THE POT OF GOLD

By: Lynne G.

Five year old Little Joe Cartwright love to have stories read to him when he went to bed at night.  Sometimes his Papa, Ben Cartwright would read to him and sometimes it was his oldest brother, seventeen year old Adam.  He loved it when Adam would change his voice for each of the characters in the stories.

The latest story Adam had been reading to him was about a boy who had found a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and that the gold helped save his family from starving, and saving their home as well.  Little Joe was really enjoying this story very much, and he began to wonder if he too could find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.  That was the last thing he thought about as he fell asleep that night, and he was soon dreaming.

Things hadn't been easy for the Cartwright family lately, as money was the problem.  There was hardly any left in the family account at the bank in Virginia City.  The town and all the ranchers were all having money problems lately as well.  For some unknown reason, no one had any money left. 

All the cattle ranches had taken a huge loss and they almost had to give their cattle away.  Even the chicken ranches had failed too.  Everyone tried their best to get by on what they had, including the Cartwrights. 

" Ben, I tell ya, somethin' has to be done or Virginia City will become a ghost town, and all the ranchers will lose their ranches.  If only we could find lots of money, then everything would be good again," Sheriff Roy Coffee told Ben and everyone who had gathered at the Ponderosa for a meeting.

As Little Joe was listening to the meeting from the top of the stairs unseen, he knew he just had to do something to help save the town, the ranchers and his family.  He went back to his room to think of something that he could do.  " That's it !  I need ta find that rainbow wiv da pot of gold," he told himself.  He climbed into bed and fell asleep.

The next day when his eleven year old brother, Hoss woke him up for breakfast, he wanted to tell Hoss about his plan, but he decided he needed to do this by himself.

As he did his chores he kept looking up at the sky hoping to see rain clouds, but the day was sunny and bright.  " Come on ya rain clouds.  I needs ya ta make it rain and make a rainbow too.  Pleaze !!" Little Joe begged to the sky.

" Papa, when's it gonna rain?" Little Joe asked Ben.  " I don't know son.  Why do you want to know that for ?" Ben asked his little boy.  " Dunno.  I's just wonderin' is all," the child replied.  Ben just fingured that his little boy wanted it to rain so he could play in the mud.  " That boy sure loves to play in mud," Ben thought to himself.

As the week continued on bright and sunny, Little Joe decided that he would ask God for help in making it rain.  " Hi ya God.  It's me, Little Joe, and I's needs yer help pleaze.  I dunno if'n ya know whats goin' on in town and wiv all da ranches or not, but if'n ya dunts no, then Imma gonna tell ya.  No ones ain't gots no money, and they can'ts buy no food and da stores in town can't sell nuffin' cuz no ones gots no money.  So pleaze make it rain so that rainbow comes out, and I's can find da pot of gold and I's can save da town and all da ranches too.  Fank ya God.  I wuv ya.  Night night," Little Joe told God in hope that God would help him.

The next day the rain poured down, and Little Joe was so excited that he jumped out of bed and he got himself dressed.  Of course he had the buttons on his shirt in the wrong button holes, but he didn't care.

When he got down the stairs he saw his family sitting at the table eating bread for breakfast.  That was all they had to eat now.  " Oh Little Joe, you have to help save us.  Only you can save Virginia City, all the ranchers and our family too.  Please son, help us," Ben begged.  " I will Papa.  I'll save everyone and Virginia City too," the child ressured his family.  His family ran over to him, got down on their knee's and said, " Oh thank you Little Joe.  We knew we could count on you baby."

Little Joe ran out to the barn to saddle Ginger, his pony.  When he and Ginger came out of the barn, the sun was now shinning, and Little Joe looked up and he gasped as he saw the biggest and brightest rainbow that he had ever seen in all of his five short years of life.  The rainbow seemed to head towards the large pasture nearest the house, so Little Joe urged Ginger over to the gate, where he opened it.  Once inside the pasture, he closed the gate and rode off  in the pasture that headed down a hill, in search of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

After riding for a while, Little Joe pulled Ginger to a stop and he stared at the sight just a few feet from where he sat on his pony.  There before his big green eyes was a huge pot of gold just sitting there at the end of the rainbow.  He rode over to it, but it was just too tall for him to look inside, so he stood up on Ginger's saddle and he looked into the pot that stood at least six feet tall.  " WOW" was all he could say when he saw that the pot was full of gold.

" Thank you God, now I's can save everyones and Virginia City too.  Ginger, ya gots ta stay here and guard all dis  gold while I gets Papa, Adam, Hoss and Hop Sing!" the very excited little boy told his pony as he took off running to get his family.

" PAPA !!  PAPA !!  We's all saved !  I's founded that pot of gold !" the boy yelled. His family ran out to meet their ' little hero ' who was breathing hard from running so fast.  Little Joe told them about the gold and that they needed to get the buckboard to get the gold.  " Our little hero !  We knew you would save all of us, all the ranchers and Virginia City too !" his family happily told him as they kept hugging him. 

Little Joe had done it.  This little curly haired five year old had saved Virginia City from becoming a ghost town, and saved all the ranchers ranches and also saved his family as well.  He was the biggest hero in the Nevada Territory.

Virginia City held the biggest parade that it had ever had.  The day was known as ' LITTLE JOE DAY ', for he was everyones big ' little hero'.

This huge honor made Little Joe so excited that all he could do was giggle and giggle.

Ben, Adam and Hoss all walked out of their bedrooms at the same time that morning, and all they could hear was giggling coming from the youngest Cartwrights bedroom.  " What ever could that boy be giggling about this early in the morning?" Ben asked, as the three of them walked over to the child's room and went in.  They walked over to the bed and looked down at the giggling youngster.

For there in bed was Little Joe who was obviouly still sleeping, but giggling and he had the biggest smile on his sweet little face.  " What on earth is he doing? Ben questioned.  " I think he's dreaming," Adam replied, as he continued to look at his baby brother.  Little Joe started to mumble something that sounded like, " fank ya, fank ya !"

As his family looked at each other totally confused at what was going on with their little imp, Ben said, " Joseph, Little Joe.  Wake up son."  He said that several times, and he also gently shook the child's shoulder.

Little Joe opened his eyes, yawned and looked up at his family who were all looking at him.  Then he heard the rain pouring down on the roof.  His eyes opened wide, and he leaped out of bed and ran out of his room yelling, " IT'S RAININ' !!  IT'S RAININ' !" over and over.    His family just stood there in shock not knowing at what had just happened.

Little Joe ran down the stairs still yelling, " IT'S RAININ' !  Hop Sing ran out of the kitchen as soon as he heard the little boy yelling.  When he saw the bare footed little boy running towards the front door dressed only in his nightshirt, he yelled, " No go outside in pouring rain dressed like that !"

Little Joe ran outside into the pouring freezing rain and he headed towards the pasture.

" Mr. Cartlight, Mr. Cartlight !" Hop Sing yelled as the family ran down the stairs.  " Mr. Cartlight, Little Joe run outside in only nightshirt !  It pouring rain out there !" Hop Sing shouted.  " I know Hop Sing," Ben replied.  " What wrong with little boy?" Hop Sing asked as he was very concerned about Little Joe. 

" We don't know, but it could have something to do with a dream he was having," Ben guessed as he told Hop Sing.

Adam grabbed his rain slicker and ran out the door and to the barn to saddle his horse and go after his baby brother.  Hoss and Hop Sing went to get the bathtub and set it up in front of the fireplace that had a nice fire burning in it.  Ben got Little Joe's clothes, and some towels.  Everything was ready for the child when Adam brought him back.

Adam could see his little brother running down the hill calling for a rainbow.  " LITTLE JOE, STOP RUNNING !" Adam shouted.  The child stopped running and he was yelling, " WHERE IS IT ?  WHERE IS IT ?"  Adam jumped down from his horse and he grabbed the child before he could run off again.

" Little Joe, little buddy, calm down now.  What are you looking for ?" asked a very concerned Adam.  Little Joe was in tears as he continued to search the pasture in every direction.  " Where's it Adam?  I's gots ta find it !" the child cried.  " What are you looking for?" Adam calmly asked.  Little Joe was crying hard as he continued to frantically look in every direction and he was shivering badly.  " Da rainbow Adam !  I gots ta find it cuz its gotta pot of gold !  Gotta find Adam !" he kept yelling over and over.  Adam kneeled down in front of his little brother.  " Oh, little buddy, there's no pot of gold at the end of a rainbow," Adam tried to tell the crying child.  " But there is Adam, it was in that story ya readed ta me, about the boy who found a pot of gold at the end of da rainbow and he saved his family.  I gots ta find it, I just gots ta Adam," the child tried to explain to his big brother. 

" Little Joe, that was just a story sweetheart.  That's just a saying about a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.  I promise you, there is no pot of gold," Adam told the shivering child, hoping that the little boy would believe him.

" There ain't no gold?" Little Joe said very softly as he looked so sad.  " No, little buddy.  Sorry.  Come on, let's get you home and warmed up.  Your freezing, and totally soaking wet," Adam suggested as he picked up his now exhausted little brother.  He carried the child over to his horse and put the boy on the horse and he climbed on behind him.  Once he was seated behind the child, he put his rain slicker over the boy to try to warm him up, and they rode back to the house.

Ben was standing on the porch waiting for his sons.  Adam rode up to the porch and he lifted up the rain slicker so Ben could get his little boy off the horse and into the house as fast as possible.  " Thanks Adam," Ben said as he headed in the house with his soaking wet and shivering, and crying baby.

As soon as Little Joe was out of his wet nightshirt, Ben put him in the tub of warm water to help warm him up faster.  Once he was finally dried off and into dry clothes, Ben wrapped him up in a warm quilt and they sat by the fire. 

As soon as the family and Hop Sing were sitting down by the fire, Ben asked Little Joe why he ran off like that.  The little boy told them about finding the pot of gold and that he saved everyones ranches, Virginia City and their ranch too.  He finished his story by saying, " Adam saided that there ain't no pot of gold at da end of a rainbow.  It's justa story."  " That's true baby.  It's just a story, but that was so brave of you to go out all by yourself and save everybody's ranches and Virginia City too.  You know what sweetheart? Ben asked  Little Joe just shook his head and mumbled ," What?"  " You are our little hero," Ben said as he kissed his son's soft curly hair.  " That's right Punkin," Hoss replied.  " Really?" the child excited said.  " You sure are little buddy," Adam told the child.

A few minutes later, Hop Sing announced that breakfast was ready.  " Come on little hero," Hoss said as he picked up his little brother and gave him a piggy back ride to the diningroom table, with Little Joe giggling all the way to the table.

THE END

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