This story is dedicated to Carol, who loves the Hoss and Joe relationship so much.  Special thanks to Deb for the ideas that got me started on this story and to Terri for giving me helpful suggestions when I would get stuck.  The three of you are always there for me the way Hoss is for Joe!  I also want to thank Carol’s son, Jacob for giving me the idea for the ketchup scene.


My Brother, My Best Friend
 by
 Leesa Olson


    Six year old Little Joe Cartwright was not a very happy young man at the moment.  His father, Ben Cartwright, had gone on a business trip to Sacramento and had left him and his brother, Hoss in the charge of their oldest brother, Adam.  Normally, Little Joe loved being with his brothers, but not when they were left in charge of him. He didn’t mind twelve year old Hoss so much, but eighteen year old Adam tended to get very bossy when Ben was gone. Also, Joe was very close to his father and didn’t like it when he wasn’t around.
  
 Ben had only been gone a few days and already things weren’t going well.  Joe couldn’t seem to stay out of trouble for some reason.  He didn’t intend to get into mischief, it just seemed to find him.
    
Joe had been pulling weeds in Hop Sing’s vegetable garden all afternoon.  Adam had given the boy this assignment as punishment for forgetting to gather the eggs like he was supposed to every morning.
    
Joe was mumbling to himself as he started weeding another row. “Can I help it if I forgot to gather the dumb old eggs?  Sometimes a person just gets busy with other stuff. Mean old Adam.  Just because this was the third day in a row I forgot, he makes me weed Hop Sing’s stupid garden.”
  
 Joe nearly jumped out of his skin when another voice answered him, “What cha mumbling about there, Little Brother?”  Joe looked up and was relieved to see Hoss standing there.
    
“Oh nothin, Hoss.”
    
“Well, could ya use a little help with your chores, Joe?”   he asked.
    
“Nah, you better not help me, Hoss.  Ole Adam would get mad with both of us if he was to catch you.  This is a punishment he gave to me,”  Joe answered glumly.
    
“Well, I saw Adam head down to the corral a few minutes ago to check on the hands what are breakin horses and I done finished my chores, so I reckon it’ll be all right if I was to give you a hand here.”
    
Joe smiled brightly as Hoss got busy pulling weeds with him.  “Thanks, Hoss, you’re the best!”
  
 Hoss was much better at pulling weeds than Joe was and in short order the boys were finished with the bothersome chore.  They went to the front yard and washed the dirt off their hands and the sweat off their faces in the pump at the trough.
    
The two boys were playing a game of cowboys and Indians when Adam returned from the corral.  
    
“Little Joe!  What do you think you’re doing?” Adam hollered.  “Didn’t I give you a job to do?”
  
 “Oh, hi Adam.  Yeah, you did, but I finished it.  Honest,”  Joe answered his big brother.
  
 “All of it?”  Adam asked skeptically.
  
 “Uh huh, ever last bit.”
    
“Well, I think I’ll just go have a look for myself,”  Adam replied.
    
Adam came back a few moments later, shaking his head in wonder.  “Well, you sure did, Joe, and you did a good job of it, too.  I’m proud of you, Kid.”
  
 With that Adam turned and went into the house.  Joe and Hoss looked at each other and smiled happily at the fact that they had put one over on their older brother.  Joe slipped his small hand into Hoss’ already large hand and the brothers followed Adam into the house for supper.

    The brothers were almost finished with supper.  Joe was getting bored with the conversation and finally got up to leave.
  
 Adam spoke up, “Little Joe, where do you think you’re going?  You didn’t ask to be excused.”
 
  “Pa isn’t here to ask, so I just left,”  Joe answered.
 
  “You know better than that, Joe.  Cut the smart remarks and get back to the table,” Adam spoke calmly.
  
 With an audible sigh, Joe climbed back into his chair.  “Fine, now may I be excused?”
 
  “After you finish your milk, you may,”  said Adam.
  
 “I don’t want it.”
  
 “Drink it anyway, it’s good for you.”
  
 “No.”
 
  “I beg your pardon?”  Adam asked.  He was trying to remain calm but his young brother’s obstinance was beginning to irritate him.  
 
  Hoss decided to intervene.  “Joe, why don’t you just finish your milk so’s you can go play, huh, Little Brother?”
 
  “I don’t want it and I’m not drinking it,”  Joe stated emphatically.
  
 “That’s fine, Joe, but you are not leaving the table until you do. So if you want to sit there all evening, that’s your choice,”  Adam told the child.
 
  “You aren’t my pa, you can’t make me drink it,”  Joe said. “And why are you sitting in Pa’s chair anyway?”  It had been bothering Joe all week that while Pa was away Adam had taken to sitting in his seat at the table.
 
  “Joe, I am trying not to lose my patience with you, but you’re pushing it, Kid.  I am sitting in Pa’s seat because while he is gone, I am in charge, as you well know. 
Now, sit there and drink that milk and I don’t want to hear another word about it.  As I was saying, Hoss...” and then Adam turned back to Hoss and resumed the conversation they were having before Joe started his nonsense.
 
   The next thing the brothers knew, Joe’s milk was running across the table in all directions.  All three boys jumped up to avoid getting a milk bath.
 
   “Joe!”
 
  “It was an accident!  Really!”  Joe exclaimed.
  
 “Oh sure, like I believe that, Little Joe!”  Adam said angrily. He then noticed that Hoss was trying to wipe up the mess with his napkin.  “Stop cleaning that up, Hoss.  Joe is going to do it himself.  Joe, you get busy cleaning up every drop of that milk and I mean now.  And in order to do a good job cleaning it up, you can clear the table first.  Get busy!  Come on, Hoss, let’s go play a game of chess while Little Joe does his cleaning.”
 
  Joe spent the next half an hour carrying dishes in to Hop Sing in the kitchen and then he got to work wiping up the mess.  It had also dripped on the floor, so he had to get down on his hands and knees and clean that up, too, once again mumbling about the unfairness of his oldest brother.
 
  At last the mess was cleaned up and Joe walked across the room and started up the stairs.
  
 Adam called him back.  “Joe, where do you think you’re going?”
  
 “I finished cleaning up, Adam.  Hop Sing even checked it and said I did a good job. Now I’m going up to my room.”
    
“Just a minute, you aren’t finished yet, Kid,”  Adam stated.  Then he called out to Hop Sing, who was replacing the center piece on the table, “Would you please bring Little Joe another glass of milk so that he can finish his supper?”
  
 Joe couldn’t believe what he just heard.  Adam was still going to make him drink a glass of milk?  The boy was seething with anger as Hop Sing came back with the glass and handed it to him.  
  
 Joe had every intention of again refusing to drink it, but one look at Adam’s face told the boy that his attitude would not be tolerated any longer. He may have been a stubborn child, but he  certainly was not stupid, so he quickly drank down the milk in one long gulp and set the glass on the coffee table.
    
However, Adam couldn’t let it go at that and said, “Now, was that so hard to do?  If you would have just done that at the table, we could have avoided all this trouble and you would be playing now.”
  
 Anger took over the child’s common sense and he shouted, “Just shut up, Adam!”  Then he kicked his brother in the shin and ran up the stairs to his room, slamming his bedroom door behind him.
 
  Adam was on his feet and ready to go after his brother, when Hoss decided he better try to stop him.  “Adam, wait.  Don’t go up there right now.  You’re way too angry with him now.”
  
 “Oh, angry doesn’t even begin to describe it, Hoss.  You saw what he just did.”
  
 “I know, I saw,”  said Hoss, trying to think of a way to save his little brother’s hide.  “But if you go up there now, you’re liable to do something you’ll be sorry for.  You best try to calm down first.  Why don’t I go up and try to settle him down a little, and you stay down here and try to get yourself under control?  You can go see him when you feel a little less, um, perturbed with our little brother.”
  
 Adam took a deep breath and answered, “All right, Hoss, you go speak with him.  But don’t you dare baby him or take his side.  He was wrong and you know it.”
  
 “Yeah, I gotta admit,  he crossed the line this time.  Don’t worry, I’ll let him know I didn’t like what he just did.”

    A few minutes later, Joe heard a knock on his door.  He was sure it was Adam coming up to lecture him and tell him what his punishment would be, so he answered a little shakily, “Come in.”
  
 The youngest brother was visibly relieved when it was Hoss who opened the door and not his oldest brother.   “Glad it’s you, Hoss.”
  
 “Oh, I wouldn’t be so glad it’s me, Little Brother.  I ain’t none too happy with the way you just behaved, you know.”
 
   Joe was surprised to hear Hoss say this.  His middle brother invariably took his side any time there was a dispute between himself and Adam, and he didn’t understand why he wasn’t this time.
 
   “You’re upset with me, Hoss?  But you saw how unfair Adam was, making me clean all that up by myself when it was just an accident.”
 
  “Come on, Joe.  You and me both know that spilt milk weren’t no accident, don’t we?”
 
  Joe started to protest, but he could never keep anything from Hoss.  Finally, not wanting to come right out and admit he spilled it on purpose, he just shrugged his shoulders.
    
“Uh huh, I thought so.  Gosh Joe, you must have known that would get you in trouble. Why’d ya do something so dumb?  And then you kicked Adam!  I sure thought you were smarter than that. Boy!”  Hoss said, dumbfounded.
    
“I don’t know, Hoss, he just made me so mad, making me drink that milk after I spent all that time cleaning the table.  Adam thinks he’s Pa or something and he ain’t!”
 
  “Oh, he does not, Joe.  You need to think about all the responsibility Adam has while Pa is out of town and start trying to be good.  You were out of line and you know it, Joe.  Now, you deserve whatever punishment you get, so’s I want you to control that mouth of yours when he tells ya what it is and take it like a man.  Can ya do that for me, Little Brother?”
    
There wasn’t much Joe would deny Hoss, so he nodded his head and said, “I’ll try, Hoss.  For you. I promise. And Hoss?  I’m glad you came up first. I have a feeling you stopped Adam and maybe saved my butt.  Thanks.”    
 
  Hoss smiled at the small boy and reached out and ruffled his curls.  “You’re welcome, Little Joe.  I don’t wanna see ya in no more trouble, so remember what you promised me.”  With that, Hoss left the room, hoping the kid would listen to what he had told him.

    A short time later, Adam stuck his head in Joe’s door and said, “Joe, I’m still a little too upset to talk to you right now. Get yourself to bed and we’ll talk about this in the morning when we are both calmer.  Okay?”
 
  Joe for once kept his mouth closed and just nodded.
  
 “All right, Kid.  Good night,”  Adam said, closing the door.

    The next morning, Little Joe got out of bed without a fuss, dressed and slowly descended the stairs for breakfast.  His brothers were both already at the table.  Joe approached the table cautiously, not at all sure how Adam was going to greet him after his behavior of the night before.  He slipped into his seat, picked up his fork and began eating without fuss.
  
 “Good morning, Little Joe. Sleep good?”  Hoss asked.
  
 “Fine, Hoss,”  Joe mumbled. He was trying to be as quiet as possible in the hope that Adam might forget about dishing out any punishment.  
 
  That was not meant to be, though.  As soon as Joe put his last bite of food in his mouth, Adam put down his coffee cup and addressed the child.
 
 “Joe, finish your milk and then we’ll talk,”  Adam said.  
 
  Joe quickly drained the glass, trying to show Adam that he was ready to be obedient in this new day.
  
 “All right, Kid, as you know, I was very disappointed in your behavior last night.  You have Hoss to thank for the fact that you are able to sit in that chair this morning.”  Joe flashed a quick smile of thanks to his middle brother.  “Now, as for your punishment for the way you behaved, you’ll have extra chores today.  To start with, you will rake out all the stalls in the barn.”
  
 Hoss spoke up here. “Adam, he can’t do that.  He’s only six, for crying out loud.  It’ll take him all day.”
    
Adam answered, “He should have thought of that before he decided he was big enough to defy me and kick me in the leg.  Now, you can go start your chores, Hoss. I think I can handle this alone.”  Adam’s tone let Hoss know there would be no argument, so with an apologetic smile to Joe, Hoss went out to do his daily chores.
  
 “Now, after you rake out the stalls, you will put fresh straw in them.  Then you will go in the tack room and straighten out the mess in there.  Just work on the things low enough for you to reach, no climbing up high.  Of course, these assignments are in addition to your regular chores of gathering the eggs, feeding the chickens, and filling the wood box.  Any questions, Joe?”  Adam finished.
 
  Joe shook his head miserably.  He knew there would be no playing for him today.  He would be lucky to finish his work by supper time.  His one hope was that Adam would get too busy to watch him closely. He knew his brother Hoss would help him out if he could get away with it.
  
 “All right, hop to it, then,”  Adam told Joe.
  
 Joe slipped out of his seat and went to start what he was sure would be a long day.

    Joe had been working hard for hours and he was getting tired of it.  His six year old mind started thinking up ways to pass the time in a more exciting way.  He finally hit on what he thought was a great idea.  If Adam thought he was sick or hurt, he would be sure to let him out of the rest of the chores.  
 
  Putting down the rake, Joe peered cautiously out the barn door. Seeing that Adam was down by the corral and knowing that Hoss had finished his chores and had gone fishing, Joe made his way carefully over to the kitchen door.  He looked through the window and didn’t see Hop Sing around, so he slipped through the door.  Going over to the pantry, Joe spotted what he was looking for.  The boy took down the jar of ketchup made from a recipe that Hop Sing had brought with him from China.  The recipe had been in Hop Sing’s family for years and was something Hoss was particularly fond of.  The middle son considered himself very fortunate that the family cook came from the nation where this specialty had originated.
 
  A short while later, Joe was back in the barn watching for Adam.  At last he saw him making his way toward the house.  Little Joe knew Adam would be sure to check on him, so he quickly put his plan into action.  He had already prepared himself and the surrounding area, so all he had to do now was to lay on the barn floor and start moaning.

    Adam made his way to the barn door to check on his youngest brother. The sight before him caused him to catch his breath in fear.  The boy was laying on the floor covered in blood.  There was even blood splattered on the floor.    
 
  “Joe!  What happened?”  Adam shouted, rushing over with his heart in his throat.
 
   Joe played his part well.  “Adam?”  he moaned quietly.  “Is that you?  I fell on the rake.  It hurts, Adam.  Help me.”
 
  Adam’s gaze took in the blood covered rake, then turned back to Joe.  There was so much blood.  He was terrified for his little brother.
 
  “All right, Little Joe, don’t move.  Let me look you over and see what we’re dealing with here,”  Adam tried to keep his voice calm so as not to worry the child more than necessary.
 
  “No!  Don’t touch me, Adam. It’ll hurt,”  the boy said.  He hadn’t thought things out quite as well as he should have, and now realized that if Adam checked him carefully, he would be found out.
 
  “I’m sorry, Joe, I have to.  Now stop fighting me.”
 
  Just then Hoss came through the barn door and saw his blood soaked little brother.
 
  “Joe! Oh no!  Adam, is he okay?”  Hoss asked.
  
 Hoss rushed over and knelt next to Joe and Adam.  As the older boys started trying to remove Joe’s shirt, Hoss suddenly started sniffing.  
  
 “Adam, you smell that?”  Hoss asked.
 
  Adam didn’t have time for games.  “Come on, Hoss, help me with him.”
 
  “No, Adam, listen to me.  I smell tomatoes.  A lot of tomatoes.”  Hoss ate the ketchup often and it was dawning on him what his little brother must have done.
  
 Hoss didn’t notice that Joe was desperately trying to signal him to be quiet.
  
 Adam finally caught on to what Hoss was trying to tell him.  He realized that he also smelled tomatoes, and not the coppery smell of a lot of blood. He took a closer look to be sure of what Hoss was saying and then dipped his finger in some of the “blood” to taste it.  His face went as red as the ketchup.  
 
  A look of complete fear came into Joe’s eyes when he saw Adam’s face.  He could not remember ever seeing Adam this angry.  How he wished he had thought of the consequences of his action before doing it.  
 
  The boy made a desperate attempt to explain, “A..A..Adam, it was just a joke.  I..I..I’m sorry.”  Then the child turned to Hoss, but for the first time in his life, he saw no ally there.  It had scared Hoss when he thought Joe was seriously injured and he felt he deserved to be punished for the joke.
 
  Adam grabbed the ketchup covered child by a handful of his shirt and pulled him over his lap.  He started swatting the boy with his hand.  After a few swats, Hoss decided to intervene.
 
 “Adam, that’s enough.  Stop!”  Hoss shouted.
  
 “I haven’t even begun, Hoss. Stay out of this,”  Adam said while giving Joe a few more swats.
  
 Hoss was only twelve, but he was as large as his older brother.  He knew that Adam was letting his fright over Joe’s supposed injuries, and his anger, take over the discipline.  He grabbed Adam’s hand before it could descend on Joe’s bottom again.
  
 “That’s enough, Adam.  You know Pa doesn’t even like you to spank Joe.  I admit maybe he deserved a few swats, but he’s had enough,”  Hoss reasoned.
    
Adam regained control of his anger, pulled his hand from Hoss’ grasp and stood Joe on his feet.  The boy had tears streaming down his face and a look of shock and anger in his eyes.   Without a word, he turned and ran into the house.
    
“Aren’t you gonna go talk to him, Adam?”  Hoss asked.  “You know Pa always talks to him after a tanning and makes sure he understands why it had to be done.  He also makes sure he knows he’s still loved.”
 
  “I can’t right now, Hoss.  I am so angry with him, that I just need to stay away from him for a little while.”  Adam got up, left the barn and went over to the trough to rinse away some of the ketchup that had gotten on him.  Then he turned and walked away in the opposite direction from the house, to try to regain control of his emotions.
 
  Hoss watched his older brother walk away, then he went into the house to check on his younger brother.

    When Hoss entered the house, the first thing he noticed was broken glass all over the floor.  A small statue that usually graced the table behind the settee was in a million pieces.  To Hoss’ eyes, it didn’t look like it had been an accident either.  The debri was spread out in such a way, that it looked like it had been very forcefully thrown.
 
  Hoss mumbled to himself, “Uh oh, Joe, what did you go and do now?”    
  
 When Hoss found Joe in his room a few minutes later, he was surprised to see that his little brother wasn’t crying.  Instead, the child was throwing clothing and toys around in an impressive display of temper.
    
“Joe!  What are you doing?  Do you want to get into even more trouble?”
    
“Leave me alone, Hoss!  Adam hit me!  He knows he ain’t supposed to do that!  Well, I ain’t staying here with him no more.  I’m running away and don’t you dare tell on me, Hoss!”
    
“Little Joe, you know you ain’t gonna run off.  And you also know you deserved that tanning.  Heck, I was almost ready to give you one myself.  That scared us, Joe.  We thought you were hurt bad, sure enough,”  Hoss tried to calm his brother.
 
  “It was just a joke, Hoss!  If he hadn’t a been making me work so hard all day, I wouldn’t have done it. And you know he shouldn’t have spanked me or you wouldn’t have stopped him!”  Joe said indignantly.
 
  “Joe, I stopped it cause I thought it was enough. But you did deserve it.  Now stop all this nonsense and let’s get you cleaned up.  We better get this room cleaned back up, too, afore you get into even more trouble.”
 
  Joe decided to let the matter drop for now.  He still planned to run away, but he knew Hoss would only try to stop him if he knew.  The brothers got to work changing Joe out of the ketchup covered clothing and putting all of the strewn belongings back in the proper places.  
    
Just as they put the last item in place, they heard from downstairs, “Joe!  Get down here, now!”
  
 “Uh oh,”  Hoss said worriedly. He had forgotten about the broken statue.  “Joe, I think Adam just found what you did downstairs. Why in the world did you break that, Joe?”
  
 “I was just so mad with Adam when I came in that I grabbed it and threw it,”  Joe answered.  “Is he gonna spank me again, you think?”
  
 “No, don’t worry.  You let me do the talkin, you hear?”  Hoss told the boy.
  
 Joe nodded and the two brothers left the room and went down the stairs to face Adam.
    
“What’s the meaning of this, Joe?”  Adam said, pointing to all of the pieces spread across the floor.
  
 Hoss cleared his throat and said, “Um, hold on a minute, Adam.  Joe didn’t do that.  I did.”
  
 “You?” Adam asked, clearly surprised.
  
 “Well, yeah. I was mad at you for spanking Joe and then not coming to talk with him and when I came in, I just grabbed it and threw it,”  Hoss explained, while keeping his eyes on the floor hoping that Adam wouldn’t discover his deception.
  
 The middle Cartwright son was not a very good liar, but Adam decided not to call him on it.  Instead he said, “All right then, Hoss, you can clean it up.  Then you can do without dessert tonight for breaking it on purpose. And both of you can go to bed right after supper tonight.”
  
 “I sure will be glad when Pa gets home,”  Adam and Joe both said at the same moment.
    
Hoss just went to work cleaning up the broken fragments.  He would be happy when Pa returned, too.

    Late that night, after everyone had finally gone to bed, a small boy tiptoed quietly down the stairs.  He had a tiny bundle of clothes in his hand.  He slipped into the kitchen, found a small burlap sack, and filled it with whatever he could find to eat; a few left over biscuits, some fruit and some jerky.  Then he opened the kitchen door and scurried to the barn, where he saddled his little pony and put his few items of clothing in the saddle bags.  He led the pony out of the barn, mounted him, and road away.
  
 Fortunately Hoss knew his little brother well enough to realize the boy had not dropped the idea of running away during their conversation earlier that evening.  He had laid awake listening for Joe to make good his threat to run off.  After he heard Joe make his way down the stairs, Hoss got up, dressed, gathered a couple of items of his own clothing and followed the boy.  Hoss did take the time to scribble a quick note to Adam.  
  
 ***Adam, Joe ran away. I’m going after him.  Don’t worry.  Hoss***
    
Hoss didn’t have time to write any more than that if he didn’t want to get too far behind Joe.      

    Little Joe had been keeping up a steady pace for several hours.  Hoss stayed far enough behind that Joe wouldn’t spot him, but close enough to be sure the boy didn’t come to any harm.  Hoss was surprised at how tough the little guy was.  He hadn’t faltered or looked frightened once.  He seemed to be a man on a mission and he looked like he had no intention of turning back.  Hoss was sure he would have headed home by now.  
 
  He decided that they had been riding long enough by now to approach Joe and start riding with him.  He hoped to convince his little brother to return home on his own.  He didn’t want to have to force him.  Hoss gently nudged his horse into a faster gait and rapidly gained on Joe.

    Adam came down to breakfast the next morning in a less than happy mood.  This week had been one problem after another trying to take care of his young brother. **Who would have thought one six year old child could be such a handful?** was the thought uppermost in Adam’s mind.  Sure, Joe got into his share of mischief when Pa was around, but Adam wasn’t accustomed to handling the misbehavior on his own.  During this week, Adam had developed an entirely new respect and understanding for his father.  Anyone who could deal with his extremely active brother on a daily basis had to almost qualify for sainthood in Adam’s book.  
  
 As Adam approached his place at the table, he noticed a piece of paper resting there.  He picked it up and read it.  All the color drained from his face.  His brothers had run away.  Just when Adam thought nothing else could possibly go wrong this week, another problem was thrust upon him.  Adam sat down in his seat and put his head in his hands.  He desperately wanted to cry.  He was completely overwhelmed.
  
 Being the oldest and used to some responsibility, Adam quickly pulled himself together and tried to decide on his first course of action.  He had to try to find his errant brothers and he had to do it quickly.  Not only could they end up in some kind of trouble out there alone, but Ben was due back at any time and Adam didn’t even want to consider the consequences if his father came home and found his two youngest sons missing.  

    Adam went out and saddled his horse.  He was just about ready to start his search for his missing brothers when he heard a horse ride into the yard.  He looked out the barn doors and was dismayed to see his father dismounting his horse.  Last night Adam had been anxious for Pa to return and take over responsibility for his brothers, now he was dreading having to explain what had happened to the man.   What a time for Pa to come home!  Adam thought. I just can’t get a break this week. Maybe I should just slip out the back door and run away, too.  The thought was tempting, but Adam knew he had to go out there and face his father and tell him what was going on.

    Ben had arrived home in a very good mood, anxious to see his sons.  Now he was standing dumbfounded at the news that two of those sons were missing.
  
 “Why Adam?  Why would they run off?”  Ben questioned his visibly nervous son.
  
 “Well, um, you see, Pa, they were both a little upset with me, I reckon,”  Adam started to explain.  “Little Joe got into trouble all week long.  I finally had it with him and I ...well.... yesterday I spanked him.”
  
 “You spanked him?” Ben asked in a shocked voice.  “I see.  Despite the fact that  I have always told you that I am the only one who gives Joe that type of punishment?  You just completely disregarded my rules in the matter and did it anyway.”
  
 “Yes, Sir, I did.  He deserved it, Pa.  You wouldn’t believe what he did,”  Adam started to explain.
 
  “I don’t want to hear it right now, Adam.  First we need to locate your brothers, then we will discuss everyone’s misbehavior in my absence,”  Ben said.  Then with a pointed look at Adam, he added, “And I do mean everyone’s misbehavior.”
 
  Ben went into the house to ask Hop Sing to prepare them some food to carry with them on the search for the missing Cartwrights.  Adam watched him walk away and shook his head.  This week just kept getting better and better.

    Hoss and Joe were sharing a lunch of the biscuits Little Joe had taken from the kitchen.
 
  “I sure am glad you came with me, Hoss,” Joe said.  “It was getting kind of lonesome out here all by myself.”
 
  “Ah, Joe, you know I couldn’t let you go off by yourself.  Haven’t I always looked after ya?”  Hoss replied.
 
  “Yeah, Hoss, you sure have.  You’re the best big brother a guy could have.”
 
  Hoss figured this was the opening he had been waiting for.  He hoped to convince Joe that Adam wasn’t so bad after all and get the boy to go home.
  
 “Well, Joe, you do have another big brother, ya know.  And you have to admit, old Adam ain’t so bad most of the time.  He just got a little bossy while he was in charge this week, that’s all. I mean, Adam ain’t had all that much practice being in charge of the ranch and us and everything.  He was bound to make some mistakes.  Can’t ya see that?”
  
 “Heck no, Hoss.  He was mean.  He kept giving me extra chores all week, and then he spanked me.  I ain’t goin back there where Adam is any more.”
    
“All right, Joe, but if ya don’t go back home where Adam is, then I reckon you don’t go back where Pa is either.  Or did ya forget he should be home today?”  Hoss asked slyly.
 
  Joe had to think about this for a moment.  He had forgotten that Pa would be home today. He certainly did miss him.
 
  “Gosh Hoss, I do want to go home and see Pa.  But Adam will probably tell him all the trouble I got into this week and Pa is gonna be awful upset with me.”
 
  “Yeah, yeah, you might be right about that, Joe.  But wouldn’t it be worth a lecture or even a little punishment to be back with Pa again?”  Hoss knew that his little brother loved their pa above anyone else in the world and would put up with anything to be back with him.  “Besides, I bet Adam will be in a little trouble too, when Pa finds out he spanked ya.  You wouldn’t want to miss that, would you?”
 
   Joe got a small, slightly devious grin on his face at the thought of Adam  in trouble with Pa.  “Yeah, Hoss, that would be something to see.  Adam always thinks he’s so perfect and everything.  Seeing Pa giving him a lecture for a change would be something to see.”
  
 “So, are we heading home, Little Brother?”  Hoss asked expectantly.
  
 “Yeah, Hoss, I guess we are.”
  
 Hoss breathed a sigh of relief.  Little Joe could be stubborn as heck and Hoss was relieved that it hadn’t taken as long as he expected to convince the boy to return home.

    Ben and Adam had been searching for the younger boys for several hours.  They had also been having a serious discussion about all that had been going on in Ben’s absence.  Ben now understood that Adam had been overwhelmed with the care of his two brothers and all the responsibility of running the ranch.  Adam had been working side by side with Ben for so long, helping him with every aspect of building up the ranch, that the father sometimes forgot that his son was still only a teenager. While Hop Sing had helped Adam out quite a bit, the bulk of the responsibility had rested on the young man’s shoulders.
 
  “Adam, I understand how you could become so angry with Joseph, but I hope you understand why I was upset at you for your part in this.  You were the adult.  It’s important that you don’t ever let your anger take over your common sense.  Do you think your brothers, and yourself too, for that matter, have never made me angry enough to lose control of myself?”  
 
  Adam nodded, answering his father, “I’m sure we all have, Pa, at some point, especially that youngest brother of mine.”
 
  “Well, remember Adam, all three of you were six years old once.  The point is, when someone makes you angry enough to lose control, you have to step back, count to ten, or more if it takes it, and get yourself back under control.  Especially when the child is as young as Little Joe.  Then you can deal more appropriately with the problem.  And let me make myself perfectly clear on another matter.  I do not want you disciplining your brother again with spanking.  You may send him to his room, restrict him, give him extra chores, within reason I might add, it seems to me you may have gotten a little excessive with that this week, too.  I can even allow you to give him a single swat to his bottom if his behavior warrants it, but no more spanking.  If it happens again, I may just decide that you are still young enough to make a trip to the barn with me.  Do I make myself clear, Adam?”  Ben lectured.
  
 “Perfectly, Pa,”  Adam answered, wondering if his father was serious in his threat to take him to the barn, and then deciding that Ben didn’t make idle threats.

    Hoss and Little Joe were heading for home when they saw riders in the distance.  Suddenly Joe yelled out, “Pa!”  and encouraged his pony to go faster so that he could greet his father.  
 
  When Joe had almost reached Ben and Adam, he slid from his pony and started running towards his father.  Ben also dismounted and ran to Joe and scooped him up into his arms, hugging him close.  Joe wrapped both arms around Pa’s neck and squeezed him tightly.  
    
“I missed you, Pa,”  Joe said.
    
“I missed you, too, Joseph.  I missed all of you boys,” Ben said.  He took one arm from Joe and reached for Hoss and pulled him close for a hug also.  
  
 The family enjoyed a few more minutes of the reunion and then Ben said, “Well, it seems there was some excitement while I was gone.  I think we better all head for home and see if we can sort it all out.  Don’t you, boys?”
 
  “Yeah, Pa, Adam was mean while you were gone,”  Joe said, trying to get his oldest brother in trouble.
 
  “Joseph, Adam has told me everything he did while I was gone.  When we get home, we’ll discuss everything you did, too.”  Ben answered the boy, while trying to hide a smile at Joe’s distressed look.  “What’s the matter, Joe, don’t you think that will be fun?”
 
   Ben then carried Joe over to his pony and placed him on it.  “Let’s go, Boys.”

    A short while later, the family was back at home.  Ben thought he finally had the general idea of what had happened in his absence.  He had listened as each boy had told his side of the story.  Ben had to serve as a mediator and make sure everyone told his story without argument from the others.
 
  At last Ben said, “Okay, boys I think I have the complete story.  Why don’t all of you go to your rooms and I’ll be up to discuss your behavior with you one at a time in a few minutes.”
  
 The boys got up to head for their rooms and Ben headed for the kitchen.  He could use some coffee before dealing with his boys and he also wanted to get Hop Sing’s version of events to make sure he was fair to all concerned.
  
 As the boys started up the stairs, Adam stopped Little Joe.  
    
“Joe, listen to me for a minute.  I’m sorry I got as mad at you as I did.  You just don’t know how scared I was when I thought you were covered in blood.  But hey, all brothers fight, you know.  Just remember, Kid, I’m always on your side against the rest of the world.  Do you think maybe you can forgive me?”
  
 Joe only had to consider for a moment, then he answered Adam.  “Yeah, I forgive you, Adam.  I guess I did do some pretty bad things this week.  I’m sorry, too.”  
  
 Joe reached over and wrapped his arms around Adam’s waist and gave him a hug. Adam returned the hug, then picked the child up and carried him up the stairs.  Each boy then went into his own room to wait for Ben to come and hand out any punishments he deemed necessary.

    As Ben climbed the stairs, he decided to pay a visit to Hoss’ room first.  From all accounts, it seemed that Hoss had the best behavior of the bunch.  True, he had deliberately broken a statue, but that seemed to be his only infraction as far as Ben could tell.
 
  Ben entered the young man’s room and found him laying on his bed.  He walked over and sat next to his son on the bed.  
 
  “Hoss, pretty busy week, wasn’t it, son?”  Ben started.
  
 “Yes, Sir, I reckon it was.  I sure am glad you’re back, Pa,”  Hoss answered.
  
 Ben reached out and patted Hoss’ leg.  “I’m glad to be back, Hoss.  I think.  Those brothers of yours do keep you busy, don’t they son?  But I want you to know how much I appreciate all that you do.  I am so grateful to have a son who can use his gentleness to smooth the feathers of those ornery older and younger brothers.  And I know I can always count on you to watch out for Little Joe.  I know he can be a handful, but you always take such good care of your little brother.  I can’t imagine what might have happened to him today if you hadn’t followed him and then talked him into returning home.  I’m very proud of you, Son.”
  
 Ben held out his arms to his middle son and Hoss gladly fell into them.  The father hugged the son close and said, “Do you know how much I love you, Hoss?”  
  
 Hoss pulled from his father’s arms and sat back on the bed.  “Yes, Sir, Pa.  I know.  I love you, too.”
  
 Ben reached out and touched Hoss’ face tenderly.  He did feel truly blessed to have this son who could calm the storm when lightning bolts of anger would strike his brothers.
    
“Well, it’s been a long day, Hoss.  Why don’t you turn in and get some rest and we’ll all start fresh tomorrow.”  Ben patted Hoss’ leg one last time and left the room to go have a talk with another son.

    As Ben opened the door to Little Joe’s room, he observed a slightly nervous little boy standing at the window, looking out.  He wasn’t quite sure what his pa would have to say to him or how he would reinforce what he said.
  
 When Joe heard his father enter the room, he turned around and quietly observed him for a moment, trying to assess his mood.
 
  “Joseph, I think we have a little talking to do, don’t you?”  Ben started.
 
  “Yes, Sir,”  Joe answered in a small voice.
 
  Ben went to the chair in the corner and sat down.  This move didn’t make Joe any less nervous, as he fully expected to be across Ben’s lap in the next moment.  Ben patted his lap and indicated for Joe to come to him.  Joe walked slowly across the bedroom and stood before his father.  He was visibly relieved when Ben reached out and pulled the boy onto his lap in a sitting position rather than a prone position.  
  
 Ben put his arm around his son and Joe relaxed back into his father’s embrace.
 
  “Well, Joseph, I suppose you know that I’m not pleased with the way you behaved this week.”
 
  “I know, Pa, I’m sorry.  It’s just that when Adam gets all bossy, it makes me so mad.  Then I somehow get in trouble without meaning to,”  Joe answered.
  
 “Joe, we’ve talked about that temper of yours before,”  and Ben had a feeling they would be talking about it for years to come.  “You know that you have to do a better job of keeping it under control.  You can not lash out or misbehave just because you are angry.”
  
 “I’m sorry, Pa.  Are you gonna spank me?”  Joe asked quietly.
  
 Ben thought for a minute.  “Well, it sounds like I probably should, doesn’t it, Joe?”  Joe nodded reluctantly.  “But I don’t think I will this time.  It sounds like Adam already did a good job of that.  By the way, I’ve already talked to your older brother about his part in all of this.  While I don’t approve of him tanning you the way he did, I do understand why he was provoked into doing it.  Joseph, just so we are clear, let me tell you something.  When I leave Adam in charge of you, I expect you to mind him the same way you would me, without question or argument.  Do you understand me, Boy?”
    
Joe nodded.
  
 “Joseph, don’t be too angry with your brother,”  Ben went on.  “You know, Adam isn’t completely grown up himself yet.  I gave him a lot of responsibility, leaving him in charge of not only you boys, but the entire ranch, too.  That is a lot to put on someone as young as Adam and he was only trying to do his best.  He hasn’t had years of experience taking care of little boys, like I have, so he was bound to make some mistakes.”
 
  “I guess I didn’t make it any easier for him, did I Pa?”  Joe was ashamed of his behavior now.  “I already told him that I’m sorry, but I’ll tell him again tomorrow.”
  
 Ben hugged the child closer and said, “Thank you, Son. I think that would be a nice thing to do.  I’m sure Adam would appreciate it.”
  
 Joe nodded and said, “You know what, Pa?  Adam even told me he was sorry he got so mad with me this week.  I don’t think he ever said that to me before.  It made me feel good.”
    
“Adam did that, Joe?”  Ben had missed the brothers’ exchange of apologies on the stairs earlier, but was pleased that they had taken it upon themselves to do that on their own.  Joe nodded against his father’s shoulder and Ben said, “Well, I’m very happy that you two decided to do that without me even having to tell you to.  It makes it mean so much more that you did it on your own. I’m proud of both of you.”
    
“Now, we have one more thing to discuss, Joseph.  About you running away,”  Ben resumed his lecture.  “That was a very foolish and dangerous thing for you to do.  If Hoss hadn’t realized what you were doing and followed you, there’s no telling what might have happened to  you.  You know that you aren’t even allowed to leave the yard by yourself, don’t you?”  Joe nodded again. “Then you do understand that I have to punish you for this, don’t you, Son?  All right, then, for one week you are restricted.  You will not go fishing, or to play with friends.  I’ll have a few extra chores for you, also.”
 
  “Yes, Sir.  I’m sorry, Pa.”
  
 “I know you are, Joseph.  Just remember all of this and don’t let it happen again, all right?”  Ben answered.
  
 “I won’t,”  Joe said and then turned around and put his small arms around his father’s neck and kissed his cheek.  “I’m glad you’re home, Pa.  I love you.”
 
  Ben hugged the boy close, kissed the top of his head and said, “I love you, too, Son.”

    Ben exited Joe’s room.  He had put his youngest to bed and now made his way down the hall to talk with his oldest son.  
    He knocked and entered the room.  Adam was laying on his bed with a book open, but he wasn’t getting much reading done.
  
 Adam decided to begin the conversation with an apology.  “Pa, I really am sorry that I let you down this week.  I’m not sure how things got so out of control.”
    
“Son, you didn’t let me down.  Sure, you made a few mistakes, but your brothers are still in one piece, and you took care of ranch business very well.  Adam, everyone makes mistakes, it’s part of the learning process.  And I have a feeling that you did quite a bit of learning this week, didn’t you?”  Ben asked.
    
“Yeah, I sure did, Pa.  I  certainly have a lot more admiration for all you do, now.  I always thought it would be so easy to run things.  I know better now.”
    
“Oh, another thing, Adam.  Joe told me that you apologized to him.  I want to tell you how proud I am that you did that on your own.  It shows that you really are taking responsibility for your actions and becoming a man. I’m proud of you, son, and I love you.  You know that, don’t you?”     
  
 “Thanks, Pa. I do know it and I .. well... I love you, too.”
    
“Now, I was looking over the ranch books before coming upstairs.  You did a fine job, and I want to talk with you about any problems you may have had with the ranch.”
  
 Father and son went on to discuss ranch business for a while.  Meanwhile, down the hall, a small boy once again quietly left his bedroom.  This time, instead of sneaking down the stairs,  he stole across the hall and entered his brother’s room.
  
 “Hoss?  You awake?”  Joe whispered.
  
 “Yeah, Joe, I’m still awake.  What are you doing out of bed?”
    
“I wanted to talk with ya, Hoss.  Can I get in your bed?”  Joe asked.
  
Hoss pulled back the covers, inviting his little brother to climb in.  Joe snuggled close to his big brother.
  
 “Hoss, thanks for helping me this week.  I would have got in a whole lot more trouble if it hadn’t been for you.  I love ya, Hoss.  I love Adam, too, of course, he’s a good brother. But you’re not just my big brother, Hoss.  You’re my best friend.”
  
 Hoss had tears in his eyes as he wrapped his arms around his tiny brother and hugged him close.  “You’re my best friend, too, Joe.  And ya know how much I love ya.”
  
 Joe curled up close to Hoss and both boys drifted off into sleep, knowing they would always be there for each other.

The End
June 2002

Thanks to Terri and Deb for their help in proofing this.


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