{"id":50255,"date":"2025-02-05T17:46:14","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T22:46:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=50255"},"modified":"2026-03-26T11:46:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T15:46:22","slug":"justice-served-by-bluewindfarm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=50255","title":{"rendered":"Justice Served (by BluewindFarm)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/b>:\u00a0 What was the real reason behind Adam leaving the Ponderosa?\u00a0 He claimed Justice.
\nRating:\u00a0 Teens, due to western-themed violence.\u00a0 (29,265 Words)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Justice Served<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

PROLOGUE\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

From the mud-splattered boardwalk I watched him ride into our sleepy town as the sun slipped behind the distant mountains.\u00a0\u00a0Stepping down, he tied his horse to the railing, and cast his gaze around before gradually making entry into our only hotel.<\/span><\/p>\n

A few hours later, I saw him in the far corner of the saloon.\u00a0\u00a0Dressed all in black, back to the wall, left leg bent at the knee, foot resting on the edge of an empty chair at the table.\u00a0 His left forearm rested on the table as his hand relaxed around a half empty glass of warm beer that sat before him.\u00a0\u00a0His eyes drew me to ponder who, and why?\u00a0 With his right hand close to his holster, as I earlier noticed, he didn\u2019t wear it like a gunfighter; many of whom stopped over as they passed through, while some remained — six feet under.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conversations halted when Sebastian, an elderly gentleman of Spanish descent, gently strummed the strings of his well-worn guitar.\u00a0\u00a0Softly, the melody floated across the room, quieting the clicks of poker chips being tossed onto a couple of table tops.\u00a0\u00a0The music paused before starting a second, livelier tune, encouraging his granddaughter, Isabella, to dance across the floor in rhythm to the music; her colorful skirt fanned out as she twirled.\u00a0\u00a0Her sultry looks and beguiling movements captivated the men within the room.\u00a0\u00a0Her loose-fitting, low-cut peasant blouse teased at men who had been too long without female company.\u00a0 A few of those chips made their way to her cleavage; but if any man acted otherwise on his longings, they were soon set to right by either Jonas or Matthew, who stood behind the bar.<\/span><\/p>\n

Remarkably, this stranger\u2019s eyes focused on the hands of the musician, and not the dancer.\u00a0\u00a0What could be taken as a smile appeared as he watched the intricate movements; Sebastian\u2019s left hand deftly glided along the neck of the guitar while the fingers of his right hand varyingly picked and strummed the strings.\u00a0\u00a0Leaning his chair onto its two back legs, our visitor closed his eyes, slightly tapping the beer mug in rhythm to the music.<\/span><\/p>\n

Slipping across the floor, edging around the various tables, I made my way across the room.\u00a0\u00a0Eyes opened at my approach.\u00a0\u00a0He remained silent to my greeting.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not put off, \u201cWe\u2019ve a nice, quiet little town here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He nodded, again his eyes drifted to Sebastian and his guitar.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou looking for someone?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It surprised me when his dark eyes turned to me; they spoke volumes, but I still didn\u2019t know what I wanted to know.\u00a0\u00a0Quite the enigma for someone in my profession who\u2019s used to reading people.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCare to tell me why you\u2019re here?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Eyes boring into me, the chair thudded to all four legs as he lifted the beer mug to take a sip.\u00a0\u00a0I only heard one word as he placed the empty glass on the table, \u201cJustice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Standing, he flipped two coins to the table, tipped his hat, and left as quietly as he\u2019d arrived.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hands on my hips, I stayed put but watched his progress out the door. Through the window I could see light from the glass-enclosed, brass wall lanterns reflected off the droplets that slipped from the brim of his hat as he crossed the street; the rains returned.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

I should have followed, that little voice that served me all these years tried to tell me, but I didn\u2019t listen.\u00a0\u00a0He wasn\u2019t a gunfighter.\u00a0\u00a0He didn\u2019t have the appearance of a troublemaker.\u00a0\u00a0They don\u2019t seek justice, they seek vengeance or a reputation; and I can tell the difference, even when they say otherwise.\u00a0\u00a0The stranger just didn\u2019t come across that way.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

But then again, maybe I did listen, and that was why I was in my office a lot later than usual a couple of nights later.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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

The jail door clanged shut after he shoved two harried men inside.\u00a0\u00a0Following me to the front office, I figured two could play that game.\u00a0\u00a0I waited for him to speak.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“They both have minor wounds.\u00a0 I treated them best I could, but you probably should get your doctor to take a look at them.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Standing in front of my desk he held out a sheet of paper, which I read, again.\u00a0 Taking repossession of the page and slipping it into an inside pocket of his coat, I saw what that little voice had been trying to tell me.\u00a0\u00a0Damn, I should have listened harder, low on his left side there was blood, a lot of it.\u00a0\u00a0I barely stood before he crumpled to the floor unconscious.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>*****<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Remaining nearby while the Franciscan doctor and another monk worked to remove the bullet, I didn\u2019t let my guard down.\u00a0\u00a0Behind the closed door, bloodied hands worked to stop the bleeding and save this man\u2019s life.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018<\/span>Who was he<\/span><\/i>?\u2019\u00a0\u00a0With his hat and gun belt in my hands, I grew restless.\u00a0\u00a0I didn\u2019t like not knowing.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

After a while I went out and left the hospital and walked back to the hotel in the rain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Other than the fact that he\u2019d trailed two men for justice, I didn\u2019t know anything about this stranger or why the three of them crossed paths in of all places — Why.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah, that\u2019s what we call this town\u2026 it\u2019s different.\u00a0 Not quite two hundred people call it and the surrounding area home; trying to make a living and keep out of the way of the troublemakers and the few gunfighters who ride in, and the even fewer who ride out.\u00a0 Plenty of people seeking a better life pass through with little impact on our lives, other than spending money for necessities or entertainment, if you get my drift.\u00a0 They come, they go; a few stay and build a new life.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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

More than twenty years ago, it was a small group of travelers who decided they\u2019d gone far enough, so here they stopped.\u00a0 Living and working without the need of the contrivances of a big city was a dream they shared.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t perfect.\u00a0 In the beginning, they saw their fair share of lawlessness, and that\u2019s how I came to be here.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

We were thankful when the Franciscan monks decided to establish a mission a few years back.\u00a0 Thankful, but that\u2019s when the arguments started.\u00a0 Father Bernardo spoke of the need to inform their Order of where their new mission would be built.\u00a0 He needed to know where <\/span>here<\/span> was.\u00a0 Names were bandied back and forth for weeks; the response to each suggestion was, \u2018<\/span>Why<\/span>?\u2019\u00a0 Eventually, in good humor, the folks began using it in greeting and it stuck – Why. \u00a0 Why, Arizona.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Early in my career, I traveled through what once had been a fairly small town.\u00a0 The long abandoned and neglected ghost town stood testament to how fickle people can be.\u00a0 A weather-worn sign greeted any traveler to Ohno, Wyoming.\u00a0 Guess Why ain\u2019t so bad, after all.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

But that\u2019s our past . . .\u00a0 What about doc\u2019s patient?<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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

Before stepping from the boardwalk, there stood a number of horses.\u00a0 Calling out to one of the men walking past, we managed to get them all to the livery.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hugo, the owner of the hotel, allowed me to enter the stranger\u2019s room to search through his belongings.\u00a0 Saddlebags hung from the spindle-backed chair pulled away from the desk.\u00a0 Untying a flap and opening it, one side contained items a traveler would require to take care of himself during his journey; a shaving kit, matches for a campfire, as well as a box of bullets, a rag, and several rods for cleaning his weapons.\u00a0 There was also a box of cartridges for a rifle that I left with Charlie at the livery.\u00a0 Imagine my surprise to find a book by William Shakespeare among his possessions.\u00a0 The other pouch contained a couple of shirts, a pair of pants, and a few manly unmentionables.\u00a0 And, what I was looking for, a name \u2013 Adam Cartwright.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As for what he was, the cut and fabric of his clothes spoke of means, as did the leather of his saddlebags, and then there were his weapons.\u00a0 I\u2019d bet my last dollar Adam Cartwright was no drifter.\u00a0 Most transients carry nothing more than vague identification, if any.\u00a0 As I reviewed his papers, I found detailed credentials; a letter of introduction from the territorial governor of Nevada.\u00a0 Sure, it weren\u2019t too recent, signed a month or so back, but there was also a contract signed by an army commander for Ponderosa beef, horses, and lumber, and bank draft from the First Bank of Wickenburg, Arizona dated just a week ago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nothing ventured, nothing gained . . . I wired the bank in Wickenburg and inquired of Adam Cartwright.\u00a0 Within fifteen minutes I had my answer; Adam Cartwright was from Virginia City, Nevada a ranch called the Ponderosa. So, I scratched out a second wire and addressed it to the sheriff, this time I inquired had he any family, and to notify them of the situation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Within a scant few hours, a return wire was received.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sheriff Dade Bayonne
\n<\/span><\/i>Why, Arizona<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Spare no costs for care of Adam Cartwright<\/span><\/i> \/stop<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Will reimburse<\/span><\/i> \/stop<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Do not release until doctor authorizes<\/span><\/i> \/stop<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright
\n<\/span><\/i>The Ponderosa
\n<\/span><\/i>Virginia City, Nevada<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNope, not a drifter.\u00a0 Seems he\u2019s got family who cares.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Orson, the telegrapher, began to say something, but the ticks and clicks drew his attention back to his equipment.\u00a0 He handed a second telegraph addressed<\/span> to me from Sheriff Roy Coffee inquiring about two men who I knew were sitting in my jail and would be until the authorities arrived.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWire back telling Sheriff Coffee, \u2018They\u2019re here.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Three days after being shot, our <\/span>guest<\/span><\/i> sorely stood to his feet, reaching for support as I\u2019m sure the room began to spin, as he declared he was leaving.\u00a0 It was there in Doc Kern\u2019s back room that I showed him the telegraph I\u2019d received.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Seeing his reaction, I took an educated guess, \u201cI take it Ben Cartwright is your father?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The man half fell, half sat back to the bed, petulantly folding his arms across his chest, before moving them to the bed top, to support his upper body while he leaned forward and nodded once.\u00a0 I smirked; this only confirmed he wasn\u2019t a drifter.\u00a0 I guess he knew that if he left before the doctor said he could, there would probably be more to contend with at home than he was prepared to handle.\u00a0 And so, he stayed.\u00a0 Later that night, with Doc\u2019s permission and assistance, he left the hospital and returned to his hotel room where he took his meals and waited until the doctor said he could travel.<\/span><\/p>\n

The hard part of my job concluded four days later, when a prison wagon arrived and departed with their very vocal and belligerent quarry; the two men Adam Cartwright had brought in single-handedly.\u00a0 The prison wagon had its first stop in Tuscon, Arizona before it would ultimately stop in Carson City, Nevada.\u00a0 Them two would spend a lot of hard time in prison.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fifteen days after our initial meeting, one hour after his stitches were removed, and less than thirty minutes after all his expenses were settled; Adam Cartwright, with a packhorse in tow, rode out of Why.\u00a0 I still didn\u2019t know that much about him, other than he has family.\u00a0 I presumed he would be heading home and that he\u2019d have quite the story to tell.\u00a0 But based on what I figured out about this man, he\u2019d probably be as tight-lipped to them as he had been to me; revealing only the bare minimum of facts.\u00a0 I bid, “Goodbye Cartwright”, offering a wave as he turned his mount from the hitching rail.<\/span><\/p>\n

I settled back in my chair on the boardwalk and watched as folks came and went, doing their business, living their lives.\u00a0 In amused silence I wondered what kind of a man this Ben Cartwright was that if only by written words he could stop his adult son from doing as he pleased.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Adam Cartwright was still as much of an enigma the day he rode out of Why as the day he rode into our town.\u00a0 Over the years, I thought about our visitor; and the motives behind his trailing after Donner and Brandt \u2013 justice.\u00a0 There had to be more to his story; and little did I know, at the time, it had started right here\u2026<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

~ B ~ O ~ N ~ A ~ N ~ Z ~ A ~<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Sheriff Dade Bayonne\u2019s chest and belly sagged a little more than before. His brown hair graying at the temples; though his eyes were as sharp as ever.\u00a0 If it wasn\u2019t for the badge worn on his vest, most people wouldn\u2019t pay him too much attention; he was as average as the next man walking along the boardwalk.\u00a0 Before accepting the badge, he\u2019d spent years traversing the land searching for those on wanted posters.\u00a0 His career as a lawman spanned twenty plus years in some of the roughest towns west of the Mississippi; before deciding to call the town of Why home for the past ten years.\u00a0 Because of the badge, he had a knack for knowing good folk from the not so good and the down-right rotten.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Good folk who, years before, grew weary of the constant traveling and all its hardships; people who decided to settle down in the fertile valley.\u00a0 They had enough of the mountains\u2026 Santa Rosa, Comobari, Galiuro, Pinaleno, Peloncillo\u2026\u00a0 Just one too many to have crested and more ahead of them \u2026 Growler, Granite, Sierra Pinta, Copper, Gila\u2026 the ranges went on and on, before they would arrive at where they had originally planned to go.\u00a0 Sometimes a body just has to say, \u2018We\u2019re here, this is home.’\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Homesteaders traveling on their way to California routinely passed through the valley and stopped to stock up on provisions or just stopped to catch their breath for a day or two.\u00a0 These were the kind of people who tipped their hats in greeting and said, \u201cHowdy\u201d.\u00a0 Children skirted along the main dirt road as they answered their mothers\u2019 calls.\u00a0 Horse or oxen drawn wagons populated the street as people entered the general store, a one-place serves all\u2026 groceries, dry goods, clothing, hardware, weaponry, etc. \u00a0If they didn\u2019t have it, you didn\u2019t need it. \u00a0A few necessary items could also be purchased down at the livery and smithy; pre-forged shoes and nails.\u00a0 Travelers were lucky that Why also boasted a wheelwright.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most of the small wagon trains would stop and establish a camp on the outskirts of the community long before the sun set.\u00a0 Women cooked meals, mended clothes and canopies.\u00a0 Men went about tending to the larger animals or making repairs on wagons and wheels.\u00a0 Some men bandied around the portable coal pit as horseshoes were hammered into the required shape; hooves grown too long were trimmed, or they were rounded over to replace a thrown shoe.\u00a0 The older children took care of the goats and chickens, as well as their siblings and some of the other youngsters.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once the sky darkened and the children were settled in their pallets within or under their wagons, some of the men folk returned to town.\u00a0 Jonas\u2019 Place did a good business; most travelers said his bar boasted the best whiskey.\u00a0 According to ol\u2019 Jonas, nothing but trouble ever came from watering down the goods and still charging full price.\u00a0 A tidy and honest establishment was his business, enforced by the Kentucky long rifle hanging above the rows of bottles and backed up by the double barrel shotgun he kept under the countertop.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sheriff Bayonne entered the saloon and acknowledged the nod from Matthew, the oldest son of the owner.\u00a0 Laughter and shouts of camaraderie emanated from inside Why\u2019s only saloon.\u00a0 A few modestly dressed young ladies moved among the tables, delivering drinks from the bar; nothing compared to the scantily dressed women who worked in the saloons back in Tucson and other locations.\u00a0 Still, they had a smile for the customers and a quick slap of the hand for those who tried for more.\u00a0 An occasional repartee about a possible shotgun wedding quieted those who had imbibed a little too much.\u00a0\u00a0 When it came to chance that one too many preemptive slaps were administered, the whole establishment watched as Jonas escorted the man outside with a word of warning and a click of the hammer being drawn and cocked.\u00a0 He was their father and owned more than one shotgun and wasn\u2019t afraid to use it.\u00a0 Rarely, if ever, did he have to go so far as to claim his brother-in-law was the sheriff, even though the sheriff\u2019s wife, his sister, had died some years back.\u00a0 Brotherhood ran strong between the two.\u00a0 These were the good times, the times where a lawman could sit back and watch.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, there were times where the good folk needed the law.\u00a0 Or times when the law needed to see that the good folk were spared from having to deal with the bad elements.\u00a0 Why had its fair share of the pistoleros riding north of the border in an attempt to get away from the Rurales, the federal authorities of Mexico.\u00a0 There were also the gun hawks out to build a reputation; earn money enough to live a life more luxurious than the mundane lives that was their lot in the west.\u00a0 But sometimes, the bad were men who passed through in an effort to circumvent or escape the law of Phoenix or Tucson.\u00a0 Regardless, these were the men who would ultimately wind up hanging from the gallows or consigned to the remainder of their lives in a Territorial Prison.\u00a0 Other options left to these men were to be shot down in the middle of the street and buried in a pine box in the second cemetery the town contained; the one where good folk never tread foot.\u00a0 Some lived, maimed for life, but no longer our concern as they rode to hide away from their past.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Rudyard \u201cRudy\u201d Donner and Jebediah \u201cJeb\u201d Brandt would ultimately fit into one of those categories of men; cousins who had turned their backs on the righteous and faithful teachings of their families back in Missouri. \u00a0Could be they were also running away from the war and its aftermath from back east.\u00a0 Regardless, they were in search of easy money, fast horses, and faster women; none of which was to be found here in Why.<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>*****<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As they had in many other towns before, the two strangers rode in and stopped in front of the livery.\u00a0 From inside the barbershop Sheriff Bayonne watched and appraised the tattered clothing the men wore as they dismounted across the street.\u00a0 Light tan patches indicating thinning leather, of probably poor-quality saddles, sat on top of the equally worn-weary horses. \u00a0\u00a0Shaking his head, the lawman knew the destination of the two, Jonas’.<\/span><\/p>\n

Similar in size and build, the men could almost be mistaken for twins was it not for one was a brunette and the other having auburn-colored hair.\u00a0 Both wore almost identical shaggy mustaches that helped hide decaying teeth as they laughed out loud at a private joke.\u00a0 Their scruffy cheeks and chins spoke of days in the saddle with little regard for personal appearance or hygiene. The fact that their holsters rested on opposite hips helped as they held each other up while woozily walking down the boardwalk.<\/span><\/p>\n

The newcomers batted away trail dust from their clothes as side by side they pushed through the double-swinging doors, ignoring the patrons who attempted to exit at the same time.\u00a0 Indignant declarations were silenced when a hand strayed to a holster worn tied down low to a leg.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0*****<\/span><\/p>\n

The pair occupied a table in the middle of the saloon; having earlier joined a boisterous, low-stakes poker game.\u00a0 A number of paper bills and a small pile of coins rested where they landed after being tossed to the center of the table.\u00a0 The current dealer dealt the cards around and each man tried to better his hand by discarding a few and asking for others, rarely had any participant stood pat.\u00a0 Glasses of beer with contents varying in levels were close at hand as the men tried their best to win the last pot as Jonas warned it was past his closing time.<\/span><\/p>\n

The bartender pulled his shotgun moments later when tempers flared, and the first shouts of \u2018Cheat!\u2019 broke from the group.\u00a0 Hands reached to rake in their winnings, only to be denied.\u00a0 Chairs scraped across the floor and hands grabbing the offending appendages only encouraged the men to argue the results.\u00a0 From behind the men a figure had been keeping an eye on the table.\u00a0 Setting his ring-stained coffee cup aside, he stood and quietly approached.\u00a0 Adding his hands to the melee, he pulled back a tattered sleeve only to reveal a hidden Ace of Hearts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSplit the pot, boys,\u201d Sheriff Bayonne ordered above the disgruntled shouts of men who felt cheated out of their money and honest fun.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Emotions ran high among the players.\u00a0 The restrained wrist broke free as self-preservation kicked in.\u00a0 The man panicked, upturning the table, spilling cards, money, and beer to the floor.\u00a0 Sheriff Bayonne stumbled back, the unfortunate recipient of the contents of the table.<\/span><\/p>\n

During the confusion, the cousins grabbed what money they could before running from the establishment while those who remained, a few ranch hands out for fun on a Saturday night, helped the sheriff to his feet.\u00a0 In time, the table and chairs were set right, liquor-soaked money collected, and the shotgun returned to its resting place.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally vacant of patrons, only two men remained within.\u00a0 Jonas wiping out the glasses and stacking them for use the next day, acknowledged the lawman\u2019s assistance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou gonna do anything about them two who scrambled out of here?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe boys said they didn\u2019t get away with much.\u00a0 If I see them, I\u2019ll warn them out of town.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jonas nodded to his brother-in-law. \u00a0Sheriff Bayonne walked out the doorway and into the night.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cYou cheated!\u201d Rudy declared through ragged breaths as they hid in the darkness of the livery hayloft.\u00a0 \u201cWhy\u2019d you have to go and do something so stupid?\u00a0 I had that pot!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAh, quit your bellyaching,\u201d Jeb retorted, sinking down into the opened bale of straw bedding.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019re we gonna do now?\u00a0 We ain\u2019t got\u2026\u201d Rudy counted out the money they had scavenged from the floor. \u201c\u2026twenty-eight dollars and sixty-five cents.\u00a0 That ain\u2019t gonna last us long enough to get to Oregon!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust shut up.\u00a0 I\u2019ll figure something out in the morning.\u201d\u00a0 Jeb\u2019s eyes drifted closed as whiskey and beer mixed in his stomach and the warmth of the loft lulled him to sleep.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Sixteen-year-old Aramis Manning entered the livery to begin his morning chores of feeding and watering the horses before their owners came to claim them.\u00a0 Climbing the ladder to the hayloft, he found two men stretched out asleep.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey misters!\u201d Aramis called in an attempt to rouse the men.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Receiving no response, he walked over and kicked the still booted feet a couple of times before one man woke.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis ain\u2019t no hotel, and ya best get outta here before my pa comes,\u201d Aramis stated as he slowly backed away from the grumbling sleepers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I hear ya kid.\u00a0 Be down in a minute,\u201d Rudy answered, fumbling through the straw in search of his hat and gun belt.\u00a0 \u201cHey Jeb,\u201d he reached over and punched his cousin in the shoulder, \u201cwe got our marching orders.\u00a0 Wake up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Five minutes after being found, the two climbed down the ladder and left the establishment.\u00a0 Out front, they looked up and down the main street until they spotted a sign for Why\u2019s little caf\u00e9.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Breakfast depleted their plunder a grand total of fifty-five cents by the time they stepped to the boardwalk and began meandering.\u00a0 Most of the people they passed were heading towards the same destination, the church.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Even though it was Sunday, the mercantile opened for several hours before and after services to stockpile the travelers wishing to continue their journey.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBoys,\u201d Sheriff Bayonne walked up behind the two troublemakers from the night before, \u201cI\u2019ll give you until noon to get out of my town.\u00a0 This town don\u2019t take too kindly to your ways, and personally, I\u2019m quite partial to jailing cheats.\u00a0 If you cause any more trouble before you leave or I hear of anything, whether you\u2019re involved or not\u2026 you\u2019ll both be prime candidates to take up residency in my jail.\u00a0 Just remember\u2026 noon.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, we heard ya.\u00a0 We\u2019re fed up with this town anyway, not enough games and no good women,\u201d Jeb answered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have plenty of <\/span>good<\/span><\/i> women, and they don\u2019t care for your kind any more than their husbands do.\u201d Bayonne looked back and forth between the two. He cautiously watched the two walking towards the livery.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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

Settling back to the hitching rail, Rudy asked, \u201cWell?\u00a0 You come up with anything, Jeb?\u00a0 We done been warned out of another town.\u00a0 We ain\u2019t got too many dollars between us, not nearly enough to get us where we\u2019re agoin\u2019.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, lunch time tomorrow\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe sheriff said noon today!\u201d hissed Rudy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo, we ride out and come back.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re gonna make a withdrawal from the mercantile, seems that\u2019s where all the money is.\u00a0 This town ain\u2019t got no bank.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you crazy?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNope.\u00a0 I been watchin\u2019 all them wagons comin\u2019 and goin\u2019, buyin\u2019 things\u2026 Must be a good amount of money stored in there.\u00a0 We pretend to buy supplies and when one of them opens the cash box, we take all the money.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

During Monday\u2019s lunch hour, Jeb Brandt and Rudy Donner returned to town, while carefully avoiding the sheriff.\u00a0 They meandered within the mercantile, waiting for the opportune time to put their plan into motion.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

As the sun reached its apex, people walking and horsemen alike froze after hearing a name yelled.\u00a0 Realization sank in, causing folks to scurry out of harm\u2019s way as one man stood in the middle of the road, his left arm behind his back, holding the long tail of his duster away from the gun belt that hung low from its owner\u2019s hips.\u00a0 The pulled open coat revealed the man wore dusty black pants and a grey plaid shirt.\u00a0 The battered Stetson on his head sheltered his eyes from the sun overhead.\u00a0 His feet were spread as far apart as his shoulders were broad, he lifted his weapon in and out of its holster a few times while the man whose name he yelled casually walked into the now vacant thoroughfare.<\/span><\/p>\n

The second man wore black calzoneras with silver conchos from waist to ankle and a flamboyantly embroidered green shirt worn under a black bolero jacket trimmed in red scroll.\u00a0 It was obvious the reason for the snug fitting pants was to stabilize the low-slung holster tied to his left leg.\u00a0 No sense having a loose-fitting pair of pants hinder the draw and slow down the pistolero’s response.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the two men stared each other down, Why\u2019s populace looked on in shock, surprise, and rapt attention.\u00a0 It had happened before and was bound to happen time and time again; it was just something these men were compelled to do.\u00a0 As driven as they were, so too were the mothers, pushing young boys with eager eyes into alcoves or farther into the buildings.\u00a0 The young girls were pulled to their mother\u2019s skirt or breast, depending on age.\u00a0 Fathers and husbands looked around corners of a building or from behind crated goods or wagons.<\/span><\/p>\n

Only the two men involved knew what triggered action; speedily hands moved to hips, guns hardly aimed before fired.\u00a0 The challenger\u2019s gun slipped from dead fingers, the body had yet to realize its fate and collapse to the ground.\u00a0 The victor leaned at an angle to the right with his non-gun hand covering over the red line indicating the bullet had creased him under his rib cage.\u00a0 Had he not moved as he fired, the projectile would have lodged itself in his side or worse.<\/span><\/p>\n

From the far end of the town, Sheriff Bayonne heard word of the challenge and was making his way to stop the carnage, to prevent any innocent bystander from being wounded.\u00a0 His pace slowed at seeing one man collapsing to the ground; the champion slipped his weapon back to his holster and stood erect.<\/span><\/p>\n

The two met over the dead man in the middle of the main street.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe called me out,\u201d was spoken in clear English with only a slight Mexican accent.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo I heard.\u201d\u00a0 Pointing to the gunman\u2019s side, Bayonne authoritatively instructed, \u201cGet that looked after down at the Franciscan hospital then get out of my town.\u201d All the while motioning for the men nearby to come and take the deceased to the undertakers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWas planning on heading out anyway.\u201d\u00a0 Reaching into his jacket pocket he pulled out a twenty-dollar gold piece and tossed it to the lawman.\u00a0 \u201cHis name was Richard Veith, most folks called him Rooster.\u00a0 See that it\u2019s put on his headstone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI never heard of him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSorry you had to hear about him now.\u201d\u00a0 The gunhawk slowly turned away.<\/span><\/p>\n

A block away, several women screamed when two masked men fled the mercantile with guns drawn.\u00a0 Seeing the sheriff so close, one fired as he trailed after his companion.\u00a0 Both continued errantly shooting while racing their horses from town; citizens and visitors too shocked to return fire hid in order to not become a victim.\u00a0 The lawman and the gunhawk were the only ones to fire at the fleeing figures.<\/span><\/p>\n

As the sounds of the retreating outlaws quieted, Hannibal Penobscot, owner of the store yelled, \u201cThey robbed the mercantile!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Standing, and pulling spent cartridges from his revolver, the sheriff called out as he ran towards the establishment, \u201cWas anyone hurt?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no one inside was injured,\u201d the nervous proprietor answered.\u00a0 That was before his shaking hand pointed down the adjoining street to the site that caused his heart to miss a beat.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the entryway to the livery, with his leg in a cast, Marcus Manning sat on the ground, cradling his son in his arms.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh God, please no.\u201d\u00a0 The lawman ran to the downed father and son.<\/span><\/p>\n

A tear-streaked face looked up, when a shadow crossed over his face. \u00a0\u201cMy boy\u2026 My Aramis\u2019 been shot.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGive him here Marcus, I\u2019ll get him to the hospital.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Oh yeah, that mission ended up being only the beginning.\u00a0 Those Franciscan monks also decided to build a real hospital.\u00a0 Quite fortuitous, some might say.\u00a0 But, if\u2019en you ask me, I think it was all part of a greater plan. \u2013 Thankfully so.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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

The slightly built youth roused while being transferred into the sheriff\u2019s arms.\u00a0 Pain flared along the side of his chest and down his left arm.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTake it easy there, son, you got a lot to live for so don\u2019t you think about doing anything else.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Aramis whispered, \u201cGood guys aren\u2019t supposed to die,\u201d before he passed out again.\u00a0 Penobscot had followed the lawman and wrapped his arms around limp legs to assist in getting the teen to the doctor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Marcus looked at the hand extended down to him.\u00a0 Looking up, he saw a gentle face with green eyes, their own pain visibly etched.\u00a0 Once the liveryman stood to his feet, the gunhawk from south of the border helped position the crutches beneath his armpits.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d Marcus offered as the two slowly followed the fast-moving sheriff and store owner.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

While Doctor Kern operated to remove the bullet from Aramis Manning, Sheriff Bayonne pulled out supplies to patch up the wounded gunfighter and offered the drifter his thanks.\u00a0 As he worked, he switched back and forth between a running commentary of what his hands were doing and asking questions of Marcus to determine whose bullet had struck an innocent victim.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe gunfight was over.\u00a0 Them two varmints racin\u2019 from town struck down my boy,\u201d the scared father declared while sitting on a padded bench against the far wall, close to the surgical room.<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking to his patient, Bayonne stated, \u201cWe\u2019re a small community.\u00a0 Most we have to deal with is the aftermath of\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, sorry about that.\u00a0 But most of us are honest and don\u2019t wish to involve anyone in our little dance.\u00a0 That\u2019s part of why we wait\u2026 we don\u2019t want no one else to get hurt, and then… when someone leads…” he shrugged his shoulders and gave a grunt as the bandage tightened around his lower ribs, “the other reacts.\u00a0 Then the dance<\/em> is over.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOf late, all I\u2019ve dealt with are boisterous cowboys who drink too much and get rowdy at the saloon, or sometimes rustlers.\u00a0 We don\u2019t have a bank so it\u2019s been a long time since I\u2019ve been faced with a robbery.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGuess you\u2019re asking if I\u2019m up to riding with you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPays two dollars a day, posse pay\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d do it without the pay.\u201d Skeptic eyebrows rose, the gunfighter responded, \u201cYeah, I want to see justice served to them two.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDade Bayonne,\u201d the lawman held out his hand after tying off the bandage wrapped around his <\/span>new deputy\u2019s<\/span><\/i> ribs.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Accepting the handshake, \u201cMateo Menendez.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Raised eyebrows preceded, \u201cRumors aren\u2019t accurate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNever are,\u201d Mateo failed to prevent a smile from appearing on his face while he reached for his shirt and jacket.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCan you be ready to ride in fifteen minutes?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, just need to get dressed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Turning to the aggrieved father, \u201cMarcus, I\u2019m praying everything will turn out okay with your boy.\u00a0 The doc\u2019s good.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know\u2026\u00a0 Any other doc would of taken my leg off five weeks ago,\u201d Marcus weakly smiled.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

The sun set for a second night when on the outskirts of town Bayonne offered thanks to Menendez and the three others who’d ridden with him on the posse for trying to help him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust come with me to my office and I\u2019ll see you each get paid.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNah, as I said, I\u2019d do it without pay.\u00a0 Just wish we\u2019d a caught them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWould have been foolish to have followed them any farther into the badlands\u2026 shale rock and no hope for finding any prints, too many directions to possibly choose from\u2026 worse yet, had we continued, we\u2019d like as not become a permanent part of the scenery.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou felt it too?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The others looked between the two, trying to figure out what they were talking about.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nodding, Bayonne answered, \u201cYeah, someone was there\u2026 watching us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone, but not the men we were after.\u201d\u00a0 Menendez shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cShame we don\u2019t know who those two were, who did that to the boy so you could put a poster out on them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI knew they were troublemakers, just didn\u2019t figure they\u2019d rob the mercantile.\u00a0 I\u2019ll put out notices, they\u2019ve probably caused trouble elsewhere and another town might have a name for them.\u201d\u00a0 The others peeled off one by one, but the two continued to ride into the heart of town, \u201cNever thought I\u2019d be saying this, but it\u2019s been a pleasure riding with you.\u201d\u00a0 Bayonne extended his hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnytime.\u201d\u00a0 Mateo reciprocated and smiled, “You’ve made a friend in me sheriff, anytime you need anything, you give Mateo a shout.”\u00a0 Touching the brim of his hat he turned and rode away.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

That was the last I\u2019d saw of Mateo Menendez; he tipped his hat and headed West; he knew it wasn\u2019t worth trying to spend the night in town.\u00a0 I heard he finally settled down, even took a stint at wearing a badge down along the border.\u00a0 Did a right fine job from what I heard.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

And those other two, I was glad to be rid of them<\/span>, the whole town was<\/span>.\u00a0 I felt sorry for Mr. Penobscott for all the money he lost, but we eventually got ourselves a bank with a real big safe because of those hombres.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Fall turned to winter and life continued on in Why, Arizona.\u00a0 The cousins ultimately slipped from conscious thought once Aramis returned to running the livery with his father and looking after his eight younger siblings.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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

Having watched the posse following their trail and getting closer, the cousins crouched lower behind the boulders where they had taken refuge, their sweat-soaked horses a short distance away still heaving from the exertion of their hasty exit from Why.\u00a0 Perplexed they watched the five men stop and huddle around, some drank from their canteens while others removed their hats to wipe away the perspiration before quenching their thirst.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShhhh,\u201d Jeb admonished, pushing his partner lower.<\/span><\/p>\n

Angry at being shoved, \u201cWhy\u2019d\u2026?<\/span><\/p>\n

In a low, guttural growl and eyes backing up his intent, Jeb spat, \u201cShut up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

They watched as one stepped from his horse and began walking around, occasionally kneeling and touching the ground with a hand before rising and walking again.\u00a0 Fifteen minutes later the man returned to the group shaking his head.\u00a0 Swinging into the saddle, the flamboyantly dressed stranger made a motion, indicating he\u2019d not been able to pick up the tracks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Turning around, Jeb slid down the boulder and sat.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Wonder why they ain\u2019t following us no more?\u201d Rudy asked, mimicking his cousin to take a seat.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause they lost our trail once we started riding over them rocks, stupid,\u201d Jeb answered, frustration evident in his tone of voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAin\u2019t no cause to be mad at me!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDang, I know it.\u201d\u00a0 Removing his hat and running a hand through his hair, \u201cI just don\u2019t understand how it all went so wrong.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWrong? We got the money\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Scrambling toward the horses, Rudy shouted, \u201cThe money!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Slowing down as their horses became skittish at his movements, he held out his hand and coaxed Jeb\u2019s horse to settle down so he could remove the saddlebags.<\/span><\/p>\n

Returning to where his cousin still sat, \u201cHow much money do ya think we got?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe a hundred or so, I guess,\u201d Jeb answered, reaching forward to take his saddle bags.<\/span><\/p>\n

Five minutes later the cousins were whistling, amazed at the four hundred and sixteen dollars they\u2019d managed to steal.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWha\u2019d ya think of heading down to Mexico?\u201d Rudy asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI hear tell they got tons of pretty Signeritas that\u2019ll do most anything a man can ask down there,\u201d Jeb answered.\u00a0 \u201cShame they didn\u2019t have none of them kinda women in that town.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYa, but them two at the saloon were sure purdy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know, but the way the barkeep kept looking at us and to that long rifle over the bar\u2026\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t worth that kind of trouble.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

“And ya just had to cheat at that card game!” Rudy spat.\u00a0 “We didn’t need that kinda trouble.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I done it before and never been caught.”\u00a0 Shaking his head in dejection, Jeb continued, “It just don’t make no sense.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Wishing he hadn’t brought the subject up,\u00a0\u201cYa know, if\u2019n we go to Mexico, how we gonna let them Signeritas know what we wanta do to them?\u00a0 They don\u2019t speak American.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s ya hear a dumb thing like that?!\u201d Taking his hat and slapping it against his cousin\u2019s head.\u00a0 \u201cDown near the border they have to speak Mexican and American, too.\u00a0 Don\u2019t make no sense otherwise.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh,\u201d Rudy answered, looking around.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019aya want to do now?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cReckon we should take care a the horses and make camp right here.\u00a0 Come morning we can head south.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Rising well after sunrise the cousins took care of nature\u2019s call before fixing a meager breakfast of coffee, beans, and jerky.\u00a0\u00a0By eight o\u2019clock horses were saddled and the two were heading south.<\/span><\/p>\n

By evening, having been slouching in the saddle for the past hour, they were ready to call it quits for the day.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Not a livin\u2019 body anywhere, all day long.\u201d Grabbing his canteen hanging from the saddle horn, he uncapped it and took a deep drink.\u00a0\u00a0Wiping his sleeve across his mouth and recapping the canteen, \u201cGod what I wouldn\u2019t give to see someone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhadda ya think I am,\u201d Rudy challenged.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone other than you,\u201d Jeb answered.\u00a0\u00a0Turning in the saddle to look one way and then another, trying to figure out the reason for the hairs on the back of his neck to start tingling, \u201cYa know, I think I smell smoke.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Following the smell, the two halted before making their presence known.\u00a0\u00a0Stepping down from their mounts and tying them to nearby trees, they made their way towards the noise; people laughing and shouting, some shooting off handguns or rifles.\u00a0\u00a0Coming to the edge of the rise, Rudy and Jeb sank to the ground and crawled to peek down into the draw.<\/span><\/p>\n

Temporary corrals with horses and cattle were positioned at the far end, well down wind, while tents and cook fires were scattered around open area by the lake.\u00a0\u00a0Men lounged around the camp, some cleaning their weapons while others were having a shooting contest. A couple of women were cooking, turning a pig on a spit, while one woman was chased by a man around the camp.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLook, they got food!\u201d Rudy whisper in response to the growl of his stomach.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd they got women,\u201d Jeb\u2019s eyes widened as the man caught up to and grabbed a woman in a colorful peasant blouse and skirt.\u00a0\u00a0She didn\u2019t seem terrified of the man who was after her; in fact, she was laughing as she looked over her shoulder and hiked her skirt higher than was truly necessary for her to run. \u00a0\u00a0Men started whistling and calling out to him, congratulating him on his catch. Pulling her towards him and kissing her deeply, his hands roamed over her breasts.\u00a0\u00a0A quick slap to his face momentarily broke their contact causing others to raucously laugh.\u00a0\u00a0Picking the woman up and slinging her over his shoulder like a fifty pound bag of flower, he carried her towards a tent; this only set the others off even more as she half-heartedly fought and pleaded to be put back to her feet.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat ain\u2019t all they got,\u201d Rudy answered, eyes widened, his hand pointing as he saw several negroes come out of a central tent.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cThey got blacks with im.\u00a0\u00a0Look over there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat ain\u2019t all,\u201d Jeb whispered, as he saw others exiting what could best be described as a wickiup. \u201cThey\u00a0got injuns, too.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0They watched the two bare-chested, breechclout-clothed men walk towards a Mexican wearing a wide sombrero and holding a huge lance.\u00a0\u00a0The man lounged in a canvas chair in front of the largest tent in the encampment.\u00a0\u00a0The camp quieted as the three began talking.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTold ya they don\u2019t speak American.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0The cousins could hear the argument but didn\u2019t understand the words.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRudy, I got a bad feeling about them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhatcha mean.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI got\u2019s the heebie jeebies,\u201d Jeb answered and involuntarily shivered.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t blame ya, there\u2019s all them kinds a people down there,\u201d Rudy whispered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf we go down there, they’re gonna wanna know what we’re doing out here.\u00a0\u00a0What\u2019s gonna happen if they find out we got all this money.\u00a0\u00a0They could kill us an take it all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Gulping hard, \u201cAin\u2019t there another way for us to head to Mexico?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if they find our trail and follow us?\u201d Jeb asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

Feeling dejected, \u201cI guess we ain\u2019t going to Mexico.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, maybe someday.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen where we gonna go?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tapping his cousin on the shoulder and drawing back, intending to make their way back to their horses, \u201cMaybe North.\u00a0\u00a0We hears words about gold being found around the Sierra-Nevada range.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t wanna pan for gold!\u201d Rudy whined.<\/span><\/p>\n

Figuring they were far enough away, and all the noise of the camp would drown out anyone hearing them, again, slapping his hat against his cousin\u2019s head, \u201cI do declare!\u00a0\u00a0You must be the dumbest Donner ever born.\u00a0\u00a0We don\u2019t have to do no panning.\u00a0\u00a0All we have to do is play our cards right.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot again!\u201d moaned Rudy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne time out of how many times I get caught and you act as if the world in crashing down on us.\u00a0\u00a0So, we got chased outa that town.\u00a0\u00a0Well, we taught them they don\u2019t mess with us.\u00a0\u00a0Didn\u2019t we?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Jeb reached back to pat the saddlebag hanging from the cantle of his saddle.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rudy smiled broadly, showing his decaying teeth, \u201cYeah, but if\u2019n we go north, we gotta remember to skirt that town.\u00a0\u00a0Don\u2019t wanna get tossed into jail.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cGuess you ain\u2019t all that dumb.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

~ B ~ O ~ N ~ A ~ N ~ Z ~ A ~<\/strong><\/p>\n

Spring had come early to the Sierra Nevada; the snowpack had retreated from the hills and valleys, allowing the trees to bud and flowers to break forth from the ground.\u00a0 The mountains maintained their snow-capped peaks well into summer and beyond.\u00a0 Livestock and wildlife gave birth to their young, while ranchers estimated their winter kill and hoped for a good crop of cattle and horses to offset their losses.\u00a0 Ranchers and their hands also spent countless days repairing or replacing fence lines and line shacks damaged by the hard winter.\u00a0 The new season was making Winter a memory as the workloads finally lessened.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

After weeks of working hard on the Ponderosa with the only trips to town being for urgent supplies and to pick up the mail, Ben Cartwright finally allowed his three sons a Saturday evening to themselves.\u00a0 Mounting their respective horses, with good graces, all three listened to their father give directions on his expectations of not getting into trouble and what time he expected them home.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Pa,\u201d they each answered when Ben finished, his hands firmly planted on his hips.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGet out of here,\u201d Ben chastised.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got work to do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSee ya Pa!\u201d Joe called out, he and Cochise were first to round the corner of the barn.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Three hours later, the brothers were settled at various tables in the Bucket of Blood; Joe playing poker while Adam and Hoss sat at another table talking with Ross Marquette.<\/span><\/p>\n

Annie sauntered towards the older Cartwrights, placing a beer in front of each man, before stopping to whisper in Adam\u2019s ear.\u00a0 A blush began to creep onto Hoss\u2019 face, but then he realized Adam wasn\u2019t enjoying whatever it was that Annie was saying.\u00a0 With a curt nod of his head, Annie left their table and headed over to the bar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Following the barmaid with his eyes, \u201cWhat\u2019s up Adam?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully nothing, but Annie said two of the players at Joe\u2019s table were called out earlier today for being a little too lucky at cards, but nobody could prove they were cheating.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Turning in his chair, Hoss took in the four players to whom Joe was dealing cards.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo ya think we need to check it out closer?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot yet.\u201d\u00a0 Reaching for the mug Annie had left for him, \u201cI\u2019ll keep an eye on them.\u00a0 I asked Annie to let Cosmo know he might want to move that shotgun he keeps under the bar close at hand.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fifteen minutes passed before Adam\u2019s attention was drawn to the raised voices coming from Joe\u2019s table.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I say ya can\u2019t be that lucky all the time without making your own luck,\u201d Cody Anderson called out, reaching across the table to grab the wrist of one of the other players.<\/span><\/p>\n

Without warning, Joe stood and had his weapon drawn and pointed at the possible cheat, \u201cAh, ah, ah,\u201d he warned as the two who\u2019d introduced themselves as Rudy and Jeb were struggling to pull their guns.\u00a0 \u201cFinish pulling them out nice and slow but set them on the table.\u201d\u00a0 Smiling with a wicked gleam in his eyes, \u201cAnd I highly suggest you don\u2019t do anything stupid.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Setting their guns down, Rudy bitterly replied, \u201cYou think you\u2019re so much better than us.\u00a0 We coulda taken ya.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe, but there\u2019s no way you \u2018<\/span>coulda\u2019<\/span><\/i> taken the three standing behind you, not when they’re backed up by Cosmo and his shotgun.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Making his way between the three friends, Cosmo announced, \u201cGame\u2019s over.\u00a0 Take your winnings, and split the pot.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut they cheated me!\u201d Cody shouted, throwing a pointed finger to the cousins.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe did not!\u201d Rudy yelled back.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo?\u201d Joe asked.\u00a0 Gun still in his left hand, his right hand reached for Jeb\u2019s left sleeve, pulling it back he revealed the Ace of Hearts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s different!\u201d Cosmo announced, \u201cI run a clean establishment, NO ONE and I mean NO ONE cheats here!\u201d\u00a0 Everyone heard the shell enter the chamber as he worked the pump action on his shotgun.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow either you clear out of here on your own, or I\u2019ll bring the sheriff in on this,\u201d Cosmo announced, pointing the barrel towards the two cousins.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right!\u00a0 We\u2019re out of here!\u201d\u00a0 Jeb sneered, grabbing the bills in front of where they were sitting; the two forced their way through the crowd, heading for the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Customers settled back to their tables after the troublemakers left the establishment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nodding to Adam, Hoss, and Ross, Cosmo lowered his shotgun, making his way to the bar.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThanks guys,\u201d Joe offered, finally slipping his revolver into his holster.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow much did ya lose?\u201d Hoss inquired.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDidn\u2019t,\u201d Joe grinned.\u00a0 \u201cWon about forty-five bucks tonight.\u201d\u00a0 Turning to Cody and his brother Colton, \u201cWe good guys?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, you know we never have trouble losing money to you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAin\u2019t that the truth!\u201d Colton snickered, collecting the twenty dollars still in front of his seat.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, guess we should head on home,\u201d Joe suggested.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t feel much like playing poker anymore tonight.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome on <\/span>J.J. Bryant<\/span><\/i>,\u201d Adam teased, turning from his brothers.\u00a0 \u201cRoss, maybe next week.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

(Note:\u00a0 J.J. Bryant was a renowned Mississippi Riverboat gambler.)<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSure Adam, let us know when life on the ranch lets up.\u00a0 Delphine keeps talking about inviting you over for supper.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Nodding, Adam reached for his mug and downed the last of his beer before heading for the swinging doors, followed in close order by Hoss and Little Joe.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Monday morning found Joe Cartwright scampering from the kitchen doorway.\u00a0 \u201cI heard you the first time!\u201d Joe teased back to Hop Sing, who stood at the door to his domain, arms crossed, expression on his face daring the youngest son of his employer to forget any item on his list.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll be back by lunch!\u00a0 I promise!\u00a0 And I won\u2019t forget a thing!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe Cartwright was filling out; his body taking on the proportions of a man; no longer a gangly, awkward, slightly built youth.\u00a0 The previous fall had seen him observe his eighteenth birthday.\u00a0 He laughed, worked, and fought right alongside his two older brothers and father on the land they called home, The Ponderosa.<\/span><\/p>\n

The largest of his brothers, perched on the wagon seat, shaking his head at Joe\u2019s antics while enjoying the banter that flowed between the two, in English and in Cantonese.\u00a0 Hoss couldn\u2019t stifle the laugh as Hop Sing\u2019s towel finally connected with Joe\u2019s backside.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019ll teach ya to wear such tight pants,\u201d gawffed Hoss.<\/span><\/p>\n

Foregoing rubbing away the sting, Joe climbed into the seat next to Hoss, \u201cYeah?\u00a0 If you hadn\u2019t parked the rig so close I could have gotten away from him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBetter the towel and not his wooden spoon,\u201d Hoss retorted, reaching for the reins and released the brake.\u00a0 Seeing Joe settled beside him, \u201cNow Joe, you sure you got that list in a safe place?\u00a0 You remember where you put it?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss encouraged the horses to move out.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHardy, har, har,\u201d Joe pulled his hat down over his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cIt wasn\u2019t my fault that I couldn\u2019t find the list last time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSure, little brother.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cJust don\u2019t let no little filly distract you and you\u2019ll remember.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Pushing his hat back up, \u201cYou can\u2019t blame me that the ladies find me so irresistible,\u201d Joe folded his arms and settled back into the Cooper seat, feet on the front board.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIrresistible, huh\u2026\u00a0 Then just who is to blame?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow there brother, don\u2019t tell me you weren\u2019t listening when Pa had that little talk with you.\u00a0 Do I have to explain the facts of life to you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss blushed and urged the horses into a trot; Joe cackled at his brother\u2019s discomfort concerning the subject.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust you let Pa hear you say that next time he gets all flustered at your antics, little brother.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The good-natured camaraderie between the brothers continued the entire trip into Virginia City.\u00a0 The two-horse hitch plodded along, crossing a few small streams as the road to town wound its way through the countryside.\u00a0 Ears of the horses flickered forward and back as the brothers laughed and enjoyed their time together.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cYou want me to get the mail?\u201d Joe inquired, jumping down as Hoss halted the team in front of the general store.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSure, and why don\u2019t you drop this contract off for Pa at Mr. Woods, since yer aheadin\u2019 that way.\u201d Hoss reached under the seat to retrieve the envelope.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I seem to remember Pa mentionin\u2019 somethin\u2019 last night about a haircut.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRub it in.\u201d Joe childishly stuck out his tongue, followed by a cackling laugh when Hoss reciprocated in kind.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe!\u201d Hoss climbed down and hollered as his little brother began to jauntily walk down the boardwalk.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d\u00a0 Joe turned around; his brother held out his hand. \u201cOh,\u201d he pulled Hop Sing\u2019s list from his jacket pocket and handed it over.\u00a0 \u201cSorry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou shore woulda been,\u201d laughed Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll see you in about an hour, it\u2019ll take Jake here and Owen over at the hardware store that long to get both Hop Sing\u2019s and Adam\u2019s orders together.\u00a0 I\u2019ll go by the bank and deposit that bank draft Pa got for that railroad timber contract.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSee you, brother,\u201d Joe bid, beginning his own list of things to complete.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before entering the general store, Hoss shook his head from side to side, watching Joe head towards Hiram Woods\u2019 office.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cThat little brother of yours sure is something else,\u201d store owner Jake Haverty spoke in greeting.\u00a0 \u201cMy Elsie\u2026\u00a0 She sure wishes she was at least six years older.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe seems to have that effect on the ladies,\u201d laughed Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cThey either want to be older or a whole lot younger.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMorning Mr. Hoss!\u201d ten-year old Elsie Haverty slipped in from the back room.\u00a0 Hoss smiled at the girl with her blonde hair in pigtails, wearing a creamy-white pinafore that covered over her pale blue dress.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning, Miss Elsie.\u00a0 Are you going to help your Papa fill my order?\u201d Hoss removed his hat before he lowered his upper body, resting his hands on his knees.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you mean Hop Sing\u2019s order?\u201d she asked after taking the list from Hoss and heading to the counter.\u00a0 \u201cCan you come back in an hour?\u00a0 Papa and me\u2026\u201d Hearing her father clear his throat, Elsie corrected herself.\u00a0 \u201cPapa and I should have everything ready by then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, are you sure that\u2019s enough time?\u201d Hoss stood to his full height.<\/span><\/p>\n

Turning around and placing both fisted hands on her hips, Elsie replied, \u201cI\u2019m ten years old, you know!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cElsie!\u201d Jake reprimanded, at least he tried to, but wasn\u2019t too successful at being heard over Hoss\u2019 boisterous laughter.<\/span><\/p>\n

Seeing the young girl\u2019s indignant expression and now crossed arms, Hoss immediately sobered up and became serious, \u201cYes Miss Elsie, please forgive me.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know what I was thinkin\u2019.\u00a0 Joe and I\u2019ll be back in an hour.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Mr. Joe is here?\u201d\u00a0 She sounded disappointed that he hadn\u2019t come to the store as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s doin\u2019 some important business for Pa,\u201d Hoss stated with dedication.\u00a0 \u201cBut I\u2019ll make sure he comes see you before we leave town.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Grinning from ear to ear, Elsie walked back to Hoss, wiggled her finger to indicate for him to come down to her level.\u00a0 As Hoss leaned down, the young girl lifted up on her toes and placed a kiss on the big man\u2019s cheek.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI like you a lot too, Mr. Hoss.\u00a0 You won\u2019t tell Mr. Joe that I kissed you, will you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Blushing over the attention, Hoss stood tall and answered, \u201cNah, this\u2019ll be our secret.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGot to get your order ready.\u00a0 Bye!\u201d Elsie turned and skipped across the floor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jake Haverty stood in amusement; it wasn\u2019t just Joe Cartwright who could cause the opposite sex to blush, so could his little girl.\u00a0 The man gave thanks that his wife would be the one to deal with their daughter when the time came.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be back, have to go to the hardware store and place an order with Owen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, will you tell Owen that I\u2019ll be over after lunch to pick up my order,\u201d Jake asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSure, after I stop in at the bank.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cHey, Little Joe!\u201d Sheriff Roy Coffee called, seeing the youngest son of Ben Cartwright making his way along the boardwalk.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRoy,\u201d Joe shook hands with the lawman.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCan I talk with you for a minute?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSure, but I need to get this contract to Mr. Woods before he closes his office. \u00a0 Pa said he\u2019d be in court this afternoon.\u00a0 And you know Pa, he\u2019ll skin me alive if I don\u2019t get this here contract to him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWon\u2019t take but a moment.\u201d\u00a0 Roy motioned Joe inside.\u00a0 \u201cJust need to know if the Ponderosa has hired any strangers lately.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA few\u2026\u00a0 What\u2019s up?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI received notification about a couple of outlaws.\u00a0 They\u2019re wanted in connection with a few robberies.\u00a0 Seems they\u2019ve been making their way from down in Arizona and the authorities think they might be heading this way.\u201d\u00a0 Roy handed the poster to Joe.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe descriptions don\u2019t really fit anyone we\u2019ve hired to work the cattle or they could fit anyone.\u00a0 Don\u2019t think they\u2019d be at any of our lumber camps, those men don\u2019t take in strangers.\u00a0 As for the mines\u2026\u201d Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d have to ask Adam.\u00a0 Probably don\u2019t have anything to worry about at the Ponderosa anyway, if they\u2019re resorting to robbery, they\u2019re not likely to want to work for their money.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cReports are inconsistent, about their look, but robbers seem to be headin\u2019 in our direction.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDoesn\u2019t give us much to go on\u2026\u00a0 No names?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot so far.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve a few new hands working the horses\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone other than Joe Cartwright breaking Ponderosa horses?\u201d Roy laughed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Joe emphatically answered.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, Ronny, Murph, and I are the only ones who break Ponderosa horses.\u00a0 The others handle the saddling and loading the horses in the chutes and moving them between the corrals.\u00a0 Wranglers have to know what they\u2019re doing, a rider can get hurt otherwise.\u00a0 I can\u2019t see any of my men being the ones you\u2019re looking for, \u2018sides they\u2019ve all been with us for a few years.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust thought I\u2019d let you folks know to keep your eyes open.\u00a0 If you see or hear anything, you get word to me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSure Roy, I\u2019ll let Pa and my brothers know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, and tell your Pa I said hello and that I can\u2019t wait for our next game of cribbage.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat might be a while, Pa came home last week madder than a hornet, said you were up three games over him?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYep, \u2018bout time I won a few rounds.\u201d Roy smiled.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll tell Pa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou do that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Joe felt pleased with himself; he\u2019d delivered the contract before Hiram closed his office.\u00a0 Walking in front of the stage depot and telegraph office, he spotted a poster announcing the upcoming spring social the following week.\u00a0 Knowing he\u2019d want to make a good impression, he decided to go ahead and stop in at the barber shop, like his father asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

With ten minutes to spare before needing to meet up with his brother, Joe left the barber shop and picked up the mail for the ranch, and a telegram for his father.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

In front of the mercantile, a tidily trimmed Joe stopped to chat with Evelyn Grant.\u00a0 The young woman would turn eighteen on the summer equinox.\u00a0 Her long brown tresses framed her face and fell around her shoulders.\u00a0 Her dress was the latest fashion from back east, where she\u2019d just returned from spending two years going to a finishing school and living with her mother\u2019s sister.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The two young adults chatted about their plans for the upcoming spring dance.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Noise drew Joe\u2019s attention.\u00a0 He looked around and spotted three masked men with weapons drawn run from the bank, cross the opening of the alley, mount their waiting horses, and race from town.\u00a0 The riders fired their weapons indiscriminately as they rode.\u00a0 In one fluid movement, Joe pushed the young woman to the safety of lying flat on the boardwalk, drew his gun, and continued firing toward the fleeing riders until the weapon was empty.\u00a0 The clicking of the hammer on the casing filled chambers alerted Joe of his need to reload.<\/span><\/p>\n

One would-be robber struggled to remain in the saddle before falling to the ground.\u00a0 The other two rode around the corner of a building; apparently getting away without a scratch.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvelyn, are you okay?\u201d Joe assisted the young woman up from the ground; her hands trembled, her complexion paled.\u00a0 The skirt of her light-colored dress showed dirt from where she landed, as did the white gloves she wore.\u00a0 Evelyn shook her head and began to whimper.\u00a0 Seeing her worried mother coming out of the millinery shop, she ran away from the youngest Cartwright and into the caring arms of family; leaving Joe standing speechless.\u00a0 Looking to where the riders disappeared, Joe began to slip bullets into his revolver before returning it to its holster.<\/span><\/p>\n

Roy Coffee ran to the street, knelt and checked the fallen rider.\u00a0 \u201cWhat happened?\u201d he demanded while looking around.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey robbed the bank!\u201d Walt Cummins declared, anything he had to say afterwards was lost in the noise of Roy demanding to know if everyone was okay and asking for volunteers for a posse.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some standing nearby, and who had money in the bank, demanded to know if their own money was safe; others demanded their money, even though the money was now missing.\u00a0 Slowly the miracle announced itself that none of Virginia City\u2019s residents having been walking along the boardwalk had been struck by an errant bullet.\u00a0 Among the clamor of shouts of okay and families looking for members, six men volunteered to ride with the Sheriff.<\/span><\/p>\n

Running towards the livery, Roy saw the youngest Cartwright.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI need a horse,\u201d Joe fell in step, everything else forgotten.<\/span><\/p>\n

Within ten minutes Joe raced out from Virginia City with seven other men on the posse.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Hop Sing\u2019s angry exclamations greeted his employer and eldest son as they returned home for supper; having spent the day inspecting one of their lumber camps, making sure everything was ready for the first trees of the season to be felled.\u00a0 The two stood in front of the closed wooden door, removing their gun belts, wrapping the leather around the holster before placing them on the sideboard. Adam\u2019s eyebrows rose while his father cringed at the banging of pots and pans that accompanied the shouting.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWonder what your other sons have done this time?\u201d Adam dared ask as he walked through the dining room and peeked around the corner into the kitchen; closely followed by Ben.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBrothers no return home!\u201d Hop Sing declared, seeing the dark head of hair.\u00a0 \u201cSupper no ready!\u00a0 Need supplies they bring home!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure they will have a good reason,\u201d Ben entered the factotum\u2019s domain in an effort to calm his employee.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo reason good!\u00a0 Lit\u2019le Joe promise!\u00a0 Promise no forget.\u00a0 Promise home by lunch.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBy lunch,\u201d Adam repeated, fully entering the kitchen.\u00a0 \u201cJoe said he and Hoss would be home by lunch?\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThey should have been home\u2026 six hours ago.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t suppose\u2026\u201d Ben couldn\u2019t finish his statement.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, Pa.\u00a0 Even if the buckboard had broken down\u2026 surely they\u2019d have been home by now.\u00a0 Hoss would have insisted on unhitching one of the horses and sending Joe home for help.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey take wagon, not buckboard.\u00a0 Pick up Mr. Adam order from hardware store.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy order\u2026\u00a0 I was planning to make that run tomorrow.\u201d Adam struggled to finish his thoughts, just as his father had moments before.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBrothers want save number one son extra trip to town.\u00a0 They go town, save you trip.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The three men\u2019s attention turned to someone pounding on the front door.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben opened the door to find a youth, who had the month before started working at the hardware store, worrying the brim of his hat while waiting on the porch.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMr.\u201d hard swallow, \u201cCartwright?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I\u2019m Mr. Cartwright\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Cory\u2026 Cory Miller.\u00a0 My Pa, he owns the hardware store.\u00a0 He\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGo on\u2026\u201d Adam encouraged.\u00a0 \u201cWhat trouble did my two brothers get into?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Cory knew the news he had to impart was important, but the two big men in front of him made him nervous.\u00a0 He\u2019d overheard Joe and Hoss talking a few times about their formidable brother, and then there was their father.\u00a0 His own father garnered the Ponderosa patriarch as a man above men, a man who made things happen, a man to be highly respected.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t get <\/span>into<\/span><\/i> trouble\u2026 they\u2026uh, they got caught up in it.\u00a0 The bank\u2026\u00a0 it \u2026 was robbed.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey must have ridden with Roy on the posse,\u201d Adam stated with relief as he turned to look at his father.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, they didn\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0 Cory didn\u2019t know everything that happened, he\u2019d snuck away from school during the morning break to check on his horse at the livery to ensure he was okay after throwing a shoe.\u00a0 His Pa had spent the afternoon keeping him busy to help relieve his scare after watching those men ride away, firing their weapons indiscriminately, and then witnessing others carrying a bloodied Hoss from the bank, right in front of him, on their way to the clinic.\u00a0 \u201cMy Ma\u2026 she helps out over at Doc Martin\u2019s and she\u2026 she came home\u2026\u00a0 worried why you hadn\u2019t come to town\u2026 Pa sent me to\u2026 make sure you knew\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cKnew what?\u201d demanded Ben.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere was so much blood.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBlood?\u201d Adam and Ben said in unison.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Hoss got shot.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Father and brother were immediately out the door after scrambling to retrieve their gunbelts and hats from where they were placed less than fifteen minutes before.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

I couldn\u2019t imagine there\u2019d be any words that could describe the gut-wrenching fear that settled over Ben and Adam as they urged their mounts on their desperate flight into town.\u00a0 Their worry, had the boy been right in his description or had he, like boys could, had he exaggerated his description?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Then, Cory hadn\u2019t said anything about Little Joe.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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

Lathered horses delivered riders to town where the men jumped from their saddles in front of Doctor Martin\u2019s clinic.\u00a0 The front door opened allowing the light from within to spill across the porch, bidding them to enter.\u00a0 Mrs. Miller, Cory\u2019s mother, sympathetically greeted the two who barely remembered to remove their hats in the presence of a woman.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHoss?\u201d fearfully Ben inquired at seeing the woman\u2019s worried expression.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHolding his own\u2026 for now.\u00a0 Paul\u2019s still in with him.\u00a0 I\u2019ll let him know you\u2019re here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Moments later, a grim-faced Paul stepped through the doorway that separated the waiting room from his surgery.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHave a seat, Ben\u2026 Adam.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Standing close to his father, Adam asked, \u201cHow\u2019s my brother?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAlive.\u201d\u00a0 With neither Cartwright sitting, the good doctor stated, \u201cIf you don\u2019t mind, I need to sit.\u201d\u00a0 Once seated, he continued, \u201cI\u2019ll warn you, Hoss may not make it through the night.\u201d Shaking his head, \u201cThe bullet lodged perilously between his heart and a lung.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHaven\u2019t you operated to get it out?\u201d Ben gasped.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I removed it earlier\u2026 But he\u2019s lost so much blood.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know if he has the strength to survive.\u201d\u00a0 Paul removed his glasses, pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and cleaned the lenses.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy brother is strong\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPhysically he is, but there was so much trauma he suffered from the gunshot wound… and the damage I caused while removing the bullet.\u201d\u00a0 Slowly changing from looking at Adam to his long-time friend, \u201cBen, it\u2019s going to take a miracle to pull Hoss through this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMay I see him?\u201d Ben inquired.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe won\u2019t know you\u2019re here.\u00a0 He\u2019s yet to regain consciousness.\u201d\u00a0 Knowing the upcoming argument, \u201cTo ease your fears I\u2019ll allow you to see him for a few minutes, but just a few.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Paul led the worried family back through the door and into his now clean surgical suite; where only hours earlier the room contained bloodied cloths and surgical instruments.\u00a0 Paul had discarded his own bloodied apron and cleaned his hands and arms all the way up to his elbows.\u00a0 The sheet that lay across Hoss was pristine, newly purchased as Paul became increasingly conscious of how imperative it was to prevent all risks of infection.\u00a0 The room no longer bore any trace of the bloody battle waged in an effort to save the life of the gentlest member of the Cartwright family.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben took his middle son\u2019s hand in his, leaned over and brushed his own hand against his son\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 \u201cHoss, I\u2019m here.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s here.\u00a0 Please son\u2026 you have to pull through.\u00a0 You have to… fight this\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Paul indicated their all too brief time was up and witnessed the tears flow down the older man\u2019s face and the quivering fa\u00e7ade worn by Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll do everything in my ability to see that Hoss pulls through.\u00a0 I just wish there was more that I could do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat of Joe?\u201d Adam asked once they returned to the waiting room.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHoss and Joe came to town to run errands. Hop Sing said my brothers left in the wagon.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know Joe was in town, and I\u2019m surprised he\u2019s not here, what with Hoss injured.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

“My God, you don\u2019t think\u2026\u201d Ben\u2019s knees began to buckle before he finished his sentence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam guided his father to a chair to have a seat.\u00a0 Paul pulled out a vial of smelling salts and waved it under Ben\u2019s nose, rudely rousing the man from his stupor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kneeling in front of the man, Paul spoke firmly, \u201cBen, if something had happened to Joe and he was over at the undertaker\u2019s\u2026 don\u2019t you think someone would have told either me or Mrs. Miller.\u00a0 You\u2019ve been in my clinic long enough that Horace would have been here by now to speak with you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right.\u00a0 I know you\u2019re right, it\u2019s just\u2026\u201d Ben looked into the sympathetic eyes of one of his oldest friends.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll ask Lorelei to fix you a cup of coffee.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Kneeling next to the physician, \u201cPa, I\u2019m going out to see if anyone knows anything of Joe\u2019s whereabouts or the status of Roy and the posse.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben nodded, giving his eldest son\u2019s shoulder a gentle squeeze.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

With a flurry of conflicting emotions, Adam stepped from the clinic and momentarily hesitated, taking time to consider where to begin.\u00a0 Finding Joe in one of the saloons was out of the question, there\u2019s no way with Hoss injured Joe would have stepped foot inside one.\u00a0 The undertaker\u2019s was a logical place, but as Paul had indicated Horace would have kept an eye on the street and seen them arrive. \u00a0 Deciding, Adam headed to the Sheriff\u2019s Office and Jail.<\/span><\/p>\n

Twenty minutes later, Adam stepped foot to the porch in front of Paul Martin\u2019s clinic and paused.\u00a0 He\u2019d found out quite a lot and wanted a moment to process the facts before facing his father.\u00a0 He also dreaded entering for fear that Paul\u2019s dire prognosis for Hoss\u2019 chance for survival might have come true in the time he had been gone.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Adam had found only Cletus in the sheriff\u2019s office; the man was cleaning out the jail cells in anticipation of a visitor or two.\u00a0 Cletus was known around town as a hard worker, even at the most-simplest of tasks; his \u2018simple wit of ways\u2019 made him the perfect choice to fill these jobs.\u00a0 It surprised Adam how the man with only minimal education could recall the minutest of details regarding the robbery and the shootout as the outlaws blazed their way out of town.\u00a0 Adam learned how one of the robbers was now at the undertakers due to a bullet fired by none other than Joe Cartwright.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The man dropped his mop into the bucket and took pleasure in mimicking Joe\u2019s actions.\u00a0 \u201cHe shoved that young lady down to the ground and hovered over her while\u2026 bam, bam, bam\u2026 bam\u2026 bam.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYoung lady?\u201d Adam\u2019s question went unheard by the man.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSure was strange seeing that little brother of yours riding something other than that horse a his.\u00a0 This one was giving him fits,\u201d Cletus acted out as if riding the feisty mount.\u00a0 Eventually, he pulled the mop from the bucket, and turned to throw the dirty water out the back door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat kind of fits?\u00a0 Which horse was Joe riding?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat hammerhead that got left at the livery when that dang-fool cowboy thought he could draw to an inside straight and then called the man a cheat two weeks ago.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought Earl was going to get rid of it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, he planned to.\u00a0 Heard he contacted one of them traveling wild west shows to see if they wanted it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCletus, where was Joe going when he was riding this horse?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was with the sheriff, they all raced out of town not ten minutes after the robbery.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen he\u2019s not out there on his own hunting down the men who shot Hoss.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was gone long before they carried Mr. Hoss out of the bank.\u00a0 Don\u2019t think your brother knew about your brother,\u201d Cletus answered while returning the mop and bucket to their place in a small closet.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leaving the jail, Adam sent up a silent plea for God to watch over both his brothers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey Adam!\u201d Mitch Devlin called from the other side of the street.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMitch, I\u2019m in a hurry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know you probably are, but I thought you\u2019d want to hear about Hoss.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know he\u2019s over at Paul\u2019s.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but before that.\u00a0 Ma was in the bank when it got robbed.\u00a0 She only gathered her wits a little bit ago and told Pa and me what happened.\u00a0 They were going to shoot her.\u00a0 Hoss stepped between them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIs your Ma okay now?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe just got scared.\u00a0 Some of the ladies from church have been tending to her.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll be thinking about your family.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam,\u201d he turned at the guilt in the young man\u2019s voice.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t know anything had happened.\u00a0 I mean, Pa and I got home and didn\u2019t find Ma anywhere.\u00a0 We\u2019d just come back for lunch after checking our pastures. Eventually, Mrs. Vance, one of those busy-body women, sent one of her boys running to the house to tell us about Ma, he didn\u2019t say anything about Hoss.\u00a0 If he had, I\u2019d of ridden out to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 I wish now that I\u2019d insisted on driving Ma to town.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

“I can understand your feelings.\u00a0 Pa and I didn\u2019t know anything about Hoss being shot until this evening.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYa mean Joe didn\u2019t come home or send word to tell you?\u201d\u00a0 Surprise etched Mitch\u2019s face.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI just found out from Cletus that Joe\u2019s with the posse.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully they\u2019ll catch the bastards.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMitch, look I really need to get back to Hoss.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll pray for your family, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThanks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Breathing deeply, Adam finally entered Paul Martin\u2019s clinic as the clock on the wall struck eight-thirty.\u00a0 Adam knelt down and placed a hand on his father\u2019s arm.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u00a0 Sorry, I must have fallen asleep.\u201d\u00a0 Ben struggled to sit upright in the chair.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThought you\u2019d like to know that Cletus saw Joe riding with the posse.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a relief.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Paul Martin entered the room, \u201cBen, if you\u2019d like, I think it\u2019s safe to move Hoss into a bedroom.\u00a0 Once in a private room, I can set up a cot for you; it\u2019s best to have someone stay with him all the time, at least until we know more.\u00a0 If you wouldn\u2019t mind\u2026 I need some sleep; didn\u2019t get much last night due to a brawl down at the Gould and Curry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll stay with Hoss, Paul.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure your cot will be easier to sleep than this chair.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo you have a second cot?\u201d Adam inquired.<\/span><\/p>\n

Paul shook his head no.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll get my bedroll from the livery and bunk down on the floor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, get some pillows and blankets from the hotel.\u00a0 I\u2019d prefer to keep Hoss\u2019 room as clean as possible.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to introduce anything into his room that could increase his risk of developing an infection; his condition is precarious at best.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be back in a few minutes,\u201d answered Adam before he slipped out the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

With Hoss resettled into a private room near the back of the clinic; Adam made himself as comfortable as possible with a pallet of blankets on the floor.\u00a0 Ben never once lay on the cot, choosing instead to sit in the overstuffed chair pulled near the bed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Turning over to lay on his side Adam watched his father.\u00a0 \u201cYou do know that Joe\u2019ll be okay.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe won\u2019t be until I can see him.\u201d\u00a0 Slowly shaking his head from side to side.\u00a0 \u201cWhat was he thinking?\u201d\u00a0 Huffing, \u201cI\u2019m sure he wasn\u2019t.\u00a0 Probably thought about all the excitement from riding with the posse.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sitting up, back against the wall, \u201cPa, Joe knows there\u2019s no excitement in riding with a posse.\u00a0 He understands how important it is to keep focused on the law and not get caught up in a lynch-mob mentality.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStill\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa, you forget how he saved my noggin\u2019, as Hoss would say, when the two of us rode after the men who murdered Vannie Johnson?\u201d\u00a0 Moving his legs to sit Indian style, \u201cJoe asked some difficult questions when we were out there.\u00a0 Questions that surprised me; considering his age.\u00a0 There\u2019s no doubt Joe will follow every rule or command Roy gives.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Bowing his head, \u201cI just want him home.\u00a0 Or at least here with us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Virginia City’s saloons had closed only an hour or so before Doc Martin quietly entered the room to check on his patient.\u00a0 Knowing the worry that had enveloped the family and understanding their exhaustion, it did surprise him to see both men asleep.\u00a0 Trying to be as quiet as possible, Paul moved the blanket and pulled back the bandage wrapped about the big man’s chest before placing the stethoscope in position to listen. Inevitably, a slight head movement and an exhaled groan issued in response to the doctor’s prodding, woke the man sleeping in the chair.\u00a0 “Easy Hoss, you’re going to be fine.\u00a0 Go back to sleep,” Paul whispered.<\/span><\/p>\n

“How’s Hoss doing?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Removing the medical implement from his ears before draping it around his neck, “You’re going to have a kink in your neck if you continue to sleep in that chair,” Paul offered.\u00a0 “I had a cot brought in for a reason.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Becoming more alert, and ignoring the admonishment, “My son…”<\/span><\/p>\n

Returning the sheet to cover his patient’s chest, “Remarkably, he’s holding his own.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Thank God,” whispered Ben.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I was over at the Bucket of Blood before they closed, the aftermath of a little dispute, I heard news that Joe rode out with Roy.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“That’s what Adam heard too.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“If it’s any consolation, Ben, be thankful it was Hoss who was in the bank, and not Little Joe.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Sitting up straighter while trying to alleviate the kink Paul had warned of earlier, “Why would you say that?\u00a0 I’d have preferred none of my sons to have been shot.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Turning to face his long-time friend, he rested on the side of the bed occupied by Hoss, “Ben, think about it.\u00a0 Had it been Little Joe who’d been shot…”\u00a0 Exhaustion warred with Paul’s need to explain himself.\u00a0 “The bullet that struck Hoss, lodged below his heart, close to his left lung,”\u00a0he pointed to the location on his own anatomy.\u00a0 “Had Joe been standing in the same place and shot by the same individual,\u00a0I truly believe the bullet would have struck Joe in his heart, and he would have died before they could ever have carried him out of the bank.”\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Paul heard a gasp from next to the wall.\u00a0 He looked to see Adam’s eyes wide open, his face paler than he’d ever remembered.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben’s exclamation, “Thunderation!” and deep gulping, brought Paul’s attention back to him.\u00a0 “Easy Ben,” he offered at Ben’s greenish complexion.\u00a0 Paul moved to push Ben’s upper body and head down between his knees.\u00a0 “Deep breaths, slowly in, hold it, slowly out.”\u00a0 The doctor repeated his mantra a few times, looking directly at Adam to let him know he needed to do the same.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Shortly, Ben raised his hand and pushed his body upright once more.\u00a0\u00a0“I’m okay.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Moving to the nightstand, Paul filled two glasses with water and handed one to each of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam sat up, having flipped the blankets back to take the water glass, “I think I need something a lot stronger than water.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben acknowledged the regret drawn on the physician’s face.\u00a0 “It’s alright Paul,” he whispered after drinking the entire glass of water.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Shortly before sunup, father and eldest son roused at hearing someone banging on the door to the clinic.\u00a0\u00a0Brushing sleep from his mind, Adam pulled his weapon from his holster where he had placed it next to him on the floor.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cPa, I\u2019ll see what\u2019s up.\u00a0\u00a0You stay with Hoss.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Slowly making his way to the front office area, Adam made sure Doc Martin knew he was there and motioned him to carefully open the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

Arm raised, ready to pound on the door once more, Jacob Branson, dirty, tired, breathing heavily, and one of the men who rode with the posse stood on the porch as Paul Martin opened the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDoc, you\u2019re needed at the Ponderosa!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d Adam pushed the doctor aside to find out why this man who didn\u2019t work for them would be asking for the doctor to ride to the Ponderosa so early in the morning.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Cartwright, I\u2026 I didn\u2019t know you were here.\u00a0\u00a0Roy and the others\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Not allowing the man to continue, \u201cWhy is Paul needed at the Ponderosa?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe got thrown, he\u2019s busted up pretty bad.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Torn with worry, \u201cI\u2019ll tell Pa,\u201d replied Adam, remembering to release the hammer and lower his weapon.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll get my bag.\u00a0\u00a0Jacob, tell the livery I\u2019ll need my horse and buggy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTell Otis that I\u2019ll need Sport saddled, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Entering the room where Hoss still lay unconscious, \u201cI\u2019m heading home.\u00a0\u00a0Joe\u2019s been hurt, I\u2019ll get word to you once I know more.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Adam picked up his hat and holster, slipping his gun in its holster before fastening the gun belt around his hips.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben stood and placed a restraining hand on his eldest son\u2019s arm.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, I know you\u2019re doubly worried now\u2026 so am I.\u00a0\u00a0Please, don\u2019t make me worry for all three of my sons.\u00a0\u00a0Ride carefully.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI will Pa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben looked beyond his eldest to the opened doorway and back to where his middle son lay.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa, Hoss needs you more, here and now.\u00a0\u00a0You need to stay here for Hoss,\u201d Adam answered.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ll take care of Joe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The eldest brother knew that his little brother always responded better to their father\u2019s tender ministrations whenever he was injured or sick, but Adam wouldn\u2019t risk letting their father ride home as exhausted as he had to be.\u00a0\u00a0He\u2019d do anything in order to keep their father from being injured as he rushed to one of his sons, especially his youngest.\u00a0\u00a0Besides, having his Pa at the doctor\u2019s office just might make all the difference in Hoss\u2019 recovery.\u00a0\u00a0Adam just hoped that his youngest brother would accept him being there instead.<\/span><\/p>\n

Worried brother and anxious physician met at the livery, \u201cI\u2019ll ride on ahead and let them know you\u2019re on your way,\u201d Adam checked the tightness of his cinch before climbing into the saddle.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBe careful Adam,\u201d Paul advised.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSee you!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Adam slapped Sport\u2019s flanks with the end of his reins at the same time he kicked his flanks, encouraging him to run.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Adam arrived at the Ponderosa just as Roy was telling the other men to head over to the bunk house and bed down to catch some sleep or head back to town.\u00a0 Most chose to ride back home.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not seeing Charlie stepping from the barn, Adam flipped Sport\u2019s reins over the rail, and called out.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cHow\u2019s Joe?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe just got him home and into bed. \u00a0I sent Jacob on ahead to get the doc while we made our way slowly here, \u00a0Hop Sing’s up there with Joe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPaul\u2019s\u00a0following\u00a0behind me, he\u2019ll be here shortly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The two men headed towards the front door; Roy outlining what happened.\u00a0 He reached out to stop Adam from entering.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe fought that horse from the moment he mounted, as long as he was going forward there weren\u2019t no real problem.\u00a0\u00a0After about twenty minutes the beast settled down, at least it seemed that way.\u00a0\u00a0Can\u2019t believe Otis kept that rogue.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Roy shook his head in regret.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJacob said Joe was thrown.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThrown weren\u2019t exactly the term I\u2019d use. We were gaining on those robbers.\u00a0\u00a0That hammerhead took the bit between his teeth, I know Joe was pushing him, but he just went flat out.\u00a0\u00a0Next we saw, the horse reared up, came down real hard, then whirled about and lost its footing.\u00a0\u00a0Joe tried to stay in the saddle at first, but when the horse went down, and Joe realized what was happening, he tried to kick free, but he went down too.\u00a0\u00a0By the time we got to where Joe lie, the horse was up and took off a ways.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Stopping under the lantern that hung above the wooden porch, \u201cHe\u2019s got a head wound from striking the ground, bled a lot.\u00a0\u00a0Looks like he\u2019s busted his left wrist and dislocated the shoulder.\u00a0\u00a0Not too sure about damage to his legs, we tied \u2018em together until Doc could take a look.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf he couldn\u2019t ride\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the men made a travois, that\u2019s what took us so long to get here. While they’s doing that, I took some others up into the hills to look for tracks, but we lost ’em.\u00a0 That’s rocky shale up there and you know Hoss’d have trouble finding any sign.\u201d Roy pushed open the door.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cOh, and Adam, one of the men did find the horse.\u00a0\u00a0It was dead\u2026 it had been shot through the chest.\u00a0\u00a0Possibly, that\u2019s what set it off?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot that it matters.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam pushed past the lawman to enter his home, crossed the room, climbed the staircase, and entered his brother\u2019s room barely hearing Roy call out,\u00a0\u201cListen Adam, I gotta get back to town.\u00a0\u00a0I hope things go alright for Little Joe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam didn\u2019t hear the front door close as the lawman left.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cKeep him in bed for the next few days, and quiet for the following week,\u201d Paul advised as he placed his medical instruments back in his Gladstone bag.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll do my best.\u00a0\u00a0What\u2019s your prognosis?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cConcussed for sure and a broken left wrist.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019ve slipped his left shoulder back into the socket, but it\u2019s going to be sore for some time.\u00a0\u00a0His left hip bears a rather colorful bruise, and I\u2019d say his left knee was wrenched, same for his ankle. \u00a0It\u2019ll bother him for a few weeks, and it needs to stay bandaged for support.\u00a0\u00a0As for his ribs, couldn\u2019t find any broken, but I\u2019m sure they\u2019re bound to be uncomfortable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGuess he really did a number on himself,\u201d Adam sighed, sinking onto the chair, wishing he\u2019d brought a glass and the decanter of brandy upstairs with him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut he\u2019ll recover,\u201d encouraged Paul.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUnlike Hoss?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t say one way or the other.\u00a0\u00a0Adam, you know I don\u2019t like to sugar coat anything.\u00a0\u00a0The odds are stacked against Hoss.\u00a0\u00a0If the medical profession was more advanced\u2026 Maybe he\u2019d stand a better chance of surviving.\u00a0\u00a0But I\u2019m not saying that he won\u2019t survive.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust that it\u2019s more than likely he won\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Adam the pessimist was asserting\u00a0his\u00a0presence.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a possibility, but there\u2019s also the possibility that he will survive.\u00a0\u00a0I just don\u2019t know which way the pendulum will\u00a0swing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Paul.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019m just tired.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sitting in the chair he wasn\u2019t sure how Paul was able to stand in the room, after spending the previous night tending to miners involved in a ridiculous fight, the time spent attempting to save one brother\u2019s life, a bar fight, and finally riding to the Ponderosa to spend the morning hours repairing the damage inflicted on another brother.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGet some sleep, Adam.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI could say the same for you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI will, after I\u2019ve informed your father about Joe\u00a0and checked Hoss one more time.\u00a0\u00a0Is there anything you want me to relay to Ben?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust tell him about Joe, and that I\u2019ll remain here to keep an eye on the kid.\u00a0\u00a0Tell Pa I\u2019ll do my best to keep him in bed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

The afternoon sun had beamed through the partially opened curtains as Adam rose from the chair in which he\u2019d restlessly slept the few hours after Paul left.\u00a0\u00a0Stretching, he wondered what had woke him; Joe was lying as he had since the physician had left.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI bring coffee,\u201d Hop Sing spoke as he entered, carrying a tray.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI make roast beef sandwich.\u00a0\u00a0You need eat.\u00a0\u00a0Keep up strength.\u00a0\u00a0Fatha and brothas will need you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam offered, \u201cThank you Hop Sing,\u201d before reaching for the steaming cup of coffee and one of the sandwiches on the tray.\u00a0 He waited for his brother to regain consciousness as afternoon turned to evening, and then became night.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Before the black of night gave way to the gray pre-dawn, Adam shifted uncomfortably in the chair; throughout the night he\u2019d woke at the slightest sounds\u00a0from outside, a howling wolf or coyote,\u00a0or the\u00a0horses snorting as they shuffled in the corral or when Hop Sing entered the room to check on the brothers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A second night of broken sleep left Adam exhausted.\u00a0\u00a0Standing to stretch, he felt and heard his back popping in release of tension and from sleeping crooked in the soft chair.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

The long clock downstairs by the front door chimed eight o\u2019clock in the morning only a few moments before as Adam watched the figure begin to come to life under the covers.\u00a0\u00a0He smiled when green eyes groggily peered up at him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019re you feeling?\u201d Adam inquired, standing beside his brother\u2019s bed and taking back the half empty cup of water, pleased that Joe had drank as much as he had.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFine.\u00a0\u00a0How long you been in here?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA little after the posse brought you home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey still here?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0\u00a0They left yesterday morning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYesterday morning?\u201d Unable to stifle a yawn, \u201cYou been here all this time?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam nodded, pleased his brother appeared to be coherent.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow long have I been out?\u201d\u00a0Joe inquired.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou were brought home, a little after six thirty yesterday morning.\u00a0\u00a0Jacob Branson rode to town for Doc, we didn\u2019t get here until almost seven.\u00a0\u00a0Roy said you\u2019d been unconscious since the accident, before sunset.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Unable to prevent the groan escaping, Joe thought differently about trying to sit up.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWhere\u2019s Pa\u2026 and Hoss?\u201d Joe asked in that peculiar tone of voice indicating he was surprised not to find his father in his room; more so surprised to find his oldest brother in his room tending to him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2019s with Hoss, he was still unconscious when I left town to come home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Lost in confusion, Joe stared up at his oldest brother, groaning at the hammering he felt in his head.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam moved his hand to the deepening-colored bruise on Joe\u2019s temple.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPaul had to perform surgery.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSurgery\u2026?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Joe squeaked out as he promptly batted away his brother\u2019s hand.\u00a0\u00a0His mind focusing hard to comprehend what his brother said.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWhat happened?\u00a0\u00a0Why\u2019d Hoss need surgery?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

From the one-word question and\u00a0his further quests for\u00a0clarification, remembrance came of Cletus\u2019 statement that the posse had left before they\u2019d pulled Hoss from the bank.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe scrunched his face, growing worried and concerned; collapsing to his bed when he tried to sit up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you remember Joe?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, just tell me what happened.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFirst answer me.\u00a0\u00a0What do you remember?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHoss and I were in town, we split up to run all the errands we needed to.\u00a0\u00a0I went to Hiram\u2019s while Hoss went to the store and the ban\u2026\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Gulping Joe stopped, his face turned green.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam quickly placed a bowl in front of his brother as he lost the meager contents of his stomach.<\/span><\/p>\n

Settling Joe back and after placing a wet washcloth to his brother\u2019s forehead, \u201cYou with me Joe?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, tell me about Hoss.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHoss was in the bank when it was robbed.\u00a0\u00a0Mitch told me that\u00a0when the outlaws were preparing to leave, one turned to fire\u00a0at his mother who was in the bank, too.\u00a0\u00a0Hoss stepped between them, pushing her out of the way and the bullet struck him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to get to town! Why\u2026 why aren\u2019t you in town with Hoss?\u201d Joe struggled to speak, shock from his brother\u2019s words set in.\u00a0\u00a0He tried to sit up, pain due to his own injuries screamed in protest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pushing the smallest Cartwright back to his bed, Adam answered, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know, maybe because we received word that another Cartwright was hurt and I wanted to make sure he was okay.\u00a0\u00a0Why do you think I came home?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0His sarcasm hung thick.<\/span><\/p>\n

Guiltily, Joe grabbed for his injured shoulder, allowing himself to be pushed back to lying down.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cHow\u2019s he doing? He\u2019s going to be okay\u2026 right?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Silently Adam sat on his brother\u2019s bedside, refusing for a moment to look at his youngest sibling.\u00a0\u00a0Shaking his head he answered, \u201cNot so good.\u00a0\u00a0Doc\u2019s not even giving him a fifty, fifty chance of survival.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Adam\u2019s clipped words sounded bitter; his attention drifted to the open window at hearing their hands head out for the morning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe was perceptive of the grief and regret in his brother\u2019s voice.\u00a0\u00a0Unable\u00a0to speak, his own actions from that day tore at him.\u00a0\u00a0He remembered planning to meet Hoss at the bank, only stopping when Evelyn Garret batted her eyes in his direction.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stuck in bed, Joe groaned, \u201cI should have been there with him.\u00a0\u00a0I told him I\u2019d meet him there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if you\u2019d been there?\u00a0\u00a0There\u2019s every chance you might have been shot too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou said they were only shooting at Mrs. Devlin.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what Mitch said, what he didn\u2019t know was there were additional shots fired while they were trying to make their way out of town.\u00a0\u00a0Guess we can be thankful they were such great gunmen and managed to miss everyone on the street.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2026 But why\u2019d they have to be good enough to hit Hoss?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Joe moaned, his body protesting his movements.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou in pain?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFine\u2026\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A busted wrist, dislocated shoulder, bruised hip and ribs, and a wrenched knee and ankle\u2026\u00a0not to mention a concussion.\u00a0\u00a0Yeah, I\u2019d say you\u2019re just fine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Allowing his brother his own thoughts, Adam walked from the bed to the nightstand, where he mixed the pain medication into a glass of water, and returned to his brother.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHere, drink this.\u00a0\u00a0No arguments.\u00a0\u00a0Doc said you\u2019d need it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThanks.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Finishing the medicated drink, Joe closed his eyes, begging the drug to take away everything as pain overwhelmed his senses, but worst was the hurt in his heart.\u00a0\u00a0Joe grieved over a future without his brother Hoss.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

The afternoon sun intruded into his thoughts as the worried father sat alone in the room with his still unconscious son, Ben heard footsteps in the hallway.\u00a0\u00a0Halfway turning in the chair his expression asked the question.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI arrived back a little while ago, but you were asleep.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Seeing his friend\u2019s expression, \u201cYou needed the sleep.\u00a0\u00a0Joe\u2019s pretty banged up; broken wrist, dislocated shoulder, a pretty good concussion, a wretched knee\/ankle, and bruised ribs on top of it all.\u00a0\u00a0Told Adam to keep him in bed for a few days, and then he can get up and around a little.\u00a0\u00a0But he\u2019s on restrictions until his body heals and his head no longer hurts.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you.\u00a0\u00a0At least that\u2019s one relief,\u201d Ben settled back into the chair.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBen, go get a meal at Daisy\u2019s and then get a room at the International House.\u00a0\u00a0You look horrible.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI feel horrible.\u00a0\u00a0But I need to…\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to take care of yourself,\u201d Paul interrupted.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cLorelei should be here soon to keep an eye on\u00a0Hoss\u00a0so we can both get some sleep.\u00a0\u00a0I promise, she or I will send someone for you should Hoss wake.\u00a0\u00a0Okay?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Begrudgingly Ben stepped from the clinic and nearly ran into Roy Coffee.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBen!\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019m surprised you\u2019re in town considering the shape Joe was in last night.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t I be here in town!\u201d defended Ben.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust know how you are about that young pup of yours,\u201d jested Roy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I do have more than one son.\u00a0\u00a0And right now, I don\u2019t care for your attitude.\u00a0\u00a0Hoss is fighting for his life!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Ben pushed past his long-time friend.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSorry about Ben,\u201d Paul Martin offered the lawman,\u00a0having stepped to the boardwalk\u00a0and overheard the conversation.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cHe\u2019s having a hard time about Hoss.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about Hoss?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t know?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow how should I know?\u00a0\u00a0I led a posse out of here and only returned to town a few hours ago to get some sleep.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHoss was in the bank.\u00a0\u00a0He saved Margaret Devlin\u2019s life, but\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBen said\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Paul nodded and explained the facts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDamn,\u201d Roy watched Ben enter Daisy\u2019s caf\u00e9.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Waiting for the pain medication to take him to oblivion, Joe thought back to his day in town.\u00a0\u00a0The horse wasn\u2019t one Joe would have chosen, but it was the only one remaining in the livery.\u00a0\u00a0Its dull coat gave anyone looking at it the wrong impression, that it was compliant.\u00a0\u00a0He\u2019d seen the look in the horse\u2019s eyes, it wasn\u2019t scared or wary, it was looking for a way out.\u00a0\u00a0Yet it was the only horse available if he were to ride with the posse.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Reining the horse in and keeping him beside Roy\u2019s mount took sheer tenacity on Joe\u2019s part as they rode from town.\u00a0\u00a0Once they were beyond the city limits, Joe had enough.\u00a0\u00a0He realized that in the two weeks since its previous owner had been killed for stupidly calling out \u2018cheat\u2019 to a professional gambler, the horse had probably not had any opportunity for a run.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNeed to wear him down a little Roy, I\u2019ll be right back.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As the rest of the posse loped their horses in the direction the outlaws took, Joe stood slightly in the stirrups and gave the horse its head, guiding it in a large sweeping arc away from the trail the posse followed so as to not disturb any tracks.\u00a0\u00a0With legs blurring, the gelding exploded forward with pent up energy as its stride lengthened and quickened.\u00a0\u00a0Fifteen minutes later, with flanks heaving, the horse finally gave into Joe\u2019s request to rein in.\u00a0\u00a0He rode back to rejoin the posse as they turned off the Virginia City Road.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Jacob Branson a cowboy working for the Bar None ranch had stepped from his mount and surveyed the tracks that lead up to and away from the stream. He looked up as a shadow crossed over.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, I\u2019m not sure.\u00a0\u00a0What do you think?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWish we\u2019d waited for Hoss.\u00a0\u00a0He\u2019s good a reading tracks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI heard Hoss say he thought you were almost as good as him,\u201d Jacob encouraged.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThinking and being, are two different matters.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGive it a shot.\u00a0\u00a0See what you think and we\u2019ll compare.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ten minutes later the posse followed the trail the two men pointed out, winding their way through a broad stand of trees.\u00a0\u00a0After clearing the woods, Joe and Jacob once more found themselves on foot as they scoured the ground and found the distinct hoof prints that advised them they were still on the right track.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe returned to where the posse waited; his mount giving the man who held him a difficult time.\u00a0\u00a0Grabbing the reins and swinging into the saddle, Joe whirled the horse round in a circle in an effort to indicate that its actions were not acceptable.\u00a0\u00a0By the time he felt he had the horse under control again, the posse was a quarter mile ahead of him as he raced to catch up.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shadows from the hills on their left flank lengthened across the range as the air temperature dropped; Joe\u2019s mount grew rank once more.\u00a0\u00a0It fought the fact that Joe was deliberately keeping him to the rear of the posse.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe should have reacted a moment sooner than he did to the sun glinting off something off to the side of the group, up in the hills.\u00a0\u00a0With a blaring scream, the horse grabbed the bit between its teeth and with flared nostrils, it bolted forward; bodily pushing the horses immediately in front of it aside.\u00a0\u00a0Had this been the Founder\u2019s Day Race, Joe would have thrilled once more at the power.\u00a0\u00a0The horse refused to obey his commands; he tried hard to make the animal zig-zag erratically as shots struck the ground in front of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Without warning, the horse reared before its front hooves crashed to the ground, spinning, it fell to the left; giving Little Joe little time to react.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cNO!!\u201d was his only thought before darkness descended.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cNO!!\u201d Joe screamed, bolting upright in his bed.\u00a0\u00a0His right arm flailed around in an effort to save himself from the fall, while struggling against the restraining bandages binding his left arm to his torso.<\/span><\/p>\n

Startled from his nap, Adam slipped to the bed and attempted to rouse his brother from his dream.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cCome on Joe, you\u2019re safe.\u00a0\u00a0You\u2019re home.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Adam encouraged and gently slapped his brother\u2019s cheeks.\u00a0\u00a0Awareness slowly returned; his brother\u2019s frantic movements quieted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou okay, now?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was so real\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWant to talk about it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Struggling with the images and his memories, Joe recounted his dream, just before everything went black and he woke up at the Ponderosa.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t tell you why it bolted, other than the fact that you and I both know that horse should have been destroyed weeks ago.\u201d Adam stated when Joe stopped talking, \u201cBut I think I can tell you why it reared and then went down; still it got up and ambled away.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Joe reached for Adam\u2019s arm.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cRoy said one of the men found the horse; with a bullet through its chest.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought I saw a glint up in the hills\u2026 the sun was setting, just the perfect angle for an ambush.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you alright now?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I guess.\u00a0\u00a0Sorry, Adam\u2026\u00a0\u00a0I didn\u2019t mean to worry you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you hungry?\u00a0\u00a0I can ask Hop Sing to bring up a cup of soup.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not now.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Joe cringed at the thought of eating.\u00a0\u00a0Worry over Hoss turned his stomach.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNauseous?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSome, I just want to sleep.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, just lie back down.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Watching Joe pull the blanket over his shoulder, Adam mused, \u2018<\/span>Must have been one\u00a0hell of a\u00a0nightmare little brother\u00a0to\u00a0break\u00a0you\u00a0out of Doc Martin\u2019s\u00a0drugs.\u2019<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Before leaving the room, Adam waited until his brother\u2019s breathing evened out indicating he was once again in deep slumber.\u00a0\u00a0Boredom and worry plagued the eldest son, leaving him to\u00a0wonder how his other brother was fairing.\u00a0\u00a0Leaving his brother alone, he picked up his coffee cup and saucer and headed downstairs to brood.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFatha send word when things change,\u201d Hop Sing quietly offered as Adam stood contemplatively in front of the long cold fireplace; the great room began to warm by the sun hitting the roof of their home.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019m just not good at waiting.\u00a0\u00a0I want to get those\u2026 men and crucify them for the harm they\u2019ve inflicted.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUnderstandable.\u00a0\u00a0Heart pull in different directions, with no certainty as to outcome.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo certainty\u2026 that\u2019s an understatement.\u00a0\u00a0I can\u2019t lose him, I can\u2019t lose either of them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen pray, pray to your Heavenly Father.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a pragmatist, do you really think\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hop Sing interrupted, \u201cWon\u2019t know unless try.\u00a0\u00a0Won\u2019t know unless do.\u00a0\u00a0Still, ours is not to understand, only accept.\u00a0\u00a0He knows us better than we know us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, my friend.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cVery welcome.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Adam returned upstairs to his chair and his book.\u00a0\u00a0To an outsider, one would think he was deep in thought over the book in his lap, but Hop Sing knew this son.\u00a0\u00a0He was deep in thought, but it had nothing to do with reading or praying.<\/span><\/p>\n

Seeing his brother become restless, Adam sat forward and wondered what images were disturbing the sleep the boy so needed in order to heal.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Night fell one more time before Joe naturally woke.\u00a0\u00a0In silence, Adam set the volume aside and slipped to the bed as Joe began to move\u00a0assertively\u00a0under the covers; a sure sign the drug had worked its way\u00a0completely\u00a0out of his system.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u00a0\u00a0Hoss!\u201d he called out, rousing closer to consciousness.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTake it easy, Joe,\u201d Adam comforted, avoiding his brother\u2019s injured arm.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, NO!\u201d Joe sat bolt upright.\u00a0\u00a0Blinking rapidly, lungs heaving for breath, Joe looked\u00a0around.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After stabilizing his brother, Adam handed a glass of plain water to Joe, who scowled at him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s only water.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sipping his fill, Joe offered, \u201cThanks.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFeeling better?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam didn\u2019t have to ask, but he did anyway, \u201cCare to talk about your dreams?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe shook his head, before saying, \u201cThe same one,\u201d and looked away.\u00a0\u00a0Finally, he asked, \u201cAny word on Hoss?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam returned to the stand with the water pitcher and basin.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cNo.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019m sure Pa would have sent word had Hoss regained consciousness or…\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat for?\u201d Adam\u00a0turned\u00a0at his brother\u2019s voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know he\u2019d been shot.\u00a0\u00a0Honestly Adam, you have to believe me. I didn\u2019t know he\u2019d been shot when Roy asked me to ride.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay kid.\u00a0\u00a0I probably would have done the same in your shoes.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Adam returned to the bed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDid they catch any of the robbers?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0\u00a0Before the posse left, Roy left word with Charlie.\u00a0\u00a0The only one captured was the one you shot\u00a0in town.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDid he say anything?\u00a0\u00a0Could he tell Roy who the others were?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0\u00a0He couldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Struggling to sit up, Joe ignored his pain, \u201cCouldn\u2019t or wouldn\u2019t?\u00a0\u00a0You\u2019ve got a way with words, Adam.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019m sure Roy would let you en\u2026\u00a0entero\u2026\u201d Joe\u2019s breath came fast again; he had to know who was responsible.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cInterrogate,\u201d Adam offered and tartly shook his head no.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cHe\u2019s dead Joe.\u00a0\u00a0Your bullet silenced the only lead we might have had.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sinking back\u00a0against the pillows piled around him, the youngest Cartwright furrowed his brow; the news kept getting worse.\u00a0\u00a0Tears threatened to fall.\u00a0\u00a0He sensed there was more, but Adam wasn\u2019t saying anything.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thinking back, he thought how could things have\u00a0gone\u00a0so horribly wrong after\u00a0the two brothers\u00a0arrived in\u00a0town for supplies?\u00a0\u00a0They had bantered back and forth in good humor.\u00a0\u00a0Things had been going so well.\u00a0\u00a0But now\u2026\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Joe\u00a0stared at Adam\u2026\u00a0\u00a0There was something about Adam\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you crazy?\u201d Adam responded when Joe grunted after throwing back the covers and swinging his legs from his bed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s my brother too!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that supposed to mean?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can see it in your eyes, Adam.\u00a0\u00a0You\u2019re mad you weren\u2019t in town when Hoss was shot.\u00a0\u00a0You think you could have done better than me!\u00a0\u00a0And now, because of me, the posse had to turn back from trailing those bastards and the one we had is dead.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat couldn\u2019t be helped,\u201d Adam interrupted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI rode with Roy because he asked.\u00a0\u00a0I didn\u2019t know!\u00a0\u00a0And now\u2026 Now you\u2019re mad that you had to leave Hoss to come home and take care of me.\u00a0\u00a0You\u2019re mad at me because you\u2019re forced to do nothing more than sit here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not mad at you Joe\u2026 I\u2019m\u2026 I\u2019m pissed that those outlaws put both of my brothers in harm\u2019s way.\u00a0\u00a0They need to be brought to justice,\u201d announced Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

Staring again and realizing his error, Adam wasn\u2019t mad at him. \u201cYou\u2019re heading out, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I\u2019m leaving\u00a0as soon as it\u2019s daylight.\u00a0\u00a0Just needed to make sure you were alright. Hop Sing will look after you until Pa gets home.\u00a0\u00a0I wrote Pa a note.\u201d Keeping his emotions tightly reined in while standing\u00a0at the foot of the bed and\u00a0crossing\u00a0his arms, Adam\u00a0watched with amusement\u00a0that he didn\u2019t find amusing\u00a0when his brother struggled to his feet.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going with you.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Joe\u2019s voice was dead serious and reflected pain.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0His body leaned precariously as a well-muscled, but weak good arm wrapped around the bedpost, using it as an anchor while attempting to stand in front of his\u00a0oldest\u00a0brother.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how far do you think you\u2019ll get?\u00a0\u00a0You can\u2019t even stand straight from that knock on the head.\u201d Sarcasm hid fear.\u00a0\u00a0Adam tried to prevent his youngest brother from doing something stupid.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cHow can you expect to ride in your condition?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re going, I\u2019m going too.\u00a0\u00a0Don\u2019t worry about me, this time I\u2019ll have Cochise.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Joe fought for balance as Adam pushed him back to bed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll only slow me down.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSlow and steady is better than fast and furious.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Joe winced.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cYou go out there like you\u2019re feeling\u2026and\u2026 and\u2026 you\u2019re bound to miss the signs.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Joe\u2019s voice increased in volume and pitch as he\u00a0struggled against his brother.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cLet go of me, I\u2019m going!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about your shoulder and your arm?\u00a0\u00a0How do you expect to saddle your horse with those ribs?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll manage,\u201d Joe argued.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u00a0you\u2019ll manage.\u00a0\u00a0Face it kid, you can\u2019t ride, not in your condition.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDoesn\u2019t matter,\u201d Joe pushed away his brother\u2019s interference.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?!\u201d Adam expressed his exasperation by throwing his hands up in the air and turning to go stare out\u00a0the bedroom window.\u00a0\u00a0He recognized that he needed to rein in his emotions and once back in control\u2026 he turned around and\u00a0stated, \u201cJust tell me why you\u2019re so damn determined to go with me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I remember Vannie Johnson.<\/span>(The Hanging Posse)<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Adam sobered.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had a dream.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0He remembered the posse that he and Adam had rode with several months before.\u00a0\u00a0His nightmare had changed, this time Adam rode as a one-man lynching party; and for him to be legally hanged afterwards for lynching the outlaws.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cVannie\u2026\u00a0\u00a0Mrs. Johnson,\u201d Adam struggled to understand the connection.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHer husband\u00a0and those others were\u00a0out to find the men who killed her\u2026\u00a0\u00a0They would have hanged\u00a0them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going out to hang those men.\u201d Adam answered adamantly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, come on Adam!\u00a0\u00a0They\u2019ve possibly killed Hoss.\u00a0\u00a0Regardless how, you want them dead!\u201d Joe knew he was fighting more than one losing battle; his little excursion getting up from bed had sapped his strength and he knew he was in no condition to ride, yet he had to stop his brother.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what\u2019s wrong with that?!\u201d\u00a0Adam yelled in response to Joe\u2019s breaking through his defenses.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause he\u2019s not dead!\u00a0\u00a0Not yet\u2026\u00a0\u00a0And God\u2026 even if he does die\u2026\u201d Joe\u2019s good arm desperately reached for his brother.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cAdam, you told me, justice has to be served, by the law.\u00a0\u00a0You go out there now, like you\u2019re feeling\u2026\u00a0\u00a0I want them dead or behind bars just as much as you do, but not like this.\u00a0\u00a0Please, Adam\u2026\u00a0\u00a0I can\u2019t risk losing you, too.\u00a0\u00a0Please, leave it to Roy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The eldest Cartwright son looked in\u00a0shock\u00a0at his little brother\u00a0who he helped collapse gently to his bed.\u00a0\u00a0Adam\u00a0gave serious consideration to\u00a0the\u00a0words\u00a0spoken.\u00a0\u00a0A brief moment\u00a0passed before Joe\u2019s eyelids slipped\u00a0lower\u00a0and\u00a0lower\u00a0to finally closing as his body tilted\u00a0backwards\u00a0to the right, almost off the end of the bed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOut of the mouths of babes\u2026\u201d mused Adam as he carefully worked to reposition Joe to lying fully on the bed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mumbling, \u201cAin\u2019t no\u2026\u00a0babe,\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Joe\u2019s breathing evened out as exhaustion claimed him.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

A fourth night began to pass with Ben barely eating any of the food Mrs. Miller brought over from Daisy\u2019s cafe.\u00a0 All his waking time was spent wiping away the perspiration from the fever that had taken hold of his middle son, and seeing that every hour water or chicken broth was slipped to his son\u2019s lips took most of his attention.\u00a0 Bloodshot eyes with dark shadows underneath and several days\u2019 worth of whisker growth marred the face that earnestly prayed for God to spare his son\u2019s life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Having not given any consideration to his own needs except the bare basics, Ben\u2019s body began to rebel and take matters into its own; slowly his eyes closed as sleep deprivation took its toll.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Paul Martin entered his patient\u2019s room to see rivulets of perspiration streaming down Hoss\u2019s face with pale blue eyes appearing between slits of waking eyelids.\u00a0 A mouth parted, allowing a tongue to push out in an effort to moisten dried lips.\u00a0 Quickly Paul walked to his patient and lifted his head from the pillow and offered a sip of water from the glass he\u2019d retrieved from the side table.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust a little right now, Hoss,\u201d Paul whispered.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll give you more in a few minutes if you can keep that down.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHurt,\u201d Hoss breathily replied.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know you do.\u00a0 Your father will be happy to see that you\u2019re awake.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2019s\u2026 here?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s sleeping, first time he\u2019s really slept since he arrived.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThirsty\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, just a little more.\u00a0 And slowly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Paul lifted the glass and was happy that Hoss was slowly drinking the liquid; indicating he was lucid enough to understand and follow the doctor\u2019s instructions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nodding, Hoss indicated he\u2019d had enough.\u00a0 Paul lowered his head back to the pillows and set the glass aside.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBetter?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Hoss answered with a little more voice.\u00a0 \u201cHurt.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou will for a while yet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPaul?\u201d Ben asked, eyes still closed in sleep.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone\u2019s been waiting to see you, sleepyhead,\u201d Paul looked across his patient and saw Ben sitting stiffly forward in the chair.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey Pa\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHoss.\u201d\u00a0 A large smile spontaneously appeared.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDoc said you was sleepin\u2019.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I guess I was.\u00a0 How are you feeling, son?\u201d Ben slipped from the chair to the side of the bed, placing his palm to his son\u2019s forehead.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHurt some.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI told him he would, but now that I know how cognizant he is of things, I don\u2019t think it would hurt to give him some laudanum to ease the pain,\u201d Paul stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss whispered, \u201cSorry \u2018bout the supplies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry about that.\u00a0 You focus on getting better,\u201d Ben encouraged.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd to do that, you\u2019ll need to sleep.\u00a0 Here drink some more of this,\u201d Paul offered Hoss a glass of water laced with pain medication.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNice an\u2019 cool.\u00a0 Good.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss yawned.\u00a0 \u201cThink\u2026 I\u2019m gonna sleep.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou do that son.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben breathed a huge sigh of relief that his son was going to make it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome with me, Ben.\u00a0 He\u2019ll sleep for a few hours.\u00a0 We need to talk.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sitting down in the doctor\u2019s office, Paul watched as Ben stiffly lowered himself to one of the chairs.\u00a0 Realizing the man was as comfortable as he could be\u2026 Doc began, \u201cBen, Hoss is going to have a long road ahead of him in order to recover.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut he\u2019s going to recover.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I\u2019m more confident that he\u2019ll recover than I was even yesterday, but I want to keep him here for at least another week to evaluate his progress and to make sure he doesn\u2019t pull any stitches.\u00a0 The Ponderosa is too far away for me to travel in case anything happens.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve never had trouble coming out before.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNever have any of your sons come so close to dying.\u00a0 Ben,\u201d sitting behind his desk, forearms resting on top with his fingers interlaced, Paul breathed deeply and exhaled, \u201cthe bullet lodged precariously close to his heart and nicked a lung.\u00a0 On top of all that\u2026 was the damage I inflicted while removing the bullet and all the blood he lost\u2026\u00a0 He\u2019s going to be extremely weak and vulnerable to infections.\u00a0 I\u2019ll think about letting him go home once I remove his stitches, but not until then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut a week\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAt least a week,\u201d corrected Paul.\u00a0 \u201cBen, your son has regained consciousness, now why don\u2019t you go to the hotel and get a room.\u00a0 Order a hot bath, a shave, and a meal.\u00a0 And then go to sleep, in a bed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben glared.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDoctor\u2019s orders.\u00a0 Hoss will sleep at least until sometime this afternoon.\u00a0 Should he wake, I\u2019ll send word.\u00a0 Besides, you need to arrange to get a message to Adam and Joe that Hoss is going to be okay.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben accepted the physician\u2019s instructions and after checking to make sure Hoss was truly asleep, he left to take care of business.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Having heard no word from town since he woke in his own bed and found Adam at his bedside several days before, Joe continued to stay in his room and fret about his actions.\u00a0 Foremost on his mind was how Hoss would feel about the fact that he had ridden out of town without making sure his brother was alright.\u00a0 Having stopped Adam from riding out to seek revenge didn\u2019t ease his own guilt towards leaving his other brother.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cYou ready to get out of room?\u201d Hop Sing inquired as he stripped Joe\u2019s bed after watching Adam aid Joe in dressing for the day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s response was a mumbled, \u201cI guess.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome on Joe, you\u2019ve nothing to feel guilty about,\u201d Adam answered, hoping to cheer up his brother; yet understanding exactly why the boy felt as he did.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hot with temper, \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t have ridden off without checking on Hoss first!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWouldn\u2019t I have?\u201d Helping Joe to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cAs reckless as you said those mem were, I probably would have done exactly as you did, had Roy asked me to join the posse.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Closing his eyes as the room slightly spun, \u201cStill doesn\u2019t make me feel better.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but I\u2019m sure getting you out of your bedroom will help.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe only thing that will really make me feel better would be getting word from Pa that Hoss is alright.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou and me, both, little brother.\u00a0 You and me, both.\u201d\u00a0 With a light touch, Adam stepped away from Joe and paused, \u201cDoc has your knee and ankle wrapped well enough, but we\u2019ll still take it easy going down the hallway and especially down the staircase.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWould have made a lot more sense to have left me in the downstairs bedroom when they brought me home, then I wouldn\u2019t have to worry about the staircase.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but you were unconscious at that time, and Roy had no idea that Hoss had been shot and that Pa and I would be in town.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019Sides, I tell them take you upstairs,\u201d Hop Sing responded.\u00a0 \u201cI have coffee and cake when you settled downstairs,\u201d and then exited the room with a wad of bedsheets in his arms.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

With his oldest brother hovering close by his side, in case his knees buckled, Joe slowly made his way down the staircase.\u00a0 His vision blurred as they stopped on the mid-landing, he hadn\u2019t counted on such a small effort causing him to want to go back to bed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust a few more steps and then you can rest in Pa\u2019s chair,\u201d Adam encouraged as they reached the last step.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think\u2026 I can.\u00a0 How about the settee\u2026 if that\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Nodding, Adam again supported his youngest sibling.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2019s not here so you can prop your leg on the table.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUh\u2026 thanks.\u201d Joe positioned his foot on the tabletop, with Adam placing a cushion underneath his heel.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leaving his brother alone for a short while, Adam left the house to check in with their foreman.\u00a0 A short while later he returned, heading straight for the alcove and Ben\u2019s desk.\u00a0 A few hours spent bringing the books up-to-date, and Adam had had enough. \u00a0 Standing to stretch his back, Adam headed for his blue chair and a copy of the Territorial Enterprise that had been brought home by one of the men who had picked up the mail earlier in the week.\u00a0 Joe sat with his eyes closed.\u00a0 Sounds of Hop Sing in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on their meal, sounded through the all too silent home.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Adam,\u201d Joe quietly stated, having given Adam time to settle into his seat.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me?\u201d Adam answered, lowering the paper.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry about Hoss\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve nothing to be sorry about, Joe,\u201d Adam answered.\u00a0 \u201cYou weren\u2019t the one who shot him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut if it weren\u2019t for me\u2026\u201d Joe quieted, raised his head from the back of the settee and stared at Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll be okay.\u00a0 We just have to believe,\u201d Adam sat forward on the settee.\u00a0 \u201cYou want to talk?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe shook his head, \u201cNo\u201d as his tears began to fall.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh Joe\u2026 Please, don\u2019t do this to yourself.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam moved from his chair to the low table, not knowing how his brother would interpret his actions or if he was even welcome\u2026 Adam placed his hand on his brother\u2019s uninjured knee and gave a gentle squeeze.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to keep the faith, as a very wise man told me.\u00a0 We\u2019ll never know if we don\u2019t try.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The eldest son turned to look over his shoulder, sensing the presence of the man who had advised him so eloquently.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happens if he dies?\u201d Joe whispered.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trails of tears streamed down Joe\u2019s face as hitching shoulders revealed his quiet sobs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2026\u00a0 all I can say is that we\u2019ll cross that bridge IF we come to it.\u00a0 Right now, we have to believe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBrothas need faith that fatha\u2019s other son will come home.\u00a0 Will take time to heal, with faith, all is possible.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Hop Sing,\u201d Adam offered.<\/span><\/p>\n

Suppa ready,\u201d Hop Sing announced, coming farther into the great room, his heart saddened to see the brothers so unhappy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome on Joe, let\u2019s get you to the table,\u201d Adam stood and held out his hand to assist his brother from the settee.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not hungry\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sounding gruff, Hop Sing offered, \u201cBones need food so they can heal.\u201d\u00a0 Gruff was his voice, but his eyes expressed his emotions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through the years, the caring Chinese man had been an extended member of the family and knew how emotions and worry tended to rob the youngest of his appetite.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t help but wonder if the boy would have grown as large as his father and brothers had he not stopped eating after his mother had died.\u00a0 Hop Sing remembered the weeks that led to almost two months where their father had disappeared in grief after having lost a third wife to death.\u00a0 The youngest son had constantly cried for his mother and father; it took all Hop Sing knew in order to see that the boy ate something to keep him alive.\u00a0 He had spoken with the Chinese elders as well as the honorable doctor to come up with a regimen that worked.\u00a0 Even once the boy\u2019s father returned, the child still didn\u2019t eat enough to truly satisfy the cook, or his family.\u00a0 And then Adam left, and it seemed the battle began all over again.<\/span><\/p>\n

And now\u2026 it appeared that the cycle was ready to begin anew.\u00a0 Smiling, Hop Sing felt triumphant at getting Joe to the table and hopefully to eat.<\/span><\/p>\n

His dominant wrist and forearm encased in plaster, so with his right hand, Joe pushed his food around the plate more times than his fork made the trip to his mouth.\u00a0 Hop Sing was somewhat pleased to see the boy at least drink his milk.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI get door,\u201d Hop Sing announced as Adam began to rise in response to the pounding on the front door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing,\u201d asked the young man standing on the wooden porch, the other side of the open door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI Hop Sing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve a letter here for Mr. Adam.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s there Hop Sing?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBoy from town, with letter.\u00a0 Fatha\u2019s handwriting.\u201d Hop Sing answered as he took the envelope.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cKenny, what are you doing out here so late?\u201d Adam stepped from the dining room and saw the fifteen-year-old son of Virginia City\u2019s telegrapher.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYour Pa stopped by this morning and asked Pa to see that this message got out here.\u00a0 Pa got busy with wires coming in and\u2026 sending wires for the sheriff…\u00a0 There\u2019s been a lot happening with them outlaws who robbed the bank and shot Mr. Hoss.\u00a0 Mr. Adam, please don\u2019t be mad that Pa forgot to send me out here with this message.\u00a0 He was real busy and I was at school\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not mad, at least not at you or your father.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam pulled a few coins from his pocket and handed them to the boy before he accepted the letter from Hop Sing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe had turned around in his chair and looked up from where he sat at the table to watch Adam open the envelope and pull out a sheet of paper.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?…. is it Hoss?\u201d Joe gulped.<\/span><\/p>\n

A smile came to Adam\u2019s face as he perused the letter before he returned to the table and read it aloud.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Adam and Joe,<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

I hope all is well at the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Joe, I\u2019m sorry that I am not able to be there for you.\u00a0 However, I believe you understand and that you should know about Hoss.\u00a0 Paul Martin has explained the severity of your brother\u2019s injury and the need for constant monitoring during his recovery.\u00a0 Yes, I did say recovery.\u00a0 Hoss woke this morning, and two bluer eyes I\u2019ve never been happier to see.\u00a0 He was coherent and understood all we said before falling back asleep a short time later.<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

I trust the two of you are more than capable of watching over the Ponderosa and each other in my absence, as I am needed here until Paul says it is permissible to bring Hoss home.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Your loving, Pa<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cWhat a relief,\u201d Adam sighed.\u00a0 \u201cHoss is going to be okay.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but how long until he can come home?\u00a0 How long before Pa comes back?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, Pa didn\u2019t say.\u00a0 Do you want to go to town to visit Hoss and see Pa?\u201d Adam inquired.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam knew that of all the brothers, Joe was the most tactile when it came to comforting.\u00a0 He\u2019d done his best during the early part of Joe\u2019s recovery to be there, but now that he was out of any danger, Adam\u2019s attention was focused on the ranch, now that they were down three men.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDoc Martin wouldn\u2019t be none too happy to see me in town,\u201d Joe stated, pushing his half eaten plate of food away and standing to leave the table.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll tell him I kidnapped you.\u00a0 Besides, it would save him a trip out here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe another time.\u00a0 Besides, Pa wants us to look after the Ponderosa, and we can\u2019t do that traipsing into town.\u00a0 Would you help me back upstairs?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2026 Why don\u2019t you spend some more time down here with me?\u00a0 We can play some checkers.\u201d\u00a0 Adam had hoped that his sibling would take him up on his offer.\u00a0 The past few days Joe had been uncharacteristically quiet in not demanding to get out of bed as he had any time he previously had been sick or injured.\u00a0 The only reason Adam felt that his brother had joined him downstairs this night was because he had cajoled the youth.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe we can raid Pa\u2019s brandy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam was positive he saw a slight gleam in Joe\u2019s eyes before he answered, \u201cSure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe I can teach you some strategic moves so you won\u2019t have to cheat to beat Hoss,\u201d offered Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t cheat!\u201d Joe defended himself.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mission accomplished.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>\u201cCome on.\u00a0 I\u2019ll set up the board.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow about poker instead,\u201d Joe offered.<\/span><\/p>\n

Several hours and two tumblers of brandy each, Joe was feeling better than he had since he rode out with the posse.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Ben smiled once Hoss set the bowl that had contained a hearty beef stew back to the tray on his lap.\u00a0 It was the first day that Hoss had reclaimed his appetite and willingly sat up in bed during the day.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat shore was good,\u201d Hoss quietly voiced and then wiped his mouth with a napkin.\u00a0 \u201cDo you think I could have some more?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll see if Daisy has any more for you son.\u201d\u00a0 Ben took the tray from his son\u2019s lap and set it on the bureau across the room.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s good to see you eating so well\u2026\u00a0 Maybe Paul will let you come home soon.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCain\u2019t wait for that.\u00a0 This bed ain\u2019t nearly as nice as my bed at home.\u00a0 Sides, I miss them two brothers of mine.\u00a0 I\u2019m surprised they\u2019ve not been here\u2026 things can\u2019t be that busy at home, can they?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben knew this day was coming and dreaded informing Hoss about the events that transpired after the bank robbery.\u00a0 He hoped he could keep his own emotions in check as he relayed the news.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe can\u2019t ride, and with the two of you laid up and me here\u2026 most all the work of running the ranch has fallen on Adam\u2019s shoulders.\u00a0 I\u2019ve sent notes to the Ponderosa letting them know how you\u2019re coming along,\u201d Ben stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy can\u2019t Joe ride?\u00a0 He get bucked off a horse he was breakin\u2019?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2026 If only,\u201d grumped Ben.\u00a0 \u201cFoolish boy rode with the posse.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s foolish about that?\u00a0 We\u2019ve all rode with Roy before\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s never rode a posse when there wasn\u2019t you or Adam along.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa, he ain\u2019t a little boy no more.\u00a0 He did good when he and Adam rode with that posse earlier this year.\u00a0 Don\u2019t ya trust that Adam taught him right?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Losing all his bluster, Ben exhaled and gave a brief laugh.\u00a0 \u201cWhen did you get to be so smart?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had a good teacher Pa.\u201d Hoss knew how much of a <\/span>mama bear<\/span><\/i> could be over his youngest.\u00a0 \u201cJoe\u2019s gonna be alright, ain\u2019t he?\u00a0 What happened?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPaul said he\u2019d be okay after a few weeks of taking it easy.\u00a0 And I suggest that you lie back down under the covers and get some sleep too.\u00a0 Paul said for you to take a nap once you\u2019d finished eating.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Hoss takes naps too?\u201d Elsie Haverty inquired as she pushed on the slightly opened door and peeked into the room.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cElsie\u2026 you shouldn\u2019t\u2026\u201d Ben began.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAh, Pa\u2026 Me and Elsie are good friends.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI brung Mr. Hoss some chocolate chip cookies I made with Mama\u2019s help.\u00a0 Doctor Martin said it would be alright for me to come here.\u00a0 He said that Mr. Hoss could only eat them if he ate all his lunch.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy tray\u2019s over there.\u00a0 And the bowl is completely empty.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Both Hoss and Ben grinned as Elsie lifted up onto her tiptoes to verify the dish was empty.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou said chocolate chip cookies?\u201d Hoss inquired.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUh huh.\u00a0 Mama said you\u2019d like them nice and gooey.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss rubbed the palms of his hands together in eager anticipation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can have one too, Mr. Cartwright.\u00a0 We made plenty.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Elsie set the basket on the table beside the bed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMama told me I shouldn\u2019t stay too long.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou stay as long as you like, honey,\u201d Hoss encouraged.<\/span><\/p>\n

Elsie blushed slightly, \u201cI wish I could, but like Mama tells me, it\u2019s not proper for a young lady to be in a gentleman\u2019s bedroom, even if his Pa is there.\u00a0 So\u2026 I really should leave.\u00a0 I just wanted to make sure you were getting better.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYour cookies will sure see to that.\u00a0 Won\u2019t they Pa,\u201d Hoss slipped an entire cookie into his mouth and smiled at the delicious taste.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jake Haverty waited in the hallway for his daughter to finish delivering her cookies to the injured man.\u00a0 The past ten days had been miserable at their household with their daughter crying and declaring she had to see Hoss, to make sure he was going to get well.\u00a0 And the only way to do that was to deliver cookies to him.<\/span><\/p>\n

After Elsie\u2019s departure, Ben realized Hoss hadn\u2019t forgotten his unanswered question, so taking a deep breath, Ben recounted all that he knew had happened to his youngest.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

It had been ten days since the robbery and all the events it spawned.\u00a0 Adam usually dared not enter the kitchen of their home, but he was on a mission.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s bedroom door had been slightly ajar as he walked down the hallway.\u00a0 He had hoped to greet his brother and help him start the day in a better frame of mind\u2026\u00a0 Inside, there were the obvious signs that his brother had spent the night in his bed; however, his youngest brother was nowhere to be seen. As he walked the staircase, he didn\u2019t see his sibling downstairs, which left him the possibility of Joe being in the kitchen or maybe the wash house or outhouse.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning, Hop Sing,\u201d Adam greeted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning, Mr. Adam.\u00a0 Breakfast not yet ready, will be soon.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s fine.\u201d Adam glanced around the room and saw no sign of his youngest brother.\u00a0 \u201cI was looking for Joe\u2026 I\u2019d hoped he\u2019d be in here with you, maybe talking…\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe no come downstairs to talk.\u00a0 He up in bed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, he\u2019s not.\u00a0 Maybe he\u2019s in the wash house?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, brother not in wash house.\u00a0 No hot water ready for bath.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s strange\u2026\u201d Adam responded, crossing his arms and leaning against the butcher block table that stood central to the room.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe go outside?\u00a0 Brother miss family, miss horse.\u00a0 Maybe brotha see horse, sooth sorrows.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou feel it too?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBrotha upset, not Lit\u2019le Joe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, he sure wasn\u2019t himself last night, hasn\u2019t been since he found out about Hoss.\u201d\u00a0 Standing straight to leave, Adam stated, \u201cI\u2019ll check to see if you\u2019re right, maybe Joe went out to see Cochise and Chubbs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMe no hear horse, so he no leave.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a small blessing.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be back in a few minutes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Oriental nodded his head and continued to prepare breakfast for the brothers.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Thumping sounds emanating from the barn encouraged Adam to jog across the dirt yard.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe!\u201d\u00a0 Entering through the open doors, the pile of hay bales having tumbled haphazardly on the ground from the hayloft alarmed the eldest brother.\u00a0 \u201cJOE!\u201d Adam ran to the stack, fearful of what he might find.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUp here,\u201d Joe responded while looking over the edge of the hayloft.<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking up, Adam\u2019s words were sharp, mimicking his rapidly beating heart.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you think you\u2019re doing?!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThrowing down hay.\u00a0 What does it look like I\u2019m doing?\u201d Joe retorted, walking over to the ladder.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, your wrist, what about your shoulder and leg!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine Adam.\u201d Stepping to the ground Joe turned and elevated his casted arm.\u00a0 \u201cSee, I\u2019m being a good boy, I\u2019m using the sling.\u201d\u00a0 His walk still revealed a slight limp.<\/span><\/p>\n

Striding to his brother, Adam failed in his attempt to rein in his temper, \u201cAre trying to kill yourself?!\u00a0 What do you think you were doing climbing up there, and then down again when you only have one good arm and your knee isn\u2019t one hundred percent?!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone has to do the job Adam.\u00a0 I know I can\u2019t ride, but you\u2019ve enough to do out on the range without worrying about simple chores.\u00a0 I can take care of the horses and all, and maybe help with the books.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2026\u201d Adam was flummoxed; he hadn\u2019t expected the rational response from the youngest member of the family.\u00a0 Inhaling deeply and letting it out slowly, he continued, \u201cYou should be taking it easy.\u00a0 I appreciate the offer, but even without a cast on your arm, your writing is hardly decipherable, I can\u2019t imagine you writing right-handed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI try my best, Adam.\u201d\u00a0 Joe attempted to hide his hurt.\u00a0 He knew that his writing wasn\u2019t the best in the world, his left-handedness had a direct bearing on its lack of neatness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s fear of his brother injuring himself clouded over his ability to hear Joe\u2019s hurt.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t believe you\u2019d take such a risk.\u00a0 Working by yourself out here\u2026 Joe if you\u2019d fallen from the hayloft or lost your balance on the ladder\u2026 Pa would kill me for putting you in such a situation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t put me, anything.\u00a0 I did,\u201d argued Joe.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know you did, but until Pa gets home, you\u2019re my responsibility.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not your responsibility!\u201d Joe turned to leave.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stepping forward, Adam\u2019s hand came to stop Joe, feeling an extremely tense shoulder.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, I promised Pa I\u2019d take care of you.\u00a0 You\u2019re the only \u2018little\u2019 brother I have.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to see you get hurt again.\u00a0 It\u2019s bad enough about Hoss, I can\u2019t lose you too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Understanding his brother\u2019s words, \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t mean to lose my temper.\u00a0 I just wanted to help.\u201d\u00a0 Joe looked to his feet as Adam released him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know you did.\u00a0 You just scared me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u201d\u00a0 Hesitating to look his brother in the eye, he tilted his head as he had so many times as a small child, \u201cIs your offer to kidnap me still valid?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRight after breakfast.\u00a0 And you,\u201d a smiling Adam poked his brother in the chest, \u201ccan help me harness the horses.\u00a0 If you can toss down hay, you can help to hitch the team.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe smiled as the brothers walked from the barn, one with a rather noticeable limp.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Adam reined the team to a halt in front of Paul Martin\u2019 clinic, both brothers let out a heavy sigh.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you think he is?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2019s notes said he\u2019s been improving.\u201d Tying the reins around the footboard railing, \u201cWon\u2019t know until we go see him.\u00a0 You ready?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe nodded.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou want help getting down?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, especially if Doc Martin is waiting in there.\u00a0 You know he\u2019ll be watching.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Guiding Joe carefully down from the buggy and across the boardwalk, Adam removed his hat as he pushed the door open.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe moved him to a back room before I left town,\u201d Adam announced.\u00a0 \u201cFollow me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes brightened at hearing his middle brother\u2019s laughter.\u00a0 Knocking on the doorframe, they waited to be acknowledged.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam! Joseph!\u201d\u00a0 Ben hurried to his sons.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s good to see you.\u201d\u00a0 He gave his youngest a fierce hug before pushing and holding him to arm\u2019s length, and taking a critical look.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam\u2019s been taking good care of me.\u00a0 Almost as good as you, Pa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad to hear that.\u00a0 But what are you doing here?\u201d Ben inquired.\u00a0 \u201cIs everything okay at the ranch?\u201d\u00a0 He looked between both of his sons.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam kidnapped me.\u201d\u00a0 Joe beamed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad he did.\u201d\u00a0 Ben looked to his eldest, unspoken words of understanding passed between the two.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m glad you\u2019re both here.\u00a0 You can both help keep an eye on Hoss.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben escorted his sons to where Hoss sat up in bed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam.\u00a0 Hey Shortshanks!\u00a0 Pa said ya went and got busted up.\u00a0 Why can\u2019t you keep out of trouble?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLeast I didn\u2019t go and get myself shot!\u201d Joe retorted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, well. . . I hadn\u2019t planned on it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know Mitch\u2019s gonna be thankful you didn\u2019t think too hard,\u201d Joe responded.\u00a0 He hoped Hoss understood his reference to keeping Mrs. Devlin safe.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNa, I leave all the thinkin\u2019 ta Adam.\u201d\u00a0 Reaching for a cooking tray on the table. \u201cYa want one?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019re you feeling?\u201d Adam asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I feel alright.\u00a0 Hurts every now and then if\u2019n I move funny.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen\u2019re they gonna spring you?\u201d Joe asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, Hoss\u2019ll be here a few more days before Paul will release him to come home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Having taken a good look at his brother, Adam answered, \u201cHe looks fine to me Pa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s looking good, but he\u2019s going to have a lot of physical therapy when he gets home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat for?\u201d Joe inquired.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cComplications from the surgery and blood loss,\u201d answered Ben.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, cain\u2019t walk at all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re paralyzed?\u201d worried Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNa, I can feel and move my feet and legs, they just don\u2019t know how to listen to what I tell \u2018em to do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat, and you still have broken ribs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019d he break his ribs?\u201d Joe asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben answered, \u201cPaul did it while operating to get the bullet out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Oh\u2019, Joe mouthed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019m getting\u2019 better every day, especially with Miss Elsie bringin\u2019 me cookies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought she was Joe\u2019s girl,\u201d teased Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe was,\u201d Ben laughed, the first real laugh he\u2019d had in over a week.\u00a0 \u201cI think her heart now belongs to Hoss.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s been bringing me a platter of cookies several times each day.\u00a0 Chocolate chip, sugar cookies, peanut butter cookies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing\u2019s going to be jealous,\u201d Adam warmly retorted.\u00a0 \u201cPa, since I brought Joe to town, I thought Paul could take a look at him too, make sure his shoulder\u2019s healed and possibly his knee.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll be back in a few hours.\u00a0 He\u2019s delivering Madilyne Crawford\u2019s baby.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa, I need to step out,\u201d Adam advised.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Feeling honesty was the best answer, \u201cI want to stop by and talk to Roy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re gonna leave it to the law, right?\u201d Joe inquired.\u00a0 \u201cYou said\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Nodding, Adam stated, \u201cI\u2019ll keep my word Joe.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be back soon.\u00a0 Maybe stop by the diner and order dinner to be delivered.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Stepping up to the boardwalk, Adam looked around before opening the door to Roy\u2019s office.<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking up from a stack of wanted posters, \u201cAdam?\u00a0 How\u2019re ya doing?<\/span><\/p>\n

Removing his hat, \u201cHanging in there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Shuffling the papers on their end and placing them in a desk drawer, \u201cHow\u2019s Joe?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI brought him to town, thought it about time he saw Hoss, and for Paul to give Joe a once over, too,\u201d Adam replied, taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of Roy\u2019s desk.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd for your Pa too, no doubt.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo doubt.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI take it this isn\u2019t a social call.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat why you hid those wanted posters?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Slowly shaking his head, \u201cNow Adam, I know you ain\u2019t one to go vigilante on me,\u201d Roy remembered the posse after Vannie Johnson\u2019s killers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I\u2019ve too much to do on the Ponderosa, what with Joe laid up, Pa spending all his time with Hoss, not to mention everything that\u2019ll need done in order for Hoss to come home and all the time it will take him to recover.\u00a0 I really wanted to go after them.\u00a0 But Joe\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe what?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was bound and determined to go with me if I did.\u201d \u00a0Shaking his own head, \u201cFool kid.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe weren\u2019t that much a fool kid on the last posse he rode with.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but I couldn\u2019t risk him.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t put Pa through that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Rubbing a finger back and forth under his nose to scratch it, \u201cYou sure do have a lot on your plate, glad I don\u2019t have to worry about you taking off after those thieves.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIs there any word on who they are or where they came from?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Inhaling and rapidly exhaling, Roy looked down at his hands, clasped together on top of his desk.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe think we\u2019ve a lead with the one Joe killed.\u00a0 He was a small-time hoodlum, but bragged about joining up with a couple of real desperadoes to a saloon gal over in Placerville.\u00a0\u00a0Seems they might be brothers or possibly cousins that have run afoul of the law from down in Arizona all the way to here.\u201d\u00a0 Deciding to gather the wanted poster he\u2019d been looking at before Adam arrived.\u00a0 Pulling it from his desk drawer, Roy handed it over.\u00a0 \u201cThey ain\u2019t killed anyone, yet.\u00a0 But like Hoss, they\u2019ve left plenty of carnage everywhere they’ve been.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Carefully taking the sheet, Adam\u2019s hands shook as he looked at the men who\u2019d caused so much heartache for his family.\u00a0 \u201cRudyard \u2018Rudy\u2019 Donner and Jebediah \u2018Jeb\u2019 Brandt.\u00a0 At least from these drawings they look a lot alike.\u00a0 Half-brothers or cousins, or just two men who look a lot alike.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have your word, Adam?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah Roy, I couldn\u2019t leave now even if I wanted to track them down.\u00a0 Who knows where they headed after leaving Virginia City.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

A week later, Adam and Joe looked up from where they sat at the dining room table as the front door opened.\u00a0 Moments later, having divested himself of his hat and gun belt, a weary Ben stepped around the corner.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam was the first to see and eagerly greet their father, \u201cWelcome home Pa.\u00a0 How\u2019s Hoss?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPaul said he can come home this afternoon.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s great!\u00a0 That\u2019s real good news to hear,\u201d Adam answered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be right back after I wash up a little bit,\u201d Ben announced.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll help Hop Sing set a plate for you Pa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Little Joe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Hop Sing set the last of the food dishes to the table while the brothers listened to their father\u2019s good, yet somber news of the past week surrounding Hoss\u2019 ordeal.\u00a0 He went on to reveal the hurdles that Hoss would face after his return home as he tried to fully recover from the bullet wound that almost took his life.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The conversation waned as hunger forced its attention to filling their plates, and stomachs.\u00a0 Spoons scraped the bottom of serving bowls and clinked on the plates as the dishes were passed around.\u00a0 Taking a steak from the platter, Ben passed the plate on to Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou want some help there, Joe?\u201d Adam asked, knowing he might be rebuffed, it varied from meal to meal with Joe.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPlease.\u201d\u00a0 Joe gave up awkwardly trying to transfer the corn from the dish to his plate right-handed.\u00a0 He sat back and watched his brother placed food to his plate, as well as begin to cut his steak into bite-size pieces.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI for one am anxious to have Hoss home,\u201d Adam stated a little while later as he set his coffee cup to its saucer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe won\u2019t be able to work any time soon.\u00a0 Paul stated at least two more weeks of bed rest before he can even think of coming downstairs.\u00a0 As I said earlier, there will be plenty of what Paul described as physical therapy to get him back on his feet.\u00a0 Besides, he had a rough day of it today, Paul and I worked to get him to his feet; he could barely stand.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTwo weeks flat on your back is bound to have that effect on a man Hoss\u2019 size,\u201d Adam offered.\u00a0 \u201cOn top of the injury and surgery\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf Hoss had been any smaller a man\u2026\u201d Ben let the remainder of his thought die on his lips, not wanting to voice Paul\u2019s comments that had it been Joe and not Hoss in the bank, Joe would have been killed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t we put him in the guestroom down here?\u00a0 He\u2019d be closer to the family when we eat and the hours that we\u2019re home,\u201d suggested Joe.\u00a0 \u201cBe easier for Hop Sing to help care for him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hesitating in raising his coffee cut to his lips, \u201cThank you Joseph.\u00a0 I can\u2019t imagine why I didn\u2019t think of that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve had a lot on your plate, Pa,\u201d Adam answered.\u00a0 \u201cI think it\u2019s a great idea too.\u00a0 Sorry I didn\u2019t think about it either.\u00a0 Could have already had the room set up for Hoss.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben offered \u2018thanks\u2019 as Hop Sing refilled his coffee cup.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHelping Hoss no extra work, I get room ready while family bring Mista Hoss home.\u201d Hop Sing stood to the side of his employer with the coffee pot.\u00a0 \u201cHave good dinner ready for when boy come home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYour efforts will be greatly appreciated, and I\u2019m sure Hoss will appreciate all your culinary skills, Hop Sing,\u201d Ben rejoined.<\/span><\/p>\n

The small Oriental man smiled, returning to his kitchen.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa, if you\u2019ll excuse me, I\u2019ll work with Charlie to bed down the back of the wagon to make it more comfortable for Hoss\u2019 ride home,\u201d Adam offered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure your brother will appreciate your thoughtfulness,\u201d Ben continued with his eating, happy to know that his middle son would soon be home.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t wait to be released back to working,\u201d Joe grumped.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d be a lot more help around the Ponderosa if I hadn\u2019t taken that hammerhead out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, it wasn\u2019t all the horse\u2019s fault.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t Adam tell you that the horse was shot?\u00a0 At what point it happened, no one knows.\u00a0 But when they found him, there was a bullet hole in his chest.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Dropping his fork, Joe gulped for air.\u00a0 \u201cI thought I remembered shots being fired, but figured it might have been a dream.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou did what you felt you had to do, and I can\u2019t fault you for that.\u201d\u00a0 Reaching over to place a large hand over his son\u2019s smaller one, \u201cAnd Paul would like to see you this afternoon.\u00a0 Hopefully he\u2019ll release you to being able to do more work after examining your leg and ribs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGreat, another doctor appointment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Even though the back of the wagon was empty except for all the bedding Adam and their foreman had loaded, Ben carefully guided the team of horses to prevent jarring the young man who sat on the seat next to him.\u00a0 It had been wonderful to greet both his sons at the lunch table and discuss their upcoming trip to town and finalize the plans for relocating Hoss\u2019 bedroom downstairs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe sulked when Ben advised him that he was expected to present himself for a thorough examination by Paul Martin before returning to activities he could do one handed.\u00a0 They\u2019d only been on the road for a little while before Joe realized he couldn\u2019t keep up the pretense of being angry at having to submit to another examination.\u00a0 Bursting out laughing, it was good to have his father by his side, and he\u2019d soon be released to help Adam, and knowing that Hoss would soon be home made it all the better.<\/span><\/p>\n

Every now and then, Adam turned in the saddle to look back to his family when he was forced to ride in front of the wagon, or Joe would turn in the seat when Adam chose to move Sport to the rear.\u00a0 Most of the time he was able to converse while riding next to his family, alternating sides as the road narrowed and widened along their journey.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Ben halted the horses and wrapped the long reins around the brake handle before he offered a helping hand to guide his son down from the seat; only stepping back once Joe\u2019s feet were firmly on the ground.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBoys\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, Pa?\u201d they both answered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be too shocked at Hoss\u2019 condition.\u00a0 He\u2019s getting better, but it\u2019s all taking a toll on him.\u201d\u00a0 Ben knew of no other way to make his request.\u00a0 They had talked during the trip of how difficult things were for Hoss, his weakness caused by the injury, blood loss, and the surgery.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe answered, \u201cI\u2019ll try Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019ll try,\u201d to Adam\u2019s nod of his head.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben nodded and allowed his youngest son to walk in front of him into the physician\u2019s clinic.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe,\u201d Paul warily greeted his most favorite patient, until he heard, \u201cPa drove.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019re you doing?\u00a0 No trouble with your previous unauthorized trip to town?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey, I was kidnapped!\u201d\u00a0 Joe looked to Adam as he removed his own hat.\u00a0 \u201cSides, I\u2019m ready to get back to work\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOnly those you can do one-handed, and with Paul\u2019s blessing,\u201d warned Ben.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know the drill, come into my examination room and hop up on the table.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t I see Hoss first?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a little indisposed right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben grew alarmed at the doctor\u2019s words.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNothing to be alarmed about, Ben.\u00a0 It\u2019s just taking him longer to address his personal hygiene\u2026 shaving.\u00a0 He insisted on trying to take care of it himself before you arrived.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe entered the examination room and allowed Paul to poke and prod his ribs, and bend and twist his shoulder, knee, and ankle.\u00a0 Without raising his head, the physician cast his eyes to look surreptitiously at the wearer of the dirty cast.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI tried to keep it clean,\u201d Joe sheepishly offered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou would have been more successful had you stayed indoors.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut Adam\u2026\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t\u2026\u201d Joe sighed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI understand.\u00a0 The good news is\u2026 that whatever you\u2019ve been doing hasn\u2019t damaged the cast.\u00a0 And from the healthy appearance of the tips of your fingertips, you\u2019ve not jarred the bones out of alignment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe happily smiled.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow, tell me truthfully\u2026 any headaches?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOnly last night\u2026\u201d Joe admitted after looking up to see his father standing in the doorway.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow long did it last?\u00a0 Did you take any of the headache powders I left when I was out last?\u201d Paul inquired.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t that kind of a headache.\u00a0 It went away once I talked with Adam.\u00a0 We\u2019re good now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh,\u201d Paul stated as he understood the implications behind the words.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, Ben.\u00a0 This one is now on light duty, until the cast comes off.\u00a0 And you, young man, you\u2019ll be \u2018happy\u2019 to know that there are still a few restrictions\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI promise, I haven\u2019t tried riding or anything.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think you can ride <\/span>lightly<\/span><\/i>, just no roping or breaking horses.\u00a0 There\u2019s also still the restriction against chopping wood.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Joe began cackling at hearing Adam\u2019s half-hearted groan.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, you can always have one of the hands chop kindling for Hop Sing.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to do it all on your own.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnother excellent idea, son.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t it Adam?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Humbly accepting that there were other options than for him to do it all, Adam stood there, slowly shaking his head from side to side.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPaul?\u201d Mrs. Miller entered the room.\u00a0 \u201cHoss is ready to see his family.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Joe entered the room, full of good-natured bantering.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean telling us we couldn\u2019t come in until you were presentable?\u00a0 Have you forgotten who we are?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2026\u201d Ben\u2019s voice held a hint of warning.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa,\u201d looking from his father to his big brother, \u201cthis big galoot forgets that we\u2019ve seen him after spending days and weeks on end on a cattle drive.\u00a0 We know how <\/span>bad<\/span><\/i> he can look.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, little brother,\u201d Hoss grumbled, \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019m ready ta go home\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut we came all this way?\u201d Joe protested, crestfallen that maybe Hoss wasn\u2019t going to be able return home.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t do it\u2026 not if\u2019n yor gonna make me laugh like this.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss grabbed his chest, a smile breaking forth, and Ben realized it was genuine as the large man\u2019s eyes brightened.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Not that it would happen any other way, but Spring turned to Summer.\u00a0 From what I later learned, those Cartwright boys recovered well enough to finally return to working on their land by Fall; the youngest faster than the middle one.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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

Adam originally wasn\u2019t thrilled to learn that he would need to travel so far to negotiate a cattle contract.\u00a0 He\u2019d argued for hours with his father before finally agreeing that his brothers were healthy enough and could handle the tasks while he was away.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t thrilled about where he was heading, but knowing both his brothers would be riding the Ponderosa was the best news he\u2019d had in a long time.<\/span><\/p>\n

He\u2019d spent plenty of time over the years traveling by stage, he just wished that the railway would one day decide to lay tracks so this journey wouldn\u2019t take as long as well as provide a higher level of comfort.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Carrying a letter of introduction from Lewis R. Bradley, the Nevada Territorial Governor, Adam was shown into the office of General George R. Crook.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFort Verde is a relatively new post, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d the general informed as he showed his guest to a chair and casually walked around to take a seat.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a long way from the Ponderosa to practically Phoenix, General,\u201d answered Adam while accepting a cup of coffee from a corporal.\u00a0 \u201cSurely there are other ranchers who could fulfill your requirements for cattle.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just cattle that we need.\u00a0 I asked a representative of Ponderosa to come so we could negotiate a contract for cattle, horses, and lumber.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStill\u2026 the distance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t mind if I call you Adam,\u201d the officer asked as he pulled an amber colored bottle from a bottom drawer of his desk.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shaking his head in response, Adam set the empty cup and saucer aside.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, there is a distance, but we need the best.\u00a0 Sure some ranches could provide one or the other, but we need all three.\u201d\u00a0 The man wouldn\u2019t have made it as far up the chain of command as he had, if he wasn\u2019t adept at reading unspoken words.\u00a0 \u201cTruth is, it\u2019s not just the need, it\u2019s the quality.\u00a0 The Ponderosa stands for quality. I told ol\u2019 Ulysses that he can\u2019t keep sending our men out on shoddy horses and eating beef from scrub cattle and have them keep up day after day.\u00a0 As for the lumber?\u00a0 This territory is growing.\u00a0 Look around at all the lumber used for this fort\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

After a week of negotiations, Adam secured a very large contract with an initial payment; the balance would be paid upon each delivery.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

After leaving Fort Verde, Adam rode towards Wickenberg, intent on wire transferring the funds from the bank draft to their bank in Virginia City.<\/span><\/p>\n

Arriving in the small town shortly after lunch, Adam was surprised to see the street void of people, except for two men who stood not more than fifty feet apart.\u00a0 Guiding his rented mount into an alley, Adam watched, shaking his head.\u00a0 Even without knowing the two involved, it was evident who would win, should weapons actually be drawn.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The man with his back to Adam, was highly animated, tense, and vocal.\u00a0 The other man, dark haired and evidently of Mexican descent, based on his choice of clothes, stood casually, waiting.\u00a0 Adam could almost envision the man rolling his eyes at the absurdities the other spouted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Moments later it was over; only one shot sounded.\u00a0 The victor holstered his revolver and slowly walked to the challenger who was crouched on the ground, holding his left hand close to his chest.\u00a0 Kicking the gun away, he spoke, \u201cYou best get to the doctor, get that hand looked at.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Confused and pain-filled eyes looked up, \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you kill me?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I know your hurt.\u00a0 I also know you got family that needs you. Don\u2019t let your pride deprive your family of you.\u00a0 You\u2019ll still be able to use your hand, just not shoot a pistol with any accuracy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Offering his hand, he helped the man up and walked him towards the doctor\u2019s office.<\/span><\/p>\n

Within moments, the main street was alive with people and animals; the sounds of a vibrant community.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Finishing his transaction with the branch manager, Adam extended his hand before leaving the man\u2019s office.\u00a0 Without realizing it, he walked straight into a tableau he envisioned with Hoss.\u00a0 Two masked men were preparing to exit the front door, one hesitating and turning, pointing his weapon with indecision.\u00a0 At the voice from outside calling, \u201cJeb, get out here!\u201d, the man holstered his gun and ran.<\/span><\/p>\n

Momentarily there were people shouting as they scrambled out of the way of the horses moving in a ground-covering gallop spurred on by their riders and ultimately gunshots echoed through the town.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cautiously exiting the bank Adam encountered the gunhawk saying, \u201cNot them two again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAgain?\u201d Adam inquired, hand resting on the handle of his own revolver.\u00a0 \u201cYou know them?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot personally, but I encountered them down in Why last year.\u00a0 Joined the sheriff on the posse after they robbed the general store and shot a boy; only we lost their trail up in the mountains.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure the sheriff here would want to know what you just told me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe you\u2019re sure,\u201d looking down the boardwalk towards the men running in their direction, \u201cI\u2019m not.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on here?\u201d blustered the leader who was wearing a Marshal’s badge and drew on Adam and the gunhawk.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPut your gun away, Cole.\u00a0 These two had nothing to do with robbing the bank,\u201d declared the manager.<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking peeved, the man did as told before shouting, \u201cI need every available man to join the posse.\u00a0 We\u2019ll leave town in ten minutes.\u201d\u00a0 Before turning to head to the livery to saddle his own horse, he looked at the two strangers, one in particular, \u201cWe don\u2019t need your kind riding with us.\u201d\u00a0 And then he left.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGuess he doesn\u2019t like people who wear black?\u201d jested Adam, trying to ease the tension the lawman\u2019s words invoked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe but definitely doesn\u2019t like half-breeds.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHis loss.\u201d\u00a0 Extending his hand, “By the way, I\u2019m Adam Cartwright.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Taking Adam\u2019s hand, \u201cThe Ponderosa, right?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve heard of us?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho hasn\u2019t.\u00a0 I bet those two yahoos were the ones who raised such a ruckus in your neck of the woods earlier this year.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou said you encountered those two before.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I\u2019m Mateo Menendez.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to do something about those rumors,\u201d answered Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve heard that before, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to trail behind the posse?\u201d inquired Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pulling his weapon from his holster and making sure each hole in the cylinder contained a bullet, \u201cNo, I have a feeling those two are heading back towards Why, possibly heading towards Mexico.\u201d\u00a0 Slipping his gun back into his holster, \u201cYou want justice?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the only way; vengeance just makes you as guilty as those you\u2019re after.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Pulling a tattered wanted poster from the bulletin board, \u201cCome to the livery, they\u2019ve got a better mount than the one they gave you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

By nightfall, Adam and Mateo encountered the posse returning to town.\u00a0 Shaking his head, Adam contained his fury at the flasks of alcohol being passed among some of the men.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou think they got them?\u201d Mateo asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d Adam encouraged his mount forward, continuing on the trail he and Mateo had been following.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

By noon the following day, rising from a kneeling position where he had been examining the trail, \u201cI can\u2019t tell if they split, the trail\u2019s been ridden over.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou said you thought they were going to Why,\u201d offered Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know, but they\u2019ve been giving it a wide berth and with all these tracks\u2026. I\u2019ve lost \u2018em.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo, this is where we split up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Circling his horse around Adam\u2019s, \u201cIt was a pleasure riding with you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSame here.\u00a0 You know, you could give up being a gunhawk.\u00a0 You have a skillset that could be better suited for staying alive.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBeen thinking on it for a while.\u00a0 Might decide to wear a badge; can\u2019t see giving up the gun though.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRegardless, take care of yourself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Knowing he was closer to Why than anywhere else, Adam turned his mount and headed out.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

I don\u2019t know why Adam didn\u2019t show me the wanted poster he had that first night.\u00a0 To be honest, had our situations been reversed, I probably woulda done the same.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Surprised the heck out of me the next morning when he did stop by my office, pulling a wanted poster from my wall and slipped it across my desk.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese two are close by.\u00a0 I want to bring them in, I want you to deputize me,\u201d he’d said.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know you from Adam.\u00a0 You think you can waltz in here and have me make you a deputy?\u201d I barked back.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen think of me as a bounty hunter.\u00a0 I will bring them in.\u201d\u00a0 He turned and headed out the door, but not before saying, \u201cAlive.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Little did I know then that he’d be bringing them varmints back and he’d be presenting his own copy of that wanted poster.\u00a0 But then there was that little voice that said, ‘He’ll do it.”<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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

They must have been plain dumb or drunk\u2026 or maybe both.\u00a0 I sat there, gob smacked and listened as Rudy Donner and Jeb Brandt alternated in telling the story of how they ended up sitting in my jail.\u00a0 Guess they didn’t realize what they were a saying could be held against them in a court of law.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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

Rudy and Jeb hunkered down in an old-abandoned farmhouse about five miles outside of Why. The two were thankful the roof was in good enough repair to keep out the rain, even if the windows were broken out years ago; they found their way into the center of the structure and set about counting the money in the bags they carried from the bank in Wickenburg.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t know why we came back all this way,\u201d whined Rudy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m tired of being cold.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t gave up on sashaying with a pretty signorita or two; there\u2019s more than one way to keep warm down in Mexico.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStill, we gotta keep away from Why, don\u2019t want that Sheriff rememberin\u2019 us and sending out another posse.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAh, quit yer belly achin\u2019.\u00a0 We\u2019re far enough away from there.\u00a0 Sides, that posse out of Wikiberg won\u2019t come this far.\u00a0 That marshal ain\u2019t worth what they pay him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jumping at the house shaking at the bolt of thunder, \u201cHow long do ya think this storm \u2018l last?\u201d Rudy asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019s I supposed to know?\u201d Jeb laid out his bedroll.\u00a0 \u201cLeast we\u2019re warm and dry here.\u00a0 We\u2019ll head out to Mexico as soon as the rain stops.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if it\u2019s still dark?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rolling his eyes at his cousin, \u201cDo I have to spell it all out for you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou cain\u2019t spell!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Grumbling in answer, \u201cJest go to sleep.\u201d\u00a0 Turning over, he pulled a blanket over his shoulders and angrily resettled his hat.<\/span><\/p>\n

The floor creaked.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJeb, you hear that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI said go to sleep.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut that sound.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Pulling his hat from his face and grumpily sitting up, \u201cIt\u2019s an old house.\u00a0 Old houses make noise.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Cousins pulled their guns on hearing a horse whinny.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat wasn\u2019t one of ours.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rising to their feet, they saw a dark figure standing in the doorway when the next bolt of lightning illuminated the room.\u00a0 All three fired.<\/span><\/p>\n

By morning, Rudy and Jeb were uncomfortably sitting against the wall.\u00a0 Rudy\u2019s arm was bandaged as was Jeb\u2019s shoulder; both had their hands tied behind their backs with their legs roped together at their ankles.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho do you think he is?\u201d Rudy whispered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t know.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t now lawman, he\u2019s not wearing a badge.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYa think he\u2019s after the money?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf he were, I think we\u2019d be dead.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking up at the sound of a throat clearing, the two heard, \u201cYou two ready to go back to Why?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d they asked in unison<\/span><\/p>\n

Shaking his head as if they couldn\u2019t be that stupid, \u201cI\u2019ve got your horses saddled outside.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s still raining,\u201d Rudy mumbled.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what slickers are for.\u201d\u00a0 After untying the ropes that bound their legs together, Adam hauled each one to their feet, keeping alert in case either tried something.\u00a0 Even with their hands tied behind their backs, he wasn\u2019t sure they wouldn\u2019t try to get away.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not wanting to risk a leg injury to any of the horses, Adam kept them at a walk.\u00a0 When the storm intensified, he led them into a cave large enough for the horses that he\u2019d passed the previous day.\u00a0 Helping them down, he pulled his revolver and motioned them to the far wall.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

The storm had let up as the sun was setting.\u00a0 Knowing his prisoners needed treatment, even though the wounds were minor, he didn\u2019t want it said he\u2019d treated them cruelly.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was full dark by the time they stopped in front of the Why Sheriff\u2019s Office.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Once again, he pulled them individually from their saddles and marched them inside, through the office and straight to the cells.<\/span><\/p>\n

Turning, he gave a slight smirk at the lawman\u2019s expression and followed him back to the front office.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

“Yep, that was two weeks ago, and you already know what happened next.”<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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

Two strangers stood watching the lawman wave to the man dressed in black who turned the horse he was riding away from the hitching while leading a packhorse out of town.\u00a0 Pausing in front of them, Sheriff Dade Bayonne cast a wary eye.\u00a0 Taking in their appearance and having heard rumors of Comancheros hiding somewhere out in the hills; they hadn\u2019t caused any trouble in his jurisdiction, but he was bound and determined to pre-empt any attempt.<\/span><\/p>\n

The bigger of the two was the first to speak, \u201cThat man, did I hear you call him Cartwright?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow I don\u2019t figure that\u2019s any of your concern.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI once knew a man named Ben Cartwright, but that one, he looked too young to be the man I knew.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat wasn\u2019t the man you knew, that was his son, Adam.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cImagine that, Little Adam all grown up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know the family then?\u00a0 They own the Ponderosa up in Virginia City, Nevada.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a long time\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Turning to his compatriot, \u201cVacca come on.\u00a0 I feel the good sheriff here would appreciate it if we left his fair town.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Walking away, Vacca quietly asked, \u201cYou think he knows we\u2019ve been up in the mountains?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf he didn\u2019t, it won\u2019t take him long to figure it out.\u00a0 Besides it\u2019s time we moved on; we\u2019ve got all the supplies we need to tide us over for a good while.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are we going?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo visit family.\u201d\u00a0 Seeing the look in his friend\u2019s eye, \u201cGet the wagon and get back to camp,\u201d Gunnar Bergstrom growled.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

EPILOGUE<\/strong><\/p>\n

It took me a long time to learn all there was to know about his story.\u00a0 Wished I\u2019d kept my goodbye private and said nothing to those other two fellas.\u00a0 But that\u2019s a different story; yet, it kind of had the same ending as what happened in Why.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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

My hair\u2019s a lot thinner and a lot grayer than it was all those years ago.\u00a0 My knees ache and my hands can\u2019t grip a revolver like they used to\u2026no need to anymore, anyways.\u00a0 Long ago I gave up sitting a horse for hours and days on end while leading a posse.\u00a0 For quite some time this here rocker is about as wild a ride as I can manage\u2026\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah, it happened just that way.\u00a0 From the beginning I knew there was more to Adam Cartwright\u2019s story\u2026 In all my years as a lawman I\u2019ve known the good and the bad sides of humanity, and a man as dedicated as that Adam Cartwright wouldn\u2019t have just left his family to come all the way down here seeking justice.\u00a0 That might have been his reason, but there was more that drove him.\u00a0 Back then I was good at reading people.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Dressed all in black as he was, people might have gotten the wrong impression that he lived a precarious life on the edge of right and wrong or that maybe he really was a bounty hunter.\u00a0 Some people probably shied well away from him, but not me.\u00a0 Oh, I was curious in the beginning\u2026\u00a0 Not for terrible reasons, but because it was my nature as a lawman.\u00a0 Right away I knew he wasn\u2019t a bad sort of a fellow.\u00a0 I could tell that early on.\u00a0 I also knew he wasn\u2019t really looking for justice, either.\u00a0 Nor was he looking for revenge.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Many times over the years I\u2019ve second guessed myself about giving Donner and Brandt a chance to get out of Why when I did.\u00a0 Maybe if I hadn\u2019t, they\u2019d of never robbed the mercantile and made it that far north; never would have caused all that hurt and heartache, at least not to our town nor the Cartwrights.\u00a0 But once events were set into motion; had that gunfight not occurred, nor young Aramis been shot, I\u2019d have been closer on their trail, and maybe they wouldn\u2019t have gotten away.\u00a0 Just my luck to have two wrongs occur at the same time\u2026\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Aramis\u2026 No, it wasn\u2019t the gunfight that injured young Aramis Manning, but those mangy cousins trying to get away after robbing the mercantile.\u00a0 I remembered as I carried the young man to the hospital about the time when as a young boy he told me how his momma named him after a character in a book she had read about three French swordsmen.\u00a0 \u2018The heroes aren\u2019t supposed to die,\u2019 Aramis told me before he closed his eyes; darkness consumed the lad.\u00a0 Long before Adam Cartwright came to our valley, Aramis Manning was lucky that Doc Kern decided to set his practice at the mission hospital not six months prior to that fateful day.\u00a0 What about young Aramis?\u00a0 Oh\u2026 he lived to get married and I officiated the event.\u00a0 They had a passel of boys, and have quite a number of grandchildren now.\u00a0 Shouldn\u2019t digress\u2026\u00a0 Shucks, maybe if Donner\u2019s and Brandt\u2019s families had raised them two differently\u2026 raised them the way that Adam was raised, as well as Aramis.\u00a0 I know\u2026 It\u2019s not always the parents\u2019 fault, sometimes men are just rotten.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Why?\u00a0 See that\u2019s the greatest question of all.\u00a0 Why\u2026\u00a0 Why didn\u2019t I know those two were in the area?\u00a0 Why did it all happen?\u00a0 Why couldn\u2019t it have been me instead of my brothers?\u00a0 People ask those questions all their lives.\u00a0 I learned a lot in dealing with people.\u00a0 People make things happen; good and bad.\u00a0 Unfortunately, when bad things happen most don\u2019t do anything more than ask\u2026 why.\u00a0 But not that Adam.\u00a0 Oh, he asked why, and I know he suffered just as much as his brothers did; only his suffering was altogether different.\u00a0 But he finally got his answer; he came to realize that it hadn\u2019t been him because he was the one best suited to trail after those responsible.\u00a0 If you\u2019re willing to work, you\u2019ll find your answers, like Adam did.\u00a0 And I do mean find\u2026 those answers aren\u2019t handed out on a silver platter, so sir-ee.\u00a0 Guess it was meant to happen as it had.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019d been a law enforcement official for most of my life.\u00a0 And before that, I knew all about being a man on the trail of justice, that\u2019s why I eventually pinned on the badge and took the oath of office.\u00a0 Sort of like Mateo Menendez eventually did.\u00a0 Yep, like I said earlier, he was a good lawman while he wore the badge.\u00a0 Then one day, he gave it up; it and his gun.\u00a0 You know I heard he ended up back east going to a university and became a lawyer.\u00a0 Dang it, don\u2019t that beat all.\u00a0 But me, I did my duty until the day I couldn\u2019t.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

My eyes glazed over with those memories flittering through my mind before escaping my grasp and returning me back to now.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

But this story wasn\u2019t about me\u2026\u00a0 It\u2019s about Adam Cartwright, a man seeking peace of mind for what he perceived as not being in the right place at the right time back then.\u00a0 Yeah, eventually he was in the right place, at the right time, but there\u2019s more to it than that.\u00a0 It\u2019s a story almost as old as the story of Adam and Eve\u2026 a story unlike Romulus and Remus.\u00a0 Surprised you that I knew about them, didn’t I.\u00a0 Any way, it\u2019s a story about a brother\u2019s love \u2013 that was why.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Sure wish I could have met that Ben Cartwright and those other two sons of his.\u00a0 If Adam were a representation of his family, they must have been a powerful force with which to contend.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Tired, I am.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Still, they must have been some kind of a family.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Brothers they were.\u00a0 <\/span>Yeah, I had younger brothers\u2026 loved \u2018em too.\u00a0 Lost ’em in the war.\u00a0 Can\u2019t wait to see \u2018em.\u00a0 Been too long as it is.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The sun set, chin rested to his chest. The rocker stilled as old, cataract-covered eyes closed one last time,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0~The End\u00a0 \u00a0 (FINALLY!!)<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

End note<\/strong>:\u00a0 <\/span>I hope I didn’t leave you too confused with all the different timelines and story tellers, as well as inserting in couple of what probably appeared as unimportant snippets here and there.\u00a0 \u00a0But…. didn’t you ever wonder how Uncle Gunnar found Ben, Adam, and Hoss?\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Consider this story a prequel to The Last Viking.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My story references people\/events the following episodes:<\/p>\n

The Hanging Posse (S1 E12)
\nThe Last Viking (S2 E10)
\nThe Dark Gate (S2 E24)
\nBetween Heaven and Earth (S6 E9)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Author Note:\u00a0 This story began as a result of three Challenges posted in the Virginia City Literary Society Forum, all on September 1, 2014.\u00a0 Yikes! Has it really been that long since this story began?<\/span><\/p>\n

The Chaps & Spurs Challenge<\/strong><\/em> asked members to write a story using this picture:<\/span><\/p>\n

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

The Seedling Challenge<\/strong><\/em> prompted members to write a story including the word: <\/span>Justice<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, the Pinecone Challenge<\/strong><\/em> teased writers with the following:<\/span>\u00a0\u201c<\/strong><\/span><\/i>After a while I went out and left the hospital and walked back to the hotel in the rain.\u201d<\/strong><\/span> as the ending to their vignette.<\/span><\/p>\n

A short time after posting my original response to the Challenges in the Forums, the narrative continued.\u00a0 My original two chapters are contained in the “Prologue”.<\/strong><\/span> \u00a0Over the years my muse teased me with scenes to continue the story.\u00a0 Though my muse didn’t always cooperate, there were long gaps (years) without even a hint of remembering this story existed.\u00a0 Beginning in January 2025, I decided it was time to finish the story.\u00a0 I had to change a little bit here and there as the story fleshed out, but for the most part, the changes only minimally impacted the storyline.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

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

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

Summary:\u00a0 What was the real reason behind Adam leaving the Ponderosa?\u00a0 He claimed Justice.
\nRating:\u00a0 Teens, due to western-themed violence.\u00a0 (29,265 Words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":37225,"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":[2,1005,23,41,40],"tags":[1269],"class_list":["post-50255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actionadventure","category-adam-cartwright","category-drama","category-hurtcomfort","category-challenges","tag-the-last-viking","wpcat-2-id","wpcat-1005-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-41-id","wpcat-40-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1148,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Justice-Denied.jpg?fit=600%2C600&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13630,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13630","url_meta":{"origin":50255,"position":0},"title":"A Cry for Freedom (by JennieA)","author":"JennieA","date":"January 7, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 It started with Ben giving Little Joe more responsibility for the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Little did the family realize the course Ben was setting in motion. 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