{"id":934,"date":"2005-06-19T16:09:09","date_gmt":"2005-06-19T20:09:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=934"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:10:44","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:10:44","slug":"the-other-side-of-valor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=934","title":{"rendered":"The Other Side of Valor (by the Tahoe Ladies)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 <\/span>There is another side of every story that remains just beyond your grasp sometimes<\/p>\n

Rated: T – <\/span>Word Count:\u00a0 7540<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The Other Side of Valor<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The cool fall wind had pushed before it the lead-colored clouds and with them, rain. Starting just after noon, it was a slow steady drizzle that turned the countryside dark and gray as well. The streets of bustling Virginia City had quickly become sodden masses of mud, clinging to hooves and wagon wheels alike. The broad wooden walkways, normally full of people were nearly empty that afternoon in November. Those citizens out and about went quickly from one roofed-over porch to the next, trying to scurry from the cold dampness that seemed ever pervasive. And miserable.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Under one of those roofs, the three Cartwright brothers stood waiting. For the hundredth time, Adam had wondered aloud about why it took the three of them to meet their father\u2019s stage from Sacramento. And for the hundredth time, he got baleful stares from Hoss and Joe.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt weren\u2019t my idea to come out in this weather,\u201d Hoss groused, shoving his bear-paw hands back in his jacket pockets as he moved out to the edge and looked down the street again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t look at me! I have no idea why Pa wanted all of us here,\u201d Joe muttered morosely. Unlike his brothers, he was content to stay leaning against the depot wall, well away from the mud splattering up onto the walkway from the occasional passing wagon.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

His boot heels thumping across the planks, Adam walked back to the narrow bench and sat down, crossing his arms over his chest. Leaning against the building wall, he tipped his hat over his eyes. The telegram from Pa had been adamant in tone: \u2018Want all to meet the stage 3pm Wednesday\u2019. There was no room for interpretations that would let any of them off the hook. If he had asked for them to meet him with the wagon, Adam figured he could understand that: Pa had something of some size that he wanted them to help him with. But Pa hadn\u2019t asked for the wagon. No, that little word \u201call\u201d could only mean one thing: all of his sons. And it wasn\u2019t just Adam grousing about it either. Hoss and Joe had made their individual displeasures known as well. Joe had even gone so far as to volunteer to stay home and start supper since Hop Sing was away as well. That had gotten an even louder groan from Hoss. So there the three of them were, wet, cold and miserable.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A shout from down the street yanked Adam from his thoughts of a warm fire and a good book. It was Roy Coffee, his oilskin slicker whipping in the wet wind as he hurried across the muddy street.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBoy, am I glad to see you boys in town! I could use your help real bad,\u201d Roy puffed, out of breath from his exertion and shouting. He shoved his dripping hat back from his face and ran a wet hand over his face as he did.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhy? What\u2019s the matter, Roy?\u201d Adam spoke up as he and his brothers gathered around the lawmen.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMiss Jones came up from the school house a little bit ago. Said one of the kids hadn\u2019t come in from lunch. Little gal by the name of Amy Parsons. Miss Jones said she was new to town. Her pa works down the smithy\u2019s. I done checked with him but he said she didn\u2019t go there. Anyway, long story short, I need to get up some search teams to look for this kid. You boys help me?\u201d Roy asked, knowing the answer already.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhere do you want us?\u201d Hoss spoke up quickly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDown the school house. I\u2019m going on to the Silver Dollar. You boys go let Miss Abigail know that help is coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The search party was relatively small but Roy considered that with the weather as ugly as it was, he was lucky to get anyone to help. Finding the three Cartwright boys in town had been a godsend as far as he was concerned for they knew the area better than most folks. And Hoss Cartwright was rumored to be able to track just about any thing anywhere. Once Roy had returned to the schoolhouse and seen that Miss Jones had sent the other children home, he set about dividing his forces.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cShe and her folks live on the other side of Danvers\u2019 farm. Amy isn\u2019t very big, even for an eight-year-old girl. And I noticed this morning that she wasn\u2019t wearing a coat, only a thin little shawl so she\u2019s got to be cold,\u201d Miss Jones explained, wringing her hands.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure she just didn\u2019t head on home for some reason or another?\u201d Hoss questioned, wiping a drip of rain from the side of his face as they stood there in the small schoolroom.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI asked her father down to the smithy. She would go down there and walk home with him every night because she was afraid of walking through the woods between here and home. Her father borrowed a horse and is headed for home. We\u2019ll wait here until we hear from him. I know none of us want to be out in this weather looking for a kid that is sittin\u2019 home, drinkin\u2019 milk and munchin\u2019 cookies!\u201d Roy put in plain words what they were all thinking.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The sound of a horse pulling to a halt outside the schoolhouse door a few minutes later made every last man there grimace. Just the sound the horse made sliding to a stop and the feet running to the doorway and they all knew that Amy hadn\u2019t been found at home.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAll right men. You know what to do,\u201d was Roy\u2019s simple instruction.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss had first caught a glimpse of something pale blue hanging on the side of the narrow path through the woods. Dismounting, he snagged it up in his cold fumbling fingers. It was a tendril of blue yarn that had snagged on a thorn. Looking down, he studied the ground at his feet. There he saw the small footprints, nearly invisible in the dim light of the wet woods. As he straightened up, he looked out over landscape, to where the path wound down and out of the thinning woods. Hurriedly he remounted.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou find something?\u201d Joe asked, pulling Cochise to his brother\u2019s side.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSure did, little brother. That little gal is lost for sure. She got turned around some how and look, see them little tracks going that away?\u201d and he gestured not towards her home meadow but into the steeper hills to the west. \u201cSomethin\u2019 spooked her and she\u2019s started runnin\u2019. Come on.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss, his eyes glued to the ground, rode ahead, looking in the dwindling light for signs. The urge to hurry weighed heavily on him for not only were they losing the light, but the temperature was dropping as well. And the rain continuing to fall, its intensity varying with the push of the winds, Hoss knew that wherever the little girl was, she was wet and cold. Unless she found shelter soon, she would not survive the night\u2019s dropping temperatures in all likelihood. He pushed Chubb a little faster as they neared the edge of the woods. The open area they rode into now was hilly and pockmarked with old mines, played out and covered over. And the twisty, winding road that ran through it did not go back to town but deeper into the wild mountain country.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Like Hoss, Joe had been watching the ground for clues and didn\u2019t see what happened. All he knew was that suddenly Chubb was rearing in front of him and Hoss had lost his seat, falling to the side of the path there at the very edge of the copse. Instantly Joe was off his horse and helping Hoss to sit back up.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss was fuming mad. \u201cThink I was some greenhorn, couldn\u2019t stay on a horse! Help me stand up, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

His eyes rolling with the effort, Joe gave Hoss his shoulder to lean on as the big man got his feet back under him. \u201cYou okay? I mean you didn\u2019t break nothin\u2019 when you hit, did ya?\u201d Joe interrogated in what he hoped was a conciliatory tone.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cOw! Dadburnit!\u201d Hoss fussed, his hand rubbing the side of his head where a cut was bleeding. He yanked his handkerchief out of his back pocket and pressed it to his temple. He took a deep breath and decided that nothing major was broken beyond his pride. \u201cJust go get Chubb for me,\u201d he fretted.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe brought the wary-eyed horse back to his owner, all the while looking for what had spooked the normally complacent animal. If it had been Cochise doing that, Joe would have understood. Sometimes the pinto seemed to rear up just for the fun of it, like he was seeing if Joe was paying attention. But Chubb wasn\u2019t that sort of horse. Handing the reins to Hoss, Joe caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of something blue that seemed to be rolling with the rainy wind across the slope that angled up towards the road.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Without a word of explanation, Joe started walking towards what he had seen, leading his horse. Once he had left the shelter of the woods, the storm seemed to increase in fury but it was because the woods had protected them for so long. As Joe got closer to it, he realized that it was not the little girl but it was her shawl. He picked it up and turned back to holler at Hoss. Hoss was already headed for him, walking with a decided limp as the rain pushed the brim of his white hat down across his features. When Hoss got caught up with Joe, Joe handed him the shawl and stood looking at the hillside before them, his eyes searching.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThink she got up to the road?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou go on up and see if you see any sign. I\u2019m gonna stay down here a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Something in the tone Hoss used made Joe turn back to his brother sharply. \u201cAre you sure you\u2019re okay? I saw you limping. Here, let me help you up on Chubb-.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, just get up there and see what you can see on the road. That little girl-child is liable to be in worse shape than me iffen we don\u2019t find her soon. So git!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Reluctantly, Joe swung aboard his horse and rode straight up the embankment to the road. Riding there along the edge, he saw no sign that child had made it to the top. He paused long enough to shake his head for Hoss to see before he pulled the horse\u2019s head around to face back into the storm and pushed back down to where his brother still stood.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Both men again scanned the slope for several long moments then Hoss saw it and pointed with a shout. \u201cOver there, Joe, I think I see an opening. Maybe she went in there.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The opening turned out to be not much bigger than the mouth of one of Hop Sing\u2019s pickle barrels. Joe leaned down to inspect it but became alarmed when the scant ledge just inside the opening, gave way. Scooting back to solid ground he called the little girl\u2019s name. Faintly, barely audible above the sound of the rain, came a cry back.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHot diggitty!\u201d Hoss exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. He couldn\u2019t understand why Joe was shaking his head. \u201cWe found her, Joe. Come on, let\u2019s get her and get out of this weather.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Instead of answering Hoss, Joe stuck his head back into the hole and called the little girl\u2019s name again. When a faint \u201cyes?\u201d reached his ear, Joe went on. \u201cCan you tell me how far down you are sweetheart? \u201c<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The tiny voice wobbled as she called back \u201cNo and it\u2019s dark down here and I\u2019m cold. I want my mommy!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe looked back over his shoulder, sure now Hoss had heard as well. \u201cAre you hurt? When you fell, did you hurt anything?\u201d Joe called to her again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Again the child\u2019s tremulous call back. \u201cNo, but this ledge I am on is breaking apart. It\u2019s kind of little. I\u2019m scared, mister!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou just sit tight and I\u2019ll be down there to help you get out in a jiffy, okay?\u201d and Joe tried to out as much enthusiasm into his voice as he could.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe pulled his head from the opening and sat back on his haunches. \u201cIt\u2019s an old air shaft, Hoss. Beyond this ledge here, it drops down, kind of at an angle. A real steep angle. And it\u2019s a skinny one to boot. We\u2019re gonna need help.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss had stood there, his head nodding in agreement with what Joe was saying. When Joe had said they were going to need help, Hoss couldn\u2019t have agreed more. \u201cYou go back to town, Joe. I\u2019ll stay here and talk with her. Try to keep her calm but you hurry, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCan we dig around the mouth there and open it up some?\u201d one man, Hoss took him to be a miner, offered.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam rose from inspecting the opening, subconsciously wiping the mud from his knees as he did. \u201cThat wouldn\u2019t get us very far. The whole hillside here is saturated and we start trying to move earth and it will move on its own. These airshafts weren\u2019t shored up at all. It could collapse if we try to open it up. The only thing we can do is send someone down with a rope.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Roy Coffee stood at the opening to the shaft and bounced up and down on the balls of his feet just a few times. Then he shook his head. \u201cThis ground around the mouth here is givin\u2019 up real easy, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The eldest Cartwright son pushed rain from the side of his face as he looked first upslope then back down and across the vale to the woods behind them. \u201cYeah I know Roy. We have to figure a way to spread the weight and stress out away from the opening.\u201d Then he snapped his fingers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou and you,\u201d he shouted to two rather burly looking men in the search party turned rescue party. \u201cGet me a four real stout limbs. Make them about ten feet long. Hurry! Joe, you and Hoss get our ropes. I figure they\u2019re about the best ones out here.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat have you got planned, boy?\u201d Roy questioned.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSimple, we make a frame, a tripod-like over the hole. The two ropes run through a rope loop suspended from the underside. We send a man down the shaft with a lantern and the other rope. Once he has the girl tied onto the other rope, we bring them back up, one at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSounds as good a plan as any, I reckon, but one question, Adam,\u201d Roy\u2019s eyes became slits in the lantern light. \u201cWho you gonna get to fit down that hole?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He thought later that he had suddenly become deaf because everything went dead silent to Joe Cartwright\u2019s ears. He\u2019d heard what Adam was purposing and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was him going to be going down into that hole. Joe took a really deep breath and exhaled slowly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the only one who\u2019s gonna fit down that shaft, Roy. I\u2019ll go,\u201d Joe volunteered.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to Joe, I checked it out and I think that I\u2019ll fit okay, \u201c Adam countered only to hear his little brother snort derisively.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNope, \u2018cause I ain\u2019t gonna pull you<\/em> up, big brother. Face it, your frame ain\u2019t gonna hold a lot of weight. And we all know you had me in mind from the get-go,\u201d and Joe, looping the ropes into his gloved hands, prayed that his shaking didn\u2019t show too badly. His brothers knew, and probably Roy Coffee as well, that Joe hated being underground. Even though he and his family had been called upon time and again to help with mine cave-ins and the like, and Joe had gone into the darkness there, they all knew his fear. But he had seen the size of the hole in the ground and knew Adam, the only other man capable of it there, wouldn\u2019t fit.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

With the long tree branches fitted and tied at the top, the ends were sunk into the ground a good three-foot from the small opening. These feet were then lashed together so that they wouldn\u2019t spread any further apart. Across the juncture point at the top, Hoss looped a short length of rope and tied it securely. If time hadn\u2019t been critical, Adam would have sent for a block and tackle but with the rain increasing in tempo and night nearly full upon them, there just wasn\u2019t time. For extra precaution, Adam tied the ends of both rescue ropes to Chubb\u2019s and Sport\u2019s saddle horns and positioned the two horses a short distance from the tripod.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe dropped his hat and sodden jacket to the ground as he took one end of a rope and tied it around his chest. He stepped over to the hole and picked up one of the lit lanterns as Hoss patted him on the back.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou ready, little brother?\u201d Adam asked softly and got a quick nod from Joe in reply.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJust don\u2019t let go of me,\u201d Joe whispered, his voice nearly lost in the noise of the rain.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cEven if he did, me and Chubb still got you,\u201d Hoss encouraged, getting his brother\u2019s shaky smile in return.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe took a deep breath and dropped to sit on the side of the hole.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe got you, Joe. Go get that kid, okay?\u201d Adam prompted, loud enough that the other few men there heard him. With a quick nod, Joe was gone from sight.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Slowly, his feet walking him down the side of the narrow dark confining shaft that his shoulders rubbed against, Joe crept down into the darkness. The lantern, held in one hand, barely made a dent in the dark cold. Down below him, he could now hear the child. She was crying softly so as he descended he spoke to her, telling her repeatedly that he was coming. He encouraged her to talk to him and he wondered if it really was to tell how far he was from her or to calm his own fears. Finally, the light from the lantern showed him her tear-streaked face just below him. The shaft had widened at that point, a ledge to one slightly sloping side where the child stood. Joe sent up a quick prayer of thanks that somehow in her fall, the child had managed to find that ledge. Otherwise she would have fallen much, much further.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSee? I told you help was coming! My name is Joe and I already know your name is Amy,\u201d Joe tried to sound casual as though they were meeting somewhere entirely different.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI want to go home,\u201d Amy whimpered.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you know what? I do too. So this is what we are going to do,\u201d Joe said, now face to face with her wide blue eyes. He would have laughed at her at any other time. Her tear-streaked face was smudged with dirt. Her white smock over her navy blue dress was torn and dirty and one pigtail had come unbraided, letting her baby-fine blonde hair hang in tangles. Nervously, she chewed her lower lip. \u201cSee this rope here in my hand? I\u2019m gonna hand it to you and you are gonna slip it over your head and around you like I got mine. Okay?\u201d She nodded and started to reach for him but was too close to the edge for comfort and she pressed herself back to the wall of the narrow shelf, clearly afraid now to move that she could see there was a long drop at her feet.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe steadied himself with one foot and the hand holding the lantern pressed to the side of the shaft. It pushed him almost close enough that he could reach out one hand and touch the child. But not close enough. With the child now afraid to come away from the wall, he tried to throw it her but she remained frozen in place, refusing to move. Joe studied the situation and knew the only way for him to get close enough to put the loop over her was to put both feet against the wall and lean for all he was worth. Carefully, he placed his feet and prayed that up above him, two brothers and a pair of horses were standing real still. He reached for her, his fingertips just grazing her. She had to move.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAmy, listen to me, sweetheart. You have got to step away from the wall so we can get this rope around you.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t! I\u2019ll fall!\u201d she screamed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo you won\u2019t,\u201d Joe wondered for a split second if the child could see him shaking with fear. \u201cI won\u2019t let you fall. Come on, one step is all you have to do. Come on.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She shoved a strand of hair from her face and took a tiny step. That was all Joe needed. Now, with the rope around her chest, he had to get her to the edge of the ledge.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCome to the edge, sweetheart.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy refused, her head violently shaking. Joe gently pulled on the rope around her. She took another step.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m scared, Joe. I\u2019ll fall. I know I will,\u201d she pleaded.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if I promise to hold you? That way you can\u2019t fall,\u201d Joe lied but she went for it. \u201cBut if we do that, I can\u2019t hold the lantern too. So you come over to the edge so I can feel you. Then I am gonna drop the lantern. It\u2019ll be okay. We can see for a little bit. But, Amy, we can only do this once so you have to be brave and stand real still there on the edge okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When he saw her nod and take the last little step to the edge, Joe gathered the last of his own courage. He turned loose of the lantern and made a desperate lunge for the child. Just as he snagged her, the lantern hit bottom and exploded. Holding the frightened child tightly, Joe took one look down and saw just how far the bottom was from his feet. He gulped and closed his eyes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHey, you all right down there?\u201d Hoss shouted down and Joe\u2019s own fright got shoved from his thoughts.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPull us up!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Going back up was harder than going down. Repeatedly, Joe\u2019s back scraped against the protruding rocks, causing showers of debris to fall, frightening the child even more. Unable to use his own arms to help his ascent, Joe prayed that his brothers and everyone else had the strength to pull them both back to safety. Where he could, Joe would brace his feet against the wall and push up. The rope, tight around his chest constricted his breathing and, along with the fear, made him light headed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Finally, his felt rain on his face and hands reaching for him, pulling him up. Amy was pulled away from his arms and Joe was laid back in the wet grass, his chest heaving, and his arms weak. He closed his eyes and concentrated on getting his hammering heart under control. He could hear Hoss and Adam talking to him as they removed the rope from around his chest but he couldn\u2019t answer them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou okay?\u201d Hoss asked again when Joe opened his eyes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Still not sure if he could speak without losing control, Joe merely patted the massive arm beside him and used his brother\u2019s help to sit up. Adam was draping his own jacket around Joe\u2019s shoulders as well as Joe\u2019s familiar green one. Joe shook his head \u2018no\u2019 and tried to push Adam\u2019s questioning hands away.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThat rope was pretty tight around you, Joe. Are you sure you\u2019re okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m okay. Amy?\u201d Joe ultimately wheezed out, knowing if he didn’t speak soon, his brothers would have him in Doc Martin\u2019s office so fast his head would spin.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam stepped aside and gestured to the scene behind him. There little Amy was being bundled into blankets and her father was picking her up, headed to the wagon and home. She managed to get one hand free and she waved to her rescuers before snuggling back into her father\u2019s embrace.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I would say you boys done earned yourselves a beer!\u201d Roy crowed, watching both family scenes as they played out before him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know about Adam or Joe, but I\u2019ll take a raincheck on that beer, Roy. I don\u2019t think I have ever been this cold and miserable feelin\u2019 in my whole life. Right now, all I want is a big ol\u2019 fire, somethin\u2019 hot to drink and dry clothes,\u201d Hoss grumbled.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThat makes two of us, but you think you need to see Doc Martin about that place on your head?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss put his hand to his head and felt the growing lump there just before his ear. It was tender but the bleeding had stopped. \u201cNaw, but you want to see him about your hands, Adam, I\u2019ll wait for ya.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam allowed that a little rope burn was a small price to pay for getting the child back. \u201cA little of Hop Sing\u2019s salve and I\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, the offer for the beer stands, boys. It ain\u2019t often we get three heroes in one night, ya know!\u201d Roy offered again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThanks anyway, but I think we really need to get on home,\u201d and with a long arm reached down, Adam snagged Joe\u2019s outstretched hand and pulled his youngest brother to his feet.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The ride home was one of the most miserable the three brothers had had in a long time. The mud slowed them, of course, but what with their physical conditions being what they were, none of them wanted to get their horses above a walk any way. By the time they reached the ranch house, the rain was falling in steady sheets and since none of them had their rain gear with them, they were thoroughly soaked to the skin. And pulling into the yard, each one of them sorely missed Hop Sing for the house was dark and cold looking. There would be no ready hot water for baths to warm up with. There would be no hot coffee, no hot stew, no hot anything.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Swinging open the barn door to lead their tired horses in, each one of them had the same wild thought push through their minds. The first stall on the left usually held their father\u2019s big buckskin. But not tonight.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cOh God,\u201d Joe groaned and sagged into Cochise\u2019s wet hide.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s hand hit his forehead and he winced as the raw palm made contact. \u201cOh no,\u201d he moaned.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But Hoss\u2019 words summed it up clearly. \u201cWe forgot Pa was coming in on the stage. Wonder if Buck is still standing there in the rain?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, he is,\u201d came the words right outside the barn door behind them. \u201cBut if you\u2019ll move on in, we can get out of the rain too.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

With not a heartbeat\u2019s worth of time passing, the way was cleared and a very wet Ben Cartwright pulled his horse into the barn. As the glow from the lantern Adam had quickly lit spread, Ben looked around at the scene before him. He almost chuckled for it had been a long time since he had seen three more bedraggled and sodden individuals.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe recovered the quickest, giving his father a hearty \u201cHi Pa!\u201d along with what he hoped was a warm smile.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPa, we\u2019re sorry, but there was \u2013\u201c Adam started to explain but Ben\u2019s raised hand stopped him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI heard all about it in town. Seems you three have a very good excuse for not meeting me at the stage. The whole town is talking about nothing else, you know. How my three sons are heroes for saving that little girl. They are even talking of having some sort of celebration to honor the three of you!\u201d But there was a note in his voice that led the siblings to believe that their father wasn\u2019t happy about something and even the broad smile on Joe’s face faded as quickly as it had come.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, we did, Pa. We saved that little girl. The three of us,\u201d Hoss spoke up first, most uncharacteristically of him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, you did,\u201d Ben agreed, pulling Buck into his stall to unsaddle him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAin\u2019t you proud of us?\u201d Joe asked, incredulous that their father seemed angry. Just in case it had more to do with how they were standing there letting their horses go untended, Joe pulled Cochise into his stall.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, we are heroes, ain\u2019t we?\u201d Hoss again spoke up. He led Chubb into his stall and followed his brother\u2019s example.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll talk about it in the house,\u201d was all Ben said before he turned, dropped his wet saddle in its place and stalked from the barn.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHow can he be angry at us?\u201d Adam muttered but neither of his brothers had an answer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By the time Adam, Hoss and Joe had taken care of their own horses and their father\u2019s, Ben had the fire stoked up in the cook stove in the kitchen. He had lit the fire in the main room but because of the size of the room and the pervading chill in the air, it would take a while for that room to warm. The kitchen however seemed to warming up nicely. And the brothers, seeing the only light in the house was in the kitchen, chose to slip in that door.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cGive me your guns, boys. I\u2019ll put them away. You might as well get out of those wet things right here where it\u2019s warm. I\u2019ll bring back your robes and a couple of blankets for you,\u201d Ben instructed firmly. His voice held that tone that the three had learned long ago not to argue with and they began to strip out of their sodden clothes there in the warmth of the kitchen<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A half-hour later, with the three of them wrapped in robes and quilts and Ben in his own robe, they sat in that warm kitchen sipping hot toddies. No one had dared say a word to their father, afraid to open Pandora\u2019s box. On the stove, leftover stew was just beginning to bubble, sending its mouth-watering aroma around the room.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben had just finished inspecting Hoss\u2019 head and was moving to take a look at Adam\u2019s raw hands when he decided that he had had enough silence. \u201cYes indeed, the whole town is talking about my sons, the heroes. Hold your hand open, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam visibly winced as his father rubbed the abused flesh on both his palms.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHere,\u201d and Ben poured water into a tin dishpan for Adam to soak his hands. Gingerly, Adam dropped his hands into the water, feeling the sting as he did.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPa, we\u2019re sorry that we forgot you were coming. We were just so wet and miserable that we came on home after it was all over. We\u2019re sorry,\u201d Adam apologized, hearing his brothers\u2019 murmured agreements.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s fine. Roy told me you were headed home and what sort of shape you were in. Let me see your back, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThen what are you mad at us about?\u201d Joe piped up as his father took a hard swipe at one of the stone-bruises on his shoulder. \u201cEverybody in town thinks we\u2019re heroes ’cause we found and saved that little girl\u2019s life, for crying out loud! It can\u2019t be why you\u2019re mad at us!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWho said I was mad? Hold still Joseph!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam rolled his eyes, Hoss hung his head and Joe squinted his eyes nearly closed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jaw out-thrust, Adam decided to take the bull by the horns. \u201cYou could have fooled us, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben dropped the cloth he was using to wipe away the muddy streaks from Joe\u2019s back then turned to face his older sons. Joe half-cowered behind him in the small kitchen.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAh yes, all of Virginia City is singing the praises of my sons. Calling them \u2018heroes\u2019,\u201d Ben huffed hotly, his hands planting themselves firmly on his hips.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, aren\u2019t we?\u201d Joe shot back and had the misfortune of being the closet to his quickly turning father and said father\u2019s withering look.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is the definition of a hero, Joseph?\u201d he asked, each word spoken succinctly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cA person who does something to help another person when he doesn\u2019t have to,\u201d Joe tried.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben turned to Hoss. \u201cWhat is your definition of a hero, Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Never one very good with words, Hoss thought for a few moments before he answered. \u201cSomeone who risks his life for someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam didn\u2019t wait for his father to ask him. \u201cSomeone who makes a sacrifice for others.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d say those are three pretty good definitions. Now tell me how it is that the three of you fit into those definitions.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The three siblings looked closely at one another, then Adam took the floor. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have to help the search party look for Amy but we did. Hoss didn\u2019t have to use his skill as a tracker to find her, but he did. Joe risked his life to go down in that shaft and get her out when someone else could have done it. And I was the one who thought up the way to get her out quickly and safely when we could have waited for someone to dig her out. There\u2019s your three ways we were heroes, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben almost smiled as the shoulders around him all straightened noticeably as Adam spoke.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNow I am going to tell you why you aren\u2019t the heroes everyone thinks you are,\u201d he intoned, letting his voice rumble out across the small kitchen. \u201cHoss, you are always being asked to track people and such. This was nothing new for you. And Adam, you are forever thinking up ways to help others with your machines and the like. Joseph, you are always going into tight places that others can\u2019t get into. But more than that, the reason you three aren\u2019t heroes is that I raised you to help others, no matter what the cost to you yourselves personally. Whether it\u2019s skinned hands or a knot on your head. You aren’t heroes if you are simply doing like you have been taught.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Around him, Ben watched as the shoulders dropped back down. Without another word spoken, he returned to the job of cleaning the scrapes down Joe\u2019s back. Pulling his quilt closer to him, Adam took four bowls from the kitchen cupboard and held them while Hoss filled them with the hot stew. Adam and Hoss leaned on the worktable and silently spooned in their meal. Once Ben was finished, Joe moved off the stool he had been sitting on and shoved it over so his father could sit on it. He too silently ate while leaning on the planks Hop Sing kept polished so well.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The bowls and spoons made their way into the sink and Joe confessed that it was his turn to wash dishes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAdam needs to soak his hands some more. He can do that washing the dishes. You two get on to bed,\u201d Ben ordered Hoss and Joe. No one argued back.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When they were alone in the kitchen, Adam finally spoke up. \u201cThat hurt, Pa. But I guess you can see further down the road than we can some times.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s head dipped a bit to one side as he poured hot water into the sink full of dishes and elbowed Adam aside. \u201cThank you for understanding, son. I had the feeling that the lot of you would be getting your heads pretty far up in the air about being heroes. Thought you needed to have your feet firmly planted on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou planted \u2018em all right!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBut I was wrong, too,\u201d Ben admitted and saw in the mirror over the sink that Adam\u2019s eyebrows had shot up. He turned and leaned against the sink, wiping his soapy hands on a towel. \u201cYou are a hero, son. But not for the reason you thought you were. To me, you are a hero because you found a way to protect and help not just the child, but your brothers as well. And when it comes to your brothers, you do it every day, without even thinking of it. And that makes you a hero in my book. Now let me put some salve on those hands, get them bandaged and let you get to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The salve stung, as Adam knew it would, but not as much as his father’s words had. His father then carefully wrapped his hands in several strips of bandaging, all the while Adam’s thoughts were how his father was bandaging his wounded ego as well. When he had finished, Adam looked at his hands then told his father “Thank you. And not just for the doctoring. But for keeping our feet on the ground as well.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben did smile then. “It just goes with the job of being a father. Now get to bed!”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“You might want to take some of that salve up and put it on Joe’s chest. You missed the fact that he’s got a real doozy of a rope burn on him too!” advised Adam, then, trailing his quilt, he left the room yawning and bidding his father good night.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Like I said, always protecting your brothers,” Ben mused then turned back to finish the dishes Adam was to have washed. Then he banked the fire in the cook stove and filled the kettle that stayed there with water so it would be warm tomorrow morning. He knew there would be need for it aplenty. He dimmed the light there in the kitchen and, picking up the tin of salve, left. Hurrying through the main room, he banked that fire as well before he headed up the stairs. As he rounded the corner to go down the hall, he was surprised to see Hoss rummaging in the hall closet.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Something wrong, son?” he asked.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Gettin’ me another cover is all. It’s cold tonight, what with the house not bein’ warmed up all day like it is when Hop Sing is home,” Hoss explained, dragging one out. He held it for a moment then reached in and grabbed another one as well before he turned and headed back to his room. Hoss was surprised that his father had followed him in. “Somethin’ wrong. Pa?” he asked, sotto voce.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“No, not now. But I did want to talk to you for a moment, if you don’t mind.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss winced in the dark and hoped his father couldn’t see it. “No sir.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I just wanted to tell you something,” and Hoss felt the side of his bed sag and knew his father had sat down beside him. “Other men, given the circumstances, would have given up this afternoon. They would have called off the search when the weather turned bad or when it started getting dark. You didn’t. That in my estimation makes you a hero. Not the fact that you were able to find the little girl but the fact that when the going got tough, you stayed with it. It is that persistence, that dogged determination in you that makes you go on that makes you a hero, Hoss.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Beside him, Ben could feel the tension flowing out of his biggest son. With one hand, he reached over to the broad thigh and gave it a loving pat. “Now get to bed. I have a feeling that tomorrow morning is going to come very early.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Yes sir,” Hoss replied and the way he said it made Ben know that there was contentment in his son’s soul.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben stood to leave the room and was just stepping into the hallway when Hoss spoke up and bid him good night.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Good night, Hoss,” he called back.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben retraced his steps to the first door he had passed. With one knock, he opened Joe’s door and entered. Typically Joseph, the young man was sprawled half under the covers and half not, the light from the hall lamp casting a shaft of light across his form. Upon hearing the knock, Joe had half raised up. Upon seeing who it was, he flopped back down.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Can the rest of the lecture wait until tomorrow morning, Pa?” he groaned theatrically.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Who said anything about a lecture? Adam pointed out that I missed putting some of Hop Sing’s salve on your chest. Said you had a good case of rope burn there,” Ben teased as he lit the lamp at Joe’s bedside. The groan he heard from his baby boy was louder that time and made Ben smile in spite of his trying to maintain a poker face. “Come on, down with the covers, boy and let me see. Ouch! That even looks like it hurts, son.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe snatched the covers back and said he was fine. He caught the look in his father’s eye that spoke of dire things to come and then lowering the quilt, admitted, “Forgot, I ain’t no hero.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Keeping his touch as light as possible against the raised red welt he saw there, Ben applied the stinging salve. When he had finished, he pulled the quilt back up.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“There are times when you are a hero, Joseph,” Ben started.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“But downstairs you said-”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I know what I said downstairs and it still stands. You think of yourself as a hero because you risked your life going down that shaft to get that little child. To some people’s way of thinking, yes, that makes you a hero. But remember what I said about that sort of thing being what you have been taught? I can’t see you standing back and letting a child suffer and possibly die when you could do something about it! No, your heroism comes from something else entirely, son.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe cocked his head to one side and waited for his father to continue.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“You did something you were scared to death to do. Don’t try to tell me that after all these years, you are suddenly not afraid of being underground because I won’t believe it! But yet you did it any way. You put aside your own fears long enough to help someone who needed it. That makes you a hero, Joseph. Any man can say they have risked their life but it takes someone special to go beyond themselves and their own fears as well. Do you understand?”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe quirked his mouth into a little grin. “I think so. And I think I know what you’re aiming at.” Ben’s eyebrows raised and Joe continued. “Keeping us from getting too big in the britches.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Something like that, son. Something like that. Good night, now. If you need anything-” Ben offered, thinking that there were times afterwards like this when Joe would be plagued by nightmares.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I’ll be fine. Good night, Pa,”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

With a gentle thump to the solid chest of his youngest, Ben left the room, pausing to turn out the light.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For several long moments, Ben stood in the hallway then he blew out the lamp there, intent on making his way to his own room and the warm bed awaiting him there. But something stopped him. He stood in the dark and let it come to him. Down the hall and across from his room, he could see the light creeping under Adam’s doorway. There beside him, he could hear the first rumblings of Hoss’ snores. And behind him, he heard Joe rustling as he tried to find a comfortable position to sleep.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My sons<\/em>, Ben thought. My sons are heroes. Virginia City will praise them for what they did today and rightfully so. But for me, no. It’s what they do day in and day out that makes them my heroes. And it isn’t just what they do either but how they do it. But tonight I hope they came to realize that there is something more important than praise, more important than being called ‘hero’. Long after Virginia City and her residents forget what they did today, it’s the other side of valor that they will need to know to sustain them.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>As his thoughts died away, Ben turned his attention back to his surroundings. There was no rustling from Joe’s room. Hoss had given up a snort then the bedsprings groaned and silence reigned again. And down the hall, as Ben watched, the light dimmed then went out in Adam’s room.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yes<\/em>, he thought again as he went on to his door. My sons are heroes<\/em> for all the right reasons. They know that the other side of heroism, the other side of courage, and valor, is humility. <\/em><\/p>\n

The End<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 There is another side of every story that remains just beyond your grasp sometimes<\/p>\n

Rated: T – Word Count:\u00a0 7540<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":381,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","wpcat-23-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1635,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/coming-soon-6.jpg?fit=303%2C240&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13608,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13608","url_meta":{"origin":934,"position":0},"title":"Adam and the Stagecoach (by Grimesgirl)","author":"Grimesgirl","date":"January 19, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 What could be so difficult in helping out a friend? Rating:\u00a0 K\u00a0 (1,090 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36188,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=36188","url_meta":{"origin":934,"position":1},"title":"Recipe For Disaster (by wx4rmk)","author":"wx4rmk","date":"April 2, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: A series of abnormal weather events one winter culminates in an unfortunate disaster that blindsides the Cartwrights. Rating: K \/ Word Count: 1611","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/25.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/25.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/25.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/25.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/25.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":56164,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=56164","url_meta":{"origin":934,"position":2},"title":"Porcupine Creek (by LillianMontane)","author":"LillianMontane","date":"March 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Adam takes care of Joe after a run-in with a wild animal. 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