Well, it worked,\u201d the teenager replied as his gaze strayed to the sleigh and he noted two sets of young eyes watching them.\u00a0 Adam nodded toward the children.\u00a0 \u201cAre you going to introduce me to your friends?\u201d<\/p>\n Pa nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThe story will keep until later, but yes, it\u2019s time you met.\u00a0 Robby!\u00a0 Sally Ann!\u00a0 This is Adam, my oldest boy.\u201d<\/p>\n The boy looked to be around Hoss\u2019 age.\u00a0 The little girl, well she just looked <\/em>like Little Joe.\u00a0 Robby waved.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Adam!\u201d<\/p>\n Sally Ann, on the other hands, said nothing.<\/p>\n \u201cAren\u2019t you going to say hello, Sally Ann?\u201d Pa asked.<\/p>\n She cocked her head and made a face.\u00a0 \u201cHe don\u2019t look so handsome to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s brows shot up as his father snorted.\u00a0 \u201cWomen!\u00a0 What are you going to do with them?\u201d<\/p>\n The teenager laughed as well.\u00a0 He was so relieved that he gave his father another hug before saying, \u201cThat horse looks pretty tuckered out, Pa.\u00a0 Mine\u2019s below.\u00a0 Maybe we should switch them out before we head to the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSounds like a good idea.\u201d\u00a0 Pa placed a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cThank you, son, for coming to my rescue.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t look like you needed to be rescued.\u00a0 You\u2019d have made it home by noon at the pace you were going.\u201d<\/p>\n Pa held his gaze.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not thanking you for saving me, but for trying <\/em>to.\u201d<\/p>\n He pursed his lips and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThanks accepted.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow, let\u2019s get home to your brothers.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been missing you all something fierce.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe is really worried about you.\u00a0 Because\u2026well\u2026you know.\u201d<\/p>\n Yes, he did, and Ben felt like a heel for having left and brought his son such pain.\u00a0 \u201cI know.\u00a0 I\u2019ll make it up to him\u2026somehow.\u201d<\/p>\n Pa got back into the sleigh and piloted it down the hill as he went for his horse,<\/p>\n He couldn\u2019t wait to tell Little Joe.<\/p>\n Baby brother was going to be so<\/em> happy!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLordy, punkin!\u00a0 What have you got yourself into this time?!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss knelt beside the befouled form of his little brother. \u00a0Joe was an inch deep in the filth that lined the stall.\u00a0 From Hoss\u2019 vantage point, it looked like he\u2019d tried to pull the saddle down by himself and ended up underneath it.\u00a0 Nothin\u2019 looked to be broken, though he couldn\u2019t be sure, but the boy was shiverin\u2019 \u00a0somethin\u2019 fierce.\u00a0 There was a small amount of blood on his brother\u2019s forehead and some around his lips, most like from one of the buckles on the saddle strikin\u2019 him as it came down.<\/p>\n Joe wasn\u2019t movin\u2019.<\/p>\n He was gonna pick the boy up and head for the house right quick, but reason talked him out of it.\u00a0 Little Joe could have injuries he knew nothin\u2019 about.\u00a0 So, instead, Hoss went to the door of the stable and threw it open and started hollering.<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing!\u00a0 Hey, Hop Sing!!\u00a0 I found Little Joe!\u201d\u00a0 When there was no reply, he tried again.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing!\u00a0 You hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing hear!\u201d came a faint reply.\u00a0 \u201cCome to Mistah Hoss now!\u201d<\/p>\n The light appeared seconds later, closer this time, and kept growing bigger as it moved toward him.\u00a0 Pretty soon it gave way to Hop Sing.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere Mistah Hoss find little boy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe\u2019s in Cadfan\u2019s stall.\u00a0 Looks like he was tryin\u2019 to saddle him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy boy do that?\u201d the Asian man said as they headed for the stable door.<\/p>\n \u201cTo go look for Pa, I\u2019m guessin\u2019. \u201c\u00a0 He\u2019d been thinkin\u2019 about it and remembered tellin\u2019 Little Joe that Pa was only lost \u2018til someone found him.<\/p>\n Joe must have thought that \u2018someone\u2019 needed to be him.<\/p>\n \u201cMistah Ben lost, Little Joe lost \u2013 maybe both lose life,\u201d Hop Sing growled.\u00a0 \u201cSuch foolishment!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPunkin\u2019s way at the back.\u201d<\/p>\n They got there lickety-split.\u00a0 Little Joe hadn\u2019t moved and was layin\u2019 there in the muck lookin\u2019 pitiful.\u00a0 Hop Sing took one look at him and began to issue orders as he wrapped Joe in Adam\u2019s old coat.\u00a0 \u201cBoy go to kitchen and put on kettles. \u00a0Wait by fire.\u00a0 I bring Little Joe in quick as bunny hop.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs Joe okay?\u00a0 Do\u2026do you think he\u2019s hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing not know.\u00a0 Bring brother in out of cold and then find out.\u00a0 Doctor say boy not to take chill and he cold as ice.\u00a0 Now, go!\u00a0 Stoke fire and put kettles on!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss was staring at his little brother.\u00a0 Joe was so still.\u00a0 His skin was paler than his hair, and his lips were tinged with blue.<\/p>\n \u201cYou go now!\u201d the Asian man ordered.<\/p>\n He almost saluted.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hop Sing watched his boss\u2019 number two son leave before turning back to examine son number three.\u00a0 He needed to make certain the little boy had no serious injuries before he moved him \u2013 even though he did not relish the idea of keeping the child in the cold stable one more minute.\u00a0 Little Joe would have<\/em> to be moved.\u00a0 It was his desire to do it in such a way that the child would experience as little pain as possible.\u00a0 The Asian man ran his hands quickly and efficiently up and down the boy\u2019s legs, and then moved on to his arms.\u00a0 When his fingers touched the child\u2019s left wrist, it elicited a moan.\u00a0 With care, Hop Sing shifted the boy and placed him in the crook of his arm.\u00a0 Then he used the tail of his shirt to wipe off the boy\u2019s lower arm.\u00a0 Bruises were to be expected, but the limb was already swelling and upon closer examination he saw it was bent in an odd way.<\/p>\n And obviously broken.<\/p>\n Using the blanket he\u2019d brought with him, Hop Sing wrapped the boy in it before placing him on the floor of the stall.\u00a0 Then he rose and went into the stable to seek a piece of wood the right size.\u00a0 Finding it, he snapped off two pieces.\u00a0 Next he found some twine.\u00a0 Each had its part to play, but together they would create a splint to stabilize the child\u2019s arm.\u00a0 Little Joe cried out as he tightened the twine around the boards, but did not wake.<\/p>\n Once he was done, the Asian man picked the little boy up and left the stable.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss was in the kitchen firing up the stove when he heard a sound.\u00a0 It was a funny one and put him in mind of the band of gypsies who\u2019d come to the house last spring lookin\u2019 for food.\u00a0 To thank Pa for what he gave them, they\u2019d put on a concert before they left.\u00a0 There was a man with a guitar and a pretty girl about Adam\u2019s age who\u2019d played a tambourine.<\/p>\n It sounded kind of like that.<\/p>\n The youngster checked the fires and made sure they were turned low before he headed out the side door to see what was goin\u2019 on. \u00a0Across the way he saw Hop Sing comin\u2019 out of the stable carryin\u2019 Little Joe in his arms.\u00a0 One quick look told him their cook hadn\u2019t\u00a0 made the jingling noise.<\/p>\n That would have been the big old sleigh pullin\u2019 in beside him \u2013 right in front of brother Adam who was followin\u2019 behind and ridin\u2019 a big fat plow horse.<\/p>\n Pa was drivin\u2019 the sleigh!<\/p>\n Hop Sing remained where he was.\u00a0 Not him!\u00a0 There weren\u2019t enough ice in all of the Utah Territory to freeze his<\/em> boots to the ground.\u00a0 Hoss took off running and didn\u2019t stop until he collided with his father, who had just climbed out of the sleigh.<\/p>\n \u201cPa!\u00a0 Golly, Pa!\u00a0 I can\u2019t believe it\u2019s you!\u201d<\/p>\n The older man pulled him into a hug.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry I worried you and your brothers.\u00a0 I shouldn\u2019t have left.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh, gosh, Pa.\u00a0 We knew you\u2019d come back.\u00a0 You always do.\u00a0 It\u2019s just that Little Joe\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n Pa looked around, his near-black eyes narrowing with concern.\u00a0 \u201cWhere is Joseph?\u00a0 \u00a0Did you leave him alone upstairs?\u201d<\/p>\n His pa had a lot of voices.\u00a0 Most of them were loving and concerned.\u00a0 He had one that was kind of proud and \u00a0put-out, and another that let you know he was upset enough to give you a talkin\u2019 to.\u00a0 Pa had one last voice that was just plain mean.\u00a0 He used it when he was confontin\u2019 strangers on their land, or when he thought someone had disregarded his orders or done somethin\u2019 wrong.<\/p>\n He was about halfway to \u2018mean\u2019 now.<\/p>\n Hop Sing stepped forward.\u00a0 \u201cMistah Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n Pa turned toward the man from China.\u00a0 He frowned at the bundle in his arms.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis one fail in duty.\u00a0 Number three son leave house.\u00a0 Look for boy for long<\/em> time.\u00a0 Brother find him in stable.\u00a0 Little Joe very cold.\u00a0 Hurt arm.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss saw it dawn in the older man\u2019s eyes \u2013\u00a0 the fact that Little Joe was wrapped up inside all them blankets.\u00a0 Pa took two long strides and was at Hop Sing\u2019s side.<\/p>\n \u201cGive me my son!\u201d he ordered.<\/p>\n Their cook surrendered Little Joe and took a step back.\u00a0 \u201cThis one most sorry.\u00a0 Most \u2013\u201c<\/p>\n His father pulled the blanket back to take a look at Little Joe.\u00a0 It was plain as the nose on his face that Pa didn\u2019t like what he saw.\u00a0 \u201cSorry?\u201d he barked, making it all the way to \u2018mean\u2019.\u00a0 \u201cSorry?<\/em>\u00a0 How could you, a grown man, let a child slip out of the house in the middle of this storm without knowing?\u00a0 Dear God!\u00a0 Joseph may have caught his death!\u201d<\/p>\n Hop Sing\u2019s head went down.\u00a0 Pa couldn\u2019t see it, but he could.\u00a0 There was tears falling.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph is wheezing,\u201d Pa said.\u00a0 \u201cGo inside and make up a mustard plaster while I take him upstairs and get him into bed.\u00a0 Bring it up to me when it\u2019s done.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir, Mistah Cartwright,\u201d Hop Sing replied.<\/p>\n A moment later he was gone.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d\u00a0 He wanted to tell him that it wasn\u2019t Hop Sing\u2019s fault \u2013 that Joe getting\u2019 hurt weren\u2019t nobody\u2019s<\/em> fault but his. \u00a0\u00a0\u201cI\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot now, Hoss.\u201d\u00a0 Pa drew in a breath and let it out slowly.\u00a0 \u201cThere are two children in the sleigh.\u00a0 Their names are Robby and Sally Ann.\u00a0 Introduce yourself and take them inside. \u00a0Once Hop Sing brings the plaster to me, I will have him prepare a room.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGet them some food first.\u00a0 Then you can take them up if they\u2019re tired and want to rest.\u201d Pa glanced at what showed of Little Joe, which was only his filthy curls.\u00a0 \u201dI know you\u2019re worried about your brother, but I need you to keep them entertained so I can do what needs to be done.\u00a0 Oh, and send Adam up when he comes in.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n The look out of his father\u2019s eyes softened.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry for being so harsh, Hoss.\u00a0 None of this is your fault.\u201d<\/p>\n Before he could tell Pa it was<\/em>, the older man walked into the house.\u00a0 Hoss turned and waved at the two kids, and then started their way.<\/p>\n He sure<\/em> hoped they wanted to go right to bed!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben Cartwright lowered his head into his hands.\u00a0 He was bone-weary, but refused to relinquish his seat by his son\u2019s bedside even though Adam had practically begged him to.\u00a0 Hoss came up to tell him that he\u2019d brought Robby and Sally Ann inside and they were eating breakfast.\u00a0 The boy brought a tray for him as well.\u00a0 He\u2019d accepted it with thanks \u2013 and then placed it on the bedside table where it remained untouched.\u00a0 The only thing he\u2019d partaken of was the coffee.\u00a0 The hot liquid had warmed him to the last inch of his frost-nipped toes and fingers.<\/p>\n Would that it could bring some warmth back to his son.<\/p>\n Adam came as requested.\u00a0 While he removed his son\u2019s filthy clothes, the boy\u2019s elder brother prepared a warm bath.\u00a0 They bathed Joseph from head to toe, and then quickly swaddled him in heated blankets to prevent any chill.\u00a0 Ben noted various bumps and bruises during the procedure \u2013 occasioned, he understood, from a saddle falling on top of the boy.\u00a0 How and why Little Joe had decided to leave the house he still didn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n He\u2019d needed to talk to Hop Sing.<\/p>\n The rancher leaned back and blew out a sigh.\u00a0 He\u2019d been harsh with the Asian man, but then again, he\u2019d left him in charge of his greatest treasures and he\u2019d failed to keep the wolf from the door.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t conceive of a way the boy could have left, other than to have walked straight out the front door.\u00a0 Of course, Hop Sing could have been busy cooking or doing something with Hoss.\u00a0 He needed to rein in his indignance until he understood what had actually occurred.<\/p>\n When he did, whoever was responsible would be dealt with.<\/p>\n Ben leaned forward and took his son\u2019s arm in his hand.\u00a0 Joseph was so small.\u00a0 He needed a mother to watch over him in the way only a mother could.\u00a0 He<\/em> was a man with a man\u2019s obligations.\u00a0 They left little time for attending to such a young child.\u00a0 Out of necessity, he\u2019d turned a great deal of the boy\u2019s care over to Hop Sing and Hoss.\u00a0 Adam looked out for his brother too, but the teenager had his own unexpected burdens to bear.<\/p>\n Losing Marie had left them bereft in more ways than one.<\/p>\n The rancher gently turned his son\u2019s arm from side to side and waited to see if the resulting pain provoked any response.\u00a0 So far the boy had not awakened.\u00a0 He\u2019d heard the tall case clock strike not too long before and knew it had been over an hour since he\u2019d brought him in.\u00a0 One of the hands had gone to fetch Paul, but he doubted they would make it back today.\u00a0 Ben glanced at the window.\u00a0 Beyond it the snow was still<\/em> falling.\u00a0 He laid his son\u2019s arm down, rose, and crossed to the window.\u00a0 With one hand braced on the side-jamb, the rancher turned his weary stare on the world.\u00a0 It seemed, at times, that there was little in it but pain and longing.\u00a0 Oh, there were moments of happiness, but hours \u2013 even days \u2013 of sorrow seemed to follow.\u00a0 The birth of each of his boys had brought him untold joy.\u00a0 The deaths of their mothers had left him bereaved and deeply grieved.\u00a0 Still, their youthful adventures and exuberance were enough to keep his head above water.\u00a0 There was no greater pleasure than watching the trio grow into the young men he knew they would be.<\/p>\n Ben turned back to look at the still small figure on the bed.<\/p>\n Would Joseph live to be a man?<\/p>\n The weary father returned to his son\u2019s side and resumed his seat.\u00a0 Not only did Joseph have a broken wrist, but there were signs of frost nip on his extremities.\u00a0 Worse than that was the cough, and even worse<\/em>, the fever that was raging through his tiny body.\u00a0 Ben picked up a cloth, dipped it in the basin of cool water on the stand, wrung it out, and placed it on his son\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 The little boy tossed and moaned at his touch, but still<\/em> didn\u2019t wake.<\/p>\n The rancher scowled as he rose and went to get another cloth.\u00a0 Little Joe had been so sick just a short time before.\u00a0 All of his boys had the influenza, but it\u2019s toll had been worst on his youngest son.\u00a0 A week to the day, they\u2019d come out of the storm convinced they\u2019d won.\u00a0 Modern medicine was a marvel and he thanked God for it.\u00a0 With the return of Joseph\u2019s symptoms, the rancher became acutely aware how much he had also come to rely <\/em>on it.\u00a0 When he realized no help would be forth-coming \u2013 that he would be left alone to care for his sick child \u2013 he\u2019d come close to panic.\u00a0 It was then a still small voice whispered in his ear, speaking words he had known all of his life.<\/p>\n \u2018Wait for the Lord.\u00a0 Be strong and let your heart take courage.\u00a0 Yes, wait for the Lord.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n Be strong and let your heart take courage.<\/p>\n Ben sat down, wrapped his large hands around his son\u2019s small ones, \u00a0and bowed his head in prayer.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam Cartwright stepped away from his little brother\u2019s door and headed back down the stairs.\u00a0 He\u2019d come to ask his father if he had any instructions regarding the Hutchins\u2019 children, but stopped short when he saw him praying.\u00a0 Hoss had been a bit vague about what they were to do with the pair, but he figured he\u2019d handled two younger siblings alone before \u2013 one of them a handful<\/em> \u2013 and he could certainly handle these two.\u00a0 Besides, the teenager thought as he turned the corner on the stair, Robby seemed to have his little sister well in hand.<\/p>\n They were cute kids.\u00a0 Robby was overly polite and Sally Ann never stopped asking questions.\u00a0 A lot of those questions were about Little Joe.\u00a0 Seems Pa had told her they were a lot alike, and she wanted to meet him.\u00a0 Her brother finally got her to understand why she couldn\u2019t when he reminded her of how sick their ma had been the year before, and how they had to leave her alone so she could get better.\u00a0 That<\/em> reminded the little girl of her mother, so recently lost, and she\u2019d burst into tears because she was sure Little Joe was going to die too.<\/p>\n Adam sighed.<\/p>\n He wasn\u2019t sure, but he feared it.<\/p>\n The kid was really sick.\u00a0 The fact that Joe wasn\u2019t entirely over the influenza was bad enough, but coupled with exposure and the injuries he sustained when the saddle fell?\u00a0 To put it bluntly, Little Joe was a mess.\u00a0 By the time Pa got Joe settled in his bed, he\u2019d developed a fever and it was spiking.\u00a0 Pa looked so tired.\u00a0 He\u2019d offered to relieve him, even though he knew what his father\u2019s answer would be.\u00a0 Their father was like that with all of them, but even so more with Joe.\u00a0 Baby brother needed him, of course, more than either of them did.\u00a0 Hoss was still young, but seemed to have been born with an inner sense of stability and a sure and certain belief that things could and would<\/em> turn out for the best.<\/p>\n Which was why it was odd to find the youngster sitting on the hearthstones looking so<\/em> forlorn.<\/p>\n \u201cAnything I can do to help?\u201d the teen asked as he came abreast the table behind the settee.<\/p>\n It took Hoss a second to look up.\u00a0 \u201cNo, thank you, Adam.\u00a0 It\u2019s sure nice of you to ask, though.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam looked around at the quiet room.\u00a0 \u201cWhere are Robby and Sally Ann?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing took them upstairs.\u00a0 They was awful tired.\u00a0 Sally Ann was still cryin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019ll be okay once she can see Little Joe\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou think he\u2019s gonna be, Adam?\u00a0 Really?\u201d<\/p>\n There was a pain in that question he didn\u2019t understand.\u00a0 \u201cSure, he will.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMama wasn\u2019t okay.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam completed his journey and took a seat on the settee.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s this all about?\u201d<\/p>\n His brother hung his head and mumbled something.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s my fault, Adam!\u201d Hoss blurted out.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s my fault Little Joe\u2019s gonna die!\u201d<\/p>\n Sometimes \u2013 often \u2013 he forgot how young his middle brother was.\u00a0 They were nearly of a height and Hoss had grown up among the men, so he\u2019d learned a thing or two already.\u00a0 Still, he was a boy.\u00a0 A twelve-year-old boy who was worried sick about his brother.<\/p>\n Adam rose and went to sit beside him.\u00a0 \u201cDo you want to tell me about it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo I?\u201d\u00a0 His brother snorted.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I don\u2019t.\u00a0 But I got to.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay.\u00a0 Shoot.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss glanced up the stairs.\u00a0 \u201cI waited to make sure Little Joe was asleep afore leavin\u2019 his room.\u00a0 I crept out real <\/em>quiet so as not to wake him.\u00a0 Hop Sing needed help in the kitchen and then we set the table.\u00a0 When I went back up to Joe\u2019s room, he was gone.\u00a0 He done climbed out of the window like he did that time he went lookin\u2019 for cookies!\u201d<\/p>\n The teen suppressed a chuckle.\u00a0 That<\/em> had been a day!<\/p>\n \u201cSo how is that your <\/em>fault?\u00a0 You know Joe.\u00a0 Nothing stops him once he has his mind set on something.\u201d<\/p>\n His brother let out a long heartfelt sigh.\u00a0 \u201cI got to thinkin\u2019, Adam.\u00a0 The night before \u2013 when I put Little Joe to bed \u2013 he was awful upset.\u00a0 I tried talkin\u2019 to him to see if I could calm him down.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou must have succeeded if he went to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what I thought.\u00a0 But then, when I realized he was gone, I remembered somethin\u2019 I said and I think that\u2019s why he left.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was that?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss rose and began to pace.\u00a0 \u201cYou know Joe, he was sure worried about Pa.\u00a0 I told him Pa was fine and would be home anytime.\u00a0 Right then, he turns those big green eyes of his on me and asks, \u2018Papa\u2019s not dead?\u00a0 He\u2019s just lost?\u2019<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n It was a perpetual worry for their little brother; that someone else he loved would die.<\/p>\n \u201cSo how did you answer?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI told Little Joe that Pa was only lost \u2018til someone found him.\u201d \u00a0The twelve-year old turned misty eyes on him.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure that\u2019s why he went lookin\u2019 for Pa.\u00a0 Little Joe thought he<\/em> was that \u2018someone\u2019 needed to find him!\u201d<\/p>\n It made sense, but it didn\u2019t make Joe leaving the house Hoss\u2019 fault.<\/p>\n \u201cLook, Hoss, Joe may be only barely six, but he knows as well as you and I how dangerous it is to go out into the cold and snow. \u201c<\/p>\n \u201cI know he knows, Adam, but this is Little Joe.<\/em> \u00a0He don\u2019t think straight when it comes to people he loves.\u201d<\/p>\n If you asked him, Little Joe didn\u2019t think straight about most things.\u00a0 Just like his mother.\u00a0 But Hoss was right. \u00a0Joe was<\/em> the most loving child he\u2019d