{"id":57080,"date":"2025-06-10T18:19:57","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T22:19:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=57080"},"modified":"2025-09-27T05:39:56","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T09:39:56","slug":"the-journey-home-by-tavia42","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=57080","title":{"rendered":"The Journey Home (by Tavia42)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: On a trip away from the Ponderosa, the Cartwright boys encounter some old friends and one old foe. Even though he has a grudge against Hoss, Joe becomes the target in his scheme for revenge. A What Happened (Much) Later for \u201cThe Ape,\u201d featuring Leonard Nimoy as Freddy, and a What Happened (Long) Before for the \u201cQuaker Girl\u201d episode of <\/em>Gunsmoke, featuring William Shatner as Fred Bateman.\u00a0 No knowledge of <\/em>Gunsmoke is necessary to read this story.<\/em><\/p>\n

Rating: PG | Word Count: 22,322<\/p>\n

The Journey Home<\/strong><\/p>\n

Part One: Wolf in the Fold<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1.<\/em><\/p>\n

If looks could kill, there would have been dead Cartwrights all over the floor of the saloon.\u00a0 It was a particularly high-class establishment of its kind, with tables for drinks down on the ground floor, and a balcony with tables for card games wrapping around the upper level.\u00a0 Sitting at a table on that upper level, Freddy Grayson shuffled and reshuffled a pack of cards.\u00a0 And he glared down at the three men by the bar, who remained blissfully unaware of the venom being directed their way.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s got you looking so dark and dour, Uncle Freddy?\u201d\u00a0 Young Fred Bateman, named for his mother\u2019s brother, strolled up to the table.\u00a0 He grabbed another chair, spinning it around and sitting down in it backwards, straddling the seat.\u00a0 \u201cNo one interested in poker tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not that<\/em>,\u201d Uncle Freddy ground out, jaw tight and dark brows low on his narrow face.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s them<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 He drew the spread of cards together again, gestured with the stack.\u00a0 \u201cThose three at the bar.\u00a0 The Cartwrights<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Young Fred tipped his chair that direction for a better view.\u00a0 There were a scattering of saddle tramps and farmers down on the lower level, but only one group of three at the bar \u2013 a big man in a tall hat, another one all in black, and a third, smaller man in a green jacket.\u00a0 He\u2019d never seen the faces before, but the name was vaguely familiar.\u00a0 He smoothed out the wisps of mustache he was trying to grow in an effort to get people \u2013 like his uncle \u2013 to stop treating him like a kid, and asked, \u201cDon\u2019t they own a ranch out Virginia City way?\u00a0 Did you know them when you lived out there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could say that,\u201d Uncle Freddy spat, and shuffled his cards again.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re the reason I had to leave Virginia City.\u00a0 And they\u2019re the reason Sheribelle died.\u201d<\/p>\n

A name like that wasn\u2019t hard to place.\u00a0 \u201cYour girl Sheribelle?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes<\/em>, my girl Sheribelle!\u201d his uncle said, glaring at him now.\u00a0 \u201cMy partner.\u00a0 The girl I was going to marry, if we ever got enough money together so she could quit the saloons.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, all right,\u201d Young Fred said with an easy smile, lifting his hands innocently.\u00a0 \u201cYou just never talk about her anymore, that\u2019s all.\u00a0 What\u2019s it been \u2013 a couple years now?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThree.\u201d\u00a0 Uncle Freddy returned his glare to the men below.\u00a0 \u201cThat big one in the middle \u2013 Hoss Cartwright.\u00a0 It was his<\/em> fault, but the whole family hangs together.\u00a0 He had this friend \u2013 even bigger and dumber than he is, a real ape.\u00a0 Just prime for Sheribelle and me to fleece, but Hoss Cartwright had to keep poking in on the business.\u00a0 And then the big, dumb ape murdered Sheribelle.\u00a0 She was only playing with him, but he couldn\u2019t see it and one night he got mad and strangled her.\u00a0 He nearly killed me<\/em> when I tried to help her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Young Fred had some doubts about that part of the story \u2013 he knew his uncle, with his fancy clothes and his clever hands, and physical fighting wasn\u2019t his strength \u2013 but he just nodded.\u00a0 He gave the yellow bandana tied around his neck a little tug and asked, \u201cDid they hang the ape?\u201d\u00a0 He liked to see a hanging of a Saturday morning.\u00a0 Started the day off right.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo \u2013 but I did help get him,\u201d Uncle Freddy said, fanning the cards out on the table again.\u00a0 \u201cI rode with the posse, and when the monster tried to attack us, we shot him dead.\u00a0 And he deserved every bullet, for what he\u2019d done.\u00a0 But then<\/em> \u2013 Hoss Cartwright was so blasted sad<\/em> about it, kept talking up how his friend never really wanted to hurt anyone.\u00a0 As if he hadn\u2019t murdered Sheribelle!\u00a0 And pretty soon people in town all started saying what a shame it was, because once a Cartwright says a thing, that\u2019s the way the whole wind blows.\u00a0 And people were blaming me for Sheribelle getting involved with the big man \u2013 as if I <\/em>wasn\u2019t the victim in the whole thing!\u201d<\/p>\n

Young Fred reached out and plucked a card from the spread \u2013 six of diamonds.\u00a0 Oh well, he\u2019d never figured he\u2019d make his way as a card shark anyway.<\/p>\n

Uncle Freddy cast him a dark look, pulled out a card and held it up \u2013 ace of spades.\u00a0 He flung the card back onto the table, turned his gaze back to the level below.\u00a0 \u201cIf I could just pay them out somehow,\u201d he muttered, \u201cthose high and mighty Cartwrights who think they\u2019re so special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Young Fred grinned \u2013 finally, something exciting might be happening.\u00a0 \u201cSo let\u2019s do it.\u00a0 Let\u2019s get your revenge.\u00a0 All we have to work out is how.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then, predictably, Uncle Freddy hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know \u2013 the Cartwrights are powerful men\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

That was Uncle Freddy all over.\u00a0 Talked big, but when the cards were down \u2013 well, actually, he did all right when actual<\/em> cards were down, but anything with bigger stakes, anything more dangerous, he got twitchy.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, it\u2019ll be a risk,\u201d Young Fred said, leaning forward and stabbing one finger against the tabletop.\u00a0 \u201cBut that ain\u2019t a problem \u2013 risks are my business.\u00a0 It\u2019s all a matter of playing the odds.\u00a0 You don\u2019t get anywhere, in cards or in life, if you never take a gamble.\u00a0 And those three down there \u2013 they deserve whatever we give \u2018em, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u2026\u201d Uncle Freddy said slowly.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I bet there\u2019s a whole lot we can get out<\/em> of \u2018em too \u2013 they\u2019re rich men, aren\u2019t they?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest spread in Nevada.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere you go!\u00a0 Revenge and money all around.\u00a0 We just need to work out the details.\u201d<\/p>\n

Young Fred didn\u2019t wait for his uncle\u2019s agreement.\u00a0 He just tipped his chair to the side again, studying the Cartwrights down below, thinking through possibilities.\u00a0 Sure, Uncle Freddy seemed to have his main grudge against big Hoss Cartwright \u2013 but looking at the man\u2019s sheer size, he wasn\u2019t an appealing one to take on.\u00a0 Definitely not someone Young Fred wanted to tackle alone \u2013 and he did<\/em> have friends he could call in, but even so\u2026why choose the hardest target?\u00a0 The man in black, well, that clothing was calculated to say he was dangerous, and even if that was only for show \u2013 he was almost as tall as his bigger brother.\u00a0 Not so easy to take down either.<\/p>\n

But the last one.\u00a0 The smallest one.\u00a0 Young Fred grinned, and let a gleeful giggle escape his lips, even though he knew the high-pitched sound unnerved his uncle \u2013 and a lot of people.\u00a0 That\u2019s exactly why he liked it.\u00a0 \u201cAll right,\u201d he said, thunking his chair back onto all four legs and leaning over the table again.\u00a0 \u201cHere\u2019s what we\u2019re going to do.\u00a0 They know you, so we can\u2019t let them see you.\u00a0 But they don\u2019t know me<\/em>.\u00a0 That means I\u2019ll be the one to make first contact.\u00a0 I just need you to tell me more about them, so I\u2019ll know how to approach them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSeems logical,\u201d Uncle Freddy said, nodding \u2013 and playing nervously with his cards still.\u00a0 \u201cThen what, after you make contact?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen,\u201d Young Fred said with relish, \u201cwe separate the little one from his big brothers.\u00a0 And find out how much they\u2019ll pay to get him back.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Down at the bar, the Cartwrights were on their second round of beer, unaware that they were being observed by anyone at all.\u00a0 Hoss was only thinking what a nice evening it was likely to be, as he took a long swallow of his drink and said, \u201cYou know, we ought to do this more often.\u00a0 Taking trips together, I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dark looks were returned to him from either side, both of his brothers appearing united in their opinion of the words.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt rained the entire time we were in San Francisco,\u201d Adam pointed out.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I lost every dime I had at poker,\u201d Little Joe reminded him.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the saloon girls had colds, because of the weather,\u201d Adam continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Adam wouldn\u2019t let me get near even the ones who didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam rolled his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cThey just wanted to fleece you, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe squinted at him.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I know, but after<\/em> I lost all my money at the poker tables anyway\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least no one got shanghaied this time,\u201d Hoss broke in, determined to put a good face on things.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just think,\u201d Joe continued with dogged determination, \u201cthat the Bull of the Woods could\u2019ve picked a better week for a trip, that\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re the one who wanted a rest after we finished supplying all that timber.\u00a0 Anyway,\u201d he said, picking up his beer again, \u201cat least it probably did Pa some good, running the ranch on his own for a while.\u00a0 Remind him he can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was just like older brother, thinking out every angle.\u00a0 \u201cYeah,\u201d Hoss said, as Joe nodded too.\u00a0 It had been a rough go recently, with Pa giving up on running the Ponderosa after a timber accident.\u00a0 Hoss didn\u2019t know when he\u2019d been more relieved, seeing Pa picking up the reins again.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019ll be good to get home too,\u201d Hoss said after a moment, \u201cand see Pa.\u201d\u00a0 If they left at a decent time tomorrow, they ought to be home by nightfall.<\/p>\n

That finally got Little Joe and Adam both to nod in agreement with him, and then Joe gestured around the room with his beer.\u00a0 \u201cWe should\u2019ve just come here to begin with instead of going all the way to San Francisco.\u00a0 This is a nice place.\u00a0 Big for a town this small.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a new build,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cThe town\u2019s been growing recently, ever since that drought broke a couple years back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, isn\u2019t that the Cartwrights?\u201d a voice called from behind them, and the three brothers turned as one.\u00a0 Because those were the kind of words that could be the beginning of a pleasant conversation among friends, or the start of big trouble.<\/p>\n

In this case, though, the dark-haired man approaching was smiling, and looked vaguely familiar.\u00a0 Hoss had to hunt for the name \u2013 Bill\u2026something.\u00a0 Collins, maybe?\u00a0 Hoss would have been hard-pressed to place him if he\u2019d met him somewhere else, but considering where they were, he managed to dredge up the memory.\u00a0 Bill owned a farm near here, was one of the people they\u2019d met during that big drought, when they came out this way trying to help with Adam\u2019s windmill idea.<\/p>\n

That history made for a lot of good feeling and handshakes all around, and Bill waved another man over.\u00a0 \u201cJimmy, come meet my friends the Cartwrights.\u00a0 This is my cousin Jimmy.\u201d<\/p>\n

That would explain the strong resemblance between the two men, but it didn\u2019t explain why Joe was suddenly straightening up, expression hard.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve met before, haven\u2019t we, Jimmy?\u00a0 I don\u2019t think I got your name last time \u2013 before one of your friends hit me over the head.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss looked back and forth between them, trying to assess if there was about to be a fight and if he needed to step in.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t sure what this piece of history was \u2013 Joe\u2019d been hit over the head too many times for that detail to narrow things down much.<\/p>\n

Jimmy didn\u2019t look like a man itching to fight.\u00a0 In fact, he looked downright anguished.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry about that.\u00a0 There was nothing I could do, the way Colonel Chapin ran the town.\u00a0 But that\u2019s why I\u2019m here now \u2013 I left, once I saw how bad it could really be.\u00a0 I saw what kind of people we were all turning into, following the Colonel.\u201d<\/p>\n

The name was the tip-off \u2013 Joe\u2019d tangled with Colonel Chapin\u2019s men pretty recently, during those bad days when they\u2019d thought somebody had bushwhacked Pa.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all in the past,\u201d Bill spoke up, looking anxiously between faces.\u00a0 \u201cJimmy\u2019s all right, I promise you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss looked at Joe, was relieved to see little brother relaxing.\u00a0 \u201cAll right,\u201d Joe said, not exactly warmly but not like he was squaring up to fight anymore either.\u00a0 \u201cI understand.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen mob towns before.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Adam apparently saw that as the moment to intervene to smooth things down further.\u00a0 \u201cHow about beers all around?\u00a0 We\u2019ll drink to better futures.\u00a0 Bill, how\u2019s your windmill?\u00a0 Still drawing up water fine?\u201d<\/p>\n

Bill broke into a broad smile.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s like a miracle, that is.\u00a0 Jimmy, I told you about the Cartwrights, remember, and how they helped us with those windmills a few years back.\u00a0 I never thought it would work, but it did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss would\u2019ve accepted that as a compliment and part of the general effort to get a good feeling going, but Adam smiled and said, in the tone that meant he\u2019d launch into a long lecture if anyone gave him half a chance, \u201cIt was all based on perfectly sound principles.\u00a0 There was nothing miraculous about it.\u00a0 Anyone with the right knowledge could have done it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bill laughed.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe so, but you were the folks with the knowledge.\u00a0 Seems pretty impressive to me, even if you can\u2019t break the laws of physics.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2.<\/em><\/p>\n

By the time he got to the bottom of his second mug of beer, Joe was convinced the evening was going downhill after all and was itching for a way to turn it around again.\u00a0 It had begun well \u2013 this was a good saloon, and even if he and Adam were going to rib Hoss about their terrible trip, well, in a way all the misadventures just made it that much better that they\u2019d be home tomorrow.\u00a0 And tonight, he was in the mood for a good saloon with his brothers.<\/p>\n

But then Jimmy from Colonel Chapin\u2019s town had shown up unexpectedly, and even though he really did believe the man didn\u2019t mean any harm \u2013 he\u2019d never shown that much initiative before \u2013 it was still unsettling.\u00a0 And then, much worse, Adam settled into an extended technical discussion with Bill and Jimmy about the physics of windmills; Joe was proud of the part he\u2019d played in that during the drought, but that didn\u2019t mean he wanted to talk about the details all night.\u00a0 And Hoss, who he might have counted on as an ally, was sitting there looking rapt while Adam talked about water depths.<\/p>\n

His own eyes were glazing over, so it wasn\u2019t an entirely unwelcome interruption when someone jostled him from behind and said, \u201cSorry, friend, wasn\u2019t watching where I was going.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe turned, to see a man about his own age, with a wisp of mustache and a friendly grin.\u00a0 \u201cNo harm done.\u201d\u00a0 He\u2019d tipped his beer out, but it had been mostly empty anyway, and the bartender was already approaching with a rag for the spill.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me buy you a new beer,\u201d the stranger said, with a nod to the spill, then held up two fingers for the bartender.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s all right,\u201d Joe protested, hefting his empty mug.\u00a0 \u201cI drank most of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI insist.\u201d\u00a0 The stranger extended a hand.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m Fred Bateman.\u201d\u00a0 His mouth twisted into a self-deprecating smile.\u00a0 \u201cSometimes called Young Fred, but I\u2019ve been trying to shed that recently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now that was a coincidence.\u00a0 Joe shook hands.\u00a0 \u201cJoe Cartwright, sometimes Little Joe.\u00a0 Not much luck shedding that either.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, now that\u2019s funny,\u201d Fred said, grinning again, and accepted a beer from the bartender.\u00a0 He lifted it in salute.\u00a0 \u201cHere\u2019s to convincing our relatives that we\u2019re not kids anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe picked up the second mug, and hoisted it too.\u00a0 \u201cLet me know if you find a way.\u201d<\/p>\n

They both drank, and then Fred asked, \u201cYou new in town?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust passing through.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSame here, only I can\u2019t seem to scrape together the money to keep moving.\u201d\u00a0 He laughed, a surprisingly high-pitched note that made Joe grin too.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe if I stopped losing my wages at poker, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I\u2019ve been there,\u201d Joe admitted.\u00a0 Losing at cards might not be the smartest way to spend an evening, but it beat talking about water levels and wind speed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn fact,\u201d Fred said, leaning in closer as though imparting secrets, \u201cI happen to know there\u2019s a good game going upstairs.\u00a0 I was just heading that way, if you want to join me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa had managed to drill some<\/em> responsibility into him, so Joe hesitated and asked, \u201cYou sure that\u2019s a good idea, if you\u2019re trying to save money?\u201d<\/p>\n

Fred clapped him on the back.\u00a0 \u201cHey, I\u2019ve got good luck tonight \u2013 it\u2019s not every day you meet someone who understands about unfortunate nicknames.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe didn\u2019t know if he\u2019d go that<\/em> far in describing his own nickname \u2013 though there had been days\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd besides,\u201d Fred continued with a wink, \u201cwhat\u2019s the next town got that\u2019s better than here anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n

Well, it wasn\u2019t his money to lose.\u00a0 And, it belatedly occurred to Joe, he didn\u2019t have<\/em> his own money to lose.\u00a0 \u201cSounds fine.\u00a0 Let me just talk to my brother for a minute\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

The other man\u2019s smile shifted into something more like a smirk.\u00a0 \u201cYou need big brother\u2019s permission?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course not,\u201d Joe shot back \u2013 but he didn\u2019t really want Fred to see what he did need.\u00a0 \u201cYou go upstairs \u2013 I\u2019ll catch up.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man shrugged but headed towards the stairs, and Joe turned to nudge Hoss\u2019 arm.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Hoss, loan me twenty bucks?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Hoss said, straightening up and turning away from the deeply absorbing conversation about irrigation methods.\u00a0 His eyes narrowed suspiciously.\u00a0 \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just heard about this poker game\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe, you already<\/em> lost a month\u2019s wages\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a new game, new players, this is how I can make up my losses,\u201d Joe said with his most winning smile.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, I\u2019ll pay you back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss grumbled \u2013 but he reached into his wallet and handed over a few bills.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, big brother,\u201d Joe said, folding the money into his own pocket.\u00a0 \u201cYou won\u2019t regret it!\u201d<\/p>\n

He made for the stairs before Hoss could change his mind or Adam could catch on to the situation.\u00a0 He went up the steps two at a time, and at the top found that the second level was much emptier than the room down below.\u00a0 Fred was standing by the stairs, but the only other person up here was a dark-haired man sitting at a table way off in a back corner.\u00a0 He was shuffling cards, sure, but this still wasn\u2019t what Joe had expected.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey,\u201d he said to Fred, \u201cI thought you said there was a poker game.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s right this way,\u201d Fred said with a smile, putting a hand on his shoulder to guide him towards the one occupied table.<\/p>\n

As they got closer, something seemed sort of familiar.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen the face of the man with the cards before, but he couldn\u2019t place him.\u00a0 The cards, though, maybe he\u2019d seen him playing cards before\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, don\u2019t I know you?\u201d Joe asked.\u00a0 \u201cDid you ever live in\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Pain crashed into the back of his skull, and he just barely managed to think that he shouldn\u2019t have let Fred get behind him before he slumped down and the world went quietly away.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Little Joe Cartwright was heavier than Young Fred had expected.\u00a0 Or maybe Uncle Freddy wasn\u2019t that helpful trying to haul him towards a back room.\u00a0 Not for the first time, he wished he had an uncle who was really good in a fistfight instead of at cards.<\/p>\n

And who had a stronger stomach for this sort of thing.\u00a0 \u201cThat was risky,\u201d Uncle Freddy hissed, as they wrestled Little Joe through the doorway into the hall that ran along the back of the building.\u00a0 \u201cIf he had gotten one yell off to warn his brothers\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he didn\u2019t,\u201d Young Fred countered.\u00a0 \u201cAnd what\u2019d I say about risks?\u00a0 Relax, Uncle Freddy.\u00a0 It\u2019s all going perfect.\u00a0 Everything you told me about him was just right to get him off his guard.\u201d\u00a0 That bit about the nickname had been genius.\u00a0 Truth was, Young Fred didn\u2019t actually mind his own nickname \u2013 he was<\/em> young, and that was better than being old and scared like his uncle.\u00a0 Even if there were only ten years between them, some people just thought<\/em> old.\u00a0 Though he did wish Uncle Freddy would stop treating him like a kid<\/em>.\u00a0 There was a difference.<\/p>\n

They dumped Little Joe on the floor of a store room at the end of the hall.\u00a0 It was no permanent solution, but it would work for now.<\/p>\n

Young Fred pulled a roll of rope off the nearest shelf and set to work tying Little Joe\u2019s hands.\u00a0 \u201cOnce I\u2019ve got him trussed up, you can keep an eye on him while I go get the boys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Uncle Freddy shifted, and here came the objections again.\u00a0 \u201cDo we have to involve them?\u00a0 They\u2019re such a rough crew\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need back-up.\u00a0 And I can handle them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Uncle Freddy never liked the friends Young Fred found.\u00a0 They\u2019d been knocking along together for almost a year, and it always followed the same pattern.\u00a0 They hit a town, Uncle Freddy carved out a space at a poker table somewhere, and Young Fred worked out who the toughest cuss in town was.\u00a0 Then he knocked him flat, and stepped into command of whatever gang he\u2019d been running \u2013 and that type always had some group of hangers-on and underlings around them.\u00a0 Fast guns, short-tempered drunks, the ones ladies crossed the street to avoid.\u00a0 And all that suited Young Fred just fine.\u00a0 He knew how to talk to that sort, to promise them big money and grand adventure, and to throw a punch where it was needed.\u00a0 So Uncle Freddy earned whatever he could at poker, and Young Fred found a way to\u2026pick up some money on the side.\u00a0 And when things got too hot, the two of them headed for the next town and left the local boys behind to take the fall.\u00a0 It was a nice system, all around, and maybe this was finally the town where he\u2019d be able to parlay it into real money.<\/p>\n

He finished tying off the last knot and stood up.\u00a0 \u201cYou stay out of sight, keep him<\/em> out of sight, and I\u2019ll be back soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t give Uncle Freddy time to object, just slipped out the storeroom door, loped down the hall and out a backdoor of the saloon.\u00a0 Back stairs down to the street, cut through some alleys over to the livery stable, where the boys were sitting on hay bales, playing poker and drinking moonshine.\u00a0 It always paid to get someone working at the livery stable in your gang \u2013 gave you easy access to horses when you needed them in a hurry.<\/p>\n

The boys looked up at his approach, with grins and a lot of \u201chey, boss\u201d and \u201cgive up on the fancy-dancy saloon?\u201d<\/p>\n

They were the same sort of disreputable group he gathered in every town, and he\u2019d only bothered to learn half their names.\u00a0 He always got his boys to wear red neckerchiefs.\u00a0 Made them feel like they were a part of something, and<\/em> it made it easier to keep straight who was on his side when a situation got heated.\u00a0 After enough towns, all the faces started to blur together.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe saloon was all right,\u201d he said, sitting down on a haybale in the midst of the circle and straightening his own yellow neckerchief.\u00a0 Red didn\u2019t suit him.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got a job for us.\u00a0 Something real<\/em> this time around.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3.<\/em><\/p>\n

It was a couple of hours before Hoss started to get the itch that something was wrong.\u00a0 Or some time like that.\u00a0 He\u2019d sort of lost track.\u00a0 He had figured, when he loaned Joe the twenty bucks, that little brother would come back pretty quick, empty-handed and full of excuses.\u00a0 And meanwhile Hoss was trying to follow what Adam was talking about, about the windmills and the water, and then even though Bill was married, Jimmy wasn\u2019t and even though he was new in town he\u2019d already met all the saloon girls, and they moved to a table and bought a few of \u2018em drinks and one of \u2018em started singing and all in all, it was a good long while before Hoss realized that Little Joe ought to have turned up way before this.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey,\u201d Hoss said, nudging Adam, who was listening attentively to the saloon girl warbling about loves and doves, \u201cyou seen Little Joe lately?\u201d\u00a0 He knew Adam hadn\u2019t seen him to talk to him, but maybe he\u2019d noticed him across the room or something.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not since he was with us at the bar,\u201d Adam said, gaze not wavering from the singer.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 I\u2019m gonna go look around,\u201d Hoss said, picking up his hat from the table.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen Joe head for the stairs, so he\u2019d start that way.\u00a0 Maybe little brother was actually winning at poker.<\/p>\n

Up on the second level, there were a couple of games of cards going on, but Joe wasn\u2019t in any of them.\u00a0 And none of the players had seen a man in a green jacket, even though most of them had been there for more than an hour.<\/p>\n

Getting more worried by the minute, Hoss tried the only door up there, finding just an empty corridor beyond.\u00a0 All the doors along there were locked, except one at the end that opened onto a store room.\u00a0 It was empty.<\/p>\n

Hoss turned and headed back the way he\u2019d come, faster now, until he got back to Adam\u2019s table.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, I can\u2019t find Joe.\u00a0 He\u2019s not anywhere around here.\u201d<\/p>\n

That finally got Adam\u2019s attention off the music \u2013 or maybe off the girl.\u00a0 He looked at Hoss, frowning.\u00a0 \u201cHe could have gone looking for entertainment somewhere else \u2013 or went back to the hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cSure, if we were at The Silver Dollar, but in a strange town like this?\u00a0 He would\u2019ve told us first.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Adam said, frown deepening, \u201cthat\u2019s what I think too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said he was joining a poker game, then he went upstairs.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss frowned, trying to think if he\u2019d seen anything else.\u00a0 \u201cI think \u2013 he was maybe following somebody, but I didn\u2019t see the face.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA female somebody?\u201d<\/p>\n

That could\u2019ve explained a lot, but\u2026\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 I saw that<\/em> much at least.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stood up from the table, dropping a few coins next to his empty mug, and picked up his hat.\u00a0 \u201cWe have to at least start at the hotel.\u00a0 And then we search the rest of this town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bill and Jimmy were at the bar again, Jimmy talking to one of the saloon girls, and the Cartwrights only gave them a nod as they headed out the door.\u00a0 Hoss was already deep in ruminations on how he\u2019d tear this place apart, if that\u2019s what it took to find his little brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019re we going to explain to Pa that we lost<\/em> Little Joe?\u201d he muttered as they stepped outside.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s an adult,\u201d Adam said tersely, the tone that meant he was worried too.\u00a0 \u201cWe can\u2019t watch him all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou watched him pretty tight in San Francisco.\u201d\u00a0 Which might<\/em> be a sign that Joe had just decided to break loose now \u2013 but Hoss couldn\u2019t shake a bad feeling about all this.<\/p>\n

Adam exhaled loudly.\u00a0 \u201cI thought<\/em> San Francisco was the more dangerous place!\u201d<\/p>\n

At least they could probably rule out the idea that Little Joe had been shanghaied.\u00a0 Way too far from the coast for that.<\/p>\n

They were only a couple buildings down from the saloon, the hotel still a block away, when a figure straightened up from leaning up against a wall and stepped into their path.\u00a0 \u201cYou the Cartwrights?\u201d\u00a0 A young man, unfamiliar, looking pretty much like any of the dozens of farmers and cowhands back at the saloon.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are.\u00a0 What about it?\u201d Adam asked, tone cold.<\/p>\n

\u201cFellow gave me a note for you,\u201d the man said, handing over a folded sheet of paper.<\/p>\n

For just a second, Hoss considered that the note could be from Joe.\u00a0 But this wasn\u2019t Joe\u2019s style, and sure enough, the handwriting inside as Adam unfolded it was as unfamiliar as the man who\u2019d given it to him.<\/p>\n

And the message just made Hoss see red \u2013 as red as the bandana tied around the man\u2019s neck.<\/p>\n

If you want to see your little brother again, come to the old oak tree north of town at midnight. No law officers.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hoss surged past Adam to shove the stranger back up against the nearest wall.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s my brother?\u00a0 What\u2019s happened to him?\u201d\u00a0 He grabbed that red bandana, clenched it in his fist.\u00a0 \u201cYou start talking right now\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know anything!\u201d the man squeaked, pushing ineffectually at Hoss\u2019 hands.\u00a0 \u201cSomebody gave me the note \u2013 I just work at the livery stable!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d Adam asked, re-folding the note.\u00a0 \u201cWho<\/em> gave you the note?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know!\u00a0 He didn\u2019t give me a name, just a quarter for delivering it!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah?\u201d Hoss said, giving him his best glare.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019d he look like?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYoung \u2013 mustache \u2013 I don\u2019t know<\/em>, he was a stranger!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet him go, Hoss,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cIt doesn\u2019t do us or Joe any good to kill the messenger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss grimaced, but released his grip on the man \u2013 who immediately slid away and started running.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t appear it would do much good to chase him.<\/p>\n

Adam was scanning up and down the street.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, back to the saloon.\u00a0 I don\u2019t like how many shadows there are out here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inside the saloon, there was noise and light and music, everybody talking and drinking just like the whole world hadn\u2019t gone and turned upside down.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019re we gonna do, Adam?\u201d Hoss asked urgently, as older brother slid into a seat at a corner table, a spot where he could watch the rest of the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m thinking,\u201d Adam said, frowning.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I think \u2013 we\u2019d better go out to the oak tree.\u00a0 We\u2019ll have to find out where it is, but we have time; midnight\u2019s about two hours from now.\u00a0 How much money do you have on you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot much,\u201d Hoss admitted.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t lost all his money in San Francisco like Joe, but he\u2019d spent plenty of it.\u00a0 And he\u2019d loaned twenty to Joe too.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe neither.\u00a0 They probably expected that.\u00a0 We\u2019ll need to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThought you boys had left for the night.\u201d<\/p>\n

They both looked up to see Bill and Jimmy approaching, both still smiling like this was a perfectly nice evening they were all having.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, we\u2019ve got us a problem,\u201d Hoss said, and at Adam\u2019s confirming nod, went on to explain the situation.<\/p>\n

By the time they\u2019d more or less got the story clear, Bill was shaking his head, not in disbelief but apparent horror.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t imagine \u2013 such a terrible thing.\u201d\u00a0 He hesitated, then said with apparent reluctance, \u201cThere have<\/em> been reports of a group of Indians riding in the area the last few days\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the man from the livery would have mentioned that<\/em>,\u201d Adam said, \u201cinstead of a mustache.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, of course,\u201d Bill said quickly, \u201cbut why anyone would want to harm Little Joe\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss had his eye on Jimmy, who had sunk lower in his chair and was staring down at the tabletop.\u00a0 \u201cHey,\u201d Hoss said quietly, \u201cyou and Joe had some bad blood, yeah?\u00a0 Some kind of history from Colonel Chapin\u2019s town?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jimmy\u2019s head jerked up, his face pale.\u00a0 \u201cI swear, I had nothing to do with this \u2013 I swear it!\u00a0 I left<\/em> the Colonel after your brother came to town.\u00a0 I saw how he stood up to Colonel Chapin, and I realized how spineless we\u2019d all become \u2013 how we\u2019d let him push us into doing anything.\u00a0 That\u2019s when I knew I couldn\u2019t stay there anymore, if I wanted to have any self-respect again.\u00a0 I owe<\/em> your brother for helping me see that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man could be lying.\u00a0 But Hoss thought he could hear the ring of truth in the protests \u2013 and while in some ways it would be easier<\/em>, if they had one of the parties responsible right here, he didn\u2019t think they did.\u00a0 He looked at Adam, who nodded again, and Hoss grudgingly said, \u201cAll right then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can we help?\u201d Bill asked quickly.\u00a0 \u201cWhat can we do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you know about an old oak tree north of town?\u201d Adam asked, tapping the note against the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a big dead oak,\u201d Bill said, \u201cmaybe a mile out on the north road.\u00a0 It died in the drought.\u00a0 Only tree for miles around in that direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo no cover around there either?\u201d Adam asked, and Bill shook his head.\u00a0 Adam sighed.\u00a0 \u201cAll right.\u00a0 Hoss and I have an appointment there at midnight.\u00a0 Somebody\u2019s probably watching us, to make sure we don\u2019t go to the law.\u00a0 But it\u2019s not likely they\u2019re watching you<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

And pretty soon, they had at least the beginnings of a plan.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4.<\/em><\/p>\n

Joe hated that he didn\u2019t know where he was.\u00a0 He hated that he\u2019d been caught unawares, and now he\u2019d have to admit that to Hoss and Adam \u2013 if he ever got the chance.\u00a0 He hated that his head hurt and he was hungry, and he really<\/em> hated that his captors had stolen his jacket.<\/p>\n

He had only a vague recollection of being tied up in some kind of storeroom \u2013 maybe it was at the saloon, maybe it was somewhere else.\u00a0 It had been pretty dim, and his head had hurt.\u00a0 The fog had barely been starting to clear when somebody\u2019d put a blindfold on him and he was dumped into a wagon \u2013 judging by the creaking and the movement and the bits of hay.\u00a0 They\u2019d gone \u2013 somewhere.\u00a0 Maybe by daylight he could\u2019ve made some guess at direction, even blindfolded, just by the way the sunlight felt, but at night, he had no idea.\u00a0 All he knew was that they\u2019d driven long enough to be somewhere away from town.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d pulled off the blindfold once they arrived and dumped him on the floor in a corner.\u00a0 He felt better being able to see \u2013 even if he knew it wasn\u2019t a good sign, in a situation like this.\u00a0 Or maybe they just figured they didn\u2019t have anything to hide, since he\u2019d already seen their faces.\u00a0 And they seemed to really want to rub the whole thing in.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t Hoss\u2019 fault, what happened to Sheribelle,\u201d he said, not for the first time this evening.\u00a0 His gaze roamed around the small shelter for the hundredth time as he spoke, as though he\u2019d finally spot an overlooked gun or opportunity for a signal fire that he\u2019d missed before.\u00a0 They were in some kind of way station or line shack, the kind that dotted big ranches and open stretches all through the territory.\u00a0 It was too solid to crash through any walls, too dusty to expect the owners to be riding up any time soon.<\/p>\n

Freddy Grayson, the poker player, the one whose name he just barely remembered from a few years back in Virginia City, glared at him from his spot in the shack\u2019s one chair.\u00a0 \u201cIt was<\/em> his fault, him and his big dumb friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss felt really bad about Sheribelle\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot as bad as he felt about that ape who murdered her,\u201d Freddy spat, \u201cand he got the whole town thinking that way too.\u00a0 No one cared about his victim<\/em>.\u00a0 She was just a saloon girl!\u201d<\/p>\n

One who\u2019d provoked and bullied and meant to fleece poor Arnie \u2013 which wasn\u2019t saying she deserved what had happened, only that Joe personally didn\u2019t miss her at the saloon.\u00a0 \u201cNobody was thinking that.\u00a0 And it\u2019s not like Hoss campaigned or something, he just\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEnough<\/em>,\u201d Young Fred Bateman broke in, rapping one hand against the table he was propped up against.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve been around these same circles with him five times, Uncle Freddy.\u00a0 It\u2019s not helping.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe wouldn\u2019t have pegged these two as relatives \u2013 no resemblance he could see.\u00a0 But people never saw a resemblance between him and Hoss either, so anything was possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust accept it, Little<\/em> Joe,\u201d Bateman continued.\u00a0 \u201cHe wants revenge, and I want money.\u00a0 And you\u2019re our ticket to both of them.\u00a0 And speaking of that\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He picked up the green jacket he\u2019d tossed onto the table earlier, inspected it for a moment, then folded it over his arm.\u00a0 \u201c\u2026we\u2019ve got an appointment to keep with your big brothers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe dragged his gaze away from the green corduroy, focused on Bateman\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cShouldn\u2019t you take me with you?\u00a0 Prove you\u2019ve actually got me to bargain with?\u201d\u00a0 And maybe open up some opportunity for escape.<\/p>\n

Bateman shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, you seemed smarter at the saloon.\u00a0 The jacket<\/em> proves we have you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I got<\/em> that,\u201d Joe said through gritted teeth.\u00a0 He was almost sure that Freddy had left Virginia City before he\u2019d bought the green jacket everyone knew him by now.\u00a0 It was worth a gamble, anyway.\u00a0 \u201cBut it\u2019s just a jacket.\u00a0 They might not even remember I was wearing it tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2026\u201d Bateman drawled, and smoothed his mustache, \u201cI guess if they don\u2019t<\/em> believe us, and don\u2019t<\/em> pay up for you \u2013 then I won\u2019t get my money, but Uncle Freddy will definitely get his revenge.\u00a0 And that\u2019ll be fun too.\u201d\u00a0 Then he laughed his high-pitched giggle \u2013 and it sounded much eerier now than it had in the saloon.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re done playing,\u201d Freddy said, looking unsettled too, \u201clet\u2019s go.\u00a0 We told them to meet at midnight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, all right.\u201d\u00a0 Bateman opened the shack\u2019s single door, leaned out.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Kyle, get in here.\u201d<\/p>\n

A thin young man stepped inside, red bandana bright around his neck.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, boss?\u201d<\/p>\n

Bateman nodded at Joe.\u00a0 \u201cKeep an eye on him.\u00a0 And you\u2014\u201d\u00a0 He turned his gaze on Joe.\u00a0 \u201c\u2014don\u2019t try anything.\u00a0 There\u2019s three more men with guns on guard outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI liked you better,\u201d Joe said sourly, \u201cwhen you were just knocking over my beer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The giggle floated behind Bateman as he and Freddy walked out the door.\u00a0 Joe eyed Kyle \u2013 and his gun \u2013 and settled in to wait for further developments.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t the first seemingly hopeless position he\u2019d been in.\u00a0 Something could change any time, and if it did, he\u2019d be ready.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Five horsemen were already waiting at the oak tree when Hoss and Adam rode up.\u00a0 Their silhouettes stood out starkly against the starlit sky in this flat terrain, the twisted branches of the dead oak rustling eerily above them.\u00a0 Hoss shivered, even though the night was warm.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t prone to getting spooked, but this whole situation was all wrong every which way.<\/p>\n

\u201cCould be worse,\u201d Adam muttered as they brought the horses closer, \u201ccould\u2019ve been four horsemen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss shot him a quizzical look.\u00a0 \u201cWhy is it better to be more<\/em> out-numbered?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not, I meant the apocalyptic symbolism.\u00a0 You know, the four horsemen of the\u2026never mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss decided that maybe it all meant that older brother was uneasy too.\u00a0 Which was not reassuring.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, that\u2019s close enough,\u201d a voice called, when they were still beyond the shadow of the oak.<\/p>\n

No one else had dismounted, so Hoss and Adam didn\u2019t either.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re here, like you said,\u201d Adam said into the quiet.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s our brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss had already assessed the riders from a distance.\u00a0 None of them were Little Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot here,\u201d the one in the lead said, the one who\u2019d spoken before.\u00a0 Youngish, a light-colored bandana around his neck.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t look familiar, not even now that they were up closer. \u00a0\u201cAnd you aren\u2019t going to see him until you rich Cartwrights hand over some good solid money for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was so expected that Hoss left it to Adam to deal with, scanning across the faces in front of him.\u00a0 The first couple he looked at were complete strangers.\u00a0 But that<\/em> one \u2013 that was the one who\u2019d brought them the message about meeting here.\u00a0 Hoss\u2019 fists tightened. \u00a0He\u2019d had<\/em> him, and he\u2019d let him go, and he would have had something to say about this but his gaze caught on the next person, another familiar face but an even more surprising one\u2026\u00a0 He stared, squinted, scanned the fancy duds then looked at the face again to make sure, and finally, just as Adam was asking how much money they wanted, he blurted out, \u201cFreddy?\u00a0 Freddy Grayson?\u201d<\/p>\n

Heads, including Adam\u2019s, swung his way, while Freddy, the fancy-dressed card player he hadn\u2019t seen in at least a couple years, sneered at him.\u00a0 \u201cI wondered if you\u2019d even remember me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure I remember you\u2026\u201d\u00a0 And Hoss left unsaid that he remembered Freddy as a nasty sorta snake, guilty of casual cruelty and low-down meanness.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019re you doing here?\u00a0 What\u2019ve you done with Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing as bad as what your friend<\/em> did to Sheribelle,\u201d Freddy spat.\u00a0 \u201cOr don\u2019t you remember her<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I remember her too,\u201d Hoss said heavily.\u00a0 One of the meanest saloon girls he\u2019d ever met \u2013 and he still felt real bad about what had happened to her.\u00a0 And then to Arnie.\u00a0 \u201cIf this is about you and me and Sheribelle, you should\u2019ve left Little Joe out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first speaker let out a high-pitched giggle that did nothing to make the scene less uncanny.\u00a0 Hoss might josh Joe about his hyena laugh, but it had a whole different tone than this<\/em>.\u00a0 \u201cLittle brother was easier to carry away,\u201d the giggler explained, grinning widely, \u201cand Uncle Freddy here was sure his big brothers would pay plenty for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow much,\u201d Adam cut in, \u201cdo you want?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFifty-thousand dollars,\u201d the giggler \u2013 Freddy\u2019s nephew, that was interesting \u2013 said at once.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe aren\u2019t carrying that kind of money,\u201d Adam said evenly.\u00a0 \u201cWe only have fifty dollars between us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Freddy let loose with a short laugh.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you think your brother\u2019s worth more than that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss glared at him.\u00a0 \u201cYou low-down, sneaking\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a bank in this town,\u201d the nephew interrupted.\u00a0 \u201cYou be in there bright and early tomorrow morning, and you persuade them that the Cartwright name is good for a fifty-thousand dollar loan.\u00a0 Because we want that money left here at the oak by noon tomorrow.\u00a0 Once we have it, we let your kid brother go.\u00a0 We don\u2019t get it, well \u2013 the world\u2019s short one Cartwright, and Uncle Freddy feels justice is done for his Sheribelle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll get the money,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cIf<\/em> you actually have Joe.\u00a0 Because so far, you haven\u2019t given us any proof of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe figured you\u2019d say something like that,\u201d the nephew said, and giggled again.\u00a0 Then he reached behind him to get something tied onto his saddle, a crumpled bundle of cloth he threw towards Hoss.<\/p>\n

Hoss caught it, and knew what it was as soon as he touched it.\u00a0 It was hard to make out color in the dark night, but he\u2019d know Little Joe\u2019s green jacket anywhere.\u00a0 His fingers clenched in the soft corduroy and he drew in a slow breath.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Freddy?\u201d he said, feeling a real deep mad boiling up inside.\u00a0 \u201cIf you thought Arnie had a temper, you don\u2019t want to see what I\u2019m gonna do to you if you hurt Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

6.<\/em><\/p>\n

Kyle was a wonderful guard.\u00a0 At least, from Joe\u2019s perspective.\u00a0 Fred Bateman surely wouldn\u2019t agree, seeing as Kyle fell asleep in remarkably short order.\u00a0 Joe watched him for a while before he took a chance on moving, but the man was either pulling a fake for no discernible reason, or fully out and snoring.<\/p>\n

Joe wondered how good this group actually was at what they were doing.\u00a0 Bateman, now \u2013 he had a sinister charm that made Joe suspect he was capable of far too many things.\u00a0 But capable could mean willing and it could mean actually skillful<\/em>, and the one didn\u2019t necessarily follow the other.\u00a0 All this letting him see them wasn\u2019t very professional \u2013 and neither was tying his hands in front of him.<\/p>\n

Once Kyle had been snoring for a solid five minutes, Joe lifted his bound wrists up to his mouth.\u00a0 He\u2019d already studied the knots, and had a pretty good idea which strand to get his teeth into and tug.\u00a0 The hemp rope was dirty and completely nasty, but he managed to loosen the binding just enough to wriggle one hand free.\u00a0 After that, it was simple to undo the ropes around his feet.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t bad<\/em> knots \u2013 but they weren\u2019t professional either.\u00a0 His father had been a sailor, he knew about knots, and this all could have been harder.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been listening for any sounds outside too, and ever since Bateman and his uncle had left, it had been silent out there.\u00a0 He\u2019d never known multiple men on a boring guard duty to not talk to each other, so either Bateman was lying about how many men he had outside, or they were very widely spaced.\u00a0 Maybe far enough apart to slip past.<\/p>\n

Anyway, it was a better shot than sitting here and waiting for Bateman to come back and kill him.\u00a0 Because he knew it didn\u2019t really matter whether Hoss and Adam came up with any money for him.\u00a0 If it was up to his captors, he was dead at the end of this either way.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen their faces; Freddy wanted revenge, and Bateman found that idea far too much fun for Joe\u2019s peace of mind.<\/p>\n

Joe rose carefully to his feet, moved cautiously across the room.\u00a0 The dirt floor was ideal, much better than creaky floorboards.\u00a0 He got around behind Kyle, froze for an instant as the man shifted and then let out an even louder snore.\u00a0 Joe judged angles and positions and then, finally, sprang.\u00a0 He got one hand clamped around Kyle\u2019s mouth and had his fingers on the grip of his gun before the other man was even awake enough to struggle.<\/p>\n

But he did<\/em> wake up, enough to thrash and strain and try to shout through Joe\u2019s fingers, while Joe was still trying to get the gun out of the holster.\u00a0 There was a brief wrestle, chair thumping too loudly, but Joe managed to yank the gun out, lift it, and bring it down against Kyle\u2019s head.\u00a0 The man slumped, and Joe barely hung onto him.\u00a0 The last thing he needed was a loud crash as he fell over, bringing three more guards to the door.<\/p>\n

Joe let go as soon as the chair, and the man unconscious across it, were steady again, whipping the gun up towards the door, just in case, and waited.\u00a0 He was breathing hard, sure they\u2019d made a huge racket \u2013 but the door stayed closed, with no one coming to investigate.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t open it either, because if there was even one real guard out there, he was sure to be in front of that door.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, the back of the shack had an empty window, only a dirty old blanket hanging over it in imitation of a curtain.\u00a0 Joe shifted the blanket aside, gave his eyes a moment to adjust to the darker night beyond, then scrambled up and through.\u00a0 It was a tight fit \u2013 Hoss couldn\u2019t have done it \u2013 but he made it.\u00a0 After a pause to make sure no one had heard him thump down onto the ground, he shoved Kyle\u2019s gun into his belt and set off as fast as stealth allowed.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t know where he was, so he didn\u2019t know where he was going \u2013 but anywhere had to be better than here.<\/p>\n

He stayed low as long as he could take it \u2013 flatland, there was hardly any cover here like there would have been with rocks and pines.\u00a0 But once he felt far enough away, the shack a mere smudge in the distance, blending into the dark sky, he straightened up and tried to look for anything to tell him which way to go.\u00a0 Nothing much in the way of landmarks, and he didn\u2019t know this country well anyway.\u00a0 It would help if he could see the town in the distance, but no.\u00a0 It was too far, or he was going the wrong direction.<\/p>\n

Well, when you only had one indicator to tell you direction, better just go with it.\u00a0 Looking up to the night sky, Joe picked out the North Star.\u00a0 All things being equal, at least keeping straight would get him away from where he\u2019d started.\u00a0 North was the easiest way to keep track of, so north he\u2019d go.\u00a0 And with any luck, he\u2019d find something<\/em> along the way.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Part Two: A Private Little War<\/em><\/p>\n

7.<\/em><\/p>\n

Nothing else went wrong on the ride back to the hotel, which Hoss didn\u2019t find to be any particular comfort.\u00a0 Enough<\/em> had already gone wrong.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe ain\u2019t gonna be able to convince the bank to give us fifty-thousand dollars,\u201d he said worriedly as they stepped into the hotel lobby.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cWe ain\u2019t depositors in this bank, and just because we helped build some windmills\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Adam started up the broad staircase to the hotel\u2019s upper floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe we ought to telegraph Pa.\u00a0 He\u2019d want to know\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe can\u2019t get here before that noon deadline they gave us, so what good would it do?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss sighed heavily as they turned the corner on the hotel hallway.\u00a0 \u201cI know.\u00a0 I just \u2013 I don\u2019t like any of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I wouldn\u2019t think so,\u201d Adam said dryly.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s at least find out more before we decide whether to upset Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were supposed to get home tomorrow.\u201d\u00a0 The prospect had never looked more appealing, now that it was vanishing in the distance.<\/p>\n

Adam just nodded, and pushed open the door of their hotel room.<\/p>\n

Two men were sitting inside, breaking off their conversation as the door opened.\u00a0 But it was the right two men \u2013 Bill and a man wearing a sheriff\u2019s badge.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyone see you come in here?\u201d Adam asked, and Bill shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, we circled around and came in by the back door.\u201d\u00a0 The sheriff\u2019s office was just across the street from the hotel, but anybody could have seen them come that way.\u00a0 It was better that they\u2019d been cautious.<\/p>\n

They \u2013 mostly Adam \u2013 had reasoned that there were strong odds Joe\u2019s captors had somebody watching his brothers.\u00a0 Making it too risky for Hoss and Adam<\/em> to go to the law.\u00a0 But it wasn\u2019t so likely they were watching Bill.<\/p>\n

The sheriff stood up, to shake hands with Adam and then Hoss in turn.\u00a0 \u201cSheriff Rawlins.\u00a0 You did the right thing getting me involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss wished they could have got Roy Coffee involved, but he was as far away as Pa and the Ponderosa right now.\u00a0 He had to hope Rawlins would be competent.\u00a0 He was an older, lean man, and if his tone was a little patronizing \u2013 well, hopefully nobody got to that age in this profession without knowing at least a few things.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t mind telling you, this is a bad business,\u201d Rawlins said, shaking his head as he sat down again.\u00a0 \u201cMost times, abductions don\u2019t come out well for anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo let\u2019s see about creating an exception,\u201d Adam said, polite enough but Hoss could detect an edge in his voice.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019ve just given us a demand for fifty-thousand dollars, left at the old oak tree by noon tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rawlins kept shaking his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I don\u2019t like that either, I don\u2019t like that at all.\u00a0 There\u2019s nothing to stop them killing your brother as soon as you\u2019ve handed the money over.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich is why,\u201d Adam said, \u201cwe have to hope Jimmy\u2019s having some success with following them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure you should have taken a risk like that,\u201d Rawlins said, \u201cwithout getting the law involved.\u00a0 He\u2019s a civilian after all, and if they spot him\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe volunteered,\u201d Hoss rumbled.\u00a0 \u201cAnd we had to do something.\u00a0 Because we ain\u2019t letting no low-down varmints kill Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Young Fred flung the chair across the shack, where it bounced against the wall and didn\u2019t even have the decency to break.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean he got away<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kyle was sitting on the floor, one hand pressed to the back of his head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know, he jumped me somehow\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was tied-up<\/em>.\u00a0 You had a gun<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n

Kyle cringed.\u00a0 \u201cI know, but \u2013 he just \u2013 it was\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Kyle must have fallen asleep.\u00a0 And Little Joe Cartwright had<\/em> to be clever.<\/p>\n

Young Fred glowered at the chair that had refused to shatter, and considering throwing it again.\u00a0 But what would be the point?\u00a0 It<\/em> wasn\u2019t to blame for anything.\u00a0 Slapping Kyle around was tempting and might even be satisfying, but it wouldn\u2019t solve anything either.<\/p>\n

This was the problem with working with amateurs.\u00a0 Someday, he wouldn\u2019t be picking up local toughs in every new town.\u00a0 He\u2019d have a proper<\/em> gang, professionals who knew what they were doing.\u00a0 Ones he could rely on, who could keep track of prisoners or keep quiet about stolen loot \u2013 people who were in a different league than these kids<\/em> he kept dealing with.<\/p>\n

But for now, they were what he had.\u00a0 \u201cYou didn\u2019t see which way he went?\u201d he demanded of Kyle, who winced and cringed some more.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe already told you he didn\u2019t,\u201d Uncle Freddy spoke up, stepping into the shack\u2019s narrow doorway.\u00a0 \u201cWe should have left more men on guard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know<\/em> that,\u201d Young Fred said savagely.\u00a0 They should have left anyone<\/em> on guard outside the shack, but they only had the four men and he\u2019d wanted to put on a good show for the Cartwrights.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t figured on Joe Cartwright causing trouble.\u00a0 And that was his<\/em> mistake, not Kyle\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is bad,\u201d Uncle Freddy said, walking into the shack and leaning on the rickety table.\u00a0 \u201cIf the kid gets back to town, and finds his brothers or the sheriff\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s on foot, and he doesn\u2019t know which direction the town is,\u201d Young Fred countered.<\/p>\n

Uncle Freddy\u2019s eyebrows pulled together.\u00a0 \u201cWe don\u2019t know how well he knows this country\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not from here, and this country is empty<\/em>.\u00a0 Nothing to tell him which way to go.\u00a0 He\u2019s wandering in the wilderness, so all we have to do is get out there and find<\/em> him.\u00a0 Quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s dark.\u00a0 We can\u2019t track in the dark.\u201d<\/p>\n

Young Fred wondered which rancher or mountain man Uncle Freddy had heard that from.\u00a0 Probably while sitting in some saloon somewhere, playing his games of cards, because it wasn\u2019t like Uncle Freddy would know how to track someone by daylight either.\u00a0 \u201cSo we split up.\u00a0 Flat land, anybody walking out there will be visible for a long way.\u00a0 There\u2019s six of us. \u00a0We can cover a lot of country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Uncle Freddy looked like he was going to object some more, so Young Fred walked past him and out the door of the shack.\u00a0 Sometimes, the only way forward was to move fast enough to keep the other guy from having time to get in your way.<\/p>\n

Outside, the rest of the gang was standing by the horses, looking worried, but Young Fred didn\u2019t go talk to them right away either.\u00a0 He took a deep breath of the still night air, looked around at the empty landscape and the stars overhead.<\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t see any fleeing Cartwright on the horizon, but he was<\/em> having a hunch.<\/p>\n

North.\u00a0 He\u2019d send everybody to different points of the compass, and he<\/em> was going to go north.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

8.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 patience broke at dawn.\u00a0 The sun\u2019s rays speared over the horizon, and revealed exactly what had already been clear for the past half-hour in the pre-dawn dim \u2013 a whole lot of stillness.\u00a0 The shack Jimmy had led them to was deserted.\u00a0 They\u2019d left the horses behind and crept up to crouch behind the old wagon standing not far from the shack \u2013 him, Adam, the sheriff, Jimmy and Bill.\u00a0 The waiting and the tension since then had gone on for just about as long as Hoss could stand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI say we move in,\u201d Hoss said, and looked at Adam.<\/p>\n

Adam gave a slight nod.\u00a0 \u201cI agree,\u201d he said, and Hoss felt a small portion of his tension ease.\u00a0 Because if Adam agreed, they\u2019d do it.\u00a0 Somehow.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d the sheriff said, and scratched up under his hat.\u00a0 \u201cCould be risky.\u00a0 Might be best if we wait until full light\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no one <\/em>there,\u201d Hoss growled.\u00a0 He had a new theory on how Sheriff Rawlins had survived to his older age in his dangerous profession \u2013 by taking no risks, ever.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s no horses, no movement, nothing.\u00a0 We go in now, and we try to figure out what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we\u2019re sure it\u2019s the right place?\u201d the sheriff said, looking over his shoulder at Jimmy.<\/p>\n

The other man nodded vigorously.\u00a0 \u201cI followed the riders from the oak, and they came here.\u201d\u00a0 His face twisted up.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe I should have waited, to see what they did next, but I thought I ought to get back to town as soon as possible\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou did fine,\u201d Hoss rumbled, \u201cand we appreciate it.\u00a0 Now let\u2019s go<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll lead,\u201d Adam said, standing up.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, I don\u2019t know\u2026\u201d Sheriff Rawlins said slowly, but Adam kept walking.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll handle this,\u201d Adam said without looking back, and that was enough to tell Hoss that older brother was at least as exasperated with the local law enforcement as he was himself.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t comment on it, just stood up and moved to flank Adam, both of them with guns drawn.\u00a0 Normally it wouldn\u2019t<\/em> be the smartest thing to charge into a potential outlaw stronghold by the front door \u2013 but the place was deserted, and there was no better way to approach anyway.<\/p>\n

And Hoss for one couldn\u2019t handle any more suspense about what they were going to find inside.<\/p>\n

They split to either side of the door when they reached it, and waited a few more seconds to see if walking up was causing any reaction.\u00a0 When there continued to be a whole lot of nothing, Adam nodded to Hoss.<\/p>\n

Hoss gave the door a kick that sent it slamming open.\u00a0 He was right behind the swinging door, gun ready.<\/p>\n

Inside, there was a tumbled chair, a rickety old table \u2013 and absolutely no dead little brother, or anywhere somebody could have hidden him.\u00a0 Also no one else.\u00a0 Hoss let out a breath, leaning on the table, and holstered his gun.\u00a0 This didn\u2019t mean Little Joe was all right.\u00a0 But at least he wasn\u2019t lying dead in here.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all clear,\u201d Adam called out the door, and Sheriff Rawlins came strolling in with Bill and Jimmy behind him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a very risky thing you just did,\u201d the sheriff said, thumbs tucked into his belt as he surveyed the empty shack.<\/p>\n

Hoss ignored that, already crouching to examine a couple lengths of rope he\u2019d spotted lying in a corner.\u00a0 One of them was still half-knotted, looped in a pattern suggesting it could have gone around wrists.\u00a0 It hadn\u2019t been cut, or untied properly \u2013 more like somebody\u2019d managed to loosen one of the loops and yank the whole thing off.\u00a0 Hoss held it up for Adam to see.\u00a0 \u201cLooks to me like they had Little Joe tied up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam took the tangle of rope, examined it too.\u00a0 \u201cThey might have untied him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t do a real good job of it then.\u00a0 And why would they anyway?\u00a0 They should\u2019ve been waiting for us to bring the money.\u201d\u00a0 And you didn\u2019t need to untie a man to kill him.\u00a0 Or after you killed him.\u00a0 \u201cMy bet\u2019s on Joe escaping.\u201d\u00a0 Little brother was pretty clever about that sort of thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s good, right?\u201d Jimmy spoke up.\u00a0 \u201cIf he got away from the outlaws.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe, maybe not,\u201d Sheriff Rawlins said heavily.\u00a0 \u201cBecause now he\u2019s out there somewhere.\u201d\u00a0 He made a gesture towards the world outside the shack\u2019s door.\u00a0 \u201cAnd the outlaws aren\u2019t here<\/em>.\u00a0 Presumably they\u2019re out there too, looking for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd there\u2019s no reason to think they won\u2019t kill him when they find him,\u201d Adam said with a grimace.\u00a0 \u201cThey have to figure this disrupts their plans for ransom, so they\u2019re probably more interested in revenge now.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head. \u00a0\u201cWhy couldn\u2019t Joe sit tight and wait for us to get him out of this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss snorted.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, have you met<\/em> our little brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

That produced one of Adam\u2019s very slight smiles.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, let\u2019s see what kind of tracking we can do outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

The answer was, not very satisfying tracking.\u00a0 There were too many and too few tracks out there.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo at least five people on horseback scattered all different directions,\u201d Hoss said, surveying the marks in the dirt.\u00a0 \u201cNo telling if one of \u2018em was Joe.\u00a0 Or if none of \u2018em were, no telling which way Joe did<\/em> go.\u201d\u00a0 If he had been on foot, he\u2019d managed it without leaving obvious signs, or the horses had obscured whatever signs there were.<\/p>\n

\u201cPossibly the outlaws decided it was best to abandon the plan and flee the scene,\u201d Sheriff Rawlins said, thoughtfully stroking his chin.\u00a0 \u201cThey may have scattered to stymie pursuit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr they didn\u2019t know which way Joe went either, and they\u2019re looking for him,\u201d Adam said, squinting at the horizon.\u00a0 \u201cThey left during the dark, when they couldn\u2019t track effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEither way, the best thing we can do now is to head back to town,\u201d the sheriff pronounced.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll form up a posse \u2013 see who\u2019s in town, send some people around to the nearby ranches \u2013 and do a proper search of the area.\u201d<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t a bad plan.\u00a0 Roy Coffee might\u2019ve come up with a similar plan, Hoss had to grudgingly admit.\u00a0 Only \u2013 it was going to take time<\/em> to gather men together.\u00a0 Time while Joe was out there, with the outlaws hours ahead of them, and anything<\/em> could be happening.<\/p>\n

Oldest brother must\u2019ve been thinking something of the same kind.\u00a0 \u201cYou do that,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cHoss and I will start searching while you\u2019re gathering more men.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, I don\u2019t know about that,\u201d the sheriff said.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s the job of the law to round up outlaws and renegades\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s our<\/em> little brother,\u201d Adam said, in the tightly controlled voice that Hoss knew meant he was one more push away from doing something rash.\u00a0 \u201cThat means it\u2019s our<\/em> job to get him out of whatever mess he\u2019s in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sheriff Rawlins nodded slowly.\u00a0 Maybe he heard something in Adam\u2019s tone too.\u00a0 \u201cAll right then.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t saying I approve, but I ain\u2019t going to stop you either, so\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood enough,\u201d Adam said, and waved a hand to beckon Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, let\u2019s get the horses.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBe careful out there,\u201d the sheriff added.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not just the outlaws.\u00a0 There\u2019s been reports of a group of Bannocks in the area too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre they causing trouble?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

The sheriff looked a little blank.\u00a0 \u201cWell\u2026no.\u00a0 But they\u2019re in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight,\u201d Adam said flatly, and turned towards the horses.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll keep that in mind too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich way are we going to search?\u201d Hoss asked as he fell into step with Adam.\u00a0 \u201cJoe would have tried for town \u2013 if he knew which way town was.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen we would have seen him on our way here.\u201d\u00a0 Adam frowned, squinting at the horizon.\u00a0 \u201cThe Ganthers\u2019 place is north of here, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss looked around, as though he was going to spot a landmark \u2013 there weren\u2019t any \u2013 and shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI think so.\u00a0 So?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, if Joe did<\/em> have any idea where he was, he might\u2019ve tried to reach friends by going there.\u00a0 And even if he didn\u2019t, we can get more help there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we head north?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo \u2013 we can cover more ground if we split up.\u201d\u00a0 Adam nodded once, decision made.\u00a0 \u201cYou ride east, I\u2019ll ride west, and we\u2019ll circle around to the north and meet at the Ganthers\u2019 place.\u00a0 And we\u2019ll try to round up whatever help we can at any place we pass along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By the time the sun was hitting the midpoint in the sky, Joe felt pretty certain that north had not been the right direction to choose.\u00a0 The cool night had given way to hot, dry day hours ago, and he hadn\u2019t encountered the town or a farmhouse or any water source since he started out.\u00a0 He figured he\u2019d trudged miles by now, though the empty landscape made it hard to shake the feeling that he was walking and walking and going nowhere.<\/p>\n

He wished he\u2019d aimed towards Virginia City.\u00a0 Not because there was any reason to think the town \u2013 or anything else \u2013 was in that same direction, but because at least it would mean that every step brought him closer to home.\u00a0 Home might as well be a thousand miles away, when he was on foot with no supplies \u2013 he wasn\u2019t going to get there, definitely not through the country in between \u2013 but at least he\u2019d know<\/em>.<\/p>\n

He and Hoss and Adam had planned to ride home today.\u00a0 They could have done it by nightfall, with an early enough start.\u00a0 But walking it \u2013 no, he wasn\u2019t going to get as far as that, not like this.<\/p>\n

Joe didn\u2019t turn towards home now.\u00a0 Changing directions on a whim, that was how a person ended up wandering in circles.\u00a0 Besides, he was nothing if not hard-headed, and north he\u2019d picked so north he\u2019d go.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been walking for a while with his gaze down, because squinting at the horizon all the time was both too bright and too depressing when it never changed.\u00a0 So when he finally looked up again, it was a shock to actually see<\/em> something.<\/p>\n

That was assuming it wasn\u2019t a mirage, because it was a mighty strange shape for a building.\u00a0 His eyes or his mind were having trouble making sense of it \u2013 he\u2019d been walking too long and he was too thirsty and he might be hard-headed but he did get hit over the head not too many hours ago and also he just really wanted to see something<\/em>.\u00a0 What was<\/em> he seeing, it did look vaguely familiar but he couldn\u2019t quite\u2014<\/p>\n

A sound behind him brought his attention abruptly away from the mystery, heart pounding as he turned to look for the source of hoofbeats.\u00a0 This new arrival sharpened his mind in a way that the building hadn\u2019t.\u00a0 He could see the horseman, still distant but closing the gap rapidly.\u00a0 Could be a stranger, who might help.\u00a0 Could be an outlaw, who might kill him.\u00a0 From this distance, all he could be sure of was that it wasn\u2019t<\/em> Hoss or Adam \u2013 he\u2019d know his brothers from a long, long way off \u2013 and he wasn\u2019t prepared to trust any other riders right now.<\/p>\n

He turned, stumbled a few more steps.\u00a0 Running was out of the question, he couldn\u2019t outrun a horse, not even as far as the building up ahead and there was nowhere closer and no kind of cover.\u00a0 He still had the gun he\u2019d stolen when he escaped, but if he turned this into a shootout, he was a much easier target than a man on a moving horse.<\/p>\n

This wasn\u2019t the first time he\u2019d wandered through a desert, though.\u00a0 And one of those wanders had started with positions reversed \u2013 he\u2019d<\/em> been the one on horseback, and there\u2019d been a man on foot with a gun.<\/p>\n

He was running out of time.\u00a0 Keeping his back to the rider, he got the gun out of his belt, stumbled a few more steps, then deliberately pitched forward and lay still in the dust \u2013 with the gun clutched in one hand, hidden under his body.<\/p>\n

He waited, shoulder blades itching, anticipating a bullet right between them, because if it was an outlaw who wanted to just shoot him outright, it was all over.<\/p>\n

But they\u2019d been talkative outlaws, for the most part, and sure enough the hoofbeats came to a halt, there was the thud of someone dismounting, and then a voice saying, \u201cGet up, Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was nearly certain it was Bateman.\u00a0 Which was just about how his luck had been going ever since he met the man.\u00a0 Joe didn\u2019t move, just gave a pretty genuine groan.\u00a0 The way his throat felt, it didn\u2019t take any faking.<\/p>\n

There was an exasperated sigh, close enough to how Adam sometimes sounded to make Joe really miss his oldest brother, and then footsteps approaching.\u00a0 A hand grabbed his shoulder, yanking him over, and Joe lifted the gun as he rolled.<\/p>\n

Turned out this trick worked better when the other guy was a Good Samaritan trying to help, not an outlaw who\u2019d approached with his<\/em> gun drawn too.\u00a0 Joe caught a glimpse of Bateman\u2019s face and the barrel of the gun and then he was squeezing the trigger of his own gun even as he tried to use his other hand to knock Bateman\u2019s gun away.\u00a0 Two shots rang out in near unison.<\/p>\n

Joe thought he probably missed.\u00a0 He was distracted by the line of fire slicing across his right upper arm, because Bateman didn\u2019t<\/em> miss.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

9.<\/em><\/p>\n

Young Fred had to hand it to the kid \u2013 Joe Cartwright wasn\u2019t going to go down easy.\u00a0 Blood blooming up on his shirtsleeve and he was still fighting.\u00a0 Young Fred had anticipated a trick, felt good about getting that first shot off and avoiding the one Joe fired, but then it all turned into chaos.\u00a0 Both guns got knocked away and then it was bare-handed wrestling, rolling and punching and kicking across the dry dirt.<\/p>\n

Young Fred managed to land on top and get his hands around Joe\u2019s throat, but the kid was clawing at his eyes and trying to buck him off and it was real unclear whether he was going to go unconscious before he succeeded so this could still go either way\u2014<\/p>\n

And then the cocking of a rifle and the words, \u201cAll right, that\u2019s enough,\u201d made both men freeze.<\/p>\n

Young Fred looked up to see a woman holding a rifle, sighting down on them.\u00a0 He lifted his hands from Joe\u2019s neck, held them up innocently.\u00a0 The woman was older but not old, still dark-haired but with that tired look women got when their husbands ran farms that were none too successful.\u00a0 A girl of maybe fourteen was looking out from behind her.<\/p>\n

Two womenfolk, not a man in sight \u2013 he could work with that. \u00a0He could always be charming when he needed to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m relieved to see you, ma\u2019am,\u201d Young Fred said, shifting off of Joe \u2013 but slowly; he didn\u2019t know how trigger-itchy she might be.\u00a0 \u201cI work for the law a couple towns over and I\u2019ve been trailing this outlaw, you see.\u00a0 He tried to kill me when I caught up to him, so I\u2019m glad you were here to intervene.\u201d\u00a0 And then he tried his best smile.<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t so much as blink \u2013 but she shifted the rifle to keep it trained on him as he moved.\u00a0 \u201cKeep your hands where I can see them.\u201d\u00a0 Then to the girl, \u201cLindy, pick up the guns.\u00a0 Little Joe, you all right down there?\u201d<\/p>\n

Wait, how did she\u2026?<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll live, Mrs. Ganther,\u201d Joe said, sitting up and clutching his wounded arm.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t stop him from winking at the girl.\u00a0 \u201cHiya, Pigtails.\u201d<\/p>\n

She stuck her tongue out at him as she picked up one of the pistols.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve been wearing my hair up for years<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Young Fred looked wildly between the faces in front of him, because clearly he\u2019d missed a trick somewhere.\u00a0 \u201cWait a minute, wait \u2013 you know<\/em> each other?\u00a0 Cartwright\u2019s not even from around here!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI helped the Ganthers build a windmill a couple years back,\u201d Joe said, as though this made perfect sense.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019d think I\u2019d recognize it when I saw it on the horizon, but I was so heat-dazed I half thought I was hallucinating.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat were you doing out here anyway?\u201d Mrs. Ganther asked.\u00a0 \u201cAnd who\u2019s he<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n

Young Fred figured that meant him, and tried to intervene.\u00a0 \u201cFred Bateman, ma\u2019am.\u201d\u00a0 This whole situation was not good<\/em>, but it might be improved if he continued to lay on enough charm.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I assure you this is all a big misunderstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe captured me and tried to hold me for ransom, but I escaped last night,\u201d Joe said bluntly.<\/p>\n

Young Fred sighed.\u00a0 \u201cWell, if you\u2019re going to put it in the worst way possible\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just tried to convince her I was an outlaw!\u201d<\/p>\n

He considered trying to argue that Joe was merely picking up his tactic \u2013 but it wouldn\u2019t do any good if the woman actually trusted Cartwright, which she appeared to do.\u00a0 So he just shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cWould\u2019ve worked if she hadn\u2019t known you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Or if only he\u2019d caught up to Joe sooner \u2013 Bateman had been riding back and forth, trying to cover as much ground in a generally northern direction as possible, and it had slowed him way down.\u00a0 If he had caught him even a few minutes sooner, before they got close enough for this interfering woman to show up and take Joe\u2019s side\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like the look of that arm, Little Joe,\u201d Mrs. Ganther said briskly.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s get inside where we can tend to it.\u00a0 Lindy, help him up.\u00a0 Mr. Bateman, start walking towards the house.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike you say, ma\u2019am,\u201d Young Fred said, giving her the charming smile again.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t like he thought it was going to work<\/em>, but it couldn\u2019t hurt.\u00a0 \u201cYou sure you want to keep that rifle pointed all<\/em> the time?\u00a0 It makes me a little nervous, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her expression was unimpressed.\u00a0 \u201cPerhaps you\u2019ll feel more at ease once we tie you up then.\u201d<\/p>\n

This day was definitely going downhill.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe was just about ready to decide his luck had finally turned.\u00a0 It had been bad luck all the way since San Francisco, from the bad weather to losing at poker, escalating with an abduction and being shot \u2013 but stumbling onto the Ganthers\u2019 house, that was a definite turning.\u00a0 By the time they got inside and Belle Ganther made him sit down at the table while she tied up Bateman \u2013 doing a more proper job of it than the outlaws had on Joe, by tying him to a chair \u2013 Joe was feeling pretty good about things.\u00a0 Even with the pain in his arm, and the blood on his shirt, and the way his legs felt after all that walking.<\/p>\n

Lindy plunked a cup of water down in front of him and then perched on another chair, studying him intently.\u00a0 She looked older than she had a couple years ago, wearing a proper dress and her hair pinned up, but she hadn\u2019t changed that much.\u00a0 \u201cHave you ever been shot before?\u00a0 Does it hurt?\u00a0 You\u2019ve got a lot<\/em> of blood on your shirt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLindy, don\u2019t bother him,\u201d Mrs. Ganther intervened before Joe could get a word in.\u00a0 \u201cGo find me some more cloths.\u201d\u00a0 Done with Bateman, she had picked up a basin of water and a few rags, which she set on the table next to Joe.<\/p>\n

Lindy rolled her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cAll right, Ma.\u201d\u00a0 She disappeared into the next room.<\/p>\n

Mrs. Ganther ripped open Joe\u2019s sleeve with practiced efficiency, and applied a wet cloth to the wound.\u00a0 The cool cloth eased some of the fire in his arm.\u00a0 He picked up the cup of water with his other hand, and downing that helped too.<\/p>\n

Mrs. Ganther didn\u2019t comment on the wound, so as Joe set the empty cup down he felt obliged to say, \u201cIt\u2019s really not that bad.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been shot worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

She cocked an eyebrow at him, and Joe had the distinct impression that very little ruffled this woman.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s as may be, but the bullet didn\u2019t go all the way through, meaning it needs to come out.\u00a0 I have just enough nursing experience to know that that is a fiddly business best done by a professional.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you wrap it up, I can ride.\u00a0 We\u2019ll take Bateman into town and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

She was shaking her head.\u00a0 \u201cWe don\u2019t have enough saddle horses.\u00a0 It\u2019s unfortunate you two spooked his into running off when you started firing guns.\u00a0 Though at least it brought Lindy and me too.\u201d\u00a0 She cast a glance at Bateman, sitting silently in his chair at the other side of the room, but surely listening.\u00a0 \u201cAnd,\u201d she said with some reluctance, \u201cit\u2019s unfortunate my husband is away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWill he be back soon?\u201d Joe asked, wondering if she\u2019d lie and say yes, just because Bateman was listening.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that\u2019s hard to say.\u00a0 You see, he\u2019s out looking for you<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 She smiled slightly.\u00a0 \u201cIt wasn\u2019t entirely surprising to see you today.\u00a0 Your brothers came by a couple hours ago, searching for you and rounding up people to help.\u201d<\/p>\n

So Hoss and Adam were looking for him \u2013 Joe wished heartily that they\u2019d actually found <\/em>him.\u00a0 They\u2019d be on horseback, so they could cover a lot more ground than he\u2019d been trudging. \u00a0They must have somehow worked out he\u2019d got away from Bateman\u2019s gang, but then missed him out there in the wilderness.\u00a0 Flatland, but you still couldn\u2019t see everything.\u00a0 If they were here a couple hours ago, there was no telling if or when they\u2019d circle back again.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever mind,\u201d Mrs. Ganther said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll send Lindy on the horse we have to town, to get the sheriff and the doctor, while I keep an eye on the both of you.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t fancy the idea of trying to keep track of either of you on horseback anyway.\u00a0 He\u2019s liable to run and you\u2019re liable to fall off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bateman let loose with one of his high-pitched giggles at that, which was maybe worse than a comment.\u00a0 Joe grimaced.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d have to be a lot more hurt than this<\/em> to fall off a horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

As events continued to unfold, Joe found that Belle Ganther was not only difficult to ruffle, but once she made decisions, they happened.\u00a0 She wrapped up his arm with so much confidence that he wondered if she had more nursing experience than she\u2019d let on.\u00a0 She dispatched Lindy off to town for the doctor and the sheriff, giving her one of the pistols and assuring Joe that the girl knew how to use it, and had made the trip many times.\u00a0 She got out bread and more water for Joe, then untied one of Bateman\u2019s hands and stood over him with the rifle while he ate his portion.<\/p>\n

\u201cMuch obliged, ma\u2019am,\u201d he said, plainly trying to put on the charm again.\u00a0 Joe\u2019d done that too many times himself not to recognize it from someone else.<\/p>\n

She was impervious to that too, only saying, \u201cI don\u2019t let anything starve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once Bateman was tied up again, she finally showed her first hesitation.\u00a0 \u201cThe stock needs to be watered and there\u2019s no one else to do it \u2013 but I don\u2019t like leaving you two alone in here\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can watch him,\u201d Joe said immediately.\u00a0 He thought of offering to water the stock, but it would be all he\u2019d need to collapse out there, the long night and long day and long walk catching up with him.\u00a0 Besides, he was pretty sure she wouldn\u2019t take him up on the offer.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure you can handle it?\u201d Bateman asked, with a trace of that blasted giggle again.\u00a0 \u201cI was winning that fight out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe ignored him, and said, very much to Mrs. Ganther, \u201cHe\u2019s tied up, and you can give me the other pistol.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you\u2019re wounded,\u201d she protested.<\/p>\n

He cracked a smile.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, but I shoot with the other hand.\u201d\u00a0 And just as well for Bateman to remember that too.<\/p>\n

She obviously didn\u2019t like it, but she set the pistol on the table in front of Joe, then went outside with a promise not to take long.<\/p>\n

Maybe that\u2019s why Bateman didn\u2019t waste time before starting to talk.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, it really is too bad things have turned out this way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe weighed the benefits of ignoring him, but he\u2019d probably keep talking anyway.\u00a0 \u201cFor you, sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bateman shrugged, waggled his hands beyond where the ropes tied his arms to the chair.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u00a0 You<\/em> got shot.\u00a0 My boys are still out there looking for you.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think we can say for sure whose day is going worse.\u00a0 Anyway, I meant that it\u2019s too bad the whole situation went this way.\u00a0 Especially when it started with such a nice friendly chat back at the saloon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe snorted.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, while you were trying to lure me off to be kidnapped.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t all fake.\u00a0 I do think we have a lot in common, you and me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have nothing<\/em> in common,\u201d Joe said flatly.<\/p>\n

Bateman went on as if he hadn\u2019t spoken.\u00a0 \u201cYoungest in our families, trying to prove ourselves.\u00a0 Uncle Freddy told me a lot about you and your family, you know.\u00a0 You\u2019re always stuck in their shadow, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t say that.\u201d\u00a0 All right, there were days when it got tough, with everyone always figuring Adam was the smart one and Hoss was the strong one and he, Joe, was the trouble-making kid.\u00a0 But that had nothing to do with anything anyway.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd here you are now,\u201d Bateman continued smoothly, \u201csitting around waiting for your big brothers to come riding to the rescue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not waiting<\/em> for anything, I escaped from you!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, sure,\u201d Bateman said, nodding.\u00a0 \u201cBut as long as you\u2019re sitting there with a bullet in your arm, they and everybody else are going to see it as them swooping in to help you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maybe.\u00a0 But he\u2019d still be more than glad to see Hoss or Adam come knocking on the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then they get all the credit for getting you out of trouble one more time.\u00a0 But you know,\u201d Bateman said, voice dropping, \u201cthere\u2019s another way this could go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe could see<\/em> the bait, and he tried to resist.\u00a0 He tapped his fingertips on the table next to the pistol, and didn\u2019t look at Bateman, and sternly told himself that there was no reason he even needed to talk to the man.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d he snapped out, \u201chow else could it go?\u201d\u00a0 Because Adam and Hoss probably would<\/em> get all the credit for rescuing him, and he\u2019d just look like the dumb kid who got himself abducted.<\/p>\n

The grin spreading across Bateman\u2019s face told Joe he should have kept his mouth shut.\u00a0 \u201cWhat if you and I work together?\u00a0 You untie me, we meet up with my boys, we get the money out of your brothers, and then we split it.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got yourself a tidy little sum to start a whole new life somewhere where nobody\u2019s even heard of your family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe stared at him for a beat, and then two \u2013 and then leaned back in his chair and laughed and laughed, until the sound fairly bounced off the walls of the small room.\u00a0 \u201cOh \u2013 you almost had me going,\u201d he managed, once he caught his breath again.\u00a0 \u201cI really thought you were going to suggest something tempting<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bateman had stopped smiling.\u00a0 \u201cWe asked for fifty-thousand for you.\u00a0 It\u2019s a lot of money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cIf you think I\u2019d seriously consider extorting my family and then abandoning them, your uncle didn\u2019t tell you much about me after all.\u201d<\/p>\n

For just a moment, Bateman glared at him with pure poison \u2013 and then the man made a visible effort to relax, expression going neutral, and shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cAll right.\u00a0 Your loss.\u00a0 Because I still say this could go either way.\u00a0 It all depends on if my boys or your brothers find us first.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

10.<\/em><\/p>\n

Freddy studied the torn-up dirt outside the old shack, frowning, and tried to look like he knew what he was doing.\u00a0 \u201cFascinating,\u201d he said, not because there was anything remotely fascinating about scuffed up earth, but because it might buy him another minute.<\/p>\n

All of Young Fred\u2019s boys were watching him, waiting, expecting some kind of pronouncement.\u00a0 They\u2019d reconvened here, and in the absence of Young Fred, he\u2019d found himself the one everyone turned to for answers.\u00a0 Which might be all right, if the questions were different.\u00a0 He was a poker player, not a cowboy, not a trapper, not an Indian \u2013 not anybody<\/em> who ought to know how to read tracks.\u00a0 His one applicable skill here, really, was bluffing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere have been other people here,\u201d he said at last, because it didn\u2019t take any special tracking knowledge to figure that<\/em> much out.\u00a0 Somebody\u2019d righted the chair inside the shack, and there\u2019d been a lot of horses standing around in a different spot than where they\u2019d been corralling their own horses.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think it was the sheriff?\u201d one of the boys asked \u2013 Kyle, the one who\u2019d let that blasted Joe Cartwright get away.\u00a0 His was the only name Freddy could actually remember, which didn\u2019t mean he felt more charitably toward him.\u00a0 And what kind of fool question was that anyway?\u00a0\u00a0 Freddy didn\u2019t know if there was any way to figure out what rider had been through based on a bunch of hoofprints.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s possible,\u201d Freddy said, carefully not committing himself.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s likely the Cartwrights went to the sheriff.\u00a0 I don\u2019t see why anyone else would be out here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is bad,\u201d Kyle muttered, rubbing the back of his head, \u201cthis just keeps getting worse.\u00a0 Maybe we shouldn\u2019t have tried kidnapping anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Freddy grimaced at the scattered earth.\u00a0 He regretted involving Young Fred\u2019s boys, and he also regretted the kidnapping.\u00a0 They should have just shot a Cartwright \u2013 any Cartwright, that would tear up the rest of them \u2013 and run for the next county.\u00a0 But no, Young Fred just had to get creative<\/em>.\u00a0 And then disappear when things got complicated!<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich way do you think they went?\u201d Kyle asked.\u00a0 \u201cHow do we avoid them?\u201d<\/p>\n

There were tracks all over the place \u2013 their own group had been in and out more than once, whoever else had been here must have ridden in and then out again, everybody\u2019d gone all sorts of directions \u2013 Freddy had literally no idea at all<\/em> which direction the sheriff, if it was the sheriff, might have taken.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not the point,\u201d he said firmly.\u00a0 \u201cWhat we\u2019re going to do is, we\u2019ll go north.\u00a0 Young Fred went north, and we don\u2019t know why he didn\u2019t come back and meet us here.\u00a0 Maybe he found Cartwright.\u00a0 So we\u2019ll go north after him.\u201d\u00a0 And let him<\/em> figure out what to do with his boys, who were getting increasingly twitchy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if we meet the sheriff?\u201d another one, not Kyle, asked, nervously playing with his red bandana.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen we shoot him,\u201d Freddy snapped, turning towards the horses.\u00a0 \u201cHonestly, it\u2019s like you\u2019ve never been an outlaw before!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2026I haven\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen learn to improvise!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Once Joe turned him down on a deal, Bateman didn\u2019t have much more to say.\u00a0 Mrs. Ganther came back in the house, but she also didn\u2019t seem inclined to casual conversation.\u00a0 So Joe just sat where he was, keeping an eye on Bateman, and waiting.\u00a0 His arm was aching but he didn\u2019t want to mention it where Bateman could hear, or to drink anything, whisky or medicine, that was going to dull his reflexes.\u00a0 Just in case.<\/p>\n

Lindy had gone for the sheriff, but it was a long ride, and Joe felt every minute go past, until finally there was the sound of hoofbeats outside.\u00a0 More than one rider, but he couldn\u2019t judge more precisely than that.<\/p>\n

Joe started to rise to his feet, but Mrs. Ganther waved him down again.\u00a0 \u201cYou watch him,\u201d she said, picking up the rifle from near the door and moving to the window to look out, just peering past the edge.<\/p>\n

After a moment, she relaxed.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s Lindy \u2013 but she\u2019s only brought one man back.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mystery didn\u2019t last long.\u00a0 Lindy burst in through the front door, announcing, \u201cI brought the doctor, Ma.\u201d<\/p>\n

The doctor himself was only a few steps behind her, nodding to Mrs. Ganther as he entered.\u00a0 \u201cGood afternoon, Belle.\u00a0 Lindy tells me I\u2019m needed for a patient out here.\u201d\u00a0 His gaze swept past Bateman, without apparent concern for the sight of the man tied up, and landed on Joe.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you must be him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI told you to bring the sheriff too,\u201d Mrs. Ganther said, looking intently at Lindy.<\/p>\n

The girl rolled her eyes dramatically, as though the situation should be obvious.\u00a0 \u201cHe wasn\u2019t in town.\u201d\u00a0 She jerked a thumb toward Joe.\u00a0 \u201cWe left a message, but everyone\u2019s out looking for him<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

In spite of himself, Joe felt a laugh rising up his throat.\u00a0 When it escaped, everyone stared at him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d Joe protested, trying to swallow further chortles.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s funny<\/em>.\u00a0 We\u2019re looking for the sheriff, and he\u2019s looking for me, and the outlaws are probably going around in circles\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He could picture it, like one of those comedy plays where characters kept running across the stage, each chasing the other and never quite catching up.<\/p>\n

The doctor frowned at him, lines creasing his craggy face.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t look<\/em> feverish, but I\u2019ll have to check.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d Joe said automatically.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, except for the bullet in my arm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I understand that\u2019s why I\u2019m here,\u201d the doctor said dryly, setting his bag on the table in front of Joe.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m Dr. Michael Jons, by the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe Cartwright,\u201d he said, trying to think where he\u2019d heard that name before.\u00a0 The man\u2019s face wasn\u2019t familiar, but he was sure he knew the name from somewhere.\u00a0 \u201cThanks for coming all the way out here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust doing my duty,\u201d Jons said, opening his bag.\u00a0 \u201cBesides \u2013 I would have been hanged a year back if not for your father.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe snapped the fingers of his good hand.\u00a0 \u201cJons<\/em> \u2013 I remember now!\u00a0 The way Pa tells the story, he<\/em> owes you<\/em> for saving Hoss\u2019 life when a horse fell on him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, in that case, I\u2019ll just pack up and go before those outlaws turn up,\u201d Jons remarked, but his blue eyes glimmered with humor and he continued getting instruments out.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you know<\/em> everyone?\u201d Bateman groaned from the other side of the room.\u00a0 \u201cWhat kind of nutty town is this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt happens all over, actually,\u201d Joe remarked.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve met a lot of people, and Pa\u2019s got a lot of old friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bateman rolled his eyes and lapsed back into silence.\u00a0 Which was helpful, since Jons was unwrapping the bandage around Joe\u2019s arm and it hurt<\/em>, the bandage pulling reluctantly away from the bloody skin.<\/p>\n

Jons examined the wound and Joe gritted his teeth, conscious of having a big audience.\u00a0 Lindy wandered over to sit on another chair, watching with apparently fascinated interest, while the doctor made those vague, unclear noises doctors make when they\u2019re not committing to anything yet, good or bad.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you think?\u201d Joe asked finally.\u00a0 \u201cWill I live?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI expect so, as far as I can tell at this point,\u201d Jons said.\u00a0 \u201cNo sign of infection as yet.\u00a0 This wound was cleaned very well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Michael,\u201d Mrs. Ganther said from across the room near the stove.\u00a0 \u201cI did my best with it.\u00a0 Lindy, come over here and watch this water I\u2019m boiling.\u00a0 Stop bothering the doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lindy gave a big sigh, but went over to the stove.<\/p>\n

The doctor made a few more noises, these sounding vaguely approving, and then he reached into his bag again for a small bottle of amber liquid.\u00a0 \u201cIf I could get a cup for this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe frowned.\u00a0 \u201cWait, is that brandy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI carry some for medicinal purposes,\u201d Jons said with a wry smile.\u00a0 \u201cThat bullet needs to come out, and while I\u2019d prefer to do that in my office with the aid of ether, I also want to do this as soon as possible to prevent the development of complications.\u00a0 Under the circumstances, that necessitates some compromises for expediency.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I don\u2019t want it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The doctor cast a stern look at him.\u00a0 \u201cYoung man, I\u2019m a doctor, not a butcher, and I am not operating without any form of anesthetic when I have that option.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to watch him<\/em>!\u201d Joe said, jerking his head at Bateman.<\/p>\n

\u201cBelle and I will watch him,\u201d Jons countered.\u00a0 \u201cNow drink the brandy.\u00a0 Doctor\u2019s orders.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe didn\u2019t like it.\u00a0 But he also knew it wasn\u2019t that smart to antagonize a man who was about to get a bullet out of his arm.\u00a0 And he really would<\/em> rather not be sitting here, still with the bullet in, when Hoss and Adam showed up.\u00a0 Bateman wasn\u2019t wrong about that much.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

11.<\/em><\/p>\n

Young Fred had to admit that the Cartwright kid had grit.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t yell while the doctor was hunting around for the bullet, even though his face went very white \u2013 right before his eyes rolled back and he slumped over.\u00a0 The woman caught him, and the doctor shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably for the best,\u201d the doctor remarked.\u00a0 \u201cNow I can work a little more easily.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could have given him a sedative, Michael,\u201d the woman pointed out.<\/p>\n

The doctor snorted.\u00a0 \u201cHe wouldn\u2019t have consented to that.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t even want us to move him to the couch, but I think we can do that now if we can manage to shift him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI could help,\u201d Young Fred spoke up, and grinned at them.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou must think we\u2019re fools,\u201d the doctor said, shaking his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot really, even though it would be more convenient if you were.\u201d<\/p>\n

They didn\u2019t untie him.\u00a0 Young Fred waited while they got Cartwright over to the couch and the doctor got the bullet out and the woman started wrapping up his arm again.<\/p>\n

And then he thought maybe it was time for one more try.\u00a0 \u201cYou know,\u201d he remarked, \u201cit is<\/em> pretty foolish to get yourself in the middle of this situation.\u00a0 My boys should be looking for me by now, and it\u2019s not going to be a pretty scene for you when they find me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you propose?\u201d the doctor asked, looking up from cleaning his instruments.\u00a0 \u201cWe just walk away?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCould do that,\u201d Young Fred said, nodding, \u201cbut I don\u2019t figure you will.\u00a0 However \u2013 there is<\/em> a way this could go better for you.\u201d\u00a0 He leaned forward, as much as he could the way he was tied up, and dropped his voice to a conspiratorial tone.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, doctor, we could use someone like you.\u00a0 We could work together real nicely.\u00a0 We get the money out of Cartwright\u2019s big brothers, and you get a share.\u00a0 Lot more money than you\u2019re likely to see on a country doctor\u2019s pay.\u201d<\/p>\n

At least this one didn\u2019t laugh.\u00a0 But he did drawl, \u201cI may only be a simple country doctor, but I\u2019d rather stay on this side of the law \u2013 and of my conscience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bateman sighed, then looked at the woman and asked without much hope, \u201cHow about you, you want a share of the money?\u00a0 Send your daughter to finishing school?\u00a0 Looks like she needs it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, thank you,\u201d the woman said composedly, while the girl stuck her tongue out at Young Fred \u2013 proving his point, in fact.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t get it,\u201d Young Fred said to the room at large, slumping back in the chair.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m making perfectly good offers here, and no one\u2019s interested.\u00a0 I sort of get the Cartwright kid not wanting to turn on his family, but you two \u2013 what reasons have you got to be this loyal to him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHis father saved my life last year,\u201d the doctor said, \u201cwhen I was standing on a gallows with a rope around my neck.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHis family saved our farm and probably this whole community,\u201d the woman said, \u201cduring a very bad drought.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to marry Little Joe when I grow up,\u201d the kid chimed in.<\/p>\n

Bateman grimaced.\u00a0 \u201cWell then,\u201d he muttered, and shook his head, \u201cglad I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was still trying to think if he had any other options to try when hoofbeats sounded again outside.\u00a0 The woman and the doctor looked at each other, then the woman said, \u201cIt\u2019s my house.\u00a0 Let me see who it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

She picked up the rifle propped near the door, then looked out the small window.\u00a0 \u201cOne rider.\u00a0 Well-dressed.\u00a0 I don\u2019t recognize him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCould be an outlaw,\u201d the doctor said, frowning deeply.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe could also be from the posse, or just a rider passing through,\u201d the woman said.<\/p>\n

A knock at the door and, face set, the woman went to answer it, rifle gripped firmly in one hand.\u00a0 She only opened the door a crack, holding the rifle where it was visible, and asked, \u201cWhat is it?\u00a0 Who are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Freddy Grayson, ma\u2019am,\u201d the smooth voice came back, \u201cand I was just hoping you might spare a cup of water?\u201d<\/p>\n

Uncle Freddy.\u00a0 Young Fred knew he wasn\u2019t visible where he was sitting \u2013 but he could let out a yell, or \u2013 he let loose with one of his high-pitched giggles.\u00a0 Uncle Freddy would know who it was, and it had its usual uncanny effect.\u00a0 Just enough that the woman made the fatal error of taking her eyes off of Uncle Freddy to look at Young Fred instead.\u00a0 And Uncle Freddy wasn\u2019t much use in a fight but he was<\/em> fast with his hands, fast enough to make a grab for the rifle while she was looking away.<\/p>\n

Which turned the tables nicely.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout time you got here,\u201d Young Fred complained.\u00a0 \u201cWhere are the boys?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBack out of sight \u2013 thought we\u2019d more likely get the door open if it was just me.\u201d\u00a0 Uncle Freddy gestured with the rifle.\u00a0 \u201cBoth of you, over there by the couch with Cartwright.\u00a0 You too, girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

All three moved as directed, united in expressions of hostility.\u00a0 Well, let them be mad.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t matter now.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was only a lucky guess anyway that you might be here,\u201d Uncle Freddy said, moving to the table where the two pistols were lying.\u00a0 \u201cThese loaded?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMine is,\u201d Young Fred said, then clarified, \u201cThe one on the right,\u201d when Uncle Freddy looked blank.\u00a0 The man knew every card in the deck, from the front and<\/em> the back, but couldn\u2019t tell two guns apart.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight,\u201d Uncle Freddy said, picked up the gun, then leaned out the still-open door to fire two shots into the air.\u00a0 \u201cThat should bring the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood, now untie me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou won\u2019t get away with this,\u201d the girl spoke up, glaring at the two of them.\u00a0 \u201cI already left a message for the sheriff to come out here, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

Young Fred grinned at her.\u00a0 \u201cKid, I\u2019m counting on that.\u00a0 What good are hostages if I\u2019ve got no one to negotiate with?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Part Three: Spectre of the Gun<\/em><\/p>\n

12.<\/em><\/p>\n

When Joe opened his eyes, he was not expecting to be lying on a couch, looking at a ceiling.\u00a0 When he looked around, he found Lindy perched on the far arm of the couch beyond his feet, Mrs. Ganther and Dr. Jons sitting on the ground in front of the couch \u2013 and an untied Fred Bateman across the room, talking with the rest of the outlaws.<\/p>\n

Joe let out an exasperated breath.\u00a0 \u201cI knew<\/em> I shouldn\u2019t drink that brandy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou passed out, son,\u201d Dr. Jons said.\u00a0 \u201cIt wasn\u2019t the brandy, and it wouldn\u2019t have made much difference if you had<\/em> been conscious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Joe said, unwilling to entirely give up his belief that he could have done<\/em> something.\u00a0 Anything.\u00a0 He sat up, swung his legs around.\u00a0 \u201cHere, I don\u2019t need the entire couch\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The others got up from the floor to sit down again on the couch, and Dr. Jons remarked, \u201cYou may be interested to know I got the bullet out.\u00a0 Not too bad, on the whole, and I think you\u2019ll recover nicely.\u00a0 Try not to use the arm too much until it\u2019s had some time to heal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe cast him an incredulous look.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you think we have bigger worries right now?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jons scowled at him.\u00a0 \u201cYoung man, I\u2019m a doctor.\u00a0 I\u2019m concerned about your recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe just hoped he\u2019d live long enough to recover.\u00a0 It seemed a chancy thing right now.\u00a0 Out loud, though, he said the more hopeful, \u201cMy brothers should still be out looking for me.\u00a0 And they\u2019re pretty good at situations like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now it was Jons who looked incredulous.\u00a0 \u201cThis happens to you often?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2026\u201d Joe hedged, \u201cnot often<\/em>\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Cartwright,\u201d Bateman called from across the room, \u201cI see you\u2019re back with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe glared at him as Bateman strolled closer.\u00a0 \u201cWhen the law and my brothers catch up with you\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll hopefully hand over a lot of money,\u201d Bateman said, grinning.\u00a0 \u201cEspecially now that I\u2019ve got a lot more people to ransom.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet the others go \u2013 your uncle has a problem with my<\/em> family, not with them.\u201d\u00a0 And it was his fault they were in this mess now.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe, but they turned down an offer to come in on my side, so I think they\u2019d better stay on your side.\u201d\u00a0 Bateman reached down, grabbed Joe by the arm \u2013 the one that hadn\u2019t been shot, at least \u2013 and pulled him to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cBut let\u2019s go see how this\u2019ll play out, because we\u2019ve got riders coming in.\u00a0 And I\u2019m betting they\u2019re real eager to see you.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was obvious even from a distance that there was going to be trouble at the Ganthers\u2019 place.\u00a0 Hoss squinted at the house and the windmill and especially the half-dozen horses milling around in the corral, and had a bad feeling about this.\u00a0 A new bad feeling, to add to the overall bad feeling he\u2019d been having ever since Little Joe disappeared at the saloon.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow you\u2019re sure<\/em> you weren\u2019t expecting anybody to come by?\u201d Sheriff Rawlins said to Jason Ganther. \u00a0They\u2019d all brought their horses to a halt a distance from the house, studying the scene. \u00a0\u201cNo innocent reason all those horses could be there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI already told<\/em> you that,\u201d Ganther said, with some pretty justified agitation.\u00a0 \u201cSheriff, my wife and daughter are in there.\u00a0 We have to find out what\u2019s happening!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStay calm, now,\u201d Rawlins said, stroking his chin.\u00a0 \u201cMight be wisest all around to gather up more people before we attempt to approach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss exchanged an exasperated look with Adam.\u00a0 They\u2019d rounded up a pretty big posse, but trying to cover as much territory as possible meant splitting up, and it was only the four of them who\u2019d been together when a messenger caught up from town to report that Joe was at the Ganthers\u2019 place.\u00a0 Hoss could find it in him to wish they were one less, if that one missing could be the very reluctant sheriff.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs far as we know, our brother is in there too,\u201d Adam spoke up.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I don\u2019t like the idea of leaving him or the Ganthers there for hours while we try to get more help together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rawlins looked at him sternly.\u00a0 \u201cNow see here, I\u2019m the law on this posse, and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s our<\/em> families!\u201d Ganther protested.\u00a0 \u201cWe can\u2019t just do nothing\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, the front door\u2019s opening,\u201d Hoss interrupted, still watching the house.\u00a0 Two figures appeared in the doorway, and while he couldn\u2019t be sure of one of them from here, he\u2019d know Little Joe anywhere.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t exactly tell Chub to start forward, but the horse must\u2019ve got the message somehow, ambling towards the house at an easy walk.\u00a0 Without discussing it further, the others rode alongside.<\/p>\n

By the time they were within shouting distance, four more people had come outside, rifles in hand.\u00a0 At this range, Hoss could see that one of them was Freddy, and the one holding onto Little Joe, pistol in his free hand, was that dad-blasted giggling nephew.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, that\u2019s far enough,\u201d the nephew called, and raised the pistol to point at Joe\u2019s head.\u00a0 \u201cEverybody stop and dismount, and nobody gets their hands near their guns.\u00a0 Any trouble and there\u2019s going to be a lot of Cartwright blood on my shirt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of you stay back there by the horses,\u201d Freddy continued the orders, \u201cand just Hoss walk up.\u00a0 Leave your gun belt behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss looked at Adam, who gave a slight shrug.\u00a0 Best to see how this was going to play out.\u00a0 They stopped and dismounted, and Hoss unbuckled his belt to hang it on his saddle.\u00a0 Then he walked up, nice and slow.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, close enough,\u201d Bateman said, when Hoss was still well out of arms-length.\u00a0 Sometimes people misjudged how far arms-length actually was for Hoss, but not this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Hoss,\u201d Little Joe said, and offered up some imitation of his usual smile.\u00a0 It was so far from the real thing that Hoss wished he hadn\u2019t bothered.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, shortshanks.\u00a0 You all right?\u201d Hoss asked, even though he could already see that Joe didn\u2019t look good.\u00a0 He was pale, and his eyes and his stance both looked tired.\u00a0 And that was clearly a bandage on his arm, visible beneath the ripped sleeve.<\/p>\n

It was really a pointless question, because of course Joe only answered, \u201cSure, I\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah?\u00a0 So what happened to your arm?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe glanced down as though he\u2019d forgotten about it.\u00a0 \u201cOh, that.\u00a0 I got shot.\u00a0 But it\u2019ll be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 hands curled into fists and his voice came out lower as he glared at Freddy, standing there next to his nephew and Joe.\u00a0 \u201cI warned<\/em> you, if you hurt my brother\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStop acting like you have some kind of control of this situation,\u201d Freddy snapped, glowering at Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cYou high and mighty Cartwrights always think you\u2019re in charge and I\u2019m sick of it!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss glowered right back.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry about Sheribelle, but that\u2019s not Joe\u2019s fault, or the Ganthers\u2019 fault, and you didn\u2019t need to shoot him\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I did,\u201d the nephew interrupted, \u201che was trying to shoot me too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, because you were trying to recapture me!\u201d Joe countered.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to help anyone to start casting blame,\u201d the nephew said.\u00a0 \u201cThe question is what happens next.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Ganthers all right?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re fine,\u201d the nephew said, in a dismissive tone that didn\u2019t reassure Hoss.\u00a0 But when he looked at Joe, he gave the nod too, so that was better.\u00a0 \u201cCan we focus on the important thing here?\u201d the nephew continued.\u00a0 \u201cThe money<\/em>.\u00a0 Where\u2019s the fifty-thousand we asked you for?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStill in the bank,\u201d Hoss muttered.\u00a0 It had seemed so unnecessary when they thought Joe had escaped, but now\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cNot good, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d the nephew said, shaking his head.\u00a0 \u201cI ought to put another bullet in little brother here just to make my point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss couldn\u2019t help a step forward, fist rising.\u00a0 \u201cIf you try, I\u2019ll\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEasy there, remember who has the guns,\u201d the nephew said.\u00a0 \u201cAnd the hostages \u2013 little brother here, and the womenfolk from this place, and<\/em> the local doctor who came to look at his arm.\u00a0 Lot of people I don\u2019t expect you want getting shot.\u00a0 But don\u2019t worry, I\u2019m willing to negotiate.\u00a0 You get another chance, but the price has gone up.\u00a0 A hundred thousand, by sundown.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t even get to town and back by sundown,\u201d Hoss protested.<\/p>\n

The nephew sighed.\u00a0 \u201cAll right, all right.\u00a0 By midnight, then.\u201d\u00a0 He glanced over at Freddy.\u00a0 \u201cWho\u2019d have guessed outlawing involved such long hours, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStop trying to be funny,\u201d Freddy said, glaring at his nephew too.\u00a0 \u201cNone of this is supposed to be fun<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nephew shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cUncle Freddy, you take life too seriously.\u00a0 You too, big man,\u201d he said to Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cEveryone should just relax.\u00a0 Now I\u2019m going to take little brother back inside, you\u2019re going back to your friends out there, and that Cartwright in black\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam,\u201d Freddy interjected before Hoss could.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure.\u00a0 He\u2019s going to town for the money.\u00a0 All the rest of you stay right out there where I can see you.\u00a0 And if he gets any ideas about rounding up more help, remember we can see horsemen coming from a long distance around here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss had already considered that<\/em>.\u00a0 And he really missed pine trees and mountains right about now.\u00a0 And home.\u00a0 He really missed home.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d Hoss said, then looked at Joe again.\u00a0 He really didn\u2019t look all that good.\u00a0 \u201cAnd don\u2019t worry, Little Joe.\u00a0 It\u2019s all gonna be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, when do I ever worry, big brother?\u201d Joe asked, and winked.<\/p>\n

Someone who didn\u2019t know him would probably even have believed him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

13.<\/em><\/p>\n

Joe had to look pretty hard right now to find a few positives in the situation.\u00a0 At least Lindy and her mother weren\u2019t the hysterical types.\u00a0 At least the outlaws had shared the stew Mrs. Ganther had simmering on the back of the stove.\u00a0 And he had seen more ruthless outlaws before.\u00a0 That was something.\u00a0 Maybe.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get the feeling most of them don\u2019t really want to kill us?\u201d he asked in a low voice from where he was sitting on the floor against the couch, watching the outlaws across the room.\u00a0 They were sitting around the table playing cards, just distracted enough that they wouldn\u2019t be listening to a quiet conversation.\u00a0 Not so distracted that he could make a play for the door.\u00a0 And he wouldn\u2019t leave the others behind anyway.<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose that\u2019s some comfort,\u201d Mrs. Ganther said, voice soft.\u00a0 She was sitting on the couch, Lindy asleep with her head in her mother\u2019s lap.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t like that Bateman though.\u00a0 He<\/em> wouldn\u2019t mind killing us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Jons, sitting next to Joe, grunted an assent.\u00a0 \u201cA very unpleasant man.\u00a0 Charming, which makes it worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Joe said, squinting at Bateman across the way.\u00a0 \u201cI knew his uncle a little, back in Virginia City.\u00a0 Not violent, but mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot likely to restrain his nephew then,\u201d Jons said, and let out a slow breath.\u00a0 \u201cAnd if their leaders are willing to enact violence, I don\u2019t see the rest of them holding back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr if things get too tight, they might panic and start firing anyway,\u201d Joe concluded.\u00a0 He drummed his fingers against his knee.\u00a0 \u201cWith the law camped outside, they need us alive to get out of here, but that might not matter in a crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what do we do?\u201d Jons asked.\u00a0 \u201cWait for your brothers to come up with a rescue?\u201d<\/p>\n

That would have sat wrong with Joe any day, and even more after Bateman\u2019s pointed comments about being the kid in his family\u2019s shadow.\u00a0 \u201cThere has to be a way to at least help the situation.\u00a0 If I could just get a hold of a gun\u2026\u201d\u00a0 There were plenty in the room, but they were all under strict outlaw custody.<\/p>\n

Jons shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cCowboys. \u00a0You always think guns are the only solution.\u00a0 I have a better idea.\u201d\u00a0 Then he stood up, walked towards the outlaws.\u00a0 \u201cI need my medical bag,\u201d he announced.\u00a0 It was sitting next to Mrs. Ganther\u2019s rifle, up against the wall, on the far side of the outlaws.<\/p>\n

Half of them looked up from the card game, and Bateman asked, \u201cWhat?\u00a0 Why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to check his arm,\u201d Jons said, jerking a thumb towards Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cSit back down,\u201d Bateman dismissed him.<\/p>\n

\u201cGunshot wounds require ongoing treatment,\u201d Jons insisted.\u00a0 \u201cI need to change bandages and check for infection, and furthermore, I don\u2019t like his color or respiration rate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bateman glanced at Joe, who felt suddenly conscious of his breathing, and said, \u201cHe looks fine.\u00a0 Sit down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jons\u2019 eyebrows rose and his voice did too, into righteous indignation.\u00a0 \u201cAre you<\/em> a doctor?\u00a0 Have you completed medical school?\u00a0 Do you have skilled expertise in the treating of injuries including but not limited to gunshot wounds?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn that case, I am the only person here qualified to pronounce whether or not he looks<\/em> fine<\/em>, and I need my medical bag to enable me to properly evaluate the question!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFine, just \u2013 someone get him the bag,\u201d Bateman said with a wave of his hand, and threw a couple of cards down on the table.\u00a0 \u201cDeal me two.\u201d<\/p>\n

A couple of the outlaws nudged each other, and finally one of the observers not actually in the game went and picked up the bag.\u00a0 He tossed it to Jons, who caught it easily.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d Jons said, and returned to sit next to Joe.\u00a0 \u201cLet me see that arm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are we doing this?\u201d Joe whispered.\u00a0 \u201cIs<\/em> my respiration bad?\u201d\u00a0 It felt normal enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you look fine,\u201d Jons said, unwrapping the bandage.\u00a0 \u201cBut it doesn\u2019t hurt to check on the wound, and\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He glanced toward the outlaws again.\u00a0 \u201c\u2026people don\u2019t often stop to think just what exactly doctors carry in their bags.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the time the doctor was done rebandaging Joe\u2019s arm, he\u2019d slipped Joe a narrow, very sharp scalpel, and slid a loaded syringe up his own sleeve.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t pistols, and Joe really didn\u2019t see what Jons thought he was going to do with the tiny needle on the syringe, but the cold metal blade hidden under his thigh made him feel a little better.\u00a0 At least it was something.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss was watching the time pass with a lot of anxious attention, but Adam made it back well ahead of the midnight deadline.\u00a0 He swung down from Sport, untying bags prominently stamped with the local bank\u2019s logo from his saddle as everyone converged on him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got the money then?\u201d Sheriff Rawlins said, nodding approvingly.\u00a0 \u201cProbably the most prudent course available at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I didn\u2019t get the money,\u201d Adam said with a weary sigh.\u00a0 \u201cI couldn\u2019t talk the bank manager into taking me seriously, and I\u2019m not sure he even had that much money in the vault anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you just got decoy bags?\u201d Hoss said, frowning.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t exactly surprised by the results of Adam\u2019s trip to town, but he didn\u2019t see at all what they were going to do now.<\/p>\n

\u201cBags \u2013 and a plan,\u201d Adam said with a tight smile.\u00a0 \u201cI saw some smoke on my way back and followed it to a camp.\u00a0 Thought maybe I could get some help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t suppose it turned out to be the United States cavalry?\u201d Ganther asked in hopeless tones.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but the closest we\u2019re likely to get.\u00a0 It turned out to be a familiar face \u2013 and he and his men are<\/em> willing to help us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss felt a distinct flash of hope and relief \u2013 of course<\/em> Adam would have the situation under control, of course it was all going to be all right in the end, just like he\u2019d said to Joe.\u00a0 And then Adam told them who it was, and he had more doubts again.\u00a0 \u201cI dunno, Adam, he\u2019s got some complicated feelings about us\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe respects Pa,\u201d Adam said firmly, \u201cand he doesn\u2019t want Joe to get killed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI doubt they can be trusted,\u201d Rawlins said darkly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI say they can,\u201d Adam countered.\u00a0 \u201cAnd they\u2019re much better at stealth than a mounted troop of cavalry would be, which is what we need here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maybe there would have been further arguing on the idea.\u00a0 Maybe not.\u00a0 But they ran out of time, because a voice called from the direction of the shack, \u201cEnough discussion out there!\u00a0 We saw the one in black ride back in.\u00a0 Let\u2019s settle this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked at Hoss, who nodded, then said, \u201cMy brother and I walk up there.\u00a0 The two of you stay ready.\u201d\u00a0 The sheriff didn\u2019t even comment, as if there\u2019d been any doubt that Adam had taken charge of this whole business.<\/p>\n

Adam hoisted the bank bags in one hand, bulging with something even if it wasn\u2019t money, and Hoss fell into step next to him as they approached the house.\u00a0 Freddy and his nephew were outside the house, this time pointing a gun at somebody who wasn\u2019t Joe.\u00a0 As they got closer, the bright full moon was plenty enough light for Hoss to recognize him too \u2013 Dr. Jons, and that made him almost as mad as if it was his little brother again.\u00a0 Dr. Jons had saved his life a year back, and he was a real good, kind man.<\/p>\n

Adam halted before the nephew told them to stop, said evenly, \u201cI got the money, but I want to see every hostage out here before we hand anything over.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy do you think you get to set terms?\u201d Freddy spat, glaring at both of them.\u00a0 \u201cCartwrights don\u2019t run the world!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no guarantee the others are still alive,\u201d Adam said without changing tone.\u00a0 \u201cI want to see them out here before you get the money.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not?\u201d the nephew said with a shrug.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s easier than arguing about it.\u201d\u00a0 He half-turned back towards the house.\u00a0 \u201cHey, boys, bring out the rest!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

14.<\/em><\/p>\n

Joe was about ready to climb the walls, trapped inside while his brothers were facing the outlaws outside, so it was a relief when they hustled him and the Ganthers outside too.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t sure they were any safer out there \u2013 maybe Adam thought so, since he\u2019d asked for this \u2013 but at least he could see what was happening.<\/p>\n

Joe, Mrs. Ganther and Lindy ended up in the middle of a cluster of outlaws, but looking between them he could see Hoss and Adam standing there facing off with Bateman.\u00a0 Adam was carrying big ol\u2019 bank bags, so at first Joe thought they were planning to pay off.\u00a0 That would never work. \u00a0Bateman was sure to insist on keeping the hostages until they\u2019d ridden away with the money \u2013 and would probably kill them once they were well away.<\/p>\n

But then Joe looked closer at how Adam was standing, and looked over to meet Hoss\u2019 gaze.\u00a0 Big brother\u2019s eyes cut over to Adam, back to Joe, squinted a little.\u00a0 Likely no one else noticed anything at all, but Joe knew his brothers well.\u00a0 Adam had a plan.\u00a0 Hoss was warning him to be ready.\u00a0 It would help if he knew what to be ready for<\/em>, but as it was he gripped the scalpel resting hidden against his palm a little tighter, shifted his position by half-a-step to be closer to the Ganthers, and waited.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, you can see the hostages,\u201d Bateman said, \u201cnow let us see the money.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d Adam said, hoisting the bundle of bank bags higher\u2014<\/p>\n

And then a gunshot went off, Joe caught the glimpse of a wisp of smoke coming from the bags \u2013 Adam must\u2019ve had a pistol hidden between them \u2013 but he was already flinging himself at Lindy and Mrs. Ganther to knock them to the ground.\u00a0 Nowhere was safe right now, but lower down was safer.\u00a0 He was barely hitting the dirt before the night erupted with Indian war whoops, and as he rolled onto his back he could see buckskin-clad men converging from every direction, spears in hand, as though they\u2019d leapt out of the earth itself.<\/p>\n

Adam was firing openly with the pistol now and Hoss was setting in with his big fists and Joe slashed with the scalpel at the first outlaw who started to point a gun towards the Ganthers, slicing into the outlaw\u2019s arm and making him drop the weapon.<\/p>\n

\u201cShoot them!\u201d Bateman hollered, firing twice with his own gun.\u00a0 \u201cShoot them all, don\u2019t be cowards!\u201d<\/p>\n

Then Bateman jerked, as Jons jabbed the syringe into his shoulder.\u00a0 Joe still didn\u2019t think that little needle was much of a weapon \u2013 but Jons must\u2019ve known what he was doing, because Bateman\u2019s eyes rolled back and he slumped down to the ground.\u00a0 Must\u2019ve been something impressive loaded into that syringe.<\/p>\n

And after that, it was over fast.\u00a0 Freddy threw down his gun and lifted his hands, and the other outlaws were either on the ground with spears at their throats or Hoss standing over them, and it was all, very quickly, finished.<\/p>\n

Joe sat up and looked around.\u00a0 He turned to check on the Ganthers first, but Mr. Ganther was already descending to do the same thing, so he tactfully looked away again.\u00a0 Hoss and Adam would probably be on him<\/em> any second, but right now Hoss was corralling outlaws into line for the sheriff and Adam was talking to \u2013 Joe blinked, looked again \u2013 yeah, that was definitely Matsou, chief of the Bannocks, one-time friend and sometime enemy.\u00a0 He wouldn\u2019t have predicted that<\/em>.<\/p>\n

He pushed himself up from the ground with his good arm, and turned to Dr. Jons, who was still next to the crumpled Fred Bateman, although his attention was on the outlaw whose arm Joe had slashed, tying a red handkerchief around the wound.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019d you hit him with?\u201d Joe asked, jerking his head at Bateman.\u00a0 \u201cSome kind of poison?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jons looked up with an expression of deep indignation.\u00a0 \u201cGood God, man, I\u2019m a doctor, not a murderer \u2013 just like your father helped prove.\u00a0 I only used a sedative.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be out for a few hours, but then he\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou always carry around things that can knock people flat like that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jons shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cYou never know when you might need it.\u201d\u00a0 To the outlaw, he said, \u201cYou\u2019ll be fine, and once I get my medbag I\u2019ll do a proper job on this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe didn\u2019t hear the outlaw\u2019s response, because a big hand was grabbing his good shoulder and Hoss was asking, \u201cYou all right, little brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, yeah, told you I was fine,\u201d Joe said, and tried his best for a devil-may-care grin but felt it going shaky around the edges.\u00a0 \u201cThanks for coming after me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss scoffed.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t be ridiculous.\u00a0 How were we going to explain to Pa that we lost you?\u00a0 You know his rule \u2013 if you can\u2019t take care of a thing, you ain\u2019t allowed to keep it\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, very funny,\u201d Joe said, rolling his eyes but quietly grateful that Hoss was giving him cover to catch his breath from the relief overwhelming him.\u00a0 \u201cSo what happened there<\/em>?\u201d he asked, nodding his head to Adam and Matsou.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, older brother came across the Bannocks\u2019 camp \u2013 apparently they\u2019ve been hunting in the area \u2013 and of course he managed to negotiate his way into some help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like older brother,\u201d Joe agreed.\u00a0 Sometimes (often) Adam\u2019s uncanny ability to successfully manage situations got on his nerves, but tonight he appreciated it.<\/p>\n

They must\u2019ve seen him and Hoss looking, because Adam and Matsou came over their way.\u00a0 \u201cYou all right, Little Joe?\u201d Adam asked, tone calm, but if he was using the nickname he must have been worried too.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, I\u2019m fine,\u201d Joe told him \u2013 he\u2019d probably have to say it to Pa too, when they got home, but maybe then people would stop worrying about him.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Mat.\u00a0 Thanks for the rescue.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tall Bannock looked even more impassive than Adam, and Joe couldn\u2019t tell as easily if it was a front or not.\u00a0 He was growing his hair out longer, and between that and the buckskin, he looked different from the days when he\u2019d tried his hand at ranching.\u00a0 He merely inclined his head slightly in response to Joe.\u00a0 \u201cThe Cartwrights were once friends, and I did not wish your death.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2026I appreciate it,\u201d Joe said, uncertain how to respond to these unenthusiastic words.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know how you all managed to ambush the outlaws, with no cover anywhere around here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matsou shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cMen wearing brown, moving on their stomachs through a brown landscape, in the dark \u2013 it\u2019s not so difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t\u2019ve done it,\u201d Hoss said heartily, maybe trying to lighten the mood.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Matsou agreed with apparent sincerity.\u00a0 \u201cYou couldn\u2019t have.\u201d\u00a0 No one had come up with a response to that yet when Matsou\u2019s gaze moved on to the cluster of outlaws under the sheriff\u2019s watchful eye.\u00a0 He paced a few steps closer and addressed Freddy.\u00a0 \u201cI remember you, from my days living near Virginia City.\u00a0 The poker player, whose woman was killed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I remember you too,\u201d Freddy said with a sneer.\u00a0 \u201cThe Indian who tried to be a white man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matsou\u2019s expression didn\u2019t even flicker.\u00a0 \u201cIt was a mistake.\u00a0 I, too, tried to take revenge on the Cartwrights once, when I blamed them for my woman\u2019s death.\u00a0 That was also a mistake.\u00a0 My blood was very hot that day, and as they say, revenge is a dish best served cold.\u00a0 When my blood cooled, I found out revenge would not help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWould\u2019ve helped me,\u201d Freddy spat.<\/p>\n

Matsou didn\u2019t deign to respond, only turning away and speaking a few words in his own language that drew the Bannocks together.\u00a0 He turned to Adam to say, \u201cWe will go now.\u00a0 Tell Ben Cartwright, he owes a favor now to the Bannocks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll tell him,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cAnd thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matsou merely nodded, then he and the other Bannocks were setting off across the landscape at a steady trot.\u00a0 Joe had to guess they were heading to wherever they\u2019d left their horses.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhew,\u201d Joe said, shoulders sagging.\u00a0 \u201cReckon Pa\u2019ll have a lot more to say about this than that<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSuppose we\u2019ll all get us an earful when he hears about this whole business,\u201d Hoss agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, if it means we\u2019re going home\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Joe grinned.\u00a0 \u201cDoesn\u2019t sound so bad, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

15.<\/em><\/p>\n

While it was tempting to set out straight for home, it wasn\u2019t practical.\u00a0 It was the middle of the night, none of the Cartwrights had had any real sleep in two days, and Hoss and Adam insisted Dr. Jons should look at Joe\u2019s arm again in the morning to clear him for travel.\u00a0 Joe kicked about that last one, but as much as he wanted to get home, he couldn\u2019t object too hard to a nice bed at the hotel.\u00a0 All the fatigue hit him halfway up the hotel lobby\u2019s big staircase, and while his vague memory on waking the next day suggested that Hoss had not<\/em> carried him up to the room, it had been a near thing.<\/p>\n

Hoss was still sound asleep and snoring in the next bed when Joe woke up, solidly asleep enough that it was no real trick for Joe to pick up his boots and slip out the door.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t put them on until he was well away from Adam\u2019s door across the hall \u2013 oldest brother could be almost as uncanny as Pa at catching any kind of subterfuge \u2013 but the third Cartwright must have also been sleeping the sleep of the just and the tired.<\/p>\n

Joe knew he was going to catch it good if they woke up before he got back, but he wanted to make this trip alone.\u00a0 And he knew his brothers \u2013 after what had happened, and based on the way they\u2019d been looking at him, they weren\u2019t going to willingly let him out of strict custody again until they could hand him over to Pa back at home.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t have far to go, and there\u2019d been no brotherly outcry behind him by the time he got across the street to the sheriff\u2019s office.\u00a0 Once inside, he greeted Sheriff Rawlins and accepted a welcome cup of very strong coffee.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan I talk to one of your prisoners?\u201d Joe asked, once he\u2019d gotten half a cup of coffee down.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat gambler fellow you all knew back in Virginia City?\u201d the sheriff asked, leaning back in his chair at his desk.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, the other one,\u201d Joe said, before it occurred to him that there were, after all, four other<\/em> outlaws who\u2019d been arrested too.\u00a0 But somehow it felt like only the two really mattered.<\/p>\n

The sheriff didn\u2019t ask for clarification, just nodded and said, \u201cThey\u2019re in the same cell anyway.\u00a0 Crowded place around here right now.\u201d\u00a0 He jerked a thumb toward the big double doors leading onto the cells.\u00a0 \u201cRight that way.\u00a0 Leave your gun out here, and don\u2019t get so close to the bars that I have to deal with somebody grabbing you for a hostage again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course not,\u201d Joe said, as witheringly as he could manage.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t an idiot.\u00a0 Sure, he\u2019d been captured by the man before \u2013 twice \u2013 but it wasn\u2019t happening now<\/em>.<\/p>\n

It was a decent-sized jail, with a cellblock of three cells.\u00a0 Bateman and his uncle were in the cell the farthest to the right, farthest from the door, but no one in the other two cells looked up with anything more than mild interest as Joe walked past.<\/p>\n

He stopped in front of the last cell, where the two men were stretched out on opposite bunks, but both awake.<\/p>\n

Freddy spoke up first, with a sneer.\u00a0 \u201cCome to gloat, Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Joe said evenly, \u201cjust making sure about something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s no way to address a guest,\u201d Bateman said to his uncle, and rose from the bunk to approach the bars and smile at Joe, straightening his yellow bandana.\u00a0 \u201cMorning, Little Joe.\u00a0 Had us a merry time, didn\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was glad he\u2019d stopped more than an arms\u2019-length from the bars to begin with.\u00a0 He wouldn\u2019t want to back up now.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I can\u2019t say I enjoyed any of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

And there went that blasted giggle again.\u00a0 \u201cOh well, I <\/em>had a good time, anyway.\u00a0 What\u2019d you come to make sure of?\u00a0 That we really are locked up?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, that,\u201d Joe said, and hesitated.\u00a0 Because there was something else itching at him, something that was the reason he\u2019d come alone, and not with his brothers.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you were wrong, what you said.\u00a0 We\u2019re not alike.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bateman\u2019s smile widened.\u00a0 \u201cOh, Little Joe Cartwright, you and I are plenty<\/em> alike.\u00a0 We run through life on charm and speed, taking risks because we never really believe anything can ever catch up to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

That did all sound familiar \u2013 but still\u2026\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re not alike in ways that matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah?\u00a0 You actually like your nickname then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure.\u201d\u00a0 At the right time, from the right people.<\/p>\n

Bateman winked.\u00a0 \u201cMe too.\u00a0 And we\u2019re not different because there\u2019s something so special<\/em> about the Cartwrights either.\u00a0 The way Uncle Freddy talks, you\u2019re some sort of big, anointed family back in Virginia City, but it looks to me like you\u2019re just the same as everyone else.\u00a0 We\u2019d have won out over you easy, if you hadn\u2019t called in so many friends to help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe felt some tension inside him release at the words because there<\/em>, that was the answer.\u00a0 \u201cBut that\u2019s how you and me are different.\u00a0 You know the most important thing, about being a Cartwright?\u00a0 It\u2019s not the money and it\u2019s not the land.\u00a0 It\u2019s that we help each other, and anyone else who needs it.\u00a0 Sometimes, those people help us too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bateman snorted.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, all right, I guess that makes us different.\u00a0 Relying on other people, that\u2019s not<\/em> a risk I want to take.\u00a0 I\u2019d rather depend on myself and my gun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah \u2013 sure looks like that\u2019s working out for you,\u201d Joe said, and winked.\u00a0 \u201cSee you around for the trial.\u201d\u00a0 He tugged his hat to a jauntier angle, and headed back out through the sheriff\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

He gave Sheriff Rawlins a nod as he passed, and stepped out onto the street outside.\u00a0 He drew in one deep breath of the cool morning air before there was a shout from across the street.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe! <\/em>Dadburnit, when I catch up to you\u2014!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked up at the hotel, to the open window where the furious face of middle brother was glaring down at him.\u00a0 Joe grinned, gave him a wave, and trotted across the street towards the hotel.\u00a0 Time to face the consequences, eat breakfast, and head for home.\u00a0 All in all, he sure was feeling good this morning.\u00a0 He knew who he was, he knew where he was going, and as for the lambasting he was going to get from Hoss, Adam, and probably eventually Pa \u2013 well, after all, it was nice to know they cared.\u00a0 It would be downright depressing if he snuck out and no one even worried about him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Epilogue: The Undiscovered Country<\/em><\/p>\n

It took a week of romancing the girl who brought food over to the jailhouse before she snuck Young Fred the key to the cell door.\u00a0 He unlocked it late in the night when he could hear the deputy snoring in the next room \u2013 the deputy was as reliable a guard as Kyle, and had been snoring all night every night since they got here.\u00a0 He slipped out and softly closed the door behind him.<\/p>\n

Young Fred glanced once at Uncle Freddy, sound asleep on his bunk, but decided against waking him.\u00a0 They\u2019d rolled along together all right for a while, but in the end, Uncle Freddy was just going to slow him down.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t have the stomach for any real<\/em> work.\u00a0 Even when he\u2019d been motivated by revenge, he\u2019d only dragged the whole business down.\u00a0 Young Fred was better off on his own, at least until he could find some really quality associates.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t even glance at the others.<\/p>\n

He crept through the sheriff\u2019s office, eased open the door, and closed it nice and quiet again behind him.\u00a0 Then it was a quick nip into the alley alongside the jailhouse, and there was the girl waiting for him, leading a horse.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, sweetheart, you\u2019ve been perfect,\u201d he said with a grin, taking the lead rope from her.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re sure I can\u2019t come with you?\u201d she said wistfully.\u00a0 \u201cI could get another horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Uncle Freddy would slow him down, this<\/em> idea was absolutely hopeless.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I can\u2019t let you risk yourself like that,\u201d he said, gave her his best grin and a swift kiss.\u00a0 \u201cBut I\u2019ll never forget you, sweetheart.\u201d\u00a0 Nothing like pet names to cover it up when you couldn\u2019t remember a girl\u2019s actual name; she hadn\u2019t caught on.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll write to me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, sure,\u201d Young Fred said, and swung up into the saddle.\u00a0 He waved his hat to her, and turned the horse towards the edge of town.<\/p>\n

He considered his options anew as he threaded between the buildings, and by the time he was entering open country he\u2019d only confirmed what he\u2019d already been thinking.\u00a0 He could<\/em> head towards Virginia City and the Cartwrights, but the sheriff would guess that, and besides, it was Uncle Freddy who cared about revenge.\u00a0 Young Fred figured they\u2019d played a good game, he\u2019d lost, and now he was on to the next prize.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d leave the Cartwrights alone, at least for now, and head east towards that big, open middle of the country where a fellow could lose himself real easy.\u00a0 Get into a new area and a new jurisdiction he\u2019d never been in before.\u00a0 Maybe Oklahoma.\u00a0 Maybe Kansas.<\/p>\n

Kicking his horse up to a faster speed, Fred Bateman galloped off beneath the stars.<\/p>\n

The End<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Author\u2019s Note: As you may have worked out by now, the challenge I set myself in this story was to bring together as many <\/em>Bonanza guest characters played by <\/em>Star Trek actors as I could \u2013 because there were so many! As noted at the top, Freddy (Leonard Nimoy\/Spock) appeared in \u201cThe Ape.\u201d\u00a0 Bill Collins (James Doohan\/Scotty) appeared in \u201cThe Gift of Water,\u201d along with Belle Ganther (Majel Barret Roddenberry\/Nurse Chapel).\u00a0 Jimmy was actually an unnamed townsman in \u201cThe Legacy,\u201d also played by James Doohan, so I gave him Doohan\u2019s name and made Bill and Jimmy cousins. Dr. Jons (DeForrest Kelley\/Dr. McCoy) appeared in \u201cThe Decision,\u201d and Matsou (Ricardo Montalban\/Khan) appeared in \u201cDay of Reckoning.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

Once I had all of those characters lined up, the absence of William Shatner (Captain Kirk) felt like a rather glaring hole.\u00a0 He never appeared on <\/em>Bonanza, so I searched his filmography to see if he was on any other Western from the same television era.\u00a0 There he was on one episode of <\/em>Gunsmoke, playing the charming, giggling, deal-making villain Fred Bateman.\u00a0 Since <\/em>Gunsmoke is set in roughly the 1870s and <\/em>Bonanza is set in roughly the 1860s, I assumed that he was ten years younger in this story and treated it as a prequel.<\/em><\/p>\n

In other episode references\u2026the Cartwright boys wanted a vacation after the big timber contract in \u201cThe Prime of Life,\u201d so this is loosely a What Happened Next, but mostly I just wanted to place it in time.\u00a0 They had trouble with shanghaiing in San Francisco in\u2026well, \u201cSan Francisco.\u201d\u00a0 Joe was ambushed in the desert by a man playing dead in \u201cTwilight Town.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

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

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

Summary: On a trip away from the Ponderosa, the Cartwright boys encounter some old friends and one old foe.\u00a0 Even though he has a grudge against Hoss, Joe becomes the target in his scheme for revenge.\u00a0 A What Happened (Much) Later for \u201cThe Ape,\u201d featuring Leonard Nimoy as Freddy, and a What Happened (Long) Before for the \u201cQuaker Girl\u201d episode of Gunsmoke, featuring William Shatner as Fred Bateman.\u00a0 No knowledge of Gunsmoke is necessary to read this story.
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