{"id":46991,"date":"2004-12-22T14:04:55","date_gmt":"2004-12-22T19:04:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=46991"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:09:14","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:09:14","slug":"the-one-that-got-away-by-candyfan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=46991","title":{"rendered":"The One that Got Away (by Candyfan)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: When Candy brings in a murderer, the murderer escapes prison and comes looking for revenge on Candy.
\n<\/span>Rating and Reader Alerts: G
\nWords:\u00a0 7,980<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

The Brandsters have included this story by this author in our project: Preserving Their Legacy<\/a>. To preserve the legacy of the author, we have decided to give their work a home in the Bonanza Brand Fanfiction Library.\u00a0 The author will always be the owner of this work of fanfiction, and should they wish us to remove their story, we will.<\/p>\n

\n

The One That Got Away<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Chapter 1<\/span>
\n********<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This little excitement started when Candy, the young foreman of the Ponderosa, went rounding up strays on the northwestern edge of the north pasture of the Ponderosa. He was no more than a day\u2019s ride from the house, but he had been out rounding up strays for about three days now, and he was ready to get back to the house for a good meal from Hop Sing\u2019s kitchen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He was riding along in a rocky area when he stumbled across a body! He recognized the man as Charlie, the rancher who lived below the Ponderosa, across Lake Tahoe.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Charlie was an older man, not very tall, but very strong. He had been friends with the Cartwrights for many years now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Candy turned him over only to find two bullet holes in his vest. He looked up, quickly turning his head from side to side, searching for signs that would lead him to the killer. He knew that someone had killed Charlie not long before he himself had gotten there because the body was still warm. He got up and searched the area, but he didn’t find anything. He went to the top of a nearby hill. Below him a ways down the hill he saw a lame horse. A little further down the hill was the figure of a man! He was only a few yards away from the lame horse, but he was running down the hill at a great speed, and Candy realized that this must have been the man who had killed Charlie.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He drew his gun and shot at the moving figure. He had meant to shoot above the man\u2019s head, just to scare him a little, but as he pulled the trigger he tripped on a rock and came very close to sending the bullet through the man\u2019s skull. Candy saw that the man was on the ground so he went over and got him to his feet, not noticing the gun that was carefully hidden beneath the man\u2019s vest. One thing that Candy noticed right off was that this man was not much older than himself. He was not very big, about Little Joe\u2019s size, but he seemed to have a lot of fight in him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Candy wanted to make sure that this man did not escape from him, so instead of pointing his gun at him, for that would risk the man\u2019s escaping, he took the man\u2019s arm and pulled it tight behind his back so that he couldn\u2019t get away without knocking Candy to the ground.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He didn\u2019t recognize the man, but he knew that this was the man who had killed Charlie. He also knew that he had to take him to the sheriff in Virginia City.\u00a0 He understood that it wasn\u2019t going to be easy, but he also remembered that Ben was good friends with Charlie. He had to take this man in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He was right about it being hard to get this man to the sheriff. They were almost to Candy\u2019s horse when the man spun around, very quickly, releasing Candy\u2019s grip on him.<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Unfortunately for Candy, the man was a faster draw than he was. He had his gun drawn and pointed straight at Candy\u2019s chest before Candy even had his gun all of the way out of its holster.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The man didn\u2019t have any bullets left in his gun though, for he had used his last one on Charlie; but Candy didn\u2019t know that, and he didn\u2019t want to risk his life trying to find out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When the man turned to put his foot in the stirrup of Candy\u2019s horse, Candy flung himself towards the man, knocking him off of the horse and the gun out of his hand. They fought on the ground for quite some time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When Candy finally got the better of him, he tied his hands together with his lasso, grabbed onto one end of the rope, and rode towards Virginia City.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That night, since his prisoner was on foot, Candy stopped at a little open area. It had one tree in the middle of it so that Candy could tie his prisoner to it. When he had finished tying up the killer, he went to his horse, got out a bedroll, and went to sleep.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In the middle of the night, while Candy was sound asleep, his prisoner was trying to wiggle out of the lasso. Then, he hit a rock with his foot. It rolled towards Candy, and just barely tapped the end of his pistol. It made a \u2018chink\u2019 noise as it knocked the barrel of the gun. Candy, who was just waking up anyway, heard the noise and reached for his gun to point it at his prisoner. He realized what the man had been up to, so he tied him tighter, and stood beside his horse to keep an eye on the man. There was no more trouble the rest of the night.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 All the next day, Candy wondered about Charlie, and thought about the idea that somehow he was responsible for his death by not getting to him sooner. The day wore on. Candy decided to make as few stops as possible, so that they would make good time in getting to Virginia City. He didn\u2019t want to be around this man much longer. They would reach the Ponderosa by sundown, if they hurried.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When they got to the Ponderosa, only Joe was there to meet them. He explained that everyone else was out at the corral, showing some new horses to a Mister Bondsworthy from out of town and wouldn\u2019t be in for a while longer. Candy couldn\u2019t spare any time, so he very briefly explained the situation to Joe and asked him for an extra horse. Joe consented and saddled one up right away. After securing the man\u2019s hands together, and his hands to the saddle\u2019s horn, Candy grabbed the reins of the extra horse; he and his prisoner were then off to Virginia City.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When they got to the sheriff\u2019s office, he found out that the man was Lucas Tannor, and that he had no record, until now. Murder was a serious charge. Candy knew it, and so did Lucas.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Candy went back to the Ponderosa, unsaddled the horses, and explained everything to the Cartwights.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That night, the death of Charlie was weighing heavily on Candy\u2019s mind. He just kept thinking that if he had gotten there a minute sooner he could have prevented Charlie\u2019s death. He was glad though that the murderer was behind bars.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That night at the jail Lucas was making an escape plan. His plan was to jump the sheriff, Roy Coffee, when he came to give him his supper. That night, when the cell door would be open, he would grab the sheriff\u2019s gun, gag him, and put him in the cell.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 His plan worked! He grabbed Roy\u2019s hat and coat and headed out into the city.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He knew that he only had a few hours, so the first thing he did was to form a group of the toughest outlaws he could find. He had a couple of \u201cfriends\u201d that were on jobs in Carson City who he knew he could count on for reinforcements; two ex-army men and a hired gun who all had accomplices in their crimes that were willing to join with Lucas. By the time he was done with his search, he had about ten men under his command.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There was a bounty of\u00a0 $1000 on his head, and a rope for his neck if he was caught. He would take his revenge on the man responsible for his capture. Candy!<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 2<\/span>
\n********<\/span><\/p>\n

The next morning about nine o\u2019clock, Roy was discovered. The first thing that Roy did was to contact Ben Cartwright, and ask him and the boys, Joe, Hoss, and Candy, if they would join in the posse that he was going to form. They would find the men that they needed now, and start the searches early the next morning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It had been about four days since Charlie\u2019s death and Candy was feeling just as guilty as before. Seeing as how he was a friend of Charlie\u2019s son, Mike, who was about Candy\u2019s age, he decided to ride with the posse that the sheriff was forming.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Early the next morning, the posse went out to the place where Lucas had shot Charlie. Since the ground was rough and rocky, and full of cliffs, they decided to split up into groups so that they could cover more ground. From there, the group of about twelve split up into four groups. Ben, Roy, and Buck went north; Nick, Hoss, and Mike headed northeast; Landers, Joe, Clay, and Marcus took the west section; and Candy, Tom, and Sanders went northwest.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 One thing that they didn\u2019t realize was that Lucas had gotten a few more armed men since he\u2019d gotten out of jail. One of those men was sitting on a nearby hill, watching their every move, especially Candy\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Candy took Tom and Sanders into the northwest section. They went through some rough mountains, deserts, and rocky cliffs. They did this for about three hours with no sign of anyone or anything. For the last hour of riding Candy had not heard a sound. This made him nervous.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The group was now getting to easier land to travel, but after that last section the men and horses needed water and rest. They traveled on another mile or so, and if they had been looking for it, they would have seen tracks leading in the same direction. What\u2019s more, Lucas and his gang had made the tracks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 They went about two more miles and found that green grass was starting to grow. About fifty feet ahead of that was a high, rock formation; and behind the rocks was a water hole! To them, they had reached their destination. Tom and Sanders leapt down off of their horses and handed the reins to Candy. Candy got off of his horse and let the three horses eat the fresh, green grass. He knew that Tom and Sanders had had a harder time on the trail than he had, so he let them take all the time that they needed. Tom and Sanders were old friends of Charlie\u2019s. They were each about sixty or so years old and Tom hadn\u2019t been ranching for the last twenty. As a matter of fact, Sanders had been working in the Virginia City Bank for the last ten years or so. Candy, being a young, hard working ranch hand on the Ponderosa, was used to being in the saddle for long lengths of time, and roughing it through the elements. Even though he was thirsty, too, he decided to wait for Tom and Sanders to finish their drinks before he got his.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Just then, Candy heard two echoing gunshots. They had come from behind the rock formation. The horses were all skittish and jumpy, except for Candy\u2019s horse that was used to hearing gunfire. As soon as Candy dropped the horses\u2019 reins, Tom and Sanders\u2019 horses ran off as quickly as they could, but Candy\u2019s stayed right where it was. Candy sprinted to the water hole to see what had happened. But just as he rounded the corner of some rocks that were blocking his view of the men, he stopped dead in his tracks as a gun barrel met his face. It was Lucas. \u201cGoing some place, Candy?\u201d Lucas stated smugly. \u201cThis time my gun\u2019s loaded,\u201d he finished. Candy could see the bodies of Tom and Sanders behind Lucas. They were dead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 As Candy looked around him, he saw six armed men. He tried to hide the horror and fear on his face, but he couldn\u2019t. He didn\u2019t know what Lucas would, and could do to him, and he didn\u2019t want to find out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 After having Candy take off his gun belt, Lucas ordered his men to tie Candy\u2019s hands to the horn of his saddle, so he couldn\u2019t escape.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Let\u2019s see how you like your own treatment,\u201d Lucas sneered. Then, after having a drink from the hole himself, Lucas mounted his own horse, grabbed the reins to Candy\u2019s horse, and rode out having his men follow him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 They rode northward, towards Reno and the Truckee River. They passed through more rough terrain and high cliffs until they reached the top of a high cliff with a rocky bottom. Then they stopped. They were on a trail that led from the cliffs around the water hole, to the set of cliffs that they were on right now, to somewhere beyond a set of rocks in front of them. To their left was the edge of a high cliff with a drop of about seventy-five feet, and immediately to their right was a set of high ridges too steep to climb.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lucas had his men dismount and take the bodies off of their horses. The men were just getting ready to throw the bodies over the cliff, when Candy yelled for them to stop. They looked at him with smug expressions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThrow them over and let\u2019s get moving!\u201d Lucas barked. The men stepped nearer to the cliff. Candy stopped them with another shout.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAt least give them a descent burial!\u201d he pleaded. He was trying to stall for time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo!\u201d shouted Lucas, \u201cThrow them over!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In another instant, Candy was helplessly watching the bodies of his companions being flung over the side of the cliff, plummeting to the rocks below. Candy wondered how long it would be until his own body joined them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On the other side of the range, the rest of the posse had finished their searches and had found no trace of Lucas. Everyone was back, except for Candy\u2019s group. The posse was about to give up waiting and go look for them when, out of the blue, Tom and Sanders\u2019 horses came trotting up, with no riders!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben was the first to notice the horses. \u201cSay, isn\u2019t that Tom\u2019s horse?\u201d he asked fearfully.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 By then, Joe had noticed them too and said,\u201d I think it is! And that\u2019s Sanders\u2019 horse behind it! But I don\u2019t see Candy\u2019s! He must be in some sort of trouble!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDadgumit,\u201d Hoss shouted,\u201d Let\u2019s quit talkin\u2019 and go out there and find him!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Everyone agreed and, very quickly, the posse turned into a search party. Since the horses had taken an easier way back to the posse, they were seen coming from the west, while Candy and the others were in a northern direction towards Reno.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Roy suggested that he take half of the group and follow the direction from which the horses had come, and that Ben take the other half and go in the direction that Candy, Tom, and Sanders had left; but Joe protested by saying that they could cover a lot more ground if they split up and went in smaller groups. Ben agreed. He didn\u2019t want to think about the danger that Candy might be facing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 With that, everyone agreed to go in groups. All that is, except Clay, who argued and argued, but finally gave in to Joe\u2019s stubbornness.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What nobody there knew was that Clay was really a part of Lucas Tannor\u2019s group of renegades. He was the hired gun; and he was only there to keep an eye on the posse, and try to prevent them from finding Lucas and the others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Lucas, Candy, and the gang were headed to their secret hideout where four more men were waiting. Candy was feeling extremely dehydrated, for he hadn\u2019t been able to get a drink at the water hole before Lucas had found him. As a matter of fact, the only thing keeping him from falling off of his horse was the fact that his hands were tied tight enough to the horn of his saddle that he wouldn\u2019t fall off.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When he had almost given up all hope, Lucas had his men stop, and dismount. They had reached a small cabin in the middle of a medium-sized box canyon.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The canyon was about 150 feet deep by about 100 feet wide. It wasn\u2019t like other box canyons; instead of riding straight into it, and having high cliffs surrounding it, this one dipped down into the land like a giant hole in the ground. All around the inside of the canyon were mining shafts, large openings in the side of the canyon for the miners to climb into. Lucas had found it on his way to Virginia City. He had stopped off, killed the miner, got his supplies, and left.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The cabin had a door in the back of it, along with a window in the back next to the door, and a window facing them. Other than that, there were no other exits for an escape. The box canyon was deep and had only one entrance, but it came in from the north. Unless you knew where it was, or were an extremely good tracker, you could only find it by chance. It was in the middle of nowhere, it was in a rocky area where no tracks could be left, and was not in a spot where someone could find it easily.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The men got down off of their horses, untied Candy\u2019s wrists from his saddle, and yanked him off of his horse and inside the cabin. If they had tried to do this to him even just this morning Candy wouldn\u2019t have put up with it; he would have fought them. But now, after the long ride through rough territory, he was intent on saving his strength for a real emergency when he might need it more. He was so exhausted from the trail that when the men shoved him through the door, he tripped on the threshold, and fell to the floor. Since his hands were still tied, he had no way to steady himself, and the impact from his head hitting the ground caused him to blank out.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He woke up a couple of minutes later to a splash of water in the face. It felt so good to have water touch his lips again. The only thing he noticed was Lucas standing over him with a knife in his hand. As he became more and more aware of his surroundings, he noticed that the men from the water hole were standing around him in the cabin, and he overheard two of them saying that there were four more outside keeping lookout. He was trapped with no way of escape. Even if he could get out of the cabin and onto a horse, he was too weak to get very far before Lucas caught up with him. The only thing to do now was to stall for time until either he came up with a plan, or the posse showed up.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhy?\u201d Candy asked as he tried to sit up on the floor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhy what?\u201d replied Lucas with a curious and concerned expression.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhy did you have to kill Charlie? Why not one of the other ranchers?\u201d Candy exclaimed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lucas warned him that an inquisitive tongue could get him killed. Candy replied by reasoning that their plan was to kill him anyway, so he had nothing to lose.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He asked his question again. \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lucas nodded his head in agreement and began. \u201cI was rustling his cattle and he saw me. I had no choice but to shoot him. He drew first!\u201d he stated quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t believe you,\u201d Candy smiled slyly. \u201cCharlie was shot twice, in the back. That right there destroys your story about him drawing first. If he had drawn first, that would mean that he was facing you when he pulled his gun on you. Unless old Charlie can shoot backwards, you would have shot him from the front! Now, how about we try this again. This time the real story,\u201d Candy said victoriously.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t I just kill you now and save myself the trouble later?\u201d Lucas returned.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou can, but I don\u2019t think you will,\u201d Candy said shakily, afterwards regretting what he had said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lucas laughed at Candy\u2019s curiosity, and stupidity to say something like that to him. But he decided to tell him anyway, if only to make him nervous.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201c You know, you got a lot a nerve saying a thing like that around here. I like that, so I\u2019m going to honest with you.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Three years back, I was in Carson City. I had tracked a guy there that had stolen a good deal of money from me. I was going to kill him when I got the chance. Unfortunately right before the killing actually took place, Charlie had come into the alley from behind and saw the whole thing. I offered him money to keep him quiet, and threatened that if he ever tried to tell anyone about it I\u2019d kill him too. I never saw him again, until I passed through his ranch. I didn\u2019t know it was his ranch. I didn\u2019t even know that he had a ranch!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Anyway, I was rustling his cows. He saw me from a distance, but I could tell that he knew who I was, so I followed him. He headed off to the Ponderosa. I couldn\u2019t get in front of him so I shot him twice from the back to make sure he would die. I would have gotten away with it too if you hadn\u2019t shown up. I tried to escape, but my horse went lame as he was running down the hill. You know what happened from there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Candy stared at him. Lucas had succeeded in making him edgy and nervous. He wondered if he was going to get out of the cabin alive.\u00a0<\/span>
\nChapter 3<\/span>
\n********<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Meanwhile, Ben was getting the posse split up into groups. Joe wanted to go by himself, to prove to his Pa and brother that he could do it, and that he wasn\u2019t a child anymore; but Ben simply wouldn\u2019t have it. He said it was dangerous for even himself to go out on his own in a rocky and treacherous area like this. In the end, Ben and Roy decided that Joe would go with Clay in a north to northwestern direction, and follow the same trail that Candy did; they themselves would go northwest; Hoss and Mike would go in a west to northwestern direction; and the rest of the posse would fan out in that general direction.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The search went on for about an hour and a half and everyone was getting tiered. The rest of the posse had given up, so they all met back up and decided to wait for Roy back in Virginia City.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u00a0With all of the cliffs and large rock formations in the area, Ben and Roy got to turning themselves around so that they were traveling along the bottom edge of the same cliffs that Lucas and his gang had traveled on top of just an hour and a half before. As they rode along the cliffs, they saw two large, dark figures on the ground. As they got closer they realized that they were Tom and Sanders\u2019 bodies! They now knew that they were going the right way; they only hoped that they weren\u2019t too late already!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 They rushed back to the tops of the cliffs where they saw a fork in the trail and took the other way. They now knew that Candy was alive, but they had to hurry to stop Joe and Clay from falling into the same trap.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss and Mike had been searching for a while, but Hoss at least was not going to give up the search for Candy. \u201cHoss, how long do you think this search could go on for?\u201d Mike asked. Hoss looked back at Mike.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know Mike. We may find Candy today, or we\u2026. We may not find him at all, but dadgummit, I\u2019m not going to give up till we find him,\u201d Hoss stated.\u201d You look tired, and you probably have a lot to think about. Why don\u2019t you go on back to the ranch, Mike\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mike nodded his head sleepily,\u201d Maybe you\u2019re right Hoss, thanks,\u201d he said as he turned his horse and rode away back down the trail. Hoss watched him leave, then turned back to the trail. He was determined to find Candy.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe and Clay had just come to the watering hole and saw some things lying on the ground. As they got closer, they discovered that it was Candy\u2019s hat and gun! They got back on their horses and walked to the other side of the rocks where they saw a collection of hoof prints.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 After taking a close look at them, Joe estimated about six horses, maybe more, had been there in the last two or three hours. They took their horses to a canter and followed the prints. They had done this for about forty-five minutes when they came to a spot with lots of confused prints. Some were facing one direction, while still others were facing another direction; but all of them left in the same direction. Joe and Clay dismounted to have a closer look. Joe was the first to notice two streaks of blood leading to the edge of the cliff. He walked towards the edge and peered over. He saw two large objects at the bottom. Then, out of his fear of heights and the horror of the bodies, he almost fell over the cliff! He would have if Clay hadn\u2019t noticed him beginning to fall and come over and grabbed his arms, pulling him to safety, far from the edge of the cliff.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Once they were a safe distance away, Clay asked, \u201cJoe, you all right? I thought you were a goner.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI would have if you hadn\u2019t pulled me back. Thanks,\u201d Joe replied as he gasped to catch his breath.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAre you hurt at all?\u201d Clay inquired, but not sincerely. He was putting on an act so that Joe would trust him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe caught his breath, and then answered,\u201d I don\u2019t think so, but I lost my hat!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat did you see down there that made you freeze like that?\u201d Clay asked.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe told Clay all about the bodies. Clay sat a moment, appearing to be in deep thought. The more Joe started to think about it, the more he realized how much danger Candy was in!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He and Clay got back on their horses and followed the prints.<\/span>
\n******<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 About thirty minutes later, Ben and Roy galloped up to the cliff, saw the extra tracks and the blood, got off of their horses, and looked over the cliff. They saw the bodies right off hand, but they also noticed something else. They couldn\u2019t make out what it was right off, but after taking a good, hard look at it they knew for sure that it was Joe\u2019s hat! They knew that Joe and Clay had been there recently, for when they had been at the bottom part of the cliff looking at the bodies, Joe\u2019s hat had not been there.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 They followed the fresh tracks, hoping that they would lead them to Clay, Joe, and Candy, all still alive.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Candy was still in the cabin with Lucas and his band of renegades. He didn\u2019t know how he was going to defend himself with any strength without a drink of water. He now knew why Lucas had killed Charlie. He assumed that Lucas wasn\u2019t intending on keeping him alive; not after he had confessed to two murders. He hoped he was wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss was riding at a little faster pace now, but he was still thinking about old Charlie and his son Mike, and the changes that Mike was going to have to go through with his Pa gone.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He rode a little further and found that he had strayed from the trail and had found a water hole. He filled up his canteen, and looked behind the rocks. He saw the prints and followed them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 4<\/span>
\n********<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When Joe and Clay had been riding for about an hour, Joe noticed something. Clay was nervous and tense all of a sudden. He didn\u2019t know what to make of it. But his thought turned to something else when he noticed another cliff. It wasn\u2019t just a cliff though, it seemed to be the surrounding wall of a canyon! He dismounted and got down low on the ground to have a look over the edge. Clay wanted to leave, but Joe stayed right where he was. He peered over the edge of the cliff.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He saw a cabin in the middle of the canyon. The cabin was small, and had wooden planks for a roof. Standing outside the cabin were four men, all carrying pistols at their sides and rifles under their arms. All around the outside walls of the canyon were holes, like mining shafts for a prospector\u2019s use. In one of the shafts Joe saw a man. The man was poorly dressed, and was leaning against the side of the rock face as if sleeping. Then Joe realized that this miner was dead!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The canyon in itself was not very big. It was tall, and unnoticeable from the outside though. On the other side of the canyon, directly across from him, Joe saw an entrance to the canyon. It led down into the canyon from the other side. Next to the entrance, on the outside, Joe saw twelve horses, one of which he recognized as Candy\u2019s! He knew what he had to do. But when he turned to ask Clay for any ideas on how to go about it, he noticed that Clay had already left. He was nowhere to be seen. Joe looked around him in all directions, but in the rocky ground, not even a print had been left as a hint of his departure. Jo decided to go on without him. \u201cMaybe he left to go back to the others,\u201d he thought, and brushed it off to think about a plan of action.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When he got to the other side of the canyon he saw what he had been searching for. He got behind a nearby rock so that he could see the cabin without being seen. There were two windows and a door on the cabin. One window, next to the door, was facing him, and the other window was on the left side of the house. As he looked more intently on the windows, trying to see inside, he made out the figures of a tall man leaning over another man in a red shirt and a dark vest. \u201cThat must be Candy and Lucas!\u201d Joe thought to himself. He had to get Candy out of the cabin, but his immediate concern was the four guards outside the cabin\u2019s doors and windows.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 After a little while of thought, he got an idea. The horses! He would set the horses free and let the guards try to chase them down. He crept over to the pen that held the horses and let the latch loose. All of the horses rushed out of the pen and ran into the distance, except for Candy\u2019s, which Joe grabbed the bridal of when he had opened the pen. The four guards left their posts and ran after the horses, passing right by Joe without a glance in their haste to catch the horses.<\/span><\/p>\n

Clay on the other hand, had not left to go back to the others, but instead snuck around to the back side of the cabin when Joe had his back turned. He had climbed in through the back window of the cabin and was telling Lucas all about Joe\u2019s presence there when the horses ran off.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Candy would have yelled for Joe to stay clear, but Lucas saw the anxiety in Candy\u2019s eyes and had one of his men keep him quiet with a pistol. All Candy could do was wait.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Just at that moment, Joe knocked in the door, gun drawn and cocked, ready for the trigger to be pulled. Lucas also had his gun drawn, but his was pointed at Joe\u2019s head. \u201cPull that trigger Cartwright and Candy here gets it,\u201d Lucas warned as he pointed to Candy and the man holding the pistol that was pointed at Candy\u2019s head. Joe couldn\u2019t sacrifice the very man he had come to rescue so, slowly, he tossed his gun to the floor and waited for an order, or a gunshot.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 With four men gone, Lucas sent three more outside to keep a lookout. That left only two other men inside other than Lucas and Clay to guard Candy and Joe.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Then Joe saw that Clay was there. \u201cClay?\u201d He asked in astonishment. \u201cYou were on his side the whole time?\u201d Clay didn\u2019t say anything. \u201cYou joined the posse to get me here,\u201d Joe exclaimed!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOn the contrary,\u201d Lucas interrupted. \u201cClay wasn\u2019t there to lead you here. He was to keep the posse away from this cabin.\u201d There was a pause. \u201cHe obviously didn\u2019t do his job,\u201d he added, almost under his breath.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve disrupted my plans, Cartwright,\u201d Lucas said with a wild grin. \u201cMe and the boys were planning on having a little fun with Candy here, but now that you\u2019ve arrived, I don\u2019t think we\u2019ll be able to without you steppin in. Let\u2019s see, shall we boys?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 With that said, Lucas grabbed Candy by the shirt and yanked him to his feet. As soon as Candy got his balance, Lucas landed a firm punch in Candy\u2019s stomach. That sent him flying into one of the other men who also punched him. Joe tried to help his friend, but as soon as he did, a strong man grabbed his arms and held him out of the way. Candy tried to fight the men, but with every hit he felt a new pain and bent over in agony. After being punched by all three of the men at least once, he finally got hit so hard that he was sent flailing back into the wall behind him with such force that he temporarily passed out. Joe had had enough. He was determined now to overpower Lucas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Candy got up, with the help of a nearby chair, and gave Joe a painful gaze. The man, exceedingly overconfident, loosened his grip on Joe\u2019s arms. Joe looked back at Candy, fire in his eyes. Then, quick as lightning, he turned and shot a wailing fist into Lucas\u2019s face. It made a solid connection with his left cheekbone. Lucas stumbled back from the strength of Joe\u2019s punch.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When he regained his composure, he ordered a couple of his men to bind Joe\u2019s hands. Joe put up a fight, but after a minute of struggle the men got his hands tied behind his back. Lucas came over, after seeing to his jaw, looked at Joe with resentment and kneed him in the stomach with as much force as he could gather. Joe buckled over in pain. Candy watched in horror as Lucas repeatedly struck Joe in the stomach, Joe buckling over with every blow.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When Lucas delivered the final blow to Joe\u2019s shoulder Joe fell to the ground. Lucas grabbed him up in a strong grip and forced him into a corner and told his men to keep him there.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lucas went over to Candy and grabbed him by his arm, yanking him to his feet, ready to strike him again.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThis is hardly a fair fight,\u201d Joe managed to get out of his tired lungs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d Lucas questioned in an aggravated tone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJoe, don\u2019t. Not for me,\u201d Candy groaned.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lucas gave him a sharp look.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou heard me,\u201d Joe said,\u201d Candy probably hasn\u2019t had a drop of water since morning; and with the rough terrain and hot weather, he\u2019s lucky to be alive right now!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThanks for the vote of confidence,\u201d Candy whispered to Joe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe looked back at Lucas.\u201d You couldn\u2019t fight fair if you wanted to. Maybe you just aren\u2019t strong enough to fight a strong cowhand like Candy when his hands are untied. Maybe your just too scared to fight anyone that\u2019s not tied up,\u201d Joe teased.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cEnough!\u201d Lucas shouted. \u201c half a canteen of water and twenty minutes of rest. Then we can fight fair!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re all heart, Lucas,\u201d Candy moaned sarcastically.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lucas ordered Clay to keep an eye on Candy. Joe wanted to help Candy, but Lucas wouldn\u2019t let his hands be untied. Joe just sat in his corner and stared at Candy, hoping that Lucas would reconsider his \u201cfair fight\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Candy knew that he could defend himself for a while without any help, but he wondered how long his strength would hold out against a man like Lucas. Even if he did beat Lucas, all that would happen is that Lucas\u2019s men would jump him and Joe for defeating their leader. \u201cI can\u2019t possibly get the rest I need in twenty minutes!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Before anyone was ready, the twenty minutes was up. It could not have come too late for Joe or Candy. Lucas motioned for Candy. He had a ruthless, unceasing gaze. Before Candy had even reached Lucas, Joe piped up with a solution.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you fight me instead?\u201d Joe suggested.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat? Somebody shut him up while I finish this!\u201d Lucas ordered. He raised his hand for a punch. Joe saw the punch coming and warned Candy who ducked just in time to watch Lucas\u2019s fist fly over his own head and into the nose of the man behind him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLooks like you could use to practice your aiming, Lucas!\u201d Joe sneered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWatch your mouth, boy,\u201d Lucas returned as he rubbed his knuckles.\u00a0<\/span>
\nCandy looked triumphantly at Lucas, but his expression turned to fear as he saw Lucas lunge at him with his hands in fists. He ducked the first punch, but the second caught him unexpectedly in the ribs. Candy buckled and fell to the floor in a savage pain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe had seen enough. He decided to make a deal with Lucas. \u201cFight me,\u201d he stated. \u201cIf I win you let me and Candy go free.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lucas stopped and stared curiously at Joe. \u201cAnd what happens if I win?\u201d he asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe looked over at Candy. \u201cIf you win,\u201d he stuttered,\u201d If you win, I won\u2019t interfere with your plans,\u201d he finished.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Candy looked at Joe in distress. \u201cYou WHAT?\u201d Candy exclaimed as he snapped to a sitting position on the floor. Joe stared reassuringly at Candy. Candy knew Joe had a plan.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 5<\/span>
\n********<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Ben and Roy were about two miles west of the cabin when they saw twelve horses trot past. Chasing them were four men that turned around as soon as they saw the sheriff. They started to run back where they had come from, but Roy shot his gun into the air. All of them stopped and dropped their weapons in mere confusion, except one, who, in a desperate escape, jumped over the side of the nearby cliff! Eventually the other three were tracked down and captured by Ben and the sheriff.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When Ben and Roy gave up looking for the man who had jumped off the cliff, they decided to question the three that they already had. By the time they got anything out of the men, they thought they had figured out where the cabin was, but in reality, the men they had captured were leading them around in circles. By the time they figured out where the cabin really was, they feared it was too late for Clay, Joe, and Candy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Back in the cabin, Lucas had been thinking about Joe\u2019s comments and his proposition. He couldn\u2019t let a fool kid make him look bad in front of his men. He had his men untie Joe and keep an eye on Candy. When Joe\u2019s hands were free Lucas turned to Joe and ran at him with wild fists. Joe ducked and pushed Lucas into a flip over his back. As soon as Joe got up, he was met by one of Lucas\u2019s fists in his jaw. He fell back into the wall.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lucas took a firm grasp on Joe\u2019s shoulder\u2019s pressure point and pushed him slowly towards the nearby window, ready to smash it with the back of Joe\u2019s head. Joe decided to use this to his advantage. When Lucas had moved Joe close enough to the windowpane, Joe spun out of the painful grip and let Lucas slide into the window. Lucas held his hand out just in time to save his face, but his hand ended up hitting the already cracked window with enough force that it came out badly wounded and bloody.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As soon as Lucas got up from the window, Joe set out with a screaming punch to Lucas\u2019s face. Lucas fell to the floor. As soon as he saw that Lucas had been taken care of, he ran to Candy, who was just getting up, and helped him knock out the other man. One thing that puzzled him was that Clay was nowhere to be seen! He must have slipped out one of the windows during the confusion to warn the others of their leader\u2019s defeat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When Joe saw that Candy was all right, they started fist-fighting the rest of the group. Candy, feeling a rush of energy out of the moment, managed to knock out one, while Joe took care of the other one. But they still had one more problem; four of them to be exact, who ran in as soon as they had heard noises. One of them rushed through the front door, grabbed Joe, and held his six-shooter to Joe\u2019s head before Candy had time to grab a gun. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t do anything foolish, Candy, if you want to see this friend of yours alive again,\u201d he laughed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe had a look in his eyes that Candy had not seen before. It was a look of terror, anxiety, and desperation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Just then, out of nowhere, a shot was heard and the man that was holding Joe fell to the floor, dead. The gunshot had come from outside the cabin; it was Hoss! Never had Joe and Candy been so glad to see him. He was riding Chub down into the canyon, but he was not alone. He had a man tied to his saddle that both Joe and Candy recognized as one of the four guards who had run off.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMiss me little brother?\u201d he exclaimed in an excited tone. Joe nodded his head in joy, and then turned around to find Candy already grabbing one of the men ready to punch.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cCare to join me brother?\u201d Joe asked Hoss teasingly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNow Joe, you already know my answer!\u201d he exclaimed as he ran inside to find his own fist-fighting partner. Joe followed quickly behind, and between the two of them and Candy, they had knocked out Lucas and all of his men. Or so they thought. As soon as Hoss stepped outside to get a rope from his horse, Clay stepped into the room. He lunged at Joe, but was stopped short by Candy\u2019s body knocking him out of the way. He and Candy started fist fighting on the floor. Joe got a hold of a gun, but didn\u2019t want to shoot for fear that he would hit Candy and not Clay! He tried threatening Clay with it, but Clay was too busy with Candy to notice him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Candy and Clay continued to tussle around on the floor until Clay got a hold of Lucas\u2019s knife that was lying on the floor next to him. Candy stopped abruptly when he saw the knife in Clay\u2019s hand. He waited, wondering if the next move he made would plunge the knife into his chest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 But he never got a chance to find out, for in the next second, Joe leaped at Clay and started tussling with him for the knife.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The fight ended when Clay stabbed the knife at Joe, just missing his head, and landing in his shoulder. Joe let out a cry of pain. Hoss came in at the sound of Joe\u2019s cry and found Candy, holding a gun that was pointed at Clay\u2019s head.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t move, Clay, or I\u2019ll kill you!\u201d Candy shouted quickly. Clay didn\u2019t move, but just stared up into Candy\u2019s eyes with fear.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNow, drop the knife over here, nice and easy,\u201d he said as he motioned to a spot on the floor. Clay silently obeyed, never taking his eyes off of Candy and the pistol.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou alright Joe?\u201d Candy asked in concern.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe nodded his head. \u201cI\u2019ll be fine. How about you? Had enough excitement for one day?\u201d he asked teasingly as he tried to stand. Candy smiled. Hoss went to help Joe get on his feet.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Between Hoss and Candy, they managed to get Joe\u2019s shoulder bandaged up, and all of the outlaws tied up. Then they heard horses outside. Hoss and Candy grabbed their guns, fearing that it was the other four that had returned. Then one of them yelled out; it was Ben! He and Roy had brought three of the escaped men with them. Hoss yelled back to him, telling him that he and Candy were fine, but that Joe had a stab wound. At that news, Ben left the men with Roy and rode down to the cabin to see about Joe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When he reached the cabin he went straight to Joe to see about his wound. Once he had done that, he turned to Hoss and asked,\u201d Hoss? Where did you find that man? He was one of the men that we found out in the cliffs, but he\u2026. Oh, never mind. Where did you find him?\u201d he asked as he pointed to the frightened man tied to Chub.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh, him? You know Pa, that\u2019s a funny story. I was riding along the bottom of some cliffs and I heard a shot! I stopped for a moment and tried to figure out where it had come from. Next thing I knew I was breaking that man\u2019s fall! When I got up, he threw a punch at me, so I fought back. When the fight was over I started asking some questions. You know, I think he was scared of me, because he answered all of my questions before I finished asking them. I asked him to take me to Lucas and he led me here,\u201d Hoss explained.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 After Ben had heard Hoss\u2019s explanation, he helped Joe onto Cochise, gave Candy his canteen full of water, and helped Roy tie up the rest of the men.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That night, they all arrived back at the Ponderosa. Joe got his shoulder taken care of, Candy\u2019s bruised ribs and other wounds were tended to, and Ben managed to somehow squeeze the whole story out of the two of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Clay was put in prison with the rest of the men, and Lucas was sentenced to hang. Clay would have hanged too if Joe hadn\u2019t told Roy about the incident on the cliff, and that Clay could have just let him fall and be rid of him, but he didn\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe and Candy recovered quickly and couldn\u2019t wait to get out of bed. Ben said to them,\u201d If I had my way, you two would be bedridden for the rest of your lives. That way I wouldn\u2019t have to worry about you two getting into so much trouble!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe retorted,\u201d Us? Trouble? What trouble? Did we get into any trouble Candy?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cCourse not! No trouble! What trouble?\u201d Candy replied with a quick smile to Joe.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Everyone laughed, and life went on as usual on the Ponderosa.<\/span><\/p>\n

THE END<\/span><\/center> <\/p>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

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

Summary: When Candy brings in a murderer, the murderer escapes prison and comes looking for revenge on Candy.\u00a0
\nRating and Reader Alerts: G
\nWords:\u00a0 7,980<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12436,"featured_media":41001,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2,1046,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actionadventure","category-candy-canaday","category-drama","wpcat-2-id","wpcat-1046-id","wpcat-23-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":277,"today_views":3},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":47013,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=47013","url_meta":{"origin":46991,"position":0},"title":"The Longest Trip Ever (by Candyfan)","author":"Preserving Their Legacy Author","date":"December 22, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Story Summary:\u00a0 A Candy, Joe and Hoss comedy. Rating\u00a0 \u00a0G Words:\u00a0 5,300","rel":"","context":"In "Candy Canaday"","block_context":{"text":"Candy Canaday","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1046"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":47008,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=47008","url_meta":{"origin":46991,"position":1},"title":"A Long Parting (by Candyfan)","author":"Preserving Their Legacy Author","date":"December 22, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Story Summary:\u00a0 When Ben goes to a Military fort to see an old friend, he meets a young boy named Candy who lives there now that his parents are dead. 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Rating: T (for mentions of suicide) \u00a0 \u00a0Word Count: 5455 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\/11\/BoNaNo-Pic.jpg?fit=223%2C226&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":40850,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=40850","url_meta":{"origin":46991,"position":3},"title":"The Stacked Deck: From the Diary of Griff King (by Carla Keehn)","author":"Preserving Their Legacy Author","date":"February 27, 2000","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 In the 14th and final season of \"Bonanza\", the character of Griff King was introduced. Griff was pretty much a man of mystery, angry and distant from the Cartwrights, the scriptwriters never did provide many details of what events shaped Griff to become the man that he did. 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