{"id":69860,"date":"2026-10-01T16:00:05","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T20:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=69860"},"modified":"2026-10-01T16:00:06","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T20:00:06","slug":"the-bad-man-by-wrangler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=69860","title":{"rendered":"The Bad Man (by Wrangler)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The nightmare was real when Little Joe was abducted at five years old by someone he called “the bad man<\/strong>“.\u00a0 Now, at seventeen, his nightmare returns. Trapped inside his childhood memories, Joe faces the terror of “the bad man” again. Rating T, WC 45,516<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Bad Man<\/strong><\/p>\n

The last guests had just left after the party held in honor of Ben Cartwright\u2019s cousin Harden Matthews\u2019 visit to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 While Hoss and Little Joe busied themselves moving the furniture in the living room back into place and Adam helped Hop Sing in the kitchen, Ben and Harden sat in the study.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to miss the Ponderosa, Ben.\u00a0 It\u2019s been such a nice visit, and it\u2019s been great catching up with you and your boys,\u201d Harden announced as he raised his brandy up to toast his host.<\/p>\n

Ben smiled and nodded to the other man.\u00a0 \u201cWell, then you\u2019ll just have to come back for another visit just as soon as you\u2019re settled at your new place in San Francisco!\u201d<\/p>\n

Harden leaned back in his chair and sighed.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re forgetting that I\u2019ll be pretty busy running that newspaper.\u00a0 I doubt I\u2019ll get a vacation any time soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I know it\u2019ll be a while, but just as soon as you have some time the boy\u2019s and I would love to have you come back and see us.\u00a0 And of course, Hop Sing would too— he enjoys cooking for people who appreciate him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss approached the two men and grinned over at his father.\u00a0 \u201cMe and Joe\u2019s got the living room put back together, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben leaned forward in his chair, glancing over to the fireplace and returned, \u201cGood job, Son.\u00a0 But where did your little brother go?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss gave a slight shrug to his shoulders and answered, \u201cHe said he was tired, and went up to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d have thought he\u2019d say goodnight.\u00a0 Wasn\u2019t he feeling well?\u201d Ben questioned, a bit of concern in his tone of voice.\u00a0 It just wasn\u2019t like Joseph not to say goodnight.<\/p>\n

\u201cRelax, Pa \u2013 he\u2019s fine.\u00a0 The kid probably wore himself out breaking horses today,\u201d Adam sang out coming into the room and reading the typical worry on his father\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe got tossed around a lot, but he hung on,\u201d Hoss laughed.\u00a0 \u201cIf he\u2019s this good at seventeen, Pa \u2013 that kid will be a sought-after wrangler before he\u2019s twenty.\u00a0 I hope we can keep him with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe we can, Hoss,\u201d Ben chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cNo one can out bid us with wages \u2013 not to mention the special bonuses I give you three boys!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSpeaking of wages \u2013,\u201d Harden began.\u00a0 He stood and set his glass down on top of the desk.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got a job that\u2019s starting in just a few days, and I\u2019ll be leaving on the stage tomorrow.\u00a0 I guess I\u2019d better turn in.\u00a0 Oh, thank you for the party, Ben \u2013 it was a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stood and approached the man, placing a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m glad you had a nice time.\u00a0 You go and get a good night\u2019s sleep, Harden.\u00a0 We\u2019ll get you to that stage on time.\u00a0 It won\u2019t be leaving until after one, so you have time to sleep in if you want to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Ben.\u00a0 Goodnight Hoss \u2013 Adam,\u201d he nodded to his hosts and walked into the guest quarters off to the left of the dining room.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s sure been good to have your cousin here, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019m glad he decided to leave St. Joe and come out this way,\u201d Adam smiled over at his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, he tells some great stories too,\u201d Hoss interjected.<\/p>\n

Ben placed a hand on each of his sons\u2019 shoulders and replied, \u201cYes, it\u2019s been nice to have Harden here.\u00a0 But you boys can tell some pretty good stories yourselves.\u00a0 The only difference is he gets paid to make up his yarns \u2013 at least the ones that he writes for the newspapers.\u00a0 Now why don\u2019t the three of us go up and get some sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n

The three men walked up the staircase and bid each other goodnight before heading to their rooms.\u00a0 It had been a long day, and it didn\u2019t take any of the Cartwrights very long to fall to sleep.<\/p>\n

\n

Ben rolled from his back and onto his side upon hearing the light tapping on his bedroom door.\u00a0\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t quite sure if he had been dreaming or not but, once the knocking grew a bit louder, he sat up in his bed and tried to get his bearings.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen?\u201d Harden quietly called through the door, unsure if his cousin had heard him.<\/p>\n

Donning his robe and slippers, Ben hurried to the door and opened it to see Harden there in the hall with a very strange expression on his face.\u00a0 Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard a sound in the kitchen \u2013 it woke me up.\u00a0 I decided I\u2019d better go see what it was \u2013 and found Little Joe in there.\u00a0 Ben \u2013 he\u2019s acting strangely \u2013 you\u2019d better handle this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStrangely?\u201d he returned, perplexed by what the man had said. \u00a0Ben moved out into the hallway and headed for the staircase.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s the boy doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s in the pitch dark sitting on the floor in the corner of the room.\u00a0 He just keeps repeating the same couple of words.\u201d<\/p>\n

A sudden reminiscent feeling of dread filled Ben\u2019s mind as he increased his pace down the hall and hurriedly descended the staircase.\u00a0 With Harden trailing behind him, he made his way to the kitchen, grabbing up the oil lamp that his cousin had left just outside the guest room.\u00a0 Cautiously Ben made his way to the far-right corner of the kitchen just to the side of the sink.\u00a0 Little Joe was hunkered down with his arms tightly wrapped around his knees that were pulled up to his chest.\u00a0\u00a0 His eyes wide open reflecting the fear he was experiencing Joe didn\u2019t move a muscle as his father set the lamp onto the floor and reached for his arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u201d Ben called softly trying not to spook the boy.\u00a0 He used the same approach that he would\u2019ve used with a frightened animal, quiet and gentle.\u00a0 \u00a0Ben had seen his son in that exact same place on the floor several times over the past twelve years, but the appearance of fear on the boy\u2019s face never ceased to alarm him.\u00a0 \u201cSon, are you alright?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe \u2013 bad – man\u2019s – coming,\u201d Little Joe answered in a broken whisper and held the index finger of his left hand up to his lips warning his pa to be quiet.\u00a0 He hesitantly leaned forward, his eyes darting back and forth as though he was expecting someone to suddenly jump out from the darkness and steal him away.<\/p>\n

Knowing that his former worry had been realized, Ben cast an uncomfortable glance back at Harden.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll handle this \u2013 why don\u2019t you go on back to sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n

Harden placed a comforting hand onto his cousin\u2019s shoulder and whispered, \u201cBen \u2013 what is it?\u00a0 What\u2019s the boy talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben drew himself up off the floor and pulled the other man back a bit to explain.\u00a0 \u201cWhat Joe\u2019s going through is a bit like sleepwalking.\u00a0 We can\u2019t try to wake him or it\u2019ll make matters worse.\u00a0 I\u2019ll get him settled back in his bedroom.\u00a0 There\u2019s nothing that you can do right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a hesitant nod, Harden turned out of the kitchen not wanting to do anything that might prove detrimental to Joe\u2019s well-being.\u00a0 He walked back inside the guest room to give his cousin time to tend to his son.<\/p>\n

Dropping down onto one knee, Ben reached for Little Joe\u2019s shoulder and coaxed him calmly, \u201cJoseph, son \u2013 let\u2019s get you back up to your room now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the bad man\u2019s coming \u2013 Pa,\u201d He returned, sounding very agitated over his father\u2019s dismissiveness.\u00a0 Sliding back against the corner of the room to make sure that he couldn\u2019t be seen by the hidden abductor, Joe drew his knees to his chest again and held onto them as tightly as he could.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t willing to budge from the corner where he had sought shelter.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, he\u2019s not coming, Boy \u2013 he\u2019s not coming back ever again,\u201d Ben continued and carefully reached for Joe\u2019s elbow.\u00a0 He slowly eased the boy to his feet and wrapped an arm around his shoulder to reassure him that all was well.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t let him find me \u2013 Pa,\u201d Little Joe whimpered as he looked back down to the corner where he had purposely hidden.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay, Joseph \u2013 your Pa\u2019s here now.\u00a0 He won\u2019t find you ever again.\u00a0 He\u2019s gone,\u201d Ben cajoled the boy.\u00a0 Making their way out of the kitchen one coaxed step after the other, Ben patiently maneuvered his son across the living room.\u00a0 He knew that he needed to get the boy back into his bed.\u00a0 They climbed the staircase slowly and every other second Joe\u2019s gaze was directed down into the darkened room, expecting to see the person he had hidden from earlier.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bad man always finds me, Pa,\u201d Little Joe whispered, a note of despondency in his tone.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, he won\u2019t find you again, Joseph \u2013 because he\u2019s never coming back.\u00a0 Now \u2013 let\u2019s get you settled down some, Son,\u201d Ben returned quietly as he threw the covers back so the boy could crawl into bed.\u00a0 \u201cThere you go,\u201d Ben said as he watched Little Joe\u2019s head ease down onto the pillow.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s right, Joseph, you close those eyes now and get some sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s eyelids began to droop as his body conformed to the mattress.\u00a0 It took several minutes before he began to settle down, but his breathing finally became slow and even.\u00a0 Just before he went back under the protective blanket of sleep he whispered plaintively to his pa, \u201cThe bad man is coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head worriedly as he softly combed his fingers through the boy\u2019s tousled hair lulling his son back to sleep.\u00a0 He had hoped that Little Joe\u2019s subconscious mind had finally let go of the frightful memories but that hadn\u2019t been the case.\u00a0 \u201cRest, Son \u2013 just rest,\u201d He crooned.\u00a0 When he was confident that Joseph had fallen back to sleep, he leaned down and softly kissed the boy\u2019s brow.\u00a0 Ben stood there next to the bed for a few minutes to make sure that Joseph wasn\u2019t going to get back up.\u00a0 He felt just as apprehensive as he had the first time that he\u2019d seen his son in that state years ago.\u00a0 Quietly closing the door, he walked into the hallway. \u00a0Ben\u2019s heart fell in his chest thinking back on all that Joe had gone through twelve years prior.\u00a0 His youngest had endured so much and it didn\u2019t look like he was any closer to getting over what had happened to him when he was just a little boy.<\/p>\n

\n

Knowing that he wouldn\u2019t be able to go back to sleep due to his worries, Ben slowly walked down the stairs.\u00a0 He was surprised to see Harden sitting in the living room, a fresh pot of coffee sitting next to him on the table with two cups waiting for his cousin to sit with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry \u2013 couldn\u2019t you go back down?\u201d Ben sighed wearily as he joined the man next to the fireplace.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just wanted to make sure everything was alright, Ben.\u00a0 I was worried about both you and Little Joe.\u00a0 Here –,\u201d he said and handed his cousin a cup of coffee.\u00a0 \u201cI figured we both might need some.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d Ben nodded gratefully as he leaned back in the red leather chair.\u00a0 His face was the picture of worry as he stared blankly over at the flames dancing across the firelogs.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me about it,\u201d Harden insisted and reached over to offer his cousin a reassuring pat to his arm.<\/p>\n

Drawing in a deep breath, Ben shifted nervously in the chair.\u00a0 He decided to tell the story to his cousin though he wasn\u2019t exactly sure why.\u00a0 He supposed that perhaps by sharing the sad tale that it might help him to quell his anxiety over all that his youngest had gone through.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt all started back when the boy was five years old.\u00a0 About four months after we lost Marie something happened to Joe.\u00a0 It began as a typical day here.\u00a0 Joseph was a real handful at five.\u00a0 He was a joy to me and the boy was a constant reminder of Marie.\u00a0 But sometimes he could fray my nerves, especially when I was busy working at my desk.\u00a0 It was one of those days \u2013 and in hindsight I blame myself for everything that happened.\u00a0 Little Joe wouldn\u2019t stop running around and making noise and I was at a loss as to what to do.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want to yell at him because he wasn\u2019t being bad \u2013 just acting out like any normal rambunctious little boy I suppose.\u00a0 But I had some contracts that needed my attention and a lot of bills to tend to.\u00a0 I finally had to implore Hop Sing to come and get Joseph and keep him in the kitchen with him for a little while,\u201d Ben stopped as the memory seemed so vivid that it made the horror of the incident feel just as real as it had on that day some twelve years ago.<\/p>\n

*** \u201cJoseph, would you please settle down some?\u201d Ben called across the room as he witnessed the little boy running around by the fireplace.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cPapa, I\u2019m just acting!\u201d Little Joe answered innocently as he climbed up onto the coffee table.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Shaking his head, Ben took on a stern countenance and once more tried to get the boy\u2019s attention.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, I\u2019ve told you that little boys don\u2019t need to be climbing on that table and that means you.\u00a0 Feet on the floor right this minute!\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Little Joe cast a confused glance across the room.\u00a0 \u201cPapa it ain\u2019t a little boy up here \u2013 I\u2019m a bear and bears climb on things!\u201d Little Joe protested.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph \u2013 do you want me to come in there?\u201d Ben warned, his voice raised an octave to bring home his point that he was serious.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, Papa!\u00a0 Come on in here so we can play!\u201d Little Joe answered exuberantly, thinking that his father was making an offer and not a threat.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ben groaned and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t want bears up on the furniture either, Young Man.\u00a0 Now get down from there \u2013 and be careful!\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sighing, Little Joe jumped off the table and looked back over at his father.\u00a0 \u201cDo you gotta keep working?\u00a0 I want you to play with me.\u00a0 Hoss and Adam are outside setting traps \u2013 and I don\u2019t have nobody to play with me.\u00a0 Ole Hop Sing is busy in the kitchen so he can\u2019t play.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have ANYONE to play with you,\u201d Ben corrected the five-year-old.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYep!\u00a0 Papa that\u2019s what I just told you!\u201d the boy nodded insistently.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Groaning again, Ben set down the stack of bills he was in the process of going through and stared at his boy.\u00a0 \u201cI need to get this done, Joseph.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019ll play with you later if you\u2019ll pipe down so I can finish my work.\u00a0 Now why don\u2019t you look at that new picture book I bought you last week?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Little Joe walked over to the blue winged back chair and lifted the book up into his hands before turning his attention back to his father.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m doing, Papa.\u00a0 I\u2019m acting out the story of the three bears!\u201d\u00a0 And with that statement, Little Joe began to growl as he climbed up onto the hearth.\u00a0 \u201cWho\u2019s been sleeping in MY bed!\u201d He shouted.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ben winced his eyes closed as he massaged his temples.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing!\u201d He bellowed and waited for the man to come in from the kitchen.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you want now?\u00a0 Hop Sing have wash to do \u2013 dinner to make!\u201d the man complained, a bit annoyed to have been summoned into Ben\u2019s study.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWould you please take Little Joe into the kitchen with you and maybe find him something to keep him occupied?\u00a0 I\u2019ve just got to get this paperwork done!\u00a0 I\u2019ve already lost half of the afternoon \u2013 because of that boy\u2019s very loud performances.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hop Sing walked over to the hearth where Little Joe was raising his arms in the air pretending to be a bear.\u00a0 \u201cYou come in kitchen now \u2013 must let Papa get work done, Little Joe.\u201d He announced and set a hand onto the boy\u2019s left arm.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cCan you act like an old bear, Hop Sing?\u201d He asked hopefully.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s three bears in this story, but I can play two of them \u2013 just need you for the other one, okay?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Hop Sing replied, \u201cNo can act like bear \u2013 but can give you cookies.\u00a0 You come now!\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cSee you later, Papa!\u00a0 Get your work done, okay?\u201d Little Joe shouted as he turned and ran full speed into the dining room followed by a very tired-looking Hop Sing.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ben shook his head fighting his amusement over what the little boy had said. \u00a0He focused his attention on the bills and contracts there in front of him. ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Shaking himself from his memories, Ben looked back over at his cousin.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t realized that he had been silent for so long and apologized, \u201cSorry, Harden \u2013 the memories are still quite fresh even after twelve years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGo on, Ben,\u201d Harden coaxed.\u00a0 He could see how troubled the man was.\u00a0 \u00a0Harden knew that it had to be some kind of harrowing event in his life or his cousin wouldn\u2019t have looked as terrified as he did at that moment.<\/p>\n

Sighing, Ben continued with his retelling of events.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing had left Little Joe in the kitchen and went outside to hang the wash up on a line we\u2019d strung in the back.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t going to be gone long so he\u2019d given the boy some cookies and sat him up at the kitchen table.\u00a0 Then he told Joseph to stay put until he got back.\u00a0 The next thing I knew Hop Sing was back in my study frantically shouting out in Chinese.\u00a0 I just thought that Joseph had gotten into some kind of mischief.\u00a0 But as soon as he began to speak in English again, he asked me if I\u2019d seen the boy.\u00a0 I just assumed that Joe must\u2019ve gone out the kitchen door and was somewhere in the yard.\u00a0 But that hadn\u2019t been the case,\u201d Ben paused again and stood from his chair.\u00a0 He needed to pace to tell the rest of the tale.\u00a0 As he walked back and forth in front of the fireplace, Harden never remembered seeing his cousin look so frightened.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe checked everywhere!\u00a0 Adam and Hoss had been out trapping in the woods behind the house, so I hollered for them.\u00a0 Once they got here we all searched the yard, the barn \u2013 well \u2013 everywhere that we thought he might have gone.\u00a0 Hop Sing was beside himself with worry.\u00a0 He was blaming himself for not keeping his eye on Joseph and of course I was blaming myself too \u2013 for pushing my son away to begin with.\u00a0 The only clue that we found was a pile of crumbs on the floor. \u00a0They were there in that same corner of the kitchen where you found Joseph tonight.\u00a0 We later came to believe that the boy must\u2019ve seen someone coming inside and had hidden there with the cookies that Hop Sing had given him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harden\u2019s heart raced upon hearing the story thus far.\u00a0 He focused his attention on Ben and asked, \u201cYou mean someone came right inside your house and took the boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nodding, Ben returned, \u201cYes \u2013 I don\u2019t know how \u2013 how he knew that no one else was around.\u00a0 You\u2019d think what with all the guns in this house that someone would know better than to just walk in here. \u00a0He should\u2019ve known to expect to get a bullet for his trouble if we had seen him.\u00a0 Evidently the man was watching all our comings and goings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of the ranch hands were here at the time \u2013 but we sent word for everyone to get here quick.\u00a0 We took them from all parts of the ranch.\u00a0 It was the first time that there wasn\u2019t one single wrangler or drover minding the stock.\u00a0 We needed everyone we could get to try and find the boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long did it take to find Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s face flinched when he thought back on what had transpired and how long it had taken them to get Joseph back.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe found him on the seventh day after he had been taken,\u201d He responded grimly.\u00a0 \u201cAfter that first day we thought there would be a ransom note sent.\u00a0 But that didn\u2019t happen.\u00a0 The sheriff got up a posse, and this ranch was swarming with folks looking for Joe.\u00a0 I put up a reward to find the boy, but nothing ever turned up,\u201d Ben dropped into his chair and placed his head down into his hands.\u00a0 Just the retelling of the terrible story had filled him with the same overwhelming sadness that he had felt some twelve years earlier.\u00a0 \u201cFor those entire seven days we checked everywhere. There wasn\u2019t one building within thirty miles that wasn\u2019t searched.\u00a0 We also checked every single well.\u00a0 None of us knew if maybe the boy had wandered off and perhaps fell\u2013 or had been shoved down into one.\u00a0 You name it \u2013 we searched everywhere!\u00a0 \u00a0From line shacks and outhouses, and from henhouses to mines in Virginia City, but Joseph was nowhere to be seen.\u00a0 I was told by everyone who had searched for the boy that there wasn\u2019t anything else left that we could do.\u00a0 They expected us to just give up and yield to the inevitable, grieve for the boy and go on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI imagine all of you were terrified \u2013 and to have it go on for seven days without knowing if Little Joe was still alive had to be emotionally excruciating!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was,\u201d Ben responded bluntly.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, Adam and Hoss were devastated \u2013 as was Hop Sing.\u00a0 And as for me — well I collapsed the evening of the sixth day.\u00a0 I hadn\u2019t slept more than an hour or two every night during that whole time.\u00a0 All I could think about was that I was going to lose the little boy who I loved so much — just like I had lost his mother.\u00a0 The only reason that I kept going was because of my two older boys \u2013 and the hope that I might still find Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harden poured two fresh cups of coffee for both Ben and himself and handed one to his cousin.\u00a0 \u201cHere \u2013 drink, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nodding gratefully, he took the time to sip some of the brew and gather his thoughts.\u00a0 He hated to rehash such an awful experience, but he supposed it was time.\u00a0 Ben hadn\u2019t shared the tale with anyone outside of the immediate family before.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoctor Martin fixed me up after I went down.\u00a0 He dosed me up good with some kind of sedative, though I protested.\u00a0 I guess I slept about eight straight hours for the first time in six days.\u00a0 When I woke up, I decided that it was time to go and have a talk with my two boys.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want to surrender to the awful reality that we would never see Joseph again \u2013 but there wasn\u2019t much else to do.\u00a0 We needed to mourn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow did you find him, Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAn old friend — someone I first met after buying this place many years ago — stopped by to ask if he could help.\u00a0 He had been up in the deep north woods and hadn\u2019t known that Joseph had gone missing until the previous day.\u00a0 Old Jake Sommers jumped on his horse and rode straight through the night to get here and talk to me.\u00a0 You see he was a trapper and knew this country like the back of his hand.\u00a0 After I told him where we had searched, he asked if we\u2019d checked some of the caves around here.\u00a0 I told him we had.\u00a0 That\u2019s when I learned that there was one not far from here that none of us even knew existed.\u00a0 He suggested that we might as well search there since we\u2019d looked everywhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s where you found the boy?\u201d Harden asked, leaning forward with anticipation spreading across his face.<\/p>\n

Ben nodded and returned his coffee cup back down on the table.\u00a0 \u201cThe cave was about five miles from here.\u00a0 The mouth of it was covered in thick brush which had camouflaged it, keeping it well hidden from sight.\u00a0 That was why we\u2019d never known it was there.\u00a0 Thank the Good Lord that Jake knew.\u00a0 Little Joe was about twenty yards inside the mouth of the cave.\u00a0 Whoever took him had fashioned a cage of sorts, just a little taller than Joseph and the boy was inside of it.\u00a0 I used the butt of my gun to break the lock on it and crawled on my hands and knees to get him out.\u00a0 He was in pretty rough shape.\u00a0 When I reached for the boy to pull him into my arms he acted just like a frightened animal.\u00a0 He was there in the dark, shivering and rocking himself back and forth.\u00a0 I had to gently coax him to let me hold him; something I\u2019d never had to do before.\u00a0 That little boy and I had always been very close. \u00a0But he was in shock and couldn\u2019t say too much of anything for a couple of days.\u00a0 He was covered in dirt and looked as though he hadn\u2019t had much to eat.\u00a0 I remember getting him out of there and lifting Joseph up into my arms and hugging him so fiercely that it\u2019s a wonder I didn\u2019t hurt the boy,\u201d Ben had to stop and brush away the sudden appearance of tears.\u00a0 He coughed into his fist to clear the thick emotion from his voice and then stood and faced the fireplace.<\/p>\n

\u201cWas the boy hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoc examined Joseph.\u00a0 There were a few minor cuts and bruises on him.\u00a0 We never really found out what all had happened during those extraordinarily horrifying seven days that someone had kept him a prisoner there in that cave.\u00a0 Doc was afraid of what might happen if we tried to press Joseph too much to find out who had taken him.\u00a0 It was several days before the boy said anything that made sense.\u00a0 And when he finally did, he repeated the same words that you heard in the kitchen.\u00a0 He said the<\/strong> bad man <\/strong>was coming over and over again.<\/p>\n

*** \u201cJoseph?\u00a0 Joseph \u2013 what did you say?\u201d Ben asked as he was abruptly awakened from his slumber.\u00a0 He tried to locate the boy who had sprung up in his bed and was crying.\u00a0 He had insisted that Little Joe sleep in his room with him, worried that he would end up having nightmares due to his imprisonment.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe bad man, Papa,\u201d the little boy choked out as tears streamed down his face.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ben reached over to where his son was sitting on the side of the bed and gathered him up in his arms.\u00a0 He pressed his lips to Little Joe\u2019s cheek and tried to calm him.\u00a0 \u201cTell your Pa what you were dreaming about, Son, maybe I can help you,\u201d he whispered and ran his fingers through the boy\u2019s curls.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe bad man, Papa \u2013 the bad man is coming — I seen him in my dream.\u00a0 I don\u2019t like the bad man.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Now he knew why his son had awakened the way he had.\u00a0 It was obvious that Little Joe had dreamed about the man who had taken him out of the house and held him in the cave.\u00a0 \u201cThe bad man? Is that what his name was, Joseph \u2013 the man who took you away?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Little Joe nodded his head sadly and then threw his arms around his father\u2019s neck hanging on for dear life.\u00a0 \u201cIt was the bad man \u2013 he tooked me, Papa!\u00a0 The bad man is coming!\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ben patted the little boy\u2019s back trying to calm him.\u00a0 He whispered, \u201cIt\u2019s alright, Joseph, he\u2019s never going to take you away from me again \u2013 I promise.\u00a0 Now let\u2019s lie back and try to get some sleep.\u201d\u00a0 Pulling his son onto his shoulder, Ben wrapped him in his tight embrace and didn\u2019t let go all night. ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBen?\u201d Harden called over to his cousin, trying to jolt him from his traumatic memories.<\/p>\n

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Ben apologized, \u201cSorry \u2013 sometimes it seems like just yesterday.\u00a0 \u00a0Anyway, we had no clue as to the identity of the man who had stolen the boy from us.\u00a0 Everyone tried \u2013 Jake did his best to find some sign that might have been missed.\u00a0 But whoever kidnapped Joseph hadn\u2019t left any clue as to where he\u2019d gone.\u00a0 Whatever tracks he might have left had been brushed over.\u00a0 So that was that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure at that point you were just thankful to get the boy back,\u201d Harden nodded over to his cousin.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe sure were.\u00a0 And Joseph had dealt with such a traumatic experience that it took a long while to get him to the point where he could go to sleep in his own room.\u00a0 He stayed with me in mine for a good three months after we got him home,\u201d Ben paused and cast a sentimental smile over to his cousin.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, part of that was me \u2013 I didn\u2019t want to take my eyes off my little boy!\u00a0 I felt better knowing he was right there where I could reach him at night.\u00a0 We made sure to lock and bolt every shutter and every single door in this place after that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harden grinned over at his cousin, \u201cI bet you never minded Little Joe making noise and driving you to distraction after that, huh, Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben chuckled and nodded his head.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re quite right about that.\u00a0 I never complained about that little boy making noise ever again.\u00a0 I was just so thankful that we had found Joseph alive and I never wanted to chance anything like that happening ever again!\u201d\u00a0 Sighing to himself, Ben offered a peculiar smile and announced with a hint of guilt on his face, \u201cOh, I know I\u2019m overly protective of that boy \u2013 guess I always will be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d say after all that you\u2019d gone through you\u2019ve got the right to be, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose,\u201d He nodded, thankful to have his cousin\u2019s kind words to reassure him.<\/p>\n

Harden stared over at his cousin, confusion on his face.\u00a0 \u201cBut \u2013 if that happened when Joe was five \u2013 why did we find him like we did tonight?\u00a0 He\u2019s seventeen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I told you when you found him tonight \u2013 Doc says whatever this is seems to be much like sleepwalking.\u00a0 He says that Joseph\u2019s recurring walk to the kitchen to hide is caused by whatever trauma he went through way back then.\u00a0 The boy always ends up in the same place.\u00a0 We think that\u2019s where he hid to escape from whoever came through the kitchen door to take him.\u00a0 Evidently that was why we found the remnants of those cookies that Hop Sing had given him there in the corner of the room,\u201d Ben paused and drew in another deep breath trying to still the mounting fear that plagued him every time his son had ended up on the kitchen floor.\u00a0 He looked over at Harden and continued, \u201cIt happened the first time when the boy was about seven.\u00a0 It sure scared all of us too!\u00a0 Late one night I just had an inkling that something was wrong.\u00a0 Perhaps one could chalk that up to fatherly instinct. \u00a0\u00a0I quietly walked into Little Joe\u2019s bedroom and he wasn\u2019t there.\u00a0 I searched the house and was just about ready to wake his brothers when I spotted him in the kitchen.\u00a0 The boy was huddled up next to the sink in that same corner.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t realize what was going on and when he said that the bad man was coming, I thought that the intruder had come back.\u00a0 It was all that I could do to pry Joe out of there!\u00a0 \u00a0I carried him with me as I went and got my gun.\u00a0 Then, room by room, I checked again to see if anyone was in the house.\u00a0 I tried to get the boy to talk but he just repeated those same words again.\u00a0 The following day I took him to see the doctor.\u00a0 Paul wasn\u2019t sure what to do about it.\u00a0 He hoped that Joe would outgrow it, but he hasn\u2019t yet.\u00a0 After that first time these spells happen sporadically.\u00a0 The strange thing is that it always happens at the exact same time of the year that he was abducted.\u00a0 Sometimes Joseph ends up in the kitchen just for one night and other times he ends up going in there for several.\u00a0 Then it just stops.\u00a0 There\u2019s no rhyme or reason to any of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s odd — does Joe know?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot really \u2013 at least he\u2019s never brought it up to any of us.\u00a0 I usually get him up to bed and once he settles down, he goes right back to sleep.\u00a0 The next morning, he acts like nothing ever happened.\u00a0 It scares me to death that one of these nights he\u2019ll fall down those stairs while he\u2019s in that trance-like state.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd nothing can be done about it? \u00a0I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve asked?\u201d<\/p>\n

Disheartened, Ben shook his head and replied, \u201cNo there\u2019s nothing we can do \u2013 I\u2019ve asked his doctor.\u00a0 Unless Joseph suddenly remembers something about what happened to him when he was five, Doc doesn\u2019t think there\u2019s anything we can do to stop him from having these spells.\u00a0 Just like Paul, I thought that he\u2019d outgrow all of this, but he hasn\u2019t.\u00a0 And I don\u2019t want to mention to the boy that he was taken from this house by someone we never caught.\u00a0 I just can\u2019t imagine that it would help the situation if he knew.\u00a0 It might create new problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harden\u2019s face was the picture of confusion as he stared at his cousin.\u00a0 \u201cHe doesn\u2019t even know that he was abducted?\u201d He asked incredulously.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, the boy was only five \u2013 and he\u2019s never said anything about it.\u00a0 Now when he finally began to talk a few days after we brought him home, he did say a couple of things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike what?\u00a0 Did he describe the person who took him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo \u2013 nothing like that.\u00a0 He did say that it was the bad man and that he had scared him.\u00a0 Joseph always calls him that \u2013 the bad man<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0 When he told me that the bad man had scared him the boy got very skittish when I asked him what he did to him.\u00a0 Then he would start to cry, and I\u2019d just have to hold him for a while until he played himself out and fell to sleep.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want to interrogate that little boy\u2014for fear that things would get worse and he\u2019d never shake himself out of the terror that he was feeling.\u00a0 Of course, I wanted to find out who took my son. \u00a0I wanted to kill whoever had harmed my boy.\u00a0 But, with no idea as to who it was and no evidence to help us, there really wasn\u2019t anything that I could do about any of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harden stood and patted his cousin\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI hate that all of that happened to you and the family, Ben.\u00a0 I hope the boy will be alright.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded over to the other man and returned, \u201cThank you, Harden.\u00a0 I guess I\u2019ll have to keep my eye on him for a few nights.\u00a0 It\u2019s now been two years since the last time, \u2013 so I suppose we were due.\u201d\u00a0 Casting a quick glance over at the grandfather clock, Ben realized the lateness of the hour.\u00a0 \u00a0He forced a smile and said, \u201cI\u2019ve kept you up long enough with my troubles, now you go on and go to bed.\u00a0 You need to get at least a couple of hours before you take that stage tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harden walked to the dining room and cast a parting glance at Ben.\u00a0 \u201cAre you going to be able to sleep, Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to do what I always do.\u00a0 I\u2019ll sit in Joe\u2019s room for a bit.\u00a0 I doubt he\u2019ll get up again \u2013 but since it\u2019s his first night going through this, I\u2019ll wait awhile to make sure.\u00a0 I\u2019ll see you in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood night, Ben,\u201d Harden gave a commiserative nod and offered an understanding smile to his cousin before he walked inside the bedroom.<\/p>\n

\n

Sighing to himself, Ben climbed the stairs and headed for Little Joe\u2019s room.\u00a0 He quietly opened the bedroom door and crossed the floor.\u00a0 Looking down at his son he was relieved to see that Joseph was sleeping soundly.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Joseph,\u201d Ben sighed as he sat down in the chair next to the bed.\u00a0 \u201cI wish none of this ever happened to you, Boy.\u201d\u00a0 He closed his eyes as memories flooded his mind, and all of them were heartbreaking ones.\u00a0 Ben remembered jogging into the kitchen along with Hop Sing that day.\u00a0 He had stared down at the cookie crumbs and then hurriedly flung the kitchen door open and shouted the boy\u2019s name.\u00a0 Joseph was nowhere to be seen.\u00a0 Ben ran out into the yard and headed straight for the barn.\u00a0 He knew the little boy loved to go and see the horses and hand them treats.\u00a0 The barn was empty other than Buck standing in the one stall at the far left.\u00a0 He had climbed the ladder to the hayloft and searched up there, again with no luck.\u00a0 Ben heard Hop Sing out in the yard calling out Joe\u2019s name and then urgently crying out in his native tongue.\u00a0 It was time to call his other boys, and Ben frantically ran towards the woods.\u00a0 Adam and Hoss were just coming back from setting some rabbit traps when they heard their father\u2019s plaintive call.\u00a0 They knew that there was some kind of trouble and hurried to get home.<\/p>\n

That first night had been like a walking nightmare but Ben hadn\u2019t faltered.\u00a0 He sent Adam to get a hold of the foreman, Fletcher, and the two of them rode off to rally the other hired hands to join in the search for Little Joe.\u00a0 When they all gathered in the front yard it was already dark and Joseph had been gone a good eight hours.\u00a0 Ben dispatched Cody to go fetch Sheriff Coffee and tell him what had happened.\u00a0 Soon all the hired hands went off in various directions with one solitary thought; to find Little Joe Cartwright.\u00a0 When Roy had gotten there, he had tried his best to allay Ben\u2019s worry, but it hadn\u2019t worked.\u00a0 He tried to tell his old friend that the men he had brought with him would locate the boy and for him to settle down and let him do his job.\u00a0 They were all sure that someone had kidnapped Little Joe and that soon a ransom note would be received.\u00a0 Ben prayed that would be the case, because at least there was a chance to find Joseph if someone admitted to holding him.\u00a0 He wouldn\u2019t have cared if he had to sell the Ponderosa to pay the kidnapper just as long as his little boy was returned.<\/p>\n

The days went by both slowly and filled with dread after that.\u00a0 What little hope they had vanished when no note was dropped off.\u00a0 Ben couldn\u2019t understand how someone could have been so bold to just walk into his house and take his little boy.\u00a0 He wondered how long the man had been watching the house and why he would take Little Joe.\u00a0 Ben tried to keep Adam and Hoss\u2019 spirits up even though his own heart was broken.\u00a0 All he could think about was how he had failed his little boy.\u00a0 He wished that he hadn\u2019t made such a fuss about all the noise that Joseph had made that day.\u00a0 Ben prayed for a chance to hear his little boy\u2019s laughter again and vowed if he was returned that he\u2019d never again mention wanting peace and quiet.\u00a0 Nights were the worst for him.\u00a0 Ben always knelt next to Joseph\u2019s bed before he went to sleep and listened to the little boy\u2019s prayers before tucking him in.\u00a0 Now the empty bedroom across the hall from him was a stark reminder that a good-sized piece of his heart was missing.<\/p>\n

By the time they had hit the seven-day mark there wasn\u2019t a dry eye in the house.\u00a0 Though the two older boys tried to be strong for their father\u2019s sake, they had both finally broken down.\u00a0 Both the seventeen-year-old Adam and the eleven-year-old Hoss were inconsolable.\u00a0 The thought that the little boy with his big smile and the loving nature was gone and probably would never be coming back had cut them to the very marrow.\u00a0 Ben had tried to comfort them with reassuring words that Little Joe would be found even though he doubted that would be the case.\u00a0 He had to try to keep his family together somehow and he did.<\/p>\n

The afternoon of the seventh day Jake Sommers showed up and offered his help.\u00a0 Ben sat with the man at his desk.\u00a0 A map of the Ponderosa was spread out on top of it with all the areas where search parties had looked for the boy circled in ink.\u00a0 He pointed out every single one of them to the trapper.\u00a0 It was then that Jake mentioned that there was a cave not far from the ranch house, one that Ben hadn\u2019t been aware of.\u00a0 Knowing it was a last-ditch effort, Ben and his two sons rode along with the man who led the way there.\u00a0 They had pulled back the heavy overgrowth which covered the mouth of the cave and, with lanterns in hand, the four of them searched inside.\u00a0 Ben had spotted the small form of the little boy sitting there in the make-shift cage resting against one of the walls of the cave.\u00a0 His heart leapt in his chest at the sight. \u00a0The very first thing Ben did was to silently thank God that his son had been found and found alive.\u00a0 After breaking the lock off the thing, Ben remembered wanting to just snatch Joseph up into his arms and never let him go.\u00a0 But he could see that the youngster was scared stiff.\u00a0 Little Joe was sitting cross-legged on the cold damp ground and was steadily rocking himself back and forth.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u00a0 Son \u2013 I\u2019ve missed you so much,\u201d Ben whispered as he brushed his fingers through his son\u2019s dirty hair.\u00a0 He felt the boy pull back momentarily as if he was scared and didn\u2019t want to be touched.\u00a0 Suddenly, Joe had caught the scent of the man kneeling on the ground in front of him.\u00a0 It was the familiar mixture of Pa\u2019s Bay Rum cologne along with his pipe tobacco.\u00a0 Rubbing at his eyes, the boy realized that he had been found by someone who loved him.\u00a0 It was then that the first tears fell from his eyes.\u00a0 Ben swept the boy up in his arms.\u00a0 He kissed his child\u2019s cheeks as he held onto him for dear life.\u00a0 Ben slowly eased the two of them out of the cage and stood with Joseph held securely in his arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s alright, Joseph \u2013 your Pa\u2019s got you now. \u00a0Nobody\u2019s ever going to take you away from me again,\u201d Ben whispered as he kissed his little boy again, pressing his cheek to Little Joe\u2019s.\u00a0 \u201cI think you need a bath, Young Man,\u201d Pa grinned as he waved his two older boys over.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe, you done scared me to death!\u201d The eleven-year-old Hoss exclaimed and gently patted his brother\u2019s head.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything\u2019s going to be okay, Kid,\u201d Adam whispered, seeing that his youngest brother looked terrified.<\/p>\n

Ben looked across the cavern at Jake.\u00a0 The man was a grizzled old trapper, but he was standing there mopping the tears from his eyes after watching the reunion going on across from him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll never be able to thank you, Jake,\u201d Ben called over to the man.\u00a0 He had to brush aside his own tears as he held out one hand to shake with the trapper.\u00a0 With Ben\u2019s other hand he securely held his little boy to his chest.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t about to let go; not ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cPleasure\u2019s mine, Ben,\u201d Jake smiled as he nodded over to his old friend.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow about we take you home and get some good food into you, Boy?\u201d Ben asked Little Joe.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t expected an answer because it was very evident that the boy was still in shock.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing\u2019s missed you so much, Joseph \u2013 as have we all.\u00a0 Come on everyone let\u2019s get on home,\u201d he announced and led the way out of the cave.<\/p>\n

It had taken a group effort to get the boy into a tub that night to clean him up.\u00a0 Ben shook his head when he saw several cuts and bruises on his five-year-old.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know if the kidnapper had caused them or if Joseph had fallen inside the cave while trying to escape.\u00a0 There were so many unanswered questions.\u00a0 Ben gently towel-dried the little boy\u2019s hair before pulling the nightshirt over his head.\u00a0 He continued to talk to his son even though Little Joe hadn\u2019t said anything other than the words the bad man<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Kneeling on the floor in the boy\u2019s bedroom, Ben ruffled a hand through Little Joe\u2019s hair and said to him, \u201cWell, Young Man, you certainly look better.”\u00a0 He leaned forward and kissed the boy\u2019s cheek and took in a deep breath and chuckled, \u201cAnd you sure smell better too.\u201d\u00a0 Ben grinned at the boy and as he stood, he called, \u201cUp you go!\u201d He lifted the child up into his arms.\u00a0 \u201cNow let\u2019s get you downstairs to see what Hop Sing\u2019s got for you.\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe buried his face underneath his father\u2019s chin and held onto his neck with such a tight grip that it surprised his pa.\u00a0 Ben realized that his son was still just as frightened as he had been inside the cave.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got you, Joseph.\u00a0 It\u2019s going to be just fine\u2014you\u2019re home now and that\u2019s where you\u2019re staying,\u201d Ben patted the boy\u2019s back as he carried him down the hall.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing made some porridge because he didn\u2019t want anything too heavy on the boy\u2019s stomach to start off with.\u00a0 He sat with the boy and his brothers and had to coax him to eat and drink.\u00a0 Ben had gone upstairs to change into his bedclothes now that he knew that Joseph was in the loving care of Hop Sing and the boy\u2019s brothers.<\/p>\n

When he came back downstairs, Hop Sing reported to Ben that he\u2019d been able to get Little Joe to eat half a bowl of porridge and drink most of his milk.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Hop Sing,\u201d Ben nodded gratefully to the man.\u00a0 \u201cWell, Boys, you two get ready for bed now.\u00a0 But come tell your little brother goodnight before I take him upstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss and Adam both hugged the little boy and hoped that he would say something to them, but he hadn\u2019t.\u00a0 Ben had already spoken to the two of them.\u00a0 He had assured both brothers that Little Joe would be back to normal in a few days but until then he instructed them to just go easy on the boy and not try to ask him anything about what had happened to him.<\/p>\n

Ben walked around the house and made sure that every shutter was securely latched and that all the doors were bolted shut.\u00a0 Once he was content that everything was taken care of, he bid his two older boys goodnight and carried Joseph up to his room.<\/p>\n

Ben turned the wick knob on his lamp until the light was down to a soft yellow glow in his bedroom.\u00a0 He spread out on his bed and pulled the boy over to him.\u00a0 Settling Little Joe\u2019s head so that it would rest just underneath his chin, Ben wrapped his arms around the boy.\u00a0 Looking down, he was surprised to see that Joseph\u2019s eyes were still wide open.\u00a0 Ben assumed that after all the commotion and the warm bath that Little Joe would have fallen right off to sleep.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, Joseph,\u201d He whispered as he softly combed his fingers through the boy\u2019s curls which had finally dried after his bath.\u00a0 \u201cYou go ahead and close those eyes.\u00a0 I\u2019m not going to leave you, not even for one second.\u00a0 You\u2019re safe, Boy.\u00a0 Your Pa isn\u2019t going to let anything happen to you,\u201d Ben tried his best to get Little Joe to settle down.\u00a0 He could feel the boy\u2019s chest rapidly heaving in and out and watched as the hazel eyes darted around the bedroom.\u00a0 \u201cSon, it\u2019s going to be alright now.\u00a0 There\u2019s nothing to be afraid of.\u00a0 I know it had to be very scary for you while you were away from us.\u00a0 But you don\u2019t have to be afraid anymore,\u201d Ben pressed his lips to the boy\u2019s cheek and watched as Little Joe\u2019s eyelids began to flutter a bit before finally closing.\u00a0 Settling back against the pillows, Ben felt the two little arms wrap around his neck.\u00a0 The child was hanging on to his father as though he was still petrified.\u00a0 Ben slowly rubbed Little Joe\u2019s back trying to lull him to sleep.\u00a0 He whispered, \u201cJoseph, I missed you so much.\u00a0 I know you\u2019ve gone through a lot, but you don\u2019t have to be frightened any longer.\u00a0 Your Pa isn\u2019t going to let anyone take you ever again. I love you, Son.\u00a0 Now keep those eyes closed and try to sleep.\u201d\u00a0 The boy\u2019s respirations finally slowed down, and he eventually fell asleep laying there on his father\u2019s chest.\u00a0 Ben closed his eyes and thanked God for the boy who was now held in his arms.\u00a0 Easing the comforter up across Little Joe\u2019s shoulders, he tried to settle down enough to fall to sleep.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Joseph,\u201d Ben sighed as he looked over to where his seventeen-year-old son slept.\u00a0 I\u2019ll never forget finding you, Boy.\u00a0 I still thank the Good Lord every night that I still have you with me,\u201d He whispered and then leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cSorry I slept late, Pa,\u201d Little Joe apologized as he took his seat at the dining table the next morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s alright, Son,\u201d Ben smiled over to the boy sitting on his immediate right.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe would rather sleep than eat, Cousin Harden,\u201d Hoss laughed.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s why he\u2019s a bit on the puny side!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery funny,\u201d Joe said shaking his head at his brother.<\/p>\n

Ben and Harden exchanged glances, both men thinking back to the wee hours of the morning when they had spoken about Joe\u2019s abduction.\u00a0 It had proven to be exactly as Ben had told the man.\u00a0 Little Joe had no inkling that he had hunkered down in the kitchen warning that the bad man was coming.<\/p>\n

Passing a cup of coffee over to his son, Ben said, \u201cHow did you sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rubbing the back of his neck and frowning, Joe replied, \u201cI don\u2019t exactly know, Pa.\u00a0 I must\u2019ve had some wild dreams because I woke up just as tired as I was when I went down last night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam piped up, \u201cHe\u2019s just saying that Harden, so he\u2019ll get out of the haying we\u2019ve got to tackle today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harden laughed and nodded over to Joe.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t blame you, Little Joe.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think I\u2019d enjoy that type of job either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe smiled and responded, \u201cYeah \u2013 how about seeing if you can get me a job on that newspaper?\u00a0 It\u2019d sure be better than getting all dirty and itchy!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben reached over and patted Joe\u2019s arm and stated, \u201cOh no, I\u2019ll not have any mutiny on my ship!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess that\u2019s a no, Little Joe.\u00a0 Besides I can\u2019t really hire anyone until I prove myself as an editor and writer for the paper first,\u201d Harden laughed.<\/p>\n

Adam stood and put his hand on Joe\u2019s shoulder and said, \u201cYou\u2019re not getting out of that haying, Joe.\u00a0 Now eat fast and then get moving so we can get into town and see Cousin Harden off at one.\u00a0 You\u2019ve held us up long enough.\u00a0 Meet you outside.\u00a0 C\u2019mon, Hoss, we\u2019ll get the horses saddled.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe just groaned and sipped his coffee in response.<\/p>\n

Hoss stood and walked around the table, dropping a hand down onto Harden\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re all glad you came for a visit.\u00a0 We\u2019ll see you in Virginia City.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Hoss.\u00a0 Your father has insisted that I come back here soon.\u00a0 So hopefully I\u2019ll be seeing all four of you again \u2013 maybe as early as the fall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam reached out his hand to shake with the man.\u00a0 \u201cHope you can make it back here just as soon as you get settled in your new job.\u00a0 We\u2019ll meet you in town before that stage pulls out.\u00a0 But first I\u2019ve got to get my brothers working on that haying job so they can earn their keep.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you all for your hospitality,\u201d Harden nodded to both Hoss and Adam as they filtered out of the room.<\/p>\n

Little Joe stood from the table, sticking a piece of toast inside the pocket of his shirt.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d better get going too.\u00a0 I don\u2019t need Adam raking on me all day about holding him up.\u00a0 See you this afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, Little Joe,\u201d He smiled up at the boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa \u2013 see you in town,\u201d Joe grinned over at his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t give Adam too much trouble, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe laughed in response to his father\u2019s remark.\u00a0 He grabbed his hat and holster and hurried to meet up with his brothers.<\/p>\n

As soon as the front door opened and closed, Harden looked over at his cousin and said, \u201cWell, you were right.\u00a0 That boy acted like nothing happened last night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben sighed as he set down his coffee cup.\u00a0 \u201cI know \u2013 it never ceases to amaze me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did look a bit worn out though.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know how long Little Joe was in the kitchen before I heard him and went to get you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I noticed that Joseph looked tired.\u00a0 I always ask how he\u2019s slept trying to gauge if the boy remembers what he\u2019s done the previous night.\u00a0 Up until now he hasn\u2019t said anything about being down in the kitchen nor anything about me taking him back up to his room afterwards.\u00a0 I\u2019ll have to tell his brothers about it later today when Joe\u2019s not around.\u00a0 Then they\u2019ll know to listen out for him in case I don\u2019t hear him getting up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harden set down his coffee and replied, \u201cBen \u2013 have you ever thought about hypnosis?\u00a0 I hear they\u2019re doing a lot of that in the medical community now.\u00a0 I wonder if it would help with Joe\u2019s problem?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoctor Martin brought that up to me a couple of years ago.\u00a0 But he thought it might make matters worse.\u00a0 If Joe recovers the memory of being abducted, it might be too much on him — so we didn\u2019t go down that avenue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can understand that.\u00a0 But wouldn\u2019t you like to find out who took Little Joe?\u00a0 It has to be an awful feeling — not knowing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is.\u00a0 But I\u2019m of the opinion that whoever took the boy has long since left the area or has died.\u00a0 It has been twelve years now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrue,\u201d Harden nodded.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I\u2019d best finish packing,\u201d he said and stood from the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have time \u2013 don\u2019t rush,\u201d Ben reminded the man as he watched him walk into the guest room.<\/p>\n

\n

Ben and Harden waited just outside of the Overland Stage Depot later that afternoon.\u00a0 They had been watching for the arrival of Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe, but as time grew closer to the stage\u2019s departure, they had just about given up on them.\u00a0 As the driver jumped down from his position atop the stagecoach and readied for the passengers to board, all three young men finally appeared riding down the street.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry we\u2019re late,\u201d Adam announced as he swung down from his saddle.\u00a0 \u201cThese two brothers of mine are slow as molasses today!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss shook his head as he dismounted next to his older brother.\u00a0 \u201cIt wasn\u2019t me — it was Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure \u2013 I\u2019m always to blame,\u201d Little Joe sighed and came down from his saddle.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust glad you three made it,\u201d Ben replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave a safe trip, Harden,\u201d Adam said and shook the man\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d the man nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah \u2013 and come back and see us real soon!\u201d Hoss exclaimed and shook Ben\u2019s cousin\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Hoss, I will.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe pushed his two brothers aside and reached over to shake hands with Harden.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t forget to find me a real nice cushiony job with the newspaper,\u201d Joe quipped.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said no mutinies!\u201d Ben interjected and patted the shoulder of his youngest. \u201cWrite and let us know how you\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will, Ben \u2013 and thanks again!\u201d he replied and shook the man\u2019s outstretched hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t forget that job!\u201d Little Joe sang out.<\/p>\n

Harden laughed and climbed aboard the stagecoach and waved goodbye as it hurriedly pulled away from the depot.<\/p>\n

Ben turned and looked at all three of his sons and took on a stern appearance.\u00a0 \u201cDid you boys get the rest of that hay put up?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d Adam smiled.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s why we were late, Pa.\u00a0 Now — since it\u2019s a Friday afternoon, we were all hoping for some time here in town.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat sounds good to me,\u201d Hoss agreed, casting a hopeful look at his father.<\/p>\n

Ben pursed his lips and thought about what his boys had suggested.\u00a0 He wanted to prolong their anticipation even though he\u2019d already decided to give them the afternoon off long before they had suggested it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell— since you boys worked so hard this week \u2013 I guess an afternoon off is in order,\u201d He responded still keeping up the appearance that it had been their idea and not his.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Pa!\u201d Joe exclaimed, eager to go to the Silver Dollar and down a beer or two.\u00a0 The haying had been a hot and itchy job, and he just wanted to relax.<\/p>\n

Ben smiled at the enthusiasm of his youngest.\u00a0 \u201cOh, that\u2019s alright, Joseph.\u00a0 Now \u2013 I\u2019ve got a good idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cYou and I are going over to the barber shop.\u00a0 Both of us could use a haircut,\u201d Ben announced.<\/p>\n

Little Joe frowned and tugged the collar of his jacket up a bit to hide the length of his locks.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t really need a haircut, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not getting out of it again.\u00a0 Just look at this,\u201d Ben reached over and pulled out the good three inches of hair that was hidden underneath the boy\u2019s jacket.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, we\u2019re going over to the Silver Dollar,\u201d Adam said and tugged on Hoss\u2019 arm.\u00a0 \u201cHave fun at the barber shop, Kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cC\u2019mon, Pa \u2013 give me some time, will you?\u201d Joe protested.<\/p>\n

Ben frowned and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s what you told me last month \u2013 and as a matter of fact the month before that too!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust a few days?\u201d Joe turned his eyes on his father and tried to look pathetic.<\/p>\n

Ben groaned, \u201cOkay, you have until this time next week, Young Man.\u00a0 But if I don\u2019t see the nape of your neck by next Friday then I\u2019m going to take you into the barbershop myself.\u00a0 Understood?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, Pa,\u201d Little Joe smiled and patted his father\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cGotta go catch up with my brothers.\u00a0 Hoss owes me a beer!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo more than two, Joseph,\u201d Ben called to the boy as he hurried off.\u00a0 His warning was met with laughter as Little Joe ran down the walkway.\u00a0 \u201cKids,\u201d Ben sighed and walked across the street to get his hair cut.<\/p>\n

\n

Aram Cullen had been one of the first barbers in the town of Virginia City.\u00a0 After he had hung up his red and white barber\u2019s pole, he had cut the hair of just about every man in the area over the past twenty plus years.\u00a0 That included all the Cartwrights.\u00a0 Ben settled into the barber\u2019s chair and the two men conversed as Aram trimmed his hair.\u00a0 The barbershop was a gathering place for the men in Virginia City and had been a safe haven where they could complain about their wives or children without fear that it would be carried beyond the walls.<\/p>\n

Brushing the loose hairs off from Ben\u2019s neck, Aram smiled.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s about got you, Ben.\u00a0 You want a shave?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben ran a hand underneath his chin and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo, it\u2019s not too bad and besides it\u2019s a bit late in the day for that.\u00a0 Next time, Aram.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you said you were bringing that youngest boy of yours in with you today?\u00a0 Where\u2019s Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, you know Joseph, you\u2019ve been cutting his hair his whole life!\u00a0 I just about have to grab that boy by his ear and drag him in here kicking and screaming before he\u2019ll get into this chair,\u201d Ben sighed and reached inside his pocket to pull out two silver dollars which included a good tip for the man.\u00a0 \u201cHere you are, Aram.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Ben,\u201d He nodded and placed the money over on the counter.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe\u2019s hair grows fast \u2013 always has.\u00a0 It\u2019s thick too,\u201d He paused as his eyes caught on his reflection in the mirror behind the barber chair.\u00a0 Aram frowned when he thought about the fact that he was almost completely bald.\u00a0 He had lost most of his hair early in life due to contracting scarlet fever as a child.\u00a0 And now, at the age of fifty-five, he looked much older than he should because of it.\u00a0 \u201cWhen\u2019s the boy coming in?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has one week.\u00a0 I told him that if he\u2019s not in this barber chair by next Friday the following day, I\u2019ll bring him in here myself,\u201d Ben returned as he stood.\u00a0 \u201cSo, I\u2019m expecting Little Joe to be in to see you that day.\u00a0 Like always \u2013 he\u2019ll wait until he\u2019s pushed me to my limits!\u201d<\/p>\n

Aram smiled as Ben turned for the door.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, then I\u2019ll look for the boy next Friday.\u00a0 Goodbye, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Aram,\u201d Ben nodded and walked outside.<\/p>\n

\n

The Cartwright brothers had a good time in Virginia City that afternoon, but it had taken Adam to round up both Hoss and Joe to make them leave the Silver Dollar before it got dark.\u00a0 They arrived back home just in time for dinner.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a lot of strays to round up tomorrow, Boys,\u201d Ben announced as he passed around the platters of food.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was hoping to go on out with Adam to start marking those trees for cutting, Pa,\u201d Hoss replied as he helped himself to the potatoes.<\/p>\n

\u201cGive it here!\u201d Joe fussed after watching his brother removing half of the potatoes from the bowl.<\/p>\n

\u201cMind your elders, Short Shanks,\u201d Hoss grinned and took out a couple more tablespoons of potatoes from the bowl before passing it across the table.<\/p>\n

Little Joe shook his head as he stared at what was left inside the bowl, which wasn\u2019t much. He scraped the little bit that remained and put it onto his plate.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Pa.\u00a0 I don\u2019t mind rounding up those strays.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFine, Son.\u00a0 Okay, Hoss you and Adam get a start at marking those trees tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa \u2013 Aram did a good job with your haircut,\u201d Adam called over to his father and then shot a look at Joe.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m surprised that Little Joe\u2019s hair is still just as long though.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEat your dinner,\u201d Joe fussed staring over at Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph is going to get a haircut real soon.\u00a0 Right?\u201d Ben turned his eyes on his youngest.<\/p>\n

Little Joe piled the roast beef into his mouth and didn\u2019t reply.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u201d Ben reiterated raising his eyebrows.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure is good roast beef, Pa.\u00a0 Hop Sing outdid himself,\u201d Little Joe grinned, avoiding replying to what his father had said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t want me to take you by the hand and walk you into that barbershop, now, would you?\u201d Ben returned sternly.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Pa \u2013 I\u2019ve got until next Friday, remember?\u00a0 I\u2019ll have it cut by then \u2013 don\u2019t worry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you should take him by the hand, Pa,\u201d Hoss laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cEat your potatoes!\u201d Joe fumed and shot Hoss an indignant glare.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have until next Friday, Joseph,\u201d Ben insisted.<\/p>\n

Little Joe didn\u2019t answer.\u00a0 He just finished eating and stood from the table.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m kind of tired \u2013 goodnight!\u201d He called across the table and hurriedly walked into the living room and then jogged up the stairs.<\/p>\n

Ben watched as his youngest hightailed it up to his room and he reasoned that it had been due to the reminder that he would be getting a haircut.\u00a0 He then turned his attention on his two older boys.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t never seen a boy who hates to go to the barbershop more than that youngin,\u201d Hoss laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been like that his whole life, Hoss,\u201d Adam nodded.<\/p>\n

Ben cleared his throat, wanting to talk to his sons when Joe wasn\u2019t around.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m glad that your brother has gone up to his room.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got to talk to you boys.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it, Pa?\u201d Hoss asked as he polished off the food on his plate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI found your brother cowered down in the kitchen last night,\u201d Ben returned somberly.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, no \u2013 not again!\u201d Adam sighed.\u00a0 \u201cWas he saying those same words?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded, \u201cYes \u2013 he just kept repeating the bad man is coming<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 just like he has for years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGosh, Pa \u2013 I\u2019d have thought Little Joe would\u2019ve grown out of that by now.\u00a0 It\u2019s been a while since the last time, right?\u201d Hoss continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes \u2013 your brother was about fifteen the last time that this happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stared over at his father, knowing that his brother\u2019s situation had always worried him.\u00a0 \u201cDid you hear him going downstairs last night, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben leaned back in his chair and sipped his wine before responding.\u00a0 \u201cNo, it was Harden actually.\u00a0 He heard something in the kitchen and found Joseph in there next to the sink just like before.\u00a0 He came and woke me \u2013 and I got the boy settled down before coming back down here.\u00a0 I told Harden what happened to Joe when he was five.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess it must\u2019ve shocked him, huh, Pa?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

Nodding over to his middle boy he replied, \u201cYes, it did.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t told that story in a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did he say about it?\u201d Adam continued, figuring that his father needed to get it all off his chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wondered how the boy could make it down here in the state that he was in.\u00a0 I told him that it scares me that Joe is going to fall down the stairs one of these days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d better listen out for him \u2013 in case it happens again tonight,\u201d Hoss announced worriedly.<\/p>\n

Ben set his napkin down onto the table and stood.\u00a0 \u201cYes \u2013 if either of you hear your brother come and get me.\u00a0 It\u2019s usually best if I get him back to his room myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get some sleep, Pa \u2013 I\u2019m sure you didn\u2019t go back down for a long while last night,\u201d Adam offered as he stood also.\u00a0 \u201cHoss and I\u2019ll listen out for Little Joe \u2013 don\u2019t worry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Son.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got to admit I am tired.\u00a0 See you both in the morning.\u00a0 Hopefully Joseph will sleep uninterrupted tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodnight, Pa,\u201d Hoss called across the room as he watched his father heading to the stairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWish we could figure out a way to get Joe to stop waking up like he does.\u00a0 It\u2019s not good for him \u2013 and it\u2019s not good for Pa either,\u201d Adam said to Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah \u2013 hey come and get me if you hear him leave his room tonight, will you?\u00a0 I\u2019d rather let Pa gets some rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way you sleep I\u2019ll have to slam your bedroom door to get you up!\u201d Adam laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know \u2013 I know.\u00a0 But come wake me just the same,\u201d Hoss insisted as he stood from the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d Adam nodded and the two men settled down in the living room next to the fireplace.<\/p>\n

\n

Ben had tried to listen out for Little Joe that night but by two in the morning he had succumbed to his fatigue and fell into a deep sleep.\u00a0 Knowing that Hoss could sleep through just about anything, Adam also listened out for Joe.\u00a0 Just a little after four in the morning he thought he had heard a door opening.\u00a0 By the time Adam had donned his robe and slippers and made his way out into the hall he noticed that his little brother\u2019s bedroom door was wide open.\u00a0 He hurriedly made his way down the stairs and crossed the living room, heading to the kitchen.\u00a0 It was too dark to see a thing, so Adam grabbed the lamp which was on top of the China cabinet.\u00a0 He struck a match and soon spied Little Joe hunkering down on the floor next to the sink just as he had been the previous night.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d Adam whispered and set the lamp on the floor next to the two of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bad man is coming,\u201d he responded insistently.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo \u2013 Kid \u2013 nobody is in here but the two of us.\u00a0 Let\u2019s get you back up to your room,\u201d Adam calmly called to the boy and reached for Joe\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bad man\u2019s coming!\u201d Little Joe grew louder with his warning and pulled away from his brother\u2019s touch.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got it, Son.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam turned around and saw his father\u2019s silhouette there just inside the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa \u2013 I was hoping to handle this for you tonight, so you\u2019d get some rest,\u201d He returned as he pulled himself off the floor and moved closer to his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine \u2013 I got some good sleep.\u00a0 You go on up and get some more,\u201d Ben nodded to his eldest and patted his shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure you don\u2019t need any help?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head and watched as Adam turned into the dining room.\u00a0 \u201cGoodnight, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodnight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walking quietly across the floor and over to his youngest, Ben knelt next to the sink and dropped a hand down onto Joe\u2019s left arm.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph \u2013 it\u2019s alright now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bad man is coming, Pa,\u201d he repeated but indicated that he knew his father was with him now.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Son \u2013 the bad man isn\u2019t coming back.\u00a0 Now let\u2019s get you up into your room, Young Man,\u201d He whispered and gently tugged the boy\u2019s arm until he stood next to him.\u00a0 Then, just like he had the previous night, Ben walked his son up to his bedroom.\u00a0 He settled Joe back down in his bed and pulled the covers up around his shoulders.<\/p>\n

Little Joe slowly closed his eyes, but before he fell back to sleep, he muttered the same words one final time.\u00a0 Ben sighed wearily as he swept a hand across his son\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 It bothered him just as much as it had every single time that the boy had relived the trauma from his youth.\u00a0 \u201cSleep, Joseph,\u201d He whispered and waited there by the bed until he was certain that his son wouldn\u2019t get back up.<\/p>\n

\n

As was typical, no one said a word to Joe about what had happened the previous night.\u00a0 They spoke only to each other about the boy getting up early that morning and finding him back on the kitchen floor.\u00a0 All conversation about the event ended the minute that the youngest made it down for breakfast and then they pretended that they had all slept soundly.\u00a0 Adam and Hoss headed right out for the timber camp shortly after eating and soon thereafter Little Joe rode off to try and round up some of the stray calves which had run off the previous day.\u00a0 Ben stayed at the house working on his ledgers and comparing prices on some equipment needed for several projects on the ranch.\u00a0 His mind was preoccupied due to what had been going on with his youngest.\u00a0 It bothered him so much, in fact, that by late that afternoon Ben decided to ride out to see how the boy was getting along.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s Little Joe? Have you seen the boy?\u201d Ben called over to Fletcher as he rode up alongside him.\u00a0 The foreman was actively rounding up strays as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s over yonder!\u201d the other man pointing towards the east.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve got most of them stupid cows rounded up but the youngin\u2019 rode off that-a-way because he spotted a few more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess I\u2019ll go check on him,\u201d Ben returned casting a quick glance in the direction that the man had indicated.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re nothing but an old mother hen when it comes to those kids of yours, Ben,\u201d Fletcher said with a big grin on his face.\u00a0 \u201cTime to let them out of the coop and then watch them fly off somewhere!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben frowned over at his foreman who never ceased from speaking his mind.\u00a0 \u201cJust how many kids do you have now, Fletcher?\u201d He responded with aggravation in his tone of voice.<\/p>\n

The other man laughed heartily and reached across his saddle, patting his boss\u2019 arm.\u00a0 \u201cNow \u2013 I don\u2019t rightly know, Ben.\u00a0 Might be at least twenty or thirty of them \u2013 but none\u2019s ever found me yet!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd they\u2019re better off for it,\u201d Ben quipped and then chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cLet me go check on the boy it\u2019s getting late.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll see you, Ben.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t yelled at hardly anyone all day so I\u2019ve got to find Cody — he\u2019s around here somewhere,\u201d Fletcher announced and kicked at his horse\u2019s sides.<\/p>\n

*** Old Fletcher <\/em><\/strong> Ben thought to himself and smiled.\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong> Well, I guess Cody is fair game since Joseph isn\u2019t around.\u00a0 That man\u2019s going to get an earful, that\u2019s for sure! *** \u201c<\/em><\/strong>Let\u2019s go, Buck.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Little Joe had chased the one remaining stray that he had been trying to get a rope around all afternoon.\u00a0 He had been able to get a lasso around every calf he\u2019d gone after all day but one and he wasn\u2019t going to let it get the better of him.\u00a0 Joe spotted the tracks as it had gone around the small stream and headed into the dense forest.\u00a0 Finally, he saw it and realized that the calf had gotten tangled up in some thick underbrush.\u00a0 Joe reined Cochise back and jumped from his saddle.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow maybe you know why you need to stay with your momma,\u201d Little Joe said to the calf as he released it from the trappings of sticks and thick brush there on the ground.\u00a0 He wrapped the end of his lariat around its neck and looped the other end around his saddle horn.<\/p>\n

Before climbing back atop his horse, Joe\u2019s attention was drawn over to his right side.\u00a0 There was the opening of a cave which had almost gone undetected due to numerous fallen branches and thick overgrowth around the area.\u00a0\u00a0 Wondering why he\u2019d never noticed it before; Little Joe tied his reins to a heavy branch lying on the ground and ventured closer to the mouth of the cave.\u00a0 He decided to go inside and check it out to see how deep it went.<\/p>\n

\n

Ben had ridden all over the area where his foreman had pointed out to him but hadn\u2019t spotted his youngest anywhere.\u00a0 He had just about decided that the boy must have headed for home when he spotted Cochise and the calf standing alongside her.\u00a0 Ben quickened Buck\u2019s pace and soon was next to his son\u2019s horse.\u00a0 Dismounting, he looked around for his son but didn\u2019t see him anywhere.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u201d\u00a0 Ben shouted and waited to hear his boy\u2019s reply.\u00a0 It hadn\u2019t come.\u00a0 Only then did Ben realize where he was.\u00a0 He turned around and looked at the opening of the cave.\u00a0 Shaking his head, his face took on an all too familiar appearance of foreboding.\u00a0 Coincidentally it just happened to be the cave where he had found his son some twelve years ago.\u00a0 Ben hadn\u2019t been back there since that day and had hoped that the heavy overgrowth would camouflage it like it had been twelve years prior.\u00a0 He never wanted to see the place again but apparently fate had brought both Cartwrights there that day.<\/p>\n

After he had secured Buck\u2019s reins to the same fallen branch that held Cochise\u2019s, Ben reached inside his saddle bags and pulled out a tallow candle that had been left inside.\u00a0 His heart sank in his chest as he drew closer to the opening and lit it.\u00a0 Stepping inside, Ben called his son\u2019s name again but only heard the echo of his own voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u201d\u00a0 He shouted out once more as he made his way deeper inside the cave.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t long until he was at the same spot where he had found the boy years ago.\u00a0 There on the floor of the cave lay the broken remnants of the cage that had held Joseph as a prisoner.\u00a0 Also there, sitting cross-legged on the ground, was Little Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u201d Ben whispered, kneeling next to him.\u00a0 \u201cYou okay, Boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe still sat there as though he hadn\u2019t heard his father\u2019s voice.\u00a0 His eyes staring into nothingness, the boy slowly rocked back and forth; a fearful reminder of the way he had found his son on that fateful day.<\/p>\n

\u201cSon?\u00a0 Joseph \u2013 can you hear me?\u201d Ben continued and set a hand onto Joe\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n

Finally, the boy spoke out in a hushed tone of voice, \u201cHe \u2013 he took it \u2013 he shouldn\u2019t have.\u00a0 It was mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u00a0 Who took what, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bad man<\/strong><\/em> \u2013 he took my best one,\u201d Little Joe whimpered.\u00a0 He lifted his left hand and combed his fingers through his bangs, pulling them out from his forehead.\u00a0 \u201cPapa the bad man \u2013 he tooked it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben felt his breath leave him as he was suddenly catapulted back in time.\u00a0 Up until that moment he had forgotten all about what his five-year-old had told him one night a couple of weeks after he had been found.\u00a0 Ben closed his eyes as he recalled the boy\u2019s tearful confession.<\/p>\n

\n

The sound awakened the sleeping father in the middle of the night.\u00a0 His hand swept across the covers searching frantically for the little boy who had been sleeping right alongside him earlier.\u00a0 Unable to find Little Joe, Ben reached over to his nightstand and turned the wick knob of his lamp.\u00a0 Soon the room was bathed in the soft glow from the light.\u00a0 The boy wasn\u2019t up on the bed.\u00a0 Feeling overwhelmed with a familiar dread, Ben jumped off the bed and peered around the room to where the sound was coming from.\u00a0 There, in one of the corners of his room Ben spotted Little Joe sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u201d\u00a0 He called out to his son and hurried over to him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are you doing down there, Boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe \u2013 he tooked it –,\u201d came the quiet stuttered response.<\/p>\n

Ben went down on one knee and pulled the boy\u2019s chin up so he could see his face better.\u00a0 There were tears streaming down Joe\u2019s cheeks.\u00a0 \u201cHe?\u00a0 Who, Son?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bad man<\/strong><\/em>\u2014he tooked it,\u201d Joe answered staring into his pa\u2019s compassionate eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe took what, Joseph?\u201d Ben responded with confusion framing his expression.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy curl, Papa \u2013 he tooked my best curl,\u201d Little Joe cried and put his left hand up to his forehead.\u00a0 The little fingers combed through his bangs and then looked sadly up at his father.<\/p>\n

Ben drew in a deep breath and gathered the boy up into his arms.\u00a0 He walked back to the bed and sat down, placing Little Joe in his lap.\u00a0 Softly caressing his son\u2019s cheeks, Ben pushed back the advancing tears from his face.\u00a0 \u201cNow you tell your Pa what\u2019s got you so worked up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis,\u201d Little Joe whispered and pulled his bangs up to show his father.\u00a0 \u201cMy best curl \u2013 he tooked it.\u00a0 He shouldn\u2019t ought to have done that, Papa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Staring at the boy once more he wondered if the child had been in the middle of a nightmare and couldn\u2019t shake himself out of it.\u00a0 But then he saw that there was a slight gap in the boy\u2019s bangs he hadn\u2019t noticed before then.\u00a0 He gently separated the curls and could tell that a few were missing as though they had been cut off.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid the bad man cut those curls off, Joseph?\u201d He questioned softly, trying to sound in control of the situation even though an almost uncontrollable feeling of rage was surging in his chest at that moment.<\/p>\n

Little Joe nodded and his sad hazel eyes burnt their way into his father\u2019s heart.\u00a0 \u201cHe tooked them, Papa.\u00a0 He shouldn\u2019t ought to do that \u2013 it was my best curl.\u00a0 Mama said my best curl was this one,\u201d Little Joe pointed in the middle of the section that his father was combing through with his fingers.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s gone, Papa \u2013 he tooked it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drawing his child to his chest, Ben squeezed his eyes closed to stop the appearance of tears.\u00a0 It was bad enough that he was worried about his little boy he didn\u2019t need the painful remembrance of the woman who he had loved.\u00a0 Their child had been stolen and, had Marie lived, she would have been absolutely inconsolable if Joseph hadn\u2019t been returned to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell — Joseph \u2013 you know what?\u201d Ben fought to offer the boy a smile though pulling one up onto his lips had to be the hardest acting job he\u2019d ever had to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat, Papa?\u201d He asked between sobs.<\/p>\n

\u201cYoung Man, you have the kind of hair that grows faster than anyone else\u2019s on this ranch— and maybe in all of Nevada too!\u00a0 Why I\u2019ll just bet you that within a few weeks your best curl will grow right back \u2013 and a whole lot of other curls will grow back right next to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s gone, Papa,\u201d Little Joe replied sadly as he pulled himself back some so he could look directly into his father\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cHe shouldn\u2019t have tooken my best curl \u2013 right, Papa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben patted his son\u2019s back and pulled him to his chest again as he held onto the boy.\u00a0 \u201cNo, Son, he shouldn\u2019t have \u201ctooken\u201d it,\u201d he replied using the same vernacular as Little Joe had used.\u00a0 \u201cIt was your curl and he shouldn\u2019t have done that.\u00a0 And he shouldn\u2019t have taken my little boy away from me either.\u00a0 But I have you back now \u2013 and here you\u2019ll stay.\u00a0 And you\u2019ll get that curl back too. \u00a0Now \u2013 how about the two of us lay back down?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe simply nodded his head and waited for his father to lean back and pull him onto his shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow how about the two of us try to get some shuteye, okay?\u201d Ben crooned as he gathered the little boy into his arms settling Joe\u2019s head onto his shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope it comes back, Papa,\u201d Little Joe whispered.\u00a0 He briefly closed his eyes as Pa’s fingers tenderly wiped away the last of his tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will, Son,\u201d Ben reassured and softly stroked the curls that were on the top of the boy\u2019s head.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph?\u00a0 Why didn\u2019t you tell me before now about your best curl having been taken?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like to talk about the bad man, Papa,\u201d his reply came out filled with fear.\u00a0 \u201cI get a- scared.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben had to hold back a smile over the way that Little Joe had always gotten the words \u201cafraid\u201d and \u201cscared\u201d mixed up and he usually blended them together.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t have anything to be afraid of now, Son.\u00a0 I\u2019m not going to let anyone take you away ever again,\u201d Ben insisted and hugged his child.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIf there\u2019s anything else that you want me to know \u2013 will you tell me, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like the bad man, Papa \u2013 but I liked my friends,\u201d Little Joe answered.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour friends?\u00a0 Who?\u00a0 Are you talking about your brothers and Hop Sing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe shook his head and yawned.\u00a0 \u201cNo, Papa \u2013 my friends where the badman was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben wondered how he could ask his boy for answers without scaring him further.\u00a0 He decided to just phrase his question as calmly as possible and maybe he\u2019d learn if the bad man, as Joseph called him, had accomplices.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow about telling your Pa about those friends of yours?\u00a0 What did they look like, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was dark, Papa \u2013 I couldn\u2019t see them too good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand— how about telling me something that you liked about them?\u00a0 You called them your friends so there must\u2019ve been something that you liked about them, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe nodded again and replied, \u201cThey were nice and warm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head, not knowing what the boy was talking about anymore.\u00a0 \u201cOh?\u00a0 They were warm?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYep.\u00a0 They laid on my chest, Papa, and they were warm.\u00a0 I was so cold, Papa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now his face was the picture of confusion and Ben didn\u2019t know what to ask.\u00a0 He finally continued.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph \u2013 how many friends did you have?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo, Papa \u2013 and they were warm and had soft fur too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh,\u201d Ben sighed and had to hope that the boy was referring to either puppies or kittens.\u00a0 He was almost too afraid to ask but he finally relented.\u00a0 \u201cSon, were they cats or dogs?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, they had red eyes, Papa. Everybody knows that cats and dogs don\u2019t have red eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben reached his right hand up to his mouth and hoped he would be proven wrong in what he was about to ask the boy.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph— those friends of yours \u2013 were they perhaps mice?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe snuggled down in the crick of his father\u2019s neck just underneath his chin.\u00a0 \u201cNo, Papa \u2013 they were bigger.\u00a0\u00a0 They had fur like a mice \u2013 but they were bigger and warmer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben cleared his throat, so worried over what his son had just explained to him.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph?\u00a0 Your friends didn\u2019t by any chance bite you, did they?\u201d Ben prayed that the boy hadn\u2019t been bitten.\u00a0 He now knew that it had been a pair of rats which had spent time on his son\u2019s chest there inside the cave.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Papa, they were my friends.\u00a0 Friends don\u2019t bite friends, Papa,\u201d Little Joe answered innocently and closed his eyes.<\/p>\n

*** Well thank the Good Lord for that! ***<\/em><\/strong> Ben thought to himself and combed his fingers through the boy\u2019s hair to get him to settle down.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s right, Boy.\u00a0 Now \u2013 is there anything else you want to tell your Papa about your friends?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Papa — I think I\u2019m tired.\u00a0 And I don\u2019t like talking about the bad man so can we only talk about my best curl coming back?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben reached down and kissed the little boy\u2019s forehead and smiled.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019ll be fine, Joseph.\u00a0 Now you go on and try to sleep.\u00a0 No more getting down from this bed unless you wake me first, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, Papa, I won\u2019t get down no more until you do.\u00a0 But you got to wake me up if you get up, okay?\u00a0 I don\u2019t wanna be here alone \u2013 this bed\u2019s too big for me without you in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you worry about that.\u00a0 I won\u2019t go anywhere without you, Boy.\u00a0 Now close those eyes for me,\u201d Ben grinned over what his son had just relayed.\u00a0 He knew that Joseph was still afraid of being alone, almost as much as he had been when the little boy had disappeared from the bed earlier.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you, Joseph.\u00a0 Now you have sweet dreams,\u201d Ben whispered and dropped the wick to the lamp down a bit more.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you, Papa — and I hope my best curl comes back in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it won\u2019t be back by morning, Boy, but it\u2019ll be back real soon,\u201d Ben nodded and closed his eyes.\u00a0 Though he doubted that he\u2019d be able to sleep due to what the boy had just told him.\u00a0 It was bad enough to know that someone had dared to cut his little boy\u2019s curls off his head but the very idea that rats had crawled up onto Joseph\u2019s chest filled him with such revulsion that he felt physically ill.\u00a0 *** Oh, Joseph \u2013 what did that evil man do to you while you were in that cave? *** <\/em><\/strong>He wondered as his eyes suddenly flashed open and he stared down at the little boy sleeping soundly in his arms.<\/p>\n

\n

Ben stared over at his seventeen-year-old son sitting against the wall of the cave.\u00a0 It was easy to see that Joseph had been swept up in latent memories of what had happened twelve years earlier.\u00a0 He again reached for the boy\u2019s arm and gently pulled him up.\u00a0 The weary father placed his arm around his son\u2019s shoulder to guide him.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Son, let\u2019s get you out of here,\u201d Ben called down to Joe and turned him around.<\/p>\n

Together the two of them walked out of the cave and into the retreating daylight outside.\u00a0 Ben blew out the candle and looked over at the boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d Joe questioned with confusion well written all over his face.\u00a0 \u201cPa, what are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Staring pensively over at his son, Ben could tell that he had no recollection of having been inside the cave.\u00a0 The instant that the two of them had made it out into the light of day it appeared that Joe was back to his normal self.<\/p>\n

Ben gave a nervous cough and hedged just a minute to come up with a good answer.\u00a0 \u201cOh, I was out this way and ran into Fletcher.\u00a0 He told me that you were rounding up the last of the strays so I thought I\u2019d just catch up with you so the two of us could ride home together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds good, Pa,\u201d Joe smiled as he reached for his lariat.\u00a0 \u201cI found this little guy stuck in some of this brush,\u201d he explained and them caught sight of the cave.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Pa?\u00a0 I never knew there was a cave on this part of the ranch, did you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Watching as the boy vaulted up onto Cochise, Ben nodded over to him.\u00a0 \u201cOh – yes, I guess I first noticed it a few years back.\u201d\u00a0 He hoped that his son hadn\u2019t heard the noted hesitation in his reply.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wonder if it\u2019s one of those caves where the Paiutes used to make camp?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shrugged his shoulders and then mounted his horse.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not sure, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe I ought to come out here sometime and check it out?\u00a0 A few years back Mitch and I found some old pottery in a cave near his place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s eyes grew wider and he replied, \u201cJoseph\u2014well \u2013 I\u2019d prefer you not do that.\u00a0 You know this time of year bears seem to frequent this area since it\u2019s close to that river just over that rise. \u00a0The fish that are in there attracts them. You don\u2019t need to get surprised by one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can watch out for bears, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got a gun you know?\u201d Joe volleyed back.\u00a0 At times he felt like his father was a bit too overly protective of him.<\/p>\n

Reaching across his saddle, Ben patted his son\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cJust humor me, will you?\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to lose you just because you\u2019re too curious for your own good.\u00a0 And if you want old pottery so badly, we have a bunch of it in our kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe groaned and shook his head over what Pa had said.\u00a0 It seemed like he was trying a bit too hard to keep him from exploring that cave.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright,\u201d Joe conceded with a frown.\u00a0 He wondered why his father seemed so adamant in his insistence that he stayed away from the area.\u00a0 \u201cI guess I\u2019ll go cut this calf in with the herd.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for humoring me,\u201d Ben smiled as he reached over and patted the boy\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cNow let\u2019s go take that calf of yours back and then head on home.\u00a0 Like as not your two brothers will make it in before we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe grinned and kicked lightly at Cochise\u2019s sides.\u00a0 \u201cI hope Hoss doesn\u2019t make it to the supper table before me tonight.\u00a0 He just about starved me out last night eating all those spuds before I got to them, Pa!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben chuckled even though it was hard to pretend that he was in good spirits at that moment.\u00a0 But he didn\u2019t want the boy to read what was behind his forced smile.\u00a0 Ben turned in his saddle and cast a quick parting glance back towards the cave.\u00a0 Having gone in there again after so many years had only increased his worry over his son\u2019s odd behavior.\u00a0 The past and the present were starting to blend themselves together far too much lately, and it wasn\u2019t getting any easier to pretend that all was well around Joseph.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cDid either of you know that there was a cave down there?\u201d Little Joe asked his brothers as they sat at the dinner table that night.\u00a0 He had already mentioned the calf which had gotten tangled in the underbrush and that he\u2019d found a cave that he\u2019d never spotted before.<\/p>\n

Adam looked across the table where he noticed his father\u2019s piercing stare was directed at both him and Hoss.\u00a0 He understood why.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah \u2013 I think I was there a few years back \u2013 but never gave it much thought,\u201d Adam nodded over to Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about you, Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

Setting his water glass down, Hoss also sent a quick glance towards his father before answering his brother.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of those old caves all around the Ponderosa, Short Shanks.\u00a0 I don\u2019t pay no mind to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clearing his throat, Ben attempted to change the subject for obvious reasons.\u00a0 \u201cDid you two get many of those trees marked for cutting today?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, Pa,\u201d Hoss nodded, fighting a grin over the way his father had steered the conversation away from the cave where his brother had been held years ago.\u00a0 \u201cWe got us a good start.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI figure we\u2019ll have them all marked in two days, Pa,\u201d Adam offered, also glad that they had moved off the topic.<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of you are even a little bit curious about that cave?\u201d\u00a0 Joe wasn\u2019t going to let the subject go, as he examined the three faces.\u00a0 \u201cI bet there\u2019s stuff buried inside of it \u2013 just like there was in that cave we found on Mitch\u2019s ranch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, I said no exploring,\u201d Ben reminded his son.\u00a0 \u201cThe only thing you\u2019ll get for your trouble is probably an angry old mother bear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe frowned and set down his fork.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Sir,\u201d He sighed defeatedly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m kind of tired \u2013 think I\u2019ll turn in.\u00a0 Good night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood night, Son,\u201d Ben called as the boy stood and walked away from the table and headed up to his bedroom.\u00a0 He waited until he heard Little Joe\u2019s door closing before turning his attention to Adam and Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cThank you both for not encouraging your brother.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want him anywhere near that cave.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo?\u00a0 Is that where you found Little Joe, Pa?\u201d Hoss asked after witnessing the heavy concern spreading across his father\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

Ben reached for his wineglass and took a few sips, hoping to quell his growing fears over his youngest son.\u00a0 \u201cYes \u2013 he was inside of it when I came up upon him today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid he say anything about it, Pa?\u00a0 Do you think he remembered anything about his abduction?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s just the thing, Adam \u2013 it\u2019s the first time that Joseph has ever had one of his spells in the daylight.\u00a0 I got there and he was sitting right where we found him twelve years ago.\u00a0 He was talking about the bad man \u2013 and he was acting like he was five years old again, still caught up in that horrible memory of what happened to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019d he say?\u201d Hoss continued, his worry for his little brother very evident in his tone of voice.<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head wearily and sighed.\u00a0 \u201cHe was talking about losing that curl \u2013 the one he said that the bad man cut off.\u00a0 I\u2019d forgotten all about that \u2013 it was so long ago that he told me about it.\u00a0 The remnants of that cage where Joseph was held were lying next to where he was sitting and it was hard for me to stay quiet about it this time.\u00a0 I relived those memories along with the boy before I finally pulled him out of there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam could see how the experience had affected his father.\u00a0 \u201cWhat happened when you brought him out?\u201d<\/p>\n

Shrugging his shoulders helplessly, Ben replied, \u201cHe just went back to normal \u2013 with absolutely no recollection of having been inside of the cave.\u00a0 Joe said he wanted to go back there and explore it!\u00a0 I told him that I didn\u2019t want him anywhere near that place.\u00a0 If he brings it up to either of you \u2013 I\u2019d appreciate it if you\u2019d discourage him.\u00a0 Nothing good can come of it \u2013 and it might make the situation worse.\u00a0 I can only imagine what would have happened today if someone else had found your brother there \u2013 it frightens me because he was so confused that he could\u2019ve gotten hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess the three of us had better listen out for the kid again tonight, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Adam \u2013 in case he wakes up like he\u2019s done the past few nights,\u201d Ben nodded and tried to tap down the fear he had been experiencing ever since going back inside the cave.\u00a0 \u201cIf either of you hear him get up \u2013 well \u2013 come and wake me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss reached over and set a big hand on top of his father\u2019s arm and nodded, \u201cDon\u2019t worry, Pa \u2013 it\u2019ll be over soon.\u00a0 It\u2019s usually only a couple of nights and then Little Joe won\u2019t be getting up and going into the kitchen to hide.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope so,\u201d Ben responded and went back to his wine to calm his frayed nerves.<\/p>\n

\n

Both Saturday and Sunday nights had been blessedly uneventful, and Ben was beginning to believe that Joseph\u2019s treks to the kitchen to hide from the bad man were now finally over; at least for that year.\u00a0 He wondered if they would come back again perhaps when the boy was nineteen, but he pushed away that worry for the time being.\u00a0 Monday Adam and Hoss had busied themselves marking the timber for cutting while Joe had ridden out with Fletcher and Cody to work with the large herd.\u00a0 All three of his sons had come back home early that evening and they were all played out by the time supper was over.\u00a0 Little Joe had turned down Hoss\u2019 offer to get in a couple of games of checkers and had gone to his room just before nine that night.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s two older boys had followed suit shortly thereafter and he turned in around ten o\u2019clock.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d Hoss called as he tapped on his father\u2019s bedroom door.\u00a0 \u201cPa \u2013 we need your help with Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sitting up in his bed, Ben turned the wick of his lamp up a bit and stared at the bedside clock.\u00a0 It was three in the morning.\u00a0 He hurriedly reached for his robe and didn\u2019t even take the time to get into his slippers.\u00a0 Hoss\u2019 voice had an urgent quality to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it \u2013 is the boy downstairs again?\u201d Ben asked groggily as he made his way into the hall.<\/p>\n

Offering a quick nod to his head, Hoss replied, \u201cYeah \u2013 but neither Adam or me can get him to budge and he\u2019s fighting us tooth and nail, Pa.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want to wake you — Adam and me wuz trying to pull him out from the corner of the kitchen.\u00a0 I guess you\u2019d better go down there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with your hand?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss frowned as he pointed to the kitchen towel which he had wrapped around the palm of his right hand.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe bit me, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe bit you!\u201d Ben exclaimed.\u00a0 \u201cIs it bad?\u201d He reached for his son\u2019s hand, concern spreading across his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cNaw— it ain\u2019t too deep \u2013 but that kid drew blood.\u00a0 That\u2019s why Adam sent me up here to fetch you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben walked alongside his middle boy as they hurried down the staircase and across the living room.\u00a0 Turning into the kitchen they heard Adam still trying his best to pull his brother out from his hiding place next to the sink.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Joe \u2013 it\u2019s okay \u2013 let me pull you up!\u201d Adam insisted, still trying to get a good grip on his brother\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d the pitch of Little Joe\u2019s voice was higher than usual when he had one of his spells, something that his father noticed right away.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got it now, Adam,\u201d Ben called quietly as he went down on one knee close to where his youngest was sitting.<\/p>\n

Adam sighed as he dropped a hand onto his father\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cPa \u2013 I tried the best way I knew how \u2013 but he\u2019s fought me every time I got a good hold of him.\u00a0 It\u2019s been like trying to wrestle a bobcat!\u00a0 Oh, after he bit Hoss, he smacked his head on the wall when I was trying to lift him, Pa.\u00a0 I think the kid\u2019s alright \u2013 but he might have a good lump in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nodding, Ben turned back to Hoss and called to him, \u201cPut something on that bite, Hoss, and you two go back to bed.\u00a0 I\u2019ll manage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss and Adam exchanged hesitant glances and then looked back down at their father.\u00a0 \u201cYou sure, Pa?\u00a0 I can lug Joe upstairs for you \u2013 that is if I can get my hands underneath him without him biting me again!\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaking his head, Ben shooed both of his sons away.\u00a0 \u201cNo \u2013 go on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both men turned and walked out of the kitchen feeling discouraged by their failure to get their brother up to his room without waking Pa.<\/p>\n

Placing a calming hand onto his son\u2019s shoulder, Ben called quietly, \u201cLet me see what you\u2019ve done, Joseph.\u201d\u00a0 He placed a hand onto the back of the boy\u2019s head, his fingers inspecting it carefully for injuries.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve worked yourself up quite a knot, Young Man.\u00a0 Now what\u2019s got you so stirred up?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bad man \u2013 he\u2019s here, Pa,\u201d Little Joe insisted and shoved his back up against the wall.<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s face was filled with confusion after hearing what the boy had said.\u00a0 He\u2019d never heard Little Joe use those words when he had sought shelter in the kitchen before.\u00a0 \u201cNo, Son, the bad man is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bad man is here, Pa,\u201d he corrected as he cast a wary glance around the kitchen.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following the boy\u2019s gaze, Ben lifted the lamp that Adam had left on the floor.\u00a0 He took a good long look just in case Joe had really seen something that maybe everyone else had missed.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t notice anything out of place and the door was still bolted shut.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph,\u201d he paused, as he gently eased the palm of his right hand onto the boy\u2019s cheek.\u00a0 \u201cSon \u2013 let\u2019s go on up to your room.\u00a0 Everything\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leaning forward, Little Joe\u2019s eyes darted back and forth and then he whispered, \u201cThe bad man is here \u2013 don\u2019t let him get me, Papa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben swallowed hard upon hearing what his son had just said and in the tone of voice he had used.\u00a0 Joseph never called him Papa \u2013 not since he was a small child \u2013 unless he was trapped deep inside those memories of time spent with the evil man who had abducted him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m right here and I\u2019m not going to let anyone hurt you or take you away ever again, Joseph.\u00a0 Now \u2013 let\u2019s get you to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a voice that was steeped in absolute terror, Joe cried out, \u201cThe bad man is here, Papa!\u201d<\/p>\n

Not knowing what else he could do, Ben reached for his son\u2019s right arm.\u00a0 \u201cCome with me now \u2013 and I\u2019ll get you all settled.\u00a0 There\u2019s nothing to be afraid of.\u00a0 Your Pa\u2019s right here, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe resisted the hold that his father had on his arm and quickly pulled it away.\u00a0 \u201cNo!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben carefully studied the situation, trying to determine what the best approach would be since the boy was fighting everyone that night; including him.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u201d He called quietly.\u00a0 \u201cDo you see him?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe nodded his head, his eyes suddenly reflecting the terror he was experiencing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is he?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pointing to the kitchen door, Little Joe held his left index finger to his lips and whispered, \u201cHe\u2019s gonna come soon and take me away again, Papa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trying to appease the boy, Ben pulled himself to his feet and walked to the door.\u00a0 He touched the slide bolt and turned back to look at his son.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s secure, Joseph \u2013 no one can get in.\u00a0 You\u2019re safe now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bad man always finds me, Papa,\u201d Little Joe whimpered.<\/p>\n

Turning back to his son, Ben knelt next to him and held out his arms.\u00a0 \u201cNo \u2013 he\u2019s not going to find you, Joseph.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go up to your room and I\u2019ll make sure he never comes back.\u00a0 Okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hesitating for a few minutes, Little Joe finally reached out to his father and felt the man pulling him into his arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got you,\u201d Ben whispered and locked the boy tightly inside his embrace to offer Joseph the security that he needed and to calm his fears.\u00a0 Then he slowly pulled Little Joe up out of the corner.\u00a0 He wrapped an arm around his son\u2019s shoulder and walked him into the next room<\/p>\n

Once they had gotten to the staircase, Little Joe stopped in his tracks and looked over at his father and said, \u201cThe bad man is coming, Papa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo \u2013 no he\u2019s gone, Joseph.\u00a0 He\u2019s not coming back ever again,\u201d Ben returned and coaxed his son up the stairs.<\/p>\n

Adam and Hoss stood in the hallway waiting to find out what had happened downstairs when they spotted their father and brother heading their way.\u00a0 Not wanting to spook the boy, they simply stepped aside as Pa maneuvered Little Joe back inside his bedroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think we ought to go in there?\u201d Hoss asked his brother.<\/p>\n

Shaking his head, Adam returned, \u201cNo, Hoss \u2013 go on back to bed.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s got Joe inside his room now \u2013 and most likely he\u2019ll stay in there until he\u2019s sure that the kid won\u2019t leave again.\u00a0 Might just as well get some sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still wishing that he could do something to help both his father and little brother, Hoss finally nodded and turned into his room.<\/p>\n

\u201cClose your eyes, Joseph.\u00a0 That\u2019s it \u2013 go back to sleep,\u201d Ben whispered as he softly caressed the boy\u2019s curls, attempting to lull him back into slumber.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bad man \u2013 is here,\u201d Little Joe insisted one final time before his eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep.<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head and sighed as he sat down in the chair next to the boy\u2019s bed.\u00a0 With his worry heightening due to what was happening to his youngest, he decided to go and talk to Doc Martin later that day.\u00a0 Ben wondered if there might be a way to control what was going on with Joe, even if that meant giving him some kind of medication so he would sleep through the night.\u00a0 Anything had to be better than watching his son going through nightly bouts of trauma.\u00a0 Ben tried to get comfortable in the chair since he had no intention of leaving the boy due to the fear that he might get up again.\u00a0 After an hour of staring over at Little Joe, he finally fell off to sleep.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cHere,\u201d Ben said as he passed first Hoss and then Adam another cup of coffee.\u00a0 Both of his older boys looked exhausted due to what had transpired earlier that morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa \u2013 what\u2019re we going to do about Little Joe?\u201d Hoss asked as he accepted the coffee and took a good long sip.<\/p>\n

Ben let out a tired sigh and thought about how he was going to answer the same question he had already mulled over all morning long.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going into town today and talk to Doc about what\u2019s been going on and ask him if we should give your brother some kind of sedative so he won\u2019t get up during the night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stared across the table at his father and could see he was worn out due to all that Joe had been putting him through.\u00a0 \u201cI think that\u2019s a good idea, Pa.\u00a0 Hopefully Doc can give Little Joe something to make him sleep soundly. There\u2019s just no telling how many more nights the kid\u2019s going to keep waking up and heading into the kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben was about to respond when he spotted his youngest descending the stairs.\u00a0 He signaled both of his sons to change the subject as Joe walked over and took a seat next to him.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cMorning,\u201d Little Joe answered, his voice sounding unusually subdued.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow did you sleep?\u201d Ben questioned, pouring a cup of coffee for the boy and passing it over to him.<\/p>\n

Little Joe rubbed at the back of his head and replied, \u201cNot so good, Pa.\u00a0 Somehow, I must\u2019ve smacked the back of my head on something while I was sleeping.\u00a0 I\u2019m surprised that it didn\u2019t wake me up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reaching over, Ben felt the back of his son\u2019s head just like he had done earlier that morning while Joe was sitting on the floor and protesting being taken out of the kitchen.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve got quite a knot there, Joseph,\u201d he remarked shaking his head.<\/p>\n

Adam and Hoss exchanged knowing glances but didn\u2019t say a word about the fact that they\u2019d heard their brother\u2019s head hitting the wall behind him there in the kitchen during the lengthy battle that morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cMust\u2019ve been your headboard,\u201d Ben nodded to Joe and watched the strange expression on the faces of his older boys.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess,\u201d Joe nodded and then noticed the bandage Hoss was wearing on his right hand.\u00a0 \u201cHey \u2013 what\u2019d you do to your hand, Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh \u2013 this?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss asked and tried to think up a good excuse to offer his brother.\u00a0 \u201cI \u2013 well \u2013 I got bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBit?\u201d Joe returned, his eyebrows raised in surprise.\u00a0 \u201cBit by what?\u00a0 You didn\u2019t have a bandage on your hand at supper last night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stared at his middle boy and wondered how he was going to answer his brother\u2019s question and avoid telling him the truth.<\/p>\n

\u201cA critter \u2013 out in the barn this morning, Little Brother,\u201d Hoss tried his best to sound believable.<\/p>\n

Adam smiled as he waited to see if Joe was going to let that be the end of the subject.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think anything ever got the best of you, Hoss.\u00a0 What kind of a critter sunk its teeth into you?\u201d Joe continued, noticing how everyone seemed to be far too quiet that morning.<\/p>\n

Hoss frowned.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t think up fibs as easily as his little brother and he was having a tough time coming up with a believable lie.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt ain\u2019t bad, Little Joe \u2013 not worth mentioning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u00a0 Is it some kind of a secret?\u201d Joe persisted staring from Hoss to Adam and then over to his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you told me that it was a Jackrabbit?\u201d Adam jumped in to help his brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince when do Jackrabbits bite?\u201d Little Joe fired back, not buying his brother\u2019s story.<\/p>\n

Ben cleared his throat, interjecting, \u201cJoseph \u2013 please eat your breakfast \u2013 it\u2019s getting cold.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frowning, Little Joe picked up his fork and began to eat the eggs on his plate.\u00a0 He wondered why it seemed like everyone around the table was acting so strangely.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to finish marking those trees today, Pa,\u201d Adam tried to change the much-contested subject.<\/p>\n

Ben appreciated the conversation being steered away from Hoss\u2019 hand and replied, \u201cThat\u2019s fine, Son.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got to go into town today, so I\u2019ll see you boys later.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u00a0 I\u2019m not really needed out with the herd today \u2013 how about I go into Virginia City with you?\u201d Joe asked hopefully.<\/p>\n

Knowing that he\u2019d have to talk to Doctor Martin without his youngest knowing anything about why he was going there, Ben thought of an excuse why the boy couldn\u2019t tag along with him.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph \u2013 there\u2019s wood to be cut and it\u2019s your turn to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t been to town since last Friday, Pa.\u00a0 Can\u2019t the firewood wait?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not this time.\u00a0 And, after all, today\u2019s only Tuesday \u2013 you were there just four days ago.\u00a0 Don\u2019t worry, you\u2019ll be going into town by the end of the week,\u201d Ben insisted.\u00a0 He reached over to the boy and tugged at the three inches of hair that draped well past the collar of his shirt.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll be going to Virginia City so you can get a haircut, Young Man.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou said I have until Friday,\u201d Little Joe complained as his father sent a knowing smile his way.<\/p>\n

Ben nodded, \u201cThat\u2019s right, Son.\u00a0 But if I see all of this hair come Friday night you and I will be going to the barbershop together<\/em><\/strong> on Saturday so I can make sure your hair is cut very short!\u201d He patted Joe\u2019s shoulder as he let go of his locks.<\/p>\n

Listening to the laughter coming from his two brothers didn\u2019t help his disposition and Little Joe frowned over at them.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, your brothers have their work to get to, and you\u2019ve got over a cord of wood to split.\u00a0 So, you three boys finish eating your breakfast.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got some papers to drop at the bank,\u201d Ben announced as he stood from the table.\u00a0\u00a0 Witnessing Little Joe\u2019s sullen appearance, he patted the boy\u2019s back.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019ll be okay, Joseph \u2013 hair grows back \u2013 and no one on this ranch has hair that grows faster than yours!\u201d<\/p>\n

Sighing to himself, Little Joe looked back over at Hoss and asked, \u201cSo you\u2019re telling me that a Jackrabbit hopped into a barn full of horses and took the time to sneak up on you just to bite you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss groaned and shook his head, \u201cEat your dad burn breakfast and stop worrying me over that Jackrabbit!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam chuckled as he watched the exasperation spread across Hoss\u2019 face.\u00a0 \u201cThose Jackrabbits can be ornery, can\u2019t they?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nodding his head, Hoss answered staring directly at the true varmint who had bitten him that morning, \u201cYeah, they sure can.\u00a0 And if that dad gum Jackrabbit bites me one more time, I\u2019m going to toss it into the horse trough and give it a nice long bath!\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe groaned.\u00a0\u00a0 He didn\u2019t have any idea why his brothers were joking over the whole incident nor did he buy the story that Hoss had told him about getting bitten by a rabbit.\u00a0 Deciding that it just wasn\u2019t worth pursuing any further, Joe finished his breakfast and headed outside to begin cutting firewood.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cBen!\u201d the loud shout by Pete Wilson came out from inside the telegrapher\u2019s window.<\/p>\n

Turning around after just passing the man, Ben walked back over to him.\u00a0 \u201cHi, Pete \u2013 how are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine.\u00a0 I just spotted you a second ago and wanted to give you a wire that just came in this morning,\u201d Pete said and handed Ben a piece of paper.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s from that cousin you had visiting last week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben smiled over what the man had said.\u00a0 Pete Wilson had held the position of local telegrapher for many years, and he just liked the job because he loved to gossip about the news that came across over the wire.\u00a0 Ben presumed that Pete knew about everything there was to know about the comings and goings of everyone in the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always thought that hypnotists were nothing more than sideshow attractions, Ben.\u00a0 But from what your cousin Harden says in that wire doctors have begun to put great stock into them now,\u201d Pete remarked as he watched the man reading the contents of the telegram.<\/p>\n

Shaking himself from what he\u2019d just read, Ben stared up at Pete.\u00a0 \u201cOh \u2013 I don\u2019t know much about those kinds of things,\u201d he remarked and hoped the vagueness of his response would suffice for the time being.<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like Harden thinks they can recover Little Joe\u2019s memories.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to believe that the boy hasn\u2019t remembered anything that happened twelve years ago!\u00a0 Why — I can still remember back then \u2013 I rode with Roy you know?\u00a0 That was a real long seven days and we searched all over for the kid. \u00a0We never thought you\u2019d get Little Joe back \u2013”<\/p>\n

Ben cut the man off, hoping to be on his way.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to discuss his son\u2019s abduction.\u00a0 \u201cYes \u2013 I remember,\u201d he paused and stared into the man\u2019s eyes, hoping to make his next statement resonate with the other man. \u00a0\u00a0\u201cListen, Pete, Joseph doesn\u2019t recall anything that happened to him, so I\u2019d appreciate it if you\u2019d not say anything to the boy about it.\u00a0 Doc thinks it\u2019s best if no one says anything about the abduction \u2013 or it might cause my son great harm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh sure, Ben.\u00a0 Yeah \u2013 I recall you telling me that awhile back.\u00a0 Gee \u2013 wasn\u2019t it about two years ago that Little Joe had a bout with walking in his sleep because of what he went through when he was five years old?\u201d<\/p>\n

Clearing his throat, Ben nodded to the man.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s right.\u00a0 Well \u2013 I\u2019ve got to get to the bank.\u00a0 Here you are,\u201d he said and handed Pete a silver dollar for the wire and to shut him up.\u00a0 *** Just who in the heck told Pete about Joseph\u2019s sleepwalking?\u00a0 Unless somehow, he was listening in on Paul and me two years ago.\u00a0 Lord, don\u2019t I have enough worries without that gossip running his mouth? ***<\/em><\/strong> Ben thought to himself as he started down the walkway heading to Doc\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cBank\u2019s the other way,\u201d Pete sang out and pointed in the opposite direction from where Ben had been heading before he had been stopped.<\/p>\n

Ben frowned, not wanting to have to explain that he was going to see Doctor Martin or Pete would have asked why.\u00a0 \u201cI am aware of that fact, Pete.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got errands to run before I go to the bank.\u00a0 Thank you for the wire,\u201d he said and hurried away before Pete could ask exactly where he was going and why.<\/p>\n

\n

Doctor Paul Martin poured two cups of coffee and sat down opposite his friend.\u00a0 He reached for the telegram that Ben had shown him and read it for the second time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Ben, if Little Joe is going through this again and it\u2019s been as rough as you say it\u2019s been, then I don\u2019t think it\u2019s such a bad idea to try to find out if this man can help the boy.\u00a0 It does say that he\u2019s a medical doctor who just happens to be trained in hypnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Setting his cup down on the table in the doctor\u2019s office, Ben stared over at him.\u00a0 \u201cPaul, a few years back when we spoke about Joseph going to see a hypnotist you didn\u2019t think it was such a good idea.\u00a0 What\u2019s changed?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor one thing Joe\u2019s older \u2013 so I\u2019m hoping that it won\u2019t upset him as much as it might have when he was just a little boy.\u00a0 But mostly I\u2019m getting concerned that the boy might end up hurting himself \u2013 or one of you \u2013 if this persists.\u00a0 I know you mentioned my giving you some sleeping powders \u2013 but I\u2019d rather there was a more permanent solution to the problem.\u00a0 Hypnosis is now held in higher regards than it was a few years ago too.\u00a0\u00a0 This Doctor Iverson is a well-trained professional from what your cousin said in that wire.\u00a0 And since he just happens to be returning east shortly then, under those circumstances, maybe it\u2019s something that you need to strongly consider.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben leaned forward feeling apprehensive over the decision he was about to make.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t have long before I\u2019m going to have to decide one way or the other, Paul.\u00a0 Harden said the doctor would be here Saturday, and he\u2019ll only be in Virginia City for a couple of days.\u00a0 He explained the circumstances to Iverson, and he told Harden that he\u2019s pretty sure that he can help Joe.\u00a0 I guess it was a case of pure luck that my cousin read an article about that doctor while he was heading to San Francisco and then found him at the hospital where the man has been speaking at a convention there.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to have to send a wire to Harden before I head back to the ranch to let him know what I\u2019ve decided to do about Joseph seeing Iverson.\u00a0 If we go through with it, I only hope that it won\u2019t cause the boy any further harm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHard to say,\u201d Doc paused and read the worry etched across his friend\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cBut \u2013 well \u2013 if he were my son and he\u2019d been going through this ever since he was five years old \u2013 I would go ahead and try whatever I could to help him over it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben drew in a deep breath and nodded, \u201cYou\u2019re right \u2013 I guess it\u2019s better than just waiting and worrying all the time.\u00a0 Joe was so combative last night \u2013 and he was never like that before!\u00a0 It\u2019s always taken some coaxing by me \u2013 but he never fought me over getting him out of the kitchen like he did early this morning.\u00a0 His wording was different too.\u00a0 Joseph said that \u201cthe bad man was there\u201d, not his usual \u201cthe bad man is coming\u201d that he\u2019s been saying for years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou never know, Ben, Little Joe might recover those memories all on his own.\u00a0 But there\u2019s no way of knowing when or if that\u2019s ever going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn your own opinion, do you really think he could recover them on his own?\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul shrugged his shoulders and replied, \u201cI\u2019d have thought he already would have recovered them after twelve years\u2013 but there\u2019s just no way to predict when or if he\u2019ll remember.\u00a0 Your guess is as good as mine when it comes to that. \u00a0So, what are you going to do?\u201d<\/p>\n

Staring down at the wire sitting on the table, Ben sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI guess I\u2019m going to chance it.\u00a0 I\u2019ll wire Harden to let this Doctor Iverson know that I\u2019d like him to try to help Joseph.\u00a0\u00a0 I guess I\u2019d better go write that wire and get it off before the man gets on the stage out of San Francisco tomorrow!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHere,\u201d Paul reached behind him and grabbed a pencil and a piece of paper.\u00a0 \u201cMight just as well write it out now.\u00a0 That way you won\u2019t have to stand around and explain yourself to Pete.\u00a0 No doubt he\u2019d ask you a dozen questions about hypnosis while you\u2019re trying to write your response if you do it over at his place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben grinned and nodded over to the doctor.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re right about that, Paul,\u201d he chuckled and then began to compose the telegram.<\/p>\n

\n

The barbershop door clicked open triggering a bright metallic jangle overhead.\u00a0 Aram Cullen finished sweeping up the hair that was left on the floor by his last customer and looked up at Pete Wilson.<\/p>\n

\u201cPete!\u201d Aram sang out with a big smile on his face.\u00a0 \u201cI was about to close up \u2013 but I guess I have time for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pete walked over to the other man and reached out his hand.\u00a0 The two men exchanged handshakes as Aram led him over to the barber chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sure do appreciate it, Aram.\u00a0 The wife\u2019s been after me for two weeks to get a trim, so I\u2019d best not come home without one.\u00a0 I would\u2019ve been here earlier, but it was a busy day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aram gave the barber cape a snap to dislodge any stray hairs that were left on it and then placed it around his customer.\u00a0 \u201cOh, it’s no trouble \u2013 got to keep the wife happy, or no pie for you tonight, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a bachelor you sure do know a lot about women,\u201d Pete laughed and settled back in the chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you\u2019ve been pretty busy, huh?\u00a0 Big news day is it?\u201d Aram asked as he readied his shears and grabbed the comb.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Sir, it has,\u201d Pete sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI must\u2019ve sent twenty wires today and received a dozen.\u00a0 And for this town that\u2019s quite a bit for a Tuesday, Aram.\u201d
\nSlowly sectioning the head of hair in front of him, the barber watched the other man\u2019s face through the mirror as he went on about his work.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything important happening?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell— let\u2019s see,\u201d Pete thought for a few minutes and continued.\u00a0 \u201cMabel Blackburn\u2019s daughter had twins last night \u2013 boy and a girl.\u00a0 She lives in Sacramento you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh yes, I know Mabel well and I\u2019ve met her daughter and son-in-law.\u00a0 Any other news?\u201d Aram continued to part the man\u2019s hair and began to snip off an inch of new growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cSheriff over in Gold Hill sent Roy some particulars about a thief that broke out of his jail.\u00a0 But Roy said the sheriff in Carson City caught the man already.\u00a0 I sent a reply for him just a few minutes ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that right?\u201d Aram smiled as he listened to the other man drone on about his work. \u00a0As a barber he was used to the local gossip and Pete Wilson was well known to be one of the most proficient gossip tellers in town. \u201cRoy\u2019s supposed to come in for a trim this weekend \u2013 least ways that\u2019s what he told me yesterday.\u00a0 The man sure keeps himself busy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYep,\u201d Pete agreed.\u00a0 \u201cOh, then there were the wires back and forth to and from Ben Cartwright.\u00a0 \u00a0They took me awhile to copy down as long as they were.\u00a0 I had to send Ben\u2019s reply, and he waited around for the response from his cousin before going back to the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u00a0 Ben came in for a haircut last Friday.\u00a0 What was it about \u2013 buying more cattle?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pete shook his head and returned, \u201cNo \u2013 believe it or not that cousin of his \u2013 you met him at the party last week, didn\u2019t you?\u201d Pete stopped long enough to look up at the barber who had to move his shears at the last minute to avoid snipping the man\u2019s ear due to his sudden movement.\u00a0 Aram simply nodded and kept cutting the man\u2019s hair.\u00a0 \u201cWell, he ran into this doctor who does hypnosis and he wired Ben to ask if he wanted him to see if that man could help Little Joe with his problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDidn\u2019t know Little Joe even had a problem.\u00a0 Well, other than his avoidance to getting into this chair of mine for a haircut,\u201d Aram chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with the boy, Pete?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you remember back about twelve years ago when Little Joe got snatched right out of his house and went missing for a week?\u201d<\/p>\n

Aram shook his head and replied, \u201cNo \u2013 don\u2019t remember that.\u00a0 You said twelve years ago?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah \u2013 matter a fact it was this time of the year too \u2013 the beginning of spring.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking on a puzzled appearance, Aram finally nodded to his customer and said, \u201cOh \u2013 wait \u2013 twelve years ago.\u00a0 Yes, that must\u2019ve been when I was down in Texas at my uncle\u2019s funeral!\u00a0 As a matter of fact, my uncle passed away twelve years ago last week.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou missed a real serious situation, Aram.\u00a0 You know how Ben Cartwright dotes on that youngest boy of his \u2013 always has.\u00a0 He was fit to be tied when Little Joe got stolen right out from under his nose!\u00a0 It had this whole town in an uproar.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou said the boy got stolen out of his house?\u00a0 Funny, I never heard anything about it.\u00a0 I must\u2019ve gotten back a few weeks after they found Joe.\u00a0 You mean nobody saw the man who did it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pete shook his head and answered, \u201cNo \u2013 then just as soon as he heard about it, Roy got up a posse — naturally he asked me to ride with him.\u00a0 I got Billy Kennedy to watch the office so I could go and help Roy.\u00a0 But we couldn\u2019t find Little Joe anywhere.\u00a0 We all gave him up for dead once six days went by and there wasn\u2019t even a ransom note.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aram changed out his shears for a straight razor and trimmed the hair at the nape of Pete\u2019s neck.\u00a0 \u201cWell, what happened?\u00a0 How did they finally find Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA friend of Ben\u2019s \u2013 a trapper named Jake Somers told the Cartwrights about a cave not far from their house and sure enough Little Joe was inside there all caged up like an animal.\u00a0\u00a0 The boy had a real time of it but thankfully he wasn\u2019t hurt other than having a few minor cuts and bruises.\u00a0 But it sure must\u2019ve messed up that poor kid\u2019s mind!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy do you say that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause every so often Joe begins to sleepwalk.\u00a0 I overheard Doc talking to Ben one day when I was going to drop him off a message.\u00a0 Ben was explaining how, without any warning, Little Joe just starts walking in his sleep and always ends up right in the kitchen where he\u2019d been taken by the kidnapper.\u00a0 Seems it goes on for about a week or so and just stops.\u00a0 From what I overheard, it happens every couple of years.\u00a0 It must be happening again if Ben\u2019s sending for that man now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aram finished trimming the man\u2019s sideburns and asked, \u201cWhat does all of this have to do with that telegram?\u00a0 I guess I\u2019m not following along very well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat doctor that Harden wired Ben about is a hypnotist like I said.\u00a0 \u00a0And he thinks he can help Little Joe finally remember who snatched him, so he\u2019ll stop having these spells where he ends up talking out of his head and going to the kitchen.\u00a0 Ben wrote him back and told Harden that he wanted the doctor to examine Little Joe just as soon as he gets into town.\u00a0 Never know \u2013 maybe we\u2019ll all finally find out who kidnapped the kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Combing the man\u2019s hair one final time, Aram stared at him through the mirror that faced them both.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019ll be good,\u201d He paused and then regrouped a bit after hearing the harrowing tale that the man had just told him.\u00a0 \u201cWhen\u2019s that doctor supposed to get into Virginia City, Pete?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHarden said Saturday,\u201d Pete answered and watched as the barber untied the back of the cape so he could get out of the chair.\u00a0 He thought on what he had just told Aram and frowned, growing concerned that he had talked out of turn.\u00a0 \u201cListen, Aram — please don\u2019t say anything about what I just told you.\u00a0 Ben doesn\u2019t want any of this getting out.\u00a0 I probably shouldn\u2019t have said anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aram chuckled and patted the man on the back as he used his grooming brush on his neck to remove the loose hairs.\u00a0 \u201cNow, Pete \u2013 you know that anything that\u2019s said in this barbershop doesn\u2019t go anywhere beyond these four walls!\u00a0 Relax,\u201d He reassured the man.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Aram,\u201d Pete sighed, relieved to hear what the barber had said.\u00a0 \u201cHere you go.\u00a0 I appreciate it,\u201d He handed the man fifty cents and nodded over at him.\u00a0 \u201cThe wife\u2019s going to be happy that you stayed open long enough for me to get presentable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou tell Sarah Jane I said she\u2019s welcome.\u00a0 Have a good night, Pete,\u201d Aram replied as he pocketed the money and went for his broom to sweep up what was left of Pete\u2019s hair around the base of the barber chair.\u00a0 It was time to close up shop for the day.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cNow, Joseph, it\u2019s time you came out of there,\u201d Ben stated firmly as he made yet another attempt to remove his son from his favorite hiding place in the kitchen.\u00a0 After being lulled into a false sense of security by the fact that his youngest hadn\u2019t made a late-night trip to the kitchen for the previous two nights, Ben was having a real time of it in trying to get Little Joe to budge.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, Pa,\u201d Hoss sighed and shook his head.\u00a0 Both he and Adam were sitting at the small kitchen table watching their father struggling to get the boy to cooperate.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe we ought to just leave him down here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam yawned and then added, \u201cI think Hoss is right, Pa. It\u2019s been over an hour now.\u00a0 You need to get some sleep and the kid\u2019s not going to let either of us pull him out of there no more than he\u2019s going to let you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, and I don\u2019t want to get bit again neither,\u201d Hoss remarked staring at his right hand.\u00a0 It had just begun to heal, and he wasn\u2019t about to chance going up against his brother\u2019s teeth again.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou both go to bed like I told you to do,\u201d Ben answered, annoyed by what they had said.\u00a0 He was growing frustrated and he didn\u2019t need the added distraction from his sons.<\/p>\n

Adam shook his head and stood from the table.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, Pa.\u00a0 Good luck.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI still say you ought to just leave Little Joe there \u2013 it ain\u2019t like he\u2019s gonna hurt himself \u2013 unless he knocks a hole in the wall with that hard head of his!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGo to bed!\u201d Ben replied sharply.\u00a0 He watched as his sons made their way out of the kitchen and then turned back to stare at his youngest.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, I\u2019ve already walked to that door four times now and there\u2019s no one out there.\u00a0 All the doors in the house are bolted shut and the shutters are all latched.\u00a0 Now how about you helping me out by coming out of there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bad man is here,\u201d Joe returned in a hushed tone of voice and placed his back snugly up against the wall.\u00a0 Then he reached both arms out, placing one hand on the side wall and the other against the oak frame of the cabinet under the sink to show that he wasn\u2019t about to budge.<\/p>\n

Groaning, Ben walked over to light the stove.\u00a0 He decided that it was time to make some coffee as he was beginning to give up on the notion that there would be any sleep that night, at least not for him.\u00a0 Once he turned his back on the boy, he heard him standing up.\u00a0 Ben glanced over as Little Joe moved from the corner and made his way to the door.<\/p>\n

Peering through the windowpane in the top half of the kitchen door, Little Joe whispered, \u201cThe bad man is here, Papa.\u201d<\/p>\n

*** Well, at least he\u2019s up on his feet.\u00a0 That\u2019s a good start.\u00a0 I\u2019ve just got to keep him from going back into that darn corner again! ***<\/em><\/strong> Ben thought and carefully removed the coffee pot and set it aside.\u00a0 He then eased over to stand next to the boy, gently placing his hand on Joe\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph,\u201d Ben began softly and peered out of the top windowpane.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t see anyone out there.\u00a0 It\u2019s alright now \u2013 nothing for you to worry about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bad man always finds me \u2013 Papa,\u201d he said, his voice laced with terror.<\/p>\n

Not knowing what else to do, Ben wrapped his arms around his son, pulling him tight against his chest.\u00a0 He hoped that Little Joe would feel more secure there in his embrace and then he could get the boy up to his bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be okay, Joseph,\u201d He whispered and swiped a hand through the boy\u2019s curls.\u00a0 \u201cLet your Pa get you up to your room now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe suddenly freed himself from his father\u2019s arms and hurriedly ran to the corner of the room and pushed himself back as far as he could.<\/p>\n

Ben groaned and walked across the room, returning the coffee pot back to the top stove lid.\u00a0 He had decided to do what Hoss had suggested and leave Joe in the corner of the kitchen until it was dawn or the boy fell asleep.\u00a0 But either way, Ben knew it would be a very long night for them both.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWhat time did you get the kid up to his room, Pa?\u201d Hoss asked as he sipped his coffee and stared over at his father who looked absolutely exhausted.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust before five, Son,\u201d Ben yawned and reached for his fourth cup of coffee.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just can\u2019t go on like this, Pa.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s young \u2013 but \u2013 well you need your sleep!\u201d Adam protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe doctor should be arriving in Virginia City tomorrow.\u00a0 Hopefully we\u2019ll have some luck with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are you going to get Little Joe to go see him, Pa?\u00a0 Have you thought of that?\u201d Hoss continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne day at a time, Son.\u00a0 I\u2019m too tired to think of anything beyond today right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The three men turned when they heard Joe\u2019s approach.\u00a0 He looked just as tired as Ben was.\u00a0 He plopped down in his chair and reached for the coffee pot without saying anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow did you sleep, Joseph?\u201d Ben asked, finding it humorous that he\u2019d even bother to pose that question.\u00a0 But he always wanted to find out if Joe might have recalled something that he\u2019d done during one of his spells.<\/p>\n

Groaning, Joe shook his head and returned, \u201cI don\u2019t know, Pa.\u00a0 I had the strangest dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n

All the family exchanged hopeful glances that Joe had finally recalled something about his abduction and then Ben directed his attention back to his youngest.\u00a0 \u201cOh?\u00a0 What about, Son?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t exactly know, Pa \u2013 it was like I was fighting somebody, but I couldn\u2019t see who they were.\u00a0 I must\u2019ve tossed and turned all night because I sure feel like I didn\u2019t sleep too well.\u201d\u00a0 Joe reached for a piece of toast and tossed it onto his plate.\u00a0 Then he looked across the table at his brothers and noticed the strange expression on both of their faces.\u00a0 \u201cWhy are you looking at me like that?\u00a0 I said it was just a stupid dream.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not looking at you, Little Brother \u2013 relax,\u201d Hoss insisted.<\/p>\n

Ben cleared his throat and chimed back in, \u201cYour brothers have to go and help up at the mill today and I\u2019ve got a lot of paperwork to sort through.\u00a0\u00a0 I believe you have something important to do today, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHaircut time,\u201d Adam smiled over at Joe.<\/p>\n

Little Joe sneered at his oldest brother and then looked pathetically at his father.\u00a0 \u201cC\u2019mon, Pa \u2013 can\u2019t that wait?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Ben nodded.\u00a0 \u201cIt can wait until tomorrow when I will personally hold your hand and walk you inside of that barbershop if you don\u2019t go voluntarily today, Young Man.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was sort of hoping that I could go by and see Mitch \u2013 haven\u2019t seen him in a month, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben patted his son\u2019s shoulder and replied, \u201cThat\u2019s fine \u2013 you go over and see him for just a little while and then I expect you to get that haircut.\u00a0 Your week is up, Joseph.\u00a0 And your hair is way too long!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah \u2013 yeah \u2013 I know what you\u2019re going to say already, Pa.\u00a0 I look like a cheap river boat gambler,\u201d Joe sighed and watched the amused faces of his two brothers.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll go after I talk to Mitch, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood,\u201d Ben smiled and reached for some more coffee.\u00a0 He hoped to get a nap while his sons were gone but hadn\u2019t wanted to announce it especially in front of Little Joe who might ask why he was so tired.<\/p>\n

\n

Little Joe had procrastinated going into town to get his hair cut as long as possible by staying at the Devlin ranch until four that afternoon.\u00a0 Finally, yielding to the inevitable, he mounted Cochise and road the two miles into Virginia City.\u00a0 Turning down C Street, he made it in front of the barbershop in time to see Aram outside sweeping the walkway.<\/p>\n

\u201cHi, Mister Cullen, got time to give me a haircut?\u201d Joe asked, swinging down from his saddle.<\/p>\n

Aram looked over at the boy and smiled broadly, \u201cWell, I was just closing up, Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thinking that it was his lucky day after hearing what the barber had said, Joe replied, \u201cOh that\u2019s alright \u2013 I\u2019ll come back some other day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aram laughed and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo, your Pa will be mad at me if I don\u2019t give you that haircut that he\u2019s been wanting you to have for months.\u00a0 But I tell you what, Little Joe \u2013 would you mind using the hitching post back behind the shop?\u00a0 If someone sees your pinto out here, they\u2019ll think I\u2019m still open and I want to close the shop right after I tend to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure,\u201d Joe nodded, but wasn\u2019t happy that the man had offered to cut his hair even though he was getting ready to close for the day.\u00a0 He had hoped that Aram would\u2019ve said no and that way he wouldn\u2019t be in too much trouble with his father and wouldn\u2019t be escorted by hand the next day to get his hair cut.\u00a0 Joe pulled Cochise behind him and tied her reins up next to the barber\u2019s personal quarters behind the shop.<\/p>\n

Aram waited until Little Joe walked in the door and then turned the closed sign facing outward.\u00a0 He also moved the slide bolt into the locked position before speaking to his customer.<\/p>\n

\u201cMake yourself comfortable, Little Joe.\u00a0 Go hang up that holster there on the hatrack.\u00a0 Then come on and climb up in my chair.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Sir,\u201d Joe sighed defeatedly and unbuckled his gun belt, hanging it up along with his hat.\u00a0 He somberly sat down in the barber chair as Aram shook out the cape and placed it around his neck.\u00a0 No matter how many times he had gone to the barber in the past twelve years Little Joe hated to sit there and wait for the cutting to begin.\u00a0 That day it was no different and he shifted uncomfortably in the chair trying to get ready to see his curls lying on the barbershop floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour hair hasn\u2019t been cut in months, Joe,\u201d Aram announced as he pulled the hank of hair out from underneath the cape.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s a good four inches back here and that\u2019s as long as I\u2019ve ever seen it.\u00a0 It\u2019s no wonder that your Pa was ready to drag you in here by your ear like he told me last week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe stared into the mirror and saw the man inspecting the length of his hair.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t want you to cut too much off, Mister Cullen.\u00a0 Could you just trim it about an inch or so?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I only take off an inch your father won\u2019t even know that you were in here, Little Joe.\u00a0 Now stop fidgeting in that chair.\u00a0 You\u2019re far too nervous.\u00a0 I know what I can do to calm you down some,\u201d He announced with a smile.\u00a0 Aram walked over to one of the two cabinets to his right.\u00a0 He reached inside a jar and then moved back behind Little Joe in the chair.\u00a0 \u201cHow about some candy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe shook his head and replied, \u201cNo thanks, I\u2019m not especially fond of candy, Sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aram bent forward and whispered in Joe\u2019s right ear, \u201cAll little boys love peppermint.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s eyes flashed wide open upon hearing what the man had just said.\u00a0 He felt as though someone had abruptly shoved him back against the chair and his head was beginning to swim.\u00a0 Casting a wary glance into the mirror he could see Aram standing behind him, his lips twisted into a sinister grin.\u00a0 Joe tried to speak but he felt as though his breath had suddenly been stolen from him.\u00a0 It took a few seconds and then he stuttered, \u201cYou \u2013 you\u2019re \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right, Little Joe \u2013 I\u2019m the bad man<\/em><\/strong>,\u201d Aram nodded and then stuffed a rag filled with chloroform over the boy\u2019s nose and mouth pressing down firmly.\u00a0 Joe struggled for a few minutes, coughing violently and then gasping for air. \u00a0But it hadn\u2019t taken the drug long to incapacitate the boy, causing his body to go limp as it sagged back against the barber chair.<\/p>\n

Aram laughed as he removed the chloroform-soaked rag and patted the boy\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I hadn\u2019t planned on our next meeting to go quite like this, but I just can\u2019t risk having you going to talk to that hypnotist tomorrow, Little Joe.\u00a0 I always knew that I\u2019d be carrying you off again someday, but not quite this way.\u00a0 But I suppose you\u2019ve just got to make do with what life hands you, right?\u00a0 Now, I\u2019ve got a horse to move, and then you and I are going for a little walk.\u00a0 Now don\u2019t go anywhere, okay?\u201d He walked over to each window in the shop and pulled down all the blinds before going out the back door to get rid of one pinto pony.<\/p>\n

\n

Adam and Hoss stood out on the front porch and looked to the west where the sun was just beginning to set.\u00a0 The two brothers had the same thought in their minds.\u00a0 Little Joe should have been back a long time ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2019s fit to be tied.\u00a0 Little Joe was supposed to get his hair cut and come home before dark,\u201d Hoss sighed, knowing the boy would probably be in trouble with their father now.<\/p>\n

Adam laughed and patted his brother\u2019s back, \u201cWhat\u2019s he worried that Joe ran away from home because he didn\u2019t want to get a haircut?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t put it past him, Adam.\u00a0 You know how much Little Joe hates to get his hair cut.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Pa gave him an extra week to get it done.\u00a0 Maybe he\u2019s drowning his sorrow in a couple of beers at the Silver Dollar?\u201d<\/p>\n

Both men stopped talking when their father stepped out of the house wearing his coat and a big scowl on his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going after that boy.\u00a0 If he\u2019s not gotten that haircut, I\u2019ll just take him for one tomorrow \u2013 but he won\u2019t be able to sit in that barber\u2019s chair when I\u2019m done with him!\u00a0 Staying out this late and worrying me like this!\u201d he fumed.<\/p>\n

Adam signaled Hoss with a tilt of his head.\u00a0 They walked to the front hitching post to get their horses hoping to help their brother out of the fix he was in if Pa got a hold of him once they caught up with him.<\/p>\n

Ben mounted Buck, the look of anger faded from his face as worry took its place.\u00a0 He was scared that Little Joe might have had one of his spells and if his family wasn\u2019t around and someone else was, he was worried that they wouldn\u2019t know what to do for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go!\u201d Ben called as the three men turned out of the yard and headed into Virginia City.<\/p>\n

\n

Little Joe moaned as he rocked his head back and forth fighting to return to consciousness.\u00a0 There was a heavy sickness in the pit of his stomach, and he was sure that he was going to vomit the minute he opened his eyes.\u00a0 The blinding headache struck him the minute that he blinked his eyes a few times and everything looked as though it was upside down.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t hold one rational thought in his head, confused due to the side effects of the chloroform which had done its job well.\u00a0 Little Joe coughed and tried to pull his hands up to his face but realized he couldn\u2019t feel either one of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere— where am I?\u201d\u00a0 Joe whispered and then coughed until he began to gag.\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t any answer and the darkness was only broken by one faint light from a kerosene lamp somewhere just out of sight.\u00a0 Little Joe pulled his legs up to his chest still fighting the feeling of wanting to empty his stomach of the little bit he\u2019d had for breakfast that morning.\u00a0 As the dull effects began to wear off a bit more, he finally realized that his ankles were tied together and his wrists were held tightly behind his back by heavy rope that bound him to a support beam of some kind.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere am I? Who\u2019s there!\u201d\u00a0 Joe\u2019s attempt to scream was little more than a whisper due to his throat being so raw from whatever someone had used to render him unconscious.\u00a0 He\u2019d been in similar situations before, but never one where he felt so God awful physically.\u00a0 If he hadn\u2019t had a good amount of Cartwright blood flowing through his veins, Joe would have just given up, stopped fighting and surrendered to the will of whoever had knocked him out.\u00a0 But that wasn\u2019t the way he\u2019d been raised.\u00a0 Pa would expect him to fight to the bitter end no matter what and that\u2019s exactly what Little Joe planned to do.\u00a0 But now it was a waiting game. Joe knew that too.\u00a0 Whoever had taken him would eventually show up, if for no other reason than to gloat that they\u2019d gotten the jump on him.\u00a0 Pa was going to have a pure fit when he didn\u2019t return home on time and that one fact gave him the hope he needed.\u00a0 He\u2019d gladly incur the man\u2019s wrath over his lateness if Pa would just come bursting into wherever the heck he was at the time.\u00a0 *** Pa \u2013 I didn\u2019t get that haircut you told me to get.\u00a0 Yell at me \u2013 heck, give me a necessary talking to \u2013 whatever you want to do — but just come find me! ***<\/em><\/strong> Little Joe thought to himself and tried his best to settle back some, attempting to ease his fierce headache.\u00a0 There was nothing else that he could do.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI checked the livery, Sam Towers said Joe\u2019s not been there today,\u201d Hoss called out of breath as he met both Ben and Adam in front of the Silver Dollar Saloon.<\/p>\n

Ben sighed wearily and answered, \u201cWe\u2019ve checked The Silver Dollar and The Bucket of Blood and neither Sam nor Bruno have seen your little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, and I\u2019ve been up and down C Street and Cochise isn\u2019t tied up to any hitching post anywhere.\u00a0 I wonder if Joe just stayed at Mitch\u2019s house?\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaking his head, Ben had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach which had grown as each minute passed by without spotting his youngest.\u00a0 He just knew that the boy was in danger.\u00a0 \u201cI doubt Joseph would do that \u2013 no.\u00a0 I sent him for a haircut — let\u2019s go talk to Aram to find out if the boy made it there before we go jumping to conclusions.\u201d<\/p>\n

The three Cartwrights mounted their horses and rode down to the far end of the street.\u00a0 Walking down the slight hill behind the barbershop, Ben peered around to see if Cochise was back there, but she wasn\u2019t.\u00a0 He stepped up onto the porch along with his two sons and knocked on the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry to bother you, Aram,\u201d Ben began and offered an uneasy smile to the barber.\u00a0 \u201cWe were just wondering if Joseph came in for a haircut today.\u2019<\/p>\n

Aram wiped his hands on the apron that was tied around his waist and stepped out onto the porch.\u00a0 \u201cNo, Ben \u2013 haven\u2019t seen Little Joe.\u00a0 I was expecting him to come by, but he never showed up.\u00a0 Is something wrong?\u00a0 Anything that I can help you with?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben drew in a quick breath and tried not to look like the petrified father that he was at the time.\u00a0 \u201cNo thanks, Aram.\u00a0 The boy could be heading home right now trying to think up a good story to tell me as to why he didn\u2019t get that haircut.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019ll let me get my dinner off the stove, I\u2019ll help you look for him?\u201d Aram offered with a hint of concern on his face.<\/p>\n

Reaching over to the man, Ben patted him on the shoulder and replied, \u201cNo \u2013 we\u2019ll find the boy.\u00a0 I just wanted to know if he made it to your place.\u00a0 You go on back to your supper.\u00a0 Sorry to have troubled you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBen, it\u2019s no trouble and you just let me know if I can help you find Little Joe.\u00a0 I sure hope he\u2019s at home like you said.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks.\u00a0 Goodnight now,\u201d Ben nodded to the man as he stepped off the porch with his two sons following closely behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do we do now, Pa?\u201d Adam questioned as he watched his father\u2019s head drop down to his chest.\u00a0 He knew that the man was played out due to too many nights without sleep and his constant worry over Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess we head home to see if the boy made it back,\u201d Ben sighed as he walked up the hill with his sons.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t reckon that Little Joe went out to that cave that he talked about exploring, do you, Pa?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

Ben walked over to Buck and shrugged his shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t have a clue, Hoss.\u00a0 If he doesn\u2019t make it home, I\u2019ll come back here and talk to Roy, and we\u2019ll get up a search party.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa \u2013 I\u2019m going to ride by Mitch\u2019s place.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be along shortly,\u201d Adam announced as he mounted Sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cFind out what time Joe left \u2013 that is \u2013 if he ever made it there,\u201d Ben returned and stared over at Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cCome on \u2013 let\u2019s head back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss and his brother exchanged fearful glances.\u00a0 They were concerned about Little Joe, but they were also worried about their father.\u00a0 If anything had happened to the boy, they knew that the man would grieve himself into an early grave.<\/p>\n

\n

Little Joe didn\u2019t remember falling to sleep but he had.\u00a0 Still suffering from the latent side effects caused by the chloroform, his body had given in to the desire to simply let go.\u00a0 Even in slumber he couldn\u2019t get away from what had been going on in his life for the past twelve years.\u00a0 Little Joe dreamed of a cave and a cage that was there inside of it.\u00a0 It was a haunting disjointed reminder of the trauma he had endured at the hands of someone known to him only as \u201cthe bad man\u201d.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t get past the terror of it.\u00a0 His mind had played a trick on him for self-preservation.\u00a0 Unable to deal with what he had gone through as a five-year-old, Little Joe\u2019s subconscious had tucked all the frightening details away and every couple of years allowed the memories to surface where they played out only in his sleep.\u00a0 In wakefulness he had never remembered all the trips he had made back to the same kitchen corner where he had been stolen away from all those who loved him.\u00a0 Now he happened to be captured again by the same enigma who had tormented his mind for so many years.\u00a0 Little Joe had a glimpse of that partial memory, but it had only lasted long enough to hear the bad man whisper \u201call little boys love peppermint<\/em><\/strong>\u201d.\u00a0 He had heard that same phrase so many times during the seven days he had spent locked in that cage and staring over at a man who wore a burlap sack over his head with only holes cut out of it for his eyes, nose and mouth.<\/p>\n

\u201cWake up, Boy,\u201d the man called as he kicked at Joe\u2019s boots.\u00a0 \u201cGot you some supper.\u00a0 I hope you like beans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moaning, Little Joe blinked his eyes open, but his vision continued to be not much more than a blur.\u00a0 The man who had awakened him looked as though he was standing inside of one of those funny mirrors he\u2019d seen at the carnival that had been in Virginia City the past October.\u00a0 Even the man\u2019s voice seemed out of tune and high-pierced due to Little Joe\u2019s mounting headache.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said it\u2019s time to eat, Boy,\u201d the man called again and kicked at Joe\u2019s legs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere \u2013 where am I?\u201d\u00a0 He asked and fought to keep his eyes open though his body begged him to go back to sleep.<\/p>\n

Aram knelt next to the boy whose hands were wrapped behind him, tethered to one of the wooden support beams inside the basement of his house.\u00a0 \u201cWhere do you think you are, Boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI \u2013 I don\u2019t know,\u201d Joe mumbled and tried to focus in on the man next to him.<\/p>\n

Aram patted his prisoner\u2019s cheek and laughed.\u00a0 \u201cWell, don\u2019t fret yourself over it because you aren\u2019t staying here long.\u00a0 Now open your mouth so I can spoon some of these beans into you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe grimaced from the pain shooting out from behind his eyes and the tightness in the back of his throat.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t like beans,\u201d He answered angrily and then felt transported back to another time in his life.\u00a0 Little Joe had said those same words while he had been held inside a cage in that cave on the Ponderosa.\u00a0 The man who had taken him had shoved a plate of beans in through the small opening he\u2019d made in the bottom of it.\u00a0 Suddenly he was caught up in the flood of memories that he had repressed.\u00a0 He could feel the dampness of the dirt on the floor of the cave and heard that voice, the voice of the bad man.<\/p>\n

*** \u201cI don\u2019t like beans.\u00a0 I want my Papa!\u201d Little Joe shouted.\u00a0 He leaned back and then kicked his feet against the wooden bars of the cage.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happens to bad little boys?\u201d\u00a0 Aram asked staring down at the five-year-old.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t bad \u2013 my Papa says I\u2019m a good boy,\u201d He answered full of both fear and anger.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, do you ever want to see your Papa again?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Little Joe dropped his head down as tears welled up in his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI want my Papa,\u201d he cried and pulled himself away from the wooden bars that held him.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThen you\u2019ve got to be a good boy.\u00a0 And good boys eat their beans,\u201d Aram insisted and pointed at the plate.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf I eat, will you take me to my Papa?\u201d Little Joe choked out, pushing back the tears which were leaving his eyes.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are a good boy I will,\u201d Aram nodded.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Little Joe stared down at the plate of beans.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to eat them, but he wanted to see his father.\u00a0 He knew that if his pa was there that he\u2019d get him out.\u00a0 Sniffing back his tears, he sat cross-legged on the ground and slowly began to eat what was on his plate. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNow that\u2019s a good boy.\u00a0 You eat up those beans, and I\u2019ll give you a treat,\u201d the man said and then reached inside his shirt pocket.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s right, Boy, if you clean your plate, I\u2019ll give you this.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Little Joe stared over at the man who now knelt in front of him.\u00a0 He was holding something in his hand.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat \u2013 what\u2019ll you give me?\u201d he asked warily.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll give you this peppermint stick just as soon as you eat what I gave you.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like peppermint,\u201d Little Joe announced adamantly as he tried to choke down the beans.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t like peppermint?\u201d the bad man said.\u00a0 \u201cAll little boys love peppermint!\u201d ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI know who you are,\u201d Little Joe muttered as he fought with the ropes which bound him to the post.<\/p>\n

Aram laughed loudly and patted the boy\u2019s head.\u00a0 \u201cIs that right? Who am I, Boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re him \u2013 the one who took me out of my house all those years ago. It wasn\u2019t a dream after all,\u201d He replied, his voice shaky.\u00a0 He was certain that he was going to lose the battle to stay in control of his emotions.\u00a0 Little Joe was confused by what had suddenly come back to him.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t understand why he was having flashes of another time and place.\u00a0 But he did remember those three words very distinctly.\u00a0 Little Joe knew the name \u201cthe bad man\u201d<\/em><\/strong> because it had haunted him for years, though only in his dreams.\u00a0 Now it was beginning to dawn on him that those nightmares had been all too real.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy \u2013 why are you doing this, Mister Cullen?\u00a0 Why?\u201d He asked, still confused and fighting back the inner dread he felt inside.\u00a0 Little Joe could feel his heart beating so rapidly that he didn\u2019t know if it was due to the drug that the man had used to knock him out or if it was simply due to the fear that was beginning to take hold of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo \u2013 no don\u2019t call me Mister Cullen, Little Joe.\u00a0 You gave me that nickname when you were five \u2013 let\u2019s use that, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe swallowed hard, his eyes darting around the darkened basement hoping to find some means of escape.\u00a0 He wiggled his fingers behind his back trying to get circulation back into them after being tied for so long.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, you remember!\u00a0 You called me the bad man<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0 I always like that \u2013 it had a nice ring to it.\u00a0 Made me feel good to know that I\u2019d scared you like that.\u00a0 It helped keep you in line!\u201d<\/p>\n

*** \u201cWho do you think I am, Boy?\u201d the man wearing the burlap sack over his head asked the five-year-old who was staring up at him, whimpering in fear.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Little Joe looked through the wooden bars and answered, \u201cYou \u2013 you\u2019re the bad man.\u00a0 You make me have nightmares \u2013 Papa said so.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Aram\u2019s chest shook with laughter and nodded to the little boy.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s right, Boy, I\u2019m the bad man.\u00a0 It\u2019s good that you recognized me.\u00a0 I cause all your nightmares.\u00a0 Your papa was right about that.\u00a0 So, you\u2019d better be good!\u201d ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Joe closed his eyes, trying to rid himself of the memories from the time he\u2019d spent in the cave.\u00a0 But he couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 They were coming back to him with a vengeance, ransacking his thoughts, and he couldn\u2019t stop them no matter how badly he wanted to.\u00a0 Twelve years of suppressing the frightful experience had only preserved the memories intact.\u00a0\u00a0 They were just as terrifyingly real as they had been when he was a five-year-old boy standing there looking at the man in the mask.\u00a0 Joe tried to will it all away so he could think of something he could do or say that might convince the man to untie him and let him go.\u00a0 He decided to keep Aram talking and maybe jolt him back to being the kindly man he always thought he was.\u00a0 \u201cWhy \u2013 I still don\u2019t understand. Why do you have me tied up like this?\u00a0 I never did anything to you \u2013 why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been waiting a long time, Boy, a long time,\u201d Aram offered a twisted grin.\u00a0 \u201cI was so surprised when I learned that you didn\u2019t remember anything that happened in that cave where I held you twelve years ago.\u00a0 Because you didn\u2019t have any memory of it you sure helped me out!\u00a0 Yeah, I was able to keep my shop open in Virginia City which allowed me to watch you grow up.\u00a0 And you sure have, Little Joe,\u201d he continued.\u00a0 He reached over and ran his fingers through the boy\u2019s curls.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I was going to wait to get my hands on you again, but it all worked out fine because it turns out now\u2019s just the right time to do this.\u00a0 Your hair is the perfect length.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe shrugged away from the man\u2019s touch and looked into his cold dark eyes.\u00a0 He fought to piece together everything that had happened all those years ago and wondered why he had forgotten about being in the cave. Joe wondered why no one in his family had ever said one word about his former abduction.\u00a0 Surely his father would have told him all about it.\u00a0 Nothing was making any sense.<\/p>\n

\u201cI \u2013I still don\u2019t understand.\u00a0 Why are you doing this?\u201d he questioned, feeling as though his confusion had to be due to the chloroform because he didn\u2019t understand one word that the man was saying to him.\u00a0 Little Joe reasoned that either he was too drugged to follow along or that the man was just plain crazy.<\/p>\n

Aram sat down cross-legged on the floor of his basement and smiled over at his prisoner.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I\u2019ve been a barber for a long time, Little Joe.\u00a0 And there\u2019s one thing I know and that\u2019s hair.\u00a0 And you\u2019ve got the finest hair of anyone who\u2019s ever been in my chair.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy hair?\u201d Little Joe returned incredulously.\u00a0 He was beginning to believe that he was still asleep, and that it was all just some awful nightmare that he would eventually awaken from.<\/p>\n

Laughing, the man reached his hand out and instead of stroking the boy\u2019s curls, this time he grabbed a handful of Little Joe\u2019s hair and roughly tugged on it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour hair, it\u2019s so nice \u2013 so thick and curly. \u00a0But we don\u2019t have to concern ourselves with that right now.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got things to do.\u00a0 Now eat these beans because I want you to keep your strength up.\u00a0 That\u2019s right, a healthy head of hair starts with good eating.\u00a0 Open your mouth and I\u2019ll give you your supper!\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe turned his face to the other side, avoiding the spoon that was moving over to his lips.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t trust the beans any more than he trusted the insane man who was trying to force feed him.<\/p>\n

Aram grabbed the top of Joe\u2019s head forcefully, holding on tightly with his left hand while his right held the spoonful of beans.\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t being a bad boy, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me go!\u201d Joe was finally able to pull a shout out of his gut as he tried his best to pull away from the man\u2019s strong hold.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou listened really good when you were five, Little Joe.\u00a0 Remember — back then how I told you that if you were good, you\u2019d get to see your papa?\u00a0 You were more well behaved as a little boy.\u00a0 Maybe now that you\u2019re older you don\u2019t want to see your pa again?\u00a0 Yeah, it was your father who made you come in for that haircut.\u00a0 He sure helped me out!\u00a0 I didn\u2019t have to go to your house to get you this time.\u00a0 It was hard on me twelve years ago \u2013 to find just the right moment to snatch you out of that kitchen.\u00a0 That cook of yours almost caught me but he had his hands full with a laundry basket and was too preoccupied to notice me hiding right behind the door.\u00a0 But this time you were delivered right into my barber chair.\u201d<\/p>\n

*** Little Joe sat at the table in the kitchen eagerly eating the warm cookies that Hop Sing had left for him.\u00a0 He finished the two that the cook had put on his plate before hopping down from his chair.\u00a0 Moving over to the counter where Hop Sing had placed a towel over the warm batch of ginger cookies, Little Joe grabbed one more and then noticed the kitchen door opening slowly.\u00a0 Worried that Hop Sing would be mad upon seeing him stealing another cookie, the little boy wrapped it in his hand and ran off to hide in the corner of the room.\u00a0 It was then that Little Joe discovered that it wasn\u2019t the cook who had entered the kitchen.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNow don\u2019t say a word,\u201d the man wearing the odd-looking mask whispered as he looked down at the little boy.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Before Little Joe had the chance to scream for his father the man had placed a cloth over his mouth. \u00a0The little bit of cookie that was left in his hand was dashed underneath the boots of the bad man leaving only crumbs as a sign that Little Joe had been there. That was where the nightmare had always ended; at least that one. ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Trying to catch his breath, Joe reeled from yet another awful vision from the past.\u00a0 Now he finally realized where the nightmare which had plagued him for years had come from.\u00a0 In the terrifying recurring dream, he would see someone walking through the kitchen door and then he would try to scream only to wake up in his bed fighting to breathe.\u00a0 Little Joe attempted to push aside another reminder of his former abduction and control his mounting terror.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to go home!\u00a0 If you let me go, I won\u2019t say a word about what you did today,\u201d Little Joe attempted to bargain with the man, though he doubted that it would do much good.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, you won\u2019t say a word, I\u2019m sure of that.\u00a0 Now you\u2019d better be a good boy and eat your beans,\u201d Aram\u2019s reply came off sounding like a threat.<\/p>\n

Little Joe reluctantly opened his mouth.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t because he wanted to be compliant but was merely an attempt to stall long enough to give his family time to find him before it was too late.<\/p>\n

*** Yeah, I\u2019ll eat your disgusting beans alright.\u00a0 But when I get loose, I\u2019ll give you something too.\u00a0 Like my fist for one! ***<\/em><\/strong> Little Joe thought as he swallowed the first spoonful.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cYou need eat!\u201d Hop Sing made another attempt to get the three Cartwrights up to the dinner table.<\/p>\n

Ben collapsed down into his red leather chair.\u00a0 He had been standing by the fireplace for better than an hour talking with first Hoss and then when he\u2019d come back, Adam.\u00a0 He was growing very fearful that Little Joe\u2019s lateness meant that he was in some kind of danger.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe boy would\u2019ve been back home by now — even if he didn\u2019t get that haircut,\u201d he said and looked over at the cook.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe come home \u2013 you see.\u00a0 Worry no good \u2013 must eat!\u201d Hop Sing persisted.\u00a0 \u201cEven if trouble \u2013 must eat supper!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s right, Pa,\u201d Adam called over to his father.\u00a0 \u201cLook \u2013 at least now we know Little Joe made it to Mitch\u2019s place and left around four.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss stared at the grandfather clock and said, \u201cWell, it\u2019s after nine now, Adam, he\u2019s had plenty of time to get home!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMust eat \u2013 then find boy!\u201d Hop Sing tried again.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright,\u201d Ben gave in and stood from the chair.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Boys.\u00a0 We\u2019ll eat and if Joseph isn\u2019t back by the time we\u2019re finished I\u2019m going to see Roy and organize a search party.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll be back, Pa,\u201d Adam replied, clapping his father on the back as the three men made their way to the dinner table.\u00a0 None of them were hungry due to their worry but decided that they would need their strength to begin searching for the boy.<\/p>\n

\n

Little Joe had fallen to sleep again shortly after Aram had forced him to eat the plate of beans.\u00a0 Still suffering from the effects of the chloroform his body had easily succumbed to the feeling of exhaustion.\u00a0 A few hours after Aram had left him alone in the basement he woke again, filled with the same confusion he\u2019d felt after waking up there earlier.\u00a0 The same soft glow from the lamp that was over in the far corner of the room cast a thin line of light.\u00a0 It was just enough for Little Joe to look around the room and spot numerous bags stacked up against one of the walls.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack with me, huh?\u201d came the sudden voice from the bottom of the stairs.\u00a0 Aram walked over to Little Joe and smiled.\u00a0 He had watched his captive staring over at the wall just as he\u2019d made it down to him.\u00a0 \u201cGuess you\u2019re wondering what\u2019s in all of them sacks?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Joe returned, looking over at the man who was kneeling next to him again.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m wondering when you\u2019re going to let me go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laughing, Aram patted the boy\u2019s head and replied, \u201cLet you go?\u00a0 Now why\u2019d I do that when I went to all the trouble to lug you down here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe thought about what the man had said.\u00a0 Staring over at him he asked, \u201cHere?\u00a0 Where are we \u2013 in your house?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a smart boy,\u201d Aram grinned and patted Joe\u2019s cheek.\u00a0 \u201cYes, you are down in my basement but that\u2019s not where you\u2019ll be in a little while.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got a special place all fixed up for you, Little Joe.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been working on it for a couple of years and it\u2019s all done.\u00a0 So, you\u2019ll be happy to get away from that post that\u2019s held those hands of yours, won\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be happy to get out of here and go home.\u00a0 Let me go!\u201d Joe shouted having had enough of Aram\u2019s basement and his twisted grins.<\/p>\n

Reaching inside his coat pocket, Aram pulled out a neckerchief.\u00a0 He twirled it around in his hands to make a good-sized gag and then he forced it inside his prisoner\u2019s mouth.\u00a0 Joe fought his captor\u2019s move by wildly shaking his head back and forth, but his strength played out.\u00a0 Aram soon had it successfully secured in place.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Little Joe, but I don\u2019t need you making noise when I take you out of here and I don\u2019t want to use that chloroform on you again or it just might kill you.\u00a0 It\u2019s dangerous stuff \u2013 I read up on it.\u00a0 Too much and you\u2019d be dead.\u00a0 But just enough and you go to sleep just like you done upstairs here.\u00a0 \u00a0Now don\u2019t make me use it on you.\u00a0 You be a good boy and I\u2019ll be right back.\u00a0 I just got to make sure there ain\u2019t nobody out on the street right now,\u201d he explained and then stood and walked away.<\/p>\n

Little Joe watched as the man disappeared up the stairs again.\u00a0 He hoped that somehow, he\u2019d be able to catch Aram off-guard once he was freed from the support beam behind him.\u00a0 There was a chance that he could do it and he moved his fingers around again so they\u2019d be ready for battle should the time arise when he could use his fists.<\/p>\n

\n

The loud thump on the door interrupted the three Cartwrights from the meal that they hadn\u2019t done much justice to and were only picking over to appease Hop Sing.\u00a0 Ben was the first one to stand from his chair and he hurried across the dining room to see who it was.\u00a0 Hope hadn\u2019t left him yet and he prayed that there would be some word about Little Joe. \u00a0Pulling the door open he stared over at his foreman.<\/p>\n

\u201cFletcher \u2013 come in,\u201d Ben said and stepped back.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowdy, Ben,\u201d Fletcher nodded to his boss as he stepped into the living room.\u00a0\u00a0 Just a few seconds later both Hoss and Adam were standing behind their father looking at the other man.\u00a0 \u201cI was coming in from babysitting those cows when I spotted a pinto that looked lost.\u00a0 It\u2019s Cochise, Ben,\u201d He announced and saw the frightful looks on the faces in front of him.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s the boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben sighed and shook his head before answering, \u201cHe\u2019s missing, Fletcher \u2013 and we\u2019re worried about him.\u00a0 Where did you find his horse?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBuckhorn Meadow, Ben.\u00a0 It was just wandering around.\u00a0 When did you see Little Joe last and where was the kid heading?\u201d he asked, now worried about the youngest Cartwright boy too, though he\u2019d never say it.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph left this morning \u2013 he went to see Mitch Devlin and then was due to get a haircut.\u00a0 He made it to Mitch\u2019s place.\u00a0 Adam went by there and Mac said that Joe left there about four and said he was going into Virginia City.\u00a0 We went there but there was no sign of him.\u00a0 We stopped by to ask Aram if he\u2019d gotten the haircut and he said Joseph never made it by there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fletcher scrubbed at his two-week growth of beard and then stared over at Ben.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t check his saddlebags \u2013 figured the kid got throwed and walked home or something.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go have us a look \u2013 you never know,\u201d he said, wondering if someone might have left a ransom note inside the saddlebags.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t wanted to mention it because he could see the worry etched across Ben\u2019s face and figured that he\u2019d have guessed that was what he was inferring.\u00a0 All four men walked out to the front hitching post where the foreman had left Cochise.<\/p>\n

Hoss patted the horse\u2019s withers as his father opened one side of the saddlebag and Adam the other.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe wouldn\u2019t have left his gun in here no matter what,\u201d Adam announced as he pulled out the holster and Colt revolver.<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s face went white when he pulled out the tan hat which was inside the saddlebags and all crumpled.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone\u2019s taken him \u2013 Joseph would never stuff his hat in there like this \u2013 no more than he\u2019d ever leave his horse.\u00a0 If he\u2019d gotten hurt that\u2019s one thing \u2013 but he\u2019d have both of those on him if he did \u2013 they wouldn\u2019t be inside his saddlebags,\u201d he said grimly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWant me to get some hands out looking for the boy, Ben?\u201d Fletcher offered, setting a hand on his friend\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 He had seen his boss sad before, but he hadn\u2019t witnessed Ben Cartwright looking so beleaguered; not in a long while.\u00a0 The man was his best friend and despite what he usually said about them, he was partial to the three Cartwright boys and would\u2019ve done anything to help them.\u00a0 And Fletcher, after having worked for Ben for over twenty years, was cognizant of the fact that the man valued his sons above anything else in the world.\u00a0 Now it appeared that someone had taken his youngest, and he knew how Ben had always doted on that boy.<\/p>\n

Ben clapped the man\u2019s shoulder and nodded, \u201cI\u2019d sure appreciate that, Fletcher.\u00a0 Tell them exactly what I\u2019ve told you and see if someone can pick up Cochise\u2019s tracks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go with him,\u201d Hoss insisted and hurried back into the house to grab his holster and hat.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss is almost as good a tracker as me,\u201d Fletcher grinned, hoping to spark a bit of a smile on his friend\u2019s lips.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be glad to take him along.\u00a0 Won\u2019t take long to gin up a bunch of your ranch hands who probably are trying to tear up Virginia City right about now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d Ben tried for a smile, but it never made it to his lips.\u00a0 He turned to see Hoss heading his way.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll find him, Pa,\u201d Hoss reassured and headed off to the barn to get his horse.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go put Cochise away,\u201d Adam said and untied the reins.<\/p>\n

\u201cFletcher, I\u2019m going to ride back to town and tell Roy what\u2019s happened.\u00a0 Tell the men I appreciate their help,\u201d Ben added and clapped the foreman on the shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cThanks \u2013 for finding the boy\u2019s horse \u2013 and well \u2013\u201d he trailed off, fighting back the tears he had held back all evening long.\u00a0 He was aware that Little Joe was in danger and he had that old sinking feeling that his son was hurt.<\/p>\n

Simply nodding to his boss, Fletcher walked off to meet Hoss at the barn so they could light some torches to help with their search.\u00a0 It being hours until daylight he knew they would be needed.<\/p>\n

Ben watched as a few minutes later both Hoss and Fletcher, torches in hand, rounded the barn.\u00a0 Adam had returned from putting Cochise in her stall and threw his arm across his father\u2019s shoulder to offer him moral support.\u00a0 It was evident that the man was spent after an evening filled with worry about Little Joe\u2019s fate.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe going to town now, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

With a quick tilt to his head, Ben walked back inside the ranch house next to his eldest.\u00a0 Sometimes words just weren\u2019t needed.<\/p>\n

\n

The familiar sound of a Colt revolver\u2019s hammer being locked into place awakened Little Joe.\u00a0 He continued to have an intense headache, and it was only sleep which had quelled the pain.\u00a0 With his mouth gagged he couldn\u2019t ask what Aram was planning to do with him, but his eyes had questions in them.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I\u2019m gonna untie your hands and feet, Boy.\u00a0 But do me the favor and don\u2019t even try to run off.\u00a0 I\u2019d hate like hell to splinter your spine, but I\u2019ll do it!\u00a0 In a few hours I expect somebody to figure out that I\u2019ve taken you, so I haven\u2019t got much to lose at this point.\u00a0 You sit there and don\u2019t move while I get these ropes off you,\u201d He warned and first untied Joe\u2019s ankles.\u00a0 Moving behind the boy he loosened the rope that bound his wrists and stood.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can get up \u2013 but do it slowly.\u00a0 I know you\u2019re a quick boy \u2013 always have been even when you were five \u2013 so no sudden moves!\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe brought his arms out in front of him, and they were stiff after being bound behind him for so many hours.\u00a0 Pulling himself to his feet, Joe waited to hear where they\u2019d be going.<\/p>\n

Aram cast a quick glance over to the wall where he had stacked up numerous bags.\u00a0 He laughed and walked over to show his prisoner.\u00a0 \u201cNever told you about these, did I, Boy?\u00a0 I seen you gawking over at them.\u00a0 Well, they ain\u2019t coming with us \u2013 and I doubt I\u2019ll ever be back here so I might just as well show you,\u201d he said and kicked over a bag, spilling the contents out onto the basement floor.<\/p>\n

Little Joe stared over at the large volume of hair that had been inside the bag.\u00a0 His eyes reflecting both disbelief and horror in them.\u00a0 Joe couldn\u2019t think of a single reason why anyone would keep hair \u2013even if it was from all the haircuts that Aram had done over the years.<\/p>\n

Laughing maniacally at the horrified expression spreading across Joe\u2019s face, Aram called over to him, \u201cYeah, that\u2019s right \u2013 it\u2019s a lot of hair, ain\u2019t it?\u00a0 I\u2019ve got bags and bags of the stuff.\u00a0 But none of it is quality like yours, Little Joe.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been saving it up for years \u2013 but turns out I didn\u2019t need it after all.\u00a0 I\u2019ll explain more later \u2013 time\u2019s a wasting!\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe just stood there shaking his head wondering just what had caused the man to snap because it was obvious that he had gone completely insane.\u00a0 He turned his head and stared at the basement stairs, hoping he\u2019d get the chance to surprise Aram and make his escape.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can hear you thinking, Joe \u2013 don\u2019t try it!\u00a0 Now turn around, we\u2019re walking out through that basement door.\u00a0 If you make one false move I\u2019m gonna have to plug you and it would be a pure waste.\u00a0 Now move!\u201d<\/p>\n

Drawing in a deep breath, Little Joe walked in front of Aram and felt the end of the barrel of the Colt jammed against his spine.\u00a0 He decided to wait for the right opportunity to arise before making a move.\u00a0 Aram pulled back the slide bolt and ushered Little Joe out into the darkness.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a little walking ahead of us \u2013 but it won\u2019t take long.\u00a0 If you try to run off, I\u2019m gonna shoot you dead, Little Joe, so be a good boy now,\u201d He whispered and shoved Joe towards the back of his house and out into an open field.\u00a0 There was only the soft glow from the waning full moon to light the path that would take them over to a small stand of pine trees and from there to a trail where Aram had left his buckboard.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow climb up inside the back of the wagon, Little Joe \u2013 and spread out.\u00a0 I have everything ready for you,\u201d Aram instructed and stood back as the boy did as he had been told.\u00a0 Little Joe climbed inside the bed of the buckboard and stared out at the man.\u00a0 He wanted to make a play for his gun but the way Aram was looking at him he knew it would be a foolhardy move.<\/p>\n

\u201cLay down there and spread your arms out to either side of the wagon bed.\u00a0 I got me something to keep you from trying to jump out,\u201d he said, waving his Colt at his prisoner.<\/p>\n

Little Joe wanted to scream and hopefully draw attention to what was going on, but with the gag in his mouth he couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 Instead, he reluctantly cooperated to appease the maniac with the gun aimed at his chest.\u00a0 A minute later he heard the distinct sound of metal clamping into place as his wrists were bound.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose manacles you\u2019re wearing cost me a pretty penny, Boy.\u00a0 They\u2019re tethered to the wood frame of this wagon \u2013 I hope they\u2019re comfortable,\u201d he chuckled and then placed a leather tarp over Joe just in case they were spotted on the trail.<\/p>\n

Now Little Joe was bound by manacles and swallowed up by the darkness due to the covering that the evil man had thrown on top of him.\u00a0 He was beginning to think that it would take a miracle for his family to find him now.\u00a0 Saying a silent prayer, he listened as the wagon clamored up the path heading to God knows where.<\/p>\n

\n

Sheriff Roy Coffee stared into the bloodshot eyes of his best friend, Ben Cartwright.\u00a0 It was easy to see that the man was plum worn out and hadn\u2019t gotten much sleep lately.\u00a0 Reaching for the coffee pot that he\u2019d placed on top of the pot-bellied stove, he poured three cups and handed each man one.\u00a0 He sipped at the steaming brew and tried to figure out what he could offer to the man by way of some help.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, Ben, let me get this straight.\u00a0 The kid was heading into town after leaving the Devlin ranch around four o\u2019clock yesterday afternoon.\u00a0 He never came home so you and your other boys checked with Aram to see if Joe showed up to get that haircut you told him to get.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t seen Little Joe \u2013 nor anyone else that you spoke to \u2013 even at the two saloons.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded and tried to ease back in the hard wooden chair.\u00a0 He had been pacing the floor of the sheriff\u2019s office for better than thirty minutes trying to explain it all and only his fear for Little Joe kept him going.\u00a0 Ben was physically exhausted and mentally spent due to his worry.\u00a0 He hated to have to wake Roy in the middle of the night, but he thought it would be best if he got all the help that he could to find the missing boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right.\u00a0 Fletcher is out with some of the ranch hands and Hoss right now trying to find Cochise\u2019s tracks.\u00a0 He found her wandering around up by Buckhorn Meadow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBen \u2013 has Joe had any problems with anyone recently that you know of?\u00a0 Is there someone who might have been carrying a grudge against him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo \u2013 none.\u00a0 The boy hasn\u2019t had any fights or any problems in town,\u201d Ben insisted.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe he got himself hurt on the way into town?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam interrupted, \u201cRoy \u2013 if that was the case then why would he stuff his hat and Colt inside his saddlebags?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy nodded and sipped more coffee trying to wake himself fully.\u00a0 \u201cYeah \u2013 that\u2019s a valid point alright.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stared at Adam and then directed his attention back to the sheriff.\u00a0 \u201cThere is one thing \u2013 it might not have anything to do with Joseph\u2019s disappearance \u2013 but \u2013 he has been having some trouble sleeping lately.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat — you mean the kid\u2019s having nightmares?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than that, Roy — remember when the boy was taken back when he was five years old?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy nodded and waited for the man to continue.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the past I\u2019ve told you how every so often Joseph goes through these spells where he relives being taken out of the house \u2013 and ends up in the same spot in the kitchen where the kidnapper got a hold of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember \u2013 so he\u2019s having another bout with that?\u201d Roy questioned, trying to process all the information to determine if it was pertinent.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes \u2013 and it\u2019s been a very rough week on all of us as we\u2019ve been trying to deal with it once again.\u00a0 I told my cousin Harden about it before he left on the stage.\u00a0 He sent me a wire the other day from San Francisco and told me about this hypnotist who\u2019s also a medical doctor.\u00a0 I sent for him and the man\u2019s due to arrive in Virginia City later today and he\u2019s supposed to try and help Joe recover the memories so he can get over the trauma he experienced back then.\u201d<\/p>\n

The additional information caused Roy to stand from his desk and pace in front of the stove for a few minutes, his right index finger held to his lips trying to process it all.<\/p>\n

Finally turning back to the two men in front of his desk he said, \u201cIf Little Joe somehow was able to remember what happened to him that day and came up with the name of whoever kidnapped him — well it would put whoever did it at risk of being found out.\u00a0 You don\u2019t suppose someone heard what you were planning on doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Apprehensively shifting in his chair, Ben thought about what the sheriff had proffered.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know how they\u2019d know about the hypnotist, Roy.\u00a0 I only told Doc and you know how closed mouthed he is.\u00a0 Paul wouldn\u2019t have told anyone about the hypnotist.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t tell anyone else, Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head a bit too quickly and then a sudden thought popped into his head.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s Pete Wilson of course \u2013 he handled all those wires that Harden and I sent back and forth that day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam reached for his father\u2019s arm and interjected, \u201cPa \u2013 don\u2019t you think it\u2019s time we go and talk to Pete?\u00a0 There\u2019s always the chance that this does have to do with Joe\u2019s abduction after all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy nodded as he watched both men stand from their chairs.\u00a0 \u201cI hate like heck to wake old Pete up in the middle of the night \u2013 but I think it\u2019s important enough that we ask him if he said anything about that hypnotist to someone who might have spread it around.\u00a0 We never found out who took Little Joe \u2013 and there\u2019s always the chance that the culprit is still around Virginia City.\u201d<\/p>\n

Without another word spoken between them, the three men hurried out of the sheriff\u2019s office heading down the street to Pete Wilson\u2019s house with the hope that he might have some of the answers they were looking for.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe\u2019re here, Boy,\u201d Aram announced as he walked behind the buckboard and pulled the tarp off his captive.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll get those manacles off you but remember I\u2019ve got a gun and I sure as heck ain\u2019t afraid to use it,\u201d He warned.<\/p>\n

Drawing in a deep breath attempting to force some fresh air into his lungs after spending far too long underneath the covering, Little Joe waited for the man to unlock the two wrist cuffs.\u00a0 His temper had mounted the more time that had elapsed and now he was ready to make a valiant attempt towards freedom.<\/p>\n

Freeing the boy\u2019s wrists, Aram called, \u201cOkay, now push yourself to the end of the wagon bed and no sudden moves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pointing to his mouth, the boy\u2019s eyes pleaded for the man to loosen his gag.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh \u2013 alright \u2013 nobody can hear you way out here anyway,\u201d Aram groaned and with his gun still pointing at his prisoner he untied the neckerchief.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d He nodded and tried to get a good look at his surroundings.\u00a0 \u201cWhere are we?\u201d Little Joe asked warily.\u00a0 He could just barely make out the appearance of two buildings, but he couldn\u2019t focus in on what they were.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour new home,\u201d the man chuckled as he watched the boy getting out of the wagon.\u00a0 \u201cNow walk in front of me \u2013 walk straight ahead, it ain\u2019t far.\u201d<\/p>\n

After taking just a few steps, Little Joe pretended to trip and went down to the ground.\u00a0 \u201cMy leg!\u201d He shouted and grabbed his right calf.<\/p>\n

Aram knelt alongside the boy and tried to get a hold of his elbow to pull him back to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re okay \u2013 just get up!\u201d<\/p>\n

Without warning, Joe elbowed the man fiercely, catching him just under his chin and knocking him flat on his back.\u00a0 He sprang to his feet and began to run off when the loud crack of a bullet fired from the man\u2019s Colt pierced the night air, careening through the boy\u2019s right calf.\u00a0 Little Joe fell to the ground with a loud groan escaping through his lips.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re lucky that bullet didn\u2019t catch you in your spine \u2013 which was where I was aiming!\u00a0 Well, now you\u2019ve got that leg injury that you pretended to have a few minutes ago,\u201d Aram announced and pulled the boy up.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s get inside \u2013 and I\u2019ll see how bad it got you.\u00a0 I want you alive \u2013 for now \u2013 you fool kid!\u201d He shouted and then shoved the boy towards the door of one of the buildings.<\/p>\n

Holding his gun in his right hand, Aram lit a kerosene lantern just as they made it inside the darkened room.\u00a0 Soon the light was bright enough for Little Joe to get a good glimpse at the place.\u00a0 There was what looked like a doctor\u2019s examination table in the middle of the room and Joe was getting a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that he knew who was going to be the one to lie down there soon.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cRoy?\u201d A very groggy Pete Wilson sighed as he stepped out onto his porch, wrapping the sash to his robe around his waist.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry to wake you up, Pete, but we\u2019ve got a few questions to ask you,\u201d the sheriff explained as he moved closer to the other man with the two Cartwrights flanking him.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuestions?\u00a0 At two in the morning?\u00a0 Can\u2019t they wait until daylight?\u201d he continued and then glanced behind the sheriff to nod at both Ben and Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cWon\u2019t take long.\u00a0 Ben tells me that you sent some wires for him the other day \u2013 and received some from his cousin in San Francisco too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah \u2013 what about them?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben moved in closer; he couldn\u2019t stay silent any longer, his fear over Little Joe\u2019s fate was growing as every minute ticked by.\u00a0 \u201cPete \u2013 did you tell anyone about me sending for that hypnotist?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pete bit at his bottom lip and looked back and forth between both Roy and Ben before answering him.\u00a0 \u201cI might have mentioned it in passing,\u201d he returned, knowing that he\u2019d run his mouth about something he shouldn\u2019t have.<\/p>\n

\u201cMentioned to who, Pete?\u201d Roy got back to his line of questioning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just told Aram \u2013 but you know how it goes \u2013 you\u2019re sitting in the barber chair and you\u2019re trying to past the time \u2013 \u201c<\/p>\n

Ben cut the man off in mid-sentence, totally exasperated with the telegrapher and the way he always spoke out of turn.\u00a0 \u201cAram? What did you tell him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, he didn\u2019t know anything about Little Joe being kidnapped when he was a little boy.\u00a0 He said twelve years ago this spring he\u2019d been in Texas because his uncle had died.\u00a0 So, I just told him the story about Joe getting snatched from your house, Ben.\u00a0 Nothing much more than that \u2013 and I explained what you were going to try to do with that hypnotist fellow.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry \u2013 but Aram promised me he wouldn\u2019t say nothing about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen did you tell him that?\u201d Roy jumped back in, a bit annoyed by Ben\u2019s interruption, but he also understood why he\u2019d done it.<\/p>\n

\u201cA couple of days ago \u2013 why?\u00a0 What\u2019s going on, Roy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe\u2019s missing,\u201d the sheriff muttered and turned his attention back to Ben.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got to go and talk to Aram to find out who he told, Roy.\u00a0 He\u2019s our best chance now!\u201d Ben insisted, turning to walk down the porch steps with Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Ben \u2013 I hope you find the boy!\u201d Pete sang out but none of the three men even turned back around.\u00a0 They hurried down the walkway and left in the direction of Aram\u2019s house.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cStretch out on top of that table, Boy,\u201d Aram insisted as he grabbed a towel he\u2019d thrown haphazardly on the shelf just to the other side of the door on his last visit to the shop.\u00a0 \u00a0He watched the boy carefully knowing that he was dead set on trying to escape.\u00a0 Moving back to the examination table he watched as Little Joe finally settled back with obvious pain written across his face.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s see what you made me do, you stupid kid,\u201d He sighed and pulled the right pant leg up.\u00a0 Aram studied the path of the bullet before making his diagnosis.\u00a0 \u201cWell, there\u2019s no bullet to have to dig out — it went clean through.\u00a0 Here,\u201d he said, showing no emotion in his tone of voice. \u00a0Aram simply tied the towel around the boy\u2019s leg and roughly pulled it taunt.<\/p>\n

\u201cHurts,\u201d Joe groaned and bit his bottom lip.\u00a0 \u201cHurts bad \u2013 I need a doctor, Mister Cullen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you don\u2019t need Doc \u2013 I know you\u2019re just trying to get me to let you go.\u00a0 It\u2019s bleeding pretty good, but you\u2019re young so you\u2019ve got plenty of blood.\u00a0 It ain\u2019t gonna kill you.\u00a0 That towel will soak up most of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pulling himself back into a seated position, Little Joe glanced around the room.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t see much due to the faint light given off by the single lamp that Aram had lit as they entered the place.\u00a0 Joe thought it to be some kind of shop by the scattered tools he\u2019d caught sight of.\u00a0 \u201cWhy\u2019d you bring me out here?\u00a0 Just tell me what you\u2019re going to do to me and better yet \u2013 tell me why?\u00a0 Why\u2019d you kidnap me when I was little and why have you done it again?\u201d<\/p>\n

Aram laughed and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve sure got a lot of questions, Boy.\u00a0 One thing at a time.\u00a0 First off \u2013 drink some of this,\u201d he said and reached across to a table pulling back a canteen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d Joe asked, not trusting the man in the least.\u00a0 He wouldn\u2019t have been surprised if Aram was planning on drugging him with something again.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust water \u2013 now drink it.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t your pa teach you never to argue with a man who\u2019s already shot you once?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat difference does it make to you if I drink or not?\u00a0 I mean \u2013 aren\u2019t you planning on killing me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Aram groaned over the onslaught of the boy\u2019s numerous questions.\u00a0 The kid was beginning to annoy him.\u00a0 \u201cDrink or don\u2019t drink \u2013 I don\u2019t care \u2013 but I\u2019m not going to be offering you water again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe gave in and upturned the canteen.\u00a0 He was thirsty, especially after having been gagged and placed underneath that sweltering hot tarp for so long.\u00a0 Drinking his fill and wondering if he could hit the man with the canteen, he had to relinquish it back to Aram when he pointed the gun at his chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow lie back, Little Joe,\u201d he instructed and watched the boy.\u00a0 \u201cNo -not on your back \u2013 turn over onto your stomach.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u00a0 Why?\u201d<\/p>\n

Aram thumbed the hammer of his Colt back and aimed it at his prisoner.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not going to ask you twice anymore.\u00a0 I don\u2019t need you alive for what I\u2019ve got planned \u2013 it\u2019s going to be up to you if you end up dead, Boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe rolled onto his stomach hoping that if he stalled for time that his family would show up and save him.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to lie in the prone position, but he didn\u2019t want to get another bullet sent through him either.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust stay like that,\u201d Aram warned and reached for the leather restraints that were already in place on either side of the head of the examination table.\u00a0 In just a few minutes he had the boy\u2019s wrists securely bound again.\u00a0 Running his fingers through the hair on the back of Joe\u2019s head, he chuckled over how smoothly the night had gone.\u00a0 \u201cNow \u2013 that\u2019s better.\u00a0 I can put this down now,\u201d he set the Colt off to the side and then sat down in the chair next to his prisoner.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Joe \u2013 I got something to show you.\u00a0 Want to see?\u201d<\/p>\n

*** Oh, Lord, what\u2019s he going to show me this time?\u00a0 The last time it was a bag of hair \u2013 no telling what this crazy man\u2019s going to do next! ***<\/em><\/strong> he thought to himself.\u00a0 But his only plan now was to keep Aram talking so Joe played right along.\u00a0 \u201cSure \u2013 I\u2019m a captive audience\u2014show me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aram dug into the top pocket of his coat and pulled out a very small object.\u00a0 He held it out so Joe could see it.\u00a0 Turning his head to the side, the boy tried to focus in on what the man held in his hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou really don\u2019t know?\u201d Aram asked, holding it closer to the boy\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have a clue,\u201d Joe muttered and wished that his Pa and brothers would burst into the room and shoot the man in front of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I\u2019ll give you that clue you wanted.\u00a0 This was yours and when I took it from you \u2013 twelve years ago you bawled your eyes out.\u00a0 You were a noisy little brat \u2013 especially when you got upset!\u201d<\/p>\n

Again, Little Joe tried to home in on what the man held in his hand.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know what it is \u2013 go ahead and tell me.\u00a0 I give up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aram leaned in closer and whispered menacingly, \u201cYou tooked my best curl \u2013 you shouldn\u2019t have tooken it!\u201d<\/p>\n

His face turning pale, Joe winced his eyes shut tightly as the haunting memory flashed in his mind and he couldn\u2019t stop its intensity.<\/p>\n

*** The flame coming from the kerosene lantern sent dancing shadows against the cave wall as Little Joe watched the bad man\u2019s hand coming closer.\u00a0 He spotted the glint given off by the blade of the straight razor.\u00a0 It had moved so swiftly that it had been only a second after he\u2019d spotted it that it passed through Joe\u2019s bangs making one frenzied cut.\u00a0 The curl that had been in the middle of the little boy\u2019s bangs now was in the hand of the evil man.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s mine!\u201d Little Joe shouted and then began to cry.\u00a0 His sobs grew louder as he watched the bad man tuck the strand of hair inside of his shirt pocket.\u00a0 \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t ought to have tooken that \u2013 it was my best curl!\u201d he protested between sobs.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNow \u2013 now \u2013 it\u2019s only one curl, Boy \u2013 no need to get yourself so upset.\u00a0 I\u2019m only taking one for now.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYou tooked my best curl \u2013 give it back!\u201d the little boy insisted loudly.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHow about we trade?\u00a0 Here \u2013 I\u2019ve got a nice peppermint stick for you \u2013 go ahead you can have it,\u201d the man attempted to hand it to the kid, but he refused it.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like peppermint,\u201d Little Joe returned angrily and mopped his eyes on his shirt sleeve.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAll little boys love peppermint,\u201d the bad man responded. ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Yet another memory from something that used to haunt his nightmares was beginning to make sense.\u00a0 Little Joe remembered the razor, and he remembered the curl being taken from him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t understand \u2013 why \u2013 why did you do that to a little kid?\u00a0 And why did you take me back then?\u201d he muttered, never thinking that he\u2019d get a straight answer from the insane man.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe \u2013 here\u2019s the thing,\u201d Aram began calmly and took a swig from the canteen.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve always had such nice hair \u2013 even when you were just a little boy.\u00a0 I wanted it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u00a0 You stole me away from my family because you wanted one of my curls?\u201d Joe asked incredulously.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t as though he presumed the man had a valid reason for abducting him either time, but he had thought that it would have served some purpose other than scaring him back then.<\/p>\n

Aram slowly began to run his fingers through the boy\u2019s hair smiling wickedly.\u00a0 Little Joe thrashed his head back and forth but being tied down in the leather restraints he couldn\u2019t get away from him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI took that one because I wanted to make sure that it was just right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust right?\u201d Joe questioned, his voice filled with confusion and still fighting the man\u2019s touch, \u201cJust right for what<\/em><\/strong>?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad you asked, Boy.\u00a0 Just a second, I\u2019ve got something to show you!\u201d he called out enthusiastically as he stood from the chair.<\/p>\n

Little Joe tried to see what the man was doing.\u00a0 He spotted him across the room, and he seemed to be lugging a big table over to where he was spread out on his stomach.\u00a0 *** Pa \u2013 if you\u2019re out there — this would be a good time for you to show up!\u00a0 I don\u2019t know how much longer I can handle being with this crazy man.\u00a0 Hurry up, will you? ***<\/em><\/strong> Joe thought to himself as Aram drew closer again.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere \u2013 now look at this, Little Joe,\u201d the man said, sitting back down in the chair. \u00a0Reaching over to the table he\u2019d brought over, he held up a piece of board with what looked like strands of human hair pinned to it.\u00a0 \u201cThese are just samples, mind you.\u00a0 Like I had in some of those sacks at my house.\u00a0 There are all types of hair, you know?\u00a0 There\u2019s thin, thick, wavy, curly, straight.\u00a0 Then there\u2019s coarse, wiry \u2013 well all kinds of textures.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen and felt them all over the years.\u00a0 But when your Pa brought you in for your first haircut, I knew that you had the finest hair of anyone who had ever been in my chair.\u00a0 That\u2019s when I knew that it would be yours that I\u2019d need.\u201d<\/p>\n

Swallowing the lump that was rapidly growing in his throat, Little Joe finally choked out, \u201cMy hair \u2013 you needed it for what?\u00a0 For that curl you took off me when I was a kid?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Boy,\u201d Aram sighed and impatiently shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThat was just a sample \u2013 you know \u2013 something to keep with me until you were ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReady?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes — I knew at the age of five it was much too soon to take what I needed from you.\u00a0 So, I kidnapped you just to get that sample.\u201d<\/p>\n

*** Oh no \u2013 I\u2019m trying to ask questions of an insane person \u2013 this isn\u2019t easy, but I\u2019ve got to keep him talking.\u00a0 If he\u2019s talking, he can\u2019t do anything else to me! ***<\/em><\/strong> Joe mused to himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait \u2013 if you cut my hair in your shop back then, why didn\u2019t you just take that curl when I was sitting there \u2013 then you wouldn\u2019t have needed to kidnap me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I needed to take that curl off down at the root \u2013 your Pa wouldn\u2019t have liked that!\u00a0 That\u2019s why I had to snatch you.\u00a0 I hadn\u2019t planned on keeping you for a week, Kid.\u00a0 But that darn ranch of yours was swarming with people out looking for you by the time it got dark the first night.\u00a0 So, I had to lay low until I could escape.\u00a0 Believe me, I didn\u2019t want to get stuck inside a cave on the Ponderosa with a brat who kept trying to escape and calling for his Papa every other minute!\u00a0 It was a stroke of pure luck that you didn\u2019t remember anything about me after they found you so I was in the clear and could bide my time until now.\u201d<\/p>\n

*** Dammit!\u00a0 I was gone for a whole week, and nobody has said one darn word to me about it in twelve years!\u00a0 You\u2019d think it would merit a mention after all that time.\u00a0 Wonder why they kept it from me? ***<\/em><\/strong> Joe frowned at the thought of it all.\u00a0 *** It sure would\u2019ve been a good thing to know \u2013 that some crazy person was still out there somewhere and that he might come back and snatch me again! ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYou gotta be pretty low to take a little five-year-old like that, Mister Cullen!\u201d Joe exclaimed.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo \u2013 I told you I\u2019m not Mister Cullen to you.\u00a0 You call me by the name you gave me!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d Joe frowned, trying to keep the man calm.
\n\u201cMy name, Little Joe \u2013 say it!\u201d He demanded and tugged Joe\u2019s hair, making him wince from the pain he had caused.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bad man,\u201d he whispered and dropped his head down some.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow getting back to what you were saying before.\u00a0 Do you think I hurt you?\u00a0 No, I was good to you, Boy!\u00a0 I fed you and took care of you even though every time I let you out of that cage to stretch your legs you\u2019d run off and try to escape!\u00a0 The few scrapes and bruises you got were done by your own hands, Little Joe, when you\u2019d run off and fall.\u00a0 I don\u2019t hurt kids!\u201d he insisted.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think stealing someone from their own house doesn\u2019t hurt a kid?\u201d He fumed and shook his head back and forth, trying to escape from the crazy man\u2019s touch.\u00a0 \u00a0I guess it must\u2019ve hurt me pretty badly because I blocked all those memories of you kidnapping me so I wouldn\u2019t have to think about what you\u2019d done!\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0Joe stopped his rant and attempted to regain his composure.\u00a0 He knew that he\u2019d have to somehow try to get through to the barber.\u00a0 \u201cNow since you\u2019re such a nice guy \u2013 how about letting me go?\u00a0 I swear to you that I won\u2019t tell anyone that you shot me,\u201d Little Joe tried to bargain again, though he presumed that it would fall on deaf ears.<\/p>\n

Aram reached over and grabbed a handful of the boy\u2019s hair and tugged it roughly again.\u00a0 \u201cNow why would I do a fool thing like that when I\u2019ve been waiting all this time to get a hold of you?\u00a0 I just told you a little while ago that you have the perfect head of hair.\u00a0 Weren\u2019t you listening?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me go!\u201d Joe shouted and tried to get loose from the man\u2019s tight hold.\u00a0 He fought the leather restraints holding him down to the table but to no avail.<\/p>\n

Releasing the boy\u2019s hair from his grasp, Aram\u2019s lips formed into that twisted grin again.\u00a0 \u201cNot just yet.\u00a0 It\u2019s time that we got down to business.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got to get a few things ready first,\u201d he announced and stood from his chair.\u00a0 Laid out on top of the table that he had brought over next to Little Joe was a sheet that covered the items that Aram needed.\u00a0 He pulled it up, finally bringing into full view what the barber had worked hard to craft over the twelve years since first abducting the boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat \u2013 what\u2019s that?\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe stuttered, displaying the horror that was beginning to take hold of him.\u00a0 Just as soon as Aram had pulled the sheet from the table the boy had caught sight of what had been hidden underneath.\u00a0 To Joe it looked just like a human head sitting there on top of it. \u00a0His heart began to thump a bit harder in his chest, almost to the point where he could hear it.<\/p>\n

Smiling proudly over at Joe Aram said, \u201cI see I\u2019ve piqued your curiosity, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s voice was laced with horror, \u201cIs — is that what it looks like?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRelax, Boy, it\u2019s not a head \u2013 well \u2013 not a real head that is,\u201d the barber began to explain as he slowly stroked the life-sized wooden wig block which was in the shape of a human head.\u00a0 \u201cThis is going to be me, Joe.\u00a0\u00a0 See this?\u201d he pointed to the flesh-colored silk mesh that went around the wig block.\u00a0 \u201cThis is the exact \u2013 and I do mean exact \u2013 form of my head.\u00a0 I used my own measurements when I ordered the silk mesh.\u201d<\/p>\n

Swallowing hard, still attempting to rid himself of the huge knot which kept forming in his throat, Joe managed to reply, \u201cWhat\u2014what are you going to do with that thing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Surprised that the boy didn\u2019t have a clue as to what he was showing him, he asked, \u201cDon\u2019t you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe merely shook his head, unable to speak.<\/p>\n

Aram reached down and ran his fingers through the thick brown curls on the back of the boy\u2019s head.\u00a0 \u201cI told you that you have the perfect hair.\u00a0 Though I have searched around every single year \u2013 cutting hundreds of heads of hair — since I took that one perfect curl of yours no one\u2019s ever been able to top the feel and appearance of these.\u00a0 Fortuitously only your hair will suit me,\u201d He paused and separated each curl between his fingers.\u00a0 \u201cIt is the finest \u2013 you know!\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes growing wide, Joe hesitantly asked, \u201cWhat \u2013 you\u2019re going to give me a haircut and stick my hair on that thing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot just a haircut, Little Joe \u2013 I need to remove each strand close to their root.\u00a0 So, by the time I\u2019m done I will have what you have,\u201d he paused and swiped a hand over his bald head and added, \u201cAnd you will be close to having what I have now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head, his voice turning deadly, he threatened the man, \u201cThe only way you\u2019ll get my hair is to kill me!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew you\u2019d feel that way,\u201d Aram nodded, \u201cAnd that\u2019s a pure shame, Joe.\u00a0 But \u2013 you\u2019ve had your time on earth \u2013 and with a lot of admirers whereas I\u2019ve been bald since I was very young.\u00a0 I lost all of mine due to a bout with scarlet fever.\u00a0 It was a rare thing \u2013 doesn\u2019t happen often \u2013 but unfortunately, I went almost completely bald within a year after getting that disease.\u00a0 But now \u2013 thanks to you, Boy \u2013 I\u2019ll have these thick \u2013 beautiful \u2013 curls of yours!\u00a0 It took twelve years, but you\u2019ve now got the perfect head of hair \u2013 which will soon be mine!\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe yanked at the leather restraints as he struggled to free his wrists from the bonds that held him, but with no success.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me get set up, Boy, and then we will begin,\u201d Aram chuckled and began to carefully organize everything that he would need to fill the flesh-toned silk mesh with the freshly harvested hair of his victim. \u00a0And each strand of hair would be involuntarily provided by Little Joe Cartwright.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI checked the barbershop, Pa \u2013 it\u2019s locked up tight.\u00a0 There\u2019s no sign of Aram in there,\u201d Adam called as he met both his father and the sheriff down by the barber\u2019s quarters.<\/p>\n

Roy shook his head and stared over at Ben.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t make sense that Aram ain\u2019t around at this time of the morning.\u00a0 We\u2019ve been pounding on this door for ten minutes now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHold on a second,\u201d Adam said and reached in his pants pocket and drew out a match.\u00a0 \u201cLet me go have a quick look to see if his horse is in his barn.\u00a0 Be right back!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben and Roy turned and watched as Adam walked down the hill to the barn that was right behind the barber\u2019s house.\u00a0 He returned only a few minutes later, jogging back over to them again.<\/p>\n

\u201cAram\u2019s horse is gone \u2013 and so is that buckboard of his,\u201d Adam explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s it!\u201d Roy exclaimed and kicked the door in.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s go see what we can find in here,\u201d he said and the three men walked inside Aram\u2019s house.<\/p>\n

Lighting a lantern that he\u2019d spotted just on the right side of the door, Ben held it up.\u00a0 \u201cAdam \u2013 grab that other lantern over there,\u201d he pointed over by the kitchen.\u00a0 \u201cYou search up here and Roy and I\u2019ll go down to the basement.\u201d<\/p>\n

With his son doing a walkthrough of the top floor, Ben and Roy continued down to the basement holding the lantern high in the air.<\/p>\n

\u201cBring that lamp a little closer will you, Ben,\u201d Roy said stooping down after spotting something leaning against the far wall.<\/p>\n

Drawing closer to the sheriff, Ben held the lamp lower to the ground where he spotted what Roy had just found.\u00a0 It was a big burlap bag, and it was overturned with its contents strewn across the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cHair,\u201d Roy groaned as he picked up a handful off the floor.\u00a0 \u201cAnd look!\u201d He pointed to the numerous bags that lined the entire wall.\u00a0 \u201cReckon why in the world old Aram would\u2019ve kept all this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s face paled over what they had found.\u00a0 He watched as Roy dropped the hair onto the floor and stood.\u00a0 They turned around to further inspect the room when the sheriff noticed something else and cried out.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook at this!\u201d Roy said as he pointed to a support beam standing in the middle of the room.<\/p>\n

Going down to his knees, Ben pulled the two sets of rope into his hands.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone\u2019s been tied up to this post,\u201d He muttered, getting the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that the prisoner had been his youngest son.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m getting the notion that old Aram didn\u2019t tell anyone about that hypnotist, Ben.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t have to,\u201d Roy announced.\u00a0 \u201cHe must\u2019ve gotten a hold of Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stood and briefly closed his eyes.\u00a0 All he could think about was the fact that he had forced his son to get a haircut that day, thus, sending him right into Aram\u2019s hands.\u00a0 \u201cHe must\u2019ve been the one who kidnapped my boy twelve years ago!\u00a0 I just can\u2019t believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Pa!\u201d Adam called hurrying down the stairs.\u00a0 \u201cHoss and Fletcher are outside \u2013 they wanted to know if we found anything yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe found something alright,\u201d Ben returned grimly.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s go, Roy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The three men walked back outside and met up with Hoss, Fletcher and one other long-time Ponderosa ranch hand named Cody.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got to find Aram \u2013 he\u2019s no doubt in his buckboard and hauling Little Joe off somewhere.\u00a0 He\u2019s either pulling his saddlehorse behind the wagon or has it stashed somewhere,\u201d Roy began and stared over at the three men assembled there in front of him.\u00a0 \u201cFletcher \u2013 you and Hoss are the best trackers around these parts \u2013 how about we split up some?\u00a0 I\u2019ll go with you and Cody.\u00a0 Ben, I guess you and your two boys start your search one way and we\u2019ll go the other.\u00a0 Where do you want to start?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa \u2013 we already searched all around Buckhorn Meadows and the flats and didn\u2019t find anything,\u201d Hoss explained.\u00a0 \u201cI think three of us should take the road towards Carson City and the other group should go towards Truckee.\u00a0 With Aram in a buckboard, he\u2019ll not be able to get off the main roads or at least dirt trails \u2013 so I think those would be our best bets to find his tracks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you\u2019re right, Hoss,\u201d Roy nodded and then stared at Ben.\u00a0 \u201cWhich direction do you want to head, Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll head off on the trail to Truckee,\u201d Ben replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright \u2013 we\u2019ll take the road towards Carson. It\u2019ll be daylight soon \u2013 we\u2019d better get started.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got to go get my horse.\u00a0 Good luck \u2013 and if we don\u2019t find anything let\u2019s meet back at the jail around noon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben patted the sheriff\u2019s shoulder, and without another word walked up the hill with both Hoss and Adam.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cListen here, Boy.\u00a0 It\u2019s just about dawn and I\u2019m going to get my horse all saddled and ready because just as soon as we\u2019re finished, I\u2019m heading out.\u00a0 You just relax and when I return, we\u2019ll get down to business.\u00a0 I won\u2019t be long \u2013 just relax,\u201d Aram smiled and patted Joe\u2019s shoulder as he walked to the door.<\/p>\n

The very second that Little Joe heard the door closing he began to frantically tug and yank on his restraints hoping to escape.\u00a0 No matter how much he fought them the leather wouldn\u2019t budge.\u00a0 He was played out after only a few minutes due to the aftereffects of the chloroform as well as the blood loss from his gunshot wound.\u00a0 Joe couldn\u2019t help staring at the wig block and the thought of it chilled him to the marrow.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t believe what the barber had planned to do to him.\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t a thing he could do to prevent what was going to happen other than to pray that his father and brothers would find him in time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that\u2019s out of the way!\u201d Aram announced as he walked back inside ten minutes later.\u00a0 \u201cI always say you\u2019ve got to have a plan \u2013 and I\u2019ve had this one for a very long while, Boy.\u00a0 My horse is saddled, fed and watered so he\u2019ll be ready just as soon as we\u2019re done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you do this to me my Pa will kill you,\u201d Joe warned angrily, now openly fighting the restraints.<\/p>\n

Laughing over what the boy had said, he neared Joe and set a hand onto his shoulder.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYour Pa won\u2019t find you in time, Little Joe \u2013 so stop thinking that he will.\u00a0 If you\u2019re a good boy I won\u2019t hurt you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot hurt me!\u201d Joe exclaimed loudly.\u00a0 \u201cMister Cullen, you\u2019ve got to be insane to do this to me!\u201d<\/p>\n

Aram squeezed the boy\u2019s shoulder so hard that it elicited a groan from him.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not insane and how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFine!\u201d Joe shouted, no longer trying to maintain a level head because he was both scared and angry over what the man was planning to do to him.\u00a0 \u201cOkay \u2013 you\u2019re the bad man <\/em><\/strong>\u2013 but you\u2019re also insane!\u201d<\/p>\n

Reaching for his straight razor lying on the table, he pulled it into his hand and held it menacingly in front of Joe\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019d better watch your mouth, Boy.\u00a0 I can get that hair of yours off your dead body \u2013 and come to think of it, it would be easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to end up on the gallows?\u201d Joe whispered as the straight razor came precariously close to his face.<\/p>\n

Aram chuckled and patted the boy\u2019s shoulder again.\u00a0 \u201cNobody goes to the gallows for hair theft, Little Joe.\u00a0 Now just be quiet so I can get started.\u00a0 It\u2019s a lot more complicated than it looks.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got to take each curl and tie it up then sew it onto that mesh.\u00a0 But we\u2019ve got lots of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe watched as the man calmly sat down in the chair next to him and reached for his shears.\u00a0 He swallowed hard and then began to pull on the restraints again.<\/p>\n

\u201cListen to me,\u201d Aram fired out angrily.\u00a0 He had lost all patience with the boy on the table, and it showed in his cold dark eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI have more chloroform and I\u2019ll use it.\u00a0 But I\u2019m warning you it will probably kill you.\u00a0 You can\u2019t take in too much of that stuff \u2013 and I\u2019ve already dosed you once.\u00a0 Any more trouble and you get a rag full of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Weighing what the man had told him, Little Joe wasn\u2019t sure if it would be wise to move around too much.\u00a0 But he didn\u2019t want to simply surrender and watch as his hair was slowly cut from his head either.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease, Mister Cullen,\u201d Joe whimpered, hoping with his tone of voice that he\u2019d somehow get through to the man.\u00a0 \u201cPlease don\u2019t do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not my name!\u201d he shouted and grabbed a fistful of Joe\u2019s hair.\u00a0 \u201cWho am I, Boy?\u201d he asked, tugging on his victim\u2019s curls.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bad man<\/em><\/strong>,\u201d Joe responded weakly, his face scrunched up in pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d Aram nodded and let go of the boy\u2019s hair.\u00a0 \u201cNow we\u2019ll begin,\u201d he smiled and lifted his shears in his hands.<\/p>\n

With the left side of his face pressed against the leather covering of the examination table; Little Joe watched as the heavy forged steel blades of Aram\u2019s shears grew closer.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow don\u2019t move an inch, Boy.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t want to take off an ear.\u00a0 We\u2019ll start with the right side of your head and work our way around.\u00a0 Here we go,\u201d Aram announced filled with excitement over the prospect that he\u2019d soon have a full head of thick, curly, brown hair.<\/p>\n

The metallic snap of the blades ringing in his ear, Little Joe felt the first lock of hair as it was clipped off just a half of an inch from his scalp.\u00a0 Aram walked over to the table where he\u2019d already prepared numerous pieces of flesh toned ribbon and tied the lock off.\u00a0 He pinned it on the silk mesh and turned back towards him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first one is always the worst,\u201d Aram chuckled as he watched Joe\u2019s right eye close and saw the look of terror on his face.\u00a0 \u201cHere we go \u2013 just relax \u2013 you\u2019re doing good so far.\u00a0 I won\u2019t have to use that chloroform if you keep still, Little Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

Aram hummed to himself as he cut the second lock of hair and held it in front of Joe\u2019s eye.\u00a0 \u201cLook here, Boy \u2013 look at the bounce this curl has,\u201d he said gleefully.<\/p>\n

Little Joe wouldn\u2019t open his eyes; he refused to show the other man the tears forming in them due to his inability to stop what Aram was doing to him.\u00a0 One cut at a time Joe heard the strange rhapsody made by the steady snip, snip, snip<\/em><\/strong> from the metal shears and the madman\u2019s humming as his hair was taken from him one lock at a time.<\/p>\n

*** If I get out of this alive, I\u2019m going to stab that man with his own shears! ***<\/em><\/strong> Joe swore to himself.<\/p>\n

Thirty minutes later Aram had strategically cut all the locks of hair from the right side of his victim\u2019s head and had each one tied and pinned to the silk mesh on the wooden wig block.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re progressing nicely, Boy.\u00a0 Now \u2013 face down so I can cut the curls on the back of your head.\u00a0 Keep being good and you won\u2019t have to smell that awful chloroform again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe didn\u2019t move his head, he couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 With every cut of the shears, he felt his strength waning as though he was Samson from the Old Testament.\u00a0 He tried his best to block out of his mind how he was going to look after the bad man was done with him.\u00a0 Joe didn\u2019t think he\u2019d ever look at a mirror again, at least not until his hair grew back.<\/p>\n

\u201cEither drop your face down on that table or I get the rag!\u201d Aram screamed.<\/p>\n

Little Joe finally complied and dropped his face straight down onto the table.\u00a0 He knew it was useless to protest because all it would get him was another breath of the chloroform the insane man evidently had brought with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood boy!\u201d Aram smiled and snipped another lock off the boy\u2019s head.<\/p>\n

\n

Daylight had broken and the tracks that the Cartwrights had picked up were easier to see.\u00a0 They had been made by a buckboard, but the three men had missed where the tracks had begun so there was no real way to know if they had been made by Aram Cullen\u2019s wagon.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa \u2013 those tracks head toward the river!\u201d Hoss announced and pointed down to the dirt road.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a buckboard \u2013 not sure if it\u2019s Aram\u2019s but they\u2019re fresh tracks.\u201d\u00a0 He climbed down from his horse and studied them a little more thoroughly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d say they\u2019re maybe five or six hours old \u2013 not exactly sure.\u00a0 But the dirt hasn\u2019t caved in on itself, so they had to have been made some time last night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben and Adam climbed down from their horses and gathered around Hoss, also studying the tracks left by the wagon.\u00a0 Staring off to the east Ben shook his head, not sure if they had followed the right buckboard or not.\u00a0 It could have been anyone\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s Aram –wonder where he\u2019s going?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head and stared over at Adam.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s out that way?\u00a0 There\u2019s no cave that I know of around here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam thought for a minute and then looked over at Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cHey \u2013 isn\u2019t there an old stamp mill and forge somewhere around here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded, \u201cThat\u2019s right \u2013 it\u2019s about five or six miles towards the river.\u00a0 It\u2019s been closed for years \u2013 but it might be a good place to take someone if you didn\u2019t want to be spotted.\u201d<\/p>\n

The three Cartwright\u2019s mounted their horses and stared off to the west, all wondering if they would find Little Joe if they followed the dirt road down to the river.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s only one way to find out.\u00a0 Let\u2019s ride!\u201d Ben called over to his boys and lightly kicked Buck\u2019s sides, sending him into a gallop.<\/p>\n

\n

The damage had been done and Little Joe finally passed out on the examination table after the evil man had cut the final curl from his head.\u00a0 Aram had mocked the boy by waving the strand of hair in front of his eyes and calling it \u201chis best curl<\/em><\/strong>\u201d.\u00a0 Afterwards, due to both shock and blood loss, Joe had closed his eyes and let his head drop down onto the examination table.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know if Aram was going to kill him and after witnessing what he had, Joe didn\u2019t much care anymore if he did.<\/p>\n

Piece by piece and strand by strand, Aram stitched the small bundles of hair onto the flesh-colored silk mesh.\u00a0 He was an artist when it came to hair and took great pride in his work.\u00a0 By the time he was through daylight streamed through the windows.\u00a0 Aram anxiously pulled on his new hairpiece and grabbed the hand mirror he had set on the table.\u00a0 He gleefully smiled over the fact that he finally had a full head of hair after so many years of being bald.\u00a0 It was brown, curly and thick, and it was his.<\/p>\n

\u201cWake up, Boy!\u00a0 I got something to show you!\u201d Aram yelled in Little Joe\u2019s ear.<\/p>\n

Pulling himself from a horrible dream that happened to be reality, the boy moaned as he turned his head in the opposite direction of his captor.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoy \u2013 you got to see this!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGo away,\u201d Little Joe muttered angrily.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want me to get that chloroform? One more dose will probably kill you,\u201d Aram threatened and yanked Joe\u2019s head over to him.<\/p>\n

Blinking his eyes open, Little Joe stared up at the horrendous sight of his own hair looking back at him.\u00a0 The insane man was smiling ear to ear as he displayed the vile thing.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s head was cold, and he wondered if Aram had left any hair at all on top of his head or not.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you think?\u00a0 Nice huh? In fact, these curls look much better on me than they did on you!\u201d<\/p>\n

Numb by all he had endured; Joe simply shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, don\u2019t worry Boy!\u00a0 My guess is it\u2019ll take six months or so, but you\u2019ll grow it back.\u00a0 Right now, you look a little bit on the bald side \u2013 but it won\u2019t be permanent,\u201d Aram laughed at his victim.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hate you,\u201d Joe whispered and slowly closed his eyes, praying that he\u2019d fall back to sleep.\u00a0 He\u2019d had enough of the insane man\u2019s taunts; enough to last a lifetime.<\/p>\n

Aram moved in closer to the boy and roughly yanked his chin up, forcing Joe\u2019s gaze.\u00a0 \u201cTell me how good I look!\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re ugly \u2013 both inside and out.\u00a0 You can keep that hair, but it\u2019ll never be yours,\u201d Joe responded bitterly.<\/p>\n

Incensed over what the boy had said, Aram slapped Joe\u2019s face hard.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019d better remember who I am!\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe nodded, \u201cYeah, I know who you are — you\u2019re \u2013 you\u2019re the bad man<\/em><\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 And with that statement he passed out cold.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThere it is!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss pointed over at the stamp mill as they were rounding a sharp bend in the road.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook!\u201d Adam shouted.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s Aram\u2019s horse!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben watched as the man spurred his horse into a full gallop heading west towards the Truckee River.\u00a0 \u201cYou boys follow him \u2013 I want him caught!\u00a0 I\u2019ll go check on your brother!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss and Adam rode off in a full gallop trying to catch up with the man who had kidnapped their little brother twice in his short life.<\/p>\n

Pulling back on his reins, Ben brought Buck to a quick halt right in front of the stamp mill and forge.\u00a0 He noticed Aram\u2019s buckboard was pulled up in front of the larger of the two buildings and decided to check there first.\u00a0 With his heart racing, worried about what he might find inside, he threw the door open and scanned the room.\u00a0 There before him, lying on his stomach on a table, was the still form of his youngest son.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u201d Ben cried out and jogged over to the boy.\u00a0 He could see that Joe was tethered to the examination table by two leather restraints.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll get your hands loose, Son,\u201d Ben whispered, though he could tell that the boy was out cold.\u00a0 One by one he unbuckled the two wrist cuffs and then gingerly rolled his son over onto his back.\u00a0 His heart fell in his chest when he saw what Aram had done to the boy; so much so that his eyes clouded with tears. Little Joe\u2019s hair wasn\u2019t much more than half an inch in length all the way around his head.\u00a0 Ben had never seen his youngest with hardly any hair before.\u00a0 Thick brown curls had graced Joseph\u2019s head ever since his birth. The anguished father knew what losing those had done to the boy and how his psyche would suffer due to the trauma of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh my God!\u201d \u00a0Ben gasped as his hand gently swept across his son\u2019s head.\u00a0 \u201cWhat did he do to you, Joseph?\u201d he choked out.\u00a0 After a quick inspection of his son\u2019s body to determine if he had been injured, Ben noticed the blood-soaked towel tied off just below the boy\u2019s right knee.\u00a0 He gently unwrapped it and lifted the boy\u2019s pant leg to see what had caused the bleeding.\u00a0 *** That bastard shot my boy! ***<\/em><\/strong> Ben fumed as he carefully studied the damage done to his son.<\/p>\n

Little Joe slowly emerged from the black depths of unconsciousness.\u00a0 He blinked his eyes a few times as his father\u2019s face slowly came into focus.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa \u2013 Pa — I can\u2019t breathe \u2013 I can\u2019t breathe!\u201d He cried out fearfully as he attempted to pull himself up on the table.<\/p>\n

Ben moved back to the head of the table and carefully eased his son into a reclining position.\u00a0 He had heard those exact words before and had witnessed the same kind of panic that was spreading across Joseph\u2019s face. \u00a0It shook him to the core to hear his youngest saying them again.<\/p>\n

*** It had been an incredibly agonizing ten days.\u00a0 Seven of them had been spent worrying and trying to find out where Little Joe had been taken and who had done it and three since finding him in the cave.\u00a0 Ben insisted that the little boy stay in his bedroom at night until he was sure that Joseph was emotionally prepared to sleep in his own bed.\u00a0 Due to numerous nights spent without any sleep, Ben had gone down shortly after ten o\u2019clock that night with Little Joe lying there at his side.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t heard the voice right away, but he had felt the tiny hand that was urgently patting his face.\u00a0 Shaking himself from his slumber Ben abruptly sat up and turned to see Little Joe sitting there next to him wearing an anguished expression.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t breathe, Papa! I can\u2019t breathe!\u201d Little Joe cried out as tears ran down his cheeks.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t breathe?\u201d Ben returned, shaken from what he had just heard the little boy say.\u00a0 \u00a0He tried to determine whether Little Joe had simply had a nightmare and was still caught up in it or if he was truly having difficulty breathing.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t breathe, Papa!\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Studying the boy\u2019s face, Ben could plainly see that he wasn\u2019t turning blue from lack of oxygen.\u00a0 He could also see the rising and falling of the little boy\u2019s chest.\u00a0 But if Little Joe believed that he couldn\u2019t breathe then he knew that he\u2019d have to do something to calm the boy.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHere now\u2014stretch out on the bed \u2013 I\u2019ll help you, Son,\u201d Ben instructed and eased the boy\u2019s head back onto the pillow.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re going to breathe together now — okay?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBut \u2013 Papa I can\u2019t breathe!\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI know \u2013 it\u2019s going to be alright.\u00a0 Now, just listen to me, Joseph.\u00a0 You and I are going to breathe together now.\u00a0 Draw in the deepest breath you can,\u201d Ben called softly as he drew in a breath to show his son how to do it.\u00a0 The little boy drew in a deep breath too.\u00a0 \u201cGood \u2013 now you hold it like this,\u201d Ben held his breath as he stared down at his son.\u00a0 Joe did likewise and held his breath.\u00a0 \u201cNow just let it out real slow and easy.\u00a0 That\u2019s it — good boy,\u201d Ben nodded to Little Joe as he watched him doing exactly as he had been instructed.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Papa \u2013 I still can\u2019t breathe!\u201d he protested and sat back up.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Once again Ben eased the little boy back down and calmly went through the same procedure again.\u00a0 After going through the routine of deep breaths and letting them out slowly a few times, Little Joe finally calmed down.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNow, Son \u2013 how\u2019s that?\u00a0 You feel better, Joseph?\u201d Ben whispered.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Little Joe nodded his head.\u00a0 \u201cI think I\u2019m breathing now, Papa.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ben wrapped the little boy in his arms and settled back on his pillow.\u00a0 He pulled Little Joe onto his shoulder trying to shelter him from his fears.\u00a0 \u201cNow you tell your Pa what happened to you and why you couldn\u2019t breathe.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was \u2013 it was,\u201d Little Joe stopped himself as he buried his face in his father\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 It was obvious to Ben that the little boy was petrified and no doubt it had been caused by the memories of his abduction.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was what, Son?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the bad man, Papa, he tooked my breath from me.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ben closed his eyes filled with intense anger over what had happened to his little boy combined with uncontrollable rage toward the evil person who had stolen him.\u00a0 His son hadn\u2019t said much for the three days he\u2019d been home and now the boy had insisted that he couldn\u2019t breathe and all due to the actions of one person; the bad man.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be alright, Joseph.\u00a0 I\u2019m never going to let the bad man take you away again,\u201d Ben promised as he pressed his lips to the boy\u2019s cheek and held him tightly in his arms. ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Shaking himself from the haunted memories of what had happened twelve years ago, Ben stared down at his son who looked just as panicked as he had back then.<\/p>\n

*** I failed you, Joseph.\u00a0 I promised you that I\u2019d never let anyone steal you away from me again.\u00a0 And to think that the man I\u2019d sent you to, so you\u2019d get your hair cut was the one who had kidnapped you! ***<\/em><\/strong> Ben shook his head sadly as he moved next to his son, sitting down on the examination table.<\/p>\n

In a pure panic, Little Joe cried out again, \u201cI can\u2019t breathe, Pa!\u00a0 I can\u2019t breathe!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be alright, Son.\u00a0 You and I are going to do this together.\u00a0 Now take in a deep breath and hold it,\u201d he coaxed the boy in the same fashion that he had done back when he was only five years old.\u00a0 It had taken longer to convince his son now that he was older, but patiently Ben urged him to take a breath, hold it in and then expel it slowly.\u00a0 \u201cNow \u2013 is that better, Joseph?\u201d He asked after going through several minutes of breathing along with the boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Pa!\u00a0 It was him \u2013 it was him all along,\u201d Little Joe sobbed, covering his eyes with the palms of his hands.\u00a0 It was then that he found himself pulled forward on the table.\u00a0 Pa wrapped his arms around him, holding him tightly in his loving embrace.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s alright, Son \u2013 everything\u2019s going to be alright,\u201d Ben whispered.\u00a0 His right hand moved onto the boy\u2019s head and the fact that it was so devoid of curls pained his heart though he tried not to show it on his face.\u00a0 It hadn\u2019t mattered to him that the hair was gone, Ben gently stroked his son\u2019s head, trying to instill a sense of calm in him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt \u2013 it was the bad man<\/em><\/strong>, Pa.\u201d \u00a0Little Joe\u2019s voice trembled as tears fell from his eyes.\u00a0 His thoughts were filled with the terror he had experienced that night, along with all the repressed memories that he\u2019d finally recalled.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s left hand reached up and touched the top of his head and then he passed out cold, still held in his father\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Joseph \u2013 Joseph — I\u2019m so sorry,\u201d Ben whispered as he pulled the boy tightly against his chest.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t help believing that he had failed his son and had, in fact, pushed him toward danger by insisting that he get a haircut.\u00a0 Now, as he nervously rocked the boy in his arms, he couldn\u2019t help feeling guilty.\u00a0 When his chin fell onto the crown of Little Joe\u2019s head, the fact that the curls were all gone hit him hard.\u00a0 He glanced over to the wig block on the table next to where they sat.\u00a0 Ben wondered exactly what Aram had done to his son.\u00a0 Of course, there was the bullet wound in his leg and that was bad enough, but for some reason the horrible man had removed almost all his son\u2019s hair, and Ben had no idea why.<\/p>\n

Gently easing his son back on the examination table, Ben left him momentarily trying to find something to use over Little Joe\u2019s wound.\u00a0 After a thorough search of the room, he finally came up with another towel that appeared to be clean enough to use to staunch the flow of blood until he could get the boy back home.\u00a0 Ben tied the fresh towel to his son\u2019s leg and waited for Adam and Hoss to return so they could move Little Joe.<\/p>\n

\n

Hoss and Adam rode hard trying to catch up with the man who had gotten a good head start and was racing towards the river in his attempt to evade his capture.\u00a0 Finally gaining on him, Adam signaled his brother and they both drew their guns.\u00a0 Firing two warning shots in the air to let the man know they meant business; they had to duck down low in their saddles as he turned and fired at them.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou go to the right, Hoss \u2013 I\u2019ll try to get to him from the left!\u201d Adam shouted as another bullet singed by his ear.<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded and kicked at his horse\u2019s sides, reining it hard to the right and continuing his hot pursuit of the man who had kidnapped his little brother.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s plan was beginning to pay off as he was only a few yards from gaining on Aram\u2019s horse.\u00a0 It was then that the man turned and shot at him, almost hitting his head.\u00a0 Hoss had both seen and heard what happened and sent a bullet over at Aram as he came up close to his right side.<\/p>\n

With the narrowing dirt trail making the riding more treacherous, Aram sent one final bullet from his gun as he tried to rein his horse hard right.\u00a0 Hoss had almost been shot by the evil man and he returned fire.\u00a0 His bullet hit its target, and Aram went flying out of his saddle and down the banks of the river.\u00a0 He ended up in the rain swollen rapids; his body quickly disappearing from sight.<\/p>\n

The Cartwright brothers reined their horses back hard as they jumped from their saddles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hit him, Adam \u2013 I know I did!\u201d \u00a0Hoss exclaimed, out of breath from the ride.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019d he go?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stood on the riverbank and watched the fast-moving current.\u00a0 He shook his head and sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI saw him fall into the river \u2013 after you shot him.\u00a0 As fast as that current is now, he didn\u2019t stand a chance even if your bullet didn\u2019t kill him, he would\u2019ve drowned.\u00a0 We could go down stream some and try to recover the body \u2013 but he\u2019s dead for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss bent down when he spotted something lying just at the river\u2019s edge.\u00a0 He drew it up into his hands and his face went as white as snow.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d Adam asked, as he came alongside his brother.<\/p>\n

Sickened by what he had found, Hoss handed the object to Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh my God!\u201d\u00a0 Adam gasped as he held the thing in his hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s \u2013 it\u2019s \u2013 Little Joe\u2019s hair,\u201d Hoss whispered.\u00a0 \u201cDo you think that he killed the boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam held the disgusting thing, wishing he\u2019d never seen it.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s go and check \u2013 hopefully the kid\u2019s alright.\u00a0 We\u2019d better take this with us \u2013 to show Roy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded and the two of them made their way back to their horses.<\/p>\n

\n

Ben had been sitting alongside his youngest, hoping that he would come back around but Joe hadn\u2019t stirred at all.\u00a0 He wondered if his other boys had caught up with Aram and was beginning to get worried until he heard the horses outside.\u00a0 Ben stood and walked across the room.\u00a0 Then, stepping outside, he closed the door behind him.\u00a0 Ben didn\u2019t want Little Joe to hear the conversation if he woke up.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa \u2013 how\u2019s Little Joe?\u201d Hoss sang out as he approached his father.\u00a0 They had both been scared that the boy had been killed after finding what they had down by the river.<\/p>\n

Frowning, Ben shook his head sadly.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s alive \u2013 but Aram must\u2019ve shot the boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it bad?\u201d Adam jumped into the conversation.<\/p>\n

Shrugging his shoulders, Ben replied, \u201cIt took him in the leg \u2013 but looks like the bullet passed straight through.\u00a0 Your little brother has lost a lot of blood.\u00a0 We need to get him home and send for Doc.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you know what else Aram did to the kid?\u201d Adam continued, knowing that he\u2019d have to show his father the object Hoss had found.<\/p>\n

Ben studied the expressions that his two sons wore.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I don\u2019t.\u00a0 Joseph only came around for a few minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss and Adam exchanged sorrowful glances and neither wanted to address the topic of what Aram had obviously done to the boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetter come over here a minute, Pa,\u201d Adam announced and walked over to his horse.<\/p>\n

Ben walked next to his two boys and came to an abrupt stop when he spotted what Adam pulled out of his saddlebags.\u00a0 He closed his eyes and winced upon seeing the hair; Joseph\u2019s hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe chased him down to the Truckee River, Pa.\u00a0 He was shooting at the two of us and I guess one of my bullets hit him hard enough to send him flying into the rapids.\u00a0 Aram went into the river \u2013 but his body must\u2019ve ended up down stream somewhere.\u00a0 I found that,\u201d Hoss said and pointed to the hairpiece that his father was holding in his hands.<\/p>\n

Ben coughed to loosen the tightness in his throat and handed the hair back to his eldest boy.\u00a0 \u201cI guess you\u2019d better show that to Roy when you get into town.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are Little Joe\u2019s curls, Pa — did Aram give the boy a haircut?\u201d Hoss\u2019 confusion bled out in his question.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe cut each of those curls down at the root.\u00a0 The poor kid only has about a half of an inch of hair now,\u201d Ben groaned at the mere thought of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Lord,\u201d Hoss returned, knowing what his hair had always meant to his little brother.\u00a0 \u201cWhy do you think he done it, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shrugged his shoulders and replied, \u201cThat\u2019s a hairpiece, Son.\u00a0 For some insane reason that evil man was obsessed with Joseph\u2019s hair.\u00a0 He took that one curl from him when he was only five years old \u2013 and I guess he had been planning to take all the boy\u2019s hair.\u00a0 When Pete told Aram about that hypnotist and he learned why we\u2019d sent for the man, I guess he decided to take Joe again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t imagine Joe would\u2019ve let him do it,\u201d Adam added.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour brother was tied down onto some sort of an examination table here inside,\u201d Ben motioned towards the building behind him.\u00a0 \u201cIt had to be traumatic to just lie there as one by one those curls were cut from his head.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan we see him?\u201d Hoss asked worriedly.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam,\u201d Ben began as he stared across the yard.\u00a0 \u201cAram left his buckboard and that team of horses.\u00a0 Hoss and I will get Joseph home \u2013 I need you to fetch the doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded and turned for his horse.\u00a0 He mounted Sport and stared down at his father.\u00a0 \u201cAnything else you need me to do?\u00a0 I guess I\u2019d better tell Roy we found Little Joe \u2013 and show him the thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes \u2013 better stop by the hotel \u2013 and let Doctor Iverson know that we won\u2019t be needing his services.\u00a0 Tell him I\u2019ll gladly pay him for his time \u2013 but \u2013 I believe Joseph has finally recalled what happened to him twelve years ago.\u00a0 He mentioned that name \u2013 the bad man<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 when he came around for a few minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll handle it \u2013 see you two back home,\u201d Adam nodded and turned his horse out of the yard and headed to town.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you need me to do, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben patted his son on the back and replied, \u201cYou can carry the boy out to that wagon.\u00a0 Best tie our horses to the back.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to ride in the bed of the buckboard with your brother just in case he wakes up.\u00a0 Oh \u2013 and Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cDon\u2019t say a word about the way that the boy looks if he does happen to come around before we get home, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nodding, and with a grim expression taking over his face, Hoss answered, \u201cNo \u2013 Pa \u2013 I won\u2019t say nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two men walked inside the building and prepared to get Little Joe ready for the long ride back to the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

\n

Late that afternoon Ben stood in Little Joe\u2019s bedroom and watched as Doctor Paul Martin finished suturing the two wounds in the boy\u2019s leg and then closed his black medical bag.<\/p>\n

Concerned about the gunshot wound and worried over the fact that his son hadn\u2019t awakened the whole trip back to the ranch, Ben stepped closer to the bed and asked, \u201cWhat do you think, Paul?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFortunately, that bullet missed the bone and went straight through his calf.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s lost a lot of blood so he needs rest and to stay off that leg for a few weeks.\u00a0 It\u2019s nothing that won\u2019t heal, Ben,\u201d Doc tried to reassure the man, seeing how exhausted he was at the time.<\/p>\n

Letting out a deep sigh, Ben dropped his hand down onto his son\u2019s head and then turned to look back up at the doctor.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t believe Aram did all this to my son.\u00a0 I wouldn’t ever have suspected that he was the one who kidnapped the boy twelve years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t have any way of knowing, Ben \u2013 now stop beating yourself up about all this.\u00a0 None of us would\u2019ve ever guessed that Aram was the man who had taken Joe back when he was five.\u00a0 You never know a person\u2019s deepest darkest thoughts \u2013 or what would cause them to act them out.”<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had to have been insane to take Joseph\u2019s hair like that \u2013 and to weave it into a hairpiece!”<\/p>\n

Paul nodded and set a comforting hand on his friend\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s going to take a while for the boy to get over this.\u00a0 But \u2013 in time he will.\u00a0 From what you told me it sounds like Little Joe has recovered his memories \u2013 and that might help him in the long run.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t have continued his nightly treks down into your kitchen much longer, Ben.\u00a0 Just be patient with Joe \u2013and hopefully he\u2019ll open up to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Paul.\u00a0\u00a0 Can you stay for supper?\u201d Ben offered the man both an invitation to eat with the family and a grateful smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to, but I\u2019ve got to head back to town.\u00a0 Now I want you to get some rest!\u00a0 That\u2019s doctor\u2019s orders, by the way.\u00a0 Either Hoss or Adam can watch the boy for a few hours.\u00a0 You\u2019ve just got to get some sleep, or you\u2019ll be in your own sick bed!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will,\u201d Ben nodded and walked the doctor to the bedroom door.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be back tomorrow to see how the boy is doing.\u00a0 Goodbye, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks as always, Paul,\u201d Ben offered the man a handshake and then turned back to his son\u2019s bed and sat down in the chair.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cPa?\u201d Hoss tapped on his father\u2019s bedroom door.<\/p>\n

Ben hadn\u2019t realized he had been asleep for close to eight hours until he\u2019d heard his son\u2019s knock on his door and glanced over at the clock on his nightstand.\u00a0 He pulled on his robe and slid into his slippers.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss \u2013 sorry \u2013 I wasn\u2019t planning on being down this long,\u201d Ben apologized as he moved out into the hall.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, you needed the rest,\u201d Hoss insisted.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s what Doc told us before you went to bed around eight last night.\u00a0 I\u2019m glad you slept like you did.\u00a0 He hasn\u2019t been any trouble, Pa, Adam and me have been taking turns watching Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is the boy?\u201d Ben asked as he headed across the hall.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been asleep the whole time \u2013 but he\u2019s moving around in the bed a little bit now.\u00a0 I think he\u2019s finally coming back around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben and Hoss quietly crept into Little Joe\u2019s room and stopped alongside the bed.\u00a0 Staring down at the boy, they watched as he slowly rocked his head from side to side, without making a sound.\u00a0 Every now and then they witnessed what looked like a grimace appearing on his face and both men wondered if Joe was reliving his terrible ordeal in his dreams again.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s alright, Son,\u201d Ben whispered and set his hand on Joe\u2019s shoulder hoping to bring him around gently.\u00a0 He turned and looked up at Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got it for the rest of the morning, Son.\u00a0 You head to bed now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure, Pa?\u00a0 I don\u2019t mind staying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben patted his son\u2019s arm and nodded, \u201cI\u2019m sure.\u00a0 Goodnight, Son.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss quietly walked out of his brother\u2019s bedroom, closing the door behind him.<\/p>\n

Little Joe slowly opened and closed his eyelids a few times trying to focus in on the man sitting on the side of his bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u201d Ben whispered and set a hand onto his son\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n

*** \u201cJoseph \u2013 I\u2019ve missed you so much!\u00a0 It\u2019s alright, Joseph \u2013 your Pa\u2019s got you now.\u00a0 Nobody\u2019s ever going to take you away from me again.\u201d \u00a0Little Joe saw his father there inside the cage next to him and watched as Pa reached out to pull him closer.\u00a0 He smelled the mixture of bay rum cologne and pipe tobacco and suddenly realized that his Papa was really there.\u00a0 The next minute he was up in his father\u2019s arms.\u00a0 Little Joe felt the kisses being planted on each of his cheeks and the comfort of his father\u2019s arms as they held him close to his chest. ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Blinking back the sudden onslaught of tears, Little Joe looked up at his father sitting there on the bed next to him.\u00a0 \u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here, Joseph \u2013 I\u2019m here,\u201d Ben choked out as he gathered the boy up into his arms and held him close.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa \u2013 it was him \u2013 it was the bad man<\/em><\/strong>,\u201d Joe whispered, his eyes scanning the room expecting to see Aram standing there with those shears in his hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, Son \u2013 I know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t get away, Pa \u2013 I couldn\u2019t stop him,\u201d Little Joe raised his left hand up to his head and felt the scant amount of hair that was left there.\u00a0 He dropped his face down onto his father\u2019s shoulder and wept.<\/p>\n

Gently pulling the boy back some, Ben placed his hands on either side of his son\u2019s face.\u00a0 Using his thumbs, Pa tenderly brushed back the tears as they fell from Little Joe’s eyes and whispered, \u201cYou made it out of there alive, Son \u2013 and that\u2019s all that matters to me.\u00a0 It\u2019s going to take some time \u2013 but the memories will fade.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Pa \u2013 I\u2019ll never forget \u2013 never.\u00a0 I can still hear those shears \u2013 and feel him tugging on every curl on my head \u2013 until they were all gone,\u201d he cried, staring into his father\u2019s eyes, hoping that Pa would understand the terror he had endured.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t just the matter of having his hair stolen from his head, it was in living through the experience of it that made it that much more terrifying.\u00a0 Joe would never forget seeing that man standing there in front of him wearing that hairpiece which had been made from those curls; his curls.\u00a0 \u201cHe took them, Pa \u2013 he took them all from me.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his mind Ben could still hear the cries of his five-year-old son and he remembered how sad Joseph had looked the night that he told him about what the bad man had done to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bad man \u2013 he tooked my best one,\u201d Little Joe whimpered.\u00a0 He lifted his left hand and combed his fingers through his bangs, pulling them out from his forehead.\u00a0 \u201cPapa the bad man \u2013 he tooked it.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Ben stared over at the seventeen-year-old boy there in front of him.\u00a0 He\u00a0knew that his son was overwhelmed by all that Aram had done to him and there wasn\u2019t much that he could offer the boy until he had some time to come to terms with both his pain and his loss.\u00a0 He simply sat there next to Joseph and held him to his chest, comforting him in the only way he knew how.\u00a0 Just because there wasn\u2019t any hair on the boy\u2019s head didn\u2019t mean that his father wasn\u2019t going to slowly run his hand over it, as if the curls were still there; and that\u2019s exactly what he did.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s gone for good now, Joseph —- and he\u2019ll never hurt you again,\u201d Ben whispered, hoping that one statement might help the boy, at least a little bit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bad man<\/em><\/strong> always finds me, Pa,\u201d Little Joe choked out.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot anymore, Son \u2013 not anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few minutes later, Ben felt the boy\u2019s body going lax held there in his arms.\u00a0 He realized that Little Joe\u2019s mind and body had given in to exhaustion.\u00a0 He gently eased his son back against the pillows and pulled the sheet and blanket up over his shoulders.\u00a0 Staring down at his youngest, Ben whispered, \u201cThe bad man is never coming back, Son.\u201d\u00a0 Then he settled down into the chair next to the bed.\u00a0 It would be another long night.<\/p>\n

\n

The first two days after he had been brought home Little Joe hadn\u2019t done much more than sleep and eat some light food that Hop Sing had forced on him.\u00a0 Everyone could tell that the boy was well spent after his grueling experience and that he just needed some rest so his body could heal.\u00a0 Doctor Martin had come by each day just to make sure that Little Joe\u2019s leg wound was healing properly and to offer his father some moral support.\u00a0 It hadn\u2019t been until the third night since returning home that the boy wanted to talk with his father and sort some things out with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still don\u2019t understand, Pa,\u201d Joe said, shaking his head.\u00a0 \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you ever tell me that I was kidnapped from the house when I was five years old?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben could see that his son was having trouble sorting through all the information he had offered him earlier in the day and patiently tried to explain.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, you had a rough time of it back then \u2013 you were just so young when you were taken out of here.\u00a0 And when you got home you blocked everything that you went through in that cave from your mind.\u00a0 Then a few years later you began to sleepwalk like I told you earlier today.\u00a0 Doc and I thought that you\u2019d eventually recover your memories, but we were afraid to push you to do it.\u00a0 But after your most recent bout with sleepwalking, we decided to try to get that hypnotist that Harden found to help you, so you\u2019d finally get over it.\u00a0 Unfortunately, by the time he had arrived in Virginia City it was too late.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t remember going into the kitchen to hide, Pa \u2013 other than the day when the man in the mask took me out of that corner.\u00a0 Everything started to come back to me the minute that Mister Cullen said those first few words to me \u2013 right before he put that rag over my mouth.\u00a0 He said \u201call little boys love peppermint\u201d \u2013 that\u2019s what forced me to remember.\u00a0 But by then it was too late and he\u2019d captured me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head and placed a hand on his son\u2019s arm hoping to provide some form of comfort for the boy.\u00a0 \u201cThat had to be terrifying, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was,\u201d He nodded adamantly.\u00a0 \u201cBut what he did to me later \u2013 was a whole lot worse.\u00a0 I hope these nightmares will go away, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019ve woke up to them the last two nights \u2013 and I relive him cutting my hair off one curl at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll go away, Joseph \u2013 just give it some time,\u201d Ben reassured the boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss and Adam told me what happened \u2013 to him \u2013 and how he went into the river.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded and replied, \u201cHe\u2019ll never hurt you again.\u00a0 I promised you that years ago \u2013 and I\u2019m sorry.\u00a0 I never thought he\u2019d come back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe touched his father\u2019s face and stared up at him, \u201cPa \u2013 you had no way of knowing \u2013 none of us did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Knowing that his son was trying to ease his mind about the promises he had made to him, Ben smiled.\u00a0 \u201cWell, he\u2019s never coming back again.\u00a0 Now, Young Man \u2013 how about getting some sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright,\u201d Joe nodded and then cast a precarious glance at the lamp on the nightstand.\u00a0 \u201cCould you just leave that up for now?\u201d He asked, worried that he would wake up to another nightmare about having his hair cut off.<\/p>\n

Standing from the chair, Ben returned, \u201cHow about I stay with you until you fall to sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo \u2013 I\u2019ll be okay, Pa.\u00a0 Go get some sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodnight, Son,\u201d he whispered.\u00a0 Bending down he gently swiped a hand across his son\u2019s head and planted a kiss on his brow.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodnight,\u201d the boy said and watched as his father walked out of the room.<\/p>\n

\n

Hoss and Adam stood in the hallway and waited for their father to reappear after saying goodnight to their little brother.\u00a0 They had been worried over the fact that Little Joe had been having nightmares again and wanted to find out if they could do anything to help.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs he asleep, Pa?\u201d Adam questioned as Ben closed the bedroom door.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot yet,\u201d Ben sighed wearily as he looked from one son to the other.\u00a0 \u201cBut he\u2019s going to try.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow about if I stay with him for a little while?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

Shaking his head, Ben set a hand on his middle boy\u2019s shoulder and replied.\u00a0 \u201cNo \u2013 your little brother wants to try it alone tonight.\u00a0 We\u2019ll hear him if he wakes up, Boys.\u00a0 Now you both go on to bed it\u2019s getting late.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about you, Pa?\u201d Adam continued as he eyed his father and was surprised that he wasn\u2019t hovering over the youngest like he usually did, especially when the kid was hurt.\u00a0 And he knew that Little Joe had been hurt in a lot of ways this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to bed,\u201d Ben insisted.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll see you both in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss and Adam watched as Pa walked across the hall and disappeared inside his bedroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cHard to believe he\u2019s giving up that easily,\u201d Adam quipped.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah \u2013 well \u2013 I guess if Pa ain\u2019t worried then we shouldn\u2019t be neither.\u00a0 Let\u2019s grab some shuteye.\u00a0 We can listen out in case Little Joe has another one of his nightmares.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right.\u00a0 Goodnight, Hoss,\u201d Adam nodded and walked inside his room.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIt\u2019s quiet in there now \u2013 do you think we ought to go and see if Little Joe\u2019s okay?\u201d Hoss asked yawning.\u00a0 Hours after they had gone to sleep the two men had been awakened by the sound coming from their brother\u2019s room a few minutes earlier but by the time they had made it out into the hallway everything was quiet again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, Hoss.\u00a0 I\u2019m just surprised that Little Joe didn\u2019t wake Pa up this time.\u00a0 That\u2019s a rare thing, you know?\u00a0 Pa always wakes up the minute that the boy has a nightmare.\u201d Adam returned.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa went down hours ago \u2013 it\u2019s about four now.\u00a0 Maybe he didn\u2019t hear him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019ll just peek in on Little Joe \u2013 if he\u2019s asleep, I\u2019ll just come right back out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded and waited out in the hall while Adam gently eased Little Joe\u2019s bedroom door open.\u00a0 A few seconds later he noticed Adam waving for him to come closer.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Pa isn\u2019t the least bit worried about that boy,\u201d Adam whispered and pointed across the room.<\/p>\n

Hoss smiled as he stared over to Little Joe\u2019s bed where his brother was fast asleep.\u00a0 Pa was lying on top of the covers next to the boy with his hand resting on Little Joe’s left arm.\u00a0 Their father was sound asleep.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou reckon when Pa went in there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing our father probably about a second after he\u2019d heard us closing our bedroom doors,\u201d Adam grinned.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooks like we woke up for nothing.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go back to bed, Adam,\u201d Hoss whispered and they quietly eased out of Little Joe\u2019s bedroom.<\/p>\n

Epilogue<\/strong><\/p>\n

A week after Little Joe had been rescued his nightmares stopped being a nightly occurrence and instead had become sporadic in nature.\u00a0 Ben wasn\u2019t hovering quite as much as he had been, and the talk of Aram Cullen had, for the most part, died down.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d Adam called as he walked inside the ranch house.\u00a0 He watched as his father came in from the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack from town so soon?\u201d he asked as he drew close to his eldest.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Adam nodded and then motioned towards the fireplace.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got to talk to you about something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben witnessed the odd look on his son\u2019s face and followed him over to the settee.\u00a0 Sitting down in the red leather chair he stared over at Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there some kind of trouble, Son?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam gave a slight shrug to his shoulders and replied, \u201cI wouldn\u2019t exactly call it trouble, Pa.\u00a0 But I saw Roy today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, he told me that since there\u2019s not going to be a trial, due to the circumstances \u2013 that he doesn\u2019t need to keep a hold of what Aram left on the riverbank.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh,\u201d Ben frowned and bit at his bottom lip.\u00a0 \u201cWhere is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

With a quick tilt of his head, Adam said, \u201cOut in my saddlebags.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know what you wanted me to do with it, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s gaze went up the staircase thinking about his youngest.\u00a0 \u201cI never mentioned a thing about it to Joseph.\u00a0 I thought it was best that he didn\u2019t know that any of us saw it.\u00a0 I know he did \u2013 though he didn\u2019t come right out and say that he had \u2013 I could tell by what Joseph didn\u2019t say.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat kid went through the unimaginable,\u201d Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cDo you want me to just throw it away?\u201d<\/p>\n

Standing from his chair Ben paced in front of the fireplace for a few minutes and then replied, \u201cBury it somewhere in the back yard.\u00a0 And be sure to remind Hoss not to ever say one word about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, Pa,\u201d Adam agreed and stood back up. \u201cI\u2019ll get rid of it now \u2013 and I\u2019ll let Hoss know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Son,\u201d Ben nodded and watched as his eldest walked outside.\u00a0 He closed his eyes and thought back on the way he had felt the minute he had seen the hairpiece and knew that it held his son\u2019s curls; all of them.<\/p>\n

\n

It was three o\u2019clock in the morning and the house was dead quiet, save for the occasional pop of a dying ember in the fireplace.\u00a0 Little Joe had made his way down the hall without alerting his father or brothers.\u00a0 Though his regular gait was inhibited by his leg wound he managed to get down the staircase without making any noise.\u00a0\u00a0 He crossed the living room and made his way to the kitchen.\u00a0 Joe had awakened with a paralyzing fear that he just couldn\u2019t shake, and he knew that he had to confront what had happened to him, so he\u2019d be able to deal with the present.\u00a0 And Little Joe knew that he\u2019d have to begin with the memory of being taken at the age of five.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u201d Ben\u2019s voice was hushed due to the lateness of the hour and because he hadn\u2019t wanted to startle the boy who was standing in front of the sink staring over at the corner of the room.\u00a0 When a few minutes passed without the boy having taken notice of him being there, Ben moved closer to him.\u00a0 He wondered if Little Joe was getting ready to seek shelter in his familiar hiding place as he had often seen him do.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u201d He called again and dropped a hand down onto the boy\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 “Son, I went in to check on you, and you weren’t in your bed — it worried me.”<\/p>\n

Little Joe turned his head and looked up at his father standing there with such a peculiar expression on his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay, Pa \u2013 I\u2019m not sleepwalking \u2013 I just needed to come down here,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it, Son?\u00a0 Did you have another nightmare?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nodding his head, Little Joe answered, his voice having a quality to it that was both hushed and unsteady, \u201cYeah, Pa, I had another one — I can’t shake it off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoc wants you to stay off that leg, Joseph.\u00a0 Let\u2019s get you back up to your bed.\u00a0 We can talk about that dream up in your room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Pa \u2013 I woke up with an uneasy feeling \u2013 like something\u2019s going to happen,\u201d he explained and then mindlessly reached for the top of his head.<\/p>\n

Ben had witnessed his son\u2019s latest habit of touching his head as though he was trying to figure out where his curls had gone.\u00a0 He wouldn\u2019t mention it to the boy.\u00a0 Turning his son around so he could look directly into his eyes, Ben could easily read the fear in them.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph \u2013 he\u2019s dead,\u201d He began and hoped that he could finally get through to the boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe fell into that river, Pa \u2013 but they never found his body,\u201d Little Joe returned, trying his best to prevent the mounting feeling of dread from coming out in his words.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss shot him \u2013 and he went into the river \u2013 and drowned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dropping his head down to his chest, Joe whispered, \u201cNo way of knowing that, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Again, the boy put a hand to his head and frowned.<\/p>\n

Ben pulled his son into his arms, holding him close to his chest.\u00a0 \u201cHoss killed him,\u201d he stated firmly.<\/p>\n

Little Joe stared intently into his father\u2019s eyes and replied in a haunting whisper, \u201cYou can never kill the bad man<\/em><\/strong>, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Staring over to the corner of the kitchen next to the sink, Ben closed his eyes and said a silent prayer for his youngest, hoping with all his heart that Joseph wouldn\u2019t end up returning there in the future.\u00a0 He cast an uneasy glance across the room and then slowly eased over to the kitchen door, never releasing his son from his protective embrace.\u00a0 Ben reached a firm hand up to the thick metal slide bolt, testing it with a strong tug to make sure that it was securely locked into place.\u00a0 Then, wrapping an arm around the boy\u2019s shoulder, Ben slowly walked Joseph up the stairs and into his room.\u00a0 One unsettling thought played in his head.\u00a0 He wondered if the nightmare of what had happened would ever truly be gone from their minds or if it would always haunt them like those three words had for so many years; the bad man<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

The End<\/p>\n

Written by Wrangler<\/p>\n

9\/24\/2026<\/p>\n

(Dedicated to Rob the story consultant who thought this was creepy.\u00a0 And to two readers who both wanted this thing, RJC for the \u201crats\u2019 in the story, and Rosalyn because she likes mysteries.)<\/p>\n

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

The nightmare was real when Little Joe was abducted at five years old by someone he called “the bad man“.\u00a0 Now, at seventeen, his nightmare returns. Trapped inside his childhood memories, Joe faces the terror of “the bad man” again. Rating T, WC 45,516<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":140,"featured_media":69966,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1015,23,41,32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-joe-pa","category-drama","category-hurtcomfort","category-mystery","wpcat-1015-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-41-id","wpcat-32-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot_20260921_181247_YouTube.jpg?fit=1460%2C1080&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69860","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/140"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=69860"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69860\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70108,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69860\/revisions\/70108"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/69966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=69860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=69860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=69860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}