{"id":6344,"date":"2010-08-04T00:08:34","date_gmt":"2010-08-04T04:08:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6344"},"modified":"2026-07-29T13:25:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T17:25:41","slug":"the-greatest-gift-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6344","title":{"rendered":"The Greatest Gift (by Cheaux)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 <\/strong>Joe overhears what he knows to be a lie, but cannot convince anyone else to believe him.<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0 T — WC \u00a07800<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Disclaimer:\u00a0All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.<\/p>\n

The Greatest Gift<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright and his youngest son, Joe, heard the ruckus from a 100 yards away and rode up to the ranch house with guns drawn.\u00a0\u00a0 They looked around as they dismounted but saw nothing amiss.\u00a0 Then they heard the cacophony again and realized it was their Chinese cook carrying on in Cantonese and banging pots and pans in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph,\u201d Ben said, exasperated.\u00a0 \u201cYou take care of the horses, I will deal with Hop Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBetter you than me, Pa,\u201d Little Joe said as he led Buck and Cochise into the barn.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cWhat do you think is going on in there?\u201d Adam pondered, looking out the door of the barn towards the house.\u00a0 He and Hoss had come up from the corral to investigate the noise but Joe had dragged them into the barn quickly before they could get too close.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it\u2019s somethin\u2019, that\u2019s fer sure!\u00a0 I ain\u2019t never heard so much yellin\u2019 in all my life,\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u00a0 Did you overhear what they were saying?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot me, brother.\u00a0 The yellin\u2019 was going on when we rode up.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t see anyone else around so Pa sent me in here and I\u2019m not going anywhere near that kitchen until Hop Sing calms down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss laughed at the expression on Joe\u2019s face and Adam was likewise bemused. \u201cSince when do you ever do exactly as you are told?\u201d\u00a0<\/em> he asked.<\/p>\n

After it grew quiet, the men inched their way into the yard keeping the barn door open just in the event a hasty retreat was necessary.\u00a0 Although there was no sound coming from the house, they were not so bold as to venture closer than the water trough.\u00a0 When the front door opened and no one emerged, the brothers looked from one to the other without moving.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you boys going to stand out there all night?\u201d\u00a0 Ben asked, finally appearing in the threshold.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, sir!\u00a0 Just washing up\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0coming right now, Pa,\u201d Adam responded, grabbing Joe by the elbow and nudging Hoss forward with his shoulder.<\/p>\n

The brothers tried to sidestep each other so as not to be the first one inside.\u00a0 As they reached the front door, Adam gave Joe a shove intending him to move ahead of Hoss, but in a well-practiced move Joe ducked under Adam\u2019s outstretched arms on the right just as Hoss stepped backwards on the left thrusting Adam in front and forcing him to cross the threshold first.<\/p>\n

Their father was pacing in front of the fireplace, his hands in his pocket.\u00a0 The brothers exchanged glances once again and each had but one thought\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0this wasn\u2019t going to be good.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBoys, take a seat, I have something to tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cautiously, Hoss took the settee; Adam draped himself over one arm; and Joe sat on the coffee table, his arms straight and his knuckles white where his hands gripped the edge.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing is leaving us.\u00a0 He\u2019s going back to China.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was silence; then Hoss snorted.<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, Pa, he\u2019s joshin\u2019.\u00a0 He always says that.\u00a0 Whatever he thinks we done, we\u2019ll say we\u2019re sorry and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2014And just what was it you did?\u201d Ben interrupted.<\/p>\n

Adam quickly interjected, \u201cNothing, Pa, but if Hop Sing is upset with us for any reason, we\u2019ll make it right with him.\u00a0 We always do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMmmm.\u00a0 Joseph?\u00a0 You\u2019re awfully quiet.\u00a0 Is there something you also want to confess?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, no . . . Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019ve eaten my whole breakfast every morning this week, honest!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut?\u201d Ben queried, knowing his sons all too well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess we\u2019ve all missed a few meals in the last few weeks, Pa,\u201d Adam spoke up.\u00a0 \u201cWe didn\u2019t mean to, but with the branding, fencing, and\u2014\u201d Adam stopped as Ben interrupted by putting his hand up.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever mind, boys . . .\u00a0 you can relax.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t anything you said or did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was all the yellin\u2019 about, Pa?\u201d asked Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cIt sounded like someone was dyin\u2019 in here!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing was upset because of some news he received and took it out on the pots and pans.\u00a0 No harm done,\u201d Ben said, resuming his pacing.<\/p>\n

The brothers took turns mouthing\u00a0\u201c<\/em>ask him!\u201d and \u201cno, YOU ask him\u201d\u00a0at each other whenever Ben turned away from them as he moved back and forth in front of the hearth.<\/p>\n

Finally, Adam broke the silence, \u201cIs that really what you had to tell us?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben took a deep breath and turned to face his sons.\u00a0 \u201cYes. \u00a0Hop Sing is returning to China to be with his family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow much family could be left?\u201d snickered Joe, \u201cHe must have a hundred cousins between here and San Francisco!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss snorted again and Joe would have joined in if Ben hadn\u2019t given him \u201cThe Look.\u201d\u00a0 Instead, he bit his lip and hung his head, whispering \u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen?\u201d Adam asked quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as arrangements can be made.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Within a few days, the news about Hop Sing\u2019s imminent departure had spread among the Cartwrights\u2019 closest friends.\u00a0 It was a foregone conclusion that Ben and the boys would find some way to honor their friend\u2014for Hop Sing was more than just chief cook and bottle washer.\u00a0 He had been with them for almost twenty years\u2014since before Little Joe was born\u2014and he had seen them through good times and bad, day in and day out, always at the ready with good food, strong medicine, and tender care whenever it was needed.<\/p>\n

It would be several weeks before his ship would be weighing anchor, and Hop Sing had many responsibilities to attend to:\u00a0 making sure the chuck wagons were loaded for the biggest cattle drive of the year, the ranch\u2019s root cellar and larder stocked\u2014not the least of which was finding a suitable replacement.\u00a0 Since they would all be exhausted after the drive, the family decided to throw a farewell party for Hop Sing beforehand.<\/p>\n

On Saturday night the Ponderosa was transformed into a magical fairyland filled with well-wishers.\u00a0 There were colorful Chinese lanterns strung across the yard, in the trees and from the eaves.\u00a0 Su Ling, the young woman Joe won in a poker game a few months before, had hung wind chimes that caught the evening breeze and tinkled softly.<\/p>\n

Sheriff Roy Coffee, Doc Martin, and guests from every ethnic community on the Comstock were there.\u00a0 Everyone was having a great time and Hop Sing was truly touched, but try as they might, the Cartwrights could not get him out of the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing, you\u2019re the guest of honor,\u201d Hoss yelled.\u00a0 \u201cYa need to come out here and greet your guests.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cToo much foolishment,\u201d Hop Sing protested half-heartedly, but allowed himself to be pulled into the center of the activities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s Little Joe?\u201d Ben asked Adam quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn his room.\u00a0 He won\u2019t come down.\u00a0 Hoss tried earlier.\u00a0 Do you want me to go up?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I\u2019ll go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben poured himself another cup of punch, said a few words to one of the guests and then made his way into the house and upstairs.\u00a0 He knocked on the bedroom door and when there was no answer, he opened it anyway.\u00a0 Although there were no lights on in the room, Ben could see Joe sitting on the window sill, one leg drawn up under this chin and his hands picking at his boot.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood punch.\u00a0\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you come down and have some?\u201d Ben said lightly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not thirsty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot hungry either?\u00a0 Some mighty good fixin\u2019s down there.\u00a0 Mrs. Greenberg and the other ladies set out a magnificent spread.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe turned his head away from his father, laying his cheek on his knee, but saying nothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cSon.\u00a0 Hop Sing is not leaving to punish us.\u00a0 He has to go.\u00a0 His family needs him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re his family.\u00a0 We need him, too,\u201d Joe said, rather forcefully and then whispered, \u201cI need him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, Joe.\u00a0 I know,\u201d Ben moved next to his son, putting an arm around his shoulders and pulling him close.\u00a0 \u201cBut sometimes, we have to let go of the ones we love . . . if we love them . . . truly love them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u00a0 This is hard on him, too.\u00a0 He\u2019s loves you almost as much as I do, son, from the moment he first held you in his arms.\u00a0 But he has an obligation to his own family and he is an honorable man.\u00a0 You wouldn\u2019t want him to dishonor his ancestors by ignoring his family\u2019s needs, would you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Joe said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cBut\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what, son?\u201d Ben said, lifting Joe\u2019s chin with his finger so he could look him in the eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI-I didn\u2019t get him anything,\u201d Joe jerked his head toward the window.\u00a0 Ben looked out and saw a table piled high with going away presents.<\/p>\n

Ben smiled and pulled Joe close against his chest once more. \u00a0\u201cHe needs you to be happy for him and to wish him well.\u00a0 Can you do that, Joe?\u00a0 Can you put aside your own heartache long enough to see him off with a smile on your face?\u00a0 That would be the nicest gift you could give him.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

After washing his face and putting on a clean shirt, Joe joined the party downstairs.\u00a0 He did his best to remain animated and of good cheer, especially whenever his father or Hop Sing looked his way.\u00a0\u00a0 He hated to admit it, but he really was having a good time hearing the anecdotes everyone was telling about Hop Sing.\u00a0 Most of the stories were familiar, but every once in a while someone shared a remembrance he hadn\u2019t heard before and he stored it up in his memory as a squirrel hordes nuts for a long winter.<\/p>\n

After dinner, the guests moved inside.\u00a0 The furniture had been pushed back to make room for a ribbon dance by Hop Sing\u2019s cousins Numbered 11, 14 and 37 accompanied by Su Ling on the lute.\u00a0 Joe stood near the stairs watching the faces of guests who were mesmerized by the rhythmic movements of the girls.<\/p>\n

Interrupting his reverie, Ben called Joe over to the alcove and handed him a bottle. \u00a0\u201cTake this brandy to Mrs. Fleming.\u00a0 She\u2019ll need it for the cherries jubilee.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight away, Pa,\u201d Joe whistled and threw the bottle up in the air catching it just before it hit the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u201d\u00a0 Ben exclaimed in a stage whisper, and then shook his head as Joe\u2019s laugh rang out loud and clear.\u00a0 \u201cThat boy,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0he thought.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cAs mercurial as the sea.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Joe cut his laugh short and mouthed a contrite \u201csorry\u201d to Su Ling, but he continued to chuckle to himself as he turned the corner into the kitchen where he promptly stopped dead in his tracks.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing was speaking quietly with a man Joe didn\u2019t recognize.\u00a0 It was the intensity of the conversation which caused Joe to step back into the shadows and listen.\u00a0 He knew it was wrong to eavesdrop; his father had chastised him often enough about it, but sometimes it was the only way for the youngest Cartwright to find out what was going on.\u00a0\u00a0 In this case, he was probably the only Cartwright to have understood what he was hearing.\u00a0 Though spoken in hushed tones and in Cantonese, Joe clearly heard Hop Sing tell the man that he would see him in Sacramento.<\/p>\n

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

Joe slid back into the dining room and was trying to get Adam\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, psst, Adam!\u201d Joe hissed.\u00a0 \u201cCome here!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it, Joe?\u00a0 I want to hear Su Ling play.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important, Adam,\u201d Joe whispered.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing\u2019s not going to China!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just heard him say he was going to Sacramento.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUse your head, Joe.\u00a0 He has to go through Sacramento to get to San Francisco where the port is.\u00a0 There are no ocean-going ships in Sacramento.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Adam.\u00a0 He said he\u2019d be in Sacramento for the Chung Yeung Festival.\u00a0 That\u2019s after the ship sails from San Francisco and it means that he is not going to China!\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Hop Sing turned just in time to see Little Joe tiptoe out of the kitchen.\u00a0 He moved stealthily into the shadows vacated by Joe and heard the brothers speaking. \u00a0\u201cLittle Joe not so easy to fool,\u201d\u00a0<\/em>he thought.\u00a0 He would have to act quickly if he were to divert Adam from giving any serious consideration to Little Joe\u2019s revelation.<\/p>\n

The next morning, Adam was the first Cartwright down to breakfast as usual.\u00a0 As he descended the stairs, Hop Sing was waiting for him.\u00a0 He bowed slightly and said obsequiously, \u201cHop Sing begs to ask favor of Mister Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, Hop Sing.\u00a0 What can I do for you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery sorry,\u201d he said, pulling several pieces of paper out of his tunic.\u00a0 \u201c\u2014stage, train, ship all different.\u00a0 Not make sense.\u00a0 Much easier come here than leave,\u201d Hop Sing sighed.\u00a0 \u201cMust not go China before Number 7 cousin come Ponderosa.\u00a0 Not leave Boss alone with hungry sons after long cattle drive.\u00a0 Not leave before Little Joe\u2019s special birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSpecial?\u00a0 Oh, his twenty-first birthday.\u00a0 Yes, that\u2019s special.\u00a0 He would very much like you to be here for that, Hop Sing, I know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMister Adam, you look see.\u00a0 Tell Hop Sing he can take ship from Los Angeles after birthday, yes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, let\u2019s see what we\u2019ve got here,\u201d Adam said, spreading the various schedules out on the nearby round table and leaning over to study them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI bring coffee,\u201d Hop Sing said and hurried off to the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cMmmm,\u201d said Adam, absently as he perused the papers.\u00a0 He was so absorbed in his calculations that he didn\u2019t realize the rest of the family had not only finished breakfast but had also received their marching orders for the day.\u00a0 Before he realized how late it was, Little Joe and Hoss were already out the door with a long list of supplies to pick up from the mercantile in town and instructions to not dilly dally getting home.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Pa,\u201d he said, joining his father at the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing, could you bring some h\u2014,\u201d but before Ben could state his request, Hop Sing delivered a hot plate of eggs, bacon and biscuits to Adam, along with a fresh pot of hot coffee.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing, sit down please,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cPa, Hop Sing is concerned because his cousin\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2014Number 7 cousin, you like. \u00a0Very good cook.\u00a0 Hoss very happy; grow big and strong,\u201d Hop Sing said.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2014yes, Number 7 cousin won\u2019t be able to get here until the middle of October so he doesn\u2019t want to leave until then and ideally not until after Joe\u2019s birthday.\u00a0 He was looking to book passage on a clipper out of Los Angeles in November.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been looking at the various options available and while it\u2019s doable I think he would be better off taking a ship out of San Francisco as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMmmm,\u201d Ben nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThe winds would be more favorable, too.\u00a0 I\u2019ve sailed those waters before.\u00a0 It could be far more dangerous if he waits.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d said Hop Sing.\u00a0 \u201cToo soon.\u00a0 Number 7 cousin not come Ponderosa \u2018til middle October.\u00a0 I wait.\u00a0 Go Los Angeles; take ship from there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing, the ship from San Francisco is a faster ship over a more direct route with favorable trade winds.\u00a0 If you sail from Los Angeles, your voyage will be much longer because the ship lays over in Sydney before continuing on to Hong Kong.\u201d\u00a0 Adam looked at his father, knowing what this sudden departure would mean for the family\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0especially Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam is correct, Hop Sing.\u00a0 I\u2019ve sailed these waters many times.\u00a0 You should embark from San Francisco as soon as possible before the winds change.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

While Hoss was eyeing the candy barrels in the mercantile, Joe searched the shelves for a gift for Hop Sing but saw nothing that would do.\u00a0 He knew it would be a while\u2014both for the supply order to be filled and for his brother to make his selection\u2014so he told Hoss he was going over to the saddlery.\u00a0 As soon as he was outside, however, he sped off to the area of Virginia City known as Chinatown.<\/p>\n

Joe wandered among the stalls and shops greeting his many friends there.\u00a0 His Pa didn\u2019t like him coming to this part of town alone, but Joe felt quite at home here. \u00a0He loved the chatter, bright colors, and wonderful aromas emanating from the giant woks that burned hot with delicacies such as kung pao chicken and moo goo gai pan. \u00a0Everyone knew him, for at least once a month since he was five Hop Sing had been bringing the youngster here to shop for the special teas, herbs, and spices he used for medicines and cooking.\u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s it!\u201d\u00a0<\/em>Joe thought.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ll get some of those special herbs for him to take on the ship,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0and he hurried off to the apothecary.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cPa,\u201d Joe argued, \u201cI\u2019m telling you, Hop Sing is not going to China!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, I am not going to continue arguing with you about this. \u00a0Adam has told you that he figured out the best itinerary for Hop Sing and it means he has to depart immediately.\u00a0 Now, before we leave on the cattle drive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Pa\u2014\u201d Joe protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnough!\u00a0 I know you are upset about his leaving; we all are.\u00a0 But we have to respect his wishes.\u00a0 This is something he feels he must do.\u00a0 We have no claim on him; no right to keep him from returning to his homeland if that is what he wishes.\u00a0 And I will not have you upsetting him any further.\u00a0 It\u2019s bad enough you snuck into Chinatown by yourself.\u00a0 He was quite distressed about that, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Pa\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. that\u2019s what I\u2019m trying to tell you.\u00a0 I saw him at the apothecary today.\u00a0 He was with a white woman and they were talking about his going to Sacramento, not China.\u00a0 He is going to\u00a0work for\u00a0them.\u00a0 He\u2019s leaving us for another family, Pa!\u00a0 How can he do that?\u201d Joe\u2019s voice kept rising as he was talking and Ben could hear as well as see his distress.<\/p>\n

\u201cSon,\u201d Ben said, taking a deep breath and lowering his own voice.\u00a0 \u201cJoe.\u00a0 Come over here, sit down and listen to me carefully.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe reluctantly sat down on the settee and started to sway slightly as his Pa rubbed the back of his neck.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, Hop Sing had not planned to leave for several more weeks.\u00a0 He wanted to be here when we returned from the drive, and more importantly, he wanted to be here for your birthday.\u00a0 But when Adam looked at the schedules, he realized that Hop Sing would have to leave immediately if he were going to sail in fair weather.\u00a0 We\u2019ve booked his passage and wired the money to the shipping line.\u00a0 Hop Sing must leave tomorrow and that\u2019s all there is to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019m telling you that I saw Hop Sing at the apothecary shop with this woman and I heard him.\u00a0 I heard him, Pa!\u00a0 I heard him say he would be with them in Sacramento for Chung Yeung!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you heard him say this in English?\u201d Ben asked patiently.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u201dN-no,\u201d Joe stammered.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Cantonese?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cY-yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, Hop Sing told me he is quite proud of you for having learned all about Chinese traditions like this, this\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cChung Yeung.\u00a0 Ninth day of the Ninth Month.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2014Chung Yeung festival.\u00a0 But Chinese is a very difficult language, with many dialects and intonations which can alter the meaning if spoken incorrectly. You simply misunderstood. The ship sails on September 10 from San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was miserable.\u00a0 Nothing he said or did would convince his father he was right.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing again had listened to this exchange from the passageway into the kitchen.\u00a0 He did not like deceiving the young lion, as he fondly thought of Little Joe, and he knew he would need help in the aftermath of his departure to deal with the consequences so he enlisted the aid of Su Ling.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cHow may I serve most venerable sir?\u201d asked Su Ling, bowing deeply.\u00a0 Hop Sing had located her among the stalls in Chinatown where she was shopping for roots and herbs for Dr.\u00a0Kam Lee, her benefactor and employer.<\/p>\n

\u201cSu Ling,\u201d Hop Sing bowed slightly.\u00a0 \u201cI need your most able assistance.\u00a0 Young Joseph is most distressed at my departure from the Ponderosa and has wished to detain me beyond what is prudent given the circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is indeed most unfortunate, but understandable.\u00a0 I know in what great regard he holds your most esteemed self as indeed the whole family does.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I truly regret this situation, but you of all persons can appreciate the urgency with which I must travel to Sacramento.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course.\u00a0 How may I be of assistance?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe observed me with Mrs. Brooks yesterday as I was making final arrangements.\u00a0 I need to\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. alter his perception about my ultimate destination.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI see,\u201d said Su Ling, frowning.\u00a0 She lowered her eyes when she spoke.\u00a0 \u201cForgive this most unworthy girl for questioning the wisdom of an elder, but perhaps this\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0\u2018altered perception\u2019\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. is not a prudent course of action in this instance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour concern is most appreciated, Su Ling,\u201d Hop Sing replied, \u201cbut I have made my decision.\u00a0 I only seek your help in delivering a message on my behalf.\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing handed her a rolled scroll, sealed with wax and tied with string.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kowtow to your wishes,\u201d said Su Ling, bowing deeply once again, and placing the scroll in her basket.<\/p>\n

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

It was nearly dusk when Ben rode into the camp at a gallop.\u00a0 Hoss grabbed his reins and settled the horse down as his father dismounted.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is he?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cCookie\u2019s patching him up.\u00a0 He\u2019s bruised and bloodied\u2014and he\u2019ll be sore as all get out in the morning\u2014but nothing\u2019s broken.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI want him out of here!\u201d Adam said angrily, dismounting from his own horse as he rode in from the opposite direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Ben exclaimed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou heard me.\u00a0 I want him gone!\u00a0 His head is not in the game and he\u2019s a danger to himself and others.\u00a0 I\u2019m sending him home,\u201d Adam continued as he stomped off toward the chuck wagon.<\/p>\n

Ben grabbed Adam\u2019s arm as he passed, \u201cAdam, you can\u2019t do that!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEither I\u2019m trail boss or I\u2019m not, make up your mind!\u201d Adam ripped his arm from his father\u2019s grip and continued on the path towards the chuck wagon.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam!\u201d Ben yelled, then turning toward Hoss, he asked, \u201cLaredo told me he could have been killed.\u00a0 Is that true?\u201d Ben didn\u2019t know whether to be furious or worried.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 Yeah, I reckon,\u201d Hoss said reluctantly.<\/p>\n

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

Cookie had finished washing Joe\u2019s scrapes and bruises and wrapping his bare chest.\u00a0 He was just putting tincture of iodine on the cut above Joe\u2019s eye when Adam\u2014nearly apoplectic\u2014stormed over to the wagon with Ben in close pursuit.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust what did you think you were doing?\u00a0 You\u2019ve been holding the cut since you were nine years old.\u00a0 You had more sense then than you showed today!\u201d\u00a0 Adam yelled as he repeatedly poked Joe\u2019s torso, not stopping even when his brother winced.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Adam.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know what happened,\u201d Joe responded contritely, rubbing his chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell I know what happened\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0you were careless and stupid and you nearly got yourself killed and someone else with you!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI said I was sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry doesn\u2019t begin to cover it, boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho are you calling \u2018boy\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not a boy!\u00a0 I\u2019ll be twenty-one in a few weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you live that long!\u00a0 Pick up your gear and go home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you firing me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u00a0 Clear out.\u00a0 Now!\u201d Adam turned on his heels and stomped off.\u00a0 Ben, who had been watching this exchange with a growing sense of foreboding, looked at Adam\u2019s retreating back and then at Joe\u2019s quivering lip, which was currently about twice its normal size.\u00a0 Inexplicably\u2014at least to Joe\u2014Ben turned and followed Adam.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cI dunno, Pa,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cAdam has a point.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s head sure ain\u2019t been on business.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing?\u201d\u00a0 Ben questioned.\u00a0 The family\u2014minus Joe\u2014had said farewell to Hop Sing two days before when they put him on the stage for the first part of his journey to Hong Kong.\u00a0 Joe was, no doubt, filled with remorse for not saying goodbye.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s still convinced Hop Sing is staying in this country and going to work for another family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss,\u201d Ben sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI just don\u2019t know what to do with your brother.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s tried; you\u2019ve tried; we\u2019ve all tried to explain what he\u2019s heard or seen\u2014or thinks he\u2019s heard or seen\u2014is not true.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know what else we can do, but he\u2019s got to get over this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet him go, Pa,\u201d a voice said from the shadows.\u00a0 Adam approached the campfire slowly and sat down on a nearby barrel.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t want him here in his current state, but I was wrong to tell him to go home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you saying, Adam?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m saying that I think we ought to let him go to San Francisco and see for himself\u2014with his own two eyes\u2014that Hop Sing will board that ship and sail away,\u201d said Adam.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s the only way he will finally let go of this obsession.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not an obsession,\u201d Joe said walking into the circle of light cast by the fire\u2019s glow.\u00a0 \u201cBut if it takes my going to San Francisco to prove it to you, I will.\u201d<\/p>\n

The camp was awake before first light.\u00a0 Adam, Hoss and the drovers had gotten the cattle on their feet and moving as dawn was breaking.\u00a0 Ben remained behind to talk to Joe, who\u2014as Hoss had predicted\u2014was smarting mightily from his bruises.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine, Pa,\u201d Joe insisted as Ben tugged on the bandage around his chest to make sure it was tight enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course you are,\u201d Ben replied as he pulled his son\u2019s shirt down.\u00a0 \u201cNow, listen to me carefully.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you get to San Francisco, you are to go directly to the shipping agent, W.T. Coleman & Co. on Wall Street.\u00a0 They will be able to direct you to the dock where\u00a0Young America<\/em>\u00a0is birthed.\u00a0 Although you are a couple days behind Hop Sing, the ship isn\u2019t scheduled to leave until next Saturday.\u00a0\u00a0 After the ship sails, you are to return home directly, do you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo going to the Barbary Coast or to Chinatown.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo sir.\u00a0 When I get to San Francisco, I won\u2019t go to the Barbary Coast or to Chinatown.\u00a0 I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood.\u00a0 Now,\u201d Ben said, giving his son a hug, \u201cBe careful.\u00a0 Ride safely.\u00a0 Give our best Hop Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodbye, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019ll see you soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

After a day of hard riding, Joe was exhausted.\u00a0 His ribs hurt and his head was pounding,\u00a0 When he came to the proverbial fork in the road, he decided to take a break and found a tree under which he could take a short nap and Cochise could graze, but sleep alluded him.\u00a0\u00a0 He sat up and stared at the signpost.\u00a0 The road to San Francisco was one way; the road to Sacramento another.\u00a0 Despite what his family said, he knew in his gut that he was right:\u00a0 Hop Sing was going to Sacramento, not China.\u00a0 But if I\u2019m wrong, I\u2019ll miss Hop Sing altogether and won\u2019t be able to say goodbye.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>In the end, his gut won out.<\/p>\n

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

Joe\u2019s first stop when he arrived in Sacramento was the bank where the family did business.\u00a0 One of the Chinese girls who worked in the apothecary shop had told him the name of the woman Hop Sing spoke with:\u00a0 Mrs. Evangeline Brooks.\u00a0 The banker informed Joe that she was from a very wealthy family; her father was a state senator and her husband ran a clinic on the north side of town known as Brookhaven.<\/p>\n

Never fond of doctors himself, he couldn’t imagine voluntarily wanting to work in a hospital surrounded by sick people.\u00a0 However, it seemed a pleasant enough place from the front.\u00a0 Built in the hacienda style like the\u00a0buildings he had seen in Monterrey, the clinic was a long and low adobe with white stucco and a red tile roof.<\/p>\n

Joe entered cautiously.\u00a0 There was a large tiled atrium and a front desk, but no one was behind it at the moment.<\/p>\n

He could hear water gurgling and when he looked through the arches behind the desk he saw a courtyard with a fountain and both hanging and potted plants.\u00a0 There were benches scattered here and there and some people milling around, patients or visitors he couldn\u2019t tell.\u00a0 He could see now the building was square, with long covered porticos on each side off the courtyard.<\/p>\n

Joe stepped quietly down the corridor, mindful of the tranquil nature of the facility.\u00a0 Most of the doors to the rooms were closed. \u00a0As he rounded one corner he came to a large open area with tables and chairs and a piano in one corner.\u00a0 A dining room, he thought, and where meals are served, there must be a kitchen.\u00a0 Sure enough, Joe spied batwing doors at the far side of the room and headed that way when a young woman called out to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me, sir.\u00a0 May I help you?\u201d she asked pleasantly enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cI found what I was looking for, thank you,\u201d he said and continued towards the kitchen.<\/p>\n

She was swift and before he reached the doors, she grabbed his arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m sorry sir, but no one is allowed in the kitchen.\u00a0 Our cook is very strict.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re telling me!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSir?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m here to see Hop Sing.\u00a0 He works\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0used to work for my family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing?\u201d the woman inquired.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u00a0 Hop Sing\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0your cook,\u201d Joe replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m sorry sir.\u00a0 We have no Chinese cook.\u00a0 In fact, we have no one named Hop Sing working here.\u00a0 Now please, you must leave,\u201d she said, tugging firmly on his arm.\u00a0 \u201cWe do not permit strangers on the premises.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not one to be dissuaded by the mere slip of a girl\u2014even a pretty one\u2014Joe broke easily from her grasp and pushed the doors open.\u00a0 Aside from the usual array of pots and pans, racks of dishes, and some storage barrels, he saw no one.\u00a0 He turned back towards the woman, about to say something and ran into a very large, muscled orderly with bulging arms crossed over a massive chest.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe gulped and, before he could speak, found himself planted gently, but firmly outside the hacienda.<\/p>\n

“Good day, sir.”<\/p>\n

“Wait!\u00a0 I am looking for Hop Sing, our\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0our former cook.\u00a0 He’s working for the Brooks.\u201d<\/p>\n

The orderly stopped and sighed.\u00a0 \u201cSenator Brooks?\u00a0 Why didn\u2019t you say so?\u00a0 Try the main house on the hill.\u00a0 Perhaps the man you seek is working there.\u201d<\/p>\n

“How do I get there,” Joe asked.<\/p>\n

The orderly stepped off the porch, walked to the edge of the garden and pointed to a hill about a mile and a half away.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d Joe said, but the man was already gone.<\/p>\n

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

The house was massive.\u00a0 Joe had only seen pictures of mansions like this in Adam’s architectural books.\u00a0 Even the silver barons in Virginia didn’t have houses like this.\u00a0 No wonder Hop Sing wanted to work here.\u00a0 His cooking skills were legendary in Virginia City and\u00a0Senator Brooks must have offered him a lot of money to work for them.\u00a0 It would be prestigious to do so.<\/p>\n

Defeated, Joe turned to leave, head hung low.<\/p>\n

“Can I help you, young man?” a grey haired woman said as she stood up from the rose bushes where she had been working.\u00a0\u00a0 She was dressed in a simple cotton work dress and had a wide brimmed straw hat tied to her head with a silk ribbon.\u00a0 As she dabbed the perspiration from her face with a handkerchief she exclaimed, “Lordy, but it’s hot today!\u00a0 Why don’t you come with me up to the house out of the sun.\u00a0 We’ll have some lemonade and you can tell me all about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll about what, ma’am?\u201d<\/p>\n

“All about that long face.\u00a0 God didn’t intend a countenance such as yours to be squandered on a frown.\u00a0 Come along, don’t dawdle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, ma’am,\u201d Joe replied meekly, hat in hand.<\/p>\n

She motioned to the swing under a magnificent chestnut-leaf oak that must have been 80 feet high and then disappeared inside the house.\u00a0 Joe moved in the direction she indicated but stood on the rise looking out over the valley.\u00a0 From this vantage he could see miles of orchards, gardens, and fields of every kind of crop.\u00a0 It wasn’t as green as home and it lacked the majestic Ponderosa Pines, but it was a magnificent piece of property.\u00a0 He could see why Hop Sing would like it here, fresh vegetables and fruit year round, no cold winters.\u00a0 His misery intensified.\u00a0 He should just go.\u00a0 He wiped his nose with his sleeve, put his hat back on, and turned to leave.<\/p>\n

He hadn’t even heard her approach, but she was already sitting on the swing.\u00a0 Her hat off was off and her blue eyes penetrated him.<\/p>\n

\u201cSit,\u201d she commanded, patting the cushion next to her.\u00a0 \u201cYou came a long way.\u00a0 That’s a Ponderosa brand on your horse, isn’t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes!\u201d he said, shocked that she had seen the brand, much less recognized it.\u00a0 \u201cYou know my father?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but I’ve heard of the Ponderosa.\u00a0 My husband was a rancher and a member of the Cattleman’s Association.\u00a0 Had a Ponderosa steak or two in my time. \u00a0Prime beef.\u201d<\/p>\n

“Thank you.\u00a0 I thought your husband was a senator?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodness no!\u201d she laughed.\u00a0 \u201cHiram about had a coronary when Newton went into politics.\u00a0 Newton\u2019s our son, the senator.\u00a0 My Hiram\u2019s gone now,\u201d she said wistfully.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry for your loss, ma\u2019am,\u201d Joe said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cDid he pass recently?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHiram?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 Many years ago.\u00a0 It\u2019s what made David\u2014our grandson\u2014want to become a doctor\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0find a cure.\u00a0 He\u2019s devoted his life and his inheritance to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a moment, the woman appeared to have fallen into a trance.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cLost in memories,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Joe thought.\u00a0 He wondered whether\u00a0he should fetch someone, then she snapped back to the present and gazed at him again with those piercing blue eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, what\u2019s that long face all about?\u201d<\/p>\n

“I came here\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0to\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0to try and talk Hop Sing into coming home, but I can see you\u2019re good people.\u00a0 He’d be happy here, so I should just go. \u00a0I’m sorry to have bothered you,\u201d and Joe stood up.<\/p>\n

“What is a Hop Sing?” asked the woman.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe name of your cook,\u201d Joe said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one by that name working here.\u00a0\u00a0 Did you try the clinic?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey sent me up here,\u201d Joe replied more than a little irritated.\u00a0 His head hurt and he was hot and tired.\u00a0 Getting up suddenly had made him dizzy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see.\u00a0\u00a0 You’re quite sure he is in Sacramento?\u201d the woman was relentless in her questions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought he was\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0I was so sure.\u00a0 Foolish.\u00a0 He said I was foolish and I didn’t believe him\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0I’ve wasted so much time.\u00a0 I should have gone directly to San Francisco.\u00a0 At least I could have seen him one last time, told him\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0told him how much he means\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0how much I’ll miss\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0 Too late now.\u00a0\u00a0 Too late.\u201d\u00a0 Joe looked up at the green swirling canopy above him.\u00a0 He reached out for the trunk of the tree to steady himself, but missed.\u00a0 The next thing he tasted was dirt and his world went black.<\/p>\n

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

“Never got around to telling me his name, but I think he’s from Nevada,” the old woman said.<\/p>\n

“Mmm, ” murmured Dr. David Brooks, listening to Joe\u2019s heartbeat and checking his vital signs.<\/p>\n

“How bad is he hurt?\u00a0 Looks like he’s been in a fight.”<\/p>\n

“Possibly.\u00a0 Or a fall of some kind.\u00a0 Nothing broken though.\u00a0 Dehydrated mostly.\u00a0 Fluids, food, and a good night\u2019s sleep will do him wonders.\u00a0 Do you want me to have him moved down to the clinic, Grandmother?<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 Let him sleep here.\u00a0 He looks a sight more peaceful in that bed than he did in the dirt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat’s he doing this far from home?\u201d the doctor asked as he pulled the coverlet up.\u00a0 A cool breeze had come up now that the sun was down.<\/p>\n

“He was looking for someone who used to work for them.”<\/p>\n

\u201cThem?”<\/p>\n

“The Ponderosa Cartwrights.”<\/p>\n

“I recently visited the Ponderosa; met Ben Cartwright and his sons, but not this boy.”<\/p>\n

“Well, he thought their cook had come to work for us for some reason.”<\/p>\n

“Hop Sing?”<\/p>\n

“Yes!\u00a0 That was the name he said.\u00a0 How do you know Hop Sing?”<\/p>\n

“Dr. Kam Lee introduced us.\u00a0 Seems he had this patient that he couldn’t do anything for and asked me to take a look.\u00a0 He’s in the clinic now undergoing treatment.”<\/p>\n

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

“You mean he’s here right now?” Joe exclaimed.\u00a0 He had awakened refreshed but ravenous the next morning having slept nearly 18 hours.\u00a0 He was eating breakfast on the east patio with his hostess, Mrs. Mary Newton Brooks, when the doctor came by to check on him.<\/p>\n

“Yes, Joe.\u00a0 He’s here, but he’s very, very sick.\u00a0 That’s probably why he told you all he was leaving, so you wouldn’t worry.”<\/p>\n

“How sick, Dr. Brooks?\u201d\u00a0 Joe put his fork down, no longer hungry.<\/p>\n

“He has a gastric ulcer.\u00a0 That means essentially a hole in his stomach that is aggravated every time he eats.”<\/p>\n

“But you have to eat to live.”<\/p>\n

“Exactly, son.\u201d\u00a0 The doctor didn\u2019t believe in sugar-coating any prognosis.\u00a0 He saw what false promises and ill-conceived treatments had done to his grandfather and he was determined not to let that happen to his patients.\u00a0 He had built his practice and the clinic\u2019s reputation using every possible means available to the medical community, including some unorthodox methods such as meditation and herbal remedies.\u00a0 \u201cThe treatment we are using is a new method developed by a British doctor by the name of Foster.\u00a0 There are no guarantees, but it’s yielded some promising results.\u00a0 Still, Hop Sing\u2019s prognosis is guarded.”<\/p>\n

“What kind of treatment?”<\/p>\n

“Essentially, I’ve prescribed complete and utter rest in a recumbent position.\u00a0 That means no sitting up, no getting up.\u00a0 No food or water\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0nothing that will cause the stomach to produce acid.”<\/p>\n

“For how long?”<\/p>\n

“A week to ten days. Then we will slowly reintroduce cool bland food in very minute portions to see if he can tolerate it.\u00a0 If he can, we build slowly from there.\u00a0 If not, we may have to repeat the recumbent procedure.”<\/p>\n

“But a body can’t live without food and water!\u201d Joe said<\/p>\n

“You are correct.\u00a0 We have been administering nutritive enematas in an effort to sustain him.”<\/p>\n

“En-e-what?”<\/p>\n

“An enema.\u00a0 Do you know what that is?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Joe said, thinking\u00a0\u201cIck.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The doctor smiled at the look on the young man\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cBelieve me, Joe, my patients\u2014especially those who have been frightened out of their wits by hemorrhaging\u2014are more than happy to undergo the procedure because it eliminates their distress.\u00a0 We administer of solution of milk, beaten eggs, beef tea, mixed with a little brandy every two hours.\u00a0 And once or twice a day, I add a small portion of opium to manage the pain.\u201d<\/p>\n

“I want to see him.”<\/p>\n

“Joe, he’s in a great deal of pain.\u00a0 When he arrived from the arduous trip, he was hemorrhaging.\u00a0 We’re doing everything we can to help him, but he’s very ill.\u00a0 You must understand that it may be too late to save him.”<\/p>\n

“All the more reason for me to see him now,” Joe said as he straightened his back and set his jaw.\u00a0 The last vestiges of youth dropped away and the boy became a man before the doctor\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

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

Joe knelt on the floor beside the bed and held the Chinaman’s hand while he slept.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cHe looks so old and small<\/em>,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Joe thought, not believing this was the same man who could carry heavy barrels from the wagon into the root cellar without breaking a sweat, or who would chase him and Hoss around the kitchen brandishing a rolling pin.<\/p>\n

When Hop Sing awakened and saw Joe sitting beside him, he started to get up but Joe easily restrained him with one hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoc said you\u2019re not to move,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 Part of him relished being the one to give that admonition instead of receive it, but he\u2019d trade places with Hop Sing in a heartbeat if he could.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe should not be here.\u00a0 Make father very angry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, but I had to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery foolish, must leave now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Ponderosa can wait.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI go China.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 You\u2019re coming home with me when you\u2019re ready to travel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing not need little boy to tell him what is right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not right for you to leave us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you know?\u00a0 You are foolish little boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know how sick you are.\u00a0 I talked to Dr. Brooks.\u00a0 When your treatment is over you\u2019ll come back to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 You belong there\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0with your family who loves you, not with strangers.\u00a0 You need us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot need Cartwrights.\u00a0 Spend many years without them.\u00a0 You leave.\u00a0 I go China.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right.\u00a0 China then\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. only I\u2019m not leaving you.\u00a0 Not now. \u00a0Not ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFoolish boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStubborn man.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

As instructed, Su Ling waited until the Cartwrights returned home before making the journey out to the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

\u201cSu Ling!\u201d greeted Ben Cartwright.\u00a0 \u201cWhat a pleasant surprise to see you again so soon.\u00a0 Will you come in, please, and have some refreshment?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are most gracious, Mr. Cartwright, but I am here to speak with Mister Joseph on a most urgent matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid Joe isn\u2019t here.\u00a0 He went to San Francisco to see Hop Sing off.\u00a0 He should have been back long before now,\u201d Ben said, his anger again renewed at Joe\u2019s disregard of his specific instructions to return as soon as the ship sailed.\u00a0 Oh, he had learned the ship\u2019s departure had been delayed, but did he learn that from his son\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. no!\u00a0 He had to find that out from the shipping line, just as he had learned of the final date of embarkation.\u00a0 But a word from his son?\u00a0 No!<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Su Ling, I was distracted for a moment,\u201d Ben apologized and then realized she seemed preoccupied and hadn\u2019t noticed his distress at all.\u00a0 \u201cIs there something troubling you, my dear?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVenerable Mr. Cartwright is most perceptive, but should not concern himself with fretting of unworthy girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

Su Ling reached into her tunic and withdrew the rolled scroll.\u00a0 \u201cPlease to forgive this humble servant for being the bearer of unhappy news.\u00a0 I bring message from Hop Sing to family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo fam\u2014?\u00a0 Su Ling, what are you talking about?\u201d\u00a0 Ben had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach all of a sudden.\u00a0 He broke the seal and unrolled the scroll.\u00a0 It took him a moment to read the small even strokes, but as he did, he blanched.\u00a0 It was Hop Sing\u2019s Last Will and Testament.<\/p>\n

\u201cSu Ling,\u201d Ben asked, \u201cWhen is the Double Ninth Festival?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cChung Yeung is the held on the ninth day of the ninth month of the Chinese calendar.\u00a0 This year, the Festival falls on October 21 of your calendar.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Why hadn\u2019t he believed his son?\u00a0 That\u2019s what Ben wanted to know.\u00a0 He was so sure Joseph was mistaken.\u00a0 They all were.\u00a0 Joe had long ago proven his \u201chunches\u201d were more often right than not.\u00a0 Why was it so hard for them to believe that Joe could see things that they couldn\u2019t?\u00a0 Once again they had underestimated him.<\/p>\n

Before boarding the stage to Sacramento, Ben visited with Dr. Kam Lee and learned the devastating news that Hop Sing had been gravely ill for some time.\u00a0 As a last resort, Dr. Lee had contacted a colleague who ran a clinic in Sacramento specializing in disorders of the stomach.\u00a0 Hop Sing had met with the doctor and his wife when they were traveling through Virginia City.\u00a0 The doctor was the man in the kitchen that Joe overheard the night of the party and his wife was the woman in the apothecary shop.<\/p>\n

Ben pulled the scroll out of his vest pocket and read the first page again.\u00a0 It was\u2014he had learned\u2014a poem traditionally read on Chung Yeung, the Festival honoring ancestors:<\/p>\n

As a lonely stranger in the strange land,
\nEvery holiday the homesickness amplifies.
\nKnowing that my brothers have reached the peak,
\nAll but one is present at the planting of\u00a0zhuyu<\/em>.
\nHop Sing had believed he would die this year.\u00a0 Was Joseph there in time to say goodbye, to help him climb that mountain?\u00a0 And what would it do to Joe to bear solitary witness to that journey?\u00a0 Ben\u2019s heart ached for his son and for his friend.<\/p>\n

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

Upon arriving at the clinic Ben was immediately directed without explanation to the house on the hill a short distance away.\u00a0 As he walked up the path to the mansion he saw a gathering under the spreading chestnut-leaf oak.<\/p>\n

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

Son greeted father with a fierce embrace and Ben\u00a0was reassured\u00a0that Joe appeared fit, although somewhat fatigued and thinner than he thought he should be.\u00a0 But the smile on Joe\u2019s face was radiant.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are some people I\u2019d like you to meet,\u201d said Joe as he handed his father a glass of chrysanthemum wine and guided him around the circle making introductions as they went.<\/p>\n

And there, in the middle of the crowd on a chaise lounge, was Hop Sing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be a couple more weeks before I can come home, Pa,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cBut when I do, Hop Sing is coming with me.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that the greatest birthday gift ever?\u201d<\/p>\n

Although he nodded in the affirmative, Ben thought.\u00a0\u201cNo.\u00a0 The greatest gift was your birth.\u201d <\/em>\u00a0And he could tell by the way Hop Sing gazed at Joe that the feeling was mutual.<\/p>\n

\u2014The End\u2014<\/p>\n

August 2010<\/p>\n

End Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Author’s notes:<\/p>\n

\u201cHolding the cut\u201d is a necessary cowboy skill. Several ranches or outfits would often combine their cattle for a long drive. Separating the cattle according to brand was known as \u201ccleaning up the herd.\u201d After being cut, an animal would try to rejoin its companions. To prevent this, a skillful cowboy would pass the animal on to another rider who was said to be \u201cholding the cut.\u201d\u00a0 In this story, Adam\u2019s statement that Joe has been \u201cholding the cut since he was nine years old,\u201d is fanon invented by Harper in her story (\u201cHoldin\u2019 the Cut\u201d)\u00a0which can be found on line at several sites.<\/p>\n

The medical treatment (and the enemata recipe) prescribed for Hop Sing was an innovative procedure developed by a UK physician.<\/p>\n

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

Summary:\u00a0 Joe overhears what he knows to be a lie, but cannot convince anyone else to believe him. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0 T — WC \u00a07800<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":3814,"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":[23,1007,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-joe-cartwright","category-challenges","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-1007-id","wpcat-40-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\/04\/joe-angst.jpg?fit=400%2C320&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6344","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=6344"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6344\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}