<\/p>\n
Summary:\u00a0<\/span>Little Joe and his friend decide a certain Annabel Hampton deserves a comeuppance.<\/span><\/p>\n Rated:<\/span>\u00a0K+\u00a0\u00a0 Word count:\u00a0<\/span>3608<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A Case of Comeuppance<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhere do you think!\u201d The retort held an edge of its own.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou were supposed to be here nearly an hour ago. If I didn\u2019t need you to… \u201c<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBlame Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat blasted brother of mine decided to take a lamp and sit outside to read. I thought he\u2019d never come inside.\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe finished with a snort of frustration.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou could have\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re crazy! Sneak past Adam…\u201d\u00a0 This time his snort was louder emphasizing the absurdity of the thought.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIf we don\u2019t get moving, we\u2019ll never get her done in time to sneak back in without getting caught.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe bit his lower lip in agreement at the possibility and then chewed the corner slightly as he thought of the consequences. \u201cYeah, well, at least if we get caught sneaking back, we have the fun of dancing before we pay the piper.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTrue.\u201d The voice had lost any trace of anger, for, in all truth, Georgie would never have risked trying to sneak past Adam Cartwright either.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCome on then. We\u2019ve got to get to the Hamptons and then across town, and the dark is gonna slow us down.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe grinned. \u201cNot me!\u201d Joe\u2019s heels touched his horse\u2019s flanks, and he took off as Georgie scrambled into the saddle and followed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n ~~~CCC~~~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShhhhhhhhh, if Annabel\u2019s pa. . .\u201d Georgie\u2019s whisper was admonishing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a lousy shot. Are you sure\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI told you I know where. . .\u201d\u00a0 Georgie grabbed Little Joe\u2019s wrist and tugged. He followed through the night as soft-footed as when he was hunting with Hoss. Fifteen minutes later they remounted and headed around the town.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~~~CCC~~~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t you keep quiet!\u201d Georgie\u2019s voice held the exasperation that only a young kid\u2019s voice could express.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNobody\u2019s going to be around here at night.\u201d Little Joe\u2019s voice held a thirteen-year-old\u2019s cocky confidence.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSheriff Coffee and his deputy both make rounds.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNot this far out and not this late. Be a waste of our time to do it if they were gonna come by and take \u2018em down before anybody else could see \u2018em.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah. Come on then. I can\u2019t wait to see them flying in the breeze.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou sure that somebody\u2019s going to recognize them as Annabel\u2019s. She could just deny…\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n A low chuckle came from Georgie\u2019s throat. \u201cAin\u2019t a girl this size in the whole town \u2018cept Annabel Hampton who\u2019s got silk bloomers with ten yards of French lace on \u2018em. At the price her Pa paid for these, she\u2019ll claim \u2018em. Besides, I told you she was showing them off to some of the girls.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The image of Annabel Hampton lifting her skirts to show her fancy bloomers took Little Joe\u2019s attention for a moment until a sharp elbow in his side brought it back to the task at hand. That task was then completed without incident. As they mounted to head home, the thought came to Little Joe Cartwright that if the Lord thought Annabel Hampton needed a comeuppance as much as he and Georgie did, their luck might just hold long enough to make it back into bed without anyone the wiser. Descending he stairs the next morning, he was sure the Lord did.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~~~CCC~~~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat the hey! You mean I ain\u2019t gonna have to come up and drag you outa bed this morning, Short Shanks?\u201d Hoss looked up from his first plate of eggs and ham with a grin.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo, you ain\u2019t, you big lug, so just pass me my share of them eggs.\u201d Joe took his seat and shook out his napkin. \u201cMorning, Pa. Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGood morning, son.\u201d Ben Cartwright smiled at his youngest son\u2019s unusually affable mood. \u201cIt\u2019s nice to see you at the table so early and in such good spirits.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam gazed at his brother over his raised coffee cup. \u201cUmm, yes, very nice and very unusual.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe just grinned, \u201cWell, just go ahead and circle it on the calendar if you think it\u2019s such a red-letter day, elder brother.\u201d He forked two pieces of ham onto his plate and reached for a biscuit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIs there something you\u2019re looking forward to that we don\u2019t know about, baby brother?\u201d Adam\u2019s voice was as smooth as the silk in Annabel\u2019s bloomers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNothing that would impress an old man like you, Adam, and a college educated one to boot. Us country schoolboys, well, we impress easy.\u201d Little Joe\u2019s retort slipped around his first bite of biscuit and off his lips with ease.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, don\u2019t talk with your mouth full.\u201d Ben\u2019s admonishment ended the conversation, and he began to discuss the day\u2019s work plans with his two elder sons.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~~~CCC~~~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The only people to beat Little Joe Cartwright to school that morning were Tommy Sims, Annie Hawkins, and Georgie Owens. As Joe rode up, he saw all three of them standing beneath the school flagpole gazing up at the silk and lace bloomers blowing in the wind. He settled his horse with record swiftness and joined the ever-increasing crowd in time to see Annabel Hampton\u2019s face when she first saw her unmentionables saluting the town. Her reaction was everything he had hoped it would be. So was Miss Jones’s when she arrived minutes later. The process of retrieving Annabel\u2019s bloomers took more than thirty minutes, for Little Joe knew how to do a job right when he chose. By the time the bloomers were placed into Annabel\u2019s hands, every school child in town and a goodly number of adults had witnessed the sight and not even any of the adults managed to stifle all their snickers. Only Little Joe\u2019s promise to Georgie kept him from bragging to his friends that he had orchestrated the prank. Adam Cartwright heard the tale of the flapping bloomers waiting in line at the bank.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSome kid over at that school\u2019s got some spunk,\u201d Ned Turner shook his head as he spoke, \u201cIffen he was mine, I don\u2019t know as how I\u2019d have the heart to cut the switch.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd how would some boy get hold of Annabel\u2019s, um, private items, I wonder. It might have been some jealous little girl,\u201d the Widow Newcomb observed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo little gal shimmed up that flagpole and set them knots,\u201d Ned observed before stepping up to hand his bank book to the teller.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam added no comment of his own, but his left hand tugged his right ear as he decided his business would keep him in town until school let out.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~~~CCC~~~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He took the hat from his head and stepped into the schoolroom. \u201cExcuse me, Miss Jones, but I was waiting for my brother and…\u201d Adam\u2019s eyes had found that brother sitting slumped over a desk in the middle of the room. He had also noticed the only other remaining schoolchild.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Abigail Jones rose to her feet as she spoke, \u201cOh, Mr. Cartwright, come in, come in.\u201d She maneuvered around her desk and headed toward Adam at a brisk pace.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIs Little Joe in trouble, Miss Jones?\u201d At Adam\u2019s inquiry, Miss Jones paused and gave a dismissive gesture with her hand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNot really, well, not any more than usual.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThen he\u2019s not being kept after for some infraction?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo, no, I simply told him he needed to finish his math problems before he could leave.\u201d Miss Jones closed the remaining distance between herself and Adam Cartwright.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAre you almost done, Little Joe?\u201d Adam used the question to turn away from Abigail Jones and toward his brother.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTwo more problems,\u201d Joe answered and shifted nervously in his seat despite telling himself that his older brother sometimes came by to ride home with him when leaving town at the right time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cFinish up then.\u201d Keeping a very formal tone, Adam addressed the teacher next. \u201cIs Joe having difficulty with his math?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cUnderstanding it? No. Staying awake to work on it, yes. He\u2019s been slow and sluggish all day.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI see.\u201d Adam cleared his throat. \u201cA sleepless night can leave a person sluggish the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSleepless?\u201d Abigail Jones obviously wanted more information.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNot literally perhaps, but my baby brother has been known to have some very restless nights.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh, I see.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Before the teacher could continue, Little Joe sprang to his feet and announced, \u201cI\u2019m done.\u201d Then he glanced across the room and asked, \u201cYou ready to go, Georgie?\u201d Georgie\u2019s head nodded.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWas Georgie having a problem similar to Joe\u2019s?\u201d Adam inquired as he watched the two children gather their books.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cUmm, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI had a restless night too, Miss Jones.\u201d Georgie\u2019s assertion came rapidly and somewhat breathlessly. \u201cWell, good-bye, Miss Jones.\u201d Georgie\u2019s farewell was echoed by Little Joe and then Adam as the three quickly exited the schoolhouse.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~~~CCC~~~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On the ride home, Adam noticed that his little brother chattered much less than normal while his usually quiet friend talked almost nonstop. When they reached the point where the two children separated each day to head to their own homes, Adam pulled Sport up short.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, umm, bye. I\u2019ll see you tomorrow, Little Joe.\u201d Adam caught the glance Georgie threw in Little Joe\u2019s direction. He leaned over and caught the headstall on Georgie\u2019s horse.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJust a minute.\u201d He pinned Georgie with a stare. \u201cWith Joe and you being so tired today, I think it would be a good idea for the three of us to take a little break before we continue. Those trees over there seem like just the place.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI,I,I…my mother will be expecting me. I have to….\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDo what I say, Georgiana.\u201d Adam\u2019s voice while not loud was entirely commanding. Georgie capitulated immediately, and seconds later the three of them were dismounting in the shade of a small stand of trees.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam motioned Joe and Georgie in front of him and then placed his hands on his hips. \u201cI\u2019m not going to ask you if you did it because I don\u2019t care to be lied to.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe risked a soft response, \u201cI don\u2019t lie to ya, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam blew out a deep breath. \u201cI\u2019m not asking how you did it; the details can wait until later.\u201d He drew in another breath, \u201cI want to know why you did it.\u201d Little Joe and Georgie shared a glance.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam, she\u2019s, she\u2019s insufferable!\u201d Georgie declared. \u201cAnnabel\u2019s a\u2026\u201d Georgie managed to swallow her first choice of description and continued, \u201cWell, she’s a witch, a prissy, condescending, conniving, mean-mouthed witch, and she deserved more than she got.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s a bully, Adam.\u201d Joe threw in for good measure, and upon seeing the look that came to his brother\u2019s face, he added, \u201cWell, a girl\u2019s kind of bully but a bully still and all.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam shook his head slowly, and his arms moved across his chest. \u201cSo, you two decided to take it upon yourselves to deliver her comeuppance, uh?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt was my idea.\u201d Georgie\u2019s admission was barely audible. \u201cJoe…\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWas needed to shimmy up the flagpole.\u201d The coolness in Adam\u2019s voice had dropped thirty degrees. Little Joe recognized the freezing anger in his brother\u2019s tone.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam, we…we just…it was a prank is all.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cA prank!\u201d Adam straightened, and Georgie was sure he had grown at least two feet with the movement. She wilted as the tirade rained down on her and Joe\u2019s heads. \u201cThe two of you sneak out at night. You left by the bedroom window, didn\u2019t you, Joe? Your second story window, and I doubt you sashayed out the front door either, missy. You sneak out to go gallivanting about in the night, to go to town in the dead of night…\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe went around town,\u201d Little Joe managed to force out the words though they trembled like aspens in a strong breeze.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNow that grand precaution made it ever so safe!\u201d Sarcasm honed Adam\u2019s voice to a fine edge. \u201cAnd what measures did you take to make shimmying up that flagpole anything but just plain stupid?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe used Hoss\u2019s belt.\u201d Georgie\u2019s response halted the flow of Adam\u2019s rebuke.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHoss\u2019s belt?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt went around Joe and the pole.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a good climber, Adam. I \u2018ve climbed…\u201d The look on his brother\u2019s face dammed Joe\u2019s mouth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou have no idea. Neither one of you. You have no idea.\u201d Adam spun on his heel and took two steps away as his fingers curled into fists. \u201cYou could have broken your neck.\u201d Adam\u2019s voice was low and flat with control. \u201cOr your back. The two of you could have. . .\u201d He bit off the thought and turned toward them again. \u201cYou\u2019re both old enough to know the danger in what you did. And all of it done to embarrass a girl you don\u2019t like by hanging a pair of bloomers from a flagpole.\u201d Adam\u2019s glare settled directly on Little Joe. \u201cPa\u2019s going to hang your skinned hide on the side of the barn, little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe winced. \u201cPa don\u2019t know, Adam.\u201d The words hung in the air between the two brothers. Joe walked through them to come within an inch of Adam. In a whisper that would carry to only his brother\u2019s ears, he said, \u201cGeorgie\u2019s pa, he uses more than his hand.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou both need your drawers set on fire with you in them.\u201d Adam\u2019s anger was hot this time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPlease, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam made the mistake of looking at Georgiana. He had never become accustomed to making girls cry. His hand went to the bridge of his nose. \u201cIf you\u2026 the two of you already think you can get away with\u2026Lord knows what you\u2019ll do next if I let you get away with this.\u201d Little Joe\u2019s mouth opened, but before he could speak Adam\u2019s finger jabbed the air in front of Joe\u2019s face. \u201cNo, no, don\u2019t you dare even try promising me that you won\u2019t do it again because all you would mean is that you wouldn\u2019t sneak out and hang Annabel Hampton\u2019s bloomers from a flagpole again not one darn thing more.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam turned away and walked to the edge of the trees. He stood staring toward the road as his fist repeatedly pounded the side of the nearest tree. Little Joe gazed at Georgie, then at his brother, and then back toward Georgie. Georgie slowly walked to stand directly behind Adam.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI am sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Turning, Adam glared down at the girl. \u201cSorry you did it or sorry you\u2019re caught out?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Georgie twisted the skirt of her dress and gazed at Adam\u2019s boots. \u201cSorry I got Joe to do it. He…\u201d the remainder of her words was lost in a sob.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam\u2019s hand reached out and forced her eyes to his. \u201cWhen you break a doll, little girl, you fix it or buy a new one. It\u2019s not the same with little brothers and friends.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Georgie winced as if he had struck her. She trembled, and her words tumbled into the air, \u201cI won\u2019t\u2026 not ever.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n His hand still held her chin. \u201cLittle girls can get broken too.\u201d He released her, and she buried her face in her hands.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam. Please,\u201d Little Joe begged softly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This time Adam caught Georgie by her upper arms, and she looked up at him reflexively. \u201cIf you ever do anything remotely like this again, I\u2019ll see you answer not just to your pa but to me. I don\u2019t care if it\u2019s twenty years from now; you\u2019ll answer to me.\u201d He dropped his hands back to his sides. He drew in a breath and then asked, \u201cDid either of you tell anyone else, anyone, that it was you?\u201d Adam\u2019s gaze was fixed on his brother.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d Georgie managed to articulate the single syllable.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d Adam\u2019s eyebrow rose slowly. \u201cNo, Georgie made me promise not to even hint.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam walked over to Sport and took down his canteen. He pulled a linen handkerchief from his pocket and poured water over it. Walking back to Georgie, he handed the wet cloth to her. \u201cWipe your face.\u201d She obeyed automatically and then handed it back to him. \u201cNow, go home. Just go home.\u201d Georgie did not respond verbally. She just looked over at Little Joe, mounted her horse, and rode off toward home. Adam and Joe watched in silence until she was out of sight.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe spoke first, \u201cYou\u2019re not gonna tell Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe stiffened his spine and asked, \u201cYou gonna give me my lickin\u2019 now or later?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam had not turned toward Little Joe, so Joe could not read his brother\u2019s face when he said, \u201cI didn\u2019t punish Georgie.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s not your brother and, well, she\u2019s a girl. You ain\u2019t never punished a girl; you\u2019ve blistered me more than once.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t be fair though.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa always says it don\u2019t matter if the other person does or doesn\u2019t iffen I deserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTrue.\u201d He turned and studied Joe\u2019s face. \u201cI don\u2019t intend to punish you. I won\u2019t tell Pa.\u201d Adam gestured toward the horses, walked over to Sport, and mounted. Little Joe followed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t say it, Joe. Don\u2019t tell me thank you.\u201d Adam\u2019s heels set Sport into motion so quickly that Little Joe\u2019s horse shied.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n ~~~CCC~~~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam watched Georgie drop the doll; only when he reached the bottom of the flagpole, it was not a doll that lay broken on the ground but his baby brother. \u201cJOE!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam\u2019s body lifted forward as he woke. He leaned back against the headboard of his bed and ran his hand over his face hoping he had not actually called out in his sleep. He had.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben Cartwright rapped once on his eldest son\u2019s door before opening it and stepping inside. \u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa, it was a dream. I\u2026I\u2019m sorry I woke you.\u201d Adam\u2019s response did not halt Ben\u2019s movement. He strode across the room and lit the lamp on the bedside table. \u201cPa, it was nothing really.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou called out for Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDid I? Well, it\u2019s a good thing he sleeps sound.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben lowered himself to sit on the edge of Adam\u2019s bed. \u201cAnd why aren\u2019t you sleeping soundly, son, and what does it have to do with your brother?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa, I had a dream, a bad dream\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSomething\u2019s been bothering you since you got back from town. I\u2019m not blind, Adam, and I\u2019ve been your father far too long not to notice when you\u2019re troubled. For that matter, Little Joe\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa\u2026 you\u2019re right. Little Joe and I, we, well, you know us, Pa.\u201d Adam swallowed. \u201cI\u2019ll talk to Joe in the morning and get things settled.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben\u2019s eyebrows drew together. \u201cYou\u2019re equivocating.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam rolled his eyes, Ben glared, and Adam shrugged. \u201cOkay, but, well, Pa it\u2019s this way. I promised Joe I wouldn\u2019t tell you something, so I\u2019m asking that you trust me and let it be.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2018You were scared, Adam. When you shouted Joe\u2019s name, it was in fear.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI worry about him too, Pa, almost as much as you do.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI worry just as much about you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam\u2019s right eyebrow rose. \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAs much if not as often.\u201d Ben sighed. \u201cI\u2019ve always trusted you when it comes to your brothers. You\u2019ll see to whatever it is?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes, Pa.\u201d It had been some years since Adam had truly sounded that obedient.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAll right then.\u201d Ben rose. \u201cGood night, Son.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam watched his father depart and then turned out the light. He crossed his arms behind his head and stared toward the opposite wall.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n ~~~CCC~~~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe felt someone tugging his ankle. He kicked out. This time the hand tugged his foot from beneath the bedclothes and started tickling the sole.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cStop it! Hey! Stop it!\u201d Joe opened his eyes and saw his elder brother seated at the bottom of his bed. \u201cAdam!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam released Joe\u2019s ankle. \u201cMorning, Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe could tell by the weak light seeping in the window that it was very early. \u201cWhatcha want, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTo talk.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTalk?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTalk.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa knows something happened.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe sat up and pulled his knees to his chin. \u201cYou\u2019re gonna tell him then?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo, but I need\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTo give me a lickin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cProbably, but I\u2019m not going to.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe looked through the fringe of his tousled hair. \u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam\u2019s smile held sadness. \u201cGuess I just haven\u2019t got the heart to this time.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThen…?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI need you to do something for me, Little Buddy.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cConvince me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe came forward onto his knees. \u201cAdam, I\u2019m not gonna\u2026I promise I\u2019m not gonna do anything like climbing that flagpole again.\u201d Little Joe saw no change in his brother\u2019s eyes. \u201cI can cross my heart and spit in my hand,\u201d he offered.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam shook his head and smiled. This time his dimple showed. \u201cI worry, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI try, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam reached out and drew his brother into a hug. \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOWWWW!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe suck in a lungful of air as his hand went to his backside. Adam released his brother and said, \u201cI\u2019m going to fix your window, so it won\u2019t open high enough for you to sneak out. Don\u2019t tell Pa, or I\u2019ll tell him why.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t be able to breathe come summer,\u201d Little Joe whined.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBe good until then, and I may relent.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe\u2019s bottom lip slipped forward as he rubbed the slap\u2019s sting. \u201cIt ain\u2019t like you ain\u2019t never given me cause to worry.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam looked back over his shoulder. \u201cI\u2019m the big brother.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAin\u2019t you though,\u201d Little Joe grumbled and rubbed harder.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n