BY
Bernadette crespin
At the Ponderosa Ranch, the biggest ranch in all the
While some cowboys were taking a herd of head of cattle to pasture, others
were
repairing the wire fence or keeping an eye on the water troughs As the cattle
was enduring a long period of drought , the cowboys had to
get water from the
river and carry it to fill the water troughs.
More cowboys were needed, so the
Cartwrights had to hire temporary workers at
this time of the year.
Ben
Cartwright , the owner and his two oldest sons: the handsome
Adam and the kind Hoss were working as much as their workers,
slogging their
guts out. Little Joe, the most
temperamental as well as the dearest member of the
family had gone to the city to hire some cowboys.
His two brothers were
nagging.
" Little Joe is the
luckiest" Said Hoss angrily. "Heīll listen to me when he comes
back."
" Youīre
saying that because he made fun of us when Pa sent him to
Answered Adam calmly.
" Of course!!!. Didnīt you listen to him ... how he was laughing
at us. Daddyīs boy
got on his fast horse and headed
towards the town to hire some cowboys. I bet you
heīll go straight to the canteen to get some beer."
" Youīre
absolutely right, But a big surprise
will be awaiting for him." Added Hoss,
who was willing to play a joke on
his youngest brother.
Ben listened to his two sons and
smiled. He knew that Hoss would mock
Little Joe. Ben had never interfered in his sons ī jokes
or discussions unless
some events could have posed a grave
threat to his sonsī friendship.He had
always taught them to love, respect,
and defend each other.
Suddenly Adam heard that a horse was getting closer and he
raised his
head. His smile vanished the moment he took a glimpse
at Little Joeīs
green jacket.. The young man had not
been away for more than half an hour. And
now he was back home, and yelling.
" Pa! Pa! Hoss!
Adam!"
" Whatīs
up? Iīm sure that something terrible had happened. If not, Little Joe
would not have come back so
quickly" Said Adam getting closer to the wire fence
which separated the road from the
prairie.
" I bet you...." Added Hoss.
" Whatīs
going on ,son" Ben asked Little Joe
who bridled his beautiful pinto horse
Cochise.
" I met Roy and his men on my
way to town. They were going to the Olsenīs
ranch"
" What happened?" Asked
Ben worried.
I donīt
know.... but according to
" Hurry up, boys. "
Ordered Ben to his sons.
The three of them got on their
horses and rode with Little Joe towards the Olsenīs
ranch.
Only smoke and desolation could be seen when they
got to the Olsenīs house. Roy the kind and fair sheriff, who had
fulfilled his duty
with utmost honesty for so many years in
to Ben and his boys, was standing
beside his men, who were taking the remains of
two burned bodies covered by a
canvas. When
Benīs horse . The Ponderosaīs owner got off his
horse quickly and tried to draw
near the bodies.But
their horses as well, Sport and
Chubb, didnīt allow their father to see those mortal
remains.
" No, please, Ben... Itīs not
worth it. " said
anything for the Olsens,
but something can be done for their granddaughter.
" What happened to Julie"
Asked Ben heart-broken.
" We donīt
know yet. Until now... thanks God, we havenīt found
her body yet."
Answered
" Any clues?" Asked Ben.
" It seems that Mr. and Mrs. Olsen were attacked by a gang of
outlaws. I think that
the Olsens
made an attempt to resist the attackers so,
they were killed. The
horsess tracks canīt be any other explanation. ...
and they kidnapped Julie. They
are going to
" Iīll
take a look " said Hoss who was a horsesī tracks
specialist.
His two brothers accompanied him.
turned round , looked at Ben and
muttered:
" This is dreadful. I know what
they meant to you....Ben. We have to pray God to
find Julie safe and
sound."
" Youīre
right... How did you find out?" Asked Ben.
"John Matthews was coming back
from his prairies when he saw the fire.... so, he
sent one of his men to let me know,
I gathered some men and we came as soon
as we could. Thatīs when I met
Joe. Matthews and his sons put out the fire.
Fortunately their cowboys helped them as well. If not, it
could have been
Impossible. They had to do it
quickly before it got to the prairies.
" There come the boys"
Said Ben and looked at his three handsome sons.
Ben and Roy walked towards the boys.
" What did you find. " Asked Ben with anguish, looking
at Hoss who
was the one
who . could understand horsesī
tracks and who had never got mistaken.
" They are going to
" So, why havenīt
you gone after them? Asked
" We just wanted to tell you
first. Besides, we need two or three men....we might
come across the outlaws.."
"It could be easier to get
Julie." Added Adam.
stagecoach station.
Ben went to
reverend.
Ben
Cartwright was in grief. His friendsī death as well as
Julieīs disappearance. had broken his heart. He couldnīt
believe that man could
be so evil. He loved Julie like a daughter and his three sons loved her
like a
sister.
Julie was a very kind, sweet beautiful young woman. She loved to visit the
Cartwrights because she had always felt at
ease there. She loved to laugh
or to play checkers with Hoss and Little Joe and to talk about Art and Music
with Adam. Adam and Little Joe had
escorted her when she went to her first
party. Hop-Sin, the faithful Chinese
cook, had taught her some of his peculiar
culinary secrets. Julie promised him
that she would never reveal those secrets
to
a soul. Hoss had taught her how to ride on a
horse. As a matter of fact, she
was an excellent horsewoman. She was
the pride of her grandparents. Although
she loved the rural life she was a
perfect housekeeper. Anyhow she preferred
to go out with her grandfather than
to stay at home and embroider or sew with
her grandmother. She had lived with
her grandparents since her parents accident.
The Olsens couldnīt stand when
their only son left them and went to the city.
Then the young man married to a
beautiful girl. When Julie was born, her parents
took her to the ranch. Shortly after, the young couple died
at a stage
coach accident leaving the baby with
their grandparents. So, this young woman
grew up surrounded by love and
friendship.
Ben was thinking about Julieīs life when Hop-Sin offered him a cup of coffee.
Ben had just come back from
" Mr. Cartright,
please, donīt you worry... Julie is coming
back."
" I hope so... Hop Sin... I
hope so... Iīm so worried about her whereabouts and
about those outlaws. How can they
treat her?.. you know, she is a very attractive
young woman.... besides, she is so naive.... I donīt know .... those outlaws can
do her harm... you see what I
mean... "
Of course. Mr. Cartwright. ... But
please, donīt you think about bad things."
Somebody knocked on the door. Ben
left his cup of coffee , and stood up. Hop-
Sin
wiped up his tears and opened the
door.Roy Coffee was standing still
" Hi, Ben... Havenīt the boys come back yet?"
" Not yet... It worries me... itīs growing dark. Did you find anything else about the
murder? Do you have any clues?"
" No, nothing at all."
" Well, we must wait for the
boys. Do you want to drink something? A bit of
sherry?"
" Of course!"
" Hop- Sin!"
"Yes, Mr. Cartwright. Here I am
with a glass of sherry."
" Oh! Thank you so much,
Hop-Sin "Added the sheriff from
are extremely fast."
" Iīm
always alert on Mr. Cartwrightīs requests."
Answered Hop-Sin smiling and
bringing a tray with the sherry.
The
boys and the Coffee men returned almost for supper. Hoss
told
Ben what he had found out. The
horsesī tracks were clearly seen up to a certain
point one mile before the stagecoach
station, then they disappeared and were
seen
again on the road to
watchman for several minutes but
unfortunately, the man hadnīt seen anything
unusual.
" So, what do you think about
this?" Asked Ben to his son.
" Look, Dad... I think that a
cowboy went close to
back."
" Just only one cowboy?"
Asked Ben with surprise.
" We only saw one horseīs tracks and
they are new."
" This canīt
be true" Added Ben. " An outlaw always tries to escape.... he doesnīT
want to be caught."
" Well. An outlaw always goes
back to the place where he committed a crime."
" Yes, youīre
right. But... this is very weird. " Said Ben. " and you? Adam
What do you think?"
" I think that somebody knew or
guessed that the sheriff was going to go after him,
so this person gave the sheriff the
slip by changing his way."
" Where do you think that they
are now?" Asked
the conversation.
" I canīt
tell you that" Replied Hoss. " But I think that the outlaws are in this
area"
" Thatīs
too weird, Hoss!. They must have gone somewhere else,
I donīt know...
they might be close to
Ben
" We were talking about that
." Said Adam. " According to the horsesī tracks
they are not going to the places you
mentioned. I agree with Hoss. ... They are in
the surrounding area."
" But... where then!"
Exclaimed Ben very upset.
" Thatīs
what I īll find out. Before going back to Virginia
City Iīll stop
at the
Matthewsī and Iīll ask them
if they have seen something peculiar.."
" Iīll
go with you." Said Ben in anguish.
" Youīd
better stay here" Said Adam addressing his father." Iīll go with you, Roy."
" Iīll
go too." Said Little Joe rashly.
Roy and the Cartwright boys headed
towards the Matthewsī ranch.
Hoss and his father stayed at the Ponderosa waiting for Adam and Little Joeīs
return. Ben had a mixture of anxiety
and grief. He couldnīt believe what had
happened to that family and what
could happen to that poor young woman. He
started thinking about the horsesī
tracks, something was missing. Hoss knew that
an outlaw never stayed close to the
scene of the crime. He drank a soft drink and
interrupted this fatherīs
thoughts.
" Pa, ... I think that they are
still in the surrounding area. I canīt figure out why
we
have seen only one horse..."
" That only one man attacked
the Olsens... that īs ridiculous! Exclaimed Ben,
nervously.
" Of course, not!"
Answered Hoss calmly. " One man went near
because he wanted to give us the
slip."
" So... Hoss...
where can they be?
" Near the Ponderosa or the Olsenīs ranch... or the Matthewsī"
"They are our closest neighbors
.... and the Olsens... because the Wilsonīs ranch
is far away from here. ... close to
" Youīre
right."
They were in silence for a while.
The two men shared the same thoughts. They
were sure that the outlaws were
hidden in any of these ranches.
to get too close to the Matthewsī
house because he didnīt want to scare the
Matthewsī family. John Matthews
had two sons.,
knew that the two boys loved alcohol, fights and women.
several times because they had
destroyed the canteen, hit their
opponents with
extreme brutality and harassed prostitutes or ordinary women in
City. When the two boys were sober they loved to
work in the ranch and run
their fatherīs
lands with utmost care. They lost their mother when they were just
babies. Their mother was a very
beautiful lady who died when her daughter was
born. John Matthews had put the
blame on the poor child who was given to an aunt
in
time, rightly or wrongly, nagging
and cursing his two sons. As a matter of fact,
Matthews wanted nothing to do with
them.
Unfortunately these two boys hadnīt had a father. Almost every night , Matthews
locked himself in his room and
started drinking. But this night, Matthews and his
two sons were sober. They were
having a talk when Roy and the Cartwrights
knocked on the door.
John Matthews opened the door and
looked at them with astonishment.
" What are you doing here? At
this time?"
" We just want to talk to you
for a while." Said Adam. "Can we come in?"
" Well... the boys and I are
going to bed..... weīll have a hard day
tomorrow."
" Itīs
just a minute. " Insisted Adam.
" What do you want to talk
about?" Asked Matthews nervously.
" We want to talk about what
happened today at the Olsenīs ranch." Answered
" Itīs
OK... come on in."
Adam and Little Joe stepped into the
room. The three men took their hats off
and walked towards
" Whatīs
going on?" Asked
" We came here... because we
want to ask you a few questions" answered
" Itīs
about what you saw... We are looking for the
murderers .... and
Julie... John, you were the first
who saw the fire, werenīt you?"
" Thatīs
right. But it was too late. I couldnīt do anything at
all.
" So, what did you do when you
saw the fire?"Asked Little Joe.
" I looked for the boys and my
men." Answered Matthews.
" Didnīt
you see anything strange.... nothing
suspicious.... " Asked Little Joe
insistently.
" Absolutely not. The house was
burning. We just put out the fire as fast as we
could.... With that heat even the
Ponderosa could have been burned..."
" None of you saw something
weird. " Asked Adam to the Matthews.
" No... Adam.... nothing at
all." Answered
" How can you dare to ask us so
many questions?" Asked Sam, the youngest
brother.
" The thing is... we haventīt found Julie. " Answered Little Joe." Besides, we
want to catch the outlaws."
" Can we talk to your men,
please? Asked
" Of course. Follow me,
sheriff."
Roy and the Cartwrights
walked behind Matthews towards the house where
the foreman and the cowboys were
sleeping.
but nothing new was found. They said
goodbye to the Matthews and got on their
horses. Roy and his men went back to
returned to the Ponderosa.
Once at home, they sat at the dinner table and told Ben
and Hoss
what had happened at the Matthewsī ranch.
Adam and Little Joe had noticed that
John Matthews and his two sons looked
nervous and upset because they had to answer so many
questions. Suddenly,
Little Joe remembered an event which
happened to Julie
" A few months ago.... at the Wilsonīs party. It was for Margaretīs
birthday, Sam
was drunk .... and wanted to dance with Julie..... I think that he
wanted
something else... and then..."
" You intervened when he tried
to kiss her, you pushed him ...and there was a
fight." Added Adam as calm as
usual.
" Yeah, we started
fighting...."
" And... it wasnīt
the first time" said Hoss. Sam has always wanted to court Lucy
but you have always been in the
middle. By the way.. Do you like Lucy? "Asked
Hoss smiling.
" Of course not!"
exclaimed Little Joe. " Sheīs a friend.... a sister. "
answered Ben īs youngest son. "
Sheīs a sister for you too.
" Do you think that Sam
Matthews has something to do in this matter? Asked
Ben to his sons.
" After our visit to the
Matthews and ... taking into account
what Little Joe had said
I am convinced that he knows
something. I think that they are hiding something,
... they saw something and ... they donīt want to say a word about it."
" They might be threatened by
those outlaws." Said Hoss.
" I donīt
think so." Said Adam. They are hiding something, they have to do with
the Olsens
... and Julieīs desappearance."
" Adam! I īve
known John for ages. I canīt deny you that they arenīt my cup
of tea. ... but I canīt believe that they can be so wicked." Exclaimed
Ben to
his oldest son.
" To be honest.... I donīt know what to tell you
Matthewsī ranch tomorrow morning
just to see if everything is going well."
" Iīll
go with you" Said Joe enthusiastically.
" No, son." Said Ben. Adam
must go alone. Hoss and you will come with me
Weīll go to the Olsenīs ranch. I want to take a
look, I might find some clues."
" But
was burned away to nothing.
Besides.... it ī ll hurt you.
" It doesnīt
matter. We must find Julie alive as soon as we can. Itīs
essential.
And tomorrow... I want to see you
all at church for the funeral."
When dinner was over, they stayed at
the table and talked about Julie Olsen
and her two ill-fated grandparents.
Then, they went to the living -room and
had some liquor. Ben and Adam werenīt in the mood for playing chess or
checkers. They were too worried to
read a good book. They were all in
anguish over their missing friend.
The
following day
the neighboring sheriffs when Ben
and Adam stepped into his office. They
just wanted to see
dressed, they looked extremely worn out. When
them with a smile. Then he lowered
his voice and said to them.
" These telegrams show that
neither a robbery nor a crime was committed in
a young woman similar to Julie
Olsen."
" So,...What conclusions did
you come to?" Asked Ben .
" The people who killed the Olsens and kidnapped Julie are not far away from here.
Itīs so strange... Not a soul saw an outsider before or after the
crime."
" What do you mean by that,
" I donīt
want to be mistaken but I think that the people who committed this
and kidnapped Julie live in this
area."
" Unless some outsiders had passed by ... and werenīt
seen ...."Said Ben.
" I canīt
assure you that. But I donīt think so." Added
" I have been prowling around the Matthews ī ranch but
I havenīt
noticed anything
weird. At least up to now... anyway I īll be keep an eye on that matter. Pa, Hoss
and Little Joe havenīt
noticed anything strange at the Olsenīs ranch either,Said
Adam.
" Why do you distrust the
Matthews? " Asked the sheriff to Ben
Cartwrightīs oldest son.
" I donīt
have the faintest idea.... yet. All of us think that they are hiding something.
Only the Matthews put out the fire.
Besides.... didnīt you see their reaction last
night? The Matthews didnt like when we asked them some many questions."
" Youīre
right. I remember that they looked pretty upset. Anyway.... Adam nobody
is guilty for putting out a fire. On
the contrary... once a criminal commits a crime,
leaves the scene of the crime as
quickly as he can."
" Of course,
have happened between Sam and Julie
Olsen lately. Last night, Little Joe
reminded us of a fight he had with
Sam at a party because Sam was harassing
Julie."
" Yeah, Iīve
heard something about that fight. I donīt believe
that that event
could have led to such a
nightmare!."
" Iīll
think about this fact afterwards" Said
What about your two sons? "
Asked
" They are waiting for us,
there." Answered Ben heading towards the
sheriffīs office door. He was followed by Adam and Coffee.
Not only the Cartwrights and Roy went to the Olsenīs
service but also many people from
Julie and her grandparents. The
reverend appraised their charitable deeds and
Christian ideals . John Matthews
went to the service alone, his two sons
werenīt there. This fact surprised Ben and his sons. Everybody was in
distressed. So, the revered asked everybody to pray for Julieīs
return. After
the service many people went to the
to their dear friends.
When leaving the cemetery, Ben approached Matthews
and asked him about his
two sons.
" Itīs
so strange that your two sons arenīt here..... under
the circumstances..."
Said Ben.
" They have too much work at
the ranch." Answered Matthews a little nervous.
" But you have many cowboys at
the ranch.... besides I know that Sam is fond
of Julie."
" Matthews hesitated for a few
seconds as he didnīt
know what to say. While
getting on his horse he told the
owner of the Ponderosa that he was not a
meddlesome old man. Without awaiting
for an answer he galloped to his
ranch.
" Iīll
follow him." Said Adam who was very
determined to find out Julieīs
whereabouts. " If Iīm not back for supper, go to the Matthewsī."
" Weīll
go with you right now." Answered Little Joe sharply.
" No, Joe!" Shouted Ben to
his youngest son. We canīt go with him It īll
be stupid. Matthews will realize and
we wonīt find anything. Weīll
do what
Adam wants.... so... Weīll go back home."
" But....
" Wait a minute... young
man." Said Hoss. " Adam is big enough not
to be
caught...weīll
be a nuisance."
" But ... we have solved so many problems together! Exclaimed Little
Joe.
" Not this time. So, letīs go home and no more discussions about this
subject." Ordered Ben to this
sons.
When
getting closer to his ranch, Matthews made a detour,
took a path to the hill and headed
towards the woods. Adam got off
his horse and had to duck to get into the woods. Matthews got off his
horse and
opened the door of a shack. Adam didnīt dare to move because he didnīt
want to be seen, so , he stood still
waiting to see what was going to happen.
After an hour, Matthews left the
shack, got on his horse and headed towards
his house through the prairies. So,
Adam could get closer to the shack and
see from one of the windows two
young men talking. They were John Matthewsī
sons:
he tried to go to the back of the shack to see if he could see Julie or
something
strange but, he couldnīt
do so because one of the Matthews ī boys stepped out of
the shack. Therefore Adam had to
find a safe place. Troy Matthews got on his
horse and galloped home without
realizing that Adam was behind him. Ben
Cartwrightīs son knew that Sam was alone in
the shack so he sneaked around to
the front door, waited for a
minute, opened the door slowly and aimed
his gun
carefully. A deep sound was heard
and Adam fell down.
It
was after seven and Adam hadnīt got home. Hop
Sin was getting nervous because
supper was ready and nobody was still
sitting at the table. He was, as
usual, cursing in Chinese . Ben was walking
around the dinner table with his
hands in his pockets. He was getting on his
nerves because his first -born son wasnīt at home for the family supper.
Hop-Sin was a bit upset because he
had reheated the meal. Besides,
Little Joe and Hoss
were losing their patience. All of a sudden, Little Joe
stood up and said to his father.
" Pa! Donīt you think
that we should go now and rescue Adam. Iīm sure that
something happened to him!"
" Little Joe is right...
" Ok boys."
" Hop-Sin!"
" Yes, Mr. Cartwright."
" Iīm
sorry but we wonīt
have supper... weīll bring Adam back."
" Yes. Mr. Cartwright. ... Good
Luck."
" Weīll need
it."
While they were leaving the house,
with their guns and rifles, Hop-Sin stood
still thinking about Adamīs fate. At that moment he didnīt
care that nobody was
sitting at the dinner table.
Ben Cartwright and his two sons galloped towards the
Matthews ī ranch. When they
approached the house they could see that
all the lights were on so, they
supposed that somebody was in the house.
Ben knocked on the door with extreme
harshness but nobody answered it
so, he tried once more. Hoss and Little Joe were standing behind Ben, they were
ready to pull out their guns.
Suddenly they heard a blind drunk voice which
complained for the noise. The door
was opened and the three Cartwrights
found a drunk Matthews who was looking at them with
amazement. He
staggered and asked them what they
were doing there. Ben got into
the room , followed by his two sons
without being invited in.
" I know that Adam followed you
this afternoon. And.. He hasnīt arrived yet.
What have you done with him?
Besides... we think that you know where Julie
is."
"Youīre
still with that! Yelled Matthews. Donīt you have
another thing to do but to
look for that girl...!"
" Ben seized him by his collar
neck and told him sharply.
" The Olsens
were my friends. ... we just want to find Julie and Adam safe and
sound."
" But.. do you think I know
something about that?"
" Adam followed you and he hasnīt come back home." Added Hoss
seriously.
" Besides you are aware of your
sonīs fondness... " said Little Joe.
" Julie has always looked down
on him. She doesnīt know what she misses."
Said Matthews. īA handsome young man
.. very well-off. I donīt know where Adam
is. I havenīt
seen him since I left
" Are you sure?" For your
own sake.... I hope that Adam is fine."
" Of course..."
All of a sudden Little Joeīs eyes saw something which reassured his doubts. The
Matthews knew something about Julieīs whereabouts. The young man walked
towards the dining table and grabbed
a music box. Ben and Hoss looked at him
curiously. John Matthews couldnīt understand Little Joeīs
behavior.
" This is Julieīs
music box! Exclaimed Little Joe.
" Are you sure, son?"
asked Ben to his son.
" Of course! I bought it myself
in
" So, speak up...once and for all." Said Ben with a
threatening voice. Where is
my son and Julie?"
" I donīt
know ." answered Matthews shaking.
" And so.... how did this music
box appear in your house?" Asked Hoss.
" Come on, Matthews... Weīre wasting time
.and weīre getting to the end
of our patience. "
" Iīve
just told you..... I know nothing."
But Little Joe had lost his patience
so, he approached Matthews, grabbed him
by the neck .
" What happened to my brother.
?" Shouted Little Joe shaking his fist angrily.
Hoss ran towards his brother and stopped him.
" It happens that...
we..."
" Speak once and for all if
not.... I īll give you what you deserve." Said Hoss.
" Come on, John... speak
up." Added Ben in an uncontrolled way. " Donīt
lie.
" Heīs
wounded. I think that Sam made a mistake ... he thought that Adam was
an outlaw."
" How come? He īs wounded and
you havenīt said a word about it ! answered
Ben infuriated.
" Hold on. Adam has got a few
scratches.. besides Julie has cured him!ī
Shouted Matthews.
" How could that happen!
Exclaimed the three Cartwrights.
" So... you found Julie" Asked
Ben looking relaxed but guessing that the
girl had been kidnapped by the
Matthews.
" Well... yes and no.... let me
tell you what happened.."
" Why arenīt
Adam and Julie with you." Asked Little Joe nervously.
" Iīll
tell you."
The
conversation lasted for more than half an hour. John
Matthews told them what had really
happened that terrible afternoon when the
Olsens had died and their granddaughter had disappeared. A few days before,
at a party which the Cartwrights didnīt attend, Sam
molested Julie all the time.
Therefore, she refused to dance with Sam and despised him
dancing with all
the other young men . Sam Matthews
felt humiliated. Besides, his childhood
friends laughed at
him. To make matters worse he was
blind drunk.
The following day , Sam was still
drunk as a lord. Anyhow he got on his horse
and headed to the Olsenīs ranch.
When his brother
towards the Olsenīs
ranch. He decided to follow him. Sam, completely out of his
mind, stepped into the Olsenīs house and looked for Julie.
When he saw her he tried to kiss her
savagely. She slapped him on the face and
he tried to rape her. At that very
moment Olsen went into the house. When he
saw what was going on he attacked
Sam fiercely to defend his grand
daughter. But Sam pushed him so hard
that the old man hit his head on
a table and died . Julie screamed
for help but nothing could be done as Sam
was holding her tightly. Then, when Julieīs grandmother heard her grand
daughterīs shouts rushed into the room. The first thing she saw was her dear
dead husband. So, she took with trembling hands her husbandīs
pistol and
aimed it at Sam. Unfortunately Sam
was much faster than the old lady and
shot her dead.
overwhelmed he understood what had
happened.
could do anything when he was drunk.
Julie with him because the girl was going to denounce him. Sam got
on
his horse, holding Julie who was
crying and fearing for her life. When they moved
away
be blamed. On his way home , he met his father and told
him the truth. John
Matthews hit Sam but his love was
much stronger than his conscience so he
decided to help him by locking the
young woman in an abandoned shack not far
away from their house. He knew that
nobody was going to suspect anything, not
even the foreman or the other
cowboys who were working for him..
Without uttering a word Little Joe
stood up and gave Matthews a punch in the
nose. Matthews fell down to the
floor without being hurt. When Matthews stood
up Little Joe wanted to go on
fighting but Ben and Hoss grabbed him.
" Itīs
enough, Little Joe! " shouted Ben. "John has got what he
deserves..."
" But Pa!
" I know but you arenīt going to solve things in such a way . We have to
be civil.. we have to save them.
" said Ben to his son rising his voice.
" I agree with Dad." Added
Hoss realizing that Little Joe was nervous and wanted
to hit Matthews." Can you calm
down? Or Iīll calm you down"
" Why did you wait so much to
tell us the truth?" Asked Ben to Matthews.
" I never agreed with them from
the very beginning. But Iīm their father, I love
them and I had to help them."
" Youīre
completely wrong. If you had really loved them... you would have given
them up to the sheriff . You are as
guilty as they are... because you are an
accomplice. Nobody has the right to
kill .... not even to kidnap....
Exclaimed Ben
with rage.
" I know that, Ben!"
" Youīll
have to face Coffee and start looking for a good lawyer when we get them
back. By the way... where are they
now?" Asked Ben anxiously
frowning his eyebrows to show his
anger before so much injustice and
wickedness
" Itīs
an abandoned shack... on the top of a hill... itīs..."
" Donīt
tell me. I know where it is. Joe and Hoss come on, we
are running out of
time."
" Yeah,
fatherīs decision.
When Adam came round, he saw that Julie was taking
care of him and that Sam Matthews
was aiming at him and drinking liqueur. Adam
was glad to see Julie safe and
sound. He could see that the young woman was
devastated . Adam sat down on a
chair :
" Itīs
so nice to see you, Julie.... we īve been so worried
about you.... weīve looked
for you everywhere. Ouch!" Said
Adam.
" Sorry " answered the
young woman who was dressing his wound. It was only a
scratch.. you were lucky. Adam,? Are
you Ok .. now?" Asked Julie softly.
" Everything is fine. My left
shoulder... aches a little... But what
happened and
Why...?
" Itīs
a long story. Sam killed my grandparents..." Said Julie sobbing. She
lowered
her voice because she didnīt want to be listened by Sam. " What on earth are
we going to do? You have no
guns..."
" Iīll
have to think about something."
when he saw that Adam was there. He
had known Adam since childhood.
" What the hell is he doing
here?" How did he come?" Asked
brother.
" His plan to be a hero
backfired on him. I almost killed him."
" Why donīt
you give up? Suggested Adam" Donīt you know that
my family
will find me? They know that I
followed John and they will get worried because
I havenīt
return home."
" Shut up! Shouted Adam
slapping Adam on the face.
" Calm down, Sam! Shouted
" I canīt
calm down. Donīt you know that heīll
reveal our place if we let him go!
Shouted Sam to his brother.
" Weīll
find a way..."
" Thereīs
nothing to think about. We īll set him free. .. or weīll kill him."
" Sam! Donīt
you even think about that."
" Do you want to end in
jail?"
" You can do it. Didnīt you kill the old folks?" shouted
" But you burned the house and
got the idea to bring the girl here. So,
you are as guilty as me!"
find his father and tell him about Adam : He just wanted to find
a solution to their
problems. Sam didnīt really care about killing Adam.
knew that their situation would get
worse. He had got the idea to kidnap
Julie because he wanted to save his
brother from jail. But
they would be found and that they wouldnīt be able to escape from the law so
easily.
Adam
and Julie were whispering because they
didnīt want to disturb their warden. They were thinking about a possible
getaway.
Sam Matthews got nervous when he
heard them whispering. He approached
Adam and hit him to keep him still.
Then, Sam wanted to kiss the girl , who started
screaming asking for help.
Unfortunately, Adam could hardly move . So,
Matthews cornered the girl against
the wall and, as she was still shouting he
blocked her mouth up with his hands.
Adam couldnīt stand what he was looking
at so he jumped on Sam . Suddenly he
felt a bit stronger to bear Samīs fists
and to elude the blows directed to
his wounded shoulder. They fight for a few
seconds dragging along the little
furniture that was on their way. Sam tried to
pull out his gun but it was
impossible because Adam knocked him out.
Adam got advantage of that fact. As
quickly as he could , he got Samīs gun ,
grabbed Julie by the arm and ordered
her to leave the room.
" Come on, Julie before he
regains consciousness!" ordered Adam to Julie.
But when Adam was opening the front
door, he listened to the trigger of a gun.
Sam Matthews hadnīt
been able to stand up but he could reach a gun he
had hidden in a drawer which had
fallen to the ground during the fight.
Julie glanced that Sam was going to
pull the trigger and shouted.:
" Watch out, Adam!"
Adam turned round so quickly that he
could shoot first and kill Sam. Adam
approached the lying body and saw
that Sam was dead.
" My Goodness!" exclaimed
the young woman.
" Come on, Julie. Letīs get out of here before
Suggested Adam to his young friend.
At
that very moment,
to the ranch to tell his father
about Adamīs presence. Just at the moment that he
was leaving his house the Cartwrights appeared. By chance
father was talking to the Cartwrights about the Olsens .
So, he made a rush for
the door, got on his horse and went
to the shack to warn his brother. He knew that
Julie had to be taken to another
place. When he was opening the shackīs door he
bumped into Adam and Julie who were
trying to leave the house
He obliged them to stepped into the
shack and saw that Sam was lying on the
floor dead.
happened. As
Adam was explaining the past event,
to shoot him. Fortunately Adam
foresaw what would happen. All of a sudden, he
ducked down, pulled out his gun and
killed John Matthewsī oldest son in the
presence of a Julie . Adam hugged
her to calm her down and told her:
" Everything is over,
Julie....Calm down..."
Adam and Julie were taken by
surprise when they saw that Ben, Hoss and Little
Joe went into the room Adam and Julie were waiting ,in fact, for John Matthews.
" You are here, at last!"
Exclaimed Adam to his family.
Julie ran and hugged them tenderly.
Adam realized that nobody was paying
attention to him so he said:
" Well...Well... I can see that
you donīt care about me." Said Adam smiling.
" Adam! Son... how are you?
Asked Ben to his oldest son, while he was
walking towards him.
" A little better...."
Hoss, without knowing, touched Adamīs left
shoulder. Adam cursed..
So Julie told them :
" Heīs
in pain because a bullet brushed his
shoulder.... besides Sam
Matthews hit him savagely. Adam is a
hero, he saved my life." Added Julie
Softly and smiling. In spite of what
had happened.
Ben smiled and asked everybody to
leave. He had to tell John Matthews
the terrible news. While his sons
and Julie went back to the ranch, he
went to see John Matthews. When John
saw Ben īs face he understood that
something bad had happened to his
two boys. At first , he cursed Adam and
Julie. Then, he blamed them for his
sonsī death. At last, he cried his heart out
and asked Ben to leave him
alone.
A few days after, Ben came back from
It was just before supper. He found
that his sons were having a friendly chat
with Julie , who was living with
them.
" What īs up , Pa?" asked
Adam when he saw his father . "
Which was the judgeīs
decision?"
" He wonīt
go to jail. The judge considers that God punished him enough by taking
his two sons. Anyway, heīll have to compensate her ... and work for her for a
long, long time."
" The judge was too good to
Matthews." Said Little Joe. He should have been sent
to prison. Wasnīt
he an accomplice?"
" Of course, he was.... "
agreed Ben. We donīt have the right to judge him. I
only
hope that he will see his daughter
again... the one who lives in
inherit the ranch ... one day."
" And... Iīll
be grateful to you for the rest of my
life.... you saved me from the
Matthewsī claws.... Especially...
you, Adam." Tears came to her eyes.
" Thank you , Julie.... But I
did what anybody could have done for a friend."
They were in silence for a few seconds. Suddenly Ben handed her a
letter. She
read it and her eyes started
sparkling.
" Whatīs
going on Julie?" Asked Little Joe curiously.
" Itīs
from David Leigh... He asked me if he could bring me back some books I
lent him a month ago.... Besides...
he wants to talk to you... Ben."
" He wants to talk to me? What
for?"
" Well.. well.. " Added
Adam smiling. " I think that that boy
" Adam! " Exclaimed
Ben." What are you talking about?"
" Come on,
in Julie... and I think that she
likes him." Said Hoss smiling. "Get ready to be the
best man."
" Is it serious, Julie?"
asked Ben.
"Well... we have never talked
about that subject, but if you arenīt against...and
he
proposes... well...I think Iīll accept. As my grandparents arenīt
here .. you īll
have to act...ī
" Hold on... and.. what about
us?" Asked Adam. We have the right to give our
opinion."
" You bet! Exclaimed Hoss and Little Joe together.
" So, then... what do you
say?" Asked Julie smiling. I suppose that you wonīt
say..
no...Hoss
and you , Adam, and you, Little Joe? she asked to Ben Crtwrightīs
sons.
" Of course not.! answered Adam
on behalf of the Cartwrights. " Weīre only
interested in your happiness."
The three guys hugged her .
Hop Sin appeared in the living
-room, cursing as usual
because not a soul was sitting at
the table. Ben smiled and explained to Hop-Sin
that they could have a wedding in
the near future. A beautiful smile covered
Hop-Sinīs
face. Ben stood up and started walking to the table followed by Hoss
and Little Joe. Adam and Julie
walked after them very happy and
smiling.