By: Tessa Hinerman
Disclaimer: The story contains one fight scene between Adam and Joe. The scene was placed into the story only as a conflict to advance the story forward. It is not intended to offend any Adam or Joe fans. As an Adam fan myself, I believe that there is great love between the brothers, but an occasional brotherly fight can be possible.
* * *
“C’mon, Joe, let’s get
started on breakfast,” Hoss said with an anxious tone in his voice, “I’m tired
of waiting for Pa and Adam. Can’t
understand what’s keeping them anyway.”
Hoss picked up the platter of eggs and scooped four onto his plate
without having to think about it.
“Yeah, I hate cold
food. Besides, I called them twice
already. I gotta
grunt from Adam and nothing from
Hoss had been in a good mood
all morning on this cool fall day. He
sat at the breakfast table with his large broad shoulders slightly humped over
his plate being careful not to spill any of Hop Sing’s
delicious breakfast. He could have more
food if he did drop something, but Hoss appreciated his food and the comfort it
brought him when he was full. He never
wasted any. His good mood showed in the
sparkle of his eyes and when he teased of his younger brother, Joe.
When Joe wasn’t looking and
had his back partially turned towards Hoss, Hoss slipped a piece of bacon from
Joe’s plate to his. When Joe finally
realized his bacon was missing, there was no doubt in his mind where it
went. Hoss had the bacon almost totally
eaten with about one half inch sticking out his teeth. Like a frog snatching a fly from the air, as
soon as Joe looked at him, Hoss sucked in the last little piece and chewed with
a big grin on his face. Joe
giggled. He loved his brother’s sense of
humor and didn’t mind being the subject of it.
Joe’s mood was almost as
playful. He couldn’t think of anything
that would bother him on a day like this.
And that included Hoss stealing his bacon. He knew that the entire family would be
working on the ranch together today. Joe
enjoyed working along with his family.
It was the next best thing to dancing with a pretty girl.
Both boys chatted quietly
between themselves as they ate. An
occasional laugh from Hoss and an occasional high giggle from Joe were heard
between their sentences.
As Adam bounced down the
stairs, he continued his discussion with Ben, who chased after him. They headed for the dining room while Adam
buttoned his cuffs and Ben straightened his vest.
“Pa!” Adam’s voice was a
little louder than normal conversation.
He hesitated a little before he continued, “What about looking into
hiring those men we need for that big fence mending job that’s has to be done?”
“Adam, we don’t really need
to do that for a couple of weeks…”
“A couple of weeks?” Adam
made a spontaneous disappointed response.
Ben tried to continue, “We should
get some of this other stuff done first and out of our way, then all four of us
can concentrate on this project.” Ben
answered with his voice a little lower than Adam’s, but his words had a
business tone in them.
As each of them took their
place at the table, Adam didn’t drop the conversation so easy, “But we need to
cut some trees to make some new posts and railings, buy enough nails and
equipment so the men we hire will have something to work with…”
This time Ben interrupted
Adam, “Yes, son, I agree with all that.”
Adam kept going, “Most
important, Pa, we need time to make sure we hire the best of all those men that
will apply.”
Joe looked at Adam first and
then at his father, “Pa…” Ben stopped Joe by putting a stiff opened hand up to
indicate to Joe to stay out of this conversation. Ben continued his conversation with
Adam. Joe kept quiet and ate his
breakfast.
“Adam, are you forgetting
already? Willis promised us the best men
we could hire,” Ben looked at Adam in a way that Adam could tell that Ben
wasn’t in a budging mood this morning, “Son, the name Cartwright has a
reputation where men will want to work for us.”
Adam wasn’t happy with this
conversation, but decided to let it go for now.
He knew the Cartwright name carried weight in the area and men did like
working for them, but Adam thought that a project like this should never take
second place to smaller ones.
“All right, boys, let’s plan
our day,” Ben smiled as it became time for him to hand out some chores that
needed to be done by the end of the day.
Ben chewed the eggs he had
in his mouth and then looked at Joe.
“Joe, I want you to check the trim and shod the horses that we bought
this past week. I’m a little worried
that those shoes may have been on too long.”
Joe nodded with a
smile. He was pleased to get this chore.
Ben then looked directly at
Hoss. “Hoss, you need to fix the wagon
that the Crane family gave us. You know
which one I mean? I plan to use it this
winter.”
‘Yeah, I know Pa,’ Hoss
thought to himself. He didn’t think this
was a good assignment for him and decided to put in a little protest.
“Pa, why me?” He cried out and the sparkle that had been in
his eyes earlier now vanished. He
frowned and slightly twisted his mouth as he continued. “I have a hard time fittin’
under that dadburn thing. Why can’t Joe fix the wagon and I’ll shoe the
horses?”
Joe’s eyebrows went up at
that remark fearing his father might just change his mind. His best recollection was that he fixed the
last wagon two months ago, so it should be someone else’s turn. Joe loved horses so much that he just didn’t
want to lose this assignment.
Hoss kept staring at his
father waiting for him to see the logic in his complaint. But Ben didn’t come through as Hoss had
hoped. Hoss looked away in
disappointment.
“I’ve already made up my
mind that you will do it and I don’t need to say any more on the subject. I know I can count on you to get the job
done.” Ben looked directly into Hoss’ eyes
as he continued, “I’ve seen you under the wagon before and I didn’t think you
looked that awkward.”
“Yes, sir,” said Hoss,
giving into defeat. Hoss maybe a big
man, but he doesn’t take on his pa simply out of respect.
Adam stayed quiet and ate
his breakfast. Maybe he would be able to
bring this up again before he heads out the door this morning. Maybe a less angry approach to the subject
might get him better results. His mood
stayed more serious and somber than his brothers. He reached for the coffee pot to top of his
cooling coffee.
At times, it appeared that
Adam was off in another place and he ignored most of his father’s
conversation. As if the fencing project
wasn’t enough to bother him, he was also unhappy with the prices they got on
the last cattle sale. Adam wanted to
hold out a little longer on the price and felt they could have upped their
profit about 5 percent more than what the cattle finally sold for.
Ben was in a good mood even
after his conversation with Adam and the little protest by Hoss. He loved family meal times or when all of
them would sit around the fireplace in the evening. As far as Ben was concerned, if he needed any
reason at all to remind him of why he was so successful in his life, then he
had three reasons sitting with him now at the table.
Ben was silent again for a
moment. He was enjoying the last moments
of the family being together before they all went off to do their chores.
Joe became impatient with
his father’s silence. He and Hoss knew
what they were going to do, but what about Adam? After all, his father had three sons, not
just two. Joe felt that Adam could be a
lot of help to him or Hoss during the day.
“Pa? What’s in store for Adam?” Joe’s curiosity finally broke the silence
Adam smirked at his little
brother’s comment and then washed down the bite he just swallowed with some
coffee. Adam knew he always carried his
share and more when his father would ask.
He was a little bothered by Joe’s attitude this morning. Most of the time, Adam didn’t think too much
about this, but the start of this morning just made something like Joe’s
comment irritating to him.
“Well, Joe, Adam is going to
be tied up on several different things today.
I need him for some small chores here at the ranch. Then he can go to town after I get the drafts
written out so he can do our business there.”
Joe wasn’t real happy with
this statement. He gave Adam a
displeasing glare and found Adam’s eyes staring back at him. Joe felt that the chores handed out sounded a
little uneven. He was still glad he was
assigned to work with the horses, but it didn’t sound like brother Adam was
going to break much of a sweat. Joe
decided not to ask any more questions at this time; after all, Hoss just lost
his argument and his complaint made sense.
Adam finally decided to
contribute to the conversation by picking on Joe for his earlier sneer.
“Hey, Joe?” Adam said while putting a sarcastic smile on
his face just to rub in his comments a little more. “While you’re out there shoeing horses, maybe
you can come up with some scientific method to get the job done faster.”
That brought deep frown
lines to Joe’s forehead when his smile disappeared.
Adam continued, “That way,
you wouldn’t have to spend all day getting dirty.” Adam was enjoying this as he could see Joe’s
sneer tighten up as older brother kept trying to rile him over his ability to
shoe a horse. Adam felt Joe needed to
learn to mind his own business and not poke his nose into things that didn’t
concern him. For instance, what Adam
does around the ranch.
Joe twisted his head a
couple of times as he came back at Adam, “Well, Mr. Perfect, I don’t think you
need to be so pompous this morning just because you seem to be in a bad mood. I shoe horses good enough to know that it
only takes common sense and know-how to get the job done.”
Joe smiled at himself as he
felt good about thinking to call his brother pompous. It got a surprised reaction from Adam and Joe
knew he made some points on that one.
But Joe wasn’t quite finished.
One more punch of words should put him in the winning position of this
verbal roundabout.
“Scientific methods is your
area, big brother, and I’ve seen you take so much time figuring out plans one
has to wonder how you get things done!”
Joe’s anger gradually rose as he made this comment, but then he settled
down. As far as he was concerned, he got
the upper hand on Adam this time.
Adam had his mouth open
ready to fire back when Joe was finished.
One more poke at him and that ought to put Joe in his place for the
day. “I see your point, little
brother. A scientific method would be
too laborious for you.”
Joe’s body began to tense as
his anger began to build again. He hated
it when Adam used those college words towards him. ‘Pompous was a good word to describe Adam
this morning.’ Joe thought.
Adam continued as he briefly
looked over at his father. Ben was so
curious to know where Adam was going with this that he didn’t notice Joe’s
anger building at the moment.
“See, Joe, there is a very
important step you’d have to be able to do before it can become a science. You and the other ranchers would need to
perform the shoeing the same way under a controlled study.”
Joe rolled his eyes upward at
that comment. ‘Here we go,’ he
thought.
Adam didn’t pay any
attention to Joe and kept talking. “I’m
not so sure you could control yourself.
Your imperfection is that you’re not very disciplined.”
That brought Joe halfway up
from his chair bracing himself with his hands on the table.
Ben now realized Joe was
about to explode and possibly make a dive over the table at his brother. Fearing this, he used his booming voice to
get both Joe’s and Adam’s attention.
“Alright, enough…ENOUGH!” Ben gave both of them one of those parental
“you’re going too far” looks. “I’m sure
you can continue this on your own time when the work is finished. But when there is work to be done, you’re on
my time…….GIRLS!”
Hoss sat quiet because he
knew Pa was winning this one. Joe sat
down again. He was sure he didn’t hear
what he thought he had just heard.
Girls? That remark from Pa got their attention. Adam glanced over at his father in
disappointment while Joe’s voice went slightly up in surprise and those deep
frown lines returned to his forehead.
“Pa!” “Why did you just call Adam and I…girls?”
“Because I’m sitting here
witnessing a conversation that sounds more like the Carter girls when they fight
over who has the prettier dress,” Ben answered not letting his stern voice
subside.
The room was silent again
for a few seconds before Ben continued.
He calmed his voice a little.
“Remember, I have the
authority on this ranch and I can give out chores to who I want, when I want,
and I can change them if that’s my decision.”
Hoss sat up a little and his
eyes began to sparkle again. Thoughts of
his pa changing assignments raced through his mind. He waited and hoped and at one point, he held
his breath for a moment. Adam looked a
little worried and Joe, who had felt victory earlier, now felt a little
defeated.
Ben continued, “However, I
don’t intend to. You’ve got your chores
and I think it would be best if you got busy.”
Ben looked at each one of them, “Let’s get some of that energy behind
hammers and saws, instead of childish, girlish words.”
Nothing else needed to be
said. Joe was the first to leave the
table to head for the door with Hoss not far behind him.
“See ya
later, Pa,” Joe said, hoping a positive statement would keep him on Pa’s good
side throughout the day.
“Yeah later, Pa,” Hoss
echoed with the same feeling. ‘Dadburn it,’ he thought, ‘I’m still stuck with the
wagon.’
Adam stayed seated. He needed a little more detail on what his
father wanted him to accomplish and was hoping for a chance to continue the
earlier conversation.
“Ah, Pa? What exactly would you like me to do around
the ranch?” Adam said. He couldn’t finish all of his breakfast as
this morning’s conversations took away his hunger.
Ben began to talk to Adam as
if the previous conversation didn’t happen, “I need some time to get some
things together and probably won’t have you go to town before lunch.”
Ben then took a small piece
of paper from his pocket and handed it to Adam, “Here’s a list of some of the
things I would like to see get done today.
The most important ones are the top four items. “
Adam took the paper and
looked over the list. He was a little
disappointed in some of the items. He
wasn’t sure why his father would tie his time up on some things that, to Adam,
seemed less important than some of the things that have been on his mind.
Ben added, “I would
appreciate it if you would give me a hand and start by conditioning my saddle
for me. It hasn’t been done in a while
and it would sure save me some time.
You’ll still have time to do the other things.”
“Look, Pa, you know I don’t
mind doing things for you. But…” Adam
let out a loud sigh, ”I’m just bothered by the priorities around here
lately.” Adam took another sip of his
coffee and waited for a reaction.
Ben didn’t respond and just
sat there looking down at the table. He
wasn’t sure what he could say to Adam that might make a difference.
Adam continued, “Pa, I’m not
trying to make you think I have all the perfect answers. It’s just I don’t see why some things need to
be put off.”
Ben smiled even though he
knew Adam felt frustrated. Ben now
looked Adam directly in the face. He
wanted to try and lighten his son’s mood up a little. Then Ben gave Adam what he’d hoped was the
perfect answer, “Do things my way today and I’ll listen to you next week about
this project. Is that fair?”
“Sure, Pa! Not a problem,” Adam finally gave Ben a little
smile and tried to be a little happier.
“Adam, I honestly don’t know
what I would do without you and I hope you know I mean that. But, son, when you get so focused on business
or a problem, you just bury yourself in it.
When you get stubborn about something, you won’t budge an inch. But, please don’t let this nag at you all
day. Everything works out.” Ben gave Adam a hearty pat on the back and
Adam got up and left the warmth of house to start his day.
Joe headed for the corral to
begin shoeing the horses his father and Adam purchased. Ben thought all of the horses were good
stock, but when he inspected the hooves of the horses at the time of the
purchase, he didn’t like the way the shoes fit a couple of them.
Ben was particular about how
the hooves of his horses were trimmed and shod.
While teaching his boys about the caring for horses, he made sure that
each knew his preferences and why.
Before these horses could
become working horses on the ranch, Ben would have Joe check the trim and then
shoe them. That way, Ben could have
peace of mind and not worry about a horse becoming lame if they were improperly
shod.
Joe was good with his hands
and loved the touch of horses. He loved
the feel of their strong bones and muscle.
A feeling of real power under that skin and fur. He felt that a person should always respect
that power and use it well.
A properly cared for horse
would return the favor by taking care of its rider. He thought that he and Cochise
were a good example of this.
So many times Cochise got Joe home to his family after a long trip on the
road. Cochise
was able to sustain a good gallop for a distance when Joe was counting on
him. When Joe rubbed Cochise
down, shod him, or fed him, it was always with great care and affection.
Joe opened the gate and led
one of the geldings out of the corral and into the barn. He then gathered the hoof pick, a clinch
cutter, a rasp, and a hammer. Tools to
remove the shoes, trim the hoof, and then re-shoe. Joe felt confident that he could have this
task done by early afternoon.
As he approached the left
side of the horse to begin, he heard the barn door open. Joe looked around and saw Adam who was coming
in to retrieve his father’s saddle. After
what occurred in the house, Joe decided not to say anything and just gave his
brother a little smile. Adam did the
same. Later would be a better time to
settle anything they felt wasn’t finished.
Inside the house, Hop Sing was
clearing the table from the morning meal and Ben headed over to his desk with
another hot cup of coffee. As Ben
settled down into his cozy green leather chair behind his desk, his anger was
now completely gone and that warm feeling of family was back.
Ben chuckled to himself as
he pulled his writing instruments out of his desk to get some drafts and papers
ready for Adam to take to town later.
Calling the boys ‘girls’ surprised him.
It wasn’t planned at all. It just
came out. ‘ I’ll have to remember that for the future,’ he thought, ‘it sure
brought a heated argument to an abrupt halt.’
The boys teasing and picking
on each other wasn’t a problem for Ben.
That’s been a part of them ever since they were kids. He knew that this kind of verbal competition
was sometimes how the boys showed love for each other. It was one brother trying to get the other
brother to accept an imperfection and do better.
Ben leaned his head back on
the chair and stared up at the ceiling.
He couldn’t help but think about his boys. ‘I still get excited,’ Ben was thinking as he
stared upward, ‘of the hard work my boys and I have done to build the
Ponderosa.’ A smile began to form on
Ben’s lips from the pleasure of his thoughts.
‘None of it has been easy and sometimes we have fought among ourselves
over differences. But look at the
results this has brought all of us.’
Ben sat up in his chair and
began to go over his book and write some drafts. He would have loved to just sit and reflect
on his sons and the Ponderosa. However,
it wasn’t constant daydreaming that got them where they were. It was the work they all did.
Joe began the process of
removing a shoe. He knew he had to cut
the clinch of the old nails or he could damage the hoof wall. He carefully maneuvered the blade of the
clinch cutter under the clinch to straighten it.
He had just started shoeing,
but sweat already began to moisten his brows.
He couldn’t shake Adam’s comments.
“Who is Adam to tell me how to shoe a horse?” Joe muttered in a low
voice and looked at the head of the horse he was shoeing. Joe put the hoof down momentarily to pick up
another tool. He kept talking to the
horse as if the horse was listening to the conversation, “I got the shoeing job
because my pa knows I am fast and good at this?” With the new tool, he walked back to the
horse and picked up the hoof he was working on.
Joe was still feeling a
little frustrated from this morning’s discussion. He was letting Adam get to him again, even in
Adam’s absence. Joe spoke again to the
horse as the horse’s ears flickered a couple of times, “Wait until you get to
know my older brother more. You’ll
understand what I’m telling you.”
Joe did know that if he made
any mistakes that would really give credit to Adam’s comments. It was hard being the youngest in the
family. He felt he had to prove himself
all the time. He couldn’t show any
imperfections that Adam mentioned.
With the horse’s left rear
hoof sticking out from between his legs, Joe wiped his brows and continued to
straighten the nails. At one point, the
horse whinnied and moved slightly away from Joe. Joe calmed the horse down and then used the
rasp to cut the clinches of the nail.
Joe could now feel the moisture of his shirt in his armpits. He carefully
used the fine side of the blade and successfully removed them without making
any mistakes and damaging the wall of the hoof.
Joe wiped his brows again as
sweat formed from the heat within his body.
The morning temperature was still cool, but Joe supplied enough tension
inside himself that his body temperature rose causing the sweat to form. Joe grabbed the pullers next and placed it
under the heel of the shoe. Little by
little, Joe manipulated the shoe off the hoof.
With the first shoe off, Joe
became a little angry with himself.
Again, he addressed the horse, “I’ve shod horses so many times and here
I’m acting like this was my first time,” still using a low voice. Joe then checked the trim of the hoof and
when he saw it was fine, he put on a new shoe.
Joe still stayed tense while
he shod this first horse, but the next two horses seem to go a little better
for him. He began to regain his
confidence. The sting of his brother’s
teasing began to diminish. And Joe was
no longer talking to horses. He felt
like he could relax a little now.
After some time passed, Ben
came into the barn. Joe was so involved
in his thoughts while he worked, that he didn’t hear the barn door open and
didn’t realize his father came in until Ben called his name.
“Joe! How’s it going, son?” Joe looked up and saw his father
approaching.
Joe then said with some
degree of defeat, “I’ve had a little
trouble. Didn’t think it would be this
bad. Guess I’m never gonna
have the knack of fixing something as easy as Adam seems to think he can.”
“Oh, I don’t know, Joe,” Ben
said coming a little closer to his son, “Even Adam has learned from trial and
error.”
Joe thought to himself,
“Adam, the planner, learns by trial and error?”
Ben put his right hand on
Joe’s shoulder and laughed softly as he continued, “I don’t know if I’ve ever
seen murder in Hop Sing’s eyes as I did the time when
Adam tried his first fix of the water pump in the kitchen.”
Joe’s eyes widened at this
comment and he gave full attention to his father.
“I don’t need to describe
Hop Sing’s reaction.
But when he pumped the handle, water sprung out every place but the
spout.” Ben used both his hands to
demonstrate water going upward and then coming back down like a fountain.
With an expression of great
pleasure, Joe exclaimed, “Really!” He
couldn’t recall anyone ever mentioning Adam failed at fixing the water pump in
the kitchen. But he knew his father
wouldn’t tell a story like that about Adam if it weren’t true.
Ben nodded and laughed a
little hardier recalling the incident between Hop Sing and Adam. Ben headed towards the barn door. Just before Ben reached the door, he turned
still smiling and faced Joe, “Son, I don’t expect you to be perfect and I knew
you could do this without the help of either brother.” Ben turned towards the door again and this
time went through it and back to the house.
Joe turned back to his work,
but still had Adam on his mind. Joe’s
smile was fixed on his face. He knew that
Adam had had to make corrections to errors he has made, but they were always on
more complicated things. Sometimes it
was just a small miscalculation of some math.
But a water pump? Joe’s fixed
water pumps before and he couldn’t remember anytime they were a problem for
him.
Joe could feel the tension
of frustration leaving his body. His
father’s story and vote of confidence helped him feel more relaxed and he knew
now that he could accomplish his task.
Joe was alone in the barn
now and he laughed out loud to himself.
His smile of pleasure then turned more mischievous. “My Pa just gave me a little dirt on my older
brother,” Joe said to the second horse he was shoeing. The horse did nothing but chewed on his
hay.
After his breakfast, Hoss
walked to the east side of the house where he would find the wagon with the
broken pin. This pin helped hold the
yoke towards the front of the wagon more securely. It was a small piece to replace, but
necessary. And Hoss knew that taking the
broken pin out and replacing it with a new one wasn’t going to be easy.
He knew his size would make
it crowded under the wagon. Even Little
Joe has to duck his head a little to fit when he sits under the wagon. He knew he would not be able to sit under it
and duck his head. Hoss thought for a
moment, ‘If Pa could just see me under this wagon then he would know I am not a
perfect fit for this job.’
Hoss could still remember
when the wagon was given to his father as a gift. Mr. Crane, who lived with his wife about five
miles from the northern border of the Ponderosa, built it especially for his
pa. His father helped the Cranes when
they first settled on their small ranch and it was Mr. Crane’s way of saying,
“thank you.” Ben didn’t need another
wagon, but the thoughtfulness of these people made this wagon special to
Ben. He wasn’t going to let this wagon
sit idle.
The Cranes weren’t people of
wealth and Mr. Crane made this wagon from a lesser grade of Ponderosa
pine. Hoss knew that this wasn’t a grade
normally used for wagons. But Hoss
reckoned that it was all Mr. Crane had and he wanted to do this for his
friend.
Hoss smiled and thought to
himself, ‘I can sure remember Pa’s face when he got the wagon. The Cranes have now passed away and I reckon
it’s the only thing he has for memory sake.’
That didn’t matter to Hoss
now. The wagon was old and wobbled as if
a wheel was about to fall off. Hoss
thought to himself that he might have to check the wheels someday for his pa. “If Pa planned to keep this old thing…” Hoss
talked to himself out loud now, “then I reckon I’d better put some new wheels
on it.”
‘Joe and Adam hated driving
this guldurn wagon, too,’ Hoss recalled. He crawled under the wagon. ‘Every time one or both go with me to town in
it, they protested and said the same things that I said about it. Hump! Brothers!’
Hoss grew a little angry at
that thought. Sure, they filled his ears
with their protests when it was just them.
But when it was time to take their complaints to Pa, neither one would
say a word. There was good ole Joe who
would try to find some food to fill his mouth so he couldn’t say anything and
Adam sniffed the air and claimed to be smelling something afoul. Then Adam would run off like he was in search
of the smell.
Both his brothers left Hoss
all by himself with Pa staring at him and not saying a word. With Ben, a moment of silence with a stern
glare said a million words that were understood by his sons.
VI
Adam found a place under the
overhang at the northwest corner of the barn.
He liked this spot. It allowed
him to look out over the terrain and enjoy the fall weather. He had hoped working outside and enjoying
the scenery would help him forget about the things that bothered him this
morning.
Adam worked hard
conditioning Ben’s saddle. He took great
care not to miss a spot. He enjoyed
conditioning leather tack and saddles.
He liked seeing the brown leather luster and take on a new appearance as
he rubbed and made spiral motions with the cloth as the conditioner absorbed
into the surface. The conditioning of
the saddle and the first three things on Ben’s list took Adam up to
lunchtime.
Adam then went into the
house to have one of the sandwiches that Hop Sing would have in the kitchen for
all of the Cartwrights to take when they became
hungry.
“Hmmm!” Adam said to himself as he bit into his
sandwich. Hop Sing had made thick roast
beef sandwiches from the leftovers of last night’s dinner. The beef was cold now, but tasted just as
good as it did the night before when it set hot on the table.
Adam decided to go outside
and eat the rest of his lunch on the veranda.
No one was close to the front of the house and he could enjoy a little
solitude while he ate and read.
Adam walked to the veranda
and sat down in one of the chairs next to the table. He was looking forward to going into town
later. It would be nice to get a way for
a while. But, most important to him, he
was going to make sure he saw Claire.
She’s been on his mind and a week is too long not to hold her.
Adam noticed the back of Joe
disappearing around the corner. Joe
obviously was going to enter the house through the side door probably for
lunch.
Usually Adam was logical and
thought things out before he reacted.
But today was different. He was
surprised that his father didn’t side with him on this project. Maybe his father was right. But anytime a large project like this was put
off when Adam didn’t feel like it should be, he could feel frustrated.
The delay could cause them
further delay if not enough men came forward or the shipping of supplies was
delayed for some reason. To Adam, the
perfect solution would be to get things going on this project.
Adam had brought out one of
his favorite books. It was a book that
contained plays and sonnets of romantic love, heroic battles, and noble men
fighting for grand causes. His father
mail-ordered the book all the way from a big publishing house in Philadelphia
and gave it to him for his birthday.
Adam had read it once and was now reading it for the second time. He loved the language the author used. It made the poems romantically poetic and the
stories of men and their battles dramatic with its descriptive words
Adam opened the book to the
play, THE KING’S KNIGHT. It was a play
about a knight, Sir Gareth, who struggled and led men
into battle for King Percivale. Gareth fought his
own inner battles. He was in love with
the King’s daughter, Princess Vivien.
She was deeply in love with the knight and did not care that his family
were from common background.
After Joe finished his
lunch, he came out of the house using the same door as he did to enter. As he came around the corner of the house, he
could see Adam deep in reading. At one
point, Joe heard Adam cite a short verse of love in a style that Joe thought
was more ridiculous than romantic. Joe
would never talk to a girl like that.
The girl would run away and rightly so.
Joe ducked back around the
corner of the house so Adam wouldn’t see him.
He decided to do a rendition of a female in love. Joe thought that this would be funny and
lighten things up between him and his brother.
He figured that Adam had the same amount of time to get rid of his anger
from this morning that he did. Joe just
wanted to be on good terms again.
“Oh my darling, …where art
thou?” Joe squelched in a high voice. It
was a terrible rendition of a female.
His voice stayed high as he broke into familiar laughter and walked
around the corner now in view of Adam.
Adam stopped abruptly when
he heard the high-pitched tone of his brother’s voice. An angry look was on his face waiting for Joe
to stop his annoying rendition of whatever creature he thought he was.
Joe was laughing hard. “Adam, when you speak words like that, they
make me want to fall in love.” Joe
thought Adam would laugh back. But he
didn’t.
“Joe,” Adam’s anger was in
his voice and he stood up to face Joe, “Why does everything have to be funny or
playful to you? You know, understanding
great literature would mature you and do you some good.”
Joe responded defensively,
“How can anyone take that stuff seriously?”
“Why can’t you just stay
away from me and go do the chores Pa asked you to do? I suppose you think we can just take all the
time we want to get things done?” Adam
reprimanded.
“I get my chores done,
Adam. But at least I don’t sit around
and read a bunch of stuff most people don’t understand,” Joe’s anger now
matched his brother’s.
Adam responded back, “Joe,
it takes a man to understand and appreciate great literature. It takes a boy not to understand it and think
everything is playful. I see you haven’t
learned from anything said to you this morning.” Adam was tense and his jaw tight as he spoke.
“Oh yeah! Well, brother I’m just as much of a man as
you are. Those horses will be done and
when they are, Pa won’t have a thing to worry about because I took care of it.” Joe was breathing hard and took a couple of
breaths before he continued, “And what great things have you done this
morning?” Joe knew he said a mouthful and now waited for a response from
Adam. His anger made him shake a
little.
Right now, both Cartwright
boys were acting purely on emotion. Even
Adam wasn’t in touch with his usual logic in heated situations. Neither brother was heading down the path to
create some conversation that would lead to a resolution. Imperfection, at this time, made a strong
presence in both men.
Adam’s stance was rigid and the
anger on his face was more like a fighting look than one of annoyance. Joe stood facing Adam only a few feet a
part. Joe was tired of Adam talking down
to him and felt like he needed to show Adam how he can handle himself.
Joe made a quick step forward
towards Adam. But it was Adam that got
the first punch in. He hit Joe with his
right fist in the left side of Joe’s jaw.
The blow came faster than Joe expected.
As soon as Adam’s fist made contact with Joe’s face, Joe lost his
balance and stumbled backwards by two steps.
The fight was on!
Joe got his balance and as
Adam came at him for another blow, Joe stepped to the side and buried his right
fist into Adam’s abdomen. The punch to
Adam’s stomach caused him to bend over and let out a burst of breath with a
sound of pain. Adam grabbed his stomach
not knowing for a moment if that roast beef sandwich was going to stay
there.
Joe didn’t wait for Adam to
recover. He brought his left fist across
his chest and then swung the back of his hand, knuckles and all, into the right
side of Adam’s head. If Adam didn’t
think Joe was good at his chores on the ranch, then Joe would make sure that
big brother knew he was not imperfect in winning a fight.
After a few more punches at
each other, both boys backed off momentarily.
Both were breathing heavily and glaring at each other. Without a word between them, Joe lunged at
Adam knocking both of them to the ground.
They hung onto each other rolling around in the dirt. Then Adam managed to get a strong hold of
Joe’s forearms trying to keep Joe from grabbing him and getting the
advantage.
Eventually, Adam was able to
get one of his knees under him and pull Joe up.
In a matter of seconds, Adam had both he and Joe on their feet. Adam let go of Joe’s right arm and
immediately drove his fist into the corner of Joe’s mouth. It began to bleed and the blood tickled down
Joe’s chin.
Joe managed to get his other
arm free of Adam and deliver a left cross right into Adam’s mouth. Now, both brothers were bleeding. Both had the beginnings of bruises starting
to form on their cheeks or at the side of their faces. And both were exhausted as each put as much
energy into each punch as they could muster.
The front door of the house
opened and Ben emerged from the doorway, not realizing right away that his sons
were fighting. But, as soon as he
stepped up onto the veranda, he saw to his horror his oldest and his youngest
throwing some hard punches at each other.
“Joe! Adam!
Stop it right now!” Ben’s anger
was obvious in both his face and his voice.
He thought everything got settled at the breakfast table and never
imagined that it would escalate to this.
The boys separated. Joe stood on both his feet, but swayed from
exhaustion and the pain from being hit.
Adam staggered backwards until he bumped into the post of the
veranda. The post gave him support and
he stayed on his feet. Adam wiped the
blood from his mouth onto his sleeve.
Ben was momentarily silent in disbelief.
“I thought this was all
settled this morning? I thought I could
count on you to do your work.” Ben
couldn’t believe his boys. The frown
lines in his forehead were deep and the volume of his voice was the same as
this morning. The boys may be good with
their fists, but Ben was better with his words.
“Pa! Adam started everything just like this
morning. You don’t expect me to just
stand there and not do something, do you?”
Ben didn’t answer that
question as he turned his attention to Joe, “Joe, are you finished with shoeing
those horses?”
No, Pa…almost…I finished
three and then took a lunch break. I was
on my way back to the barn when I ran into Adam.” Joe’s voice reflected how much he realized
that they both disappointed their father.
“I was only trying to have a little fun and thought we’d both be
laughing over it.”
“Well, I don’t think it
worked and it’s obvious, whatever it was, that he didn’t find it funny.” Again, Ben’s booming voice commanded
attention from his sons. “Now, get back
in that barn and finish your work.”
Joe, feeling defeated once
more, turned and went to the barn.
“Joe!” Ben called out suddenly and Joe immediately
turned on his heels to face his father.
Ben’s voice became a little softer, but still had signs of being stern. “Wait a minute.” Ben took his neck scarf off, wet it in the
trough next to Joe, and patted the blood from Joe’s mouth.
Ben was very angry at seeing
his sons act like kids fighting over candy, instead of resolving their conflict
like men. But Ben’s anger was not as
strong as his emotion when his sons were injured and needed some tending.
“Thanks,
Ben turned and approached
Adam. He still had his neck scarf in his
hand and began to reach out to pat Adam’s injuries.
“No,
“Are you sure, son? You know I’m not happy with either of you,
but I don’t like to see either one of you hurt.”
“I know. I did start it, so don’t take it out on
Joe. I got angry with him and before I
knew it, we were throwing punches at each other. Sorry!!”
“Adam,” Ben moved a little
closer to Adam, “I’ve watched you over the years try to be a big brother to Joe
and set some examples for him. I’ve also
seen you try to be his friend. Trying to
play those two roles must be a challenge for you some times.” Ben’s hand now rests on Adam’s shoulder as
Adam’s eyes looked up at Ben while he listened, “But, son, sometimes you can
shut the emotional door on Joe and when you do, I can see the hurt in his
face.”
“Pa! Joe’s not trying to
reach his potential.” Adam’s voice had
some pleading in it wanting his father to see his side. “He’s a Cartwright like the rest of us. We all have a serious obligation to the
Ponderosa.”
“Adam, is the Ponderosa not
the best ranch around here? It’s a great
ranch. But we learn from our mistakes
and the Ponderosa seems to thrive from our efforts. Maybe I can see Joe’s confidence in himself a
little better than you do.” Ben’s
expression was very serious, but his voice was still soft.
“I care about Joe. You know how much I care about the
Ponderosa. I would just like to see Joe
be a little more serious about getting his work done.”
Ben now stood up straight
and had both hands on his hips. “You
know, all three of you are so different.
And I like those differences. If
you were all the same, it might not be as much fun being your father.”
Ben now had a smile on his
face. He meant what he said, but he was
also trying to lighten things up a little.
He liked Adam’s smile and wanted to see it.
Ben put his hands into his
front pockets and leaned slightly backward when he took in a long breath of
fresh air. Adam just sat there and rubbed
his sore cheek, occasionally checking the inside of his mouth for any
cuts.
Ben now looked at Adam and
laughed a little, “You’re a good man, Adam.
But I’ve learned while raising all of you that trying to be the perfect
father means being a forgiving one and giving the ones you love some room to
error.”
Adam didn’t say a word. Adam knew his father wasn’t putting any blame
on him, but just wanted him to give Joe a little more room to make his
mistakes.
Ben smiled, “You don’t have
to go to town today. I can send you
tomorrow or get Hoss to go.”
“No,
Adam stood up straight
now. His breath was back and his stomach
wasn’t hurting like it was moments before.
“If you have those bank drafts ready, I will get my horse and go.”
“I have them right
here. When I didn’t see you inside the
house, I figured you were still out here.
I was bringing them to you when I came upon you and Joe.”
Adam moved towards the barn
and Ben walked next to him until they reached the door. Adam entered the barn first.
Joe heard Adam and Ben
enter, but ignored both and kept working at the shoe he was removing from one
of the horses. Adam went directly to Sport
and began readying him for the trip to
Ben walked over to Joe and
watched him correct the trim of the hoof.
Although Joe wasn’t looking up at his father, Ben still put a smile on
his face while he talked to Joe. “You
know, Joe? You really do a good job with
the horses. You seem to know how to
handle them.”
“Thanks,
Adam took Sport’s reins and
led him outside the barn and mounted him.
The man in black sat tall in his saddle and waited for his father.
“I’ll talk to you later,
Joe.” Ben left the barn to see Adam
off.
Ben reached up and handed
Adam an envelope containing the drafts for the merchants.
“Be careful, son. If you start feeling ill, then, please turn
around and come home.
Oh, and Adam. Why not try and stop by to see Willis about
those men?” Ben smiled and thought this
might make Adam feel better and not worry so much about things.
“I will.” Adam then rode off and Ben went into the
house.
The fight between Adam and
Joe upset Ben more than made him mad. He
didn’t really want to know what caused the fight, because it would probably be
something that wouldn’t make sense to him.
He hoped that they got it out of their system. Just in case, when Adam returned home, he
planned to keep a close eye on both brothers and make sure both were O.K.
physically and emotionally.
Ben started towards the
house but then saw Hoss a short distance away working under the wagon. Ben’s expression of concern for Joe and Adam
changed to a more pleasant one as the sight of Hoss was pleasing to see.
His middle son was big and
strong physically. Emotionally, it
wasn’t hard to touch his heart and make him your friend. As Ben walked towards Hoss, his smile became
even broader. He knew that Hoss might
not fit as well under the wagon as his brothers, but Ben had his reasons for
his decisions and he needn’t have to explain anything.
Hoss was so involved in the
problems with the wagon that he didn’t hear the fight going on in front of the
house or the comments made by his pa.
It took him almost half the
day to get the pin out that he was to replace.
‘Boy, in this same amount of time, I could have put new wheels on three
wagons,’ Hoss thought to himself. There
was no smile on his face. He was getting
hot and didn’t like being underneath this wagon. Hoss drooped his head a little lower trying
to look up into this small hole. His
blue eyes strained to see into the small darkness. As he concentrated, he didn’t hear any
footsteps coming up behind him.
“Hoss!!!” Ben exclaimed with
some excitement in his voice. Now here
was a son that stayed out of trouble and got the job done.
Ben’s surprised approach
towards Hoss startled him and he sat up in response. The top left side of his head banged the
bottom of the wagon.
“Pa! You scared me.” Hoss cried out as he rubbed his head where
the pain lingered.
“Oh, sorry, son,” Ben bent
way down on his knees to get a glimpse of Hoss under the wagon. “You almost have the wagon fixed?” Ben said with confidence.
Hoss was surprised and a
little annoyed by his father’s comment, “No,
Ben tried to focus on the
area where Hoss was working. He was
naturally used to being the boss on any job and without thinking about what he
was saying, he started to give Hoss instructions.
“Now, Hoss, if you clean
that old grease out of….”
Hoss gave Ben a displeasing
look, “I don’t need you telling me…” Hoss changed his direction when he
suddenly remembered he was talking to his father and not his brothers, “Uh, I
mean, thanks Pa, but I know I should do that.”
His head was still a little sore from hitting it, but Hoss managed to
give his father a smile showing the gap between his front teeth.
“Do you remember the Cranes
very well, Hoss?” Ben started a casual
conversation with Hoss as he worked.
“Oh sure,
“All three of you were
pretty young when we first met them.
Mrs. Crane took to you boys right away.
They couldn’t have children, you know?”
Ben was now sitting on the ground on one hip. He thought Hoss was doing a good job, so he
decided to just watch.
“I remember you said
that. You also said that I was the
favorite,” Hoss was responding to his father’s conversation, but it was the pin
he was focused on. He picked up a pair
of pliers to help him reach the pin.
“You were. She tried not to show favorites, but I could
see her watching you more than Adam or Joe.
She loved your curly hair with those blue eyes peeking out from the
curls.” Ben still smiled reminiscing
about the Cranes, “Do you remember Mrs. Crane coming to your bedside when you
were calling out for your mother?”
“Yeah, I do remember that
now that you mentioned it. Gosh, how
could I forget that?” Hoss now stopped
his work as his father captured his interest in the things about the Cranes he
had forgotten. He could see the deep
fondest that Ben had for the Cranes in his father’s eyes. “I had a painful break in my arm.” Hoss had some frown lines while he recalled
that part.
Ben filled in the gaps for
Hoss, “Yes, you were in a lot of pain. I
tried so hard to comfort you, but all you would do was cry and ask for your
mother.” Ben’s look at Hoss was sentimental. It made Hoss smile. The frown lines on his forehead were now
gone. “I just had a hard time comforting
you because it was a woman’s touch and voice you seem to need the most. When I sent for Mrs. Crane, she came
immediately. She sat up with you all
night, gently rubbing your back, giving you some medicine when you needed it,
and singing to you until you finally fell asleep.”
”I do remember that. You know, all this time while fixin’ this wagon, all I could do was think about how
imperfect this wagon has become. I guess
I’m the one that’s been imperfect.
Thanks, Pa, for reminding me of some things. Thanks for the conversation.”
“We all forget
sometimes. Our work and lives take
priority. Imperfections are always in
people, Hoss, not objects. But what’s
important,” Ben now glanced over to the area where his boys fought earlier, “is
how we deal with imperfections in ourselves and others. Especially, those we love.”
Hoss was ready now to make a
suggestion about the wagon, but this time his intentions were different, “Pa,
shouldn’t an old wagon like this best serve some children? Like over at the orphanage?”
“Hmmm,” Ben exclaimed with
interest, “It might be something to consider.
The Cranes loved children and gave a lot of their time to needy children
in this area.”
“Yeah, Pa, consider it real
hard. It’s like a horse. After it gives you a lot of good years, it’s
time to let it have some better days. Know
what I mean?”
“I sure do, son. Sometimes I think you’re smarter than your
two stubborn brothers.”
Ben chuckled. Hoss smiled at his father’s comment although
he still didn’t know about the confrontation between Joe and Adam earlier.
“Let’s bring it up to your
brothers later and see what they think.”
With that, Ben got up to go into the house. Hoss kept working, but now, it was a little
more enjoyable.
It was about a half hour
after Ben went back into the house.
Hoss’ stomach was protesting for waiting so long for some lunch. Hoss drug himself out from under the wagon
and headed inside the house where he consumed twice the sandwiches that his
brothers ate.
Before heading back out to
where he was working, he needed to find some heavier wire to make a new pin and
would find an assortment of wire in the barn.
Hoss entered the barn and
saw Joe bent over a hoof working hard on the shoeing. He approached his little brother with a grin
on his face totally unaware of the earlier incident.
“Hey, little brother. You sure could show the entire
Joe stood up and gave a
short grin with only one side of his mouth.
As soon as Joe stood up, Hoss could see that his little brother’s face
was different from what it looked like this morning.
“Joe!” Hoss said tenderly to
him, “How’d that happen?” Hoss pointed
to Joe’s face that was slightly swollen and bruised.
Joe tried to smile again at
Hoss, “Don’t worry about me, Hoss. I’m
fine. Adam and I got into a fight out
here and he looks just as bad as I do.”
Not waiting for Hoss to respond, Joe added, “But, it’s over now, so
don’t worry.”
“No, Joe, I am worried. You and Adam don’t usually go that far. ‘Bout the worse I see you two git is what happened this morning at the table. Then you two usually go your ways.” Hoss looked at his brother real
concerned. “Where’s Adam now?”
“He’s gone into
“Yeah, well, you don’t worry
about Adam, Joe. None of us is perfect
and that includes him.”
‘That’s Hoss,’ Joe thought,
‘The peacemaker of the family and great brother to have.’
Hoss continued, “I don’t
reckon I’ll ever understand why he takes on some stuff like he does. But on the other hand, Joe, I think it’s
because of Adam that some things just get taken care of the way they
should.” Hoss’ concerned look now took
on a more positive look. “I bet Adam
knows he’s not perfect, little brother, and jist
doesn’t wanna see you learn the way he has. Adam has learned some things, Joe, harder
than either of us.”
Joe smiled again at Hoss
only this time, the smile stayed. Hoss
may not be educated like Adam, but he sure knew the right words to say to make
Joe feel better. “Thanks, older brother,
and how’s your wagon?”
Joe’s smile made Hoss smile
back. “Well, I reckon my work on that old wagon is comin’
along. I wish my work on it were
faster. But I’m afraid I’m as slow as a
snail tryin’ to climb a greased pole. I reckon I best go back and git it finished.”
Hoss gave a hardy pat on Joe’s shoulder.
“Come talk to me, Joe, if you need ta.” Hoss walked over to where he found some wire
that would make a stronger pin. He then
turned and headed out the barn while Joe went back to shoeing.
Adam rode Sport at a walking
pace for part of the trip. He wanted to
think and just enjoy the serene beauty of the land. This was good therapy for him. It would help take away some of the tension
he was feeling.
Adam momentarily
stopped. He took in a deep breath of the
fresh air. ‘I don’t think I would be so lenient with my youngest son.’ Adam sat up straight in his saddle and
stretched his back a little. ‘But I
guess Pa tried to make up for how Hoss and I had to grow up. Some of the disappointments we had to accept
and not by choice.’ He softly nudged
Sport forward.
The side of his face was now
beginning to throb a little. Just enough
to remind him of how good a fighter Joe was.
While Adam rode, he remembered
Joe fighting for him a few times. Once
when Adam got shot in the lower part of his arm, Joe jumped the guy, got the
gun away from him, and beat him up real good.
Adam couldn’t do anything, but sit and watch. Joe didn’t quit until the man was on the
ground looking like he wished he never started that battle. Joe didn’t even seem to worry that the man
had a gun. He just jumped in and
defended his brother.
That memory brought a smile
to Adam’s face. Joe had a knack of
bringing the anger out in Adam. ‘Maybe
we shouldn’t have fought.’
The longer Adam rode, the
more relaxed he became, and the sillier his fight with Joe seemed. Adam could find reasons now to smile and he
held that smile while his nostrils became aware of the sweet, fresh smell of
the pines.
Adam loved the Ponderosa and
it’s beauty just as much as his family did.
But Adam’s perspective saw the beauty of the wild flowers that sprinkled
the Tahoe valley in the spring like visual poetry. In the fall, it was the rich autumn colors
and the subtle sounds of change as leaves would fall off trees and small
critters would gather their winter food that would capture his attention. It was the songs of the American Robin that
reminded him of a soprano aria, while the squawk of a Stellar Jay was the tenor
answering back.
Adam was grateful for the
chore of riding into town. It meant that
his ride would be an opportunity to be alone and enjoy the sounds and beauty of
the land. To Adam, it was a symphony
with all nature’s instruments finely tuned.
Hoss was now positioned,
uncomfortably, under the wagon once again.
He poked his fingers around in the small round hole of the yoke and
could feel the grease coat his fingers. However,
after talking to his father, the inconveniences of fixing the wagon didn’t
bother him.
Hoss had twisted the wire he
retrieved from the barn into a workable pin.
“I’m gonna fix you up so dadburn
perfect that you’ll last for years,” Hoss said with a grin on his face as if
the wagon was listening to him. The
afternoon sweat began to slowly run down the sides of his face.
The hole in the yoke was
just barely large enough for his fingers, but he wasn’t able to look up into
the hole at the same time his fingers were there. So, all Hoss could do was feel his way into
getting the pin to fit through the loop and then he had to try and twist the
pin so it would stay in place.
‘I can just see those
precious little kids laughing while ridin’ around in
this wagon,’ Hoss couldn’t help but think about the possibilities for the
wagon. His thoughts continued, ‘My pa
sure knows how to bring up the right conversation at the right time. Yeah, this is gonna
be a great wagon.’
Hoss struggled trying to
find the loop so he could try the pin.
Finally after a few minutes, his left thumb and index finger grabbed
onto the loop. Hoss just sat there with
his body beginning to tire from being eschewed in this position. But he hung onto that little loop afraid if
he let go until he was ready to push the pin through it.
He spoke out loud to
himself, “I almost got it, wagon, you just wait. I’m gonna git it fixed and it will hold.” Hoss had that sparkle in his eyes once more
indicating his happiness.
Hoss managed to push the new
little pin he had fashioned through the loop.
Hoss knew he made success and just sat there for a moment. Victory!!!
He grinned real big being careful not to let the pin drop out. Hoss twisted the pin around the loop and he
was finally able to let go. The pin was
in place and would stay. Now he could
tell his pa that this dang old wagon was fixed.
When Adam finally reached
Mrs. Lawson was kind of a
prudish woman. She sat in her normal
stiff posture at the desk where she was working. Her reading glasses sat firmly toward the tip
of her nose. Her usual bun hairdo was the
same as it was when Adam knew her 10 years ago.
She never changed anything, even her opinions on single men. She was really a nice lady, but none of the
Cartwright clan enjoyed a conversation with her for long. She even made Ben her target for one of the
marriage prospects she picked out.
Adam hesitated in the
doorway, but then forced his foot to move forward pushing himself to the front
counter. He took a piece of paper from
his pocket and then leaned on one elbow on the counter top. As Mrs. Lawson walked over to him, she seemed
to be happy to see him.
“Adam, I’m so pleased to see
one of you Cartwrights come in today.” Adam put on a façade of being happy to see
her but, in fact, he had no plans to stay any longer than he had to.
“Oh, my dear!” Mrs. Lawson stared at Adam’s cheek as she
placed the fingertips of one of her hands near the side of her mouth. “How did you get that bruise and swelling on
your cheek? Did you run into something,
dear?” Her voice sounded a little phony,
but Adam knew she really was concerned.
Mrs. Lawson started to put her right hand out to touch the bruised area,
but Adam pulled slightly back. If he was
going to have a woman touch his face, then he had one specific woman in mind.
“Yeah, I ran into
something. Uh...I have things to tend to
this afternoon, Mrs. Lawson, or I’d love to talk.” Adam sucked in his breath as his eyes were
looking towards the counter. He didn’t
like to lie, but it was all he could think about for the time being.
Adam pulled out the draft he
had for her. His actions seemed
hurried. Sooner or later, he knew she’d
bring up the subject of marriage. As for
Mrs. Lawson she liked him, but didn’t favor him over Hoss or Joe. Unfortunately, her niece did.
“Will you do me a favor when
you see Little Joe?” her voice was as bright and as happy as it was when Adam
first came in, “He’s such a dear boy.”
She said with sincerity in her voice.
But before Adam could say anything, she was talking again.
“Please thank Joe for his
help in looking at my horse’s leg recently.
The poor thing was in such distress and I didn’t know what to do. But that little brother of yours knew just
what to do and pulled an awful rock out from the poor thing’s shoe.”
Adam was able to get a “yes,
ma’am,” in there before she interrupted and continued.
“You must be so proud of him
and I bet he’s always doing things for you.”
Adam stayed silent and
rolled his upper body over the counter top to now lean on the other elbow. He stayed focused on his business and had a
half smile on his face. Mrs. Lawson had
given him his receipt and all he could think about was getting out of
there.
“Uh, Mrs. Lawson, I really
need to go with so much to do. It was
very nice talking to you.” Adam headed
for the door without hesitation.
Mrs. Lawson called out,
“Now, you tell Joe I said thank you and you boys come over for dinner. My niece is coming for a visit.” She looked at Adam like a school marm giving an order to a student hesitant to obey, “I want
her to meet some nice young men.” She
said matter-of-factly. “Even you, Adam.”
Adam tipped his hat and
exited the door without saying another word.
Once outside, Adam shook his
head as the atmosphere in that office was just a little too thick. He then headed for the bank to deposit some
money from a cattle sale.
As he walked inside, he
could see Tom Johnson taking care of a female customer. Tom looked up and Adam nodded his head in a
greeting gesture and then stood back until Tom was finished. Adam noticed the woman wasn’t someone he had
recognized in town before today.
Tom looked like he was in a
good mood. Adam noticed the big grin on
his face. When the woman left, Tom
walked right up to Adam almost in his face.
“You should have seen your
little brother last week out in front of the bank!” Tom acted like he had just
caught a big fish and wanted to tell Adam all about it.
Adam said nothing as Tom
caught him off guard. His mouth was
partly open and his eyes fixed on Tom waiting for further explanation. Adam was now leaning against the counter of
the bank and crossed his arms over his chest.
An expression of curiosity was present on his face.
“Adam, Joe was absolutely
incredible,” Tom’s voice cracked with excitement.
“A cowboy was bothering this
pretty girl who was on her way into the bank.
Joe stepped between the girl and the cowboy and asked real polite for
the cowboy to leave the girl alone.” Tom
forgot to breathe while telling Adam this, so he stopped to gulp a quick breath.
“But the guy,” Tom giggled,
“just spat at Joe.” Now Tom was
beginning to laugh hard.
Adam stayed quiet. ‘This has got to be good,’ he thought.
Tom continued, “So, Joe
punched him once and the guy went right down to the ground. He looked at Joe and I guess he didn’t want
anymore.”
Adam interrupted, “And my
little brother kissed the girl.”
“Yeah!…no!…no!…the guy
crawled on all fours for a few feet across the road before he got up and ran
off.”
Tom kept laughing and leaned
slightly backwards, “Right there in front of the whole town, it was the girl
that kissed Joe. What a guy, your
brother!!” Tom fisted his right hand and
softly punched Adam’s shoulder.
Tom got control of his
laughter, “Adam, I bet you just love stories like this.”
Adam now had a small smirk
on his face, “Oh, they’re just like cookies.
One too many and your tooth begins to hurt,” he said dryly.
Adam finished his business
at the bank. As he left, he waved at Tom
and walked outside. Adam believed the stories
about Joe and the way they were told.
That’s the way they all were.
Helping someone out. That’s what
Ben expected from all his sons. But, how
ironic, Adam thought that he has this fight with Joe and then the town seems to
tell one story after the other bragging on him.
Adam stood on the sidewalk
near the very place where Joe confronted the cowboy. The afternoon sun was heading downward from
its peak in the sky. As he crossed the
street, he saw Roy Coffee walking fast along the wooden sidewalk where the
townspeople casually shopped. Adam
always enjoyed talking to Roy.
“Hey, Adam hold up a
moment.” Roy raised one hand to wave at
Adam. Adam was already heading in his
direction.
As soon as Roy saw Adam’s
face his smile turned to a puzzled frown.
“Adam, how’d you get that…a”
Adam responds before Roy
could finish, “Oh, I ran into something.”
Roy says that he hopes it
wasn’t Joe’s fist. Roy goes into a belly
laugh over his own comment and doesn’t realize how true that was. Adam just smiles as Roy continues.
“Adam, you should have seen
your younger brother? I was way down the
street coming back to my office when I see this confrontation in front of the
bank where a cowboy was manhandling a woman.”
Roy throws a hand onto one of Adam’s shoulders as he laughs.
Adam responds in a
monotone-like voice, “And Joe saved the day.”
“Yeah!” Roy said but gives
Adam a funny look before he continues.
“Now, I was trying to get
there fast, but before ya know it, Joe steps out of
the bank…”
Adam jumps in, “And Joe
smacks the guy and the girl kisses him.”
Roy looked puzzled, “Oh, you
hear this story already?”
“Yes, Roy, I’ve heard the
story.”
“I bet I sound long-winded,
huh, Adam?” Roy had a more serious look
on his face now and was hoping Adam wanted to hear the whole thing from him.
“No you didn’t,” said Adam
trying to reassure Roy, “but the best stories are the short ones.” Adam throws Roy a grin showing the whites of
his upper teeth.
Roy begins to laugh again, “The
girl kisses Joe right in front of everyone.
You should have seen it.” Roy
boasted. “I gotta
tell Ben this one…gotta tell Ben.”
Adam pats Roy on the back
still smiling. “I need to get going,
Roy, or I’d stay and talk.” Adam meant
what he said as he loved to talk to Roy, especially about fishing. Roy always had good fish stories.
Roy didn’t pay much attention as he was still laughing
and said one more time, “Gotta tell Ben,” while he
continued to his office.
Adam mounted Sport and
headed him towards the south part of town.
‘Weeder’s and Claire,’ Adam thought and then
he could head back home.
But before he made this
stop, Adam remembered his father telling him to go see Willis about the
men. Adam decided to do just that. This would make him feel better and make him
feel like he’s got a head start on this project.
Adam found Willis busy
working behind his desk. Willis was
softly talking to himself as he went over the names on a list he just finished
for a social event the next month.
“Willis, got a minute for
me?” Adam was happy to see that no one
else was in the office and he could get right down to business.
Willis looked up from what
he was doing, “Hey, Adam. What brings
you in here today?” Willis stayed seated
while Adam stood leaning on one hip at the head of the desk. His hands rested on his waist.
“Well, my father talked to
you one time about getting some good men hired for a large project coming up.”
“Oh yeah, the fence that
needs rebuilding. Well, I already got
eight good men that said they would be happy to work for you. You know, Adam, when it comes to hiring, the
Cartwright name brings in the good workers?”
“Good,” Adam was very
pleased to hear this, “I am curious that you remembered this.”
“To be honest, Adam, I didn’t. Although I did have my note to remind
me.” Willis picked up a piece of paper
that he had on his desk. “Joe came in
last week and asked if I had gotten started on finding some men.”
Adam looked surprised at
this statement, “Joe? He has been here
and asked you to hire the men? He never
said a word to me about it.”
“Yeah, he came in. He said your Pa had you so busy with
different things that he wanted to help you out by reminding me to start my
inquiry.”
Adam scratched his
head. He wasn’t angry with Joe at all
for initiating this, but he was curious why Joe didn’t say a word to him. Then Adam remembered that Joe tried to say
something at breakfast this morning when the subject came up. But Ben had stopped him.
“Well, that sounds good, Willis. I’m glad Joe did that. It really does help me out.”
A big smile now sat firmly on Adam’s face.
Good for Joe, he thought.
“Boy, Adam, I bet it feels
good to have a family like yours that would jump in and help when you need
them. I wouldn’t know myself, as I’m an
only child. If something needed to get
done and I couldn’t do it, then it just didn’t get done.” Willis told Adam with a little envy in his
voice. “You got a great family,
Adam.”
Adam smiled at the comment
Willis just made to him about his family.
“Gotta go, Willis. Just wanted to stop by and see how it was
going.” Willis put his hand out and
shook Adam’s hand. Adam then turned and
left and felt good with this behind him.
Adam tied Sport to the
railing in front of Weeder’s General Store, but
before going inside to do his business, he wanted to stop by the small office
two doors down. At the moment, all Adam
could think about was finally getting a chance to see Claire.
From inside the office,
Claire saw her “man in black” heading to the office door. She opened the door and met him on the wooden
sidewalk. Without saying a word, she
took his hand and led him inside and away from the windows.
Claire was about four years
younger than Adam, but her mind often worked like she was older. He found her to be interesting in many of
their conversations and she was always able to keep up with him. Claire wore her medium brown hair in soft
ringlets that hung down to the top of the collar of her dress. The softness of her hair framed her
face. She had large brown eyes topped
with long sable-colored eyelashes. Her
pale peach-colored dress trimmed in cream-colored lace and buttons seem to
compliment her skin coloring.
The first thing Adam noticed
was the office was empty of her father’s presence. But just incase her father was only in the
back room, he kept his voice down, “Hmm! Where’s your Pa? Did I get lucky?” Adam pulled her to him and wrapped his arms
around her. He figured if her Pa did pop
out of the back, he would be able to retreat his arms from this intimate
position fast enough.
Claire’s father liked Adam
very much, but he considered his office as a place for business and not a place
for a couple to openly show their affection for each other.
Claire’s Pa was a little old
fashioned and stuck by his rules.
She laughed at Adam’s
questions, “He’s not here. He had to go
to a meeting with some business associates and I don’t expect him to be back
for another hour.”
Adam showed respect for her
father and tried to obey his rules. But
he hadn’t seen her in over a week and he needed to touch and kiss her. Her eyes sparkled when he was in a teasing
mood and she teased back, “You better feel lucky when you’re with me.”
Adam smiled at her playful
threat and pulled her closer to him. He
said nothing else and made certain she couldn’t either by moving in and kissing
her. Adam told her several times that
one of his favorites things about her was that she was “kissing height” because
he barely had to bend down to meet her lips.
He gave her the kind of kiss
she loved him to give. They were always
long and passionate. When he kissed her
liked this, she could feel his heart begin to pound in his chest. The muscles in his arms felt so good around
her and gave her a secure feeling. His
strong hands with his long fingers caressed her back gently as the kiss
lingered. She felt she could be in his
embrace for hours.
Claire placed her arms up
over his muscular shoulders. She could
feel them under the softness of his shirt.
She smelt the fragrance of his sweat from the hot sun. ‘Hmmm, I love his smell.’ The moisture of his kiss was welcoming. She placed one hand on the lower back of his
head. As the kiss progressed, he could
feel her hand brush the bare skin of his neck.
It was easy for Claire to get lost in this kiss and become unaware to
her surroundings.
When the kiss was over, Adam
pulled away slowly and kept his eyes fixed on hers. She looked deep into his eyes and could see
the warmth and caring he had for her.
‘His beautiful eyes,’ she thought to herself. She was in love with the whole man, but it
was his eyes and the way light seemed to change their color that she first
noticed about him.
Adam still kept his arms around
her, but he did let go a little of his tight embrace. He wanted to give her some room so she could
lean slightly back and look at him.
Claire started to say something to him, but Adam couldn’t stand it any
longer. He needed to make up for lost time.
During the past week, he
would think of the sweet smell of her hair and the milky softness of her
hands. More than that, he just liked to
be in her presence. Now, they were together. He pulled her close to him and gave her
another passionate kiss. Once again,
Claire was lost in the moment becoming a little more excited as she was now
with her man. Adam seemed to be taking
his time and that was fine with her.
Adam finally withdrew and
let out a breath as he sighed. Both
reluctantly let go of each other and they sat down to talk.
Claire then noticed the
injury to Adam’s cheek and a little bruising around his eye. She reached up and softly placed her hand
near his cheek. “Adam, how did this
happen?” Claire’s voice reflected loving
concern. “I’ll get something for
it.” Claire tried to get up, but Adam
pulled her back down only closer to him.
“I’m O.K. It looks worst than it is,” Adam didn’t want
to talk about his injury he just wanted to visit with her.
“What happened? Did you get thrown towards a fence while
busting a horse like you did the last time?”
Claire wouldn’t quit asking him questions. Anytime Adam was hurt, even slightly, she
worried about him. He took himself
seriously when he had a task to finish.
She knew he would sometimes put safety second to completing something he
wanted to do and do right.
“Joe and I had a little
scuffle over some things this morning, but it’s nothing to worry about.” Adam figured he might as well tell her
because she would question him until he did.
Then he tried to change the subject.
However, it was Claire’s expression that told Adam this conversation
wasn’t over.
“Claire, you know that Joe
and I have had our differences in the past.
This was just another one. So,
let’s spend our time together and not worry about it.”
Adam stared at her as he
hoped she would agree and then he leaned forward. He thought that maybe another kiss would help
move the conversation to a different subject.
He was wrong.
Claire pulled away from him,
“No, Adam, I want to talk about this.
What have you and Joe got to fight about? You and he usually get along.” Claire still had her lawyer look on her face
waiting for Adam to answer.
“Just over ranching
stuff. I wasn’t in the best of moods
this morning, Joe said something that I took offense to, and eventually it led
to us getting into a fight. That’s
all.” Adam said trying to blow this
whole thing off.
“That’s all!! Adam, this is one of your brothers. Were you trying to be too much of a big
brother again?” Claire was tough as she
sat up a little straighter and looked directly into his eyes. Claire was very sweet and very much a lady,
but she could take Adam on when she wanted to and he knew it.
“Well, I didn’t think so,
but I guess Joe did. You’re beginning to
sound like my father. Isn’t anyone on my
side?” Adam declared.
“Adam, we’re all on your
side. And I’m sure that I would agree
with you if I knew the whole story. But
it’s just that I hate it when you get into it with one of your brothers. You’re such a close and good family.” Claire had a pleading sound in her voice
wanting Adam to assure her that everything really was all right.
“Hey, Joe and I will be just
fine. You know that. I have to admit it has been rather odd that I
have this fight with Joe this morning and while in town today all I hear is
what a great guy Joe is.”
“Joe is great. And so are you. Do something, Adam, when you get home to make
up to Joe…please? “ Claire leaned closer
to Adam. She wasn’t playing games and he
knew it. She was sincere in her
intensions and cared about him and his entire family.
He tried hard not to look
directly into her eyes. That was the
real killer for him. She knew just how
to look at him to soften him. “Claire? Have you ever thought about becoming Virginia
City’s first female lawyer?”
“I would never want to be a
lawyer in this town. I’d wind up with
you as my constant client.” Claire
giggled.
For the first time today,
Adam was in a real good mood and he was having fun.
“Hmmm, I think I’ll make my
first payment,” with that, Adam bent forward to meet her lips once more. He heard her sigh while he kissed her. This kiss was short, but he knew it would
keep him in her good graces.
The two of them then spent
the rest of their time talking about things that involved them and no one
else. They laughed, made some plans for
the week ahead, and held hands.
Faster than Adam or Claire
wanted, it was time for him to go and finish his business in town. Her father would be returning to the office
and Adam wanted one more kiss. Adam
stood up and pulled Claire up with him.
He finally pulled away from her and she watched him until he disappeared
into Weeder’s store.
Mr. Weeder
was busy with his work when Adam entered.
Mr. Weeder had some items in his arms as he
greeted one of his favorite customers.
“Adam! It’s been a while
since I’ve seen you. You married, yet?”
Mr. Weeder laughed and Adam knew he was only
teasing. “Nope…Mrs. Lawson still hasn’t
succeeded.” Adam didn’t say a word about
Claire.
“I came in to pay the bill
for feed we bought this month.” Adam
took his hat off and set it down next to him.
Adam had written the supplies and equipment that would be needed for the
fencing job on a piece of paper and handed it to Mr. Weeder.
Mr. Weeder
put the large pile of merchandise down and took the piece of paper from
Adam. He then retrieved a pencil from
behind his left ear to write down the rest of Adam’s order, “Oh, Adam. When you see Joe…”
Adam smiled and interrupted,
“I know, I know, tell him thanks for whatever he did.”
“No,” Mr. Weeder says, “Just let him know that I need him to come in
and look at this knife that came in.
It’s a little better than what he wanted and he might prefer it over the
other one.”
Adam gestured with his mouth
a silent “Oh!” as he assured Mr. Weeder he would tell
Joe. Then Adam actually spoke with a
joking sound in his voice, “You’re sure that you don’t want me to thank Joe for
something?”
“No but I would like Joe to
stop by the Baker farm on his way to see this knife. If he wouldn’t mind, I need him to bring me
back my two big hammers. I figured since
it would be on his way. You think you
can convince Joe to do that for me?”
“Well, the easiest thing to
convince Joe of is that he’s overworked, but I will tell him.”
“Thank you, Adam. I don’t mind lending some equipment out now
and then, but it can cost me if I don’t get it back.”
“Yeah, none of us like it
when our things aren’t returned to us after we were generous with someone.”
Mr. Weeder
responded scratching his head with his pencil, “I know there’s bigger things in
life than money, but when you own a store and you’re feeding’ four mouths, it’s
hard to remember what that is.”
“Well, with some people,
instead of giving out much needed equipment, it’s better to just give them
advice on how to get what they need.”
Adam smiled and thought that was good advice in itself.
Mr. Weeder
thought of his wife, “The Mrs. says that if you give advice and then never see
them again, then the advice was worth giving.”
Mr. Weeder laughed at his own comment. “You get it, Adam?
Adam’s smile turned into a
small laugh. He had a lot of respect for
Mrs. Weeder.
She was a very wise and educated woman.
She even had some knowledge about architecture and the two of them had
some enjoyable conversations when he stopped by and she was minding the
store. Her father had been an architect
back East while she grew up and she learned some things from him.
It was time to leave, so
Adam stood up, put his hat on with the front of it low on his forehead, and
walked over to the counter. He took an
orange piece of candy out of the jar on the counter and flipped Mr. Weeder a coin to pay for it. Adam then popped the candy into his mouth and
waved a good-bye to Mr. Weeder.
“Now, Adam, don’t forget to
ask Joe to pick up my hammers. I’d be
grateful.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll get them
back to you.” Adam then exited the door
and walked to Sport to begin his journey home.
Just as Adam put his left
foot into the stirrup, he heard his name being called. He stopped to see who it was.
It was still light, but the
sun was below the outline of the roof of the house. Joe finished the horses. He was pleased with the shoeing and he could
tell his father that the horses were ready for ranching duties.
Joe leaned on the railing of
the corral just outside the barn where he had been working all day. His chin sat on top of his crossed arms that rested
on top of the railing.
‘A good night’s sleep will
feel great after a day like today,’ Joe thought to himself. He closed his eyes and felt a gentle breeze
flow around his face cooling him off and drying some of the sweat he had
produced. The sweat from this afternoon
was more from working than the tension he felt earlier after his confrontation
with Adam.
‘Adam,’ Joe thought as he
opened his eyes and thought of his brother.
They had been very angry at each other earlier, but Joe couldn’t help worry
if Adam was all right. A couple of times
while working in the warm barn, Joe felt a little dizzy from his injuries. He wondered if Adam would experience the same
thing. Joe knew he had hit Adam pretty
hard.
Joe thought about how
different he and Adam are in a lot of ways, yet similar in some. Both cared about the Ponderosa and its
future. They were just different in
their approaches to it.
He knew Adam sometimes
thought he wasn’t serious in his responsibilities, but Joe just felt his attitude
was only his viewpoint on life. He
enjoyed it. He loved his family. His playfulness was how he tried to handle
the stress that can come from the hard work they all had to do to make the
Ponderosa what it was.
Joe saw a small rag hanging
over the pump of the water trough nearby.
He grabbed it and wet it in the water.
Then Joe sat down on the edge of the trough while he wiped the dried
sweat from his neck and face. With the
breeze blowing on him, this felt good and cooled him off fast.
Joe kept thinking while he
would rewet the rag to use it again. ‘I
wonder how angry Adam’s gonna get when he finds out I
went to Willis to get some hands hired,’ Joe stared into the rag as he thought
about this. He really didn’t want any
more fights with Adam and worried how this would be taken.
Joe smiled thinking about
how he has enjoyed a good fight in the Silver Dollar Saloon. That was a challenge. But he never felt a challenge or victory with
his brothers. Given a choice, he’d
rather fight with them and not against them.
But as the little brother, the youngest of the family, both his brothers
needed to know that he could handle any challenge that came to him. He would give them as much love as he could,
but he’d never walk in their shadow.
Joe stood up and put the wet
rag back where he found it. He slowly
walked towards the front door of the house.
He had thoughts about what might happen later when Adam came home, ‘What
am I gonna say to him? How’s he gonna talk
to me?’
The only thing Joe was sure
of was that he was going to try and help Adam understand his intentions
better. It seemed like Pa and Hoss did
and Adam was just as much a part of his family.
He wanted Adam to understand that both of them were really on the same
side when it came to the Ponderosa. Joe
reached the front door and walked inside.
It was a few hours
later. Like a blanket covering a child
and bringing comfort, darkness was upon the Ponderosa.
Where was Adam? Was he hurt and laying somewhere? Did he just get into a long conversation with
someone? He should have been home by
now. Everyone was worried.
Ben walked out of the house
where Joe was now standing on the edge of the porch. The flavors of Hop-Sing’s
dinner could be smelled all the way to where Joe was standing, but he didn’t
seem to notice. Ben could see Joe
watching into the darkness anxiously waiting for Adam to come home.
Joe momentarily turned
towards Ben and said, “Pa, you think something could have happened to Adam?”
“I don’t know, son. He should have been back by now. I didn’t give him that many things to
do.” The frown lines on Ben’s forehead
deepened slightly as he, also, stared into the darkness.
They were silent as their
ears strained a little to try and hear the sound of hooves beating on the dirt
path. If only they could hear this
sound, then Adam would appear around the corner of the barn.
Ben turned and looked at Joe
who didn’t see his pa looking at him.
Ben gazed at the bruising on Joe’s right cheekbone. He couldn’t help but notice the expression of
great concern Joe had on his face. He
could even see Joe’s chest rising and falling a little faster than usual
indicating how worried Joe really was.
Only a few hours ago, Joe
and his brother were really going at each other. Ben knew that although his boys would fight
and argue with each other, when one might be in danger, the others would worry
themselves sick until the missing brother was safe.
Inside the house at his
place at the table, Hoss was sitting there trying to be patient. He was just as worried about something
happening to Adam as his pa and Joe.
Maybe none of them would be as worried as they were if Adam hadn’t been
hurt in the fight. He only waited inside
in case Joe wanted to talk to Ben alone while they waited for Adam.
Hop Sing was going back and
forth from the kitchen to the table still setting out the night’s dinner. He wasn’t complaining as he does when someone
is late. He, too, was quite worried
about Adam not home yet.
Back out on the porch, Ben
and Joe were still trying to be patient and wait. Then Joe turned to his father and said in a
very determined voice, “Pa, if Adam doesn’t get home in about five minutes, I’m
saddling up and going after him.”
Ben kept his eyes on the
path beside the barn waiting for the sight of Adam as he answered Joe back,
“And I’m going with you, son. If I can
wait another five minutes.”
Right after Ben’s words,
that familiar sound of hooves pounding the ground and getting louder and nearer
made both Ben and Joe smile. Joe took a
deep breath of relief. As Adam rounded
the corner with a look of concern on his face, neither Ben nor Joe noticed. They were too happy to see him and he looked
just fine.
Adam dismounted Sport at the
same time Hoss came out the front door.
“Pa, I’m sorry I took so long.
I’m sorry I’m late.” Adam walked
a few steps forward his brothers and Ben.
“It’s all right, Adam. We’re glad you’re home. Bed your horse down and I’ll make sure Hop
Sing has everything ready when you get inside the house.” Ben now had a big grin on his face and any
looks of concern and worry were totally gone.
Ben and Hoss turned towards the front door to go into the house.
Even Joe’s expression
changed to match his father’s. “Pa, I’m gonna help Adam.”
Joe hurried after Adam to follow him into the barn.
Joe had a big smile on his
face, but it had a little nervousness in it.
He didn’t know what kind of reaction Adam was going to have towards
him. The last time he thought Adam’s
anger had subsided, he was wrong.
“Hey, big brother. Thought maybe you found yourself a pretty
woman and wasn’t coming home.” Joe was
half teasing because he really didn’t know what to say to his brother. Joe stood there with his hands behind his back
and a thumb stuck down into each back pocket.
Adam turned his head towards
his brother to reply, “No, Joe. Besides,
all the pretty women would rather have dinner with you.” Adam smiled while he removed the saddle and
flung it over the rail of the stall.
Adam’s smile was bigger than
Joe’s. Joe noticed there were no
sarcastic signs or anger in Adam’s smile.
His words were soft and not hard or sharp as they were earlier. Adam seemed to be happy that Joe was
there. That made Joe relax and glad he
followed his brother into the barn.
“Adam…I want to apologize to
you for anything I said.” Joe’s smile
lessened and he was looking at Adam more seriously now.
“Joe, you have nothing to
apologize for. We’ve had our differences
and we’ve always settled them.” Adam
talked to Joe without looking in Joe’s direction. He was busy rubbing Sport down for the
night.
“Well, I guess none of us is
perfect.” Joe said with a little nervous
chuckle in his voice.
Adam gave Joe a pleasant
look, “No, Joe, none of us are.” Then
Adam’s voice had a little teasing in it, “You’ve made quite an impression on
some people in town.” Adam’s comment caused Joe to look puzzled.
“Me? What did I…oh, the cowboy and the girl?” Joe said with a shy, but pleased look on his
face.
“Yeah, the cowboy and the
girl…and the kiss. Oh, and Mrs. Lawson,
in her words not mine, said that you were a dear boy for taking care of her
horse’s leg.” Joe closed his eyes as if
he were in pain at the sound of Mrs. Lawson’s name.
“I hope she didn’t invite us
over to her house. She told me that her
niece was coming to visit.” Joe still
had that look on his face, but now had his hands on his hips.
“Sorry, little brother, but
she thinks that you and Hoss are fine boys,” Adam chuckled, “don’t worry, I got
invited, too. Anyway, someone’s got to
tag along and make sure you two aren’t hog-tied and wind up with Mrs. Lawson as
an in-law.”
Joe and Adam both
laughed. Adam gave Joe the message from
Mr. Weeder about the knife and asked him to pick up a
couple of hammers on his way into town.
Then Adam remembered. “I saw
Willis today and he told me that you asked him to hire the men for the fence
project.” Adam looked at Joe waiting for
Joe to respond.
Joe felt a little uneasy at
the thought that Adam might think he was trying to do Adam’s job. “Yeah, I did, Adam. I wasn’t trying to do your work. I…”
Adam interrupted him and
knew that Joe felt uneasy. Adam walked
closer to Joe and faced him, “Thanks Joe, for stepping in. It’s been something I’ve been worried
about. It’s a big project. I’ve ordered some supplies and equipment, so
we’ve got a good head start now.”
“It wasn’t something I
planned,” Joe still wanted to explain to Adam, “I was just in town and saw his
office, so I stopped in to talk to him.”
Joe’s voice was soft and he looked directly into Adam’s eyes. Joe was trying to downplay what he did.
“So what’s family for?” Adam said, “Hey. I was thinking that if you and
I get some men next week and go over to that small grove of trees near Pine
Meadows, we could get some railings cut.
Pa said that he would listen to me then.”
“He will, Adam, and I’d be
glad to help.” Joe fought back his over
excitement that his brother asked him to help.
They were going to be a team and Joe welcomed it.
Adam put his hands on Joe’s
shoulders and turned him around towards the door, “Let’s go. I’m hungry.
I plan to out eat Hoss tonight.”
Halfway across the yard,
Adam teased Joe, “Hey Joe! You get the
horses shod?”
Joe teased back, “Yeah,
brother, I used Joe’s scientific method and it worked.” Both laughed now at a subject that didn’t
seem to be that important.
As soon as they got through
the front door, both could feel the warmth of the fireplace and the smell of
that special chicken Hop Sing makes.
Adam’s ride was a long one and the smell of dinner made his mouth
water. Each brother took their place at
the table as Hoss’ blue eyes sparkled at the sight of his two brothers having a
good time.
Ben was feeling real
good. There were his boys. They were safe and obviously, very
happy. He couldn’t help but think that
although he and God knew his boys weren’t perfect, in many ways, they
were. He listened to their conversation
while he uncorked the wine and poured each a glass. Then he sat down to enjoy their company.
Adam was telling Hoss and
Joe about Marilee. That’s what made Adam
so late getting home. He ran into her
when he was leaving town and just couldn’t get away from her. Marilee was pretty, but she was even younger
than Joe. Adam wasn’t interested in her
no matter what her age was. Claire was
his lady.
Every time Marilee would see
Adam in town, she would chase after him and engage him in conversation. Adam was telling his brothers how he would
try to talk to her and be polite until she would turn the conversation towards
him asking her out. Hoss and Joe made
little comments back to Adam about how he could get away from her. Between the suggestions the brothers would
make, they would all laugh together.
“Hoss and I were talking
earlier, boys,” Ben broke into the conversation changing the subject, “All
three of you know why I favor the wagon that Hoss was working on today. And you know how much I enjoyed having the
Cranes as neighbors and friends.”
Ben had his boys’
attention. Hoss had a pleased look on
his face and Adam and Joe looked curious.
After all, the conversation went from women directly to the wagon.
Ben continued, “Hoss and I
both agreed that this old wagon was still worthy of being used, but not in
ranch work. So, I am suggesting that we
all find a day to fix up the sides, paint it, and make it worthy of giving it
to the orphanage that’s in Washoe Valley. The orphanage was asking for some things to
help with the children and the last time Joe was there, he mentioned that he
thought they could use a wagon. So, why
not this one?”
Ben paused to see what Joe
and Adam thought. Both had an expression
of approval on their faces. Joe was the
first of the two to agree. Adam agreed,
but with a question, “Why this wagon, Pa, and not one of our better ones.”
“Because, son, this wagon
was given to us by the Cranes. They
always wanted to have children and never could.
Yet, instead of living in sorrow over this, they always gave gifts and
toys to many of the needy children in the area while they were living.“ Ben’s expression was reflecting on a memory
of the days when the Cranes were still living.
“I can even remember Mrs. Crane bringing you boys cookies every
Saturday.”
Hoss responded with a big
smile, “Yeah, it didn’t seem to matter how old we were, huh, Pa? Even as we were growing into men, she’d bring
those cookies.”
“Then let’s find some time
and do a real good job. Giving the
orphanage the wagon would be like the Cranes were still doing what they loved
to do…taking care of children.”
All of them expressed a
supportive nod.
Then Adam spoke up. “Pa, Joe and I were talking and next week
we’d like to take some men and make some new railings for the fencing
job.” Adam waited to see what kind of a
reaction he would get from this father this evening.
Ben looked at Joe and then
at Adam, “I think you and Joe taking that on would be an excellent idea. The men we have now should be enough to help
with that and then we’ll get more to finish the entire project.” Ben gave Adam a quick wink and Adam knew his
father approved of his picking Joe to help him.
Before the boys could start
another conversation, Ben raised his glass of wine up for a toast. “Boys!”
His sons picked up their glasses and joined him. “I toast all of you and your hard work that
makes the Ponderosa grander than any other place.” All three boys made a comment of
agreement.
Joe made sure he took his
pieces of chicken before Hoss and Adam had a chance to get to the platter. He slightly leaned across the table to get a
steady hand on the bowl of mashed potatoes.
As he did so, the left side of his back faced Hoss. This put him in a position once more where
Hoss took an advantage of it. When Joe
wasn’t looking, Hoss took a chicken leg from Joe’s plate to his. When Joe noticed, he didn’t protest, but his
usual giggle was heard throughout the house.