Summary:\u00a0 Sixteen-year-old Joe is in jail.\u00a0 Dare he tell Adam and Pa his alibi?\u00a0 Only when he realises the seriousness of the crime does he decide to act like a man and reveal his whereabouts.\u00a0 But will Pa ever accept him as a grown man?
\nRating:\u00a0 PG\u00a0 (13,310 words)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Alibi<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Joe Cartwright opened one eye and then the other very slowly, then closed them again.\u00a0 He shifted on the hard bunk and tried again.\u00a0 No, he wasn’t at home in his soft bed.\u00a0 From his bed every morning he could see furnishings, smell Hop Sing’s cooking and hear the sounds of his brothers starting chores.\u00a0\u00a0 This morning he could see a blurred image of a brick wall to his left and to his right a bunk just like the one he rested on but this second one was occupied by his best friend, Mitch Devlin.\u00a0 He didn’t even want to think what the smells and sounds were.\u00a0 The sounds in particular seemed very loud and his head hurt as each clang or footfall reverberated in the empty cell.\u00a0 He swallowed hard; it was, as he had feared he was in jail.<\/p>\n “Joe\u2026Joe, ”\u00a0 Mitch whispered urgently\u00a0 “You awake?”<\/p>\n Joe tried to raise his head but the slight movement made him feel sick and he simply turned toward his buddy.\u00a0 “Sorta\u2026” he replied in a hoarse voice.<\/p>\n “You think our folks know where we are yet?”\u00a0 Mitch sounded worried and Joe accepted that he had every right to be, neither George Devlin nor Ben Cartwright was going to be too thrilled at bailing their sixteen year old sons out of jail.<\/p>\n Joe struggled hard to remember the events of the evening and as they came flooding back his stomach heaved again.\u00a0 “I dunno, maybe Sheriff Coffee sent someone to tell ’em.”<\/p>\n “Least your Pa’s away in Genoa ’til Monday.\u00a0 Mine’s gonna kill me.”\u00a0 Mitch groaned, turning over and heaving himself into a sitting position his head in his hands.\u00a0 “How come I always let you talk me into trouble. There’s times Joe Cartwright when I wish we wasn’t best friends.”<\/p>\n Joe slowly swung his legs over the edge of the bunk and sat facing his friend.\u00a0 His head felt heavy and he couldn’t open his eyes properly.\u00a0 So this is what too much drink felt like.\u00a0 He regretted laughing at his older brother now.\u00a0 He’d seen Adam drunk once or twice and had teased him unmercifully.\u00a0 Adam!\u00a0 Oh hell!\u00a0 Not only would he be in trouble with Pa but first he’d have to explain to his older brother.\u00a0 Then he remembered the events of the previous night in more detail explaining to Pa might be the least of his problems.\u00a0 He tried to get his tired brain around an explanation; it wasn’t going to be easy\u2026now how had all this started?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n *****<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe Cartwright straightened his tie and admired his reflection in the mirror.\u00a0 Yep, he looked real good, how could the girls ever resist him?\u00a0 He was planning on an evening of dancing with every pretty girl in town and then he’d favor one of them with a walk home and maybe steal a few kisses.\u00a0 Who should it be tonight, Annie, Susan, Val or Judy, or maybe a new one he hadn’t even noticed yet?\u00a0 Mitch was stuck on Katie at the moment so he’d better leave her alone.\u00a0 He tweaked his tie one last time and ran a hand over his hair then grabbing his jacket he raced down the stairs in an effort to get out the door before his father stopped him for the weekly lecture on how to behave on a Saturday night.\u00a0 He wasn’t successful.<\/p>\n “Joseph!”\u00a0 His father’s voice from the depth of the chair by the fire stopped him, as he was halfway across the room.<\/p>\n Joe raised his eyes to the ceiling and half turned.\u00a0 “Yes, Pa.”<\/p>\n “You remember what I said.\u00a0 Home by eleven, no drinking, no fighting and no trouble.”<\/p>\n Joe tried to keep his expression respectful but it was difficult in the face of such restrictions.\u00a0 What harm could a simple beer do and to be home by eleven meant leaving the dance before it ended.\u00a0\u00a0 He had celebrated his sixteenth birthday just weeks back and his friends didn’t get treated like kids.\u00a0 He saw his oldest brother grinning at him from the dining room and glared at him. Pa’s next words wiped the smile from Adam’s face and gave Joe a certain amount of satisfaction until he realised the implications.<\/p>\n “Adam will keep an eye on you and make sure you behave, won’t you Adam?”<\/p>\n Adam bit down an angry retort and nodded.\u00a0 “I’ll be at the dance but I’m not riding home with him.\u00a0 He can manage that on his own or with Hoss.”<\/p>\n I can manage the whole evening on my own.\u00a0 <\/em>Joe thought but was wise enough to avoid saying it out loud.<\/p>\n “I’m not asking you to ride home with him but see he behaves himself at the dance and make sure he leaves in good time to be home before eleven.”\u00a0 Ben spoke firmly”\u00a0 I know its Saturday night but it wouldn’t hurt for you all to be home at a reasonable hour.\u00a0 Falling asleep in church on Sunday is becoming a habit.”<\/p>\n Joe almost giggled as he recalled Hoss’s snoring shocking the whole congregation a few weeks back.\u00a0 Pa had not been amused.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The evening was most enjoyable.\u00a0 Joe had a few beers and danced with every girl, some more than once.\u00a0 He paid particular attention to Susan, who was the one he singled out to escort home.\u00a0 When he saw Adam making his way over to him, he managed to draw Susan to one side and disappear into the dancers.\u00a0 If Adam didn’t tell him to leave then he could pretend he didn’t know what time it was, he reasoned.\u00a0 Walking Susan home was pleasant and she even allowed him several kisses and cuddles on her front porch.\u00a0 Yes, he thought as he stabled Cochise, all in all it had been a good dance.\u00a0 He looked around the barn, Chubby was in his stall, so Hoss must be home, but there was no sign of Sport.\u00a0 He chuckled, Adam was probably taking Linda home by the longest possible route.\u00a0 He glanced over at the house, no lights showed so he guessed his father must have gone to bed.\u00a0 He grunted, that was just as well as it must be past midnight.\u00a0 He cupped his hands and breathed into them.\u00a0 A faint smell of beer but not enough to be noticed unless someone was real close, he decided.<\/p>\n He removed his boots on the porch and gently pushed open the front door, it creaked a little and Joe froze for a moment before closing it.\u00a0 He had reached the bottom step when a movement, behind him, made him turn and he looked up into the stern dark eyes of his father.\u00a0 He swallowed hard and tried to think fast.<\/p>\n “Do you have any idea what time it is?”\u00a0 Ben said, quietly, turning up the lamp by the stairs.<\/p>\n “Must be a round eleven.”\u00a0 Joe replied, quickly, hoping his father would believe he was unaware that it was nearer one in the morning.<\/p>\n “It’s after twelve thirty, as if you didn’t know.”\u00a0 Ben snapped.\u00a0 “What time did Adam tell you to ride home?”<\/p>\n Joe shook his head and pasted an innocent expression on his face\u00a0 “He didn’t say anything, Pa.\u00a0 I guess he forgot.”<\/p>\n “He may have done, but you certainly did not.\u00a0 You’ve deliberately ignored my instructions.”\u00a0 He caught Joe’s arm and pulled him closer, a frown darkening his features still further.\u00a0 “Is that beer I can smell?”<\/p>\n Joe debated saying that someone must have spilt some on his clothes, but the chances of being found out in the lie were too great.\u00a0 “I only had a little, Pa.\u00a0 All the others had a drink and…”<\/p>\n “I’m not interested in what anyone else did, Joseph.\u00a0 We are talking about you.”\u00a0 Ben cut him off with an angry glare.\u00a0 “If you can’t be trusted to obey me then you won’t go into town alone.”<\/p>\n Joe resisted the temptation to point out that his brothers had been at the dance too so he wasn’t strictly alone.\u00a0 He didn’t think it would help his case at this point.<\/p>\n Ben fixed him with look that Joe knew all too well.\u00a0 “There will be no more dances or visits to town for the next month, young man.\u00a0 Perhaps that will give you time to think over your behaviour.”<\/p>\n Joe groaned, in two weeks it was Seth’s sixteenth birthday and the group of friends had made plans.\u00a0 Seth was the last one of them to turn sixteen and they planned a special celebration.\u00a0 He realised he had shown his displeasure aloud and dropped his eyes to his boots.\u00a0 “Yes, sir.”\u00a0 he said respectfully, in an effort to correct his error.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For almost two weeks Joe tried his best to stay out of trouble or at least to make Pa think he had.\u00a0 He kept his sulky expressions to himself and reserved cursing his restriction for when Pa wasn\u2019t around.\u00a0 He\u2019d been suitably grateful to his older brother when Adam had managed to finagle a trip to Carson City for him.\u00a0 It had only been to talk to some horse trader but at least it had been a day off the ranch.\u00a0 Adam had told Pa it would be good experience for him and after much lecturing and with many reservations Pa had finally agreed.\u00a0 He\u2019d kept his thoughts to himself when Adam was clinching the deal even though in his opinion there was something strange about the horse trader\u2019s manner.\u00a0\u00a0 He\u2019d casually mentioned it on the ride home but Adam had dismissed his opinion as fanciful.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re only following up on a deal Pa\u2019s been working on for months. Pa would have noticed if there was anything untoward.\u00a0 He\u2019s known Hoskins for years.\u00a0 Breeds good horses and we\u2019ve bought from him before.\u201d\u00a0 Adam had said.<\/p>\n Joe gave up. No one, especially Pa and Adam, valued his opinion and they had been good horses.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to rock the boat by an argument with Adam, things had to go well for the next few days.<\/p>\n He planned to use his good behaviour as evidence when he made one last attempt to change Pa\u2019s mind. His campaign was to culminate on Friday at supper with a plea to his father to allow just one night out, then he\u2019d go back to his restriction with no complaints.\u00a0 Joe failed to see how contradictory this was.\u00a0 There was little point in him being confined to the ranch on days when he didn\u2019t want to leave it, but this irony was lost on Joe.\u00a0 He arrived home from school and did all his chores very thoroughly then sat down at the dining room table and applied himself diligently to his homework.\u00a0 Anyone who knew him would immediately surmise that there was an ulterior motive.<\/p>\n Adam and Hoss came in from the yard laughing and joking about some incident at the branding pens that afternoon.\u00a0 Seeing their little brother bent over his books, Adam couldn\u2019t resist giving Hoss a nudge and a grin.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re wasting your time little brother, Pa\u2019s gone to Genoa.\u201d\u00a0 He chuckled.<\/p>\n \u201cWhaddya mean?\u201d\u00a0 Joe queried, raising his head to look at his older brother .<\/p>\n \u201cYou! \u201c\u00a0 Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cSitting there, working so hard on your homework and with all your chores done too and all for nothing.\u00a0 Pa said you might try to persuade me to let you go to town tomorrow night and I guess this was what he meant.\u201d\u00a0 Adam removed his gunbelt and hat and then threw himself into his favorite chair with a sigh.\u00a0 He glanced over at Joe once more.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s spending the weekend with the Mortons, hoping to talk Henry into a business deal on some timber.\u00a0 I\u2019m in charge.\u201d\u00a0 He raised an eyebrow and grinned.\u00a0 \u201cBut don\u2019t go getting ideas, he left strict instructions that I was not to allow you out of the yard until he gets back Monday except for school Monday morning.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss had wandered into the kitchen to check on supper and as he came back he slapped Joe on the back.\u00a0 \u201cGuess Pa has you all sewed up, little brother.\u00a0 How about a game of checkers after supper?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shrugged off Hoss\u2019s hand which had come to rest on his shoulder\u00a0 \u201cMaybe\u2026\u201d\u00a0 he growled then turned to his older brother \u201cC\u2019mon, Adam?\u201d\u00a0 he begged.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s Seth\u2019s birthday.\u00a0 Pa don\u2019t have to know.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s expression was unreadable, so Joe tried again.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll do your chores for you all weekend and I\u2019ll\u2026..\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll what?\u00a0 Dig out blocked drainage ditches and clear thistles for me\u2026 because that\u2019s what Pa\u2019ll have me doing if I let you into town while he\u2019s gone.\u00a0 Of course that\u2019s after I\u2019ve had my ears burned off with a lecture.\u201d\u00a0 He sat forward in his chair and wagged a finger at Joe.\u00a0 \u201cNo deal, little brother. And don\u2019t tell me Pa wouldn\u2019t know. He always knows.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe sat back and sighed.\u00a0 There was no point in completing his homework if Pa wasn\u2019t around to see and be impressed, so he pushed the books away.\u00a0\u00a0 A few more weeks and there\u2019d be no more school anyhow.\u00a0 He\u2019d be a full-time ranch hand like his brothers and boy was he looking forward to that.\u00a0 His mind came back to the problem of tomorrow night.\u00a0 The celebration was partly for Seth\u2019s birthday but mainly it was intended as a marker for them all becoming working men with school left far behind them.\u00a0 He had to be there it was almost a ritual that had to be completed, an initiation into manhood that couldn\u2019t be missed or he would be left behind while his friends achieved a sort of superior status.<\/p>\n He gave Hoss the obligatory games of checkers and beat him in every one even though his mind wasn\u2019t on the game.\u00a0 No, his mind was on giving Adam the slip tomorrow and joining his friends in town.\u00a0 The plan that formed wasn\u2019t a good one since it had no contingency plan for when he was found out, as he surely would be.\u00a0 Oh well, he\u2019d worry about that on Sunday or more likely on Monday when Pa got back. Maybe, just maybe, he could get out of the house and back in again without Adam knowing and if the visit to town went off without a hitch then he\u2019d get away with it.<\/p>\n Fate played nicely into Joe\u2019s hands for once.\u00a0 Adam hadn\u2019t planned to go to town on Saturday, it had been a hard week and simply wanted to rest.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t too bothered about the dance this week, he was going to the theater with friends on Monday, anyway..\u00a0 This meant Joe would have to fake an early night and then slip away, not an easy task.\u00a0 Adam could always see through his subterfuge.\u00a0 However, late on Saturday afternoon Joe saw neighbour, Arthur Palmer talking to his older brothers in the yard and on further investigation discovered that Adam had been invited to dine with the Palmer family.\u00a0\u00a0 Since Adam was kinda sweet on Lucy Palmer and had been trying to find a way to see more of her, it was an invitation he was unlikely to turn down.\u00a0 There was a short discussion centred on whether Joe could safely be left with Hoss and a long list of instructions for both younger brothers before Adam departed for his dinner date and Joe could give a heartfelt sigh of relief.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou ain\u2019t goin\u2019.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss stood over his younger brother and made his statement for the ninth time.\u00a0 \u201cAdam\u2019d kill me, Pa\u2019d kill me and sides I agree with \u2018em, you deserved the punishment and shouldn\u2019t be let off.\u201d\u00a0 He finished.<\/p>\n Ten more minutes of pleading and Hoss was weakening.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be a joke at school, Hoss.\u00a0 Mitch and the others\u2019ll tease me somethin\u2019 awful and we\u2019re just going to have one beer to celebrate Seth\u2019s birthday.\u00a0 It\u2019s important.\u00a0 We\u2019ve done it for everyone else and I didn\u2019t get in no trouble then.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe closed his eyes and prayed Hoss wouldn\u2019t remember the tanning he\u2019d gotten way back last year when Robbie Edwards had turned sixteen and they\u2019d all got into a fight in the street.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be back before Adam gets home and I promise only one beer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa would be mad at us both.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss\u2019 voice held a note of uncertainty now.<\/p>\n Joe took a chance and plunged in for the clincher\u00a0 \u201cPa won\u2019t know and anyhow you can\u2019t tell me you never did nothing Pa would\u2019na approved of.\u00a0 Yeah, there was that time when Pa and Adam was away and you went night hunting with Bessie Sue and I never told on you\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss blushed and stuttered\u00a0 \u201cThat was different, we lost track o\u2019 time, we didn\u2019t mean to stay out and anyhow we was only huntin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I won\u2019t lose track of time and I\u2019ll be back before you know it.\u201d Joe replied grabbing his coat and slipping it on.\u00a0 \u201cI won\u2019t let you down Hoss.\u00a0 You just go on to bed and I\u2019ll slip in through the window.\u201d<\/p>\n It didn\u2019t occur to Hoss that if Joe planned to slip in by his window then he already intended to be back after Adam or he\u2019d be able to use the front door.\u00a0 He was already suckered and Joe was on his way.\u00a0 It was only after Joe had left that doubts began to creep in.\u00a0 By the time eleven o\u2019clock came around and he was making his way to bed, Hoss was worried.\u00a0 Now he\u2019d have to cover for Joe to save his own skin.\u00a0 Reluctantly he went into Joe\u2019s room and arranged pillows and blankets in the bed to look like a sleeping figure.\u00a0 Maybe if Joe did fail to return before Adam, which was looking likely, and big brother looked in quickly, he\u2019d be fooled.\u00a0 Hoss sighed, why did he always fall for Joe\u2019s silver tongue.\u00a0 It seemed that once Joe started talking he was hooked.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Roy Coffee eased out of his chair and glanced at the large wooden wall clock, almost ten and time for his first rounds of the night.\u00a0 From now until dawn he would patrol the town every hour or so watching for trouble.\u00a0 Saturday nights were notorious for fights and drunks and the occasional break in.\u00a0 His deputies were already out on the streets but Roy liked to look in on the regular trouble spots himself.\u00a0 He\u2019d take a turn from the jail down \u2018C\u2019 passed the Washoe Club, not usually any problem there, it was frequented by Virginia City\u2019s wealthier residents, then on to the Delta and a quick glance up the hill to Piper\u2019s as the audience departed after the performance.\u00a0 By ten thirty he was across the street and checking on Julia\u2019s Palace, Cosmo the bartender nodded and smiled, all was well there.<\/p>\n A few more steps to the Bucket of Blood, rowdy and noisy, a crowd of youngsters from Dayton were getting drunk but there didn\u2019t appear to be any trouble.\u00a0 He spotted another group of local youngsters, some younger than he\u2019d like but they were all drinking beer and didn\u2019t seem to be drunk.\u00a0 He decided to finish his rounds then come back, if the boys were still here he\u2019d chase them off home.\u00a0 A brisk walk down the hill to the Frederick\u2019s House where the red light winked at him and business was only just beginning for the night.\u00a0 No problems there, and none at the Silver Dollar, or any of the cheap bars on \u2018D\u2019 or \u2018E\u2019 streets.\u00a0 He was walking back toward the Bucket of Blood and beginning to think it was going to be a quiet night when the sound of breaking glass made him hurry his steps.<\/p>\n Two of his deputies were already pushing through the saloon doors ahead of him and from inside came the unmistakable sounds of a fight.\u00a0 Using their night-sticks and a certain amount of force the deputies separated some of the protagonists and a shot from Roy\u2019s gun startled the remainder into a frozen tableau.\u00a0 The Dayton boys were facing the local youngsters and between them was a mess of tables and broken glass.<\/p>\n Roy waved the barrel of his shotgun at the visitors.\u00a0 \u201cYou got a minute to put a dollar a piece on the bar and clear out. If you ain\u2019t got a dollar then you\u2019re under arrest and if any of you are still within the city limits in fifteen minutes I\u2019ll arrest you too,\u201d he growled.\u00a0\u00a0 Dollars were slapped on the bar and Roy watched in silence as the group of maybe ten boys trouped out into the street.\u00a0 The sheriff then turned his shotgun on the local youngsters, \u201cA dollar a piece from you too,\u201d he ordered.\u00a0 \u201cThat should cover the broken glasses Sam,\u201d he nodded at the bartender \u201cand you tell your boss that if he didn\u2019t let you serve youngsters with liquor he\u2019d have less damages.\u201d<\/p>\n Roy looked over the group in front of him,\u00a0 Seth Pruitt,\u00a0 Mitch Devlin, Marty Young, Joe Cartwright, Luke Shore and a kid who\u2019s name he couldn\u2019t remember.\u00a0 \u201cNow not one of you is more\u2019n sixteen and by rights I should march you all home to your parents, but I ain\u2019t got the time.\u00a0 There\u2019ll be no more drinking and you head on home or I\u2019ll find the time.\u201d\u00a0 He waited patiently until the last one had gone then walked over and leaned on the bar.\u00a0 \u201cWhat started it, Sam?\u00a0 Am I gonna get anymore trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n Sam shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cCan\u2019t be certain, Sheriff, but it looked like a grudge between a couple of the Dayton kids and young Joe Cartwright and Mitch Devlin.\u00a0 Mitch was taking all comers at that arm wrestling he\u2019s so good at and young Joe was takin\u2019 bets.\u00a0 The tall skinny Dayton kid lost a couple of times and started getting mad, his friend reckoned Joe was nudging the chair.\u00a0 Jen, over there,\u201d he indicated a young saloon girl in a yellow dress,\u00a0 \u201cwas cuddlin\u2019 up to Joe and the Dayton kid pulled her away from him, kinda rough like and it went from there.\u201d<\/p>\n Roy nodded \u201cI\u2019ll just go make sure they all went home then.\u201d\u00a0 He walked out into the street but none of the youngsters were in sight.\u00a0 Hopefully they\u2019d taken his advice and gone home.<\/p>\n Two hours later Roy\u2019s third pass of the trouble spots brought him more serious problems.\u00a0 He was walking down Taylor Street when he heard scuffling and then a man groaning.\u00a0 Drawing his gun he moved into a darkened alley between buildings.\u00a0 A stocky youngster was bending over another figure and calling out.<\/p>\n \u201cBilly, Billy, you gotta wake up.\u201d<\/p>\n Roy moved alongside him and knelt down beside the prone figure \u201cLet me see, son.\u201d He said easily.\u00a0 It only took a moment, a quick examination told Roy that the boy on the ground was in a bad way.\u00a0 \u201cHelp me get him to Doc Martin\u2019s.\u201d he ordered.<\/p>\n Once out in the slightly better light of the street, the blood on the young man\u2019s shirt was obvious.\u00a0 He had been stabbed in the left side and was bleeding profusely.\u00a0 Roy looked down into the boy\u2019s face, it was the tall lad from the saloon.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Roy waited in the shadows of the livery stable corral.\u00a0 He had been here half-an-hour and was beginning to wonder if he should have mounted a search for the suspects.\u00a0 He reasoned that this was more certain.\u00a0 Their horses were here, they had to come back for them.\u00a0 He watched as the pinto whickered softly and moved toward the fence.\u00a0 Yes, he\u2019d been right, here they were.\u00a0 He moved out to make his arrest.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n *****<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe rested his head in his hands\u00a0 \u201cNow we gotta work out what are we going to say Mitch,\u201d he looked at his friend with concern.<\/p>\n Mitch shook his head in disbelief \u201cWe tell the truth,\u201d he stated sadly\u00a0 \u201cWe had nothing to do with that kid being stabbed and we say so. I mean being in jail\u2019s gonna be bad enough for our folks but we can\u2019t lie about that! \u201d<\/p>\n Joe groaned \u201cAnd what do we tell them we were doing when it happened?\u201d<\/p>\n Now it was Mitch\u2019s turn to groan\u00a0 \u201cMaybe they won\u2019t ask.\u00a0 I mean if he ain\u2019t hurt bad\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey must have some kinda evidence.\u00a0 The sheriff wouldn\u2019t have arrested us unless he knew something.\u00a0 We just gotta disprove it.\u201d\u00a0 Joe suggested, hopefully.\u00a0 \u201cWithout sayin\u2019 where we were\u2026\u201d he added with a worried frown<\/p>\n The clang of the heavy doors told them they had company and the conversation stopped as a deputy brought in breakfast.\u00a0 Joe eyed it with distaste and took only the coffee which was strong, black and almost cold.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Breakfast in the Cartwright household was icier than Joe\u2019s coffee.\u00a0 On discovering Joe was not in his bed, Adam had assumed that he had sneaked out without Hoss\u2019 knowledge.\u00a0 However, on seeing his brother\u2019s fury at Little Joe, Hoss had felt obliged to deflect at least some of it by telling the truth, now he fervently wished he hadn\u2019t been so doggone honest.<\/p>\n \u201cGod knows what trouble he\u2019s got himself into this time.\u201d\u00a0 Adam growled.\u00a0 \u201cHow could you be so stupid?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss was usually pretty even tempered but he wasn\u2019t going to take that.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you call me stupid.\u00a0 So maybe I shouldna let him go, but he\u2019s right he has been to town lots \u2018o times without a problem and you and Pa do treat him like a kid\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Adam pointed his knife at Hoss \u201cThat\u2019s because he is a kid.\u00a0 Hell, Hoss, he\u2019s sixteen and not a very mature sixteen at that.\u201d\u00a0 He threw down the knife and gulped a mouthful of coffee as he stood up.\u00a0 \u201cC\u2019mon let\u2019s go.\u00a0 The sooner we find him the less Pa has to hear about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss glanced mournfully at his ham and eggs, still more than half left on his plate, but he could see Adam was worried as well as angry and he had to admit he was pretty worried too. He might defend Joe to Adam but he was mad at him too.\u00a0 Why did he let Joe talk him into things, was he stupid, well maybe not, but he was an easy target for his little brother\u2019s schemes and silver tongue.<\/p>\n The ride into to town was fast and silent and the brothers didn\u2019t speak as they swiftly tied up their mounts outside the Sheriff\u2019s office.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s suspicions of Joe\u2019s whereabouts were confirmed by the presence of George Devlin, and the look of relief on Roy Coffee\u2019s face.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is here then?\u201d\u00a0 Adam said with a sigh.<\/p>\n Roy nodded \u201cYes, he\u2019s here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the fine, Roy?\u201d\u00a0 Adam asked taking out his wallet and checking its contents with a look of resignation.<\/p>\n \u201cNo fine, Adam.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry.\u00a0 It\u2019s a mite more serious than that.\u201d\u00a0 Roy replied getting to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cI was just explaining to George.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRoy reckons one of them stabbed a another boy in a fight.\u201d\u00a0 George Devlin spat out.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve told him its ridiculous but he says he has a witness.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat!\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s shocked voice rose above George.<\/p>\n \u201cNow cool off.\u00a0 I gotta a boy up at Doc\u2019s with a stab wound and his friend says Joe did it and Mitch was with him.\u00a0 I gotta investigate.\u201d\u00a0 Roy tried to calm Adam by raising a hand and then pulling out a chair.\u00a0 \u201cSit and let me tell you what I know.\u201d\u00a0 Roy went on to relate the incident in the Bucket of Blood and then his discovery of the boy in the alley.\u00a0 \u201cDalton is stabbed that\u2019s a fact and his friend says they were set on by several boys, his descriptions fit Mitch and Joe, the others he\u2019s more vague about.\u00a0 He says Joe was the one who did the stabbing.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam banged a fist on the table\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s ridiculous, Roy.\u00a0 You and I both know Joe likes a fight and won\u2019t back down but to follow someone to deliberately beat up on them \u2026 and as for pulling a knife\u2026\u00a0 you know he\u2019d only do that in self-defence.\u00a0 What does Joe say happened?\u201d<\/p>\n Roy sighed\u00a0 \u201cWell I ain\u2019t told \u2018em exactly why I\u2019m askin\u2019 yet.\u00a0 I arrested them for being drunk, pretended I wanted to know who\u2019d been serving \u2018em drinks.\u00a0 They both said they couldn\u2019t remember where they went.\u00a0 I gotta say they weren\u2019t that drunk, they must know where they went.\u201d<\/p>\n George Devlin intervened \u201cThat don\u2019t mean nuthin\u2019, Roy.\u00a0 They could be trying to protect a friendly bartender from you.\u201d<\/p>\n Roy nodded\u00a0 \u201cCould be but I didn\u2019t want to question \u2018em too much until you got here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell let\u2019s get to it then.\u201d\u00a0 Adam said, slapping a hand against his thigh \u201cThen we can all get home.\u201d<\/p>\n Roy nodded and led the way into the jail cells.<\/p>\n \u201cUh oh\u201d\u00a0 Mitch nudged Joe who was still holding is head in case it fell off.<\/p>\n Joe slowly looked up and then came to his feet even more slowly.\u00a0 Adam looked real angry.\u00a0 He started to speak, but Roy cut him off.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can get into a family fight later.\u00a0 Right now I got some questions and I want Adam and George here to know the answers as well as me.\u201d\u00a0 He indicated that the boys should sit down again and he pulled up chairs for their visitors.\u00a0 He remained standing and began to pace.<\/p>\n \u201cNow I saw you two drinking in the Bucket of Blood and I broke up a fight between you and the boys from Dayton.\u00a0 That\u2019s fact,\u201d he said firmly.<\/p>\n Joe and Mitch nodded they couldn\u2019t argue with that and that alone was gonna cost \u2018em when they got home, Joe reckoned.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was about eleven, I guess.\u00a0 I told you to get on home, but no, you had to give me the slip and stay in town, \u2018cos two or maybe nearer three hours later I arrested you at the livery stable.\u00a0 Now I wanna know where you went during them hours?\u201d<\/p>\n Mitch looked at his buddy.\u00a0 If he had been alone he would have told the truth.\u00a0 His pa could always worm it out of him, anyhow and it went harder on him if he\u2019d lied.\u00a0 The same was true in the Cartwright household, but he could see Joe still planned to bluff it out.\u00a0 Well, if he wanted to fool his Pa and Adam then he must have a good story and as usual Mitch was willing to let him give it a try.<\/p>\n Joe kept his eyes on the sheriff, lying to him was just about possible, lying to Adam was more risky.\u00a0 His older brother started out sceptical and convincing him of a lie was an uphill battle that Joe\u2019s head wouldn\u2019t allow him to engage in right now.\u00a0 \u201cWe toldya, we can\u2019t remember. We went along the street and hid out until you\u2019d gone then into the Silver Dollar\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Joe selected a saloon who\u2019s reputation was slightly above some\u00a0 \u201cwe had a few drinks there and after that I don\u2019t remember where we went.\u201d<\/p>\n Roy sniffed and shook his head\u00a0 \u201cYou was drinking for three hours and can\u2019t recall which saloons, but when I picked you up you know\u2019d who I was, where your horses were and which way was home.\u201d\u00a0 He looked at his two visitors\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t buyin\u2019 it.\u00a0 A fella was stabbed and ain\u2019t apt to make it to mornin\u2019\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStabbed!\u201d\u00a0 Joe and Mitch exploded together.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, stabbed.\u00a0 And his buddy says you did it.\u00a0 He described you pretty good too.\u00a0 I got my deputies lookin\u2019 for the knife.\u00a0 I took your guns but neither of you was carryin\u2019 one when I arrested you but that don\u2019t mean you didn\u2019t have one earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe instinctively put a hand to his belt, the sheath was there but no knife.\u00a0 The movement wasn\u2019t missed by Roy either.<\/p>\n Adam was still thinking about the first part of the sentence and he moved closer to the bars\u00a0 \u201cGun, what gun?\u201d\u00a0 he almost shouted at Joe, although they were only a foot apart.<\/p>\n \u201cThey both had pistols.\u201d\u00a0 Roy said, more quietly.<\/p>\n Adam glanced at George Devlin.<\/p>\n \u201cTell the Sheriff, where you were, Mitchell.\u201d\u00a0 George\u2019s voice was calm but firm.\u00a0 \u201cThis isn\u2019t a game and you\u2019re not doing yourself or Joe any good by lying.\u201d<\/p>\n Mitch couldn\u2019t look his father in the eye but he did look at his friend, \u201cWe gotta tell, Joe.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t have nuthin\u2019 to do with stabbing that kid.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe nodded. It was no longer a bit of fun that had gone wrong and the consequences of saying nothing were worse than the consequences that would surely follow when they provided the Sheriff with their cast iron alibi.<\/p>\n \u201cWe weren\u2019t anywhere near those fellas and we\u2019ve got witnesses to prove it.\u201d\u00a0 Joe said slowly.\u00a0 He brought his eyes up until they were looking into the angry ones of his older brother.<\/p>\n \u201cThen let\u2019s hear it?\u201d\u00a0 Roy growled.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThey were WHERE?\u201d\u00a0 Ben Cartwright was almost apoplectic.\u00a0 \u201cMy sixteen-year-old son was WHERE?\u201d he repeated.<\/p>\n They were in the living room of the Ponderosa ranch house on Sunday evening and Adam was trying to keep his father calm. Not that there was much chance of that.\u00a0 Joe took one quick look at his father\u2019s face and seriously believed that although cleared of attempted murder, he could well become the victim of the same crime.<\/p>\n Adam had already hauled him over the coals this morning but it was nothing compared to what was to come.\u00a0 In fact Joe reckoned that his older brother saw a certain black humor in the situation.\u00a0 The lecture had been long but Joe had a distinct feeling that all through it, and even at the jailhouse before it, Adam had been having a hard time keeping a straight face.\u00a0 Hoss on the other hand was shocked but then it didn\u2019t take much to shock the middle Cartwright, Joe almost grinned at his brother\u2019s embarrassment, would have if it hadn\u2019t been for his own as he told the story.<\/p>\n Ben had arrived this evening in full sail, so to speak.\u00a0 He had heard from Roy that Joe had been arrested and then cleared of attempted murder but for some reason his old friend couldn\u2019t keep from smirking as he told the tale. He had stormed into the house and demanded an explanation and now as Adam finished telling the whole story he was furious.<\/p>\n Adam tried hard to keep a serious expression on his face but the corner of his mouth betrayed him.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you think there is something funny, in all of this?\u201d\u00a0 Ben swung on to his oldest son and wagged a finger in his face.<\/p>\n Adam controlled the urge to smile and shook his head\u00a0 \u201cOf course not, sir.\u00a0 It was a very serious charge.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not talking about the charges, they were preposterous and as soon as Roy spoke to the injured boy, he confirmed that it wasn\u2019t Joseph.\u201d\u00a0 Ben was still shouting.<\/p>\n \u201cThe kid\u2019s going to be okay and he\u2019s identified his supposed friend as the guilty party.\u00a0 Some fight over a girl.\u00a0 I guess he panicked when he thought the kid was going to die\u2026\u00a0 He\u2019s fessed up now, so that\u2019s alright.\u201d Adam tried cool the situation.\u00a0 Maybe if he kept talking Pa would calm down, right now he looked as though he might explode.<\/p>\n \u201cALRIGHT, ALRIGHT\u2026 nothing about this is alright.\u201d\u00a0 Ben stormed.\u00a0 \u201cYou let him go into town after I made it clear it was not to happen and he gets into this mess.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam is taken aback \u201cI what?\u00a0 I didn\u2019t let him, he talked Hoss into it.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t even here.\u201d\u00a0 He protested.<\/p>\n \u201cExactly, you went off knowing he was likely to disobey me.\u201d\u00a0 Ben fumed.<\/p>\n \u201cI went to dinner with the Palmers, it\u2019s hardly a crime.\u00a0 We talked business.\u201d\u00a0 Adam said reasonably, no matter how unjust the accusation he didn\u2019t want to inflame Ben further, if that was possible.<\/p>\n \u201cYou went to flirt with Lucy Palmer, as if one girl isn\u2019t enough for you.\u00a0 No doubt you put this idea into his head\u2026\u201d Ben was beyond reason now.<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s color rose, this was too much. Across the room Hoss covered his face with his hands.\u00a0 This was developing into a full-scale family war and he hated discord.\u00a0 So far Pa had avoided any mention of his part in the fiasco and he didn\u2019t thank Adam for drawing attention to it.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I do in my private life is my business or at least it should be.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s voice dropped until it was almost a growl.\u00a0 Then he shook his head\u00a0 \u201cAnyway, I don\u2019t know what the fuss is about, they only went into the bar.\u201d<\/p>\n This last caused Ben to finally reach the end of what he<\/em> considered to be a very long fuse.\u00a0 \u201cOnly a bar!\u00a0 Only a BAR!\u00a0 The fact that the bar is the entrance to the Frederick\u2019s House, one of the most notorious brothels in Virginia City\u2026\u00a0\u00a0 My sixteen-year-old son\u2019s alibi for an attempted murder charge is that he was in a brothel <\/em>and you consider I\u2019m making a fuss.\u00a0 Believe me I\u2019ve only just started.\u201d<\/p>\n He turned away from them and desperately fought for control.\u00a0 \u201cYou!\u201d\u00a0 he swung back on Joe his pointing finger missing Joe\u2019s nose by less than an inch \u201cGo to your room until I\u2019ve cooled down enough to deal with you, which might be a very long time.\u00a0 And you two\u2026\u201d\u00a0 he turned back and included both Hoss and Adam in his glare\u00a0 \u201cYou had better stay out of my way until you realise what it means to set a good example to your brother and to see that I am obeyed.\u201d<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t need to say it twice, Joe fled up the stairs and with a shrug Adam turned and putting his hand on Hoss\u2019 shoulder encouraged him toward the front porch.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa\u2019s gonna kill him.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss said, morosely, when they were safely in the barn.<\/p>\n \u201cSure looks like it.\u201d\u00a0 Adam grinned.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s so dadblamed funny?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss asked.\u00a0 Like his father, he could see no humor in the situation.<\/p>\n Adam gave a short laugh\u00a0 \u201cC\u2019mon, you gotta admit the kid\u2019s got nerve.\u00a0 Would you have gone into a brothel when you were sixteen?\u00a0 No, don\u2019t answer that,\u201d his laughter became fully vocal.\u00a0 \u201cMarcie said she almost persuaded him upstairs even though he didn\u2019t have the money.\u00a0 It was Mitch that lost his nerve.\u201d<\/p>\n The flush on Hoss\u2019 face told Adam that his brother was uncomfortable with the discussion.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s gonna happen sometime, Hoss.\u00a0 He\u2019s only about a year or so younger than I was\u2026\u00a0 Might\u2019ve even taken him myself, but looks like he<\/em> doesn\u2019t need encouragement.\u201d He watched Hoss from under lowered lashes, knowing his brother was thinking back to a time when Adam had been just back from college and Hoss had been a nervous nineteen-year-old accompanying his older brother on a night out on the town.\u00a0 That had been a disaster with Hoss refusing to set foot in the place, but Adam was pretty sure that it wasn\u2019t still the unknown experience that Hoss was making it out to be.<\/p>\n \u201cYou gonna do chores or not?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss grunted \u201dNo sense in making Pa any madder \u2018an he is already.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam kept his grin\u00a0 \u201cSure, but he\u2019ll cool off.\u00a0 Give him a while and I\u2019ll try to talk him out of murdering younger brother.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Talking to Pa proved more difficult than Adam had anticipated.\u00a0 An hour later when the chores were done and the stock settled for the night, Pa was still pacing the great room and he looked no less angry.<\/p>\n Adam walked over to the fireplace and with one hand resting on the stones glanced at his father.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s okay Pa, nothing happened.\u00a0 They just had a few drinks and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t try to justify his disobedience or your own actions.\u201d Ben\u2019s anger was still close to the surface.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think my actions need justifying,\u201d Adam said stiffly.\u00a0 \u201cI told him to stay here, he didn\u2019t.\u00a0 What do you expect me to do tie him up, dammit he\u2019s sixteen,\u201d he swore loudly.<\/p>\n \u201cI expect you to do as I ask and set the boy an example.\u201d\u00a0 Ben replied.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I don\u2019t drink or carry a gun, or visit certain establishments until he\u2019s old enough to do the same, is that it?\u201d\u00a0 Adam moved closer to his father and Hoss feared the confrontation was going too far.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not what I mean and you know it.\u00a0 But you could be more discreet.\u201d Ben was beginning to direct his anger at Adam now.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t believe he doesn\u2019t know what goes on in the Frederick\u2019s House.\u00a0 And as for drinking and wearing a gun, all his friends do. You\u2019re treating him like a ten-year-old. Pa, he\u2019s almost a man.\u201d\u00a0 Adam watched as his father considered what was being said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s still a boy.\u201d\u00a0 Ben said but his voice was calmer and his stance more relaxed.<\/p>\n \u201cPa, think about it.\u00a0 When does Joe really go against you?\u00a0 When does he do stupid things?\u201d\u00a0 Adam let this sink in.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll tell you.\u00a0 Most often it\u2019s when you\u2019ve reined him in too hard.\u00a0 Like this time.\u00a0 He was an hour late home because he wanted to walk his girl back from a dance.\u00a0 He\u2019d had one or maybe two beers, I know I was there.\u00a0 He and Susan were having fun, not doing any harm.\u00a0 He wanted to look good to her, not leave the dance before the end like some kid and he wanted to see her home like a gentleman and okay, maybe steal a kiss or two.\u00a0 He did nothing that we haven\u2019t all done\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He looked up at his father\u00a0 \u201cYou included, I\u2019ll bet.\u00a0 You can\u2019t tell me that you spent every evening alone in your bunk when \u201cThe Wanderer\u201d was in harbor.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded \u201cAnd what point are you making?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam plunged on, more in hope than expectation \u201cFor that you restricted him for a month. That was pretty harsh. Combine that with the fact that last night was a kind of \u2018right of passage\u2019 for him and his friends, they are all sixteen and leaving school and boyhood behind.\u00a0 It was important. If he hadn\u2019t gone and gone along with the crowd he would have been humiliated.\u201d Adam hesitated and looked at Hoss.\u00a0 He\u2019d tried but it didn\u2019t look as though Pa was going to take much notice.<\/p>\n \u201cSo you think I should just forget about it, is that it?\u201d\u00a0 Ben hooked his thumbs into his pockets and surveyed his oldest son with a look that would have withered a lesser man.<\/p>\n \u201cNoooo, but I do think you are making too much of it.\u201d\u00a0 Adam countered.<\/p>\n \u201cHe got into a fight in a saloon, Adam.\u00a0 He got drunk and arrested.\u00a0 He\u2026, well he went places he has no business to go.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben was now speaking in a more normal tone and Hoss held out hope that maybe Joe would survive the forthcoming encounter if not unscathed at least alive.<\/p>\n Adam sighed, he was winning but it was a struggle\u00a0 \u201cHe didn\u2019t start the fight. He had a few too many beers but the arrest was a mistake.\u00a0 You\u2019d never have a heard about any of this if the other kid hadn\u2019t been stabbed\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean you\u2019d all have lied to me.\u201d\u00a0 Ben\u2019s temper rose again and Adam realised his error.<\/p>\n \u201cNo Pa, that\u2019s not what I mean. But you gotta admit he was unlucky.\u00a0 If he\u2019d managed to sneak back to bed, none of us would have known.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what about this visit to\u2026 to a brothel.\u00a0 You going to tell me that was a mistake too.\u201d\u00a0 Ben growled.<\/p>\n Adam allowed a small smile \u201cIt was probably a dare. Nothing happened, Marcie said they had one or two drinks\u2026\u201d\u00a0 he was careful not to say Marcie had said whiskeys\u00a0 \u201cThey stayed downstairs in the bar.\u00a0 It\u2019s not much worse than the Silver Dollar, a bit more fancy and the girls are\u2026 well friendlier\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh you\u2019d know all about them wouldn\u2019t you, calling them by name and who knows what else.\u201d\u00a0 Ben glowered at is son.<\/p>\n Adam had to turn away to hide a grin, Pa\u2019s innocent act was too funny for words. \u201cThat\u2019s not the point, Pa.\u00a0 It was a challenge and I bet Robbie Edwards was behind it.\u00a0 He\u2019s near seventeen and he\u2019s been working the mines for almost a year now.\u00a0 The others think he\u2019s\u2026 well he\u2019s full-grown and they try to be like him. You can\u2019t be too hard on Joe for this, Pa.\u00a0 He really wasn\u2019t that bad.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben grunted\u00a0 \u201cJoseph knows better than to follow like a sheep.\u00a0 He knows right from wrong.\u201d\u00a0 He moved toward the stairs\u00a0 \u201cAnd since when have their been degrees of\u00a0 disobedience in this house.\u00a0 I\u2019ll thank you to leave the decisions on how to discipline my son to me\u201d And with that he headed up the staircase.<\/p>\n Adam sucked in air through his teeth and shook his head at Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know if I\u2019ve made it better or worse.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe sure is mad.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss sighed and thankfully sank into a chair, relieved that at least Pa had left the room without commenting on his part in the proceedings of the previous night.<\/p>\n \u201cHe just can\u2019t accept that Joe is growing up,\u201d Adam chuckled, \u201cAnd growing real fast by the sound of things.\u00a0 Or maybe\u2026 do you think Pa is getting so upset because he knows what he got up to at sixteen.\u201d\u00a0 Adam chuckled.<\/p>\n \u201cHuh!.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss grunted, the image of his father at sixteen and what he might or might not have done was one he\u2019d rather not conjure up at all.\u00a0 Pa was\u2026 well Pa.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When he had escaped upstairs all Little Joe had felt was relief to be off the battlefield for a while.\u00a0 It had been a long time since Pa had been this angry with him, in fact, he wasn\u2019t sure he\u2019d ever been this mad before.\u00a0 Joe wasn\u2019t sure what the trigger had been, was it the alibi or was it that he\u2019d gone to town at all.\u00a0 He paced the room while he tried to work out his tactics for his defence but he was no nearer a solution, when he heard his father\u2019s distinctive footsteps and then a sharp rap on his door.\u00a0 As usual there was no pause between knock and entry, Pa considered the knock itself was sufficient warning for his sons.\u00a0 Joe often wondered why Pa bothered to knock on his sons\u2019 doors at all, since the occupant wouldn\u2019t have time to stop doing whatever they were doing, and in his case it simply meant he had a guilty expression even when he hadn\u2019t been doing anything wrong.<\/p>\n He stopped pacing and turned to the door, his hands firmly behind his back which was ramrod straight.\u00a0 Pa still looked pretty angry as he closed the door purposefully behind him.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t until the older man spoke that Joe realised he had been holding his breath and he let it out in a long rush that sounded like a sigh.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, what do you have to say for yourself, young man?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe wished Pa wouldn\u2019t always start like that, it was so predictable and there really was no answer, or at least not one that would be acceptable to an angry parent.\u00a0 If he defended himself he\u2019d be wrong and if he didn\u2019t he\u2019d be punished\u2026\u00a0 Heck, he\u2019s was gonna be punished whatever he said.\u00a0 Even as this thought went through his head with its notion of answering back, he discarded it.\u00a0 He was in enough trouble without back talking Pa.\u00a0 As for calling him \u2018young man\u2019 that was laughable, wasn\u2019t the whole conversation about to revolve around their differences on that subject.\u00a0 He settled for silence.<\/p>\n Receiving no response, Ben continued\u00a0 \u201cAnswer me. And look at me when I\u2019m talking to you,\u201d he snapped.<\/p>\n Joe swallowed. Did Pa know how hard it was to look him in the eye when you knew he was rightly disappointed in your behaviour?\u00a0 Sure he did.\u00a0 That was why he asked it.\u00a0 Joe knew he had a choice of two roads to travel, the question was which one would lead to the least pain?\u00a0 If he apologised then he was sure he\u2019d feel a physical pain but it wouldn\u2019t be as bad as if he didn\u2019t.\u00a0 But an apology for something he didn\u2019t consider wrong was like confessing to a crime he hadn\u2019t committed.\u00a0 Oh sure, he\u2019d disobeyed he wasn\u2019t denying that but he considered that the original order had been wrong too.\u00a0 He was a man now, well almost, and men stood up for what they believed in.\u00a0 He had heard too many arguments between Adam and Pa not to know that.\u00a0 Adam never apologised to Pa for disagreeing with him.\u00a0 A tiny voice told him that Hoss did and Hoss was a man too, maybe Hoss\u2019 way of dealing with a situation like this was the right one, a decision made from love not fear.\u00a0 Then he pushed the thought away, Hoss would apologise for breathing if it kept Pa from yelling at him.\u00a0 No, given this situation, Adam would put his case calmly and not back down.\u00a0 He looked up to both of his brothers but he had always wanted to be more like Adam and here was his chance to show Pa that he was as much his own man as his older brother.<\/p>\n He lifted his head and looked Pa right in the eyes, boy this was harder than it looked when Adam did it.\u00a0 \u201cI had some drinks with my friends. I didn\u2019t do anything wrong,\u201d he started coolly but his voice had a slight shake when he saw his father\u2019s reaction.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s eyes almost popped out of his head.\u00a0 Was he hearing right?\u00a0 He had expected a mumbled apology or defiant angry words, not this calm denial.\u00a0 \u201cYou didn\u2019t do anything wrong,\u201d his voice rose for a moment then settled into its deep, quiet, deliberate tones that told the listener he was barely controlling his anger.\u00a0 \u201cYou disobeyed me.\u00a0 You lied to your brother.\u00a0 You broke your restriction.\u00a0 You got drunk.\u00a0 You got into a fight.\u00a0 You got arrested for a crime and then\u2026 then your alibi for this crime was\u2026\u201d He shook his finger under Joe\u2019s nose and the rest of him was physically shaking with rage.\u00a0 \u201cYour alibi was that you were in a place you had no business to be and in company you had no business to keep.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe mentally ticked off the points in his head.\u00a0 Each one was true but whether each one was a crime requiring punishment depended on whether he was a man or a boy and on that score Joe had no doubts.\u00a0 Unfortunately, neither did Pa.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you stand there and tell me you did nothing wrong.\u201d\u00a0 Ben finished.<\/p>\n Joe took a deep breath and tried to explain\u00a0 \u201cPa, I\u2019m sixteen, in just over a month I\u2019ll be working on the ranch and if I\u2019m gonna make it with the rest of the hands I have to be one of them, not a kid.\u00a0 If it had been Adam you\u2019d be mad but you wouldn\u2019t make such a big thing of it, would you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou are NOT Adam, you are a boy who needs to be taught a lesson in respect.\u00a0 Its clear that your older brother is having far too much influence on you and not for your good.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be having a few words with him right after I deal with you.\u201d\u00a0 Ben was beyond reaching now and Joe knew it.\u00a0 Disobedience was bad, dishonesty worse, but disrespect for your elders was top of Pa\u2019s list of crimes. His approach had made things bad for his older brother and worse for himself, that much was clear.\u00a0 He decided his only option now was the one he should have taken in the first place; silence.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Downstairs, Hoss was trying to take his mind off events upstairs by mending a halter but every so often he would glance upwards.\u00a0 Adam had settled comfortably into his chair and was apparently deep in a new book, but even he wasn\u2019t really concentrating.\u00a0 Both had been on the receiving end of Pa\u2019s temper when they were Joe\u2019s age and before and since and it wasn\u2019t a pleasant experience.\u00a0 Adam reflected that, of all of them, his younger brother was the least affected by Pa yelling, but even Joe was shaken by the quiet, deep voice and the look of disappointment that came into Pa\u2019s eyes when they had done something to earn his disapproval.<\/p>\n Suddenly there was a familiar sound from above, at least familiar when Joe was in trouble with Pa and both brothers looked first upwards and then at each other.<\/p>\n \u201cGuess, that answers my question.\u201d Adam said with regret\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t help, I just got Pa mad at me too.\u00a0 But at least you seem to have escaped unscathed, considering you were the one who let him get past you and go into town.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou sayin\u2019 its my fault that Joe\u2019s gettin\u2019 a tannin\u2019?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss asked.\u00a0 It was true he did feel guilty, and that guilt wasn\u2019t helped by Adam reminding him that Pa had said nothing to him.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0 Adam sighed.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s no one\u2019s fault but Joe\u2019s, but for once I do think Pa is being too hard on him.\u00a0 The more Pa tries to keep him a kid the harder he tries to prove he\u2019s not, it\u2019s a vicious circle.\u00a0 Maybe it will get better when he\u2019s working on the ranch full-time.\u201d<\/p>\n He stopped speaking as they heard a door open and close and then footsteps on the stairs.\u00a0\u00a0 Both returned to their previous occupations and tried not to look up as Ben came back into the room and picked up the newspaper and his pipe.<\/p>\n After a moment or two Adam raised his eyes and carefully set down his book.\u00a0 Then with a slight shrug at Hoss he got up and began to pace.\u00a0 Ben was aware of every move but he kept his eyes on the printed page, not reading but waiting, until Adam had made his third or fourth pass of his chair. \u201cSomething on your mind?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2026 Don\u2019t you think you\u2019re being a little hard on the kid.\u00a0 He\u2019s gotta grow up sometime.\u201d\u00a0 Adam glanced nervously at Hoss, this wasn\u2019t going too well. \u201cCouldn\u2019t you just forget it now.\u00a0 I mean, well, do you have to restrict him more? It was keeping him on the ranch that made him do this in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, so I reward him for his behaviour, do I?\u201d\u00a0 Ben\u2019s temper was still simmering.<\/p>\n Adam sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d hardly call the tanning you just gave him a reward.\u00a0 Look Pa, how can you expect him to make mature judgements when you never give him the chance.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben wagged a finger at his eldest son \u201cIf he had ever made one mature decision, I might consider that a valid point.\u00a0 The day Joseph makes a decision based on reason and considered thought is the day I start treating him like man.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sank down into his chair again.\u00a0 He\u2019d tried but it looked like the battle would continue. Joe would be restricted, Joe would fight it and eventually break it, and then it would start all over again.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The following Saturday Adam and Hoss were working on a particularly stubborn section of fence.\u00a0 Both had stayed out late in town the previous night, arriving back in the early hours, just a little worse for drink and both were now suffering for it.<\/p>\n \u201cI swear Pa gave us this job as a punishment for being none too quiet when we got home this morning.\u201d\u00a0 Adam sighed as he stretched and wiped the sweat from his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cYep,\u201d Hoss agreed\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s times when bein\u2019 Joe has its advantages.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh!\u201d\u00a0 Adam took a swig from his canteen and looked puzzled.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, wouldn\u2019t you rather be stuck in the yard with nothin\u2019 to do but clean out a few stalls and then relax all afternoon.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s gone to town so you can bet our little brother\u00a0 ain\u2019t working too hard.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss grinned.<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose, but he did get a taste of Pa\u2019s belt and that\u2019s something I\u2019d just as soon not experience again.\u201d\u00a0 Adam leaned on the fence post and stared into the distance.\u00a0 \u201cHe sure did have a strong right arm when I was a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss laughed.\u00a0 \u201cWell, you\u2019d know better than me.\u201d\u00a0 He fastened off another piece of wire and came to stand by his brother.<\/p>\n \u201cYou got your share.\u201d\u00a0 Adam chuckled. \u201cHow old were you the last time?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019d be the second summer after you went to college, you know, when Pa came out to visit ya.\u00a0\u00a0 Just afore he wen, Joe and me went up to Eagle Falls.\u00a0 I musta bin fourteen I guess, comin\u2019 up fifteen that fall.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss recalled the events with some chagrin.\u00a0 \u201cI got hurt and we was out all night. He sure was mad.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded thoughtfully\u00a0 \u201cYeah and I was just a bit older when he took his belt to me for that little incident with Joe, when I went visiting Caroline.\u00a0 Both of us haven\u2019t gotten that particular punishment since we were fifteen.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss glanced sideways at his brother.\u00a0 Adam was meaning somethin\u2019 but he wasn\u2019t sure what.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat ya getting\u2019 at?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Adam straightened up and sighed.\u00a0 \u201cJoe\u2019s way past sixteen and going to leave school and start work next month.\u00a0 Kinda proves my point, that Pa is\u2026 well I don\u2019t know\u2026 stopping Joe growing up, I guess.\u00a0 Treating him like a kid way longer than he did us.\u00a0\u00a0 You know, like he didn\u2019t want to lose his baby.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss nodded\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d been on two maybe three cattle drives by the time I was Joe\u2019s age and so\u2019d you.\u00a0 Hell you were less than a year old than he is when you was running a loggin\u2019 camp and takin\u2019 care of the ranch.\u201d He sighed and picked up the wire cutters again\u00a0 \u201cWhat can we do about it?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam shook his head\u00a0 \u201cNot much I guess, \u2018cos Pa isn\u2019t about to listen.\u201d\u00a0 He applied himself to the task of stretching the next bit of wire and no more was said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe leaned on the corral fence and tried to decide what to do.\u00a0 He\u2019d done the chores, well he\u2019d done most of them and he didn\u2019t plan on doing anymore.\u00a0 Hop Sing was working in his garden so there was no chance to slip away even if he dared.\u00a0 Pa was still pretty mad at him.\u00a0 He was bored and various thoughts ran through his head, he ruled out most of them as likely to lead him into more hot water.\u00a0 He was already pushing his luck by wearing his pistol and he had been doing a spot of target practice.\u00a0 Hop Sing had frowned but said nothing and he doubted that the cook would tell his father.\u00a0 That was one thing about Hop Sing, he might give Joe a hard time, but he only told as much as was necessary and never worried his boss without cause.\u00a0 Over the years Joe had been grateful to the cook on more than one occasion.<\/p>\n He wondered if he could stretch the words \u2018yard and house\u2019 to include a trip to the stream for a spot of fishing.\u00a0 It was less than a mile but could hardly be called staying in the yard.\u00a0 He had almost decided to risk it when he heard the sound of horses, several of them. Too early to be Hoss and Adam and too many of them.\u00a0 He turned around as a rider with a string of five horses rounded the corner of the barn.<\/p>\n \u201cHello, Mr Hoskins.\u00a0 Pa ain\u2019t here.\u201d\u00a0 Joe greeted the horse trader.<\/p>\n \u201cHello, Little Joe.\u201d Hoskins dismounted and looped the reins of his horse around the post next to Joe.\u00a0 \u201cSaw your Pa in town.\u00a0 He told me to bring the horses on over and collect the money from Hop Sing, if Adam wasn\u2019t back.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shrugged and nodded to where the Chinese cook was tending the garden.\u00a0 \u201cHe never said nothing to me.\u201d\u00a0 Joe made it sound like a complaint and then as Hoskins ignored him and walked over to Hop Sing he added \u201cWhy would he, I\u2019m just a kid?\u201d<\/p>\n He watched the two men in conversation for a moment and then Hop Sing went inside.\u00a0 Hoskins drew up a chair on the porch to wait. With nothing better to do Joe started looking over the horses.\u00a0\u00a0 They were prime stock and Joe was admiring a sorrel mare and wishing he could own her.\u00a0 He ran his hand over her and then patted her rump as he moved on to the next.\u00a0 Suddenly something stopped him and he went back to examine the mare more thoroughly.\u00a0 This was the same horse he had seen with Adam two weeks back but something wasn\u2019t right.\u00a0 He hesitated a few seconds then checked another animal.\u00a0 He had to be wrong.\u00a0 Adam would have noticed this, surely.\u00a0 He ran his fingers over the brand one more time.\u00a0 It couldn\u2019t be, Pa trusted this man, Adam said they\u2019d traded with him before.\u00a0 He had to be wrong, but he knew he wasn\u2019t.\u00a0 What should he do, Hop Sing was coming out of the house with an envelope in his hands.<\/p>\n Taking a deep breath he made up his mind.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Mr Hoskins, you got the bill of sale for me to give my Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoskins looked up in surprise\u00a0 \u201cYes, of course, it\u2019s right here.\u201d\u00a0 He held out an envelope to Hop Sing and reached for the money.<\/p>\n \u201cMay I see it.\u201d\u00a0 Joe said pleasantly\u00a0 \u201cJust so I can show my Pa I know how to do business, huh, Mr Hoskins?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoskins smiled\u00a0 \u201cSure Joe.\u201d\u00a0 The boy just wanted to look grown-up, he decided.\u00a0 No harm in that.\u00a0 He handed the paper to Joe and waited.<\/p>\n Hop Sing was puzzled but he watched Little Joe\u2019s face and something told him to hold on to the envelope, he even moved back a little toward the house.\u00a0 He sensed that something wasn\u2019t quite right.<\/p>\n Joe slowly opened the envelope and took out the Bill of Sale.\u00a0 He had seen them lots of times before and knew what they should look like but he took his time.\u00a0 He desperately wanted to find some excuse for not handing over the money.\u00a0 He knew he couldn\u2019t just accuse Hoskin of rustling.<\/p>\n \u201cMy brother will be back in less than an hour, I\u2019d just as soon he looked this over, Mr Hoskin.\u00a0 The descriptions don\u2019t seem quite accurate to me.\u201d\u00a0 He hedged, hoping that Hoskin would wait.<\/p>\n \u201cI ain\u2019t got time to hang around here waitin\u2019 on Adam.\u201d\u00a0 Hoskin seemed flustered.\u00a0 \u201cYour Pa said it was fine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid Pa see the Bill of Sale and the horses?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, no but you and Adam saw \u2018em and you an see they\u2019re the same ones.\u201d The horse trader was agitated now.<\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t see how it would hurt to wait for Adam.\u00a0 Hop Sing can make you coffee, can\u2019t you Hop Sing?\u201d\u00a0 He turned to the cook and nodded.<\/p>\n Not sure what was happening but knowing what Joe wanted him to do the little cook bobbed his head\u00a0 \u201cI go get hot coffee now, you wait.\u201d And he scurried inside before Hoskin could protest, taking the envelope of money with him.<\/p>\n Once inside Hop Sing rapidly put the money back in the safe and shut the door with a bang and then headed for the kitchen, where he armed himself with a shotgun.<\/p>\n Hoskin was torn between wanting to take his money and get out and the knowledge that any objection to waiting would seem suspicious. He hadn\u2019t seen Joe\u2019s examination of the horses and he reckoned that Adam Cartwright had missed the altered brands before and would do so again.\u00a0 The kid was just showing off, trying to be like his brothers and pretend that he knew something about the business.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, Joe, I\u2019ll wait a while but if he\u2019s not back in an hour I want the money your father promised. I gotta get back to Carson City before dark.<\/p>\n Hop Sing brought coffee and for a very uneasy hour the three sat on the porch warily watching each other.\u00a0 Finally, Hoskin got to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cI done what you asked and your brother ain\u2019t showed.\u00a0 Your Pa said the cook here could hand over the money, so I want it now.\u00a0 Even if he cain\u2019t give it to me, you can, you\u2019re a Cartwright same as Adam.\u00a0 Now you got the horses and you got the bill of sale and I want to be on my way.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe realised he could stall for time no more.\u00a0 He stood up and consciously rested his hand on his pistol.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t give you the money, Mr Hoskin.\u00a0 I\u2019d prefer you to wait until my brother gets here to explain but if you insist on leaving, I\u2019ll have to stop you.\u201d\u00a0 Joe tried to sound cool and confident but inside he was shaking.\u00a0 Did he really have the nerve to stop Hoskin if he wished to leave and take the horses, or indeed if he tried to take the money by force.<\/p>\n Hoskin looked at the boy in front of him in surprise\u00a0 \u201cWhat you talking about boy?\u00a0 I can leave anytime I want and take my horses with me.\u00a0 There\u2019s plenty as\u2019ll buy them if you won\u2019t. Your Pa ain\u2019t gonna be pleased to lose \u2018em and he won\u2019t be too happy about the way I\u2019ve been treated neither.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s resolve faltered, what if he was wrong, maybe he should just let Hoskin leave. He was just a kid after all, surely if there was anything crooked Pa or Adam would have picked it up.\u00a0 But he knew he wasn\u2019t wrong.\u00a0 He could let Hoskin go then send a posse after him.\u00a0\u00a0 He almost shook his head, no that wouldn\u2019t work, no one would believe him if the horses were gone, they were his only evidence.\u00a0 He also knew that if Pa or Adam suspected such a thing they\u2019d never let Hoskin get away.<\/p>\n He saw a movement in the house and remembered Hop Sing.\u00a0 Hop Sing would be right behind him.\u00a0 His mind was made up, he\u2019d done like Pa was always telling him, he\u2019d thought it through and now he had to act, not in haste but with a cool head.\u00a0 Keeping his eyes on the horse trader, his hand moved imperceptibly toward his gun.<\/p>\n Either by good luck or good fortune, two horses rounded the barn at that very second.\u00a0 The sound of their arrival masked by the movement of the other horses. Hoskin was momentarily distracted while Joe drew his gun.<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s first picture as he swung down from Sport was of his young brother holding a gun on one of their father\u2019s friends, a gun he shouldn\u2019t even be wearing.\u00a0 \u201cWhat in heavens name is going on here.\u201d\u00a0 Adam thundered in a fair imitation of his father.\u00a0 He strode to Joe and relieved him of the gun.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t take much effort as the pistol almost dropped from Joe\u2019s nerveless fingers at his brother\u2019s shout.<\/p>\n The horse trader took advantage of Joe\u2019s shock to get his story in first. \u201cI ain\u2019t never been treated like this.\u00a0 Five years I\u2019ve traded with your Pa and now he refuses to give me my money and pulls a gun on me.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t about to do business with you now, me and my horses will be going.\u00a0 There\u2019s plenty who know a good horse when they see one.\u201d\u00a0 He gathered up the reins of his own mount and was about to pick up the leading rein on the string of horses.<\/p>\n Joe had by now recovered from the shock of seeing Adam \u201cStop him, Adam. He\u2019s a rustler.\u201d\u00a0 He shouted.<\/p>\n Adam almost choked\u00a0 \u201cWhat are you talking about? Mr Hoskin has traded with us for years. You\u2019ve been reading to many of those dime novels.\u201d\u00a0 He caught Joe\u2019s arm\u00a0 \u201cApologise,\u201d he demanded.\u00a0 When Joe said nothing but struggled against his grip he squeezed him more firmly \u201cI\u2019m sorry Mr Hoskin, my kid <\/strong>brother here is playing some kind of game and he will apologise.\u201d\u00a0 He turned back to Joe\u00a0 \u201cAnd to think I told Pa you were growing up.\u201d He said in disgust. \u201dWell he\u2019s gonna hear about this.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe was angry now, why wouldn\u2019t his brother listen?\u00a0 \u201cThe brands have been changed.\u00a0 Check \u2018em if you don\u2019t believe me,\u201d his voice became high pitched and he struggled again against his brother\u2019s grip.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not gonna stand here and listen to this.\u201d\u00a0 The horse trader spun on his heel and prepared to mount up.\u00a0 Then seeing Hoss watching him he hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t do that Mr Hoskin, not if you know what\u2019s good for ya,\u201d the big man said slowly.<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s jaw dropped\u00a0 \u201cNot you too, you can\u2019t possibly believe what Joe is saying.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure can, Adam, \u2018cos it\u2019s true, ain\u2019t it Mr Hoskin, \u201c Hoss ran his left hand over the nearest horses rump while his right stayed just a fraction away from his pistol.\u00a0 \u201cThis horse\u2019s bin branded twice.\u00a0 Course you\u2019ll have a bill of sale from the original owner and a note of the brand change won\u2019t ya?\u201d<\/p>\n It was hard to tell who was more shocked Hoskin or Adam.<\/p>\n Adam dropped Joe\u2019s arm as if it had burned him and with a wild look at Hoskin moved over to check the horses for himself.\u00a0 Hoskin stood with his head down knowing that there was nothing he could do against three of them.\u00a0 Why hadn\u2019t his luck held?\u00a0 If that snot-nosed hadn\u2019t been here he\u2019d have been free and clear.\u00a0 Ten years he\u2019d been trading horses honestly, but he\u2019d got into debt with his poker playing and needed money fast and the holder of his note had blackmailed him into taking these off his hands.<\/p>\n Adam checked all five horses, his sense of unreality growing with each one.\u00a0 He had trusted this man, his Pa had trusted this man.\u00a0 \u201cWhy?\u201d\u00a0 he asked, truly puzzled.<\/p>\n \u201cI ain\u2019t never done nuthin\u2019 like this before,\u201d Hoskin pleaded.\u00a0 \u201cI wouldn\u2019t cheat your Pa, wouldn\u2019t cheat nobody but I had no choice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve all got choices, Mr Hoskin.\u00a0 You made the wrong one.\u00a0 I think you\u2019d best get mounted up and we\u2019ll go see what Roy Coffee has to say about this.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss nodded in agreement\u00a0 \u201cYou want me to come with you?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Adam shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cMr Hoskin isn\u2019t going anywhere while those horses are in our corral.\u00a0 We can return them to their rightful owners once Roy has made a note of the evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe watched as the horse trader and his older brother prepared to leave again. So far Adam hadn\u2019t spoken to him or looked him in the eye once since his discovery.<\/p>\n Adam swung into the saddle \u201cLet Pa know what\u2019s happened if I don\u2019t pass him on the road.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss acknowledged the instruction with a raised hand and Adam was gone.<\/p>\n Joe waited a few minutes but then he could contain himself no longer, he spit into the dust and swore.<\/p>\n \u201cHey!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss glared at him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s eatin\u2019 you.\u00a0 You just caught a rustler, you oughta be celebratin\u2019.\u00a0 Saved Pa a whole bunch o\u2019 money too.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe swore again\u00a0 \u201cYeah, and Adam didn\u2019t even apologise.\u201d\u00a0 He rubbed his arm which was still a trifle sore from his older brother\u2019s rough treatment.\u00a0 \u201cHe was wrong and I was right and he never even said thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss grinned\u00a0 \u201cGive him time.\u00a0 Apologies come hard to our big brother and \u2018specially when he has to admit he\u2019s wrong to one of us.\u00a0 He\u2019ll get there.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grunted\u00a0 \u201cHe thinks I\u2019m just a kid, so does Pa\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat ain\u2019t fair, Joe,\u00a0 Adam\u2019s bin tryin\u2019 real hard to get Pa to let you do more.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss put a hand on his brother\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n Joe shook off the hand \u201cWell, it ain\u2019t doin\u2019 no good.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam didn\u2019t meet Ben on his way into town and was puzzled when he arrived back and there was still no sign of Buck in the barn. He took his time settling Sport, reluctant to go into the house and do what he knew had to be done.\u00a0 He had accused his father of treating Joe like a kid and yet when the chips were down he had done the same.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t trusted his younger brother and had assumed the worst without giving him a chance to explain.\u00a0 He owed an apology and he dreaded the way Joe would crow over it.\u00a0 No, that wasn\u2019t fair either.\u00a0 Neither of his brothers had ever made him feel small when he made mistakes, only when he refused to admit them.\u00a0 It was his own feelings that got in the way of an apology, his own stubborn nature that made apologies so hard.<\/p>\n \u201cYou plan on brushing his coat clean away?\u201d\u00a0 A voice at his elbow made him jump.<\/p>\n \u201cOh! Hi Pa.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t hear you come in.\u201d\u00a0 Adam, stopped grooming Sport and began to idly pick at the brush a sure sign to his father that something was wrong.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re late back, was there a problem?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shook his head\u00a0 \u201cNo, I called over to see George Devlin. I thought he might be interested on those horses we got from Hoskins.\u00a0 He was telling me he\u2019d lost one of his prime brood mares and was looking to replace her.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam frowned\u00a0 \u201cThat won\u2019t be possible,\u201d he said slowly.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not, we don\u2019t need all five.\u00a0 I only bought them all because Hoskins wanted to get rid of them in one sale.\u00a0 We can sell one on to George.\u00a0 I saw them as I rode in. They look real good, you\u2019re a good judge of horse flesh, son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, horses maybe, people I\u2019m not so sure,\u201d Adam muttered.\u00a0 \u201cThey aren\u2019t ours to sell,\u201d he added in a louder voice. \u201cThey weren\u2019t even Hoskins\u2019, they were stolen and over branded.\u00a0 I\u2019ve just got back from taking Hoskins to the law for horse stealing.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s jaw dropped. \u201cAre you sure? I\u2019ve known Hoskins for years, bought stock from him many times\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure, Pa.\u00a0 You can take a look for yourself, if you don\u2019t believe me.\u201d\u00a0 Adam sighed.<\/p>\n Ben shook his head\u00a0 \u201cIf you say its true then it is, I don\u2019t need to check.\u00a0 Why wouldn\u2019t I believe you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause I didn\u2019t believe Joe.\u201d\u00a0 Adam said, softly, so softly that Ben didn\u2019t hear.<\/p>\n Ben had finished bedding down Buck while he was talking and now he turned to Adam,\u00a0 \u201cIt sounds like there\u2019s a story here, maybe you\u2019d better tell me inside why Hoskins turned bad.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of things I need to tell you Pa and I need to do it so my little brother hears it too.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben raised an eyebrow, questioningly, but Adam had already turned to walk across the yard, and he could only follow his son\u2019s long strides.<\/p>\n Once in the house Ben was greeted noisily by his two younger sons but he waved them to silence and sank into his chair,\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s all sit down and Adam can tell me what exactly has been going on around here.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shrugged and slid down on to the sofa.\u00a0 Sure let Adam tell it.\u00a0 He\u2019s always right, he knows everything.\u00a0 Now we get to hear his version of how he made all the right decisions and saved Pa\u2019s money.\u00a0 <\/em>At this thought Joe almost chuckled, here he was being the kid again.\u00a0 What did it matter how Adam told it, he knew the truth and even if he told the truth Pa wouldn\u2019t believe him.\u00a0 He\u2019d<\/em> probably be in trouble for wearing the pistol around the yard and drawing it on Hoskins.\u00a0 No matter how long he lived or how old he got in years, Adam would always be the big brother and Pa would always defer to him and not to the baby of the family.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n Adam began by relating his trip to Virginia City with his prisoner and Hoskin\u2019s explanation for trying to cheat them.\u00a0 He wanted to put off the inevitable until the last minute and he was ashamed of himself for his cowardice.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t that he didn\u2019t want to credit Joe it was more that he didn\u2019t want to admit he\u2019d been wrong in his judgement not once but twice.<\/p>\n Ben gave a sigh, \u201cI\u2019d never have thought it of him, guess that\u2019s what you get for taking things for granted.\u00a0 He\u2019d always been straight before and I suppose I just got into that way of thinking.\u00a0 You don\u2019t expect people to change.\u201d\u00a0 He turned a smile on Adam, \u201cAt least you were alert to him, son.\u00a0 You didn\u2019t let history cloud your judgement.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam pulled at his ear in a nervous gesture and avoided looking across at his younger brother.\u00a0 \u201cYes, I did, Pa.\u00a0 I misjudged two people and I\u2019m sorry, my mistake could have cost us a lot of money and maybe even risked a jail sentence.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss nudged Joe and winked as Joe looked up.<\/p>\n Joe waited, he still didn\u2019t believe that Adam was going to come completely clean here.\u00a0 There\u2019d be some rider that if he hadn\u2019t happened along when he did Joe would have gotten himself hurt and Pa would still be mad at him for the gun.<\/p>\n Ben leaned forward\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t understand, you spotted the changed brands\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Adam interrupted\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s just it, I didn\u2019t, Joe did.\u201d He went on to relate the events he and Hoss had witnessed on their return.\u00a0 \u201cSo you see Pa, not only did I miss the brands and believe Hoskin, I didn\u2019t listen to Joe when he tried to tell me.\u00a0 I lost my temper and went off half-cocked at him.\u00a0 I did just what we are always yelling at Joe about, I reacted too quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe was too shocked to say anything, he just stared at his older brother.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it was foolish to draw a gun on Hoskin, he could have been killed\u201d Ben blustered, not yet willing to accept that Joe was entirely blameless.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Pa.\u00a0 He\u2019d already alerted Hop Sing, and there was a shotgun backing him up and the money was back in the safe where Hoskins couldn\u2019t get it.\u00a0 He did everything just as I would have done if I had been in his place\u2026 well not quite what I\u2019d<\/em> have done, because he got it right.\u201d\u00a0 Adam hung his head for a second then looked up at his young brother\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry I doubted you, Joe.\u00a0 I should have listened.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s okay, older brother.\u00a0 No one ever listens to me, it\u2019s a habit around here.\u00a0 I\u2019m used to it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, well, it\u2019s a habit I\u2019m going to try and break.\u201d\u00a0 Adam replied with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cJust don\u2019t expect miracles to soon.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam looked over to his father, willing him to say the right thing.<\/p>\n Ben saw the look and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cAdam\u2019s right, Joseph.\u00a0 You did the right thing and you saved us a lot of problems. We have tended to expect the worst instead of the best and I\u2019m as guilty as he is, probably more so.\u00a0 I promise that from now on I\u2019ll try to change that, if you try to be more mature.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned, how like Pa to make conditions but for now he was content.\u00a0 He had gained some ground at least.\u00a0 But Pa hadn\u2019t finished speaking and the next words left him walking on air.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m proud of you, son.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The End<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Summary:\u00a0 Sixteen-year-old Joe is in jail.\u00a0 Dare he tell Adam and Pa his alibi?\u00a0 Only when he realises the seriousness of the crime does he decide to act like a man and reveal his whereabouts.\u00a0 But will Pa ever accept him as a grown man?
\nRating:\u00a0 PG\u00a0 (13,310 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":41001,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","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":[23,1007,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-joe-cartwright","category-prequels","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-1007-id","wpcat-30-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62744","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\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=62744"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62744\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/41001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=62744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=62744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=62744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}