"A LIFE OFCRIME"

By: Lynne C.

" Pa, you did what to Little Joe?" questioned a shocked Adam Cartwright.  " But Pa, he's just a boy !" Hoss stated.

" Boys, I know he's just a boy and believe me, this wasn't easy for me to do either, but he has to learn right from wrong.  God knows I didn't want to leave him there, but it's for his own good.  I love that boy so much and I know he must be heart broken, so please don't make me feel even worse than I already feel.  God, please forgive me," Ben sadly said.

" Please Pa, can we at least go and visit him?" Hoss asked.  " No son, neither of you will go into Virginia City to see him.  I'm not even going tosee him, but I will go into town everyday and talk to Roy to see how he is doing," Ben explained.

That night Ben went to bed early as he was tired after what had turned out to be a very hard day for him.  As he laid there he thought back to the look on his youngest son's face and the tears that had pooled up in the boy's eyes as he put the boy in jail.  He could see his son's body trembling with fear and shock at what was happening to him.  As tears ran down Ben's face, he thought back to the events of the last week and why he decided to have his youngest son, Little Joe, put in jail.  That had been one of the hardest things that he had ever had to do, and he hoped that he would never have to do something like that again.

The week had started off fairly normal for the Cartwright family until Tad and Wally Clarke had come into Little Joe's life.  Tad and Wally were twenty years old, and the had been in trouble most of their lives.  Ben couldn't figure out why two, twenty year old men would want to hang around with with a twelve year old boy for.

For reasons unknown to Ben, the young men, twins,  could talk Little Joe into doing anything they asked him to do.  It was as if they had the youngest Cartwright under their spell, but it was the fear in their threats that had Tad and Wally had made to the boy.

Little Joe had been disobeying Ben's orders by not doing his chores, skipping school and getting into a lot of trouble.  Even the youngster's two older brothers couldn't get through to their little brother.  Tad and Wally hated the Cartwrights, especially Ben Cartwright.  It seems that when Ben had hired their uncle, Robert Anderson to work as a ranch hand a couple of years after Ben had started up his ranch, Robert wouldn't do as he was told.  Then about a month after he had been hired, Robert had got involved with a couple of drifters, and soon the three men began to steal cattle and horses from all the local ranches.

Ben and a couple of his neighbors had caught the men red handed and had them arrested.  After a short trial the three men were found guilty horse and cattle stealing and were sentenced to hang.

No one in Virginia City or any of the local ranchers knew that Tad and Wally Clarke were related to Robert Anderson.  The twin brothers were out for revenge and what a better way then to have a Cartwright with them while they did their revenge.  The only problem was that all of the ranchers that had helped Ben capture their uncle, no longer lived in the area, so now they just had Ben Cartwright to deal with.

Tad and Wally had asked around town about the Cartwrights, and when they learned that Ben had a young son, they made their plans what would involve the boy.

Once they had introduced themselves to Little Joe, they befriended the boy.  They didn't tell him anything about their uncle, but even if they had, it wouldn't have meant anything to Little Joe, since all of that happened years before he was born. 

One day they asked Little Joe if he would like to go and have some fun with them.  After all, they had already convinced him about disobeying his father, and skipping school.  " I don't think I better go with ya.  I'm already in enough trouble with my Pa, and my two big brothers," Little Joe tried to tell them.

" Look Little Joe, if you don't go along with us, your Pa will be hurt and maybe even killed.  Now, do you want to see that happen to him?" Wally asked.  " NO, please don't hurt my Pa.  He hasn't done anything to you.  Please leave him alone!" begged the scared boy.  " You didn't answer my question boy !" Tad shouted.  " But that's breaking the law, and I don't want no part of that," Little Joe tried to tell Tad and Wally.

The two men wouldn't ease up on Little Joe at all, so that didn't leave him any choice.  " Alright, I guess I don't have no choice.  I'll go with ya," Little Joe answered and he hoped that Ben would forgive him at what he was about to do.  He also felt sick to his stomach.

That next morning at breakfast, Little Joe was very quiet and all he did was to push his food around on his plate.  Again he felt sick and he wished that he could just go back to bed and he also wished that he could tell Ben what was going on.

" Little Joe, son, please eat your breakfast," Ben told him.  " I ain't hungry Pa.  I better get to school now.  May I be excused please?" he asked in a very soft voice.  He couldn't even look at Ben, because he was afraid that he would breakdown.  " Go ahead then.  Have a good day son," Ben said, as he was worried about the boy.

Little Joe stood up without looking at his family.  " Bye little brother," both Adam and Hoss said.  " Bye," he quietly answered back.  Then he left the house.  " I wonder whats wrong with him?"  He sure looked nervous about something," Adam said.  " Maybe he has a test at school and he's nervous about that.  He always get nervous when he has a test in school," Hoss told them.  Both Adam and Ben thought that Hoss was right about that.

As Little Joe rode to school, Tad and Wally stopped him.  " Hi kid, didn't think you would show up," Tad said.  " Well I did, so what are we gonna do?" Little Joe asked.  " You'll find out soon enough kid," Wally told the boy while he was laughing. 

The three rode to the Western pasture on the Ponderosa.  " Now listen up kid, we are going to pull down a section of this fence, then we are goning to stampede the cattle in there," Tad told Little Joe.

Little Joe was shocked at what Tad and Wally were going to do.  " You can't do that !  My Pa, brothers and me worked hard to build that fence.  Please don't do this," begged Little Joe.   " Sorry kid.  We are going to do this and you are going to help us.  They then told the boy about their uncle Robert.  " They all broke the law, that's why they all got hung," Little Joe told them.  " Sorry boy.  Now let's get this done !" shouted Wally.

After the section of fence had been pulled down, Tad and Wally made Little Joe go with them to stampede the cattle.  The Clarke's fired gun shots into the air to start the stampede.

Hank and Charlie, two of Ben's best hands, who had been with the Cartwrights since the beginning, couldn't believe their eyes at what they had just seen.  " Why is Little Joe with them?" Charlie asked as he was very surprised to see the boy with the two men.  " I don't know.  What is Ben going to think about this?" Hank asked Charlie.  Charlie just shook his head.  They rode off to try to bring the cattle under control.

Tad, Wally and Little Joe rode away, and after they had ridden off Ponderosa land, they stopped.  They felt very proud at what they had done.  Little Joe just sat there on Cochise with tears running down his face at what he was forced to do.  He wanted to ride away, but there was no way he could, knowing if he did, something would happen to Ben.

Finally Charlie and Hank were able to get the cattle rounded up and back to the pasture.  They started to repair the fence.  " Hank, why don't you go and get some of the hands, and have them come back here to help with this section of fence.  Then ask Ben to come out here too.  He needs to know what happened and about Little Joe," Charlie told Hank.  " Sure Charlie.  See ya later," Hank said as he headed out.

" Charlie, what's going on?" Ben asked.  " Ben, Hank and me were coming out this way to check the fences, when we heard gun shots.  So we headed over there, and that when we saw two men and a boy stampeding the cattle.  We also noticed that this whole section of fence had been pulled down too.  We went after the cattle and were able to round them all up again.  Ben, I don't know how to tell you this, but Little Joe was with them," Charlie sadly said as he looked at the shocked look on Ben's face.  " WHAT ?" Ben asked as he was shocked at what Charlie had just told him.  " Are you sure it was Little Joe?" Ben asked, hoping that Charlie was wrong.  " Sorry Ben.  It was Little Joe," Charlie said as he laid this hand on Ben's shoulder.

Ben just stood there as if in shock.  He kept thinking to himself, why would his own son do something like that?  " That boy is heading towards big trouble.  Oh God, please help me, and please help my boy !" Ben said to himself. 

Tad and Wally wouldn't let Little Joe leave.  They had big plans with the boy for that night.  They wanted to see the boy in even bigger trouble with the law and to see what Ben would do about that.  They wanted to ruin the good name of Cartwright.

Ben told Adam and Hoss what happened with the fence, the cattle and that their little brother was involved in it.  " Pa, you've got to be kidding?  We all know Little Joe gets into mischief, but doing something like that, well it just doesn't sound like him," Adam stated.  " I know it's hard to believe, but we all know how he has been lately since those two men have got a hold of him," Ben sadly said.  Hoss was too upset to say anything.  He loved his little brother so much and he hated it when the boy trouble, but this was big trouble this time.

That night Tad, Wally and Little Joe rode into Virginia City.  It was very quiet in town, and about the only activity was at the Bucket Of Blood Saloon.

The three rode over to the general store, and got off their horses.  Tad and Wally picked up the barrels that were sitting on the sidewalk in front of the store, and they threw them through the windows of the store, breaking them.  Little Joe just stood there in shock at what he was seeing.  Tad and Wally each picked up a board and they ran down the sidewalk breaking the windows in several shops.  Then they ran back to where Little Joe standing there in shock and Wally shoved the board in the boy's hands.  Tad and Wally then jumped on their horses and rode away, leaving Little Joe standing there with the board in his hands.

By now several people had run over to where Little Joe was standing still holding onto the board.  Roy and Clem had also come running over towards they boy.  They were all shocked to see Little Joe standing there with a board in his hands.

" Little Joe, what have you done boy ?  Look at all the broken windows !" Roy shouted.  Little Joe dropped the board and he just stared at his feet as tears ran down his face.  " Come on son, come with me," Roy told him as he laid his hands on the boy's shoulders, and he led him over to the Sheriff's office.

The shop owners began to clean up the mess.  A total of six wondows had been broken in four shops.  They were all shocked that Little Joe had done all of this damage.  They didn't want to believe that the young boy had been responsible, but they had all seen him with the board still in his hands.

Roy glanced at his pocket watch, and it was four in the morning.  He looked at down at Little Joe, who was sitting in a chair staring at the floor.  Roy just shook his head.  He too was having a hard time believing that this boy had broken the windows.  He loved Little Joe as if he were his own son, and his heart was breaking for the boy, and for his family.  " Clem, ride out to the Ponderosa and get Ben back here please," Roy asked.  Clem nodded and left.

" Little Joe, please look at me son," Roy asked.  Little Joe looked up at Roy with tears still running down his face.  "Son, please tell me why you broke all them windows?" Roy asked.  As Little Joe sat there trembling, he softly said, " Roy, I didn't break em.  Tad and Wally did."  " Little Joe, you had the board in your hands.  I didn't see Tad and Wally anywhere in sight.  Do you realize how much damage you have done?" Roy asked, still not believing what this youngster had done. 

" I didn't do nuffin'.  I didn't," cried Little Joe.  Roy didn't know what to think.  He knew that he would have to put the boy in jail, and that broke his heart.  " How do I tell Ben what his son has done?" Roy thought to himself.  " Come on Little Joe, I hate to do this, but I don't have any choice," Roy said as he guided the distraught boy into one of the cells.  He closed the cell door, but he didn't lock it.

A couple of hours later, Ben walked into the Sheriff's office.  " Roy, what going on here?  Clem told me that I needed to get into town now," Ben questioned.  " Ben, please sit down.  I don't know how to tell ya this, but Little Joe broke out six windows in town during the night.  He was still standing there with the board in his hands.  I'm so sorry to have to tell you this old friend," Roy sadly told Ben.  Ben sat there in shock at what he had just heard.  " Roy, where is he?" Ben quietly asked.  " He's in a cell Ben.  Little Joe, please come here.  The door isn't locked," Roy said.

As Little Joe slowly walked towards Ben and Roy, he kept looking at the floor.  Ben was furious as he stood up and put his hands on his hips, as he looked down at his young son. " JOSEPH, do you mind explaining to me what and why you did what you did !" Ben shouted.  Little Joe still wouldn't look at Ben or Roy.  " JOSEPH, I'm waiting for an answer," Ben explained.  " I...I   I didn't do nuffin'," he quietly said.  " You didn't do nothing?  Just how did six windows just happen to get broken, and why were you holding a board in your hands?" Ben asked.  Little Joe just shrugged his shoulders, as the tears continued to run down his face. 

" So you want to lead a life of crime now?  Do you know what happens when you break the law?  You go to jail, then you go to prison for a long time.  Is that what you want?" Ben asked, trying to get through to his son.  Little Joe just stood there looking at the floor.  " Well son, you leave me no choice.  I'm going to have you locked up,"  Ben told his son as he led the boy back to the cells.  " Go on, get in there.  You are going to get a taste of what it is like to be in jail, since you don't seem to care what kind of trouble you get into now," Ben said as he closed the door to the cell.  Little Joe looked up at Ben as Ben locked the door.  Tears were running down his very pale face.  " Pa, please don't leave me here," he begged softly.  " I'm sorry son.  You should have thought about your actions before you did what what you did," Ben said as he left the cell area.

Ben returned to Roy's desk, sat down and handed Roy the keys.  " Roy, I'll pay for all the broken windows.  I'm so sorry.  I never thought that one of my sons could have done something like this," Ben sadly told Roy.  " Ben, I'm sorry too.  How long do you want him locked up?" Roy asked, knowing how hard this was for Ben.  He knew how much Ben loved that boy, and he knew that Ben's heart must be breaking, as was Little Joe's too.  " I don't know Roy.  Maybe a few days," Ben said as he left.

Ben went to talk to the shop owners to see if they were going to press charges against Little Joe.  None of the shop owners had planned to press charges.  They all had a feeling that Little Joe couldn't have broken the windows.  They all did accept Ben's offer to pay for the relacement windows, and they all felt sorry for Ben and for Little Joe.

Ben didn't sleep very well that night, nor did Adam and Hoss.  After breakfast, Ben rode into Virginia City to talk to Roy.  They sat down in the chairs that were outside on the sidewalk in front of the Sheriif's office.  " Roy, how is Little Joe doing?" Ben asked.  " Ben, the boy is having a hard time.  He wouldn't eat anything yesterday, and he didn't sleep last night either.  He has cried most of the time.  He keeps saying that he didn't break the windows.  He says that it was Tad and Wally Clarke that did, and that it was Wally who shoved the board into his hands.  He also said that he had to go along with Tad and Wally when they knocked down a section of fence on the Ponderosa, and stampeded your cattle?  What is that all about?" Roy asked, since he hadn't heard about that.  Ben told Roy about that.  " Why would Little Joe go along with them?" Roy asked.  " I don't know Roy.  I don't know what to think anymore," Ben replied.

It had been five days since Ben had put Little Joe in jail.  It was breaking his heart at what Roy was saying now that Little Joe was very depressed.  " Ben, I really think the boy has been in there long enough.  I'm getting worried about him.  He's only eaten a couple of bites of food.  He is emotionally exhausted, and he's not sleeping either," Roy told Ben.  Ben walked into Roy's office and peeked in at his son.  The boy was sitting on the cot with his knees up against his chest and he had his head turned towards the wall.  Ben looked back at Roy who had just come back into his office, and he asked Roy to please unlock the cell door so he could take his son home.  " Thank you Ben.  I was hoping you would say that," Roy said as he smiled at Ben.  They both walked back to the cells, and Roy unlocked the door.

Little Joe didn't move at all.  Roy walked back out to his desk, while Ben walked into the cell.  " Little Joe, come on son, it's time to go home."  The boy still didn't move.  Ben saw his son trembling as soon as he saw the boy.  " Joseph," Ben said again softly.  He wanted to hold his son, but he knew that wasn't going to happen.  Little Joe got off the cot and slowly walked out the door, never once looking at Ben.  Again, Ben wanted to hold the boy in his arms, but he decided that he better not, at least not yet.  " You be a good boy Little Joe," Roy told the boy as he handed Little Joe his hat.  " Thank you.  I will," Little Joe whispered back.  " Bye Roy," Ben said as he continued to look at his son.  " Bye Ben, Little Joe," Roy said as he watched father and son leave his office. 

" Get in the buckboard son," Ben softly said. Litle Joe did as he was told.  He still wouldn't look at Ben or say anything to him.  Soon father and son were on their way home.  Ben tried to get his son to talk, but the boy just kept looking down and kept quiet.  Ben was now realizing that he had made a very big mistake by putting his son in jail.  He wished that he could go back in time and just confine the boy to the ranch.

When they arrived home, Little Joe jumped down from the buckboard and slowly walked towards the house.  Once he was in the house, he walked up the stairs to his room.  Ben decided to leave his son alone for a while, as he and Hop Sing unloaded the supplies from the buckboard.  " Boy won't talk?" questioned Hop Sing.  " No, I can't tell if he is angry or what.  I do know he's very upset with me and I can't blame him Hop Sing.  I really thought at the time that it was the best thing for him.  I figured that if he got an idea what it was like to be in jail, then maybe he would realize right from wrong.  It ended up hurting him more than I thought," Ben sadly explained to Hop Sing.

" Mr. Cartlight, give boy time.  He come around.  I know Little Joe not break windows or knock down fences.  He not that kind of boy.  He maybe forced into doing things," Hop Sing told Ben.  " That's what I'm thinking now.  I'd love to get my hands on those Clarke twins and find out why," Ben said.  " Ask Little Joe why," Hop Sing responded.  " I should, but he won't talk to me," Ben sadly said.  " Maybe you let Hop Sing talk to boy," Hop Sing suggested.  " Thank you Hop Sing.  I'd really appreciate that," Ben said as he thanked Hop Sing for his offer to talk to Little Joe.

Over the next several days, Little Joe wouldn't talk to his family.  He did all of his chores, and he didn't complain about anything.  " Pa, why won't Little Joe talk to us?  I've tried to talk to him, and I've been extra nice to him, but he acts like I'm not there.  He never smiles, and he won't let me get close to him," Adam told Ben.  Hoss agreed with Adam.  " I don't know what to tell you boys.  I guess it will just take time for him to come around again," Ben sadly told them.

Hop Sing walked up to Little Joe's room to have a talk with the youngster.  When he wasn't doing chores, or in school, Little Joe just stayed in his room.  Hop Sing knocked on the boy's door, and he waited for an answer, but Little Joe didn't say anything.  " Little Joe, you in there?" Hop Sing asked.  " Come in Hop Sing, Little Joe softly responded.  Hop Sing barely heard him.

Little Joe was laying on his bed as Hop Sing walked.  " How you feel?" asked Hop Sing.  " OK."  " Please Little Joe, tell Hop Sing what bothers little boy.  I am your friend.  We need to talk.  Hop Sing want to help boy," Hop Sing explained.

Little Joe sat up and he started to cry.  Hop Sing sat down next to the boy and he gathered the boy in his arms and he held Little Joe and let him cry.  " It OK.  You cry.  Crying is good.  Get out of system.  Then you tell Hop Sing what wrong and why so sad.  I help you," Hop Sing told the boy.

After several minutes, Little Joe stopped crying, but he stayed leaning against Hop Sing.  " You ready to talk to Hop Sing now?" Hop Sing asked.  " I guess so."  " Please tell Hop Sing why so sad," Hop Sing asked.

" Oh, Hop Sing.  I know why Pa put me in jail, but why didn't he come to see me ?  Why didn't Adam and Hoss come to see me ? Why ?  Do you know how much that hurt ?  Oh, Hop Sing, I didn't break any windows.  I didn't knock down the fences.  It was Tad and Wally.  They told me that if I didn't do as they said, then they would kill Pa.  I couldn't let that happen.  Don't you see Hop Sing, I didn't do nuffin'.  I would never do anything like that.  I wouldn't.  I swear to God that I wouldn't do that," Little Joe told Hop Sing.  Then he went on to tell Hop Sing about Robert Anderson, Tad and Wally's uncle, and that was why they wanted to hurt Ben.  He started to cry again.

" It alright.  Your Papa tell big brothers not to go see you, because he wanted you to see what being in jail like.  That why he not go see you either.  Father go to town everyday to talk to Sheriff Coffee to see how you are.  He worry about you.  He love you very much.  It very hard on father and brothers while you in jail.  Your father suffer much for what he do to young son.  He very worried bout you now.  Mr. Adam and Mr. Hoss much worried about little brother.  Hop Sing very worried too.  You need to talk to them," Hop Sing explained to Little Joe.  Little Joe just nodded then he told Hop Sing that he'd think about it.  " Good boy.  You think bout what Hop Sing tell you," Hop Sing said.

Hop Sing sat there for an hour holding Little Joe, when he noticed that the boy had fallen asleep.  He carefully laid the boy down and covered him up, and he gave him a kiss on his forehead.  Then he left the room.

THE END of part one.

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