A Battle of Wills – # 9 (by Robin)

Summary:  Part nine of A Battle of Wills

Word Count:  12,500

 

A Battle of Wills

Chapter 1

 

June 28,1871

Kate Cartwright, Boston, Massachusetts

Eureka! STOP Found Foster’s missing Cherry Creek records STOP. Letter and package to follow. STOP

Philip Bartlett, Enterprise, Virginia City

 

June 29, 1871

Dear Kate,

I don’t even know where to begin. I am sure by now you got my wire and must be anxiously awaiting this letter and the package.

I found your uncle’s missing records on the Cherry Creek dam vote! All this time we had been looking and they were right under our noses. Or over our heads… Maybe now we can successfully petition the governor to reopen everything.

We had record rains the last ten days and on the day after Stanley Fischer’s funeral, it rained so hard that the roof at the Enterprise started to leak. The worst was right over the presses and over your office. Not to worry as the presses are fine. I had the men move them and cover them over with tarps. We got the issue out with no real problems, just a little later than usual.

The office is another story however.

As we were dismantling the presses, the dropped ceiling over your desk let loose and all the water that had been trapped up there flooded out. It was quite a mess, but a blessing in disguise. Amongst all the sodden plaster and broken lumber was a packet of papers wrapped in oilcloth. When I opened it up, I realized it was truly the mother lode, Katie. It was all the files and the notes regarding the problems the voting on damming Cherry Creek that we searched for after your Uncle Foster was murdered.

Years ago, Adam and I had spent weeks hunting for those records after you had gone with your family to San Francisco. Mim was sure there was more to what happened after the conviction of the saddle traps for shooting Foster. Mim and Ben Cartwright tried to get Territorial Governor Flanagan to reopen the trial to prove Harrison was tied in with the gunmen. He was the only one who made any money from the Cherry Creek land. With out any evidence Flanagan couldn’t do anything as much as he agreed with Mim that there was more to your uncle’s death than two angry saddle tramps walking into the Enterprise and shooting him

Harrison sold his land to the railroads for a right of way for far more than it was worth. Ask Adam about it. You were too young at the time to know what was at stake and what Foster’s fight was really all about.

Harrison’s side wanted to dam Cherry Creek which would have flooded out half the ranchers and taken away the water supply from the other half. Even John Muir uses Cherry Creek as an argument against tampering with nature. Are you aware of how famous your uncle’s bravery has become in certain circles?

. This discovery of the lost papers may just do it and get the case opened again.

I suspect Foster knew that someone was out to get him and he shoved the whole file up in the ceiling the night he was shot to keep anyone from getting it.

I was busy running the presses that night and you and Joe hadn’t even shown up yet. Knowing Foster, he wouldn’t have wanted to get us drawn in. I will go to my death wishing he had as I could have done a better job of protecting him. Too bad your Aunt Mim didn’t live to see this find.

I am really afraid to have it around so that is why I didn’t go through all of it.

The only one who I trust to see any of this is Ben Cartwright and Ray Coffee. I was going to put the whole thing into Ben’s safe on the Ponderosa but we both figured it would be safer in the care of the US mail than anywhere in Virginia City. We barely went through it all when we decided that it was safer to get it all to Boston immediately. Roy had gone hunting with some other fellows from Carson and wouldn’t be back for at least two weeks. Ben and I didn’t want the papers around that long.

Who knows where Harrison wound up and if he is even still alive after all these years but we can find that out at a later date. Ben said he went back east and heard he became a rich man but hadn’t heard more about him. He did know that Harrison had a sister in Boston or Philadelphia or New York named Smith who had a son.

Please watch what you do with it and have Adam lock it up in his safe at Stoddard and Bruce. Please be careful.

Sincerely,

Philip Bartlett

Chapter 2

Ponderosa Ranch

1850

“We better get you back to the chuck wagon, boy. Hoss will be out looking for you if he finds you gone. You look cold too.” Ben Cartwright said leaning forward in his saddle toward Little Joe. This ride would be perfect, Little Joe thought, if only he hadn’t had to leave his warm jacket behind. He put it bunched up in his blanket roll so no one would notice he had ridden away from the camp.

” I’m warm enough. Pa, I came to help you on your watch. I brought you something to eat too.” Joe reached into his shirt and pulled out some squashed looking biscuits and an apple that he had snagged from the chuck wagon. “I thought you would be hungry and lonely sitting and watching cows. I saw you didn’t eat much dinner. I got water in my canteen too. I couldn’t figure how to get hot coffee in it.” Joe smiled. “I just wanted to help, Pa.”

Ben smiled despite himself. His boy was right. He hadn’t eaten much. Between dealing with the argument between two of the drovers and tending to an injured horse and rearranging the watch schedule to accommodate a man that had torn up his leg on a fall, Ben had barely eaten any of his dinner.

For months Little Joe had been demanding to go on the spring round up, insisting that he was big enough to help out and that he could follow orders. He didn’t want to stay behind on the Ponderosa with Mrs. Newkirk. Now in the middle of the night, as Ben took his turn on watch, the boy rode up on his pony leading a calf on a rope. “Pa, this calf was all the way on the other side of the creek. And it has our brand on it too.”

“You know you can’t be roaming around the range with out telling anyone ever again.  Other wise you have to stay back with Mrs. Newkirk. You know that, son. You really are too small to be on the roundup. You’re only eight years old.”

”But Pa,” Joe argued.” With Adam back in college you said you were short handed. I can be a big help.” He also missed his father but was not going to say that. Offering to help sounded much more manly than saying he was lonely for Pa.

“Riding out in the middle of the night and getting lost or stampeding the herd isn’t a help, Joseph.”

“I knew exactly where I was Pa. I was just helping out, like you wanted. And I was real quiet and rode slow and still around the herd. I came up by the other side of the creek, way far from them. I found that stray on the other side of the creek too.’ Little Joe pointed to the calf he had roped. “I did it all by myself Pa. Just like Hoss showed me.” The boy was trying so hard to keep up with the men; Ben found it hard to be angry with him. “You told me not to ride out alone but I wasn’t alone. I knew you were right here and I would catch up with you Pa. I knew just where you were and I came directly to you.”

“We better head back to camp son. Look!” Ben pointed up at the night sky. “See that bright star? That’s the North Star and you can always set your course by it. The crew is just north of here so we go this way.”

”I knew that, Pa. I followed the creek coming up to find you. I knew it was on my left going and would be on my right to go back. I had to follow it upstream to find you. Hoss said your watch was upstream. And then I listened for the cattle and here I was.” Joe grinned proudly at his father. He pulled out another biscuit from his shirt and nibbled at it.

Ben shook his head. Little Joe was right. The boy knew exactly where he was and how to get back to the camp. And he found the stray calf to boot.

Ben slid off the back of his horse and looked at the calf. Little Joe was right on that too. It had a Ponderosa pine tree brand on it. He took Joe’s rope off its neck and slapped its rump sending it back to the herd. Little Joe jumped off his horse and started to coil up his rope and put it back on his saddle. He did that properly too. “You told me that I should tend to my gear Pa. A cowboy is as good as his gear. You said that too Pa.”

Ben grinned and shook his head. The boy was learning very fast and really was becoming a big help. He wasn’t a baby anymore by a good stretch.

”Get up on my horse, boy”. Ben picked up his son and swung him up on his saddle and climbed up behind him holding the reins of Joe’s pony. “We can still get a bit of sleep before sun up. “

Ben’s watch was almost over and his relief would be heading up as they rode back towards the camp. Little Joe leaned back tiredly on his father’s chest. “I helped out Pa. Didn’t I.” The boy yawned and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. He had missed his Pa and now they were together.

Ben nodded and wrapped his arms tighter around his son. “You did just fine. I’m proud of you son.”

As they rode back, Ben gazed up at the constellations. The clear night sky was so beautiful. He pointed out the different configurations of stars to Little Joe, and told his son their names.

Joe was fascinated. “How do you know so much about the stars, Pa?” The boy yawned again. He was much warmer now. He was nice and cozy riding with his father as he had been since before he could walk.

“Well, Little Joe, sailors use the stars for navigation – to help guide the ship when they are out at sea, far away from land. There are no mountains or creeks or hills round to the captain find his way back to his port. In the middle of the ocean, there is no upstream or down stream to follow.”

“Guess that little calf needed to know how to follow the north star back to the herd, Pa” He yawned. Before they got to the camp, Little Joe had fallen asleep against Ben’s chest.

Chapter 3

July 4^th 1871

Boston

“Be quiet. Uncle Joe is sleeping and we can sneak in and get his gun and then you can see a real cowboy gun.” Sam whispered to Robert O’Mara. “Don’t wake him up.”

Everyone in the Cartwright family knew Joe was a sound sleeper and had been known to fall asleep and stay sleep almost anywhere. He had slept in school, through hymn singing in church and on the back of Cochise surrounded by bellowing cattle on round ups. Joe had fallen sound asleep on wet rocky ground at round ups and slept soundly at timber camps while the air was filled with the sounds of axes and trees crashing to the ground. He once had slept in a hotel room over a saloon in Tucson when a gunfight broke out in the hallway. He only woke up when Hoss pushed out of the bed onto the floor to make sure he didn’t get caught in the cross fire of two angry drovers arguing over the same saloon girl.

Now that he was in constant pain from his surgery, he had terrible trouble sleeping. Many nights he tossed and turned until dawn. He even began to dread the going to bed at night. The last night had been one of the worst and Joe Cartwright had absolutely no tolerance for anyone disturbing him that morning.

Robert and Sam tiptoed cautiously into Joe’s room. Sam saw his sleeping uncle in his under drawers, sprawled across the bed with his head at the foot of the bed and feet where his head should have been. Joe’s face was buried in a pillow and his right arm, the one with the cast, was knotted up in the twisted sheets that covered most of his bandages. One leg was dangling off the edge of his bed. Joe looked like a body that had fallen off a cliff but if his father had seen him at that moment he would recognize his son’s position much as he had slept as a small child. Ben had spent the first eight years of Joe’s childhood neatly rearranging him in bed late every night when he turned in. He finally gave up and figured that Little Joe would just sleep however he fell.

Robert whispered to Sam “ Bet you are lying and there is no gun there.”

“There is and my Uncle shot people with it. I’ll find it and show you. My uncle is able to out draw anyone. Left handed or right handed and can shoot out a match flame.”

Joe rolled over on the bed and pulled the pillow over his ears.

“Bet he lied to you.” Robert countered

Sam opened up the squeaky wardrobe door and reached for the gun belt that Joe had put on the top shelf. “ Be quiet Robert! Don’t wake him up.”

Robert Charles Bruce O’Mara did not necessarily comprehend the words “Be quiet” or “Don’t wake him up” and if he did he couldn’t practice them effectively. The boy managed in less than thirty seconds to not only trip loudly over Joe’s boots but knock over a small desk sending a stack of books and papers cascading to the floor. Joe rolled over on the bed to see the two boys standing near the wardrobe closet. Joe woke up with a start and growled at the boys. “What are you doing in here?”

“Sorry Uncle Joe we were just going to see if you wanted breakfast …” Sam lied. He backpedaled and tried to pull Robert out of the room.

Joe sat up in bed and saw the things that the boys had knocked over. “Look at the mess you made in here! What are you doing up in that wardrobe?”

“We were looking for something. Didn’t you have some cookies in here? You said you would share them with me, ‘Sam lied. If Joe knew they were looking for his gun he would be furious.”

“Who told you to go poking around looking for cookies or anything else up in that wardrobe. Get out of here and go away.”

“Uncle Joe, Robert and I didn’t mean to knock any thing over like that and wake you up.”

“Damn it Sam. I’m sick as a dog and my stomach hurts. I can’t sleep at night and when I do finally fall asleep you go poking around and wake me up. “

“Don’t be such a crank! You used to be fun!”

“You kids get out of here. “ Joe sat up on the bed. Can’t you see that I’m trying to sleep?”

“You stink Uncle Joe! You pick on me all the time and you’re not fun any more. You really are Uncle Cranky not my uncle Joe.” Here he was bragging about what a hero his uncle was just a minute earlier and now he was yelling him at.

“Leave me alone Sam I’m warning you.” He picked up a book and heaved it at his nephew’s head. The boy ducked behind the door and slammed it shut. The book crashed to the door. Joe angrily rolled himself off the bed.

”Get out of here you little vultures. You and Robert if I get my hands on you two. I’ll pound you two into pig slop.” He bellowed. All the anger he had been holding back the last few weeks bubbled up and Joe ran bare footed after the two boys as they ducked down the hall.

Sam skidded on the loose rug and slammed into a chair knocking it over and crashing to the floor as he and Robert ran up to the third floor two steps at a time. “You can’t catch me, Uncle Cranky!” Sam stuck his fingers in his ears and stuck out his tongue.

” Sam Cartwright! “ Joe bellowed angrily. You think I was cranky before, just you watch, boy. I’ll knock you into next week! Ill chop you into coyote bait!”

He walked back into his room and tried to fall back asleep but by this time his head was pounding and his shoulder hurt more than it had the night before. And for some reason his stomach was hurting too. He walked over to the dresser and poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher and drained it.

“Damn,” he thought. He rubbed each of the fingers on his right hand. It was hot in the room and pain was sawing into his shoulders and the cast on his arm was heavy. He decided to take more of the new pain killer and poured himself a dose. Joe still couldn’t get used to how nasty and bitter it tasted but at least it dulled the pain with out making him totally stupefied.

By this point he knew he wasn’t going to fall back asleep and pulled his trousers and shirt on and sat on the window seat looking out. Children raced up and down and screamed at each other. A few boys were already setting off firecrackers and tossing them up in the air. Someone had erected a temporary barrier blocking traffic from the street. Up and down the street, all the neighbors were hanging out flags and red, white and blue bunting up in celebration of Independence Day. Joe was still watching about a half hour later, when everyone else in the house, walked over to watch a patriotic parade and listen to politicians give speeches honoring the founding of the nation.

Eventually, Katie came upstairs to find Joe. “Come down and don’t be such a hermit. We can use your help getting ready for the party tonight. Dennis invited all the O’Mara’s and some of the neighbors. Laura is coming with the Prestons.”

”Katie, I’m not really in the mood.” Joe had dark circles under his eyes and it was getting noticeable how much weight he had lost. It was a good thing that Amanda had given him all the new shirts before she left as his old clothes were hanging on him.

Kate was not willing to accept his answer. “I suspect Dennis and your brother have rounded up a bushel basket of firecrackers and rockets too. They are being very secretive and have been going in an out of the shed all morning. Probably counting their loot like they were little boys. Maybe if you act nice the big boys will let you play too.”

“Really? “ Joe raised his eyebrows and grinned. Kate knew that anything that could be set on fire, have a loud noise or explode was always appealing to Joe.

“And we can use help with the ice cream freezers. There are a lot of guests coming for dinner.”

Joe was not that ambitious and held up his injured had “Gee Kate, old Uncle Cranky has but one good hand.”

”That’s not good enough for me, you lazy dog. Uncle Cranky only needs one hand to crank the freezer. Someone will hold it in place for you. Emily will be glad to help you, ‘Kissing Joe’.”

Joe laughed at the nickname he had given himself when he and Kate were still in school together. “Hope you didn’t tell her that name, Kate.”

His sister in law raised her eyebrow and winked. “Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. Come down stairs and ask her yourself. You have one hand in a cast and one good hand for cranking. And you get to lick the dasher if you help.”

“Well, maybe.”

“Hey, Joe, I’m the one expecting a baby and I don’t get pampered half as much as you do! Not even a quarter as much you lazy thing. Buck up, boy, or I will knock you flat.” Joe knew she would too.

He put his arms around Katie and gave her a big hug. “ Not even a quarter as much? Katie, I love you. I’m sorry that I’ve been such a bother to everyone.”

”And Emily is waiting for you on the porch. She said something about being lonely and missing your charming company and handsome heart breaking smile.” Kate winked at him again.

Joe could never resist Kate. She knew between the fireworks, ice cream and a lonely young lady, her brother in law would give up his hermit existence at least for the afternoon and hopefully the evening too. Maybe he would give it up for longer too given the opportunity.

Chapter 4

Joe observed that if he climbed out of the window of his bedroom, and sat on the porch roof, he would have an excellent and private view of the fireworks display. He managed convince Miss Emily to join him for a front row seat for all the festivities.

”It’s just like box seats at the opera if you sit out on the roof. Who needs the crowds on the porch when you can be alone with me?” he charmed her with his warmest smile.

Kate watched from the shadows, smiling at the flash of old “Kissing Joe” that she had missed for most of the last year.

“Maybe Joe is really beginning to feel better,” she told Adam with her fingers crossed.
”I hope so, Doctor Meyer said he is healing really well. Now let’s hope my brother doesn’t go leaping off any roofs or falling down any stair cases or jumping into any fist fights.”
They watched Joe take Emily’s arm and lead her upstairs to his rooftop-viewing stand.

Chapter 5

“This is the best time I’ve had in months! Emily! Look!” Joe pointed up.

The night sky lit up with a flash of golden splinters as someone shot off a rocket from the street.

From down bellow them, Joe and Emily could hear the rest of the guests holler and exclaim over the show. The O’Mara porch was filled with friends and the street was filled with cluster of happy neighbors shooting off fire crackers or waiting for Old man Preston to shoot of his quarter sized cannon. It was his custom to end each Independence Day and New Year’s Eve celebration with a blast from his miniature cannon that some say had been presented to him by Andrew Jackson.

” I’m glad you tricked me into your private balcony Mr. Cartwright. Its so nice up here and no crowds.”

”I’m glad too, Miss O’Mara.” Joe answered her with the same mock formality. The sky was lit with another burst of gold and silver followed by a shower of red and white sparkles floating to the ground like starry snowflakes. A sparkling cascade of blue and silver shooting over the treetops followed this. Joe slid a few inches closer to Emily and put his left arm around her shoulder and drew her closer to him.

From down below on the front lawn, Sam hollered, “Look, Uncle Joe and Emily are up there on the roof!”

Robert called “Can we come up and sit with you?”

”No, you miserable brats. I’m a cranky old man and I just want to be alone with your beautiful Aunt.” Joe bellowed imitating the name calling from the morning. “I’m too cranky to be out in public with you rotten kids.”

Now everyone watching the show looked up at the couple sitting on the roof. “You tell ‘em Joe Cartwright!” one of the neighbors cheered back. He threw back his head and laughed. It wasn’t often they got to see pretty Miss Emily O’Mara sitting with a beau on the porch, no less on the roof of the porch.

From down on the lawn, Emily heard Dennis and Adam laughing at Joe’s demonstration as a few of the men set off more of the sky rockets and a loud string of firecrackers in the middle of the street.

”Joseph Cartwright! You’re embarrassing me.”

”But I’m just telling the truth Emily.” Joe grinned. “Are you warm enough. Do you want my jacket? It’s right inside on the chair”

“No, I’m fine. I don’t want you to move. Just stay here.” She shivered as a breeze blew from the river. He put his arm around her and pulled her a little closer to him.

“Thank you,” she said with a grateful smile. “I feel warmer already.” She put her arm around Joe again, and this time, Joe seemed to feel the warmth of her body, as Emily snuggled closer to him. Twice in one evening, Joe was feeling pleased with the course of events. Maybe she was beginning to trust his patient intentions realize he was Joe Cartwright. Not anyone else who been around in the past to break her heart.

Another burst of fire works lit the sky. The houses were silhouetted against the brightness. Below, they could see Adam pull another long string of firecrackers from his tan jacket pocket. Dennis handed Robert a match and showed him where to light the fuse. He lit the string and tossed it into the middle of the street as it exploded loudly.

Joe turned forward to kiss Emily. The darkness was hiding the look of pleasure on his face. Joseph pulled away slightly, placing his hand under Emily’s chin and tilting it so he could look in her face in the bit of yellow lamplight coming out of the window. The clear gray eyes that looked back at him now didn’t remind him of Bonnie Newkirk or any other girl he knew but were just Emily’s beautiful eyes. It just seemed natural for him to bend over and kiss her. He meant it first only as a quick peck, but was surprised by the passion in Emily’s response, and the kiss deepened into so much more. She twined her fingers into his hair and pulled his face closer.

Another string of firecrackers rattled loudly from the street below. The damp air was filled with the battle smell of gunpowder. Haze and clouds totally obscured the view of the harbor fireworks show but they could hear the thud and the thump of each blast as it was shot off. They could feel the vibrations of each blast. Occasionally the clouds parted enough that they could see a flicker or bright flash of the harbor display.

The sky went black again. The wind began to blow, and the rumble of thunder could be heard. It was almost indistinguishable from the fire works explosions. A flash of lightning cut jagged across the sky, followed by the loud crash. In the brief illumination caused by the lightning, two silvery figures, a man and a blonde woman dashed towards the shrubs at the back edge of the property and made their way hand in hand to the Stoddard house on the next street.

From down bellow, Emily and Joe could hear Dennis calling all the children inside.

Kate hollered, “Boys get inside, we don’t want anyone hit by the lightning. Come on the porch everyone and let’s have the ice cream, now.”

“Guess that’s going to be the end of the fire works,” Joe said as big fat raindrops splattered down on them. It would be the end of his trying to steal another kiss from Emily as well.

” Be careful how you go inside. It’s getting slippery” He held her hand as she climbed back in the window. “Watch your step Em.”

“Come inside Joe. Your brother will kill me if you slip off the roof. In addition to everything else you’ve done to yourself, what would Doctor Meyer do if you got struck by lightning too?”

Joe started to laugh and swung his leg over the windowsill. “I think Pa would be angrier. He’d scrape me up off the ground and lecture me bout not following his orders again. He’ll be back here in a few days too.”

”Will can use his support. It doesn’t look very hopeful for him.”

“He didn’t kill anyone. We’ll get him off.” Joe said confidently. And we’ll find who did too.”

Emily prayed he was right.

The storm finally broke. The rain fell lightly for a minute, and then began pouring from the sky in sheets of water.

“ I told you two days ago we were going to have a storm.” Joe said looking out of the window. As Emily held back the blowing curtains he reached up and slammed the window closed with one hand.

”How do you feel now?”

Joe didn’t want to say a word. Suddenly, his stomach was bothering him more than ever and his hand hurt too. They were having too good a time and he didn’t want to spoil it. He hated constantly complaining to her. After Katie’s comment about him complaining more than a pregnant woman, Joe was too embarrassed to say anything.

Suddenly, the wind began to blow harder, and the thunder rumbled. Lightning cracked across the sky, and the thunder answered with several loud booms. Emily flinched as the thunder crashed right over the house. “The storm is right over head.” Joe really wanted to kiss her more but feared she would think him too forward and decided they better not stay up in his room alone anymore. It would be too hard for him to resist her if they did.

“Let’s go downstairs, Miss Emily and get some of that ice cream that cranky, nasty Uncle Joe cranked this afternoon.” No need to push his luck this evening by making Emily nervous. He knew if he took things slow she would welcome his attentions. Maybe eating some plain ice cream would ease the pain in his gut.

”I hear all the children hollering down on the porch. We better hurry up Uncle Joe or their won’t be any left.” Emily smiled sweetly. Joe was still holding her hand and she didn’t pull away.

Chapter 6

June 30,

Dear Family,

I am so thankful to hear that Joe is doing so well. I should arrive at the station on July seventh on the afternoon train. I know it is earlier than I said I would be arriving but I am very concerned about Will’s trial. I want to be there for the verdict if I can.

Please tell Will that I am anxious to do whatever I can to help his defense. I am sure Preston will fight a good fight as bleak as it seems. Levi suggested that he should file an appeal as soon as the trial ends if the outcome is as dismal as you are describing.

No news about Andrea or the baby. Roy and I went up to Elm Grove but made no progress. It is too painful for me to write more but will tell you the details when we are together

Kate, be sure you are taking care of yourself. Nancy Foster insists I should hand carry the baby things with me and wants you to be sure that her sweater is the one my grandchild wears getting off the stage in Virginia City.

Fischer signed those contracts we bid on and the crew has started cutting.

With all the heavy rain we had, we had some wash outs near Cherry Creek but for the most part it was beneficial and the grass on the range is greener than it usually is for this time of the year.

Hays wants me to tell Joe that cattle prices are moving up and he is looking forward to you all being home. Casey is taking good care of Cochise and sends regards to Sammy. The Foster boys also send him regards.

All my love to Dennis and the O’Maras and many thanks for their hospitality.

Pa
PS I am sure you have heard from Phil in regard to the package he is sending. Please be careful.

Chapter 7

July 4, 1871

Sam knew what he was about to do was wrong, but his desire to show off was far greater than his desire to behave or fear of getting punished. Back home in Virginia City, Sam was used to playing with older boys like Casey Newkirk or Clem Foster’s sons. They always teased him in a friendly fashion but they also watched out for him and made sure he didn’t get into trouble. Robert O’Mara just led him into more trouble and Sam had not yet learned his lesson.

Sam was still furious with his Uncle Joe for ignoring him and breaking his promises. Uncle Joe sat with Emily instead of him. Joe even forgotten that he promised to set off firecrackers together and that they would watch the fireworks together If Uncle Joe could break a promise to him about the firecrackers, then Sam didn’t feel he had to keep any of his promises to keep out of his uncle’s wardrobe or not touch his gun.

All Sammy needed was the nudge Robert was giving him. Robert was ready to give the youngster a huge shove, not just a nudge.

“Just follow me. I’ll show you Robert and I’ll show you the gun. My uncle killed a guy with that gun. He killed more than one guy. “ Sam bragged. “He can out draw anyone.”

”Yeah, sure. I don’t believe Uncle Cranky shot any rustlers. Or Indians or rattle snakes or green garter snakes or even rats in the barn.”

“He did. He told me he did. He out drew a gunfighter with that gun right in the middle of the street. My Uncle never lies because Cartwrights never ever lie.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Sam Cartwright thought of his Uncle Joe’s gun, hidden, but waiting for him to show Robert. As angry as he was with Uncle Joe for not spending time with him, he also wanted to show off to the older boy. Sammy also had to defend the Cartwright honor. If Uncle Joe said he did something then he did it. Robert never lived on a ranch and had to be taught a lesson. Robert was a city boy and he thought he knew everything there was to know.

“Just like he said he would take us to the fair, Sam. My Aunt Emily took us and we had a lousy time. She wouldn’t let us do anything fun or see the snake charmer or the dancing girls and we got rained on. Big fun Sam. Joe promised to get us firecrackers too. Did he get us any? Did he? He promised and he lied to us.”

Sam clenched his hands into fists. “You take that back Robert! Or I’ll punch you in the nose.” His head barely reached to the older boy’s chest and he grabbed the front of his shirt.

”Sure Sammy. I can squash you like a bug.” He pulled his shirt out of the other boy’s hand. Sam knew he was right. Robert was four years older than he was and probably twice his weight.

“But my Pa got us firecrackers,” Sam tried to defend his family. “And he let us light them.”

“Sure he did but he stuck most of them in his jacket pocket or in the shed and now it’s raining and we didn’t set most of them off.”

”I know, we can take them tomorrow and set them off in the morning. We can take them down to the river and toss them in the water.” Sam suggested. “Or blow up bottles behind where they are building the new house.”

“Or put them under Uncle Cranky’s bed?” Robert laughed cruelly. “That would sure wake him up. Just show me the gun, little bug. Let’s go find it.”

The two boys looked over at Joe and Emily sitting at the end of the porch eating ice cream with the rest of the company. Emily’s hand was on Uncle Joe’s arm and she was smiling and laughing at something he said. Uncle Joe looked really happy and had a big dish of ice cream in front of him. He had put on white flannel trousers and a new red and white striped shirt in honor of the event just like some city dude, not a cowboy. Sam saw he looked pretty happy sitting with Robert’s Aunt Emily. He wasn’t going pay him any attention or think to leave the party for a long while.

“Looks like they are gonna be down on the porch for and not give a hoot what I’m doing” Sam complained to Robert. Despite the heavy rain, the porch was nice and dry. All the guests and many of the neighbors had crowded in to eat ice cream.

Sam looked around for his father and saw that Adam and Dennis were still down the street helping one of the neighbors pull down some of the flags so that the stars and stripes wouldn’t be up in the storm.

“So Sam, my little tiny bug boy. No one is up in your uncle’s room now. We can go up there and you prove what you bragged about. You show me that he has a real cowboy gun up there.”

“Well you come up stairs with me and I’ll show you. They are all eating ice cream and cake now so you just follow me. And I’ll find that pistol.”

“Let’s go, Sam. I bet you my share of the fireworks that you are wrong.”

Sam knew his mother didn’t allow him to gamble and it was the only thing she ever had a fight with his uncles over. Joe had shown him how to play poker and his mother had a hissy fit because his real father, Al Striker had been a gambler.

“I bet you, you are wrong,” Robert repeated.

Sam thought for just an instant. If he was going to misbehave and poke through the wardrobe for the gun, he may as well misbehave all the way. “Sure, I bet you all my fireworks. You are going to loose Robert. I win every bet I make.”

The two boys ran up the stairs and went into Joe’s room. Sam walked over to the mahogany wardrobe and reached over his head and pulled down his uncle’s coiled gun belt and pistol.

”Here it is. A real cowboy gun. Bullets too.”

“Show me how you load it.”

”We better not. Let me put it back.” Sam started getting nervous. He was really getting in over his head and he fully knew it.

”Do it Sam or the bet is off. Bet you don’t know how.” Sam pulled the pistol from the left handed holster. Then Sam slowly inserted some cartridges into the pistol from the gun belt. “See, that’s how you load it.”

Robert reached over and pulled the gun from the smaller boy’s hands. “ Wow! Guess you were right, Sammy.’ The older boy held the heavy pistol in his hand and examined it carefully turning it back and forth in the dark room. He allowed himself the luxury of a fantasy as he stood, holding Uncle Cranky’s real cowboy gun. Maybe Sam was right. Maybe Joe Cartwright had shot some bad guys. Robert raised the weapon. It felt heavy, but true. He pointed the gun at the window, thinking of shooting a gunfighter or a horse thief or a wild Indian on the warpath. The sites dead on, he looked down them and laughed. “Die you varmint!”

He was just about to replay the scenario when the boys heard boot steps coming down the hall. It was Uncle Joe coming back into the room.

“Quick Robert, someone’s coming. We got to put the gun back. Sam grabbed for the gun and Robert snatched it back. The two boys struggled for the gun and a shot range out.

Bang! The glass in the front window exploded into hundreds of shards just as Joe Cartwright walked into the room. Splintered glass hit the floor and roof of the porch where Emily and Joe had sat moments before watching the fireworks.

Robert Charles dropped the gun to the floor with a loud crash and like a trapped bull tried to bolt from the room, knocking Joe aside into doorframe as he entered. Sam followed as he too tried to escape from Joe’s wrath. Despite being startled for an instant Joe whirled around and gave chase down the hall.

Their feet skidded on the polished wood floor and the long oriental runners got kicked aside into humps as they ran. Robert knocked over a chair and headed down the hall. In a blind panic, the husky boy thundered down the stairs two at a time with little Sam skittering close behind him. Joe clattered after them and vaulted over the railing at the bottom step and almost landed on Robert.

”Get back here both of you!” Joe roared furiously.

They ran down the last flight of stairs rampaging into the wide front hallway and right out the door into the crowd of guests on the porch. Robert almost knocked Mr. Preston down as he ran down the porch stairs in a panic.

“Sam, Joe, stop it. This is getting out of control!” Kate reprimanded them. Joe was acting just like a big, crazy kid and would wind up hurting himself. Why was Joe chasing the boys out the front door?

“Katie, stay out of this! This is between Sam and myself!” Joe yelled grabbed his nephew by the seat of his pants and flipped him over his leg to the floor like a calf at branding.

“Quit it! You stink Uncle Joe! I hate you! Let me go!”The little boy screamed trying to escape Joe’s one-handed grip. He twisted and screamed trying to break Joe’s grip on him.

Seeing all the commotion Adam ran up the porch stairs from the street to see what the tumult was all about. “What’s going on here? Even with all the firecrackers and the thunder, I can hear you shouting all the way down the street. Sam, Joe, what are you doing?” Adam intervened once more trying to be the voice of reason. Why was his brother chasing the boys out the front door? Why was Joe even running around? For a second he thought that it was just Uncle Joe playing some foolish, wild, game of tag with the boys and charging onto the porch.

“Let me go!” Sam shrieked. He knew he was in more trouble than he ever knew.

Joe had Sam pinned to the floor with his right knee. Joe’s left knee sat in a melting puddle of overturned vanilla ice cream. Sam squirmed in his uncle’s firm grasp. He knew what he did was totally wrong and he was in big trouble as soon as his father found out.
”Joe get off of him!” Kate Cartwright pleaded, “Let him up.” A very pregnant Kate tried to pull furious Joe Cartwright off her child.

”Don’t your realize you two idiots could have killed each other? You know better than to be fooling around with my gun, any gun. Are you going to tell your father or am I? He kept Sam pinned down as the boy kicked and squirmed. And where had Robert gone?

Sam looked up and saw his father looming over him and heard Dennis’s heavy step running up the wet porch steps. “

“Robert O’Mara get back over here. What is going on here?” Robert was halfway up the street almost to the Preston’s cannon before he stopped running.

“What’s going on?” Kate screamed. Why was Little Joe sitting on top of her son? What was all the screaming about? She could hear all the hollering over the sporadic explosions of firecrackers all over the neighborhood. In the middle of all the yelling and shouting, old man Preston shot off his cannon and more people started applauding and cheering at the loud explosion.

Adam said’ Get off him Joe, Let him up.” Adam pulled at the back of his brother’s red and white striped shirt. “What happened?” Adam still couldn’t understand what could have made his brother chase the two boys down the stairs.

A string of firecrackers rattled and popped on the other side of the hedges like popcorn.

“Do you know what these two boys did?” Joe looked down at his nephew and turned his head to Robert skulking up the stairs from the front walk. “Adam? Dennis? Do you know what they did? These two? And I’m Uncle Cranky?” Joe was so furious that he sputtered couldn’t speak coherently. He looked up at his brother.” Did you think that was a fire cracker going off upstairs?”

Sam started sobbing with fear and as furious as he was, Joe couldn’t bear seeing his beloved nephew so distraught. He shifted his knee off the boy’s chest. His shoulder was aching from being shoved into the door by Robert and he knew if he didn’t stop now he would hurt himself as well as Sam.”

“Adam help me up and take care of him. I have got to move.”

Adam put his hand out and pulled Joe up. Then Adam stood over his son “Stand up, Samuel Cartwright. Now!“

Adam grabbed his son under his arms and hauled him to his feet.

“Sam, tell your father what you did.” Joe bellowed furiously at his nephew as he rubbed his throbbing shoulder. Perspiration ran off his forehead.

Sam looked at his shoes. Robert squirmed in Dennis’s grasp.

“Are you going to tell your fathers or should I?” Joe bellowed, his jaw jutting out. The knees of his white flannel pants were soaked through with melted ice cream. Neither boy said a word.

“Joe, what happened? Adam still couldn’t comprehend the situation. Emily was trembling at the side of the porch. She had never seen Joe so angry or wild.

“We shot Uncle Joe’s gun,” Sam muttered. The air was damp and smelled of gunpowder from the fire works and the smell of rain. Joe felt ice move through him at how close the boy just got to being killed.

“You what?” Adam exclaimed loudly at the boy.

”Well first, Sam and I woke Joe up this morning.” Robert started. He would start the long version of what happened and hope his father would forget what trouble he caused by the time got to the end of the story. He shuffled his huge feet on the gray porch floor. His toe stopped at the puddle of melted ice cream and he started to mush the ice cream mess sliding his toe back and forth.

“No, what did you say before that.” Dennis demanded. He twirled his son around by the front of his shirt until the boy was facing him.

“Robert and I shot Uncle Joe’s gun and broke the window,” Sam confessed. Tears were streaming down his red face.

“They went into the wardrobe in my room and took my gun and fired it. Adam, they even had to load it.” Joe said staring at the two boys. Adam looked at Sam. He couldn’t believe what he just heard. “They shot out the front window, Dennis.” Joe added looking at O’Mara. “Didn’t you all hear the glass shatter?”

A few of the guests on the porch had stepped down onto the front walk. They looked up at the front bay window where a short time before Joe and Emily had been happily watching the fire works and realized that there was no glass in the window frame and shards of glass littered the roof and front yard.

“We didn’t mean to break the window,” Robert shrugged his shoulders. He said it as if that excused every thing he had done. Now Adam finally understood what Dennis kept saying about this boy being stupider than stupid.

Chapter 8

“He was still fretting Pa,” Sam Cartwright stood next to his father’s chair and looked across the dining room table to where Dennis sat eating his breakfast. “I apologized just like you told me too. Last night and again this morning too. I told him that you said we had to earn the money to fix the window too.” He looked angrily at Robert sitting silently shoveling oatmeal into his mouth.

“Did you tell him about our extended discussion?”

Sam rubbed the seat of his pants. “Yes sir.” Adam had never spanked his son before but this time he felt he had no other choice.

“He isn’t hardly eating anything either and he is so quiet too.” Emily added. She took a sip of her tea. “I really thought we got him going last night though but this morning he refuses to get out of bed.”

They were listening for Joe’s footsteps on the stairs.

“He is so quiet lately. The doctor said his hand is doing really well too. Pa will be here in a few days. Maybe that will perk Joe up.” Adam added hopefully. He took a piece of toast and buttered it.

Kate nodded in agreement, Joe’s demeanor had her very worried as well, and “Perhaps once the trial is over he’ll feel better”

“Seems like all the fight has gone out of him at the moment and he is worried about Will’s trial. At least he is walking around a little more and sleeping less,” Dennis offered from the other side of the table. The maid walked around the table and poured coffee into his cup.

“I was just trying to persuade Joe to come along to the Golden Shamrock saloon with me for a beer.” Adam told his wife. “Maybe he can meet us this afternoon.”

“That sounds like a good idea” Kate agreed, “You could do with getting out for a while, a change of scene. The doctor said he is doing very well. Just you and Dennis make sure he doesn’t get into any fights or get drunk.”

They all looked up as Joe finally came into the room. He quietly sat down at his place next to Katie. Adam looked across the table at him. “Joe, why don’t you meet us down at the Golden Shamrock for lunch? These two hooligans have to go work for Sean to make the money for the window they shot out.”

He studied his younger brother, sitting so quietly, eyes downcast.

“I think I’d rather stay here.” Joe said softly “I’m real tired. Last night was too much for me.” He ran his fingers through his hair and pushed his empty plate back from him.

“Aw go on Joe” Dennis urged, “I bet big brother would even buy one teeny tiny beer for you if you act real nice. And my Uncle Sean has been dying to meet you. You’ll have a fine time. “

“Dennis and I have to go down to the office anyway and pick up those papers that Philip shipped here from the Enterprise. The Golden Shamrock is only a few streets over. Think you can walk that far? Or are you too fragile, Little Brother?” At this moment, Adam was more concerned about his brother than finding papers that had been lost for more than a decade. He had pretty much decided reopening Foster Wallace’s murder was a lost cause long ago but wasn’t going to say that to his wife and get her riled up.

“These two,” Dennis pointed at Sam and Robert Charles, “still have to earn the money to pay for that window they shot out. Sean will pay them to clear up the tables and wash glasses. And help unload some deliveries too.” It wasn’t the first time Robert had be dragged down to work for Sean to pay off something he broke or misplaced. Sean had been instructed to give them the nastiest, smelliest, most unpleasant job in the place.

A ghost of a smile touched Joe’s lips at the thought of a cold beer in the Golden Shamrock Saloon. “Oh, alright” he conceded, “perhaps it might be nice to see someplace else besides my bedroom.”

Chapter 9

The saloon was not too noisy, crowded and or smoky at midday. The only customers there were neighborhood working men having some beers and free lunch and a group of hard drinking dock workers, brick layers and carpenters in the back room. For an instant, in the dim light of the saloon, Joe thought he saw his Pa standing behind the huge shiny bar with his back to them. But when the man turned around, Joe saw it was Sean O’Mara, proprietor of the Golden Shamrock. Silver haired Sean O’Mara greeted them warmly and made a big fuss over finally meeting Joe. He introduced him around to the regular lunch crowd.

Then he put the boys to work washing glasses and mopping the floor. “We had quite a crowd in here last night. The brewery will be delivering my beer shortly and Robert can roll those empty barrels up from the cellar. Privies need cleaning too. Dennis nodded at the list hoping the privies were exceptionally filthy.

Adam couldn’t help noticing how close Joe had stuck to him on the way and how he watched unwaveringly as he got the drinks, only relaxing when Adam sat down at the end of the bar with him. Adam tried his best to make conversation but it was obvious Joe’s mind was elsewhere. He was watching Sam and Robert on the other side of the room helping Sean wash glasses and clear tables.

“Never saw you so quiet in a saloon before, Joe.”

”Guess I’m still thinking about last night.”

Dennis sat down and placed a platter of sandwiches in front of Joe. “Free lunch, boys dig in. Sean has my boy up to his armpits in work. Sammy is washing dirty glasses behind the bar. I think he is eating a pickle for each glass he washes though.” The free lunch on the bar included an abundance of salty foods to encourage patrons to drink more beers.

“I can straighten Robert out.” Joe offered.

”What are you talking about?”

“I think I can get Robert to behave himself. Let me try.”

“Joe, he’s a lost cause. Good thing I have seven other children.”

“What do you have to loose, I can get him to behave himself. I can straighten him out. I bet I can Dennis. Just remember, I’m going to get him saddle broke, not speaking Latin.”
“Sam can learn Latin faster and probably better than that one.” Adam smiled with pride at how clever his son was. He loved to brag about his boy.

“But Robert had four years of Latin in school.” Dennis argued. He took a bite out of his second sandwich.

”Did he pass any?”Joe winked and took another sip of his cold beer.

“Hey, I’ll put money on Sam on that one. And Joe doesn’t know any Latin.” Adam countered. He reached over and took a ham sandwich from the platter. Then he picked another one up and handed it to Joe.

”Just that one thing you taught me a long time ago, big brother.” He took a bite of the sandwich without even thinking. Adam smiled realizing that Joe was so caught up in the debate that he was not even paying attention to the food he was eating.

”What was that?” Adam didn’t remember teaching Joe any Latin.

“Semper Ubi, sub ubi…always wear underwear.” He finished his sandwich and reached for a second one. He took a long swallow of his beer.

Dennis laughed. “Good one, Joe. So, do I have this right, Adam? You are betting with me that Joe won’t get Robert tamed and against me with the Latin? Sam Cartwright will be the Latin scholar, you say?”

Adam nodded and pulled his wallet out of his jacket pocket. ”Let me put my money where my mouth is. Fifty on your boy Robert making my poor little brother scream for mercy and cry like a little old lady. And another fifty in favor of my Sam learning more Latin than Rob.”

Joe grinned and leaned back in his chair. “Sounds good to me.”

Adam laughed. “That’s what I like about you, Joe. Courage of your convictions, even when they’re wrong.”

“I’m not wrong older brother. And I am willing to put my money behind my convictions.” Joe shoved the last chunk of cheese sandwich into his mouth and awkwardly reached into his trousers to pull out his wallet.

“When does this whole thing start?” Dennis asked. He wasn’t quite used to the Cartwright brothers competing on such foolishness. Adam had told him stories of the Cartwright brother’s outrageous wagers but Dennis never witnessed or participated in one of those infamous events.

Joe was really beginning to get into this game. He had been bored before and now had something to entertain himself. There was just so much he could sit up in the guest room of the O’Mara house and stare out the window. Joe decided that he would take an untameable boy and make him into a saddle wearing cow pony. And hopefully make him smell better too. “Why not right now?” He took another swallow of his beer and passed the sandwiches to Dennis who selected a cheese sandwich.

Adam pulled his own wallet from his pocket and drew out his money. Dennis did likewise. “Let Uncle Sean hold this money and he can be a good judge on how tamed Robert is too.”

They all agreed and shook hands around the table.

Sean reached over the bar and took the money. “If you are starting now, Joe, why don’t you go in rear room and check how those boys are doing. They were supposed to be bringing me back the empty glasses from the back. And it seems to be taking them an awful long time.”

“We’ll be back later. We’re going to get that delivery from Phil and do a bit of work over at the office. I think I might go over and see Will too.”

Chapter 10

As Joe went through the doorway of the back room, he found his nephew standing wide eyed in a far corner holding a tray of dirty glasses. For a minute Joe figured he was just goofing off until he realized Sam was staring anxiously at Robert on the other side of the room.

Relieved to see a familiar face Sam turned to his uncle.” Uncle Joe, those guys are going to clobber Robert.”

Young Robert O’Mara was standing nose to nose with a huge, angry, drunk customer. “Did I just see you swipe my beer, boy,” the bricklayer growled.

Robert shook his head but was clearly lying as he had beer foam on his upper lip and a half filled beer glass in his hand.

“Hey let him go and let me buy you fellows another round.” Joe smiled trying to calm the man down. He put his hand on Robert’s shoulder. Fool Robert nervously lifted the glass and took another swallow of the customer’s beer.

The burly workman looked furiously at the boy and grabbed the beer out of his hand. “I don’t want your round, Pal. I wanted this here beer that this boy just drunk.”

“Let the boy alone.” Joe ordered. His left hand slid to his hip reaching automatically for his gun but of course he wasn’t wearing it in Boston. “Back off.”

“Mind your own business, buddy.” The angry man backhanded Robert across his face and knocking the beer out of his hand. The beer flew up in the air and splashed all over Joe before the mug hit the floor and shattered loudly. The other laborers lurched to their feet watching to see what was going to happen. One of them knocked over his chair in his rush to stand up.

“This is my business, buddy. Like I said, leave the boy alone.” Joe growled staring at the sailor. “Sammy move out of the way.” Joe slid his cast out of the beer soaked sling and wiped the beer out of his eye with the sleeve of his shirt. He yanked Robert out of the drunks grip.

The angry man pulled a knife from his belt and held it threateningly at Joe Cartwright.

“Why don’t you just put that away and leave these boys alone.” Joe tried to back away but the bricklayer lurched forward thrusting the knife inches from Joe’s chest.

Joe’s right arm shot up and with the cast he knocked the knife to the floor. It skittered under a table.

“Uncle Joe, watch out!” Sam hollered from the corner. In the split second while the workman was too stunned to react, Joe whirled around and delivered a solid punch to his jaw with his left fist. The man staggered backward but came back with his own fists ready. Joe dodged the first swing but caught the second on his cheekbone and saw red for a moment. He almost fell to his knees but grabbed the edge of the table just as the huskier man’s hands came down to grab his neck, Joe got hold of his wrists and pushed against him as the man struggled to jerk away, pulling Joe to his feet. Joe loosened one wrist and drew back to deliver a gut punch knocking the drunk backwards into his three friends.

Joe whirled around and grabbed Robert by the shoulder and shoved him towards the back alley door.

”Sam get out of here quick,” he ordered his nephew. Before the angry customer knew what had happened, Joe pushed the two boys out the back door of the Golden Shamrock and they ran down the alley way.

“Run Sam.” Joe Cartwright would never run from a fight but he knew there was no way he was going to be able to fight off four angry, drunk bricklayers and protect the two boys with one good arm.

Joe swiveled his head around and saw the alley door opening and the workmen running after them. “Come back here you.”

“Run Robert!” Joe grabbed his nephew’s hand and pulled him along behind him. Sam’s feet barely touched the ground as he ran after his uncle. As they reached the mouth of the alley Joe spotted the empty beer barrel that Sean had rolled up from the cellar and gave it a mighty shove. It tipped over and rolled down the alley toward the men who were chasing them. The barrel crashed into the first man tripping him into a messy heap of crates and ash cans. Then the next man tripped over him. His friends stopped to pick them up from the over turned garbage just as Joe and the boys reached the street.

Dashing in between two horse drawn freight wagons, the three headed down the street toward the river as fast as their feet would carry them. Joe looked over his shoulder as they rounded the corner to the Stoddard and Bruce riverfront warehouse and saw no one chasing them. The street was quiet and filled with little used warehouses on one side and some empty fields on the other. The warehouse was attached to the riverfront docks.

“We got away!” Sam announced happily. The two Cartwrights slid down on the wooden bench near the doorway of a warehouse and pulled Robert down between them. Joe sat trying to catch his breath for a minute. “You both okay? “ he looked at the two boys. Sam was grinning from ear to ear proud of his brave uncle.

”Was that a barroom brawl Uncle Joe? Now I was in a real brawl. Wait until I tell my Mama!”

”No Sam, don’t tell your mother. And you either.” Joe looked at Robert angrily. “Are you ok Robert?”

”I’m fine Joe. You really saved me. Thanks,” he started to shake realizing he almost got his throat cut by an angry drunk.

“I told you, boy after the gun stuff that I would kill you if you ever got my nephew in another dangerous spot.” Joe hollered at him.

”I’m sorry.” Robert started to cry.

He was too big to be blubbering like a big fat baby thought Sam. Uncle Joe was right. Robert is just a big dunce. His parents had told him and now he could see it for himself. Robert almost got him killed and if Uncle Joe hadn’t come back to help them who knows what would have happened?

Joe realized Robert stunk from beer. “Are you drunk? Were you drinking beer? You smell like a brewery wagon.”

”He took that guys beer and was drinking the beer in the cellar Uncle Joe and then he took one that a sailor put down. That’s why they were mad at us. I told him not to Uncle Joe. I really did.”

”Where you drinking too?”

”No sir! I’m in enough trouble as it is, Uncle Joe. Smell me.” Joe pulled the boy close to him and sniffed his breath. All Joe smelled was the pickles he had eaten behind the bar with Sean.

“Robert don’t you ever figure it out!” Joe bellowed. Then he remembered his bet with Adam and Dennis. If he was going to get Robert tamed, this was the start. This was the time to saddle the mustang. Joe grinned devilishly.

“Robert, my drunk little pal. Let’s hope you never get drunk again… not for a long, long, long time.”

Robert nodded. He looked sort of green and pale. “No sir.”

”And what is going to happen if you ever do anything that is the least bit dangerous with Sammy?”

”You are gonna kill me”” Robert muttered looking dully down at his shoes.

“I don’t hear you, boy.” Joe growled ominously. He grabbed Robert by the shoulders and put his face next to his.” I don’t hear you. Boy”

”You are going to kill me.”

”Sir.”

”You are going to kill me, sir.”

Joe nodded. “Is that clear?”

The boy nodded. He looked even more nauseous. His brow was perspired and he was paler than before. Joe went in for the final blow. “Robert did Sam ever tell you about branding time on spring round up? Sam helped out last year. Right Doc?”

Sam nodded. He wondered why his uncle was talking about cattle. It wasn’t even spring.

“You know, Rob, we get all the little calves and toss them down in the oozing gummy mud and then we take a branding iron and put it in a fire and heat it up really hot and then we put that hot iron on the hide of that calf. Not too hard but just hard enough. You know what burning hair smells like? Imagine that smell for about a hundred little stinky calves and the smell of cow manure and sweaty cowboys. You know what chewing tobacco and horse manure smells like?”

Joe could see Robert was getting greener.

“And flies buzzin around all those little cows walk back and forth and back and forth and back and forth.” Joe grabbed Roberts arm and rocked him side to side in the same rhythm. “Just like being in your little rocking sailboat.”

“And we eat big breakfasts too of greasy, oozy, runny fried eggs and greasy slimy bacon. Sometimes we even have greasy ham with those big chunks of slimy salty ham. And beans too. You know how salt pork sizzles and pops and sometimes has little tiny gritty pieces of bone that stick in your teeth? And mountain oysters. Let me tell you what those are, boy. “ And Joe explained to the boy how they obtained that western specialty.

Joe could see the city boy was squirming on the bench. His eyes were squeezed close. Joe slid away from Robert so that the drunken boy had clear projectile room around him. He gestured with his hand for Sam to move to the end of the bench too. Then Joe explained about how they made a bull into a steer. Robert turned green and jumped off the bench and retched over the edge of the dock. Joe hopped up and grabbed the back of his shirt so he didn’t fall head over heels into Boston Harbor. Joe wanted to tame him not drown him; not just quite yet.

Joe laughed so hard his sides started to hurt. He realized he hadn’t slugged anyone in a bar in months. Or run down an alleyway or had a few beers either. He put his hand up to his cheek and realized he was probably going to have a real big bruise there too. Maybe even a black eye.

“Uncle Joe, look,” Sam picked up his uncle’s right arm and showed him at long slashed gouge in the cast from the drunk’s knife. “Are you sure you are okay?”

Joe nodded “Guess we all better not say anything about this. We better get young Mr. O’Mara cleaned up and head back to the Golden Shamrock before Sean sends the police out looking for us.”

Joe walked over to Robert who was sitting on the edge of the dock, his feet dangling over the water. “Get up and let’s get you wiped up.”

Joe led him over to the horse trough at the end of the warehouse and shoved the boy’s head under the pump while Sam pulled the handle. Cold water gushed over Robert’s face and hair and shirt. “You’re drowning me!” he screamed.

“Think of that next time you go drinking some bigger guys beer and having him pull a knife on my nephew, you dang fool. I’ll drown your fool head if you ever get Sam in that kind of trouble again.”

Joe pulled off his sodden shirt. He rinsed the beer out of it and the cloth sling under the pump. He put his damp shirt back on with Sam’s help. “Don’t let the cast get wet, Uncle Joe.” Sam was really proud of his Uncle now. Joe had saved them from being killed by angry drunks in a saloon brawl. Sam was sure he was the only ten-year-old boy in Boston with such a brave uncle. No one was as brave as the Cartwrights.

”Sure hope this dries off enough before your father gets back to meet us. Give me your handkerchief, Doc.”

Joe took the handkerchief and wiped the worst damage off Robert. “Now you boys have some garbage to clean up in that alley. I’m sure those yahoos are gone by now.”

Robert Charles Bruce O’Mara sat down wearily on the edge of the horse trough and looked up at Joe Cartwright. “Thanks a lot, Joe.”

Sam cleared his throat.

“Thanks a lot, sir.” Robert corrected himself. “Those men would have killed me.”

Joe smiled at the two wet boys. Maybe he would be winning that bet after all.

 

July 12

Dear Father and Aunt Emily,

The trip so far has exceptionally fine. The ship is quite nice and the accommodations are well appointed. Other than the first few days the weather has been excellent.
All the children are behaving and Mother seems like she is enjoying herself.

Without Robert, we only had one unfortunate incident as compared to previous trips. By this point last year, most of the passengers were ready to put the O’Mara children adrift at sea in a lifeboat. You cannot imagine what an embarrassment this was to me.

In contrast, I have received many gracious compliments on how well mannered my younger brothers and sisters are and how well they are behaving. The unfortunate incident involved one of your sons (I won’t tell you whom but it is my brother with the largest ears) (ha! ha!) got his head caught in one of the railings. Mother convinced the Captain that it had to be the ship’s fault, not my dear brother’s and the captain has been very apologetic ever since. He even had us all sit at his table for dinner three times and sent the injured party a large fruit basket and Mother a bouquet.

Fortunately, one of the passengers is a physician and tending to my large eared brother with great skill. The bandages come off tomorrow.

As a result Mother has become close friends with the doctor’s employer who is a widow. She has a small baby and Mother is in all her glory advising the woman on the care of her son, Eric. Ethel too has become attached to the baby and has said to tell you she would like one for Christmas. I told her that you would be more than glad to accommodate her with a puppy or kitten. Or perhaps Joe can arrange for a pony from the Ponderosa.

The doctor’s son Red is my age and on his way to study medicine in London as his father did. Do you think, perhaps I could consider this as a field of endeavor too or is your heart set on my joining you after graduation?

They are from Nevada like Adam. I wonder if he knows Dr. Smith.

Speaking of people we know, regards to you from the Roeblings and Van Dams who are on the ship with us.

I must go now as dinner will be served and I must get changed. Best regards to Joe, Kate and Adam. Tell Robert to study hard and behave with Sam Cartwright. Hope Joe is feeling better as he needs to get that pony for Ethel. ( ha ha). I will mail this from London.

Affectionately, your son

Dennis Sean O’Mara, Junior

Continue on to the Battle of Wills Part 10

Return to Robin’s home page