Summary: \u00a0When Adam receives his father’s permission to take one brother with him on an extended trip east to visit the Centennial Exposition, even he is surprised at which brother he chooses and at the critical turn the grand adventure takes.<\/p>\n
Rating: K+ \u00a0 \u00a0Word Count: 277, 566<\/p>\n
Note:\u00a0 This story follows the timeline of my Heritage of Honor series, which is, for historical reasons, somewhat later than that used for the series Bonanza<\/em>.\u00a0 While this difference results in certain incongruities with the series, it opens up other interesting and historically viable possibilities, particularly for the eldest Cartwright brother.\u00a0 Some of these are alluded to in this story and will be more fully developed in a future one.<\/p>\n Heritage of Honor Series<\/strong>:<\/p>\n A Dream Deferred Heritage Companion<\/strong><\/p>\n Never Alone<\/a> <\/p>\n CHAPTER ONE<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The front door blared open, bringing with it a brisk gust of March wind and two Cartwrights coated with dust.\u00a0 From his chair by the blazing fire, Adam scowled at his younger brothers and sharply ordered them to close the door.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re late,\u201d he continued, his voice accusative, \u201cand Hop Sing is fit to be tied.\u00a0 He\u2019s threatening to throw supper out the back door, and a return to China has already been mentioned.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss Cartwright scrunched his nose in the direction of the stone fireplace.\u00a0 \u201cWell, pardon us all to pieces, big brother.\u00a0 It ain\u2019t like we wanted<\/em> to be out this late in that cold wind.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Hoss\u2019s younger brother groused as he shrugged out of his green corduroy jacket.\u00a0 \u201cSome of us actually had to do more today than just ride into town for the mail.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam favored Little Joe with a superior smirk.\u00a0 \u201cJust the privilege of age and maturity, sonny.\u00a0 Someday we might even consider you grown up enough to fetch the mail.\u201d<\/p>\n Eighteen-year-old Joe scowled.\u00a0 If there was one thing he hated, it was being reminded that he was the youngest, and it seemed to him that his oldest brother rarely missed an opportunity to throw it in his face.\u00a0 \u201cListen here, Adam,\u201d he began, moving toward the objection of his irritation.<\/p>\n Before Joe could even start his intended tirade, however, sharp words cut him off.\u00a0 \u201cYou late,\u201d Hop Sing snapped from the dining room.\u00a0 \u201cAlways people late to suppah.\u00a0 Hop Sing work hard all day and this thanks he get!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss lightly rested a beefy hand on the shoulder of the diminutive factotum of the Ponderosa.\u00a0 \u201cJust put the food on the table, Hop Sing, and you\u2019ll see how thankful I can be.\u00a0 I\u2019m hungry enough to eat a bear!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing no feed dirty boys,\u201d the Chinese cook snorted with a disdainful look at the cherubic, but grimy face of the middle Cartwright brother.\u00a0 \u201cYou wash up, chop-chop, then maybe-so I put food on table.\u201d\u00a0 His quick exit to the kitchen left no room for argument, so both Hoss and Little Joe headed for their respective washbasins upstairs, passing their father on the way down from doing similar duty.\u00a0 Adam chuckled and turned back to reading the latest copy of Manufacturer and Builder<\/em>, which had arrived in the mail that day.<\/p>\n His nose was still buried in the journal as the other three Cartwrights took their places around the table.\u00a0 Ben cleared his throat loudly and, when that still brought no response from his eldest, sharply uttered the young man\u2019s name.\u00a0 Startled, Adam tore his eyes from the printed page and with a sheepish apology, set the journal aside and moved quickly to the table.<\/p>\n Four heads bowed as Ben Cartwright offered thanks for the bounty spread before them.\u00a0 Then, as Joe made a vain attempt to grab the platter of pork chops before Hoss, Ben smiled at their older brother.\u00a0 \u201cInteresting article, son?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExtremely,\u201d Adam replied, as he watched \u201cthe children\u201d tussle over the meat.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s about\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, let me guess,\u201d Joe snickered as he speared a pork chop with his fork and dropped it onto his plate, \u201cthe Centennial!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Hoss cackled, dragging three chops into his plate.\u00a0 \u201cCouldn\u2019t be nothin\u2019 else, could it, now?\u201d<\/p>\n As he finally snared a piece of meat for himself, Ben smiled indulgently at the young man seated across from him at the foot of the table.\u00a0 Seeing the flush rise from Adam\u2019s chin to his broad brow, he knew the younger boys had guessed correctly\u2014and small wonder.\u00a0 Since the beginning of this year of the Lord, 1876, each new issue of Manufacturer and Builder, <\/em>or any of the other eastern publications to which Adam maintained a regular subscription, had inspired him to enthusiastic eloquence about the upcoming celebration of America\u2019s one-hundredth year.\u00a0 \u201cNow, boys,\u201d Ben cautioned with a glance to either side, \u201cI\u2019m sure we\u2019re all interested in what your brother Adam has to share.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not,\u201d Joe grunted.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s got nothin\u2019 to do with us.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss took warning from the steely glare Ben fixed on his youngest son and quickly said, \u201cYeah, Adam, tell us all about what them folks back in Philadelphia is plannin\u2019 now.\u201d<\/p>\n Eyes locked on the boy who was pointedly ignoring him, Adam responded to his other brother.\u00a0 \u201cIf you\u2019re genuinely interested, Hoss, I\u2019ll loan you the journal.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t want to force information on the willfully ignorant.\u201d<\/p>\n As he helped himself to potatoes and gravy, Little Joe tried to disregard the pool of silence forming around him, but he could feel three sets of eyes staring him down.\u00a0 With a sigh he looked up.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, okay, let\u2019s hear all about it\u201d\u2014he lowered his voice to mutter, \u201clike we\u2019ve got a choice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, you\u2019ve got a choice, young man,\u201d Ben announced sternly.\u00a0 \u201cYou can leave your dinner on your plate and march yourself upstairs until you learn to be civil.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe slammed his fork to the table.\u00a0 \u201cWell, maybe I\u2019ll just do that!\u00a0 I don\u2019t see why I have to pretend that this is interesting two, three times a month, just \u2018cause some stupid magazine came in from back east.\u00a0 From what I hear, they ain\u2019t even gonna pull it off, so it\u2019s all just a bunch of pointless palaver.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben snapped his fingers and aimed one toward the stairway. \u00a0With a disgusted glare at Adam, Joe started to rise, but Adam waved him back into his seat.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t bother,\u201d he said.\u00a0 Glancing toward his father, he snorted as he inclined his head toward Joe, \u201cSince when has dietary deprivation ever had any effect on that one?\u00a0 I\u2019ll change the subject.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t have to,\u201d Ben stated firmly.\u00a0 \u201cI will not countenance that level of rudeness at the table\u2014or anywhere else under my roof!\u00a0 Joseph, either apologize to your brother or go to your room.\u201d<\/p>\n Temper flared in Joe\u2019s green eyes, and he jerked the chair back.\u00a0 Just then he caught sight of the food on his plate.\u00a0 He\u2019d put in a hard afternoon\u2019s work since dinner, and his belly was rumbling.\u00a0 Suddenly, the quarrel with Adam seemed too unimportant to sacrifice a good meal over.\u00a0 \u201cSorry,\u201d he grunted, though it rankled his pride, and scooted back up to the table again.<\/p>\n It was a pathetic, obviously unfelt, apology, but both Ben and Adam let it slide.\u00a0 Adam, however, could not allow his brother\u2019s last criticism of the centennial celebration to go unchallenged.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m aware, little brother,\u201d he said, \u201cthat certain journalists have expressed doubt that the Centennial Exposition will take place, but the article I was reading tonight removes the slightest reservation.\u00a0 It will open, and on time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir,\u201d Joe said meekly, with a longing glance at his mashed potatoes and gravy.\u00a0 Adam rolled his eyes and changed the subject, as promised.\u00a0 The conversation turned to the work of the ranch, what had been accomplished that day and what needed to be done on the next.<\/p>\n Not until the younger boys had retired for the night did Adam again broach the subject of the Centennial with his father, moving from his blue chair by the fire to the end of the sofa nearest Ben.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s really going to be a marvelous celebration, Pa,\u201d he observed after filling Ben in on the latest news.\u00a0 \u201cCountries from all over the world will be sending their greatest works of art and machinery, their finest agricultural products and manufactures\u2014and the buildings themselves!\u00a0 An unprecedented illustration of the latest ideas in architectural design.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure it will be wonderful, Adam,\u201d Ben responded, rubbing the arm of his thickly padded chair, \u201cbut while I don\u2019t approve of the rudeness with which Joseph expressed his opinion, I\u2019m afraid I have to agree that it doesn\u2019t have a great deal to do with us out here.\u00a0 Virginia City is planning her own celebration of the centennial year, of course, and although it won\u2019t be as grand as the one in Philadelphia, at least we\u2019ll be able to attend this one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs attending the one back east such an impossible dream?\u201d Adam ventured softly.<\/p>\n Ben felt a lump rise in his throat, and his fingers tightened on the burgundy leather.\u00a0 Though he hadn\u2019t permitted himself to admit it, he\u2019d known for a month or more that dreams of seeing the Centennial himself lay behind all Adam\u2019s insistence on sharing the latest developments as they became known.\u00a0 His own reluctance to see what should have been self-evident came from the simple fear that if Adam once again tasted the culture of the East, he\u2019d be lost forever to his reawakened appetite.\u00a0 How often Ben had seen that yearning in his son\u2019s dark and soulful eyes, the same light of longing that now transfixed them.\u00a0 \u201cYou want to go?\u201d he asked hesitantly.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know I do,\u201d Adam said, leaning forward earnestly.\u00a0 \u201cI realize summer is our busiest time, and I know you\u2019re going to be tied up with outside activities yourself, this being an election year.\u00a0 That\u2019s why I\u2019ve been reluctant to mention it and why I\u2019ll understand if you tell me I can\u2019t be spared, but I figured it was time I worked up the nerve to ask, at least.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s smile was warm with the love he felt for this firstborn son.\u00a0 Though all the boys did their fair share of work around the ranch, Adam alone shouldered its responsibilities with him.\u00a0 At times, he thought that Adam alone truly understood and shared the dream that had found fruition in the Ponderosa, and it seemed ironic to him that Adam alone seemed to visualize a future beyond its boundaries.\u00a0 Yet this young man had given so much of himself to his father\u2019s dream that Ben couldn\u2019t refuse, had never been able to refuse him when he tentatively brought forth a dream of his own.\u00a0 Even at the risk of losing him, Ben knew he couldn\u2019t deny this request, any more than he had denied the one that had sent Adam east years before.\u00a0 \u201cHow long would you be gone?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n The dark eyes sparkled, and then thick eyelashes dipped to hide them.\u00a0 \u201cWell, the Exhibition lasts from May 10th to November 10th,\u201d Adam replied.<\/p>\n The lump caught in his throat, but Ben forced himself to chuckle.\u00a0 \u201cBe serious.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam looked up, a hint of humor brushing his lips.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I realize I can\u2019t stay that long, but I would like to be there for the Fourth of July celebration\u2014it\u2019ll be the biggest in the country\u2014and I\u2019d like to attend Commencement at my old alma mater.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t had a chance to do that since my own graduation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen is that?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n \u201cThe twentieth of July,\u201d Adam replied and waited, holding his breath.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s expression was thoughtful.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re talking about being away a month or more, then.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam licked his lips.\u00a0 \u201cI know it\u2019s asking a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben raised his gaze to his son\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cNo more than you deserve,\u201d he said softly, touched by the yearning his son was trying so hard to conceal.\u00a0 \u201cAs you say, you haven\u2019t been back east since college, and I know there are things you\u2019ve missed, things you\u2019ve given up for my sake, for your brothers\u2019 sake.\u00a0 You\u2019ve always given a hundred and ten percent to this ranch, Adam, so you take whatever time you need.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam flashed a rare smile.\u00a0 \u201cIf you\u2019re sure you can spare me . . .\u201d<\/p>\n Ben cleared his throat and adopted a light tone to cover his emotion.\u00a0 \u201cWe managed five years without you; I guess we can muddle by for four or five weeks!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Adam slid onto the table, laying a hand on his father\u2019s knee.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you come with me?\u00a0 It\u2019s been longer since you\u2019ve been back east than it\u2019s been for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben gave his son\u2019s firm biceps a light rub.\u00a0 \u201cYou know I can\u2019t.\u00a0 As you pointed out, it\u2019s our busiest season, and I\u2019ve got that political convention to attend.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot \u2018til August,\u201d Adam reminded him.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019d be back by then.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be involved in meetings leading up to the convention, as well, some of them taking place during the exact time you plan to be gone.\u00a0 No, as much as I\u2019d love to make the trip with you, Adam, I simply can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded.\u00a0 It was the answer he\u2019d expected, so he was ready with another proposition.\u00a0 \u201cThe boys, then?\u00a0 If I pay their way?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben cast a suspicious glance at his son, knowing from the speed with which this second request followed the first that it had been waiting in the wings.\u00a0 \u201cYou know I can\u2019t spare all three of you,\u201d he chided.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI guess I could get by with just one son to help me through our busiest<\/em> season,\u201d he added with a touch of tartness, \u201cso if it\u2019s worth footing the bill for you to have one of your brothers with you, take your pick.\u201d\u00a0 The smile that followed this statement clearly conveyed Ben\u2019s amused certainty regarding which of his brothers Adam would choose as a traveling companion.<\/p>\n The smile jolted Adam out of his complacency.\u00a0 His first instinct was, as his father had accurately discerned, to take Hoss on the trip, but Adam resented the idea of being that predictable.\u00a0 In fact, he prided himself on being able to read the minds of others, while keeping his own thoughts and feelings close to his vest.\u00a0 Unwilling to admit that he might be as open a book to his father as, say, Little Joe was to him, he pursed his lips and murmured, \u201cI\u2019ll have to give that some thought and let you know.\u201d<\/p>\n The statement didn\u2019t budge the smile on his father\u2019s lips.\u00a0 In fact, they were definitely twitching as Ben said, \u201cFine, fine.\u00a0 Take all the time you need, but I will require one thing more of you, Adam.\u201d\u00a0 Waiting until he had his son\u2019s attention, he continued, \u201cYou will be the one to explain to the brother you leave behind why you made that choice.\u00a0 You won\u2019t saddle me with that chore!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam quickly agreed.\u00a0 Though Little Joe had acted uninterested in the Centennial, he would be both disappointed and angry on learning that Adam and Hoss were taking an extended trip, while he had to stay behind, stuck with their chores for a month or more.\u00a0 Pa had every right to expect him to blunt the force of that anger by taking it on himself.<\/p>\n Father and son said good night and retired for the evening.\u00a0 Adam lay on his bed in the dark room, trying to think of the best way to explain to Little Joe why he was choosing Hoss, but the more he tried to come up with reasons that would appease the boy, the more unfair he felt.\u00a0 Another thing Adam Cartwright prided himself on was fairness, and it simply wasn\u2019t fair to reject Joe out of hand.\u00a0 Besides, if the decision were really the right one, it would stand up to careful analysis.\u00a0 So, think it through logically<\/em>, he told himself.\u00a0 Weigh the pros and cons of choosing each brother; then decide.\u00a0 Now, why should I take Hoss<\/em>?<\/p>\n It was so easy to tally up the positive points for choosing Hoss.\u00a0 Hoss was his best friend and would make the most enjoyable companion.\u00a0 They always got on well together, seemingly understanding one another without words.\u00a0 With Hoss, there would be no conflicts, no problems to deal with, just a pleasurable journey for both, and Hoss\u2019s interest in inventions would guarantee his fascination with Machinery Hall, which would exhibit the latest mechanisms from around the world.<\/p>\n Were there any negative points to taking Hoss?\u00a0 To be totally fair, Adam had to admit that there were.\u00a0 Hoss was uncomfortable in big cities, even the less rigid ones of the West.\u00a0 Philadelphia, with its stricter societal mores might be absolute torture for a man most comfortable under open skies.\u00a0 Then, too, Hoss thoroughly hated being away from home for long stretches of time, almost as if he drew his life\u2019s breath from the fragrance of the pines.\u00a0 Would a month be more than he would enjoy, even of exciting new inventions?\u00a0 And what of the other aspects of the Exposition?\u00a0 Machinery Hall and Agricultural Hall would naturally appeal to him, but the other areas might not, at least not to the same extent.\u00a0 Reluctantly, Adam was forced to admit that Hoss had neither the interest nor the scholarly intellect to take in everything that the Centennial had to offer.<\/p>\n Little Joe, on the other hand, was smart as a whip.\u00a0 Not much got past those ever-active green orbs.\u00a0 While Joe had always been a reluctant student, there was no doubt whatsoever in Adam\u2019s mind that his youngest brother could more readily profit from the educational experience of the Centennial than Hoss.\u00a0 It might even be an opportunity to interest the boy in a college education.\u00a0 Adam had, on numerous occasions, tried unsuccessfully to convince Joe to continue his education, but perhaps a trip east would awaken the boy\u2019s interest, particularly if he visited some colleges and got a feel for what the experience was really like, how it could broaden his life.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s youthful exuberance was another point in his favor.\u00a0 He was more likely to relish a new experience around every corner than Hoss, but taking the kid had definite drawbacks, as well.\u00a0 There were certain parts of the Exposition that he wouldn\u2019t enjoy any more than Hoss, and if Joe were to receive the full educational benefit, Adam would have to force him to take it all in and that could lead to conflicts.<\/p>\n Hoss, of course, would willingly go along with anything his big brother suggested, just to be congenial, and try his best not to let Adam see how bored he really was.\u00a0 With him, there would be no problems, but taking Joe almost guaranteed facing conflict somewhere along the way.\u00a0 The two of them mixed about as well as\u2014Adam rejected the easy metaphor of oil and water for a more accurate one\u2014coal oil and a lighted match.\u00a0 Conflict was inevitable if they were thrown together for several weeks without either Pa or Hoss on hand to douse the match before it struck the oil.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s youthful exuberance, too, was as much a weakness as a strength.\u00a0 The interest in new experiences could lead just as easily to an education of the wrong sort.\u00a0 Do I really want to saddle myself with watching out for him in a city with a wider range of temptations than Virginia City?<\/em><\/p>\n That was the dilemma.\u00a0 Should he selfishly cater to his own pleasure or do the \u201cbig brotherly\u201d thing and put the other man\u2014well, boy, in Joe\u2019s case\u2014first?\u00a0 The decision he had thought would be so easy kept Adam awake late into the night and consumed his thoughts throughout the next day.\u00a0 He pondered the problem, giving each of his younger brothers careful examination as they worked side by side.\u00a0 Hoss and Little Joe became increasingly uncomfortable with the feeling of eyes boring into their backs and wondered why Adam seemed so distant.<\/p>\n Adam spent several hours alone in his room that night, mulling his decision until he was finally certain he\u2019d made the right one.\u00a0 Hearing his brothers bid each other good night in the hall, Adam made his way downstairs to tell his father which brother would be accompanying him to Philadelphia.\u00a0 He smiled, taking almost perverse satisfaction in the thought that Pa was about to learn that he didn\u2019t know his eldest quite as well as he thought he did.\u00a0 Nor, for that matter, had Adam known himself as well as he\u2019d thought, for the choice he\u2019d made had come as a total surprise.\u00a0 His father\u2019s shocked face when he mentioned Joe\u2019s name made Adam wonder for a moment if he would be allowed, after all, to take his youngest brother with him.<\/p>\n Ben had obviously been caught completely off guard.\u00a0 Raking a hand through his silver hair, he fell back into the leather chair and stared at the man seated on the fireside table before him.<\/p>\n \u201cSurprised?\u201d Adam asked with a sportive smile.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Flabbergasted\u2019 might be a better word,\u201d Ben admitted.\u00a0 \u201cI never gave a moment\u2019s thought to your taking Joseph.\u00a0 I just assumed you meant Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam pinched his nose bridge.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I know.\u00a0 That\u2019s why I thought I\u2019d better discuss this with you before I said anything to Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben smiled wryly.\u00a0 \u201cThank you for that, at least.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam stood, took a step toward the fire and turned to face his father.\u00a0 \u201cLook, I\u2019ll confess I had Hoss in mind when we spoke before, but, just to be fair, I tried to look at both of them, and I think Joe will benefit more from the trip.\u201d\u00a0 He went on to describe the process of reasoning that had led to his decision.\u00a0 \u201cSo how about it?\u00a0 Can I take the kid?\u201d he asked when he\u2019d finished.<\/p>\n Ben motioned for Adam to take a seat and when the young man was once again perched on the table, he leaned forward, laying a hand on his son\u2019s muscular thigh.\u00a0 \u201cYou say you\u2019ve considered potential problems.\u00a0 Have you also considered that Joseph may not respond at all the way you hope he will to these \u2018educational opportunities,\u2019 that he may, in fact, resent your bringing up this issue of college yet again?\u00a0 He has been adamant that he has no such interest.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded slowly.\u00a0 \u201cI know, but he has no factual basis for forming that decision, just his own stubborn belief that it\u2019s not for him.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNevertheless . . . \u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLook, Pa, it will still be his choice,\u201d Adam insisted.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll make that clear.\u00a0 I just want him to make an informed decision.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben frowned, concerned that he already saw the basis for a continuing clash between his two sons.\u00a0 \u201cHave you also taken into consideration just how difficult your young brother can be to handle?\u201d<\/p>\n The expression on Adam\u2019s face was almost smug.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve had to handle him many times before.\u201d<\/p>\n The furrows in Ben\u2019s brow deepened.\u00a0 \u201cYes, but not for such an extended time,\u201d he reminded his eldest.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll be completely on your own.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can handle that boy, Pa,\u201d Adam assured him.<\/p>\n He hadn\u2019t said, \u201cBetter than you,\u201d but Ben could read it in his son\u2019s almost cocky expression, and he arched a critical eyebrow.\u00a0 Fool boy, always has thought he could do a better job of parenting than me.\u00a0 Serve him right if I did make him put that theory to the test<\/em>.\u00a0 Might end up having a bit more respect for his poor, befuddled father<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cBesides,\u201d Adam chirped on, blithely unaware of the affront he\u2019d given, \u201cmaybe some time alone together will help us toward a better relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Or an open break<\/em>, Ben thought, but feeling trapped by his earlier agreement that Adam could take whichever brother he chose, he reluctantly gave his permission for his youngest son to accompany his eldest to the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia.\u00a0 \u201cProvided,\u201d he added firmly, \u201cthat Joseph wishes to go under the conditions you set down and agrees to put himself under your authority.\u00a0 I\u2019ll make it clear that I am delegating my authority to you, but whether he\u2019ll respect that when I\u2019m a continent away is something I cannot guarantee.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, Pa,\u201d Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll do just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n As he watched his son climb the stairs to bed, Ben shook his head in consternation, scolding himself for his lack of foresight.\u00a0 Should have seen this coming.\u00a0 So like Adam to make that decision based on what would be best for his brothers.\u00a0 Been looking out for their welfare before his own his whole life.\u00a0 Should have known he wouldn\u2019t just pick for his own pleasure.\u00a0 <\/em>Well, maybe fathers weren\u2019t meant to be clairvoyant; maybe that was strictly the purview of the Almighty.\u00a0 He stood and stretched, then headed for bed, still wondering what the outcome of this adventure would be.\u00a0 Adam and Joe, together for four weeks or so\u2014would it be the unifying experience Adam envisioned or the disaster his father dreaded?<\/p>\n CHAPTER TWO<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Cartwright brothers worked apart the next day and arrived home that evening at separate times.\u00a0 Hoss and Little Joe, though, got there within fifteen minutes of each other and had already started evening chores when Adam rode in.\u00a0 \u201cLook who\u2019s tryin\u2019 to get out of his share of the work by comin\u2019 in late,\u201d Joe scoffed as his oldest brother led Sport into a stall and began to unsaddle the white-stockinged chestnut.<\/p>\n Adam tossed the saddle over its curved wooden stand and pulled the blanket from the horse\u2019s back.\u00a0 \u201cFor your information, little brother, I have done more than my share of the work today, so mind your tongue.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw, Adam it just seems like more work \u2018cause it\u2019s harder to do at your age.\u201d\u00a0 Joe ended the quip with a high-pitched giggle.\u00a0 \u201cBetter hustle through your chores, though, old timer, or you\u2019ll be missing your supper.\u00a0 Hop Sing don\u2019t cotton to folks bein\u2019 late to the table.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, since you\u2019re feeling so spry, sonny, maybe you\u2019d like to take over my chores for me,\u201d Adam jibed back.<\/p>\n Joe folded his arms across his chest and regarded his older brother with a saucy smirk.\u00a0 \u201cNope, doesn\u2019t appeal to me at all.\u00a0 How about you, Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss leaned on the pitchfork he\u2019d been using to rake out one of the stalls.\u00a0 \u201cNope, don\u2019t appeal to me none, neither.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSince when does work appeal to either of you lazy louts?\u201d Adam commented dryly, picking up a curry brush.<\/p>\n \u201cI just follow the example set before me, older brother,\u201d Little Joe observed with a grin.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, if only you did!\u201d Adam laughed as he began to brush the glossiness back into Sport\u2019s coat.\u00a0 \u201cListen, Joe, I need to talk to you privately after supper.\u201d\u00a0 He intended to talk to both of his brothers that evening and had decided to start with the younger one.\u00a0 Though he felt certain Joe would agree to accompany him to Philadelphia, he\u2019d been fooled on other occasions when he\u2019d tried to figure out which way the quixotic little scamp might jump.\u00a0 If Joe were foolish enough to turn down a marvelous opportunity like the one his big brother was about to offer him, Adam would be having an entirely different kind of conversation with Hoss than he at present envisioned, so talking to Joe first was a wise precaution.<\/p>\n As if to prove how quickly his moods could swing, Little Joe bristled abruptly.\u00a0 \u201cListen, older brother, if you\u2019ve got any complaints, you just spit \u2018em out now.\u00a0 I\u2019ve done every bit of work Pa set out for me today, and as far as I know, I haven\u2019t done anything to rile a single soul.\u00a0 \u2018Course, some rile easier than others.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you easiest of all,\u201d Hoss grunted.\u00a0 \u201cYou just pull in them horns, little brother; Adam didn\u2019t say nothin\u2019 \u2018cept he wanted to talk to you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPrivately,\u201d Joe snorted.\u00a0 \u201cSounds like a dressing-down to me, and I don\u2019t got one comin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite his irritation, Adam managed to hold his temper, but he couldn\u2019t resist correcting the younger boy\u2019s grammar.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t have<\/em> one coming, and as far as I know, that\u2019s true.\u00a0 Why do you always assume the worst, boy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExperience, brother, experience,\u201d Joe grumbled, still clinging to his offended stance.<\/p>\n Adam came close to laughing in his face.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, well, don\u2019t bank on it this time, kid.\u00a0 I have an idea I want to discuss with you, that\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n Curiosity sparked in Joe\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAfter supper, Joe\u2014my room\u2014be there,\u201d Adam said and turned his attention back to grooming his horse.<\/p>\n Seeing that he wasn\u2019t going to be able to pry anything more out of his stubborn oldest brother, Joe rolled his eyes at Hoss, who just shrugged and went back to his chores, figuring that if Adam needed to talk to Joe private-like, it was none of his business.<\/p>\n Adam went to his room directly after supper, while Joe dawdled around downstairs, mostly to demonstrate that he wasn\u2019t at anybody\u2019s beck and call.\u00a0 Curiosity, however, prevented his keeping up that pretense for long and within half an hour he was tapping on his older brother\u2019s door.\u00a0 When Adam called, \u201cCome in,\u201d Joe did, closing the door and leaning against the jamb.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on in; I won\u2019t bite,\u201d Adam teased.\u00a0 When Joe stepped forward, Adam nodded toward the bed.<\/p>\n Joe took a seat.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, I\u2019m here.\u00a0 What\u2019s this all about?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam pulled the chair out from his desk and straddled it backwards, facing his younger brother.\u00a0 \u201cI talked Pa into letting me go to Philadelphia this summer for the Centennial.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe cocked his head.\u00a0 \u201cYeah?\u00a0 Well, that\u2019s real fine, Adam.\u00a0 Much as you\u2019ve talked about it, I guess it means a lot to you.\u00a0 Look, if this is about me takin\u2019 over your chores while you\u2019re gone, I don\u2019t figure Pa\u2019ll give me much choice about that, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cYou just don\u2019t ever credit me with an unselfish thought, do you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, sure\u2014sure I do,\u201d Joe protested.<\/p>\n \u201cUh-huh, sure.\u201d\u00a0 Adam folded his arms on the back of the chair.\u00a0 \u201cWell, believe it or not, I\u2019ve had one.\u00a0 Of course, an objective scrutiny might only confirm that I\u2019ve taken leave of my senses, but\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you gonna get to the point or not?\u201d Joe demanded.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m trying to,\u201d Adam said tersely, \u201cif you could avoid interrupting me.\u00a0 I\u2019m trying to tell you that I asked Pa if I could take you with me and he said yes.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s mouth dropped and his eyes grew large.\u00a0 \u201cYou want me to go,\u201d he babbled, \u201cand\u2014and Pa said I could?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sat back, savoring the astonishment on his little brother\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, too?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo, Pa said he couldn\u2019t spare you both, so I picked you.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s eyes narrowed with suspicion.\u00a0 For Adam to choose him over Hoss\u2014for anything, much less something as marvelous as this trip sounded\u2014was so far out of the ordinary that it definitely required further investigation.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s in this for you, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam lifted his eyes to the ceiling; then he looked directly at his brother.\u00a0 \u201cYou can\u2019t believe my motives are altruistic?\u201d<\/p>\n After straining a moment to recall the meaning of a word he\u2019d learned in school, but rarely used, Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNope, not in character for you at all, big brother.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam licked his lips.\u00a0 \u201cAll right, I have to admit there is a price tag.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAha!\u201d Joe ejaculated in triumph.\u00a0 \u201cAnd just how high is it?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cDepends on your attitude.\u00a0 In my opinion you\u2019re getting a bargain.\u00a0 I will pay all the expenses of the trip: rail fare, lodging, food, whatever you need.\u00a0 In return, I want you to visit a few college campuses.\u201d<\/p>\n The match of Adam\u2019s ambitions having been touched to the coal oil of Joe\u2019s resistance, the younger boy\u2019s temper flared.\u00a0 \u201cI might have known you\u2019d have something like that in mind!\u00a0 I made my decision about college already, big brother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, but that was an uninformed decision,\u201d Adam argued.\u00a0 \u201cYou have no idea what college is really like.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know what school is like, Adam!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot at that level,\u201d Adam stated calmly.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a different world, Joe, and you owe it to yourself to see it before you turn it down.\u201d\u00a0 He opened his hands, palms up in a gesture of conciliation.\u00a0 \u201cLook, it will still be your decision.\u00a0 All I\u2019m asking is that you give the issue a fair consideration.\u201d\u00a0 He steepled his fingers and rested his chin on them.\u00a0 \u201cFrankly, boy, I think looking at a few college campuses is a small price for what you\u2019ll get in return, several weeks\u2019 vacation from your chores and a chance to visit places you\u2019ve never seen. Just being there will broaden your education, without your even trying, and I don\u2019t intend it to be all work.\u00a0 You\u2019ll have a good time, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow many colleges?\u201d Joe demanded, obviously trying to calculate the exact cost before committing himself either way.<\/p>\n Adam threw up his hands in exasperation.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know; I haven\u2019t had much time to think it through.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be attending Commencement at Yale, so that\u2019s one, although it\u2019s more for me than for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s mood abruptly brightened.\u00a0 \u201cWell, that\u2019s okay,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d like to see where you went to school, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen there\u2019s the University of Pennsylvania,\u201d Adam went on.\u00a0 \u201cSince we\u2019ll be staying in the town where that\u2019s located, it makes sense to visit it.\u00a0 Those two might be enough, or we might work in one or two more if you\u2019re interested.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t be,\u201d Joe stated bluntly.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be so quick to decide,\u201d Adam admonished, raising a hand to silence Joe\u2019s attempt to interrupt yet again.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s your decision, but I do ask that you try to keep an open mind.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shook his head, incredulous that a man as smart as Adam could find it so hard to understand a simple \u201cnot interested.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust try,\u201d Adam urged.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, I\u2019ll try,\u201d Joe conceded grudgingly.<\/p>\n Adam rolled his eyes.\u00a0 You\u2019d think I was suggesting he try out a medieval rack, instead of offering him the opportunity to broaden his understanding of the world!<\/em>\u00a0 \u201cI think you\u2019ve made a wise decision,\u201d he said, keeping his darker opinion to himself, \u201cand one that will bring you a large measure of enjoyment, as well.\u00a0 If you\u2019re willing to listen to another word of wisdom, youngster, I suggest you save your pennies between now and late June.\u00a0 For one thing, you\u2019ll need some dress clothes suitable for the East and appropriate footwear.\u00a0 I can assure you, little brother, that you do not want to walk the streets of Philadelphia or the twenty-five or so miles of walkways on the Centennial grounds themselves in a pair of boots made for riding horseback.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s nose crinkled as he tried to calculate just how much this \u201cfree\u201d trip might set him back.<\/p>\n Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, you can probably wheedle Pa into paying for that, the way you have him wrapped around your little finger.\u201d<\/p>\n There was a hint of jealousy in his tone, and Joe\u2019s alert ear caught it.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t get everything I want from Pa,\u201d he muttered, sounding peeved.<\/p>\n Adam arched an eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cMore than the rest of us, boy, and you know it!\u00a0 You\u2019ll want to save up for souvenirs, too.\u00a0 I think it would be especially appropriate to bring home some nice remembrances for Hoss, since you\u2019re getting to go and he isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe smiled softly.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I\u2019d want to do that.\u201d\u00a0 His expression brightened.\u00a0 \u201cAnd Hoss\u2019s birthday will be coming up right after we get back, too; I could get him something nice\u2014and\u2014and Christmas presents, real special ones, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes, you definitely could find some unique gifts from practically anywhere in the world, so I\u2019d watch how much I wasted on beer and poker if I were you.\u00a0 I also think you should bone up on your early American history.\u00a0 You\u2019ll be seeing some of the places where history took place, and it will be more meaningful if you have a fresh recollection of the key events of the Revolution.\u201d<\/p>\n Not wanting to admit that his brother\u2019s suggestion was a reasonable one, one that would probably enhance his enjoyment of the trip, Joe forced a soft moan.\u00a0 \u201cOlder brother, you can find ways to make even a vacation seem like extra chores.\u201d<\/p>\n Chuckling at the exaggerated scowl with which Little Joe had met his final word of advice, Adam stood up.\u00a0 \u201cDo it, anyway.\u00a0 I\u2019m gonna break the bad news to Hoss if you\u2019re sure you\u2019re willing to accept the conditions of going with me.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe frowned.\u00a0 \u201cYou already got me looking at colleges and reading up on the Revolution.\u00a0 You mean there\u2019s more?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust one more, and it comes from Pa,\u201d Adam replied, folding his arms and eyeing his young brother with a patronizing air.\u00a0 \u201cYou can only go if you agree to put yourself under my authority and give me the same respect and obedience you\u2019d give him.\u00a0 Is that agreed?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s first reaction was an angry outburst.\u00a0 \u201cOh, this just gets better and better!\u201d\u00a0 It took only two seconds, however, for him to realize the inevitability of minding Adam while he was away.\u00a0 Protective Pa would ask that of him, no matter where he went, even if it were only to Virginia City, so he quickly agreed and scurried out to tell Hoss that Adam wanted to see him next.<\/p>\n Joe had left the door to Adam\u2019s room ajar, so Hoss merely opened it enough to poke his head through and ask, \u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u00a0 Joe\u2019s lookin\u2019 like the cat that ate the canary.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam waved his brother in and gave him an amused smile.\u00a0 Hoss\u2019s expressions might be colloquial, but they also tended to hit dead center.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t doubt it for a minute.\u00a0 Sit down, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss settled on the foot of Adam\u2019s bed, and Adam sat down near the head, facing him, with one leg tucked under the other, which rested on the floor.\u00a0 \u201cYou know how interested I\u2019ve been in the Centennial,\u201d he began.<\/p>\n Hoss grinned broadly.\u00a0 \u201cBeen kinda hard to miss, big brother.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam uttered a soft, self-deprecating laugh.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I guess so.\u00a0 Well, I finally talked to Pa, and he agreed to let me go\u2014and to take one of my brothers with me.\u00a0 I just told the canary-eating cat that he was my choice.\u201d<\/p>\n Though Adam wouldn\u2019t have thought it possible, Hoss\u2019s grin grew even wider.\u00a0 \u201cHey, that\u2019s great!\u00a0 I\u2019m mighty proud for the both of you,\u201d the big man said enthusiastically.<\/p>\n The genuine warmth of the response caused Adam to stutter.\u00a0 \u201cHoss, I\u2014I can\u2019t tell you how sorry I am that I couldn\u2019t take you both.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss leaned forward, grasping Adam\u2019s shoulder in a solid, supportive grip.\u00a0 \u201cAw, no, no, Adam, don\u2019t feel bad,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cYou done right, pickin\u2019 Joe, \u2018stead of me.\u00a0 The youngun\u2019ll get more out of it than I ever could\u2014and enjoy it more, too.\u00a0 You know I ain\u2019t much for big cities and fancy doin\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam blinked back the drops forming at the corners of his eyes.\u00a0 While Hoss was listing reasons he himself had used in making his decision, Adam knew that Hoss was saying most of this for his benefit, and he loved his brawny brother all the more for his unselfish generosity.\u00a0 \u201cBuddy, you know if I were deciding strictly on whose company I\u2019d actually enjoy, you\u2019d win, hands down,\u201d he said with all the warmth he felt toward this man who was his closest friend, as well as his brother.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t sell the youngun short, Adam,\u201d Hoss advised.\u00a0 \u201cHe can be right good company, if\u2019n you let him.\u201d<\/p>\n Outside the door, crimson-faced and ears flaming, stood the \u201cyoungun\u201d in question.\u00a0 Deeply wounded by words Adam had intended only for Hoss\u2019s ears, Little Joe crept down the hall to his own room, closed the door and flopped disconsolately down on the bed.\u00a0 So Adam didn\u2019t really want him.\u00a0 Well, he\u2019d known that, deep down.\u00a0 In fact, though he could only now admit it to himself, that suspicion was exactly what had motivated him to eavesdrop on what he knew to be a private conversation.<\/p>\n Ought to march right in there and tell him what he can do with his fancy trip east<\/em>, he groused inwardly.\u00a0 It would be the right thing to do, to let Hoss go in his place and let Adam have the brother whose company he really wanted, but Joe couldn\u2019t bring himself to make the sacrifice.\u00a0 He\u2019d never been back east or much of anyplace outside home territory.\u00a0 A few trips to California with Pa or one of his brothers, a few a short ways east, but never past the boundary of his own state.\u00a0 He\u2019d heard about those places in stories told by Pa and Adam, but he\u2019d never seen them for himself, and he wanted to\u2014badly.<\/p>\n Joe tried to make himself think of Hoss, who had never seen those things, either, but anger was fogging his mind with too dark a cloud for the light of generosity to penetrate.\u00a0 Adam may not have wanted him, but with a rigid set of his jaw, Joe determined to make doggone certain his older brother lived up to his bargain and to drive as hard a one as he could while he was at it!\u00a0 Adam would pay for giving such a wonderful gift with such a miserly spirit\u2014oh, yes, he would pay!<\/p>\n CHAPTER THREE<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Over the next several weeks Adam began to plan his trip to Philadelphia, with input from the other traveler neither requested nor desired.\u00a0 Careful perusal of back issues of his journals quickly apprised Adam of an oversight, and it was with hesitance that he requested an extension of his time away from the Ponderosa to attend the National Convention of Mining Engineers, which would convene in Philadelphia on June 20th.\u00a0 Ben had scowled at being left shorthanded an additional ten days, but as mining was an adjunct to their timber business, as well as a personal interest of his eldest son, he felt he had to agree.\u00a0 The convention was being held so close to the time that the boys would be in Philadelphia anyway that it seemed illogical to refuse.<\/p>\n Though no one had consulted him about the change of plans, Little Joe was delighted at the thought of ten extra days of vacation.\u00a0 To him, it meant more time to see more sights and the chance to have more fun, and while Hoss grumbled about taking on his brothers\u2019 chores even longer than he\u2019d bargained for, it was good-natured grumbling.\u00a0 Knowing how much Adam wanted to see the Ponderosa involved in the mining business, Hoss viewed the convention as a natural outlet for that interest, and it didn\u2019t bother him one bit to see his little brother get some extra fun packed into his trip, either.<\/p>\n No longer did Adam have to force discussion of the Centennial on his family.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s attitude evidenced the most marked change, of course, now that the national celebration actually did have something to do with him.\u00a0 Both Ben and Hoss found themselves caught up in the nightly discussions, as well, for each was interested in what the other two would be seeing and doing during their time away.\u00a0 Adam dragged out every issue of every journal he had that contained even a smidgen of information about Philadelphia or the festival to be held there.\u00a0 After rereading them himself he passed the magazines on to his youngest brother and found him much more responsive than usual to the offer of reading material.\u00a0 \u201cStart with this one,\u201d Adam suggested as he handed Joe the July 1875, issue of Manufacturer and Builder<\/em>.\u00a0 \u201cIt should give you a good overall view of the buildings themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Joe agreed readily and started to scan the short article.\u00a0 \u201cThis says the Main Building covers twenty acres!\u201d he exclaimed a few paragraphs into the text.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd every acre covered with fascinating exhibits from around the world, little buddy,\u201d Adam reminded him.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s face fairly beamed with enthusiasm, which quickly faded at Adam\u2019s next comment.\u00a0 \u201cIn order to get the full benefit from the experience, I\u2019m working out a plan to cover the entire exhibition in a thorough manner, charting each day\u2019s activities in a logical sequence.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, that sounds like fun,\u201d Joe muttered with a sarcastic edge to his voice.<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s head shot up, and only the awareness of his father\u2019s watchful eye kept him from giving the impudent kid the tongue-lashing Adam felt he had coming.\u00a0 With strained patience he waited for Joe to make eye contact before saying, \u201cYou\u2019ll have plenty of fun, Joe\u201d\u2014his voice grew firmer\u2014\u201cbut I don\u2019t want to hear any complaints about seeing things you\u2019re not interested in.\u00a0 It\u2019s my trip, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s innate sense of fairness brought a blush to his cheeks.\u00a0 It was<\/em> Adam\u2019s trip in every way that mattered: his idea, his money funding the trip, his invitation the only reason Joe was included at all.\u00a0 Embarrassed by the ingratitude he had been showing, Joe murmured an apology.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s only right for you to do the planning, Adam, since you\u2019re the one footing all the bills.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m glad you realize that,\u201d Adam responded, going back to his own reading.\u00a0 He completely missed the look of exasperation his father gave him, as well as the discouraged sigh with which Little Joe returned to the journal article.<\/p>\n By the time the brothers had absorbed everything in the journals, a book Adam had ordered as soon as he\u2019d received permission to make the trip arrived in the mail.\u00a0 Every night thereafter found the two brothers sitting side by side, perusing with avid attention a guidebook to Philadelphia.\u00a0 Though Adam had visited the Quaker city during his sojourn in the East, much had been forgotten and much had changed, so he had felt a recent book noting the city\u2019s attractions to be a prudent investment.\u00a0 From time to time he would point out places he considered worth seeing, but when Little Joe suggested that Colonel Wood\u2019s Museum and the zoological park sounded interesting, Adam merely hooted his contempt for his young brother\u2019s childish choices.\u00a0 Within moments Joe moved away from Adam and challenged Hoss to a game of checkers.\u00a0 Adam felt the snub, but chalked it up to another display of childish petulance.<\/p>\n By the time Joe had defeated Hoss at three straight games, his good temper was restored, and the two younger Cartwright brothers headed off to bed, teasing each other about who would win the next night\u2019s contest.\u00a0 Yawning, Adam laid aside the guidebook.\u00a0 \u201cGuess I\u2019d better turn in, as well.\u00a0 We have a lot of work lined out for tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d prefer you stay,\u201d Ben said, taking a final draw on his pipe before laying it aside.\u00a0 \u201cI want to talk to you, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n Something in his father\u2019s tone gave Adam an uneasy feeling.\u00a0 \u201cSomething wrong?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Ben folded his arms across his chest as he settled back in the leather chair.\u00a0 \u201cNot yet, but there will be if you continue on this course you\u2019ve set.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam exhaled slowly.\u00a0 \u201cIf we\u2019re going to play guessing games, we\u2019ll be up far later than is conducive to an early start tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Disturbed by his son\u2019s apparent inability to see what was painfully clear to his own eyes, Ben shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cDo you honestly not realize what you\u2019re doing to your brother?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam pursed his lips.\u00a0 \u201cI presume you\u2019re talking about Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen you do know what I mean,\u201d Ben said, watching Adam\u2019s face carefully.<\/p>\n Adam lifted his palms toward the ceiling.\u00a0 \u201cNot really.\u00a0 I just know that if there\u2019s a problem, it\u2019s bound to be with Joe.\u00a0 Hoss and I don\u2019t have problems.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s obviously due to Hoss\u2019s skill with people, not yours,\u201d Ben grunted.<\/p>\n Adam sat up stiffly.\u00a0 \u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt means, young man, that you are shutting your young brother out of the planning of this trip,\u201d Ben stated bluntly.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, you told me that you hoped this time with your brother might draw the two of you together.\u00a0 Well, son, if you keep charting the same course, I can guarantee that ship will crash upon the breakers, and you will find yourself cast into some very choppy water.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re talking in riddles again,\u201d Adam accused.<\/p>\n Ben groaned.\u00a0 For an intelligent man, sometimes his oldest son could be amazingly obtuse.\u00a0 \u201cWhy do you automatically assume that all of your ideas are correct and all of Joseph\u2019s are wrong?\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n A stubborn glint flashed in Adam\u2019s dark eyes.\u00a0 \u201cBecause I have a better understanding of the options we have to choose between.\u00a0 We can\u2019t do everything, Pa; we don\u2019t have the time.\u00a0 That makes it incumbent on me to make the best possible use of what we do have.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to show the kid a good time, but I want it to be a profitable one, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s so unprofitable about a museum\u2014or a zoo?\u201d Ben pressed.<\/p>\n \u201cThe museum he mentioned is decidedly inferior to others in the area, more of a popular pleasure place than an educational experience,\u201d Adam argued.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose there might be some profit in a visit to the zoological gardens, if I can find the time to work it in.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMake time,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n The statement was less than a command, but more than a suggestion, and Adam\u2019s face clearly showed that he understood his father meant what he said.\u00a0 \u201cAll right, Pa,\u201d he murmured.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll take the kid to see the monkeys.\u00a0 May I go to bed now?\u201d\u00a0 The question, tinged with sarcasm, demonstrated, as he fully intended it to, Adam\u2019s disgust with being treated like a small child.<\/p>\n Feeling that there was little point in further conversation, Ben waved his son off to bed.\u00a0 I\u2019d need a chisel to break through that granite head of his<\/em>, he told himself, which means I\u2019ll have to come down harder on Joseph, instead<\/em>.\u00a0 He sighed, glad that he had a few weeks to prepare that final lecture to his youngest son on obedience and submission to his brother\u2019s authority.\u00a0 Considering Adam\u2019s arrogant attitude, it would have to be a firm one, and Ben was likely to need every minute of the intervening time to find just the right words.<\/p>\n *\u00a0 * * * *<\/p>\n March drifted into April, and Ben and Hoss became accustomed to the atypical sight of Little Joe curled up on the sofa each evening, nose buried in a history book.\u00a0 Having decided that Adam wasn\u2019t listening to anything he had to say, anyway, Joe ignored the plans for the trip and turned his attention to other things.\u00a0 Doing the reading assignment Adam had suggested was high on his list.\u00a0 Joe viewed it as a condition of the trip and intended to give Adam no reason for withdrawing his magnanimous offer.\u00a0 Besides, although Joe did not for one minute consider admitting it, he was enjoying the stories of the early days of his country, now that he didn\u2019t have to concentrate on memorizing dates and other useless information for some test in school.\u00a0 After all, the events of 1776 were on everyone\u2019s tongue in this centennial year, and Joe had found, to his surprise, that girls were impressed by the gems of knowledge he dropped into conversation from time to time.<\/p>\n Adam noted with satisfaction the diligence with which Joe refreshed his grasp of history.\u00a0\u00a0 In his view, however, far too little of his young brother\u2019s time was spent in such worthwhile pursuits and far too much in playing checkers with Hoss or squiring some cute skirt to a local dance or dawdling over a beer or a poker table in the Bucket of Blood.\u00a0\u00a0 In fact, as April turned into May, Adam began to be concerned that Little Joe was not making the proper personal preparations for the journey.\u00a0 \u201cHave you even seen a tailor to be fitted for a proper suit?\u201d Adam asked irritably one evening while Hoss was out making a final check on the stock before going to bed.<\/p>\n Stretched out on the sofa, Joe took another bite of a juicy apple and mumbled, \u201cNope.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, don\u2019t you think it\u2019s time you did?\u201d Adam persisted.<\/p>\n \u201cNope.\u201d\u00a0 Joe grinned back amiably.<\/p>\n \u201cI do not intend to walk the streets of Philadelphia next to someone wearing grubby range trousers,\u201d Adam cautioned, \u201cso I would advise you to start putting your wardrobe together, boy.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe bounced up, eyes snapping.\u00a0 \u201cMind your own business, Adam!\u00a0 I\u2019ll do my shopping when and where I see fit.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben cleared his throat and both boys turned toward him.\u00a0 \u201cYou probably shouldn\u2019t put it off much longer, Joseph.\u00a0 By the time spring roundup is finished, you\u2019ll only have about a month, and if you delay too long, you may get tied up with other things.\u201d<\/p>\n Turning his back on Adam, Joe directed his response solely to his father.\u00a0 \u201cPa, I was thinking that I might just wait \u2018til I got to Philadelphia to get the fancy clothes Adam seems to think I need.\u00a0 I mean, the guidebook says some of the biggest and best department stores in the country are in Philadelphia, and Adam\u2019s gonna be tied up in that mining meeting the first two days we\u2019re there, so I\u2019d have plenty of time to do my shopping then.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded, considering the idea, but Adam immediately interrupted.\u00a0 \u201cNo, that won\u2019t do,\u201d he said sharply.\u00a0 \u201cIf you think I\u2019m turning you loose on the streets of Philadelphia alone, little boy\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Joe swiveled to glare at his brother.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t call me that!\u00a0 I\u2019m not some little kid who can\u2019t find his way around, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam looked down his nose at his irate younger brother.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, it\u2019s a huge city; you have no idea how easily you could become disoriented.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLook, Adam, you can\u2019t expect me to just sit in a hotel room for two days!\u201d\u00a0 Joe snapped.<\/p>\n \u201cI expect you to do as you\u2019re told!\u201d Adam shouted back.\u00a0 \u201cFrankly, boy, I wish I could have a couple of days to rest up from that long train trip, instead of having to take in those meetings the day after we arrive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBreakers ahead,\u201d Ben growled.\u00a0 Little Joe merely gave his father a blank look, but Adam, who recognized the metaphor from the earlier discussion, slumped with frustration.\u00a0 Why couldn\u2019t Little Joe\u2014or Pa, for that matter\u2014see that he had the boy\u2019s welfare at heart?<\/p>\n \u201cIsn\u2019t the purpose of that guidebook, Adam, to acquaint those unfamiliar with the city with how to get around?\u201d Ben suggested.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, yes, of course,\u201d Adam acquiesced grudgingly, \u201cbut do you really want to see your baby son running the streets of a major metropolis all by himself?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s hands tightened into fists.\u00a0 \u201cOh, now we\u2019ve gone from \u2018little boy\u2019 all the way down to \u2018baby,\u2019 have we?\u00a0 Keep it up, Adam, and that smart mouth of yours will get a taste of this baby\u2019s knuckles!\u201d\u00a0 He shook his left fist toward his older brother.<\/p>\n \u201cPut that down,\u201d Ben ordered tersely, and Joe let the fist drop, his fingers slowly uncurling under Pa\u2019s reproachful gaze.<\/p>\n Adam smiled.\u00a0 \u201cYou see?\u00a0 Can you really trust anyone that childish on his own in the second largest city in the United States?\u201d\u00a0 He lifted a supercilious eyebrow in Joe\u2019s direction.<\/p>\n Noting Joe\u2019s crestfallen face, Ben smiled gently at him.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t have a problem with it so long as he stays within a proscribed area,\u201d he said and was rewarded by the tender glow of emerald eyes.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re staying downtown, near the business district, aren\u2019t you?\u201d he continued to query Adam.<\/p>\n Adam nodded in reluctant agreement.\u00a0 \u201cAt the Washington Hotel, yes.\u00a0 It\u2019s a central location, part of the reason I chose it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo Joseph could do his shopping without going more than a few blocks from the hotel, couldn\u2019t he?\u201d Ben prodded.<\/p>\n Adam exhaled with exasperation.\u00a0 \u201cYes, of course, but you\u2019re overlooking another pertinent fact.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that is?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam tried to keep his tone reasonable.\u00a0 \u201cThe very fact that I will be tied up in meetings for two days means that I won\u2019t be available to supervise his purchases.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t need<\/em> you to supervise my purchases!\u201d Joe retorted.\u00a0 \u201cI know how to pick out a pair of pants, older brother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just want to make sure you get the proper garments and that no one takes advantage of you, kid,\u201d Adam tried to explain patiently.<\/p>\n \u201cI can take care of myself!\u201d Joe shouted.<\/p>\n \u201cLower your voice,\u201d Ben admonished.<\/p>\n \u201cBut, Pa . . .\u201d<\/p>\n Ben silenced the protest with an upraised hand.\u00a0 Hearing his oldest son chuckle at the curbing of his youngest, however, he turned severe eyes toward the man in the blue chair.\u00a0 \u201cI believe Joseph is perfectly capable of selecting his own clothes, Adam, so I will expect you to acquaint him with the business area, give him some reasonable boundaries within which he\u2019s required to stay\u2014by my order, Joseph\u2014and leave it at that.\u00a0 Is that clear?\u201d<\/p>\n The smug grin faded from Adam\u2019s face and reappeared on Joe\u2019s.\u00a0 \u201cYes, sir, that\u2019s clear,\u201d the older boy stated tersely, his tone indicating that while his opinion had been overruled, it had not changed.<\/p>\n * * * * *<\/p>\n Around the middle of May, Little Joe turned nineteen, and all the gifts he received related to the journey that he would be making a month later.\u00a0 Hop Sing delivered his gift early that morning, as Little Joe was dressing for the day.\u00a0 Opening the slender box, Joe found a gray silk cravat.\u00a0 \u201cSilk come all-a-way from China,\u201d the Cantonese cook announced. \u201cYou wear with fancy suit so not fo\u2019get Hop Sing when gone.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe feigned offense at the suggestion.\u00a0 \u201cAs if I would!\u00a0 Hop Sing, you know I\u2019d take you with me, except my poor brother Hoss would pine away without you here to keep him going.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow you pay fo\u2019 Hop Sing ticket when Mistah Adam have to pay fo\u2019 yours?\u201d Hop Sing asked tartly.\u00a0 His attempt to cover his emotion failing, he added, \u201cYou be a good boy, Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe pressed his palm to his heart.\u00a0 \u201cGood as gold\u2014just like always,\u201d he vowed, then threw his head back and cackled.<\/p>\n Hop Sing wagged his head at what he typically referred to as \u201cfoolishment\u201d and turned away quickly so Little Joe would not see the merriment twinkling in his almond eyes.\u00a0 \u201cHmph!\u00a0 You good like fool\u2019s gold,\u201d he scoffed, using a simile he\u2019d picked up from Adam.<\/p>\n Recognizing the source, Little Joe poked his tongue at the back of Hop Sing\u2019s head, but he didn\u2019t really mind it when Hop Sing said the words.\u00a0 Knowing his friend spoke them in jest, the words didn\u2019t carry the same sting they did when his much-too-critical eldest brother uttered them in complete sincerity.<\/p>\n The family\u2019s celebration, a private one this year, took place after a supper of Joe\u2019s favorite foods.\u00a0 His father presented him with a plain white envelope, which contained a brief, but valuable letter, informing Joe that the family tailor would be expecting him for a fitting within the week.\u00a0 \u201cI thought you should have one proper suit before you left home,\u201d Ben explained, \u201cin case what you buy in Philadelphia can\u2019t be altered as quickly as you have need.\u00a0 You pick whatever style and fabric you want, son, and have Mr. Barton send me the bill.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe flashed a grateful smile and thanked his father before opening Adam\u2019s gift next.\u00a0 As he had expected from the size and shape of the box, it contained a comfortable and stylish pair of balmorals.\u00a0 Despite his insistence that he wanted to do his shopping in Philadelphia, Joe had done some investigation in the stores of Virginia City, and he knew that these shoes were of better quality and higher price than he would have considered buying himself.\u00a0 His expression of thanks to Adam was heartfelt and hearty.<\/p>\n Hoss\u2019s gift aroused almost as much curiosity in the youngest Cartwright as had his father\u2019s, for Joe had no more idea what aid to his trip the bulky bundle might conceal than he\u2019d had about the contents of that unassuming envelope.\u00a0 It turned out to be a new carpetbag, the first Little Joe had personally owned.\u00a0 On previous travels he had always borrowed whatever luggage he needed from another member of the family and had planned to do so for this journey, as well, but he was delighted to have a bag of his own and told Hoss so.<\/p>\n Hoss crinkled his nose in the self-effacing way he had.\u00a0 \u201cJust figured you\u2019d need an extra, with havin\u2019 to pack for such a long trip,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cOr maybe you\u2019ll just wanna save this one for totin\u2019 back them fancy duds you buy back east.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe flung an arm around his bulky brother.\u00a0 \u201cNot on your life,\u201d he declared.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m using this for my on-train clothes.\u00a0 I want to keep it close to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss blushed with pleasure and, to take attention off himself, suggested that it was time for Joe to blow out his candles and cut the cake.\u00a0 A couple of loud amen\u2019s met this suggestion, and with a happy grin Joe moved toward the table, where Hop Sing stood ready with matches to light the nineteen candles.<\/p>\n * * * * *<\/p>\n The next four weeks flew.\u00a0 Both Adam, in business matters, and Little Joe, in his horse-breaking responsibilities, were diligent in making sure that their work was caught up so the load on those left behind would be as light as possible.\u00a0 On the night of June 12th both excused themselves directly after supper to complete their packing, for the long-anticipated journey would begin early the next morning.<\/p>\n Little Joe had just finished laying out what he would wear on the train when he heard a rap on his door and called, \u201cCome in.\u201d<\/p>\n Though Joe had expected to see Adam, come to offer yet another piece of unwanted advice about what he should pack in his bag for the train and what should be checked through to Omaha, he was pleased to see his father, instead.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Pa, come on in,\u201d he said with a bright smile.\u00a0 \u201cI wanted a chance to say good-bye.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo need for that now,\u201d Ben said as he closed the door behind him.\u00a0 \u201cYou can do that at the depot tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou gonna see us off?\u201d Joe asked, eyes glowing.\u00a0 \u201cI figured you wouldn\u2019t want to get up that early.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben reached out to caress the back of his son\u2019s neck.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not the one who has a hard time getting up in the morning, young man,\u201d he teased.\u00a0 \u201cBesides, I want to keep you in sight as long as I can.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to miss you, son.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe moved into his father\u2019s arms.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m gonna miss you, too, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow, you\u2019re not getting homesick already, are you?\u201d Ben chided playfully as he broke the embrace and took a seat at the foot of Joe\u2019s bed.<\/p>\n Joe plopped down companionably next to him.\u00a0 \u201cNaw, that\u2019s for kids.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d\u00a0 Ben smiled wryly, amused, as always, by Joe\u2019s deep-seated need to be considered a man.\u00a0 He patted the boy\u2019s knee.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s nothing to be ashamed of, you know, longing for your loved ones when you\u2019re far from home.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shrugged as he offered his father a sheepish smile.\u00a0 \u201cI guess.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGetting excited?\u201d Ben suggested, to point his son\u2019s thoughts in another direction.<\/p>\n Joe almost bubbled.\u00a0 \u201cOh, yeah!\u00a0 So much I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ll sleep a wink tonight.\u00a0 Been looking forward to this for so long, I can\u2019t believe it\u2019s really happening.\u00a0 I was kind of scared I\u2019d manage to bang myself up somehow and have to miss it, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Joe,\u201d Ben commiserated.\u00a0 \u201cI wish I\u2019d known.\u00a0 That\u2019s not a good frame of mind to have when you\u2019re breaking horses.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI did a good job,\u201d Joe murmured defensively.<\/p>\n \u201cYou did an excellent job,\u201d Ben praised warmly, \u201cbut if I\u2019d known how you were feeling, I could have gotten you some more help, so you wouldn\u2019t have had to do so much of that bronc-busting yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to do it myself,\u201d Joe assured him, \u201cand I was extra careful.\u00a0 Just a silly little idea nibblin\u2019 at the back of my mind, that\u2019s all.\u00a0 Nothing to it.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben drew an envelope from inside his vest.\u00a0 \u201cI have something for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe took the envelope and gave his father a cheeky smile.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think I have time for another visit to Mr. Barton, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben laughed at the reference to the birthday gift he\u2019d given his son.\u00a0 \u201cNo, but about half the money in that envelope is intended to go toward your clothing purchases in Philadelphia, the rest being an advance on your next month\u2019s wages.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe whistled at the sum inside the envelope.\u00a0 \u201cThanks, Pa, this\u2019ll really help.\u00a0 I\u2014uh\u2014haven\u2019t done quite as good a job as I intended of saving my pennies, as Adam puts it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d Ben said, a touch gruffly.<\/p>\n Joe glanced up hesitantly, wondering if Pa knew that he had not only failed to save his pennies, but had, in fact, lost a goodly number of them at the poker table.\u00a0 The look on Pa\u2019s face clearly showed that he did know, so Joe didn\u2019t bother trying to hide his failings.\u00a0 \u201cSeemed like a good way to make more pennies at the time,\u201d he sighed, \u201cbut I came up short, instead of ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben had to laugh.\u00a0 Joseph, at barely nineteen, was simply too young to have developed a proficient poker face.\u00a0 His open countenance instantly told opponents whether his hand was a good one or he was trying to bluff through a bad one.\u00a0 \u201cLet that be a lesson to you, young man,\u201d Ben said lightly and then grew more serious.\u00a0 \u201cTry to stay out of poker games while you\u2019re away, Joseph, and don\u2019t go near anything riskier.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe squirmed a little.\u00a0 \u201cHey, I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll have much chance to get into trouble with that old watchdog of a brother along,\u201d he quipped.<\/p>\n \u201cThat old watchdog is filling that role at my behest,\u201d Ben stated firmly.\u00a0 \u201cI want you to remember that while you are away, you are to give the same obedience and respect to your older brother that I would expect you to give me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa, I know,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 It was not the first time he\u2019d heard that lecture and saw no reason for another repetition.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll mind Adam best I can.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben arched an eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cYou will mind him totally, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe straightened up and nodded briskly.\u00a0 \u201cYes, sir, that\u2019s what I meant.\u201d\u00a0 Seeing his father\u2019s smile, he loosened up.\u00a0 \u201cThanks again for the money, Pa.\u00a0 I sure never expected anything like this.\u00a0 It\u2019s an awful lot of money for you to throw away on your slapdash son.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben brushed the comment aside.\u00a0 \u201cFar less than I would have spent on your college education, had you chosen to go that route, and I figure this trip will stand in place of that as an opportunity for learning.\u201d<\/p>\n Impulsively, Joe grabbed his father for another hug, his heart brimming with gratitude that Pa, at least, understood his feelings about college and held out no expectations that this trip would change them.\u00a0 Now, if he could just convince stubborn old Adam.<\/p>\n Ben brushed a quick kiss behind the boy\u2019s ear, and then stood up.\u00a0 \u201cBetter turn in soon, Joe,\u201d he advised.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019ll be a short night, as it is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will,\u201d Joe promised.\u00a0 \u201cGood night, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood night, son,\u201d Ben said with one final ruffle of the boy\u2019s chestnut curls, an indulgence he knew he couldn\u2019t allow himself at the depot tomorrow.<\/p>\n Ben moved down the hall to the room of his oldest son and knocked on the door.<\/p>\n \u201cThat you, Joe?\u201d Adam called.<\/p>\n Ben opened the door.\u00a0 \u201cNo, it\u2019s me, son.\u00a0 I know you\u2019re busy, but I\u2019d like a moment of your time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m finished,\u201d Adam said, gesturing for his father to enter, \u201cbut I probably should check on Little Joe one last time.\u00a0 I\u2019ve tried to give him good advice about his packing, but I don\u2019t think he\u2019s been listening.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLeave him be, Adam,\u201d Ben advised.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s not likely to make any mistakes he can\u2019t live with, when it comes to simply packing a carpetbag.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose not,\u201d Adam admitted.\u00a0 \u201cIs that what you wanted to tell me, to go easy on Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben frowned, and his voice carried an air of irritation as he began, \u201cI don\u2019t want you \u2018to go easy\u2019 on him, but\u201d\u2014the tone softened to an entreaty\u2014\u201cbe good to him, son.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sat on his bed, folding his arms behind his head and leaning back against the headboard.\u00a0 \u201cI was under the impression that I was already being rather expansively \u2018good to him,\u2019\u201d he observed.<\/p>\n Ben shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re being expansively generous\u2014with your money.\u00a0 I just wish you could be as generous with your heart, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam bristled.\u00a0 Though Pa rarely brought up the issue, he had, on other occasions, admonished his eldest son about what he called Adam\u2019s \u201cinclination toward aloofness,\u201d his tendency to hold even those he loved at arms\u2019 length.\u00a0 Adam slowly sat up, prepared to defend himself if his father broached that uncomfortable subject yet again.<\/p>\n Seeing the reaction, Ben softened his counsel.\u00a0 \u201cEnjoy your brother\u2019s company, Adam.\u00a0 Most people do, you know, and there must be some reason.\u00a0 I think it\u2019s time you discovered it.\u201d\u00a0 He pulled from his vest an envelope identical to the one he\u2019d given Little Joe.\u00a0 \u201cThis contains your wages for the time you\u2019ll be gone,\u201d he explained, \u201cas well as a bonus to spend as you see fit.\u00a0 I just gave Joseph a similar sum, which I expect him to spend on clothing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll see to it,\u201d Adam assured him.<\/p>\n \u201cNo need,\u201d Ben said firmly.\u00a0 \u201cI trust Joseph.\u00a0 Adam, I\u2019m sure there will be plenty of instances when you have to pull him up on a short rein, but don\u2019t make problems for yourself by yanking the bit when you don\u2019t have to.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smiled at the image of a bit in his little brother\u2019s mouth.\u00a0 It would make him so much easier to control!\u00a0 As that was not a thought he could share with his father, he said, instead, \u201cIt\u2019s good advice, and I\u2019ll bear it in mind, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded at the envelope in his son\u2019s hand.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to ask for more if you need it; it\u2019s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I want you to enjoy it fully.\u00a0 You\u2019ve always been trustworthy and frugal, Adam, but I don\u2019t want you to stint yourself\u2014or Joseph\u2014unnecessarily.\u00a0 And as we\u2019ve discussed before, make whatever purchases for the Ponderosa you deem worthwhile.\u00a0 I have implicit faith in your judgment, son.\u201d<\/p>\n Though less open emotionally than the other Cartwrights, Adam glowed under the warmth of his father\u2019s praise.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure I won\u2019t need any extra money,\u201d he told his father, \u201cbut I do appreciate your \u2018expansive generosity,\u2019 and I thank you, especially, for your trust.\u00a0 It means a lot to me, Pa, and I\u2019ll do my best to be worthy of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben rested a hand on Adam\u2019s shoulder, as much physical contact as his eldest normally was willing to accept.\u00a0 \u201cBest turn in soon,\u201d he said softly.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t want your little brother dragging you out of bed in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019ll be the day!\u201d Adam laughed.<\/p>\n CHAPTER FOUR<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 An apricot glow was peeking over the amethyst horizon as the Cartwright buckboard pulled into Mill Station, the closest stop on the Virginia and Truckee Railroad, which would carry Adam and Joe as far as Reno.\u00a0 Ordering Little Joe to unload the luggage, Adam hopped off the wagon and headed inside the small depot to purchase two tickets.<\/p>\n Joe swung down from his black and white pinto, tying the reins to the rear of the buckboard.\u00a0 \u201cBeginning to think the real reason he asked me along was to fetch and carry,\u201d he muttered as he stroked Cochise\u2019s muzzle.<\/p>\n Hoss, who was tying his big black next to the smaller pinto, heard the complaint and gave his little brother a playful chuck under the chin.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll give you a hand,\u201d he offered, \u201cif\u2019n you\u2019ll wipe that scowl off your face.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe flashed a grin.\u00a0 \u201cYou got a deal.\u201d\u00a0 Adam did have other things to take care of, after all, and it was too early to get riled over something as silly as toting a few bags.\u00a0 His mood improved even more when his father gave him a pat on the back and reached for one of the bags, too.<\/p>\n Adam returned in time to supervise the loading of their luggage into the baggage car.\u00a0 Then, since the train was scheduled to pull out in just a few minutes, he shook hands in farewell, first with Hoss and then his father.<\/p>\n Little Joe started to imitate the grownup behavior, but a sudden realization of how long it would be until he again saw Pa or Hoss washed over him, and, instead, he impulsively flung himself into his father\u2019s embrace.<\/p>\n \u201cBe a good boy, Joe,\u201d Ben chuckled, twining his fingers through the freshly shorn chestnut curls on his shoulder, \u201cand have a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will,\u201d Joe promised; then he pulled away to exchange a quick hug with Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cTake care of Cooch for me,\u201d he urged.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know I will,\u201d Hoss assured him.\u00a0 He had no time to say more, for Little Joe, embarrassed by his public display of emotion, broke free to bound for the long yellow passenger coach, gripping his new carpetbag by its padded handle.<\/p>\n \u201cTake care of him,\u201d Ben charged Adam, smiling as he gestured with his head toward the departing figure of his youngest son.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I will,\u201d Adam replied easily.\u00a0 From the lofty peaks of adulthood, he found Little Joe\u2019s child-like behavior amusing, but he felt a touch of wistfulness, as well.\u00a0 Although he almost never expressed himself with his little brother\u2019s affectionate abandon, there were times when he wished he could.\u00a0 Moments like this headed the list.<\/p>\n Noticing the small hamper still sitting on the wooden platform, Hoss picked it up and handed it to Adam.\u00a0 \u201cHey, don\u2019t forget your lunch,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing done fixed you up an extra nice one.\u00a0 I know; I peeked.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd there\u2019s still food in it?\u201d Adam teased.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I did snitch one cookie,\u201d Hoss confessed.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you be tellin\u2019 on me now, older brother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy lips are sealed,\u201d Adam promised, raising his hand as if taking an oath in court.\u00a0 With a final wave he headed toward the train.\u00a0 Entering the passenger car, he found that Little Joe had already snared the spot next to the window on the red velour seat and was pressed up against the glass, waving to Pa and Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cHomesick already?\u201d Adam sniggered softly, as his brother continued to wave until the train pulled out of the depot and the other Cartwrights faded from view.<\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019s nose crinkled, Adam\u2019s question having a completely different feel than when Pa had uttered the same query the night before.\u00a0 Joe was used to his big brother\u2019s brand of teasing, though, and didn\u2019t really take offense.\u00a0 \u201cNaw, \u2019course not,\u201d he alleged, brushing the comment aside, \u201cbut I will miss them.\u00a0 Won\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded companionably at the younger boy.\u00a0 \u201cI have to admit I will.\u201d<\/p>\n While Adam, yawning, stretched back with his eyes closed, Little Joe watched the miles rush past the window, but not for long.\u00a0 Since it was only twenty-four miles to Reno, the first leg of the grand expedition took just under an hour.\u00a0 Joe could hardly contain his excitement when the train pulled into the Reno depot, for here would begin the real adventure as they transferred to the Central Pacific Railroad for the next stage of the long journey.<\/p>\n Adam seemed determined to squelch that enthusiasm, however.\u00a0 At least, that\u2019s how his younger brother viewed the order to bring the bags to the check-in window and then run fetch a copy of the State Journal<\/em>, the local newspaper.\u00a0 Joe chafed under the imperious attitude, but did as he was told, reminding himself that Adam was busy with final arrangements for the trip: buying tickets, checking bags through to Omaha, securing their sleeping berths and whatever else needed to be done before they boarded.\u00a0 Don\u2019t be a baby, Joe<\/em>, he scolded himself.\u00a0 Buying a paper is nothing compared to all that.<\/em>\u00a0 Disgruntlement reared up again for a moment, though.\u00a0 Just don\u2019t like being ordered around, is all<\/em>.\u00a0 Then, with a determined effort, he swept the sour disposition aside and was all smiles again when the conductor called, \u201cAll aboard!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe scampered up the steps ahead of Adam and down the carpeted aisle, aiming once again for a seat by the window, but Adam took a firm grip on his elbow and pulled him back.\u00a0 \u201cNot this time, little boy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw, come on, Adam,\u201d Joe wheedled.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve never seen any of these places.\u00a0 You have.\u00a0 Besides, you\u2019re just gonna read.\u201d\u00a0 He tapped the journal in his brother\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n \u201cPrecisely why I need the window seat, for better lighting,\u201d Adam stated matter-of-factly as he settled in next to the window.\u00a0 \u201cI paid for these seats, boy; I will decide who sits where.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe flopped down next to his brother, folded his arms and sulked, which produced no effect on Adam except mild amusement.\u00a0 The train crossed the valley and started up a mountain\u2014so far, all scenery that Joe had seen from horseback at one time or another.\u00a0 The cars plunged down that mountain to lush Truckee Meadows below and then up another, for Nevada was composed of range after parallel range of mountains, stretching north to south across its width.\u00a0 Joe gave some attention to what he could see of the mountains streaked in variegated shades of white, red, yellow and pale green clay, but this, too, was scenery he\u2019d seen before.\u00a0 Bored with the familiar and weary of acting glum for Adam\u2019s benefit, he began looking around the car, watching his fellow passengers with interest and eventually striking up brief conversations with those nearest him.<\/p>\n They\u2019d been traveling about an hour when a boy of thirteen or fourteen came down the aisle, hawking candy, nuts, fruit, newspapers and magazines.\u00a0 Deciding to follow his older brother\u2019s example and maybe merit a share of the light from the window, Joe stopped the boy and asked what he had to read.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I got all the latest magazines and dime novels, sir,\u201d the train boy said, eagerly rattling off a few titles.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I\u2019ve got Croffut\u2019s Trans-Continental Guide, too.\u00a0 Tells you all about what\u2019s coming up down the track, that one does, and it\u2019s only twenty-five cents.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll right, I\u2019ll take one of those,\u201d Joe decided, reasoning that Adam would probably not poke his nose out of his own magazine long enough to give his brother any kind of information.\u00a0 He also selected one of the dime novels, The White Chief; or, The Track of the Avenger<\/em> by Joseph F. Henderson, <\/em>in case he wanted something light to read later on.\u00a0 It had been a tough choice between that and the most recent addition to Beadle\u2019s New Dime Library, The Squaw Spy; or, The Rangers of the Lava-Beds <\/em>by Captain Charles Howard, and Joe\u2019s final decision had been based solely on his sharing a first name with the author of The White Chief<\/em>.<\/p>\n Glancing at his brother\u2019s choice, Adam rolled his eyes.\u00a0 Trash, utter trash.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t the kid ever want to fill his mind with something more substantial than pabulum?\u00a0 He was, however, glad to see Little Joe set aside the salmon paperback and open the railroad guide first.\u00a0 That, at least, was a wise investment, something he himself might like to skim through when his brother was finished.<\/p>\n The rails crossed the Truckee River just before pulling into Wadsworth, a town of only four hundred people, but a base of operations for the Central Pacific with a twenty-stall roundhouse and a machine shop where engines could be entirely rebuilt.\u00a0 One end of the shop was fenced in, enclosing a bottle-green oasis in the dry terrain.\u00a0 A central fountain provided enough water to sustain a few trees, as well as alfalfa and bluegrass, proving the wonders that irrigation could produce in Nevada\u2019s arid climate.\u00a0 That dryness was again evident as they pulled away from town.\u00a0 On both sides of the track, wind had whipped sand around scattered clumps of sagebrush, making mounds similar to the hills in which farmers of more moist regions planted corn or potatoes.<\/p>\n Leaving the mountains behind temporarily, the train began a long pull across an unappealing stretch of desert, with Humboldt Lake providing a much-needed break in the barren landscape.\u00a0 In an effort to see the salt-rimmed expanse with pelicans and wild geese sporting around it, Joe craned his neck toward the window, practically draping himself across Adam\u2019s lap.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you mind?\u201d Adam asked dryly, and Joe pulled back, again folding his arms in childish discontent as the train passed the reddish brown Trinity Range on the left.\u00a0 Growing warm, Joe twisted out of his corduroy jacket.\u00a0 Both he and Adam had dressed in their comfortable range wear for the early part of the trip, although, at Adam\u2019s insistence, each had a suit packed in his carpetbag to change into before reaching Philadelphia.<\/p>\n When the train stopped at Humboldt for the noon meal, the Cartwright boys had been on the road for almost six hours since leaving Reno, and breakfast had been about three hours before that.\u00a0 \u201cI am famished,\u201d Little Joe announced as Adam pulled the lunch hamper from beneath his seat.<\/p>\n \u201cSmall wonder,\u201d Adam commented, \u201cconsidering what little justice you did to your breakfast.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw, don\u2019t you start ridin\u2019 me about that, too,\u201d Joe grumbled.\u00a0 He\u2019d been too excited to eat, and Hop Sing had flown into an almost apoplectic rage at sight of the food remaining on Joe\u2019s plate.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a feeling I have you to thank for the abundance in this basket,\u201d Adam sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI tried to tell Hop Sing packing a lunch was unnecessary, but he wouldn\u2019t listen.\u00a0 Now not only do we miss the chance of dining at what is supposed to be one of the best eateries on the line, but we have a completely unnecessary basket to juggle around once it\u2019s empty.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe meant it as a kindness, Adam, so we wouldn\u2019t have to rush around, getting off the train for food,\u201d Little Joe said, quick to defend his friend.\u00a0 He pulled a fried chicken leg from the basket and sank his teeth into the flavorful flesh.<\/p>\n \u201cI know that,\u201d Adam replied.\u00a0 \u201cIt was, of course, very thoughtful of him, and you\u2019re right; I shouldn\u2019t complain.\u00a0 After all, we can eat here on the way home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure,\u201d Joe said brightly.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019ll be something to look forward to.\u00a0 Hey, the train\u2019s gonna be here awhile, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThirty minutes,\u201d Adam informed him.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to get out and stretch my legs a little,\u201d Joe said, standing up.<\/p>\n \u201cAll right,\u201d Adam agreed, \u201cbut be back here in fifteen minutes.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want you getting left behind; it would be no end of trouble getting back together again.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe rolled his eyes, frustrated by the amount of control his big brother seemed to think it necessary to exert.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got some sense, older brother!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd absolutely no experience!\u201d Adam declared.\u00a0 \u201cYou do as I say, boy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, sure,\u201d Joe muttered, figuring fifteen minutes would be enough.\u00a0 After all, he was hungry and eager to explore the depths of that amply packed hamper.\u00a0 Grabbing a wing with his right hand to go with the leg in his left, he ambled down the aisle toward the exit, munching as he went.<\/p>\n I need to talk to that boy about his manners<\/em>, Adam observed, but then he shook his head.\u00a0 No, that was probably the kind of thing that would cause his father to mutter, \u201cBreakers ahead,\u201d if he were here.\u00a0 Better save my lectures for more serious offenses.\u00a0 No doubt the opportunities will be plentiful<\/em>!<\/p>\n Little Joe wandered down the plank platform, sniffing the air appreciatively.\u00a0 If you could go by your nose\u2014and Hoss always said you could\u2014the fare at the Humboldt House was probably as good as its reputation.\u00a0 Not, Joe was sure, as good as Hop Sing\u2019s, though, and he, for one, was grateful to have one last home-cooked meal before trusting himself to the mercies of roadside restaurants.\u00a0 The only thing he regretted was not dipping into that hamper sooner.\u00a0 Sort of defeats the purpose of carrying your food with you, to wait \u2018til almost one o\u2019clock, like folks that got no choice.\u00a0 Surprised old Adam didn\u2019t think of that, except he\u2019s so caught up in whatever he\u2019s reading that his belly\u2019d probably have to rumble louder than a train engine for him to notice.<\/em><\/p>\n Joe walked over to look at the fountain outside the building to which his fellow travelers were headed for dinner.\u00a0 The fountain was surrounded by an iron fence, but the gate opened easily and Joe went in to dabble his hands in the lukewarm water, washing away the chicken grease and bathing the back of his neck with the few drops that clung to his fingertips.\u00a0 Grinning at the gold fish in the basin of the fountain, he bent to test the texture of the bluegrass growing around its base.\u00a0 Here, as back in Wadsworth, water made all the difference between fruitless desert and nourishing meadow grasses, fit for fattening cattle.\u00a0 Joe smiled, recalling with pride that his father had been among the first cattlemen to irrigate pastureland and plant it with alfalfa, thus extending the range available to their cattle.\u00a0 The fine feed was one of the reasons Ponderosa beef was considered the best in the West.<\/p>\n He spotted an apple orchard down a slight slope and was tempted to take a walk beneath its shady green canopy, for the day was growing hot.\u00a0 The time limit Adam had imposed was almost up, however, and the aromas wafting from the Humboldt House reminded Joe of how hungry he was.\u00a0 More for that reason than from obedience to Adam, Joe tripped back along the boardwalk and onto the train, though he did relish the smile of approbation from his older brother as he took his seat within the time designated.<\/p>\n Joe polished off another piece of chicken before the train departed and was doing all the justice Hop Sing could have wanted to the oatmeal cookies when he caught sight of a freckled-faced boy three rows down the aisle.\u00a0 The kid was staring with obvious yearning at the cookie in Joe\u2019s hand, so with a grin Joe held one up and called, \u201cWant one?\u00a0 I\u2019ve got plenty.\u201d<\/p>\n Pulling on his mother\u2019s arm, the boy pointed at Joe and whispered a plea for permission to take the treat.\u00a0 The mother smiled and nodded, and before Adam knew what was happening, his little brother was sitting beside the lady, holding the boy in his lap as they both gawked out the window at the changing scenery.\u00a0 Joe caught Adam\u2019s eye and tossed him an sassy smile, as if to point out the contrast between his mean-spirited brother and the unselfish lady, who probably needed the light for her knitting, but had without grudging given her little boy and the charming stranger the window seat.<\/p>\n As the train pulled into Winnemucca, the ten-year-old boy with hair the color of ripened wheat gasped at the size of the city.\u00a0 \u201cWow, that\u2019s the biggest place I ever seen!\u201d Petey declared.\u00a0 \u201cYou ever seen one bigger, mister?\u201d<\/p>\n Winnemucca, boasting a population of only twelve hundred, wasn\u2019t really all that large a city, but Joe didn\u2019t want to put the boy down by pointing that out.\u00a0 He just answered the question directly.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I\u2019ve been to San Francisco, and it\u2019s lots bigger than this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBet it don\u2019t got as big an engine house, though,\u201d Petey argued.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t that a whopper?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe smiled, enjoying the kid\u2019s enthusiasm.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, sure is.\u00a0 San Francisco\u2019s the end of the line, so it might have a good-sized one, too, but this is a big one \u2018cause it\u2019s the end of a division.\u00a0 I read that in the railroad guidebook.\u201d<\/p>\n Petey\u2019s eyes widened in awe.\u00a0 \u201cSay, mister, you know \u2018most everything!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe couldn\u2019t resist flinging a frown at Adam.\u00a0 \u201cSome folks think I know next to nothing,\u201d he muttered.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, they must be plumb dumb, huh, mister?\u201d the loyal boy declared.<\/p>\n Joe giggled.\u00a0 \u201cIn the things that count, I\u2019d have to agree.\u00a0 But what you mean by calling me \u2018mister\u2019?\u00a0 We\u2019re friends, aren\u2019t we?\u00a0 Call me Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n Petey flashed a crooked grin and thrust out his hands.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, friends.\u00a0 Shake on it, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n Solemnly, Joe gave the small hand a firm shake, and he and Petey turned their attention back to the window.\u00a0\u00a0 There weren\u2019t many sights to see, though, and when the boy\u2019s head came to rest on his shoulder, Joe handed him to his mother and took his seat at Adam\u2019s side, peeking over his shoulder at what his older brother was reading.<\/p>\n Feeling the eyes boring into him, Adam shifted uneasily.\u00a0 \u201cMust you?\u201d he asked tartly.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s it about?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n Adam sighed.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a treatise on new mining techniques, sure to be discussed at the convention.\u00a0 I\u2019m trying to absorb them so I\u2019ll be able to make appropriate comments, if I\u2019m asked.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe scowled, wondering how Adam could possibly be interested in anything that sounded as dry as that.\u00a0 \u201cCan I read the newspaper, then?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Adam shot him a perturbed look.\u00a0 \u201cIf you ask for it properly, you may.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe rolled his eyes at his brother\u2019s ability to catch every grammatical mistake he made.\u00a0 \u201cMay I read the newspaper now, older brother, sir?\u201d he asked, uttering the request with word-by-word care.\u00a0 Adam smiled in self-satisfaction and handed over the copy of the Reno State Journal<\/em> that Joe had purchased for him that morning.<\/p>\n The paper didn\u2019t hold Joe\u2019s interest long.\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t much going on in Reno that he didn\u2019t already know about, at least nothing that he was interested in.\u00a0 Pulling out The White Chief<\/em>, he opened the thin book and glanced inquiringly toward Adam.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t suppose you\u2019d be willing to share that window light?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam just hooted.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t intend to encourage your reading such trivial trash!\u201d\u00a0 In truth, he had no real faith that even such light reading material would long hold Joe\u2019s flighty attention and sighed at the realization that this was going to be a very long trip with this restless child at his side.<\/p>\n Joe read for about an hour; then, as Adam had predicted, he was up, wandering the aisles, talking to other passengers and, before Adam realized it, had left the car to stand on the platform at its end.\u00a0 Adam finished one article and had just turned the page to begin another when he noticed that his little brother was nowhere in sight.\u00a0 By instinct, he headed for the door at the end of the enclosed car and exited to find the boy leaning over the rail.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you think you\u2019re doing?\u201d Adam demanded.<\/p>\n \u201cJust lookin\u2019,\u201d Joe replied, turning to face his brother and propping his elbows on the rail behind.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a better view, even, than that window seat you won\u2019t share.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam jerked him away from the edge.\u00a0 \u201cYou are not supposed to be out here; it\u2019s against company rules.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe twisted his arm free.\u00a0 \u201cIt ain\u2019t the company makin\u2019 the complaint!\u201d he retorted hotly.<\/p>\n \u201cGet back inside this instant,\u201d Adam ordered sharply, pointing his index finger toward the door, \u201cand don\u2019t let me catch you out here again!\u201d\u00a0 Fool kid, doesn\u2019t he realize those rules are meant for his safety?\u00a0 Oh, what am I thinking?\u00a0 When has the little idiot ever understood the purpose of any rule?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cOkay, okay,\u201d Joe growled.\u00a0 Wonder if old Adam knows how ridiculous he looks with his feathers all ruffled.<\/em>\u00a0 The thought made him giggle, a sound a glowering Adam read as disrespect for his authority.<\/p>\n Back inside, Adam again opened the mining journal, thumbing through it to find the article he intended to read next.\u00a0 Joe, tired of reading, even though the plot was exciting, made an attempt to strike up a conversation with his brother.\u00a0 \u201cIs this the way you came west with Pa?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Adam, whose eyes were growing tired, laid the magazine aside.\u00a0 \u201cNot the precise route,\u201d he replied, \u201cbut the paths do cross here and there.\u00a0 Mostly, we followed the Humboldt River through this section, sorry excuse that it was.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, it\u2019s rough country,\u201d Joe agreed sympathetically.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Adam recalled.\u00a0 \u201cDry, dusty days with nothing to quench your thirst but water so full of alkali you had to make it into coffee, just to disguise the taste.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou were just a kid,\u201d Joe snickered.\u00a0 \u201cYou probably drank milk.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCouldn\u2019t,\u201d Adam muttered, leaning against the window to face his little brother.\u00a0 \u201cCow was nearly dry, and what little she gave had to be saved for Hoss\u2014after Inger died, that is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Joe said softly.\u00a0 \u201cI wish I could have known her.\u00a0 From what I can tell by looking at her picture and what Pa\u2019s said, she was a real sweet lady.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe sweetest,\u201d Adam whispered.\u00a0 \u201cLeft a big hole when\u2014when she was gone.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe folded his right leg up on the seat, in imitation of his older brother, and asked shyly, \u201cDid Pa take it hard, like when my mother died?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, he took it hard,\u201d Adam said, gazing past Joe as if seeing the scene afresh.\u00a0 \u201cJust kept stumbling through the desert in some kind of daze, but he had to keep going out here.\u00a0 We all did.\u201d\u00a0 The muscles in his cheeks tightened.\u00a0 \u201cIt was different when your mother died.\u00a0\u00a0 He sort of holed up inside himself for a while.\u00a0 He had people to take over for him that time, so he could afford to let himself go\u2014or so he thought.\u201d<\/p>\n The trace of bitterness in his voice made Joe wonder how Adam had felt about taking on that responsibility, but he couldn\u2019t ask directly.\u00a0 \u201cI guess it was hard on you,\u201d he hinted, hoping to open up the conversation.<\/p>\n Adam swung his leg off the seat and looked away, obviously uncomfortable with talking about his feelings.\u00a0 \u201cI want to read a little more before the light fails, Joe,\u201d he said, picking up the mining journal once more.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d advise you to do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe knew he was being brushed aside and it hurt.\u00a0 His own memories of that time were painful, especially in regard to what Adam called Pa\u2019s holing up inside himself.\u00a0 He could remember Adam holding him, though, supporting him through the first difficult days when Pa had seemed so distant.\u00a0 Now he found himself wondering if Adam, who had been such a rock of solace at the time, had resented taking on that responsibility.\u00a0 Does he blame me?<\/em> Joe asked himself.\u00a0 Is that why he\u2019s always so hard on me,<\/em> \u2018cause I was such a burden to him back then?<\/em>\u00a0 He didn\u2019t dare ask his brother, who seemed as holed up inside himself now as Pa had been long ago, so as Adam had suggested, Joe again took out his dime novel and began to read.<\/p>\n The train made a brief stop at Battle Mountain around 4:30 in the afternoon.\u00a0 Adam stood up to stretch, looking down at his brother, who had been uncharacteristically quiet for the last couple of hours.\u00a0 \u201cYou can either eat here,\u201d Adam told him, \u201cor wait \u2018til we get to Elko about eight o\u2019clock.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe groaned.\u00a0 \u201cSo I\u2019ve got a choice of a supper that\u2019s too early or one that\u2019s too late, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smiled sardonically.\u00a0 \u201cSomething like that\u2014or you could just save me the money and skip both.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe sneered at the suggestion, since saving Adam money was precisely the opposite of his intentions.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll wait \u2018til Elko, but I\u2019m definitely going to eat, older brother.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s brow furrowed as he pondered why his younger brother suddenly seemed incapable of taking a little ribbing.\u00a0 Tired, probably, as he was himself.\u00a0 Adam shook his head.\u00a0 If the kid were already this cross after only one day\u2019s travel, what would he be like by the time they\u2019d been on the rails for almost a full week?<\/p>\n \u201cHey, is there anything left in that hamper?\u201d Joe asked about half an hour after the train had departed from the station.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you kidding?\u201d Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing packed enough to feed a small army.\u00a0 There\u2019s not any more chicken, but plenty of cookies and even a fried pie or two.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what I want,\u201d Joe said with a grin, taking out one of half-moon pastries filled with apples in sweet cinnamon syrup.\u00a0 Glancing down the aisle, he noticed that Petey had finally awakened from his long nap.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, you mind if I give one of these pies to my friend?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u00a0 Oh, sure, go ahead,\u201d Adam agreed readily.\u00a0 \u201cGet me a couple of cookies while you\u2019re in there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHere you go,\u201d Joe said, handing his brother the cookies and making his way toward the beaming little boy.\u00a0 Presenting Petey with the fried apple pie, he leaned close to whisper, \u201cYou share some with your mama, you hear?\u00a0 That\u2019s a big pie for someone the size of you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI got a big appetite,\u201d Petey said with a gap-toothed grin, \u201cbut I\u2019ll share.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, young man,\u201d his mother said, smiling at Joe.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re very generous.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cAw, no, ma\u2019am, it\u2019s nothing.\u00a0 Our cook is so used to feeding my brother Hoss, who isn\u2019t along on this trip, that he packed enough to feed this entire train.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHorse is a funny name,\u201d Petey giggled, pastry flakes cascading from his open mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t talk with your mouth full, Petey,\u201d his mother admonished, \u201cand it isn\u2019t polite to call anyone\u2019s name funny, although\u201d\u2014she struggled to keep from laughing herself\u2014\u201cI do believe that\u2019s the most unusual name I\u2019ve ever heard.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s Hoss, not Horse,\u201d Joe laughed, \u201cand it\u2019s just a nickname.\u00a0 His real one is Eric.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow, that\u2019s a fine name,\u201d the lady said with a decided nod.\u00a0 \u201cIt has a strong and manly sound.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned.\u00a0 \u201cYes, ma\u2019am, and that\u2019s just how he is, too.\u00a0 Well, I guess I\u2019ll see if I can grab another oatmeal cookie before my other brother gobbles them all up.\u00a0 See you later, Petey.\u201d<\/p>\n Mouth full, Petey could only respond with bright eyes and a brisk bob of his head.<\/p>\n The orange orb of the sun began to drop behind the distant peaks of the Cortez Mountains, and the temperature soon fell to a level that had all the passengers pulling on the coats and jackets they\u2019d discarded during the day.\u00a0 Yawning, Joe looked around the car with a puzzled expression.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Adam, I thought these seats were supposed to make into beds,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cThey don\u2019t look like they would.\u00a0 How\u2019s that work, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam gave him an impatient sigh.\u00a0 \u201cThey don\u2019t, Joe; I chose not to pay for a silver palace car.\u00a0 This is just a day coach.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean we gotta sleep sittin\u2019 up for a week?\u201d Joe squawked.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re hard, Adam, doin\u2019 that just to save a little money.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam chuckled, shaking his head from side to side at the foolish fear.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t be ridiculous, Joe.\u00a0 I\u2019m not that tight-fisted,\u201d he assured the younger boy.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019ll attach a sleeper when it\u2019s time for you to go beddy-bye and drop it off in the morning after you get up.\u00a0 Considerably cheaper than riding in the hotel car, but quite comfortable, from all reports.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe sported a cheeky grin.\u00a0 \u201cOh, they\u2019re workin\u2019 that all around me, are they?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right, little brother,\u201d Adam observed dryly.\u00a0 \u201cThe entire world revolves around you.\u201d<\/p>\n Not sure whether Adam was teasing or expressing more bitterness, Joe scowled back, folded his arms crossly and settled back in his seat.\u00a0 Adam just laughed at this latest demonstration of his young brother\u2019s immaturity.<\/p>\n The road began to climb steadily until, by the time the train reached Elko, it was almost a mile above sea level, according to the railroad guide.\u00a0 \u201cSupper, at last!\u201d Joe chirped, bouncing out of his seat almost before the train pulled to a stop.<\/p>\n \u201cI hear it\u2019s a long stop, so we\u2019ll have plenty of time to get a hot meal,\u201d Adam stated as he followed his brother out.<\/p>\n \u201cSounds good,\u201d Joe replied, jumping off the final step.\u00a0 \u201cFeels good to get off that train awhile, too.\u00a0 I mean, it\u2019s comfortable and all, but I get tired of sitting still so much.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam chuckled, wrapping an arm around the boy\u2019s slim shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cSo I noticed.\u00a0\u00a0 Well, get your legs a good stretch after supper, youngster, and if you like, you can crawl right into bed.\u00a0 They\u2019re attaching the sleeper car now.\u201d<\/p>\n Shoshone Indians, feathers in their felt hats and paint on their faces, greeted the departing passengers, each one\u2019s hand stretched for a handout.\u00a0 Joe was surprised to see his brother press a silver coin into the palm of two or three as they walked toward the nearby hotel.\u00a0 \u201cWouldn\u2019t\u2019ve thought you\u2019d want to encourage begging,\u201d Joe commented.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t, especially in your case,\u201d Adam said brusquely, \u201cbut I do make exceptions when I know people have been deprived of their normal means of livelihood.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Joe agreed, looking back at the natives with more sympathy.\u00a0 \u201cKind of sad, seein\u2019 \u2018em painted up like that, like they were at war.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFitting in with the way the white man chooses to see them,\u201d Adam muttered bitterly.<\/p>\n Uncomfortable with his brother\u2019s darkening mood, Joe made a deliberate attempt to turn Adam\u2019s thoughts back to the more pleasant prospect of supper.\u00a0 \u201cBoy, am I hungry!\u201d he announced.\u00a0 \u201cYou reckon this place is as good as that one back in Humboldt?\u00a0 I sure hope so, \u2018cause it\u2019s been a long time since dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut not that long since apple pie and cookies,\u201d Adam teased, giving the younger boy\u2019s shoulder a squeeze.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know anything about the diner here, but I doubt you\u2019ll starve.\u201d<\/p>\n Crowding in with the rest of the passengers, the Cartwright brothers managed to find a table in the back corner.\u00a0 Joe perused the menu carefully, searching for the most expensive item on it, to begin his campaign to make Adam pay dearly for not wanting his company.\u00a0 To his chagrin, Joe learned that at eating establishments patronized by the railroad, the price for any meal was a uniform dollar per plate.\u00a0 Setting aside his ulterior motive, he simply picked a meal that looked appetizing: pot roast, with potatoes, carrots and onions cooked with the meat, and green beans, seasoned with bits of bacon, on the side.<\/p>\n When the boys finished eating, it was almost time to re-board the train.\u00a0 As they stood side by side, watching the Humboldt River tumble down from the snow-capped East Humboldt Mountains, however, neither felt eager to exchange the cool mountain breezes for the stifling, stale air of a full passenger car.\u00a0 \u201cA promise of better scenery ahead,\u201d Adam observed.<\/p>\n Joe burst out laughing.\u00a0 \u201cOh, fine!\u00a0 We\u2019ll sleep right through it, big brother!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smiled.\u00a0 \u201cNot all of it.\u00a0 You\u2019ll see some fine sights tomorrow, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s eyes lit up hopefully.\u00a0 \u201cDoes that mean I get to sit by the window tomorrow?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam frowned and then relented.\u00a0 \u201cWell, maybe for a little while.\u201d\u00a0 He yawned and stretched.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m for bed as soon as we board.\u00a0 It\u2019s been a long day.\u201d<\/p>\n The yawn was contagious. Putting his hand over his gaping mouth, Joe nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, me, too.\u00a0 We sure got an early start this morning.\u00a0 Hope it\u2019s not gonna be like that tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot too bad tomorrow,\u201d Adam consoled him as they walked toward the train.\u00a0 \u201cWe get into Ogden about 8:30, so I\u2019ll wake you about an hour before that.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe yawned prodigiously.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, whatever you say.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam chuckled.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s rare cooperation was a sure sign that he was about to fall over.\u00a0 They returned to their seats to pick up their carpetbags; then Adam led the way to the sleeper car and pointed out the berths assigned to them.\u00a0 \u201cYou get the top one, sonny,\u201d he decreed.<\/p>\n \u201cSure, grandpa,\u201d Joe snickered.\u00a0 \u201cI know how hard it\u2019d be for an old fellow like you to hop up there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cKeep a civil tongue in your mouth,\u201d Adam snorted.<\/p>\n Joe cocked his head to scrutinize his brother\u2019s expression and smiled when he realized that Adam was only teasing.<\/p>\n \u201cThe gentleman\u2019s closet is down that way,\u201d Adam suggested as he opened his own bag.<\/p>\n \u201cYou gonna change?\u201d Joe inquired.<\/p>\n \u201cI most certainly am, and so are you,\u201d Adam ordered.\u00a0 \u201cThose clothes will get gamy enough without wearing them day and night.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe snickered.\u00a0 \u201cI think some of the folks travelin\u2019 with us have been wearin\u2019 theirs a whole lot longer than that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, and it\u2019s probably been a lot longer since they had a bath,\u201d Adam said wryly, \u201cbut it isn\u2019t particularly mannerly to say so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sayin\u2019 it to them, Adam,\u201d Joe protested.<\/p>\n \u201cAll right,\u201d Adam said with a conciliatory pat on his brother\u2019s back.\u00a0 Taking a gray-striped nightshirt from his carpetbag, he headed toward the gentlemen\u2019s closet to change.\u00a0 Joe quickly dug his own sleeping garment out and followed.<\/p>\n Only one other man was in the gentlemen\u2019s closet at the time, so the Cartwrights were able to change in relative privacy.\u00a0 Dressed for the night, they both visited the gentlemen\u2019s lavatory across the aisle before returning to their berths.\u00a0 Adam watched Little Joe pull himself into the upper one and stretch out in the body-length space.\u00a0 Well, for Joe it was body-length.\u00a0 Since the cubicle was only six feet long, Adam would have to curl up a bit to fit inside.\u00a0 \u201cGood night.\u00a0 Pleasant dreams,\u201d he whispered, for others were already sleeping in the darkened car.<\/p>\n \u201cNight, Adam,\u201d Joe whispered back.\u00a0 \u201cSleep good.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Well,\u2019 sleep \u2018well,\u2019\u201d Adam hissed as he drew the floor-length, wine-colored curtains enclosing both his berth and Joe\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cUh-huh, you, too,\u201d Joe yawned.<\/p>\n Shaking his head in amusement, Adam crawled through the curtains into his lower berth and drew the gray wool blanket up to his chin.\u00a0 Though the car was heated, the stove was near the other end, where the ladies\u2019 lavatory and closet were located.\u00a0 Nights turned chilly in the mountains, so the warm cover would be much appreciated.<\/p>\n Little Joe had fallen asleep almost immediately, but when the train rolled to a stop, he woke with a start.\u00a0 Doggone that Adam, he said he\u2019d wake me<\/em>, Joe grumbled inwardly, assuming that the train had pulled into Ogden and it was time to get off.\u00a0 \u201cSure felt like a short night,\u201d he mumbled as he pulled the curtains back and swung one leg over the side.\u00a0 He halted abruptly.\u00a0 The car was pitch black, and Joe immediately realized that it wasn\u2019t morning yet.\u00a0 Why had the cars stopped, then?\u00a0 Curious, he dropped to the floor, being careful not to wake Adam, and pattered down the carpeted aisle to the door at the end of the car.\u00a0 The sign on the depot revealed the mystery, for it said, \u201cWells.\u201d\u00a0 From his perusal of the railroad guide, Joe knew that this was a water stop for the steam locomotive.<\/p>\n Adam never knew what had wakened him: the snores of his neighbors, the cessation of movement or just some innate sense of something wrong.\u00a0 Probably the latter, for his first thought was to check on Little Joe.\u00a0 Uncurling his long legs, he stood in the aisle and felt his heart leap into his throat at the sight of the empty upper berth.\u00a0 Hastily he threw on his robe and slippers, and after checking the lavatory, which was completely empty, he went outside, where he found his young brother on the platform of the railcar.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are you doing out here?\u201d he asked, concerned.<\/p>\n \u201cJust getting some air,\u201d Joe said, adding defensively, \u201cThe train isn\u2019t moving, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can see that,\u201d Adam chuckled.<\/p>\n Joe smiled, glad to see that his older brother wasn\u2019t upset with him.\u00a0 \u201cSo, what are you doing out here?\u201d he returned lightly.<\/p>\n Not wanting to admit the worry that had driven him from his bed, Adam shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cJust felt a need to stretch,\u201d he alleged.<\/p>\n \u201cUh-huh.\u201d\u00a0 Joe didn\u2019t for one minute believe Adam\u2019s explanation.\u00a0 In fact, he was sure he knew the real reason that Adam had come looking for him.\u00a0 He don\u2019t trust me not to fall off the train in the dark, like some fool kid.<\/em>\u00a0 It was too late and he was too tired to argue, however, so he kept that opinion to himself.<\/p>\n A gust of wind whipped Joe\u2019s beige and blue plaid nightshirt around his legs, drawing Adam\u2019s attention to his bare feet.\u00a0 \u201cWhere are your robe and slippers?\u201d he chided.<\/p>\n \u201cPacked in that bag you checked through to Omaha,\u201d Joe answered matter-of-factly.<\/p>\n Adam regarded him with a wry smile.\u00a0 \u201cWell, that figures.\u00a0 You must have packed your brain in that bag, too\u2014running around barefoot in this chilly night air, wearing nothing but a thin nightshirt.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not that cold,\u201d Joe argued, but the goose pimples on his legs told a different story.<\/p>\n \u201cCome back inside,\u201d Adam urged, taking his arm.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re shivering, and it looks like the train will be starting up any minute.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I guess I\u2019ve had enough air,\u201d Joe said with a saucy smile.<\/p>\n Adam cuffed his neck and pointed him toward the door.\u00a0 Back at their berths, he watched Joe climb into bed, and then tucked the covers around him with exaggerated tautness.\u00a0 \u201cSee that you stay there this time,\u201d he commanded with a teasing lilt.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, big brother; a water stop won\u2019t fool me again,\u201d Joe yawned as he wriggled to loosen the blanket.\u00a0 \u201cThought we were in Ogden already and you\u2019d forgot to wake me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, Joe, it\u2019s barely midnight,\u201d Adam laughed softly.\u00a0 \u201cPleasant dreams,\u201d he said once again.<\/p>\n \u201cYou, too, older brother,\u201d Joe murmured as he snuggled under the warm blanket, \u201cand thanks again for bringing me on this trip.\u00a0 I\u2019m havin\u2019 a great time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam drew the curtains together and climbed once more into his own berth.\u00a0 Curling up, he chuckled to himself.\u00a0 Only Joe, with his zest for life, could enjoy a long, dreary train trip.\u00a0 Let\u2019s see how much he\u2019s enjoying it by the time we get to Philadelphia<\/em>, Adam mused, or even Omaha, for that matter!<\/em><\/p>\n CHAPTER FIVE<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As Adam rose the next morning, he missed by a whisker smashing his face into the foot dangling down from the berth above.\u00a0 Though sorely tempted, he resisted giving the protruding limb a quick jerk that would toss his younger brother onto the carpet.\u00a0 Instead, he pulled back the curtains of the berth, took hold of and tickled the sole of Joe\u2019s foot.<\/p>\n Eyes still closed, Joe moaned softly, trying to wriggle his foot free, but Adam grasped the ankle firmly and continued the torment until Joe squinted and hollered, \u201cDoggone you, Adam, cut that out!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam gave the bare sole a solid slap and turned loose. \u201cUp and at \u2018em, Sleeping Beauty.\u00a0 We\u2019re almost to Ogden, where we have to switch railroads\u2014unless, of course, you want to head back home, \u2018cause that\u2019s where you\u2019ll be going if you don\u2019t get off this train.\u201d<\/p>\n The threat was sufficient to propel Little Joe, always a reluctant riser, into action.\u00a0 Pulling his shirt and pants from the carpetbag at the end of his bed, he hopped down and headed for the gentlemen\u2019s closet to change.\u00a0 Adam was right behind him, black clothes and shaving kit in hand.<\/p>\n Both the dressing area and the lavatory across the hall were crowded, for everyone on the train would be leaving, to make connections with either another train or a stagecoach, Ogden being the end of the line for the Central Pacific Railroad.\u00a0 Little Joe dressed and then squeezed his way through to the lavatory.\u00a0 Spotting his brother at one of the washbasins, he called, \u201cHey, Adam, can I borrow your razor?\u201d\u00a0 He\u2019d been so anxious to get dressed that he\u2019d left his own kit back in his carpetbag.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat for?\u201d Adam teased.<\/p>\n A general ripple of laughter flowed through the room.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, what for, sonny?\u201d a man with a prodigious set of rough black whiskers snickered.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t need a razor; you need a cat\u2019s tongue to lick off that peach fuzz.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s visage darkened, and he pushed men aside to grab the burly farmer by the straps of his overalls.<\/p>\n Adam spun around, wrapped an arm around his younger brother\u2019s waist and yanked him back, easily lifting him off the floor.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t even think about it,\u201d he growled.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s opponent folded his arms, staring at the boy, and then let loose a booming laugh.\u00a0 \u201cI think, maybe, I make your little boy mad, mister.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not his little boy,\u201d Joe protested, struggling to get free; then he wilted as another round of laughter greeted his inadvertent acceptance of the juvenile designation. \u201cI\u2014I mean, I\u2019m not anybody\u2019s little boy,\u201d he sputtered.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, I\u2019m not a little boy; I\u2019m\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Another passenger guffawed.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think the little lad knows what he means!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m nineteen and I do shave!\u201d Joe yelled, lunging forward, only to be grabbed back once more by Adam\u2019s strong arm.\u00a0 \u201cSettle down, boy, and I do mean now,\u201d Adam demanded.<\/p>\n The farmer laid a ponderous paw on Little Joe\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 In the open palm of his other hand he held a straight razor.\u00a0 \u201cHere, sonny, you borrow mine,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI wasn\u2019t meanin\u2019 to make you mad.\u00a0 I still don\u2019t see much whiskers on you, but if you wanna shave, that\u2019s your business, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah!\u201d Joe announced to the general assemblage in the lavatory.\u00a0 \u201cMy business!\u201d\u00a0 Thanking the farmer, he took the razor, elbowed Adam out of his way and began to wet his face with the water in the basin.<\/p>\n Adam just folded his arms, leaned against the wall and waited.<\/p>\n Joe cut his eyes to the left and saw Adam sporting that catlike grin that usually meant his big brother was two steps ahead of him.\u00a0 \u201cUh, could I borrow your shaving soap and brush, brother?\u201d he asked sheepishly.<\/p>\n Adam arched an eyebrow and waited again.\u00a0 Seeing that Joe didn\u2019t have a clue to what he was waiting for, he whispered, \u201cGrammar\u2014and manners.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe rolled his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cMay I please borrow your shaving soap and brush, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n With a chuckle Adam produced them.\u00a0 \u201cGet a move on,\u201d he directed.\u00a0 \u201cThere are other men waiting for this basin and mirror, and you\u2019ve put on quite enough of a show for one morning.\u201d\u00a0 He left the room and went back to his berth to pack his nightshirt and razor and sat down to wait for Joe.\u00a0 It would obviously not pay to leave him unsupervised this morning.\u00a0 Considering the state the kid was in, he was likely to walk off without his carpetbag\u2014or worse, without returning his brother\u2019s shaving equipment.<\/p>\n Joe came loping down the aisle, smiling broadly.\u00a0 \u201cI feel like a new man,\u201d he announced cheerily.<\/p>\n Taking his brother\u2019s chin in his right hand, Adam turned the smooth face this way and that.\u00a0 \u201cNope, looks like the same baby-faced boy to me,\u201d he said with a needling smile.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s jaws tightened.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019d better cut it out, Adam,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n \u201cAll right, all right,\u201d Adam appeased, patting the boy\u2019s cheek.\u00a0 \u201cWe don\u2019t have time for this nonsense, anyway.\u201d\u00a0 He took his shaving soap and brush from Joe and placed them in his own bag.\u00a0 \u201cGet your gear together and meet me in the passenger car.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be pulling into Ogden any minute now, and we\u2019ll have exactly one hour to get our things transferred and have breakfast.\u00a0 No dawdling, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe popped a sassy salute.\u00a0 \u201cYes, sir!\u201d<\/p>\n Smirking, Adam saluted back.\u00a0 \u201cDismissed.\u00a0 Now, get to work!\u201d<\/p>\n The transfer proved to be remarkably easy.\u00a0 Most of the luggage had been checked through to the end of the line and was automatically shifted to the baggage car of the Union Pacific train that would take the Cartwrights to Omaha, Nebraska.\u00a0 Since they were through passengers, their seats and berth assignments remained the same, so all that was necessary was to deposit their carpetbags and the now empty, but still cumbersome picnic hamper either under their new seats or in the overhead storage compartment.\u00a0 \u201cWish there were some way to check this thing through,\u201d Adam grumbled under his breath.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you griping about?\u201d Joe muttered.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m the one who had to carry it.\u201d<\/p>\n Palm pressed to his chest, Adam feigned innocence.\u00a0 \u201cWhy, I thought you\u2019d want to, to keep the memory of home alive in your young breast.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not young folks that have memory problems,\u201d Joe snorted, \u201cbut, then, you wouldn\u2019t remember that, would you, old codger?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, let\u2019s get some breakfast, or did you forget we\u2019re working under a time limit here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNope, my memory\u2019s working just fine,\u201d Joe grinned back, \u201cand I definitely remember being hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n As they walked toward the Beardsley House, Joe smiled at the beauty of the surrounding mountains.\u00a0 \u201cNice place,\u201d he commented.<\/p>\n Adam, who had visited the town several times on cattle-selling trips for the Ponderosa, nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes, a very pleasant, well-planned community.\u00a0 I\u2019ve always enjoyed staying here.\u201d\u00a0 Ogden was a town divided into two parts: the lower, where the depot and most businesses were located, and above that, on a shelf adjoining the mountains, the residential area with its landscaped yards, shaded by beautiful trees leafed out in gowns of apple green.<\/p>\n \u201cSo this is where they drove the Golden Spike, huh?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cNo, that was about fifty miles back, buddy.\u00a0 You were asleep when we went through Promontory.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw, shucks,\u201d Joe muttered.\u00a0 \u201cI kind of wanted to picture Pa standing there with all those railroad bigwigs.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam took his elbow to steer him toward the restaurant.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe you can see it on the way back, depending on which train we take.\u00a0 It was quite an honor for Pa to be invited to that ceremony uniting the tracks of the two companies that make up the transcontinental railroad.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Pa deserves great honors, doesn\u2019t he?\u201d Joe remarked.<\/p>\n Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cOh, yeah.\u00a0 Just for putting up with you, he deserves great honors.\u201d\u00a0 He held open the door to the Beardsley House and motioned for Joe to precede him.<\/p>\n Joe scowled at him and went inside, wondering if his face might freeze forever in that position before this trip was over.\u00a0 His countenance brightened quickly, however, when he heard a youthful voice calling his name.\u00a0 Joe grinned, waved and wove his way through the tables, Adam trailing in his wake.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Petey, how you doin\u2019 this morning?\u201d Joe asked, ruffling the wheat-gold hair.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m doin\u2019 great!\u201d Petey declared and then asked eagerly, \u201cYou gonna sit with us?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe glanced inquiringly at Petey\u2019s mother.\u00a0 \u201cPlease do join us,\u201d she said, \u201cyou and your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam felt perturbed when Little Joe simply pulled out a chair and sat down without inquiring into his wishes, but since there really was no reason to decline the gracious invitation, he thanked the woman and sat down.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t believe we\u2019ve met,\u201d he said suavely.\u00a0 \u201cMy name is Adam Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n The woman smiled.\u00a0 \u201cYour brother\u2019s told us so much about you that I feel as if I knew you already, Mr. Cartwright, even without a formal introduction.\u00a0 I am Mrs. Peter Conners, but please call me Marian.\u00a0 My son is named after my husband, but we call him Petey to differentiate.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe felt foolish, not only because he had failed to make proper introductions, but because it had never even occurred to him to refer to Mrs. Conners as anything but \u201cPetey\u2019s mother.\u201d\u00a0 It was the kind of thing kids did, and it reminded him of all the teasing about his youthfulness that he\u2019d taken that morning in the gentlemen\u2019s lavatory.\u00a0\u00a0 He covered his discomfort by burying his nose in the menu and was soon ready to order.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat you havin\u2019, Joe?\u201d Petey asked, the expression in his eyes clearly communicating that whatever his friend was having would be his choice, as well.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m havin\u2019 flapjacks and sausage, with stewed apples,\u201d Joe said, with a wink at Marian Conners, \u201cand, of course, a tall glass of milk to wash it all down.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMe, too,\u201d Petey said at once, as every adult at the table had anticipated.<\/p>\n Mrs. Conners smiled her gratitude at Joe, and then turned to Adam after all their breakfast orders had been placed.\u00a0 \u201cI understand you\u2019re traveling to Philadelphia, Mr. Cartwright, to see the great Centennial Exhibition.\u00a0 How I envy you that opportunity!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s Adam,\u201d the elder Cartwright brother replied.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re not going that far yourself, I take it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Adam, we leave the train at Evanston,\u201d she explained.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re visiting my sister and her family, who live there.\u201d<\/p>\n Again Little Joe felt a moment\u2019s embarrassment.\u00a0 Why hadn\u2019t he thought to ask Petey\u2019s mother\u2014Marian, he corrected himself\u2014what her plans were?\u00a0 He\u2019d just rattled on about himself, mostly to Petey.\u00a0 What a childish way to act!\u00a0 Maybe he should start taking to heart some of Adam\u2019s oft-repeated criticism of his manners.<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s next comment effectively put that idea out of his head. \u201cI do hope my young brother hasn\u2019t been making a nuisance of himself,\u201d Adam said to Mrs. Conners.<\/p>\n \u201cIndeed, not,\u201d Marian responded swiftly, noticing how Joe bristled at his brother\u2019s words.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s been delightful company and has definitely made the miles go faster for my son.\u00a0 A trip of this length is so hard on an active youngster.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, so I\u2019ve observed,\u201d Adam said, cutting a glance toward Joe as he took a sip of coffee.<\/p>\n Hot words were on the tip of Joe\u2019s tongue, and only the timely arrival of the food kept them there.\u00a0 Ignoring Adam, he said, \u201cBoy, doesn\u2019t this look great, Petey?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Petey agreed, \u201cand I want lots of syrup on my cakes.\u00a0 You like lots of syrup, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnly way to eat pancakes, Petey.\u00a0 You gotta drown them in a whole pool of maple syrup and let the sausage take a swim in it, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Petey giggled.\u00a0 Pouring an excessive amount of syrup over the stack of pancakes, he lifted a sausage patty to its top and made it dive off into the maple pool below.<\/p>\n \u201cPetey, your breakfast is not intended to be a plaything,\u201d his mother chided.<\/p>\n \u201cNor is yours, Little<\/em> Joe,\u201d Adam reprimanded, pointedly emphasizing the diminutive.<\/p>\n Joe regarded his brother with a narrowed gaze before turning to his friend\u2019s mother.\u00a0 \u201cSorry.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t mean to make trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo harm done,\u201d she said with a smile, \u201calthough a good example of how to clean one\u2019s plate would be appreciated about now.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned.\u00a0 \u201cOh, I\u2019ll be happy to set that, ma\u2019am\u2014uh, I mean, Marian.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam frowned, but said nothing, resolving to speak to Joe about that breach of etiquette later.\u00a0 He waited until they\u2019d left the restaurant and were alone on the street.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, Mrs. Conners did not give you permission to address her by her first name.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, she did,\u201d Joe protested.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was talking to me,\u201d Adam insisted, \u201cand it is inappropriate for you to assume that she was including you when it\u2019s obvious you were not on a first-name basis before.\u00a0 It\u2019s improper for a boy of your age to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA boy!\u201d Joe squeaked.\u00a0 \u201cWhen are you gonna realize I\u2019m a man, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen are you going to realize that you\u2019re not?\u201d Adam replied firmly.\u00a0 \u201cNow, you will address Mrs. Conner and all other elders by title and surname unless given specific permission to adopt the familiar, is that clear?”<\/p>\n Joe shook his head in disgust.\u00a0 \u201cYes, that\u2019s clear,\u201d he muttered through gritted teeth.\u00a0 \u201cLook, we\u2019ve still got some time before the train pulls out, don\u2019t we?\u00a0 Okay if I look around town a little, Mr.<\/em> Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam laughed and rumpled his brother\u2019s unruly curls.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve got fifteen minutes, kid, so whatever you can see in that time, you\u2019re welcome to look at.\u201d\u00a0 He flipped a dime toward Joe, who deftly caught it in the air.\u00a0 \u201cPick up a newspaper while you\u2019re at it,\u201d Adam directed, \u201cand make sure it\u2019s the Ogden Freeman<\/em> and not the Daily Junction<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a difference?\u201d Joe asked with a tinge of impertinence.<\/p>\n Adam arched an eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cObviously, or I wouldn\u2019t be telling you which to buy.\u00a0 The Junction<\/em> is little more than a vehicle for the Mormon Church, while the other has a more secular slant, which I prefer.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe tossed him an impish smile.\u00a0 \u201cNot interested in any sermons but your own, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam playfully boxed his ears.\u00a0 \u201cOh, get going or you won\u2019t have time to buy either one.\u201d\u00a0 After Joe scampered off, Adam spotted some street venders and wandered over to see what was available.\u00a0 As he\u2019d suspected, many of the market carts held fresh fruit, which grew in abundance locally, and he laid in a small stock of apples, peaches and pears to eat on the train.<\/p>\n Little Joe scurried back at almost the last minute, and Adam handed him the bag of` fruit in exchange for the newspaper.\u00a0 Joe took a peek inside.\u00a0 \u201cHey, thanks, Adam!\u00a0 These\u2019ll come in handy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd so will that hamper Hop Sing saddled us with,\u201d Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201c<\/em>Maybe he knew what he was doing, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, of course, he did,\u201d Joe declared loyally.<\/p>\n \u201cOn board, boy\u2014now,\u201d Adam ordered, snapping his left index finger toward the train.<\/p>\n Joe grinned and climbed the steps to the passenger car of the Union Pacific train.<\/p>\n Departing the depot, the cars began to climb steadily upward, with the scenery growing more majestic by the minute.\u00a0 When they stopped in Weber, twenty-five miles down the track, a number of passengers left the train.\u00a0 \u201cThis is as close to Salt Lake City as the train goes,\u201d Adam replied in answer to Joe\u2019s inquiry about why so many were getting off at this seemingly insignificant town.\u00a0 \u201cA lot of people are curious about the Mormon way of life, so it\u2019s common for travelers to make a side trip of a day or two.\u201d\u00a0 He pointed to the sign over a local business.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s a sure indication you\u2019re in Mormon territory,\u201d he observed.<\/p>\n Joe leaned across Adam to see what he was referring to.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201c\u2018Z.C.M.I\u2019\u2014what\u2019s it mean, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cZion\u2019s Cooperative Mercantile Institution,\u201d Adam replied.\u00a0 \u201cAll Mormon businesses are required to be members and to pay tithes on their profits, and all Mormons are expected to patronize the Z.C.M.I. stores.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s nose wrinkled in distaste.\u00a0 \u201cSounds like a way to fix prices to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s one of the complaints,\u201d Adam told him, \u201cbut they have a right to set whatever laws they choose regarding their own adherents.\u00a0 There\u2019ve been some charges, however, that gentile merchants in the area are being coerced to tithe their profits to the church, as well, and that is where I think the line must be drawn.\u00a0 No one should be forced to support another man\u2019s religion.\u201d<\/p>\n After depositing tourists and locals, the train pulled out, and for the next seven miles or so the road moved around several short curves and then past a group of balanced rocks that looked as if they were ready to topple into the valley below.\u00a0 Since Adam was still maintaining proprietary right to the window seat, Little Joe wandered down the aisle to sit with his friend Petey and his mother.<\/p>\n The train steamed through a couple of tunnels, and Joe, sighting a landmark noted in the railroad guide he\u2019d purchased the day before, pointed out Devil\u2019s Slide to the boy on his lap.\u00a0\u00a0 Two parallel ledges of granite, turned on their sides, jutted out fifty feet from mountainside, about fourteen inches apart and eight hundred feet high.\u00a0 \u201cWouldn\u2019t it be fun to slide down that, Petey?\u201d Joe suggested.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah!\u201d Petey quickly agreed with a bounce of enthusiasm.<\/p>\n His mother peered out the window at the serrated edges of the \u201cslide\u201d and clucked her tongue at both boys.\u00a0 \u201cAnd tear your pants for your mother to mend,\u201d she teased as she lovingly stroked the back of her son\u2019s head.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, ma\u2019am,\u201d Joe apologized sheepishly.\u00a0 \u201cI seem to be full of bad ideas this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo danger involved with a temptation so inaccessible,\u201d she laughed, \u201cso I don\u2019t mind his indulging in a little make-believe.\u00a0 Just see to it you don\u2019t try anything that risky yourself, young man.\u201d\u00a0 She wagged a playful finger before his face.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, ma\u2019am, I won\u2019t,\u201d Joe assured her.\u00a0 \u201cThat place looks like a broken bone about to happen, and doctors and me don\u2019t get along real well.\u201d\u00a0 He licked his lips nervously.\u00a0 \u201cUh, Mrs. Conners, I\u2014I just wanted to apologize for being forward before.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what you mean,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cUh\u2014when I called you by your first name at breakfast, ma\u2019am.\u00a0 My brother said it was wrong for me to assume you were including me when you said he could call you Marian.\u201d<\/p>\n She patted his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cNonsense.\u00a0 Of course, I meant you, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned, relieved.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I thought so, but old Adam\u2019s got some pretty strict notions of right and wrong and manners and such.\u201d<\/p>\n Marian smiled.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re very fortunate, then, to have someone who cares enough to instruct you in right and wrong\u2014and manners and such.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got a pa for that, ma\u2019am\u2014Marian.\u00a0 Trouble is, Adam has trouble remembering that it isn\u2019t him!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut he is a good brother, now, isn\u2019t he?\u201d she probed persuasively.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, most of the time,\u201d Joe conceded.\u00a0 Sunshine sparkling in his emerald eyes, he added, \u201cDid I tell you that he\u2019s paying for everything, so I can come on this trip with him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere now, I knew I was right!\u201d Marian said, laughing at Joe\u2019s sudden change of disposition.<\/p>\n Joe nodded, smiling.\u00a0 \u201cI guess I just have to keep reminding myself whenever he gets too bossy.\u201d<\/p>\n Marian patted his hand.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I\u2019m glad I could help remind you today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Joe!\u00a0 Look at that,\u201d Petey exclaimed, pointing out the window.<\/p>\n Joe looked and saw a tree with a sign nailed to its trunk that read \u201cOmaha 1000 miles.\u201d\u00a0 He set Petey down and stood up.\u00a0 \u201cI think there\u2019s something about that in my guidebook,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m gonna get it.\u201d<\/p>\n He bounded down the aisle and took the guidebook from the hamper, where he\u2019d stored it for easy access.\u00a0 \u201cWe just passed Thousand-Mile Tree, Adam,\u201d he informed his brother.\u00a0 \u201cSo it\u2019s a thousand miles to Omaha, huh?\u00a0 How long \u2018til we get there?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam replied without looking up from his journal.\u00a0 \u201cDay after tomorrow, Joe, for supper.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, thanks,\u201d Joe said and took off down the aisle once more.\u00a0 Back in his seat with Petey perched in his lap, he opened the book and showed the boy what it had to say.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got to ride the train two more days before we get to Omaha.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a long time,\u201d Petey said, sounding awed.\u00a0 He turned to his mother.\u00a0 \u201cHow much longer we gonna stay on, Mama?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust \u2018til noon, sweetheart,\u201d she answered.<\/p>\n \u201cAw, shucks,\u201d Petey pouted.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m gonna miss you, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey, me, too, pal,\u201d his older friend said earnestly.\u00a0 \u201cYou sure have made the trip a lot more fun for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Marian laid her hand over his, which was resting on Petey\u2019s thigh.\u00a0 \u201cAs you\u2019ve made it for him.\u00a0 Thank you, Joe, for your kindness to my little boy.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shrugged off the compliment.\u00a0 \u201cSure, ma\u2019am.\u00a0 Like I said, it\u2019s been a pleasure to me, too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, Joe, look!\u201d\u00a0 Petey again called his friend\u2019s attention to an interesting sight out the window.<\/p>\n Joe peered through the pane, seeing a high bluff on the right with a multitude of wind-worn holes near the top.\u00a0 Nests filled the crevices, and eagles were perched atop them, wings spread protectively over either eggs or chicks.\u00a0 From this distance, Joe couldn\u2019t tell which.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s called Eagle\u2019s Nest Rock,\u201d Petey informed his friend excitedly.\u00a0 \u201cI just read it in your book.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t they something!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh, yeah,\u201d Joe muttered.\u00a0 A slight sliver ran through him.\u00a0 Near home was a precipice of almost the same name, and for some reason Joe had never been able to fathom, that place had always had the same effect on him.<\/p>\n The locomotive rounded another rocky point, revealing gray rocks so close to one another that they looked as though they were carrying on an intimate conversation.\u00a0 \u201cThose are called \u2018The Witches,\u2019\u201d Petey said, again consulting the guidebook.\u00a0 \u201cCreepy, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe just laughed, though he wondered why an eerie image like a witches\u2019 conclave didn\u2019t bother him when something as commonplace as an eagle\u2019s nest did.\u00a0 \u201cNaw, they look more like gossiping sisters to me,\u201d he snickered.\u00a0 \u201cKind of remind me of these two ladies I know back home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor shame, young man.\u00a0 What would your mother say if she heard you gossiping about those women?\u201d\u00a0 An indulgent smile softened Marian\u2019s reprimand.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have a mother, ma\u2019am,\u201d Joe said softly.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, she died when I was about half the age of Petey here.\u201d<\/p>\n Marian\u2019s gaze grew more tender.\u00a0 \u201cOh, I\u2019m sorry.\u00a0 I should have realized, since you\u2019ve only mentioned your father and brothers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s okay, ma\u2019am.\u00a0 Can\u2019t miss what you never had.\u201d\u00a0 Joe shrugged.<\/p>\n Only a mother\u2019s eye would have spotted the slight hesitance preceding the words and motion.\u00a0 \u201cCan\u2019t you?\u201d she asked gently.<\/p>\n Joe glanced at the floor.\u00a0 \u201cWell, yeah, sometimes,\u201d he conceded.\u00a0 He looked up and spoke in quick defense.\u00a0 \u201cBut my Pa\u2019s been as much a mother to me as any man could\u2014and then there\u2019s Hop Sing.\u00a0 He\u2019s our cook, the one who made that great food we brought with us yesterday, and he takes real good care of us.\u201d\u00a0 With a mother\u2019s instinct, Marian patted his hand and gave him a tender smile, and Joe\u2019s disarming grin was back.<\/p>\n The train entered a lovely valley, cradled between the hills, its carpet splashed with flowers of blue, yellow and purple; then the road steepened as it curved southeast to enter a narrow opening where rocky cliffs seemed to press in on either side.\u00a0 When the travelers passed Castle Rock station, they were six thousand feet above sea level, and a little east of the station, Joe and Petey, almost simultaneously, spotted the landmark for which it was named.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou can almost see knights in armor riding through there, can\u2019t you?\u201d Joe suggested, pointing to the arched doorway on one corner, its red sidepieces capped with gray.\u00a0 Nearby a series of needle-sharp rocks aimed skyward like the shafts of a knight\u2019s lance, another fanciful observation Joe shared with Petey.<\/p>\n \u201cSuch grand scenery,\u201d Marian sighed with deep content.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, ma\u2019am, it sure is,\u201d Joe agreed, looking at her.\u00a0 \u201cI read in that book that Echo Canyon here is just about the most impressive sight there is on the whole fifteen hundred miles of the railroad.\u00a0 Good thing you got to see it before you got off.\u201d<\/p>\n Marian smiled.\u00a0 \u201cYes, a very good thing.\u201d\u00a0 As the train reached a point level with the top of the rocks, it began a slight descent into Evanston on the west bank of the Bear River.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll be parting company here, Joe,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cLet me say again what a pleasure it\u2019s been to travel with you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe pleasure\u2019s all mine, ma\u2019am,\u201d he responded politely.\u00a0 For some reason, perhaps because she\u2019d been acting so motherly toward him, he didn\u2019t feel right calling her by her first name, even though he knew he had her consent.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m really going to miss you.\u00a0 Not just Petey\u2014you, too.\u201d<\/p>\n When the time came to part, Petey clung to Joe, almost inconsolable at the imminent separation.\u00a0 Then Joe spotted a boy a couple of years older than his friend, standing beside the man waving to Mrs. Conners.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Petey, would that be your cousin, maybe?\u201d he suggested.\u00a0 \u201cI bet the two of you are gonna have tons of fun together.\u201d<\/p>\n Petey followed Joe\u2019s pointing finger and a grin split his face.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, that must be Cousin Aubrey; he\u2019s the one just older than me.\u00a0 I gotta go now, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe gave him a light swat on the backside.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, me, too.\u00a0 You have yourself a great visit with your folks, you hear?\u201d\u00a0 The words faded on the wind as Petey took off to meet his cousin.<\/p>\n Seeing his brother\u2019s slightly disheartened countenance, Adam put an arm around his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve only got half an hour, Joe.\u00a0 Come on and have some lunch.\u201d\u00a0 He steered Joe toward the Mountain Trout Hotel, where both boys ordered the specialty of the house, speckled trout.\u00a0 Both beamed with pleasure as the Chinese waiter slid plates of crispy fish and slices of fried potatoes with the almost-universal green beans before them.\u00a0 This time the vegetables were seasoned with onion, as well as bacon and both Cartwrights considered it a flavorful addition.<\/p>\n \u201cBet there\u2019s some great fishing around here,\u201d Joe commented between bites.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, yes.\u00a0 The Bear River\u2019s full of these beauties,\u201d Adam agreed.\u00a0 \u201cThis is one meal I knew we would enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd, for once, you were right!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cFor once?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe just returned a saucy grin.<\/p>\n Adam pursed his lips and nodded his head gravely.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019d better hope I\u2019m right more than once, boy, since I\u2019ll be choosing where you eat your meals for the next month or so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw, come on, Adam,\u201d Joe complained.\u00a0 \u201cI ought to get to pick once in a while.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam patted his lips with the napkin.\u00a0 \u201cMy trip, my choice.\u00a0 I have no intention of leaving myself to your tender mercies, boy.\u00a0 You have all the culinary discrimination of a hog at the feeding trough.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe was stung by what he considered unfair criticism.\u00a0\u00a0 He knew good food when he tasted it, and just because Adam had been exposed to more fancy fare didn\u2019t make him some kind of expert on where to eat.\u00a0 Well, maybe it did, when it came to food back east, Joe conceded, but he still felt disgruntled.<\/p>\n Adam cast an appraising eye over his brother\u2019s dark countenance.\u00a0 What\u2019s the matter with the kid?\u00a0 Can dish it out, but can\u2019t take a little teasing in return? Or maybe he misses his little friend more than I thought.<\/em>\u00a0 Neither brother shared his thoughts with the other, however, and both returned to the train with unresolved feelings.<\/p>\n Crossing the Bear River, the grade continued to climb, and the track passed under a twenty-four-mile logging flume like those the Cartwrights were familiar with back in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of home.\u00a0 High hills lined either side of the track as the locomotive steamed up a ravine after going through a cut.\u00a0 Finally reaching the summit of the mountains, the train began to descend, passing through a series of snow sheds.\u00a0 The need for these was obvious from the snow still visible on the mountains to the right, which never melted at this altitude, but in winter was deep enough to stop trains without this protection.<\/p>\n Rough, broken terrain edged both sides of the track, with high buttes thrusting up to the clear cerulean sky.\u00a0 As the track met Black\u2019s Fork of the Green River, the valley, thickly covered with sagebrush and greasewood, grew broad in places \u2018til a high projecting tower north of the track crowned a bluff six hundred and twenty-five feet above the river, signaling the next stop.<\/p>\n Here, at Green River, the sleeper car was attached while the travelers dined, but as it was only 6 p.m. when they re-boarded, neither Adam nor Joe felt ready to retire.\u00a0 About eight o\u2019clock, both turned in, for the rhythmic motion of the darkened cars began to have a soporific effect, especially on the younger of the two brothers.<\/p>\n CHAPTER SIX<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJoe, Joe, wake up,\u201d Adam urged, shaking his brother\u2019s shoulder with what seemed to Little Joe unconscionable persistence.<\/p>\n Joe opened one eye and muttered, \u201cGo \u2018way; it\u2019s still night.\u201d\u00a0 The eye closed once more as Joe buried himself in the pillow.<\/p>\n Adam gave him another shake.\u00a0 \u201cIf you want breakfast, Sleeping Beauty, you\u2019d better rise and shine.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe groaned and edged up on his elbows.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s too early,\u201d he complained.\u00a0 \u201cI know<\/em> it\u2019s earlier than we got up yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is,\u201d Adam admitted, \u201cbut that\u2019s the railroad\u2019s doing, not mine.\u00a0 It\u2019s an early breakfast stop today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThese irregular hours can\u2019t be good for digestion,\u201d Joe crabbed.<\/p>\n Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d have to agree, but there\u2019s nothing you can do about it, kid\u2014except starve.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNope, not a chance,\u201d Joe said, yawning and stretching.\u00a0 Maybe the meal would only cost Adam a dollar, but Joe intended to squeeze every one possible from his miserly spirited big brother.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, then,\u201d Adam ordered, giving Joe\u2019s thigh a smart slap.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re going to detach this sleeper car\u2014and you with it\u2014as soon as we get to Laramie, if you don\u2019t haul out of that bunk now, kid\u2014and if you want a shave, take your own kit this time.\u201d\u00a0 Gathering his own gear, Adam disappeared down the aisle.<\/p>\n Sitting up, Joe ran his hand across a virtually smooth cheek.\u00a0 Truth was, he really didn\u2019t need to shave every day, though he preferred, most days, to indulge the fiction that he did.\u00a0 Not wanting to be the center of another scene like the one that had transpired in the gentlemen\u2019s lavatory the day before and in view of his early morning grogginess, he decided to forego a shave this time.<\/p>\n Primarily because of the altitude, the air was crisp and cool as the Cartwright brothers got off the train.\u00a0 The streets of Laramie, which nestled next to the river of the same name, were laid out in a regular pattern at right angles to the railroad, and Adam and Joe walked a short way down one of them to the large hotel run by the company.\u00a0 They enjoyed a filling breakfast of ham and eggs with hot, buttered biscuits and blackberry jam and were ready to board the train again after Joe picked up the obligatory morning newspaper for his older brother.<\/p>\n Laramie was situated over seven thousand feet above sea level, and as the rail cars left the town and its three thousand inhabitants behind, the tracks continued to climb into the snowcapped mountains.\u00a0 Then they traveled over Great Laramie Plain, some forty miles broad, with the sharp-pointed cones of the Diamond Peaks of the Medicine Bow Range rising on their right.\u00a0 The train was less crowded this morning than it had been previously, so Little Joe was able to take a window seat facing Adam and enjoy the majestic mountain scene for almost one hundred miles without peering past his brother\u2019s head.<\/p>\n As the road curved left, Adam grew visibly excited.\u00a0 \u201cLook, Joe,\u201d he said, pointing down the track ahead.\u00a0 \u201cIsn\u2019t it splendid?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe looked through the window.\u00a0 \u201cThe water tank?\u201d he asked skeptically.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, look past that,\u201d Adam urged.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s Dale Creek Bridge, one of the wonders of the transcontinental route: six hundred fifty feet long, a hundred and thirty high and completely constructed of iron.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t it a wonder, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI guess so, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cWell, to an engineer, it is.\u00a0 I assure you the engineering journals resounded with praise when it was constructed.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been looking forward to seeing it for myself\u2014and it\u2019s given no cause for disappointment.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe smiled and, for Adam\u2019s sake, made an effort to appear interested.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a real fine bridge, Adam\u201d\u2014he paused to point at the mountains still edging the plain\u2014\u201cbut I\u2019d rather look at those.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam gave his brother a nod of concession.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, they had a pretty terrific Engineer, too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe best!\u201d Joe exclaimed, smile widening into a grin as his brother smiled back.<\/p>\n Two miles past the bridge, the train pulled through Sherman, the highest point on the transcontinental railroad, and began to descend out of the mountains.\u00a0 Just outside town stood a set of balanced rocks, and half a mile to the left a lone pine tree on a rugged peak stood guard over the landscape below.\u00a0 Snow sheds became more frequent on this stretch of track, but would be left behind shortly after the train made its dinner stop at Cheyenne, Wyoming.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom what I\u2019ve read, this is one of the best-kept hotels between our two coasts,\u201d Adam observed as he and Little Joe got off the train in what the guidebook referred to as the \u201cMagic City of the Plains.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure looks fine,\u201d Joe commented, as they entered the elegant dining hall, decorated in rustic flair with the heads of antelope, elk, mountain sheep, black-tailed deer and buffalo hanging on the walls.\u00a0 The trophies were indicative of the choices available on the menu, and the Cartwrights feasted on antelope steaks, although thirty minutes scarcely seemed enough to properly enjoy such a delicious meal.\u00a0 Soon they were rumbling down the track once more through countryside much like that through which they\u2019d been traveling all day\u2014a rugged, broken landscape, awesome in its beauty.\u00a0 Even Adam found it impossible to keep his nose buried in a book when there was so much of interest to see outside the window.<\/p>\n The elevation dropped with each mile traveled, until by the time the brothers reached the supper stop at Sidney, Nebraska, they were three thousand feet closer to sea level than when they had awakened that morning.\u00a0 The food here suffered by comparison with that in Cheyenne, but neither Adam nor Joe was interested in more than a light meal, anyway.\u00a0 Sitting in a train all day simply hadn\u2019t provided sufficient exercise to work off what they\u2019d already eaten earlier in the day.<\/p>\n When they re-boarded, Little Joe noticed that they had lost a large number of fellow travelers.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not that big a town.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smiled as he handed Joe his carpetbag and gave him a light push toward the newly attached sleeper car.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not the town itself that\u2019s the attraction,\u201d he explained, \u201cbut its proximity to the Black Hills.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, yeah, the gold strike,\u201d Joe muttered.\u00a0 \u201cI read about that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd don\u2019t get any ideas about going off to prospect yourself,\u201d Adam dictated, half in jest.<\/p>\n \u201cShoot, no!\u201d Joe exclaimed.\u00a0 \u201cYou couldn\u2019t pay me to work underground.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot even if we owned a mine ourselves?\u201d Adam queried probingly.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is your dream, brother, not mine,\u201d Joe insisted, plopping his carpetbag on Adam\u2019s lower berth, so he could take out his nightshirt before tossing the valise up to his own bed.\u00a0 \u201cMe, I\u2019d rather ride a fast horse across the ground than plunge down a steam hoist into its belly.\u201d\u00a0 He gave a shiver, not noticing the look of disappointment that crossed his older brother\u2019s face.\u00a0 It had been a long day, so the brothers bid each other good night as soon as they\u2019d changed, and both were almost immediately lost to the land of dreams, each man\u2019s vision of a nature markedly different from that of his sibling.<\/p>\n The next morning, for the first time, Little Joe woke without assistance.\u00a0 Leaning his head over the edge of his berth, he saw the empty bed below him and panicked.\u00a0 Practically tumbling to the floor, he hurried to the closest window and discovered that the sun was well up.\u00a0 The mountains had been left behind during the night, and the train was now crossing an open prairie, the view unobstructed by the high bluffs that had bordered the path heretofore.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, you\u2019re up,\u201d said a voice behind him.\u00a0 \u201cI was just coming to rouse you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s late,\u201d Joe accused.<\/p>\n Adam ruffled his brother\u2019s sleep-tousled curls.\u00a0 \u201cLater than yesterday, to be sure, but we won\u2019t reach the breakfast stop until 8:30 this morning, so there was no need to wrestle you out of those cozy covers, for a change.\u201d<\/p>\n Spirits quickly brightening, Joe grinned.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s a mighty fine change, brother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, don\u2019t get too used to it,\u201d Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cThere are some more early mornings in your future, my boy.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe pretended to pout, but he felt much too well rested and, therefore, in too pleasant a mood to hold the expression for long.\u00a0 As soon as the train pulled up to the depot at Grand Island, he bounded into the aisle.\u00a0 \u201cCome on,\u201d he hollered back to his brother.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m half-starved.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam chuckled, although he was having the same difficulty regulating his appetite to the convenience of the railroad as was his younger brother.\u00a0 Here, the hotel and restaurant were new, having been built by the company only the year before, but the fare was much as it had been at every breakfast stop along the route, adequate, but little more.<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose you want me to trot out and get you a newspaper,\u201d Little Joe offered after tucking away a substantial amount of scrambled eggs and sausage.<\/p>\n Adam flipped a coin at him, which Joe deftly caught.\u00a0 \u201cYou learn slowly, sonny, but I\u2019m gratified to see that you do learn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAny special variety this time?\u201d Joe asked as he stood and pushed his chair under the table.<\/p>\n Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cNo, just buy whichever looks thickest.\u00a0 Lot of flat country to ride through today, and I can use the extra distraction.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe sported a puckish grin.\u00a0 \u201cProbably be chock full of society news in a big ole town like this.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam displayed a twisted smile.\u00a0 \u201cNo doubt!\u201d\u00a0 He finished a second cup of coffee after Joe left, paid the bill and then walked toward the train, looking this way and that in search of his younger brother.\u00a0 Though Joe had never boarded ahead of him, he entered the passenger car to check.\u00a0 Joe wasn\u2019t there.\u00a0 Consulting his pocket watch, Adam frowned.\u00a0 Three minutes until departure.\u00a0 Where could the kid be?\u00a0 He stepped out onto the rail car\u2019s platform and scanned the street in both directions\u2014no Joe.<\/p>\n In fact, the wheels of the train had started to roll slowly forward when an anxious Adam finally spotted his brother and gestured imperiously for him to hurry.\u00a0 Joe sprinted toward the train, grabbed the hand his brother stretched toward him, jumped aboard and stood grinning at the end of the car.\u00a0 \u201cWhew, that was close!\u201d he cried.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d Adam scolded.\u00a0 \u201cDid you see some pretty skirt you just had to chase?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe pouted eloquently.\u00a0 \u201cI was doing you a favor, big brother, remember?\u201d\u00a0 He handed Adam a copy of the Independent<\/em>.\u00a0 \u201cJust took me awhile to decide which was thickest.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam shoved him through the door into the rail car.\u00a0 \u201cGetting yourself left behind might be considered doing me a favor, little brother, but I\u2019m afraid my ears would be burning by the time Pa got through with me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, shut up,\u201d Joe growled grumpily at this further reminder that Adam would be happier without him.<\/p>\n Adam frowned, but decided to overlook the kid\u2019s bad temper, chalking it up to the weariness of the journey.\u00a0 After all, this would be their fourth full day on the train, and he was feeling a little frazzled at the edges himself.\u00a0 Settling into his seat next to the window, he opened the newspaper and began to read.<\/p>\n When he finally folded it, Joe, who had grown bored with the sameness of the prairie scenery, asked to read it, and when Adam willingly handed it over, asked if he could sit by the window.\u00a0 Adam nodded and they switched seats.<\/p>\n Joe read the newspaper with greater attention than was his custom, but when he\u2019d read all that struck his interest, the prairie still stretched endlessly from horizon to horizon.\u00a0 While the grassland held a beauty of its own, the monotonous flatness lulled Joe to sleep, and his head came slowly to rest on Adam\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 Adam impatiently shrugged it off, and, without waking, Joe curled the other direction, his head falling against the windowpane.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t wake until the train stopped at Fremont for the noon meal.<\/p>\n \u201cYou hungry?\u201d Adam asked his yawning brother.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle bit,\u201d Joe said, reluctantly admitting, \u201cbut I couldn\u2019t eat a full meal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what I figured, since we had such a late breakfast,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll be pulling into Omaha around 4:30 this afternoon, so we could have an early supper.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe gave a catlike stretch.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, that sounds good, but I could use a bite or two now if you don\u2019t mind.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, I don\u2019t mind,\u201d Adam responded, sounding slightly perturbed.\u00a0 \u201cI said I\u2019d feed you, and I haven\u2019t failed yet of my promise, have I?\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you grab something for both of us at the lunch counter and we\u2019ll eat it here.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe scowled and finally voiced a complaint he\u2019d felt since leaving Mill Station.\u00a0 \u201cSometimes I think you brought me along just to be your personal servant, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, you\u2019re really hard used, aren\u2019t you, boy?\u201d Adam laughed.\u00a0 He pulled a silver dollar from his pocket and tossed it to Joe.\u00a0 \u201cThat should more than cover anything your little heart desires.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe scowled again, but playfully this time.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t really mind running errands, at least not too much.\u00a0 After all, an old man like Adam couldn\u2019t be expected to hop fast enough to get the job done in the time the railroad\u2019s unrelenting schedule allotted them.\u00a0 He ran out to the lunch counter, one of which was attached to every eating station on the line for passengers wanting a lighter meal, and returned minutes later with a ham sandwich and boiled egg for both himself and his brother.\u00a0 Not being particularly hungry yet, Joe ate only the egg, dropping the sandwich into Hop Sing\u2019s handy hamper for later.<\/p>\n Not long after the dinner stop, another train boy hawking food and reading matter passed down the aisle, as one of his breed had done almost hourly throughout the journey.\u00a0 Having already finished the dime novel he\u2019d bought the first day, Joe selected another to wile away the dreary hours when there was nothing to see out the window except one windmill after another.\u00a0 Finally, the conductor announced, \u201cNext stop, Omaha\u2014end of the line,\u201d and all the passengers put away their books and other diversions in preparation for leaving the train.<\/p>\n Right on schedule, the Union Pacific pulled into Omaha, and Adam sent Joe to the baggage car, brass claim check in hand to fetch their bags.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are you going to be doing?\u201d Joe grumbled.<\/p>\n Adam ticked off his duties on his fingers.\u00a0 \u201cPurchasing tickets for Chicago, checking departure time, inquiring as to whether we can check our bags tonight or need to take them to the hotel with us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBoy, I sure hope we can leave them here!\u201d Joe exclaimed.<\/p>\n \u201cJust go get them, please, so we\u2019ll be prepared in either event,\u201d Adam directed sternly, \u201cand don\u2019t leave this platform until I come back for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe gave a weary salute.\u00a0 \u201cYes, sir, Captain Brother, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cScat!\u201d Adam snorted and emphasized the order with a swat on Joe\u2019s rear.<\/p>\n Joe came back, loaded down with luggage.\u00a0 There was no sign of Adam, but Joe felt quite content to simply wait until his brother returned.\u00a0 Omaha was a large enough city that Joe realized he could easily lose himself if he were to try to track Adam down.\u00a0 He\u2019d begun to grow concerned, but the emotion quickly faded when his brother rounded a corner and headed toward him.\u00a0 \u201cSo, can we check all this tonight?\u201d he asked hopefully.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can,\u201d Adam replied.\u00a0 \u201cWe just need to carry it to the Chicago and Northwestern depot.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe groaned.\u00a0 \u201c\u2018We\u2019?\u00a0 Don\u2019t you mean me?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll give you a hand.\u00a0 Relax, kid; it\u2019s not far.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe smiled in relief as he handed some of the bags over to his older brother.\u00a0 \u201cWhere are we gonna stay tonight, Adam?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 \u201cYou know any good hotels here in Chicago?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust by reputation,\u201d Adam admitted, \u201cbut I planned to stay at the Grand Central.\u00a0 It\u2019s supposed to be one of the best-run hotels between here and San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned.\u00a0 \u201cOnly the best for the Cartwright brothers, right?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smiled wryly.\u00a0 \u201cActually, I chose it because of its proximity to the depot, and since we economized by going second class on the train, I felt I could afford to splurge on the comfort of a decent mattress.\u00a0 The dining hall at the hotel is reported to be superb, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat sounds great, brother,\u201d Joe sighed in contentment, \u201cbut don\u2019t even mention the word \u2018train\u2019 to me tonight, okay?\u00a0 My bones start aching every time I hear it!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019d advise you to turn in early, little buddy,\u201d Adam suggested.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll be getting up bright and early tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow early?\u201d Joe demanded.<\/p>\n \u201cThe train leaves at 5 a.m., so if you want breakfast . . . \u201d As his voice trailed off, Adam tried to keep a straight face, although Joe looked so pathetic, he could only do so with significant effort.<\/p>\n Joe moaned, debating whether he preferred to travel sleepy or hungry.\u00a0 \u201cI may have to get up early, older brother, but I can guarantee I won\u2019t be lookin\u2019 bright.\u201d<\/p>\n They had arrived at the depot of the railroad line they would board the next morning, and Adam once again supervised the checking of their bags, pocketing the claim checks for safekeeping.\u00a0 Then, leading the way to the Grand Central Hotel, he rented one of the least expensive rooms.\u00a0 Joe grumbled as he toted both his carpetbag and his brother\u2019s up to the top floor, but no sign of his professed exhaustion showed as he trotted down the same four flights to the dining hall.\u00a0 After a satisfying meal, Adam recommended that Joe follow his example and take a bath before retiring.\u00a0 As he planned to change into fresh clothes in the morning, Joe readily agreed and gratefully accepted Adam\u2019s offer to let him go first.\u00a0 Returning from the bath down the hall, he went straight to bed, having decided that he did want breakfast the next morning.\u00a0 Adam took a long leisurely soak in a hot tub and after reading for a few minutes, just to unwind, followed his own advice.<\/p>\n CHAPTER SEVEN<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Boarding the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, the Cartwrights left Omaha the next morning and crossed a bridge over the Missouri River.\u00a0 Since the sun had not yet risen, however, they couldn\u2019t really see it.\u00a0 Both boys were feeling sleepy from the short night and dozed during the first couple of hours of the trip.\u00a0 Finally, the warmth of the sun on his face woke Little Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cGood morning, Sleeping Beauty,\u201d Adam chuckled.<\/p>\n Joe stretched his arms over his head, yawning.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you ever get tired?\u201d he complained.<\/p>\n Adam laughed aloud.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve only been awake about twenty minutes, kid; so, you see, your big brother is quite human, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGlad to hear it,\u201d Joe said, still sounding somewhat grumpy.\u00a0 \u201cWhere are we?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOn a train,\u201d Adam replied with a sly grin.<\/p>\n Joe groaned.\u00a0 \u201cYou know what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam rubbed the scruff of his brother\u2019s neck.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s as close as I can come, Joe.\u00a0 Somewhere in Iowa, judging by the time, but I was asleep when we went through the last town.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe peered past his brother at the passing countryside with its vast unfenced fields in varying shades of green, depending on whether they were planted in grass or grain.\u00a0 Herds of cattle grazed in the verdant meadows or rested in the shade of pale yellow-green willows, while occasionally an isolated village introduced the hand of man into the bucolic setting.\u00a0 Though Joe would never have chosen this flat land over the mountains of his home, he had to admit it was restful to the eye to see the green expanse stretch from horizon to horizon.<\/p>\n The fertility of these lowlands was amply demonstrated by the abundance of fresh produce on the menu at their dinner stop, and the entrees featured farm-raised meat, instead of the game dominating the restaurants at which they had dined in the mountains.\u00a0 At Adam\u2019s suggestion, Joe ordered ham, for which the Midwest was famed, and added liberal helpings of peas, corn on the cob and buttery cabbage.<\/p>\n Throughout the afternoon homes grew closer together, but the scene was still largely rural.\u00a0 Adam, who had consumed the early edition of the Omaha newspaper that morning, purchased a copy of a Chicago paper from one of the train boys and spent the afternoon perusing it, page by page.\u00a0 Little Joe, scorning such boring fare, lost himself for several hours in The Bear-Hunter; or Davy Crockett as a Spy<\/em>.\u00a0 Though the Harry Hazard dime novel had been out since April, it was a title Joe had not as yet read.\u00a0 He had hoped that Adam might approve, since the story concerned an early American hero, but his older brother had merely snorted in derision and informed him that there was probably not a single paragraph of truth in the whole \u201cdime drivel,\u201d as Adam called it.<\/p>\n Over supper, Adam reiterated a message he had preached the last couple of nights, the necessity of turning in early, now that the sleeper car was available.\u00a0 \u201cWithin the hour,\u201d he commanded.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s awful early, Adam,\u201d Joe grumbled.\u00a0 \u201cSure, I\u2019m tired, but I\u2019m not sure I\u2019ll sleep if I turn in that early.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019d better hope so,\u201d Adam said firmly, \u201cbecause it will be a short enough night as it is.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be traveling straight through to Philadelphia, with only a few hours layover in Chicago, and I didn\u2019t feel the expense of renting a hotel room was warranted, no longer than we\u2019d be using it.\u00a0 I probably shouldn\u2019t even have taken berths for us on the train, since we won\u2019t get their full benefit, either, but I felt we needed to get some sleep tonight!\u00a0 Now, you\u2019re going to bed, and I don\u2019t want to hear any further argument on the subject.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, okay,\u201d Joe acquiesced.\u00a0 \u201cWhat time do we get into Chicago, anyway?\u00a0 Too late to do any sightseeing, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cThe train arrives around 2:30 in the morning.\u00a0 The only sights you\u2019ll see, kid, are a couple of train depots.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe groaned.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve got to switch trains?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, of course,\u201d Adam explained with strained patience.\u00a0 \u201cThis line only goes as far as Chicago.\u00a0 We have to transfer to the Fort Wayne and Pennsylvania line to reach Philadelphia.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, big brother, turning in right after supper is sounding better all the time!\u201d\u00a0 Joe sighed as he envisioned himself stumbling sleepily from depot to depot, buried beneath a pile of baggage.<\/p>\n When they left the train in Chicago, however, it was Adam who struggled under the load of luggage, for Joe was too groggy to provide much assistance.\u00a0 In fact, Adam had to virtually lead the younger boy by the arm to the depot of the Fort Wayne and Pennsylvania Railroad.\u00a0 \u201cGood thing I let him sleep in his clothes,\u201d Adam muttered to himself, \u201cor I\u2019d have had to dress him like when he was a little fellow.\u201d\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t help smiling indulgently, however, when he deposited Joe on a bench at the depot and the boy immediately curled up, his countenance that of a sleeping cherub. Brushing his hand through the cherub\u2019s tousled locks, Adam went to buy their tickets and check their bags.<\/p>\n Though Little Joe had confiscated the greater part of the bench, Adam chose to sit beside him.\u00a0 There were vacant benches where he could have stretched out full-length, but it just went with the territory of big brotherhood to stay close, hovering protectively over the younger boy, even in sleep.\u00a0 The depot was near enough to Lake Michigan that the wind off its surface, breezing through whenever anyone opened a door, was chilly, and it also went with the territory to keep the kid warm. Draping his own jacket over his brother, Adam slumped down to rest his head on the end of the bench, arms wrapped tight to his chest, with one leg bent at the knee near Joe\u2019s head and the other falling to the floor.<\/p>\n He\u2019d bought tickets on Express Train No. 2, which departed at nine o\u2019clock the next morning.\u00a0 That meant he had a little more than five hours to sleep.\u00a0 The awkwardness of his position almost guaranteed that Adam would not get even those five hours, however, and he awoke to find his younger brother using him as a mattress.\u00a0 He let Joe sleep a little longer; then, lifting the boy \u2019s head from his lap, Adam roused him and suggested he visit the men\u2019s lavatory and wash the sleep from his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cWe board in about an hour, so if you hurry, we\u2019ll have time for breakfast,\u201d he informed Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cBreakfast sounds good, brother,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll hurry.\u201d<\/p>\n He was true to his word, and the Cartwright brothers were able to enjoy a leisurely breakfast and still board the train about ten minutes before its departure.\u00a0 \u201cAdam,\u201d Joe said after they\u2019d been traveling awhile, \u201cis it my imagination or is this train going a lot faster than the ones west of the Missouri?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam glanced up from the newspaper.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s faster,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cTrains on the transcontinental railroad only travel about twenty-two miles per hour, while the ones back east can reach speeds up to forty.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shook his head in awe.\u00a0 \u201cForty miles an hour!\u00a0 Did you ever think anything would move that fast, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, of course,\u201d Adam responded a bit curtly, turning the page of his paper.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve kept up on engineering developments.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe frowned.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I meant\u2014oh, never mind.\u00a0 I guess it\u2019s a good thing, considering how big this country is, but I think I enjoyed the trip more at the slower speed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmm?\u201d\u00a0 Adam wrestled his attention from the printed page and back to his brother.\u00a0 \u201cOh, yes, I suppose it is more enjoyable, especially when there\u2019s so much scenic grandeur, but I\u2019m weary enough of train travel that I frankly wish it could go even faster.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFaster!\u201d Joe hooted.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, that\u2019s crazy.\u00a0 Nothing\u2019ll ever go faster than forty miles an hour!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cSomeday it will.\u00a0 You may even live to see it, kid.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shook his head, grinning.\u00a0 \u201cBig brother, with an imagination like that, you<\/em> should be writing dime novels.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam clapped his hand to his forehead and gave a melodramatic shudder.\u00a0 \u201cHeaven forbid,\u201d he uttered in tones of direst dread.<\/p>\n Not until the train reached Fort Wayne about 2:30 in the afternoon did it stop for dinner.\u00a0 Declaring himself famished, Little Joe was dismayed to learn that he would have only twenty minutes to eat.\u00a0 He opted, as did Adam, to grab a sandwich and fried peach pie from a nearby lunch counter and eat with less haste as the train continued east.<\/p>\n By the time they finished their supper at Crestline, the sun was starting to go down, and Adam, who\u2019d had almost no sleep the night before, headed directly to the sleeper car.\u00a0 He did not, however, insist that Joe turn in at the same time.\u00a0 After all, the kid had slept more, if not better, than had his older brother.\u00a0 Joe tried to stay awake, but growing bored with sitting alone in the dark, he retired about half an hour after Adam and fell asleep almost at once.<\/p>\n He woke to see Adam leaning over him, arms folded on the edge of the upper berth.\u00a0 \u201cWhat time is it?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n \u201cSix o\u2019clock,\u201d Adam replied.\u00a0 \u201cI thought you\u2019d want a little extra time to dress this morning, since you\u2019re changing into your suit.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe smiled, knowing that meant they were on the final leg of their journey.\u00a0 \u201cGettin\u2019 close, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, we\u2019re in Pennsylvania, at least,\u201d Adam chuckled, \u201calthough we won\u2019t arrive in Philadelphia itself until middle of the afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA real bed tonight,\u201d Joe murmured wistfully.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you complaining about, Shortshanks?\u201d Adam teased, borrowing Hoss\u2019s name for their brother.\u00a0 \u201cAt least, the berth fits you.\u201d<\/p>\n Frowning at that reminder of his less-than-normal-for-a-Cartwright height, Joe swung his legs over the side, knocking Adam\u2019s arms aside.\u00a0 \u201cHow you like them short shanks?\u201d he growled.<\/p>\n \u201cBoy, did you get up on the wrong side of the berth this morning!\u201d Adam exclaimed, stepping back.<\/p>\n \u201cThere isn\u2019t any other side,\u201d Joe grunted, dropping to the floor, carpetbag in hand.<\/p>\n Adam swung the arch of his foot toward his brother\u2019s backside, but Joe, who moved fast once he got going, was already out of reach, even for his older brother\u2019s long leg.<\/p>\n * * * * *<\/p>\n \u201cYou look very nice,\u201d Adam complimented as they waited for their breakfast order to arrive at a restaurant in Altoona.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d Joe said, smiling.\u00a0 \u201cYou, too.\u201d\u00a0 Though he would have preferred wearing his comfortable ranch clothes on the train, he could see that he and his brother blended into the general populace much better in their dark suits, white shirts and string ties.\u00a0 In fact, Joe almost wished he had worn the new suit Pa had provided, but that was in the bag checked through to their final destination.\u00a0 He was wearing an older and somewhat outdated suit today, as was Adam, and both were a bit crumpled from their six-day residence inside the carpetbags.\u00a0 Adam assured his brother, however, that the wrinkles would be smoothed out by the time they reached Philadelphia.<\/p>\n Since they had eaten a filling breakfast before leaving Altoona at 7:30 a.m., neither of the boys was really ready for dinner when the train stopped at Harrisburg four hours later, but as the restaurant was a fine one, they both ate heartily.\u00a0 \u201cTowns sure are getting thicker,\u201d Joe commented over his steak, smothered in onions and gravy.\u00a0 \u201cBigger, too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWait \u2018til you see Philadelphia,\u201d Adam suggested with a smile.<\/p>\n Swirling a forkful of mashed potatoes through the gravy, Joe grinned, wondering how he could possibly wait to see a city larger than any he\u2019d ever visited before and suddenly wishing that train could go faster than forty miles per hour, like in Adam\u2019s crazy imagination.<\/p>\n Four more hours brought them to their final stop, as the train pulled into the West Philadelphia depot.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose you want me to get the luggage,\u201d Joe said glumly, holding out his hand for the claim check.<\/p>\n \u201cNo need,\u201d Adam said with an amused smile.\u00a0 \u201cIt will be delivered directly to our hotel, a service provided by the railroad.\u201d<\/p>\n A broad smile transfixed Joe\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cNow, that is what I call service, brother!\u201d\u00a0 As they stood on the platform, he looked around at the buildings surrounding the station.\u00a0 \u201cSo, which one is our hotel?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam shook his head in dismay.\u00a0 Had the kid absorbed nothing of what he\u2019d read in the guidebook back home?\u00a0 \u201cNo, Joe.\u00a0 Our hotel is downtown, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe stared at the tall buildings closing in the view on all sides.\u00a0 \u201cI thought we were downtown.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cKid, this is nothing compared to the city itself.\u00a0 Grab your carpetbag, we\u2019ll catch a horse car and you\u2019ll soon see what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe had, of course, ridden horse-drawn streetcars in San Francisco, so that was not a new experience.\u00a0 Consequently, he could focus his full attention on the growing congestion in the streets and the increasing height of the buildings as the car approached the city\u2019s center.\u00a0 \u201cOh, wow, Adam,\u201d he whispered, overwhelmed.\u00a0 \u201cI never\u2014I mean, I\u2014I . . .\u201d<\/p>\n Adam slipped an arm around his brother\u2019s slim shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cI know what you mean, kid,\u201d he said, kindly covering Joe\u2019s loss of words and, at the same time, his own rising emotions at being back in one of the cultural havens of the East.<\/p>\n Forty-five minutes after leaving the depot, the Cartwright brothers were ascending the steps into the Washington Hotel.\u00a0 By comparison with others they had passed, the building at the corner of Seventh and Chestnut streets seemed unassuming, but it was still as nice as most that Little Joe had seen in San Francisco and definitely grander than any he\u2019d stayed in elsewhere in the West.\u00a0 With an extra person to pay for, he didn\u2019t begrudge Adam the frugality of renting them less expensive rooms.\u00a0 Besides, he didn\u2019t plan to spend much time in his!<\/p>\n As Adam approached the polished walnut counter to the left of the lobby, a pencil-thin man with straight black hair cut well above his ears said, \u201cGood day, sir.\u00a0 May I be of assistance?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, we\u2019re checking in,\u201d Adam replied.\u00a0 \u201cOur reservations are under my name, Adam Cartwright from Nevada.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNevada?\u201d\u00a0 The desk clerk adjusted his pince-nez and scrutinized the applicants for a room with a frown.\u00a0 \u201cWell, let\u2019s see,\u201d he murmured, flicking through a stack of cards in a wooden box.\u00a0 \u201cNo, no, I don\u2019t see any reservation for gentlemen from Nevada, sir.\u00a0 Perhaps you\u2019ve merely mistaken the name of the hotel at which you intended to register.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam graced him with a supercilious smile.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not the one who is mistaken, sir.\u00a0 This is the hotel at which I made reservations, and I expect you to honor them.\u201d<\/p>\n The clerk straightened to his full five feet, seven inches and looked down his nose at the westerners.\u00a0 \u201cSir, as I have said, there is no record of such a reservation, and with the crowds coming to the Centennial Exposition, I simply have no rooms to spare for gentlemen<\/em> such as yourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam?\u201d Joe interrupted with concern, as he began to envision himself spending the night on the street.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all right, Joe.\u00a0 The gentleman<\/em> is simply mistaken,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 He\u2019d noted the disfavor with which the clerk had appraised their simple apparel, as well as the emphasis placed on \u2018gentlemen,\u2019 so he gave the word a similar inflection when he spoke its singular.\u00a0 Suspecting that he knew what lay behind the sudden lack of rooms at the Washington Hotel and feeling certain that it was no mistake, he turned a cool gaze on the clerk as he pulled a thin sheet from his vest pocket, unfolded it and laid it on the counter.\u00a0 \u201cThis, sir, is a registered letter from this hotel, confirming receipt of my reservation and the payment I transferred to secure it.\u00a0 Now, perhaps, if you adjust those spectacles a bit closer to your eyes, you\u2019ll be able to find that reservation card.\u201d<\/p>\n With a shaking hand the clerk reached again for the box and began thumbing through its alphabetically arranged cards.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s see.\u00a0 Cartwright, you said?\u00a0 Why, yes, here it is.\u00a0 I don\u2019t see how I overlooked it.\u00a0 Two rooms with an adjoining parlor, was that correct, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s correct,\u201d Adam said smoothly.\u00a0 \u201cShall I sign the register now?\u201d<\/p>\n The clerk quickly swiveled the guest book and extended an ink pen for Adam\u2019s use.\u00a0 \u201cIf you please, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam signed his name with a flourish.\u00a0 \u201cI trust my brother\u2019s name is also on the reservation card.\u00a0 While I am the financially responsible party, he will undoubtedly be receiving mail.\u201d<\/p>\n The clerk consulted the card in his hand.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Adam and Joseph Cartwright from Nevada.\u00a0 It\u2019s all here, sir.\u00a0 All mail will be held here at the desk, and you may call for it at any time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cNow, may I have the keys?\u00a0 I presume you do have one for each of us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIndeed, yes,\u201d the clerk said, taking two from a rack of hooks behind the desk.\u00a0 \u201cOne for each of you, gentlemen,\u201d he said with no arrogant emphasis on the word this time.\u00a0 \u201cSuite 307.\u00a0 The elevator is to your right.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam handed the clerk his brass claim check.\u00a0 \u201cPlease exchange this for our luggage when it arrives and either send it to the room or inform us of its arrival and we\u2019ll carry it up ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, it will be sent to you, sir, absolutely,\u201d the man insisted.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll see to it personally.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam turned, bending to pick up his carpetbag, but Little Joe, eyes alight with admiration, quickly grabbed it.\u00a0 Resting a hand on his brother\u2019s shoulder, Adam guided him toward the elevator.<\/p>\n Joe balked a moment.\u00a0 \u201cI hate rising rooms,\u201d he muttered.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s three flights up, Joe,\u201d Adam reminded him.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe the exercise would be good for us after all that time sitting on the train, Adam,\u201d he hinted hopefully.<\/p>\n Adam just laughed as he pushed the boy onto the elevator.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t worry.\u00a0 You\u2019ll get plenty of exercise when we visit the Exposition.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure was smart of you, carrying that letter, Adam,\u201d Joe said as the elevator doors closed and the teenager operating it started the car in motion.\u00a0 \u201cThat fellow must be half blind not to have seen our card the first time!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be na\u00efve, little brother,\u201d Adam chided.\u00a0 \u201cA five-dollar gold piece would have cleared his eyesight even more quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean he\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, of course,\u201d Adam stated, reminding himself to be patient with his inexperienced brother.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure rooms are at a premium in Philadelphia this summer and will become even harder to find as the Fourth of July approaches, so an unscrupulous clerk can probably pocket a tidy sum.\u00a0 I just don\u2019t happen to approve of bribery for acceptable service.\u00a0 I do, however, tip for it.\u201d\u00a0 With a suave smile he handed two bits to the elevator operator when the doors opened at their floor.<\/p>\n \u201cYou handled it so smooth, Adam,\u201d Joe said as they walked down the thinly carpeted hallway.\u00a0 \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have known what to do, except maybe punch the guy in the snoot.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam cuffed his brother\u2019s ear.\u00a0 \u201cAll that would have gotten you was a night in jail, little man.\u00a0 As for handling the situation, it\u2019s all a matter of proper record keeping, the same as I do for ranch business.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe beamed with pride as Adam turned the key in the door to their suite.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, you always do a great job of that, too, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam opened the door.\u00a0 \u201cWhy, thank you, Joe.\u201d\u00a0 It was rare that he heard a compliment from his younger brother, and his warm smile showed how much he enjoyed it.<\/p>\n Entering, Joe looked around.\u00a0 The room was simply, but tastefully furnished with an autumn-brown brocade settee and two armchairs, upholstered in a fabric covered with green and gold oak leaves and tawny acorns wearing caps of nut-brown.\u00a0 A reading lamp stood beside each chair, and another sat on a writing table, with a straight-backed wooden chair, nestled in one corner.<\/p>\n Adam cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cI trust it meets with your approval.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Then Joe grinned, realizing how strange he must have looked, standing there, staring silently at the furniture.\u00a0 \u201cOh, yeah, it\u2019s just fine, Adam.\u201d\u00a0 Aware again of the weight at the ends of his arms, he asked, \u201cWhich room do you want your bag in?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat one,\u201d Adam said, pointing to the one on the right.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s eyes sparkled when he saw that Adam had left the room with windows on the street for him.\u00a0 \u201cHey, thanks!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s breath caught in his throat for a moment.\u00a0 Joe obviously thought he was being generous, when the truth was that he personally preferred the quieter room without windows.\u00a0 Thinking it imprudent to confess that to his younger brother, however, he merely said, \u201cYou\u2019re welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n Thinking of what a good brother he had, after all, Joe dropped Adam\u2019s bag in his room first and then carried his own to the other.<\/p>\n By the time they\u2019d unpacked their carpetbags, the other luggage arrived and, at Adam\u2019s insistence, those things, too, were put in their proper places for a long-term stay.\u00a0 \u201cAnd now, my boy, I suggest you have yourself a little nap,\u201d Adam told his brother.<\/p>\n \u201cA nap!\u201d Joe squealed.\u00a0 \u201cHow old do you think I am\u2014five?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Adam drawled with a sly smile.\u00a0 \u201cI just think you act that way.\u00a0 Seriously, Joe, aren\u2019t you tired?\u00a0 I know I am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, yeah,\u201d Joe conceded.\u00a0 \u201cI guess I wouldn\u2019t mind stretching out for a while, but I probably won\u2019t sleep\u2014and don\u2019t go calling it a nap, okay, Adam?\u00a0 Naps are for kids.\u201d<\/p>\n Resisting the temptation to say, \u201cAnd that\u2019s just what you are,\u201d Adam merely nodded and went to his own room.<\/p>\n Little Joe walked over to the window to take in the view.\u00a0 It overlooked Chestnut Street, down which stretched block after block of tall, stately business buildings.\u00a0 Joe couldn\u2019t wait to get shed of Adam and explore them for himself.\u00a0 Guess I\u2019ll have to wait, though<\/em>, he admitted as he dropped onto the edge of his bed to unlace his city shoes.\u00a0 With a gaping yawn he sank into the plump pillow, intending merely to rest his eyes for a few minutes, but he fell into a deep slumber from which he didn\u2019t awaken until Adam roused him to go down to supper.<\/p>\n They ate in the hotel\u2019s dining room at a round table covered in crisp white linen.\u00a0 After perusing the menu, Adam observed, \u201cYou might like to try the pepper pot soup.\u00a0 It\u2019s a Philadelphia specialty, and you probably aren\u2019t any more in the mood for a heavy meal than I am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s in it\u2014besides pepper, that is?\u201d Joe asked with a sassy grin.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a stew of tripe, potatoes, onions and dumplings, seasoned to a delicious spiciness with cayenne pepper,\u201d Adam answered.\u00a0 He laughed at the look on his brother\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cIt really is good, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt would have to be, for me to eat cow innards,\u201d Joe snorted.<\/p>\n \u201cYou mind your language,\u201d Adam said sharply.\u00a0 \u201cThat kind of talk is not appreciated at the table in genteel company.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, who\u2019s in genteel company?\u201d Joe sputtered.<\/p>\n \u201cAll around you,\u201d Adam hissed, leaning forward so his voice would not carry past Joe\u2019s ear.\u00a0 \u201cNow, do you behave or do I escort you back to the room without your supper?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, okay,\u201d Joe appeased quickly, glancing at some of their elegantly dressed fellow diners.\u00a0 \u201cDidn\u2019t mean to embarrass you.\u00a0 Hey, I\u2019ll even eat your old tripe soup if you\u2019ll start actin\u2019 genteel toward me.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam released a couple of short chuckles.\u00a0 \u201cEat what you like, boy.\u00a0 I\u2019ve always thought one of the pleasures of travel was sampling unfamiliar foods, but you\u2019re welcome to choose whatever you fancy.\u201d<\/p>\n Good humor restored, Little Joe decided he would try the pepper pot soup, after all, and although he found the tripe disgustingly chewy, the soup itself was very flavorful.\u00a0 He ordered coleslaw and sliced tomatoes to round out the meal and finished up with a slice of lemon cheesecake, the most expensive dessert on the menu.<\/p>\n After supper Adam escorted his brother on the get-acquainted tour of the city that their father had mandated.\u00a0 Four blocks to the south of their hotel, they entered a five-story brick building with wires running out in all directions and posted a telegram via Western Union to apprise the family back home of their safe arrival.\u00a0 Then, exhausted from the long journey, both boys went straight to bed.\u00a0 Adam fell asleep readily, but Joe, excited over the adventure to begin tomorrow, lay awake a long while, listening to the sounds of traffic coming through his open window.<\/p>\n CHAPTER EIGHT<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThere.\u201d\u00a0 Adam stepped back to admire the expert bow he had just tied in his brother\u2019s gray silk cravat.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s perfect, though I still think you should save this for evening wear.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI want to look my best while I\u2019m shopping,\u201d Joe insisted.\u00a0 \u201cIt makes folks treat you better.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam cocked his head and nodded once.\u00a0 He had to admit that his brother had made an astute observation.\u00a0 Clerks did tend to give more attentive service to someone who appeared to be a man of means, and a customer as young as Little Joe was wise to provide them all the incentive he could muster if he wished to be treated with respect.\u00a0\u00a0 The boy looked positively dapper in his new gray broadcloth suit and burgundy vest, and Adam had no doubt that the handsome lad would turn some pretty heads as he walked down the street.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope you\u2019ll just look today and delay your final purchases until I can be with you,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n The suggestion met almost exactly the response he\u2019d expected, but hoped to avoid.\u00a0 \u201cPa trusts me,\u201d Joe sputtered.\u00a0 \u201cWhy can\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI trust you<\/em>, Joe,\u201d Adam tried to explain, although, in truth, he had some reservations about his brother\u2019s wardrobe wisdom, \u201cbut I don\u2019t necessarily trust those you\u2019ll be dealing with today.\u00a0 Some\u2014like the clerk on duty when we registered, for instance\u2014are more than willing to take advantage of a green kid from the country, and I just don\u2019t want that to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n It was the same argument Adam had advanced back home, and it was no more effective in Philadelphia than it had been at the Ponderosa.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not a kid, and no one\u2019s gonna take advantage of me,\u201d Joe asserted tersely.\u00a0 \u201cI can take care of myself, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh-huh,\u201d Adam drawled.\u00a0 When did I hear that before?\u00a0 Oh, I remember, right before the last time the kid got himself into a scrape I had to get him out of!<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI can, Adam!\u201d Joe insisted.<\/p>\n \u201cAll right, Joe, whatever you say,\u201d Adam sighed.<\/p>\n The Cartwrights made their way to the hotel dining room for breakfast.\u00a0 After placing their orders, Adam laid out a strict itinerary for his young brother.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re to stay on Chestnut Street exclusively today, Joe.\u00a0\u00a0 If you start one block east of here and work your way west, you\u2019ll cover most of the business district within a few blocks.\u00a0 Anything east of that is warehouses, not retail shops, so you don\u2019t need to go there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChestnut isn\u2019t the only street that has clothing stores,\u201d Joe complained.\u00a0 \u201cI should be able to go where I please.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou will stay within the boundaries I set,\u201d Adam emphasized, \u201cand as you well remember, that is Pa\u2019s order, not just mine.\u00a0 You can shop on Market Street tomorrow, but Chestnut, which is the main retail street, anyway, is the limit for you today, boy, and I expect you to adhere to that.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe frowned, but nodded agreement.\u00a0 \u201cYes, sir.\u00a0 Are you going to meet me somewhere for dinner?\u201d<\/p>\n The waiter arrived with their orders, so Adam delayed his answer until they were alone again.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I\u2019m sorry, Joe, but you\u2019ll be completely on your own today.\u00a0 A luncheon is being provided by the convention, so I\u2019ll be dining there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo problem,\u201d Joe said, stretching his palm across the table and doing his best imitation of Adam\u2019s Cheshire-cat smile.<\/p>\n It paled by comparison with the real thing, with which Adam responded.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll be in the area.\u00a0 Come back here to eat and charge it to the room.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grimaced, resenting the curtailment of his freedom of choice, but he shrugged it off as something beyond his control.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, if you grow weary of shopping,\u201d Adam continued as he cut a bite of his veal chop, \u201cyou\u2019re welcome to visit either Washington Square or Independence Square.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, but not both?\u201d Joe asked irritably.<\/p>\n \u201cOr both,\u201d Adam amended.\u00a0 \u201cI showed you how to get to those last night, and either\u2014or both\u2014will make a pleasant place for you to relax this afternoon.\u00a0 The only stipulation I\u2019ll make is that you are not to go inside Independence Hall.\u00a0 I wish to visit it, as well, and the least you can do is wait, so that we can see it together.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe smiled agreeably.\u00a0 \u201cSure, Adam, that\u2019s fine.\u201d\u00a0 He wanted to spend time with his brother and knew that he would enjoy seeing the historic landmark more if he saw it with Adam.\u00a0 Besides, he basically considered himself a guest on Adam\u2019s trip and figured it behooved him, for the most part, to be a good one.\u00a0 \u201cWe will have supper together, though, won\u2019t we?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Adam replied.\u00a0 \u201cI have something rather special planned for tonight, so I want you to meet me at the corner of Eighth and Chestnut at five o\u2019clock.\u00a0 We\u2019ll need to catch a horse car there, so we can get to Fairmount Park in time to board the May Queen<\/em> at 5:30.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA boat?\u201d Joe queried.<\/p>\n Forking a piece of fried egg, Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cA steamer, to take us down the Schuylkill River to the Falls for catfish and coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow wait a minute!\u201d Joe protested, stabbing a sausage-laden fork toward his brother.\u00a0 \u201cWhat if I want something different? You already picked where I\u2019m eating dinner, and now you want to control supper, too?\u00a0 Just because you\u2019re paying for the meals doesn\u2019t mean you get to pick my food for me!\u201d<\/p>\n Although he felt more like plowing a fist into his brother\u2019s face, Adam calmly caught the boy\u2019s wrist and lowered his fork to the plate.\u00a0 \u201cTrust me, all right?\u00a0 Catfish and coffee is all they serve where we\u2019re going, but you won\u2019t be disappointed.\u00a0 Even Hoss wouldn\u2019t be disappointed by what you\u2019ll have put before you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, all right,\u201d Joe muttered, giving in a bit less than gracefully.\u00a0 Is it my imagination or is he rubbing it in my face that he\u2019d rather have Hoss here?<\/em><\/p>\n They finished their breakfasts and left the hotel together.\u00a0 \u201cHave a good day,\u201d Adam said, giving his brother\u2019s back a couple of pats in farewell.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, you, too, Adam,\u201d Joe bubbled, eager to start his solo adventure.\u00a0 \u201cGet all educated on that mining stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll try,\u201d Adam laughed, \u201cand you try to stay out of trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe was sorely tempted to poke his tongue at his exasperating older brother, but since that would be childish, he settled, instead, for what he hoped was a snappy rejoinder.\u00a0 \u201cHey, you, too, Adam!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smiled as he affectionately shook the youngster\u2019s neck. \u201cShould be easy without you around to drag me into any of your shenanigans.\u201d\u00a0 He looked intently into his brother\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cSeriously, Joe, take care of yourself.\u00a0 It\u2019s a big city.\u201d<\/p>\n Though Little Joe did not appreciate what he viewed as a needless admonition, he saw the genuine concern reflected in Adam\u2019s ebony eyes and was touched by it.\u00a0 \u201cI will,\u201d he promised.\u00a0 \u201cSee you at five.\u201d<\/p>\n The two brothers went in opposite directions.\u00a0 Deciding to follow Adam\u2019s instructions to the letter, at least for now, Joe walked exactly one block east down Chestnut Street, where he almost laughed when he saw the business on the corner, Fred Brown\u2019s Drugstore.\u00a0 Probably oughta buy some headache powders<\/em>, he joked with himself, since Adam is bound and determined to give me one!<\/em><\/p>\n He stood on the corner for a few minutes, looking again at the United States Custom House across the street, whose architecture Adam had praised so profusely on their get-acquainted tour of the city the previous night.\u00a0 The white marble structure was, Joe had to admit, fabulous.\u00a0 According to Adam, it was an imitation of the Parthenon in Greece and was what his big brother called \u201cone of the most classic examples of Doric architecture in America,\u201d a phrase meaningless to Joe until Adam pointed out the eight fluted columns as characteristic.<\/p>\n When Little Joe turned to head west, he saw a brunette beauty about his age, walking out of a shop with an older woman, probably her mother.\u00a0 With an appreciative sparkle in his eye, he tipped his gray felt hat to the girl, and she giggled, but smiled pleasantly in response.\u00a0 Her mother, however, deliberately pulled her away from the forward young man.\u00a0 Though he couldn\u2019t hear the lecture the older woman was delivering in the younger one\u2019s ear, Joe was pretty sure it had something to do with the dangers of dallying with strange, albeit dashingly handsome, young men.<\/p>\n With a shrug he put the girl and her provocative bustle out of his mind and entered the store the women had just left, the four-story dry goods emporium of Morgan, Young, Altemus & Co.\u00a0 Stepping through the door, his eyes met a daunting display.\u00a0 While much of what was offered was similar, in type at least, to the goods sold in the general store back home, the mass of merchandise here was so overwhelming that Little Joe didn\u2019t know where to start. His bewilderment must have been evident, for a tall clerk with a brushy mustache appeared at his side to ask if he needed assistance in finding a particular department.<\/p>\n \u201cUm, I was just going to look around,\u201d Joe stammered, the clerk\u2019s discerning appraisal stripping him bare of any pretensions of sophistication.\u00a0 \u201cI-I mean I haven\u2019t been in your store before and just wanted to acquaint myself with it.\u201d\u00a0 Joe shook his head, blushing in self-disgust. \u00a0Buck naked with \u201ccountry boy\u201d scrawled all over my chest!<\/em><\/p>\n Choosing to overlook the well-dressed young man\u2019s evident disconcertment, the clerk gave him a congenial smile.\u00a0 \u201cAh, a visitor to our fair city, in town for the Centennial, perhaps?\u201d<\/p>\n The clerk\u2019s kindly manner putting him at ease, Joe nodded back.\u00a0 \u201cYes, sir, and in need of some\u2014uh,\u201d\u2014he scrambled for a citified way of expressing his need\u2014\u201csome things to complete my wardrobe, so while I do want to look around, it would help if you could tell me where to find that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCertainly, sir,\u201d the clerk replied smoothly.\u00a0 \u201cFeel free to browse all you like.\u00a0 When you\u2019re ready, you\u2019ll find the men\u2019s haberdashery department on the second floor.\u00a0 We\u2019re having a sale on shirts today, if that represents one of the additions you need to make to your traveling wardrobe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir, it does.\u00a0 Thanks a lot!\u201d Joe said, flashing his dazzling smile and thrusting out his hand.<\/p>\n The clerk looked a bit surprised at the gesture of familiarity, but, captivated by the boy\u2019s charm, took the extended hand and gave it a warm shake.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re welcome, young man, and I trust you\u2019ll find what you desire upstairs.\u00a0 Ask for Emil should you require assistance in that department.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will, sir.\u00a0 Thanks,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 He moved around the first floor for a short while, but seeing nothing he needed, he mounted the stairs, grateful that Messrs. Morgan, Young and Altemus had not gone in for the modernized torture chamber folks back home called a rising room.<\/p>\n He intended only to look, saving his purchases until he\u2019d had a chance to compare quality and price elsewhere, but the shirts on sale struck him as stylish and well worth the price.\u00a0 He bought two, one for everyday wear and one of crisp linen, with ruffles down the front placket and around the cuffs, which would go well with evening apparel.\u00a0 Adam had told him they would be attending the theater while in town, so Joe hoped even his mother hen of a brother would agree that the fancy shirt was something he needed.\u00a0 He gave the name of his hotel to Emil, who promised that the package would be delivered that afternoon.<\/p>\n Coming out of the dry goods store, Little Joe next noticed the establishment of Henry A. Dreer.\u00a0 He paused briefly to admire its attractive display windows with baskets of ivy and ferns hanging from their ceilings and over the central entrance to the store, whose sign proclaimed trees, plants and garden tools for sale.\u00a0 Not being in the market for those items, Joe continued west up Chestnut Street.<\/p>\n According to the Philadelphia guidebook, some of the handsomest dry goods, clothing, jewelry and book stores in the city were located in the seven hundred block of Chestnut, and Joe went inside each of them, perusing carefully all that was offered.\u00a0 His only purchase, however, was two new cravats of the style favored by the men he\u2019d seen on the street that morning.\u00a0 Though he felt more comfortable in a simple string tie, Joe also enjoyed dressing up on occasion, and he suspected there might be more opportunities for that here than at home.\u00a0 Too, while reluctant to admit it, he knew Adam was right when he said that Hop Sing\u2019s gift was too dressy for daywear; the additional purchases, in less showy fabric, would enable him to save that for special occasions.<\/p>\n Crossing Eighth Street, Joe noticed another fine building across the street.\u00a0 Although he had no idea what name to give its style of architecture, he found its arched windows and sharp pinnacles impressive.\u00a0 \u201cToo fancy to be a store,\u201d he muttered.\u00a0 \u201cWonder what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the Old Masonic Temple, young man,\u201d a fellow pedestrian stopped long enough to tell him, \u201cin process of being renovated as a hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, sir,\u201d Joe called to the departing figure.\u00a0 He gave the building a nod of approval.\u00a0 Now, that would have been an interesting place to stay!\u00a0 Not that there was anything wrong with the Washington.\u00a0 It just didn\u2019t have the flair of this place or some of the others along Chestnut, especially the Continental, situated just above Ninth Street.\u00a0\u00a0 Well, to be honest, that one didn\u2019t have any particular flair about it, either, but according to the guidebook, its accommodations were the best America had to offer and its dining room the finest in the country.\u00a0 Joe understood why he and Adam were not staying there, since the Continental charged two dollars more per day than their hotel.\u00a0 He felt a moment\u2019s perturbation, however, because he had entertained the idea of sampling that fine food\u2014at Adam\u2019s expense, of course\u2014one of the two days he was on his own.\u00a0 Adam had spoiled that plan by his refusal to hand over the cash Joe had requested, but it was probably too much to expect his older brother to cooperate with the scheme to empty his pockets.<\/p>\n Just above Tenth Street, Little Joe tripped past McCallum, Crease & Sloan\u2019s carpet store and paused to look across the street at Fox\u2019s New American Theater.\u00a0 Wonder if that\u2019s the one Adam plans on us going to<\/em>, Joe pondered.\u00a0 Maybe, since it\u2019s close<\/em>.\u00a0 Unanswerable questions weren\u2019t worth much consideration, however, so he just kept walking westward until he reached Twelfth Street.\u00a0 On its southeast corner was a fine marble building, housing the largest jewelry store in Philadelphia.\u00a0 Joe wandered inside, out of curiosity, and was pleased by the wide selection of cuff links and stickpins.\u00a0 Maybe Pa\u2019d like something on that order for Christmas<\/em>.\u00a0 It was worth thinking about, although the nice ones cost more than Joe thought he could afford to spend without shortchanging others for whom he planned to buy gifts, too.<\/p>\n Leaving Bailey\u2019s Jewelry Store, Joe craned his neck to read the words printed on the pennant flying atop the building.\u00a0 He laughed when he saw \u201cDental Depot\u201d in bold letters and decided it was definitely time to head back to the hotel when dentists started showing up.\u00a0 A glance at his pocket watch revealed that it was later than he\u2019d realized, and just knowing that it was almost two o\u2019clock made his stomach rumble.\u00a0 With a burst of energy, Joe sprinted back to the Washington and almost ran into the dining room\u2014a room virtually empty.<\/p>\n A man clearing dishes from one of the far tables looked up as Joe entered.\u00a0 \u201cDining room closes at two, sir,\u201d he called.<\/p>\n Joe groaned.\u00a0 Bet the Continental stays open all day<\/em>, he groused to himself as he walked to the registration desk, but he knew it was an unfair thought.\u00a0 It was more likely that all the hotels in the area kept the same basic hours.\u00a0 \u201cHave any packages arrived for Joseph Cartwright?\u201d he asked the clerk behind the desk, a different man than the one who had greeted them their first day.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, sir.\u00a0 Were you expecting some?\u201d the clerk asked solicitously.<\/p>\n \u201cSometime this afternoon,\u201d Joe replied.\u00a0 \u201cIt was all right to have them sent here, wasn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCertainly, sir.\u00a0 Shall I inform you when they arrive?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo, don\u2019t bother.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be in and out today, so I\u2019ll just check back again later.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery good, sir.\u201d\u00a0 The clerk turned back to his paperwork.<\/p>\n Little Joe decided to go up to his room for a little while, to rest his weary feet.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t so weary, however, that he was willing to brave that rising room when there was a perfectly good stairway close at hand.\u00a0 He took the steps two at a time and was soon stretched out on the sofa in the suite\u2019s parlor.\u00a0 Lying there with his arms folded behind his neck, he had a sudden inspiration and went in search of the picnic hamper.\u00a0 He found it and, as he\u2019d hoped, two pieces of fruit remained inside.\u00a0 \u201cBless you, Hop Sing,\u201d he chirped, grabbing both the pear and the apple.\u00a0 \u201cUh, and you, too, I guess, big brother,\u201d he added, as he remembered who had bought the fruit in Hop Sing\u2019s basket.\u00a0 Flopping back on the settee, he consumed both pieces down to the core and felt his hunger sufficiently appeased to be ignored.<\/p>\n After relaxing for about an hour, Joe grew bored with lying around the stifling room and decided to pursue the only other option Adam had permitted him, a visit to the nearby public squares.\u00a0 There were actually seven within the bounds of Philadelphia, but the others were further away and probably not much different, in Joe\u2019s opinion.\u00a0 After exchanging his cravat for a more relaxed string tie, he skipped down the stairs and walked the half block that separated the hotel from Independence Hall.\u00a0 Standing on the wide slate sidewalk before the famous building, he admired once more, as both he and Adam had the night before, the white marble statue of George Washington in front of the building.\u00a0 Though tempted to run inside long enough to see the Liberty Bell, Joe decided it would be imprudent to make waves with Adam this early in their adventure, especially over an issue so insignificant as when he saw the bell.<\/p>\n Independence Square lay behind the famous landmark, so Joe walked south on Sixth Street until he came to an entrance.\u00a0 It was marked by a lamppost, with the names of the thirteen original states inscribed on its base and, also, four representations of the Liberty Bell, each surrounded by thirteen stars.\u00a0 Entering the park, he enjoyed the shade of the lofty trees, for the afternoon was growing increasingly warmer, but he walked straight through the grounds, planning to check out Washington Square before deciding where to spend the next couple of hours.<\/p>\n Washington Square lay cater-cornered to the other public park, so Joe dodged carriages and a passing horse car to cross the intersection of Sixth and Walnut and was glad he had when he saw the large trees, which provided even finer shade than those in Independence Square.\u00a0 Spotting a stone fountain with an eagle perched on a globe, Joe took a drink, and then settled on a nearby bench to watch the people passing by.\u00a0 It seemed to him as if all of Philadelphia were on parade, men in straw hats and women in fashionable bonnets, strolling arm in arm or riding in two-wheeled runabouts or stately black family carriages.\u00a0 He took special notice of one flashy dark-blue carriage with both a red and a green stripe running down its side.\u00a0 Wouldn\u2019t the girls\u2019 heads turn if he drove something like that down the streets of Virginia City!\u00a0 Observing the elegant clothes of the men and women on promenade, Joe was forced to admit that Adam had been right.\u00a0 He did need different clothes to fit in with these fancy folk, and he resolved to purchase whatever he needed tomorrow, even if he had to dip into his own funds to do it.\u00a0 He wanted Adam to be proud to be seen with him.<\/p>\n Thoughts of Adam made him consult his watch.\u00a0 Thirty minutes left before he was to meet his brother, but having already missed one deadline that day for lack of attention to the time, Joe decided not to take chances.\u00a0 He started walking up Walnut toward Eighth Street and found himself in a pleasant residential area, the majority of the houses constructed of red brick with white trim and roofs of either tile or slate.\u00a0 There were no front yards, which Joe thought greatly detracted from their beauty, but white steps led to small square porches, most having two benches that faced each other on either side of the front door.\u00a0 The houses were, typically, two stories tall with a dormer window in the attic and a narrow roof over the first floor windows, a style Joe had never seen before.\u00a0 Have to ask Adam what kind of architecture this is<\/em>, he determined.\u00a0 Bet he knows.\u00a0 Seems to know \u2018most everything \u2018bout buildings<\/em>.<\/p>\n Joe arrived at the horse car stop well before five o\u2019clock, but Adam came running up to him just as the streetcar pulled up to the corner.\u00a0 \u201cI was afraid you weren\u2019t going to make it!\u201d Joe exclaimed as he jumped onto the car after his brother.<\/p>\n Adam shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI knew it would be close, but I did have to hoof it to make it here on time. \u00a0Glad to see that you did the same, kid.\u201d<\/p>\n Having had an enjoyable day, Joe was in a good mood and was too excited about the prospective boat trip to take offense at the didactic tone.\u00a0 \u201cI wouldn\u2019t want to miss the last boat, now would I?\u201d he queried with a grin.<\/p>\n Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cActually, there\u2019s one more, but taking that one wouldn\u2019t leave us much time to eat before the final boat back from the Falls.\u201d\u00a0 He noted with amusement Joe\u2019s change of neckwear.\u00a0 \u201cSpill gravy on that fancy silk cravat?\u201d he teased.<\/p>\n \u201cCouldn\u2019t.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t have dinner,\u201d Joe grunted.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, for mercy\u2019s sake!\u201d Adam castigated.\u00a0 \u201cIf that\u2019s your way of pouting because I wouldn\u2019t give you cash\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt isn\u2019t,\u201d Joe countered testily.\u00a0 \u201cI just lost track of the time.\u201d\u00a0 He explained about the restricted dining hours at the hotel.<\/p>\n \u201cI should have thought to warn you about that.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry,\u201d Adam apologized sincerely.\u00a0 \u201cIt just never occurred to me that you\u2019d wait \u2018til after two to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDidn\u2019t mean to,\u201d Joe admitted, \u201cbut there\u2019s so much to see, even on just that one street, Adam, that I plain forgot.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam grinned, thinking how like Joe it was to forget food in his interest over other things, but all he said was, \u201cWell, perhaps that will teach you to take out your pocket watch once in a while.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll I can say, brother, is that this catfish and coffee better be as filling as you said,\u201d Joe teased back, \u201cor we\u2019ll be making a second stop somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot a chance,\u201d Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cI guarantee you\u2019ll be stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey.\u201d<\/p>\n A twenty-five minute ride brought them to the steamboat landing.\u00a0 Jumping off the horse car, Little Joe eagerly scampered down the dock to the waiting boat, calling, \u201cCome on!\u201d as he waved his older brother on.<\/p>\n Making a quick check of his watch, Adam saw that the boat was not scheduled to leave for five minutes, so he slowly sauntered toward the eager youngster.\u00a0 Soon they were steaming down the Schuylkill River, which Adam informed Joe meant \u201chidden river,\u201d a name the Dutch had given the waterway because ships ascending the Delaware couldn\u2019t see the mouth of the other river until reaching its junction.<\/p>\n Leaning on the rail, Joe smiled, not so much because of the information\u2014he\u2019d already read it in the guidebook\u2014but because he enjoyed floating lazily past the rustic scenes along the shore.\u00a0 After a day in the big city, the tree-lined shores of the meandering stream soothed his pastoral yearnings.\u00a0 \u201cThis is nice,\u201d he said softly.\u00a0 \u201cIf I had to live in Philadelphia, I\u2019d come here every day and just . . . breathe.\u201d<\/p>\n Ruffling the boy\u2019s wind-blown curls, Adam laughed lightly.\u00a0 \u201cCan\u2019t you breathe in the city?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe smiled a little shyly.\u00a0 \u201cI guess I don\u2019t put what I mean into words too well.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam slipped an arm around his brother\u2019s shoulders and enjoyed the view with him.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I know what you mean.\u00a0 I prefer open spaces myself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you, Adam?\u201d Joe asked, his voice tinged with a hidden fear.<\/p>\n \u201cSure,\u201d Adam replied, missing the meaning behind his brother\u2019s inflection.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s what I chose, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe nodded, not totally reassured, but not comfortable pursuing a more definitive answer.<\/p>\n The May Queen<\/em> landed at the Falls of the Schuylkill and Adam led the way to the Falls Hotel.\u00a0 The dining room was crowded, but the Cartwright brothers were fortunate enough to get a table by a window overlooking the river.\u00a0 \u201cCatfish and coffee?\u201d the waitress asked as they took their seats.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, please,\u201d Adam said at once.\u00a0 Looking across the table, he noticed the petulant pout on his brother\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cStraighten up,\u201d he dictated, \u201cor you\u2019ll wish you had.\u201d\u00a0 Adopting a more pacifying tone, he added, \u201cYou know, people have been enjoying catfish and coffee here for over a hundred years, Joe.\u00a0 In fact, when Philadelphia was the capital of our country, George Washington himself may very well have dined on what you\u2019re eating tonight.\u00a0 Give it a chance and I doubt you\u2019ll be disappointed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGeorge Washington, huh?\u201d Joe said, trying not to look impressed.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I guess if the father of our country lived through it, I can, too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLive through it,\u201d Adam scoffed.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you quit now before you cough up more words you\u2019ll have to eat?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe wrinkled his nose, but made no further comment\u2014and a good thing, he decided when the heaping platters of food were placed on the table, for, as Adam had said, he already had enough hasty words to chew on.\u00a0 \u201cThis isn\u2019t just catfish,\u201d he sputtered.\u00a0 \u201cWhen did you order all this?\u201d\u00a0 In addition to the fish he had expected, the table was also spread with beefsteak, broiled chicken and waffles.<\/p>\n \u201cYou heard what I ordered,\u201d Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cThis is what comes with catfish and coffee, just a few extras.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA few!\u201d Joe croaked.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, I\u2019ll bust if I eat all this.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam found himself unable to resist saying, \u201cI told you so,\u201d but he kept it light and Joe took it well.<\/p>\n \u201cI was wrong, Adam,\u201d the younger boy said earnestly.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve done real well with your plans so far, and I\u2019m sorry I made such a fuss.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust try to remember that tomorrow, will you, kid?\u201d Adam suggested with that maddening arch of his eyebrow.<\/p>\n Joe struggled to hold onto his temper.\u00a0 He\u2019d admitted he was wrong; he\u2019d even apologized.\u00a0 Why couldn\u2019t Adam have just left it at that?<\/p>\n \u201cHow was your day?\u00a0 Any problems?\u201d Adam asked as he carved his steak.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u00a0 Oh, no, no problems,\u201d Joe assured him, pouring maple syrup on his waffle, which seemed, to him, the best place to start.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd do you have any money left?\u201d Adam teased.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, sure,\u201d Joe said, irritated, but not wanting to spoil the meal.\u00a0 \u201cHow was the convention?\u00a0 You learn anything or did you know it all already?\u201d<\/p>\n It was Adam\u2019s turn to feel irritated.\u00a0 \u201cOf course I don\u2019t \u2018know it all already.\u2019\u00a0 That\u2019s why I came, to learn, as well as to share what I know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, so what did you learn?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t understand much of what we discussed today, Joe, and I don\u2019t want to bore you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not stupid, you know, Adam,\u201d Joe muttered darkly.<\/p>\n \u201cI know that very well,\u201d Adam said, trying to pacify the offended child.\u00a0 \u201cYou have a good mind, when you choose to use it, but you haven\u2019t paid much attention to mining matters, so it\u2019s unlikely you would understand a discussion of its technical problems, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI guess so,\u201d Joe said, cutting off a bite of broiled chicken and forking a piece of waffle to go with it.\u00a0 \u201cThe food\u2019s really good, Adam,\u201d he added in a glaringly obvious attempt to change the subject.<\/p>\n Recognizing the comment for what it was, Adam immediately dropped the discussion of the convention.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m glad you\u2019re enjoying it,\u201d he said simply and was rewarded by his brother\u2019s brighter countenance.<\/p>\n \u201cI am; I really am,\u201d Joe said enthusiastically.\u00a0 With a brilliant smile he popped the chicken and waffle together into his mouth.<\/p>\n The two brothers dallied so long over the hearty meal that they had to race to catch the final boat back to Fairmount Park.\u00a0 From there they took the Ridge Avenue line of horse cars back downtown and walked arm in arm to the Washington Hotel.\u00a0 Joe picked up his two packages at the desk and headed for the stairs.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, what are you doing?\u201d Adam called.\u00a0 \u201cCome take the elevator.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shook his head, grinning.\u00a0 \u201cRace you up,\u201d he challenged.<\/p>\n Adam chuckled, shaking his head as the boy took off.\u00a0 Where did the kid find all that energy at the end of a long day?\u00a0 He rode the elevator up and was not surprised to find Joe waiting for him at the door to their room.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, you really should get over that foolish fear you have of heights,\u201d he scolded.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not scared,\u201d Joe insisted.\u00a0 \u201cI just don\u2019t like rising rooms.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh-huh,\u201d Adam said as he opened the door.\u00a0 Once inside, he looked at the packages in Joe\u2019s hands.\u00a0 \u201cShow me what you bought,\u201d he directed in a voice that came across more authoritatively than he intended.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s none of your business what I bought,\u201d Joe snapped.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, for mercy\u2019s sake!\u201d Adam fumed.\u00a0 \u201cAre you so afraid you spent your money unwisely that you can\u2019t even let me see the things?\u00a0 It rather misses the point of buying new clothes if you have to hide them!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe sat on the settee and began to unwrap the packages.\u00a0 \u201cI think I did fine,\u201d he said, his voice carrying a trace of nervousness, \u201cbut you\u2019ll probably find fault, no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll try to judge fairly,\u201d Adam said, gaining control of his own temper, which no one could trigger as easily as Joe.<\/p>\n Joe showed him the cravats first.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, those are more practical than what you wore this morning,\u201d Adam observed.\u00a0 \u201cHow much\u2014never mind; I won\u2019t ask.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood, \u2018cause I ain\u2019t tellin\u2019,\u201d Joe declared firmly.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s my money, not yours.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAgreed,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n Joe unwrapped the other package and handed it to his brother.\u00a0 \u201cI think you\u2019ll approve of this one,\u201d he said, pointing to the ruffled shirt.\u00a0 \u201cI figured I might need something dressier for the theater and such places.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, you do, and this looks fine, Joe,\u201d Adam praised.\u00a0 \u201cExcellent quality if the price wasn\u2019t too steep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was on sale,\u201d Joe told him eagerly and, disregarding his adamant announcement of a few moments before, he quoted the price.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is a good buy,\u201d Adam agreed.\u00a0 \u201cIn fact, if you wouldn\u2019t mind, I\u2019d like you to pick up a similar shirt in my size tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe was so pleased by the unexpected praise that he bubbled over with cooperative spirit.\u00a0 \u201cSure, Adam, I\u2019d be glad to.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam rolled his shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I\u2019m for bed.\u00a0 It\u2019s been a long day, with another ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Joe agreed.<\/p>\n Saying good night to each other, the brothers turned in, each pleased with the way his first day in Philadelphia had gone.<\/p>\n CHAPTER NINE<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Having finished his breakfast, Adam patted his mouth with his linen napkin and laid it aside.\u00a0 \u201cNow, are you certain you understand your boundaries for the day?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Joe rolled his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cMarket Street, from Sixth westward, and anyplace on Chestnut I care to revisit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery good, my boy,\u201d Adam chuckled, \u201cand do try to remember to eat dinner today.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe laughed, pushing back his breakfast plate.\u00a0 \u201cNo fear of that, big brother!\u00a0 I have learned my lesson: I\u2019ll be here at straight up noon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s another luncheon for the convention guests today, with special speakers this time, so it will be somewhat lengthy,\u201d Adam explained, \u201cbut I\u2019ll be free after that.\u00a0 Meet me in the room at two o\u2019clock sharp, and we\u2019ll make a short excursion together.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere to?\u201d Joe asked, smiling flirtatiously at the waitress pouring him a second cup of coffee.<\/p>\n Adam held his hand over the rim of his coffee cup to signify that he wanted no more. \u201cJust a brief visit to the Exposition.\u00a0 I want to check in at several of the State houses.\u00a0 They\u2019re supposed to have books in each, where I can register the dates we\u2019ll be in town and where we\u2019re staying, in case friends are here at the same time and want to arrange a meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo that\u2019s all we\u2019ll be doing, just signing a couple of register books?\u201d\u00a0 Joe frowned.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d just as soon stay downtown and do some more shopping or sightseeing, Adam.\u00a0 None of my friends will be lookin\u2019 me up!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I realize that won\u2019t interest you much,\u201d Adam replied, \u201cbut I also thought we might make a trip around the grounds on the West End Railway\u2014if you think you can stand the sight of another train.\u00a0 It\u2019s only four miles long and will give us a good feel for the \u2018lay of the land,\u2019 so to speak.\u201d<\/p>\n The joke brought a good-natured grin to Joe\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cI can probably survive a train trip that short,\u201d he jibed back, \u201cbut I ain\u2019t makin\u2019 no guarantees, Adam.\u00a0 \u2018Course now, if I could have the window seat this time . . .\u201d<\/p>\n Adam put his head back and laughed.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re all window seats, Joe; they\u2019re open, like observation cars.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u00a0 Well, that\u2019s good,\u201d Joe said with a sheepish shrug.<\/p>\n Adam stood and pushed his chair under the table.\u00a0 \u201cHave a good day, kid\u2014and don\u2019t be late.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, yeah, two o\u2019clock.\u00a0 I remember,\u201d Joe muttered.\u00a0 Honestly, sometimes Adam acts like I don\u2019t have a brain in my head!<\/em><\/p>\n Per Adam\u2019s instructions, Little Joe trotted one block north to Market Street and then turned south into the six hundred block.\u00a0 His first stop was a store called Garden and Co., whose merchandise had nothing to do with gardens, Joe noted with amusement.\u00a0 It was, in fact, a stylish haberdashery, where he bought himself a jaunty-looking braided straw hat with a flat brim, such as he had seen many gentlemen wearing while in the company of lovely ladies the previous afternoon.\u00a0 In another department of the same store, he purchased a pair of soft kid gloves for eveningwear.\u00a0 At the suggestion of the helpful clerk, he wore the straw hat and arranged for his gray felt and the gloves to be delivered to the Washington Hotel.\u00a0 Stepping onto the street once more, he fancied himself quite a dashing young dude, dressed to dazzle all the lovelies of Philadelphia with his new sartorial splendor.<\/p>\n A bit further east Little Joe entered John Wanamaker & Brown Co., the premier department store in the city.\u00a0 Though he hadn\u2019t bothered to tell Adam, he had asked the family tailor, Elias Barton, to suggest the best place to purchase suits in Philadelphia.\u00a0 While disappointed at not getting all of the Cartwright boy\u2019s business himself, Mr. Barton had readily recommended Wanamaker & Brown.\u00a0 Joe left there the proud owner of two new suits, one a lightweight nutmeg broadcloth and the other a formal black, suitable for nights at the theater.\u00a0 Both were promised within the week, and Joe urged the tailor to complete the formal suit first, hoping it would be ready by the time Adam chose to attend a theater.\u00a0 The money his father had allocated for clothing now spent, Joe turned his attention to gifts for others.\u00a0 He looked around the department store for a birthday gift for Hoss, but nothing struck him as just right for his beloved brother, so he left and made his way to the next place of business on Market Street.<\/p>\n While bookstores ordinarily didn\u2019t draw his attention, Joe decided that today might be his best chance to buy a Christmas gift for Adam without trying to hide the purchase while its recipient stood right at his shoulder.\u00a0 And what could be more perfect for Adam than a book?\u00a0\u00a0 Joe strolled into Claxton, Remsen and Haffelfinger in hopes of finding something his oldest brother would really like.\u00a0 The building was five stories tall, but Joe quickly learned that only the first floor dealt with retail sales, the others being devoted to the business of publishing.<\/p>\n Adam was always hard to buy for, at least in Little Joe\u2019s opinion.\u00a0 Quickly bypassing anything that he himself would find interesting, he considered a book called simply Studies in Literature<\/em>, which looked boring enough to capture Adam\u2019s stodgy imagination, with its sketches of the lives of authors Joe had never heard of.\u00a0 He passed on that, however, when his eye fell on what he was certain would be the ideal present for his studious brother.\u00a0\u00a0 The Civil Engineer\u2019s Pocket Book<\/em> was a costly gift at five dollars a copy, but it was, after all, six hundred and forty-eight pages long and bound in expensive Morocco with gilt edges.\u00a0 Adam would appreciate its value, as well as enjoying its technical content, and Joe was quite certain that \u201cthe Plato of the Ponderosa\u201d had nothing like it at home.\u00a0 Hopefully, Adam wouldn\u2019t buy anything similar while he was here in Philadelphia, either.\u00a0 That was the biggest problem with buying gifts for Adam.\u00a0 While Joe had to admit that his oldest brother earned the higher wage Pa paid him, it meant that Adam could buy for himself almost anything he really wanted, and that made it hard for Joe, with his more meager means, to buy his brother something he\u2019d like.\u00a0 Little Joe was sure he\u2019d found a winner this time, though.<\/p>\n He hadn\u2019t expected to find anything for Hoss at the bookstore, but when he spotted a volume entitled The <\/em>Grey<\/em> Bay<\/em> Mare, and other Humorous American Sketches<\/em> by Henry P. Leland, he decided to buy it.\u00a0 Hoss wasn\u2019t much of a reader, except when winter kept him housebound, but Joe thought his animal-loving big brother would like this one, and it only cost a dollar and a half.\u00a0 Although Hoss had a birthday coming up, Joe decided to set this gift back for Christmas, as well, when Hoss would be more likely to enjoy it.\u00a0 On learning that the bookstore charged extra for delivery, Joe took the books with him.\u00a0 It was nearing dinnertime anyway, so returning to the hotel was no problem.\u00a0 Better this way, too, <\/em>Joe concluded, so I\u2019ll have a chance to hide it before Mr. Busybody sees the package and demands to know what\u2019s in it!<\/em><\/p>\n He walked the two blocks to the Washington Hotel and scampered up two flights of stairs.\u00a0 Secreting the books in the bottom drawer of his bureau, he ran downstairs to the dining room, having missed his goal of straight up noon by about thirty minutes, but still arriving in plenty of time to be served.\u00a0 Not knowing what Adam had planned for supper, he decided to eat heartily and ordered a New England boiled dinner of corned beef, carrots, potatoes, turnips, cabbage and squash.\u00a0 Since no opportunity to run up Adam\u2019s bill should be neglected, he added brown betty, a pudding of apples and breadcrumbs, for dessert.<\/p>\n Leaving the hotel, Joe stood on the corner for a moment or two, pondering which direction to take.\u00a0 He\u2019d really had his fill of shopping, especially now that Pa\u2019s gift money had been spent, so the thought of more stores didn\u2019t entice him.\u00a0 Nor did another visit to the same public squares he\u2019d seen yesterday.\u00a0 Sure, they were pleasant places to relax, but he wasn\u2019t feeling particularly tired and, besides, he preferred new sights.\u00a0 Trouble was, there weren\u2019t any new sights within the area to which Adam\u2014with complete unfairness, as far as Joe was concerned\u2014had restricted him.<\/p>\n Only a few blocks east lay the Delaware River, one of the two waterways that encompassed Philadelphia, and Joe decided he might as well have a look at that.\u00a0 Sure, it meant breaching the bounds his brother had set, but not by much.\u00a0 He could stay on Chestnut Street, in fact, so there was no danger of his becoming \u201cdisoriented,\u201d as Adam had put it.\u00a0 He took off in that direction and counted himself fortunate that the sight of Morgan, Young, Altemus & Co. reminded him of his promise to buy a dress shirt for his brother.\u00a0 Adam had given him the money for that this morning, and Joe knew he would be in for another stern lecture on responsibility if he failed to fulfill the commission.<\/p>\n Purchase made and information given for its delivery to the hotel, Joe was ready for his exploration of the river.\u00a0 He took his time, looking at the other businesses along the street as he passed.\u00a0 They were mostly warehouses, as Adam had said, so he stopped at none of them and soon found himself at the Chestnut Street Wharf on the Delaware.\u00a0 This was a passenger wharf, and as Little Joe watched people getting on and off the steamers, he wondered where they might be heading, just across the river into New Jersey or perhaps as far as Boston or New York, where they could make connections for Europe.\u00a0 In his imagination Joe sailed along with those travelers, and then his mind reached further back and he was sailing the Atlantic alongside First Mate Ben Cartwright, seeing all the places his father had described to him and, of course, meeting adventure and beautiful women in every port.<\/p>\n The blast of a steam whistle disrupted his dreams, and Joe finally thought to take out his pocket watch to check the time.\u00a0 It was precisely two minutes past two o\u2019clock.\u00a0 \u201cOh, I\u2019m in for it,\u201d he yelped and started running up Chestnut Street, hoping against hope that his older brother\u2019s luncheon had lasted longer than expected.<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s luncheon had, in fact, ended at 1:30, and as he walked back to the Washington Hotel, he was feeling a fine sense of satisfaction.\u00a0 The convention had afforded the opportunity for an informative exchange of ideas, and he was looking forward to discussing the latest innovations with his friend Jim McKay, superintendent of the Consolidated Virginia mine, when he returned to Nevada.\u00a0 He\u2019d participated himself in the discussion of hydraulic mining and felt he\u2019d given convincing testimony of its devastating effect on the environment.<\/p>\n Warm with the respect of his peers, Adam arrived at the hotel about ten \u2018til two and was not at all surprised to find the room empty.\u00a0 Trust Joe to squeeze the last minute out of any time allotted!\u00a0 When two o\u2019clock came and his young brother still had not appeared, Adam\u2019s mood began to darken, and by the time Joe showed up, twenty minutes late, the older brother was belching steam blacker than any boat the younger had seen at the wharf.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s straw hat had blown off, and chasing it down had wasted more precious minutes, so it was with dread that he eased the door to the room open.\u00a0 His countenance fell as soon as he saw his brother\u2019s livid expression.\u00a0 \u201cHi, Adam.\u00a0 How was the meeting?\u201d he asked edgily.\u00a0 \u201cDid they feed you good?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere have you been?\u201d Adam roared.<\/p>\n Joe jumped back a step.\u00a0 \u201cOn Market and Chestnut, that\u2019s all, Adam.\u00a0 I-I lost track of the time again.\u00a0 I\u2019m real sorry, but the boats got me to dreaming and\u201d\u2014he moaned, realizing the words were a dead giveaway to his transgression.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat boats?\u201d Adam growled.\u00a0 \u201cThere aren\u2019t any boats within the boundaries I set for you, boy!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, for crying out loud, Adam,\u201d Joe protested.\u00a0 \u201cI just went down to the Chestnut Street Wharf.\u00a0 I know it\u2019s further east than you said I could go, but\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou deliberately disobeyed,\u201d Adam snapped, \u201cnot only me, but Pa!\u00a0 You were told where you were allowed to be, but could you keep to a few simple rules?\u00a0 No, not you!\u00a0 You\u2019ve got to exalt your judgment over that of your elders and traipse off on your own, no matter what the risks!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo what?\u201d Joe demanded, bristling like a porcupine under attack.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t get lost; I didn\u2019t get in trouble.\u00a0 Why should you care what I do with my free time as long as that\u2019s true?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat if something had happened to you?\u201d Adam argued, flailing his arms passionately.\u00a0 \u201cWhere would I even begin to look in a city of eight hundred thousand people if you\u2019re not where you\u2019re supposed to be?\u00a0 Have a little consideration for something besides your own pleasure, boy!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe folded his arms across his chest and stared at his brother, his eyes as hard and sharply faceted as the emeralds they resembled.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, Adam, sometimes you can be worse than Pa!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam snorted.\u00a0 \u201cPa is much too easy on you.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s gaze rolled toward the ceiling.\u00a0 \u201cOh, boy, where have I heard that before?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam grabbed hold of his brother\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not sure you ever hear anything that\u2019s said to you, but you are going to hear this: do not flout my authority again, boy, or you will live to regret it!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe tried to squirm free, but Adam only tightened his grip.\u00a0 \u201cEase up, Adam,\u201d Joe pleaded.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t mean any harm.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, you never do,\u201d Adam scolded, still hot.\u00a0 \u201cYou just waltz on your merry way without a thought for anyone else\u2019s plans\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou want to get to that exhibition or just stand here dressing me down the rest of the afternoon?\u201d Joe retorted.<\/p>\n \u201cOr whether they might be worried,\u201d Adam ranted on, ignoring his younger brother\u2019s interruption.<\/p>\n Joe finally managed to jerk his arm free.\u00a0 \u201cAll right, Adam, I\u2019m sorry!\u00a0 I didn\u2019t mean to worry you.\u00a0 I just lost track of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam barely controlled his urge to slap the boy\u2019s exasperating face.\u00a0 How could the little fool so entirely miss the point?\u00a0 But, then, he always did.\u00a0 \u201cOh, you\u2019re hopeless,\u201d Adam growled.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n By the time they caught a horse car for Fairmount Park, Little Joe was beginning to see the incident from his brother\u2019s viewpoint, and his apologies took on a more sincere tone.\u00a0 Adam, however, made no response, choosing to let the kid stew in the juices of his contrition, in hopes that the broth would simmer into a more palatable spirit of submission.\u00a0 Probably a futile hope, in Joe\u2019s case, but a better alternative, or, at least, one more reportable to their father, than smashing his fist into the kid\u2019s jaw.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d Joe asked when Adam had them transfer from the Eighth Street cars to the Race and Vine line.\u00a0 \u201cThe streetcar we were on goes out to Fairmount.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMust you question every decision I make?\u201d Adam muttered gruffly.\u00a0 Then, realizing that the query was a perfectly reasonable request for information, he replied, \u201cWe\u2019re going to the opposite end of the park from where we were last night, Joe, and this will deposit us at that entrance.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s more than one?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, Joe,\u201d Adam chided.\u00a0 \u201cI know that was in the articles you read in Manufacturer and Builder<\/em>.”<\/p>\n \u201cOh, yeah, you\u2019re right,\u201d Joe admitted with an embarrassed crinkle of his nose.\u00a0 \u201cLet me think a minute.\u00a0 Thirteen entrances, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just figured we\u2019d be using the main one,\u201d Joe said, \u201cso I didn\u2019t pay much heed to the others.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe will most of the time,\u201d Adam explained, \u201cbut the far west entrance leads more directly to the area I plan to visit today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Joe laughed, trying to jolly his brother into a better mood.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t care which gate I walk through.\u201d<\/p>\n But Adam was not quite ready to let the worm wriggle off the hook.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t care about a good many things,\u201d he observed dryly, \u201cincluding following instructions.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe slumped.\u00a0 His big brother could hold onto a grudge longer than anyone he knew.<\/p>\n The streetcar dropped them at the westernmost Elm Street entrance, marked by a flagstaff on either side, as were all the entrances to the Centennial grounds.\u00a0 Adam led the way through the gate labeled \u201cVisitors,\u201d paying fifty cents each for two paper tokens, which he presented to the keeper at the turnstile.\u00a0 Then they followed the slanting path that led to a second turnstile ten feet away.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a safety feature,\u201d Adam observed, \u201cso the security officers can easily pull from the line anyone creating a disturbance.\u201d\u00a0 He pointed to a small building just to the right as they passed through the second gateway.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s one of the Centennial Guard stations close at hand, so I suggest you stay out of trouble unless you want a personal tour of that facility.\u201d<\/p>\n Seeing the twitch of Adam\u2019s lips, Joe felt relieved.\u00a0 While he didn\u2019t enjoy being ribbed, at least the teasing indicated that Adam was beginning to get over his fit of anger.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I\u2019ll\u2014uh\u2014do that,\u201d he said, flashing a genuine smile when his older brother chuckled and drew him into a one-armed embrace.<\/p>\n They passed another small building, this one belonging to Gillander and Son Glass Factory, but didn\u2019t go inside, as today\u2019s visit was only a get-acquainted tour of the grounds.\u00a0 Continuing east up Fountain Avenue, the Cartwright brothers came to one of the two structures that gave the broad boulevard its name.\u00a0 The granite platform of the Catholic Total Abstinence Fountain was in the form of a Maltese cross, with steps ascending toward it from all directions.\u00a0 From the center of a circular basin forty feet across, rose a massive rock topped by a gigantic statue of Moses, holding in one outstretched arm the Ten Commandments.\u00a0 In the other hand the prophet held the rod with which he had just struck the rock, sending several streams gushing into the basin below.<\/p>\n At each of the four points of the cross, stood a white marble pedestal, topped by a nine-foot statue of a Catholic leader of either the temperance movement or the Revolutionary War, and at its base was a drinking fountain.\u00a0 Adam and Joe approached the fountain below the statue of Commodore John Barry, known as the father of the American Navy, and cupped their hands beneath the stream of water spewing from a lion\u2019s mouth.\u00a0 There was one like it on each of the pedestal\u2019s four sides, and the water, cooled by flowing over a large block of ice, was refreshing on a hot afternoon.<\/p>\n Following a broad loop that curved north, the brothers passed between a number of State houses, each different in its architecture.\u00a0 While Adam could have studied each at length, he realized that such an attentive perusal would hold no interest for his younger brother; therefore, he simply paused briefly in front of each, to note its general structure.\u00a0 When he came to the Japanese government building, however, he leaned against the fence, along with crowds of other Americans, to examine the exotic structure of the low, two-storied, wooden building, roofed in black tiles of ornamental shape.<\/p>\n Standing beside his brother, Joe, too, stared in fascination at the movable panels that formed the sides of the building and the intricately carved timbers over its entrances.<\/p>\n \u201cWould you believe it, Joe?\u201d Adam shared, clearly in awe.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s not a single nail in the entire structure.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, there must be, Adam,\u201d Joe scoffed.\u00a0 \u201cWhat would hold it together?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam pointed to one of the corners.\u00a0 \u201cSee there?\u00a0 It\u2019s mortised and dovetailed together so tightly it doesn\u2019t need nails.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDoes look tight,\u201d Joe admitted.\u00a0 He pointed toward the garden outside the dwelling for the officials Japan had sent to the Centennial.\u00a0 \u201cWhat makes those trees so small, huh?\u00a0 They got some special way of keepin\u2019 \u2018em little or is the climate so bad where they come from that they can\u2019t grow tall?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cNo, it\u2019s deliberate, Joe.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure precisely how it\u2019s done, but I\u2019ve read about dwarfing trees and shrubs for ornamental purposes.\u00a0 That must be what they\u2019ve done here.\u201d\u00a0 He drew in a deep breath of the grape-scented fragrance wafting from the lavender flowers of an attractive green vine covering the bowers in the Japanese garden.\u00a0 Just as he was wondering what the unfamiliar plant might be, he overheard a woman with a distinct southern drawl telling her male companion that she absolutely had to have some of that sweet-smelling kudzu for their bower back home.\u00a0 The gentleman, evidently her husband, remarked that he couldn\u2019t be sure the vine would find their Georgia climate compatible, but he was willing to make the experiment.\u00a0 Adam pondered for a moment whether kudzu might thrive in the Nevada foothills, for it certainly would look beautiful growing up the posts of the porch and over the roof.\u00a0 He\u2019d have to check into that while he was here.\u00a0 Sensing his younger brother\u2019s boredom, however, Adam set the idea aside for later consideration, took Joe\u2019s arm and moved around the loop to the northeast.<\/p>\n Little Joe pointed to a building atop an elevation known as George\u2019s Hill.\u00a0 \u201cHey, look, it\u2019s a restaurant!\u00a0 Can we give it a try?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow?\u201d Adam asked, arching an eyebrow.\u00a0 He frowned.\u00a0 \u201cYou didn\u2019t miss your dinner again, did you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, of course not,\u201d Joe declared.\u00a0 \u201cI had a real fine dinner, but I wouldn\u2019t mind having a piece of pie\u2014just to tide me over \u2018til supper.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam started to laugh, but realized that he, too, was feeling a little hungry, despite the filling luncheon provided by the convention.\u00a0 \u201cOh, I guess we could,\u201d he conceded and started up the flower-dotted hill.<\/p>\n Since he\u2019d thought his brother was still irked with him, Joe had not really expected a positive response and had to trot to catch up with Adam.\u00a0 \u201cHey, thanks!\u201d he exclaimed, beaming happily.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe I\u2019ll get lucky and you\u2019ll want to skip supper after this,\u201d Adam chuckled.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I wouldn\u2019t count on it,\u201d Joe joked.\u00a0 \u201cWalking all over the city works up a fellow\u2019s appetite, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam caught him by the scruff of the neck.\u00a0 \u201cYou weren\u2019t supposed to walk \u2018all over the city,\u2019 remember?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe looked away.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry about that, Adam, honest.\u00a0 I hope my tardiness doesn\u2019t keep you from doing all you planned.\u00a0 I-I mean, I know this is extra, so if you\u2019d rather not stop here, I can make do without the pie.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt sounds good to me, too,\u201d Adam admitted with a smile, \u201cand a piece of pie shouldn\u2019t take too long.\u201d<\/p>\n Since it was mid-afternoon, the restaurant was not crowded.\u00a0 The Cartwright brothers quickly found a table, and both ordered a slice of cherry pie, Adam because he particularly liked that flavor and Joe, as he put it, \u201cin honor of George Washington.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s an old folk tale, you know,\u201d Adam commented drolly.\u00a0 \u201cWashington never did chop down a cherry tree when he was a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI cannot tell a lie,\u201d Little Joe jibed, quoting the youthful future President\u2019s supposed words.\u00a0 \u201cI like the story, even if it isn\u2019t true.\u00a0 Teaches kids a good lesson.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSome kids, maybe,\u201d Adam said dryly with a significant look across the table.\u00a0 \u201cOthers never seem to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw, come on, I was never much of a liar,\u201d Little Joe protested.<\/p>\n \u201cNot for lack of trying,\u201d Adam chortled.\u00a0 \u201cYou just have a face that gives you away every time, little buddy.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe, too, laughed, knowing his brother\u2019s evaluation was correct.\u00a0 When he was younger, he\u2019d wondered why Pa always seemed to know when he was fibbing.\u00a0 Now he knew he was his own worst tattletale, but he hadn\u2019t yet figured out how to mask his emotions.\u00a0 What he felt showed, and at times that weakness, as he perceived it, was decidedly inconvenient.<\/p>\n The pie arrived and was quickly consumed, and the Cartwright brothers were on their way to the next building, a large wooden pavilion shared by California and Nevada, with striped awnings over each window.\u00a0 They entered a striking hall, its pillars finished in imitation of the native woods of the Pacific coast, and made a brief tour of the agricultural and mineral resources of the two states.\u00a0 Then Adam signed the register book, noting his temporary residence at the Washington Hotel.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you sign this one, too, Joe?\u201d he suggested.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s possible some of your friends might visit the Centennial.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNaw, anybody from home would have told me they were coming, \u2018cause I been talkin\u2019 this trip up for months, and the people I know in California are probably more your friends than mine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose so,\u201d Adam agreed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not really expecting anyone from the western states to look us up, anyway.\u00a0 I am hoping some of my eastern friends will be in town for the Fourth, though, so I plan to register at the New York and Connecticut State houses.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe cocked his head and gazed quizzically at his older brother.\u00a0 \u201cI understand Connecticut, but why New York?\u00a0 You never lived there, that I know of.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam stared back at Joe.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, I did.\u00a0 Just during summers, of course, but that\u2019s where I got my practical architectural training, on the job with one of the finest firms in New York City.\u00a0 Surely, Pa told you that, if I didn\u2019t do so myself.\u201d\u00a0 Because of Joe\u2019s youth during those college days, Adam had kept his letters to the boy short and simple, but while he had no clear memory of any particular letter, he thought he had surely conveyed information as basic as his whereabouts.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe,\u201d Joe conceded, \u201cbut all I remember is that you wouldn\u2019t come home, even when summer came.\u00a0 I remember when school let out for Hoss that first year, I kept expecting you every day\u2014until Pa finally told me you just weren\u2019t coming.\u201d<\/p>\n Sensing the pain the young Joe must have felt long ago, Adam laid his hand on his brother\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, I couldn\u2019t,\u201d he explained gently.\u00a0 \u201cI only had two months between terms, and transportation then wasn\u2019t what it is now.\u00a0 I\u2019d have spent three quarters of that time just traveling back and forth, and money was a lot tighter in those days than it is now, too.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want Pa spending money he could ill afford, just for the pleasure of a couple of weeks at home, so it made more sense to stay back here and work during the summers, to help pay my way through college.\u201d<\/p>\n Embarrassed that his treacherous emotions had once again betrayed him, Joe shifted out from under Adam\u2019s hand.\u00a0 \u201cWell, at least, now I know why you want to sign up at the New York house.\u00a0 Best get to it, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEspecially since it\u2019s just next door,\u201d Adam quipped, to lighten the atmosphere for both their sakes.\u00a0 Though he generally kept his emotions in better control than Joe, he found himself just as uncomfortable with their expression as did his younger brother\u2014or, to be perfectly honest, more so.<\/p>\n New York\u2019s offices were housed in a light-colored, two-story cottage, surrounded by a wide verandah, studded with pillars and with a central tower rising from the front of the roof.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll just register and be on our way,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n \u201cTo Connecticut,\u201d Joe chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cKind of feels like we\u2019re touring the whole country this afternoon, Adam!\u201d<\/p>\n Again Adam draped an affectionate arm about his brother\u2019s slim shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cLittle buddy, by the time we finish seeing this exposition, you\u2019re going to feel like you\u2019ve toured the entire world!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned, figuring that this was probably the closest he\u2019d ever come to making a world tour.\u00a0 He intended to make the most of it.<\/p>\n While the Connecticut building was also a two-story cottage, it bore no resemblance to the highly ornamented New York facility.\u00a0 Smaller than the New York house, this one was intended to represent a colonial homestead of one hundred years ago and was exactly forty-feet square with a front composed of octagonal shingles, timber and plaster.\u00a0 Adam and Joe stepped onto the wooden porch and passed through a door divided horizontally in the middle.\u00a0 As they entered a room finished with wood smoke-stained to make it appear aged, their eyes were drawn to the old-style fireplace opposite the front door.\u00a0 Picture tiles surrounded the red brick and brownstone hearth, and above it sat a wooden mantelpiece with two shelves, supported by heavy brackets and showcasing old brass and crockery.\u00a0 A spinning wheel stood in the chimney corner, with an old clock opposite it, and even the walls were adorned with arms and relics of Revolutionary days.\u00a0 Furniture such as the antique sideboard contrasted with the more modern melodeon also exhibited behind a railed gallery that surrounded the front and sides.<\/p>\n Adam had just finished signing the register book when he spotted a man coming from an office at the back of the reception room.\u00a0 Gazing intently at the man\u2019s features, Adam suddenly smiled and moved toward him.\u00a0 \u201cSaul Breckenridge, isn\u2019t it?\u201d he asked, extending his hand.<\/p>\n The man paused, examined the face before him and broke into a wide smile.\u00a0 \u201cLieutenant Cartwright!\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe, who had been casually studying a Revolutionary musket, spun at the sound of the title and saw a solidly built man enthusiastically pumping his brother\u2019s hand.\u00a0 Hurriedly, he stepped toward the man, who sported a bushy set of rust-colored sideburns, which extended down the sides of his cheek below the level of his chin and met a mustache above his upper lip.\u00a0 \u201cDid you know him in the war?\u201d Joe eagerly asked the stranger.<\/p>\n Adam cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cSaul, I\u2019d like to introduce my brother Joseph,\u201d he said, speaking with assiduous courtesy. \u00a0\u201cJoe, this is an old friend, Mr. Saul Breckenridge of New Haven, Connecticut.\u201d<\/p>\n Reading Adam\u2019s look of mild disapproval as a reminder to watch his manners, Joe extended his hand to his brother\u2019s friend.\u00a0 \u201cPleased to meet you, sir.\u201d\u00a0 He leaned closer to whisper.\u00a0 \u201cSo did you know him in the war?\u201d\u00a0 Quavering under Adam\u2019s darkening visage, he stammered, \u201cI-I mean you called him Lieutenant, so I thought, maybe . . .\u201d<\/p>\n Adam worked his mouth and then cocked his head to regard the other man.\u00a0 \u201cDid I mention that he\u2019s my younger brother?\u201d he asked airily.\u00a0 \u201cMy much younger and hopelessly ill-mannered brother.\u201d<\/p>\n Blue eyes twinkling beneath thick auburn eyebrows, Saul Breckenridge laughed heartily.\u00a0 \u201cNo need,\u201d he jibed.\u00a0 \u201cNo man with one of his own could fail to notice the unmistakable marks of the breed.\u201d\u00a0 Seeing Little Joe\u2019s quick flush, he clapped the young man on the shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cTo answer your question, young fellow, I did, indeed, have the pleasure of serving as sergeant under Lieutenant Cartwright during the War of Rebellion.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe tossed an impish grin toward his brother.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I don\u2019t want to question your judgment, sir, but I\u2019ve been following this slave driver\u2019s orders for years, and I sure never thought of it as a pleasure.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s because you don\u2019t actually follow orders,\u201d Adam observed wryly.\u00a0 \u201cYou spend all your energy trying to get around them.\u201d<\/p>\n When Joe\u2019s complexion deepened to crimson at the reference to his earlier transgression, Breckenridge guffawed, his voice booming through the small room.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d forgotten that dry wit of yours, sir.\u00a0 Definitely a pleasure to hear it again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not \u2018sir,\u2019 now,\u201d Adam insisted.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m just plain Adam Cartwright, civilian, now, and I\u2019d be pleased if you called me by my first name.\u00a0 So, are you visiting the Centennial or are you here in a more official capacity?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlways an astute observer,\u201d Saul chuckled, \u201cjust as I remember you.\u00a0 Yes, that\u2019s my office back there.\u00a0 I\u2019m one of the state commissioners, so I\u2019ll be here throughout the summer.\u00a0 And you?\u00a0 Here through the Glorious Fourth, I presume.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd beyond,\u201d Adam replied.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m planning to attend Commencement at Yale and attempt to interest this barbarian in a college education.\u201d\u00a0 He inclined his head toward Joe.<\/p>\n Saul smiled at the younger man.\u00a0 \u201cAlways glad to see a young fellow aiming toward higher education,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m a teacher myself, though not at the college level.\u201d\u00a0 He snapped his fingers.\u00a0 \u201cOh, I say, I\u2019ve just had a fantastic idea to help advance the lad\u2019s education.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe groaned, waving aside whatever Adam\u2019s old sergeant intended to say.\u00a0 \u201cOh, that\u2019s all right, Mr. Breckenridge.\u00a0 My brother\u2019s got plenty of ideas of his own when it comes to that\u2014even made me read up on the Revolution before he\u2019d let me come on this trip, so don\u2019t give him any more ideas, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n Again Saul\u2019s deep laugh boomed forth, loud as a cannon.\u00a0 \u201cNow, now, you might actually like this, young fellow, if you\u2019ve any interest whatsoever in that history you read.\u201d\u00a0 He turned to Adam.\u00a0 \u201cHad you heard about the activities at Independence Hall on July first?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe first?\u00a0 No,\u201d Adam answered.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, it\u2019s the real beginning of the celebration,\u201d Saul declared enthusiastically.\u00a0 \u201cLeading writers of the Union have been asked to submit biographies of our great Revolutionary men, and while I don\u2019t count myself worthy of inclusion in such esteemed company, I\u2019ll be presenting my own work that morning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWonderful!\u201d Adam enthused, his hand gripping the other man\u2019s thick shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cYou always had a way with words, Saul, and I\u2019m sure you fully deserve the honor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt would be my great honor, sir, if you and your young brother would attend the ceremony as my guest,\u201d Breckenridge offered.<\/p>\n \u201cThe honor is entirely ours,\u201d Adam answered warmly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll have the invitations delivered to your hotel, then,\u201d the Connecticut commissioner stated.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve registered your address?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded toward the registration table.<\/p>\n \u201cExcellent,\u201d Breckenridge said.\u00a0 \u201cMuch as I\u2019d love to continue our conversation, Adam, I\u2019m afraid I was on my way to a meeting, and if I delay longer, I\u2019ll be late.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlease don\u2019t let us hold you back,\u201d Adam said, shaking his friend\u2019s hand in farewell.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll be looking forward to seeing you on the first, won\u2019t we, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n There was obviously only one acceptable answer, but it was also the answer Joe felt in his heart, for he was taken by Commissioner Breckenridge\u2019s jovial manner.\u00a0 \u201cYes, sir, I surely will.\u00a0 Thanks for the invite to the special doings.\u00a0 They sound right interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam rolled his eyes at Joe\u2019s colloquial expressions.\u00a0 \u201cBarbarian\u201d was definitely the correct word to describe his brother.\u00a0 Outside the Connecticut house, he collared the young offender.\u00a0 \u201cAre you ever going to demonstrate the manners\u2014or the grammar\u2014you\u2019ve been taught?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Breckenridge didn\u2019t think I was ill mannered, just you,\u201d Joe snorted.<\/p>\n Adam smiled sardonically.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, Saul\u2019s used to dealing with grammar-school children, but that doesn\u2019t mean you should act like one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not!\u201d Joe sputtered.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe I did get a little overeager, but I was interested in talking to him, that\u2019s all.\u00a0 Bet he has some stories to tell on you, and that\u2019s why you jumped in so fast!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh-huh, sure.\u201d\u00a0 Adam took his brother\u2019s arm and steered him up the curving State Avenue.\u00a0 \u201cWe still have a lot of ground to cover, Joe, so you\u2019ll just have to hold your imaginative theories for another time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought we were gonna ride that train around,\u201d Joe complained.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s all footwork so far.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a station just ahead,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n Purchasing two tickets for five cents each, Adam gave them to the guard as he and Joe stepped onto the platform, where they waited behind the protective wire rope for the next train.\u00a0 Adam had also purchased a topographical map of the Centennial grounds at the same time, and he and Joe swiftly studied it, to help them recognize the buildings they would soon be passing.\u00a0 Fortunately, the wait was a short one, for the unsheltered platform afforded no protection from the glaring sun, and the heat made them miserable in their black frock coats.\u00a0 A small locomotive, bearing the name Emma<\/em>, chugged up to the platform, and entering the open, breezy cars, Adam laughed as he pushed Joe into the outermost seat.\u00a0 \u201cNow, don\u2019t go tumbling out, or you won\u2019t get the window seat again,\u201d he teased.<\/p>\n The train pulled away from the station, moving along State Avenue past the cross-shaped United States Government Building, which the Cartwright brothers had already identified while waiting on the platform.\u00a0 Almost immediately, the tracks crossed Belmont Avenue.\u00a0 Little Joe pointed at a small building at the intersection.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s that, Adam?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Adam took a quick peek at the map lying open in his lap.\u00a0 \u201cThe Southern Restaurant, I think.\u201d\u00a0 Then his voice raised in excitement.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, there\u2019s the Grand American Restaurant!\u201d he cried, drawing his brother\u2019s attention to the large building on their right.<\/p>\n Following his brother\u2019s pointing finger, Joe gaped, open-mouthed. \u201cThat\u2019s a restaurant?\u201d he squeaked.<\/p>\n Adam chuckled, wrapping a protective arm around the younger boy, who was leaning out so far that the elder really did fear he might fall overboard.\u00a0 \u201cThe largest and handsomest on the grounds,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cSeats up to five thousand people.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe tossed a cheeky grin across his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, but how\u2019s the food?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam lightly cuffed his ear.<\/p>\n \u201cWill we be eating there?\u201d Joe asked breathlessly.<\/p>\n Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cProbably.\u00a0 We\u2019ll hit most of the eating places before we\u2019re done.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe flashed a delighted smile.\u00a0 \u201cGreat!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure you\u2019re not Hoss?\u201d Adam asked with a wry grin.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s smile disappeared abruptly.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, big brother, I\u2019m sure.\u00a0 Sorry about the mix-up,\u201d he grunted.<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u201d Adam asked, at a loss to comprehend the sudden change of mood.<\/p>\n \u201cNothin\u2019.\u00a0 Never mind,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 He quickly pointed to an even larger building opposite the huge restaurant.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Agricultural Building,\u201d Adam answered.\u00a0 The Emma<\/em> made a wide loop around the extreme northeastern corner of the grounds, passing a number of windmills on a hill overlooking the Schuylkill River.\u00a0 Joe craned his neck to see if he could spot the restaurant where they\u2019d had catfish and coffee the night before, but before he could locate it, the train swept back to the west, running behind the Agricultural Building this time after passing the adjacent Brewers Building.<\/p>\n Returning to Belmont Avenue, the train made a left turn and passed between the front of the United States Government Building and the much smaller Women\u2019s Pavilion.\u00a0 Just beyond, the railroad crossed Fountain Avenue, where Adam drew Joe\u2019s attention to another fountain.\u00a0 Pointing out the thirteen-sided wooden pavilion housing it, Adam said, \u201cIt\u2019s intended to resemble a Greek temple.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, does it?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n Adam laughed lightly.\u00a0 \u201cFrom the pictures I\u2019ve seen, yes.\u00a0 Many of the water fountains on the grounds are works of art in themselves, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, sure is fancy,\u201d Joe agreed as he took another look at the fountain, whose eight-foot circular basin was surrounded by a passageway for those who wished to drink from its twenty-six self-acting spigots.\u00a0 He almost missed the next building, but pointed excitedly when he did spot it.\u00a0 \u201cHey, look, Adam!\u00a0 That\u2019s gotta be the French restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was your first clue?\u201d Adam teased when he saw the striped awnings of Aux Trois Fr\u00e9res Proven\u00e7eaux, as the sign declared.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll go there, won\u2019t we?\u201d Joe asked, almost bouncing in anticipation of sampling the cuisine of his mother\u2019s heritage.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I don\u2019t know,\u201d Adam began.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Adam, please,\u201d Joe pleaded.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2014it would mean a lot to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam squeezed the younger boy\u2019s shoulder in understanding.\u00a0 \u201cI promise you we\u2019ll eat at a French restaurant before we leave, Joe, but not necessarily that one.\u00a0 It\u2019s just about the most expensive place on the grounds, from what I\u2019ve heard.\u201d<\/p>\n That information, of course, only made the restaurant more enticing to Little Joe, but he simply smiled his gratitude at his older brother.\u00a0 For the moment, at least, he was feeling magnanimous, and, besides, there would be plenty of time to work out a plan for getting inside Aux Trois Fr\u00e9res and ordering the most expensive items on the menu.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s another fountain,\u201d Joe grinned, pointing to the open square between the two largest buildings on the exhibition grounds.\u00a0 The train turned left, and Joe stared in awe as they rode past the Main Building of the Centennial.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve never seen anything that big!\u201d he cried.<\/p>\n Amused by the boy\u2019s enthusiasm, Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cWell, how could you, little buddy?\u00a0 It is the largest building in the world!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo lie?\u201d Joe asked.\u00a0 \u201cIn the whole world?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEighteen hundred eighty feet by four hundred sixty-four, covering almost twenty-one and a half acres,\u201d Adam quoted from Manufacturer and Builder<\/em>.\u00a0 \u201cI thought you were supposed to have read all about the Exposition.\u00a0 I see you paid the same level of attention that you did in school!\u00a0 Gonna have to do better, boy, if you hope to carry home anything you learn here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw, come on, Adam,\u201d Joe protested.\u00a0 \u201cSure, I remember reading the dimensions, but it\u2019s not the same as seeing them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, it\u2019s not,\u201d Adam conceded graciously, \u201cand it\u2019s not the same as walking it, either, little brother.\u00a0 It\u2019ll take us two days, at least, to do justice to that one building!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s do it first,\u201d Joe urged.<\/p>\n Adam scowled, half playfully, half irritated.\u00a0 \u201cObviously, you need to be reminded that I am calling the shots, and we will not be starting with the Main Building.\u00a0 That\u2019s what everyone does; therefore, it will be the most crowded place of all.\u201d<\/p>\n Brow wrinkling, Joe shook his head.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t Adam realize it would be just as crowded on whatever day they did visit?<\/p>\n The West End Railway reached the end of the Main Building at the easternmost edge of the Centennial grounds and turned around to again traverse the broad Avenue of the Republic.\u00a0 This time the Cartwrights focused on the buildings opposite the mammoth one to their left.\u00a0 They first passed the Photographic Building, dwarfed by Memorial Hall, the art gallery, just beyond it.\u00a0 \u201cAnd that\u2019s the Carriage Annex,\u201d Adam told Joe as they again approached the central plaza.<\/p>\n Beyond it, on the opposite side, lay Machinery Hall.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s where we\u2019ll start,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, yeah!\u201d\u00a0 Joe almost squealed.\u00a0 \u201cThe Corliss Engine, right?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m glad to see you remember something of what you read!\u00a0 We\u2019ll tour it on Monday.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe really did squeal this time.\u00a0 \u201cMonday!\u00a0 That\u2019s almost a whole week away, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, don\u2019t whine like a little kid who can\u2019t wait \u2018til after dinner to lick his lollipop,\u201d Adam scolded.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019ll be an all-day sucker when you do get it, little buddy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut what can we do in town for a week?\u201d Joe demanded.\u00a0 So far, he hadn\u2019t seen much to do but shop, and while he wouldn\u2019t object to doing a bit more, he preferred to see more closely some of the tempting sights they\u2019d ridden past that afternoon.<\/p>\n Adam moaned, as if in actual pain, at the ludicrous statement.\u00a0 There was so much to see in Philadelphia itself\u2014historic landmarks, museums, theaters\u2014that they had no chance of seeing everything during their visit.\u00a0 His unsophisticated little brother, however, couldn\u2019t begin to comprehend the wealth of culture in the Quaker city.\u00a0 Remember he\u2019s young and inexperienced with life outside Nevada<\/em>, Adam reminded himself.\u00a0 Be patient with the kid<\/em>.\u00a0 \u201cTrust me, Joe,\u201d he said as the train pulled into a station in front of Machinery Hall.\u00a0 \u201cThere will be plenty to see and do.\u00a0 Let\u2019s get off here and walk back to the Elm Street entrance.\u00a0 We\u2019ve already seen most of what the train will pass from here back to where we got on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Joe said agreeably.<\/p>\n Adam laughed at the energy with which his younger brother sprang onto the platform.\u00a0 \u201cThis way,\u201d he said, pointing to a narrow path to the west of a small lake.<\/p>\n \u201cAw, that\u2019s pretty,\u201d Joe said, smiling at the glassy blue surface.\u00a0 He spotted a statue and walked over to it.\u00a0 \u201cWho\u2019s this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou can read,\u201d Adam observed dryly.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, yeah,\u201d Joe said sheepishly, bending to read the inscription on the statue\u2019s base.\u00a0 \u201cElias Howe.\u00a0 I don\u2019t remember reading about him in the history book.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam almost choked.\u00a0 \u201cOh, for mercy\u2019s sake, boy, he\u2019s not a Revolutionary hero; he\u2019s the inventor of the sewing machine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh!\u201d Joe snorted.\u00a0 \u201cWouldn\u2019t\u2019ve thought that was important enough to earn a man a statue.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cWell, getting those suits you bought in short order is pretty important to you, isn\u2019t it?\u00a0 The sewing machine is what makes it possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned.\u00a0 \u201cOh.\u00a0 Yeah, I guess old Elias is a pretty important fellow, after all, Adam!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh-huh,\u201d Adam drawled.\u00a0 \u201cAnyone who contributes to dandifying you for some pretty skirt gains immediate importance.\u201d<\/p>\n The little lake stuck a long finger to the northwest.\u00a0 Following it, Adam and Joe came once more to Fountain Avenue, and at the point the lakeside path intersected the larger boulevard, Little Joe almost danced with excitement.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Adam, it\u2019s Paris!\u201d he cried.<\/p>\n Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cAlong with Switzerland, Jerusalem and Naples,\u201d he added.\u00a0 For a long time he and Joe stood looking down at the miniature depictions of the foreign places, constructed by Colonel Li\u00e9nard, the distinguished French artist.\u00a0 \u201cI understand Li\u00e9nard also has a panorama depicting the Siege of Paris in 1870 just outside the grounds,\u201d Adam told his brother.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s go find it!\u201d\u00a0 Joe exclaimed.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Joe, don\u2019t be ridiculous,\u201d Adam reproved.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s at the opposite end.\u00a0 Perhaps you can see it, but not today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw, come on, Adam,\u201d Joe wheedled.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Adam stated bluntly.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve seen quite enough for an initial visit, little boy, and I, for one, am getting tired.\u201d\u00a0 Doesn\u2019t he ever wear out?<\/em> Stupid question. \u00a0Never did as a little kid.\u00a0 Why would he start now, when he\u2019s nothing more than an overgrown one?<\/em><\/p>\n Pouting, Joe turned his back on the relief plans of the cities and saw a soda water fountain.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t cost much, of course, but Adam deserved to shell out some money to pay for calling him a little boy.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m thirsty, Adam,\u201d he announced.\u00a0 \u201cBuy me a drink?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam started to point out that they were on Fountain Avenue, where free ice-cold drinking water could be found only a few steps in either direction, but caught himself.\u00a0 After all, fifteen cents wasn\u2019t much, and he rather wanted to try the fizzy water, too.\u00a0 \u201cSure,\u201d he said, reaching into his pocket.\u00a0 \u201cGet one for both of us,\u201d he said, handing Joe three dimes.<\/p>\n \u201cWhich flavor you want?\u201d Joe called after a closer look at the soda fountain.<\/p>\n \u201cWhatever you\u2019re having,\u201d Adam said, smiling back.<\/p>\n Joe ordered two birch beers, and the brothers thirstily quaffed the refreshing drinks.\u00a0 \u201cHeat sure drains the strength out of you, doesn\u2019t it?\u201d Joe suggested with a grin.<\/p>\n Adam chortled.\u00a0 \u201cI hadn\u2019t noticed its affecting you much!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, yeah,\u201d Joe insisted.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll probably be needing a lot of this soda water when we\u2019re out here walking around in the hot sun.\u201d<\/p>\n Something in his tone alerted Adam.\u00a0 The kid was definitely up to something, although Adam wasn\u2019t sure what.\u00a0 Well, time would tell, for as he\u2019d observed earlier, Joe was not an adept deceiver.\u00a0 Sooner or later the kid would give himself away, and in the meantime, so long as it meant nothing more than an overabundance of drinking water, Adam figured he could live with the mystery.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, there\u2019s that French restaurant again,\u201d Joe said, pointing up the avenue.\u00a0 \u201cHow about having an early supper there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot tonight,\u201d Adam said firmly.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re eating at the hotel. \u00a0Come on; it\u2019s time we headed back that way.\u201d\u00a0 He turned toward the exit, and Little Joe had no choice but to follow.<\/p>\n \u201cThat looks interesting,\u201d Joe said, nodding toward a small, exotic building with a steeply pointed square roof.\u00a0 \u201cHow about . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Adam growled.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll have plenty of time to shop in the bazaar later, as if you hadn\u2019t done enough of that the last two days!\u00a0 Now, we\u2019re going to march out the gate, catch a horse car and get back to the hotel, is that clear?\u201d\u00a0 Without waiting for an answer, he headed toward the exit, with Joe trotting to keep pace with his brother\u2019s long-legged stride.<\/p>\n ~ ~ Historical Note ~ ~<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Kudzu was first introduced to America at the Centennial Exhibition.\u00a0 Americans fell in love with the decorative vine and began to incorporate it into their landscapes when they returned home.\u00a0 It not only thrived, but showed a remarkable propensity for taking over every other plant it came near, and research now focuses on how to get rid of the pest, which buries trees in eerie curtains of leafy green.\u00a0 Fortunately, dealing with urgent matters in Philadelphia kept Adam from pursuing his idea of introducing it to the Ponderosa!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n CHAPTER TEN<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Refreshed by a good night\u2019s sleep, Little Joe was all sunshine and smiles as he waited for his breakfast order to be delivered.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are we going to do today, older brother?\u00a0 Go back to the Exposition?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smiled over his coffee cup.\u00a0 \u201cNice try.\u00a0 You know perfectly well that I said we wouldn\u2019t be returning there \u2018til Monday.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shrugged.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t expected to get his way, but it didn\u2019t hurt to remind Adam of where his preference lay.\u00a0 Sometimes, though rarely, big brother could be worn down.\u00a0 \u201cSo, what are we doing today, then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to concentrate on your education for the next couple of days,\u201d Adam said, setting the coffee cup down to await the inevitable.\u00a0 Though he had anticipated an explosion of protest, Joe merely groaned aloud, so Adam promptly dropped the stern lecture he had planned.\u00a0 \u201cNo, it won\u2019t be that bad,\u201d he assured his young brother with a chuckle, \u201cespecially today.\u00a0 We\u2019re going to visit some of the historic sights in Philadelphia and see if we can\u2019t make colonial days come alive for you.\u201d<\/p>\n That didn\u2019t sound too bad to Joe.\u00a0 \u201cIndependence Hall?\u201d he inquired.<\/p>\n \u201cAmong others,\u201d Adam replied, lifting his coffee cup again.<\/p>\n \u201cWoohoo!\u201d Joe exclaimed, almost tipping over his water glass in his exuberance.<\/p>\n Seeing several of the other diners turn in their seats, Adam castigated Joe soundly for his rowdy behavior.<\/p>\n Chagrined, Joe murmured, \u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam arched an eyebrow in mock severity.\u00a0 \u201cGetting to be your favorite word, little buddy, or at least the one most frequently employed.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe sighed.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I know; I\u2019m s-\u201d\u2014he put his face in his hand as the word almost slipped out again.<\/p>\n Adam grinned, but spared his brother further teasing when their breakfast plates arrived.\u00a0 The two brothers made short work of the meal and were soon walking north on Seventh Street, Adam refusing to answer Joe\u2019s questions about where they were going first until they arrived at Market.<\/p>\n Looking at the three-story brick building on the southwest corner, Joe cried, \u201cHey!\u00a0 I was shopping here just yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd paid not a bit of attention to the historic significance, I\u2019ll wager,\u201d Adam snickered.<\/p>\n Joe studied the building again.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just a clothing store, Adam.\u00a0 You\u2019re not gonna tell me George Washington bought his pants here or something stupid like that, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam rolled his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cIt wasn\u2019t always a clothing store, Joe,\u201d he grunted, then draping an arm around his brother\u2019s slight shoulders, he added, as he pointed to a second story window, \u201cThat, my boy, is the parlor where the Declaration of Independence was written by . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThomas Jefferson,\u201d Joe answered in quick response to the test question he\u2019d perceived Adam\u2019s tapering drawl to indicate.\u00a0 \u201cCan we go up and see the room?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, it\u2019s privately owned,\u201d Adam replied.<\/p>\n \u201cWe could ask,\u201d Joe suggested.<\/p>\n \u201cWe could not,\u201d Adam dictated firmly, \u201cunless, of course, your goal is to demonstrate what uncivilized boors men of the West are.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe cocked his head and gave his brother\u2019s face close scrutiny.\u00a0 \u201cYou ashamed of being from Nevada?\u201d<\/p>\n Shocked by the question, Adam shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo, of course not,\u201d he affirmed, \u201cbut I would prefer to show people what we\u2019re really like, rather than live up to the popular image.\u201d<\/p>\n Sporting a saucy grin, Joe stuffed his hands in his pockets and started up Market Street, his legs as bowed as if he were riding Hoss\u2019s big black, Chub.<\/p>\n Adam snared Joe\u2019s elbow and pulled him back.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re headed the wrong way, pardner.\u00a0 Independence Hall is back the way we came.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe cackled and resumed his normal gait as they walked back toward Chestnut and east to the marble-trimmed brick building, which was once the most impressive in the colonies.\u00a0 \u201cIts architecture is Georgian, a style that originated in England,\u201d Adam stated as his hand swept from one wing of the structure to its mirror on the opposite end.<\/p>\n \u201cUh-huh,\u201d Joe muttered, clearly disinterested in a scholarly lecture.\u00a0 He leaned his head back to gaze up at the tall steeple over the center of the building.\u00a0 \u201cIs that the Liberty Bell?\u201d he asked, squinting to see into the bell tower.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, it\u2019s been taken down,\u201d Adam explained, \u201cbut you\u2019ll see it inside.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, let\u2019s go in, then!\u201d Joe urged.<\/p>\n Adam laughed at the boy\u2019s enthusiasm.\u00a0 \u201cSeeing as how that\u2019s what we came here to do . . . let\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned and led the way.\u00a0 Inside, he glanced around in search of the famous bell, but saw no sign of it.\u00a0 \u201cWhere is it, Adam?\u201d he demanded.\u00a0 \u201cYou said\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll in good time, impatient child,\u201d Adam said, steering the boy toward the eastern hall.\u00a0 They passed through a door, above which hung a medallion with the head of George III, King of England during the time of the Revolution, and began to look at the furnishings.<\/p>\n Little Joe touched the green tablecloth spread over one of the square tables scattered across the room.\u00a0 \u201cThese really the same things used back then?\u201d he asked, recalling the information from the Philadelphia guidebook.<\/p>\n \u201cThe furniture, yes,\u201d Adam said, running his hand over the smooth wood of one of the spindle-backed armchairs beside the table.\u00a0 \u201cNational treasures, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Joe whispered with wonderment.<\/p>\n \u201cCome here,\u201d Adam said, taking his arm.\u00a0 \u201cThis is really special.\u201d\u00a0 He led his brother to the east end of the room, where an elaborate chair graced a dais. \u201cThis was used by John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress,\u201d he told Joe, \u201cbut this is what I wanted you to see.\u201d\u00a0 He touched with near reverence the silver inkstand, from which protruded a white quill pen.\u00a0 \u201cThis inkstand was used by Hancock and the other men who signed the Declaration of Independence; it was only found again last year, so not many Americans living today have ever seen it.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe whistled, tentatively touching the treasure.\u00a0 Then, looking at the walls lined with portraits of the signers of the famous document and other Revolutionary War heroes, he murmured, \u201cSo this is where it all happened, where we became our own country.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam rubbed the back of his brother\u2019s neck. \u00a0\u201cWhere we proclaimed our independence, yes.\u00a0 As you know, just saying it didn\u2019t make it so.\u00a0 A lot of men gave their lives to make what was declared here a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n Overwhelmed with pride in his country, Joe could do nothing more than nod.\u00a0 He followed Adam to gaze, mesmerized, at the Declaration itself, framed and raised on a stand elsewhere in the room.\u00a0 \u201cOh, wow,\u201d Joe whispered and then fell speechless.<\/p>\n Adam smiled.\u00a0 Though he had seen the Declaration once before, during his years in the East, he, too, felt the same sense of reverent awe.\u00a0 For several moments they simply stood there, gazing in silent respect at the inspiring words that began, \u201cWe the people;\u201d then Adam tapped Joe\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cWe should move on,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cOthers want to see this, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Coming out of his reverie, Joe smiled at the people behind him and moved out of the way.\u00a0 \u201cNow the Liberty Bell?\u201d he queried.<\/p>\n \u201cNot quite yet,\u201d Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s look at the exhibits in the west wing first.\u201d<\/p>\n With a sigh Joe followed where he was led, wondering why they had to do everything Adam\u2019s way.\u00a0 As soon as he entered the newly opened Museum of National Relics, however, he became engrossed with all there was to see: furniture, weapons, clothing, silver, china, pictures, embroidery and parchments of the colonial period, as well as visiting cards engraved with names memorable in American history.\u00a0 He saw the ale mug belonging to naval hero John Paul Jones and General Anthony Wayne\u2019s field glass, but had to laugh at the case containing the baby clothes of President John Quincy Adams.\u00a0 \u201cSay, Adam,\u201d he asked with a cheeky grin, \u201chas Pa saved any of my baby clothes, just in case I become famous?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam lightly swatted his brother\u2019s backside.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, buddy,\u201d he commented drolly, \u201cbut we got rid of your smelly diapers as soon as we could!\u201d<\/p>\n The joke being as malodorous to him as any soiled diaper, Joe crinkled his nose in distaste and said sharply, \u201cNow who\u2019s acting like an uncivilized boor!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll right, all right,\u201d Adam chuckled, giving the boy\u2019s shoulder an appeasing pat.\u00a0 \u201cTo make up for my boorishness, I\u2019ll let you see the Liberty Bell next.\u201d<\/p>\n A bright smile lifted Joe\u2019s countenance as the promise was made.\u00a0 They quickly viewed the few remaining exhibits and left the museum, walking to the ground floor of the steeple, where the giant bell hung suspended from a wooden frame.\u00a0 Little Joe rested his palm against the cool metal, and Adam placed his hand, in similar position, next to that of his brother.\u00a0 Joe slid his hand over until it was touching Adam\u2019s, as if only through touch could he share the emotions welling up inside.<\/p>\n As if inadvertently, Adam brushed his fingers over the back of Joe\u2019s hand and stepped back, folding his arms across his chest.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s see how much you\u2019ve absorbed about the history of this bell,\u201d he began didactically.\u00a0 \u201cCan you name some occasions on which it was rung.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s brow wrinkled in thought.\u00a0 \u201cWell, uh, lots more times than I know about, I\u2019m sure.\u00a0 Uh, when the Declaration was signed, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam arched an eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s my little brother, always going for the easy answer first.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, I\u2019m thinking,\u201d Joe protested.\u00a0 \u201cYou didn\u2019t tell me there was gonna be a test!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll of life is a test of what we\u2019ve learned before,\u201d Adam philosophized.\u00a0 \u201cNow, is there anything else you can pull out of that muddled brain of yours?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe searched his memory furiously, his face lighting as another response finally flashed through his mind.\u00a0 \u201cWhen the war started,\u201d he related hastily, \u201cand, and\u201d\u2014he fought frantically to retrieve the bit of information niggling at the edge of his thoughts\u2014\u201cwhen Washington was named Commander-in-Chief,\u201d he finished in triumph.<\/p>\n \u201cNot bad,\u201d Adam assessed.\u00a0 \u201cAmong other occasions, it was also rung after the surrender of Cornwallis, at the proclamation of the Treaty of Peace and when the United States Congress assembled for the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t know all those,\u201d Joe admitted.\u00a0 \u201cAre they gonna ring it again for the centennial Fourth?\u201d<\/p>\n Disappointment flickered in Adam\u2019s eyes and was reflected in Joe\u2019s as the older brother answered, \u201cNo, they were planning to, but decided the old bell was just too fragile to be rung, except on very special occasions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe one hundredth birthday of America isn\u2019t special enough?\u201d Joe demanded.<\/p>\n \u201cEvidently not,\u201d Adam said quietly.<\/p>\n Uncomfortable with the somber mood, Little Joe quickly pointed to the stairway ascending the steeple.\u00a0 \u201cHey, let\u2019s climb up,\u201d he suggested.\u00a0 \u201cBound to get a good view of the city from up there.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam emitted a startled cough.\u00a0 \u201cThere are easier ways to see the city than climbing up that steeple,\u201d he maintained.<\/p>\n \u201cAw, come on, Adam.\u00a0 You\u2019re too young to be that old!\u201d Joe challenged with an impish grin.<\/p>\n \u201cAll right,\u201d Adam agreed reluctantly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll need to get the tickets from the superintendent before we can go up.\u201d\u00a0 That necessary preparation made, he began to climb upward in his energetic brother\u2019s wake.<\/p>\n Little Joe reached the top quite a bit before his more deliberate brother and was ready to point out the sights when Adam arrived.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s the Delaware River,\u201d he said, excitedly gesturing one direction; then swinging his arm toward the opposite side of the city, he added, \u201cand there\u2019s the Schuylkill and the Exposition grounds.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt least, we know you don\u2019t need your eyes checked,\u201d Adam quipped.<\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t you see them?\u201d Joe asked, eyes wide with astonishment.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Joe, I see them,\u201d Adam said, pulling his brother close to his side.\u00a0 \u201cThey are pretty small from up here, though.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe going back there tomorrow?\u201d Joe pressed and when Adam shook his head, muttered, \u201cDon\u2019t see why we can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause it\u2019s not what I have scheduled,\u201d Adam said bluntly.<\/p>\n Joe started to pout, but the reproachful look in his brother\u2019s eyes made him bite his lower lip, instead.\u00a0 \u201cWell, okay, as long as there\u2019s other fun things to see.\u201d<\/p>\n Amused, Adam shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cIs fun all you ever think about?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you ever think about it?\u201d Joe countered swiftly.<\/p>\n Adam gave his brother\u2019s jaunty straw hat a tug.\u00a0 \u201cOh, come on.\u00a0 Don\u2019t tell me you\u2019re not enjoying yourself today.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s mood softened almost immediately.\u00a0 \u201cNo, Adam, I am.\u00a0 Where to next?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCarpenter\u2019s Hall, where the first Continental Congress met in 1774,\u201d Adam announced.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s go, then!\u201d\u00a0 Joe scampered down the stairs, setting a pace Adam feared to keep.<\/p>\n \u201cNo wonder Pa has white hair!\u201d the older brother mumbled to himself.<\/p>\n Since Carpenters\u2019 Hall, originally a colonial guildhall, was only a couple of blocks east, the Cartwright brothers were soon standing before it.\u00a0 \u201cKind of like a little Independence Hall, isn\u2019t it?\u201d Joe observed.<\/p>\n \u201cHmm?\u201d\u00a0 After looking puzzled for a moment, Adam understood what Joe was saying.\u00a0 \u201cOh, you mean the architecture?\u00a0 Yes, it\u2019s the same style on a smaller scale.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe threw his palms up.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s what I just said, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, sort of,\u201d Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cAnd do you remember what this type of architecture is called?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe moaned, raising a hand in defense against the withering look his brother gave him.\u00a0 \u201cI know, I know; all of life is a test.\u00a0 Just wish someone would tell me what\u2019s gonna be on it!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam delivered his finest smirk.\u00a0 \u201cFine.\u00a0 Architecture will be on it\u2014regularly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFine,\u201d Joe spat back.\u00a0 \u201cGeorgian, like that king\u2019s name.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPrecisely correct,\u201d Adam said, giving the boy\u2019s cheek a pat of approval, from which Joe flinched away.\u00a0 \u201cVery popular style in Philadelphia.\u201d<\/p>\n Now that he\u2019d passed the test, Joe relaxed.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I was noticing that the other day.\u00a0 I was gonna ask you what kind of houses they were.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam looked flattered.\u00a0 \u201cYou were?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe scrunched up his nose.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t lie worth a hoot, remember?\u00a0 Yeah, I was; I just forgot.\u201d<\/p>\n Pleased to see that Joe did have a spark of intellectual curiosity, Adam smiled.\u00a0 Perhaps his desire of seeing the boy properly educated was not such an impossible dream, after all.<\/p>\n As it was shortly past noon and their hotel was nearby, the brothers returned there for dinner, where Adam was once more amazed by the amount of food his slender brother was able to pack away.\u00a0 When they finished eating, Adam escorted Joe to a horse car stop, once again refusing to tell him where they were going.\u00a0 The destination proved to be the Penn Treaty Monument on Beach Street in Kensington.\u00a0 Little Joe was less familiar with the earlier period of history from which this landmark derived its existence, so Adam explained how William Penn had made peace with the Indians under the branches of a spreading elm tree.\u00a0 \u201cPenn did it the right way, buying his land from the Delaware Indians,\u201d Adam commented, \u201cand he never broke the treaty he made with them, although those who came after him were not as scrupulous in keeping it as Penn himself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no tree here,\u201d Joe observed.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, it blew down in 1810,\u201d Adam told him, \u201cbut this monument marks the spot.\u00a0 It was much revered while it stood.\u00a0 Even when the British occupied Philadelphia during the war, their commander, General Simcoe, stationed a guard beneath it so the soldiers wouldn\u2019t cut it down for firewood.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe looked at the simple obelisk for several minutes, and then asked, \u201cDid Pa do it the right way?\u00a0 The Ponderosa, I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn a manner of speaking, though no money changed hands,\u201d Adam observed.\u00a0 \u201cWhen he saved the life of Chief Winnemucca\u2019s son, Winnemucca granted him permission to stay on the land, and you\u2019re aware, of course, of how often Pa has sent food to the Paiutes and the Washos, as well, during hard times.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTell me again,\u201d Joe cajoled.\u00a0 He\u2019d heard the stories before, from his father, as well as his oldest brother, but he rarely tired of family tales from the days before his birth and Adam told them especially well.\u00a0 As he listened to Adam once more recounting those early days on the Ponderosa, Joe reflected that the motto engraved on the simple monument, \u201cUnbroken Faith,\u201d could have been said of the Cartwrights as much as of William Penn, and his heart filled with pride in his family.<\/p>\n After indulging in lemon ice cream, purchased from a passing wagon labeled Breyers, the Cartwright brothers caught a horse car back to the center of town, where after resting a short time in their room, they again dined downstairs at the Washington.\u00a0 Over plates of veal cutlets with corn oysters and tender asparagus, dripping with drawn butter, they talked of all they\u2019d seen that day.\u00a0 \u201cThanks for showing me all those places, Adam,\u201d Joe said sincerely.\u00a0 \u201cLike you said, it really makes the history come alive when you see where things happened.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam couldn\u2019t resist the temptation.\u00a0 \u201cJust one of the benefits of coming back east for your education, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe pulled a pout.\u00a0 \u201cOh, you\u2019re not gonna start that up again, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cYes, I am, seeing as we\u2019re paying a visit to your first college tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Suddenly, the expensive cut of meat seemed less appetizing to Little Joe.\u00a0 He had a feeling tomorrow would be one miserable day, but there was no way to get out of it.\u00a0 The time had come to pay the price tag for this wonderful trip.\u00a0 As he pushed the food around on his plate, Joe asked himself what he could possibly do to convince Adam that his mind was set against more schooling.\u00a0 Big brother could be mighty stubborn when he wanted something.\u00a0 But not as stubborn as me<\/em>, Joe decided, cutting the tip from a spear of asparagus, especially when I know I\u2019m right!<\/em><\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019s demeanor, as he and his older brother toured the Gothic stone buildings of the University of Pennsylvania the next morning, was decidedly glum.\u00a0 To him, it had definitely not been worth the long streetcar trip to West Philadelphia, and not even the hearty chicken pie, which he and Adam had ordered for dinner, seemed likely to lift his spirits.<\/p>\n Adam was getting fed up with his brother\u2019s sour attitude, but he felt compelled to create in the boy at least minimal interest in a college education.\u00a0 \u201cIf you were to pursue a course of study, what do you think you might prefer?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Little Joe stabbed a large chunk of chicken.\u00a0 \u201cHorse training, cattle ranching, timber management, checkers strategy,\u201d he listed snappishly and popped the bite into his mouth.<\/p>\n Adam folded his arms and leaned over the table.\u00a0 \u201cCould you be serious five minutes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am being serious, Adam,\u201d Joe insisted, as he forked a bite of flaky crust, along with some of the vegetables in the pie.\u00a0 \u201cThere is nothing here I need; it\u2019s all back home.\u00a0 I\u2019m just not cut out for this, but you can\u2019t accept it.\u201d\u00a0 You can\u2019t accept me<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cYou promised to keep an open mind,\u201d Adam reminded him, slicing off another piece of ham.\u00a0 \u201cNow, if you\u2019re not interested in liberal arts, how about studying the law?\u00a0 It would certainly benefit the Ponderosa to have legal counsel.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe almost choked on the food in his mouth.\u00a0 \u201cMe a lawyer?\u00a0 You gotta be kidding!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose not.\u00a0 Too likely to need one yourself.\u00a0 Medicine, then?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shook his head in disbelief.\u00a0 \u201cOh, sure, Adam, I\u2019d make a great doctor.\u00a0 Can\u2019t hardly stand watchin\u2019 a calf birthed or a horse foaled and you want me doctorin\u2019 people?\u201d<\/p>\n Despite his irritation with his provoking little brother, Adam had to laugh.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I don\u2019t think I\u2019d want you doctorin\u2019 me, little buddy, and I have to admit, you\u2019re more likely to need one than to be one.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe sneered contemptuously.\u00a0 \u201cCan\u2019t you think of a new joke?\u00a0 Gotta keeping rehashin\u2019 the same one?\u00a0 You\u2019d think a college-educated man could find new words to say!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, all right,\u201d Adam conceded, pushing away his empty plate. \u00a0\u201cTime to put you out of your misery, I suppose.\u00a0 We need to catch an early supper, so we\u2019ll have time to dress for this evening, so if you\u2019re finished . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s happening this evening?\u201d Joe demanded, using his spoon to scoop up the last bit of savory chicken gravy.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t tell me there\u2019s some school that meets at night!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, there are, of course, for working men who want to improve themselves,\u201d Adam replied testily, \u201cAs education goes, however, I think you\u2019ll find tonight\u2019s class relatively painless.\u00a0 Now come on!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s lips puckered.\u00a0 \u201cI want dessert,\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n Adam exhaled gustily.\u00a0 \u201cAll right, fine, if that\u2019ll improve your disposition.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe quickly sported a self-satisfied grin.\u00a0 \u201cOh, that\u2019ll sweeten me right up, big brother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, something sure needs to,\u201d Adam muttered with a shake of his head.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe had already discerned that Madeira Cream Pudding was the most expensive dessert on the menu, so he ordered that right away, as Adam surveyed him with an appraising glance from the corner of his eye.<\/p>\n When his young brother\u2019s supper choices also ran to the expensive end of the menu, Adam smiled knowingly, but said nothing.\u00a0 Let the kid have his petty revenge.\u00a0 I can always call him on it, if it gets out of hand<\/em>, and maybe it\u2019s one way of getting him to cultivate a taste for finer things.\u00a0 They say the way to a man\u2019s heart is through his stomach; maybe it\u2019s also the way to whet a foolish boy\u2019s appetite for spending a few years back east<\/em>.<\/p>\n As instructed, Joe had laid out his new formal suit, which had arrived from Wanamaker and Brown\u2019s that afternoon, so it would be ready to change into immediately after supper.\u00a0 Toying with his water glass while waiting for the meal to be served, he hinted to be told what their evening\u2019s activity actually was.\u00a0 \u201cI know it\u2019s not really night school, not with the fancy clothes we\u2019ll be wearing.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cNo, it\u2019s not.\u00a0 I know today wasn\u2019t overly enjoyable for you, so I thought I\u2019d make up for that with an evening at the theater.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhich one?\u201d Joe asked, eyes sparkling.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Arch Street,\u201d Adam replied, \u201cand I might as well tell you now that we\u2019ll be seeing Shakespeare.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot Romeo and Juliet<\/em>,\u201d Joe pleaded.\u00a0 His sentimental schoolteacher, Abigail Jones, had ruined him forever on that particular work of the immortal bard.<\/p>\n With a throaty laugh, Adam assured him that none of Shakespeare\u2019s tragedies were on the bill that night.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll be seeing a historical drama, Henry V<\/em>,\u201d he said, \u201cwhich should be to your liking.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Joe murmured with relief, for while he wasn\u2019t as enamored of the English playwright as his older brother, he enjoyed a good play, and this one promised to have plenty of action.\u00a0 He glanced shyly across the table, \u201cIf you\u2019ll help me with the history . . . \u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will,\u201d Adam said warmly.\u00a0 Whenever he and his younger brother had attended any Shakespearean drama together in Virginia City, Sacramento or San Francisco, he had delighted in explaining the play\u2019s background for Joe and was looking forward to doing so tonight.\u00a0 Those evenings at the theater had always seemed to draw the oldest and youngest Cartwright brothers closer, and Adam thought they needed just such a break from the perpetual sparring in which they\u2019d been engaged throughout this trip.<\/p>\n The theater on Arch Street was only a few blocks north, so Adam and Joe walked there.\u00a0 \u201cSun\u2019s down, and it\u2019s still hot,\u201d Joe grumbled, running his hand over the sweat-beaded back of his neck.<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d Adam murmured in shared misery.\u00a0 \u201cAccording to the Public Ledger<\/em>, Philadelphia\u2019s been experiencing unprecedented heat since the summer solstice\u2014just about the time we arrived, in other words.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI swear I\u2019m not to blame,\u201d Joe pledged with upraised hand.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t swear,\u201d Adam said in pretense of scolding; then he threw an arm around Joe\u2019s shoulders and pulled him close.\u00a0 \u201cLet me tell you a little about the play.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure it will please you to know that Henry V, like all the Plantagenets, was more than half-French.\u00a0 In fact, his claim to the throne of France was just about as good as that of the man wearing the crown, although it came through the female line.\u201d\u00a0 Throughout the remainder of the short walk, he offered comments he felt would help his brother better understand what he was about to see.<\/p>\n They paused a moment outside the theater for Adam to admire the stylish marble front.\u00a0 When he noticed, however, that Little Joe\u2019s eyes were fixed on the draped nude figure holding a lyre above the center second-floor window, he grabbed the boy\u2019s elbow and dragged him through one of the three arched doorways.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, this is nice, real elegant,\u201d Joe murmured as Adam walked up to him after purchasing their tickets.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the best arranged and most comfortable in the city,\u201d Adam observed.<\/p>\n \u201cYou been here or is that the guidebook talking?\u201d Joe asked impishly.<\/p>\n \u201cGuidebook,\u201d Adam admitted.\u00a0 \u201cShall we find our seats?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe nodded and they entered the auditorium.\u00a0 He noticed that the seats Adam had purchased were quite good, definitely better, in fact, than those he was used to sitting in when he paid for his own ticket.\u00a0 \u201cThanks, Adam,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cHmm?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe should be able to see real well from here,\u201d Joe amplified.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, of course; that\u2019s why I requested this location,\u201d Adam said, still not quite following his brother\u2019s train of thought.\u00a0 There was no time to inquire further, however, for the curtain rose, and an actor portraying William Shakespeare spoke the Prologue to Act I.\u00a0 Then the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Ely entered the scene, and the Archbishop began to describe the king:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe course of his youth promised it not.<\/p>\n The breath no sooner left his father\u2019s body,<\/p>\n But that his wildness, mortified in him,<\/p>\n Seem\u2019d to die too; yea, at that very moment<\/p>\n Consideration, like an angel, came<\/p>\n And whipp\u2019d the offending Adam out of him,\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe looked at his brother with a naughty grin, as if to say that there was another \u201coffending Adam\u201d he sometimes felt like whipping.\u00a0 Seeing Adam arch a reproving eyebrow, he straightened up at once and gave his attention to the play, as he really needed to do if he were to follow the tale told in unfamiliar language.<\/p>\n From time to time, Adam would lean close to his brother\u2019s ear and whisper a quick definition of some Elizabethan word, and during the intermissions between acts, he clarified for Joe anything that required fuller explanation.\u00a0 As usual, though, the action itself helped Joe understand enough to follow the drama, while Adam\u2019s additions served to take his comprehension to a deeper level.<\/p>\n Everything was going well until the beginning of Act III, when King Henry, dressed for battle, delivered his stirring speech to the English troops:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOnce more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;<\/p>\n Or close the wall up with our English dead.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Suddenly, a high-pitched giggle pierced the quiet auditorium, and heads turned to stare in censure of the inappropriate response.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s censure took a more physical form; drawing his foot back, he gave his tittering brother\u2019s shin a sharp kick.<\/p>\n \u201cOw!\u201d Joe yelped.<\/p>\n \u201cBe quiet,\u201d Adam hissed.\u00a0 \u201cOne of the finest monologues in the entire play, and you have to distract everyone from hearing it.\u201d<\/p>\n Seeing the attention they were attracting, Joe slid down in his seat.\u00a0 \u201cSorry,\u201d he whispered.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just that I suddenly realized where you got that saying.\u00a0 You really can\u2019t think of new words for yourself, can you?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam tried to hold onto his irritation, but couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 Joe saw the twitching lips with which his older brother shushed him and knew he was forgiven.\u00a0 With a grin he sat up straight again in time to enjoy the second scene.<\/p>\n * * * * *<\/p>\n \u201cWasn\u2019t she beautiful?\u201d Joe sighed as they exited the Arch Street Theater.<\/p>\n Adam chuckled as he steered the starry-eyed boy down the street.\u00a0 \u201cPrincess Katherine, I presume?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUm-hmm,\u201d Joe murmured.\u00a0 Giving his brother a more focused look, he asked, \u201cSay, Adam, you have that play at home, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, the complete works of Shakespeare.\u00a0 Surely, you\u2019ve at least seen the covers,\u201d Adam replied, with a trace of condescension, for which he almost immediately rebuked himself.\u00a0 After all, if the kid was expressing interest in classical literature, he should be encouraged.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Joe,\u201d he apologized quickly.\u00a0 \u201cWould you like to read this play?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, just parts,\u201d Joe muttered, reddening.\u00a0 He thought King Henry\u2019s speech about the \u201csugar touch\u201d of Katherine\u2019s lips might work well on the girls of Virginia City, but he wasn\u2019t about to trust big brother with a confidence that incriminating.\u00a0 Fishing for a safer response, he mentioned, instead,\u00a0 \u201cI kind of liked what the Dauphin said about his horse.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh.\u201d\u00a0 Adam began to quote the passage to which he thought Joe was referring.\u00a0 \u201c\u2018When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk: he trots the air; the earth sings when he touches it; the basest horn of his hoof is more musical than the pipe of Hermes.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cMade me think of\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCochise!\u201d\u00a0 Adam burst out laughing.\u00a0 \u201cYou and that horse!\u00a0 What\u2019s the matter, little buddy, homesick for your pony?\u201d<\/p>\n No longer were there stars in Joe\u2019s eyes; daggers had replaced them.\u00a0 Trust Adam to find some excuse to twit him, no matter how hard he worked to avoid it!\u00a0 \u201cJust \u2018cause you don\u2019t have any feeling for that flea-bitten nag of yours.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s laughter only intensified.\u00a0 \u201cFeeling!\u00a0 Well, I may not treat Sport as if he were human, the way you do Cochise, but he and I have a fine working relationship, as is proper between man and beast.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, shut up,\u201d Joe growled.\u00a0 Finally becoming aware of his surroundings, he realized they were not headed toward the hotel.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t seem to have much of a working relationship with north and south tonight,\u201d he snorted.<\/p>\n \u201cI know exactly where I\u2019m going,\u201d Adam said, bringing his mirth under control.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s rather customary to take refreshment after a night at the theater, so restaurants near here stay open late for that purpose.\u00a0 Since we had a rather early supper, I thought we might indulge in the custom.\u00a0 Of course, if you\u2019re not interested . . . \u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not starving,\u201d Joe said, his mood improving at the mere mention of another opportunity to empty his uppity brother\u2019s pockets, \u201cbut I could eat a bite or so.\u201d<\/p>\n Certain he could read his brother\u2019s childish motive, Adam worked his tongue inside his mouth before saying, \u201cWhatever you want, but I would advise you to eat lightly this late at night or you will regret it in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n Knowing that was simple truth, Joe didn\u2019t argue, and Adam was pleased to see that his brother\u2019s selection, when they reached the restaurant, amounted only to a bowl of oyster stew, a small slice of pound cake and coffee.\u00a0 One battle of the budget won, with numerous others yet to be fought, Adam had little doubt.<\/p>\n CHAPTER ELEVEN<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When Little Joe stumbled, bleary-eyed, from his room the next morning, Adam folded the newspaper he\u2019d been perusing.\u00a0 \u201cAh, Sleeping Beauty awakens,\u201d he teased.<\/p>\n Joe yawned.\u00a0 \u201cWell, you could\u2019ve woke me, if we needed an earlier start.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m averse to wrestling grizzly bears before my morning coffee,\u201d Adam said, chuckling at the scowl that met the remark.\u00a0 \u201cActually, I figured we could both use a little extra sleep after coming in so late last night.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUmm, good figuring,\u201d Joe murmured, stretching his arms behind his back. As he looked more closely at his brother, his brow wrinkled at the familiar black shirt and pants that Adam customarily wore back home.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re not dressed,\u201d he said in shock.<\/p>\n \u201cI most certainly am!\u201d Adam chortled.<\/p>\n \u201cNot for the East,\u201d Joe insisted, \u201cunless you mean to hang around the room all day.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you that tired?\u201d Adam asked with a smile.<\/p>\n As Adam had expected, Joe hooted at the idea.\u00a0 \u201cCourse not.\u00a0 What are we\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHaving breakfast, for a start,\u201d Adam chuckled, \u201cunless you\u2019ve lost your newly prodigious appetite.\u201d\u00a0 At the firm shake of Joe\u2019s head, he added, \u201cThen hustle into your duds, little buddy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRanch clothes?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWhatever you like,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cI just thought we were due a day with more relaxed garb, even if the easterners do think we\u2019re western boors.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks!\u201d\u00a0 Fully awake now, Joe dashed into his room, pulled off his nightshirt for a quick wash at the basin and dressed in the comfortable gray slacks and tan shirt that he\u2019d worn the first couple of days on the train, which had been freshly laundered since their arrival in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n Little Joe had learned over the past several days that Adam simply would not respond to questions about the day\u2019s activities until breakfast was served.\u00a0 Being especially curious today because of the easing of older brother\u2019s stringent wardrobe standards, Joe all but exploded with the question the minute the waitress presented his sausage and waffles.\u00a0 \u201cWhat you got planned for today, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n Smiling to himself as he cut his slice of Smithfield ham, Adam replied, \u201cNot a thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe almost dropped his fork.\u00a0 \u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n Relishing the look of total surprise on his brother\u2019s face, Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cYour choice today, little buddy.\u00a0 What would you like to do, excluding the Exhibition itself, that is?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cY-you\u2019re kidding, right?\u201d Joe stammered.<\/p>\n \u201cNope,\u201d Adam said laconically.\u00a0 He put the meat in his mouth, chewing slowly to savor the distinctive flavor the pigs\u2019 diet of peanuts gave to pork raised in Virginia.<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean it?\u00a0 I really get to choose?\u201d Joe pressed, eyes wide with wonder.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean it,\u201d Adam said, feeling slightly chagrined when he saw how much that freedom of choice obviously meant to his young brother.\u00a0 Should\u2019ve listened to Pa, I guess, when he talked to me about letting the kid have some voice<\/em>.\u00a0 \u201cSo what\u2019s it to be?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe didn\u2019t need to give the decision much thought.\u00a0 Obviously, he wanted to pick a place that Adam himself wouldn\u2019t select, as he\u2019d eventually see everything his big brother considered worthwhile, anyway.\u00a0 \u201cCould it be the zoo?\u201d he asked tentatively.<\/p>\n Feeling as if he were the one being tested today, Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThe zoological park it is.\u201d\u00a0 Joe had made exactly the choice he\u2019d expected, that assumption the real reason behind his personal wardrobe choice that morning.\u00a0 Though he would not tell Joe until later, he planned to combine the trip to the zoo with a walk through one of the rustic sections of Fairmount Park, and eastern suits simply weren\u2019t appropriate for a ramble through the woods.\u00a0 Lifting his coffee cup, he couldn\u2019t resist a little teasing, however.\u00a0 \u201cUnless you would prefer to tour the House of Refuge for juvenile offenders, that is.\u00a0 They admit visitors on Saturdays, and we could get tickets at the Public Ledger Building.\u00a0 Might give you extra incentive to stay out of trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n For a moment Little Joe thought his brother was serious.\u00a0 Then his characteristic grin broke wide, and he gave Adam\u2019s knee a playful tap under the table.\u00a0 \u201cYou had me going there for a minute, Adam!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it doesn\u2019t happen often,\u201d Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cFellow has to pick his shots with you, kid.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe tapped his index finger against his cheek.\u00a0 \u201cHmm.\u00a0 I might just have to drop a line to Pa about you taking pot shots at his favorite son.\u201d<\/p>\n Eyebrow arched, Adam surveyed his brother coolly.\u00a0 \u201cI could probably drop Pa a line or two he might find interesting, as well, \u2018favorite son.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Good-naturedly conceding that round to his older brother, Joe laughed and thrust out his hand.\u00a0 \u201cI won\u2019t if you won\u2019t.\u00a0 Deal?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam reached across the table to close the bargain with a handshake.\u00a0 \u201cDeal.\u201d<\/p>\n Having finished breakfast, the two brothers again caught the horse cars out to the narrow strip on the west side of the Schuylkill River, where America\u2019s first zoological park had opened only two years before.\u00a0 A number of families were standing in line at the small, peak-roofed building that served as entrance, so it was several minutes before Adam handed the gatekeeper two bits each for himself and Joe and they were able to enter.<\/p>\n Once inside, Adam found keeping up with his lively little brother almost impossible, for Joe dashed from one pavilion to the next, only slowing down when he spotted some exotic animal hitherto seen only in pictures in a book.\u00a0 Pausing to study the attractive architecture of the towered Carnivora Building, Adam suddenly realized that Joe was nowhere in sight, and he hurried in to find his young brother staring, mouth gaping, at lions, tigers and other ferocious beasts.<\/p>\n Leaving that exhibit, Joe pummeled toward the next building, and Adam chuckled when he saw that it was the Monkey House.\u00a0 Now, who says opposites attract?<\/em> he mused as he watched Joe mimicking the mobile facial expressions of the chimpanzee.\u00a0 May have to rethink all I\u2019ve been taught about magnetic principles after a demonstration like this<\/em>.\u00a0 \u201cTrying to prove Darwin\u2019s theories?\u201d he suggested as he sauntered up to Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cHmm?\u201d Joe murmured, eyes fixed on the simian.<\/p>\n \u201cDarwin\u2019s theories on evolution,\u201d Adam began, stopping at the tight frown replacing Joe\u2019s animated smile.<\/p>\n \u201cNo lectures today, professor,\u201d Joe declared.\u00a0 \u201cYou said it was my choice today, and listening to you spout all your supposed wisdom on every subject under the sun is not<\/em> what I choose.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it wouldn\u2019t hurt you to learn a little in the midst of the fun, would it?\u201d Adam demanded irritably.<\/p>\n \u201cYup, it\u2019d be downright painful,\u201d Joe insisted as he walked toward the cage containing a small, black-haired monkey.<\/p>\n With a sigh, Adam followed.\u00a0 Maybe a college education would be lost on a kid as determinedly ignorant as Little Joe.<\/p>\n After spending extensive time with the monkeys, the Cartwrights left that pavilion, and Joe tore toward an outdoor enclosure with a group of people surrounding it.\u00a0 Adam charged after him to see the zebra and other denizens of the African grasslands.<\/p>\n Whistling, Joe craned his neck back to look up at the long-necked giraffe near the fence.\u00a0 \u201cDid you ever think they\u2019d be that tall, Adam?\u201d he asked breathlessly.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course,\u201d Adam said pedantically.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve read their vital statistics and compared their height with that of buildings before.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStatistics!\u201d Joe screeched in horror.\u00a0 \u201cOh, Adam, no!\u00a0 Look at him.\u00a0 What a beautiful piece of work he is!\u201d<\/p>\n Smiling, Adam looked more closely at the animal, trying to see it through Joe\u2019s exuberant eyes, and had to admit the kid had a point.\u00a0 An animal like this should be seen and enjoyed and analysis of his makeup left for another time.\u00a0 \u201cYes, as beautiful a piece of architecture as any building, I must admit.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe clapped him on the back.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s better.\u00a0 Now, no more talk about statistics, brother.\u00a0 They\u2019ll take the fun right out of anything.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cWell, we wouldn\u2019t want that, now, would we, Joe?\u201d\u00a0 He turned to his right, where his younger brother had been moments before.\u00a0 \u201cJoe?\u00a0 Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOver here,\u201d Little Joe called.\u00a0 \u201cYou gotta see this, Adam!\u201d<\/p>\n Shaking his head, Adam walked over to see \u201cthis,\u201d which turned out to be the rhinoceros donated to the zoological park by P. T. Barnum.\u00a0 \u201cWill you quit doing that?\u201d he scolded.<\/p>\n \u201cDoing what?\u201d Joe asked, turning back to the animal before his brother could answer.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Pete,\u201d he called to the rhino, having read the animal\u2019s name on the plaque outside the cage.\u00a0 \u201cHow you like it behind those bars?\u00a0 Yeah, that\u2019s what I thought.\u00a0 Feel the same way myself, fellow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure sign of addled wits,\u201d Adam snickered, \u201cwhen you start talking to the animals.\u00a0 Oh, but wait.\u00a0 You always did\u2014to that persnickety pinto of yours, at any rate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re just jealous,\u201d Joe accused, knuckling his brother\u2019s biceps, \u201c\u2018cause your uppity chestnut can\u2019t carry on a conversation.\u201d\u00a0 Cackling, he careened toward the bear pits.<\/p>\n Adam rolled his eyes in disbelief.\u00a0 Sure, he talked to Sport, but he didn\u2019t delude himself into thinking the horse talked back.\u00a0 When it came to Cochise, however, his little brother lost all sense of reality; he really did think that temperamental little black and white communicated with him.\u00a0 Adam sauntered down the path to stand next to Joe, who was leaning over the stone wall to gaze at the grizzly bear in the deep pit.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Adam, meet Rose,\u201d Joe said with a grin.<\/p>\n \u201cOn speaking terms already?\u201d Adam twitted.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course not,\u201d Joe snorted.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s just a bear, big brother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh, I see,\u201d Adam teased.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s only horses that talk.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s nose wrinkled.\u00a0 \u201cOnly the intelligent ones.\u00a0 That\u2019s why you got no experience\u2014nothin\u2019 smart to listen to.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy, you little\u201d\u2014but Joe was gone again, running across the road to see Jennie the elephant, whose pavilion was always surrounded by children.\u00a0 Adam couldn\u2019t help noticing the similarity between Joe\u2019s open delight and that of the other youngsters watching the elephant.\u00a0 What must it be like to let your heart take wing that way and not worry about how people perceived you?\u00a0 Ah, to be a child again<\/em>, Adam thought; then a dark cloud passed across his thoughts.\u00a0 When had he ever been a child?<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s sad,\u201d Joe was whispering as his brother ambled up to his side.<\/p>\n \u201cHmm?\u201d\u00a0 For a moment Adam feared he might have spoken his dismal thought aloud.<\/p>\n \u201cThat chain around her leg.\u00a0 I\u2019d hate that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, Joe,\u201d Adam chided gently as he rested his folded arms on the fence between them and the elephant.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a dumb beast; it doesn\u2019t have the same feelings as a man.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t know that,\u201d Joe argued.\u00a0 \u201cHorses like to run free.\u00a0 Why wouldn\u2019t an elephant need freedom just as much?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam cocked his head and gazed thoughtfully at his brother.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe so, Joe, maybe so.\u00a0 You ready for something to eat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHalf starved, but I don\u2019t want to leave \u2018til we see it all, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam draped an arm around his brother\u2019s shoulder and turned him around.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t have to leave; there\u2019s a restaurant on the grounds.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned.\u00a0 \u201cIn that case, brother, lead on.\u00a0 I have worked up a hearty appetite out here this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam uttered a throaty groan.\u00a0 \u201cOh, I wouldn\u2019t doubt that for one minute.\u201d<\/p>\n The zoo restaurant had an almost picnic-like atmosphere, with its tables set beneath towering shade trees.\u00a0 The menu was simple, compared with that of the hotel dining room, but neither boy was likely to go away hungry.\u00a0 Joe ordered a large bowl of beef stew, while Adam opted for a salad of chicken and celery, dressed with mustard, vinegar, sweet oil, egg yolk, cayenne pepper and salt.\u00a0 Both boys indulged in a plate of sliced, ripe tomatoes and selected wedges of cool, fresh watermelon for dessert.<\/p>\n \u201cSeems like a shame to pen wild animals up this way,\u201d Joe observed, thinking of the bars and chains again.<\/p>\n \u201cHow else would you ever see them?\u201d Adam pointed out.\u00a0 \u201cNot everyone can make a safari to Africa or Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I know,\u201d Joe admitted, \u201cbut such small cages, Adam!\u00a0 You\u2019d think they\u2019d make \u2018em bigger, give the animals room to run.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smiled.\u00a0 \u201cNot a bad idea, buddy.\u00a0 You know, with the proper education, you could develop those ideas and design\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Joe jumped to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve got the proper education.\u00a0 You design \u2018em.\u201d\u00a0 He stalked off in a huff.<\/p>\n Leaving the last of his watermelon, Adam chased after Joe.\u00a0 Catching up, he snared his brother\u2019s elbow and pulled him to a stop.\u00a0 \u201cSorry.\u00a0 No more lectures on education the rest of the day, I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n Easily appeased since he was enjoying himself so thoroughly, Joe smiled, and the Cartwright brothers walked into the aviary arm in arm.\u00a0 When they came out, Joe saw a balloon vender just outside the door and bought a bright yellow one, gazing up at it, face beaming with delight at the way it danced against the cotton-clouded sky.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are such a child!\u201d Adam chuckled, secretly envying that carefree spirit.<\/p>\n His pleasure in the sunny shape spoiled, Joe frowned and put some distance between himself and his brother as he headed for the pavilion exhibiting mammals and birds from Australia.<\/p>\n \u201cBoy, he\u2019s touchy today,\u201d Adam muttered, trailing behind.<\/p>\n Next they visited the deer and buffalo parks, and to make amends, Adam recounted the story of Pa\u2019s first buffalo hunt on the trail west, congratulating himself on how easily he seemed to have dissipated Joe\u2019s fit of temper.\u00a0 Making short work of the beaver dam and prairie dog town, both of which were familiar sights to boys from the West, they then toured the winter house for tropical animals.<\/p>\n Afterwards, walking toward the historic home that housed the snakes and white mice, Joe overheard a small child whimpering.\u00a0 Turning, he saw a little brown-haired girl, pointing at another balloon vender with one hand, while with her other she wiped her tear-stained cheeks.<\/p>\n \u201cDarling, I\u2019m sorry, but we can\u2019t afford one,\u201d he heard the child\u2019s mother sadly explain.<\/p>\n Looking at the balloon in his hand, Joe moved quickly toward them and tipped his hat to the woman.\u00a0 \u201cMa\u2019am, I wonder if you could help a stranger to your city,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Taken aback by the forward young man, the mother pulled her daughter close to her side. \u201cWell, I don\u2019t know how I could assist you, young man.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam, coming up in time to hear the concern in her voice, started to apologize for his brazen brother, but Joe only raised his voice to speak over him. \u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s like this, ma\u2019am.\u00a0 I\u2019m getting awful tired of carrying this balloon around, and I was wondering, maybe, if your little girl would take over the chore for me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Mama!\u201d cried the child, eyes luminous with hope.<\/p>\n The mother\u2019s view of the forward young man underwent a radical change, and she smiled warmly into his kind eyes.\u00a0 \u201cWhy, yes, young man, I believe she would be willing.\u201d<\/p>\n Flashing his brilliant smile, Joe knelt to tie the balloon string to the little girl\u2019s wrist.\u00a0 \u201cSo it won\u2019t fly away,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n \u201cThank the young man, Jenny,\u201d the mother directed, and Jenny did so by planting a kiss on Little Joe\u2019s cheek.<\/p>\n When Joe stood up, he saw Adam looking at him.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry I interfered,\u201d Adam said and tried to express his pride by adding, \u201cYou\u2019re quite a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n Still disgruntled with his older brother, Joe glowered. \u201cYeah, you already told me that, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s breath caught in his throat.\u00a0 The offense he had thought so easily smoothed over was obviously still eating away at his brother, beneath the calm exterior.\u00a0 \u201cI was trying to compliment you, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shrugged it off.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I know, but you were right before; balloons are for kids.\u201d<\/p>\n As they walked toward the exit, Adam pondered how to heal the hurt, his young brother\u2019s slower pace continuing to hint at inner pain, but he couldn\u2019t come up with any easy solution.\u00a0 Like Pa always said, it was hard to call words back, once spoken.\u00a0 Maybe a direct apology was the best way.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, I didn\u2019t mean anything by it,\u201d he finally said as they were leaving the zoo.<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u00a0 It\u2019s okay, Adam,\u201d Joe replied, and though the words were the ones Adam had wanted to hear, somehow there wasn\u2019t enough force behind them to make them convincing.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re not too tired, I have an idea,\u201d Adam began.<\/p>\n Joe cut him off abruptly.\u00a0 \u201cYou said today was my choice!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is,\u201d Adam assured him with deliberate patience.\u00a0 \u201cThis is only a suggestion.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t like it, you can choose something else.\u201d\u00a0 At this point he would even have consented to visiting the Exhibition itself, just to bring back Joe\u2019s child-like smile, though the change would play havoc with his meticulously outlined schedule.\u00a0 When Joe made no response, he asked, \u201cWant to hear it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI guess,\u201d Joe whispered, feeling ashamed of his foul mood after what had really been an enjoyable excursion.\u00a0 Not quite ready to give up his affronted attitude, he added, lips pouting, \u201cIt had better not be anything educational, though.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam solemnly raised his palm toward his brother.\u00a0 \u201cI promised, and I do hereby reaffirm my vow.\u00a0 Not one elucidating word will pass these lips until the next rising of the sun.\u201d<\/p>\n A soft smile flickered on Joe\u2019s lips.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, what\u2019s the idea?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEast Park,\u201d Adam replied.\u00a0 \u201cA few sights to see, but mostly just some pleasant scenery: rocks, trees, ravines.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s smile grew less tentative.\u00a0 \u201cThat sounds real good.\u00a0 How do we get there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust cross the Girard Avenue Bridge over there and then follow the carriage road underneath it on the other side,\u201d Adam said, pointing, and the brothers began to walk toward the northeastern section of Fairmount Park.<\/p>\n The further they went, the broader Joe\u2019s smile became.\u00a0 \u201cOh, this is great,\u201d he sighed in contentment as they passed beneath arching oaks and gazed up at the cliffs overhanging the curves of the river.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you don\u2019t think this is being too educational,\u201d Adam said, pointing to a structure under construction, \u201cI\u2019ll mention that that is the new water reservoir for the city.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cI guess I can handle that much.\u201d\u00a0 He licked his lips.\u00a0 \u201cLook, I\u2019m sorry I\u2019ve been such a bear this afternoon, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cServes me right for taking you to see Rose,\u201d Adam chuckled.\u00a0 He cuffed Joe\u2019s neck and drew him close.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s okay, kid.\u00a0 I had some of it coming.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe nodded in agreement, but put out his hand.\u00a0 \u201cPeace treaty?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam laughed and gave the slender, but strong hand a solid shake.\u00a0 \u201cAnd may we keep it as well as William Penn did his.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGot my doubts about that,\u201d Joe admitted ruefully, remembering how briefly any pact he made with Adam tended to hold, \u201cbut I\u2019ll try.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I will, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Near the lower end of the reservoir, they walked up a romantic ravine and stopped to refresh themselves in the cold, clear water of a rivulet making its way to the Schuylkill.\u00a0 Just to the north, they came to a stone colonial mansion.\u00a0 \u201cMount Pleasant,\u201d Adam responded to Joe\u2019s inquiring look, \u201conce the property of Benedict Arnold.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBoo!\u201d Joe hissed noisily.\u00a0 \u201cWho wants to see that traitor\u2019s home?\u201d<\/p>\n Slipping an arm around his brother\u2019s waist, Adam amplified, \u201cWell, he never actually lived there, though he bought it as a wedding gift for his bride.\u00a0 The state of Pennsylvania confiscated it because of his treason.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHigh price to pay for going your own way,\u201d Joe murmured, thinking of how much losing the Ponderosa would mean to him.<\/p>\n Despite his earlier promise, Adam couldn\u2019t resist the temptation to wax didactic.\u00a0 \u201cYes, our homes and families are always affected by our actions.\u00a0 Something to remember, little buddy, next time you\u2019re tempted to \u2018go your own way.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Joe jerked out of his brother\u2019s grasp.\u00a0 \u201cDoggone you, Adam!\u00a0 We\u2019re supposed to be doing what I want today, and I dadgum sure don\u2019t want to listen to another one of your brotherly lectures.\u00a0 You promised!\u201d<\/p>\n Though Adam might have made a case that admonitions concerning responsible behavior did not fall under his promise to curtail educational lectures, he conceded easily.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, buddy.\u00a0 Today is your day.\u00a0 No lectures \u2018til tomorrow\u2014and then maybe just from the preacher.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe going to church?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n Adam shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI figured we would.\u00a0 Not much open in staid old Philadelphia on a Sunday, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I guess it beats sitting around the hotel all day,\u201d Joe agreed.<\/p>\n Adam shook his head, amused by his brother\u2019s need for constant activity.\u00a0 \u201cAh, the boundless energy of youth!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah?\u00a0 Well, let\u2019s see if you can keep up, old man,\u201d Joe challenged and took off.<\/p>\n With a groan Adam gave chase.\u00a0 He knew from attempts back home that there was no catching Joe when he had a head start.\u00a0 For that matter, it was getting harder by the year to best the kid in a race that started even.\u00a0 Adam had length of limb on his side, but Joe seemed to have more native athletic talent, not to mention more practice at eluding some earnest pursuer, whether Pa, one of his brothers or the irate father of a pretty girl.<\/p>\n When he finally caught up, Adam discovered his brother seated beside a rippling stream, pulling off his balmorals, which he\u2019d learned were more comfortable for long walks than his western boots.\u00a0 Huffing, Adam dropped beside him.\u00a0 \u201cIf I hadn\u2019t made you that promise, I\u2019d be giving you some strong words about taking off like that.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned.\u00a0 \u201cDidn\u2019t it feel great, though?\u201d<\/p>\n Leaning back on his elbows, Adam smiled.\u00a0 The run had, indeed, done him good.\u00a0 \u201cPlanning a swim?\u201d he queried with a glance at Joe\u2019s bare feet.<\/p>\n \u201cJust gonna wade a little.\u00a0 My feet are hot.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBe my guest,\u201d Adam said, lying down and folding his arms behind his neck.\u00a0 He closed his eyes, muscles relaxing as he listened to the splashing sounds coming from the stream.\u00a0 His breathing slowed, and he drifted between the realms of sleep and wakefulness until a dash of cold water slapped him alert.\u00a0 Eyes jolting open, Adam saw his brother\u2019s open hands, dripping wet, inches from his face.\u00a0 With a quick grab he imprisoned Joe\u2019s wrists and pulled him to the ground.\u00a0 \u201cYou little brat,\u201d he scolded, rolling Joe onto his back and crouching over him.\u00a0 \u201cI oughta toss you bodily into that creek.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGo right ahead,\u201d Joe giggled.\u00a0 \u201cWon\u2019t bother me none.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sat back, laughing.\u00a0 \u201cAll right.\u00a0 You win that round.\u201d\u00a0 Looking around, he noticed that the sun was starting to drop.\u00a0 \u201cAbout time for supper.\u00a0 I presume you\u2019re hungry?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, always, big brother,\u201d Joe replied with a maddening grin.\u00a0 \u201cYou can count on that at least three times a day.\u00a0 Do we have to go back to the hotel?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnly if that\u2019s your choice,\u201d Adam said, preparing to spring another surprise.\u00a0 \u201cStrawberry Mansion up ahead has been turned into a restaurant, so we can eat there if you like.\u201d<\/p>\n Any place different sounded good to Joe, so he lifted his arm for Adam to help him up, and after putting his socks and shoes back on, he was ready to leave.\u00a0 The restaurant was only a short distance away, atop a hill with an excellent view of the surrounding countryside.\u00a0 After enjoying it a few minutes, the Cartwright went inside and ordered.\u00a0 While Strawberry Mansion did not serve the traditional catfish and coffee available at other restaurants near the Falls of Schuylkill, fish was prominent among the menu choices, and both Adam and Joe selected that as an entr\u00e9e.\u00a0 Adam took his boiled with egg sauce and mashed potatoes, while Joe opted for pan-fried crappie with slices of potato, fried with onions and sweet peppers.\u00a0 Strawberry short cake, topped with rich, whipped cream, completed the meal, and both boys declared themselves as stuffed to the gills as if they were being bred for the table.<\/p>\n \u201cCould you tolerate one more suggestion from your big brother?\u201d Adam asked as they were leaving the restaurant.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I guess you\u2019ve behaved well enough to earn that,\u201d Joe chuckled.<\/p>\n \u201cAmazing what a good meal will do for your disposition,\u201d Adam teased.\u00a0 \u201cCome this way.\u201d\u00a0 Pausing a few moments to admire the stone bridge of the Reading Railroad, Adam crossed it, pulling Joe along.\u00a0 \u201cThere, take a look,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Joe smiled at the low building, from which emerged a couple of men carrying long poles.\u00a0 \u201cHey, could we go fishing?\u201d he asked eagerly.<\/p>\n \u201cI think you have to be a member, Joe,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cI just wanted you to know that there were places to get away from the bustle of city life, if\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam . . .\u201d Joe drawled out in warning.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember,\u201d Adam assured him.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll say no more.\u00a0 Anyway, it\u2019s getting late.\u00a0 We should head back to the hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan we take a boat?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n Adam smiled at his brother\u2019s newfound love of the water.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe you inherited some of the salt water in Pa\u2019s veins, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam grew wistful. \u201cYeah, some.\u00a0 All the stories he told when I was a kid.\u00a0 Sometimes I think I\u2019d like to sail off on a sleek clipper and see the world the way he did.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe bit his lip nervously, disturbed by the thought of Adam\u2019s leaving home again.\u00a0 As irritated as he sometimes got with his older brother\u2019s imperial ways, he knew the Ponderosa just wouldn\u2019t be the same without Adam, but he said nothing, covering his emotions by running down the ramp to the steamboat waiting to take them back to Fairmount Park.<\/p>\n As they steamed toward their destination, Adam puzzled over his boisterous brother\u2019s unusual quietness.\u00a0 Probably just tired<\/em>, he decided.\u00a0 I know I am.\u00a0 It\u2019s been a long day, a series of long days.\u00a0 Maybe it\u2019s a good thing Philadelphia does shut down for the Sabbath<\/em>.\u00a0 He draped an arm across Joe\u2019s shoulders as they leaned over the rail and felt Joe lean close, kind of the way he had when he was a child.\u00a0 Smiling, Adam ruffled the boy\u2019s wind-tangled curls and knew by the smile he received in return that all was once more at peace between the Cartwright brothers.\u00a0 Now, if we could just keep it!<\/em><\/p>\n CHAPTER TWELVE<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Melodious chimes were ringing as Adam and Joseph Cartwright walked toward Christ Church that sunny Sunday morning.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s an eight-bell chime,\u201d Adam observed, \u201csupposedly the oldest in America.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah?\u201d an impressed Little Joe murmured.\u00a0 He looked up at the huge white bell tower gracing the brick building.\u00a0 \u201cIs it still Georgian, even with that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, it\u2019s Georgian.\u00a0 You\u2019re getting to be quite an expert on that style of architecture, my boy.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cNot too hard when almost every building in town has the same style.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRemind me to point out some other varieties,\u201d Adam said, hoping to whet his brother\u2019s interest in that field of study.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t get your hopes up,\u201d Joe cautioned, reading his brother\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to argue today, Joe,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cShall we go in?\u201d<\/p>\n The morning service had not yet begun, so the brothers took a few moments to examine the interior of the colonial church, ornate with fluted columns and sweeping arches supporting the balconies on either side.\u00a0 Walking down the center aisle between the enclosed pews, Little Joe fingered a brass plaque on the end of one.\u00a0 \u201cLook, Adam,\u201d he whispered in awe.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s George Washington\u2019s pew.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe worshipped here regularly during the early years of the government,\u201d Adam said, \u201cas did many others whose names you would recognize from history: Patrick Henry, James Madison, Betsy Ross, even Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin on occasion.\u201d\u00a0 He decided not to mention names from the opposing side of the Revolutionary conflict, such as Lord Howe and General Cornwallis and certainly not Benedict Arnold.\u00a0 While all of them had also worshipped in the historic church, Adam didn\u2019t trust his impulsive younger brother\u2019s response and judged silence to be a wise precaution.<\/p>\n The service began, and the Cartwright brothers relaxed in the quiet peace that pervaded the house of worship.\u00a0 In fact, Joe almost fell asleep, simply because he was still.\u00a0 Just about the only time he\u2019s been still since we got here<\/em>, Adam observed, smiling at the nodding chestnut head beside him.\u00a0 Better keep things light today<\/em>.<\/p>\n As the congregation began to file out after the service, Joe noticed that a number of people were ascending a staircase and turned to give his older brother a questioning look.<\/p>\n \u201cThey lead to the steeple,\u201d Adam said, stifling a moan when he saw the light flash in Joe\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose nothing will do but for you to climb them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYup, can\u2019t pass it up, seein\u2019 as how it\u2019s historical and all,\u201d Joe said, adding with a mocking grin, \u201cbut I guess you could wait down here, grandpa, if you think it\u2019s too much for your tired old legs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot on your life do you get out of my sight, sonny,\u201d Adam chuckled, with a grand gesture toward the stairs.\u00a0 \u201cLead on.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe took the steps two at a time, so Adam felt compelled to do the same, arriving at the east window only moments after his younger brother.\u00a0 Looking down, they saw the Delaware River almost at their feet, and to the south its shining surface met the waters of the Schuylkill River at League Island.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s the Navy Yard,\u201d Adam said, pointing downriver a little north of the junction, \u201cand there, across the river, that\u2019s Camden, New Jersey.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow far to the Atlantic Ocean?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n \u201cToo far to see,\u201d Adam replied, chuckling.\u00a0 \u201cAround sixty miles, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWish we could see it,\u201d Joe murmured.<\/p>\n Adam rested a hand lightly on the boy\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cYou will, when we go to New Haven.\u00a0 Might even take a dip in it.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe turned back to smile at his older brother.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019d be nice, especially if it\u2019s as hot there as here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I know, another scorcher,\u201d Adam commiserated.\u00a0 \u201cFrom what I\u2019ve read in the papers, it\u2019s hot everywhere this summer, but it should be a bit cooler at the seashore.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStill three weeks away,\u201d Joe sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI may melt by then.\u201d<\/p>\n They turned their gaze inward and enjoyed the magnificent view the almost two-hundred-foot-high steeple afforded.\u00a0 The tall white standpipe of the Kensington Water Works stood out above the steeples of numerous churches, and seven large patches of green dotted the city, the public squares of Philadelphia.\u00a0 Beyond them lay the largest green spot of all, Fairmount Park itself.<\/p>\n \u201cSeen enough?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, and ready to see dinner,\u201d Joe said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can wait an hour, can\u2019t you?\u201d Adam grunted.\u00a0 \u201cYou had a late breakfast.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, sure, I can wait,\u201d Joe muttered, \u201cbut you said there wasn\u2019t anything to do in Philadelphia on Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot much,\u201d Adam admitted, \u201cbut I thought we might walk down by the docks since it\u2019s only a couple of blocks from here.\u00a0 Then I\u2019d planned to show you a couple of other places\u2014exteriorly only, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe agreed readily, and the brothers soon found themselves overlooking the Delaware River.\u00a0 Like the Chestnut Street Wharf that Joe had visited earlier, the one at the end of Market, which he and his brother saw today, was a passenger wharf.<\/p>\n Adam couldn\u2019t resist pointing out that Joe hadn\u2019t needed to go off on his own.\u00a0 \u201cEverything worth seeing, both in Philadelphia and at the Exposition, is included in my plans, little brother,\u201d he proclaimed, \u201cso if you\u2019ll just trust me, you can have it all.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe sighed.\u00a0 \u201cTell me again, big brother; I\u2019m afraid I\u2019ll forget if I don\u2019t hear that every other day.\u201d<\/p>\n With an exasperating grin, Adam said, \u201cSo am I, little brother, so am I.\u201d\u00a0 After they watched the ships glide by for a short while, he led the way up Front Street to Arch, turned west and walked to an unassuming two-story house with attic dormer at number 239.<\/p>\n \u201cAm I supposed to notice different architecture or something?\u201d Joe queried, rolling his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, you\u2019re supposed to ask what happened here,\u201d Adam replied.\u00a0 When Joe cocked his head with a quizzical expression, Adam said, \u201cThis is where Betsy Ross made the first American flag.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo kidding?\u00a0 The very house where the first stars and stripes was sewn?\u201d Joe asked, looking at the simple structure with more respect.<\/p>\n Adam shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cAccording to legend, at least.\u00a0 Just a common house, Joe, like most places where uncommon things happen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing common about the Ponderosa,\u201d Joe quipped, \u201cand uncommon things happen there all the time!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam chuckled, pleased to note Joe\u2019s pride in the home his older brother had helped to design.\u00a0 \u201cGotta agree with you there, buddy.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned.\u00a0 \u201cHey!\u00a0 Now this house has been the site of another historic event, Adam Cartwright agreeing with something his kid brother said.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, shut up,\u201d Adam scolded, cuffing the boy\u2019s ear so lightly Joe knew he was only playing.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s another historic sight a couple of blocks north.\u00a0 We\u2019ll have a quick look at that and get some dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n Mimicking the gesture Adam had used at the church steeple, Joe made a sweeping movement with his hand.\u00a0 \u201cLead on, professor, lead on.\u201d<\/p>\n Three blocks west, Adam stopped outside a barred enclosure.\u00a0 Pointing through the iron bars, he said, \u201cBenjamin Franklin and his wife are buried here.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe gazed with respect at the simple stone slabs covering the graves.\u00a0 \u201cHe was a great man, wasn\u2019t he?\u00a0 I used to like reading about him in school, how he discovered electricity and wrote Poor Richard\u2019s Almanac<\/em>.\u00a0 Lots of good sayings in that book.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA great diplomat and statesman, as well,\u201d Adam added.<\/p>\n Not wanting to be outdone, Joe contributed, \u201cYeah.\u00a0 Part of the Continental Congress, ambassador to France . . .\u201d<\/p>\n Adam tipped his brother\u2019s straw hat forward over his nose.\u00a0 \u201cAh, so you did pay attention to a few of your school lessons.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe ones I liked,\u201d Joe admitted with a nonchalant shrug.<\/p>\n \u201cFew and far between, no doubt,\u201d Adam twitted.\u00a0 When Joe made no response, Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cWell, your mind must be on your empty belly, if you\u2019re not going to rise to that bait.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFish are more likely to rise to bait when they are hungry, older brother,\u201d Joe snickered.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d\u2019ve thought you\u2019d know that much about fishing, even if you did spend your best years back here learning a bunch of useless nonsense.\u00a0 No wonder I always come home with the longest string!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam snagged Joe\u2019s elbow and turned their steps toward Chestnut Street.\u00a0 \u201cOh?\u00a0 I always thought it was because you took the fish off Hoss\u2019s line and added them to your own.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot just Hoss\u2019s,\u201d Joe laughed, \u201cbut I haven\u2019t had to resort to that for years.\u201d<\/p>\n As they came to the Washington Hotel, Little Joe automatically turned for the door, but Adam pulled him past the entrance.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d Joe demanded.\u00a0 \u201cI thought we were having dinner next.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are,\u201d Adam said, \u201cbut, personally, I like a change of menu occasionally.\u00a0 Let\u2019s try the Girard House\u2019s dining room.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey, thanks!\u201d Joe bubbled.\u00a0 While it wasn\u2019t the Continental, Joe knew from his perusal of the guidebook that the Girard House was considered Philadelphia\u2019s second-best hotel.\u00a0 The food there was bound to be good.<\/p>\n The Girard House was only a few doors north of the Washington Hotel, so the Cartwright brothers were soon seated and examining the extensive menu.\u00a0 Feeling the heat of the day, Little Joe opted for a cold meal of lobster salad, dressed the same way Adam\u2019s chicken salad at the zoo had been, with a side of sliced tomatoes once again and an exotic relish of pickled mango.\u00a0 Lobster, of course, had the added advantage of being expensive.<\/p>\n Adam selected hamburger steak, a dish made famous at Delmonico\u2019s Restaurant in New York, potato pudding and English peas in mint sauce.\u00a0 Then, as if to point out his little brother\u2019s greed by an extra display of generosity, he ordered a platter of oysters on the half-shell for them to share.<\/p>\n Little Joe picked a shell from the iced plate and let the oyster slide down his throat.\u00a0 \u201cSo we just relax the rest of the afternoon?\u201d he asked after swallowing.\u00a0 \u201cNothing\u2019s open, you said.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExcept the libraries,\u201d Adam amended, reaching for an oyster.\u00a0 \u201cI thought we\u2019d visit the Philadelphia.\u201d<\/p>\n Food forgotten, Joe raked the ceiling with disgusted eyes.\u00a0 \u201cBooks?\u00a0 We\u2019re gonna spend the afternoon looking at stacks of books?\u00a0 Professor, someone has got to teach you how to have fun!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam grinned, propping his elbows on the table and leaning forward.\u00a0 \u201cOh, and you\u2019re just the one to teach me, I suppose?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah!\u201d Joe shot back.<\/p>\n Adam reached across the table to pat his brother\u2019s hand.\u00a0 \u201cWhat did I tell you at the dock?\u00a0 Just trust me, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe groaned elaborately.\u00a0 \u201cI only thought saying it every other day would satisfy you.\u00a0 I should have known better!\u201d<\/p>\n Chuckling, Adam sat back, for their food had just arrived, and conversation was suspended in the enjoyment of the exceptional cuisine of the Girard House.<\/p>\n The Philadelphia Library was only a couple of blocks from the restaurant, so the walk there was a brief one.\u00a0 Adam could not help noticing the disgruntlement plastered all over his brother\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cI think you\u2019ll find a number of interesting things to see,\u201d he said, by way of appeasement, \u201cbut we won\u2019t stay long.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, that\u2019s good news, at least,\u201d Joe grunted.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, don\u2019t be such a sour belly,\u201d Adam scolded.\u00a0 \u201cHave I led you astray yet?\u201d\u00a0 He pointed at the statue of Benjamin Franklin over the entrance.\u00a0 \u201cWhy, look!\u00a0 There\u2019s your hero, shining down on you.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite himself, Joe couldn\u2019t hang onto his determination to be bored.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, that was worth seeing,\u201d he admitted.\u00a0 Then he flashed a naughty grin.\u00a0 \u201cSo, can we go now?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam pressed a palm against Joe\u2019s back and pushed him forward.\u00a0 \u201cTrust me.\u00a0 There\u2019s more \u2018worth seeing\u2019 inside.\u201d<\/p>\n They walked into a long room, lined floor to ceiling on four sides with shelves of books.\u00a0 A balcony with books arranged the same way circled the room, too.\u00a0 \u201cDo you suppose anybody\u2019s read all these?\u201d Joe whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, probably not,\u201d Adam conceded.\u00a0 \u201cThe point is that you could research almost any topic of interest to you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI guess so,\u201d Joe admitted with grudging respect.<\/p>\n Adam directed him up the stairs to the balcony and led the way to a huge bust of a helmeted woman.<\/p>\n \u201cWhoa!\u00a0 Look at the size of that gal!\u201d Joe exclaimed.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019d be a handful, even for Hoss.\u201d\u00a0 With a laugh he added, \u201cHoss has enough trouble managing Bessie Sue, but this gal could probably throw him nine times out of nine.\u201d\u00a0 Propping his elbows on the thin wooden rail surrounding the balcony, he leaned back for a better look at the bust towering over his head.\u00a0 Joe, in fact, barely reached her eyebrows.<\/p>\n Adam shushed him with twitching lips.\u00a0 \u201cTry to remember you\u2019re in a library.\u00a0 People come here to read, not to be entertained by some loud-mouthed kid from Nevada.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust goes to show eastern folk ain\u2019t got good sense,\u201d Joe snorted.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a bust of Minerva,\u201d Adam said, trying to bring Joe\u2019s mind back to instructive purpose, \u201cand formerly presided over the Continental Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s eyes twinkled with sass.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, so she\u2019s old, as well as big.\u201d<\/p>\n Shaking his head, Adam hooked his brother\u2019s elbow and pulled him toward the next artifact, which was a desk that had once belonged to William Penn.<\/p>\n \u201cWouldn\u2019t Pa love something like that?\u201d Joe tittered.\u00a0 \u201cAll those little cubbyholes to stash papers in?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe in his room.\u00a0 Can\u2019t afford to have something like this downstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe stepped blindly into the trap.\u00a0 \u201cOh, yeah?\u00a0 Why\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cToo tall for him to see over,\u201d Adam said with a straight face, \u201cso he\u2019d have to face the wall.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam grinned and released the verbal loop of his snare.\u00a0 \u201cCan\u2019t keep his eye off you that long, little buddy.\u00a0 At the very least, you\u2019d be putting your feet up on the furniture the minute his back was turned.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe groaned, finally realizing that his leg had been pulled in another of Adam\u2019s carefully laid traps.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you can put your big stompers all over the furniture right in front of his face and he never says a word,\u201d the younger boy complained.\u00a0 \u201cWhy is that?\u201d\u00a0 His nose wrinkled in perplexed thought.<\/p>\n Adam lifted an eyebrow in such a good imitation of Pa\u2019s expression that Joe almost jumped.\u00a0 \u201cPrivilege of age, boy,\u201d Adam proclaimed with a smirk, \u201cjust the honor due the first-born.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt just plain ain\u2019t fair, Adam,\u201d Joe declared with a petulant pout.<\/p>\n Adam patted his shoulder in exaggerated consolation.\u00a0 \u201cWell, come on back to the hotel, little buddy, and you can put your feet on anything you like.\u201d<\/p>\n Good nature easily restored, Joe grinned back, and after looking at a few more objects of interest in the library, he and Adam returned to the Washington.\u00a0 At Adam\u2019s suggestion, they both spent the remainder of the afternoon writing letters home.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s letter to his father fairly sparkled with enthusiasm as he expressed appreciation for receiving permission to come and gave assurances that he and Adam were getting along fairly well and having a good time. He described the historic sights he\u2019d seen and mentioned his enjoyment of boating on the river. He wrote with energetic flourish:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now I\u2019m a sailor like you, Pa!\u00a0 Well, maybe not quite like you, but I feel you close when we\u2019re on a boat, even if it is just a river and not the ocean, like you sailed.\u00a0 Hey, maybe I\u2019ll just ship out, long as I\u2019m back here!\u00a0 (Just kidding, Pa; you know I wouldn\u2019t leave you, not like that oldest boy of yours.)\u00a0 Miss you lots.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Love,<\/p>\n Joe<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe was somewhat more honest about how things were going in his epistle to Hoss, beginning with \u201cAdam is being his usual pain-in-the-neck old sober sides, but I\u2019m having fun, in spite of him.\u201d\u00a0 Then he recounted some of his adventures in Philadelphia, being especially descriptive of the trip to the zoo and East Park because he knew that would interest Hoss most.\u00a0 After supper he laid out his clothes for the next day, not wanting anything as mundane as wardrobe selection to slow him down on his first real visit to the great Centennial Exposition.<\/p>\n CHAPTER THIRTEEN<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Standing in line at the Centennial Exposition\u2019s main entrance, Joe, with typical restlessness, sent his eyes searching all directions for interesting sights with which to pass the time.\u00a0 Outside the grounds, to the east, he noticed a long row of buildings, some wooden, some bright red brick, but all covered with huge signboards and festooned with flags.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s that, Adam?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Adam turned to see what his brother was looking at.\u00a0 \u201cOh, that\u2019s just Shantyville,\u201d he said with a disdainful brush of his hand.\u00a0 \u201cAccording to the Public Ledger<\/em>, there\u2019s nothing worth seeing there, just a lot of low shows, saloons, shooting galleries, that kind of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey!\u201d Joe cried, eyes lighting with interest.<\/p>\n Adam took firm hold on his brother\u2019s shoulders and pointedly swiveled him away from the enticement of Shantyville.\u00a0 \u201cNo, absolutely not; put all thought of that place out of your mind this minute,\u201d he ordered brusquely.<\/p>\n \u201cAw, Adam, you\u2019re just no fun at all,\u201d Joe complained.<\/p>\n Adam surveyed his brother with narrowed gaze.\u00a0 \u201cYou mind what I say, boy.\u201d\u00a0 He handed the tickets he had purchased earlier to the gatekeeper and moved toward the turnstile.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s irritation with the stern admonition was temporarily forgotten as he watched a dignified matron maneuver her outlandishly broad bustle through the turnstile just ahead of them.\u00a0 Snickering softly to himself at the absurd spectacle, Joe scampered through the gateway as soon as it was clear and aimed for Machinery Hall.<\/p>\n \u201cNot yet,\u201d Adam said, hooking his brother\u2019s elbow and directing him, instead, to a much smaller building to their immediate left.<\/p>\n Joe saw, above the doorway, a huge painting of a man operating a machine to make shoes and grimaced at the building\u2019s name in which it was centered.\u00a0 \u201cThe Shoe and Leather Building?\u00a0 Aw, come on, Adam.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t we ever gonna see any of the big exhibits?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam painstakingly corrected his brother\u2019s grammar before answering his question.\u00a0 \u201cYes, of course, but we will be covering the exhibition grounds in a systematic manner.\u201d\u00a0 Catching the melancholy cast of his brother\u2019s countenance, he added, \u201cNow, don\u2019t worry; we won\u2019t spend long in here.\u201d\u00a0 He entered the wooden structure, and with one last, longing glance at Shantyville, which seemed all the more alluring by comparison, Joe also went in.<\/p>\n As the brothers made their way through the building, whose roof was draped in broad swaths of red, white and blue, they observed machines in operation at every stage of boot making and saw every conceivable item related to shoe construction, from raw leather to blacking polish.\u00a0 Glass cases of shoes and boots to suit every person and every need lined both sides of the central aisle and filled the galleries upstairs.\u00a0 Although Little Joe was reluctant to admit it, some of the exhibits were actually quite interesting.\u00a0 One manufacturer\u2019s exhibit, for instance, offered five hundred different patterns for shoe construction, while another showcase showed the changing styles from 1776 to the current year.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything from Ben Franklin to Ben Cartwright!\u201d Joe tittered.<\/p>\n Adam raised an index finger.\u00a0 \u201cAh, but not Hoss,\u201d<\/p>\n Joe laughed, too, at the reminder that shoes for Hoss\u2019s big feet had to be special-made.\u00a0 \u201cWish I\u2019d thought to draw off the shape of his foot.\u00a0 We could\u2019ve taken him home a first class set of boots, maybe with that fancy morocco leather or alligator skin.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded, wishing that he had thought to do the same.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe we can purchase some of the leather and have a cobbler back home make the boots to order.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe looked impressed.\u00a0 \u201cSay, Adam, sometimes you do some good thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam feigned offense.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u00a0 Just sometimes?\u201d\u00a0 He flicked his thumb hard against the back of Joe\u2019s noggin.<\/p>\n At an exhibit by manufacturers of India rubber, Little Joe decided it was payback time.\u00a0 Tapping a rubber bathtub, portable for use on trips, he suggested that Adam should buy one, \u201cas many baths as you seem to need!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam countered by picking up a toy duck made of the same substance.\u00a0 \u201cI should probably buy one of these, too, then, so I can lure you into the tub more than once a month.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe scowled.\u00a0 Doggone, but it was tough work to get one up on Adam!\u00a0 He\u2019d have to try harder.<\/p>\n When they reached the case enclosing the fine-tooled and highly ornamental boots made by the company of Burt and Mears, Adam could hardly drag his brother away, and it was even worse when they came to the exhibit of harness and saddles.\u00a0 \u201cWe have a schedule to keep,\u201d Adam chided, \u201cand this is all the time I\u2019ve allotted for this building that you didn\u2019t even want to enter.\u201d\u00a0 With a sheepish grin, Joe gave a last fond look at a saddle he deemed perfect for Cochise and left in his brother\u2019s wake.<\/p>\n Leaving the Shoe and Leather Building, the Cartwright brothers followed a diagonal walkway to the Bartholdi fountain.\u00a0 The shrubbery-edged square in which it was set was divided into eight grassy triangles by four intersecting avenues, and the iron fountain, populated with griffins and nymphs, stood at its center.\u00a0 The boys stopped for a drink, as the day was already warming up, and then headed for the large, light blue building just to the west.<\/p>\n Though much smaller than the Main Exhibition Building, Machinery Hall still covered almost fourteen acres, including the upper galleries, and was the second largest exhibit hall on the Centennial grounds.\u00a0 Just before entering the handsome east fa\u00e7ade, Adam pointed out the tower on the northeast corner, which mirrored those on the other three corners.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s supposed to be a chime of thirteen bells in that one,\u201d he told Joe, \u201cone for each of the original colonies.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI guess that\u2019s why there\u2019s thirteen entrances, too, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t tell me you\u2019re just now figuring that out.\u00a0 Anyway, the bells weigh 21,000 pounds and were erected at a cost of $12,000.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe rolled his eyes.\u00a0 Adam and his statistics!\u00a0 I hope he\u2019s not gonna be like this all day.<\/em><\/p>\n They entered the hall, and Adam stopped at a stand just inside the door to purchase a catalog of the exhibits.<\/p>\n \u201cThere it is, Adam, the Corliss Engine!\u201d Joe squealed.<\/p>\n Adam started to say that they would see it soon, but Joe took off excitedly, and Adam had no choice but to give chase as soon as he\u2019d paid for his catalog.\u00a0 He caught Joe at the center of Machinery Hall and grabbed his arm.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is the matter with you?\u201d he scolded.\u00a0 \u201cRunning off like a three-year-old child.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe couldn\u2019t take his eyes off the shining red machine that towered toward the ceiling.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Adam, but look at the size of it!\u00a0 Wouldn\u2019t Hoss drool over this?\u201d<\/p>\n Though feeling a strong obligation to castigate his brother soundly for reckless behavior, Adam, like every other visitor to the Centennial, stood in awe of the mighty Corliss steam engine, largest in the world.\u00a0 The giant machine stood on a platform fifty-six feet in diameter and rose a majestic forty feet high.\u00a0 Capable of producing 2,520 horsepower, it supplied the power for every machine in the hall.<\/p>\n Though he found the Corliss Engine fascinating, Adam forced himself to keep on schedule.\u00a0 \u201cTime we were moving on,\u201d he dictated, \u201cand this time you stick to me like a leech, boy.\u00a0 Do you have any idea how easy it would be to lose each other in this crowd?\u201d<\/p>\n Secretly, Little Joe thought that might be a fine idea.\u00a0\u00a0 He felt certain he could have a better time without his own personal watchdog, especially one determined to point out all the educational aspects of the fair and few of the purely fun ones.\u00a0 It was a tempting prospect, but Joe reluctantly gave it up after evaluating what it might cost him later.\u00a0 \u201cSo, what do you want to see first?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Adam still sounded perturbed as he responded, \u201cWell, I planned to start where we came in and make an orderly tour, of course, but as long as we\u2019re here, we may as well begin with the American exhibits.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe smiled proudly.\u00a0 \u201cWell, they\u2019ll be the best, won\u2019t they?\u00a0 That\u2019s what that Manufacturer and Builder<\/em> magazine you loaned me said.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s mouth skewed to one side in a wry half-smile.\u00a0 \u201cTo be precise, it said that we didn\u2019t need to fear comparison with other countries.\u201d\u00a0 He laughed as he saw Joe\u2019s eyes roll, a motion that had taken up habitual residence on his brother\u2019s face since coming east.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m glad to see you read it to some purpose, however, and I do agree.\u00a0 In the machinery department, our exhibits probably will outshine the rest of the world.\u00a0 We\u2019re going to see it all, though\u2014good, bad and mediocre.\u00a0 Now follow me, and let\u2019s see if we can\u2019t be a bit more systematic than careening off whenever something catches your capricious eye.\u201d<\/p>\n Only the surrounding crowds and the dignity he felt, dressed in his eastern finery, kept Little Joe from thrusting his tongue at Adam and his systematic approach.\u00a0 His expression much like that of a reluctantly obedient puppy, he followed his brother to the north aisle, where Adam had stopped at the first exhibit, that of a company demonstrating how their India rubber boots were made.\u00a0 \u201cI believe I\u2019ll order a pair, in case it rains,\u201d Adam said, glancing at Joe.<\/p>\n Little Joe hooted.\u00a0 \u201cRain!\u00a0 We should get so lucky.\u00a0 It\u2019s been scorching hot ever since we got here and not a cloud in sight!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt can\u2019t stay sunny forever,\u201d Adam pointed out, \u201cand a wise man prepares for rain while the sun shines, not after the storm hits.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAn excellent observation, sir,\u201d the company representative said smoothly.\u00a0 After taking Adam\u2019s order, the salesman turned to his companion.\u00a0 \u201cHow about you, young man?\u00a0 A wise investment for the protection of one\u2019s footwear.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, thanks,\u201d Joe said, mostly because he didn\u2019t want to squander his meager monies on something he thought it unlikely he would need.\u00a0 He did, however, enjoy watching the boots being made and tried to memorize every detail of the process, as he would with other exhibits throughout the day, so he could describe it all later for Hoss.<\/p>\n Moving past small mills for grinding coffee and spices, the Cartwrights next stopped at a model of an old Virginia tobacco factory, which demonstrated how the industry had functioned in the era of slave labor, so recently ended.\u00a0 Four black men, singing spirituals of the Old South, sat twisting the leaves into rolls and pressing the rolls into plugs for commercial use.\u00a0 Little Joe was entranced with the plaintive melodies, but for Adam the music and, more particularly, the singers only awakened painful memories, and he tried to hurry Joe along.\u00a0 Joe looked at him, puzzled, but deciding it was that infernal schedule at fault again, he left that exhibit and moved toward the next.<\/p>\n Passing the flourmills, the brothers paused briefly to examine a machine making bonbons.\u00a0 They exchanged a silent smile, words being unnecessary to convey their shared thought of how interested Hoss would be in this particular machine, as well as the one making crackers just beyond it.\u00a0 Feeling a bit guilty for dragging Joe from the tobacco exhibit for strictly selfish reasons, Adam purchased a small bag of the candy from Whitman and Sons\u2019 exhibit and handed it to his brother.<\/p>\n Thanking Adam with a bright smile, Joe popped a chocolate in his mouth and mumbled through the creamy filling, \u201cOh, Hoss would love these, for sure.\u00a0 They melt right in your mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll see about getting him some right before we leave,\u201d Adam promised; then with one finger he gave Joe\u2019s chocolaty lips a corrective tap.\u00a0 \u201cAnd don\u2019t talk with your mouth full.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe carefully swallowed the contents of his mouth and licked his lips before speaking again.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, maybe they\u2019ll have a chance of not melting if we wait \u2018til then.\u201d\u00a0 He wiped his forehead, for the crowded building was even hotter than the sun-baked outdoors, and he was beginning to chafe in the frock coat Adam had insisted he wear.\u00a0 Noticing the boy\u2019s discomfort, Adam offered to buy him a soda water at the first fountain they came across.<\/p>\n While Adam watched a machine producing paper, Joe trotted across the aisle to see the fascinating glassblowers at work.\u00a0 Suddenly, Adam grabbed his arm.\u00a0 \u201cI thought I told you to stick close to me,\u201d he rebuked sharply.<\/p>\n \u201cI was five feet away, Adam, for mercy\u2019s sake!\u201d Joe protested.<\/p>\n Adam favored him with a sardonic smile.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s five feet too far, boy.\u00a0 Now, stay with me or I\u2019ll get a leash!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe lifted his front paws, let his tongue hang out and panted like a pup.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, behave,\u201d Adam chided, incipient laughter draining force from his words.<\/p>\n Having reached the west end of the north aisle, Adam turned south for a few paces to reach the north avenue, which was half again as broad as the space for the exhibits they\u2019d previously seen.\u00a0 Since there was a fountain, advertising Tuft\u2019s Arctic soda water, at its end, he stopped and fulfilled his promise with lemon seltzers for both himself and his brother.<\/p>\n Refreshed, Little Joe scampered past the exhibit of steam engines and stood, enthralled, before the machinery of the National Suspender Company of New York.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Adam,\u201d he called.\u00a0 \u201cThis is really something!\u00a0 Come look.\u201d<\/p>\n Shaking his head at the hopelessness of keeping up with Joe without that threatened leash, Adam walked over to see what had grabbed the kid\u2019s attention this time.<\/p>\n \u201cSee, Adam,\u201d Joe said, pointing to the samples of the machine\u2019s finished product on display.\u00a0 \u201cThey can weave your name right in the suspenders.\u00a0 Pretty spiffy, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBe glad to make up a pair while you watch, young fellow,\u201d the representative suggested.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, how about getting a set for the whole family, Adam?\u201d Joe gurgled.\u00a0 \u201cWe could split the cost down the middle.\u00a0 Put our first names on the right suspender and Cartwright on the left.\u00a0 What do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it would certainly give people something to gawk at,\u201d Adam snorted.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah!\u201d Joe agreed, evidently considering that a good thing.<\/p>\n Adam, on the other hand, was appalled.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m quite certain we can come up with more appropriate souvenirs for Pa and Hoss than that!\u00a0 It\u2019s not as if every man, woman and child in Virginia City didn\u2019t already know our names.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot all of them,\u201d Joe argued.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s twenty thousand people in Virginia City, and some of them have never even heard of the Cartwrights.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, they\u2019re not going to learn that way,\u201d Adam declared.<\/p>\n \u201cSpoilsport,\u201d Joe pouted.<\/p>\n \u201cSpoiled child,\u201d Adam retorted with the superior air that always infuriated his little brother.<\/p>\n At odds, they moved on to the exhibit of John A. Roebling\u2019s Sons, where Adam was intrigued by the company\u2019s wire rope and suspension bridge cables.\u00a0 He viewed with scientific interest the section of cables and the drawings of bridges over Niagara Falls and the Ohio River.<\/p>\n Adam and his bridges<\/em>, Joe thought as he tapped his foot impatiently.\u00a0 He was interested, however, in the model of a large merchant ship rigged with the wire rope and wondered if it were anything like the ones his father used to sail.\u00a0 When he\u2019d examined its every detail and Adam still wasn\u2019t ready to leave, Joe cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t we have a schedule to keep or something?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam started, as if unaware of how long he\u2019d been looking at this particular exhibit.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose so,\u201d he admitted and left reluctantly.<\/p>\n The next exhibit of looms and cotton machinery held little interest for either boy, except Joe found the lady operating the corset-weaving loom quite attractive and tried to turn on the charm when Adam\u2019s back was turned.\u00a0 Adam noticed almost at once, however, and quickly moved his younger brother out of temptation\u2019s reach.<\/p>\n Approaching the exhibit of the Pyramid Pin Company from New Haven, Joe was shock to see a little girl about ten years old operating the machine.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not right, Adam!\u201d he protested.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s just a kid; she could get hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded soberly.\u00a0 \u201cYes, there should be laws protecting young children from working with dangerous machinery.\u00a0 I\u2019ve advocated that for years, ever since I lived back here and saw it going on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just never realized,\u201d Joe sputtered.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, I had chores when I was that age, but nothing that could\u2019ve got me hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou seemed to find plenty of ways to do that on your own, without your elders\u2019 putting you at risk,\u201d Adam said, trying to lighten the mood.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Adam, don\u2019t; I\u2019m serious,\u201d Joe protested.<\/p>\n \u201cI know, buddy,\u201d Adam said sympathetically, \u201cbut it\u2019s not a problem you can solve this afternoon.\u201d\u00a0 Though he was glad to see Joe\u2019s awakening consciousness of social problems, he was freshly reminded of how sensitive the boy could be and didn\u2019t want to see him upset.\u00a0 \u201cCome on.\u00a0 I think you\u2019ll really like that next company\u2019s exhibit.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam was right.\u00a0 The American Watch Co. of Waltham, Massachusetts, provided just the right distraction for his young brother with its fine array of timepieces.\u00a0 This is what I\u2019d like to get Pa,\u201d Joe declared animatedly.\u00a0 \u201cDo you think there\u2019s one I could afford?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps,\u201d Adam said tentatively, \u201cand these are certainly regarded as the best watches manufactured in America.\u201d\u00a0 Noting the hungry look in the salesman\u2019s eye, he hurried to add, \u201cbut why don\u2019t you save your purchases until you\u2019ve seen all there is to see?\u201d\u00a0 The salesman\u2019s countenance abruptly dropped.<\/p>\n Adam couldn\u2019t help noticing that his generous-spirited brother wanted to buy everything he saw for those he loved, whether it was candy for Hoss, a watch for Pa or, perish the thought, gaudy suspenders for all of them.\u00a0 Knowing that Joe\u2019s pockets were not well padded enough to purchase as largely as his heart might wish, Adam felt an obligation to help the younger boy manage his money.\u00a0 There was also a less worthy motive behind his admonition, however.\u00a0 Secretly, Adam hoped to buy his father a nicer watch, perhaps a Swiss one, so he wanted to steer Joe toward something else.\u00a0 After all<\/em>, he rationalized, there is no way Joe can afford as fine a watch as I could give Pa, and it\u2019s Pa we should be thinking about<\/em>.<\/p>\n Being male, the Cartwright brothers gave only a cursory look at the machine that engraved patterns for embroidery and laces and the same quick appraisal to the carpet exhibits on the opposite side of the avenue.\u00a0 Moving into the central aisle, they again found little of interest until they reached the fire engines, and Adam feared for a moment that his little brother would climb right up one of those hook and ladder carriages.\u00a0 To prevent that catastrophe in the making, he moved Joe quickly into the north-south transept of the building and let him worship the Corliss Engine again for a little while before heading into the south avenue.<\/p>\n Here they came across another exhibit Joe thought Adam would never leave, for his older brother seemed totally absorbed in the work of students from the department of mechanical engineering at Cornell University.\u00a0 \u201cI heard about this at the convention,\u201d Adam shared by way of apology for his lengthy perusal of the drawings.\u00a0 \u201cThe students really do fine work, don\u2019t you think, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n Having no real affinity for drawing of any kind, Joe just shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t suppose you . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u201d\u00a0 Joe almost shouted his outrage at the suggestion.\u00a0 \u201cOne engineer in the family is more than enough.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose so,\u201d Adam murmured, wanting to calm his brother, but clearly disappointed.\u00a0 Remembering Joe\u2019s previously demonstrated interest in historic artifacts, he directly the boy quickly to the first steam engine brought to the United States.\u00a0 \u201cImported from England in 1753 to pump water from a copper mine near Newark,\u201d he said, consulting the exhibit catalogue.<\/p>\n Peering at the plaque attached to the exhibit, Joe snickered.\u00a0 \u201cLook, it was called a fire engine back then, Adam.\u00a0 That means something altogether different now.\u201d<\/p>\n Pleased to see the improvement in his brother\u2019s mood, Adam smiled.\u00a0 \u201cWords do change their meaning sometimes.\u00a0 You\u2019ve read Shakespeare.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe put his head in his palm, as though in great pain.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t remind me.\u201d<\/p>\n Though he knew his brother was only teasing, Adam gave the boy\u2019s skull a solid thump with the heel of his hand.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m only using it as an illustration of how language changes.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, well, if that\u2019s an example, methinks it sure doth!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cYou are determined to remain ignorant, aren\u2019t you, little buddy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnly because you\u2019re so determined to turn me into you,\u201d Joe countered.<\/p>\n The accusation continued to bother Adam as they finished viewing the exhibits on the western end of building.\u00a0 Is that how Joe sees it?<\/em> he asked himself; then he posed a more troublesome question.\u00a0 Is that what I\u2019m trying to do?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAdam, I\u2019m starving.\u00a0 Aren\u2019t we ever gonna eat?\u201d Joe asked petulantly.<\/p>\n Adam didn\u2019t need to consult his watch, for the very fact that the machines were still running indicated it wasn\u2019t noon yet.\u00a0 His own belly confirmed, however, that it had been a long time since breakfast.\u00a0 \u201cSure, buddy, of course we are,\u201d he responded soothingly.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s a restaurant in the central transept that is supposed to have good meals for only fifty cents.\u00a0 Let\u2019s try that, shall we?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnything!\u201d<\/p>\n As they were walking toward the north entrance, where the restaurant was located, they saw a crowd gathered around the Corliss Engine.\u00a0 \u201cMust be about time to shut it down for the noon rest,\u201d Adam told Joe.\u00a0 \u201cWant to stick around and see that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I do,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cWhy do they shut it down, though?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cWell, according to the catalogue, it\u2019s because \u2018machines, like men, require repose.\u2019\u00a0 If you ask me, though, it\u2019s just plain showmanship.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned and prepared to watch the show.\u00a0 The giant flywheel slowly stopped turning, and as it did, all the shafts, pulleys, belts and machines in the huge hall came to a clattering halt.\u00a0 \u201cThink we\u2019ll finish dinner in time to see it start up again?\u201d he asked eagerly.\u00a0 \u201cWe missed that this morning, \u2018cause you had to see the old Shoe and Leather Building.\u201d<\/p>\n Putting an arm around his brother, Adam drew him up the transept toward the dining area.\u00a0 \u201cOh, you enjoyed it; you know you did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but I didn\u2019t want to do it first, Adam,\u201d Joe insisted.\u00a0 \u201cAfter dinner, let\u2019s watch the machines start up again, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Adam agreed.\u00a0 \u201cYouth must be served, I suppose.\u201d<\/p>\n Over a hot meal Adam broached the subject of his supposed desire to turn Joe into himself.\u00a0 \u201cDo you really believe that?\u201d he asked with concern.<\/p>\n Joe kept his eyes on his plate of roast beef.\u00a0 \u201cIsn\u2019t that why you\u2019re so keen on my going to college, so I\u2019ll be more like you?\u201d<\/p>\n Catching the hint of despondency in his brother\u2019s voice, Adam quickly replied, \u201cNo, no\u2014at least, I hope not.\u00a0 Maybe I do sometimes think we\u2019d get on better if we had more in common, but, honestly, Joe, I just want you to be the best person you can be.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEven if it\u2019s not as good as you,\u201d Joe muttered bitterly.<\/p>\n The allegation rankled, but Adam focused on his brother\u2019s unmistakable heartache, discounting his own.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t mean it that way.\u00a0 You\u2019re a good person, Joe, with many fine qualities, one of which is a sharp mind.\u00a0 I just hate to see you waste that.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking up cautiously, Joe asked, \u201cDo you really think I could handle college work?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course!\u201d Adam responded without hesitation.\u00a0 \u201cYou haven\u2019t applied yourself as well as you might, but the ability is there, if you ever see the worth of using it.\u00a0 That\u2019s all I\u2019m after with these visits to schools, just, hopefully, to spark your interest in developing the abilities you have and seeing what you can do with them.\u00a0 You could be anything you want, Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe toyed absently with his potatoes and gravy.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not that I\u2019m against learning, you know.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been out of school long enough\u2014working long enough, I mean\u2014to realize there\u2019s things I wish I knew more about.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSuch as?\u201d Adam probed.<\/p>\n Joe shrugged as he scooped up a bit of potato.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019d just laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I wouldn\u2019t, I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe set the fork full of food down.\u00a0 \u201cWell, not just the practical things, although I know I could use some more arithmetic and geometry and such,\u201d he began tentatively.\u00a0 \u201cBesides that, things like, well, history and\u2014and\u2014well, okay, even Shakespeare and the like and what people have thought about long before we came along.\u201d\u00a0 He stopped, face flushed with embarrassment.<\/p>\n Adam gazed at him with surprised, but supportive eyes.\u00a0 \u201cMathematics, history, literature, philosophy\u2014Joe, don\u2019t you understand that those are the kinds of things you\u2019d be studying in college?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, I understand!\u00a0 I\u2019m not stupid, remember?\u201d Joe snapped.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m just not sure that going away to school for four years is the best way to learn them\u2014for me, I mean.\u00a0 I guess it was for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam reached across the table to touch the slender hand fidgeting with the fork.\u00a0 \u201cLook.\u00a0 There\u2019s a couple more places in Philadelphia I\u2019d like to show you, and after that I promise not to bring the subject up again.\u00a0 I do realize that it\u2019s your decision and that what was right for me might not be right for you.\u201d\u00a0 While he knew those were the right words to say, however, Adam wasn\u2019t certain he really meant them, and by the uncertainty etching his face, neither was his young brother.<\/p>\n Just outside the restaurant stood a popcorn vender, demonstrating every stage of the preparation of what a sign proclaimed to be \u201cI. L. Baker\u2019s celebrated sugar popcorn,\u201d from popping the corn in a wire basket to mixing it with sugar syrup to hand-shaping it into spheres of patriotic red, white and blue.\u00a0 \u201cBuy me one?\u201d Joe asked, pointing at the tri-colored balls as they left the restaurant.<\/p>\n Adam stared at him, incredulous.\u00a0 \u201cYou just ate!\u00a0 You can\u2019t be hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI want it for later,\u201d Joe insisted.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a big building, Adam.\u00a0 I\u2019m bound to get hungry again before we finish, and you don\u2019t want me dragging you back here later, do you?\u201d\u00a0 He closed the appeal with his captivating, child-like smile, the one women and even older brothers found hard to resist.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, all right, little boy,\u201d Adam chuckled, tossing him a silver coin.\u00a0 \u201cGet a popcorn ball to have on hand.\u201d<\/p>\n When Joe bounced back to his side, carrying three balls, Adam protested that Joe didn\u2019t need to have that much popcorn within reach to fend off starvation.<\/p>\n \u201cOne is for you,\u201d Joe told him with wide-eyed innocence.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re gonna get hungry, too, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot for that, I\u2019m not!\u201d\u00a0 Adam sneered.\u00a0 \u201cYou can have every bite of that trashy fodder, little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, well, okay,\u201d Joe said, looking not the least perturbed at the prospect.<\/p>\n After watching the Corliss Engine start up again, and all the other machines with it, Adam indicated that he wanted to finish the American department before moving on to those of other countries.\u00a0 He and Joe started east down the north aisle, coming first to a marine exhibit from Massachusetts.\u00a0 Draped with flags and streamers, the area featured models of steam and sailing vessels: fish schooner, yacht, clipper ship, man-of-war and whaler.\u00a0 Only when Adam pointed out that none of those represented the type of ship on which their father had sailed could he pull his younger brother away.<\/p>\n Once he spotted the next exhibit, however, Little Joe was just as absorbed by the new invention for putting printed words on a page.\u00a0 \u201cHow about getting some letters typed and sending them home?\u201d he suggested.\u00a0 \u201cI know Hoss would get a kick out of it, and probably Pa, too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll right,\u201d Adam agreed amiably.\u00a0 \u201cYou write one to Hoss and I\u2019ll send one to Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n The stereotyped letters were, of necessity, impersonal, mostly of the \u201chaving a great time, wish you were here\u201d variety, but few people, the Cartwright brothers included, would really have wanted to compose a personal message amid the crowd and clamor of Machinery Hall.\u00a0 Adam and Joe watched, amazed, as the operator of the typewriter tapped out the words, and they willingly paid the fifty cents charged for each letter, knowing that both Pa and Hoss would treasure the memento of the Centennial.<\/p>\n Joe proudly held the envelopes with their neatly typed addresses.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s someplace here to mail them, isn\u2019t there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201c<\/strong>Yes, right here in the building,\u201d Adam replied.\u00a0 \u201cThis exhibition has been well planned, and almost anything a person might need can be found, from postal boxes to telegraph stations to rolling chairs.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe laughed.\u00a0 \u201cAt least, we won\u2019t have need of those!\u00a0 They\u2019re for ladies.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s for anyone who needs them,\u201d Adam disagreed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve seen an older gentleman or two using them, as`well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, if you\u2019re feeling that old, Adam, I guess I could find the strength to push you around,\u201d Joe tittered, the infectious sound making many a bonneted head turn his direction.\u00a0 He ducked quickly to dodge the playful cuff Adam aimed at his head.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, if you keep knocking me around like that, you\u2019ll scramble my brains so bad I won\u2019t be able to attend college, even if I take a notion to.\u201d<\/p>\n Aiming again, Adam clipped the side of Joe\u2019s head this time.\u00a0 \u201cActually, it will probably take a few more good licks to settle your scrambled wits back in working order,\u201d he observed dryly.<\/p>\n Joe scampered out of reach, stopping before the working presses of the New York Herald<\/em>.\u00a0 Adam picked up a gratuitous copy of the newspaper, printed in Machinery Hall every afternoon, from stereoplates sent down from New York on an early train, while Joe watched the presses, whose continual action contrasted markedly with the nearby exhibit of the hand press Benjamin Franklin had used as a journeyman printer on his first trip to London.<\/p>\n At the end of the aisle was another soda fountain, and while Joe deposited their letters in a nearby letterbox, Adam bought them each a refreshing drink.\u00a0 Joe nibbled on one of his popcorn balls between sips of spruce beer and declared it delicious.\u00a0 \u201cSure you don\u2019t want yours, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure,\u201d Adam replied, chuckling as Joe promptly bit into a second one.\u00a0 Where was the kid putting it all?<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Next to the Tuft\u2019s soda fountain, the Otis Elevator Company demonstrated its lifting mechanism.\u00a0 \u201cI want you to examine this carefully, Joe,\u201d Adam directed.\u00a0 \u201cIf you understand the safety features, maybe you\u2019ll be less afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not afraid,\u201d Joe insisted defensively.<\/p>\n Though he knew differently, Adam didn\u2019t argue the point.\u00a0 He merely asked the sales representative to explain the elevator\u2019s safety features for his brother.<\/p>\n Joe tried to act disinterested, but he was, in fact, listening intently, and though still unwilling to acknowledge his fear, he did feel somewhat better about rising rooms after hearing how much had been done to keep them from falling with a load of passengers.<\/p>\n Next down the line was the Phoenix Manufacturing Company of Paterson, New Jersey.\u00a0 While neither boy was much interested in seeing the Jacquard loom at work, Adam purchased Centennial silk bookmarks for Pa and Hoss, and in a burst of enthusiasm bought Centennial badges for himself and Joe.<\/p>\n As Adam pinned the badge to his brother\u2019s vest, Joe asked, \u201cWon\u2019t this make people gawk?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam guffawed.\u00a0 \u201cNot as much as those suspenders you wanted!\u00a0 Three quarters of the people here are wearing Centennial badges.\u00a0 I thought you\u2019d want to fit in.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe waved his hand from side to side.\u00a0 \u201cMe?\u00a0 Oh, no, big brother.\u00a0 You\u2019re the one always worrying about fitting in with these eastern dudes!\u201d\u00a0 Looking down at the red, white and blue symbol of the Centennial, though, he smiled, and that was thanks enough for his older brother.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m kind of tired,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cYou want to take a rest?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere?\u201d Joe asked, not seeing any chairs in the vicinity.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the Hydraulic Annex,\u201d Adam suggested.\u00a0 \u201cIt should be cooler in there.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe closed his eyes and sighed.\u00a0 \u201cIf there\u2019s a cool spot in this whole building, lead me to it, big brother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome along, then, little<\/em> brother,\u201d Adam chuckled.\u00a0 Taking Joe\u2019s arm, he walked to the southern end of the transept, tugging Joe along when the younger boy\u2019s steps slowed as they once again passed the Corliss Engine.\u00a0 Entering the annex, the Cartwright brothers approached a double row of benches surrounding the main attraction, known as the Cataract, the spray of whose arching jets of water cascaded into a basin ten feet deep.\u00a0 They were fortunate to find a seat in the front row, where a fine mist of water occasionally touched their hot faces.<\/p>\n Leaning back, both boys relished the refreshing coolness, and as Joe bit into his third popcorn ball, he declared the Cataract the best part of the entire building.<\/p>\n \u201cSurely not better than the Corliss Engine,\u201d Adam scoffed.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re just hot.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAren\u2019t you?\u201d Joe asked with just a hint of whine.<\/p>\n \u201cSweltering,\u201d Adam acknowledged.\u00a0 \u201cI must admit, right now this is the best part of the whole building.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe leaned forward, so the jets of water would be sure to mist his face.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m tempted to take off my shoes and soak my feet in that cool water.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you dare,\u201d Adam warned in slow, emphatic syllables.<\/p>\n Joe grinned.\u00a0 \u201cI was joking, but my feet are mighty hot and tired.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, mine, too,\u201d Adam commiserated.\u00a0 \u201cOnly about a third of the building left to go, though.\u00a0 Time to see what the other countries of the world have to offer in machinery.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe groaned as he stood.\u00a0 \u201cMight as well get to it, then, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n As they were leaving the annex, Adam\u2019s broad shoulders brushed against a portly man just entering.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he apologized.<\/p>\n \u201cThink nothing of it, sir,\u201d the man said and then stopped, staring up into Adam\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cCartwright?\u201d he asked, as he grabbed Adam by both arms.\u00a0 \u201cIt is you!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam looked at the man until he grew embarrassed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, sir, but I\u2019m afraid you have the advantage of me,\u201d he admitted reluctantly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not surprised that you don\u2019t recognize me,\u201d the man said, patting his florid face with a handkerchief of white Irish linen, \u201cbut perhaps you\u2019ll recognize the name of B. L. Morganstern?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBert!\u201d Adam exclaimed.\u00a0 \u201cOf course.\u00a0 I\u2019m so sorry I didn\u2019t recognize you at once.\u00a0 Must be the facial hair.\u00a0 You were clean shaven when I knew you.\u201d\u00a0 And considerably thinner<\/em>, he added to himself.<\/p>\n Morganstern stroked the narrow tuft of hair gracing his chin, which contrasted with the broad mustache that drooped down to his jaw line.\u00a0 \u201cAh, yes, man of business needs a more distinguished look, don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cWhere I come from, fair business practices do more to advance a man\u2019s career than his appearance, my friend.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, yes, of course,\u201d the other man agreed at once.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re not still hiding your talents in God-forsaken Nevada, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam laid his hand on Bert\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cWe think of Nevada as God\u2019s country, I\u2019ll have you know.\u00a0 And you?\u00a0 Still working with our old firm in New York?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, no, not at all,\u201d Bert replied.\u00a0 \u201cMoved home to Philadelphia several years ago, when my older brother and his wife died, so I could help my parents look after his children.\u00a0 It\u2019s been providential for my career, I must say.\u00a0 Amazing opportunities for Philadelphia architects lately.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid you have any part in designing the Centennial buildings?\u201d Adam asked eagerly.<\/p>\n The chest of the shorter man puffed with pride.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll have you know, old comrade, that I\u2019m working under the main architect for the Centennial, Mr. H. J. Schwarzmann himself.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam could barely contain his excitement and envy.\u00a0 \u201cOh, what an opportunity!\u00a0 Are any of the designs yours?\u201d<\/p>\n Morganstern shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cA couple of the minor buildings.\u00a0 Mostly, I acted as assistant to Mr. Schwarzmann.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very proud for you,\u201d Adam said warmly.\u00a0 \u201cI always said you had great potential in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYours was greater,\u201d his old friend responded.\u00a0 \u201cHave you managed to put it to any use at all out West?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSome.\u00a0 Not as much as I\u2019d like,\u201d Adam admitted.<\/p>\n \u201cHow long are you in town?\u201d Morganstern queried.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough mid-July.\u201d<\/p>\n Morganstern looked pleased.\u00a0 \u201cIf you\u2019re free, come to dinner tomorrow evening, Adam, and we\u2019ll make a night of it\u2014at the opera, perhaps.\u00a0 I\u2019ll invite Schwarzmann, as well.\u00a0 I know you\u2019d enjoy meeting him and he, you.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam beamed with enthusiasm.\u00a0 \u201cThat sounds wonderful, but I\u2019m here with my brother.\u201d<\/p>\n For the first time the architect appeared to notice the young man fidgeting beside his former co-worker.\u00a0 \u201cOh, of course.\u00a0 Well, bring the lad along.\u00a0 I presume any brother of yours must share your love of the arts.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s presuming a lot, mister,\u201d Joe declared, rankled at being ignored throughout the lengthy conversation.<\/p>\n With eyes sharp as knives, Adam glared at his brother.\u00a0 \u201cMy brother and I would be honored to accept, and we thank you for your gracious invitation.\u201d\u00a0 After exchanging addresses, Morganstern continued into the Hydraulic Annex, while Adam took fierce hold of his brother\u2019s biceps and dragged him into an isolated corner of one of the less popular exhibits.\u00a0 \u201cHow dare you insult my friend that way!\u201d he snapped.<\/p>\n Little Joe was momentarily cowed by the fierceness of his brother\u2019s anger.\u00a0 \u201cI wasn\u2019t trying to insult him,\u201d he insisted, \u201cbut he was presuming a lot, thinking you and me were just alike.\u201d<\/p>\n Seething, Adam unconsciously tightened his grip on Joe\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cOh, and you\u2019re bound and determined that everyone in Philadelphia knows the difference, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe jerked his arm, but couldn\u2019t break free.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean, lecturing me on my manners?\u201d he demanded indignantly.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about your own?\u00a0 You didn\u2019t even introduce me!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam released Joe\u2019s arm and took a step back.\u00a0 \u201cAll right, I was remiss in that.\u00a0 I apologize, but it scarcely excuses your behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that apology comes too late to excuse yours,\u201d Joe sputtered.\u00a0 \u201cHow could you tell him I\u2019d come without even asking me?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam folded his arms across his chest and stared his brother down.\u00a0 \u201cBecause I am in charge of your activities for the duration of this trip east, boy\u2014a charge given me by Pa, and you had best remember that.\u00a0 You will go where I say and do what I say, and that\u2019s all there is to it.\u00a0 Now, is that clear?\u201d<\/p>\n Remembering his promise to Pa to accept Adam\u2019s authority, Joe bit back the hot words ready to spew from his mouth.\u00a0 \u201cYes, that\u2019s clear,\u201d he grunted through gritted teeth.<\/p>\n \u201cFine, let\u2019s try to enjoy the remainder of our tour through this building, then,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll begin with the exhibits from Great Britain.\u201d<\/p>\n A white-lettered, red banner, suspended from the roof marked the area devoted to machinery from Great Britain, whose exhibits amounted to one-third of those sent by foreign countries to the United States\u2019 Centennial.\u00a0\u00a0 In sullen silence the Cartwright brothers made their way down one aisle and up the next, coming to the most interesting exhibit near the spot where the central aisle met the north-south transept.\u00a0 Here a model of a railway junction illustrated the English system of managing railway switches.\u00a0 To understand it fully, Adam intently studied the photos and drawings provided.<\/p>\n Joe, on the other hand, grew bored as soon as he\u2019d given the miniature railway a good look and inched over to the next exhibit, that of the London Times<\/em>.\u00a0 A working press was set up, but not being able to readily receive news from London, the British newspaper had formed a temporary partnership with the New York Times<\/em> and was printing that for free distribution to exhibition goers each day.\u00a0 While he was waiting for Adam to finish with his eternal examination of the railway drawings, Joe picked up a copy of the paper and scanned the front page.<\/p>\n Passing steam engines and cranes, spool-winding machines and looms, the boys finally came to the world\u2019s largest sewing machine.\u00a0 Ordinarily, a sewing machine would have held no appeal for men, but this one was used to make sails for the ships of Glasgow, and both Adam and Joe were reminded of their father\u2019s sailing days as they watched the machine in operation.<\/p>\n The German exhibits, butted up against the English department, were dominated by the huge Krupp guns, twelve-hundred-pound breech-loaders.\u00a0 \u201cI understand one\u2019s already been sold to Turkey, for use in their current war,\u201d Adam commented, finally deigning to speak to his brother.<\/p>\n Joe wasn\u2019t as ready to bury the hatchet.\u00a0 \u201cDo tell,\u201d he muttered sarcastically.<\/p>\n Adam shrugged and moved on.\u00a0 Why bother?\u00a0 Little Joe was obviously still too much a child to understand the massive destruction such a gun could inflict, while Adam\u2019s own memory of what cannons could do to men was still far too vivid.\u00a0 Privately, he was glad that his little brother had no such point of reference.\u00a0 The kid might irritate the life out of him on an almost daily basis, but Adam\u2019s first instinct remained to protect that youthful innocence, as he\u2019d done all his life.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s attitude perked up considerably when they entered the French section.\u00a0 Stopping at the exhibit of Beyer Brothers of Paris, he hinted for a taste test, alleging that they only wanted to take the best home to Hoss.<\/p>\n Adam shook his head, but bought a few bonbons, hoping to appease the infant he\u2019d been saddled with\u2014by my own choice<\/em>, he was forced to admit.<\/p>\n Little Joe bit into a cherry cordial and declared forcefully that French chocolates were vastly superior to those of the Philadelphia confectioner they\u2019d sampled earlier.\u00a0 \u201cAnd Hoss would bear me out in this,\u201d he added for emphasis.<\/p>\n Adam gave him a sour smile.\u00a0 \u201cAre you sure it isn\u2019t just that they cost more, little buddy?\u00a0 Don\u2019t think I haven\u2019t noticed that your taste runs to the most expensive item on any menu!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s gaze dropped to the floor.\u00a0 That was exactly what he had been doing, of course, to make Adam pay for not wanting him along on the trip.\u00a0 He refused to acknowledge his fault, however, because he was still mad about the high-handed way Adam had treated him earlier.\u00a0 He\u2019s the reason some folks call us Cartwrights high and mighty.\u00a0 Just plain full of himself!<\/em><\/p>\n The boys worked their way through the final two aisles of Machinery Hall, quickly viewing the exhibits of Belgium, Sweden, Russia and Brazil.\u00a0 The machines, though somewhat different, were beginning to run together, especially for Joe, who told himself that even Hoss, the Cartwright most likely to be drawn to any new invention, would have had enough by now.\u00a0 \u201cIs that it for today?\u201d Joe asked when they\u2019d seen the final exhibit.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can be,\u201d Adam replied, noting the weary tone of Joe\u2019s voice, \u201cor if you prefer, we could have refreshments at the Turkish Caf\u00e9.\u00a0 It\u2019s not far.\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe brightened immediately, seeming to draw extra energy from the opportunity to see and taste something new and exotic.\u00a0 Or, maybe<\/em>, Adam thought with a sardonic smile, from a fresh opportunity to pilfer my pockets!<\/em><\/p>\n Leaving by the north door, the Cartwright brothers walked a short way down the Avenue of the Republic to an octagonal pavilion with a dome roof, surmounted by a crescent and star.\u00a0 In the center of the building was a large room with a luxurious divan running all around the sides.\u00a0 Round tables and chairs were scattered around the room, as well, but Joe aimed at once for the comfortable blue and straw-colored cushions of the divan.\u00a0 Having no objection to that choice, Adam joined him.\u00a0 \u201cNow, I have no intention of buying you a complete meal both here and at the hotel tonight,\u201d he stated firmly.\u00a0 \u201cYou can sample the Turkish coffee and have a dish of sherbet, if you like, but that\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure, that\u2019s fine.\u201d Joe responded quickly.<\/p>\n A native Turk, wearing a traditional red fez and dressed in a crimson jacket, tied with a yellow sash, and baggy blue silk trousers over white stockings, arrived to take their orders.\u00a0 Both boys requested Turkish coffee and tamarind sherbet, the specialty of the house.\u00a0 Pulling back the heavy blue embroidered curtain, Joe looked through the long, pointed window behind him.\u00a0 \u201cYou can see the lake from here,\u201d he told his brother.<\/p>\n Adam took a brief look.\u00a0 \u201cNice view,\u201d he agreed, \u201cbut if you\u2019ll look in that corner, you can watch your coffee being made.\u00a0 They have quite a distinctive method of preparation, according to what I\u2019ve read.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe felt his suspicious nature rising up, but even though his brother\u2019s suggestion had an educational ring to it, he turned to watch with interest the coffee being heated over a charcoal brazier.\u00a0 First the man who had taken their order put a spoonful of coffee into a silver dipper and added hot water.\u00a0 Holding it over the brazier, he brought the liquid to a boil, and then poured it into a porcelain cup in a silver holder and brought it to the Cartwright\u2019s table.\u00a0 An assistant brought two dishes of sherbet about the same time.<\/p>\n Grinning in anticipation, Joe took a sip and almost choked.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s sweet,\u201d he gasped between coughs.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd strong as brandy,\u201d Adam added, struggling to keep his face from discourteously revealing his distaste for the foreign brew.\u00a0 \u201cNot quite what you were expecting, eh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was expecting coffee,\u201d Joe sputtered.<\/p>\n \u201cI expected it to be different,\u201d Adam chuckled, \u201cbut not quite this different.\u201d\u00a0 He took a second sip.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose one could acquire a taste for it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think so,\u201d Joe said, but he forced himself to finish the drink, intending to use the sherbet to void his mouth of the cloying flavor.\u00a0 The first bite crushed that hope.\u00a0 While the sherbet was cool and refreshing, tamarind was not a flavor that Joe found entirely enjoyable.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, kid,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cI guess this wasn\u2019t such a good idea.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, no, it\u2019s fine,\u201d Joe assured him quickly.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s part of the fun of this trip, trying new things, and I guess we can\u2019t expect them all to be winners.\u00a0 At least, it cooled me off.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the spirit,\u201d Adam commended, \u201cand such a cooperative attitude merits a reward, so go ahead and look around the bazaars.\u201d<\/p>\n All past grievances forgotten, Joe flashed a dazzling smile.\u00a0 \u201cThanks.\u201d\u00a0 He bounced up from the table to visit the four small bazaars on the open porches of the building, which held a collection of pipes, carpets, knives, daggers, dresses and jewelry.\u00a0 Joe couldn\u2019t resist buying himself an ornate dagger that reminded him of stories from the Arabian Nights and thought seriously about getting a Turkish pipe for his father.<\/p>\n Adam stroked his chin between his thumb and index finger.\u00a0 \u201cA little exotic for Pa, don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe,\u201d Joe conceded.\u00a0 \u201cMore something to look at than to use, I guess.\u00a0 I-I should probably look around more before I decide.\u201d<\/p>\n Recognizing the restatement of advice he had himself given the boy, Adam smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d say that\u2019s good thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, quit braggin\u2019 on yourself,\u201d Joe snickered.\u00a0 \u201cHey, how about those other bazaars over there?\u00a0 They look like they might have different stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe,\u201d Adam conceded.\u00a0 \u201cGo ahead, but we need to leave soon.\u00a0 The gates close at six, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, I remember,\u201d Joe said, failing to mention that he hadn\u2019t looked at his watch once all day and had no idea what time it was.\u00a0 He trotted over to the kiosk, labeled \u201cJerusalem Bazaar\u201d and looked inside.\u00a0 Something caught his eye, and as he held it in his hand, he knew he had to have the cross of olive wood and mother of pearl.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that for Pa or Hoss?\u201d Adam teased.\u00a0 The dagger hadn\u2019t surprised him, but he had no idea what Joe wanted with a cross.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be stupid,\u201d Joe snorted.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s for Aunt Nelly\u2014and don\u2019t say I should look around more, either.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t find anything more perfect for her, Adam, and it\u2019ll be extra special to her \u2018cause it came from the Holy Land.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, it will,\u201d Adam said softly, surprised by his younger brother\u2019s thoughtfulness.\u00a0 Adam had known Nelly Thomas long before Joe was born, practically from the first day their families had started west together, but he hadn\u2019t thought to buy her a gift.\u00a0 It was another demonstration of Joe\u2019s generous nature, a quality that had always been there, Adam supposed, but one to which he had not given particular notice before.\u00a0 He smiled ruefully, wondering how a kid so thoughtful on some occasions could at other times be so exasperating and rude.<\/p>\n They took the streetcar back to the hotel.\u00a0 After a light supper Little Joe started a letter to Hoss, telling him all about the things he\u2019d seen in Machinery Hall \u201cbefore I forget \u2018em,\u201d he explained to Adam.<\/p>\n Adam opted, instead, for relaxing with a good book after a long soak in a hot tub down the hall.\u00a0 Neither he nor Joe stayed up late, however, for they were weary and tomorrow was another full day.<\/p>\n CHAPTER FOURTEEN<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When Adam came out of his bedroom the next morning, he was surprised to see Little Joe, who had arisen later than he, already dressed, sitting in their parlor, so lost in the newspaper that he didn\u2019t even look up when his older brother walked in.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you have there?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n Joe hastily folded the copy of the Philadelphia Public Ledger<\/em>, delivered to their door every morning, and laid it aside.\u00a0 \u201cOh, nothing,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cJust passing the time.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking back later, Adam realized that he should have known at that moment that his little brother was up to mischief, but not fully awake, he had overlooked Joe\u2019s unaccustomed attention to the newspaper, as well as his, on retrospect, obvious attempt to hide what he was reading.<\/p>\n Over breakfast, Adam outlined the agenda he had planned for the day, visits to two institutions of higher education.\u00a0 There was one other place on his list, but choosing to save that as a surprise for his little brother, he merely concluded by saying, \u201cWe\u2019ll return early so we can bathe and dress for dinner and the opera.\u201d<\/p>\n Already disgruntled at the prospect of a boring day, Little Joe grimaced in apparent agony over an evening that promised to be even worse.\u00a0 \u201cAw, Adam, do I have to go?\u201d he whined.\u00a0 \u201cYour friend doesn\u2019t really care anything about having me around, and I don\u2019t care anything about the opera.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought you said you were interested in learning about cultural things, not just practical ones,\u201d Adam reminded him, lifting an eyebrow for emphasis.<\/p>\n Joe groaned as his own words were thrown back at him.\u00a0 \u201cI never said opera.\u00a0 I hate that caterwauling, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s smile was totally devoid of sympathy.\u00a0 \u201cWell, let\u2019s just see if a little more exposure will teach you the difference between caterwauling and artistry, shall we?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s nostrils flared with resentment.\u00a0 \u201cI guess we shall, like it or not.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou straighten up right now,\u201d Adam warned with a glare, \u201cand, so help me, if you dare to embarrass me in front of my friend again, I will thrash you within an inch of your life.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe put his hands before his face, cowering back as if in dread of retribution from the mighty Adam Cartwright.\u00a0 Then, with an impish smirk, he said, \u201cDon\u2019t worry, big brother; I have no intention of embarrassing you in front of any of your stuffed-shirt friends.\u201d\u00a0 If things worked out the way he planned, in fact, he wouldn\u2019t even have an opportunity to embarrass his big brother.<\/p>\n Though the Philadelphia Collegiate School was only around half a mile from their hotel, to save time Adam suggested that they take the horse cars to Broad and Walnut.\u00a0 When the public transportation dropped them at the corner, he pointed out the school building to Little Joe.\u00a0 \u201cThis would be a very good place for you to begin to further your education, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n Not finding the building impressive, Joe asked, \u201cWhy here?\u00a0 I figured you\u2019d want me to go to Yale, like you did.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam erupted with a shocked laugh.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re not Yale material, Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s emerald eyes glinted along hard facets, and his voice had an edge equally sharp.\u00a0 \u201cAnd just yesterday you said I was smart enough to be anything I wanted.\u00a0 Oh, yeah, you really meant that, didn\u2019t you, brother?\u201d<\/p>\n Sensing that his inadvertent burst of humor had wounded the boy, Adam laid a consoling hand on Joe\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cI did mean it, of course.\u00a0 You certainly have the native intelligence to succeed at any college of your choice, Joe, but you have some deficiencies to make up before you could pass the entrance exams of a major university, like Yale or Harvard.\u00a0 You have to be able to read and write in both Greek and Latin, and that\u2019s why you would need to attend a preparatory school like this first, buddy.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry for laughing, but that\u2019s all I meant.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are we talking about now\u2014five, six years?\u201d\u00a0 Joe ended the query with a high-pitched, horrified screech.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, about that, yes,\u201d Adam admitted.<\/p>\n Incredulous, Little Joe stared at his older brother.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, you are plumb crazy.\u00a0 This hot sun has addled your brains if you think I\u2019m gonna spend six more years in a classroom!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded, beginning to understand that his dream for his brother was destined for failure.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t make a final decision until you\u2019ve seen Yale, all right?\u00a0 Perhaps it will inspire you to make the effort.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll try, Adam, but I gotta tell you it\u2019s getting harder by the day.\u201d<\/p>\n Entering the building, Adam located the office and introduced himself to the principal, R. H. Chase, who gladly agreed to escort a potential student on a tour of the school.\u00a0 \u201cThe term is almost over,\u201d he told the Cartwright brothers. \u201cWe keep roughly the same terms as the universities for which we prepare our students, another way of easing their transition into academic life.\u201d\u00a0 They visited several classrooms briefly, and as they walked from room to room, Principal Chase outlined the course of study, which consisted primarily of elementary and advanced English courses, as well as work in the classics and mathematics.<\/p>\n As they toured the preparatory school, Joe reluctantly admitted to himself that he probably would fit in here better than at a school like the University of Pennsylvania, which they had visited a few days before, and if Yale were even more demanding, attending there was beyond consideration.\u00a0 He did not, of course, share that revelation with Adam, who would probably have countered with another mind-numbing lecture on the importance of scholastic discipline or some such folderol.<\/p>\n Finally returning to the office, Mr. Chase asked Little Joe his impression of the collegiate school.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a fine school, sir, and I appreciate your showing us around,\u201d Little Joe replied, \u201cbut I honestly can\u2019t see myself spending several more years cooped up in the four walls of any school.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHigher education isn\u2019t for everyone,\u201d the principal said kindly.\u00a0 He had discerned early on that the younger man was there under coercion from the elder and felt sympathy for both.\u00a0 He extended his hand.\u00a0 \u201cThank you for the opportunity to show the school to a distant visitor.\u00a0 We don\u2019t get many such callers, especially with the Centennial in full swing.\u00a0 I hope you\u2019ll give us consideration, young man.\u201d<\/p>\n Warmed by the principal\u2019s congeniality, Joe smiled as he took the man\u2019s hand.\u00a0 \u201cWell, my brother says this would be a good place for me to start if I do decide to go that way, so if I do, then I will.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam moaned at this further demonstration of how much work Joe needed in basic sentence construction, but the principal just smiled at the circuitous route the young man had taken to say what he meant and told Joe that he understood.<\/p>\n Outside, Adam steered his brother south on Broad Street.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m glad to see you can mind your manners when you choose to,\u201d he offered by way of commendation.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah?\u201d Joe snorted.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I\u2019d like to see you mind yours for a change\u2014with me!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI guess it was sort of a backhanded compliment,\u201d Adam admitted.\u00a0 \u201cWell, perhaps our next stop will put me back in your good graces.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnother school?\u00a0 I don\u2019t think so, Adam,\u201d Joe groused.<\/p>\n Adam pointed to a circular building with a tiered tower jutting skyward from its center.\u00a0 \u201cThat is not a school, youngster.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned.\u00a0 \u201cNot like any I ever saw!\u00a0 What is it, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou can read, can\u2019t you?\u201d Adam grunted.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, I can read,\u201d Joe muttered back, looking at the banner floating from a flagpole at the very top of the tower, \u201cbut \u2018Colosseum\u2019 doesn\u2019t tell me much, unless it\u2019s a hint that they throw folks to lions inside.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam laughed, partly in surprised pleasure that Joe even recognized the historical reference.\u00a0 \u201cNo, no lions, I promise.\u00a0 Just a treat to make up for the things I knew you\u2019d merely endure today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d\u00a0 Joe looked down with chagrin, knowing his attitude hadn\u2019t merited such consideration.<\/p>\n Before entering, Adam pointed out the Academy of Music, just across the street.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s where I\u2019d intended to take you this evening.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t we do that, instead of going to that stupid old opera?\u201d Joe pleaded.<\/p>\n Adam frowned sternly.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll do whatever the man who invited us wishes, of course.\u00a0 Where are those manners you put to such fine use a bit earlier?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shrugged, disinclined to listen to another dressing-down, even one he felt he deserved.<\/p>\n Not wanting to spoil his surprise, Adam let the issue slide.\u00a0 \u201cThe building itself is unusual, not only in shape, but material,\u201d he observed as they walked toward the narrow front fa\u00e7ade of ornamental galvanized iron, frescoed in bright colors.\u00a0 \u201cThough it has a foundation of masonry, capped with granite, the walls have a wrought iron framework, covered with corrugated iron.<\/p>\n \u201cFascinating,\u201d Joe commented, mouth puckered as if he\u2019d just sucked a lemon.<\/p>\n Chuckling, Adam flipped off Joe\u2019s straw hat and tousled his brother\u2019s chestnut curls.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, let\u2019s go inside.\u00a0 You shouldn\u2019t have to fake interest in what you\u2019ll find there.\u201d<\/p>\n Catching his hat before it hit the ground, Joe smiled in anticipation and went through the arched doorway with his brother.\u00a0 Inside, the tower stretched upward from the center of a broad promenade supported by decorative columns and pilasters.\u00a0 Fifteen alcoves dotted the circumference, each displaying objects of interest and beauty, but Adam said that they really didn\u2019t have time to look at those and drew Joe toward the tower itself.<\/p>\n Joe looked up and saw a balcony one hundred feet above his head and a second one, twenty to thirty feet above the first.\u00a0 \u201cWe going up there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d Adam said and moved toward the Otis elevator that carried forty visitors at a time to the upper balcony.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, there\u2019s a perfectly good staircase here,\u201d Joe insisted.<\/p>\n Adam pinched the bridge of his nose, but gave in to his brother\u2019s whim.\u00a0 The kid was hopeless, he decided.\u00a0 Even after his showing Joe the safety features of this type of steam elevator, the boy seemed addicted to climbing stairs.\u00a0 Well, maybe, like a temperamental horse kept in the barn too long, the kid needed exercise, although Adam personally found all the walking they\u2019d been doing more than ample.<\/p>\n The steps up the inside of the tower were seven feet wide, so the two brothers took them side by side.\u00a0 Reaching the central platform, Adam first directed his brother\u2019s attention out the windows for a bird\u2019s-eye view of the city, something else to which Little Joe seemed addicted.\u00a0 Joe leaned on the windowsill, gazing out, for a long while.\u00a0 Then Adam circled his waist and turned him back to the interior of the tower.\u00a0 \u201cThis is what I brought you here to see.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe looked down and gasped, for spread below him, circling the building was a vast canvas panorama of a city.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s not Philadelphia,\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, it\u2019s called \u2018Paris at Night,\u2019\u201d Adam said softly, smiling at the possessive light that instantly flamed in his young brother\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cIsn\u2019t it beautiful?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe nodded, too impressed for words.\u00a0 The cyclorama showed every street and building of the city, and above it, a painted moon and twinkling stars against a black sky represented the heavens.\u00a0 While he watched, suddenly a cloud obscured the moon and a pummeling rainstorm, simulated by mechanical means, dimmed the stars.\u00a0 \u201cOh, wow,\u201d Joe whispered, awed by the spectacle.\u00a0 He smiled across at his brother.\u00a0 \u201cOh, Adam, thanks.\u00a0 This is great!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam draped a long arm over Joe\u2019s slender shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cQuite a city, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s lips curved in a dreamy smile.\u00a0 \u201cOh, yeah!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam looked fondly down at the canvas of the city.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s one of the places I\u2019ve most wanted to see.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe turned abruptly to face his brother.\u00a0 \u201cNo!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s brow immediately furrowed with concern.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want you to go away, not again!\u201d\u00a0 It was the voice of a child, desperate in its pleading.<\/p>\n Adam was puzzled by the intensity of his brother\u2019s reaction.\u00a0 \u201cAgain?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSchool, the war\u2014never again, okay, Adam?\u201d Joe begged, voice breaking.<\/p>\n Adam stared, amazed that his younger brother could still feel so disturbed by something that had happened years before.\u00a0 He remembered the tear-streaked face of a four-year-old, seen through the window of the departing stagecoach, and saw that child reflected in the eyes of the young man standing before him.\u00a0 Has he carried that pain all these years?<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0 There\u2019d been a hint of it earlier, outside the New York State House, but this anguish seemed deeper, coupled, as it was, with dread.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, buddy, I-I don\u2019t know what to say.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSay you won\u2019t leave,\u201d Joe entreated.\u00a0 \u201cPromise, Adam!\u00a0 I know we rub each other the wrong way, but I don\u2019t want you leavin\u2019 home again.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam kept his voice gentle, as if he were still dealing with the child of four, rather than the youth who normally demanded recognition for his budding manhood.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, I hesitate to make promises for the future.\u00a0 Life is too unpredictable for that, but I don\u2019t have any real plans.\u00a0 It\u2019s just something I think about from time to time\u2014all the places I\u2019ve read about in books and never seen.\u00a0 Wouldn\u2019t you like to see Paris sometime?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, sure,\u201d Joe answered, for anything that brought him closer to his mother\u2019s heritage held a natural attraction, \u201cbut I wouldn\u2019t stay.\u00a0 I\u2019d want to come home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I probably would, too.\u201d\u00a0 Adam slapped his younger brother on the back. \u00a0\u201cHey, maybe I\u2019ll just take you with me, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n The dreamy smile reappeared on Little Joe\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cWould you, Adam?\u00a0 I\u2019d like that.\u00a0 I\u2019d like seeing Paris with you.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam scoured the back of the boy\u2019s neck with his hand.\u00a0 \u201cEven if I made you do some things you didn\u2019t want, like here in Philadelphia, like the opera tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe moaned.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t remind me.\u201d\u00a0 The visit to the Colosseum and the warm conversation he\u2019d shared with his brother made him feel worse about what he was planning to do later.\u00a0 He almost reconsidered, but the thought of wasting an entire evening at the opera with Adam\u2019s pretentious friend served to re-ignite his flickering intent.<\/p>\n The Cartwrights walked a few blocks to the southwest corner of Fifteenth and Chestnut streets for dinner in the first-class dining hall of the seven-story marble Colonnade Hotel.\u00a0 Glancing down the long menu, Little Joe\u2019s eyes were drawn by habit to the choices listed next to the highest prices.\u00a0 He knew in his heart that it was time to let Adam off the hook, especially now that he had caught on to what his younger brother was doing, but Joe couldn\u2019t stop himself.\u00a0 Besides, overeating overly rich food was part of his plan, so he chose as unwisely as he could.\u00a0 Beginning with succotash, a thick combination of corn, lima beans and pork, he worked his way through roast pork with haslet sauce; greasy, fried potato cakes and buttery creamed peas to the grand finale, a sinfully sumptuous slice of Washington cake, flavored with brandy, wine, nutmeg, cinnamon and currants.<\/p>\n Adam stared in utter disbelief.\u00a0 While Joe had always had a healthy appetite unless he were ill or upset, Adam had never seen him pack away food the way he had here in Philadelphia, and today\u2019s meal was topping even that record.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, I thought one of the benefits of bringing you, instead of Hoss, would be a smaller food bill,\u201d he muttered with a shake of his head.\u00a0 \u201cBoy, was I wrong!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a growing boy,\u201d Joe said sharply.\u00a0 With granite gaze, he continued to eat, the reminder that Adam would have preferred Hoss\u2019s company to his being all it took to release him from any feelings of guilt over his planned insurrection of the evening.<\/p>\n \u201cBoy, if you keep this up, you\u2019re going to grow right out of those new suits you bought,\u201d Adam chuckled and turned his attention back to his own, much lighter meal.<\/p>\n After dinner the Cartwrights walked about three blocks to the Polytechnic College at Seventeenth and Market.\u00a0 \u201cNow, I know you already said that one engineer in the family was enough,\u201d Adam reasoned, \u201cbut I just wanted you to realize that there are schools for practical vocations, as well as the more classical education available at Yale or Harvard or the University of Pennsylvania.\u00a0 Just another path you could take, and I\u2019m not pushing one direction or the other.\u201d\u00a0 He went on to explain that the Polytechnic College was divided into five schools: mines, practical chemistry, civil engineering, mechanical engineering and architecture.<\/p>\n Joe listened politely, but shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cHonestly, Adam, I can\u2019t see myself doing any of those.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you see yourself doing ten years from now, Joe?\u201d Adam asked as they entered the school\u2019s main building.<\/p>\n Joe shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cNot something I think about much, Adam.\u00a0 Living and working on the Ponderosa, of course, or maybe having a place of my own if . . . if . . .\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smiled.\u00a0 \u201cIf the right girl comes along?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grinned, at first with a touch of embarrassment, which changed before Adam\u2019s eyes to cocky bravado.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, but not anytime soon, big brother.\u00a0 I got a lot of wild oats to sow first.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam chuckled, setting his brother\u2019s hat straight as they reached the door to the administrative office.\u00a0 \u201cAnd it\u2019s my job to make sure the crop is a small one, little brother.\u00a0 Seriously, though, you should be setting some goals for yourself, for your future . . . something to work toward.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, maybe,\u201d Joe said with a nervous look at the door before him.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, give it some thought,\u201d Adam urged as he lifted his knuckles.\u00a0 He knocked on the door, and soon he and his brother were being escorted around the school.\u00a0 The man showing them around was crisply courteous, but not particularly cordial, so neither brother felt inclined to extend their visit.\u00a0 Being some distance from the Washington Hotel by now, they caught the horse car back.<\/p>\n Adam was surprised when his younger brother immediately opted for a nap in his room, though not as surprised as Joe when the pretense became reality and he actually fell asleep.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s enough beauty rest,\u201d Adam teased when he woke Joe later that afternoon with a shake of his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cTime to roust out and dress for dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s groan was real as he was roughly roused from slumber, but the way he dragged through his grooming and drooped into the parlor afterward was careful enactment of a well-scripted plot.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, cheer up.\u00a0 It won\u2019t be that bad,\u201d Adam cajoled playfully, assuming that Joe\u2019s flagging spirit was due to his disenchantment with the plans for the evening.<\/p>\n Joe sighed deeply.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not that, Adam.\u00a0 I\u2019m just not feelin\u2019 so good.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam surveyed him with a skeptical eye.\u00a0 \u201cRather a convenient illness, isn\u2019t it?\u00a0 Like the ones that used to assault you when Abigail Jones scheduled a big test you hadn\u2019t prepared for properly?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe managed to look offended, but too lethargic to strike back.\u00a0 \u201cFine, don\u2019t believe me,\u201d he muttered weakly.\u00a0 \u201cJust don\u2019t blame me if I retch all over your friend\u2019s fancy damask tablecloth.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam instantly looked more concerned.\u00a0 \u201cIs your stomach bothering you?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe plastered a look of pure misery on his countenance.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I think maybe you were right about all the junk I\u2019ve been packing into my stomach.\u00a0 I ate way too heavy a dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I tried to warn you,\u201d Adam said, his face reflecting both satisfaction at having his admonition verified and regret for the consequences his imprudent little brother had brought upon himself.<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s supercilious attitude, as Joe viewed it, chafed like a pair of woolen underdrawers on a midsummer afternoon, but Joe was not above working that authoritative stance to his own advantage.\u00a0 Sighing as though with newly awakened remorse over his failure to heed his older brother\u2019s wisdom, he murmured, \u201cYeah, I should have listened, I guess.\u201d\u00a0 Oh, how big brother always loved to hear those words!<\/p>\n Swallowing the bait, Adam was warm with solicitude.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll go down to the drugstore and get you some bicarbonate.\u00a0 Maybe that\u2019ll settle your stomach enough to enjoy the evening.\u201d<\/p>\n A still deeper sigh met this suggestion.\u00a0 \u201cI guess I could try, Adam, if it means that much to you, but I sure feel like just crawling back into bed.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe really looked pathetic, and Adam was beginning to feel selfish for insisting the boy attend a function in which he had no interest when he was so obviously ill.\u00a0 What way was that to introduce the little barbarian to culture?\u00a0 More likely, it would intensify his antipathy.\u00a0 Poor kid, he must have been feeling poorly all afternoon, but he had gamely toured the Polytechnic College without a word of complaint.\u00a0 Though disappointed, Adam felt there was only one way he could respond, by putting his brother\u2019s need above his personal pleasure.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I\u2019ll send word that we can\u2019t make it. I\u2019m sure Bert will understand.\u201d<\/p>\n Panic flared Joe\u2019s eyes wide.\u00a0 Having Adam hover solicitously over him all evening was not part of his plan at all!\u00a0 Quickly turning away so his brother wouldn\u2019t see his agitation, he said, \u201cAw, no, Adam.\u00a0 I don\u2019t wanna spoil your evening.\u00a0 Go ahead and go.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam ran a tender hand through his brother\u2019s tousled curls.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t be ridiculous.\u00a0 I won\u2019t leave you alone if you\u2019re ill.\u201d<\/p>\n Facial expression under control once more, Joe turned to gaze earnestly at his brother.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not sick, not really, just ate something that didn\u2019t agree with me, that\u2019s all\u00a0 . . . or, more likely, just ate more than agreed with me, like you tried to warn me.\u201d\u00a0 It couldn\u2019t hurt, Joe concluded, to give big brother\u2019s ego an extra feeding.<\/p>\n Adam pressed his palm against Joe\u2019s forehead, checking for fever.\u00a0 Find none, he asked, \u201cYou\u2019re sure that\u2019s all it is?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe curved his lips into a soft, sacrificial smile.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I\u2019m sure.\u00a0 Don\u2019t worry about me, Adam,\u201d he urged, conscience getting in gear again, at least enough to spare his brother needless concern.<\/p>\n Adam really hated to give up the evening among cultured people and, especially, the opportunity to meet the principal architect of the great Centennial buildings, so he fell easy prey to his little brother\u2019s stratagem.\u00a0 \u201cWell, all right, I\u2019ll go, as planned, but don\u2019t hesitate to use the hotel\u2019s messenger service to get word to me if you start feeling worse.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t,\u201d Joe assured him, \u201cbut I\u2019m sure a little rest is all I need.\u00a0 You just go on and have a good time, and don\u2019t waste a minute worrying about me, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll try,\u201d Adam said and hurried to finish dressing.\u00a0 Just before leaving, he looked into Joe\u2019s room, where his brother once again lay stretched on the bed, hand resting on his stomach as if touch might settle its distress.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you have a little soup?\u201d he suggested.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll probably sleep better with something on your stomach, and you can even have it delivered to the room.\u201d<\/p>\n Conscience really was twisting a knot in Joe\u2019s stomach by this time, so he answered briefly and quietly, thereby sounding all the more ill.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I\u2019ll do that.\u201d\u00a0 He rolled over and looked up, biting his lower lip.\u00a0 \u201cThanks for understanding, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure, kid,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cTake it easy, and, hopefully, you\u2019ll feel up to visiting the Exposition again tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hope so,\u201d Joe whispered, knowing full well that he would make a complete recovery by morning, in fact, by about two seconds after Adam left the room.\u00a0 He lay still for several minutes after his brother\u2019s departure, however, on the chance that Adam might have forgotten something and pop back in unexpectedly.\u00a0 Then he got up and dressed in his comfortable gray pants and tan shirt, smiling in anticipation of an evening of his own style of fun.<\/p>\n Wanting to give Adam time to get well away before starting his adventure, Joe picked up that morning\u2019s copy of the Public Ledger<\/em> and read once more the article by Mark Twain, describing the most alluring attraction of the unofficial midway across from the Centennial grounds.\u00a0 The way Twain, who had gotten his start as a writer back in Virginia City, described the Can-Can made it sound like an experience not to be missed by any red-blooded American man.\u00a0 \u201cI placed my hands before my face for very shame,\u201d Twain had written.\u00a0 \u201cBut I looked through my fingers. . . . A handsome girl . . . grasped her dresses vigorously on both sides with her hands, raised them pretty high, danced an extraordinary jig that had more activity and exposure about it than any jig I ever saw before, and then, drawing her clothes still higher, she advanced gaily to the center and launched a vicious kick.\u201d\u00a0 While Joe entertained doubts about old Adam, he knew exactly what flowed in his own veins, and since he was as red-blooded, American and manly as anyone on the continent, it was obviously imperative that he see the show.<\/p>\n Leaving the room, Joe\u2019s first stop was the hotel dining hall, where he ordered a light, but solid meal, figuring he might as well let Adam pay for that much of the night\u2019s fun, since everything else would be coming out of his own pocket.\u00a0 By this time he knew his way around the city well enough to catch the appropriate streetcar, and he was soon headed for that forbidden, but enticing area near the Centennial grounds known as Shantyville.\u00a0 Getting off opposite the Exposition\u2019s main entrance at Elm and Belmont avenues, he noticed that everything was shut up tight across the street.\u00a0 The attractions of Shantyville, however, did not close at night, so Joe turned right and within a block found himself in the midst of the ramshackle collection of buildings.<\/p>\n Snaring a bag of hot roasted peanuts, he decided to tour the sideshows first, but found them less interesting than he had hoped.\u00a0 The menagerie seemed meager after the diverse collection of animals at the zoological park, and the freak shows not much different from what he might have seen attached to a circus back home.\u00a0 Trying to convince himself that he was having fun, Joe viewed the Man-eating Feegee, Wild Man of Borneo and the Wild Children from Australia, but he flatly refused to view the deformed animals, like the two-headed calf or the five-legged cow.\u00a0 He had visited such gruesome sideshows when he was a kid and had discovered that seeing the unfortunate beasts only made him sick.\u00a0 That thought stung his conscience, as it reminded him of how he had deceived Adam, but he silenced the pangs by stopping at a nearby booth to buy a bologna sausage.<\/p>\n Nibbling as he walked, Joe stopped to watch the fat lady, advertised at six hundred and two pounds, break a chair by sitting on it.\u00a0 Again, instead of enjoying the spectacle, he found himself feeling sorry for the lady and angry with the people laughing at her.\u00a0 It reminded him of all the times people had laughed at Hoss because of his size, and he was glad Hoss wasn\u2019t here to see this show.\u00a0 His big-hearted brother, who couldn\u2019t stand to see any living being hurt, might have taken on the whole crowd of guffawing gawkers.<\/p>\n Concluding that this was no fun at all and feeling thirsty after finishing the sausage, Joe decided to seek refreshment in the first saloon he came across.\u00a0 He passed a huge soda fountain, proclaiming itself to be the world\u2019s largest, and listened briefly to the blaring music of its calliope, but he didn\u2019t buy anything.\u00a0 While he liked soda water, he really wanted something stronger tonight.\u00a0 After all, he hadn\u2019t had anything more potent than an occasional glass of wine with his meals since arriving in Philadelphia, and he decided it was time to reacquaint his tongue with the taste of a cold, foaming beer.<\/p>\n Spotting a flimsy, wooden building, whose oversized signboard advertised liquor of all varieties, Little Joe went inside and, beer in hand, passed the time until the Can-Can was scheduled to start with a pretty barmaid.\u00a0 Giving more attention to her deep cleavage than to the amount he was drinking, Joe lost track of how many beers he\u2019d had, and when the lady twitted him for partaking of a mere \u201cschoolboy\u2019s beverage,\u201d he began ordering whiskey to impress her with his maturity and manhood.\u00a0 As usual, it didn\u2019t sit well on his stomach, especially on top of the peanuts, bologna and beer.<\/p>\n The exit of a number of the saloon\u2019s other patrons made Joe consult his watch and he stood quickly.\u00a0 \u201cGotta go,\u201d he slurred in apology to his companion of the last hour.\u00a0 \u201cTime to see the show.\u201d<\/p>\n The barmaid pouted.\u00a0 \u201cAnd just when we were starting to have a good time.\u201d\u00a0 She twirled her index finger on his Adam\u2019s apple and let it slip down his throat.\u00a0 \u201cSure you wouldn\u2019t rather just stay here with me, hmm?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe felt his resolve weakening under her provocative touch.\u00a0 She was so pretty, but, then, so were the girls who danced the Can-Can, according to Mark Twain, and they showed their legs, too, and maybe more.\u00a0 \u201cNo, no, gotta go,\u201d he drawled.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, you come back later, sweetie,\u201d the girl urged.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe staggered out of the saloon and somehow managed to find the building where the Can-Can was being performed.\u00a0 The house was packed, with an all-male audience, and Joe was lucky to find a seat.\u00a0 When the dance started and the girls began to swish their skirts, he knew it had all been worth it, though\u2014all the scheming to get free of Adam and all the elbowing to make his way through the crowd.\u00a0 And when the dancers trotted to the edge of the stage, kicking their legs high to reveal more than he\u2019d ever seen of the female figure, Joe was in absolute heaven.<\/p>\n Suddenly, a whistle pierced through the music, and there were shouts all around of \u201cPolice!\u201d and \u201cIt\u2019s a raid!\u201d\u00a0 The audience scattered in all directions, and Joe, too, began to run for the exit, ducking under arms, dodging grasping hands and shoving other fleeing audience members out of his way.\u00a0 It was every man for himself, and fearing what his staid older brother would do if he landed in jail, Joe wrestled furiously to get away.\u00a0 Breaking through the crowd, he ran blindly, exhilarated by having successfully evaded the law, but unable to stop his mad dash down the street.\u00a0 Which street?\u00a0 He had no idea.\u00a0 He only knew that he had to keep running, had to get away, had to stay free, for there would be hell to pay if Adam found out.<\/p>\n He finally stopped in a dark alley, where the combination of exercise, liquor and unusual food made him empty the contents of his stomach into the street.\u00a0 Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Joe decided the sudden sickness was his just punishment for lying to Adam about being ill before.\u00a0 He backed up against the wall of a building and, eyes closed, leaned into it for support.\u00a0 But when the fetid odor of his own bile wafted up to him from the street, he again bent double, expelling yet more of the peanuts and bologna, along with what appeared to be the remains of succotash and roast pork.\u00a0 Realizing that it would only happen again if he stayed where the nauseating smell could reach his nostrils, he stumbled aimlessly down the alley.\u00a0 When he reached its end, he discovered that he had no idea which way to go, but turning around, he saw bright lights at the other end of the alley.\u00a0 Covering his nose and mouth, he weaved back down the passageway toward the light and eventually found himself again in Shantyville.<\/p>\n The clamor of the venders, stridently hawking their wares, set his head ringing, but he stopped at one of the unpainted wooden stalls to buy a glass of lemonade to wash the foul taste from his mouth.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t help; in fact, the acidic beverage burned his raw throat.\u00a0 Maybe a little hair of the dog would be better, he concluded, so he wandered into another saloon.\u00a0 After several shots of whiskey, he still felt wretched and decided it was time to go home, especially if he hoped to get there before Adam returned.\u00a0 \u201cWon\u2019t have to play sick now,\u201d Joe giggled as he stumbled outside.\u00a0 \u201cNow, where\u2019d that streetcar go?\u00a0 Know I left it somewhere \u2018round here.\u201d\u00a0 He hiccupped and, finding the sound terribly amusing, did it again for the entertainment of the patrons of Shantyville.<\/p>\n Finally sighting a streetcar, Joe stumbled aboard, paid his fare and sat down to await his arrival back at Chestnut Street.\u00a0 He\u2019d been riding a long time before his head cleared enough for him to notice that he wasn\u2019t headed downtown, but was far out in a residential area.\u00a0 Seeking the conductor\u2019s help, he finally managed to transfer to the correct streetcar, but it was now long past the time he had intended to be back at the hotel.\u00a0 \u201cAdam\u2019s gonna have a fit,\u201d he twittered with a nervous giggle as he tripped over the step getting off the streetcar and staggered toward the Washington Hotel.<\/p>\n The windows were all dark and the lobby empty when Joe lurched through it.\u00a0 He felt barely able to crawl, but, his distaste for elevators accentuated by an already-reeling stomach, he pulled himself hand over hand up the stair rail.\u00a0 When he came to the Cartwright suite and saw no light beneath the door, Joe tittered with sappy hilarity.\u00a0 He was safe; Adam wasn\u2019t home yet.\u00a0 Fumbling with the key, he got the door open and tottered inside the room, which was illuminated only by the light from the window.<\/p>\n Then, as he closed the door behind him, from the darkness a furious bellow issued forth.\u00a0 \u201cWhere have you been?\u201d<\/p>\n Leaning his aching head back against the door, Joe groaned.\u00a0 \u201cA-Adam, I\u2014I can explain.\u201d<\/p>\n Silhouetted against the rectangle of light from the window, Adam stood with folded arms, glaring at his prodigal brother.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t bother.\u00a0 It\u2019s all too obvious what you\u2019ve been up to, you . . . you . . . I can\u2019t even think of a word adequate to express what I think of you at this moment, boy!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe winced.\u00a0 Adam was never at a loss for words, so this unaccustomed verbal inadequacy could only be an indication that he was too furious to think straight, not a favorable sign.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Adam, he whispered, \u201cbut can\u2019t we talk about this in the morning?\u00a0 I feel wretched.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou expect me to fall for that again!\u201d Adam roared.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it\u2019s the truth this time,\u201d Joe wailed piteously.\u00a0 \u201cI-I\u2019ve had too much to drink and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s more than apparent!\u201d Adam shouted.\u00a0 \u201cNow I want to know where!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSh-Shantyville,\u201d Joe stammered, adding with a smile hopeful of mercy, \u201cIt\u2019s\u2014it\u2019s not as bad a place as you think, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n Suddenly, Adam was towering over his brother, a glowering personification of righteous wrath.\u00a0 \u201cAfter I strictly forbade it?\u00a0 How dare you?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe staggered a step back from the forbidding shadow.\u00a0 Had he been thinking clearly, he would have realized that attack was the worst strategy he could have employed at that moment, but still numbed by alcohol, he began to sputter, \u201cAw, doggone it, Adam.\u00a0 You promised I could have some fun on this trip.\u00a0 That\u2019s all I was doing, keeping that promise for you when you wouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n With cold fury Adam asked tersely, \u201cAnd what about your promise, boy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u201d Joe mumbled, still muddled.<\/p>\n \u201cYour promise to Pa to obey my authority,\u201d Adam reminded him frostily.<\/p>\n Chagrined, but still defensive, Joe continued to spew out ill-considered words.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t know what a tyrant you planned to be!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, if you\u2019re not willing to stick to your word, I can put you on a train for home first thing in the morning, little boy!\u201d Adam yelled.<\/p>\n Finally getting a grip on his erratic brain, Joe muttered snidely, \u201cWhat, and admit to Pa that you can\u2019t handle me any better than he can?\u201d\u00a0 He smiled smugly, knowing he\u2019d hit big brother where he was most vulnerable, smack in the center of his insufferable pride.\u00a0 Joe yelped as sharp talons gripped both shoulders.<\/p>\n Adam shook his brother \u2018til his teeth chattered.\u00a0 \u201cI oughta tan your hide!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe almost lost his balance when Adam let go, but grabbed onto a chair to keep himself upright.\u00a0 \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t dare,\u201d he muttered darkly.<\/p>\n Adam, who had walked away to avoid an almost overwhelming urge to strangle his aggravating brother, spun around at the cloaked threat.\u00a0 \u201cWouldn\u2019t I?\u201d he asked with sardonic smile.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s always been my opinion that you should be treated in strict accordance with the level of maturity you\u2019re showing.\u00a0 Tonight\u2019s little escapade was worthy of a kid of about fifteen, and if you\u2019ll recall, Pa certainly didn\u2019t consider you too old to have your britches warmed at that age!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe backed away, fearful his furious brother might actually carry out the implied threat, since he had clearly been pushed past the brink of reason.\u00a0 Stumbling over his own feet, Joe fell, bottom first, to the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cI give up,\u201d Adam said with a look of disgust.\u00a0 \u201cThere is no point in trying to talk to you while you\u2019re so besotted with alcohol that you can\u2019t stand up.\u00a0 Go sleep it off; I\u2019ll let you know in the morning what I intend to do with you.\u201d\u00a0 He stalked into his room, slamming the door.<\/p>\n Rising to his hands and knees, Joe crawled to his room, clambered up onto the bed, and despite his fear of the retribution Adam was planning, soon fell asleep.\u00a0 For Adam, however, sleep remained a distant goal.\u00a0 He leaned against his bedroom door, fingertips massaging his temple.\u00a0 Well, I guess we hit those breakers you warned me about, Pa, but I don\u2019t see how I could have navigated around them.\u00a0 Why didn\u2019t I see them coming? After all the times I\u2019ve watched him manipulate Hoss, I let the little conniver pull the wool right over my eyes.\u00a0 Oh, he\u2019s getting good at it!\u00a0 Well, I\u2019ll be on my guard from now on, but what do I do about this little mutiny he\u2019s staged?<\/em><\/p>\n He paced the hardwood floor, debating the alternatives.\u00a0 The one thing he determined was that Little Joe would not get off lightly, with the kind of slap on the wrist he might expect from Pa.\u00a0 The harshest penalty, of course, would be to send him home, as threatened, but pride wouldn\u2019t let Adam swallow the boast he\u2019d made to his father that he could \u201chandle that boy.\u201d\u00a0 The kid had measured him correctly with that barb, he acknowledged ruefully.\u00a0 It was equally obvious that he couldn\u2019t really take a nineteen-year-old across his knee, however much he might think the little wretch deserved it.\u00a0 Pa would be furious, rightfully so, and if Adam were to resort to any punishment that humiliating, in lieu of sending the kid home, there would be no living with Joe the rest of the trip.<\/p>\n How, then, could he discipline the brat?\u00a0 Keep him away from the Exposition?\u00a0 Adam shook his head.\u00a0 That would mean either depriving himself, as well, or leaving Joe in town alone.\u00a0 Not likely!<\/em>\u00a0 Adam snorted at the idea.\u00a0 He\u2019s already proven what mischief he\u2019s capable of getting into, left to his own devices.\u00a0 No, he\u2019ll have to stay with me, but how do I penalize him without making myself miserable?\u00a0 <\/em>That question kept Adam awake, long into the night, until he thought he\u2019d finally developed a course of action calculated to chafe his brother raw without curtailing any of his own plans.<\/p>\n ~ ~ Historical Notes ~ ~<\/p>\n \u00a0R.\u00a0H. Chase was the principal of Philadelphia Collegiate School in 1873, and I have made the presumption that he still held that office in 1876.<\/p>\n Mark Twain\u2019s commentary on the Can-Can is authentic.\u00a0 Its appearance in the Philadelphia Public Ledger<\/em> on the specified date is the author\u2019s conjecture, based solely on the needs of the plot.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n CHAPTER FIFTEEN<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Wanting some time to compose his disciplinary lecture, Adam had risen early.\u00a0 Shaved, dressed and speech prepared, he still deemed it too early to wake Joe, who clearly needed to \u201csleep it off,\u201d so he picked up the newspaper, and as he read the article on page one, his visage darkened.\u00a0 Something else he would need to discuss with his imprudent little brother, and now that he thought of it, the little wretch didn\u2019t deserve extra sleep.\u00a0 Tossing the paper aside, he headed for his brother\u2019s room.<\/p>\n As he had suspected, Little Joe was sprawled on his stomach, still dressed in his street clothes and dead to the world.\u00a0 Raising his palm, Adam brought it down hard on the upturned buttocks of the sleeping boy, the closest thing to a well-deserved spanking he dared mete out.<\/p>\n Jolted from sleep, Joe cracked a blurry eye.<\/p>\n \u201cGet up,\u201d Adam ordered, voice strident.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me sleep,\u201d Joe groaned, hand groping up to shield his eyes from the painful light of day.<\/p>\n Resisting the temptation to give his brother\u2019s butt one more satisfying smack, Adam rolled him over and grasped his jaw between iron fingers.\u00a0 \u201cListen, boy, I have no intention of changing my plans because you didn\u2019t have the sense to watch your alcohol consumption last night.\u00a0 Get up and get dressed.\u00a0 I have a few words to say to you.\u201d\u00a0 He turned and stalked from the room.<\/p>\n Moaning, Joe sat up, certain Adam\u2019s words would be far from few.\u00a0 He rested his splitting head in his hands for a few moments, then grimly stood up and staggered to the washbasin to splash cold water on his face.\u00a0 He briefly considered asking Adam what he should wear, but decided there was no point.\u00a0 In Adam\u2019s current mood, he would want his brother to be as uncomfortable as possible, so Joe laid out his nutmeg suit, along with a broad moss-green cravat to cinch around his neck.\u00a0 As soon as he was dressed, he gathered his courage and walked into the parlor to face the music.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, before you start in on me\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBe quiet,\u201d Adam ordered.\u00a0 \u201cStand up straight, keep your eyes on me and your mouth shut.\u201d<\/p>\n Quickly assuming an erect posture and focusing on his brother\u2019s face, Joe took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.\u00a0 This was going to be bad, very bad.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst things first,\u201d Adam said, picking up the newspaper and pointing to one specific article.\u00a0 \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t, by any chance, have first-hand knowledge of this little incident, would you?\u201d<\/p>\n Mindful of his brother\u2019s edict to keep his mouth shut, Joe merely nodded as he read the headline.<\/p>\n \u201cAnswer me!\u201d Adam shouted.<\/p>\n Joe jumped.\u00a0 \u201cY-yes, sir.\u00a0 I-I was there.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam flung the paper to the floor.\u00a0 \u201cYou were there.\u00a0 Not only did you lie about your physical condition, not only did you go to a section of town you were expressly forbidden to enter, not only did you drink yourself into a stupor, but you attended a performance so indecent it became the subject of a police raid.\u00a0 I suppose we have only your fleet feet to thank for the fact that you got home at all last night, instead of ending up in a jail cell!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe lowered his eyes and nibbled on his lower lip.\u00a0 \u201cYes, sir,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cSpeak up,\u201d Adam growled, \u201cand get your eyes back on me.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe raised his head and forced himself to meet Adam\u2019s stern gaze.\u00a0 \u201cYes, sir, it\u2019s all true, except . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes?\u201d Adam probed, irritation keeping an edge on his voice.<\/p>\n \u201cExcept it wasn\u2019t an indecent show,\u201d Joe said with a wistful smile.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2014it was a very fine show.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam snorted.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll understand if I don\u2019t accept that as an entirely unbiased evaluation.\u00a0 Somehow, I feel more inclined to trust the judgment of law enforcement officers than that of a green kid who has already proven that he has no judgment whatsoever.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe bristled at being called a green kid, but fought to keep his temper under control.\u00a0 He\u2019d done wrong the night before and was willing to acknowledge his transgression\u2014if Adam would just stop raking him over the coals long enough to let him apologize.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I invited you on this trip, I told you that there were certain conditions, did I not?\u201d Adam demanded.\u00a0 \u201cAnd these conditions were reaffirmed by Pa, as well, were they not?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe nodded and when Adam appeared to be waiting for a verbal response, said wearily, \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd have you met those conditions?\u201d Adam pressed.<\/p>\n Deciding it was time he said something in his own defense, Joe squared his shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cAll but once.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry about last night, Adam, especially about lying to you, but I still don\u2019t see why I had to go out with you and your friends.\u00a0 All I wanted was one night of fun of my own choosing.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam pursed his lips and nodded slowly.\u00a0 \u201cWell, you\u2019ve had your night of fun.\u00a0 I hope it was worth it because it is the last you will see, boy.\u00a0 If I agree to let you stay, you will have to adhere to my dictates to the letter.\u00a0 Step over the line once and you will be packing your bags so fast, you\u2019ll be dizzy from the pace.\u201d\u00a0 He narrowed his gaze.\u00a0 \u201cFurthermore, if<\/em> I agree to let you stay, the emphasis will be on your education, not \u2018fun.\u2019\u00a0 So you decide now, boy.\u00a0 Do you accept these conditions or do I put you on that train for home?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s face was grim, but he answered meekly, looking at the floor.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d like to stay, Adam.\u00a0 Please.\u201d\u00a0 He had hopes that after a day or two to work out his spite, Adam would ease up on him.\u00a0 However, even if the rest of the trip were pure misery, staying with his older brother, angry as he was, would still be preferable to being sent back to his father like a naughty child.\u00a0 Joe didn\u2019t even want to think about what Pa would say or do in that event.<\/p>\n Adam stood, with his feet planted shoulder-width apart and his arms folded, liking what he saw.\u00a0 Now that he had the kid subdued, it was time to tighten the reins.\u00a0 \u201cIn addition, there will, of course, be a little discipline today to atone for your misbehavior.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s head snapped up.\u00a0 \u201cNow wait a minute!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDietary discipline,\u201d Adam announced, the crisp staccato of his words intended to imply that there would be no discussion of the prescribed punishment.<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s lip curled with sarcasm.\u00a0 \u201cOh, what?\u00a0 Bread and water?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam thrust his index finger directly at his brother\u2019s nose.\u00a0 \u201cKeep up the smart mouth, kid, and that\u2019s exactly what it will be!\u201d\u00a0 He took a step back and folded his arms across his chest again, to control a strong urge to slap Joe\u2019s impudent face.\u00a0 \u201cWhat I intend is to make certain you put proper food in your stomach today, instead of the most expensive item on the menu and every snack food in sight.\u00a0 You will eat what I say today or go hungry.\u00a0 Is that clear?\u201d<\/p>\n Realizing that it could have been much worse, Joe quickly murmured, \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you will go where I say and nowhere else\u2014today and every day we remain in the East.\u00a0 Is that clear?\u201d<\/p>\n With a sigh Joe again whispered, \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n The glow of triumph in Adam\u2019s eyes made his smooth smile, as he issued the next edict, an ugly thing.\u00a0 \u201cFurthermore, after we return from the Exposition, you will spend the evening writing a report on what you have learned about the exhibits we visit.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe groaned.\u00a0 \u201cIn five hundred words or less?\u201d he scoffed, that being Abigail Jones\u2019 favorite length of essay assignment.<\/p>\n \u201cIn as many words as are required to make a full and detailed report,\u201d Adam demanded.\u00a0 \u201cIs that agreed?\u201d<\/p>\n Feeling he had no choice, Joe nodded and once again muttered a perfunctory, \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne more thing,\u201d Adam began.<\/p>\n \u201cJust one?\u201d Joe grunted bitterly.<\/p>\n \u201cYou watch your tone, boy,\u201d Adam ordered sharply as he extended his hand, palm up, \u201cand hand me your room key.\u00a0 You won\u2019t need it, as you\u2019ll be spending every waking moment under my supervision, and just maybe it will discourage you from sneaking out at night if you don\u2019t have a way to get back in.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe reached into his pocket, withdrew the key and angrily slammed it into his brother\u2019s hand, thinking that Adam had now gone too far in the role of stern parent.\u00a0 Given the degree of self-satisfaction Adam was displaying, though, nothing would stop him from playing the part to the hilt.\u00a0 As they headed downstairs for breakfast, Joe tried to calculate just how long it would take to work the martinet out of Adam\u2019s system and, of lesser importance, just how punitive his \u201cdietary discipline\u201d was to be.<\/p>\n A partial answer to the latter was revealed when Adam placed their breakfast orders.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll have bacon and eggs, with fried potatoes and hot cakes, please,\u201d he told the waitress, and when she turned, by habit, to take Joe\u2019s order, he cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cThe boy will have milk toast, easy on the butter, and beef tea.\u201d<\/p>\n At first surprised, the waitress smiled in sympathy when she noticed the green cast to Joe\u2019s countenance.\u00a0 \u201cVery good, sir,\u201d she told Adam and left to turn in the order.<\/p>\n Little Joe gave his brother a sour smile.\u00a0 Milk toast and beef tea, food for an invalid, only marginally better, in Joe\u2019s opinion, than bread and water.\u00a0 He had to admit, though, that Adam\u2019s choices sat easier on his touchy stomach than bacon and eggs would have.\u00a0 In fact, even the sight of Adam\u2019s greasy plate was enough to send waves of nausea rippling through his abused digestive system.<\/p>\n * * * * *<\/p>\n As he was dragged down Elm Avenue to the eastern entrance to the Centennial grounds, Joe decided he would never understand the way his older brother\u2019s mind worked.\u00a0 The horse car had let them off right in front of the southern entrance to the Main Exhibition Building.\u00a0 But, no, Adam had to insist on going in the east door to the huge hall, and he, of course, offered no explanation to his brother, who was still, obviously, in disgrace and, therefore, not deserving of enlightenment.\u00a0 Spotting a huge circular building of corrugated iron, just outside the Exhibition grounds, however, Joe was glad they had come this way.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Adam, it\u2019s the \u2018Siege of Paris,\u2019\u201d he cried, stepping toward the Panorama.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s\u201d\u2014his face fell as Adam\u2019s grip on his arm tightened.<\/p>\n \u201cSome other time, perhaps,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut, Adam, it\u2019s educational,\u201d Joe pointed out as he was pulled away.<\/p>\n \u201cTry to get this through your thick head,\u201d Adam growled.\u00a0 \u201cNothing today is being arranged for your pleasure, and I will decide what area of your education requires attention.\u00a0 I don\u2019t feel a further exploration of your French background quite fills the bill today, boy.\u201d<\/p>\n While Adam was purchasing a catalog of exhibits just inside the east entrance, Joe saw a sign announcing that most of the exhibits upstairs pertained to the Education Department of the State of Massachusetts.\u00a0 He felt sure he now knew why Adam had chosen this as their starting place; evidently, part of his punishment was to avoid anything of interest in favor of whatever would bore him to distraction.\u00a0 When they climbed the stairs to the gallery and entered one room of the educational exhibits, Joe found it every bit as dull as he\u2019d expected, with its dreary display of school furniture, tiresome textbooks and exam papers bound in volumes, like a regular book.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t guess anyone would want to bind my test papers in a book!\u201d he joked, trying to clear the atmosphere.<\/p>\n But Adam was in no mood for humor, especially regarding his brother\u2019s educational inadequacies.\u00a0 \u201cNo, most of yours were best used as tinder for the fire,\u201d he observed with a cynical half-smile.<\/p>\n With a scowl, Joe turned away, feigning sudden interest in a table of mathematics texts.<\/p>\n Once the torment of that room had been endured, the Cartwright brothers exited to the gallery again.\u00a0\u00a0 They passed the huge instrument by Boston organ-builders Hook and Hastings, the bellows for its 2,704 pipes blown by a hydraulic engine on the ground floor beneath it.\u00a0 Since a concert was in progress, they stopped to listen for a few minutes, Joe keeping a careful distance between himself and his older brother and taking the opportunity to peer over the rail at the intriguing scene below.<\/p>\n A dazzling display met his eyes, the exhibits themselves forming a crazy quilt of varied shapes and colors, while the crowds in the aisles declared the multinational appeal of the Centennial Exhibition.\u00a0 Ornamental silks of Oriental visitors brushed past baggy brown trousers and red jackets, similar to those Joe had seen on their visit to the Turkish caf\u00e9.\u00a0 Crimson caps atop the heads of swarthy men declared them to be Egyptian, just as the buckskins indicated the presence of Native Americans in the crowd.\u00a0 Other costumes were unfamiliar to the boy from Nevada, and he would, under other circumstances, have asked his older brother to identify them for him.\u00a0 Not a good idea today, he decided, with a cautious look at Adam.\u00a0 Nope, still mad; best leave him alone.\u00a0 Pot\u2019s only simmering now, but it wouldn\u2019t take much to set it boiling again.\u00a0 Besides, any questions he asked would only add that much more information to put in his report that evening, and one look at the ground floor assured Joe that he would be at it for hours, without requesting more details to include.<\/p>\n Joe was quite willing to stay for the entire concert, on the assumption that nothing more enjoyable would be permitted that day, but Adam was soon ready to move on.\u00a0 Probably that infernal schedule again<\/em>, Joe mused.\u00a0 Gotta keep on track if he\u2019s gonna make his little brother as miserable as possible<\/em>.<\/p>\n Sure enough, Adam\u2019s next destination was the second room of the Massachusetts educational exhibits, a room the older brother found even more absorbing than the first, with its architectural plans and models of principal schools in the state, including Boston High and Evening Schools.\u00a0 Adam frowned with disapproval when he heard Joe yawn loudly beside him.<\/p>\n Reading the message in his brother\u2019s severe countenance, Joe attempted to simulate some interest, an effort he soon gave up as completely futile.\u00a0 Adam might be able to envision what a building would look like, just by reading a set of diagrams, but to Joe, they were just meaningless lines on paper.\u00a0 Looking around the room, in hopes of spying something that wasn\u2019t unutterably boring, he noticed a crowd of people huddled around a table in the corner and decided that anything that drew that much attention merited investigation.\u00a0 Besides, no matter what it was, it had to be more interesting than architectural plans.\u00a0 Seeing that Adam was still engrossed in those boring schematics, Joe sidestepped to the right and, when Adam didn\u2019t even look up, took one step backward.<\/p>\n Step by step, he inched away from his brother, until he was back in the corner drawing so much interested attention.\u00a0 Joe peered between shoulders and saw some kind of mechanism on the table.\u00a0 A lady holding a dark cylinder to her ear suddenly gasped and set the apparatus down.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is it?\u201d Joe asked a tall man standing just in front of him.<\/p>\n \u201cProfessor Bell calls it an Electric Telephone and Multiple Telegraph,\u201d the man replied, turning sideways so Joe could see more clearly.<\/p>\n Joe squinted at the twisted wires running from the cylinder to another part of the mechanism.\u00a0 \u201cNew kind of telegraph, huh?\u00a0 Don\u2019t see a key to click out the dots and dashes.\u00a0 How\u2019s it work?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not see for yourself, young man?\u201d\u00a0 From behind the table a man with dark wavy hair, bushy sideburns and a congenial smile gestured toward the cylinder.<\/p>\n Joe picked it up and held it tentatively to his ear as the man lifted the device at the other end of the wires to his mouth.\u00a0 \u201cHey, it talks!\u201d Joe screeched, almost dropping the cylinder, as the words came tickling into his ear.\u00a0 The surrounding crowd responded with a loud burst of laughter.<\/p>\n Across the room, Adam, surprised to hear such a hullabaloo in an educational room, looked up and immediately noticed that his younger brother was no longer at his side.\u00a0 With discernment cultivated over nearly two decades\u2019 service as older sibling to Little Joe, he swiveled toward the sound, instinctively knowing that he would find his young brother at the center of the commotion.\u00a0 Fire in his eyes, he moved toward the corner and took firm hold on Joe\u2019s arm to pull him back where he belonged.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, you gotta see this!\u201d Joe exclaimed.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I want to see is you, doing what you\u2019re told,\u201d Adam hissed through gritted teeth.<\/p>\n \u201cBut, Adam, it talks!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTalks?\u201d\u00a0 Adam turned a skeptical eye toward the table, but the minute he saw the invention, his curiosity overcame his ire, and he stepped closer to view the mechanism.\u00a0 Soon he was posing technical questions to the man behind the table, who introduced himself as Alexander Graham Bell and willingly explained the principles of electro-magnetic transmission of sound.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is, of course, in a rudimentary stage,\u201d the inventor explained.\u00a0 \u201cThat is why I am only able to transmit the human voice in one direction at present, but I expect to soon solve that problem, and then distant speakers will be able to carry on conversations as readily as though they were in the same parlor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow far?\u201d Joe asked eagerly.\u00a0 \u201cAll the way to Nevada?\u201d<\/p>\n Bell laughed lightly.\u00a0 \u201cThat is a considerable distance, young man, but perhaps in time it would be possible.\u00a0 After all, telegraph wires stretch that far, so it should be possible for telephone wires, I would think.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA most fascinating demonstration, Professor Bell,\u201d Adam said by way of farewell, for he felt that he and Joe had taken up enough of the man\u2019s time.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be expecting to hear more of you and your invention.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe seemed reluctant to leave, especially in light of the only other exhibits on offer in this room, but Adam hauled him away with a firm hand.\u00a0 \u201cThat was very interesting, but you are not setting the itinerary today.\u00a0 Do not leave my side again,\u201d he ordered crisply as he dragged his brother toward a display of photographs of several colleges in Massachusetts.\u00a0 \u201cI want you to pay special attention to these, Joe,\u201d he said firmly.<\/p>\n \u201cDo I need to list them in my essay?\u201d Joe sneered.\u00a0 Seeing Adam flare with anger, he quickly wiped the sarcasm from his face.\u00a0 \u201cSorry.\u00a0 Any here from Yale?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sighed as though weighed down by his brother\u2019s colossal ignorance.\u00a0 \u201cYale\u2019s in Connecticut, Joe; this is the Massachusetts exhibit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, yeah, I knew that,\u201d Joe stammered, chagrined.<\/p>\n Noticing his brother\u2019s embarrassment over the simple mistake, Adam added with a less acerbic tongue, \u201cMaybe they\u2019ll have some photos in Connecticut\u2019s educational department, as well.\u00a0 According to the catalog, it\u2019s in the southern gallery.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s go look,\u201d Joe suggested, brightening with real interest this time and moving toward the exit.<\/p>\n Adam laid a restraining palm on his brother\u2019s chest.\u00a0 \u201cAll in good time.\u00a0 Now, here are some interesting shots of the Harvard campus.\u201d<\/p>\n Oh, great<\/em>, Joe thought, another place I\u2019m not smart enough to go.\u00a0 What\u2019s the point in even looking?<\/em>\u00a0 He dutifully examined the photographs, however, certain Adam would expect to see them mentioned in his evening\u2019s homework.<\/p>\n Finally escaping from the educational exhibits, Joe eagerly trotted down the stairs, an action his stomach protested, but he recovered quickly and headed toward the main aisle.\u00a0 A familiar grip tightened on his biceps and pulled him back.<\/p>\n \u201cJust where do you think you\u2019re going?\u201d Adam demanded tersely.<\/p>\n Little Joe pointed down the aisle.\u00a0 \u201cSee that sign, \u2018Great Britain and Ireland\u2019?\u00a0 Wouldn\u2019t it be better to start down there\u2014you know, save the best for last?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cWe are, you little egotist.\u00a0 The United States may have excelled in machinery, but it will be a different story in this building.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, that\u2019s downright unpatriotic,\u201d Joe declared.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd downright truthful, too,\u201d Adam grunted.\u00a0 \u201cNow, come with me, little boy, and I don\u2019t want to hear so much as a suggestion from you the rest of the day.\u201d\u00a0 He began walking south down the easternmost aisle.\u00a0 \u201cI assume you\u2019re taking note of the architecture and the interior d\u00e9cor,\u201d he observed with a cutting glance over his shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, you bet,\u201d Joe tossed back.\u00a0 Architecture, huh?\u00a0 He had no idea what style of architecture this building sported, and he wasn\u2019t about to ask.\u00a0 The interior d\u00e9cor was easier to appraise: light blue and cream walls, tiled pavement in the vestibule and, circling the walls near the top, small, round stained-glass windows, designating the arms of the United States, as well as of individual states, territories and other nations represented at the Centennial.\u00a0 It was pleasing to the eye and would be easy to remember when it came time to write down the description.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph,\u201d Adam called sharply.<\/p>\n Joe scurried to catch up.\u00a0 \u201cComing, Pa<\/em>,\u201d he mocked.<\/p>\n Adam flushed, momentarily aware that he was overdoing the authoritarian stance.\u00a0 To compensate, he pointed out a shining display of cutlery and asked, \u201cDo you think Hop Sing would appreciate some new knives?\u201d<\/p>\n Since Adam sounded almost normal with that question, Joe decided to test the waters to see if his big brother had regained a particle of his sense of humor.\u00a0 \u201cLike these?\u201d he asked, pointing at the huge Centennial knife and fork suspended above the cutlery department.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one but Hoss would have a chance of handling those,\u201d Adam chuckled, amused despite his determination to stay severe with Joe today.<\/p>\n \u201cNot even him, big brother, not even him.\u201d<\/p>\n The brothers smiled at each other, as if the very mention of Hoss had pulled them together the way their middle brother so often did back home.\u00a0 It was only a small step forward, but Joe began to breathe a little easier.\u00a0 Only a little, though, as it was too early in the day to assume that he was out of the woods yet.<\/p>\n Pausing briefly to look at an exhibit of carpet manufacturers, Adam raised a quizzical eyebrow in his brother\u2019s direction.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe,\u201d Joe said, though he sounded uncertain.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re not bad.\u00a0 Maybe in Pa\u2019s bedroom.\u00a0 His is getting kind of thin.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s nose scrunched up.\u00a0 Yeah, it\u2019ll have to be you, \u2018cause I sure don\u2019t have the money for that\u2014or anything else Pa would really like<\/em>.<\/p>\n The next showcase presented a new product for the consideration of American consumers.\u00a0 Manufactured out of cork and linseed oil, linoleum was proclaimed by the trade card being passed out to all in sight to be softer and more durable than oilcloth.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing might find this practical,\u201d Adam observed, running his hand over the smooth surface.<\/p>\n \u201cUgh!\u00a0 Don\u2019t even think about it,\u201d Joe declared with a vigorous shake of his head.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019d cover up those great old wood floors with this ugly stuff?\u00a0 All that book learning has addled your brains, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe just in the kitchen?\u201d Adam suggested.\u00a0 \u201cThink how it would expedite mopping the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing would hate it,\u201d Joe stated emphatically.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019ll never last, I tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam shrugged and moved on, pocketing the trade card to show later to their household factotum.\u00a0 Secretly, he thought that Joe\u2019s opposition probably guaranteed the success of the new product with people of good sense.\u00a0 Hoss, for instance, would have seen the value in time saved right away.<\/p>\n Odd that it\u2019s the youngster in the family that\u2019s so hidebound against change<\/em>, Adam mused.\u00a0 The kid hasn\u2019t had nearly as much to deal with in his life as I have in mine, but he doesn\u2019t handle change half as well.\u00a0 Lack of practice, maybe?\u00a0 Is there such a thing as too much stability in a boy\u2019s life?<\/em>\u00a0 It was an almost unthinkable thought when he considered the upheaval of his own growing-up years.\u00a0 Which of us is really better off?<\/em> Adam wondered.\u00a0 Which will, ultimately, make the better man?<\/em>\u00a0 It was a moment of rare self-examination for the oldest Cartwright brother, and uncomfortable with the questions pounding in his head, he pushed them aside to look at the next exhibit.<\/p>\n In the southeast corner of the gigantic hall rose the two-story black walnut pavilions of the publishing industry, divided according to publisher.\u00a0 From the moment they entered, Adam seemed lost in a world of his own, so Joe sat on one of the padded benches surrounding the Lippincott Publishing Company\u2019s exhibit and thumbed through an illustrated edition of the works of Sir Walter Scott, whose swashbuckling tales were old favorites with the youngest Cartwright.<\/p>\n Finally dragging himself away from row after row of tempting volumes, Adam noticed the title of the book in his brother\u2019s hand.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m glad to see your taste in literature occasionally rises above dime-novel drivel,\u201d he commented airily.<\/p>\n Joe slammed the book shut.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve always liked Scott, Adam.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you ever pay attention to what I\u2019m really like, or are you just so busy looking for something to criticize that you ignore everything else?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam yanked Joe up from the bench, his nails digging painfully into the boy\u2019s biceps.\u00a0 \u201cYou keep a civil tongue in your mouth today, boy,\u201d he growled testily.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re in a deep enough vat of hot water without heating things up with that notoriously fiery tongue of yours.\u201d<\/p>\n Embarrassed by the heads that turned to look their direction, Joe said nothing as he was dragged from that pavilion into the next, an exhibit by the American Bible Society.\u00a0 Yeah, Adam could do with some time spent in the Good Book, all right.\u00a0 Something about doing unto others or <\/em>. . .<\/p>\n
\n<\/a>A Dream’s First Bud
\n<\/a>A Dream Imperiled
\n<\/a>A Dream’s Darkest Hour
\n<\/a> A Dream Divided<\/a><\/p>\n
\nCentennial! A Journey of Discovery<\/a><\/p>\n