<\/p>\n
Summary:\u00a0<\/span>Sheriff Coffee has a lesson to teach Ben Cartwright\u2019s son.<\/span><\/p>\n Rated:<\/span> K+ Word\u00a0count:\u00a0<\/span>1320<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Company You Keep<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Roy Coffee stood and looked through the bars of the cell at the boy sitting on the bunk. The sixteen-year-old\u2019s elbows were braced on his knees, and his head was buried in his hands. The sheriff sighed almost imperceptibly as he unlocked the cell door and swung it open. \u201cCome on out, son.\u201d Roy saw the shudder that traveled through the youngster\u2019s body before he raised his head. He shook his own head slowly.\u00a0Ain\u2019t like I never done this kinda thing before. Ah, but this is different \u2018cause it matters more that I do it right, that I get it through his thick head, and I know how thick that head can be. Well, best get her done.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa\u2019s here already?\u201d The boy\u2019s voice was tentative and came out of his pale face with little force or volume.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo. I think we should talk, and I prefer the front office.\u201d Roy gestured with a sweep of his arm. Knowing he would be obeyed he walked to his desk without a backward glance. His prisoner followed. Taking a seat behind his desk, the sheriff motioned toward a straight-back wooden chair. \u201cSit down.\u201d The boy obeyed settling his gaze on the floor before him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So, ya can\u2019t even look me in the face. Maybe you are ready to listen then. <\/i>\u201cTom Bonner came for his boys already. That old man always bails them boys out quick and without a word of reproach. You know, Adam, neither of them gave you a thought. They went out of here laughing.\u201d Roy watched Adam Cartwright\u2019s eyes come up. \u201cThey even made a joke or two about how different it was gonna be when your pa came for you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam swallowed and then replied, \u201cI heard.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m glad ya did. There ain\u2019t gonna be any comeuppance at their house. Never has been and never will be. They think what you\u2019re facing is just a joke. I don\u2019t think you or your pa are going to be doing any laughing, are ya?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo, sir.\u201d Adam\u2019s head dropped again.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe thing is, son, those Bonner brothers ain\u2019t bothered by a few hours in jail nor a few days neither. They ain\u2019t never going to be, and it\u2019s a sure thing that there\u2019s plenty more jail time in their future.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam opened his mouth to protest.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou know that\u2019s the truth, boy!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam sighed. \u201cWe didn\u2019t mean any harm,\u201d he said instead.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t mean any harm, boy. Those two just plain didn\u2019t care.\u201d Roy uttered the last sentence in a harsh voice filled with contempt.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam\u2019s eyes dropped once again to the floor. \u201cPa\u2019s going to kill me!\u201d It was a softly exhaled utterance of despair.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYour Pa expects more of you than Bonner expects of his boys. He expects ya to think more of people than to bedevil them with pranks, prod \u2018em with insults, and laugh at their embarrassment. He expects ya to have more thought of a man\u2019s business than to start up a brawl that busts up his property.\u201d Roy\u2019s voice was not harsh now, only firm, yet Adam winced as if the words had been a lash. \u201cNow, have you asked yourself why them boys with two and four years on you are so eager for the company of a kid?\u201d Roy waited for Adam\u2019s reaction.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He bristled automatically. \u201cI\u2019m no kid!\u201d he snapped back.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Thought that would get a rise out of ya.\u00a0<\/i>Roy leaned back and fixed the boy with a stare. \u201cYou acted like one today and one without much sense to boot!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam\u2019s arms crossed his stomach and drew inward as his chin dropped. \u201cPa\u2019s going to think so.\u201d Roy Coffee heard the rest of Adam\u2019s thought even though the boy did not so much as mutter it, \u201cAnd punish me like a kid too.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That he is; that he is.\u00a0<\/i>Roy\u2019s fingers drummed his desk. Then the flat of his hand slapped the wooden surface. \u201cBoy, you\u2019ve been raised to know better, but if you keep hanging with the likes of them Bonner brothers…\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m won\u2019t!\u201d The exclamation burst from Adam\u2019s mouth. \u201cI\u2019m done with them,\u201d he said more softly, \u201ctruly done.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The sheriff leaned forward and studied Adam\u2019s face.\u00a0That\u2019s what I\u2019m hoping, son; that\u2019s sure what I\u2019m hoping.\u00a0<\/i>He caught Adam\u2019s eyes with his. \u201cOne of the most important choices a man makes is who he spends his time with. I\u2019ve seen plenty of good fellows behind steel bars because they chose wrongly.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll\u2026 I\u2019ll choose better from now on.\u201d Adam fixed his gaze directly on the sheriff\u2019s face. \u201cI promise I shall. I\u2019ve learned my lesson; truly I have.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019m thinking maybe ya have; hope Ben takes time to see it before he lights into ya.\u00a0<\/i>\u201cWell, now, I\u2019m glad to hear that, and you being such a scholar I expect the lesson to stick.\u201d Roy rose to his feet. \u201cWhere\u2019s your horse?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOver behind the boarding house.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019m going to walk you over there to get it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBut Pa isn\u2019t here yet.\u201d A puzzled look settled on the young man\u2019s face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t send for your pa.\u201d\u00a0Ben\u2019s gonna light into me for that one sometime or nuther. Still, I think maybe he\u2019ll see the why of it after a mite of reflection.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBut. . .\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSome things, especially concerning young ones, are up to my discretion. The Bonners paid their share of the damages and a fine.\u201d Roy paused, and Adam spoke quickly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t got that kind of money, but Pa…\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWon\u2019t be paying for you. I expect you to work off your share. You\u2019ll be making the repairs this Saturday\u2026 and Sunday afternoon, if need be.\u201d Roy\u2019s tone had become steely. He reached for his hat. \u201cYou can explain things to Ben as you see fit.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam blinked and then gulped. \u201cYou\u2019re not going to talk to him?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDo I need to, son?\u201d\u00a0I will iffen ya don\u2019t think ya can, boy, but I\u2019m hoping it can come from you.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam shook his head. \u201cNo, no, sir, I\u2019ll tell him. I\u2019ll tell him all of it. I won\u2019t lie.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now, you saying <\/i>all of it is what I needed to hear.\u00a0<\/i>Roy nodded. He knew how hard the telling would be for the boy, but still he saw a measure of relief in the hazel eyes. They both knew Ben would go easier on his son if the confession came from Adam. \u201cI know you won\u2019t. Now come on before Ben and Marie start fretting over where ya\u2019ve got to.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n He walked with the boy through the streets, his eyes always scanning the area around him for any sign of trouble.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam did not say a word until he had untied his horse\u2019s reins. Then he turned toward the man beside him. \u201cSheriff Coffee, I just, well, thank you for letting me be the one to tell Pa, to tell him in my own way.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The sheriff turned and landed a stern stare on Ben Cartwright\u2019s eldest. \u201cDon\u2019t make me regret it, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t.\u201d The statement was unequivocal.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Roy placed a hand on Adam\u2019s shoulder. \u201cIf I ever catch you up to any shenanigans like today, I\u2019ll blister your hide myself before I turn it over to your pa.\u201d\u00a0I mean it, and so help me you better believe it!\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n All that Adam saw in the man\u2019s eyes was simple sincerity. \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Good!\u00a0<\/i>Roy smiled. \u201cGo along then.\u201d He watched Adam mount and ride away before beginning his rounds. After a few steps, he began whistling as he walked the streets of his town.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Summary:\u00a0Sheriff Coffee has a lesson to teach Ben Cartwright\u2019s son.<\/p>\n Rated:\u00a0K+\u00a0 Word count:\u00a01320<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":143,"featured_media":12270,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1005,23,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adam-cartwright","category-drama","category-prequels","wpcat-1005-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-30-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\/2015\/12\/roy.jpg?fit=612%2C663&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7569","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\/143"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7569"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7569\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}