Jennie
Lying
wrapped in blankets by the fire, the young man stirred. After a moment, he
groaned slightly as consciousness returned to him. His eyes slit open and he
peered around blearily. His head throbbed ferociously, and his body ached in
time with it.
“Welcome
back,” said a light, female voice. “I was getting worried about you, young
man.”
Frowning,
not recognising the speaker, the young man propped himself up on his elbow.
“Who are you?” he asked, hoarsely. “Where am I?” He suddenly realised that his
shoulder and arm were bare and a quick glance at the fire showed that his
clothes – all his clothes – were lying out to dry. He blushed, realising that
this lady had seen him naked.
“My
name’s Jennie,” she replied, smiling as she realised the source of his
discomfort. “And what might your name be?”
“Oh,
I’m sorry,” he replied, flustered. “My name is Joe Cartwright.”
******************
Slouching
in the saddle, Adam and Hoss Cartwright were glad to be nearing home. It had
been a long three weeks away, and they were tired of sleeping on the ground and
eating trail food. But they would be home soon, and the horses, as if sensing
their riders’ feelings, broke into a trot.
“Sure
be nice to be home, huh, Adam?” Hoss said. “I’m plumb starvin’ for one o’ Hop
Sing’s meals.”
“Anything
in particular?” Adam enquired, knowing
his brother’s legendary appetite. “Or just everything in
general?”
“Anythin’s
better’n the stuff we been eatin’ for the last few days,” Hoss retorted
amiably. “Them beans weren’t tasty the first night,
never mind the last one!”
“Ah,
quit belly-achin’,” Adam said. “You don’t look any smaller.”
Ignoring
his brother’s tart comment, Hoss said, “Wonder if Joe ever finished that
fence?”
“I’d
hope so, after three weeks,” snorted Adam. “ But we
could have used his help, I’ll admit.” He and Hoss had been taking some barren
cows to the markets. It had been a slow trip, for the weather had been bad all
summer. Many nights, they had tried to sleep in the pouring rain. “Bet he’s
glad he didn’t come with us, though. He’s been sleeping in his own warm, dry
bed every night.”
The
house came into view and the boys’ hearts leapt. They urged the horses on a
little faster.
Hearing
the sounds of the hooves, Ben Cartwright came out of the house. He grinned at
his sons, and went over to welcome them. “Good to have you home, sons,” he
said, clapping Adam on the back, and hugging Hoss.
“Its
good to be back,” Adam responded, coolly, but with a warm smile. He looked
round. “Where’s Little Joe? Not here to greet us?”
“No,
he’s out marking timber for thinning on the lower slopes of Wild Horse Ridge.”
Ben called for a couple of hands to tend to the boys’ horses, and led them into
the house. Hop Sing came out of the kitchen to greet them, and went to fetch
coffee and cookies to welcome them home.
“Well,
it would have to be the lower slopes of Wild Horse Ridge,” Adam commented.
“Neither he nor I would be keen to go back up to the top again.” Adam was
referring to an incident when they had both been attacked on Wild Horse Ridge,
and Adam seriously injured.
Shooting
his oldest son a glance, Ben smiled. “Indeed it would have to be,” he agreed,
softly. He had come close to losing all his sons that time. “He should be back
in time for supper.”
“Unless
he takes a detour into town,” Hoss joked.
“Not
tonight,” Ben laughed. “He thought this morning that you might be home
tonight.” Smiling again, Ben remembered Joe’s enthusiasm when he asked if his
brothers would be home that night and got Ben’s confirmation that he thought it
quite likely. “I think he’s missed you, boys.”
Sitting
down in front of the fire, they tucked into the coffee and cookies, chatting
about the trip, telling their father about the people they’d met at the sales.
Time passed quickly, and finally Adam rose. “I’m going to have a wash and
change my clothes before supper,” he said.
“Good
idea,” Hoss agreed, heaving himself to his feet. “Guess you’ll be glad o’ that,
huh, Pa? We cain’t be too fragrant right now.”
“I
didn’t want to say anything,” Ben began, hiding a grin. “But now that you
mention it…” At the looks of outrage on his sons’ faces, Ben couldn’t keep a
straight face any longer, and burst out laughing. “Go on and get changed,” he
said. “Supper will be ready soon, and I expect Little Joe back any minute now.”
****************
The
meal was over, and Joe still hadn’t appeared. Ben had gone from looking angry
to looking concerned. Just as Adam and Hoss had gone to get changed, a terrific
storm had blown up, seemingly out of nowhere. They all knew that the storm
would have slowed Joe down, but he still should have been back hours ago. The
weather seemed to have improved slightly, which was something in his favour,
but there was an undercurrent of unease in the room.
Nothing
was said, but when the hooves sounded in the yard, they all looked relieved.
Ben was on his feet and crossing the room, probably without conscious thought,
Adam mused. He rose more slowly to join his parent and sibling by the door, and
once there, he saw immediately why they hadn’t gone any further.
It
was Cochise, Joe’s pinto horse, in the yard. But his saddle was empty, and the
horse was splattered with mud and blood, and holding his rear offside hoof off
the ground. Hoss went across to the injured animal, murmuring nonsense as he
caught up the trailing reins and looked the animal over more closely.
“He’s
sure had a bad fall, Pa,” Hoss said, straightening up. “He’s covered in cuts. Sprained that fetlock, too, by the looks o’ things.”
“Where’s
Joe?” Ben fretted, his eyes dark with worry.
“There’s
nothing we can do tonight, Pa,” Adam said, looking at the darkening sky. “Its too dark to go looking for him now.”
“I
know,” Ben returned, anguish in his tones. “I know.” He sent up a prayer for
his youngest son’s safety. Ben knew he wouldn’t be sleeping that night.
*****************
“A
Cartwright from the Ponderosa?” Jennie said.
“Well, well. Pleased to meet you, Mr Cartwright.”
“Joe,”
said he. “Mr Cartwright is my father.” He lay back down and looked around. It was
almost dark. “How did I get here?” he asked. Jennie had given him a drink, and
Joe could feel his head clearing slightly. It still throbbed. He shivered, and
snuggled under the blankets again.
“Well,
I can only answer part of that,” Jennie said. “I found you lying on the river
bank, unconscious. I managed to pull you out, and get you onto the back of my
wagon there, and brought you to my camp. You were soaked through, so I stripped
your clothes off and dried you off. Couldn’t have you catching pneumonia, now
could I?” Joe blushed at the thought, and Jennie laughed. “Land sakes, boy,
I’ve seen it all before. And surely your ma’s seen you without clothes?”
“My
mother died when I was small,” Joe said, feeling the embarrassed flush die away
from his face. He liked Jennie. She was a few years older than him, perhaps
closer to Adam in age, he thought. There was something about her that made him
trust her implicitly. He found that he no longer minded the thought of her
seeing him naked. It was very odd. “Its just me and my
Pa and brothers.”
“I’m
sorry to hear that,” Jennie said, softly. After a moment of silence, she smiled
again. “Now, can you tell me your side of the story?”
Closing
his eyes for an instant, Joe thought back. He could remember riding along Wild
Horse Ridge, heading towards home. He frowned, and opened his eyes to meet
Jennie’s worried face close to his. “Are you all right, Joe?” she asked, and
put a soft hand on his brow. “Hmm, a little fever, but
not too bad.”
“I’m
okay,” he insisted, shivering once more. He watched as Jennie turned away and
threw some more wood on the fire. It flared up brightly, revealing Jennie’s
slim figure and long dark hair. “I was just trying to remember.”
“Don’t
force yourself,” Jennie warned. “You had quite a bang on
the head.”
“I
was riding along Wild Horse Ridge,” Joe said, his eyes glazing slightly as he
thought back. Jennie sat down beside him, listening quietly. “I was going home.
A storm blew up, and I didn’t see it coming, because I was in amongst the
trees. I was marking them for
“I
didn’t see any sign of a horse,” Jennie said, preventing him rising with gentle
fingers. “Just you, Joe. I’m sorry.”
Tears
filled Joe’s eyes and he blinked them away. He lay back down again, and swallowed
the sickness that had risen in his throat at the sudden movement. He closed his
eyes again, telling himself that Cochise was just a horse, but it didn’t work.
He loved his horse. A damp cloth smoothed its way over his head, and he felt
obscurely comforted. A faint memory of his mother came back to him, and he had
to struggle to contain his sobs.
After
a while, he opened his eyes and continued on with his story. “He stumbled –
Cochise that is – and we fell….” Joe’s voice trailed off as he remembered the
horror of that fall. Fortunately, the memory was cut short when he blacked out,
but it still made him shudder.
“Oh,
you poor boy,” Jennie said, still softly, her hand stroking his head. “What a
dreadful thing to happen!” She shook her head. “I never thought of anything
like that happening to you. You try and rest now, Joe. We’ll see how you are
come morning.”
Settling
down obediently, Joe caught her hand as she tucked the blanket closer in beside
him. “Are we close to the Ponderosa?” he asked, hopefully.
“No,”
Jennie answered reluctantly, seeing the hope go out of his eyes. “We’re many
miles away from there, Joe. Many miles.”
Closing
his eyes, Joe struggled with the tears once again. He had hoped they were still
on the Ponderosa, and that he would be home by the next day. Now, he knew they
wouldn’t be, and although Joe felt sick and miserable and wanted to get home
just for his own sake, he also wanted to get home so that his family didn’t
worry. That was now a forlorn hope, and all he wanted to do now was sleep, and
forget.
**************
At
first light, Ben, Adam and Hoss mounted their horses and set out to search for
Joe. They followed the most direct route to Wild Horse Ridge, reckoning that
that would be the one Joe was most likely to use. There wasn’t a sign of him
anywhere.
By
But
of Joe, there was no immediate sign.
***************
It
was a difficult night for Joe. His fever crept up, and he developed a hacking
cough. When he did sleep, his dreams were haunted by the fall from the ridge.
In them, he sometimes lost consciousness, as he had done, but other times, he
remained awake as he and Cochise crashed into the water below.
Awakening
once more, thrashing and gasping for breath, Joe decided to stay awake if he
could. The dreams were too much for him to take. He wondered if he
sub-consciously remembered fighting to get to the surface of the water. If so,
he was kind of glad he couldn’t really remember, for
how much worse would his dreams have been then?
At
the other side of the fire, Jennie was aware of the troubles her young guest
was having. She didn’t go to him, not wanting to cause him any further
embarrassment. It hadn’t occurred to her the evening before that Joe was so
young. His face was bruised and scraped, and so dirty, that it was difficult to
judge his age. By the time she was washing away the dirt, she had already
stripped him. And the last thing he needed then was to get wet clothes put back
on.
It
had taken some time to get Joe warmed back up. Jennie had wrapped him in almost
every blanket she possessed, and gradually, he had warmed up. Supporting his
head, Jennie had given him sips of water, and been reassured when he was able
to drink them. Finally, about an hour after she dragged him, half-drowned, from
the
Whatever
story she had expected, it wasn’t the one Joe had told her. His clothes were
well made, but not exceptional; his gun belt was well used and plainly tooled.
His boots needed heeling. Nothing suggested to her that this unfortunate young
man was one of the Cartwrights of the Ponderosa, one of the richest families in
the area. She thought of the long miles they would have to travel to get Joe
back home. She hoped he would be well enough to travel in the morning. Something told her he would be desperately
disappointed if he couldn’t.
******************
Neighbours
and friends all turned up at the Ponderosa the next morning. Ben was
overwhelmed by the support, but made an effort to remain calm. He outlined what
they had found the previous day, and organised the men into groups. Each group
would search one side of the river. If they found anything, they were to signal
with the standard three shots that the Cartwrights always used.
The
searching was one of the most difficult things Ben had done. Every moment was
filled with a mixture of hope and fear. With every bend of the river, he hoped
he would see Joe huddled on the bank, alive, and somehow miraculously
unharmed. It didn’t happen, although he
couldn’t abandon hope altogether. He had to believe Joe was alive, for to do
otherwise would have killed him. Over the years, he had lost so much;
Elizabeth, Inger and Marie. He couldn’t bear to lose one of his sons, too.
On
the opposite bank from their father, Adam and Hoss were feeling similar things.
Hoss was Joe’s confidante and best friend. He and Joe had been in more scrapes
together than they had had hot dinners – or that was the way it seemed to Hoss.
He adored the younger brother who had tagged behind him as a small child, and
had then gone on to lead the way in their partnership. It didn’t matter to Hoss
that Joe had a quicker brain, and often landed his older sibling in trouble.
That was just Joe. Hoss had loved him from the moment that Marie had confided
there was to be a child. He had looked out for Joe all his life, and never
counted the cost. Joe was his brother, and Hoss loved him. All he wanted was to
find Joe safe and sound.
For
Adam, the feelings were more complex. He often found Joe infuriating, and they
quarrelled quite frequently. He was irritated by Joe’s refusal to further his
education, when he had such a fine mind. But he loved and respected his
youngest sibling. Joe was stalwart in his defence of his family, and had put
his life on the line for Adam many times. He was entertaining company, and you
were never bored with him around. Adam smiled to himself ruefully. You never
knew what kind of mood Joe would be in, and he could charm the birds from the
trees if he put his mind to it. Adam knew that people wondered if he was
sometimes jealous of his younger brother, who had been blessed with so much.
But he wasn’t. Adam was his own person, as were Joe and Hoss both. Ben had done
a good job in giving his sons self-confidence.
By
nightfall, they had covered 10 miles, and still there was no sign of Joe. Their
friends and neighbours all headed off for home, and the Cartwrights suspected
that few of them would be back the following day. Most of them thought that Joe
was dead.
After
supper, which they barely touched, Ben told his sons what he planned to do the
next day. “I think we ought to take camping gear with us,” he said. “Start
where we finished today, and go further downstream. The river is big right now,
“ he went on. “Joe could’ve been washed quite a ways
down.”
“How
long are we going to go on looking?” Adam asked, quietly.
“Until
we find him!” Ben retorted sharply. He swallowed, and
looked away, controlling himself with difficulty. “We must find him, Adam, we
must.”
Hating
himself for doing it, Adam persisted, “But what if we don’t find him, Pa? What
then?”
Tears
filled Ben’s eyes, although they didn’t fall. Adam cursed himself anew for
asking, but he had to know. “I don’t know,” Ben admitted. “I just don’t know.”
*****************
The
arrival of morning didn’t improve Joe’s condition. He was still coughing away
and his temperature remained quite high. Sitting up caused his head to swim
violently, and he was unable to eat anything. Jennie made some coffee, and Joe
was able to drink that. It eased his shivers somewhat, and he was relieved to
discover that his clothes were dry. Somehow, having clothes on made him feel
less vulnerable. However, the effort to get dressed, even with Jennie’s
discreet help, had exhausted him, and he fell asleep again.
Doing
the few chores that needed it round the camp, Jennie found herself looking at
Joe frequently. By the light of day, she could see how handsome he was, under
the scrapes and bruises. After she had tended to her horse and tidied up the
few dishes from breakfast, she was left with nothing particular to do except
think.
Her
thoughts were all on how to get Joe back to his beloved home. She knew roughly
where the Ponderosa was, and by her reckoning, they were almost 25 miles away
by road. She wasn’t sure of the direction if they went across country, but
perhaps Joe could help her there. But was he up to a bumpy journey like that?
He was clearly concussed, and she had seen the scrapes and bruises all over his
body, no doubt caused by the fall into the river. The cough was wearing him
out, and she couldn’t be certain that he didn’t have any broken bones, although
she hadn’t spotted any the previous night.
One
thing was certain, she thought, as Joe began to cough, and wakened himself. He
wasn’t fit to travel anywhere that day, and she wasn’t going to leave him alone
long enough to ride to the nearest town with a telegraph office. Rising
gracefully, she went over to help Joe drink from the canteen.
**************
All
that day, Joe ran a high temperature. Jennie was thankful that she had decided
against leaving him, for he was wracked with nausea, caused no doubt by the
bang on the head he’d received the night before. For most of the day, Joe
drifted in and out of a light sleep, but it was plain to see he wasn’t fit to
travel, and in fact he never mentioned it.
By nightfall, he was exhausted, and willingly drank the bitter willow
bark tea Jennie brewed for him, and took the spoonful of honey he was offered.
It was the only thing he’d eaten that day.
The
willow bark did its job, and he soon fell asleep, his troublesome headache
eased slightly at last. Almost as tried as Joe, Jennie lay down, too, thankful
that the rain she’d feared was coming hadn’t arrived during the day. She had
moved the wagon, and fixed up the makeshift tent she used, so that if rain did
come through the night, both she and Joe would keep reasonably dry. The last
thing he needed was to get wet again, and catch a chill.
Sometime
after
“What
hurts, Joe?” she asked, seeing he was awake.
“My
ribs,” he answered, reluctantly. His voice was hoarse. “And
my throat.” He coughed again, clutching his ribs, now that he had
admitted that they were sore.
“Anything
else?” Jennie asked, poking up the fire to make more light. She offered Joe some willow bark, and he drank
it, making a face while he did so. “Come on, Joe, don’t lie to me. I can’t help
you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”
“My
legs,” he admitted. “They ache so.”
Gently
moving the blankets aside, Jennie felt down Joe’s legs, and decided there
wasn’t anything broken. But his knees were hot to the touch, as were his
ankles, and she thought they might be sprained. Getting out her bandages, she
strapped up Joe’s ribs, and his ankles. She didn’t have enough bandage for his
knees, and anyway, wasn’t sure about treating them. “No walking about,” she
warned. She felt his forehead, but his temperature had dropped to near normal.
“Tomorrow, depending on how you are, we’ll set off for your home. We’ll come to
a town soon with a telegraph office, and we can send a message to your Pa, to
let him know you’re safe.”
“Thank
you,” Joe said, gratefully. He wanted his Pa, more than anything, but was
thankful that Jennie had found him. It wasn’t long before he slept once more.
*****************
Come
morning, Joe’s temperature was still low, and Jennie decided that she could
risk moving him if he would eat something. The ham and eggs she fried up smelt
great, and Joe ate hungrily. After that, he watched as Jennie packed up the
camp. A twinge of guilt kept Joe silent as she did so, for he wasn’t used to a
woman doing the work. However, there was nothing he could do to help, and when
the time came for him to get onto the back of the wagon, he found it took all
the strength he could muster.
Finally
settled, he lay back, breathless after a bout of coughing. “I don’t know why
I’m so sore,” he said, ruefully as he thanked his benefactress once more.
“I
can think of a few reasons,” Jennie responded, laughing. “Being tumbled around
in a river isn’t all that good for you, you know. Plus you fell, with your
horse. I assume you were riding him at the time?” At Joe’s nod, she said,
“Well, then. When you started to fall, you were on him. At some point, you fell
off, and bounced down the hill. I don’t think the horse fell on top of you,
because you might not have survived that. But all the same, you’ve had a rough
time of it, honey lamb, and I’m not surprised you’re so sore!”
Climbing
onto the wagon seat, Jennie chucked her horse, a big grey cob mare and they set
off. “How long will it be before we reach the Ponderosa?” Joe asked. His aches
and pains were dying down, now he was still again.
“Several
days, depending on the weather,” Jennie answered. “My old horse here doesn’t go
very fast any more. But don’t worry, we’ll get there.”
“Where
are you from, Jennie?” Joe asked, curiously. “Is it near here?”
Jennie
laughed, a low, rich chuckle. “Where am I from?” she
repeated. “Lots of places, Joe. I was born in
“Alone?”
Joe asked, horrified. “That’s a long way. How will you manage?”
Again,
Jennie laughed. “Joe, my sweet, I’ve managed this far, haven’t I? Don’t worry
about it. I’ll get there, someday.”
Puzzling
this over, Joe was intrigued. “Have you any family?” he asked. He suddenly
remembered his manners, and blushed, although Jennie couldn’t see it. “I’m
sorry, that was nosy.”
“I
don’t mind,” she replied. “After all, I asked you about your family, didn’t I?”
Not waiting for confirmation, she went on, “I was married, but he died, and we
didn’t have any children. That was a few years ago, and I worked as a nurse to
support myself. I have a bit of money saved up, and I thought I fancied a
change.
“A
nurse?” Joe said. “You ought to stay in
“D’you
see a lot of the doctor?” Jennie asked. “Sounds like
you know him well.”
“Too
much,” Joe said, ruefully. “He says I’m his favourite patient, but I don’t
believe him. I’m not a good patient.”
“A
healthy young man like you?” Jennie joked.
“I’d say you aren’t a good patient. Too eager to get back on
your feet and get going!”
Smiling,
Joe admitted, “Yes, Pa and Doc Martin are always at me to stay in bed when I’d
rather get up and moving around.”
“So
you’ve known some illness,” Jennie probed, gently.
“Some,”
Joe admitted. With no more than an interested sound, Jennie got him to open up,
and Joe recited his list of injuries.
“Good
Lord!” Jennie exclaimed. “Some illness? You’re a
walking disaster zone.” For a moment, she wondered if she’d offended Joe, and
glanced anxiously over her shoulder at him.
But
there was no worry in that direction. Joe was trying not to laugh. “Oh, don’t,”
he wheezed. “It hurts to laugh!”
****************
As
darkness drew down, Adam and Hoss forded the river and joined Ben. Silently,
they set up camp for the night. There hadn’t been any sign of Joe anywhere, and
they were all growing discouraged. Ben sat hunched over by the fire as Adam and
Hoss prepared a meal between them. None of them felt like eating, but they
forced themselves. Ben required more coaxing, but finally ate a few bites.
“How
far d’you think we’ve come?” Hoss asked.
“Perhaps
10 miles,” Adam replied, thinking back over the journey they’d made that day.
He glanced at Ben, who appeared not to be listening. “Tomorrow, why don’t you
ride with Pa,” he suggested, quietly.
Glancing
at Ben, too, Hoss nodded. “Sure thing, Adam,” he said. “But I don’t mind if’n
you want to ride with him.”
“Thanks,
Hoss,” Adam replied. “But I think it might be best if you ride with him tomorrow,
and then we’ll see. If we cover another 5 miles tomorrow, and don’t find Joe,
we might be best to try and persuade Pa to go home.”
Gazing
at Adam, Hoss thought how controlled his brother appeared to be. But not to Hoss. He could read Adam’s distress in the very
stillness of his face and body. Adam had the reputation of being the coldest of
the Cartwrights, emotionally. But it was all a façade, Hoss knew, caused mostly
by the loss of Inger and Marie when Adam was quite young. The loss of his own
mother at his birth had also contributed. Although none of the boys had known
their birth mother for more than a short time – Joe’s mother dying when he was
4 made him the one who’s mother had lived longest –
Hoss had had Adam and Ben, and later Marie and Joe. Joe had had all of them.
Adam had only had Ben and then Inger for a short time, and this had made him
wary of giving affection. Hoss was more open, and Joe was the most
demonstrative of them all.
Tears
filled Hoss’ blue eyes. “D’you think Joe’s dead?” he asked, more loudly than he
intended.
“No!
Don’t say that!” Ben ordered. “Joe isn’t dead! D you hear me? He isn’t dead!”
“Pa,”
Adam said, gently. “We have to face it. He might be dead. We’ve come a long
way, and there hasn’t been a single sign of him.”
“He’s
not dead, I tell you!” Ben insisted, fiercely. Then he slumped and tears began
to streak down his face. “Oh, Joe!” he whispered.
Kneeling,
Adam put his arm round Ben’s shoulder. He could feel tears in his own eyes, and
hoped that, if they found that Joe was dead, he would be able to be strong for
his father and brother. His spirit called out against the unfairness of a young
life being cut short, and Adam said one of the most fervent prayers of his life
that Joe’s life be spared.
**************
At
the end of their second day of travel, Jennie and Joe arrived in a small town
that had a telegraph office. She went in and composed a wire to Ben, while Joe
waited impatiently in the wagon. He was still feeling quite ill, the throbbing
headache of his concussion reluctant to loosen its grip. The constant jolting
of the wagon didn’t help, but Joe hadn’t once complained. He wanted to get
home, and let Pa know that he was all right.
“That’s
the wire sent, Joe,” Jennie said, coming out of the telegraph office. “That’ll
relieve your Pa’s mind some. I said I thought we might get there tomorrow, late
on.” She smiled as Joe beamed at her. “That’s if you don’t mind some more
jolting?”
“Jolt
all you like,” Joe agreed, not realising that he’d just admitted that he found
the jolting a trial. “Jennie, you’re wonderful.”
“Sure
am, kiddo,” she joked, climbing back onto the seat,
and picking up the reins. “Ready?”
“Ready,”
Joe confirmed. He drew in a deep breath as the wagon started moving again,
ignoring the stab of pain from his ribs. He’d be home tomorrow.
***************
It
rained all the next day, a persistent thin rain that trickled under collars and
soaked through slickers. The road was awash with mud, but Jennie persevered.
Joe was coughing again relentlessly as the damp revived his cold, which had
eased slightly. However, he roused himself form his misery long enough to give
her instructions on how to find the ranch. As they drew closer, Joe tried to
sit up and look healthier. He was longing to see his family.
It
was a bitter blow to find the house in virtual darkness. He gazed at disbelief
at the closed door. “I don’t understand,” he said, sounding desperately and
heart-breakingly young. “Where are they?”
“Would
they be out looking for you?” Jennie asked, coming to stand by the wagon. She
looked tired, and was soaked to the skin. She’d been looking forward to a hot
meal and a dry bed.
“They
might be,” Joe said. “But we sent that wire…” His voice trailed off as movement
at the side of the house attracted his attention.
The
kitchen door opened slowly, and the muzzle of a shotgun protruded. “Go way!”
ordered an unmistakable voice.
“Hop
Sing!” Joe exclaimed, relieved. “Its me, Joe.”
“Lil’
Joe?” the cook said, and came all the way out. “Lil’ Joe!
Family thought dead for sure.”
“Where
are they?” Joe asked, anxiously.
Before
Hop Sing could answer him, they heard hooves approaching. Only one set, but Joe
still looked round hopefully. But he was to be disappointed. It wasn’t any of
his family, just Roy Coffee, the sheriff, and long-time friend of the family.
“Well,
boy, its good to see you,”
“Hop
Sing here,” the Chinese cook protested.
Ignoring
the interruption,
“They
go look for Lil’ Joe,” Hop Sing said, in tones of strained patience. “Long banks of river.”
“The
river’s pretty high,”
“Can
this wait until we have Joe inside and settled?” she asked. “He really
shouldn’t be out in the rain. He’s not well.”
That
was all it took, and Joe found himself being carried into the house by a couple
of the ranch hands.
Seeing
that Joe was in good hands, Jennie took the chance to go to the room Hop Sing
showed her, and changed into something dry. Then, she went and sat in front of
the roaring fire that he had hastily built in the main room. Shortly after, Roy
and Hop Sing came downstairs. Hop Sing went straight into the kitchen,
muttering to himself in his native language.
“Joe
says you pulled him outa the river, Miss…?”
“Jennie,”
Jennie supplied, helpfully. “Yes, I did. I’d gone to get some water, and saw
him lying on the bank. I pulled him out and looked after him. When he woke up,
he told me who he was. We spent the day after that at my camp, because Joe
really wasn’t well. Then we headed for here.”
It
was a succinct piece of reporting, and didn’t really tell
“We’re
real grateful to you, Miss Jennie,” he said. “I know Ben’ll be
wantin’ to thank you. He thinks the world o’ Joe.”
“I
think its mutual,” Jennie said, softly. “Joe thinks
the world of his father, too. And his brothers.” She
smiled at him. “Tell me about them?” she asked.
As
Hop Sing prepared a meal and they waited for the doctor,
The
door opened and let in a lot of rain with a middle-aged man Jennie didn’t know.
However,
“I’ll
come up with you, Doctor,” she said, rising. “And tell you what I did and why.”
“That
would be a help,” Paul Martin said, eyeing her covertly. He felt there was
something familiar about her, but he didn’t know what it was. He shed his
dripping rain slicker and started upstairs, completely familiar with the house.
Jennie quickly filled him in on Joe’s injuries.
“Well,
Joe, this is a new one, even for you,” Paul said, throwing open Joe’s bedroom
door. “How do you feel?” He was examining the youth closely with his eyes,
taking in the pallor and the circles under his eyes.
“I
like to keep you on your toes,” Joe replied, but the witticism was tired. His
voice was hoarse, and he coughed.
It
didn’t take Paul long to complete his examination. “You’ve got a cold,” he
said, stating the obvious first to make Joe smile. It worked. “And your muscles
are all protesting at the unusual way you dismounted your horse – who is out in the stable, by the way.” Joe’s face lit up,
for he had been thinking about Cochise a lot. “Your knees and ankles have taken
quite severe knocks, but they aren’t actually sprained. However, you won’t be
walking about on them for a week or two, until the swelling and heat is out of
them. And that is quite a lump you have on your head, mister!” He smiled. “Joe,
you were incredibly lucky. You should’ve died after a fall like that. Your
guardian angel was working over time.”
“I
know I’m lucky,” Joe responded. He coughed once more. “I just wish Pa was
here.”
“He’ll
be back soon, Joe,” Paul soothed. He patted the
youth’s shoulder. “You get some sleep, and perhaps he’ll be here when you wake
in the morning.”
“Perhaps,”
Joe agreed, but he couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling that had been growing in
his heart all evening.
***************
“This
is terrible,” Adam said, as they tried to make camp that night. He had insisted
that they move away from the riverbank as the water rose once more. Ben had
protested that they would lose time in the morning, and he and Adam had ended
up having a heated row about it. However, Hoss had intervened, cooled
everything down and persuaded Ben that Adam was right. Since Ben had known all
along that Adam was right, he had given in quietly. “We’re going to be soaked
through by morning.”
“I
suppose you want to go home?” Ben asked, acidly.
“Yes,
I do,” Adam admitted quietly. “We’ve come about 15 miles, and we haven’t seen
any sign of Joe. Pa, I think we have to accept the fact that he’s gone. Let
Glaring
at Adam, Ben tried to think of a way to refute what his oldest son was saying,
but he couldn’t. He was bone tired and wanted nothing more than to lie down and
sleep. Deep in his heart, he feared that Joe was dead. His shoulder slumped.
“I’m
sorry, son,” he said, wearily. “You’re right. We should go back.” He avoided
making eye contact with either son, afraid that they would see that he’d given
up hope of finding Joe alive. “I’ll go and get some water,” he said, and headed
down to the river without looking back.
Crouching
by the water, Ben let the tears come. He had so many memories of Joe,
stretching from his birth until the last time he had seen him. Each one
confirmed Joe’s love of life, and made it more difficult to accept that he
might never see his son again, and might never even have the dubious comfort of
finding his body. Rising stiffly, Ben stumbled on the loose shale of the
riverbank, and tripped. He let out a startled yell as he fell into the churning
waters.
For
an instant, the icy waters caught at his breath, and Ben struggled to get his
head back above water. He had no breath to shout for help, and he flailed
helplessly, until he finally surfaced.
“Pa!”
He heard the shout, but he was still in the thrall of the water, and finding it
difficult to get his limbs moving. He sank again.
Moments
later, and hand grabbed his coat, and he was dragged to the surface. A strong
arm was under his, and Adam’s reassuring voice spoke in his ear. “Its all right, Pa, I’ve got you.”
It
was a relief to allow someone else to take over and get him to safety. It took
only seconds for Adam to swim with Ben to the bank, and Hoss helped them both
out. Ben sat on the bank and coughed the water from his lungs, shivering
helplessly in the rising wind.
It
didn’t escape any of them that they were in a far more dangerous situation than
they had been just a few scant minutes ago. Adam and Ben were soaked through.
The rain was continuing, and the wind was rising. If they didn’t get to some
kind of shelter soon, they could end up suffering from hypothermia.
As
soon as Ben’s breathing was under control, they went back to the horses, and
Hoss wrapped blankets round his shivering family. He swiftly saddled the
horses, and they all mounted, instinctively heading back towards home, although
they were unlikely to get there in the dark, given the weather.
Lifting
his head to peer into the lashing rain, Ben wondered if this would be the end
of the Cartwright family.
***************
As
the weather worsened, Roy Coffee, who had elected to stay the night at the
ranch, began to look more and more concerned. The hands he’d sent out looking
for Ben had returned without him, and he couldn’t, in all conscience, blame
them for coming back.
The
meal Hop Sing had produced was excellent, as usual, and Jennie had found herself
dozing in front of the fire. She finally roused herself to go and check on Joe,
who was sleeping restlessly. She left him undisturbed, and went back
downstairs.
Spying
the photos on Ben’s desk, she looked closely at each of them. Three handsome women, all different. She guessed which woman
was which from what
This
was a special family; she could tell that from the atmosphere of the house. The
house felt happy and welcoming. Jennie was extremely sensitive to atmospheres,
and she could feel nothing but good in this one. It would be tragic if anything
happened to any of the family. Bidding
****************
It
seemed that they were making no headway at all. The rain lashed down
relentlessly, and the wind clutched at their sodden clothes. Ben looked frail
and old all of a sudden, as the cold took its toll on his weakened stamina.
Adam wiped at his dripping nose with a saturated sleeve, feeling an ominous
tightening in his chest. He had always had a tendency towards a weak chest, and
this soaking, combined with the emotional stress he was under, had weakened his
resistance.
They
had been riding all night. Hoss led the way, following his instincts to get
them home, if nothing else. But he was worried, too. They needed shelter, and
warmth, and there didn’t seem to be any way to get either. Hoss wondered how
far they had come. Not far enough, he suspected. The rain made it impossible to
pick out any landmarks. Glancing round, Hoss wondered if they ought to stop.
Ben looked done in. However, a particularly virulent gust of wind made him
change his mind. Not yet, he thought. It’s too cold here. We’ll go on a bit
further.
Lifting
his head at the sudden outburst of coughing from his right, Ben finally allowed
himself to admit how concerned he was. He and Adam were soaked; they were miles
from any shelter, and for all he knew – for all any of them knew – they were
riding in circles. He knew he ought to take charge, and get them to somewhere
dry, but he couldn’t seem to focus his thoughts properly. He was too cold, too
tired, and too sad to make the necessary effort.
“What’s
that?” Adam’s voice shouted over the howling wind. Ben lifted his head,
squinting into the needle-like rain blowing into his face.
“Dunno,”
Hoss bellowed back. “Hello!” He waved, and the bobbing light turned in their
direction.
Whoever
they had been expecting, it wasn’t this young woman, dressed in a travelling
cloak and carrying a lantern. They all gaped at her, wondering who she was.
“Thank goodness I’ve found you,” she said, her light voice carrying clearly
above the noise of the wind. “Come along, follow me.”
“Who
are you?” Ben stuttered, his teeth chattering so hard he could barely speak.
“I’m
Jennie,” she replied. “I brought Joe home, then came
out looking for you. Come along, don’t dawdle. It’s cold and wet out here, in
case you hadn’t noticed.” She turned her mount, a large grey cob, and headed
back the way she had come. Bemused, they all followed her.
Although
they rode for what Adam estimated to be another hour, the weather seemed to
moderate slightly, and it seemed to be less cold. And at the end of that hour,
they arrived back in the yard of the Ponderosa.
Gazing
round in disbelief, Adam noticed Jennie leading her horse into the barn. He
wanted to follow her, and ask how she’d brought them home so quickly, when she
was a stranger to them. But his limbs were stiff with cold, and he had
difficulty getting down off his horse. Then he noticed that Ben was still
sitting on Buck and went over to help him down.
The
front door opened, and a familiar figure stood there, holding a lantern aloft. “Land sakes!” Roy Coffee exclaimed. “Where have you folks
bin?”
***********
Standing
in front of the fire, Adam cautiously sipped the cup of hot coffee Hop Sing had
thrust into his hands. His clothes still dripped onto the floor, but he was
feeling warmer by the second. He exchanged a smile with Hoss, who was seated on
the stonework. “It feels good to be back,” he said, hoarsely.
“Sure does,” Hoss agreed. “
“He’ll
be all right once he’s warm, and has seen Joe,” Adam said. “We’ll all be all
right when we’re warm and have seen Joe.”
“Its sure enough good to know that Punkin is all right,” Hoss
said, and his voice cracked.
Unable
to speak for the sudden lump in his throat, Adam simply nodded. He put down the
coffee. “Let’s go see him,” he croaked, and they went upstairs together.
On
the way up, they met
“We’re
just going to look in on Joe,” Adam said.
“Don’t
disturb him,”
Promising
that they wouldn’t the brothers obediently stuck their head round the door, saw
Joe and went to bed, to sleep the sleep of the exhausted and relieved.
***************
Next
morning, it was pandemonium in the house. Ben had wakened to find it was well
into the morning, and suddenly wondered if he’d dreamed that Joe was all right.
He got out of bed in a panic, and donned his robe, hurrying along the hallway
to Joe’s room.
As
the door opened, Joe turned his head to see who it was. His whole face lit up
with a brilliant smile as he saw Ben and he pushed himself into a sitting
position, wincing as he did so, but the smile stayed in place. “Pa!” he said. “Its so good to see you!”
“Joe,
I was so worried about you!” Ben exclaimed and hurried across to sit on the
edge of the bed, and take Joe into his arms. “Are you all right? Really?”
“I
will be,” Joe assured him. “Now that you’re back.”
They smiled at each other. “Jennie saved my life, Pa,” he said. “She’s staying
here, so you’ll meet her.”
“Jennie?”
Ben said, remembering the young woman who had met them last night. “Does she
have long dark hair? About Adam’s age?”
“That’s
her,” Joe agreed, sounding surprised. “Have you met her? Oh,
last night when you got in.”
“No,
not when we got in,” Ben said, slowly. He frowned, but before he could say
anything else, there were footsteps in the hall, and Paul Martin came in.
“Well,
what a surprise finding you in here,” he said, cheerfully, to Ben. “I hear you
dragged in about
This
was news to Joe, who shot his father an anxious glance. Ben intercepted it and
smiled. “I’m all right,” he said. “It was rough last night, but I’m fine.”
“You
won’t be surprised to hear that Adam has a good going cold in his chest,” Paul
continued, as he began to examine Ben. “Or to hear that Hoss
came through the whole thing unscathed. And by what I was told, you
shouldn’t be so healthy looking!”
Ben
made a face at Joe, who laughed. It was nice to see someone else squirming
under Paul’s friendly treatment. “Its your tune next,
young man,” Paul said, threateningly.
“How
is Joe?” Ben asked, as Paul finished examining him.
“He’s
fine,” Paul replied. “Just a cough to get rid of, and those
knees and ankles to heal. Another week or so should do it, Ben. He was
lucky.”
“Yes,
lucky Jennie was passing,” Joe said, soberly. “You must meet her,
“I
think she’s gone, Joe,” Paul said. “Certainly, her wagon and horse are gone.
“Gone?”
Joe echoed, disappointment in his tone.
“Wait,”
Ben commanded, feeling confused.
“A young woman called Jennie met us last night and led us back here.”
“Pa,”
Joe began, bewildered, but he was interrupted when his door opened again, and
the rest of his family, along with Roy Coffee, came in.
There
was a round of jovial teasing greetings between the brothers, where they all tried - and failed –
to hide their joy and relief at finding each other whole. Ben sat back and watched
his sons, thankfulness in his heart. At one point last night, he had thought
they might all die, and yet here they were, together and safe. It was a
miracle.
“
“I
didn’t see her leavin’, Little Joe,”
“Jennie
led us home last night,” Adam said, his voice still
hoarse. “How did she know where to find us?”
“Who
was she anyhows?” Hoss asked.
Patiently,
Joe repeated his story of how Jennie found him and brought him home.
“I
don’t understand how she found us and brought us home so quickly,” Adam
commented. “She was a stranger hereabouts, and we were a long way down the
river. There is no way we could have got home as quickly as we did after she
found us.”
“Why
didn’t she wait to speak to us?” Ben wondered. “I wanted to thank her for
everything.”
“Well,
I’ll leave you folks to figger it out,”
“I
don’t know,” Joe admitted. “She just called herself Jennie, and insisted I do
the same.”
“She
did the same to me,”
“And
us,” Hoss chimed in.
“I’ll
find her,”
*****************
The
Cartwrights spent the next few days recovering from their experiences. Adam’s
cough settled into his chest, and he and Joe spent their days coughing at one
another. Ben made a miraculous recovery from his dip in the river, without a
single ill effect. Hoss sneezed once or twice, but that was about it for him.
Within a week, Joe was up on his feet again, although still rather sore.
The
weather improved, until the summer looked like a summer, not like winter. They
revelled in the warmer weather, although there was plenty of work to do, as
always. But some how, it didn’t seem as hard work this year. Ben put it down to
their near loss of Joe. Whatever it was, they worked and played harder that
summer, and got more done than they ever had. Everything they touched seemed to
turn to gold.
The
herd sold for the best price ever in the autumn sales. They lost fewer calves
to pumas and wolves. No hands were hurt in the round up, and even Joe got
through the rest of the summer unscathed, which was something of a miracle by
itself.
As
Ben said, it was as though they had been specially blessed, although he didn’t
know why.
But
they never found a single trace of Jennie.
They
speculated many nights as they sat by the fire. Was she a real person? Was she
an angel or a fairy? How did she manage to bring Ben, Adam and Hoss home so
quickly that night?
The
questions never got answered, but Jennie was remembered, thanked and blessed
many times that year as a special gift from God, sent when they needed her the
most.
The
End