Summary:\u00a0 His brothers snickered when Hoss drew the short straw and had to clear a beaver dam\u2014a job every Cartwright brother abhorred. Adam and Joe drew the long straws and had the simple task of delivering a bull to a ranch in California…or so it seemed.<\/p>\n
Rated: T
\nWord Count: 7265<\/p>\n
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\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Between the Lines<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n In the hour before dawn, barely visible under a new moon, two exhausted horses plodded into the Ponderosa yard and stood silently at the rail with their heads hung low. The riders, each bone weary and oblivious of their surroundings, failed to dismount.\u00a0 Cochise snorted and tossed her head vigorously in displeasure, sidestepping into Sport. Ever skittish, Adam\u2019s horse reared dumping his unprepared owner onto the ground invoking a string of rare and graphic expletives not usually uttered within earshot of others. The ensuing ruckus roused bunkhouse inhabitants who stumbled out the door in bewilderment at the scene before them.<\/p>\n First to recover his wits, foreman Tom Caruthers ordered \u201cWake the boss.\u201d This directive proved unnecessary when the front door swung wide and Ben Cartwright clad in bathrobe and boots, gun drawn, hurried grim faced into the yard followed closely by Hop Sing brandishing a cleaver. His shrill Cantonese further upset the agitated equines.<\/p>\n \u201cGet those horses under control before someone gets hurt,\u201d shouted Ben too late.<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s guttural screams filled the air as he rolled from side to side to avoid Sport\u2019s iron shod hooves.<\/p>\n At the same time, unnoticed in the mayhem, Joe hung precariously upside down from his saddle as a terrified Cochise reared and bucked before dislodging his burden and running off into the blackness.<\/p>\n With soothing hands and calm voices, two cowboys moved Sport away from Adam and one chased after Cochise all while Old Charlie lit a lantern so Ben and Hop Sing could assess the damage.<\/p>\n \u201cHow bad is Adam?\u201d The old man asked.<\/p>\n \u201cHe needs a doctor,\u201d Ben said. \u201cHe could be hurt inside.\u201d<\/p>\n Ned Bowden volunteered. \u201cI saw the doc\u2019s rig at the Morton ranch this afternoon. I\u2019ll go there first. Probably attending a birth.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded. \u201cHurry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYessir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing, we\u2019ve got to stop the bleeding from his head.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI go. Get bandages,\u201d the cook replied and scurried into the kitchen.<\/p>\n \u201cBoss,\u201d Tom said quietly. Then he said louder, \u201cMr. Cartwright!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben looked up sharply and followed Tom\u2019s gaze along his extended arm\u00a0 pointing to something just outside the circle of lantern light. Something crumpled. And still.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe,\u201d Ben gasped.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n A second lantern cast an eerie glow over the youngest Cartwright.<\/p>\n \u201cWouldn\u2019t move him if I were you. Not \u2018til the doc gets here.\u201d<\/p>\n Crouched over Joe, Ben barked, \u201cWho said that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMe, sir. Sam Roberts,\u201d the cowboy said as he lead the paint into the corral.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Sam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d asked Tom.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe\u2019s a natural bronco buster and knows how to roll when he\u2019s thrown. But it looked like his pant leg caught on the scabbard and he was hanging upside down. Cochise shook him loose before I could get to him and Joe landed hard.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf he landed on his head,\u201d Tom said, \u201cwe should wait until he regains consciousness and can tell us what works and what doesn\u2019t. Otherwise\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014we could paralyze him,\u201d Ben agreed. He laid his hand on Joe\u2019s grimy forehead then he took in his son\u2019s appearance. His green jacket and tan pants appeared nearly black, caked in filth as they were. He looked over at Adam. Although his oldest son was nearly always dressed in black, in the lantern light Ben could discern the cloth was discolored by clay and mud. \u201cJust where have my sons been?\u201d<\/p>\n *********<\/p>\n A week earlier\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n Dejected, Joe shut the book he had been reading and tossed it in the general direction of his saddlebags in the corner of the hotel room. He laced his fingers behind his head and stared at the ceiling. \u201cI don\u2019t suppose there\u2019s a bookstore in this backwater town.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter? You finish your dime novel already?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t bother. Piece of rubbish.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a surprisingly bold statement from a devotee of the genre,\u201d said Adam from the other bed. Why don\u2019t you read an author like Wilkie Collins? His mysteries are challenging. You might find them a welcome change to the drivel you\u2019ve been feeding your brain.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe rolled to his side and propped his head on his fist. \u201cOh, yeah? How\u2019s he different?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHis stories are told from multiple viewpoints so you have to figure out who\u2019s telling the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReal detective-type stuff, eh? Reading between the lines so to speak?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA good mystery should not only stimulate the readers\u2019 imagination but challenge their deductive reasoning. I ordered his latest book. You can have first crack at when it arrives…if you want that is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe I will. What time are we leaving for home tomorrow?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs soon as we deliver the bull to Frank and collect our stud fee.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUgh! You know how he likes to talk, Adam. We\u2019ll be lucky to get on the road by noon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh but think of Wilhelmina\u2019s Wiener schnitzel and strudel. Hoss will be doubly sorry he drew the short straw and had to clear the beaver dam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe. He does like strudel, but schnitzel? Not so much.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf we get out of there by midafternoon, we can overnight at O\u2019Neil\u2019s Crossing and make it home in time for supper on Thursday.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s pushing it a bit given the terrain. Cochise will be fine but Sport\u2019s liable to be cranky. You really ought to do something about that horse\u2019s attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou leave Sport to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGladly,\u201d Joe yawned. \u201cNow, blow out the lamp and so I can get some shut eye or I\u2019ll be the one who\u2019s cranky come dawn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s unusual?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShut up.\u201d<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n \u201cLANDSLIDE!\u201d<\/p>\n The shout rolled through O\u2019Neil\u2019s Crossing like a tidal wave. Those waiting to cross the Truckee River\u2014tradesmen, settlers, prospectors, lumbermen, travelers with a purpose and aimless drifters alike\u2014all stumbled out of their wagons, tents, or bedrolls to gather by the bridge anxious to hear details.<\/p>\n \u201cHelp! Up at the Central Pacific\u2019s new track,\u201d the messenger said breathlessly. \u201cBetween the old and new lines\u2026 hundreds of workers buried alive.\u201d<\/p>\n Stunned silence ensued and then organized chaos reigned. On both sides of the Truckee riders set out to spread the word and recruit volunteers. On the north side of the crossing, it took only seconds for the Cartwright brothers to confer before jumping into a lumber wagon headed to the site.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Adam found his brother sitting on a log, head in hands, and sat down wearily next to him dangling a half empty whiskey bottle between his knees. They leaned shoulder to shoulder drawing strength from each other for several minutes before Joe choked back a sob.<\/p>\n \u201cDamn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d Adam said, taking a swig of the rot gut. \u201cLook, I need you to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cClimb up the hill and see if there is any more track to the east to be cleared.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe raised his head. \u201cIt\u2019s starting to rain.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just mist. Mountain fog. I\u2019d go myself but you\u2019re more agile than I am\u2026 and you weigh less so\u2026.\u201c<\/p>\n \u201cSo\u2026 what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re less likely to trigger another slide.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s eyes narrowed then he grabbed the bottle and drained its contents. \u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Present day<\/em><\/p>\n Adam drifted in and out of consciousness but assured his father that nothing felt amiss inside. Nevertheless, Ben thought it prudent that neither of his sons be moved until Paul could examine them. Each brother was kept warm with blankets from Hop Sing\u2019s well stocked supply room.<\/p>\n Ben told the hands that they could go back to bed but no one did. Old Charlie formed a circle out of rocks between Adam and Joe and started a fire to ward off the early morning mountain chill. Tom and Sam examined the horses for injuries and fed them as well as the other stock. Hop Sing trotted back and forth to the kitchen with hot coffee, eggs, bacon, and biscuits for the men.<\/p>\n Ben applied splints to Adam\u2019s left arm and right leg. The head wound proved more challenging to treat as bandage after bandage soaked through despite constant pressure.<\/p>\n When the sun\u2019s rays reached the yard, Ben was appalled to see that what he had taken for mud was, in actuality, blood. On Adam, the head wound could account for his bloody clothes. But Joe\u2026 Dear God! Had he been bleeding all this time from unseen wounds?<\/p>\n \u201cTom, help me!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not just mud on Joe, it\u2019s blood!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought we weren\u2019t going to move him until the doc got here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe won\u2019t, but I need to see where he\u2019s bleeding.\u201d<\/p>\n Carefully, Ben undid the toggle holding Joe\u2019s green\u2014now black\u2014jacket closed. The fabric was stiff and Tom had to tug from one side and Ben from the other before the jacket would lay open. The shirt was no better.\u00a0 Ben slowly undid the buttons and felt Joe\u2019s chest and abdomen but found nothing wet or oozing.<\/p>\n \u201cSir, his pants and boots \u2026 mostly mud. A few drops of blood maybe, but no more than that.\u201d<\/p>\n Before Ben could answer, he heard the sound of a carriage approaching.<\/p>\n \u201cThank God!\u201d<\/p>\n Tom wasn\u2019t sure whether the response related to his comment or the arrival of the doctor.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Paul nodded in approval at the makeshift accommodations and praised Hop Sing\u2019s triage efforts before quickly brushing away Ben\u2019s confession concerning Joe\u2019s clothing with a wave of his hand. Parents always blamed themselves and this father in particular held the record for self-recrimination.<\/p>\n After examining Adam, he gave the go ahead for Sam and Ned to carry him up to his bedroom. Hop Sing went along.<\/p>\n Ben and Tom stayed with the youngest Cartwright as Paul carefully examined Joe\u2019s extremities and then his torso feeling for broken bones.<\/p>\n \u201cHe hasn\u2019t regained consciousness at all?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n Paul placed two fingers on the side of Joe\u2019s neck and the same to the inside of his wrist while consulting his pocket watch. He then lit a match and lifted Joe\u2019s eye lids one by one to check the dilation.<\/p>\n When Joe grimaced, the doctor tapped his cheek. \u201cWake up, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOpen your eyes, son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, it\u2019s your pa. You\u2019re home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHome?\u201d Joe asked, confused.<\/p>\n \u201cCan you raise your arms?\u201d<\/p>\n He did.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about your legs?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe moved both legs side to side and rotated his ankles. When he attempted to lift his legs, however, he cried out.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat hurts?\u201d Paul asked.<\/p>\n \u201cMy chest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll right. We\u2019re going to sit you up, Joe. Let us do the work.\u201d<\/p>\n On each side, Ben and Tom put a hand under Joe\u2019s armpit and raised him to a sitting position. Paul again felt along Joe\u2019s ribs, shoulders, neck and clavicle, and spine.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing broken. I suspect the impact with the ground bruised your chest wall. You\u2019ll be plenty sore for at least a week. Willow-bark tea will help, along with hot compresses.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about Adam?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n \u201cSport knocked him around a bit, son, but he\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSport? No \u2026 wait.\u201d Joe placed his hand on Ben\u2019s arm. \u201cAdam\u2019s hurt bad.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, son, we know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBefore.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBefore what?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore we got home. He did battle with a 200-pound railroad tie\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014a rail\u2026what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTie.\u00a0 Tie won,\u201d Joe said and began to shiver violently. \u201cCold. I\u2019m cold.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul and Ben exchanged glances.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s going into shock,\u201d Paul said. \u201cLet\u2019s get him inside and warmed up. And I\u2019d better have another look at Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n Nothing was ever simple when it came to the Cartwrights.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Hop Sing had removed the bloody clothing Adam wore and tossed the items out the window to be burned later. To his way of thinking, the numerous cuts and abrasions on number one son\u2019s body were more extensive than a few moments in the dirt under hooves would account for.\u00a0 He had just finished cleaning and bandaging the worst of them when Ben entered the room.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe all right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Hop Sing. He\u2019ll be bed bound for a few days, but nothing broken, thank God. Would you mind heating up some broth? He\u2019s cold to the bone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlready on stove, Mr. Cartlight. I go get.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Hop Sing. And could you make some\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n \u201cBeef stew in oven. Be ready by time doctor finish with Mr. Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBless you. With Hoss clearing that beaver dam, I don\u2019t know what I would have done without you and the men today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI make plenty for them too.\u201d<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n The simple fractures of Adam\u2019s left arm and right leg were easily set and splinted again.<\/p>\n \u201cIf there\u2019s no swelling, I\u2019ll cast them tomorrow,\u201d Paul said. \u201cNow, let\u2019s do something about that head wound. I\u2019d like to get the area as clean as possible before poking around.\u201d<\/p>\n No sooner had he spoken when Hop Sing arrived with hot water and an armload of towels.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll need a razor, too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPaul, my son is not going to be happy about this. When it comes to hair, people may think Joe\u2019s the vain one, but Adam runs a close second, if not first in that department. It\u2019s Hoss that cares not a whit about hair.\u201d<\/p>\n There were indeed creosote-treated wood splinters embedded in Adam\u2019s scalp and their removal along with the remains of prior suturing was labor intensive. It took quite a long time for Paul to be certain he had gotten out all foreign objects given the amount of bleeding. In fact, the profuse bleeding likely helped keep the wound clean. When he was finished, he sprinkled some morphine powder into the gash before suturing it.<\/p>\n Paul saw Ben\u2019s raised eyebrow. \u201cTrick I learned from an Army doctor. It will relieve the pain faster. Did Joe tell you what happened?<\/p>\n \u201cBriefly. They were on their way home when they heard about a landslide that took out a portion of that new track the California Pacific is building.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd they went to help.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course.<\/p>\n \u201cIs it a problem he didn\u2019t get medical treatment right away? Joe said a doctor of sorts stitched him up and put a dressing on the wound and said to rest but Adam insisted they push on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it didn\u2019t do him any good to ride what… 40-50 miles…, but I wouldn\u2019t borrow trouble just yet. Heart sounds are strong and he\u2019s breathing easy. Probably senses he\u2019s home and in his own bed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI sure would like to know more about what happened,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n \u201cMe, too. Say, is that beef stew I smell?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure is. I\u2019ll ask Hop Sing to sit with Adam and send up Old Charlie to keep an eye on Joe while we eat. That is, if you\u2019re hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo fish swim?\u201d<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n A loud crash awakened Ben at midnight. When he threw open his door, Hop Sing popped out of Adam\u2019s room and said, \u201cMr. Adam still sleep. Noise come from Little Joe room.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben rushed down the hall and found Joe sitting on the floor amid the remains of a broken lamp and a bedside carafe and tumbler.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat in tarnation?!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSorry Pa. I tried to get up but nothing\u2019s working really well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut you can still move? Have feeling in your legs?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. Just really sore.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStay put while I get a broom to sweep up this glass.\u201d<\/p>\n With the debris in the dustbin, Ben returned to aid Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cCan you put your arms around my neck?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust hang on. Push with your legs if you must but let me do the lifting.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben huffed and Joe groaned but together they managed to get him back into bed.<\/p>\n \u201cNow what were you thinking with this little stunt?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWanted to see Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s sleeping, as you should be.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cConscious?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. He came to earlier this afternoon. Paul stayed until he did and then went back to town. He\u2019ll be back tomorrow to check on both of you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, you\u2019re fine. From what Adam said, you did a lot of heavy lifting. That could account for back\/chest soreness as well. You want to tell me about it?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe mumbled, \u201cnot really.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSilence is not an option, is that clear?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYessir. Can I have some water?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben tilted his head back, closed his eyes and sighed. The weary father nevertheless went to the kitchen and returned with the requested beverage and a ham sandwich.<\/p>\n \u201cEat,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll you\u2019ve had today is broth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat has Adam told you?\u201d Joe asked cautiously as he nibbled.<\/p>\n \u201cThat you were on your way home and had gotten as far as O\u2019Neil\u2019s Crossing when word came about a landslide on that new section of the California Pacific Rail Road line. Since he\u2019s an engineer and Hop Sing has cousins building that new extension, you both felt obliged to help with the rescue efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe took a big bite of the sandwich and chewed thoughtfully, grateful that it gave him time to think.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, that\u2019s how we got there all right, but not all that happened.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGo on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe left our horses at the bridge in O\u2019Neil\u2019s corral and rode to the slide area in lumber wagons with other volunteers. It was awful, Pa. We dug as fast as we could and kept pulling bodies out, most of them dead. We saved about 50 or 60, I guess. I don\u2019t know. I lost count.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid you recognize anyone we know?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe bowed his head. \u201cIt started raining and everyone was covered in mud. They\u2019d set up a makeshift morgue but I never went in there.\u201d When he looked up at his father, his eyes were wet. \u201cHow could I face Hop Sing if I had?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben removed the plate of food and handed Joe the water.<\/p>\n \u201cYou said a railroad tie caused your brother\u2019s head wound. How did that come about?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam had sent me around the bend to see how much more track needed clearing. I looked across the river to where the regular CPRR line runs and saw rail cars strewn all about the field\u2026some still coupled, others on their side, some all busted up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy God!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI ran back and told Adam. I don\u2019t know what he did next\u2026 probably commandeered men and equipment. I scrambled down slope and crossed the river to see what I could do to help.\u201d Joe drained his glass of water. \u201cPa, we only knew about the men working on the new line. Why didn\u2019t someone say something about the wreck on the old line?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately,\u201d Ben said, \u201cin disasters there is bound to be miscommunication. Adam indicated it was late afternoon when word came to the Crossing about the landslide. Maybe no one had witnessed the wreck. Or maybe seeing the landslide distracted the engineer.\u201d He removed the empty glass from Joe\u2019s trembling hands. \u201cAre you comfortable sitting up or do you want to slide down a bit?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDown.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben repositioned his son and placed a pillow behind his back for support. \u201cYou get some sleep and I\u2019ll check on you later.\u201d<\/p>\n A soft snore was the only response.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Paul returned the next afternoon and was pleased to see that Adam was awake and communicative. Since there was no swelling, he put a permanent cast on the left humerus and right tibia. \u201cYou\u2019re going to have to be careful to keep the arm in a sling at all times and move your fingers and wrist often.\u201d A Cartwright seldom followed his advice to the T but this one was more likely to heed him than not.<\/p>\n While he was applying the plaster, Ben filled Paul and Adam in on what additional information Joe had related.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen did you learn about the wreck, Adam?\u201d asked Ben. Your brother was distressed the messenger didn\u2019t mention it when he came to the bridge.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs far as I know, Joe was the first one to see it. How the derailment happened or when\u2014before or after the slide\u2014I have no idea. Did he tell you about the window, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWindow? No, he didn\u2019t mention any window. Why is that important?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s what drew his attention across the river\u2026 the sun reflecting off one of the cars\u2019 windows. Otherwise, exhausted as he was, I don\u2019t think he would have noticed the wreckage since most of it was up slope on the other side of the Truckee and hidden by boulders, shrubs and pines.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s brow knitted together for a moment as he debated whether to enlighten his father with a bit of news about Joe that he found fascinating. His father might not be as intrigued or find it superfluous and of no consequence.<\/p>\n \u201cYou look troubled, Adam. Are you in pain?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe laudanum has done it\u2019s work.\u201d He paused and then said, \u201cDid you know Joe could read mirror writing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMirror writing? I\u2019m not sure what you mean.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul said, \u201cWriting backwards… the reverse of regular handwriting. If I were to write with a paint brush on my side of a window and you were on the other side, the letters would appear backwards and the words would read from right to left.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Joe can do this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. There were people trapped in one of the cars that laid on its side making the visible windows effectively the ceiling. A young male passenger was able to climb up and write with a piece of charcoal from the stove on the window listing the names of the people in the car and where they were from.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben said, \u201cWhy didn\u2019t they just break the window and climb out?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe shattered glass would have fallen downwards on to the passengers. Some were elderly and severely hurt. Only the boy was physically able to climb up to the glass.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Joe saw this?\u201d Paul asked.<\/p>\n \u201cI lot of people saw it and ignored it, including me. It was just squiggles on a blackboard as far as I was concerned. But one glance and Joe immediately knew there were survivors inside.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam brought his free hand to his forehead and rubbed it. \u201cI\u2019d like to sleep a bit if you don\u2019t mind.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, son. Dinner will be ready in a few hours. You\u2019ll stay Paul?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHard as it is to believe, I do have other patients that require my services. Please apologize to Hop Sing for me. You do know how I love his cooking.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben laughed. \u201cWe do indeed. Well, since there\u2019ll be just the two of us, Adam, perhaps we\u2019ll eat in Joe\u2019s room. You know how stir crazy he gets when stuck in bed without anything to do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy is he bedridden?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s my doing,\u201d Paul said as he packed up his medical bag. \u201cHe took a hard fall from Cochise the night you rode in. Bruised chest wall. Nothing broken, but mighty sore.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben added, \u201cHe tried to get out of bed last night and wound up on his caboose.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll see myself out, Ben. Adam, you mind what I said about keeping your arm in a sling.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYessir.\u201d<\/p>\n After Paul left, Adam said, \u201cdid I get any mail while we were gone?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, but then I haven\u2019t been to town in a few days. Are you expecting something important?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI ordered a Wilkie Collins book some time ago and I told Joe he could read it first. If he\u2019s confined to bed, it might be just the thing he needs to ward off cabin fever.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d A voice yelled loud enough to shake the rafters.<\/p>\n Ben went to the top of the stairs and announced, \u201cIn Adam\u2019s room, Hoss. Come on up.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss entered the room and took in the sorry state of his big brother with two casts and a bandage that nearly covered his head. \u201cI ran into the doc as he was leaving and he told me Sport stomped on ya.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTurns out you drew the long straw after all, Hoss,\u201d Adam said. \u201cAlthough you look quiet the mess even so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGosh durn beavers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSon, why don\u2019t you get cleaned up and then we\u2019ll have dinner in Joe\u2019s room while\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014Joe hurt too? What in tarnation happened?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve only heard bits and pieces, Hoss,\u201d said Ben. \u201cRight now Joe\u2019s sleeping and Adam could use a rest himself. Go take a bath and they\u2019ll tell us all about it tonight while we\u2019re eating.\u201d<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Ben placed the now-clean dinner plates that once held fried chicken, potatoes and green beans on a tray outside Joe\u2019s door and called over the banister for coffee, \u201cNo hurry, Hop Sing. It will be awhile before we\u2019ve digested this delicious meal.\u201d He returned to Joe\u2019s room, this time standing in the doorway leaning against the jam with his hands in his pockets. As he listened to the brotherly banter, he said a quick prayer thanking the Almighty for delivering all of his sons home safe and\u2014for the most part\u2014sound.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re telling me little brother here could read those squiggles? Straight up?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCross my heart,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n \u201cWell don\u2019t that beat all.\u201d Hoss shook his head in amazement. \u201cCan ya write that way too\u2014backwards I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben and Adam simultaneously said, \u201cno\u201d at the same time Joe said \u201cyes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cProve it.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe answered, \u201cGive me something to write on.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss rifled through Joe\u2019s desk and found paper, pencil and an oversized atlas. \u201cThat big enough?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPerfect. What do you want me to write?<\/p>\n \u201cDictate something Adam. Like one of them fancy poems Shakespeare wrote.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam said, \u201cA sonnet?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPaper\u2019s not big enough for a whole friggin\u2019 sonnet,\u201d Joe said.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, watch your language!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, Pa. How about just a couple lines Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay.\u00a0 How about this\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n Everyone watched as Joe wrote the words and punctuation dictated sstarting at the right edge of the paper. He didn\u2019t hesitate. When he finished, he handed the paper to his father who passed it to Adam and then Hoss who exclaimed, \u201cThat\u2019s just gibberish!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHold it up to the mirror,\u201d Joe said.<\/p>\n Hoss scrunched his face up. \u201cYou\u2019ve come up with some dang fool things, Joseph, but if you\u2019re trying to hornswoggle me\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust read it. Aloud.\u201d<\/p>\n So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,<\/p>\n So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019ll be a monkey\u2019s uncle!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam said, \u201cHoss, hand me that mirror off the wall so I can see, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben peered over Adam\u2019s shoulder when he placed the paper in front of the mirror.<\/p>\n Astonished, Ben said. \u201cThat\u2019s amazing Joseph. How long have you been able to write that way? Who taught you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlways and no one\u2026 I just can do it. Can\u2019t everyone?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben, Adam, and Hoss looked at each other and then back at Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, well,\u201d Adam said bemused. \u201cIt seems we have a Leonardo da Vinci in our midst.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExplain,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n \u201cDaVinci mirror wrote in his journals. Some say it was because he was left-handed and didn\u2019t want to smear the ink. Others have said he used it as a form of cypher.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s funny, Adam, because Mitch and I used mirror writing as a code so no one could read the notes we passed in school.\u201d<\/p>\n At that moment Hop Sing arrived with a coffee pot, cups, and three dishes of apple pie ala mode.<\/p>\n \u201cNone for me, thanks,\u201d Ben said. \u201cIn fact, Hoss, now that you\u2019re home to watch over our invalid and little genius, I am headed for bed. You make sure neither stays up too late.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYessir, Pa, and I\u2019ll take yer ice cream. No sense letting it go to waste.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood night all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cG\u2019night, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Hoss had been the middle child for all but six years of his life. Sometimes he served as the chalk line between two warring sides in a tug of war. Other times he walked the line between his brothers and their father.<\/p>\n While they ate in silence, he glanced from one brother to the other and noted the unspoken signals that passed between them\u2014the raised eyebrow, shrug, cocked head, and chewed lip.<\/p>\n \u201cAll right, out with it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOut with what?\u201d Adam said mildly.<\/p>\n \u201cI can read between the lines. There\u2019s more to what happened than what you shared with Pa. Give.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou tell the first part, Adam. I\u2019ll pick up after you got clobbered in the head.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll right.\u201d Adam handed his half-eaten pie and melted ice cream to Hoss who accepted it gladly. \u201cWe\u2019d worked all night and most of the next day recovering bodies from the slide and clearing track when Joe alerted us to the train wreck. From then on we were in rescue mode on the other side of the river.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone that worked digging out the railroad workers was exhausted and we had to wait for reinforcements and medical supplies before we could do much about the train wreck victims. I was sitting on my heels thinking about how we were going to get all the passengers across the river, up to the lumber road and transported back to O’Neil’s. Some were laying on the ground, some walking around helping others. Others crying or screaming in pain.<\/p>\n \u201cIn all the commotion, there was one lady that caught my attention because she was different than everyone else. She was wrapped in a long, white cloak with mother of pearl buttons down the front about the size of a small sand dollar. In the misty fog it appeared almost silver with frost. The lady was tall and slender and carried herself well. Attached to her hat was a thick veil and I couldn\u2019t distinguish her features.<\/p>\n \u201cShe moved slowly, threading her way among the injured weaving her way back and forth with a certain detachment when, to my surprise, she stopped in front of me and sat down on a rock facing me. She sat quite still with her head down, and I wanted very much to see her face as there was a long, red curl hanging from beneath the veil which I found fetching\u2014 ”<\/p>\n I am afraid, sir, that l am a most unwelcome intruder for I have interfered with your musings.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAs she spoke, she lifted her veil, and, upon my life, Hoss, I have never seen so striking a face. It was a perfect oval, set with beautiful soft, brown eyes, very delicately traced eyebrows above them, and long lashes that rested on her cheek when she looked down. The only fault of her face was perhaps that her cheeks lacked color, although perhaps rouge is not the fashion where she lived.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOr you\u2019ve been spending too much time with ladies on D Street,\u201d snickered Joe. \u201cSorry,\u201d he said when Adam gave him a stern look.<\/p>\n \u201cAt any rate, I have seldom had a more witty and intellectual companion. She could talk knowledgeably on every subject conceivable and we continued conversing until reinforcements arrived and the work of transporting the injured began.<\/p>\n “By that time it was quite dark as there was only a sliver of a waning moon and cloud cover. Only the torches of the searchers and the lanterns that had been lit around the scene enabled me to see her and even then only the soft outline of her figure and the paleness of her face. Before taking my leave, I reached for her hand and noticed a wedding ring. To my surprise, the hand was streaked with blood. I said, \u201cMadam, I am afraid you have hurt your hand.\u201d<\/p>\n I am not hurt, she said.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cand she did not attempt to move it or to change her position.<\/p>\n \u201cI sat looking at it and at the wedding ring and wondering what her history was. I thought it must have been a mournful one, for she never once smiled\u2014 not even the shadow of a smile \u2014 all the time we were talking, though our conversation was witty enough as I mentioned.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Joe came to collect me, I kissed the back of her hand and bid her farewell.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo you meet her, Joe?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n \u201cI did some time later after Adam had bored me to tears talking about his lady in white. I\u2019d been searching for him because there was a disagreement among some of the men on how to proceed dismantling the wreckage and there I found him dallying with the lady when there was work to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour language was rather colorful, if I recall,” said Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cI apologized,\u201d Joe said defensively, then he paused. \u201cYou know that feeling you get sometimes \u2026 like you\u2019ve done this before?\u201c<\/p>\n \u201cDeja vu?\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, deja vu, like you know exactly what\u2019s going to happen next. Only it was something more than that. A feeling of dread. I tried to shake it off by talking to the lady. Adam hadn\u2019t exaggerated about her conversational skills, Hoss. We were deep in conversation when this tremendous explosion happened. There were railway ties and timbers and yellow car siding, seats and luggage all flying through the air. It seemed like the whole world was going to pieces.<\/p>\n \u201cI was momentarily stunned by the concussion from the blast and when I came to my senses, there seemed to be nothing around me but mass destruction. I mean trees were down, brush fires burning near the railroad cars. People were running everywhere, some carrying water from the river in whatever they could find to put out the fires.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter a time I found Adam. He\u2019d been hit by a nine-foot railroad tie and was lying bleeding and unconscious. A greater pile of debris however was where the lady had been seated. I groped my way to where she had been sitting all the while shuddering to think what I would find there.\u00a0 I asked how badly she was hurt.<\/p>\n Not at all, I thank you. How is your friend?<\/em><\/p>\n He\u2019s my brother and he\u2019s unconscious. I will need some men to help me pull him out from under that tie. Can I assist you until they arrive?<\/em><\/p>\n Do not mind me. Go at once to find assistance for your brother.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t know how she could breathe under the weight of the debris. I couldn’t leave her like that.<\/p>\n My hand is trapped. Help free it and then go. You cannot help me otherwise.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI managed to create an opening through which she passed her bloody hand. I took hold of it to pull it through. It was icy cold.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, go. You can do no more for me, and your brother’s life may be at stake. Go!<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI knew I couldn\u2019t move 200 pounds by myself so I reached under him and clawed away as much dirt and shale as I could to take the pressure off Adam’s head and chest, and then I set about to find help. Everything was a mess and I didn’t know where to look first. There were torches visible in the fog and people running madly up and down, and amidst the broken timbers you saw mangled and bleeding bodies, hopelessly entangled.<\/p>\n \u201cFortunately,\u00a0 I found Curt, Felix and Simon, some of the fellas I\u2019d worked with on clearing the landslide. They each had spades and I asked them to start with Adam. Meanwhile I climbed over the debris and found the lady as I had left her.<\/p>\n “Hurry,” I \u00a0said, \u201cthe lady is still conscious.”<\/p>\n “What lady?” said Curt, coming towards me. “There is no one here, Joe, but you and Adam.”<\/p>\n He started waving his torch back and forth so close to us I thought the lady\u2019s cloak would catch the flame.<\/p>\n “Back off,\u201d I yelled. \u201cYou will set her cloak on fire!\u201d I moved closer and held out my hand to her. ‘Can you rise now, ma\u2019am?’ I said.\u00a0 And as I touched her cold hand, she rose to her feet casting off the debris like water.<\/p>\n \u201cBy this time Adam had been extricated, and with the assistance of a man I didn\u2019t recognize we carried him across the river and up the hill to the lumber wagons. The lady walked noiselessly by our side. I don’t know if the other man was aware of her presence.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI knew she was there,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought so,\u201d said Joe. \u201cUnconscious or not, I suspected you felt her presence because the expression on your face changed as she came to your side.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a slow walk, but we reached the wagons at last and I found a place for you in the tent that was being used as a surgery. The lady stood by your side, like a tall statue, still wrapped in her white cloak. While we waited for the doctor, I asked her to rub your hands.\u201d<\/p>\n Is this likely to warm them? she replied, softly, laying her icy hand for one moment on mine. Her touch almost paralyzed it.<\/em><\/p>\n You are ill yourself! What can I do? You need to rest.<\/em><\/p>\n Oh, heavens no, she answered, waving me away, Do not think of me. I cannot rest. Attend to your brother.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAdam\u2019s head was bleeding again and I knelt down beside him and tried to staunch the flow of blood. The lady stood a little distance from us, her arms folded, an expression of intense agony on her face.<\/p>\n \u201cThe tent flap opened and a heavy-set, middle-aged man hurried towards us demanding to know who the lady was as she resembled a woman he had treated some years before. I turned to introduce them, but she was gone. I went outside and asked everyone which direction\u00a0 the lady in the white cloak had taken. Some admitted to seeing her but no one knew where she went.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam said, \u201cI told the doctor\u2014his name was Hurley, I think\u2014that I had found her among the other survivors of the train wreck. I asked him how he knew her and he repeated he wasn’t sure it was the same woman at all.<\/p>\n \u201cThe doctor was stitching Adam up when I returned,\u201d said Joe. \u201cI asked him what became of the woman who resembled our lady.\u00a0 He merely said she died.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s some mystery,” Hoss said, thoughtfully. “Was your lady real?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam shrugged. \u201cI kissed her hand. It was real enough then.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI freed her hand when it was pinned under the debris. And a few people at the site acknowledged her presence.\u201d<\/p>\n Perplexed, Hoss\u2019s brow wrinkled. \u201cBut not everyone.\u201d He studied both Adam and Joe as they traded glances and he pounded his knee. \u201cConfound it! You\u2019re doing it again\u2026 making me read between the lines. Spit it out!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam said, \u201cYou might as well tell him, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause the doc had seen her, right?\u201d Hoss asked excitedly.<\/p>\n \u201cEasy, Hoss,\u201d Adam said. \u201cHe again professed not to know our lady exactly but had been struck by her similarity to a woman he had known before…. a woman whose husband had been killed in a railway accident near Cal Pacific\u2019s Tunnel No. 8, not far from where we were.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe continued, \u201cWhile the doctor stitched Adam\u2019s head, he told us the whole story.<\/p>\n She confided to me on her death bed. It appeared she had married a wealthy financier many years older than herself. Her brother was an inveterate gambler who incurred substantial losses. In order to save him from disgrace and ruin, she had forged her husband’s name to checks for an amount which cancelled her brother\u2019s debts. The husband, however, had discovered the fraud and put the police on the track of the brother. <\/em><\/p>\n They were traveling to San Francisco where he intended to take his wife to the bank on which the forgeries had been drawn. They had a frightful quarrel on the train. He reproached her with her dishonesty, and she fiercely upbraided him for wishing to deliver her brother to justice.<\/em><\/p>\n She said to him \u201cmay we never reach our journey’s end\u2014 may I see you dead at my feet.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The husband rose up, saying he would no longer travel in the same car with her, and opened the window to check how close the train was to their destination. He stood with his head and part of his body, out of the window. <\/em><\/p>\n The next moment there was a blow \u2014 a crunch, and her husband’s headless corpse fell heavily across her lap.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cA truly tragic story\u201d said Adam. \u201cHow she traveled miles in the darkening afternoon with that dead body on her knees, her fair hair stained by his blood. How when they found her at last, she was almost paralyzed to idiocy. How she lingered but a few weeks after him and then faded away a prey to the deepest remorse, time and space failed to explain.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe added, \u201cBoth Adam and I were numb. \u00a0We wanted nothing more than to get home as soon as possible so we ignored the doctor\u2019s advice, retrieved our horses and started riding. You know the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExcept for this,\u201d Adam said. He pulled from the pocket of his robe a mother-of-pearl button and place it on the bed.<\/p>\n They each stared at the button but didn’t…couldn’t…speak as words failed them.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n \u201cMail\u2019s here!\u201d Hoss called out the next day when he returned from Virginia City.<\/p>\n \u201cIs there a package for Adam?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYessir. Looks like a book.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s good. He\u2019s been waiting for it to arrive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow are our invalids holding up?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour older brother is already antsy. I think we\u2019d better move him to the downstairs bedroom soon. At least then he can go outside in the wheelchair.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but that would leave Joe alone upstairs alone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe can walk, just not sit up, lay down, or pull his pants on without assistance. I think we can help him with the stairs, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure thing, Pa.\u00a0 Oh, hey, I almost forgot to give you this.\u201d Hoss reached inside his vest and pulled out a sheaf of newspaper clippings. Dan DeQuille over at the Territorial Enterprise thought you might like to have these. Seems the landslide and the train wreck made the news in every major paper from San Francisco to New York.\u00a0 Some nice things said about Adam and Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor instance?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam\u2019s engineering and organizational skills. Joe\u2019s \u2018dogged tenacity\u2019\u2014I think is the way it was put\u2014in recovering the bodies of men buried in the slide. And that he spotted the wreck when no one else had thereby saving lives.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll look forward to reading them. Why don\u2019t you go ahead and take that book up to Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYessir.\u201d<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s door was open but Hoss knocked anyway and said, \u201cSpecial delivery! You been expecting a book?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIndeed I have.\u201d Adam carefully untied the string and methodically removed the brown paper.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, for pity\u2019s sake,\u201d said Joe. \u201cJust rip it!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPatience, dear boy.\u201d Adam set aside the brown paper and began removing the inner wrapping.<\/p>\n \u201cIs it the Wilkie Collins\u2019 book?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, and yes, you can read it first.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam handed it to Joe who said, \u201cYou\u2019ve got to be kidding,\u201d and started to laugh.<\/p>\n Bewildered, Hoss asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s so funny?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe passed the book to Hoss, who read the title aloud, \u201cThe Woman in White.\u201d<\/p>\n Downstairs, Ben paused his reading of the newspaper clippings to enjoy the sound of his sons\u2019 laughter. If, despite the tragedies they\u2019d witnessed and some dark hours over the last week, they could still laugh, then they would be all right.<\/p>\n The End<\/p>\n Author\u2019s Notes:<\/p>\n landslide 2 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In 1852, Henness Pass Road was a wagon toll road from Nevada to the gold fields of California. Between 1860 and 1868, traffic was so heavy at times that freight wagons traveled by day and stagecoaches drove at night. The road continued to be used until the completion of the transcontinental railway in 1868.\u00a0\u00a0The Crystal Peak bridge was built in 1860 by Felix O’Neill. it was located at the last natural crossing of the Truckee River before the Henness Pass Road began its climb over the Sierras.\u00a0 O’Neill had the first station on the river hence the spot became known as O’Neil’s Crossing.<\/p>\n 3 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Could Joe have crossed the river on foot?\u00a0 Yes. The Truckee River runs 3-4′ deep with occasional side ponds at 20′.\u00a0 It is very rocky, which is why a bridge would be needed for lumber wagons and stagecoaches.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
\nmirror writing
\nbloody clothes
\nbutton
\nnewspaper clipping<\/p>\n