Summary: \u201cDid Saunders shoot Little Joe, Ben?\u201d The sheriff asked.\u00a0 \u201cNo, Roy, I did,\u201d Ben answered succinctly, watching his youngest son glaring over at him from across the room. Rating T, WC 31,541<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Because You Loved Me<\/strong><\/p>\n *** For all the times you stood by me, for all the truth that you made me see.\u00a0 For all the joy you brought to my life, for all the wrong that you made right.\u00a0 For every dream you made come true, for all the love I found in you.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be forever thankful.\u00a0 You\u2019re the one who held me up, never let me fall.\u00a0 You\u2019re the one who saw me through, through it all. — I\u2019m everything I am, because you loved me. *** (excerpt from song, \u201cBecause You Loved Me\u201d by Diane Warren).<\/p>\n Garrett Saunders was a drunk, a swindler and a thief.\u00a0 And those were only a couple of his character flaws that had been mentioned that early autumn day in Virginia City. Now he stood inside the courthouse while his charges were read to him.\u00a0 Amongst his other claims to infamy was that he had almost killed Hoss Cartwright two weeks earlier.\u00a0 It was alleged that he had shot, beaten, and robbed the likeable young man and left him on the road a mile from the Ponderosa thinking that he was dead.\u00a0 Fortunately, Hoss\u2019 father and little brother just happened to hear the gunfire.\u00a0 They had raced to the scene in their buckboard to see what had happened just in the nick of time to witness Hoss lying on the ground with a bullet hole in him.<\/p>\n Hoss sat behind the prosecution table, his left arm in a sling and numerous facial wounds still visible due to what the vile man had done to him. Next to him sat his father, Ben Cartwright, along with his older brother, Adam.\u00a0 Only one family member was missing and that was Little Joe; and for a good reason.\u00a0 The judge, the honorable George Wheeler, had forbidden the young man from being in Virginia City during the proceedings.<\/p>\n Ben thought back to all that had transpired during the rush to get Hoss home and doctored.\u00a0 He had to fight with his youngest son to stay with the wagon and help him load Hoss inside to get him home.\u00a0 Joseph wanted to mount his brother\u2019s horse so he could go after the man who had almost ended Hoss\u2019 life.\u00a0 Ben had never remembered seeing his youngest son acting quite as irately as he had on that fateful day.\u00a0 Though the boy was known to have a quick temper, it had been more than that. Pa had been forced to use a commanding voice raised to a shout just to get Joseph to climb inside the wagon next to Hoss. \u00a0He grabbed the reins and raced to get his middle boy back to the ranch house.\u00a0 And that wasn\u2019t half of the story.\u00a0 Joseph never calmed down, not even when Doctor Paul Martin had informed them all that, though Hoss had almost died from blood loss, he would live and eventually recover from his wounds.\u00a0 The more the boy thought about the fact that Hoss had not only been shot and robbed but also pistol whipped, the more his hatred and need for revenge increased.\u00a0 No matter what his father said to him, Little Joe wasn\u2019t about to listen.\u00a0 Joseph wanted to go after Saunders and kill him and Ben knew it. \u00a0From the moment that he\u2019d seen his son bending over Hoss, Joe\u2019s anger and his thirst for blood grew more urgent as each day had passed.<\/p>\n Ben sighed as he cast a quick glance around the courtroom while the prosecutor began to list the charges and the prison sentence that might be awaiting the accused.\u00a0 His thoughts went back to his youngest boy.\u00a0 Joseph was at the ranch house now and had been forced by a court order to stay put in the confines of the Cartwright front yard and personal quarters to avoid any incident from happening which might disrupt the trial.\u00a0 *** Oh, Joseph! ***<\/em><\/strong> Ben thought to himself as the memories of the past two weeks played out in his mind.<\/p>\n **************<\/p>\n Adam threw his hat on top of the credenza as he hurried inside the ranch house.\u00a0 He spotted his youngest brother impatiently pacing back and forth in front of the huge fireplace.\u00a0 Spotting Little Joe\u2019s clenched fists Adam knew that the boy was filled with both worry and rage.<\/p>\n \u201cI got word that Hoss has been shot \u2013 how is he?\u201d Adam asked out of breath as he drew closer to his brother.<\/p>\n Little Joe turned around and his face was beet-red.\u00a0 \u201cDoc\u2019s trying to dig a bullet out of him \u2013 that\u2019s how he is!\u201d Joe\u2019s voice showed both worry and anger in its tone.<\/p>\n Placing a hand onto his brother\u2019s shoulder attempting to diffuse him, Adam returned, \u201cWhere did it take him, Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n Pointing just above his heart Joe fumed, \u201cIt almost killed him on the spot, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow long has Doc been up there?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe cast a wary glance at the grandfather clock and turned his gaze back on his brother.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s been over an hour now.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s up there \u2013 but he told me I had to wait down here.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know why he made me leave.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow, Joe \u2013 Doc doesn\u2019t like an audience and you of all people should know it.\u00a0 Just settle down \u2013 I\u2019m sure Pa will tell us how Hoss is doing soon.\u00a0 Hey \u2013 I know Hop Sing won\u2019t be back for another week or so but how about I make us some coffee?\u00a0 Mine\u2019s not half bad,\u201d Adam offered because he wanted to do what he could to try and instill some form of calm before their father came down the stairs.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t want any,\u201d Joe answered and then turned when he heard a door closing. He hurried back to the bottom of the staircase.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t long before he saw Pa heading down towards them.<\/p>\n Ben was glad to see that Adam had returned from the timber crew because he needed help with both Hoss and Joe.\u00a0 He made his way to the first landing where he was met by both sons.<\/p>\n \u201cDoc says your brother is going to make it,\u201d Ben nodded over at both Adam and Little Joe.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s had a rough go of it \u2013 that bullet was in a good ways but, with some rest, Paul said he should recover.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank God,\u201d Adam sighed very relieved by his father\u2019s report.\u00a0 He reached up and patted his father\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n Joe didn\u2019t receive the news in quite the same fashion, though he was thankful that his brother was going to pull through.\u00a0 His thoughts immediately turned to his desire for revenge on whoever had dared to hurt Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cDid Hoss come around?\u00a0 Did he say who did it?\u201d Little Joe\u2019s questions shot out like rapid fire.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph,\u201d Ben paused and sent the boy over a warning look.\u00a0 \u201cThis isn\u2019t the time for that.\u00a0 I think right now you should be thanking God that we still have Hoss with us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay I thanked God \u2013 but I did it in my head, Pa.\u00a0 I want the man who did this now!\u201d Joe insisted loudly.<\/p>\n Ben placed a calloused hand down onto his youngest son\u2019s arm and forced his attention.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph— I want you to simmer down.\u00a0 We will address finding whoever shot your brother once the sheriff gets here.\u00a0 Right now, your brother needs looking after and I don\u2019t need to worry about you going off half-cocked in some act of revenge.\u00a0 Do you understand me, Boy?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe angrily broke away from his father\u2019s hold and headed up the stairs.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going to see my brother!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben had to hurry up the stairs to stop his youngest.\u00a0 Taking a hold of the boy\u2019s elbow he ordered, \u201cJoseph, go back down to the living room this instant!\u00a0 Doc is with Hoss and he needs peace and quiet.\u00a0 When the time is right, I\u2019ll let you see him but not now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s it gonna hurt for me to wait outside of his bedroom?\u201d Joe continued to argue.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph,\u201d Ben sighed and fought to find the right words to ease the boy\u2019s mind.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not going to help anything by sitting outside of your brother\u2019s bedroom. \u00a0You\u2019ll only get that much more worked up.\u00a0 Doc says most likely it won\u2019t be until tomorrow that Hoss will even begin to come around.\u00a0 He\u2019s given him some strong pain killer.\u00a0 Now \u2013 come on, Son, let\u2019s go on down and get Doc Martin some coffee.\u00a0 He\u2019s put in a very long evening.\u00a0 Pa placed his arm around Joe\u2019s shoulder and offered a slight smile hoping to placate him.<\/p>\n \u201cI just wanted to be close, Pa \u2013 in case he wakes up,\u201d Joe whispered, dropping his head down.<\/p>\n \u201cNot right now, Son.\u00a0 I\u2019ll tell you what — you can peek in on him for just a minute before you go to bed.\u00a0 \u00a0Doc doesn\u2019t want Hoss disturbed \u2013 he needs his rest right now in order to heal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut \u2013 what they did to him –,\u201d Joe trailed off thinking about the sight of Hoss\u2019 face and the way he had been needlessly pistol whipped on top of being shot.\u00a0 It was eating him up on the inside and Little Joe couldn\u2019t let go of it.<\/p>\n Pa was keenly aware of how his youngest felt because the sight had angered him equally or more so.\u00a0 \u00a0He needed to keep a tight rein on the seventeen-year-old for fear that he\u2019d head off in a blind rage and hurt someone who might be innocent or get himself shot.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph \u2013 come on \u2013 let\u2019s go to the kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam witnessed the look on both his father and brother\u2019s faces and just shook his head as he prepared to join them in the kitchen.\u00a0 He had heard all that Pa had said and knew that he was trying to prevent the quick-tempered youngest from doing something he would later regret.\u00a0 Adam nodded to Pa and shot him a look which let him know that he would speak to him privately when his little brother wasn\u2019t around.<\/p>\n Casting one final glance up towards Hoss\u2019 bedroom, Little Joe reluctantly walked down the stairs alongside his father.\u00a0 It had taken all the willpower that existed in him to abide by Pa\u2019s wishes.\u00a0 All he wanted to do was go and find whoever had hurt his brother and shoot them down like they had Hoss.<\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n Sheriff Roy Coffee appeared at the Ponderosa ranch house just in time to see Doc Martin\u2019s carriage leaving.\u00a0 He waved to the man and then knocked on the door.<\/p>\n \u201cHi, Roy \u2013 come on in,\u201d Ben cast a tired smile to his friend and motioned him over to the settee.<\/p>\n \u201cI seen Doc leaving \u2013 how\u2019s Hoss, Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n Sighing as he took a seat opposite the other man Ben replied, \u201cHe\u2019s had a pretty rough go of it, Roy \u2013 but Paul said he should be okay in a couple of weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI heard from Fletcher that when you got the boy home, he was in bad shape.\u00a0 He said something about a gunshot, and that he\u2019d been pretty badly beaten?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben reached for the coffeepot on the table in front of him and poured some for his friend.\u00a0 Passing the cup over to Roy Ben chose his words carefully when he spotted Little Joe coming down the stairs.<\/p>\n Clearing his throat and shooting Roy a quick warning glance, Ben responded.\u00a0 \u201cYes \u2013 whoever did this shot and beat Hoss \u2013 and stole the money that he\u2019d just gotten from the bank this afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t you tell it like it really is, Pa?\u201d Joe complained, his voice raised as he moved over to the living room.\u00a0 \u201cHe was pistol whipped, Roy!\u00a0 Someone shot my brother down \u2013 and they thought that they had killed him. Then, though there wasn\u2019t any reason for it, they beat his face until it was hardly recognizable!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph \u2013 hold your voice down,\u201d Ben warned with both his tone of voice and in his stern gaze.<\/p>\n Roy frowned and shook his head.\u00a0 He expected there to be anger over what had happened to Hoss Cartwright, especially with his father and brothers.\u00a0\u00a0 But he knew the seventeen-year-old and his infamous temper.<\/p>\n \u201cNow just simmer down, Little Joe.\u00a0 We\u2019ll catch whoever did this to Hoss,\u201d The sheriff assured the boy.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s been done already?\u00a0 Has anyone found out who ambushed my brother or are you and everyone else just sitting around drinking coffee?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s enough, Joseph.\u00a0 Go on up and sit with Hoss and send Adam down here,\u201d Ben ordered standing from his chair.<\/p>\n \u201cYou got a posse yet?\u201d Joe continued, undaunted by his father\u2019s tone of voice.<\/p>\n Roy stared at Ben.\u00a0 \u00a0He could tell that the man was quite spent from all that had gone on that day along with trying his best to control his youngest.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m investigating it, Little Joe.\u00a0 Soon as your brother wakes up maybe he\u2019ll have a name for me.\u00a0 Once we know who\u2019s involved then I\u2019ll get me up a posse, if need be,\u201d Roy explained.<\/p>\n \u201cNot good enough!\u201d Joe shouted indignantly.<\/p>\n Ben reached for his son\u2019s arm and clamped his right hand down onto it roughly.\u00a0 \u201cYoung Man, you go and do what I\u2019ve just told you to do.\u00a0 Now go!\u201d<\/p>\n Seething inwardly, Little Joe broke from his father\u2019s tight hold and turned for the stairs.\u00a0 He was already beginning to formulate his own plan as to how to deal with the man who had hurt Hoss.<\/p>\n A few minutes later, Adam walked down the staircase and approached the two men sitting there in the living room.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s your brother?\u201d Ben questioned as he poured his son some coffee.\u00a0 By the look on his face, he needed some.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Pa,\u201d Adam nodded and sat down in the blue winged-back chair with his coffee cup.\u00a0 \u201cHoss is sound asleep \u2013 hasn\u2019t moved a muscle.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDoc said he\u2019ll probably be out of it until tomorrow, Roy,\u201d Ben interjected.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did they get off of him, Ben? How much money?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe payroll \u2013 and it was a hefty one, two thousand dollars.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t just monthly wages it was also for the men who are going to help with the upcoming cattle drive,\u201d Ben answered, his frustration mounting.<\/p>\n Roy thought on the situation and said, \u201cI\u2019ll check with Fred Andrews at the bank to see if anyone was lurking around there this afternoon.\u00a0 Maybe that\u2019ll help us figure out who followed Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shrugged his shoulders.\u00a0 Any worry over the payroll money had vanished due to his concern for his son\u2019s health.\u00a0 \u201cHopefully Hoss will give us a name.\u00a0 I\u2019ll send Adam into town tomorrow once he comes around, Roy.\u00a0 Guess we\u2019ll all take it from there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood enough, Ben,\u201d Roy nodded as he placed his cup back on top of the coffee table.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d best be heading back to town,\u201d He paused as his gaze tracked up the stairs.\u00a0 \u201cNow about Little Joe —<\/p>\n \u201cI know, Roy,\u201d Ben cut the sheriff off.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll keep an eye on the boy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t want him to go off in some kind of a blind frenzy and shoot someone who might be innocent, Ben,\u201d Roy continued.<\/p>\n Ben stood to walk Roy to the door.\u00a0 \u201cHe won\u2019t \u2013 I\u2019ll see to it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTalk to you tomorrow \u2013 good night.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Roy,\u201d Ben patted the lawman\u2019s shoulder as he walked out onto the porch.<\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n Ben stared over at his eldest and called, \u201cI threw a little something together for supper.\u00a0 It\u2019s on the stove.\u00a0 Can I get you some, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve done enough today, Pa \u2013 I\u2019ll get it myself,\u201d He returned and joined his father over by the credenza.\u00a0 He followed Pa\u2019s gaze as it shot back towards the staircase.\u00a0 \u201cI know \u2013 you\u2019re worried about the kid, right?\u201d<\/p>\n Frowning, Ben dropped his head a bit and thought about what his youngest might do if he wasn\u2019t watched closely.\u00a0 \u201cYou know how worked up your little brother is right now.\u00a0 And you also know about what can happen due to that temper of his if he doesn\u2019t keep it in check.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam draped an arm over his father\u2019s shoulder and answered, \u201cPa, I\u2019ll watch after him \u2013 I know how he gets.\u00a0 Maybe once Hoss comes around it\u2019ll put him more at ease?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never seen that boy as angry as he was when we found Hoss, Adam.\u00a0 We\u2019d both <\/strong>better keep an eye on him in case we need to rein him in!\u00a0 I\u2019ll speak with him again about taking the law into his own hands.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Pa \u2013 how about we go and get something to eat, it\u2019ll be okay,\u201d Adam cajoled his father into going into the kitchen for some supper knowing that Pa hadn\u2019t eaten a thing since he had brought Hoss home.<\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n Ben tenderly washed his middle boy\u2019s face attempting to soothe his numerous wounds which had been caused by the assailant\u2019s gun.\u00a0 After performing the same comforting motions several times, he set the cloth back inside the water basin.\u00a0 Hearing the light tapping on the door, Ben turned in time to see Little Joe walking inside the bedroom.<\/p>\n \u201cYou told me I could see him again \u2013 after I ate.\u00a0 I did that \u2013 now can I sit with Hoss?\u201d Joe questioned, drawing near the bed.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want you trying to wake him, Joseph.\u00a0 And I don\u2019t want you to try to ask him any questions if he does come around.\u00a0 Do you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe simply nodded as Pa stood from the chair and placed a hand onto his shoulder.\u00a0 He took the seat that his father had vacated and leaned forward wrapping his fingers around Hoss\u2019 massive right hand.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be back in a few minutes, Joseph,\u201d Ben whispered and turned out of the room closing the door quietly.<\/p>\n Little Joe waited to hear the retreating bootsteps and then leaned in on the mattress.\u00a0 \u201cHoss?\u00a0 Hoss can you hear me?\u201d He called softly but with an urgency in his words.\u00a0 Joe knew that it was his only chance to try and talk to his brother alone.\u00a0 Every other time that night, other than when his father and brother had been downstairs eating, he had been flanked by either Pa or Adam.<\/p>\n Watching as his brother slowly rolled his head on the pillow, Little Joe grew hopeful that Hoss was coming back around.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss?\u00a0 Who did this to you?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss muttered a few unintelligible words and then his eyelids began to flutter a few times.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss?\u201d Joe continued, gently rubbing his brother\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cHoss \u2013 just tell me who shot you.\u201d<\/p>\n Coughing a few times, Hoss choked out two words, \u201cGarrett Saunders\u201d<\/em>.<\/strong>\u00a0 He then went back underneath the comfortable blanket of sleep.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll get him,\u201d Joe vowed and turned when the bedroom door opened.\u00a0 He stood and faced his father.\u00a0 \u201cI guess I\u2019ll go on to sleep now, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid your brother come around at all?\u201d Ben asked, moving closer to the bed.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Sir,\u201d Joe answered, never looking into his father\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cSee you in the morning,\u201d he muttered and turned out of the room.<\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n In the wee hours of the morning, Ben gave in to his body\u2019s needs and had fallen to sleep in the chair next to his son\u2019s bed.\u00a0 Hoss hadn\u2019t made a sound nor moved an inch all night.\u00a0 Unbeknownst to his father, he had uttered those few fleeting words naming his assailant when he had answered Little Joe\u2019s question.\u00a0 Ben had made his son as comfortable as he could and after fussing over him, he finally succumbed to exhaustion a little past three o\u2019clock.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d The voice called from the bed, and it sounded much too soft to be from Hoss, but it had been.\u00a0 The big man scrunched up his face fighting the pain from his shoulder wound as he stared over at the white-haired man in the chair there next to him.<\/p>\n Instantly waking up, Ben leaned forward and smiled.\u00a0 \u201cHoss?\u00a0 You back with me, Boy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2014yeah, Pa.\u00a0 Kind of woozy though.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHere,\u201d Ben stood and poured his son some water and held the glass to his lips.\u00a0 \u201cTake this slowly, Son.\u00a0 You\u2019ve been out a long while.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss drank a few long sips and then nodded that he had enough.\u00a0 Ben set the glass back onto the nightstand and stared down at his son again.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve had all of us worried, Hoss.\u00a0 How do you feel \u2013 or is it too soon to ask you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShoulder smarts, Pa \u2013 but I\u2019m okay,\u201d Hoss answered, still trying to get his bearings.<\/p>\n \u201cDoc left you some pain medicine, but I\u2019d hoped I could get some food into you first.\u00a0 What do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWish I could say I\u2019m hungry \u2013 but I\u2019m not feeling too perky just yet, Pa,\u201d Hoss tried his best to alleviate his father\u2019s concern.\u00a0 He could tell that the man was exhausted just by looking at him.\u00a0 A note of confusion controlled his face as the foggy memory from earlier made him glance around expecting to see his little brother.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe boy was in here last night \u2013 but I sent him to bed.\u00a0 Well, you know how much he worries,\u201d Ben attempted to downplay the anger his youngest had displayed all the previous day.<\/p>\n \u201cBut \u2013 I talked with him \u2013 I don\u2019t think it was a dream,\u201d Hoss stated, confusion still filling his eyes.<\/p>\n Ben was starting to think that his middle boy had been dreaming about speaking to Little Joe due to all the medicine that Doc Martin had dosed him with.\u00a0 \u201cNow just relax, Boy, everything is fine.\u00a0 But you need your rest, Young Man, you\u2019ve had a time of it what with Doc digging for that bullet yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know I talked to Little Joe, Pa \u2013 he asked me who shot me,\u201d Hoss insisted.<\/p>\n \u201cWho shot you, Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGarrett \u2013 Garrett Saunders, Pa \u2013 robbed me \u2013 shot me.\u00a0 I had just about passed out after he shot me.\u00a0 I fell off Chub and then I saw him bending over me.\u00a0 He took off my money belt.\u00a0 I guess I should\u2019ve done a better job playing possum because when he saw that I wasn\u2019t dead he began hitting me with the butt of his gun.\u00a0 That\u2019s all I can remember.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben patted Hoss\u2019 arm, attempting to calm him.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s okay, Son.\u00a0 We\u2019ll get him.\u00a0 All that matters right now is that you\u2019re going to be alright \u2013 that is if you\u2019ll rest and take care of yourself,\u201d He spoke soothingly to Hoss, still trying to get him to settle back.<\/p>\n \u201cBut \u2013 Little Joe — I know I told him, Pa.\u00a0 I told him who done this to me,\u201d He protested and then closed his eyes again.\u00a0 Hoss had grown weak from talking about the events from the previous day.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything is going to be fine, Boy\u2014just fine.\u00a0 You rest up awhile,\u201d Ben coaxed and noticed that his son had fallen right back under.\u00a0 He pulled the covers underneath Hoss\u2019 chin and swept a hand across his brow.\u00a0 It was then that he thought about all that his son had just conveyed.\u00a0 ***If you told Joe the name of the man who shot you \u2013 then why didn\u2019t the boy say anything to me about it? ***<\/em><\/strong> Ben wondered and then a feeling of dread overcame him.\u00a0 ***I\u2019d better go and make sure \u2013 I hope I\u2019m wrong! ***<\/em><\/strong> He turned out of the bedroom and headed down the hall to make sure that Little Joe was in his bed and not out somewhere seeking revenge.<\/p>\n Ben eased the door to Little Joe\u2019s room open and walked over to the bed.\u00a0 The covers hadn\u2019t been turned down, and it was very apparent that his son hadn\u2019t even attempted to go to sleep that night.\u00a0 Joe was nowhere to be seen.\u00a0 ***That darn kid!\u00a0 I should\u2019ve locked him inside his room last night. ***<\/em><\/strong> Ben fumed as he turned out of the bedroom and hurriedly made his way across the hall to Adam\u2019s room.\u00a0 He knocked on the door and just a minute later his son peered out.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u00a0 Pa, what\u2019s wrong?\u00a0 Is it Hoss?\u201d Adam asked, rubbing his eyes trying to clear his vision after a night of tossing and turning in his sleep.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s Little Joe \u2013 Hoss told the boy who shot him last night when Joe was watching him.\u00a0 I\u2019m heading out to the bunkhouse in a minute to rouse Fletcher, so he\u2019ll come in and help you take care of Hoss while I\u2019m out trying to find that hardheaded kid!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam shook his head bewildered by the fact that Joe had learned the identity of the shooter but had hidden it from the rest of them.\u00a0 \u201cWho was it that shot Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGarrett Saunders.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got to get a bedroll packed just in case I don\u2019t find him right away.\u00a0 I\u2019ll send one of the other hands into town to let Roy know what\u2019s gone on.\u00a0 You just keep an eye on Hoss \u2013 tend to his needs and make sure he eats.\u00a0 Doc will be here this afternoon to see about that wound.\u00a0 I\u2019d best get moving \u2013 it\u2019s going to be light soon.\u00a0 I hope I can find that boy before he kills Saunders \u2013 or gets himself shot!\u201d Ben fussed, trying to keep his voice down so it didn\u2019t awaken Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cPa \u2013 maybe I should go after Joe, and you stay here?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shook his head angrily.\u00a0 \u201cNo, Son, it\u2019s best that I handle your brother.\u00a0 And Joseph is going to have to deal with me for lying about all this too!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood luck \u2013 and don\u2019t worry \u2013 I\u2019ll take good care of Hoss,\u201d he reassured his father and watched as he hurried down the hall heading for his room.<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n Little Joe Cartwright had only been alive for seventeen years, but he had learned a lot in that amount of time when it came to tracking someone.\u00a0 His brother Hoss had taught him well.\u00a0 He rode to the exact spot where Hoss had been shot and studied the cold damp ground.\u00a0 Joe knew Chub\u2019s hoofprints and examined the tracks right next to those left by his brother\u2019s horse.\u00a0 He stood and surveyed the distance planning on how he would find Garrett Saunders.\u00a0 Joe remembered the man, who was in his late forties and was well known in Virginia City as a ne\u2019er-do-well.\u00a0 His father had exchanged heated words with Saunders several times about him poaching cattle on the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Joe remembered that there was an old cabin just outside the northeastern border of the ranch and he\u2019d seen Saunders up there a time or two when he had ridden fence with Hoss the previous summer.\u00a0 Joe threw himself up onto Cochise\u2019s back after studying the tracks thoroughly.\u00a0 He kicked at his horses\u2019 sides and headed for the cabin close to Wolf Creek and the high woods.<\/p>\n Ben wasn\u2019t too far behind his youngest son that day and had done some tracking himself.\u00a0 It was easy to spot the tracks left by his son\u2019s horse, Cochise, as Joseph hadn\u2019t done the best job of shoeing the animal earlier that month.\u00a0 There was one break in her back left shoe, and it helped the worried father spot the direction in which his son was now heading in his search for the gunman who had shot Hoss.\u00a0 Ben prayed every mile of his search that he would come upon the boy before it was too late and he either killed Saunders or got himself shot by the vile man.<\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n Wolf Creek had suffered from the recent dry spell and there wasn\u2019t much water in it as Little Joe dismounted and bent down to study the tracks which had been left by Saunders\u2019 horse.\u00a0 He took the opportunity to water Cochise and get a few hands full himself before continuing in his search.\u00a0 Wondering if Hoss had come back around and had told his father the identity of his assailant, Joe couldn\u2019t help worrying that there might be a posse heading in his direction soon.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want that to happen as he needed to kill Garrett himself.\u00a0 He had vowed that he would make the man pay for having hurt his brother so badly.\u00a0 Joe could taste his increased thirst for the man\u2019s blood.\u00a0 He\u2019d make him pay for every single cut and bruise on Hoss\u2019 face before killing him.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Cooch,\u201d Joe said and vaulted back up into his saddle to follow the tracks along the creek-bed which were easy to read heading towards the cabin.<\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n Ben bent down and examined the hoof prints next to the water\u2019s edge.\u00a0 They were Cochise\u2019s and he knew that the kid couldn\u2019t be too far ahead of him now.\u00a0 He let Buck lap from the water before getting back into his saddle and heading in the direction that his son was now going.\u00a0 Ben shook his head and wondered why he couldn\u2019t ever get through to his youngest boy.\u00a0 The kid had been a challenge his whole life and he never did things the easy way; not ever!\u00a0 He hoped that the boy, if he did come upon Saunders, would have the good sense to watch himself and not get hurt.\u00a0 Ben also feared Joseph\u2019s terrible temper and what he might do if he caught up with the other man.\u00a0 He prayed that Joe wouldn\u2019t take the law into his own hands, but he wasn\u2019t at all sure about that.\u00a0 *** How many times have I tried to get it into your head that you are not the law?\u00a0 How many times have you ridden off in a blind rage only to learn later that it\u2019s wiser to maintain some control, or you\u2019ll get yourself into trouble, Joseph? ***<\/em><\/strong> Ben thought as he lightly kicked at his horse\u2019s sides to pick up the pace.<\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n Dusk had fallen by the time Little Joe had come to the end of the trail as far as Saunders tracks were concerned.\u00a0 He had gone by the cabin some three miles behind him now, but it had proven to be a dead end.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe had gone inside and checked the pot-bellied stove and determined that it hadn\u2019t been used in quite a while.\u00a0 He decided that Saunders must have avoided hiding out there because others, like Joe had, would think of it as his most likely destination.\u00a0 But he knew that the man had headed in that direction and now, studying the hoof prints, he presumed that Saunders was hiding down by the dry creek bed. He knew that there was a large outcropping of boulders which would be a perfect place to hide from anyone on horseback.\u00a0 Leaving Cochise tied up to a chokecherry bush on top of the rocky incline, Joe climbed down to the creek bed, his gun held securely in his left hand.\u00a0 There were only a few rays of the retreating sunset to see by, so he took his time as he moved closer to the rocks and listened.\u00a0 Just a few minutes later he heard the snapping of a twig and turned in the direction and waited.\u00a0 Little Joe hadn\u2019t heard another sound for several more minutes. \u00a0He hugged his body closer to the face of one of the large boulders to avoid detection.\u00a0 Waiting breathlessly, he heard what sounded like cautious bootsteps coming towards him.\u00a0 Joe drew in a deep breath and readied his gun in anticipation.<\/p>\n \u201cDrop it, Saunders!\u201d Joe shouted and watched as the man who had been caught by surprise had reached for his gun.\u00a0 \u201cI said drop it!\u201d Joe shouted once more.\u00a0 \u201cThrow it over there!\u201d Joe pointed to his left and waited.<\/p>\n \u201cYou ain\u2019t got no reason to point that gun at me,\u201d Saunders called over to the boy.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t done nothing!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cToss it or I shoot you down right now!\u201d<\/p>\n Saunders tossed his gun where Joe had instructed and then faced the brother of his victim.<\/p>\n \u201cNow \u2013 where\u2019s your gear?\u201d Joe asked as he kicked the man\u2019s gun out of the way and far from Saunders\u2019 reach.<\/p>\n \u201cBack over there,\u201d He frowned and pointed to the steep embankment just below where Cochise had been tied.<\/p>\n \u201cMove over to it \u2013 and we\u2019ll just see what you\u2019ve been up to,\u201d Little Joe returned, his eyes reflecting the last of the sun\u2019s rays as he pointed with his gun.<\/p>\n Garrett Saunders walked in front of his captor until he came to a halt in front of where he had stashed his bedroll and the rest of his possessions.<\/p>\n Little Joe bent down and shook out the blanket and watched as Hoss\u2019 money belt fell down on the ground.\u00a0 He reached inside with his right hand; his Colt still held firmly in his left.\u00a0 The two thousand dollars was still inside where his brother had placed it the day before.\u00a0 \u201cFunny, my brother Hoss has one just like this. And strangely enough yours has the exact same amount of money that he\u2019d gotten from the bank yesterday,\u201d Joe announced with venom in his tone of voice.<\/p>\n \u201cI \u2013 I didn\u2019t mean to hurt him,\u201d Saunders tried to lie his way out of being shot by the angered brother of his victim.<\/p>\n Joe stood and roughly shoved the man backwards.\u00a0 \u201cYeah \u2013 you didn\u2019t mean to hurt my brother!\u00a0 That\u2019s why you beat him half dead with the butt of your gun!\u201d Joe screamed at the man.<\/p>\n \u201cYou \u2013 you gotta take me to the sheriff \u2013 you can\u2019t just shoot me down I\u2019m unarmed!\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe sneered at the man and replied, \u201cYes, I can \u2013 and I\u2019m gonna do it right now.\u00a0 You tried to kill my brother.\u00a0 You shot and beat him so now I\u2019m going to kill you for doing that!\u201d\u00a0 Joe cocked his Colt revolver and pointed it at the man\u2019s head.<\/p>\n *************<\/p>\n Following his son\u2019s tracks, Ben rode to the top of the incline where they had ended.\u00a0 His mouth fell open the instant he spotted Cochise and then noticed his son standing down below readying to shoot Garrett Saunders.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t have time to talk the boy out of killing the man after witnessing Joe cocking back the hammer of his gun.\u00a0 With a lightning-quick draw of his Colt, Ben fired in his son’s direction.\u00a0 The bullet hit its intended target.\u00a0 He watched Little Joe automatically drop his gun and then fall to his knees. Ben launched himself off Buck and hurried down the slope, with his heart beating hard over what he had just done.\u00a0 He kept his gun trained on Saunders as he moved over to him.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you even move an inch, Saunders, I\u2019ll shoot you down,\u201d Ben warned and helped pull his son to his feet.\u00a0 He briefly inspected the wound on the boy\u2019s left arm and wrapped his neckerchief around it.<\/p>\n Little Joe stood there both stunned and speechless as his father tied the cloth around his left arm.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t believe that Pa had shot him.\u00a0 It seemed like some kind of a bizarre nightmare as it was a scenario which would never really happen; not in a million years.\u00a0 All Joe could surmise was that Pa had accidentally missed and his bullet had struck him and not Saunders, the intended target.<\/p>\n Ben retrieved his son\u2019s gun and placed it inside his coat.\u00a0 He next removed the rawhide strings from his holster and approached Saunders.<\/p>\n \u201cPut those wrists out in front of you,\u201d Ben ordered, his gun still pointed at the evil man.<\/p>\n Garrett did as he had been instructed not wanting to chance Ben Cartwright killing him like his boy had attempted to do.\u00a0 Ben was able to tie Saunders wrists together using only one hand, not willing to take his gun off the man.\u00a0 He tested the rawhide to make sure that both wrists were securely bound together and then cast a quick glance over to his son.\u00a0 He noticed Hoss\u2019 money belt lying on the ground not far from where Joe still stood in silence.\u00a0 Ben walked over and picked it up, tossing it over his shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s get the horses, Joseph,\u201d he called to the boy.<\/p>\n \u201cYou shot me,\u201d Joe stated bluntly, with disbelief all over his face.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m quite aware of that fact. \u00a0Now let\u2019s go,\u201d Ben insisted gruffly, not wanting to get into his reasoning for having done what Joe had forced him to do.<\/p>\n Ben and Joe retrieved their mounts and led them down the slope with Garrett Saunders walking in front of them the whole time.\u00a0 They pushed him back down the incline and into the rocks where his horse had earlier been concealed.\u00a0 Shoving the man up into his saddle, Ben motioned for his son to follow suit.\u00a0 Little Joe hesitated as he stared at his father once more.<\/p>\n \u201cGive me my gun back,\u201d Joe insisted sharply, finally realizing that Pa\u2019s aim hadn\u2019t been off and that he had indeed shot him on purpose.\u00a0 He still couldn\u2019t fathom the idea that his father would have done that.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Ben stated firmly and placed his son\u2019s weapon inside his saddlebags along with Hoss\u2019 money belt.\u00a0 \u201cNow mount up, Joseph,\u201d He commanded staring over at the boy.<\/p>\n For about thirty seconds Joe thought about jumping into his saddle and racing away but after taking a good long look at the expression his father was now wearing, he decided that it wouldn\u2019t be a wise thing to do.\u00a0 Pa looked very angry and, after all, he had already shot him once.\u00a0 Little Joe had learned his lesson the hard way, he could no longer second guess what his father was capable of doing.\u00a0 Begrudgingly he slowly climbed onto his saddle, using only his right hand to pull himself up due to his injury. \u00a0\u00a0He followed Ben and Saunders\u2019 horses as they made their way towards Virginia City.<\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n Just before nine o\u2019clock that night the three horses rode up to the hitching post outside of the Virginia City Sheriff\u2019s Office.\u00a0 Ben dismounted and eyed the situation.\u00a0 There was no way that he was going to drag Garrett Saunders inside the jailhouse and leave Little Joe outside alone.\u00a0 He could no longer trust the boy to make the right decisions.\u00a0 Ben thought that his son might just ride off the minute that his back was turned and he wasn\u2019t about to go back out and chase the kid down again.<\/p>\n \u201cRoy!\u201d Ben shouted and waited for the lawman to appear.<\/p>\n The sheriff had heard the loud call and knew that it had been Ben Cartwright\u2019s voice.\u00a0 He walked outside and then hurried down the steps.<\/p>\n \u201cBen?\u00a0 Ben, I was just getting myself ready to come out to the Ponderosa \u2013 but I see you found Saunders already,\u201d Roy explained and approached the three horses.<\/p>\n \u201cRoy \u2013 go ahead and take this skunk in and lock him up,\u201d Ben pointed his gun towards his prisoner.\u00a0 \u201cGet down from that saddle, Saunders!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was out at your place earlier and Adam told me you\u2019d gone looking for Little Joe.\u00a0 I guess I need to tell Clem to call off the posse that I just got up a little while ago,\u201d Roy explained as he took Saunders into custody.\u00a0 He pointed his gun at the man and readied to get him inside.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be right behind you, Roy,\u201d Ben nodded to the man as he approached his son.\u00a0 \u201cGet on down from there, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u00a0 I\u2019m not going inside the jail,\u201d Joe insisted hotly.<\/p>\n \u201cI said get down from there, Joseph,\u201d Ben reiterated and shot his son a stern warning look.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat for?\u201d Joe stubbornly continued to refuse his father\u2019s orders.\u00a0 He was upset and the whole way into town he had dwelled on the fact that Pa had purposely shot him and not Garrett Saunders.<\/p>\n Ben drew closer to his son\u2019s horse and placed a firm hand onto the boy\u2019s left kneecap.\u00a0 \u201cDo you want me to yank you down off your horse?\u00a0 I\u2019m warning you that I’m going to do just that in about three seconds if you don\u2019t get moving!\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe dismounted without another word.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t have one shred of doubt that Pa would\u2019ve done exactly what he had threatened to do if he had lingered there on top of his horse another few seconds.<\/p>\n \u201cInside now, Joseph,\u201d Ben ordered and grabbed the boy by his right arm and led him up the stairs.<\/p>\n Roy walked out from the back jailcells and locked the door which separated the office and them.\u00a0 He turned the key in the lock and stared over at both Cartwrights.<\/p>\n \u201cSit down over there, Young Man,\u201d Ben commanded and pointed over to the bench across the room before turning back to face the sheriff.\u00a0 He watched as this time, unlike outside, the boy had done exactly what he had been told to do.<\/p>\n \u201cDid Saunders shoot Little Joe, Ben?\u201d The sheriff asked, noticing the neckerchief that was tied around the boy\u2019s left arm.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Roy, I did,\u201d Ben answered succinctly, watching his youngest son glaring over at him from across the room.<\/p>\n Roy Coffee looked at his old friend like he had two heads.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean you did<\/em><\/strong>?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shot another quick glance over at his son and then motioned Roy towards the door.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s talk outside.\u00a0 Joseph, you stay put right there!\u201d<\/p>\n Roy shrugged his shoulders at a total loss over what his friend had said and the way the man seemed to be very upset with the boy he most often doted on.\u00a0 He turned and followed Ben outside.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s okay, Roy,\u201d Ben paused as the two of them made it out to the porch.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got Joe\u2019s gun inside my saddlebags, and you\u2019ve got Saunders locked inside the back jailcell.\u201d<\/p>\n Roy reached for his friend\u2019s arm forcing his gaze.\u00a0 \u201cNow, Ben, what in tarnation is going on?\u00a0 Did you really shoot Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded and sighed wearily, \u201cYes, I did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened \u2013 did you miss Saunders and accidentally hit your boy?\u201d Roy continued, figuring that it had to be the only scenario that made sense.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I shot my son on purpose.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve been to the ranch, then you know that Joseph went off gunning for Saunders.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, Adam told me as much.\u00a0 But what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI came upon the boy just when he was getting ready to shoot Saunders down in cold blood, Roy.\u00a0 He had already taken Saunders\u2019 gun \u2013 so Joe would\u2019ve killed an unarmed man.\u201d<\/p>\n Roy finally understood now why his friend had done what he had.\u00a0 He nodded and waited for Ben to finish.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph had the hammer cocked back already when I got there.\u00a0 I was up on an embankment and there wasn\u2019t any time to try and talk him out of what he was getting ready to do.\u00a0 I came up on Joe\u2019s left side \u2013 and due to the angle and the lighting \u2013 well \u2013 there wasn\u2019t the slightest chance that I could safely shoot that pistol out of his hand.\u00a0 So, I clipped his upper arm, so he\u2019d drop his gun.\u201d<\/p>\n It was very apparent to Roy that Ben\u2019s decision to shoot his son had hurt him deeply and he felt so awful for what the man had been forced to do.\u00a0 He reached for Ben\u2019s arm and placed a sympathetic hand down onto it.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m plum sorry that the kid forced you into making that kind of decision, Ben.\u00a0 I know it had to have killed you inside.\u00a0 But \u2013 you did the only thing that you could\u2019ve done.\u00a0 You know that if Little Joe had killed Saunders in cold blood the boy would\u2019ve faced the rope!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben dropped his head down a bit, still fighting with himself over what he had done.\u00a0 \u201cIt was the hardest thing I\u2019ve ever had to do in my whole life, Roy,\u201d He sighed deeply filled with regret and a big dose of fatherly guilt.<\/p>\n \u201cLike as not Little Joe will heal up just fine, Ben.\u00a0 If you just clipped him \u2013 well it sure is a whole lot better than to lose him to the hangman\u2019s noose!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes \u2013 I know.\u00a0 Still \u2013 Joseph is infuriated with me right about now.\u00a0 And I\u2019m going to need you to lock him up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLock him up?\u201d Roy asked, now wondering if the whole wide world had gone crazy.\u00a0 Ben Cartwright had shot his youngest son and now he was trying to jail the boy.\u00a0 \u201cWhy?\u00a0 He hasn\u2019t really committed a crime \u2013 you prevented all of that!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know that – -and I know that \u2013 but Joseph can\u2019t get it through his head that he shouldn\u2019t have taken the law into his own hands.\u00a0 I thought about all of this on the way here.\u00a0 I figured that I\u2019d go see Judge Wheeler and see if we can get some kind of a hearing tomorrow.\u00a0 You know \u2013 put the fear of God into the boy?\u00a0 I\u2019m pretty sure that the judge will go along with it so Joseph will hear from someone other than his father \u2013 that he would\u2019ve been hung if he had shot Saunders,\u201d Ben explained.<\/p>\n \u201cGood idea, Ben \u2013 but what am I supposed to tell Little Joe about my jailing him tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell \u2013 how about you tell the boy that he\u2019s got to stay until there\u2019s a hearing to see if there\u2019ll be any charges against him for what he was about to do?\u201d<\/p>\n Roy smiled and patted his friend\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cYep \u2013 that\u2019ll do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, we found Hoss\u2019 money belt \u2013 guess Saunders didn\u2019t have the chance to spend any of it.\u00a0 The whole two thousand dollars is in my saddlebags,\u201d Ben explained.\u00a0 \u201cHe was hiding up by Wolf Creek not far from that cabin he was known to hang out a few years back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYep, that\u2019s where I was sending the posse right before you got here,\u201d Roy nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay \u2013 now that I\u2019ve told you what you need to know as sheriff, I\u2019m going to go and see if I can speak to Judge Wheeler and then have Doc take a look at the boy\u2019s arm. \u00a0Afterwards I\u2019m going back to the ranch to check on Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you worry none about Little Joe I\u2019ll get Clem to spell me tonight to make sure there isn\u2019t a problem.\u00a0 I\u2019ll also put the boy in a cell that isn\u2019t too close to Saunders.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Roy, I appreciate your help.\u00a0 Well, I guess we\u2019d better get back inside so you can lock up my son.\u00a0 I know that Joseph isn\u2019t going to be happy about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Roy stared into his friend\u2019s eyes and returned, \u201cBen, now you done the only thing that you could\u2019ve done.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want you to be up all night worrying about it either.\u00a0 If Little Joe was my boy, I\u2019d have done the same \u2013 as would any other father who loves his son.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben simply nodded his appreciation and the two men walked back inside the jailhouse.<\/p>\n *************<\/p>\n Little Joe had paced the floor of the jail the whole time that both his father and the sheriff were gone.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t figure out what was going on outside and what the whole need for secrecy was all about.\u00a0 Though he\u2019d already presumed that Pa was giving Roy all the information about where they had found Saunders it just didn\u2019t make any sense that he wouldn\u2019t have stayed inside to do it.\u00a0\u00a0 Little Joe looked across the room as both Roy and his father walked back inside.<\/p>\n Roy grabbed the keys to the back jailcells and approached Little Joe.\u00a0 \u201cCome on back here with me, Boy,\u201d He directed his new prisoner.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u00a0 Why?\u201d Joe stammered and shot a glance over at his father who in turn simply dropped his head down a bit to avoid the boy\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cGotta hold you over until Judge Wheeler can convene his court and decide if I can let you go.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe sent his father over a hateful glare.\u00a0 \u201cThanks, Pa!\u00a0 First, you shoot me and now you get me locked up in a jailcell!\u201d<\/p>\n Roy grabbed the boy\u2019s right arm to lead him into the next room.\u00a0 \u201cNow, Joe I\u2019ll not stand for you yelling at your pa!\u00a0 I\u2019m the sheriff and I don\u2019t need anyone to tell me how to do my job.\u00a0 It\u2019s only a formality anyway \u2013 like as not you\u2019ll get off with a warning.\u00a0 Now get on in there,\u201d the sheriff insisted as he opened the door and pulled the boy inside.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, again, Pa!\u00a0 Now I get locked up and I\u2019ll have to look at the bastard who shot my brother!\u201d Joe fumed as Roy herded him to the cell.<\/p>\n Ben moved to the back room and watched as the sheriff pushed his son into a cell and locked the door.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be back with Doc in a little while, Joseph,\u201d he returned, trying to excuse away the reason for the boy\u2019s outburst.\u00a0 Ben knew that his son was furious with him.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t even bother!\u201d Joe shouted as he angrily sat down on the cot.<\/p>\n \u201cNot one word either of you!\u201d Roy pointed at both Little Joe and Saunders.\u00a0 He closed the door and stepped back into the front room.\u00a0 It was then that he witnessed the sorrowful expression that the very upset father was now wearing.\u00a0 \u201cBen, the boy will be fine.\u00a0 Clem and I will look after him tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know, Roy.\u00a0 I just hate what I had to do.\u00a0 First, I\u2019m forced to shoot my son and now I\u2019ve had him locked up.\u00a0 I despise that man in there with Joseph and yet to the boy it looks as though I\u2019ve been kind to Saunders and am purposely hurting my own son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all going to be okay, Ben.\u00a0 And you did right by Joe.\u00a0 The kid will understand once Judge Wheeler talks some sense into him.\u00a0 You go and find Doc and I\u2019ll see to it that Joe\u2019s doing okay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be back just as quick as I can.\u00a0 I\u2019ll try to get Doc over here to see to the boy while I\u2019m speaking to Judge Wheeler,\u201d Ben replied and hurried out of the jailhouse.<\/p>\n *************<\/p>\n Ben had spoken to the judge and was assured that the two of them were in total agreement about what should be done about Joe the following day.\u00a0 Next, he headed over to the jail to inform the sheriff.\u00a0 He noticed Doctor Martin out on the porch saying goodnight to Roy.\u00a0 Ben quickly climbed the steps and hurried over to speak to both men.<\/p>\n \u201cHow is he, Paul?\u201d Ben asked trying to catch his breath.<\/p>\n Doc reached over and patted the anxious father\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe is going to be okay, Ben.\u00a0 You just took off a little bit of his hide.\u00a0 If he takes care of that wound, it ought to heal up nicely in a week or two,\u201d He tried his best to put the man at ease.\u00a0 Paul was aware of the stress that his old friend had been under, and he wasn\u2019t about to make it any worse on him.<\/p>\n \u201cThank God,\u201d Ben sighed.\u00a0 \u201cNow \u2013 how\u2019s my other boy?\u00a0 Is Hoss any better?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat middle boy of yours has the constitution of a bull moose, Ben.\u00a0 He\u2019ll need to stay in bed for the next week or so and after that we\u2019ll put a sling on his left arm to help.\u00a0 But Hoss will be okay.\u00a0 I\u2019m not concerned all that much with either of your boys\u2014just their father!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTell him to go home, will you, Doc?\u201d Roy smiled over at the man.<\/p>\n \u201cGo home,\u201d Paul insisted.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I\u2019d better go and see Joseph before I leave.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I don\u2019t think that\u2019s a good idea, Ben,\u201d Roy tried to warn the man.\u00a0 \u201cThat stubborn little cuss is only going to try to rile you and then do his best to make you feel guilty.\u00a0 He\u2019s got his quills out tonight that\u2019s for sure!\u00a0 Just leave him be until morning.\u00a0 Did you get the judge to go along with your idea?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes \u2013 he\u2019s got a hearing scheduled for eleven tomorrow morning, Roy.\u00a0 He agrees that Little Joe needs a severe warning from the court that taking the law into his own hands won\u2019t be tolerated.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood,\u201d Roy nodded.\u00a0 \u201cNow, you get on back to your ranch so Doc can get back to his place, and I can go grab some shuteye too!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben cast a worried gaze towards the jail which was very easily readable by his two friends.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe will be fine, Ben,\u201d Paul insisted.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay \u2013 I want to go check on Hoss,\u201d Ben agreed.\u00a0 \u201cI appreciate both of your help in dealing with that kid \u2013 and his worried father too!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGet some rest and I\u2019ll see you around ten.\u00a0 Best bring the boy a fresh shirt you know old Judge Wheeler and his rules about coming into his courtroom looking decent,\u201d Roy smiled.<\/p>\n Ben nodded and shook the hands of his two old friends before walking down the porch steps.\u00a0 He grabbed the reins of both Cochise and Buck and slowly mounted, pulling his son\u2019s horse behind him.\u00a0 Casting one last sorrowful glance towards the jail, Ben rode back to the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n *************<\/p>\n Little Joe hadn\u2019t slept more than a couple of hours due to having Garrett Saunders looking over at him from across the room.\u00a0 He had wanted to cuss at the man, but Joe knew that Roy wasn\u2019t above grabbing him and soaping his mouth if he caught him doing it.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s stomach churned at the thought of having to go and face the judge that morning and when Roy walked into the jailhouse to give him a shirt, he had asked if he really had to face Judge Wheeler.\u00a0 The sheriff had told him emphatically that there was no way he was getting out of going to court.\u00a0 Roy had shoved the clean shirt through the jailcell bars and told him to get ready.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s anger hadn\u2019t abated and if anything, it had merely simmered until turning into a full boil again.\u00a0\u00a0 There was a brief moment upon waking up that he had presumed he had dreamed the whole thing and that Pa hadn\u2019t really shot him.\u00a0 But after he had rubbed the sleep sand out of his eyes and noticed the steel bars which surrounded him, Joe knew that it hadn\u2019t been a dream after all.<\/p>\n Pulling on the shirt and groaning a bit when the cotton material rubbed against the wound on his upper arm, Little Joe heard the deep baritone voice of his father coming from the next room.\u00a0 He had figured that Pa would be going to court and Little Joe dreaded seeing him that morning.\u00a0 His father was a stickler for following the law, unlike his youngest son.\u00a0 Joe knew that he\u2019d be hearing an earful from the judge and Pa and the thought of it made him feel sick to his stomach.<\/p>\n The door to the front room opened and the sheriff walked in with Ben Cartwright standing there next to him.\u00a0 The two men made their way down to Little Joe\u2019s jailcell and Roy unlocked the door.\u00a0 Staring over at his father Joe swallowed hard not knowing what to say to the man.\u00a0 He noticed that Pa was wearing his dark blue suit, white dress shirt and black string tie.\u00a0 That was never a good sign.\u00a0 Little Joe knew that his father only got dressed up like that for formal parties, weddings and funerals.\u00a0 He knew that they weren\u2019t going to any party or wedding and that just left a funeral which he presumed was his after both Judge Wheeler and Pa were done with him.\u00a0 Joe dropped his gaze to the floor and waited.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph,\u201d Ben merely said his son\u2019s name and that was all and Joe didn\u2019t respond in any way.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Boy. It\u2019s time we walked down to the courthouse,\u201d Roy addressed his prisoner and reached for his right arm.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m coming,\u201d Joe muttered as he stepped out of the cell never looking over at his father.\u00a0 He followed the sheriff into the next room.<\/p>\n \u201cI gave your pa your holster already, Little Joe \u2013 but it\u2019s going to be up to the judge if he\u2019ll be giving it or your gun back to you.\u00a0 Now let\u2019s go,\u201d Roy informed the boy and opened the door to the jailhouse.<\/p>\n Little Joe cast a quick glance over at his father and couldn\u2019t help wondering why he had yet to say something to him.\u00a0 He assumed that the man was probably waiting to see what Judge Wheeler was going to do with him first.\u00a0 Little Joe figured that if he was going to be sent back to jail that his father would have lots to say then.<\/p>\n *************<\/p>\n The two-block walk had been a quiet one with neither Roy nor Ben speaking at all and Joe so filled with both anger and dread that he hadn\u2019t noticed their silence.\u00a0 The three of them filed inside the Virginia City Courthouse and took their seats in the front row.\u00a0 Only a bailiff, the prosecutor and Sheriff Coffee were in attendance besides Little Joe and his father.\u00a0 A few minutes after their arrival, the judge walked inside and everyone stood until the bailiff instructed them to take their seats.<\/p>\n Judge George Wheeler studied the notes in front of him before looking at Little Joe.\u00a0 He cleared his throat and finally spoke up.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph Cartwright, please rise.\u201d<\/p>\n Drawing in a deep breath and still trying to avoid his father\u2019s eyes, Little Joe stood and faced the bench.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you know why you\u2019re here, Young Man?\u201d The judge asked calmly.<\/p>\n \u201cI think so, Your Honor,\u201d Joe answered quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cAccording to my notes your brother Hoss was shot, beaten and robbed two days ago.\u00a0 Is that right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir,\u201d Joe nodded biting at his bottom lip in woeful anticipation of what the judge\u2019s ruling might be.<\/p>\n \u201cSheriff Coffee \u2013 do you have a suspect?\u201d<\/p>\n Roy stood and replied, \u201cI have, Judge, Mister Garrett Saunders has been charged but hasn\u2019t had his first hearing yet.\u201d<\/p>\n The judge nodded and turned back to look at Joe.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, you went after Mister Saunders, is that correct?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir, I did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWere you planning on bringing him in for trial?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shrugged his shoulders and nervously looked down at the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, this is a court of law \u2013 and though I haven\u2019t had you officially sworn in I do expect an honest answer from you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t planning on bringing him in, Your Honor,\u201d Little Joe finally confessed.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat exactly were you planning to do with Mister Saunders?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI \u2013 well \u2013 I\u2019m not exactly sure.\u201d<\/p>\n Judge Wheeler looked down at his notes again and turned his attention back to the boy in front of him.\u00a0 \u201cWere you planning on killing him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure.\u00a0 When I found him \u2013 well — things went a lot faster than I thought that they would,\u201d Joe attempted to sidestep his actions.<\/p>\n \u201cI see,\u201d The judge remarked, not believing a word that Joe had offered. He next focused his attention on the boy\u2019s father.\u00a0 \u201cBen Cartwright please stand.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Your Honor,\u201d Ben responded and stood next to his son.<\/p>\n \u201cYou were with your son, is that right?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shot his son a very disappointed look and replied, \u201cI had gone out to look for him, and I found him with Mister Saunders, Judge.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was your son doing when you came upon him, Mister Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt appeared to me that my son was getting ready to shoot Mister Saunders,\u201d Ben answered.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you think Joseph had the intention of killing him, Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt appeared to me that he did \u2013 yes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what action did you take to prevent that from happening?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI \u2013 well \u2013 I was forced to shoot my son.\u00a0 It looked to me as though my son might be getting ready to kill Garrett Saunders.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWas Mister Saunders armed at the time, Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Your Honor, he was not.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe bit at his bottom lip filled with both worry over the judge\u2019s upcoming decision and anger at his father for having told the truth.<\/p>\n The judge stared over at Joe once more.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, I\u2019ll ask you again — were you planning on killing Mister Saunders?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI \u2013 I can\u2019t say for sure,\u201d Joe stuttered nervously hoping the judge couldn\u2019t read his eyes at the time and see the dishonesty in them.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, you do understand that Mister Saunders has yet to be convicted of any crime, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, — but my brother has identified him as being the man who shot and beat him, Your Honor,\u201d Little Joe explained.\u00a0 \u201cI found my brother Hoss\u2019 money belt on him, and it had the exact same amount of money inside that was in it before he robbed Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYoung Man, regardless of those facts the accused is entitled to due process.\u00a0 Mister Saunders, like all who are accused of a crime, has the right to a trial.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t your place to appoint yourself judge, jury and executioner.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir,\u201d Little Joe responded quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cYour father did you a great favor, Joseph.\u00a0 Because had you intentionally killed an unarmed man, regardless of whether he did or did not shoot your brother, you would have been tried in this court and found guilty of murder.\u00a0 Do you know the penalty for first degree murder?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shrugged his shoulders and didn\u2019t respond.\u00a0 He knew what the penalty was but didn\u2019t want to affirm that he knew it in court.<\/p>\n Judge Wheeler frowned and stared over at the boy\u2019s father.\u00a0 \u201cWell, since you didn\u2019t answer I will assume that either you don\u2019t know what the penalty is for first degree murder or you just don\u2019t want to admit it to me.\u00a0 Joseph, had you shot an unarmed man down in cold blood then once you were found guilty of the crime it would have been my duty to sentence you to be hanged by the neck until dead.\u00a0 Do you understand me?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe looked directly at the judge and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Your Honor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou are a very fortunate young man, Joseph.\u00a0 Your father saved you from a disastrous mistake on your part, one that would have cost you your life.\u00a0 Now, I see from my notes that you haven\u2019t been in any trouble recently and that you haven\u2019t had any charges against you prior to this.\u00a0 I will take that into consideration. It\u2019s my sincere hope that you have learned from all this that you need to temper your emotions to prevent yourself from making further bad decisions.\u00a0 I also understand that you were very upset about what had happened to your brother.\u00a0 However, that wouldn\u2019t have prevented me from sending you to the gallows had you gone ahead and killed that man.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to remand you into your father\u2019s custody, but you are not to come into Virginia City until after the trial of Garrett Saunders, do you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Your Honor,\u201d Little Joe nodded once more.<\/p>\n \u201cFurthermore, you are not to use any kind of firearm until given permission by this court, do you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Your Honor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBen?\u00a0 Are you going to be able to keep your son at your ranch to prevent any further problems until the trial for Mister Saunders concludes?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben stared directly at his son and his face took on a very stern countenance.\u00a0 \u201cI can promise you that my son won\u2019t go anywhere unchaperoned, Your Honor.\u00a0 And I won\u2019t allow him to go anywhere near Virginia City.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd as for firearms \u2013 will you be able to make sure that the boy won\u2019t get his hands on any?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Judge, I assure you that Joseph won\u2019t touch a handgun or a rifle until you say he\u2019s no longer restricted from the use of them,\u201d Ben stated emphatically.<\/p>\n \u201cVery well, Ben,\u201d Judge Wheeler nodded over to the man and then turned his attention back to Little Joe.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, you do know that if you violate any of these rules that I\u2019ll be sending you back to jail where you will stay until I determine that you understand what\u2019s expected of you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir,\u201d Joe nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t be offering you anymore leniency if I find that you\u2019ve done anything like this in the future, Young Man,\u201d He warned.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Your Honor, I understand.\u201d<\/p>\n The judge jotted down a few things on the paper in front of him and then called over to Roy Coffee.\u00a0 \u201cSheriff, under the stipulations that I have ordered, you can release your prisoner into his father\u2019s custody.\u00a0 This hearing stands adjourned,\u201d Judge Wheeler hit his gavel and stood.\u00a0 He walked out of the courtroom, and Roy made his way over to both Ben and Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope you listened to what Judge Wheeler said, Little Joe.\u00a0 He won\u2019t be giving you a second chance, that\u2019s for sure.\u00a0 In fact, you\u2019re lucky he didn\u2019t make you go and sit out that trial over in my jail,\u201d Roy warned the boy.<\/p>\n \u201cI listened,\u201d Joe mumbled not looking up at the sheriff.\u00a0 He was still fuming inside over the whole ordeal.\u00a0 As far as Little Joe was concerned, he had every right to kill Garrett Saunders though he wasn\u2019t foolish enough to say it to the judge\u2019s face during the hearing.<\/p>\n Roy and Ben exchanged worried glances, and both men got the same impression of the boy\u2019s attitude at the time.\u00a0 They both realized that Little Joe had no idea as to how fortunate he was that Judge Wheeler hadn\u2019t been tougher on him.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Roy, I need to get on home and see how Hoss is doing.\u00a0 Thank you for taking care of things,\u201d Ben said and shook the sheriff\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n \u201cYou let me know how Hoss is coming along and I\u2019ll be sure to let you know when that trial is scheduled, Ben.\u00a0 Little Joe \u2013 now you act right, you hear?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir,\u201d Joe responded quietly as his father opened the door and held it for him to walk outside.\u00a0 He dreaded the ride home and what Pa was going to say to him.<\/p>\n \u201cThe buckboard is down the street,\u201d Ben addressed his son as they stepped onto the wooden walkway in front of the courthouse.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to ride Cochise home,\u201d Joe replied bluntly, never looking over at his father.<\/p>\n Ben stopped in his tracks and stared down at his son. \u201cI took her back to the ranch last night.\u00a0 Now let\u2019s get going.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe drew in a deep breath as he tried to fight back his increasing anger.\u00a0 He knew that it was going to be a long ride home.<\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n As the buckboard advanced towards the Ponderosa there was a stark silence between both father and son with neither of them venturing to speak their mind.\u00a0 Ben was in a quandary over what he should say to Little Joe.\u00a0 He was still very upset with the boy over what he had almost done the prior day.\u00a0 But he also felt the twinge of regret over having shot him.\u00a0 Ben decided to wait the boy out to see what he was going to say and take it from there.\u00a0 However, when they weren\u2019t all that far from the ranch house he had finally surrendered to the inevitable and decided that it was time to discuss what had happened.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, Joseph,\u201d Ben paused as he pulled back on the reins bringing the buckboard to a sudden stop.\u00a0 \u201cGo ahead out with it.\u00a0 I can read the anger all over that face of yours.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa \u2013 how could you just up and shoot me?\u201d Little Joe sounded out indignantly.<\/p>\n \u201cI shot you, Young Man, so you wouldn\u2019t hang for shooting Saunders who was unarmed!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNobody else was there \u2013 so nobody would\u2019ve ever known what I\u2019d done.\u00a0 It was just you and me and that bastard!\u201d Joe insisted.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019d better watch your language, Joseph.\u00a0 If you think that you\u2019re mad with me \u2013 well \u2013 you haven\u2019t been paying much attention because I happen to be furious with you!\u201d Ben yelled as he grabbed Joe\u2019s left forearm, locking it tightly in his grasp.<\/p>\n \u201cFine Pa!\u201d Little Joe replied hotly.\u00a0 \u201cGo ahead \u2013 hit me if you want to.\u00a0 You\u2019ve already shot me, so it won\u2019t be the worst thing you\u2019ve ever done.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, you\u2019d better stop right now.\u00a0 I\u2019ve had quite enough of that temper of yours!\u201d Ben warned as he forced his son\u2019s gaze.\u00a0 \u201cNow to get back to what I was alluding to.\u00a0 Yes, it was only the three of us out there as you got ready to kill Saunders.\u00a0 But, if you had gunned him down, I would\u2019ve been the one who had to testify against my own son, and you would\u2019ve been hung for doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, you wouldn\u2019t have had to testify against me, Pa!\u00a0 You\u2019d never have to tell anyone anything!\u00a0 No- one would\u2019ve found his body until I was long gone,\u201d Joe insisted as he tried to rationalize what he had almost done to Garrett Saunders.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, it would\u2019ve been a case of pure murder<\/em><\/strong>!\u201d Ben shouted again.\u00a0 \u201cYou just can\u2019t go gunning down a man who is unarmed and who hasn\u2019t had a trial yet.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe fired back, \u201cHe shot Hoss and we all know it!\u00a0 And he robbed him and beat him and left him for dead.\u00a0 Hoss identified him so trial or no trial he\u2019s guilty as sin!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou lied to the judge, Young Man, and you know it.\u00a0 You were going to kill him \u2013 just shoot him dead!\u00a0 If you thought that you were so all-fired right about doing that then why didn\u2019t you tell Judge Wheeler what you were really planning to do to Saunders?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo need to,\u201d Joe responded curtly.<\/p>\n \u201cYou lied in a court of law, Joseph,\u201d Ben angrily reprimanded the boy.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy should I have told that judge the truth? He was wrong.\u00a0 I had every right to kill Saunders!\u00a0 He almost killed my brother!\u201d Joe answered hotly, his temper peaking once more.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, I\u2019m in no mood to keep going over this.\u00a0 You\u2019ve not listened to one single word I\u2019ve said.\u00a0 I want you to sit there and be quiet because you\u2019re only making me angrier.\u00a0 Now hold your tongue, Boy, and that\u2019s not a suggestion it\u2019s an order.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe closed his mouth though his jaw worked back and forth, readying to fuss some more.\u00a0 He fought to hold it all inside, but Joe\u2019s face showed that he was about ready to let loose his fiery temper and things would get even more adversarial between them.<\/p>\n Finally releasing his son\u2019s arm, Ben prepared to send the team of horses forward.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to walk the rest of the way,\u201d Joe shot out, his tone of voice revealing that he could no longer sit in silence though it was obviously what his father expected him to do.<\/p>\n Ben groaned and shook his head wearily.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s only about a half a mile until we\u2019re home.\u00a0 Go ahead and climb out, Joseph.\u00a0 However, I will be right behind you because I\u2019ve got no intention of taking my eyes off you.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe hopped out of the buckboard and began to walk back to the ranch house.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd stay on the road, Joseph, or I\u2019ll get out of this wagon and deal with you,\u201d Ben warned as he sent the team of horses forward.\u00a0 ***Yes, you go ahead and walk off some of that anger, Boy. ***<\/em><\/strong> Ben shook his head as he watched Little Joe trying to outpace the buckboard.\u00a0 *** You still don\u2019t have any idea why I shot you. Oh, Joseph, what can I say to you, so you\u2019ll finally understand why I did that? *** <\/em><\/strong>he sighed as he tapped the reins to quicken the pace.<\/p>\n *************<\/p>\n The buckboard pulled in front of the ranch house a short time later and Ben stepped down.\u00a0 He cast a quick look behind him to see Little Joe\u2019s approach.\u00a0 Drawing in a deep breath he called out to him.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, put away the team and come inside.\u201d<\/p>\n Frowning, Little Joe walked over to the wagon and began to unhitch the two horses, never looking over at his father.\u00a0 Ben walked inside the house and was met by his eldest at the door.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019d it go, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shrugged out of his suitcoat and tossed it onto the back of the settee before answering his son\u2019s question.<\/p>\n \u201cThe judge did his best to try and talk some sense into your brother \u2013 for what good it did.\u00a0 Joseph still hasn\u2019t accepted that what he tried to do was wrong,\u201d He paused and looked towards the stairs.\u00a0 He changed the subject, not wanting to get into everything just then.\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019s Hoss doing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe ate all his lunch, Pa \u2013 but he\u2019s been hurting a lot.\u00a0 Doc came out and said that we need to keep him quiet and give him that pain medicine for a few more days.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t tell him about the hearing, did you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Sir \u2013 Hoss doesn\u2019t have any idea what Little Joe has been up to.\u00a0 Hoss did ask about him, and I just told him that you sent him into town on some errands.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood.\u00a0 Hoss doesn\u2019t need to know anything about what that boy has gotten himself into until he\u2019s doing better.<\/p>\n \u201cI agree but what about Joe \u2013 did you tell him that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo \u2013 we really haven\u2019t talked only yelled,\u201d Ben frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need me to talk to him for you?\u201d Adam offered, hoping to take some of the weight off his father\u2019s shoulders.\u00a0 He had read the worry all over Pa\u2019s face and was concerned over what Little Joe had been putting him through.<\/p>\n Shooting an apprehensive look over to the front door Ben sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d better do it, Son.\u00a0 I\u2019m also going to have to lay down some strict rules for the boy, but I suppose all of that can keep until I go check on Hoss.\u00a0 Will you go watch out for Joseph until I come down?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam reached over and patted his father\u2019s arm to try to get him to relax a little.\u00a0 \u201cSure, Pa \u2013 take your time.\u00a0 I\u2019ll go check on Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n Nodding his appreciation to his son, Ben retrieved his suit coat from the settee and brought it with him upstairs.<\/p>\n **************<\/p>\n Ben knew that he would have to remove his suit and get back into regular working clothes, or his son might suspect that something was being kept from him.\u00a0 He changed quickly, wanting to go check on Hoss to see how he was doing.\u00a0 Walking into his middle boy\u2019s room, Ben smiled over at the big man lying in the bed propped up on pillows.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, there, Young Man, how are you feeling?\u201d He asked as he took a seat in the chair next to the bed and placed a hand on Hoss\u2019 arm.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m okay, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam told me that you\u2019ve been hurting quite a bit.\u00a0 Now tell me the truth, Hoss, is that wound hurting you?\u201d<\/p>\n Wincing his face as he tried to pull himself up in the bed, Hoss tried to downplay his pain.\u00a0 \u201cNothing that I can\u2019t handle, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded as a knowing smile pulled up his lips.\u00a0 \u201cI see \u2013 you think I can\u2019t read you anymore is that the case?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay\u2014it smarts a bit,\u201d Hoss grinned when he realized that he never could pull one over on his father.<\/p>\n Reaching for the bottle of medicine on the nightstand, Ben poured a good dose onto the tablespoon and brought it to Hoss\u2019 lips.\u00a0 \u201cOpen up.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss reluctantly gave into his father\u2019s insistence and swallowed the bitter tasting medicine before settling back against his pillows.<\/p>\n \u201cLooks to me like we need to get some ice for that very colorful face of yours,\u201d Pa said and softly touched his son\u2019s forehead to detect if he was running a fever.\u00a0 He was relieved to find Hoss\u2019 brow cool to the touch.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be okay, Pa \u2013 stop your worrying.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou three boys are all the same when it comes to being hurt.\u00a0 None of you ever admit to me when you\u2019re not feeling well.\u00a0 In a few days I\u2019ll have to hog-tie you to this bed to keep you down,\u201d Ben mused as he placed the spoon back on the nightstand and leaned forward in the chair.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll send someone to the blockhouse to get that ice.\u00a0 But until then I want you to rest, Son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s Little Joe?\u00a0 I haven\u2019t seen him all day.\u201d<\/p>\n *** I guess it\u2019s time for a necessary lie! ***<\/em><\/strong> Ben thought to himself.\u00a0 \u201cOh, your little brother was in earlier, but you were napping.\u00a0 I\u2019ve given that boy extra chores to keep him busy, so he won\u2019t sit here staring at you.\u00a0 Well, you know Little Joe \u2013 it worries him whenever you\u2019re hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss yawned and then fought against his desire to fall back to sleep.<\/p>\n \u201cYou close those eyes, Young Man.\u00a0 Doc says the more rest you get the faster you\u2019ll heal,\u201d Ben whispered and watched as Hoss finally gave in to his exhaustion and fell back to sleep.\u00a0 Standing from his chair, Pa pulled the covers up to his son\u2019s chin and patted Hoss\u2019 arm gently before quietly turning out of the bedroom.<\/p>\n **************<\/p>\n Little Joe had put away the team of horses and then headed into the barn to see Cochise.\u00a0 He found the currycomb and moved inside the horse\u2019s stall.\u00a0 As was typical, Joe talked to Cochise as he groomed her.\u00a0 He spoke out in a low grim tone, telling the animal all his troubles.\u00a0 Just a few minutes after he began to curry his horse, Little Joe noticed the presence in the barn now standing opposite him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you doing watching me?\u201d He asked annoyed by his brother\u2019s interruption.\u00a0 Joe had wanted to be alone with Cochise because he believed her to be the only one on the ranch who truly understood him.<\/p>\n \u201cJust wondering what you were doing that\u2019s all, Little Joe,\u201d Adam returned moving closer to the boy.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s it look like I\u2019m doing?\u201d Joe retorted angrily.\u00a0 He presumed that his father had sent his brother to spy on him to make sure he hadn\u2019t ridden off.<\/p>\n \u201cIt looks like you\u2019re spoiling for a fight with me,\u201d Adam said frustration in his tone of voice.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I was, you\u2019d know it,\u201d Joe fired back.\u00a0 \u201cNow that you\u2019ve found me leave.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI guess you\u2019re mad at everyone right about now aren\u2019t you, Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, what if I am?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt couldn\u2019t be because you finally realized that you were in the wrong, could it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf I wanted a lecture I\u2019d go in the house and find Pa,\u201d Joe insisted and moved to the other side of his horse trying to ignore his brother.<\/p>\n Adam moved in closer to Joe and reached over and took the currycomb out of his hand to force his attention.\u00a0 Little Joe looked over at him, incensed by what he had done.<\/p>\n \u201cHand it back!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot until you and I have a little talk,\u201d Adam replied.\u00a0 \u201cNow why did you go off and try to kill Saunders, Kid?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t you go into the house and take a good long look at Hoss and then ask me that!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen our brother and it hurts me just as much as it does you \u2013 and it hurts our pa even more.\u00a0 But Hoss getting hurt doesn\u2019t give you the right to run off and try to murder the man who did it!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019d rather he gets off, huh?\u201d Joe spat back his anger mounting.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, he\u2019s not going to get off.\u00a0 Hoss will testify against him when he\u2019s better and Saunders will go to prison.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe deserves to die for what he did!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam shook his head and groaned.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe, no matter how any of us feel about what that evil man did to Hoss it doesn\u2019t give us the right to shoot him down in cold blood.\u00a0 Pa said he didn\u2019t even have his gun on him when you drew down on him.\u00a0 What gives YOU<\/strong> the right to shoot and kill an unarmed man?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe, filled with rage, made his way out of the stall and shoved his brother as he left the barn.\u00a0 Adam followed and grabbed the boy\u2019s elbow, spinning him around.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s that temper of yours that will be your downfall, Kid!\u201d Adam shouted.<\/p>\n Joe broke away from his brother\u2019s hold and stared at him hard.\u00a0 His left hand balled up into a fist, he reared it back readying to hit his brother.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph!\u201d Ben shouted as he moved towards the barn.\u00a0 \u201cGet over here right this minute!\u201d<\/p>\n Standing his ground, Little Joe didn\u2019t budge from his position though he dropped his left arm back down to his side.\u00a0 Ben jogged over to his two sons and stared at them both.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat exactly is going on here?\u201d He asked looking back and forth between the two of them.<\/p>\n \u201cJust warning the kid about his temper, Pa \u2013 for what little good it did,\u201d Adam explained quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t you mind your own business, Adam?\u201d Joe sneered.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the house now, Joseph,\u201d Ben said sternly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not done grooming my horse.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, you are,\u201d Ben replied and glared at the boy.<\/p>\n Little Joe shot a very displeased look at his father, but he wasn\u2019t about to rile Pa up any more than he already was.\u00a0 He angrily headed towards the house without another word.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, I just put water on the stove.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to make that boy take a bath and then I\u2019ll speak to him about following the new rules I have for him.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you go sit with Hoss for a while?\u201d<\/p>\n Sighing to himself, Adam stared at his father.\u00a0 He could easily read the tenseness on the man\u2019s face due to his brother\u2019s behavior.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe was spoiling for a fight with me, Pa.\u00a0 I guess you were right. \u00a0Whatever the judge told him today didn\u2019t change his mind about attempting to gun down an unarmed man.\u00a0 He still thinks it was okay to kill Saunders.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d Ben sighed wearily as he turned back towards the house alongside his son.\u00a0 \u201cJust let me handle it for now \u2013 I don\u2019t want the two of you to get into a fistfight over it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll try, Pa,\u201d Adam agreed and slung an arm across his father\u2019s shoulder to offer him some moral support.\u00a0 He hated to see Pa so upset due to his brother\u2019s inability to admit that he had been wrong for taking the law into his own hands.<\/p>\n **************<\/p>\n Though he had protested taking a bath, Little Joe finally yielded to his father\u2019s insistence that he needed one.\u00a0 Ben was relieved that the boy had gone into the bathhouse as it gave him some badly needed peace and quiet.\u00a0 It hadn\u2019t lasted long, because just as soon as Little Joe bathed and put on clean clothes, Ben was forced to talk to him concerning the new rules he would be required to follow.\u00a0 He stood in the living room and squared off with his youngest.<\/p>\n Folding his arms across his chest and frowning, Little Joe looked up from the settee at his father who stood in front of the fireplace.\u00a0 He knew that there would be a lecture forthcoming and he wasn\u2019t at all in the mood for one at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, now you heard what Judge Wheeler said regarding leaving this ranch.\u00a0 You are not to go off anywhere without either Adam or me with you-\u201d Ben began but his son cut him off.<\/p>\n \u201cHe just said that I couldn\u2019t be in town for the trial \u2013 he didn\u2019t say I had to have bodyguards!\u201d Little Joe protested.<\/p>\n Ben frowned and pointed his index finger at the boy.\u00a0 \u201cYou heard me tell him that you wouldn\u2019t go anywhere without a chaperone!\u00a0\u00a0 And don\u2019t raise your voice to me again, Joseph, I\u2019m warning you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI might just as well have stayed in that jailcell,\u201d Joe muttered angrily.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, that can be arranged, Young Man,\u201d Ben warned and watched as his son looked away.\u00a0 Clearing his throat he continued, \u201cAs for the gun situation.\u00a0 You are not to touch a gun of any kind, do you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Joe mumbled, staring down at the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cLook at me when I\u2019m talking to you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFine,\u201d Joe returned and stared over at his father.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph,\u201d Ben sighed as he neared the boy.\u00a0 He sat down in the chair opposite Little Joe trying to force a calm to the hostility which had fallen like a thick storm cloud over the room.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d prefer not to shout at you.\u00a0 I realize you are still upset over all that\u2019s gone on the last couple of days.\u00a0 But acting up and raising your voice isn\u2019t going to help anything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen can I go and see Hoss?\u201d Joe changed the subject.\u00a0 He knew that he wasn\u2019t about to see eye to eye with his father no matter what he said about the new restrictions. \u00a0\u00a0He also knew that they would never agree about what he had done regarding killing Garrett Saunders.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll get to that but first I want to make sure that we are on the same page about these rules, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n *** Same page? Pa, we\u2019re not even reading the same book! ***<\/em><\/strong> Joe thought to himself.<\/p>\n \u201cWell?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFine \u2013 you want me to be a prisoner here \u2013 I understand.\u00a0 And I guess I\u2019ll just forget all about being able to defend myself too,\u201d Joe argued the validity of both points.<\/p>\n \u201cYou almost killed a man who could use that same argument\u2014he didn\u2019t have a gun either,\u201d Ben returned glaring at his son.<\/p>\n Angered once again, Little Joe jumped from his position on the settee and waved his right arm in the air.\u00a0 \u201cBut I didn\u2019t almost beat someone to death, Pa!\u201d He shouted.<\/p>\n \u201cHold your voice down!\u00a0 I\u2019m not going to say it again.\u00a0 The brother who you\u2019ve said you\u2019re so worried about is trying to sleep,\u201d Ben admonished as he stood and approached the boy.\u00a0 \u201cNow listen to me and listen to me well.\u00a0 You are going to stay on this ranch and you\u2019re not to run off anywhere without one of us with you.\u00a0 You aren\u2019t going to touch any gun or rifle either.\u00a0 Now, have I made myself clear?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFine,\u201d Joe returned quietly.\u00a0 \u201cOkay now what about me seeing Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot tonight,\u201d Ben answered.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause you\u2019re going to have to be able to control yourself a whole lot better than you\u2019ve shown me today before I let you see him.\u00a0 Hoss has been in a lot of pain and the doctor said he needs his rest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not going to get him upset \u2013 I just want to see him,\u201d Joe protested.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve given you my answer, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe simply walked towards the staircase without saying another word.\u00a0 He had had enough of his father\u2019s lectures, his rules and his orders not to see his brother.\u00a0 Ben watched his son walk up the stairs feeling distraught over the contentious attitude he\u2019d witnessed coming from his youngest.\u00a0 Normally he and Little Joe had a warm and loving relationship which was now strained due to what had happened between them.\u00a0 He wished that he could get through to the boy and make him realize that everything he had done was for his own good.<\/p>\n *************<\/p>\n Little Joe had spent time in his room shunning his family and mulling over all that had happened in the last few days.\u00a0 His mood was glum and he was extremely angry about all the new restrictions which had been placed on him.\u00a0 Most of all he was upset over his father\u2019s insistence that he wasn\u2019t allowed to look in on his brother Hoss.\u00a0 It bothered him so much that he had looked out in the hallway a few times to see if Pa or Adam were both downstairs so he could quietly steal into his brother\u2019s bedroom regardless of what his father had said.\u00a0 Unfortunately, each time he had looked one or both men were either going into the room or just coming out of it. Just a little past seven that night Adam knocked on his door and told him to come down for supper.\u00a0 Joe had wanted to ignore his brother and refuse to go down to the dining room, but he had to acquiesce or face the strong possibility that Pa would come up to his room and order him to go down and join them at the dinner table.<\/p>\n Ben watched as his youngest took a seat just to his right without saying a word.\u00a0 He nodded across the table at Adam that he should just ignore his brother\u2019s ill mood.<\/p>\n \u201cI put the new timber contract on your desk, Pa.\u00a0 I looked it over when it came this morning and I think it\u2019ll be okay to sign it,\u201d Adam announced and began to eat his supper.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Son.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe placed his right hand on his left shoulder and rubbed his upper arm where his father had shot him.\u00a0 He had done it twice and each time Pa had noticed.\u00a0 Throughout supper Joe never said a word; he simply toyed with the food on his plate, showing his displeasure at having to sit there with both his father and brother.<\/p>\n \u201cFletcher brought the ice from the blockhouse, and I think it\u2019s helping with Hoss\u2019 bruising already,\u201d Ben mentioned, hoping the information might ease Little Joe\u2019s mind.\u00a0 The boy still sat in silence, as if he hadn\u2019t heard.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah \u2013 I thought it looked like the swelling has gone down some too, Pa,\u201d Adam jumped in.\u00a0 He had also felt the uneasiness around the table since Little Joe hadn\u2019t said a word ever since he had taken his place<\/p>\n Ben had witnessed Joe rubbing his shoulder for the third time and thought that he should say something about it.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that wound bothering you, Joseph?\u201d Ben asked quietly.<\/p>\n Joe finally looked up from his plate and stared at his father.\u00a0 \u201cMy wound?\u00a0 Oh \u2013 you mean my bullet<\/em><\/strong> wound, Pa?\u201d He replied, filled with sarcasm.<\/p>\n \u201cCut it out, Joe,\u201d Adam warned his brother.\u00a0 He knew that the boy was attempting to make their father feel bad.<\/p>\n Little Joe turned towards his brother and said, \u201cCut what out? Pa asked me a question, and I just wanted him to be specific.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph,\u201d Ben began, clearing his throat.\u00a0 \u201cHold your voice down.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, sorry, Pa.\u00a0 Now — what did you ask me again?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe \u2013 I\u2019m warning you ease up on Pa,\u201d Adam reiterated his earlier warning.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay \u2013 you asked me how my bullet<\/em><\/strong> wound was doing, right, Pa?\u201d Joe persisted.<\/p>\n \u201cI asked how your wound was, yes,\u201d Ben nodded trying his best to ignore his son\u2019s ill placed remarks.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just great,\u201d Little Joe answered.\u00a0 \u201cThanks for asking.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI could do without the sarcasm tonight, Young Man,\u201d Ben returned, not wanting another argument.<\/p>\n \u201cThen don\u2019t mention my having this bullet<\/em><\/strong> wound \u2013 since we all know how I got it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa, if you\u2019re not going to hit the kid then I am,\u201d Adam insisted having had enough of his brother for one evening.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on ahead, Adam \u2013 see how far you get!\u201d Joe shouted and stood from the table.<\/p>\n Ben clamped his right hand onto Joe\u2019s left forearm and roughly tugged him back into his chair.\u00a0 \u201cI will handle your brother,\u201d He called over to Adam.\u00a0 \u201cNow as for you, Joseph, you\u2019d do well to keep a civil tongue in your mouth as I have had quite enough.\u00a0 The next rude remark and the two of us will be going out to the barn.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe, throwing caution to the wind, replied, \u201cSure, Pa.\u00a0 Go on and do it \u2013 hit me why don\u2019t you?\u00a0 I mean after being shot by you what\u2019s a mere tanning anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam reached over and shoved his brother\u2019s right shoulder, knocking him out of his chair and down to the floor.<\/p>\n Joe quickly recovered from the shock of his brother\u2019s move and sprang to his feet, his left hand balled up into a fist for the second time that day.<\/p>\n Knowing that he had to get the situation under control before his sons began an all-out war in the dining room, Pa abruptly stood from the table pushing his chair back with the movement.\u00a0 Taking Joe\u2019s fist into his right hand, Ben pulled his son away from the table and over to the living room.\u00a0 \u201cYoung Man, you get yourself up to your room right now.\u00a0 And don\u2019t you dare slam that bedroom door and disturb Hoss!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe opened his mouth, readying another complaint but he read the warning in Pa\u2019s eyes which said more than mere words could ever do.\u00a0 He kept quiet but didn\u2019t leave the living room.<\/p>\n \u201cNow!\u201d Ben growled and pointed to the stairs.<\/p>\n Casting a parting fiery glance over at his brother, he turned for the staircase and hurriedly made his way up to his room.<\/p>\n *************<\/p>\n Little Joe sat up in his bedroom for hours caught up in his morose musings.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t get over the fact that Garrett Saunders was being housed in the Virginia City Jail and getting three square meals a day while his brother Hoss was still lying in his bed in pain and dealing with the bullet wound that the man had caused.\u00a0 And not only that, but Hoss\u2019 face was a mass of cuts and bruises, and Saunders had escaped unscathed due to his father\u2019s intervention.\u00a0 Joe felt as though no-one understood him nor his intentions and why he felt it was justified to kill the man who had almost ended his brother\u2019s life.\u00a0 Swept away in his thoughts, Little Joe hadn\u2019t heard his bedroom door opening nor seen his father\u2019s entry.<\/p>\n Ben walked over to the bed carrying with him the medicine that Doctor Martin had left for him to tend to his son\u2019s wound.\u00a0 He noticed the boy sitting over by his window staring out into the darkness.<\/p>\n \u201cCome over here, Joseph, and pull off your shirt so I can have at that wound.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want any doctoring,\u201d Joe muttered, never looking over at his pa.<\/p>\n Setting the medicine down onto the boy\u2019s bed, Ben turned to face his son.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019d best to what I just said, Joseph,\u201d Ben reiterated his prior command.<\/p>\n \u201cI just don\u2019t know why \u2013\u201d Joe began but Pa quickly cut him off.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to hear another word out of your mouth tonight, Young Man.\u00a0 I\u2019ve had my fill of your terrible attitude.\u00a0 You\u2019d best mind what I\u2019ve just told you to do, or you\u2019ll need medicine for your backside as well as for your arm.\u00a0 Now remove that shirt or I\u2019ll do it for you,\u201d Ben commanded.<\/p>\n Little Joe mashed his lips together filled with more anger than he knew what to do with.\u00a0 But he wasn\u2019t a fool either, as he read both Pa\u2019s eyes and the firm set to his shoulders.\u00a0 He knew that his father was fully prepared to make good on his threat and he even had one hand on the buckle of his belt to prove that he was serious.\u00a0 Joe was quick to unbutton his shirt and set it next to him in the chair.\u00a0 He then stood and moved over to his bed and sat down.<\/p>\n Pa opened the tin of medicine and set it on top of the bed again.\u00a0 He neared the boy and slowly unwrapped the gauze bandage on his son\u2019s left arm.\u00a0 Holding onto Joe\u2019s bare shoulder Ben studied the condition of the wound.\u00a0 His heart fell in his chest after seeing the stitches for the first time since he had shot his son.\u00a0 ***My God, did I do this? It\u2019s not a simple graze \u2013 it\u2019s deeper than I thought.\u00a0 Paul didn\u2019t tell me he had to put sutures in you, Joseph!\u00a0 Or maybe it just looks worse because I\u2019m the one who sent the bullet that did this and I still feel guilty about it? *** <\/em><\/strong>He thought to himself and fought the welling of tears in his eyes.\u00a0 *** I never wanted to hurt you like this, Joseph.\u00a0 I would rather take a bullet myself than to have done what you forced me to do out there. *** <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Little Joe had noticed that his father\u2019s hand wasn\u2019t moving and remained there, resting on top of his left shoulder as if the man was deep in thought.\u00a0 He wondered what Pa was thinking about but didn\u2019t dare ask him.\u00a0 Joe felt the distance that now separated the two of them and though it hurt him much more than his wound did at the time there wasn\u2019t a thing he could do about it.\u00a0 His father didn\u2019t understand him anymore, Joe knew that and there wasn\u2019t any talking the man out of the position he had taken regarding what had happened with Garrett Saunders.<\/p>\n Finally recovering from the sight of his son\u2019s wound, Ben carefully spread the salve around the area, trying his best to avoid tugging at the stitches.\u00a0 Reaching inside the pocket of his vest, he withdrew the new gauze.\u00a0 He slowly encircled his son\u2019s arm with the bandage and tied it off.\u00a0 Drawing in a deep breath to regroup his emotions, he finally spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t bother to put that shirt back on,\u201d he said and walked to the boy\u2019s dresser and pulled out a nightshirt.\u00a0 \u201cYoung Man, put this nightshirt on and go to sleep,\u201d Ben neared Little Joe and handed it to him.\u00a0 \u201cAnd don\u2019t even think about leaving this room until I come up here in the morning.\u00a0 If you attempt to sneak out when my back is turned then from here on out, I\u2019ll just go and find the key to your door and lock you inside here every night,\u201d he warned and then gathered the medicine and the used gauze and made his way to the door.<\/p>\n Little Joe simply sat on the bed unmoving.<\/p>\n \u201cNow get into that, Joseph and go to sleep like I just told you to do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t see why \u2013\u201d Joe tried to address what his father had said but once again Pa cut him off.<\/p>\n \u201cNot one more word,\u201d Ben ordered and left the bedroom.<\/p>\n Little Joe sat in strained silence and disbelief over what Pa had both said and done.\u00a0 He finally pulled the nightshirt over his head.\u00a0 He then removed his boots and pants and readied himself to go to sleep.\u00a0 Joe felt more alone than he had ever remembered and he didn\u2019t see that changing any time soon.\u00a0 Willing away his tears Joe drew in a deep breath.\u00a0 Still the ache in his heart remained. He missed his pa and the love that had existed between the two of them prior to Hoss getting shot.\u00a0 Leaning back against his pillows, Little Joe closed his eyes and prayed that sleep would come to ease his sadness.<\/p>\n *************<\/p>\n Ben stood in quiet consternation just outside Little Joe\u2019s bedroom.\u00a0 He brushed aside the tears which had fallen from his eyes just as soon as it had been safe to do so.\u00a0 His heart ached over all that had transpired between the two of them. He wished with all his heart that he could just go back inside the room and gather the boy up into his arms like he had wanted to do the minute he\u2019d seen Joseph\u2019s wound.\u00a0 But as the boy\u2019s father he couldn\u2019t do that.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t help him in the long run.\u00a0 Ben had been both a mother and a father to Little Joe and filling the role of two parents was never an easy thing to do.\u00a0 He had tried to offer his son the tenderness of a mother while still maintaining the discipline of a father.\u00a0 Ben knew that he had failed miserably at filling both roles, especially that night.\u00a0 Now all he could do was to solely fill the role of the boy\u2019s father and that meant that he couldn\u2019t ignore what Joseph had done concerning taking the law into his own hands.\u00a0 Ben also had to contend with his son\u2019s bad behavior which he couldn\u2019t overlook this time.\u00a0 Sighing wearily, Ben turned and placed his hand on the bedroom door and closed his eyes. He missed his youngest son and the love that had existed between the two of them prior to Hoss being shot. Saying a silent prayer that someday he would be able to make Joseph understand why he had shot him, he turned and somberly walked away.<\/p>\n **************<\/p>\n Little Joe had spent a sleepless night because he had a habit of lying on his left side and, though he had fallen to sleep on his back, he found himself rolling over and putting weight on his injured arm which immediately awakened him.\u00a0 He pulled himself out of bed at the crack of dawn and donned his clothes.\u00a0\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t much he could do but wait for his father\u2019s arrival in his room as Pa had warned him the previous night what was expected of him.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to see Hoss,\u201d Little Joe said the minute he noticed his father coming through the bedroom door.<\/p>\n \u201cNot today,\u201d Ben returned as he approached his son\u2019s bed.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u00a0 You can\u2019t say that I haven\u2019t controlled myself today,\u201d Joe argued using the logic from his father\u2019s statement the previous day.<\/p>\n \u201cThe day has just started,\u201d Ben countered.\u00a0 \u201cAnd besides that, your brother had a very rough night.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe stared into his father\u2019s eyes and knew that the man was holding something back from him.\u00a0 He stood from his bed and approached him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben studied his son\u2019s face, and the worry was already etched on it, so he tried not to rile the boy up so early in the day.\u00a0 He chose his words carefully.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, his fever went up late last night.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure Hoss will be okay, but as a precaution, I\u2019ve sent Adam into town to bring Paul here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI want to see my brother,\u201d Joe responded with an urgency in his tone.<\/p>\n Worried that seeing Hoss would send Joe off on another tangent, Ben tried to come up with a middle ground.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll let you peek in on him for just a minute.\u00a0 But he\u2019s sleeping and I don\u2019t want you to wake him.\u00a0 Do you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe nodded and followed his father out into the hall.\u00a0 He walked inside his brother\u2019s bedroom quietly.\u00a0 Staring down at his brother Joe remembered the vow he had made to him just a few nights prior and it ate at his guts that he hadn\u2019t followed through on it.\u00a0 He had told Hoss that he would get the man who had shot and pistol whipped him.\u00a0 Reaching for the big man\u2019s right hand, Little Joe eased his fingers around it and tried to will the strength back into him.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s all for now, Joseph.\u00a0 You go on downstairs and eat some breakfast \u2013 it\u2019s on the table waiting for you,\u201d Ben whispered.<\/p>\n Fighting back his tears, Little Joe turned and walked out of the room.\u00a0 His hate for Garrett Saunders churned in his gut so much that he felt physically ill.\u00a0 If he could have left the ranch and ridden into Virginia City and yanked the man out of Roy Coffee\u2019s jail and gunned him down, he would have.\u00a0 But he knew that if he was spotted in town, he would most likely be arrested and then he\u2019d not get to see Hoss until after the trial was over.\u00a0 Joe made his way to the dining table and poured some coffee.\u00a0 Food was the last thing he wanted.\u00a0 The only thing he had a taste for was revenge.<\/p>\n **************<\/p>\n It had been a long afternoon for all the Cartwrights as Hoss\u2019 fever had mounted until just after five when he showed signs that it was finally coming down.\u00a0 Doctor Martin waited next to Hoss\u2019 bed patiently, offering medical care for Hoss and instilling calm in the young man\u2019s worried father.\u00a0 Little Joe had done the same thing that he had done some three days prior and that was to pace there in front of the fireplace most of the day.\u00a0 His temper had mounted along with his worry.\u00a0 Though he had gone up to the second floor and attempted to see Hoss, Pa had insisted that he go back downstairs.\u00a0 That had only fueled his anger as his father had allowed Adam to come into Hoss\u2019 bedroom several times that afternoon.<\/p>\n Little Joe had gone to his room to avoid speaking to Adam who had attempted to talk to him on several occasions that afternoon, but he had shunned him.\u00a0 Joe was still upset over his eldest brother\u2019s interference and furious about the way that Adam had shoved him out of his chair at the dining table the previous night.<\/p>\n Due to not having slept more than a few hours, Little Joe finally succumbed to exhaustion and passed out in his bed, thus never hearing Doctor Martin\u2019s carriage as it had left the front yard.\u00a0 He awakened after hearing the knock on his bedroom door.\u00a0 Pulling on his boots, Joe walked across the room and opened his door to see Adam standing there.<\/p>\n \u201cPa wants to see you downstairs, Joe,\u201d Adam said staring down at his brother trying to gauge whether the boy\u2019s face still reflected the anger he had worn for three straight days.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Joe nodded and moved out into the hall.<\/p>\n Both Adam and Little Joe sat in the living room without speaking as they waited for their father to come down from Hoss\u2019 room where he had been most of the day.\u00a0 He finally appeared walking down the stairs looking quite exhausted after the very stressful day he\u2019d had.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss is better \u2013 and he\u2019s sleeping right now,\u201d Ben addressed his sons as he walked into the living room.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did Doc say?\u201d Joe asked standing from his position on the settee.<\/p>\n Ben sighed, hoping that his youngest wasn\u2019t going to put him through the kind of worry that he had for days.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t take much for Little Joe to get his dander up, and Pa just wanted some peace for a change.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll explain all of that after we eat.\u00a0 Adam? Is the stew done?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir \u2013 all I have to do is get it into bowls and we can all sit down and eat.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Son.\u00a0 C\u2019mon, Joseph, let\u2019s go sit down,\u201d Ben attempted a smile hoping to get one in return from the boy.\u00a0 But that didn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to go sit with Hoss,\u201d Joe replied insistently.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Son, we are all going to eat.\u00a0 Like I just told you Hoss is sleeping and Paul said to let him get as much rest as he can.\u00a0 Now come on over to the table.\u201d<\/p>\n As far as Little Joe was concerned Adam could just eat his own stew for all he cared.\u00a0 He just wanted to sit next to his brother\u2019s bed and wait for him to wake up.<\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t I just go and sit in his room?\u201d Joe continued.<\/p>\n Ben put his hand on the boy\u2019s shoulder and tried to steer him to the table in a gentle way so he would finally cooperate with him.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t help noticing how Joe\u2019s body had grown very rigid the minute he had touched him.\u00a0 Ben presumed that it was yet another way that his son was showing his displeasure with him for having shot him.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, we are eating now,\u201d Ben stated firmly.<\/p>\n Begrudgingly Little Joe turned for the dining room with the hope that if he did as he had been instructed his father would be more apt to let him go and sit with his brother.\u00a0 The three Cartwrights sat and ate their dinner.\u00a0 The conversation around the table was only between Ben and Adam.\u00a0 Joe ate his stew and refrained from speaking because he was afraid he\u2019d say exactly what was on his mind.\u00a0 He wanted to go and kill Garrett Saunders, and it was written all over his face.<\/p>\n As soon as the table had been cleared of the dishes, they all moved back into the living room sitting in front of the newly stoked fire.<\/p>\n \u201cSo \u2013 what did Doc say about Hoss?\u201d Joe asked, having waited just as long as he could stand.\u00a0 He needed to hear the details about his brother\u2019s current condition.<\/p>\n Ben frowned, he could read the apprehension all over Joe\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cYour brother has had a rough day, however Paul assured me that Hoss will make a full recovery.\u00a0 His fever finally went down and now it\u2019s just a matter of him getting rest and not letting him get riled up about anything.\u00a0 He knows nothing about what you did, Joseph, and I want it to stay that way.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe stood from the settee and angrily waved his right arm in the air.\u00a0 \u201cWell, that\u2019s just great!\u00a0 My brother had to go through all this due to being shot and pistol whipped!\u00a0 I guess you don\u2019t want him to ever learn the truth about what happened. And I suppose that you\u2019ll never tell Hoss that I could\u2019ve killed Saunders for him if it wasn\u2019t for my father shooting me!\u201d Joe\u2019s sarcasm bled out in his loud rant.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s enough,\u201d Ben said sternly, standing from his chair.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, it\u2019s been a very long day, and I\u2019ll not tolerate any more of your shouting tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam witnessed the stress on his father\u2019s face and his anger kindled towards his youngest brother.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, you\u2019d better let up on Pa, or I\u2019ll take you out to the barn myself,\u201d He threatened.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can just shut the hell up, Adam!\u201d He replied caustically, casting a sneer over to his brother.<\/p>\n \u201cI said that\u2019s enough, Joseph.\u00a0 And you\u2019d better watch that language — I\u2019m not going to keep repeating myself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I get it \u2013 Adam can sit there and threaten me, and I\u2019m supposed to be polite, huh, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo more, Young Man, final warning,\u201d Ben tried to get the boy\u2019s attention with his tone of voice.\u00a0 Usually, Little Joe would know to stop his protests once his father warned him with the stern inflection in his tone of voice and in his stern glare, but that night there was no getting the boy to simmer down.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know why you asked me to come down here,\u201d Joe fussed, refusing to back down.<\/p>\n \u201cI called you down here to speak to you, not get into a shouting match,\u201d Ben countered.<\/p>\n \u201cSpeak to me?\u201d Joe returned and laughed bitterly.\u00a0 \u201cWhy just speak to me, Pa?\u00a0 You and Adam could just go and get your guns and shoot me! \u00a0Isn\u2019t that the best way to show me how much you care?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam launched himself out of his chair upon hearing what his brother had said to their father.\u00a0 He reached for Little Joe, but Pa jumped in between the two brothers to prevent them from having a fistfight right there in the living room.<\/p>\n \u201cYou had better apologize to Pa, Joe!\u00a0 Stop blaming him for your errors in judgement,\u201d Adam called over to his brother.<\/p>\n \u201cI said it before and I\u2019ll say it again.\u00a0 Shut the hell up, Adam!\u201d Joe yelled, his temper having reached its breaking point.<\/p>\n Ben grabbed Little Joe\u2019s left hand which was balled into a fist in preparation to turn it loose on his brother.<\/p>\n \u201cOut to the barn, Joseph, I\u2019ve warned you over and over again about using that kind of language and about your shouting too!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFine!\u00a0 Go ahead, Pa — I don\u2019t care!\u201d Joe returned indignantly.<\/p>\n Ben turned his son towards the front door while Adam stood there shaking his head over what his brother had both said and done that night.\u00a0 He knew that their father had been pushed to the brink by the boy and Pa had to get back in control before Joe did something rash like going back into town to kill Garrett Saunders.\u00a0 Adam wouldn\u2019t have put it past his brother to do something just that foolish due to his terrible temper.<\/p>\n **************<\/p>\n A few minutes after he had fired off at his brother, Little Joe found himself standing opposite his father in the barn.\u00a0 He watched as Pa loosened his belt and then stood there with it folded in his hand.<\/p>\n \u201cYou just had to keep defying me didn\u2019t you, Joseph?\u00a0 This is the very last thing I wanted to be doing tonight,\u201d Ben insisted harshly.\u00a0 \u201cNow, I\u2019ll give you one final chance.\u00a0 If you can manage to offer up a sincere apology and promise to stop your threats and your yelling, maybe I can let you off with a warning.\u00a0 But if not, I\u2019m going to use this belt.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe looked up at his father, defiance written all over his face.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t going to back down or apologize, and it showed.\u00a0 He calmly reached down and pulled his shirttails out from his pants.\u00a0 He then turned around, placing his hands up onto one of the stalls.<\/p>\n \u201cIs this REALLY<\/strong> the way you want it, Joseph?\u00a0 Would it kill you to apologize?\u00a0 And just how hard is it for you to hold your tongue?\u201d Ben questioned incredulously, still hoping that the boy would relent and realize the error of his ways and offer an apology to him.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have anything to say to you.\u00a0 If you\u2019re going to hit me then go ahead and have at it.\u00a0 I don\u2019t care anymore,\u201d He replied in a voice totally devoid of any emotion and stubbornly refusing to face his pa.<\/p>\n Drawing in a deep breath, upset over what he was now being forced to do, Ben sent out the first clap of his belt.\u00a0 Joe made no sound, as though he hadn\u2019t felt a thing.\u00a0 He continued to punish his son, very measured in the way that he wielded his belt.\u00a0 Ben hit him just hard enough to make it hurt but not enough to cause any lasting damage to the boy.\u00a0 He sent ten slaps from the belt onto his son\u2019s backside and then stopped.\u00a0 Once Little Joe realized that his punishment had ended, he turned back around to face his father.<\/p>\n Ben stared hard at his boy, amazed that there was no appearance of tears in his eyes nor any other sign that he was hurt or sorry about what had led to the tanning.\u00a0\u00a0 Upset over his inability to get through to his son, Ben reached for Little Joe\u2019s shoulders and forced his gaze.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s my son?\u00a0 Are you even in there anymore?\u00a0 You forced me to shoot you and now you\u2019ve forced me to give you a tanning too.\u00a0 What else?\u00a0 Joseph, you aren\u2019t the same boy that I raised.\u00a0 Ever since we found Hoss you\u2019ve been filled with nothing but hate and revenge.\u00a0 Is your hate for Saunders more than your love for me?\u00a0 Don\u2019t you think that I\u2019ve wanted to kill that man?\u00a0 Hoss is my son, he\u2019s your brother— but he\u2019s my son<\/strong>!\u00a0 I could\u2019ve shot him the night that I shot you.\u00a0 I had him in my sights just like I had you in them.\u00a0 You forced me to shoot my own son instead of that vile man.\u00a0 Do you have any idea what that did to me?\u00a0 Do you know how hard it is to see your wound and know that I caused it?\u00a0 Joseph, look at me!\u00a0 In the name of God tell me what\u2019s happened to the boy I raised \u2013 the boy I love more than my own life!\u00a0 You would\u2019ve been hanged for killing Saunders \u2013 how many times do I have to say it?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe finally spoke out in a cool deliberate tone, \u201cNo, Pa, I wouldn\u2019t have!\u00a0 All you had to do was to just ride away and never say anything about it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know better than that, Joseph. It would have been murder<\/em><\/strong>!\u00a0 No matter how much I love you I couldn\u2019t have turned a blind eye to that!\u00a0 Haven\u2019t I taught you anything?\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t your right to kill an unarmed man \u2013 even though we know what he did to Hoss,\u201d Ben explained once again though he could tell that his son hadn\u2019t listened at all to his other pleas.<\/p>\n \u201cThen we don\u2019t have anything to talk about, Pa.\u00a0 You think that I was wrong and I think you were.\u00a0 I\u2019m your son \u2013 you\u2019re supposed to love me \u2013 but instead you protected Saunders and shot me!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy \u2013 why can\u2019t I reach you, Joseph?\u201d Ben asked with exasperation in his voice.\u00a0 \u201cWhy can\u2019t you see how much love it took for me to do that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, sure, Pa \u2013 just like the tanning!\u00a0 You strapped me to show me how much you love me, right?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shook his head sadly.\u00a0 His heart was breaking over the fact that his youngest couldn\u2019t understand any of his actions nor the reasons behind them.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, I warned you a half a dozen times that I\u2019d have to bring you out here if you didn\u2019t stop your constant ill remarks aimed at me and your brother.\u00a0 You refused to listen to me.\u00a0 Did you really think that I would just let you continue to defy me?\u00a0 I\u2019m your father!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, you\u2019re my father \u2013 so I guess you\u2019ve got the right to shoot me \u2013 give me a tanning \u2013 anything you think that\u2019s best for me, right?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben sighed, nothing was ever easy when it came to trying to get through to his youngest son.\u00a0 He hurt so badly over the whole miserable situation, and he was still no closer to getting it resolved than what he had been before he had pulled Joe into the barn.\u00a0 He raised his right hand and witnessed Little Joe flinching his face as though he was preparing himself for a slap.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s hand gently settled down onto his son\u2019s left cheek.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, come back to me \u2013 you\u2019re in there I know that you are.\u00a0 Hate is preventing you from coming back to me.\u00a0 Fight your way out of its hold,\u201d He pleaded with the boy.<\/p>\n Joe stared up at Pa never showing the slightest sign that what he had said had gotten through to him.<\/p>\n \u201cI love you, Joseph \u2013 does that even matter to you anymore?\u00a0 Do you even want that from me anymore?\u201d Ben whispered sadly.<\/p>\n At any other time in his life, if he had heard Pa saying those things, Little Joe would have fallen into his arms and cried with regret over the way that he had acted and what he had said.\u00a0 He also would have begged his father to forgive him.\u00a0 \u00a0Now, however, he simply stood there, with anger still very evident on his face, and said nothing.<\/p>\n \u201cBring me back my son \u2013 please,\u201d Ben attempted to get his message into the boy\u2019s mind and heart.<\/p>\n \u201cWhich one?\u00a0 The son you shot or the son who you\u2019ve just used your belt on?\u201d Joe returned indignantly.<\/p>\n \u201cThe son who has a terrible temper, is hardheaded but the son I love \u2013 in spite of all of that,\u201d he responded and shook his head over what the boy had said to him.<\/p>\n Little Joe dropped his head down to his chest, thus breaking away from his father\u2019s touch.\u00a0 Ben sighed wearily and temporarily had to admit to defeat.\u00a0 But he wasn\u2019t going to give up on the boy; he couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Drawing in a deep breath, Ben called over to the boy, \u201cAlright, Joseph, let\u2019s go back into the house.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe tucked his shirttails back into his pants, not willing to allow Adam to see some of the evidence of what had happened in the barn with their father.\u00a0 He hoped that his brother wouldn\u2019t make any snide remarks about the tanning because Joe knew that if he did, he\u2019d be forced to haul out and hit him.<\/p>\n Ben walked out of the barn and stood there just outside the doorway quietly threading the belt back onto his trousers.\u00a0 His stomach churned over what he had just done and how he had hurt his son yet again.\u00a0 But he knew that Little Joe had purposely brought it all on himself and had defiantly refused to apologize for what he had said and done.\u00a0 Pa couldn\u2019t understand the boy\u2019s motivation and why he had spoiled for a fight, but he had.\u00a0 Ben and Joe made it into the house and noticed that Adam was still sitting there in the blue winged back chair.\u00a0 Joe tried to avoid the obvious reason why he had been outside with Pa.\u00a0 He headed to the stairs, never looking at his brother.<\/p>\n Once they heard Joe\u2019s bedroom door close Ben sank down into his chair emotionally drained.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess I don\u2019t have to ask you how it went?\u201d Adam asked drolly.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, you don\u2019t,\u201d Ben sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cYou still didn\u2019t get anywhere with the kid?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Adam. \u00a0There\u2019s never been a time when I\u2019ve had to give that boy a tanning that he didn\u2019t shed at least a few tears \u2013 with the exception of tonight.\u00a0 And he never apologized \u2013 not even after I was through punishing him.\u00a0 It was as though he didn\u2019t feel a blame thing.\u00a0 I just don\u2019t know what to do with him.\u00a0 I know he\u2019s hurting \u2013 both emotionally and physically.\u00a0 But you\u2019d never know it by talking to him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure you didn\u2019t hit him too badly, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hit him hard enough to make him walk in here very rigidly like he just did.\u00a0 He\u2019s just so mad that I wouldn\u2019t let him kill Saunders and that I shot him to stop him from doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa, why don\u2019t you let me try and talk to him tomorrow?\u201d Adam offered, hoping to take some of the weight off his father\u2019s shoulders.<\/p>\n Ben shook his head adamantly.\u00a0 \u201cNo, Adam, let me handle this.\u00a0 He\u2019s been at your throat already because he knows that you believe that what I did was warranted.\u00a0 Leave him be and I\u2019ll keep trying to get through to him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you going to let him see Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf he behaves himself and doesn\u2019t let on to your brother what he did \u2013 and what he forced me to do, then I will,\u201d Ben answered and then stood from his chair.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got to go and put that medicine on his arm before he nods off,\u201d he sighed as he advanced to the stairs.<\/p>\n **************<\/p>\n Little Joe rinsed his face off at the water basin several times trying to rid himself of all that had transpired out in the barn.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t work.\u00a0 All he wanted to do was go to sleep and forget everything that had happened that night.\u00a0 Turning around, he made his way to the dresser and pulled out a nightshirt.\u00a0 Walking over to the bed he eased down to pull his boots off and grimaced from the way his backside was hurting due to the damage caused by his father\u2019s belt.\u00a0 Joe had just removed his shirt, boots, and socks and was readying to remove his pants when his father walked inside the room.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me see your arm, Joseph,\u201d He called over to the boy as he neared the bed.<\/p>\n Joe never made a sound and only stood there waiting for what was to come of his father\u2019s visit.<\/p>\n Ben unwound the gauze and once again put his hand on his son\u2019s shoulder as he inspected the wound.<\/p>\n \u201cLooks a bit festered,\u201d Pa whispered more to himself than to his son.<\/p>\n He walked to the washstand and soaked a cloth and then wrung out the excess water.\u00a0 Making his way back over to Joe, he gently dabbed at the wound.<\/p>\n \u201cIs it hurting very much, Son?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat difference does that make to you?\u201d Little Joe asked with bitterness coming out in his words.<\/p>\n \u201cSit down on the bed,\u201d Ben returned, knowing that the boy wasn\u2019t going to talk straight with him by the expression that he was wearing.<\/p>\n Joe gave an ironic laugh and said, \u201cSit down?\u00a0 Are you forgetting that you fixed me good out in the barn?\u00a0 Love hurts, right, Pa?\u00a0 You loved me enough to shoot me \u2013 so there\u2019s that.\u00a0 And you loved me enough to welt up my backside too.\u00a0 I think I\u2019ve had enough of your form of love.\u00a0 I think I\u2019d do a whole lot better if you hated me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFine \u2013 you stand there then.\u00a0 I can tend you just fine sitting or standing.\u00a0 But don\u2019t you dare complain about that tanning, Young Man.\u00a0 I gave you numerous warnings up to and including out in the barn.\u00a0 I also gave you the option to apologize instead of being punished.\u00a0 Had you done that you wouldn\u2019t have a problem with sitting down right now.\u00a0 You defiantly refused to say that you were sorry for anything that you\u2019ve done.\u00a0 Joseph, it\u2019s about time that you accepted your own responsibility for all that has happened lately.\u00a0 Now, listen to me, it\u2019s late and I have no intention of standing here and arguing with you.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to take care of your arm so be quiet,\u201d Ben reprimanded, unwilling to verbally spar with his son.<\/p>\n Finishing cleaning the wound, Ben opened the medicine and spread it carefully over the injury and then wrapped it with a new gauze bandage.<\/p>\n \u201cDoc will be here tomorrow to see how Hoss is doing and I\u2019ll have him take a look at this to make sure there\u2019s no sign of infection.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe felt his father\u2019s hand as it had lingered on his bare shoulder.\u00a0 He wondered why Pa had held it there for so long the same way he had done the previous night.<\/p>\n \u201cNow that takes care of your arm,\u201d Ben paused and cleared his throat while eyeing his son again.\u00a0 \u201cAs for your backside \u2013 I\u2019m sorry that it came to that \u2013 my having to give you a tanning.\u00a0 But you left me no other choice due to your disobedience.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know, Pa, you were just trying to prove to me how much you still loved me.\u00a0 Yeah, just like this wound on my arm!\u201d Joe responded sarcastically.<\/p>\n \u201cJust stop it, Joseph,\u201d Ben sighed and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cJust go to bed and tomorrow you can get right back to telling me what a terrible father I am.\u00a0 I\u2019ve heard quite enough of that for one day,\u201d Pa announced as he grabbed up the medicine and turned toward the door.<\/p>\n Little Joe watched the way that his father simply opened the door and closed it behind him without offering another word to him.\u00a0 He removed the rest of his clothing and pulled the nightshirt over his head.\u00a0 Joe was still fuming over all that his father had done to him from the gunshot three days ago to the tanning he had just given him that night.\u00a0 He moved over to his bed and sprawled out onto his stomach.\u00a0 Then, for the very first time since he had been shot by his pa, tears began to leave his eyes.\u00a0 He hurt, he was angry, but foremost he felt betrayed.\u00a0\u00a0 And, after listening to the way that Pa had spoken to him right before he walked out of the room, he felt worse than he had while out in the barn.\u00a0 Surrendering to his feelings of loss, Little Joe buried his face in his pillow and cried.\u00a0 He had lost his father\u2019s respect and understanding and he felt the exact same way towards Pa.\u00a0 The man seemed more like a stranger to him now.\u00a0 Their once unbreakable bond had been severed, possibly forever, and it felt like a death to him.\u00a0 Joe prayed for sleep to come and take him away from the dreadful situation just so he could escape from all that had happened between his father and him.<\/p>\n Ben had lingered a few minutes out in the hall totally beside himself with both hurt and worry over his youngest son and all that had gone on the last three days.\u00a0 He quietly, trying to avoid detection, opened Little Joe\u2019s bedroom door and could see that the boy appeared to be crying into his pillow.\u00a0 Though he hated to see his son looking so distraught, part of him was relieved to witness at least some kind of emotion other than anger coming out of the boy.\u00a0 Pa eased the door closed again.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t the right time to confront Joseph due to all that had been said between them that night.\u00a0 Ben reasoned that he\u2019d have to wait and hope that his son would be calmer the following day and perhaps a bit more open to repairing their relationship.\u00a0 He walked away praying that his assumption would prove to be a correct one; at least there was always hope.<\/p>\n **************<\/p>\n Little Joe slept better than he had the previous night due to feeling spent after all the drama that had transpired between him and his family the last four days.\u00a0 The light coming in from the gingham curtains pierced his eyes as he sat up in his bed and groaned.\u00a0 ***Pa sure showed me how much he loves me last night! *** <\/em><\/strong>He thought to himself and quickly stood up.\u00a0 Joe hurt both inside and out and he wished he could just mount Cochise and leave the ranch.\u00a0 It was a foolish thought and he knew it.\u00a0 Not only couldn\u2019t he ride off due to the two sets of eyes which were watching him like a hawk but also because he didn\u2019t think he could sit a saddle after what had happened out in the barn.\u00a0 Little Joe had just dressed and pulled on his boots when his father walked inside his room.<\/p>\n \u201cGood morning,\u201d Ben called to his son, never knowing what response he was going to get from the boy.\u00a0 Lately it had been like trying to predict which way a coin would fall, heads or tails, when it came to Joseph\u2019s behavior.<\/p>\n \u201cMorning,\u201d Joe returned, his voice coming out very subdued.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on down for breakfast I\u2019ve just put it on the table.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI want to see Hoss first.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAfter you eat \u2013 then if you can abide by the rules I\u2019ll allow \u2013\u201d Ben was cut off in midsentence.<\/p>\n \u201cAllow?\u00a0 I\u2019ve got to wait to be allowed to see my own brother?\u201d The pitch of Little Joe\u2019s voice had returned to its former raised tone which was sharp as he challenged his father\u2019s authority.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, don\u2019t start another day like the last several have gone between us.\u00a0 Yes, I will allow you to see your brother after you eat if you can watch that temper and listen to what I\u2019ve told you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFine,\u201d Joe returned, attempting to hold in his anger for the present time.\u00a0 He wanted to see Hoss, and he knew that he\u2019d now have to go through his father for that to happen.<\/p>\n Ben turned out of the room with his son following him.\u00a0 They made their way down the stairs and over to the dining table.\u00a0 Adam walked in from the kitchen holding the coffee pot and placed it at the head of the table before taking his seat.\u00a0 Little Joe slowly eased down onto the hard wooden seat and tried to stifle a groan.\u00a0 He attempted to ignore the fact that both Pa and Adam were watching the way he sat gingerly in his chair.<\/p>\n Clearing his throat after watching his son\u2019s obvious discomfort, Ben handed a cup of coffee to the boy and said, \u201cPass this down to your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe fought to comply with his father\u2019s request.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t even want to look at his brother, let alone hand him his blasted coffee.\u00a0 Witnessing Pa\u2019s stern gaze directed at him, Joe supposed he was challenging him not to start the day by being belligerent.\u00a0 He finally handed the coffee to Adam without looking into his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d Adam said nodding his head towards the boy who refused to look his way.<\/p>\n Pouring another cup of coffee, Ben set it down in front of his youngest.\u00a0 Joe only acknowledged it with a nod of his head.\u00a0 Had it been any other situation, Little Joe would have thanked pa, but his anger prevented him from offering any pleasantries.<\/p>\n While Ben and Adam conversed about ranch business, Joe just sat in his chair quietly sipping his coffee.\u00a0 Internally he was fuming over everything that had happened between Pa and him.\u00a0 He shifted in his chair trying to keep his full weight off his backside.\u00a0 Joe hoped that neither Pa nor Adam could tell how bad he was hurting at the time.\u00a0 He felt that it was humiliating enough that his father had taken him out to the barn and given him a tanning, but sitting there at the table and knowing that there were two sets of eyes on him felt emotionally excruciating.\u00a0 Joe shot a subtle glance over his left shoulder and noticed that Pa was staring directly at him.\u00a0 He could tell that his father knew just how much he was hurting but Joe figured that Pa thought that he was justified in doling out his form of punishment.<\/p>\n Little Joe dropped his head as he picked up his fork and toyed with the eggs on his plate.\u00a0 An uneasy silence fell over the room prompting Ben to nod over at Adam.\u00a0 He knew that his eldest was trying to come up with some topic that wouldn\u2019t set Little Joe off again.\u00a0 When Adam hadn\u2019t been able to think of anything that would help the situation, Ben cleared his throat and gave it a try.<\/p>\n \u201cRoy said that he would let us know when the judge has set the court date.\u00a0 I think Judge Wheeler is probably going to wait until Hoss is up and around so he can testify.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWouldn\u2019t have needed a court date,\u201d Litttle Joe muttered, never looking up from his plate.<\/p>\n Adam glanced over at his father and watched as the man frowned at the boy to his right.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was that, Joseph?\u201d Ben asked, raising his eyebrows.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing,\u201d Little Joe returned quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s going to be a trial and once Saunders is found guilty, he\u2019s going to prison for a long time,\u201d Ben announced, making it clear that the man\u2019s fate would be decided by the law now.<\/p>\n \u201cHe deserves to be killed,\u201d Joe rejected his father\u2019s statement, his temper beginning to mount once again.<\/p>\n Dropping his hand down onto his son\u2019s left arm, Ben forced the boy to look up at him as he addressed what he had said. \u201cYoung Man, you aren\u2019t the judge and jury.\u00a0 What\u2019s it going to take before you realize that Joseph Cartwright doesn\u2019t get to decide these things?\u201d He asked, filled with frustration in his tone of voice.<\/p>\n Little Joe wasn\u2019t about to back down because he didn\u2019t see things like his father did and probably never would.\u00a0 \u201cSo, he gets a few years in prison \u2013 then what, Pa?\u00a0 You think that\u2019s going to change him?\u00a0 No!\u00a0 He\u2019ll probably end up killing the next man he robs and pistol whips!\u201d Joe exclaimed, his voice rising to a fever pitch.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph \u2013 that\u2019s enough,\u201d His father warned.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, Joe \u2013 ease up some,\u201d Adam broke in only to see his brother sneering over at him.<\/p>\n \u201cWho asked you to chime in?\u00a0 Oh \u2013 yeah, I forgot \u2013 you go along with everything that Pa says because you are the perfect son!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben tightened his hold on Joe\u2019s arm and shook it to get his attention.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, I didn\u2019t bring up the trial to send you off on another tangent.\u00a0 Now, either calm down or go back upstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know I\u2019m getting tired of being treated like I\u2019m a child and have to be told by both you and Adam what I\u2019m supposed to think is right!\u201d Joe fired back at his father.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve been acting like a child throwing tantrums and shouting instead of talking.\u00a0 I\u2019ve no earthly idea why you won\u2019t listen to reason anymore.\u00a0 Now, I\u2019m not going to debate with you every day about this.\u00a0 If you want to sit and eat and not shout, then stay and if not just let us eat our breakfast in peace.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe stood and tossed his napkin on the table without saying another word.\u00a0 He turned away from the table and walked to the stairs leaving his father and brother shaking their heads.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Pa,\u201d Adam whispered seeing the effect that his brother was having on the man.<\/p>\n Ben sat there at the head of the table and dropped his head down into his hands and groaned over the behavior of his youngest son.\u00a0 \u201cI just can\u2019t get through to that boy.\u00a0 He\u2019s never behaved like this before.\u00a0 You\u2019d think after he forced me to take him to the barn last night that he\u2019d try to keep his opinions to himself instead of trying to rile me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wish that I could help, Pa \u2013 but Joe doesn\u2019t have any use for me here lately.\u00a0 Are you going to let him see Hoss today?\u201d<\/p>\n Sighing to himself, Ben shook his head and replied, \u201cThat depends entirely on him.\u00a0 I guess we\u2019ll see how the day goes before I broach that subject with Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n *************<\/p>\n Little Joe had gone outside and decided to take out his anger and frustration on the wood that needed to be cut and stacked.\u00a0 Both Ben and Adam had gone out to check on him to make sure that he wouldn\u2019t do anything foolhardy like riding off into town.\u00a0 By late afternoon he had a good amount of wood stacked and decided that he\u2019d done enough.\u00a0 His left arm had been throbbing, something he wasn\u2019t about to mention to Pa the last few times he\u2019d come out onto the porch to see what he was doing.\u00a0 Joe made his way into the house and met his father standing next to the front door.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, Hoss is awake right now.\u00a0 Would you like to go and see him for a few minutes?\u201d<\/p>\n *** I guess he\u2019s going to \u201callow\u201d me to see my own brother now. ***<\/em><\/strong> Joe mused to himself and then looked up at his father.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir,\u201d Joe nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright, but like I told you the other day, Hoss doesn\u2019t know anything that has transpired between the two of us \u2013 and he knows nothing about Saunders other than that he was arrested.\u00a0 So, no talking about any of that, understood?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnderstood,\u201d He answered quietly.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t happy about what Pa wanted him to keep from his brother but if he was going to be allowed to see Hoss it was the only way.\u00a0 He followed his father up the stairs where Pa made him stand outside of his brother\u2019s bedroom first.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss?\u201d Ben greeted his son as he walked over to his bed.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s someone out in the hall who\u2019d like to see you for a few minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe?\u201d Hoss asked hopefully as he pulled himself up against the headboard some.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d Ben smiled and walked to the door, waving his youngest inside the room.<\/p>\n \u201cHi, Big Brother,\u201d Little Joe grinned and hurried to stand there next to him.\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019re you feeling?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine, Short Shanks,\u201d Hoss nodded to the boy.\u00a0 \u201cDad gum it where\u2019ve you been?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe exchanged an apprehensive glance with his father and tried to figure out how he should respond to his brother\u2019s question.\u00a0 The truth of the matter was that he had just been down the hall for two days, but he hadn\u2019t been allowed to see his brother for any length of time due to the tense situation.<\/p>\n Ben cleared his throat and jumped in to help assist Little Joe.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve been working your little brother quite a bit, Hoss.\u00a0 But he\u2019s come in to see you a few times when you were sleeping.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGo on and sit down awhile and talk to me, Little Joe,\u201d Hoss insisted and pointed to the chair next to his bed.<\/p>\n Joe looked at the chair and decided that he might reveal to his brother what had happened to him the previous night if he were to try and sit down just then.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d just as soon stand\u2014been sitting too much today,\u201d Joe lied through his teeth.\u00a0 When he briefly glanced over at his father, Joe noticed that Pa had nonchalantly raised one of his hands up to his mouth covering it. It was then that Joe realized that Pa was doing his best to disguise the fact that he was grinning over the whole awkward situation regarding what had transpired in the barn the previous night.\u00a0 Little Joe, himself, was not amused in the least.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, I heard from Pa that they caught Saunders,\u201d Hoss began.\u00a0 \u201cGlad you didn\u2019t go after him \u2013 even though I remember hearing what you said to me the other night.\u00a0 It\u2019s best this way.\u00a0 If you\u2019d gone after him, you could\u2019ve gotten hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019s stomach felt as though it had taken a direct punch after hearing his brother\u2019s statement.\u00a0 He wanted Hoss to know that he had tried to honor the vow that he had made but that Pa had prevented him from achieving the kill.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2014well at least he\u2019s locked up,\u201d Joe nodded over to Hoss.<\/p>\n Hoss noticed the way there seemed to be something not quite right going on between his father and little brother.\u00a0 It showed in the way they kept their distance from each other there next to the bed.<\/p>\n \u201cIs everything okay?\u201d Hoss asked staring back and forth between Joe and Pa.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything is fine, Son,\u201d Ben nodded and then opened his pocket watch.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s time for your pain medicine though.\u00a0 Joseph, you can come back later but right now I\u2019m going to tend to your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n Biting at his bottom lip to mask his true feelings, Little Joe reached for his brother\u2019s arm and patted it.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be back to see you, Hoss.\u00a0 You take care of yourself \u2013 you really had me worried.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh shucks, I\u2019ll be okay, Joe.\u00a0 You know I\u2019m not gonna stay put in this bed long!\u201d He laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cSee you later \u2013 feel better,\u201d Little Joe said and turned out of the room.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d Hoss whispered as he settled back down in bed.<\/p>\n Placing the medicine on the tablespoon, Ben addressed his son.\u00a0 \u201cWait just a minute \u2013 take this.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss accepted the medicine and began once more.\u00a0 \u201cSomething going on between you and Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n Trying to feign ignorance, Ben asked, \u201cWhat makes you ask that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know \u2013 just something didn\u2019t seem right.\u00a0 The kid\u2019s not in some kind of trouble, is he?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow, Young Man, you stop worrying!\u00a0 Everything is fine.\u00a0 All we need to do is get you well again.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss studied his father\u2019s careworn face and knew that he was keeping something from him no matter how hard he had tried to hide it.\u00a0 He decided that he\u2019d ask Little Joe the next time he stopped by.\u00a0 Easing down in the bed, Hoss closed his eyes and was soon fast asleep.<\/p>\n *************<\/p>\n Little Joe hadn\u2019t spoken more than a couple of words the rest of the day and after supper he had moved out to the front porch, leaning against one of the support columns.\u00a0 Ben hadn\u2019t seen him leaving and had gone looking for him inside the house before venturing outside where he finally spotted the boy standing there in the dark.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph?\u201d<\/p>\n Turning his attention towards the voice, Joe watched as his father approached.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t see you come out here,\u201d he began and tried to get a look into the boy\u2019s eyes to determine if he was still angry.\u00a0 The dim light from the lantern above the door wasn\u2019t much help and Joe had yet to say anything in response to hearing his name called.\u00a0 \u201cI need to put that medicine on your arm.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy arm\u2019s fine,\u201d Little Joe muttered and turned his face away from his father.<\/p>\n If it had been a typical night, Ben would have placed an arm across his son\u2019s shoulder pulling him close as he tried to cajole Joe into letting him tend his wound.\u00a0 But it was far from a typical night.\u00a0 There was a big divide in their relationship, and it seemed to grow wider every hour.\u00a0 If anyone had told him that his youngest would have turned away from him Ben wouldn\u2019t have believed it.\u00a0 Joseph was the most demonstrative of all three of his sons and the boy often sought out the comfort he found in his father\u2019s arms when he was hurt.\u00a0 Ben prayed that the closeness that they had shared would come back to them both, but that didn\u2019t seem likely at that moment.<\/p>\n \u201cYou heard Doc Martin today.\u00a0 He said I need to keep putting the medicine on your wound until he takes those stitches out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou picked a fine time to be concerned about my being hurt.\u00a0 You didn\u2019t mind me getting hurt last night,\u201d he remarked indignant over the fact that his father had taken him out to the barn and given him a tanning.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I think you\u2019ll live,\u201d Ben replied drolly and watched as his son frowned and shook his head, not at all amused by what he had said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt might be funny to you but it\u2019s not to me,\u201d Joe fumed as he glared over at his father.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t say that it was.\u00a0 However, Joseph, if you\u2019d be honest with yourself, you\u2019ll have to admit that you more than had that tanning coming to you due to your behavior,\u201d Ben insisted standing his ground.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you could\u2019ve gotten out of it if you had just offered up an apology, Young Man,\u201d he reminded the boy.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, when you apologize for shooting me, I\u2019ll apologize for everything else.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGetting back to that arm,\u201d he continued, not wanting another go-round with the boy about the shooting.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s go inside and I\u2019ll tend to it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can put medicine on my arm by myself,\u201d Joe responded quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t about you not wanting me to tend your arm and you know it.\u00a0 Okay, go ahead get it all out,\u201d Ben sighed and shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cYou made me lie to Hoss about Saunders.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow, Joseph, I already explained all that to you.\u00a0 Your brother doesn\u2019t need to get upset right now and if you tell him the truth he will.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI made a vow to Hoss and I meant it,\u201d Joe argued.\u00a0 \u201cNow he thinks that I didn\u2019t try to follow through with it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour brother wouldn\u2019t have wanted you to follow through with that vow and you know it!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause I know Hoss.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t believe in gunning down an unarmed man, unlike you,\u201d Ben answered sadly.<\/p>\n \u201cHe would if it was the man who almost killed him \u2013 and who pistol whipped him!\u201d Joe insisted vehemently.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, he wouldn\u2019t.\u00a0 He\u2019s one son that I know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure, Pa \u2013 unlike me, right?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben finally settled his right hand onto the boy\u2019s shoulder and forced him to look at him.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, I knew you until a few days ago \u2013 until you changed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t change, Pa \u2013 you did!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I didn\u2019t.\u00a0 I raised you to know right from wrong and what you tried to do was just plain wrong and deep down you know it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, if you say I changed then you changed too!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust how have I changed, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI never thought you\u2019d shoot me \u2013 and you did,\u201d Joe spat out filled with the betrayal that he still felt over what his father had done.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, I\u2019d much rather see you with that wound of yours than to see you get hanged.\u00a0 When I saw you cocking back the hammer of your gun, I knew that you were going to kill Saunders in cold blood.\u00a0 \u00a0I had no other recourse, I had to shoot you.\u00a0 How many times do I have to keep telling you this before you finally understand?\u201d Ben countered exasperatedly.<\/p>\n \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have done it,\u201d Joe insisted irately.<\/p>\n \u201cI shouldn\u2019t have had <\/strong>to do it,\u201d Ben corrected the boy.\u00a0 \u201cAnd if you think I wanted to hurt you you\u2019re wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou could\u2019ve just shot Saunders instead of your own son!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt would\u2019ve been just as wrong for me to shoot an unarmed man as it would\u2019ve been for you to have done it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, it was okay for you to shoot me \u2013 right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes \u2013 to save your life!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t expect me to ever believe that Pa \u2013 because I never will.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph -\u201d Ben began but the boy shot past him and hurried into the house.\u00a0 He stood out on the porch feeling at a loss as to what to do for his son.\u00a0 Ben sighed wearily believing that he would never get his youngest to acknowledge that his father had shot him because he loved him.\u00a0 Crestfallen, he walked back inside.<\/p>\n **************<\/p>\n It had taken another week and a half for Hoss to heal from his injuries. \u00a0Once Doctor Martin had informed both Ben and Roy that the young man was pretty much on the mend a trial was scheduled quickly.\u00a0 During his convalescence Hoss watched the way his father and little brother acted when they were together in the same room.\u00a0 Pa and Joe seemed to be at odds with each other though no harsh words were exchanged between them in front of him. Two days before the scheduled trial date, Hoss had confronted his father over what had happened those first few days after he had been shot.\u00a0 Ben had gone to great lengths to tell his son everything that had happened concerning his little brother and the truth had floored the big man.\u00a0 He knew that he would need to talk with Little Joe so he could try to straighten the situation out the best he could.\u00a0 Hoss hated that Joe had tried to seek vengeance against Garrett Saunders to avenge him.\u00a0 Like Pa had told his youngest, Hoss would never have wanted that.\u00a0 Ben knew his middle boy well.<\/p>\n Walking out to the front porch, Hoss found Little Joe sitting at the table alone.\u00a0 He ambled over to the boy and sat down alongside him.<\/p>\n \u201cYou were awfully quiet at dinner, Little Brother,\u201d Hoss said and wrapped his right arm around Joe\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019re you doing out here?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe dropped his head down to his chest and choked out, \u201cI know that Pa told you all about it, Hoss.\u00a0 I tried \u2013 really, I did!\u00a0 I wanted to kill him for you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe \u2013 why\u2019d you think I\u2019d want you to kill him?\u201d<\/p>\n Staring back up into his brother\u2019s eyes, Joe looked surprised by what he had said.\u00a0 \u201cHe almost killed you!\u00a0 And he pistol whipped you – -your face is still all bruised and cut up!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing that won\u2019t heal, Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe deserved it!\u201d Joe insisted.<\/p>\n \u201cBut Pa said he wasn\u2019t even armed when you went to shoot him, Joe.\u00a0 You know that\u2019s wrong \u2013 don\u2019t you?\u201d Hoss asked, trying not to sound condescending so he would have a better chance of getting through to his brother.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was wrong what he did to you!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss frowned and shook his head, trying to come up with the words that would make his brother understand.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, if you shot him down in cold blood \u2013 well it\u2019s not all that different from what he did to me, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t deserve it \u2013 he did!\u201d Joe argued growing angered that it seemed like his brother didn\u2019t understand him any more than their father did.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody deserves to be gunned down, Little Brother.\u00a0 I know you wuz just thinking about me\u2014and I\u2019m glad you care so much about me.\u00a0 But I never would have wanted you to kill someone like that.\u00a0 And, if you had, Pa\u2019s right \u2013 you\u2019d get arrested for first degree murder.\u00a0 Do you think I\u2019d want to see you get hung because you went gunning for someone just to avenge me?\u00a0 Nothing is worth that to me, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa told you to say all of this, right?\u201d Joe asked, staring suspiciously at his brother.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, he didn\u2019t,\u201d Hoss stated adamantly.\u00a0 \u201cSure, Pa told me what happened and what he had to do to you.\u00a0 But I\u2019m telling you now how I feel about it, Little Brother.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe dropped his head into his hands and leaned his elbows on the table.\u00a0 He fought back his tears.\u00a0 \u201cI thought that at least you would understand me, Hoss,\u201d He whispered sadly.<\/p>\n \u201cI do understand, Joe, but it just wasn\u2019t the right thing to do.\u00a0 And Adam told me that you and Pa have been at odds over all this.\u00a0 You\u2019ve gotta know that Pa didn\u2019t want to shoot you.\u00a0 It killed him to do it — I know it did.\u00a0 Adam said you\u2019ve really made Pa feel bad about it too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam would tell you that,\u201d Joe complained.\u00a0 \u201cI guess he didn\u2019t bother to tell you that Pa took me into the barn and gave me a tanning, did he?\u00a0 Yeah, first he shot me then he did that.\u00a0 I sure would like to know how that was \u201cfor my own good\u201d like Pa said!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah \u2013 Adam told me that too.\u00a0 Joe \u2013were you giving Pa trouble?\u00a0 Is that why he took you to the barn?\u201d Hoss questioned, forcing his brother\u2019s gaze.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to talk about any of this anymore.\u00a0 No one understands me around here.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be glad when the trial is over.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy do you say that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause then I can leave the Ponderosa.\u00a0 No reason for me to stick around anymore,\u201d Joe insisted and stood and walked away.<\/p>\n Ben had watched the last exchange between his two sons and witnessed Little Joe\u2019s abrupt exit.\u00a0 He moved over next to Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be alright, Hoss.\u00a0 He just needs some time to digest what you just told him.\u00a0 The boy was so sure that you\u2019d feel the same way he did that it\u2019s going to take him awhile to process it,\u201d Ben tried to reassure his son, seeing that Joe\u2019s sudden departure had worried him.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u00a0 Did you hear Little Joe \u2013 he said after the trial he\u2019s leaving the ranch.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen I\u2019ll just go and bring him back,\u201d Ben reassured his son.\u00a0 \u201cNow stop worrying.\u00a0 Come on inside now.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got to take you into town tomorrow to have Doc check that wound again.\u00a0 And the day after that the trial begins.\u00a0 You need your rest, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n Standing from the table, Hoss shot a concerned glance out towards the barn where Little Joe had hastily headed after their discussion.\u00a0 He shook his head sadly and then turned to go inside.<\/p>\n *************<\/p>\n The following day Ben and Hoss headed out in the buckboard to go and see Doctor Martin.\u00a0 Worried about his middle boy, Ben had wanted him to be checked over thoroughly by Paul as the trial would begin the following day and it might prove to be a grueling one.\u00a0 That left both Little Joe and Adam back at the house.\u00a0 While his oldest brother worked in his father\u2019s study preparing a list of supplies for the upcoming cattle drive, Little Joe worked on cutting more wood for the kitchen and living room.\u00a0 He turned when he noticed the sheriff riding into the yard.<\/p>\n Roy dismounted and tied his reins up to the front hitching post.\u00a0 Little Joe dropped his axe down onto the cutting block and headed across the yard to greet him.<\/p>\n \u201cHi Sheriff Coffee,\u201d Joe sang out as he approached the man.\u00a0 \u201cMy pa\u2019s not here right now,\u201d He explained.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t come to talk to your pa I came to talk to you, Little Joe.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go light down into those chairs on the front porch,\u201d He directed and motioned the boy to follow him.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s face took on a puzzled appearance as he climbed up on the porch along with the sheriff and sat down in one of the two rocking chairs there.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you want?\u201d Joe asked, trying to gauge the sheriff\u2019s mood by his facial expression.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got a bone to pick with you, Boy,\u201d Roy stated bluntly.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat for?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI heard tell that you\u2019ve been giving your pa a pure fit over him shooting you.\u00a0 Now, is that right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to talk about it!\u201d Joe protested as he stood and attempted to head into the house.<\/p>\n Roy grabbed the boy\u2019s arm abruptly and forced him back down into the chair.<\/p>\n Little Joe was taken aback by the sheriff\u2019s sudden move, and he stared at him, confused by his actions.<\/p>\n \u201cYou just sit there and listen, Boy!\u00a0 And don\u2019t you get up until I\u2019ve said my peace,\u201d Roy warned.<\/p>\n Joe couldn\u2019t believe his ears.\u00a0 Roy Coffee had always been a soft spoken and considerate man but suddenly he had seemed just as angry with him as Pa had been lately.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I know what you\u2019re thinking, Little Joe.\u00a0 You\u2019re sitting there wondering why old Roy isn\u2019t acting all calm and nice like I usually do with you.\u00a0 Well, Adam filled me in on what you\u2019ve been doing to your pa and I\u2019m gonna set you straight, Boy!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam is a big know-it-all \u2013\u201d Joe began but Roy cut him to the quick fast.<\/p>\n \u201cYou just keep that mouth of yours closed and listen.\u00a0 That\u2019s your problem, Boy \u2013 or at least one of them \u2013 you ain\u2019t got the sense to listen!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe frowned and waited not willing to get the man any more riled up than he was.\u00a0 He knew that Roy was one of his father\u2019s closest friends and evidently, he was set on yelling at him.\u00a0 Little Joe didn\u2019t have any recourse at that moment than to listen to him.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe I\u2019ve been a sheriff for a lot of years \u2013 long before I came to Virginia City!\u00a0 And I\u2019ve had to watch a lot of hangings as a sheriff.\u00a0 None of them easy to officiate over neither!\u00a0 It\u2019s an ugly thing \u2013 a hanging!\u00a0 And it\u2019s awful having to watch a man getting the life choked out of him \u2013 and seeing his tongue sticking out of his mouth while his face turns blue and then solid black.\u00a0 It\u2019s a truly terrible way to die.\u00a0 And I know that your pa has seen a hanging or two in his day as well.\u00a0 Now just how do you think he\u2019d take to seeing his youngest boy ending up swinging in the breeze after getting lynched?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe started to interrupt but Roy cast a hard unyielding look at him, daring the boy to say a word.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019ll tell you!\u00a0 It would kill that man to see that happen to you!\u00a0 Your pa knew that if you shot and killed an unarmed man for any reason you\u2019d get strung up.\u00a0 Ben had to make a split-second decision that day, and he did the right thing!\u00a0 Your pa shot you to save you from being strung up!\u00a0 And instead of being grateful to your pa you\u2019ve been putting that man through the mill.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI said that I didn\u2019t want to talk about this!\u201d Joe yelled and stood from the chair.<\/p>\n Roy grabbed Joe\u2019s shirt collar in his two hands and lifted him up to his eye level.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s enough out of you, Boy!\u00a0 Sit yourself down until I\u2019m finished or I\u2019ll take you into the barn over yonder and give you a tanning that\u2019ll be a whole lot worse than the one your pa gave you!\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe sank back down into the chair and folded his arms across his chest to hold in his anger.\u00a0 He figured that Adam had told Roy everything that had happened the last two weeks for him to have known about the tanning Pa had given him.\u00a0 Joe decided that it was best for the time being to keep his thoughts to himself as the sheriff wasn\u2019t playing around.<\/p>\n \u201cBoy you need to apologize to your pa and beg him to forgive you.\u00a0 You ought to get down on your knees and thank that man for loving you enough to keep you from ending up at the gallows!\u00a0 And I\u2019d have to be the one to officiate at that hanging too!\u00a0 I\u2019d sure as hell wouldn\u2019t want any part of that.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s my best friend \u2013 I wouldn\u2019t want to string up his youngest boy \u2013 even though he is a hothead!\u00a0 Now I\u2019ve said my peace.\u00a0 Little Joe, you need to stop hurting your pa and eat some crow.\u00a0 You know you done wrong \u2013 but you\u2019re just too stubborn to admit it.\u00a0 You\u2019d best thank the Good Lord for having been given a father who loves you like Ben Cartwright.\u00a0 I know he\u2019s feeling awfully bad to have had to shoot you, Boy \u2013 and you\u2019ve been twisting the knife in that wound just to hurt him more.\u00a0 That\u2019s all I got to say to you.\u00a0 And you don\u2019t need to tell Ben I stopped by because I came for you not him!\u201d Roy finished speaking and walked over to the hitching post to untie his reins.\u00a0 He mounted his horse and called over to the boy.\u00a0 \u201cOh, Little Joe, you can get up now!\u201d<\/p>\n Frowning, Joe watched as the sheriff rode out of the yard.\u00a0 He drew in a deep breath and closed his eyes.\u00a0 Roy\u2019s words were beginning to make him think more clearly about the whole situation.\u00a0 It might have been because they hadn\u2019t come from anyone in his family, he wasn\u2019t sure. But it was the first time in two weeks that Little Joe had even felt the slightest twinge of guilt over what he had put his father through.\u00a0 He sat out on the porch a long while thinking about what the man had tried to tell him in his no-nonsense down-to-earth way.<\/p>\n *************<\/p>\n Ben had appointed one of the Cartwright\u2019s most trusted hired hands, Fletcher Thompson, to watch over Little Joe while he and his other two sons readied to head into town for the start of the trial.\u00a0 He had noticed that Joseph had been even more closed mouthed than usual that morning.\u00a0 Ben stood at the credenza and helped Hoss adjust the sling that Paul had given his son to help immobilize his shoulder wound.\u00a0 Adam had gone outside to hitch up the team of horses that would be pulling the buckboard into Virginia City while he would ride his horse there.<\/p>\n \u201cSee you in a little while, Short Shanks,\u201d Hoss called to his little brother who had just come down the stairs.<\/p>\n Little Joe simply nodded his brother\u2019s way but didn\u2019t speak to Hoss or Pa.\u00a0 He just sat down on the settee and turned his back on them as he waited for their departure.<\/p>\n Ben cleared his throat and advanced across to the settee.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, Fletcher is outside and I\u2019ve asked that he look after the place until we get home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d He replied quietly never looking over at Pa.<\/p>\n Hoss and his father exchanged concerned glances over the way Little Joe had been acting ever since they had gotten back from town the previous afternoon.\u00a0 The boy had gone totally silent for some reason, and their faces reflected the worry they felt over Joe\u2019s somber mood.\u00a0 Ben had concluded that his youngest son was either still angry over all that had happened the past two weeks or that he was thinking about how he was going to leave the ranch after the trial was over just like he had told Hoss days ago.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you going to clean the tack room today?\u201d Ben asked, not because he was concerned about the chore getting done but because he wanted to hear what the boy would say in response.<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n Time was a luxury that Ben didn\u2019t have at that moment or he would have attempted to talk to Little Joe more.\u00a0 But Judge Wheeler was a stickler for promptness, so they needed to get into town soon.\u00a0\u00a0 He also knew that the prosecutor would want to speak with Hoss before having him sworn in as the sole witness to the crime.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, we best be going.\u00a0 I\u2019ll see you later, Joseph,\u201d Ben called over to the boy who had yet to look at him.<\/p>\n \u201cGoodbye, Little Brother,\u201d Hoss said as he opened the front door.<\/p>\n \u201cBye,\u201d Joe returned, still not looking at either man.<\/p>\n Ben grabbed his hat and walked out next to his middle boy.\u00a0 He resolved to find out what was going on with his youngest son when he returned later in the day.\u00a0 From the way that Little Joe had acted, Ben presumed he was, in fact, planning to leave the ranch.<\/p>\n ***************<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u00a0 Pa \u2013 didn\u2019t you hear me?\u201d Adam asked, still shaking his father\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n Ben shook himself from his musings and stared over at his eldest.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa \u2013 it\u2019s over!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben stared into Adam\u2019s eyes and wondered just how long he had been reflecting on the past two weeks.\u00a0 He had heard the charges being read against Garrett Saunders and then he had been swept up in all the drama that had transpired since the day that Hoss had been shot and hadn\u2019t paid any attention to the proceedings.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s over, Son?\u201d Ben asked, feeling very disoriented.<\/p>\n \u201cSaunders \u2013 he changed his plea to guilty once he saw Hoss sitting here.\u00a0 It\u2019s over!\u00a0 The judge gave him twenty years without parole!\u201d Adam returned, very glad that there wouldn\u2019t be a lengthy trial.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t wanted Hoss to have to relive the terrible ordeal.<\/p>\n Ben looked over at Hoss, stunned by the sudden turn of events.\u00a0 He witnessed his middle boy smiling over at him and read the relief there in his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s wonderful,\u201d he said and reached over to pat Hoss\u2019 right arm.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I sure wasn\u2019t looking forward to going up on that witness stand and having to stare over at that polecat,\u201d Hoss admitted as he stood from his chair.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Boys, let\u2019s get on home,\u201d Ben grinned and stood also.\u00a0 He then noticed Roy Coffee\u2019s approach and held at his hand.<\/p>\n \u201cClem\u2019s taking Saunders back to my jail for safe keeping until the wagon arrives in the morning to take him off to prison,\u201d Roy announced and shook the hands of all three Cartwrights.<\/p>\n \u201cGlad to hear it,\u201d Ben nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThanks, Roy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow don\u2019t turn Little Joe loose on my town just yet, Ben.\u00a0 I could use an empty jailhouse for a little while,\u201d Roy quipped.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t going to mention anything about his visit to the Ponderosa the previous day nor what he had said to Little Joe.<\/p>\n Ben shook his head and replied, \u201cNo, the boy isn\u2019t going to leave the ranch for quite some time.\u00a0 And I\u2019m not giving his gun back to him until I know that he understands exactly how I expect it to be used.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood enough,\u201d Roy agreed.\u00a0 \u201cYou three heading back now?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded, \u201cYes, it\u2019s about time we got back to ranch business.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019ll see you, Ben.\u00a0 Come on into town Wednesday \u2013 I\u2019ve not beaten you at cribbage for a month \u2013 you\u2019re due!\u201d Roy laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright, you\u2019re on.\u00a0 See you then!\u201d Ben chuckled and watched as the lawman turned and headed out of the room.<\/p>\n The three Cartwrights walked out of the courthouse and back to the buckboard.\u00a0 Adam swung up on Sport and followed the wagon all the way back home.<\/p>\n **************<\/p>\n That evening long after supper was over and the dishes had been washed, dried, and put up, the family had sat together in the living room. Sitting there in front of the fireplace they had spent several hours discussing the upcoming cattle drive and other ranch business.\u00a0 Little Joe had listened to all the plans and yet had not commented on any of them.\u00a0 He had been quiet ever since he had gotten up that morning and even the announcement of what had happened at the trial hadn\u2019t changed his demeanor.\u00a0 Ben sat in his chair and tried to read what was on Little Joe\u2019s face to determine if he was still brooding over everything that had happened to him the last two weeks.<\/p>\n When both his other sons had turned in for the night, Joe hadn\u2019t followed suit but simply sat on the settee where he had been for several hours silent and unmoving.<\/p>\n \u201cIsn\u2019t it about time that you turned in, Joseph?\u201d Ben called from his position in the red leather chair next to the fireplace.<\/p>\n Shaken from his thoughts, Little Joe shot a glance over at his father.\u00a0 He figured that it was finally time to speak to Pa though he didn\u2019t know quite how he would be able to get his thoughts out into words.\u00a0 He stood from the settee and bit at his bottom lip before speaking.<\/p>\n \u201cPa \u2013 I\u2019ve been thinking \u2013\u201d He paused trying to decide what he should say.<\/p>\n Ben looked up at his youngest and it was then that he noticed a bit of a change to the boy\u2019s face.\u00a0 He no longer wore the same old frown he\u2019d had for weeks.\u00a0 In fact, Little Joe looked very confused standing there and the look he wore wasn\u2019t lost on his father.<\/p>\n \u201cYes?\u201d Ben asked quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cWell — sometimes I don\u2019t think things through I guess,\u201d Joe began again, still faltering on his words.<\/p>\n *** I don\u2019t believe it!\u00a0 The kid\u2019s finally coming back around.\u00a0 Lord knows it took him long enough.\u00a0 Now \u2013 how should I handle this? ***<\/em><\/strong> Ben mused to himself, not wanting to give away the fact that he was both happy and a bit amused by the fact that Little Joe seemed to have realized the error of his ways and was attempting to apologize to him in a roundabout fashion.<\/p>\n \u201cYes?\u201d Ben repeated.<\/p>\n Little Joe shifted his weight from one foot to the other and shrugged his shoulders.\u00a0 He was beginning to realize that eating crow, as Roy had called it, was a lot tougher to do than he thought it would be.<\/p>\n \u201cI \u2013 well I just wanted to say that \u2013 well \u2013 I wasn\u2019t thinking straight, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n *** This apology needs some work.\u00a0 I think the boy needs some time to figure out how to do it.\u00a0 Let\u2019s just see how much Joseph really wants me to forgive him.\u00a0 Afterall the kid did put me through the mill with his antics \u2013 let\u2019s see how he likes a little taste of his own medicine \u2013 for his own good of course. ***<\/em><\/strong> Ben thought.\u00a0 He held his right index finger up to his top lip as if he was deep in thought while planning what he\u2019d do next.<\/p>\n Ben cleared his throat and stood from his chair.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, whatever you\u2019re trying to say can keep until tomorrow.\u00a0 It\u2019s late and I\u2019m beat.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to bed and I suggest that you do the same,\u201d He announced sternly.<\/p>\n Little Joe was surprised by his father\u2019s abrupt statement.\u00a0 He had hoped that Pa would, at the very least, hear him out.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir,\u201d he returned feeling very disheartened as he dropped his head down to his chest.\u00a0 He stood there unmoving, hoping that maybe his father would relent and ask him what he was trying to tell him.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, go on up to your room.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to put a few logs on the fire and then turn in.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can do that for you, Pa,\u201d he offered hopefully.<\/p>\n \u201cNo thank you, I\u2019ve got it,\u201d Ben insisted thereby preventing the boy from easing his conscience by trying to do a good deed.\u00a0 He wanted to test the waters a bit to see just how much Joseph really wanted his forgiveness.<\/p>\n \u201cGoodnight, Pa,\u201d Joe said quietly and then, feeling dejected and filled with sorrow, he climbed the stairs.<\/p>\n *** Yes, that boy is going to have to earn it this time, ***<\/em><\/strong> Ben sighed as he watched his son slowly walk up the staircase.<\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n Little Joe stood in the hallway just outside his father\u2019s bedroom.\u00a0 He hesitated and drew in another deep breath.\u00a0 Twice he had lifted the knuckles of his left hand up to knock on the door and twice he had withdrawn them just as fast.\u00a0 Joe wondered if he would ever have the nerve to get the words out if his father allowed him to speak to him.\u00a0 Finally, he tapped on the door and waited.\u00a0 A few minutes later a very tired-looking Ben Cartwright pulled his door open and stared down at his youngest son waiting out in the hall.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s two in the morning \u2013 what is it, Joseph?\u201d He asked wearily, staring down at his son.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got something I need to tell you,\u201d Joe paused and once more tried to figure out what he would say to the man.\u00a0 There had been such bad feelings between his father and him and far too many angered words exchanged.\u00a0 \u201cPlease, Pa \u2013 will you hear me out?\u201d He asked hoping that his father still wanted to listen, though he wouldn\u2019t have blamed him if he just pushed him away.<\/p>\n Ben examined Joe\u2019s appearance and tried to determine if the boy was still wearing the typical angered look on his face like he\u2019d been wearing for weeks.\u00a0 He opened his door all the way and signaled with a quick tilt to his head for the boy to enter.\u00a0 Ben crossed the floor and sank down onto the bottom of his bed.\u00a0 He pulled his robe tightly across his chest to ward off the chill in the room before looking up at his son.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright what is it that you want to say?\u201d He sighed, exhausted by all the turmoil which had filled the house lately and all of it due to Joe and his inability to admit that he had been wrong.<\/p>\n \u201cPa \u2013 I \u2013 well I know that we haven\u2019t seen eye to eye about most everything here lately,\u201d Joe stammered as he looked down at the floor, embarrassed by his awful behavior and all that he had said to his father every day since Hoss had been shot.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, that has to be the greatest understatement of all time,\u201d Ben responded shaking his head.<\/p>\n \u201cI know, Pa \u2013 I know.\u00a0 But \u2013 I \u2013 well I got too caught up in it \u2013 and you were right about my anger and all.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben didn\u2019t respond but merely waited for his son to come out with what might be the start of an apology, but he wasn\u2019t going to believe it until he heard it.\u00a0\u00a0 There was just too much bad blood between the two of them and he wasn\u2019t going to take anything for granted until he saw proof of an act of contrition on Joseph\u2019s part.<\/p>\n \u201cPa, I was wrong,\u201d Joe admitted, his words coming out tasting acrid.<\/p>\n When his son\u2019s eyes met his Ben glared into them and he said, \u201cJoseph, I\u2019d like to believe you mean that \u2013 but it\u2019s a bit hard to swallow after all that you\u2019ve said to me lately.\u201d Pa realized that he might be playing with fire, but he had to make sure that the boy wouldn\u2019t change his mind, and hurtful words would be exchanged between them once again.<\/p>\n \u201cI know, Pa \u2013 I hurt you \u2013 I said such awful things.\u00a0 I\u2019m ashamed of myself \u2013 and I just can\u2019t explain it away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo \u2013 are you admitting to me that you were wrong for what you\u2019ve said to me or are you apologizing because you know that trying to shoot an unarmed man was wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe chewed at his bottom lip and then answered, \u201cBoth, Pa.\u00a0 I had no right to talk to you like I did and I was wrong to try and gun Saunders down in cold blood.\u00a0 And \u2013 I didn\u2019t give you any other choice \u2013 you had to stop me for my own sake not his.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shook his head partly annoyed over how long it had taken the boy to realize why he had shot him and partly relieved over the fact that he had realized it at all.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright, Joseph,\u201d Ben nodded and stood from his bed.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve had your say.\u00a0 It\u2019s late go on to bed.\u201d\u00a0 Ben motioned the boy to the door and opened it.\u00a0 ***Let\u2019s see how well he takes my not letting him off the hook this time.\u00a0 This is wearing me out! *** <\/em><\/strong>he thought and tried to maintain his aloofness.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d Joe asked looking up into his father\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 He stood there just outside the doorway feeling as though he really hadn\u2019t gotten through to his father at all, or if he had, that Pa hadn\u2019t responded like he had hoped that he would.\u00a0 Joe figured that he was now getting the cold shoulder from Pa as a form of punishment for the awful way that he had acted.\u00a0 \u201cPa \u2013 will you \u2013 will you forgive me?\u201d Little Joe\u2019s voice shook with his question.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll talk to you about that later.\u00a0 Go on to bed,\u201d Ben replied stringently and closed his bedroom door.<\/p>\n Little Joe felt like his father had shut him out of his room and his heart.\u00a0 Crestfallen and filled with remorse he slowly walked across the hall returning to his own bedroom.\u00a0 He felt terrible for all that he had put his father through and how it had been his own fault that their relationship was now strained and perhaps always would be.\u00a0 Joe pulled off his robe and climbed into his bed praying for a sleep that just wouldn\u2019t come.<\/p>\n *************<\/p>\n Little Joe wasn\u2019t certain just how long it had been since he had tried to talk to Pa.\u00a0 It might have been an hour, or it might have been several when he thought that he had heard a sound at his door.\u00a0 Staring across the room he noticed the thin shaft of light that entered along with his father.\u00a0 Joe sat up and swung his legs over the side of his bed as Pa quietly made his way across the room.\u00a0 He eased down on the bed next to the boy trying to gather his thoughts.\u00a0 Neither of them spoke for a long while until Ben finally broke the burgeoning silence.<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t go back to sleep,\u201d He whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry I woke you, Pa.\u00a0 I should have waited until morning,\u201d Little Joe apologized.\u00a0 Feeling guilty for having awakened his father, he dropped his head down to his chest and waited for him to continue.<\/p>\n Placing his hand on his son\u2019s shoulder he redirected his gaze so he could see into the boy\u2019s troubled eyes.\u00a0 \u201cIs the hate and the anger finally gone, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe nodded solemnly.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Sir \u2013 it\u2019s gone.\u00a0 And \u2013 I had no business talking to you the way that I did.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know why\u2014but I just couldn\u2019t let go of all that happened between us, Pa.\u00a0 I wish that I could take it all back \u2013 but I can\u2019t and I know it.\u00a0 All I can do is tell you how sorry I am for everything that I said and for everything that I did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow do you finally understand exactly why I shot you?\u201d Ben asked, gently placing the palm of his right hand on his son\u2019s face.<\/p>\n Little Joe had to brush aside the sudden appearance of tears as they slid down his cheeks.\u00a0 \u201cI know it now, Pa.\u00a0 I know that you shot me because you loved me<\/em><\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben sighed wearily, so relieved that his son had finally understood.\u00a0 He reached for Joseph and did what he had wanted to do for days.\u00a0 Wrapping his arms around him, he pulled the boy to his chest.\u00a0 Pa was back in the role of both parents again with the gentleness the boy needed along with the firm hand to guide him and sometimes correct him.\u00a0 \u201cYou darn fool kid.\u00a0 It sure took you long enough!\u00a0 How many times did I tell you that?\u201d He admonished the boy though his voice broke and tears stung at the corners of his eyes. Ben said a silent prayer of thanksgiving as he kept Little Joe locked inside his loving embrace.<\/p>\n \u201cI know, Pa, you tried to tell me over and over again, but I just wasn\u2019t listening,\u201d Joe cried, \u201cI\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben ran his fingers through the thick brown curls on Little Joe\u2019s head, finally dropping his chin to rest there.\u00a0 He shook his head, wondering if the boy would ever realize just how much his father loved him.\u00a0 Hopefully, in time he would, since their strong bond was still there, just as intact as it had always been.\u00a0 And the love that they shared had survived all the terrible turmoil of the past two weeks.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you think you\u2019ll ever be able to forgive me, Pa?\u00a0 I know that I put you through a lot of grief, so it\u2019s probably going to take a long while.\u00a0 But \u2013 if I show you just how sorry I really am \u2013 maybe eventually you will,\u201d Joe choked out.\u00a0 Though he felt content and secure, held there in his father\u2019s arms, he still needed the forgiveness that only his pa could give him.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Joseph,\u201d Ben whispered.\u00a0 Pushing aside the boy\u2019s fallen bangs he leaned forward and softly pressed his lips to Little Joe\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 \u201cI forgave you long before you asked me.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe closed his eyes, allowing himself to feel the love that his father had always offered him freely.\u00a0 He had missed his pa and the million and one things that he had always done for him to make him feel better about himself.\u00a0 Without his father Little Joe had felt lost, alone and empty inside. \u00a0He wished that he had tried harder to listen to what Pa had tried to tell him for weeks. Little Joe finally realized that he wouldn\u2019t have had to suffer through two weeks of feeling like he\u2019d never have his father\u2019s love or respect again if he hadn\u2019t let himself be controlled by his anger.\u00a0 Now, held in his father\u2019s arms, he was relieved that Pa had forgiven him, even though he wouldn\u2019t have blamed the man if he hadn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Little Joe rested his head on his father\u2019s shoulder and whispered, \u201cThanks, Pa,\u201d<\/p>\n Ben smiled as he combed his fingers through the boy\u2019s hair.\u00a0 *** Darn fool kid, I hope I never have to shoot you again! *** <\/em><\/strong>He shook his head and wiped the tears from his eyes.<\/p>\n **************<\/p>\n Epilogue<\/p>\n The ranch slowly went back to normal as did the Cartwright family, though it had been a rough couple of weeks.\u00a0 In a month\u2019s span of time Hoss had completely healed and was already back at work helping his brothers get ready for the summer cattle drive.\u00a0 Little Joe had gone back to his former self, and everyone was happy to see him smile again.\u00a0 The closeness he had shared with his father had come back as well and he had learned a valuable lesson in forgiveness.\u00a0 After he had asked his father to forgive him, Pa had let him know that Joe next had to forgive himself and move on.\u00a0 It took a while, but he did just that.<\/p>\n Little Joe had been dispatched to Virginia City to pick up the mail and a few supplies and when he had returned, he noticed Roy Coffee\u2019s horse at the front hitching post.\u00a0 He left the buckboard and the supplies and hurried into the house.\u00a0 Little Joe had something he needed to do.<\/p>\n \u201cSherrif Coffee,\u201d Joe called across the room as he entered the house.<\/p>\n Roy stood from the settee after hearing his name.\u00a0 He smiled at the boy as he walked over to him.<\/p>\n \u201cHowdy, Little Joe,\u201d he nodded to the boy.<\/p>\n Little Joe held out his hand to the sheriff and Roy shook it.\u00a0 \u201cI just wanted to thank you, Sheriff.\u00a0 You were right to fuss at me like you did.\u00a0 I appreciate you setting me straight about what I had been putting my pa through.\u00a0 I was the one in the wrong, but I couldn\u2019t see it until you gave me that very stern talking to.\u201d<\/p>\n Roy smiled at the boy and nodded, \u201cGuess you ate a little crow, huh, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir \u2013 I sure did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s good \u2013 glad to hear it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd \u2013 you were right about my pa.\u00a0 I\u2019m awfully lucky to have a man like Ben Cartwright for a father.\u00a0 If I grow up to be one tenth of the man that he is \u2013 well, I\u2019ll be a very good man!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, you\u2019ll get there,\u201d Came Pa\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n Little Joe spun around to see his father standing behind him smiling.<\/p>\n \u201cOh \u2013 how long have you been listening, Pa?\u201d Little Joe asked, worried that his father would now know why he had finally apologized to him.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want Pa to know that it had taken Roy Coffee to show him the error of his ways by scaring him half to death.\u00a0 Little Joe had learned more about hangings than he ever wanted to know.<\/p>\n Ben winked over at Roy and draped an arm around his son\u2019s shoulder, pulling him close. \u00a0\u201cJust long enough to hear what a wonderful father I am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow you done it, Little Joe!\u201d Roy exclaimed.\u00a0 \u201cThere won\u2019t be any living with that pa of yours now that he thinks you like him.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe nodded over at Roy and then looked up at his father and grinned, \u201cIt\u2019s okay, Sheriff Coffee, I think Pa already knew that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know one thing, Young Man,\u201d Ben returned trying to appear stern but failing miserably.\u00a0 He was just so relieved that he and his son had repaired their relationship, and it showed all over his face.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cJoseph, you\u2019ve got supplies to take out to your brothers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir, I just came in to say hi to the sheriff.\u00a0 I\u2019m going out to the camp next.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBen \u2013 Joe I gotta be going,\u201d Roy announced and turned for the door.<\/p>\n Ben followed the lawman and shook his hand as he opened the door.\u00a0 \u201cSee you in town in a day or two, Roy.\u00a0 Thank you for everything,\u201d he nodded to the man, knowing that Roy had helped Little Joe admit that he had been in the wrong and thus he had helped him mend his relationship with his son.<\/p>\n \u201cExpect to lose at cribbage, Ben,\u201d Roy winked at his friend and walked outside.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I guess I\u2019d better get going too, Pa,\u201d Joe said and started for the door.<\/p>\n \u201cJust a minute, Joseph.\u00a0 Come over to my study I need to have a word with you,\u201d he stated cryptically and walked over to his desk.<\/p>\n \u201cHope I\u2019m not in trouble,\u201d Joe muttered to himself.<\/p>\n Ben sat down at his desk and looked up at his son, whose facial expression looked a bit worried.<\/p>\n \u201cRelax, I\u2019m not going to get after you.\u00a0 I just wanted to give you something, Joseph,\u201d he said and opened his desk drawer.<\/p>\n Little Joe watched as his father pulled out his holster and Colt revolver.\u00a0 He had wondered when or if he was going to get the gun back but hadn\u2019t wanted to ask due to everything that had happened a few weeks ago.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s time that I return this to you.\u00a0 But I just wanted to remind you about something important that I told you about wearing this gun.\u00a0 Do you remember, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n Biting his bottom lip, Little Joe nodded solemnly.\u00a0 It had been quite a while since he had thought about what his father had said to him the day that he had been given the holster and Colt as a gift.<\/p>\n \u201cYou told me that carrying a revolver might make you think that you\u2019re a man, but it means nothing if you don\u2019t control the person behind the gun,\u201d Joe recited verbatim what his father had told him.<\/p>\n \u201cHere,\u201d Ben nodded as he handed his son the gun and holster.\u00a0 \u201cI need you to think on that, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will, Pa \u2013 and I haven\u2019t forgotten all that happened between us either.\u00a0 I don\u2019t ever want to let you down like that again,\u201d Joe returned contritely.<\/p>\n Ben smiled proudly and reached across the desk and patted the boy\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cI trust you, Joseph.\u00a0 Now you go on and take those supplies to your brothers.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe strapped on his holster and settled the Colt inside.\u00a0 Looking over at his father he smiled and said, \u201cThanks, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGet to work,\u201d Ben insisted feigning sternness in his tone of voice, but his eyes couldn\u2019t disguise the love that he had for the boy.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Sir,\u201d Joe grinned and then offered his father one last meaningful gaze along with a nod.\u00a0 He turned and hurried outside to finish his assignment.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Joseph, I\u2019m glad that you finally came back to me. \u00a0It was a rough gale \u2013 but you and I got through it.\u00a0 And I have a feeling that you\u2019ll end up being much more than a tenth of the man that your father is!\u201d \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Ben grinned and shook his head.<\/p>\n ***You\u2019re the one who held me up, never let me fall.\u00a0 You\u2019re the one who saw me through, through it all. — I\u2019m everything I am, because you loved me. ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The End<\/p>\n Written by Wrangler<\/p>\n 5-8-2026<\/p>\n (Dedicated to my story consultant Rob who insisted Joe should have ten smacks and not eight, forcing a rewrite. Little Joe was not happy.)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n