Summary:  Part four of Sins of the Father, Sins of the Sons

Word Count:  9040

                           Sins of the Father, Sins of the Sons

 

 

Splitting Hairs

 

Chapter 1

 

Spring, 1847

Ponderosa Ranch

“You poked me! You’re gonna cut my ears off!” Little Joe wailed and tried to jump off the kitchen chair and escape from his captor. He yanked on the dishtowel that his father had tied around his neck.

Ben clamped a large hand on the little boy’s shoulder and held him firmly in place. Joe waved his little hands and kicked his feet trying to free himself from captivity.

“If you would sit still nothing would happen to you!” His father warned. Ben was loosing his patience with his five-year-old son. He still had lots of work to do and Joe was trying his endurance.

“I won’t! You are hurting me!” Joe wiggled and wriggled. He swung his hands up and knocked the scissors out of his father’s hand.

“Joseph! Sit down. I am not hurting you but if you don’t stop this fussing, I will show you a world of hurt.” Ben roared. He firmly held the child in place with one hand and tried to pick up the scissor from the floor with the other. Joe was squirming too much and Ben’s arms weren’t long enough to reach the scissor that had slid next to the pantry door.

“I want only Adam to cut my hair!” He demanded. “Only Adam. Not you!” Joe clamped both his hands over his curls. Ben pried his son’s fingers from his head with one hand and attempted to hold him down on the chair with the other.

“Adam is with the timber crew and he won’t be home until tomorrow night or even Monday. I’m cutting your hair. Sit still, Joseph! Sit still or you won’t be able to sit for a month.” Ben roared.

“No, Pa! No!” the boy shrieked so loud the hands could hear him in the barn. “No haircut!”

“Adam is not here. He won’t be home anytime soon and you can’t go to church looking like…like..”

”A riverboat gambler?” They both heard a familiar voice from the back door. Ben and Joe looked up to see Adam leaning on the doorframe. He had been standing watching the raging battle for five minutes with out being noticed by either his angry father or his baby brother.

Little Joe leaped off the chair and right into his oldest brother’s arms.

”Looks like you missed me, Shorty,” Adam Cartwright grinned as he kissed his baby brother. Seeing the happy look on his father’s weary face he added, “Looks like you missed me too, Pa. Need a hand with shaggy Joe?”

”Don’t be so smug,” Ben growled as he bent down and picked up the scissors.

”We finished up faster than you thought we would. Did all the marking on the ridge and went all the way back to the creek too.  Hays said we should just come home and eat supper instead of staying any longer. So here I am.“ Adam grinned mischievously. “Ready for supper and ready to tame this boy’s curls.”

”Pa is scalping me and killing me and pulling off my ears, Adam!” Little Joe complained bitterly to his seventeen-year-old brother. “You saved me!”

”You saved this little hellion from a tanning too!” Ben glared at Joe. “Here!” He handed the scissors to Adam.” Cut his ears off! Scalp him. See if I care.”

”Calm down Pa,” Adam laughed. The boy was very full of himself. Only two weeks earlier he had received word that his application for college had been accepted and his grandfather, Abel Stoddard had sent Adam an invitation to live in the Stoddard house in Boston and work for his shipping firm to earn his expenses while in college. “Pa, just watch this!” He twirled the scissors on his index finger like a gun fighter would twirl a six shooter.

”Watch what? The only thing I am going to watch is the men working at the breaking corral. You cut your brother’s hair. I’ll be back for supper.” Ben slammed on his hat and stormed out the back door.

“So, Little Joe. Seems like we have a situation here,” Adam smiled. He swung his brother back on the chair. “You can’t sit still?”

”No, Adam.” Little Joe started to slide off the chair. “I wiggle like a worm.”

”Seems like some little worm said that he wanted to go fishing with me when Hoss and I go the next time.”

Joe nodded his head as if it was loose. Adam untied the towel from his little brother’s neck. He rummaged in the kitchen drawer and pulled out an old tablecloth.  “If you can’t sit still for the ten minutes it takes to cut your hair, how will you be able to sit still when we are fishing?” Adam snapped the tablecloth open with a flourish. “Lift up your chin, little worm.”

His little brother pointed his chin up to the ceiling and Adam tied the cloth around his neck. Then he tied the corners of the fabric into the spindles of the chair, trapping Joe as if he was in a straight jacket. “Don’t think you can squirm to much like this little worm.” Adam grinned. “Pa doesn’t know all the tricks that I do. Now sit still Joe.”

Joe shrugged “I can sit when we fish. I can sit very still.”

”Show me, Little Joe. Sit still and show me right now. Then maybe you can ask Pa to permit you to go fishing with Hoss and me.” Adam retied the white cloth tightly around his little brother’s slender neck.

Joe nodded his curly head. “I am sitting still now.”

”Oh no you aren’t. You are shaking your head, Little Joe. Sit very, very still” Adam whispered in the boy’s ear. “Very, very still.” He snipped the curls around the little boy’s neck.

”Very, very, very still,” Little Joe whispered back. “Then I can go fishing?” Adam snipped the curls on top of the boys head and around his ears.

”Very, very, very still,” Adam grinned. Little Joe was going to look as neat as a pin for church. Adam was sure his father would have to admit that Adam Cartwright could do what Ben Cartwright couldn’t do.

 

Chapter 2

 

Adam  heard singing. His brother’s sweet soprano voice was singing some silly annoying, repetitious song about a pretty girl dancing in the light of the moon. All Adam wanted to do was sleep a bit more and Little Joe just kept right on singing.

As Adam tried to turn over he opened his eyes and realized he wasn’t home, in his own bed. The bed was too lumpy and narrow. He was covered by a rough wool blanket rather than the soft coverlet he had on his bed at home. Where was he? Adam tried to clear his head. He attempted to sit up and the pain in his leg made it all flood back.

Adam was fully awake. He was in the line shack, hurt and alone with Little Joe.

Hoss and Adam were going to go up to the high meadow under the pretense of checking fences. They had decided to make a fishing trip of it and stay over night. Five-year-old Little Joe had begged and wheedled to go with his older brothers and Adam had given in. Joe was so proud to be included. He promised his father to follow his brother’s orders to the letter and not misbehave. “Adam promised if I learned to stay very still, I could go fishing.”

Ben rolled his eyes. “Do you know what you boys are getting into?”

“Yes sir. We will do fine,” Hoss said earnestly.

“No problem, Pa. Little Joe will always listen to me.” Adam bragged.

Adam rode one horse and Hoss rode a second steed with Little Joe riding on the saddle in front of him. The little boy argued at first that he wanted to ride his own horse but their father told him that it would be too far and too much for him to handle his own horse. “If you want to join your brothers on this trip, Joseph, you need to follow orders. Either do what I am telling you or stay behind.”

Joe shifted his weight from one foot to the other and nodded. He already had packed his own bedroll and was all set to go. He had even remembered to take a second shirt, his own canteen and three peppermint sticks that Mim Wallace had given him the last time he visited. Joe had only licked them a little and hid them in his dresser drawer with his sox. Little Joe grudgingly gave in to his father’s orders and rode with Hoss.

Everything was going fine with their fishing trip until it started to rain.

Hoss had stopped to help Joe button up his coat and Adam rode up the trail ahead of them. There was a flash of lightning and a rumble of thunder. Adam’s horse reared up at the unexpected noise and he was thrown off into a rocky out cropping. The horse bolted and took off down the trail.

When his younger brothers rode up they found Adam sprawled on the ground. He had hurt his right leg badly. It didn’t seem broken but his ankle was badly twisted and he had torn a big, raw gash in his calf. Hoss bandaged the wound with some strips he tore from Little Joe’s extra shirt. Hoss helped his older brother get on the remaining horse. Then Hoss lifted Little Joe up behind Adam and led the horse down the trail.

At some point, Adam realized he was hurt too badly to go on any further. His leg was bleeding badly and the rain was soaking them all through. “Hoss, get me and Joe to that line shack and then you ride on home for help. I can’t go on much more.”

“I can’t leave you, Adam.” Hoss argued.

“Do what I tell you to do, Hoss.” Adam ordered the younger boy. “You will make better time riding on your own. Little Joe and I will be fine in the line shack until you and Pa come back for us.” It had started to get colder and Hoss could see Adam was shivering. Joe looked at Hoss wide eyed and afraid as he held tightly to Adam.
”But Adam, he is only five years old.”

“I’m going to be six,” Joe argued.

“Not for ten months,” Hoss corrected. “Adam, I can’t leave you hurt like this.”

”Do what I tell you to do,” Adam repeated firmly. “We have no other choice. I can’t ride any more and you can’t manage Joe and go fast.”

Hoss reluctantly agreed. It was clear that Adam was in a lot of pain even though he was trying very hard not to show it. He was light headed from the loss of blood and riding astride the horse was making his leg bleed more heavily. Adam needed to rest and get warmed up.

Hoss got them settled in. He took Little Joe aside and gave him some directions and hugged him tight. “You mind Adam now. I’ll be back with Pa as soon as I can.”

Joe was unusually quiet as he listened to Hoss’ directions.

“Wait! Don’t go yet!” Joe pulled on Hoss’ coat. The small boy went over to his gear and pulled out the peppermint sticks. “. “Here Hoss, Take this grub.” You might get hungry,” he handed the candy to his older brother. “They are not too linty. You can lick that fuzz off.” Joe smiled nervously.

Hoss looked down at what his baby brother had handed him. “There are three peppermints here. I’ll take one and you take one for you and one for Adam.”

”No Hoss, they are all for you. For good luck.” Joe insisted pushing the candy into his brother’s hand.

Hoss took one candy and put it in his pocket. Then he took the second and put it in Little Joe’s pocket. “This is for Adam. He held the third red and white stick and broke it in two. “This is for both of us. For when I get back.” Then he left. That was the last thing Adam remembered clearly before he dozed off.

Little Joe saw his big brother stir on the bunk. The five-year-old boy immediately stopped singing and reached for the coffee pot of cold water that he had on the table. He carefully poured some in a tin cup like his brother Hoss had showed him. Then lifting Adam’s head, held the cup to his brother’s lips.

“Drink the water, Adam.” The little boy urged. The older boy swallowed a bit of water, and then slowly opened his eyes.

”Pa?”

“No, Adam. It’s me. Little Joe. Hoss went for help. You got hurt pretty bad. Hoss bandaged your foot and it was all bloody. Does it hurt bad?”

Adam tried to shift his leg under the covers and winced at the pain in his left ankle. Now he remembered what happened. The two boys had helped him stagger into the line shack. Adam remembered Hoss helping him onto the bunk and bandaging his foot Then Hoss left to get help.That was the last thing he remembered clearly. He must have dozed off or passed out.

”When did he go? When did Hoss go?”

Joe bit his lip. “A long time ago. A year?

”Can’t be a year. How many nights are we here? How many times did you eat since he left?”

”Two nights? One or two nights. I fell asleep and it never got light since then from the storm. I think it was two nights or one or five. You were hot and I put snow on your head.  I ate the bread and the cheese Hoss left. I drank the water in the canteen too.“

Adam stared at his scared little brother and tried to force himself to be more alert. Little Joe really couldn’t judge time or count very much and it was really impossible for Adam to judge how accurate he was.

“Snow? What snow?” Adam couldn’t believe they had snow so late in the year. The cabin was cold and dark and shadowy and he really couldn’t tell what was going on outside.

“Hoss said I should take care of you and he would come back with Pa and the wagon. But it started to snow last night.”
Little Joe sniffed and started to cry. “You wouldn’t get up and Hoss said I shouldn’t go out no matter what. And that I should watch over you and keep the fire going and give you water. He gave me the candy for you and me to eat when he got back. I didn’t eat the candy Adam.”

“Don’t cry Little Joe,” Adam winced as he tried to sit up on the narrow bunk. He could see it was dark out side and the wind was driving the snow hard against the windows. “Come here, Buddy,” He patted the edge of the bunk. Joe dove into his arms. Adam wrapped the thin rough blanket around both of them.

”I was scared Adam. It got dark and Hoss didn’t come back and you wouldn’t wake up.” He hugged Adam tightly. “I had to go outside. Just a little bit.  I had to pee. And to get the snow. I put snow in the coffee pot and put it near the fire to melt the water. All you would drink is the water. Don’t tell Hoss I went outside.”

Adam held the frightened little boy close. “You did fine, Joe. You were very brave.”

Little Joe clung onto him. “I slept there.” He pointed to the floor where there was a pile of blankets and Adam’s coat and hat. “I wore your coat and hat, Adam. I pretended I was you. And that you were me. And I took care of you.”

“Hoss will be back with Pa very soon.” Adam prayed that their brother made it down to the house before the storm hit. He had no real idea when Hoss left and less sense of when he would return. “Don’t cry Little Joe.”

”I was scared. I sang to you.”

”You did?” Adam smiled.

Joe nodded and wiped his nose on his sleeve. “I sang the song about Yankee Doodle and the light of the moon and all the church songs I could remember. And I told you stories just like you tell me. Hoss left more bandages for you to put on your foot. I can’t do it.”

“You did very fine, Buddy. You are only five years old.”

“I wanted to go with Hoss. I want my Pa,” Joe’s lips started to tremble. Adam could see from his puffy eyes and dirt streaked face that the frightened little boy must have been crying earlier.

Adam held the little boy close. “Hoss could go back for the wagon and our Pa much faster if you tended to me here.”

“I’m hungry Adam. I ate all the cheese and the bread too.” He had licked the peppermint stick a few times but it made him sad to think how much he missed Hoss.

From the bunk, Adam could see there were plenty of supplies on the pantry shelf. Pa always made sure there was food in the line shack. “Bet we can cook some beans up. Maybe there is some flour or corn meal too. We can make some beans and biscuits.”

Joe smiled. “I can cook water too! I put snow in the coffee pot and put it by the fire and cooked water.”
Adam cautiously swung his legs off the bunk and he carefully looked at the wound in his leg. There was only dried blood on the bandage so the boy could tell it had stopped bleeding. Adam cautiously unwrapped his calf. He sucked in a breath at the pain. ”Damn” He winced as the wound throbbed and fire shot up his leg.

“You cussed, Adam.” Little Joe was shocked. “You cussed. You told me not to cuss. Pa don’t like us to cuss.”
” Don’t tell Pa. Bring me the bandages Joe. And some water.”

Joe hesitated. He really didn’t want to move from Adam’s side.

“Please, Little Joe. I need you to help me.”

Joe slid off the bunk and walked over to the table and brought Adam what he requested.

Adam knew he had to change the bandage. He was sure Joe would stand gawking but would probably get more upset watching. Adam did not have the strength to tend his own injury and deal with Little Joe if he got to crying again. He had to get Little Joe distracted and busy doing something else. “Joe, how would you like to cook some dinner?”

”Me? I can’t cook!” Joe gasped. “I’m just a little boy.”

” You cooked water. You just told me how you cooked water. Are you hungry? I’m sure hungry and you are in charge of tending to me.”

“I don’t know how to cook.” Joe bit his lip. He loved his brother and wanted to take good care of him, just like Hoss told him to do.

“Sure you can. Go over to the shelf and get that blue tin down..”

”Lift me up.”

”I can’t walk on my hurt leg. Pull the chair over.” Adam directed. “You can do that.”

Joe smiled. He pulled the rickety wooden chair over to the shelf and pulled down the heavy tin of beans. “I need the pot too!” He pushed the heavy black iron pot off the shelf. It fell to the floor with a loud crash that shook the little cabin.

“Now take that pot and fill it full with snow. Pack it down real good. Stand it next to the fire. When it melts you can put the beans in the pot and get them cooking.”

”I can do that!” Joe bragged.

“Can you see the stack of fire wood by the side of the shack?”

Joe nodded. “Uh huh.”

”Bring in an armload of wood. Do it twice so you don’t have to go out again tonight. Let it dry before you put it in the fire or it will make too much smoke. Put on your coat and don’t go away from the shack.”

”Can I wear your hat?”

Adam nodded “ Make sure you can touch the wall or you can get lost in the snow.”

“I’m scared. Don’t go to sleep again, Adam.”

”No sir, I won’t. Why don’t you sing for me again so I can hear you when you go out.”

Adam was fearful that Joe would wander out into the storm. “Sing for me again. Real loud so I can hear you.” If Joe was busy singing and gathering wood he wouldn’t hear Adam if he cursed or cried changing his own bandage.
Joe set right to work. With his little brother busy, Adam set to rebandaging his injured leg. By the time he had finished attending to his own wound, Little Joe had completed all the tasks his brother had given him. Adam was completely exhausted but he knew he had to stay awake for Little Joe.

“Now you can learn to make biscuits.” Adam smiled.

 

Chapter 3

 

Their stomachs full, the two brothers sat and watched the flickering golden light of the fire. Joe didn’t know how to light the lantern and when he asked Adam to light it he told him to leave it for now. Adam secretly was afraid to use up the kerosene. He had no idea how long they would be stuck in the shack until Pa came to get them. The might need the kerosene more in a day or so.

“Adam?”

”Hmmm,” Adam was fighting to stay awake until Joe fell asleep beside him.

“Do you want dessert?”

”Don’t have any, Little Joe. No pie tree here.”

Joe giggled, “No cake tree either, Adam. But look!” Little Joe went over to his gear and rummaged around. Then he came back to his brother and handed him the peppermint stick.

”Dessert big brother! I didn’t lick it too much.” Joe handed his brother the candy.

Adam smiled, “You do take good care of your guests in this hotel, sir.”

Joe yawned, “I wish Pa was here.”

“Me too Buddy. Me too.” The young man who felt so full of himself only a few days earlier longed for his Pa as much as his baby brother.

 The two brothers fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms on the narrow bunk. The fire kept the shack warm enough and the snow had stopped.

“Want me to sing to you more, Adam?” Joe asked.

”Not right now, Little Brother.”

“I can tell you stories too if you want.” He was taking his responsibilities seriously.

”Go to sleep Joe,” Adam whispered. He patted his brother’s curls gently.

”We didn’t go fishing, Adam. I sat really still and we didn’t go fishing,”

”Next time,” Adam sighed and hugged Joe to his chest. Then he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

 

Chapter 4

 

The door burst open and hit the wall with a loud bang. A blast of cold air filled the cabin. A snow covered man pushed his way into the shack. Adam jumped and for an instant tried to figure how fast he could get to the rifle that was standing in the corner of the shack.

 “Joseph! Adam. Are you all right?” It was Ben Cartwright. He and Hoss had finally made their way up to the line shack. The snow had stopped falling but the wind was blowing hard.

 “Pa!” Joe leaped out of the bunk and ran to his father. Ben scooped him up in a tight hug. They squeezed each other tightly. Over his father’s broad shoulders, the little boy spied Hoss going over to Adam in the bunk.

” Hoss! You were gone for years!” Joe hollered. “Do you want dessert?” He slid down from his father and ran over to the pile of gear on the floor and dug out the bedraggled peppermint sticks.

“ Pa. Am I happy to see you! I really needed your help.” Adam admitted as he reached out his arms for his father’s embrace.

 

Chapter 5

 

April 23,  1861

Virginia City, Nevada

Dear Katie,

Hope this letter finds you well in San Francisco. I miss you so and wish you were coming soon to visit again.

You asked how Little Joe was in your last letter. Joe is just being his usual devilish self. He was seeing that Jennifer Beal for a while. She moved here the year after you went to San Francisco. Her father is the owner of one of the biggest silver mines and if you ask me she is spoiled rotten. She is extremely pretty and extremely full of herself.

Even Joe thinks she is too wild and you know how many wild girls he likes. I haven’t even written you about half of what that boy does! Sometimes I think if my Pa wasn’t the sheriff and the Cartwrights weren’t such good friends and Adam and Hoss weren’t watching him so much, Joe would really have gotten into bad trouble. Not like the trouble Brett or Jack or the Bonners get into but, bad enough. He even goes to the Rusty Bucket and the Altamont Saloon on Saturday nights and plays poker and gets into brawls and goodness knows what else.

A while back, a circus came into Virginia City. A big show and all and everyone went. Any way, Joe and Hoss took Jennifer and that stupid cow friend of hers that Harriet to the circus. I went with Clem Foster and we had a grand time. Clem is so sweet once you give him a chance.

 That Jennifer almost got herself stolen away. She started off by slipping away from Joe and Hoss and telling the disgusting circus man that she wanted to join the circus! Doesn’t that beat all, Katie? Join the circus? What kind of decent girl wants to walk around in sparkles and let men gegaw over her?

 Before you know it the circus people wanted to kidnap her and have her father pay ransom for her. If Joe and Hoss hadn’t have looked and  found that foolish girl, the circus people would have stolen her away. By the time it all got sorted out some of the circus people got killed and arrested and the rest of those hooligans packed up and left town.

Pa said “Good riddance to bad rubbish.” Reverend Felcher did an extra long sermon about it that Sunday too. Little Joe sat next to Mr. Cartwright and fell asleep and snored. Adam had to poke him before everyone laughed so hard that poor Reverend Felcher was embarrassed on the pulpit. Not Joe. He wasn’t one bit ruffled. And at least Joe’s snoring made Reverend Felcher stop sermonizing.

Your Aunt put the whole thing in the front page of the Enterprise. The circus story, not Joe snoring.  Phil Bartlett wrote the story.

And you would think that would have been enough for Miss Jennifer. Joe dropped her like a hot potato. He took Sara Beth to the dance and I know he went to have dinner with Mary Rogers and her family after church and he took that Irene Sheehan to Bessie Sue’s birthday party.

Anyway, Jennifer was rumored to be seen with Jack Fischer riding out by the lake on numerous occasions. Yes, I know he is married but some people like to play with fire.

Mr. Beal must have had enough of his daughter’s questionable behavior and the next thing I know she is gone, gone, gone. We haven’t seen hide nor hair of her in weeks. Mr. Beal said she is now residing in San Francisco with her Aunt. Maybe you will bump into her.

Send your parents my best. Clem and my Pa send regards.
All my love,

Nancy

PS I will tell Little Joe to write to you. But don’t hold your breath. He is very busy being the Prince of the Ponderosa and the rogue of Virginia City.

 

Chapter 6

 

June 1874

Kate laughed that Adam was probably much better at brushing out the knots in his daughter’s hair than she ever was or ever would be. Adam even learned to tie the ribbon bows just like particular Elizabeth requested. “You do them so much nicer than Mama. She just wants to make braids so my hair won’t get tangled but you make the bows so, so pretty, Papa. Perfect and pretty.”

“It is just that she sits still for me and squirms for you.” Adam laughed when his wife teased him about his hair dressing skills. “Who do you think cut Joe’s hair the first six years of his life? No barber would put up with his twitching and turning. One fellow almost cut Joe’s ear off and told Pa that if he ever brought Joe back into the shop he would call the sheriff. I cut that boys hair until I went off to college.”

Kate laughed remembering how much Joe hated to get a hair cut his entire life.

“Adam, Little Joe never wore hair bows. And he never wore long curls. And you never cut Elizabeth’s hair.”

“Papa, you do up my hair better than Mama or Aunt Nancy or Aunt Meg or any lady.” Elizabeth smiled and patted his hand. She climbed up on his lap and wrapped her arms around her father’s neck and kissed him on his cheek.
Adam blushed “Just don’t let anyone know. That is our secret.” He told his wife and daughter.

 He could just imagine the teasing his father and brother would give him if they knew his talent with curls and bows.

Joe had started teasing him as it was about spoiling his daughters. Eleanor Jessica was just an infant but Joe could see Adam wouldn’t refuse his girls anything.

 

Chapter 7

 

June, 1874

Virginia City

”Can’t quite understand how to figure Meg out.” Joe took a sip of his drink as he waited for the waitress to bring their dinners. The Cartwright men were sharing their traditional Tuesday night dinner at the International Hotel in Virginia City. He passed a buttered biscuit to Eric who was seated next to him.

It was the first time all of them got together for Tuesday Night Dinner since Joe got married six weeks earlier. Joe had been sick for weeks and it really was his first time going into Virginia City in a month other than to see Kate and Adam’s new baby, Eleanor Jessica. The other men had been busy with the new barn and other jobs around the Ponderosa.

“Well son, what do have to say?” Ben leaned back in his seat and looked at Adam and Will. He tried to hide his smile and keep a serious face at Joseph’s remark. Eric sat quietly at the table playing with one of his tiny wooden horses and the dinner biscuit. He was sitting on a big volume of the Cattleman’s Association Membership Directory and a dictionary so he could reach the table. Joe had tied the large white linen napkin around his neck.

“Well, Little Brother, thought you were the Cartwright with all the answers about women.” Adam chuckled. “How many times did he tell me that Pa?”

Ben burst into laughter. “His whole life?”

“That’s what you tell me all the time, Uncle Joe,” Sam agreed.

“Sounds about right to me,” Will snickered looking at his newlywed cousin. “Somehow I remember Little Joe being about six or seven and braggin’ on how much he knew about women. He was a bit older than Eric, here. He offered to give me all the information I needed for a two bits.” Will patted Eric affectionately on the top of his head.
Ben and Adam laughed heartily. Joe always had a scheme to get easy money.

“Guess he knew two bits worth and sold it and now he knows absolutely nothing,” Adam teased.

“Don’t laugh, I still am the Cartwright who knows the most about women… would you have had the good sense to marry Katie if me and Hoss hadn’t wised you up?” Joe pointed at Adam. “Me, Adam. The Cartwright who knows more that two bits worth about women.”

Adam shook his head and smiled, “No, guess not. I’ll give you that much.”

”And you are beholding to me for the rest of your life for that, Adam.” Joe tore off a bit of his own dinner biscuit and put it in Eric’s mouth like a mother bird feeding her young. The boy chewed as he continued playing silently with his toy horse.

”He is right there, Adam…” Ben nodded laughing. He took a sip of his drink. “What would we all do without our Katie?” Kate was the daughter Ben had never had. He had known her since she was tiny. Meg, on the other hand seemed to hold Ben at arm’s length for some reason Ben never understood.

”So if you are the Cartwright who knows the most about women, then what seems to be troubling you and Meg?” Adam asked. He buttered another biscuit for Eric. He passed it to Sam who passed it to Eric. The little boy put it on the table and put his toy horse on top of it as if it was a hill.

”She expects things she doesn’t ask for, Pa and then Meg gets all cranky when I don’t get them for her,” Joe was totally perplexed. “I really thought I was still the Cartwright who knows the most about women… Why not Meg?”

”Because she is your wife, Joseph!” Adam threw his head back and laughed. “Meg is not just some pretty gal that you are dancing with and flirting with and running off from your chores with and having a heap of fun.” Adam teased his brother referring to the long a tumultuous courtship of Joe and Meg. More than once Joe had disappeared for days with Meg and then shown up back home with a big smile on his face.

”She is your wife, son,” Ben added. “You just got married.”

Sam decided to listen to all this very carefully. He wondered if it would be too rude to take notes on what married men did but decided against it. It might be a bit too noticeable. Sam tried to make himself as invisible as he could and listen really hard so he could learn a thing or two about the mysteries of men and women. He hoped his father didn’t shoo him away from the table before he learned something more interesting than the medical books he had borrowed from Doc Martin. He had claimed he was trying to study biology for his college entrance exams.

”And no matter what I do, she just doesn’t seem to care,” Joe leaned back in his chair and buttered another roll for Eric.

”She cares, son. She just acts like she doesn’t care.”

”You think so Pa?” Joe looked at his father’s face.

“Maybe she just can’t show it, Joe. She cares. She really does.” Adam agreed. Even more than his father, he was confident that Joe and Meg were the right match for each other.

Joe looked at his brother and realized Meg was so much like his brother in certain ways.  Adam felt things so deeply but always looked calm and cool and unperturbed to outsiders. Adam never complained or argued and let things simmer inside until he blew a cork. It took most of Joe’s life to understand what was in his brother’s heart.

“Why don’t you ask Katie to talk to her? Maybe she’ll say something to Kate that she won’t say to you. Women are like that.” Ben suggested.

“They like to talk to other women.” Will added. He poured more wine into all the glasses.

Adam nodded, “Kate will find out. You know my wife. She’ll figure it out.“

“And if she doesn’t she’ll shake you by the neck like a terrier killing a rat,” Joe laughed rubbing his own neck and thinking of all the times Kate had dug the truth from him. “Meggie doesn’t stand a chance.” He smiled with relief. “Not a chance.”

“Not a chance,” Eric whispered as he took a bite of his biscuit.

 

Chapter 8

 

June 1874

The Ponderosa Ranch

Joe pulled up his collar and shivered noticeably as he and Will rode their horses up the ranch road toward the house. Will noticed how tired his cousin looked from the corner of his eyes but chose not to say anything. It wasn’t that chilly and he hoped Joe wasn’t getting sick again. If he said anything to his cousin, Joe would probably bristle at him and insist he was totally fine and completely recovered from being sick. Joe was stubborn and would never admit he was up and about too soon.

Will had come to the Ponderosa for Joe’s wedding to Meg Thackery and wound up staying on to help rebuild the burned barn roof. The barn was done and Will was itching to move on. He loved his family but being with them just reminded him of everything he didn’t have  and everything he would never have. It always amazed Will Cartwright that no matter what he did, no matter how bad, or how disreputable his behavior, his Uncle and cousins welcomed him back to the Ponderosa with open arms.

“Will, you are our family and there is always a place for you here,” Ben told him again and again.

It had been a long day at the corrals settling up the horse sale with Captain Vernon from Fort Mead. Joe had sold the entire string of horses that he and his wranglers had saddle broken and gotten an order for three dozen more horses for the middle of the summer. Seemed like the army was preparing for some big build up near the Mexican boarder. The price that had been agreed upon was far more than Joe had ever anticipated. He was tired but happy as they headed back to the house with his cousin. He was finally back to work after being sick in bed for weeks.
“I’m totally done in,” Joe sighed as he rode up toward the house stirrup to stirrup with Will.
”I’m hungry,” Will responded. “You look mighty peaked, Joe.”

“Peaked? That doesn’t even half describe how tired I am. But look at this big order the Army gave us!” Joe grinned and waved the contracts over his head and then tucked them back inside his jacket. ”Pa will be mighty surprised at this one. Never sold the army horses so fast or so easy. The captain said he would take every mount we could give them.”

“Wonder what they are planning to do with all those horses?” Will asked.

”Who cares? Who knows? Guess they know what they want is Ponderosa stock to do it. We do have the best horses in the territory.” Joe enthusiastically threw both hands in the air.

Will threw his head back and laughed. He remembered Joe saying that same phrase as a kid. He loved to dream big dreams for his horse breeding business and those dreams came true.

The two saddle-weary man rode toward the Ponderosa ranch house and slid gratefully from their mounts. They handed off the reins to a waiting ranch hand, who took the horses into the new barn for the night.

”Maybe you bit off more than you can chew, boy. You’ve barely gotten over being sick for the last two, three weeks and you worked hard since sun up.”

Joe shrugged “ Had a lot to take care of. “Those horses that the Bonners brought around had to be dealt with before that Captain Vernon came up and most of the men are working up with the herd.” Joe looked pale and weary. “I’ll be glad to have dinner and turn in.”

”What do you think Meg cooked? I am starving.”

Joe smiled devilishly. “Nothing that you would be happy with, William. She can’t cook much at all. Her mother always did the cooking for the Thackery family. Meggie helped out her father with his auctions and tending the to livestock and to her brothers. “

”You married a woman who can’t cook? Good thing she is as pretty as she is,” Will teased

Joe sighed, “She is mighty pretty isn’t she? But who was the one who picked all those horses? My Meg!” He slung the saddle bag with the army’s payment over his shoulder.

” The prettiest woman in the state. Too pretty for the likes of you, Joseph.” Will teased. “But the woman can’t cook? How can that be?”

” Meggie would just bake a pie or a chocolate cake every once in a while. She makes fine chocolate cake. That and making breakfast for her brothers and the men at the auction yard was just about all the cooking she did. Hop Sing doesn’t really mind. Matter of fact, I think the both of them are pleased as punch. He doesn’t have to deal with a woman invading his kitchen and she doesn’t have to poison her new husband. When Adam and Katie lived here, she and Hop Sing butted heads in the kitchen all the time.” He smacked his two fists together.

”I’m starving. “ Will repeated as the two men walked towards the house.

“Me too. New roof looks darn good, Will,” Joe Cartwright turned and looked up at the refurbished barn as they reached the porch. He took off his hat and raked his fingers through his shaggy, tangled hair. “I need to get my hair cut. Haven’t had it cut since the week before the wedding.”

“Can’t even tell there ever was a fire,” Will answered standing next to him admiring the barn.

“We couldn’t have done it without you, Cousin.” Joe threw his are around Will’s shoulders as the walked in the door.

“ Come on, Joe. You folks needed my help. How could I leave? I’ll never make up for what all of you did for me in Boston, Joe. I would have hung for a murder I didn’t commit if you and Adam and Ben hadn’t stepped in…” Will hugged his younger cousin around the shoulders.

”Will, quit thinking about all that. You are family. And a darn good carpenter too,” Joe laughed. “Have you made up your mind if you will stay on? We can really need you, Cousin.” The both took off their gun belts and coiled them on the entry hall console.

”I’m not sure, Joe. You know me. I can’t stay too long in one place. Maybe Adam has another job for me with the rail road or maybe I should go to San Francisco.”

”Stay at least for another few months.. Please Will. I really need your help over the summer.”

 “I’m not sure,” Will started. He was really afraid to stay in one place too long and become too attached to the people. Being with Adam’s children and Eric reminded him too painfully of his dead daughter, Peggy.

“Just for the summer.” Joe tried to convince him. “And there is a lot of building going on in Virginia City. If you would rather be a carpenter than be a rancher that is. All the mine owners and the merchants with big stores are trying to outdo each other with fancy houses up on the hill.”

“Stay Will.” Ben called from his chair as the two younger men came into the house. “We really want you to make this your home. Fischers are starting to build a new house soon and so are Flagler’s and the new owner of the Red Devil Mine. You can get all the work you want if carpentry is what you really want.”

“And Billy Felcher said the church was willing to add on to the parsonage if he ever gets married. Now that Joe and Meg are married, looks like he has taken over the title of Virginia City’s most eligible bachelor.” Adam called from the dining room where he was opening a bottle of brandy.

Joe laughed at his brother’s comment about the shy young reverend. “You would think all the gossipy ladies would find someone for him. Think he would do his own wedding? Like saying ‘ I now pronounce me man and wife’?”

They all laughed at Joe’s foolish comment.

Adam poured two more glasses of brandy. “Dinner won’t be ready for another half hour, maybe more. Have a drink! Hays was in here a half-hour ago and said you sold all those horses. Let’s celebrate, Joe!”

”Good job Joseph!” Ben walked over to the two other men and handed them glasses.

ing basket off the settee onto the floor. He sank wearily into the cushions.

”How many?” Ben asked taking a sip of the brandy. He picked up the basket from the floor and put it on the low table behind the settee. Meg had been sewing a new shirt for Eric out of blue checked material but had gone upstairs with Katie.

“At least three dozen more, the Captain said the army could use all we can round up but at least three dozen more.”
”Can you manage all that? That isn’t very long to break all those horses.”

”If Will can stay, it would be a big help,” Joe drank down most of his brandy in three gulps.

“Casey is getting pretty good at breaking horses.” Ben said.

“He learned from the best,” Joe pointed his thumb at his chest.

“And who taught you, Little Brother?” Adam laughed and poured more brandy into the glasses.

Eric rushed out of the kitchen. “JOE Joe! He grabbed his uncle around his legs until Joe picked him up. “Play red and black?”

While Joe was sick he tried to teach little Eric to play checkers but the best the child could do was stack up the pieces by color. Joe and he spent hours cuddled up under the quilts building checker towers and knocking them down. Even when Joe fell asleep, Eric played on by himself. Uncle and nephew had named the game red and black.

“Say howdy to Will, Sweetie.” Eric hid his face in Joe’s neck. “Go on. Say ‘Hello, Will’.”

Will patted the little boy’s back “ Hi Eric. Think dinner is ready? “

Eric smiled shyly and then hid his face again.

“Guess he only likes me because I play checkers, “ Joe teased and kissed the little boy’s tufty yellow hair. He smoothed it down with his hands.” Don’t let Grandpa see that you need a haircut too.”

”Hi Will,” Eric whispered. “Play red and black?”

“Uncle Joe, Cousin Will. Look at me!” Elizabeth walked down the stairs. “I have new shoes!” As she reached the bottom step she pointed her toe gracefully and showed off her new patent leather strapped slippers. “Mama and Auntie Meg are upstairs putting my baby sister to sleep. They are talking like ladies and said I should tell you that. No boys or men, just ladies and girls.”

“Hays said that he thinks there is a leak in the far corner of the barn roof,” Ben put down his glass.

“In the corner? Could be the flashing,” Adam said “Let’s go out and give it a look before it gets too dark to see anything.”

”I can get on it in the morning, if you want.” Will put his still full glass down on the table beside Joe’s empty glass.

Joe sank wearily onto the settee. He yawned and leaned back against the cushion.

“You stay here Joseph, you look tired,” Ben ordered. “Eric missed you.”

Joe nodded and hugged his nephew. “Missed you too, Sweetie.”

”Uncle Joe can stay in here and play with us!” Elizabeth decided.

Joe reached behind him for his glass and mistakenly took Will’s almost full glass and drained it. The brandy warmed him inside and his eyes grew heavier. He put his feet up on the settee and leaned his head back on the wide arm.

“Play red and black Joe?” Eric pulled the checker set from the middle of the low table and started piling checkers in little piles.

Joe closed his eyes and dozed off. He threw his arm across his eyes and in a minute was sound asleep. The combination of exhaustion and a triple draft of brandy and Joe’s natural ability to fall asleep anywhere that he planted himself was undeniable.

Eric poked at his uncle’s leg. Joe didn’t move. “Play red and black, Elizabeth.”

His cousin watched as he knocked over the pile of checkers. “No Eric, I have a much better game. Let’s make Uncle Joe pretty. Do you like that Uncle Joe?” He didn’t answer so Elizabeth took it as an acceptance. The little girl ran upstairs and came back with a brush she found on her grandfather’s dresser. “Look Eric! She brushed Joe’s hair and started making uneven little braids and pigtails. Then she spied Meg’s sewing basket. Rummaging through, the little girl found some odds and ends of ribbon and started tying it in Joe’s hair. “ Do you like this, Uncle Joe?”
”Huh? Joe muttered in his sleep. “Let me sleep more Meggie.”

”He thinks Aunt Meg is making his very pretty.” Elizabeth explained as she tied a third piece of ribbon around Joe’s forehead.

Eric dragged the afghan from the arm of the settee. He awkwardly attempted to tuck it around his uncle just as he had when Joe was sick. Elizabeth sifted through the sewing box and pulled out a long piece of wide red satin ribbon. She tried to make it into a big bow but the piece was too long for her to handle. She found the scissors and managed to cut the piece of ribbon in two. “Look Eric. Uncle Joe has long hair and curls and bows. Very pretty!”
Eric nodded. He didn’t know what to make of what his cousin was doing but he often had trouble figuring things out. He decided to play red and black on his own and ignore Elizabeth. Eric stacked the checkers into crooked piles and knocked them down nosily. Then he gathered them up and did it again. The checkers clattered onto the polished wooden floor.

“Uncle Joe, I am making you look so pretty,” Elizabeth carefully braided and wove the ribbons into her uncle’s curly hair. Joe was sound asleep. Even under normal circumstances, Joe was known to sleep soundly anywhere. Now he was tired, still sick and the triple brandy on an empty stomach had hit Joe like being slugged over the head with the butt end of a shotgun.

“Play red and black?” Eric picked up two red checkers and laid them on Joe’s closed eyes, much as a mortician weighed down a corpse’s eyes with coins. He was about to make two stacks of checkers on Joe’s eyes but decided it would be too difficult. He went back to the pile of checkers he had on the flat table.

Elizabeth cut another strand of ribbon and dangled it over her uncle’s nose. “Look, Uncle Joe is my kitten.”

Joe sneezed in his sleep and tried to brush the ribbon off his nose with his left hand. “Meg let me sleep,” he muttered thinking he was in his own bed and his wife was trying to awaken him for breakfast.

Eric picked up the scissors and started to examine it.

” Don’t touch that, Eric. You can get hurt.” Elizabeth pulled the scissors out of the little boy’s chubby hand. She turned around to her sleeping uncle. “Grandpa said Uncle Joe’s hair is too long. Should we cut his hair and make him nice and handsome? Grand pa will be happy too.”

”Play red and black?” Eric warned. He had no recollection of anyone ever getting a haircut lying on the settee and knew for sure that Elizabeth was not a barber. His grandfather had taken him to the barber in Virginia City for a haircut one time and the barber was not Elizabeth.

”After I finish.” Elizabeth pulled a lock of hair and snipped it off. “See how easy?”

Then she picked a larger hank of hair and cut that off too.

“Elizabeth, play red and black, now.” Eric somehow knew this was not what his cousin should be doing. He pulled on her hand. “No Elizabeth, play red and black. Now.”

She pulled another lock of hair from the front of Joe’s head and snipped it off just as her mother and Aunt Meg came to the landing and saw what the two children were doing.

”Oh my God!” Kate shrieked and rushed down the stairs.

“Joe!” Meg didn’t know whether to laugh or reprimand the children or rescue her husband as she followed her sister in law down the stairs.

“Play red and black, Meg?” Eric asked offering his aunt a checker.

Kate pulled the scissors from her daughter’s hands. “Elizabeth Cartwright! You are not to play with scissors and never, ever cut anyone’s hair!”

Meg started to laugh despite the seriousness of Elizabeth’s misbehavior. “My goodness! Joe looks like a Christmas package or a May pole!” She reached over and took the checkers off her husband’s eyes. “Or a very poorly shorn sheep!”

“Let me sleep Meg,” Joe muttered and turned over on the settee and pushed his face into the cushions.

“Let him sleep,” Meg laughed. “I just want to see Joe’s face when he wakes up and looks in the mirror. He has a big chunk of hair missing all on one side.”

“But he has a fine collection of hair bows,” Kate laughed.

”Doesn’t Uncle Joe look just lovely?” said Elizabeth smiling proudly at her handiwork.

Eric scooped up all the checkers and hid under his grandfather’s desk. Instinctively he knew that was the safest place to be when his beloved Uncle Joe finally woke up.