Summary: \u00a0Have you ever had a day that started on the wrong side of a deluge of water . . . and went downhill from there? \u00a0Join Little Joe Cartwright as he struggles to reach the end of one particularly problematic Monday.<\/p>\n
Rating: K+ \u00a0(15,600 words)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Let’s Try That Again<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cUp and at \u2018em, little brother.\u201d\u00a0 The words seemed to echo from far down a tunnel, much too distant to be heeded.\u00a0 Little Joe turned his head and snuggled into his downy pillow.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph.\u201d\u00a0 Closer, a bit louder and grumpier this time, but still imminently ignorable.\u00a0 He burrowed deeper.<\/p>\n Suddenly an ocean wave crashed against his face and he jolted upright, sputtering.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019d you do that for?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss stood over him, holding an empty glass and grinning.\u00a0 \u201cHad to get your attention somehow, little brother.\u00a0 Pa wants you down to breakfast right quick.\u00a0 Gotta give us our little talkin\u2019 to before he takes off, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe scowled as he swiped at his dripping cheeks.\u00a0 \u201cJust what I need, a talkin\u2019 to.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss just chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cBest get a move on or he\u2019s likely to make it a \u2018necessary little talkin\u2019 to.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnything but that,\u201d Little Joe grumbled as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.\u00a0 He stumbled toward his wash basin, but shook his head before he reached it.\u00a0 Why bother?\u00a0 Hoss had already given his face a half-decent morning wash, and it was never wise to keep Pa waiting, especially when he had deadlines to meet.\u00a0 He pulled on his pants and hastily stuffed his shirt inside them.<\/p>\n Hurrying down the stairs, he scooted into his chair at the table and was just reaching for the platter of bacon when he heard his father loudly clearing his throat.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that any way to appear at the table, young man?\u201d Ben demanded.<\/p>\n Joe pulled his hand back and cast inquiring looks around the table.\u00a0 \u201cBein\u2019 late, you mean?\u00a0 Sorry about that, Pa, but I had to take some extra time to dry off after Hoss threw water all over me.\u201d\u00a0 An exaggeration, of course, and Hoss was glowering at him for it, but deflecting Pa\u2019s attention had often been a workable defensive stratagem in the past.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you also take time to strip the sopping sheets and remake your bed?\u201d Adam inquired with a wry quirk of one side of his mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cSoppin\u2019,\u201d Hoss grunted disdainfully.<\/p>\n Joe could hardly blame Hoss for that much protest, but Adam was a different matter.\u00a0 Giving his eldest brother a glare for snidely sticking his two-cents in, Joe mumbled, \u201cSorry, Pa\u201d once again and again reached for the bacon.\u00a0 Again his father\u2019s voice stopped his hand in mid-air.<\/p>\n \u201cI was referring, Joseph, to the disheveled state of your attire,\u201d Ben said, \u201cas well as to the uncombed tangle of your hair.\u00a0 And is that a smudge of dirt on your chin?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe licked two fingers and gave his chin a light scrub; then he glanced down his front side and saw nothing amiss. \u00a0\u00a0\u201cDisheveled, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou might try tucking in your shirt,\u201d Adam suggested, mouth quirking the other direction this time.<\/p>\n \u201cI did!\u201d Joe protested.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the way around?\u201d his maddening older brother asked.<\/p>\n Running his hands around his waist, Joe discovered his error, rectified it and then finger-combed his hair into a semblance of order.\u00a0 \u201cGood enough or you want I should go back upstairs?\u201d he asked with a sneer toward Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I want, young man,\u201d Ben said, \u201cis for you to pay attention.\u00a0 I have very little time before I need to leave, and I have a few things to say.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe straightened up to indicate that Pa did, indeed, have his full attention.<\/p>\n With a nod of half-grudging approval, Ben said, \u201cNow, I expect to return from Carson City tonight; however, in case the legislature\u2019s discussion runs longer than intended and I\u2019m forced to stay over, I feel I should follow my usual policy of leaving one of you in charge during my absence.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe rolled his eyes, and while Hoss avoided doing that, it was obvious from the look on his face that he expected the same selection as his younger brother.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe, in view of all that needs to be accomplished today,\u201d Ben continued, \u201cthat it would be best if I left Adam in charge.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLike always,\u201d Little Joe grumbled under his breath.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s that, young man?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothin\u2019, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s brows knit together.\u00a0 \u201cIn this family, we talk to each other; we don\u2019t mumble under our breath.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe had had all he felt he should take, so he just blasted out, \u201cDoggone it, Pa.\u00a0 I don\u2019t see why we gotta go through this charade of you actin\u2019 like we all three got equal chance of bein\u2019 left in charge, when you gotta know\u2014\u2018cause we sure do\u2014that it\u2019s Adam every time!\u201d<\/p>\n The brows knit tighter. \u00a0\u201cAre you saying you think you should be left in charge, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam threw an anxious look in his father\u2019s direction.\u00a0 If Pa were seriously considering such an outrageous appointment, then he needed to put his own oar in\u2014and quickly!\u00a0 Reassured by the sight of his father\u2019s grim countenance, he decided to hold his tongue for the time being.<\/p>\n The question caught Little Joe so off-guard that he was momentarily struck dumb and didn\u2019t respond until his father posed the question a second time in a louder, sharper voice.\u00a0 \u201cNo, sir, I wasn\u2019t sayin\u2019 that,\u201d Joe countered.\u00a0 \u201cI just meant you oughtn\u2019t to pretend it would ever be any other way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am not pretending,\u201d Ben stated in staccato syllables.\u00a0 \u201cIt is fully my intention to leave Hoss\u2014and, yes, even you, Joseph\u2014in charge at the appropriate time.\u00a0 However, I have seen nothing in your behavior this morning, young man, to make me believe this is the right time for you to assume leadership of the ranch.\u00a0 However, if Hoss is feeling slighted . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, no, sir,\u201d Hoss was quick to say.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m just fine with Adam takin\u2019 charge, always have been.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll leave matters as is, then,\u201d Ben said, rising from his chair.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, I believe you know what needs doing, and I know I can count on you to have everything done when I return.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Adam rose and escorted his father outside, with his brothers trailing in his wake, both making mocking faces behind his back.<\/p>\n Their faces were angelic by comparison as they bid their father a final farewell, but the masks quickly dropped when Adam swung around to give them an authoritative appraisal.\u00a0 \u201cYou both know what Pa wants accomplished today.\u00a0 I know that it seems like a daunting amount of work\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDoggone impossible,\u201d Little Joe put in.<\/p>\n Adam stared him down and, when confident that he\u2019d made his disapproval of interruption clear, began again, \u201cHowever, I believe that if we each carry through our individual assignments, we can, at least, come close to finishing.\u00a0 Now, it only remains for me to distribute those assignments in the most efficient manner to accomplish that goal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, let me guess,\u201d Little Joe snorted.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re gonna assign yourself to pick up supplies in town.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam pursed his lips and again waited for perfect silence.\u00a0 \u201cSince I also have to meet with the lawyer about the pending purchase of the Lunsford property, I certainly will need to go to town.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to remain longer than necessary, however, so I think it\u2019s probably wise to take one of you with me to load the supplies.\u00a0 The other will remain here and begin tearing down the fence Pa wants replaced, and when we return from town, we\u2019ll work together to finish the job.\u00a0 Fair enough?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI reckon,\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I guess,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 He smiled slyly.\u00a0 \u201cJust in the interest of efficiency, though, wouldn\u2019t you say it would be best to leave the strongest man here to wrestle those rotted fence posts?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey!\u201d Hoss protested, knowing exactly who his younger brother was plotting to stick with that nasty job.\u00a0 \u201cIt takes strength to load supplies, too, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot as much,\u201d Joe argued.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you so much for your sudden interest in efficient work, Joseph,\u201d Adam announced airily.\u00a0 \u201cHowever, I would prefer to have a sociable companion on that long drive into Virginia City, and your attitude this morning has been anything but sociable.\u00a0 Therefore, I\u2019m going to assign you to the fencing job and take Hoss to town with me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw, come on!\u201d Joe protested.<\/p>\n Hoss grinned broadly.\u00a0 \u201cYou just gotta learn to be more sociable, little brother.\u00a0 Then folks\u2019ll wanna be around you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFolks don\u2019t have any trouble bein\u2019 around me . . . with the exception of a certain snooty one.\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe scrunched his nose in Adam\u2019s direction.<\/p>\n Adam offered his brother an arched eyebrow, accompanied by the superior smile the younger boy so much hated.\u00a0 \u201cUnfortunately for you, it\u2019s that one exception who\u2019s choosing a companion, and it\u2019s not going to be you.\u00a0 Now, the two of you need to get the buckboard hitched.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what are you gonna be doin\u2019?\u201d Joe demanded.\u00a0 \u201cStandin\u2019 around to boss the job?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam raised a warning finger.\u00a0 \u201cI will be inside, putting together the papers I need to take to the lawyer, and I would strongly suggest that you use your time alone in the east pasture to work on your attitude because I do not intend to waste any more time today on these pointless questions.\u201d\u00a0 He stalked toward the house without a backward look.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t intend to waste any more time on pointless questions,\u201d Little Joe mocked in a sing-song as he and Hoss headed for the barn.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t push it, Joe,\u201d Hoss advised.\u00a0 \u201cOle Adam\u2019ll only take just so much sass before he comes up with some way to make you wish you\u2019d kept your smart mouth shut.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEasy for you to say,\u201d Joe grunted.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re goin\u2019 to town!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, how \u2018bout that?\u201d Hoss chuckled in obvious glee.\u00a0 \u201cSee what can happen when you keep your mouth shut?\u201d\u00a0 His face sobered, however, when he entered the barn and heard a moaning sound from the back stall.\u00a0 \u201cDoggone,\u201d he said as he hurried toward the bay mare lying there.\u00a0 \u201cI knew her time was close, but I didn\u2019t expect her to foal for a few days.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe came quietly up behind him.\u00a0 \u201cHey there, Maybelle,\u201d he soothed.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you fret none.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t no better midwife on the place than Hoss here.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss glanced up to give his brother a worried smile as he ran his hands over the mare\u2019s abdomen.\u00a0 \u201cWish she had a better one.\u00a0 Somethin\u2019 don\u2019t feel quite right.\u00a0 I got a feelin\u2019 this is gonna take awhile.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam ain\u2019t gonna like that,\u201d Little Joe said with a shake of his head.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, he\u2019s just gonna have to deal with it,\u201d Hoss said tersely, \u201c\u2018cause I ain\u2019t leavin\u2019 this little gal \u2018til I see her through this birthin\u2019.\u00a0 Best go tell him, so\u2019s he can decide how he wants to handle things.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe groaned.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, but if he kills the messenger, carve me a nice head marker, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI ain\u2019t got time for foolishness, Joe.\u00a0 Get goin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m goin\u2019; I\u2019m goin,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 To my own funeral<\/em>, he added inwardly.\u00a0 He walked into the house and straight to Pa\u2019s desk, where Adam sat, sorting papers and putting them inside a leather satchel.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t blame the messenger,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d\u00a0 Adam looked up and frowned.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are you doing in here?\u00a0 Did you leave Hoss to hitch the team alone?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019s lips fluttered as he exhaled in exasperation.\u00a0 \u201cNo one\u2019s hitchin\u2019 the team,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cWe ran into a little problem in the barn, and since you\u2019re in charge, Hoss sent me to tell you and ask how you want things handled.\u201d\u00a0 He congratulated himself on having thought to phrase it in a way that clearly pointed any irritation Adam might feel in Hoss\u2019s direction.<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s eyes narrowed in suspicion.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s the problem?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t look at me like that!\u00a0 It ain\u2019t my fault.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam half-rose from his chair.\u00a0 \u201cI said, \u2018What\u2019s the problem?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Joe took a deep gulp of air and rattled out in a single breath, \u201cMaybelle\u2019s havin\u2019 her foal right now, and Hoss says he ain\u2019t leavin\u2019 her, on account of it looks like a hard birth that\u2019ll take awhile, and so\u2013\u201d<\/p>\n Adam raised a hand to halt the cascade of words.\u00a0 \u201cI get the picture.\u201d\u00a0 His lips pursed as he sat back, and Little Joe could almost see the wheels turning.\u00a0 Finally, Adam sighed.\u00a0 \u201cWell, it\u2019s unfortunate, and it will definitely put us behind schedule, but it can\u2019t be helped.\u00a0 I still have to leave for town right away, if I\u2019m to be on time for my appointment, so I need you to hitch the team.\u201d\u00a0 He heaved an even heavier sigh.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I guess I\u2019ll have to take you to town to do the loading.\u00a0 Otherwise, we\u2019ll won\u2019t get any part of that fencing accomplished today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks all to pieces,\u201d was Little Joe\u2019s less-than-gracious response to what he considered a less-than gracious offer.\u00a0 Still, a trip to town was a trip to town, any way it came, so he hurried outside to hitch the team and be ready to leave when Adam came out.<\/p>\n \u00a0**********<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Adam pulled the buckboard up in front of Jenkins Lumberyard.\u00a0 \u201cNow, as soon as you finish loading here, drive up to Cass\u2019s Mercantile and get everything on Hop Sing\u2019s list and a keg of ten-penny nails.\u00a0 You do still have the list?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not six, Adam,\u201d Joe complained.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you have the list?\u201d Adam repeated.<\/p>\n Little Joe patted his pocket.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I got the list.\u00a0 You want I should add a nickel\u2019s worth of sweetenin\u2019 to it?\u00a0 Sour as you been this mornin\u2019, though, maybe we oughta make it a dollar\u2019s worth, at least.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam snorted.\u00a0 \u201cA gold eagle wouldn\u2019t buy enough candy to sweeten your attitude, boy.\u00a0 Just get the supplies loaded and wait for me by the wagon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw, come on, Adam!\u201d Joe protested.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t no tellin\u2019 how long you\u2019ll be with that long-winded lawyer, and ain\u2019t no reason for me to stand out in the hot sun, when you could just as easy meet me down at the Silver Dollar.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t have time to haul three irate miners off your bruised and battered carcass.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not lookin\u2019 for trouble; I\u2019m just gonna have a drink.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam leaned in, nose to nose with his younger brother.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re just<\/em> gonna do as you\u2019re told: load the supplies and nothing else.\u00a0 Understood?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe blew a veritable gale at his brother\u2019s long, New England nose.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I heard you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0**********<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Little Joe placed the last crate in the buckboard and, taking off his hat, swiped the trickling sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.\u00a0 He glanced down the street and shook his head.\u00a0 Just like he\u2019d figured, no sign of Adam.\u00a0 Well, blamed if he was gonna just perch on that wagon seat with nothing to do but wipe off more sweat every few minutes, while Adam took his good, easy time in a cool\u2014Joe grinned wryly.\u00a0 With both Hiram Woods and brother Adam filling the room with hot air, it wasn\u2019t likely to be any cooler in that office than on the street, and Joe didn\u2019t feel even a spark of guilt over the perverse pleasure that thought gave him.<\/p>\n Who did his brother think he was, anyway, to be telling a grown man when he could or couldn\u2019t take a drink?\u00a0 Joe\u2019s steps automatically turned toward the Silver Dollar as he ruminated on that, and before he could formulate an answer that would sound good to anyone other than himself, he was pushing aside the batwings of the saloon and ambling over to the bar.\u00a0 \u201cColdest beer you got, Cosmo,\u201d he requested, slapping a two-bit piece on the counter.<\/p>\n The bartender drew a mug of suds and slid it toward his customer.\u00a0 \u201cThere you go, Joe.\u00a0 Colder\u2019n dishwater, at least,\u201d he chuckled.<\/p>\n Little Joe took a sip and grimaced.\u00a0 Cosmo had spoken the truth, but not by much.\u00a0 Turning his back to the bar and propping his elbows on it, he surveyed the room as he took a second sip of the beer.\u00a0 In the far corner a poker game was underway.\u00a0 Chances were he didn\u2019t have time to join in, but at least he could watch a hand or two, maybe pick up a few pointers.\u00a0 Adam always said he was the worst poker player on the Comstock, and much as it irked Joe to admit it, older brother wasn\u2019t far wrong on that one.\u00a0 Getting educated on the subject was probably the best use he could make of the time while he waited on Adam.\u00a0 In fact, as high as ole Adam prized education, he might even approve.\u00a0 Yeah, right.<\/p>\n Joe slowly sauntered back to the table and stood leaning against the wall, sipping beer and studying the cards of the two men whose hands he could see.\u00a0 One of them had no business betting at all with the cards he\u2019d drawn; the other had, as best Joe could judge, the sort of mediocre hand that could go either way.\u00a0 He had a pair of deuces, which probably wouldn\u2019t win anything unless he could draw another or, preferably, two to go with it.\u00a0 Joe figured, if he were playing, he\u2019d place a moderate bet and hope to bluff everyone else into folding.\u00a0 Might work if he could develop the kind of poker face that usually stood older brother in such good stead.\u00a0 Satisfied with his analysis, he gave a crisp nod.\u00a0 When he saw the eyes of the deuce-holder narrow at him, he practiced his poker face and took another sip of beer.<\/p>\n The hand played out, with both of the men he was watching betting more than he thought wise and both losing.\u00a0 Suddenly, the man who had held the deuces jumped out of his seat and pointed across the table.\u00a0 \u201cMister, you\u2019re a cheat,\u201d he accused, \u201cand your partner gives bad signals.\u201d\u00a0 He jerked a thumb over his shoulder in Joe\u2019s direction.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, no,\u201d Joe protested.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t even know that man.\u201d<\/p>\n The accused player stood.\u00a0 \u201cNobody\u2019s cheating.\u00a0 You lost fair and square, mister, so just leave your bet on the table and take off.\u201d<\/p>\n The loser turned and threw a powerful punch at the closest target, Joe\u2019s jaw.\u00a0 Joe fought back, of course, and everyone at the table soon picked a side. \u00a0Fists flew in all directions until no one knew for sure just who was fighting whom.\u00a0 The melee went unchecked for several minutes and then a single shotgun blast froze everyone, some in mid-blow.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s going on here?\u201d the lawman demanded.<\/p>\n \u201cCheaters, working cahoots,\u201d the original accuser spat out, pointing to the two he considered the perpetrators.<\/p>\n Little Joe clambered up from the floor.\u00a0 \u201cI wasn\u2019t doing anything but watching!\u201d\u00a0 He pointed back at the man pointing at him.\u00a0 \u201cHe took a swing at me for no reason, Roy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s Sheriff Coffee to you, boy,\u201d Roy said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut, Roy\u2014I mean, Sheriff Coffee\u2014you know me; you know I wouldn\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t play favorites.\u00a0 Now, all of you men, march out of here and get on down to the jail,\u201d the sheriff ordered.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll sort this out there.\u201d\u00a0 As Joe filed past him, he shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cYour pa\u2019s gonna be mighty disappointed in you, boy.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe sighed heavily as his feet dragged down the dusty street.\u00a0 Pa wasn\u2019t the half of his problems.\u00a0 It was Adam he had to worry about today, and Adam sometimes\u2014most times, in truth\u2014could be worse than Pa on his worst day.<\/p>\n \u00a0**********<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The meeting with Hiram Woods had taken even longer than Adam had feared, so he all but trotted down the street as soon as the papers were signed.\u00a0 Spotting the unoccupied buckboard parked in front of Cass\u2019s Mercantile, he wasn\u2019t surprised that his young brother had failed to follow to the letter his instruction to stay by the wagon.\u00a0 Letter of the law was not in Little Joe\u2019s vocabulary to begin with, and the heat had grown more sweltering by the hour.\u00a0 Staying inside, probably dazzling the other customers (especially the female ones) with his charm, was the more reasonable course, and Adam didn\u2019t blame Joe for taking it.\u00a0 When he entered the store and did not see the curly-headed charmer, however, his jaw hardened.\u00a0 That scoundrel!\u00a0 That inconsiderate, order-ignoring, time-wasting scoundrel!<\/p>\n Adam had a good idea where the boy had gone, of course.\u00a0 He\u2019d mentioned getting a drink earlier at\u2014which saloon?\u00a0 Oh, yes, the Silver Dollar.\u00a0 No doubt he\u2019d find Joe there, hopefully in one piece, although Adam wasn\u2019t sure he could promise his irritating little brother would stay that way, once he found him.\u00a0 He checked with Will Cass to see how long ago Joe had left and headed down C Street, muttering under his breath.\u00a0 A full hour, time to drink himself under the table, Adam concluded, conveniently forgetting that Little Joe almost never had more than one beer and rarely finished even that one.<\/p>\n Steam built as he stalked down the street, and by the time he flung the saloon doors apart, he was ready to tear his little brother limb from limb, the only deterrent being that there was no little brother in sight.\u00a0 There was, however, evidence of some sort of scuffle, and he sighed in the almost certain knowledge that Little Joe had had something to do with the disorder of the room that the bartender was working to put right.\u00a0 \u201cAny chance my brother wasn\u2019t involved in this?\u201d he asked Cosmo.<\/p>\n Cosmo straightened up.\u00a0 \u201cHe was involved,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cNot sure how, exactly, but he was involved, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded and asked, \u201cWhat are the damages?\u201d<\/p>\n The bartender shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cNot much.\u00a0 Just a few broken mugs and the trouble of cleaning it up.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam took a double eagle from his pocket.\u00a0 \u201cThat about cover Joe\u2019s share?\u201d<\/p>\n Cosmo pocketed the twenty-dollar gold piece.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019ll do.\u00a0 Sheriff Coffee took him and the others down to the jail, if you\u2019re wondering.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShould probably just leave him there,\u201d Adam grunted, \u201cbut the pleasure isn\u2019t worth explaining it to Pa.\u00a0 Thanks, Cosmo.\u201d<\/p>\n The bartender raised a hand in farewell and went back to his cleaning.<\/p>\n Adam was huffing as he headed back up C Street to the Sheriff\u2019s office.\u00a0 Half the day gone already, and they hadn\u2019t even started on the fencing!\u00a0 Hopefully, he could sweet talk Roy into letting the kid out of jail and they could get back to the Ponderosa in time to put a few rails in place, especially since Hoss should be free by now to add his muscle to the job.\u00a0 He paused outside the jailhouse door to take a deep, calming breath; then he walked in with the appearance, at least, of a man confident of getting what he wanted.\u00a0 \u201cI understand you have my young brother incarcerated here, Roy,\u201d he said to the lawman.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t doubt he deserves it, but sad to say, I do need his help at home this afternoon.\u00a0 What\u2019ll it take to get him released?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBail?\u201d Roy asked, scratching his head.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I don\u2019t know, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Roy,\u201d Adam said in his most persuasive voice.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve already paid Cosmo for the damage, and breaking a few beer mugs shouldn\u2019t count as more than a misdemeanor, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo bail required for that, if\u2019n the damage has been paid,\u201d Roy conceded, \u201cbut cheating at cards is another matter, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCheating at . . . he was playing cards?\u201d Adam exploded.\u00a0 He would kill the kid as soon as he got him out of sight of the law, he really would.<\/p>\n \u201cNot playing, exactly,\u201d Roy said.\u00a0 \u201cWhat he\u2019s been accused of is passing signals to someone who was.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s ridiculous,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 Irritated as he was with Little Joe, he knew his brother was incapable of that level of dishonesty.\u00a0 \u201cHe wouldn\u2019t do that, Roy. \u00a0You know he wouldn\u2019t!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think he would,\u201d Roy agreed, \u201cbut I can\u2019t play favorites, Adam.\u00a0 He\u2019s been accused; he\u2019ll have to answer the charge.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut not today,\u201d Adam insisted.\u00a0 \u201cSurely, it\u2019s not such a grave charge that you can\u2019t let him out on bail.\u00a0 I\u2019ll haul him into court myself, when the time comes.\u201d\u00a0 At the end of a rope, if I have to!<\/em>\u00a0 \u201cI really need to take him home, Roy,\u201d he repeated.<\/p>\n Roy nodded.\u00a0 \u201cAll right, Adam.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t playin\u2019 favorites, but I know I can trust you, so I\u2019ll set bail.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d Adam said and, without visibly flinching at the amount, laid down the price of his brother\u2019s release.\u00a0 No amount of his famous control, however, could mask his discontent with the young man soon escorted out of the cell block.\u00a0 As Little Joe collected his personal items from the sheriff, Adam turned without a word and walked outside.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t do anything,\u201d Little Joe said as soon as he came through the door.<\/p>\n Adam snorted.\u00a0 \u201cThat might depend on how you define \u2018anything.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t cheat,\u201d Joe snapped.\u00a0 \u201cI wasn\u2019t even playing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know that,\u201d Adam snapped right back, \u201cbut you didn\u2019t stay by the wagon, either, did you, boy?\u00a0 And if you had done as I said, this whole, time-wasting fiasco would never have happened!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat you said was unreasonable,\u201d Little Joe tossed back.<\/p>\n Adam sighed heavily.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t have time to argue the point.\u00a0 We\u2019re going to get that wagon and head home, in the hopes of getting at least one fencepost planted before sunset!\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe rolled his eyes.\u00a0 If that\u2019s all they accomplished, they might as well leave the entire chore until tomorrow, but he figured his life might be forfeit if he voiced that particular piece of logic.\u00a0 \u201cSure,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cSoon as we get a bite to eat, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam uttered a rough laugh.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve spent your lunch hour\u2014and mine, too, for that matter.\u00a0 If you\u2019re starving, grab something at the mercantile that you can eat on the road.\u201d<\/p>\n Trailing in his brother\u2019s wake, Little Joe exhaled gustily.\u00a0 Should\u2019ve just stayed in Roy\u2019s lockup<\/em>, he thought.\u00a0 At least, they feed prisoners<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u00a0**********<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Little Joe had never been happier to see the Ponderosa ranch yard.\u00a0 The trip from Virginia City had probably been the most wordless the oldest and youngest Cartwright brothers had ever traveled together.\u00a0 Joe had ventured one question about how the visit with the family lawyer had gone, only to have Adam give him a solemn stare and laconically respond, \u201cSlowly.\u201d\u00a0 To avoid further remarks about the loss of time, the younger man had been content to let silence descend like a shroud over the rest of the road.<\/p>\n Now, however, he jumped off the buckboard, even before Adam could rein in the slow-plodding team.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m gonna see how Hoss and Maybelle are makin\u2019 out.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam chuffed wryly as he shook his head.\u00a0 If that mare hadn\u2019t foaled by now, she\u2019d been in more trouble than even his skilled middle brother could handle.\u00a0 His mouth suddenly twisted into a full frown, for if that were the case, it was no laughing matter.\u00a0 He moved to the back of the wagon and, throwing a scowl at the back of the brother who should have been helping him, began unloading the household supplies.<\/p>\n Little Joe hustled into the barn to see Hoss gently rubbing the flank of the mare, who was nuzzling a spindly colt.\u00a0 \u201cHey, he\u2019s a pretty one,\u201d Joe said, walking softly up to the stall.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Hoss murmured with a side glance at the colt.<\/p>\n Little Joe couldn\u2019t decide whether his older brother looked worried or just worn out.\u00a0 \u201cEverything go okay?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay about sums it up,\u201d Hoss muttered.\u00a0 He looked up and noticed the tightening lines in his brother\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 \u201cEverything\u2019s all right now,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cLeastways, I think so.\u00a0 Maybelle had a real rough time, though.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe gave the horse a sympathetic stroke from forehead to muzzle.\u00a0 \u201cThings have been rough all over today.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss grinned slightly.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I noticed.\u00a0 What kind of orneriness you been up to, shortshanks?\u201d<\/p>\n Palm pressed to his chest, Little Joe adopted a visage of supreme innocence.\u00a0 \u201cMe?\u00a0 I didn\u2019t do much of anything . . . and that\u2019s the honest truth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh-huh,\u201d Hoss returned skeptically.\u00a0 \u201cThem bruises on your face says different.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe gingerly touched his tender jaw.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t start it.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cJust tell me it wadn\u2019t you and Adam, scrappin\u2019 in town.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe scrapped, but only with words.\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe sighed.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s wantin\u2019 to get started right away on that fencing.\u00a0 You gonna be ready soon or do I get to be the messenger of bad news again?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI kinda hate to leave her just yet,\u201d Hoss admitted.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll tell older brother, if\u2019n you want.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cMight as well be me, seein\u2019 as how I\u2019m already on his bad side.\u00a0 You just take good care of mama and baby, Doc.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d Hoss said, and his attention immediately returned to Maybelle.<\/p>\n Steps dragging, Little Joe made his way to the house.\u00a0 He had no desire to be on the receiving end of Adam\u2019s ire when he heard that it was just the two of them to do a job that needed all three Cartwright brothers and, even then, about twice as much time as the remainder of the day held. \u00a0He came through the door just in time to see Adam round the corner from the dining room, sandwich in hand.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t kill the messenger,\u201d he sighed.<\/p>\n Adam stopped short, for he remembered hearing those same words earlier.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t tell me that horse still hasn\u2019t foaled.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, she has,\u201d Little Joe reported, \u201cbut she had a real rough birthin\u2019 and Hoss don\u2019t wanna leave her.\u201d\u00a0 He gave Adam a weak grin.\u00a0 \u201cJust me and you again, older brother.\u201d<\/p>\n The exasperation Adam exhaled was almost storm-strength.\u00a0 \u201cWell, let\u2019s get to it, then.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSoon as I get a bite to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou had a rather hefty hunk of sausage in town, as I recall,\u201d Adam snorted.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a growin\u2019 boy, Adam!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, for the love of mercy, at least make it a fast bite,\u201d Adam growled through gritted teeth.<\/p>\n \u201cDoggone it, Adam, this is not my fault!\u201d\u00a0 Joe planted his hands on his hips.\u00a0 \u201cAnd if you\u2019d really wanted to save time, you could\u2019ve had Hop Sing make me a sandwich when he made yours.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLook, Joe, you can either have food or you can argue.\u00a0 Take your pick,\u201d Adam said, \u201cbecause we don\u2019t have time for both.\u00a0 And for your information, Hop Sing is busy with the laundry out back, so you\u2019ll have to make your own sandwich, same as I did.\u201d<\/p>\n Lips pursed grimly, Little Joe stalked toward the kitchen.\u00a0 He cut two slices of bread and one of cold roast beef he found in the pantry, slapped them together and hurried outside.\u00a0 Considering the mood Adam was in, he figured eating on the wagon was the smartest choice he\u2019d made all day.<\/p>\n \u00a0**********<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Pulling up alongside the damaged fence, Adam let the reins drop between his legs as he shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cWorse than I figured,\u201d he muttered.\u00a0 \u201cWe won\u2019t more than make a good start today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy bother?\u201d Little Joe asked.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause I, for one, care about our cattle!\u201d Adam snapped as he stepped down from the buckboard.<\/p>\n Little Joe vaulted off to glare at his brother.\u00a0 \u201cAre you sayin\u2019 I don\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDidn\u2019t sound much like it,\u201d Adam returned, arms folded.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not what I meant,\u201d Joe sputtered.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m just sayin\u2019 we might as well wait \u2018til tomorrow, \u2018cause like you said, we won\u2019t much more\u2019n get started today.\u00a0 Why not do the whole job at once?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBelieve me, it\u2019s tempting,\u201d Adam sighed, \u201cbut if today proves anything, it\u2019s that we can\u2019t count on things going the way we want tomorrow, either.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe snorted.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re just scared that Pa won\u2019t leave you in charge next time if you aren\u2019t your usual perfect self every time he does.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI fear no such thing,\u201d Adam said, every word delivered with razor-stropped precision, \u201cand I have had just about all the backtalk I intend to take from you, little brother.\u00a0 Let\u2019s get to work.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe started to answer back, but a sudden recollection made him clamp his mouth shut.\u00a0 \u201cOle Adam\u2019ll only take just so much sass before he comes up with some way to make you wish you\u2019d kept your smart mouth shut,\u201d Hoss had said that morning, and right about now Joe figured he could take that for pure gospel.\u00a0 He had been piling up the backtalk all day, he realized, and while he didn\u2019t regret a word of it, he instinctively knew that this was a time to prove the proverb about silence being golden.\u00a0 Besides, there were better ways of getting around ole Adam.<\/p>\n Like his brother, Joe took a shovel from the back of the buckboard; unlike Adam, he moseyed over to the fence with all the urgency of a schoolboy called in from recess.\u00a0 That, too, was about the pace with which he dug out the rotted fence posts and widened the holes to receive the new ones.\u00a0 He managed about one post to Adam\u2019s two, though the ratio would probably have been more like one to three had Adam not wasted his rapidly waning energy in building the steam that regularly blasted out both nostrils and both ears.\u00a0 When, as they were loading up to return home, Adam commented on how little they\u2019d accomplished that afternoon, Little Joe just shrugged, a silent (and, therefore, less reproachable) means of saying, \u201cI told you so.\u201d<\/p>\n They pulled into the ranch yard just past sunset.\u00a0 The front door opened, and Hoss called back over his shoulder, \u201cIt\u2019s them, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Then he came outside.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll unhitch the team,\u201d he offered.\u00a0 \u201cYou best get inside and get washed up for supper.\u00a0 Hop Sing\u2019s fit to be tied.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs he threatening to \u2018thlow away\u2019 yet?\u201d Little Joe chuckled.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, and you better be glad, little brother,\u201d Hoss teased back, \u201celse I\u2019d be tempted to throw you away, instead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBetter him than the meat,\u201d Adam grunted, and there wasn\u2019t an ounce of jest in his voice as he stalked toward the house.<\/p>\n Hoss eyed his little brother with what passed, for him, as severe disapproval.\u00a0 \u201cWhat you done to rile Adam this time?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI ain\u2019t passed two words with him all afternoon,\u201d Little Joe protested, adopting his usual countenance of cherubic innocence.<\/p>\n \u201cThat ain\u2019t what I asked,\u201d Hoss said bluntly.<\/p>\n The angelic countenance cracked enough to let a little of the inner imp peek through.\u00a0 \u201cAll I did was work a mite slower than that old slave driver thought I ought.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh-huh.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss shook his head.\u00a0 He had good reason to know exactly what \u201ca mite slower\u201d looked like on his little brother.\u00a0 \u201cCan\u2019t hardly blame him for bein\u2019 riled if\u2019n you didn\u2019t do your share, Little Joe,\u201d he said, and his disappointment was evident.<\/p>\n Honest chagrin twisted Little Joe\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I guess I did shirk some, but I just plain didn\u2019t see the point of pushin\u2019 ourselves to start a job we couldn\u2019t finish \u2018til tomorrow, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou weren\u2019t in charge,\u201d Hoss pointed out.\u00a0 \u201cReckon you better get inside before Adam plumb burns Pa\u2019s ears with your orneriness.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe groaned.\u00a0 Adam generally didn\u2019t play tattletale unless he figured it was for your own good.\u00a0 Trouble was, you never knew when he\u2019d take a notion that it was, and he\u2019d already had enough time alone with Pa for such notions to take root.\u00a0 Joe practically ran to the house and rushed inside.<\/p>\n Looking up from his conversation with Adam, Ben frowned.\u00a0 Then he sighed heavily.\u00a0 \u201cAll right, Joseph, what do you have to say for yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe moistened his suddenly dry lips.\u00a0 \u201cLook, Pa, I don\u2019t know what Adam\u2019s been sayin\u2019 . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing,\u201d Ben inserted. \u00a0\u201cYour brother hasn\u2019t said a word about you, young man, but I know a guilty face when I see one.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe closed his eyes and shook his head.\u00a0 No wonder Adam rarely needed to tattle on him; he did a first class job of that all by himself!\u00a0 He launched into a litany of all the extenuating circumstances (with emphasis on Adam\u2019s complete unreasonableness) and when that failed to make the slightest impression on his father, he concluded by saying, \u201cOkay, Pa, I admit I didn\u2019t work as hard as I could have, but I\u2019ll do better tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI would certainly hope so,\u201d Adam said, his eyebrow rising with satisfaction at having the last word.\u00a0 Strictly speaking, it wasn\u2019t the last word: Pa had that, and it wasn\u2019t just one.<\/p>\n \u00a0**********<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u201cUp and at \u2018em, little brother.\u201d\u00a0 The words seemed to echo from far down a tunnel, much too distant to be heeded.\u00a0 Little Joe turned his head and snuggled into his downy pillow.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph.\u201d\u00a0 Closer, a bit louder and grumpier this time, but still imminently ignorable.\u00a0 He burrowed deeper.<\/p>\n Suddenly an ocean wave crashed against his face and he jolted upright, sputtering, \u201cAgain?\u00a0 Don\u2019t you ever get tired of the same old meanness?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss stood over him, holding an empty glass and grinning.\u00a0 \u201cYou think that was meanness?\u00a0 Wait\u2019ll you see what Pa does to you if\u2019n you don\u2019t get downstairs right quick.\u00a0 Gotta give us our little talkin\u2019 to before he takes off, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe swiped the water from his cheeks as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.\u00a0 \u201cPa goin\u2019 somewhere again today?\u201d<\/p>\n Looking perturbed, Hoss shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cLittle brother, don\u2019t you never pay attention when Pa\u2019s talkin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe shrugged.\u00a0 He sure didn\u2019t remember Pa saying anything about another trip away from the ranch, but then he couldn\u2019t remember much about last night\u2019s little lecture, other than that Pa was mighty disappointed in him, just like Sheriff Coffee had predicted.\u00a0 Wanting to start today on a better foot, he stumbled over to the washbasin and gave his face a scrupulous scrubbing.\u00a0 Then he brushed his hair neatly and dressed quickly, though he spared one extra moment to make sure that his shirt was properly tucked in, all the way around.\u00a0 To make up for lost time, he took the stairs two at a time.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, when will you learn to walk, not run, down the stairs?\u201d his father scolded as Joe crossed the room.<\/p>\n Though tempted to argue that there was a huge difference between a trot and a dead run, Little Joe opted for prudence.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Pa.\u00a0 Just didn\u2019t want to keep you waiting, since Hoss said you had something important to say.\u201d<\/p>\n He searched the table as he slid into his place.\u00a0 \u201cHey, where\u2019s the bacon?\u201d\u00a0 Then his eyes narrowed as he caught sight of Hoss\u2019s heaped plate.\u00a0 \u201cDid you have to take it all?\u201d he complained.<\/p>\n \u201cNeeded extra fuel after roustin\u2019 you out of bed,\u201d Hoss chuckled.<\/p>\n \u201cEarly bird gets the bacon,\u201d Adam chirped.\u00a0 \u201cAnd when the bird is that size . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, shut up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph,\u201d Ben said, a hint of warning in his voice.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not fair, Pa,\u201d Joe protested.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you want more, come to the table on time,\u201d his father said bluntly.\u00a0 \u201cNow, if I could have your attention, please, I have a few things to say and very little time before I need to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe straightened up to indicate that Pa did, indeed, have his full attention.<\/p>\n With a nod of half-grudging approval, Ben said, \u201cNow, I expect to return from Carson City tonight; however, in case the legislature\u2019s discussion runs longer than intended and I\u2019m forced to stay over, I feel I should follow my usual policy of leaving one of you in charge during my absence.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t understand,\u201d Little Joe said slowly.<\/p>\n Ben stared in displeasure at the interruption.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, you are well aware that I always leave one of you boys in charge whenever I\u2019m away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I know,\u201d Joe said, adding with a sigh, \u201cand I know it\u2019ll be Adam, \u2018cause it always is, but why are you goin\u2019 back to Carson?\u00a0 Didn\u2019t you finish that up yesterday?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYesterday?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss\u2019s mouth dropped, while Adam simply stretched out his arm to rest his palm against his youngest brother\u2019s forehead.<\/p>\n Little Joe slapped it away.<\/p>\n \u201cHe doesn\u2019t appear to be feverish,\u201d Adam said dryly.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, I\u2019m not feverish!\u00a0 I just asked a simple question, and you\u2019re all actin\u2019 like I\u2019d said something crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSun-touched,\u201d Hoss opined.<\/p>\n \u201cHe hasn\u2019t been outside yet,\u201d Adam pointed out.<\/p>\n Ben cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t have time for this nonsense.\u00a0 As I was saying, in view of all that needs to be accomplished today, I believe it would be best if I left Adam in charge.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe rolled his eyes, but refrained from further comment.\u00a0 If his family was determined to be contrary, just to get his dander up, he didn\u2019t feel obliged to play along.<\/p>\n Ben rose from his chair.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, I believe you know what needs doing, and I know I can count on you to have everything done when I return.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Adam rose and escorted his father outside, with his brothers trailing in his wake, both making mocking faces behind his back.<\/p>\n Their faces were angelic by comparison as they bid their father a final farewell, but the masks quickly dropped when Adam swung around to give them an authoritative appraisal.\u00a0 \u201cYou both know what Pa wants accomplished today.\u00a0 I know that it seems like a daunting amount of work . . .\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe stared at him, mouth gaping.\u00a0 \u201cHow do you do that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow do I do what?\u201d Adam asked sharply.<\/p>\n \u201cRemember every little word you said yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam stared back, speechless.\u00a0 \u201cI have no idea what you\u2019re talking about, boy, but I do not appreciate being interrupted.\u00a0 As I said, the work load is daunting, but I believe that if we each carry through our individual assignments, we can, at least, come close to finishing.\u00a0 Now, it only remains for me to distribute those assignments in the most efficient manner to accomplish that goal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, let me guess,\u201d Little Joe snickered.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re gonna assign yourself to pick up supplies in town, on account of needin\u2019 to meet with the lawyer about the Lunsford property\u2014again!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAgain?\u201d\u00a0 Adam glared at the younger man.\u00a0 \u201cWe don\u2019t have time for foolishness, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen quit playin\u2019 me for a fool,\u201d Little Joe demanded, planting doubled fists on his hips.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s gettin\u2019 old.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam glanced at Hoss, who shrugged both shoulders and looked as stupefied as Adam himself.\u00a0 Then drawing himself up with all the authority of the firstborn, Adam said, \u201cI think you might benefit from some time meditating in the east pasture, younger brother, so you can begin tearing down the fence Pa wants replaced, and when Hoss and I get back from town, we\u2019ll work together to finish the job.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHot diggity!\u00a0 I\u2019m goin\u2019 to town!\u201d Hoss crowed.<\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019s upper lip curled.\u00a0 Well, at least, Adam hadn\u2019t repeated that dreary speech about sociability today.<\/p>\n \u201cYou two need to get the buckboard hitched while I put together the papers for the lawyer,\u201d Adam said, turning immediately toward the house.<\/p>\n \u201cHow far\u2019s he gonna carry this joke?\u201d Little Joe asked as he and Hoss headed for the barn.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat joke?\u201d Hoss asked.\u00a0 A moaning sound from the back stall distracted him.\u00a0 \u201cDoggone,\u201d he said as he hurried toward the bay mare lying there.\u00a0 \u201cI knew her time was close, but I didn\u2019t expect her to foal for a few days.\u201d<\/p>\n Rooted just outside the stall, Little Joe stared, wide-eyed, at the big-bellied mare.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t possible.\u00a0 Even if Pa, Adam and Hoss had all three gone into cahoots to teach him some sort of lesson, there was no way they could have gotten Maybelle to go along.\u00a0 Once born, a colt didn\u2019t just crawl back inside his mama.\u00a0 Something really strange was going on here.\u00a0 \u201cUh, Hoss,\u201d he asked, voice quavering, \u201cwhat day is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph,\u201d Hoss growled as he ran concerned hands over the mare\u2019s abdomen.\u00a0 \u201cThis ain\u2019t the time for foolin\u2019 around.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHumor me,\u201d Joe pleaded.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m feelin\u2019 a mite off-kilter today, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss shook his head and apparently decided the quickest way to deal with Joe\u2019s nonsense was just to answer him.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s Monday, of course.\u00a0 And you ain\u2019t the only thing off-kilter.\u00a0 Somethin\u2019 don\u2019t feel quite right.\u00a0 I got a feelin\u2019 this is gonna take awhile.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPretty sure you\u2019re right,\u201d Joe sighed.\u00a0 \u201cGuess I\u2019d better tell Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Hoss muttered, \u201c\u2018cause I ain\u2019t leavin\u2019 this little gal \u2018til I see her through this birthin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Questions tumbling around in his confused head, Little Joe walked slowly back to the house.\u00a0 Today was Monday? \u00a0How could it be when yesterday was Monday?\u00a0 Did he just dream all that trouble yesterday?\u00a0 Or was yesterday real and today the dream?\u00a0 None of it made sense.<\/p>\n Still lost in thought, he stumbled through the door and rounded the corner to Pa\u2019s desk, where Adam sat, sorting papers and putting them inside a leather satchel, same as yesterday\u2014today?\u00a0 Mindlessly, Joe babbled out the same words as . . . whenever, \u201cDon\u2019t blame the messenger.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d\u00a0 Adam looked up and frowned.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are you doing in here?\u00a0 Did you leave Hoss to hitch the team alone?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe ran into a little problem in the barn,\u201d Joe began, \u201cand since you\u2019re in charge, Hoss sent\u201d\u2014he frowned.\u00a0 Hoss hadn\u2019t sent him today.\u00a0 That was yester\u2014uh, the first today.\u00a0 \u201cThat is, I knew you\u2019d need to know, so you could decide how to handle things.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s eyes narrowed in suspicion.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s the problem?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe took a deep breath and rattled out in a single breath, \u201cMaybelle\u2019s havin\u2019 her foal right now, and Hoss says he ain\u2019t leavin\u2019 her, on account of it looks like a hard birth that\u2019ll take awhile, and so\u2013\u201d<\/p>\n Adam raised a hand to halt the cascade of words.\u00a0 \u201cI get the picture.\u201d\u00a0 His lips pursed as he sat back, and Little Joe could almost see the wheels turning.\u00a0 Finally, Adam sighed.\u00a0 \u201cWell, it\u2019s unfortunate, and it will definitely put us behind schedule, but it can\u2019t be helped.\u00a0 I still have to leave for town right away, if I\u2019m to be on time for my appointment, so I need you to hitch the team.\u201d\u00a0 He heaved an even heavier sigh.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I guess I\u2019ll have to take you to town to do the loading.\u00a0 Otherwise, we won\u2019t get any part of that fencing accomplished today.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe scratched his head.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I figured you\u2019d say . . . somethin\u2019 like that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0**********<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Adam pulled the buckboard up in front of Jenkins Lumberyard.\u00a0 \u201cNow, as soon as you finish loading here, drive up to Cass\u2019s Mercantile and get everything on Hop Sing\u2019s list and a keg of ten-penny nails.\u00a0 You do still have the list?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not six, Adam,\u201d Joe complained.\u00a0 He figured it was a point worth making a second time, especially if he\u2019d only dreamed that he\u2019d said it yesterday.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you have the list?\u201d Adam repeated.<\/p>\n Little Joe patted his pocket.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I got the list.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll right.\u00a0 Just get the supplies loaded and wait for me by the wagon.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s lips fluttered as he exhaled in exasperation.\u00a0 \u201cLook, Adam, this is gonna take a lot longer than you figure and . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd how would you know that?\u201d Adam asked loftily.\u00a0 \u201cHave you suddenly developed the gift of clairvoyance?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019s forehead wrinkled as his mouth skewed first one way and then the other.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cJust do as you\u2019re told,\u201d Adam said in a tone that was no suggestion.\u00a0 \u201cLoad the supplies and nothing else.\u00a0 Understood?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe blew a veritable gale at his brother\u2019s long, New England nose.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I heard you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0**********<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Little Joe placed the last crate in the buckboard and, taking off his hat, swiped the trickling sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.\u00a0 He glanced down the street and shook his head.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t take guesswork to know what he\u2019d see\u2014namely, no sign of Adam.\u00a0 Well, same as the dream Monday\u2014or was it the real one?\u2014he didn\u2019t see the point in just perching on the wagon seat with nothing to do but wipe off more sweat every few minutes.\u00a0 No, a man needed a drink on a day as hot as this and blamed if he was gonna let Adam order him around like some half-grown kid. \u00a0His steps automatically turned toward the Silver Dollar.<\/p>\n He pushed aside the batwings of the saloon and ambled over to the bar.\u00a0 \u201cColdest beer you got, Cosmo,\u201d he requested, slapping a two-bit piece on the counter, \u201ceven if it is barely colder than dishwater.\u201d<\/p>\n Cosmo chuckled as he drew a mug of suds and slid it toward his customer.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s about what it is.\u00a0 There you go, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe took a sip, grimaced and turned his back to the bar, propping his elbows on it, and surveyed the room.\u00a0 In the far corner a poker game was underway\u2014the same poker game with the same players, dressed in the same clothes.\u00a0 What were the chances the cards were any different?\u00a0 He slowly sauntered back to the table, but at the last minute walked to the opposite side from the stance he\u2019d taken before.\u00a0 At least, no one could accuse him of passing signals today!\u00a0 He sipped his beer as he watched the two players across the table place the same bets and was just waiting for the deuces-holder to jump up and yell, \u201cMister, you\u2019re a cheat\u201d when he noticed the soon-to-be-accused man palm one card and pull a different one from his sleeve.\u00a0 \u201cHey, he is cheating!\u201d Joe sputtered, beer spraying the back of the man\u2019s head.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew it!\u201d the deuces-holder declared, springing to his feet.<\/p>\n The accused player stood.\u00a0 \u201cYou lost fair and square, mister, so just leave your bet on the table and take off.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re a cheat,\u201d the other man shouted, \u201cand that man can bear witness.\u201d\u00a0 He pointed straight at Little Joe.<\/p>\n The accused turned and launched a swift uppercut at Joe\u2019s jaw.\u00a0 Joe fought back, of course, and everyone at the table soon picked a side. \u00a0Fists flew in all directions until no one knew for sure just who was fighting whom.\u00a0 The melee went unchecked for several minutes and then a single shotgun blast froze everyone, some in mid-blow.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s going on here?\u201d the lawman demanded.<\/p>\n Several voices shouted at once, Joe\u2019s among them, each pointing fingers in sundry directions and assigning blame where they thought it was due.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of you men, march out of here and get on down to the jail,\u201d the sheriff finally ordered.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll sort this out there.\u201d\u00a0 As Joe filed past him, he shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cYour pa\u2019s gonna be mighty disappointed in you, boy.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe sighed heavily as his feet dragged down the dusty street.\u00a0 He had good reason to know just how disappointed Pa would be\u2014not to mention Adam.<\/p>\n \u00a0**********<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Adam was huffing as he headed back up C Street to the Sheriff\u2019s office.\u00a0 Half the day gone already, and they hadn\u2019t even started on the fencing!\u00a0 Hopefully, he could sweet talk Roy into letting the kid out of jail and they could get back to the Ponderosa in time to put a few rails in place.\u00a0 He paused outside the jailhouse door to take a deep, calming breath; then he walked in with the appearance, at least, of a man confident of getting what he wanted.\u00a0 \u201cI understand you have my young brother incarcerated here, Roy,\u201d he said to the lawman.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t doubt he deserves it, but sad to say, I do need his help at home this afternoon.\u00a0 What\u2019ll it take to get him released?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBail?\u201d Roy asked, scratching his head.\u00a0 \u201cWell, from what my investigation shows so far, ain\u2019t no charges to be filed against Joe.\u00a0 Did his share of damage over at the saloon, I reckon, but if you settle that, I\u2019ll willing to let him go . . . so long as he shows up for the trial.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s eyebrows came together in a glowering line.\u00a0 \u201cWhat trial?\u00a0 And, more importantly, when?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEasy, son, easy,\u201d the sheriff urged.\u00a0 \u201cFact is, young Joe has made an accusation against a man for cheating at cards, and . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCheating at . . . he was playing cards?\u201d Adam exploded.\u00a0 He would kill the kid as soon as he got him out of sight of the law, he really would.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, not playing, not from what I hear,\u201d Roy said.\u00a0 \u201cClaims he was watchin\u2019 the game and saw some shifty card handling.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou want him as a witness, then,\u201d Adam surmised.\u00a0 \u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cProbably next week.\u00a0 I\u2019ll let you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou can let him go then,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve already paid Cosmo for the damage.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFair enough,\u201d Roy agreed and headed back to the cell block.<\/p>\n As Little Joe collected his personal items from the sheriff, Adam turned without a word and walked outside.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t do anything,\u201d Little Joe said as soon as he came through the door.<\/p>\n Adam snorted.\u00a0 \u201cThat might depend on how you define \u2018anything.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll I did was call a man out for cheating,\u201d Joe snapped.<\/p>\n \u201cI know that,\u201d Adam snapped right back, \u201cbut you didn\u2019t stay by the wagon, did you, boy?\u00a0 And if you had done as I said, this whole, time-wasting fiasco would never have happened!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat you said was unreasonable,\u201d Little Joe tossed back\u2014again.<\/p>\n Adam sighed heavily.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t have time to argue the point.\u00a0 We\u2019re going to get that wagon and head home, in the hopes of getting at least one fencepost planted before sunset!\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe rolled his eyes as he remembered the way this conversation had gone before.\u00a0 \u201cSure,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t suppose there\u2019s any chance of gettin\u2019 a bite to eat?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam uttered a rough laugh.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve spent your lunch hour\u2014and mine, too, for that matter.\u00a0 If you\u2019re starving, grab something at the mercantile that you can eat on the road.\u201d<\/p>\n Trailing in his brother\u2019s wake, Little Joe exhaled gustily.\u00a0 Somehow, he\u2019d known Adam would say that . . . exactly that.<\/p>\n \u00a0**********<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The trip from Virginia City was even more silent than the previous one.\u00a0 Joe didn\u2019t bother asking how the visit with the family lawyer had gone, because he already knew, and he didn\u2019t say anything else because he had too much to think over.\u00a0 Why Adam also kept his mouth muzzled was anybody\u2019s guess, but this time Joe decided to take refuge in the old adage about letting sleeping dogs lie.\u00a0 He was afraid that once Adam\u2019s mouth got working, it might not stop until sometime close to Christmas, when peace on earth, goodwill toward brothers had some chance of making an appearance.<\/p>\n As soon as the buckboard entered the Ponderosa yard, Joe jumped off, grabbed a crate from the back of the wagon and carried it toward the house.\u00a0 Despite the sausage he\u2019d gobbled down on the way home, he was hungry again, and he wanted to make himself a more substantial sandwich than he\u2019d had time for last time.\u00a0 Adam picked up another crate and followed Joe in.\u00a0 \u201cHoss?\u201d he called as he entered.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s in the barn,\u201d Little Joe said, setting the crate on the table and heading for the pantry.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat makes you think that?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n Little Joe bit his lower lip.\u00a0 \u201cUh, I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 Just figured, maybe, he\u2019d still be with Maybelle,\u201d he said weakly. \u00a0The one thing he had managed to determine on the way home was that he\u2019d be wise to keep whatever he knew about upcoming events of the day to himself.\u00a0 He\u2019d started the morning with Adam thinking he was half-delirious, and he didn\u2019t want to end the afternoon with his brother convinced that he\u2019d gone from fever-crazed to full-blown insane.<\/p>\n \u201cSurely that mare has foaled by this time.\u201d\u00a0 Adam leaned through the door into the dining room and called again, \u201cHoss!\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head at the silence that was the only response.\u00a0 Turning back to Joe, he asked, \u201cGo check the barn, would you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m making a sandwich,\u201d Joe said, midway through cutting off a slice of bread.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll make one for both of us,\u201d Adam offered.\u00a0 \u201cJust see if he\u2019s still out there.\u00a0 Maybe we got lucky, and he headed on out to start the fencing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot likely,\u201d Joe muttered.\u00a0 Seeing Adam\u2019s look of irritation, he put down the knife and raised both hands, palms out.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll check, though.\u201d\u00a0 At the door he said over his shoulder, \u201cI want cheese on mine.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded as he picked up the knife.<\/p>\n Wanting to give himself time to choose the best way to replay this scene, Little Joe walked slowly toward the barn.\u00a0 Just say what he had before?\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t remember having riled Hoss with anything he\u2019d said, so that was probably safer than coming up with something new and chancing that he might give away what he already knew.\u00a0 Now, if he could just remember what he\u2019d said!\u00a0 Something like . . . \u201cHey, he\u2019s a pretty one,\u201d he said, walking softly up to the stall where Hoss was gently rubbing Maybelle\u2019s flank.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019d it go?\u201d Joe asked.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t sure it was what he\u2019d said before, but it seemed like a safe enough question.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybelle had a real rough time,\u201d Hoss said, \u201cbut I think she\u2019s gonna be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe colt, too?\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe realized, with some chagrin, that he hadn\u2019t asked that before and probably should have.<\/p>\n Hoss looked fondly at the spindly colt.\u00a0 \u201cYeah.\u00a0 Mite under-sized, but that just might be what saved Maybelle in the long run.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe gave the mare a sympathetic stroke from forehead to muzzle.\u00a0 \u201cSo, you wanna stay with her, instead of helpin\u2019 us with the fencing, right?\u201d\u00a0 Suddenly fearing he\u2019d said too much, he added hastily, \u201cI mean, I\u2019m just guessin\u2019, but . . .\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss gave his younger brother a grateful look and only then noticed the boy\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cWhat kind of scrap you get yourself into this time?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPretty rough one,\u201d Joe admitted.\u00a0 Watching the game from the opposite side of the poker table had, at least, kept him from bein\u2019 charged himself, but his body had taken a rougher battering from today\u2019s fight, the cheater and his pals bein\u2019 a burlier lot than the ones who\u2019d done the attacking before.\u00a0 \u201cTeach me to be a Good Samaritan, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t had enough experience to pick and choose the right folks to help out, shortshanks.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, like you do?\u201d Joe thrust back with a grin.\u00a0 Everyone on the Comstock knew that when it came to playing Good Samaritan, Hoss Cartwright did no picking and choosing whatsoever.\u00a0 He just helped every stray man, woman or flea-bitten dog he came across.\u00a0 \u201cWell, if it\u2019s just me and Adam doin\u2019 the fencin\u2019, I\u2019d best get back in and deliver the bad news.\u00a0 Older brother is in no mood to be kept waitin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNever is,\u201d Hoss said, and his attention immediately returned to Maybelle.<\/p>\n \u00a0**********<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Pulling up alongside the damaged fence, Adam let the reins drop between his legs as he shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cWorse than I figured,\u201d he muttered.\u00a0 \u201cWe won\u2019t more than make a good start today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s for sure,\u201d Joe muttered.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d Adam demanded as he stepped down from the buckboard and stared back at his brother.<\/p>\n Little Joe waved a conciliatory hand.\u00a0 \u201cJust sayin\u2019 you sized it up right, that\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, you could look a little more concerned,\u201d Adam grunted as he moved toward the back of the wagon to get a shovel.<\/p>\n Little Joe shrugged.\u00a0 He\u2019d done his best to stay on Adam\u2019s good side today:\u00a0 cut out most of the backtalk, delivered the bad news without any admonitions not to kill the messenger (at least, the second time) and not whined once about making this pointless trip out to the fence line.\u00a0 It might have made some difference to the way this day would end, if he\u2019d just foregone that visit to the Silver Dollar.\u00a0 He knew now that Adam wouldn\u2019t tattle on him, but his face would do that to Pa, just as surely as it had to Hoss, so nothing he did out here would save him from another long, tiresome lecture.\u00a0 He wouldn\u2019t deliberately slack off, the way he had before, but he wouldn\u2019t push himself, either.\u00a0 He\u2019d just do his best to get to the end of this crazy day and make a fresh start tomorrow.<\/p>\n \u00a0**********<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u201cUp and at \u2018em, little brother.\u201d\u00a0 The words seemed to echo from far down a tunnel, but something about them felt disturbingly familiar.\u00a0 Little Joe yawned and stirred an inch or so, but sank back into the irresistibly comfortable pillow.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph.\u201d<\/p>\n Frown lines wrinkled the brow of the drowsy youngest Cartwright, pulling him from sleep . . . but not quickly enough, he realized, as an ocean wave crashed against his face.\u00a0 \u201cAw, doggone it, Hoss,\u201d he sputtered.\u00a0 \u201cI was gettin\u2019 up.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss stood over him, holding an empty glass and grinning.\u00a0 \u201cNot so\u2019s I could see, little brother. Pa wants you down to breakfast right quick.\u00a0 Gotta give us our little talkin\u2019 to before he takes off, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe groaned.\u00a0 He\u2019d definitely heard those words before.\u00a0 \u201cHoss,\u201d he whimpered pitifully, \u201cis it still Monday?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEver since daybreak,\u201d Hoss chuckled.\u00a0 Then his lips puckered in thought.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I guess Monday starts sooner than that, don\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMonday starts a whole lot sooner than you\u2019d ever think,\u201d Little Joe grumbled as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.\u00a0 And lasts a lot longer, too<\/em>, he thought as he stumbled over to the washbasin.\u00a0 Suddenly remembering a pertinent fact about how Monday had gone yesterday, he ran over to the door and hollered, \u201cAnd don\u2019t take all the bacon, Hoss!\u201d<\/p>\n Starvation successfully staved off, he went back into the room and groomed himself as thoroughly as he could without earning another lecture for tardiness.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, I\u2019m late, Pa,\u201d he said as he slid into his place at the table and gave Hoss a nod of appreciation for the two slices of bacon remaining on the platter.<\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps if you\u2019d get to bed earlier, young man,\u201d Ben suggested.<\/p>\n Joe didn\u2019t think there was much hope of that, as late as Adam was likely to keep him working on that fence line, but he didn\u2019t have time to calculate his chances because Pa was rattling out the usual speech about needing to leave one of them in charge.\u00a0 \u201cHow about leaving Adam in charge for a change?\u201d Joe suggested, painting a wide smile on his face.<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u201d Hoss said, not certain he\u2019d heard correctly.<\/p>\n The other two Cartwrights stared silently at Joe until Adam finally observed, \u201cSarcasm does not become you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOr anyone else,\u201d Ben said tersely.<\/p>\n Joe immediately saw his mistake.\u00a0 \u201cWasn\u2019t bein\u2019 sarcastic,\u201d he said.\u00a0 It was a bald-faced lie, of course, but he was pretty sure he could get away with it.\u00a0 \u201cJust figured that, in view of all that needs to be accomplished today, it would be best if you left Adam in charge.\u00a0 Experience and all that.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben looked stunned, as though his youngest son had taken the words right out of his mouth\u2014as, of course, he had.\u00a0 \u201cYes, well, I think that\u2019s probably for the best.\u00a0 So, there\u2019ll be no argument, then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, no, sir, none at all,\u201d Little Joe assured him, while a dazed Hoss slowly bobbed his head in agreement.<\/p>\n \u00a0**********<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Sitting in the back corner of the Bucket of Blood, Little Joe finished off his latest mug of beer and gestured to the blonde in the flounced purple dress to bring him another.\u00a0 He stared into the empty mug as if it held the answers to the questions he\u2019d been asking himself all morning.\u00a0 Why did this same blasted Monday just keep happening over and over and over yet again?\u00a0 And why did he seem to be the only one bothered by it?\u00a0 Neither Pa, nor Adam nor Hoss nor, for that matter, any of the other people he kept meeting again and again even seemed aware that they were living the same situations, down to word-for-word conversations, every single day.<\/p>\n There were some differences, Joe had to admit, as he accepted the fresh mug of beer and smiled at the blonde in token thanks.\u00a0 The words weren\u2019t always the same, for instance.\u00a0 He had, in fact, made a point of trying to change some of his, mostly so as not to rile Pa or Adam, and he\u2019d noticed that they responded differently when he spoke differently.\u00a0 Was that a clue?\u00a0 Was he somehow in control of this nonsense?\u00a0 No, at least not full control, \u2018cause if that were the case, he\u2019d put a stop to the senseless repetition, right quick.\u00a0 But if he couldn\u2019t stop it, maybe he did have the power to change the way the day went.\u00a0 He\u2019d changed it today, just by choosing a different saloon and avoiding that whole gambling brawl over at the Silver Dollar.\u00a0 Was that it?\u00a0 Was he supposed to be learning something, something about making better choices, maybe?\u00a0 He drained the mug and called for another to help him mull over the new notion as he slid lower and lower down in his chair.<\/p>\n The next thing he knew he was jerking upright, shaking his drenched chestnut curls like a dog jumping out of a bath.\u00a0 \u201cDoggone you, Hoss,\u201d he sputtered, but when he dashed the beer from his face, he realized he wasn\u2019t in his bedroom, with still another Monday staring him in the face . . . and that definitely wasn\u2019t Hoss glowering down at him.\u00a0 \u201cOh, hey, Adam,\u201d he said weakly.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2014uh\u2014finished with the lawyer, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I\u2019m finished with the lawyer,\u201d Adam growled, \u201cand I have spent the better part of the afternoon tracking you down.\u00a0 By the time we get home, it\u2019ll be too late to even start on that fencing!\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe groaned as his aching head dropped to the table.\u00a0 He had a feeling this didn\u2019t bode well for waking up tomorrow to anything but another very familiar Monday.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0**********<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Little Joe didn\u2019t even need to ask.\u00a0 An ocean wave had crashed against his face, and Hoss was standing over him, holding an empty glass and grinning, so Joe knew exactly, down to the minute, what this day held.\u00a0 Of course, he hadn\u2019t expected anything different, not after the long lecture Pa had pounded into his aching head last night.\u00a0 That had left no doubt that he\u2019d done just about everything wrong yesterday.\u00a0 Not as wrong as he\u2019d done things the first or second time around, but Pa hadn\u2019t known that.\u00a0 To him, every day was a brand new Monday, with no haunting memories of the one before.\u00a0 Well, Joe would just have to make sure that he did everything right today, so he could hope to wake up to a bright, fresh Tuesday tomorrow morning.\u00a0 He swung his legs over the side of the bed and said, with as much sincerity as he could muster, \u201cThanks for waking me, Hoss.\u00a0 Tell Pa I\u2019ll be right down\u2014and, please, save me some bacon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh, yeah, sure,\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n Joe grinned at the baffled look on his brother\u2019s face and quickly realized that he had it in his power to put that same look on some other faces, too.\u00a0 Done the right way, this day might even be fun.\u00a0 He gave reasonably careful attention to his grooming, painted on a cheerful smile and came downstairs at a brisk walk.\u00a0 \u201cSorry I\u2019m late, Pa,\u201d he said as he slid into his seat.\u00a0 \u201cI realize you have very little time before you need to leave and probably have a few things to say.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell . . . yes,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure you\u2019ll be home tonight,\u201d Joe said, \u201cbut just in case, don\u2019t you think you should leave someone in charge?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s just what I was going to say,\u201d Ben said slowly.<\/p>\n Joe grinned.\u00a0 \u201cReally?\u00a0 Great minds think alike, huh?\u00a0 And I\u2019ll bet you were thinking it should be Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam loudly cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cIf you\u2019re angling for the job yourself, little brother, you can just . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, no, not at all,\u201d Joe said, turning the most innocent set of eyes imaginable onto his brother\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just obvious that you\u2019re the best choice, Adam.\u201d\u00a0 He looked earnestly across the table, although the tiniest trace of a mischievous smile tickled his lips.\u00a0 \u201cOh, sorry, Hoss.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t stop to think that you might want the job for a change.\u201d<\/p>\n Gulping at the six eyes riveted on his face, Hoss was quick to say, \u201cNo, no, I\u2019m just fine with Adam takin\u2019 charge, always have been.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll leave it that way, then,\u201d Ben said, rising from his chair.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, I believe you know what needs doing, and I know I can count on you to have everything done when I return.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Adam rose and escorted his father outside, with his brothers trailing in his wake.\u00a0 Hoss looked befuddled and Joe as if he were about to burst out laughing.<\/p>\n They each bid their father farewell; then Adam swung around to give his brothers an authoritative appraisal.\u00a0 \u201cYou both know what Pa wants accomplished today.\u00a0 I know that it seems like a daunting amount of work . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing we can\u2019t handle if we each carry through our individual assignments,\u201d Joe offered cheerily.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be happy to load the supplies while you meet with the lawyer, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey!\u201d Hoss protested.\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t the only one who\u2019d rather traipse into town than dig out rotted fence posts.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI knew there was something behind all this sudden cooperativeness,\u201d Adam chuckled.<\/p>\n \u201cCooperativeness,\u201d Hoss spat out.\u00a0 \u201cMore like plain ordinary conniving.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe gave him a sour smile.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t have to connive, older brother.\u00a0 You\u2019re gonna be too busy with Maybelle to\u201d\u2014realizing his mistake, he broke off abruptly.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d Adam probed.<\/p>\n \u201cNothin\u2019,\u201d Joe sputtered.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, I know Maybelle\u2019s time is close, so I figured Hoss might want to stay close by, just in case.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw, it\u2019ll be a few days yet,\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n Little Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know, Hoss.\u00a0 I just got a feelin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou got a feelin\u2019 you\u2019d rather go to town than tear down fencing,\u201d Adam snorted.\u00a0 \u201cNow, if you two will get the buckboard hitched, Hoss<\/em> and I will head for town as soon as I get my papers together.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure, Adam, whatever you say,\u201d Joe returned with a smile.\u00a0 Let older brother have his moment of meanness; Joe knew who was really going to town that Monday morning.<\/p>\n \u00a0**********<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Little Joe placed the last crate in the buckboard and, taking off his hat, swiped the trickling sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.\u00a0 He glanced down the street, not looking for Adam this time, but, instead, pondering what he could do to pass the time until older brother finished up with the lawyer.\u00a0 Just staying with the wagon, the way Adam had ordered, still made no sense, but he wasn\u2019t sure where he could go without running the risk of finding more trouble.\u00a0 The Silver Dollar was definitely out; he just knew that if he went inside, he\u2019d somehow get mixed up with that gambling brawl again.\u00a0 The Bucket of Blood might be safe, if he limited himself to just one beer, but one beer wouldn\u2019t take up a fraction of the time he had to kill.\u00a0 Probably safer to stay away from saloons altogether, if he really wanted to do everything just right today.<\/p>\n He started walking down C Street, mostly looking in windows, but occasionally stepping inside a store to drool over a finely tooled saddle or pair of boots.\u00a0 Spotting Daisy\u2019s Caf\u00e9 across the street, his eyes lighted up.\u00a0 Why hadn\u2019t he thought of this before?\u00a0 So long as he kept a close watch on the time, he could have himself a decent meal and a cold glass of lemonade, instead of a hunk of cold sausage and a sandwich later to tide him over until supper.\u00a0 Oh, this was definitely an improvement over his previous Mondays, he thought as he crossed the street.<\/p>\n \u00a0**********<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The meeting with Hiram Woods had taken even longer than Adam had feared, so he all but trotted down the street as soon as the papers were signed.\u00a0 He frowned at the abandoned buckboard, but almost immediately, he heard, \u201c\u2018Bout time you got here, older brother,\u201d and turned to see his younger brother leaning against the wall in the shade of the mercantile\u2019s covered porch.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, there you are,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cLook, I\u2019m sorry you had to wait so long out in this heat, but there were several snags that had to be worked out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cI know how lawyers can be.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam arched an eyebrow.<\/p>\n The typical expression made Joe laugh.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t necessarily mean from personal experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam laughed, too, as he wrapped an arm around his brother\u2019s slim shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cThanks for waiting, anyway.\u00a0 I know it can\u2019t have been pleasant.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe flushed.\u00a0 There were times when he could lie with aplomb, others when he just couldn\u2019t, and a day when he was trying to do everything right was obviously one of those.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I didn\u2019t exactly stay by the wagon, Adam.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t wander far, just down the street a ways . . . window shopping, mostly.\u201d\u00a0 Knowing how empty Adam\u2019s stomach must be, he didn\u2019t deem it prudent to mention the meal at the caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess that\u2019s all right,\u201d Adam said, \u201cas long as I didn\u2019t have to come looking for you.\u201d\u00a0 He mounted the wagon seat.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, no, I watched the time real careful,\u201d Joe assured him as he climbed up beside his brother.<\/p>\n Adam flicked the reins to start the horses.\u00a0 \u201cAnd just how did you calculate how long I\u2019d be held up, hmm?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe gave a sheepish shrug.\u00a0 \u201cI just sort of . . . uh . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHad a feeling?\u201d Adam suggested.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Joe drawled out slowly.\u00a0 \u201cSomething like that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0**********<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As soon as the buckboard stopped, Little Joe jumped off.\u00a0 \u201cJust gonna take a quick look at the colt,\u201d he said.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t every day a fellow got to see a newborn colt\u2014well, lately it was, but with all his good behavior today, he assumed this would be his last chance until some mare foaled again.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat makes you think it\u2019s a colt?\u201d Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cOh, let me guess:\u00a0 you . . . had a feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe nodded crisply.\u00a0 \u201cA real strong one.\u00a0 Look, why don\u2019t you go inside and fix yourself a sandwich?\u201d he suggested.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll get the wagon unloaded, and we can head right out to the fence line.\u00a0 I know how important that is to you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSounds like a plan,\u201d Adam said, climbing down and heading toward the house.\u00a0 Just before he went in the side door to the kitchen, he called back, \u201cYou want a sandwich, too?\u201d<\/p>\n Having eaten a clandestine meal in town, Joe wasn\u2019t really hungry.\u00a0 \u201cNaw, I can wait \u2018til supper.\u00a0 Let\u2019s just get to work.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s eyebrow arched.\u00a0 He was tempted to ask when his younger brother had become such a beaver for work, but deciding that he probably shouldn\u2019t look such a rare gift horse in the mouth, he hurried into the kitchen, instead, and quickly slapped together two sandwiches.\u00a0 Little Joe might think he could skip a meal and still maintain a decent level of work, but Adam\u2019s experience, especially with hungry younger brothers, begged to differ.<\/p>\n \u00a0**********<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Pulling up alongside the damaged fence, Adam let the reins drop between his legs as he shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cWorse than I figured,\u201d he muttered.\u00a0 \u201cWe won\u2019t more than make a good start today.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe couldn\u2019t have agreed more, but he kept the opinion to himself, except to say, \u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam gave him a puzzled look.\u00a0 \u201cWhy?\u00a0 None of the delays were your fault.\u00a0 In fact, you\u2019ve done everything you could to spare us any waste of time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI tried,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 But was trying enough to satisfy whatever power controlled the cycle of days?\u00a0 Or did he have to actually succeed at finishing that impossible list of Monday chores before he could ever see Tuesday?\u00a0 He was pretty sure he had to, at least, try his hardest for that goal, so he hopped off the wagon.\u00a0 \u201cWell, best get started, huh?\u00a0 That fence ain\u2019t gonna fix itself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTruer words were, unfortunately, never spoken,\u201d Adam said with a grim smile as he, too, climbed down from the wagon seat.<\/p>\n Each man took a shovel from the back of the buckboard and began to wrestle the rotted fence posts from the ground.\u00a0 Every other day Joe had put in little more than token effort, but today he put his back into the work, barely taking time for an occasional swallow of lukewarm water from his canteen.\u00a0 When the final post had been removed, both he and Adam were drenched in sweat, their bare chests glistening in the declining sun.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll get the new posts,\u201d Joe said, heading back to the buckboard, while Adam was quaffing another swig of water.\u00a0 Ordinarily, he wouldn\u2019t have tried to carry more than a couple back to the fence line, but being determined to get as much as possible done before the fading daylight forced them to quit, he stacked the posts until he could barely see over the load.\u00a0 \u00a0Somehow, he managed to lift it and started to stagger down the slope toward the fence.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe!\u201d he heard his brother call sharply.\u00a0 \u201cWhat on earth do you think you\u2019re doing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m coming!\u201d Joe called back defensively.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t mean . . .\u201d\u00a0 But before Adam could finish the sentence, Little Joe felt a rock roll beneath his foot.\u00a0 He stumbled forward, juggling the load of fence posts as he struggled to keep his balance.\u00a0 Then his toe jammed into a larger rock, his ankle turned, and he toppled over, fence posts raining down to sandwich his right leg between them and that same flat-topped rock.\u00a0 He heard something crack, and from the scream that tore from his throat, he had a sick, hazy feeling that it wasn\u2019t something made of wood.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe!\u201d Adam cried and ran forward to find his brother lying on the ground with his hands held over his face.\u00a0 \u201cWhy is it always one extreme or the other with you?\u201d he asked as he tore off the fence posts and knelt beside Joe.\u00a0 \u201cThere is a place somewhere between shirking every chore in sight and trying to do the work of three men, you know!\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe reached out, grabbing Adam\u2019s shirt when his brother leaned his direction.\u00a0 \u201cGo on\u2014finish the job,\u201d he panted.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll\u2014I\u2019ll just wait here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be ridiculous,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s grip tightened.\u00a0 \u201cNo, Adam, you don\u2019t understand.\u00a0 We have to finish!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid you hit your head, too?\u201d Adam snorted as he pried Joe\u2019s fingers from his shirt. \u00a0\u201cWe are through for the day, boy.\u201d\u00a0 Then, seeing the distress in his brother\u2019s expressive eyes, he softened his voice and gave Joe\u2019s hand an encouraging squeeze.\u00a0 \u201cEasy now.\u00a0 Everything\u2019s going to be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n Moaning, Joe shook his head.\u00a0 He hoped his brother was right, of course, but since he didn\u2019t know the rules that governed this roulette of days, he had no real confidence that the game was over.<\/p>\n \u00a0**********<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 They pulled into the ranch yard just past sunset.\u00a0 The front door opened, and Hoss called back over his shoulder, \u201cIt\u2019s them, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Then he came outside.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll unhitch the team,\u201d he offered, but then he realized that Little Joe was lying down in the back of the wagon.\u00a0 \u201cWhat happened?\u201d he asked anxiously.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle brother forgot he wasn\u2019t you,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cHelp me get him inside\u2014and be careful of that right leg; it\u2019s broken.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDoggone,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 With Adam\u2019s assistance he lifted the boy from the bed of the wagon and carried him inside.<\/p>\n \u201cPut him on the settee for now,\u201d Adam directed.<\/p>\n Ben was out of his chair by the fire the minute the three brothers entered the house.\u00a0 \u201cWhat happened?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Adam briefly explained.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle brother, you got to learn to live with who you are,\u201d Hoss said, repeating words his father had used when teaching a young Hoss to manage his own, larger-than-most body.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll fetch the doc,\u201d he informed the others hovering over Little Joe.\u00a0 \u201cBe back quick as I can.\u201d\u00a0 And with a consoling tousle of his brother\u2019s chestnut curls, he was out the door.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, Joseph,\u201d Ben chided gently.\u00a0 \u201cWhat were you thinking, son?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Pa,\u201d Joe murmured, his distraught face a plea for understanding.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2014I just wanted the day to end, and I thought if we finished all the chores, then it could.\u00a0 I tried really hard to get the work done.\u00a0 I just wanted . . . the day to end.\u201d\u00a0 He ended on a sob of frustration and quickly buried his face in the pillow.<\/p>\n \u201cHush now,\u201d his father soothed, his hand continually stroking his son\u2019s throbbing neck.\u00a0 \u201cThere was no need to push yourself so hard, son.\u00a0 You know I never expect more of you boys than your best, and I believe you gave that.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe cracked open an eye just in time to see his father direct a sharp glare at Adam, who quietly said, \u201cYes.\u00a0 Yes, he did.\u201d<\/p>\n That was all that was said until after the leg had been set and Little Joe tucked into his own bed upstairs.\u00a0 The sedative the doctor administered was just starting to lull him to sleep when loud voices drifted through the door left open in case he needed to call for anything.<\/p>\n \u201cHow hard did you drive that boy?\u201d Ben was demanding.<\/p>\n \u201cPa, I didn\u2019t,\u201d Adam protested.<\/p>\n \u201cYou must have for him to think he had to work that hard before you\u2019d let the day end!\u201d Ben barked.\u00a0 \u201cIf that\u2019s the sort of leadership you provide, young man, I may have to think twice about leaving you in charge the next time I\u2019m away!\u201d<\/p>\n The ghost of a groggy smile touched Little Joe\u2019s lips.\u00a0 Adam didn\u2019t really deserve all he was getting, of course, but it was sort of nice to hear older brother taken to task for a change.\u00a0 And maybe Pa really would leave someone else in charge next time. \u00a0Hoss probably, but Joe could live with that.\u00a0 What was most important, for now, was that he hadn\u2019t upset Pa himself today, and while a broken leg was a high price to pay for his ticket out of Monday, it was worth it.\u00a0 Joe snuggled down under the covers and dreamed of the pleasant changes to come.<\/p>\n \u00a0**********<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u201cUp and at \u2018em, little brother.\u201d\u00a0 The words seemed to echo from far down a tunnel, much too distant to be heeded.\u00a0 Little Joe turned his head and snuggled into his downy pillow.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph.\u201d\u00a0 Closer, a bit louder and grumpier this time, but still imminently ignorable.\u00a0 He burrowed deeper.<\/p>\n Suddenly an ocean wave crashed against his face and he jolted upright, sputtering and staring at Hoss, who stood over him with an empty glass and a big grin.<\/p>\n \u201cSeriously?\u201d Joe exploded.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019d really drench a fellow with a broken leg?\u00a0 If I overslept, it\u2019s that dadgum medicine\u2019s fault, not mine.\u00a0 Besides, I\u2019m supposed to be resting!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u201d\u00a0 Then Hoss\u2019s face cleared of confusion.\u00a0 \u201cDoggone, that must\u2019ve been some nightmare you was havin\u2019, little brother.\u00a0 I\u2019d sure never have doused you if\u2019n I\u2019d knowed.\u00a0 Pa wants you down to breakfast right quick, though.\u00a0 Gotta give us our little talkin\u2019 to before he takes off, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTakes off where?\u201d Little Joe asked with near-prophetic intuition.<\/p>\n \u201cCarson City, of course,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cGot that meeting with the legislature, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I remember,\u201d Joe sighed.\u00a0 \u201cAll too well, big brother, all too well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, best shake a leg,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 Then he flashed a mischievous grin.\u00a0 \u201cThe one that ain\u2019t broke, that is.\u201d\u00a0 Laughing, he left the room.<\/p>\n Little Joe threw back the covers and stared at his two sound legs.\u00a0 No splints, not even a scratch.\u00a0 He swung his legs over the side of the bed and tentatively tested them out.\u00a0 Not a smidge of pain\u2014how was it possible?\u00a0 How did a fellow break a leg and wake up the next morning without a sign that he had?\u00a0 Joe shut his eyes and sighed, as the ugly truth hit him: it wasn\u2019t the next morning; it was still Monday\u2014and still too early for anything as serious as a broken leg to have gone wrong.\u00a0 He was running late, though, so he\u2019d best, as Hoss had phrased it, shake a leg . . . or maybe even two.<\/p>\n \u00a0**********<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Little Joe placed the last crate in the buckboard outside Cass\u2019s Mercantile and, taking off his hat, swiped the trickling sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.\u00a0 Since yesterday\u2019s version of today had gone reasonably well, up until a certain catastrophic stumble, he\u2019d pretty much followed the same plan.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t tried to make sport of \u201creading minds\u201d this time, since repeating that would have been boring, but had just done what he was supposed to do.\u00a0 Now, as he had the day before, he pondered what he could do to pass the time until older brother finished up with the lawyer. \u00a0He\u2019d enjoyed eating at Daisy\u2019s yesterday, and there didn\u2019t seem to be any reason to change that. \u00a0Though he hadn\u2019t confessed the meal to Adam before, he\u2019d be less fearful of doing so now, especially after his brother had been concerned enough yesterday to make him a sandwich, unasked.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t eaten more than a few bites because he truly hadn\u2019t been hungry, but he\u2019d appreciated the gesture.<\/p>\n He was half a block down C Street when an idea suddenly struck him, and he turned back to the mercantile to make one additional purchase before setting off again, whistling a tune that was filtering through the batwings of the Silver Dollar as he walked past on the way to the caf\u00e9.\u00a0 Since he hadn\u2019t taken time to window shop this morning, he knew he had time to dally over the meal.\u00a0 Therefore, he ordered a steak dinner, with all the fixings, in place of the bowl of beef stew he\u2019d eaten the day before.\u00a0 And he even finished off with a slice of apple pie.<\/p>\n \u201cMiss Daisy, that was a mighty fine meal,\u201d he said when nothing but crumbs remained on his plate.\u00a0 Then he lifted the covered tin pail he\u2019d purchased at the mercantile.\u00a0 \u201cCould you fill this up with something tasty, like stew or . . ?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChicken and dumplings?\u201d Daisy suggested.<\/p>\n Joe nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, that sounds good.\u00a0 And could you loan me the use of a spoon or something?\u00a0 I didn\u2019t think to buy that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGoodness, boy, but you\u2019ve got an appetite today!\u201d the good-hearted cook laughed.<\/p>\n Joe laughed, too, light-hearted as a bluejay.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not for me.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s here in town, too, but he won\u2019t take time to come by to eat.\u00a0 Just thought I\u2019d take him something he could manage while we drive home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy, aren\u2019t you the thoughtful one,\u201d she said, beaming a motherly smile at him.\u00a0 \u201cWill Adam want pie, too, you think?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe would, if you can figure some way for me to tote it.\u00a0 I\u2019ll bring back anything you loan out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLands, boy, I know that!\u201d\u00a0 She moved toward the kitchen, his lunch pail swinging from one hand.\u00a0 \u201cYou think he\u2019ll want apple or blueberry?\u201d she asked just before slipping through the swinging half-door.<\/p>\n \u201cBetter make it apple,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cEasier to eat on the road than something juicier.\u201d<\/p>\n She nodded and disappeared to fill his order.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Since he now knew to the minute the time Adam would arrive, Little Joe was waiting on the wagon seat when his older brother ran up.\u00a0 \u201cOh, Joe, I didn\u2019t literally mean for you to sit on the wagon this whole time . . . especially since I\u2019m even later than I expected.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t been here the whole time,\u201d Joe immediately confessed, \u201cbut I stayed close enough so I wouldn\u2019t keep you waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI appreciate that,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 He started to climb onto the wagon, but stopped with he saw a tin pail perched on his seat.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour lunch,\u201d Joe said with a grin.\u00a0 \u201cKnowing how longwinded lawyers can be, I figured you wouldn\u2019t take time for a real meal, so I just fetched you one.\u00a0 Hope you\u2019re in the mood for chicken and dumplings.\u00a0 Miss Daisy thought you might be.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve already eaten?\u201d Adam asked as he mounted the wagon.<\/p>\n \u201cYep\u2014plumb full.\u201d\u00a0 Joe handed his brother the spoon Daisy Miller had provided.\u00a0 \u201cThat bein\u2019 the case, I figured I\u2019d drive and you\u2019d be free to eat.\u00a0 There\u2019s apple pie in that little pan there that\u2019s covered with the napkin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLittle brother, you think of everything,\u201d Adam said, his voice warm with appreciation, although Joe wasn\u2019t sure whether it was for his great planning or the aroma of the apple pie Adam was sniffing.<\/p>\n Once he\u2019d maneuvered the wagon down the Geiger Grade and had safely reached the valley floor, Little Joe said, \u201cAdam, I was wondering if, maybe, we should go straight to the fence line, get a quicker start on the repairs.\u00a0 I mean, there\u2019s no real reason to stop by the house, is there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss?\u201d Adam suggested.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss knows where we\u2019re headed,\u201d Joe pointed out.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure he\u2019ll meet us there . . . unless something holds him up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about the supplies?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019ll be fine, and there\u2019s nothing Hop Sing needs \u2018til tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cAre you sure about that?\u00a0 Who knows what he\u2019ll take it into his head to cook tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPork chops,\u201d Joe, who was decidedly weary of that particular meat, muttered.<\/p>\n Adam arched a quizzical eyebrow at his little brother, who, having just let slip something he wasn\u2019t supposed to know, didn\u2019t trust himself to respond.\u00a0 \u201cWell, it would save time,\u201d Adam admitted.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cAll right.\u00a0 We\u2019ll try it your way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0**********<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The sun was just beginning to sink as the buckboard pulled into the ranch yard.\u00a0 Since they still had supplies to unload, Adam had insisted on stopping work a little early.\u00a0 \u201cWe won\u2019t finish tonight, anyway,\u201d he\u2019d pointed out, \u201cso we might as well get a decent night\u2019s rest and start fresh in the morning.\u00a0 Besides, I\u2019m kind of curious to see what kept Hoss tied up all day.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh, yeah, me, too,\u201d Little Joe had said.\u00a0 \u201cAs long as you think Pa\u2019ll be satisfied with what we got done.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam had cocked his head to examine his younger brother\u2019s anxious face.\u00a0 \u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t he be?\u00a0 We did our best.\u00a0 Sometimes, delays can\u2019t be avoided, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe had nodded.\u00a0 I never expect more of you boys than your best.\u00a0 <\/em>Pa had said just that yesterday, and that was one thing that never changed with Pa, no matter what day it was.<\/p>\n The front door opened, and Hoss called back over his shoulder, \u201cIt\u2019s them, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Then he came outside.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll unhitch the team,\u201d he offered, \u201cso\u2019s you can get washed up for supper.\u00a0 Hop Sing ain\u2019t called us yet, but I reckon them chops\u2019ll be ready any time now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEverything go all right with Maybelle?\u201d Little Joe asked hastily before Adam could comment on how accurately he\u2019d predicted the supper menu.<\/p>\n \u201cDid finally,\u201d Hoss said, \u201cbut she had a real rough time.\u00a0 That\u2019s why I never got out to help you fellers.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cWe figured it must be something like that.\u00a0 Foal all right, too?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYep,\u201d Hoss said, and his smile brightened.\u00a0 \u201cPurtiest little colt you ever did see.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam and Joe each grabbed a crate of supplies and delivered them to Hop Sing in the kitchen.\u00a0 As they passed through the dining room, Ben stood to meet them.\u00a0 \u201cAnd how did your day go, boys?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 \u201cI realize you were a man down.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe ran into other delays\u2014well, I did, with the lawyer,\u201d Adam reported, \u201cso we weren\u2019t able to finish the fence repair, but we should have no problem doing so tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cLawyers.\u00a0 Never pays to assume they\u2019ll do anything to shorten a day\u2019s work, I suppose.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Adam agreed, \u201cbut I do have to credit my young brother here with doing all he could to save time and enable us to get more done.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s broad smile encompassed them both.\u00a0 \u201cYou worked well together, then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBetter than just well,\u201d Adam said, wrapping an arm around his brother\u2019s slim shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll tell you more over dinner, but I think you\u2019ll be very proud of your baby son.\u00a0 I know I am.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019s face flamed.\u00a0 \u201cBaby!\u201d he protested.\u00a0 \u201cIf I weren\u2019t so much in need of a good washing before supper, I\u2019d take you outside and teach you who\u2019s a baby, older brother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLucky for me you do need washing, then,\u201d Adam laughed as he slapped Joe on the back.\u00a0 \u201cAnd if I hope to get any supper out of Hop Sing, I\u2019d better do some scrubbing of my own.\u201d<\/p>\n With friendly pushes and shoves the two brothers jostled their way up the stairs, and each went into his own room to make himself presentable for the supper table.\u00a0 Supper that night was the same old pork chops that he\u2019d faced for almost a week now, but Joe found that he didn\u2019t mind.\u00a0 The good humor surrounding the table made for better seasoning, and the thought that he\u2019d finally managed to make both Pa and Adam proud of him aroused within him a buoyant hope that, at long last, he might be able to wake to a fresh, new day on the morrow.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s exactly what he did.<\/p>\n \u00a0The End<\/p>\n \u00a9 May, 2014<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Author\u2019s Note:\u00a0 The inspiration for this story comes primarily from the Bill Murray film, \u201cGroundhog Day,\u201d with a small tip of the hat to \u201cChristmas Every Day,\u201d a short story by William Dean Howells.<\/p>\n