Summary: Part one of Sins of the Father, Sins of the Sons
Word Count: 11,200
Sins of the Father, Sins of the Sons
Boots in Mud
Chapter 1
Nevada 1839
Ben Cartwright despised spending the money on himself when his two little boys needed so many things but he had no other choice.
His old boots were worn through and there was no upper left tore attach a new sole. He had to get the new ones. Money for buying things was mighty tight and he had been hoping to get by until Easter. He wanted to buy both his little boys new boots and decent trousers for church and some new boots for himself but his old boots would not hold out long enough.
Ben had scrounged up a few dollars and bought himself new boots and even sprung for some candy for Adam and Hoss. Adam was nine years old and was strong and tall for his age. The boy was able to do a lot of chores capably as well as mind his three-year-old brother Hoss most of the time while their father worked. After supper he would even try to do some of the schoolwork Ben tried to help him master.
“Those are real nice boots, Pa.” Adam smiled admiring the shininess of the new leather. “You won’t have cold wet feet all the time.” The boy ran his small hand over the smooth, stiff leather and smiled at his father.
Ben nodded and patted the boy on his head. “ When I get the money for that next load of timber I’ll get you two boys new boots too.” He hoped not to buy any more things on account if he could manage. The mercantile had let him run up a pretty big account and he hated to be in debt to anyone.
Adam smiled, “I’d like that Pa. Black ones like the ones you got.”
”And a new book or two also, son. You need a new arithmetic. You are almost done with the one you have. That trader still owes me for those furs too. We’ll be able to pay off all our debts and get you boys some new clothes and we can get those tools too.”
”And books? And boots for Eric too,” Adam added. He always watched out for his younger brother. “His toes look a little pinched in these he has. He has big feet Pa.”
“I do! Don’t call me Eric. I am Hoss Cartwright.” Eric smiled sweetly. His chubby cheeks were filled with the candy. He offered a piece to Adam and then his father.
“You certainly do have big feet, son.” Ben patted his three-year-old boy on the top of his blonde head and laughed. The boy was as big as any six year old. Often people didn’t realize he was just a touch more than a baby and would think he was a stupid six year old. Adam usually came to his defense and protectively explained that Hoss was only three and should be treated kindly.
“And then we can get the hardware I need for the barn.” Ben thought aloud. “The hinges and nails and all so we can finish it off.”
“And the harnesses for the new team too!” Adam added proudly.
It had been a snowy winter and a wet spring and as Mr. Winkle had told the boys “The mud crop was the best they had seen in the Territory for three years.”
Ben had hired three more men that winter to help clear land and tend his growing herds and felt very proud of how far they had come in the last couple of years. Ben told Hays Newkirk that he was now the foreman of the Ponderosa. “We have enough men to boss, Hays, so I need someone to be my right hand. You are promoted and I’ll give you a raise too.”
”This is just the beginning, Ben. Just you wait until your two boys get bigger, Ben. You’ have two mighty fine boys here.” Hays smiled at the promotion from hand to foreman. “The spring looked mighty promising. Muddy, but promising.”
Hiram Winkle had sold Ben a good team of workhorses. The two big broad backed matched chestnuts could pull his wagon and haul the lumber he was cutting. The man had named them Kaiser and Mamzer. The price was fair and he had agreed to accept some Ponderosa timber as part of the price.
With Kaiser and Mamzer Ben would be able to haul more lumber and do more work clearing the pastures. They were a placid and well-trained team, and would work all day. “Only one thing you got to watch out for Ben,” Winkle explained. “These horses tell time.”
”Tell time Mr. Winkle?” Adam’s dark eyes were wide with amazement. He couldn’t imagine a horse reading a pocket watch.” How can a team of horses tell time?”
“Them horses know when it is dinner time. So no matter what, Kaiser is a gonna head home to the barn for his dinner at straight up 5 o’clock. And Mamzer follows Kaiser’s lead. No matter what them horses are doin’ at four they head for home for their dinner. Don’t matter ifn that horse had the Queen of England’s carriage behind them or they was on the side of Lake Tahoe. They is gonna swim acrost.”
Ben laughed at the idea. He swung wide-eyed Hoss onto the wagon. Adam scrambled over the wagon wheel and climbed up on the high wooden seat,” Looks like we got ourselves some good horses boys,”
Ben slapped the reigns on the horses backs and the Cartwrights headed back to the Ponderosa.
“Pa, the horses would swim across the lake for dinner?” Hoss was amazed at the picture.
“Yes, son. That is what Mr. Winkle said.” Ben drove the heavily laden wagon down the muddy road. He had recently negotiated an order for lumber with Stanley Fischer for the new mine he was expanding on the edge of town.
“It’s gonna be dark before we get home, Pa” Adam looked up at the sky.
”We still have this lumber to get to the mil l. That new mine wants a lot of lumber. You boys will have to be patient. This road is mighty bad.”
Chapter 2
In the low muddy spot in the road the wagon lurched to a crooked halt. The horses strained as Ben urged them to pull harder.
“Are we stuck Pa?” Hoss was getting scared and hungry. The sun had gone down and the Cartwrights were not yet home.
”No, not quite,” Handing Adam the reins, Ben jumped down from the wagon to see what was wrong. “Hold the lines, son. Both of you stay up there. Don’t want you drowning in the mud,” Ben teased.
Ben walked around the wagon and saw that the rear wheel was stuck deep in the thick mud. He pushed futile at the bad of wagon, putting his back into it. “Throw me the reins he told his son.
Hanging on to the reins and pushing the wheel at the same time, the father urged the team to move forward. “Gee yap Kaiser! Move up Mamzer!” Ben shouted and grunted as he pushed at the wagon.
Suddenly, with the sky darkening to just the right amount of cobalt, Kaiser decided he was heading home for dinner. The horse whinnied loudly and Mamzer answered. With a lurch, they pulled the wagon out of the rut. Just a quickly the team decided to take off down the road to return to Winkle’s barn for dinner.
“Whoa! “ Ben pulled on the reins as he was suddenly being dragged by the wagon down the muddy road.
“Whoa!” Adam realized what was going on and echoed his father.
”Hang on boys!” Ben ordered “Hang on to your brother, Adam!”
Adam immediately grabbed onto his brother just as Pa ordered. The two boys hung on to each other.
“Adam!” Hoss shrieked as the candy bag flew out of his hands. As he went to lunge for it, the boy lost his balance and almost bounced off the high wagon seat. Just in the nick of time Adam lurched toward him and grabbed the back of his coat, yanking the blonde tot back on to the run away wagon.
“Whoa! Whoa! Ben bellowed at the team as he gave chase. The mud was sucking him down and he could not run as fast as he wanted.
”Whoa Kaiser !Whoa Mamzer!” He pulled on the reins and held as hard as he could run along side of the wagon trying to halt the team. “Stop!” The horses shook their heads and stamped as Ben tried to control the animals.
“PA! Shrieked Hoss as his older brother tried to hang on to him and stay on the wagon. For a second, Adam thought that perhaps he should jump off the wagon but thought the better of it knowing Hoss would never be able to jump clear of the wheels and hooves and there was no way Adam could jump clear hanging on to his brother.
”Pa, save us!” Adam screamed as he and his brother clung to each other. “Pa!”
“Hold tight! Whoa!” Ben shouted at the horses that were trying to run. “Damn team Whoa!” As he struggled to halt the runaway team Ben let loose with a string of curses unlike any that either boy ever heard coming from their father’s lips. As scared as Adam was he was more shocked to hear such cussing coming from his Pa’s lips. He even said words that Adam never had heard before.
Ben struggled to keep up with the team and was dragged in the mud as he ran. Wrapping the reins around his fore arms he dug in with his heels and pulled hard with every ounce of strength he could muster. His panicked children were screaming with fear as he tried valiantly to halt the horses.
No matter how battered he was getting, Ben would not let go. If he let the horses have their head, they would take off and leave him behind. If he did, the horses would gallop free and crash the wagon as they went down the steep incline that started around the bend. He would never be able to halt the wagon then. His boys’ lives depended on him stopping crazy Kaiser.
Mud sucked at his boots as he tried to run and Ben pulled his feet free. As he took the next step, he realized he had stepped right out of his boots and was running in his bare feet through the mud.
”Whoa! “ Ben pulled mightily and finally slowed the wagon to a halt.
As soon as the wagon was stopped Adam handed Hoss down to his father and jumped down himself.
“Pa!” Hoss wailed as Ben picked the frightened baby up in his arm
”You saved us Pa. But you lost your wonderful new boots.” Adam wrapped his arms around his father’s waist.
Ben held the two boys close to him and said, “Those boots don’t mean anything. Nothing matters if to me more than my boys. Nothing in the whole wide world.” He wrapped his arms around his two boys and hugged them close. Are you boys all right?” Ben kissed the top of each boy’s head.
”Yes sir. I’m fine.” Adam answered. He was still shaking but did not want his father to know how scared he was. He didn’t want Pa to think he was a big sissy. He was a man and would never cry like a baby.
“Let’s go home while these horses are heading that way.” Ben sighed as soon as they all stopped shaking.
“But Pa you ain’t got no boots on your feets!” Hoss whispered in his father’s ear as he clung on to him.
Ben looked down at his muddy feet. He only had on one sock too. His feet were encased in muck. He wiggled his toes.
“I’ll come back here and find them tomorrow. It’s too dark now any way. You boys can help me look come morning.”
“But you ain’t got no boots Pa!”
”Hush, Hoss!” Adam reprimanded the boy.” Pa said we would look in the morning. What are you gonna do for boots ‘til then, Pa?” Adam stepped on the spokes of the wheel and climbed back into the seat.
”Guess I can put those old one with the holes on tomorrow,” Ben sighed as he lifted his second precious child onto the wagon. He hated to think that he had lost his fine new boots in the mud. As Cartwright climbed up beside his weary boys said a small prayer of Thanksgiving that he had kept his boys safe. He was truly thankful for their safety but his feet were very cold.
Chapter 3
The sky was almost imperceptibly lighter – nearing morning, but still the endless dark of night.
Adam Cartwright woke up with a start in the dim bedroom. He knew what he had to do and he would do it. Hoss was still sound asleep next to him. Looking across the room he could see his Pa still sleeping, the covers pulled up over his shoulders. He had gone to sleep long after Adam had dozed off. His bare feet stuck out from the end of the blanket and even in the dim light, Adam could see that his father’s feet were all scraped and cut from running down the road bare footed.
The boy slid quietly out of the warm bed that he shared with his younger brother and put on the dirty clothes he had worn the day before. It was still very cold and the fire in the hearth had almost burned down. There was a basin of water on the floor near the chair from his father soaking his injured feet the night before. He quietly walked across the room and looked at his exhausted father and pulled the covers down over his raw feet.
Tip toeing into the shadowy cold kitchen; he could see his father’s old boots sitting on the table. It was clear to Adam that while he and Hoss slept, Pa had pulled out his old boots and tried once again to repair the worn footgear. He realized his Pa was afraid he would never find the boots and not only would they have to pay for the new ones but be still wearing the old ones that let his feet get wet.
Adam was sure he was doing the correct thing when he pulled on his coat from the peg near the door and jammed his hat on his dark hair. It was below freezing out side. The water in the trough still had a film of ice on it that would melt as the day warmed up. If he was quick, he would be up and back before Pa realized he wasn’t in the barn milking the cow and tending to his morning chores.
Adam could see the wagon sitting in the yard loaded for the lumber delivery later in the day. After the runaway all three of them were too upset to make the delivery. They had simply gone home and not ventured to get to the Fischer Mine with the lumber.
If he hurried, he could get to where the wagon was stuck and search for Pa’s new boots in the muck. He went into the barn and struggled to saddle one of the horses. It was hard for him to lift the saddle up on the horse but he willed himself to do it and threw the saddle over his head to the mare’s back on the fourth attempt. The sun was barely glinting over the mountains when young Adam rode out of the yard.
Adam figured if he retraced their route to where the wagon had become stuck, he could retrieve the new boots with no problem. He hoped he was right. Pa really needed those new boots.
Riding across the wet frozen fields, Adam kept his eyes peeled for the point where the rode came up on the edge of the partly frozen meadow. Once he went too far in the dim light and came up to far back. He had to double back twice until he found the exact low part of the road where the wagon had become stuck the night before.
Adam slid from the saddle and tied the reins to a low branch. Looking up and down he could see the first boot. It was just after the dip where the wheel had become bogged down.
”That’s it!” He shouted gleefully and steeped into the mud to retrieve the first boot. Picking it up he tried to follow the road and find the second one. A cold gust blew down his collar as he made his way.
Adam tried to make his own shorter legs stretch to mimic his father’s longer stride. Adam leaped and stretched trying to imitate his Pa’s steps trying to picture where Pa had popped out of the second boot. That was the spot Pa had started to cuss.
Suddenly, Adam slid into a deep rut and sunk into the mud up to his shins. For an instant he feared he would be stuck fast and loose his own boots. He felt cold wetness ooze into his feet as his feet broke through the frosted surface of the ground and he sunk in. Adam grabbed his own knee and pulled his leg out before he could sink down any further.
There it was, sticking out of the road and a crazy angle like the lower half of a one legged drunk. Pa’s right boot.
Gingerly the boy crept up on it like he was a fox stalking a chicken in the barnyard. Trying to stay on the driest ground, he yanked at the second boot. It was stuck fast in the frozen mud. Adam put down the first boot and pulled harder. He was determined not to give up. He found Pa’s boot and he was going to bring it home, no matter what.
The boy tugged with all his strength. He felt it give and suddenly fell over backwards on his butt into the wet mud. The air was knocked out of him and he was wet and full of filthy ooze. But he had the boots… both of them and wouldn’t let them go.
Adam was covered with mud from his neck to his toes. Carrying the boots, he made his way back down the road and remounted his horse.
The sun was painting the sky with salmon pink light as Adam rode triumphantly home with his father’s boots on the saddle in front of him.
The boy was coated in brown mud from head to toe and the only clean spot Ben could see on his son was his white teeth as the boy proudly grinned. “Got your boots back Pa!”
Chapter 4
Ponderosa Ranch, Nevada,
1875
The sky was brightening off to the East nearing morning, but still the endless dark of the longest night of his life. Or maybe it was the shortest night. Joe Cartwright was not sure.
“Promise me you will take care of my Meg and the baby. “ Joe looked straight into his brother’s eyes as they stood in the entrance hall of the Ponderosa. They could all hear Meg’s mournful wailing upstairs as her mother tried to comfort her. “And Eric too.”
”Of course Joe.” Adam said hoarsely. The words caught in his throat. “You didn’t have to ask.”
“Promise me, for as long as need be,”
“I promise, for as long as need be,” Adam swore to his brother. “I promise.” Joe shoulders sagged with weariness and despair.
”Uncle Joe, you’ll be home soon,” Sam said as enthusiastically as he could. The boy knew he had really made a mess of thing for Joe and the entire Cartwright family.
“Pa promise me you will take care of my wife and my son. For however long it has to be,” Joe said insistently staring at his father. “How ever long. No matter what happens.” Joe pleaded desperately. Ben nodded. He was unable to speak at that moment. His dark eyes met his youngest son’s hazel eyes.
“No matter what, Little Brother,” Adam put his hand on Joe’s shoulder and swallowed hard. “We will, all of us.”
”Joe, we better go,” Ben sighed. They couldn’t wait any longer to leave the Ponderosa. Ben knew they had to bring his son back into town, to jail, just as he had promised the federal marshal the night before.
“I’m so sorry, Uncle Joe,” Sam started to cry. Joe pulled him into his arms and hugged him tightly.
“You didn’t mean to make a problem, Doc. I’m a grown man and you two are just kids. I should have known better,”
Sam clung to him sobbing. Joe put both hands on the boy’s shoulders and held him at arm’s length. He lowered his head slightly so that his hazel eyes were in line with Sammy’s brown eyes.
”Make sure you tell Casey what I said, Doc. You both were wrong but I was more wrong to follow after you. I should have stayed where I was.”
Sam nodded and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. “I’ll take care of Aunt Meg too, And Eric and the baby.” Sam had never been more scared in his life. He had totally ruined his uncle’s chance of acquittal on the murder charges.
Adam stared at his fifteen-year-old son. He started to say something to the boy but Adam’s own father put his hand on the man’s shoulder and squeezed firmly.
“Later Adam. We both will deal with the boy later. Now let’s get your brother back into Virginia City before the posse gets here. We said that we would have him back at sunup.”
Joe smiled weakly. “I guess we better head out.”
Joseph Francis Cartwright looked around the house he had been born in for one last time. He tried to record it forever in his brain as he headed for the front door, the stone hearth, with the cattle horns mounted above, Pa’s leather arm chair to the left, the massive oak stair way, the shadowy dining room. He tried to set the picture permanently in his mind in case he never came back. He took a deep breath and tried to stay in control of himself.
For an instant, out of long habit Joe reached for his gun belt coiled on the hallway console. Ben put his hand firmly on top of Joe’s and halted him.
“No gun Joseph, unarmed. We promised no guns.”
Joe smiled weakly at his father realizing what he had done out of habit. “No guns, Pa” He nodded. No matter what, a Cartwright kept his word.
The four Cartwrights walked outside into the shadowy dampness to the saddled horses that were tied on the hitching rail. The yard was full of puddles from previous day’s heavy rain fall Their feet left foot prints as they walked up to the horses.
If it had to be, if he had to go in, he wanted to be done with it. Joe threw himself on Cochise’s back and trotted off down the muddy ranch road in the direction of Virginia City. No need to dawdle on the familiar road that he had taken into town since school days. At the fork in the Joe reigned in his horse to a trot glanced back over his shoulder at his father, his brother and his oldest nephew riding behind him.
“You sure it wouldn‘t be better if I took off the other way, south towards the mountains?” He had thought for a while to take off for Mexico. He could send word to his family and Meg and the children could join him after the baby was big enough to travel.
“No Joe, you are doing the right thing, Levi said he and Clem would meet us up here and ride with us the rest of the way into town.” Adam never finished the sentence. A shot rang out from the hillside above the road.
Cochise reared up. Her front hooves kicking the air as Joe pulled hard on the reigns.
“Aaaah” Joe cried out throwing his hands up in the air. His hat flew off. Adam saw him swaying in the saddle he fell backwards from his horse, hitting the ground hard as a frightened Cochise ran down the road. Joe rolled down the mucky incline into the water filled gully at the side of the trail.
Gathering his feet under him and using the ground as support, for a brief instant he attempted to push himself upright. He dug in the toe of his boot to help him stand upright. His head swam, dizziness caused the ground to rise up towards him, and then recede. Joe’s leg’s wobbled and he fell back, face down to the muddy ground.
“Uncle Joe!” Sammy screamed. The boy leaped off his horse and dashed through the mud puddles to his uncle who was lying where he fell. He gently rolled him onto his back and away from the water. Blood was streaming down his face from a raw gash that ran through his hairline and from a corner of his mouth and his nose. Joe’s hazel eyes were half open, staring at nothing but the sky.
“Joseph!” Ben jumped off the back of Buck and ran over to his son’s body crumpled on the wet ground.
”Pa! He’s dead.” Sam looked at the blood on his hands. He jumped to his feet, throwing himself into Adam’s arms.
The Cartwrights heard hollering from the group of men on the rise. “What the hell did you do?” Sheriff Clem Foster snatched the rifle from Stanley John Fischer with one huge hand and shoved Fischer to the ground with the other. “ You damn fool! Joe Cartwright was coming back in. “
”What did you shoot him for?” the Federal Marshal shouted.
”He killed my mother!” Young Fischer answered from the muddy road.
“He is accused of the crime. Accused! “Levi Victor hollered running toward his client’s prostrate body.
“He ain’t been convicted Boy!” Clem bellowed putting a muddy boot in the middle of young Fischer’s chest to pin him down until he sorted out what was going on.
“I saved you the trouble of finishing a trial!” Stanley sneered from the ground. Clem stood straight up and drew his gun and aimed the barrel at Fischer. “Don’t move Stanley John. You are under arrest.”
“You killed him! “ Sam screamed pulling him from Adam’s arms. Before anyone could hold him back, Sam dashed towards Stanley John. “You killed my Uncle Joe,” Sam flung himself on top of Stanley Fisher and started pummeling the larger man in the face.
Chapter 5
The Ponderosa
Summer 1854
Little Joe and Hoss Cartwright rode up the slope towards the construction sight. The two had spent most of the last few days riding fences and moving cattle in the heat. They were all caught up and Ben thought they should take a ride up and see if Adam needed a hand. The day was blazing hot and both brothers were very glad to be headed up to the cooler mountains to check on Adam’s mill project.
“Maybe we can jump in that creek and take a swim when we get there?” Joe suggested to his older brother.
“Don’t think that is what Pa sent us up here to do. Work not swimming, Little Joe.”
Joe pulled at his sweaty shirt and opened up the top few buttons to let a bit of cooler airflow in. Hoss fanned himself with his hat and mopped his damp forehead with his neckerchief. ”I’m so hot it feels like we are five inches from the mid day sun, Little Brother.” He looked up into the sky at the blazing fireball.
“Sure is. Adam should be just about done with that job. Lucky guy sittin’ in the shade, telling carpenters and lumber jacks how hard to work.” Joe quipped.
“Yes sir, Bet older brother is just napping under a big old shade tree and we are off sweating. I’m sure Adam is working plenty hard Joe,” Hoss shook his head imagining the impossibility of hard working Adam ever slacking off.
The two brothers rode up the mountain. As they left the open stretch of trail for the shade, the temperature was noticeably cooler.
”So what do you think for tonight, Hoss? The new blue shirt or the white shirt? “ Joe wanted to look perfect for the dance. “Melissa Peters… a dance… a full moon.” Joe grinned pounding on his chest “I’m a very lucky man!”
”You and half the fellas in Virginia City,” Hoss snickered. Melissa had a reputation as a “friendly” girl amongst the young men in town. “Don’t think you are such a great, big man. You ain’t too special Little Joe.” Hoss laughed loudly at his fifteen-year-old brother. “Melissa ain’t too fussy about who she strolls in the moonlight with or what she does when she is there.” Hoss winked.
They rounded the bend in the trail and the brothers rode into the construction site. It was jumble of activity and hard working crews of workers.
The area was like an anthill crawling with men working. Some were carpenters working on the new sawmill that Adam had designed. Teamsters and loggers were clearing the site and hauling the logs to one location. Some of the workers were planting vines behind the new mill. The vines would hold back the cut bank and cleared land from the fall rains that would wash the topsoil into the stream. The newly planted pine seedlings would need at least one year to take root and the Cartwrights always protected their land from erosion or any other disruption.
“They sure got a lot done since I was here last time!” Joe exclaimed. He was swiveling his head from right to left excitedly. “Look at that! The mill is just about done.”
”Just open the sluice, let the water in and that big wheel will turn. Adam sure is smart.” Hoss exclaimed with admiration.
Joe nodded his head in agreement.
“Don’t tell him though. He’ll get a swelled head and be even more bossy.” Hoss joked.
“Arrogant too. Mr. “I know it all” Cartwright.” Joe griped.
“The last time you was here, Short Shanks they didn’t even have a start on the flume. Now it is almost ready to go. Adam got those men working real hard.”
”Pa said it would make things much easier to cut the timber up here and carry that into the railhead than carrying the logs all the way to the other saw mill. It was all Adam’s idea.”
Hoss and Joe could see there brother standing off to one side, under the canopy of a tree, reviewing the long rolled out plans at a make shift table. The thin white paper was rolled out across the fresh pine boards that had been nailed to the top of a barrel. Two smooth river rocks weighted down each corner of the diagram so the breeze couldn’t blow it away. Max Tully was standing facing their brother, nose to nose.
From the distance, even with out hearing the words it was apparent to Hoss and Joe that the two were arguing. Adam was pounding on the plans with a clenched fist and Max Tully, the crew foreman had his chest puffed out and face inches from Adam’s.
”What’s going’ on?” Joe turned to Hoss.
”Looks like Adam is having trouble over there with Max.”
Tully and Adam faced each other, neither one moving, both their faces were steamy red and angry. Their tempers were hotter than the heat of the summer afternoon.
Without warning Tully lurched forward and grabbed the front of Adam’s red shirt with his right hand, and took a swing at him with his left. Adam tried to duck but could not avoid the blow entirely. He took a glancing blow on the side of his head and it left him reeling into the table. The raw pine board serving as a tabletop flipped over into the mud puddle to the left. Fortunately the wind blew the papers away from the wet muddy ground and towards the dry ground. The papers scattered by the wind and blew across the pine-needled ground. Hoss jumped off his mount and ran over to the fight. “Hey Tully! Stop that!” He bellowed.
Adam broke free of the foreman’s grip and backed away shaking his head. “You couldn’t leave well enough alone. Could you, Tully?” Adam hesitated for a minute, almost as if he hoped that the foreman would answer. He lurched forward and caught the man’s jaw with a hard upper cut that knocked him backwards. Tully hit the ground hard and lay there for a minute, deciding what to do next.
“Get him Adam!” Joe hollered as he ran after Hoss.”Pound him good! Pound him real good!”
“Fight! Fight!” The lumber jacks and carpenters hollered. The men working on the hillside scrambled down the muddy hill swinging their shovels and hoes as they ran toward the fight. They all wanted to watch the brawl, perhaps even join in if given the opportunity. They all had been working very hard for weeks and they welcomed the entertainment.
All the work stopped as men dropped what they were doing and raced over to combatants, surrounded them and cheered them on. The crew was sorely disappointed that by the time most of them ran over, there was nothing left to see. Adam Cartwright wasn’t looking to pound anyone. All he wanted to do was fire Tully and get all the men back to work.
“You are fired Tully. Clear out of here. You can come by the house tonight and settle up your wages and get your gear out of the bunk house.” He reached over and offered his hand to the foreman and jerked him to his feet. Tully angrily muttered a threat under his breath as he tried to swipe the mud off himself and walked away.
“You OK?” Hoss asked. Adam could only nod, speech being beyond him at that moment as he was so furious. He had his jaw clenched and if anyone started up with him at that moment he would have flattened them.
The papers that had been knocked over during the brief fight were blowing all over the work site. Little Joe and one of the carpenters were dashing around trying to gather them before they blew into the stream. Joe energetically dove on top of the long architectural draft of the mill just as it was ripped in half by the wind.
”What was all that about, Adam?” Hoss asked throwing his arm around his brother’s shoulder. They both stood side by side watching Tully talk briefly with a couple of men and then walk over to the corral and saddle his own horse. He rode over the hill without turning his head.
“He wouldn’t take direction and he couldn’t follow the plans. Had I not caught him we would have had an outhouse, not a mill house at the rate he was going. Half of what he did has to come down.” Adam explained to his brothers.
“Dang, how are you gonna get this built to make that lumber contract?” Hoss asked.
Adam shook his head grimly, “ Look at that! The overshot wheel is facing the opposite way from how it should! The vanes are attached at the wrong angle and it will turn backwards. “ He pounded his fist on the top of the barrel in frustration.
Hoss bent over and picked up the table top, resetting it properly on the barrel away from the muddy patch. He didn’t quite understand the technical terminology that his brother was using but he knew the mechanism was backwards and the entire job needed to be done over.
Joe walked over to his brothers with the tangle of white papers in his hands and a big smile on his face. Putting the papers on the table slapped his older brother on his broad shoulders. “One punch, Adam! One good shot to the jaw and you knocked him flat!” He exclaimed excitedly. “Good thing we got here when we did, Hoss! We could have missed the whole thing. One punch!” He truly wished he had Adam’s muscles. Joe still hadn’t quite filled out and was more slender and fine boned than his father and husky older brothers.
Adam didn’t even smile as he took the papers from his grinning little brother’s hands. He absentmindedly rubbed the purpling bruise on his forehead.
Adam stood looking at the plans, not caring that Joe was proclaiming him the hero of the century. How was he going to meet the time frame of the contract if he had to rebuild half of the mill? Adam had been so sure of the plan for the mill construction, he had even agreed to penalties if the lumber was not delivered on time. Ben had disagreed but Adam had been insistent that he could meet the schedule. Adam was sure Fischer Mines was not going to give an inch in the regard to the penalties.
He clapped his big brother on the back. “One good punch Adam!” He crowed. Joe danced around imitating his brother.”Pow!” He swung a punch into the air hitting an imaginary opponent.
Hoss tried to smooth the papers out and put them in some sort of order. The long architectural plans had torn down the middle. Hoss picked up the round river rocks and weighted the plans down.
Adam had a grim look on his face. Hoss was right. How were they going to meet the contract deadline if they didn’t get the mill up and running? They were already a week behind the schedule from the rain they had earlier in the month. The work that Adam had set for Tully now had to be torn down before the corrections could be made. There was a good deal of the poorly constructed work to fix. Adam angrily rubbed his bruised forehead again.
“We have to tear it apart to rebuild it!” Adam was angry but he was not going to quit. That was not his nature to ever give up. He would just work harder and longer.
“We’ll help you out any way you need, Big Brother. We finished up the fences ahead of schedule and even Pa is caught up for a while.” Hoss said calmly. Adam took a breath knowing his family would always stand by his side. When he had returned to the Ponderosa from college, that family affection and loyalty was something that drew him home.
”Want me to stay up here and help you? “Joe grinned. “I’ll be glad to help you out, Adam. Anyway I can. As long as you let me off in time to get ready for the dance tonight. I’m taking Melissa Peters.” The boy bragged. “And Pa will surely let me come up and work with you for as long as you need, Big Brother. Hoss too. I’ll even sleep here if you need. Just not tonight.”
He still was impressed with Adam’s one blow knock down of Max Tully. There was no love lost between Little Joe Cartwright and Tully ever since Joe accused him of cheating some of the hands at cards in the bunkhouse a year earlier. Joe was right and Tully was furious.
Joe, was not even fourteen at the time and couldn’t tell his father or Adam about the incident as he would have to have admitted he had been playing poker with the wranglers instead of going to school. So Tully and Joe were caught in a silent stand off. Little Joe couldn’t tell his Pa about the gambling in the bunkhouse without incriminating himself. The boy was gleeful that his big brother had slugged Tully and fired him off the Ponderosa.
“That right, Adam. Joe and I can give you a hand for a few days. Even a week, if you need. And Joe can come back tomorrow with Dean Newkirk, Tucker Beck and some of the other boys. They may not be great carpenters but they sure are mighty good at tearing down things. “ Hoss grinned. “Adam, they can have that whole thing tore down in a day, maybe less if you feed ‘em.”
Adam looked at his two brothers and smiled. “Thanks, boys! Joe why don’t you start on the wheel? You have to reverse the angles on the vanes. The way they are now, the mechanism won’t work when the wheel turns.“
Neither Joe nor Hoss quite understood what Adam was talking about but were more than glad to follow his directions and do whatever needed doing.
“Bet Tucker Beck’s father could help you out too, Adam. He is a mighty good at all kinds of mechanical things. Don’t think he’s working in the mines much these days.” Hoss shook his head sympathetically.
”Yeah he’s too drunk most of the time to make his shift.” Joe remarked. He poked at the plans trying to figure out what Adam was looking at.
”He still knows his machinery, drunk or sober,” Hoss always looked for the best in everyone.
”Drunk or sober, Beck wouldn’t have made the mess Tully did,” Adam observed. “Joe, I’ll go talk Boris Beck tonight. Right now you go up on the wheel and start fixing things.”
He explained to the boy what needed to be done and gave him a wrench from the wooden toolbox. “If you climb up you can get a good start on it. Maybe even the whole thing before you call it quits. Don’t want you to miss your dance, Buddy. Not if you are promising to come back with Dean and a bunch of your friends and work hard tearing down the rest of this mess.”
“I’ll round up the whole bunch tonight and we’ll all be here tomorrow ready to work. You got it, Adam. We’ll smash it down in a flash. Just you wait and see.” Joe pulled off his shirt and tossed it over a low branch and headed towards the mill house. He danced around the few mud puddles and cheered “Just watch!”
Hoss and Adam watched as Little Joe stuck the wrench into his waistband and shimmied up one of the support posts. He swung himself over to the wheel and scrambled up the side. Perching himself on the top, he started the job that Adam had given him.
”One punch Adam! You knocked him flat!” Joe hollered from the top of the wooden mill wheel.
”That kid is a monkey,” Adam smiled.” Thanks, Hoss.”
Chapter 6
Suddenly the sluice opened. As the water flowed, the wheel turned and knocked Little Joe off balance. He fell backwards, his arms and legs spinning as he tried in vain to grab onto something to stop the fall. He plummeted to the rocky ground, hitting hard with his bare shoulders and sliding down the muddy bank headfirst.
“Joe!” Hoss bellowed as he ran down the hill like a wounded bull to his young brother.
“What the hell is wrong with you! “ Adam bellowed at the figure at the sluiceway. He ”Didn’t you see the kid working up there? Who opened the sluice and let the water run in!”
The boy lay in a crumbled heap at the bottom of the bank with two of the other workers kneeling next to him.
Hoss and one of the carpenters, Henry Krieger reached Little Joe first. A sick feeling knotted Hoss’ stomach as he looked down at his unconscious baby brother. Hoss knelt besides the boy’s crumpled body, and he began to gently probe Joe’s injuries. His big hands had moved to Joe’s shoulders and arms and legs. “Can’t tell if he broke anything.”
“Who opened the sluice?” Adam roared again as he charged up the slope toward Joe. He shouted to the men on the other side of the millhouse to find out who got the water running. The water had turned the wheel tossing Joe to the ground. No one should have been operating the system.
”We got him Mr. Cartwright!” They heard shouts and angry voices from on the side of the stand of trees but neither brother looked up or paid attention to the commotion on the other side of the mill house. Hoss had been concentrating on tending to Joe and hadn’t paid attention to the tumult.
“Adam it was Tully! We saw Max up there a minute ago. He opened the gate and let the water in the works, “one of the men on the hill called. “We got him up here.”
Adam came running up to Hoss, panting for breath. “Is he all right?” Adam asked with an acute feeling of dread. His brother lay at an awkward angle covered with bits of twigs and dried leaves and dirt sticking to his bloody bruises.
” Hoss is he all right?” Adam repeated louder.
“Adam, he’s hurt pretty bad.” Hoss looked up from where he was kneeling next to Little Joe. A splintery shard of a broken board stuck out of his thigh and blood stained his dusty gray trousers. His face was pale and his breathing labored. Joe’s bare shoulders and back were filthy and scraped raw and bloody from the tumble down the muddy hill. His eyes were closed.
Adam’s mouth was dry, and he could feel the nervous sweat forming on his forehead. His stomach turned thinking of the time a few years earlier when he found little Joe almost beaten to death in the barn. Adam pushed the picture out of his mind. He took care of Little Joe then and he would do it again this time.
Adam knelt next to Hoss. He took a deep breath trying to focus on what needed to be done to help the boy and not think about anything else. They needed to take care of Joe right away. Nothing else mattered.
Hoss gently brushed some dirt from Joe’s face and Joe’s eyes fluttered. He groaned and tried to sit up. Hoss put his hands on Joe’s shoulders. “Lie still,” he ordered.
Adam’s normally square-set shoulders sagged for just an instant. Then, Adam immediately took charge. Turning to the crowd of workmen he started giving directions. “One of you men, go ride for Doc Martin. And you” He pointed to one of the men. “Bring the buckboard around. We got to bring my brother back down to the house.”
Hoss tried to stop the blood flowing from their little brother’s leg and to see what other wounds the boy had. He gently moved his hands over the injured boy. Joe moaned and cried out when Hoss touched his chest. “Looks like he might have broke some ribs too, Adam,”
Henry handed Hoss some strips of cloth torn from some canvass.”Bind ‘em up so you can move him. Bind up them ribs good and tight. Don’t want them cracked ribs snapping and poking nothing inside him.”
Joe’s hazel eyes started to focus and he looked up at Hoss. He started to move and against his will a strangled groan escaped Joe’s throat as he started to sit up. Hoss held him gently down “Don’t move Little Joe, you fell off the wheel. You took quite a spill.”
Joe hurt all over and he wanted to retch. He crumpled back to the ground. One of the men handed Hoss, the boy’s shirt and a horse blanket to wrap him in. Despite the blazing hot day, Joe was suddenly cold and clammy as he went into shock and started to shiver.
Henry Kreiger reached down and gently lifted Joe under the knees as Hoss put his huge hands under Joe’s arms. With a quick movement, they lifted the boy and slid him into the back of the wagon. Joe moaned at the pain the movement caused.
“Hey! Stop! Leave me be!” He shouted swinging his arms defensively trying to get away from the pain.
”Calm down, Little Joe.” Henry said softly and calmly. “Hang onto him, Adam”
Adam grabbed Joe’s hands firmly holding them still.” Hold on, Shorty. Don’t move.”
”We’re going to get you home.” He said firmly. Despite his own inner turmoil, he calmly looked straight into his brother’s frightened hazel eyes. Joe stopped squirming and calmed down. He knew Adam and Hoss would always keep him safe.
Chapter 7
“My leg really hurts,” Joe moaned trying to reach for the wound.
”Just lie still, Little Joe,” Hoss said softly. “Don’t move. We’re taking you home,”
“Don’t tell Pa. He won’t let me go tonight,” Joe pleaded ridiculously. He wouldn’t be going to any dances for a long time.
Hoss sat in the back of the wagon with injured Little Joe cradled in his arms. He tried to hold Joe’s wadded up shirt against the wound in his thigh. The boy was pale and whimpering with pain.
Adam was driving the wagon. He tried to avoid the ruts in the lumber road, while at the same time racing to get back to the ranch house as rapidly as possible. Despite his caution, however, his brothers could feel the wagon swaying and jolting as it rolled along. It was impossible to avoid all the ruts and furrows from the logging wagons in the dirt road. “Guess I won’t be makin’ it to that dance quite on time tonight, ” He gasped to Hoss. He tried to make a joke to show he was as tough as any grown man. Despite his attempt at bravery, he felt sick to his stomach and wanted to retch.
As cautious as he was trying to be, Adam could not avoid one deep chuckhole crossing the middle of the road and the wagon shook with the impact, causing Little Joe to yelp with pain. Each jolt and bump of the wagon and groan from Little Joe brought a grimace to Hoss’s face as he tried to hang on to the boy. Hoss gasped, not because the bumps caused him discomfort but because he knew the pain it caused his injured kid brother in his arms.
”Adam, the bumps really hurts him. Can’t you drive more careful!” Hoss admonished him as the wagon lurched to the left and Hoss and Joe slid against the rough wooden side of the wagon.
Every movement just increased the pain, and the injured boy moaned almost continuously. By the time they got halfway home, the soothing words Hoss was saying to him were totally meaningless. Little Joe cried incoherently. He finally shouted a few surprisingly colorful obscenities with a shriek of pain as the wagon hit a deep rut. He bit down on his lip trying to be brave but the motion was too much for him. Finally, Hoss held him tightly as he could and Little Joe put his face against Hoss’s shirt each time they hit a bump.
“Hoss, I’m gonna be sick,” Joe tried to pull away from his brother as he wretched and lost his lunch in the back of the wagon.
Chapter 8
“Pa, come quick!” Adam bellowed as the rode into the yard in front of the house.
Adam jumped over the wagon seat and started handing Little Joe down to his father.
“What happened?” Ben couldn’t believe his eyes as he ran from the barn. He had seen Joe and Hoss ride off in fine shape after lunch. Now his youngest child was battered and bloody and covered with dirt.
“He’s alive Pa, but is in a real bad way. Help me get him into the house, be careful of the left leg. He’s bleeding badly,” Adam instructed as Hoss reached up to gently gather his young brother into his large arms. Joe was filthy and bloody and under the mud his face was pale.
“Pa! Help me!” Joe whimpered. He had tried very hard to be courageous on the bumpy wagon ride but he lost his bravado once he realized he was home and saw his father’s face in front of him. He started to cry from the pain and from the relief of finally seeing his father.
”He fell off the mill wheel and all the way down the hill. Adam will explain it to you better than me. Let’ s just get him inside and upstairs
“Let’s get him in bed. Hoss help Pa take him inside,” Adam directed he eased the boy to Ben’s helping hands.
”We need Doc Martin here…” Ben started looking at how bad off Little Joe looked. This was not just one of the boys coming home with bumps and bruises.
“I already sent one of the men for the doctor before we headed up here,” Adam told his father.
“Son, we’re going to get you inside and you’ll be fine. You are home now, son,” Ben said softy to the boy as walked into the house. Little Joe nodded weakly and fought off tears. He squeezed his eyes closed and leaned his raw cheek against his father’s broad shoulder as he carried him. Joe knew Pa would take care of him.
Ben was talking to him but Little Joe wasn’t sure what had been said. The throbbing fire in his leg and his aching ribs and scraped shoulders seemed to have robbed his brain from comprehending anything except how scared he was and how much pain he felt.
Chapter 9
“And then when Tully opened the sluice, the water turned the wheel with Little Joe still on it and he went flying into the bank and slid down the embankment.” Adam described to his father. They were waiting for Doc Martin to finish checking Little Joe.
Adam leaned against the stone hearth and paused for a minute to listen for steps coming down the stairs.
Hoss who had been listening to his brother relate the events to there father building up to Joe’s injuries rose from his place on the settee and patted Adam on the back. He could sense Adam’s frustration at being unable to help their brother more. The despair that Adam was feeling was palpable and his heart went out to his older brother. The mill construction suddenly seemed very unimportant to all of them.
“Pa, it’s all my fault that Little Joe is hurt so badly, I could have handled it different and made sure Tully was gone before I told the boy to go up on the wheel. Then none of this would have happened. If only I could go back.” Adam sighed leaning back against the fireplace.
“It ain’t your fault, Adam. Tully opened sluice and the water turned the wheel, not you. Who would have thought Tully would have slunk back like a whipped dog pissing on a tree. He didn’t even mean to hurt Joe. He jest wanted to mess up the mill and embarrass you in front of the men for firing him. I don’t think he really meant for Joe to get hurt so bad.“
“Little Joe is hurt so badly.” Adam’s voice trailed off tiredly. What had started off as such a good idea was winding up a disaster. They nervously waited for Doc Martin to come down and tell them how Little Joe was fairing.
Adam thought he heard someone. Paul Martin was coming down the stairs. “I think he will sleep awhile but check on him soon. Don’t know what a blow to his head will do. If that wound in his leg doesn’t get infected and he stays still long enough to rest those ribs he will be ok. Good thing you bound them up the way you did before you moved him. Other than that, Joseph will be all right with a lot of rest. Try to keep him in bed as long as you can and I’ll be back tomorrow.”
Ben nodded greatly relieved at the prognosis. “That is good news Paul. Thanks.” He let the doctor out the front door.
“It’s all my fault.” Adam started.
“Stop taking the blame. Little Joe will be all right. Doc said he would be fine once he rested up. He just needed to clean up those wounds and bandage him up good. The ribs are only cracked and if that boy will stay in bed he’ll be fine.” Ben repeated what the doctor had said.
“Pa, I made nothing but wrong decisions,” Adam confided in a choked voice. “ Joe is hurt badly. I really made a mess of the mill, we are going to lose a whole lot of money if we can’t get things up and working fast.”
”Adam, Little Joe is young, and strong. He’s come through far worse things than this. Doc Martin said Joe would be fine if we can keep him tied to the bed for the next couple of weeks. Adam, Joseph will be all right. The boy is battered but he’ll be completely fine.” Ben repeated. “Now, Son, what are all of us going to do about that saw mill?”
“Pa, it’s all a big mess” Adam hung his head. “We have to tear it down and build the whole thing a second time.”
”Then it will work when you are done?”
Adam shook his head. “Yes.” He was too weary to say more than a word. “Yes.”
“So, we rebuild it. We can do it Adam” Hoss put his arm around his brother’s shoulders.
”We can do it!”
”Son, even if we only break even on this contract, we will have a lumber mill in the end. Next time we will make the profits you anticipated. We are still ahead.” Ben said calmly.
Chapter 10
Joe limped over to the open bedroom window, hoping a breath of cooler air would make him feel better. Dark circles of fatigue rimmed Joe’s eyes, and his face was still flushed from the fever he had been running off and on for the last few days. He was roasting up in his room even though the sun was barely up. The heat that had been baking the house for days hadn’t dissipated over the night.
He slid into the armchair near the window and leaned his elbows on the windowsill. The night was still and he could smell the scent of pine in the air. Joe sat back heavily in the chair by the window and the cool breeze felt better on his sore, bruised face.
Little Joe wished he was anywhere but cooped up as a prisoner in his room. He despised staying still inside. The day was going to be another hot one and he sure hoped Pa didn’t make him stay upstairs in bed. He didn’t care if Doc Foster had said he had to stay in bed for at least another week. Joe wanted to be cut loose right away. He needed to get word to Melissa and let her know he wanted to visit with her as soon as Pa permitted him to get out. Maybe sooner if she would come to visit he could figure a way to sneak out.
Joe would be really happy if she should come visit him on the Ponderosa. He may not be able to dance on his injured leg but his lips were working just fine.
Eventually Joe crawled back into his bed and curled up on his side, pulling the white sheet over him. He left his bare feet sticking out from under the covers. He finally fell into a restless sleep for a few hour or so but his ribs and leg ached too much for him to sleep soundly much more.
The sound of voices woke Joe with a start. Brighter sunlight light filtered through the lace window curtains and made flickering patterns on the opposite wall. Little Joe realized it was mid morning. His Pa never ever let him sleep this late unless he was sick.
Someone was talking. Who was downstairs?
He heard female voices and a smile crossed his bruised face. Maybe Melissa Peters had really come to visit him. Joe slowly and cautiously sat up and tried to hear the voices better. He still couldn’t make out who it was but he heard steps coming down the hallway toward his room.
He tried to see his own reflection in the mirror over his bureau but the bed was too far over to one side for Little Joe to see if his hair was standing on end or if the bruises on his face made him look vaguely heroic or more like a clown.
Joe pulled up the sheet and peeked under the cover to make sure he had his drawers on. He sure wouldn’t want some female coming in and finding him wearing only bandages and a bed sheet.
Maybe she would want to see the wound on his thigh. Joe grinned at the thought. Then again, maybe that would be too rude and forward. It might be pushing things a little too much even for a ‘friendly” girl like Melissa. “Couldn’t hurt to offer her a glance,” Joe sighed happily imagining the possibilities.
Little Joe raked his fingers through his hair and leaned back against the pillows with his eyes closed pretending to be asleep. The boy knew he looked adorable sleeping. The door opened slowly and Katie Wallace tiptoed in.
“Little Joe? Are you awake? I brought you some of my aunt’s cookies for you.” She whispered.
Joe opened his eyes and smiled weakly. Wrong female. It was only Katie Wallace, one of his oldest friends.
“I’m awake. Come keep me company. I’m really bored up here. My Pa won’t let me get out of bed. I wasn’t sure who was here. Are you alone?” He definitely hoped not.
She nodded,” Just me. Nancy Coffee wanted to come too but her mother needed her to put up some green beans.”
“I guess canning green beans are more important than I am,” Joe sulked dramatically.
“Guess they are, Little Joe. Green beans, pickles, corn relish, then Little Joe Cartwright. That has always been Nancy’s priorities.” The girl counted off on her fingers and laughed at Joe’s foolish drama. Even though she was a girl, Kate could dish out the teasing just like one of his own brothers.
He tried to sit up and groaned as he bent his leg the wrong way and his chest pounded.
“I missed you Joe.” Kate smiled at her friend. “You look awful.”
“Missed you too Katie-bird, “ he admitted grudgingly. If it couldn’t be Melissa, at least it was loyal Kate.
Kate rushed over and helped him sit up and pulled the pillows behind him and offered him a hand sitting up. “I can’t imagine why your Pa is being so terribly, awfully mean to you Little Joe Cartwright. Making you stay in bed and all. You only fell on your head and have a few cracked ribs and a chunk gouged out of your leg. And you look so handsome and purple and yellow and blue from all those bruises. And a mighty pretty lavender too I might add. And you still have some skin left. It is not completely scraped off of you.” She poked at his bruised shoulders with her index finger. “ There is one good spot right there. Just do what he says and get better you stupid fool.”
“But Katie, I am so bored.” The boy pouted.
”That’s why I came by, my friend,” she smiled. She had really hoped to see Adam Cartwright but would never tell anyone that. She was due to go back to San Francisco to her parents before long. The summer would soon be over and she had to go back to school.
”Don’t tell your Pa about all these cookies. He said that you needed to eat some dinner first but I don’t care.” She grinned widely and reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out a knotted linen napkin. She carefully spread it out on the nightstand and unknotted it. “Voila!” she handed Little Joe two of the cookies and took one for herself. “That’s French. Voila!”
He nibbled on them as she sat down on the edge of his bed. “There is plenty more. Aunt Mim sent a whole big tin and I told Hoss and your father not to touch even one. They are all for you, poor bruised boy. Every bit. Unless Adam wants one, of course.”
Joe looked at her strangely and laughed. “Adam can have some? Not Hoss, not Pa… What’s that all about, Kate?”
She pretended she hadn’t heard his remark. “And, I brought you a book and a big stack of newspapers. And a book too. Dickens. And new checkers too from Nancy and her parents. Reverend Felcher wants to come by too but I told him you may be too sick yet.”
Joe smiled appreciatively. He could do with out Reverend Felcher bending his ear with a sermon.
“How was the dance?”
She offered him another cookie and shrugged glumly. Even though Joe loved dances, Kate hated them passionately. She despised how none of the boys asked her to dance and how her mother and Aunt Mim insisted she get all prettied up and attend. “The same as the last. I didn’t have much fun without you there.”
”And what about Melissa?” Joe asked hoping that the pretty girl was too heart broken over his injuries to attend without him.
“Who?” Katie pretended she didn’t know who Joe was asking about.
”Melissa Peters.”
”Fine, she always has a good time at those stupid dances. All the boys like her.” Katie avoided answering more. She gave him another cookie and poured a cup of water from the jug on the nightstand. “You look much better than the last time I was here. Now you are lots of different colors, not just black and blue. Just like a pretty rainbow.” She tried to change the subject.
“Did she go to the dance?”
”Who?” Kate tried to act like she didn’t know who or what Joe was talking about.
”Melissa Peters!” Joe hollered. He really had been looking forward to trying to get her alone in the moonlight at the dance. He was pretty sure he would have succeeded this time too.
“She came with Jack Fischer.”
Joe crushed the cookie in his hand “Jack Fischer? Damn.”
For an instant Kate was going to make a remark about Joe’s cussing but thought better of it.
“But she left with Tucker Beck.” Kate added as she tried to gather the cookie crumbs from her friend’s bed. Joe would have trouble sleeping in a bed filled with itchy cookie crumbs.
“Tuck?”
”One boy brought her and the other took her home. And neither one was you, Little Joe Cartwright. Think you better find yourself another girl, my friend.” Kate advised. “There sure are a lot of Virginia City girls interested in your handsome face…at least once it isn’t all purple and blue bruises.”
Continue on with Sins of the Father, Sins of the Sons Part 2
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