{"id":6422,"date":"2003-04-18T16:31:02","date_gmt":"2003-04-18T20:31:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6422"},"modified":"2026-07-22T09:58:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T13:58:14","slug":"poltergeist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6422","title":{"rendered":"Poltergeist (by pkmoonshine)"},"content":{"rendered":"

A cruel taunt sets off a chain of unsettling events at the Cartwright homestead.\u00a0 Prequel to Poltergeist II<\/a>, but\u00a0NOT part of the “Bloodlines” Series.<\/p>\n

All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners.\u00a0 The original characters and plot are property of the author.\u00a0\u00a0 The author is not in any way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, and makes no money from this work.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 No copyright infringement is intended.<\/p>\n

Rating: \u00a0K+ \u00a0(15, 325 words)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Poltergeist\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chapter 1<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease, Mister Simpson?\u201d<\/p>\n

Titus Simpson (1) gazed down into the face of the young, pleading so earnestly.\u00a0 \u201cOh, all right, Joe,\u201d he gave in with an indulgent smile.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t suppose there\u2019s any harm in showing Miss O\u2019Toole here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, Lotus, you have to promise not to tell anybody . . . at least not until after Pa\u2019s birthday next month.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI promise!\u00a0\u00a0 I won\u2019t tell anybody about it, Joe, not a soul.\u201d<\/p>\n

Titus reached under the counter and pulled out a small card, neatly hand painted, in big, bold, block letters, all caps, with the words:\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cClosed.\u00a0\u00a0 Back in 10 minutes.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He strode briskly across the short distance between counter and the store entrance.\u00a0\u00a0 Upon reaching the door, Titus hung the sign slightly above his eye level, facing outward toward the street.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThis way,\u201d he said, motioning for Joe Cartwright and Lotus O\u2019Toole to follow.<\/p>\n

Joe, himself, had not so long ago celebrated a birthday.\u00a0\u00a0 His thirteenth.\u00a0\u00a0 Almost from the day he blew out the candles on his cake, he had found himself stuck right in the middle between the states of hopeless confusion and seemingly endless bewilderment.\u00a0\u00a0 So it seemed to him, anyway.\u00a0\u00a0 All of a sudden, he was too old to be doing half the things he wanted to do, and too young yet to do the other half.\u00a0\u00a0 Worst, and perhaps most baffling of all, was that somehow, most of the girls he had known his entire life had changed almost overnight into fearsome, alien creatures, with rounded hips and subtly curving breasts.\u00a0\u00a0 Talking with them was so easy before.\u00a0\u00a0 NOW he found himself tongue tied, without the slightest idea why.<\/p>\n

And if all that wasn\u2019t bad enough, his own body betrayed him with changes of its own.\u00a0\u00a0 The cherubic, slightly pudgy, wholly adorable little kid everyone loved and doted upon, almost overnight tuned into a fat, surly adolescent with an oily face full of pimples and a voice that sounded deeper than the waters of Lake Tahoe one minute, and squeaked the next.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere it is, Joe . . . Miss O\u2019Toole,\u201d Titus said beaming with pride.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s my best piece of work, if I do say do myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Titus Simpson held out a brand new, custom-made rifle for their inspection.\u00a0\u00a0 The inlaid wood handle was a true work of art.\u00a0\u00a0 Ben Cartwright\u2019s initials, painted gold, were set in a field carved from dark mahogany.\u00a0\u00a0 The dark mahogany was separated from the hard oak wood, stained cherry, by a delicate border of leaf, vine, and even the familiar Ponderosa brand.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s beautiful,\u201d Lotus gasped.\u00a0\u00a0 She looked up at Titus, completely awe struck.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMister Simpson, may I . . . may I touch it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCertainly,\u201d Titus readily gave permission.<\/p>\n

Lotus stroked the wood handle reverently, savoring the near silk like smoothness of the wood.\u00a0\u00a0 Even the inlaid sections flowed from one to the other seamlessly, with no tell tale bumps or ridges to mar the surface.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThis is a gift . . . for your father?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Joe replied.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAdam, Hoss, and I kinda chipped in and went together on it.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He didn\u2019t tell her that it was mostly Adam and Hoss.\u00a0\u00a0 Though he had chipped in what he could spare from his weekly allowance, it seemed like a pitiful drop in the bucket compared to what his older brothers earned in wages.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d better get back out front,\u201d Titus said courteous, yet pointed.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure.\u00a0\u00a0 Thank you for showing it to us, Mister Simpson,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Lotus, we better get going, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lotus nodded.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThank you for letting me see it, too, Mister Simpson.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was certainly my pleasure,\u201d Titus replied with a grin.<\/p>\n

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

Joe Cartwright and Lotus O\u2019Toole left the shop Titus Simpson had shared for the better part of the last fifteen years with his business partner and closest friend, Phineas Burke (1).\u00a0\u00a0 They stepped out onto the sidewalk, struggling mightily against the urge to run, to race down the length of board sidewalk between Titus Simpson\u2019s shop and the laundry run by Lotus\u2019 maternal grandparents.\u00a0 They WERE all of thirteen years old, Joe as of a month ago, Lotus two and a half months before that.\u00a0\u00a0 They were adults now . . . almost, and it was high time they had begun to act like adults.<\/p>\n

Lotus and Joe slowly turned their heads, her dark brown eyes meeting his hazel ones.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast one to the laundry is a rotten egg,\u201d Joe challenged, then took off running as fast as his legs could carry him.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst one there\u2019s gotta eat it!\u201d Lotus shouted back, as she raced to catch up.<\/p>\n

Joe reached the laundry at the end of the walk, less than a second before her.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI win!\u201d he declared triumphantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou do not!\u00a0\u00a0 You cheated!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI did not!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou did so!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid not!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid so!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo!\u201d<\/p>\n

They glared at each other for a long, silent moment, before dissolving into a fit of the giggles.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe marveled how easy it was being with Lotus, and talking with her, and wondered again, why it had become so hard with nearly all the other girls he knew.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, LITTLE Joe . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

Joe turned and saw his most despised nemesis, Billy Caine standing in the street facing him.\u00a0\u00a0 Lean, lanky, and roughly two years older, he stood a whole head and a half taller to Joe\u2019s short and chunky.\u00a0\u00a0 Billy had thick, straight hair, the same shade of light brown as a new born fawn\u2019s coat, that always seemed to be hanging down in his eyes, and a face generously strewn with acne pimples.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhaddya want, Billy Boy?\u201d Joe demanded with a disparaging sigh.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hear MISTER CARTWRIGHT\u2019S birthday\u2019s coming up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo?!\u00a0\u00a0 What\u2019s it to YOU?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, from what I hear, YOU ain\u2019t obligated to buy MISTER CARTWRIGHT a present,\u201d Billy replied with a malicious grin.<\/p>\n

\u201c . . . and what\u2019s THAT supposed to mean?\u201d Joe demanded, favoring Billy with a dark, angry scowl.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means, LITTLE Joe, that a kid\u2019s supposed to give his PA a present on his birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me something I DON\u2019T know, Billy BOY.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright . . . . \u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Billy\u2019s smile broadened.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAdam and Hoss have to get MISTER CARTWRIGHT a present, but YOU don\u2019t!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat kind of crazy talk is this, Billy Boy?\u00a0\u00a0 Sound\u2019s like you\u2019re trying to tell me my pa\u2019s NOT my pa!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 The idea was so ridiculous, Joe laughed in his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think that\u2019s funny, Little Joe?\u00a0\u00a0 Well let\u2019s see if ya find THIS funny!\u00a0\u00a0 Your ma was a loose woman, who ran around after everything that wore a pair of pants the WHOLE TIME she and MISTER CARTWRIGHT were married.\u00a0\u00a0 She even went after MY pa . . . not just once, mind ya . . . many times.\u00a0\u00a0 Pa stopped counting after the first dozen or so . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a lie!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the truth!\u00a0\u00a0 MY pa says so.\u00a0\u00a0 You can ask him if you\u2019d like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe, leaping with the lightening swiftness of a cougar, wrapped his arms tight about Billy\u2019s waist, slamming him hard against the packed dirt road.\u00a0\u00a0 Both boys were rolling in the dirt less than a second later, pummeling each other with their fists and screaming obscenities at the tops of their lungs.<\/p>\n

Lotus, her face grimly set, turned and bolted into her grandparents\u2019 laundry.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGrandfather!\u00a0\u00a0 Grandfather!\u00a0\u00a0 They\u2019re fighting!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s fightin\u2019, Lotus?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 It was Roy Coffee.\u00a0\u00a0 He had apparently stopped in a few moments before to pick up the shirts he had left last week.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe Cartwright and Billy Caine!\u201d Lotus answered breathlessly.<\/p>\n

Roy groaned.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAgain?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHurry, Sheriff, please!\u00a0\u00a0 They\u2019re killing each other!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy Coffee walked right out of the laundry and into the midst of the fight, his posture erect, his face set with grim, even angry determination.\u00a0\u00a0 He seized the young combatants by their shirt collars and forcibly separated them.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNow you boys settle yourselves down right now!\u201d he ordered sternly.<\/p>\n

The boys glared murderously at each other, but remained in place.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow what\u2019s this all about?\u201d Roy asked, letting go of their shirt collars.<\/p>\n

\u201cHE started it!\u201d Joe declared heatedly, thrusting a pointing finger in Billy\u2019s direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou hit first, Little Joe Cartwright, because you\u2019re to much of a coward to hear the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy you little son uva— \u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Joe charged his tormenter like a hurt, angry bull against a matador.<\/p>\n

Roy quickly interposed himself between Joe and his intended target.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019ll be enough!\u201d he growled, seizing hold of the two boys once again.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re comin\u2019 with me t\u2019 the city jail, the BOTH o\u2019 ya.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t throw me in jail!\u201d Billy declared with all the cock sure arrogance of a strutting bantam rooster.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou do, my father will have you removed from that sheriff\u2019s job.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSon, the ONLY ones that can remove me from my job as sheriff are the VOTERS,\u201d Roy returned stiffly, \u201cand elections ain\u2019t for another whole year and a half.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy dragged Joe and Billy into his office and seated them in chairs over next to the wall, lying to the right of his desk.\u00a0\u00a0 They were placed far enough way so as not to get at each other, yet in a place where the sheriff could keep a close eye on them as he worked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve sent Clem to fetch both your pas,\u201d Roy said sternly.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIn the mean time I want ya both to sit over there, and keep quiet.\u00a0\u00a0 I gotta lot of work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201c . . . DAMMIT, THAT . . . THAT CARTWRIGHT BRAT IS A MENACE!\u201d Judge William Caine shouted, banging his tightly balled fist on Roy Coffee\u2019s desk for emphasis.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWELL, I\u2019VE HAD IT!\u00a0\u00a0 I WANT YOU TO THROW THE BOOK AT HIM, SHERIFF!\u00a0\u00a0 MAYBE THIRTY DAYS IN JAIL WILL TEACH THAT YOUNG HOOLIGAN WHAT HIS FATHER CAN\u2019T BE BOTHERED— \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIF YOU FOR ONE MINUTE THINK I\u2019M GOING TO ENCOURAGE MY SON TO JUST . . . TO JUST STAND THERE AND LET YOUR BOY USE HIM AS A PUNCHING BAG ANY TIME HE FEELS LIKE IT, I STRONGLY SUGGEST YOU THINK AGAIN!\u201d Ben Cartwright roared back, matching the judge decibel for decibel.<\/p>\n

\u201cYOUR KID\u2019S A MENACE, CARTWRIGHT!\u00a0\u00a0 HE OUGHT TO BE MADE TO WEAR A MUZZLE AND A LEASH WHEN HE\u2019S OUT IN PUBLIC!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c . . . AND YOURS<\/strong> . . . WHO HAPPENS TO BE TWO YEARS OLDER . . . A WHOLE HEAD TALLER AND AT LEAST A GOOD FIFTEEN POUNDS HEAVIER OUGHT TO BE TAUGHT TO PICK ON SOMEONE HIS OWN SIZE!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBen . . . Judge Caine . . . . \u201d Roy tried to get in a word edgewise.<\/p>\n

\u201cYOU CALLING MY SON A COWARD, MISTER CARTWRIGHT?!\u201d the judge demanded, drawing himself up to the very fullness of his height.<\/p>\n

\u201cIF THE SHOE FITS, JUDGE CAINE— \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWOULD THE BOTH OF YA PUH-LEESE . . . SHUT THE HELL UP?!\u201d Roy finally shouted at the top of his lungs.<\/p>\n

The two combatants immediately fell silent.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s better . . . . \u201d Roy sardonically observed, as he glared over at Ben first, then at the judge.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNow, Gentlemen . . . I\u2019m only gonna tell ya once, so you\u2019d best listen up.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He paused briefly to allow the two angry men standing before him a brief moment to absorb the import of his words.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBen . . . Judge Caine . . . this is the third time in the last couple o\u2019 weeks I\u2019ve caught your boys beatin\u2019 up on each other \u2018n rollin\u2019 around in the street like a couple o\u2019 thugs.\u00a0\u00a0 If it happens a FOURTH time, I\u2019m gonna hold the pair of \u2018em in jail \u2018til they get some sense in their heads.\u201d<\/p>\n

The judge whirled in his tracks.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMister Cartwright, so HELP me . . . if you don\u2019t take that boy of yours firmly in hand, I\u2019m gonna— \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYOU\u2019RE GONNA . . . WHAT?!\u201d Ben demanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor starters I\u2019m gonna turn him over my knee and give him the good sound whipping he deserves!\u201d the judge declared, the angry scowl on his face deepening.<\/p>\n

\u201cJudge Caine, if you so much as look at my son cross-eyed . . . ANY ONE OF \u2018EM . . . I\u2019LL have YOU jailed so fast, it\u2019s gonna make your head swim!\u201d Ben immediately countered, before very pointedly turning his back on the judge.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAlright, Roy . . . . \u201d he growled, \u201chow much?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTHIS time the fine\u2019s gonna be five dollars,\u201d Roy replied, in a voice stone cold, \u201cfor BOTH of \u2018em.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFIVE DOLLARS?!\u201d Judge Caine roared.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cFIVE DOLLARS?\u00a0\u00a0 THAT\u2019S OUTRAGEOUS!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Sir!\u201d Roy snapped.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s outrageous is the two o\u2019 your boys . . . as OLD as they are . . . mixin\u2019 it up on a public street like a couple o\u2019 hooligans!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c . . . and if I refuse pay that . . . that ridiculous, exorbitant amount of money?\u201d the judge demanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf ya don\u2019t, Billy spends the night in jail,\u201d Roy replied.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s as simple as that!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know about Judge Caine, but I have better things to do than spending all day standing around here haggling about the fine,\u201d Ben growled as he reached into the inside pocket of his vest and withdrew his wallet.\u00a0\u00a0 He removed a single bill and slapped it down onto the sheriff\u2019s desk.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJoseph!\u201d he said tersely, as he glanced up and made eye contact with his youngest son, seated next to Billy Caine against the wall to his right.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s go!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c . . . c-coming, Pa . . . . \u201d Joe murmured softly, as he rose with slow reluctance from his chair.<\/p>\n

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

Chapter 2<\/p>\n

\u201cBad enough you let that hot temper of yours get the better of ya in the school yard, Boy,\u201d Ben had admonished Joe severely, as they made their way home in the buckboard.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBut, I\u2019m NOT going to stand for this business of you brawling with Billy Caine, or anyone ELSE for that matter, out on the public streets like a common thug.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBilly Caine started it, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI asked you WHAT happened!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI SAID Billy Caine started it!\u201d Joe snarled, on the edge of tears. \u00a0\u00a0He wanted to tell Pa . . . this man he had KNOWN as Pa all his life . . . the whole story, but he just couldn\u2019t bring himself.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s all there is to it!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want to talk about it later . . . . \u201d Ben offered in a gentler tone.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing to talk ABOUT!\u201d Joe snapped.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBilly Caine started it!\u00a0\u00a0 Period!\u00a0\u00a0 That\u2019s ALL!\u00a0\u00a0 Now can we just drop it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although Joe knew full well that his father rarely ever pressed himself or his brothers to talk about things before they were ready, that \u2018alright,\u2019 sounded cold in his ears, impersonal.\u00a0\u00a0 Could Billy Caine have spoken true?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 For the first time in his entire young life he felt like a ship, set adrift from its moorings.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cHey, Shortshanks, you\u2019re awfully quiet tonight,\u201d Hoss observed off handedly as the family sat down to supper that evening.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou feeling alright?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFine!\u201d Joe snapped.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe got into a fist fight with Billy Caine this afternoon,\u201d Ben said disparagingly.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh yeah?\u201d Hoss frowned.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat about?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt had to be something,\u201d Hoss pressed.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI know you gotta quick temper and all, but even YOU don\u2019t get to out and out brawling unless it\u2019s something!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI SAID it was nothing!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright, Li\u2019l Joe.\u00a0\u00a0 If y\u2019 don\u2019t wanna talk about it, just say so.\u00a0\u00a0 Y\u2019 don\u2019t hafta take my head off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe slammed his fork known on the table hard enough to rattle all the dishes and utensils.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLook!\u00a0\u00a0 I don\u2019t wanna talk about it because there\u2019s NOTHING to talk about!\u00a0\u00a0 Alright?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, that\u2019s ENOUGH!\u201d Ben said severely.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIf you can\u2019t keep a civil tongue in your head, I\u2019m going to have to ask you to leave the table and go to your room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOK, fine!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Joe shot out of his chair so fast, his body\u2019s momentum toppled it over.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t want me around, I\u2019ll go to my room!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 A strangled sob punctuated his words as he left the table and fled to the safety and relative privacy of his room upstairs.\u00a0\u00a0 His father and two older brothers stared after him, stunned.<\/p>\n

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

Joe spent the entire evening, hour upon hour, staring hard into the mirror on top of his dresser searching diligently for something . . . anything that bore even the slightest resemblance to Ben Cartwright.\u00a0\u00a0 He saw plenty of his mother in his thick wavy hair, his nose, the shape of his face.\u00a0\u00a0 She probably had the same color eyes he did, too.\u00a0\u00a0 But there was absolutely nothing of his father . . . rather the man he had been led to believe was his father.<\/p>\n

He finally turned away from the mirror, sick with despair.\u00a0\u00a0 It took every ounce of will he possessed to trudge the short distance from dresser to bed, and collapse.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe buried his face deep in his pillow and cried himself to an exhausted stupor.<\/p>\n

A soft knock on his door roused Joe to a state of torpid wakefulness.\u00a0\u00a0 He opened his mouth to respond, then snapped it shut.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe squeezed his eyelids shut and forced himself to lie still, taking slow, deep, even breaths.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u00a0\u00a0 Are you awake?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGo away!\u201d<\/em> Joe begged silently.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPlease, just . . . go . . . AWAY!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The door opened. \u00a0\u00a0Ben crossed the room from the door to Joe\u2019s bed, noting that the boy hadn\u2019t even bothered to change out of his clothes into his nightshirt.\u00a0\u00a0 He sat down on the edge of the bed and gently touched his youngest son\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s touch startled, and nearly sent Joe jumping right out of his skin.\u00a0\u00a0 He focused hard on keeping his body absolutely still, his breathing slow and even, in . . . out . . . in . . . out.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe . . . on the off-chance you might be listening,\u201d Ben said quietly.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI know something\u2019s eating away at you, and I want very much to help you.\u00a0\u00a0 Even if it\u2019s something I can\u2019t do anything about, I can still listen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe would have given anything in the world to just blurt out to this man what was bothering him.\u00a0\u00a0 But, he couldn\u2019t. \u00a0\u00a0Not now!\u00a0\u00a0 Not ever again!\u00a0\u00a0 He had no right.<\/p>\n

Getting no response, Ben finally rose, and covered Joe with the quilt lying folded across the foot of his bed.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGood night, Joe,\u201d he whispered, before leaving the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe ok, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s sleeping, Hoss.\u00a0\u00a0 I thought it best not to wake him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cY\u2019 gotta talk to him, Pa,\u201d Hoss, ever the family peacemaker, begged.\u00a0\u00a0 He and Ben stood out in the hall, right in front of the fast closed door to Joe\u2019s room.\u00a0\u00a0 He could hear just about every word they said.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSomethin\u2019s chewing that boy up inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think talk at this point is useless!\u00a0\u00a0 What that boy REALLY needs is a good swift kick on that portion of his anatomy upon which he\u2019s accustomed to sitting,\u201d Adam said severely.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, don\u2019t you remember having been thirteen once?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure I do, Pa, but . . . Wait a minute!\u00a0\u00a0 You\u2019re not saying I was . . . that I was anything like . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Son, you and Hoss were different . . . not only from Joe, but from each other too.\u00a0\u00a0 What I\u2019m trying to say is this time of life\u2019s not easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sighed, then ruefully nodded his head.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re right, Pa.\u00a0\u00a0 You\u2019re right.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019ll try to be patient.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you will, Son.\u00a0\u00a0 In the meantime, I\u2019d suggest we all turn in.\u00a0\u00a0 We\u2019ve got a long hard day ahead of us tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe suddenly realized that not once did Ben refer to HIM as son just now.\u00a0\u00a0 He called Adam and Hoss that, but not him.\u00a0\u00a0 Further, neither Hoss nor Adam had ever, not even once referred to him as brother.\u00a0\u00a0 It was either Joe, the boy, or THAT boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cBilly Caine was RIGHT!\u201d he murmured as fresh tears once more stung his eyes.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe buried his face hard against his pillow to muffle the sounds of his weeping.\u00a0\u00a0 Never, in all his entire life, brief though it was, had he ever felt so totally and completely alone.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cP-Pa . . . I mean M-Mister C-C-Cartwright . . . he\u2019s NOT my pa . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

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

Hop Sing stood at the bottom of the steps watching as Joe Cartwright slowly and very reluctantly descended.\u00a0\u00a0 The boy\u2019s hair was mussed, and his clothing crisscrossed with a myriad of wrinkles and creases.\u00a0\u00a0 The shirt was missing a couple of buttons and there was a large hole in the pants slightly above Joe\u2019s right knee.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing glared at the torn pants.\u00a0\u00a0 A string of terse, clipped syllables escaped past his lips.<\/p>\n

Joe paused at the second landing.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d he demanded belligerently.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou not go to school like that!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike WHAT?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cClothes look like Little Joe sleep in them!\u201d Hop Sing declared, his voice and his ire rising.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou change clothes after breakfast.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cLittle Joe growing boy.\u00a0\u00a0 Growing boy must eat!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI SAID I wasn\u2019t hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGo sit at table.\u00a0\u00a0 Hop Sing have breakfast ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe exhaled a short, curt exasperated sigh, then trudged over to the dining room table.\u00a0\u00a0 He was mildly surprised to find that there was only one place set.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing?\u00a0\u00a0 Where IS everybody?\u201d he demanded with a puzzled frown.<\/p>\n

\u201cOut pasture.\u00a0\u00a0 Herd cattle, brand calves,\u201d Hop Sing replied as stepped out of the kitchen, carrying a single plate in one hand, with two eggs, fried, over easy, six pieces of bacon, fried potatoes, and two biscuits.\u00a0\u00a0 In the other hand, he carried a glass of milk.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cEat food now, while hot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe picked up his fork and stabbed at the eggs, breaking the yolk.\u00a0\u00a0 At first, he was relieved to discover that Ben, Adam, and Hoss had left bright and early for the pastures to begin the yearly chore of calf branding.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing, they didn\u2019t tell me!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo chance to tell Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u00a0\u00a0 They always tell me when they\u2019re not going to be here for breakfast.\u00a0\u00a0 Always!\u00a0\u00a0 Why didn\u2019t they tell me THIS time?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe leave supper table, go to bed early,\u201d Hop Sing said acerbically.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPapa have no chance to tell Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shoveled a fork full of yolk stained fried potatoes in his mouth, chewed, then tried to swallow.\u00a0\u00a0 The food seemingly stopped mid-way down his throat.\u00a0\u00a0 He coughed vigorously, while reaching for the glass of milk sitting just to the left of his plate.<\/p>\n

The sounds of his forceful coughing brought Hop Sing running from the kitchen, with a glass of water in hand.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHere!\u00a0\u00a0 Little Joe drink this!\u201d he said, shoving the glass into Joe\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n

Joe raised the glass and drank.\u00a0\u00a0 Gradually, the dry tightness in his throat eased.\u00a0\u00a0 He dutifully drained the glass, then handed it back to Hop Sing.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe drop fork,\u201d the Cartwrights\u2019 chief cook and bottle washer stated, shaking his head.<\/p>\n

Joe turned and glanced down at the floor, on his left.\u00a0\u00a0 His fork was there, just as Hop Sing had said.\u00a0\u00a0 He frowned, trying to remember when he had knocked it off the table.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing bent down and retrieved the fork.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing get clean fork from kitchen,\u201d he muttered.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t bother!\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m not hungry!\u201d Joe said in a sullen tone, as he pushed his plate away.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow Little Joe supposed to grow big and strong if Little Joe not eat breakfast?\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing demanded indignantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cEat?\u00a0\u00a0 What for?\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019ve probably got enough stored up right here in fat to last me a whole year!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat baby fat!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe groaned, secretly grateful Billy Caine hadn\u2019t heard Hop Sing say that.<\/p>\n

\u201cBaby fat disappear when boy grow up,\u201d Hop Sing said knowingly, then frowned.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNow Little Joe\u2019s spoon on floor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe turned and looked down in the direction Hop Sing pointed.\u00a0\u00a0 This time, the utensil lay on the floor, behind his chair, just to the left.\u00a0\u00a0 The only way it could have possibly gotten there was if he had removed it from the table and dropped it over his shoulder.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI . . . I didn\u2019t do it, Hop Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing go get clean fork AND spoon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Joe rose from the table.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI said I wasn\u2019t hungry.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 With that he abruptly left the table and started walking resolutely toward the stairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cSlave over hot stove, fix breakfast, boy not hungry, food go out in garden!\u201d Hop Sing muttered angrily as he cleared Joe\u2019s breakfast dishes from the table.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAll Hop Sing do in Cartwright house!\u00a0\u00a0 Cook food, throw food in garden!\u00a0\u00a0 Every day, cook food, throw in garden!\u00a0\u00a0 Hop Sing quit!\u201d<\/p>\n

The sounds of someone angrily stomping up the stairs stopped Hop Sing dead in his tracks.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBoy have no respect!\u201d he muttered as he set the dishes in hand back down on the table.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo respect for Papa, no respect for brothers, no respect for Hop Sing!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Boy LEARN respect for Hop Sing.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He strode briskly out into the great room, fully intending to give Little Joe the dressing down of his life.<\/p>\n

As Hop Sing rounded the corner and came within view of the stairs, the stomping sounds abruptly ceased.\u00a0\u00a0 Little Joe was nowhere to be seen.\u00a0\u00a0 He muttered something in Chinese, threw up his hands, then returned to the dining room for the dishes.<\/p>\n

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

Chapter 3<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s school day was surprisingly and mercifully uneventful.\u00a0\u00a0 Billy Caine, miracle of miracles, kept his distance.\u00a0\u00a0 There was a stern reprimand from Miss Gibson for not having done his homework the night before, but apart from that, she, too, had left him alone.\u00a0\u00a0 Not once did he have to work out arithmetic problems at the blackboard in front of the entire class, nor did she call on him to give answers.\u00a0\u00a0 His classmates pretty much avoided him also.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was recess.\u00a0\u00a0 He glanced up and saw Lotus O\u2019Toole standing over him, gazing down into his face anxiously.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you alright?\u201d<\/p>\n

He opened his mouth to say yes, only to snap it shut upon thinking better of it.\u00a0\u00a0 They had been best friends since the first day they started school at the age of five.\u00a0\u00a0 Lotus knew very well that he was distressed.\u00a0\u00a0 No amount of lying or protestations was going to convince her otherwise.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLotus, it\u2019s . . . . it\u2019s something I have to work out myself,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, don\u2019t tell me you actually believe those lies Billy Caine told you yesterday,\u201d she said severely.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not that, it\u2019s something else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lotus glared at him long and hard.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAlright,\u201d she finally decided not to press.\u00a0\u00a0 At least not yet.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBut if you want to talk to me, I\u2019m willing to listen,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you dare forget that, OK?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked up at her and smiled, despite his misery.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI won\u2019t, Lotus.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSee that you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

With that, she respectfully withdrew to allow him the space he needed.<\/p>\n

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

Ben, and his two older sons sat down to supper that evening, thoroughly exhausted after having spent the day moving cattle, chasing down the calves, roping and branding them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know about YOU boys, but after we finish supper, I\u2019m all for a hot bath, then bed,\u201d Ben sighed wearily.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got the energy for a hot bath?\u201d Adam teased.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe oughtta!\u00a0\u00a0 Pa spent most o\u2019 HIS time on horse back, herdin\u2019 the cattle,\u201d Hoss pointed out.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou, me, \u2018n Hank were doin\u2019 all the runnin\u2019 around, chasin\u2019, hog tyin\u2019 them calves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAge has its privileges, Hoss,\u201d Ben said with a weary smile.<\/p>\n

Joe bristled as conversation turned from fatigue and aching muscles to plans for tomorrow and the next few days following.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Shortshanks, y\u2019 gonna eat them mashed potatoes, or push \u2018em around on your plate?\u201d Hoss asked, suddenly noting that Joe\u2019s plate remained full.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s it to ya?\u201d Joe growled.<\/p>\n

Ben closed his eyes, and forced himself to count very slowly to ten.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what burr\u2019s worked its way up under your saddle, Li\u2019l Joe.\u00a0\u00a0 If ya don\u2019t wanna talk about it, fine!\u00a0\u00a0 But, I\u2019m gettin\u2019 dadburn sick \u2018n tired o\u2019 you takin\u2019 it out on the rest o\u2019 us,\u201d Hoss countered.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright, fine!\u201d Joe snapped.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll leave!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He pushed back his chair and started to rise.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph . . . sit . . . down,\u201d Ben ordered, laboring mightily to keep his tone calm and even in the face of the ire rising steadily within him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d Joe demanded, as he quickly dropped back down into his chair.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSo I can sit here like . . . like some kinda bump on a log, listening to the three of you go on and on about what you did today, and what you\u2019re going to do tomorrow . . . like I\u2019m not even here?!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben sighed.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re right, Joe,\u201d he had to agree.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSupper IS supposed to be the meal where we ALL sit down together as a family . . . and I apologize for not including you in our conversation just now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow was school today, Joe?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright,\u201d Joe mumbled.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything new or unusual happen at school today?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Shortshanks, y\u2019 dropped your spoon this time,\u201d Hoss said, as he bent down to retrieve it.<\/p>\n

Joe frowned.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s odd!\u00a0\u00a0 I don\u2019t remember knocking it off . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss dutifully wiped the spoon on his napkin and handed it over to Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you learn in school today, Joe?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing,\u201d he muttered, wishing they would go back to talking about the day\u2019s happenings and tomorrow\u2019s list of things to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing?\u201d Ben echoed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, you know . . . .\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Same old, same old.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Joe, now your knife\u2019s on the floor,\u201d Hoss said with a puzzled frown.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt . . . would appear that we\u2019re, ummm . . . all thumbs tonight,\u201d Adam gently teased.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, you\u2019re not a king and you\u2019re not pregnant,\u201d Joe snapped, borrowing that line from Miss Gibson.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThose are the only kinds of people who have the right to refer to themselves in the second person plural.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI . . . think you mean FIRST person plural,\u201d Adam returned stiffly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think you\u2019re so-oooo-oooo smart, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, for heaven\u2019s sake . . . I was joking!\u00a0\u00a0 I didn\u2019t mean— \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you\u2019re about as funny as . . . as . . . as what g-goes on at the . . . the undertaker\u2019s,\u201d Joe returned, his voice shaking as his escalating anger and grief pushed him closer and closer to the edge of tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam . . . Joseph . . . that\u2019s enough!\u201d Ben admonished both in a tone that brooked no argument, glaring first at his eldest, then over at his youngest.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are ya yelling at ME?!\u201d Joe demanded.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMister Big Mouth over there\u2019s the one who started it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJOSEPH!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe exhaled a short, curt, exasperated sigh, then lapsed into sullen silence.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter WHO started it,\u201d Ben continued.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat DOES matter is . . . I\u2019M finishing it.\u00a0\u00a0 Is THAT understood?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sighed softly, then wryly rolled his eyes heavenward, drawing a sharp, angry glare from Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cI asked you of that was understood,\u201d Ben prompted through clenched teeth when neither of the sons addressed had deigned to reply.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Pa . . . understood,\u201d Adam meekly replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnderstood,\u201d Joe grumbled, with head bowed and eyes glued to the plate before him.<\/p>\n

Ben sighed softly, and counted to ten once more.\u00a0 \u201cBoys . . . . \u201d said quietly, after he had finished counting, \u201cthis is the one time each day we most often sit down together as a family.\u00a0\u00a0 Is it really too much to ask that the four of us sit down to the supper table together for a pleasant meal?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt WAS pleasant until HE had to go and shoot off his mouth,\u201d Joe groused.\u00a0\u00a0 He could feel the hurt and anger rising within him building to an explosive pitch.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, and you, too, Adam.\u00a0\u00a0 I want you both to apologize,\u201d Ben ordered.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright . . . . Joe, I\u2019m sorry for being insensitive and sarcastic just now,\u201d Adam quietly offered his apology.<\/p>\n

Ben glared over at his youngest son expectantly.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJoseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe opened his mouth with every intention of telling Mister High-and-Mighty-Adam Cartwright where he could stuff his apology.\u00a0\u00a0 Suddenly, a biscuit flew up out of the breadbasket and bounced off Adam\u2019s forehead.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey!\u00a0\u00a0 That hurt, Shortshanks!\u201d Adam growled, as he angrily threw his own napkin down on the table.\u00a0\u00a0 He rose.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPa, I\u2019m going into town.\u00a0\u00a0 Maybe there, I can sit down and have a bite of supper in peace, without some immature little brat attacking me with the biscuits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was stunned to discover that his anger had suddenly evaporated, as if it had never been.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI-I didn\u2019t do it,\u201d he protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, then . . . who DID?!\u201d Adam snapped.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThe tooth fairy?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 With that, he turned heel and walked resolutely toward the front door.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, that was totally and completely uncalled for,\u201d Ben reprimanded Joe, his own voice tight with anger.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t do it, I swear I didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, Li\u2019l Joe\u2019s tellin\u2019 the truth,\u201d Hoss said quietly.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHe was sittin\u2019 there like he is now, with his hands in his lap when that biscuit hit Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre YOU going to blame it on the tooth fairy?\u201d Ben turned his pent up exasperation on his biggest son.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Sir,\u201d Hoss maintained quietly.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know how that biscuit got from the basket t\u2019 Adam\u2019s head, but I know Joe didn\u2019t help it along.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben, not quite knowing what to say, rose.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got a lot of paper work to do this evening,\u201d he said stiffly, \u201cand I\u2019d appreciate some peace and quiet around here.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He directed a meaningful glare at Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cY-Yes, Sir.\u201d Joe had stammered.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Shortshanks, why don\u2019t you \u2018n me sit down to a friendly game o\u2019 checkers?\u201d Hoss invited.<\/p>\n

\u201cOk,\u201d Joe nodded eagerly.\u00a0\u00a0 He rose from the table and followed along behind Hoss like an eager little puppy.<\/p>\n

Ben stared after his two younger sons, completely nonplused.\u00a0\u00a0 A few moments ago, the younger of the two was snarling like an enraged lion.\u00a0\u00a0 Now, he trotted along behind Hoss, meek as a lamb.\u00a0\u00a0 He raised his face to the heavens.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDear Lord,\u201d he prayed silently, earnestly, \u201cplease help Joe and me make it to his FOURTEENTH birthday without the two of us killing each other . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat color y\u2019 want, Li\u2019l Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI dunno . . . black, I guess . . . NO!\u00a0\u00a0 Make it red!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss quickly divided the pieces.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t we make this game more interesting?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s not \u2018n say we did,\u201d Hoss said, as he began to set up the black pieces for their first game.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the matter?\u00a0\u00a0 You chicken?\u201d Joe taunted.<\/p>\n

Hoss bristled.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo, I ain\u2019t chicken,\u201d he growled back sotto voce.\u00a0\u00a0 He cast a quick glace over his shoulder at his father, now seated behind the desk, working diligently.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cTruth is I\u2019m broke after spendin\u2019 most o\u2019 my money on . . . . \u201d He inclined his head toward Ben, \u201c . . . you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe frowned.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAre you sayin\u2019 I\u2019m some kinda cheapskate because I didn\u2019t put in as much as you \u2018n Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

For a moment all Hoss could do was sit there, open mouthed, his eyes round as saucers, staring.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook!\u00a0\u00a0 Just because my allowance isn\u2019t as big as yours \u2018n Adam\u2019s wages . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you keep your voice down?!\u201d Hoss finally hissed.\u00a0\u00a0 He cast another furtive glance over his shoulder toward Ben, and was relieved to find him still working, his thoughts focused on the papers spread out on the desk in front of him.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s s\u2019posed t\u2019 be a surprise!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe lapsed into an angry, brooding silence.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Li\u2019l Joe,\u201d he said taking care to keep his voice low.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI know you\u2019re chippin\u2019 in all y\u2019 can, just like Adam \u2018n me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan we just drop it?\u201d Joe snapped.<\/p>\n

Hoss sighed softly.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou wanna go first?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, YOU go first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss made his first move.<\/p>\n

Joe countered, trying his best to ignore his stinging conscience.\u00a0\u00a0 Maybe their older brother, Adam . . . make that HOSS\u2019 older brother, Adam, might have maliciously inferred that he was some kind of cheapskate, but NEVER Hoss.\u00a0\u00a0 He knew that, just as surely as he knew the sun was going to rise in the east tomorrow morning.\u00a0\u00a0 Why had he been so nasty to Hoss just now?<\/p>\n

\u201cLi\u2019l Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, yeah, in a minute,\u201d Joe grumbled.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s . . . YOUR move, Li\u2019l Brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe glanced up sharply favoring Hoss with a glare so intense the latter visibly flinched.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDamn it, I KNOW it\u2019s my move!\u00a0\u00a0 Can\u2019t a guy take a minute to work out a little strategy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s outburst drew a warning glare from Ben.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, I said earlier I wanted it QUIET.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI WAS quiet,\u201d Joe shot back.<\/p>\n

Ben exhaled a sigh born of exasperation and frustration.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy the hell are you always picking on ME?\u201d Joe demanded, in his heart knowing the answer full well.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI was sitting here nice and quiet, until HE . . . . \u201d Joe pointed an accusing finger at Hoss, \u201copened his mouth!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph Francis Cartwright, I will NOT stand for you or ANY son of mine using that kind of language when speaking to me,\u201d Ben said, rising from his seat, slowly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou OR any son of mine!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 The words echoed and reverberated through Joe\u2019s thoughts with a cruel persistence, making clear the truth of the matter.<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 attention was drawn from the escalating argument between Joe and Ben to a strange ticking kind of sound that seemed to be coming from the coffee table between himself and his brother.\u00a0\u00a0 Three of the wooden red pieces seemed to be vibrating against the wood playing board.\u00a0\u00a0 As he watched, one of the black pieces began to vibrate.\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t the two of you admit it?\u201d Joe\u2019s angry tirade continued.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou hate me!\u00a0\u00a0 You BOTH hate me because . . . because . . . . \u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He had ALMOST blurted out \u201cbecause I\u2019m not your son or your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHate you, Li\u2019l Joe?!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 The words, and the terrible anguish by which they were spoken, immediately drew Hoss\u2019 attention from the game board and checkers.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019d you EVER git an idea like that?\u201d he asked, thoroughly baffled.<\/p>\n

\u201cBECAUSE IT\u2019S TRUE!\u201d\u00a0 Joe shouted.\u00a0\u00a0 As his rage grew, the number of checkers vibrating steadily increased.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDON\u2019T TRY TO DENY IT!\u00a0\u00a0 YOU BOTH HATE ME!\u00a0\u00a0 YOU HATE ME, YOU HATE ME, YOU HATE ME!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Joe was aware of a soft pop, felt rather than heard.\u00a0\u00a0 Suddenly, his anger and fury evaporated, like a drop of water on the burning sands of the desert.<\/p>\n

Less than a second later, the chessboard leapt into the air, as if someone had vigorously kicked it.\u00a0\u00a0 The wood pieces exploded off the board flying in all directions.\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss and Joe instinctively covered their faces, particularly their eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you can\u2019t play in a quiet civilized manner, then don\u2019t play at all,\u201d Ben said very slowly, barely containing his own escalating fury.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, I want you to pick up every last one of those pieces . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cB-But . . . I didn\u2019t d-do it,\u201d Joe protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph Francis Cartwright, I\u2019ve had just about all . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t do it!\u00a0\u00a0 Honest, I swear!\u00a0\u00a0 I DIDN\u2019T do it!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Joe protested vigorously, on the edge of tears.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou NEVER believe me!\u00a0\u00a0 Nobody ever believes me!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He abruptly turned and bolted for the steps.<\/p>\n

Joe ran up the stairs, as fast as his legs could carry him, leaving Ben and Hoss staring after him anxiously.\u00a0\u00a0 They could hear his footsteps thundering down the hall upstairs, like the hooves of a stampeding herd of buffalo, followed by the sound of his bedroom door slammed hard enough to reverberate through the upstairs.\u00a0\u00a0 An uneasy silence settled over the remainder of the evening like a pall.<\/p>\n

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

Upstairs, Joe threw himself down onto his bed and buried his head in his pillow.\u00a0\u00a0 Of COURSE Pa, Mister Cartwright, never believed him.\u00a0\u00a0 Why should he for heaven\u2019s sake?\u00a0\u00a0 More to the point, why should he believe him over Adam and Hoss?\u00a0\u00a0 After all, THEY were his sons, not him.\u00a0\u00a0 He was lucky Mister Cartwright allowed him to live here at all, seeing as how shabbily his own mother had treated him.\u00a0\u00a0 It was so hard to believe that only yesterday, he was part of the Cartwright family.\u00a0\u00a0 Mister Cartwright was his father, Adam and Hoss his brothers.<\/p>\n

Now . . . .<\/p>\n

The pain of loss pierced his heart like a thousand, thousand knives.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe pushed his head and face deeper into his pillow, and pulled up its edges close around his head for good measure, before giving way to heart wrenching weeping.<\/p>\n

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

Chapter 4<\/p>\n

Adam returned home shortly after midnight.\u00a0\u00a0 As he rode Sport into the yard, he glanced over at the house and noted, to his surprise, that a light still burned in the area where his father\u2019s desk was.\u00a0\u00a0 He quickly stabled\u00a0 Sport for the night, then walked briskly toward the house.<\/p>\n

Inside, Adam found his father, still dressed, seated at the desk, resting his head in both hands, staring morosely at the untouched papers lying on the desk before him.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u00a0\u00a0 What are YOU doing up?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben glanced up sharply.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re coming home rather late,\u201d he growled.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat did you do?\u00a0\u00a0 Stop by the Silver Dollar for a few beers after dinner?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, and I can\u2019t say I ate much in the way of dinner, either,\u201d Adam said crossly.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI ordered the biggest steak on the menu, only to find out I wasn\u2019t hungry when it came.\u00a0 For your information, I\u2019ve spent the better part of the last five hours just riding around, trying to make some kind of sense of things.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He slammed his hat and gun belt down on the credenza and started walking resolutely toward the stairs.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGood night!\u201d he said, his words, terse, clipped.<\/p>\n

Ben rose.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAdam, I\u2019m sorry,\u201d he said in a kindlier, if weary tone.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m worried sick about Joe, but I have no right to take my worries and frustrations out on you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c \u2018S ok, Pa.\u00a0\u00a0 Apology accepted,\u201d Adam said, as he turned and walked over toward the desk.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m worried, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben favored his oldest son with a wan, knowing smile, and nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, you think maybe a visit to Doc Martin might be in order?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve thought about that,\u201d Ben replied.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cProbably wouldn\u2019t hurt, all things considered, but my gut feeling tells me Joe\u2019s sickness, if you will, is of the heart, not the body.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWere you able to get anything out of him this evening?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben ruefully shook his head.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cTight lipped as ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I\u2019m going on up to bed, Pa.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m exhausted.\u00a0\u00a0 You coming?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot just yet, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGood night, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood night, Son.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Joe, meanwhile, after coming to the place where he had no more tears left to shed, lay sprawled on his bed, face down, physically and emotionally spent.\u00a0\u00a0 For all the energy spent weeping, his grief remained, every bit as excruciating and raw as a festering open wound.\u00a0\u00a0 He had no idea low long he had lain there, unable, unwilling to move.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s to become of me?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The question appeared spontaneously within the turmoil of his troubled thoughts and churning emotions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere will I go now?\u00a0\u00a0 What will I do?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s entire body tensed.<\/p>\n

Would Pa . . . . NO!\u00a0\u00a0 Would MISTER CARTWRIGHT allow him to continue living here?\u00a0\u00a0 Would his sons, Hoss and Adam?\u00a0\u00a0 Would any man allow a boy to live under his roof, when that boy would only serve as a reminder of how cruelly his wife had betrayed him?\u00a0\u00a0 Joe knew the answer to that.<\/p>\n

But what would he do?\u00a0\u00a0 Where could he possibly go?\u00a0\u00a0 His mother was dead.\u00a0\u00a0 She had no relatives left, none that HE knew of anyway.\u00a0\u00a0 Though he had always prided himself on his independence, the harsh truth was, he had no idea in the world as to where or how to begin fending for himself.\u00a0\u00a0 Trembling with the terror now gripping his heart in its vice like squeeze, Joe turned on his side, drawing his legs and arms in close, wishing with all his heart that he would just plain and simply die right then and there . . . and be done with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cNO!\u201d<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0 An angry voice screamed in his thoughts.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe was out of bed like a shot, racing across the room to the mirror on his dresser.\u00a0\u00a0 There HAD to be something of Ben Cartwright in his face, there just HAD to be.\u00a0\u00a0 Once again, he stood before the mirror, searching diligently, hour after hour after hour,\u00a0 for that something, that anything he had missed the night before.\u00a0\u00a0 The only person he saw staring back was his mother.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hate you,\u201d he whispered, his eyes glued to his own reflection.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI hate you, I hate you, I hate you.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shivered, as the heat withdrew from his room.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hate you.\u00a0\u00a0 I hate you.\u00a0\u00a0 I h— \u201d<\/p>\n

The words caught and strangled in his throat as a thin layer of mist appeared on the mirror, dead center over his face.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe watched with mounting dread as the mist spread slowly, until it completely covered his face.\u00a0\u00a0 He quickly shifted weight to his left foot, moving away from the center of the mirror.\u00a0\u00a0 The mist moved with him.\u00a0\u00a0 He moved right, left, right, feint left, hard to right.\u00a0\u00a0 No matter which way he moved, the mist also moved, keeping his face obliterated from view.<\/p>\n

Terrified, Joe tried to move, to back way.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Neither his feet nor his legs would budge.\u00a0\u00a0 He felt something, tugging at him, pulling him back toward the mirror.\u00a0\u00a0 He tried to turn his head, but couldn\u2019t.\u00a0\u00a0 All he could do was stand there helplessly, and watch in morbid fascination as the mist shifted, and moved from its place in the mirror out into the room, toward him.\u00a0\u00a0 Somewhere, from a place far distant, someone screamed.<\/p>\n

The sound of someone pounding on his bedroom door rudely jolted Joe from his dreadful reverie.\u00a0\u00a0 He gazed around the room in a befuddled daze, not quite sure where he was, shivering, his entire body drenched in sweat.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, open up!\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s Pa!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cC-c-come in,\u201d Joe barely managed to get the words out past his chattering teeth.<\/p>\n

The door opened, and Ben Cartwright bounded into the room, the hem of his loose bathrobe flapping in his wake.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, what\u2019s wrong?\u00a0\u00a0 I heard you scream.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 The sight of his own breath startled him.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat the\u2014 ?!\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s FREEZING in here!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben immediately removed his robe and wrapped it around Joe\u2019s shivering body.\u00a0\u00a0 He noted the beads of sweat dotting Joe\u2019s forehead, and his sodden nightshirt.\u00a0\u00a0 When he took Joe\u2019s trembling hands in his, they were cold as ice.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got a window open in here, Joe?\u201d Ben asked, as he vigorously rubbed Joe\u2019s cold hands in his own.<\/p>\n

Joe numbly shook his head.<\/p>\n

Ben walked over to the window, just to make certain.\u00a0\u00a0 He found, much to his astonishment, that the window was closed and locked.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThere must be a draft somewhere,\u201d he murmured, shaking his head.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Joe . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWh-Wh-Where . . . . where are w-we g-g-going?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy room.\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s warmer in there.\u00a0\u00a0 I don\u2019t want you getting sick . . . . \u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Ben was half afraid the boy was already seriously ill.\u00a0\u00a0 He made a mental note to check Joe\u2019s room from stem to stern to determine where that draft was coming from.<\/p>\n

Ben took his youngest son down to his room.\u00a0\u00a0 He removed Joe\u2019s drenched nightshirt and slipped a warm, dry one on over the boy\u2019s still shivering body, before putting him to bed in his own.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe dropped off into an exhausted, deep slumber almost before his head touched the pillow.\u00a0\u00a0 Ben pulled up the covers, tucking Joe in, then settled himself in the easy chair and ottoman facing the bed.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cPa, I\u2019ve been over it \u2018n over it!\u201d Hoss declared, shaking his head in complete bewilderment.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNear as I can see, this room\u2019s tighter \u2018n drum.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t understand it,\u201d Ben declared, anxious and frustrated.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhen I came in here last night, it was so cold, I could see my breath . . . AND there was ice on his windows.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll check it again, if you want me to,\u201d Hoss offered.<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThat won\u2019t be necessary, but . . . I just don\u2019t understand it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure he didn\u2019t have a window open?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure.\u00a0\u00a0 I checked.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019s Li\u2019l Joe doin\u2019 this mornin\u2019?\u201d Hoss asked, as he and his father stepped from Joe\u2019s room into the hallway.<\/p>\n

\u201cStill asleep,\u201d Ben replied.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThe fever from whatever\u2019s ailing him broke during the night, but it sure knocked the stuffing out of him.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m glad I kept him home from school today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cY\u2019 know, that could be why he\u2019s been so cantankerous f\u2019r the last couple o\u2019 days.\u00a0\u00a0 He must\u2019ve been comin\u2019 down with . . . what ever he came down with.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope you\u2019re right, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think maybe we\u2019d better wake him up?\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s near dinnertime now, an\u2019 seeing as how he slept through breakfast . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI guess I\u2019d better.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cJoe?\u00a0\u00a0 Joe, wake up.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Ben, sitting on the edge of his bed, gently jostled his sleeping son.<\/p>\n

Joe opened one eye, then the other.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d better rise and shine, Son . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

Joe winced when Ben called him son.<\/p>\n

\u201c . . . . it\u2019s almost dinner time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe pulled himself from a prone to a sitting position.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHunh?\u201d he grunted, upon noticing his surroundings for the first time.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhere am I?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re in MY room,\u201d Ben said quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019d I get HERE?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou took sick in the wee hours of the morning,\u201d Ben explained.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t YOU remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe wordlessly shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn any case, I think the worst of what was ailing you last night\u2019s over,\u201d Ben said.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you g\u2019won back to your room, get dressed, and I\u2019ll see you down stairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cO-Ok . . . sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smiling, Ben gave Joe\u2019s shoulder a gentle reassuring squeeze, then left the room.<\/p>\n

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

Joe rose, and trudged his way down the hall, back toward his own room, thinking that Mister Cartwright\u2019s kindness was a thousand times worse than his anger.\u00a0\u00a0 He was hardly deserving, not after the way his mother had betrayed him.\u00a0\u00a0 Feeling the acrid sting of tears welling up in his eyes, he bolted down the hall to the safely of his own room.\u00a0\u00a0 He darted inside and frantically slammed the door shut.<\/p>\n

For a moment, Joe leaned hard against the door, with his eyes squeezed shut, taking deep, even breaths.\u00a0\u00a0 In . . . out . . . in . . . out!\u00a0\u00a0 He was bound and determined not to fall apart in front of Mister Cartwright and his sons.<\/p>\n

At length, he opened his eyes and glanced around the room.\u00a0\u00a0 The very first thing that caught his eye was his dresser and mirror.\u00a0\u00a0 Suddenly all the terror of the night before slammed into him harder than the powerful kick of a stubborn mule.\u00a0\u00a0 His hands trembled, and he could feel his heart slamming against his chest so hard, Joe half feared it would literally pound itself into a bloody pulp against his rib cage and breast bone.\u00a0\u00a0 He squeezed his eyes shut once again, and forced himself to take a deep, ragged breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cHEY SHORTSHANKS!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 It was Hoss.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDINNER\u2019S READY!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes flew open.\u00a0\u00a0 He glanced around the room desperately seeking something, anything . . . .<\/p>\n

\u201cMY\u00a0 QUILT!\u201d<\/p>\n

He bolted across the room toward his bed.\u00a0\u00a0 There he grabbed the edge of the quilt in both hands, and removed it from the bed with a vicious, desperate tug.\u00a0\u00a0 The mirror on his dresser seemed to glare at him menacingly, taunting him to do his worst.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe swallowed nervously, then holding the quilt up before him in trembling hands, he hesitantly advanced toward the baleful mirror.<\/p>\n

\u201cHEY, BUDDY, COME ON!\u00a0\u00a0 DINNER!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 That was Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cC-COMING!\u201d\u00a0 Joe shouted back, then resumed his advance.\u00a0\u00a0 Upon reaching the dresser he threw the quilt over the mirror with an explosive thrust of both arms.\u00a0\u00a0 He then pulled the top drawer open with one hand and scooped up a handful of underwear and socks with the other.<\/p>\n

\u201cG-gotta get outta this room!\u00a0\u00a0 Gotta, gotta, gotta!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He pivoted.\u00a0\u00a0 Three running giant steps landed him in front of his wardrobe.\u00a0\u00a0 The threw open the door so hard, it banged loudly against the adjacent wall.<\/p>\n

JOSEPH?\u00a0\u00a0 WHAT\u2019S GOING ON UP THERE?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Pa.\u00a0\u00a0 Mister Cartwright.<\/p>\n

\u201cCOMING!\u201d Joe shouted back, terrified.\u00a0\u00a0 He reached in, and grabbed a pair of pants neatly folded on one of the side shelves.\u00a0\u00a0 In his haste, combined near blind terror, he ended up yanking a half dozen pair of neatly folded pants off the shelf.\u00a0\u00a0 Hop Sing would have a fit when he saw the mess, but he couldn\u2019t worry about that tight now.\u00a0\u00a0 He had to get out of this room.\u00a0\u00a0 He grabbed hold of a shirt, brand new, never as yet worn.\u00a0\u00a0 He pulled, then pulled again.\u00a0\u00a0 It was stuck somehow.\u00a0\u00a0 He pulled a third time, harder.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cCome on, COME ON!\u201d he urged, overwhelmed and blinded now by his rapidly escalating panic.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cCOME ON!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe started violently at the sound of Ben\u2019s voice, and screamed.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u00a0\u00a0 What is it?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Ben noted Joe\u2019s face, white as a sheet, the heaving chest, and eyes round with terror.<\/p>\n

Joe exhaled a strangled gasped, then pushed past Ben and bolted out of the room.<\/p>\n

Ben stood, rooted to the spot, staring after his youngest son\u2019s retreating back in shock and dismay.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shook himself from his immobilizing shock, and found himself staring up into the bewildered, anxious face of his middle son.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s spooked Shortshanks?\u00a0\u00a0 He was runnin\u2019 down the hall just now so hard \u2018n fast, he pert near bowled me over.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI . . . I don\u2019t know,\u201d Ben murmured, noting the quilt hastily thrown across the face of the mirror on Joe\u2019s dresser.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDid you happen to see where he went?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHe tore into the guest room across from yours, Pa, \u2018n slammed the door.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou g\u2019won back downstairs, Hoss.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019ll see to Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Joe, meanwhile, leaned heavily against the door of the guest room.\u00a0\u00a0 There was a loud knock on the door behind him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho . . . who is it?\u201d Joe queried, breathless and wary.<\/p>\n

No answer.\u00a0\u00a0 A moment later, there was a second knock, louder and harder than the first.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe, much to his horror, felt the door vibrate under him.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, God, no!\u201d he whispered, terrified.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s in here!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s in here!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Clutching his pants, underwear, and socks close to his chest, he began to back away from the door, his entire body trembling. \u00a0\u00a0\u201cOh no.\u00a0\u00a0 No.\u00a0\u00a0 Oh, God . . . please!\u201d he begged.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPlease . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

A third knock followed, then a fourth.<\/p>\n

\u201cNO!\u201d Joe shouted, as fear and terror pushed him to the edge of tears.<\/p>\n

There was a fifth knock, then a sixth.<\/p>\n

\u201cGO AWAY!\u201d<\/p>\n

A seventh, followed close on the heels by the eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh.<\/p>\n

\u201cGO AWAY!\u201d \u00a0Joe shouted, with tears streaming down his face.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGO AWAY!\u00a0\u00a0 GO AWAY!\u00a0\u00a0 GO AWAY!\u201d<\/p>\n

A series of staccatoed knocking followed, rapid fire, one after the other.\u00a0\u00a0 They seemed to emanate from the door and within the four walls surrounding him.<\/p>\n

Out in the hall, Ben and Hoss, heard the rapping sounds.\u00a0\u00a0 They looked over at each other, perplexed and alarmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s comin\u2019 from the guest room, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben tore headlong down the hall, with Hoss following in hot pursuit.\u00a0\u00a0 The guest room door was closed, and they could hear Joe inside, screaming, on the edge of hysteria.\u00a0\u00a0 The knocking sounds steadily increased in volume, number, and intensity.<\/p>\n

Ben balled his fingers into a tight fist and pounded on the door.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJOSEPH!\u00a0\u00a0 JOSEPH, WHAT\u2019S GOING ON IN THERE?\u201d he yelled, hoping to be heard above the racket of all the pounding.<\/p>\n

\u201cGO AWAY!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben threw the door open and bounded into the room.\u00a0\u00a0 He found his youngest son standing in the center of the room, still clad in his nightshirt, clutching his clothing tightly to his chest, his eyes round with terror.<\/p>\n

\u201cMAKE IT STOP!\u00a0\u00a0 PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben, terrified for the boy\u2019s sanity, rushed into the room and gathered his trembling, weeping son into his arms and held him close.\u00a0\u00a0 He could feel Joe\u2019s arms encircling his waist and grabbing tight, clinging for dear life.\u00a0\u00a0 All around them the pounding continued, shaking the walls, windowpanes, vibrating furniture and loose bric-a-brac.<\/p>\n

\u201cPLEASE!\u00a0\u00a0 MAKE IT STOP!\u00a0\u00a0 PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, get hold of yourself!\u201d Ben admonished him severely, while trying to hold down his own rising fear and panic.<\/p>\n

\u201cMAKE IT STOP,\u00a0 MAKE IT STOP!\u201d<\/p>\n

Not knowing quite what else to do, Ben slapped his son hard across the face.<\/p>\n

For Joe, the pain acted as a bucket of ice water dashed in his face.\u00a0\u00a0 The fear, the terror, and blind panic were suddenly and completely gone.\u00a0\u00a0 There was one more loud knock, then silence reigned.<\/p>\n

Joe stared up at Ben, dazed.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPa?\u201d he said, without thinking.\u00a0\u00a0 Upon belatedly realizing his error, he hung his head in shame.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, are you alright?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI-I don\u2019t know . . . I g-guess so.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t you get dressed, then come on downstairs?\u00a0\u00a0 Dinner\u2019s ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure . . . . \u201d Joe stopped himself this time before calling Mister Cartwright Pa.<\/p>\n

Ben managed a wan smile, and a reassuring shoulder squeeze, before wearily leaving the room.<\/p>\n

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

Chapter 5<\/p>\n

Ben saw his older sons and Hop Sing grouped together at the bottom of the stairs, each face an identical mask of anxiety and grave concern.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, what in the world was he doing up there?\u201d Adam asked, his own voice unsteady and complexion a few shades paler than normal.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was terrified, but . . . I couldn\u2019t see that he was doing anything that would make all that racket.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAngry spirit,\u201d Hop Sing declared, with an emphatic nod of his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not funny, Hop Sing,\u201d Ben growled.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing not make joke.\u00a0\u00a0 Angry spirit come to children.\u00a0\u00a0 Children like Little Joe.\u00a0\u00a0 Throw things, make racket.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPoltergeist, Pa,\u201d Adam said slowly, drawing a sharp glare from his father.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGerman for noisy ghost . . . and like Hop Sing\u2019s angry spirit, the poltergeist attaches itself to kids roughly the age Joe is now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, come on, Adam.\u00a0\u00a0 You don\u2019t believe in ghosts, ghoulies, \u2018n stuff that goes bump in the night . . . do ya?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Hoss, I don\u2019t.\u00a0\u00a0 Most of the time, there\u2019s a simple, logical explanation for so called ghosts,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cUsually, in the case of the poltergeist, the child in question is a troubled youngster, on the edge of becoming an adult.\u00a0\u00a0 It generally turns out that the child is making the so-called odd things happen to get attention.\u00a0\u00a0 We covered that in a psychology class I took at Harvard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss frowned.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJoe ain\u2019t what I\u2019d call a troubled young \u2018un.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps not, but SOMETHING has been troubling him deeply,\u201d Ben said quietly.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cEver since that last brawl with Billy Caine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHas he ever said anything about that?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing still say angry spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got enough going on here without worrying about spirits, angry, noisy, or otherwise,\u201d Ben said firmly, \u201cunless you\u2019re referring to the ones that come in bottles.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

A fragile peace reigned over the Cartwright household.\u00a0\u00a0 Ben kept Joe home from school for another two days, and took time off from his own daily chores to be with his youngest son.\u00a0\u00a0 Hop Sing prepared Joe\u2019s favorite dishes at meal times.\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss, a patient man by nature and much slower to anger than either his father or older brother, made a special point of spending time with his younger brother, waiting on him occasionally, and helping him along with the chores.\u00a0\u00a0 Even Adam went out of his way to be nice.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Li\u2019l Joe, tomorrow\u2019s Saturday,\u201d Hoss said late one afternoon, as he helped his younger brother with the dreaded chore of mucking out the horse stalls.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cY\u2019 up for a day o\u2019 fishin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy can\u2019t they just leave me alone?\u201d he groaned in silent despair.\u00a0\u00a0 For three days everyone had been so nice to him.\u00a0\u00a0 Why?\u00a0\u00a0 By all rights, they should despise him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can ask Hop Sing t\u2019 make up a picnic lunch,\u201d Hoss blithely rambled on, in blissful ignorance of Joe\u2019s ever growing misery.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHow does ham sandwiches with some o\u2019 that mustard Hop Sing makes sound t\u2019 you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss knew darn well ham sandwiches with Hop Sing\u2019s mustard were his absolute favorite.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe felt tears welling up in his eyes, he turned away, bound and determined not to let Hoss see him cry.\u00a0\u00a0 He forced himself to take deep, even breaths, wishing with all his heart that Hoss WAS his brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Li\u2019l Brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

No answer.<\/p>\n

Hoss frowned.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Still no answer.<\/p>\n

Puzzled, and a wee bit apprehensive about Joe\u2019s apparent obliviousness, Hoss walked over to where Joe stood, leaning heavily on his shovel.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Li\u2019l Joe, I asked you a question,\u201d Hoss said gently, as he reached out to touch Joe\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0\u00a0 He frowned as the soft, unmistakable hiccupping sounds of someone sobbing reached his ears.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Startled, Joe whirled in his tracks.<\/p>\n

Hoss was shocked to see his brother\u2019s face wet with tears.\u00a0\u00a0 Judging from the angry red, swollen eyelids the boy had apparently been crying for quite some time.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJoe?\u00a0\u00a0 Wh-What IS it?\u201d he stammered, as shock quickly gave way to loving concern.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing!\u201d\u00a0 Joe spat, deeply humiliated and furious with himself.\u00a0\u00a0 He immediately turned away from Hoss, and moved a few steps deeper into Dixie Belle\u2019s empty stall.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, SOMETHIN\u2019S botherin\u2019 ya,\u201d Hoss said gently.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhatever it is, it\u2019s been eatin\u2019 ya alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJ-just leave me alone!\u201d Joe sobbed.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJust . . . just leave me the hell ALONE!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 With that, he pushed angrily past Hoss and fled from the barn.<\/p>\n

Hoss stared after him, open mouthed with shock.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

He turned toward the open door slowly, and saw his father and Adam standing there, holding the reins of their horses.\u00a0\u00a0 Their faces were twin mirrors of the bewilderment Hoss felt within.<\/p>\n

\u201cWas that Joe?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, I wish I knew!\u201d Hoss said with a helpless shrug.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe were just finishin\u2019 up in here, when I suggested that tomorrow bein\u2019 Saturday, we might take a picnic lunch \u2018n spend the day fishin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s all you said to him?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust when I was beginning to think he was over . . . WHATEVER this is!\u201d Adam muttered disparagingly.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPa, maybe it\u2019s time to think about applying the \u2018board of education\u2019 to Little Joe\u2019s \u2018seat of learning.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, that boy needs understandin\u2019 and patience, not a spanking,\u201d Hoss said firmly, favoring his older brother with an angry scowl.<\/p>\n

\u201cThree days!\u00a0\u00a0 For THREE DAYS, we\u2019ve BEEN patient, while HE\u2019S grown moodier and more volatile by the second!\u201d Adam exploded in a rare burst of temper.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHe WON\u2019T tell us what\u2019s wrong . . . and it\u2019s more than clear he\u2019s not dealing with . . . with . . . whatever it is.\u00a0\u00a0 Well . . . I\u2019ve just about reached the end of my rope!\u00a0\u00a0 So help me if he throws one more temper tantrum just because I happened to inadvertently look at him cross-eyed, I . . . I\u2019ve got half a mind to throttle his sorry ass— \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDadburn it, Adam, you leave that boy alone, or so help me . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll WHAT!?\u201d Adam rounded furiously on the handier target.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, Hoss, that\u2019s enough!\u201d Ben snapped.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t need to cope with the pair of YOU at each other\u2019s throats.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Pa,\u201d Hoss apologized at once.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you going to do?\u201d Adam ventured cautiously.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst, I\u2019m going to find Little Joe,\u201d Ben said grimly.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThen I\u2019m going to get to the bottom of whatever it is that\u2019s been bothering him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, please . . . don\u2019t be too hard on him,\u201d Hoss begged.<\/p>\n

Ben placed a paternal hand on Hoss\u2019 shoulder and gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll try NOT to be, Son,\u201d he said quietly.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBut, Adam\u2019s right, too.\u00a0\u00a0 We\u2019ve all been patient and now, we\u2019re ALL at the end of all our ropes.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Ben left his horse with Hoss to be tended and stabled, then walked toward the house, determined to get to the bottom of whatever had been upsetting his youngest son for the past three days.\u00a0\u00a0 He briskly walked up the stairs and down the hallway to the upstairs guest room, where Joe had insisted on taking up residence after that night he was taken sick with that mysterious illness.\u00a0\u00a0 He raised his hand and knocked insistently on the fast closed door.<\/p>\n

No answer.<\/p>\n

Ben knocked again.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJoe?\u00a0\u00a0 You in there?\u201d<\/p>\n

Still no answer.<\/p>\n

He exhaled a short, explosive exasperated sigh, closed his eyes, and forced himself to count very slowly to ten, then fifteen.\u00a0\u00a0 Finally, after counting all the way up to thirty, he knocked again.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJoe, it\u2019s Pa,\u201d he said, taking care to keep his tone even.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI want to talk with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still no answer.<\/p>\n

Ben, his mouth tightening with anger, opened the door.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJoseph?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He paused, just inside the room and glanced around.\u00a0\u00a0 He was surprised to find the room empty.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

No answer.<\/p>\n

Ben opened the wardrobe and checked under the bed.\u00a0\u00a0 No sign whatsoever of Little Joe.\u00a0\u00a0 He stepped out of the guest room, then walked to Joe\u2019s bedroom at the end of the hall.\u00a0\u00a0 Ben found the door standing open, the quilt still over the mirror where Joe had thrown it three days ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u00a0\u00a0 You in here, Boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

No answer.<\/p>\n

Ben entered the room, checking inside the wardrobe and under the bed.\u00a0\u00a0 He saw neither hide nor hair of his youngest son.<\/p>\n

Perplexed and anxious, Ben went back downstairs, where Adam and Hoss waited.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat . . . went better than I thought it would,\u201d Adam said slowly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s because Joe\u2019s not upstairs,\u201d Ben said anxiously.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe ain\u2019t?\u00a0\u00a0 I thought SURE he\u2019d ran into the house when he left the barn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell he didn\u2019t,\u201d Ben said morosely.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDid you unsaddle my horse?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI did, but we can just as easily saddle him again . . . \u2018n ours too,\u201d Hoss said grimly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHOP SING!\u201d Ben bellowed.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing appeared at Ben\u2019s elbow, looking anxious.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing, Little Joe\u2019s not upstairs . . . in the guest room or his own room,\u201d Ben said.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHave you seen him?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing dolefully shook his head.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNot see Little Joe since he and Mister Hoss go clean out barn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe three of us are going to go out and look for him,\u201d Ben said.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cI\u2019d like you to stay here, and keep an eye out for him.\u00a0\u00a0 If he comes while we\u2019re out, don\u2019t let him leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Mister Cartwright.\u00a0\u00a0 Hop Sing keep watch for Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben strode briskly out of the house, back to the barn, with Hoss and Adam loping along at his heels.\u00a0\u00a0 Suddenly he stopped.\u00a0\u00a0 His older sons barely stopped short of a three-way collision.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDixie Belle!\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss, is Dixie Belle in the barn?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, she ain\u2019t in the barn, she\u2019d be out in the corral.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe was cleanin\u2019 out HER stall when . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

Ben turned and ran over to the corral next to the barn.\u00a0\u00a0 He half stepped, half jumped up onto the first slat of fence and scanned the horses within the enclosure.\u00a0 There was no sign of Dixie Belle.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 That was Adam.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI just looked in the barn.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe\u2019s saddle and bridle are gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll ride down to the old fishin\u2019 hole and check out the woods beyond it,\u201d Hoss volunteered, as the three ran into the barn.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s several places there Joe likes t\u2019 go when he wants t\u2019 be alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll check out Ponderosa Plunge and surrounding environs,\u201d Adam said, as he placed the blanket over his horse\u2019s back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll ride down to where Mama\u2019s buried,\u201d Ben said.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIf either of you find him, bring him back to the house, even if you have to hog-tie him and throw him over your saddle.\u00a0\u00a0 We\u2019ll meet back here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.<\/p>\n

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

Chapter 6<\/p>\n

Ben reached the place where Marie Cartwright, Joe\u2019s mother, was buried just as the sun began its descent behind the line of mountains on the other side of the lake.\u00a0\u00a0 He dismounted, tethered his horse, and walked to the grove of pine trees and aspens surrounding Marie\u2019s final resting place, pausing briefly to remove his hat.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d he called softly.<\/p>\n

No reply.<\/p>\n

Ben knew immediately that Joe was not here. \u00a0\u00a0He entered the grove, with a heavy heart and sat down next to the headstone.\u00a0\u00a0 The air was still, and the surface of the lake beyond smooth as glass.\u00a0\u00a0 Ben leaned forward, resting his arms heavily on top of his knees.\u00a0\u00a0 Not even this place, this sanctuary of peace, could ease his anxious thoughts.<\/p>\n

A gentle breeze wafted through the leaves.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, Marie,\u201d Ben murmured softly.\u00a0\u00a0 A weary smile spread slowly across his lips.\u00a0\u00a0 She loved coming here, to this grove of trees.\u00a0\u00a0 Most often alone, occasionally with him, or Joe, when he was a baby.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so beautiful . . . so peaceful here,\u201d Marie had said the first time he brought her to this spot.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIf I keep still and listen?\u00a0\u00a0 I can almost hear the spirits of the land talk to me, like they do to Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following the sudden, tragic death of Little Joe\u2019s best friend, at the age of five, Ben remembered overhearing her as she sought to comfort and reassure their frightened young son.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201c . . . if I SHOULD die, Little One, I\u2019ll always be with you,\u201d she had eagerly promised, \u201cas your own personal guardian angel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Mama, but . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, what, Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c . . . if you die . . . I\u2019ll never, ever, be able to hear you sing to me again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marie hugged her young son close and quietly held him for a long time.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYes you will,\u201d she said quietly.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou go to that place where I like to go down by the lake.\u00a0\u00a0 You know where it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cYou go there, be very quiet, and listen.\u00a0\u00a0 Then you\u2019ll hear me sing to you on the gentle breezes as they stir the pine needles and that aspen leaves . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

A few days later, Marie herself was dead, killed instantly when the horse on which she had been riding, stumbled . . . .<\/p>\n

The yellow light of day gradually deepened and mellowed into a golden rose, drenching the surrounding trees, the earth, lake water, and even the white marble of Marie\u2019s grave marker in a luminous pink glow.\u00a0\u00a0 The relentless churning within Ben\u2019s anxious mind steadily lessened, easing gently to a peaceful stillness.\u00a0\u00a0 He remained for a time, unmoving, seated on a carpet of pine needles and what remained of last year\u2019s aspen leaves, drawing a measure of strength and comfort in his memories of Marie, and the love they once shared.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarie,\u201d Ben at long last broke silence, speaking her name very softly, \u201cplease tell me . . . where I can find our son.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the remaining light of day faded into the silvery gray of twilight, a gentle breeze stirred pine boughs and aspen leaves.<\/p>\n

Go home.<\/em><\/p>\n

Go home, wait.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ben rose, and dusted the pine needles and dried leaves from his clothing.\u00a0\u00a0 It was time for him to leave.\u00a0\u00a0 He also knew deep within himself that wherever his angry and troubled young son had gone, that he was, for the time being, safe under the watchful, loving eyes of his very own guardian angel.\u00a0\u00a0 He knew not through words spoken aloud or in the silence of thought, but rather through the deep language of heart.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cPa!\u00a0\u00a0 Thank goodness!\u00a0\u00a0 We were beginning to worry!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDidja find him, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben looked into the anxious faces of his two older sons, as he stepped into the house, and shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn!\u201d Adam swore, consumed with pent up rage, frustration, and grief.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhere in the world could he BE?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s safe for now,\u201d Ben said quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought y\u2019 said y\u2019 didn\u2019t find him, Pa.\u201d Hoss said, frowning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen how do y\u2019 know he\u2019s safe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI . . . know, Hoss.\u00a0\u00a0 He\u2019s got his very own guardian angel looking out after him.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

He opened his eyes as the grandfather clock in the living room downstairs sonorously chimed the half hour.\u00a0\u00a0 A gentle breeze wafted through his open window, billowing the curtains like the sails of a clipper slip, moving across the surface of the ocean at full speed.\u00a0\u00a0 He sat up and glanced out the window.\u00a0\u00a0 Blue skies, warm sunshine, birds singing.\u00a0\u00a0 It was shaping up to be a real pretty day.\u00a0\u00a0 He threw aside the quilt with a joyous abandon and whipped one leg, then the other over the side of the bed.\u00a0\u00a0 His eyes happened to fall on the carriage clock sitting in the middle of his dresser.<\/em><\/p>\n

Eight-thirty.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cEight-thirty?!\u201d he yelped.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cEIGHT-thirty?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He should have been at school half an hour ago.\u00a0\u00a0 Miss Gibson warned him about what would happen the next time he was late.\u00a0\u00a0 Why hadn\u2019t Pa or Adam or Hoss awakened him?\u00a0\u00a0 With heart in mouth he jumped out of bed and ran to the washbasin.\u00a0\u00a0 He found, to his surprise, the pitcher was empty.\u00a0\u00a0 Given the accumulation of dust and lint in the bottom, it had not been used in quite some time.<\/em><\/p>\n

He backed away, filled with a nebulous sense of foreboding.\u00a0\u00a0 He found a pair of pants and a shirt lying across the foot of his bed.\u00a0\u00a0 He quickly pulled his nightshirt off over his head and put on the shirt, then the pants.\u00a0\u00a0 With heart in mouth, he tore out of his bedroom and ran down the stairs.<\/em><\/p>\n

Pa, Adam, and Hoss were already up, dressed<\/em>, and seated at the breakfast table.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, you and Hank take half dozen men and replace that fence along the north pasture,\u201d Pa said.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThat storm last week ripped up an entire section.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cSure thing, Pa.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, how\u2019s the branding?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve moved two-thirds of the herd now, Pa.\u00a0\u00a0 I counted fifty-three calves.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201c \u2018Morning, Pa!\u00a0\u00a0 \u2018Morning, Hoss . . . you, too, Adam.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cFifty-three calves.\u00a0\u00a0 Excellent.\u00a0\u00a0 This promises to be a very good year.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIf last year\u2019s market prices hold, I see us clearing at least thirty thousand dollars, give or take a few,\u201d Adam said.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hoss finished the remaining food on hisplate, then rose.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIf I\u2019m gonna get that fence in the north pasture fixed, I\u2019d best git.\u00a0\u00a0 See ya at supper.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cSee you, Hoss,\u201d Ben said.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hoss left the table walking at a surprisingly fast clip.\u00a0\u00a0 He suddenly realized his biggest brother was moving on a straight path straight toward him.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHoss?\u00a0\u00a0 HOSS!\u00a0\u00a0 HOSS, STOP!\u201d he screamed.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hoss continued.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHOSS!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Hoss continued, as if he had not heard.\u00a0\u00a0 He jumped aside and the last possible second, landing in an ungainly heap on his hands and knees.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWHY DON\u2019T YOU WATCH WHERE YOU\u2019RE GOING, YOU BIG LUMMOX!\u201d\u00a0 he yelled after his brother.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hoss marched over to the front door, grabbed his hat and gun belt, then went outside. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

He rose unsteadily to his feet, wondering what in the world could have gotten into Hoss.\u00a0\u00a0 Surely he heard him screaming.\u00a0\u00a0 Even if he hadn\u2019t, Hoss still had eyes to see.\u00a0\u00a0 Why did he almost walk into him as if he weren\u2019t even there?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cPa!\u00a0\u00a0 Did you see that?\u00a0\u00a0 Did you see what that big overgrown elephant almost did?\u201d he demanded, as he marched angrily over toward the dining room table.<\/em><\/p>\n

Pa and Adam continued to talk about the branding as if he had never even spoken.<\/em><\/p>\n

Bewildered, put out, he stepped up to the table.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201c \u2018Morning, Pa.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

No answer, not even an acknowledgment of his presence.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Still no answer.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cPa!\u00a0\u00a0 Adam!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

No answer. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

He walked over to his chair, and pulled it out to sit down.\u00a0\u00a0 He was horrified to find no place setting at his chair.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u00a0 Adam?!\u00a0\u00a0 Is this some kind of joke?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Pa rose, draining the last of his coffee from his cup.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Adam.\u00a0\u00a0 You and I need to be moving along, too.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cRight with you, Pa.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

He watched as Pa and Adam left the table and walked toward the front door.<\/em><\/p>\n

A few moments after Pa and Adam left, Hop Sing entered the dining room and began to clear the table.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

No answer.\u00a0\u00a0 Hop Sing moved around the table gathering up the dishes, balancing, stacking them neatly on the crook of his left arm.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Hop Sing, don\u2019t <\/em>I get any breakfast?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Hop Sing gathered the last of the dishes and dutifully carried them back to the kitchen.\u00a0\u00a0 He stood, staring after the Chinese man\u2019s retreating back, stunned.<\/em><\/p>\n

A cold hard lump of dread coalesced deep in the pit of his stomach, as he ran out to the barn to find Dixie Belle.\u00a0\u00a0 Somehow, the stalls seemed to stretch in a straight line that went on forever.\u00a0\u00a0 He glanced into stall after stall, some occupied, others empty.\u00a0\u00a0 There was no sign of Dixie Belle whatsoever.<\/em><\/p>\n

A strange clacking and whirring sound caught his attention.\u00a0\u00a0 He looked up and saw, much to his amazement, a cuckoo clock hanging on the wall above his head.\u00a0\u00a0 The big hand pointed straight up, the little hand was lost in a strange kind of mist that shifted and pulsated in front of the clock face like a living thing.\u00a0\u00a0 The door opened, the bird came out.<\/em><\/p>\n

Koo-koo!<\/em><\/p>\n

Koo-koo!<\/em><\/p>\n

Koo-koo!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

In and out, in and out, in and out.<\/em><\/p>\n

He stared up at the cuckoo clock through eyes round with terror.\u00a0\u00a0 The clock was evil.\u00a0\u00a0 He had to get away before it finished striking the hour.<\/em><\/p>\n

Koo-koo!<\/em><\/p>\n

Koo-koo!<\/em><\/p>\n

Koo-koo!<\/em><\/p>\n

He tried to turn, to run, but his body would not move.<\/em><\/p>\n

Koo-koo, koo-koo, koo-koo, in and out, in and out.\u00a0\u00a0 Thirteen times.<\/em><\/p>\n

Then he heard music.\u00a0\u00a0 It was the wedding march.\u00a0\u00a0 Somewhere above the door where the cuckoo bird had come out, another door opened.\u00a0\u00a0 Out came a bride with face, eyes, and wavy brown hair, so like his own.\u00a0\u00a0 A groom, with silver white hair, dark eyes, and thick, bushy eyebrows came out along side the bride.\u00a0\u00a0 On the other side, a third door opened.\u00a0\u00a0 Out came another man, his face hidden in the same mist that obscured the clock face.\u00a0\u00a0 He met the bride and groom in the middle.\u00a0\u00a0 The bride left the groom and went with the other man through the door on the other side.\u00a0\u00a0 The groom moved backwards, re-entering the clock by the same door he had come out.<\/em><\/p>\n

He tried to scream.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Boy!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

He jumped.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou!\u00a0\u00a0 Boy!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

It was one of the ranch hands.\u00a0\u00a0 That new guy, who signed on with the bunch hired to help with the branding.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you want, Boy?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMy horse!\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m looking for my horse.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYour horse ain\u2019t here.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cOf course she is!\u00a0\u00a0 She\u2019s gotta be.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNo she ain\u2019t.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a roan, named Dixie Belle.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNo horse named Dixie Belle here.\u00a0\u00a0 Adam wouldn\u2019t allow it, him being from New England \u2018n all.\u00a0\u00a0 Y\u2019 better skeedaddle on home, Boy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhaddya mean I\u2019d better skeedaddle on home?!\u00a0\u00a0 Don\u2019t you know me?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cShould I?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

All he could do was stare at the man, mouth open, gaping.\u00a0\u00a0 Panic rose within him, swift and fast, like the raging spring floods through the dry riverbeds in the desert.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cY\u2019 better git on home, Boy.\u00a0\u00a0 Mister Cartwright \u2018n his two boys don\u2019t cotton much t\u2019 trespassers.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m NO trespasser!\u00a0 \u00a0And Mister Cartwright has THREE sons, not TWO.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNope, only the two.\u00a0\u00a0 Adam \u2018n Hoss.\u00a0\u00a0 Go see for your self.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

He turned and bolted from the barn, back across the yard and into the house.\u00a0\u00a0 He tore up the stairs, taking them two, three at a time.\u00a0\u00a0 This was a dream.\u00a0\u00a0 A horrible, horrible dream!\u00a0\u00a0 It HAD to be!\u00a0\u00a0 He ran down the hall to his own bedroom. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The sooner he could get back in bed, go back to sleep . . . .\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

He threw open the door . . . .\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The room was empty.\u00a0\u00a0 His bed, his dresser, the stand with washbasin and pitcher, all of his personal belongings, were gone. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Then, he heard horses out in the yard.\u00a0\u00a0 He bolted from the room and tore down the steps, two and three at a time.\u00a0\u00a0 There, with his father and older brothers, he saw a rider mounted on his own beloved mare, Dixie Belle. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHEY YOU!\u201d he shouted, as he rushed from the house to confront usurper.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGET OFF THAT HORSE!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The rider turned and smiled down at him maliciously.\u00a0\u00a0 He saw, much to his horror that the rider was none other than Billy Caine.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cToldja!\u00a0\u00a0 I toldja, Little Joe.\u00a0\u00a0 You ain\u2019t Mister Cartwright\u2019s son . . . . \u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Joe was rudely awakened by the sound of his own anguished screaming.\u00a0\u00a0 For a few brief horrifying moments, the hayloft, illuminated by the silvery light of the moon, nearly full, a place he went to for solace and refuge, seemed frighteningly strange.\u00a0\u00a0 The play of light against deep shadow turned all that was familiar, into shapes unfamiliar, even menacing.<\/p>\n

A shaft of moonlight shining in through the open window illuminated a rectangular patch of hay.\u00a0\u00a0 The light seemed to be growing brighter somehow, less transparent.\u00a0 Joe felt a chill shoot up the entire length of his spine.\u00a0\u00a0 Thin tentacles of fine gossamer snaked out from the shaft of light, rising, curling like wisps of smoke.<\/p>\n

The mirror.<\/p>\n

The mist.<\/p>\n

\u201cN-no . . . . \u201d Joe stammered, taking one step backward, then two.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo!\u00a0\u00a0 Go away!\u201d<\/p>\n

In the stalls below, the stabled horses neighed anxiously.<\/p>\n

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

Chapter 7<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s eyes snapped wide open.\u00a0\u00a0 The very first thing to intrude rudely upon his waking awareness was the frantic neighing of frightened horses.\u00a0\u00a0 Heavy footsteps pounded hard against the wood floor in the hallway beyond his closed bedroom door.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u00a0\u00a0 Pa, wake up!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 It was Hoss, pounding urgently on the door to his bedroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cComing, Hoss.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Ben scrambled out of bed and flew across the short stretch of space between his bed and the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, the barn\u2019s on fire!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGET THE HORSES OUT!\u201d\u00a0 Ben shouted, as he snatched his bathrobe from the hook on the inside of his bedroom door.\u00a0\u00a0 He heard Hoss running down the hall toward the stairs.\u00a0\u00a0 Ben quickly donned his robe and bolted from the room, pausing before the door to his oldest son\u2019s room.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cADAM!\u201d he yelled as he pounded on the door.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cADAM!\u00a0\u00a0 WAKE UP!\u00a0\u00a0 THE BARN\u2019S ON FIRE!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCOMING, PA . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

Ben tore down the steps and out into the yard between the house and barn.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hank and the men had already formed a line between the water trough and the fire.\u00a0\u00a0 Ray Sherrill, a man nearly the size of Hoss, dutifully manned the pump while the others passed buckets back and forth.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, it\u2019s spreadin\u2019 fast,\u201d Hoss reported tersely.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHank, Mitch, \u2018n I got all the horses out . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

Ben looked through the open door at the tell-tale reddish orange glow, moving relentlessly through the dry hay.\u00a0\u00a0 Then, suddenly, revelation slammed against his mind, his thoughts, and most of all his heart, like the hard blow of a sledge hammer against his solar plexus.\u00a0\u00a0 He could feel the blood draining right out of his face, his knees suddenly turning from firm bone and muscle to rubber.\u00a0\u00a0 His balance began to give way . . . .<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 It was Adam, reaching out to steady him.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Ben gasped.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJoe\u2019s in there!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, I didn\u2019t see anybody . . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet go of me!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Ben snatched his arm from Adam\u2019s firm grasp, then bolted toward the barn.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cJOE?!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Ben yelled frantically, as he dashed into the burning barn.\u00a0\u00a0 The fire had already spread across the entire length of the back wall.\u00a0\u00a0 Tendrils of black smoke rose, pooling against the low ceiling created by the overhead loft, then snaking back down again to the floor.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJOE!\u00a0\u00a0 ANSWER ME!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBen!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Hank suddenly appeared at his elbow.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Ben.\u00a0\u00a0 You\u2019ve got to get out of here!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He took hold of the Cartwright clan patriarch\u2019s arm, intending to escort him toward the door.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThe horses are out . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs my son out?\u201d Ben shot back.<\/p>\n

\u201cY-your son?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u00a0\u00a0 Is Little Joe out?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t s-see him . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

Ben freed himself from Hank\u2019 strong, vice like grip and plunged headlong deeper into the structure.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJOSEPH!\u00a0\u00a0 ANSWER ME, BOY!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGo \u2018way . . . . \u201d\u00a0\u00a0 A strangled sob, above his head, so soft, it had nearly drowned in the growing roar of the fire.<\/p>\n

Ben, his face set with fierce, stubborn determination, quickly located the ladder leading up to the loft, and climbed.\u00a0\u00a0 There, he saw Joe, his face a mask of unspeakable terror, backed up against the far wall, arms extended as if to shield himself against someone bent on hurting him.\u00a0\u00a0 Ben ran the length of the narrow loft, his thoughts focused solely on Joe.<\/p>\n

Joe turned, their eyes met.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cH-help me, please . . . M-Mister Cartwright!\u00a0\u00a0 Don\u2019t let him t-take me, please.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s eyes were slowly drawn to the glowing mist that seemed to emanate from the shaft of moonlight shining in through the window.\u00a0\u00a0 We watched in rapt, morbid fascination as the mist shifted, and moved, taking the shape of something vaguely human.<\/p>\n

\u201cNO!\u00a0\u00a0 STAY AWAY!\u201d<\/p>\n

The sound of Joe\u2019s terrified screaming swiftly galvanized Ben to action.\u00a0\u00a0 Three brisk running giant steps placed him between Joe and the misty being forming in the moonlight.<\/p>\n

\u201cNO!\u201d \u00a0Ben shouted with all the power, strength, and authority of an Old Testament prophet about to speak forth the word of the Lord.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYOU CAN\u2019T HAVE MY SON.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mist paused, wavered.<\/p>\n

\u201cI WON\u2019T let you have him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben sensed anger emanating from the mist, like a solid, palpable thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t let you take MY SON.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Keeping his eye on the mist-being, Ben reached back and drew Joe into the safety of his strong, loving embrace.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI won\u2019t let you have him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGet out of here, Mister Cartwright, or it\u2019ll kill you, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, what\u2019s with the Mister Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI . . . I know the truth, Sir.\u00a0\u00a0 About y-you and . . . and about m-my mother!\u201d<\/p>\n

The mist being began to solidify again.<\/p>\n

Ben pulled the sobbing boy closer, and held on for dear life.\u00a0\u00a0 In the barn below, tongues of flame began to lick the supports holding up the loft.<\/p>\n

\u201cM-Mister Cartwright, please!\u00a0 \u00a0S-save yourself,\u201d Joe sobbed heart wrenchingly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy do you keep calling me Mister Cartwright?\u201d Ben demanded, noting that each time Joe did, the mist being and the flames below seemed to gain more and more strength.<\/p>\n

\u201cDON\u2019T YOU UNDERSTAND?\u201d Joe screamed.\u00a0\u00a0 Tears, borne of all the fear, anger, and grief he had kept bottled up for so long, flowed like rivers down his cheeks.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI KNOW!\u00a0\u00a0 I KNOW THE TRUTH!\u00a0\u00a0 I KNOW . . . YOU\u2019RE NOT MY FATHER . . . YOU\u2019RE NOT<\/em> MY F-F-FATHER . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

Ben was clearly taken aback.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhere in the world did you get an idea like that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBilly . . . Billy Caine!\u00a0\u00a0 He told me about my ma, about how she . . . how she . . . oh dear God, about how she r-ran around, how y-you\u2019re n-not really my pa . . . . \u201d<\/p>\n

Ben felt the floor beneath his feet shift and sag.\u00a0\u00a0 It was growing more and more difficult to see through the gathering haze of deadly gray smoke, now filling every square inch of open space.\u00a0\u00a0 Yet the mist-being continued to grow brighter.\u00a0\u00a0 Tentacles of mist spun together, forming arms.<\/p>\n

Arms to reach out . . . .<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, I want you to listen to me!\u201d Ben\u2019s voice was gentle, yet very firm.\u00a0\u00a0 He held his youngest son a little apart from him so that he might look into the boy\u2019s face and eyes.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou ARE my son, I AM your father.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe stared up into his face, shaking his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cSay it, Joe.\u00a0\u00a0 You\u2019ve got to say it!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI . . . I c-can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou must!\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s the truth!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI . . . I can\u2019t,\u201d Joe sobbed.\u00a0\u00a0 He could feel the panic rising inside him again.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t!\u201d<\/p>\n

The mist being turned its attention from Joe to Ben.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, say it!\u00a0\u00a0 You\u2019ve got to say it!\u00a0\u00a0 I AM your father!\u00a0\u00a0 YOU are my son!\u00a0\u00a0 SAY it!\u201d Ben pleaded.\u00a0\u00a0 A fine filament of mist spiraled out wrapping itself around Ben\u2019s throat.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJoe . . . say it!\u00a0\u00a0 Say— \u201d\u00a0\u00a0 His words were swallowed by a strangled gasp.<\/p>\n

Joe turned, and saw the mist wrapping itself around Ben\u2019s throat, tighter, ever tighter . . . .<\/p>\n

\u201cSay it, Joseph!\u201d Ben gasped, his voice hoarse from the tightening cord around his neck and the smoke.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSay it, Son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cN-no . . . . \u201d Joe whispered, horrified.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo!\u00a0\u00a0 Leave him alone!\u00a0\u00a0 Leave him alone!\u201d<\/p>\n

The mist being paused, turned.<\/p>\n

\u201cLEAVE HIM ALONE!\u201d Joe shouted, as the rage and fear grew within him by leaps and bounds.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLEAVE HIM ALONE!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe heard Ben gasping for air.\u00a0\u00a0 He collapsed to his knees, his hand clawing frantically at the intangible mist encircling his neck.<\/p>\n

\u201cSTOP IT!\u201d \u00a0Joe screamed.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLEAVE HIM ALONE!\u00a0\u00a0 LEAVE HIM ALONE!\u201d<\/p>\n

He saw Ben\u2019s eyes roll back in his head, his body go slack and topple forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cYOU LEAVE MY PA ALONE!\u201d\u00a0 Joe shouted at the top of his voice.<\/p>\n

Suddenly all the rage and fear that had been churning and growing inside was gone, and with it the mist being and the fire.<\/p>\n

Joe scrambled to his feet and ran to his father\u2019s side.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPa?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He shook him gently.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPa, please . . . please, be alright.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stirred.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Pa, wake up.\u00a0\u00a0 P-please . . . wake up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s eyelids fluttered, then opened.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJoe?\u201d he gasped, his voice still hoarse.<\/p>\n

\u201cI-I\u2019m alright now, Pa,\u201d Joe sobbed with relief as he helped Ben sit up.<\/p>\n

Ben took a deep ragged breath, then slipped his arms around his youngest son.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe buried his head against his father\u2019s shoulder and released all the pent up pain, rage, anguish, and grief he had kept bottled up for so long.<\/p>\n

\u201cPA?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPA, WHERE ARE YOU?\u00a0\u00a0 IS JOE WITH YOU?\u201d<\/p>\n

That was Hoss, then Adam in the barn below.<\/p>\n

\u201cUP HERE!\u201d Ben responded, his voice still hoarse\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJOE AND ARE UP HERE.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moments later, Hoss and Adam were in the hayloft as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, is Li\u2019l Joe gonna be alright?\u201d Hoss asked anxiously.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe will be, Hoss,\u201d Ben replied, pulling Joe even closer.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHe will be.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Epilogue:<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the doggondest thing!\u201d Hoss muttered, shaking his head.<\/p>\n

They were in the house.\u00a0\u00a0 Ben and Joe on the settee, Adam in the red chair, Hoss in the blue.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne minute, that barn was ready t\u2019 collapse, the next . . . the fire\u2019s gone, an\u2019 nothin\u2019s so much as scorched.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, what WAS that thing any way?\u201d Joe asked, his voice still unsteady.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing\u2019s angry spirit, Adam\u2019s poltergeist,\u201d Ben said quietly, still cradling his youngest son in the safety of his arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow did it get there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was drawn by your feelings of rage, and fear,\u201d Ben replied.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThat much I\u2019m sure of.\u00a0\u00a0 Anything else . . . I just plain don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Shortshanks, where in the world did y\u2019 get the idea that Pa . . . wasn\u2019t your pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cB-Billy Caine,\u201d Joe said contritely.\u00a0\u00a0 He haltingly told his father and brothers everything Billy Caine had told him.<\/p>\n

\u201cDadburn it, that Billy Caine oughtta be taken out \u2018n horsewhipped!\u201d Hoss muttered angrily.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry for being so angry with you, Little Brother,\u201d Adam said contritely.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you say something?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t,\u201d Joe said, his voice breaking.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cFirst thing I d-did?\u00a0\u00a0 I looked in the mirror, and I c-couldn\u2019t see anything of Pa in my face.\u00a0\u00a0 Nothing!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou DO favor your mother,\u201d Ben said gently.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s one o\u2019 the reasons Pa loves ya so much, Shortshanks,\u201d Hoss said, \u201can\u2019 I think it\u2019s one o\u2019 the reasons I <\/strong>love ya, too.\u00a0\u00a0 I don\u2019t remember much about MY ma, seein\u2019 as how she died when I was a baby.\u00a0\u00a0 All I know is what Pa\u2019s told me over the years.\u00a0 YOUR ma\u2019s the only ma I ever knew.\u00a0\u00a0 When I look at you, I can see HER face, too, an\u2019 that way, I kinda feel like I got a part o\u2019 her still with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe, barely managing a wan smile through the tears still streaming down his face, took Hoss\u2019 hand in his own and squeezed it affectionately.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, when I first met your mother in New Orleans, she had been unjustly accused of murder.\u00a0\u00a0 I worked to clear her name as a favor to another man, with whom I\u2019d made friends, and ended up falling in love with her in the process,\u201d Ben said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cUnlike Elizabeth and Inger, your mother had been married before, then widowed.\u00a0\u00a0 She and her first husband had a baby, who was stillborn.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut she was NOT a loose woman.\u00a0\u00a0 There\u2019s no doubt whatsoever in my mind that your mother was as faithful to me, as I was to her.\u00a0\u00a0 No one else could possibly be your father except me.\u00a0\u00a0 As for Judge Caine . . . \u201d a dark scowl deepened the creases in Ben\u2019s brow, \u201che DID ask her to be his mistress, but she adamantly refused.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cH-how do you know that, Pa?\u201d Joe asked, as he wiped away his tears on the sleeve of his nightshirt.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know because your mother told me,\u201d Ben said.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cShe loved and trusted in me enough to come to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Little Buddy, seeing as how HE\u2019S really your pa, that makes Hoss and me your brothers,\u201d Adam said gently, with a smile.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m afraid you\u2019re stuck with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, I wouldn\u2019t want to be stuck with anyone else!\u201d Joe declared with deep, heartfelt sincerity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The End \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 April 2003 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Revised March 2006<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(1)\u00a0 Titus Simpson and Phineas Burke appear in Bonanza Episode #309, \u201cThe Last Vote,\u201d written by Robert Vincent Wright.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: A cruel taunt sets off a chain of unsettling events at the Cartwright homestead.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Rating: \u00a0K+ \u00a0(15, 325 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":8484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[7,23,1008,41,30,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-a-u","category-drama","category-family","category-hurtcomfort","category-prequels","category-halloween","wpcat-7-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-1008-id","wpcat-41-id","wpcat-30-id","wpcat-29-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/JC-01-young.jpg?fit=190%2C270&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6422","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6422"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6422\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}