RIVER BOAT GAMBLER
by Jules
Joe Cartwright was feeling pretty pleased with himself at the moment. He had been working all morning on a horse contract and he could still feel some of his muscles groan in protest as though he was still on one of the stubborn brutes he had broken.
He reached an arm over his shoulder and rubbed at his left shoulder blade, keeping an eye on the cards he currently held in his left hand.
Poker was actually far from his mind when he drove the supply wagon into town. The instructions from his father had been precise enough, get the mail and pick up
the supplies from the general store and then get himself a hair cut before heading back home before supper.
He had collected supplies just like he was asked to. He had even collected the mail from the post office already and put it in the wagon with the supplies. It had only
been on his walk to the barber shop that things began to go astray for him.
The day itself was a hot one and the weather outside was stifling enough to find Joe wiping the sweat from his brow on a number of occasions and brush the damp curls from his forehead back underneath the brim of his hat.
Once everything was secured enough in the buckboard, he had started down the street towards the barber shop. Unfortunately the Bucket O’ Blood saloon was also along this route and Joe couldn’t resist peeking over the top of the double swing doors to see what the atmosphere was like inside.
When the smoke in the room cleared enough to give him a clear view, Joe smiled at the sight before him. There was a table in the centre of the room with five men settled around it, having themselves a game of cards. A couple of the local saloon girls were also crowded around the men looking to keep them company and any other favours that might come their way during the rest of the afternoon and later on that night.
At 19 years old, Joe told himself that he was man enough to make decisions for himself about whether he had time to stop for a beer or not. He knew that Pa would be waiting for him to return home with the wagon load of supplies and the mail, but one little beer wouldn’t take him long.
Problem was, that one little beer was now over two hours ago and had turned into five or six little beers. Joe wasn’t drunk yet, but was now comfortably relaxed from the alcohol to settle into the card game and forget everything else he was supposed to be doing.
A couple of the saloon girls had tried to sit themselves down on Joe’s lap. One had even succeeded enough in taking his hat off and start batting her dull blue eyes at his bright emerald green ones. When it came to girls of any background, not one of them would deny that Joe Cartwright was indeed a handsome devil.
Joe had politely removed the girl, giving her one of his flashiest smiles in return. He wasn’t about to be rude about his particular tastes in girls, but the ones who wore too much make up and smelled of richly scented perfumes didn’t really appeal to him.
In the afternoon heat, the young lady’s over use of the perfume had an overwhelming aroma to it.
Joe quickly turned his attention to the cards in front of him but the girl didn’t seem to care that she had lost his interest. She was now sitting on one of the other saloon’s patrons at another table, trying to whisper the same sweet nothings in his ear that she had tried with Joe.
*********************************************************************
Outside the general store, the afternoon stage coach was just pulling in from the east coast. One gentleman emerged from the coach and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe away the perspiration on his face.
Once he was standing on the street and waiting for the stage driver to unload his small carpet carry bag and suitcase, he looked about the stores and shops, making a mental note of them as he went.
“Where can I find the nearest hotel monsieur?” the man asked with a thickly accented French voice.
The stage coach driver scratched his head at the man’s accent for a moment, wondering what such a person would be doing in these parts. “Its just down the street there a little Mr” the driver then replied, still shaking his head a little as he watched the tall thin elegantly dressed man begin to walk down the street.
The Frenchman was dressed in a full suit and vest together with satin cravat and pin. Much to hot for a day like today. The driver could help but think that the man looked so much out of place. He had to be hot in all of that clothing.
The stranger soon found the International Hotel in the main street and now approached the front reception desk to check in for a room.
“Good afternoon Sir,” the clerk greeted him, pleased to see some people still saw it necessary to dressed elegantly no matter what the weather outside.
“Good afternoon Monsieur,” the stranger greeted the clerk.
“What may I do to help you?” the
clerk now enquired, lapping up the prospect of somebody staying in
“I am in need of lodgings Sir. I cannot give you an estimate on my stay. It may be only a few days or it may be a few weeks. I apologize for being so evasive in my schedule, but I have important business in
“Oh that’s alright Sir, I can book you a room and you can stay as long or as short as you need to,” the clerk said cheerfully, silently hoping that such a refined gentleman would stay longer rather than shorter.
“Thank you, I thank you for your
kind indulgence,” the stranger now said, keeping up appearances as much as
possible. If this man was as easy to fool as well
as the coach driver, maybe his stay wouldn’t need to be very long at all if the
good people of
“I’ll show you to your room Sir,” the clerk now said as he came out from behind the reception counter and carried the gentleman’s bags upstairs to his room.
Once inside, the clerk was even surprised when the stranger gave him a sizeable tip for his services. From that minute on the clerk made a mental note to be there for this gentleman day and night if necessary. Especially if his stay looked as though it was going to turn into a profitable one.
“Is there anything else you need Sir?” the clerk now asked as he prepared to leave the room.
“I might ask if there is such a place in this town that young people may visit?” the stranger now asked, trying to sound a little lost in his questioning.
“Where young people visit?” the clerk now asked, not fully understanding what the man’s request was.
“Forgive me, my English is not very good. As you have noticed, I am French and I sometimes find it hard to use the correct wording. I am looking for a place that young men may visit for social reasons. To enjoy alcohol and such,” he now said, rewording the question.
“Oh you mean where men go to get
a drink here in
“No no, not for me, I am looking for somebody” the stranger replied “I am looking for someone from this town and thought such a place might be the first place to start looking.”
“Who are you looking for, maybe I can help you?” the clerk now asked.
“I am looking for a Monsieur Joseph Cartwright” the stranger now explained. “I am a distant cousin from his mother’s family and came out here to meet him.” he now lied. With the plans he had in mind later on, he didn’t see any harm in openly letting people know that he was actively seeking out the young man.
“Oh Little Joe Cartwright, sure I know him. Saw him come into town a few hours ago. You might catch him at the saloon if you are lucky. I saw him walk past the hotel a while ago and haven’t seen him leave yet.” the clerk informed the stranger.
“Thank you, I think I will go and see if he is still there.” the stranger now said, thanking the clerk. “Where do you say this saloon is please?”
“When you walk out of the hotel, just turn left and walk up the street a little ways, you can’t miss it. You’ll probably hear the noise coming from inside before you get to it anyway.” the clerk answered.
“Thank you for your help, you have been most considerate” the stranger now said and followed the clerk out of his room. He put the hotel key in his pocket and headed down the stairs to the front door.
As he was told, the stranger found the saloon soon enough and peered in over the swing doors. The smoky room prevented him from seeing to much from the outside so he walked in and went towards the end of the bar. He got a few strange looks from the local inside at the way he was dressed on such a hot day, but they seemed to ignore him just as quickly again and forget he was there at all.
The stranger sat at the table and ordered a whiskey from the bar-tender, not wanting to appear anymore out of place than he already was. He began scanning the room to see if he could see the person he was looking for.
When he had first put his plan of
action together, the stranger had gathered as much information about Joseph
Cartwright and the rest of his family in
The stranger had known Joe’s mother Marie Du Bois for a long time before the boy was even a sparkle in his father’s eye. Marie and he had been lovers at one stage and actually planned to get married.
All of these plans fell apart when
Marie met the man called Ben Cartwright. She had
fallen in love with him and told the stranger that she didn’t love him anymore. Marie had then run off with this Ben Cartwright to
The stranger had always provided what she had asked for, money, a luxurious home and influential friends, but still that wasn’t enough. He had grown bitter and hatred towards this Ben Cartwright and vowed that someday he would have his revenge.
The stranger had keep tabs on Ben Cartwright and his family for a number of years through various contacts he had. He learned about the ranch that had started but from a hand full of cattle and a few pines trees into the vast empire that was the Ponderosa today. He knew that by now Ben Cartwright was a very wealthy and influential man himself.
The news of Marie’s sudden and tragic death had come over a dozen years ago and it only seemed to fuel the fire of hatred towards Ben Cartwright. The stranger blamed Ben for not being able to prevent her death and again he sought revenge for himself and for Marie.
Although he had not put his plan for revenge for another 14 years, the stranger wanted to make sure that he brought Ben Cartwright to his knees. He had even thought about sabotaging some of the Ponderosa’s largest contacts of timber and beef. Financially he could break Ben Cartwright but in the stranger’s eyes, that wasn’t enough for the insult he had been afforded when Marie agreed to marry Ben instead of him.
No, he told himself, to bring the mighty Ben Cartwright to his knees, there had to be something else planned. He had to find out what the most important possession was to Ben and then take it away from him.
The possession that the stranger learned about through his contacts was that of a green eyed boy that had been born to Ben and Marie. He had been told that the boy was in the very image of his mother. He had been told of Ben’s affection and protection of the boy throughout his life and particularly after his mother’s tragic death.
The stranger couldn’t think of a more brutal blow to deal Ben Cartwright, steal away the one thing that meant the world to him and destroy it.
As the stranger looked about the room now, he remembered the description of the boy and his likeness to his mother. His eyes soon came to rest on a small framed young man sitting facing him at the table across the room. The stranger almost had to keep his composure as he gazed upon into those emerald green eyes and saw nothing but his beloved Marie.
The stranger could scarcely believe how much the boy really did look like his mother. Even with a hat on his head, the curls that framed his face fell into the same places as Marie’s had done when she brushed them. The expressions on the boy’s face and the laughter only seemed to emulate his mother’s image even more.
He knew right there and then that the task of killing Marie’s boy was not going to be as easy as he thought.
********************************************************************
Joe’s laughter could be heard echoing across the room as he continued to play cards at the table with the other men. He did not even guess that he was being watched intently from the other side of the room.
One other man did notice that somebody was indeed looking at Joe though and the man swallowed as he saw the looming shadow of Ben Cartwright over the swinging doors to the Saloon.
“Um Joe” the man whispered, trying to get Joe’s attention before the boy got himself into any more trouble. Ben stood with his hands on his hips, about five feet behind his youngest son, silently waiting to see if he was going to be noticed.
“Yeah what” Joe demanded as he grumbled about the hand of cards he had been dealt. It wasn’t until he looked over at the man and saw the almost fearful look on his face that he turned around in his chair to take a look at what the man was looking at.
It was now Joe’s turn to swallow
hard as he looked at his father standing in front of him.
He didn’t know what to say and so tried his best to charm his father
“
“JOSEPH FRANCIS CARTWRIGHT,” Ben bellowed so that everyone in the bar-room could hear.
Joe flinched as he heard his full name being shouted for all to hear. He knew when Ben used his full name, his father was passed being annoyed or upset.
“Would you care to explain what you are doing?” Ben now asked, almost daring Joe to tell him a lie.
“Um, I got all the supplies loaded
up Pa and the mail collected. I was just on my way
to get a haircut when I stopped here to have a beer. It’s
so hot outside Pa” Joe now said trying to tell his father about the positives of his trip
to
“Oh really young man. And it takes over three hours to get a hair cut now does it?” Ben now demanded.
“No, but I sort of got side-tracked Pa,” Joe tried to say in his own self-defence. He was a little bit annoyed at having to explain himself to his father in front of the other men at 19 years old. But judging by the expression on his father and the tone of his father’s words, it was something he wasn’t about to bring up just right now.
Ben didn’t say anything further. He simply held his arm out towards the front doors and pointed with his index finger to indicate what he wanted his son to do.
“Sorry guys, but I am going to have to sit this hand out,” Joe said apologetically and made sure he scooted past his father’s reach out of the saloon. His glass of beer was left on the table half empty.
The other men at the table chuckled at the antics between Little Joe and his father. They all knew that Ben didn’t approve of any of his sons playing cards or drinking, no matter how old they were.
The stranger sitting at the end of
the bar had sat through the whole thing watching with adept curiosity at
the exchanges between father and son. He had recognized
Ben instantly when he walked
into the room. His
hair was a little more silvery on top now than it had been back in
“The young man seemed a little perturbed about having to leave early?” the stranger now said as he struck up a conversation with the bar-keeper hoping to gather some more information about the family.
“Who Joe, naw his just a little sore at being pulled out of here in front of all of those men. Little Joe is a bit sensitive when it comes to him being the youngest in the family. He bucks a bit under Ben’s protectiveness but you couldn’t find a closer relationship between father and son than those two,” Sam now informed the stranger.
“So the man’s a bit over-protective of his kin is he?” the stranger now asked casually.
“You bet. There’s nothing Ben Cartwright wouldn’t do for those three sons of his and it’s no secret in town that his youngest is his favourite too. He loves Adam and Hoss just as much, but not in the same way as he does Little Joe,” Sam reflected as he remembered back over the years and how Ben had always been there for his family when they needed him most.
“That’s very interesting” the stranger now said as he paid his tab and prepared to return to his room. He had to find out a few more details about the family’s plans over the next few days in order to keep his plan on schedule.
He smiled to himself as he tried to think of the worry and anguish he was about to cause Ben Cartwright.
He would take the boy away from his family, change the way he dressed, the way he talked, even his own name and turn him into everything that Ben Cartwright feared his son would become if left to go his own way.
By the time he had finished with Joe Cartwright, Ben wouldn’t even recognize his own son in a crowd. He was going to take that close relationship of theirs and tear it apart.
*********************************************************************
The trip home for Ben and Joe had been one in total silence. Joseph was too upset and angry to talk to his father. He knew there would be a long discussion about his activities when they got home and he was trying to think of what he would say to his father.
Ben could see his son’s hat pulled down over his face, attempting to hide his true feelings. He knew that his son was less that impressed with the way Joe had been treated in front of the other men inside the saloon.
Ben however was just as determined though as Joe was mad that his youngest son would not become the local drunken derelict. He had a strict set of values for his family and he would see to it that every member of that family adhered to them.
Adam and Hoss were inside the house when they heard the supply wagon pull up outside. They both went outside to start helping unload the wagon when a curt wave from Ben’s hand pulled then both up.
By the stern look on Ben’s face and
the even darker one on their younger brother’s expressive face, they could
only guess what had transpired between father and son on the
way back from
“Joseph, I want those supplies loaded from the wagon and then I want to talk to you in the living room” Ben said in a no-nonsense voice.
Joe didn’t even bother to give his father a reply. All he managed was a mere grunt to acknowledge he had heard Ben’s words. He then did the task that he was asked to do. He also wanted to talk to his Pa when he finished unloading the wagon and he was fairly sure that Ben wasn’t going to be too happy about what he was going to say.
“What do you suppose happened between those two back in town Adam?” Hoss now asked his older brother. Neither of them liked seeing disharmony between the oldest and the youngest Cartwright. But something on both their faces back at the wagon told the two brothers that this wasn’t just an ordinary disagreement.
“I don’t know Hoss, but I aim to stick around to hear it. By the look on Pa’s face, he didn’t look to happy and neither did Little Joe” Adam replied.
Ben had come into the living room about fifteen minutes before Joe but had not said anything to Adam or Hoss. He just sat at his desk and waited for his youngest to come into the room.
Joe did what he was told and soon
wandered into the living room, practising what he was going to say in the
back of his mind. He knew his Pa and family weren’t
going to like it but he had made some determined decisions on the way
back from
“Sit down Joseph please,” Ben said in a calm voice when Joe neared the desk.
“
Ben ran his fingers through his hands as he knew the battle had only just begun. “Joseph do you have any explanation for your actions this afternoon,” he finally said, hoping Joe would be old enough now to see the error of his ways.
“Yeah, I felt like a beer,” Joe said in a emotionless voice. He told himself when he first walked into the house that if he truly was going to confront his family about what he had on his mind, it was going to have to be done without emotions or he would never get through it.
It was very tough going though and Joe found his efforts just faltering as he looked into his father’s dark brown eyes.
“Joe, you were supposed to load the supplies, collect the mail and then get a haircut,” Ben said using a softer tone, hoping it would help cool Joe’s temper “Instead I find you hours later inside a saloon, drinking beer and having young ladies hanging off your arm like trophies.”
Adam and Hoss both silently whistled at their younger brother’s adventures as were glad that it wasn’t them in Joe’s shoes when their Pa spotted them.
But Joe wasn’t happy with this accusation at all and asked a question of his own: “Tell me Pa, what would you have done this afternoon if it was Adam or Hoss you saw in the saloon?” he demanded.
Ben stopped to think for a moment not entirely getting what Joe meant by his words. He didn’t think he treated any of his sons differently. Maybe he watched over Joe a little more but that was only natural wasn’t it because he was the youngest.
“Joe don’t you think your being a little sensitive about all of this?” Adam now interjected. He immediately regretted his words as he saw his younger brother’s angry face coming towards him.
Joe didn’t care that Adam was the oldest or not at the moment. He grabbed Adam by the front of his black shirt “If you had any sense in that rock hard skull of yours Adam, you would keep your big mouth shut. I didn’t ask for your opinion so keep out of this.” he shouted.
“Hey Joe if you are looking for a fight, I can sure give you one” Adam now said as he felt himself getting cranky at his younger brother’s attitude towards everybody else.
“Anytime your ready older brother,” Joe taunted him, just waiting for a reason to fight with Adam.
“Now Adam, this is between Little Joe and Pa,” Hoss now said as he came between his brothers. He managed to pry Adam’s shirt from Joe’s fingers and then remove him from the situation before it got any more uglier.
Joe was grateful that Hoss stepped in and kept Adam in his place but with that out of the way he now turned back to his father waiting for an answer to his question.
“I would have told them that I didn’t approve as well Joe,” Ben said in reply. He had almost pulled Adam and Joe apart himself until Hoss stepped in. The talk he wanted to have with his son was quickly degrading into a heated exchange of angry words.
“
“Son I didn’t mean to embarrass you in front of your friends, but I certainly wouldn’t like your brothers doing what you were either,” Ben said honestly.
“That just it Pa, you did embarrass me. Yelled at me in front of those men in the bar like I was a five year old rather than a grown man who can make decisions for himself,” Joe now said.
“What I did or did not do about dragging you out of the saloon doesn’t excuse your actions Joseph,” Ben now said sternly as he rose from his desk to face his son.
“But I wasn’t doing anything wrong Pa, that’s just the whole point of this conversation,” Joe shouted as the frustration finally got to him and he forgot all about putting any emotions into what he had to say.
“I wasn’t doing anything wrong
“I am not having a son of mine drinking and gambling his life away like some two bit River Boat Gambler,” Ben now shouted as he too put a little too much emotion into his words.
“Is that how you see me is it Pa?’ Joe now said, the disapproval from father to son clearing showing on Joe’s face. The fact that Ben had thought Joe could stoop so low hurt him very deeply and he was struggling to hide it.
Ben immediately regretted his harsh words, but only thought he was trying to steer his young son in the right direction by frowning on such activities. “Joe I didn’t mean………,” Ben said as be began to apologize.
He could see the hurt that he had caused his son by hurling accusations at him that weren’t entirely true. Joe was a long way from being such a person. Yes it was true that Joe could be a little wild but given the dull life that would exist on the Ponderosa without him, Ben wouldn’t change any of it for the world.
“Pa, when I go on this horse drive for the drive tomorrow………….,” Joe began, the moisture from his mouth drying up all at once. This was the hardest set of words he had ever found himself telling his father.
“Your going to deliver those horses
for the army contract in
from one so young.
“But afterwards I want some time to do some of my own things,” Joe added. “I want a few days to experience life somewhere else and try out new and different things. I want to know if I can make it in this world without my Pa and brothers always being there to hold my hand. I want to be able to go to bed when I feel like it and make my own decisions for a change,” he explained. It was almost a pleading look on his face now as he looked towards his father.
For a moment Ben didn’t answer. He almost felt as though someone was driving a stake into his heart. He couldn’t even contemplate Joe leaving the Ponderosa. If he experienced life somewhere else though that was a reality that just might be true. What was he to do, did he say no, Joe would probably go anyway and then he wouldn’t come back. If Ben said yes, it might be that he still lost him.
Adam and Hoss feared what their brother
was asking for. Although Joe thought himself a grown
man, there were many things about this world, especially in a city like
“Is this what you really want Joseph?” Ben now asked.
“Yes it is Pa,” Joe said in a determined voice. He could see the battle within his father whether he should let him go or not and he could see his father’s fear for his safety in his eyes. “I want to find out who Joe Cartwright really is. In this town all I am is the son of Ben Cartwright.”
“Is that such a bad thing Joe” Ben
said in a quiet voice. He was actually pleased that
people in
“Normally it wouldn’t be
“Okay Joe, when the contract is delivered
and the money deposited into the bank you can take a few extra days as a holiday
in
“You are to book into the “Plaza
Hotel” in
“I promise to take care of myself Pa,” Joe answered to all three conditions placed upon him. He could scarcely believe that Ben was allowing him to go.
“And fourthly Joseph………..,” Ben started to say, making sure he had his son’s full attention at this stage, “Promise that you won’t spend too long away son. We love you and will miss you” Ben said.
Joe could only respond by giving his father an embrace. Even though he thought himself to be a man now, even small things such as the reassurance from his family still meant so much to him. All of his anger had suddenly melted away to nothing.
“I promise Pa,” Joe finally said as his mind ticked over about the time he was about to have all on his own. Finally he was free to be Joe Cartwright. He was going to have the time of his life he told himself.
In the International Hotel in
Later on that evening after Joe had retired to his room to plan his extended holiday, Adam and Hoss took it upon themselves to confront their father about what had been decided without their younger brother around to hear their arguments against it.
The evening meal had been a silent
one. Joe could scarcely hide the excitement about
what he was going to do after he reached
Now Ben sat in front of the fireplace with a glass of brandy in his hand staring into the flames.
Adam knew it was him that would need to speak for both himself and Hoss to his father. Hoss felt the same way as he did, but was a little overwhelmed with the thought of confronting their father about such a matter.
Pushing aside all of this education though, Adam couldn’t help but think that Hoss’s normal brunt approach was needed right now…
“You’re just going to let him go then?” Adam said making it more of a statement rather than a question.
“Just let him go,” Ben threw back at his eldest son and drained the last of the brandy from his glass before continuing. “Is that what you think I am doing?” he said, asking a question of his own.
“No but I can’t stand by and watch you give in so easily to him Pa,” Adam now said in total seriousness. “Joe belongs here on the Ponderosa.”
“Nobody thinks that more than me son,” Ben replied as he picked up the framed photograph of his third wife Marie.
“We can’t just let him go Pa,” Hoss now interjected, his emotions about his young brother going out on his own and leaving his family behind getting the better of him.
“What do I do then Hoss?” Ben now said, almost praying that his two son’s could come up with a plausible explanation. “If any of us pushes him too hard he is just going to leave on his own anyway and there will be nothing any of us can do. I can’t be seen as the enemy here. I won’t be accused of being the one hammering a stake through this family and driving us apart.”
“Maybe one of us can talk to him and reason with him about postponing his little holiday after the horse contract,” Adam now suggested, knowing that it wasn’t really an idea at all.
“But even if that works Adam, how long before he grows bored again and looks to the road ahead and a life away from the Ponderosa? It would be only a matter of time. Delaying the evitable,” Ben said in honesty as he looked back at his eldest son.
Adam felt a little guilty as just having accused his father like that. Now it was he who was struggling to find the words to reply to his father’s question.
It was then that the truth really
struck home to Adam. During most of this conversation
he thought they all had been worried about Joe going away and running into
some sort of trouble in
Now looking into his father’s warm brown eyes, Adam saw what was causing Ben the most distress. Whilst it was true that Ben was worried about Joe’s physical well-being and being able to take care of himself in a strange city.
What scared Ben the most was the thought that Joe might never return to the Ponderosa once he left. The fear was a very real one and Adam could see the worry spreading across his father’s face like a dark stain.
Unlike the rest of the family, Joe had been born and raised on the Ponderosa. He had the soil etched in his skin that could never be wash away with plain soap and water. He had the sky overhead in his hair and the warmth from the sun had tanned his skin. The colour of the pine trees was held in his emerald green eyes.
Although Ben had built this ranch with the help of Adam and Hoss over the years, it was Joe’s ever youthful spirit that kept his father feeling young enough to handle him.
Ben told Joe almost every week that he had caused the hair on his head to turn as white as it looked now, both secretly deep down he wouldn’t change a day of it since Joseph was born.
Over the years
people from
Was he too selfish to want Joe to remain on the ranch forever? Maybe he thought, answering his own question.
Ben could scarcely come to think about what would happen to his beloved Ponderosa if Joe decided never to return. Oh he might work and get around as normal for a while. Putting on a performance worthy of any stage actor about how he truly felt. But if the day ever came, Ben couldn’t deny that deep down inside there would be an emptiness that could never be filled again.
I REPOSTED THIS PART WITH A LITTLE BIT ADDED BECAUSE I THOUGHT PEOPLE MAY VIEW THE STORY WITH BEN LETTING JOE GO JUST A LITTLE TOO EASILY – I HOPE WHAT I WROTE AFTER THAT EXPLAINS WHY.
JULES
********************************************************************