{"id":5604,"date":"2003-08-27T00:51:15","date_gmt":"2003-08-27T04:51:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=5604"},"modified":"2026-07-30T14:42:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T18:42:23","slug":"days-of-our-glory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=5604","title":{"rendered":"Days of Our Glory (by Rona)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 <\/strong>Lessons are learned about change and youth and how neither are necessarily a bad thing.<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0 T \u00a0 \u00a0 (10,585 words)<\/p>\n

Disclaimer:\u00a0All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Days of Our Glory<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYour references are very good,\u201d Ben Cartwright said, glancing across his desk at the man sitting opposite him. His tone was quite neutral. \u201cCan I ask why you left this job?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, to be truthful, Mr. Cartwright, I just got wanderlust,\u201d Deke Sims replied, smiling. \u201cI\u2019d been there quite a spell and my wandering foot just got to itchin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smiling back, Ben continued to read Sims\u2019 references, admitting to himself that this man seemed tailor made for the job, but not quite sure why he felt a little uneasy. He wasn\u2019t completely happy with the story of wanderlust, but it might well be true and the man simply be embarrassed about it now, realizing he\u2019d left a plum position. However, Ben needed a new assistant foreman urgently and Deke Sims fitted the bill perfectly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Mr. Sims, I don\u2019t need to consider any longer. I\u2019d like to offer you the position, starting immediately.\u201d Ben sketched in his wages and Sims nodded. \u201cI share the running of the ranch with my three sons,\u201d he added. \u201cYou can take your orders from them, as well as me, although I am in over-all charge.\u201d<\/p>\n

For an instant, he thought he saw anger showing on Sims\u2019 face, but it was a fleeting instant and Ben wondered if he was imagining it. \u201cThat\u2019s fine, sir,\u201d Sims\u2019 replied. \u201cWhen do I meet them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you can meet Adam and Hoss right now,\u201d Ben answered. \u201cJoseph, my youngest son, isn\u2019t expected back until late tonight, so you won\u2019t meet him until tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I\u2019ll look forward to that, I\u2019m sure,\u201d Sims assured him. Ben smiled at him.<\/p>\n

Outside in the yard, Ben led him across to the barn where Adam and Hoss had been shoeing the horses. Adam cast an eye over the man as he shook hands with him, and liked what he saw. Sims was in his late forties, well built, but not fat. He was about the same height as Adam and had a level gaze out of grey eyes. Hoss took to him, too.<\/p>\n

For his part, Sims felt a great relief. He\u2019d left his last position when the boss\u2019s son reached the age where he was starting to give orders, and Sims couldn\u2019t accept orders from a boy. He\u2019d struggled to keep his temper when the arrogant young man had contradicted his orders right in front of him, and had finally left after he\u2019d lifted his hand to the boy. He was relieved to find that Ben\u2019s sons were adults in their late 20\u2019s or early 30\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry your brother isn\u2019t here, too,\u201d Sims commented as he exchanged a few words with the brothers.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, Joe\u2019ll be back tomorrow,\u201d Hoss told him. \u201cHe\u2019s real easy to like.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll show you the bunkhouse,\u201d Ben said, and his sons took it as a hint to get back to work.<\/p>\n

Yes, thought Sims, I\u2019m going to like it here.<\/p>\n

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

It was almost 10.30 when Joe arrived back home and he was exhausted. He dismounted in the yard as his father and brothers came to the door to greet him. Seeing how tired he was, Hoss immediately offered to put his horse away for him, an offer that Joe gratefully accepted, even though he usually preferred to tend to his pinto himself. Ben urged Joe into the house, where Hop Sing had some supper waiting for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019s Dave?\u201d Ben asked, as Joe began to eat tiredly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, he\u2019s going to live,\u201d Joe replied. He lifted his head to meet his father\u2019s eyes. \u201cBut he\u2019s crippled, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

The news wasn\u2019t a surprise, yet it had the power to shock even so. When Ben had seen Dave lying under that tree, he\u2019d known at once that his assistant foreman was badly injured, but he had hoped against hope that he would be all right. Now, Joe had told him that his worst fears were realized.<\/p>\n

When the tree had cracked and toppled away from its intended path, Dave had been unable to get out of the way in time. Paul Martin, the Virginia City doctor had done what he could for Dave, but had suggested that he be taken to a hospital in San Francisco for more tests. Joe had been elected to go with Dave, for he wasn\u2019t currently supervising a task that couldn\u2019t be left. Ben Cartwright had wired the hospital to guarantee the bills, and Joe had been there for almost three weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know Dave,\u201d Joe went on. \u201cHe\u2019s being so brave about it all.\u201d Joe\u2019s voice cracked and he stopped. Ben put his hand on Joe\u2019s arm comfortingly. Joe was young to have gone through this alone. He was barely over 21. And then Ben remembered that at a similar age, he\u2019d been a single father to Adam, making his way across the country. There was no telling when sorrow would come to a person, and Joe was strong; if he hadn\u2019t been, Ben would never have let him go.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll do everything we can for Dave,\u201d Ben reminded him. \u201cEat your supper, Joe, then get to bed. You\u2019re worn out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess I am at that,\u201d Joe agreed. He\u2019d pushed himself coming home and had barely slept the night before so he could make a good start that morning so he was sure he\u2019d get home. He ate a few more bites while Ben brought him up to date with the goings on at the ranch. He decided against mentioning the new assistant foreman that night. Joe was too tired to see why he was needed.<\/p>\n

Within a short time, Joe was yawning convulsively and headed up to bed. Ben and his brothers followed shortly after. Ben looked in on Joe and found him sound asleep, sprawled across the covers. Gently, Ben tugged the covers from under him and tucked him in. Joe slept through the whole proceeding without noticing.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cI\u2019m letting Joe sleep late this morning,\u201d Ben told Adam and Hoss at the breakfast table next morning. \u201cHe could use the rest; he was tuckered out last night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a long tip home alone after all those weeks with Dave,\u201d Adam agreed. \u201cI\u2019ll let the new man know Joe won\u2019t be out till later. What\u2019s his name again? Sims?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nodding, Ben applied himself to his plate. \u201cI\u2019ve got to go into town a little later,\u201d he went on. \u201cI want to talk to Paul Martin about Dave\u2019s future. We\u2019ve got to do something to help him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both sons nodded. They knew what they had to do that day and after they had finished eating, they headed outside. Ben followed them and spoke briefly to Charlie the foreman and then to Sims. Adam, seeing Ben talking to the new man, knew that he didn\u2019t have to and he waved to Ben as they left.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure I\u2019ll keep my eyes out for your son, sir,\u201d Sims replied agreeably. \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to getting started.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t let me keep you, then,\u201d Ben laughed and headed back to the house.<\/p>\n

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

Joe was up earlier than Ben expected and it was no later than 10 o\u2019clock when he left the yard to catch up to Sims, who was moving a small herd of cattle that Ben had bought a few weeks previously to join the main herd, now that they were sure the new beasts weren\u2019t carrying any disease.<\/p>\n

But to Joe\u2019s surprise, he didn\u2019t find them where he expected to and back-tracked to the corral. There, he discovered the trail leading in totally the opposite direction. Shaking his head, and mentally laughing at the hazing the new man was receiving from the other hands, Joe set off along the trail and soon caught them up.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey!\u201d he shouted, as he came into sight. \u201cYou\u2019re going the wrong way! Get these beasts turned round now!\u201d He repeated this as he rode round the herd, so every hand there heard him. He was a little surprised by some of the looks he got, but thought nothing of it.<\/p>\n

Until he reached the new man, Deke Sims that is. Sims looked furious and before Joe could say a single word, Sims started bellowing at him. \u201cI\u2019m running this show, cowboy! You turn up late and start ordering everyone about? I don\u2019t think so!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, mister,\u201d Joe began, but he got no further. Sims didn\u2019t know who this jumped-up cowboy was, but whoever he was, Sims wasn\u2019t going to allow him to undermine his authority on the first day. Reaching over, he grabbed Joe by the sleeve and dragged him off his horse.<\/p>\n

Caught by surprise, Joe tumbled to the ground, but he jumped quickly to his feet as Sims dismounted. By now, the other cowboys were making noises, but Sims ignored them. All his attention was centered on the curly-haired boy in front of him. \u201cI\u2019ll teach you to show me up, boy!\u201d he growled, so low Joe could barely hear him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait a minute!\u201d Joe demanded. His temper was really up now, but he was hanging on to it as hard as he could. \u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026\u201d Joe got no further.<\/p>\n

Goaded, Sims lashed out and punched Joe in the face. The younger man was caught by surprise and reeled backwards, crashing into a cow, which mooed in protest before moving off. Luckily, Joe had caught his balance by then.<\/p>\n

However, before Joe could rally his defenses, or say anything else, Sims jumped him, determined to assert his authority right from the start. It wasn\u2019t the first time he\u2019d had to do it. He fended off the cowboy that jumped to Joe\u2019s defense and continued pummeling the smaller man on the ground. Joe was still getting in an occasional blow, but Sims\u2019 weight was going against him, especially as he was trapped.<\/p>\n

There was no telling where it might have ended had Adam and Hoss not appeared. Having finished their morning chores, they were going over to see Joe when they happened on the fight. Jumping from their horses, they didn\u2019t at first realize who Sims\u2019 victim was.<\/p>\n

Together, they dragged Sims upright, and only then did Adam glance at the man on the ground. \u201cJoe!\u201d he exclaimed and jumped to his brother\u2019s side.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d Sims echoed, still held in Hoss\u2019 strong grip. \u201cJoe Cartwright? Your brother? But\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Seeing that Sims was calm again, Hoss let him go, joining Adam by Joe\u2019s side. Their younger brother was conscious, but only just. His nose was bleeding, his lips were split and his left eye was swelling shut with a nasty cut just beneath it. He was groaning steadily.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake it easy, Joe,\u201d Adam soothed. He gestured to one of the hands. \u201cGive me a canteen.\u201d Stripping off his bandanna, he soaked it and began to wipe the blood off Joe\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was you thinkin\u2019 of?\u201d Hoss demanded, glaring at Sims.<\/p>\n

Humiliated, Sims tried to sound as authoritative as he could. \u201cHe rode up and started giving orders. I\u2019ve met his type before, and I thought I\u2019d better show him who was boss!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not how we show our authority round here,\u201d Adam stated, coldly. \u201cTake it easy, Joe,\u201d he repeated.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m all right, Adam,\u201d Joe mumbled, which made his brothers smile. Joe could be replied upon to say that he was all right, even on his death bed they suspected.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, I\u2019m sorry,\u201d Sims offered, although he was anything but sorry. He was furious and knew he would never forgive the youngest Cartwright for this embarrassment. \u201cHow was I to know who he was?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa tol\u2019 you Joe was comin\u2019 out ta help ya,\u201d Hoss replied. \u201cDidn\u2019 he tell ya Joe rode a pinto?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Sims responded, sulkily. He could feel all the hands looking at him and he was livid.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d Adam broke in. \u201cYou don\u2019t treat the hands that way, is that clear?\u201d Sims nodded. \u201cGood. Right, get these beasts heading in the direction they should\u2019ve gone and we\u2019ll get Joe home.\u201d Adam glanced at Hoss. \u201cGet a wagon,\u201d he requested.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can ride,\u201d Joe protested. \u201cHonest, Adam, I\u2019m all right.\u201d He struggled to sit up and allowed his brothers to assist him to the side of the track so he wouldn\u2019t get stepped on as the cattle were turned and started on their journey to the right pasture. While they were waiting for this to be done, Adam took a closer look at Joe after wiping more blood off his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t look as bad as I thought,\u201d Adam told him. Joe cracked a small grin. His nose and mouth had stopped bleeding, but the cut under his eye oozed persistently and his eye was now completely shut. \u201cBut you need to get that eye seen to, Joe. Are you sure you can ride?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure,\u201d Joe replied. \u201cI feel a bit better now.\u201d Apart from a few bruises where he\u2019d been pulled from his horse, only Joe\u2019s face had really been touched. Sims\u2019 weight had kept him pinned to the ground, but he hadn\u2019t punched Joe in the stomach or anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on then,\u201d Adam said, and he and Hoss pulled Joe to his feet and supported him under the arms until he\u2019d got his balance. Seeing that Joe was quite steady, they let him walk over to Cochise and mount under his own steam, although Hoss stayed close by until Joe was settled. Then they headed for home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI cain\u2019t figger that feller,\u201d Hoss commented as they rode home. \u201cWhy\u2019d he think we\u2019d let him treat anyone like that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Adam replied, shrugging. \u201cPerhaps that\u2019s how it was done on his last place; I don\u2019t know. But at least now he knows that it\u2019s not done here. What a pity that anyone had to suffer to show him that was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d Hoss answered, after a glance at Joe, \u201cat least it were Joe who suffered. He oughta be used to sufferin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHa ha, very funny,\u201d Joe retorted, but he did sound amused. \u201c\u201dGood thing it wasn\u2019t one of you two, or we\u2019d never hear the end of it!\u201d<\/p>\n

To their credit, both his brothers laughed.<\/p>\n

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

Arriving back a couple of hours later, Ben was totally unprepared to find Joe sitting in the red leather chair by the fire with an ice-pack on his eye. Looking over as Ben came in, Joe mustered a smile, but it was a pretty woebegone effort. Joe\u2019s eye had continued to swell, and was very sore. The cut had bled stubbornly for quite some time, and only the ice-pack had relieved his pain any. In consequence, Joe was feeling very sorry for himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u201d Ben asked, hurrying over to his son\u2019s side.<\/p>\n

Sighing and making a rueful face, Joe filled his father in on the morning\u2019s events. Ben listened in appalled silence, gently lifting Joe\u2019s hand away from his face so he could view the damage for himself. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, son,\u201d he said, quietly, when Joe had finished talking.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not your fault, Pa,\u201d Joe assured him. \u201cI guess I went about it the wrong way, and who can blame the guy for reacting badly? And although I know you don\u2019t approve of his methods, I\u2019ve had to resort to that myself at times.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know,\u201d Ben admitted. \u201cI\u2019ll have a word with Sims later. Meanwhile, let\u2019s get that eye seen to.\u201d Patting Joe on the knee, he went off to collect gauze and bandages, while Joe made a moue of disgust.<\/p>\n

He was right to be disgusted, for Ben insisted that Joe\u2019s eye be bandaged up, with a gauze pad over the cut to protect it. Not only did Joe feel that he looked ridiculous, but he found it very disconcerting to be minus his peripheral vision on that side. Until he got used to it, he found he bumped into furniture and walls, because he hadn\u2019t allowed for them to be there.<\/p>\n

When the day drew to a close, Ben went out to the bunkhouse to speak to Sims. He drew the man outside where they could talk privately, not wanting the rest of the hands to hear every word. Sims tried to hide his anger; he knew that the men were already talking about the roasting he\u2019d received from Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to apologies for what happened this morning, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d Sims said, before Ben could start talking, figuring it wouldn\u2019t hurt to get that in first. \u201cIt was wrong of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it was,\u201d Ben agreed. \u201cBut Joe knows that he was in the wrong, too, in not coming to you first and telling you who he was. However, we don\u2019t condone beatings here. There are other ways to handle the men. But now that this misunderstanding has been cleared up, we\u2019ll say no more about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t expect Joe to be so\u2026 young,\u201d Sims ventured. If he\u2019d had Joe there at that moment, he would probably have thumped him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI perhaps should have mentioned that,\u201d Ben allowed, \u201cbut I assumed that the men would have told you about the boys. Well, Joe might be young, but he pulls his weight on the ranch. He runs the horse operation and he\u2019s got a good head on his shoulders.\u201d Ben smiled. \u201cI\u2019m sure there won\u2019t be any more trouble.\u201d He nodded pleasantly to Sims and went back into the house.<\/p>\n

Standing at the corral, Sims gazed sightlessly into the night, seething with anger. First of all he had beaten up his boss\u2019s son; then he had been called to task for it twice, and both times the men he was in charge of had been present. Sims cherished his dignity, and chalked a black mark against Joe\u2019s name for those experiences.<\/p>\n

For a moment, Sims wondered if it was worth staying at the Ponderosa, since he would have to work with Joe. But the wages were the best he\u2019d had, and he decided to give it more time before he moved on. Who knew what could happen in the meantime.<\/p>\n

Glancing at the house once more, Sims hoped that Joe\u2019s eye was giving him a lot of grief!<\/p>\n

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

For the next couple of days, Ben insisted that Joe stay close to the house and allow his eye time to heal. There wasn\u2019t much Joe could object to in this statement, as his eye was very sore and still swollen shut the next morning. However, after a couple of days, his eye was open again, although still a rainbow of colors, and the cut was healing over nicely. By then, Ben was fed up of his son\u2019s restless presence in the house and he was almost as glad as Joe when his son rode out, back to work.<\/p>\n

During those few days, Sims had made an effort to get to know the men he was working with, something he didn\u2019t usually do. The men had obligingly told Sims the story about Ben and his sons, and Sims now knew why the boys didn\u2019t look alike. He respected Adam, tolerated Hoss, and actively disliked Joe.<\/p>\n

In Adam, Sims saw someone similar to himself, in that Adam kept his distance from those around him for the most part, although there were one or two of the men that he seemed to be friendly with. Adam was tough but fair and hard working. Sims respected those qualities.<\/p>\n

The middle Cartwright son was difficult to dislike, because he was the nicest person Sims had ever met. Unfortunately for Hoss, \u2018nice\u2019 wasn\u2019t a compliment as far as Sims was concerned. Hoss\u2019 genuine efforts to befriend everyone were seen as signs of weakness to Sims, although Hoss\u2019 sheer size demanded respect. The men assured him that, niceness not withstanding, Hoss could be a demon when protecting either of his brothers. Never having seen any evidence of this in his few days there, Sims couldn\u2019t tell if the men were teasing him or not, so decided to reserve judgment on Hoss. So he tolerated him, not quite resenting being told what to do by Hoss, but not quite comfortable with it either.<\/p>\n

But in Joe, Sims couldn\u2019t find one thing to like. He thought the youngest Cartwright was spoiled and arrogant, playing at working on the ranch. Joe\u2019s quicksilver moods and high spirits were repellent to Sims. He was scornful of the idea that Adam and Hoss should feel so protective towards Joe, not realizing that Hoss felt the same way about Adam, too, Adam felt that way about Hoss and Joe felt the same way about both his brothers. To Sims, this simply meant that Joe was a weakling, who should have no place in the running of the ranch.<\/p>\n

Sims did like Ben Cartwright. He could see the man\u2019s toughness and fairness and he liked the way the ranch worked, which was largely down to Ben, even though he tended to leave most of the harder physical work to his sons now. The only chink in Ben\u2019s armor, as far as Sims was concerned, was Ben\u2019s obvious protectiveness towards all his sons, but especially Joe. Sims\u2019 own father had thrown him out of the house when he was just 13, and Sims had never looked back. He had no children of his own, but felt that children should be made to make their own way in the world from an early age and that too much schooling was bad for a person. Boys in particular should start earning their keep at an early age.<\/p>\n

It completely escaped his notice that the Cartwright boys worked just as hard as the other hands did, and doing the same jobs.<\/p>\n

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

Summer was always the busiest season of the year for the Cartwrights. Once the spring calving was finished, they had branding to do, then shortly after that came the haying. During all that, they had to supervise timber cutting and planting, keep an eye on the herd, break any horses that needed it, plus keep the fence lines intact, as well as dealing with the day-to-day chores that sprang up.<\/p>\n

After his initial contact with Joe, Sims tried to make sure that he and Joe weren\u2019t working together, and when they were, he was unfailingly pleasant to the youth. What he didn\u2019t know was that Joe was incredibly sensitive to atmosphere, and Joe had already guessed that the assistant foreman didn\u2019t like him.<\/p>\n

Aware that his own dislike for the man stemmed from their unfortunate first encounter and his unreasonable resentment that Sims had Dave\u2019s job, Joe worked hard to hide his feelings for Sims, and as far as he could tell, it worked. Sims came into contact with Adam and Hoss more than with Joe, but that was purely down to the way the jobs were distributed that summer. Joe was breaking a string of horses for a friend of the family, who had been taken ill, and was unable to do the job himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is Sims settling in?\u201d Ben asked Adam, as they rode round the herd, checking them over for barren animals, and making sure that there was adequate grass.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe knows his job,\u201d Adam replied, \u201cand he\u2019s good at giving orders. The men grumble a bit, but nobody is complaining. He\u2019s not Dave, but then, Dave had been here for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood,\u201d Ben commented. \u201cAny more trouble with Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, they\u2019ve been kept apart, pretty much,\u201d replied Adam. \u201cBut I get the impression that he doesn\u2019t like Joe all that much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d Ben queried, looking at Adam, who was wearing his blandest face. \u201cWhy do you think that is?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure,\u201d Adam responded. \u201cI always get the impression that he\u2019s humoring Joe when they\u2019re together. Almost like he doesn\u2019t really think Joe is up to his job.\u201d Adam quirked an eyebrow. \u201cHe\u2019s probably still embarrassed about their first meeting. Beating up the boss\u2019s son on your first day isn\u2019t something you live down easily.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess not,\u201d Ben agreed. \u201cWell, he\u2019s working out fine so far, so we\u2019ll leave things alone. How does the herd look to you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLooks good,\u201d Adam replied.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cJoe, you can take that stallion across to Jeff Burrow\u2019s in the morning,\u201d Ben said over supper a week or two later.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, Pa,\u201d Joe mumbled agreeably. \u201cWe\u2019ll need to move those other young stallions soon, too. I\u2019ve had to separate them already and we don\u2019t want any accidents. Those are valuable animals.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I agree,\u201d Ben nodded. \u201cOld man Peterson said he would take one when I met him in town a week or so back, so why don\u2019t you take one of the others with you when you go? Peterson\u2019s place isn\u2019t that far from Burrow\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll need another man to go with me, then,\u201d Joe remarked. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t want to try and lead two of them and keep them from fighting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBesides,\u201d Adam put in, \u201cyou wouldn\u2019t want to ride home alone with all that money in your saddlebags.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t be carrying that much money,\u201d Joe objected.<\/p>\n

Shooting a glance at Ben, Adam asked, \u201cDid you get that money from Burrow\u2019s, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat money?\u201d Joe asked, looking confused. Hoss shrugged. This was the first he\u2019d heard of it too.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know I had that deal with Burrow to provide some dressed timber for his new barn?\u201d Ben asked. Reminded, Joe and Hoss both nodded, wondering what this had to do with the stallion. \u201cWell, Jeff didn\u2019t have the money to hand at the time. Someone owed him money, and we all know how that is.\u201d There were nods from round the table. \u201cSo I told Jeff he could pay me when he got the money. He sent word last week that he had the money and wanted the stallion, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you want me to collect the money, too,\u201d Joe stated, agreeably. He pushed his empty plate away and leaned back in his chair, feeling well fed and replete. \u201cSure thing, Pa. How much is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c$3,000,\u201d Ben replied and Joe sat up again.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d Joe said, slowly. \u201cI can see I\u2019d better take someone with me, just because of that, if nothing else. Who can go?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s worry about that in the morning,\u201d Ben told him, smiling. \u201cLet\u2019s just enjoy our meal tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shrugging, Joe nodded as Hop Sing brought some peach pie to the table. He wasn\u2019t bothered who went with him. \u201cHey, Hoss let me get a piece of pie!\u201d he objected. \u201cWe\u2019re meant to share it, you know!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, dadburnit, Joe,\u201d Hoss grumbled good-naturedly. \u201cI thought ya\u2019d want me t\u2019 have your share. We all know how generous ya are!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAren\u2019t you the one who\u2019s always telling me I\u2019m too skinny?\u201d Joe protested, his green eyes sparkling with laughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut ya don\u2019t want ta git too fat, now do ya, Joe?\u201d Hoss countered. \u201cThem pants of yours fit real tight around the butt as it is!\u201d<\/p>\n

At this point, Adam and Ben lost the battle they had been waging against their laughter and let loose. Joe couldn\u2019t resist any more than Hoss could and they both began to laugh as well. \u201cDo have some pie, little brother,\u201d Hoss offered, with a courtly bow.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy thank you, big brother,\u201d Joe responded.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd don\u2019t forget us!\u201d Ben interjected, still laughing. \u201cI know you two are quite capable of eating the whole pie between you!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam choked on his piece at the looks of wide-eyed innocence Joe and Hoss sent to their father.<\/p>\n

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

The morning dawned grey and misty. Joe shivered slightly as he made his way down to breakfast. \u201cMorning, Pa, brothers,\u201d he greeted them as he slumped into his seat.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning, Joseph,\u201d Ben replied. \u201cHow nice to see you looking so bright and breezy this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grinning, Joe helped himself from the heaping platter on the table. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to come down shining too brightly in case I over shadowed these fellows,\u201d Joe murmured, indicating his brothers. \u201cYou know what a bear Adam is in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so glad you\u2019re going to be away all day, younger brother,\u201d Adam retorted. \u201cOr I might have been tempted to drop you in the horse trough for that little remark!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSee what I mean?\u201d Joe demanded, giggling. He ducked a mock punch from his \u2018irate\u2019 oldest brother. \u201cSo who\u2019s going to be coming with me this morning?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Reluctantly, Ben told him. \u201cIt\u2019ll have to be Sims,\u201d he offered. The other hands knew the ranch better than Sims and he didn\u2019t want the new man getting lost while hunting for strays. Ben explained this to Joe. \u201cIt\u2019ll give him a break from routine, too,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n

Joe said nothing, just glanced down at his plate for a moment. Then his head came back up. The grin was gone, but Ben couldn\u2019t read anything else from his son\u2019s face. \u201cThat\u2019s fine, Sims it is,\u201d he agreed, his tone neutral. \u201cWe should be back by supper,\u201d he went on. \u201cDon\u2019t let Hoss eat it all.\u201d Joe shot a grin at Hoss, who grinned back.<\/p>\n

\u201cJist don\u2019 be late,\u201d he warned. \u201cOr I ain\u2019t promisin\u2019 ta leave ya any!\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Mounting Cochise, Joe wrapped an extra turn of rope around his hand. At the other end of the rope, a handsome dapple grey stallion moved restlessly, sensing that something was up. Joe muttered soothing words to the animal before glancing over at Sims. He was already mounted, and had a bay on the end of a lead rein. \u201cReady?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n

At the answering nod, Joe led the way out of the corrals and down the road. The sun was burning the mist away, although there were still patches of it lingering here and there where the sun hadn\u2019t reached. Joe kept Cochise to a jog. He certainly didn\u2019t want to arrive at either ranch with the horses sweated up. They were valuable animals and Joe wanted to deliver them safe and sound.<\/p>\n

Following along, Sims glared at the back of Joe\u2019s head. He understood quite well why he\u2019d been selected for this job and he wasn\u2019t happy. He hadn\u2019t signed on at the Ponderosa to nursemaid the youngest son. He didn\u2019t see why he should act as though Joe was in charge when quite clearly he was being sent along to make sure everything went smoothly.<\/p>\n

The first stop of the day was at Jeff Burrow\u2019s place and they didn\u2019t reach there until late morning. As they rode into the yard, Jeff came out of the barn to greet them. \u201cHi, Little Joe,\u201d he called.<\/p>\n

\u201cMornin\u2019, Jeff,\u201d Joe called back. He pulled Cochise to a stop and dismounted. \u201cI\u2019ve got a delivery for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMighty fine lookin\u2019 horse,\u201d Jeff commented, walking all around the stallion before going closer to look at its teeth. \u201cHe broke, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGreen broke,\u201d Joe confirmed. \u201cI worked him myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d Jeff replied, taking the rope from Joe. \u201cI\u2019ll put him in the barn. Why don\u2019t you and your man stay for lunch? There\u2019s plenty.\u201d Jeff glanced at Sims and Joe belatedly introduced him.<\/p>\n

\u201cJeff, this is our new assistant foreman, Deke Sims. Deke, this is Jeff Burrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHowdy,\u201d Sims nodded, annoyed that Joe hadn\u2019t introduced him at once.<\/p>\n

\u201cHi,\u201d Jeff responded. \u201cPut that other horse in the corral and go on into the house, Joe. I\u2019ll be in in a moment.\u201d Leading his new horse, Jeff vanished into the barn.<\/p>\n

Looping Cochise\u2019s rein around the hitching post, Joe loosened his cinch before taking the bay stallion from Sims and turning him into the corral Jeff had indicated. Sims hitched his horse beside Joe\u2019s and then walked over to the house with him. They had exchanged not a single word all morning.<\/p>\n

Inside the house, Jeff\u2019s pretty wife, Anne, was just putting their new baby down in the cot. Their two year old son, Jeff junior, was playing on the rug in front of the fire. Anne looked up as they came in and gave Joe a brilliant smile. The little boy shrieked, \u201cJoe!\u201d and dashed across the room to throw himself into Joe\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cHi, Junior!\u201d Joe chuckled, throwing the child into the air and catching him again. \u201cHi, Anne.\u201d Tucking the little boy onto his hip, Joe went over and kissed her cheek. \u201cYou look lovely. And how\u2019s Elizabeth?\u201d He peered at the baby in the cradle. \u201cShe\u2019s grown!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBabies do that,\u201d Anne giggled.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnne, this is Deke Sims, our new assistant foreman. Deke, this is Anne Burrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mumbling his greetings, Sims was surprised at Joe\u2019s casual way of making himself at home, not realizing that these people were close friends of the family. He saw it simply as another example of Joe\u2019s arrogance. He overlooked the warmth with which Joe had been greeted.<\/p>\n

\u201cSit down at the table, both of you,\u201d Anne invited after saying hello to Sims. \u201cDinner won\u2019t be a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTake a seat,\u201d Joe prompted, as Sims hesitated. He wasn\u2019t used to eating his meals with his employers. Joe popped the little boy into his high chair and sat down.<\/p>\n

Over the course of the meal, Sims said very little. The Burrows made every effort to bring him into the conversation, but he found he knew very few of the people they were discussing, so had little contribution to make. He was very annoyed when they asked about Dave, his predecessor, and Joe told them about Dave\u2019s condition, with poorly concealed emotion. Sims didn\u2019t realize that Joe wasn\u2019t trying to conceal his emotion. Sims hated any reminder of Dave.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks for the meal, Anne, it was lovely,\u201d Joe said, as they finished eating. \u201cJeff, I hate to eat and run, but we\u2019ve got to get that other stallion to Peterson\u2019s place this afternoon and be back by supper.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got the money all here, Joe,\u201d Jeff assured him and rose to get it. Clearing a space on the table, he began to count out the bills. \u201c$3,200, Joe, as arranged.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Jeff,\u201d Joe replied, sliding the money into his wallet, which he then stuffed inside his shirt. He rose and kissed Anne\u2019s cheek again, before tickling the little boy, who was nodding in his seat. \u201cSee you soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou be careful with all that money, Joe,\u201d Anne warned him as Joe opened the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will, ma\u2019am,\u201d Joe assured her and popped his hat on. \u201cReady?\u201d he asked Sims.<\/p>\n

\u201cReady,\u201d Sims answered. He gave his thanks for the meal and followed Joe in stony silence. He couldn\u2019t think why Burrow had given the money to Joe, and not to him. Anyone with half a brain could see that he was the more responsible of the two!<\/p>\n

Collecting the bay stallion from the corral, Joe mounted Cochise and waved goodbye to his friend. He led the way out onto the road, then slowed to allow Sims to catch up to him. \u201cWhat\u2019s on your mind, Sims?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy did he give the money to you?\u201d Sims asked, unable to hold his tongue. \u201cIsn\u2019t that why I\u2019m here? So your Pa knows the money will be safe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Raising an eyebrow, Joe shook his head. \u201cI\u2019m afraid not,\u201d he replied. \u201cYou\u2019re here to make sure I\u2019m safe, because I\u2019m carrying all this money and my brother once got robbed when he was alone. And then, it\u2019s difficult to control two horses on leads.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure that\u2019s what your father led you to believe,\u201d Sims snarled, \u201cbut I don\u2019t think that\u2019s so. I think I should be in charge of the money, because you\u2019re just a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes narrowing, Joe fought down his temper. \u201cI may be young, but I\u2019m not a kid,\u201d he stated, quietly. \u201cYou came along because Pa wanted someone with me. After Adam was bushwhacked, Pa hasn\u2019t been happy when one of us was alone and carrying a lot of money. You were elected to come because you still don\u2019t know the ranch that well \u2013 and that\u2019s not a criticism. The ranch is big and it takes time to learn the whole lay-out. Today, the men are out scouring the pastures for strays, because we\u2019ll be moving the herd to fresh grazing soon. Pa thought that since you aren\u2019t desperately needed to oversee this, you might enjoy a break from routine and sent you with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, that\u2019s the story he gave you,\u201d sneered Sims. \u201cI\u2019m sure the truth is somewhat different.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did Pa tell you?\u201d Joe asked, still holding on tight to his temper.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust that I was to come with you to deliver these horses.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess he didn\u2019t mention the money,\u201d Joe commented. \u201cLook, Sims, its no secret that you like me about as much as I like you, but we\u2019re stuck with each other for the day, and regardless of what you think, I\u2019m in charge. However, if you want to high tail it back to the ranch and explain to my father why you\u2019re back and I\u2019m not, feel free!\u201d Sims looked at him wordlessly. \u201cI see you don\u2019t want to do that. All right, let\u2019s get on.\u201d He touched his heel to his horse and rode off.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really hate you, Cartwright!\u201d Sims muttered.<\/p>\n

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

Trouble found them when they were half way to Peterson\u2019s place. A shot pinged off the ground in front of Cochise, who reared slightly. Joe suddenly had his hands full, as the other horse began to mill about at the end of the lead rope. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the three men riding towards them. \u201cCome on!\u201d he shouted and spurred Cochise into a run.<\/p>\n

Sims fired a couple of shots over his shoulder as they raced to find cover. Up ahead, a small pile of rocks offered the only suitable cover around. Joe disentangled his hand from the rope, wrapped it round Cochise\u2019s saddle horn once, then let the horses go. They disappeared round the corner. Sims\u2019 horse followed them a moment later.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho are those guys?\u201d Sims gasped, as he threw himself down behind the meager rock pile.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t stop to ask,\u201d Joe retorted, sarcastically. He had grabbed his rifle from its scabbard on his saddle and reared up to fire at their pursuers, who had taken shelter in some trees. A bullet came singing back and kicked rock dust in his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are we going to do?\u201d Sims asked, shooting.<\/p>\n

\u201cHope we drive them off or kill them before they kill us,\u201d Joe answered. \u201cIs there a way out of here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Sims responded after a quick look round. \u201cThe only way out is round the corner where the horses went.\u201d<\/p>\n

A sudden movement from the trees sharpened Joe\u2019s attention and he fired at a figure that ran from one piece of shelter to another. His shot was good as the man went down and stayed down. \u201cThat\u2019s one,\u201d Joe commented. Sims gave him a hard, but admiring, look.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a good shot,\u201d he commented. \u201cBut I still don\u2019t like you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d Joe replied, lightly. \u201cBut there are still two others out there.\u201d Next moment, a volley of shots forced them to keep their heads down.<\/p>\n

The sporadic firing continued, until finally Joe threw down his rifle and drew his hand gun. \u201cI\u2019m out of bullets,\u201d he told Sims, who was looking at him askance. \u201cI just have these left.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGive them the money,\u201d Sims urged. \u201cIt\u2019s not worth your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not getting the money!\u201d Joe declared, his jaw jutting stubbornly. \u201cWe give them the money and they\u2019re still going to kill us! I might not like you, but I don\u2019t want to see you dead! How many bullets do you have?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA couple,\u201d Sims admitted. He was shaken by Joe\u2019s declaration that he would fight to save Sims\u2019 life. \u201cI don\u2019t want to see you dead, either,\u201d he added, reluctantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks for that,\u201d Joe replied. Biting his lip, Joe thought frantically. They couldn\u2019t escape and they weren\u2019t going to get far rushing the men. There wasn\u2019t any other cover around. They weren\u2019t going to be suddenly rescued by a passer-by. The situation looked hopeless.<\/p>\n

\u201cCartwright, look out!\u201d Sims suddenly shouted and gave Joe a shove that sent him sprawling. Moments later, a bullet creased Sims\u2019 head and he collapsed in a heap at Joe\u2019s feet.<\/p>\n

Shaking off his shock, Joe looked round and saw that the man he had shot had not been killed and had crawled through the undergrowth until he had a perfect shot at Joe. By luck, Sims had seen the glint of the sun on the blueing of the pistol and reacted. Joe reacted, too, firing off two shots into his assailant. This time, there was no doubt he was dead.<\/p>\n

However, the other two men used the distraction provided by their colleague to rush at Joe, who fired at them furiously. Bullets sang past his ear. Then, as Joe\u2019s gun clicked on an empty chamber, a bullet bit into the back of his hand and his gun dropped from nerveless fingers.<\/p>\n

Dropping to the ground, Joe snatched up Sims\u2019 rifle in his right hand and jumped to his feet once more. His aim was erratic, to say the least, but he saw one of the men go down. The other was now so close that Joe was surprised that he\u2019d only been hit once. He fired off once more, and saw the red blossom on the man\u2019s stomach. In that very instant, the man shot back, his finger convulsing on the trigger. There was a burst of pain in Joe\u2019s side and head, and then the world went dark.<\/p>\n

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

Opening his eyes, Sims winced at the searing pain in his head. For a moment, he couldn\u2019t remember where he was, or how he came to be there. Then, as he rolled over, he saw Joe lying beside him and memory returned with a rush.<\/p>\n

Cautiously getting to his knees, Sims looked round. All three of their attackers were lying there dead. Putting a hand to his head, Sims felt the blood there. \u201cJoe?\u201d he croaked. \u201cJoe?\u201d Crawling over, for getting to his feet seemed to be a bad idea, Sims took a closer look at Joe.<\/p>\n

There was blood on Joe\u2019s head, but if was difficult for Sims to decide if he\u2019d hit it when he fell, or if he\u2019d been shot. However, there was no doubt that he\u2019d been shot in the side, for both the entrance and exit wounds were bleeding profusely. There was a bullet in Joe\u2019s hand, but there was nothing Sims could do about that. Ripping off his bandanna, Sims wadded it against Joe\u2019s side.<\/p>\n

The pain brought Joe to consciousness, and he looked blearily at Sims. \u201cYou\u2019re bleeding,\u201d he whispered and groaned.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot as much as you,\u201d Sims responded. He felt intense relief that Joe was able to talk, but he had no idea how they were going to get home. \u201cLie still.\u201d He glanced round, hoping that some solution would present itself, but nothing did. \u201cYou kill all these guys?\u201d he asked, more for something to say than because he didn\u2019t know the answer. Who else would have killed them?<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm,\u201d Joe agreed. He was fighting to stop the pain from overwhelming him.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, Cartwright, I think I\u2019m going to have to leave you here while I get help,\u201d Sims said.<\/p>\n

\u201cCall\u2026 the horses,\u201d Joe suggested. When Sims looked at him blankly, Joe drew in a cautious breath and whistled piercingly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe horses will be long gone,\u201d Sims commented, scathingly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll see,\u201d Joe responded. He felt very odd, as if he were weightless and floating. After a moment, he whistled again, and then they clearly heard the sound of hooves approaching.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope this isn\u2019t someone else out gunning for us, Cartwright,\u201d Sims hissed, but he was proved wrong when Cochise appeared round the corner a moment later, followed by the bay stallion and Sims\u2019 horse.<\/p>\n

\u201cCochise\u2026 isn\u2019t a\u2026 very good shot,\u201d Joe whispered, breathlessly. \u201cGet me on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t ride!\u201d Sims objected. \u201cYou\u2019re bleeding.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if you\u2026 leave me here, I\u2019ll\u2026 die,\u201d Joe responded. \u201cSims, I don\u2019t like\u2026 you much and I\u2026 know you don\u2019t like me\u2026 but you can\u2019t\u2026 leave me here\u2026 any more than\u2026 I could leave\u2026 you. Help me on!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hesitating, Sims only moved to help Joe when Joe began to sit up under his own steam. By the time Sims had Joe on his feet, the young man was so pale that he was almost see-through. Despite this, and the way his head swam, Joe insisted on being helped onto his horse.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll never get home,\u201d Sims told him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks\u2026for\u2026the vote\u2026of\u2026confidence,\u201d Joe panted, but he couldn\u2019t help but wonder if Sims was right. The pain in his side was intense, and at that moment, Joe didn\u2019t know about his head injury, and had forgotten about his hand, because he couldn\u2019t feel them. \u201cThere\u2019s\u2026a\u2026short cut,\u201d he finished and headed Cochise in that direction.<\/p>\n

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

The journey took them four hours; four hours in which Joe refused to stop for fear that if he got off his horse, he would never get back on. Four hours of intense pain and suffering for Joe. Four hours in which Sims came to feel a grudging respect for his young boss, for Joe uttered not one word of complaint, although he couldn\u2019t prevent groans of pain escaping. By the time they arrived at the ranch, he was burning with fever and shaking with exhaustion.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Cartwright!\u201d Sims shouted, as they rode in. He had been holding Joe onto his horse for a long time, and was almost as exhausted as Joe. \u201cMr. Cartwright! Quick!\u201d<\/p>\n

After a pause, the door opened and Ben hurried out, followed closely by Adam and Hoss. They stopped, horrified by what they saw; then, the spell broken, hurried across the yard to the two men. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d Ben gasped, as he saw the blood on Joe\u2019s head.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone tried to bushwhack us,\u201d Sims explained, thankfully relinquishing his burden. \u201cJoe killed them, but he\u2019s been shot in the side and the hand. I\u2019m not sure about his head.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lifting his head, Joe saw that he was home. With an audible sigh of relief, he let go of his tenuous hold on consciousness and slumped even lower on Cochise\u2019s neck.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, help Sims into the bunkhouse and get the doctor. Hoss, help me with Joe.\u201d Gently, Ben eased Joe off his horse and between them, he and Hoss carried the unconscious young man indoors. Adam helped Sims down and into the bunkhouse, organizing men to look after him and go for the doctor. Once that was done, and he was sure Sims was comfortable, Adam hurried back to the house.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is he?\u201d Adam asked, crowding in beside the bed to look at his brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlive,\u201d Joe whispered, his voice barely more than a breath. His fever-bright eyes gazed back at Adam. \u201cHi.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSave your breath,\u201d Ben advised him, wiping his head with a cool cloth. \u201cWe\u2019re going to take off your clothes, Joe and make you more comfortable. It\u2019ll hurt, but we\u2019ll be as gentle as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unbuttoning Joe\u2019s blood-stained shirt, Adam let out an exclamation when Joe\u2019s wallet, complete with money, fell onto the bed with a small thud. \u201cHere\u2019s the money, Pa,\u201d he cried, snatching it up.<\/p>\n

Glancing from the wallet to Joe, Ben saw a tiny smile on his son\u2019s face. \u201cJoe, how did you do it?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cKept them away,\u201d Joe told him. \u201cKilled them all, Pa.\u201d His eyelids dipped shut for a moment, before he looked Ben in the face. \u201cNo choice,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n

\u201cShh, it\u2019s all right, Joe,\u201d Ben soothed, stroking the damp hair back from his face. \u201cYou rest now.\u201d Joe\u2019s eyes shut once more.<\/p>\n

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

It was an anxious wait for the doctor, as Paul Martin wasn\u2019t in his office. However, about two hours after Joe arrived home, Paul appeared and hurried up to Joe\u2019s room. His examination didn\u2019t take long, and he was soon extracting the bullet from Joe\u2019s left hand, while the patient lay in a drugged sleep.<\/p>\n

It seemed an eternity to Ben before he was allowed back into the room. \u201cI\u2019ve removed the bullet from his hand, Ben,\u201d Paul told him. \u201cHis hand is broken. And you won\u2019t believe it, but I found the bullet that creased his head tangled in his hair!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Ben exclaimed, and Paul showed him the bullet, undamaged, that he had found in Joe\u2019s curls.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis side\u2019s a bit of a mess, but I\u2019ve stitched him up. He\u2019s torn some muscles in there, and I\u2019ve repaired them as best I can. He should make a full recovery. He\u2019ll sleep for quite a while now, and I expect his fever to drop by morning. There was no sign of infection in any of the wounds. Keep him quiet and feed him when he wakes. I\u2019ll look back tomorrow. Now, the message I got said one of the hands was hit too?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Ben replied. \u201cAdam will take you to him. Thank you, Paul.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patting Ben on the back, Paul went out to see to Sims.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cThat\u2019s a tough kid,\u201d Sims commented to Paul as the doctor bandaged his head. \u201cI thought sure he wouldn\u2019t make it back here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t credit what I\u2019ve seen Joe do,\u201d Paul told him wryly. \u201cHe\u2019s got more lives than a cat, that one!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought I was along to keep him under control and take charge,\u201d Sims mentioned. \u201cSeems it was the other way round. When those guys came along, I didn\u2019t know what to do. Joe just took charge and even after he was hit, he was still in control.\u201d Sims started to shake his head, then remembered it was sore and stopped. \u201cHe\u2019s just a kid!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, if that\u2019s how you see Joe, you have a lot to learn,\u201d Paul remarked, putting away his things. \u201cYes, he\u2019s young, but he\u2019s had a lot to contend with through his life. First off his mother dying when he was so young, but he\u2019s had every illness and injury going! He\u2019s been beaten up, shot, hit on the head, kidnapped; you name it, its happened to Joe. And every time, he\u2019s bounced back. Sometimes it\u2019s taken him longer than others, but he\u2019s always come back. Don\u2019t let the others\u2019 concern for him lead you into thinking he\u2019s weak. He isn\u2019t. But so many things happen to Joe that it\u2019s second nature to look out for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess he\u2019s not a bad kid,\u201d Sims allowed. \u201cHe seemed to know what he was doing out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe definitely would have known what he was doing out there,\u201d Paul replied, with a touch of asperity. \u201cJoe has singled-handedly run this ranch, and looked after his family while doing it. Believe me, Ben wouldn\u2019t have put him in charge of the horses if Joe wasn\u2019t up to it. People will pay good money to get a horse broken and trained by Joe. Don\u2019t sell him short.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shame-faced, Sims said, \u201cI guess I couldn\u2019t see past his youth. I hate kids! Half of them don\u2019t know what they\u2019re doing and the other half are worse. I thought he was arrogant.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe certainly can be!\u201d Paul laughed. \u201cBut he\u2019s absolutely charming and hard working, too. He\u2019s also not afraid to admit he was wrong.\u201d He cocked an eye at the other man and saw his words sink home. He ended the discussion there and went off home.<\/p>\n

Lying on his bunk, Sims thought about what Paul had said, and how Joe had acted and realized he needed to change his thinking.<\/p>\n

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

Morning saw Joe awake and in pain. He lay quietly in bed, for every movement felt as though it was tearing apart his side and when every breath hurt, too, it was enough to keep Joe quiescent. He accepted help from Ben to sit up slightly to eat his breakfast, but he only managed half the amount of eggs Ben thought he should have. \u201cPlease, Pa, no more,\u201d he whispered. \u201cI feel sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

Putting the plate aside, Ben offered Joe some water, which he gulped thirstily before resting his head wearily on the headboard. \u201cThanks, Pa,\u201d he said, in a stronger voice. His eyes narrowed as a spasm of pain shot through him. He couldn\u2019t bite back a wince.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you want to lie down again?\u201d Ben asked, and Joe nodded. When he sat up, his head whirled violently, both from the injury and the blood loss the day before. Ben eased Joe back down and made sure he was comfortable. \u201cBetter?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cMuch,\u201d Joe replied and tried for a smile. It wasn\u2019t overly convincing, but it was a smile. Joe was still very pale and Ben hoped Paul would be out to look at him soon. The fever had gone, but Joe was so weak that Ben was worried. \u201cPa, how\u2019s Sims?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t seen him this morning,\u201d Ben replied, \u201cbut apart from a minor head wound, he was fine last night. Adam said he was mostly tired.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s good,\u201d Joe answered. \u201cWhen I saw him fall, I thought sure he was dead.\u201d He yawned widely and Ben decided to leave any questions until later, after his son had slept again.<\/p>\n

Once Joe was soundly asleep, Ben rose wearily and went downstairs. Adam and Hoss were out working, although he knew they would be back at lunchtime to see how Joe was doing. He had still been asleep when his brothers left that morning. Hop Sing silently handed Ben a cup of steaming coffee. Ben sipped it gratefully, wondering, as he always did, how Hop Sing knew when he needed coffee the most.<\/p>\n

The lure of sleep was almost too strong for Ben to resist when he sat in his favorite chair in front of the fire. Although Joe had had a relatively peaceful night, Ben had been awake for most of it, keeping watch over his son until the fever had broken. Jerking awake as his head nodded down to his chin, Ben rubbed his face and rose to his feet. \u201cI\u2019m just going to the bunkhouse, Hop Sing,\u201d he told the retainer as he left.<\/p>\n

As was to be expected, the bunkhouse was quiet. Ben let himself in and looked around. Sims wasn\u2019t in his bunk and Ben was suddenly concerned. \u201cSims?\u201d he called.<\/p>\n

There was a sound from the furthest corner, and Ben stepped forward to see. Sims had been leaning on the windowsill, gazing out to the mountains beyond. He looked tired, but his color was good. \u201cMr. Cartwright!\u201d he exclaimed. \u201cIs Joe all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2019s going to be just fine, thanks to you,\u201d Ben told him, warmly. \u201cI came to thank you for what you did yesterday. I\u2019m just sorry I didn\u2019t do it when you brought Joe in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t do much,\u201d Sims admitted. \u201cI would\u2019ve left Joe there to fetch help. He insisted that he could ride. I just helped him a little.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStill, I must thank you,\u201d Ben insisted. \u201cJoe wouldn\u2019t have made it home without you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan I see Joe?\u201d Sims asked, after a moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s asleep right now,\u201d Ben replied. \u201cAnd not until after the doctor has seen him, if you don\u2019t mind. He\u2019s not very well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand that, sir, and I didn\u2019t mean today,\u201d Sims agreed. \u201cBut I have something I must say to Joe. I have an apology to make to him.\u201d He saw the look on Ben\u2019s face. \u201cI want to apologize for selling him short. I thought you\u2019d sent me along to keep an eye on him, because he couldn\u2019t be trusted, and I need to tell him that I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure there\u2019s no need,\u201d Ben began, not quite sure how to take this.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to, sir, when he\u2019s well enough,\u201d Sims persisted and Ben gave in.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, when he\u2019s well enough,\u201d Ben agreed. \u201cAnd thank you once more.\u201d He smiled at Sims and thrust out his hand, delighted when the cowboy shook it firmly.<\/p>\n

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

When Paul Martin arrived at the ranch, he wasn\u2019t alone; Sheriff Roy Coffee came with him. \u201cHello Paul, Roy,\u201d Ben greeted them.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello Ben,\u201d Paul replied. He gave his friend a searching look. \u201cDid you get any sleep last night?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome,\u201d Ben evaded. \u201cWhat are you doing here, Roy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI come about the bushwhackin\u2019, Ben,\u201d Roy answered. \u201cDoc here tol\u2019 me about it last night.\u201d He gestured to Paul. \u201cCan I talk to Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me have a look first,\u201d Paul suggested.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave a seat, Roy,\u201d Ben told him and followed Paul upstairs.<\/p>\n

They saw at once that Joe was awake and Paul went over to look at him. \u201cHow do you feel, Joe?\u201d he asked. \u201cThe truth, mind,\u201d he cautioned.<\/p>\n

There was hardly any need to ask. The pain was written plainly on his face and Paul straight away gave him something for it, before checking on his wounds. They were all clear of infection, which was a relief, given how long the bullet had been left in Joe\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cA week in bed, Joe,\u201d Paul said, as he finished his examination. \u201cAnd don\u2019t stretch for any reason, until those stitches are out of there, is that clear?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cClear,\u201d Joe replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take the stitches out at the end of the week,\u201d Paul continued. \u201cBy then, good food and plenty of rest will have put the color back into your cheeks.\u201d He smiled at Joe, who gave him a small smile back. \u201cNow I think we could let Roy come up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHi Roy,\u201d Joe said, as the sheriff came into the room. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smiling at the joke, Roy got straight down to business. \u201cJoe, had you ever seen them fellers that bushwhacked ya afore?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think so,\u201d Joe replied, slowly. \u201cBut I didn\u2019t really have all that much time to look at them closely.\u201d He frowned. \u201cWere you out there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI went out there this mornin\u2019,\u201d Roy nodded. \u201cAn\u2019 on the way I run inta Jeff Burrow, who tol\u2019 me that three of his hired hands had disappeared yesterday. We found \u2018em right where we figured they\u2019d be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were Jeff\u2019s hands?\u201d Joe asked, disbelievingly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat they was,\u201d Roy confirmed. \u201cJeff reckoned they musta seen him give ya the money, or else heard his wife tellin\u2019 ya ta be careful with it. He was real cut up about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t his fault,\u201d Joe commented. He felt exhausted from all the revelations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what I tol\u2019 him, too,\u201d Roy agreed. \u201cWell Joe, I jist thought I\u2019d let ya know that the mystery was solved.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Roy,\u201d Joe replied. He closed his eyes briefly and when he next opened them, the sun had moved around the room and he knew that it was late afternoon.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you\u2019re awake at last,\u201d Adam commented, leaning over the bed.<\/p>\n

Warm and drowsy, Joe smiled sleepily. \u201cI didn\u2019t mean to fall asleep,\u201d he admitted. \u201cYou been here long?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA couple of hours,\u201d Adam told him. \u201cPa needed to sleep, so I said I\u2019d sit with you.\u201d They sat for a moment in silence. \u201cSims said he\u2019d like to talk to you. Do you feel up to it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure,\u201d Joe agreed. Adam nodded and patted Joe\u2019s leg before heading out of the door. He was only gone for a moment\u00a0and came back in to help Joe to drink. Joe declined his offer to sit up.<\/p>\n

Footsteps sounded outside the door and Adam went over to open it. Sims stood there with Hoss and Adam ushered him in before going out and closing the door behind him. Hoss gave him a sour look. \u201cWhat\u2019d ya do that fer?\u201d he demanded. \u201cI wanted ta hear!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why,\u201d Adam told him, and marched his big little brother downstairs, so neither of them would succumb to the temptation to eavesdrop.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cI owe you an apology,\u201d Sims began, twiddling his hat nervously between his fingers.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Joe told him. \u201cI owe you my thanks. If you hadn\u2019t helped me, I would\u2019ve died out there. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shrugging, Sims looked embarrassed. \u201cA few days ago, I\u2019d have left you to die,\u201d he admitted. \u201cI didn\u2019t think you were worth anything. I know that\u2019s no secret; you made it pretty clear to me yesterday that you didn\u2019t like me, and I guess I gave you good reason.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the truth is, I didn\u2019t have a good reason for not liking you. I jumped to a conclusion about you before I knew anything about you at all. I assumed that you were like my last boss\u2019s son; a complete waste of space. I thought your Pa was indulging you in letting you run the horses. I\u2019m sorry about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDeke,\u201d Joe began, but Sims interrupted him again.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me finish, please,\u201d he begged. \u201cThis isn\u2019t easy. Joe, I wanted to thank you for saving my hide out there yesterday. I didn\u2019t have a clue and I know that showed. I\u2019ve learned something, thanks to you. I felt I ought to say that before I moved on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are you moving on?\u201d Joe asked, hoarsely.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not Dave,\u201d Sims replied and Joe flushed deeply, considering the blood loss.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I must apologize for that,\u201d Joe told him. \u201cDave was here for a long time. It\u2019s not your fault that Dave had that accident. Please, don\u2019t leave. You\u2019re a good man and we\u2019re lucky to have you. I\u2019ve learned from you, too,\u201d he continued, not able to read anything from the man\u2019s face. \u201cI\u2019ve learned something I thought I\u2019d accepted many years ago; that change isn\u2019t a bad thing. Deke, please, stay.\u201d<\/p>\n

This time, the use of his Christian name registered and Sims slowly nodded. \u201cAll right, Joe,\u201d he agreed. \u201cI\u2019ll stay.\u201d He grinned, as he realized that he would have hated to have moved on. \u201cEven if the boss\u2019s youngest son is a pain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust wait till you get to know the older two,\u201d Joe joked. \u201cI\u2019m an angel compared to them!\u201d They laughed together.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cAre you going to satisfy my curiosity then?\u201d Adam asked later, as he helped Joe with his supper.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Joe asked, knowing perfectly well what Adam was referring to. Hoss had dropped flaming hints, too, which Joe had chosen to ignore.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeke Sims?\u201d Adam prompted.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was going to leave and I persuaded him to stay,\u201d Joe replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd?\u201d Adam urged, clearly infuriated by the brevity of Joe\u2019s answer.<\/p>\n

Smiling, Joe gave in and told Adam what had happened. \u201cHe didn\u2019t like me because I was young and I didn\u2019t like him because he wasn\u2019t Dave,\u201d he concluded. \u201cBut we both learned a lesson, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad, buddy,\u201d approved Adam. \u201cHe\u2019s a good man.\u201d He smiled. \u201cBut then, I sometimes wonder about you, since you are so young. It\u2019s a hard life being an older brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery funny!\u201d Joe retorted.<\/p>\n

\u201cMake the most of your youth, Joe,\u201d Adam told him, serious again. \u201cIt\u2019s over far too soon. I\u2019ve always felt that the days of our youth are kind of the days of glory. Enjoy your glory days, brother. You deserve them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Touched, Joe blinked back tears. \u201cI intend to, Adam,\u201d he assured him. \u201cI intend to.\u201d<\/p>\n

*****End*****<\/p>\n

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

Summary:\u00a0 Lessons are learned about change and youth and how neither are necessarily a bad thing.<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0 T \u00a0 \u00a0 (10,585 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":12989,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1015,23,41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-joe-pa","category-drama","category-hurtcomfort","wpcat-1015-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-41-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/s-l500-2a.jpg?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5604"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5604\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}