Summary: \u00a0More than a fish story . . . this tale recounts how loss, memories, and discovery shape the friendships we form and the people we become.<\/p>\n
Rated:\u00a0 T+ —\u00a0\u00a0WC 9700<\/p>\n
Set in Season 9 shortly after Candy comes to work on the Ponderosa.\u00a0References are made to \u201cBank Run,\u201d \u201cBetween Heaven and Earth,\u201d and \u201cSense of Duty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Disclaimer:<\/strong> \u00a0All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners.\u00a0 The original characters and plot are property of the author.\u00a0\u00a0 The author is not in any way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise.\u00a0\u00a0No copyright infringement is intended.<\/p>\n Many thanks to Pat for the prompt (“The one that got away”) and to Linda for her suggestion to expand the story.<\/p>\n The One That Got Away<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1<\/p>\n For the third time this week Joe Cartwright was awake before sunup.\u00a0 If truth be told, he hadn\u2019t slept more than a few hours any night since the bank robbery in Carson City a month ago.\u00a0 A life snuffed out by the snap of a finger.<\/em>\u00a0 That\u2019s what Dan DeQuille\u2019s editorial in The Territorial Enterprise had said.\u00a0 \u00a0Joe wasn\u2019t there; but his friend Tom Watson was . . . at least until one of the robbers snapped his fingers and his partner fired, dropping Tom before he could finish his sentence.<\/p>\n Tom Watson didn\u2019t normally come to town on a weekday, hard-working man that he was. But he was happier than a tick on a fat dog to be making the last payment on his small farm. \u201cThere was no reason to shoot him; he wouldn\u2019t have caused nobody any trouble,\u201d bank teller Orville Loomis said.<\/p>\n According to Loomis, two men entered the bank shortly after Watson. Neither spoke. One of them pulled the shade down; the other pulled a gun. \u201cTom was jabbering away\u2014that man could talk the hind legs off a donkey, you know.\u00a0 Must have irritated the man at the window cause he snapped his fingers once and the man with the gun shot Tom dead right in the middle of a word.\u201d\u00a0 Along with all the silver, gold and bonds in the safe, the robbers took the greenbacks right out of Tom\u2019s fist.<\/p>\n Not for the first time did Joe wonder about the twists of fate that would allow a man or woman<\/em> to rise from bed healthy and happy in the morning only to be laid to rest in a coffin before day was done. \u00a0Not for the last time did Joe make a wish upon the morning star that his Pa would come home safe.<\/p>\n The grizzled cook, his apron stained with grease, stepped out the side door of the Cartwright\u2019s kitchen and rang the bell, loudly and without rhythm.<\/p>\n \u201cCome an\u2019 get it \u2018afore I throw it out!\u201d he yelled before hawking up a wad of phlegm and spitting into the bushes.\u00a0 Joe watched from his bedroom window as reluctant ranch hands emerged from the bunkhouse one by one and headed toward the wrangler\u2019s mess, looking as if they were going to a funeral\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0their own.<\/p>\n Tucking his shirt into his pants, Joe picked up a bundle off his dresser and headed downstairs to the dining room where Hoss sat in his usual place scowling at the platter on the table.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter, big brother?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked.\u00a0 \u201cOff yer feed?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDadgummit,\u201d Hoss said, stabbing a burnt piece of toast with his fork and shaking it at Joe.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t nothin\u2019 been served in this house for two weeks that ain\u2019t burnt!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hear tell a little charcoal\u2019s good for your digestion,\u201d ranch hand Candy Canaday said cheerfully as he emerged from the kitchen and slid into Joe\u2019s usual seat.<\/p>\n \u201cA little!\u00a0 I ate enough charcoal since Hop Sing went on holiday to fuel a forge!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss threw his fork down and jerked his chin at Joe.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t it a bit early for you to be up?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTake heart, brother. \u00a0Hop Sing is due back Friday.\u201d\u00a0 Joe placed the bundle on the table in front of Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cHere.\u00a0 Don\u2019t say I never did nothin\u2019 for ya.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHot diggity!\u201d Hoss exclaimed as he untied the checkered napkin.\u00a0 \u201cCinnamon rolls!\u00a0 Where\u2019d you get \u2018em, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n Candy sniffed, reaching for one.\u00a0 \u201cLarson\u2019s Bakery is my guess.\u00a0 Nobody makes cinnamon rolls like Helga Larson.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMmmmm mmmmmm,\u201d Hoss sighed as he sunk his teeth into a soft, gooey roll.<\/p>\n \u201cBetter not let Hop Sing hear that you favor Helga\u2019s rolls over his or we\u2019ll be stuck with \u2018charcoal Charlie\u2019 permanently,\u201d Joe laughed.<\/p>\n Hoss pulled a face, but when he noticed Joe had made no move to sit down and eat, he said, \u201cWhere are you headed?\u00a0 There\u2019re still chores to finish before Pa gets back from Sacramento,\u201d and pointed at the center of the table.\u00a0 Even though their Pa no longer felt compelled to put one of them \u201cin charge,\u201d he persisted in leaving a detailed list of things to be accomplished whenever he was out of town.<\/p>\n Joe rolled his eyes at the irony of a work order anchored by a salt box, but made no move to pick it up.\u00a0 Instead, he reached for the coffee pot and filled the cups on the table.<\/p>\n \u201cYour father leaves you a list of chores?\u201d Candy could barely contain a snicker.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cHe started doing that when Adam was just a little tyke.\u00a0 Pa says he was the orderly sort from the time he was born.\u00a0 Everything had to be on schedule\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe ate and slept by the clock and changed his own diaper, too,\u201d Joe interjected.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014so to teach him ta read, Pa wrote a list every day when they were on the trail comin\u2019 west.\u00a0 Got to be a habit for both of \u2018em, I reckon.\u00a0 The chores used to be fairly sensible until Adam started bein\u2019 in charge.\u00a0 Then he started throwin\u2019 in them curvy things.\u201d<\/p>\n Candy looked bewildered.\u00a0 \u201cCurvy things?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAhead of the curve,\u201d Joe explained.\u00a0 \u201cIf we got caught up before day was done, Adam always had extra chores we could start on to get ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot much fun was he?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, older brother had his moments,\u201d Hoss chuckled, \u201cbut he could<\/em> get all self-important, that\u2019s a fact.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe let loose with his trademark high-pitched giggle and reached for the list.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me see this,\u201d he said shaking his head as he read down the page, then turned it over and found more of the same on the back side.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019d think Pa would remember there are only two of us now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey!\u201d protested Candy between mouthfuls, \u201cWhat am I?\u00a0 Chopped liver?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAu contraire, mon fr\u00e8re!\u00a0 If you were, Hoss would have fried you up with bacon and onions by now.\u201d<\/p>\n While Hoss and Candy both snorted, Joe continued perusing the list. \u00a0\u201cLook, most of these are done.\u00a0 Candy and I are going to take care of number nine; you do six, twelve and fifteen and I\u2019ll do the rest when I get back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe can cross number nine off,\u201d Hoss said. \u00a0\u201cDakota already rode that fence and didn\u2019t find anything wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBy yesterday\u2019s count, we lost another steer,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0 \u201cI asked Candy to come with me for another look.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDang.\u00a0 That\u2019s prime beef up on that section, too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, brother,\u201d Joe assured, snatching the last cinnamon roll.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll find where they\u2019re getting out and put everything to rights before Pa gets back so you can get an \u2018A\u2019 on your paper.\u201d<\/p>\n And with a final chortle and a lick of the fingers, he and Candy were gone.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2<\/p>\n The trail up to the east pasture was a gentle one, made all the more easy by the vistas from which the magnificent sunrise was viewed.\u00a0 Although the ascending red sun held the promise of a hot day, the grasses in the pasture were still wet with the dew that clung to each shaft like tears.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s previously jovial mood had noticeably altered the further they travelled.\u00a0 As the sun rose, the grasses began to bend towards the ground and weep.\u00a0 In the increasing light, Candy couldn\u2019t help but notice the unshed tears in Joe\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n Not for the first time did he marvel at the man\u2019s capacity to surprise him.\u00a0 Not for the last time did he wonder what made Joe Cartwright tick.<\/p>\n Joe could sense the unspoken questions that radiated off of Candy like French perfume off a harlot.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean, what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou got somethin\u2019 to say, say it.\u201d<\/p>\n They rode in silence a while longer before Candy spoke again.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam used to be in charge when your Pa was away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen he left and now Hoss is in charge when your Pa\u2019s away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut you make the decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe looked over at Candy before answering.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat makes you think that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou said, \u2018You do six, twelve and fifteen, and I\u2019ll do the rest.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou made the decision.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u00a0 Pa decided what work needed to be done when he wrote out the list.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, that makes no sense whatsoever,\u201d Candy protested.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause he\u2019s been gone two weeks and you didn\u2019t even look at what he wrote until this morning!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo how did you know what work he wanted done?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe pulled ahead of Candy and turned Cochise so they were face to face.\u00a0 \u201cDo you really think Hoss and I don\u2019t know what it takes to run the Ponderosa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, no . . . but . . .\u201d<\/p>\n Joe stared at Candy for a moment then smiled and resumed riding.<\/p>\n \u201cLook,\u201d Joe began when Candy caught up.\u00a0 \u201cThe first time Hoss was left \u2018in charge\u2019 he rode roughshod over me somethin\u2019 fierce, actin\u2019 all puffed up and full of himself.\u00a0 Had me doing all sorts of chores that were beyond my abilities at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Hoss.\u00a0 And the first time I got put in charge, I did the same thing only since there\u2019s not much Hoss can\u2019t do, I gave him silly stuff like white washing the smoke house of all things.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo foolin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo foolin\u2019.\u00a0 Worse, I got us into a mess a trouble with Roy Coffee and we wound up with our faces on a wanted poster.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat for?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBank robbery.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou two robbed a bank?!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course not.\u00a0 We were protecting the citizens\u2019 money from an unscrupulous banker but Pa liked as to have had heart failure when he got back home and saw the posters plastered all over town.\u201d<\/p>\n Candy whistled.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, Hoss and I decided we weren\u2019t ever going to do that again.\u00a0 Pa makes his list. \u00a0Hoss does what he\u2019s good at.\u00a0 I do what I\u2019m good at.\u00a0 Right before Pa gets home we check everything off and everybody\u2019s happy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat if not everything gets done?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe list always gets done, Candy.\u00a0 Whether or not Pa believes it, we know what to do.\u00a0 Doesn\u2019t mean we don\u2019t need help, just that we know what needs doin\u2019.\u00a0 And right now what needs doin\u2019 is for us to find those steers.\u201d\u00a0 Joe kicked his horse into a canter and rode ahead.<\/p>\n Candy shook his head in amazement.\u00a0 Getting to know the Cartwrights was like peeling an onion; just when he thought he knew what to expect, another layer was revealed.<\/p>\n \u201cDang, if that don\u2019t beat all.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 3<\/p>\n When they reached Kings Crossing Road Joe and Candy veered north to the pasture where the cattle were grazing then headed in opposite directions to check for breaches along the fence\u2019s perimeter.<\/p>\n It was late afternoon by the time they reunited near where they had started.\u00a0 All posts were up and the wire taut. \u00a0Frustrated at their inability to find anything amiss but lacking another plan of action at the moment, Joe agreed when Candy suggested they take a break in the shade of an old tree atop a nearby hill. \u00a0Leaving the horses to graze on the other side of the knoll, they stretched out in the shadow of the gnarled tree with their canteens and some jerky.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I don\u2019t know what to make of it,\u201d Joe said at last, working his jaw on the dried meat.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a mystery, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d Candy agreed.\u00a0 \u201cLook, there\u2019s only three maybe four head missing.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t we just post extra men and let it go at that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll post the men all right, but that\u2019s not enough.\u00a0 These cattle are the result of years of special breeding.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be damned if I\u2019m going to tell Pa we lost even one of them,\u201d he said as he ripped another piece of jerky.\u00a0 After chewing a few minutes, Joe spat out the remains and sank back against the tree with a great sigh.<\/p>\n Again Candy bore that quizzical look, but this time Joe waited for it while absentmindedly pulling tufts of grass from the base of the tree.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t have to wait long.<\/p>\n \u201cCan I ask you a question?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou can ask.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you always this changeable?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s whole body froze for a moment before he dissolved into laughter and tipped over, holding his sides.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s so funny?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cY-you!\u201d Joe sputtered.\u00a0 \u201cWhat kind of a question is that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just trying to figure you out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBetter men than you have tried!\u201d he said, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re a puzzle, Joe.\u00a0 You\u2019re all over the place . . . happy, sad, angry.\u00a0 I never know what goes on in that head of yours.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow you sound like Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am not your brother.\u00a0 But I\u2019d like to be your friend.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are friends, Candy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre we?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure.\u00a0 What makes you think we\u2019re not?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know anything about you really.\u00a0 You don\u2019t know anything about me.\u00a0 I work for your Pa, that\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo? I work for Pa, too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo it takes more than workin\u2019 together to be friends; takes giving up a part of yourself.\u00a0 The truth is . . .\u00a0 I don\u2019t make friends easy.\u201d<\/p>\n That was an absurd statement and Joe was about to say so, but the look on Candy\u2019s face left him dumbfounded.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t the first time, of course.\u00a0 He remembered the moment not that long ago the man had sauntered unannounced into a supposedly secure camp with a grin a mile wide and an easy way about him.\u00a0 Pa was flabbergasted at Candy\u2019s gall but offered him a job anyway. \u00a0So instead Joe said simply, \u201cI can\u2019t believe that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t deny I\u2019ve been around . . . met a lot of people in my travels.\u00a0 Friends are another matter though.\u00a0 Gotta put down roots to have friends.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you\u2019re a tumbleweed, is that it?\u201d<\/p>\n Candy shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re a lot alike, you know,\u201d he said. \u201cI change locations; you change temperament.\u00a0 Result is the same . . . keeps people from getting too close.\u201d<\/p>\n Suppressing a quick comeback, Joe considered this remark while he pondered his response.<\/p>\n He still lived in the house he was born in, made friends easily, and had been blessed with a lot of them although many had turned out to be what his father termed fair-weather friends. \u00a0Joe had also lost good, through-thick-and-thin friends; some tragically like Tom Watson, some through his own self-righteous arrogance like Mitch Devlin.\u00a0 Joe sensed, rather than knew for a fact, that Candy had had his share of fair-weather friends in the past, too, and few, if any, of the thick-and-thin variety.\u00a0 But Candy was right about him.\u00a0 He had armed himself with every weapon at his disposal:\u00a0 charm, wit, laughter, and a dazzling smile\u2014whatever it took to keep people from getting close enough to see the warts that were his short comings and failures.<\/p>\n Candy had only known him a short time and yet saw right through him with uncanny precision.\u00a0 It was unnerving in a way and at the same time comforting.\u00a0 Being around the affable ranch hand was easy because he felt free to be himself with no pretenses, no excuses.\u00a0 It was like being with his family.<\/p>\n But before Joe could say as much, Candy poked him and pointed.<\/p>\n \u201cLook there!\u00a0 What\u2019s he doing?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 4<\/p>\n The buckboard had turned off Kings Crossing Road and was headed straight for them.\u00a0 Just when it looked like it would run straight into the fence, the driver stopped and climbed down.\u00a0 Joe and Candy watched in fascination as the man lifted a fence pole and, keeping the wire taut, moved away from the fence line leaving an opening wide enough for the team and wagon to pass through.\u00a0 Then he replaced the pole and continued across the pasture around the knoll.<\/p>\n Joe nudged Candy and pointed north.\u00a0 \u201cGo!\u201d<\/p>\n Hugging the ground near the tree while Candy slid down the back side of the hill and saddled the horses, Joe watched the progress of the buckboard until he heard Candy\u2019s birdcall.\u00a0 Slowly he inched his way off the ridgeline keeping a low profile.<\/p>\n They followed at a distance for quite some time.\u00a0 By now the sun was setting and it was getting difficult to see.\u00a0 To their amazement, the man in the buckboard lit lanterns on either side of the wagon obviously not concerned that he was being followed.<\/p>\n \u201cCareless or cocky, either way it\u2019s good for us,\u201d Candy said.<\/p>\n \u201cOr, it\u2019s a signal,\u201d Joe said more cautiously.\u00a0 \u201cOne if I\u2019m alone; two if I\u2019m being followed . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u00a0 Good point.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s back off a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre we still on the Ponderosa?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe looked around to get his bearings.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 But I think I know where he\u2019s headed.\u00a0 There\u2019s a box canyon at the end of a ravine not too far from here.\u00a0 Good place for a hideout.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou think he\u2019s taking supplies in?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLooks that way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou thinkin\u2019 what I\u2019m thinkin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe nodded.\u00a0 \u201cA steer or two would feed a lot of men.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDamn.\u201d<\/p>\n In the event there were sentries watching the road, Joe and Candy headed west as if they were returning home.\u00a0 When they passed beneath an outcrop, Joe pulled up.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s trade horses.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d asked Candy.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause on your horse I can get in closer and figure out what\u2019s going on.\u00a0 Cochise is too visible even at dusk and he\u2019s widely known in these parts. \u00a0If you take him and stick to the road, nobody will think twice about a rider on a paint headed toward the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not going back without you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor one thing, Hoss would have my hide.\u00a0 For another, you don\u2019t know for sure where that buckboard is going and, if you\u2019re right, you don\u2019t know how many men will be waiting for you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou got a better plan?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n \u201cLeave Cochise here and let\u2019s ride double back to the road.\u00a0 I\u2019ll follow the buckboard on foot; you ride for the Marshal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause the Marshal knows you; he doesn\u2019t know me.\u00a0 Besides, I\u2019m quiet on foot, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cO.K. \u00a0I don\u2019t like it, but O.K.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 5<\/p>\n Candy was right. \u00a0It was hard enough to convince Marshal Irwin in the dead of night to send his men into the Sierra foothills to find a box canyon in a blind ravine when he carried the Cartwright name.\u00a0 A stranger would never have had a chance.\u00a0 Well, maybe that was unfair, Joe reasoned later.\u00a0 The Marshal would have listened to Candy eventually, just not at midnight.\u00a0 But with Joe doing the talking, the posse was on the road by 1 a.m. and at the ravine before sunup.<\/p>\n Using the call of a mourning dove as a signal, Candy joined up with Joe and the posse and proceeded to fill them in on the relative position, strength and habits of their prey.\u00a0 At first doubtful, the Marshal was won over by the military precision with which Candy related the facts.<\/p>\n After minimal gun play, the gang members were overpowered and surrendered; only one had gotten away.\u00a0 Given the terrain, the Marshal was not overly concerned, but when Joe learned the escapee was none other than the man with the snapping fingers, he became obsessed with pursuing him.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, settle down,\u201d Candy said. \u201cThe Marshal will find him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t understand,\u201d Joe was seething.<\/p>\n \u201cI do.\u00a0 He\u2019s responsible for your friend\u2019s death.\u00a0 I get it.\u00a0 But you going off half-cocked, with no sleep, and no food to speak of in the last 24 hours, is not smart and I took you for a smarter man than that,\u201d Candy said.\u00a0 \u201cAm I wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n Hearing the shouting, the Marshal approached.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s right, Cartwright.\u00a0 There\u2019s nothing more you can do here.\u00a0 We wouldn\u2019t have found any of these men if it weren\u2019t for you and Canaday, and I need you\u2014both of you\u2014alive and well to testify at their trial.\u00a0 We\u2019ll find Jameson\u2014that\u2019s his name, by the way\u2014Robert \u201cFingers\u201d Jameson outta Oklahoma.\u00a0 He\u2019s had his fingers into every kind of thievery including cattle rustling, horse stealing, robbing stores, banks, holding up stagecoaches, and taking the last bit of cash from lone riders.\u00a0 He\u2019s also acted as a fence for stolen jewels and has been implicated in at least a dozen land swindles.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut not murder?\u201d Candy asked.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a smart man; not known to carry a gun and always has someone else pull the trigger.\u00a0 Don\u2019t worry, he won\u2019t be going far.\u00a0 We found a blood trail leading into those rocks and my men are on it.\u00a0 We\u2019ll find him.\u201d<\/p>\n The canyon was a dead end, Joe knew.\u00a0 Nevertheless he looked over Candy\u2019s shoulder to where the Marshal was pointing and weighed Jameson\u2019s options:\u00a0 One, he could fight and die; two, he could surrender, be tried and hanged; three, he could bleed to death . . . any way you looked at it, the outlaw was a dead man and the posse didn\u2019t need him or Candy at this point.<\/p>\n Joe rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and sighed. \u00a0\u201cI guess I could use some shut eye.\u00a0 Sorry for yelling.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTell you what,\u201d the Marshal said as he walked between Joe and Candy toward where the prisoners were being held.\u00a0 \u201cSheriff Nightingale could use some help with cleaning up this mess.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you and Cana\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n With lightning speed, Joe moved away, drew his gun, dropped, rolled, and fired three rounds into the rocks in rapid succession.\u00a0 At first there was no movement, just stunned silence as everyone straightened up from the hunkered-down position they had assumed when Joe began firing.\u00a0 Then they watched as a body slowly, almost gracefully, dropped to the ground.\u00a0 Candy used the toe of his boot to turn the man over.\u00a0 Dead; still clutching a gun.<\/p>\n \u201cHow did you know, Cartwright?\u201d the Marshal asked, incredulously.<\/p>\n \u201cI heard a snap.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 6<\/p>\n With Jameson accounted for, the Marshal and his men returned with their prisoners to Carson City but not before letting it be known there was a sizable reward which would no doubt be shared by the two cowboys.<\/p>\n \u201cDo me a favor, Marshal,\u201d Joe said. \u00a0\u201cSee to it that Tom Watson\u2019s family gets my share.\u201d<\/p>\n Candy nodded in agreement.\u00a0 Although he didn\u2019t know the Watsons and money was little comfort for the loss of a husband and father, the widow would surely need funds come winter.<\/p>\n As suggested, Joe and Candy remained behind with the Sheriff to bag evidence and clean up the site. They had just finished when one of the deputies returned with Cochise in tow.<\/p>\n \u201cThought it was the least we could do,\u201d said the lawman as he handed the reins over.<\/p>\n \u201cMuch obliged.\u00a0 It would have been a long walk home,\u201d replied Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s get out of here,\u201d Candy urged.\u00a0 \u201cIsn\u2019t Hop Sing due home today?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re as bad as Hoss,\u201d laughed Joe.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s some place I want to stop first though.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 7<\/p>\n Tom\u2019s widow and daughter were on\u00a0the porch swing when Joe and Candy rode in.\u00a0\u00a0Emma lay with her head in her mother’s lap, lip quivering with the kind of hiccups that remain after a long cry. \u00a0Sherlene rested her cheek on one hand while\u00a0the other absentmindedly stroked her daughter’s curls.\u00a0 Neither seemed aware of their visitors.\u00a0 When there was no greeting, Joe dismounted, walked up the steps and knelt in front of them.<\/p>\n “Sherlene,”\u00a0he called softly, placing a hand on her arm when she didn’t respond immediately.\u00a0 “Sherlene, it’s Joe.”<\/p>\n “Joe?\u00a0 What are you doing here?<\/p>\n “I brought news.”<\/p>\n “Emma, honey, get up.\u00a0 Look who’s here.”<\/p>\n The little girl sat up and rubbed her eyes, then screamed “Uncle Joe!” and threw her arms around his neck.<\/p>\n “Hi, darlin’.\u00a0 How’s my favorite girl?”<\/p>\n “F-fine,” the little girl said, snuffling.<\/p>\n “Emma, I bet Uncle Joe would like to meet Lulu.\u00a0 Why don’t you go get her?”<\/p>\n “All right.\u201d<\/p>\n “Lulu?” Joe asked after Emma went in the house.<\/p>\n “Her new dolly.\u00a0 Tom must have ordered it the day he . . . before he . . . .\u201d Sherlene\u2019s eyes filled with tears and her voice trembled as she said, \u201cIt came in the mail, all the way from San Francisco.”<\/p>\n Joe took her hands in his.\u00a0 “Sherlene, we came to tell you that the man responsible for Tom\u2019s death was found.\u201d<\/p>\n “Found?”\u00a0she said, momentarily perplexed.\u00a0 “Oh, yes.\u00a0 He got away.”<\/p>\n “He won’t hurt anyone ever again.\u00a0 He’s dead.”<\/p>\n “He\u2019s dead,\u201d she repeated while it sank in.\u00a0 \u201cIt’s over then.”<\/p>\n “Yes.\u00a0 We wanted you to hear it from us.”<\/p>\n “\u2014Us?”\u00a0she questioned, looking around.\u00a0\u00a0“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you, Mr.?”<\/p>\n “Canaday, ma’am.”\u00a0\u00a0Candy touched his hat in greeting, but remained astride his horse.\u00a0 “Call me Candy.”<\/p>\n Sherlene nodded and then turned back to Joe.\u00a0 “You look done in, both of you.\u00a0 Are you hungry?\u00a0 There\u2019s bread in the oven and I can fix omelets if someone will gather the eggs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy pleasure, ma\u2019am,\u201d Candy said, dismounting.<\/p>\n Sherlene sliced some ham for the griddle while the bread cooled and Joe sat cross-legged on the rug with Emma helping her dress Lulu.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Uncle Joe, you\u2019re doing it all wrong,\u201d Emma pouted.\u00a0 \u201dThe pantaloons go under the petticoat, not on top.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you know anything about girls?!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cApparently, very little, Emma,\u201d Joe chuckled.<\/p>\n \u201cI could only find a dozen,\u201d Candy said coming through the back door.<\/p>\n \u201cThose will do fine, Candy, thank you,\u201d Sherlene said, taking the basket from his hand.\u00a0 \u201cEveryone go wash up, lunch will be on the table shortly.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe unfolded his legs and picked up Emma by the waist.\u00a0 She squealed as he slung her over his shoulder and galloped through the door to the outside pump, nearly knocking Candy down along the way.<\/p>\n Candy hadn\u2019t moved since handing over the eggs.\u00a0 Sherlene\u2019s skin was soft for a farm wife but it was her eyes that had mesmerized him.\u00a0 Despite still being red and puffy, they were the most astonishing shade of sapphire blue he had ever seen.<\/p>\n After lunch, Joe volunteered to put Emma down for a nap leaving Candy to help with the dishes.\u00a0 Being close to Sherlene was no chore, but given his earlier reaction to her touch, he felt awkward around the young widow and unsure whether there was a history between Joe and Sherlene.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe sure is good with Emma,\u201d he said finally.<\/p>\n \u201cDoes that surprise you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t really know him well enough to be surprised or not.\u00a0 How long have you known him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe?\u00a0 Oh, about ten years I guess,\u201d Sherlene said, handing Candy a towel to dry the dishes.\u00a0 \u201cMy husband and Adam had gone to college together and they kept in touch after graduation.\u00a0 Tom was always intrigued by Adam\u2019s tales of western life.\u00a0 During the War Between the States, Adam encouraged him to come out here and take up ranching; said his family would help.\u00a0 That\u2019s when I met Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n Candy was doing the math.\u00a0 He had heard about Joe and older women, but didn\u2019t hold much with bunk house talk.\u00a0 Either Sherlene was a lot older than she looked which was not likely given the hard life of a farm wife, or she was a lot younger than her husband.\u00a0 If there were something between Joe and Sherlene, he\u2019d back away, but if not\u2014well\u2014he reckoned he\u2019d like to get to know this woman better.<\/p>\n \u201cTom spent some time in St. Louis.\u00a0 That\u2019s where we met and got married and I came west with him.\u00a0 Even though I liked it well enough here, I missed my parents and the Cartwrights became a second family.\u201d<\/p>\n “How did you wind up with a farm instead of a ranch?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTom thought cattle were stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey are,\u201d Candy laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cSo we decided to grow alfalfa.\u00a0 With all the livestock hereabouts, it\u2019s a good crop.\u00a0 We get in three or four cuttings a year.\u00a0 We also have the orchards, chickens and goats.\u00a0\u00a0 Those plates go in the sideboard.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo you were never interested in Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, why?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo reason.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe\u2019s a good man, don\u2019t get me wrong, but he\u2019s just a friend . . . a very good friend.\u00a0 I think Adam was always surprised by that, or maybe bemused is a better word.\u00a0 After all, he and Tom were intellectual equals, but Tom and Joe shared a sense of humor and a zest for living that defied explanation given their age difference.\u00a0 They would pull the most outlandish pranks on each other.\u201d\u00a0 Sherlene stopped scrubbing the kitchen table and was lost in memories for a few minutes.\u00a0 Then she smiled and said, \u201cThank you, Candy.\u00a0 That\u2019s first time I\u2019ve thought about Tom in a month that I haven\u2019t wanted to cry.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After Joe removed Emma\u2019s shoes and socks, he fluffed the pillows and then tucked the summer quilt around her and Lulu.<\/p>\n \u201cComfy?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Emma nodded and put her thumb in her mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cCan I ask you a question, Em?\u201d<\/p>\n He took her silence for permission.<\/p>\n \u201cYou were crying earlier.\u00a0 Would you tell me why?\u201d<\/p>\n The little girl chewed her lip.\u00a0 \u201cPapa\u2019s birthday is next week.\u00a0 We always go fishin\u2019 on his birthday, but Mama said we can\u2019t this year.\u00a0 Why? Why can\u2019t we, Uncle Joe?\u00a0 Doesn\u2019t Papa want to fish with me anymore?\u00a0 Is that why he went away?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEm, your papa loves you still.\u00a0 I know it\u2019s hard to believe.\u00a0 I lost my mama when I was about your age.\u00a0 It took me a long time to understand why she was taken from me.\u00a0 But I had my Pa and my brothers and they loved me, too, and helped me understand that I did nothing wrong; I was not responsible for her going away.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got your mama and me and your grandparents back in St. Louis.\u00a0 We all love you and we want you to know what happened to your papa had nothing to do with you.\u201d<\/p>\n Emma held her arms out straight and Joe gathered her up into a tight hug.<\/p>\n \u201cWould you sing me a song?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure.\u00a0 Which one would you like to hear?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe one you sang to Papa at the church.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShenandoah,\u201d Joe whispered.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s my Pa\u2019s favorite song, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Candy and Sherlene were sitting on the front porch when Joe emerged from the house and announced, \u201cShe\u2019s asleep.\u201d<\/p>\n Sherlene stood and poured Joe a glass of lemonade.\u00a0 \u201cThe song was sweet, Joe.\u00a0 Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe sat on the porch rail holding the glass between his hands.\u00a0 \u201cSherl, where did Tom like to fish?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUp at Kings Canyon Creek.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 She didn\u2019t badger you to take her fishing did she?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u00a0 Nothing like that.\u00a0 I just think it would be a good way to spend next Wednesday.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWednesday?\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that the day your Pa comes back from Sacramento?\u201d Candy asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but not until suppertime.\u00a0\u00a0 I figure we could fish in the morning, have a picnic lunch and still have time to meet Hoss for a beer before the stage gets in.\u201d\u00a0 Joe held the glass to his lips and asked, \u201cThat okay with you, Sherlene?\u201d before downing the liquid in one big gulp.\u00a0 Only then did he look at her.\u00a0 She was staring back.<\/p>\n Without saying a word, Sherlene moved to the other side of the porch and wrapped her arms around the post, laying her cheek against the warm wood.\u00a0 She closed her eyes savoring the soft breeze that lifted the tendrils around her forehead.\u00a0 The scent of honeysuckle permeated the air and she breathed deeply.\u00a0 Eyes open once again, she looked out into the yard at the whimsical giant white rabbit with waistcoat and pocket watch Tom had placed in the garden because it made Emma laugh, at the barn door he\u2019d painted a bright blue because it was unexpected, at the birdhouse he built that looked like a medieval castle complete with moat because she was his queen.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2019It\u2019s a poor sort of memory that only works backwards,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Joe and Candy exchanged glances but remained silent.<\/p>\n A small sound escaped her throat when she turned to see the looks on their faces.<\/p>\n \u201cNever mind,\u201d Sherlene said, shaking her head.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s time to move forward.\u00a0 We\u2019ll go fishing with you Wednesday.\u201d<\/p>\n When Emma woke up, Joe and Candy took their leave.\u00a0 As they rode out the yard, Joe turned in the saddle and shouted.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s what the White Queen said to Alice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery good, Joe.\u00a0 There\u2019s hope for you yet!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 8<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m telling you,\u201d Candy exclaimed while making a chopping motion with his right hand against the upper part of his extended left arm, \u201cit was this big!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss nearly choked on his beer. \u201cYeah, sure it was, Candy.\u00a0 And I\u2019m Little Red Riding Hood.\u201d<\/p>\n Candy swiftly jabbed his left elbow into Joe\u2019s shoulder as he lifted his mug.\u00a0 \u201cTell him, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t look at me,\u201d Joe protested, wiping the foam from his mouth.\u00a0 \u201cI was busy with the hook.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd why is<\/em> that exactly?\u201d said Candy, loosing focus on his tale. \u201cEmma can bait her own hook, her mother said so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey, I was just being helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, too helpful if you ask me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSince when is it a crime to assist a lady in need?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEmma is no lady.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho isn\u2019t a lady?\u201d queried Ben who heard only the tail end of the conversation as he approached the table in Virginia City\u2019s Silver Dollar Saloon.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Pa!\u201d \u201cMr. Cartwright,\u201d the three chimed in unison.\u00a0 As Ben took a seat throwing his saddle bags on top of the table, Hoss signaled the bartender for another beer.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re back early, Pa.\u00a0 We weren\u2019t expecting you until the 6 o\u2019clock stage; everything go all right?\u201d asked Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cJust fine.\u00a0 I\u2019ll tell you about it when we get home.\u00a0 Now, what\u2019s this about \u2018no lady\u2019?\u00a0 Who\u2019s not a lady?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEmma, Sherlene\u2019s girl,\u201d Hoss provided helpfully and was promptly kicked under the table by his younger brother.<\/p>\n \u201cSherlene Watson? \u00a0From Carson City?\u201d\u00a0 Ben questioned.\u00a0 When Hoss nodded, Ben frowned and threw a collective scowl at Joe and Candy.\u00a0 Even though he lowered his voice, both men could hear the reproach implicit in his tone.\u00a0 \u201cA little early to be courting, isn\u2019t it?\u00a0 Her husband hasn\u2019t been in the ground a month yet.\u201d<\/p>\n Candy\u2014at least\u2014had the decency to look chagrined.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s expression, on the other hand, did not change one iota as he continued to drink his beer, peering at his father over the brim.<\/p>\n Hoss rocked back in his chair, his fingers laced across his stomach.\u00a0 He was sure glad Candy had come into their lives.\u00a0 Often as not these days, it was his younger brother and the ranch hand that could raise Pa\u2019s ire leaving him in the heretofore-much-envied position of elder brother and good son.\u00a0 Hoss grinned and decided to help things a long a little.<\/p>\n \u201cI been up since afore sunup every day while you been gone, Pa, working on that list of chores you left.\u201d Hoss waggled his finger at Candy and Joe and said, \u201cThese two scalawags on the other hand, took Emma fishin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd her mother, too.\u00a0 It\u2019s not like we abducted the ch\u2014\u201d Candy broke off, seeing Joe\u2019s eyes narrow and realizing he wasn\u2019t helping any.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd just what were you boys doing fishing in the middle of the week when there\u2019s work to be done?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe finished our work, Pa,\u201d Joe said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cSeems older<\/em> brother here isn\u2019t of a mind to tell you that, or to mention that we helped round up the men involved in the Carson City bank robbery.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou found them?\u201d Ben asked, looking at both Candy and Hoss for confirmation.\u00a0 Hoss skewed his mouth sideways, but gave a quick nod and Candy jumped right in.<\/p>\n \u201cMore than that, sir.\u00a0 Joe and I found out what happened to the missing stock\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat missing stock?\u201d Ben again looked around the table for an explanation. \u201cJust what in tarnation has been going on around here while I\u2019ve been gone?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe breeding stock up in the east pasture,\u201d said Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cWe lost a few.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone please start at the beginning,\u201d Ben sighed, taking a big draw from his mug.<\/p>\n Joe wasn\u2019t talking, so Candy began.\u00a0 \u201cFrom the decreasing headcount it seemed there was a breach but dang if we could find it.\u00a0 After riding the perimeter twice, we took a break up near that big gnarly oak.\u00a0 You know the one?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded. \u201cYes, go on,\u201d he said to Candy, but kept his eyes on Joe who remained atypically silent during this recounting.<\/p>\n \u201cWe hadn\u2019t been there long when this buckboard comes up the road from Carson.\u00a0 We\u2019re not paying it much mind when all of a sudden it turns and heads straight for us; then the driver jumps down, lifts a pole clean outta the dirt and walks it to another hole hidden by brush.\u00a0 Then he drove the rig right into the pasture.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you telling me there is a gate?\u201d Ben said incredulously. \u201cIn my fence?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir.\u00a0 No wonder we couldn\u2019t figure it out; we were looking for a downed fence.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWas he aware he was being watched?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe looked around, but we had the sun behind us,\u201d Joe said, picking up the story where Candy left off.\u00a0 \u201cEven if he saw us, he\u2019d probably thought we were part of that twisted tree, so we just stayed put until he got around the hill and then we followed the buckboard to a ravine near the old logging trail.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat trail hasn\u2019t been used in years; too many rockslides,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n \u201cPerfect cover for them that wants to be hid,\u201d added Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, pity no one thought to look there a month ago before the bank was robbed,\u201d Joe slammed his mug down and rose from the table.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with him?\u201d Ben asked, watching his son head out the back door of the saloon to the privy.\u00a0 There was a definite slump to his shoulders.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been outta sorts since we went fishing,\u201d Candy said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat don\u2019t figure.\u00a0 Joe likes fishin\u2019 almost better than gals!\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cBut it\u2019s a fact.\u00a0 He\u2019s been irritable and contrary and downright ornery sometimes since you found them outlaws.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you not telling me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing, Mr. Cartwright.\u00a0\u00a0 I kept watch and Joe headed for Carson City to get help.\u00a0 He was back by morning with the law.\u00a0 Seems these fellas were part of a larger organization that\u2019s been commitin\u2019 robbery, assault, and other crimes across the territory.\u00a0 They were using the ravine as a base of operations.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen they weren\u2019t rustling?\u201d Ben asked Candy.<\/p>\n \u201cNot for profit.\u00a0 Helpin\u2019 themselves to Ponderosa beef was just an added benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLike I said, Joe fetched the Marshal, Sheriff, and a whole platoon of deputies.\u00a0 They rounded everybody up; end of story.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust like that?\u201d Ben said doubtfully.\u00a0 \u201cNo gunplay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell . . . some, but we\u2019re fine.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben looked at Hoss questioningly.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe\u2019s fine, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe returned to the table bearing two mugs in each hand and sat down.\u00a0 \u201cWe found where they\u2019d been butchering the steers.\u00a0 A real shame, too . . . they didn\u2019t use half of what they slaughtered.\u00a0 After the Marshal left with his prisoners, Alan\u2014Sheriff Nightingill\u2014 stayed and helped us burn the carcasses.\u00a0 Nice guy.\u00a0 Straight shooter.\u201d\u00a0 Joe sighed, flicking a fly out of his foam.<\/p>\n \u201cOn our way back to the ranch Joe insisted we stop at Sherlene\u2019s to let her know the men who killed her husband had been caught,\u201d Candy continued.\u00a0 \u201cFound her and Emma crying on the front porch.\u00a0 We thought they\u2019d already heard the news, but it turned out Emma was crying because Tom\u2019s birthday was coming up and her Pa had always taken her fishing on his birthday.\u00a0 So ol\u2019 softie here,\u201d Candy jerked his head towards Joe, \u201cvolunteers us to take them fishin\u2019.\u00a0 Said it was fittin\u2019 to have a birthday picnic for Tom and that he\u2019d be mighty pleased to know they were enjoyin\u2019 the day, remembering all the good times.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYep.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s a mite fond of birthday parties.\u00a0 Not surprised he\u2019d think of something like that,\u201d Hoss said kindly, and gave his brother a toothy grin.<\/p>\n Joe acknowledged the smile with a small nod and added, \u201cI just didn\u2019t want her last memory of her Pa to be a funeral.\u201d\u00a0 I remember what that\u2019s like. <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cSo, where did you go on this picnic?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n \u201cKings Canyon Creek,\u201d said Candy. \u00a0Ben’s intake of air was audible, but no one seemed to notice except Joe, who looked sharply at his father.<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing baked a cake and we had fried chicken and all the fixin\u2019s,\u201d Candy said.\u00a0 \u201cJoe hung balloons and streamers up in the tree, and we played games and sang songs.\u00a0 But the best part was the fishin\u2019.\u00a0 I know you don\u2019t believe me, Hoss, but there was a green striped fish in that creek as long as my arm.\u00a0 BIG sucker,\u201d Candy held his hands about two feet apart and added sadly, \u201cBut he got away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019ll be . . . Big Bertha,\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d asked Candy.<\/p>\n \u201cBig Bertha is the Mother-of-all large-mouth bass.\u00a0 Some says she\u2019s 25-26 inches and weighs a pound for every inch. \u00a0Joe had a run-in with her when he was just a little tyke,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n Candy turned to Joe, \u201cYou caught Bertha?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHa, ha, ha,\u201d Hoss laughed heartily.\u00a0 \u201cMore like she caught him!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not funny, Hoss,\u201d Joe growled.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, it certainly wasn\u2019t funny at the time,\u201d Ben said. \u00a0\u201cAnd more likely it was a relative of Bertha\u2019s as bass only live about fifteen years.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d Candy asked.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe was what?\u00a0 About four, almost five,\u201d Ben looked at Hoss for confirmation.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir.\u00a0 Just a peanut.\u00a0 The whole family had gone fishin\u2019 for Adam\u2019s birthday at that same spot you was talking about just above the waterfall.\u00a0 Joe was doin\u2019 pretty good for a young \u2018un and had a nice string of catfish going when, lordy, he hooked the biggest wide-mouth bass I ever did see.\u00a0 He held fast to that pole and wrestled with her but she was too much for him and she pulled him into the water head first, pole and all!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe creek was running fast with the spring runoff,\u201d Ben said, shaking his head.\u00a0 \u201cI had my back turned when Marie started screaming. \u00a0In less time than it took me to turn around Joe was not only in the water, but under and I couldn\u2019t see any sign of him.\u201d\u00a0 Ben paled just remembering.\u00a0 \u201cTurned my hair white right then and there, it did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did you do?\u201d asked Candy, leaning forward, elbows on the table.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss was on the other side of the creek and had a better vantage than I did,\u201d Ben replied.\u00a0 \u201cGo ahead, son, tell Candy what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa was looking right where Joe had been standing, but as he told ya . . . the creek was running high and fast that day.\u00a0 I dunno, something made me look to the right and sure enough I saw a flash of Joe\u2019s red bandana in the water about twenty yards away and moving downstream fast.\u00a0 Just about then Adam came outta the brush where he\u2019d been\u2014you know\u2014taking care of business and I started yelling at him to grab Little Joe.\u00a0 Took Adam a second to realize what was happening, but then he, too, saw the bandana and jumped in just in the nick of time or our little brother would have been the one to get away . . . right over that waterfall!\u201d<\/p>\n Candy laughed out loud and even Ben had to chuckle at Hoss\u2019s play on words.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not funny,\u201d Joe repeated.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, of course not, son,\u201d Ben agreed.\u00a0 \u201cIn fact, if I recall, you were pretty angry when we got you out and dried off.\u00a0 You didn\u2019t talk to Adam for a more than a week.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, shortshanks, I always wondered how come?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow come what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow come you were so mad at Adam?\u00a0 He was the one that done saved ya.\u00a0 Why were ya mad?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause he let it happen.\u00a0 He was supposed to be taking care of me and he didn\u2019t.\u00a0 That\u2019s why,\u201d Joe replied rather curtly.<\/p>\n Hoping to diffuse the sudden chill in the air, Candy said, \u201cSounds like it was a good thing Joe had that red bandana on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, his mother insisted,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 \u201cOnce Joe started walking\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRunning\u2019s more like it,\u201d Hoss interrupted.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014she made sure he always wore a bright red bandana whenever he was outside so we could spot him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll the ranch hands knew to be on the lookout for a flash of red and holler for help if they saw it headed where it shouldn\u2019t be,\u201d Hoss added.<\/p>\n \u201cSay, Joe,\u201d Candy pondered. \u201cWhy were you fiddling with Emma\u2019s hook anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d said Joe nonchalantly, taking another swig of beer.<\/p>\n \u201cEarlier, you said you were helping Emma with her hook and didn\u2019t see the fish.\u00a0 Wait a minute,\u201d Candy sat up straight in his chair.\u00a0 \u201cIsn\u2019t Emma about the same age you were when you got pulled in?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe stopped in mid swallow, then took another gulp of beer and put his mug down with a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cI was fixing the hook so the bait would fall off and she wouldn\u2019t catch anything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe was pretty mad at you when we left.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBetter me than her Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 9<\/p>\n While Hoss was tending to the stock that evening, Joe and Ben retreated to the study to go over the contracts procured in Sacramento.\u00a0 However, as much as he tried to feign interest, Joe\u2019s mind was elsewhere.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s why I\u2019ve decided to sell the Ponderosa and catch the first clipper ship to Tahiti.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSounds good, Pa,\u201d Joe replied automatically.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe.\u00a0 Joseph!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, Pa,\u201d Joe looked up trying to recall what his father had been talking about.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, you haven\u2019t heard a word I\u2019ve said for the last half hour.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Pa.\u00a0 I-I\u2019m just . . . distracted, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, son?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe got up from the desk and stood in front of the window, thumbs hooked into the back of his pants.\u00a0 After a moment he heard his Pa cap the ink well and settle back in his chair, the springs creaking slightly.\u00a0 A slight smile played across Joe\u2019s face; he knew his Pa would wait patiently for him to speak.\u00a0 When he was younger he might have tested that patience, but there was no need to do so now.\u00a0 When Joe turned around and saw his Pa gazing warmly at him, he was briefly overcome with emotion.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m glad you\u2019re home, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Joe blinked hard.\u00a0 \u201cI missed you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI missed you, too, son.\u00a0 It\u2019s good to be home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah . . .\u00a0 Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou reacted when Candy said we were fishing at Kings Canyon Creek.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cThe story Hoss told today about that big fish? \u00a0I remember being really angry with Adam because I was wet and cold.\u00a0 But until Hoss mentioned it, I had no memory of ever being at that creek, let alone falling in.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it was a long time ago and you were just a child.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStill, it was a pretty traumatic event, wasn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u00a0 It certainly was for your mother and me, but as you said, you were more angry than scared.\u00a0 Perhaps that is why you didn\u2019t remember how it happened.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI got scared all over again when I saw Emma by the water with that pole.\u00a0 All of a sudden, I couldn\u2019t breathe.\u00a0 I was so frightened for her and I couldn\u2019t fathom it.\u00a0 I just knew in my gut she shouldn\u2019t fish in that creek.\u201d \u00a0He looked into his father\u2019s eyes, pleading for an answer.\u00a0 \u201cJust like Eagle\u2019s Nest, Pa, when I was so afraid and I didn\u2019t know why.\u00a0 The last few nights I\u2019ve been dreaming about drowning and I couldn\u2019t figure it out . . . not until this afternoon anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n “Mmm,\u201d Ben paused. \u00a0\u201cIt doesn\u2019t surprise me that you would have dreams.\u00a0 You have always had an active imagination and your dreams tend to magnify whatever you\u2019re feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut why now, Pa?\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s been twenty years.\u00a0 Why did I start dreaming about this now?<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s difficult to say, son.\u201d\u00a0 Ben retrieved his pipe and tobacco from the table at the foot of the stairs and filled the bowl rather more carefully than usual to buy some time before answering.\u00a0 When he was finished, he struck a match and drew deeply until the tobacco ignited.<\/p>\n \u201cChildren have a limited point of view and there is much they don\u2019t understand.\u00a0 A child copes with trauma with whatever tools are available at the time. \u00a0In your case\u2014being as young as you were\u2014you put the memory aside.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe could appreciate what his Pa was saying but still struggled to make sense of it all.\u00a0 \u201cWhat made me remember now?\u00a0 I\u2019ve been fishing hundreds\u2014thousands\u2014of times since I was four.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWere you afraid of heights growing up?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid you climb trees?\u00a0 Help in the hayloft?\u00a0\u00a0 Shingle the roof?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure, all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you weren\u2019t afraid?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, you weren\u2019t\u2014aren\u2019t\u2014afraid of heights, per se.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe nodded, unsure where his father was going with this line of questioning.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you still have nightmares about falling?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you evidently still climb trees\u2014you put balloons in the tree for Emma, yes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you getting at?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t being up high that frightened you.\u00a0 It was Eagle\u2019s Nest itself that triggered the memory of when you were five years old and stuck because you couldn\u2019t see your way down in the dark.\u201d\u00a0 Ben paused to let that sink in.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t fishing that frightened you but the big fish in Kings Creek itself that triggered the memory of being pulled into the water and carried downstream. \u00a0Both of those events were real not imagined.\u00a0 Your fears were not irrational.\u00a0 You were justified in feeling the way you did both times.\u00a0 You don\u2019t dream about falling any longer because you have faced what happened at Eagle\u2019s Nest.\u00a0 Now that you know what happened at Kings Creek, I don\u2019t think you\u2019ll dream about drowning any more, but if you do, all you have to do is let go of the pole and step back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStep back?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe thought about this for a while and then nodded.\u00a0 \u201cJust step back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u00a0 Let go of the memory.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMemory,\u201d Joe said disgustedly.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s just it.\u00a0 What if there are other memories waiting to bite me in the butt everywhere I go?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d like to believe that I know everything you experienced growing up, but I know that\u2019s not true.\u00a0 How you view events past or present is something only you can know.\u00a0 All I can offer is my perspective if you ask for it . . . and my unconditional love whether you ask for it or not.\u201d \u00a0With that, Ben put his hand on the back of Joe\u2019s neck and gave a squeeze.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d Joe gave his Pa a quick embrace then pushed back and said lightly, \u201cSo, did you get all the contracts signed?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll but one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe one that got away?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, son.\u00a0 Slippery little devil just wiggled right off the hook.\u00a0 Maybe next year.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe laughed as he draped his arm across his Pa\u2019s shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s go see if Hoss left us any dessert.\u201d<\/p>\n As they walked side by side toward the kitchen, Joe whispered theatrically in his father\u2019s ear, \u201cNow, Pa, about Tahiti.\u00a0 I hear those native women don\u2019t wear\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 10<\/p>\n Over pie and coffee, Joe talked more with his Pa about events that had transpired over the last month including what had happened in the box canyon and later at the Watson\u2019s when Emma had shared her fear about having been responsible for her papa\u2019s \u201cgoing away.\u201d\u00a0 When Hoss joined them, Hop Sing miraculously produced a second pie much to no one\u2019s surprise and everyone\u2019s applause.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s Candy?\u201d Ben asked as he took his second piece.\u00a0 \u201cDoesn\u2019t he want pie?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI checked the bunkhouse on the way in,\u201d Hoss said as he sat down. \u201cHis gear is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe dropped his fork on the plate with a clang and sat back in his chair with a groan.<\/p>\n \u201cTalk about the one that got away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean by that, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCandy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou think he\u2019s moving on?\u201d asked Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cHe never promised to stay, son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know, but I really want him to.\u201d\u00a0 Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t get around to tellin\u2019 him though.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTell him what, brother?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat it means to have him here.\u00a0 How important he is to me.\u00a0 To us?\u201d\u00a0 Joe looked back and forth between his Pa and Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cIf that was a question, Joe, the answer is yes.\u201d\u00a0 Ben said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m very fond of Candy.\u00a0 I think he\u2019s a good man and I\u2019m happy that he\u2019s joined us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMe, too, Joe.\u00a0 I like Candy fine.\u00a0 It\u2019s real good havin\u2019 him around.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t you check the barn.\u00a0 If he\u2019s there, ask him to come in.\u00a0 There\u2019s something I want to talk to him about.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned from ear to ear.<\/p>\n \u201cYessir!\u201d<\/p>\n Candy was tacking his horse when Joe sprinted down to the corral.\u00a0 When he spied the saddle bags and bedroll on the ground, however, the spring in his step vanished.<\/p>\n \u201cNice night for a ride.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought so,\u201d Candy replied, ignoring the sarcastic tone in Joe\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n \u201cPa wants to see you.\u201d \u00a0Joe pivoted sharply and strode purposefully back to the house.\u00a0 Half way there Candy\u2019s words echoed in his mind.\u00a0 I change location; you change moods . . . same result.<\/em><\/p>\n He stopped and walked back to the corral.<\/p>\n \u201cI could have taken Dakota with me, you know,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cDak\u2019s a good man.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, he is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo why didn\u2019t you?\u201d Candy asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not going to make this easy, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFriendship is not easy, Joe.\u00a0 You gotta give up something of yourself along the way if it\u2019s to mean anything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not enough that I thought you were the better man for the job.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou just said I wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not what I meant.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI chose you.\u00a0 I wanted you to come with me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe recalled the morning they had ridden up to the pasture . . . how helpless he had felt in a world where the snap of a finger could end a man\u2019s life; how much it reminded him of the day his mother died; how vulnerable he felt when first his father\u2014then Adam\u2014went away; and even now as an adult how the absence of any one of his family still affected him.\u00a0 But those weren\u2019t things he could admit freely.<\/p>\n You gotta give up something of yourself along the way if friendship is to mean anything<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cSafe,\u201d Joe mumbled.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI like having you around.\u00a0 Not just because you\u2019re handy with a gun or a good man to have in a fight\u2014which you are\u2014but because with you around it\u2019s easier to be me.\u00a0 Not the bosses\u2019 son, not an owner, not a Cartwright. \u00a0Just me . . . warts and all.\u201d<\/p>\n Candy continued saddling his horse.\u00a0 When he finished, he turned to face Joe and said quietly, \u201cI been on my own a long time; been a lot of places, seen a lot of things, some of which I wish I hadn\u2019t.\u00a0 I learned the hard way to walk softly and keep my back to the wall because there\u2019s never been anyone I could count on.\u00a0 No one. \u00a0Ever.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe considered what Candy had just revealed.\u00a0 No matter how aggravatingly over-protective his brothers were while he was growing up, he couldn\u2019t begin to imagine what life would have been like without them.<\/p>\n Pointing to the saddle bags and bedroll still on the ground, Joe said, \u201cWhether you stay or go; now or later . . . whatever you need, whenever you need it . . . I\u2019ve got your back.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe extended his hand and Candy clasped it.<\/p>\n It was a beginning.<\/p>\n As they approached the house, Candy said, \u201cYou know, I wasn’t leaving;\u00a0 just headed up to the east pasture to make sure that fence gets mended properly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh,\u201d Joe said, trying not to sound too relieved.\u00a0 \u201cGood thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat was quite a compliment by the way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, well,\u201d Joe rolled his eyes as he opened the front door, \u201cdon\u2019t let it go to your head.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about time you two got here,\u201d Ben called from the dining room.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve had to hog tie Hoss to keep him from eatin\u2019 the last piece of pie.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMuch obliged, sir!\u00a0 I\u2019d sure hate to miss out on one of Hop Sing\u2019s desserts,\u201d Candy said, sitting down\u2014with his back to the open room Joe noted.\u00a0 \u201cYou wanted to see me, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Ben said seriously as he removed the list from the center of the table and gave it the once over.<\/p>\n Joe and Hoss looked at each other, eyes widening.\u00a0\u00a0 With all that had happened in the last few days, neither one of them had remembered to check off the chores.<\/p>\n Ben cleared his throat and spoke to the man at the end of table. \u00a0\u201cThis ranch will not run by itself.\u00a0 It would be real nice to know I had someone I could count on to see that things get done proper around here when I am away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou can rely on me, sir,\u201d Candy said, poker faced.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd, as you\u2019ve worked on a number of different ranches,\u201d Ben continued with a twinkle in his eye. \u201cI\u2019m sure you can think of a few improvements that could be made to modernize the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean something more advanced than whitewashing a smoke house, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n Stunned silence ensued followed by peals of cascading laughter.<\/p>\n -The End-<\/p>\n April 2012<\/p>\n <\/p>\n End Notes:<\/p>\n The lyrics for “Shenandoah” did not appear in print until the 1880s, but the song was reportedly popular during the War Between the States and some historians date it to the early 19th Century.\u00a0 On\u00a0 the Ponderosa Party Time album, Ben mentions that it is a favorite\u00a0when Joe sings it for him.<\/p>\n