{"id":4469,"date":"2002-12-29T16:38:54","date_gmt":"2002-12-29T21:38:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=4469"},"modified":"2026-03-17T02:38:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T06:38:08","slug":"loves-last-whisper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=4469","title":{"rendered":"Love’s Last Whisper #1 (by Wrangler)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/strong>: Twelve years after the loss of Marie Cartwright, a man with a grudge against Ben commits the unthinkable; the desecration of Marie’s grave and the theft of her casket. Now, as a combined, yet grieving, force Ben and his boys begin their search for what was rightly theirs. Rating T, WC 40,000<\/p>\n

Love’s Last Whisper Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Love’s Last Whisper<\/a>
\nCheckmate: The Return of Bristol Ford<\/a><\/p>\n

Love’s Last Whisper<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI love thee with a love I seemed to lose with my lost saints\u2014I love thee with the breath, smile, tears, of all my life!\u2014and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death.\u201d(Excerpt from Sonnets from the Portuguese-by Elizabeth Barrett Browning)<\/em><\/p>\n

Lake Tahoe was glistening in the summer sunlight<\/strong> and the breeze that swept down from the large stands of pine trees that flanked her shores gave off an aroma that was like nowhere else on earth.\u00a0 Joe Cartwright took in the scent as he led his pinto pony down to the shore and knelt down to drink from the cool clear water.\u00a0 Tugging at Cochise\u2019s reins to signal that it was now the horse\u2019s turn to drink, Joe scanned the magnificent view.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t matter that he had been to that exact spot at least a hundred times in his seventeen years of living, the picture before him was just as breathtaking as if it had been his first time gazing off into the distance.\u00a0 The azure blue of the lake seemed as vast as an ocean and the mountain range over towards Mount Davidson seemed to reach up to the very heavens above.<\/p>\n

Having taken as long as he could afford that late afternoon, Joe reluctantly stood and prepared to saddle up and ride back to the ranch house.\u00a0 He was well aware of the fact that his grand swing down to the lake had eaten up most of the time he had been given off that day as a bonus for two days worth of back breaking work up at one of the Ponderosa\u2019s timber camps.\u00a0 Joe knew there were other chores waiting on him back at the house and he would be lucky to get them done if he dawdled any longer.\u00a0 Just as he pushed his left boot into the saddle\u2019s stirrup and prepared to swing up on Cochise, Joe\u2019s eyes caught on something shining over by one of the boulders which reached out into the lake.\u00a0 Always full of youthful curiosity, Joe pulled away from the saddle, walked over to the water smoothed rocks, and bent down.\u00a0 Pulling the object into the palm of his right hand, Joe\u2019s eyes grew big.\u00a0 There, before him, was an exquisite diamond and emerald ring.\u00a0 After further examination, Joe determined it to be of a solid gold construction and obviously worth a great deal of money.\u00a0 Whistling through his teeth joyfully, Joe placed the ring securely inside the inner pocket of his green corduroy jacket and hurried back over to his horse. \u201cMy lucky day\u201d Joe thought to himself and vaulted up into his saddle.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t wait to show it to his father and his brothers.<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright patted his son Hoss\u2019 back<\/strong> and praised the young man on his hard work.\u00a0 Hoss responded with a big toothful grin and began putting his tools away.\u00a0 He had worked for hours adding a set of steps to the far right end of the front porch.\u00a0 Naturally, it had been his older brother Adam, who had decided the amount of steps and how far apart they would need to be to conform to the steps that were on the other end of the porch.\u00a0 But, then, Adam was the architect in the family, and Hoss was content with being the best carpenter of the three brothers.<\/p>\n

Walking into the sprawling ranch house, Ben turned when he heard Adam call out to him. \u201cPa, I found the error\u2014come here a second!\u201d\u00a0 Adam sang out from the study. Ben made his way to his large oaken desk and his son turned the ledger book so that he could see the entry.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went over that ledger five times, can\u2019t believe I missed that, Son!\u00a0 Now\u2014does it all finally add up correctly?\u201d\u00a0 Ben smiled over at his eldest son. \u201cSure does, Pa, to the dollar,\u201d Adam replied, stood, and stretched.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to admit it to his father, but it had taken him at least five times over the books to find the error himself. \u201cI sure appreciate your help, didn\u2019t think I would have it straightened out before that meeting at the bank tomorrow,\u201d Ben said and patted Adam\u2019s arm as he changed places with him at the desk.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2014since that\u2019s done\u2014guess I\u2019d better see how Hoss is coming with those steps.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, he\u2019s all finished.\u00a0 Oh, and Adam?\u00a0 Be sure to compliment him, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam grinned, \u201cLike you have to tell me that, Pa.\u00a0 It\u2019s only Little Joe that I don\u2019t dole out praise to.\u00a0 That kid\u2019s got a big enough head on his shoulders already.\u00a0 Now\u2014Hoss\u2014that\u2019s another matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben laughed, knowing that only part of his son\u2019s statement had been true.\u00a0 He had heard both oldest and youngest sons complimenting each other, though it was a bit rare.\u00a0 Ben began to stack his papers up in a more uniform order just as he heard the rather loud slam of the front door.\u00a0 He knew, just from the eagerness of the incoming boot-steps that he would be seeing his youngest son charging in towards the study any minute.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa!\u201d\u00a0 Joe yelled and jogged over to his father\u2019s desk.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll never believe what I found today!\u201d\u00a0 Joe was full of excitement, as was typical of the youngster.<\/p>\n

\u201cHold on\u2014hold on\u2014how many times have I told you not to come in here like a wild bull in a china shop?\u00a0 Do you remember what I said about slamming the door last time, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh\u2014yeah\u2014Hop Sing\u2019s china cabinet,\u201d Joe replied and winced his face thinking about the last lecture he had been on the receiving end of.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Hop Sing\u2019s china cabinet,\u201d Ben nodded and then stood and looked down at his pride and joy.\u00a0 It was never easy to stay angered for long at the boy with the twinkling eyes.\u00a0 Joe possessed such youthful enthusiasm that it was contagious at times.\u00a0 However, as his father, and only parent, Ben had to keep a tight rein on the youngster to try and quell some of his rowdy behavior.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Pa,\u201d Joe apologized sheepishly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll try and remember next time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben laughed and replied, \u201cI believe those were your very same words the \u201clast\u201d time, Joseph.\u00a0 But\u2014I don\u2019t hear Hop Sing bellowing yet\u2014so maybe that slam didn\u2019t do as much damage.\u201d\u00a0 Ben gave his son a quick hug to let the boy know that the lecture was over and that he was, as always, forgiven.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey\u2014Pa\u2014you just gotta see this\u2014it\u2019s really something!\u201d\u00a0 Joe was back to his fever pitch, rising to the same enthusiastic level as he had been earlier.\u00a0 He felt around in his jacket pocket in search of the ring.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey\u2014Joe!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss called over to his brother as he and Adam entered the study.\u00a0 \u201cDid you see the steps are done?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2014well,\u00a0I\u2019ll check them out in a minute, Hoss,\u201d Joe answered, waving his brother away for a moment while he continued to dig for his treasure.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s all the excitement about anyway?\u00a0 I heard Joe running in here like there was a fire?\u201d\u00a0 Adam asked and moved in closer to his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeems Joseph has something to show us\u2014that is\u2014if he can get it out of his pocket!\u201d Ben winked towards his other sons, highly amused by the intensity on Joe\u2019s face as he struggled to pull his great find from his pocket.<\/p>\n

\u201cGot it!\u201d\u00a0 Joe announced proudly, grasped the ring, and then shot it out for all to see.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a real diamond too!\u00a0 Ain\u2019t it something, Pa?\u201d\u00a0 Joe smiled proudly.<\/p>\n

Ben took the ring into his hand and sank down behind his desk.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t take more than ten seconds, if even that much time, to know the significance of his son\u2019s find.\u00a0 Adam saw the look on his father\u2019s face, and it reminded him of the look that Ben wore some twelve years earlier.\u00a0 It was the look of total bereavement. He reached across the desk, and without words exchanged, Ben handed his son the ring.\u00a0 Adam studied the design and felt like his heart had stopped.\u00a0 A million thoughts went through his mind, and Adam knew how hard it was for his father not to break down in front of all three of his sons at the time. He handed the ring back to his father, and in his eyes he reflected his father\u2019s pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey?\u00a0 What\u2019s wrong with everybody?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked totally bewildered by the response in the room.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s real isn\u2019t it, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben bit at his bottom lip and drew in a deep breath hoping to summon enough strength to prevent the tears from leaving his eyes.\u00a0 He stared over at Adam, and realized that the young man knew the ramifications of Little Joe\u2019s find.\u00a0 Ben wasn\u2019t sure about Hoss, however.\u00a0 His middle son was standing there looking as puzzled about everyone\u2019s reaction as his younger sibling.\u00a0 Ben next looked up at Joe.\u00a0 The boy looked like someone had rained on his parade by not being as happy as he had been with finding the ring.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t have the heart nor the strength of spirit to tell Joe why the ring was undoubtedly a harbinger of the vilest act imaginable; the desecration of a grave.\u00a0Ben shot Adam a look, which fortunately the young man understood completely.\u00a0 He would need the help of his eldest son as well as the cooperation of his middle son in order to keep the truth from leaking out to Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss\u2014 I gotta ask you something about those steps\u2014come outside for a minute will you?\u201d Adam announced and tugged at his brother\u2019s arm.\u00a0 Hoss had started to put two and two together, at least enough to know that there was some serious trouble brewing, and didn\u2019t object to the walk outside with Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u00a0 What is it?\u00a0 Why\u2019s everyone acting so strange?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked again, moving over to his father and placing his hand on the man\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh\u2014sorry\u2014Joe\u2014just wondering why such a nice ring was laying around somewhere.\u00a0 Tell me, Son\u2014where exactly did you find this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe sat down on the corner of his father\u2019s desk and replied, \u201cOh, I was over at the lake\u2014you know\u2014where I usually go to think and all.\u00a0 It was just laying there on the shore\u2014caught my eye right away.\u00a0 It is real, right, Pa?\u00a0 Wonder who lost it?\u201d\u00a0 Hey\u2014maybe there\u2019s a reward!\u201d\u00a0 Joe rattled on, not waiting for an answer to any of his questions.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph\u2014if you were out there\u2014well\u2014I know you like to stop by your mother\u2019s grave\u2014did you go there?\u201d\u00a0 Ben tried in a round about way to see if Joe had noticed anything strange in the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2014not this time, Pa\u2014had to hurry back to finish the chores.\u00a0 But\u2014why do you ask?\u201d\u00a0\u201cOh\u2014just wondering\u2014I hadn\u2019t been up there for a couple of weeks\u2014was just thinking about taking some flowers if you hadn\u2019t done it already,\u201d Ben replied, and tried his best to sound convincing.\u00a0 He had now gathered what information he would need before heading up towards his late wife\u2019s grave site.\u00a0 Ben hoped with all of his heart that the situation wasn\u2019t what it seemed, but he held in his hand the awful evidence that something truly had happened, the extent of which would soon be known.<\/p>\n

\u201cI took her some wild flowers last week, Pa\u2014don\u2019t you remember?\u00a0 I told you!\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked and stared hard at his father.\u00a0 \u201cEver since I handed you that ring you\u2019ve looked strange.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, I have so much to do tonight, guess my mind is preoccupied.\u00a0 About this ring\u2014mind if I keep it and try to find it\u2019s rightful owner?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2014okay\u2014but if there\u2019s a reward or something\u2014um\u2014it\u2019s mine, okay?\u201d\u00a0 Joe smiled and started to relax a bit more.\u00a0 He figured that his father\u2019s strange behavior must be due to something going on with business.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I will remember that, Joseph.\u00a0 Now\u2014Adam and I have to meet with someone in town and you and Hoss will have to eat without us tonight.\u00a0 I should be home before you go to bed, but if I\u2019m not don\u2019t get to worrying.\u00a0 I never know how long these meetings will go on,\u201d Ben said and stood and patted Joe\u2019s arm.\u00a0 He forced a smile, and it was the greatest acting job of his entire life.\u00a0 Ben knew that Joe might be a bit naive, but he had always been able to key in on his father\u2019s moods.\u00a0 He prayed that his deception had worked and Joe was no more the wiser about what was really going on.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, Pa\u2014I gotta get that wood hauled before dinner anyhow.\u00a0 See you later. Oh\u2014and let me know what you find out about the ring.\u00a0 Maybe you can put an ad in the paper?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll find the owner, Son.\u00a0 You go on and get those chores done,\u201d Ben replied and watched as Joe walked casually to the door.\u00a0 It was then that Ben sank down in his chair again and covered his eyes with his hands.\u00a0 He had held in the tears long enough, and the ensuing cascade of them came pouring down his cheeks. Long withheld memories fell upon Ben and they took him back to a time when his life with his precious wife was filled with happiness.\u00a0 He could still remember walking into the newly built ranch house and seeing his beloved Marie sitting by the great stone fireplace.\u00a0 The glow on her face was warmer than the fire-logs that she stared pensively towards.\u00a0 Ben watched as his wife reached for her ever-expanding stomach as she felt a hard kick. Marie was filled with joy to know that her baby was well and apparently very strong.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019s my beautiful wife this afternoon?\u201d\u00a0 Ben called cheerily and moved over to the fireplace and to the new blue velvet chair where Marie was knitting.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBen!\u00a0 Feel this\u2014\u201d Marie gleamed and reached for her husband\u2019s strong and somewhat calloused hand. Ben settled the palm of his right hand onto Marie\u2019s abdomen and was soon greeted by a good sized kick.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2014I see Joseph is up to his normal tricks!\u201d\u00a0 Ben laughed and bent over and kissed his wife.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNow, Benjamin, how foolish you will feel if this is not a boy.\u00a0 You could be wrong you know?\u201d\u00a0 Marie teased and pushed back a fallen lock of hair from her husband\u2019s forehead.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNow, Madame, that is a boy\u2019s kick if ever I\u2019ve felt one,\u201d he chuckled and moved to sit down on the hearth next to his wife.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps\u2014but will you be upset if the baby is a girl, Ben?\u201d\u00a0 Marie asked, and Ben read the worry on her face.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNot if she\u2019s as gorgeous as her mother!\u00a0 If she has the beautiful curls and emerald eyes of my wife then I will be most happy,\u201d Ben comforted Marie with his words, which he meant from his heart.\u00a0 He was just thrilled at the prospect of being a new father again, and it didn\u2019t matter one iota to him whether his wife was carrying a boy or a girl.\u00a0 Either way the child would be a reminder of the greatest love of his life.\u00a0 Not that he didn\u2019t still carry the reminders of his first two wives; whom he loved dearly.\u00a0 There were times when he saw a bit of each of them in the way Marie laughed or in the tilt of her head. Ben fully believed that just like Job in the Bible, he had been given back ten-fold after having suffered so many personal losses.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI think Adam and Hoss are counting on another brother,\u201d Marie commented and set the knitting basket down next to her chair.\u00a0 She reached over and took Ben\u2019s hand into her own.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThey will love this child no matter what\u2014just as they love you, Darling,\u201d Ben corrected her assumption that the boys might be disappointed if they were given a sister instead of a brother. \u201cNow\u2014what brings you home at this time of the day, My Love?\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t expecting you back until later.\u00a0 I\u2019m afraid I haven\u2019t prepared a lunch for you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, as a matter of fact, the boys and I just got back from town and we already ate there in that new fancy hotel.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cOh\u2014and not so much as an invitation to your wife,\u201d Marie scolded but the laughter in her eyes showed that she was only teasing.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know what Doctor Martin said about you traveling, Marie.\u00a0 No more rides anywhere until that baby comes.\u00a0 And\u2014I hope you are finally taking it easy\u2014because if you\u2019re not\u2014and I find out about it\u2014\u201d Ben started with yet another lecture about his wife\u2019s health and was met with Marie\u2019s hand to his mouth to cease his words.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you growl at me\u2014besides\u2014I know you have Hop Sing spying on me!\u201d\u00a0 Marie laughed and Ben reached over and gingerly hugged his wife in response.\u00a0\u201cI will take that as a yes\u2014that you are being good.\u00a0 And\u2014since you\u2019ve been such a good girl,\u201d Ben chuckled and reached inside his vest pocket and pulled out a tiny box.\u00a0 \u201cHere\u2014I brought you something to bribe you into being good just a little longer.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Marie pulled the box close to her heart and smiled over at her husband, \u201cBen you spoil me terribly.\u00a0 Not that I am complaining mind you!\u201d\u00a0 Marie gleefully pulled the top off of the box and was awestruck by the contents.\u201cBen!\u201d she gasped.\u00a0 \u201cThis ring\u2014it is so\u2014so beautiful\u2014I\u2019ve never seen anything so exquisite in my life!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI have,\u201d Ben winked and leaned over and kissed Marie once more.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2014why?\u00a0 Why now?\u201d Marie asked curiously.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, if you will recall, Mrs. Cartwright, our whirlwind courtship consummated in a rather quickly held wedding.\u00a0 You missed out on some of the extras\u2014like an engagement ring.\u00a0 And so\u2014\u201d Ben paused and got down on one knee there in front of the roaring fire.\u00a0 \u201cMarie, will you be my wife?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Marie giggled looking down at her obvious very rotund and pregnant belly, \u201cIf we aren\u2019t married already we are going to have a lot to explain to this child!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re spoiling the moment\u2014play along with this old fool will you?\u201d\u00a0 Ben pleaded.\u00a0 \u201cNow\u2014as I was saying\u2014will you do me the great honor of being my wife?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI said this before, and I will say it forever\u2014yes, My Darling, I will be your wife,\u201d Marie smiled and embraced her husband.\u00a0At that very moment, with both of their bodies huddled close together, the baby inside of Marie\u2019s womb gave a strong kick which both parents felt.\u00a0 Marie and Ben were filled with laughter at their child\u2019s apparent decision to be the center of attention.\u201cI take that as an okay from you then, Joseph?\u201d\u00a0 Ben called down to his wife\u2019s stomach.\u201cHere you go, My Love, after two years of marriage you now at last have an engagement ring to go with your wedding band,\u201d Ben announced and slid the ring onto Marie\u2019s finger.Marie held the ring up to the light and tears filled her eyes.\u00a0 She never doubted her husband\u2019s love for her.\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 Ben spent each day of their marriage filling the hours with many reassurances of his love for her.\u00a0 This was yet another way to show her that he loved her as deeply as he had that day in New Orleans when he had begged her to come west with him and start a new life together with his two sons.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI will never take it off, not ever in life,\u201d Marie choked out, full of emotion.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cDo you really like it?\u00a0 I had it special made for you in San Francisco when Adam and I made that trip last month.\u00a0 I know it\u2019s a bit different.\u00a0 But there\u2019s a reason for it\u2019s design you know?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it means you love me,\u201d Marie responded and again hugged her husband tight.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cOh\u2014yes\u2014well that is the obvious meaning\u2014but I had this all planned on how to say it all romantic-like.\u00a0 Perhaps I should have had Adam give it to you for me\u2014he apparently is the smoothest talking of the Cartwright men so far.\u00a0 Must be all of that poetry he reads.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou do just fine, Darling.\u00a0 Now go on\u2014I am listening,\u201d Marie urged Ben out with his words.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThis diamond in the center, it is the hardest gem in the world and as unbreakable as my love for you.\u00a0 Then\u2014these three little emeralds\u2014well they are to remind you that my love for you is a combination of our past, our present, and our future.\u00a0 Also, it\u2019s no coincidence that they are emeralds\u2014I know how you love that gem\u2014just as I love to look at those amazing emerald eyes of yours!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBen, I don\u2019t know what to say\u2014you take my breath away\u2014as you always do. Not in what you buy me\u2014but in the man that you are and the father that you are,\u201d Marie\u2019s eyes were filled with loving tears as she kissed her husband\u2019s cheek and smiled.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I was going to say that the three emeralds were there on that ring to signify our three sons\u2014Adam, Hoss, and Joseph.\u00a0 But, you made me change my little recitation when you told me a minute ago that we might just be having a daughter!\u201d\u00a0 Ben laughed and brushed the hair aside from his wife\u2019s eyes.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, the time will be here soon, My Love, and we will know if you have another son.\u00a0 If not, we will have to keep trying,\u201d Marie winked at her husband and broke into a string of laughter that sounded like heavenly music echoing through the ranch house.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI like the sound of that\u2014\u201d Ben cooed and his hand fell again to his wife\u2019s stomach and was met with yet another kick.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBut, one at a time\u2014this one feels like he will be a handful if his kick is any judge of the matter.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI love you, Ben.\u00a0 Thank you for this lovely ring\u2014I will cherish it for the rest of my life,\u201d Marie focused back on her gift and held it out towards her husband to show him how proud she was of it. \u00a0Ben pulled her petite ivory colored hand towards his mouth and planted a gentle kiss on her ring finger.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cJust as I will cherish you, My Love, for the rest of my life.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Ben heard the front door shut and was shaken from his recollection of one of the happiest times in his life.\u00a0 He pushed away his tears and drew in a deep cleansing breath, not knowing which son would be making an appearance now.\u00a0 As he stood, Ben saw that it was his eldest who had made his way back into the living room and walked briskly over the brandy decanter.<\/p>\n

Adam poured two quick shots of the amber liquid and made his way over to his father. \u201cFigured you might need this before we go,\u201d Adam said and handed one of the glasses to Ben.<\/p>\n

Ben nodded, unable to speak at the time.\u00a0 His heart was firmly implanted in his throat.\u00a0 The awful thought that someone had desecrated his beloved\u2019s grave hung heavy on his mind and made his chest feel like it was constricting.\u00a0 Ben tossed down his drink and headed over to the hatrack in preparation to leave.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2014I told Hoss what this is about\u2014he\u2019s gonna try to keep Joe from suspecting anything,\u201d Adam said as he, too, moved over to retrieve his hat and gunbelt.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d Ben mumbled and cast a quick glance at his eldest.\u00a0 \u201cWe have to get up there before it gets dark.\u00a0 Better get going.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss handed his father Buck\u2019s reins and offered him a sympathetic pat on his back as the man swung up into the saddle.\u00a0 Ben nodded his thanks to his son and just as soon as Adam had mounted his horse, kicked at Buck\u2019s sides to hurry out to Marie\u2019s grave.<\/p>\n

The sunset was magnificent going down behind the mountain range on the west side of the lake.\u00a0 The hues of orange, red, and gold would have, on any other evening, caused Ben Cartwright to take pause and thank the good Lord for having painted such an amazing scene in the skies over his land.\u00a0 But, this day was not normal in any way, and as evening vastly approached the cold both Cartwrights felt had little to do with the temperature.<\/p>\n

Ben dismounted and tied his horse to a chokecherry bush and waited on Adam to follow suit.\u00a0 Gathering up the courage that he was known to possess, Ben started down the trail that led to Marie\u2019s final resting place.\u00a0 Adam followed along close to his father, praying that their worst fears would not be realized.\u00a0 Within minutes, the devastating sight came into full view and Ben choked back a cry of pain.\u00a0 Marie\u2019s marble headstone was lying on the ground, and had been viciously fractured into two separate pieces.\u00a0 Ben felt as though his heart was now in the same condition, as his eyes shot down at the opened crypt.\u00a0 Staring down into the six-foot deep hole in the ground both men fought back tears as best they could.\u00a0 Marie\u2019s coffin was gone, leaving only the cold dark soil as a reminder that it had once held her remains. Ben\u2019s knees went out on him and he collapsed onto the ground.\u00a0 He was as shattered in spirit as the headstone that lay before him.\u00a0 Adam knelt down and draped his arm around his father but did not speak.\u00a0 He wracked his brain to find one word of consolation to offer his pa.\u00a0 The words still wouldn\u2019t come, only tears of his own for the woman that he had learned to love as a teenager.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy!\u201d\u00a0 Ben shouted, more of a statement than a question coming out in his deep baritone voice.\u00a0 \u201cWhy would anyone do this?\u00a0 Where have they taken her?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2014Pa we\u2019ll find her\u2014I promise you,\u201d Adam replied, choking back his own sorrow for the sake of the man at his side who had always been the pillar of the family.\u00a0 He hated to see his father so totally bereaved, but understood full well the depth of love he had for his long deceased wife.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh\u2014Joseph\u2014\u201d Ben whispered and wiped away his tears.\u00a0 \u201cWhat will this do to your brother?\u00a0 How many times has he come here\u2014with his problems\u2014and sought the comfort of his mother?\u00a0 This will kill him,\u201d Ben\u2019s mind had retreated momentarily from his own pain and turned instead to the child he shared with Marie.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t tell him, Pa\u2014we just have to find a way to keep it from the kid until we are able to find her,\u201d Adam warned, knowing full well that his baby brother would go off the deep end if he was told the unbelievable truth.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarie\u2014\u201d Ben whispered and his hands fell to her broken tombstone.\u00a0 He traced the words \u201cbeloved wife and mother\u201d with his trembling fingers.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy Marie,\u201d Ben sobbed and with all the strength he had left pulled himself back to standing.<\/p>\n

Adam was quick to brace his father with his own arms and turn him away from the devastating sight of the open grave.\u00a0 Slowly, with heavy hearts, the two Cartwrights made their way back to the horses.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I find these monsters\u2014they\u2019ll be in need of their own graves!\u201d\u00a0 Adam swore as he swung up onto his saddle.Ben was slower in his movements than he had been earlier.\u00a0 He also appeared to have aged right in front of his oldest son\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 Adam was starting to worry about his father\u2019s health as he watched him barely make it up onto Buck.<\/p>\n

\u201cMonsters\u2014no other name for the ones who could do something like this, \u201c Ben replied and pulled back on his reins.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you don\u2019t have to worry about killing them, Son\u2014I am going to have that pleasure myself!\u201d Ben vowed, and in his dark brown eyes it reflected the sincerity of his threat.<\/p>\n

Ben and Adam somberly dismounted <\/strong>in front of the barn and pulled their mounts into their stalls.\u00a0 Having made the long way into Virginia City after leaving Marie\u2019s grave site, they had spoken to family friend and local sheriff Roy Coffee.\u00a0 Ben urged the man to help in their investigation, but to do so without spreading word as to what had happened.\u00a0 They needed time to get Joe out of the area before the news spread of the theft of his mother\u2019s coffin.<\/p>\n

Hoss glanced at the grandfather clock as he had done every fifteen minutes all that evening.\u00a0 He had done his very best to gear his thoughts on keeping up the masquerade and not allowing his sadness to show while he ate dinner and later played checkers with his younger brother.\u00a0 Joe had called it a night and headed up to his bedroom just before Ben and Adam came in the front door.\u00a0 Their faces were glum and Hoss knew exactly what that meant without asking.<\/p>\n

Unbuckling their gunbelts, both men scanned the living room before speaking, well aware that Joe could be close by.\u00a0 Ben was relieved to find the boy nowhere in sight as he moved over to Hoss.\u00a0 The bighearted middle son reached over and embraced his father, knowing what the affect of the day had been on the man.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Pa\u2014real sorry,\u201d Hoss whispered and released his hold on his father to allow him to sink down into a chair<\/p>\n

.\u201cThanks, Son,\u201d Ben replied and watched as both Adam and Hoss sat down on the settee to begin the discussion.\u00a0 \u201cBefore we tell you what has happened\u2014where\u2019s Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe turned in a little while ago, Pa,\u201d Hoss answered.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes he suspect anything?\u201d\u00a0 Adam asked, worried that somehow Joe had figured out what was really behind the finding of the ring.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2014just thought the meeting you two had to go to must have taken awhile like Pa said it might.\u00a0 He\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s keep it that way,\u201d Ben announced and then moved in a little closer to tell Hoss what they had learned.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone has stolen Marie\u2019s casket\u2014they also destroyed her headstone,\u201d\u00a0 Ben whispered, just in case Joe had heard their entrance earlier.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would someone do that, Pa?\u00a0 After all these years?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss fought to find logic in an act that had none.\u00a0 He could not for the life of him come up with anything that was more vile an act than defiling a grave.\u00a0 And, grave robbing was something that was virtually unheard of in the territory.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no idea,\u201d Ben replied and fought back tears.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t get it out of his mind, the image of the empty grave.\u00a0 He could not comprehend anyone violating something so sacred to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe told Roy\u2014he\u2019s gonna keep it to himself until Joe leaves tomorrow,\u201d Adam continued and was met with Hoss\u2019 confusion.<\/p>\n

\u201cTomorrow?\u00a0 How you gonna get Joe outta here that fast?\u00a0 You know he\u2019ll suspect something!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe boy can\u2019t be here for this\u2014there\u2019s no way I will allow him to feel as devastated as we all are now.\u00a0 I\u2019m sending him to Sacramento on the morning stage.\u00a0 I\u2019ll tell him it\u2019s to visit the Gentry\u2019s\u2014maybe that will work?\u00a0 I told him not long ago that we\u2019d go there and see how Steve and Jennifer were doing with their new farm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThink he\u2019ll go along with it, Pa?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss asked, and watched his father stand to head up to Joe\u2019s bedroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has no choice,\u201d Ben stated emphatically and slowly ascended the staircase.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe washed and dressed for bed and had just started to doze off when the light streaming in from the hallway summoned him back to reality.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u201d\u00a0 Ben whispered and moved into the room carrying a lamp in his right hand.\u00a0 \u201cYou awake?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe pulled himself upright and smiled over at his pa and yawned.\u00a0 \u201cI was just about under, Pa\u2014how\u2019d your meeting go?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben crossed the floor and settled in a chair by his son\u2019s bed and tried once again to bluff his way through yet another lie.\u00a0 He set the lamp down on the night stand and replied,<\/p>\n

\u201cOh\u2014it went fine, Son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, Pa?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked, becoming more and more aware of the hurt that showed behind his father\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing\u2019s wrong, Joe.\u00a0 I just wanted to talk with you for a minute before turning in.\u00a0 Haven\u2019t seen you a whole lot lately\u2014what with you up at the timber camp most of the week.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cC\u2019mon, Pa\u2014as much as I missed you\u2014and as much as I\u2019m sure you missed me\u2014that isn\u2019t the reason you are up here.\u00a0 I can tell something\u2019s wrong.\u00a0 How about leveling with me?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked quietly and reached over and touched his father\u2019s arm urging him out with the truth.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2014I want you to go and see Steve and Jennifer\u2014see if you can help them out for awhile,\u201d Ben fought to ignore his son\u2019s concern and get right to the point of his visit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u00a0 Is something wrong at their place?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked confused.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2014no\u2014but I promised them we would help them out\u2014and well it has been close to six months since they moved to Sacramento.\u00a0 So\u2014how about going out there for a few weeks?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe frowned and reached for his robe lying on the end of his bed.\u00a0 He pulled it on and stood next to the bed and looked down at his father.\u00a0 \u201cPa\u2014you wouldn\u2019t come up here, as late as it is to ask me to go on a trip.\u00a0 Why won\u2019t you tell me what\u2019s really going on?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stood and placed his hand on Joe\u2019s shoulder and looked into his troubled eyes.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t help noticing at that moment how much the boy resembled his late wife, Marie.\u00a0 The curls that danced softly on Joe\u2019s forehead and his brilliant hazel eyes were a stark reminder of why he was now so bereft.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph\u2014I need you to do this for me.\u00a0 Please, don\u2019t ask me any questions.\u00a0 I\u2019m taking you into Virginia City in the morning to catch the stage,\u201d Ben responded as stern in tone as he could muster considering his fragile state of mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are you ever gonna consider me a man if you treat me like a baby?\u201d\u00a0 Joe shot back, hurt that his father wouldn\u2019t tell him the truth.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t treat you like a baby!\u201d Ben defended himself and watched as Joe broke free of his hold and walked across the room angrily.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going\u2014not till you tell me what\u2019s really going on around here!\u201d\u00a0 Joe called across the room, defiance in his voice.<\/p>\n

Ben didn\u2019t want to get into an argument with the boy he was trying with all his power to protect from harm.\u00a0\u00a0 He knew that there was no way possible that Joe could hold up to the grief he would feel once he learned about his mother.\u00a0 Clearing his throat and striking a paternal stance, Ben looked over at Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not up for discussion, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked back around and turned his questioning eyes on his father, hurt in their glow.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you trust me, Pa?\u201d he asked sadly.<\/p>\n

Ben walked over to his boy, his and Marie\u2019s boy, and wrapped his arms around Joe, pulling him to his broad chest.\u00a0 He stood that way for several minutes, remembering the woman who had loved them both with all of her heart.\u00a0 Joe was the only concrete thing that Marie had left her bereaved husband to hold on to now.<\/p>\n

\u201cI trust you with my life, Joseph.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sending you away as a punishment, I\u2019m sending you away to protect you,\u201d Ben choked out.<\/p>\n

Joe could feel the intensity in his father\u2019s embrace and thought he had detected a few tears in Pa\u2019s warm umber eyes.\u00a0 He was sure that he had felt a stray tear streak downwards from his father\u2019s face and land on his cheek.\u00a0 Joe didn\u2019t have any idea what the terrible problem was that his pa was trying to protect him from, but felt it had to be something truly awful.<\/p>\n

\u201cProtect me from what?\u201d\u00a0 Joe begged for an answer.<\/p>\n

Ben pulled back from his son and drew in a deep breath.\u00a0 He leaned down and planted a kiss on Joe\u2019s forehead and turned abruptly, heading for the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet some sleep, Son, we have to be heading to town by eight in the morning.\u00a0 Goodnight,\u201d Ben called as he stepped out into the hall.<\/p>\n

Joe stood in his room feeling scared for his father and himself.\u00a0 He wondered what had happened to have shaken his pa so badly.\u00a0 Joe wondered why his father had made the decision to send him away.\u00a0 Confused and upset by all that had been said, Joe sat down by his window and worried about what it all meant.<\/p>\n

None of the four Cartwrights slept soundly that night.\u00a0<\/strong> Ben, Hoss, and Adam were plagued by the thought of the theft of Marie\u2019s remains, and Joe by the abruptness in being sent away.\u00a0 A forced conversation at the breakfast table by them all told the story as far as Joe was concerned.\u00a0 He knew by the looks on the faces of his brothers and his father that they were all in on whatever the trouble was and were doing their best to hide the true facts from him.\u00a0 Joe had no appetite, and only pushed his food around on his plate.\u00a0 Even Hoss, the heartiest eater of the whole Cartwright clan ate little more than a piece of toast due to his emotional state. \u00a0The long ride by buckboard into town was a quiet one.\u00a0 Joe had made one last attempt to draw the truth from his father, but it was met with silence on the subject.\u00a0 By the time the two of them pulled up in front of the stage-line Joe had come to the assumption that there was no way to get out of boarding the stage much to his chagrin.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere\u2019s your ticket, Son,\u201d Ben said and handed it to Joe.<\/p>\n

The boy stood rigid and stared in the opposite direction avoiding his father\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph\u2014please don\u2019t be angry with me.\u00a0 It\u2019s only for a couple of weeks.\u00a0 Besides\u2014you always liked hanging around both Steve and Jennifer\u2014and I know they will be happy to see you,\u201d Ben tried his best to plea bargain with his son to no avail.<\/p>\n

Joe walked over to the Overland Stage Depot and sat down on the wooden bench to await his stage.\u00a0 He thought about telling his father to go ahead and leave for home and he would wait alone, but knew the man would not fall for his obvious attempt to escape.\u00a0 Ben eventually sat down next to his son and tried one last time to get the boy to accept his decision to send him away.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2014it\u2019s my job as your father to protect you from harm\u2014\u201d Ben stopped and lifted Joe\u2019s chin so he could stare directly into his hurt-filled eyes.\u00a0 \u201cPlease don\u2019t blame me for doing my job.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2014I know that Hoss and Adam know what\u2019s going on.\u00a0 They know\u2014and yet they aren\u2019t being sent away.\u00a0 But\u2014then\u2014neither of them are the baby of the family!\u201d Joe responded bitterly.<\/p>\n

Ben looked away from Joe\u2019s eyes and sighed.\u00a0 There was no rethinking his heart wrenching decision to send the boy away, no matter how much guilt Joe was piling on him.\u00a0 Ben was eager to get on his way out to the grave site and meet up with his other sons to see if they had yet come up with any clues.\u00a0 Joe would only get in the way, get hurt or both.\u00a0 Ben stood as the stagecoach thundered up in front of them and passengers disembarked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHi ya, Ben\u2014Little Joe!\u201d the stage driver called down to them both.\u00a0 \u201cYou two riding with me to Sacramento?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph will be, Sam\u2014now you take good care of him for me,\u201d Ben smiled up at the driver.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks a lot, Pa,\u201d Joe said as he stood, his anger back in the forefront.\u00a0 \u201cMake me feel like a little kid by telling Sam to take care of me!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben caught his son\u2019s arm and spun him around.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s not what I meant!\u201d Ben shot back.<\/p>\n

Joe tossed his bag up to the driver, who secured it behind him in the luggage compartment.\u00a0 \u201cI feel like a four year old\u2014thanks,\u201d Joe replied and pushed away from his father and started up the steps to the stage.<\/p>\n

Ben didn\u2019t want Joe\u2019s departure to be filled with bitterness, not now, not with all that had happened.\u00a0 He reached for Joe\u2019s arm again and this time tugged on it.\u00a0 Joe turned back around and stopped his climb.\u00a0 He focused in on his pa\u2019s face and could see how hurt he was.\u00a0 The sight made Joe sorry to have spoken the way he had to him. \u201cI\u2019ll see you in a couple of weeks, Joseph\u2014and I promise to explain it all to you then,\u201d Ben said and watched the reaction on Joe\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d Joe answered sullenly.\u00a0 He was still upset and disappointed that his father apparently didn\u2019t trust him as much as he did his brothers, however, he knew that pa was in pain for some reason and chose not to make it any harder on the man.<\/p>\n

Ben hugged Joe briefly to his chest and whispered, \u201cI love you, Son.\u00a0 Have a safe trip.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe fought back bitter tears and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI love you too,\u201d Joe choked out and then hurriedly entered the stage.<\/p>\n

Two other passengers boarded the stagecoach and then within minutes Sam yelled to his team and sent them on their way out of town.\u00a0 Ben stood there and watched as the stage carrying his son disappeared into the distance.\u00a0 His heart sank in his chest, feeling the second loss in two days.\u00a0 With great effort, Ben walked back to the buckboard and headed back to the Ponderosa to meet up with Hoss and Adam.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s mind never stopped plotting his escape, the wheels kept turning in his head until he had it all worked out.\u00a0 The other passengers looked at the boy very strangely as he climbed out of the stage\u2019s window while they were moving at a very fast clip.\u00a0 Sam Hardigree was never one for falling behind schedule and he had already made ten miles by the time Joe pulled himself up alongside of him.<\/p>\n

Sam wasn\u2019t surprised to see the boy sitting there next to him, as he had ridden with Joe before in the past.\u00a0 On one particular trip to Ogden, Joe had spent two-thirds of the trip helping the driver with the team of horses.\u00a0 They had even spoken about the profession of an Overland Stage driver, and once or twice Joe had told the man that he was thinking about signing on with the company once he was a bit older.\u00a0 Sam never took Joe\u2019s plans seriously, but he enjoyed the company, especially on long routes.<\/p>\n

\u201cGonna give your old pal a hand, Joe?\u201d\u00a0 Sam called over to the boy smiling.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot this time, Sam\u2014but I gotta ask a favor of you,\u201d Joe replied and tried to put on his most serious facial expression.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t realize it until a minute ago\u2014but\u2014I forgot to bring the contracts that Pa just signed.\u00a0 He wanted me to take them to a man in Sacramento\u2014and\u2014well\u2014I must have left them somewhere back at the ranch. Without those papers this trip will be a waste.\u00a0 So\u2014can you let me off?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam frowned, not happy at all about stopping his stage, especially not when he was making such good time.\u00a0 \u201cYou know there\u2019s not another stage to Sacramento for days, Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2014I know\u2014but\u2014well, nothing I can do about it\u2014Pa will understand.\u00a0 He has two weeks to get the contracts done so we still will have time.\u00a0 So?\u00a0 Will you let me off?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam growled a bit but then looking over at the worry on the young man\u2019s face, he caved in to the request.\u00a0 Pulling back on his team, Sam slowed the stage in preparation to let Joe off.\u00a0 Joe grabbed his bag from the luggage compartment and patted the man on the arm thankfully.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sure appreciate it\u2014sorry to make you do this,\u201d Joe nodded over to the driver as the stagecoach came to a complete stop.<\/p>\n

\u201cNext time be more prepared!\u201d\u00a0 Sam called to Joe as he hopped down from his perch.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will\u2014thanks!\u201d\u00a0 Joe replied and watched as the stage departed again.\u00a0 As soon as it disappeared, he scanned the area and thought on where he would be able to find a horse.\u00a0 Realizing that he wasn\u2019t more than five miles from his best friend\u2019s ranch, Joe started walking.\u00a0 He was sure that Mitch Devlin would loan him a mount for the ride back to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Once he made it home, Joe was determined to find out what all the secrecy had been about.<\/p>\n

Ben stopped back at the ranch house<\/strong> in order to fetch his horse, trading off from the buckboard he had used to deliver his son to the stage-line.\u00a0 He hurriedly rode off to meet with Adam and Hoss.\u00a0 Just a little past noon, Ben reached the shore of Lake Tahoe, just down from where his wife\u2019s grave lay on the incline above.\u00a0 He noticed the three horses coming towards him, and realized the sheriff had joined up with his sons.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowdy, Ben,\u201d Roy called as he dismounted and approached his friend\u2019s horse.<\/p>\n

Ben eased out of his saddle, as did his two sons from theirs.\u00a0 \u201cHi, Roy\u2014so\u2014you men find anything yet?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss found some tracks, which went right over yonder\u2014guess that\u2019s about where Joe found Marie\u2019s ring,\u201d Roy replied pointing over towards the boulders.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere did they go from there?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked as his eyes scanned the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey circled a spell and then looks like they headed towards Virginia City, Pa,\u201d Hoss explained. \u201cOh\u2014and Pa\u2014there were two different sets of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean two riders?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked confused.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I mean two different groups of men.\u00a0 Those over there are the prints of two horses\u2014and up yonder are wagon tracks.\u00a0 Guess they\u2014\u201d Hoss stopped short.\u00a0 He was just going to explain how the men had obviously planned all along to steal the casket by bringing along a means by which to move it.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo on, Son\u2014I have to know,\u201d Ben urged Hoss on, knowing why he had stopped.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had a wagon with them on purpose\u2014we found boot prints all around by the grave\u2014a lot more than you and Adam made there yesterday.\u00a0 Looks like they dug up the grave\u2014and carried the \u2014well\u2014the casket down hill to a wagon that was waiting to take it away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat means it was all well thought out then doesn\u2019t it?\u201d\u00a0 Roy jumped in, giving Ben some time to come to grips with the new information.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey desecrated Marie\u2019s grave\u2014then they took her body\u2014why in the name of God would anyone do that?\u201d\u00a0 Ben still fought for an answer, which no-one could offer him at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoy\u2014\u201d Adam started and his face was filled with confusion, \u201cJoe found that ring\u2014you think they might have meant to drop it?\u00a0 I mean\u2014it\u2019s an expensive ring and all\u2014you think they were careless or that they wanted someone to find it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI been asking myself that all morning, Adam,\u201d Roy sighed and reached for his canteen and took a swig.\u00a0 \u201cIf that ring was buried with Marie\u2014\u201d Roy began but Ben cut him off abruptly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf!\u00a0 I know it was\u2014I was the last one to see her\u2014\u201d Ben tried to fight the rage that was taking over his body.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Ben\u2014I didn\u2019t mean it to sound like that,\u201d Roy apologized softly.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2014I\u2019m sorry\u2014guess my nerves are about as raw as they can be right now.\u00a0 I know you are trying to help.\u00a0 Go on,\u201d Ben replied and put his hand on the sheriff\u2019s shoulder in an effort to show him how badly he felt about his outburst.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2014the ring was buried with her\u2014so they had to get into that coffin\u2014to get it.\u00a0 If they was just gonna rob the grave\u2014then\u2014why take the casket with them?\u00a0 And why not take care of the most expensive piece of jewelry that was inside anyway?\u00a0 It just don\u2019t add up!\u201d\u00a0 Roy continued, though he was just as dumbfounded as the others.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they wanted someone to find the ring\u2014to let it be known what had happened to Marie\u2019s grave,\u201d Adam spoke out angrily.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cFor all we know they watched Joe yesterday\u2014and set the kid up\u2014knowing what a find he would think it was!\u00a0 So, they wanted to bring us out here\u2014to hurt us.\u00a0 Now\u2014who would want to inflict this kind of pain on our family?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben simply shook his head and sighed.\u00a0 All that they had accomplished so far was to come up with more and more questions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m gonna try to follow that trail that they took towards town.\u00a0 Maybe we can see where they turned off?\u201d\u00a0 Roy stated and climbed back up into his saddle.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re coming along,\u201d Ben nodded and watched as his sons walked back to their horses.\u00a0 One by one they turned their mounts and headed off to try and figure out which way the wagon had gone.\u00a0 Ben waited until the others had gotten a little farther down the trail and then glanced up towards the tree-line and fought tears as he thought about Marie being gone from him.\u00a0 He knew that the casket only held her earthly remains, but, he had every intention of tracking down those remains, just as if it was Marie herself in life, that he was trying to save from the evil that had stolen her away.\u00a0 Kicking at Buck\u2019s sides, to urge him into a faster gallop, Ben rode to catch up with his sons and the sheriff.<\/p>\n

Joe had walked four of the five miles<\/strong> to the Devlin ranch and the whole time ran numerous scenarios through his mind of what was going on that had caused his father to send him away.\u00a0 Breaking through the oak grove, Joe heard his name called and shot a look behind him.\u00a0 There, riding up at a good clip was his best friend.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey Joe!\u201d\u00a0 Mitch shouted happily and pulled his horse to a halt next to the other young man.<\/p>\n

\u201cMitch\u2014I\u2019m sure happy to see you!\u00a0 I was just heading to your place to see if I could borrow a horse,\u201d Joe smiled up at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter?\u00a0 That crazy pinto of yours throw you?\u201d\u00a0 Mitch laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cNaw\u2014long story\u2014how about giving me a ride to your ranch?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cClimb on up!\u201d\u00a0 Mitch replied and reached down for Joe\u2019s hand.\u00a0 He had noticed the carpet bag in Joe\u2019s left hand and it seemed a bit odd, but waited to hear the story behind it.<\/p>\n

Joe swung up behind the saddle and soon the two old friends were heading to the Devlin ranch.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2014Joe\u2014what happened to your horse?\u2019\u00a0 Mac Devlin asked as he approached both boys.\u00a0 He set down the harness he had been repairing and stared up at Joe as he readied to dismount.<\/p>\n

\u201cHad a little problem, Mr. Devlin,\u201d Joe answered and tried to come up with a believable lie to tell the man.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want Mitch\u2019s father to suspect that something was amiss.\u00a0 \u201cCan I borrow one of your horses\u2014just for the day?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course you can.\u00a0\u00a0 Mitch take Joe into the barn and saddle up the sorrel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, Pa,\u201d Mitch nodded and pulled his horse along with him.<\/p>\n

Inside the stall, while the two young men saddled the horse Mitch stared over at his friend to see if he could read exactly what was on his face.\u00a0 By the look Joe wore, his friend assumed he was in some trouble.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpill it, Joe.\u00a0 What\u2019s up?\u201d\u00a0 Mitch said and tightened the saddle cinch.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing\u2014just was riding one of the new stock and got thrown,\u201d Joe lied.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2014you know I can read you like a book.\u00a0 Now how about not shooting me a line for a change?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe stared down at the hay in the stall and sighed wearily.\u00a0 \u201cMitch\u2014something\u2019s going on at the ranch and none of my family will tell me what it is.\u00a0 In fact\u2014well\u2014this bag I\u2019m carrying kinda gives away the fact that I was supposed to be heading out of town, doesn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitch laughed and patted his friend\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t say nothing when I saw you out there\u2014but I bet my pa figured you were running away from home or something!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting sent away is more like it,\u201d Joe frowned.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo\u2014what did you do\u2014accidently miss the stage on purpose?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2014I got on the stage\u2014but I got off of it too.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t going nowhere until I find out what the heck is going on!\u201d\u00a0 Joe replied emphatically.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know I saw your pa and brothers earlier today when I was coming back from town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked over at his friend hoping for some information as to what they were doing.\u00a0 \u201cDid you talk to them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNaw\u2014they were heading off the other way when I spotted them.\u00a0 Matter of fact Sheriff Coffee was with them too!\u201d\u00a0 Mitch answered and started to wonder the same thing Joe was at the time.\u00a0 Something very strange had to be going on for Joe to have been sent away and that same day the other Cartwrights being out with the sheriff.<\/p>\n

\u201cSee?\u00a0 It\u2019s gotta be something bad\u2014something that Pa didn\u2019t want me to know about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo\u2014what now?\u00a0 You just gonna show up at the ranch?\u00a0 Your pa\u2019s gonna have a fit when he sees you left that stage, Joe!\u201d Mitch exclaimed as he grabbed the horse\u2019s bridle and secured it over its head.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m gonna go home and wait for them to get back.\u00a0 They won\u2019t be expecting me\u2014so maybe I\u2019ll hear something?\u201d\u00a0 Joe replied and walked out of the barn pulling the horse with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood luck, Joe\u2014let me know okay?\u201d\u00a0 Mitch said as Joe swung up into his saddle.<\/p>\n

Joe hitched his carpet bag onto the saddle horn and waved to his friend.\u00a0 \u201cI will\u2014thanks again\u2014I\u2019ll get the horse back to you tomorrow!\u201d\u00a0 Joe called as he sent the horse into a gallop and headed back to the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

Shortly before dusk,<\/strong> the three Cartwrights rode their horses up in front of the ranch house and dismounted.\u00a0 They were hot, tired, and dusty.\u00a0 They were also discouraged after having chased tracks that seemed to lead nowhere all day.\u00a0 The one good set of prints from the wagon the grave robbers had used stopped abruptly right before heading down the main road of Virginia City.\u00a0 Another set of tracks led in the opposite direction and from the width of the wagon wheels it showed that it was a totally different one than the original wagon that had obviously carried the casket away.\u00a0 Roy, who was a seasoned lawman, didn\u2019t know what to think of it.\u00a0 They were evidently dealing with an entirely different kind of criminal than he had ever come up against.\u00a0 Assuring the Cartwrights that he would not give up, Roy had headed back into town to get some rest before deciding what the next plan of action would be.<\/p>\n

Joe was glad that the cook and family caretaker was away in Carson City for a few days.\u00a0 It made it much easier for him to sneak unnoticed into the house.\u00a0 He had left the horse Mitch had loaned him down in the lower pasture to not attract any attention.\u00a0 His plan was to stand off from the kitchen in hopes of hearing his family\u2019s conversation upon entering the house.\u00a0 Joe braced himself behind the door to the kitchen and bided his time.<\/p>\n

The three men untied their holsters at the front door and tossed their hats on the rack on the wall close by.\u00a0 Filled with despair, they all settled down by the fireplace quietly.\u00a0 Ben stared over at his two sons and tried to think of something positive he might say to raise their sagging spirits.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t think of anything.\u00a0 The thieves had done their homework and had planned the evil deed so well that there wasn\u2019t much that any of the Cartwrights could do other than wait and worry.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want me to fix some supper for all of us, Pa?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss called over to his father.\u00a0 He really wasn\u2019t hungry and thought that neither of the other two men would be, but he wanted to do something other than sit and agonize over a day of useless searching.<\/p>\n

Ben forced a tired smile and replied, \u201cThanks, Son\u2014maybe later.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stoked the fireplace and then turned and said what everyone else was thinking, \u201cDamn it!\u00a0 How could they do this to us?\u00a0 How could they do this to Marie?\u00a0 Just tell me what they were trying to accomplish!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stood and put his hand on his son\u2019s shoulder to try to comfort him.\u00a0 Adam had always been the kind of man who thought with his head and not his heart, but apparently his stoic facade was chipping away.\u00a0 Ben knew that Adam, though almost a teenager when Marie had come into their lives, had loved the woman as deeply as the much younger Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomehow\u2014someway\u2014we will find all that out, Son.\u00a0 We just have to keep it together.\u00a0 Marie would not want us destroyed by this,\u201d Ben said quietly and felt the tightness in his son\u2019s shoulder ease up a bit.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss gasped and pointed towards the dining room.<\/p>\n

Joe was just standing there, right by the entranceway to the kitchen.\u00a0 The boy\u2019s mouth was open but he was not talking, he looked stunned.<\/p>\n

Ben turned and a mixture of emotions filled his body.\u00a0 He was in a way glad to see the boy, but that was soon gone when he realized what his presence there meant.\u00a0 Ben was not at all sure of what Joe had already heard.\u00a0 It was then that the pent up anger inside of him came pouring out and he yelled across the room, \u201cJoseph!\u00a0 I put you on that stage myself\u2014what in the devil are you doing here?!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI got off,\u201d Joe finally spoke up, and there was a sharp edge to his reply.<\/p>\n

Ben started towards the boy and shouted, \u201cI ought to put you over my knee!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe squared off with his father as he approached.\u00a0 He was not backing down, and from the look on his face, neither was his pa.\u00a0 Joe squinted his eyes, defiance written all over his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo ahead\u2014put me over your knee\u2014but not until you tell me what my mother has to do with all this!\u201d\u00a0 Joe shouted right back at his father, to show his hurt and anger.<\/p>\n

Ben clamped his hand on Joe\u2019s wrist, and for a split second the room fell hushed.\u00a0 Hoss and Adam were not sure what their father was going to do with the boy.\u00a0 They did know that the man had been pushed beyond all endurance and there was no telling how that anxiety might be displayed.<\/p>\n

Joe felt the strength in his father\u2019s hold, but did not back down.\u00a0 He figured if he was going to be spoken to like a child, then at least he would act like a man during the conversation.\u00a0 Joe didn\u2019t try to pull away from Ben\u2019s grasp but continued to stare into his anger filled eyes.\u00a0 It was the look of the boy\u2019s eyes which stared back at Ben that finally broke the heated battle.\u00a0 For a brief moment the hazel embers softened and they were the replica of Marie\u2019s own green eyes.\u00a0 That was all it took to melt away Ben\u2019s ire and remind him that it was his love for the boy that was now at stake.<\/p>\n

Joe wasn\u2019t sure just what to make of the expression on his father\u2019s face.\u00a0 One minute the man had given him the impression that he was going to hit him, and the next minute his countenance changed so abruptly that Joe was sure he was about to find himself in the Pa\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Joseph\u2014\u201d Ben sighed and released the boy\u2019s wrist and pulled him into an impromptu embrace.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me, Pa\u2014I have to know,\u201d Joe begged, choking back his fear of the unknown.<\/p>\n

Ben pulled away from his son and walked solemnly back into the living room and sat down on the settee.\u00a0 He signaled Joe over with a point of his finger and Joe moved to sit next to him\u00a0\u00a0 Joe glanced over at his two brothers, who had both moved over to the fireplace, bracing themselves for what was going to happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to spare you this\u2014but you\u2019ve left me no choice,\u201d Ben began and draped his arm around his son, hoping to control the boy once he had heard the awful truth.\u00a0 \u201cThat ring you found yesterday\u2014it was your mother\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t understand?\u00a0 You mean\u2014she lost it?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked, taking in the first part of the story and trying desperately to process it in his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2014it was her engagement ring, Son.\u00a0 She never took it off her finger\u2014not since the day I gave it to her,\u201d Ben continued, grasping for the words to make it sound less traumatic to the boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen\u2014how\u2014how did it get out there by the lake, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph\u2014now I want you to listen to me carefully\u2014no matter what\u2019s happened, we\u2019re going to take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked back over at Hoss and Adam and his heart started to pound hard in his chest.\u00a0 A mental picture was starting to form and he prayed that his intuition was grossly wrong.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid someone\u2014did someone steal it out of her casket, Pa?\u201d\u00a0 Joe stuttered as his chin started to quiver and his eyes began to form tears in them.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph\u2014there\u2019s no easy way to tell you this\u2014so\u2014I just have to tell you the whole awful truth of the matter.\u00a0 Son\u2014\u201d Ben paused and put his hand on Joe\u2019s right arm to steady the boy.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone vandalized your mother\u2019s grave\u2014they broke her headstone\u2014\u201d Ben couldn\u2019t get the words all out before Joe lurched back and sprang to his feet breaking his father\u2019s strong hold.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u00a0 No!\u201d\u00a0 Joe shouted and looked to his brothers for confirmation that what his father said had been wrong.<\/p>\n

Ben stood next to Joe and pulled him to his chest, he could feel the boy\u2019s body shake and he knew that the worst was yet to come.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph\u2014they stole your mother\u2019s casket.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe pushed back from his father and stared up into his eyes.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t speak.\u00a0 Joe felt as though the room was spinning and he had to swallow hard to prevent losing the contents of his stomach. \u00a0Ben\u2019s worst fears were now realized when he saw how his son was taking the terrible news.\u00a0 He tried to pull the boy back towards him to shelter him from the reality of what he had heard, but Joe suddenly bolted across the room.\u00a0 Pulling the front door open the boy sprinted outside hoping to escape from the heartbreaking story his father had just conveyed.<\/p>\n

\u201cPoor kid,\u201d Adam whispered as he and Hoss gathered around their father for support.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go talk to him,\u201d Hoss insisted but Ben stopped him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go,\u201d Ben replied and walked slowly out of the living room.<\/p>\n

Darkness had fallen<\/strong> and as Ben walked slowly to the barn his heart battled his mind as to what to say to his son.\u00a0 He knew the depth of Joe\u2019s love for his mother, and though he was not quite five years old when she had died, the image he had built of her over the years was monumental.\u00a0 As the boy\u2019s only parent,\u00a0Ben had done his best to tell Joe all about his mother to try and enforce a more concrete picture of the woman.\u00a0 He tried to fill in the gaps that her death had left open and addressed any question his son had asked over the twelve years since Marie had passed away.\u00a0 Ben still remembered the long talk he had with Joe, a few years after Marie had taken the fatal fall from her horse.\u00a0 No matter the years, nor his stoic resolve to go on with his life, Ben could still taste the grief over losing his wife.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t have to be any special day or event that sparked the awareness in his heart that the woman was gone.\u00a0 Sometimes it could be something as simple as a waft of the perfume she had worn or his youngest son riding up to the ranch house, just as his mother had.\u00a0 Ben had become, over the years, quite an actor.\u00a0 He gave off the appearance that he had overcome his heartbreak.\u00a0 In all reality it was as fresh as the day Marie had died, and once in a while would cause such intense sorrow that he wondered how he could go on with his life without her.<\/p>\n

There were three things that Ben clung to, like a rope that prevented the fall into despair; his sons.\u00a0 Now he knew he had to go into the barn and try his best to bring Joseph from that same deep well of despair.\u00a0 The bitter truth was that Ben wanted to do exactly what Joe had done.\u00a0 He wished he could run and hide and let out his pain away from the sight of his boys.\u00a0 That was an impossibility, especially now, with Joseph in such dire need of a strong shoulder.\u00a0 As he reached for the door handle, Ben drew in a deep breath and forced himself to go back into the \u201cpa\u201d mode.\u00a0 It was time to prepare for yet another acting job.<\/p>\n

Moving inside of the darkened barn, Ben first heard the sound.\u00a0 Lighting a lantern just inside the door, Ben turned toward where Joe stood.\u00a0 Ben drew closer, holding the lantern while witnessing his son\u2019s expression of pain and anger.\u00a0 Two chairs and a small table had already been on the receiving end of Joe\u2019s volatile temper.\u00a0 They were in pieces on the hay covered floor.\u00a0 Joe apparently had tired of inanimate objects and was in the process of punching the rough-hewn boards of the barn\u2019s interior with his fist.\u00a0 Ben moved quickly to the boy and grabbed his left hand, ceasing the brutal assault.\u00a0 Joe struggled against his father\u2019s tight grip.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet go of me!\u201d\u00a0 Joe screamed and tried again to pull away from his pa.<\/p>\n

\u201cSettle down, Joseph\u2014this isn\u2019t the way!\u00a0 You\u2019re only gonna hurt yourself more,\u201d Ben protested and further locked Joe with his other hand.<\/p>\n

Joe wasn\u2019t going to give up that easily, he was enraged and didn\u2019t care what anyone thought anymore.\u00a0 It took a few minutes before he finally relented and stopped fighting Ben\u2019s fierce hold.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m gonna kill them, Pa\u2014I swear to God\u2014I\u2019m gonna kill them!\u201d<\/p>\n

Once Ben realized that Joe was giving up on the idea of fighting his hold, he set the lantern on a nearby shelf with his right hand, all the while keeping the other hand planted on Joe\u2019s wrist; just in case.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome over here,\u201d Ben said quietly and moved with Joe to a bench.\u00a0 Joe had no choice but to follow his father\u2019s move, as he was still very much in his grasp.\u00a0 The two of them sat down and Ben pulled Joe\u2019s left hand up closer to his face to get a look at the damage.\u00a0 The boy\u2019s knuckles were raw and bleeding from having pounded the wall so vigorously.\u00a0 Ben pulled off his neckerchief and wrapped it gently around the injury.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph\u2014I understand you are mad\u2014\u201d Ben began but was immediately cut off by his son.<\/p>\n

\u201cMad!\u00a0 Hell no\u2014not mad\u2014nowhere nears that\u2014there isn\u2019t even a word for what I am right now!\u201d\u00a0 Joe yelled and pulled his hand back away.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know exactly how you feel,\u201d Ben replied, and there was a bitterness in his tone that finally caught Joe\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n

Staring into his father\u2019s eyes, Joe saw the anguish and pain and for the first time realized he wasn\u2019t the only one suffering at the time.\u00a0 \u201cYou should have told me, Pa\u2014you should have told me,\u201d Joe whispered and turned away from the man and covered his face with his hands.<\/p>\n

Ben placed the palms of his hands on Joe\u2019s trembling shoulders and knew that the anger that was prevalent earlier had now turned the corner and had changed to acute sadness.\u00a0 Joe was doing his very best to hide the tears but to no avail.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey\u2014didn\u2019t we say\u2014just a few months ago that we wouldn\u2019t hide our feelings from each other?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked and squeezed the boy\u2019s shoulders affectionately.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2014\u201d Joe answered, his voice strained.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen\u2014come on in the house, Joseph\u2014we\u2019ll all talk about this,\u201d Ben offered.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2014I don\u2019t want Adam or Hoss to see me crying,\u201d Joe replied.\u00a0 \u201cYou all think I am just a kid \u2014that will only confirm it to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben pulled Joe around to face him and pushed his hands away from his face so he could get his point across better.\u00a0 \u201cWait just a minute\u2014I think you have some things wrong there, Joe!\u00a0 First of all, I do not think of you as a kid\u2014you are a young man now.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t sending you away because I thought you were a little kid\u2014I sent you away to prevent all this\u2014all this pain.\u00a0 And, as for not wanting to cry in front of your brothers\u2014well\u2014do you think they haven\u2019t shed some tears over this themselves?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe stared into his father\u2019s eyes and looked strangely at him but did not respond with words.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have\u2014we all have\u2014that\u2019s why we didn\u2019t want you to go through this same kind of hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was MY mother\u2014\u201d Joe insisted but his father caught his arm, breaking his statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph\u2014Marie was their mother too\u2014both Adam and Hoss\u2014they loved her\u2014and they are distraught over what has happened.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you dare think that they don\u2019t want to kill whoever did this\u2014just the way you do\u2014and I do for that matter,\u201d Ben tried to bring his point home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry\u2014I was only thinking about myself\u2014\u201d Joe apologized and looked away from his father once more.\u00a0 \u201cBut\u2014Pa\u2014why?\u00a0 Why would anyone do this?\u00a0 I just don\u2019t understand\u2014how could they take her from us? I keep thinking of Mama\u2014out there somewhere\u2014\u201d Joe stopped abruptly as the awful images reappeared in his mind.\u00a0 The very thought of his mother in the hands of strangers crushed the boy.\u00a0 Joe felt as though his heart had been ripped from his chest leaving only a gaping hole that was festering by the minute.<\/p>\n

Ben pulled Joe to his chest and held on tightly.\u00a0 He had no answers for the boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know the why\u2019s and how\u2019s of this yet, Son\u2014but we will bring your mother back\u2014that\u2019s a promise.\u00a0 But\u2014Joe\u2014I want you to listen to me\u2014\u201d Ben stopped and Joe looked back up into his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cYour mother is in heaven\u2014you know that\u2014she is as much with us now as she has always been.\u00a0 What was stolen\u2014well\u2014it\u2019s sacred to us\u2014but no matter what happens from here on out\u2014never forget that she is still in your heart\u2014like she is in mine.\u00a0 No-one can steal that from you\u2014or me.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father\u2019s words, coated with his empathy and love, caused the flood gates to open up and Joe fell forward into Ben\u2019s arms crying.\u00a0 Ben allowed himself to use that moment of emotional release to expend some of his own tears.\u00a0 They trailed down his cheeks and fell lightly on the brown curls that adorned his youngest son\u2019s head.\u00a0 Together they mourned their loss and sought comfort in each other\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n

Walking into the ranch house a short time later,<\/strong> Ben\u2019s facial expression told the whole story as to what had happened in his conversation with Joe.\u00a0 A combination of grief mixed with resolve displayed in the worry-lines on his brow.\u00a0 Both Adam and Hoss moved to stand next to their father.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s Joe?\u201d\u00a0 Adam asked, noticing that Ben had shut the door behind him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said he\u2019d be in soon\u2014he wants to pull himself together a little bit first,\u201d Ben answered.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2014I\u2019m gonna go talk to him for just a minute,\u201d Hoss insisted and moved to the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss\u2014I\u2019m not sure that\u2019s the best thing right now,\u201d Ben replied, worried as to whether Joe would take his brother\u2019s visit as an intrusion of his privacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo ahead and let him, Pa,\u201d Adam jumped into the debated issue, \u201cI think Hoss might be able to help the kid some too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben frowned and shook his head, but when he looked over at Hoss\u2019 insistent blue eyes he knew he had to cave to his request.\u00a0 He nodded towards his middle son, and Hoss walked out of the house.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s you and I go fix some grub, Pa,\u201d Adam offered and they both turned for the kitchen.<\/p>\n

Ben had made it a point to leave<\/strong> the lantern sitting right next to Joe in the barn.\u00a0 The idea of the boy grieving his loss in the dark, as he had been earlier, was too overwhelming for the father to bear.\u00a0 Joe still sat on the bench that his father had earlier pulled him over to and sheltered his eyes with his arms, which were securely wrapped, around his knees.\u00a0 Hoss entered the barn and spied the soft glow of the lantern and then the forlorn appearance of his baby brother.\u00a0 It struck his heart, wounding it even worse than it already was.\u00a0 Hoss crossed the barn in a slow fashion, still trying to get all his thoughts straight in his mind before unleashing them on his brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u00a0 Okay if we talk for a spell?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss asked softly and dropped down on the bench next to the boy.<\/p>\n

Joe made a sound, which was quite obviously an attempt to hide the pain and send any remnants of his tears back to where they should be.\u00a0 He had asked his pa to leave him alone for awhile so that he could alter his appearance in order to look more adult when he returned to the house.\u00a0 It hadn\u2019t worked.\u00a0 The longer he sat there in the barn alone, the more his thoughts fell to his mother and the more tears which were summoned because of that image.<\/p>\n

Joe attempted to clear his throat again, and his voice came out strained as he replied, \u201cI told Pa I would be in soon\u2014you didn\u2019t have to come out here, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss threw one massive arm around his little brother and it engulfed the boy.\u00a0 \u201cI wanted to come out here to talk to you, Little Joe.\u00a0 Now, I ain\u2019t the great orator like old Adam\u2014nor anywhere\u2019s near as smart as our Pa\u2014but I still wanted to tell you a few things\u2014that is\u2014if you will listen?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe lifted his head from his arms and for the first time stared over into his brother\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 For such a huge man, who actually possessed the strength of ten, he could be so gentle that it was amazing to Joe, even after seventeen years of watching his brother.\u00a0 Joe nodded for Hoss to continue.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2014I was in there awhile ago, thinking about all of this\u2014and how you must feel.\u00a0 And, I don\u2019t know if Pa told you this\u2014but if he didn\u2019t\u2014I will\u2014we weren\u2019t sending you away to treat you like some kid.\u00a0 When we all found out what happened \u2014well\u2014all we could think of was how it would hurt you.\u00a0 We couldn\u2019t stand the thought of you being as devastated as we all are.\u00a0 So, if\u2019n you\u2019re still angry at Pa\u2014don\u2019t be\u2014cause all of us decided to send you off for a few weeks.\u00a0 We were sure that we would have your Momma back by then\u2014we still are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that now\u2014I ain\u2019t mad no more,\u201d Joe whispered and pushed away a tear.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2014there\u2019s something else I wanted to tell you.\u00a0 Don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever told you this\u2014but when I was just a little guy\u2014and don\u2019t laugh\u2014I was little once\u2014\u201d Hoss stopped and winked towards Joe, trying to lighten the dark mood some.\u00a0 \u201cAnyway\u2014when Pa finally got around to telling me how my ma died\u2014and how she\u2019s out there\u2014somewhere on the prairie in an unmarked grave\u2014well\u2014it made me sad for the longest time!\u00a0 He told me all about the Indian raids\u2014and why they had to cover up her grave to prevent them from desecrating it,\u201d Hoss stopped again, as and old pain ripped at his heart.\u00a0Joe could see what Hoss\u2019 remembrance was doing to him, and it only made him love the big man more.\u00a0 He knew that Hoss was somehow trying to relate his feelings in order to make his little brother feel better.\u00a0 Joe touched Hoss arm to let him know he appreciated what he was trying to do.<\/p>\n

Hoss cleared his throat and continued, \u201cAnyhow\u2014it took me a good long time to get over learning all those details\u2014you know\u2014I always thought I could go and find her\u2014just to place a few flowers on her grave\u2014and maybe carve her a decent headstone.\u00a0 But, there\u2019s no way\u2014from what Pa said to even pin point the area.\u00a0 So, I used to gather the first wild flowers in spring time and take them out to the meadow over-looking the eastern border of the ranch\u2014you know\u2014down by what\u2019s now Miller\u2019s Pond?\u00a0 Anyways\u2014I would put them there and remember her that way.\u00a0 It helped me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a little different, Hoss\u2014my Ma had a grave\u2014that someone has dug up,\u201d Joe replied, but tried to be a bit more soft in his tone to let Hoss know he did feel for his plight and how he had lost his own mother.<\/p>\n

Hoss patted his brother\u2019s shoulder and nodded, \u201cI\u2019m getting around to that\u2014I told you I ain\u2019t exactly good with these lectures\u2014but I\u2019ve been watching Pa\u2014and well I\u2019m trying my best\u2014so bear with me a little longer, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe forced a smile and nodded for his brother to continue.\u00a0\u201cOkay\u2014well\u2014your Ma came into our lives\u2014and she was the only Ma I ever knew.\u00a0 At first I was a bit shy\u2014as I wasn\u2019t much older than Adam was when he met my Ma you know?\u00a0 I liked your Ma right away\u2014seems like she was always smiling\u2014that\u2019s what I remember the most about her.\u00a0 Well, that\u2014and the way she brought life into Pa.\u00a0 I was having problems at school when Marie came here to live\u2014I had just started school and everyone teased me about being so dad gone big.\u00a0 I was half the size of my teacher\u2014and I wasn\u2019t even six!\u00a0 Pa would come and pick me up in the afternoon and I never told him how awful things were for me.\u00a0 Those other kids could be so mean\u2014and the teacher wasn\u2019t much of a help from what I can recall.\u00a0 But, you know what?\u00a0 It was your Ma that helped me through all that!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe did?\u00a0 How?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe never saw me as some huge lummox \u2014she never commented about my height or my weight\u2014not like all those others!\u00a0 She was proud of me\u2014she called me her gentle giant.\u00a0 She would read me books about all these brave gladiators in the old days\u2014way over in Rome and she said I would have been the best of them all.\u00a0 Anytime I would start to feel like I was out of place\u2014Marie would lift my spirits and make me glad that I was so big and all,\u201d Hoss stopped again and sighed.\u00a0 He could still see the woman with the bright green eyes sitting by the fireplace reading to him and smiling.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you loved her, Hoss\u2014I know this has got to hurt you too\u2014guess even Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all loved her, Joe\u2014and when she died\u2014well\u2014it was the hardest time of my life.\u00a0 I know I never told you\u2014never brought it up much\u2014didn\u2019t feel the need to.\u00a0 But, I always go down to her grave\u2014and when I do\u2014it\u2019s like she listens to me\u2014and my problems just like she was here.\u00a0 When I bring flowers\u2014I always carry two bunches of them\u2014one for my Ma\u2014and one for Marie.\u00a0 Now they\u2019ve stolen that from me\u2014and I promise you\u2014with every amount of strength I have in this big ox of a body\u2014I am gonna bring her back!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe put his arms around Hoss and hugged onto his brother.\u00a0 It had touched him so deeply that Hoss would reveal such personal details to him in order to make him feel better.\u00a0 Joe knew how difficult that must have been for the man to do.\u00a0\u201cI know why Ma was always so proud of you, Big Brother\u2014and you know\u2014you were wrong about one thing\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss fought back some of his tears and replied, \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are just as good an orator as Adam and Pa\u2014and you\u2019re not some ox of a man neither\u2014you are just like Ma pictured you.\u00a0\u00a0 You are a gladiator\u2014and the fiercest one in this whole country!\u00a0 I\u2019m glad you\u2019re my brother,\u201d Joe whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Little Brother\u2014but do me a favor huh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked as he pulled back away from Hoss and stood to leave. \u201cDon\u2019t tell Pa nor Adam about my great performance in here\u2014I like them to think they have all the brains in this family!\u00a0 I\u2019m content just being the gladiator of the bunch of us!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss laughed and grabbed the lantern as both boys turned towards the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll keep your secret, Big Brother,\u201d Joe smiled, and felt for the first time that his mother would be found and somehow things would return to the way they had been.<\/p>\n

Dinner was a meager selection of soup and cold sandwiches but no-one minded the meal that had been provided by both Ben and Adam.\u00a0 The three eldest Cartwrights went to great lengths to bring Joe up to all the facts that they had ascertained concerning any clues about the theft.\u00a0 Joe listened intently, but spoke little.\u00a0 His mind worked out different scenarios as to what he would do to the perpetrators should he be lucky enough to come upon them.\u00a0 Ben insisted that his sons should get to bed right after supper so that they could all head out to Virginia City early the next morning.\u00a0 He knew that all of them were emotionally spent by the time they bid him goodnight and headed up to their bedrooms.<\/p>\n

Joe spread out on top of his comforter and tried to force himself to fall to sleep.\u00a0 He never even pulled off his clothes, just his boots.\u00a0 Thinking that he would be the first one downstairs the next morning he didn\u2019t see the importance of donning his nightclothes. Just as he was starting to feel the tug of sleep in the back of his mind and feel his body giving in to the softness of his bed, Joe\u2019s eyes flashed open again.\u00a0 The image of his mother\u2019s grave had popped into his thoughts and had propelled him back to reality just at the last second.\u00a0 Joe slung his legs over to the side of his bed and sighed deeply.\u00a0 There just wouldn\u2019t be any sleep for him that night; Joe was sure of it now.\u00a0 Quietly, hoping not to attract his father\u2019s attention as he moved into the hallway, Joe slowly made it to the staircase.<\/p>\n

From the top step Joe looked down into the living room.\u00a0 There, seated on the coffee table with pensive eyes staring into the fireplace, was Adam.\u00a0 Joe hesitated momentarily, not knowing if he should make his presence known.\u00a0 He was sure he would be rebuked in some way and told to go to his room like some little kid.\u00a0 Adam could be worse than Pa at times in that regard and Joe wondered if he should just turn back down the hallway.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d\u00a0 Adam called in an exaggerated whisper, when his eyes noticed the form on the stairs.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing\u2014nothing, Adam,\u201d Joe replied and decided that he might as well make the trip downstairs now that he was caught.\u00a0 He moved to the bottom landing just as Adam reached for the fire poker and toyed with the logs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThought you\u2019d be asleep, Kid,\u201d Adam continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cThought you would too,\u201d Joe replied, all the while forcing himself to ignore the \u201ckid\u201d comment his brother had made.\u00a0 He wondered how many times he had asked his oldest brother to stop calling him by that juvenile term.\u00a0 Joe wasn\u2019t sure if Adam used the word as a put-down or as just a subtle reminder that he was older and wiser than his little brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t sleep\u2014couldn\u2019t shut off my mind,\u201d Adam admitted and sank back down on the coffee table.<\/p>\n

Joe sat next to his brother and watched the flames dart back and forth on the cord wood.\u00a0 They sat there like that for a long while without speaking.\u00a0 Finally Adam broke the silence and turned to look into his brother\u2019s forlorn eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2014I know this has been hard on you.\u00a0 It\u2019s been hard on all of us.\u00a0 But, I know that grave site is a special place to you\u2014always has been.\u00a0 I was thinking just a little while before you came down here\u2014about that place.\u00a0 Did I ever tell you that your mother and I used to go there quite a bit?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked at his brother surprised by his words, \u201cNo\u2014you never told me that.\u00a0 I know Pa said that Ma loved the view there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2014she sure did.\u00a0 I can still remember the first time I went up there with her.\u00a0 Well\u2014not with her exactly,\u201d Adam paused and a brief smile filtered across his lips.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2014I went there\u2014Pa and I had an argument and I took off.\u00a0 She found me up there and we sat there and talked.\u00a0 It\u2019s funny\u2014it wasn\u2019t until that day that I realized how much she cared about me.\u00a0 I guess I was pretty hard on Marie at first\u2014you know\u2014I wasn\u2019t quite sure she was right for Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked a bit defensively.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if I was ready for anyone to come into our lives\u2014no matter who it was, Joe.\u00a0 Seeing Pa so devastated when Inger died\u2014I just didn\u2019t ever want him to go through that again\u2014nor me either.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo\u2014why did you and Pa argue that day\u2014and what did Ma say to you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had broached the subject of college\u2014and Pa wasn\u2019t all too keen on the idea.\u00a0 He felt my place was here\u2014you know the Ponderosa was just becoming a reality.\u00a0 But, I wanted to go off and see what I could do away from here.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know until that afternoon that Marie had argued with Pa to my defense about it.\u00a0 When she came to me about it\u2014and urged me to go back home and talk to Pa a bit more adult-like\u2014well\u2014it kinda shocked me.\u00a0 I could read the sincerity in her eyes and on her face, and knew she was really behind me.\u00a0 It kinda made me feel a little guilty too\u2014\u201d Adam stopped and looked down at the floor and away from Joe\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuilty?\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Cause you didn\u2019t like her?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI did like her, Joe\u2014I just didn\u2019t want to love her,\u201d Adam replied gruffly and stood and crossed the floor.\u00a0 He poured a glass of brandy and fought with his memories before returning to his brother\u2019s side.\u00a0 Sitting down again he continued, \u201cIt was a lost cause\u2014I did love her\u2014though she wasn\u2019t like Inger\u2014hell\u2014no-one was like Inger!\u00a0 Hoss\u2019 ma was too good for this earth\u2014that was for sure.\u00a0 But, Marie\u2014she had such depth\u2014one minute she could tell you the darkest story and the next she could make you feel happy to be alive.\u00a0 She was a lot like you, Joe\u2014a strange combination of aggravating and endearing!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess that\u2019s a compliment?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked and stifled a laugh.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I hadn\u2019t loved her I wouldn\u2019t have been hurt so much by losing her.\u00a0 I still wish I had remained aloof in that respect.\u00a0 But, there was no shutting it off once I saw the woman that she was inside.\u00a0 She radiated life into this house\u2014and into all who were around her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe noticed that Adam\u2019s recollection had stopped and he wondered if there were tears in the brown orbs there looking back again at the floor boards.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo\u2014I take it that you and Pa had it out about college and all was well, huh?\u00a0 Since you left and all,\u201d Joe tried to restart the conversation for his brother\u2019s sake.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2014I had to wait until my pesky baby brother was born\u2014and until I was a little older before I could head out.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t end up going when I wanted to\u2014I waited until a couple years had passed after we lost her.\u00a0 But\u2014you know my first drafting set\u2014you know the one I keep in my room?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMarie bought it for me\u2014the day before she died.\u00a0 I carried it with me and every time I used it to draw up plans in college I could feel her there with me urging me to do better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe fought back his own tears now, so glad that Adam had related the things he had.\u00a0 He was never really sure of his oldest brother\u2019s relationship with his mother.\u00a0 Adam didn\u2019t talk about the woman much, nowhere near as much as Hoss always did.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d Joe whispered.<\/p>\n

Adam put his hand on Joe\u2019s shoulder and forced his gaze.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry I never told you this before, Joe\u2014guess I should have.\u00a0 But, I just wanted you to know\u2014that all of this\u2014all that has happened to Marie\u2019s grave\u2014is personal\u2014to all of us!\u00a0 And, just so you understand, I am as determined as all the rest of you to get the monsters who did this!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe nodded as he read the fierceness in his brother\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2014I also want you to know\u2014that no matter how badly you feel\u2014or Hoss or I feel\u2014Pa is suffering a hell of a lot worse.\u00a0 It almost killed him to bury your Ma\u2014can you imagine him doing it for the second time?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2014no I can\u2019t-\u201d Joe stuttered, he was becoming more and more aware of the impact the desecration was having on his pa.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe gotta do everything we can to help keep Pa\u2019s spirits up, Joe\u2014okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe nodded again and replied, \u201cI will\u2014don\u2019t worry about me.\u00a0 I may be a pesky baby brother\u2014but I\u2019m just as worried about Pa as you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam laughed and patted Joe\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cWell\u2014maybe you aren\u2019t quite as pesky as you use to be, Kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess that\u2019s another one of those compliments, huh?\u201d\u00a0 Joe returned his brother\u2019s smile.<\/p>\n

Adam stood and moved towards the staircase pulling Joe with him.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s try and get some shut-eye\u2014we\u2019ve got a lot of riding to do tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Standing on the very top of the staircase, Ben hurriedly moved into the hall so as not to reveal his intrusion into his sons\u2019 conversation.\u00a0 He was glad, however, to have witnessed the exchange.\u00a0 Ben often worried about the rather shaky relationship between his oldest and youngest sons.\u00a0 His heart eased a bit now.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The luminescence of an oil lamp lit up the small living area in a cabin that sat in seclusion thirty miles east of Virginia City.\u00a0 Seated there at a small dining table was a man who held a brandy glass in one hand and the latest edition of the Territorial Enterprise newspaper in the other.\u00a0 A sinister grin drew up the left side of his mouth, while the other side clamped down on a cigar.\u00a0 Satisfaction, the kind that came from a fulfillment of revenge, showed in Bristol Ford\u2019s cold black eyes.\u00a0 He went on to read the rest of the article which told all about the plight of the Cartwright family, who had gone to great lengths to find their deceased family member\u2019s final remains.<\/p>\n

Bristol chuckled when he read the words at the bottom of the newspaper\u2019s piece which stated a reward was now being offered for any information concerning Marie Cartwright\u2019s coffin.\u00a0 The man had waited as patiently as possible for two weeks to see the effect his evil plan was having on the entire Cartwright family, but, especially Ben.\u00a0 The patriarch of the Ponderosa was the man of whom Bristol hated above all others.\u00a0 Just thinking about Ben out there living like some kind of a king to a country he had created and named the Ponderosa made Bristol nauseous.\u00a0 He felt as though it was the biggest irony of his life that he lost his own spread while the Cartwright family had what was obviously the Midas touch in everything they did.<\/p>\n

It had been eight years since Bristol had his last face-off with the contemptuous Ben Cartwright.\u00a0\u00a0 In a last ditch effort to win a timber contract which would have saved his ranch, he was undercut by the Ponderosa\u2019s bid.\u00a0 That had been the last straw, the one that not only had broken the camel\u2019s back but had also broken his dreams and sealed Bristol\u2019s fate.\u00a0 A few short months later, he was penniless. The memory of that day had burned like a knife in his gut and grew more fatal each moment.\u00a0 He had made a vow to himself the day that his ranch was sold on the courthouse steps that he would seek his revenge on the entire Cartwright family.\u00a0 It had taken years to plan, but Bristol had been a man on a mission and had worked harder on his revenge than he had on trying to save his fortune.\u00a0 He had garnered the funds\u00a0 needed to purchase the hired guns necessary to pull off the theft of Marie Cartwright\u2019s remains.\u00a0 He felt as though it had been worth every extra hour of back breaking work, every missed meal along the way, just to have gotten to the point he now found himself.\u00a0 He was now the one in charge of his destiny, not Ben Cartwright.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust who the hell does Cartwright think he is anyway?\u201d Bristol thought to himself as he threw the newspaper down on the table and walked with his brandy over to the meager fireplace.\u00a0 \u201cHe owns half the territory of Nevada but he\u2019s never satisfied!\u00a0 He\u2019s got to have the best herd sent to market each year, has to have the best contracts with the railroad, everything has to be the best!\u00a0 Never giving anyone else the chance to catch up to his wealth\u2014always eating up and spitting out the people who get in his way.\u00a0 Well\u2014this time\u2014this time I am in control and I finally have him exactly where I want him.\u00a0 How\u2019s it feel, Cartwright?\u00a0 How\u2019s it feel to know that someone has finally gotten the better of you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Bristol stopped his internal recitation when another man entered the cabin.\u00a0 He turned towards the door and saw it was one of his hired guns.<\/p>\n

\u201cCole?\u00a0 Thought I told you to stand guard tonight?\u201d\u00a0 Bristol hollered over to the other man.<\/p>\n

Cole settled down into a chair and uncorked his bottle of whiskey, apparently disregarding his boss\u2019 questions.\u00a0 Infuriated by the man\u2019s lack of respect, Bristol charged over to his employee and slapped the bottle from his hand.\u00a0 It careened to the floor, causing the contents to explode all over Cole\u2019s trouser legs.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn it, Bristol!\u00a0 What was that for?\u00a0 I was just taking a break!\u201d\u00a0 Cole shouted and retrieved what was left of his liquor.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you forgetting why I hired you?\u00a0 Cause if you are\u2014well\u2014you can get out right now!\u201d\u00a0 Bristol fired back.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou hired me to do a job\u2014which, in case you don\u2019t remember got done just as you wanted it!\u00a0 For two weeks I\u2019ve done nothing but watch a tree line and wait for you to make the next move.\u00a0 Come on\u2014let\u2019s get that ransom note sent and get the hell out of this dump!\u201d<\/p>\n

Bristol grabbed the other man\u2019s shirt collar and stared piercing into his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cWe move when I say we move\u2014you got that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Cole believed the man before him to be at least half insane, and decided it wasn\u2019t the right time to make his move on him.\u00a0 He tried to force a smile to calm Bristol and to get him to ease up on his tight hold of his shirt.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay\u2014okay\u2014I just thought\u2014well\u2014since Cartwright is offering a reward now\u2014and since they\u2019ve been running around like crazy for weeks\u2014that you would be ready to end this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot nearly\u2014he hasn\u2019t suffered enough yet\u2014not nearly enough,\u201d Bristol replied and reached across the table and into a basket which contained some walnuts.\u00a0 He placed two of them in the palm of his right hand and closed his fingers around the shells.\u00a0 With a quick snap, the pressure from his fist broke both of the walnuts.\u00a0 Slowly he opened his palm and stuck it in front of Cole\u2019s nose.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s what I want to see\u2014I want to see them all crack\u2014just like these!\u00a0 When I see that\u2014well\u2014then you will get your money and we will leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t think they haven\u2019t started to crack already?\u201d Cole asked incredulously.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve seen their faces\u2014watched each one of them coming back and forth from their ranch to the sheriff\u2019s office.\u00a0 They look pretty broken to me!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSoon\u2014you and the others just have to be a bit more patient,\u201d Bristol answered and broke into another wicked smile as he patted the man\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2014I wish you had let us keep that ring\u2014imagine how much money we would have gotten for that thing!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did it the way I wanted it\u2014that youngest boy of Ben\u2019s\u2014he carried it right back to him didn\u2019t he?\u00a0 Oh, how I wish I had been able to see the look on the old man\u2019s face!\u00a0 Seeing that ring\u2014and knowing where it had been!\u201d\u00a0 Bristol smiled and sank down in a chair opposite of Cole.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you worry about money\u2014that ring is nothing compared to how much it\u2019s gonna cost Cartwright to get his precious wife back!\u00a0 Now you go on out there\u2014and spell one of the other men.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got it all under control.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cole sighed, but looking over at his boss, he knew not to argue with him again.\u00a0 He pulled himself up and grabbed his bottle.\u00a0 \u201cOkay\u2014whatever you say.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bristol watched as the man made his exit and then drew the newspaper back in front of him.\u00a0 He laughed again as he reread the article, knowing he had Ben Cartwright at his wits end running around in circles trying to find his late wife\u2019s body. \u201cYou haven\u2019t seen anything yet, Ben,\u201d Bristol said to himself and poured more brandy to celebrate his victory.<\/p>\n

Ben and Hoss walked into the ranch house and stopped at the door to remove their hats and guns.\u00a0 They had been out most of the day chasing tracks that led nowhere as they had been doing for weeks.\u00a0 The mood in the house had only worsened in the days following the theft of Marie\u2019s body.\u00a0 Their only hope was that someone would either tire of their hideous prank and return the coffin, or perhaps offer the body for a price.\u00a0 Neither had happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny news?\u201d\u00a0 Adam asked as he drew closer to his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Ben replied blankly and took a quick glance around for his youngest son.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s out on the back porch with Hop Sing.\u00a0 Got the kid peeling potatoes for supper,\u201d Adam answered.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuess Hop Sing is trying to take Little Joe\u2019s mind off of the trouble, huh?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss asked as he followed both Ben and Adam into the living room.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2014Joe\u2019s done a good job so far\u2014you know he hasn\u2019t even broken down once since the night we told him about his mother,\u201d Adam said and sank down in a chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a whole lot stronger than we give him credit for,\u201d Hoss nodded.<\/p>\n

Ben frowned and lingered by his chair deciding whether or not to sit or to go and check on the boy.\u00a0 \u201cWell\u2014Joseph is hurting\u2014I\u2019ve heard him in his room late at night\u2014crying.\u00a0 He\u2019s holding it in for all of us.\u00a0 I wish to God we could figure out what\u2019s going on\u2014and get this solved.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know how much longer any of us can go on like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs long as we have to!\u201d\u00a0 Adam insisted.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve got some great folks helping to run this place for us, Pa.\u00a0 The ranch isn\u2019t suffering if that\u2019s what you are worried about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2014that\u2019s not what I meant\u2014 I meant how much longer can I stand to see the hurt on my sons\u2014all of my sons,\u201d Ben replied, his eyes showing the compassion he felt for his boys.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2014well\u2014you might be worried about all of us\u2014but we are all worried about you, Pa,\u201d Hoss stated earnestly.<\/p>\n

Ben smiled, touched by his son\u2019s words.\u00a0 He patted the big man\u2019s shoulder and turned towards the kitchen.\u00a0 \u201cI think I\u2019ll go see how they are doing with those potatoes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing sat perched upon a milking stool right behind where Little Joe sat on the top step of the back porch.\u00a0 He watched Joe\u2019s slow motions as he one by one peeled the potatoes and handed them to the cook to pare.\u00a0 Hop Sing\u2019s thoughts were on the boy in front of him and not on what he was going to fix for dinner that night.\u00a0 He remembered that morning weeks earlier when he had returned from Carson City and learned the sad story of what had happened.\u00a0 The shocking indignity of the whole event tore at the Chinaman\u2019s heart.\u00a0 Looking now over at the living reminder of his beloved friend Hop Sing wondered how the human spirit could be dark enough to have done such an awful deed. \u00a0Worst of all, Hop Sing had not been able to help his surrogate family.\u00a0 Yes, he did his best to insist on them eating though it had gotten to be a battle of late.\u00a0 Even the normally voracious appetite of the middle boy had diminished to that of a sparrow.\u00a0 The grief and sorrow had curbed everyone\u2019s interest in eating.\u00a0 And, though Hop Sing loved and worried about each of the family members, he couldn\u2019t help but to worry more about the youngest son who now sat there looking so hopeless.\u00a0 He had asked for Joe\u2019s help with dinner just to give the boy something else to focus on.\u00a0 In fact, potatoes weren\u2019t supposed to be on the menu that night and now it would take some doing to blend that side dish in with all the other food Hop Sing had already prepared.<\/p>\n

Joe reached over and handed the cook a skinned potato and grabbed another to peel.\u00a0 He seemed mechanical in his actions, and though Hop Sing had tried to talk to the boy he had offered nothing more than one word replies.\u00a0 Hop Sing looked up towards the sky and noticed how it was darkening with rain clouds.\u00a0 It took him back in his mind to that sad day so many years ago.\u00a0 He remembered so well lifting Little Joe out of the carriage and taking the little boy\u2019s tiny hand into his own and walking towards the newly dug grave.\u00a0 Hop Sing could still see the forced expression that Ben had worn as he moved with his two older boys up to the tombstone.\u00a0 Little Joe had broken from the cook\u2019s grasp and ran to his father grabbing his legs.\u00a0 Hop Sing could still see the mourners all looking at the heartbreaking sight of a little boy begging for his mother.\u00a0 His mind took him back to how Ben\u2019s facade had finally broken down as he looked at the curly headed toddler pleading for his mother.\u00a0 Ben had waved the minister to wait for a moment before continuing with his eulogy and gathered the little boy in his arms and walked off with the child.\u00a0 Hop Sing had diligently followed, just in case he was needed.<\/p>\n

Kneeling down with the boy in his arms, Ben had stared eye to eye at Little Joe.\u00a0 Hop Sing could still hear Ben\u2019s words, as they had been seared inside his heart and mind.\u00a0 It reminded him always of what kind of a man he worked for.\u00a0 Despite his tragic loss and a heart that surely was broken, the father had only thought of his little boy needing him at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, Joseph\u2014we have to put your Ma to rest now.\u00a0 Remember?\u00a0 We talked about this\u2014that she\u2019s in heaven now\u2014not in that coffin over there,\u201d Hop Sing recalled Ben\u2019s calming words to his son.<\/p>\n

\u201cPapa\u2014no\u2014Mama\u2019s in that box\u2014I seen her\u2014go get her out\u2014she\u2019ll wake up\u2014you\u2019ll see.\u00a0 Go get her Papa\u2014please!\u201d Joe had insisted with tears streaming down his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cSon\u2014we have to let her go\u2014now I need you to be a big boy for me\u2014okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019ll be cold\u2014Papa\u2014don\u2019t put her in the ground\u2014please\u2014don\u2019t!\u201d Joe had pleaded and grabbed his father\u2019s neck and hung on.<\/p>\n

Those had been the words that finally broke Ben\u2019s stoic countenance.\u00a0 As he hugged onto his and Marie\u2019s precious child he could not fight the tears any longer.\u00a0 Hop Sing had heard it all and knew that he had to do something to help both of them.\u00a0 He ran down to the carriage and reached inside for a small blanket that Little Joe always carried with him.\u00a0 Though he was almost five, the little boy could not part with the thing and slept with it every night.\u00a0 Hop Sing took the blanket up the hill with him and knelt next to both father and son.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe\u2014we give Momma blanket\u2014to keep warm into next world\u2014she not be cold then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing had insisted and handed the blanket to the little boy.\u00a0 He felt that it would make sense to the child and he was right.\u00a0\u201cJoe held the blanket up to his father and looked at him with tear-filled eyes and said, \u201cGive this to Mama\u2014so she not be cold.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll give it to her, Joseph.\u201d Ben nodded and pushed away the little boy\u2019s tears as well as some of his own that had drifted down his cheeks.<\/p>\n

Ben pulled both the boy and the soft yellow blanket up in his arms and headed back towards the grave site.\u00a0 Turning towards Hop Sing, Ben gave him a look which let him know that he had helped more than anyone else that day in dealing with the little boy.\u00a0 Hop Sing nodded towards the bereaved man and reached out his arms.\u00a0 Ben handed Little Joe to the caretaker and then moved towards the casket.\u00a0 Gently, and out of the view of all others surrounding the grave, Ben pulled the lid open one last time and placed the blanket across his beloved\u2019s shoulders.\u00a0 He closed the coffin and walked back to join his sons and Hop Sing.Hop Sing had held the trembling little boy during the rest of the service.\u00a0 Little Joe was not at all sure about what was happening.\u00a0 He only knew it was a sad day and that everyone was crying over his mother.\u00a0 When the mourners had left, slowly Hoss and Adam walked down the hill leaving only Ben, Hop Sing and Little Joe.\u00a0 Hop Sing knew Ben needed time for himself, and probably would for quite awhile.\u00a0 He moved next to the man and called down to the boy in his arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou give papa kiss then we go home and make dinner together!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPapa\u2014you coming?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a little while, Son\u2014you go on with Hop Sing now.\u201d\u00a0Joe reached over and planted a kiss on his father\u2019s lips.\u00a0 He gave a funny look at Hop Sing afterwards.\u00a0 Joe wondered why his father tasted so salty.\u00a0 He would have to ask the cook later.<\/p>\n

\u201cMama won\u2019t be cold now, Papa\u2014don\u2019t be sad\u201d Joe whispered and Hop Sing watched as the words hit the father head on.\u00a0 Ben turned his back on them both and walked up towards the trees.<\/p>\n

On the way back to the carriage Joe had asked the cook why his father looked like he did and why he tasted salty.\u00a0 Hop Sing thought for a few minutes and tried to put it all together so that the child would understand.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat Papa\u2019s tears\u2014Little Joe\u2014Papa sad\u2014like you sad\u2014like brothers sad\u2014like Hop Sing sad.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPapa said Mama\u2019s in heaven\u2014and that we should be happy for her\u2014then why Papa cry?\u201d Joe asked confused.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometime tears are for sad, sometimes tears are for happy, Little Joe.\u201d Hop Sing tried to make sense to the boy.\u00a0 It was at that moment that the skies opened up and rain began to fall. The little boy looked at Hop Sing as he held out his hand to feel the raindrops.\u00a0 Joe looked very pensive for a minute and then spoke up.<\/p>\n

\u201cMama\u2019s tears\u2014see?\u00a0 She is in heaven\u2014and she\u2019s crying just like Papa is!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing pulled Joe to his chest and hugged onto him tightly.\u00a0 He hoped that what the little boy had said had been true and that Marie was giving all of her family and friends one last sign. \u201cYes, Little Joe\u2014Mama\u2019s tears.\u201d Hop Sing whispered to the child.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing?\u00a0 Hop Sing?\u201d\u00a0 Joe called to the man who seemed to be in a daze.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh\u2014what you say?\u201d\u00a0 the cook asked, forcing the memories back to where they hid most of the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s starting to rain\u2014maybe we should take this inside?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked as he stood with the porcelain bowl full of the spuds.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing watched the raindrops as they hit the ground<\/strong> and smiled to himself.\u00a0 Marie was still sending them messages. \u201cMama\u2019s tears,\u201d he thought to himself and then smiled over at Joe.\u00a0 \u201cHave lots peeled already\u2014we go make into something now!\u201d he announced and moved with the boy into the kitchen.<\/p>\n

Ben was just heading out to the back porch when Hop Sing entered the kitchen with Joe following close behind him.\u00a0 Joe set the bowl on the counter and turned towards his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cFind anything, Pa?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked hopefully.<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head and put his arm around the boy\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cNot yet, Joseph.\u00a0 Looks like you\u2019ve both been busy, huh?\u201d\u00a0 Ben forced a smile and turned his attention to the cook.\u00a0 \u201cLooks like you peeled enough potatoes for an army here!<\/p>\n

\u201dHop Sing could tell that Ben was purposely changing the subject that had been broached by Little Joe.\u00a0 He wanted to play along.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe peel enough potatoes for today, tomorrow and day after!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u00a0 What are you planning to make with all of these?\u201d Ben grinned over at the cook.<\/p>\n

\u201cMashed potatoes for supper, fried potatoes for breakfast, potato soup for lunch\u2014all kinds of potatoes!\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing giggled and patted Joe\u2019s arm as he turned for the stove.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2014we\u2019ll both leave you to your cooking\u2014come on, Joseph\u2014let\u2019s give Hop Sing some room to create!\u201d\u00a0 Ben said and turned with his son to the dining room.<\/p>\n

At dinner the conversation drifted back to the problem at hand.\u00a0 Ben updated Joe and Adam on what he and Hoss had done all day and waited for their suggestions.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2014don\u2019t you think it\u2019s strange that we haven\u2019t gotten a ransom note by now?\u00a0 I mean\u2014what would these men have to gain by just holding onto what they stole?\u201d\u00a0 Adam asked the question that they all had asked at one time or another.\u00a0 He was, however, conscience of his choice of words and had kept Marie\u2019s name out of his remarks.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all thought that it was a ploy to get ransom money, Adam, but now\u2014after all this time we might have been wrong,\u201d Ben replied grimly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going up there tomorrow, Pa,\u201d Joe stated firmly.\u00a0 He had waited as long as he could stand to go and see what had been done to his mother\u2019s grave.\u00a0 His father had urged him for weeks to stay away.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph\u2014there\u2019s nothing to see\u2014it\u2019s all gone.\u00a0 But, Hoss and I ordered the new headstone today.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you wait until it\u2019s done and then we\u2019ll go on up there?\u201d\u00a0 Ben urged, knowing how devastating the sight would be for the boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew headstone!\u201d\u00a0 Joe shot out, his temper flaring at the thought of it.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s the point in that?\u00a0 If her body is gone\u2014there\u2019s no point in having a headstone now is there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph\u2014\u201d Ben started, trying his best to calm the tempest he saw in the boy\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not hungry,\u201d Joe jumped back in and threw his napkin down on the table and ran across the living room to the stairs.<\/p>\n

All eyes looked across the room as Joe charged up the staircase.\u00a0 They knew that Joe was close to his breaking point, though he had held up a lot longer than any of them thought possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cWant me to go and talk to him?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss asked his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet him be, Son.\u00a0 He\u2019s trying his best to stay strong\u2014but right now I think it\u2019s starting to wear thin.\u00a0 Let\u2019s give him a little time.\u201d\u00a0 Ben responded, all the while wanting to go after his son and console him.\u00a0 He wished he could find some words of comfort, but he too, was running out of things to say to help the boy.<\/p>\n

A few days later two cowboys stood at the bar in the Silver Dollar Saloon and talked about the plight of the Cartwright family.\u00a0 They had only been in Virginia City for a few days and were between jobs and running out of money.\u00a0 Reading the paper they had learned of the thousand dollar reward for information concerning the remains of Marie Cartwright.\u00a0 Always looking for an easy way to earn some cash, the wheels began to turn in the head of one of the two men.\u00a0 He had already asked about the Cartwright family and had seen the youngest son earlier in the day over by the telegrapher\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

\u201cJess, I just got a great idea. How\u2019d you like to earn five hundred dollars?\u201d the man asked his friend.<\/p>\n

\u201cFive hundred?\u00a0 You aren\u2019t talking about that reward thing again are you, Kirk?\u201d Jess said setting down his beer mug.\u00a0 \u201cI told you there ain\u2019t no way we can find that missing coffin!\u00a0 There\u2019s been a half a dozen men or more out there combing the bushes for Cartwright\u2019s late wife.\u00a0 How the hell do you think we can luck up and find her?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMeet me behind the mercantile as soon as it gets dark.\u00a0 I got a great idea!\u201d\u00a0 Kirk said and tossed his two bits on the counter and headed for the door.<\/p>\n

Ben decided to send Joe into town the next day to pick up some household supplies.\u00a0 He was running out of errands for the boy to do, still trying to keep him too busy to go up to his mother\u2019s empty grave.\u00a0 Joe reluctantly agreed to fetch the supplies Hop Sing needed and headed out in the buckboard shortly before noon.\u00a0 He stopped by the mercantile and carried out the previously ordered can-goods and other staples for the kitchen, securing the groceries in the back of the wagon.\u00a0 Just as he was hopping back into the driver\u2019s seat, two men approached him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou Joe Cartwright ain\u2019t you?\u201d\u00a0 Kirk asked as he moved next to the wagon.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2014why you ask?\u201d\u00a0 Joe replied, staring suspiciously at the rather grungily clad men.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got some information for you\u2014about your ma,\u201d Jess announced.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s face paled at the rather blunt way the men had brought up his mother.\u00a0 He wondered for a moment if perhaps they were the ones who had stolen her body.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat information?\u00a0 You know where they\u2019ve taken her?\u201d Joe asked, his voice giving away the anger that was building up in his soul.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can take you to her\u2014but you gotta keep quiet about this!\u00a0 We\u2019re not sure when the thieves are coming back\u2014we\u2019ve gotta get out to their hideout right away,\u201d Kirk replied in a whisper.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2014let\u2019s go then\u2014take me to her!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2014not so fast, Cartwright\u2014there\u2019s the matter of reward you know?\u201d Jess smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll get it when I have my mother back!\u201d\u00a0 Joe protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cNO\u2014we get it when we take you to her\u2014then we get outta there before those maniacs come back and kill us all.\u00a0 You go get the money\u2014we\u2019ll take you there\u2014then when you see that it\u2019s your ma you pay us!\u201d\u00a0 Kirk insisted.<\/p>\n

Joe frowned and stared across the street to where the Virginia City bank stood.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t wait to get his father and brothers.\u00a0 Joe didn\u2019t want to risk losing his one chance to find his mother.\u00a0 Jumping down from the buckboard Joe headed across the street to get the reward money.<\/p>\n

The bank president wasn\u2019t too happy with Joe\u2019s request for funds.\u00a0 He usually insisted on Ben Cartwright\u2019s written approval before doling out any of his money.\u00a0 But, Joe had told the man all about what was going on and how important it was to get right out with the two men who had approached him.\u00a0 Mr. Gentry, the president, growled a bit but finally caved into the boy\u2019s request and withdrew a thousand dollars from one of the Cartwright accounts.\u00a0 He handed it to Joe along with a stern warning to be wary of the men.\u00a0 He also promised to send word to Joe\u2019s father to let him know where Joe was heading. Joe stuffed the money into his billfold and headed out across the street again.<\/p>\n

He jumped up in the wagon and called to the two men, \u201cLet\u2019s get going!\u201d<\/p>\n

Jess and Kirk walked to the hitching post in front of the mercantile and untied their reins.\u00a0 Mounting their horses they turned and rode down the street with Joe following close behind in the buckboard.\u00a0 They journeyed for more than an hour making it a good twenty five miles from Virginia City before stopping.\u00a0 Kirk held his hand up to signal a stop and turned his horse to address Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight over there, Cartwright\u2014just past that clearing\u2014there\u2019s a cabin hidden in the pines.\u00a0 Me and my partner seen these three men carrying in a casket about a week ago.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t think nothing of it\u2014not till we got to Virginia City and read all about your ma.\u00a0 I\u2019ll ride on ahead and make sure no-one\u2019s around.\u00a0 Be right back,\u201d Kirk said and kicked at his horse\u2019s sides and headed towards the trees.\u00a0 Joe and the other man waited for a few minutes and then Kirk reappeared.\u00a0\u201cCoast is clear\u2014let\u2019s go!\u201d\u00a0 Kirk shouted and Joe sent the team ahead.<\/p>\n

Pulling up in front of the dilapidated shack, Joe looked around cautiously before he climbed out of the buckboard.\u00a0 Kirk and Jess dismounted and neared Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay\u2014where\u2019s our money, Cartwright?\u201d\u00a0 Jess asked holding out his hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot till I\u2019m sure\u2014now you two go in first,\u201d Joe ordered the men, not totally sure that he wasn\u2019t walking into a trap.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay\u2014geesh\u2014here we are helping you and all!\u201d\u00a0 Kirk fussed but went on up the steps and pushed the door open.\u00a0 Jess stepped along next to his partner and called over his shoulder towards Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere it is, Cartwright\u2014look for yourself!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe pushed past the two men and walked through the door.\u00a0 He could see a casket sitting by itself at the end of the main room of the cabin.\u00a0 Feeling his knees going weak, Joe leaned against one of the walls and tried to hold his emotions in.\u00a0 He had finally found his mother, and the vision of her casket had stolen his breath away and sent tears forming in his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo\u2014now do we get the money?\u00a0 We delivered you to your ma\u2014just like we said!\u201d\u00a0 Kirk smiled at Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2014here-\u201d Joe whispered and handed the wad of bills to the man.\u00a0 \u201cGive me a hand getting the casket into the wagon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure\u2014no problem,\u201d Kirk nodded and then looked behind him and winked at Jess.\u00a0 The other man knew what was coming next.\u00a0 Slowly all three men walked towards the casket.\u00a0 Joe was the first one there and placed his hand solemnly on the top of the weathered lid of the coffin.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m gonna take you home now, Ma,\u201d Joe whispered, still fighting his tears.\u00a0Before Joe knew what had hit him, the two men grabbed him from behind and lifted him into the air.\u00a0 Kirk drew open the lid of the casket and threw Joe inside.\u00a0 The two evil men slammed the top down on Joe and locked the latches securing it closed.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s muted screams echoed outside of the coffin.\u00a0 The two men laughed and walked out of the cabin, closing the door behind them.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Kirk?\u00a0 Think anyone will find him before he suffocates?\u201d\u00a0 Jess asked as he swung up onto his horse.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2014probably\u2014but we\u2019ll be long gone by then!\u00a0 There\u2019s some holes in that old coffin\u2014the kid won\u2019t die!\u201d\u00a0 Kirk laughed and turned his horse away from the cabin.<\/p>\n

\u201cDumb kid thinks he\u2019s laying in there with his mother\u2014bet he\u2019s scared to death!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s his problem!\u00a0 Let\u2019s get going\u2014we\u2019ve got a thousand dollars to spend, Partner!\u201d\u00a0 Kirk replied and urged his horse into a gallop.<\/p>\n

Ben, Adam, and Hoss pushed their mounts to the limit<\/strong> hurrying into Virginia City.\u00a0 After receiving the message that had been sent by Mr. Gentry they were all terrified that Joe had walked into a trap.\u00a0 It seemed very suspicious that strangers would have approached Joe rather than taking the information to Ben Cartwright out at the Ponderosa.\u00a0 With a feeling of dread, they all finally dismounted in front of the Virginia City Bank.\u00a0 Mr. Gentry had been watching at the window and hurried outside to tell the Cartwrights everything he knew.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never seen those two before\u2014the ones Joe left with,\u201d the bank president began as he stepped onto the sidewalk and addressed Ben.\u00a0 \u201cJoe left heading that way\u2014following them.\u00a0 I told the boy he should get you first, but he insisted that there wasn\u2019t enough time,\u201d he continued and pointed towards the west end of town.<\/p>\n

\u201cHiram\u2014tell Roy what\u2019s happened will you?\u00a0 We\u2019re gonna try to catch up with Joseph!\u201d\u00a0 Ben said hastily and turned to call orders to his sons.\u00a0 \u201cGo over to the mercantile, Hoss\u2014grab some lanterns in case it\u2019s dark by the time we get out there.\u00a0 Adam\u2014water the horses real quick and we\u2019ll head back out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight, Pa,\u201d both young men said and headed to do their assigned tasks.<\/p>\n

Ben briefly turned his attention back to Mr. Gentry.\u00a0 \u201cDid you get a good look at either of those two men?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey just looked like cowhands to me, Ben\u2014nothing unusual.\u00a0 Joe didn\u2019t tell me their names or anything\u2014just that they were gonna take him to where his mother\u2019s coffin was hidden.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish to God the boy hadn\u2019t left with them\u2014no telling what those men are up to,\u201d Ben sighed and then shook the man\u2019s hand and headed across the street to catch up with his sons.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood luck, Ben!\u201d\u00a0 Mr. Gentry called out after him.\u00a0 He then walked back into the bank and told one of his tellers to go and fetch Roy Coffee.<\/p>\n

The tracks that had been left by the two men on horseback and the buckboard were easily followed at first.\u00a0 But, as the late afternoon turned to evening it made it more difficult to follow them.\u00a0 Hoss would, every few miles, hop down from his horse and light one of the lanterns and check the ground to make sure they were on the right trail.\u00a0 It was slow going, but by seven that night the three men rode up into the small clearing in front of the old cabin.\u00a0 The Cartwright buckboard was still pulled up in front of the homestead just where Joe had left it.\u00a0Ben dismounted and reached for one of the lanterns and lit it.\u00a0 Moving up onto the porch, all three men listened at the door.\u00a0 There was no noise to indicate anyone was inside the building but they all drew their guns just in case.\u00a0 Ben pushed the front door open and they all stepped precariously inside.\u00a0 Holding the lanterns up, the Cartwrights could see over to the end of the room where a coffin was laid out on the floor.\u00a0 The sight stunned all three men.\u00a0 Hoss and Adam exchanged mournful looks but Ben\u2019s face was filled with confusion.\u00a0 He knew that the dark mahogany casket was not Marie\u2019s.\u00a0 Ben would never forget the day he had chosen the casket which would house his beloved\u2019s body.\u00a0 It was golden oak with bronze handles, and not the cheaper version sitting across the room of the cabin.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not your mother\u2019s\u2014\u201d Ben whispered to his two sons and then held the lantern out to further survey the room for Joe.<\/p>\n

Adam and Hoss stepped closer to the coffin while Ben walked around the room for any sign as to what had happened to his youngest son.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss gasped as he bent down closer to the coffin.\u00a0 \u201cI hear something\u2014inside this thing!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s heart stopped that moment and it took a few seconds for his legs to cooperate and head over to where his sons were standing.\u00a0 He, too, could hear what seemed like a faint whimper and it was coming from inside the casket.\u00a0 With trembling fingers he unhooked the front latches of the coffin and threw the lid open.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh my Lord!\u201d\u00a0 Ben\u2019s strained words echoed across the cabin.\u00a0 There, lying to the side of a decomposed body was Joe.\u00a0 The boy\u2019s eyes were fixed in a stare and he was whimpering, apparently scared half to death.\u00a0 Ben and Hoss pulled Joe out of the casket and carried him across the room.\u00a0 They laid him out on an old bunk and then went about examining him, with Adam holding a lantern close to help their view.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooks like he\u2019s in shock, Pa\u2014he\u2019s shaking pretty bad,\u201d Hoss whispered to his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve gotta get him home\u2014you two get the saddle blankets off the horses and lay them in the back of the buckboard,\u201d Ben instructed, trying to pull from his inner strength and resist the overpowering need for revenge on whoever had done such an awful thing to his son.<\/p>\n

Hoss and Adam were quick to follow their father\u2019s commands and headed outside.\u00a0 Joe continued to lay on the bunk, his eyes still fixed in a blank stare and his whole body trembling.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph\u2014Joseph\u2014it\u2019s all right\u2014we\u2019re taking you home\u2014it\u2019s all right, Son,\u201d Ben called down to the boy over and over again.\u00a0 He knew that his son was far from hearing him at that point.\u00a0 Ben closed his eyes and tried his best to push back the tears.\u00a0 It was very clear to him by that time as to what Joe had gone through.\u00a0 He knew that Joe was under the assumption that it was Marie\u2019s casket that he had been thrown into.\u00a0 \u201cIt wasn\u2019t your mother\u2019s coffin, Joe\u2014listen to me\u2014it wasn\u2019t your mother\u2019s\u2014\u201d Ben whispered and pushed the curls from off the boy\u2019s forehead.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll set, Pa!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss called from the doorway.<\/p>\n

Ben pulled Joe into his arms and carried him away from the cabin.\u00a0 He placed him gingerly into the back of the buckboard and crawled in alongside the boy.\u00a0 Hoss tied both his and Ben\u2019s horses to the back rail of the wagon and climbed up into the driver\u2019s seat.\u00a0 Adam led the way out of the yard and off to the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

Ben had dispatched Adam into town to get the doctor and the sheriff before the buckboard crossed the eastern border of the ranch.\u00a0 He knew Joe would need medical attention and he also wanted Roy to head on out after the vile men who had harmed the boy as soon as possible.\u00a0 Holding Joe in his arms in the back of the buckboard Ben couldn\u2019t get it out of his mind what the boy had gone through.\u00a0 He wished he could get through to him that the coffin had not contained Marie\u2019s remains.\u00a0 Not that being in a coffin with any other corpse wouldn\u2019t be terrifying, but the notion that he had been thrown into one that was his mother\u2019s obviously had mentally harmed the boy far worse.<\/p>\n

As soon as the buckboard pulled up in front of the ranch house, Hoss quickly jumped down from the driver\u2019s seat and untied Chubb and Buck to make way to get to his little brother.\u00a0 Ben handed the still shaken boy over to Hoss, who carried him in his arms into the house.\u00a0 Ben followed close behind and hollered into the kitchen for Hop Sing to aid them.\u00a0 Carefully, Hoss carried his brother up the long staircase and into Joe\u2019s bedroom.\u00a0 Ben and Hop Sing gathered around the bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis hands are pretty tore up, Pa,\u201d Hoss remarked, his face wincing up at the sight.\u00a0 \u201cLooks like he tried to claw his way out of that coffin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben gently pulled up the boy\u2019s right hand and examined it then set it down and checked out the other one.\u00a0 They were a mass of bruises and cuts.\u00a0 There were also remnants of splinters underneath the boy\u2019s fingernails. Ben shook his head aghast at what he had already seen.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoc will be here soon\u2014let\u2019s get Joe\u2019s clothes off and get him cleaned up,\u201d Ben commented and reached across the bed to unbutton the boy\u2019s shirt.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happen to Little Joe?\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing asked, shocked by the sight of the boy.<\/p>\n

Hoss looked at his father for approval and saw him nod to tell the cook.\u00a0 \u201cSomebody locked Joe inside a casket\u2014Joe thought it was his momma\u2019s\u2014he must\u2019ve been in there for hours.\u00a0 He\u2019s in shock.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing\u2019s mouth fell open from the big man\u2019s explanation.\u00a0 He hurried to the head of the bed and shot his hand down on Joe\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 \u201cWas body in casket\u2014or just Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a body in there\u2014we have no idea whose casket it was,\u201d Hoss answered.<\/p>\n

\u201cMust clean\u2014must clean good\u2014many disease\u2014boy get very sick.\u00a0 Hop Sing get tub ready now!\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing insisted and hurried out of the bedroom.<\/p>\n

Ben frowned and looked over at Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cI wasn\u2019t even thinking about that\u2014I\u2019ve been more worried about Joe\u2019s mental state.\u00a0 Now\u2014we have to worry about that too!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing\u2019s right, Pa\u2014just washing Joe off isn\u2019t gonna help\u2014he\u2019s gonna need to soak.\u00a0 He\u2019s sure out of it though\u2014this ain\u2019t gonna be easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing\u2019s easy anymore!\u201d\u00a0 Ben remarked bitterly.\u00a0 He had just about had his fill of all the evil that roamed the earth at the present time.\u00a0 Here he had to deal with the theft of his late wife\u2019s body and now, on top of that grief, he had to contend with someone pulling such a vile deed on his youngest son.\u00a0 It was almost too much to bear.\u00a0 \u201cHelp me with his boots and trousers\u2014then we\u2019ll take him downstairs and put him in the tub.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the time Doctor Paul Martin arrived, Joe had been given a bath and taken back to his bedroom.\u00a0 It had taken awhile to get him scrubbed down good, considering he was barely conscious and totally unresponsive.\u00a0 Paul moved alongside the bed and cast a quick glance at Ben.\u00a0 Having known the patriarch for more years than he could remember, Paul was well aware of what the man was thinking and feeling at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad you got him all cleaned up\u2014how long do you think Joe was in that coffin?\u201d\u00a0 Paul asked as he felt the boy\u2019s pulse in his right wrist.<\/p>\n

\u201cNear as we can figure about four or five hours,\u201d Hoss replied and stepped in closer along with Adam to see what the doctor was going to do.\u00a0\u201cAdam told me about the body\u2014and that it was not totally in the skeleton stage\u2014makes me worry about disease.\u00a0 Has Joe said anything at all?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Ben replied flatly, fear taking over at that point.\u00a0 He knew what could happen to his son, depending on the age of the corpse Joe had been subjected to and what the body\u2019s cause of death had been.<\/p>\n

Paul checked Joe\u2019s pupils and then felt of his forehead.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s patch up those hands first\u2014then we\u2019ll see what else we can do for him,\u201d Paul said and opened his black bag.\u00a0 He pulled out some antiseptic and a pair of tweezers.\u00a0 Examination of the boy\u2019s hands revealed that the cuts weren\u2019t deep enough to require stitches, however, some of the splinters were deeper than any of them had realized.\u00a0 Turning to look over at Ben, Paul carefully chose his next words.\u00a0 \u201cBen\u2014he\u2019s gonna have to lose a couple of these fingernails\u2014there\u2019s no way around it.\u00a0 How about you and Hoss go and grab some coffee for us all while Adam helps me with this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head and then stared at Hoss and Adam.\u00a0 \u201cYou boys go and get the coffee\u2014better bring up some brandy too.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to help Paul with this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2014maybe you should do as Doc says\u2014\u201d Adam started but then noticed the fierce determination on his father\u2019s face and knew it was a lost cause.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Adam,\u201d Hoss whispered and tugged at his brother\u2019s arm.\u00a0 They both knew there was no talking their father out of helping Joe, no matter how hard it was going to be on him.<\/p>\n

Ben sat down on the side of the bed and drew up Joe\u2019s right hand readying for Paul to begin the procedure.\u00a0 He braced the boy\u2019s shoulder with his right palm, just in case he tried to move while the doctor was working.<\/p>\n

\u201cMama\u2014Mama\u2014\u201d Joe muttered, shocking the two men by the abruptness of his words.\u00a0Paul stopped what he was doing and called down to the boy, \u201cJoe?\u00a0 Joe can you hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMama\u2014Mama\u2014NO! NO!\u201d\u00a0 Joe took on an appearance of total panic and tried to pull up from the bed wildly.\u00a0 \u201cMama!\u201d he shouted again at the top of his lungs.<\/p>\n

Ben reached for the boy\u2019s shoulders and held onto him.\u00a0 He could feel Joe\u2019s entire body quake.<\/p>\n

\u201cMama!\u201d\u00a0 Joe shrieked and tried to battle his father in an attempt to seek freedom.<\/p>\n

\u201cHold on to him, Ben\u2014let me get him something to sedate him,\u201d Paul said and drew some medicine up in a syringe.\u00a0 He quickly placed the needle in the crease of Joe\u2019s elbow.\u00a0 Within minutes Joe started to go lax in his father\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n

Ben pulled the boy close to his chest and continued to whisper his assurance that everything was going to be okay.\u00a0 When Joe\u2019s breathing had evened out, his father eased him back against the pillows and planted a kiss on his forehead.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh\u2014Joseph\u2014\u201d Ben sighed and placed the palm of his hand against the boy\u2019s cheek.\u00a0 \u201cMy poor boy\u2014 how could anyone have done this to you?\u00a0 What kind of a world has this become?\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul reached across the bed and put his hand on Ben\u2019s shoulder to comfort him.\u00a0 \u201cBen\u2014you sure you can help me with this?\u00a0 Perhaps I should go and get Hoss or Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben drew in a deep breath and turned his attention back to the doctor.\u00a0 \u201cI need to do it\u2014just give me a minute to get myself together, Paul,\u201d Ben replied and stood from the bed.\u00a0 He walked across the room and looked out the window into the darkness.\u00a0 For a brief moment Ben closed his eyes to shield his mind from the cruelty he had witnessed.\u00a0 It was then that a concrete picture of his late wife, Marie, formed in his mind.\u00a0 He could almost hear her whisper \u201chelp our boy, Ben.\u201d It was enough to give the heartsick man the strength to walk back over to the bed to assist the doctor.<\/p>\n

By the time Hoss reappeared in Joe\u2019s bedroom, the doctor had his patient patched up as best he could.\u00a0 He had to remove three of the boy\u2019s fingernails in order to pull the splinters out from underneath them.\u00a0 Paul applied the antiseptic and then the salve onto each of the wounds and wrapped both of Joe\u2019s hands with a loose layer of gauze.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2014thought you could use this,\u201d Hoss said as he handed his father a stiff shot of brandy.<\/p>\n

Ben turned towards his son and accepted the drink.\u00a0 \u201cThanks,\u201d he said and downed the liquor in one swallow.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoy\u2019s downstairs\u2014he wants to talk to you, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019ll stay up here with Joe,\u201d Hoss stated and sat down in the chair next to his brother\u2019s bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo on, Ben\u2014I\u2019m just about done now anyway,\u201d Paul urged the man to leave.\u00a0 It never ceased to amaze him how the anguished father could hold up at such times.\u00a0 He knew it had to come from the man\u2019s bountiful love for his three sons.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay\u2014be right back,\u201d Ben sighed wearily and stood from the bed.\u00a0 He cast one last worried gaze at his youngest son and turned and left the room.<\/p>\n

Roy had already drank his second cup of coffee by the time Ben appeared at the top of the staircase.\u00a0 He watched his old friend\u2019s slow movements as he descended the stairs and started over to the living room.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowdy, Ben\u2014how\u2019s Little Joe doing?\u201d\u00a0 Roy asked and stood from his position on the settee next to Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot good,\u201d Ben replied grimly and sat down in his chair.\u00a0 He motioned with his hand for the sheriff to sit back down in order to discuss what had happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam already told me about most of the details.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got my deputy Clem and some men I rounded up out after those jaspers.\u00a0 I think we\u2019ve got a pretty good description of them\u2014from what Sam told me.\u00a0 He noticed the drifters hanging around the Silver Dollar most of the week.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey should be hung for what they did to my boy,\u201d Ben fumed and reached across the coffee table to pour more brandy into his glass.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t figure they are the ones who desecrated Marie\u2019s grave\u2014just two men who thought they\u2019d get some easy money,\u201d Roy explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wonder where they got that casket from?\u201d\u00a0 Adam jumped into the conversation.<\/p>\n

Roy groaned and helped himself to some of the brandy and poured a good dose of it into his coffee cup.\u00a0 \u201cSoon as I talked with Hiram I was heading on out to catch up with you fellows and I got sidetracked.\u00a0 Seems Lillie Harper went down to the cemetery to put some flowers on her husband\u2019s grave and spotted the grave next to his plot.\u00a0 Looks like they dug up Jed Winthrop\u2014his grave was empty.\u00a0 Must\u2019ve done it last night when no-one was looking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is all too awful to comprehend!\u201d\u00a0 Adam said, his temper building by the minute.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo think that two different sets of criminals are out there digging up bodies\u2014and hurting this family even more than imaginable.\u00a0 They\u2019d better catch up with the men who did this to my little brother\u2014or I\u2019m gonna do it myself!\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy looked over at Adam and it surprised him to see the normally level-headed young man with such fierce anger covering his face.\u00a0 But, Roy knew perhaps better than any other outsider how pushed to the limits the whole Cartwright family were at the moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cSettle down now, Boy\u2014we\u2019ll get them\u2014they ain\u2019t got much of a head start.\u00a0 Is Joe gonna be okay, Ben?\u201d\u00a0 Roy turned his attention back to the boy who he had known since Joe\u2019s birth.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhysically\u2014in time\u2014mentally\u2014I have no idea.\u00a0 He was in that casket for hours\u2014and all the while thinking he was in there with his mother\u2019s remains,\u201d Ben answered sadly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2014I ain\u2019t gonna try to talk to the boy until he\u2019s better.\u00a0 I\u2019ll keep you all posted \u2014and let you know when we catch these varmints,\u201d Roy vowed and stood to leave.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks for coming out, Roy,\u201d Ben replied and stood to walk his friend to the door.<\/p>\n

Roy left the ranch house and headed back into town to see if his posse had any luck in tracking down the men who had harmed Joe.\u00a0 Ben walked across the room and headed to the staircase.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u00a0 Maybe you should get some rest?\u00a0 Hoss and I can watch after Joe,\u201d Adam called across to his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll rest when I know Joseph is all right\u2014and I don\u2019t know that right now,\u201d Ben replied and slowly walked up the stairs.<\/p>\n

Adam followed his father up to Joe\u2019s room, hoping that there was strength in numbers.\u00a0 He could tell that his father was wearing thin after so many weeks of worrying over Marie and now with Joe being hurt.\u00a0 As usual, the family would form a tight circle of love to try and somehow help Joe through his terrifying ordeal.<\/p>\n

The doctor had left medicine for Joe to help sedate him if he should awaken and become as fearful as he had earlier in the evening.\u00a0 He had also assured the family that he would drop in the next day to see how the boy was doing and to make sure there was no infection in his wounds.\u00a0 Paul was worried about the chance of Joe having encountered some form of disease from being trapped in the casket so long with a corpse.\u00a0 Ben had informed Paul that the occupant of the\u00a0 coffin had been Jed Winthrop, who fortunately, had died of a heart attack and not a communicable disease.\u00a0 It helped ease the doctor\u2019s mind a little bit, but there was always the chance that the decomposing body could have harbored other forms of contaminates.\u00a0 He would have to watch for any signs of disease in the boy for several days before breathing a sigh of relief.<\/p>\n

Ben had ordered Joe\u2019s brothers to their bedrooms just after midnight.\u00a0 He could tell they were both well spent and didn\u2019t see any use in the entire family being exhausted in the morning.\u00a0 Hop Sing had lingered in the room for a long while before he, too, was told to leave and get some sleep.\u00a0 Ben was use to the chair in his youngest son\u2019s room, having spent many hours in it during other illnesses and injuries Joe had encountered during his seventeen years.\u00a0 In fact, the bottom cushion of the chair seemed to conform quite nicely to Ben\u2019s body after so much use.<\/p>\n

The summer breeze lifted the sheer curtains and they flapped as the wind grew stronger.\u00a0 Ben stood and stretched and moved to the window to see if rain had once again started up as it had off and on for days.\u00a0 The cooler air helped to breathe a little more life into the exhausted father, and he closed his eyes and took in the feel of it on his face.\u00a0 It was then that he heard the sound from across the room.\u00a0 Joe had awakened at last.<\/p>\n

\u201cPapa\u2014Papa\u2014\u201d Joe muttered, his eyelids still closed.<\/p>\n

Ben hurried across the room and sat down next to the boy on the bed.\u00a0 He put his hand on\u00a0 Joe\u2019s\u00a0 right arm as he began to move a bit in the bed.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph?\u00a0 Can you hear me, Son?\u201d Ben asked quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cPapa\u2014Papa\u2014\u201d Joe continued and slowly opened his eyes.<\/p>\n

Ben thought it a bit strange that his son had called him by the name \u201cpapa\u201d.\u00a0 Joe hadn\u2019t referred to him that way in quite a few years.\u00a0 Even before he had left grade school the boy had dropped the name papa in lieu of the simple word \u201cpa\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m right here, Joe,\u201d Ben whispered as he stared into the sad hazel eyes of his son.<\/p>\n

\u201cPapa\u2014Mama\u2014Mama\u2014you shouldn\u2019t have put her in the ground, Papa\u2014she\u2019s not dead\u2014I heard her\u2014you shouldn\u2019t have,\u201d Joe\u2019s voice broke as tears started down his cheeks.\u00a0 \u201cPapa\u2014go get her back\u2014don\u2019t put her in the ground\u2014too cold\u2014too cold.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben took Joe\u2019s right hand into his own and fought his own tears at the time.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know if Joe was totally conscious.\u00a0 If he was, then it wasn\u2019t a good sign at all.\u00a0 Marie had been gone for so many years and here her son was insisting that she was still alive.\u00a0 Ben struggled to find something to say to the boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything\u2019s going to be okay, Joseph,\u201d Ben replied and squeezed the boy\u2019s hand tightly.\u00a0 \u201cJoe?\u00a0 Do you remember what happened today?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMama\u2014Mama fell\u2014but Papa\u2014she\u2019s not dead\u2014she\u2019s just sleeping.\u00a0 Please\u2014please Papa\u2014please don\u2019t leave her in the casket\u2014she\u2019s so cold!\u201d\u00a0 Joe replied and his face took on a panicked expression.<\/p>\n

Ben pulled his son into his arms and held him tight, not sure what was going on in the boy\u2019s mind.\u00a0 He knew that the incident that day would surely have left a terrible impression on his son\u2019s mind, but now it seemed to have taken the boy back some twelve years.\u00a0 It appeared as though Joe was reliving his mother\u2019s tragic death.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph\u2014your mother\u2019s been gone for a long time now\u2014Son\u2014she\u2019s in heaven,\u201d Ben said his voice quivering with emotion.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2014Papa\u2014I heard her\u2014today\u2014she\u2019s alive\u2014Papa do something\u2014please!\u201d\u00a0 Joe sobbed and clung to his father, as if for dear life.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2014those men\u2014those men put you in that coffin\u2014but it wasn\u2019t your mother\u2019s\u2014do you understand?\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t your mother\u2019s!\u201d\u00a0 Ben tried to bring his son back to reality with his strained words of explanation.<\/p>\n

Joe pulled back from his father\u2019s embrace and stared into his eyes, trying to seek the truth in them.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s not dead, Papa, I know she\u2019s not\u2014I heard her-today\u2014I felt her next to me!\u201d\u00a0 Joe insisted once more.<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head sadly, totally at his wit\u2019s end with the boy after such a grueling day.\u00a0 He decided to wait until morning to try and get through to Joe when they both would be more rested.\u00a0 Ben eased Joe back gently onto his pillows and reached for the medication that Paul had left.\u00a0 Pouring the liquid into a glass, Ben stirred in some water and handed it to his son.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow you drink this, Joseph, and you and I will talk all about this in the morning,\u201d Ben urged his son to swallow the medicine and Joe reluctantly did as he was instructed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to go get her, Papa, she\u2019s cold\u2014so cold in there,\u201d Joe whispered as his eyes started to give into the medication as well as to the stress he had endured that day.<\/p>\n

\u201cHush now, Joe\u2014you just rest\u2014just rest,\u201d Ben replied softly and brushed his hand through the boy\u2019s abundance of curly hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo cold\u2014so dark\u2014so cold\u2014so dark,\u201d Joe muttered and drifted into a troubled sleep.<\/p>\n

Ben watched as the sedative took affect and his son\u2019s eyes closed for the last time.\u00a0 He bowed his head and prayed for God\u2019s intervention so that he could get through to Joe the next day.<\/p>\n

Hoss wasn\u2019t sure if he was dreaming, but if he was, he figured that it was a very real one at that.\u00a0 He could hear someone murmuring his name and then felt a warm but scratchy sensation on his right cheek.\u00a0 When the whispers grew louder, Hoss fought to open his eyes.\u00a0 The dim light from a hallway lamp shone into the room and cast a strange glow on the boy who knelt alongside Hoss\u2019 bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u00a0 Joe what\u2019s wrong?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss asked hoarsely as he pulled himself to a seated position.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss\u2014we gotta go get Mama\u2014she\u2019s out there in the cold\u2014help me get her,\u201d Joe replied insistently.<\/p>\n

Becoming more aware of his surroundings and of what was going on, Hoss stared at his little brother sympathetically.\u00a0 He had already guessed that Joe had somehow slipped out of his room without their father catching onto his departure.\u00a0 Now the boy was looking pleadingly at him for help and Hoss didn\u2019t know what to say or do to calm the kid.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Brother\u2014you need some rest\u2014you\u2019re hurt,\u201d Hoss began and pointed towards his brother\u2019s bandaged hands.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s get you back to bed, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe pulled himself to his feet and shook his head frustrated.\u00a0 \u201cNo!\u00a0 We\u2019ve gotta help her, Hoss\u2014she\u2019s out there\u2014it\u2019s dark\u2014it\u2019s cold!\u201d\u00a0 Joe raised his voice in protest.<\/p>\n

Hoss reached for his robe and threw it around his broad shoulders and then stood from his bed.\u00a0 He placed his right arm across his brother\u2019s shoulder and tried to steer the boy towards the hallway in the hope of getting him back to bed.\u00a0 Joe was not cooperating and bolted just as soon as they made it out of the bedroom door.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe come back!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss yelled as his brother dashed to the stairs.\u00a0 The noise awoke Ben who had given into exhaustion and passed out in the chair next to Joe\u2019s bed.\u00a0 He hurried out towards the loud voices and was met by Adam coming out of his room as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss?\u00a0 What\u2019s going on?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked groggily, still trying to get his bearings.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2014he\u2019s headed downstairs\u2014come on!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss called over his shoulder as he raced to catch up with the boy. Ben and Adam joined in the pursuit and were soon bounding down the stairs after Hoss.<\/p>\n

Joe made it to the front door and slung it open and ran outside.\u00a0 His nightshirt flapping in the night air, the boy dashed barefooted towards the barn.\u00a0 The three other Cartwrights made it to the barn and were surprised to see Joe attempting to saddle his horse.\u00a0 Cochise was shaken by all the noise and pawed at the ground angrily.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2014wait!\u201d\u00a0 Ben called and soon had Joe in his grasp.<\/p>\n

\u201cGonna get Mama\u2014let me go!\u201d\u00a0 Joe yelled as fought his father\u2019s hold.<\/p>\n

\u201cSimmer down, Joe\u2014let us help you,\u201d Hoss tried for a more gentle approach to calm his brother.<\/p>\n

Joe turned and looked over at his two brothers and tears filled his eyes once more.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s out there somewhere\u2014and she\u2019s cold\u2014help me get to her\u2014Adam\u2014Hoss\u2014please!\u201d\u00a0 Joe begged.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph\u2014your mother is dead,\u201d Ben responded, grief filling his words.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s nothing you can do for her now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe stopped fighting his father after hearing what the man had said.\u00a0 His legs going weak, the boy collapsed.\u00a0 Ben pulled Joe into his arms and carried him out of the barn.\u00a0 Hoss and Adam followed them into the house, all the while wondering the extent of damage that had been done to their brother mentally. Between having endured the theft of Marie\u2019s casket and\u00a0 having been imprisoned in a foreign coffin earlier, Joe seemed to have snapped emotionally.\u00a0 Worst of all, none of his family members knew what to do to help the boy.\u00a0 All they could do was to offer him comfort and some more sedatives to get him through the long night.<\/p>\n

The posse tracked Joe\u2019s abductors for two days before catching up with them.\u00a0 Jess had been winged in the arm before he and Kirk surrendered to the authorities and were herded back to Virginia City.\u00a0 During those two long days, the Cartwright family struggled to somehow get Joe to let go of his haunting images of the past and realize that his mother had long been dead.\u00a0 Nothing they said or did appeared to be of help and everyone was worried that the boy might never come back to them as he had been before spending hours trapped inside Jed Winthrop\u2019s coffin.\u00a0 When news arrived, by way of one of the Ponderosa\u2019s hired hands, that Roy had captured the men who had harmed Joe, Ben hurriedly rode to town leaving the boy in the care of his brothers and Hop Sing.<\/p>\n

Dismounting in front of the sheriff\u2019s office,<\/strong> Ben turned to see the posse coming down C Street with both Jess and Kirk in tow.\u00a0 Roy positioned himself in the lead and pulled up next to Ben\u2019s horse calling down to the man.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least we had some luck with these criminals, Ben.\u00a0 Hopefully we will soon have the men who stole Marie\u2019s casket too,\u201d Roy said and swung down from his saddle.<\/p>\n

Deputy Clem Foster held his gun on both Jess and Kirk and they dismounted next to Roy.\u00a0 Ben saw the smirks on the evil men\u2019s faces and it sent his blood to boiling.\u00a0 He had always been a law-abiding man, and one who advocated that the courts handle punishment for crimes committed.\u00a0 But, having endured so much over the past few weeks, Ben\u2019s temper surged and he could not control it.\u00a0 Before Roy or Clem could stop him, Ben rushed over to the Jess and Kirk\u00a0 and began to pummel them with his fists.\u00a0 Unleashed, Ben\u2019s anger was that of an army.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen!\u00a0 Stop\u2014stop it right now!\u201d\u00a0 Roy yelled and tried to subdue his friend before he could kill the two men with his bare hands.<\/p>\n

Ben was beyond listening, he sent a series of punches at Jess and then turned on Kirk, sending the man sprawling down into the street.\u00a0\u00a0 Clem moved in along with Roy and finally had Ben\u2019s arms pinned behind his back, though he was still battling their hold.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen\u2014it\u2019s gonna be okay\u2014they\u2019ll be punished\u2014but by the law\u2014not you!\u201d\u00a0 Roy yelled, trying his best to get through to the man.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing the law can do to them will equal what they\u2019ve put my boy through!\u00a0 Go ahead\u2014go ahead get them outta here before I kill them!\u201d\u00a0 Ben screamed and watched as Clem herded Jess and Kirk to safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen\u2014now simmer down\u2014that\u2019s it\u2014I\u2019ll let you go as soon as I know you\u2019re calm,\u201d Roy said and this time offered a bit of consolation in his tone of voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cCalm?\u00a0 How am I supposed to be calm, Roy?\u00a0 Those men will get what\u2014a couple of months\u2014maybe a year in prison?\u00a0 While Joseph\u2014sits at home thinking his mother is alive!\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy slowly eased up on his hold and Ben pulled his arms back to his sides.\u00a0 \u201cI understand all that, Ben\u2014and I know that the law ain\u2019t perfect\u2014but at least we got those animals locked up where they can\u2019t harm anyone right now.\u00a0 Your anger ain\u2019t entirely towards them neither\u2014I know you wanna get the men who are still holding Marie.\u00a0 Now\u2014come on\u2014let\u2019s go and get us a drink and talk.\u00a0 Okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben sighed deeply and stared into the sheriff\u2019s sympathetic eyes.\u00a0 He reached down to the street and retrieved his hat and then nodded to Roy that he was ready to go get the drink he had offered.\u00a0 Together the two men walked down the street and over to the Silver Dollar Saloon.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t get any better than this!\u201d\u00a0 Bristol laughed as he read the headlines of the Territorial Enterprise the next evening.\u00a0 Spread out on the first two pages was the whole saga of how Joe Cartwright had been duped by two men and ended up locked inside a casket that turned out not to be his mother\u2019s.\u00a0 The reporter went on to tell of the posse\u2019s exploits in capturing the two men and also of Ben Cartwright\u2019s big scene in front of the sheriff\u2019s office the previous day.\u00a0 Bristol was ecstatic over the news.\u00a0 He reached for the basket of walnuts and pulled two into his hand, as before.\u00a0 Cracking them loudly he laughed and said to himself, \u201cHow\u2019s it feel, Ben?\u00a0 How\u2019s it feel to know your son has cracked under the pressure\u2014and you along with him?\u201d<\/p>\n

Cole and one of the other hired guns walked into the cabin and over to their boss.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see you enjoyed the news, huh?\u00a0 From what I heard in Virginia City those two men took Joe to a cabin not five miles from here.\u00a0 A bit too close for comfort in my opinion,\u201d Cole said as he sat down next to Bristol.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo?\u00a0 Do we make our move now, Boss?\u201d the other man asked.<\/p>\n

Bristol smiled and lit the end of his cigar, blowing the smoke from the match right in the other men\u2019s faces.\u00a0 \u201cI think we are just about ready\u2014get all the other men together, Nick, and we will all have a little run- through.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bristol\u2019s response relieved the two men, who had worried about pressing their luck by waiting so long.\u00a0 It had already been over three weeks since they had stolen the remains of Marie Cartwright.\u00a0 Nick headed for the door to gather the other men.<\/p>\n

Hoss walked into the ranch house the next afternoon and headed into his father\u2019s study.\u00a0 Hearing the door shut, Ben looked up from his paperwork.\u00a0 He had left Adam in charge of handling most of the books during the previous weeks, but wanted to try to focus on something other than the problem he was having with Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u00a0 I saw Doc leaving\u2014anything new with Joe?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss asked hopefully and sat down next to his father.<\/p>\n

Ben looked up wearily and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo\u2014his hands are doing better\u2014but we still can\u2019t get through to the boy.\u00a0 Did you and Adam accomplish your task?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded, \u201cYeah\u2014the new headstone is in place, Pa.\u00a0 Looks real good too.\u00a0 We wasn\u2019t sure if you wanted us to fill in the grave\u2014I mean just until we get Ma back?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve thought it over\u2014and well\u2014let\u2019s wait just a little while longer.\u00a0 Will you hitch up the buckboard for me, Son?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked as he closed his ledger book.<\/p>\n

Hoss looked over at his father confused, the man hadn\u2019t said anything about going anywhere.\u00a0 He hoped he could keep Pa at the house, especially after he had heard how he had lost his cool with the men who had abducted Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou going somewhere?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m taking Joseph up to Marie\u2019s grave,\u201d Ben replied and stood from his desk.\u00a0 He could tell that Hoss wasn\u2019t thrilled by his answer.\u00a0 \u201cI have to try to bring him out of this, Hoss, and I don\u2019t know anything else to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Pa\u2014how\u2019s this gonna help?\u00a0 I mean\u2014since her casket hasn\u2019t been returned yet!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to try\u2014now go get the wagon ready will you?\u00a0 I have to go and get your brother,\u201d\u00a0 Ben explained and turned for the stairs.<\/p>\n

Joe hadn\u2019t said one word the whole way up to the lake.<\/strong>\u00a0 He sat with his arms crossed in front of him as if he was trying to hold in his emotions.\u00a0 Joe had been very angry with his father and his brothers as well.\u00a0 The more he insisted that they go and help him find his mother, the more they insisted that she was dead.\u00a0 He knew otherwise.\u00a0 Joe was sure he had heard her talk to him, he knew she was out there somewhere.\u00a0 As far as Joe was concerned his family didn\u2019t want his mother to be rescued and it increased his anger daily.\u00a0 If he could have gone after her alone he would have, but found himself to be guarded too well by the family.<\/p>\n

Ben pulled back on the reins as they neared the path which led down to his wife\u2019s grave site.\u00a0 He turned and stared over at his son and could see recognition in his eyes.\u00a0 Ben hoped that it was a good sign.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph\u2014let\u2019s go for a little walk, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes followed the worn path that led into the trees, and his heart began pumping blood so fast that he felt faint.\u00a0 There was something beyond the trees at the top of the hill that scared him to death.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t remember what it was though, only that he wasn\u2019t about to get out of the wagon.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Son,\u201d Ben insisted and hopped down from the buckboard.\u00a0 When he noticed that Joe was not going to budge, Ben walked around the wagon and reached for his son\u2019s elbow.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d\u00a0 Joe shouted and jerked away from his father\u2019s touch.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know where we are, don\u2019t you, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTake me home, Papa\u2014take me home now!\u201d\u00a0 Joe screamed.<\/p>\n

Ben hated what he had to do, but he had no choice in the matter.\u00a0 He knew that Joe had to go to the grave and if he had to be dragged every step of the way then so be it.\u00a0 Reaching up again for Joe\u2019s arm, Ben got a better hold and pulled his son out of the buckboard.\u00a0 Joe continued to try and break free but his father was far stronger.\u00a0 Fighting him each step of the way, Joe was pulled down the path which led to the grave.\u00a0 Ben stopped short of the opened grave and instead focused on the newly placed headstone.\u00a0 He forced Joe\u2019s gaze so he would have to see whose name was on the granite marker.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph\u2014your mother\u2014she died twelve years ago,\u201d Ben whispered as he saw his son\u2019s eyes staring down at the headstone.\u00a0 \u201cSee those dates on there?\u00a0 Joe\u2014it was years ago\u2014you have to understand!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2014Papa\u2014you\u2019re lying to me!\u201d\u00a0 Joe screamed and tried to run away.\u00a0 Ben caught him and held on tight.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish I was, Son\u2014I wish to God I was\u2014and that she was still with us\u2014but she\u2019s not!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard her\u2014I saw her\u2014she was cold\u2014so cold,\u201d Joe cried.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph\u2014listen to me\u2014it wasn\u2019t your mother\u2014those men took you out to that cabin and locked you inside a coffin that they stole from the cemetery \u2014it wasn\u2019t your mother\u2019s casket!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNO!\u00a0 Papa\u2014she\u2019s alive!\u201d\u00a0 Joe yelled and struggled once more, trying to break free.\u00a0 With all the pent up hurt and anger Joe had left inside of him he lurched forward and knocked his father to the ground.\u00a0 He started to run away but stopped suddenly when he finally noticed the open grave.\u00a0 It was the first time he had seen it, having only focused on the headstone and in getting away from his father.\u00a0 Joe stood staring as if mesmerized by the sight of the empty grave.<\/p>\n

Ben sprang to his feet and neared the boy, all the while wondering what was going on in his head.\u00a0 He watched in anguish as Joe fell to his knees and began sobbing.\u00a0 Ben knelt down next to him and wrapped him in his loving embrace.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2014 Pa\u2014where did they take her?\u00a0 Where did they take my mother?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked as he looked into his father\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

Ben encased Joe\u2019s face with the palms of his hands and his eyes filled with both astonishment and tears.\u00a0 He had caught onto the simple word \u201cpa\u201d, and then looking into the hazel eyes he could see the real Joe staring back at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked, almost afraid to believe that the boy had somehow snapped out of the mental trauma that had held him prisoner for days.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2014where did they take my mother?\u00a0 Why isn\u2019t her casket back yet?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked again.<\/p>\n

Ben clung to his son and thanked God for the breakthrough.\u00a0 \u201cJoe\u2014do you remember what happened to you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked strangely at his father and then closed his eyes as pictures of his abduction randomly flashed through his mind.\u00a0 The reality hit him and hit him hard.\u00a0 He could still see the thin shaft of light which had pierced through the casket before night had fallen.\u00a0 Joe could see the decaying corpse lying at his side and heard his own screams echoing against the coffin\u2019s interior.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Pa!\u201d\u00a0 Joe gasped and began crying harder.\u00a0 It all came upon him like a living nightmare shaking the fibers of his being with its impact.\u00a0 \u201cOh, Pa\u2014it was so awful\u2014so awful\u2014I was so scared\u2014so scared that I would never get out of there!\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t Mama\u2014it wasn\u2019t her!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Joseph\u2014it wasn\u2019t your mother,\u201d Ben replied softly and allowed Joe to feel safe in his tight hold.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2014I thought it was her\u2014I thought it was her\u2014oh, God!\u00a0 Pa\u2014why did they do that to me?\u00a0 Where\u2019s my mother?\u201d\u00a0 Joe continued to relive his experience and each new scene that popped into his mind was more horrifying than the last.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know why\u2014but Roy caught up with those men\u2014and they can\u2019t hurt you any more,\u201d Ben tried to ease Joe\u2019s fear a little with his news.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen\u2014they aren\u2019t the ones who took Ma?\u00a0 They just did it to get the money?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked incredulously.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Son\u2014they\u2019re not the ones who took your mother\u2014they were just after the reward money.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh \u2014Pa\u2014this world is so bad\u2014so bad,\u201d Joe cried.<\/p>\n

Ben held his son and closed his eyes, fighting back tears.\u00a0 He happened to be of the same opinion as his youngest son at the time; the world had turned into a bad place, full of evil.\u00a0 Looking towards the lake, Ben\u2019s eyes caught onto the sunset.\u00a0 It was even more spectacular than it was the day he and Adam had first gone to the empty grave.\u00a0 He lifted Joe\u2019s chin and stared once again into the boy\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not all bad, Joe\u2014there\u2019s still some beauty\u2014some good in it.\u00a0 Look there,\u201d Ben pointed towards the view across the lake.<\/p>\n

Joe pushed aside his tears and stared at the sunset.\u00a0 He sat there for a long while, still held in his father\u2019s protective embrace, as they watched the sun disappear behind the mountain range.\u00a0\u00a0 It was the only peace either Cartwright had known for weeks.\u00a0 Together they walked back towards the wagon and headed home.<\/p>\n

The ride home that evening was much better than the ride out to Marie\u2019s grave.\u00a0 Ben explained to his son what had happened with the men who had locked him in the coffin and Joe was glad to know that they were now behind bars.\u00a0 He continued to assure Joe that they would somehow catch up with whoever had stolen Marie\u2019s casket, and that no stone would be left unturned in order to do just that.\u00a0 When they pulled up in front of the ranch house, Adam hurried out to the buckboard.\u00a0 Ben wondered why his eldest son had a smile on his face, and hoped it meant good news for a change.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2014Roy\u2019s in the house\u2014and he\u2019s brought someone who might be able to help us!\u201d\u00a0 Adam called to his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho is it, Adam?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked as he jumped down from the wagon.<\/p>\n

Adam stared at his little brother bewildered, he didn\u2019t appear to be the same confused young man who had left earlier.\u00a0 \u201cJoe?\u00a0 Joe you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour brother is fine,\u201d Ben replied, with relief in his tone.\u00a0 \u201cWho did Roy bring with him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDex Farwell,\u201d Adam answered and turned to walk into the house.\u00a0 Ben and Joe followed behind him.<\/p>\n

Sitting by the blazing fire, was the Pinkerton detective who had months earlier saved Joe\u2019s life.\u00a0 He had also ended a long spree of killings, solving a crime that had seemed almost unsolvable at the time.\u00a0 One by one boys who were Joe\u2019s age were being murdered in Virginia City and surrounding towns, and it had been due to the quick thinking of Dex Farwell that Joe was still alive and well.\u00a0 Just as the killer had readied to kill the boy, Dex had fired the shot that killed the evil man.\u00a0 Joe had sustained a severe stomach wound but had lived to tell the story.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen\u2014Joe\u2014good to see you!\u201d\u00a0 Dex smiled as he stood from his seat next to the hearth.<\/p>\n

Ben walked briskly across the room and shook the detective\u2019s outstretched hand.\u00a0 \u201cDex\u2014thought you were down in Texas?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was\u2014solved another one and then I got Roy\u2019s telegram.\u00a0 Sorry to hear about what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded and watched as Joe moved over to Dex and also shook his hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks for coming,\u201d Joe said and shot the man a grateful smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2014I hope I can help.\u00a0 Roy and your brothers have told me all the facts.\u00a0 How about we all sit down and try to get to the bottom of this?\u201d\u00a0 Dex suggested and they all gathered around to go over the details of the case to try and find something that they might have missed.<\/p>\n

Dex listened carefully to all the Cartwrights and even Hop Sing came into the conversation with his own theory.\u00a0 The general consensus was that there was someone out there somewhere who obviously hated the family and was seeking a personal vendetta against them.\u00a0 Dex had to agree, as there was no other logical answer at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyone who\u2019d go to these lengths to hurt you all quite obviously is close by seeing what their actions have done to the family.\u00a0 Roy said there were two different sets of wagon tracks and at least four horses.\u00a0 That\u2019s quite a lot of evil cohorts\u2014whoever thought up this plot must have the funds to pay for so many associates,\u201d Dex commented grimly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve combed the whole area\u2014within a twenty five mile radius of the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Still no luck,\u201d Roy shot in, showing his frustration.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd those men\u2014the ones who took the thousand dollars from Joe\u2014you sure they had nothing to do with all the rest of this?\u201d\u00a0 Dex asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve questioned them\u2014I also found out that they were in Frisco when the casket was taken.\u00a0 They were serving a couple of weeks in a jail there for a minor fracas in one of the bars.\u00a0 No way they were a part of the original theft,\u201d Roy answered.<\/p>\n

Dex frowned and then turned his attention to Ben.\u00a0 \u201cAny idea of who could want to see you go through something as awful as this, Ben?\u00a0 Any recent trouble that you could pin point?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t think of anyone who could hate me\u2014or this family so badly that they would do such a terrible thing to us!\u00a0 I\u2019ve gone over and over all this in my mind\u2014and still can\u2019t figure it out,\u201d Ben sighed wearily.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2014let me do a little snooping around\u2014see what I can come up with, Ben.\u00a0 You folks try to hold on just a little longer, okay?\u00a0 I know this is rough\u2014but we\u2019ll get to the bottom of it,\u201d\u00a0 Dex reassured the family as he stood from his seat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think there was anyone who could do something as awful as to desecrate a grave\u2014to steal my mother\u2019s casket.\u00a0 And now\u2014after what I went through with those other men\u2014I don\u2019t have any faith in mankind,\u201d Joe spoke out with bitterness in his words.<\/p>\n

Adam and Hoss shared a worried glance at what their brother had said.\u00a0 They could tell that he was fully aware that his mother was dead now, but his words had come out with so much despair that they wondered if it might spawn another mental set back.<\/p>\n

Ben moved next to the boy and placed his hand on Joe\u2019s shoulder, offering whatever solace he could at the time.\u00a0 He knew that his youngest had gone through far more than someone his age could take emotionally.\u00a0 Ben was also worried that Joe had given up on the rest of the world after having witnessed such an abundance of cruelty.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph\u2014don\u2019t forget that this family has a lot of good friends\u2014you are looking at two of them right now,\u201d Ben whispered, referring to Roy and Dex.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll get your mother back, Joe\u2014we just need one little break\u2014just like we had when we finally got Marcus Hunter.\u00a0 Remember there was a point when we thought we\u2019d never catch that killer either?\u201d\u00a0 Dex reminded the boy that there was always hope.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2014another reason to wonder how this world could be filled with such evil people,\u201d Joe responded, his mind taking him back to the killer who had almost added him to his list of victims.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re too young to be so cynical, Boy,\u201d Dex admonished Joe.<\/p>\n

Ben wanted to break up the doom filled conversation, he turned once again towards Dex and said, \u201cAnything we can do to help your investigation?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m gonna get settled in the hotel and then pour over the facts.\u00a0 I\u2019ll stop by tomorrow and we\u2019ll see where we want to start, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know you are more than welcome to stay here, Dex,\u201d Ben offered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThink I\u2019d prefer to be based out of town for the time being\u2014I can do a lot more snooping there.\u00a0 I\u2019ll catch up with your men tomorrow.\u00a0 Roy\u2014want to ride back with me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2014I got them criminals in my jail\u2014guess I need to get back and relieve Clem so\u2019s that he can go to supper,\u201d Roy nodded and moved with the detective towards the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks for coming\u2014we really appreciate it,\u201d Ben called to the two men as they turned to leave the house.<\/p>\n

\u201cSee you all tomorrow,\u201d Dex replied, and he and Roy headed out for Virginia City.<\/p>\n

The Cartwrights went to bed with hope in their hearts that the detective would come through for them as he had in the past.\u00a0 Sleep wasn\u2019t in the cards for Joe that night and by one in the morning he yielded to the inevitable and pulled on his robe and headed downstairs.\u00a0 Sitting in front of the newly stoked fire, Joe tried to doze off in his father\u2019s chair.\u00a0 Visions of his imprisonment inside the casket prevented him from falling to sleep, just as it had up in his bedroom.\u00a0 An hour after he had come down to the living room, his father appeared at the bottom of the stairs.\u00a0 He frowned when he spotted his youngest sitting staring intently into the flames as they darted back and forth on the logs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess you couldn\u2019t sleep any better than I could,\u201d Ben called to his son and slowly made his way over to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHope I didn\u2019t wake you, Pa\u2014I tried to be quiet,\u201d Joe replied solemnly.<\/p>\n

Ben sat down on the hearth and warmed his hands before answering the boy. \u201cNo\u2014I fell off for a little while and then started to toss and turn.\u00a0 Guess I was having a nightmare,\u201d Ben said and stared at his son, hoping what he had conveyed would encourage Joe to come out with what had prevented his own sleep that night.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2014me too,\u201d Joe confessed and looked away from his father\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWant to tell me about it, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head, trying his best to force the images back in his mind.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t working.\u00a0 \u201cI close my eyes and still feel like I am in that casket, Pa.\u00a0 I even tried leaving my lamp on\u2014but it didn\u2019t help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben moved closer to the boy and dropped his hand down on Joe\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t even imagine how terrifying that would be to go through, Son.\u00a0 It\u2019s gonna take awhile\u2014but it will eventually go away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope so,\u201d Joe replied, and his words were laced with a combination of doubt and fear.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to go upstairs and try again?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2014don\u2019t think so, Pa.\u00a0 You go on ahead\u2014I\u2019ll just stay down here,\u201d Joe said and this time moved over to the settee and reached for the Indian blanket which rested on one of the arms.\u00a0 He placed it around his shoulders to keep warm and looked back over at his father.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be okay, Pa\u2014go on,\u201d Joe insisted.<\/p>\n

Ben smiled and moved to sit down next to his son on the settee.\u00a0 He knew Joe wouldn\u2019t ask him to stay with him, even if he wanted him to do just that.<\/p>\n

\u201cHand over some of that blanket.\u00a0 We\u2019ll see which of us passes out first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe grinned at his father, who was very apparent in what he was trying to do.\u00a0 Knowing the man well, Joe did as instructed and handed half of the blanket to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d Ben nodded to his son and then grinned and pointed towards the coffee table, \u201cyou don\u2019t have your boots on\u2014so if you were to kinda rest your feet across there I am sure your father won\u2019t yell at you this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe laughed, and it felt so good to do so after enduring so much stress and worry.\u00a0\u00a0 Pa had always been a stickler in his insistence that no-one use the coffee table as a foot stool.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe knew that his father was trying to use his own brand of consolation by offering to bend the rules.\u00a0 He lifted his stocking feet and placed them on top of the coffee table stretching out to be more comfortable. Ben followed suit.\u00a0 Together they sat there and stared towards the fireplace waiting for exhaustion to set in so they could fall to sleep.<\/p>\n

Dex Farwell was a thorough detective and had gotten right to the business at hand and started to track down as many leads as he could find.\u00a0 His investigation had taken him into Carson City where he dug up some information that he deemed important enough to take straight to the Cartwrights.<\/p>\n

\u201cDex\u2014come on in!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss welcomed the man heartily as he opened the front door of the ranch house.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Hoss\u2014is your dad around?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2014he\u2019s in the kitchen\u2014I\u2019ll go get him,\u201d Hoss answered and headed into the next room.<\/p>\n

Ben was surprised to see the detective so soon after their last meeting and hope filled his heart that the man had found some clue as to Marie\u2019s whereabouts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got some news,\u201d Dex called over to Ben and sat down on the settee.\u00a0 Hoss and his father gathered around the coffee table and directed their attention on Dex.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked anxiously.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got to thinking about what you all told me\u2014about there being two wagons involved in this.\u00a0 I already checked the livery stable in Virginia City and had no luck.\u00a0 But over in Carson they had a record of the purchase of two different wagons.\u00a0 The date was the day before Joe found that ring.\u00a0 Chris Jennings, the owner of the livery in Carson said that the man who signed the receipt was Cole Rivers.\u00a0 Ever heard of him?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben and Hoss both thought for a few minutes and then shook their heads, signifying that they didn\u2019t know of any such person.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Mr. Jennings also noticed another man who had helped to drive away one of the wagons.\u00a0 He had seen him years before and is sure it was a man named Bristol Ford.\u00a0 You know him?\u201d\u00a0 Dex continued.<\/p>\n

Ben could still see the anger on Bristol\u2019s face, years earlier when the Ponderosa\u2019s bid for railroad ties had undercut Bristol\u2019s bid.\u00a0 The man had been enraged and had sworn to get even with the Cartwrights.\u00a0 But, that had been years ago, and he had never seen or heard from Bristol ever again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know the man\u2014well I knew him that is.\u00a0 It\u2019s been years\u2014probably eight or more.\u00a0 He had a ranch not far from here, but he lost it due to some bad investments and shady deals.\u00a0 We outbid him for a railroad contract\u2014that was the last time I saw him.\u00a0 I heard that a short time later he lost his ranch and moved away.\u00a0 He swore to get even with me for winning that bid\u2014but it\u2019s been so long ago\u2014that I would never have thought of him as being the one who\u2019d do something like this,\u201d Ben replied and shook his head for not coming up with the man\u2019s name in earlier conversations with Roy Coffee.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, he sure waited long enough\u2014if it is him,\u201d Hoss commented, seeing the look on his father\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have thought about him either, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, if he\u2019s the one in charge then he sure has had this planned out for awhile,\u201d Dex said and then stood to leave.\u00a0 \u201cI still have more work to do.\u00a0 We need to find out where they are getting supplies\u2014maybe track them down from that?\u00a0 Surely someone\u2019s seen either Ford or one of his associates getting grub.\u00a0 They\u2019ve holed up for weeks now.\u00a0 I\u2019ll get right on it, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stood and walked the man to the door, \u201cYou\u2019re doing a good job already, Dex\u2014at least now we have a name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a start\u2014but there\u2019s a whole lot more to figure out.\u00a0 I\u2019ll report back as soon as I have something else for you,\u201d Dex replied and walked out of the door.<\/p>\n

Ben turned around to face Hoss and could see his face scrunched up as if the big man was thinking very hard.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is it, Son?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey go and buy two wagons, he has that Cole feller sign for it\u2014but doesn\u2019t mind being spotted.\u00a0 Sound strange to you?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis whole thing sounds strange to me, Hoss!\u201d\u00a0 Ben exclaimed.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe Bristol didn\u2019t think anyone would remember him after all these years?\u00a0 Hopefully the next time Dex comes out we will have a location and get this over with once and for all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay if I go tell Joe?\u00a0 Maybe the news will cheer him up a little?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s out in the barn\u2014go ahead maybe it will help.\u00a0 Oh, and check on him to make sure he isn\u2019t doing too much.\u00a0 He\u2019s supposed to be taking care of those hands, and I think he\u2019s been overdoing it lately.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Joe is working so hard to try and escape from all that has happened, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2014I know he\u2019s still having nightmares.\u00a0 Hopefully there will be an end to this and soon,\u201d Ben sighed, remembering clearly all that the family had endured.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll make sure he\u2019s okay,\u201d Hoss nodded and headed out to the barn.<\/p>\n

Late that night the Cartwrights were about to turn in when they heard the sound of a horse outside.\u00a0 Expecting that the rider was perhaps Roy or Dex with news, they waited for the knock on the front door.\u00a0 When it didn\u2019t come, Adam headed over to see what was happening.\u00a0 Pulling the door forward his eyes tracked down to the walkway where an object had been left out in the open.\u00a0 Adam scanned the area and the mysterious rider had obviously vanished.\u00a0 Bending down, he pulled up a note that had been weighted down with a rock.\u00a0 He turned hurriedly back into the house.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa!\u00a0 Come here!\u201d\u00a0 Adam yelled and waited as the rest of the family met him over at the door.\u00a0 \u201cLook at this,\u201d he said and handed the note to his father.<\/p>\n

Ben read the message aloud, \u201cTo Ben Cartwright, come to Emerald Point at noon tomorrow, bring with you fifty thousand dollars for the return of Marie Cartwright\u2019s remains. Come alone or we will otherwise dispose of her casket.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe immediately reached for his gun and holster, preparing to head out after the messenger.\u00a0 His father stopped him as he was buckling the gun belt.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2014whoever left this has already gone\u2014no sense trying to track them in the dark, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Pa\u2014\u201d Joe started to argue only to be cut off.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do this as they say\u2014it\u2019s the only way, Son.\u00a0 Now just simmer down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wonder if they know that we are on to them?\u201d\u00a0 Adam asked.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe they\u2019ve been watching this place and saw that we brought the detective in on it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho knows?\u201d\u00a0 Ben sighed and waited until Joe had given up on the idea of leaving and started to remove his holster.\u00a0 \u201cBut, we are going to go and get the money first thing in the morning, that will give me time to get up to the drop off place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if it\u2019s not them\u2014and someone just after money like those men who got to Joe?\u201d Hoss jumped in with his own suspicions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2014we can\u2019t take the chance that it\u2019s not the real thieves\u2014not now.\u00a0 First thing in the\u00a0 morning we\u2019ll go into town and get the money and alert Dex and Roy as to what we\u2019re gonna do.\u00a0 We\u2019ll have them close by for back-up in case they are pulling a scam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going too!\u201d\u00a0 Joe insisted, worried that his father would forbid it.<\/p>\n

Ben put his hand on his youngest son\u2019s shoulder and looked him squarely in the eyes. \u201cYou can ride behind\u2014with your brothers and Roy\u2014but you have to follow directions.\u00a0 Understand?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2014just as long as we get them\u2014and make them pay for what they did to my mother!\u201d\u00a0 Joe responded angrily.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll get them, Little Brother,\u201d Hoss tried to calm the boy with his tone of voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s all try to get some shut-eye, we\u2019re going to have to be alert tomorrow in order to accomplish what we want to,\u201d Ben offered and they all headed up the staircase.<\/p>\n

The plan had been carefully reviewed most of the morning.\u00a0 Ben recalled his conversation with Roy and Dex as he rode out to Emerald Point to make the drop off.\u00a0 Roy had promised that they would all hang back at least five miles so that the money could be exchanged for the casket.\u00a0 Once the casket was in Ben\u2019s possession the Cartwright brothers along with Roy and Dex would race to intercept the criminals and the money.\u00a0 Ben hoped all would go smoothly, and that no-one would be hurt.\u00a0 His stomach churned with worry as he headed up the incline, still a few miles from the selected meeting spot.\u00a0 Ben prayed that it wasn\u2019t another hoax and that the family would be able to recover Marie\u2019s casket after almost a month of it being held.\u00a0 They were all about as emotionally stretched out as they could be.\u00a0 Nerves were wearing thin and his sons were about ready to go out on their own after the evil men.\u00a0 It had taken a great deal of persuasion on Ben\u2019s part to make his sons stay put while he dropped off the money.\u00a0 None of the boys wanted their father to go to Emerald Point alone, but he had insisted on it.<\/p>\n

Ben could see the backs of two horses through the trees and heard what sounded like the cocking of a rifle as he made it up to the top of the hill.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet off your horse, Cartwright!\u201d\u00a0 Bristol shouted and stepped towards the man.<\/p>\n

Ben did as instructed, and dismounted right where he had been told.\u00a0 He untied the saddle bags which contained exactly fifty thousand dollars.<\/p>\n

\u201cSurprised to see me, Ben?\u201d\u00a0 Bristol laughed as he reached for the money and relieved Ben of his six-gun.<\/p>\n

Ben reluctantly turned over the saddle bags and looked vehemently at the man before him.\u00a0 \u201cNo, as a matter of fact I am not, Bristol.\u00a0 But I didn\u2019t think anyone would stoop this low, not even you!\u201d\u00a0 Ben answered angrily.<\/p>\n

Bristol pointed his rifle, indicating that Ben should step up towards the other horses.\u00a0 Ben was not about to get shot, so he did as he was instructed.\u00a0 With Bristol walking close behind him, Ben made it up the hill and was pushed down at the base of a pine tree.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou won\u2019t mind me tying you up, now will you old friend?\u201d\u00a0 Bristol said as he reached for a coiled lariat laying close by.\u00a0 He pointed for his associate, Nick, to keep his gun on Ben while he tied him tightly to the tree.<\/p>\n

Ben could now see the buckboard and underneath a tarp caught the sight of a casket.\u00a0 His heart leapt in his chest when he saw it.\u00a0 One look and he was convinced that it was indeed his beloved wife\u2019s casket.\u00a0 He had finally caught up with the ones who had desecrated her grave.<\/p>\n

Joe had thought everything out in his mind, he knew what he had to do.\u00a0 There was just no way he was going to let his pa go into the enemy\u2019s camp alone.\u00a0 He had for weeks been so worried about his deceased mother, that he had forgotten about something a bit more precious to him; his pa.\u00a0 Knowing in reality that his mother was already lost to him in life, Joe\u2019s number one concern had turned to Ben and in protecting him from harm.\u00a0 With all that in his mind he had struggled to come up with a plausible plan of action.\u00a0 It had come to him just as Roy and Dex had waved to the Cartwright brothers to dismount and wait for Ben to appear after making the money drop.\u00a0 Joe knew he couldn\u2019t wait that long.\u00a0 If his father were killed he would blame himself for not having done something to prevent it.\u00a0 He also knew that there would be no getting over the death of his father, should that happen.\u00a0 Joe had struggled for years to try and get over his mother\u2019s death and hadn\u2019t been able to get past the grief.\u00a0 But, if he were to lose his only source of strength then Joe figured he might as well be dead too.<\/p>\n

Joe grimaced as he dismounted and grabbed at his hands, as if in great pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it, Little Joe?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss asked, noticing the strained look on the boy\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy hands\u2014they\u2019ve started to bleed again.\u00a0 I can\u2019t hardly move some of my fingers,\u201d Joe replied, giving it his best acting job.<\/p>\n

Adam heard what his little brother had said and moved closer to him.\u00a0 \u201cListen, Kid, maybe you should head back home?\u00a0 We can get them without you\u2014and that\u2019s all that matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe forced a frown, he knew he had to play it up a bit more.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t leave now\u2014what about Pa?\u201d\u00a0 Joe complained, his voice going up several octaves.<\/p>\n

Hoss put his arm around the boy\u2019s shoulder and said, \u201cJoe\u2014now you don\u2019t worry none about Pa\u2014he\u2019s gonna be okay.\u00a0 We\u2019ll make sure of it, I promise!\u00a0 Now go on home\u2014this shouldn\u2019t take long.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked at each of his brothers, his eyes filling with tears.\u00a0 \u201cJust make sure nothing happens to him\u2014come home as soon as you can!\u201d\u00a0 Joe said quietly and mounted his horse, still grimacing to make it look good.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll be home soon\u2014you go home and rest now, you hear?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss called up to his brother as Joe turned the reins of his horse.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay\u2014be careful\u2014all of you!\u201d\u00a0 Joe replied and rode towards the ranch house.<\/p>\n

Ben had been tied up to the tree for almost thirty minutes.\u00a0 He had also listened intently to what Bristol had been saying to his partners.\u00a0 He had sent three of them off with the buckboard along with the casket.\u00a0 Bristol had told Ben it was just for safety sake and that he would be allowed to fetch the wagon as soon as they were gone from the site.\u00a0 Ben tried to commend to memory the names he had heard along with the facial features of the men.\u00a0 There would be a time for pay-back, that was for certain.<\/p>\n

Bristol and Nick were the only ones left in the camp other than Ben.\u00a0 Giving the buckboard and his other partners time to clear the area, Bristol waited patiently.<\/p>\n

\u201cHad you going for awhile, didn\u2019t I, Ben?\u00a0 You didn\u2019t know who or why someone would steal Marie\u2019s casket, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you wanted money\u2014why did you wait a month?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked, agitated by the humor on the man\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to see you crack\u2014all of you.\u00a0 That was almost as satisfying as the money!\u00a0 And your boy- Joe\u2014when I read about him getting locked in that fake casket\u2014well it was priceless!\u201d\u00a0 Bristol laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t funny!\u201d Joe\u2019s voice sang out from behind the tree which held his father.\u00a0 He stepped in closer, with his pistol drawn.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u201d\u00a0 Ben yelled, and cast a worried glance back at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay, Pa\u2014I\u2019m gonna get you out of here,\u201d Joe said kneeling next to his father.\u00a0 He pulled his jackknife out of his pocket and started to free Ben, all the while keeping his gun pointed at Bristol and his partner.<\/p>\n

All of a sudden Nick dropped to the ground, catching Joe off guard.\u00a0 Just the motion of Joe looking towards the other man gave Bristol the chance he was looking for.\u00a0 He jumped towards Joe and knocked him over the head.<\/p>\n

Involuntarily Joe dropped his weapon.\u00a0 Bristol retrieved it while Ben struggled to get free to assist his boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou violated the rules, Ben\u2014now you are gonna pay!\u201d\u00a0 Bristol yelled madly and grabbed Joe under the arms and dragged him towards his partner.\u00a0 \u201cNick\u2014show Mr. Cartwright what we do to folks who don\u2019t follow directions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick smiled menacingly and kicked the boy in the ribs hard.\u00a0 Joe started to come back around just in time to feel the impact of the man\u2019s boots.\u00a0 He reeled from the blow and tried to roll away from the man.\u00a0 Nick grabbed Joe up by his jacket and pounded his face into a bloody pulp. Joe had tried his best to fight back, but his fingers were in such bad shape, with several fingernails still missing,\u00a0 he was no match for the man.\u00a0 Ben watched in horror as Joe was rendered unconscious.<\/p>\n

Something inside of Ben snapped.\u00a0 Maybe it was the pent up worry and anguish he had endured for weeks over the loss of Marie.\u00a0 Perhaps it was all the awful memories that her disappearance had dredged up.\u00a0 Or it could have been the sight of their child lying unmoving there on the ground in front of his eyes.\u00a0 Most likely it was a combination of all three that suddenly gave Ben Cartwright the strength of ten men.\u00a0 Joe had begun to carve the ropes that bound his father but had been stopped.\u00a0 But, it had weakened the bindings just enough to allow Ben to, with all of his might, break them.\u00a0 In one blurry rush Ben charged Bristol.\u00a0 Nick reached for his gun, but Ben was quicker.\u00a0 The angered father had been able to make it to his son just long enough to grab the boy\u2019s Colt still laying next to him.\u00a0 Falling to the ground in one spinning motion, Ben shot Nick.\u00a0 The man screamed in pain and fell to the pine-straw covered soil, not a foot from where he had left Joe after beating him.<\/p>\n

Ben turned his attention on Bristol.\u00a0 He walked towards him, six-gun in hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cDrop your gun, Bristol,\u201d Ben ordered with deadly tones.<\/p>\n

Bristol looked into Ben\u2019s umber eyes.\u00a0 What he saw in them was one hundred per cent vengeance.\u00a0 He decided very quickly to do as he was instructed and dropped his weapon onto the ground.\u00a0 Ben walked closer and kicked the gun into the brush.\u00a0 It was then that all hell broke out.\u00a0 Ben tossed his own gun away and lunged towards Bristol, punishing him with his fists.\u00a0 With the savagery of a wild animal Ben pummeled the man and they both dropped to the ground.\u00a0 Ben was beyond all reasoning at that point.\u00a0 He was fighting for the honor of his wife and out of revenge for the vile deed that Bristol had done to her and the rest of the Cartwright family.\u00a0 Bristol reeled from the blows and his skin on his face ripped apart, bleeding profusely, from the assault of Ben\u2019s fists.<\/p>\n

Joe groaned as he slowly came back to reality.\u00a0 He heard the loud sounds of the fight going on across from him, and through blood filled eyes he made out the form of his father.\u00a0 The boy had never seen such primal fierceness in his pa before.\u00a0 Joe could tell, as he pulled himself to his knees, that Bristol was going to be killed at the hands of his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo Pa!\u201d\u00a0 Joe screamed and staggered over to the two men.\u00a0 Bristol was almost unconscious from the beating he had taken already.\u00a0 He was laying up against the tree where Ben had first been imprisoned.\u00a0 Ben had his hands around the man\u2019s neck and was choking the life out of him.<\/p>\n

Joe fell to his knees next to his father and tried with all his might to pull him away from Bristol.\u00a0 \u201cNo\u2014Pa\u2014don\u2019t do it\u2014don\u2019t kill him!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben could vaguely hear the words of his youngest son, he was too caught up in the emotions that had plagued him for weeks.\u00a0 He had held back his own despair in order to keep his sons at bay, but each day that they had struggled to deal with Marie\u2019s desecration it had eaten more of the grieved husband\u2019s heart away.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2014don\u2019t \u2014please Pa!\u00a0 You can\u2019t kill him\u2014you can\u2019t!\u00a0 Not after all you\u2019ve taught us\u2014not after all we\u2019ve been through.\u00a0 Pa\u2014don\u2019t be like him\u2014let him go!\u201d\u00a0 Joe begged, all the while tugging on his pa\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n

The touch of his son\u2019s hand and his cries slowly brought Ben back to his personal beliefs and he reluctantly released his hands from Bristol\u2019s throat.\u00a0 Bristol fell to the side gasping for air.<\/p>\n

Ben turned to stare at the battered face of his and Marie\u2019s boy.\u00a0 He gently placed a hand under Joe\u2019s chin and saw the tears.\u00a0 He knew he had scared the boy by his ruthless actions, and it made his heart hurt.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Joseph\u2014sorry\u2014\u201d Ben whispered and pulled the boy into his trembling arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay, Pa\u2014it\u2019s okay,\u201d Joe replied and clung to his pa.<\/p>\n

After taking a few moments to calm themselves and decide on what to do with Bristol, Ben stood and checked out the man\u2019s partner.\u00a0 Nick was stone cold dead.\u00a0 Ben reached for the ropes which had earlier bound his own arms and decided to return the favor.\u00a0 Both he and Joe secured the semi-conscious man to the pine tree and then retrieved all the weapons and the saddlebags containing the money. Ben and Joe ran to their horses knowing that they had a buckboard to catch up with.<\/p>\n

As soon as the others had heard the sound of a shot being fired they had thrown caution to the wind and raced to catch up with Ben.\u00a0 Just as Joe and his father were coming down the hill on horseback Adam spied them and called out to Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s Joe doing there?\u201d\u00a0 Adam yelled.<\/p>\n

Hoss had to forcibly remove the smirk from his face as he, too, spotted the pinto pony that carried his little brother.\u00a0 \u201cGuess them hands wasn\u2019t hurting all that bad,\u201d Hoss replied and raced with Roy and Dex to catch up with Joe and Ben.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing to catch up with the wagon!\u201d\u00a0 Ben shouted as he and Joe met up with the other four men.\u00a0 \u201cThat way!\u201d\u00a0 Ben pointed towards the tracks and they all raced up the trail to rescue Marie\u2019s casket.<\/p>\n

\u201cSplit up\u2014Roy and I will head that way\u2014we will take them from all sides!\u201d\u00a0 Dex yelled pointing at the wagon that was spotted in the distance.\u00a0 He surged up ahead with Roy following close behind.<\/p>\n

As they all gained on the two men on horseback and one behind the reins of the buckboard, Joe spotted for the first time the back of his mother\u2019s casket.\u00a0 The sight sent a determined set to his shoulders and he spurred Cochise faster.<\/p>\n

When Bristol\u2019s two other partners on horseback noticed they were being followed they both split up and went in opposite directions.\u00a0 Roy and Dex came out up ahead of them and pursued them at top speed.\u00a0 Ben, Adam and Hoss were gaining on the buckboard, but, Joe was much closer.\u00a0 When he felt he was near enough to make his move, Joe jumped from Cochise and onto the back of the wagon.\u00a0 Just as he was attempting to make his way up to the driver, the man panicked and jumped off his seat and landed on the side of the trail.\u00a0 When he had dropped the reins of the team of horses, they took off at a faster clip.\u00a0 After clearing several boulders up the narrow trail, the leads suddenly broke and the team parted from the buckboard before Joe could do anything about it.\u00a0 The wagon came to a sharp incline and turned over.\u00a0 Joe was thrown first down the steep hill and then the casket which had been in the back of the wagon sprung from its tie-downs and careened down after him.<\/p>\n

Joe only had a few seconds to think of what he could do as he landed flat on his back on the slope.\u00a0 He could see his mother\u2019s casket free-falling towards him.\u00a0 Taking a quick glance down below where he had landed, Joe knew that if the casket fell past him that it would surely break on the rocks in the ravine below.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t about to let that happen.\u00a0 Just as the casket made it to where he was still laying on his back, Joe shot one leg forward in a brave attempt to stop its fall.\u00a0 The casket came to rest on Joe\u2019s right leg and he screamed due to the harsh impact.\u00a0 It took all his reserved strength to keep his left leg up, bent at the knee, trying to steady the casket and prevent it from going any further down the hill.<\/p>\n

Ben and his other two sons had seen the fall and were paralyzed with fear when they spotted the boy laying half way down the incline.\u00a0 Shouting for ropes, Ben carefully dismounted and slowly made his way down to the boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t hold on\u2014much longer\u2014help me\u2014Pa!\u201d\u00a0 Joe begged and fought to keep control of the casket with his left foot braced against the end of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay, Joe\u2014just lie still\u2014I\u2019ll get the end\u2014\u201d Ben replied and lifted the casket so that Joe could pull down his foot and rest a bit.<\/p>\n

Hoss eased the rope down from where it was secured to his saddle and watched as Adam wrapped it around the casket.\u00a0 As soon as it was secure, Ben and Adam lifted it completely off of Joe\u2019s right leg.\u00a0 Adam helped guide the casket back up the hill as Hoss pulled with all of his massive strength.\u00a0 Within a few minutes, Marie\u2019s casket was safe on solid ground.<\/p>\n

Ben did a quick examination of his son\u2019s right leg and determined the weight of the casket had broken several bones.\u00a0 He looked down at his son and tears filled his eyes.\u00a0 Ben knew that Joe\u2019s grand act of unselfishness was done for one reason; Joe loved his mother so much.<\/p>\n

Joe could tell that his father was upset by all that had happened, but also very relieved to have Marie back safely.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s get Ma home now, Pa,\u201d Joe whispered and reached for his father\u2019s hand and squeezed it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a very brave thing you did, Joe\u2014but your mother wouldn\u2019t have wanted you to risk your life like that\u2014anymore than I would!\u201d\u00a0 Ben insisted and pulled his son into a seated position.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d have done the same,\u201d Joe argued.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u2014guess I would.\u00a0 Now let\u2019s take you home and get you fixed up!\u201d Ben grinned and turned to see Hoss standing next to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince them hands of yours hurt so dad gum much, Little Brother\u2014guess I should carry you up the hill, huh?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss teased, alluding to Joe\u2019s big charade earlier.<\/p>\n

\u201cUm\u2014not my hands now\u2014it\u2019s my leg\u2014and this time I ain\u2019t playing!\u201d\u00a0 Joe grinned sheepishly and soon felt his brother\u2019s strong hands underneath him pulling him up.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh\u2014now you ain\u2019t playing?\u00a0 That mean you wuz before?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss laughed and Joe could see the relief in the big man\u2019s eyes to have his little brother in his arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust get me up this hill, you nit wit\u2014think I\u2019ve got a leg to get set\u2014then we\u2019re gonna make sure Ma is safe and sound.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got it, Little Brother.\u00a0 It\u2019s over,\u201d Hoss replied and carried his brother up to safety.<\/p>\n

Ben stood for a moment and looked downward at the ravine.\u00a0 He cringed when he thought of the possibility of Marie\u2019s casket having crashed below on the sharp rocks.\u00a0 Ben looked skyward and said a solemn prayer thanking God that Joe had been able to prevent that from happening.\u00a0 He slowly trekked up to where his sons were all waiting.\u00a0 Ben bent down and kneeled at his wife\u2019s casket and gently placed his hands on the lid. \u00a0\u00a0Marie, my love, we\u2019re never going to let this happen again<\/em>. \u00a0Ben vowed to himself and then stood and faced his sons.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, we\u2019re gonna need a wagon for the casket and for Joe.\u00a0 There should be one up at the logging camp\u2014will you go fetch it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss set Joe down gingerly on the side of the trail where there was tall grass to cushion the boy some.\u00a0 \u201cSure, Pa\u2014won\u2019t take long\u2014I\u2019ll be right back!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss replied and mounted his horse.<\/p>\n

Ben and Adam gathered around Joe.\u00a0 Retrieving a canteen from his horse, Adam handed it to his father who began cleaning the boy\u2019s battered face.\u00a0 He noticed that Joe was not focusing on the pain his father\u2019s movements were causing him, but looked over towards the casket.\u00a0 There was an expression of worry on the boy\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u00a0 What\u2019s wrong?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked as he finished wiping the blood away from Joe\u2019s cuts.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2014I hate to ask\u2014but\u2014you sure that it\u2019s Ma\u2019s?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked, his voice quivering.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is\u2014I\u2019m sure of it.\u00a0 Now don\u2019t think about it anymore.\u00a0 Right now we have a leg to set and Hoss will be back shortly with the wagon.\u201d\u00a0 Ben answered trying his best to assure the boy.\u00a0 He could understand why Joe had asked the question, thinking back to the phony casket that the boy had been imprisoned in earlier.<\/p>\n

Joe eased back, content that his father would know for sure if it was Marie\u2019s casket.\u00a0 Before Ben began to prepare to set his son\u2019s leg, Roy and Dex appeared.\u00a0 They had three men with them, and each of them had their hands secured behind their backs.\u00a0 Two of the criminals were riding together on one horse and all three of them were looking down the barrel of Roy Coffee\u2019s rifle.<\/p>\n

\u201cGot the wagon driver and the other two\u2014now how many more?\u201d\u00a0 Dex asked pulling up next to the Cartwrights.<\/p>\n

\u201cBristol\u2014we left him tied up back at the drop off site,\u201d\u00a0 Ben replied looking up at the detective.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u00a0 You okay, Boy?\u201d\u00a0 Roy asked as he noticed what Ben was getting prepared to do to the kid.\u00a0 There were two make-shift splints laying at his side, which Adam had prepared while his father had cleaned Joe\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2014just fine,\u201d Joe nodded and closed his eyes.\u00a0 He knew what was coming, after having had his leg set a time or two in the past.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo get Bristol, we\u2019ll watch these three,\u201d Adam said and drew his gun, pointing it at the Bristol\u2019s partners.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe right back!\u201d\u00a0 Roy called and turned and followed the detective down the trail.<\/p>\n

In thirty minute\u2019s time,\u00a0 Roy and Dex had returned to where\u00a0 Ben and Hoss were lifting Joe into the buckboard, preparing for the trek back to the ranch house.\u00a0 They both dismounted next to the Cartwrights, and discouragement painted both Roy and Dex\u2019s faces.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s Bristol?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked as he turned from the wagon and stared past both men.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen\u2014don\u2019t know how\u2014but he\u2019s gone.\u00a0 We searched the whole area.\u00a0 Someone had to untie him,\u201d Roy replied.<\/p>\n

Adam stood from his position on the ground guarding the three men they had captured earlier.\u00a0 He pointed his gun on them as he spoke, \u201cAny of you men want to tell us who could have untied your friend?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dex walked over next to the eldest Cartwright son and also turned his attention on the prisoners.\u00a0 \u201cYou might just as well speak up\u2014you boys are all going to jail anyhow!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCole\u2014Cole stayed back aways\u2014he must\u2019ve been the one.\u00a0 It was just the five of us and Bristol in on this,\u201d the man, later to be identified as Jim Haywood, ratted on his former boss and associate.\u00a0 He was already angered when he had learned that his friend Nick had been killed, while Bristol had escaped unscathed.\u00a0 Now Jim wanted nothing more than to see his boss captured and punished with the rest of them.<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head, disgusted that he had not taken Bristol along with him when they had hurried off after Marie\u2019s casket.\u00a0 It looked as though the ring-leader was still on the prowl, and he was the one Ben wasn\u2019t done with; not by a long-shot.\u00a0 If it hadn\u2019t been for Joe\u2019s earlier pleas, Ben knew he would have killed the man with his bare hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll take these men into town, Ben\u2014and send for Doc to head out your way,\u201d Dex said as he watched Ben move to the driver\u2019s seat next to his son Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2014think I\u2019ll go with them\u2014there\u2019s some things I want to check on,\u201d Adam called to his father and reached for Sport\u2019s reins and swung into his saddle.<\/p>\n

Ben gave his eldest son a questioning look, wondering what Adam had in mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll see you back at the ranch then.\u00a0 We need to get Joe home,\u201d Ben nodded and watched as Roy and Dex led the prisoners back towards Virginia City, where there were jail cells awaiting them.\u00a0 Adam followed along after the detective and Roy, having thought of a few things that perhaps his father had missed.\u00a0 It was clear that Ben was emotionally played out, it was obvious just in looking at the man, as the wagon started back towards the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

Joe stretched out in the back of the buckboard.\u00a0 There was a mixture of relief and bittersweet joy as he stared over at his mother\u2019s casket, sitting next to him.\u00a0 He thanked God that he had been able to save the coffin as it had plummeted down the hillside.\u00a0 Closing his eyes and wincing from the pain which had come back in full force, Joe reached out his left hand and placed it against the oak casket.<\/p>\n

Ben would, every now and then, cast a quick glance backwards to see how his son was handling the trip home.\u00a0 When he saw that the boy was apparently asleep with his hand still resting against Marie\u2019s coffin, it tugged at his heart. Ben knew that the adrenalin that had coursed through Joe\u2019s body as he tried valiantly to protect his mother\u2019s remains, had subsided lending way for the pain to take over.\u00a0 It would never cease to amaze the worried father how that boy of his could be so strong, so courageous, and yet so vulnerable to the evils the world hurled at him.\u00a0 An image of Marie popped in Ben\u2019s mind and he remembered\u00a0 how she was just like her son in that respect.\u00a0 She was brave, strong, willful, but so abused by the ways of the world.\u00a0 It had taken his own loving arms to shield Marie from the harshness and pettiness of the people who had gone up against her at times.\u00a0 Seeing their son going through much of the same things she had in life, was yet another poignant reminder of how much of Marie existed in their child.\u00a0 He, too, needed Ben\u2019s arms to shield him from the world at times.\u00a0 But, when the chips were down, Joseph had turned into a great force to be reckoned with; just like Marie.\u00a0 They both would have fought to their deaths to protect someone they loved,\u00a0rest Joseph,\u00a0<\/em>Ben sighed to himself.<\/p>\n

While Doctor Martin went about the task of checking on Joe\u2019s injuries later that afternoon, Adam came home and asked Hoss to bring their father down into the living room.\u00a0 Ben rather reluctantly left his youngest son in the skilled hands of the physician and walked wearily down the flight of stairs to see what it was that Adam wanted to tell him.\u00a0 By the time he reached the bottom steps, he started to figure it out for himself.\u00a0 Sitting on the settee was the coroner and old family friend, Patrick Moody.<\/p>\n

\u201cPat\u2014how are you?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked as he moved over to the man and reached out to shake his hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m okay\u2014question is\u2014how are you, Ben?\u201d\u00a0 Patrick replied and stood from his seat.<\/p>\n

\u201cA little worse for wear I am afraid\u2014\u201d Ben trailed off as he looked at Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam thought I could help you,\u201d Patrick started to explain.<\/p>\n

Ben nodded towards the coroner, he had already assumed why his son had brought the man.\u00a0 There might have been a question as to whether the casket did indeed contain Marie\u2019s remains.\u00a0 Ben had tried all the way back to the ranch house to put the question out of his mind but had fought a losing battle with the thought.\u00a0 If Bristol and his partners were evil enough to steal the woman\u2019s casket they could\u2019ve been just deranged enough to remove her body as well.\u00a0 Ben reached into his vest pocket, where he had kept the engagement ring ever since Joe had brought it home weeks ago.\u00a0 He handed it over to Patrick.<\/p>\n

\u201cWill you take care of this for me?\u2014I don\u2019t think I could bear it,\u201d Ben asked in a whisper.\u00a0 He hated to even ask the coroner to place the ring on Marie\u2019s finger, but knew there was no-one else he could trust to do so.\u00a0 He surely couldn\u2019t ask either of his oldest sons, and Ben knew he would probably snap mentally if he opened the casket himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll see to it, Ben.\u00a0 Now\u2014was there anything else in there with Marie?\u00a0 It\u2019s been so many years\u2014\u201d Patrick broke his sentence off quickly, not wanting to hurt either Cartwright by his question.\u00a0 He had just started as coroner the year that Marie had passed away.\u00a0 Though he was not in the capacity of mortician, the Cartwrights had trusted him enough to have him assist them in the burial of their beloved Marie a dozen years earlier.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u2014there was Joseph\u2019s blanket\u2014\u201d Ben stopped and could feel the advance of tears leaving his eyes.\u00a0 It had fallen on him like a ton of bricks.\u00a0 The images of her funeral and his infant son crying for his mother and insisting on putting his yellow blanket in the coffin to keep her warm.\u00a0 \u201cExcuse me\u2014I have to\u2014I will be back\u2014\u201d Ben choked out and hurriedly left the house.<\/p>\n

Patrick turned towards Adam, and saw how the young man\u2019s face looked almost as grieved as his father\u2019s.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry\u2014hope I didn\u2019t say anything wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam patted the man\u2019s shoulder and looked wistfully towards the door.\u00a0 \u201cNo\u2014you didn\u2019t\u2014Pa\u2019s been holding it all together\u2014for all of us\u2014all these weeks.\u00a0 Now that we\u2019ve got Marie back\u2014well he\u2019s finally starting to show some cracks in his usual stoic facade.\u00a0 Just give him a few minutes and he\u2019ll be back.\u00a0 Let me get you some coffee\u2014or would you prefer brandy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Patrick smiled and replied, \u201cI think I\u2019ll take some brandy\u2014it might help with what I have to do in a little while.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam walked into his father\u2019s den to pour two drinks.\u00a0 He figured he could use some liquid courage himself right about then.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When the Ponderosa had first been built, the decision was made to have a small bunk-house built on the far corner of the main house just off to the left of Ben\u2019s study.\u00a0 Over the years the room had been converted to an extra room for visiting guests and a larger bunk-house had been constructed by the barn.\u00a0 The room was still and the light from several candles gave off a warm and peaceful glow.\u00a0 When Ben stepped inside, after trying to gain his composure, he saw that Hop Sing was sitting right next to where the casket had been laid out.\u00a0 In Ben\u2019s mind it could have been twelve years earlier, the sight of Marie\u2019s kindred soul keeping guard over her remains just as he had back then.\u00a0 Walking over to the Oriental, he dropped his hand down onto Hop Sing\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cMissy Cartlight at peace\u2014no worry Mister Ben,\u201d Hop Sing whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope so\u2014would you mind giving me a few minutes with her, Hop Sing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing stood and relinquished his chair to his boss and gauged his facial expression.\u00a0 He could read the pain that Ben was experiencing.\u00a0 The evil men who had stolen Marie\u2019s remains had dug up more than just a casket.\u00a0 They had dug up some pretty excruciating memories for all the Cartwrights, but especially the woman\u2019s adoring husband.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing go see how Little Joe doing\u2014you take time,\u201d Hop Sing stated warmly and turned out of the room.<\/p>\n

Ben noticed that Hop Sing had meticulously cleaned the casket\u00a0\u00a0 It hardly showed the wear of so many years of use.\u00a0 The cook had also placed a small bouquet of roses from his garden on top of the lid.\u00a0 Ben placed his hand on the casket and tears drifted down from his eyes. \u00a0\u00a0My Marie\u2014I am sorry\u2014sorry I couldn\u2019t protect you from all this\u2014just as I couldn\u2019t protect you from that fall\u2014I miss you so much\u2014the thought of burying you again\u2014I just can\u2019t bear it. \u00a0<\/em>Ben thought to himself. \u00a0\u00a0Forgive me, Darling\u2014forgive me for all of this<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Ben sat in the room next to his wife\u2019s remains for hours, until the knock on the door which shook him from his many remembrances of the love of his life.\u00a0 He stood and pulled the door open and saw that Patrick and Adam had decided it was time to begin the task of\u00a0 confirming whether Marie\u2019s body had been taken or left inside the coffin.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u00a0 Is it okay now?\u201d\u00a0 Adam asked quietly.<\/p>\n

Ben nodded and drew in a deep breath to ward off his emotions.\u00a0 \u201cYes\u2014go ahead, Patrick.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to check on Joseph,\u201d Ben answered and headed out of the door.<\/p>\n

Hoss looked across the room from his brother\u2019s bed as their father walked into the room.\u00a0 He stood and stretched as Ben made his way next to the bed and sat down next to Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is he?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked, seeing that the boy was asleep.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoc kinda re-did the set\u2014but said it wasn\u2019t too bad.\u00a0 The kid\u2019s going to have to stay off of it for about two months though.\u00a0 Doc said he would be back out tomorrow and left some pain powders if Joe needs them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just glad it wasn\u2019t any worse than this\u2014he could\u2019ve been killed in that fall,\u201d Ben nodded towards Hoss and then reached up and pushed the curls from off Joe\u2019s forehead, out of habit.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u00a0 You all right?\u00a0 You look pretty rough,\u201d Hoss worried over the exhaustion which showed on his father\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u2014I\u2019m okay\u2014thanks for watching after your little brother for me\u2014I should\u2019ve been up here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2014you were where you should have been\u2014Joe knew where you were\u2014and if he wasn\u2019t laid up he would\u2019ve been down there with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce Patrick\u2019s done\u2014I want to make the plans to bury your ma\u2014and do it so this will never happen again,\u201d Ben said, with determination in his tone.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2014me and Adam got to talking about that earlier\u2014and he said that Dex spoke to him in town about it too.\u00a0 We can talk about it downstairs\u2014lets go get some grub.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head and replied, \u201cI don\u2019t think I could eat right now, Son\u2014you go on ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2019s okay Pa\u2014you don\u2019t have to worry none.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be down in a minute\u2014you go ahead and have Hop Sing get it on the table and we will all sit down and eat a decent meal for a change.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPromise you\u2019ll be down soon?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss asked as he moved towards the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cPromise,\u201d Ben said and forced a smile on his face for Hoss\u2019 sake.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay\u2014we\u2019ll get it ready,\u201d Hoss grinned back over at his pa and walked out of the room.<\/p>\n

Ben watched his youngest son slumber on and wondered what he was dreaming about.\u00a0 Every now and then a smile lifted the corners of the boy\u2019s mouth and then it faded just as fast and he took on a sadder countenance.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u00a0 Can you hear me?\u201d\u00a0 Ben whispered and held the boy\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n

Joe blinked a couple of times and then slowly his father\u2019s face came into focus.\u00a0 \u201cPa?\u00a0 How long have I been out\u2014 and where\u2019s Doc?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked groggily.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve been out a good long while, Joe.\u00a0 But, that\u2019s good\u2014you need to rest up.\u00a0 You got pretty banged up in that fight\u2014not to mention your fall down that hill!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is everybody?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked again, he didn\u2019t remember hearing Doc Martin leave the room earlier. And, he wondered what happened to his brothers too.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone\u2019s downstairs\u2014we\u2019re about ready to eat dinner.\u00a0 How about I fix you something and bring it up?\u00a0 You hungry?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe stared up at his father and could see his brave attempt to hide something from him.\u00a0 Noticing the redness which encircled Pa\u2019s eyes, Joe knew that the man had been crying.\u00a0 \u201cPa?\u00a0 Is everything okay\u2014I mean with Ma\u2014something didn\u2019t happen while I was under did it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2014nothing\u2014now you just settle down\u2014everything\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t look very fine to me,\u201d Joe countered and tried to get his father to look him directly in the eyes to determine if he was telling him the truth.<\/p>\n

Ben sighed and squeezed his son\u2019s hand, \u201cOkay\u2014you got me there\u2014I guess I don\u2019t look all that good right now.\u00a0 But\u2014saying goodbye\u2014again\u2014well\u2014it hasn\u2019t been easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d Joe whispered and leaned forward to hug his father.<\/p>\n

Ben was confused by his son\u2019s actions, but held onto the boy to offer him comfort. \u201cThanks? For what, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor not making me feel like a kid\u2014for telling me what you were really feeling and not candy coating it for a change.\u00a0 Pa\u2014I know this whole thing has been harder on you than any of us\u2014and you\u2019ve kept it together.\u00a0 But, now\u2014well\u2014you need to let it out,\u201d Joe tried to console his father as best he could.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know\u2014you\u2019re getting very wise here lately\u2014and that shows me that you aren\u2019t really a kid anymore, Joe,\u201d Ben smiled and eased the boy back against the pillows.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2014after seventeen years of lectures from my father\u2014guess it was eventually gonna wear off on me, huh?\u201d\u00a0 Joe laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cNice to know I had something to do with it,\u201d Ben teased and stood from the bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo you had everything to do with it, Pa,\u201d Joe replied, and in his eyes he showed the respect, admiration, and love he felt for his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cUp in that camp\u2014when I had Bristol\u2014well\u2014I was wrong, Joseph\u2014and I\u2019m glad you were there to set me straight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe laughed and winked up at his father, hoping to get him off the hook temporarily.\u00a0 He knew that Pa felt bad for what he had almost done to Bristol and Joe didn\u2019t want to make him feel any worse.\u00a0 \u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow many times do I have to tell you to watch that temper of yours?\u201d\u00a0 Joe sounded out, and tried for a stern expression to match the ones he usually got from his father.<\/p>\n

Ben nodded, \u201cLike father like son I guess.\u00a0 Now\u2014if you are done with this little lecture\u2014how about some grub?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe settled back against his pillows and smiled.\u00a0 He could tell that the little banter between the two of them had eased some of the grief that was earlier painted on Pa\u2019s face.\u00a0 Joe took that as a small victory.\u00a0 \u201cSure\u2014you go and eat\u2014then bring me up some\u2014I\u2019m gonna take another nap.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSee you in awhile\u2014and Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d Ben called across the room and winked at his boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnytime,\u201d Joe nodded and closed his eyes.<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s appetite came back with the news that Patrick had offered.\u00a0 Marie\u2019s remains were indeed in her casket and intact.\u00a0 The coroner confirmed that Joe\u2019s blanket was still with the body and that he had secured the ring to her finger where it would remain for all eternity.\u00a0 Patrick ate dinner with the family and then headed back into Virginia City.\u00a0 Not long after they had all finished dinner and Hop Sing had taken a plate of food up to Little Joe, Dex Farwell appeared at the ranch house to update the Cartwrights on what he had learned from the prisoners.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo the plan was to see us suffer, huh?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss asked Dex, and his voice was full of anger.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u2014afraid so.\u00a0 When Bristol was finally convinced that you all had been through enough grief he sent out that ransom note.\u00a0 There was going to be a six way split of the fifty thousand dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow there\u2019s three men in town who won\u2019t get anything but hard time,\u201d Adam announced.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u2014at least the money was recovered.\u00a0 Just like that thousand dollars that those other two fools took from Joe,\u201d Dex nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cMoney be damned!\u201d\u00a0 Ben fumed.\u00a0 \u201cI would give all of it to get Bristol in my sights again!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRoy has a posse out after him and that Cole feller.\u00a0 I expect they high-tailed it out of here but maybe we will get lucky again and capture them,\u201d Dex explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, when they catch up with him I\u2019ve got a few things to say to Bristol\u2014with my fists!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss exclaimed hotly.<\/p>\n

\u201cSettle down\u2014let\u2019s get to the matter at hand, shall we?\u201d\u00a0 Dex tried to calm the thick cloud of revenge he felt hanging over the living room.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss said that you had some ideas as to Marie\u2019s grave?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked and passed the detective some coffee.<\/p>\n

Dex accepted the offered drink and nodded towards his host.\u00a0 \u201cYeah\u2014but before I tell you what I think you should do\u2014we have to make certain that no-one ever hears of this other than all of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt won\u2019t go any further than this living room\u2014now what\u2019s your idea?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked, his curiosity now at its peak.<\/p>\n

Dex smiled and huddled with the Cartwright family as he revealed what he had come up with to prevent another attempt to steal Marie\u2019s remains.<\/p>\n

During the next two days the preparations for the re-interment of Marie Cartwright were shrouded in secrecy.\u00a0 Hoss, Adam, and Dex worked in the darkness, with only the light of a lantern to illuminate the grave.\u00a0 The plan had been carefully reviewed and no-one other than the Cartwrights and Dex Farwell knew what was going on up at the overlook by Lake Tahoe. On the third day after they had recovered Marie\u2019s casket, Ben mounted his horse and followed the carriage up to his wife\u2019s grave site.\u00a0 Adam, Joe, and Hop Sing rode along in the surrey while Hoss followed behind in the buckboard carrying the coffin.<\/p>\n

Ben had asked Dex and Roy to meet them all up at the grave at noon, wanting to thank the men who had made the recovery of Marie possible.\u00a0 Solemnly Dex, Roy, Hoss, and Adam carried the casket up to the grave and lowered it on ropes into the earth below.\u00a0 Joe was helped up the hill by Hop Sing and Ben.\u00a0 It was slow going as he had to maneuver the crutches past the many obstacles in his way.\u00a0 When at last they all surrounded the beloved woman\u2019s grave, Ben pulled out a small bible and read a short passage.<\/p>\n

\u201cand if I go and prepare a place for you I will surely come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am there ye may be also\u2014amen,\u201d Ben finished with the reading and turned towards his sons.\u00a0 They each said a silent prayer and tossed in a rose that Hop Sing had provided for them.<\/p>\n

Rest easy, Ma\u2014this gladiator of yours won\u2019t never let anything happen to you again. \u00a0<\/em>Hoss told the woman and walked off.<\/p>\n

Marie\u2014I hope I\u2019ve made you proud\u2014as proud as I am of you\u2014thanks for loving me.<\/em> \u00a0Adam told the woman and headed down to the surrey.<\/p>\n

Dex and Roy turned and looked at Ben and Joe and walked away to give them privacy.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing stood next to Little Joe, of whom he had protected since birth and would never cease to do so.\u00a0 In his mind and heart he could still see the little boy with the blanket crying at his father\u2019s legs.<\/p>\n

Joe looked down into the open grave at his mother\u2019s casket and tears streamed down his cheeks.\u00a0 His memories of her first funeral were just brief flashes of time.\u00a0 Now he began to understand how his brothers had felt on that rainy day so many years ago.\u00a0 With age came the understanding that death was forever.\u00a0 As an infant he didn\u2019t really know that his mother wasn\u2019t coming back.\u00a0 Now he did.<\/p>\n

Goodbye, Mama\u2014until I see you in heaven.\u00a0<\/em>Joe whispered.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing\u2019s arm reached towards Joe\u2019s shoulder and he said quietly, \u201cYou give father kiss\u2014then we go home and make dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked over at his father and could see the intense sadness taking over the man\u2019s face.\u00a0\u00a0 Carefully planting his crutches, Joe leaned over to his pa and kissed him on the cheek and turned away.\u00a0 Assisted by Hop Sing, Joe slowly walked down to the others.\u00a0 By the time they made it over to the surrey and Hoss helped his little brother into the seat, the skies opened up and rain began to fall.<\/p>\n

\u201cMama\u2019s tears,\u201d Joe whispered to Hop Sing.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing\u2019s smile arose on his face like an Oriental sunrise.\u00a0 He had thought that Joe had forgotten, but that memory was still very apparent as he squeezed the boy\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Little Joe\u2014Mama\u2019s tears,\u201d Hop Sing nodded and waited for Adam to take the reins.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll stay here\u2014you boys go on home.\u00a0 We\u2019re gonna fill in the grave once your father is done with his goodbyes,\u201d Roy said and walked away with Dex.\u00a0 They stayed just far enough away from the grave so that Ben would have total privacy.<\/p>\n

Adam sent the carriage onward as Hoss grabbed the reins of the buckboard, following the others back home.<\/p>\n

Ben held the long-stemmed red rose in his hand so tightly that the thorns cut into his palm.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to place the flower inside the grave, as it would mean the end.\u00a0 Grief he had known so many times in his life that it was like and old unwanted ailment that refused treatment.\u00a0 He had no idea how he could walk away from his wife this time.\u00a0 Ben hoped that someday he would be resting side by side Marie in his own grave.\u00a0 There had been times he had almost prayed for it to happen quickly.\u00a0 But, always, there were his boys to consider.\u00a0 How could he leave them?\u00a0 Ben knew he was the glue that held the family together, just as Marie was before her death.\u00a0 He would have to go on, no matter how he felt inside.<\/p>\n

Ben knelt next to the grave and reluctantly tossed the flower down onto the top of the casket. \u00a0Until I am with you again, Darling,\u00a0<\/em>he whispered and brushed back tears.\u00a0 As he stood and felt the coolness of the raindrops on his face the wind picked up in the pines that surrounded the site.\u00a0 A strange rhapsody filled the air and Ben closed his eyes and felt the touch of a soft hand upon his cheek. ****Ben, you are always with me.****came the sound of Marie\u2019s gentle voice whispering in his ear.\u00a0 When he opened his eyes again the wind had abated and the rain all but vanished completely.\u00a0 Through tears and sorrow, Ben forced a smile towards the heavens and walked away from the grave.<\/p>\n

Epilogue<\/strong><\/p>\n

There was one strange secret that all four Cartwrights, Hop Sing, and Dex Farwell took to their own graves.\u00a0 It was never again spoken of, nor passed down for other generations of Cartwrights.\u00a0 Even their dear friend Roy Coffee had been unaware of the plan that the Pinkerton detective had come up with to make sure there would never again be a threat of losing Marie Cartwright\u2019s earthly remains.\u00a0 Though Roy had stayed behind with Dex that day that they re-buried the casket and filled in the six foot hole in the ground, he had no idea what had been behind all the secrecy.\u00a0 The Cartwrights didn\u2019t think anyone else needed to know that Marie\u2019s casket was actually buried twelve feet under her tombstone.\u00a0 And, above it, some six feet worth of dirt along with another casket that was an exact replica of her\u2019s.\u00a0 It might have been an unnecessary ruse, but it did make all of the family rest a bit easier to know if anyone in the future had a plan like Bristol\u2019s they would be sorely disappointed.<\/p>\n

Life slowly began to get back to normal for the family, though there were many more visits up to Marie\u2019s grave from everyone shortly after she was buried for the second time.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t just the fact that the family had become even more protective of the grave-site, it was also a reminder of how much they had lost that made them visit a bit more often than before.\u00a0 The experience seemed to help the Cartwright brothers address their feelings towards the woman they all knew as their mother.\u00a0 Oddly, it had worked as a catharsis that drew the three young men closer to each other.\u00a0 The ordeal had brought so many hidden memories back into the forefront of their minds that it was almost like they had a chance to visit with their mother again and remember all the gifts she had given them.\u00a0 Especially the gift of unconditional love.<\/p>\n

Ben also had to address many things he had locked away in his mind and heart over the years since Marie\u2019s death.\u00a0 Saying goodbye to her for the second time, there surrounded by sons who were almost all grown, helped him.\u00a0 He could draw strength from his boys now, the way they had always drawn it from him.\u00a0 With their help, and with the ever- present memory of Marie\u2019s voice whispering that she was still with him, Ben felt he could bury some of the bitter past and move on with his life.<\/p>\n

There was only one thing that had not been settled concerning the whole awful ordeal that the Cartwrights had endured.\u00a0 Where was Bristol Ford\u2014and what was he planning next?<\/p>\n

The End<\/strong><\/p>\n

Next Story in the Love’s Last Whisper Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Checkmate: The Return of Bristol Ford<\/a><\/p>\n

12-29-02
\nThe character in this story, Dex Farwell, was introduced in the story Harm’s Way<\/strong> which is now posted on Bonanza Brand<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

Summary: Twelve years after the loss of Marie Cartwright, a man with a grudge against Ben commits the unthinkable; the desecration of Marie’s grave and the theft of her casket. Now, as a combined, yet grieving, force Ben and his boys begin their search for what was rightly theirs. Rating T, WC 40,000<\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":140,"featured_media":57059,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1015,23,1008,41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-joe-pa","category-drama","category-family","category-hurtcomfort","wpcat-1015-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-1008-id","wpcat-41-id"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2002\/12\/Screenshot_20250601_193527_YouTube-1.jpg?fit=819%2C627&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13771,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13771","url_meta":{"origin":4469,"position":0},"title":"Beginning Again (by JC)","author":"JC","date":"February 12, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: Ben Cartwright has twice known love and loss. 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Rated:\u00a0K+ (1,440 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Marie.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Marie.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Marie.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11992,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=11992","url_meta":{"origin":4469,"position":3},"title":"Love’s Last Whisper #2 – Checkmate: The Return of Bristol Ford (by Wrangler)","author":"Wrangler","date":"April 6, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: Three years after he had put the Cartwrights through the trauma of stealling Marie Cartwright\u2019s casket, Bristol Ford returns with a more sinister plot than before. What he accomplishes changes the relationship between Ben and Joe. Rating:\u00a0 T\u00a0 (66,200 words) Love's Last Whisper Series, links to stories within the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ben \/ Joe"","block_context":{"text":"Ben \/ Joe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1015"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pa Jow","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2003\/04\/Screenshot_20250601_194139_YouTube.jpg?fit=935%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2003\/04\/Screenshot_20250601_194139_YouTube.jpg?fit=935%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2003\/04\/Screenshot_20250601_194139_YouTube.jpg?fit=935%2C720&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2003\/04\/Screenshot_20250601_194139_YouTube.jpg?fit=935%2C720&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3510,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=3510","url_meta":{"origin":4469,"position":4},"title":"Slings and Arrows…and Snowballs (by freyakendra)","author":"freyakendra","date":"January 28, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 Sad news drives Ben to a quiet hilltop, where he finds a moment of grace in a silent snowfall. \u00a0 Rated: K \u00a0 WC \u00a01900 And This Gives Life to Thee Series And This Gives Life to Thee Slings and Arrows... and Snowballs","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/POEMS.jpg?fit=878%2C760&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/POEMS.jpg?fit=878%2C760&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/POEMS.jpg?fit=878%2C760&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/POEMS.jpg?fit=878%2C760&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":38788,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=38788","url_meta":{"origin":4469,"position":5},"title":"The River (by JC)","author":"JC","date":"March 24, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"A view from the riverbank, the one left behind. 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