{"id":5665,"date":"2012-09-02T14:15:38","date_gmt":"2012-09-02T18:15:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=5665"},"modified":"2023-03-22T13:14:32","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T17:14:32","slug":"east-west-homes-best-the-easterner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=5665","title":{"rendered":"East, West: Home’s Best–The Easterner (by Puchi Ann)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0<\/span>My entry in the Chaps and Spurs Mega Challenge is now complete, after 14 months. \u00a0At first, Adam isn’t sure how his Eastern friend will feel about life on the Ponderosa, but he–and the rest of the Cartwrights–soon realize that George is not the only one who has a lot to learn from his visit.<\/p>\n

Rated: K+ \u00a0WC 35,000<\/p>\n

East, West:\u00a0 Home’s Best Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n

East, West: Home’s Best – The Easterner<\/a>
\nEast, West: Home’s Best – The Westerners<\/a>
\nEast, West: Home’s Best – The Journey Home<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

East, West: \u00a0Home’s Best — The Easterner<\/strong><\/p>\n

As happily surprised as he\u2019d been to welcome his old architect-friend at the stage station, Adam had to fight to keep a disgruntled frown from his face on the drive toward the Ponderosa.\u00a0 George Arthur Pontpier\u2014the third, no less\u2014was an aristocrat, from his high noble forehead, down his classic Roman nose to his regally upheld chin, with the lineage to bear out his looks.\u00a0 The air with which he carried himself had always made Adam feel that if the Pontpiers hadn\u2019t come over on the Mayflower<\/em>, it was only because they had somehow managed to get here on an as-yet-undiscovered boat before that.\u00a0 They were, quite simply, the American elite and accustomed to all the deference and gracious living that went with it back East.<\/p>\n

George himself wasn\u2019t a snob, at least not a deliberate one.\u00a0 Adam could never have tolerated that, even in a casual friend.\u00a0 No, George was simply a man who loved \u00a0luxury and had wallowed in it so long that it never occurred to him that there was any other way to live.\u00a0 Still, he had chosen to work, when he needn\u2019t have, financially, because the creativity in his soul could find no other outlet than the design of beautiful buildings, the same urge that possessed the soul of Adam Cartwright. \u00a0It was that kinship of spirit that had drawn them together as young apprentice architects back in old Boston.<\/p>\n

Adam had been a frequent visitor in the home of his dignified friend.\u00a0 He\u2019d felt overwhelmed on his first sight of the spacious entry hall with its sweeping spiral staircase to a chandeliered ballroom on the second floor, but he\u2019d gradually grown comfortable with the copious elegance.\u00a0 Never, however, had he been comfortable with the deprecating remarks from his friend\u2019s spinster sister. \u00a0Her sharp barbs contrasting their graceful lifestyle with what she surmised must be that of those condemned to live in the untamed West had been a constant thorn in the flesh that was otherwise so sumptuously coddled in the Pontpier home.<\/p>\n

It was to counter Madeleine Pontpier\u2019s stinging remarks that Adam had first begun to sing the virtues of his own home.\u00a0 She\u2019d never been impressed with his description of the majestic mountains and the lush forest of emerald pines or the sapphire beauty of sweeping Lake Tahoe, but the rest of the family had.\u00a0 Adam had painted the portrait of a paradise, and to him, of course, the Ponderosa was one.<\/p>\n

Now, however, as he drove George toward his first sight of the real ranch, he wished he\u2019d been less lavish in his praise.\u00a0 Nevada in August was scarcely Nevada at its best in any year, and never had it been more true than this year.\u00a0 The temperature had ranged above average since the end of June and now soared above 100 degrees almost daily.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t remember when they\u2019d last seen a drop of rain.\u00a0 The ground was parched and cracked, the sagebrush brown and brittle, and even the evergreens were dropping needles at an alarming rate.\u00a0 Lake Tahoe was down, as well, although only a local was likely to notice that.<\/p>\n

They pulled into the ranch yard and Adam reined the horses to a halt.\u00a0 \u201cWell, there\u2019s the house,\u201d he said, hand sweeping toward the front door.<\/p>\n

\u201cCharming,\u201d George said.\u00a0 \u201cRustic, but actually quite imposing, Adam, and eminently suited to its surroundings.\u00a0 Your design, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cI was eleven when this was built, a bit young to serve as the actual architect!\u00a0 I put in my two-cents\u2019 worth, of course, and some of those ideas did make it into the final plans.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI would expect nothing less,\u201d George said with an admiring smile.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, I think I was about that age\u2014perhaps twelve\u2014when I presented my first architectural design to my parents.\u00a0 Nothing so ambitious as this, however\u2014a domicile for the family dog, as I recall.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I was nothing if not ambitious, then and now,\u201d Adam observed with a grin.\u00a0 \u201cCome in and meet the family.\u201d\u00a0 He threw a warm arm around George\u2019s shoulders and led him toward the front door.\u00a0 He\u2019d been foolish to worry that his home wouldn\u2019t be good enough for his friend.\u00a0 George was still the George he\u2019d known back East, a man who had always accepted him just as he was, a man with nothing in common with Madeleine Pontpier except their shared last name.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cAnd then Adam entered the ballroom, a lovely lady draping each arm, with a covey of others trailing in his wake,\u201d George concluded his story.\u00a0 \u201cIt quite left me feeling like the proverbial wallflower.\u00a0 I don\u2019t suppose I\u2019d have danced a single waltz that night if Adam hadn\u2019t taken pity and shared.\u201d<\/p>\n

The great room rocked with laughter, though Adam himself only gave his friend a chiding smile.\u00a0 \u201cHe exaggerates,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cHe always attracted just as many lovely ladies as\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Little Joe?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss\u2019s laughter boomed out, and he dug an elbow into his younger brother\u2019s ribs.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, yes.\u201d\u00a0 Adam pressed his palm to his chest.\u00a0 \u201cIf only we could even aspire to such greatness, George,\u201d he intoned theatrically.\u00a0 He bowed toward his youngest brother, as if in deference to royalty.\u00a0 \u201cThe citizens of Virginia City are even now constructing a memorial to all the ladies loved and left by young Casanova Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, they are not,\u201d Little Joe scoffed, although his cocky expression said that he thought, maybe, they should be.<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded slowly and solemnly.\u00a0 \u201cCastin\u2019 it in silver, last I heard\u2014in the shape of a shotgun!\u201d\u00a0 His hearty guffaw all but raised the rafters.<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, come on now!\u201d Joe protested futilely, for the laughter only got louder.<\/p>\n

When it started to die down, George\u2019s droll comment that he thought he\u2019d caught a glimpse of the memorial while passing through town started it all over again.\u00a0 It only sputtered out when a voice sharply said, \u201cAlways too much foolishment.\u00a0 You eat now or I thlow away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t do that, Hop Sing.\u201d\u00a0 Sounding alarmed, Hoss stood at once and headed for the dining area.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019s comin\u2019.\u201d\u00a0 The other Cartwrights rose more slowly, but just as compliantly and headed after him, Adam slinging an arm around his youngest brother\u2019s slim shoulders as an unspoken apology for making him the butt of the joke.\u00a0 None other was needed.<\/p>\n

George remained on the settee for a moment, frowning.\u00a0 Who did this Chinaman think he was, ordering his betters about?\u00a0 He\u2019d been taken aback, when he\u2019d first entered the ranch house, to find the Oriental bobbing and beaming to welcome him to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 He\u2019d read, of course, that many western households employed Chinese help, but he had never supposed that a sophisticated man like Adam would tolerate the heathen practices credited to the Celestials in the magazines he had read.\u00a0 And to put up with the impudence he\u2019d just witnessed was beyond comprehension.\u00a0 He would never have tolerated it in any of his servants back home.<\/p>\n

\u201cGeorge?\u00a0 Dinner?\u201d Adam queried, glancing back with concern.<\/p>\n

Whatever consternation George felt, courtesy demanded that he respond politely.\u00a0 \u201cYes, certainly, Adam.\u201d\u00a0 Somewhat reluctantly, he moved toward the table.\u00a0 He only hoped the man could cook!\u00a0 He took his seat and almost instinctively reached for his napkin, but his hand hovered hesitantly above the linen. \u00a0It looked clean and crisply starched, like what he used at home, but remembering what he\u2019d read about how Chinamen did laundry, spraying it with water from their mouths before ironing, he daintily picked up the cloth between thumb and index finger on each hand and deposited it in his lap as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n

Hoss was the only Cartwright who noticed, and while he thought it was an odd way to handle a napkin, he chalked it up to the prissiness of eastern etiquette, like quirking a little finger over a cup of tea or coffee.\u00a0 He just hoped Adam\u2019s friend didn\u2019t do anything that sissified in front of the men.\u00a0 They\u2019d mock him, for sure, and then Hoss might have to pound some of them, just to keep Adam from doing it first.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t like pounding people, although he often threatened his ornery little brother with it, trying to keep him in line.\u00a0 Once in a while, it even worked.<\/p>\n

None of that mattered right now, though, because the platter of pork chops that had made its way from Pa to Adam to George was almost in his grasp.\u00a0 George dillydallied so long over the meat, though, that Hoss felt compelled to ask, \u201cDon\u2019t you like pork chops, George?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf, yes, yes, of course,\u201d George said, quickly selecting the smallest one and putting it on his plate before handing the platter on to Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cDidn\u2019t mean to hurry you none,\u201d Hoss said, anxious that he might have come across as rude.\u00a0 He held the platter where George could reach it.\u00a0 \u201cGo on; get ya another one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, thank you,\u201d George demurred at once.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not a big eater.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s eyebrow arched, as he resisted the temptation to ask, \u201cSince when?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Even if he hadn\u2019t known the man previously, one look at his physique would have belied that comment. \u00a0The George Adam remembered could have rivaled Hoss in an eating contest and still had the girth to prove that hadn\u2019t changed much.\u00a0 Perhaps his friend was tired from the journey, though.\u00a0 That certainly could affect a man\u2019s appetite.<\/p>\n

Ben had a different concern.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose this simple fare is different from the fine cuisine you\u2019re accustomed to, George.\u201d<\/p>\n

George suddenly realized that his wariness over eating the Chinaman\u2019s cooking might have given offense.\u00a0 After all, these were his hosts, and he was sure they were offering him the best they had.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t their fault if help was hard to find; sometimes that was true, even back East.\u00a0 \u201cEverything looks delicious, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d he said.\u00a0 Looking at his plate, he realized it was true.\u00a0 In all fairness, he should give the cook a chance, he supposed, as he sliced into his chop.\u00a0 The first bite brought a smile of relief to his lips.\u00a0 No odd Oriental spices added and cooked to precisely the right degree.\u00a0 \u201cQuite tasty,\u201d he said honestly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll have to do you up a real party before you leave,\u201d Little Joe piped in.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing can sling together the fanciest food you ever imagined, better than anything you got back East.\u201d<\/p>\n

George sincerely doubted that, but he didn\u2019t feel obliged to comment, for the boy\u2019s father at once rebuked him for the insulting remark.<\/p>\n

After Joe apologized, Ben said, \u201cMy youngest here does make a good suggestion, however.\u00a0 We should plan some sort of gathering, to give Adam\u2019s other friends a chance to meet our guest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so George can dance with Adam\u2019s covey of girls out here,\u201d the ever-irrepressible Little Joe cackled.<\/p>\n

Chuckling, Ben reached over to tousle the young man\u2019s curly head.\u00a0 \u201cIgnore this imp,\u201d he said to George.\u00a0 \u201cNow, tell me how long we\u2019ll have the pleasure of your company, so we can set a date for that party.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease don\u2019t go to any trouble,\u201d George implored earnestly.\u00a0 Cooking a simple chop was one thing\u2014hard to ruin something that basic, he supposed, but he felt a genuine fear of the Chinaman\u2019s \u201cfanciest food.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo trouble at all, not for Hop Sing,\u201d Hoss declared loyally, \u201cand not for us, neither.\u201d\u00a0 He grinned over at his younger brother.\u00a0 \u201cEspecially not dancin\u2019 with them gals, right, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight!\u201d Joe agreed energetically.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey won\u2019t be denied,\u201d Adam said with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cNor will I.\u00a0 I hope you\u2019re planning a long visit, George.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLong enough to have two parties,\u201d Little Joe bubbled, \u201cor even three!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid I may disappoint you on that score, Little Joe,\u201d George said. \u00a0\u201cI sail from San Francisco at the end of September.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo soon?\u201d Adam asked, his disappointment apparent. \u00a0It had been so long since he\u2019d seen George or anyone else who shared his love of architecture and culture that he\u2019d hoped for more time together.\u00a0 Considering that the journey to and from Boston took longer, a month\u2019s visit seemed so brief.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid so,\u201d George said, his own regret apparent.\u00a0 \u201cMadeleine has a grand celebration planned for our parents\u2019 fiftieth anniversary, and it is, of course, worth my very life to miss it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs if you\u2019d want to,\u201d Adam said with a grin.\u00a0 He knew, of course, that his friend had a deep affection for his parents and would not have dreamed of being absent from such an occasion, but he wanted to be certain that his own family understood that George was joking.\u00a0 The dry humor had been aimed at his sister, and without knowing how insistent on her own way Madeleine could be, they were unlikely to have understood the jest.\u00a0 \u201cWell, we\u2019ll need to plan it before roundup, then,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, that\u2019s pretty much perfect, ain\u2019t it?\u201d Hoss put in with enthusiasm.\u00a0 \u201cParty right before roundup, and then ole George here can go along on the fall trail drive, and that\u2019ll put him in Californy \u2018bout the right time.\u201d\u00a0 Catching his older brother\u2019s wide-eyed stare, he gulped.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, if\u2019n you want to, George.\u00a0 We\u2019d\u2014uh\u2014have time to teach you how to ride, if . . . if . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

George laughed.\u00a0 \u201cMy dear boy, of course, I can ride, and I\u2019d quite relish a chance to see how \u2018ole Adam\u2019 here spends his time when I\u2019m not around to keep him in order.\u201d\u00a0 Having consumed the meat on his plate, he eyed the single remaining pork chop on the platter.\u00a0 \u201cIt must be the thought of all that exercise to come, but I do believe my appetite is heartier than I thought.\u00a0 Might I have that extra chop?\u201d<\/p>\n

Glad to see their guest enjoying what they had to offer, Hoss eagerly passed him the platter.<\/p>\n

Just around the corner, hidden from view, Hop Sing relaxed.\u00a0 As usual, he\u2019d been listening in, attentive to both the needs in the dining room and to any comments that might be made about his food.\u00a0 Mr. George had worried him when he wouldn\u2019t take more than one pork chop and again when he didn\u2019t seem to want to sample Hop Sing\u2019s party food, but everything seemed better now.\u00a0 The cook hadn\u2019t had much warning that this guest was coming, so he\u2019d kept things simple tonight.\u00a0 Now that he knew how long Mr. George was staying, though, he could plan his meals and make some that would really impress the man from back East and make Mr. Adam proud.\u00a0 He scurried back into the kitchen, his head already bursting with ideas of what to prepare for the upcoming party.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Four young men variously perched, leaned or sprawled about the great room, depending on their age, inclination or level of exhaustion.\u00a0 It was only the middle of the day, but it was Saturday, there was a dance in town, and the Cartwright boys were eager to clean up and head for Virginia City.\u00a0 George wasn\u2019t certain how well he\u2019d fare at a western dance, but he was probably more eager for the bath than any of them.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t believe how my muscles ache,\u201d he groaned, looking limp and lifeless in Pa\u2019s padded leather chair.<\/p>\n

Little Joe, perched on the table, gave Adam\u2019s friend a cheeky grin as he reached for an apple and began polishing it on his shirt.\u00a0 \u201cThought you said you could ride, George.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought I could,\u201d George bemoaned, \u201cbut this is different.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom his rocking horse back home, he means,\u201d Little Joe snickered, tossing the apple to Hoss and selecting another for himself.<\/p>\n

Leaning against the stone fireplace, Adam wagged an admonishing finger in his brother\u2019s direction.\u00a0 \u201cIf you know what\u2019s good for you, boy, you will not subject my friend to such obloquy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d a blank-faced Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cConsult a dictionary and improve your mind,\u201d Adam suggested airily.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019m I \u2018sposed to do that, when I got no idea how to spell it?\u201d Little Joe demanded, scowling when the two college graduates laughed at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour accusation is false,\u201d Adam explained.\u00a0 \u201cGeorge is actually a fine rider, but mountain riding is tougher than a promenade in the park.\u00a0 Uses different muscles.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019m feeling every one of them,\u201d George groaned.<\/p>\n

As his brothers laughed, Adam said, \u201cDon\u2019t worry.\u00a0 Pa\u2019ll be finished soon, and we\u2019ll take our turn in the wash house.\u00a0 That\u2019ll relax those muscles.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019ll be hoppin\u2019 in right after you,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cWhat I done today wasn\u2019t no promenade in the park, either.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss gave his younger brother a determined stare-down.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m callin\u2019 second rights on George\u2019s tub.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe bristled, glaring at first one older brother and then the other.\u00a0 \u201cLeavin\u2019 me with third chance, any way you look at it!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Adam, he can count!\u201d Hoss cackled.<\/p>\n

Adam looked impressed.\u00a0 \u201cAll the way to three now.\u00a0 That\u2019s good, little buddy.\u201d\u00a0 His tone was the one grownups used to encourage children not yet out of diapers.<\/p>\n

Little Joe beaned him with an apple that had a single bite missing.\u00a0 \u201cIt ain\u2019t fair,\u201d he protested.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m always last around here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cScarcely,\u201d Adam scoffed as he rubbed his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre we still talking about bath water?\u201d George asked hesitantly.\u00a0 \u201cAbout sharing bath water?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot you,\u201d Adam said at once to reassure his fastidious friend.\u00a0 Having two tubs and a separate wash house made the Cartwrights rich by western standards, but in a dry season like this, even they had to be sparing of bath water, adding a fresh, hot bucket to the tub before each man used it without replacing the entire tubful.\u00a0 He\u2019d explain all that to George later, as they soaked side by side.<\/p>\n

\u201cCertainly not,\u201d Hoss chimed in fast.\u00a0 \u201cFirst water for Pa and you both.\u201d\u00a0 He gave one decisive nod as if that settled the question.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t mean you, George,\u201d Little Joe quickly added.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re our guest.\u201d\u00a0 He deftly caught the apple that Adam tossed back to him.\u00a0 \u201cJust don\u2019t see why I always gotta take last chance.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t fair.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Cause you\u2019re the youngest,\u201d Hoss announced with a patronizing smirk.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd always will be, so there\u2019s no need to cavil about it.\u201d\u00a0 The arch of Adam\u2019s eyebrow warned Joe to end the argument\u2014and now.<\/p>\n

Little Joe noted the eyebrow, shrugged and snapped off another bite of apple.<\/p>\n

George didn\u2019t know what to say or do.\u00a0 He felt as though he should offer that \u201cfirst water\u201d to the disgruntled boy, who certainly looked in need of a good wash, but his civilized soul balked at the thought of sitting in someone else\u2019s body soil.<\/p>\n

Before he could decide what to do, however, Hop Sing came in.\u00a0 \u201cMr. Ben done,\u201d he announced.\u00a0 Pointing first to George and then to Adam, he said,\u201d You . . . you . . . come now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though he frowned at the Chinaman\u2019s imperious tone, George was only too happy to comply.<\/p>\n

Hoss tossed a narrow core into the fire and reached for a second apple from the bowl beside his younger brother.\u00a0 \u201cThat weren\u2019t no way to act, Joe,\u201d he scolded, with a glance toward the doorway through which the other two men had just exited.<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, I was just aggravatin\u2019 Adam, like he was doin\u2019 me with that twenty-dollar word,\u201d Little Joe said.<\/p>\n

Hoss shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cHe knew that, but George didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe winced.\u00a0 \u201cForgot he wasn\u2019t one of us.\u00a0 Fits in real good and seems to know Adam so well.\u00a0 Guess I thought he\u2019d know how to take me, too.\u201d\u00a0 His expression deepened into a troubled frown.\u00a0 \u201cReckon I ought to apologize?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss clamped a consoling hand on the younger boy\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cReckon not.\u00a0 Adam\u2019ll likely put him on to your ornery ways.\u201d\u00a0 He finished with a toothy grin.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrnery ways?\u00a0 What ornery ways?\u201d Little Joe protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t recite a list that long,\u201d Hoss alleged, \u201cor we\u2019ll never make it to the dance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, funny,\u201d Little Joe returned with a curled upper lip and a shake of his curly head.\u00a0 \u201cYou and that other brother of mine ought to put together a comedy act and take it on the stage.\u00a0 Come to think of it, you can add George to the act, too!\u00a0 That\u2019s how he really fits in\u2014with you and Adam, aggravatin\u2019 me!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss stroked his chin in apparent consideration of the idea.\u00a0 \u201cCould use some extra pin money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s arm drew back, but before he could fling another apple at another annoying brother, a familiar voice filtered down from the upstairs hall.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, could you give me a hand with\u201d\u2014Pa\u2019s head appeared around the corner, just as the apple-cupping palm dropped harmlessly into Joe\u2019s lap.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s your brother?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWash house,\u201d Hoss answered.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u00a0 Of course.\u201d\u00a0 For a moment Ben appeared graveled.\u00a0 Then he said, \u201cWell, you\u2019ll do, Hoss.\u00a0 Come on up.\u201d\u00a0 With a follow-me gesture he disappeared back around the corner.<\/p>\n

Hoss looked just as perplexed as his father had.\u00a0 \u201cWhat you reckon he wants help with?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe gave a careless shrug.\u00a0 \u201cProbably advice on how to spark the Widow Hawkins,\u201d he suggested, an impish green gleam in his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, who\u2019s tryin\u2019 out for an act at Piper\u2019s Opera?\u201d Hoss snorted.\u00a0 He headed up the stairs, declaiming in his most theatrical voice, \u201cHow is he ornery?\u00a0 Let me count the ways!\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaking his head, Little Joe chuckled.\u00a0 One thing you had to admit about Miss Abigail Jones: she sure knew how to make a poem stick in your head\u2014whether you wanted it to or not.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

The hushed voice made Joe jump, for he hadn\u2019t heard the soft-slippered approach of the family cook.\u00a0 \u201cHey,\u201d he said, brightening.\u00a0 \u201cThey finish this quick?\u201d\u00a0 Maybe he could slip in and nab second chance on George\u2019s tub after all.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo talk foolishment,\u201d Hop Sing chided.\u00a0 \u201cThey soak long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe slumped.\u00a0 Yeah, that figured.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe?\u201d Hop Sing began again.\u00a0 \u201cCan talk with you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe brought his feet up on the table and hugged his knees.\u00a0 \u201cSure.\u00a0 What\u2019s on your mind?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing leaned in closer and lowered his voice.\u00a0 \u201cWhy Mr. George not like Hop Sing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe cocked his head, confusion in his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cHow do you know he don\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing snuffled in disdain.\u00a0 \u201cHow you know someone not like you?\u201d<\/p>\n

The confusion was replaced with wide-eyed shock.\u00a0 \u201cWho wouldn\u2019t like me?\u201d Little Joe asked.\u00a0 He donned his most angelic smile and announced, \u201cI\u2019m adorable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The snuffle was a blast this time.\u00a0 \u201cYou listen too many girls.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe grinned.\u00a0 \u201cYou can\u2019t listen to too many girls, Hop Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing spewed a string of Cantonese at the boy, threw up his hands and turned away, saying, \u201cToo much foolishment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe hopped off the table and followed him into the kitchen.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Hop Sing,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t mean to make light of your troubles.\u00a0 I just think, maybe, you\u2019re borrowin\u2019 some where there ain\u2019t none.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure George likes you just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing shook his head firmly.\u00a0 \u201cHe not like, not trust.\u00a0 Hop Sing know . . . in here.\u201d\u00a0 He beat his chest with a doubled fist.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s forehead wrinkled in thought.\u00a0 \u201cYou mean you got a gut feeling?\u201d<\/p>\n

The cook\u2019s head bobbed up and down this time.\u00a0 \u201cThat it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything more than that?\u201d Little Joe asked.\u00a0 Gut feelings, as he knew from sad experience, could just as easily be wrong as right.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing struggled to put his thoughts into English.\u00a0 \u201cHe . . . shy of Hop Sing, always watching . . . not trust.\u00a0 Like now.\u00a0 He not want Hop Sing take dirty clothes, for wash.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe they ain\u2019t that dirty,\u201d Little Joe suggested.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing snorted.\u00a0 \u201cThey dirty.\u00a0 Not like this\u201d\u2014he plucked Joe\u2019s shirt, grimy from his work in the barn\u2014\u201cbut need wash.\u00a0 Why he not want Hop Sing take?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe scratched his head.\u00a0 \u201cDid you ask him in English?\u201d\u00a0 Affecting a sage expression worthy of Miss Jones or Adam at his most didactic, he advised, \u201cYou got to remember, Hop Sing, that no one but me understands a word of that Chinese palaver.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe got a swift earful of Chinese castigation and threw up his hands, palms outward, in self-defense.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, okay, you spoke English,\u201d he said, guessing at the cook\u2019s meaning, for even though he had heard Hop Sing chatter in Chinese from the time he could toddle, he understood, at best, about one word out of ten, especially when the words came rapid-fire, laced with anger.\u00a0 \u201cBut there\u2019s still a good chance he didn\u2019t understand what you wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing speak velly good English.\u201d\u00a0 Arms akimbo, the man thrust a defiant chin at the boy, daring him to challenge the statement.<\/p>\n

Little Joe was not about to.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, okay,\u201d he said, \u201cbut that don\u2019t mean he understood.\u201d\u00a0 Seeing the cook about to remonstrate, he patted the air.\u00a0 \u201cNo, listen.\u00a0 It ain\u2019t you; it\u2019s him.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t you heard how he talks, how different he sounds from us?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing frowned thoughtfully and slowly nodded.<\/p>\n

Sensing the more receptive response, Little Joe hurried on.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s that funny eastern accent of his, makes him hard to understand sometimes.\u00a0 I reckon he might have the same trouble with our western one.\u201d\u00a0 Not to mention what happens when you layer a Chinese accent on top of that<\/em>, he thought, but, wisely, only to himself.\u00a0 In his best imitation of Pa, Little Joe laid a hand on Hop Sing\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not his fault he was born back there,\u201d he said, as if he were speaking of a congenital defect.<\/p>\n

The creases in Hop Sing\u2019s forehead deepened.\u00a0 \u201cYou think that why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, sure,\u201d Little Joe said with a final, encouraging pat.\u00a0 \u201cAfter all, why wouldn\u2019t he like you?\u201d\u00a0 The cheeky grin flashed back.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re adorable, too, ain\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing harrumphed.\u00a0 \u201cLike you with girls?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, no,\u201d Little Joe said, the grin broadening.\u00a0 \u201cNo one\u2019s that<\/em> adorable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cToo much foolishment,\u201d Hop Sing muttered, but he was smiling as he turned away to his kitchen duties.<\/p>\n

His thoughtful frown, however, transferred itself to Little Joe\u2019s face.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s fast talk had turned the tide, but he wasn\u2019t sure he believed his own spiel.\u00a0 Hop Sing\u2019s pidgin English could be hard to understand, and a college education could fuddle a man\u2019s talk even worse\u2014older brother Adam was proof of that, tossin\u2019 around words like that \u201ca-blow-key\u201d like they actually meant something.\u00a0 Maybe that\u2019s all there was to it.\u00a0 Or maybe George had been afraid that Hop Sing wouldn\u2019t use enough starch or bluing or some other fool thing Easterners prized.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t ask a guest such things, of course, but he\u2019d keep a sharp eye and a sharp ear for any further problems, \u2018cause much as he liked Adam\u2019s friend, he liked\u2014no, loved\u2014the man who\u2019d practically raised him since his mother\u2019s death a whole heap more.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Adam and George exited the house to find three other men waiting in the yard, saddled horses in hand.\u00a0 Hoss and Little Joe had their standard mounts, but the ranch hand who had been requested to saddle a horse for George was holding, along with Adam\u2019s Sport, a prancing black gelding with a white star on its forehead.\u00a0 Adam exploded forward to snatch the black\u2019s reins from the man\u2019s hands.\u00a0 \u201cWho put you up to this, Leo?\u00a0 Or should I even ask?\u201d<\/p>\n

Leo, who\u2019d sported a slow, sloping grin until Adam started hollering, relaxed again when the boss\u2019s baleful glare turned from him to take in both of the younger men.\u00a0 Hoss was trying\u2014and failing miserably\u2014to look innocent, and while the only thing that gave Little Joe away was the radiant gleam in his eye, Adam had no doubt about who had actually instigated the prank.\u00a0 \u201cMeteor, Joe?\u00a0 How could you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe shrugged eloquently.\u00a0 \u201cWell, George did say he liked a spirited mount, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, he\u2019s spirited, all right,\u201d Adam fumed.\u00a0 \u201cFun is fun, but not at the risk of life and limb!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe does look like a fine animal,\u201d George commented.\u00a0 \u201cMeteor, you called him?\u00a0 Odd name for a horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss grinned.\u00a0 \u201cAdam named him that \u2018cause he takes off like one, shootin\u2019 down to earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly you\u2019ll be the one shooting down to earth if you try to ride him,\u201d Adam said dryly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYup,\u201d Hoss agreed cheerfully, \u201cand then you\u2019ll just lay there awhile, seein\u2019 stars.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStars, nothing,\u201d Little Joe hooted.\u00a0 \u201cWhole doggone constellations!\u201d\u00a0 He let loose a high-pitched cackle that didn\u2019t end until Adam cuffed him roughly on the shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou scoundrel,\u201d the older brother chided, though there was a chuckle in his tone, \u201cI ought to throw you up on that shooting star.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe thrust his chest forward.\u00a0 \u201cHey, you think I can\u2019t handle him?\u00a0 We can settle that here and now, big brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

He reached for the saddle horn, but Adam grabbed him around the waist before he could swing into the saddle and hauled him back to earth.\u00a0 \u201cNot today, little brother.\u00a0 Normally, I\u2019d say, \u2018Go ahead; risk your fool neck,\u2019 but we\u2019ve got roundup coming up and we\u2019ll need every hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t think I can ride him!\u201d Joe charged.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have the skill, but I think you\u2019re about fifty pounds light for the job,\u201d Adam admitted.\u00a0 He aimed an index finger at Joe\u2019s nose.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t try it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I have at least fifty pounds on the boy,\u201d George suggested, although somewhat hesitantly, \u201cand contrary to everyone\u2019s apparent belief, I can sit a spirited animal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo one rides Meteor today.\u00a0 He\u2019s barely green-broke and, therefore, not a fit working mount for any of us yet.\u201d\u00a0 He\u2019d hoped to have time to work the animal himself before roundup, but with a guest to entertain, the job would probably have to wait until he\u2019d returned from the trail drive.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s right,\u201d Little Joe said, sobering suddenly in concern that he might have taken things too far.\u00a0 \u201cI just had Leo here saddle him as a joke, George.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe never meant for you to ride him, George,\u201d Hoss put in apologetically.\u00a0 \u201cWe was just funnin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor mercy\u2019s sake, Leo, saddle Mr. Pontpier a decent mount,\u201d Adam snapped.\u00a0 \u201cDaylight\u2019s burning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir, Mr. Adam.\u00a0 Sorry for the trouble,\u201d Leo said hastily.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot your doing,\u201d Adam assured him.\u00a0 \u201cJust don\u2019t let these two lead you astray again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir\u2014I mean, no sir,\u201d Leo said and hurried off, taking Meteor with him.<\/p>\n

George shook his head as he appraised the younger Cartwright brothers and then looked over at his friend.\u00a0 \u201cHow did you ever manage to grow up with these two without yielding to the temptation to drown them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s only due to the restraint of my saintly character,\u201d Adam intoned somberly to hoots of disbelief from both brothers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt does, at least, explain why you found an eastern education so enticing!\u201d George laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd why I so often think of returning,\u201d Adam added.\u00a0 \u201cThe superlative peace and quiet of the bustling city does, indeed, entice after another prank-fest from these loudmouths.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leo arrived back with a more suitable horse, and they all mounted up.\u00a0 As they rode away, Little Joe trailed behind, pensively biting his lip.\u00a0 He was almost sure that Adam was joking about heading back East, but there was a mighty span between \u201calmost\u201d and \u201csure,\u201d an expanse populated with the phantoms of childhood pain and adolescent fears.\u00a0 Adam must<\/em> be joking, but sometimes it was hard to tell, \u2018cause big brother tended to sound serious about everything he said.\u00a0 Personally, Joe liked George, but adding this new concern to the worry he already felt about Hop Sing\u2014well, maybe it was about time for the Easterner to head back where he belonged, before Adam decided that he belonged there, too.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cAll right, Leo, let him go,\u201d Adam called, bracing himself for the jolt of rebellious horse flesh as Meteor erupted from the chute.\u00a0 The man\u2019s lean body automatically adjusted to each ripple of the muscles between his firm thighs, each twist and turn of the majestic black horse.\u00a0 He had no business taking time to work with this animal.\u00a0 He knew that.\u00a0 Unlike the other horses he and his brothers would ride this afternoon, Meteor had no chance of being saddle-ready for the round up.\u00a0 He really should have concentrated on horses that could be, but he\u2019d told himself that if he didn\u2019t work Meteor, his little brother would give in to the dangerous temptation.\u00a0 Now, though, feeling the sheer joy of wrestling with a recalcitrant animal, he admitted the truth.\u00a0 He wanted the challenge of this noble beast for himself\u2014and he wanted to show off a bit for his eastern friend.<\/p>\n

When he\u2019d taken the horse as far as he considered wise for one session, Adam beckoned to the hand circling the corral.\u00a0 The man rode over, placing his horse alongside Meteor, so that Adam could slide over the rump of the other animal and drop lightly to the ground.\u00a0 With a satisfied smile, he strode over to the rail, where his brothers and George had stood, watching his ride.<\/p>\n

Hoss stretched out a hand to meet him.\u00a0 \u201cGood ride, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMarvelous!\u201d George declared.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Joe echoed, a hint of envy edging his voice, for he couldn\u2019t help wishing that he\u2019d been the one in the saddle.\u00a0 \u201cNot bad . . . for an old man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam cuffed the boy\u2019s ear for his sass.\u00a0 \u201cWell, youngster, you\u2019ll get your chance to prove your mettle next.\u201d\u00a0 He turned to holler across the corral, \u201cLeo, load that feisty sorrel into the chute.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe grinned spontaneously, his eyes sparkling.\u00a0 \u201cYou mean it?\u00a0 He\u2019s not green-broke, like the others.\u00a0 Probably won\u2019t be ready for round up.\u201d\u00a0 Even as he voiced the objection, his yearning could be plainly heard.<\/p>\n

\u201cNeither will Meteor,\u201d Adam admitted.\u00a0 \u201cChalk it up to entertainment for our guest,\u201d he added with a laugh.\u00a0 \u201cWe can\u2019t let him return east without seeing some genuine bronc-busting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Hoss agreed.\u00a0 \u201cNow you\u2019ll see some real ridin\u2019, George!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks a lot,\u201d Adam chuckled.<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, I didn\u2019t mean\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam waved Hoss\u2019s apology aside as unnecessary and turned to give Joe\u2019s backside a light swat.\u00a0 \u201cGo on, kid.\u00a0 Show him how it\u2019s done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou bet!\u201d Joe bubbled as he trotted toward the chute.\u00a0 He stopped midway across the corral and glanced over his shoulder when he heard an audible gasp of shock.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam!\u00a0 You can\u2019t mean it,\u201d George protested loudly as he stared at the sorrel rearing and snorting inside the chute.\u00a0 \u201cYou can\u2019t put that child up on that bucking beast!\u201d<\/p>\n

Child!<\/em> Joe fumed.\u00a0 He\u2019d show that fool Easterner just who was the child on this range!\u00a0 Fire in his eye and fury on his face, he stormed toward the horse chute.<\/p>\n

George grabbed Adam\u2019s shirt sleeve.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, that horse is completely untamed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cWell, that would be the reason for breaking him, wouldn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he\u2019s just a boy,\u201d George pleaded.\u00a0 \u201cHe could be killed.\u00a0 I won\u2019t have that on my conscience; I won\u2019t let him risk his life just for my entertainment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cThis from the man who suggested I should have drowned him when he was small!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was just palaver and you know it!\u201d George sputtered.<\/p>\n

Adam massaged his friend\u2019s upper arm.\u00a0 \u201cDo you seriously think I\u2019d keep him off Meteor, only to put him on a more dangerous horse?\u201d<\/p>\n

Though George shook his head, he still looked worried.\u00a0 \u201cYou honestly think he can handle that animal?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know he can,\u201d Adam said confidently.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe\u2019s young, but he\u2019s one of the best bronc busters we got, George,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cI really meant it when I said you\u2019d see some real ridin\u2019 now.\u00a0 No offense, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNone taken,\u201d Adam assured him.\u00a0 He suspected that one day Little Joe might surpass him as a rider, but he didn\u2019t feel threatened.\u00a0 The boy had a natural gift, but Adam had more experience, so for now, he considered his own skills superlative.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t bother him at all to hear his brother\u2019s abilities praised; to the contrary, he felt proud, especially since he\u2019d had something to do with developing those abilities.<\/p>\n

That pride surged in his breast as he saw the sorrel race from the chute.\u00a0 Though the animal bucked and reared, charged and chased around the corral, Little Joe\u2019s lithe body moved with him.\u00a0 Like poetry in motion<\/em>, Adam thought.\u00a0 Almost as if they were not man and beast, but a new creation melding the best of both<\/em>.<\/p>\n

George expressed the same thought in a more classical vein.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s a young centaur,\u201d the Easterner proclaimed as he watched in wide-eyed appreciation.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlmost,\u201d Adam agreed, pleased both with the compliment to his brother and the literate expression of his friend.\u00a0 Oh, how he\u2019d missed conversations like this!\u00a0 No one here in the West could have captured the image so succinctly.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, the image blurred and the poetry was broken as Hoss hollered, \u201cQuit showboatin\u2019, Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam instantly saw what his middle brother meant.\u00a0 Though Little Joe was still handling the horse, he was now holding on with only one hand, the other theatrically circling his hat above his head.\u00a0 \u201cJoe!\u201d Adam yelled and immediately wished he hadn\u2019t.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s attention snapped toward his oldest brother and in that distracted moment he lost his grip, mid-buck, and went sailing over the sorrel\u2019s head.<\/p>\n

Adam vaulted the corral rail and raced toward the boy sprawled in the dust, with Hoss close behind him.\u00a0 Giving a wave of thanks to the hands, whose quick intervention had kept the horse from injuring its former rider, Adam knelt beside his brother and began brushing his gritty cheek.\u00a0 \u201cJoe?\u00a0 Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

The green eyes opened just as George ran up, panting, \u201cIs he all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think so,\u201d Adam grunted as he helped his brother to sit up.\u00a0 \u201cNot for lack of trying to be otherwise, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

In hopes of easing the charged atmosphere, Hoss bent over Joe, hands on his knees, and joked, \u201cSeen any constellations lately, Shortshanks?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe rubbed his temple.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, maybe . . . but just the Little Dipper.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre we to be thankful for small blessings?\u201d Adam asked sourly, and then his voice rose.\u00a0 \u201cWhat were you thinking, Joe?\u00a0 You know better!\u201d<\/p>\n

The twisted grin Joe bestowed on him was a bond between cocky and chagrinned.\u00a0 \u201cWell, you said to put on a good show.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, so this is my fault?\u201d Adam exploded, grabbing his brother by both arms and yanking him to his feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell . . . sort of.\u201d\u00a0 Joe\u2019s expression, sheepish at best, wilted under his brother\u2019s stern scrutiny.<\/p>\n

Adam released him with a thrust, threw up his hands and turned toward George.\u00a0 \u201cYou were right the first time: I should have drowned him when he was younger!\u201d\u00a0 Then he swiveled on his heel and stalked away, apparently fearing that he might drag a certain brother to the nearest body of water if he didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d George said contritely.<\/p>\n

Hoss, brushing off the seat of Joe\u2019s britches, shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cWeren\u2019t your fault, George.\u00a0 Was it, Joe?\u201d\u00a0 It was no accident that his next brush carried a hint of sting to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Joe said grudgingly.\u00a0 \u201cLeave me be, Hoss,\u201d he added sharply and strode briskly toward the corral rail, where Adam was leaning on folded arms, still trying to calm down.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, I\u2019m sorry,\u201d Joe said when he came up behind his brother.<\/p>\n

Adam slowly turned to face his younger brother.\u00a0 \u201cThat didn\u2019t sound very sincere,\u201d he said flatly.\u00a0 \u201cI was counting on your help this afternoon, boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve still got it,\u201d Joe argued.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t hurt, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam snorted.\u00a0 \u201cJust seeing constellations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe exhaled in exasperation, more with himself than Adam.\u00a0 \u201cNot really.\u00a0 Just a few stars.\u00a0 I can still outride any man here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cRide?\u00a0 You\u2019re not even going to stay here and watch, little buddy.\u00a0 You are going back to the house to rest your star-struck head.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, come on, Adam,\u201d Joe protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said, \u2018No.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 Each terse, staccato word was a warning.\u00a0 \u201cNow, get goin\u2019!\u201d\u00a0 Adam pointed in the general direction of the ranch house.<\/p>\n

Smoke blasting from each nostril, Little Joe stormed off.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t gone more than a few steps, however, before he heard George ask if he might be able to work some of the previously gentled horses.\u00a0 Joe didn\u2019t wait to hear Adam\u2019s reply.\u00a0 His head conceded the fact that George was only trying to help.\u00a0 His heart, however, screamed that not only was Adam\u2019s friend upsetting Hop Sing and luring Adam away, but now he was trying to replace Little Joe himself.\u00a0 There was no question about it: the Easterner had to go.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Conversation circled the dinner table that evening, each man relating the events of the day\u2014with one notable exception.\u00a0 The silence from the normally loquacious youngest Cartwright was palpable.\u00a0 No one mentioned the incident at the corral, but it was obvious that, after being scolded for his foolishness by both his father and older brother, Little Joe was brooding on it.\u00a0 However, neither his father\u2019s frown of disapproval nor Adam\u2019s scowling glare made any noticeable impression on the boy, who spent most of the meal pushing peas from one side of his plate to the other.\u00a0 Only when George shared the contents of a letter from his sister that had arrived that afternoon did Little Joe look up and listen attentively.\u00a0 \u201cSounds like she\u2019s plannin\u2019 a real do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

George, who still felt unreasonably responsible for the friction between the oldest and youngest Cartwright brothers, brightened at the boy\u2019s show of interest.\u00a0 \u201cIndeed!\u00a0 No one organizes a \u2018do\u2019 quite as elaborately as Madeleine.\u00a0 Generally, I find her parties pompous and pretentious, but in this case\u2014well, let\u2019s just say that both Adam and I are blessed in the caliber of our parents, and I\u2019m delighted to see Mother and Father the recipients of such a grand celebration.\u00a0 They deserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re putting ideas in Pa\u2019s head,\u201d Adam said, but he smiled at his father as he spoke.<\/p>\n

Ben chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019m likely to get anything of the sort from these three.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, shucks, Pa, we\u2019ll throw you a shindig sometime,\u201d Hoss promised with a toothy grin, \u201cmaybe when you turn a hundred or some such thing.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t promisin\u2019 it\u2019ll be fancy as what Miss Madeleine is workin\u2019 up, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben laughed out loud this time.\u00a0 \u201cI can guarantee it!\u00a0 It takes a lady to plan an affair like that . . . and since God chose to bless\u2014although at times I think the right word is \u2018burden\u2019\u2014me with sons, instead of daughters . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

The others joined his laughter, except Little Joe, whose mouth pursed in thought.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I can sure see as how you wouldn\u2019t want to miss that, George,\u201d he said, his brow furrowing as if some worry had just occurred to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why he\u2019s leaving right after the trail drive,\u201d Adam said pointedly, his eyes riveted on his youngest brother.<\/p>\n

The concerned furrows deepened in Little Joe\u2019s otherwise smooth forehead, and he shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know as we\u2019re bein\u2019 fair to George, Adam, makin\u2019 him feel obliged to stay on for that,\u201d he suggested solemnly.\u00a0 \u201cYou know good as me how unpredictable a drive can be.\u00a0 There can be all kinds of slow-downs along the way, and it\u2019d be a cryin\u2019 shame for him to miss his folks\u2019 anniversary.\u00a0 If it was me, George, I\u2019d head over the Sierras right away, so\u2019s to make sure nothin\u2019 kept me from it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The room was immediately plunged into an ice-cold pool of silence.\u00a0 For a moment no one could do anything but stare, stunned, at Little Joe.\u00a0 Then Adam growled, \u201cHow dare you?\u201d His voice sharpened to a razor\u2019s edge.\u00a0 \u201cHow dare you insult any guest in our home, much less my dear friend?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t!\u00a0 I\u2019m only thinkin\u2019 of what\u2019s best for George,\u201d Little Joe insisted.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, if there\u2019s the least chance we\u2019d delay him so he missed the boat home . . . well, it ain\u2019t as if he\u2019d be much real help on the drive, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u201d Ben hissed.<\/p>\n

George folded his napkin and laid it beside his plate.\u00a0 \u201cPerhaps I\u2019ve worn out my welcome,\u201d he said slowly.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo such a thing!\u201d Hoss at once declared, his open face pained with dismay that any guest would feel unwelcome at the Ponderosa.\u00a0 \u201cThat ain\u2019t what Joe meant.\u201d\u00a0 He looked pleadingly across the table, silently urging his younger brother to correct George\u2019s misconception, but the boy did nothing but nervously lick his lips.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t it?\u201d Adam asked tersely, staring coldly at Little Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s just about enough out of all of you,\u201d Ben announced, casting severe glares toward both sides of the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019d I do?\u201d Hoss demanded, face and eyes wide with offended innocence.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing, son,\u201d Ben sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t mean you.\u00a0 George, you\u2019ve seen us at our worst tonight.\u00a0 I apologize for the behavior of my eldest and youngest, and I\u2019m sure that they both wish to express their own regrets for their behavior.\u201d\u00a0 His tone plainly said that this was neither a suggestion nor a request.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, no, please,\u201d George protested.<\/p>\n

Hoss rolled his eyes.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Pa had to know his own sons better than that.\u00a0 His brothers were both stubborn as mules, especially when they thought they were right, as Adam, for sure and rightfully so, did this time.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t so sure about Joe.\u00a0 Usually, he could read his little brother, but he was plumb perplexed by the boy\u2019s behavior tonight.\u00a0 Sometimes that youngun just shot off his mouth without thinking, and other times he could be downright crafty, while looking just as guileless as he did now.<\/p>\n

No one said anything for what seemed like an eternity.\u00a0 Then Adam turned to his friend and calmly said, \u201cGeorge, I sincerely apologize for the way you\u2019ve been treated tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben frowned and Hoss swallowed hard, both having noticed that Adam had worded the apology in a way that accepted no blame.\u00a0 Neither did Joe when he mumbled, moments later, \u201cYeah.\u00a0 Me, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben glowered at both of them, but since they had, technically, done as he\u2019d asked, he didn\u2019t know what to say without making matters worse.<\/p>\n

George said nothing, either, but his flushed face screamed louder than words how miserably uncomfortable he was in a place where moments before he had felt at home.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Seeing Hoss\u2019s large frame fill the doorway, Little Joe scowled.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u00a0 You, too?\u00a0 I\u2019ve had enough lectures for one night, big brother.\u201d\u00a0 His head, resting uneasily on his pillow, turned away.<\/p>\n

Hoss ambled in and stood, his hefty right hand circling the oak post at the foot of Joe\u2019s bed.\u00a0 \u201cI reckon you have, at that.\u201d\u00a0 Since his room shared a wall with Joe\u2019s, he\u2019d had almost a front row seat for the two lectures that had preceded his trip into the room.\u00a0 He rubbed the turns of the post, their smooth texture soothing his troubled spirit as he asked, \u201cYou wanna tell me what wolf\u2019s been gnawing at your innards the last couple of days, little brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe snorted as he turned back toward Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cCalled hisself Adam, as I recollect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss had to grin.\u00a0 Doggone but the kid was quick with a comeback and not far from wrong, either.\u00a0 His older brother had pretty much chawed his younger one up one side and down the other.\u00a0 \u201cNot that wolf, t\u2019other one,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 He spread his hands in a conciliatory gesture.\u00a0 \u201cLook.\u00a0 Somethin\u2019s botherin\u2019 you, little brother.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t there some way I can help?\u201d<\/p>\n

The outstretched hands and worried words accomplished what neither Pa\u2019s stern lecture, nor Adam\u2019s loud lambasting had managed.\u00a0 The mask behind which Little Joe was hiding cracked, and the pain and fear seeped through the jagged edges.\u00a0 Word by ragged word, he told Hoss everything: Hop Sing\u2019s misgivings, Adam\u2019s jokes\u2014or were they?\u2014about leaving, George\u2019s attempt to weasel himself into Joe\u2019s rightful place on the ranch.\u00a0 Patiently, Hoss dealt with each issue, suggesting less threatening interpretations of every incident.\u00a0 He ruffled his brother\u2019s already tousled locks as he finally stood.\u00a0 \u201cNow, you quit your frettin\u2019,\u201d he urged.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing ain\u2019t headin\u2019 back to China, and Adam ain\u2019t goin\u2019 nowhere, neither, and ain\u2019t nobody could ever take your place, you doggone little nuisance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe smiled up at him in relief.\u00a0 \u201cThanks, Hoss,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet some sleep,\u201d Hoss advised, gently cupping his brother\u2019s neck.\u00a0 \u201cYou got you some hard apologies to make in the mornin\u2019, and you wanna be fresh for that.\u201d\u00a0 He tossed his brother a wicked grin as he straightened up.\u00a0 \u201cEspecially when it comes time to talk to that ole wolf that calls hisself Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe winced and nodded painfully as Hoss left the room.\u00a0 He lay there for a while, trying to follow his brother\u2019s advice, but he couldn\u2019t settle.\u00a0 His mind kept roiling with the shame of how he\u2019d treated their guest and the dread of facing his older brother when morning finally came.\u00a0 Giving up on getting any sleep, he threw back the covers.\u00a0 He owed them both an apology, and tossing and turning the rest of the night wouldn\u2019t make it any easier.\u00a0 No time like the present, folks always said.<\/p>\n

He pattered into the hall on bare feet, heedless of the late hour, and headed toward Adam\u2019s room.\u00a0 Then he halted, mouth puckered in thought.\u00a0 Adam didn\u2019t like to be woke up in the middle of the night, and if he was still in as snarly a mood as he\u2019d been earlier, Joe was afraid he might not survive the mauling to ever make his apology to George.\u00a0 Maybe, if he did that first, a certain wolf might feel less like biting his head off.\u00a0\u00a0 Yeah, that was probably best.\u00a0 Joe reversed his steps and tiptoed down the stairs as softly as he could, skipping the squeaky step as if he were sneaking out for the night.<\/p>\n

He made his way noiselessly past the settee to the door of the guest room and quietly slipped inside.\u00a0 Belatedly remembering that he should have knocked first, Little Joe called softly, \u201cHey, George?\u00a0 It\u2019s me . . . Joe.\u00a0 Can I come in?\u201d\u00a0 There was no answer, so Joe called again, raising his voice just a little, so as not to startle the Easterner from a sound sleep.\u00a0 When the room remained silent, he padded toward the bed, feeling his way in the near blackness created by the drawn drapes.\u00a0 He stretched his hand toward where George\u2019s shoulder should have been and felt . . . nothing.<\/p>\n

Shocked, Little Joe jolted back and collided with the pot-bellied stove behind him.\u00a0 Fortunately, it wasn\u2019t burning on a hot August night, but the noise made him cringe and send a panicked look through the ceiling.\u00a0 Then he pulled back the thick drape just enough to give him a little look-around light.<\/p>\n

The bed was empty, though the linens were twisted as though someone had been tossing in it.\u00a0 Fear rising in his heart, Joe tiptoed across the room, opened the armoire and breathed a sigh of relief.\u00a0 George\u2019s clothes were still there, so at least he hadn\u2019t took off completely.\u00a0 Maybe he\u2019d just gone for a walk, \u2018cause he\u2019d had as much trouble sleeping as Joe himself.\u00a0 A quick look out the window showed no sign of Adam\u2019s friend, so he might have wandered off farther than a dude like him should.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know the ranch; he didn\u2019t know the dangers that could lurk out there in the dark.\u00a0 He had to be found.<\/p>\n

Little Joe raced outside, nightshirt slapping his bare calves, and searched the immediate vicinity of the house, but there was no sign of George, nor any answer to his timorous calls.\u00a0 In the back of his mind, Joe knew that he should rouse the house to join the search, but since he didn\u2019t really want to die young, he crept back inside and up the stairs as stealthily as he had descended them.\u00a0 He dressed quickly and, carrying his boots, made his way back down.\u00a0 On the porch he sat down long enough to pull on the boots and then ran for the barn to saddle Cochise.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Little Joe squatted in the road and squinted at the tracks in the pale moonlight.\u00a0 His brow creased in puzzlement.\u00a0 Right about now he wished he had, at least, awakened big brother Hoss, the acknowledged expert in the family when it came to tracking, \u2018cause what he was seeing made no sense.\u00a0 Joe could understand a man taking either a walk or a midnight ride to sort out his thoughts, but why would anyone walk down the road, leading a horse?\u00a0 Even an Easterner ought to be smarter than that.\u00a0 Near as he could tell, there was nothing wrong with the horse\u2014no missing shoe, no sign of one foot being favored\u2014but he wasn\u2019t as good at this as Hoss, so maybe he was the one missing something.\u00a0 There was no point in pining for his brother\u2019s help, though.\u00a0 He\u2019d made the decision to tackle this on his own, and going back now would only waste time, maybe time that Adam\u2019s friend might end up paying a heavy price for.<\/p>\n

After chewing the possibilities over for an interval that seemed longer than it was, Joe stood up.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t getting any answers this way.\u00a0 Best to just keep following along and hope he came across George before the fool dude ran into real trouble.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t followed long, however, before the trail left the dirt road and traipsed off into the pasture.\u00a0 Reining Cochise to a stop, he leaned over to stroke the horse\u2019s neck as he mulled over whether George was lost or, if not, what his intentions might be.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, he straightened up, spine rigid and heart plummeting down into his gut.\u00a0 Just over the next rise, a few rods past where he could actually see, was the scene of this afternoon\u2019s commotion, which had provoked him into his disgraceful treatment of their guest at the dinner table.\u00a0 Joe could think of only one reason a man would lead a horse to the breaking corral, but even an Easterner couldn\u2019t be foolish enough to try breaking a horse alone, in the dark, could he?\u00a0 Fearing he knew the answer and had even been the push behind the rash action, Joe urged Cochise ahead only slightly faster than was safe in the dim light.<\/p>\n

As he topped the rise, his worst fears were confirmed.\u00a0 George was alone in the corral, his leg just swinging over the back of a black horse.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s eyes widened in shocked recognition of the animal and realization that George had just gone from fool to full-fledged lunatic.\u00a0 Of all the horses on the Ponderosa, why did he have to pick that<\/em> one?\u00a0 Kicking Cochise into a frantic gallop, he raced down the slope, though he wasn\u2019t sure what he could do to avert the disaster he envisioned.\u00a0 If he\u2019d learned one thing from this afternoon\u2019s hubble-bubble, it was not to distract a man on the back of a bucking bronc.\u00a0 But if he couldn\u2019t shout out a warning, how else was he supposed to get the greenhorn off a horse he\u2019d had no business mounting in the first place?<\/p>\n

As it turned out, Meteor took care of that little detail all by himself, about ten seconds after the Easterner plopped into the saddle.\u00a0 Joe leaped off Cochise and vaulted over the fence, but before he could reach George, he heard a scream that sent frissons of horror down his spine.\u00a0 Don\u2019t panic, don\u2019t panic<\/em>, he told himself.\u00a0 Get the horse<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Easier said than done.\u00a0 Meteor reared up again, and Joe heard a second scream, this time accompanied by a sickening crunch.\u00a0 \u201cHyaw!\u00a0 Hyaw!\u201d he cried, waving his arms as he ran toward the wild-eyed animal.\u00a0 As he\u2019d hoped, Meteor bolted away from the noise and movement, away from the man sprawled on the ground.\u00a0 \u201cLie still, George!\u201d Joe shouted as he trotted past.<\/p>\n

Though his heart was still pounding like a horse on the final yards of a stakes race, he forced his steps to a walk as he guardedly approached the skittish horse.\u00a0 \u201cEasy, boy, easy,\u201d he cooed, his voice as soothing as a dose of Ayer\u2019s Wild Cherry Pectoral to a sore throat.\u00a0 Meteor snorted and backed away.\u00a0 The horse pawed at the ground, so Joe stood still for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s okay, boy,\u201d he murmured and cautiously edged a step forward.\u00a0 Meteor eyed him warily, but didn\u2019t move, so Joe took another step and then another, all the time offering words of comfort, until he held the trailing reins in his hand and was able to secure the animal to the top rail of the fence.\u00a0 He ran his hand along the heaving flanks and promised, \u201cBe back soon, boy.\u00a0 Just stay steady, okay?\u201d\u00a0 Then he backed away until he felt safe to turn around and hurry over to George.<\/p>\n

Kneeling down, Little Joe gingerly touched the man\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cHey, George,\u201d he said softly.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019d he get you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLeg,\u201d George gasped.\u00a0 \u201cBroke?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe winced at the awkward angle of the other man\u2019s leg.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, looks like.\u00a0 I\u2019ll find something to splint it with.\u201d\u00a0 He stood and walked over to the loading chute.\u00a0 The boards of the gate were both thinner and shorter than any others in the corral, so he tussled a couple loose.\u00a0 Realizing that the best option he had for something to tie them to George\u2019s leg was the leather strands of Meteor\u2019s bridle, he exhaled in gusty exasperation and again made his slow, cautious approach to the horse.\u00a0 Thankfully, the big black was calmer now, and he was able to remove the bridle without problem.<\/p>\n

Back at George\u2019s side, he explained what he planned to do.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t gonna try to set it,\u201d he said, \u201cbut I will need to straighten it some.\u00a0 I\u2019ll move it as little as I can, but it\u2019ll probably hurt.\u201d\u00a0 George nodded his understanding, and Little Joe set to work.\u00a0 Wishing once again that Hoss were here, he tried to emulate his big brother\u2019s gentle touch.\u00a0 Since he figured that his best tool for distracting George was his gift of gab, he started jabbering, aimlessly at first.\u00a0 \u201cPity I ain\u2019t got any moonshine in my saddlebags.\u00a0 Nothin\u2019 like bein\u2019 a mite tipsy to ease the pain, you know.\u00a0 What were you thinking, anyway?\u00a0 Adam wouldn\u2019t even let me ride Meteor, and\u2014no offense\u2014but I got a lot more experience at this than you.\u201d<\/p>\n

George moaned, breathing heavily, as his leg was slowly straightened, inch by inch.\u00a0 \u201cWanted . . . prove . . . real help . . . for roundup.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recognizing his own words, Little Joe\u2019s face contorted as if he were the one whose broken leg was being manipulated.\u00a0 \u201cAw, doggone it.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry, George.\u00a0 I feel terrible about the way I acted at dinner.\u00a0 I was comin\u2019 to tell you . . . and now\u2014this is all my fault.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStupid thing . . . to do,\u201d George gasped.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Joe muttered, directing the word inward.\u00a0 He knew, of course, that George was taking responsibility for his own actions, but no one else, Joe included, would fault the man.\u00a0 As for Adam\u2014well, Joe figured he could count his lucky stars (constellations, even) if his oldest brother didn\u2019t lynch him from the nearest tree, when he heard. \u00a0All that was of secondary importance now, though.\u00a0 What mattered most was to get George the help he needed; he\u2019d deal with what Adam\u2014or Pa, for that matter\u2014did to his hide later.\u00a0 He secured the last strand of leather and said, \u201cI\u2019m gonna have to go back to the house and get a wagon and some help to lift you into it.\u201d\u00a0 He squeezed George\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be back as soon as I can, and\u2014uh\u2014don\u2019t worry; I\u2019ll take Meteor with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood,\u201d George grunted, obviously relieved that he wouldn\u2019t be left alone in the corral with that particular animal.<\/p>\n

With a final, reassuring pat Joe stood and headed toward the horse.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Little Joe was on his guard as he edged past Adam\u2019s door.\u00a0 Not that he could keep the sad truth hidden much longer, but figuring that as soon as older brother heard, younger one would get his head handed to him in a basket, he wanted to put a sizable shield between himself and Adam before he said anything.\u00a0 Though wearing boots, he still managed to tiptoe past Adam\u2019s room and slip quietly into his other brother\u2019s.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Hoss,\u201d he called softly as he shook his protector\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss jerked, nose wrinkling as if a pesky fly had lighted on it.\u00a0 He automatically rolled onto his side, the same action he always took when someone woke him up to complain about his snoring.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss!\u201d Little Joe raised his voice slightly.\u00a0 \u201cYou gotta wake up.\u00a0 I got trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss grunted, wishing that fly would twitch off and pester somebody else.\u00a0 Somehow, though, he woke up enough to hear Joe\u2019s last word, and it made him crack open an eyelid.\u00a0 \u201cJoe?\u201d he muttered.\u00a0 Then both eyes shot open.\u00a0 Trouble?\u00a0 What kind of trouble could even Joe could into in the middle of the night?\u00a0 \u201cWhy ain\u2019t you in bed?\u201d Hoss grumbled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need help,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cGeorge needs help.\u201d<\/p>\n

That brought Hoss upright fast.\u00a0 \u201cWhat you done to that poor man now?\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n

Little Joe winced, for there was more truth to the accusation than he cared to admit.\u00a0 \u201cNothing you don\u2019t already know,\u201d he said, hands patting the air in a calming gesture.\u00a0 He quickly explained how he\u2019d gone to George\u2019s room to apologize, found him missing and tracked him down to the breaking corral, where he\u2019d found Adam\u2019s friend trying to ride Meteor.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeteor!\u201d Hoss cried.\u00a0 \u201cWhat in the\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe clapped a hand over his brother\u2019s mouth. \u00a0\u201cHush!\u201d he scolded.\u00a0 \u201cYou want Adam to hear?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pushing Joe\u2019s hand aside, Hoss scowled, but lowered his voice and said pointedly, \u201cI don\u2019t think you\u2019re gonna be able to keep it from him, little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that,\u201d Little Joe hissed, \u201cbut I ain\u2019t facin\u2019 him alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you good,\u201d Hoss yawned.\u00a0 \u201cNow, get in there and wake him up, and let me get back to sleep.\u201d\u00a0 He tried to slide back down in the bed, but was stopped by an iron grip on his shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Hoss,\u201d Joe almost whimpered, \u201cjust picture what he\u2019s gonna do to me when I tell him that George busted his leg \u2018cause of what I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBusted his leg!\u00a0 Why didn\u2019t you\u2014?\u201d\u00a0 Again his brother\u2019s hand slapped across Hoss\u2019s mouth.<\/p>\n

\u201cShh!\u201d Joe demanded.\u00a0 \u201cCan you picture it?\u201d he asked, eyes as frantic as those of a hare being run to ground by a pack of rabid dogs.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019ll tear me limb from limb.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI got half a mind to let him,\u201d Hoss snorted, irritated because Joe\u2019s worries over Adam had made him forget what the boy had said first, that George needed help.\u00a0 \u201cFact is, I got more than half a mind to help him do it, but that\u2019ll have to wait.\u00a0 George still down at the corral?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 I splinted his leg,\u201d Joe explained quickly, \u201cand come back here to get help, quick as I could.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd lollygagged about as much as you could after you got here,\u201d Hoss groused as he snatched his pants from the back of a nearby chair.\u00a0 \u201cYou get down that hall and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, please,\u201d Little Joe pleaded.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd tell Pa,\u201d Hoss finished sternly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll wake Adam, \u2018cause like I said, we ain\u2019t got time for him to rip you apart just now.\u201d\u00a0 He gave his younger brother\u2019s backside a smart swat.\u00a0 \u201cNow, git!\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe hurried toward his father\u2019s room and was just about to knock when he heard a loud yell from the hall behind him:\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll kill him!\u201d<\/p>\n

Forgoing courtesy in favor of life preservation, he pushed the door open and rushed in, hollering, \u201cPa, wake up!\u00a0 George\u2019s hurt and Adam\u2019s plottin\u2019 murder!\u201d<\/p>\n

Somehow in the frenzy that followed, appropriate explanations were conveyed, mostly by Hoss, and plans made, primarily by Pa, with Little Joe carefully keeping both of them between him and the fire-breathing dragon previously known as Adam.\u00a0 Soon the buckboard was hitched and a mattress placed in the back to cushion George\u2019s return to the ranch.<\/p>\n

As Ben and Hoss climbed onto the wagon, Little Joe mounted his still-saddled horse.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll tell him you\u2019re coming,\u201d he called as he took off.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, get back here!\u201d Ben hollered after him.<\/p>\n

\u201cMight as well shout at the wind,\u201d Adam snorted, leading Sport from the barn.\u00a0 He swung into the saddle.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t worry, Pa: there\u2019s room for two in that buckboard, if he breaks his reckless neck.\u201d\u00a0 As he headed out of the yard, he heard his father call, \u201cGo easy, Adam.\u201d\u00a0 He acknowledged the caution with an uplifted hand before urging the horse forward, <\/strong>but he wasn\u2019t sure how to interpret it.\u00a0 Was his father warning him against tearing down the road in the dark the way Joe had or admonishing him to \u201cgo easy\u201d on the boy who had driven his friend to such rash action?\u00a0 The first he would do instinctively; the latter might be beyond his powers of restraint.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0There was little restraint in Adam\u2019s actions once he reached the branding corral.\u00a0 He vaulted over the fence rails with an abandon more characteristic of his youngest brother, who was stooped at George\u2019s side, jabbering goodness only knew what.\u00a0 Grabbing Joe\u2019s shoulder with strong, lean talons, Adam thrust the younger man aside.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey!\u201d Joe yelled as his butt hit the packed dirt of the corral.\u00a0 \u201cWatch what you\u2019re doin\u2019!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u00a0 Because you do that so well?\u201d Adam snapped.\u00a0 \u201cJust keep out of the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t. . . .\u201d\u00a0 Sensing that defending himself would only make Adam madder, Little Joe broke off.\u00a0 He stood up, dusted the back of his britches and moved a prudent distance from his older brother, though still within earshot.<\/p>\n

The anger dissipated as Adam bent over his friend.\u00a0 \u201cGeorge, I\u2019m so sorry,\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy fault,\u201d George moaned.<\/p>\n

Just as quickly, the anger was back, although Adam kept it in check.\u00a0 \u201cNot altogether,\u201d he muttered tersely.<\/p>\n

Little Joe winced and turned his head away.\u00a0 He felt about as comfortable as a worm squirming on a fishhook.\u00a0 Worse, he felt that he deserved to dangle there, just waiting for that big fish swimming right next to him to snap him off the hook and chew him up for dinner.\u00a0 Joe breathed a huge sigh of relief when he saw the wagon top the rise and head down to the corral.\u00a0 As he edged toward the fence to meet it, inspiration suddenly struck, a way to put an even safer distance between himself and Adam, while at the same time making amends to George.<\/p>\n

He leaped lithely over the fence and began to untie Cochise.\u00a0 Then, figuring that it was time he showed some degree of sense and told someone what he was up to, he stood, holding the reins, until the wagon reached him.\u00a0 \u201cPa, I\u2019m gonna ride into town and get the doc,\u201d he said, but just as he was about to swing into the saddle, he heard his father shout, \u201cNo, Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

His foot slipped off the stirrup, and he almost ended up on his backside again.\u00a0 \u201cWhy, Pa?\u201d he demanded, embarrassment at his awkward position sharpening his voice.\u00a0 \u201cGeorge needs a doctor, and I\u2019m the fastest rider.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben frowned at that prideful, although unfortunately accurate, announcement of a quality he considered nothing to boast about, yet all he said was, \u201cI need you here.\u201d\u00a0 Looking up, he spotted his oldest son at the fence.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, you need to ride into town and ask Dr. Martin to come out,\u201d he called over Little Joe\u2019s protests.<\/p>\n

Adam, having overheard the previous exchange, exhaled with disgust.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m staying with my friend.\u00a0 Let Joe go,\u201d he said with a jerk of his head in the other boy\u2019s direction.\u00a0 \u201cI doubt even he could foul up such a simple assignment.\u201d\u00a0 He glared at his youngest brother.\u00a0 \u201cNo side trips to the Silver Dollar until after<\/em> you\u2019ve seen the doctor . . . understood?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe flushed fiery red.\u00a0 \u201cHobble your lip, Adam, or I\u2019ll hobble it for you!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHaven\u2019t you done enough hobbling for one night?\u201d Adam growled.\u00a0 \u201cAnd in case you\u2019re too dense to take my meaning, I\u2019m referring to George\u2019s leg!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s enough!\u201d Ben shouted.\u00a0 \u201cIn case you\u2019re both too dense to take my meaning, I am still in charge of this ranch.\u00a0 I decide who handles which assignment.\u00a0 Is that understood?\u201d\u00a0 Smoke was practically snorting from both flared nostrils.<\/p>\n

Seeing that, Little Joe backed down hastily.\u00a0 \u201cYes, sir, Pa; you\u2019re in charge,\u201d he said, head bobbing frenetically.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s lips tightened in a stubborn line.\u00a0 \u201cThis is where I belong,\u201d he insisted. \u00a0\u201cGeorge is my friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen be a friend and get him medical attention,\u201d Ben dictated bluntly.\u00a0 \u201cYou do him no service by haggling like this.\u00a0 Just get going!\u201d<\/p>\n

With an exasperated toss of his hands toward the heavens and a final glare at his youngest brother, Adam stalked to his horse with long, active strides, mounted and charged up the hill toward the road.<\/p>\n

Pulling a kite at his brother\u2019s departing back, Little Joe checked to make sure that Pa hadn\u2019t seen him make that mocking face and fell into step beside Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t know why Pa wanted him to go, instead of me,\u201d he grumbled, careful to keep his voice too low for their father to overhear.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m a better rider than older brother, so I could\u2019ve got help for George a heap faster.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo point in barkin\u2019 at a knot,\u201d Hoss grunted.\u00a0 \u201cPa\u2019s got his reasons.\u201d\u00a0 He was pretty sure he knew what they were, but having been wrong more than once, he didn\u2019t like to second-guess his pa.\u00a0 And telling Joe what he was thinking would\u2019ve been just plain foolish, especially when they all needed to concentrate on doing what was best for George.\u00a0 \u201cCome on.\u00a0 If you\u2019re so all-fired anxious to help, let\u2019s get them rails down, so\u2019s we can get him to the wagon easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the time Ben reached George, his face was forcibly relaxed and deliberately cheerful.\u00a0 \u201cWell, young fellow, you\u2019ve got yourself in quite a pickle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry to be . . . so much trouble,\u201d George gasped.<\/p>\n

Ben patted the man\u2019s shoulder in genuine sympathy.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t worry about us, son.\u00a0 I\u2019m just sorry to see you hurt.\u201d\u00a0 His hand slid down to grasp George\u2019s.\u00a0 \u201cAdam\u2019s gone for the doctor, and he\u2019ll get you fixed up just fine.\u00a0 In the meantime we\u2019re going to get you back to the ranch and make you as comfortable as we can.\u00a0\u00a0 We\u2019ve got a mattress in the back of the wagon, and we\u2019ll go slow, so we don\u2019t jar you more than is unavoidable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI . . . appreciate that,\u201d George murmured.<\/p>\n

Hoss came striding up, with Joe trailing behind.\u00a0 \u201cHey, there, George,\u201d the big man said with an overly wide smile.\u00a0 \u201cHow you doin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cF-fine as f-frog\u2019s hair,\u201d George said with a shaky grin, hoping he\u2019d correctly used the phrase he\u2019d heard Hoss say a couple of times.<\/p>\n

\u201cWouldn\u2019t take much to get that one nailed to the counter,\u201d Hoss chuckled.\u00a0 Then, seeing that George didn\u2019t understand, he quickly interpreted, \u201cProved a lie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh,\u201d George grunted.\u00a0 \u201cCowboy jargon . . . worse than . . . Greek ever was.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI reckon,\u201d Hoss said, although he looked skeptical.\u00a0 Cowboy jargon, as George called it, painted pictures that made a heap more sense to Hoss than any of the Greek or Latin he\u2019d ever heard Adam spout.\u00a0 He glanced over at his father.\u00a0 \u201cPa, I figure the best way to move ole George here is for me to get under his back and take most of the weight, while you and Joe manage his legs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds good,\u201d Ben agreed.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, you take the uninjured leg, and I\u2019ll hold this one.\u201d\u00a0 When he saw the wounded look on his youngest son\u2019s face, he almost regretted that decision, but he knew it was the right one.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t that he didn\u2019t trust Joe to be careful, as the boy\u2019s expression plainly said he had assumed; rather, Ben knew moving the leg would hurt George, no matter how careful they were.\u00a0 He just didn\u2019t want the all-but-inevitable cries of pain to add to the all-too-obvious load of guilt his son was already carrying.<\/p>\n

Working together, they soon had George settled into the wagon.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, tie Cochise onto the wagon,\u201d Ben directed, \u201cand then climb in with George.\u00a0 You can help steady him if we hit a rough spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir!\u201d Joe answered, eager to help ease George\u2019s pain in any way he could.<\/p>\n

As he climbed onto the wagon seat beside Hoss, Ben smiled to himself.\u00a0 Not only had he forestalled another wild dash down the dark road, but he\u2019d given his son a way to assuage some of that guilt burdening his young soul.\u00a0 Killing two birds with one stone might not give him grounds to vie with King Solomon for wisdom, but it was highly satisfying.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Huffing heavily, Adam raced down the road, his breath as much taken by the outrage building inside his chest as by the physical exertion of a rapid ride.\u00a0 Had his entire family taken leave of their senses?\u00a0 First his idiot of a brother treats a guest shamefully, with total disregard for the consequences.\u00a0 Then, as if that weren\u2019t enough irritant to deal with, his father pulls rank and sends him on an errand the fool kid should have been given.\u00a0 Might even have taught him a little responsibility!\u00a0 But, no, Pa has to spare his baby son the inconvenience of a long, tiring ride through the dark of night, while treating his eldest as if he were barely out of short pants.\u00a0 I\u2019m a grown man, <\/em>he fumed, still living under my father\u2019s roof and rule!<\/em>\u00a0 At times like this, he wondered why and whether it was time to strike out on his own.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, Sport stumbled, his right forefoot sliding on some loose rock at the side of the road, which Adam had inadvertently hugged too tightly.\u00a0 Strong, solid mount that he was, the horse shifted his balance and stayed upright, and as Adam intuitively slowed his pace, he instantly realized why he\u2019d been sent on this errand and not Joe. \u00a0While he\u2019d made a caustic joke earlier about his brother breaking his reckless neck, truth was truth: the kid was a reckless rider.\u00a0 In a situation like this, Joe would ride hell bent for leather, with no deference to terrain or visibility.\u00a0 In his haste to help George, Adam had almost fallen into the same trap, but his innate common sense had prevailed.\u00a0 Joe, unfortunately, had none to fall back on, and as angry as Adam still felt, he cared too much for the boy to wish him bodily harm (other than a few well placed whacks on the backside, had he been a bit younger).<\/p>\n

By the time he reached town, Adam presented the calm, controlled character with which he customarily faced crises.\u00a0 He roused Dr. Martin, gave him a concise, but comprehensive description of his friend\u2019s injury and harnessed the doctor\u2019s buggy and had him on his way to the Ponderosa in the shortest time possible.\u00a0 He could only imagine the wild words and frantic arm-waving with which Little Joe would have delivered the same message.\u00a0 Had Pa really perceived all that in the mere moment he\u2019d taken to assess and make that assignment. \u00a0As they rode out, Adam acknowledged with a wry smile that he probably had.<\/p>\n

Dawn was tip-touching the pines with orange and orchid as they arrived at the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Dr. Martin had no sooner shooed all the Cartwrights out of the downstairs guest room, so that he could examine George in private, than Hop Sing appeared.\u00a0 \u201cFamily come to table now,\u201d he demanded.\u00a0 \u201cEat breakfast while hot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t hungry,\u201d Little Joe, whose eyes were riveted on the closed bedroom door, muttered.<\/p>\n

Over the last few hours Adam\u2019s attitude had faded from angry to simply aggravated.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you try just doing as you\u2019re told for a change?\u201d he suggested with the sheerest hint of acidity.\u00a0 \u201cWe have quite enough to deal with without having you keel over from lack of nourishment.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was so much milder a rebuke than Little Joe had expected from his oldest brother that he found himself moving toward the table without a word of objection.\u00a0 When Hop Sing slid a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him, however, he could do nothing but stare at it.\u00a0 None of the Cartwrights, in fact, seemed to have much appetite, although Hoss was trying to make his usual enthusiastic remarks in hopes of easing the tension in the room.\u00a0 Even he finally gave up and set his fork aside.\u00a0 \u201cSure got us a hair in the butter, ain\u2019t we?\u201d he sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo put it mildly,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 He scowled at the disgusting description of the dilemma they now faced.<\/p>\n

Little Joe pushed scrambled egg to one side of his plate and then the other.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n

Adam arched an eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I would imagine so, since you didn\u2019t even get what you wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam,\u201d Ben cautioned.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I know: go easy,\u201d Adam grunted.\u00a0 He took a deep breath.\u00a0 \u201cI am trying.\u201d\u00a0 He looked back at Joe.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know why you were trying to encourage George to leave early, but you do realize, I hope, that you got exactly the opposite.\u00a0 A broken leg virtually insures a longer stay, and I had better not hear one word of complaint or one hint of how much better medical care he could get back East!\u201d\u00a0 Try as he would, Adam couldn\u2019t keep the acrimony from his voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, I wouldn\u2019t,\u201d Little Joe protested weakly.\u00a0 \u201cI know this is all my fault, and I am sorry, honest I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure your brother knows that,\u201d Ben put in with a steadfast look at his eldest.<\/p>\n

Not trusting himself with further words, Adam just exhaled slowly and nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou reckon George is gonna miss that anniversary party for his folks?\u201d Hoss asked hesitantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t see how he can do otherwise,\u201d Adam said bluntly, while Joe all but buried his face in his left palm.\u00a0 \u201cWe certainly can\u2019t expect him to spend a couple of weeks sleeping on the velvet couch with a broken leg.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean on roundup?\u201d Hoss asked.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, ain\u2019t no way George could be comfortable sleepin\u2019 on a bedroll.\u00a0 Doggone shame.\u00a0 He was lookin\u2019 forward to ridin\u2019 with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that puts us a man down,\u201d Adam said, adding with a glance at Joe, \u201ceven if some people think he wouldn\u2019t be \u2018much real help on the drive.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe moaned miserably at the repetition of his own words, which sounded twice as hurtful now as when he\u2019d first said them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt puts us two men down,\u201d Ben corrected.\u00a0 \u201cOne of us will need to stay here with George.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s true,\u201d Adam agreed with a sober nod.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing?\u201d Hoss suggested.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s right good with hurtin\u2019 folks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s also \u2018right good\u2019\u2014and definitely more irreplaceable\u2014as trail cook,\u201d Adam pointed out.\u00a0 \u201cAs difficult as it\u2019ll be to find an extra hand at this late date, finding a cook would be infinitely harder.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded his agreement.\u00a0 \u201cScarce as hens\u2019 teeth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what are we gonna do?\u201d Little Joe asked anxiously.<\/p>\n

\u201cGive me some time to think, son,\u201d Ben said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re all tired, concerned about George.\u00a0 Let\u2019s just take one thing at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can tell you the first thing we better tend to,\u201d Hoss said, as he spied Hop Sing eavesdropping in the kitchen doorway.\u00a0 \u201cIf we don\u2019t dig in and clean these plates, we\u2019ll have to hogtie the cook we got to keep him from takin\u2019 off for China.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hearing the sotto-voce echo from the next room, every man there lifted his fork and, lack of appetite notwithstanding, pluckily did his duty.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Stifling a yawn, Adam approached the alcove, where his father was seated behind the wide wooden desk.<\/p>\n

Ben offered him a wry smile and observed, \u201cApparently, you didn\u2019t get much rest.\u201d \u00a0After breakfast he had suggested that each of them try to get a couple of hours sleep before starting work.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t get any,\u201d Adam admitted.\u00a0 \u201cCouldn\u2019t get my mind off our \u2018hair in the butter,\u2019 as my brother so revoltingly referred to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

A rasping chuckle rattled deep in Ben\u2019s throat.\u00a0 \u201cI had the same trouble.\u00a0 I hope the boys, at least, are getting a little sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss is,\u201d Adam reported, \u201cjudging by the snores reverberating down the hall.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t check on Joe, but I didn\u2019t hear anything when I passed his room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood.\u00a0 That gives us a chance to talk,\u201d Ben said, leaning back in his chair.<\/p>\n

Adam sat in the captain\u2019s chair across from his father and steepled his hands as he rested his elbows on its arms.\u00a0 \u201cI keep coming back to the simple fact that George is my friend.\u00a0 If it weren\u2019t for me, he wouldn\u2019t even be here, so logically, I should be the one who stays behind to care for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben rubbed his lower lip with his index finger as he slowly shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, you know it can\u2019t be you.\u00a0 You\u2019re bossing this drive, which makes you the most irreplaceable person on the entire crew.\u00a0 It would be different if I were available to head it up, but. . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe legislature,\u201d Adam supplied with a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cI know.\u201d\u00a0 His father\u2019s invitation to consult with the Territorial legislators about a bill pertaining to water rights was the original impetus behind the decision to have Adam head up this fall\u2019s cattle drive.\u00a0 Ben would be spending days, possibly even weeks, in Carson City, so there was no way he could ramrod the trail drive.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t effectively be the injured man\u2019s caretaker, either: even if he returned home each night, George would still be alone and unaided most of the time.\u00a0 \u201cI thought, maybe, Hoss could head up the drive,\u201d Adam suggested tentatively.<\/p>\n

Ben sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose he could, in a pinch.\u00a0 He can handle moving the cattle, of course, although some of the new men might balk at changing horses in midstream, so to speak.\u00a0 The negotiations in Sacramento, though. . . .\u201d\u00a0 Ben spread his hands.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019d be very uncomfortable with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUncomfortable, but not incapable,\u201d Adam insisted.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not incapable.\u201d\u00a0 Ben shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cAll right.\u00a0 It\u2019s one option.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think it\u2019s the best one.\u201d<\/p>\n

A sickening suspicion sank to the pit of Adam\u2019s stomach.\u00a0 To forestall what he feared was coming, he said quickly, \u201cYes, I suppose Hoss would be more useful as George\u2019s caretaker.\u00a0 He\u2019s always been gentle and skillful with injured men and animals, and if George should need to be lifted, Hoss could\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, Adam,\u201d Ben interrupted, shaking his head again.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re trying too hard to avoid the obvious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d Adam snorted.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s your idea of \u2018obvious\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben leaned forward, arms folded on the desk.\u00a0 \u201cWhich of your brothers is the greater asset on the drive?\u201d he asked pointedly.<\/p>\n

Glancing at the ceiling, Adam exhaled with exasperation.\u00a0 \u201cHoss, of course,\u201d he said bluntly.\u00a0 He looked back at his father.\u00a0 \u201cNot that Joe isn\u2019t a good hand, well on his way to becoming a top one, but he doesn\u2019t have Hoss\u2019s experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExactly,\u201d Ben said with a smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut let\u2019s not be blind to the other side of that coin,\u201d Adam continued tersely.\u00a0 \u201cJoe doesn\u2019t have Hoss\u2019s experience as a caregiver, either, and George may not welcome being left to the tender mercies of a boy barely out of his cradle!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben straightened up.\u00a0 \u201cI agree.\u00a0 We should leave it to George.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not what I said!\u201d Adam sputtered.<\/p>\n

\u201cShh,\u201d Ben cautioned.\u00a0 \u201cDo you want to wake him?\u201d<\/p>\n

There was small chance of that, after the dose of laudanum the doctor had administered, and they both knew it, but the caution served to settle Adam down.\u00a0 \u201cWhat I said,\u201d he continued more calmly, \u201cwas that from cradle to caregiver is a considerable leap.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben cleared his throat, a sound each of his sons had come to recognize as a warning.\u00a0 \u201cIn the first place, young man, your brother has been out of his cradle for some years now.\u00a0 I agree he\u2019s inexperienced, but George is not suffering from a life-threatening illness, either.\u00a0 Once the doctor has him in a cast, he won\u2019t need a lot of care, just some help with personal grooming and, well, someone to provide food and company and just be here in case a problem does arise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd my point,\u201d Adam pressed, \u201cis that he may not welcome the company of the boy who put him in that bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben frowned.\u00a0 \u201cI think you\u2019re overstating your brother\u2019s responsibility, but if George feels that way, then certainly we shouldn\u2019t force him into Joseph\u2019s care, even if it is the best solution for our own problems.\u00a0 As I said, we should let him choose\u2014unless you\u2019re saying that your young brother is incapable of fetching and toting for an injured man.\u201d\u00a0 As Ben threw Adam\u2019s previous argument for Hoss back in his face, the look in his eye warned Adam to be painstakingly honest in his reply.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot incapable,\u201d Adam admitted grudgingly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I suggest you wake your brothers, so we can discuss it with them,\u201d Ben said in a tone that was no suggestion.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, joy,\u201d Adam replied with an acid smile.<\/p>\n

Ben chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cComes with the territory, trail boss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not on the trail yet,\u201d Adam pointed out as he stood to comply.\u00a0 Returning about ten minutes later, he herded his brothers toward the alcove.\u00a0 Hoss was yawning prodigiously, but although Joe\u2019s clothes were rumpled, he looked as though he hadn\u2019t slept at all.\u00a0 His muscles were tense, his eyes anxious as the three brothers stood before the desk.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam and I\u2019ve been discussing our situation,\u201d Ben began.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are we gonna do?\u201d Little Joe interrupted to ask.<\/p>\n

Recognizing the restlessness for what it was, the combined result of a guilty conscience and plain ordinary worry, Ben didn\u2019t bother to correct his son\u2019s manners.\u00a0 \u201cSit down, Joe,\u201d he said softly. \u00a0\u201cYou, too, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe would have much preferred to stand, but he took one of the captain\u2019s chairs and balanced tensely on its edge.\u00a0 Hoss took the other, while Adam rested one hip on the corner of the desk.\u00a0 Ben briefly outlined the options he and Adam had discussed and finished by saying, \u201cSo, if George will have you, Joseph, we feel it\u2019s best that you remain behind with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking slightly green around the gills, Little Joe gulped.\u00a0 \u201cBut, Pa,\u201d he protested weakly, \u201cDon\u2019t you think he\u2019d be better off with Hoss. I mean, what if he falls over, tryin\u2019 to use his crutches or somethin\u2019.\u00a0 I might not be strong enough to pick him up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s scarcely that heavy,\u201d Adam snorted.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you ain\u2019t no dadburned weakling,\u201d Hoss added gruffly.<\/p>\n

Joe squirmed on the edge of his chair.\u00a0 \u201cNo, but\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut nothing,\u201d Adam said sharply.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t doubt that you planned to cut yourself some fancy capers in San Francisco, but missing out on that is pitifully small penalty for what you\u2019ve cost George.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not it,\u201d Little Joe protested hotly, although the flush of his face revealed that, while it wasn\u2019t his main concern, the thought had crossed his mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen what is it, Joseph?\u201d Ben interjected.\u00a0 \u201cAll things considered, don\u2019t you feel some responsibility to our guest?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir, of course, I do,\u201d Little Joe said, slumping as if the weight of that responsibility had suddenly thudded down on his shoulders once again.\u00a0 Then he straightened hopefully and made one more, earnest argument, \u201cBut like you said at breakfast, we\u2019ll be a hand down, and I\u2019m supposed to be wrangler on this drive.\u00a0 It\u2019s an important job, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben fought to keep the smile from his lips, while Adam struggled even harder to halt the outright snicker tickling his own mouth.\u00a0 While they had both previously emphasized the importance of the assignment, they each knew, as did Hoss, that the job of wrangling the remuda was generally given to the hand with the least experience.\u00a0 Joe did have more talent than most at handling horses, but any young fellow who\u2019d grown up on a ranch could probably manage feeding and watering them and rounding one up when a driver needed to change mounts.<\/p>\n

\u201cSurely you\u2019re not suggesting that you\u2019d be harder to replace than Hoss,\u201d Adam observed, arching a skeptical eyebrow.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell . . . no,\u201d Little Joe replied and then muttered, \u201cnot him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The significance of Joe\u2019s emphasis on the final word did not escape his oldest brother\u2019s notice.\u00a0 \u201cOh, so you think you\u2019d be harder to replace than the trail boss,\u201d he scoffed.\u00a0 \u201cIs there no limit to your pride, boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s nostrils flared.\u00a0 \u201cAnybody can bark orders.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy, you cocky little\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s enough!\u201d\u00a0 Slapping the desktop with his hands, Ben leaped to his feet and glared at both boys, and both fell instantly silent.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe you\u2019ll think I\u2019m just barking orders, too,\u201d he said sternly, \u201cbut as I reminded you both last night, I still run this ranch; I still make the assignments.\u00a0 Yours, Adam, is to boss the trail drive, and you, Joseph, will devote\u2014and I do mean devote\u2014yourself to making George\u2019s confinement as pleasant as possible.\u00a0 Beginning now, you will sit with him, make him as comfortable as possible, talk with him or read to him if he so wishes, bring him food and supply any other need he may express.\u00a0 Is that clear?\u201d<\/p>\n

His father\u2019s voice had risen with each phrase, and Little Joe gave the only response possible in the face of that ferocity, a meek \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood.\u201d\u00a0 Ben sat down again and intentionally adopted a more conciliatory tone.\u00a0 \u201cNow, as you say, the horse wrangler is an important position, so I\u2019m sure Adam would appreciate your expert advice on who to hire.\u201d\u00a0 He directed an inquisitive side glance at his eldest, who being no fool, took the hint.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely,\u201d Adam agreed.\u00a0 \u201cWhich of your friends would you recommend for the job, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe stared at his brother.\u00a0 Caught off guard by his brother\u2019s attitude of respect, he stuttered for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cUh\u2014well\u2014uh\u201d\u2014then he brightened.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about Dick Simon?\u00a0 He\u2019s pretty good with horses.\u00a0 Not as good as me, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course.\u201d\u00a0 Adam forced himself to nod solemnly, while Ben and Hoss studiously avoided looking at each other or either of the participants in the exchange.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know his pa ain\u2019t plannin\u2019 to drive any steers to market this fall,\u201d Joe explained, \u201con account of he\u2019s still tryin\u2019 to build up his herd after losin\u2019 so many to winter kill back in January.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe should be available then,\u201d Adam commented, \u201cassuming he hasn\u2019t hired on with any other outfits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cHe ain\u2019t.\u00a0 Well, as of last Sunday he hadn\u2019t, anyway, and I know he could use the work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe oughta check with him right quick,\u201d Hoss suggested, \u201c\u2018fore someone else snaps him up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf,\u201d Joe said significantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss cocked his head.<\/p>\n

Little Joe swallowed the lump in his throat.\u00a0 \u201cIf George picks me, that is.\u00a0 I still think he\u2019d be better off with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019d be better off with Hoss, too,\u201d Adam said gruffly, \u201cbut it\u2019s up to George and I suggest we put it to him as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTonight,\u201d Ben said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d like us all to be there, so don\u2019t say anything to George today, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, sir.\u201d \u00a0Joe\u2019s promise was easily made.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, then.\u00a0 Daylight\u2019s burning, and you all know what\u2019s expected of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam circled his arm above his head, as if he were twirling a lasso.\u00a0 \u201cHead \u2018em up; move \u2018em out.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brothers chuckled at the jest, and good humor reestablished, each went his about his work for the day.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Little Joe thought that afternoon was the longest and most boring he\u2019d spent in his entire life.\u00a0 As he sat at George\u2019s side, listening to his soft snores, he wondered how Pa and Adam and Hoss had stood it all the times they\u2019d nursed him through illness or injury, and he felt a new appreciation for their stockpile of patience.\u00a0 His was shrinking fast, and he didn\u2019t figure it was likely to get any easier once George was awake.\u00a0 Talk to him?\u00a0 About what?\u00a0 Adam was hard enough to talk to, with his fancy words and peculiar tastes, but at least Joe had a few things in common with his brother.\u00a0 He sure couldn\u2019t say that about the Easterner, who was pretty much another pea in Adam\u2019s pod, in all the wrong ways.\u00a0 Read to him, Pa had said.\u00a0 Judging again by Adam\u2019s likes in literature, George wouldn\u2019t be interested in anything . . . well, interesting . . . and Joe didn\u2019t think he could tolerate hours upon hours of Shakespeare or any of those other sissified English poets that Adam favored.\u00a0 The thought of exchanging an exciting trip to San Francisco for such stultifying boredom was enough to push bile into anyone\u2019s craw, but Little Joe knew he had no choice.\u00a0 Someone had to do it, and even if his own conscience hadn\u2019t already told him that he was elected, Pa had made it clear.<\/p>\n

If anything, things only got worse when George finally woke up, \u2018cause there were certain bodily needs that just had to be taken care of, no two ways about it.\u00a0 Putting another man on a bedpan was beyond awkward, but Little Joe had been on the other end of that one, so he did his best to keep any embarrassment off his own face, so George wouldn\u2019t feel ashamed of needing help with such a private matter.\u00a0 Once that was out of the way, though, Joe had brought Adam\u2019s friend some lunch and chatted with him while he ate, commiserating about the time he\u2019d broken his own leg.\u00a0 George seemed to take comfort from seeing how well Joe had recovered, but he soon drifted off to sleep and the boredom drizzled down on Joe again.\u00a0 When he could stand it no longer, he slipped out of the room to ask his father if it would be all right for him to go up to his own room and fetch a book.<\/p>\n

Ben looked up from his monthly tussle with the bookwork and responded with a chuckle.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, Joseph.\u00a0 When I said you were to sit with George, I didn\u2019t mean you could do nothing else.\u00a0 Just don\u2019t dawdle up there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, sir, no dawdling,\u201d Little Joe said and raced for the stairs.<\/p>\n

Ben started to rebuke him for running in the house, but decided it was probably wiser to let his youngest burn off a little pent-up energy.\u00a0 With a scowl he started to add that pesky column of figures a third time\u2014and then a fourth when Little Joe\u2019s race back down the stairs distracted him again.<\/p>\n

The afternoon dragged on, but George finally woke, and Little Joe offered to read to him from \u201cthis real exciting tale I just started.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d George inquired hesitantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s called Seth Jones, or The Captive of the Frontier<\/em>,\u201d an animated Little Joe informed him.\u00a0 \u201cSeth Jones\u2014well, he was a scout with the Green Mountain Boys under Ethan Allen, so you can see it\u2019s real historical, too, and the Indians are on the warpath, and they capture this real pretty gal, just a mite younger\u2019n me and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, dear,\u201d George murmured.\u00a0 He smiled weakly when he saw that his comment had abruptly dampened Little Joe\u2019s enthusiasm.\u00a0 \u201cIs there anything else you might suggest?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s mouth skewed to one side in undisguisable distaste.\u00a0 \u201cYou mean, like Shakespeare?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not exactly,\u201d George replied slowly.\u00a0 Goodness only knew how the boy might butcher the immortal bard!\u00a0 \u201cI do enjoy adventure tales, if you have any by a more\u2014um\u2014established author.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scratching his head, Little Joe pondered what made George think that Edward Ellis wasn\u2019t an established author.\u00a0 Joe himself had never heard of the writer\u2014oh, wait, maybe that was it.\u00a0 Who would George have heard of, then?\u00a0 In his mind\u2019s eye he scanned the bookshelves near Pa\u2019s desk and smiled as he landed on one of his personal favorites.\u00a0 \u201cWould Scott be established enough for you?\u201d he asked with a cheeky grin.<\/p>\n

George laughed in delighted surprise.\u00a0 \u201cSir Walter Scott?\u00a0 An excellent choice, Little Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

Pleased with himself, Little Joe stood up.\u00a0 \u201cGot a favorite?\u201d he asked as he moved toward the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cSurprise me,\u201d George said.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s grin broadened.\u00a0 He returned shortly with Quentin Durward<\/em> and spent the next hour or so reading of the Scot\u2019s adventures in France.\u00a0\u00a0 He had just come to the end of a chapter when the door opened, and the other three Cartwrights filed in.\u00a0 He immediately closed the book and waited for the announcement he\u2019d been sitting on all day.<\/p>\n

They all exchanged a few pleasantries, inquiring how George was feeling and sharing a few details of their activities for the day.\u00a0 Then Ben began.\u00a0 \u201cGeorge, we\u2019re all sorry, of course, about your injuries and how they will affect your plans to travel home.\u00a0 The situation does affect us, as well, and we\u2019ve been discussing what would be best for all concerned.\u00a0 We have come up with a plan, subject to your approval, and I\u2019d like to tell you about that now.\u201d<\/p>\n

George smiled wanly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m so sorry to be causing you problems, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot at all, George, not at all,\u201d Ben assured him, and the sentiment was echoed by both Hoss and Adam.\u00a0 A nervous Little Joe was hanging back in the corner, in an apparent attempt to blend into the wall plaster, as his father explained the plan that he and Adam had worked out.\u00a0 \u201cSo, if it\u2019s acceptable with you,\u201d Ben concluded, \u201cLittle Joe will remain behind to assist you in any way you need, while I\u2019m in Carson City and the other boys manage the trail drive.\u201d<\/p>\n

George\u2019s jaw set with an adamantine determination that none of them except Adam had ever seen before, and he firmly declared, \u201cNo. \u00a0Absolutely not.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cartwrights stared at him in shocked silence.\u00a0 It was the hurt in Little Joe\u2019s expressive eyes, however, that drew George\u2019s concerned attention, for the boy\u2019s first flicker of relief was almost instantaneously replaced with a blink of injured incredulity.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I didn\u2019t . . . you\u2019ve misunderstood me,\u201d George stammered.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not that I object to Little Joe\u2019s company.\u201d\u00a0 He set his chin with iron resolve. \u00a0\u201cI merely meant that no one needs to remain behind on my account, because I won\u2019t be staying here.\u00a0 My ship leaves from San Francisco at the end of the month, and I will be aboard it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Straddling the chair beside the bed, Adam folded his arms across its ladder back.\u00a0 \u201cHow do you propose to get there?\u201d he inquired with a skeptical cock of his head.<\/p>\n

George pulled himself up in bed and locked eyes with his friend.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll crawl if I have to!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam exhaled slowly and eloquently before casting a glance over his shoulder at his family.\u00a0 \u201cHe would, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, Adam, that just ain\u2019t reasonable,\u201d Hoss argued.<\/p>\n

\u201cNonetheless,\u201d Adam observed with a wry smile.<\/p>\n

Ben gave his eldest a reprimanding glare and, turning to George, said after a paternal clearing of his throat, \u201cNow, son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not your son,\u201d George said bluntly.\u00a0 Swallowing hard, he continued, \u201cI mean no disrespect, Mr. Cartwright, but I have a father\u2014and a mother\u2014and they are celebrating a momentous occasion, which I absolutely refuse to miss.\u201d\u00a0 He sent an appealing look toward the three Cartwright brothers.\u00a0 \u201cHow would you feel if it were your\u201d\u2014his voice broke off abruptly in sudden realization that none of the Cartwright sons could possibly comprehend what it meant to celebrate his parents\u2019 fiftieth anniversary\u2014or even their fifth.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he said, slumping forward.\u00a0 \u201cThat was thoughtless.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot at all,\u201d the others variously murmured.<\/p>\n

Hoss moved closer to lay a consoling hand on the injured man\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t fret yourself none, George,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cWe understand.\u201d\u00a0 His throat tightened as the image of a silver-framed portrait in his room came to mind.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, we can sort of imagine how it\u2019d be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, we understand your desire to be with your parents at such a time,\u201d Ben interjected, \u201cbut, son\u2014please allow me that liberty and let me speak to you from a father\u2019s heart\u2014sometimes our desires have to give way to circumstances, and in this instance a particularly difficult set of circumstances does lie in the path of your desire.\u201d<\/p>\n

George nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI know that, sir, but I must be there.\u00a0 I don\u2019t wish to interfere with your drive, however.\u00a0 Just put me on a stage: that\u2019s all I ask.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jaws dropped around the room, Adam\u2019s being the only exception.\u00a0 Hoss gaped at George, wondering how a young fellow who had seemed so levelheaded before could have taken such complete leave of his senses, while Little Joe just shook his head at this further proof that a college education was of no use whatsoever in the real world.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know not what you ask,\u201d Adam suggested calmly, but soberly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s gonna hurt,\u201d Hoss said more explicitly.<\/p>\n

\u201cBad,\u201d Little Joe added.\u00a0 The jostling of stage travel was rough on a healthy body, much less one that was already hurting.<\/p>\n

George met their gaze, stare for stare.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll ask your Dr. Martin to prescribe a healthy dose of laudanum.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben latched onto one phrase as a man in quicksand might grab a tossed rope.\u00a0 \u201cAsk the doctor . . . yes,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s precisely what we must do.\u00a0 We\u2019ll let Dr. Martin decide whether you are fit to travel, and you will follow the doctor\u2019s advice, young man, whatever it may be.\u201d\u00a0 His tone was as firm as that he might have used with his own sons, and though he had no right to expect from George the submission he would have demanded from them, he was grateful to see their visitor settle back against his pillows with a look of resignation.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d George murmured.\u00a0 \u201cYes, of course, I\u2019ll do as the doctor says.\u201d\u00a0 His own father would have required no less.<\/p>\n

Carrying a tray with two plates of food, Hop Sing walked through the open doorway.\u00a0 \u201cI bring dinner for Mr. George,\u201d he announced and then ordered, \u201cFamily come to table now before food cold.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss at once headed for the door, while Ben paused only long enough to say that he hoped George would enjoy the meal.<\/p>\n

When Little Joe sighed softly as he took the tray from the cook, Adam chuckled and, rising, grasped it on both sides.\u00a0 \u201cConsider yourself reprieved,\u201d he offered.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s quick grin was almost as speedy as his exit from the room, closing the door behind him.<\/p>\n

\u201cActually, you\u2019re the one deserving the reprieve,\u201d Adam said as he placed the tray over George\u2019s legs and removed the plate containing the dinner originally intended for his younger brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, he wasn\u2019t that bad,\u201d George said, adding with a twinkle in his eye, \u201conce we got past his offer to read some atrocity called Seth Jones<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turning the chair around so he could eat facing his friend, Adam winced.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think I even want to know what that was about.\u201d\u00a0 He sat down and spread a napkin in his lap before setting the plate atop it.\u00a0 \u201cYou are a paragon of patience, my friend, but I hope you realize that you don\u2019t have to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm?\u201d George asked around a mouthful of peas.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to accept Little Joe as your companion,\u201d Adam said plainly.<\/p>\n

Swallowing, George set his fork down.\u00a0 \u201cI told you: it has nothing to do with Little Joe.\u00a0 No one needs to stay behind to be with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, someone does,\u201d Adam said frankly.\u00a0 He held up a hand to silence his friend\u2019s protest.\u00a0 \u201cEven if Dr. Martin does release you to travel, you can\u2019t possibly make a journey like that alone in your condition, George.\u00a0 You will need help with any number of practical matters.\u00a0 Common sense should tell you that much.\u201d<\/p>\n

The iron glint in George\u2019s eyes melted under the compassionate, but unyielding gaze of his friend.\u00a0 Moaning, he shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m causing you such trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t cause it.\u201d \u00a0Adam gave his steak a sharp jab. \u00a0\u201cThat was Joe\u2019s doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

George looked up quickly.\u00a0 \u201cNo, it wasn\u2019t.”\u00a0 He silenced Adam\u2019s protest in mid-phrase.\u00a0 \u201cOh, I don\u2019t deny that the boy\u2019s taunts did gall me, but you\u2019re overlooking the highly pertinent fact that he is<\/em> a boy, while I am a grown man, even if I did react with as much gumption as a mere babe.\u00a0 Little Joe didn\u2019t suggest that I ride Meteor to prove my worth; I came up with that idea all by myself.\u00a0 As Hoss might say, a blame fool one it was, but it was my idea, not that boy\u2019s.\u00a0 If you\u2019re going to be angry with someone, Adam, be angry with me, not him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright was a man rarely struck speechless, but he sat back now with his mouth gaping.\u00a0 Then he released his anger in a slow, voiceless whistle.\u00a0 George was right.\u00a0 He could legitimately charge Joe with rudeness, but not for the decisions a grown man had made in response to it.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t been willing to fault his friend, so he had thrown all the blame onto his brother\u2014to an unfair extent, he was now ready to concede.\u00a0 Looking up at George, he smiled.\u00a0 \u201cYou always did have a gift for perspective, both in architecture and in life,” he said.\u00a0 \u201cThank you.\u00a0 Now I suggest we both clean our plates before we draw down the wrath of Hop Sing upon our hapless heads.\u201d<\/p>\n

George focused on his plate to shield his irritation.\u00a0 While the Cartwrights might profit from his perspective on their subjection to the domineering of a hireling, this was not the time.\u00a0 He\u2019d given his friend Adam enough to think about for one night.\u00a0 To change the subject, he asked brightly, \u201cDid you catch the look on Little Joe\u2019s face when he thought I was rejecting him?\u00a0 Utter amazement that anyone could possibly not want his company!\u00a0 Not what I intended, of course.\u00a0 I felt bad about hurting his feelings, but that expression was priceless.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I didn\u2019t see it,\u201d Adam said, adding with a grin, \u201cbut I can well imagine it.\u00a0 My little brother fervently believes that he is God\u2019s gift to delight humanity, particularly the female half, which means, old chum\u201d\u2014he pointed his fork at George\u2014\u201cthat should you take him as your companion, you automatically become responsible for fending off any shotgun-toting fathers that may show up, demanding he do right by their darling daughters.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow many have you driven off?\u201d George challenged.<\/p>\n

Adam emitted an elongated sigh.\u00a0 \u201cDozens, my friend, dozens.\u00a0 Someday epic legends will be written.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, but will they compare with the exploits of Seth Jones?\u201d George bantered back.<\/p>\n

At the dining table in the next room, heads turned in wonderment at the explosion of laughter just beyond the bedroom door.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Two days later the Cartwrights were again gathered in George\u2019s room, this time accompanied by Dr. Martin.\u00a0 After examining the injured leg, the doctor looked up and smiled at him.\u00a0 \u201cThe swelling\u2019s gone down nicely, George.\u00a0 I think we can put it in a cast and get you on crutches, so you can start to move around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben had contained himself as long as he could.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s all well and good,\u201d he said, \u201cbut will you kindly tell this young fool that he cannot possibly consider riding a stagecoach to San Francisco?\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul Martin\u2019s mouth skewed to one side as he considered his friend\u2019s crusty attitude.\u00a0 \u201cAre you requesting my medical opinion,\u201d he asked tartly, \u201cor dictating it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh!\u201d Ben snorted.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m requesting it, of course\u201d\u2014his eyes narrowed in scrutiny of the doctor\u2019s face\u2014\u201calthough I think common sense should carry some weight!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, then, from a common sense standpoint, I wouldn\u2019t advise it,\u201d Dr. Martin said.\u00a0 Then, seeing George\u2019s crestfallen face, he continued, \u201cHowever, if this young man could arrange a means of transportation that doesn\u2019t have schedules to keep, I don\u2019t see why he couldn\u2019t safely travel wherever he pleases.\u201d<\/p>\n

George\u2019s expression brightened as Ben\u2019s fell.\u00a0 Seeing both, Adam intervened.\u00a0 \u201cYou mean in a wagon or carriage, at his own pace?\u201d he inquired.<\/p>\n

\u201cPreferably a well-padded wagon,\u201d the doctor chuckled, \u201cbut, yes, that\u2019s what I meant.\u00a0 It would still be a long journey with considerable discomfort, but if your friend is determined\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am,\u201d George put in forcefully.<\/p>\n

Avoiding Ben Cartwright\u2019s glare, the doctor focused on his patient.\u00a0 \u201cIn that case, let\u2019s get that cast on, young fellow.\u201d\u00a0 Without turning around, he added, \u201cI can use one assistant with that process, but not four, so if you will clear the room, gentlemen, I\u2019ll get started.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe’s lip curled sourly.\u00a0 No one had to tell him that he would be the doctor\u2019s designated helper, even if medical procedures tended to twist his stomach inside out.\u00a0 At least, there wouldn\u2019t be any blood or innards involved in this one, so he could probably hang on to his dinner.<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s nostrils were still blasting smoke at his erstwhile friend as Adam and Hoss joined forces to steer him from the room.\u00a0 \u201cI can see that I should have had a word with our friendly family doctor before we let him see his patient!\u201d he fumed, dropping heavily into his fireside chair.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose there\u2019ll be no convincing the young fool to be reasonable now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNone whatsoever,\u201d Adam observed dryly as he moved toward his favorite blue chair.<\/p>\n

Face scrunched, Hoss nodded and took a seat on the settee between his father and brother.\u00a0 \u201cSo here we are stuck with that same hair in the butter again.\u00a0 What we gonna do now?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cPad a wagon thick with mattresses and drive him\u2014slowly\u2014to San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the herd?\u201d Hoss asked incredulously.<\/p>\n

Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 No need to put him through extra miles with the dust of the drive in his face.\u00a0 He can take the shorter route around the lake and down to Sacramento.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith who as driver?\u201d Ben demanded.<\/p>\n

Adam scratched the back of his neck to delay what he knew would be an unwelcome answer.\u00a0 \u201cOur options are precisely the same as they were before, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss risked a wary look at their father and saw pretty much what he had feared he would.<\/p>\n

Ben glowered at Adam.\u00a0 \u201cI seem to recall you saying something about cradle to caregiver being a considerable leap.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flushing, Adam nodded. \u00a0\u201cAnd you pointed out\u2014correctly, I might add\u2014that Little Joe has long since left the cradle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s as may be,\u201d Ben said gruffly, \u201cbut surely you see that it’s a giant leap from Joseph caring for George here at home to him doing the same thing all the way from here to San Francisco!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a greater responsibility, yes,\u201d Adam agreed.\u00a0 He leaned forward, his folded hands dropping between his legs.\u00a0 \u201cFace it, though, Pa: it has to be either him or Hoss, and from a simply practical standpoint, it\u2019s easier if it\u2019s him.\u00a0 We\u2019ve already hired a replacement for Joe, while he and Dick Simon together don\u2019t add up to one man with Hoss\u2019s experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s lips fluttered as he exhaled forcefully.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I just don\u2019t know,\u201d he said with a shake of his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, Pa, I reckon Joe can handle it,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cGeorge ain\u2019t no trouble to tend to, and Joe\u2019d be happier \u2018cause he\u2019d get his trip to San Francisco after all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat, young man, is exactly what concerns me,\u201d Ben said with a scowl at his middle son.<\/p>\n

Adam brought his hands up to cover his smile.\u00a0 Little Joe in San Francisco without the supervision of either father or older brother was, indeed, a scenario to inspire concern.\u00a0 Given that boy\u2019s propensity for trouble, he could easily wind up drugged and robbed by some pretty waiter girl on the Barbary Coast or shanghaied onto a ship headed for the tropics.\u00a0 \u201cI think George would act as a deterrent to any\u2014uh\u2014wild behavior,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, that\u2019s a fine way to treat a guest, saddling him with that task,\u201d Ben snorted.<\/p>\n

Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cI think you might find George more than up to it.\u201d\u00a0 His head lifted as a thought suddenly came to him.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cI\u2019m due some time off after the cattle are delivered, aren\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does that\u201d\u2014Ben broke off, bewildered by the abrupt change of subject\u2014\u201cYes, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEnough for a trip east?\u201d Adam suggested.\u00a0 \u201cAfter all, George will need assistance on the voyage, as well, and I would like to honor his parents, too.\u00a0 They were very welcoming to me when I was back there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoggone.\u00a0 He\u2019s right about George needin\u2019 help on the ship, Pa,\u201d Hoss said, \u201cand that dead sure can\u2019t be Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, definitely not,\u201d Adam agreed quickly.\u00a0 The idea of Little Joe loose in San Francisco might be daunting, but the notion of him adrift on the high seas or out on the town alone back East was appalling.<\/p>\n

Ben shivered in agreement.<\/p>\n

Just then the door to the bedroom opened, and the doctor emerged.\u00a0 Paul Martin snickered at Ben’s scowling face.\u00a0 “Is it safe to request a cup of coffee or should I just grab my hat and run?”<\/p>\n

“Hop Sing bring honorable doctor coffee right away,” the cook announced from the kitchen doorway.<\/p>\n

Ben threw a perturbed look at the Chinaman’s back and flicked an irritated hand toward the settee.<\/p>\n

“Why, thank you,” the doctor said with exaggerated politeness as he settled next to Hoss.<\/p>\n

“I expected a little more support from my old friend,” Ben muttered.<\/p>\n

Paul shrugged one shoulder.\u00a0 “I wasn’t here as your friend, Ben; I was here as George’s doctor, and I always give my patients honest answers to their questions.”<\/p>\n

“Yes, of course,” Ben conceded with a grudging rumble.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing entered and set a coffee service on the table.\u00a0 To give himself an excuse to eavesdrop, he began pouring and serving the coffee.<\/p>\n

“Do you have any advice on ways we can make this journey easier on George?” Adam queried.<\/p>\n

“Take it slowly,” Dr. Martin said.\u00a0 “Plan frequent stops and, if possible, allow some time for him to rest in San Francisco before he sails.”\u00a0 He took a cup from Hop Sing.\u00a0 “He assures me he’s not prone to seasickness, so it should be an easier trip from that point.\u00a0 I would recommend providing him with a rolling chair.\u00a0 Much easier to maneuver on ship than crutches.”<\/p>\n

“I think we can manage all that.”\u00a0 Adam immediately began to chart the journey in his head.\u00a0 Not until the doctor had left, however, did he share his conclusions with Ben and Hoss.\u00a0 “We can give George four or five days here to get used to the crutches,” he explained, “and then Joe could take him up to the logging camp.\u00a0 That would give him another night\u2014more if he needs it\u2014in a reasonably comfortable bed.”<\/p>\n

“Not to mention a right hearty breakfast the next morning.”\u00a0 Hoss almost smacked his lips in remembrance of the breakfasts he’d shared with the Ponderosa’s lumberjacks.”<\/p>\n

Adam chuckled.\u00a0 “And more importantly, Jake Webber can give our capricious younger brother a little supervision.”<\/p>\n

Ben’s tense shoulders started to relax.\u00a0 He could trust Jake to send word home if anything seemed amiss with Little Joe and his charge.<\/p>\n

“From there on to Placerville,” Adam continued.\u00a0 “If they hook onto the stage route, there are home stations where they could rest along the way, and we can have Joe pay our respects to the Zuebners once he gets there.”\u00a0 He didn’t have to tell Ben that those old friends from their journey west would also check on his reckless youngest and wire him if they saw reason for concern.<\/p>\n

Leaning back, Ben thoughtfully rubbed his chin.\u00a0 “Short trip to Folsom, where they can take the train to Sacramento and then the steamboat to San Francisco.\u00a0 It’s a good plan, Adam.”<\/p>\n

“Lot easier on George that way,” Hoss agreed.\u00a0 “Good thinking, older brother.”<\/p>\n

“Then it’s your intention to meet Joseph in San Francisco and continue on with George in his place?” Ben asked Adam.<\/p>\n

“If you can spare me that long,” Adam said quietly.<\/p>\n

Ben smiled fondly at his eldest.\u00a0 “You’ve earned it, son, and we certainly owe our guest that much consideration, as well.”<\/p>\n

“And me and Joe can come home together,” Hoss said to further reassure his father.<\/p>\n

Ben took a deep breath and nodded.\u00a0 “I’m still not entirely comfortable with it,” he admitted, “but under the circumstances I think it’s the best we can do.”<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0At first, Little Joe was delighted with the new plan.\u00a0 He wouldn\u2019t have to miss the long-anticipated trip to San Francisco after all!\u00a0 And with no father or brother to hold him back once he got there, he envisioned high times in the melodeons and saloons around Portsmouth Square.\u00a0 When each passing day brought a new list of admonitions from Pa, however, his young shoulders began to sag beneath the ever-increasing weight of responsibility.\u00a0 Warnings about holding the horses in check, to spare George unnecessary jolting, nibbled away at his confidence, and while he felt quite capable of caring for the injured man, as long as things went according to plan, his father\u2019s constant cautions reminded him that they might not.\u00a0 On previous visits to California, he\u2019d usually been the instigator\u2014albeit an innocent one, he assured himself\u2014of any mishaps along the way, while some older Cartwright had always been there to ride to his rescue, faster than the U. S. Cavalry against a band of renegade Apaches.\u00a0 On this trip, he\u2019d be the cavalry, and he wasn\u2019t sure he was even cut out to be a foot soldier.<\/p>\n

Another unvoiced anxiety niggled at the back of his mind.\u00a0 His original rudeness to George had arisen from concern that the Easterner might draw Adam back to the sophisticated life they had once enjoyed together.\u00a0 Now, because of Joe\u2019s own regrettable reaction to that fear, Adam was definitely headed there as George\u2019s escort.\u00a0 Would he return or would the enticements of city life prove irresistible enough to pull him away from the Ponderosa forever?\u00a0 If it did, Joe had no one but himself to blame, and that belief did nothing but add another stone or two to the bag of boulders he had already hefted onto \u00a0his back.<\/p>\n

On the night before they were scheduled to leave, George had eaten an early supper and retired almost immediately afterward, so he would be well rested for the journey.\u00a0 Little Joe was, therefore, able to eat supper with his family for the first time since the decision had been made.\u00a0 Adam and Hoss, who had been preparing for the roundup from dawn to dusk, had seen almost nothing of him in days and were glad of this last chance to share a meal together.<\/p>\n

Not that Joe had eaten much of it, Adam recalled as he closed the book he\u2019d been reading in his room after they\u2019d all retired.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen his brother pushing food from one side of his plate to the other, but distracted by all the discussion at the table, he hadn\u2019t really taken the notice he should have of one of Joe\u2019s defining signals of something wrong.\u00a0 Nor, evidently, had anyone else.\u00a0 Now, in the quiet of the dark night, the barely touched dinner and the purple shadows under his brother\u2019s eyes finally registered.\u00a0 Although he knew that Little Joe should be sound asleep by this hour, Adam was certain that he was not, that he was lying awake, stewing about some anxiety that, hopefully, an older brother could assuage.<\/p>\n

Sliding off the bed, he padded across the hall in his stocking feet and cautiously opened Joe\u2019s door, in case the boy actually were sleeping.\u00a0 Then his breath caught in his throat, for Little Joe was not only awake, but nowhere to be seen.\u00a0 Had he gone downstairs to check on George?\u00a0 With the aid of laudanum, the injured man had been sleeping through the night, so although someone always checked his room before they all retired, Joe hadn\u2019t slept down there in several nights.<\/p>\n

Returning to his own room, Adam picked up his boots and carried them downstairs, where, just in case, he looked into George\u2019s room.\u00a0 Silent, but for the man\u2019s soft snores.\u00a0 Though he considered it unlikely, Adam looked into the kitchen, on the off chance that Joe had gotten up for a snack to make up for his skimpy supper.\u00a0 Cold, dark, empty.\u00a0 With a worried frown Adam pulled on his boots, went out the kitchen door and headed for the barn, where he saddled Sport and rode as fast as safety allowed down the road, across the field and over the rise to the site of the previous fiasco.<\/p>\n

The corral was empty.\u00a0 Adam pulled up just short of it and exhaled with heavy relief, mingled with consternation at his own stupidity.\u00a0 Why had he immediately leaped to the conclusion that Joe had brought Meteor down here?\u00a0 Because George had?\u00a0 Where was the logic in that?\u00a0 The kid could be reckless, of course, but he was no fool.\u00a0 Even if he\u2019d wanted a try at breaking the horse, he wouldn\u2019t have attempted it in the dead of night.<\/p>\n

But if not here, where the trouble had started, then where could he be?\u00a0 Adam\u2019s suspicion that something was seriously bothering his little brother was confirmed.\u00a0 If he were six, I\u2019d know just where to look<\/em>, he thought with a wry smile as he recalled the many times he\u2019d found Joe hunkered down in the loft of the barn.\u00a0 But Joe wasn\u2019t six any longer.\u00a0 Where would his almost-a-man brother now find the same comfort that sheltering straw had afforded then?<\/p>\n

Suddenly, Adam knew.\u00a0 He turned and rode west, toward that one particular copse of trees overlooking the lake where his young brother often headed when he needed to think something through . . . or, perhaps, talk something through.\u00a0 Adam had never quite understood the attraction Joe felt toward his mother\u2019s grave, maybe because, except for those brief years he\u2019d spent back east, he\u2019d never had the opportunity to make a similar pilgrimage.\u00a0 He\u2019d felt reverence and a sense of loss when he\u2019d visited that New England cemetery, but never the intimacy that Pa and Joe and, to a lesser extent, Hoss felt with Marie here on the shores of Lake Tahoe.\u00a0 Maybe it was a case of what Pa called his education getting in the way of his thinking, but he\u2019d never felt her spirit here.\u00a0 He was glad Joe could, though.\u00a0 Everyone needed a person . . . or a place . . . where he could find himself.<\/p>\n

As he tethered his horse in the trees, Adam wished that he had taken time to go back into the front room for his jacket.\u00a0 Although it was still summer, according to the calendar, the nights were cool, especially when the wind blew across the lake, as it was doing tonight.\u00a0 Seeing his brother squatted down beside Marie\u2019s headstone, his shoulders hunched inside the green corduroy, Adam walked forward softly, hesitant to disturb their sacred communion.\u00a0 As he stepped on a dried pinecone, however, he heard it crunch underfoot.<\/p>\n

Little Joe spun around, his left hand flashing like lightning for the gun in his holster.<\/p>\n

\u201cEasy, boy,\u201d Adam said, raising his hands, palms out.\u00a0 \u201cWe haven\u2019t come to that, have we?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s lips fluttered with his gusty exhale of irritated relief.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you know better than to sneak up on a man?\u201d he snapped.<\/p>\n

Adam resisted the easy temptation to say that he hadn\u2019t, not on a man<\/em>, and smiled, instead.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Joe.\u00a0 You sneak out of the house in the middle of the night, and you\u2019ve got to know at least one of us will come looking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe dropped the pearl-handled gun back into his holster.\u00a0 \u201cI figured to be back before anyone noticed,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cWhat has you prowling around at night?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam wanted to throw the question back in the kid\u2019s face, but decided to just answer it truthfully.\u00a0 \u201cYou,\u201d he said simply.\u00a0 \u201cI had a feeling something was bothering you, went to your room to ask and found you missing.\u00a0 Want to talk about it?\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy\u2019s eyes answered yes, but he shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cWant me to leave you alone?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe hesitated and then shook his head again.\u00a0 With a sigh he turned back to his mother\u2019s gravestone and ran his hand across the smooth top, as if in farewell.<\/p>\n

Slowly, Adam moved closer, ready to back off if Joe turned skittish again.\u00a0 Joe didn\u2019t move, and finally Adam stood at his side and laid a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cBig day tomorrow,\u201d he said gently.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t need remindin\u2019,\u201d Joe grunted.<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI guess you\u2019ve had plenty of reminding already.\u201d\u00a0 He gently massaged his brother\u2019s shoulder with his long, supple fingers.\u00a0 \u201cBut if there\u2019s anything you\u2019re uneasy about, buddy, feel free to ask.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe scowled.\u00a0 \u201cShouldn\u2019t be.\u00a0 You and Pa planned it all out . . . with plenty of folks to check up on me along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam caught the edge of resentment in the final words.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s for Pa\u2019s peace of mind,\u201d he admitted, \u201cbut, Joe, those same people are also there to help, if you need it.\u00a0 No matter how old or experienced a man is, there can always be unexpected problems, and it\u2019s good to know where you can turn in times like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJake Webber at the logging camp, the Zuebners in Placerville and the Larrimores in San Francisco,\u201d Joe recited in a near monotone.\u00a0 Then he looked up into Adam\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cBut there\u2019s a lot of territory between them,\u201d he said hesitantly.<\/p>\n

Placing a hand on each slim shoulder, Adam turned the boy toward him.\u00a0 \u201cAnd a lot of other people you can turn to, especially if you follow the stage route, as I suggested.\u00a0 You know the station masters at Yank\u2019s and Strawberry, and even the ones you don\u2019t know will recognize the name Cartwright.\u00a0 Don\u2019t be afraid to toss it around, boy; it can open doors in unexpected places.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe grinned at the conspiratorial wink his brother directed toward him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything else bothering you?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

There was.\u00a0 Adam could see it in the boy\u2019s always expressive eyes, but although for a moment he looked as though he wanted to say something, Little Joe denied it with a shake of his head.\u00a0 Then he abruptly asked, \u201cWhat do I do if you don\u2019t make it to San Francisco in time?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cIs that what\u2019s worrying you?\u00a0 I\u2019ll be there, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe moistened his lips.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, but like you and Pa keep sayin\u2019, anything can happen\u2014to you, same as me.\u201d<\/p>\n

With one arm Adam pulled his brother to his side.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be there,\u201d he promised again.\u00a0 \u201cNow, we\u2019d better get you back into bed before Pa discovers you\u2019re gone, little buddy.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was no denying that\u2014and no denying, if Adam had had eyes to see, that all the questions his little brother had asked were primarily subterfuge to avoid asking the one he dared not voice.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0None the wiser regarding the nocturnal wanderings of his eldest and youngest, Ben ran through a long litany of final instructions as Joe and George sat on the wagon seat the next morning.\u00a0 Finally, Adam asked with an annoying arch of his eyebrow if they should alert Hop Sing that the pair would be staying on for dinner.\u00a0 Ben harrumphed grumpily, but apparently got the point, as he offered only one more admonishment before sending them on their way.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhew!\u00a0 I didn\u2019t think we\u2019d ever get off,\u201d Little Joe observed as they rounded the curve that put the ranch house out of sight.<\/p>\n

George, who had in his time been favored to similar parental lectures, chuckled in commiseration for the boy.\u00a0 \u201cWill it keep us from reaching the lumber camp in time for dinner?\u201d he inquired.<\/p>\n

Little Joe gaped at the easterner\u2019s ignorance.\u00a0 Then reminding himself that George didn\u2019t understand much about travel in these parts, he closed his mouth quickly.\u00a0 \u201cWe weren\u2019t gonna do that anyway,\u201d he said a moment later.\u00a0 \u201cI was aimin\u2019 for supper there, but we can go slower if you need to.\u00a0 I can just as easy set up camp anywhere in the woods between here and there, and the beds there ain\u2019t much, if any, better than what we got rigged up for you in the wagon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the meals?\u201d George asked with a grin.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetter there,\u201d Little Joe admitted with a self-deprecating shrug, \u201cbut I got supplies, and I can fix us a meal, if need be.\u201d\u00a0 He added with a teasing twinkle in his eye, \u201cProbably ought to camp out at least one night, if\u2019n you\u2019re to get the whole Wild West experience you come out here for.\u201d<\/p>\n

George elbowed him.\u00a0 \u201cI came out here to see my friend, you scamp.\u201d\u00a0 Then he laughed.\u00a0 \u201cWell, maybe a little bit to have that whole Wild West experience I\u2019d heard about from him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d\u00a0 Joe looked across at him ruefully.\u00a0 \u201cSorry I spoiled that for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

George gave the boy\u2019s leg a friendly slap.\u00a0 \u201cNot at all.\u201d \u00a0He tapped the cast on his own leg.\u00a0 \u201cThis predicament is more my own doing than yours.\u201d\u00a0 He lifted his eyes to the trees standing like sentinels along the road.\u00a0 \u201cBesides, I expect to experience a lot of what I\u2019d hoped for on this trip, more than if I\u2019d taken the stage to California.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s for sure,\u201d Little Joe said enthusiastically.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll be traveling through some of the prettiest parts of the Ponderosa\u2014and California, too.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t no scenery grander than the Sierra woods and mountains.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you\u2019re the best tour guide, right?\u201d George teased.<\/p>\n

Little Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cHoss would be.\u00a0 He could tell you the name of every sort of tree, flower and plant you came across.\u00a0 Animals, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you can\u2019t?\u201d\u00a0 George\u2019s question was serious this time.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve grown up here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I can name a lot,\u201d Little Joe said, \u201cbut Hoss\u2014well, livin\u2019 things is just extra special to him, so he studies \u2018em more.\u00a0 He knows as much about livin\u2019 things as Adam does about books.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a lot,\u201d George chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cSo, if Hoss knows the most about flora and fauna and Adam the most about the wisdom in books, what\u2019s your area of expertise, my young friend?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe flashed him a quick, easy grin.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s easy.\u00a0 Girls, of course,\u201d he answered readily.<\/p>\n

George guffawed.\u00a0 \u201cYes, so I\u2019ve been warned.\u201d\u00a0 Looking almost serious for a moment, he asked, \u201cDid we even pack a shotgun?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s lips pursed into a tight line at the reference to a joke he\u2019d evidently heard more than once.\u00a0 \u201cI got a rifle,\u201d he grunted, \u201cbut we won\u2019t need it for that.\u201d\u00a0 He sharply pointed at a twenty-foot pine just off the road.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s a pi\u00f1on.\u00a0 You won\u2019t see them once we get into the high country, but they\u2019re real important to the Indians.\u00a0 They harvest the seeds about this time of year, but I think it\u2019s still a mite early.\u00a0 White men cut \u2018em down for firewood, but Pa won\u2019t let us, \u2018cause then the Indians don\u2019t have enough to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wanting to make peace, George commented, \u201cI don\u2019t believe Hoss could have explained that any better.\u201d\u00a0 The bright smile he received in return was reward enough.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Little Joe helped George down from the wagon and walked close beside him, in case he had trouble negotiating his crutches over the uneven ground.\u00a0 When they reached the camp chair that Joe had previously set up, he eased George into it.\u00a0 \u201cYou just rest,\u201d he said, \u201cand I\u2019ll get the coffee on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you make coffee?\u201d George asked somewhat dubiously, for having a cook at home himself, he knew he\u2019d never personally attempted a pot.<\/p>\n

Little Joe shrugged and with a sheepish grin said, \u201cWe\u2019re about to see.\u00a0 Hop Sing\u2019s been givin\u2019 me lessons while you been sleepin\u2019 the afternoons away, but I ain\u2019t sure they took.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that sounds . . . hopeful,\u201d George said in a voice that sounded anything but.\u00a0 \u201cDo you feel any more confident that his cooking lessons, which I presume he\u2019s also given, \u2018took\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe laughed.\u00a0 \u201cNot really, but we don\u2019t have to test that yet.\u00a0 Hop Sing packed us up a good-sized lunch, probably sandwiches with whatever roast beef we had left from supper last night.\u201d<\/p>\n

George sighed with relief.\u00a0 \u201cThat does sound promising!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou do like his cooking, then?\u201d Little Joe asked as he opened the pouch the Chinaman had prepared.\u00a0 \u201cWe kinda thought you didn\u2019t, at first,\u201d he added hesitantly, pouring coffee beans into a pan to roast.<\/p>\n

Embarrassed that his feelings had been so transparent, George flushed.\u00a0 \u201cMy first bite disabused me of whatever concerns I originally had.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that\u2019s good,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cSo, did you ever get disabused of \u2018whatever concerns you had\u2019 that he couldn\u2019t do your laundry right?\u201d\u00a0 He almost literally bit his tongue, but, as usual, too late.\u00a0 The words were already out.\u00a0 \u201cSorry,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI shouldn\u2019t\u2019ve\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

George\u2019s face was flaming now.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s been doing my laundry,\u201d he murmured defensively.<\/p>\n

Little Joe snorted.\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t worn anything he\u2019s washed.\u00a0 I been watchin\u2019.\u201d\u00a0 And with that admission his face flushed almost as crimson as George\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not true,\u201d George protested, although weakly, for the truth was that he had avoided wearing the clothes Hop Sing had laundered until he could have them redone by someone less . . . Celestial.\u00a0 After his accident, however, he had so appreciated having a clean nightshirt presented each morning that he\u2019d overlooked whatever method might have been used to provide it.\u00a0 Seeing Little Joe\u2019s reproachful look of disbelief, he stammered, \u201cIt\u2019s just that I\u2019d read things\u2014in magazines back East\u2014describing how Orientals do it and\u2014well, found it distasteful.\u201d\u00a0 He briefly described what he\u2019d read.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s poppycock!\u201d Little Joe sputtered, several coffee beans flying out of the pan he slammed to the ground.\u00a0 He started to scoop them back in, but fortunately, thought better of it.\u00a0 \u201cPure poppycock,\u201d he said more calmly.\u00a0 \u201cHe boils the clothes like anyone else and irons \u2018em same as anyone, too.\u00a0 You just can\u2019t believe every fool thing you read, George.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s true enough,\u201d George conceded.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Little Joe.\u00a0 I meant no offense.\u00a0 I tried not to let it bother me, but it\u2019s hard to get something out of your head, once it\u2019s in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe scratched the back of his neck.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I\u2019ve had problems with that a time or two myself.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry, too.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t right, me snappin\u2019 at a guest, but you just gotta understand that Hop Sing is real special to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I\u2019ve noticed.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was nothing in the words themselves, but Little Joe instantly reacted to the note of disapproval in the way they were said.\u00a0 \u201cNow, what?\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, dear,\u201d George sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve offended you again.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry\u2014again.\u00a0 It\u2019s just hard for me to understand how you Cartwrights treat your menials.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMenial!\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe exploded, jumping to his feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know what it means!\u201d\u00a0 Joe planted both hands on his hips and glared down at Adam\u2019s friend.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing is not a menial!\u00a0 He\u2019s family, almost the same as Pa and Adam and Hoss.\u00a0 Why, he half raised me after Mama died.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can understand your loyalty,\u201d George mused, \u201cif he, indeed, served as your nanny.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNanny!\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe all but choked on the word.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d like to see you call him that to his face!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe never deliberately antagonize our help,\u201d George sputtered, \u201cbut neither would I ever allow someone to whom I pay wages to dictate to me the way Hop Sing does to all of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDictate?\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe looked genuinely puzzled.<\/p>\n

\u201cThreatening to throw out your food if you don\u2019t come to dinner precisely when called, for instance,\u201d George explained.\u00a0 \u201cI assure you, none of our servants back East would dare to speak so to us!\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe laughed.\u00a0 \u201cAw, George, you didn\u2019t take that stuff seriously, did you?\u00a0 That\u2019s just his way of talkin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you all give in to it,\u201d he accused.\u00a0 \u201cYou all look positively petrified when he threatens to return to China if you don\u2019t do as he says.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grinning, Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI reckon it does look that way to an outsider, but that ain\u2019t how it really is.\u00a0 Look, we give in \u2018cause it suits us, not \u2018cause we\u2019re afraid of what he\u2019d do if we didn\u2019t.\u00a0 Even me, who\u2019s got next-to-no authority in the house, has told him no when I felt the need, and the others say it even easier.\u00a0 His bark\u2019s a heap worse than his bite, and ain\u2019t no way he\u2019d ever go back to China, \u2018cause like I said, we\u2019re family, and family don\u2019t run out on each other\u2014especially not over somethin\u2019 as foolish as dried-out roast.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mention of roast reminded him of the sandwiches and his duty to his charge.\u00a0 He pulled one out and handed it to the other man.\u00a0 \u201cRoast beef, like I thought,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s cheese, too, if you like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do,\u201d George said, reaching for a slice and putting it between the bread, along with the beef.<\/p>\n

After filling the coffee pot and setting it on to boil, Little Joe sat down, cross-legged on the ground in front of George, and took a bite of his own sandwich.\u00a0 \u201cEven good cold,\u201d he said with satisfaction.<\/p>\n

Hearing the hint for a compliment to the cook, George welcomed the opportunity to smooth things over with his young companion.\u00a0 \u201cIt is, indeed.\u00a0 One thing we can agree on is the quality of Hop Sing\u2019s beef.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe grinned back.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019d probably agree on the quality of his apple pie, too, if I decide to let you have one of those slices I found in the pouch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou would deny dessert to a guest?\u201d George asked, pressing his hand to his chest with mock offense.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo one that disrespected my family, I might,\u201d Joe jibed back.\u00a0 While his good humor had been restored by the compliments to Hop Sing, he took one more jab to press home his point.<\/p>\n

George just laughed, having come to understand that, in common with a certain other member of the family, Little Joe\u2019s bark was also worse than his bite.\u00a0 \u201cHand over the pie,\u201d he dictated, getting into the Cartwright spirit of things, \u201cor I\u2019ll personally purchase Hop Sing\u2019s passage back to China.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cRuts seem deeper here,\u201d George commented a few hours later.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeans we\u2019ve linked up with the road from one of the outlying camps,\u201d Little Joe explained.\u00a0 \u201cThey bring the logs to the base camp up ahead for milling.\u00a0 Wagon full of logs is heavy, so it cuts a deeper track.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re getting close, then?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe flashed his characteristic grin at George.\u00a0 \u201cGettin\u2019 tired?\u00a0 Should\u2019ve laid down in the back, like I suggested.\u201d<\/p>\n

George rubbed his leg.\u00a0 \u201cPerhaps,\u201d he admitted, \u201cbut I hated to miss any of this spectacular scenery.\u00a0 You didn\u2019t answer my question, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI said \u2018up ahead,\u2019 didn\u2019t I?\u201d Little Joe chided.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut not how far.\u201d\u00a0 George stretched the words out, along the line of a taunting tune.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, yeah.\u201d\u00a0 Joe looked momentarily chagrinned.\u00a0 \u201cWell, it\u2019s not far, so I\u2019m hoping we\u2019ll make it in time for supper.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI should think your men would feed their employer whenever he arrived,\u201d George pointed out a bit sharply.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere you go, actin\u2019 snooty about \u2018menials\u2019 again,\u201d Little Joe accused.\u00a0 \u201cWhat you gotta understand about loggers is that it\u2019s sorta like takin\u2019 a meal with Hoss.\u00a0 He\u2019d split his last biscuit with you, if he knew you was hungry, but if you came to the table late, that biscuit just might already be gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

George laughed then.\u00a0 \u201cI know exactly what you mean.\u00a0 You\u2019re saying that loggers all have his hearty appetite.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sayin\u2019 they can eat him under the table,\u201d Little Joe snorted.\u00a0 \u201cIt don\u2019t pay to come to supper late.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the sun was sinking behind the purple- and sage-shadowed hills when he finally drove into a central yard surrounded by a cluster of buildings.\u00a0 A short, burly man in a checked flannel shirt strode briskly to the wagon.\u00a0 \u201cBeginning to wonder if I should send out a search party, boy,\u201d the man said.<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s face scrunched with a perturbed frown.\u00a0 \u201cDidn\u2019t realize you were expectin\u2019 us, Jake,\u201d he grunted, irked that either Pa or Adam had apparently sent word ahead to keep an eye out for him, as if he were some kid who couldn\u2019t handle himself in the woods.\u00a0 \u201cHad to take it kinda slow, so\u2019s not to shake George\u2019s banged up leg too much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHere, young fellow, let me give you a hand,\u201d foreman Jake Webber offered, reaching up toward George.<\/p>\n

Though George had felt reasonably secure with Little Joe\u2019s assistance earlier, he instantly felt the difference when the logger\u2019s muscular arms supported his descent.\u00a0 \u201cThank you,\u201d he murmured gratefully as the man adjusted the crutches beneath his arms.<\/p>\n

A curt nod acknowledged the words.\u00a0 \u201cBetter get straight to the cookhouse,\u201d Jake advised.\u00a0 \u201cMen are already at the table, so just set yourselves down and I\u2019ll see to it some grub gets passed your way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Jake, but I better see to the team first,\u201d Little Joe said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll do that,\u201d Jake said.\u00a0 \u201cYou get on in and pack in some grub, boy, \u2018fore you blow away in the first stiff breeze.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe rolled his eyes, but didn\u2019t bother to respond.\u00a0 He\u2019d learned long ago to expect jokes about his slight build from the strapping men up here in the camp.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cWhat\u2019d you think of the grub?\u201d Little Joe asked as he escorted George toward the bunkhouse shortly after the meal.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuite filling,\u201d George said.\u00a0 The fare had been plain, but the sort to stick to a man\u2019s ribs: beef stew in a thick brown broth with large pieces of potatoes, carrots and green beans and substantial slices of pound cake for dessert.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like breakfast up here even better,\u201d Joe observed.\u00a0 \u201cNot as good as Hop Sing\u2019s, of course\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d George interrupted with a teasing smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut more of it,\u201d Little Joe finished.\u00a0 Then, still feeling defensive about his friend, he hurriedly added, \u201cNot that Hop Sing wouldn\u2019t give me as much as I wanted, anytime, but, well, up here they expect the men to eat a lot.\u201d\u00a0 He shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I gotta admit, I eat more up here.\u00a0 Something about the air, maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr maybe the example set before you?\u201d George suggested with a chuckle.<\/p>\n

Holding the bunkhouse door open for the other man, Joe laughed.\u00a0 \u201cI get that example set before me every meal, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, yes,\u201d George laughed in return, for he\u2019d been at the Ponderosa long enough to recognize another of the perennial references to Hoss\u2019s appetite.\u00a0 He winced slightly as Little Joe helped him down onto the lower bunk closest to the door, the only one he could get into from the side.\u00a0 The rows of double-tiered beds that lined the forty-foot room on either side were set so close together that the men would have to enter the others by crawling in the end, a feat that would have been impossible for someone with a broken leg.<\/p>\n

\u201cHurtin\u2019?\u201d Joe asked anxiously when he saw George\u2019s pained expression.\u00a0 \u201cI got some laudanum, if\u2019n it\u2019d help you sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps I should,\u201d George admitted.\u00a0 Then seeing the consternation on the boy\u2019s face, he added quickly, \u201cDon\u2019t look so distressed, Joe, please.\u00a0 I\u2019m not in agony, by any means, but the leg does ache enough that I might have trouble getting to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I can see as how you might\u2014especially in a strange bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Joe dug into his saddlebag for the medicine, George took advantage of the boy\u2019s turned back to give the mattress a sour scowl.\u00a0 Not only was the bed strange to him, but he\u2019d heard something crunch as he sat down.\u00a0 No downy feathers tonight, obviously.\u00a0 Judging from the long tawny piece of filler poking through the fabric, it was probably straw.\u00a0 Yes, he\u2019d be thankful for the aid of a little laudanum in getting to sleep tonight.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen do the men turn in?\u201d he asked as Little Joe helped him lie down and spread a wool blanket over him.<\/p>\n

\u201cLights out at nine,\u201d Joe said, \u201cbut since there ain\u2019t no windows, it should be dark enough for you to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy is that?\u201d George inquired.<\/p>\n

Little Joe shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cMen only come in for sleepin\u2019.\u00a0 Don\u2019t need windows for that.\u00a0 And it stays warmer without \u2018em, too.\u00a0 Even if it is still summer, it gets cold up here at night.\u00a0 In fact, I might better hunt you up another blanket.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d appreciate it,\u201d George admitted.\u00a0 As Joe turned to leave, he called, \u201cAnd, Joe, don\u2019t feel you need to stay inside with me.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll be asleep within minutes.\u201d\u00a0 His gaping yawn gave witness to his words.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, then,\u201d Joe almost chirped.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019ll give me a chance to spread around a little of the Cartwright charm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOn whom?\u201d George asked with a roll of his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cLast I looked, there weren\u2019t any girls up here.\u201d<\/p>\n

From the door Joe grinned back at him.\u00a0 \u201cThen you won\u2019t need a shotgun, will you?\u201d\u00a0 He looked only slightly more serious as he explained, \u201cJust makes the men feel good to hobnob a mite with the boss, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoss,\u201d George scoffed into his pillow.\u00a0 None of the Cartwrights quite matched his picture of what a boss should look like, Little Joe least of all.\u00a0 As the laudanum took effect, he fell asleep to dreams of the youthful charmer waltzing around camp with iron-muscled girls in the checked flannel shirts and corked boots with metal spikes that he\u2019d seen the lumberjacks in the camp yard wearing.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cRoll out or roll up!\u201d<\/p>\n

George cracked open an eye at the strident command from an unfamiliar voice, but saw nothing in the prevailing darkness.\u00a0 All down the room, however, came sounds of feet hitting the floor, the rustle of shirts and pants being pulled over long underwear and the snap of suspenders being hooked to waistbands.\u00a0 \u201cJoe?\u201d George called softly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m . . . here,\u201d came the groggy response.<\/p>\n

George felt his mattress sag as someone settled down beside him.\u00a0 \u201cIt really is dark in here without any windows,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n

Little Joe laughed.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s dark outside, too, George.\u00a0 Sun ain\u2019t up yet.\u00a0 You can sleep in if you\u2019re willin\u2019 to skip breakfast.\u00a0 If you aim to eat, though, you better decide fast.\u201d<\/p>\n

George pulled up on his elbows.\u00a0 \u201cYou must be right about the air whetting the appetite, because despite the amount I packed in last night, I\u2019m hungry again!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s get you up and dressed, then,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 He worked as quickly as he could, but since the loggers, accustomed to pulling on their own clothes in the dark, hadn\u2019t bothered to light the coal oil lamps, he fumbled to find first his own things and then George\u2019s and get them both properly accoutered.\u00a0 \u201cWatch your step,\u201d he warned as they came outside.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t wanna get mud on that cast.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even in the faint light of dawn, George saw at once what his young caregiver meant, for the loggers soaping up and washing at the troughs located just outside the bunkhouse door were splashing just as much water on the ground as on their bodies.<\/p>\n

Little Joe leaned in to whisper, \u201cYou wanna visit the privy first, give \u2018em a chance to thin out?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDefinitely,\u201d George muttered back and readily accepted Joe\u2019s help in managing that personal need.\u00a0 Oh, how he yearned for the indoor plumbing back home!\u00a0 The crowd at the water trough had disappeared by the time they returned, so they washed quickly and made their way across the yard.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, why aren\u2019t they wearing shoes?\u201d he asked, as the final few men filed into the cookhouse ahead of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cCorked boots tear up the floor,\u201d Little Joe explained.\u00a0 \u201cI usually keep mine off, too, but it ain\u2019t really necessary since mine don\u2019t have spikes, and, of course, those crutches give you a natural pass.\u00a0 Surprised you didn\u2019t notice last night, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cToo tired, I guess,\u201d George admitted ruefully.<\/p>\n

They made their way to the closest table that had seats open and, sitting down across from one another, began helping themselves.\u00a0 George contented himself with pancakes and bacon, alongside a single egg, while Little Joe heaped his plate full of everything on the table: biscuits, ham, fried potatoes and donuts, in addition to everything George had taken.\u00a0 \u201cGood lands, boy!\u201d George laughed.\u00a0 \u201cDid you stuff Hoss\u2019s hollow leg down your trousers?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe scowled and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cShh,\u201d he hissed under his breath and went back to eating.<\/p>\n

George blinked in surprise.\u00a0 Never, in all the time he\u2019d known the youngest Cartwright, had he found him unwilling to take a joke.\u00a0 Of course, he had observed how much the boy hated to be dragged out of bed in the morning, and it was very early.\u00a0 Certain that was the problem, George decided to avoid jokes and start a different topic of conversation.\u00a0 \u201cI was wondering, Joe, whether\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust eat,\u201d Little Joe rumbled out the side of his mouth, as he glanced edgily down the table.<\/p>\n

What on earth is bothering the boy?<\/em> George wondered, for he\u2019d rarely known Joe to be less than loquacious over a meal.\u00a0 Then his ear suddenly caught disapproving grunts to his right and left, and he noticed that, other than an occasional \u201cPass the bacon,\u201d no one was saying anything.\u00a0 After the banter-bolstered breakfasts he\u2019d shared at the Ponderosa, the almost total silence of forty to fifty men amazed him.\u00a0 The loggers seemed completely consumed with filling their stomachs, and as soon as they had, they walked out in their stocking feet.<\/p>\n

When the last of them had left, Little Joe looked across at him sheepishly.\u00a0 \u201cSorry.\u00a0 I should have warned you that they don\u2019t take much to table talk up here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey talked last night,\u201d George said, although as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wondered whether that was true or whether he\u2019d just been too tired to notice the unusual mealtime quietude.\u00a0 It had certainly been true of their attire.<\/p>\n

Little Joe shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe.\u00a0 It\u2019s a little different at supper, when the day\u2019s done.\u00a0 In the mornings all they want is to fuel up and get to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cImpressive,\u201d George murmured, although he looked anything but impressed.<\/p>\n

Little Joe let his fork drop with a clatter.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just the way it\u2019s done here,\u201d he said tersely.\u00a0 Picking up his fork again, he added, \u201cDon\u2019t say it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t say anything,\u201d George protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but you sure thought it loud and clear,\u201d Joe muttered.\u00a0 \u201cThat stuff about how we treat our \u2018menials,\u2019\u201d he grumbled.\u00a0 \u201cJust don\u2019t start it up again.\u201d<\/p>\n

George stabbed pancake onto his fork.\u00a0 \u201cAll right, I won\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0 Much as someone in this family needs to hear it!<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cGood.\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe took a deep, calming breath and asked, \u201cSo, what is it you were wondering?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I shushed you,\u201d Joe explained.\u00a0 \u201cYou said you were wondering about something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, that.\u201d\u00a0 George shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI was just wondering how far it was to our next stop.\u201d\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t at all what he had intended to ask, but he no longer had the slightest desire to spend another night in the lumber camp to learn more about the Cartwrights\u2019 timber operation.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Little Joe felt a sweet sense of victory as he helped George up the steps into the passenger car of the Sacramento Valley Railroad.\u00a0 The trip had gone well.\u00a0 He and George had made peace with one another, each having resolved to keep certain opinions to himself, and they\u2019d enjoyed driving through the magnificent mountains together.\u00a0 They\u2019d stopped over an extra night at Yank\u2019s, to let George rest up and relish the renowned tall tales of station master Ephraim \u201cYank\u201d Clement, and since they were still ahead of schedule, they\u2019d stayed over in Placerville, too, Joe having assured George that the stew and strudel at Mama Zuebner\u2019s were not to be missed.\u00a0 \u201cI have to talk Hoss out of proposin\u2019 marriage every time we pass through,\u201d he\u2019d quipped, \u201con account of her bein\u2019 old enough to be his mother.\u201d\u00a0 George had seemed to welcome the return of mealtime teasing and, after eating Ludmilla\u2019s strudel, had even suggested that Hoss had better act fast or George might marry the German matron himself.<\/p>\n

From there it had been only a short drive to Folsom, and Joe figured it was all downhill from here.\u00a0 A couple of hours on the train would bring them into Sacramento, where they could spend the night and take a steamer on to San Francisco the next morning, arriving with a good week to spare before George had to board his ship for home.\u00a0 As they boarded, he noticed dark clouds moving rapidly eastward, and sent two prayers heavenward: one of thanks that rain hadn\u2019t come while he and George were out on the trail and another of petition that it wouldn\u2019t reach the herd, wherever it was by now.\u00a0 As he knew from experience, there was little more frustrating than driving cattle through the mud.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Scouting ahead of the herd, Hoss pulled rein and stared, scrunch-faced, at the glowering sky overhead.\u00a0 \u201cDagnabit,\u201d he groused to the air.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t we had enough bad luck already?\u201d\u00a0 Adam might have argued philosophically that negligence and the frailty of man had more to do with the woes they\u2019d faced so far on the drive than did luck, but he would have heartily agreed with the sentiment that they\u2019d had enough. \u00a0They\u2019d gotten no further than a half-day\u2019s journey past Genoa before the trouble started. . . .<\/p>\n

When the axle on the chuck wagon broke, Adam, of course, berated himself for failing to properly check all equipment before setting out, despite the distractions at home that had disrupted the single-minded attention he normally gave to any job of which he was in charge.\u00a0 Now, a full day or more would be lost in making the repair, but it could have been worse.\u00a0 At least, they were still close enough to town to easily obtain the materials needed.<\/p>\n

Being close to town, however, created more problems than it solved.\u00a0 Not only did the men balk at the idea of continuing the drive without the good grub that had been promised them, but several loudly voiced the opinion that they should make use of whatever comforts the town offered during the delay.\u00a0 Adam refused, feeling that to grant that privilege to some would only build resentment in those detailed to stay with the herd.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll personally stand you all to an extra round of drinks in Sacramento,\u201d he promised in compensation.\u00a0 The long-term hands seemed to accept that with good grace, but there were grunts of grudging compliance from some of the men hired on just for this drive.<\/p>\n

Sometime in the middle of the night, grudging compliance had given way to stealthy exodus from camp, and Adam awoke the next morning to find himself perilously short-handed with a herd that was already beginning to stray.\u00a0 He quickly assigned the men still in camp to pull the remaining herd together.\u00a0 \u201cIgnore the strays for now,\u201d he instructed as he prepared to ride into town to find his missing crew\u2014or, preferably, replace them with more dependable men.<\/p>\n

On the way into Genoa, he met Hoss, who was on his way back to camp with the new axle.\u00a0 \u201cStay there,\u201d Adam ordered brusquely.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone else can return the hired buckboard, and I need someone I can trust to take charge back there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got it,\u201d Hoss replied.\u00a0 Though taking no offense at his brother\u2019s sharp tone, he added, \u201cTry to settle down before you get there, Adam.\u00a0 Gettin\u2019 riled don\u2019t help none.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam bristled momentarily, but then nodded crisply before continuing on to town.\u00a0 Hoss was right.\u00a0 Though he had every reason to rake those worthless hands over the coals and discharge them immediately, chances were he\u2019d have to take them back.\u00a0 Top hands were always hard to find and on short notice might well prove impossible to replace.\u00a0 He needed to keep a cool head and make wise decisions for the good of the drive.<\/p>\n

Keeping a cool head that morning grew steadily more challenging.\u00a0 Adam had correctly guessed that he\u2019d find the missing men in a saloon, but even as small a town as Genoa had more than one, and the men had not obligingly stayed together.\u00a0 After searching all the town had to offer, a couple of men were still unaccounted for, and Adam again correctly guessed that he might find them housed in the local jail for excessive carousing.\u00a0 He was tempted to leave them there, rather than pay their bail, but they seemed contrite and he could ill spare a single hand.\u00a0 He settled for a stern lecture, reminiscent of one of his father\u2019s finest, and herded the woozy miscreants back to camp.<\/p>\n

On arriving there, he put an addendum on the lecture with his growled order to get a fresh horse and get after the strays their foolishness had set loose across the territory.\u00a0 \u201cAny man who doesn\u2019t come back with at least three might just as well keep riding!\u201d he\u2019d finished with a flourish.<\/p>\n

\u201cUh, Adam,\u201d Hoss, who had been standing aside until the tempest died down, said.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2014uh\u2014might want to rethink that first part a mite.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just as quickly Adam rounded on his brother to demand, \u201cNow what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2014uh\u2014it\u2019s like this,\u201d Hoss stammered with a glance off toward the edge of camp.<\/p>\n

Adam followed that line of sight to where he\u2019d last seen the string of spare mounts tethered.\u00a0 He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly before asking with constrained calmness, \u201cWhere\u2019s the remuda?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss raised his palms toward his brother and softly patted the air.\u00a0 \u201cNow, Adam, the boy meant no harm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s he done?\u201d Adam roared, while the hands edged back, grateful that the boss\u2019s ire had found a new target.<\/p>\n

Hoss winced in the face of his brother\u2019s anger.\u00a0 \u201cWell, it ain\u2019t so much what he\u2019s done as what he ain\u2019t done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat \u2018ain\u2019t\u2019 he done?\u201d Adam bellowed.<\/p>\n

Hoss set his jaw with determination.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, you gotta calm down.\u00a0 The boy was only tryin\u2019 to help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy losing the horses?\u201d Adam snorted.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy rounding up strays,\u201d Hoss explained.\u00a0 \u201cNo reason he shouldn\u2019t, except . . . well, I reckon he didn\u2019t have the remuda secured good as he thought.\u201d\u00a0 His face scrunched in sympathy, although whether for the young wrangler or for his older brother, those watching would have been hard-pressed to decide.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s young, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo\u2019s Joe,\u201d Adam grunted, \u201cbut it\u2019s not a mistake he\u2019d have made.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019s chin bobbed in agreement.\u00a0 \u201cNo, but Dick Simon ain\u2019t had Pa . . . nor you . . . for a teacher.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sighed, oblivious for the moment to both the compliment and the fact that Hoss had modestly not mentioned himself as one of Joe\u2019s mentors in horse-handling.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s out now, tryin\u2019 to round \u2018em back up,\u201d Hoss continued, \u201cand if\u2019n you don\u2019t need me here no more, I reckon he could use some help.\u00a0 He feels terrible about it, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get that axle changed?\u201d Adam asked in a tone that said he\u2019d welcome any good news at this point.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinished not a quarter-hour ago.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss took Adam\u2019s nod as permission to go.\u00a0 Passing by, he laid his solid hand on his brother\u2019s shoulder and gave it one empathetic squeeze.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing\u2019s got a right tasty stew on the fire.\u00a0 Have yourself a bowl and let it settle your innards, at least.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Adam muttered, raising \u00a0a limp hand in farewell.<\/p>\n

One of the bailed-out hands\u00a0 sidled up to Adam.\u00a0 \u201cHey, boss,\u201d he ventured cautiously with a longing look toward the cook fire.\u00a0 \u201cReckon we could get a bowl of that stew before we head out after them strays?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam slowly swiveled in his direction and with a face set like granite, asked, \u201cWhat do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

The man gingerly backed toward his horse, mounted and, along with the others, galloped out even before Hoss left the camp. . . .<\/p>\n

Yeah, it had been a run of bad luck, Hoss told himself as he scowled at the overcast sky, and it looked like it wasn\u2019t over yet.\u00a0 Feeling as though he were taking his life in his hands, he rode down from the overlook to meet his brother.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, I hate to say it, but sure looks like a storm\u2019s headed our way.\u00a0 Reckon we ought to find us a place to hunker the cows down \u2018til it passes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s sigh was eloquent with frustration, but since experience had taught him to trust Hoss\u2019s instincts in such matters, he merely nodded and gave the order.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0As he cut into his steak, Little Joe flashed a self-satisfied grin across the table at George.\u00a0 \u201cPretty successful trip, I\u2019d say.\u00a0 Even with all our piddling, we made it to San Francisco with four days to spare before your ship sails.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have my heartfelt thanks,\u201d George said, adding with a chuckle, \u201c although I do believe we should give some credit to Adam\u2019s excellent planning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s grin turned positively impish.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s not here to do any planning now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMeaning?\u201d\u00a0 George drew the word out with the air of suspicion he had absorbed from the older Cartwrights for any suggestion that came from the youngest.<\/p>\n

The smile softened to that of an innocent angel.\u00a0 \u201cWhy, just that you can trust me\u2014better than older brother, in fact\u2014to show you a good time during your short stay in the big city\u2014if you\u2019re feeling up to it, that is.\u201d\u00a0 The last was added with a slight frown of concern.<\/p>\n

George resisted the temptation to point out that he\u2019d seen far bigger\u2014and more sophisticated\u2014cities than San Francisco.\u00a0 \u201cI would like to see some sights,\u201d he admitted, \u201cbut not tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course not,\u201d Joe said at once, although a glimmer of disappointment flickered in one eye.\u00a0 \u201cTonight we rest.\u00a0 We got to get you fixed up with that rolling chair first, anyway.\u201d\u00a0 He sighed deeply.\u00a0 \u201cWhich means I better send word to the Larrimores right off.\u201d<\/p>\n

George looked puzzled.\u00a0 \u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t you want to?\u00a0 I thought they were old friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf Pa\u2019s,\u201d Little Joe said pointedly.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe even Adam\u2019s.\u00a0 Me and Hoss got better taste.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy, what\u2019s wrong with them?\u201d George asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Mr. Larrimore\u2019s decent enough, I reckon,\u201d Joe admitted, \u201cbut his wife is prissy as\u201d\u2014he suddenly clamped his mouth shut.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs what?\u201d George demanded.\u00a0 \u201cAn Easterner?\u00a0 Is that how that sentence was going to end?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe winced.\u00a0 \u201cWell . . . yeah.\u00a0 Sorry, George.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t mean you, honest I didn\u2019t, but I\u2019ve seen my fair share of dudes, and . . . well . . . they\u2019re a sorry sight, most of \u2018em.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI would remind you, my quick-to-judge young friend,\u201d George said, perturbed, \u201cthat you have never traveled back East, so your \u2018fair share\u2019 of Easterners is not likely to be a large sampling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLarger than your sampling of real Easterners,\u201d Little Joe countered with a smirk.\u00a0 \u201cThe kind that come from the Far East, that is.\u201d<\/p>\n

A startled laugh stuck in George\u2019s throat.\u00a0 \u201cAre you referring to Hop Sing again?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPretty quick to judge him, weren\u2019t you?\u201d Little Joe demanded.<\/p>\n

George dragged his fork through his creamed potatoes.\u00a0 \u201cYes, I was,\u201d he admitted.\u00a0 He raised his head to meet Joe\u2019s gaze.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t want to make the same mistake, do you?\u00a0 Really, Joe, if you were to meet my friends in Boston, without prior prejudice, you might actually enjoy their company.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe,\u201d Joe conceded, though he sounded doubtful.\u00a0 He shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t likely to get the chance, though.\u201d\u00a0 With a laugh he added, \u201cI can\u2019t see Adam stowing me away in one of his bags!<\/p>\n

George chuckled dutifully.\u00a0 \u201cI wouldn\u2019t want to see your father\u2019s face if he tried!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s for sure!\u201d\u00a0 Joe\u2019s laugh was hearty enough to turn heads in the restaurant.\u00a0 At George\u2019s \u201cShh,\u201d he settled down.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, I\u2019ll send word to Mr. Larrimore that we\u2019re in town and what we\u2019re looking for.\u00a0 If he don\u2019t have one of those fancy chairs in his emporium, he\u2019ll know where to find it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, so your father said.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe nodded crisply.\u00a0 \u201cAnd if our luck holds, Mrs. Larrimore won\u2019t hear you\u2019re from the East and decide she\u2019s just got to throw some fancy dinner to show you how cultured she is.\u00a0 Then, once we get you rolling, we can have some fun.\u00a0 I know all the best places.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d George asked skeptically.\u00a0 \u201cHow, pray tell?\u00a0 I was under the impression that you hadn\u2019t been to \u2018the big city\u2019 many times yourself\u2014and never alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI got friends,\u201d Little Joe said, giving his steak an irritated stab.\u00a0 \u201cI did some askin\u2019 around, back before you got hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, dear.\u201d\u00a0 George closed his eyes for a moment in painful contemplation of just what sort of entertainment Little Joe\u2019s friends might have recommended.\u00a0 \u201cAre you certain that these are\u2014um\u2014places that Adam\u2014not to mention your father\u2014would approve?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe conveniently ignored the reference to his father.\u00a0 \u201cAdam knows how to have a good time,\u201d he insisted.\u00a0 He shook his head in sad assessment.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, most of the time he leans toward real boring stuff like opera and such, but once in a while he lets himself enjoy the finer things of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

George snorted.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll have you know, you young ruffian, that there are no finer things in life than opera\u2014unless, of course, it would be classic Greek drama.\u201d<\/p>\n

Only choking on the food in his throat kept Little Joe from groaning aloud.\u00a0 \u201cNow, George,\u201d he insisted when he\u2019d recovered, \u201cyou won\u2019t learn a thing about the West if we waste our time on that claptrap.\u00a0 You do want to see what the West is like, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight,\u201d George drawled out cautiously.\u00a0 He straightened in his chair.\u00a0 \u201cJust for comparison purposes, though, let\u2019s see what sort of more traditional entertainment your West has to offer first, shall we?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe sighed.\u00a0 \u201cIf you just gotta.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I think so,\u201d George responded quickly.\u00a0 With any luck Adam might arrive in the meantime and spare him a sample of Little Joe\u2019s idea of \u201cthe finer things of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0As he walked up to the chuck wagon, Adam drained the water from the brim of his hat\u2014again!\u2014and slammed the limp felt against his thigh.\u00a0 \u201cAs unending as Odin\u2019s pitcher of mead,\u201d he muttered, \u201cwith less than half the pleasure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss handed his brother an opened can of cold beans.\u00a0 \u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shook his head as he accepted what had become their staple meal.\u00a0 Ironic<\/em>, he thought, that Inger\u2019s son, of us all, should have no knowledge of Norse mythology.\u00a0 My fault, I suppose.\u00a0 I told him Aesop\u2019s Fables to lull him to sleep.<\/em>\u00a0 \u201cDoes it never end?\u201d he offered as a more readily understood alternative.<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019s face contorted with a sour grin.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, sure it does\u2014right about the time it gets to where it\u2019s really needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam uttered one short laugh in recognition that most of this relentless rain would never make to the thirsty land east of the mountains.\u00a0 Perversely, it would pour its bounty where it was least appreciated, on a herd of cattle slowly slogging its way west.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0George pressed his hands hard against the wheels of his rolling chair.\u00a0 \u201cJust a minute, Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe leaned around the chair to peer anxiously into the other man\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cSomething wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure you\u2019re going the right way?\u201d George inquired.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you think this area is starting to look a little\u2014well, seedy, shall we say?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe shrugged nonchalantly.\u00a0 \u201cLooks okay to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

George\u2019s gaze narrowed.\u00a0 \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t be on the Barbary Coast, would we?\u00a0 I distinctly remember your father telling you to stay away from the Barbary Coast.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe patted the other man\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cNo, no,\u201d he denied and then added in a quick burst of honesty, \u201cWell, okay, maybe just at the edge of there, but we\u2019re not going much further.\u00a0 See?\u00a0 That\u2019s the place.\u201d\u00a0 He pointed two doors ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Stinking Stilton?\u201d\u00a0 George\u2019s nose curled as if he\u2019d gotten a sudden whiff of the cheese itself.\u00a0 \u201cHow could a place with a name like that be anything other than unsavory?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018A rose by any other name,\u2019\u201d Little Joe quoted with a chuckle.\u00a0 \u201cThey go in for kind of outlandish names down here, George.\u00a0 This one\u2019s supposed to have a sort of continental flair; I thought you\u2019d like that.\u00a0 Wait\u2019ll you see what they call some of the girls!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGirls,\u201d George said with a longsuffering sigh and a shake of his head.\u00a0 \u201cAnd we still don\u2019t have a shotgun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe laughed outright.\u00a0 \u201cWe won\u2019t need one.\u201d\u00a0 Straightening up, he massaged the seated man\u2019s shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cJust stick with me, buddy, and I\u2019ll show you how to have a good time, western style.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t wait,\u201d George stated in a flat staccato that said he could easily wait forever for this particular educational experience.\u00a0 He began to fervently wish that he had insisted on the opera for their first night on the town, but since they had been unable to avoid an invitation to the Larrimores for dinner the previous night, he hadn\u2019t had the heart to inflict another stultifyingly boring evening on his young caretaker.\u00a0 He had a feeling he would regret that burst of generosity before morning.<\/p>\n

Though Little Joe tried to ease the wheels down the stairs of the concert saloon, George felt every bump as they descended into the liquor-laced atmosphere of a rectangular cellar with a low, confining ceiling. \u00a0A narrow bar with a larger-than-life rendering of a voluptuous and barely draped form stretched along one side, and a few small round tables circled an open area, apparently for dancing, in the center. \u00a0Little Joe rolled his charge up to an empty table near the platform at one end of the room.\u00a0 \u201cYou should have a good view from here,\u201d he said brightly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure of that,\u201d George muttered with a roll of his eyes.\u00a0 In fact, this vantage point virtually guaranteed that he\u2019d be able to see up the skirts of any female performer on stage.\u00a0 At present, however, only a trio of out-of-tune fiddles screeched out a lively accompaniment to the clacking keys of an upright piano.<\/p>\n

A vixen with fiery tresses whose color could only have come from a bottle swished her voluminous knee-length skirts in their direction.\u00a0 \u201cOoh la la, mon cherry,\u201d she cooed, wrapping her arms around Little Joe.\u00a0 \u201cYou will dance with the Beaufort Ballerina, wee?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOui<\/em>,\u201d Little Joe replied with a flashing smile.<\/p>\n

A loud snort erupted behind him.\u00a0 \u201cBallerina?\u201d an equally well endowed lady scoffed as she tossed her shoulder-length curls of darkest ebony.\u00a0 \u201cThe way this one dances, laddie buck, she would better be called the Beaufort Buffalo!\u00a0 If you don\u2019t want your toes tromped on, you come along with the Cheshire Cow.\u00a0 I know how to show a lad a good time!\u201d\u00a0 Her imposed English accent was every bit as authentic the Beaufort lady\u2019s French one.<\/p>\n

\u201cLadies, ladies,\u201d Little Joe said, beaming first one direction and then the other.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s plenty to go around.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe.\u201d\u00a0 George elongated the name in a cautionary tone.<\/p>\n

Each arm circling the waist of a pretty waiter girl, Little Joe turned toward his brother\u2019s friend.\u00a0 \u201cOh, here I am, forgetting my manners,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cLadies, meet George.\u201d\u00a0 He whispered in the ear of the Cheshire Cow.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019d really love to dance with you, I\u2019m sure, but he\u2019s got this bum leg.\u201d\u00a0 His head drooped as he sighed dramatically.\u00a0 \u201cAnd it\u2019s all my fault.\u00a0 You\u2019ll be kind to him for my sake, won\u2019t you, dear lady?\u00a0 I just know your gentle charms will ease his suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, you poor thing,\u201d the Cheshire Cow cooed, plopping down in George\u2019s lap and entwining his neck with her arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, really, this isn\u2019t necessary,\u201d George, whose leg had not been bothering him at all until she sat on it, insisted as he tried to disentangle himself.<\/p>\n

Little Joe leaned down to hiss in George\u2019s ear, \u201cYou got to learn to milk a situation like this, George.\u201d\u00a0 He straightened up and with a determined jut of his chin pointed the other man\u2019s attention to the lady in his lap.\u00a0 Then, turning his own attention to the lady on his arm, he waltzed off with the Beaufort Ballerina to the dulcet tones of the scratchy violins.<\/p>\n

For this, I gave up opera?<\/em> George moaned to himself.<\/p>\n

After ten minutes of lavishing the unresponsive man with solicitous caresses, the Cheshire Cow finally jumped off his lap and flounced over to the other pair.\u00a0 \u201cFair\u2019s fair, Buffalo,\u201d she announced.\u00a0 \u201cYou take your turn sittin\u2019 with gimpy over there.\u00a0 He ain\u2019t got a bit of go to \u2018im, and this lovely lad deserves better.\u201d\u00a0 She dragged her fingers possessively through Joe\u2019s chestnut curls.<\/p>\n

\u201cGit your dirty mitts off him, Cow!\u201d declared the Beaufort Ballerina, losing her accent as she slapped aside the other woman\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cLadies, please,\u201d Little Joe protested, though but mildly.\u00a0 Couples scattered across the dance floor as an all-out catfight ensued, and loud cries egged them on.<\/p>\n

Feeling the swift descent of disaster, George rose from his chair to rescue his young caregiver\u2014and just as quickly dropped back into it with a cry that brought Little Joe scurrying to his side.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter with you, George?\u201d the boy scolded.\u00a0 \u201cYou know better than to try walking on a broken leg.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGet us out of here,\u201d George hissed.<\/p>\n

Little Joe stared back at him with innocent eyes.\u00a0 \u201cWhy?\u00a0 Aren\u2019t you havin\u2019 a good time?\u201d<\/p>\n

George fixed him with an icy stare.\u00a0 \u201cWe need to leave\u2014now.\u201d\u00a0 Before I really need that shotgun<\/em>, he might have added.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we haven\u2019t even heard the concert yet.\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe proffered his most persuasive pout.\u00a0 \u201cI know how much you like music.\u201d<\/p>\n

George momentarily closed his eyes against the pain of hearing more of the prevailing music in the room.\u00a0 \u201cI need to leave,\u201d he insisted.\u00a0 Painting on the smile of a patient invalid, he added, \u201cMy poor leg, you know.\u00a0 It aches so when I overdo a night\u2019s entertainment . . . and since it is \u2018all your fault\u2019 . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s pout hardened into a frustrated frown, but he dutifully began rolling the chair toward the door.\u00a0 Once they were on the street, Joe started to chuckle.\u00a0 \u201cWhen I said you needed to milk your injury, George, I didn\u2019t mean with me!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe least you had coming, you scamp,\u201d George snorted. \u00a0\u201cTomorrow night you are coming with me to the opera for some decent music\u2014and don\u2019t try milking out of it, either!\u201d\u00a0 As he rolled back toward the hotel, he wondered how much longer it could possibly be before Adam and Hoss arrived to take responsibility for their own little brother.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Adam flung open the door to the Sacramento hotel room he was sharing with Hoss and slammed it behind him with a force worthy of the big man himself.<\/p>\n

Hoss, who had been lying on the bed with his arms folded behind his head, sat up abruptly.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong now?\u00a0 Ain\u2019t you and Fitzhugh come to terms yet?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, finally,\u201d Adam growled through gritted teeth.\u00a0 The negotiations which should have taken no more than a day had stretched into a long two.\u00a0 Conscious of the deadline looming before him, Adam had almost thought he\u2019d have to give in and take the ridiculously low bid Fitzhugh had made, but true to form, his face and manner had revealed nothing of his inner agitation.\u00a0 He\u2019d finally gotten the terms he wanted and now nothing remained but the drawing up and signing of the contract and, of course, final delivery of the cattle.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that\u2019s good then.\u00a0 I just go in and sign for us in the morning, right?\u201d\u00a0 Simple as that sounded, Hoss still felt a bit daunted at the prospect of representing the Ponderosa by himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot exactly,\u201d Adam grunted.\u00a0 \u201cFitzhugh wouldn\u2019t agree.\u00a0 I told you last night what a stink he sprayed about dealing with the second in command.\u00a0 I talked my way past that one, but now he insists on concluding the business with the man he started with.\u00a0 Says he doesn\u2019t believe in switching horses in the middle of a stream.\u00a0 Lets you off the hook, but \u00a0leaves me dangling rather dangerously.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss gulped hard.\u00a0 \u201cDoggone.\u00a0 That\u2019s gonna be cuttin\u2019 it close.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d\u00a0 The single word summed up the frustration that had been building inside the oldest Cartwright brother since that morning outside Genoa when everything had started going wrong.\u00a0 He\u2019d hoped to reach Sacramento days earlier, but between the follies of men and the vagaries of the weather, he\u2019d arrive with little time to spare.\u00a0 He\u2019d squandered two days on endless negotiation; another morning would be wasted just signing papers before he could catch a steamboat to San Francisco tomorrow afternoon.\u00a0 Thanks to all the delay, he\u2019d be arriving the night before he and George were scheduled to sail.\u00a0 So much for dreams of showing his friend some of the more refined attractions of the coastal city!<\/p>\n

Adam dropped onto the bed opposite Hoss\u2019s.\u00a0 \u201cThink you could handle a couple of errands for me tomorrow morning?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything, Adam,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cAnything I can do, you know I\u2019ll do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though weariness showed in the lines at the corners of his mouth, Adam\u2019s smile was warm with appreciation.\u00a0 \u201cNothing difficult.\u00a0 I just need you to purchase my steamer passage and then send a wire to Little Joe, telling him when I\u2019ll be arriving.\u00a0 No need for him to meet me.\u00a0 I\u2019m bound to be coming in late.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss reached over to give his brother\u2019s leg an encouraging pat.\u00a0 \u201cI reckon I can handle that.\u00a0 I\u2019ll even get your gear stowed aboard, so all you got to do tomorrow is sign that contract.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks.\u00a0 That\u2019ll help.\u201d\u00a0 Adam stretched his arms to work out the kinked tension of his muscles.\u00a0 \u201cAll I really need is that satchel with my grooming tools.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 Good thinking, sending your trunk ahead with Little Joe.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss stood and pulled his brother up by one arm.\u00a0 \u201cWhat you need now is a good meal in your belly and a good night\u2019s sleep.\u00a0 Don\u2019t fret none, Adam; it\u2019ll all work out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded his agreement and followed Hoss down to the restaurant.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0At the sound of a knock on the door, Little Joe leaped to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019ll be breakfast,\u201d he announced cheerily.\u00a0 Having had a late night at the opera, he and George had elected to both sleep in and have breakfast delivered to their suite.<\/p>\n

When he opened the door, however, Little Joe was surprised to see only a uniformed man extending an envelope.\u00a0 \u201cTelegram for Mr. Cartwright,\u201d the man said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, thanks,\u201d Joe said, tipping the messenger and taking the envelope.\u00a0 He stared at it, almost afraid to open it.\u00a0 Telegrams had a reputation for bearing bad news, and he was already feeling antsy.\u00a0 He\u2019d been expecting Adam for a couple of days now, and he couldn\u2019t help feeling concern at this departure from his big brother\u2019s typical punctuality.<\/p>\n

George was obviously feeling it, too, for he asked anxiously, \u201cIs it from Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cHoss,\u201d he said, reading the signature line first.\u00a0 Then he quickly scanned the body of the message and broke out in a relieved smile.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d he told George.\u00a0 \u201cAdam\u2019\u2019ll be here late tonight.\u00a0 Cuttin\u2019 it kind of close, but he\u2019ll be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a relief,\u201d George said.\u00a0 \u201cI was beginning to fear I\u2019d have to sail without him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, me, too,\u201d Joe muttered.\u00a0 He folded the paper and put it in his pocket.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I guess it\u2019s just you and me again tonight.\u00a0 Any ideas on what you\u2019d like to do?\u201d<\/p>\n

George laughed.\u00a0 \u201cIs just making an early night of it an option?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, sure,\u201d Little Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cI never meant to wear you out\u2014not that the opera was my idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t wear me out,\u201d George said, ignoring the disparaging remark about his choice of entertainment, \u201cand I don\u2019t mind seeing some sights today.\u00a0 I\u2019d just rather stay in tonight, in view of the early start tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, makes sense,\u201d Little Joe admitted.\u00a0 He thought for a minute.\u00a0 \u201cWell, there\u2019s Russ\u2019s Gardens or, maybe, the Willows.\u00a0 Just kind of nice places to wander around\u2014you know, flowers and statues and such.\u00a0\u00a0 They got restaurants there or\u201d\u2014he brightened\u2014\u201cwe could have the hotel pack us a picnic lunch, maybe ask some ladies along and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, no,\u201d George interrupted quickly, wagging a remonstrating finger at the boy.\u00a0 \u201cThe only \u2018ladies\u2019 we\u2019ve met so far are the Beaufort Ballerina and the Cheshire Cow, and I don\u2019t care to promenade with either of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe exaggerated a pout.\u00a0 \u201cGeorge you are as big a stick-in-the-mud as Adam at his worst.\u201d<\/p>\n

From his rolling chair, George bowed at the waist.\u00a0 \u201cThank you for the compliment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, but if we\u2019re not going to invite any lovelies along,\u201d Little Joe said, \u201cwe\u2019d better go all the way to the Willows.\u00a0 At least, they got bears and sea lions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBears and sea lions should be a massive improvement,\u201d George maddeningly declared.<\/p>\n

Just then a second knock sounded on the door, and this time it did signal the arrival of breakfast.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0As planned, Adam arrived at a restaurant near the docks just past noon.\u00a0 \u201cAny trouble booking passage?\u201d he asked as he took a seat across from Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, a mite,\u201d Hoss said, looking chagrinned.<\/p>\n

Elbow propped on the table, Adam massaged his aching temple.\u00a0 \u201cNow what?\u201d he moaned.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, calm down; it ain\u2019t all that bad,\u201d Hoss scolded gently.\u00a0 \u201cI just couldn\u2019t book you on the New World<\/em>, like you asked.\u00a0 It was full up, but I got you on a different line.\u00a0 Boat\u2019s got kind of a funny name, the Asiago, <\/em>but names is as names does.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not funny,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s Italian.\u00a0 The owner probably has some connection with that region.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, yeah, reckon so.\u201d\u00a0 Having accepted years ago that Adam knew more about the world than he did, Hoss shrugged off the correction and went on to what, for him, were more important considerations.\u00a0 \u201cIt leaves at 2:00, so you got time to eat a decent meal before you board.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam frowned slightly.\u00a0 \u201cDoes it look seaworthy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss spread his palms.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t no great judge of such things, but it\u2019s brand, spankin\u2019 new.\u00a0 Ought to run fine.\u00a0 Anyways, it\u2019s the only boat leavin\u2019 today that had room left.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich makes it top of the list,\u201d Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure it\u2019ll be fine, Hoss, and if the accommodations turn out to be less comfortable than the New World<\/em>\u2019s, I\u2019m sure I can stand it for a few hours.\u00a0 Did you get the telegram off to Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Course, I did.\u00a0 Now, will you quit frettin\u2019 and let us order.\u00a0 My stomach thinks my throat\u2019s been cut.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam made a deliberate effort to do as instructed, and over the leisurely meal, his good humor returned.\u00a0 Certainly, they\u2019d faced problems enough to daunt any man with a deadline, but they\u2019d met each and every one.\u00a0 Tonight would be a short one for him, since the ship for the East sailed early the next morning, but once it did, he could sprawl in his berth and catch up on the sleep he\u2019d missed.\u00a0 If he was poor company for his friend the first day of the voyage, so be it.\u00a0 He chuckled softly to him.\u00a0 George might even welcome the peace and quiet of his own berth, after having Joe talk his ear off for days now.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cHow\u2019s she look?\u201d Hoss asked anxiously.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrand spankin\u2019 new,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 Everything about the Asiago<\/em>, bow to stern, inspired confidence: fresh paint, shiny brass railings and a whistle whose voice was as yet untainted by age or corrosion.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdvertises a good spread in the saloon, too,\u201d Hoss advised.<\/p>\n

Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cAre you sure you aren\u2019t vying to go in my place?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, no,\u201d Hoss cackled back.\u00a0 \u201cThis here boat\u2019s big enough for me.\u00a0 I don\u2019t got no desire to set foot on that big ocean-goin\u2019 one.\u00a0 Besides, someone\u2019s got to make final delivery on them cattle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYou should be able to get that done tomorrow and meet Joe the following evening.\u00a0 We don\u2019t want to leave him on his own too long.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s for dadgum sure!\u00a0 Likely to get hisself shanghaied off to China.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam grinned broadly.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you do not want to face our father if you let that happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss stroked his chin.\u00a0 \u201cDoggone it, maybe I ought to take your place on that big ole boat after all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot on your life!\u201d Adam laughed.\u00a0 He reached for his brother\u2019s hand.\u00a0 \u201cTime I got aboard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHave a good trip, Adam,\u201d Hoss said, giving Adam\u2019s hand a hearty shake.\u00a0 \u201cGive George\u2019s folks our congratulations on their anniversary and tell \u2018em thanks for lettin\u2019 George visit with us.\u00a0 I sure enjoyed havin\u2019 him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe enjoyed meeting you, as well.\u201d\u00a0 Hearing the steamer\u2019s whistle blow again, Adam raised a hand in farewell and hurried up the gangplank.\u00a0 He had no sooner boarded than he sensed an excitement in the air that stirred a note of apprehension within him.\u00a0 The deck was all abuzz with talk of a race between the shiny new upstart and the Senator<\/em>, veteran of the Gold Rush days.\u00a0 Adam groaned.\u00a0 A race!\u00a0 All he\u2019d wanted was an ordinary\u2014and safe\u2014trip down the Sacramento River.\u00a0 A race might actually work to his advantage, of course, and bring him into San Francisco ahead of time, but anything could\u2014and frequently did\u2014happen when one captain tried too hard to best another.<\/p>\n

Shouldn\u2019t have bothered having Hoss book me a stateroom<\/em>, he thought as he pressed through the crowd on deck. \u00a0It always seemed like an extravagance for such a short trip, but it gave a man privacy and a place to rest, instead of pacing the deck for six hours.\u00a0 After the stress of the last week, Adam had intended to fully savor the luxury, but he doubted he\u2019d see the inside of that refuge this afternoon. \u00a0A steamer race was always exciting, and the conclusion of this one too personally important for him to be anywhere except where he could see it for himself.\u00a0 He pushed to the ship\u2019s rail and stood leaning over it, craning his neck to examine the other boat readying for departure.<\/p>\n

Both ships were fully loaded with both passengers and freight.\u00a0 That, in itself, told Adam that this was not an elaborately planned competition.\u00a0 Steamers generally trimmed their loads of any excess weight when they had advance warning of a race down the river.\u00a0 No, this had apparently been a last-minute challenge.\u00a0 A better test of a boat\u2019s merit, he supposed, but a race wasn\u2019t always won by the best boat.\u00a0 The pilot\u2019s familiarity with the river was an important factor, too, and the Senator<\/em> and her pilot had been \u00a0traveling this run a long time.\u00a0 Odds were against the upstart, but Adam couldn\u2019t help cheering the Asiago<\/em> on as both boats left the dock.<\/p>\n

For a short distance the two steamers ran neck and neck; then the sleeker Asiago<\/em> leapt ahead and stayed in the lead for the next hour, although the Senator<\/em> remained in sight, not far behind.\u00a0 When they came to the first bend in the river, the Asiago<\/em> veered \u00a0wide.\u00a0 Though some of the passengers hooted in derision, Adam was glad to see that the pilot was steering with caution, not cutting too close to shore in an attempt to shave a few minutes off the running time.\u00a0 The Senator<\/em>, rounding the same bend some scant two minutes later, displayed the advantage of having a pilot who knew the river like the back of his hand, for she was able to safely follow a channel closer to shore and, thereby, pull into a slight lead over the newer boat.<\/p>\n

For the next couple of hours the two steamers exchanged the lead a dozen times, neither taking foolish chances to do so.\u00a0 Adam had been in races where the opposite was true, one hair-raising one in particular in which the boilers had been pushed to the bursting point.\u00a0 Fortunately for him, it had been the other steamer that exploded, but his vessel at the time had stopped to rescue as many passengers as possible.\u00a0 While he hadn\u2019t begrudged the loss of time on that trip and wouldn\u2019t, even now, if lives were at stake, he could ill afford it today.\u00a0 Apparently, he had nothing to fear on that account, however; this was stacking up to be a good, clean race, with nothing but pride to be lost in the outcome.\u00a0 He might as well enjoy it.<\/p>\n

The tight race kept the passengers alternately cheering or groaning, depending on which boat was in the lead at the moment, and when they drew close enough together that the men on one boat could almost spit on the deck of the other, they exchanged boisterous taunts, each bragging on the prowess of his own ship.\u00a0 Though Adam had often ridden the Senator<\/em> and considered her a good, solid ship, he was not above throwing a little gratuitous heckling her way today, just for sport.<\/p>\n

As the sun began to dip toward the horizon, however, Adam found himself yawning more than shouting, and the race began to lose interest for him.\u00a0 Passing through the saloon, he stopped long enough for a sandwich and a drink and then made his way to his stateroom.\u00a0 He could lie down for a couple of hours and still be back on deck to see the end of the contest.\u00a0 Almost as soon as he stretched out in his berth, though, his weary eyes closed, and in his dreams the roar of water over the paddle wheel transformed itself into the soothing slap of salt waves against the sides of a steamer sailing for Boston.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Little Joe rolled George\u2019s chair into the hotel late that afternoon.\u00a0 \u201cYou want to go straight to the dining room,\u201d he asked, \u201cor to the room first to freshen up?\u201d<\/p>\n

George smiled wearily.\u00a0 \u201cI think I\u2019d better do the latter.\u00a0 I feel limp as the proverbial dish rag.\u201d<\/p>\n

His companion winced.\u00a0 \u201cGuess we did overdo things a mite.\u00a0 Never meant to keep you out so long.\u201d<\/p>\n

George reached back to pat the hand guiding his chair.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t regret it; I thoroughly enjoyed our outing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wheeling the chair down the hallway, Little Joe suggested, \u201cI could have \u2018em bring supper to the room, if that\u2019d rest you better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, that does sound good,\u201d George said.\u00a0 \u201cJust something light, please.\u00a0 I\u2019m scarcely starving after polishing off that rather substantial picnic basket.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe grinned.\u00a0 \u201cThe way I remember it, I did most of the polishing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the way I remember it, too,\u201d George chuckled, \u201cbut, even so, I had all I could handle.\u00a0 I have no need of a large supper.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSoup and sandwich?\u201d Little Joe suggested.<\/p>\n

George nodded, adding, \u201cI think I may get into my night clothes first and go straight to bed afterwards.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably a good idea,\u201d Joe conceded.\u00a0 He took George directly to his bedroom, laid his night clothes within easy reach and then trotted back down the hall.\u00a0 Unlike the debilitated Easterner, he still had energy to burn, enough, in fact, to fancy the enticements of the Stinking Stilton.\u00a0 He shook his head sadly: it wouldn\u2019t be right to sneak out on George, and it panged his conscience that little things like that bothered him.\u00a0 A good man, he was sure, would take tailoring his own inclinations to the need of another in better stride, but if he were painstakingly honest\u2014and he generally was\u2014he was looking forward to turning the responsibility of caretaker over to Adam tomorrow\u2014no, tonight; Adam was coming tonight!\u00a0 He took the final few steps to the dining room with an extra surge of buoyancy.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Adam woke with a start to a dark stateroom.\u00a0 Surprised to have slept so long, he swung his legs over the side of his berth and felt another jolt of revelation: the boat wasn\u2019t moving. \u00a0It must have already docked in San Francisco.\u00a0 That\u2019s the soundest nap I\u2019ve taken in years<\/em>, he thought as he grabbed his boots and hastily pulled them on.\u00a0 Then, grabbing his belongings, he left the stateroom.<\/p>\n

He frowned at the empty saloon as he passed through.\u00a0 Had everyone else, passengers and crew alike, debarked and left him sleeping here?\u00a0 No, he could hear voices outside, so perhaps the boat had just arrived.\u00a0 He stepped on deck into fog so thick that he could scarcely see two feet in front of his face.\u00a0 Still, he would have expected some lights on shore to pierce the pea soup.\u00a0 There weren\u2019t any, and he knew in that instant that they weren\u2019t in San Francisco.\u00a0 Something was wrong\u2014very wrong.<\/p>\n

He tossed his gear back inside the saloon and groped through the haze until he caught sight of another man.\u00a0 Catching his arm, Adam asked, \u201cWhere are we?\u201d<\/p>\n

The man snorted irritably.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t that the question of the hour?\u201d\u00a0 Then, evidently thinking better of his manners, he said, \u201cYour guess is as good as mine, mister.\u00a0 Middle of nowhere, near as I can tell.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam moved ahead, asking the same question of everyone he met until he found someone who could answer it.\u00a0 The answer, when it finally came, was disheartening.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t quite stranded in the middle of nowhere, but for him, it was almost that bad.\u00a0 Somehow, the inexperienced pilot had lost his course in the fog that had descended late that afternoon and had drifted into a tributary of the Sacramento River, instead of the main channel.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t realized his mistake until the Asiago<\/em> had plowed into a sandbar far up the shallower waterway.<\/p>\n

Stripping off his boots and socks and rolling up his pants legs, Adam dropped over the side and, along with a few other passengers, began helping the crew free the boat.\u00a0 He had little hope that his efforts would make much difference.\u00a0 It would probably take hours to get the boat back to the main channel, and he had precious few to spare.\u00a0 Even minutes might matter now, though, so he put his back into the shovel and his heart into every grain of sand he threw over his shoulder.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Knees drawn up and bare feet resting on the sill, Little Joe perched in the front window of the suite, which overlooked the street.\u00a0 Adam would probably tease him about acting like a scared kid or, maybe, a mother hen, but he just couldn\u2019t seem to settle down until he knew his big brother had made it in.\u00a0 Probably comes from seein\u2019 Pa wait up for us so many times<\/em>, he mused as his chin dropped to his interlaced fingers.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t worried, exactly.\u00a0 Adam had promised to be here, and Adam was a man of his word.\u00a0 Besides, Hoss would have wired if their big brother hadn\u2019t been able to make it aboard the steamer this afternoon, wouldn\u2019t he?\u00a0 All the reassuring in the world, however, did nothing to stop that niggling notion that something could go wrong.\u00a0 Stupid boat might not have carried enough stoke wood or\u2013stop it<\/em>, Joe chided himself.\u00a0 Don\u2019t borrow worry; just traipse on off to bed<\/em>.\u00a0 He\u2019d do that; he\u2019d do that real soon . . . but not . . . just . . . yet.\u00a0 For now, just sitting here, staring out the window, felt more restful than the plushest feather bed in town.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0The Asiago<\/em> had carried plenty of stoke wood\u2014for a normal run.\u00a0 Since she was racing, though, she had spared herself the weight of a stick more than was actually needed.\u00a0 Unfortunately, she hadn\u2019t calculated the extra distance of a side trip up and back a tributary and, all too predictably, had run out of wood soon after regaining the main channel.\u00a0 With a long exhale of exasperation, Adam shouldered an axe; and along with the crew and the same passengers who had helped before, he marched into the woods lining the shore to provide the fuel he needed to get to San Francisco.\u00a0 All thought of the race with the Senator<\/em> had vanished.\u00a0 The race now was against the rising sun, which never ran short of fuel or suffered delay.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Little Joe caught himself just before toppling out of the window.\u00a0 Groggily, he stumbled over to the sofa and plopped down, dropping his face into his hands.\u00a0 What could be keeping Adam?\u00a0 There\u2019d been no telegram from Hoss, so he assumed that his brother had left Sacramento.\u00a0 If that were true, though, Adam\u2019s continued absence raised more disturbing possibilities, an explosion or collision with another steamboat being the worst.\u00a0 Adam hurt, maybe drowned?\u00a0 Joe violently shook the thought out of his head\u00a0 Don\u2019t borrow worry<\/em>, he scolded himself again.\u00a0 Probably just ran into a spot of trouble and is running late<\/em>.<\/p>\n

He stretched out on the sofa and tried to sleep, but sleep wouldn\u2019t come.\u00a0 His mind raced with busy questions.\u00a0 What could he do to save Adam time, since he was running late?\u00a0 And if he didn\u2019t get here in time, what then?\u00a0 In that case, Joe still felt responsible for George.\u00a0 Maybe he could talk the Easterner into waiting and taking the next ship east, but he doubted it: George had seemed pretty determined.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s askew grin made him look as if he\u2019d just sucked a lemon.\u00a0 \u201cDetermined\u201d didn\u2019t say the half of it; \u201cstubborn\u201d was more the word.\u00a0 Yeah, George had seemed as stubborn\u2014well, as stubborn as Joe himself would have been in the same situation.<\/p>\n

As the first light of dawn filtered through the curtains, Little Joe gave up all attempt at sleeping.\u00a0 He went into his bedroom and dressed in his comfortable range clothes.\u00a0 The sight of Adam\u2019s trunk brought a thoughtful frown to his face; then, with a decisive nod, he pulled out his own carpetbag and began stowing his belongings inside.\u00a0 Since something had obviously delayed Hoss, too, it made no sense for him to stay by himself in this large suite.\u00a0 He\u2019d just pack up now, while he had extra time, and be ready to move to a smaller room as soon as he\u2019d seen George\u2014and, hopefully, Adam\u2014off at the dock.<\/p>\n

About an hour later George swung skillfully into the parlor on his crutches.\u00a0 \u201cYou look ghastly,\u201d he chuckled when he caught sight of Little Joe, lounging on the sofa.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t tell me Adam kicked you out of bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe seemed oblivious to the attempt at humor.\u00a0 \u201cLook, George, ain\u2019t no point in beating around the bush: Adam didn\u2019t make it in.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mirth in George\u2019s expression was replaced with instant concern.\u00a0 \u201cAre you sure?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 \u201cPerhaps he took a separate room last night, to avoid disturbing us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s mouth skewed to one side.\u00a0 \u201cAdam ain\u2019t never had much scruple against shovin\u2019 me over when we shared a bed, but I\u2019ll check with the clerk,\u201d he said as he stood.\u00a0 \u201cWant me to order breakfast brought in while I\u2019m at it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes . . . please,\u201d George murmured absently.<\/p>\n

Little Joe returned a few minutes later, conveying the results of his inquiries with a sad shake of his head.\u00a0 \u201cWell, what do you want to do?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

George responded with a disconsolate shrug.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t see that I have any choice,\u201d he sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll have to travel on without him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wrinkles lined Little Joe\u2019s smooth forehead.\u00a0 \u201cYou sure?\u00a0 That\u2019d be real hard on you, George, and you do have a choice.\u00a0 You could take the next boat, instead, give Adam time to make it.\u201d<\/p>\n

George gave him a scornful look.\u00a0 \u201cAnd miss my parents\u2019 anniversary?\u00a0 Much as I\u2014and they, for that matter\u2014will regret Adam\u2019s absence, I can\u2019t do that.\u00a0 Now, don\u2019t worry: I\u2019m sure someone on board will give me any assistance I need.\u201d \u00a0Then he added with a strained smile, \u201cMost people have kind hearts, Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe nodded, though lines still creased his brow.\u00a0 He\u2019d noticed that himself, but a man couldn\u2019t always trust that kind of person to be around when he was needed.\u00a0 Besides, it was a long voyage, and kindness could wear thin when it had to be repeated day after day.\u00a0 He knew that from his own recent experience.\u00a0 \u201cAdam might still make it,\u201d he suggested tentatively.\u00a0 \u201cI know he\u2019ll give it every effort, and Adam most generally succeeds at anything he tries.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s true,\u201d George said, his warm affection for his friend softening his troubled expression.<\/p>\n

Little Joe brightened, too.\u00a0 \u201cI figured to take his trunk to the ship, \u2018cause a few minutes might make a heap of difference, with him running late.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s good thinking, my young friend,\u201d George said with a smile of genuine regard for the young man whose rollicking spirit he had come to relish almost as much as Adam\u2019s more refined one.<\/p>\n

They dallied over breakfast as long as they dared, still hoping that Adam would arrive.\u00a0 Finally, Little Joe suggested that they had better go on and wait aboard for his brother.\u00a0 George nodded his agreement, not trusting his voice not to betray his shrinking expectation that his friend would come before the ship sailed.<\/p>\n

When they reached the pier, Little Joe supervised the transport of George\u2019s luggage and rolling chair into his cabin and, still struggling to maintain what seemed increasingly like a fairy tale, also had Adam\u2019s trunk delivered to the adjoining cabin.\u00a0 Then he and George, on crutches now, waited at the ship\u2019s rail, hoping against hope.<\/p>\n

Hearing the final call to board, George took Little Joe by the hand.\u00a0 \u201cTime for you to leave, my friend.\u00a0 Thank you for all you\u2019ve done to help me since my accident.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, it was the least I could do,\u201d Little Joe demurred.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbove and beyond,\u201d George insisted, \u201cand you mustn\u2019t feel bad about leaving me now.\u00a0 I assure you, I\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least, let me help you down those stairs to your cabin,\u201d Little Joe suggested, \u201cunless you\u2019ve a mind to watch \u2018er sail out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d George said bluntly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d rather . . . not.\u201d\u00a0 Hidden beneath the words was the unspoken reality that Little Joe understood all too well: the only sight George wanted to see was the one that there was no longer any hope of seeing.\u00a0 Carefully, the younger man assisted the older down the steps and into his cabin.\u00a0 Once settled, George touched Joe\u2019s elbow and said softly, \u201cYou\u2019d better get Adam\u2019s trunk unloaded.\u00a0 Much as I\u2019d like to think it would entice him to come east on the next ship, I doubt he\u2019d appreciate my trying to force his hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, Adam\u2019s peculiar that way,\u201d Little Joe said with a grin.\u00a0 He reached out a hand.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m glad you came to visit,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI know there was times I didn\u2019t act like it, but I really do kind of like you, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI really do kind of like you, too,\u201d George chuckled, grasping Joe\u2019s hand firmly.\u00a0 \u201cNow, get off this ship before you end up in Boston.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Little Joe laughed dutifully.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, and Joe,\u201d George called, wagging an admonishing finger, \u201cstay away from the Beaufort Ballerina and her Cheshire friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t promise that!\u201d Little Joe teased as he waved a final farewell.\u00a0 Back on deck, he looked around for someone to help with Adam\u2019s trunk, but when a sailor did stop in answer to his summons, he found himself asking, instead, how long it would be before the ship actually sailed.\u00a0 Learning that only ten minutes remained, he pursed his lips thoughtfully.\u00a0 He could make it to the hotel and back in that time, and there was just the slimmest chance that Adam had gone there first.\u00a0 He knew that didn\u2019t make sense, but he had to try.<\/p>\n

Spurning a carriage as too slow, he ran down the street.\u00a0 He stopped at the hotel\u2019s front desk only long enough to ask if there\u2019d been any messages for him.\u00a0 There weren\u2019t any, so he hurried to the suite he\u2019d shared with George and almost automatically snatched up his carpetbag.\u00a0 Only when his strong young legs were again racing down the street did he admit the real reason that he\u2019d packed that bag this morning: George couldn\u2019t sail alone; he just couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Gear in hand, Adam stood on the deck of the Asiago<\/em> while she limped into port.\u00a0 As soon as the steamer docked, he ran down the gangplank and hailed a waiting carriage-for-hire.\u00a0 \u201cPacific Steamship Company pier,\u201d he ordered, \u201cas fast as you can.\u00a0 I\u2019ll tip generously.\u201d\u00a0 He collapsed inside the carriage, hoping that he\u2019d be in time, although that goal now felt as near-impossible as the Scriptural analogy of a camel going through the eye of the needle.\u00a0 He had no idea when the ship was actually scheduled to sail, only that it was this morning; he\u2019d planned to get the exact time from George or Joe when he arrived.\u00a0 There was always a chance that he\u2019d even be early, he fantasized, but odds were against that, so he didn\u2019t want to risk stopping by the hotel first.\u00a0 He could only hope that his younger brother had had the sense to load his luggage aboard, along with George\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Arriving at the pier, he paid the driver, including the generous tip he\u2019d promised, and ran to the small office nearby to inquire breathlessly, \u201cHas the California<\/em> left yet?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy, yes, sir, some thirty minutes ago,\u201d the clerk responded.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s shoulders slumped and his head fell forward.\u00a0 Then he straightened up and asked, \u201cWas Mr. Pontpier aboard?\u201d<\/p>\n

The clerk checked the ship\u2019s manifest and reported, \u201cYes, sir, he was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Good<\/em>, Adam sighed.\u00a0 At least, I didn\u2019t cause him to miss that anniversary<\/em>.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m Mr. Cartwright,\u201d he then told the clerk.\u00a0 \u201cI was supposed to sail with him, but I was unfortunately delayed.\u00a0 What is your procedure for securing a refund for my passage?\u201d\u00a0 He expected a detailing of company policy, but what he heard next floored him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re Mr. Cartwright?\u201d the clerk asked, frowning as he again glanced at the manifest.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Adam said, stifling his impatience.<\/p>\n

The clerk\u2019s frown deepened into suspicion.\u00a0 \u201cBut Mr. Cartwright was aboard the California<\/em> when she shipped out, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both of Adam\u2019s eyebrows rose sharply.\u00a0 \u201cBut that\u2019s . . . not possible,\u201d he stammered.<\/p>\n

The clerk tapped the manifest before him.\u00a0 \u201cClearly stated here, sir.\u00a0 Are you suggesting that someone has falsely assumed your identity?\u201d\u00a0 The baleful eye he turned on Adam indicated that he was making an entirely different assumption, one far from flattering to the character of the man standing before him.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Adam said automatically, although in that moment he felt a frisson of fear that someone\u2014and he knew who\u2014had done exactly that.\u00a0 Collecting himself, he tried to explain the inexplicable.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I\u2019m sorry.\u00a0 I\u2019m afraid my haste to reach here before the California<\/em> left has scrambled my wits.\u00a0 The Mr. Cartwright who boarded was my younger brother, whom I had intended to join on the journey.\u201d\u00a0 Scarcely true, but he didn\u2019t want Joe\u2019s right to be aboard questioned.<\/p>\n

Recalling that it was Mr. Pontpier, not a younger Mr. Cartwright, about whom this gentleman had first inquired, the clerk\u2019s brow furrowed.\u00a0 \u201cYou mentioned a refund,\u201d he pointed out.<\/p>\n

Adam laughed awkwardly.\u00a0 \u201cDid I say \u2018refund\u2019?\u00a0 Obviously, the journey left me more addled than I realized.\u00a0 What I had intended was to inquire about booking passage on your next ship.\u00a0 So sorry for the confusion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Faced now with the prospect of a new sale, the clerk\u2019s demeanor instantly transformed.\u00a0 \u201cWhy, certainly, sir,\u201d he chirped cordially.\u00a0 \u201cI can accommodate you with that.\u00a0 Our next departure will be aboard the Chesapeake<\/em>, which leaves on October 10th<\/sup>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam quickly calculated that that would put him ten days behind George and Little Joe.\u00a0 He\u2019d miss the anniversary celebration, but that was far from his greatest concern at this point.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d like to book passage on the Chesapeake<\/em>, then,\u201d he said to the clerk\u2019s delight.\u00a0 If he arrived at the hotel and discovered that his fears were unfounded, he could always cancel the passage\u2014or, if Pa remained willing, take the later ship and enjoy a visit East, almost as planned.<\/p>\n

Little Joe was evidently traveling under his older brother\u2019s name, so Adam purchased his own passage in the name of Joseph Cartwright, to forestall further questions.\u00a0 Then, receipt in hand, he walked toward the hotel the Cartwrights always used in San Francisco.\u00a0 He hoped he\u2019d find Joe there, but evidence indicated the contrary.\u00a0 Contrary\u2014a perfect word to describe his little brother!\u00a0 What on earth possessed the boy to take my place on that ship?\u00a0 I\u2019ll wring his neck when I<\/em>\u2014suddenly, Adam stopped dead still on the street, as his mind flashed back to the conversation he\u2019d had with Little Joe at the shore of Lake Tahoe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do I do if you don\u2019t make it to San Francisco in time?\u201d Little Joe had asked, but Adam had brushed the question aside with a laugh and an easy promise that he\u2019d be there.\u00a0 That promise had proven anything but easy to keep, and because he hadn\u2019t taken the question seriously, he\u2019d left his younger brother to his own devices, never a wise course of action.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, little brother,\u201d he moaned softly as he continued toward the hotel.\u00a0 He checked the room the clerk said was registered in Joe\u2019s name and found it empty, with not so much as a hair brush or a single item of clothing.\u00a0 There could be no doubt now that Little Joe was aboard the California<\/em>, headed for the East Coast, because his older brother had failed to give him the requested advice.\u00a0 Well, that was not a mistake he\u2019d make again.\u00a0 He left the hotel immediately to ensure that Little Joe knew exactly what to do when he arrived in Boston.\u00a0 Though the telegraph only went as far east as Carson City now, the Pony Express would pick it up there and carry it to the westernmost relay station, where it would be wired on.\u00a0 The telegram would not reach its destination for nearly two weeks, but it should still arrive at the steamship office in New York before Little Joe did.<\/p>\n

Adam walked briskly to the Pacific Telegraph office, where he wrote out his instructions in explicit language that even Little Joe could not fail to comprehend.\u00a0 To cover all bases, he addressed the terse message to Adam Joseph Cartwright:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

STAY PUT \/\u00a0STOP<\/p>\n

I\u2019M COMING \/\u00a0STOP<\/p>\n

OLDER BROTHER \/\u00a0FULL STOP<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0The End<\/p>\n

\u00a9 September, 2012<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Author\u2019s Note:\u00a0 Obviously, there\u2019s more story to tell.\u00a0 Look for the upcoming sequel, East, West: Home\u2019s Best\u2014The Westerners. (Still being written.)<\/p>\n

Historical Note:\u00a0 All ships except the Asiago<\/em> are historical vessels of that time and place.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

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

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

Summary: \u00a0At first, Adam isn’t sure how his Eastern friend will feel about life on the Ponderosa, but he–and the rest of the Cartwrights–soon realize that George is not the only one who has a lot to learn from his visit.<\/p>\n

Rated: K+ \u00a0WC 35,000<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":5666,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[39,23,40],"tags":[14,15,17,16],"class_list":["post-5665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chaps-spurs","category-drama","category-challenges","tag-adam-cartwright","tag-ben","tag-hoss","tag-joe","wpcat-39-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-40-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":2779,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/HomesBest3.jpg?fit=193%2C261&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":27531,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=27531","url_meta":{"origin":5665,"position":0},"title":"East, West: Home’s Best–The Westerners (by Puchi Ann)","author":"Puchi Ann","date":"January 29, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: To help Adam's friend George, Little Joe has impulsively boarded a ship for Boston. Now it's up to Adam to chase him down and bring him home. Rating: K (97,504 words) Links to the stories in this series are included within.","rel":"","context":"In "Adam \/ Joe"","block_context":{"text":"Adam \/ Joe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1091"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":29342,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=29342","url_meta":{"origin":5665,"position":1},"title":"East, West: Home’s Best–The Journey Home (by Puchi Ann)","author":"Puchi Ann","date":"July 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: As they return from Boston, Adam and Joe Cartwright plan to defer resolving their differences until they reach home, but that's going to be a lot longer and harder journey than they could ever imagine. Rating: K Word Count: 49,640 words East, West: Home's Best Series, links to all\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Brothers"","block_context":{"text":"Brothers","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1009"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/800px-Steamship_S._S._Golden_Gate.jpg?fit=800%2C505&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/800px-Steamship_S._S._Golden_Gate.jpg?fit=800%2C505&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/800px-Steamship_S._S._Golden_Gate.jpg?fit=800%2C505&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/800px-Steamship_S._S._Golden_Gate.jpg?fit=800%2C505&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2979,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2979","url_meta":{"origin":5665,"position":2},"title":"Captain Joe (by frasrgrl)","author":"frasrgrl","date":"November 24, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 \u00a0This story is in response to November's Chaps and Spurs Challenge. Joe on the high seas.\u00a0 Word Count: 546\u00a0\u00a0Rated: K","rel":"","context":"In "Chaps and Spurs"","block_context":{"text":"Chaps and Spurs","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=39"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/ponderosa-lj.jpg?fit=640%2C475&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/ponderosa-lj.jpg?fit=640%2C475&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/ponderosa-lj.jpg?fit=640%2C475&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5278,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=5278","url_meta":{"origin":5665,"position":3},"title":"The Squirrel Incident (by Born in the USA)","author":"Born in The USA","date":"April 30, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0With Hoss and Joe away, Adam has to take care of his brother's chores. And gets a little 'surprise' along the way. Rated:\u00a0K+ (640 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Chaps and Spurs"","block_context":{"text":"Chaps and Spurs","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=39"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1996,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=1996","url_meta":{"origin":5665,"position":4},"title":"The Easterner – Part 1 of a Series – Easterner, Tenderfoot, Westerner (by Harper)","author":"Harper","date":"January 21, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0A summer visitor brings nothing but trouble for Joe. Rated:\u00a0K+ (19,380 words) The Easterner, Tenderfoot, Westerner Series, links to all the stories within the series included.","rel":"","context":"In "Action\/Adventure"","block_context":{"text":"Action\/Adventure","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/coming-soon-5.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/coming-soon-5.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/coming-soon-5.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/coming-soon-5.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4460,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=4460","url_meta":{"origin":5665,"position":5},"title":"The Gift (by JoeC)","author":"JoeC","date":"April 28, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 Joe get's a special birthday present Rating:\u00a0 K\u00a0 (553 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Chaps and Spurs"","block_context":{"text":"Chaps and Spurs","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=39"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/joe-chaps-21.jpg?fit=314%2C547&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5665","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\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5665"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5665\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}