Summary: \u00a0A WHN for “The Gamble.”\u00a0 As events unfold subsequent to their being exonerated of robbery and murder charges, Adam fears more was at stake in Alkalai than the Cartwrights knew.<\/p>\n
Rated:\u00a0 T —\u00a0(3,570 words)<\/p>\n
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.\u00a0 The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise.\u00a0 No copyright infringement is intended.<\/p>\n
High Stakes<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Previously:<\/strong><\/em> In the town of Alkalai, the Cartwrights are arrested for bank robbery and the evidence\u2014though fraudulent\u2014is damning. They are tried, convicted, and sentenced to die at dawn, but when chaos erupts at the drop of the gavel, Joe escapes out the window leaving his family behind. While Ben, Adam, and Hoss await their date with the hangman, Joe tears madly around the countryside from town-to-town and ranch-to-ranch rounding up anyone he can find to help him stop the executions. Ultimately successful in his quest, the real bank robbers are revealed, the Cartwrights are freed, and the Sheriff makes a full confession regarding his complicity in the events that transpired.<\/p>\n This is what happened next.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1<\/strong><\/p>\n Our belongings were returned to us and we mounted up eager to put as much distance as possible between us and Alkalai.\u00a0 Younger brother Hoss was even willing to forego breakfast in favor of a speedy exit, so I was surprised when he stopped to gaze up at the three ropes dangling from the crossbeam.<\/p>\n \u201cUgly looking things, ain\u2019t they?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDepends on where you\u2019re standing,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n Pa drawled, \u201cWell, they don\u2019t look so bad from down here.\u201d<\/p>\n But it was Joe, a manic laugh barely contained, who made us all groan.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know about you fellas, but I don\u2019t wanna hang around here.\u201d<\/p>\n After a last look at the gallows, we turned our horses and headed out of town but when we\u00a0rounded the corner at the end of the street, our leave-taking was once again stopped by a group of armed citizens, one of whom was sporting a newly-polished badge.<\/p>\n \u201cHold it right there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the problem now?\u201d Pa asked the lawman.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re coming with us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow just a minute,\u201d Pa said.\u00a0 \u201cYou have your money and your murderer and you all heard Sheriff Gains say we were free to go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou maybe,\u201d the man waived his rifle at Pa, Hoss, and me.\u00a0 \u201cNot him,\u201d he said, letting the barrel\u2019s sites settle squarely\u00a0on Joe.<\/p>\n Now, I know that on any given day Joe\u2019s reflexes are sharper than a razor, but even I was surprised at how fast he reacted to this pronouncement.\u00a0 Before the word \u201chim\u201d had even registered with us, Joe flew through the air straight at the hapless fellow, knocked him to the ground, and proceeded to pummel the man with his fists.<\/p>\n \u201cJOSEPH!\u201d Pa yelled, dismounting a shade slower than I did.<\/p>\n By then, Hoss\u2014already on the ground\u2014had pulled Joe back and had his arms securely pinned.\u00a0 I stepped between Joe and the lawman serving as an added barrier, but never taking my eyes off Joe.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever seen my kid brother as angry and . . . terrified . . . as he was at that moment.\u00a0 Pa saw it, too, but trusted Hoss and me to handle Joe while he negotiated with the posse.<\/p>\n \u201cNow let\u2019s just everybody calm down.\u00a0 What is this all about?\u201d<\/p>\n The new Sheriff spit out blood and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before pointing at Joe and saying \u201cHe\u2019s under arrest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor what?\u00a0 We\u2014all of us\u2014were proved innocent of robbery and murder by your predecessor\u2019s confession.\u00a0 On what charge can you possibly hold my son?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJailbreak, kidnapping, conspiracy, and\u2014\u201d rubbing his jaw, \u201cassaulting an officer of the law!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe lunged at that moment and had I not been blocking his path, I don\u2019t believe even Hoss could have held him.\u00a0 Eyes black with fury, the boy was in full attack mode looking everywhere for the enemy; fear becoming the lens through which he saw the world\u2014but not my wind-up.<\/p>\n I cold-cocked him and he went down like a rock.<\/p>\n Pa, Hoss, and I moved quickly to form a circle around Joe who lay inert on the ground.\u00a0 We still hadn\u2019t drawn our guns and Pa had his hands up in supplication.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd if my son hadn\u2019t done those things, you . . . this whole town . . . would have been guilty of murder!\u00a0 Thanks to him, the bank has its money back and you have the man who killed the bank teller and your deputy.\u201d<\/p>\n Before anyone could respond, shouting shattered the tension in the air.<\/p>\n \u201cWilly!\u00a0 Wil . . . I mean Sheriff<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it now?\u201d the lawman spit again, clearly annoyed at this interruption.<\/p>\n \u201cI got telegrams for ya, Sheriff.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRead it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot just one, there\u2019s thr\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust READ!\u00a0 I\u2019m not taking my eyes off this bunch for one second.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis one\u2019s from Genoa:\u00a0 \u2018By the power invested in me as the Governor of Nevada Territory, I hereby order, decree, and adjudge the immediate stay of execution of Benjamin Cartwright, Adam Cartwright, Eric Cartwright and Joseph Cartwright pending the appeal of their conviction for bank robbery and murder,\u2019 signed James Warren Nye, Governor.<\/p>\n \u201cThis one\u2019s from Carson City:\u00a0 \u2018Custody of the prisoners, Benj\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe know who they are; get on with it,\u201d the Sheriff growled.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014is hereby remanded to David Bayles, U.S. Marshal, Nevada Territory.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the last one is from Gordon Newell Mott, Associate Justice Supreme Court of Nevada Territory.\u00a0 It says the appeal will be placed on calendar for Monday hence\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n I started laughing.<\/p>\n Everyone\u2014including Pa and Hoss\u2014looked at me like I was deranged, but I didn\u2019t care.<\/p>\n \u201cDidn\u2019t I say that if Little Joe were going to do anything, he would have to do it in view of the whole town?\u00a0 Well, leave it to the kid to not only gamble, but to raise the ante . . . the Marshal, the Governor, and the Supreme Court . . . that\u2019s high stakes! Alkalai is sure going to make a name for itself, Willy, I mean, Sheriff Willy—that is if you get to keep that badge after all is said and done.\u201d<\/p>\n Whether it was the legalities involved or the thought of relinquishing his newly-gained status as sheriff, we\u2019ll never know. \u00a0Willy apparently decided discretion was the better part of valor and moved us all\u2014including Joe who was by now semi-conscious\u2014over to the saloon. The judge who had presided over the kangaroo court that convicted us reconvened the proceedings, declared a mistrial, and vacated our sentences.<\/p>\n \u201cThat still leaves the matter of the charges against my son, your Honor,\u201d said Pa, standing behind Joe who slumped in the chair between Hoss and me.<\/p>\n Judge Jackson stroked his chin thoughtfully no doubt weighing the consequences of increased scrutiny of his cases by the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n \u201cIn light of Joseph Cartwright\u2019s contribution to seeing that the real murderer was apprehended and the money restored to the bank, I will dismiss the charges associated with jail breaking, kidnapping, and conspiracy\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, your Honor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014but that still leaves the matter of assault on an officer of the law and interference with the performance of his duties,\u201d the judge intoned ominously.<\/p>\n Joe chose this moment to not only regain consciousness, but to rise fully-enraged and mad as a bear with a sore head.<\/p>\n \u201cKeep your mouth shut,\u201d Pa whispered between clenched teeth as he pushed Joe back into the chair forcefully with both hands.\u00a0 Hoss and I each grabbed an arm and I could feel the kid\u2019s muscles ripple beneath my hand.\u00a0 He was sweating and his breath was coming in short pants.\u00a0 As added insurance, I placed a foot on top of Joe\u2019s boot; Hoss did the same.\u00a0 Joe jerked his head and looked wildly, first at me, then at Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cEasy,\u201d Hoss said quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cSteady,\u201d I added.<\/p>\n Joe closed his eyes and lowered his chin to his chest.\u00a0 Neither Hoss nor I released our grip having been fooled one too many times by our brother\u2019s feigning surrender.<\/p>\n \u201cYour Honor, if I may address the court,\u201d Pa said, maintaining the downward pressure on Joe\u2019s shoulders.<\/p>\n \u201cMy son acted irrationally, but without malice.\u00a0 His only thought was to protect his family from what he perceived was a threat to our safety.\u00a0 If he had wanted to kill the officer, he could have.\u00a0 He did not.\u00a0 In fact, he did not even draw his weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat his thoughts were is hearsay, Mr. Cartwright.\u00a0 You don\u2019t know what he was thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know my son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUndoubtedly you do . . . it\u2019s taking three of you to restrain him right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Pa lifted his hands from Joe\u2019s shoulders and stepped back.\u00a0 Hoss and I took the cue and released our grip on Joe\u2019s arms.\u00a0 For his part, Joe took a deep breath, raised his head and looked straight at the judge unflinching, but without rancor.\u00a0 Good boy<\/em>.<\/p>\n Minutes passed like hours.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think Joe blinked once; I know I didn\u2019t breathe.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph Cartwright, please rise.\u201d<\/p>\n We all stood shoulder to shoulder beside him.<\/p>\n \u201cI find you guilty of assaulting an officer of the law and interfering with his duties.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss and I leaned in heavily against Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cFine is set at $100; sentence reduced to time served.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, your Honor,\u201d Pa managed.<\/p>\n \u201cPay the Sheriff on your way out.\u201d<\/p>\n 2<\/strong> We started out four abreast but soon drifted into our normal two-by-two pattern this time with Pa and Joe in the lead and Hoss and I riding drag.\u00a0 At the edge of town Joe let out a whoop!<\/em> and took off at a gallop. \u00a0We all followed suit. \u00a0It was a beautiful day\u2014the kind Hoss had talked about in jail and we luxuriated in the warm sun and were exhilarated by the freedom of riding like the wind.<\/p>\n The first sign of trouble appeared when Pa slowed to a trot in order to give Buck a rest. \u00a0Hoss and I did likewise but Joe kept going, hell bent on what exactly I wasn\u2019t sure but I presumed it was to get home.\u00a0 Of any of us, Joe\u2019s tie to the Ponderosa is palpable.<\/p>\n Sport is more suited to long-distance endurance rides than Chubb or Buck, so I took off after Joe, leaving Pa and Hoss to catch up when they were able.<\/p>\n As I rode, it dawned on me that my brother had made this trip more than once in the last 48 hours.\u00a0 In fact, to make it to Virginia City, then to the ranch and back to Alkalai, soliciting friends and neighbors along the way, I calculated that he\u2019d been on horseback more than half\u2014make it two-thirds\u2014of the last two days.\u00a0 When had he eaten or slept?\u00a0 Never; that was the answer\u2014and the explanation.\u00a0 He was nothing but a bundle of raw nerves, operating on pure animal instinct. \u00a0Damn!\u00a0 Why hadn\u2019t I seen that?<\/em><\/p>\n I spurred Sport on and when I crested the next hill Cochise was up ahead.\u00a0 Poor horse was giving it his all, but tiring quickly and unable to continue despite the reins Joe was slapping across his flank.\u00a0 That action alone was enough to convince me that Joe was no longer capable of rational thought for in his right mind he would never treat any horse that way, let alone his beloved paint.<\/p>\n It didn\u2019t take me long to reach them.\u00a0 I manuevered Sport in front of Cochise and brought the horses to a stop. \u00a0Both animals were heavily lathered and needed to cool down.\u00a0 I wondered how I was going to tend to them when Joe vaulted from his saddle and knocked me off my horse. \u00a0We wrestled on the ground a bit, Joe cursing a blue streak.\u00a0 I hated to do it, but the only remedy was to sucker punch him right below the rib cage.\u00a0 Having the wind knocked out of him not only shut him up but forced him to be still for a few minutes.<\/p>\n By the time he brought his breathing under control, I had loosed the cinches on the horses, but we needed to get them moving again before their muscles tightened up.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, brother.\u00a0 Let\u2019s get you on your feet and walk off some of this excess energy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGo to hell.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThink of Cochise.\u00a0 He needs to be walked . . . now!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe groaned and rolled over, but slowly got to his feet and grabbed the reins from my hand.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a stream over by those cottonwoods.\u201d\u00a0 I pointed up the road about half a mile.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n We put our hats back on and walked side by side at a leisurely pace.\u00a0 Joe stumbled a couple of times, but I caught him by the elbow.\u00a0 The first time he shrugged me off and pulled away.\u00a0 The second time he mumbled thanks and said,<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t know what’s wrong with me. \u00a0I\u2019ve never felt like this before.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re just overworked, that\u2019s all.\u00a0 Like Cochise here.\u00a0 You\u2019ve been rode hard and put away wet.\u00a0 Let\u2019s get you cooled down and fed and you\u2019ll feel a whole lot better.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPromise?\u201d<\/p>\n I smiled.\u00a0 He sounded just like he had when he was five. \u00a0Promise me, Adam.\u00a0 Promise me it will be all better in the morning.\u00a0 I promise, Little Joe.\u00a0 Everything will be better tomorrow.\u00a0 You\u2019ll see.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI promise, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n Pa and Hoss caught up to us just as the rabbits were finished cooking.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew it!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss said, dismounting.\u00a0 \u201cI smelled them hares a roastin\u2019 five miles back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s beans in the pot as well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd coffee?\u201d asked Pa.<\/p>\n \u201cNot unless you have some,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n \u201cI do, and I have some apples, too.\u00a0 Come help me.\u201d<\/p>\n I knew a pretense when I heard one.\u00a0 Sure enough, as Pa pulled the apples out of his saddle bags he looked across Buck\u2019s haunches to where Joe was sitting and asked,<\/p>\n \u201cEverything all right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWill be when he gets some sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShould we let him rest?\u201d<\/p>\n I watched Joe pick at his food, then start to eat—slowly at first and then with purpose.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be okay now that he\u2019s getting some nourishment.\u201d\u00a0 Pa looked at me questioningly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll explain later.\u201d<\/p>\n 3<\/strong><\/p>\n When I came down the stairs after checking on Joe who\u2019d been asleep for nearly 20 hours, Pa was staring out the dining room window.\u00a0 There was a slump to his shoulders akin to the posture he\u2019d adopted in the cell in Alkalai.\u00a0 I wondered what he was thinking, but for the moment thought better of asking.\u00a0 Sometimes with Pa it\u2019s best to wait until he\u2019s ready to talk.\u00a0 Funny.\u00a0 He\u2019s a lot like Joe in that regard.\u00a0 Some might say Joe takes after him rather than the reverse, but I know better. \u00a0Pa wasn\u2019t like that before Joe was born. \u00a0He talked to me all the time about everything when there was just the two of us.\u00a0 After Joe came along . . . well, things changed. Losing three wives can temper a man\u2019s thoughts.<\/p>\n I sat down at the table and poured a cup of coffee.\u00a0 Hop Sing had set out fried chicken and fixin\u2019s for lunch and I smiled involuntarily; it wouldn\u2019t be long before Hoss would show up rubbing his hands together in anticipation.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s voice startled me.<\/p>\n \u201cIs he awake?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, but he\u2019s starting to stir.\u00a0 He\u2019s good for another hour or two at least.\u201d\u00a0 Maybe now is the time.<\/em>\u00a0 I decided to chance it.<\/p>\n \u201cYou spent a lot of time in jail looking out the window; you\u2019re doing the same thing now.\u00a0 What is it that you see?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s more a question I keep asking myself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhich is?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI remember thinking, \u2018if only I knew Joe was all right.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 Pa turned from the window and looked at straight at me.\u00a0 \u201cIs he? All right I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019ll be fine, Pa.\u00a0 Rest and food and he\u2019ll be his old self.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Adam . . . if it were only that simple,\u201d Pa sighed and sat down at the table, but made no move to eat.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t think it is?\u00a0 We can get the doctor out if you believe there is something more seriously wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, it\u2019s not that.\u00a0 I think you\u2019re right.\u00a0 He was overwrought, rung out, worn down with worry.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be fine in a few days.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it then?\u00a0 What are you afraid of?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat if we\u2019d been executed?\u00a0 What if he had to come home to this house without us?\u00a0 How would he have managed?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019d have Hop Sing, Pa.\u00a0 He wouldn\u2019t be alone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe.\u00a0 But what of the ranch?\u00a0 Is he capable of running it by himself?\u00a0 All of it?\u00a0 How much does he know about the operations, the finances, what\u2019s in the bank, what\u2019s owed, what obligations we have?\u00a0 He\u2019s not ready,\u201d Pa stood up and turned to look out the window again as if the answers to all his questions and doubts could be found on the horizon.\u00a0 \u201cI haven\u2019t prepared him at all.\u00a0 There\u2019s so much I haven\u2019t taught him.\u201d<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t know what to say.\u00a0 It\u2019s true; although Little Joe works as hard as any man on the ranch and offers his opinion on larger issues, we\u2019ve sheltered him a great deal from the day-to-day decisions that are essential to the smooth running of a ranch the size of the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Would he be able to carry on alone?\u00a0 I doubt it.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI keep thinking back to what he said a few months ago just before he took that job in Rubicon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was that?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n Pa sat down again and leaned forward, elbows on the table clasping his hands before him.\u00a0 \u201cJoe said, \u2018I want a chance to do something by myself.\u00a0 I\u2019m tired of being Little Joe, of being the little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you told us that Joe had to learn to handle his own troubles.\u00a0 He did that in Rubicon; he did a good job without our help.\u00a0 He was resourceful and creative in resolving that problem.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, but what have we done since then to encourage him?\u00a0 He said then that you and Hoss treated him like a baby; that everything he did was a big joke to you.\u00a0 Has that changed?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019d have to ask Joe that.\u00a0 I guess I haven\u2019t given it much thought.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGiven what much thought?\u201d Hoss asked as the front door closed behind him. \u00a0\u201cHot diggity . . . fried chicken!\u00a0 Pass me the taters Adam.\u00a0 Now, what are we supposed to be thinkin\u2019 about?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow we\u2019re treating Little Joe,\u201d I answered.<\/p>\n \u201cThat answers it right there, doesn\u2019t it?\u201d Pa said.\u00a0 \u201cYou called him \u2018Little’ Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n Over lunch I filled Hoss in on my suspicions about what had happened to Joe physically and Pa reiterated his misgivings about how much he\u2019d been able to teach Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cThe stakes are high,\u201d Pa said.\u00a0 \u201cThis is the future of the Ponderosa, but more than that, this is Joe\u2019s future we\u2019re talking about. \u00a0If we\u2019re not here, if the ranch is gone, I need to know that Joe will be all right.\u00a0 That he has confidence in himself and in his ability to build a life without us.\u00a0 I need to believe that Joe won\u2019t be afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw, Little Joe ain\u2019t afraid of nothin\u2019,\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was terrified, Hoss.\u00a0 You saw it,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n \u201cNot of dying; he gambled everything to save us,\u201d Hoss retorted.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s never been afraid to die; but he was afraid to live . . . to go on living without us.\u00a0 That\u2019s why he was willing to go all in,\u201d Pa said.<\/p>\n I began to see Pa’s point.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to fix that,\u201d I said finally.\u00a0 The unspoken question hung in the air:\u00a0 How?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cTo start, we have to help him learn everything there is to know about the ranch.\u00a0 Allow him to run projects himself; to succeed . . . or fail . . . on his own.\u00a0 No more sheltering, agreed?\u201d Pa said.<\/p>\n Both Hoss and I nodded. \u201cAgreed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd we have to help him understand that we\u2019ll always be with him,\u201d I said. \u00a0Hoss looked confused.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you see?\u00a0 We\u2019ll always be with him because he is us . . . all of us.\u00a0 He\u2019s the best and the worst of each of us.\u00a0 His moral compass, his love of the land, and his dogged determination came from Pa; his passion for horses and life from Marie, as well that fiery temper; his compassion and forgiveness from you, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what has he gotten from you, Adam?\u201d asked Pa.<\/p>\n \u201cAside from my Yankee granite-head stubbornness, you mean?\u201d\u00a0 I smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know . . . reason maybe and an appreciation for the world beyond the boundaries of the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Whether or not he\u2019ll ever live anywhere else, at least I\u2019ve exposed him to geography, music, art, and history.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd literature,\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n I raised my eyebrow at that, but Hoss went on.<\/p>\n \u201cIn spite of those dime novels he\u2019s so fond of, he reads the same books you do, Adam, when you’re not lookin’.\u201d<\/p>\n We sat quietly for a while, digesting not only our lunch but what had been said.\u00a0 Pa broke the silence at last.<\/p>\n \u201cThat night before we were to hang, the Sheriff said we shouldn’t\u00a0waste the time that was left to us. \u00a0Let\u2019s make the most of what time we have left with Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAgreed?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAgreed.\u201d<\/p>\n No matter how high the stakes, we were all in.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The End<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Summary: \u00a0A WHN for “The Gamble.”\u00a0 As events unfold subsequent to their being exonerated of robbery and murder charges, Adam fears more was at stake in Alkalai than the Cartwrights knew.<\/p>\n Rated:\u00a0 T —\u00a0(3,570 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":1264,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[23,1008,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-family","category-whn","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-1008-id","wpcat-13-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Bonanza24.jpg?fit=526%2C372&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nWe couldn\u2019t get away from Alkalai fast enough, though if I\u2019d known then what I know now, I might have insisted we take it a little easier.<\/p>\n