Summary: When a woman from Marie’s past helps Little Joe reconnect with his mother in a mysterious and dangerous way, Ben finds out and tries to stop her before it’s too late. Rating T, WC 31,959<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Reaching Back for Yesterday<\/strong><\/p>\n *** A fool will lose tomorrow reaching back for yesterday.\u00a0 I won\u2019t turn my head in sorrow if you should go away.\u00a0 I\u2019ll stand here and remember just how good it\u2019s been.\u00a0 And I know I\u2019ll never love this way again. *** (Excerpt from song \u201cI\u2019ll Never Love This Way Again\u201d Written by Richard Kerr and Will Jennings)<\/p>\n The clicking of the telegrapher\u2019s sounder was heard from across the room as Pete Wilson turned from the front desk.\u00a0 He grabbed his pencil and began to jot down the message after signaling that he was ready to receive the transmission.\u00a0 Pete finished jotting down everything and then stared across the room where his clerk, Billy Hartman, was getting ready to leave for the day.<\/p>\n \u201cBilly \u2013 got a message for you to deliver, come here a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n The young man standing over by the door finished shrugging into his coat and then hurried over to his boss.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Sir?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think I spotted Ben and Little Joe Cartwright heading down the street just a minute ago when I was coming out of the International House.\u00a0 Run and see if you can find them and give Ben this,\u201d he instructed and handed the telegram to the young man.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, anything else you need from me before I leave for the day, Mister Wilson?\u201d<\/p>\n Pete stood and smiled over at Billy, \u201cNo, that\u2019s all I\u2019ve got for you to do.\u00a0 I\u2019ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning.\u201d<\/p>\n Billy nodded and walked to the door, grabbing his hat and setting it on his head before calling over his shoulder, \u201cSee you tomorrow!\u201d<\/p>\n *************<\/p>\n Ben and Little Joe Cartwright dismounted and tied their mounts up to the hitching post in front of the mercantile in Virginia City.\u00a0 A strong gust of wind sent leaves from the end of town skittering down the wooden walkway as they stepped up from the street.\u00a0 Pulling the collar of his coat higher on his neck to stay the early fall chill in the air Ben shared a smile with his son.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a bit cold for this early in the season, isn\u2019t it, Son?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe grinned up at his father and exclaimed, \u201cI love this time of the year, Pa, cold or not!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know that you do \u2013 probably because you\u2019re counting down the days until your birthday at the end of the month,\u201d He nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve told you what I want haven\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben groaned as he dropped a hand down onto the boy\u2019s shoulder and replied, \u201cI\u2019d have to be deaf not to know what you want \u2013 you\u2019ve only told me what\u2019s on your list about every day for the last two months, Joseph.\u00a0 Now let\u2019s go inside and get those couple of things that Hop Sing asked me to pick up for him then we need to get on home.\u201d\u00a0 He opened the door to the store and held it back, allowing his son to enter first.<\/p>\n While Little Joe meandered around the store Ben chit-chatted with the owner and waited for his order to be filled.\u00a0 Every now and then he\u2019d catch his youngest pointing over at something and casting a hopeful glance his way, which just made Pa grin knowingly and shake his head \u201cno<\/strong>\u201d.\u00a0 He had already purchased everything in advance for the boy\u2019s seventeenth birthday, but Joseph wasn\u2019t aware of that fact.\u00a0 It hadn\u2019t required much thought as his son had harped on what he wanted for months.\u00a0 It did amuse Ben when Joe eagerly pointed at almost everything that his father had already bought the boy better than three months ago.\u00a0 *** It didn\u2019t hurt that Joseph wrote all his preferences down not long after his last birthday!\u00a0 ***<\/em><\/strong> Ben mused as he turned his attention back to the store owner who was gathering everything on the list that Hop Sing had sent along with his boss that afternoon.<\/p>\n The rapid metallic trill from the bell on top of the door announced the fast entrance of a man hurrying inside the store after seeing both Cartwrights heading that way a few minutes earlier.<\/p>\n \u201cMister Cartwright!\u201d The young man called over to Ben who was still waiting at the counter.<\/p>\n Turning in the direction of the voice, Ben nodded to the approaching messenger.\u00a0 \u201cBilly?\u00a0 You look like you just ran a mile,\u201d he grinned over at the young man who he had helped acquire the position of clerk at the telegrapher\u2019s office just a few months prior.<\/p>\n \u201cMister Wilson was walking out of the International House, and he saw you and Little Joe heading this way.\u00a0 He just received this telegram a little while ago and asked me to bring it to you before you left town,\u201d he explained and handed the piece of paper to Ben.<\/p>\n Giving the message a quick once over, Ben offered the courier a silver dollar.\u00a0 \u201cThank you, I appreciate you getting this right over to me.\u00a0 Tell Pete that I said thanks too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI appreciate this, Mister Cartwright!\u201d Billy exclaimed grateful for the tip that was added to the usual twenty-five cents charge for the telegram. \u00a0He then hurried to the door just as Little Joe approached his father.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u00a0 Who\u2019s the wire from?\u00a0 Anything important?\u201d Joe\u2019s curiosity got the better of him as he watched his father tuck the note inside his coat pocket.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, it\u2019s nothing, Son.\u00a0 Are you done with your window shopping?\u00a0 Frank has Hop Sing\u2019s order filled.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe was surprised that Pa had dismissed his questions so readily and wondered why he had kept the source of the telegram a secret from him.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t about to drop the issue until he was satisfied that he had a better answer than what Pa had offered.\u00a0 \u201cHey \u2013 who\u2019s it from?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben groaned wearily as he placed a hand onto the boy\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, it\u2019s just business \u2013 nothing exciting and it wouldn\u2019t interest you.\u00a0 Now,\u201d He paused and grabbed the bag that Frank Keller had placed there on the counter.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019d best be going.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI bet you\u2019d tell Adam,\u201d Little Joe complained about the way Pa had brushed off his questions.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Frank, just put it on the monthly bill,\u201d Ben called to the store owner who nodded over to him.\u00a0 The man was busy with another customer or, being another inquisitive person, he would have asked him about the telegram Ben presumed.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s go, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe frowned and shook his head.\u00a0 Evidently, he couldn\u2019t guilt his father enough to get him to relent and fill him in on the details of the telegram, so he gave up and held the door open for Pa as the two of them walked back outside.<\/p>\n Ben secured the items that Hop Sing had requested inside his saddle bags and grabbed Buck\u2019s reins.\u00a0 Casting a quick glance over at his son he could tell that the boy appeared to be miffed that he hadn\u2019t shared the details of the telegram with him.\u00a0 His youngest was very easily readable standing there with the reins in his hand and a miserable countenance showing his displeasure over the limited information he had received from his father.\u00a0 He fought back a smile not wanting Joe to think he was enjoying his misery.\u00a0 Ben knew that at almost seventeen everything seemed to be much more important than it really was and the boy was dying to find out who had sent the wire and why.<\/p>\n \u201cJust information about a timber contract, Joseph.\u00a0 Nothing earth-shattering,\u201d He chuckled and nodded over to his son.\u00a0 The boy rewarded him with a satisfied smile.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Pa \u2013 I just don\u2019t like to be left out of things, you know?\u00a0 I realize that Adam is usually the one who helps you with business deals but I\u2019m getting older and don\u2019t want to be treated like I\u2019m still a kid,\u201d Little Joe explained as he vaulted up into his saddle.<\/p>\n Ben had to hide his amusement over what his son had just said.\u00a0 *** Joseph thinks he\u2019s grown now that he\u2019s almost seventeen \u2013 Lord knows he\u2019s told me that about every day since he turned sixteen!\u00a0 I\u2019ll have to work on remembering that he\u2019s growing up and doesn\u2019t want to be treated like a little kid. ***<\/em><\/strong> He thought and then nodded over to Little Joe that he understood.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Old Man<\/strong>, let\u2019s get home!\u201d Ben called over to his son and winked.<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n Hoss met his father and little brother at the front door and welcomed them both back home.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did you buy me?\u201d Hoss asked hopefully and grinned over at his father.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re just like your little brother here, Hoss \u2013 both of you boys think all I\u2019ve got to do with myself is buy you presents,\u201d Ben sighed as he removed his coat and hat.\u00a0 Reaching inside the bag from the store he pulled out a small treat he had added to the cook\u2019s list of things that he needed.\u00a0 \u201cHere,\u201d He grinned and handed his middle boy a small bag of red-hot candies that his son had a penchant for.\u00a0 \u201cNow don\u2019t let those spoil your appetite \u2013 we\u2019ll be eating soon, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n Clapping a hand to his father\u2019s back he chuckled, \u201cOh, Pa \u2013 when have I ever had an appetite problem?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019d be never,\u201d Little Joe quipped and his brother threw a mock jab at his ribs in response to his statement.<\/p>\n Ben walked over to the red leather chair next to the fireplace and eased down into it feeling his body conform to the cushion.\u00a0 He reached his hands towards the warmth coming off the newly stoked fire.\u00a0 \u201cAh \u2013 now this is better than that saddle,\u201d he said letting out a comfortable sigh as he settled back in the chair.<\/p>\n \u201cHere, Pa,\u201d Adam called as he stood from his father\u2019s desk and lifted one of the ledger books bringing it over to him.\u00a0 \u201cI found all your errors.\u00a0 Not too many last month.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Son,\u201d Ben nodded as he accepted the book from his eldest.<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing said supper was going to be thrown out if you didn\u2019t get here soon.\u00a0 Glad you made it,\u201d Adam grinned as he sat down on the settee.<\/p>\n \u201cHe says that every night,\u201d Little Joe remarked dismissing the cook\u2019s threat as he sat on the coffee table and looked over at Adam.\u00a0 \u201cPa got an important telegram about a timber contract, Adam,\u201d He announced, wanting to sound like he knew all about what was going on with ranch business.<\/p>\n \u201cTimber contract?\u00a0 I know we\u2019d talked about selling more \u2013 but I didn\u2019t know you\u2019d signed anything yet, Pa,\u201d Adam looked over at his father, confused by the information Little Joe had proffered.<\/p>\n Ben cleared his throat, hoping to get the attention of his eldest son to let him know that they needed to change the subject.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t been honest with Little Joe at the mercantile about the origin and purpose of the telegram.<\/p>\n Adam read his father\u2019s facial expression and could tell that the man needed him to talk about something else.<\/p>\n \u201cSpeaking of business, Pa, I heard through the grapevine that Mister Williamson is looking for some good bottom land.\u00a0 I was thinking about that piece of land over by Buckhorn Meadow that we got for a song a few years back.\u00a0 What do you think about selling a few acres to him?\u201d<\/p>\n *** Good save, Son. ***<\/em><\/strong> Ben mused as he winked over at Adam just as soon as Joe had turned his attention over to Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cSupper ready, family come now \u2013 Hop Sing wait long time!\u201d The cook announced standing in the dining room.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re coming!\u201d Ben sighed as he pulled himself to standing and patted Little Joe\u2019s shoulder as they all headed over to the table.\u00a0 \u201cBetter do justice to your supper, Joseph, Hop Sing doesn\u2019t sound very happy right now,\u201d Ben whispered.\u00a0 He was answered by the boy\u2019s laughter as he took his seat in the dining room.<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n Both Ben and Adam watched the heated game of checkers going on between Little Joe and Hoss.\u00a0 It had been over an hour since they had all finished eating their supper and Adam noticed the way his father kept glancing over at the grandfather clock as though he was growing impatient.\u00a0 He presumed that Pa wanted to talk with him about something in private, something that he wasn\u2019t ready to share with his two brothers just yet.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, don\u2019t you two have to get up early and go pay the hands up at the mill?\u201d Adam called over to his brothers.<\/p>\n Hoss watched as his little brother jumped his last checker and frowned.\u00a0 \u201cDad gum it, Little Joe!\u00a0 I swear you\u2019ve got to be cheating again!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCheating? Me?\u201d Joe answered, his voice being both high-pitched and indignant.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t help it if I\u2019m better at this game than you are!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s eyebrows narrowed as he leaned forward in his chair.\u00a0 He was aware that his youngest son had a habit of moving checkers around when his brother\u2019s back was turned thereby assuring himself a win.\u00a0 \u201cHoss, like I\u2019ve always told you about playing poker— you\u2019ve got to watch what\u2019s going on around you.\u00a0 You never know if someone is going to try and sneak an extra ace into the deck.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u201d Joe called over to his father.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph \u2013 I\u2019m not suggesting that you\u2019ve been cheating at checkers \u2013 however, when Hoss walked away from the game to get that apple out of the bowl on the dining table perhaps you used the opportunity to move a few of those black pieces around?\u201d Pa questioned, his eyebrows now raised showing his displeasure.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Brother, I better not catch you doing that again!\u201d Hoss fumed as he looked piercingly at the boy.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what either of you are talking about,\u201d Joe protested, attempting to appear innocent as he gathered the checkers and placed them back into the basket on the hearth.<\/p>\n Adam laughed and patted Hoss\u2019 shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cIf you\u2019re going to play with the kid you\u2019ve got to sit there and not get up, Hoss.\u00a0 You\u2019re making it easy for him to pull a fast one on you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGee, there\u2019s no trust around here,\u201d Little Joe continued to object to what Pa and Adam had alluded, even though he knew he was as guilty as sin.<\/p>\n \u201cIn your case no, Kid \u2013 because we don\u2019t trust you — at least with checkers!\u201d Adam returned.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, Boys, that\u2019s enough for one night.\u00a0 And yes \u2013 Hoss you and Little Joe need to get up early to pay those men so how about calling it a night?\u201d Ben\u2019s question had come out more like a statement as he stood from his chair.\u00a0 He needed to get them both out from under foot so he could discuss something with his eldest.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going, Pa.\u00a0 Well \u2013 that is — we\u2019re<\/strong> going!\u201d Hoss replied and grabbed his little brother and lifted him up over his head as though he wasn\u2019t much heavier than one of the throw pillows on the sofa.\u00a0 \u201cTell everyone good night, Little Joe \u2013 or I toss you into the fireplace!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPut me down, you nit wit!\u201d Joe fumed.<\/p>\n \u201cYou want me to drop you into that fireplace or not?\u201d Hoss continued, winking over at his father.<\/p>\n Little Joe watched from overhead as Hoss edged over to the hearth.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, okay!\u00a0 Good night, Pa \u2013 good night, Adam,\u201d Joe gave in to his brother\u2019s not so subtle request.<\/p>\n Adam laughed, \u201cGood night, Kid \u2013 good night, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGet some sleep, Boys,\u201d Ben grinned as he watched Hoss carrying his little brother over to the staircase.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can put me down now, Hoss,\u201d Joe whined and thrashed his legs about, not wanting to be carried up to his bedroom.<\/p>\n \u201cNaw \u2013 Pa said not to take my eyes off of you, you little shyster.\u00a0 No more cheating over checkers or the next time I\u2019m gonna toss you into that fireplace for sure!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t cheating,\u201d Joe complained until Hoss lifted him over the banister as though he was going to drop him down to the living room.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat were you saying, Little Joe?\u201d Hoss returned, grinning as he held his brother tightly in his arms.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay\u2014maybe I accidentally<\/em><\/strong> moved a checker,\u201d he conceded.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not going to do that to me again right, Little Brother?\u201d Hoss continued to hold Joe over the railing.<\/p>\n \u201cNever \u2013 never again!\u201d Joe agreed grabbing his brother\u2019s neck and holding on for dear life.<\/p>\n \u201cGood night,\u201d Hoss announced smiling down at Pa and Adam as he carried his little brother up the staircase.<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n Ben and Adam laughed as they watched them heading up to their rooms.\u00a0 When he heard both bedroom doors closing, Ben knew that it was time to inform his eldest about what had happened in town that day.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is about the telegram you got, right, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben sighed as he pondered over the message he had received that day.\u00a0 \u00a0He made his way to the brandy decanter sitting next to his desk.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Son.\u00a0 Want some?\u201d He asked indicating the brandy.<\/p>\n Adam nodded, \u201cI could use one.\u201d<\/p>\n Pouring the liquor into two small glasses, Ben returned to the fireplace and handed the drink to his son.\u00a0 He shook his head, swept away with concern over the predicament he now found himself to be in concerning the telegram.<\/p>\n \u201cI told you about the letter I received about two months ago.\u00a0 It was from a Charles Bertrand from New Orleans.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I remember.\u00a0 He\u2019s the grandson of someone who claimed to be Marie\u2019s nurse, Azelie Bertrand, who supposedly helped raise her and her sister Corrine,\u201d Adam nodded and sipped his drink.<\/p>\n \u201cHe called it a letter of introduction, and he said that he was heading to San Francisco on business and hoped he could bring his grandmother here to meet your little brother.\u00a0 I only wrote him back after I did some checking into the story.\u00a0 I remembered Marie talking about her nurse and the name checked out — but well \u2013 I wanted to be sure, so I contacted Judge Wharton in New Orleans and he confirmed it all. \u00a0But I\u2019d not received a reply as to their visit here \u2014that is \u2013 until today.\u00a0 The telegram said that they have just made it to Arizona and should arrive in Virginia City next week on the tenth.\u00a0 He said they\u2019ll be staying at the International House \u2013 and that he\u2019d already made reservations to be in town for a couple of weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam pensively stared over at his father and could read the apprehension in the man\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cPa \u2013 why after all these years would she want to come here?\u00a0 And even if she did help raise Marie \u2013 well \u2013 what\u2019s that got to do with seeing Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shrugged his shoulders helplessly and sighed, \u201cAccording to him his grandmother asked that he bring her here as her final request.\u00a0 The woman is ninety years old, and he doesn\u2019t think she\u2019ll be around much longer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne heck of a trip for a woman that age,\u201d Adam remarked.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, it sure is, so I just don\u2019t feel right about turning her down.\u00a0 But I don\u2019t want her visit to open old wounds for your brother.\u00a0 Joseph has always had issues dealing with the loss of his mother though he was so young when Marie died.\u00a0 I worry how the visit will affect him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, you\u2019re going to allow Little Joe to meet her?\u201d<\/p>\n Drinking down the remainder of his brandy with one quick swallow Ben nodded his head and replied, \u201cNot until I meet her first.\u00a0 I want to speak with her and find out what she plans to discuss with the boy.\u00a0 If it\u2019s a harmless thing \u2013 well \u2013 then I\u2019ll tell your brother about all of this and take him to meet her.\u00a0 But until then I\u2019d prefer that Joseph not know about any of this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe won\u2019t hear it from me, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf things don\u2019t go well, I might need you to run interference for me with your little brother once the two of them arrive in town, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n Reaching over to his father, Adam patted his arm and offered him a reassuring smile.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve done that before \u2013 and I\u2019ll do it again.\u00a0 Just let me know when they get in and I can always take the kid off somewhere, so he doesn\u2019t find out.\u00a0 Once you meet them, I\u2019ll help you in any way I can, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n Standing from his chair, Ben moved next to his son and dropped a hand down onto his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cThank you, Adam.\u00a0 Well, I think I\u2019ll turn in, how about you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think I\u2019ll read a little while.\u00a0 You go on ahead, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGoodnight, Son,\u201d Ben smiled down at his eldest, grateful for Adam\u2019s offer to assist him with the situation and then he turned for the stairs.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Ben had tossed and turned in his bed but couldn\u2019t fall asleep no matter how hard he tried.\u00a0 The more he thought about the upcoming visit by Marie\u2019s former nurse the more he worried about what the effect would be on his youngest.\u00a0 Finally, surrendering to the plain fact that he was far too keyed up that night, he pulled on his robe and slid into his slippers.\u00a0 There was some place he needed to go in order to settle his soul and he knew it.<\/p>\n Quietly walking across the hall, Ben eased the bedroom door open.\u00a0 He stepped inside holding the lamp, which was trimmed down low, in front of him.\u00a0 Drawing closer to the bed the anxious father stared down at the sleeping boy and grinned at the sight before him.\u00a0 Little Joe was spread out on his comforter fully dressed including his boots.\u00a0 He set the lamp onto Joe\u2019s nightstand and shook his head.<\/p>\n *** Joseph, how many times have I seen you like this?\u00a0 I can understand your falling to sleep with your clothes on \u2013 but your boots too?\u00a0 I expect that would be a mite uncomfortable! ***<\/em><\/strong> He mused as he reached down to his son\u2019s boots and gently tugged each one off.\u00a0 The boy was played out and never felt his father\u2019s movements nor the callused hands which slid him underneath his sheet and blanket, settling them both under his chin.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s thoughts went back to Joe\u2019s mother and the fact that the boy lying on the bed there in front of him could no longer remember anything about her.\u00a0 And now there was some stranger who wanted to get to know him and perhaps offer some insight into how Marie had been as a child.\u00a0 Ben wondered if that might help Joe to recall something, anything, that may spark some kind of feelings towards his mother.\u00a0 He wanted his son to recall how much Marie had loved him though the boy hadn\u2019t mentioned her in a very long while.\u00a0 Now Joseph was becoming a young man and Ben hoped that somehow before he was fully grown that he would be able to recapture the love that his mother had for him.\u00a0 Ben had done what he could, being both parents to his son, as he had been for his other two boys, but this was his last child and there was always something just a little bit different about his third son.\u00a0 Joseph held within him a particular vulnerability that didn\u2019t exist with either Adam or Hoss.\u00a0 The boy carried an inner hurt that never truly went away.\u00a0 It was evident only to his father, the one person in the world who could read what was always missing when looking into his hazel eyes.\u00a0 Ben assumed that it was caused by some latent memory buried somewhere deep inside Joe\u2019s subconscious mind.\u00a0 A memory that haunted him and it was most likely concerning the mother he had lost right before turning five years old.\u00a0 Ben presumed that it was tougher on Little Joe than it had been for his two older boys as their mothers had died not long after their births.\u00a0 Neither Adam nor Hoss had known either Elizabeth or Inger.\u00a0 Perhaps Joe\u2019s hurt had remained because he had those precious first few years with Marie and had bonded with her before her tragic death and thereby losing her had caused him a long- lasting pain?\u00a0 He shook his head as he fought the sad reminder of the women who he had loved and lost.<\/p>\n *** I guess I\u2019ll never stop worrying about you, Joseph \u2013 no matter how much older you get. ***<\/em><\/strong> Ben sighed as he swept the errant curls off the boy\u2019s forehead as he had done so many times.\u00a0 *** I know you think that you\u2019re about grown \u2013 but you\u2019ve still got so much to learn, Son.\u00a0 Don\u2019t be too quick to become a man \u2013 you\u2019ll have a lot of years to be that. ***<\/em><\/strong> Ben mused at the thought of his youngest child turning seventeen in three short weeks.\u00a0 *** Joe, growing up and becoming a man isn\u2019t really a matter of how old you are \u2013 it\u2019s about how much you\u2019ve learned along the way.\u00a0 I hope I can get that through your head.\u00a0 I know I\u2019m a bit overly protective of you — guess I\u2019ll never change.\u00a0 I just want to keep you from harm \u2013 well — as much as I can without stopping you from learning some of this on your own.\u00a0 Now I have to contend with someone who knew your mother and try to make sure that she won\u2019t end up harming you \u2013 by dredging up the past.\u00a0 I know I can\u2019t protect you from everything \u2013 but I can do my best to find out exactly what her motives are for coming here.\u00a0 I hope that Azelie Bertrand turns out to be a help to you and not another painful reminder of the mother you can no longer recall. Marie loved you so much, I just wish I could make you remember those four years you had with her!\u00a0 Maybe that would help heal whatever pain you\u2019ve always carried deep inside your heart? ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n As if in response to what his father was thinking, a smile turned up the corners of Little Joe\u2019s mouth, and he turned ever so slightly on the bed.\u00a0 Ben shook his head, amused by the sight before him.\u00a0 Though he was no longer a child, his son had such an angelic appearance, and it was never more noticeable than when he was asleep.\u00a0 \u201cSleep, Joseph.\u00a0 I love you,\u201d Ben whispered and placed a soft kiss on his son\u2019s brow before retrieving his lamp from the nightstand and heading back for his room.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Ben stood inside the foyer of the International House Hotel and stared over at the manager standing there at the front desk.\u00a0 He slowly approached the man and waited for him to look up from the paperwork he was engrossed in at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cOh \u2013 Ben \u2013 sorry I didn\u2019t hear you come in,\u201d Bill Gentry said and smiled up at him.\u00a0 \u201cDo you want a room?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Bill, just wanted to know if some folks I\u2019ve been expecting to arrive today have checked in yet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the name?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCharles Bertrand and his grandmother Azelie.\u00a0 I got word a week ago they were due to get into town today and that they\u2019d be staying here.\u201d<\/p>\n Bill pushed back the spectacles on his nose and checked the registry book, \u201cI didn\u2019t get here until a few minutes ago, Ben.\u00a0 Let me see.\u201d\u00a0 He perused the page in front of him and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes, they\u2019ve checked in and are in a suite.\u00a0 Number five at the top of the stairs and to the left.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded and before turning to the staircase called his thanks to the man.\u00a0 He made it to the second floor and paused just outside of the room before knocking.\u00a0 Ben wondered if, once meeting the two people inside the hotel room, their visit would end up opening a can of worms for both him and Joseph.\u00a0 Drawing in a deep breath he finally rapped on the door.<\/p>\n A tall well-dressed man who appeared to be in his fifties pulled the door open and smiled down at the white-haired man who stood waiting to be let inside.<\/p>\n \u201cMister Cartwright I presume?\u201d the man asked jovially.<\/p>\n Ben nodded and fought to pull a smile up on his lips as he replied cordially, \u201cYes, I\u2019m Ben Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCharles Bertrand \u2013 won\u2019t you come in?\u201d He introduced himself and then beckoned his guest into the hotel room and led him to the parlor.<\/p>\n \u201cYou made it here in good time,\u201d Ben tried to find something to say to the other man to break the ice.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease, Mister Cartwright \u2013 have a seat,\u201d He pointed to the sofa and Ben sat down.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s so kind of you to come right away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI had business in town today, it wasn\u2019t any trouble,\u201d Ben offered though he wondered if the man could read the lie in his statement.\u00a0 It couldn\u2019t have been further from the truth.\u00a0 He had a lot to do at the ranch but was worried that someone might get nosey and the fact that two people had arrived from New Orleans looking for him would get back to Little Joe.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t hard to detect the French inflection in Charles Bertrand\u2019s accent as was typical for the Creole people who hailed from New Orleans. \u201cDid you have a good trip?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, thank you,\u201d Charles nodded and smiled as he took a seat opposite the other man.\u00a0 \u201cIt was a long journey, however.\u00a0 My grandmother is lying down right now but should be up presently.\u00a0 I suppose you have a lot of questions for me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI did write you a letter detailing my concerns \u2013 but I guess you had already left New Orleans and didn\u2019t receive it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry but I\u2019m sure you understand the urgency of my trip.\u00a0 My grandmother hasn\u2019t been well \u2013 and with her age \u2013 I just wanted to fulfil her wish,\u201d He explained.<\/p>\n Ben nervously coughed into his hand wanting to get right to the heart of the matter.\u00a0 \u201cAnd that wish is to see my son Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I want to see Marie\u2019s boy,\u201d Came the soft voice from across the room.\u00a0 The elderly woman wore an ornately embroidered dressing gown over her nightclothes, and her white hair was long and braided, falling on either side of her shoulders.\u00a0 Holding a cane down at her right side she made her way over to join the two men.<\/p>\n Both Ben and Charles stood as she made it over to the sofa and sat down.<\/p>\n \u201cI am Ben Cartwright, Ma\u2019am,\u201d He smiled as he introduced himself to the woman.\u00a0 He took note that she looked much younger than he had presumed and nowhere near ninety.<\/p>\n As if she had read Ben\u2019s thoughts, she nodded to him and replied, \u201cI don\u2019t look ninety to you.\u00a0 I am fortunate \u2013 I have my mother\u2019s skin.\u00a0 She retained her youthful appearance until she died at the age of one hundred and one.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nervously shot a glance over at Charles and watched him grin his way.<\/p>\n \u201cMy Mamie speaks her mind, Mister Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMamie?\u201d Ben questioned.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry \u2013 that\u2019s an endearing French nickname for grandmother.\u00a0 Mister Ben Cartwright let me introduce Azelie Bertrand.\u00a0 Mamie, this is Joseph\u2019s father.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou may call me Azelie,\u201d She insisted with a pronounced French accent very evident in her statement.\u00a0 \u201cPlease take a seat.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hope you will forgive our language it is a bit hard to understand at times,\u201d Charles apologized as Ben retook his seat on the sofa.<\/p>\n \u201cNot at all \u2013 I am very familiar with the Creole language,\u201d Ben nodded graciously.<\/p>\n \u201cMarie \u2013 she was your wife \u2013 so you would know it well,\u201d Azelie announced.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Ma\u2019am,\u201d Ben returned with a nod.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve had quite a long trip \u2013 I hope you don\u2019t mind my stopping by so soon after you\u2019ve arrived?\u201d<\/p>\n Azelie cast a knowing glance at Charles and then back to Ben.\u00a0 \u201cYou have misgivings over whether you will permit me to see your son, is that the case, Mister Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, first of all, the two of you can call me Ben, we\u2019re not very formal around these parts.\u00a0 And, yes, to tell you the truth of the matter \u2013 I am concerned about how my son might take your visit.\u00a0 You see he\u2019s only sixteen \u2013 soon to be seventeen \u2013 and he\u2019s very impressionable.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t remember anything about his mother — Marie died right before he turned five.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBen,\u201d She began and gently reached for the man\u2019s arm to put him at ease.\u00a0 \u201cI wish no harm come to your son I can assure you.\u00a0 Unfortunately, I lost contact with both Marie and her sister Corrine, so I began asking a few years ago where they had gone.\u00a0 Though I couldn\u2019t find any information about Corrine, I was happy to hear about your marriage to Marie and that she had moved to Nevada many years ago.\u00a0 I want to see her only living child.\u00a0 I heard that she had a baby from her first marriage, but that it died of the fever not long after she gave birth.\u00a0 After I learned that she had another child I needed to see him before I die.\u00a0 I have come a long way just to meet Joseph and perhaps share some things about his mother with him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen did you see Marie last?\u201d Ben asked curiously.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was just before her marriage to John.\u00a0 I warned her that the marriage would end in tragedy \u2013 I am so very sorry that I was right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, she had a bad time of it \u2013 but I can assure you that she had a good life here with me,\u201d Ben offered, hoping to reassure the woman.<\/p>\n \u201cI can see that speaking of Marie causes you pain \u2013 for that I am very sorry,\u201d Azelie apologized.<\/p>\n \u201cMarie\u2019s been gone twelve years now\u2014I hold the time I had with her dearly.\u00a0 But my main concern right now is for my son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWould you allow the boy to visit my Mamie, Ben?\u00a0 It would mean the world to her,\u201d Charles asked hopefully.<\/p>\n \u201cI see my grandson doesn\u2019t want our trip to be for nought,\u201d Azelie smiled and nodded over to him.<\/p>\n Ben felt like he was now put on the spot and that he didn\u2019t have any other recourse than to let Little Joe visit the woman.<\/p>\n \u201cI can bring the boy here tomorrow.\u00a0 What time would you like his visit?\u201d Ben offered, standing from the sofa ready to be on his way.<\/p>\n \u201cWould early afternoon suit you, Ben?\u201d Charles returned as he also stood.<\/p>\n \u201cThat would be fine\u2014I\u2019ll try to get here around two o\u2019clock,\u201d Ben nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cI thank you for your kindness,\u201d Azelie said as she watched the man walking to the door.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll see you both tomorrow,\u201d Ben cast a reassuring smile towards the elderly woman as Charles pulled the door open for him.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Ben,\u201d Charles stated and then watched the other man step out into the hallway.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Pulling Buck behind him, Ben wearily walked to the barn.\u00a0 He was tired from the long trip back from town and chilled due to the falling autumn temperatures.<\/p>\n \u201cHi, Pa!\u201d Joe sang out cheerily as his father walked inside the barn.\u00a0 \u201cHey, I\u2019ll put Buck up for you.\u00a0 I just finished putting up both Chub and Cochise \u2013 it\u2019s no problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben patted the boy\u2019s shoulder and smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m surprised to hear you put up your brother\u2019s horse.\u00a0 Now, why are you suddenly so considerate?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe laughed as he grabbed his father\u2019s reins and walked Buck into his stall.\u00a0 \u201cOh, Hoss was complaining because he put our horses away the last two times.\u201d<\/p>\n Amused by what his son had shared, Ben returned, \u201cDid your brother threaten to toss you into the fireplace again?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYep,\u201d Joe nodded as he removed the horse\u2019s saddle and bridle and set the grain inside the feed bin.\u00a0 \u201cWhere you been, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh,\u201d Ben tried to come up with something benign to tell the boy not wanting to get right into the subject of the two visitors in town just yet.\u00a0 \u201cI just had some errands in town, Joseph \u2013 nothing too important.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe patted Buck\u2019s haunches and walked out of the stall joining his father at the barn door.<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing hasn\u2019t started yelling so I guess you\u2019re not in trouble yet,\u201d Joe quipped.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, let\u2019s get on in there before he starts, shall we?\u201d Ben grinned and draped an arm across his son\u2019s shoulder as they stepped out into the yard.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Realizing that he couldn\u2019t wait much longer to tell his youngest about the two visitors, as dinner had been over for better than an hour, Ben asked Little Joe to come into his study and take a seat next to the desk.\u00a0 He leaned back and stared over at the boy choosing his words as carefully as possible.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, there are a couple of visitors in town and one in particular has requested that you come and see her,\u201d He began and witnessed the confusion spreading across Joe\u2019s face.<\/p>\n \u201cVisitors?\u00a0 Visitors from where, Pa \u2013 and why do they want to see me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI received a letter a while back and it seems that your mother\u2019s nurse, a woman named Azelie Bertrand wants to see you.\u00a0 She\u2019s an elderly woman and her son Charles has brought her all the way from New Orleans just for that purpose,\u201d He explained.<\/p>\n \u201cNurse?\u00a0 Was my mother sick?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Ben shook his head and grinned knowingly over at his son.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s like a nursemaid \u2013 you know someone who helps raise a child?\u00a0 Apparently, she raised both your mother and her sister Corrine.\u201d<\/p>\n Nervously shifting his body in the chair, Joe cast a peculiar look at his father.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t get it \u2013 why would she want to see me?\u201d<\/p>\n Reading the worry in his son\u2019s eyes, Ben approached him and dropped a comforting hand down on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cI guess she wants to talk to you about your Ma, Son.\u00a0 It is her last request \u2013so I told her we\u2019d come by tomorrow afternoon.\u00a0 Is that okay with you?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe cast a suspicious glance up at his father and replied, \u201cWhat was all the secrecy about, Pa?\u00a0 I mean if you knew all about this before they got here— why did you wait until now to tell me about it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose I was just being cautious, Joseph, I wanted to make sure they had your best interest at heart.\u00a0 I don\u2019t see anything malicious in their visit, and they both seemed very nice when I met them today.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe stood abruptly and was about to make a fast escape to his bedroom when his father\u2019s hand caught a hold of his elbow to prevent his departure.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph?\u00a0\u00a0 What is it?\u201d Ben questioned quietly.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t been sure if the boy would balk at the idea, but apparently, he sure wasn\u2019t pleased.<\/p>\n \u201cMy mother\u2019s dead \u2013 why would they want to meet me?\u201d Joe fired back, unsure as to why the situation had set him off but it had.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to meet anyone from her past and simply talking about his mother only dredged up hurtful reminders of his loss.<\/p>\n \u201cSon, I guess she just wants to meet your mother\u2019s only living child.\u00a0 Afterall the woman is ninety and she most likely won\u2019t be around much longer.\u201d\u00a0 Ben attempted to set the boy at ease.\u00a0 He knew that Joseph never really spoke about his mother anymore and, though he sometimes went to her gravesite to place flowers, she held no connection to his life as far as he was concerned.<\/p>\n \u201cI still don\u2019t know why I should matter that much to her,\u201d he protested frowning.<\/p>\n \u201cWill you humor her and go with me tomorrow?\u201d Ben continued, hoping that he could persuade the boy.<\/p>\n Joe stared down at the floor and thought for a few minutes before replying to his father\u2019s request.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, Pa \u2013 if you think I should go then I will,\u201d He said, surrendering to the notion that it would make Pa happy if he went along with what he was suggesting in a not-so-subtle way.<\/p>\n Ben patted his son\u2019s shoulder and smiled, \u201cThank you, Son.\u00a0 Now you go on off to bed and get some sleep.\u00a0 We\u2019ll leave around noon tomorrow.\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cGoodnight, Pa,\u201d Joe responded quietly as he turned for the stairs again.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s worried gaze followed his son\u2019s departing form as it advanced up the staircase.\u00a0 He hoped that he was doing the right thing as far as the boy was concerned.\u00a0 Joseph had, over the years, refused to talk to him about Marie and Ben didn\u2019t force the issue.\u00a0 He now thought that perhaps the woman\u2019s visit might turn out to be a positive thing for his son if Azelie could help Joe to get to know the mother who had died when he was so young.<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n The trip to Virginia City the next day was a quiet one.\u00a0 Ben couldn\u2019t help wondering what his son was thinking as they grew closer to town.\u00a0 He had attempted to talk to Little Joe, but the boy had only offered a word or two here and there leaving Ben wondering if he was doing the right thing in persuading his son to meet the two strangers.\u00a0 When they finally pulled the buckboard up in front of the International House Hotel, Joe didn\u2019t make any attempt to move down from the bench seat.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph?\u201d Ben called as he tied the reins down at the footboard and stared over at him.<\/p>\n Joe shook himself from his thoughts and stared over at his pa, surprised that they were now in town.\u00a0 He had been so engrossed in his thoughts about meeting the woman, that he hadn\u2019t paid any attention as they had left the high meadow and drove up the steep grade that led to Virginia City.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you ready, Son?\u201d<\/p>\n Nodding and then trying to hide the pure dread on his face, Little Joe stepped down from the wagon and joined his father.\u00a0 The two Cartwrights made their way to the front steps of the hotel with Joe walking a bit slower than usual showing his apprehension over meeting the strangers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be fine,\u201d Ben whispered as he opened the door to the hotel and held it back for the boy.\u00a0 He watched as his son cautiously looked up towards the staircase.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s up at the top there on the left.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go,\u201d Pa announced and placed a calming hand on his son\u2019s shoulder as they continued up to the hotel room.<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n \u201cHello, Ben,\u201d Charles smiled as he opened the door to the suite.\u00a0 \u201cCome in please.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCharles Bertrand this is my son Joseph,\u201d Ben made the introduction.<\/p>\n \u201cWonderful to meet you, young man,\u201d Charles said reaching for the boy\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir,\u201d Joe nodded and wiped his sweaty right palm on his pant leg before shaking the man\u2019s outstretched hand.<\/p>\n Ben had watched his son\u2019s move and fought back a grin.\u00a0 He could tell how ill at ease the boy was and hoped that he would warm up to the situation soon.<\/p>\n The door to the bedroom just on the other side of the parlor opened and Azelie slowly walked over to where the others were standing.<\/p>\n \u201cHello, Ben,\u201d She called as she grew closer.\u00a0 \u201cAnd this is Joseph of course.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Ma\u2019am,\u201d Joe nodded deciding a handshake wasn\u2019t proper, so he just smiled her way.<\/p>\n \u201cYou may call me Azelie, Joseph.\u00a0 My you have a lot of your mother in you,\u201d she said sweeping a hand across the boy\u2019s hair.\u00a0 \u201cShe had curls just like yours, Young Man.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben grinned over the way his son still looked so petrified.<\/p>\n \u201cBen, I was wondering if you and I might tour the town while Mamie gets to know your son a little?\u201d Charles suggested hopefully.<\/p>\n Little Joe shot his father a panicked glance and his eyes grew a bit wider.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph?\u00a0 Will you be okay?\u201d<\/p>\n Trying not to appear worried over the prospect of being left alone with someone he had never met before, Little Joe nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, Pa \u2013 I\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n Azelie placed her hand on the boy\u2019s shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, you can relax \u2013 I do not bite.\u00a0 Now come over to the sofa so I can learn all there is to know about you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe should be back in about an hour, Son,\u201d Ben called to the boy and offered him a confident nod.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir,\u201d Joe replied and walked with the woman across the room.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Ben and Charles departed the hotel suite as Joe and Azelie made their way to the sofa and sat down opposite each other.<\/p>\n \u201cYour father says you are almost seventeen, is that right?\u201d she asked trying to put the boy at ease.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Ma\u2019am,\u201d Joe returned nervously fidgeting on the sofa.<\/p>\n The woman put her hand underneath Joe\u2019s chin and studied his face.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, you have your mother\u2019s cheekbones and her penetrating eyes \u2013 they tell so much just like hers did.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe stared at the woman curiously and responded, \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHave you ever heard that the eyes are the mirror of the soul?\u201d<\/p>\n Thinking on what the woman had offered Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo, Ma\u2019am, I don\u2019t think so.\u00a0 What does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt means that your eyes tell a lot about you.\u00a0 I can see that you are worried.\u00a0 Now tell Azelie why,\u201d She coaxed.<\/p>\n Shrugging his shoulders, Joe nervously wondered what he could say in response but couldn\u2019t think of anything.<\/p>\n Azelie smiled and reached for the boy\u2019s head and gently ran her hand down the back of his hair.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, you need to relax I loved your mother and all I wanted was to see her son.\u00a0 Your father said you don\u2019t remember her, is that right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo Ma\u2019am,\u201d Joe\u2019s voice fell to a whisper and he dropped his head down a bit wondering how much time had passed and when his father would be coming back for him.<\/p>\n Azelie reached over to the coffee table and retrieved a box and held it out to the boy.\u00a0 \u201cI know one thing \u2013 Marie had a sweet tooth, do you as well, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe watched as the woman opened the box and noticed that there was some kind of candy inside.\u00a0 \u201cMy brother Hoss has a sweet tooth\u2014but I\u2019m not especially fond of candy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh but this isn\u2019t any store-bought candy, Joseph \u2013 I make this myself with the best chocolate in New Orleans.\u00a0 Now try a piece.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe didn\u2019t want to seem rude, but he wasn\u2019t particularly hungry due to his stomach feeling like it was tied in knots at the time.\u00a0 He pulled out the smallest piece he could find and nodded to the woman.\u00a0 \u201cThank you, Ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, why don\u2019t you call me what your mother used to?\u00a0 She and her sister both called me Azie- – it\u2019s short for Azelie but is quicker to say than Ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n Chomping down on the candy Joe nodded to the woman.\u00a0 \u201cYes \u2013 Ma\u2019am \u2013 I mean Azie.\u201d<\/p>\n The woman smiled as she watched the boy finish his piece of chocolate and then asked, \u201cHow do you like that candy?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe grinned as he suddenly realized that he didn\u2019t feel quite as nervous as he had earlier.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s very good, Azie.\u00a0 So, you make it yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right \u2013 and I brought that all the way here just for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Leaning back against the sofa Joe felt at ease and no longer worried about why the woman had wanted to meet him.\u00a0 \u201cIt was really good, thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n Azelie reached for the boy\u2019s left hand, taking it into hers.\u00a0 \u201cYou are left-handed, did you know that your great grandfather was also?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou knew him?\u201d Joe returned, very surprised as he hadn\u2019t heard much about the man who had raised his mother.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, he was the one who hired me to care for your mother and her sister.\u00a0 His name was Lazare Del Vie.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was he like?\u201d<\/p>\n Azelie sighed as she stared into the hazel eyes of the boy.\u00a0 \u201cHe was what I would call a hard man.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u00a0 I mean\u2014what?\u00a0 What do you mean hard?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose a better term that you\u2019d understand would be strict, Joseph\u2014he was very strict with both girls.\u00a0 He was a businessman who worked very hard \u2013 and he didn\u2019t have much time for either Marie or Corrine\u2014so I filled the role of a mother I suppose.\u00a0 You see your mother lost both of her parents very young and went to stay on her grandfather\u2019s plantation not far from New Orleans.\u00a0 He had lost his wife, your great grandmother, a few years before your mother and aunt moved there.\u00a0 He decided that both girls needed a woman\u2019s touch, so I came to work for him when your mother was about five years old and Corrine was eight.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe thought on what the woman had said and asked, \u201cSo, was he mean to my mother?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say mean,\u201d Azelie tried to rephrase what she had said to the boy.\u00a0 \u201cHe was just a rigid man who was set in his ways.\u00a0 So, the girls grew very attached to me.\u00a0 I loved them like they were my daughters.\u201d<\/p>\n When an uneasy silence fell over the room, Azelie reached back for the box of chocolates and offered Joe another piece which he gratefully accepted and popped into his mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, let\u2019s talk about you.\u00a0 You have a love of horses, am I right?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe cast a bewildered glance at the woman and replied, \u201cYes\u2014but how did you know?\u00a0 Did my pa tell you yesterday?\u201d<\/p>\n Azelie laughed and shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cNo, he didn\u2019t tell me — I just see it, Joseph\u2014I see a lot of things about you.\u00a0 Now \u2013 you love to train the horses on your ranch, is that right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Ma\u2019am — sorry \u2013 Azie — I started to break horses when I was about fifteen.\u00a0 My father says I\u2019m a natural,\u201d He answered confidently, though a bit baffled over the fact that the woman had picked up on his ability to handle horses out of the blue.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you know that your mother was a talented horsewoman?\u201d<\/p>\n Nodding, Little Joe replied, \u201cYes, my father has told me that she was pretty good, Azie.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe won quite a few first-place ribbons in competition during her early years, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n Trying not to mention that it had been a fall from a horse which had killed his mother, Joe tried to change the subject but didn\u2019t have much luck and just sat there quietly.<\/p>\n Reaching over and touching the boy\u2019s face, Azelie stared into his eyes as though reading his thoughts.\u00a0 \u201cI know, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cKnow what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know that your mother was killed in a fall from a horse,\u201d She returned calmly.<\/p>\n \u201cHow?\u00a0 Did Pa tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n Shaking her head she answered, \u201cSome things I just feel inside.\u00a0 It\u2019s a gift I suppose.\u00a0 Do you remember much about when that happened, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n Staring down to the floor, Joe became a bit self-conscious and tried his best to guard his feelings from the woman.<\/p>\n \u201cI can help you \u2013help you remember your mother \u2013 but only the happy times you spent with her — none of the sadness,\u201d She offered and witnessed the surprise in the boy\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cHow?\u00a0 I don\u2019t remember her \u2013 not anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you will just give me a little while to know you \u2013 I\u2019m certain that I can help you to recall Marie and her love for you,\u201d She assured him.<\/p>\n \u201cToday?\u00a0\u00a0 How long would it take?\u201d He questioned, a glint of expectancy easily readable in his eyes over the thought that the woman could make that happen.<\/p>\n Azelie laughed and brushed a hand through Joe\u2019s hair.\u00a0 \u201cNo, not today \u2013 but if you\u2019d come back and spend just a bit of time with me, I will show you how it can be done.\u201d<\/p>\n Grinning, Little Joe nodded her way.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d like that \u2013 I don\u2019t talk about my Ma anymore \u2013 because everyone else remembers her but me.\u00a0 It would be nice to still have some memories of the way she was.\u201d<\/p>\n Azelie simply smiled and nodded to the young man and watched as he became even more relaxed sitting there next to her.<\/p>\n Joe eased back against the cushions of the sofa again. \u00a0He felt as though he could just fall asleep right then and there.\u00a0 He wondered why he suddenly felt so comfortable next to the woman who was, after all, a stranger to him.<\/p>\n Azelie watched as the boy\u2019s eyelids began to droop and she began to softly hum a tune which eased Joe into a peaceful slumber.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Two hours later, Charles and Ben returned to the suite and walked over to where Azelie and Little Joe still sat on the sofa.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry we were gone longer than planned,\u201d Charles announced as he made his way over to his grandmother.<\/p>\n Little Joe looked up at his father and grinned.\u00a0 \u201cDid you show Mister Bertrand all around the town, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Son,\u201d Ben nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI believe he won\u2019t have any trouble finding his way now.\u00a0 I introduced him to Roy Coffee, the president of the bank and a few others we met along the way.\u00a0 I guess they were a bit long-winded which delayed us coming right back.\u00a0 Are you about ready, Joseph?\u00a0 We do need to get on home.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe turned and looked at the woman who he had spent the afternoon talking with and smiled.\u00a0 \u201cAzie \u2013 thank you \u2013 I had a nice time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI did as well, Joseph,\u201d She nodded to the boy and affectionately ran her hand across the back of his head.<\/p>\n Ben was very surprised to find his son so relaxed after witnessing his earlier uneasiness.\u00a0 Joseph appeared to be very comfortable around Azelie, almost as though he had known the woman a lot longer than just a couple of hours.\u00a0 It usually took his son awhile to warm up to a stranger but this time it appeared as though the boy had an immediate attachment to Azelie.<\/p>\n \u201cI will see you again soon, Joseph,\u201d The woman said as she stood to walk both Cartwrights to the door.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like that,\u201d Joe nodded and offered the woman a smile as he joined his father who was preparing to leave.<\/p>\n \u201cThen come back again \u2013 perhaps tomorrow unless you have other plans?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe stared up at his father and asked, \u201cPa \u2013 I don\u2019t have anything to do tomorrow \u2013 would it be okay with you?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben was once again put on the spot and there wasn\u2019t much he could do about it either after witnessing the way both Joe and Azelie were staring hopefully at him.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019ll be fine, Son.\u00a0 Have a nice evening, goodbye for now,\u201d Ben called to Charles and nodded to Azelie as she opened the door for them both.<\/p>\n \u201cGoodbye, Ben \u2013 Joseph,\u201d Charles smiled over to the two of them and watched as they walked out into the hall.<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n \u201cMamie?\u00a0 I take it from the look on your face that all went well?\u201d<\/p>\n Azelie was grinning, very satisfied by the boy\u2019s visit.\u00a0 She walked back to the sofa and stared at her grandson.\u00a0 \u201cIt went very well.\u00a0 Joseph is very eager to learn all about Marie.\u201d<\/p>\n Charles lifted the box of chocolates and nodded her way as he replied, \u201cAnd I see Joseph liked your candy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was just what he needed to relax,\u201d the woman grinned.\u00a0 \u201cYou see how eager he is to return \u2013 and that is another gratifying consequence of indulging in the chocolates that I make!\u201d<\/p>\n Charles laughed and kissed his grandmother\u2019s cheek.\u00a0 \u201cHow well I know, Mamie \u2013 how well I know!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure he will have more to ask me tomorrow and I will have more candy for him also.\u201d<\/p>\n Charles watched as the woman walked to her bedroom with a contented smile on her face.\u00a0 He knew that his grandmother had a lot to share with the young Cartwright boy as she had been talking about him for months.<\/p>\n *********<\/p>\n Ben examined his son\u2019s facial expression as they rode back to the Ponderosa in the buckboard late that afternoon.\u00a0 Joseph hadn\u2019t said very much about his visit with Azelie, and he wondered just what the boy was thinking about.\u00a0 Joe hadn\u2019t said much more other than to tell him that he looked forward to going back the next day to spend some time with her.<\/p>\n \u201cHey \u2013 you still with me?\u201d Pa finally asked as he lightly shook his son\u2019s left arm.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah \u2013 I guess I was just daydreaming,\u201d Joe returned with a yawn as he pulled himself up higher on the bench seat.<\/p>\n \u201cYou look tired \u2013 I guess that\u2019s why you\u2019ve not said more than a few words, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n Attempting to shake himself from his thoughts about all that Azelie had told him that day, Joe glanced over at his father.\u00a0 \u201cOh \u2013 sorry, Pa.\u00a0 I guess you\u2019re right, I am a little tired \u2013 doesn\u2019t make sense though \u2013 I\u2019ve not done a thing all day other than talk.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry that I was gone for so long.\u00a0 I hope it didn\u2019t bother you to stay there all that time with someone you didn\u2019t know?\u201d Ben continued, staring into the boy\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cOh \u2013 that was okay, I didn\u2019t mind, Pa.\u00a0 The afternoon went by fast anyhow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou seem to have enjoyed talking with Azelie.\u00a0 I\u2019m surprised, however, that you want to go right back to visit with her tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I\u2019m surprised too \u2013 I was kind of dreading meeting her \u2013 you know?\u00a0 But she was really nice.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have a problem with me going back so soon, do you?\u00a0 I mean I\u2019m caught up with all my chores right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben reached over and patted the boy\u2019s shoulder and grinned at him.\u00a0 \u201cNo, Son, I don\u2019t have a problem with it.\u00a0 I think it\u2019s nice of you to offer to see her again — you don\u2019t have to.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, she came all this way \u2013 so I thought I\u2019d go and find out what else she wants to tell me about my Ma.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf it\u2019s not prying -well \u2013 mind if I ask what she talked to you about?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shrugged his shoulders and responded, \u201cWe didn\u2019t get into too much today, Pa.\u00a0 She just told me some things about my great grandfather \u2013 and talked about when she came to live with him.\u00a0 Just stuff like that.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben turned the team of horses up the narrowing path that would bring them to the clearing leading to the house.\u00a0 \u201cYour great grandfather \u2013 Lazare Del Vie.\u00a0 I remember your mother telling me about him and the plantation where she was raised.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir \u2013 and she told me that he was left-handed \u2013 just like your father was.\u00a0 I guess it runs in the family.\u201d<\/p>\n Chuckling, Ben nodded over at his son and said, \u201cWell, you are continuing that tradition, I guess.\u00a0 Did she tell you anything else about him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust that he was a strict businessman that\u2019s about as much as we got into today.\u00a0 Maybe she\u2019ll tell me more about him tomorrow?\u201d<\/p>\n The buckboard rounded the barn and Ben pulled up just to the right of the front corral where the two of them stepped down.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll put the horses up, Pa \u2013 you go on and I\u2019ll be in soon,\u201d Joe offered.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Son,\u201d Ben smiled and relinquished the team of horses to the boy.\u00a0 He watched as Little Joe seemed to move a bit slower than usual as he went about unhitching the buckboard and turning the two horses into the front corral.\u00a0 There was something just a little different about the way his son had been acting on the trip back to the ranch though Pa couldn\u2019t put his finger on it.\u00a0 Ben shook himself from his musings, chalking up his concern over his son to him just being a bit tired from the long ride back and forth to Virginia City.\u00a0 Leaving Joe alone to finish his task, he turned to the house to get some badly needed coffee.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Once the four Cartwrights were seated at the dinner table and Pa had said the blessing, the conversation turned to the two strangers in town.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe?\u00a0 What were they like?\u201d Hoss began as he passed the rolls down the table to Adam.<\/p>\n There wasn\u2019t any response from Little Joe, who just stared off into nothingness as though he was in a trance.<\/p>\n \u201cHey— Joe \u2013wake up, will you?\u201d Adam called over to his brother who he was attempting to hand the basket of dinner rolls off to.<\/p>\n When there still wasn\u2019t a response from off to his right, Ben reached over and lightly shook his son\u2019s left arm.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph?\u00a0 Didn\u2019t you hear either of your brothers?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe finally became aware that everyone was staring at him.\u00a0 He looked sheepishly over at his father and apologized.\u00a0 \u201cOh \u2013 sorry \u2013 what did you two say?\u201d He asked, casting a quick look at both Hoss and Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I was trying to pass you these rolls,\u201d Adam answered as he passed him the breadbasket.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, and I was asking you about those two visitors from New Orleans,\u201d Hoss added.<\/p>\n Joe mindlessly removed a roll and set the basket down in the middle of the table.\u00a0 He felt as though he had been awakened from a dead sleep and couldn\u2019t figure out why he was suddenly so exhausted.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re both nice,\u201d he nodded over to Hoss.<\/p>\n Ben cast a quick confused glance over to his two older boys and then stared at Little Joe once more.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph\u2014you look about done in.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe nodded and remarked, \u201cYeah \u2013 sorry \u2013 but I\u2019m not too hungry, Pa.\u00a0 If it\u2019s all the same to you, I\u2019d just like to turn in.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re too puny to miss a meal,\u201d Hoss chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you try to eat a little bit anyway, Little Brother?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe turned his attention back to his father and asked, \u201cIs it okay, Pa?\u00a0 I\u2019m pretty beat.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded and looked around the table, attempting to warn his other sons with his stern gaze not to protest their brother\u2019s departure.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s fine, you go on get some sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNight,\u201d Joe said and stood from the table.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t waste any time as he hurried to the staircase and walked up to his room.<\/p>\n \u201cWonder why he\u2019s so tired, Pa?\u00a0 He didn\u2019t do any chores today.\u201d Hoss asked curiously.<\/p>\n Shrugging his shoulders, Ben returned, \u201cWell, your brother was very apprehensive about meeting Charles and his grandmother \u2013 perhaps he\u2019s played out because he fretted himself too much over the visit?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, it went okay after he settled down some?\u201d Adam questioned.<\/p>\n \u201cApparently\u2014since he\u2019s going back there tomorrow,\u201d Ben nodded as he sipped his coffee.\u00a0 He tried to fight his worry over the way Joe had acted ever since they had left the hotel.\u00a0 The boy had been so quiet, and he hoped it had been just as he had suggested, and that Joe was just tired from having to meet the two strangers.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n \u201cHow good of you to come,\u201d Azelie said as she welcomed Little Joe the next afternoon and led him inside the hotel room.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope I\u2019m not too early?\u201d Joe asked and noticed Charles had just come out of one of the two bedrooms.<\/p>\n \u201cNonsense, I\u2019ve been up for hours,\u201d She replied and waved the boy over to the parlor.\u00a0 \u201cCome and sit down, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Ma\u2019am \u2013 I mean Azie,\u201d Joe caught himself and then nodded over to Charles.\u00a0 \u201cHow are you, Sir?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFine, Joseph.\u00a0 I won\u2019t be in your way\u2014I\u2019ve got some business to tend to,\u201d Charles nodded to the boy and then kissed his grandmother\u2019s cheek.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be back in a couple of hours, Mamie, enjoy your time together.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Darling,\u201d She smiled up at him as she sat down next to Little Joe.<\/p>\n Once Charles left Azelie reached over to the pitcher on the coffee table and turned towards her guest.\u00a0 \u201cHow would you like some iced tea?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shrugged his shoulders and replied, \u201cI\u2019m not especially fond of tea, Azie.\u201d<\/p>\n Patting the boy\u2019s arm, she grinned and poured a glass for him anyway.\u00a0 \u201cOh, this was sent up from the kitchen, but I added a few things to make it taste better.\u00a0 I always travel with my own herbs which I grow back in New Orleans.\u00a0 Won\u2019t you try it, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n Trying his best to be polite, Little Joe accepted the glass and took a couple of short sips.\u00a0 \u201cHey, this isn\u2019t bad \u2013 nothing like what Hop Sing our cook makes.\u00a0 What\u2019s in it that makes it taste so good?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, just a few things like mint and other plants that grow there at my house back home.\u00a0 Now — I want you to look at this,\u201d Azelie paused and opened a small locket she removed from around her neck.\u00a0 She handed it to Joe.<\/p>\n Studying the portrait inside, Little Joe stared over at the woman and asked, \u201cWho is this?\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s your mother, Joseph\u2014she was about ten when that was painted.\u00a0 She was lovely, wasn\u2019t she?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe nodded and remarked, \u201cYeah, Pa\u2019s got other pictures of her \u2013 but she was older in those \u2013 I\u2019d never seen one when she was so young.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou resemble her,\u201d Azelie grinned and swept a hand across the boy\u2019s head.<\/p>\n \u201cI know \u2013 Pa says that a lot,\u201d Joe nodded trying not to frown and give away the fact that he always hurt deep inside every time he heard his father say those kinds of things.\u00a0 He never told Pa that because he would then ask why and Joe wouldn\u2019t be able to answer his question.\u00a0 Little Joe suddenly grew quiet, still attempting to hide his inner pain.<\/p>\n \u201cIt hurts you that you can\u2019t remember her, doesn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n Nervously sipping his drink, Joe finally answered the woman.\u00a0 \u201cYeah \u2013 I guess so.\u201d<\/p>\n Azelie waited for her young friend to drink more before she continued her questions.\u00a0 After a few awkward minutes she began once more.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you sit back some and relax, Joseph?\u00a0 I want you to do something for me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI want you to close your eyes and think about your mother and tell me if you can picture her face.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe doubted that he\u2019d be able to pull up anything more than the picture of his mother that always sat on his father\u2019s desk.\u00a0 He closed his eyes and tried his best anyway.<\/p>\n \u201cNo \u2013 nothing,\u201d He remarked sadly.<\/p>\n \u201cHere, your glass is almost empty \u2013 let me get you a bit more,\u201d She offered and removed the glass from his hand.\u00a0 \u201cAll you need to do is relax a little more and I\u2019m quite sure that between the two of us we can bring the memories of your mother back to you.\u201d<\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n Ben opened the front door and stared out into the yard for the third time that evening.\u00a0 It was past eight o\u2019clock and the family had already eaten their dinner having waited long enough for Little Joe\u2019s return.\u00a0 Ben was a stickler for promptness, especially for dinner which was always ready by seven o\u2019clock sharp and all his sons knew that.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is that boy?\u201d Ben fussed as he turned back into the living room and faced Adam and Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cHe knows what time we eat around here!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss and his brother exchanged knowing glances.\u00a0 They knew how much their father always worried about Little Joe, especially when he failed to return home in time for supper.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Pa \u2013 maybe he just lost track of time,\u201d Hoss offered, hoping to get the man to simmer down.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, you know how Little Joe is \u2013 he rarely gets home when he should,\u201d Adam jumped into the conversation.<\/p>\n \u201cHe should have been home hours ago!\u201d Ben objected to the logic offered by both of his sons though he knew why they had said what they had.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Pa \u2013 he\u2019ll be home soon \u2013 just settle down,\u201d Hoss tried once more.<\/p>\n Before he could respond, Ben heard a rider approaching and hurried back to the door again.\u00a0 Pulling it open, he noticed that Little Joe was outside leading his horse into the barn.<\/p>\n \u201cI told you,\u201d Hoss grinned as he met his father at the door.\u00a0 \u201cNow don\u2019t jump on him right away.\u00a0 Let him get inside before you start yelling at him, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am NOT<\/strong> going to yell,\u201d Ben argued.\u00a0 \u201cBut I am going to tell him what time we eat around here since he\u2019s obviously forgotten!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam stood from his chair and called across the room, \u201cHoss, why don\u2019t we turn in?\u00a0 We\u2019ve got to head up to the timber camp at first light.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss glanced over at his brother and could tell that he was giving him a subtle hint that they needed to get out of the path of their father\u2019s wrath.\u00a0 \u201cYeah\u2014guess that\u2019s a good idea, Adam.\u00a0 See you in the morning, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou both will be taking your disobedient little brother with you tomorrow,\u201d Ben mentioned as he watched the two of them heading to the staircase.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir -we know,\u201d Adam smiled.\u00a0 \u201cAnd we\u2019ll make sure that he gets home on time for supper too!\u201d<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n A short while later Little Joe pulled the heavy planked door open and quietly walked over to the credenza.\u00a0 He removed his hat, jacket and holster before making it over to the grandfather clock to see how late he was. Frowning he turned to see his father who was standing very rigidly next to the fireplace.\u00a0 It was easy to spot the firm set to the man\u2019s shoulders and the sharp stare he was sending over at him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry I\u2019m late, Pa,\u201d He called apprehensively.<\/p>\n \u201cYou missed supper for the second night, Young Man,\u201d Ben answered gruffly showing his displeasure.<\/p>\n \u201cI ate a little something in town,\u201d Joe explained and walked over to the settee and sat down.\u00a0 He was well aware that his father would take issue with the fact that he\u2019d been gone all day without sending any word as to why.\u00a0 Now all he could do was wait for Pa to simmer down some and refrain from commenting too much.<\/p>\n Ben shook his head, not amused in the least.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, you weren\u2019t supposed to be in town all day and half the night.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSorry,\u201d Joe responded quietly, still avoiding Pa\u2019s gaze.\u00a0 He looked up briefly as his father moved over to his red leather chair and took a seat.<\/p>\n Staring over at his youngest Ben couldn\u2019t help noticing that the boy was yawning, apparently just as tired as he had been the previous night.\u00a0 His anger melted away at the sight.<\/p>\n \u201cI think you\u2019d better turn in.\u00a0 You three boys have to get up very early and help out at the timber camp at first light.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe frowned and countered, \u201cBut I told Azie I\u2019d come by again tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shook his head and glared over at his son.\u00a0 \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have told her that, Joseph.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t Hoss and Adam handle it?\u00a0 I want to go back to see her,\u201d He complained.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Ben stated firmly.<\/p>\n Standing abruptly and staring down at his father Joe\u2019s temper peaked.\u00a0 \u201cFirst, you ask me to go and see her and now you have a problem because I want to do it!\u00a0 I wish you\u2019d make up your mind.\u201d He replied sharply with a type of anger in his tone of voice that surprised his father by its intensity.<\/p>\n Ben stood as well and reached over for his son\u2019s arm and clamped a hand down onto it.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d advise you to watch that tone of voice, Young Man.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just wanted to go see her \u2013 that\u2019s all,\u201d Joe muttered, lowering his voice but still refusing to look at his father.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve been in town the last two days, I think it\u2019s best that you go out to the timber camp and help your brothers tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay \u2013 then what about the day after?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll see \u2013 it depends on your attitude. If you\u2019re going to come back from town shouting at me then I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a good idea for you to see her again.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe looked down at the floor and fought his disappointment.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Pa\u2014I shouldn\u2019t have raised my voice to you.\u201d<\/p>\n No matter how much he wanted to, Ben couldn\u2019t remain angry with his youngest, not after he had apologized and from the look on his face had meant it.\u00a0 He loosened his grip on the boy\u2019s arm and said softly, \u201cWhat\u2019s troubling you, Son? It\u2019s just not like you to come home late and fire off at me.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe shrugged his shoulders and still avoided his father\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI \u2013 I think I\u2019m just tired, Pa — I don\u2019t guess I slept too well last night.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, you go on and turn in.\u00a0 Maybe a good night\u2019s sleep will help?\u201d<\/p>\n Nodding, Joe finally stared up at his father and his voice took on a mournful tone to it as he added another apology, \u201cI\u2019m really sorry, Pa \u2013 I should\u2019ve come home for dinner\u2014and I shouldn\u2019t have yelled at you.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben patted the boy\u2019s shoulder to show that all was forgiven, \u201cAlright, Joseph, we\u2019ll just chalk it all up to your being tired.\u00a0 Now you go on and get some rest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGoodnight,\u201d he said and walked up to his room.<\/p>\n Ben stood by the staircase perplexed over his son\u2019s behavior that night.\u00a0 Little Joe rarely raised his voice to him, and he wondered what had set him off like that.\u00a0 He hoped that it was just like the boy had said, that he was tired from not sleeping the previous night and that it didn\u2019t have anything to do with Azelie Bertrand.<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n Little Joe effortlessly fell off into a deep sleep that night not long after his head hit the pillow.\u00a0 He tossed back in forth in bed, his face perspiring and his heart beating rapidly.\u00a0 There were strange voices, all echoing in unison, however there was one female voice which cried out a bit louder from the midst of the confusion and it seemed hauntingly familiar to him.\u00a0 Joe dreamed that he was walking down a long dark tunnel with only a small glowing ball of light coming from the very end.\u00a0 With each step that he took in that direction the long hall seemed to lengthen making it impossible to reach the end.\u00a0 The voices grew louder and one of them spoke out with a slight French accent beckoning Joe to draw closer.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t quite understand what had been said, but he distinctly heard the words, \u201cmon petit garcon<\/em><\/strong>\u201d. Joe picked up his pace, and began running towards the sound, but he couldn\u2019t make it to the end of the long tunnel, causing him to shout out in a frenzied panic.\u00a0 He suddenly sprang up in his bed and fought to catch his breath.\u00a0 Tossing back his covers, Little Joe stood and reached for the water pitcher on his nightstand.\u00a0 For some strange reason his mouth was as dry as a desert and he didn\u2019t even have enough spit in his mouth to be able to swallow the lump which he felt in his throat after experiencing the disturbing nightmare.\u00a0 With his hands shaking he downed the entire contents very quickly.\u00a0 Joe turned toward the light from the hall lamp which shone from the small crack underneath his door.\u00a0 He wondered how long he had been asleep and if Pa had already turned in for the night.\u00a0 He had to fight the desire to go and find out.\u00a0 Joe reasoned that he was almost seventeen and much too old to summon his father to his room due to a mere nightmare.\u00a0 Staring back over to his bed and, hesitating for a few minutes, he finally climbed back up.\u00a0 As Little Joe settled underneath his covers, he prayed that the nightmare wouldn\u2019t come back as the memory of it had left him feeling very ill at ease and haunted by the voice which had called out to him.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph?\u201d Ben whispered as he quietly eased the bedroom door open and drew closer to his son\u2019s bed.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d Joe returned, surprised to see his father standing there with the lamp held in his right hand.<\/p>\n Settling the lamp onto the nightstand, Ben sat down on the side of the bed and dropped a hand onto his son\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cAre you alright?\u201d<\/p>\n Trying to pretend that all was well, Joe forced a confident smile and answered, \u201cSure I am, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s hand found its way up to the boy\u2019s forehead pushing aside the perspiration-soaked curls that were stuck to his son\u2019s skin.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re covered in sweat \u2013 are you feeling okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir \u2013 I was just a little hot,\u201d He tried once again to assuage his father\u2019s worry.<\/p>\n Growing frustrated over his son\u2019s obvious lie, Ben swiped his hand down to the boy\u2019s cheek.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, what does it take to get an honest answer from you anymore?\u00a0 Now you had a nightmare \u2013 why don\u2019t you just admit it.\u00a0 And it\u2019s quite cold in here so I rather doubt you were hot unless you\u2019re sick.\u201d<\/p>\n Pulling himself up in his bed, Joe leaned against his headboard and drew in a deep breath trying to decide just how much he should tell his father.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, I had a nightmare but, like I said, I\u2019m okay, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was it about?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe gave a slight shrug of his shoulders and replied, \u201cI don\u2019t remember, Pa \u2013 it\u2019s passed now \u2013 go on to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou were shouting out in your sleep, Son.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you think that if you\u2019d talk about it — it just might help?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe dropped his head down towards his chest and closed his eyes.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to tell his father what he had seen and heard in his sleep because it was just now dawning on him that the voice which had called out in French might just be his mother.\u00a0 Joe wondered if his long conversation about Marie that day had summoned thoughts of her.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph?\u201d Ben called softly as he lifted his son\u2019s chin to try to get a good look into the eyes which always gave up the boy\u2019s secrets \u2013 at least to his father.<\/p>\n \u201cJust a dream, Pa — nothing made any sense in it \u2013 so there\u2019s nothing to talk about.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry I woke you \u2013 I\u2019d hoped that I was too old to have these anymore,\u201d He whispered, embarrassed to have summoned his father into his room the way he had when he was just a little kid.\u00a0 Back then Pa could always vanquish the various monsters he used to dream about and send them far away where they could no longer torment him.\u00a0 But now his nightly visions had nothing to do with monsters but were something far darker and frightening.<\/p>\n Ben softly combed his fingers through his son\u2019s hair and cast a knowing smile towards him.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, nightmares aren\u2019t dependent on a person\u2019s age, they can happen to anyone.\u00a0 There\u2019s nothing to be ashamed of.\u00a0 I just wanted to help if I could \u2013 so you could get some sleep.\u201d\u00a0 Ben worried as he examined the boy\u2019s face.\u00a0 Perspiration dotted his cheeks and swept down to the bottom of his neck where his nightshirt covered his chest, which Ben surmised was also covered in sweat now.<\/p>\n \u201cPa, please go back to bed.\u00a0 I\u2019ll probably fall right back off once you leave,\u201d Joe insisted.<\/p>\n Shaking his head as he drew in a deep breath, Ben had to surrender to his son\u2019s request as he stood from the bed.\u00a0 He watched as Joseph eased back underneath his covers and sent him a rather animated nod that he was okay.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope you can sleep now, Son.\u00a0 Promise to come and get me if you have any more nightmares?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure, Pa,\u201d He agreed and watched as his father retrieved his lamp and turned for the door.<\/p>\n Ben slowly walked out of the room worried about his son and wondering what the boy was keeping from him.<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n After waving goodbye to his three sons the next morning Ben turned to his study where there were numerous business papers for him to go through including several contracts that would require his undivided attention.\u00a0 He had noticed that his youngest hadn\u2019t shown any sign that he was upset over the interrupted sleep from the night before.\u00a0 Little Joe had polished off the breakfast that Hop Sing had prepared for him and Ben hoped that his worry over the boy hadn\u2019t been justified.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe!\u201d Adam shouted as he grabbed his brother\u2019s arm roughly and tugged him away from the timber crew.\u00a0 He escorted him over to their three horses to chew him out over his carelessness.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it NOW<\/strong>?\u201d Joe returned angrily.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve been on my back all day and I\u2019m sick of it, Adam!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou darn well almost got yourself killed, that\u2019s what!\u201d Adam yelled.\u00a0 \u201cIf Hoss hadn\u2019t pushed you out of the way at the very last second that darn tree would\u2019ve fallen right on top of you!\u201d\u00a0 Adam had to take a few seconds to calm down.\u00a0 He had seen what was about to happen to Joe but had been too far away to do anything about it but fortunately Hoss had seen the boy walking underneath the huge pine which had been seconds away from falling on top of him.<\/p>\n Hoss had heard the raised voices and after talking to a couple of the timber crew, jogged over to his brothers before things got out of hand.\u00a0 He knew why Adam was incensed with the kid, but he didn\u2019t want it to come to blows as Little Joe could lose his temper with very little prodding.<\/p>\n \u201cStop treating me like I\u2019m a little kid \u2013 I know what I\u2019m doing!\u201d Joe shouted defensively.<\/p>\n \u201cHold on there, Short Shanks,\u201d Hoss jumped in, grabbing the boy\u2019s left arm before he had the chance to throw a punch aimed at Adam.\u00a0 \u201cWe wuz just scared for you, Little Joe!\u00a0 That tree was coming down fast and it could\u2019ve killed you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah \u2013 well it didn\u2019t!\u201d Joe insisted, never taking his eyes off Adam.\u00a0 He was mad that he had been dressed down by him in front of the other workers and it showed on his face.<\/p>\n \u201cIt didn\u2019t kill you because Hoss saved your ornery hide!\u201d Adam fussed.<\/p>\n Little Joe looked down at the ground and tried to hide his embarrassment.\u00a0 He knew it was a stupid thing that he had done, walking in front of where a team of men had just cut into the base of a forty-foot pine tree and yelled for everyone to clear out.\u00a0 \u201cOkay\u2014okay I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam and Hoss exchanged a worry filled glance back and forth and noticed that their little brother was upset over his reckless behavior.<\/p>\n \u201cListen, Kid,\u201d Adam began, now lowering his voice to instill some semblance of calm.\u00a0 \u201cWe just don\u2019t want you to get hurt and if you\u2019re not careful around the logging crew it\u2019s going to happen.\u00a0 You\u2019ve just got to pay more attention to what\u2019s going on around you.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss reached over and threw a massive arm around his little brother\u2019s shoulder hoping to calm him.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, we don\u2019t want to lose you, Little Joe \u2013 even if you do drive us crazy!\u201d<\/p>\n Nodding his head, Joe finally looked over at Adam and offered an apology.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Adam \u2013 I guess my mind was elsewhere.\u201d\u00a0 He turned towards Hoss and said, \u201cThanks, Big Brother \u2013 for pushing me away in time.\u201d<\/p>\n Chuckling, now very relieved that his two brothers were no longer at each other\u2019s throats, Hoss clapped Joe on the back and replied, \u201cI had to save you \u2013 who else would cheat me at checkers if you go and get yourself killed?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned and nodded over at Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cYeah\u2014guess you\u2019re right.\u00a0 Hey, it\u2019s getting late \u2013 are you two ready to go back home yet?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam cast a quick glance up at the sky and could tell that it wouldn\u2019t be long before the sun would be setting behind the vast mountain range to the west.\u00a0 He also knew that the three of them had a long ride back to the ranch house to make it there in time for supper.\u00a0 Adam wasn\u2019t about to make his father worry like Pa had done the previous night.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll go talk to the foreman and then we\u2019ll head on back home,\u201d He announced and walked over to where the lead woodsman stood barking orders to his crew.<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n Charles crossed the parlor and knocked on the door to his grandmother\u2019s room.\u00a0 She had been extremely quiet all day and he was concerned that it had bothered her that Joe Cartwright had never made an appearance that day.<\/p>\n \u201cCome in,\u201d Azelie called from across the room where she sat in front of the mirror brushing her long white hair.<\/p>\n \u201cMamie?\u00a0 Are you alright?\u00a0 You hardly spoke to me this evening at dinner,\u201d he said crossing the room and coming up right behind her.<\/p>\n Azelie smiled and nodded her head as she set down her hairbrush.\u00a0 \u201cIt is well, my darling boy, Joseph will return tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou seem quite certain of that fact — did he mention that yesterday?\u201d<\/p>\n Turning around in her chair she stared up at her grandson.\u00a0 \u201cI just know that he will.\u00a0 Some things do not have to be spoken in words.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, you\u2019ve always been quite correct in the past \u2013 however we both thought that the boy would come by today as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Azelie brought her necklace up into her hands and motioned for Charles to help her with the delicate clasp.\u00a0 He gently placed it around the woman\u2019s neck, fastened it, and watched her reflection in the mirror.\u00a0 Mamie seemed quite pleased with herself for some reason as her hand touched the locket hanging from the silver chain.<\/p>\n \u201cI promised my Marie that she would have her son back and it will happen.\u00a0 I have patience and confidence as well that Joseph will be here tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Confusion framed Charles\u2019 face as he took to heart what his grandmother had said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean Joseph will have his mother back \u2013 isn\u2019t that what you meant, Mamie?\u201d<\/p>\n Azelie gently patted her grandson\u2019s hand and nodded, \u201cOh, yes, I misspoke — Joseph will have his mother back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMamie, would you like me to order you some bedtime tea before you retire?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, my darling, I am fine \u2013 you go on to bed and sleep well.\u00a0 I shall have a most interesting day ahead for me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGoodnight, Mamie, sleep well,\u201d Charles whispered as he placed a soft kiss on his grandmother\u2019s cheek before taking his leave and closing the bedroom door.<\/p>\n Azelie waited until she was alone to open the locket and stare down at the portrait of the young girl she had raised.\u00a0 \u201cMarie, I will bring your son to you \u2013 do not worry.\u201d<\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n Adam had waited until his brothers had retired for the night before speaking with his father.\u00a0 He paced back and forth in front of the fireplace and addressed his mounting concerns about what had happened that day.<\/p>\n \u201cPa, I\u2019m telling you Joe almost got himself killed today,\u201d Adam complained staring over at his father who was seated just to the left of him.<\/p>\n Ben shook his head and frowned, \u201cSo \u2013 wasn\u2019t he paying attention?\u00a0 It\u2019s not like him \u2013 he knows how dangerous it is not to watch where the loggers are cutting trees.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam, tired from the long day of back-breaking work, sat down on the corner of the coffee table and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI know, Pa, but it was as though the kid was in another world \u2013 and it didn\u2019t happen just that one time either!\u00a0 Hoss and I caught Joe just staring off into nothing a couple of times this afternoon.\u00a0 Well\u2014you saw him at supper\u2014he just acts like he\u2019s in another world.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben drew in a deep breath, his worry mounting over what his eldest had conveyed to him once his brothers had gone off to bed, and replied, \u201cThe boy had a nightmare last night \u2013 and I don\u2019t think it\u2019s the first one lately either.\u00a0 I just don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on with him, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell while you try to figure out that kid, I think it\u2019d be better if Hoss and I went back up to the timber camp by ourselves.\u00a0 Maybe you can find something else for him to do around here, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe wants to go back into town and talk to Azelie Bertrand\u2014maybe he\u2019s preoccupied with seeing her?\u00a0 Joseph got very angry last night when I told him that he couldn\u2019t go into town today.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sighed and nodded his father\u2019s way, \u201cI guess him going back to Virginia City is a whole lot better idea than for him to go back up to the timber camp or anywhere else where he might get hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAgreed,\u201d Ben sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry the boy worried you, Son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen hasn\u2019t he?\u201d Adam chuckled but then turned serious again.\u00a0 \u201cPa \u2013 I don\u2019t want anyone to get injured or killed working on our ranch \u2013 and least of all Little Joe.\u00a0 Just keep him underfoot for a few days and see if he\u2019ll straighten out, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n Reaching over, Ben offered his eldest a commiserative pat to his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cI will, now go on get some rest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGoodnight,\u201d Adam nodded to his father and headed up to his bedroom.\u00a0 He knew he had a long day ahead of him and needed to rest up.<\/p>\n Ben stood from his chair and stared intently into the flames inside the fireplace for a long while.\u00a0 He felt that there was something he was missing concerning his youngest son\u2019s behavior, but he just couldn\u2019t put his finger on it.<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n \u201cFinish your tea, Joseph, and then lie back on the sofa and I\u2019ll try to help you remember your mother.\u00a0 All you need to do is relax a little more,\u201d Azelie instructed and watched as the boy drank the tea she had given him.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel kind of funny laying down like this,\u201d Joe grinned as he eased back so that his head rested on the arm of the sofa.<\/p>\n \u201cHere \u2013 this will be much more comfortable,\u201d Azelie said and placed a small pillow under the boy\u2019s head.\u00a0 \u201cNow close those eyes and let\u2019s see what we can accomplish today.\u00a0 Breathe slowly, Joseph.\u201d Sweeping a hand across the boy\u2019s forehead she smiled, \u201cThere is nothing to concern yourself with, Joseph \u2013 sometimes when memories begin to return dreams begin to tell us the story before we see it clearly during the light of day.\u00a0 Have you heard your mother\u2019s voice yet?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI \u2013I\u2019m not sure, Azie \u2013 I heard what sounded like a woman \u2013 and she\u2019s been calling out a phrase to me \u2013 but I don\u2019t know what it means,\u201d Joe explained forcing his eyes closed though he still felt a bit odd to be doing so.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt sounded like \u2013 mon petit garcon \u2013 but I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ve got that right \u2013 I don\u2019t speak French \u2013 it just sounded like it.\u201d<\/p>\n A knowing smile creased the woman\u2019s lips.\u00a0 She was very aware of what the words had meant but resisted telling the boy right off.\u00a0 \u201cI want you to pay attention to your breathing and nothing else.\u00a0 Just clear your mind, Joseph, and I\u2019m sure you will soon recover the memories of your mother.\u00a0 If you will just allow them to come back to you, they will,\u201d She insisted and then began to softly hum the same tune she had the first time that Joe had attempted to recapture the memory of Marie.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Ben had allowed Little Joe to visit Azelie three straight days hoping that it would make him happy and, since the woman would be leaving in another week, he hadn\u2019t presumed that there was any harm in it.\u00a0 However, when his son had returned home each night, he seemed tired and his thoughts a bit muddled.\u00a0 Both Hoss and Adam had noticed the change in their brother as well and they had spoken to their father about their concerns once the boy was out of earshot from them.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s out putting his horse away now, Pa,\u201d Hoss called across the room as he entered the house and cast a look over to where his father and brother sat in the living room.<\/p>\n \u201cHow did he seem to you, Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss shrugged his shoulders as he crossed the room and sat down on the settee.\u00a0 \u201cGosh, Pa, I don\u2019t know exactly.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t talk much \u2013 but there\u2019s just something a little off about him, you know?\u00a0 He\u2019s just got a strange look in his eyes \u2013 like he\u2019s looking through me and not at me, if that makes any sense?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam let out a slight groan and turned towards his father and said, \u201cThat\u2019s how he\u2019s been this whole time.\u00a0 Do you think we ought to go and talk to that woman and find out what she\u2019s been telling the kid?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben stood from his chair and glanced over to where Hop Sing was setting out the dinner plates.\u00a0 \u201cLet me have a talk with Joseph after we eat, Boys.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t get anywhere when I asked him about what was going on in town yesterday.\u00a0 Your brother just clammed up and acted defensive the minute that I asked him about his visits with Miss Bertrand and what they spoke about.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe she\u2019s getting him upset by telling him about his Ma?\u201d Hoss offered after witnessing the look of apprehension spreading across his father\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cYou know Little Joe never has liked talking about her in the past \u2013 not even to us.\u201d<\/p>\n The front door opened and Joe entered the house, tossing his holster and hat down on the credenza.\u00a0 Ben softly cleared his throat and shot a warning glance aimed at his two oldest boys so they wouldn\u2019t start asking a lot of questions and set Joe off.<\/p>\n \u201cHello, Son, did you have a nice day?\u201d Ben called trying his best to sound nonchalant.<\/p>\n Joe nodded and joined his family in front of the fireplace.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Sir,\u201d he said but didn\u2019t add anything further.<\/p>\n \u201cWe got the whole hog-back cleared, Little Joe \u2013 so we won\u2019t have more than a couple days until we\u2019ll all be here working alongside of you,\u201d Hoss smiled, hoping to illicit a response.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s good,\u201d Joe nodded and then something out of his peripheral vision caught his attention. He suddenly shot a quick glance over at the staircase.\u00a0 He had seen a strange glimmering circle of light, something akin to ball lightning but softer in its glow.\u00a0 Joe rubbed at his eyes and stared in that direction once more, only to witness that the light had disappeared from his view.<\/p>\n His three family members all noticed the peculiar look on Joe\u2019s face, but no one wanted to be the first to mention it.\u00a0 When the silence became deafening Ben finally piped up.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph?\u00a0 Are your eyes bothering you?\u201d<\/p>\n Shaking himself from his confusion, Little Joe turned and looked over at his father.<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2014just got some dirt in my eyes, Pa.\u00a0 I think I\u2019ll go wash up a bit.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be right down in time for supper,\u201d Joe made his excuse sound believable and hurried up to his room.<\/p>\n \u201cSee, Pa?\u00a0 Now what\u2019s that all about?\u201d Hoss asked very worried about his brother.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll speak to the boy after we eat \u2013 let\u2019s not go borrowing trouble,\u201d Ben offered, though his mounting worry couldn\u2019t be hidden behind his reassuring words.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n \u201cI just don\u2019t understand, Pa!\u201d Joe muttered trying to control his temper but growing upset over the stern countenance his father was wearing as he glared up at him.\u00a0 He had figured that Pa wanted to speak to him in private the minute that both his brothers had excused themselves not long after they had eaten.\u00a0 Joe knew that it was never a good sign and it usually meant that his father was ready to give him a lecture and they didn\u2019t want to be around to hear it.<\/p>\n \u201cSit down, Joseph \u2013 I\u2019ll not have you raising your voice to me like you did the other night,\u201d Ben insisted with a stern inflection in his tone of voice.\u00a0 He pointed for his son to sit down opposite him and watched as the boy very reluctantly lighted down on top of the coffee table.<\/p>\n Tightly folding his arms across his chest to ward off his mounting frustration, Joe looked over at his father and said, \u201cI just don\u2019t understand why you have so many questions about my visits with Azie.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you think that as your father I should have the right to ask what\u2019s going on with you?\u00a0 You haven\u2019t been acting right \u2013 and it began just as soon as you started visiting that woman.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing is \u201cgoing on\u201d with me!\u201d Joe announced, his anger coming out in his reply.<\/p>\n Ben simply stared at his son and from past experience Joe knew that his voice was getting too loud for the man\u2019s liking.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay— I\u2019m not shouting at you, Pa\u2014I\u2019m shouting over what you\u2019re asking me about,\u201d He declared.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy would my asking questions upset you like this?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shrugged his shoulders helplessly and before he could reply his gaze was redirected to the front door where that same strange orb of light seemed to dance right above the slide bolt.<\/p>\n Very aware of the way his son had turned his attention away from him, Pa tried to figure out what the boy was now staring at.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it, Joseph?\u201d He questioned quietly.<\/p>\n The instant that his father had spoken the light had disappeared again.\u00a0 Joe turned back and redirected his gaze.\u00a0 \u201cNothing, Pa \u2013 now what were you saying?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s right hand reached for his son\u2019s arm and held onto it.\u00a0 \u201cYou seem so far away at times, Son\u2014what\u2019s going on with you— why won\u2019t you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n Dropping his head down Joe responded quietly, \u201cPa \u2013 I don\u2019t have anything to say \u2013 I\u2019m fine.\u00a0 Now why do you need to know what Azie and I talk about?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust tell me, Joseph \u2013 come on out with it,\u201d Ben answered, hoping to coax his son into revealing all that he had been speaking to the woman about.\u00a0 He had already presumed that it concerned Marie, but he needed Joe to confirm that fact and explain more about the reasons behind it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just talk about my Ma \u2013 that\u2019s all, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph — I think that you going to see her and talking about your mother is having a bad effect on you.\u00a0 I know that you\u2019ve been having nightmares every night though you\u2019ve denied it and then there\u2019s your strange behavior too \u2013 like the way you seem so distracted all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa \u2013 what do you have against me trying to learn more about my ma from the one person who knew her best?\u201d Joe asked, feeling threatened over the way his father seemed dead set against him going into town to see Azelie.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph \u2013 she knew your mother back when Marie was just a child \u2013 that doesn\u2019t mean that she knew Marie best.\u00a0 I\u2019d like to believe that I knew your Ma best \u2013 and she\u2019d have been the first person to keep you away from anyone who might cause you harm.\u201d<\/p>\n Shooting up from the coffee table and taking on a very angry countenance Joe raised his voice and announced, \u201cI should have known that you wouldn\u2019t understand!\u00a0 Azelie isn\u2019t causing me any harm!\u00a0 For years you\u2019ve tried to get me to talk about my mother and now that I am \u2013 you\u2019ve suddenly got a problem with it.\u00a0 Is it because I\u2019m trying to find out about my mother or is it because I\u2019m asking Azie about Ma and not you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s enough, Joseph,\u201d Ben reprimanded as he stood as well.\u00a0 \u201cAnd as for not being harmed \u2013 well I guess you\u2019ve forgotten about that incident up at the timber camp?\u00a0 You were almost killed that day because all of this is weighing on your mind \u2013 and you\u2019re missing sleep over it too!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI knew that you\u2019d throw what happened up at the timber camp in my face!\u00a0 Yeah, it didn\u2019t take Adam and Hoss long to tell you all about it when they got home!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLower your voice, Young Man, I won\u2019t say it again,\u201d Ben warned as he attempted to force some calm into the hotly contested issue.<\/p>\n Dropping his head down, Little Joe tried to regroup his emotions before he spoke out again.\u00a0 \u201cI made a mistake \u2013 it\u2019s not the first one and it won\u2019t be the last, but it didn\u2019t have anything to do with Azie,\u201d He defended what had happened that day.<\/p>\n \u201cYou could have been killed,\u201d Ben complained and tried to force his son\u2019s gaze.<\/p>\n \u201cNone of this has a thing to do with me seeing her \u2013 it\u2019s just an excuse you\u2019re throwing out to keep me from going there.\u00a0 But I\u2019m going to see her anyway\u2014I told her I\u2019d be back tomorrow,\u201d he said defiance spreading across his face.<\/p>\n Ben hadn\u2019t wanted to get angry with the boy who stood there challenging him, but Little Joe was still underage, and he felt it was his duty as his father to try his best to keep him out of harm\u2019s way.\u00a0 He drew in a deep breath and set his shoulders, taking on his familiar paternal stance.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, you aren\u2019t too old for me to lock inside your room if I deem it necessary to prevent you from getting hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n His frustration heightened along with his anger, Little Joe squared off with his father.\u00a0 He replied indignantly, \u201cGo ahead and try to lock me in my room.\u00a0 I\u2019ll get out eventually!\u201d<\/p>\n Rethinking his approach with the boy, Ben attempted to choose his words more carefully.\u00a0 He wanted to get through to his son without increasing the growing animosity between them.\u00a0 Ben cleared his throat and his voice took on a softer tone as he responded, \u201cI\u2019m worried about the effect that woman is having on you \u2013 like you raising your voice to me like you just did.\u00a0 Joseph \u2013 you\u2019ve done that three times now in as many days and that\u2019s not at all like you.\u00a0 You\u2019re a changed person every single time you make it back home after seeing Azelie.\u00a0 I\u2019d be lying if I said I wasn\u2019t growing more concerned about you every day that passes, Son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u00a0 Don\u2019t I get to make my own choices?\u00a0 I\u2019m not a little kid \u2013 even though just about everyone in this house thinks I am,\u201d Joe\u2019s voice was no longer hostile but carried a deep hurt in its tone.<\/p>\n Ben gently placed an arm around his son and replied, \u201cI\u2019m not saying that you are a little kid \u2013 but you\u2019re not quite an adult yet either.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe broke away from his father\u2019s hold and hurried to the stairs refusing to look back at Pa nor respond to what he had said.\u00a0 Ben watched his son\u2019s hasty departure filled with dread about what the boy\u2019s next move might be.\u00a0 He knew that Joseph never thought things through and once pressured would go off half-cocked, which usually led to him getting hurt in some way.\u00a0 However, Ben was determined not to let that happen this time.<\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n It had taken a great deal of internal fortitude, but Ben had stuck to his guns and after he had informed his youngest that he would not be going into town for at least two days the boy had no choice in the matter.\u00a0 Joe hadn\u2019t offered any rebuttal, knowing that his father\u2019s threat to keep him there at the ranch was a real one.\u00a0 The second day of what he considered to be his captivity; Little Joe stood in the barn and was the picture of pure misery.\u00a0 He wanted to go and see Azelie, but he didn\u2019t want to fight another round with his father either.\u00a0 As Little Joe rubbed the saddle soap on the weathered leather, he shook his head frustrated over his predicament. \u00a0He felt like his father didn\u2019t understand him anymore and it bothered him because up till then the two of them had always shared such a tight unbreakable bond.\u00a0 And, on top of all those worries, Little Joe had been suffering from some very extreme headaches that he just couldn\u2019t shake.\u00a0 He presumed they were being caused by the tension which existed between him and Pa and didn\u2019t mention anything about it for fear that his father would call in Doctor Martin.\u00a0 Joe decided that was the very last thing that he needed at the time.<\/p>\n Little Joe barely noticed either of his brothers as they pulled their mounts into the barn just shy of five o\u2019clock that afternoon and each called over a hello to him.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Little Brother, those saddles plum shine \u2013 I can almost see my handsome face in them!\u201d Hoss exclaimed, trying to make his brother smile.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Joe said never looking up at either Hoss or Adam.<\/p>\n It was next Adam\u2019s turn to try and break the ice and attempt to lift Little Joe\u2019s spirits.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, need some help?\u00a0 We got done early and I\u2019ll give you a hand if you want one?\u201d<\/p>\n Spinning around to say something in response to his brother\u2019s offer Joe almost lost his balance and had to play it off so neither man would report back to their father.<\/p>\n \u201cHey \u2013 you okay?\u201d Adam asked after seeing his brother trying to catch himself by reaching a hand over to the stall where the saddle was perched.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine \u2013 just let me get done, will you?\u201d Joe returned, trying not to snap at either brother.\u00a0 He was angry with his father and not too sure how he felt about his brothers at the time for having told Pa about the incident up at the timber camp.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, see you inside,\u201d Adam nodded and turned for the house.<\/p>\n Hoss grabbed a package that he had tied behind his saddle and just patted his little brother\u2019s shoulder as he followed Adam inside.<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n \u201cYou boys got done early,\u201d Ben smiled as he greeted his sons at the door.\u00a0 \u201cAre those trees all cut and the wood stacked?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir,\u201d Adam nodded as he removed his hat and holster.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Pa \u2013 look here,\u201d Hoss grinned and opened the plain brown bag he had brought from town.\u00a0 \u201cWe stopped at the mercantile, so I got Little Joe\u2019s birthday present.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHis birthday is still more than two weeks off, Hoss,\u201d Ben reminded his son.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, go ahead and show me before the boy comes inside.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss handed the contents of the sack to his father and waited to hear what he thought about his gift.<\/p>\n \u201cA straight razor?\u201d Ben questioned with a bit of confusion on his face.\u00a0 \u201cHoss, your little brother barely has any peach fuzz on his face \u2013 there\u2019s nothing for that boy to shave yet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah \u2013 I know, Pa \u2013 but \u2013 well \u2013 it\u2019s to make him feel more grown up, you know?\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s trying hard to show us that he\u2019s not a little kid so I thought that this might make him think that I see him as being older.\u201d<\/p>\n Now Ben understood the meaning of Hoss\u2019 gesture, and he smiled knowingly at his son.\u00a0 \u201cI see, Hoss \u2013 well \u2013 I guess it won\u2019t hurt any.\u00a0 But you are going to explain to the boy how to use this safely, right?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss laughed, \u201cSure I will.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to show him how to lather up and all.\u00a0 I remember a few weeks back Little Joe standing behind me watching as I shaved and he looked like he couldn\u2019t wait until he had some whiskers!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded his head as a reminiscent smile spread across his lips due to the memories of teaching each of his older boys how to shave.\u00a0 \u201cWell, Hoss, I\u2019m sure Joseph will appreciate your thoughtful gift but go and hide it good.\u00a0 You know how curious that boy gets before his birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought I\u2019d see about getting Joe a new holster,\u201d Adam chimed in as the three of them walked over to the living room and sat down.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019d like that,\u201d Ben nodded as he sat down in front of the fireplace.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe didn\u2019t seem very happy when we got home a little while ago.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben sighed and thought on the way his youngest had hardly spoken to him for the last two days, apparently showing his displeasure over not being allowed to go into town.\u00a0 \u201cI know \u2013 but I had to put a stop to him seeing that woman — it\u2019s been affecting him too much.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u00a0 It looked like Joe\u2019s balance was a bit off earlier.\u00a0 He hasn\u2019t gotten into any liquor, has he?\u201d<\/p>\n Staring over at Adam, Ben\u2019s face took on a puzzled appearance.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean his balance was off?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam shrugged his shoulders and replied, \u201cI don\u2019t know \u2013 it just looked like he just about tripped \u2013 but he didn\u2019t fall \u2013 maybe I\u2019m wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s not had anything to drink \u2013 in fact he refused to even eat his lunch — I guess as a way to show me his displeasure over not being allowed to go into town.\u201d<\/p>\n The room grew quiet when Little Joe walked inside and tossed his jacket up onto the credenza.\u00a0 The three men exchanged glances as each wondered just what to say to the boy who didn\u2019t look very happy at that moment.<\/p>\n \u201cHow did it go, Son?\u00a0 Get all those saddles done?\u201d Ben attempted to open the lines of communication which had been closed most of the day between the two of them.<\/p>\n \u201cI got my work done,\u201d Joe announced flatly and turned to stare up at the grandfather clock.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not even six yet, I want to ride into town for a little while.\u00a0 Any objections?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam and Hoss woefully looked back and forth and then over to their father who had been put on the spot again.<\/p>\n \u201cHey– -yeah, we could all go and just have one beer and still make it home in time for supper.\u00a0 What do you say, Pa?\u201d Hoss threw in hoping to ease the tension in the room.<\/p>\n \u201cNot tonight, Joseph,\u201d Ben answered as calmly as he could.\u00a0 \u201cAnd, no, Hoss it\u2019s too close to suppertime to be heading into town now.\u00a0 Hop Sing\u2019s fixing a nice meal for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe never said another word and simply walked to the stairs.\u00a0 By the time he got to the first landing he spotted the glowing ball of light which seemed to hover at the top of the staircase.\u00a0 It made him stop in his tracks and, very bewildered, pensively stared up in its direction.\u00a0 He briefly closed his eyes and then looked up again, and just as in the past, it had vanished.<\/p>\n Ben had witnessed his son\u2019s strange behavior and headed over to him.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph?\u00a0 Are you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n Shaking himself out of his confusion he turned and shot a quick glance at his father.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d He muttered flatly and continued up to his room.<\/p>\n Watching his son\u2019s abrupt departure Ben couldn\u2019t help worrying about the boy who wouldn\u2019t tell him what was going on with him.\u00a0 He had wanted to follow Joe up to his room but decided against it since he knew that his son wasn\u2019t very happy about being forced to stay away from town.<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not going to church,\u201d Joe announced as he made his way down the stairs the next morning and watched his family getting their coats and hats in preparation for the trip into Virginia City.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph,\u201d Ben began but was cut off.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s Sunday and you can\u2019t take issue with me going to see Azelie today.\u00a0 I stayed away the last two days and I\u2019m going to see her.\u00a0 Now you can threaten to lock me in my room again or you can threaten me with a tanning, but that\u2019s not going to stop me either, Pa.\u00a0 I gave my word that I would visit her on Friday, and you made me break it.\u00a0 She\u2019s going to be leaving town in a few days and I\u2019m not going to let her down again.\u00a0 You said it yourself when her and her grandson arrived — you told me that she might not live much longer.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think it\u2019s very \u201cChristian-like\u201d to just ignore her.\u00a0 You always said that being a Christian isn\u2019t only about going to church on Sunday it\u2019s also about showing your faith the rest of the week,\u201d Joe argued his point.<\/p>\n Ben watched as his other two sons stared over at him.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know what to say in response to what Joseph had so poignantly said to him.\u00a0 His youngest had used his own words against him and there wasn\u2019t a whole lot that he could say now without sounding like a hypocrite.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright, Joseph, you go on ahead,\u201d He finally nodded to the boy.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Pa,\u201d Little Joe rewarded his father with a smile, which was a rare sight lately.<\/p>\n \u201cBe home for supper, Young Man, understood?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir,\u201d Joe returned and grabbed his coat, hat and holster and hurried outside.<\/p>\n \u201cWell \u2013 that boy used my own words against me \u2013 he put me on the spot,\u201d Ben groaned as he turned towards both Adam and Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cYou done right, Pa,\u201d Hoss grinned.<\/p>\n \u201cI agree,\u201d Adam nodded and grabbed his hat as the three men readied to hitch up the surrey and head to attend church services.<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so glad you could come, Joseph,\u201d Azelie smiled as she led the boy into the suite.<\/p>\n Pulling off his hat Joe apologized, \u201cSorry \u2013 I had some chores that I couldn\u2019t get out of, Azie.\u00a0 I guess I shouldn\u2019t have told you I\u2019d be back Friday without checking with my father first.\u201d<\/p>\n The woman stared into the young man\u2019s face and nodded to him.\u00a0 \u201cYour father didn\u2019t want you to come back, isn\u2019t that right, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe didn\u2019t know how to respond as it was almost as if the woman before him could read his thoughts.\u00a0 \u201cHe didn\u2019t object to me coming today.\u201d<\/p>\n Azelie waved her young friend over to the sofa and they both sat down.\u00a0 \u201cHere, drink some tea \u2013 oh and you need to try a few chocolates because I\u2019ll be leaving the day after tomorrow and you won\u2019t ever have candy quite like this again.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe accepted the chocolate as well as the glass of tea that Azelie offered him.\u00a0 \u201cThank you, Azie \u2013 I will miss you \u2013 and these too!\u201d<\/p>\n Sitting back against the sofa, Azelie watched as Joe ate a few more pieces of chocolate and then washed them down with the tea she had offered.<\/p>\n \u201cNow \u2013 tell me \u2013 have you had any visions of Marie?\u00a0 You told me that you\u2019ve been seeing a light \u2013have you seen it again?\u201d<\/p>\n Closing his eyes, Little Joe remembered how the orb of light had appeared numerous times over the last few days, but each time had disappeared quickly.\u00a0 \u201cI still see that light \u2013 especially in my house \u2013 but it doesn\u2019t last long.\u00a0 I also have heard the voice again \u2013 and always those same three words,\u201d Joe paused and fought back his increasing headache.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you not feeling well, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n Shrugging his shoulders, he nodded slightly.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a headache and it comes and goes, Azie.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat can be a sign that angels are attempting to contact you \u2013 and perhaps it is your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut how would I know?\u00a0 I still can\u2019t see my ma\u2019s face, Azie,\u201d Joe frowned, worried that he\u2019d never recapture the memories he had hoped to when he had first begun to talk about Marie with the woman.<\/p>\n Brushing a hand across the boy\u2019s head and sweeping back his fallen bangs, Azelie smiled knowingly and replied, \u201cI know your mother has been reaching out for you \u2013 because I have heard her myself.\u201d<\/p>\n Fighting his disbelief, Little Joe stared into the woman\u2019s eyes and watched her nod confidently.\u00a0 \u201cBut \u2013 if you can hear her \u2013 then why can\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI had a little something to help me, Joseph \u2013 something that has been used for centuries,\u201d Azelie remarked and opened a small tin that she had placed next to the box of chocolates.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d Joe asked, his curiosity now having been peaked.<\/p>\n \u201cJust an herb I grow at my house \u2013 as a matter of fact I put some in both the chocolates and in this tea as well.\u00a0 But that was to help you \u2013 though it wasn\u2019t as much as I took to hear Marie.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo \u2013 I\u2019ve already had some?\u201d<\/p>\n Azelie nodded and answered, \u201cYes, which is why you\u2019ve been able to see that ball of light \u2013 it\u2019s a start to being able to see your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n Thinking on the situation, Little Joe finally looked back up at the woman and asked, \u201cIf I took some more of it \u2013 well \u2013 then would I be able to talk to my mother?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, but you\u2019ll have to stay here for a little while because it will most likely put you to sleep for an hour or so, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have to be home until seven \u2013 that\u2019s plenty of time,\u201d Joe nodded eagerly.<\/p>\n Smiling, Azelie removed some of the dried powder that was inside the tin and sprinkled it inside Little Joe\u2019s iced tea glass and then swirled it around a bit and whispered, \u201cWe have all the time we need, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut \u2013 well \u2013 what if your grandson comes back?\u00a0 I mean — won\u2019t I wake up?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCharles had to go into Carson City to manage some business transactions and won\u2019t be back until late, Joseph.\u00a0 All is well and I\u2019ll stay right here next to you \u2013 so you have nothing to be worried about.\u00a0 Now here\u2014drink all of this down,\u201d she instructed and handed the boy the glass which contained the tea and her herbs.<\/p>\n Little Joe eagerly drank the contents of the glass and Azelie helped ease him back on the sofa, so he was lying flat on his back.\u00a0 \u201cNow simply close your eyes and I will hum a song for you that your mother loved and very soon you will see her \u2013 and feel the love that she had for you.\u00a0 When you awaken, you\u2019ll remember everything that you experience including your mother\u2019s touch.\u201d<\/p>\n Closing his eyes, Joe felt his body going lax and he began to fall into a deep slumber as the song that Azelie was humming slowly played in his subconscious mind.\u00a0\u00a0 A few minutes later he was unconscious.<\/p>\n Standing from her position on the sofa the woman grinned as she opened the locket hanging from the chain around her neck.\u00a0 \u201cMarie \u2013 I told you that I would send your son to you\u2013 he should be with you very soon,\u201d She whispered and then removed the chocolates, the tea and the tin which contained the plants she had grown in her yard in New Orleans.\u00a0 Azelie secreted them away in her bedroom where no one would find them.<\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n Ben, Hoss, and Adam filed out of the church after shaking hands with Reverend Hastings.\u00a0 They walked to their surrey and though his sons had already climbed up into the seat the worried father hesitated as he stared down to the end of the street towards the International House Hotel.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, Pa?\u201d Hoss called down to him.<\/p>\n Ben shook his head and gave a slight shrug of his shoulders before replying, \u201cOh, probably nothing \u2013 I was just wondering about your little brother and what he was doing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe kid promised to be home by supper, Pa \u2013 I doubt he\u2019d come home late after getting in trouble the last time,\u201d Adam added.<\/p>\n \u201cI know \u2013 it\u2019s just that –,\u201d Ben trailed off feeling a bit foolish for worrying so much about Little Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cYou just want to see for yourself, right, Pa?\u201d Hoss grinned, knowing how much his father worried about the boy, especially since he had been acting very peculiar lately.<\/p>\n Nodding, Ben returned, \u201cYou boys go on back home \u2013 I\u2019ll just rent a horse from the livery after I go and make sure that Joseph is doing okay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWant us to just stick around, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shook his head, \u201cNo, Hoss \u2013 I won\u2019t be too far behind you two boys.\u00a0 I just want to see for myself and remind your brother that he\u2019s expected home on time tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded and untied the reins from the footboard.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll see you in a little while, Pa,\u201d He called down to his father and sent the team of horses into motion.<\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n Entering the hotel lobby, Ben turned to the front desk where he saw Bill Gentry.\u00a0 He walked over to him as the man looked up.<\/p>\n \u201cHello, Ben \u2013 what can I do for you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBill, have you seen Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo \u2013 but I just got here about thirty minutes ago,\u201d He replied staring at the other man and noticing the concern on his face.\u00a0 \u201cSomething wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cProbably not,\u201d Ben nodded still thinking himself a fool for being so worried about his son.\u00a0 \u201cCharles Bertrand and his grandmother — have you seen either of them today?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes \u2013 as a matter of fact before I went to lunch.\u00a0 I saw Mister Bertrand and he was over at the livery renting a surrey to go over to Carson City.\u00a0 He asked me to check on his grandmother later in case he was delayed and didn\u2019t arrive back here until late tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you — I think I\u2019ll go check on her myself \u2013 and see if Joseph is up there now,\u201d Ben nodded to Bill and hurried to the staircase.<\/p>\n When his loud knock went unanswered, Ben called in through the door of the suite and there wasn\u2019t any response.\u00a0 He called Azelie\u2019s name as well as his son\u2019s and still no reply was heard from out in the hall.\u00a0 Ben rattled the doorknob and discovered that it was locked securely.\u00a0 He then hurried back down to the front desk.<\/p>\n \u201cBill \u2013 I don\u2019t know exactly what\u2019s going on \u2013 but do you have a spare key to the Bertrand suite?\u00a0 Joseph is supposed to be up there with Azelie and though I knocked and called in through the door there wasn\u2019t any answer,\u201d Ben\u2019s voice sounded strained due to his mounting worry.\u00a0 His fatherly intuition told him that something was very badly wrong and Joseph was in some kind of danger.<\/p>\n Bill turned around and peered into the wooden cubby holes which were used for messages for guests as well as containing extra keys to unlock all the rooms in the hotel.\u00a0 Retrieving the key to room five he turned back to face Ben.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s go and find out,\u201d He insisted and the two men headed for the staircase.<\/p>\n Loudly knocking on the suite and getting no response, Bill called for Azelie Bertrand to open the door just as Ben had done.\u00a0 When a few minutes passed and there was still no sign of anyone, he turned the key in the door and pushed his way inside followed closely behind by Ben Cartwright.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph!\u201d Ben exclaimed after witnessing his son sprawled out on the sofa.\u00a0 He rushed over to his side and knelt there next to him.\u00a0 \u201cWake up, Son!\u201d He pleaded with increased panic in the tone of his voice as he shook Joe\u2019s shoulders trying his best to awaken him.\u00a0 Turning around after hearing one of the bedroom doors opening, Ben watched Azelie calmly walking towards the two men.\u00a0 Standing from where he had been kneeling next to the sofa his face took on a furious countenance as he faced her.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with my boy!\u201d He demanded.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph is merely on a journey \u2013 he\u2019s gone to see Marie,\u201d She answered matter-of-factly.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean he\u2019s gone to see Marie?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMarie told me that she longed for her son \u2013 so I have sent him to be with her,\u201d Azelie answered as though what she had done was totally harmless.<\/p>\n \u201cBen \u2013 Little Joe\u2019s unconscious,\u201d Bill announced as one by one he lifted the boy\u2019s eyelids.<\/p>\n Trying to bring his son around, Ben lightly slapped Little Joe\u2019s cheeks but the boy showed no sign that he had felt it. He turned and stared at Bill, his face filled with paralyzing fear.\u00a0 \u201cDo you have a vacant suite where I can take the boy?\u201d<\/p>\n Nodding, Bill motioned towards the hall and said, \u201cRoom four across the hall, Ben, it\u2019s not occupied right now.\u00a0 Come on it\u2019s not locked, follow me!\u201d<\/p>\n Lifting his son\u2019s lifeless body into his arms, Ben shot Azelie a warning look and growled, \u201cIf my son dies, you\u2019ll pay dearly.\u201d\u00a0 He then followed the desk manager out of the suite and across the hall.<\/p>\n Bill made his way into one of the two bedrooms in the suite and tossed back the sheet and comforter so Ben could ease the boy out of his arms.\u00a0 He gently placed his youngest on the bed and began removing Joe\u2019s boots.<\/p>\n \u201cCould you please go fetch Doc Martin?\u00a0 I don\u2019t know what that woman gave my son but he\u2019s out cold,\u201d Ben\u2019s plea came off laced with increasing fear.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll go get him, Ben \u2013 be right back!\u201d Bill exclaimed and ran out of the room and down the stairs.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph,\u201d Ben whispered and felt his son\u2019s wrist.\u00a0 The boy\u2019s pulse was racing, which made no sense for someone who was unconscious.\u00a0 Ben had expected a much slower heart rate, but he had no idea what had happened to his son or what he might have ingested.\u00a0 Acting by pure instinct alone, Ben walked to the water basin and soaked a washcloth.\u00a0 Bathing his son\u2019s face and neck with the cool water, he attempted to rouse the boy, but all his ministrations proved futile as his son was still unresponsive.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph \u2013 come back to me \u2013 please come back,\u201d He begged as he soaked the cloth again and washed the boy\u2019s face and neck for the second time, hoping the water might be cold enough to illicit a response from the boy.\u00a0 ***What has she done to you?\u00a0 Why did she say that she\u2019s sent you to be with your mother?\u00a0 What does that mean \u2013 was she trying to kill you?\u00a0 Marie would never have wanted any of this!\u00a0 That woman must be insane! ***<\/em><\/strong> Ben\u2019s thoughts raced as he stared at his youngest who he loved beyond words; a boy who he would give his life to save.\u00a0 He prayed for divine intervention as he waited for the doctor to arrive.\u00a0 ***I should have put my foot down and kept you from seeing Azelie \u2013 I thought something was wrong with the way you were acting.\u00a0 Why didn\u2019t I listen to my instincts?\u00a0 Even if keeping you away from her made you mad at me, I should have done it to protect you, Joseph! *** <\/em><\/strong>He couldn\u2019t stop thinking about all he had witnessed regarding his son\u2019s odd behavior and wished that he had tried harder to learn the cause of it all before tragedy had struck.\u00a0 ***Come back to me, Joseph \u2013 you belong here \u2013 not with your mother. ***<\/em><\/strong> Ben prayed as tears stung the corners of his eyes.\u00a0 ***I failed you \u2013 it\u2019s my job to protect you, Son \u2013 and I just let you go see her \u2013 never realizing what she was doing to you.\u00a0 Oh, Dear Lord, please save my boy I need him! ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n *********<\/p>\n Doctor Paul Martin had just arrived back at his office in town after a very long day of tending to folks and was turning the key in the door when the loud shout from Bill Gentry stopped him in his tracks.\u00a0 He spun around and watched as the hotel manager jogged across the street.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it, Bill?\u201d Paul asked as he placed a calming hand on the other man\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 He could see that Bill was out of breath and his face was flushed.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just found Little Joe Cartwright unconscious over at the hotel, Doc!\u201d<\/p>\n Paul drew in a deep breath as a frown played on his lips.\u00a0 \u201cDoes Ben know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s with him now \u2013 better come quick!\u201d<\/p>\n Medical bag in hand, Paul crossed C Street alongside Bill Gentry as they made their way back to the International House.<\/p>\n \u201cThank God,\u201d Ben whispered and turned towards his long-time friend.<\/p>\n Paul made his way over to the bed and cast a quick glance at the still figure lying there.\u00a0 He set his medical bag on the nightstand and then faced Ben Cartwright.<\/p>\n \u201cBill said that the two of you think someone gave Little Joe something that knocked him out?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded and his face looked grim as he responded, \u201cI\u2019ve gotten him out of his clothes, Paul, and I\u2019ve been washing him down with cold water, but he\u2019s not moved an inch.\u00a0 Two people from New Orleans showed up about a week ago \u2013 and one of them \u2013 a ninety-year-old woman who was Marie\u2019s nurse growing up apparently gave the boy something \u2013 I don\u2019t know what \u2013 and she said that she\u2019s sent Joseph to meet his ma.\u201d<\/p>\n Doc groaned over what Ben had related and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cLet me examine the boy \u2013 you and Bill just step aside for a minute,\u201d He announced as he went right to his examination of the young man who he had, almost seventeen years ago, brought into the world.\u201d<\/p>\n With bated breath, Ben watched every single motion that Doctor Martin made.\u00a0 He had lifted the boy\u2019s eyelids, just as Bill had done across the hall earlier.\u00a0 Paul had listened to Joe\u2019s heart after placing his stethoscope in his ears.\u00a0 He checked the pulse in both Joe\u2019s right and left wrists and felt his forehead as well.\u00a0 Finally, Doc turned towards Ben and drew in a deep breath before giving his assessment of the boy\u2019s condition.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has to be something that Little Joe has either eaten or drank, Ben.\u00a0 There\u2019s nothing else I can think of that could put him out like this.\u00a0 He\u2019s not running a fever \u2013 and he\u2019s not had any kind of a fall, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo \u2013 that woman \u2013 she said specifically that she sent Joseph to see Marie, Paul,\u201d Ben replied filled with a kind of rage that was hard for him to contain.<\/p>\n \u201cThis boy\u2019s pulse is very rapid, and his pupils are dilated quite a bit.\u00a0 If Joe has been poisoned, then we need to find out what was given to him — because there\u2019s no way to tell otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll shake it out of her if I have to!\u201d Ben fumed loudly.<\/p>\n \u201cBen \u2013 you just simmer down now,\u201d Paul paused and shot a glance over to Bill.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you go and fetch Roy Coffee over here, Bill?\u00a0 Tell him what\u2019s happened and then take him over to talk to the woman.\u00a0 Hopefully he\u2019ll be able to find out what she gave to Joe if he puts enough pressure on her.\u201d<\/p>\n Bill looked over at Ben.\u00a0 He could read the intense anger which was spreading across his face.\u00a0 \u201cIt won\u2019t take me long \u2013 I\u2019ll report back once Roy\u2019s here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d Ben nodded towards the man who then turned and hurriedly walked out of the room.\u00a0 He drew closer to the bed and ran his hand down one side of his son\u2019s face, still calling out Joe\u2019s name.<\/p>\n \u201cBen \u2013 we\u2019ll figure this out \u2013 no need to jump to conclusions right now,\u201d Paul tried his best to set his friend at ease though he knew that was an impossible task now.\u00a0 He knew how much Ben Cartwright loved all three of his boys and the man had a weak spot in his heart when it came to his youngest.\u00a0 At almost seventeen- years-old the boy had already dealt with numerous life-threatening illnesses and injuries and Paul presumed that fact had only made Joseph that much more precious in his father\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cI need to send word to Adam and Hoss,\u201d Ben sighed as he took a seat next to his son on the bed.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll handle that for you, Ben,\u201d Paul nodded and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cIs there anything we can do for the boy while we wait, Paul?\u201d<\/p>\n Doc didn\u2019t want to offer Ben false hope, and he also didn\u2019t want to increase the man\u2019s worry, he had enough on his plate at that moment.\u00a0 \u201cAll we can do is pray, Ben \u2013 and hope that Roy can get somewhere with the woman who did this to the boy.\u00a0 If it was some kind of poison \u2013 well \u2013 there are a few things that we can try.\u00a0 I can\u2019t induce vomiting because whatever Little Joe took has been in his system far too long.\u00a0 But if we can find out the name of what was used, I might find some kind of an antidote for it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Joseph,\u201d Ben whispered as he brushed a hand through the boy\u2019s hair and fought back his tears.<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t be gone long, let me go ahead and send word to your other boys \u2013 then I\u2019ll be right back,\u201d Paul patted Ben\u2019s back and turned out of the room.<\/p>\n *********<\/p>\n By early that evening the situation was still unresolved.\u00a0 Though Roy Coffee had interrogated Azelie Bertrand for more than an hour she refused to admit to what she had given to Little Joe.\u00a0 Roy just couldn\u2019t bring himself to jailing a ninety-year-old woman, but he did tell her that she was under house arrest until she cooperated with him and told him what she had given to the boy.\u00a0 He had then walked across the hall to tell Ben Cartwright exactly what had been said and to try to find out how Joe was doing.<\/p>\n \u201cHere, Pa \u2013 Bill sent this up for you,\u201d Hoss said handing his father a cup of coffee.<\/p>\n Standing from the chair next to the bed, Ben accepted the cup without a reply. He had both Adam and Hoss there at his side and that fact had helped some, however Little Joe hadn\u2019t budged an inch and his heart seized up in fear over the boy\u2019s condition.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry it took me so long,\u201d Roy called across the room as he joined the three Cartwrights and Doc Martin who surrounded the bed where Little Joe lay unconscious.<\/p>\n \u201cWell?\u00a0 What did she say?\u201d Ben asked, setting down his coffee cup on the nightstand and staring over at the sheriff.<\/p>\n Frowning, Roy shook his head, \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Ben \u2013 I couldn\u2019t get her to crack no matter what I threatened her with.\u00a0 I guess when you\u2019re ninety you don\u2019t have to worry about a long prison sentence.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can get her to talk!\u201d Hoss called over to the sheriff, an appearance of rage taking over his usually calm demeanor.<\/p>\n \u201cSimmer down, Hoss \u2013 I know you\u2019re worried \u2013 but it won\u2019t help getting yourself in trouble,\u201d Roy responded and placed a hand on the big man\u2019s arm hoping to calm him.<\/p>\n \u201cHer grandson hasn\u2019t gotten back from Carson yet?\u201d Ben asked as he approached Roy.<\/p>\n Shaking his head he replied, \u201cNot yet, Ben \u2013 but I expect he should be here soon.\u00a0 Maybe he can talk some sense into his grandmother, and we\u2019ll soon know what she gave the kid?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Roy walked closer to the bed and stared down at Little Joe.\u00a0 \u201cHe still hasn\u2019t come around?\u201d<\/p>\n Doc turned and looked over at the sheriff, his facial expression very grim.\u00a0 \u201cNo \u2013Roy whatever she gave this boy has put him into a coma.\u00a0 Unless we can ascertain what it was \u2013 I don\u2019t know if Joe will —\u201d He paused and shot a quick glance around the room where everyone\u2019s eyes stared apprehensively over at him.\u00a0 He knew exactly what they were thinking and he had to re-word his statement.\u00a0 The Cartwrights were worried enough already and they didn\u2019t need to be told what Joe\u2019s chances of survival were; it was too soon to offer up the odds just yet.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you saying that Little Joe won\u2019t pull through?\u201d Adam was the only one who asked what everyone else was thinking at that moment.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t answer that, Adam,\u201d Paul said and sighed wearily.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s always a chance that your brother could overcome whatever he ingested \u2013 but there\u2019s just no way for me to know.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben walked towards the door and Roy followed closely behind him, finally grabbing the man\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cNow just where are you going?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to have a talk with her right now!\u201d Ben insisted hotly.\u00a0 He had had enough waiting and worrying and decided that he\u2019d get the answers from Azelie or die trying.<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2014Ben — just wait until her grandson gets here,\u201d Roy pleaded with the man.\u00a0 He could read the hatred in Ben\u2019s eyes and couldn\u2019t blame him for feeling that way.\u00a0 His youngest son\u2019s life hung in the balances, and he knew that Ben wasn\u2019t the kind of man who could just stand idly by and do nothing.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll not let Joseph die while we wait for Charles Bertrand to get here!\u201d Ben yelled as he pointed over to where his son lay unconscious.<\/p>\n Bill Gentry appeared in the suite and hurried into the bedroom where everyone was gathered.\u00a0 \u201cMister Bertrand just got here, Roy!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet me handle this, Ben \u2013 I promise that if I can\u2019t make any headway I\u2019ll come fetch you,\u201d Roy said staring up into his old friend\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cLet him do it, Ben,\u201d Paul called over calmly, hoping that he could get through to the man.\u00a0 \u201cYou come over here and do what you do best\u2014fuss over this boy some!\u201d<\/p>\n Hesitating as he drew in a deep breath, he fought his desire to go across the hall and confront Charles.\u00a0 Ben finally acquiesced and turned around.\u00a0 He slowly crossed the room and settled down onto the bed.\u00a0 Sweeping a hand across Little Joe\u2019s forehead he began to speak to the boy just as he had all afternoon.\u00a0 \u201cCome back to us, Joseph \u2013 please find your way back.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss and Adam gathered around the bed and each of them placed a hand onto their father\u2019s shoulder encircling him with their support and love.\u00a0 It was at such times that it occurred to Doctor Martin just how much the Cartwright family drew strength and courage from each other.\u00a0 He bowed his head and sent off another prayer.\u00a0 As a doctor Paul knew that there was only so much that medical intervention could do and then it was time to turn it all over to a much higher power.<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n *** Little Joe tried to clear his vision but no matter how many times he rubbed his eyes the results were the same.\u00a0 All that he could see was a strange ethereal mist which engulfed him and he couldn\u2019t cut through it with his hands though he had tried repeatedly.\u00a0 The absence of sound was deafening as he moved and the otherworldly fog moved right along with him.\u00a0 \u201cI guess I\u2019m dead,\u201d Joe thought to himself and wondered what would happen next.\u00a0 \u201cIt doesn\u2019t look like any kind of heaven to me \u2013 I mean where are the angels and the throne of God?\u00a0 Maybe I\u2019ve been sent to purgatory?\u00a0 I guess that\u2019s got to be better than the alternative \u2013 especially after all the lies that I\u2019ve told in my life. And I have sort of cheated at checkers \u2013 guess that\u2019s another sin I\u2019ve got against me too? \u00a0Still \u2013 I wonder how long I\u2019ve got to be here until someone shows up?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s musing stopped when he suddenly felt himself falling and he closed his eyes filled with a panic he\u2019d never experienced before.\u00a0 When he opened them back up, he was in a place of utter darkness.\u00a0 \u201cI think I know where I am now \u2013 and it\u2019s not a good thing,\u201d he told himself as he blinked hard, hoping to clear his vision once more.\u00a0 Far in the distance there was an almost imperceptible round light giving him just a little bit of hope for his escape.\u00a0 With each step that he took towards the soft glow his footsteps echoed leaving him with a hopelessness he\u2019d never experienced before.\u00a0 Little Joe felt alone for the first time and the emptiness permeated his soul.\u00a0 He longed to see his pa and he missed his brothers.\u00a0 He wondered what he had done which had been so terrible that he had ended up in such a horrible place where only darkness surrounded him.\u00a0 But, that small light far in the distance gave him just a glimmer of hope which made him pick up his pace trying to get to it.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph!\u00a0 Joseph, come back!\u201d he turned toward the sound only to have it fade away.\u00a0 He had recognized Pa\u2019s voice, but he couldn\u2019t determine which direction it had come from.\u00a0 \u201cPa?\u00a0 Pa where are you?\u201d\u00a0 There was no reply, only stillness, the darkness and that tiny light in the distance. ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph \u2013 Joseph come back to me,\u201d Ben whispered as he softly stroked his son\u2019s face hoping for a sign that he was coming back around.\u00a0 But the boy hadn\u2019t moved all that afternoon and now it was the middle of the night.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Pa \u2013 you\u2019ve just got to get some rest,\u201d Adam coaxed as he approached the bed where his father sat next to his little brother.<\/p>\n \u201cYou and Hoss go into that other bedroom and get some sleep.\u00a0 I\u2019ll call you if I get tired,\u201d He replied, his voice growing weak from having tried to talk to Joe all night long.<\/p>\n Hoss neared his family and tried to get through to his father as well, \u201cPa, Adam\u2019s right.\u00a0 You\u2019ve been at this a lot longer than we have — you\u2019re not going to be any good in the morning \u2013 when hopefully Little Joe will be awake and asking for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Easing himself down from the bed, Ben moved to the nightstand where Bill Gentry had sent up another pot of coffee for the three men.\u00a0 He poured a cup and offered some to his boys who both waved it away.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all my fault,\u201d he muttered after taking a couple sips of his coffee.\u00a0 \u201cI never should have talked your brother into meeting those two.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow that just ain\u2019t so,\u201d Hoss protested placing a hand onto his father\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cYou didn\u2019t have no way of knowing what that woman was up to, Pa!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat have I done?\u201d Ben asked mournfully, shaking his head sadly as he stared over at the comatose boy in the bed.\u00a0 He had to fight back tears thinking about the fact that there was a good chance that he was going to lose his youngest.\u00a0 Ben couldn\u2019t bear the thought of it, and wondered how he could ever go on with his life without Little Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cYou heard what Doc said before he left, Pa.\u00a0 He said that Joe could come out of this on his own \u2013 and not to lose hope,\u201d Adam offered, trying his best to sound optimistic.<\/p>\n \u201cBut you heard what Roy said too, Adam.\u00a0 Charles Bertrand tried to talk some sense into his grandmother and didn\u2019t get anywhere.\u00a0 She just refuses to tell anyone what she gave your little brother!\u00a0 He showed Roy those chocolates but there\u2019s no way to know what she might have put in them.\u00a0 It could be just about anything according to Doc Martin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, you know Little Joe \u2013 he\u2019s tough \u2013 we don\u2019t give him enough credit, Pa.\u00a0 I bet he\u2019ll come around and wonder why there\u2019s three people standing here gawking at him,\u201d Hoss tried again to put his father at ease, though it was an insurmountable task.<\/p>\n Ben drew in a deep breath and held it for a minute weighing what he should do next.\u00a0 Finally exhaling he looked back and forth between his two sons and said, \u201cListen, I know what you both are trying to do \u2013 and I appreciate it.\u00a0 But if you want to help me, you\u2019ll both go and get some rest \u2013 I\u2019ll need you more tomorrow than I do right now.\u00a0 I\u2019ll just sit in this chair and if I nod off — well \u2013 at least I\u2019ll be close enough to the boy to hear him if he does come around.\u00a0 Now go on \u2013 get some shuteye!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss slung one of his massive arms around his pa\u2019s shoulder and gave him a slight squeeze.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, Pa \u2013 if that\u2019s how you want it \u2013 but you come and get us if you play out or if Little Joe makes a move, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will, Son \u2013 thanks,\u201d he nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe will make it,\u201d Adam whispered and turned out of the room along with his brother.<\/p>\n Ben watched his two older boys leave the room and stared down at Little Joe again.\u00a0 He wiped away the tears which he had held at bay while Adam and Hoss had tried to talk sense into him, but they had begun to leave his eyes the moment that they had turned their backs and walked away.\u00a0 Ben went to his knees there at the bedside and folded his hands in front of him, leaning onto the bed next to where his boy was fighting to stay alive.<\/p>\n \u201cDear Lord, I\u2019m asking you \u2013 no — I\u2019m begging you — please let Joseph live.\u00a0 He\u2019s just a boy \u2013 and I need him.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know why any of this happened \u2013 but you know all things.\u00a0 If it\u2019s YOUR<\/strong> will \u2013 please bring my boy back to me.\u00a0 Amen,\u201d he finished his prayer and then pulled himself to standing.\u00a0 Ben couldn\u2019t get the verse out of his head; he remembered it so well and had repeated it many times through so many trials of his life and having lost so many people who he had loved, including the mother of the boy who was lying there in a coma.\u00a0 He whispered, \u201cand having done all \u2013 to stand.\u201d <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ll keep the faith, right, Joseph?\u00a0 Just like I\u2019ve always told you.\u00a0 It\u2019s the trials in life that strengthen us,\u201d He whispered as he sat on the side of the bed and combed his fingers through the boy\u2019s curls.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s time you woke up, Boy \u2013 and you could use a haircut.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to take you for one just as soon as you\u2019re up and around,\u201d He paused and had to swipe away the tears which had started up again. \u00a0\u201cFight, Joseph\u2013 fight with all that you have inside — come back to me \u2013 I need you \u2013I love you!\u201d<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n *** Little Joe felt as though he had walked hundreds of miles still heading in the direction of that small light that seemed to move farther away from him no matter what he did.\u00a0 He felt an overwhelming sadness that wouldn\u2019t let go of his heart and he was beginning to think that he was truly in Hell though it didn\u2019t look like what he had envisioned in his youth.\u00a0 Joe was getting ready to quit and simply sit down and let the black void cover him when he heard the sound.\u00a0 This time, unlike before, it wasn\u2019t his father\u2019s voice calling out to him.\u00a0 There was the soft voice of a woman, one with a slight French accent and it repeated the same three words, mon petit garcon.\u00a0 \u201cWho are you?\u201d Joe called out, hoping that he\u2019d get a reply.\u00a0 He waited to hear it again, but the voice was gone.\u00a0 He stared at the light that was still in the distance and picked up his pace once again. ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n \u201cMister Ben?\u201d The quiet call shook Ben from his slumber and he looked up at Hop Sing.\u00a0 He had fallen asleep in the chair next to the bed and instantly stood and dropped a hand down onto Little Joe\u2019s forehead and studied his face.\u00a0 The boy was still unresponsive. He rubbed at his eyes with his palms to clear his vision and then turned to look at his old friend.<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing\u2014when did you get here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just come \u2013 bring buckboard,\u201d he said and offered the man a smile knowing how worried he was.\u00a0 \u201cHow our boy?\u201d Hop Sing asked as he placed a hand onto Little Joe\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n Ben sighed and just shook his head sadly.<\/p>\n \u201cI bring food \u2013 I bring clothes.\u00a0 Mister Hoss and Mister Adam changing into them now.\u00a0 Here,\u201d he said and handed his boss a small satchel.<\/p>\n \u201cI really shouldn\u2019t leave Joseph,\u201d Ben insisted.<\/p>\n \u201cYou go \u2013 Hop Sing take care of our boy!\u201d<\/p>\n If he hadn\u2019t been so worried he would have smiled over the way Hop Sing had called Little Joe \u201cour boy\u201d but Ben couldn\u2019t manage it.\u00a0\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to leave the boy but decided that if he didn\u2019t the cook would only grow more insistent and Ben didn\u2019t need the commotion that early in the day.<\/p>\n \u201cFine \u2013 I\u2019ll go wash up a bit and be right back,\u201d He agreed and accepted the bag Hop Sing offered.<\/p>\n \u201cHave brought food \u2013 it in next room.\u00a0 You eat with boys then you come back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not really hungry,\u201d Ben protested.<\/p>\n \u201cEat, Mister Ben, do for Little Joe \u2013 he worry if you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shook his head over the cook\u2019s logic, but he was much too tired to put up a fuss.\u00a0 He simply patted the man\u2019s shoulder and turned out of the room.\u00a0 Casting a quick glance back over to his son before closing the door, Ben noticed Hop Sing washing the boy’s face and getting ready to put a fresh nightshirt on him.\u00a0 The man had helped him raise the normally rambunctious boy and he knew how much Hop Sing loved him; Joseph was in good hands.<\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n \u201cPa \u2013 you look a little better,\u201d Hoss commented after his father had used the other bedroom to wash up and change his clothes.\u00a0 \u201cWe looked in on you earlier, but you were asleep and we didn\u2019t want to wake you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Son \u2013 I suppose I passed out a little after four this morning,\u201d Ben nodded and sat down on the sofa in the parlor of the suite.\u00a0 He reached for one of the sandwiches that the cook had brought along with him and though he wasn\u2019t hungry he forced himself to eat.<\/p>\n Adam walked into the suite and joined both Hoss and his father.\u00a0 \u201cI saw Doc a few minutes ago and he said he\u2019d be by in just a bit, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded and handed his eldest one of the sandwiches from the basket on the table.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d he nodded and began eating.\u00a0 He wanted to ask about Little Joe but presumed Pa would\u2019ve said something if there had been a change in the boy\u2019s condition.<\/p>\n A knock sounded on the door and Hoss walked over to answer it.\u00a0 Charles Bertrand stood there in the hallway.<\/p>\n \u201cMight I have a word with Ben Cartwright please?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben had heard the voice and stood from the sofa and approached the door.\u00a0 \u201cCharles,\u201d he said and simply nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cBen \u2013 I know I\u2019m probably the last person you want to see right now\u2014but may I have a word with you please?\u201d<\/p>\n Shooting both of his son\u2019s a warning look Ben waved the man inside the suite.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are my sons Adam and Hoss,\u201d He motioned towards each of his boys and they tried not to show their utter disgust as they nodded to the man whose grandmother had caused the whole terrible ordeal.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish we had met under pleasant circumstances,\u201d Charles said contritely.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve come hoping to see Joseph.\u00a0 I am so deeply saddened by what has happened, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss couldn\u2019t hide his disdain and returned, \u201cThen if you\u2019re all tore up about it how about getting your grandmother to tell us what she did to my little brother?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss,\u201d Ben interjected.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not Charles\u2019 fault that this has happened.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss stared down at the floor and tried to regain his composure.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI understand \u2013 I understand how you all must be feeling right now.\u00a0 I have spoken to my Mamie \u2013 all night until she went to sleep in fact.\u00a0 But I couldn\u2019t get her to tell me what happened while I was gone.\u00a0 I\u2019ve gone through all her belongings and didn\u2019t find anything other than those chocolates which I showed to your sheriff.\u00a0 If there was anything I could do I assure you I would do it.\u00a0 My grandmother is not well but she\u2019s never done anything like this before.\u00a0 If I had suspected she had intended to harm Joseph in any way I would have stopped her.\u00a0 Ever since I was young, she has spoken about her love for Marie Del Vie \u2013 I can\u2019t imagine her hurting her son like this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe still won\u2019t tell you why she did this?\u201d Ben asked fighting his anger over the dreadful situation.<\/p>\n \u201cMamie only keeps telling me that Marie wanted her son to be with her.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know what possessed her to act on that thought.\u00a0 May I see the boy, Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n Drawing in a deep breath Ben fought to remain cordial but it was eating at his insides.\u00a0 He kept hearing another verse in his head. *** The merciful shall obtain mercy ***<\/em><\/strong> He thought to himself as he stared towards the bedroom.\u00a0 \u201cJust for a minute,\u201d Ben nodded to Charles and the two men walked across the room leaving both Hoss and Adam shaking their heads over the way their father could show such concern for the man who had brought Azelie Bertrand into their lives.<\/p>\n Charles drew close to the bed and stared down at the lifeless figure lying there.\u00a0 He set a hand down onto the boy\u2019s arm and whispered, \u201cMay God heal you, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d Ben whispered and fought his tears over the sight of his boy.<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t trouble you anymore now, Ben.\u00a0 I promise you that I\u2019ll keep trying to get Mamie to tell me what she gave Joseph.\u00a0 If I find out anything I\u2019ll come right over here.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded as the man turned and walked out of the room.<\/p>\n \u201cWho that, Mister Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe grandson of the woman who did this to the boy,\u201d Ben replied and moved over to the chair by the bed.\u00a0 \u201cYou go on out and sit with Adam and Hoss \u2013 I\u2019ve got this now, Hop Sing.\u00a0 Thank you for the fresh clothes and the food.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe strong boy\u2014you see \u2013 he come back,\u201d He offered his words of encouragement and then patted the boy\u2019s head softly.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing want you wake up, Little Joe \u2013 you listen to Hop Sing,\u201d He whispered and wiped away a few tears as he hurried out of the room.<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n *** Little Joe had no idea how long he had been walking through the black void heading to the light which always eluded him but at last it grew bigger and in the blink of an eye there was a flash and suddenly he was staring at a woman standing there bathed in the same light that he had sought for what seemed like an eternity.\u00a0 \u201cMon petit garcon, my Joseph,\u201d she said smiling.\u00a0 \u201cWho \u2013 who are \u2013\u201d Joe stopped when he realized he knew who the woman was.\u00a0 \u201cMa?\u201d He asked, his voice echoing in his ears.\u00a0 Marie laughed and nodded over to her son.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, you are so tall now.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cMa \u2013 I \u2013 I can\u2019t believe it.\u00a0 I guess I\u2019m dead, right?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cNo, my darling boy, you aren\u2019t dead \u2013 merely visiting right now,\u201d She assured him.\u00a0 \u201cI tried to find you \u2013 to see you \u2013 but I couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 Azie kept telling me that I would if I tried hard enough.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, you didn\u2019t have to look for me \u2013 I\u2019ve always been in between each of your heartbeats.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Ma\u2014I forgot \u2013 forgot everything about you,\u201d Joe apologized still taking in the vision of his mother, so elated that he had found her.\u00a0 Marie wanted to pull the boy to her, but she couldn\u2019t but she could speak to him to put him at ease.\u00a0 \u201cMy son, you didn\u2019t forget \u2013 all our memories are hidden in your heart.\u00a0 You couldn\u2019t remember because you knew that it would hurt too much.\u00a0 But it\u2019s alright to remember, Joseph.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cCan I stay with you?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cPerhaps for a little while,\u201d she nodded.\u00a0 \u201cNow close your eyes and I will make you remember our times together.\u00a0 That will keep you with me always.\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe smiled and attempted to hold onto his mother, but she backed away.\u00a0 \u201cNo, Joseph, just close your eyes and we will be together in the memories, but you can\u2019t come closer or you will have to stay forever.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t understand, why?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cJust close your eyes, mon petit garcon.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Joe did as his mother had said and soon he was seeing in his mind each day he had spent with her. ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n *************<\/p>\n \u201cDoc, it\u2019s been almost three days now and the boy hasn\u2019t moved a muscle or made a sound.\u00a0 Is he going to die?\u201d Adam asked in the parlor of the suite but out of the earshot of his father.<\/p>\n Paul shook his head grimly and replied, \u201cI don\u2019t know, Adam, but it\u2019s not looking good.\u00a0 I\u2019ve only gotten a few eyedroppers of water down Little Joe\u2019s throat and that\u2019s not much.\u00a0 There really isn\u2019t anything more that I can do for your brother.\u00a0 I\u2019ve tried every trick that I know.\u00a0 \u00a0I even wafted smelling salts under Joe\u2019s nose, but he didn\u2019t flinch or cough.\u00a0 Right now, I\u2019m worried about your father too.\u00a0 The man has only gotten a couple of hours of sleep in three days.\u00a0 I\u2019ve tried to talk to him about taking a nap, but he refuses to leave Joe\u2019s side.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam frowned and nodded his head, \u201cI know, both Hoss and I tried to make him go down last night and he got angry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGo and bring Hoss in here, I need to talk to both of you,\u201d Doc instructed urgently.<\/p>\n Walking into the bedroom Adam noticed Pa sitting next to Joe and Hoss standing just to his right.\u00a0 Adam waved his brother over and Hoss turned from the bed and approached him.<\/p>\n \u201cDoc wants you to come out into the parlor,\u201d He whispered and the two of them joined Paul in the next room.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, I know you\u2019re not going to like this \u2013 but we need your father to get some sleep before he falls out.\u00a0 I\u2019ve talked to him, but he won\u2019t listen to me.\u00a0 I need to sedate him, and I know he\u2019s going to balk at the idea.\u00a0 So, I need you to help me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you have in mind?\u201d Hoss asked warily.\u00a0 He had some idea, but he hoped that he was wrong in his assumption.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s in that chair and I\u2019m going to draw up something to put him out for a few hours \u2013 so I need you to restrain your pa in case there\u2019s an argument \u2013 and knowing Ben there will be one!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSorry that you\u2019re the strongest of us now, aren\u2019t you?\u201d Adam asked his brother.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Hoss nodded and then drew in a deep breath.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t like this none \u2013 but if it\u2019s to help Pa, I\u2019ll do it.\u00a0 Let\u2019s get this over with,\u201d He sighed and walked into the bedroom with Paul.<\/p>\n Ben had moved from the chair and was back up on the bed trying to place a few drops of water on Little Joe\u2019s tongue totally oblivious to Paul drawing up the sedative in the syringe at the time.\u00a0 Before he could protest Ben felt Hoss\u2019 hands holding his shoulders as Paul plunged the needle into the fold of his right elbow.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat have you done!\u201d Ben sang out angrily staring at both men.<\/p>\n \u201cYou gotta get some sleep, Pa,\u201d Hoss replied, his face showing the strain of what he had just done.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you go blaming Hoss, Ben, I put him up to it.\u00a0 Now he\u2019s gonna take you to that nice comfortable sofa in the parlor and you\u2019re going to get a few hours of sleep.\u00a0 I won\u2019t leave Little Joe\u2019s side.\u00a0 Now go before you pass out cold,\u201d Doc insisted and watched as Hoss\u2019 hands steadied his father as he came off the bed.<\/p>\n \u201cI need to be with my boy!\u201d Ben shouted, his worry making him fight off his son\u2019s attempt to move him into the next room.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll help,\u201d Adam offered and got on one side of his father while Hoss held onto the other as they eased him into the next room.\u00a0 By the time they had placed Ben onto the sofa he was fast asleep.\u00a0 Hoss reached for the extra blanket at the end of the sofa and covered his father.<\/p>\n \u201cI hated like heck to do that,\u201d Hoss sighed as he looked up at Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s okay, you did good, Brother,\u201d Adam insisted and sat down in the chair next to his father.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll take turns spelling Doc; you go take the first watch.\u201d<\/p>\n Nodding, Hoss walked back into the bedroom to keep watch on Little Joe.\u00a0 As Doc fell asleep in the chair Hoss stood over the bed and prayed that Little Joe would come back to them all.\u00a0 He pushed aside the boy\u2019s fallen bangs just as Pa would\u2019ve done had he been there at the time.<\/p>\n ***Falling into a deep and disturbing sleep Ben had no idea how much time had passed since he began his journey.\u00a0 He looked around and all that he could see was a black void which surrounded him.\u00a0 It took him a good long while before his eyes became acclimated enough that he could see the faraway light in the distance and he began to walk towards it.\u00a0 Hearing a woman\u2019s voice, he stopped dead in his tracks because he knew who it was.\u00a0 \u201cMarie?\u00a0 Marie where are you?\u201d He shouted but only heard laughter in response.\u00a0 \u201cMarie?\u00a0 Is that you?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cOver here, Ben, I\u2019m here,\u201d she sang out.\u00a0 Ben began running toward the glow of the light at the end of the tunnel, but he never could reach it, it just kept moving farther away.\u00a0 It was then that he spun around and spotted another light behind him.\u00a0 \u201cMarie?\u00a0 Can you see me?\u201d he turned and called out once more.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s behind you, Ben,\u201d She replied and he looked at the smaller light in the opposite direction from where the voice had called out to him.\u00a0\u00a0 It was at that moment that he realized he was looking at the departing form of Little Joe.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph?\u00a0 Joseph, over here!\u201d He shouted but the boy kept walking away, acting as though he never heard his father\u2019s voice calling to him.\u00a0 \u201cMarie \u2013 Marie I can\u2019t get to him!\u201d Ben shouted.\u00a0 Marie suddenly stood in front of her husband, her smile just as lovely as he had remembered.\u00a0 \u201cBen \u2013 Ben, I have missed you so.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cMy Marie,\u201d Ben whispered and reached for his wife taking her into his arms.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve missed you so, Marie my love,\u201d Ben choked out as he swept a hand through the woman\u2019s hair.\u00a0 \u201cI have always been with you \u2013 can\u2019t you see it when you look at our son, Ben?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cJoseph\u2014Marie \u2013 something\u2019s happened to Joseph.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cI know,\u201d She nodded as she pulled back from his arms.\u00a0 \u201cI need to get a message to Azie, Ben, it\u2019s important \u2013 I can\u2019t stay long.\u00a0 You tell her this \u2013 tell her I said to bring back my little boy.\u00a0 I want him with you, Ben.\u00a0 Tell her it in French.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cIn French?\u201d Ben asked, not understanding what she was asking him to do.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Ben, tell Azie that I said I want her to give you back mon petit garcon.\u00a0 She will know.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cI miss you so, Marie,\u201d He whispered and tried to pull his wife back into his arms but there seemed to be an invisible barrier which separated them now.\u00a0 \u201cI have always been with you, Ben, in our son.\u00a0 And someday we will be together for all eternity.\u00a0 Now return and tell Azie what I\u2019ve said.\u00a0 I love you.\u201d Before Ben could say another word, the woman had vanished.\u00a0 Ben looked down through the tunnel and saw his son walking toward the light.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph!\u201d He yelled hoping that the boy would turn around.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph!\u00a0 Don\u2019t go that way, come over here, Son!\u00a0 Follow my voice \u2013 I need you \u2013 don\u2019t go that way!\u201d\u00a0 Unable to stop the boy or make him turn towards him, Ben cried out again.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph!\u201d ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been tossing and turning the whole time, Hoss,\u201d Adam said as the two of them looked down at their father who was asleep on the sofa where he had been most of the night.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe still hasn\u2019t moved an inch,\u201d Hoss sighed and took the seat that Adam had vacated.<\/p>\n Dropping a hand down onto his brother\u2019s shoulder he replied, \u201cJust keep an eye on Pa and I\u2019ll go sit with Doc and the kid.\u201d\u00a0 Adam walked into the next room to sit by his brother and pray for him to return to them all.<\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n *** \u201cDid you hear him, Joseph?\u00a0 That was your father,\u201d Marie smiled at her son.\u00a0 \u201cIt was so faint I couldn\u2019t make out what Pa said.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cHe wants you to go back to him, Joseph.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cCan\u2019t I stay?\u201d\u00a0 Joe asked, not ready to leave his mother.\u00a0 \u201cPerhaps just a little while longer, my precious boy, but then you must return to him.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t want to leave you.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cWe have our memories, Joseph, they will keep us until we can be together for eternity.\u00a0 Now close your eyes and we will relive a few more before you must return to your father.\u201d ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cJoseph!\u201d Ben shouted as he bolted up on the sofa.<\/p>\n \u201cPa\u2014it\u2019s okay \u2013 he\u2019s still with us,\u201d Hoss tried to calm his father, worried about the way he had awakened.<\/p>\n Ben stared around the room attempting to get his bearings after his disturbing dream.\u00a0 \u201cI \u2013 I need to go and talk to Azelie!\u201d He insisted and stood.<\/p>\n \u201cPa \u2013 it\u2019s only six in the morning,\u201d Hoss moved over to his father and tried to calm him.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t give a hoot what time it is.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got something to say to her!\u201d Ben shouted and hurried to the door.\u00a0 He flung it open and jogged across the hall.\u00a0 Pounding on the door, Ben shouted for Charles.<\/p>\n \u201cBen?\u201d Charles called as he groggily opened the door and looked up at the other man.\u00a0 \u201cIs it Joseph?\u00a0 Has he come around?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI need to speak to Azelie!\u201d Ben insisted and didn\u2019t wait for an invitation, he just hurried into the parlor and crossed to the woman\u2019s bedroom.\u00a0 He knocked loudly until she opened her door.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen Marie,\u201d Ben called down to the woman.\u00a0 \u201cMy wife had a message for you \u2013 and you\u2019d better listen to it right now!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMarie?\u00a0 How did you see Marie?\u201d she asked in disbelief.<\/p>\n \u201cNever mind how \u2013 it\u2019s of no importance.\u00a0 Marie said these words and she insisted that I say them exactly this way.\u00a0 Azie, you must give back mon petit garcon.\u00a0 Now that\u2019s what she said — so whatever you know you\u2019d better tell me now!\u201d<\/p>\n Azelie held her hand to her chest as Ben spoke those words.\u00a0 She read the sincerity and the anger on the man\u2019s face and could tell that he meant everything that he had conveyed to her.\u00a0 \u201cI believed that Marie wanted Joseph with her,\u201d She began but Ben cut her off.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph belongs with me!\u00a0 Marie wants it that way and so do I!\u00a0 Now what did you give my boy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSome herbs \u2013 just some that I grew in my garden,\u201d she said and walked to the bureau in her room where she had placed the small tin that contained what she had put in Joe\u2019s tea and in the chocolates.\u00a0 She brought the container back to the doorway and handed it to Ben.<\/p>\n Studying the dried herbs Ben stared down at the woman and said, \u201cThis doesn\u2019t help.\u00a0 What is it that knocked Joseph out cold?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNightshade \u2013 it was nightshade,\u201d Azelie confessed and dropped her head down.\u00a0 \u201cI only wanted to give the boy back to my Marie.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben drew in a deep breath and turned around to see Charles standing there.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t waste time berating the woman for what she had done; there wasn\u2019t any time to spare if he was going to get the information to Paul and try to save his son.\u00a0 Ben hurried out of the suite and across the hall.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s nightshade, Paul!\u201d Ben sang out full of both anger and fear.<\/p>\n \u201cNightshade?\u201d Doc asked as he stood from his chair and neared the anxious father.<\/p>\n \u201cIs there an antidote \u2013 I\u2019ve heard that nightshade is poisonous.\u00a0 Can you do anything, Paul?\u201d<\/p>\n Doc thought for just a minute and then nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI think so \u2013 I read something about nightshade poisoning not long ago.\u00a0 Let me get to my office \u2013 and then to the apothecary.\u00a0 I\u2019m probably going to have to make a tincture.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be back just as quickly as I can,\u201d He returned and hurried out of the room.<\/p>\n Adam and Hoss exchanged hopeful glances and neared their father.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a chance now,\u201d Ben nodded to his sons as tears stung his eyes.\u00a0 He moved over to where Little Joe was still lying motionless.\u00a0 Settling down next to his youngest, Ben whispered as he softly combed his fingers through the boy’s curly hair, \u201cHang on for just a little while longer, Joseph.\u00a0 It\u2019s going to be alright.\u201d<\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n Ben had waited and worried and prayed for the whole three hours that Paul had been gone.\u00a0 Joseph had gone three straight days without any nourishment other than a few droppers of water, and most of that had dribbled out of his mouth.\u00a0 The boy looked so gaunt that it terrified him every time he looked at Joe.\u00a0 But when Doc came hurrying into the bedroom Ben\u2019s heart leapt and it felt as though it was now lodged securely in his throat.\u00a0 He stood from the bed as Paul made his way around to the nightstand and set down his medical bag.\u00a0 He held in his hand a small brown bottle with a dropper.<\/p>\n \u201cIn layman\u2019s terms this is eserine, of course there\u2019s a long technical name for it but that\u2019s not important.\u00a0 I was able to get what I needed at the apothecary and then I diluted it enough so we can drop it into Little Joe\u2019s eyes and place some on his tongue.\u00a0 Give me some room, Ben,\u201d Doc said and watched as the worried father moved to the side and his two older boys flanked him.\u00a0 Shaking the bottle a few times, Paul pulled some of the liquid up into the dropper and then one by one placed several drops in each eye.\u00a0 \u201cHold his mouth open for me, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n Pa walked to the other side of the bed and reached over and dropped his son\u2019s jaw as Paul pried the boy\u2019s lips apart.\u00a0 He placed several drops on Little Joe\u2019s tongue and then turned to stare at Ben.\u00a0 \u201cIt may take a few times, so we\u2019ll just keep at it.\u00a0 Let\u2019s give it about ten minutes and see if he responds.\u201d<\/p>\n Leaning across the bed, Ben began to call his son as he had so many times in the past three days.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph\u2014come on back \u2013 I need you.\u00a0 Open those eyes \u2013 you\u2019re needed here.\u00a0 Now come back.\u201d<\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n *** \u201cThat\u2019s your pa again, you need to get ready to leave, Joseph.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cBut \u2013 I\u2019m not ready to leave you, Ma.\u00a0 I just started remembering you.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, I told you that I\u2019m always with you.\u00a0 And you will always be mon petit garcon.\u00a0 But your father needs you now.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cI hope that I\u2019ll remember all the memories that you\u2019ve shown me when I get back \u2013 I love you.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cMon petit garcon, our memories exist right behind our hearts keep them safe there, just remember that I love you always \u2013 always.\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe watched as his mother turned back into a soft glowing light and drifted away until she vanished leaving him standing in the dark void once more. ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s try it again,\u201d Paul sighed.\u00a0 He had given the boy three rounds of the medicine with no effect at all, and he was starting to believe that Little Joe wouldn\u2019t respond, which meant he wasn\u2019t going to live much longer.\u00a0 He dreaded telling Ben Cartwright that because he knew it would kill him, if not physically then emotionally.<\/p>\n Ben and his two oldest boys watched again as the doctor placed the drops in Little Joe\u2019s eyes and on his tongue.\u00a0 All three of them bowed their heads and prayed.<\/p>\n \u201cBen, come here and call to him again,\u201d Doc insisted.\u00a0 He had tried everything that he could and there wasn\u2019t anything else to be done for the boy.<\/p>\n Sitting down on the bed next to his son, Ben swiped a hand across his forehead and tried again.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, please come back \u2013 I need you.\u00a0 Just open those eyes \u2013 please!\u201d<\/p>\n A soft almost imperceptible sound came through the dry lips of the boy on the bed.\u00a0 It had been so quiet that only Ben, who was right next to him, had heard it.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph?\u201d He whispered and grabbed the boy\u2019s hand into his.<\/p>\n \u201cMonnn —- monnn,\u201d Joe\u2019s voice was so faint and so hoarse that his father couldn\u2019t figure out what he was saying.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph?\u201d He called again and shot a look around the room at the other three men.<\/p>\n \u201cMonnn \u2013 monnn,\u201d Little Joe continued.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s it, Son, come on back \u2013 keep trying.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMonnnn \u2013monnn \u2013 petit\u2013\u201d<\/p>\n Ben stared at his son, shocked at what he was hearing coming out in little more than a whisper.<\/p>\n \u201cMonnn — monnn \u2013 mon petit — mon petit — garcon,\u201d Joe finally got the phrase out as his eyelids began to flutter open.<\/p>\n Ben bit at his bottom lip as tears began to fall from his eyes.\u00a0 He had heard Joe saying the exact same words that Marie had said to him in the dream, which had persuaded Azelie to tell them what she had given Joseph and that information had saved his life.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph?\u201d Ben continued to coax the boy.\u00a0 \u201cOpen those eyes now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMonnn \u2013 monnn petit \u2013 garcon,\u201d He stuttered and then his eyelids opened and stayed that way.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph!\u201d Ben cried and pulled the boy into his arms and held him tightly to his chest.<\/p>\n Hoss, Adam and Doc Martin all exchanged joyful smiles seeing that the boy was finally conscious.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u00a0 Pa \u2013 I saw my mother \u2013 and \u2013 and,\u201d He stopped because his throat was so tight and dry.<\/p>\n Adam had heard his brother\u2019s difficulty and hurriedly poured a glass of water and handed it to his Pa.<\/p>\n \u201cDrink this slowly, Boy,\u201d Ben urged as he helped raise the glass to Joe\u2019s lips because he was extremely weak from three days without anything to eat or drink.\u00a0 He watched as Little Joe was able to take a couple of good long sips before he stopped and waved the glass away.\u00a0 Ben handed the glass back to Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cMy Ma \u2013 she was there — she kept telling me\u2014monnn \u2013 mon petit \u2013 mon petit garcon,\u201d Joe explained staring into his father\u2019s eyes which were still filled with tears.<\/p>\n Ben nodded and smiled knowingly at his son.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure that you saw her, Joseph.\u00a0 I\u2019m just so glad that she sent you back to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe just kept saying it \u2013 those were the words I kept hearing in my dreams before all of this happened.\u00a0 Pa?\u00a0 Do you know what it means? Mon petit garcon?\u201d He asked hoping that his father would have the answer that he needed.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Son,\u201d Ben nodded and pulled Joseph back into his arms, kissing his forehead as he whispered, \u201cIt means my little boy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about time you woke up, Young Man,\u201d Doc scolded as he smiled broadly unable to maintain his stern demeanor.\u00a0 \u201cNow let\u2019s get a look at those eyes of yours and let me listen to your heart.\u00a0 That is \u2013 if you\u2019ll get that father of yours to let go of you long enough for me to do that!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss and Adam laughed as they neared their little brother\u2019s bed.<\/p>\n \u201cGood luck with that, Doc!\u201d Hoss called over to him grinning.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright,\u201d Ben surrendered as he settled his son back against the pillows and then stood from the bed.\u00a0 \u201cGo ahead, Paul.\u00a0 Check him over good now.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe smiled as he glanced over at his family and saw the relief in the eyes of everyone.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m back,\u201d He whispered and fell off to sleep.<\/p>\n Paul listened to the boy\u2019s heart and checked his pupils.\u00a0 He then stared over at Ben.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s just sleeping, Ben \u2013 take that panicked look off your face.\u00a0 His pulse has slowed to almost normal, and his eyes aren\u2019t dilated anymore.\u00a0 I\u2019d say this boy is going to make yet another remarkable recovery.\u00a0 Another one for the textbooks,\u201d He announced with a relieved smile on his lips.<\/p>\n Hoss and Adam surrounded their father, and they knew what he was thinking.\u00a0 The three men bowed their heads and gave thanks to God that Little Joe was back with them.\u00a0 If they had looked up at the time, they might have noticed that Doctor Martin had bowed his head briefly as well.\u00a0 He knew who the best healer was and it wasn\u2019t a country doctor.<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n Epilogue<\/p>\n Doctor Martin insisted that Little Joe remain there at the hotel for two days so he could keep a better eye on him and so the boy could get a bit stronger before taking the long drive back to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Each of the Cartwrights as well as Hop Sing took turns caring for him and there was never a minute when someone wasn\u2019t keeping an eye on him.\u00a0 Everyone knew how close they had come to losing Little Joe and they weren\u2019t taking any chances now.<\/p>\n Roy Coffee had a long talk with both Ben and Charles to determine what should be done about Azelie.\u00a0 Doctor Martin had examined her and afterwards he had advised Ben that the woman wasn\u2019t long for the world, so he relented and refused to press any charges.\u00a0 Charles promised to keep a good eye on her so she would never get her hands on any of the herbs which she had used on Little Joe.\u00a0 The night before they left to go to San Francisco, Charles spoke with his grandmother.<\/p>\n \u201cMamie, you do know that you did wrong, do you not?\u201d He asked as the woman was about to go to sleep.\u00a0\u00a0 He stood in her bedroom and looked down at her.<\/p>\n \u201cI only wanted Marie to have what she lost.\u00a0 She needed her boy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow you know that was wrong.\u00a0 What are you keeping from me?\u00a0 I can see it in your eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s Joseph—and what fate lies ahead for him now that he\u2019s chosen to remain in this life.\u00a0 He would have been happily in the next world with Marie and not had to suffer more.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThree men \u2013 three men he will have to face because he remains here,\u201d She nodded to her grandson a sorrowful look on her face.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat men?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI only know what they will do, I do not know their names.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMamie \u2013 are you imagining all of this?\u201d Charles asked, disbelief coming out with his words.<\/p>\n \u201cNo \u2013 I see it \u2013 I saw it the first time that I looked in that boy\u2019s eyes \u2013 just as I knew that Marie\u2019s first marriage would end in tragedy like her last.\u00a0 Three men from Marie\u2019s past — one comes to steal the boy from his father; one comes to him to seek vengeance and the other is someone who means him well but will break his heart.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you think we should warn Ben Cartwright?\u00a0 If this seems real to you then I could talk to him before he leaves tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo \u2013 this is Joseph\u2019s fate because he chose to return,\u201d She insisted.\u00a0 \u201cWe can\u2019t change fate.\u00a0 I only pray that the boy is strong enough and that if he is to remain in the world of the living that he will survive all of this.\u201d<\/p>\n Charles drew in a deep breath unsure as to whether he should mention to Ben anything that his grandmother had told him.\u00a0 He rationalized that if the predictions were true then there wasn\u2019t much the man would be able to do to stop any of it from happening.\u00a0 He walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.\u00a0 *** I will pray for you Joseph. *** <\/em><\/strong>he vowed and walked into the parlor.<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n \u201cAdam you and Hoss ride on ahead and let Hop Sing know that I\u2019m bringing the boy home.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be there shortly, I\u2019m going to take it easy because Joe\u2019s still pretty weak,\u201d Ben said as he stood next to the buckboard.\u00a0 Adam held the reins of his and Hoss\u2019 horses waiting for both of his brothers to come out of the hotel.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, Pa \u2013 I\u2019ll let Hop Sing know to get the kid\u2019s bed ready for him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPut me down you nit wit!\u201d Little Joe fussed as he was carried through the door of the hotel and down the steps.\u00a0 \u201cI can walk doggone you, Hoss!\u00a0 I ain\u2019t no invalid!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss laughed as he hefted his little brother onto the bench seat of the buckboard and called over to his father, \u201cThis kid might have been out of it for three whole days, but he\u2019s still got one heck of a set of lungs on him, Pa!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben chuckled and watched as Joe cast a scathing glare at Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cYour brother is just trying to be of help to you, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNumbskull,\u201d Joe muttered as Hoss mounted his horse.<\/p>\n \u201cSee you back home!\u201d Hoss called over to them as he and Adam turned their mounts and headed back to the ranch.<\/p>\n Little Joe suddenly grew quiet and stared down at the footboard.\u00a0 Ben noticed the change in his son\u2019s demeanor, and he had an idea what was going on with the boy.\u00a0 Joe always talked a good game, especially around his brothers but his pa knew when the boy was troubled.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph? What is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa \u2013 will you \u2013\u201d Joe cut himself off as he felt his father\u2019s arm ease across his shoulder pulling him close to him.\u00a0 Ben was so relieved to have his youngest sitting there next to him looking not too much worse for wear, though he had just survived a life and death struggle.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll take you there,\u201d He whispered as he sent the team of horses forward with a slight tap of the reins.\u00a0 Words weren\u2019t needed; Pa just knew what Little Joe was asking simply by looking at his facial expression.<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n The buckboard clamored up the narrowing path which led to a semi-circle of pines and a magnificent overlook of Lake Tahoe where Marie Cartwright had been laid to rest some twelve years ago.\u00a0 Ben assisted his son out of the wagon, holding on to the boy\u2019s arm to steady him.\u00a0 He knew that Joseph was far too weak to be making the climb to his mother\u2019s gravesite, but he was also aware that the boy needed to get some things off his chest.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, tell me what it was all about, Joseph.\u00a0 Tell me why you took what Azelie gave you.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe looked down at his mother\u2019s headstone and fought to tell his father the truth of what he had been up to before he had taken the almost lethal dose of nightshade.<\/p>\n \u201cIt all started because I couldn\u2019t remember anything about my mother, Pa.\u00a0 You and my brothers still had memories of her \u2013 and I\u2019d hear all of you talking \u2013 but I didn\u2019t have any.\u00a0 I tried and tried but I never could bring any into my head and that\u2019s why I stopped talking about her,\u201d Joe began still fighting to get his story out so Pa would understand.<\/p>\n \u201cGo on, Son,\u201d Ben coaxed.<\/p>\n \u201cWell — after I met Azie, she told me that she could help me remember \u2013 you know?\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t sure at first \u2013 but once I started having these really vivid dreams, I thought that maybe she could.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid you know that she was giving you something that could kill you like that nightshade almost did, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Sir \u2013 I didn’t know what she was doing. She gave me chocolates and tea \u2013 but I didn\u2019t know that they had any stuff that could hurt me in them.\u00a0 But I\u2019d get really tired, you know? And when I\u2019d come home, I started seeing things\u2014like balls of light \u2013 and I\u2019d get the worst headaches!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben lifted his son\u2019s chin to stare into the boy\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cWhy did you keep all of that from me?\u201d He asked, extremely hurt by the thought that Joe had hid so many secrets from him.<\/p>\n Joe shrugged his shoulders helplessly and answered with desperation in his tone of voice, \u201cPa \u2013 I thought you\u2019d make me stay away from her if you knew.\u00a0 I just wanted to remember \u2013 just anything \u2013 just a memory of my Ma that I could hold on to.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shook his head sadly and exclaimed, \u201cJoseph \u2013 I could have lost you!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Pa, I didn\u2019t know that she was giving me stuff that could kill me.\u00a0 That last time \u2013 she just said that I\u2019d get to see Ma if I took it and she was right \u2013 but it wasn\u2019t something that I should\u2019ve done,\u201d he whispered and then broke away from his father and went down to his knees next to the headstone.<\/p>\n Tears fell from Little Joe\u2019s eyes, and the sight almost broke his father\u2019s heart.\u00a0 He understood why Joseph had done what he had, but that didn\u2019t make it the right thing to have done.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re all gone now,\u201d Joe choked out, facing away from his father.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s gone, Son?\u201d Ben called softly.<\/p>\n \u201cThe memories \u2013 I had them \u2013 while I was with her \u2013 but when I came back \u2013 I lost them, Pa.\u00a0 All I have now are those words \u2013\u201d His voice broke and he closed his eyes trying to push back the tears.<\/p>\n Ben struggled to find something to say that would help heal his son\u2019s broken heart.<\/p>\n Little Joe cried out, \u201cMon petit garcon.\u00a0 That\u2019s all that I have left of her now.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben watched as his son dropped his head down into his hands finally giving in to his grief.\u00a0 He went down to his knees next to the boy and put his hand on his shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Joseph,\u201d He whispered.\u00a0 \u201cYou can\u2019t live your life reaching back for yesterday<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0 Let your mother\u2019s spirit rest but hold on to the memory of the love that she had for you.\u00a0 That\u2019s all that really matters anyway \u2013 the love and it will always be there.\u00a0 But she did leave you with a memory\u2014the memory of what she always called you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMon petit garcon \u2013 is that what she used to call me?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded and offered the boy an understanding smile.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s right \u2013 from the day you were born Marie called you that, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe pushed away bittersweet tears as he thought back to seeing his mother, though he couldn\u2019t remember any of the memories that she had shared with him other than those three words.\u00a0 He was now back in a reality where she could no longer call out to him or appear as she had while he was in his coma.\u00a0 \u201cPa, I thought I heard your voice calling out to me when I was with Ma, and she told me to go to you.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben vividly recalled the dream he had of Marie and what she had told him.\u00a0 He also remembered seeing his son walking away and how he had pleaded with Joseph to turn around and come back to him.\u00a0 \u201cI told you about my dream \u2013 but I left out the fact that I did see you \u2013 when I was with your mother \u2013 and I kept calling your name, Son.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want you to leave me.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe stared at his father trying to comprehend everything that had happened to the two of them.\u00a0 \u201cPa \u2013 do you think you were really there with me?\u201d<\/p>\n Offering his son a patient smile he shrugged his shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know, \u2013 but you\u2019re here now and that\u2019s all that really matters to me.\u00a0 But there\u2019s one thing I do know — there\u2019s a future waiting for you, Joseph \u2013 and you can bring your mother\u2019s love with you,\u201d He insisted and lovingly ruffled the boy\u2019s hair as he stood back up.<\/p>\n Wiping away his tears Joe reached over and touched Marie\u2019s headstone.\u00a0 He bowed his head and said a silent prayer.\u00a0 When he opened his eyes, he noticed his father\u2019s hand reaching down to help pull him to his feet.<\/p>\n \u201cWe both have that memory of your mother, Joseph \u2013 I saw her too.\u00a0 Perhaps mine was a dream\u2014I don\u2019t know — but I saw her, nonetheless.\u00a0 And she told me that she\u2019s always with me — because I have you.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe accepted his father\u2019s hand, and Ben pulled him up.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s going to be alright, Son.\u00a0 Just hold on to the memory of the love your mother had for you and be content with that until you see her again. \u00a0Let\u2019s go home, Joseph.\u201d\u00a0 Pa patted the boy\u2019s back and then dropped an arm across Little Joe\u2019s shoulder as they turned to walk away.<\/p>\n Joe briefly turned back to his mother\u2019s grave for one last look.\u00a0 Closing his eyes, he heard her voice so clearly.\u00a0 ***Mon petit garcon ***<\/em><\/strong> He glanced up at his pa and nodded his head that he was going to be okay.\u00a0 Ben stared down at the living reminder of Marie and smiled broadly.\u00a0 They turned and walked back down the path together.<\/p>\n ***A fool will lose tomorrow reaching back for yesterday.\u00a0 I won\u2019t turn my head in sorrow if you should go away.\u00a0 I\u2019ll stand here and remember just how good it\u2019s been, and I know I\u2019ll never love this way again. ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The End<\/p>\n Written by Wrangler<\/p>\n 4-22-2026<\/p>\n (Dedicated to my story consultant Rob who I couldn\u2019t do without.\u00a0 And to one of my dearest friends Dianne who passed away today, heaven has a new angel.)<\/p>\n Azelie\u2019s predictions were about three men.\u00a0 The first, who would try to steal Little Joe from Ben is Rene Marchant from \u201cAlways My Son\u201d.\u00a0 The second who was out for vengeance was Francois Balantaire, from the \u201cBeautiful in My Eyes\u201d series.\u00a0 Lastly, the man who meant well but would break Little Joe\u2019s heart is his half-brother Clay in the story, \u201cIn This Life.\u201d *** these are all shameless plugs***<\/p>\n As for nightshade, it\u2019s highly toxic and grows all over North America and yes, there was a drug called Eserine used in the 1800\u2019s to combat nightshade poisoning.\u00a0 As with everything, consult your own doctor and don\u2019t take the word of a fanfiction writer.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\n\u201cAzie \u2013 I\u2019ve had some strange dreams the last few nights,\u201d Joe began and wondered why it seemed so natural to confide in the woman when he couldn\u2019t tell his father what his nightmares had been about.\u00a0 Pa was the one person in the world who understood him best but lately he found it too hard to talk to him.<\/p>\n