Summary:\u00a0 Adam finds a woman to love who has no reason to leave him. When she’s taken away, he’s left wondering if he’ll ever get her back…and if she’ll want to come back.<\/p>\n
Rating:\u00a0 T \u00a0WC \u00a030,000<\/p>\n
Lost and Found Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n Lost and Found<\/a> <\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Lost and Found<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chapter One<\/p>\n Adam and Joe wandered way down into the south pasture looking for strays after finding a hole in a fence miles away. This distance was much too far to reasonably find any cows, but they were looking anyway. Something had drawn Adam to the south pasture today; a niggling feeling in the back of his head. He stopped and looked across the field. At first all he saw was the untouched, tall, spring green grass in the distance. But, there, off at the other end of the pasture, he saw movement. He squinted against the bright sun shining in his face.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe!\u201d he said sharply, nodding toward the figure.<\/p>\n Both men dug their heels into the sides of their horses and rode hard across the pasture. Adam watched as a woman staggered, dropped to her knees, crawling, then collapsed, disappearing into the tall grass. When he reached her, he jumped down from Sport and knelt beside her, turning her over and holding her in his arms.<\/p>\n \u201cShe looks like she\u2019s been through hell. Is she alive?\u201d asked Joe, kneeling beside Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but just barely. Hand me the canteen. Let\u2019s see if we can get some water in her. Miss, can you hear me?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Joe returned with the canteen and handed it to Adam, who uncorked it and wet his hand, brushing her cracked lips with moisture. He got no response. \u201cJoe, ride in to town and get the doctor. I\u2019ll get her back to the house.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe mounted Cochise and rode away, while Adam knelt, holding her. Looking at her face, he knew he had never seen her before, but he still had that nagging in the back of his head\u2026he was supposed to be here\u2026to find her.<\/p>\n Only a few minutes passed after he got her back to the ranch house before the doctor and Joe arrived. Adam had just lain her down on the bed when they came rushing through the front door and up the stairs.<\/p>\n \u201cWho is she?\u201d asked Dr. Paul Martin.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t know. I\u2019ve never seen her before,\u201d answered Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cYou boys go on back downstairs. I\u2019ll be down in a little while.\u201d \u201cWell, boys, it\u2019s lucky you found her when you did. She\u2019s been without any appreciable amount of food and water for a few days. Much longer and she wouldn\u2019t have made it. I was able to get some water in her, so I think she\u2019s going to pull through. But you\u2019ll have to watch her and keep trying to get her to drink. I don\u2019t know how long she\u2019ll be out.\u201d Dr. Martin walked to the front door. \u201cWhen she comes to, try to get some broth in her. Give her as much as she\u2019ll take. I\u2019ll be back tomorrow morning to check on her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Doc,\u201d said Adam, walking the doctor to the door.<\/p>\n After he closed it, he turned to Joe. \u201cWell, Hoss and Pa won\u2019t be back from San Francisco until the weekend, so it\u2019s just you and me for the rest of the week.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam went to his room and collected several books, taking them into her room. Moving a chair closer to the bed, he piled the books in the floor next to him, then got comfortable. He studied her face, sure he didn\u2019t know her, but still, there was something he felt he was supposed to know. He spent the next few hours watching her, trying to answer the voice in his mind. Adam Cartwright had never been lucky at love. He had his share of acquaintances, and had no problem finding a local girl to escort to the numerous dances and church picnics. But none of those women inspired him to get to know them any deeper. The ones that had, always left him for one reason or another. He had resigned himself to the life of a bachelor; a very private bachelor. It was difficult to allow his most personal desires to be known, and when he found someone with whom he felt he could share his deepest feelings, something always went wrong, so he stopped trying.<\/p>\n He knew that none of the cattle could have gotten to the south pasture from clear across the Ponderosa where they had found the break in the fence. But, every time he had started to turn back, something told him to go just a little further. He had never really believed in fate before, but now he was wondering. He was supposed to find her, and he needed to know why. She was the only one who could solve the mystery, so he would wait until she came to\u2026as long as it took.<\/p>\n Dr. Martin came by the next morning as he had promised, but she had not stirred since he left. Joe and Adam had been giving her water with difficulty, and Dr. Martin gave her more, but there was nothing else he could do\u2026and so, Adam waited. He moved to the side of the bed. \u201cMy name is Adam Cartwright and you\u2019re at the Ponderosa. We found you on our land. Can you tell me your name?\u201d<\/p>\n She opened her mouth to speak, but instead went into a coughing fit. As she struggled to sit up, Adam pulled her forward and held her up, taking the water glass from the side table and holding it to her lips. She glanced up at him while taking a sip of the water as Adam held the glass. When she stopped coughing, he gently laid her back, waiting for her to speak.<\/p>\n \u201cMy name\u2026\u201d she started, her throat so raw she could barely make a sound. She struggled to sit up again, and Adam held her up while he fluffed a pillow behind her, slowly easing her back. \u201cDon\u2019t try to speak yet. Here. Try more water,\u201d he said, handing her the glass.<\/p>\n She drank as she watched him. He had a kind face and kind eyes. She didn\u2019t know why, but she was comfortable with him; he didn\u2019t frighten her at all. She cleared her throat, and tried again, managing a whisper. \u201cMy name is Rebecca Jennings.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlright, Miss Jennings. The first thing we need to do is get some broth in you. How long has it been since you\u2019ve eaten?\u201d<\/p>\n She smiled timidly. \u201cA while,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be right back, then,\u201d he said, smiling.<\/p>\n Chapter 3 by MonicaSJ Dr. Martin came down the stairs with a smile on his face. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have believed it if I hadn\u2019t seen it with my own eyes, but that young lady has made a remarkable recovery. Keep her confined to the house for a few more days. I don\u2019t want her doing too much. And give her some solid food; maybe some of Hop Sing\u2019s chicken soup first. If she handles that, start adding more. Adam, I have to tell you, that young woman\u2019s attitude is probably why she survived this.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smiled and nodded.<\/p>\n Ben walked the doctor to the door, then turned back to Adam. \u201cWhat did he mean by that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa, almost from the moment she woke up, she\u2019s had a smile on her face. You\u2019d think she would have been upset, or at least nervous that she was in a strange bed in a strange house surrounded by strange people. She was calm from the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben raised his eyebrows and took a deep breath. \u201cHas she told you what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, but I haven\u2019t really asked. I didn\u2019t want to upset her until she was stronger.\u201d He made his way to the stairs and started to climb. \u201cIt sounds like she\u2019s strong enough to talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam knocked at the door.<\/p>\n \u201cCome in.\u201d<\/p>\n He stuck his head in the door first, found her looking at him, and stepped in, sitting on the chair next to the bed. \u201cDoc says you\u2019re doing great. How do you feel about some chicken soup?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat would be nice,\u201d she said, smiling, \u201cBut please, don\u2019t go to any trouble on my account. You\u2019ve already done enough for me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s no trouble at all. Do you feel like talking?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure. What would you like to talk about?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam breathed deeply, looking into her eyes. She blushed and looked away. \u201cI\u2019m sorry; I didn\u2019t mean to stare. It\u2019s just that I\u2019ve never seen eyes like yours. They\u2019re quite beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, they\u2019re different. But beautiful\u2026.\u201d She shook her head.<\/p>\n Adam narrowed his eyes, slightly smiling. \u201cThey are.\u201d He paused, letting that sink in. He got the feeling that she hadn\u2019t been paid too many compliments. \u201cCan you tell me what happened to you?\u201d<\/p>\n She looked down at her hands in her lap. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing to fix, if that\u2019s what you\u2019re looking for. What\u2019s done is done, and there\u2019s no changing it. I\u2019d really like to put it behind me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRebecca, do you realize you could\u2019ve died if we hadn\u2019t found you when we did? Something happened to you to make you travel as far as you must have. Please, tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll tell you if you promise we can just move on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t make that promise. Not until I hear what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo one\u2026abused me, if that\u2019s what you\u2019re asking.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, that does make me feel a little better, at least.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy do you want to know this, Adam? It really isn\u2019t going to make any difference.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked into her eyes again, trying to make that connection they had shared when she first opened them. \u201cI can\u2019t explain it. I just need to know.\u201d<\/p>\n She broke their gaze and took a breath. \u201cWell, it\u2019s short. There\u2019s not that much to tell. My father and brother and I were living at my father\u2019s claim up in the mountains. He had been looking for gold or silver for almost a year and hadn\u2019t found any. He and my brother argued, and lately, the arguments had gotten worse. This time, my brother left. He took our wagon and our horse. Most of our supplies were on the wagon. He didn\u2019t come back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s your father?\u201d<\/p>\n She raised her chin with a determined look. \u201cHe died.\u201d Adam noticed the muscles in her jaw flex and knew she was trying not to cry. \u201cWe ran out of supplies, and when our water ran out, neither of us was strong enough to go for water and get back\u2026the spring was over a mile away. When Pa died, I dug a shallow grave\u2026I didn\u2019t really have much of a shovel\u2026the good one was on the back of the wagon and the ground was rocks and clay. Anyway, I dug as much of a hole as I could. I buried him, and then covered him with rocks. Then I took the canteen and went to the spring. I walked south\u2026I lost track of time, so I don\u2019t know how long I walked. The canteen started to leak, so I drank whenever I found water. There wasn\u2019t much along the way. Then I saw the green field and thought there had to be water there somewhere. That\u2019s when I saw you at the other end of the field. Then I saw you again, sitting right there, watching me.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s smile quickly changed to a frown. \u201cSo, your brother left you and your father to die up there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know that. Robbie was angry when he left. He and Pa argued all the time about working a worthless claim. I have no idea why he didn\u2019t come back. Maybe he couldn\u2019t. At this point, it doesn\u2019t really matter. Nothing can change what\u2019s already happened, and there\u2019s no point dwelling on it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRebecca, your brother caused your father\u2019s death and pretty nearly caused yours. He should be held accountable for that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, I believe things happen for a reason. We\u2019re all put on this earth with a purpose; one that we may never know. Pa fulfilled his purpose and went to his reward. Evidently, I haven\u2019t fulfilled mine, \u2018cause here I am\u2026still.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam chewed on the inside of his mouth. Her words reminded him of that feeling he had the day he found her; the voice telling him to keep going when he knew there was no point. It seemed there was a point\u2026a purpose. \u201cWell, I don\u2019t want to tire you out before you\u2019ve had a chance to eat some real food. I\u2019ll be back in a little while with some soup.\u201d He stood next to the bed and looked down at her, smiling warmly. \u201cGet some rest.\u201d Rebecca made steady progress and soon joined the Cartwrights at the table for meals. She had become adept at deflecting or altogether avoiding any discussion about her brother. Adam\u2019s next attempt was a bit more subtle.<\/p>\n \u201cIf your brother is in town, would you want to see him\u2026maybe to find out what happened?\u201d asked Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose it would be nice to know if he\u2019s alright,\u201d answered Rebecca.<\/p>\n Adam flared his nostrils, looking down at his plate. Why wasn\u2019t she angry? Why would she say it would be nice to know if he was alright when he left her to die? He took a deep breath before he looked up, hoping she hadn\u2019t seen his aggravation. \u201cWhat does he look like?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, well that\u2019s easy. He looks like me only his hair is shorter\u2026and his eyes are green.\u201d She looked at Adam, seeing his furrowed brow. \u201cWe\u2019re twins.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam raised his eyebrows and mouthed the word \u2018Oh\u2019, then looked at his father. \u201cI\u2019ll ask around town\u2026see if anyone has noticed any strangers that have stayed awhile.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, please don\u2019t go looking for trouble. I know you believe he should be held accountable, but you don\u2019t know what the whole story is.\u201d She put her fork down and bowed her head. \u201cI\u2019m not trying to provoke you, but even if he had been able to come back for us, I\u2026I won\u2019t press charges.\u201d Adam stopped in mid-chew and glared at her, but before he could say anything, she answered his glare. \u201cHe\u2019s my brother, Adam. He\u2019s all the family I have left. And if you insist on looking for this kind of trouble, well, then\u2026you can just stop. It\u2019s time for me to move on anyway. I\u2019m all better, so there\u2019s no reason to stay. Excuse me,\u201d she said, wiping her mouth, dropping her napkin on the table and walking out the front door.<\/p>\n Hoss and Joe both looked at Adam with a sneer. His father looked like an angry bull complete with steam coming out of his ears. \u201cShe\u2019s not well enough to leave,\u201d growled Ben.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. Where\u2019s she gonna go?\u201d added Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cExcuse me,\u201d said Adam, throwing his napkin to the table and looking back at them indignantly. \u201cI have no intention of letting her leave. Not like this, anyway.\u201d He hurried to the door, walking out onto the porch, looking around. She wasn\u2019t anywhere in the yard. He walked into the barn, calling her. She wasn\u2019t there either. Finally, he went beyond the barn and looked down the road. He rolled his eyes and placed his hands on his hips when he saw her walking away from him. \u201cRebecca!\u201d She continued to walk, so he took off after her, finally stopping and standing in front of her. \u201cRebecca, I want you to come back to the house.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Adam, I\u2019m not angry with you,\u201d she said, smiling innocently up at him. \u201cIt is time I found my own way. I\u2019m fine, and you and your family have done enough already.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRebecca, you don\u2019t have anything. How could you possibly survive on your own?\u201d<\/p>\n She laughed. \u201cI\u2019ve survived with next to nothing my whole life\u2026at least, the part that I remember. I don\u2019t need much to live, Adam. And you\u2019d be surprised at what you can do with the things people throw out. But, I\u2019ll tell you\u2026there\u2019s no room in my life for revenge or vengeance, and that\u2019s all it\u2019ll be if you go looking for Robbie. I\u2019m sorry, Adam, but I\u2019m just not that kind. I know you bought me this dress, and if Hop Sing hadn\u2019t burned my other one, I\u2019d be wearing it. I\u2026I\u2019ll find some way to pay you back, I promise,\u201d she finished, looking up into his eyes.<\/p>\n Honesty. Pure honesty was all he saw in her eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, you go on back home and tell your family I said \u2018thank you\u2019 for all their kindness.\u201d She sidestepped him and continued to walk down the road.<\/p>\n He cocked his head wondering how he could possibly reason with someone who didn\u2019t need anything to live. \u201cRebecca\u2026\u201d he called, turning to catch up and walking beside her. \u201cWhat if I help you get on your feet?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh, then you\u2019d still be helping. Adam, you have your own work to do. There\u2019s no point in you worrying over me anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut wouldn\u2019t it be better if you stayed and made friends? Found a place around here you could call home?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I don\u2019t really think I\u2019ll get far right off, Adam. As you pointed out, I don\u2019t have anything. It might take me a few days to find the things I\u2019ll need. But, when I do, I don\u2019t need to be around a lot of people. I\u2019ve only had Robbie and Pa. I don\u2019t think I\u2019d have anything in common with the women in a city.\u201d She giggled. \u201cI\u2019ll bet none of them has ever trapped and killed an animal for its pelt. And I\u2019ll bet most of them have never cooked an entire meal on an outside fire\u2026or bathed in a creek.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019d be surprised. Virginia City started as a mining camp. Still, I\u2019d feel better if you\u2019d come back to the house. You\u2019ve never had to survive on your own without your father or brother. Weren\u2019t there things they did that you don\u2019t do?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, not really. Other than digging for gold.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam grabbed her hand and spun her around. \u201cRebecca\u2026I\u2019m not about to let a woman just walk away with nothing and nowhere to go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re a chivalrous man. And you\u2019re very sweet. But, I\u2019m not\u2026\u201d She squealed when Adam bent over, tossing her over his shoulder and began walking back up the road toward the house. She pushed herself up with her hands on his back. \u201cNow, Adam. I\u2019m not one to lose my temper, but I can be pushed to it,\u201d she threatened.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re going to yell at me for trying to take care of you, but you won\u2019t yell at your brother for trying to kill you.\u201d<\/p>\n She crossed her arms and hung upside down for the remainder of the trip back into the house. When Adam walked in the door, he made no move to put her down. Instead he walked to the dining room table. \u201cWould any of you like to try to reason with her?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben stood up and walked over to Adam. \u201cPut her down, Adam.\u201d Before he bent to set her on the floor, Adam looked at his father from underneath his brows. Ben took her hand and pulled her over to the chair she had occupied at the table. He motioned to the chair, and she just looked at him. \u201cPlease. I\u2019d like to talk to you.\u201d<\/p>\n When everyone was seated, Ben asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s the harm in staying a little while, at least until Dr. Martin says you\u2019re well enough to travel?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere certainly is no harm, Mr. Cartwright, and I sincerely hope I haven\u2019t implied that. It\u2019s just that there\u2019s no reason to stay any longer. I\u2019m fine and perfectly able to take care of myself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure that\u2019s true, Rebecca, but there\u2019s just too much danger for a woman to go wondering through the wilderness out here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wandered through much more wilderness on the way here. The only stranger I met was Adam, and he saved my life.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sat with his elbow propped on the table, resting his chin in his hand with his eyebrows raised at the inability of his father to work around her reasoning.<\/p>\n Then Joe spoke up. \u201cAll that may be true, but the bottom line is that we like you. And we\u2019d like you to stay for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. Well, then.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam and Ben looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Adam wandered out on the front porch just before going upstairs to bed. He was surprised to find Rebecca leaning against a tree in the yard. \u201cNice evening, isn\u2019t it?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, it is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was wondering if you\u2019d like to go to church with me Sunday. It would get you away from here for a while, and I could introduce you to people in town.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very beautiful here, so getting away isn\u2019t all that important. And, I\u2019m not sure I should get invested in friendships in town. I don\u2019t know that I\u2019ll be staying that long. Besides, I don\u2019t have another dress that would be suitable for church.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRebecca, why don\u2019t you try saying \u2018yes\u2019 for a change instead of trying to reason your way around things? I think a ride will do you good, and it\u2019s always good to be around nice people. And we can go into town tomorrow to get you more clothes. I\u2019d like to do that anyway. I\u2019d like to show you the Ponderosa. Do you ride?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean a horse?\u201d He nodded. \u201cNo, I\u2019ve never ridden a horse, but I do know how to drive a wagon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen, I\u2019ll teach you to ride. Unless, of course, when you leave, you\u2019re planning to earn enough money to buy a wagon?\u201d<\/p>\n She smiled. \u201cAlright. But only if you let me earn my keep around here and pay you back for the clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not necessary. I\u2019m happy to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, the first time I saw you, I knew you were a kind man. You have kind eyes and a kind face. But, I\u2019m not going to take advantage of your kindness. I need to earn my own way. It\u2019s important to me. What I don\u2019t understand is why doing all this is so important to you. I\u2019m nothing more than a poor miner\u2019s daughter who just happened to wander into your pasture. You don\u2019t know anything about me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know enough to know that you deserve a break. I\u2019ll bet you\u2019ve been taking care of your father and brother most of your life without complaint. Now, your father is gone, and your brother\u2026.\u201d He stopped when she cut her eyes up to his. \u201cI wasn\u2019t in that pasture by chance the day you wandered in. Something drove me there, and it had nothing to do with stray cattle. You said everything happens for a reason. We\u2019ll, there was a reason I was drawn to the pasture to find you. And I\u2019d like to know what that reason is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, unfortunately, we don\u2019t always find out what some of the reasons in our lives are.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat may be true. But, as long as you\u2019re here, I have a chance to figure it out.\u201d He took her hand in his. \u201cPlease. Ride into town with me tomorrow. We\u2019ll get you something for church and something to ride in, then we\u2019ll take a picnic lunch out to the lake, and I\u2019ll show you the Ponderosa.\u201d Adam stopped the buggy just up the street from the dress shop, and he and Rebecca walked back down the boardwalk. She stopped for a moment, looking into a window. \u201cWhat\u2019s caught your eye in there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, it\u2019s nothing. That\u2019s a pretty color of blue,\u201d she said pointing to a scarf. \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever seen that shade.\u201d<\/p>\n While Rebecca was in the dress shop trying on dresses, Adam excused himself to get the Ponderosa mail. On the way back, he stopped at the store where she had seen the scarf and came out with gift-wrapped box. He stepped out of the store, smiling down at the box, then hurried back to the buggy where he hid it under the seat.<\/p>\n By the time he got back to the dress shop, Rebecca\u2019s new clothes were boxed up and ready to go. \u201cAdam, I\u2019m sorry for all this. I had forgotten all the things that properly go under a woman\u2019s dress, and I didn\u2019t want to embarrass you at church tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFirst, I don\u2019t think you could embarrass me, and second, if Mrs. Lewis says this is what you need, then who am I to question?\u201d he said, winking at the shop owner.<\/p>\n When Adam handed Mrs. Lewis cash, Rebecca\u2019s mouth fell open, and she quickly turned away. Adam didn\u2019t notice. He picked up the boxes and followed her to the buggy. When he had the packages in the back, he turned to help her up, and noticed her eyes were moist. \u201cBecca, what\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat was a lot of money. I don\u2019t know how long it will take me to pay that back.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smiled warmly at her. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to pay that back. Just consider it a gift.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t accept that kind of a gift. It\u2019s too much. You don\u2019t even know me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got the rest of the day to get to know you. I picked up a picnic lunch while you were trying on dresses. So, all we have to do is enjoy the rest of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n He held out his hand for hers, and she timidly gave in, climbing up into the buggy with Adam following her up. \u201cYou called me \u2018Becca\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid I? Becca feels right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe only person who ever called me Becca was my father. He said it was easier to differentiate between the two names when they both didn\u2019t start with \u2018R\u2019. In other words, when he was angry, Becca and Robbie was easier to yell than Rebecca and Robbie, though most of the time he was yelling at Robbie.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about your mother?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI never knew my mother. She died when Robbie and I were born.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n She smiled. \u201cIt\u2019s alright. It\u2019s hard to miss someone you never knew.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u201d She looked at him quizzically. \u201cMy mother died giving birth to me as well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, Hoss and Joe aren\u2019t\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re half-brothers. We all had different mothers. Hoss was a baby when his mother died and Joe was five when his died. How long was your family in the mountains?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnly about a year. We started in San Francisco. Ma and Pa were both from there, at least I think they were. My father was a sailor, but when he met my mother, he took a job on the docks. Pa had always dreamed of owning land of his own; getting out of the city. When he finally had enough money to buy land, we left, but it took some time to get here. By the time Robbie was sixteen, he was stealing Pa\u2019s money, drinking and gambling. When Pa finally found out, most of it was gone. So, he took what work he could get until he had enough saved again and told Robbie he\u2019d kill him if he touched it. Pa spent most of his money on that piece of land, hoping to find gold or silver. All he found was rocks and clay.\u201d She looked over at him. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. Here I am rambling on about myself. What about you? Are you from here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMostly, yes, but I was born in Boston. My father was a sailor\u2026first mate on my grandfather\u2019s ship. We left shortly after I was born, chasing a dream of owning a piece of land. The first seven years of my life were spent traveling across the country. Pa would take odd jobs when we needed money. He met Hoss\u2019s mother on the way. She was killed by Indians.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou thought of her as your mother, didn\u2019t you?\u201d Adam nodded. \u201cSo, you do know that loss. Maybe twice? When Joe\u2019s mother died?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe was killed in a riding accident.\u201d<\/p>\n They spent the next few minutes in silence until Rebecca spoke. \u201cHow long will it be before we\u2019re back on the Ponderosa?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam chuckled. \u201cWe\u2019ve been on the Ponderosa for the last few miles. We\u2019re still another hour away from the lake.\u201d<\/p>\n She sat up straight, looking at him with wide eyes. \u201cHow big is the Ponderosa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAbout a thousand square miles.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI guess your father realized his dream. You know, Adam, maybe this is a bad idea.\u201d<\/p>\n He turned to her with creased eyebrows. \u201cWhy would you say that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI had no idea you were\u2026wealthy. I mean, the house is a beautiful, big house, so I knew you were pretty well off. But, not like this. I don\u2019t want to take advantage of you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI happen to remember a young woman trying her best to walk away, and the only reason she didn\u2019t is because I was bigger.\u201d Still, Adam knew she had a new discomfort as she was silent until they reached the lake. Adam spread out a blanket on the soft ground near the water, then brought the picnic basket over from the buggy. He took her hand, knelt on the blanket, then beckoned her to join him. They enjoyed a lunch of cold fried chicken, potato salad, and grapes along with a bottle of wine.<\/p>\n Adam noticed how taken she was with the lake, watching her repeatedly turning to look. \u201cIt\u2019s called the Jewel of the Sierra, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I didn\u2019t, but I understand why. It\u2019s probably the most beautiful body of water I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat makes it so beautiful for you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe colors. This whole place\u2026your Ponderosa\u2026your Sierra. My mother was an artist. My father always said she taught him how to really see. He taught me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, look there,\u201d she said, pointing to the middle of the lake where the sun shone down through fluffy white clouds.\u201d Adam moved up behind her, looking over her shoulder. \u201cWhere the light hits the water, what do you see?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see the light sparkling off the water.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you see the colors? There\u2019s a whole palette of colors in those sparkles. It\u2019s bright white on the surface, but look at the top of the little peaks. Do you see the light green? Right below that is a slightly deeper green all the way down to a beautiful emerald color. Then it starts to change to blue, almost teal, before it gets to that deep, royal blue. There\u2019s a study in greens and blues hidden underneath that sparkle you see. And look right here at the shore. Even the green isn\u2019t the same over the rocks as it is over the sand. There\u2019s two different hues.\u201d She turned and smiled, catching her breath when she realized his face was right next to hers.<\/p>\n \u201cGo on, please,\u201d he said, looking into her eyes.<\/p>\n Though she was feeling a little lightheaded, breathing deeply, but evenly, she turned back to the water. \u201cNow, look again. If you add the shadows from the clouds, the colors change slightly. If you can look more deeply into it, you can see the colors actually changing as the light flickers from behind and in front of the clouds. You should be seeing sparkling colors, not a sparkling white light.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam looked and watched, studying the water as the light moved. Then he saw it, the sparkles changing from white to blues and greens. He looked back at her in surprise, then looked back at the water. He couldn\u2019t see the white sparkle anymore. Only the colors. \u201cDo you see everything that way?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I do. There\u2019s beauty in even the starkest landscapes. Now, listen. Tell me what you hear.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam held his breath. \u201cI hear the water lapping at the shore. I hear the breeze in the trees.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s it?\u201d<\/p>\n He laughed. \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cClose your eyes and listen with me. You hear the lapping of the water on the shore. Concentrate on that sound and tell me what else you hear with that sound. \u201cThere,\u201d she whispered. \u201cAnd there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a floating piece of wood scraping against a rock as those little waves lap at the shore. Sshh. Listen,\u201d she said ever so quietly. \u201cListen to the wind. Do you hear the creaking of the tree as it moves?\u201d Adam grinned. \u201cNow, do you hear that tiny little squeak?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam opened his eyes and turned toward the sound. \u201cUp there,\u201d he said pointing to a tree. \u201cA nest with a chick.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou see, it\u2019s not that you can\u2019t see or hear. It\u2019s just that you\u2019ve never really looked or listened.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow come you never pursued art? I can only surmise that you could be an artist yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere were no schools after we left San Francisco. My father taught me after that, and his resources were limited. I read, but I never thought that I read well. I remember looking at Shakespeare once. I struggled so much with pronouncing all the doths, and whilsts, and hithers and thithers, that I missed the whole point of the writing. This is a little embarrassing, but I\u2026I still stumble a bit when I read.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, maybe I can apply your listening lesson to Shakespeare then. I just happen to have a book of Shakespeare with me. Would you like to hear some?\u201d<\/p>\n Her eyes lit up along with the rest of her face in enchantment. \u201cThat would be a treat.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlright, lie back on the blanket\u2026now close your eyes and just listen.\u201d Adam began to read from his book of Shakespearean monologues choosing a piece from As You Like It. When he finished, he glanced down at Rebecca lying on her back on the blanket, a tear falling down the side of her face. \u201cTell me what you\u2019re thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n She lay quietly for a few minutes. \u201cI\u2019ve heard that before, but never like that. You stepped into that piece; you became the characters.\u201d She turned her head and looked over at him. \u201cYou brought it to life. You have a wonderfully expressive voice, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n He laid the book down next to him, then leaned over next to her. \u201cAnd you brought color to my life. You have wonderful eyes,\u201d he said, as he slowly leaned over her, meeting her lips with just a brief touch of his. He looked back into her eyes, seeing acceptance there, then moved his hand to her cheek and pressed his lips to hers.<\/p>\n Before they left, he took the wrapped gift from the basket and handed it to her. \u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n \u201cOpen it.\u201d When she opened it, she gasped as she looked into the box. Adam took the blue scarf out and tied it around her neck. \u201cWill you wear this when I take you riding?\u201d<\/p>\n She blushed, smiled and nodded. When the Cartwrights arrived at church, Adam helped Rebecca out of the buggy and escorted her to the door. He leaned over to his father. \u201cPa, would you mind introducing Rebecca around?\u201d Ben nodded, and Adam turned to Rebecca. \u201cI\u2019ll be right back. I want to talk to Sheriff Coffee before the service begins.\u201d His intention was to ask about her brother, though he didn\u2019t want her to know that.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be fine. Please, go ahead,\u201d she said, smiling sweetly. She and Ben stepped into the church and looked around, watching all the church-goers milling about talking to each other. He introduced her to people as they came in behind them. She saw an old woman sitting in the front pew by herself. No one had uttered a word to the woman, and she had made no attempt to speak to anyone. Rebecca slipped away to the front of the church.<\/p>\n \u201cExcuse me, Ma\u2019am. Is this seat taken?\u201d she asked the old woman.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, of course not!\u201d replied the old woman sharply.<\/p>\n Rebecca sat down next to her, noticing an odor. She looked at the old woman out of the corner of her eye, and though at first she didn\u2019t notice, she realized that the old woman\u2019s dress was tattered in places and dirty. \u201cMy name is Rebecca Jennings. I\u2019m new here.\u201d<\/p>\n The old woman looked up at her and huffed. \u201cMildred Bailey, and I\u2019m not new here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s nice to meet you, Mrs. Bailey.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy is it nice to meet me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve often thought that when you don\u2019t know anything about a place, but would like to get to know it\u2026not only the people, but the history, you speak to an established person. Those are the most interesting to talk to,\u201d she said, smiling sweetly at Mrs. Bailey.<\/p>\n Adam had returned, and he and his father had been watching Rebecca from just inside the door before they found a seat. \u201cIs Mrs. Bailey smiling?\u201d asked Ben.<\/p>\n The corner of Adam\u2019s mouth turned up. \u201cYes, I believe she is, but it doesn\u2019t surprise me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Pa. You can\u2019t tell me that Becca\u2019s outlook toward\u2026everything\u2026doesn\u2019t make you want to smile.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben snorted and smiled. \u201cI guess it does. Becca?\u201d he asked, raising his eyebrows. Adam turned away and nodded toward an empty pew.<\/p>\n He watched Rebecca and Mrs. Bailey through the entire service. Rebecca held a hymnal and shared it with Mrs. Bailey. She helped Mrs. Bailey stand when the minister indicated. Adam had never seen Mrs. Bailey participate. She was always seated in the same place every Sunday, and she remained there motionless and quiet through the entire service. Today, she stood and sang\u2026and smiled.<\/p>\n At the end of the service, Rebecca stayed up front with Mrs. Bailey for a few minutes before the two got up to leave. \u201cMrs. Bailey, please tell me if I\u2019m prying, but\u2026do you need help? What I mean to say\u2026if you do need help, I\u2019d be more than happy to\u2026and it would help me, too, because I need to find a place to stay. I\u2019ve been staying with the Cartwrights for far too long, and they\u2019ve been very kind, but I should be finding a place of my own. I don\u2019t have any money, but I thought, perhaps, if you need help…maybe I could rent a room from you. Then, we\u2019d be helping each other.\u201d<\/p>\n Mrs. Bailey looked up with a tear in her eye. \u201cMy dear Rebecca, no one has ever cared enough to ask if I needed help, but the truth is, I do. I haven\u2019t been able to do the simplest of things for myself for a long time. Just coming to church is such a hard thing for me to do; it\u2019s gotten to be all I try.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca stood and offered her hands to Mrs. Bailey. \u201cMay I come to see you tomorrow, Mrs. Bailey, and we can talk about it further?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I\u2019d like that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan I see you home? Where do you live?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just down at the end of the street\u2026on the outskirts of town.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam approached them. \u201cI hope I\u2019m not interrupting.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, no, not at all. I was just going to escort Mrs. Bailey home. Then, I\u2019ll be ready to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t we both escort Mrs. Bailey home, then?\u201d When they arrived at Mrs. Bailey\u2019s house, Adam opened the door and tipped his hat. \u201cMrs. Bailey.\u201d<\/p>\n Before she entered the house, she turned and hugged Rebecca. \u201cChild, you are a godsend. I look forward to your visit tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca smiled and nodded as Mrs. Bailey stepped into her house. She turned back to Adam who was waiting on the top step with his arm held out for her. \u201cDo you have any idea how long it\u2019s been since anyone has seen Mrs. Bailey smile?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was apparent that the woman was being ignored, and based on what she said, she\u2019s been ignored for far too long. Do you know what treasures there are in the minds of the elderly\u2026what experiences? I think most people consider them throw-away people. To have survived that long is an accomplishment, and the woman\u2019s life should be celebrated. I just can\u2019t believe no one asked her if she needed help.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam stopped walking and turned to face her. \u201cRebecca Jennings\u2026maybe that\u2019s your purpose. To make up for the disappointment the rest of us are.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Adam, I didn\u2019t mean to preach\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a well deserved sermon,\u201d he said, smiling. After Rebecca\u2019s meeting with Mrs. Bailey, she was all too ready to move in. Mrs. Bailey had, indeed, not been able to do much for herself based on the condition of her house.<\/p>\n When Rebecca had her meager belongings packed the next day, and asked Adam to take her to Mrs. Bailey\u2019s, he was taken by surprise at the quickness of it.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy the rush?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot for me to do there. Mrs. Bailey hasn\u2019t been able to clean at all. Her kitchen is in a shambles, even though I\u2019ve never lived anywhere with an indoor kitchen\u2026but anyway, I have a lot to do. She has lovely clothes. They just need mending. And she\u2019s not asking me to pay rent. I have a room and board and a little extra, just for keeping her company and taking care of her.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam frowned and turned away. \u201cIt sounds like a good arrangement.\u201d<\/p>\n She took Adam\u2019s arm and pulled him back around. \u201cAdam? What\u2019s wrong? I thought you\u2019d be happy that I\u2019ve found a reason to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought you had already found a reason to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n She blushed and smiled. \u201cWell, I can\u2019t stay here.\u201d She let her hand move down his arm to his hand. \u201cMaybe I found Mrs. Bailey for a reason,\u201d she said, gazing up into his eyes.<\/p>\n Adam took her face in his hands and bent, softly taking her lips with his. Ben stopped two steps down from the top, realizing he was about to interrupt\u2026something.<\/p>\n When Adam raised his head, Ben cleared his throat to speak. \u201cWell, I see you\u2019re all packed.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam stepped away, glanced back at his father, then back to Rebecca. \u201cI\u2019ll take your bag out to the buggy.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben took her hands. \u201cYou know we\u2019ll all miss you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Cartwright, I won\u2019t be that far away. I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll be seeing each other.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I\u2019m sure we will,\u201d he said, eyeing his oldest son when he walked in the door.<\/p>\n Adam and Rebecca shared an awkward silence on the way to Mrs. Bailey\u2019s house, until Adam finally spoke up only a short distance from their destination. \u201cWhy so glum?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI could ask you the same question,\u201d she said, smiling. \u201cBut, I won\u2019t. I\u2019ve just had such a pleasant time with you and your family. I\u2019m going to miss\u2026a lot of things.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt won\u2019t be so bad. We come into town on a fairly regular basis. There\u2019s church, too\u2026and dances. Which reminds me\u2026there\u2019s a barn dance this coming Saturday night. I\u2019d like to take you if you\u2019d like to go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I\u2019d love to go, Adam,\u201d she said with sparkling eyes. Just as suddenly as she answered, her mood changed. \u201cI\u2019ll need to ask Mrs. Bailey if she\u2019ll need me, though.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got some business in town today. If you can find out by this afternoon, I\u2019ll come back by on my way home.\u201d<\/p>\n When they arrived at Mrs. Bailey\u2019s, Adam walked her to the front door, carrying her bag. She knocked and waited for Mrs. Bailey to answer. \u201cHere you are. Adam, thank you for escorting her here. I would have been upset if something had happened to her on the way, but I know she was safe with you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe pleasure was all mine, Mrs. Bailey,\u201d said Adam, tipping his hat. Turning to Rebecca, he smiled and said, \u201cI\u2019ll see you this afternoon.\u201d She blushed and nodded, and the two women watched as he drove into town.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s such a nice young man,\u201d said Mrs. Bailey.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, he is,\u201d replied Rebecca, still watching as he disappeared around a corner. Mrs. Bailey looked from the empty street where the buggy had just been to Rebecca, wrinkling her nose with a smile. Ah, young love.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on in. I want to show you the house first, and then we\u2019ll need to go to the store and get some supplies.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMrs. Bailey, why don\u2019t you have a seat? There\u2019s no point in you worrying with the stairs. I\u2019ll go up and look around, and then we can look down here.\u201d During her tour of the house, Rebecca took the opportunity to look at Mrs. Bailey\u2019s dresses in her wardrobe, making a mental note of the mending that would need to be done. She checked the pantry as well, adding what she would need in the kitchen to her list.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you ready to go?\u201d asked Mrs. Bailey. \u201cI was hoping to get a little walk in today. A trip to the store will do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca held out her arm and escorted Mrs. Bailey down the street to Murdock\u2019s store, slowly strolling arm in arm. \u201cMy dear, I have hesitated to walk anywhere. Didn\u2019t know if I\u2019d fall. It\u2019s nice to have someone to walk with.\u201d<\/p>\n When they entered the store, Mrs. Bailey went straight to the counter, addressing Mrs. Murdock. \u201cMartha, I\u2019d like you to meet my friend, Rebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca nodded and smiled, \u201cMrs. Murdock.\u201d<\/p>\n Mrs. Murdock and Mr. Murdock, who was standing in the doorway to the back room, had both stiffened when Mrs. Bailey stepped into the store, her visits generally being less than enjoyable. Mrs. Murdock was pleasantly surprised at the smile Mrs. Bailey afforded her.<\/p>\n \u201cMartha, anything this young lady wants will be placed on my account,\u201d said Mrs. Bailey.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Mrs. Bailey\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo you don\u2019t. I insist,\u201d she said, turning to Rebecca. She turned back to Mrs. Murdock and continued. \u201cNow, she\u2019s going to be purchasing supplies for the house\u2026whatever she needs. I\u2019ll just go sit in the chair outside and wait.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca went through her mental list as Mrs. Murdock wrote everything down and Mr. Murdock began collecting the items. When she was done with the supplies, she asked to look at the material and notions that were behind the counter. \u201cMrs. Bailey has beautiful clothes, but some of them need mending,\u201d explained Rebecca. \u201cLet\u2019s see, I\u2019ll need some black, white, blue, yellow and green thread, some sewing needles, a thimble and a pair of scissors\u2026and some buttons and hooks.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome back here and look at the material and ribbon. You can\u2019t see it very well from there,\u201d said Mrs. Murdock, smiling.<\/p>\n While Rebecca looked at the material, Mrs. Bailey came back in and watched from the door as Rebecca pulled out two bolts of different white material, then pulled a spool of yellow ribbon off the shelf, laying it on the material and studying it.<\/p>\n \u201cThat would make a lovely dress,\u201d said Mrs. Bailey. \u201cNice enough to wear to a dance.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca blushed. \u201cIt is lovely, isn\u2019t it,\u201d she said, putting the spool and bolts back in their places on the shelf.<\/p>\n \u201cDid that nice Adam Cartwright ask you to the dance on Saturday?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, h\u2026he did, but I haven\u2019t accepted. I wanted to make sure you didn\u2019t need me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, the truth is, I do need you.\u201d<\/p>\n Mrs. Murdock looked up disappointedly from calculating the bill. She had been hoping Mrs. Bailey\u2019s change in demeanor was something she could look forward to, but after her last comment, she was sure it was short lived\u2026until Mrs. Bailey smiled again and finished her thought.<\/p>\n \u201cI need you to pull that material and ribbon back off that shelf and have Martha add it to the bill. Then I need you to take whatever time you need to have a dress finished in time for the dance.\u201d Rebecca stood looking at Mrs. Bailey with her mouth open. \u201cAnd I need you to close that mouth before a fly comes along and lands on your tongue.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca snapped her mouth shut. \u201cMrs. Bailey, I can\u2019t let you do that. I haven\u2019t even started working.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNever you mind about that. Martha, you add that to my bill. Just the fact that you\u2019re cleaning the house is more than enough to cover a little fabric.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMildred, is Rebecca moving in at your place?\u201d asked Mrs. Murdock.<\/p>\n \u201cWe met at church last Sunday, Martha. She is the answer to a prayer.\u201d<\/p>\n Mrs. Murdock looked over at Rebecca, sizing her up. She didn\u2019t recognize her, but thought that apparently she\u2019d been spending time at the Cartwrights, if Adam had asked her to the dance. \u201cRebecca\u2026.?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJennings.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t believe I know any Jenningses from these parts. Are you new in town?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes; I\u2019ve only been to town once before now. I\u2019ve been a guest at the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere are you from?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy father had a claim he was working in the mountains. I lived there for a while\u2026that is, until he died.\u201d<\/p>\n Mrs. Murdock nodded. \u201cThen the Cartwrights took you in. It\u2019d be just like \u2018em.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Murdock brought the last of the supplies out to the front of the store. \u201cLadies, this is too much for you to carry. I\u2019ll have it delivered to you, Mrs. Bailey.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019ll be fine, Frank. But, we\u2019ll take the fabric and notions with us.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca stepped up. \u201cAnd the mop, broom, one of the buckets, and the soap,\u201d she said, smiling at Mrs. Bailey. \u201cI\u2019m anxious to get started. I can work on the dress in the evenings.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s fine, dear, just as long as you give yourself enough time to finish it for the dance.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Ma\u2019am,\u201d she answered, smiling sweetly. By the time Adam came back to Mrs. Bailey\u2019s house, it was early evening. Rebecca had cleaned Mrs. Bailey\u2019s bedroom, including changing the bed linens, and had cleaned the front sitting room and the kitchen. She had prepared a pot of stew and had it simmering on the stove, and had just taken the last rug out to the backyard to beat when Adam knocked on the door.<\/p>\n Mrs. Bailey answered and directed Adam to the backyard where he stood on the stoop watching as Rebecca whaled on a large rug with a broom handle. She had been beating the rug for some time and stopped, dropping the broom, bending over and propping her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. She coughed from all the dust flying in the air.<\/p>\n \u201cRemind me never to make you mad,\u201d said Adam, grinning.<\/p>\n She jumped and gasped at the sound of his voice. \u201cYou scared me. I didn\u2019t realize you were standing there.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam bent down and picked up the broom. \u201cYou keep beating that rug like that and there might not be any rug left when you\u2019re done.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you know of any other way to get the dirt out?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d he chuckled. \u201cI guess not. From the dust floating around, it looks like it\u2019s been awhile since it\u2019s been cleaned.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPoor Mrs. Bailey. It\u2019s been a while for a lot of things around here. I still can\u2019t believe no one ever offered to help her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I think you\u2019ve done a remarkable job for your first day. The house already looks better.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnce the house is clean, I\u2019ll clean up the front yard and plant some flowers. The house needs a coat of paint, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Alarmed, Adam said, \u201cYou\u2019re not planning to do that are you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not? It\u2019s just brushing paint on the wood. It can\u2019t be that hard.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re going to have to stand on a ladder.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cClimbing a ladder can\u2019t be worse that climbing a tree\u2026or a cliff, and I\u2019ve done both.\u201d Adam frowned at her. \u201cIt has to be done, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n He made a mental note to solicit volunteers to help with the house and the yard. \u201cI\u2019ll tell you what. If you\u2019ll concentrate on the inside, I\u2019ll take care of the outside.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh Adam, I can\u2019t ask you to do that. That would be something Mrs. Bailey would have to decide.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll take care of Mrs. Bailey, too,\u201d he said, slightly bending toward her. \u201cNow, about the dance.\u201d<\/p>\n A smile crept over her face. \u201cYes, I can go to the dance with you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood. I\u2019ll pick you up around five,\u201d he said, grinning. He brought her hand up to his lips as Mrs. Bailey watched from the kitchen window.<\/p>\n Adam turned to walk down the side of the house toward the front yard. \u201c\u2019Bye, Adam,\u201d said Rebecca, watching after him.<\/p>\n Mrs. Bailey watched her look up toward the sky and smile, taking a deep breath before she starting thrashing the rug again.<\/p>\n By the time Saturday arrived, the house had been cleaned, the linens washed and the kitchen put in order. Rebecca had mended most of Mrs. Bailey\u2019s dresses and had finished making her dress for the dance. She sat with Mrs. Bailey in the evenings while she sewed, the two women learning about each other\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n The past week had been a week for gossip around Virginia City as well, with Rebecca being the popular topic. Adam arrived at five sharp to pick Rebecca up. Mrs. Bailey answered the door, inviting Adam in while he waited for Rebecca to come down stairs. \u201cShe\u2019s real excited about this dance, Adam. Don\u2019t you disappoint her now. And don\u2019t you hurt her. She\u2019s been hurt enough.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam turned to Mrs. Bailey with furrowed brows. \u201cI don\u2019t know what you mean. Who\u2019s hurt her?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou probably think I\u2019m crazy saying something like that. After all, she has such sunny disposition all the time. And that\u2019s the problem Adam\u2026no one can be that happy all the time. She\u2019s been hurt\u2026frightened. Not by any one person, but by circumstances. But then, so have you, haven\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam was about to ask what she meant when Rebecca appeared on the stairs wearing the dress she had made. \u201cI\u2019m sorry I\u2019m late,\u201d she said. \u201cI had to make one minor adjustment.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s alright. Mrs. Bailey and I had some time to talk,\u201d he said, then turned back to Mrs. Bailey. \u201cAnd I hope we have a chance to finish our talk\u2026soon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou two go on or you\u2019ll be late,\u201d said Mrs. Bailey, shooing them out the door.<\/p>\n Adam escorted her down the front steps. \u201cI thought we\u2019d walk. It\u2019s a nice evening,\u201d said Adam, taking her hand. \u201cThat\u2019s a pretty dress. I don\u2019t remember seeing it in Mrs. Lewis\u2019 shop.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t. I made it,\u201d she said, timidly smiling. The dress was made of white fabric, with a white skirt overlaid with layers of an almost sheer material trimmed in lace adorned with yellow ribbon. The top was fitted, and cut to sit off her shoulders with the neckline trimmed in the same ribboned lace.<\/p>\n \u201cThe house looks very nice. I see you\u2019ve had a chance to pull the dead plants out of her front yard. I thought I told you I\u2019d take care of the outside.\u201d<\/p>\n She cut her eyes up at him and drew in the side of her mouth. \u201cTell me about this barn dance. What kind of dancing is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it\u2019s a little less formal than the normal dances, of course, this being held in a barn, but it\u2019s more like folk dancing. Occasionally we get an Irish jig. There\u2019s a fair number of Irish in Nevada.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh,\u201d she said nervously.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry. Just listen and watch. There are no wrong steps. Most people just move their feet. The main difference is that the crowd is a bit more rowdy at a barn dance.\u201d<\/p>\n She smiled up at him and held his hand in both of hers. \u201cAlright.\u201d<\/p>\n When they walked into the barn, dancing had already started. He guided her toward the back to stand near the dancers so she could see what they were doing. Then he took her hand and pulled her into the middle, raising her arms up with his so that others could dance between them and under their clasped hands. When it was their turn to dance through the arch of arms, he guided her through, and in the end, she was laughing.<\/p>\n The next dance was an Irish jig, and she discovered she was already familiar with it, having done this as a young girl around a campfire with her father and other miners. She held her skirt up just enough to see her feet, stepping in time with the fiddle music; she and Adam dancing side by side.<\/p>\n Adam watched her laugh as she danced, her eyes sparkling, her hair dancing right along with her. He couldn\u2019t remember a time when he felt so carefree.<\/p>\n When the dance was over, they were both out of breath. \u201cWould you like something to drink?\u201d asked Adam, panting and grinning from ear to ear. She gasped for air as she laughed and managed only a nod. \u201cWait here. I\u2019ll be right back.\u201d<\/p>\n Mrs. Lewis found her and asked about her dress. \u201cThat\u2019s not one of mine, but it\u2019s very nice. Where did you get it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI made it.\u201d<\/p>\n With her eyes wide and her eyebrows raised, Mrs. Lewis looked closely at the dress, checking the seams and the trim work as she turned Rebecca around. \u201cRebecca, I am in need of an assistant. The job is yours if you want it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMrs. Lewis, thank you. But, I\u2019ve just gotten settled at Mrs. Bailey\u2019s, and I don\u2019t want to leave her for long periods of time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s alright. I need help with the sewing, and you can do that from home.\u201d Rebecca agreed to come by the store the next week to begin work.\u201d<\/p>\n While she was still waiting for Adam, Rebecca found that the network of Virginia City gossip never rested. Every way she turned, she heard it. \u201cShe\u2019s just a poor girl from the mountains. He\u2019s just being nice to her.\u201d She turned. \u201cI heard she\u2019s a long lost niece of Mrs. Bailey, and Mrs. Bailey is leaving everything to her. You know Mr. Bailey left the old woman a fortune.\u201d She took a few steps toward the door. \u201cI understand she can\u2019t even read. Poor thing. She\u2019s a mountain girl, and you know the Cartwrights. There always taking in strays. Adam probably brought her to find her a man to take care of her.\u201d<\/p>\n She backed up, and bumped into Adam. \u201cThere you are,\u201d he said. \u201cI lost you for a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n She looked away. \u201cI want to go.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam set their drinks down on a table and took her arms. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n She collected herself and stood up straight, looking him in the eye. \u201cI\u2026I don\u2019t feel well. Would you take me home, please?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlright,\u201d he said, taking her hand, eyeing all the women standing around them.<\/p>\n Before he took more than two steps, a man tapped him on the shoulder. \u201cCartwright, why don\u2019t you introduce me to your lady friend there.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam wrinkled his nose and squinted at the man\u2019s reeking breath. \u201cNot now. We\u2019re leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow wait a minute,\u201d said the man, grabbing Adam by the shirt and pulling him into the dance clearing. Didn\u2019t you bring her here to introduce her around? Maybe find her a husband?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam flared his nostrils. \u201cThat\u2019s enough. Get out of my way,\u201d growled Adam as he shoved the man to the side.<\/p>\n The man swung at Adam, and he ducked. Then Adam swung back and the man ducked, but Rebecca was still standing behind him. When Adam saw her, it was too late to stop his forward motion. To Adam, everything slowed down to an excruciating crawl as he felt his fist connect with her chin, then watched her head snap back and her eyes roll and shut as she fell backwards to the ground. When she landed, he saw her body bounce as it settled into the sawdust on the ground. The man stepped back out of the way as Adam dropped to the floor, scrambling to her side. Everything thing in the barn stopped and a circle slowly formed around Adam, who was holding Rebecca in his arms.<\/p>\n He picked her up and stood, but before he left, he turned to the crowd. \u201cIs all your gossip worth this?\u201d he asked angrily. He carried her back to Mrs. Bailey\u2019s house where the doctor arrived shortly after. Someone from the dance had gone for him.<\/p>\n When Dr. Martin came back downstairs, he stopped and sighed. \u201cCouldn\u2019t you have pulled that punch just a little?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam pinched his lips and blew out a breath. \u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Martin patted his shoulder. \u201cShe\u2019ll be alright. Her jaw isn\u2019t broken\u2026miraculously. But, she\u2019s going to be very sore, and I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if the whole side of her face isn\u2019t black and blue by morning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Doc.\u201d When the doctor left, Adam turned back to Mrs. Bailey. \u201cWould you mind if I stay until she wakes up?\u201d<\/p>\n Mrs. Bailey grasped his arm and squeezed it. \u201cLeave the door open. Good night, Adam,\u201d she said, smiling, then went into her bedroom, closing the door behind her.<\/p>\n Adam went back upstairs, sitting in a chair next to Rebecca\u2019s bed, where he fell asleep\u2026waiting. Adam stood off to the side\u2026no he was hanging\u2026in the air\u2026, watching his fist slam into Rebecca\u2019s chin\u2026watching her already limp body fall ever so slowly to the floor\u2026watching as she landed, then rose slightly again, one arm floating higher than the other until she came to rest amid a sprinkling of sawdust. He jumped, forcing his eyes open, feeling his back ache from sleeping in an awkward position in the chair. Pulling his leg off the arm if the chair, he sat forward and realized Rebecca wasn\u2019t in the bed. He pulled off the blanket covering him, leaving it on the bed as he left the room and made his way down the stairs.<\/p>\n Rebecca heard a noise on the stairs and peeked out of the kitchen doorway, then walked to him, taking his hand. She pulled toward the kitchen, but Adam just stood, his mouth open, his eyes sorrowful and apologetic at the sight of her face. He reached up to touch her, and she flinched back. Still, his hand hovered over the side of her face, delicately touching the deep, almost black bruise on the left side of her chin, turning from deep blue to deep green the further it spread up her cheek.<\/p>\n Rebecca sucked in a breath at his touch, expecting to feel a firm, balmy hand, but instead feeling soft warmth that barely brushed her skin.<\/p>\n She gently tugged at his hand, nodding toward the kitchen. He followed her, smiling when he saw that she had made breakfast. Mrs. Bailey was already seated at the table, sipping coffee. Both women were ready for church.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, please have some breakfast before we go to church,\u201d invited Mrs. Bailey.<\/p>\n Adam sat down as Rebecca placed a plate of eggs and bacon in front of him. He caught her hand and pulled her into the seat next to him. \u201cBecca\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n She touched his lips with her fingers. \u201cDon\u2019t,\u201d she whispered, barely opening her mouth. \u201cI know it was an accident,\u201d she finished slowly, trying not to grimace. Grimacing hurt just as much as talking or smiling, but she managed a smile with her eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, when you\u2019ve finished your breakfast, you can use my husband\u2019s razor to shave before we leave for church,\u201d said Mrs. Bailey. \u201cNow, eat. We don\u2019t want to be late.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMrs. Bailey, I need to explain what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, you don\u2019t. I\u2019m sure it will be the only subject in the churchyard this morning. I\u2019ll hear all the details there. Then maybe we can put a stop to all that gossip about Rebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know about that?\u201d<\/p>\n She looked at him incredulously. \u201cDo you know anything about the grapevine in Virginia City? Its participants are loud and insipid.\u201d<\/p>\n After breakfast, Adam removed the white shirt he had been wearing for the barn dance the night before, washed his face and shaved. He lightly wet his hands, smoothing the stray curls on his head, then redressed, wearing his white shirt, black pin-striped trousers and black tie. When he came back down the stairs, he received smiles from both women\u2026well, smiling eyes from Rebecca.<\/p>\n Walking into the churchyard with Mrs. Bailey on one arm and Rebecca on the other, the crowd parted all the way to the church stairs. A hush fell over the throng as the three walked toward the church.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam?\u201d asked Ben as they passed in front of him.<\/p>\n \u201cPa, you know Mrs. Bailey.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMrs. Bailey, so good to see you this morning,\u201d said Ben. \u201cAnd you, Rebecca.\u201d He gently touched the uninjured side of her chin, slightly turning her head so he could get a better look, grunting and looking crossly at Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll explain it all later, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t need to explain it. I\u2019ve heard all about it,\u201d he quietly barked while looking over the crowd.<\/p>\n Mrs. Bailey tugged on Adam\u2019s arm. \u201cShall we go inside? There\u2019s no point in adding to the gossip.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben, Adam, Rebecca and Mrs. Bailey sat on a church pew in that order for the service. At the end of the service, everyone was shocked when Mrs. Bailey stood, asking the minister if she could address the congregation. He approached her and helped her up to the front, looking uneasily at her. She winked, then faced the crowd.<\/p>\n \u201cI would like to introduce you all to a new resident of Virginia City. Many of you are already talking about her, but in order to end the gossip and supposition, I will tell you about her. Adam Cartwright brought this young lady to church last week to introduce her to the fine folks of Virginia City, hoping she would make friends. The first person she approached was me as I sat alone on the front pew of the church…where I have sat for the last year\u2026alone. She introduced herself, held a hymnal for me, and helped me stand; she did as a newcomer something that none of you has done for the last year. She asked me if I needed help. In the last week, I believe, if you are not blind, you can see the amount of help she has given me\u2026a newcomer who came in with no expectations saw a need in me that none of my friends did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd how did all my friends welcome her? By spreading gossip. Well, here\u2019s some truths you all should know. Rebecca Jennings is one of the richest people I know. She may not have anything but a few clothes to her name. But what she has in her heart is priceless. Yes, she reads. No, she is not my long lost niece. And, no, Adam Cartwright did not bring her to Virginia City to find a man to take care of her. She came to Virginia City after staying as a guest at the Ponderosa. She will be staying in my home, and she will be working for Mrs. Lewis as an assistant seamstress. You should all welcome her and apologize for acting like a bunch of jackasses.\u201d Mrs. Bailey turned to the minister. \u201cExcuse me, Reverend, but I call it like I see it. Thank you for letting me say my piece.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca had slowly slouched in the pew to the point that Adam put his arm around her, and taking both arms, pulled her back up.<\/p>\n \u201cMrs. Bailey, no apologies are necessary,\u201d said the minister. \u201cI think a little fire and brimstone are appropriate at times. Let us pray.\u201d After a small gathering in the churchyard centered around Rebecca, Ben invited her and Mrs. Bailey to the Ponderosa for Sunday dinner. Mrs. Bailey rode ahead with Ben while Adam walked Rebecca home to get her riding clothes, including the scarf Adam had given her, and Mrs. Bailey\u2019s buggy.<\/p>\n After dinner, Ben sat with Mrs. Bailey on the front porch, sipping coffee and talking while Adam and Rebecca went to the barn to saddle their horses.<\/p>\n \u201cMrs. Bailey, I want to apologize to you for not stopping by.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt least you offered help, Ben. But, I wasn\u2019t looking for a handout. And I could have easily hired someone to work for me. Besides that, it\u2019s the company of women, I needed most. There are just some things that require a woman\u2019s touch,\u201d she said, winking. \u201cAnd stop calling me Mrs. Bailey. When Tag was alive, I was Mildred. I haven\u2019t changed that much…just got older.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben smiled. \u201cAlright, Mildred. I understand Rebecca has been quite a bit of help to you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWith Rebecca, it\u2019s an honest trade. She needs me as much as I need her. She\u2019s such a sweet thing, always smiling\u2026always working. That worries me Ben.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy does her disposition worry you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSame reason Adam\u2019s disposition should worry you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what you mean.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know what happened with that Dayton woman. Everyone in town knows what happened with her and Adam and his cousin. But, Adam was hurt long before that one\u2026not so much by people, but by circumstances. Those two are a lot alike. She\u2019s been hurt by circumstances. She smiles and spouts that there\u2019s a reason for everything. He tends to stay close to the vest\u2026very private. They both are hard workers. They lose themselves that way. But, mark my words, Ben, one day those two are going to explode. And the person who\u2019s standing there when it happens isn\u2019t going to have any idea what just hit them.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben sat with a furrowed brow, just looking at her, choosing his words carefully. \u201cMildred, why do you think this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause that\u2019s what happens. I\u2019ve seen it a hundred times. The nicest ones just hold it in until something happens that makes it overflow. It\u2019s been building up all their lives. The next really bad thing that happens in their lives might be the thing that makes them blow up.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam and Rebecca came out of the barn, leading their horses toward the front porch. Adam tied Sport to the hitching rail, then took Sara\u2019s reins. Sara was an older mare, calm and gentle.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright. I want you to put your left foot in the stirrup here while you hold the horn,\u201d he said, holding the stirrup still for her.<\/p>\n She reached up for the horn, then lifted her foot into the stirrup which brought her up on her right toes. She wobbled, and Adam wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her up.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright, now push yourself up and swing your right leg over on three. Ready? One, two, push.\u201d<\/p>\n Up and over she went, settling into the saddle. Adam handed her the reins, and walked to the other side of the horse to put her foot in the other stirrup. \u201cHow do you feel?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA little nervous,\u201d she mumbled, trying to keep her jaw still. \u201cThis is a long way up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not any higher than the seat of a buckboard.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but a buckboard doesn\u2019t have a mind of its own,\u201d she said apprehensively. Adam started to walk to Sport. \u201cWait, where are you going?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just going to mount Sport. I\u2019ll be right back. Just sit still. Sara may have a mind of her own, but she knows to wait.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam walked Sport beside her and took her reins. \u201cI\u2019m going to lead you around the yard. Right now, I just want you to get used to sitting in the saddle.\u201d<\/p>\n She smiled timorously as much as she could while Adam led Sara around in a long oval in the yard.<\/p>\n \u201cBen, do you see the way he looks at her?\u201d asked Mrs. Bailey.<\/p>\n \u201cMm hm. She looks at him the same way. You think they know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe might. She has no idea what\u2019s happening. She\u2019s never been in love. She\u2019s never even been paid that kind of attention.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you know that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe told me. She told me a lot of things.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019ll question what he\u2019s feeling. He doesn\u2019t do anything without thinking it through.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, she isn\u2019t just going to fall over. She has a problem with your money.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe doesn\u2019t want people to think she\u2019s taking advantage of your kindness because you\u2019re wealthy and she\u2019s always been poor. Some of that gossip\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid she tell you she tried to leave?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYep. She said Adam wouldn\u2019t let her. Said he carried her over his shoulder back to the house.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just hope he doesn\u2019t wait too long, and she doesn\u2019t try to reason her way out of it. There\u2019s something to be said for following your heart, even when you\u2019ve only known each other a few months. Tag and I knew after a few weeks, and we were married for sixty years.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI knew pretty quickly with all three of my wives.\u201d<\/p>\n Mrs. Bailey and Ben sat contentedly watching Adam teach Rebecca to ride the rest of the afternoon. Robbie Jennings stood in an alley\u2026always in the shadows. If anyone saw him, they\u2019d instantly see the likeness\u2026it was just too eerie\u2026except the eyes. There was no mistaking her eyes.<\/p>\n He watched when that Cartwright fella took her to the dress shop. When he left her he went into another store and came back out with a box wearing a fancy bow. Then he went over to a restaurant and came back out with a picnic basket.<\/p>\n When he followed them out of town, he kept his distance, always staying just out of sight, following the tracks of the buggy. Then he stood down wind, so any noise he might have made wouldn\u2019t carry to them, and just watched. Cartwright kissed her\u2026more than once.<\/p>\n Robbie was sitting in a dark corner in the barn when they were dancing and watched the punch that knocked her to the ground. Then today, Cartwright took both the women to church, then out to his family\u2019s place.<\/p>\n This could be what he\u2019d been waiting for. \u201cAdam, Mrs. Bailey\u2019s house looks lovely. And she\u2019s tickled pink about it,\u201d said Rebecca.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the inside is a sight for sore eyes, too. You\u2019ve done a good job for her. I remember how she was before her husband died. He was the president of the Virginia City Bank, and they had a caretaker. I don\u2019t know why Mrs. Bailey let him go after Mr. Bailey died, but it\u2019s clear now she\u2019s been mourning him ever since. That is, until you came along.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t me. It was someone. She\u2019s just been lonely.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca closed her eyes and took a deep breath\u2026fresh air. The air never smelled this fresh on the mountain; it smelled like dirt, sweat and gun powder. Even in San Francisco living near the docks, it smelled fishy all the time. But here, on the Ponderosa, it smelled of pine, and as they got closer to the lake, it smelled\u2026clean\u2026like after a rain.<\/p>\n \u201cHere we are,\u201d said Adam, stopping the buggy near the water\u2019s edge. \u201cI come here when I need to think. When I lose track of time, Pa always knows where to find me,\u201d he said, pointing, \u201csitting right out there on that boulder.\u201d<\/p>\n He helped her out of the buggy, took her hand and together they jumped from one boulder to the other until they were standing on \u2018his\u2019 boulder. Sitting down, he pulled her down in front of him with her leaning back into his chest, both watching the colorful ripples in the water\u2026they way she had taught him to see it.<\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t bring anything to read today?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I thought you might recite some of what you\u2019ve been reading\u2026Browning, wasn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n She cleared her throat.<\/p>\n \u201cIf thou must love me, let it be for nought She had turned to her side and leaned back in his arms so that she could see his face as she recited Sonnet 14. When she finished, she didn\u2019t blush, but held his gaze, hoping he would understand. Then he recited Browning.<\/p>\n \u201cHow do I love thee? Let me count the ways. \u201cSonnet 43,\u201d she said softly.<\/p>\n \u201cBecca, not long before you stumbled into my life, I pretty much gave up on finding someone to share my life with. Every other woman I found I could love ended up leaving for one reason or another. I prayed to a God whose existence I questioned to send me an angel. Something drew me to that pasture the day I found you. There you were with nothing but the clothes on your back\u2026no commitments, no obligations, no attachments\u2026nothing that could give you a reason to leave. A clean slate with the heart of an angel.\u201d He kissed her, and touched her forehead with his, staying nose to nose. \u201cMarry me,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n She leaned away from him, trembling. \u201cAdam, are you sure this is what you want? I\u2019m not elegant or educated. I still don\u2019t know why you need more than one fork or spoon\u2026or drinking glass. I don\u2019t even read well. I\u2019m just\u2026plain\u2026ordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s nothing plain or ordinary about you. You\u2019re beautiful. You\u2019re remarkable. You give people a reason to smile just by being around. When you look at someone, the first thing you find is the good, no matter how bad they are.\u201d<\/p>\n She pinched her arm, then winced, making Adam laugh. \u201cWhy did you do that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo see if I\u2019m dreaming.\u201d<\/p>\n He pulled her into him, holding her tightly against him, then took her mouth with his. \u201cDid that feel like a dream?\u201d he whispered. \u201cJust say yes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d Adam awoke as the first hint of light appeared in the bedroom window. He didn\u2019t move at first, not wanting to disturb the woman still sleeping in his arms. He gently pulled his arm from under her neck and propped up, watching her, the image of peacefulness, still wearing a faint smile. She looked happy; as happy as he was.<\/p>\n She opened her eyes and smiled up at him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I didn\u2019t mean to wake you,\u201d he whispered as he brushed a strand of hair from her face.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was that lusty gaze of yours weighing on me,\u201d she said quietly, teasing. \u201cHow many days is it now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know how many days it\u2019s been,\u201d he answered, grinning. \u201cI\u2019m here, you\u2019re here; we\u2019re here\u2026together. You aren\u2019t dreaming.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI guess I should give up on that being the case, huh? I\u2019ve had three months of mornings that you\u2019ve been right here to greet me when I wake up. I keep wondering when your father is going to send you off somewhere I can\u2019t go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s Saturday. We don\u2019t have to worry about anything like that for a little while,\u201d he said, sinking back down into his pillow, drawing her into him and kissing her.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, but Mr. Cartwright, we do. There are animals to feed, a cow to milk, and a garden to tend. I need to cook for tomorrow\u2019s church picnic, and you promised your father you\u2019d go look at a bull with him today. And don\u2019t forget, we\u2019re spending the day with Mrs. Bailey tomorrow after the picnic.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam let out a disappointed breath, then dropped his arms heavily to the bed. \u201cRebecca Cartwright, you do know how to take the wind out of a man\u2019s sails.\u201d<\/p>\n She climbed on top of him. \u201cThere will be plenty more wind for your sails, Mister,\u201d she said, smiling and taking his lips with hers. She continued on to sit on his side of the bed, holding her arms above her head, yawning and stretching. When she was dressed, she went into the kitchen of the house Adam had finished for them just before their wedding, and began to make his breakfast. By the time he was dressed and out of the bedroom, his coffee was ready and waiting for him on the dining room table.<\/p>\n Rebecca brought out a plate of bacon and toast then disappeared back into the kitchen. She soon returned with two plates each of eggs and fried potatoes. Leaning into the back of his chair, she kissed his neck as she placed a plate in front of him, then sat down next to him.<\/p>\n Adam poured her a cup of coffee. \u201cI went to see Roy while I was in town yesterday. I was going to tell you last night, but\u2026the wind was blowing,\u201d he said, grinning.<\/p>\n The smile faded from her face as she looked down at her plate. \u201cAnything?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. Your brother seems to have completely disappeared. I sent two men up into the mountains to look for your father\u2019s camp, but they haven\u2019t gotten back.\u201d He reached to hold her hand. \u201cYou know they may not find anything. It\u2019s been almost a year.\u201d<\/p>\n She put her fork down and leaned back in her chair. \u201cI can\u2019t help but feel a little guilty. I buried him as best I could before I left, but if I hadn\u2019t left, no one would have ever found anything of me. As it was, you almost didn\u2019t find me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what you expect from me if we ever find your brother, but I have to warn you\u2026it won\u2019t be a warm reception.\u201d<\/p>\n She took a deep breath. \u201cI told you before finding him doesn\u2019t matter. It\u2019s for the best.\u201d<\/p>\n They finished their breakfast in silence and prepared for their day. Adam came in from the barn to kiss his wife goodbye before he left to meet his father.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I get finished today, I would like to go for a ride. Is that alright with you?\u201d she asked, tiptoeing to put her arms around his neck.<\/p>\n \u201cDo me a favor and stay on the Ponderosa,\u201d he said, slightly creasing his eyebrows. \u201cWhere are you going?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDoes it matter?\u201d she teased.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know it does. You haven\u2019t been riding that long,\u201d he replied with a raised eyebrow.<\/p>\n She drew in one side of her mouth, and he responded by slightly raising his chin. \u201cI\u2019m going where I always go; to the place where you proposed.\u201d She smiled demurely, glancing up into his eyes. \u201cI\u2019ll be back in plenty of time to fix your supper.\u201d<\/p>\n He smiled, pulled her against him and kissed her one more time before he turned to the door. \u201cAdam?\u201d He stopped and turned back to her. \u201cPlease be careful. Come back to me,\u201d she said, looking at him as if he were the only person in her world.<\/p>\n He winked. \u201cCount on it,\u201d he said, leaving, pulling the door closed behind him.<\/p>\n Rebecca happily went through her daily chores. Shortly after lunchtime, when her work was done, she changed into her riding clothes, tied her favorite scarf around her neck, then walked to the barn where she saddled her horse. She rode away from the house, taking the same route she took almost every Saturday, sometimes with Adam, sometimes alone. Adam had taken her to a place at the lake where the deep blue of the water turned into a beautiful green the closer it came to the shore. It reminded her of shimmering sapphires and emeralds. The landscape along the way was breathtaking with tall green pine trees reaching up to a clear azure sky and rugged mountains sprinkled with snow in the background. Large boulders led into the water, and she would always hop from rock to rock to the same spot, where she could lie back, enjoying the warmth of the sun while she trailed her hand in the clean, cool water. When Adam arrived at the ranch house, his father had just finished cinching his saddle around Buck. Adam didn\u2019t dismount, but waited while Ben mounted and turned. \u201cMornin\u2019, Pa,\u201d Adam said with a bright smile.<\/p>\n \u201cGood morning, Son. You\u2019re in good mood.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t I be?\u201d he asked, still smiling.<\/p>\n \u201cNo reason. I just don\u2019t remember many Saturday mornings when you smiled about work.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it\u2019s not really work, is it? We\u2019re just going to look at a bull,\u201d he said, raising his eyebrows in question.<\/p>\n Ben laughed. \u201cYep, we\u2019re just going to look at a bull, though we may be bringing it back if it\u2019s as impressive as Harland described.\u201d The two men trotted their horses away from the house toward the ranch of Harland Timms, just to the east of the Ponderosa. \u201cHarland said this bull was sired by that big one he brought up from Texas. He says he\u2019s just as big.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf that\u2019s true, he might be worth buying if the price is right,\u201d said Adam. \u201cWe could use a bull that\u2019ll produce size. After all, the more beef, the higher the profit.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben grunted in agreement, and the two men rode in silence for a few minutes. \u201cWere you able to get into town to talk to Roy about Rebecca\u2019s brother?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. Nothing\u2019s turned up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s Rebecca?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s fine. She\u2019s looking forward to the church social tomorrow. We talked about her brother this morning. She still wants to let it drop. I\u2019ll never understand why she doesn\u2019t want him punished for causing her father\u2019s death.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shook his head. \u201cShe\u2019s right when she says finding him won\u2019t bring her father back. Maybe you need to let it go.\u201d<\/p>\n The ride to the Timms ranch took several hours. When the Cartwrights arrived, Harland met them on the porch. The bull was waiting in a corral next to the barn, and when Adam saw him, he whistled. \u201cHe\u2019s a big one, alright.\u201d He walked around the corral studying the bull, then nodded to Ben. It didn\u2019t take much to convince Ben to make the purchase, and an hour later, after a drink with Harland to seal the deal, Adam and Ben were on their way back to the Ponderosa with the newest member of their herd.<\/p>\n \u201cPa, why don\u2019t we take him over to our place and put him in the pasture behind the house? We don\u2019t have a bull out there yet, and those heifers are old enough to breed. You can stay for dinner. Becca would love to see you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou can have the bull, but I can only stay long enough to say hello to Rebecca. I\u2019ll never hear the end of it from Hop Sing if I try to bow out of dinner this late.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam laughed. \u201cI expect that\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n When the bull was safely in the back pasture, they rode up to a dark house. \u201cThat\u2019s odd,\u201d said Adam. He hurriedly tied Sport and trotted to the front door, stepping inside with Ben right behind him. \u201cBecca,\u201d he called as he lit a lantern. When he got no answer, he went to the kitchen. Ben watched him rush into the bedroom. He came back out of the bedroom wearing a look of alarm.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, Adam, she could just be late getting back. Didn\u2019t you say she went for a ride?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe said she\u2019d be back to fix supper, but it\u2019s already getting dark. She should\u2019ve been back hours ago.\u201d Adam rushed back out the door to the barn. Her horse wasn\u2019t there. \u201cI\u2019m going to look for her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you know where she was going?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe said she was riding out to the lake. She rides to the same place every Saturday. You know the place, Pa; the same place you used to find me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou go on ahead, Adam. I\u2019ll ride by the house and get Joe and Hoss to help search.\u201d<\/p>\n When the rest of the Cartwrights arrived at the lake, they found Adam standing on the rock where she always sat looking out into the lake. He stepped back onto the shore, wearing a deep frown. He had already searched the area for her. The last bit of sunlight had begun to fade over the horizon, but there was just enough light for Hoss to see tracks in the sandy dirt on the shore. \u201cAdam, she wasn\u2019t alone. These tracks are fresh. I make out four, maybe five horses. And look here. It looks like someone was dragged.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe had walked to the edge of the woods and came back holding something that Adam couldn\u2019t make out in the fading light. Joe looked at him apologetically when he handed Adam her neck scarf, the same scarf Adam had bought for her the first time he took her into town. They all knew without saying anything; Rebecca Cartwright had been taken. The Cartwrights rode back to Adam\u2019s house, where Adam immediately began packing his saddlebags. \u201cNow, Adam, you should wait until we talk to Sheriff Coffee,\u201d said Ben.<\/p>\n \u201cPa, it\u2019ll take at least two hours to get to Virginia City, then time to talk to Roy if he\u2019s there, and another two hours to get back. There\u2019s a fresh trail.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, you ain\u2019t gonna be able to see well enough tonight to follow it. Y\u2019might as well wait \u2018til mornin\u2019,\u201d said Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cThey might not be that far ahead,\u201d said Adam with urgency in his voice, as he flew from one room to another, gathering supplies.<\/p>\n Ben tried to reason with him. \u201cYou have no idea when they took her. It could have been hours ago.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, while you three argue about it, I\u2019m gonna go ahead and ride into town and bring Roy out,\u201d said Joe as he walked to the front door.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the first sensible thing anybody\u2019s said,\u201d said Hoss.<\/p>\n Ben grabbed Adam\u2019s arm as he tried to hurry past them, heading for the kitchen. \u201cWe\u2019ll go back out to the lake, Adam, but we are waiting there for Roy.\u201d Adam shrugged his father\u2019s hand away, and while he kept packing, Ben walked over to Hoss. \u201cHoss, go home and get your gear packed. I want you to go with him.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss nodded, \u201cPa, you make sure he waits for me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust hurry. I\u2019m not going to be able to stall him for long. Once we\u2019re out there, and he\u2019s had the chance to look around again, he\u2019ll leave. Now, go on, and be quick about.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYessir,\u201d said Hoss as he left.<\/p>\n As soon as Adam had his saddlebags packed, he ran out to the barn, saddling a fresh horse. He and his father left. Ben sat on a boulder, watching him pace, unable to offer any words that would give him even a little comfort. He imagined he\u2019d be the same if it had been one of his wives that had been taken. The sound of hooves approaching drew him from his thoughts. Sheriff Coffee, Joe, and Hoss all rode in together just as the moon had begun to make its appearance above the tops of the mountains in the distance.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure she was here?\u201d asked Roy.<\/p>\n \u201cI found her scarf right over there,\u201d said Joe, pointing to the edge of the woods behind them.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd look here, Roy,\u201d said Hoss. \u201cSee these tracks. There was four or five horses here recently.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I haven\u2019t seen or heard any news about kidnappin\u2019 in these parts. But, further north, up in Oregon territory and over in Salt Lake, there\u2019ve been reports of girls going missing. No one ever sees \u2018em again,\u201d said Roy. Adam turned away toward the lake. \u201cNow, Adam, that\u2019s up north. That don\u2019t mean that\u2019s what\u2019s happened to Rebecca. I\u2019ll go back to town and get some men together to go looking. But considerin\u2019 those tracks say the riders are headin\u2019 west, there\u2019s not much ground to cover before we have to turn back. I\u2019ll notify the closest law in California and have them keep a look out for anything that looks suspicious. But that\u2019s about all I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam turned to his father. \u201cI have to go, Pa. I don\u2019t know when I\u2019ll be back, but I\u2019ll try to keep in touch.\u201d Adam mounted his horse, but before he could leave, Hoss grabbed his reins.<\/p>\n \u201cWait one minute there, Older Brother, while I get Chubb. I\u2019m goin\u2019 with ya.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAin\u2019t no ifs, ands or buts, Adam\u2026I\u2019m goin\u2019 and that\u2019s that,\u201d said Hoss as he stepped up and swung his leg over Chubb\u2019s back.<\/p>\n Ben, Joe and Roy stood watching as the two men disappeared into the darkness.<\/p>\n Chapter 19 by MonicaSJ Adam and Hoss traveled in silence by the light of the moon, sometimes riding, sometimes walking. The riders they were following had moved inland into the trees away from the lake, and following the trail was difficult, if not impossible. Finally, Adam stopped, giving up hope that he\u2019d be able to follow the trail until light. He dismounted, and stood, leaning heavily on one leg, staring at the ground, struggling with the need to keep moving, but afraid he might miss an important sign.<\/p>\n Becca, where are you? I should have known not to let you ride by yourself. I should have known you were too good to be true, that one way or another, you would be leaving me. All those mornings you woke up asking if it was all a dream\u2026I should have been asking that question.<\/p>\n Hoss came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. \u201cAdam, we\u2019ll find her. Come mornin\u2019 we\u2019ll be able to pick up the trail.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, tell me I\u2019m not chasing a dream.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat d\u2019you mean by that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve waited so long\u2026and she just fell into my life. Just when everything was perfect, she\u2019s gone.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss took Adam by the arms and spun him around, his brows furrowed over angry eyes. \u201cYou stop it right there. She\u2019s as real as you and me\u2026which is all the more reason for you not to give up. Adam, we just started lookin\u2019. I cain\u2019t believe you\u2019re already givin\u2019 up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not giving up, Hoss. I\u2019ll look for her until there\u2019s nowhere else to look. It\u2019s just\u2026it was so perfect\u2026we were so perfect\u2026so happy. For the first time in my life, I looked forward\u2026to life.\u201d Adam looked away. \u201cI just have a feeling\u2026I\u2019m not supposed to be that happy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome on. Let\u2019s get some sleep and get started at first light. We\u2019ll stop by Lapham\u2019s and ask some questions.\u201d Hoss turned and began to unfasten the cinch around Chubb\u2019s belly. Adam followed.<\/p>\n The next morning when Hoss awoke, Adam already had a pot of coffee warming by the fire. Looking at Adam\u2019s face, Hoss knew he hadn\u2019t slept, but he also knew there was no point in saying anything. He\u2019d seen Adam like this before, when he had to leave the camp that had belonged to Ruth after she was forced to go with the Shoshone as their spirit, White Buffalo Woman. It had taken him most of a year to get back to himself, and even then, there was a piece of him missing. Hoss thought the day Adam married Rebecca was probably the happiest Adam had ever been. He looked happy\u2026happier than Hoss had ever seen him\u2026as if the webs of his past no longer entangled him.<\/p>\n Hoss stooped next to the fire and poured himself a cup of coffee. He eyed Adam, who was leaning against a tree, sipping coffee, staring at nothing in particular. The two men broke camp silently, saddled their horses and headed back to the lake to Lapham\u2019s, the only stop on the lake\u2019s south side, hoping to find something that might tell them where to go to find Rebecca.<\/p>\n Old Man Lapham confirmed that a group of men had stopped in for a drink. \u201cThey traveled with a wagon. I remember \u2018cause they took turns guardin\u2019 it, like there was somethin\u2019 worth a lot of money in the back. Never seen \u2018em before. Can\u2019t say I\u2019d ever want to again. They had a look in their eyes like they was up to no good.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow long ago were they here?\u201d asked Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was afternoon. I remember \u2018cause we weren\u2019t fixin\u2019 lunch anymore and they damn near shot up the place afore I told \u2018em I\u2019d fix \u2018em somethin\u2019 to eat. They stayed about an hour and left. Come to think of it, they took some food out to that wagon, so there musta been someone in it.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam had been standing by the door, looking out and listening. When the old man said someone was in the wagon, Adam stiffened and flared his nostrils, then walked out to his horse.<\/p>\n Hoss put a coin on the bar, nodding his thanks, then followed Adam out the door. Before Hoss even got to Chubb, Adam was already headed down the road. Hoss knew he\u2019d have to keep an eye on Adam. If he didn\u2019t, he just might lose him.<\/p>\n Chapter 20 by MonicaSJ Adam and Hoss rode across the south side of the lake without seeing much. They stopped at Yank\u2019s Station, one of only two way stations in the basin, but a wagon hadn\u2019t stopped. Riding past Johnson\u2019s Cutoff toward Hope Valley, they stopped at a homestead to ask if a wagon had gone by. The owners there had not seen a wagon. They doubled back, picking up Johnson\u2019s Cutoff and following it over the summit. It was the only other road the men they were following could have taken a wagon.<\/p>\n They stopped and asked the station manager at the top, whose sole purpose was to pull stagecoaches and wagons up the grade, if he had seen the wagon and men. \u201cYep, they came by here yesterday evening, just before dark. Had to pull the wagon up the grade. Funny, when I asked him how many people were in the wagon, he said not to worry with it. Everyone in the wagon was staying in the wagon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMister, did he say how many were in the wagon?\u201d asked Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, not to me. But, I overheard \u2018em talkin\u2019 about the ladies in the wagon. Made it sound like there was more\u2019n one. And there was a fella\u2026had long blonde hair coming out of his hat\u2026him and the head man was arguin\u2019. The blonde fella was talking about asking for money, but the head man told him they were doing it his way so they could disappear. They got pretty loud.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid he say which way they was headed?\u201d Hoss asked as he watched Adam from the door of the little station.<\/p>\n \u201cNope. Didn\u2019t say much to me at all. I just pulled \u2018em up, and they were on their way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMuch obliged, Mister,\u201d said Hoss, nodding. He walked over to Adam who was standing by his horse. \u201cI make it they\u2019re about half a day ahead. Sounds like there\u2019s more women in that wagon than just Rebecca. I wonder why we ain\u2019t seen anyone else lookin\u2019 for it.\u201d Adam didn\u2019t say anything and mounted his horse. \u201cWell, at least we don\u2019t have to worry about the right direction until we get down to Silver Fork. That\u2019s the first place they\u2019ll be able to leave Johnson\u2019s Cutoff.\u201d<\/p>\n The two Cartwrights rode quickly to Silver Fork and stopped at the station there. The wagon had, indeed, come through several hours before and continued on down Johnson\u2019s Cutoff. \u201cThree women\u2026all of \u2018em walkin\u2019 like they\u2019d been drinking\u2026got out. Some of them men helped \u2018em over to the privy. I thought they must\u2019a been their wives \u2018cause they was treating \u2018em real good. Didn\u2019t hit \u2018em or nothing and didn\u2019t yell at \u2018em.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam stepped forward. \u201cWas one of the women wearing riding clothes\u2026a woman with long blonde hair?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell Mister, they all had long blonde hair, but yep, one of \u2018em looked like she was ready to go ridin\u2019. The others was wearing dresses.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded at Hoss who thanked the station master. \u201cPlacerville\u2019s the next place they can change their route,\u201d said Hoss. \u201cWe ain\u2019t gonna make it tonight, though.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam mounted. \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n As they rode, Hoss thought their options. Five or six against two\u2026not good odds. \u201cHey Adam. What do you plan to do if we catch up to that wagon?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam continued to look ahead. \u201cHaven\u2019t really thought about it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, don\u2019t ya think ya oughta?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam stopped his horse and looked over at Hoss. \u201cI guess I\u2019ll have to wait and see where we catch up. If we\u2019re in Placerville, I\u2019ll go for the sheriff. If not\u2026\u201d he shrugged and nudged his horse into a walk. \u201cThe station master at Silver Fork said it looked like she was drunk. You know as well as I do that she\u2019d get sick before she got enough whiskey in her to get drunk. And, she\u2019d be fighting them all the way if she could.\u201d He looked ahead again and winced. \u201cThey\u2019re giving them something to keep them in control.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLike what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know. Maybe laudanum. If they\u2019re giving them enough, they\u2019d sleep through most of this.\u201d Adam didn\u2019t say anything else until they stopped to make camp. Adam picked a place to camp well off the road just to the east of Pacific House, a little town with a pony remount station, a saloon and a hotel. When he dismounted at the edge of the road, he noticed fresh tracks\u2026like someone had stopped here before them. \u201cHoss, what do you make of that?\u201d Adam asked, pointing to the disturbed dirt along the side of the road.<\/p>\n Hoss stooped down and brushed his hand over the loose soil. \u201cThis is five or six horses, but I don\u2019t see no wagon tracks.\u201d He walked into the road and looked around. \u201cThere\u2019s wagon tracks here in the road, but none of \u2018em leave the road. They could belong to one of the stagecoaches.\u201d He made his way back to the side of the road and followed the horse tracks into the woods. \u201cHey, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam walked up behind him. \u201cWhat is it, Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLooks like they left someone behind,\u201d said Hoss, stepping aside so Adam could see the body lying face down in the dirt.<\/p>\n Adam knelt next to the body and turned it over. Dear God. They were twins. His hand went immediately up to cover his mouth as he leaned back on the heel of his boot.<\/p>\n Hoss searched the man\u2019s pockets and found a folded piece of paper. \u201cLooks like some sort of a deed,\u201d he said as he unfolded it. He looked up at Adam with furrowed brows. \u201cThe name on the deed is Jennings. Robert Jennings,\u201d he said, handing the deed to Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cLook at his face, Hoss.\u201d Hoss moved next to Adam and looked down at the man, swallowing hard.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy would her brother be mixed up in this?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam took a deep breath and rose to his feet. \u201cI don\u2019t know why that would surprise you. He left her to die. Maybe he found out she married a Cartwright and decided to cash in.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe fella at the summit said somethin\u2019 about a blonde man talking about asking for money,\u201d said Hoss. \u201cWhen we get to Placerville, we should send Pa a telegram to look for a ransom note. He needs to check over at your place.\u201d He waited for Adam to respond, but instead, Adam looked disgustedly at the body. \u201cCome on,\u201d said Hoss. We should get him buried.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy? Let the animals have him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow Adam, are you gonna be able to tell that little gal that you didn\u2019t bury her brother? I know you carry some hard feelings for what he done to her, but wouldn\u2019t she want him buried?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam scratched the side of his head, let out an exasperated sigh and nodded. \u201cI\u2019ll go find some rocks,\u201d he said as he shuffled away.<\/p>\n Once they had the body buried, Adam refused to say a prayer over him and dared Hoss to make a cross. \u201cJust lay his gun and hat on top of the rocks. We\u2019ll tell someone at Pacific House tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n They rode a little ways down the road and made camp. Dinner consisted of coffee and beans, and when they were both settled, Hoss asked, \u201cIf her brother was mixed up with them other fellas that took her, what d\u2019you s\u2019pose made \u2018em kill \u2018im?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe they was arguin\u2019 about the ransom.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe.\u201d Adam pushed his beans around on his plate, finally putting the plate down and picking up his coffee cup.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need to eat. You ain\u2019t gonna be no good tomorrow without something in your stomach.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam ignored him and sat, thinking about the promise he had made to Rebecca. He had promised her he\u2019d see to it that her brother never hurt her again\u2026that no one ever hurt her again. I should have known better than to make a promise I\u2019ve never been very good at keeping. But she should\u2019ve been safe. She was on the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n Hoss watched Adam\u2019s face; watched as Adam\u2019s eyes fixed on the fire while deep lines formed in his forehead. He knew Adam was taking full responsibility for Rebecca\u2019s kidnapping. \u201cAdam, you didn\u2019t have any way of knowin\u2019 she\u2019d be taken like that. Especially on the Ponderosa. We always felt safe there.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam moved over to his saddle and lay down on his bedroll with his back to Hoss, covering himself with his blanket. He was done talking for the day.<\/p>\n Hoss picked up the untouched plate of beans and threw them out. It turned out he wasn\u2019t very hungry himself. When he had their dinner cleaned up, he stoked the fire and lay down to sleep.<\/p>\n Adam lay still, remembering the last time he had lain with her, holding her, loving her\u2026the night before she was taken. It wasn\u2019t often that Adam Cartwright said a prayer at night, but tonight he prayed. Adam and Hoss stopped by the town of Pacific House on their way to Placerville, telling the hotel manager there about the body they had buried only a few miles up the road. The manager said he\u2019d send a telegram to the sheriff in Placerville, but he doubted that anyone would come out since the man was already buried.<\/p>\n Adam pulled Hoss out the door, not caring one way or another about what happened to Robbie Jennings. All he cared about was finding his wife, and he was anxious to get to Placerville to talk to the sheriff there. Roy would have already wired him about Rebecca\u2019s kidnapping, so the sheriff should have already been looking for the wagon.<\/p>\n But when they arrived at the sheriff\u2019s office at Placerville, the sheriff told them he had not seen a covered wagon come into town in the last week. He suggested they wait in Placerville and wire the sheriffs of the small towns to the north and south; that a covered wagon with five or six riders would be something they\u2019d notice in the towns that were really no more than mining camps.<\/p>\n While Hoss waited, Adam rode on to Folsom where they might have taken the railroad into Sacramento. He went straight to the sheriff\u2019s office where the sheriff there had also gotten a wire from Roy. \u201cSon, there are covered wagons comin\u2019 and goin\u2019 out of here all day every day. It would be impossible to check them all. You say you think your wife is in one of \u2018em?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy wife and at least two other women. I think they\u2019ve been given laudanum to keep them under control.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy would you think that, Mr. Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause the station master at Silver Fork saw three women who looked drunk being helped out of the wagon. My wife doesn\u2019t hold her liquor well. She\u2019d be sick before she ever got close to being drunk.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou sure it was your wife?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe description fit.\u201d<\/p>\n The sheriff nodded and thought for a moment. \u201cYour family receive a ransom note?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, we can start at the train station. If three women got on that train lookin\u2019 like they was drunk, someone\u2019s bound to remember \u2018em. If that doesn\u2019t work we\u2019ll ask around town. Mr. Cartwright, it sure would help if you had a photograph of your wife.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam breathed deeply. \u201cI have a photograph in my saddlebag.\u201d The two men walked out of the office, stopping at Adam\u2019s horse. Adam pulled a photograph of Rebecca on their wedding day from his saddlebag, handing it to the sheriff, who looked at it for a long moment.<\/p>\n \u201cPretty lady,\u201d he said, handing it back to Adam. \u201cYou hang onto that. You\u2019ll be going with me, and you can show it around.\u201d<\/p>\n The sheriff spoke to the clerk at the train station, showing him Rebecca\u2019s picture. \u201cShe\u2019d a been travelling with at least two other women and some men. They may have appeared to be drunk. You seen anyone like that, Norton?\u201d asked the sheriff.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t, Sheriff, but I haven\u2019t been on duty a lot lately. You know Mary\u2019s home ill. Hart\u2019s been filling in for me.\u201d<\/p>\n The sheriff nodded and turned to Adam. \u201cLet\u2019s go see Hart.\u201d<\/p>\n Hart was an older gentleman who wore spectacles down low on his nose. It didn\u2019t really matter because it was apparent he couldn\u2019t see very well with or without them. \u201cNow Hart, can you see this photograph? Have you seen her at the train station\u2026maybe with two other women and five or six men?\u201d shouted the sheriff.<\/p>\n Hart held the photograph close to his face. \u201cYou say she was with some other women and they was drunk? Well, I\u2019d know \u2018cause we don\u2019t allow drunks on the train\u2026to start with anyway.\u201d He looked again at the photograph. \u201cShe\u2019s a pretty thing, ain\u2019t she?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe doesn\u2019t remember anything,\u201d said Adam impatiently, reaching to take the photograph back.<\/p>\n Hart pulled away. \u201cWait just an all-fired minute young fella\u2026Chinaman,\u201d he said, surrendering the photograph.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about a Chinaman, Hart?\u201d asked the sheriff.<\/p>\n \u201cThree women\u2026all of \u2018em had long blonde hair. A big Chinaman picked \u2018em up and set \u2018em right up on the top step, then another one pushed \u2018em into a private car. That fancy Chinaman that came into town not too long ago\u2026the one with all those other Chinamen around him\u2026you know, the one that had those Chinese woman followin\u2019 him everywhere he went. That\u2019s the one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen\u2019d they leave?\u201d asked Adam, the first ray of hope showing in his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cThis morning.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam reached out and took the man\u2019s hand in both of his. \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n As he and the sheriff were on their way out the door, Hart asked, \u201cWho is she?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHis wife,\u201d answered the sheriff.<\/p>\n Hart scratched his chin. \u201cOh my.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s your Chinatown, Sheriff?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHold your horses, Cartwright. You don\u2019t go rushing into Chinatown. Those Chinese pretty much take care of things there in their own way. If he\u2019s the Chinaman I think Hart\u2019s talkin\u2019 about, there\u2019s only one place in Chinatown he\u2019d have stayed. You go back to the office. I\u2019ll be asking the questions there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI need to send a telegram first. My brother\u2019s waiting in Placerville.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlright, but when you get finished, wait at the office. I won\u2019t be long.\u201d An hour had passed since the sheriff had gone to Chinatown. Adam had been pacing the floor for most of it, except when the clerk from the telegraph office came in to deliver a wire from Hoss. It read simply, \u201cUnderway. Wait. Be there soon as I can. Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n Just as Adam was heading out the door of the office toward Chinatown, the sheriff stepped up on the porch. \u201cWhere d\u2019you think you\u2019re going?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was going to look for you. You\u2019ve been gone over an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI asked the wrong questions and got surrounded by Tong.\u201d He looked around him, then pulled Adam back inside the office. \u201cYou don\u2019t mess with the Tong around here, and you stick to your agreements with \u2018em.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat agreement?\u201d asked Adam, pinching his lips tightly together as he flared his nostrils.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I went to the\u2026hotel\u2026over there, I made the man at the front desk show me his book. Every name in that book was Yung Lin which means they\u2019re doing a lot of illegal business there. When I started asking questions, I was invited to speak to Wu Fong.\u201d The sheriff poured himself a cup of coffee and took a long sip after dragging his hand through his hair from his forehead to the back of his head. \u201cI agreed not to cause any trouble if they\u2019d tell me about the white women that left on the train. Fong told me they were sold to Chinese merchants who specialize in rare commodities in China. He said two of them brought five thousand dollars each. The third one was more.\u201d The sheriff slammed his coffee cup down on his desk. \u201cIs there something you\u2019re not telling me about your wife, Cartwright? Why would they think she was such a rare commodity?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam chewed on the inside of his mouth. \u201cThat\u2019s the least of your worries. You have direct knowledge that the men who took my wife sold her into white slavery. What are you gonna do about it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCartwright, I don\u2019t know who they were\u2026hell, I don\u2019t even know what they look like. Chances are they all went their separate ways when they got their money. And right now, finding them isn\u2019t gonna help your wife. Fong said these men were middlemen. They\u2019ll have a buyer in San Francisco who will leave with her as soon as the deal is done. You need to get to San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd just how do I do that before they leave? They left here on the morning train. They\u2019re better than a half a day ahead of me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll wire the San Francisco police and let \u2018em know what\u2019s happened. Hopefully, they\u2019ll know who to talk to about your wife before whoever buys her leaves.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy brother is on the way here. His name is Hoss. Tell him I rode ahead. Tell him to come to San Francisco. I\u2019ll leave information for him with the police. I\u2019ve already missed the train today, so I\u2019ll ride to Sacramento, then take a steamer to San Francisco. Where\u2019s the livery? I need a fresh horse.\u201d<\/p>\n After the sheriff gave him directions, Adam turned to leave, but the sheriff caught his arm, looking apologetically at him. \u201cCartwright\u2026good luck.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded and hurried out of the office, heading to the telegraph office to send a telegram to his father. \u201cRebecca sold to Chinaman. Need Hop Sing. Send to San Francisco. Leave arrival with San Francisco police. Will meet him. Adam.\u201d Adam didn\u2019t have time to think about his pain at losing Rebecca during his ride into Sacramento. He pushed his horse hard to the point that the man at the livery stable chastised him for almost killing him. Adam didn\u2019t bother addressing the man\u2019s concerns, but rather stroked the horse\u2019s nose, silently apologizing. Still, it was more important to be in Sacramento in time to board the steamer.<\/p>\n The steamer was a different story, Adam having nothing to do but think. He stood at the rail of the ship watching the murky water of the Sacramento River being pushed away from the bow. He saw her face, her smile, her eyes\u2026the way they sparkled when she smiled, their green and amber as bright as the trees and the hay fields in sunshine.<\/p>\n He wondered if he\u2019d ever look into those beautiful eyes again, or touch her soft cheek, kiss her warm lips, hold her\u2026.<\/p>\n A profound sadness took him over, and he pushed himself away from the rail and made his way back to his berth. Going over and over in his mind how much he yearned for her now wasn\u2019t going to help him get her back. He needed a plan, but even that was beyond his reach. He wouldn\u2019t know anything until he spoke to the San Francisco police, and still then, he might know nothing.<\/p>\n But, Hop Sing\u2026Hop Sing could go places, ask questions that he couldn\u2019t, and he could do it much faster than he or the police if his extensive family helped. He lay down, but sleep eluded him. He traded his yearning for her for what might have been\u2026if only he\u2019d asked her to wait to go riding or perhaps ride with him and his father out to Harland\u2019s ranch.<\/p>\n Was all this her brother\u2019s doing? If he had been anywhere around Virginia City, he would have known that Rebecca married a Cartwright. But, the intention of the kidnappers wasn\u2019t to extort money from them, but rather to make money another way. Could Rebecca\u2019s kidnapping have been planned long before she went riding? Or was this a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and fitting a set of requirements with the type of woman\u2026long blonde hair, slender, but certainly womanly\u2026with her eyes. Maybe they saw her eyes and decided then to take her, knowing they\u2019d be able to sell her at a premium. But then, Robbie had been involved, and that took him right back to ransom\u2026at least for Robbie.<\/p>\n He lay there for the duration of the trip, going over everything in his mind time and time again, but there were no answers. The only thing he was sure of now that he didn\u2019t know when he started out was that his wife had been sold, and if he didn\u2019t find her soon, she might be out of his reach\u2026forever. When Adam arrived in San Francisco, he hired a carriage to take him to the police station. Even though it was late in the evening, he still found a line of person after person reporting a theft, a beating, a drunken brawl\u2026it went on and on.<\/p>\n He grabbed an officer who was hurrying by. \u201cI\u2019m Adam Cartwright. The sheriff in Folsom sent a telegram. My wife has been kidnapped.\u201d<\/p>\n The officer looked him up and down, eyeing him to see why this man thought he was special.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was taken by Chinese men.\u201d<\/p>\n This seemed to grab the young man\u2019s attention as he stood up straight, raising his eyebrows. \u201cCome with me.\u201d Adam followed the policeman into an office. \u201cPlease take a seat. The chief will be with you in a moment.\u201d With that, the young man rushed out the door, leaving Adam standing with his hat in his hand, looking around the room. He didn\u2019t want to sit down. He\u2019d been sitting or lying in his small berth the better part of the last day. He needed to do something or at least know something more than he already did.<\/p>\n It seemed like an eternity before the office door opened. The man that entered was an older man with a weathered, tired face. Adam could imagine that as the head of the San Francisco Police Department, this man\u2019s job had never been an easy one.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Cartwright,\u201d he said, extending his hand. \u201cI\u2019m Chief James Curtis.\u201d Adam shook the man\u2019s hand. \u201cPlease, Mr. Cartwright, sit down.\u201d Adam did as he was requested, crossing his legs and placing his hat on his knee. \u201cI was disturbed by the telegram we received from Folsom regarding your wife. I sent some officers into Chinatown, hoping they might hear something, but nothing firm has turned up yet. Can I offer you a drink, Mr. Cartwright, perhaps some coffee?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam breathed deeply, struggling with the need to jump across the desk and take the man by his collar, asking why he didn\u2019t have officers searching every building in Chinatown. He already knew the answer\u2026restraint was in order. \u201cA cup of coffee would be fine, thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n Chief Curtis made his way across the room to the coffee pot on the stove. \u201cMr. Cartwright, I have to be honest. Scores of women are forced into prostitution in this city every day. Even the men aren\u2019t safe. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve heard of Shanghai.\u201d Adam nodded. \u201cBut, this one is no ordinary kidnapping. Most of the women who are taken are taken right here in the city. You\u2019re wife was taken from a good distance, and I understand there were two more women traveling with her that were taken from further away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know anything about the other two women, Chief, other than they also had long, blonde hair.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour sheriff friend from Folsom seems to think there was more to your wife than just her blonde hair. He mentioned she seemed more valuable to the Chinamen. Why would that be, Mr. Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam bent his head into his hand and rubbed his forehead. Her eyes were certainly the first thing he noticed once she opened them. Everyone noticed them the first time they met her\u2026they were always unable to stop staring. The fact remained, even though they were\u2026different\u2026they were beautiful. \u201cMy wife has unusual eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen the bluest, the greenest, the most luminous eyes in my day, Mr. Cartwright. What is so unusual about her eyes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne is green, like the trees in a forest. The other is amber, the color of a hay field in the sunshine. It matches her hair.\u201d<\/p>\n Chief Curtis sighed heavily. \u201cWell, we certainly would have been able to identify her if we had found her.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sat up in the chair, noticing the chief had spoken in past tense. \u201cDo you know something you haven\u2019t told me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m afraid I do, Mr. Cartwright. It would seem there has been a fast moving rumor traveling through Chinatown today. It would appear that a woman with yellow-green eyes has brought the highest price ever paid in Chinatown. And she\u2019s already left San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam jumped to his feet, his heart racing. \u201cGoing where?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cParts unknown, I\u2019m afraid.\u201d The police sergeant at the front desk looked up to see a little Chinese man waiting, standing patiently in front of the desk right in front of a giant of a man. \u201cCan I help you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI here meet Missa Adam Cartlight. Name Hop Sing. He say to meet here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho are you?\u201d the sergeant asked, poking his chin at the man standing behind Hop Sing.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m with him,\u201d he said, nodding at Hop Sing. \u201cName\u2019s Hoss Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust what we need. Another Cartwright. Come on,\u201d said the sergeant, motioning for Hop Sing and Hoss to follow him. They walked into a back room where there was a row of cells. \u201cCartwright, you have visitors.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam, who had been lying on the cot facing the wall for most of the last two days, turned his head just enough to catch a glimpse of Hop Sing. In one smooth motion, he rolled and stood, then quickly walked to the bars of his cell. \u201cHop Sing, I\u2019m glad you\u2019re here. Hoss,\u201d he said, nodding.<\/p>\n \u201cMissa Adam, what you do?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, Adam. How come you\u2019re in jail?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI lost my temper.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou lose temper all time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, the chief of police was the recipient this time.\u201d<\/p>\n As if on cue Chief Curtis entered the jail. \u201cCartwright, are you calm enough to leave that cell?\u201d Adam stood silently, glaring. \u201cLook, I understand why you\u2019re so angry, but it\u2019s not doing you any good. The way I figure it, the only hope you have of finding your wife is finding out who bought her. Maybe then you can find out where she is. I\u2019ll let you out if you\u2019ll stay civil, but if you cause any trouble in my city, you\u2019ll find yourself back in this cell.\u201d Adam flared his nostrils, but nodded agreement, and the chief unlocked the cell door.<\/p>\n \u201cThis Chinaman a friend of yours?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMore like family,\u201d Adam answered.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what about him?\u201d asked the chief, pointing to Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cMy brother, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n The chief turned to address Hoss. \u201cHorse\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo sir. It\u2019s Hoss. Just plain Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Hoss, you keep your brother out of trouble. I don\u2019t need any of you causing a ruckus in Chinatown.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, sir. You won\u2019t be seein\u2019 us again,\u201d said Hoss, putting his hand on Adam\u2019s back, lightly pushing him toward the door.<\/p>\n After Adam picked up his gun and hat, they walked out and stood on the stoop of the police station. \u201cAdam, you look terrible. When\u2019s the last time you had somethin\u2019 to eat?\u201d Adam\u2019s bloodshot eyes looked at him stonily. \u201cCome on. \u201cLet\u2019s find a place to sit down and talk,\u201d said Hoss, putting his hand across Adam\u2019s shoulders, hoping he could talk Adam into eating something. From Adam\u2019s demeanor, he knew Adam didn\u2019t have good news to tell him, but it wouldn\u2019t do any good if he got too weak from not eating.<\/p>\n Hoss knew that the only places they could sit and eat with Hop Sing would be in Chinatown. They took a carriage that stopped a block away, not daring to try to drive down the crowded street. Hop Sing led them to a restaurant owned by one of his cousins. He spoke quietly in Cantonese to the host, who led them through the restaurant to a private room in the back. The man sent a young Chinese girl out of the room while he continued to speak with Hop Sing. Soon, the Chinese girl was back with two other girls bringing drinks, and several plates of food. After they set the table, they bowed and left, closing the door behind them.<\/p>\n \u201cA girl with one green eye, and one yellow eye. Have you heard anything?\u201d asked Hop Sing.<\/p>\n \u201cCome. We will speak with the Tong,\u201d said Hop Sing\u2019s cousin.<\/p>\n Hop Sing turned to Hoss. \u201cYou stay. Eat. Hop Sing be back soon.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss prepared a plate of chow mein and dumplings, passed the plate to Adam, then prepared one for himself. \u201cAdam, you ain\u2019t gonna do anybody any good if you fall over. Now eat.\u201d Hoss glared at him. \u201cI ain\u2019t askin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam moved his glassy gaze to Hoss, studied him for a moment, then sat up and picked up a set of chopsticks.<\/p>\n \u201cTell me what you\u2019ve been able to find out,\u201d said Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cAll I know is that she was sold, that she brought the highest price in the history of Chinatown, and she was taken from San Francisco for parts unknown.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSounds like you\u2019re talkin\u2019 about livestock.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam glared at him, wearing an expression of something between a frown and disgust.<\/p>\n Hoss sighed. \u201cSorry, Adam. I didn\u2019t mean nothin\u2019 by it. But if that\u2019s true, we\u2019ll find out soon.\u201d Hop Sing\u2019s family\u2019ll be able to tell us more than the police.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam had managed to get some food in his stomach, but he abruptly dropped his chopsticks, then propped his elbows on the table, holding his face in his hands. \u201cHoss, do you have any idea what they\u2019ll do to her? What they\u2019ll keep doing to her? She\u2019ll be paraded around for men to gawk at. She\u2019ll be used as a bribe for favors.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam shot up out of his chair, turning to a wall, leaning his head against it. He punched the wall. \u201cI have to find her,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n Hoss sat back in his chair, having no words to offer for comfort. The thought that anyone could do that to a woman, especially a woman who belonged to another man, made him sick to his stomach. He wasn\u2019t so naive that he didn\u2019t know that it happened. But, this was Rebecca. This was too close to home. This is what despair felt like, and if he was feeling it, he was sure Adam was in Hell. Hoss lay down on a sofa at the back of the room where Hop Sing had left them and slept while Adam sat in a chair leaned back on its legs, resting against a wall. He dozed off and on, jumping with every sound at the door of the room.<\/p>\n After several hours, Adam awoke to voices, one Hop Sing\u2019s, just outside the door. He opened the door, and the three men stopped and looked at him. Hop Sing looked back, continuing to speak in Cantonese, then bowed to the two men and entered the room. By this time, Hoss was awake, and the three men sat at the table that had been cleared sometime during the night.<\/p>\n Hop Sing looked tired\u2026defeated. He looked into Adam\u2019s eyes sorrowfully. \u201cMissa Adam, Missy Rebecca taken by opium trader, General Wei Jun. Ship not register. Nobody know where go.\u201d Adam stared blankly at Hop Sing, got up, and left.<\/p>\n Hoss spoke up suddenly. \u201cHop Sing, I need to wire Pa and find a place for us to stay. Can you and your friends keep an eye on Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing take good care Missa Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t bother \u2018im. Let \u2018im go where he wants to go. Just make sure he don\u2019t get in no trouble. I\u2019ll see if there\u2019s somethin\u2019 available at the hotel next to the telegraph office. Send someone there in an hour to let me know where he is.\u201d Hop Sing nodded, and Hoss left for the telegraph office.<\/p>\n Adam walked, at first, not caring where he walked. But, he found himself winding his way toward the docks. He knew the docks were a dangerous place for a lone man to be in the middle of the night. He didn\u2019t care. If he was shanghaied maybe he\u2019d end up in the same place as Rebecca.<\/p>\n Becca, I\u2019m so sorry I didn\u2019t protect you. I won\u2019t stop looking until I find you.<\/p>\n Adam needed to think about his next step, but his thoughts kept going back to Rebecca and what she would be enduring until he found her. The more he thought, the angrier he got with no way to let it out. He felt like he would explode if he couldn\u2019t do something\u2026anything. But, there was nothing he could do in the middle of the night. He managed a thought here and there, until finally he had a vague idea of his next step. The Chinese Consul in New York\u2026the American Consul in Shanghai\u2026one or both of them must know something about this General Wei Jun.<\/p>\n When he finally looked up he was standing at the end of a vacant dock. The glow of morning slowly sent rays of light dancing off the shallow waves in the harbor. Becca, where are you? A bright ray of light shone through a hole in the deck flooring above, waking her from a groggy, fitful sleep. She closed her eyes again, letting herself feel her surroundings. Her bed was soft\u2026very soft, and when she touched the sheet, her fingers slid easily over the material. Satin\u2026is that satin? I\u2019m so sleepy, why can\u2019t I wake up? She felt the room pitch and roll. Water\u2026I\u2019m on a boat. She slowly sat up and looked around the dimly lit room. The furniture, the decorations, the rugs were all Chinese, brightly colored in red and gold with rich, dark wood.<\/p>\n The room pitched and rolled again, and she began to feel queasy. Looking next to the bed she had been lying in, she found a pitcher and a glass. She dipped her finger in the pitcher, tasting the clear liquid. It tasted bitter. She tried to stand, but the gentle roll of the ship proved too much as she fell into a wall, making her way along it until she found a door. Locked. Then, she noticed her clothing, a long, soft yellow, flowing gown of silk\u2026no shoes. She brought her hand up. My wedding band\u2026where\u2019s my wedding band?<\/p>\n She rushed over to a porthole and looked out. Everywhere she looked she saw nothing but ocean. She rushed to the other side, and found the same\u2026no land anywhere in sight. Fear taking her over, she slowly sank to the floor, holding her knees tightly to her chest. Adam, where are you? Where am I? One of Hop Sing\u2019s cousins found Hoss, telling him Adam had stopped at the wharf. Hoss walked out onto the dock and stopped, watching Adam, who was standing motionless, his eyes searching out across the ocean. It was as if he looked long enough, he\u2019d find something recognizable in the distance that gave him hope. Hoss hesitated to disturb him, having no idea what to say. There were no words of comfort, no words of encouragement, no words of hope that Hoss could say that would make the situation any better. It was, in fact, about the worst situation he could ever imagine his brother in. He hated to even think it, but if they had found Rebecca\u2019s body, Adam would eventually come to terms with it. But Rebecca was very much alive and living the worst atrocities Adam could conjure up in his mind.<\/p>\n Hoss walked closer. \u201cAdam?\u201d he said, quietly, though it seemed to thunder in the stillness of the early morning. \u201cI sent a telegram to Pa. I think we could use his help.\u201d He watched Adam\u2019s back for any sign of acknowledgement. \u201cI got us a room close to the telegraph office, and asked the clerk there to deliver any messages on the spot. We should go back, just in case somethin\u2019 comes in.\u201d Hoss put his hand on Adam\u2019s shoulder when he slumped and his head dropped. \u201cAdam, you cain\u2019t give up on her. None of us are gonna quit looking until we find her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not giving up, Hoss. I\u2019m just not sure she\u2019ll want to come back when we find her.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss furrowed his brow. \u201cWhy would you think somethin\u2019 like that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShame, despair\u2026hate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHate?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t protect her. I let this happen. She has every right to hate me.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss spun him around angrily. \u201cYou know, for someone who\u2019s supposed to be so smart, that was an ignorant thing to say. That little gal loves you more\u2019n anything. She ain\u2019t never gonna hate you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe might after whoever\u2019s got her is through with her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, let\u2019s go. I ain\u2019t gonna listen to you say another word like that, Adam. We\u2019ll get her back. And when we do, you\u2019ll see. She\u2019ll still love you the same as always.\u201d<\/p>\n When Hoss and Adam arrived at the hotel, Hop Sing was waiting with food. \u201cMissa Adam, you eat. You no good if you no eat,\u201d said Hop Sing. Adam looked over at the table, managed a slight smile at Hop Sing, then turned toward one of the bedrooms. When Hop Sing grabbed his arm, Adam froze. Hop Sing had never been insistent enough to stop him, much less grab him. \u201cYou eat. Hop Sing talk. Hop Sing have much to say.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam looked over at Hoss, who seemed just as surprised at Hop Sing\u2019s assertiveness. He laid his hat and gun belt on a chair, and sat down at the table. Hoss joined him, and Hop Sing sat across from them, pushing the serving dishes toward them. \u201cHop Sing talk when you eat.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam prepared a plate of chicken, Hunan beef, rice, dumplings and a spring roll, looking up at Hop Sing for approval. Hop Sing smiled and nodded. \u201cMissy Rebecca, have yellow hair…yellow eye. She have one green eye. Yellow good color. Get much respect. Yellow stand for Emperor. Green for long life\u2026harmony\u2026strength. Someone say she wear yellow when she leave.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam stopped eating and breathed heavily. \u201cHop Sing, what are you trying to say?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe taken to show eyes. Men pay to look at eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you saying she was taken so this General Wei Jun could make money from showing her eyes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEyes\u2026hair,\u201d said Hop Sing, nodding.<\/p>\n Adam thought for a moment. \u201cMost of these women are taken for prostitution. The blonde women bring a higher price than the Chinese women. What makes you think she wouldn\u2019t be sold for the same reason?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGeneral Wei Jun look for wife. She has yellow eye. She look at men. She make him money. He take for wife.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sat back, feeling a glimmer of hope. If what Hop Sing said was true, maybe she wouldn\u2019t be treated as badly as he feared. And if she was so unusual that men would pay to look into her eyes, she should be easier to find.<\/p>\n Hoss smiled hopefully at Adam, his smile changing to worry at the sight of Adam\u2019s face\u2026tired\u2026drained. Even so, Adam thanked Hop Sing, and walked into the bedroom of the suite, closing the door behind him. Hoss hoped that Hop Sing had said enough to allow Adam to finally get some sleep. Hop Sing quickly answered the knock at the hotel suite door, hoping not to disturb the sleeping Cartwrights. As soon as the door closed, Adam was dressed and standing in front of him.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that from Pa?\u201d Hop Sing handed him the telegram.<\/p>\n Come home. Nothing to do there. Will make contacts here. Meeting today with lawyer for contact at Consul.<\/p>\n While Adam read, Hop Sing woke Hoss who came into the front room in his long johns, scratching and yawning. Adam didn\u2019t say anything to him. He just handed him the telegram. \u201cYou know, Adam, Pa\u2019s right. There ain\u2019t a dang thing we can do here.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded and went into his room to pack his things. His father had come to the same conclusion that he had and would be able to start without him. Even so, he didn\u2019t relish the long trip home.<\/p>\n Both Hoss and Hop Sing rode right along with him, grumbling to themselves, though they\u2019d never grumble aloud. They both knew Adam needed to get home. There wasn\u2019t anything Adam could do to make the steamer move any faster, but once he was on solid ground again, the days were long. He had no intention of pushing his horse the way he had on the way to San Francisco, but the moon was in its brightest phases, and Adam pushed on each day for several hours longer than normal.<\/p>\n Hop Sing brought the normal food items along with them; coffee, beans, jerky and bacon and rose early each day to fix the coffee and bacon. They\u2019d eat jerky at midday, then have coffee, bacon, and beans in the evenings. Hop Sing didn\u2019t complain. Adam was eating, seemingly rejuvenated by the need to return home to do something that might bring him closer to his wife.<\/p>\n Adam rode in silence, having spoken no more than an occasional \u201cthank you\u201d or \u201canother hour; then we\u2019ll stop.\u201d In the evening, he ate his beans and bacon, drank his coffee, then rolled over onto his bedroll facing away from the fire. Truth be told, he hadn\u2019t been without the warmth of his wife next to him for three months straight, and he\u2019d gotten used to the feel of her soft skin next to his, the sound of her quiet, even breathing, her soft moans at his touch, and the faint tickle of her breath moving the hair on his chest as she slept on his shoulder. Even the infrequent kick, flying elbow, or sleep-mumbling was endearing.<\/p>\n He\u2019d smile at those memories, then close his eyes, imperceptibly shaking his head at the other thoughts that slowly invaded, of strange places, ogling men, repulsive hands and God only knew what else. Once he saw his future with Rebecca at his side. Now, the only thought he had about the future was the next step in getting her back.<\/p>\n When the men arrived at home, Adam quickly tied his horse and trotted to the house, flinging the door open and yelling, \u201cPa!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m here at the desk.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam rushed over. \u201cAnything?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben leaned back in his chair, looking at his hands and smiling, understanding that the best thing he could do for Adam now was to calm him. \u201cI\u2019ve sent word to the American Consul in China\u2026a George Seward. But, Adam, you know as well as I do that overseas communications take time. I\u2019ve exchanged telegrams with the State Department, so they\u2019re aware of the situation and have offered their assistance in every way possible. But, they said the most promising avenue would be to work with Mr. Seward since he\u2019s in China and would most likely hear about anything unusual. They are also in contact with the Chinese Consul here who is gathering what information the Chinese have on General Wei.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam turned and sat on the edge of the desk, hanging his head.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam,\u201d Ben began quietly. \u201cThe ship set sail only a few days ago. They\u2019re at sea. Until they make port somewhere, there\u2019s nothing to do but wait. Even then, we might not know where they\u2019ve landed because they\u2019re smugglers. The State Department is sending communications to all the ports where smugglers are known to frequent. As soon as they hear something, they\u2019ll inform us. As a matter of fact, they\u2019re sending a liaison here to work with us.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sat still, head bowed, hat in hand. \u201cShe\u2019s only one woman. Why would they expend that much effort for one woman?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause she\u2019s not one woman, Adam. She represents many American women in trouble. She happens to be unique; the one that might lead them to the others.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo now what? I could have done nothing in San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t have your family standing with you there, now would you?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam managed a slight smile. \u201cNo, I guess not.\u201d It was over two weeks before the Cartwrights heard any news at all. Adam had taken up riding to town every day to check for new telegrams or letters. He stopped by Mrs. Bailey\u2019s house each trip, walking her to the store if she needed to go or taking care of her yard, then sitting with her on the front porch swing. Even though they didn\u2019t say much, they held hands, giving each other an occasional reassuring squeeze. This particular morning, there was a telegram waiting for him that said, \u201cDossier on General Wei Jun sent via Wells Fargo should arrive within week. Graham Hunt, State Department.\u201d Stopping by Mrs. Bailey\u2019s house, he told her about the telegram, making his apologies for not staying long. He rode home and showed the telegram to his father. \u201cThis is going too slow. I need to do something. What if we hire a Pinkerton?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s a Pinkerton going to do? She\u2019s not in the States.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re investigators. We send them to China and let them investigate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what if she\u2019s not there?\u201d Adam flared his nostrils and turned his back to his father. \u201cAdam, I want you to consider moving back here for the time being. I don\u2019t think staying at your house alone is doing you any good.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa, the house, her things\u2026they\u2019re all I have.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not true. You have family here who are just as concerned. There\u2019s work here for you to do, you won\u2019t have to worry about your meals\u2026there are other things here to keep your mind occupied.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want my mind occupied with other things. There must be something I\u2019m not thinking of that I could be doing to help her.\u201d As he finished his sentence, he heard a knock at the door and went to answer.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m Albert Byers\u2026from the State Department.\u201d<\/p>\n By this time, Ben was at the door. \u201cMr. Byers, please come in. We\u2019ve been expecting you. I\u2019m Ben Cartwright, and this is my son, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh, you\u2019re the missing woman\u2019s husband,\u201d he said, holding out his hand. He continued to speak as Adam shook his hand. \u201cI\u2019m terribly sorry for what you\u2019re going through, Mr. Cartwright, but we believe, because your wife is\u2026unusual\u2026that we have a very good chance of finding her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s good to hear,\u201d said Adam. \u201cDo you know anything new?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben stepped forward putting his hand on the back of Mr. Byers\u2019 shoulder and motioning him to the sitting area. \u201cI believe I do have more information that you may not have heard,\u201d said Byers. He sat on the settee, placing his portfolio on the coffee table while Ben took the closer leather chair, and Adam stood in front of the hearth. He needed to be able to move. Byers continued, \u201cWe do have some information about General Wei Jun. I don\u2019t have all of it yet, but it should be on its way from the State Department.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded. \u201cWe received a telegram this morning that it should arrive within the week.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019ll tell you what I know and what we\u2019re doing. Other than that, I\u2019m afraid we\u2019ll have to wait for that dossier. Wei Jun was a General in the Taiping Rebellion who fell out of favor with the Manchu leaders in China. We know he owns a compound on the Yangtze River in the province of Anhui. But, he is rarely seen there. Since leaving the Taiping initiative in disgrace, he has become employed by the British to clandestinely bring opium into China from Bombay. Our guess is that he also ships cotton, which would put him in San Francisco on occasion. We know he trades in opium here. He was seen at a known opium den called Blind Annie\u2019s while in San Francisco. Our sources tell us that other trading takes place in the basement there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you say other trading, are you talking about white slavery?\u201d asked Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Mr. Cartwright. We\u2019ve been following reports of missing women; disappearances seemingly unrelated until Mr. Cartwright here,\u201d he said, nodding at Ben, \u201creported that there were at least two other women traveling with your wife. When we started looking, we found towns from the Sierra and all parts west reporting that women were coming up missing with no trace. The commonality is that they all are young, blonde, attractive women. That\u2019s all I know so far. The dossier will contain more information from the Chinese Consul who is interested in General Wei Jun because of his opium trade in China. A full third of the Chinese population is addicted to it, and they\u2019d like to stop its import.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, at least we know something, even if it\u2019s not Rebecca\u2019s location,\u201d said Ben as he watched Adam analyze the information. \u201cMr. Byers, please forgive our manners. Rebecca has been the only thing on our minds of late. Can I offer you something to drink, perhaps coffee, or maybe something stronger?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you Mr. Cartwright, but no. I should be getting into town before dark.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have plenty of room here, Mr. Byers. It would be our pleasure to have you as our guest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s very kind of you, Mr. Cartwright, but it would be better if I stayed close to the telegraph office. I will be sending and receiving telegrams throughout each day, and I\u2019d like to be able to tell you anything important as quickly as possible. I believe Mr. Hunt has already told you how important we feel Mrs. Cartwright is to us in this particular situation. As soon as we find where the General might be going, we are prepared to send operatives to those ports. We already have men on their way to Bombay and Shanghai. So, with your permission, I\u2019ll be on my way.\u201d Mr. Byers reached across the coffee table, offering his hand to Adam. \u201cAgain, Mr. Cartwright, I\u2019m terribly sorry for the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam took his hand and nodded. \u201cThank you, Mr. Byers.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben walked him to the door and watched as he climbed into his buggy and drove away. Chi Mei silently entered her quarters where she lay sleeping restlessly. \u201cKan Huar, wake up,\u201d said Chi Mei, gently shaking her shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cHm. What is it?\u201d asked Rebecca, groggily.<\/p>\n \u201cI have brought food. Honorable General wishes to see you after you bathe. I will prepare your bath while you eat.\u201d Chi Mei began to bring water into her quarters, going in and out as she poured water in an ornately decorated tub.<\/p>\n She sat up, looking at the food on the table next to the bed, consisting of rice, fish, and hot tea. She knew they must be lacing her food with something because she always felt so groggy. She was barely able to hold a conversation. This morning she waited until Chi Mei left her quarters, and bit by bit threw the food out the porthole. She thought the tea was drugged, but she knew beyond a doubt that the water was, so she opted to drink the tea, having avoided most liquids offered her. It made sense that they were drugging her. She had no strength to fight. Before Chi Mei returned with another bucket of water, she tasted the water in her bath\u2026salt water. She spat it back into the tub.<\/p>\n By the time Chi Mei had her bath ready, Rebecca had thrown all of the food out the porthole. She wasn\u2019t hungry anyway. She had been queasy for the duration of this trip and had wanted little to eat.<\/p>\n Chi Mei helped her out of the robes she wore and into the tub. She sank down into its warmth and let her mind wander back home to the warmth and security of Adam\u2019s arms, imagining how they felt around her, his soft kisses, his lusty gaze when he wanted her. She allowed herself a laugh, thinking about his comments about the wind blowing at the most inappropriate times, making those around them stare with confusion because the wind wasn\u2019t really blowing. All she had were her memories, and she cherished each and every one. They were keeping her sane.<\/p>\n Chi Mei came for her, helped her dress in a light yellow, flowing dress and brushed her long, blonde hair. She covered her face, except for her eyes, with a yellow veil, then took her up on deck. The woman squinted at the brightness, having been kept in her quarters for\u2026how long had it been\u2026she didn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n General Wei usually came to her quarters when he wanted to speak to her. He was polite and kept his distance. But today, he stood next to her, wrapped her arm around his, and paraded her in front of the ship\u2019s company. He told them all to speak English in her presence and introduced her as his bride-to-be.<\/p>\n Where was her voice? She wanted to speak, but she couldn\u2019t will her mouth open\u2026the drug. It had to be the drug. She had to tell him she was already married. Her brain formed the words, but her mouth couldn\u2019t say them.<\/p>\n He showed them all her eyes, making sure each man looked into them, making sure each man understood she would have his utmost respect. Then, as quickly as it began, it was over. They had made a circle around the deck of the ship and were standing at the hatch door she had used to come out onto the deck. Chi Mei took her hand, and she descended again into the dim quarters that had been her home for\u2026how long? The tea\u2026the tea was drugged. She felt so tired and sleepy\u2026. Adam finished packing his bag and stood in the middle of the bedroom, looking around. The bed was neatly made. Her brush, her perfume and her hand mirror all lay in their places on her dressing table. On the bureau was their wedding picture sitting next to the music box he had given her their first morning together. He took the picture and music box, placed them carefully in the bag and walked to the door of the bedroom, looking back one more time before he closed the door.<\/p>\n He set the bag next to the front door, then strode to the kitchen and out the back door where she had planted her garden, now a sad sight; dried up and mostly dead. He turned back into the kitchen and locked the door, then stood, looking at the neatly stacked dishes on the hutch, next to the cups and bowls, and all her pots and pans hanging on their hooks above her work table. He had cleaned out the pantry and ice box the day before, leaving nothing that would attract bugs or rodents.<\/p>\n He walked back through the living area to the study where he took a ledger and some papers from the desk drawer, then walked back to the front door, looking into the sitting room. The fireplace was clean\u2026everything was in place\u2026the same way it had been when he had first brought her home after their wedding.<\/p>\n He let himself lean back against the door, tears filling his eyes…feeling that he was deserting her. \u201cBecca,\u201d he whispered, hoping he would hear her call him, hoping this was all a nightmare. But there was no answer. The house was quiet. There was no laughter. His father was right; he needed to be with family. If he stayed, the silence would kill him.<\/p>\n He picked up his bag, walked out the door and closed it behind him. It had been another month since they had met with Mr. Byers. And one more month since the dossier had arrived. The evening they were going over the information from the Chinese Consul, Hop Sing also told them the rest of what he had been holding inside, waiting, not wanting to tell them the story he had to tell if the Chinese Consul said otherwise. But the dossier had only confirmed it.<\/p>\n The women who were taken were given powdered opium from the beginning. It was in their water, in their tea and in their food. The opium was what had allowed the men with the wagon to control Rebecca, and it was the opium that would make her submissive to the General. She would be purposely addicted and become dependent on him for the drug.<\/p>\n The fourth month went by, the fifth, and now, it had been six months since Rebecca had been taken. Adam worked harder than he ever had, leaving the house early\u2026alone, working all day\u2026alone, then coming home, eating dinner quietly and retiring to his room. He hardly said a word. His daily trips into town had become weekly trips into town.<\/p>\n Mrs. Bailey had dinner with the Cartwrights regularly, and afterwards she\u2019d sit on the front porch with Adam. They rarely spoke, but she\u2019d hold his hand, hoping he didn\u2019t feel so lost in his solitude; she had come to love Rebecca, too.<\/p>\n Every now and then, they\u2019d get word that General Wei\u2019s ship had been seen at one port or another, but he always slipped away. No one had seen the woman with the unusual eyes, though, there were rumors in China that she existed, and for a price and a vow of silence, a man could look into those eyes and touch the exquisite porcelain-colored woman to whom they belonged.<\/p>\n It was in that sixth month that Ben Cartwright swore he\u2019d get through to his son. He knocked on the bedroom door.<\/p>\n \u201cCome in,\u201d said Adam from the chair sitting in front of the window.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like you to go to church with the rest of us tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, you\u2019re not doing yourself or Rebecca any good by wasting away in your room.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not wasting away, Pa. I\u2019m getting plenty of exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know what I mean.\u201d Silence. Ben took a deep breath and sat on the end of the bed. \u201cSon, it would have been easier if she had died, wouldn\u2019t it?\u201d Adam\u2019s mouth fell open as he glared at his father. \u201cAs it is, you don\u2019t know where she is, you don\u2019t know how she is, you don\u2019t know what\u2019s happening to her\u2026at this very moment. Can\u2019t you see that it\u2019s eating away at you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s my wife, and she\u2019s not dead. She\u2019s somewhere on this Earth, and I can\u2019t\u2026\u201d Adam closed his eyes, slowed his breathing, and lowered his voice. \u201cI can\u2019t do anything,\u201d he finished quietly. \u201cDo you expect me to give up? Is that it?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben looked back at him with furrowed brows. \u201cOf course not,\u201d he snapped. He shook his head and continued softly. \u201cAdam, you have to keep on living while she\u2019s gone. Sitting and waiting\u2026it\u2019s not healthy\u2026in body, soul or mind. I know how much you want to find her. I understand that\u2026but, you need to take a break\u2026clear your head\u2026exercise that brain of yours. You need to stay mentally, emotionally, and physically healthy because we already know when we find her, she won\u2019t be. She\u2019s gonna need you to be the strong one, and your heart and your mind have to be ready for her to come home.\u201d They sat in silence. \u201cCome to church with us tomorrow. Get out, see people, do things you used to do together. Maybe it will make her seem closer. Let your memories of her carry you.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam bent his head, covering his face with his hand. \u201cAlright. I\u2019ll go.\u201d Chi Mei knew something wasn\u2019t right. Kan Huar had been sicker than the opium would have made her. After four months, Chi Mei knew she couldn\u2019t hide the reason any longer from the General.<\/p>\n He stomped into Kan Huar\u2019s quarters as a storm raged outside, tossing the ship to and fro as the waves beat down upon the deck. He forced her up on her feet and tore her gown off, staring at the unmistakable plumpness of her belly. He yelled at her in Mandarin as she stared at him, unable to understand. \u201cWho on this ship has done this to you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo one,\u201d she answered quietly, her speech slurred. \u201cThis child belongs to my husband.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHusband? I was assured there was no husband. I was promised that you were pure.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was pure\u2026before I married my husband,\u201d she answered drunkenly. She pulled the blanket from the bed and covered herself.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the child is born, it will be killed.\u201d His threat was sobering.<\/p>\n \u201cIf my child dies, I die. Then you will never get your precious money back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo not threaten me.\u201d<\/p>\n She leaned toward him, glaring into his face. \u201cIf my child dies, I will die.\u201d<\/p>\n General Wei raised his hand to strike her and stopped just short of slapping her face. \u201cNo, I will not damage the body. But, I will break the will. And my investment will be just as profitable.\u201d He yelled out the door, and two men came in, throwing the blanket aside, and taking her out onto the deck, struggling to stand as the ship rolled from side to side. They strapped her to the mast, and left her, naked and alone, to ride out the storm with the wind-driven rain pelting her.<\/p>\n She was tied to the mast twice more over the next few months, and each time she was brought in her lips had taken on a bluish tinge. She could not feel her fingers or her toes. The last time she had developed a cough and chills, and the General was forced into port to take a Chinese doctor aboard.<\/p>\n The doctor knew immediately who she was after seeing her eyes. He knew that men from America were searching for her. Still, he said nothing, fearing for his life and the lives of his family. He stayed by her side, night and day, until her fever broke, and she began to take broth. It was difficult to say if her color had returned. She had been kept in the hold of the ship, out of the sun, for six months now, causing her skin to become as white as porcelain.<\/p>\n Her belly was prominent now, and the doctor listened to the baby, assuring her it was still alive. But, he told her that the baby would be born with the same addiction she had, and that his life would be difficult. He suggested that allowing the baby to die might be the most humane thing she could do for it.<\/p>\n But the baby\u2026and her memories\u2026were all she had of the time in her life she was most happy\u2026the time she had with her husband. No, she would not allow the baby to die. And she swore to herself that the baby would know everything about his father\u2026a man more honorable that General Wei could ever hope to be. Hop Sing peeked around the corner coming from the kitchen to the dining room, looking for a time when Ben and Adam were alone in the sitting room. The subject of Rebecca Cartwright was an uncomfortable one for him. He waited until Ben and Adam were alone, attempting to reduce his shame by eliminating Little Joe and Hoss from the conversation.<\/p>\n Adam sat in the blue chair staring at the apples on the coffee table while a book lay closed in his lap. Ben sat smoking his pipe, watching Adam. It had been a full year since Rebecca had been taken. And though Adam was participating in life around the Ponderosa and Virginia City in body, in mind he was absent. He went to church and sat, much the same way he sat now, fixing his gaze on something in the room and staring. He did the same at the dances, the Cattlemen\u2019s Association meetings, and the school board meetings. Even the work he chose to do around the ranch was mundane, monotonous\u2026things he could do with his eyes closed, over and over again.<\/p>\n The operatives from the State Department could never seem to get their hands on General Wei, and none had ever seen the mysterious woman with the unusual eyes. Though many Chinese boasted about seeing her and touching her, they all denied it when questioned by the Americans. They had concluded that she was being kept on a ship, moving from port to port when the offerings for a viewing reached a predetermined level.<\/p>\n Byers had long since gone back where he came from, finding his usefulness in Virginia City negligible. The man constantly apologized, and after a short time, Adam refused to speak to him. The Cartwrights received regular telegrams from him, most saying nothing new.<\/p>\n As Hop Sing entered the room timidly as a mouse, Ben caught his movement out of the corner of his eye and studied him. \u201cHop Sing, would you sit down for a moment?\u201d asked Ben, motioning to a chair.<\/p>\n Hop Sing sat in the leather chair closest to the kitchen. Ben looked him in the eye and gave him a reassuring smile. \u201cHop Sing, the fact that you are Chinese does not make you responsible for what\u2019s happened to Rebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam looked up, meeting Hop Sing\u2019s eyes. \u201cIt\u2019s true. There\u2019s no reason for you to feel that way. We certainly don\u2019t feel that way about you.\u201d<\/p>\n Hop Sing nodded. \u201cHop Sing have news from Tong in San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sat up. Whenever Hop Sing came to them with news, it was worth hearing. \u201cGo ahead,\u201d said Adam anxiously.<\/p>\n \u201cCousin say Tong know how to bring Missy Rebecca back to San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow?\u201d asked Adam, moving to the edge of his chair.<\/p>\n \u201cSilver. You get $25,000 in silver, General Wei come. Show girl.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam looked over at his father. \u201cSilver\u2026only silver?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat what Tong say. Silver. Must be Chinaman. Tong say General know you look for girl. He not come for American. Only Chinaman. Only after he know no funny business. Price high because he know you look for wife.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing, why would the Tong tell you this?\u201d asked Adam, standing, cocking his head to the side and narrowing his eyes.<\/p>\n Hop Sing stood up straight. \u201cCousin Tong. He say Tong very upset. He say Tong blamed for missing girl because they Chinese. Girl always in newspaper. Never go away. Tong want problem go away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing, you tell the Tong we\u2019ll come up with the $25,000 in silver if they make arrangements to get General Wei here,\u201d said Ben. The baby\u2019s birth had been a difficult one, compounded by Rebecca\u2019s inability to eat or drink. The pain of the birth was made worse by the pain of her need. When the child was finally pulled from her body, Chi Mei gave Rebecca opium-laced water which had an almost immediate calming effect. But, the baby would only get relief from his need from his mother.<\/p>\n General Wei listened at the door of her quarters, furious that his former bride-to-be had given birth to another man\u2019s child. She was to be his to bear his children. He would be respected among all of China for having this woman as his wife. Now, to protect his investment, he had to tolerate the child. If he killed the child or sent it away, she would kill herself. He was convinced that she would. So, the child stayed. But, he would not allow it to be fed at his expense, nor would he bear the cost of satisfying the child\u2019s need passed to him from his mother. The child would be veiled at all times. Wei would not lose face because this woman had been unclean\u2026used. No one would question the child if they never saw the child\u2019s face.<\/p>\n As soon as she could sit up, she began to give the child the nourishment he required along with the drug his body craved.<\/p>\n She had reached a silent agreement with General Wei\u2026as long as he left her child alone, she would comply. Even though she did not openly disrespect him, he loathed her American customs, and when this loathing became anger he resorted to any number of forms of water torture to prevent any visible harm to her body, a body shown along with her eyes.<\/p>\n One evening, she had been paraded around on the deck on a chilly night wearing nothing more than a golden sash, a delicate set of red silk gloves, and the short, yellow veil that covered the lower part of her face. She had trembled from the cold, and when the audience left the ship, he ordered that her head be dunked in a tub of cold water over and over again until she was too weak to fight.<\/p>\n He did this again because she sang an American song to her child\u2026one that Adam had sung to her\u2026<\/p>\n Early one morning When she was returned to her quarters, Baby Adam was screaming, not so much from hunger, but for the need of nourishment of another kind. His little body tightened and shook at the pain of being without. Exhausted, she summoned Chi Mei to bring him to her and sat on the bed against the wall patiently feeding her son, drifting off into precious unconsciousness and dreams of her life in her home with her husband. It had taken the Tong more than a year to contact and convince General Wei Jun to come back to San Francisco so they could pay their respects to his \u2018Yellow Flower\u2019. Once an agreement was made, it took General Wei another six months to arrive. When he did, the Tong were waiting for him with 25,000 American dollars worth of silver ingots.<\/p>\n After the General\u2019s men verified the silver and loaded it onto the ship, the Tong were invited onto the ship for their viewing. The General and his yellow flower stood on deck. The General\u2019s guards stood at the end of the gangplank leading onto the ship, making sure there were no unwelcome intrusions. The only movement on the dock was four longshoremen, moving and stacking crates of supplies that would eventually be loaded on the ship. All four men wore black; one seemed young, another was tall and round, and another, an older man. The fourth man was tall and dark, furtively observing everything around him.<\/p>\n The guard\u2019s attention was drawn back to the ship when a scuffle broke out that soon turned into an all-out war. A horde of Tong boarded the ship carrying traditional Chinese weapons including swords, sabers and staffs, the four longshoremen going with them. With the Tong providing cover, three defended one as he ran across the deck to the only woman there. He looked into her eyes, and she stared through him having just been given a strong dose of opium. Still she knew she recognized him, though who he was wasn\u2019t clear. He picked her up and began to run until she said two words that stopped him in his tracks. \u201cMy baby.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA baby?\u201d He looked anxiously at the older longshoreman.<\/p>\n \u201cGo. I\u2019ll find the baby.\u201d<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t difficult to find the child. Once the longshoreman went into the hold, all he had to do was follow the loud cries. He found the child lying on a bed, veiled. A Chinese woman cowered in the corner, offering no resistance. The longshoreman picked up the baby and turned to the woman. Do you want to leave with us?\u201d<\/p>\n Though frightened, she nodded frantically, took the hand he offered and the two raced back up onto the deck where the remaining longshoremen flanked them, running back to the gangplank, and disappearing into the darkness.<\/p>\n The four longshoremen stripped their black nit hats off and entered their hotel through a back door, going up the back stairs to their suite where a doctor was waiting. Adam took Rebecca straight back to a bedroom where the doctor began his examination. He asked that Adam leave the room, but he refused, sitting on the opposite side of the bed from the doctor, anxiously watching everything he did.<\/p>\n Ben brought the baby and the Chinese woman into the suite, handing the child to the woman and going to the door of the bedroom. He stood and watched for a moment, took a deep breath, then turned back to Joe and Hoss, who stood in shocked silence at the unexpected turn of events.<\/p>\n Ben walked to the Chinese woman. \u201cDo you speak English?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d she replied timidly.<\/p>\n \u201cIs this her baby?\u201d he asked, pointing to the room. She nodded. Ben reached out to the baby, but the woman drew back in fright. \u201cDon\u2019t worry. I\u2019m not going to harm you or the child.\u201d<\/p>\n She turned back to him, and he removed the veil covering the child\u2019s head revealing thick, black, curly hair. The three men looked at each other, six moist eyes and three broad smiles shared between them. The doctor sat back and sighed. \u201cMr. Cartwright, I see this over and over again\u2026addiction. I think more\u2019n half of the Chinese and probably a good many of the white folks around here have the same problem.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe didn\u2019t do this to herself. She was kidnapped.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYep. Read all about it in the paper. Look son, there\u2019s nothing I can do for her here unless you\u2019re figurin\u2019 on staying. If you\u2019re gonna be taking her back to Virginia City, you best continue with the opium until you get there and then talk to the doctor there. Getting her over this addiction isn\u2019t gonna be easy, and it isn\u2019t gonna be quick. And she\u2019ll fight you all the way\u2026mind you, it won\u2019t really be her fightin\u2019. It\u2019ll be the opium. You need to remember that.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben stepped into the room holding the baby, clearing his throat. \u201cDoctor, you have another patient.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at the baby Ben was holding then looked back at Adam after reaching into his bag. He took out three vials of white powder, looked at the baby and added a fourth. \u201cI have no idea how much to tell you to give her. Start by sprinkling a little in her water and on her food. That\u2019s probably the way they did it. If she seems belligerent or in pain use more. Once you get the right amount to ease the pain, she\u2019ll probably be very drowsy, just like she is now.\u201d<\/p>\n He turned back to Ben. \u201cIs this her baby?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, it is.\u201d Ben brought the baby to the bed, laying him next to his mother in front of the doctor.<\/p>\n Adam looked, then moved to the end of the bed to get a better look. \u201cPa?\u201d he said, smiling, but soon his smile faded as the child stiffened, shuddered, then shrieked.<\/p>\n Rebecca instinctively turned, having gotten used to the cry of her child and what the shrieking meant. \u201cI have to feed him,\u201d she mumbled.<\/p>\n The doctor stood and walked to Ben, put his hand on his back and began walking him out of the room. \u201cLet\u2019s give them some privacy. I can\u2019t examine the child until she\u2019s done. Mr. Cartwright,\u201d he said, looking back at Adam, motioning for Adam to join him away from the bed. \u201cThis child looks to be around two years old, maybe a little older, but certainly not three. Looking at how he lies there, he\u2019s probably not developed skills at the level of his age. I would imagine she\u2019s treated him as a baby since he was born. If she\u2019s been feeding him all this time, he\u2019s as addicted as she is. You\u2019ll have to take care of the addiction before you can address his development. You need to concentrate on getting them home. As long as she feeds him, he\u2019ll get what he needs from her.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam frowned, looking grimly at the doctor. He nodded and went back to sit in the chair the doctor had occupied. He watched her nurse the child\u2026their child\u2026cooing and coddling him. \u201cBecca?\u201d he whispered. If she heard him, she didn\u2019t show it, keeping her attention on her child.<\/p>\n She laid her head back on the headboard and closed her eyes. Part of her understood what had happened. Part of her knew who he was. But, she was trapped behind the veil of opium that clouded her mind, and until it began to wear off, she wouldn\u2019t be able to put the awareness and her actions together, and even then, it would be shrouded in the pain of need. Still, she would go with him willingly as the opium dictated. The difference now was that she knew she was going home.<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n When Ben left the hotel the next morning to hire a private coach, he was stopped by operatives of the State Department. \u201cMr. Cartwright, can you tell us what happened here last night? There are dead Chinese men floating in the harbor, and General Wei\u2019s ship is nowhere to be found. We know he was here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGentlemen, as soon as you find out, you can tell me because I have no idea what happened to those men or General Wei\u2019s ship.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Cartwright, we know you provided the silver that brought him here. We know the Tong were involved, and we know they kept your silver.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben put his hands in his pockets, looked down and smiled, then looked back up at the agent. \u201cThey can have the silver. It\u2019s a small price to pay for them doing what you people couldn\u2019t,\u201d said Ben, walking away. Rebecca had called for Chi Mei, and the young woman had not left her side since. Adam watched as Chi Mei took care of his wife and the baby\u2019s every need. \u201cYou took care of her on the ship, didn\u2019t you?\u201d asked Adam. Chi Mei only nodded. \u201cDo you know how much opium to give her?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you have any family?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI do not think so. My mother and father sold me to General Wei when I was a child. I was his property.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you know who I am?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe spoke of you. She told her child about you. You are Adam; the same as the child.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe trusts you,\u201d said Adam, watching his wife and his child sleeping. \u201cWould you like to leave with us\u2026to help take care of her?\u201d Chi Mei smiled, nodded, and bowed.<\/p>\n Adam had brought some of Rebecca\u2019s clothes with him, anticipating that she would need something to travel in. Chi Mei gave him a list of the things she would need to keep Rebecca and the baby comfortable on the trip home. When it was time leave, the Cartwrights helped Adam and Chi Mei get Rebecca and the baby settled in the coach. Adam, the two women and the baby rode inside while the others rode up top for the trip home.<\/p>\n When the Cartwrights arrived back at the Ponderosa, Hop Sing brought the newspaper in and handed it to Ben. \u201cRead on first page.\u201d<\/p>\n Kidnapped Woman Found<\/p>\n A woman missing for three years was rescued from a ship reportedly belonging to General Wei Jun of China. Government officials would not comment on the circumstances surrounding her rescue, but sources say the Tong and several longshoremen rescued the woman from the ship.<\/p>\n General Wei\u2019s ship was found afloat several miles offshore, completely abandoned, with the General\u2019s body tied high up on the mast. His eyes had been gouged out and his chest had been branded with the symbol of the Tong.<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing, what do you make of this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTong send message. Chinese take no more American women.\u201d<\/p>\n ************<\/p>\n Adam slept in a chair next to the bed in the guest room\u2026the same room where Rebecca had stayed when he found her in the field. As he dozed in his chair, he suddenly felt as if he was being watched. He opened his eyes and found the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen looking back at him. She didn\u2019t move; she just looked at him.<\/p>\n
\nThe Long Journey Home: Adam and Becca<\/a><\/p>\n
\nWhen Paul came down the stairs, he walked slowly in deep thought. Something about this girl troubled him. When Joe told him they had found a girl alone in the far reaches of the Ponderosa, he decided to stop by to speak to Sheriff Roy Coffee about any missing person reports, but there were none. This girl had to come from somewhere. Certainly someone had missed her.<\/p>\n
\nChapter 2 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Two<\/p>\n
\nAnother day came and went, and another, and another. On the fifth day, as he dozed in his chair, he suddenly felt as if he was being watched. He stirred uneasily and looked up to find the most unusual eyes he had ever seen looking back at him.
\nShe didn\u2019t move; she just looked at him.<\/p>\n
\nChapter Three<\/p>\n
\nChapter 4 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Four<\/p>\n
\nChapter 5 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Five<\/p>\n
\nChapter 6 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Six<\/p>\n
\nChapter 7 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Seven<\/p>\n
\nChapter 8 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Eight<\/p>\n
\nChapter 9 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Nine<\/p>\n
\nChapter 10 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Ten<\/p>\n
\nChapter 11 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Eleven<\/p>\n
\nChapter 12 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Twelve<\/p>\n
\nChapter 13 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Thirteen<\/p>\n
\nChapter 14 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Fourteen<\/p>\n
\nChapter 15 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Fifteen<\/p>\n
\nExcept for love\u2019s sake only. Do not say
\n\u2018I love her for her smile\u2014her look\u2014her way
\nOf speaking gently\u2026\u2019
\nBut love me for love\u2019s sake, that evermore
\nThou may\u2019st love on, through love\u2019s eternity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nI love thee to the depth and breadth and height
\nMy soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
\nFor the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
\n\u2026I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
\nWith my lost saints,\u2014I love thee with the breath,
\nSmiles, tears, of all my life!\u2014and, if God choose,
\nI shall but love thee better after death.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nChapter 16 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Sixteen<\/p>\n
\nChapter 17 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Seventeen<\/p>\n
\nChapter 18 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Eighteen<\/p>\n
\nHoss had been right, for when Adam and his father got back out to the site at the lake where Rebecca had been, it was almost pitch black. \u201cPa, I\u2019ll wait for Roy until the moon\u2019s up. But that\u2019s all.\u201d Adam paced back and forth on the shore of the lake, stopping every now and then to look out.<\/p>\n
\nChapter Nineteen<\/p>\n
\nChapter Twenty<\/p>\n
\nChapter 21 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Twenty-One<\/p>\n
\nChapter 22 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Twenty-Two<\/p>\n
\nChapter 23 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Twenty-Three<\/p>\n
\nChapter 24 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Twenty-Four<\/p>\n
\nChapter 25 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Twenty-Five<\/p>\n
\nChapter 26 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Twenty-Six<\/p>\n
\nChapter 27 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Twenty-Seven<\/p>\n
\nChapter 28 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Twenty-Eight<\/p>\n
\nChapter 29 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Twenty-Nine<\/p>\n
\nChapter 30 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Thirty<\/p>\n
\nChapter 31 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Thirty-One<\/p>\n
\nChapter 32 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Thirty-Two<\/p>\n
\nChapter 33 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Thirty-Three<\/p>\n
\nChapter 34 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Thirty-Four<\/p>\n
\nChapter 35 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Thirty-Five<\/p>\n
\nChapter 36 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Thirty-Six<\/p>\n
\nChapter 37 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Thirty-Seven<\/p>\n
\nJust as the sun was rising,
\nI heard a maiden singing
\nIn the valley below\u2026<\/p>\n
\nChapter 38 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Thirty-Eight<\/p>\n
\nChapter 39 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Thirty-Nine<\/p>\n
\nChapter 40 by MonicaSJ
\nChapter Forty<\/p>\n