Summary:\u00a0 A brother acting out of character causes another to worry.
\nRating:\u00a0 PG-13\u00a0 2,280 words<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Brandsters acknowledge that the authors are the owners of their stories.\u00a0 Should an author included in this project reach out to us and indicate they do not wish their work to be archived in the Bonanza Brand Fanfiction Library, we will remove their stories.\u00a0 We would also be happy to change contact information for any authors who wish to continue to have their stories archived in the Library.<\/p>\n
A Worried Man<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss sat staring into the fire, for once the cookies Hop Sing had brought him on his return from Virginia City forgotten.\u00a0 He sighed heavily, something was wrong but he just didn\u2019t know what. It had been a normal trip to town, he had collected the mail and a few stores, while Adam checked with their lawyer about some contract and went to the Bank. Absolutely normal on the ride in, his brother chatting away as always but then on the ride home, it was as though he had suddenly become invisible. Adam was lost in his thoughts, hardly aware of anything, relying on Sport to take him home and as soon as he\u2019d seen to his horse Adam had taken refuge in his bedroom.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hoss didn\u2019t have a clue why his brother had changed but he had never known Adam quite so oblivious to his surroundings and Hoss was sure that something was seriously wrong. For most of the ride he had studied his brother\u2019s face but that hadn\u2019t helped, Adam was all too good at wearing a mask to hide his feelings. Hoss shook his head just an uneasy feeling in his stomach of impending trouble.<\/span><\/p>\n Little Joe had been checking out a new bunch of wild horses that had been brought in the previous day and was very taken by a black stallion. He bounced into the house and grabbing an apple flung himself down on the sofa \u201cHoss did you seen that black?\u00a0 He\u2019s fantastic. I\u2019d love the chance to break him, but I bet Adam takes him.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There was no answer and Joe noticed the untouched plate of cookies, \u201cHoss you ill or something?\u201d\u00a0 Still no answer and Joe threw the apple core at his brother.<\/span><\/p>\n Hoss started \u201cWhat you do that for?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Joe lent over and grabbed two cookies, \u201cYou were ignoring me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cLot of that about.\u201d Hoss sighed, \u201cAdam bin ignoring me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cSo? Ain\u2019t exactly unusual, big brother gets his head stuck in a book or something.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cBut this was on the ride back from town.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cMaybe he met some girl and was planning how to get to know her better.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cIf\u2019n it had bin you. No there\u2019s something wrong I feel it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Joe shrugged \u201cYou gonna eat those cookies?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss shook his head and getting to his feet headed out to try and clear his head, maybe Chub would listen to his problem. Joe was surprised to have the plate pushed over to him, but decided Hoss would get over it and settled to his snack.<\/span><\/p>\n Adam belatedly joined his family at table but, after one look at his eldest son, Ben declined to comment just passing the meat platter. Adam didn\u2019t take much and spent more time moving it around on the plate than he did eating. Ben frowned even his middle son wasn\u2019t eating with his normal enthusiasm. He wondered if his two eldest had quarrelled but that didn\u2019t often happen. Only Joe seemed immune to the atmosphere and eventually Ben tried a direct question, \u201cWas there any problem in town?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Adam looked up from his plate for the first time, \u201cContracts all signed, our terms accepted and the money is in the safe. Hoss got the mail and the supplies, don\u2019t think we were short of anything.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Hoss mumbled, \u201cHop Sing got all he asked for, mail\u2019s on the desk.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Ben gave up, sure that in time his sons would reveal the problem. Adam pushed his plate away hardly touched and despite his good intentions Ben couldn\u2019t stop himself<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNot feeling well Son?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine Pa, just not hungry.\u201d Adam got to his feet decisively \u201cI do have something to show you, after you\u2019ve finished.\u201d With that he disappeared upstairs.<\/span><\/p>\n Ben looked over at Hoss, \u201cDo you know what\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo Sir, but he\u2019s bin worrying me, ever since we left town, never known him so quiet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Joe was the only one to really want the peach pie that Hop Sing brought in, he was used to not understanding his eldest brother and had supreme confidence that Adam would sort out any problem. Seeing Hoss leaving the table without dessert brought home to Ben just how worried his big son was.<\/span><\/p>\n Ben asked Hop Sing to bring coffee over by the fire and sitting down in his usual chair he waited to find out what was wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n Hoss couldn\u2019t settle, he was pacing around and when Ben told him to sit down he began tapping, not even aware he was doing it. Ben impatiently told him to stop that tapping but although he did so, two minutes later he started again.<\/span><\/p>\n For once Little Joe kept very quiet, he didn\u2019t want to attract attention and be sent to bed, curious to see what Adam had to show their Pa. He settled quietly with a book although he wasn\u2019t reading it. He was just about to give up and see if he could persuade Hoss into a game of chequers, when Adam came down the stairs.<\/span><\/p>\n Adam had a newspaper in his hand and he passed it over to his Father, \u201cI got this in town. The Pony Express brought the news to Dayton early this morning and Dan de Quille brought out a special edition. It\u2019s started.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n As Adam held out the newspaper the headline was clear to his brothers,\u00a0 \u201cWar!!! War!!! War!!!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Ben quickly scanned the main points, General Beauregard, in command of the Confederate forces around Charleston Harbor, opening fire on the Union garrison holding Fort Sumter. Then he looked up at his eldest son, \u201cNot exactly a surprise, it has been coming ever since Lincoln was elected and the states started seceding.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI know, but sort of hoped common sense would prevail.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Ben reached for his pipe and Joe took the paper with Hoss moving to read over his brother\u2019s shoulder. Ben got his pipe pulling to his satisfaction and then said firmly, \u201cEither way it\u2019s nothing to do with us out here, we\u2019re not even a state.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Adam shook his head, \u201cWe can\u2019t avoid it Pa, we\u2019ll be involved whatever we want. I had a letter from my roommate as well. John said much the same that war looked inevitable, but he also said that if it came he would have to join the Massachusetts regiment. I expect he\u2019s already joined up, the attack on Fort Sumter was eight days ago.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Joe let the paper fall at that and both his brothers stared at Adam as Ben asked \u201cYou\u2019re not thinking of enlisting?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Adam got to his feet moving over to the fireplace and tracing the bricks, not wanting to face his father, \u201cI have to think of it Pa. You know how I feel about slavery.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n For a long minute there was absolute silence at that statement, even breathing seemed to have been suspended and then Joe broke it, \u201cProbably all be over before you could even get there, the South has real good fighters.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Adam shook his head but didn\u2019t comment and Joe pushed harder, \u201cThe South just want to run their own affairs, not be bossed by the Yankees. Maybe I\u2019ll go and help them.\u201d He grinned broadly \u201cCould be fun.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Ben glared at his youngest son \u201cJoseph, fun is the last thing war is. Anyway you are far too young. You will not go, we have important work to do here, this family can provide food and are not getting involved in fighting on the other side of the continent, none of us.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hoss looked anxiously at his eldest brother, Joe was young enough for their Pa to enforce his will but Adam wasn\u2019t and he knew just how stubborn his older brother was. Trying to lighten the atmosphere Hoss asked, \u201cWhere is this Fort Sumter?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Ben explained, \u201cIt\u2019s a Federal fort in Charleston harbour, that was the problem.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Joe frowned, \u201cCharleston that\u2019s South Carolina ain\u2019t it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Ben nodded and Joe went on \u201cBut they seceded months ago, don\u2019t they have the right to property within their own state?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Adam sat down in his usual blue chair, \u201cIt\u2019s federal property, they built it. Anyway Lincoln said secession is legally void and that he would use force to maintain possession of federal property.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTypical northern trick try and claim the law, why shouldn\u2019t southerners rule themselves, after all we broke from Great Britain because we wanted to manage our own affairs.\u201d Joe lent forward determined to get his point of view across.<\/span><\/p>\n Adam shook his head, \u201cMen died to set up the Union and now the South want to break away so they can keep slavery.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Ben roared at them, \u201cEnough both of you, its bad enough that the country is split, I will not have brother against brother in my own home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Joe glared but headed out to the barn to tell his woes to Cochise while Adam sighed heavily \u201cI\u2019m sorry Pa but you can\u2019t make this go away by either ignoring it or yelling at it.\u201d Having had his say Adam headed up to his own room, leaving Ben and Hoss looking at each other.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ben got up and poured himself a large brandy and for once offered a drink to his middle son and Hoss gratefully accepted. \u201cPa do you think Adam will really go?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI hope not, I hope he will realise just how important our job here is, particularly now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n It didn\u2019t really help, Hoss could hear the doubt in his father\u2019s voice. None of the Cartwrights expected to get much sleep but each, for their own reasons, went to their rooms reasonably early.<\/span><\/p>\n Hoss usually went to sleep quickly, but tonight it was impossible and the walls seemed to be closing in on him so he headed back down to the main room, when he was sure everyone else had gone to bed. For once he wasn\u2019t interested in raiding the kitchen, although he did get himself a glass of cold water and than sat staring into the fire. He remembered a night some four years earlier when Adam had woken the whole house, screaming from a nightmare. While it wasn\u2019t that unusual for Joe to disturb them when he was younger, it was the only time he could remember Adam doing so.<\/span><\/p>\n The day before his Pa and Adam had been discussing some court case, the Dred Scott case. Hoss had never really understood what was involved in it, but he knew it was something to do with slaves. He had listened to his Pa and Adam talking as Pa tried to calm his eldest son down and heard something about a slave market, but when he asked Adam about that a few days later Adam refused to explain. There had been a look of horror on his face and he had just said that Hoss really didn\u2019t want to know.<\/span><\/p>\n Hoss wasn\u2019t sure exactly what it was that Adam had seen or knew, but he did know that the result was his brother hated the whole idea of slavery, maybe feeling strongly enough to take him thousands of miles across the continent to enlist. Then maybe Little Joe would copy his eldest brother but he would join the South and by three in the morning, Hoss had his brothers fighting and killing each other on some battlefield on the east coast.<\/span><\/p>\n Ben had found it equally difficult to sleep and giving up he went down for a drink. At first seeing Hoss he looked for a plate of food, the usual reason for his big son to be up in the middle of the night but there was nothing, just Hoss looking miserable.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Ben went over and sat down \u201cCan\u2019t sleep?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNope. Pa you ever seen a slave market?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n That was the last thing that Ben had expected \u201cStrange question Son.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cRemembering Adam having that nightmare few years back you was discussing slave markets, but he wouldn\u2019t say nothing about them when I asked.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Ben frowned and then he remembered the incident that Hoss was talking about. \u201cIt was a long time ago Hoss, Adam was a child, I should have protected him better.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Hoss waited patiently and eventually his father went on \u201cWe were in St Louis, not long before I met your Mother. There was a large slave market on the steps of the courthouse. There was a young girl maybe 10 years old and she and her Mother were for sale. Adam had wandered off from me and he was watching as the prospective buyers examined both mother and child and then they were sold separately. Mother and child were both crying and Adam asked me to stop it. I have seldom felt more helpless, there was nothing I could do. He had nightmares for weeks afterwards.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cGuess that\u2019s why he\u2019s so dead set against slavery?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOne reason I\u2019m sure.\u201d Ben frowned remembering the callous treatment that had so upset his young son, things he could never tell Hoss.<\/span><\/p>\n Hoss bit his lip \u201cPa will he go?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know Son but if he does, we pray for his protection and that in time he will come home again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n According to the Dred Scott decision, slaveholders had every right to move their slaves anywhere (including the territories) without jeopardizing their ownership rights. This was a huge set back for the abolitionist movement. It also enraged free-soil whites, who wanted to keep the western territories white by keeping the slaves out. Although the decision pertained to territories of the United States and not States, northerners were concerned that the same ruling could be extended over all of the United States. The Dred Scott decision created an escalation of North-South hostilities prior to the Civil War.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n