Summary: This is a little story about a little boy who never knew his Mama but loves her and when he overhears some gossip he mistakenly thinks his Mama is alive after all.<\/p>\n
Rated: K+ (21,150 words)<\/p>\n
The final page contains reviews\/comments from the Old BonanzaBrand Library.<\/p>\n
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On Butterfly Wings<\/strong><\/p>\n Chapter 1<\/p>\n Two heads bowed closer together over the counter at the haberdashery store. Two pairs of eyes suddenly looked furtively devious. Two mouths opened and closed as furiously as the beaks of two starving baby starlings as news was passed too and fro, to be garnered and harvested and spread on.<\/p>\n \u201cSo? Henry Gilberts employed a new man ?\u201d questioned Mrs Kristic.<\/p>\n \u201cA new man with two young children.\u201d the statement of fact was embellished by Mrs Howle, but only slightly.<\/p>\n \u201cI hear he\u2019s a widower.\u201d Mrs Kristic flourished her snippet like a true champion.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s true, his wife was killed by Indians only 18months ago and just a few weeks after their little son was born.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh, bless him!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe baby, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n Two heads bowed closer together over the counter at the Dry Goods Store. Two pairs of eyes suddenly narrowed and darted shiftily too and fro. Two pairs of lips opened and closed and shot off information with the speed of a Gatling gun.<\/p>\n \u201cHenry Gilberts new man, have you seen him yet?\u201d said Mrs Lowe in a hushed voice<\/p>\n \u201cI have.\u201d replied Miss Fabian with a slight toss of her golden head.<\/p>\n \u201cI hear he\u2019s quite young?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYoungish.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd handsome?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps, he has a large nose.\u201d Miss Fabian sniffed her own pert little nose and then smiled and leaned further forwards, \u201cHe has the deepest voice. It sends shivers down ones back bone to hear it, I declare, Mrs Lowe, I\u2019ve never heard a voice like it in all my life.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought I heard he was handsome.\u201d Mrs Lowe frowned, she didn\u2019t like to think her supply source to be flawed .<\/p>\n \u201cBeauty is in the eye of the beholder, Mrs Lowe.\u201d Miss Fabian smiled \u201cActually\u2026he has the darkest eyes you could ever imagine, two pools of deepest inky black.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo?\u201d Mrs Lowe raised one eye brow \u201cYou took rather a shine to him then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh I don\u2019t think so;\u201d Miss Fabian backed away, not wanting to become an appendage to Mrs Lowe\u2019s news to the next customer that came that way, \u201cHe is a widower with two young children you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI had heard.\u201d Mrs Lowe sighed \u201cSo sad. She fell over a cliff I believe?\u201d and she glanced shrewdly over at Miss Fabian who opened her eyes wider than ever.<\/p>\n \u201cGracious, certainly not.\u201d she declared with disdain, as though falling over the cliff was rather a crude way of being killed off . \u201cThey were attacked by Indians, and she was killed by seven arrows.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSeven arrows? Lawksamercy!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe died in her husbands arms with her children looking on.\u201d Miss Fabian took a deep breath and shook her head \u201cIsn\u2019t it just so sad?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTerribly sad.\u201d Mrs Lowe frowned, \u201cI didn\u2019t know about the seven arrows.\u201d she added.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, well\u2026\u201d Miss Fabian shrugged and turned her attention to her goods, she opened her purse and pulled out some money. \u201cIt was his second wife, you know!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHis SECOND wife!\u201d Mrs Lowe exclaimed. THIS was really a piece of brand new news, and her eyes nearly popped out of her head \u201cBut he\u2019s so young!\u201d she leaned forward<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened to the first wife?\u201d \u201cI hear he has two young children?\u201d Mrs Poole commented as she examined her grocery list and looked thoughtfully at her own four children who were running around the store doing a good impersonation of most peoples opinion of wild indians<\/p>\n \u201cYes, the youngest is only 18 months old. He\u2019s the child of his second wife, you know\u201d Mrs Lowe simpered and weighed out the coffee beans<\/p>\n \u201cHis second wife? Gracious! I heard he was a sea man, and I know sailors are reported to have ..\u201d she lowered her voice and leaned forwards over the counter \u201ca lady in every port so to speak, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, gracious me, it\u2019s nothing like that at all.\u201d Mrs Lowe tutted \u201cCharlie\u2026.Charlie\u2026put your sister down this instant do you hear or you\u2019ll get the back of your legs slapped. Jimmy\u2026Jimmy\u2026.will you do as you are told..\u201d Mrs Poole shook her head and raised her eyes to heaven \u201cHow on earth does he manage to cope with two children and no wife?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, there you are!\u201d Mrs Lowe said smugly and shrugged<\/p>\n \u201cMiss Davies said he is extraordinary handsome.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMiss Davies is quite right. Mrs Henry told me that he is one of the most charming men she had ever seen. Miss Fabian told me that he had a beautiful voice.. Charlie\u2026Charlie Mrs Poole, you must do something about that boy, he\u2019s just practically drowned your Sally in flour.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026\u2026.<\/p>\n Miss Fabian smiled at Miss Davies and Miss Grice. Their bonnets met in a circle, feathers and flowers bobbing away at one another as the three young women began to chatter.<\/p>\n \u201cI tell you, he is really handsome. Dark eyes and such a lovely voice\u201d Miss Fabian sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean you\u2019ve actually seen him?\u201d Miss Grice almost wept, somehow she always seemed last to receive any news.<\/p>\n \u201cPhyllicia Gilbert does happen to be my aunt.\u201d Miss Fabian replied, tossing her head and sending her feathers quivering as a result.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen him.\u201d Miss Davies smirked, and blinked her eyes rather rapidly at the disappointment on both their faces \u201cHe is a real honey. I do declare I doubt if HE will be a widower for long in this town.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHis wife was killed by Indians.\u201d Miss Grice managed to slip in but both the other young ladies looked at her scornfully, THAT was OLD news!<\/p>\n \u201cNo one seems to know what happened to his first wife, though\u2026..\u201d Miss Fabian leaned forward, so that feathers and flowers were quite entangled \u201cIt seems she just went off after the baby was born.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, that was the second wife. She was killed by Indians just after the baby was born\u201d Miss Davies retorted .<\/p>\n \u201cWe know that already.\u201d Miss Grice muttered impatiently \u201cSo? What\u2019s this about his first wife?\u201d \u201cWent where?\u201d Miss Grice asked in a petulant tone of voice as she struggled to adjust her facts with this new piece of gossip.<\/p>\n \u201cHe never said.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you think he meant \u2018Up There\u2019\u201d Miss Grice pointed skywards and raised her eyes for some divine confirmation of the fact\u2026\u2026none came.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, he would have said, wouldn\u2019t he? After all, he said about his second wife, Inger her name was, if his first wife had gone upstairs, so to speak, he would have said so, wouldn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFancy that! Just going off and leaving a man and a child like that, that is something disgraceful.\u201d Miss Davies shook her russet coloured head and sighed \u201cSuch a handsome man too. I wonder why she went off then?\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t think that red will go well with the blue, dear\u201d Phyllicia Gilbert said to her niece, Miss Fabian, at the Quilting Circle some evenings later.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought it would look rather rich\u201d Miss Fabian replied<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not try the burgandy?\u201d Mrs Hansard suggested, she was nearly \u2013 well \u2013 she was old, the fact she looked almost a hundred did not mean that she actually was\u2026.her one tooth gleamed in the light of the lamps shining in the room where twelve heads were bent in serious hand stitching of the latest quilt, a soon to be wedding gift for some happy couple and every single woman there hoped it would be theirs\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cHas that young man settled in now?\u201d Mrs Lowe asked, not looking up at all from her work because they all knew who she meant.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, very well. Very neat and tidy he is too\u2026.which comes from being a sea man and having to be careful where you put things with space being so limited\u2026\u201d Mrs Henry Gilbert replied, not looking up either, because she enjoyed knowing all the news first hand and just waited for the questions to trickle through for her to answer.<\/p>\n Fingers worked on, lips were pursed, eyes narrowed, brains ticked over. It was not as though Boulders Creek was short of men, or visitors either, and this kind of conversation was by no means unusual, because everything that happened in Boulders Creek came under microscopic inspection from The Ladies of the Sewing Bee\u2026.but this particular young man was rather unique. He was handsome, he had two children, he evoked sympathy, the maternal passions in the female breast were stirred to comfort and care for him and the little ones, and he had had TWO wives.<\/p>\n \u201cIs he a Mormon?\u201d Mrs Hansard asked in her rather cracked voice \u201cI heard tell they went in for more than one wife!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s a Mormon?\u201d Miss Fabian whispered and the ripple went round the circle and came back unanswered.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t mean a moron, do you, aunt Hansard?\u201d Miss Tattershall asked with a suppressed giggle.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be silly, although the man who marries you would have to be a moron to put up with your prattle.\u201d the old lady snorted.<\/p>\n Miss Tattershall raised her head and shot two arrows of hate from her livid blue eyes towards Mrs Hansard, but the old lady was ignorant of this, or used to it, she continued sewing. Mrs Henry Gilbert cleared her throat<\/p>\n \u201cThe eldest little boy is highly intelligent. He loves reading. His father taught him to read while they were travelling. They\u2019re very close. The child positively dotes on his father and baby brother. Of course, my mother is only too happy to care for them, she loves children as you know. The baby is the happiest child imaginable, you would never think he had had such a sad beginning what with his mother being killed \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSeven arrows\u2026.\u201d Mrs Lowe muttered softly under her breath.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing of the kind.\u201d Mrs Henry Gilbert snapped and pulled her thread out of her needle rather more energetically than she had intended, nearly spiking Miss Grice in the nose as a result. \u201c I do beg your pardon, my dear\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cQuite alright.\u201d Miss Grice muttered, rubbing her cheek and blinking rather fast.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was his second wife, wasn\u2019t it, aunt?\u201d Miss Fabian said demeurely.<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d Mrs Henry Gilbert deliberately took her time to thread her needle with new silk, \u201cOh!\u201d Mrs Lowe and several others exclaimed in disgusted but pleasureable tones.<\/p>\n \u201cSounds like a bad \u2018un to me.\u201d Mrs Hansard muttered dourly.<\/p>\n They settled quietly to their sewing, thinking of the handsome young widower with his two children and the errant first wife who ran away with \u2026perhaps\u2026a lover? Heavens forbid! But sadly, that was the picture they kept in their minds, and the story that trickled from their lips throughout the town as a result.<\/p>\n Chapter 2<\/p>\n \u201cHappy, son?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben Cartwright looked down at his eldest son and smiled and forced a chuckle so that his son would know that he was happy, and the question was meant to confirm that they were all happy, were they not? Adam nodded and glanced over at his baby brother, who was already asleep in his little truckle bed beside the big bed Adam shared with his father. He looked up past his father to the window in the roof and saw the stars twinkling down at him and allowed the briefest of smiles to grace his lips, before looking at his father once again and wondering what he should say now, what was he expected to say and why?<\/p>\n Ben stroked back the near black hair that curled over the boys high brow, and smiled gently down at his first born. It was like looking down at Elizabeths face and the feeling of longing for her swept over him as it did every night when he came to bid his son good night and to say their evening prayer together. The same dark brown hazel eyes, with the long lashes that formed a crescent over his cheeks when he was asleep, the same bow shaped mouth and he sighed and touched the child\u2019s nose gently<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you thinking about, son?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got another loose tooth.\u201d Adam pronounced solemnly.<\/p>\n \u201cAh!\u201d Ben nodded and smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, son?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I go to school, do I have to wear that hat Mrs Gilbert got for me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, she meant kindly. The jacket fits well, doesn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure it does.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the pants?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but the boots don\u2019t. They rub my heels something awful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan you manage to put up with them until I have enough money to get you some more?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, it\u2019s okay, Pa. I only said so that you\u2019d know in case I got blisters\u2026it\u2019s alright, they\u2019re jest a mite too big, is all.\u201d Adam exclaimed hurridly, money was short, always short. Mrs Gilbert had been kind to go round and find clothes from the townsfolk, and the boots were good leather ones, it would cost a lot of money to buy new boots and the thought of his father having to worry about finding the money for such a luxury smote his heart. Pa had enough to worry about without thinking about boots!<\/p>\n \u201cIf they\u2019re too big, they\u2019ll last a while then?\u201d Ben said quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir, that\u2019s right, they\u2019ll last for,oh, years and years I reckon\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou reckon, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n They smiled at one another, and Ben drew his son into his arms and held him close. This precious child. He released him and settled him down into the bed and pulled up the covers around the boys shoulders.<\/p>\n \u201cGet some sleep now, son. It\u2019ll be a busy day tomorrow. A new school and new friends It\u2019ll be exciting, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss will miss me\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know, but Mrs Gilbert and her mother will make a fuss over him and he\u2019ll be as right as rain.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam frowned, rather envying his little brother being made a fuss over while he had to go to yet another new school and endure meeting more new children and being gawped at by them all. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep. He could sense his father turning down the lamp light, leaning over Hoss to make sure he was covered and then creeping out of the bedroom with the door just ajar. He dared hardly to breathe, it would b e just too awful for Pa to have to worry about him, when he had so much to think about, and worry over now.<\/p>\n Meeting Mr Henry Gilbert had been a miracle, so Pa had said to them. Mr Gilbert had served on a ship when Ben had been at sea and so recognised Ben and knew he was a good worker. They joked about it a bit because Ben had been a masters mate and Mr Gilbert was merely a seaman first class, now Mr Gilbert was the boss and Ben had to submit to taking orders from him. But Mr Gilbert was a good hearted man, and his family were kindly, and had taken to the children and almost forced Ben into taking occupancy of a cabin that had been built for Mr Gilberts son and daughter in law years before\u2026but then they had upped and moved on and it had been empty for a few years\u2026now it was the Cartwrights temporary home, until Ben had enough money to continue their journey to Nevada.<\/p>\n Since Inger had died the weeks had crawled by and the only joy came from seeing how well Hoss grew. Such a happy child, so loving and gentle, so handsome and blue eyed, and so placid and content. It was almost as though by some sixth sense he had known that he had to be quiet and good for his Pa and brother, although if he did cry over anything they were quickly there to soothe him, and fuss over him.<\/p>\n Ben took the time to continue teaching Adam to read, consequently Adam read to Hoss, or made up stories for him. Life travelling through the west was an adventure, so Ben kept telling Adam, but the only adventure Adam could see was watching his brother grow, watching him take his first steps, being there to help him up, steady him up, encourage him to walk once more. It was fun to see Bens face crease into smiles when Adam would carry his baby brother to him, and set the child on his sturdy little legs and then say.<\/p>\n \u201cWalk Hoss. Walk to Pa\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Now Hoss could walk and run and climb. In fact, Hoss had the disconcerting ability to be able to get just about everywhere at once and to disappear when one least expected it! Adam raised himself on his elbow and leaned forward<\/p>\n \u201cHoss? You \u2018wake?\u201d there was a snuffle and a snort from the bed covers in the shadows \u201cHoss\u2026 I gotta go to school tomorrow so you had better be a very good boy, d\u2019ya hear? No cryin\u2019, nuthin\u2019 silly like that. You gotta show \u2018em you\u2019re a Cartwright..and Cartwrights don\u2019t cry. So, you remember that tomorrow morning\u2026\u201d he frowned \u201cI guess my loose tooth will come out tomorrow too. I\u2019ll show it to ya when I get back if\u2019n you like? I reckon Ma Gilberts made a apple pie, \u2018cos I could smell it cooking on the range when we came in. You like that, don\u2019t\u2019cha?\u201d he rolled over onto his back and surveyed the stars through the window and sighed \u201cLeave some for me, wont\u2019cha?\u201d he licked his lips and thought of apple pie for a moment or two, then closed his eyes \u201cG\u2019night, Hoss!\u201d<\/p>\n For as long as he could remember Adam had watched over his father. He tried in his little boy way to always be accommodating, to say what he assumed Ben would want him to say, to do the things Ben would expect him to do. He knew his Pa got angry sometimes, and his deep voice would get very cold and clipped, and he knew why, or thought he knew why, and what he wanted most of all was to spare his Pa any extra pain or hurt. Since Inger had died,, Ben did not speak about the other lady in the picture and he did not play the little musical box any more either. Since Inger had died, something inside Ben had died too, and when Adam tried to talk about Elizabeth and about the clipper ships,, Ben would brusquely stop him. It was like someone shutting a book and every attempt to open it again, was met with an aloof and cool refusal to do so.<\/p>\n Adam closed both eyes, and snuggled down deeper under the covers. In his dreams the lady in the picture still came to him, but not so often. Sometimes he would dream of Inger and she would be dancing with him through meadows full of spring flowers, and she would sing too. But the best dreams were the ones when the dark haired lady would step out of her picture frame and come to him. Yes, they were the best dreams of all and now, because he was just a little bit scared about going to that new school tomorrow, he wanted to see her again that very night. Ben Cartwright turned up the lamplight in the other room and brought out his ledgers which he placed on the table with the pen and ink and his salary for the week. Very carefully he noted everything down. Expenses were rent and food and a few nickels and dimes in the jar for the boys when they went into town and everything else for the journey to Nevada. He sighed, \u2018everything else\u2019 did not amount to very much but he felt honour bound to pay some rent for the cabin and he couldn\u2019t expect Mrs Gilbert and her mother to care for Hoss for nothing. He bowed his head, buried his face in his hands and stared at the figures until they blurred. Finally he drew a line beneath the total and closing the ledger and putting it back in the trunk with the money belt. He paused a second to touch, very lightly, the picture of Inger that smiled up at him from the wooden carved frame he had made years before, he shook his head and swallowed the lump in his throat.<\/p>\n If anyone had asked him how he could love two women and miss them both so much, and long for them both equally as much he would not have been able to find the right words to explain it. He locked the trunk and slid it beneath the bureau before picking up the jug of water and filling the basin for his ablutions.<\/p>\n To morrow was going to be a busy day. Adam was to go to school. He frowned and surveyed the dark face in the mirror and stared into the black eyes that were reflected back at him. He had loved two women but more wonderfully, two women had loved him and provided him with two handsome perfect boys. That, he admitted to himself humbly, was the true miracle of love.<\/p>\n Chapter 3<\/p>\n Mrs Gilbert had ideas above her station. When she was in charge of the buck board she thought she was Jehu who drove his chariots so dangerously fast that his reputation as a driver equalled that to his being a champion for true worship in Israel! When she drew up by the school yard she, and everyone else on board, were liberally coated with dust and grit and children were running across the yard for the school building as though their lives depended upon it.<\/p>\n Oblivious to such petty matters she dismounted and turned to Adam who was coughing and spluttering and beating the dust from his jacket. His hat, he was pleased to note, had disappeared when they spun round the first corner into town and his loose tooth had come out when the buckboard had jolted over some boulder in the road, but the force of the bump back down had caused him to gulp hard. Thus, unfortunately, swallowing it!<\/p>\n \u201cCome along, come along\u2026\u201d she clucked fussing over her skirts and straightening her hat \u201cWe don\u2019t want you to be late on your first day, do we?\u201d and she smiled kindly at her charge, and helped him down.<\/p>\n Very gently she brushed the dust from his jacket and then stood back to admire him\u2026she clucked again when she realised the hat had gone and when he bared his teeth at her to show her the gap, still bleeding, she clucked even more and pulled out a handkerchief and passed it over to him.<\/p>\n As he was hauled up the hill by her side, and she clinging to his hand as though if she did not he would take immediate flight, Adam thought over his farewells to Hoss. The poor baby had whimpered and held out his dimpled arms and clutched at his \u2018Addy\u2019 for comfort<\/p>\n \u201cMe tum too\u201d Hoss had wept.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Hoss. You ain\u2019t big enough yet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss is big boy now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot that kind of big, Hoss.\u201d Adam pushed away the hands and looked at his brother, because in size, Hoss was big, in fact, he was already nearly as tall as Adam, who was near 6 years older than him. He was broad too, and Mr Henry Gilbert had called him a \u2018strapping lad\u2019 and then looked at Adam as though he were some kind of runt in comparison. \u201cWhen you\u2019re my age then you go to school.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss is big. Addy..you take Hoss too?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam shook his head, and sighed. He showed Hoss his wobbly tooth and made the child chuckle by letting him wiggle it just a little, and when Hoss had been distracted by Mrs Henry Gilbert calling out \u2018Cookies, Hoss\u2019 he gave his brother a hug and a kiss and beat a hasty retreat to the buckboard, clutching his hat firmly to his head. \u201cMrs Merriweather, I\u2019ve brought you a new pupil. Adam Cartwright.\u201d Mrs Gilbert produced Adam from behind her skirts much like a magician produces a rabbit from a hat.<\/p>\n Mrs Merriweather smiled and stood up from the desk and looked down at the boy who stood before her and looked up at her. She saw a slim child, 8 years or so of age, with a handsome face, a determined chin, too pretty a mouth, dark well shaped eyes with long lashes and near black hair that waved gently just to his collar. The dark eyes were looking up at her with no hint of fear, but were intelligent, clear and bright, inquisitive. She smiled with pleasure for she was a teacher of many students over many years and had learnt to discern the measure of her pupils very quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cGood morning, Adam\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood morning, Ma\u2019am\u201d came the reply and Adam glanced around him and waited to be directed to the desk assigned for the \u2018new boy\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Mrs Gilbert\u201d Mrs Merriweather smiled at the kindly woman who looked now at Adam as though she regretted her haste in bringing him to confront the lions of education. She paused and leaned forward to just straighten the curls over his brow<\/p>\n \u201cNow, remember, Adam, you walk home tonight. Don\u2019t get lost and don\u2019t loiter.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201dI won\u2019t, Ma\u2019am,\u201d he replied solemnly, after all, he had to get Hoss and he couldn\u2019t loiter or his little brother would be distressed \u201cChildren\u2026this is Adam Cartwright. His pa is working for Mr Henry Gilbert and they are living there for the time being. Now, Adam, would you like to tell us a little bit about yourself?\u201d she smiled down at him in encouragement \u201cLike, how old you are and where you come from?\u201d she nodded, and opened her eyes wider as though to urge him to speak. \u201cI\u2019m 8 years old and my brother Hoss\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHOSS!\u201d someone jeered, \u201cWhat kind of name is that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHis real name is Erik but we call him Hoss. It\u2019s Swedish and his Ma was Swedish and we call him Hoss because he was so big. and still is\u2026\u201d he frowned \u201cMy Pa was a seaman and we lived in New England and then Pa wanted to travel to Nevada. That\u2019s where we\u2019re headed anyways.\u201d he scowled at them and some of them scowled back.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Adam\u2026take a seat next to Abbey\u201d and he was given a gentle push to a desk next to a red headed girl who squeezed up to her neighbour to make more room for him.<\/p>\n \u201cNow,\u201d Mrs Merriweather smiled at the whole class \u201cWho knows where Nevada is, apart from Adam of course?\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n Ben Cartwright rolled up his sleeves and bent his back to haul up the large sacks of wheat flour that he had to carry out to the wagon for the Gilberts. There were other things to collect from town as well, and he took the list from his pocket and perused it thoughtfully.<\/p>\n \u201cMr Cartwright?\u201d a soft voice spoke closely to his ear and he stood up and glanced round in surprise \u201cMr Cartwright? I\u2019m Melissa Grice\u2026\u201d he touched his hat politely and smiled at her, much as any grown person would smile down at a young child, although Melissa was not a child anymore, far from it, she was all of 17 years of age! \u201cI\u2019m very pleased to meet you\u201d she extended her gloved hand and smiled<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very pleased to meet you too, Miss Grice\u201d he smiled and his deep voice did indeed send quivers down her spine just as Miss Fabian had said that it would \u201cIs there something you wanted to say?\u201d he raised black eye brows and smiled gently again, trying hard not to be patronising as young girls, he knew, could be very sensitive.<\/p>\n \u201cOh..yes.\u201d she paused and looked over his shoulder for inspiration, for the sight of him and the sound of him had sent the purpose of her approaching him clean out of her mind \u201cYes, there\u2019s a town benefit on Saturday evening and I was wondering if you would like to come.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d be delighted to come, Miss Grice. but I happen to have other plans for Saturday evening.\u201d He turned to haul up another sack into the wagon and realised as he dropped it carefully into the wagon that she was still standing there, so with a slight frown he looked at her again \u201cMiss?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I was just thinking what a shame that you couldn\u2019t come, after all, it would be such a wonderful opportunity for you to meet everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t really think it\u2019s necessary for me to meet everyone, Miss Grice, as I don\u2019t intend to be here for very long.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot be here long? Why not? It\u2019s a very pleasant place in which to live..\u201d she stammered, her young face blushing slightly at her daring in asking such forward questions to this very attractive, but more mature man.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure that it is.\u201d he said with a smile \u201cNow, if you would excuse me, I really do have a lot to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Mrs Lowe handed him some change and smiled,<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s your boy settling into school, Mr Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery well, thank you.\u201d He pocketed the money and turned to leave<\/p>\n \u201cMr Cartwright, I was just wondering \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Mrs Lowe?\u201d he turned and looked at her, his black eyes dark in his tanned face, and the generously shaped mouth curling over his teeth into a kindly smile.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a benefit in town on Saturday evening, and it would be so nice to see you there. Do you think you would be able to attend?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI doubt it very much, Ma\u2019am. I have a lot to do on Saturdays\u2026\u201d and he smiled and bade his excuses and hurriedly left the store.<\/p>\n Yes, a lot to do. Saturdays were the days he spent with his children and nothing was going to interfere with that because time was precious, and needed as much, if not more, care to be spent on it than any other commodity because otherwise it would disappear quicker than a snowball in a bakers oven.<\/p>\n He clambered onto the wagon seat and flicked the reins to get the horses moving and thought about the coming Saturday. He planned to take the boys to the river and just play about , do a little fishing, a little lazing, and a little talking. He wanted to hear all about Adams school week without time and weariness stopping him showing the real interest he had, he wanted to hoist Hoss onto his shoulders and run around with him until the child shrieked for him to stop. In the evening they would sit together and he would tell them stories and bath them and put them to bed and sing some songs. He sighed and turned the wagon towards the hardware store where his next consignment of goods awaited him.<\/p>\n A tall slim young woman was walking down the sidewalk with a smile on her face, and he did a slight double take, for she looked so like his Elizabeth that for an instant he wondered if he had drank one beer too many in the saloon before he had set out on his pick-ups. She was not looking directly at him, and it was obvious that she was not going to stop and ask him to go to the town benefit with her, but her hazel brown eyes suddenly focussed upon him, and he noticed how the iris\u2019 in them widened into black totality and how her lips parted into a friendly smile. He took off his hat expecting her to speak but she merely inclined her head and walked on, leaving him to glance back at her and shake his head as though to shake off some spell that prevented him from moving.<\/p>\n As he walked into the store he admonished himself roundly for being so taken aback\u2026he had had Elizabeth on his mind so much lately, and was not there a saying that everyone had a dopple-ganger somewhere. He thought about the woman a little as he walked to the counter and pulled out his list. Of course she did not have Elizabeth\u2019s smile, nor her pretty bow shaped mouth and this woman\u2019s hair had not been so dark. He shrugged, she had not really looked like his Elizabeth at all..not really.<\/p>\n Errands finished he drove the wagon slowly homewards. The Gilberts had been generous in letting them have the cabin at a reduced rental, but he worked hard and long hours to compensate for it and for all the other kindnesses they had extended to him over the weeks. He slowed the horses down as he recognised a small figure toiling his way homewards, swinging his books by the leather strap, and his lunch pail in his other hand.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n The boy turned and looked up at him and smiled but it was not Adam, just another child who was alike enough to be mistaken for him. Ben felt rather foolish and after a nod and smile at the boy, went quite red in the face.<\/p>\n \u201cHave you seen Adam Cartwright anywhere? I thought he would be on the road home by now?\u201d he blustered a little<\/p>\n \u201cAdam\u2019s just a mite ahead, Mr Cartwright.\u201d The boy pointed to the horizon and there, sure enough, Ben could see his son walking hurriedly up the hill. Shaking his head at his own foolishness, he clicked the horses leads and was soon at his sons side.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re very quiet today.\u201d Ben said after a few minutes elapsed in silence between them. \u201cWas it a hard day at school?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Pa, not \u2018specially.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing happened to worry you about anything?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam frowned and said nothing, but stared ahead a little more intensely, then he turned to Ben and looked into the black eyes<\/p>\n \u201cPa, I ain\u2019t an orphan am I?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, son, not while I\u2019m alive you\u2019re not.\u201d Ben smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cTommy Hislop said I was.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Tommy Hislop was wrong. I thought you would have known that anyway, Adam. You know what an orphan is, we\u2019ve discussed it often enough\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n The silence fell upon them again and Ben cast an anxious eye at his son and frowned,<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d he finally asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNuthin\u2019 much happened. He kept saying I was, and I kept sayin\u2019 I weren\u2019t, and in the end I had to whop him to get him to shut up.\u201d he frowned \u201cNow I feel kinda bad about it, because I don\u2019t think it\u2019s good to whop folk. He just wouldn\u2019t quit yelling names at me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s worse names to be called than an orphan\u2026\u201d Ben said softly<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u201d Adam muttered, and from the tone of his voice Ben realised that his son had probably been called them all that afternoon.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, sticks and stones, Adam.\u201d he forced a smile down at his son who only nodded seriously and muttered that Mrs Merriweather had said much the same. Chapter 4<\/p>\n \u201cHow is young Adam Cartwright coming along, Angela?\u201d \u201cVery well.\u201d she said quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cWe heard he had a little bit of trouble with the Hislop boy.\u201d Mrs Grice, mother to Melissa, murmered .<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone has trouble with the Hislop boy\u201d Anglea Merriweather said \u201cI have trouble with the Hislop boy regularly.\u201d<\/p>\n She left the ribbons and laces and walked out of the shop, sending the little bell tinkling loudly overhead. Mrs Grice and Mrs Wilson looked at one another and raised their eye brows.<\/p>\n \u201cShe always was rather a hoity toity young woman\u201d Mrs Grice muttered<\/p>\n \u201cIt was just a kindly remark,\u201d Mrs Wilson frowned \u201cIt\u2019s just such a shame..have you seen the child?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, a handsome boy. I should imagine that come another twelve or so years he will be able to take his pick of ladies. He\u2019s going to grow into a very attractive young man.\u201d<\/p>\n The bell jingled lightly indicating a new customer, and the two women turned to another counter to look over some threads of silk and cotton.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a shame about his mother though,\u201d Mrs Grice murmured<\/p>\n \u201cWhich one? The one that ran off with another man, or the one that got killed in an Indian attack?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think there were two mothers. I think Mr Cartwright only had the one wife. It\u2019s ridiculous to think a man could marry two women and lose both of them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt happens!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn fairy stories. In those cheap romantic novels that are being churned out ten a penny nowadays.\u201d Mrs Grice frowned \u201cI\u2019ve forbidden my Melissa to bring any of them into the house\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHave you met Mr Cartwright yet?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMelissa has, she said that he was a very handsome young man, and she didn\u2019t believe the rumours that were going around town.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey are not rumours. Mrs Gilbert told Bella Fabian everything.\u201d she lowered her voice a little, \u201cBen Cartwright\u2019s first wife left shortly after Adam was born. Now, I ask you, what could be more obvious than that? If he is such a handsome and pleasant young man, why would she leave him with a young child to look after, huh? Huh?\u201d<\/p>\n Mrs Grice frowned and shook her head, her friends voice was getting a little too strident for her own good. She beckoned to her to lower her voice<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t believe it,\u201d she glanced over her shoulder \u201cWhy would he re-marry then? No, I think he had just the one wife and that\u2019s that. Really, I don\u2019t like the way people gossip so much about things over which they know nothing at all.\u201d and with a toss of her head the regal Mrs Grice disappeared out of the store, nearly colliding with a small boy who had been standing at the other side of the counter, clutching his coins tightly in an increasinly hot and sticky hand.<\/p>\n Adam Cartwright walked over to Mrs Lowe and pointed to some candy in a jar and passed over his nickels. Mrs Lowe smiled down at him and asked him if he would like the candy in a bag or would he prefer to eat it now but Adam shook his head and said it was for his brother, so would she please put it in a bag.<\/p>\n He left the store with his head low on his chest. There was so much to think about\u2026so much to rearrange in his own mind. He clutched the bag of candy to him as though they were the most important things in the world and slowly began to walk homewards. He had believed once that she had died and gone to that eternal sleep, but for some time he had wondered whether or not that had really happened. In his confused, troubled mind, and in his proud, tender heart, he wanted there to be another truth, another hope, another reality One that would mean his real mother would one day step back into their lives just as she could step from the picture frame when he slept.<\/p>\n He crossed the road and turned left as usual, his eyes downcast as he walked slowly along the sidewalk. People hurried past him, other children ran by and some joggled against him, so that he had to hold more tightly to his bag of candy. He paused at the entrance of the Mercantile as the door opened and a tall woman walked hurridly out, paused to let him pass by and smiled at him, and because she was so pretty and reminded him of someone, he smiled back and watched her walk away down the sidewalk. He was a few paces along when a mans voice shouted out behind him \u201cElizabeth\u2026Elizabeth\u2026you forgot your purse!\u201d<\/p>\n He turned then, and watched as a tall, long legged man with blonde hair and a gingery moustache ran down the sidewalk holding a black velvet purse aloft and laughing as he ran,for the tall woman had paused to turn back and smiled at him at first and then began to laugh.<\/p>\n \u201cElizabeth!\u201d Adam breathed and stared with his eyes as wide as they could go\u2026.and she was dressed in green, even the feather in her velvet bonnet was green and the necklace around her neck had green stones in them. He watched them walk down the sidewalk together, laughing, and arm in arm.<\/p>\n His feet just seemed to walk by their own violition. He had turned and was following them without even fully realising what he was doing. He watched as they walked together to a house, and stopped to talk a little together at the gate, then the man had turned, walked away, and she had stepped into a little garden behind a white picket fence. She then closed the gate and walked up to the front door of the house and stepped inside. He blinked and shook his head. This was like seeing a miracle in real life, he told himself. It all fitted into place now, everything made sense at last and he was not to blame after all, no, it had not been his fault that she had gone Here she was, safe and sound!<\/p>\n He turned hurrirdly. Wait until Pa heard about this. Then he stopped and thought about it a little. Perhaps not, perhaps it would be better just to make sure before he told his father anything, after all, Ben had not told him the truth, had he?<\/p>\n If Ben thought that his son was unusually withdrawn over the next few days, he said nothing. Sultry summer days were there to be enjoyed and Saturdays were spent down by the river playing together. Hoss grew, and not only in girth, but he began to chatter, to observe and notice things, to become more interesting as a person in his own right. He demanded more attention, and as a result, Ben found his time taken up more with his younger son than with his eldest. This seemed to suit Adam who would sit amongst the grasses with a book to read, or paper and pencils to sketch and draw, or just to lie down in the grass and flowers to think. For Ben they were idyllic days, for Hoss, all part of his childhood and for Adam, days in which he watched his father, and longed to ask him a thousand and one questions but dared not.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam.\u201d Ben called over to his son who was playing a game with Hoss on the rug in front of the fire, \u201cI have to go and help Mr Gilbert. Make sure you\u2019re both in bed before 7 and don\u2019t let Hoss touch the lamps. Be careful.\u201d he looked at Adam and smiled and ruffled his dark curls. Adam nodded and watched as his father slipped on his hat and left the house.<\/p>\n \u201cPa gone out?\u201d Hoss observed, sticking his thumb into his mouth and his big blue eyes blinking fast.<\/p>\n \u201cNot for long. Best get to bed.\u201d Adam replied<\/p>\n \u201cNo, not bed. Addy, you read.\u201d and Hoss tugged at his brothers hand and smiled his beguilingly sweet smile \u201cRead \u2018bout big bad wolf.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam looked at his brother sternly and shook his head<\/p>\n \u201cBed time, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot bed..story\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBed!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSTORY!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBED!\u201d<\/p>\n They stared at one another and tears welled up into Hoss\u2019 blue eyes and he put his arms around his brothers neck and hugged him close, then with a stifled sob he wobbled to the bedroom and within seconds Adam could hear the little truckle bed give a groan under Hoss\u2019 weight.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll come in and read to you in a minute\u201d he yelled.<\/p>\n The trunk was peeking from under the bureau and he pulled it carefully to the centre of the floor and pushed the lid. Normally it was locked but for some reason this particular evening it was not, and he was able to push the lid up and gaze upon its contents. Very carefully he moved aside the things that were of no interest to him, and looked anxiously for the two items that he needed to find. When he saw them at last he froze guiltily and looked around as though his fathers stern features would suddenly loom over him and with a forbidding scowl drag him away from his prize.<\/p>\n Gently he lifted up the silver frame and gazed at the woman in the picture. He tried to remember the features of the lady in the town, whom he had seen several times now, and tried to compare them with the features of the lady he gazed upon now. There were similarities to be sure, but was that all they were? The musical box with the plump little cherubs floating on clouds was close to hand and he gently raised the lid and listened to the music as it played.<\/p>\n \u201cOoooh.\u201d Hoss breathed behind him and reached out a chubby hand to touch the box.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss Cartwright!\u201d Adam jumped, and the box fell with a clunk \u201cNow see what you made me do?\u201d he scolded.<\/p>\n Hoss screwed up his face and his bottom lip pouted and trembled whilst his brother checked the box and with greater relief than his brother would ever know, discovered it to be unharmed. He held it in his hands and looked at Hoss Hoss nodded that he understood. For a few minutes the two children sat together with the musical box playing its tinny little tune and when it ended Adam turned the key as his father had shown him a long time ago, and the music began again, tinkling even faster. Hoss laughed and clapped his hands and stood up and began to dance around the room<\/p>\n \u201cClap, Addy, Clap hands for Hoss!\u201d he chuckled and Adam laughed too, and began to clap his hands in time to the music.<\/p>\n Neither heard the door open. Ben stood for a moment on the threshold of the room and took in the picture at a glance. A small child in his nightshirt with golden curls bouncing about a bright face with red cheeks and twinkling blue eyes and laughing lips. Another child sitting cross legged on the floor in his nightshirt, black hair tumbling in gentle waves to his collar, brown eyes alight with merriment as he clapped in tune to the music from the little musical box.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you think you are doing?\u201d Ben heard his voice saying and wishing the words back immediately as he saw the little tableau immediately frozen in panic and fear.<\/p>\n \u201cI go now.\u201d Hoss bellowed and ran for the bed.<\/p>\n \u201cPa, I jest\u2026\u201d Adam stuttered, scrambling to his feet and hastily putting the box and the photo back into the trunk \u201cThe trunk was already open, Pa. I jest took a minute to take a peek. I wanted \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought I told you not to touch that trunk?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know, Pa, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo why did you disobey me, Adam? There are things in there I do not want you to touch, do you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam drew in his breath sharply and it quavered a little and when he blinked there was the sheen of tears on his lashes. He swallowed manfully however<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to see Ma.\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cI told you before, Adam, your Ma\u2019s gone.\u201d and more roughly than usual Ben pushed Adam out of the way and picked up the picture and the box, and then, very carefully, folded them in a shawl, Elizabeth\u2019s shawl, and put them back at the bottom of the trunk. This he pushed back under the bureau, after having locked the lid down. \u201cGo to bed, Adam. I don\u2019t want to talk to you, you\u2019ve been very disobedient.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut, Pa\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo as I tell you or do I have to give you a hiding?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam cringed back, and with tears trembling on the brink of falling he went to his bed. In his truckle bed Hoss had the covers over his head and hardly dare breathe, he heard his brother clamber into the big bed and slowly peeked<\/p>\n \u201cAddy, is Pa mad?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMadder\u2019n a hornet!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHornet\u2019s bad, Addy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, real bad and mean.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss contemplated that information for a moment and never having seen a hornet in his life began to worry about what exactly his father had changed into, he pulled the covers back over his head<\/p>\n \u201cG\u2019night, Addy\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cG\u2019night, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam?\u201d The deep voice sounded overloud in the small room.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome here.\u201d<\/p>\n He clambered out of the bed and walked to the other room, and stood by the table. Ben looked down at him and drew him towards him<\/p>\n \u201cWhy did you disobey me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2019Cos I wanted to see Ma\u2019s picture.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2019Cos I can\u2019t remember her face no more. I don\u2019t see her in my dreams no more. I wanted to see her agin, that\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben looked at his son and saw the wistful sadness of his child\u2019s face and drew him closer in his arms and held him tight. Both could hear the heart beat of the other and soon they began to synchronize in tune.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, I\u2019m sorry I shouted at you like that, it\u2019s just that I don\u2019t like you touching those things.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut I was jest looking,\u201d Adam whispered \u201cThen Hoss came out and he liked the music.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t touch it again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause I asked you not to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d he stepped back just a pace or two and looked up at the sad features of a man who had known love, to be loved and to love, and to have lost, \u201cPa, where did Ma go?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know where she went. I told you before.\u201d Ben said quickly<\/p>\n \u201cWas it my fault that she went away?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, of course not.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen why did she go away..?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause she had to, that\u2019s why, she had to go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut she didn\u2019t, Pa, she didn\u2019t have to go.\u201d he pushed his fingers into his fathers hand and curled them about his fathers fingers \u201cPa, do you know what I think?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben looked down at the earnest little face and tried to muster up a smile, once again he brushed away the curl that had fallen over his sons brow and once again he felt his heart beat faster for the love he felt for him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you think, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think she\u2019s here, Pa. I\u2019ve seen her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Ben frowned, not understanding what Adam was saying \u201cWhat do you mean, son?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMa\u2019s here. She only went away for a little bit and she\u2019s here\u2026I\u2019ve seen her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, son\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have, I have\u201d Adam insisted, his voice a little shriller than normal<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t have done, son, your ma died\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Pa. No, she didn\u2019t die. She jest went a way for a little while and came here to live and I\u2019ve seen her, she\u2019s waiting for us, and she didn\u2019t die, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben grabbed his son now, his hands rough as they tightened around his sons arms and he gave the boy a little shake<\/p>\n \u201cStop this nonsense at once, Adam. Your ma died when you were born, and nothing, and no-one, can bring her back . Do you hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe ain\u2019t dead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s been dead for a long time, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSHE AIN\u2019T. SHE AIN\u2019T.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStop it\u2026stop it\u2026\u201d Ben gave the boy another shake but Adam twisted and pulled himself away from his fathers grasp and ran back a few paces<\/p>\n \u201cShe ain\u2019t dead because I know what dead means.. I know \u2018cause I saw what they did to Inger and how they put her in a box and then they put her in a hole in the ground and everybody just threw mud on the box and I saw that and that\u2019s what dead is. But Ma ain\u2019t dead. MY ma ain\u2019t dead\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam. Adam.\u201d Ben rose from the table and lunged to grab at the boy, and caught him up in his arms and held him tightly \u201cAdam\u2026.\u201d And he buried his face into his sons nightshirt and tried to stem back the tears \u201cAdam\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Chapter 5<\/p>\n \u201cHello\u201d<\/p>\n She was wearing a white dress with small green flowers sewn all over it and her Spencer jacket was green velvet. Her bonnet was the one he had seen her wear before but she had a little flimsy netting drifting over her face this time. She smiled down at him and the little boy smiled back up at her<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d she asked \u201cAre you following me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI ..I \u2026well..I guess I was, ma\u2019am\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen I\u2019m mighty flattered. But may I ask why?\u201d she pushed open the gate into her \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d he said shyly and looked down at his feet.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you want to come inside my house and have some milk and cookies?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh!\u201d Adam looked up with a wide smile \u201cYes, please!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome along then\u2026\u201d and she extended her hand to him and he took it in his own and walked by her side up the garden path and into the cool interior of the house. She left him standing there for a moment as she took off her hat, and perched it on a small gold painted table.<\/p>\n Adam gazed about him. He had never seen quite such a house as this before, so much gold glittering everywhere, on mirrors, and furniture and picture frames\u2026she smiled and looked down at him.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would help if you would tell me your name?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m Adam.\u201d he replied immediately \u201cAdam Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I\u2019m..\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re Elizabeth.\u201d he replied promptly.<\/p>\n She laughed then, and put her head playfully to one side<\/p>\n \u201cI see. So you know all about me, do you, Mr Cartwright? Well, come along then, come and get this drink.\u201d and she led him into another room and pointed to a chair \u201cI\u2019ll go and get you the milk and cookies and then you can tell me all about yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam watched her go and pondered as to why she would want to know all about him when she would already know, unless, of course, she would want to know all about what had happened since she had left. When she returned with the milk and cookies on a tray she sat opposite him and smiled,<\/p>\n \u201cWell, now, Adam, where did you spring from?\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cMr Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben turned and did a slight double take before he could catch his breath and nod in acknowledgement<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Ma\u2019am, I\u2019m Ben Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n She smiled and extended her hand<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m Rhiannon O\u2019Shaughnessy. People here in town call me Elizabeth\u2026because it\u2019s my middle name and they feel more comfortable with it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI understand. Rhiannon\u2019s a very pretty name,\u201d Ben pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his hands, well aware of the fact that he was beginning to feel very hot around the collar. \u201cCan I help you at all, Ma\u2019am?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to talk to you, if I may\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBy all means, but \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can see that you are busy. Could I see you when it is more convenient?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCertainly, tomorrow afternoon?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt the coffee house, over there to the left of the dry goods store.\u201d she pointed at the coffee shop with her parosol and then smiled, \u201cWould 2.30 p.m. be alright?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlease, call me Elizabeth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you wouldn\u2019t mind, Ma\u2019am, I\u2019d prefer it if we could keep it more formal\u2026Mrs ..\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMiss\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMiss O\u2019Shaughnessy\u201d<\/p>\n He tipped his hat to her and watched as she walked away from the wagon. Mr Lowe came and stood by his side and turned to watch the woman walk down the street towards her home and nodded sagely<\/p>\n \u201cMighty fine lady\u201d he said quietly<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I guess she is,\u201d he replied with a smile lingering on his lips.<\/p>\n \u201cBin here ten years.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMmmm.\u201d Ben turned to pick up the sack of coffee beans<\/p>\n \u201cHer fiance got himself shot in a gun fight right out there in main street\u2026sad business!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben said nothing, but turned to go. Small towns, small minds and big mouths! \u201cThank you for coming\u201d she smiled and shook his hand as they met outside the coffee shop. She pushed open the door and he followed her inside and to where there was a more private table.<\/p>\n She watched as he sat down on the chair, and smiled slowly to herself. He was certainly a very handsome man and well built too. She had seen the day before that he was muscular and strong, now she could that he dressed well when he had to, and looked even more handsome as a result. His black hair was slightly streaked at the side, and it looked as though he were going to go grey early in life as so many dark haired people did if they lived too good or too sad a life. She beckoned for service and then ordered coffee\u2026and while they waited she peeled off her gloves and surveyed him,<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Miss O\u2019Shaughnessy. What\u2019s the verdict?\u201d he smiled at her, his dark eyes twinkling.<\/p>\n \u201cThe verdict?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. You\u2019ve been scrutinising me so carefully that I was wondering whether or not there was some ulterior motive to your asking me here today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2026\u201d she laughed, a good hearty laugh that drew the attention of several other customers at their tables who glanced over at them before returning to their drinks \u201cOh, Mr Cartwright,\u201d she paused as the coffee things were set down on the table and when they were alone again she leaned forward \u201cI had a visit from your little boy yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d She stirred sugar into her coffee very slowly \u201cHe\u2019s a charming child, handsome, intelligent, and he likes books.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, you\u2019re the lady who loaned him the book he brought home\u2026\u201d Ben frowned<\/p>\n \u201cYes, unless he makes a habit of calling on everyone\u2019s house for a book.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope not,\u201d he smiled and stared into his coffee \u201cI\u2019ll tell him not to bother you again<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d rather you didn\u2019t. I enjoyed his company. He\u2019s different\u201d she paused, and smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose he must be, we\u2019ve been travelling so much and never settled anywhere. Yes, I guess he would appear \u2019different\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe told me you had been a seaman<\/p>\n \u201cYes, that\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat must have been very exciting..\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes.\u201c he drank the coffee and then looked at her and noticed that she had dark brown eyes and long lashes and that they were regarding him very steadily \u201cDid Adam say anything else?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe just chatted, like old friends.\u201d she smiled at him over the rim of her cup.<\/p>\n \u201cDid he say anything about his mother?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, only that his step mother had died in an Indian attack not so long ago.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded slowly and frowned,<\/p>\n \u201cSo what is the purpose of this interview?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think he wanted me to get to know you.\u201d she smiled at him kindly, \u201cHe cares about you very much, and I think he wants to matchmake.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh!\u201d Ben relaxed, just a little \u201cI \u2013 er \u2013 I\u2019m sorry about that, he misses Inger.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou must miss her too.\u201d There was a long pause then and she smiled and just nodded \u201cI know, that was a bit too personal, wasn\u2019t it? Can I ask another personal question?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGo ahead?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a dance at the town hall on Saturday. Would you come as my escort?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI usually\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt would make Adam happy, and me as well, come to that. Please say you will.\u201d<\/p>\n Their eyes met and twinkled together. He smiled, she smiled\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cVery well, Rhiannon, I\u2019d like that too.\u201d he heard himself say.<\/p>\n Chapter 6<\/p>\n Rhiannon O\u2019Shaughnessy danced like a dream. She laughed and chattered and twinkled like a star. Ben felt like a man who had stumbled upon an oasis in a desert as he held her in his arms and danced with her, escorted her to and fro around the room, was introduced to her friends. He even felt a slight twinge of irritation when others came and claimed dances from her, especially the tall thin blonde haired man who seemed very disinclined to talk to him and very much inclined to take sole possession of her. There had even been a slight hiatus when she and the other man had a little difference of opinion during one of the dances, and as it seemed to be getting a little heated, Ben had ventured to intervene, and felt grateful when an old friend of Rhiannon\u2019s, also noticing the argument, took the chance to cut in and take her for the remainder of the dance. The thin blond man then disappeared for the remainder of the evening.<\/p>\n It had been the first social occasion Ben had been to since he had been married to Inger. The first time he had held a woman in his arms and danced with her. The first time he had walked down a sidewalk with a woman on his arm, looking up at him in admiration, while they both knew that they had drunk a little too much, danced a little too often, and enjoyed one another\u2019s company, yes, a lot.<\/p>\n \u201cWill I see you again, Ben Cartwright?\u201d she murmured as they stood by her garden gate.<\/p>\n \u201cI certainly hope so, Rhiannon\u201d he smiled down at her.<\/p>\n \u201cI enjoyed this evening, very much,\u201d her voice trembled slightly, and she glanced up but then looked swiftly away, as though unable to meet his gaze.<\/p>\n \u201cSo did I.\u201d he replied with all honesty.<\/p>\n They smiled at one another and shook hands, held hands a little longer than normal, and then parted. He watched her as she reached her front door, and when she turned she waved.<\/p>\n \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you dance, Pa?\u201d the little boy looked up at him with wide brown eyes and an excited look on his face, by his side Hoss bounced up and down on the bed and clapped his hands, which he always did when they mentioned the word dance.<\/p>\n \u201cI certainly did. I reckon my feet have blisters.\u201d Ben pulled off his boots and together his sons and he examined the soles of his feet and laughing declared them \u2018jest fine\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cWas it fun, Pa? Did you enjoy it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid Elizabeth like you, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, she seemed to and her names Rhiannon, Adam\u201d and he looked at the boy sternly and stood up \u201cNow, both of you, get to bed and when I come in I\u2019ll tell you both a story.\u201d<\/p>\n He listened to the patter of their feet across the floor boards and their excited chatter as they jumped into bed, and he pulled off his tie and his shirt and walked to where the basin of water was and stared at his reflection in the mirror.<\/p>\n He felt guilty. He dipped his hands into the clear water and sluiced it over his face. He She did remind him so much of Elizabeth. The same gaity, the same sensitivity and the same mischief lurking in her dark eyes. She had been intelligent, conversation had flowed between them so easily. She had enjoyed his company and found him attractive. And now he felt ashamed and guilty.<\/p>\n \u201cElizabeth. Elizabeth,\u201d he whispered to himself \u201cWhy did you have to go and leave us?\u201d Adam could feel his heart beating like a drum under his ribs as he ran from the house. He wanted to shout but he seemed to have lost his voice. He glanced over his shoulder to look behind him.<\/p>\n The horses neighed and reared up and the wagon rolled back and then rolled forwards. Someone screamed. A man ran out of the barbers and pulling off the towel from around his neck yelled for someone to get the doctor.<\/p>\n Angela Merriweather had seen it all happen before her very eyes\u2026she ran now across the road,threw herself down in the dirt, took the little body in her arms and turned him over very slowly. She brushed dirt and blood from his face and ran his hands down his body and over his limbs and looked earnestly into his face<\/p>\n \u201cAdam. Adam.\u201d she cried \u201cAdam, wake up, wake up\u201d Ben Cartwright pushed open the door of the house and frowned slightly. He had knocked and the door had just swung open. He glanced down the path and over the hedge as the sound of some commotion reached his ears, and he could see a small gathering of people huddled together in the road, but curiousity as to why the door was open was too much and very tentatively he stepped inside the hallway.<\/p>\n Rhiannon O\u2019Shaughnessy lay on the hallway floor in a huddled heap. It was obvious from the way her eyes stared ahead of her into nothing that she was already dead and past any help, but even so he approached her and knelt at her side,lifted her still body just a fraction so that he could look down again at the still, bloodied features of the dead woman.<\/p>\n How strange, he thought, in death she looks nothing whatsoever like my Elizabeth. He touched her neck, to feel for any sign of a pulse, but there was none, and when he gently lay her back down on the floor he felt the blood on his hands and looked down to see for himself how her blood covered his fingers and hands.<\/p>\n He was wondering what could have happened to her when a hand touched his shoulder and looking up he saw a thick set man with grey eyes staring down at him and on his shirt was pinned a star. Several others were crowding into the house now\u2026all of them looking in shock and horror at the sight before their eyes.<\/p>\n What did they see? They saw a startled man with blood on his hands and denial in his eyes. They saw the body of a woman lying broken at the foot of the stairs\u2026.There could have been any number of explanations, but to them there was only one. A woman killed and her murderer, with her blood still on his hands, caught at the scene of the crime.<\/p>\n Sherriff Layton slipped Bens gun from its holster and told him that he was being arrested on suspicion of murder. Ben, confused as he was, threw a wild punch and struggled to get away. It convinced all those there of his guilt. In the crowd a tall, thin blond haired man glared at Ben Cartwright and shook his fist at him. But all Ben could think of was why? Why did it have to happen and why did he have to be the one to have found her.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t do it. I promise you, I\u2019m innocent.\u201d he pleaded as the handcuffs went on and Layton pushed him forwards through the crowd \u201cI tell you I\u2019m innocent\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou can tell me when we get to the jail house, I\u2019ll take down your statement there..\u201d Layton said quietly \u201cDon\u2019t make a scene, Mr Cartwright, it only makes matters worse.\u201d<\/p>\n Chapter 7<\/p>\n Sherriff Layton read Bens statement out aloud to him and Ben nodded and took the pen and signed it carefully.<\/p>\n \u201cCan I go now?\u201d he asked, holding out his handcuffed wrists<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I\u2019m sorry you can\u2019t \u201c Layton frowned \u201cThe fact is that you\u2019re the only suspect we have and..\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen why aren\u2019t you looking for someone else; for evidence to prove I\u2019m innocent.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause there isn\u2019t anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be so ridiculous, of course there\u2019s someone else. I would never harm anyone\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps it was an accident. Maybe a little struggle on the stairs \u2026and she tripped..\u201d Layton suggested, pushing Bens statement back to him \u201cWhy not write it down there, son, it\u2019ll make it much easier for you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am not going to write down anything that isn\u2019t true. I\u2019ve already told you.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben raised his hands in exasperation and was about to launch into another explanation of what had happened when the door of the office opened and Mrs Merriweather stepped inside. She glanced at the two men, and the deputy standing near by, and walked very slowly forwards, her eyes on Bens face.<\/p>\n \u201cMr Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Ma\u2019am?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben stood upright, and looked her in the face and felt a dark feeling of dread well up inside of him,<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s happened?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour son, Adam\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s happened to him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe ran out into the road and was knocked down by some horses\u2026please\u201d she extended her hand and placed it gently on his arm \u201cPlease don\u2019t be overly anxious. I know you\u2019re worried enough about things as it is, but please, he will be alright. He\u2019s got a concussion, but the doctor assures me that he will be alright.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI must go and see him.\u201d he stepped forward but Layton stood up and put a restraining hand on his chest .<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, but I can\u2019t let you go, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut I must. My son. You heard what the teacher just said? For pities sake, man\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Layton looked over at the deputy who gave a slight shrug, and spat out onto the porch. He looked at his prisoner and frowned, then with a nod he drew out his gun and prodded Ben forward<\/p>\n \u201cYou can leave the gun in your holster, Sheriff, I\u2019m not likely to run away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, but there are rules that I have to apply.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLook, I\u2019ll stay put because I want this matter cleared up too. If I have to stay in jail and be tried for murder to prove my innocence, then so be it. But I don\u2019t want to go in and see my son in handcuffs, and with a gun in my back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.<\/p>\n The morning came but it made no difference to Ben. He had not slept during the hours of darkness, and early morning had come and gone with him pacing the cell floor, trying to put together the fragments of time that had turned a reasonable life into a nightmare.<\/p>\n He thought of Adam, and his heart lurched. What if he had died? What if something happened even now and he died and he, his own father, was unable to go to him in his last hours? What had the child been thinking of, to run out into the street without looking and why had he been there in the first place!<\/p>\n He was sitting on the bunk with his hands tugging at his hair in despair when the ***** of keys rattled and he looked up to see Layton opening the door and with a tray of food in his other hand. It would be a simple thing to over power the older man, he thought, and to run off. He sighed, run off where? And what about Hoss? What about Adam?<\/p>\n \u201cThe doc said your boy had a good nights sleep. Still unconscious though but it ain’t unusual with concussion\u201d he placed the tray on the bed \u201cMore good news, the Judge arrives in town today and he should be able to hear your case on Friday. I\u2019ve got a legal guy onto your defence. If you\u2019re insisting on pleading not guilty that is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am not guilty, of course I\u2019ll be pleading not guilty\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou can change your mind.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy should I do that? I didn\u2019t kill Rhiannon\u201d<\/p>\n Layton frowned and sat down beside Ben and shook his head; \u201cI\u2019ve known her a long time.\u201d he said \u201cThe whole town held her in great respect, you know. She was going to marry my predecessor, Sheriff Andrew Dowson. He was a good man and the fairest man I\u2019ve ever known.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe told me about him.\u201d Ben said quietly<\/p>\n \u201cWe had some trouble with gun fighters drifting in. It happens with new settlements and this town was just about getting itself on its feet. Dowson was called out\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026and killed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, and killed. Miss O\u2019shaughnessy was mighty upset I kin tell ya.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe told me that she thought Dowson had been murdered\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMurdered?\u201d Dowson frowned \u201cYeah, she went on about that for a while. Fact is that he faced the man who called him out and shot him, killed him stone dead, but \u2026he was shot too. It happens sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe told me exactly what happened\u201d Ben said quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cShe told you what she thought happened.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben said nothing to that, but picked up some bread and pulled off a chunk and began to eat it slowly, while he surveyed the floor of the cell and thought over the young girl who had been killed.<\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps it was an accident\u201d he muttered.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Dowsons death?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Rhiannons. Maybe someone did just happen to see her fall down the stairs, maybe they were arguing, or maybe she just turned and tripped.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou are thinking of changing your plea then?\u201d Layton said smugly and now rising to his feet to survey the prisoner with some hope that the situation was going to be much easier.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, not at all. I wasn\u2019t there when she died. I\u2019m just saying that may be that\u2019s how it was and now that person is scared, and too frightened to come forward and tell the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe truth is, Mr Cartwright, that according to the doctor, Miss O\u2019Shaughessy died from a blow to the head administered before her fall down the stairs. So, you had better start thinking up a good story to get out of this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo get out of what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA hanging, Mister. Murder is a hanging offence in this township.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026\u2026\u2026..<\/p>\n Adam half opened his eyes and looked about him. His eyes felt so heavy that he gratefully closed them again and with a sigh allowed his mind to drift back into the cobwebs of dreams.<\/p>\n \u201cNever be frightened.\u201d a voice whispered in his head.<\/p>\n \u201cI ain\u2019t frightened.\u201d his own voice whispered back.<\/p>\n The lady smiled down at him, and he smiled back. This was his ma, his Elizabeth and he reached out and she took hold of his hands and pulled him up gently to her side. He slipped easily and comfortably into the nook of her arm, his head on her shoulder and her arm about his, \u201cYou know I\u2019m always here, don\u2019t you, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, yes, Ma. For a while I thought you had gone away for ever, but I know you\u2019re there now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI shan\u2019t ever leave you.\u201d she whispered and kissed his brow.<\/p>\n Angela Merrieweather kissed his brow and sighed, and stroked back the dark hair that was spiked wet with perspiration<\/p>\n \u201cIs he going to be alright?\u201d she turned to the doctor \u201cHe\u2019s been drifting in and out of consciousness for so long now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s going to be alright, Angela. He\u2019s strong and healthy and not giving in to it\u2026there is something worrying him though.\u201d He approached the bed and took the boys wrist and felt for the pulse and shook his head \u201cEvery so often he gets feverish and his pulse starts to race, then it calms down and he slips into a good healthy sleep. Thankfully, they are not so often as they were at first so I think we can safely say we have passed the danger time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMr Cartwright will be on trial tomorrow morning,\u201d Angela said anxiously.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, if he killed Elizabeth he deserves everything he gets.\u201d The doctor replied, and wiped his hands methodically and thoroughly with a clean cloth.<\/p>\n \u201cYou were always very fond of Elizabeth, weren\u2019t you, Dr. Miles.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. The whole town was fond of her, weren\u2019t they?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, of course they were,\u201d she smiled gently \u201cNo one could or would dream of saying a bad word against her. She was a lovely young woman in every sense of the word.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExactly my point,\u201d Dr Miles smiled at her \u201cNow, I think we should leave this young man to sleep. I\u2019ll let you know if there is any change at all.\u201d he assured her and led the way to the door. Ben stopped his pacing and walked to the barred window of his cell. He could hear the hum of people walking pass on the sidewalk, some of them raised their voices deliberately so that he would hear their opinions of his part in Elizabeth O\u2019Shaughnessy\u2019s death, and none of them gave him any feelings of encouragement or cause for optimism. He knew that they were going early to the Court in order to get good seats and he felt his collar and realised that this must have been much the same way the French aristos had felt on the way to the tumbril and the kiss of death from Mam\u2019zelle Guillotine.<\/p>\n \u201cSheriff?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Mr Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs there any chance of seeing Adam before I get to the courtroom?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Mr Cartwright, it\u2019s going to be hard enough to get you through the crowds as it is\u201d<\/p>\n Ben frowned, that really did sound ominous. Elizabeth or rather Rhiannon was certainly very popular in this town, and he hadn\u2019t realised by how much until now. He returned to the window and looked up at the sky and saw the barest slither of a cloud sweeping its lazy way across the blue expanse above them. He shook his head, perhaps he should be praying for a miracle right now, he thought, but he had already spent so many hours praying and hoping.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you ready?\u201d Layton was turning the key in the lock.<\/p>\n \u201cSheriff, did you look for witnesses? Did you really look for someone \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh back to that are we? The ghost, the mysterious person who was in the house when you found her?\u201d Layton shook his head sadly \u201cLook, Mr Cartwright, why drag this out? The towns not favourably inclined towards you, it\u2019s a dead certainty that things are going to go only one way.\u201d he looked at the younger man sadly and scratched behind his ear \u201cI\u2019ve asked around, I\u2019ve questioned folk all over town. No one else was in the house, no one else was anywhere around and no one else had reason to kill her anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI had no reason to kill her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, that\u2019s what you say.\u201d Layton muttered and led the prisoner from the cell. Angela Merriweather leaned over the boy as he lay on the bed and smiled down at him<\/p>\n \u201cAre you feeling better now, dear?\u201d she whispered<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Ma\u2019am\u201d he said quietly \u201cCan I see my Pa now, and Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLater, when you\u2019re feeling much better. Your Pa\u2019s been here to see you but he\u2019s busy right now, and Mrs Gilbert has care of Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut there\u2019s something I have to tell Pa.\u201d Adam whispered and raised his hand to his head, and rubbed at where it hurt so much. He knew it was something important, but he could not think what it was at all. There was a movement behind Mrs Merriweather and he realised that there was a man standing behind her, and for some reason this man looked familiar \u201cWho are you?\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m Dr Miles.\u201d came the gentle response and the Doctor smiled down at his young patient and took his hand in his \u201cWelcome back to the land of the living, Adam\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWas I dead then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d the doctor smiled and looked over at Mrs Merriweather who smiled back with respectful admiration, \u201cNo, it\u2019s just an expression. It means that we\u2019re glad that you\u2019re well enough to talk.\u201d he paused as he saw a spasm of emotion swiftly pass across the boys face \u201cIs there something the matter, lad?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam frowned, there was definitely something the matter but he could not find where or what it was. Somewhere tucked in the back of his memory there was definitely something. Angela Merriweather looked down at him and smiled,<\/p>\n \u201cYou need something to eat and drink, my dear.\u201d she said quietly and turned to the doctor who had retreated back into the shadows.<\/p>\n \u201cMrs Merriweather, Ma\u2019am, can I leave here now, can I come back home with you?\u201d Adam cried, his voice suddenly shaky with alarm and something akin to panic.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know. Dr Miles, would it be alright if he left here now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t see why not so long as you promise me that he has a good light breakfast and some orangeade to drink .\u201d Miles smiled at them both and Adam had a rather strange feeling creep down his spine. It was rather like watching a crocodile smile, all teeth but no warmth or feeling in the eyes.<\/p>\n Once outside there was so much going on that even a child of 8 could see that something major was about to happen. He tugged at the teachers hand, \u201cWhat\u2019s going on, Mrs Merriweather?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, nothing for you to worry about, dear.” came the glib reply spoken in a rather subdued, tense voice.<\/p>\n Adam frowned, he knew enough about adults to know that when they said things like that he had every reason to worry. He glanced over at the crowds streaming towards the court house and tugged at her hand, but she only pulled him along more hurriedly, hoping that they would get to her house before the sheriff emerged with Ben.<\/p>\n Tommy Hislop ran over to them and looked at Adam thoughtfully, he sidled closer; \u201cWhere\u2019ve you bin?\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the doctors. I banged my head when I fell down.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTommy, go home to your mother, you know there\u2019s no school today.\u201d Mrs Merriweather said briskly.<\/p>\n \u201cHave you told anyone yet?\u201d Tommy hissed in Adam’s ear while he kept his eyes on the teacher.<\/p>\n \u201cTold anybody what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know?\u201d and Tommy nodded his head energetically and winked.<\/p>\n Adam looked at him rather scornfully and quickened his pace to catch up with his teachers.<\/p>\n Tommy Hislop was left standing on the sidewalk scratching his head\u2026surely Adam would want to say something now, especially with the trial about to start and his fathers life hanging in the balance.<\/p>\n Chapter 8<\/p>\n Hoss saw his pa standing across the room from him and waved chubby hands at him and called out \u201cPapa\u201d so plaintively that Mrs Gilbert burst into tears and had to leave the court room. Hoss seeing his father disappear from his view as Mrs Gilbert bore him away, promptly burst into tears and his pleading for his \u2018Papa\u2019 echoed for some minutes around the room before fading into silence.<\/p>\n Ben could have cried himself when he saw his little son. But he steeled himself and waited for the court to convene. His defence lawyer had entered a plea of Not Guilty and that had been greeted with mutterings and some expletives from the audience and the jury had been sworn in and all of them glared at him so openly that he knew that he had no chance for an impartial hearing at all.<\/p>\n Eyes stared at him from every angle. They bore into the back of his head and burned into his own eyes. He could feel the perspiration breaking out under his arm pits and around his brow and wished that the day would just end, and be over and done with for good! Whether it meant him swinging at the end of a rope or not, this ordeal was something abhorrent to him. He believed in justice, and in fairness and impartiality, but he saw nothing of that here and the Judge had glared down at him with such venom that he felt like throwing up his hands and declaring himself guilty just to end it all!<\/p>\n The case was put forward. Witnesses were called who testified seeing Ben Cartwright in Elizabeth\u2019s house bending over her body and with blood on his hands. The defence declared that anyone could have stumbled on the body and been in just such a situation when found, it did not mean that person would be guilty. Every witness agreed on that point but stressed the fact that this particular suspect did LOOK guilty and that was sufficient for them.<\/p>\n Their testimonies were laughable and inexcusable, but they served a purpose. They reinforced the invention on the minds of the jury. Every witness was convinced that the suspect had committed the murder, and if they were that convinced, than, obviously, it just had to be so.<\/p>\n Eventually, due to the lack of witnesses for the defence, Ben was called forward to give his statement and answer questions from the representatives of law and order. His lawyer, who did not believe him, and the prosecution who didn\u2019t care enough to believe him or not.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy were you at Miss O\u2019Shaughnessy\u2019s house that day?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was in town and decided to pay a call on her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs that what you normally did?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause until recently I was not acquainted with Miss O\u2019Shaughnessy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWere you good friends?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe could have become good friends.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what happened when you got to the house?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe door was swinging open. I pushed it and stepped inside. I thought I heard someone breathing and called out her name.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou thought you heard someone breathing? But Miss O\u2019Shaughnessy was already dead according to your statement.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cObjection.\u201d yelled the prosecution lawyer who was already bored out of his head .<\/p>\n \u201cOverruled.\u201d yawned the Judge.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought I heard someone breathing, and when I went into the house I thought there was movement, then I saw Rhiannon on the floor and knew she was dead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou knew she was dead? Just by looking at her?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, she was dead, and, yes, I knew just by looking at her.\u201d and Ben swallowed hard and thought of the bodies he had seen and known to be dead by looking at them\u2026like Elizabeth and Inger.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd this someone who you thought was in the house, did he or she materialise?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI knew there was someone else in the house. I could sense them\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSense them? In what way do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n The prosecution stood up and sighed \u201cExcuse me, but is this all the defence you have in your favour? An unseen person?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, it\u2019s all I have to offer as a defence.\u201d Ben said very quietly<\/p>\n The Prosecution lawyer turned to the jury and gave a very exaggerated shrug, spreading out his hands as though to say \u201cWell, I give up!\u201d the jury shifted in their seats, some yawned and some snickered between themselves. In the audience there were already bets being made as to how long it would take them to get Ben from the court room to the gibbet.<\/p>\n \u201cDid anyone else see this unseen presence? This person you sensed to be in the house when you were there making sure that Miss O\u2019Shaughnessy was dead?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know. I don\u2019t suppose so otherwise they would have come forward by now.\u201d Ben frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cMr Cartwright, was there any reason of which you know, that would give anyone else in this town reason to kill or attempt to kill Miss O\u2019Shaughnessy?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben frowned and glanced over the audience with his near black eyes intensely dark indeed. Only a few there gave him a nod of encouragement. He frowned<\/p>\n \u201cJust the one that I know of,\u201d he sighed.<\/p>\n \u201c A motive you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what was this reason?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMiss O\u2019Shaughnessy told me that she thought her fiance, Sheriff Dowson, had been murdered. \u201c his voice was drowned out by the chorus of chortles and chuckles from the audience. This old story had been going the rounds for a few years now, and with much shaking of heads and widening of eyes the audience gradually quietened down.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat exactly did Miss O\u2019Shaughnessy tell you, Mr Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe told me that there was someone in the town who had always hated Dowson, and who had at one time had hopes of marrying her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cObjection.\u201d the Proscecution stood up and sighed heavily \u201cWe haven\u2019t come here to listen to an old fashioned love story.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s my defence.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s his defence, sir, and proves, perhaps, a motive.\u201d the defence threw back, his first attempt at any spirit in his task.<\/p>\n \u201cContinue.\u201d the Judge murmered and pulled out his watch to check the time by the clock on the court room wall.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Dowson was called out he shot and killed the gunman, who fired off a shot.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c..that killed Dowson\u2026\u201d the prosecution lawyer growled<\/p>\n \u201cThis is my interrogation,\u201d the defence lawyer spat \u201cPlease refrain from interrupting\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd please stop taking over my job for me.\u201d the Judge banged his gavel and then looked at Ben and nodded \u201cCarry on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was assumed that his shot killed Dowson, but Rhiannon said that she had proof that the bullet that killed him actually came from the rear, that he was shot in the back by someone hiding in a back alley.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat proof did she have?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe said she would show me the proof next time we met.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd this so called murderer cum rival in love?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe was still in town.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid he know about this claim, this proof she claimed to have on him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d Ben shook his head and glanced up and around him . Suddenly there had been a hush settling around the court room, and people in the audience and on the jury were looking thoughtful, concerned, and confused. He leaned forwards \u201cI had no reason, no motive, for killing Miss O\u2019Shaughnessy. None whatsoever. But she believed that there was someone out there\u2026\u201d he paused and shook his head.<\/p>\n The gavel banged on the judges table and a loud voice told him to \u2018shut up\u2019. He glanced up at the Judge and shook his head<\/p>\n \u201cHow can I keep quiet when this was and is my only defence? I\u2019m not going to let you hang me on the hearsay of a group of people who can\u2019t \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMr Cartwright, please, keep silent.\u201d the judge turned to the defence lawyer \u201cContinue with your questioning, unless you\u2019ve finished?\u201d<\/p>\n The defence lawyer looked up from reading a slip of paper and looked at the Judge and raised his eyebrows.<\/p>\n \u201cMay I speak to you a moment, Judge?\u201d he asked quietly and beckoned to the prosecution who glanced around him and frowned when he saw the young woman standing by the barriers wringing her hands and looking anxiously up at the judge\u2026he shook his head. Oh, for an easy life. The last thing he wanted was a twist in the tail that would prolong this case.<\/p>\n Chapter 9<\/p>\n An hour passed and for Ben every moment seemed an eternity. He studied the walls, the faces of the jury and the townspeople who were restless, confused and whispering amongst themselves. The certainty of the culprit was now in question and the thought of what to do as a result hung like the sword of Damocles over all their heads. Mrs Merriweather sat on the bench close to Mr and Mrs Gilbert. Hoss, hot and sticky from misery, had fallen asleep in Mrs Gilberts arms and snored very lightly. The townspeople began to settle down into silence. Perhaps only Ben, who had reasons of his own for such vigilence, noticed that the sheriff had now posted deputies at every door, which were being very stealthily locked. He shook his head slightly, surely they did not think he would be making a run for it, not now?<\/p>\n The Judge banged his gavel and looked at them all sternly<\/p>\n \u201cThere have been some interesting developments in this case. In order to get this matter resolved as quickly as possible I am going to proceed with the cross examination of the two main witnesses. Bring in the first witness.\u201d<\/p>\n Every head turned at the same time to view the appearance of young Tommy Hislop who looked much like a terrified rabbit caught in the glare of a hundred oil lamps. Amidst a little muttering and mumbling the boy took his place on a chair near to the judge and waited.<\/p>\n The Defence lawyer walked up to him and smiled<\/p>\n \u201cHow old are you, Tommy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTen, sir\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you know the difference between the truth and a lie, Tommy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery well, now you know what we want you to do, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery well. Now, Tommy, tell me, no, look at me, and don\u2019t mind all of them, tell me what happened the day Miss O;Shaughnessy was killed? What were you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Adam Cartwright said that he had a book he wanted to take back to Miss O\u2019Shaughnessy and I said he was a liar because Miss O\u2019Shaughnessy never gave books to folk and he said if I didn\u2019t believe him to go with him and find out for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd did you go with him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe knocked on the door and it was already unlocked so he said it would be alright to go inside because Miss O\u2019Shaughnessy was probably in the back of the house. We went inside and he called for her but no one came although we knew there was someone there because we could hear someone moving about and then being very still,\u201d he frowned \u201cso he put the book back on the shelf and was about to pick up another one when we heard her come back. He was about to call out to her when we heard them talking.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho was talking, Tommy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHer and a ..a..man.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid you hear what was said?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe said to him, \u201cwhat are you doing in my house, get out of here\u2019 and he said \u2018I came to see you.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWere they angry with one another?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe was frightened because her voice was kinda squeaky. She said \u2018I ain\u2019t got nuthin\u2019 to say to you, go away or I\u2019ll get the sheriff\u2019 and he said \u2018You try and I\u2019ll kill you.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWere they fighting, Tommy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMe and Adam were skeered, we crouched down behind the door and peeked out to see what was happening. He had hold of her wrist and pulled her and she pushed him away. \u201cYou killed Andrew\u2019 she said.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened then?\u201d the lawyer tapped the boy on the knee to get his attention back for the child was now looking even more terrified \u201cDon\u2019t look at them, Tommy, just look at me and tell me what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve no proof.\u2019 he said and he shook her and she squealed and told him to let go of her or she would scream and he said scream as much as you like no one will hear you. She ran up the stairs then and we decided to run for it, but we only got as far as the hall when there was a big bang\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA shot gun.?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, sir, not a bang like that, just a bang like something heavy falling down on the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHad there been much noise beforehand?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSort of like fighting, then after the bang it was very quiet. We were wondering what to do when we heard lots of thuds and she came falling down the stairs. Adam said to run for it and to get the doc. But,\u201d he lowered his eyes and shivered \u201cAnyway, he ran out of the house and I ran too but tripped over something. Then I heard someone coming and hid in the shrubs and that\u2019s when I saw Mr Cartwright coming to the house.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe went to the door and pushed it open and went inside..\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHad the other man come out?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, sir, he was still inside.\u201d he frowned \u201cUnless he went out the back window.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTommy, is that man here in the court room?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs it Mr Cartwright? I mean the man who had the fight with Miss O\u2019Shaughnessy\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, it wasn\u2019t him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell us this before, Tommy? You do realise that Mr Cartwright may have been hanged for something he didn\u2019t do, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was skeered.\u201d Tommy looked up at the Judge with wet eyes and the freckles on his face stood out like brown blotches on parched linen, \u201cI was skeered, and anyway, I didn\u2019t know him, no one really knew him, so it didn\u2019t seem to matter so much at the time. Not like the other man. I\u2019d known HIM all my life and he saved my Ma\u2019s life once. I didn\u2019t know what to do. I was too skeered to tell anyone and Adam was hurt so I couldn\u2019t talk to him about it. But Ma knew I was worried about summat so she got on to me until I told her this mornin\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The Judge leaned forward now and surveyed the boy, and the audience, many of whom were nervously fidgitting and eying the doors anxiously,<\/p>\n \u201cTommy, can you write?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWould you write down the name of the man who was fighting with Miss O\u2019Shaughnessy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir.\u201d and taking the pen from the clerk the child carefully wrote down a name on a piece of paper which he handed to the Judge.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, Tommy, apart from your mother, does anyone else know about this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnly Mrs Merriweather, she was the one told me to come here\u2026with ma\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHave you discussed this at all with your friend, Adam Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, sir, I ain\u2019t. He\u2019s been ill for days now, and I ain\u2019t even seen him until this mornin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd did you say anything to him then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI only asked him if he had told anyone but he looked at me as though he didn\u2019t know what had happened.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlright, Tommy, go and sit with your Ma, you\u2019ve done very well. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n With shaking legs Tommy Hislop hurried to sit beside his mother and received a well earned hug from that worthy lady. Glancing around he caught Bens eye and lowered his head, the thought that he could have been responsible for that mans death now weighed heavily upon what conscience he possessed.<\/p>\n Doctor Miles pulled out his watch and checked the time, remembering that he had promised to visit Mrs Smith about some ailment or another. He picked up his medical bag and very quietly began to leave his seat. A firm hand on his shoulder made him jump however, and looking up he saw Layton\u2019s laconic features staring down at him<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, sheriff? I have to visit a patient in ten minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, Doc. Judge\u2019s orders but no ones to leave the premises.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, sheriff, but my patient needs my attention now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSit down, Doc.\u201d and the pressure on his shoulder made the doctor appreciate just how determined the lawman was to keep him right there. Rather reluctantly and very quietly he returned to his seat and placed the medical bag at his feet. All round the room now there were whispers about the doors being locked and people began to fidget restlessly and glance over at Tommy Hislop as though he were the cause of all their woes.<\/p>\n \u201cThe next witness please\u201d the Judge said in such a kindly manner that he had to repeat himself twice to the clerk of the court who hurriedly rushed out and escorted into the courtroom one Adam Cartwright.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s heart did a somersault when he saw his boy led into the courtroom, and he longed to rush over and give him a hug. How pale the child looked and how dark under his eyes. How sad the droop to his mouth and how small among the crowd. He looked down at his hands and hid them in his lap, just in case Adam, on looking over at him, would see the handcuffs and be ashamed of his father.<\/p>\n Adam did, at that moment, glance over and see his father and pure joy lit up his features and he turned as though to run towards him but the clerks steely hand gripped his shoulder and he was steered firmly to a chair close by to the Judge, who smiled down at him in such a friendly manner that Adam was reminded of the mans previous reassurances that there was nothing of which to be afraid. He took a deep breath and looked about him and then the lawyer for the defence stood up<\/p>\n Chapter 10<\/p>\n \u201cYour name is Adam Cartwright and you are 8 years old, is that right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you remember what we were talking about in the other room, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo you know that all you have to do is tell the truth about what happened the day you went to visit Miss O\u2019Shaughnessy with Tom Hislop?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou do know what a lie is, don\u2019t you, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n The lawyer for the Prosecution stood up and shook his head<\/p>\n \u201cExcuse me for mentioning the fact, but this child does happen to be the son of the accused man. Of course he\u2019s going to lie.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cObjection.\u201d the defence lawyer snapped.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat proof do we have that this boy and the other child did not conjure up the story they are about to spin just to cause doubt in the minds of the jury and ..\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cObjection..\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cObjection sustained\u2026continue Mr Marshall\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Marshall approached the chair where Adam sat and touched his knee gently<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, look at me for now, would you?\u201d he smiled as he spoke for he well understood the boys longing to be with his father and the reason why his eyes would be strained towards the face of that dear one. With a sigh Adam wrenched his eyes away from Ben, who had smiled and nodded reassuringly. He now looked directly at the lawyer. \u201cAdam, were you a good friend of Miss O\u2019Shaughnessy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid you visit her often?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd did you like her very much?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n The lawyer for the prosecution yawned and stretched, rather theatrically, which earned him a look of stern reproof from the Judge, for such an action could sway the jury into a lapse of concentration on what was being said. If the lawyers were bored, shouldn\u2019t they be also?<\/p>\n \u201cHow much did you like her?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell,\u201d Adam frowned and his little fingers intertwined with each other restlessly . He glanced over at Ben and then looked once more at Mr Marshall \u201cI used to pretend she was my ma, because she reminded me of what I thought my ma would be like if she were still alive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid Miss O\u2019Shaughnessy know that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir. She pretended too. She said she wished she had a little boy like me so she used to pretend she was my Ma. She would sit on the chair and tell me stories and we would talk about things, and she would give me milk and cookies, and cakes too, sometimes.\u201d He took a deep breath \u201cShe said I was able to go into her house whenever I wanted and take a book, so long as I left the other book on the table.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Davies stood up and hemmed to get attention<\/p>\n \u201cDoes this child know the difference between pretence then? Pretence, a lie..and the truth?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you, Adam?\u201d Mr Marshall smiled at the child<\/p>\n \u201cYes sir, it was okay to pretend because Miss O\u2019Shaughnessy was pretending too, and we knew we were pretending. She didn\u2019t mind.\u201d his voice drifted off and his eyes went a little moist at the memories of pleasant hours in her company.<\/p>\n \u201cBut pretending could be mistaken for a lie, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, well, maybe, if you weren\u2019t in on it.\u201d the boy said charmingly \u201cA lies bad, Pa would give me a hiding if I lied. Sometimes if you tell the truth it can hurt but it\u2019s always best to tell the truth, that\u2019s what my Pa says.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, when the door was open that day you weren\u2019t surprised?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, she would often leave the door open. I didn\u2019t want to make too much noise though because Tommy was with me and I did think she was in the house because we could hear someone, but then it wasn\u2019t her at all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what happened? Can you remember?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can remember her coming home and I was going to call out that I was there but she was angry..she said \u201cWhat are you doing in my house?\u201d and I thought she was angry with me, but before I could explain about Tommy being with me, I heard a man say \u201cI come to see you\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe said if he didn\u2019t go she would get the sheriff, and he said he would kill her if she tried. We were frightened because he was shaking her. I got up to help her.\u201d his fingers began to nervously twiddle at the buttons on his jacket \u201cbut they were shouting and then she ran up the stairs.\u201d he paused and lowered his eyes \u201cShe said \u2018You killed Andrew\u2019 and he started to hit her\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWas this before she went upstairs?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn the hallway,\u201d Adam nodded \u201cand he shook her and she screamed and then ran upstairs, then there was a lot of shouting and I said to Tommy we had to get out quickly and get the sheriff and then there was a big bang.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat kind of bang, Adam?\u201d he smiled at the boy \u201cWas it like a pistol shot or something like that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLike when someone throws something on the floor.\u201d the boy replied quietly \u201cAnd we ran to the hall and then we heard the thumps as she ..she came down the stairs\u2026and I said to Tommy \u201crun for the doctor\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened then, Adam, can you remember?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI ran out of the house and I was scared because I thought he would be after me. I looked back and then something happened to me. Mrs Merriweather said I ran into some horses and a wagon.\u201d he frowned and glanced over at his father, a white pinched little face with large dark eyes \u201cthey took me to the doctors and I was there all the time until this morning when Mrs Merriweather came.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd did you know that Miss O\u2019Shaughnessy was dead?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, only that she must have been hurt\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid you know that your Pa was accused of killing her?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Mrs Merriweather never said that, she just said that I had to tell the sheriff what I told her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what did you tell her, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI told her that the doctor pushed Miss O\u2019Shaughnessy down the stairs. I never knew it was the doctor until this morning when I saw him. I remembered then.\u201d he paused as a ripple of voices trickled through the court room and he glanced up with fear on his face as his eyes met those of the thin blond man who had spent the past few days caring for him, but whom he knew to have been the man he had run from days before<\/p>\n Miles stood up and his face was drained of any colour<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t take the word of a boy. For goodness sake, he\u2019s suffering from concussion. Can\u2019t you see he\u2019s ill?\u201d he glared about the room, at the suddenly stony faces that looked back at him with their small minded memories ticking away.<\/p>\n Yes, they remembered how he had declared his love for Rhiannon O\u2019Shaughnessy years ago, and they recalled to mind the depression he sunk under when Andrew Dowson appeared on the scene and the threats he had made to get rid of him The memories had been ignored but now suddenly they were remembered.<\/p>\n \u201cI tell you, he\u2019s ill. You can\u2019t take him seriously. Of course he\u2019s trying to cover up for his father. Can\u2019t you see that?\u201d<\/p>\n The Judge raised his hand for silence and looked at the crowd before him. He looked at the young man who had been accused of murder but had remained dignified in the face of death. He looked at the two children who, young as they were, had stood firm under questioning and spoken the truth despite their natural fears. He looked at the pale tall doctor who looked badly in need of doctoring himself at that precise moment of time.<\/p>\n \u201cAnother word from you, doctor, and you\u2019ll be fined for contempt of court\u201d he muttered. \u201cRead this out to the court\u201d he held out the slip of paper upon which Tommy Hislop had written the name of the man he had seen in Rhiannons house. The Clerk of the Court opened it and read<\/p>\n \u201cI saw Doctor Miles\u2026\u201d at which point the whole room erupted into a babble of sound and the Judge\u2019s gavel banged on the desk so violently that his arm ached. Silence fell and the Judge looked at Ben Cartwright<\/p>\n \u201cMr Cartwright, there is no charge against you, you are free to go.\u201d He looked up then and nodded to the sheriff who put a heavy hand upon the doctors shoulder. He then leaned down and shook Adam by the hand but the child was not too bothered with any Judge, he just wanted to see his father.<\/p>\n With tears in his eyes he ran across the courtroom to where his father was standing, rubbing his wrists ruefully<\/p>\n \u201cPa? Pa? Are you alright, pa? You ain\u2019t hurt are ya, Pa?\u201d he sobbed throwing himself into the mans arms and holding him tightly \u201cOh Pa, you ain\u2019t hurt, are ya?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, son, no, I\u2019m not hurt\u201d Ben whispered and held the child close to him. The little body so slim and slender, so vulnerable and so brave. He held Adam to him and slowly sunk down onto one knee and looked up at the child and brushed back that stubborn curl that had fallen over the pale brow \u201cAre you alright, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m alright, Pa. But, can we go home now?\u201d the child whispered and cuddled into his father. With his head nestled into the curve of his fathers shoulder and the security of his fathers arms about him he felt that everything precious in his life right then was what he held in his arms, and had he but known it but his father was thinking exactly the same thing.<\/p>\n Conclusion<\/p>\n The wagon was loaded with their belongings, few though they were, inside the cabin that had been their temporary home for a few months Ben and Adam were carefully putting away their most precious treasures.<\/p>\n \u201cGently with that, son.\u201d Ben said quietly as he watched Adam wrap a musical box in a fringed shawl and Adam looked up and smiled.<\/p>\n If one held the shawl close to ones nose and breathed in deeply Ben said it was possible to smell Elizabeths perfume, \u2018her smell\u2019, he called it, but when Adam had given it a hearty sniff it smelt of nothing at all except of the wood of the trunk which Ben had bought from foreign parts. He finished wrapping the box in the shawl and passed it to his father to lay into the trunk. Next to go in was the framed picture of his mother, and he looked at it and then passed it to Ben,<\/p>\n \u201cI was only pretending Miss O\u2019Shaughnessy was my Ma.\u201d he said quietly<\/p>\n \u201cI understand, Adam,\u201d Ben looked at the photograph and felt the familiar knot in his throat.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew Ma was dead like you said, but I wanted to have her back for a little while, that\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI understand, son\u201d Ben put the photograph into the trunk and smiled at Adam gently.<\/p>\n Perhaps one day Hoss would be feeling the same, and making searches for a mother substitute too. He picked up the dried flowers that Inger had carried on her wedding day. They had been beautiful and fresh and blooming then, full of colour and perfume. They were faded, dried, dead now, but he couldn\u2019t bear to throw them away. His eyes met his sons and he smiled,<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s good to hold onto memories, son.\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n Mrs Gilbert gave a light knock on the door and stepped inside. She looked around the cabin and sighed and then looked at the man and the boy and smiled<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve baked you some bread and some cookies. There\u2019s an urn of fresh milk here and Henry wants you to take the milk cow, so Hoss can have his milk regular\u201d she frowned and dabbed at her cheeks \u201cI \u2018m going to miss you all so much.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben gave the woman a hug and thanked her, and Adam shook her hand and carefully carried the milk urn to the wagon. There tied to the tail gate by a thick rope was a beautiful milk cow, her darkbrown eyes gazed mournfully at the little human and she low\u2019d, deep and long.<\/p>\n \u201cIs she really ours?\u201d he asked, looking at her in admiration<\/p>\n \u201cShe certainly is,\u201d Mr Gilbert said, walking towards them from the ranch house.<\/p>\n He was not walking alone, for a man with long hair tightly braided down his back was walking beside him. While Mr Gilbert took long strides this man was walking with a rather strange shuffling movement but his round face was split into a merry smile and his olive eyes could hardly be seen as a result.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Ben, this is the parting of the ways for us.\u201d Mr Gilbert extended his hand to take that of his friend and shake it warmly,<\/p>\n \u201cThank you for all your help, Henry. I appreciated it and for the cow too. That was a surprise.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe could be the start of something big, Ben, when you get to Nevada.\u201d Henry smiled and paused \u201cI\u2019m sorry about what happened in town.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, at least justice was done in the end although I\u2019d rather not get that close to a hangman\u2019s noose again,\u201d Ben chuckled.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a pity. Miles was a dedicated doctor to these people, perhaps that\u2019s why they found it so easy to pretend that he hadn\u2019t been involved in Dowsons killing all this time. Still, with Rhiannon dead he had nothing to live for anymore. Once he started to talk , they couldn\u2019t shut him up, it was almost as though he welcomed death!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can understand the feeling..\u201d Ben said quietly \u201cHad it not been for Adam when Elizabeth died, perhaps I would have been as stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHa-hum.\u201d said the oriental gentleman at Gilberts side, still with the broad smile on his round face<\/p>\n \u201cOh yes,\u201d Henry Gilbert took the pipe out of his mouth and looked at the two men, \u201cBen, we were a mite worried about how you were going to get along with no woman, and with two kids to care for and we hit upon a solution, for you, and him.\u201d he pointed to his companion, who bowed and nodded and hugged his carpet bag closer to his chest, as though he was now in fear of losing it altogether.<\/p>\n \u201cYes? How?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is Hop Sing. He has family near San Francisco. He\u2019s the best cook in the world, and a loyal friend. He wanted to know if he could come along with you. He wants to join his family and while he\u2019s travelling with you, he\u2019ll care for the kids and the cooking and the laundry and anything else you would want to mention.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI milk cow.\u201d Hop Sing said in a merry lilting voice and he bowed again, over his carpet bag.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I don\u2019t know.\u201d Ben said gruffly \u201cI hadn\u2019t intended to take any one with us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have hoss of my own.\u201d Hop Sing declared \u201cAnd cook good.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour little boy is very fond of him,\u201d Mrs Gilbert chimed in \u201cThey\u2019ve been best buddies for weeks now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Hoss and Hop Sing velly good fends.\u201d Hop Sing bowed again and looked at Ben so earnestly that the poor man could do no more than agree to take him along for the journey.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly to San Francisco, no further.\u201d he said in his deepest and most authoritive voice.<\/p>\n \u201cI heah you, Mr Catlight.\u201d Hop Sing\u2019s round face nearly fell in half as he gave the widest grin possible and then ran towards his horse, his plait bobbing about against his back.<\/p>\n Ben grinned and looked down at Adam, and raised his eye brows,<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, son, time to move on.\u201d Ben said quietly and lifted his son into his arms and onto the wagonseat. He looked into the back where Hoss was strapped securely and snoring happily, quite oblivious of the fact that when he woke up he would be miles from the bed upon which he had fallen asleep.<\/p>\n \u201cNevada, Pa?\u201d Adam smiled up at his father, the light shining upon his face and making his black eyes gleam.<\/p>\n \u201cNevada, son.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben flicked the reins and the horses lumbered forward. They were rolling away from the cabin and the friends they had made, rolling towards a new life, new friends. There was one now who rode by their sides, the widest smile creasing his cheerful face and his almond shaped eyes twinkling with happiness as he ventured forward with HIS new friends and family<\/p>\n \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..and did they part company at San Francisco?<\/p>\n Of course not!<\/p>\n The End.\u00a0 <\/p>\n Reviewer: bahj<\/a> Signed I very much enjoyed this story, Krystyna! Your beginning was charming and reminded me a lot of some of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s characters in her “Anne” series.<\/p>\n I also loved seeing Ben’s relationship with his two little boys.<\/p>\n The middle took a quite a twist and added a certain amount of tension and desperation to the story.<\/p>\n In the end a very satisfying conclusion that leaves me wanting to continue following along on their journey. Thank you so much for this excellent story :0)<\/p>\n Author’s Response: Hi Bahj, sorry to be so long in responding to your review, but what with the operation and aftermath I’ve not been around much. I was more than pleased to see your review of this story, thankyou so very very much. I loved writing it, it was such fun and adding the few twists into the story…perhaps it could have been a little longer but all in all, just glad you enjoyed it. I was thrilled to see the ref to L.M.Montgomery, a favourite in our household. Thank you again. Krystyna<\/em><\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Reviewer: sklamb<\/a> Signed Toothsome\u00a0little mystery story with a charming portrait of Adam at an age we seldom get to see, and Ben when he can still cut a swath through the younger set! Krystyna’s\u00a0trademark sharp characterization is in evidence throughout and the surprise resolution is\u00a0handled\u00a0very well. Thank you so much!<\/p>\n Author’s Response: Thank you, sklamb, what a lovely compliment you have given me and how much I appreciate it, thank you. I enjoyed writing this story prequels bring their special delights … thank you again.<\/em><\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Reviewer: Jayne<\/a> Signed Awesome story. Thank you for writing it!<\/p>\n Author’s Response: Thank you so much, Jayne, it was a pleasure to write, and receiving such lovely comments makes it even more of a joy. Krystyna<\/em><\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Reviewer: JoeC<\/a> Signed WOW. Very, very well written story. Two things showed up in your story we only imagined when we saw Adam in the show; first that he was a very bright child and second that\u00a0he has a hard and dangerouse\u00a0live. This was engraved in his soul and made him the person we could see.<\/p>\n Also it was brilliant how you described the way a rumor makes it’s way through the life of people. A lesser\u00a0\u00a0reflective child like Adam could have been broken with them. Thanx for sharing. JoeC<\/p>\n Author’s Response: A pleasure, JoeC, and I am just so glad you could see this in the story how Adam developed in his youth. Just loved your review, thanks so very much. Krystyna<\/em><\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Reviewer: Reader Anonymous Among my favorites now. Thank you!<\/p>\n Author’s Response: And that’s a lovely compliment many thanks indeed. Krystyna<\/em><\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n
\n\u2026\u2026.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWell\u201d Miss Fabian glanced over her shoulder, nearly pulling Miss Grice\u2019s bonnet off her head as a result because of her flowers being too involved with Miss Grice\u2019s feathers, feathers. \u201cMy aunt told me that when she asked him about the children , he told her about his second wife being killed, and the baby was a few weeks old, but when she asked about the first child he just said that HIS mother went shortly after he was born.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u2026\u2026\u2026.<\/p>\n
\nand to sort out the colour material to match \u201cOf course, what ever happened to his first wife is quite a mystery. He won\u2019t talk about it, although heaven knows I\u2019ve hinted enough. He just said that she went soon after Adam was born. He left New England when the child was about six months old to look for her. Then he met his second wife when the child was about 5.\u201d she shrugged her plump shoulders \u201cI daresay his first wife has run off with someone or other.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nAdam rolled over onto his side and surveyed the dark shadow of the small bed upon which his brother slept. Sometimes he wished as only a young child could, that he had been the one to have been killed and to have gone away so that Pa and Hoss could still enjoy having Inger there with them. Sometimes he wished that he could remember all the stories she had told them, and the songs that she would sing to them, so that Hoss would never forget that he had had a mother who loved him. Sometimes he just wished that Inger were still there, that was what he wished for most of all. He wanted to be able to hear her sing first thing in the morning, to feel her arms about him, and hear her whisper in his ear that she loved him. He wished and wished that he could forget the sight of her lying in his fathers arms that awful day, with her life\u2019s blood creeping out over the floor. He could remember how it had trickled towards him and he had held onto Hoss and shrieked. He could remember the sound even now. Then someone had come and picked them up and hurried them away, but not before he had seen Pa with Inger in his arms, and he had been crying so much.<\/p>\n
\nHe folded his arms behind his head and opened one eye. Before Inger came his Pa would often sit alone staring at the picture of another lady, a lady whom he called Elizabeth and who had been Adams mother. Sometimes Adam had seen his father weep over the picture, and sometimes his father would talk to him about the pretty lady who liked to wear green. This would always lead to talk about ships, and the sea. Then Bens spirits would rise and he would describe the feeling of a clipper ship lifting in the swell of the sea as the masts were unreefed and would fill with the winds.<\/p>\n
\n\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.<\/p>\n
\nNow, here he was, hatless, minus the tooth and breathless from the ride and from the pace Mrs Henry Gilbert set in getting up the hill to the school house. The door was thrust open . Adam was more or less propelled into the schools interior.<\/p>\n
\nMrs Merriweather put a friendly hand on Adams shoulder and turned him to face the class. There were about 25 children there of different ages and all of them with their eyes wide open and staring at him. He stared resolutely back and refused to be intimidated<\/p>\n
\nAdam looked at the faces of his audience and took a deep breath.<\/p>\n
\nThe journey continued to be made in silence from then on, both immersed in their own thoughts. It was only when they saw Hoss and Adam was able to run to his brother with glee that the restraint finally left them, and while Ben toiled to unload the goods he had collected for the Gilberts, Adam took his brother by the hand and ran with him to the cabin both of them shouting and laughing together with the innocent joy of childhood .<\/p>\n
\nMrs Merriweather paused in her perusal of the lace and ribbons she was intending to buy and turned to look at Mrs Wilson and Mrs Grice thoughtfully. She sighed and returned her attention to the ribbons and laces on display<\/p>\n
\nWhat did they mean? What had they said about his Pa and his Ma? But apart from what they said, apart from what any one had said, it had created the situation whereby he was forced to ask the main question that tore his heart apart, the answer to which he had always been too afraid to search and that was WHY! Why had his ma left him ? Where had she gone?<\/p>\n
\n\u201cYou mustn\u2019t touch.\u201d he said warningly.<\/p>\n
\ngarden, and indicated that he could step inside too<\/p>\n
\n\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n
\nfelt guilty and ashamed. But why? He pulled over the towel and dried himself slowly. Why feel ashamed because he had danced with a lovely woman for the first time in nearly two years? Why feel guilty because he had felt attracted to her and had even wanted to kiss her? He decided to give his face another quick sluice, seeing how the water was cold now anyway.<\/p>\n
\nand he bowed his head and stared down at the water and saw only a faded reflection of himself staring dismally back at him.
\n\u2026\u2026\u2026.<\/p>\n
\n\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..<\/p>\n
\n\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n
\n\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n
\nEventually there was the stir of activity that proclaimed the return of the Judge and the lawyers.<\/p>\n
\nDate: 14 Oct 2012 01:58 pm Title: On Butterfly wings<\/p>\n
\nDate: 10 Oct 2012 07:56 pm Title: On Butterfly wings<\/p>\n
\nDate: 04 Oct 2012 06:09 pm Title: On Butterfly wings<\/p>\n
\nDate: 03 Oct 2012 02:09 am Title: On Butterfly wings<\/p>\n
\nDate: 02 Oct 2012 08:15 pm Title: On Butterfly wings<\/p>\n