Summary: The Carwright brothers stopped in Ragtown for a bath, food, and a trip to the saloon.\u00a0 They picked the wrong saloon. Of course, Opal did not think so.<\/p>\n
Rating: T\/PG13
\nWord count: 12,217<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We decided to spend the night in Ragtown even though it would keep us in the saddle for an extra ten miles and–with stopping early and all–add better than half a day to our getting home.\u00a0 We all agreed though. Of course, our reasons were different as we are.\u00a0 Adam was wanting a hot bath and clean clothes really bad.\u00a0 I was wanting a decent meal of something besides jerky, bacon, beans, or stewed rabbit.\u00a0 Little Joe was wanting a visit to a saloon.\u00a0 He figured Adam would never leave him alone in even a small place like Ragtown and that Adam and me would want to wash the trail dust down with a cold beer bad enough to bring him along.\u00a0 After all, since little brother turned sixteen a few months ago, Pa\u2019s been letting him be in some of the respectable saloons as long as Adam or me is with him.\u00a0 Little Joe enjoys a saloon more than most.\u00a0 No, not for the drinking- he ain\u2019t developed a real taste for beer yet and ain\u2019t allowed hard liquor- Joe loves the being with folks, what Adam would call socializing.\u00a0 The gossiping, boasting, playing cards, the singing or dancing to the music even when the piano is out of tune; those are the things that Joe hankers after and doesn\u2019t think he gets enough of.\u00a0 Fact is he\u2019s only been a handful of times and never on his own.\u00a0 He probably would have tried, but he knows there ain\u2019t a bartender in town who wouldn\u2019t toss him out on his ear for fear of what Pa, Adam, or me would do to \u2018em if any of us got word of their letting him stay.\u00a0 Most don\u2019t cross the Cartwrights without a good reason, and word is out about the baby Cartwright and saloons.<\/p>\n
Now, when we got to Ragtown, Adam got one room for the three of us in the only hotel.\u00a0 He got one room \u2018cause he thought Little Joe needed all night supervision.\u00a0 Truth to tell, he probably felt like it was best if he kept eyes on me too; Ragtown being full of miners, drifters, and other rough sorts.\u00a0 Elder brother takes being responsible for Pa\u2019s boys too much to heart; he always has.\u00a0 Though, when I think on it, I wouldn\u2019t wanna be the one to come home to Pa with an injured little brother or tell him about a missing one no matter how old that brother was.\u00a0 So, one room it was, and though Adam is the oldest, I\u2019m the biggest, which is why Adam allowed that I\u2019d get the second bed to myself and didn\u2019t even grumble about sharing with Joe.\u00a0 Joe wanted that trip to the saloon enough that he swallowed down the whining and complaining he normally would have put us through just to keep Adam in a good mood.\u00a0 I figured we\u2019d hear it all on our way back to the hotel.<\/p>\n
\u201cClerk at the desk said hot baths can be had next door.\u201d\u00a0 Adam set his saddlebags on the bed and started taking out his clean clothes.\u00a0 \u201cWe have time to clean up before we eat.\u201d\u00a0 Adam was using his it-sounds-like-he’s-just-saying-but-he’s-really-giving-orders voice which Little Joe should recognize, but the young\u2019un tried anyways.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou go on and enjoy your bath.\u00a0 Hoss and I can…\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnjoy yours too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe could…\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you will not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would save money, and I really don\u2019t need…\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJoseph.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s voice was rumbling by then.<\/p>\n
I decided I better say something.\u00a0 \u201cNow, Short Shanks, them girls working in the saloons deserve a clean smelling fellow from time to time.\u201d\u00a0 See, the other thing that Joe likes about saloons is the working girls who show more of their womanly treasures than any of the females ya see on the streets or at the socials.\u00a0 Not that he has had even one chance at doing more than gazing at what they show for advertising purposes, and you can be durn certain he won\u2019t for quite a spell.\u00a0 Still, Joe enjoys that gazing and the attention he gets from the ladies.\u00a0 Joe and Adam attract the gals in and out of saloons like sweets do flies.\u00a0 Adam knows how to politely shoo them away if that\u2019s not what he\u2019s looking for; Little Joe always soaks it all in until Adam does his shooing for him.<\/p>\n
Seeing Joe\u2019s reaction, Adam cleared his throat and sent me a glare.\u00a0 He says that Joe is as wild as a mustang when it comes to females and just as undiscriminating.\u00a0 He keeps reminding me that we need to pour cold water on them smoldering embers not coal oil.\u00a0 Still, the thought of pleasing the ladies stopped Joe from fussing about taking a bath and got him gathering up his clean clothes.\u00a0 We headed over to the bathhouse, and pretty quick we were soaking away the trail in tubs of actual hot water.\u00a0 Well, Adam and me were soaking; Joe was giving himself a swipe and a promise.<\/p>\n
\u201cScrub, Joseph, and wash your hair.\u00a0 There\u2019s no hurry since you won\u2019t be setting a toe out that door until Hoss and I do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou take forever; Hoss is faster.\u00a0 He and I…\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI ain\u2019t in no hurry either, young\u2019un.\u00a0 Older you are the better soaking feels.\u201d\u00a0 Being only twenty-two I don\u2019t take old<\/em> as an insult.<\/p>\n Little Joe huffed but gave up and started to scrub down.\u00a0 Adam and I both have dunked that boy and scrubbed him up when he was a stubborn little shaver, so he knows what could happen if he pushes too hard.\u00a0 Soon enough, the water got cold, and we all finished up.\u00a0 The bath house was attached to the barber shop, so Adam and I got a shave while Little Joe fidgeted and asked the barber about a hundred questions which meant we left there knowing just about everything there was to know about Ragtown.<\/p>\n *****<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n I had already sniffed out two places that served dinner and weren\u2019t saloons.\u00a0 I wanted a full meal of good food- even if there weren’t a ghost of a chance that it would be as good as the one Hop Sing would have for our homecoming- and I wasn\u2019t gonna settle for no saloon\u2019s bar food.<\/p>\n \u201cThe smells coming from that cafe across the road are mighty appealing.\u201d\u00a0 This time it was me giving out with an order dressed up as a suggestion.<\/p>\n \u201cWe could just eat at…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo way, boy, I want a steak or roast chicken with all the trimmings not boiled eggs or sandwiches.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re always thinking of your stomach.\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe was starting to whine.\u00a0 Adam hates whining but over-looked Joe\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cMy stomach is voting with Hoss\u2019s.\u00a0 The cafe it is.\u201d<\/p>\n Now that cafe was a nice place with these pretty checkered tablecloths.\u00a0 It was clean, and the gal taking orders had a warm voice and a sweet smile.\u00a0 The food was tasty, and even Little Joe cleaned his plate.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t start fidgeting until Adam asked for a second cup of coffee, and I ordered a third piece of pie.\u00a0 Joe didn\u2019t say nothing but watched every forkful I put in my mouth sighing at every other one.\u00a0 I gazed over at Adam who just shook his head gently, so I knew he was in a mellow mood.\u00a0 I figured he\u2019d hold back on pulling rank and telling us which saloon we\u2019d be going to so as not to ruffle Joe\u2019s feathers over much.\u00a0 He would let the choice go to a vote, so little brother would feel he had some say even if his say didn\u2019t amount to much.\u00a0 Adam knew I\u2019d vote with him.\u00a0 I\u2019m Joe\u2019s big brother too, after all.<\/p>\n Now, according to the barber, there were three saloons in Ragtown.\u00a0 Adam and I had both been listening to the answers to Joe\u2019s questions about them saloons.\u00a0 Little Joe should have given that some thought if he wanted to see the inside of the wildest of the three. According to the barber, The Red Bull<\/em> was dirtier than the others, had cheaper but watered liquor, the roughest customers, and the most real fights.\u00a0 We would not be going to The Red Bull<\/em>. Queenie\u2019s<\/em> had better liquor, music, and the prettiest girls.\u00a0 Queenie\u2019s <\/em>would be Joe\u2019s vote; it wouldn\u2019t be Adam\u2019s.\u00a0 Based on past experience, Adam figures that over half the brawls in decent saloons start over some pretty working girl, one way or another.\u00a0 No way was he going where the chances of a brawl were high with baby brother in tow.\u00a0 Not that he thought Joe can\u2019t hold his own in a fair fight.\u00a0 Me and him have seen to it that Joe can.\u00a0 By the time Little Joe was four, we knew he\u2019d always be slight of build and hot of temper, so we started in teaching him how to come out on top in a one-on-one fight.\u00a0 After Adam came back from college, we started tutoring him on how to survive a brawl.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s a smart learner when the teaching is about something that interests him, and even at just sixteen, the boy can handle himself, but ya can\u2019t count on a saloon brawl staying fair, and Little Joe don\u2019t back off things once they get started.\u00a0 Fact is when it comes to fighting, he\u2019s braver than a dog that ain\u2019t met a porcupine yet and just as foolish.\u00a0\u00a0 Adam ain\u2019t no way ready for him to meet that particular porcupine, so we would be going to The Silver Horseshoe<\/em>, Ragtown\u2019s least rowdy saloon.\u00a0 It was the best choice at the time, but none of the rest would have happened if we\u2019d taken Joe to Queenie\u2019s<\/em>.<\/p>\n *****<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Little Joe almost lost his chance at going to any saloon at all when he gave Adam some sass over the voting and our going to The Silver Horseshoe<\/em> instead of Queenie\u2019s, <\/em>but I gave Adam a look and a throat-clearing to remind him that little brother had really been a good boy on this trip.\u00a0 Adam had only had to throw out a couple of references to the fact Joe was still of tanning age over the whole two and a half weeks, and Joe had actually been of real help when it came to choosing the breeding stock we bought at the auction.\u00a0 Adam and Pa plan to turn over the horse operations to Joe when the boy has some business experience and comes of age, so Adam wants to ease him into knowing what he needs to that ain\u2019t based on his natural sense about horses.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s all over that idea and figures I\u2019ll take over the cattle operations while Adam sees to the mining business and timbering.\u00a0 He figures Pa will still take the lead and oversee the running of everything while getting a little more well-deserved rest.\u00a0 Actually, we\u2019re all on board with that plan.<\/p>\n Adam caught my message and stayed calm; Joe remembered Adam\u2019s head is made of granite and that he wanted to visit any<\/em> saloon more than he wanted to spend the evening in a hotel room with disgruntled brothers, so we all walked over to The Silver Horseshoe<\/em>.<\/p>\n By the time we walked there, Little Joe was really chomping at the bit.\u00a0 Adam stepped in front of him at the door though and blocked him from entering.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know the rules, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re the same here as at home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam studied the boy for a few seconds.\u00a0 There hadn\u2019t been no whining in Joe\u2019s voice nor any challenge, so Adam smiled and stepped to the side.\u00a0 Joe darted in, but Adam gave the place a quick look over and steered the boy where he wanted him to go.<\/p>\n The Silver Horseshoe <\/em>was a pretty run of the mill saloon.\u00a0 Adam settled Little Joe at a table in the back corner.\u00a0 Joe didn\u2019t fuss because he thinks back-corner tables are just to Adam\u2019s liking.\u00a0 It ain\u2019t yet come to him that Adam likes them because nothing but wall is behind Joe and the table is between him and trouble.\u00a0 It was early, and there were only about ten other customers, and none of them had the look of troublemakers.\u00a0 Four of them were playing poker, and one of those was a full-time gambler who was running the game.\u00a0 There were four working gals; one of them sitting on the lap of the most prosperous looking poker player.\u00a0 No one was playing the piano yet, and the murmur of voices was a low buzz.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Ponderosa\u2019s<\/em> paying for the first round then you\u2019re on your own.\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe didn\u2019t even give Adam a frown.\u00a0\u00a0 When Little Joe is with us, the Ponderosa<\/em> never pays for more than one drink mainly because Little Joe is allowed only one beer.\u00a0 It’s of no concern to me; I always have the price of a few beers in my pocket, and I ain\u2019t never been a heavy drinker.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, do I have any pay left to draw?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam tugged his left ear.\u00a0 \u201cAs I figure it, you\u2019ve still got two dollars, and there\u2019s five days until the next pay day.\u201d\u00a0 Since Little Joe left school and is working full time, he draws working wages instead of Pa giving him pocket money once a week.\u00a0 Of course, he uses them wages for the same kinda things he did his pocket money: things he just wants; the Ponderosa\u2019s accounts still cover everything he actually needs. It\u2019s the same for Adam and me, though me and elder brother get a higher wage what with having more experience and responsibilities.\u00a0 Adam and I both get a profit share too what with us being official and legal partners since we came of age. Joe will start getting his share when he\u2019s twenty-one.\u00a0 It\u2019s the way Pa wants things, and it\u2019s always been fine by us.<\/p>\n \u201cI was thinking I might play some poker.\u00a0 Do you think that would get me in the game?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDepends on the stakes.\u201d\u00a0 Adam didn\u2019t ask Joe if he had any money in his pockets.\u00a0 Little Joe is a spender, and the boy\u2019s pockets are still mostly full of gullyfluff; his money never spends much time there.<\/p>\n \u201cI could take an advance, maybe?\u00a0 I\u2019m a good player, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam tugged his right ear this time.\u00a0 Truth is Little Joe is a good poker player, and the other players pert near always underestimate him.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll see in a bit.\u201d\u00a0 That meant that Adam would checkout the stakes, the dealing, and the players before deciding.\u00a0 I figured if it was a fair game, the stakes were low, and the players not the excitable sort; Joe would probably get to play a few hands, and that there was a reasonable chance the boy might leave The Silver Horseshoe <\/em>with a little money in his pocket since Adam would be deciding how many hands he played.<\/p>\n Sometimes, Little Joe understands when not to buck Adam\u2019s brothering.\u00a0 I was glad to see that Joe just nodded and turned his attention to gazing at the redhead in the purple spangled dress. Adam motioned to the bartender, and that\u2019s when the bartender made his mistake; none of us knew it then though.<\/p>\n Ya see, we didn\u2019t know it for sure yet, but that bartender, well, he was so slick he could hardly keep his clothes on.\u00a0 He\u2019d been eyeing us since we came in the door.\u00a0 Now, none of us Cartwrights go flashing the fact that we have money.\u00a0 None of us buy nothing just to say, \u201cI can afford it!\u201d but we do pay for quality.\u00a0 Our clothes, boots, and other trappings are all made of the kind of materials that most ranch hands or drifters can\u2019t afford.\u00a0 Any man with an eye for such things can figure fast that we ain\u2019t living on a dollar-a-day pay.\u00a0 That bartender saw it quick.\u00a0 He was also shrewd enough to see Adam was probably controlling the purse and that he was definitely in charge of Joe.\u00a0 He must\u2019ve sensed that Adam wouldn\u2019t stand for a real experienced gal trying her wiles on any of us, so he made the decision that would change the course of our stay in Ragtown.\u00a0\u00a0 He waved off the raven-haired older gal with the womanly curves and sent over the little blonde.<\/p>\n We all got a good look at her then. Little Joe\u2019s attention immediately returned to the redhead.\u00a0 The girl asked what we were drinking, and Adam ordered three beers.\u00a0 Adam and I watched as she walked back to fetch them.<\/p>\n I shook my head. \u201cAdam, she\u2019s thin as a rail fence.\u201d\u00a0 Thing was, she wasn\u2019t just skinny; she was thin like someone who ain\u2019t been eating three meals a day, and for a gal working in a saloon she didn\u2019t have much in the way of womanly curves.\u00a0 She did have shiny yellow curls and a pretty face, though that was covered in fard.<\/p>\n \u201cShe is, and that dress is barely hanging on.\u201d\u00a0 Adam had a pondering look on his face.<\/p>\n Little Joe turned back toward us and snorted.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s \u2018cause she don\u2019t have nothing on top to keep it from slipping down.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, she doesn\u2019t!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou need not comment on that fact.\u00a0 We can see for ourselves that she is, well, underdeveloped.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnderdeveloped.\u201d\u00a0 Joe snorted again.\u00a0 \u201cShe ain\u2019t developed at all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat may be…\u201d\u00a0 Adam dropped what he was going to say, but his pondering look deepened.<\/p>\n The little gal arrived with the beers and set one down in front of each of us.\u00a0 Then she made a move toward Little Joe\u2019s lap.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t have been surprised if Adam had just shooed her off the boy, but my mouth and Joe\u2019s both dropped open when Adam went and slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her onto his own lap.\u00a0 I closed mine when I saw that Adam\u2019s hands had moved to the table, and his eyes were studying the gal\u2019s face.\u00a0\u00a0 Then he asked her name.<\/p>\n \u201cB… Opal.\u00a0 you can call me Opal.\u201d\u00a0 It weren\u2019t no surprise that she had a working name.<\/p>\n Adam leaned back a little.\u00a0 \u201cOpal it is then.\u201d\u00a0 He took a sip of his beer.<\/p>\n Opal cleared her throat.\u00a0 \u201cAre you gonna buy me a drink, mister?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure, go get whatever you would enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n The gal went off toward the bar, and Adam locked eyes with me.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s younger than Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t say, \u201cAre ya sure?\u201d because the minute he said it, I agreed, and if she was younger than Joe, she was still a kid and had no business being in a saloon let alone sitting on any laps not part of her family.\u00a0 I knew then that Joe wouldn\u2019t be playing poker and a nice night at the saloon wasn\u2019t in the cards.<\/p>\n Opal came back to the table with a glass in her hand.\u00a0 It was meant to be whiskey, and that\u2019s what would be charged to our tab, but Adam and I both knew the only real liquor most working gals drank was beer.\u00a0 What passed for hard liquor only had a splash of alcohol mostly for the smell.\u00a0 That was one way most saloons made a good profit.<\/p>\n \u201cSit right down there, Opal.\u201d\u00a0 Adam used his soft-but-ordering voice and motioned to the empty chair across from him.\u00a0 The girl started chewing her lower lip as she did what she was told.\u00a0 \u201cHow much are you getting for selling that drink?\u201d<\/p>\n Opal\u2019s eyes widened at the question, but she answered.\u00a0 \u201cFour cents.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam shook his head and took another sip of beer.\u00a0 \u201cHow long have you been working here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAbout a month.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019s attention had returned to our table, so he heard Adam\u2019s next question and Opal\u2019s answer.<\/p>\n \u201cHow old are you?\u201d<\/p>\n When she said eighteen<\/em>, he didn\u2019t believe it any more than Adam and I did.\u00a0 He swallowed and didn\u2019t say the words, but I saw the Uh-oh!<\/em> in his eyes. \u00a0Little Joe knows better than anyone that Adam don\u2019t put up with nobody lying to him.<\/p>\n Adam leaned forward, Little Joe squirmed, and Opal did too.\u00a0 \u201cCome again.\u201d<\/p>\n Opal\u2019s eyes dropped to her hands.\u00a0 \u201cSixteen.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s tone was one he\u2019d learned from Pa.\u00a0 \u201cThird time better be the charm, little girl.\u201d<\/p>\n Opal\u2019s hands dropped into her lap, and she sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI turned fifteen two weeks ago.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe gasped, I couldn\u2019t keep my Lord Almighty<\/em> from leaving my mouth, and Adam\u2019s jaw went so hard he could have bit nails in two.<\/p>\n \u201cI see.\u201d\u00a0 Adam drew in a deep breath.<\/p>\n \u201cI need the job, mister.\u00a0 Jasper thinks I\u2019m seventeen.\u201d\u00a0 Opal\u2019s voice was flustered and pleading.<\/p>\n \u201cHe does?\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s right eyebrow rose.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what I told him.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam shook his head.\u00a0 There weren\u2019t no way the slicky behind the bar believed the child sitting at our table was seventeen.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you have folks, any family, in Ragtown?\u201d\u00a0 Adam managed to soften his voice if not his jaw.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u00a0 Don\u2019t have any anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam leaned back, sighed, and his fingers drummed the table.\u00a0 Little Joe opened his mouth, but I caught his eye and shook my head, so he closed it without speaking.\u00a0 Opal took a gulp of her drink and then made to rise.<\/p>\n \u201cStay right there.\u201d\u00a0 The gal had the sense to do as she was told and just sat and sipped. Joe kept glancing at Adam, then me, then the girl, and back at Adam. Nobody said nothing. I was studying Adam\u2019s face.\u00a0 He had that look he gets when he\u2019s figuring through chess moves before he makes one.\u00a0 A man came in and started playing the piano.\u00a0 Little Joe got fidgety.\u00a0 I gave him a look that told him to settle.\u00a0 He did; even Little Joe thinks twice before interrupting Adam when he is deep into pondering.\u00a0 Besides, Joe knew as well as I did that Adam wasn\u2019t gonna just leave a barely fifteen-year-old girl working in a saloon.\u00a0 Opal would be leaving The Silver Horseshoe<\/em> for the last time when we did. It didn\u2019t matter whether that bartender – the barber had told us that The Silver Horseshoe<\/em> was owned by the man who tended bar- let her leave simple like or had to be shown the error of his ways.\u00a0 Part of me kinda wanted a chance to show him those errors, but considering the young\u2019uns and the fact we weren\u2019t around home, the smarter share didn\u2019t want no fuss.\u00a0 The tough part of deciding what to do was we didn\u2019t know the players.\u00a0 Chess pieces only have one set of moves; folks can behave in lots of ways, and lots of times they surprise ya.\u00a0 We couldn\u2019t even trust that Opal would go along willingly with any plan we made. I sighed.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t be the first time a Cartwright had to save a body from themself.<\/p>\n When everybody\u2019s glass but Adam\u2019s was empty, I cleared my throat and decided to put my feet in the water.<\/p>\n \u201cOpal, do ya like working here?\u201d\u00a0 Her finger went to her mouth, and she started chewing on her nail.\u00a0 \u201cDo ya girl?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLiking don\u2019t have much to do with it.\u00a0 Gotta have money to eat.\u201d\u00a0 She shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cDiamond says there\u2019s lots worse places than the Horseshoe<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Her eyes glanced over at the dark-haired gal who looked to be the oldest of the working girls.\u00a0 I figured she went by the name Diamond.\u00a0 \u201cAnyways, I don\u2019t have no choice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you did, would ya be ready to take it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI…\u201d\u00a0 A nervous flickering appeared in her eyes.\u00a0 She looked into my eyes and said softer than the sound of a butterfly\u2019s wings, \u201cAt least, Jasper ain\u2019t made me go upstairs.\u00a0 He said I don\u2019t have to \u2018til I\u2019m ready.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll never have to at all!\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s hand slapped the table.\u00a0 Opal and Little Joe both jumped.<\/p>\n Then Joe spoke for the first time since Opal told us how old she is.\u00a0 \u201cWe ain\u2019t even told her who we are, Adam.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you think we should?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShort Shanks is right. Pa taught us better manners.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe taught us better about many things.\u201d\u00a0 Adam leaned forward and spoke in the voice he uses when he\u2019s dealing with scared folks.\u00a0 It\u2019s calm, and firm, and reassuring; and he\u2019s had lots of practice using it.\u00a0 \u201cI am Adam Cartwright, and these are my brothers, Hoss and Little Joe.\u00a0 We own a ranch called the Ponderosa<\/em> with our father, Ben Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam mentioned Pa\u2019s name \u2018cause his name and good reputation are known across the territory, and there was a slight chance the gal might have heard it.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t react, so I figured she hadn\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t have to worry about…\u201d\u00a0 Adam hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cUs being gentlemen.\u00a0 We, well, we wouldn\u2019t…\u00a0 you ain\u2019t nothing but a kid.\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s voice sounded too young to be calling anybody a kid.<\/p>\n Adam continued. \u201cWe just…\u00a0 you don\u2019t belong working in a saloon, and we want to see that you never again feel the need.\u00a0 Do you think you can trust us to help you?\u201d<\/p>\n Opal drew in a deep breath and looked at each of us steady for a few seconds.\u00a0 Then she pointed to me but spoke to Adam.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s got kind eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smiled. \u201cHe\u2019s got his mother\u2019s eyes, and she was the kindest woman I\u2019ve ever known.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI… I want to trust you.\u00a0 Where would ya take me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo the hotel tonight and then home until we can find a safe place for you to finish your growing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe orphanages won\u2019t take me.\u00a0 I\u2019m too old.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe shall find an appropriate place.\u00a0 I have an idea, but that can wait.\u00a0 First things first.\u201d\u00a0 Adam glanced around.\u00a0 Before he could start giving orders, Opal sank back and into herself.<\/p>\n \u201cJasper owns my contract.\u201d\u00a0 She sounded plum defeated.<\/p>\n Adam gave a wave of his hand like that problem was no more than a pesky fly.\u00a0 \u201cThat is of no consequence.\u201d\u00a0 Adam straightened, caught my eyes with his, but spoke to Little Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, take Opal and show her that Pa taught you how to dance like a proper gentleman.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe looked confused.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, Joe.\u00a0 You know you enjoy dancing.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shrugged, realized Adam was sending them off, so he could talk private with me, bristled for a moment, then shrugged again and took Opal by the hand twirling her off across the room.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, you shall take Joe and Opal to the hotel and wait for me there.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want them on their own on the streets at night.\u201d\u00a0 He also didn\u2019t want them in the saloon if a ruckus started.<\/p>\n It weren\u2019t far to the hotel, but I didn\u2019t want Joe and the little gal walking even that far alone either, but I didn\u2019t want Adam starting nothing here without me at his back. That left me kinda at sea for a minute.\u00a0 Adam cleared his throat and sent me an I\u2019m-in-charge-little-brother look.\u00a0 Of course, he had to tilt his head up to look me in the eye.<\/p>\n \u201cI…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEric.\u201d\u00a0 Now Adam ain\u2019t called me Eric <\/em>more than a handful of times in our lives.\u00a0 Before he went off to college, I\u2019d give in to it, but then I figured out it was his last-ditch effort at getting me to obey him \u2018cause he was feared that I\u2019d get hurt.\u00a0 If he was thinking there\u2019d probably be a real ruckus, there weren\u2019t a snowball\u2019s chance in Hades that I wouldn\u2019t be right there with him.\u00a0 That Eric <\/em>was the last nail in the coffin of any idea that I\u2019d just go off and leave him alone.<\/p>\n \u201cYa can just forget the notion of me not being at your back when the fuss starts.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere may be no fuss.\u00a0 I am willing to pay a reasonable amount.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut you\u2019re thinking he\u2019s not gonna settle for a reasonable amount.\u201d\u00a0 I knew Adam wouldn\u2019t put up with being fleeced but not because he\u2019d begrudge the money.\u00a0 No, it\u2019s just that Cartwrights don\u2019t put up with or reward that kinda disrespect.\u00a0 \u201cI can take the young\u2019uns to the hotel, see they\u2019re locked in safe, and be back in less than ten minutes.\u00a0 You\u2019ll wait for me to get back before you start striking matches.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s eyebrow rose.\u00a0 \u201cI will, will I, little brother?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy mind\u2019s settled on it, so get your mind settled too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf he notices she\u2019s left, it may not be our choice when the confrontation starts.\u201d<\/p>\n The music had stopped.\u00a0 Joe and Opal had come back to the table all ears as to what Adam and I were saying.<\/p>\n \u201cI was thinking that you would leave first. Then Joe could waltz Opal out the door.\u00a0 It might be a few minutes before he realizes…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJasper keeps a tight eye.\u00a0 Diamond would tell him quick.\u00a0 Ruby too.\u201d\u00a0 Opal glanced around nervously.\u00a0 It was clear she thought chances were slim to none that she could depart unnoticed.\u00a0 \u201cI should tell ya…\u201d\u00a0 She swallowed and stopped speaking.<\/p>\n \u201cTells us what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThose two at the end of the bar are friends of Jasper\u2019s.\u00a0 He pays the marshal something too… for protection.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs that so?\u201d\u00a0 Adam started studying the men at the end of the bar.<\/p>\n The barber had said that the marshal didn\u2019t do much more than break up bawls, swat kids stealing apples, or lock up real rowdy drunks; but if that Jasper was paying for the marshal to sleep in his pocket, the man might decide to throw a few cents worth of attention toward Jasper\u2019s side of a fracas.\u00a0 At the very least, he wouldn\u2019t be worth spit to us.<\/p>\n \u201cWe could stay, so Hoss…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNO!\u201d\u00a0 Since the growl had come out of both mine and Adam\u2019s mouth, Joe gave up without a fight.<\/p>\n \u201cI just…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou will return to the hotel, lock yourself and Opal in, and open the door to no one; I said no one, except Hoss or me.\u00a0 Is that understood?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Adam.\u00a0 My pistol\u2019s in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou may wear it in the room.\u00a0 Be responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen…\u201d Adam rubbed the bridge of his nose.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat child?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was thinking, well, if I told Jasper I was, um, going to the necessary. He might, well, it might give you some time. If I said I needed to tend to woman things, he wouldn\u2019t remark on my taking a little longer.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smiled, partly because though she was young, scared, and generally cowed; Opal had just shown she had a little gumption and more than a little brains.<\/p>\n \u201cGood idea.\u201d\u00a0 Opal got to see Adam\u2019s dimples for the first time.\u00a0 They helped her get over being intimidated by my big brother.<\/p>\n The music was playing again.\u00a0 \u201cYou and Opal have another dance, and then we\u2019ll set things in motion.\u201d\u00a0 The young\u2019uns did as told while I studied the folks in the room and Adam thought over our plan.\u00a0 When Joe and Opal came back to the table, he spoke even softer, and with the music we weren\u2019t worried about being overheard.<\/p>\n \u201cOpal, you\u2019ll go get another round and drop mention that I plan to send the boy back to the hotel.\u00a0 In fact, bring a bottle of whiskey with two beers.\u00a0 After Joe and Hoss leave, tell Jasper you need to use the necessary, go out, come around, and meet Hoss and Joe at the corner of the building.\u00a0 Hoss will see you to the hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a back way that\u2019s shorter.\u201d\u00a0 Opal\u2019s face had gained some liveliness.<\/p>\n Adam looked at me as if reminding himself I ain\u2019t a kid no more.\u00a0 \u201cGood, you can show Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be back soon as they\u2019re snugged up safe.\u00a0 You just wait for me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll wait until Jasper realizes Opal\u2019s not returning.\u201d\u00a0 That being the best I could hope for, I nodded.\u00a0 Then I looked at Joe.\u00a0 The boy was having thoughts.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, Adam\u2019s trusting you to look after Opal.\u00a0 We\u2019re counting on you, Short Shanks.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe bit his lip.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll stay and take care of her.\u201d\u00a0 Adam didn\u2019t even ask for a promise.\u00a0 He just nodded and sent Opal to the bar.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, I\u2019m giving you permission to throw some sass my way when I tell you to go back to the hotel, and you don\u2019t need to hold back on the volume.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe gave a grin.\u00a0 \u201cCan I cuss?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMildly, where upon Hoss will escort you out of my clutches.\u00a0 Opal should meet you at the necessary quite quickly.\u201d\u00a0 Adam looked at me.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll sit and sip my whiskey.\u201d<\/p>\n Our little scene played out natural \u2018cause it could have been real.\u00a0 Joe and me met Opal at the outhouse.\u00a0 I held her hand as she led us through the alleyways to the hotel.\u00a0 We were up the stairs and into our room right quick.\u00a0 Joe went right for his pistol.<\/p>\n \u201cYou be careful with that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI always am; Pa will take it away if I\u2019m not.\u00a0 Adam too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRemember that.\u00a0 Joe, don\u2019t you leave this room before morning.\u201d\u00a0 I was telling him what to do if Adam nor I came back that night.<\/p>\n \u201cShould I try the marshal?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, best choice of a poor lot.\u201d\u00a0 I forced a smile. \u201cPretty soon we\u2019ll be as big a worrywarts as Adam and Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Joe chuckled. I closed the door behind me, waited to hear the lock click, and then hightailed it back to the Horseshoe<\/em>.<\/p>\n *****<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Not hearing any ruckus, I stopped at the door and looked over the saloon.\u00a0 There were a few new customers, and the prosperous poker player and his lap-sitting gal were nowhere to be seen.\u00a0 I figured they\u2019d gone to one of the upstairs rooms.\u00a0 Slick Jasper\u2019s friends were still at the far end of the bar.\u00a0 Adam was on his feet at the near end talking to the bartender.\u00a0 I walked to stand at his back but half-turned, so I had a view of more of the room, and my back wasn\u2019t open to a sneak attack.\u00a0 I caught big brother\u2019s voice and started listening.<\/p>\n \u201cTell me how much.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019ve got a good bit invested in that little lady.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLittle girl; she\u2019s a child.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s seventeen.\u201d\u00a0 Slicky smiled; Adam sneered.<\/p>\n \u201cReally.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFar as I know.\u00a0 That\u2019s what she told me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEven at seventeen, no contract she signed would be legally binding.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs that so?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n The slicky shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s old enough to be in debt, and she is in deep to me.\u00a0 Nobody\u2019s gonna say it\u2019s unreasonable to expect her to repay me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, there\u2019s the money I gave her uncle, room rent, food the first week, her dress, shoes, trappings…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow much?\u201d\u00a0 This time it was more of a growl than a question.\u00a0 Adam hadn\u2019t even blinked when Jasper had mentioned an uncle.\u00a0 Of course, if there was really an uncle, he\u2019d sold a little girl to a saloon and only deserved to get scrapped off the bottoms of our boots.<\/p>\n \u201cShe ain\u2019t made much.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t paid back a cent.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA number or…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFive hundred dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n The weren\u2019t no way that Slicky had spent a fifth of that on getting Opal working at The Silver Horseshoe<\/em> even if he\u2019d had to pay off an actual uncle; it was just the highest amount that he thought Adam might pay.<\/p>\n \u201cCome again.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s voice made it clear that he didn\u2019t believe what Slicky was saying.<\/p>\n \u201cFive hundred dollars.\u00a0 Is that a problem?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnly for you.\u201d\u00a0 Adam can drip distain better than anyone else I ever heard. It was clear that he would not be turning over five hundred dollars to anyone who would put a little girl to work in a saloon and work it so she would never be out of debt to him.<\/p>\n Slick Jasper recognized that fact too.\u00a0 \u201cBoys!\u201d\u00a0 His call was loud enough to be heard over the music, and he motioned to Adam as well.\u00a0 His friends at the end of the bar started moving toward us which drew both Adam\u2019s attention and mine.\u00a0 Adam had his pistol drawn before those two finished reaching for theirs.\u00a0 I caught movement out of the side of my eye.\u00a0 A fellow had stepped into the saloon and was about to hammer Adam\u2019s head with the butt of his gun.\u00a0 I caught his wrist.\u00a0 I might have broken it if Jasper hadn\u2019t sang out, \u201cMarshal!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam turned to face the marshal, and we both saw the star on his chest.\u00a0 Adam holstered his gun, and I let loose of the wrist in my hand.<\/p>\n \u201cJust in time, Jackson.\u00a0 These two, well, a little jail time wouldn\u2019t go amiss.\u201d Slicky had taken to grinning.\u00a0 He tossed a silver dollar to the missing working girl who had followed the marshal through the door.\u00a0 Evidently, she had gone for the marshal and not up the stairs.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll be pressing charges?\u201d\u00a0 The marshal had a smirk on his face.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be over after I close up to sign the complaint.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe…\u201d\u00a0 Adam only got the one word out before the marshal\u2019s gun clicked.<\/p>\n \u201cYou plan on resisting arrest?\u201d\u00a0 The marshal was nearly licking his lips at the thought that we might.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0 Adam said it mostly to make sure that I knew that wasn\u2019t the hand he intended for us to play.<\/p>\n The marshal didn\u2019t say anymore, and neither did we on the way over to the town jail.<\/p>\n *****<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The jail was a stone building on the edge of town.\u00a0 The marshal kept his gun on us as we set our gun belts on his desk.\u00a0 He ordered us to empty our pockets.\u00a0 Together we didn\u2019t have but about ten dollars in them which I figured we\u2019d never see again, but then he never did no decent searching, so the money hidden in our boots stayed ours.<\/p>\n There was a stone wall and a metal door between the office and the two cells, and he ordered us through the door and into one cell.\u00a0 Guess he wanted to keep the other one free for real criminals.<\/p>\n After he locked the cell door, he holstered his gun and gave us a smirk.\u00a0 \u201cWhat names should I put on the complaint?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smirked right back.\u00a0 \u201cAdam Cartwright and Eric Cartwright of the Ponderosa.<\/em>\u201d The smirk slipped off the marshal\u2019s face.\u00a0 Evidently, he had heard of the Cartwrights.\u00a0 \u201cAnd as soon as the telegraph office opens in the morning, I\u2019ll be exercising my legal right to send a few telegrams.\u00a0 The money currently on your desk will more then cover the costs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCartwright<\/em>, you say?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBen Cartwright is our father.\u00a0 You may have heard of him or read his name in the Territorial Enterprise <\/em>one time or another.\u00a0 Perhaps in the article about the governor\u2019s friends and supporters.\u201d\u00a0 The marshal\u2019s face lost most of its color, but he tried to bluff a lack of concern.<\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t say I have.\u201d\u00a0 The nervousness was there in his voice.<\/p>\n Adam heard it and decided on one more comment.\u00a0 \u201cPa might let pass a misunderstanding in a saloon causing us to spend a night in jail, but he\u2019d never let one involving his baby son go without, um, shall we say proper retribution.\u00a0 You might want to keep that in mind if anyone mentions that there was a boy with us.\u201d<\/p>\n The marshal swallowed.\u00a0 \u201cIf he don\u2019t cause no problem…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe won\u2019t.\u00a0 We\u2019ve paid for the hotel room, and sleeping is not a crime. I do hope that his sleep remains undisturbed.\u201d\u00a0 Adam said it like a warning, and the marshal took it as such, stomping out and locking the door between the cells and the office.<\/p>\n We turned and gave our cell a looksee.\u00a0 There weren\u2019t a cot.\u00a0 What passed for a bed was a stone jut-out with a thin slab of mattress on it.\u00a0 That mattress was the dirtiest I\u2019d ever seen.\u00a0 The only other things in there were two pails.\u00a0 One was empty, and the other held water that sure enough didn\u2019t look fresh.\u00a0 Adam took a couple of steps, reached out, and jerked off that mattress tossing it against the bars.<\/p>\n \u201cI have no intention of suffering death by a thousand bites.\u201d\u00a0 He sat down on that stone bed and motioned for me to do the same.\u00a0 \u201cMake yourself to home, Brother.\u201d<\/p>\n I sat down beside him leaning back against the outer wall.\u00a0 \u201cCould be worse.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCould be.\u00a0 Little Joe could be here with us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI told him to stay in the hotel until morning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood.\u201d\u00a0 Adam didn\u2019t sound sure Joe would follow orders, but there was hope.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but I also told him to go to the marshal if we weren\u2019t there by morning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat might present a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe marshal took note of what you said, and he didn\u2019t seem too pleased to find himself in that kinda swamp.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt will depend on what he decides is the best way to cut his losses.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSlick Jasper might have something to say about that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSlick Jasper…\u201d\u00a0 Adam gave me a ghost of a smile.\u00a0 \u201cWell, Jasper Epps may be many things, but he\u2019s not stupid.\u00a0 Though I\u2019m not sure how many cards short of a full deck the marshal\u2019s intelligence is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think his greed is open to question.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re both greedy men.\u201d\u00a0 Adam rubbed the bridge of his nose.\u00a0 I sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cI should\u2019ve told Joe to go to the telegraph office.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI should have….\u201d\u00a0 Adam tugged his right ear.\u00a0 He was blaming himself for not thinking of everything.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe might think of it himself.\u00a0 He always wants Pa when there\u2019s trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe might. Do you think those two kids could come up with enough cash to send even a one-word telegram?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne word?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHelp.\u00a0 Pa could trace where the telegram originated.\u201d\u00a0 Adam gave me a wry smile.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t think the marshal will let us send one?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI figure the chances as slim or none.\u00a0 We won\u2019t know until the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam stopped talking then and went to pondering possibilities.\u00a0 I did too.\u00a0 After a time, we could hear voices.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t know how long it had been because the last we\u2019d seen of our watches they were sitting on the marshal\u2019s desk.\u00a0 I was glad that they weren\u2019t the ones Pa had given both of us on our twenty-first birthdays; those never traveled far from home.<\/p>\n Well, we tried listening because we figured Slick Jasper had showed up to sign his complaint and give the marshal his instructions. We never could make out what was being said, but the volume of the voices kept rising, and the conversation didn\u2019t sound too friendly.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think Marshal Jackson is quite as willing to back Slick Jasper\u2019s play as Jasper thought he would be.\u00a0 We\u2019ll have to thank Pa for being an influential man in this territory.\u201d\u00a0 Adam pretended to tip his hat to Pa.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe we can buy him off.\u201d\u00a0 I tried to sound hopeful.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe.\u201d\u00a0 Adam huffed.\u00a0 \u201cI hate the thought.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, me too.\u00a0 Still.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll do what\u2019s needed.\u00a0 It\u2019s unlikely we\u2019ll be doing anything before morning, so try to get some rest.\u201d<\/p>\n We stopped talking and leaned back against the wall knowing neither of us was gonna be sleeping; we wouldn\u2019t have slept even if we\u2019d had a feather bed.\u00a0 Time passed slowly.\u00a0 Dawn was lighting things up when some dirt and pebbles fell on us from between the bars of the glassless window.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat the…\u201d\u00a0 Adam jumped up as a second avalanche fell onto the bed.\u00a0 We took advantage of the bed being stone instead of a cot.\u00a0\u00a0 Standing on it and looking out, we saw a head rise into view.\u00a0\u00a0 It wore Little Joe\u2019s hat, but the eyes were blue, and the hair underneath was yellow.\u00a0 It took a few seconds, but then we realized the face was Opal\u2019s scrubbed clean of fard.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m standing on Joe.\u201d\u00a0 Before we could answer, a pistol was pushed between the bars.\u00a0 Adam caught it before it fell.\u00a0 Then a hand pushed through.\u00a0 \u201cHere\u2019s the bullets.\u00a0 Joe wouldn\u2019t let me hold a loaded gun.\u201d\u00a0 I caught the bullets in my hand.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe?\u201d\u00a0 Adam spoke just loudly enough to send the name out the window.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe shall not be shooting our way out of this jail.\u201d\u00a0 Everyone was keeping their voices soft, and the big stone jail was doing the rest.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t figure anybody in the office would be hearing any commotion.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOpal, hop down and the two of you back away a bit.\u201d\u00a0 Adam wanted a good look at them two kids.<\/p>\n In a few seconds, Opal was standing next to Joe looking like a young boy as she was wearing the dirty clothes Joe had taken off before his bath.\u00a0 Joe was without his hat and thankfully without his gun belt.\u00a0 His left-handed holster being of no use to Adam or me.<\/p>\n \u201cWe figured it would be better if Bessie Mae was in pants instead of that shiny dress.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood figuring.\u00a0 Too bad you didn\u2019t have a spare set of boots.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve gone barefoot lots.\u201d\u00a0 That gal\u2019s voice actually held a cheerful note.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, we\u2019ll worry about that in good time.\u00a0 First, we need to …\u00a0 um, you both sit down against this wall.\u00a0 I need to think a spell.\u201d<\/p>\n After a bit, I knew Joe would be getting fidgety, so I interrupted Adam\u2019s pondering.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are we going to do first?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHave Joe send a telegram.\u201d<\/p>\n I nodded and started pulling off my boot so as to get Little Joe some money.\u00a0 \u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThree possibilities, and they all have their problems.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNumber one?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBuy our way out.\u00a0 Only I doubt Jasper Epps will settle for five hundred anymore.\u00a0 He would see it as weakness and start moaning about needing more to give Marshall Jackson his cut.\u00a0 Most likely, we\u2019d have to wire for money and wait for it to arrive.\u00a0 I\u2019d rather spend less time not more in Ragtown.\u00a0 Plus, money is not what I think Epps deserves.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, number two?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have the kids get our trappings and horses. Then they can hold up somewhere safe and out of town until Pa can get here.\u00a0 Opal…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBessie Mae, Little Joe called her Bessie Mae.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBessie Mae it is then.\u00a0 She can probably help Joe with finding a good spot.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMight be best at least for the young\u2019uns, but your mind ain\u2019t settled on it, so number three?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt pulls Little Joe in deeper, but…\u201d\u00a0 Adam was back to tugging his ear.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat would Joe have to do?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome to the marshal and run a bluff.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLittle brother\u2019s done pulled off more than one bluff and not all of them at the poker table.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but the stakes haven\u2019t been anywhere near as high.\u00a0 If he pulled it off without a hitch, it would have us all out of Ragtown the quickest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019d have to fool the marshal?\u201d\u00a0 I figured Joe could do that nine times out of ten.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, and I don\u2019t think that is where the danger lies.\u00a0 He might have to fool Slick Jasper, and that\u2019s the bigger worry, and then there could always be a mischance that nobody would expect.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t put nothing past that Jasper, but I don\u2019t think the marshal would do nothing to really hurt Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think Jasper is slick enough to realize that the three of us disappearing could led to real problems for both him and the marshal.\u00a0 The telegram to Pa won\u2019t be a bluff.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat will be?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHis telegram to us.\u201d<\/p>\n I softened my voice.\u00a0 \u201cThe longer Joe is on his own the greater the chance he gets some wild idea and hares off after it.\u00a0 He brought us that pistol.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m even considering the bluff.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf the bluff don\u2019t work, Pa\u2019s still gonna be on his way here, and we do have the pistol.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t want Bessie Mae to disappear while the Cartwright brothers are all in jail.\u00a0 Anyone who would buy a girl would sell one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStill, the marshal\u2019s worried about the Cartwrights, and I don\u2019t think Slick Jasper\u2019s one to hoe a row alone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou agree then; it\u2019s number three?\u201d<\/p>\n I nodded.\u00a0 \u201cNumber three.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam hopped up on the bed and softly called Joe\u2019s name.\u00a0 \u201cIs there something around you could stand on?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a barrel not too far.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRoll it over and hop up.\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe and Bessie Mae managed to roll the barrel over with hardly any noise.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s face appeared on the other side of the bars, and on it was a grin.<\/p>\n He looked at me.\u00a0 \u201cSo, you finally nudged old Adam into a plan?\u201d<\/p>\n Before I could open my mouth, Adam gave him a glare and said, \u201cWe\u2019re not playing a game, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know, Adam.\u201d\u00a0 The grin had fallen off, but there was still a twinkle in his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just…\u00a0 well, yes, we have a plan, and most of it rests on your shoulders.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s eyes grew wide.\u00a0 \u201cReally?\u00a0 I…\u00a0 I can do it, Adam; I can.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be real responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood.\u00a0 Now listen.\u201d\u00a0 Adam started in giving directions, clear and simple.\u00a0 Little Joe just kept nodding his head and throwing in a question or idea now and then.\u00a0 We gave Joe the money I\u2019d had hidden, and he put half in his pocket and half in his boot.\u00a0 Then he smiled, grabbed Bessie Mae\u2019s hand, and the two of them darted off.\u00a0 Adam and I turned around, dropped down, and took a seat on the stones of the bed to wait for the telegraph office to open.<\/p>\n I was the one who started fidgeting before Little Joe\u2019s voice came through the window again.\u00a0 \u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam was up on the bed facing the window in one second.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, did…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGot it sent just like you said and got these.\u00a0 Well, Bessie Mae picked them up while I had the telegrapher\u2019s attention.\u201d\u00a0 Joe handed some blank telegram papers through the window.\u00a0 \u201cWe brought one of his pencils too, so that it would look like what the marshal\u2019s used to seeing.\u201d\u00a0 The pencil came through the window.\u00a0 \u201cEverything is ready at the livery, and Bessie Mae showed me a place we can hide out and wait for Pa if things don\u2019t go like we plan.\u00a0 They will though; I can do it, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam gave Joe a real deep smile.\u00a0 \u201cI know; I wouldn\u2019t have even suggested it if I didn\u2019t believe you could.\u201d Joe swelled up about two feet.\u00a0 \u201cYou paid for another night at the hotel?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, and nobody saw us slip out the back.\u00a0 Bessie Mae\u2019s as good at sneaking as I am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid the two of you eat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHad something sent up while we were waiting for the telegraph office to open.\u00a0 We did everything just like you said, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, then.\u00a0 Now, you take Bessie Mae and hide her in the livery while I get these telegrams written. Tell her to stay hidden no matter what until we come.\u00a0 We shall come one way or another. Tell her not to get antsy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay.\u201d\u00a0 The young\u2019uns darted off, and Adam sat down.<\/p>\n \u201cTurn your back to me.\u201d<\/p>\n I did, and Adam used my back as his writing table.<\/p>\n \u201cDone.\u201d<\/p>\n I turned to face him and held out my hand.\u00a0\u00a0 He put two official looking telegrams into it.<\/p>\n To Adam Cartwright\u00a0 Ragtown Stop<\/em><\/p>\n Received Joseph\u2019s telegram Stop Have sent my own to the governor Stop Will arrive in Ragtown as quickly as possible with a Pinkerton agent and Hiram Caruthers Stop\u00a0\u00a0 Retribution shall be ours. Stop <\/em><\/p>\n Your Father\u00a0\u00a0 Ben Cartwright Stop Full Stop <\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I read that one, smiled, and gave Adam a back-handed slap on the arm.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To Marshal Jackson Ragtown Stop<\/em><\/p>\n Resolve matter of Adam and Eric Carwright\u2019s incarceration with all legal precision and release post haste upon order of the territorial governor. Stop<\/em><\/p>\n Denton Maxwell Assistant to Governor Stop Full Stop<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I raised my eyebrow.\u00a0 Adam tugged his ear.\u00a0 \u201cToo much?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTell Joe to keep this ace up his sleeve.\u00a0 If Pa\u2019s telegram doesn\u2019t get the job done, we can pull it out then.\u201d<\/p>\n A bit later Joe appeared at the window.\u00a0 Adam went over the plan one more time and gave him the telegrams.\u00a0 Adam rubbed his chin.\u00a0 \u201cIf Slick Jasper just stays away…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBessie Mae says he\u2019s never up or about until near noon.\u201d\u00a0 Joe smiled.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll be out of town before then.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFrom your mouth to God\u2019s ear.\u201d\u00a0 Adam said it so faint, I don\u2019t think Joe heard.\u00a0 We watched Joe head off down the alley, sat down, and started sending some of our own words to God\u2019s ear.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>*****<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Adam had moved the pistol from its hiding place underneath the mattress to the small of his back under his pulled-out shirt.\u00a0 Adam had the pistol because he\u2019s faster with a gun.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t slow, but I hesitate still at straight-out shooting a man, and I always figure I can just break \u2018em in two if need be.\u00a0 We were ready, so we just had to sit there waiting and getting antsy. Our ears were straining, and suddenly we could tell there was talking in the office.\u00a0 The marshal hadn\u2019t even poked his head in for a looksee since he\u2019d locked us in the cell, but a bang or thud from time to time had let us know he\u2019d spent the night in that office.\u00a0 We stood up figuring Joe had arrived with the telegram.\u00a0 I sure do wish we could have seen or at least heard Joe\u2019s bluffing firsthand, but then if ya could have heard easy between the cells and the office, we would never have been able to make our plans with the young\u2019uns, so there is that.\u00a0 Besides, I\u2019ve done listened to Joe tell it blow by blow about a dozen times.\u00a0 Of course, it changes some with each telling.\u00a0 It\u2019s enough to say that he came in waving the telegram and demanding to see Adam and me.\u00a0 Finally, we heard the key in the metal door.\u00a0 I looked at Adam, and he looked at me.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t have to say nothing to the other.\u00a0 Me and Adam can say most of what\u2019s needed with a look.<\/p>\n The door opened.\u00a0 The marshal stood there, and Little Joe stood behind him just slightly to the side.\u00a0 Marshal Jackson hadn\u2019t even had the sense to keep Joe from his back.\u00a0 Joe didn\u2019t have a gun, but, by gosh, even a ten-year-old can stab a man.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, Pa sent a telegram.\u00a0 The marshal took it. \u00a0He read it too!\u201d\u00a0 Joe\u2019s voice was loud, clear, and offended.<\/p>\n \u201cQuiet, boy.\u00a0 I got the right to look over anything that comes into my jail.\u201d\u00a0 There was more than a trace of nervousness in the marshal\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n \u201cHiram Caruthers will let us know if that was illegal.\u00a0 He\u2019s an eminent lawyer and well aware of privacy rights in this country.\u201d\u00a0 Adam gave the marshal a look that would have frozen water and held out his hand through the bars.\u00a0 \u201cMay I have my telegram?\u201d<\/p>\n The marshal hesitated, Adam glared, and Marshal Jackson folded.\u00a0 He handed the telegram to Adam, who read it as if he had never seen it before.\u00a0 Jackson started in trying to pull himself out of the quicksand.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, like you said a misunderstanding in a saloon can be overlooked.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been thinking over that complaint Jasper Epps signed…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to see that complaint, so I can prepare instructions for our lawyer and orders for the Pinkerton man.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo need, no need.\u00a0 I\u2019ve decided that if you are ready to leave town immediately that complaint can be torn up and no more said about it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEpps might have something to say about it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll settle things with Jasper Epps.\u00a0 I\u2019m the marshal here.\u201d\u00a0 Jackson tried to sound like he had some authority; he didn’t quite pull it off.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, Pa might want us to learn this town a lesson.\u201d I thought a little nudging was called for.<\/p>\n \u201cHe would, Adam.\u201d\u00a0 Joe was nearly bouncing in his boots.<\/p>\n The marshal started unlocking the cell door.\u00a0 \u201cNow, Mr. Cartwright, I\u2019m sure your father would prefer you head out now, so you can meet him on the road and save him a longer ride.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam turned to look at me.\u00a0 \u201cPerhaps we should think of Pa.\u00a0 He is a very busy man, he and Hiram both.\u201d\u00a0 Then he turned his eyes to Joe.\u00a0 \u201cHave you had any problems, Little Joe?\u00a0 Did anybody put hands on you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I can\u2019t say they did.\u00a0 But Adam…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe do not want to be vengeful, Joseph.\u00a0 You know Pa expects us to have Christian forgiveness in our hearts when possible.\u201d<\/p>\n The marshal had unlocked the cell, opened it wide, and stepped back.\u00a0 Adam walked out, and I followed.\u00a0 The marshal didn\u2019t move until Adam, Joe, and me were standing in front of his desk.<\/p>\n Marshall Jackson crossed the room looking like he was headed toward a lynch mob.\u00a0 He started taking our things out of a drawer and setting them in front of us.\u00a0 About half the money we turned over came back.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know if it was stupidity or greed or if Jackson really thought we wouldn\u2019t know how much we had had in our pockets.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s arm brushed mine, and I knew we were gonna let it pass.\u00a0 Adam didn\u2019t say nothing until he and me both had our pistols strapped on.<\/p>\n \u201cWe couldn\u2019t possibly leave with a signed complaint against us still in existence.\u00a0 It would need to be destroyed.\u201d\u00a0 Adam crossed his arms over his chest.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, of course.\u00a0 We can tear…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBurn.\u201d\u00a0 I think Adam just wanted to see how cowed the Marshal was feeling.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, we\u2019ll burn it right now.\u201d\u00a0 The Marshal located both the paperwork and the matches, and we watched that complaint turn to ashes.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, you can feel free to carry on with your travels.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEpps?\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s voice rumbled with distaste.<\/p>\n \u201cKnows when to fold his hand.\u201d\u00a0 Jackson was near pleading.<\/p>\n \u201cThe little girl\u2019s contract?\u00a0 It\u2019s unenforceable, but I\u2019ll not have her worried that it might someday reappear.\u201d\u00a0 The rumble had deepened.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will burn just as easily.\u201d\u00a0 We didn\u2019t want Jackson sending for Slick Jasper, so we didn\u2019t demand to see that burning done.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we were to leave only to be, um, shall we say interfered with upon the road.\u00a0 Well, we Cartwrights have never been much taken with the idea of allowing harassment to go without retribution.\u00a0 For all involved.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure you\u2019ll have a pleasant trip home.\u201d\u00a0 The marshal\u2019s voice had a down-right begging sound.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had better!\u201d\u00a0 You could almost hear bells tolling a death knell as Adam spoke.\u00a0 Then he turned.\u00a0 \u201cBoys!\u201d\u00a0 He made a dismissive gesture toward Jackson and strode out the door.\u00a0 Joe and I followed.\u00a0 Minutes later we were at the livery.<\/p>\n Bessie Mae stayed hidden until we checked the place over.\u00a0 Then came out quietlike with a big smile on her face. We had discussed buying a horse for the gal, but she had told Joe she didn\u2019t know nothing about riding, so it was decided she would ride with me.\u00a0 I told Adam that Chubby wouldn\u2019t hardly notice; not with the girl being lighter than a newborn calf and him having carried hundreds of those.\u00a0 The young\u2019uns had collected all our traps.\u00a0 Bessie Mae had told Joe there weren\u2019t nothing in the town she needed or had feelings for, so they hadn\u2019t risked going back to her room.\u00a0 Adam told her we\u2019d see she had what she needed when we got to home. So, lickity split, we were out of Ragtown and head down the road.\u00a0 Joe had had the good sense to order some extra biscuits and ham with their breakfast, so Adam and I ate as we rode.<\/p>\n *****<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n We made good time and then stopped early to make camp for the night since we had some extra things to see to, and the place we stopped suited our purposes.\u00a0 See, none of us thought Slick Jasper would fold as easy as the marshal had, especially if he spoke to the telegrapher.\u00a0 So, while Bessie Mae fried bacon, made camp biscuits, and reheated some beans, we Cartwrights scouted the area and made a plan.\u00a0 It was a good thing we did.<\/p>\n Shortly after dark we heard \u2018em coming.\u00a0 Bessie Mae slipped off and hid where we had told her to, Joe and me slid into the darkness away from the fire, and Adam stood in the best possible place to face down unwanted visitors while holding his rifle and wearing his pistol.\u00a0 Elder brother can be downright intimidating when he chooses, and he definitely was that night.<\/p>\n Jasper Epps stepped into the firelight with his hands held away from him.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not wearing a gun.\u201d\u00a0 There weren\u2019t no holster on his hips, but that didn\u2019t mean he didn\u2019t have a gun stashed on him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhich doesn\u2019t mean that your friends aren\u2019t.\u00a0 Tell them to step into the light.\u201d\u00a0 Adam could sound calm in a hurricane, and he\u2019s used to giving orders to all kinds.\u00a0 He always sounds like he expects to be obeyed.<\/p>\n \u201cBoys.\u201d\u00a0 Slick Jasper was used to giving orders too.\u00a0 The two friends from the saloon stepped forward guns drawn.<\/p>\n \u201cHolster the iron.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s rifle was pointed direct at Jasper\u2019s chest.<\/p>\n Jasper gave a nod, and the friends followed orders.\u00a0 \u201cWe were negotiating the last time we met.\u00a0 I just want to finish that negotiation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd if I think it is finished?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll find that, unlike our fool of a marshal, I was not born a bootlicker.\u201d Slick Jasper sneered.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d lay bets you\u2019re not one to shoot an unarmed man.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s sneer matched Jasper\u2019s.\u00a0 \u201cYou would?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWould you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnly if absolutely necessary.\u00a0 For example, if your third friend makes one more move toward either of my brothers instead of joining us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJasper?\u201d\u00a0 The voice came from the darkness nearer to Joe than to me.<\/p>\n \u201cCome out.\u201d\u00a0 A new player stepped into the light.<\/p>\n Adam shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cGuns on the ground.\u00a0 Toss them slow and easy.\u201d<\/p>\n Jasper nodded again, and their guns hit the ground.\u00a0 \u201cI just want what is owed me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOwed you?\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s chuckle had no humor in it.\u00a0 \u201cI believe you said five hundred dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDickering had just begun.\u00a0 I\u2019m willing to consider three hundred.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s voice was solid and sure.<\/p>\n \u201cMake an offer then.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve an offer to make to your friends first.\u00a0 Since I don\u2019t like children seeing violence, I\u2019m willing to double what Epps told you he\u2019d pay.\u00a0 In my case, you risk nothing and simply ride back to Ragtown immediately.\u201d Slick Jasper didn\u2019t seem one to be free with his money, and we figured he wouldn\u2019t be paying more than twenty.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s free hand slipped into his pocket, and he tossed a twenty-dollar gold piece at the feet of the friend nearest him.<\/p>\n The man looked at the money.\u00a0 \u201cYou said double.\u201d\u00a0 Adam tossed another coin at his feet.\u00a0 The man picked up the forty dollars, tipped his hat, and walked back toward the road.<\/p>\n \u201cAny other takers?\u201d\u00a0 Adam was smiling as he asked.<\/p>\n Two minutes later, Jasper Epps was standing alone.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is all we are willing to pay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI still have this.\u201d\u00a0 Jasper held up a paper which we all figured was Bessie Mae\u2019s contract.<\/p>\n \u201cUnenforceable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEvidence of debt.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam tossed five dollars at Jasper\u2019s feet.\u00a0 \u201cToss it in the fire and go.\u201d<\/p>\n Jasper picked the money out of the dirt and made one more attempt.\u00a0 \u201cCollect now; collect later.\u201d\u00a0 Jasper shrugged to show which did not matter.<\/p>\n \u201cIf that girl ever has one reason to worry about you or yours, I shall consider it my civic duty to shoot you in defense of decency and innocent girls everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Slick Jasper studied Adam\u2019s face, believed him, and folded which was smart as elder brother meant every word he said.<\/p>\n We took turns keeping an eye and an ear out, but there was no sign of any more trouble, and none of us have seen a sign of Jasper Epps since.\u00a0 Yeah, it seems we was right when we pegged Jasper as slick, not stupid, but not a worthy man, let alone a worthy opponent.<\/p>\n Come morning, Bessie Mae made us a good breakfast, and then we set out for home.<\/p>\n *****<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n We had stopped for the second night when we heard horses approaching along the road.\u00a0 All of us went to check, and sure enough it was Pa along with two of our hands well known as being good with a gun.<\/p>\n \u201cBoys!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Pa!\u00a0 Coming to save us, are you?\u00a0 Well, we\u2019ve already saved ourselves!\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe was about bursting and ran up to Buck before Pa could even dismount.\u00a0 Pa swung down and grabbed his baby into a bear hug while looking at Adam and me over Joe\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 His eyes were demanding answers seeing as how Joe\u2019s telegram hadn\u2019t given any details.\u00a0 It just said Adam and me were unjustly in jail in Ragtown and needed him to come.\u00a0 Then he saw Bessie Mae.<\/p>\n \u201cI might have known. Eric!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt weren\u2019t me this time, Pa.\u00a0 Least ways it wasn\u2019t just me.\u201d<\/p>\n Pa rolled his eyes just like he\u2019s always told us not to.\u00a0 Adam spoke up then.\u00a0 \u201cGood to see you, Pa. When you hear the whole story, I am sure you will approve.\u00a0\u00a0 Everything has been resolved successfully, and we\u2019re just sorry to have caused you upset and a long ride.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo one was hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot at all. Not a gun fired or even a punch thrown. It\u2019s a long story which I\u2019m sure Joe will be glad to tell you, but perhaps you and the boys would like to join our camp first.\u201d<\/p>\n Pa nodded, but his look told us that he would be having every last detail before anyone bedded down for the night.\u00a0 Jake and Al swung down and headed for our fire.\u00a0 Pa started walking with Joe following like a faithful pup but stopped when he reached Bessie Mae.\u00a0 \u201cIntroductions are in order.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa, that\u2019s Bessie Mae.\u00a0 Bessie Mae, this is our pa.\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe made short work of the introductions.\u00a0 \u201cWe saved her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey did, Mr. Carwright.\u00a0 They\u2019re wonderful!\u201d<\/p>\n Pa raised his eyebrow and then chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cAt times perhaps.\u00a0 Still, if you needed saving, I\u2019m glad my sons were able to help.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure the why and how will make an interesting after dinner tale.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe shot some rabbits, and I\u2019ve got a stew going and biscuits.\u00a0 If ya have some more flour, I\u2019ll make another pan.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s provisions in our saddle bags.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s a good cook, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019ll get ya some more fixings, Bessie Mae.\u201d<\/p>\n We did what was needed, settling the horses and laying in firewood and such while Bessie Mae finished cooking dinner.\u00a0 Then we all laid into that food like it was a meal at some grand hotel.\u00a0 Joe finished his last bite and then launched into telling the story of our little sojourn in Ragtown.\u00a0 Adam and I gave him his head and only threw in a comment or two and a few details.\u00a0 Pa didn\u2019t need to ask him no questions to get the whole story, but when Joe wound down, Pa looked at Adam and asked one.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy has the child no shoes?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam just blinked and swallowed a little.\u00a0\u00a0 We\u2019d gotten used to seeing Bessie Mae wearing only a double pair of socks and hadn\u2019t been giving her shoeless state much thought.\u00a0 \u201cUm, we haven\u2019t passed a store since we left\u00a0 Ragtown.\u201d<\/p>\n Bessie Mae must\u2019ve taken note of the added color on Adam\u2019s cheeks.\u00a0 \u201cMy feet are fine, Mr. Carwright.\u00a0 They\u2019ve taken real, real good care of me.\u00a0 They\u2019re like princes in a fairy tale.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, the king has arrived, and I assure you; you shall have a pair at the first opportunity.\u201d\u00a0 Pa sounded stern, but then he smiled, and Bessie Mae saw he was mostly teasing \u2018cause his eyes were smiling proud.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019d never really worried that Pa would fault us any about the whole thing; we\u2019d only done what was needed and right, but it felt good to see that pride shining in his eyes.<\/p>\n *****<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Things went real well from then on.\u00a0 It took the better part of two days to reach home. We stopped in town first, and while Pa and Adam sent some telegrams and saw to some business, Joe and I took Bessie Mae to the mercantile.\u00a0 She got not just shoes but a dress proper for a girl of fifteen and some other bits and bobs Mrs. Hanson thought she needed right off.\u00a0 We told Miz Hanson we\u2019d be bringing Bessie Mae back in a few days on a proper shopping trip which we did.<\/p>\n The first sight of home is always a comfort, but it was a triple pleasure when we rode into the yard that evening.\u00a0 Hop Sing came out exclaiming half in English and half in Chinese and hustled us, including Al and Jake, into the house to clean up and then have dinner.\u00a0 It was everything I\u2019d thought it would be.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t nobody puts out a welcome home dinner like Hop Sing.<\/p>\n Bessie Mae didn\u2019t know what to make of Hop Sing at first, but after about a day she settled in with him. In less time she had Pa wrapped around her little finger.\u00a0 Well, she is a sweet gal and biddable, and she thought of him as a real king.\u00a0 I guess he is King of the Ponderosa<\/em>.<\/p>\n Now, one of Adam\u2019s wires had been sent to Ester Perkins.\u00a0\u00a0 She was the idea he had had about a proper place for Bessie Mae.\u00a0 There\u2019s a story to Adam\u2019s knowing her, but that\u2019s for another time.\u00a0 Enough said.\u00a0 Miss Perkings owns a restaurant in a nice little town about thirty miles north, and she\u2019s a real fine lady.\u00a0 She came when Adam asked if she might have a place for a young girl, and she saw what we did in Bessie Mae.\u00a0 It was decided that Bessie Mae would live with Miss Ester, help in the restaurant, and learn the business.\u00a0 She would have a fitting and respectable life until some clerk or cowhand talked her into marriage.\u00a0 It\u2019s Adam\u2019s belief that there\u2019ll be plenty trying when she reaches a proper age, but Miss Ester is a formidable woman and a good judge of character, so Adam ain\u2019t fretting about that yet.<\/p>\n The morning she left, Bessie Mae came out of the house dressed in what Miss Ester called a plaid frock with a pink bow holding back them yellow curls.\u00a0 She looked bright as a button and seemed to shine from inside.\u00a0 There weren\u2019t no sign of Opal left in her, and her face was twice as pretty without the fard.\u00a0 Miss Ester was going to drive the hired rig back to town herself, so we all knew we\u2019d be saying our goodbyes in the yard.<\/p>\n Pa was giving Bessie Mae little admonishments and telling her to mind Miss Ester and that he\u2019d be getting reports regular about how she was doing.\u00a0 Bessie Mae just smiled and then threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.\u00a0 Then she kissed mine and Adam\u2019s; Little Joe she kissed smack on the mouth and then laughed when he blushed.<\/p>\n Adam plucked her up and planted her in the buggy then.\u00a0 \u201cNo more of that until your twenty-one!\u00a0 You best keep an eye on her, Ester, and let me know if I need to come and take her in hand.\u201d\u00a0 Adam said it stern, but his dimples were showing, and Bessie Mae laughed soft after she told him she\u2019d be good.<\/p>\n Miss Ester promised to keep us apprised before setting the horses moving. When she did Bessie Mae turned around and waved until they were out of sight.<\/p>\n Little Joe made his mistake then, not having taken note that he was in reach of Pa\u2019s long arm.\u00a0 He made a cheeky crack about us going to The Red Bull<\/em> instead of The Silver Horseshoe<\/em> next time we stopped in Ragtown.\u00a0 The crack made by Pa\u2019s hand swatting Joe\u2019s rear echoed around the yard.\u00a0 Adam chuckled, smirked at Joe, and told Pa not to worry; he\u2019d see to it that Joe only went to Queenie\u2019s <\/em>and save The Red Bull <\/em>for when he was there alone.\u00a0 Pa didn\u2019t find that as funny as Adam, and the glare Pa sent elder brother pert near set the air to crackling.\u00a0 I held back my chuckling, and Pa didn\u2019t even send me a look.\u00a0 Of course, he knows that I\u2019m the one son who\u2019s never sassy and doesn\u2019t go courting trouble.<\/p>\n ***The End***<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A\/N:\u00a0 Written for the 2025 Ponderosa Paddlewheel Poker Tournament. The game was 7-Card Stud and we had to use at least five of the seven cards dealt, each of which represented a word or phrase.\u00a0 My words\/phrases were:<\/p>\n She\u2019s as thin as a rail fence.<\/p>\n He\u2019s braver than a dog that ain\u2019t me a porcupine yet.<\/p>\n He was so slick he could hardly keep his clothes on.<\/p>\n As wild as a mustang<\/p>\n Gullyfluff (that which accumulates in the pockets of schoolboys like crumbs, hair, string, pebbles, and other detritus)<\/p>\n Uh-oh!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n