“BAD ASSOCIATIONS SPOIL USEFUL HABITS”
by
Cindy

Little Joe jumped when he felt a strong hand grip his shoulder. He twisted around and found Adam standing behind him wearing a deep scowl. He quickly stood.

“I’ve got the supplies. Come on, let’s go,” said Adam. He didn’t give Joe a chance to argue, for he grabbed him by the arm and pulled him in the direction of the buckboard. Joe tried to wiggle himself free, which only caused Adam to tighten his grip.

“Owe, you’re hurting me,” whined Joe.

“I thought I told you to wait in the wagon. I’ve been searching for you for the past fifteen minutes,” stated Adam, with irritation in his voice.

“Billy wanted to show me something, I was coming right back,” he answered .

“That’s not the point. You disobeyed me. Pa has already told you to stay clear of those boys. They’re not the kind of companionship he approves of, and frankly, neither do I. Get in the wagon,” said Adam. He hated it when Adam tried to be his boss. As he started to step up into the buckboard, he turned his head and glared at his older brother.

“They’re my friends, and besides, you ain’t Pa. You can’t tell me what to do,” he sassed. Adam pulled him from the step and twisted him around, forcing him to look at him.

“I CAN tell you what to do, especially when I see you heading for trouble. I expect you to listen to me as you would Pa. I’ve given you a warning, I won’t say it again,” he said, through gritted teeth.

He let go of his hold on Joe and made him get into the wagon. He slid in his seat as far away from Adam as he could possibly get without falling off his seat. Adam glanced at his little brother once he got settled in the wagon. He thought how Joe could be right down mulish when he set his mind to it. They rode in silence all the way back to the ranch. As soon as they reached the yard, Joe leaped to the ground and was about to run off, but Adam halted him.

“Wait just one minute. I need you to help me unload these supplies before you go off to play,” he ordered. Joe rolled his eyes but did what he was told.

************************

“Joseph, after supper I want to have a talk with you,” said Ben. Little Joe quickly shot a glance at his older brother. Adam gave him the kind of look that told Joe he had told Pa about his seeing the boys in town. Why Adam couldn’t mind his own business, was beyond him.

“What did you do this time little brother?” snickered Hoss. He lost his sense of humor when Ben gave him a hard stare.

“I ain’t done nothing,” he said, as he stared at Adam. “I’m full Pa. Do I have to eat the rest?” Ben examined his plate. Satisfied, he allowed him to leave the small amount that was left.

“Meet me over by my desk,” said Ben. He wiped his mouth with his white linen napkin before pushing back his chair and standing. He picked up his cup of coffee and ambled his way to his favorite green leather chair. When Little Joe walked past Adam, he gave him such a face, that if looks could kill, Adam would have surely dropped dead on the floor in that instance. He approached his father and stood before him. “Sit down,” said Ben. Joe pulled up a chair and sat near Ben. “Adam told me about the Hayward boys. I thought I told you to stay away from them, isn’t that so?” asked Ben.

“Yes sir, but Pa, it was only for a minute. Billy had this new top he wanted to show me. That was all,” said Joe, in his defense. Ben placed his elbows on the desk and laced his fingers together.

“Joseph, when I said I didn’t want you to pal around with those boys, I meant it. That means you are not to go near them even for a minute.”

“But why Pa? I don’t understand why you hate them so much.”

“Those boys have been in trouble with the law. Roy has had to make several visits out to their folks home. They’re not the kind of company I want you to get mixed up in, so I want you to stay clear of them. Is that understood?” he asked, with a serious expression.

“Yes sir, it’s clear.” He hung his head.

“Another thing young man, when Adam tells you to do something, I expect you to listen to him. Don’t let me hear of you sassing him again or you won’t be able to sit down.”

“Yes sir. Can I go now? I have to finish my chores.”

“Yes, go on. Just remember this conversation son.”

“Yes sir, I will.” Little Joe jumped up out of the chair as though it had a fire underneath it. He ran outside and headed for the barn.

**********************

“Little Joe, it’s time to get up,” said Hoss, as he shook his brother. Joe tried to turn over, but Hoss pulled the covers off the bed causing a cold chill to creep over his entire body. He opened his eyes and scowled at his older brother.

“Give me those dad burn covers. It’s cold in here,” he demanded.

“No way little brother. Pa sent me up here to get you. You’re going to be late for school if you don’t get moving.” Little Joe knew he was beat. He had no choice but to get up. He slowly sat up on the side of the bed scratching his head and shivering. “Now hurry up. I don’t think you’d want Pa to come up here.” Hoss turned on his heels and went back downstairs.

“Well?” asked Ben, when Hoss took his place at the table.

“He’ll be right down, Pa. Pass the eggs please,” he said.

***************************

Little Joe and his friend Mitch sat under an oak tree enjoying their lunch. Billy Hayward approached them. He pulled out his new, shiny top and spun it. It caught Mitch’s attention.

“Hey, where did you get a top like that?” he asked. When the top came to a halt, Mitch grabbed it up and began examining it. It was not like any top he had ever seen. This one was special. It was bright blue, red, yellow, and green. It seemed to sparkle when the sun hit it. “I’ve never seen this kind of top in Mr. Higgins’s General Store,” he said, while still admiring the toy.

“That’s because I got this one in San Francisco. That’s the place to go if you want something really special, not some hick town like Virginia City,” said Billy. He pulled out a cigar from his back pocket and lit it.

“You better put that thing out. If Miss Jones catches you with it, she’ll thrash you good. And then she’ll tell your Pa,” warned Mitch.

“Ain’t nobody going to thrash me,” said Billy, confidently. “Me and my brothers were wondering if you and Little Joe would like to take a trip with us. We’re going to Carson City this Saturday. We heard they have a fancy new saloon over there. We thought we’d go check it out. How about it, you want to come?”

“Uh, ain’t we too young to be going into a saloon?” asked Mitch.

“Are you kidding? I’ve been to so many I can’t even count them on both of my hands,” bragged Billy. “Me and my brother go to them ALL the time. They don’t care how old you are as long as you buy something.”

“Yeah, but can you buy in a saloon, milk?” asked Mitch, elbowing Little Joe.

“Milk! That’s for babies. We drink beer,” answered Billy.

“You drink beer?” asked Mitch, with doubt in his voice.

“All the time. Been drinking it since I was eleven years old. So, do you want to come or not?” he asked, taking the top and brushing off the dirt.

“I don’t know. Little Joe, what do you think?” asked Mitch.

“I don’t believe any of it. How can you get into a saloon? You have to be at least twenty before they let you walk in by yourself,” said Joe. He ought to know. With two brothers, he was always having to wait in the buckboard while Hoss and Adam went into the saloon to have a quick beer. Sometimes they would bring him our a cold sarsaparilla if he had been on his best behavior.

“That’s in Virginia City. I was talking about a saloon in San Francisco, especially the ones down by the Ivory Coast,” said Billy. He took a long drag of his cigar. “We figured since Carson City was larger than Virginia City, we could probably get in there too. Ok, I need a decision. I ain’t got all day you know.”

“Uh, it does sound exciting, don’t it Joe? And I’ve never been inside a saloon before. How about it Little Joe, do you want to go?” asked Mitch, with pleading eyes.

“I can’t.”

“Aw, come on. Why not?” asked Mitch, disappointed with his friend’s answer.

“My Pa wouldn’t like it none, that’s why.” Little Joe stood and brushed the debris off the back of his pants.

“Your pa wouldn’t ever have to know. You could ask if you could come to my place for the weekend, and then we could go from my house,” suggested Mitch.

“I don’t know. Let me think about it.” About that time, Miss Jones came out and rang the bell. Lunch period was over. “I’ll give you my answer after school.” He wiped his hands and he and Mitch started walking toward the school house. Billy stayed behind to put out his cigar. He stuffed it back into his shirt pocket.

Through out the rest of the afternoon, Little Joe had a hard time concentrating. He kept thinking about the fun adventure he could have this weekend. But then the words Pa had spoken to him would pop back into his head and would squelch any thought of having fun. Miss Jones had scolded him twice about day dreaming, and warned to send a note home to his pa if she had to speak to him again. He tried with all his might to keep his mind on the subject at hand.

**************

“So, what’s your answer?” asked Billy, as the three boys huddled in a circle. Little Joe was silent for a few minutes. He glanced at his friend and saw the plea in his eyes. He let out a long sigh.

“I have to get Pa’s permission first to come your house Mitch. If he says yes, then I guess I’ll go. But there is one condition. You have to promise that we can’t let my pa or brothers ever find out. Deal?” All three agreed. Billy’s brother Marty walked up, and Billy told him how Joe and Mitch were joining them.

“All right,” said Marty. The four of them began making their plans. Little Joe felt a knot begin to form in his stomach, partly for going against his pa’s wishes, but mostly out of pure excitement. He was going to finally have his first taste of beer.

********************

“Pa,” said Little Joe.

“Yes son.”

“Uh, I was wondering, would it be all right if I go over to Mitch’s house for the weekend? His ma has already said it was ok.” He twisted his fork nervously through his mashed potatoes.

“Well I suppose it will be all right,” answered Ben.

“Thanks Pa.”

“But son, I want you to have all your barn chores done before you leave tomorrow, and I expect to see you in church on Sunday. Is that understood?”

“Yes sir.”

“Oh one more thing. Quit playing with your food and eat your supper,” said Ben with a slight smile. Joe scooped up a huge fork of potatoes and stuffed them into his mouth.

***********

Little Joe was up at the crack of dawn. He had been too excited to sleep soundly, so he decided to go ahead and get started on his chores. He wanted to leave for Mitch’s right after breakfast. He was cleaning Cochise’ stall, when Hoss strolled in.

“Hey short shanks, what are you doing out here so early for?” he asked, yawning.

“Just wanted to finish up my chores before breakfast is all,” he said.

“I sure wish you were as eager to get up when it’s time for school,” said Hoss. He sat down and began milking the cow. Soon afterwards Adam came into the barn too. He went straight to Beauty’s stall and began filling her two troughs. One was for fresh hay, the other water. He noticed Little Joe working busily in Pa’s stall. He had the same question as Hoss, but kept it to himself.

“I’m all done,” said Little Joe, proudly. “I’m starving. He placed the rake in its place and headed for the house. “Hop Sing! Hop Sing!”

“Why you yell?” asked Hop Sing, coming out of the kitchen wearing his white apron. “Too early to yell.”

“Sorry. I was just wondering when breakfast would be ready,” said Little Joe. Hop Sing looked at the boy as if he were a stranger. He never was hungry in the mornings. Most of the time Ben had to threaten him before he would eat anything.

“You ok?” asked Hop Sing.

“Yeah, why?”

You never like to eat.”

“Oh, well, I’ve been working hard all morning. I guess I worked up an appetite. So will breakfast be soon?”

“Food be ready right away. I go now,” said the little Chinaman. He disappeared back into the kitchen.

*****************

As the family sat around the table, they engaged in pleasant conversation. Even though it was Saturday, Hoss and Adam wasn’t as carefree as their youngest brother. They planned on trying to get a couple of the horses they had caught last week on their way of being broke. They had a contract to fill by the end of the month. The army expected them to have at least half a dozen ready for the saddle and ready to ride, so they had no choice but work even on the weekends.

“Joseph, please slow down. You’re going to choke yourself,” said Ben. He pushed his own fork into a thick slice of ham.

“Yes sir. I finished all my chores already. May I leave for Mitch’s after I eat?” he asked.

“You finished all of them?” asked Ben, eyeing his son. He could usually tell if he was lying or not.

“Yes sir. I got up extra early this morning.” He buttered a piece of a biscuit and then poured honey all over it.

“Then I guess you may go, but remember what I said. I expect to see you at church in the morning and on time. Another thing, you do as you’re told. I don’t want to hear that you misbehaved,” said Ben.

“Yes sir. I’ll be good, I promise.” That last word promise caused his stomach to knot up again, but when he thought about the fun he was going to have, he was able to dismiss it. That was one thing about Joe. Once he had his mind made up to go through with something whether it be right or wrong, he would do it and face the consequences later. He wiped his mouth clean. “Ok, I’m going now. See you tomorrow.” He grabbed his hat and green jacket before walking out the door. Hop Sing came running out carrying a small bundle.

“You forget clean clothes,” he said. He handed them to Little Joe. He tied them to the side of his saddle. He mounted and was off like a whirl wind. If Ben had seen him galloping off like he did, he would have been very angry and probably would have made him stay home. He forbid Little Joe riding his horse full speed ever since Marie had died.

*********************

When Little Joe arrived at Mitch’s house, he was in for a big surprise. His pa came outside and told him that Mitch was on restriction and wasn’t allowed to have any company all weekend. He apologized for the inconvenience this may have caused him. Little Joe couldn’t imagine what Mitch could have done to get himself in this much trouble. He told Mr. Devlin there was no harm done. He turned his horse around and left. He figured he might as well go tell the Hayward brothers he could no longer go with them.

A mangy old dog was lying on the front porch when he rode up into the yard. It sat up and started barking. A small boy opened the door and scooted outside. He was around four years old and looked like he hadn’t seen a bath in a month of Sundays. His little nose was running and his blond hair was matted. He didn’t look much better than the dog.

“Hi,” said the small boy. He wiped his nose on the back of his hand.

“Hi. Is your brother Billy home?” asked Little Joe, dismounting. The boy shook his head up and down. “Can you go tell him to come out here?” The boy nodded once again, but didn’t make an attempt to move. Little Joe could see the child wasn’t understanding what he wanted him to do, so he slowly made his way up to the front door. The dog sounded vicious, but it crawled underneath the porch as soon as Joe put his foot on the first step. He knocked on the front door. It suddenly flew opened. A woman in her fifties stood before him. Her hair was up hap hazard in a bun. She had an old ratty dress that was a couple sizes too big for her.
“Yeah, what do you want?” she asked, pushing some loose hair from her chocolate brown eyes.

“I, uh, I came to see Billy ma’am,” said Little Joe, politely. The woman turned her head and looked behind her.

“Hey Billy, you got company,” she yelled. She turned back. “Come on in,” she offered. She pulled the door opened wider and stepped aside to make room for Little Joe to enter. He walked past her and got a whiff of an offensive odor emitting from her. He tried not to cough.

“Jay, Jay, you get your behind in this house right this minute!” she yelled, at the small child. He was squatting playing in the dirt. But he quickly listened to his mother and ran into the house. The woman gave him a slight swat on his bottom as he past her.

While Little Joe was waiting for Billy to come out of his room, he scanned the living room. It was the most unpleasant place he had ever been in. It smelled awful and apparently Mrs. Hayward wasn’t too fond of a broom. The house was a pig sty. Mr. Hayward was sprawled out on the couch past out with an empty bottle of whiskey lying on the floor where he had dropped it the night before. Billy came out, pulling up his suspenders.

“Hi there Joe, you got here early,” he said. Marty said his hellos and then went outside to get the horses ready. Billy offered Little Joe to sit at the dining room table. He wanted to decline, but Billy ambled his way over and with his arm swiped the pile of clothes that buried the table top onto the floor. He pulled out a chair and sat down and offered his new friend to sit too. Little Joe felt he didn’t have much choice.

“Billy! I just washed them clothes. You’re gonna get’um all dirty throwing um on the floor like that. Pick them up right now before I take a switch to ya,” hollered Mrs. Hayward.

“All right, all right, you don’t have to yell old woman,” said Billy. Little Joe was shocked at how he spoke to his mother, and she didn’t react to it. He grabbed them up and threw some on the table, some on the chairs and a few on top of his father while sleeping. Once he got that done he sat back down. “So, where’s Mitch?”

“That’s the reason I’m here. Mitch went and got himself in trouble and now can’t go. I was just coming by to tell you I’m not going either.” His nose was stinging from the stench.

“Why can’t you go? Did you get in trouble too?” he asked.

“No.”

“Then why can’t you come?” Little Joe shrugged his shoulder.

“Aw, come on Joe, you gotta come. I promise we’ll have a good time, and we’ll be back by the morning.” Little Joe shook his head.

“No, I have to be back by tonight. I have to be back in time to go to church. My pa is expecting me.”

“Do you do everything your pa tells you to do?” asked Billy. By the expression on Little Joe’s face, he could tell he did. “Listen, you’re fourteen. When are ya gonna start living your own life? Don’t you get tired of having so many rules forced on ya?”

“Well yeah, but,,,,”

“But nothing. You’re always telling me how you get sick of your older brothers bossing you around and leaving you out of stuff. Well, here’s your chance to be your own man. My pa lets me and Marty come and go as we please, and I can tell you, my life is great. This is your chance to see what being a man is all about. Come on, go with us,” Billy enticed.

Billy sure made it sound tempting. He thought how lucky Billy and Marty were being able to do what they wanted and when they wanted without someone constantly breathing down their necks demanding to know every little thing they did. But he just wasn’t sure about this. Billy saw the hesitation in Joe and gave him another reason why he could go.

“Ok, ok. Listen, if you’re worried about your pa finding out, we’ll make sure we’re home by tonight. It may be late, but we’ll be back. Will you go then?” asked Billy. Little Joe’s wheels began turning in his head. If they got back tonight, then he could still show up for church in the morning and no one would be the wiser. Pa and his nosy brothers wouldn’t even have to know a thing about it. He looked up at Billy.

“All right, I’ll go. But you have to promise we’ll be back tonight,” said Little Joe.

“I promise. Well, let’s get going. Ma, we won’t be home for supper,” he said. Mrs. Hayward didn’t question her son about where he was going or when he thought he would be back. Instead she just turned to finish washing a pile of dishes that was in the sink. Little Joe was amazed how much freedom they had, and how the boys told their parents what they were going to do instead of the parents telling the boys what to do. He wished it was that way at the Ponderosa.

******************

The boys had a great time telling stories and jokes, some of which Ben would most definitely disapprove of, but Little Joe wasn’t even thinking about his pa right now. He was in the moment and having a ball. All the instructions Ben and Adam had given him about staying away from the Hayward boys was all but forgotten.
They rode hard. It would take at least three hours to get into the city. They rode side by side most of the way, but every now and then they would race each other, which was another infraction of Little Joes, since Pa forbid him from racing ever.

Before Joe knew it, they had arrived. Carson City was twice the size of Virginia City. The signs on the establishments were bigger and more colorful. It had an air of excitement. Billy pointed to the big banner down the street that was advertising the new saloon. It was called The Golden Nugget.

“Come on, let’s go have some fun,” said Billy. They clicked the horses sides and galloped toward the saloon.

It was owned by a man named Gordy. He was a wee bit of a man. He was short and skinny, and wore spectacles on the tip of his nose. He didn’t look like the kind of man who would own such an establishment. He seemed more like he belonged in a bank.

After the boys tied their horses to the hitching post, Marty and Little Joe followed Billy’s lead. He went through the swinging doors first as if he owned the joint. Little Joe and Marty followed suit. When no one tried to run them out, they strolled their way to the back of the saloon and sat down at a table that was against the wall.

Little Joe was so excited, his stomach was doing flips. He couldn’t believe he was actually inside a real saloon. He looked at his surroundings. There were men playing poker, others were eating, some were past out in their chairs from too much drink, and others were flirting with the saloon girls. They were the most beautiful women he had ever seen. They were all painted up and wore low-cut dresses of bright colors to draw attention to themselves. Little Joe’s eyes danced as he watched one particular girl. She looked to be in her early twenties. She had blonde hair that was up in a French twist with flowers enter-twined through her hair. Her blue eyes were big and bright, and she had a smile that lit up the room. She wore a royal blue satin dress trimmed in white lace. It was form fitting at the top and flared out at the waist. He was in love.

“Joe, hey Joe,” said Billy. Suddenly Little Joe realized he was being spoken to. He glanced at his friend and gave him a dumb smile.

“Did you say something?” he asked.

“Yeah, we’re gonna get a beer, you want one?”

“Heck yeah,” he said boldly. He was feeling mighty grown up sitting there in that chair right now. Billy walked up to the bar and placed his order. He came back to the table. He told the boys one of the saloon girls would be bringing the drinks.

Marty pulled out some cigars. He gave one to Billy and offered one to Little Joe. He wasn’t about to miss out on this. He wanted to experience everything a real man experiences. He gladly accepted it. He lit it and drew in a deep breath. At first he couldn’t breathe at all, but then he started coughing and choking. He just knew he was going to cough up one of his lungs.

“You’re not suppose to take such a deep breath the first time. You have to do it gradually. You know, get use to the smoke in your lungs,” said Marty, as he demonstrated how it was to be done. Tears were rolling down Little Joe’s cheeks by this time.

“Now you tell me,” he said , in between coughing. Once he got the smoke out of his lungs, he tried once more, but this time, he did as Marty had showed him. He coughed but not quite as hard. The taste was nasty, but he wouldn’t dare tell the guys he thought so. Smoking is what real men did. It made him feel grown up holding the cigar between his fingers. The girl he had been admiring began to stroll in their direction. He put his cigar down in the ash tray that was on the table and tried sitting up taller in his chair.

“Hello boys,” she said, her voice sweet as honey. “I’ve brought you your beers.” She put a mug of the cold frothy brew in front of each boy. “Can I get you boys anything else?” she asked, smiling. She looked at Little Joe when she smiled. He about peed in his pants.

“We’ll call you if we need you,” said Marty. He winked at the girl before she turned and went back to the bar. “Drink up. Here’s to a night of adventure,” said Marty, as he picked up the mug and took a couple of gulps. He wiped the froth off with his sleeve. Little Joe wanting to do everything the other two did, picked up his mug and took two big gulps of his beer. He liked the taste of this new found drink. He drank the rest of it like it was a soda pop.

By his fourth beer he had a strange sensation he had never felt before. The saloon girl would come over now and then and flirt with Little Joe which only caused his chest to swell like a rooster. Everything began to seem funny to him. No matter what the Hayward boys would say, he’d laugh at it. Billy and Marty were so use to drinking, the beers didn’t have much affect on them. Around the middle of his fifth beer, Little Joe suddenly became real quiet. He sat in his chair sort of dazed. He was feeling dizzy and the room was spinning.

A man at the piano began playing a slow song. One of the customers stood. He was feeling no pain. He was from one of the ranches around the area and was a regular customer. When the young blonde woman walked past him, he seized her by the arm.

“Hey baby, lets me and you get better acquainted. How about a little dance?” he said. He pulled her close to him.

“Let me go,” she said, trying to break free from his clutch. He only held on to her tighter and then tried kissing her. It repulsed her. She could smell the stench of his breath. She drew back her hand and gave him a hard slap across his face. It caused him to ease his grip on her just enough for her to escape him. But as soon as she turned to take a step in the opposite direction, he grabbed her from behind.

“So, you like to play rough, do you?” he said, gruffly. “I’ll show you what rough play is.” He slapped her left cheek so hard, it caused her to fall back against a table. Joe jumped to his feet. He swayed a little, but gained his balance. Without thinking, he ran over to the girl to make sure she was all right. He then faced the man.

All right mister, you want to fight, fight me,” he said, slurring his words and balling his hands into fists. Marty and Billy flew over to him.

“Sorry mister, he uh, he’s had a little too much to drink,” said Billy. That only sparked Joe’s temper.

“Let go of me!” he yelled at Billy. Billy let loose and before he knew what was happening, Joe had socked the man right in his right eye. The man held his eye for a moment, but then was like a bull and Little Joe was his red cape. He went charging at Joe, but Marty stopped him just before Little Joe got pulverized. He was a big kid, and he stepped in front of Little Joe and slammed his own fist into the man’s nose. When the man drew his attention to Marty, Little Joe jumped in again, but the man was quicker. He punched Little Joe in the belly causing him to fall to his knees. Billy ran over to help Joe back to his chair. Marty and the man kept fighting.

Mr. Gordy had, had just about enough of this nonsense. He was afraid of the damage it would cause to his saloon if he didn’t put a stop to this fighting right now. He may be a small man, but he was able to throw the drunkard out onto the streets all by himself. He warned him that if he tried to come back in, he’d go and get the sheriff. He wiped his hands and then went back inside to check on the girl.

“ Joe, you could have gotten yourself killed! That man was three times your size!” said Billy, excitingly.

“Oh, and what was I suppose to do, just sit back and let him beat up that innocent girl?” he asked. He held his stomach.

“You feeling all right?” asked Marty, as he approached them. “You look a little pale.” Small beads of sweat formed across Joe’s forehead. The young woman came over to the table and sat next to him.

“I want to thank you for coming to my rescue. That was very brave of you,” she said, bending forward and kissing him on his left cheek. He felt a warmth rising from his toes to his head. She smiled sweetly at him. All of a sudden his eyes grew big. He made a funny face, and he held his hand to his mouth.

“I’m gonna be sick,” he said. He didn’t get the words out of his mouth good before he spewed everywhere. It landed all over the girl. She jumped back in horror and ran off. Billy and Marty jumped back too. They couldn’t do a thing to help Joe. All they could do was watch as he puked his guts out. After it was all over with, he slowly sat up. He held his hand to his head. “Oh God,” was all he could say. Billy and Marty decided they had better get started back home. It was already late, and with Joe sick like he was, it would take them even longer to get back.

It was hard for Joe to remain in the saddle. All he wanted to do was lie down somewhere and sleep. His stomach still churned, and his head pounded. A couple of times they had to stop while he got sick all over again. It was rough going. Billy and Marty took turns riding beside him keeping him in the saddle.

By the time they arrived in Virginia City, the sun was rising. It had been a long, miserable night. Joe had finally came out of his stupor, though his head still hurt. He was exhausted and could use a bath. When they pulled up into the yard of the Hayward’s, the youngest children were dressed in their Sunday best, which wasn’t much. They were already in the back of the buckboard. Mrs. Hayward came outside carrying the baby with her bible in her hand.

“It’s about time you boys got home. I‘m going to church,” she said. She placed the baby in the back with the other two children and climbed up into the wagon. “Don’t go disturbing your pa now. He had a bad night. He’s still sleeping,” With that she picked up the reins and snapped them against the horses rump. They jerked forward.

Suddenly Little Joe’s eyes popped open. What Mrs. Hayward said had just sunk into his brain. He realized it was Sunday and his pa was expecting to see him seated next to him in church. He was a total mess. He quickly jumped down from his horse and ran to the water pump. He began to splash water on his face.

“Where are the clothes I brought?” he asked, looking around frantically.

“Calm down, they’re right here in the bag on your horse. I’ll get it,” said Billy.

“I have to hurry, if I’m going to make it in time. “He snatched the bag from Billy’s hand and ran into the barn to change his soiled clothes. He quickly threw on his crumpled dress shirt and suit. He combed his hands through his brown curly hair. “I gotta go fellas. See you later.” He mounted his horse and took off for town.

*****************

All the rushing he had done hadn’t helped him a bit. Service had already started by the time he got into town. He noticed the Devlin’s buckboard stationed next to Pa’s. His heart sank. He wanted to jump back on Cochise and hide out for the rest of the day, but he knew he would be in even bigger trouble if he did. He hopped off his horse and tied him to the hitching post. He tried to straighten out the wrinkles in his clothes, but it did no good. He glanced up, took a deep breath, and started walking the stairs leading inside the church. He cracked the door open an peeked inside. He saw the back of his pa and brother’s heads. He closed his eyes for a brief moment. He was thankful to see the Devlin’s sitting near the back. There was an empty seat next to Mitch, so he silently stepped inside and sat down. Mitch glanced at his friend with a surprised look on his face. Little Joe was a sight for sore eyes. His clothes were a mess, his hair all wind blown, and his coloring, well, he was still a little green behind the gills. Little Joe leaned over toward his friend.

“Did my pa talk to your pa this morning?” he asked, whispering.

“No, we got here late, but he did see us coming in. He waved at my Pa,” he whispered back. Little Joe bit his lower lip. Mitch leaned over again and pinched his nose. “You smell awful, what happened to you?” Mr. Devlin glanced over toward the boys and gave them the eye, which they knew meant to be quiet. For a couple of minutes they sat up and listened to the talk that was being given.

“We have to keep my pa and your pa separated,” whispered Little Joe, when he was sure Mr. Devlin wasn’t watching. “I’ll tell you all about it later, but promise me to help keep them from talking.” Mitch nodded his head in agreement. He suddenly felt a pinch on his arm. He looked over and saw his father glaring at him. Mr. Devlin leaned over and whispered to Joe that he needed to go sit with his family, since he couldn’t be quiet. He promised Mr. Devlin he wouldn’t talk anymore, but he still told him to leave.

He rose from his seat and slowly made his way toward the front rows. Ben always made sure to sit near the front. He said it would help his sons to concentrate better. Every eye was staring at him, and some even whispered when he past them. He finally reached his destination. Hoss was sitting on the outside of the row. He needed the extra leg room. Next to him was Adam, an empty seat, and then Pa. He swallowed hard and gave his pa a sheepish grin, when Ben noticed him. Ben’s face was hard as stone. He pointed his index finger to the seat next to him. Little Joe pushed by his brothers. He quietly sat next to his father. He looked straight ahead. He didn’t dare glance at his Pa at this moment.

Adam smiled when he saw his little brother. He knew the little scamp had been up to something. He couldn’t wait to hear the story he would surely make up as to why he hadn’t arrived along with the Devlin’s.

After a few minutes Adam began to smell a foul odor. He leaned toward Joe in a way where it wouldn’t draw attention. Just like he thought, the odor was coming from him. He wondered what his little brother had been into. He glanced down at him and saw that he had attempted to wash his face, but had missed a few spots. Ben never gave any indication he had noticed his son’s outward appearance. He did wrinkle his nose once but kept his eyes firmly on the speaker.

When it was time to stand to sing, Ben saw that Little Joe hadn’t budged. He looked down and found his son dozing. He placed his left hand around Little Joe’s right arm and pulled him up not so gently. It startled Little Joe awake. He peered up at his pa and wished he hadn’t. His face was ominous as a dark cloud. He combed his hands nervously through his hair. Adam gave him a smirk and shared his song book with him. Hoss just shook his head. He knew he was in a heap of trouble.

“Joseph, I want you to go and wait for me in the buckboard right now,” said Ben, after the prayer. By his pa’s dark eyes he didn’t even attempt to try explaining himself. Ben let out a long sigh as he first looked at Adam, and then watched his youngest son make his way through the crowd outside.

Mitch was already outside talking with some of the other boys. Since he was on restriction, this was the only time he could get together with his buddies. He saw Little Joe and ran over to him.

“What happened to you?” he asked. Little Joe untied Cochise and tied him onto the back of the buckboard.

“ I went with Billy and Marty to Carson City.” He was afraid his friend would be angry he went without him, but it didn‘t seem to faze him in the least.

“You did?! Did you get to go inside the saloon?” Little Joe nodded his head. “Well, tell me, what was it like?”

“It was just like Billy said it would be. It was big, and there were beautiful women. One of them even took a liking to me and gave me a kiss,” he bragged.

“No way. I wish I could have gone. Did you drink any beer?”

“Yeah, sure did. It was mighty good too.” He didn’t tell his friend how he couldn’t hold his liquor.

“Well, I’ll be. What else did you do?” asked Mitch. He was all ears.

“Well, I got my first taste of a real cigar,” said Little Joe. He stood tall as if doing such a thing made him all grown up. He was about to tell him how he rescued the most gorgeous woman in the world who was in distress, but Ben stepped outside before he got to. “Mitch, my pa thinks I still spent the night with you. You can’t let on otherwise. If your pa starts talking to mine, it’s no telling what he might say.” He glanced over his shoulder toward his family.

“Oh man, how am I suppose to prevent them from talking?” asked Mitch, scratching his head.

“I don’t know. Distract him somehow. You gotta do something Mitch. My pa will skin me alive if he finds out where I was last night.” Mitch saw how panicked his friend was and agreed to help him out.

Ben had been speaking with the Johnson’s. He happened to look over and saw Little Joe talking with Mitch. He pursed his lips and ambled his way to him.

“I told you to wait for me IN the buckboard, young man,” he said, in his deep voice. He eyes was squinting from the glare of the sun, which only made him look angrier. Mitch ran off to find his father.

“Yes sir,” said Joe. He immediately climbed up and sat down. Ben left him and went to search for Mr. Devlin. He wanted to find out why his son had managed to arrive a half hour behind them, and why his appearance was in such disarray.

Adam was in deep conversation with the young Daniel’s daughter, Bridget. She was twenty-two and had a cute pixie nose and deep dimples when she smiled. She had hazel eyes and long auburn hair. All the young men flocked to her side every chance they got, but it was Adam that had her heart.

Hoss walked over to the buckboard and climbed in. He had never been very good around the girls. He wished he was more like Adam in this area, but he was just too shy. His tongue always seem to get in the way and dumb things came out of his mouth. He figured he would just wait along side his little brother.

“Well Little Joe, seems to me like you’re in a heap of trouble. How come you came in late?” he asked, when he sat down. The buckboard creaked from his weight. Little Joe peered at his older brother for a brief moment, and then just shrugged his shoulders. He usually shared everything with Hoss, but this time he thought it best to keep his latest activities to himself.

Ben looked everywhere for Mr. Devlin, but he seemed to have disappeared. Mitch had been successful at getting his pa away from the crowd. He had told him that the widow, Mrs. Maxwell, had wanted to see him. She didn’t live too far away, so both Mr. and Mrs. Devlin had walked to her house. Mr. Devlin wanted his wife alone just in case she was sick or something. When they arrived at her door, they couldn’t get anyone home. They knocked several times, but finally gave up after five minutes. Mitch had chosen her, because he had heard she was out of town to visit her daughter in San Francisco for a couple of weeks. By the time they arrived back to their buckboard, everyone had left including the Cartwright’s. Mr. Devlin questioned his son, but he swore she had requested his attention. He acted just as surprised she wasn’t home.

************************

The ride back to the ranch wasn’t a pleasant one. Adam kept pumping Little Joe with questions such as what were some of the things he and Mitch had done the night before, and then the most dreaded question of all.

“There’s one thing I don’t understand. How come you arrived a half hour later than the Devlin’s this morning?” he asked. He crossed his arms over his broad chest and grinned at his little brother while waiting for his answer. He enjoyed watching his brother squirm.

“You might as well forget getting an answer from him Adam. I’ve already asked that question and got the same response,” piped up Hoss. Ben cleared his throat.

“Joseph, I want you to answer your brother,” he said, calmly. Little Joe glanced at his two brothers and saw the curiousness in their faces. “Joseph, I’m waiting.”

“Uh, yes sir. Uh, I just, I just over slept Pa,” he stammered. Ben’s eyes narrowed. He hated it when one of his sons lied to him, and he knew Little Joe had just told him a big one.

“You just over slept. You mean to tell me that no one woke you up?” asked Ben. He kept his eyes straight on the road.

“Uh, me and Mitch, we uh, stayed up really late,” he said, fidgeting in his seat. Adam shook his head. He was anxiously waiting for the wild tale he knew his little brother was about to tell.

“You were up late. And what were you two doing while you were up late?” asked Ben.

“Uh, you know Pa. We uh, we talked a while, and then we uh, we, we went down to the lake and uh, and we caught some bull frogs. You should have seen the size of them. They were the biggest ones I’ve ever seen,” he said, his lie getting easier. Adam thought this was the biggest story he’s ever heard.

“Bull frogs. You stayed up late to catch bull frogs, is that what you’re telling me?” asked Ben.

“Yes sir, Pa.”

“It doesn’t sound like something Mrs. Devlin would allow you two do after dark.”

“Oh that, uh, she said we could play in the yard, but we snuck down to the lake. She was pretty upset when we got back. She yelled at us and everything,” he lied.

“I bet she did. I don’t understand why she didn’t make you get out of bed. I saw that Mitch was on time with his ma and pa,” commented Ben.

“Yes sir, I, I guess she just got tired of trying. You know me, I’m a dead head when I’m real tired, Pa,” he said, with a nervous giggle. Ben decided to go in another direction.

“I have another question son. Can you tell me why you came to church in such a crumpled up mess?” Little Joe glanced down at his clothes and try to smooth out the wrinkles with his hands. “Well?”

“Well Pa, they were stuffed in a bag. I forgot to ask Mrs. Devlin to iron them for me,” he said.

“Little Joe, how come you smell so bad?” asked Hoss.

“What do you mean?” asked Little Joe, trying to sound like he hadn’t the faintest idea what Hoss was talking about.

“Well little brother, I hate to say it, but you stink to high heaven.”

“Yeah baby brother, when was the last time you’ve stepped into some bath water?” asked Adam.

“I took a bath two days ago.”

“Apparently you forgot to use soap,” stated Adam.

“Shut up, Adam,” said Joe.

“Son, can you explain the foul odor we are smelling then?” asked Ben.

“Uh, well,” he sighed. “Well dog gone it Pa, I accidentally fell in the lake,” he said, sounding convincing.

“I would have loved to have seen that,” said Hoss, bursting out laughing. “I would figure the lake would clean you up not make you dirtier.”

“Well, we were uh, in that area where it’s real swampy where all that green slime grows. You know what I’m talking about,” said Little Joe.

“Yeah I know,” said Hoss.

“It looks like you’ll be getting a real good scrubbing today, especially when Hop Sing gets a good whiff,” said Adam.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” agreed Little Joe.

By the time they had gotten home, Ben seemed to be in a much better mood. Little Joe couldn’t believe it. His pa seemed to had bought his story. He was actually smiling. And Adam didn’t ask him anymore annoying questions. He thought that as long as he never did anything like that again, there was no harm done.

*********************

The next day at school Little Joe and the Hayward boys bragged about their big adventure. All the other boys seemed envious. That only spurred the boys on, making what they had done sound more exciting than it actually was. Little Joe and Mitch had lunch with Billy and Marty.

“Little Joe, did you get in trouble with your pa?” asked Mitch. He bit into his jelly sandwich.

“No. But if my brothers or my pa happen to ask you any questions about what we did, make sure you tell them we went to the lake to look for frogs. And tell him how I fell into the stinky swamp, and that your ma got tired of trying to get me out of bed, so just let me sleep,” said Joe.

“You told your pa all those things?” asked Mitch, in disbelief.

“Yeah. I had to come up with something. I couldn’t tell him the truth,” said Joe.

“No, I guess you couldn’t. And your pa believed you?”

“Yeah, he seemed to.” He pulled out a roast beef sandwich Hop Sing had prepared for him. He unwrapped it and took a huge bite.

“Say Billy, are you planning anymore trips any time soon? Cause if you are, I want to go. I’m off restriction now,” said Mitch. He took a gulp of his milk.

“We’re planning something for sure, but we can’t tell you what it is right yet. We’ll let you know when the time is right,” answered Billy.

“Let me know too,” said Little Joe.

They agreed. They only had an apple for their lunch, so Little Joe decided to share his lunch with them. Hop Sing always packed too much food. They accepted it with great eagerness.

*****************************

As each day past, Little Joe became more and more obnoxious. Each time one of his brothers told him to do something, if he had a mind to do it he would, if not, he refused. The thinking and ways of the Hayward boys had begun to rub off on him. He felt he should be able to choose what he wanted to do, after all, he would be fifteen in only eight months. He was sick and tired of his brothers constantly bossing him around, and then there was Pa. He was smothering him with having to know every little detail of his whereabouts.

After supper on a Thursday, Adam strolled out to the barn to check up on a sick horse. He noticed the box of bridles he had asked Little Joe to untangle and hang on the wall were still sitting in the box untouched. He was tired of Little Joe defying him. He stormed toward the house.

“Little Joe!” he called. He ran up the stairs and found Little Joe lying on his stomach reading a dime novel he had borrowed from Billy. “What do you think you’re doing?” asked Adam, snatching the novel from his brother. Little Joe jumped up quick as a rabbit.

“You have no right sneaking in here like that,” he snapped. “Give that back to me.” He tried to grab it, but Adam kept it from his reach. He grabbed his arm.

“Where did you get this?” he asked, keeping his grip firm.

“None of your business. Now give it back,” demanded Little Joe.

“If I show this to Pa, you know what would happen, don’t you?” said Adam. He gave Joe a hard stare. “If I were you, I’d start talking, or you and me are going down stairs and you can tell pa what you’ve been reading up here.”

Little Joe knew Adam meant what he said. He never made threats that he didn’t intend to keep. “All right. I got it from a friend at school. I was going to take it back to him tomorrow. Does that satisfy you older brother?”

“Who is this friend?”

“Aw come on Adam, do you have to know ALL my business? I’ll give it back to him tomorrow. I promise. Now will you give it back?” Adam slowly lowered his arm and handed him the novel.

“If I were you, I would put that thing away. You know Pa doesn’t like you reading those things. If I ever catch you reading one of them again, I WILL tell Pa. Now, the real reason I came up here is to ask you why you haven’t straightened out those bridles like I asked you to?” asked Adam, with his hands on his hips.

“I didn’t feel like doing it, that’s why,” said Little Joe.

“Little brother, I don’t know what has gotten into you lately, but if you don’t start doing as you’re told, you’re going to have a real problem sitting down, understand what I’m saying?” asked Adam, narrowing his eyes. Joe didn’t answer. “Now I want you to get out there in that barn and do what I asked you to do this morning. And don’t leave until the work is done.”

Little Joe almost said something in return, but with the expression on Adam’s face, he thought it would be wiser if he just obliged his brother.

****************

The next day at school, Billy told Little Joe and Mitch that he and his brother were planning a special trip into Virginia City that very night. There had been some flyers that had been nailed up around town showing a picture of a half naked woman. It was a new show arriving in town, but it was meant only for adults. The women in Virginia City were appalled that the sheriff would even allow such a show to come to their fair city.

The Hayward boys were all excited about seeing it though and planned to do so. They asked Little Joe and Mitch if they wanted to join them. Little Joe asked him how they were planning on getting through the front door since the show was meant for adults only. Billy told them they had some friends that would let them inside and for him not to worry about it. He then proceeded to tell them all about the women and some of things they would see. That was all the bait they needed. The enticement was just too much for the two boys. They had never seen a naked lady, and boy oh boy, they sure would like to. They made plans to meet in front of Billy’s house around six o’clock.

During supper Little Joe made a big mistake. If he really wanted to go into town as badly as he said he wanted to, then he really should have went about it in a different manner. He stunned not just his pa, but his brothers as well.

“Pa, I’m going into town tonight,” he stated, grabbing a roll. Ben stopped his fork in mid-stream and looked at his son.

“What did you say?” he asked. He wanted to make sure he had heard his son correctly.

“I said, I’m going into town tonight. And there’s no need for you to wait up for me, because I’ll probably be in a little late,” he said. He took a bite of his chicken and gave his father a confident smile. Ben’s brow furrowed.

“Oh you are, are you?” he asked with his voice on edge. “I don’t recall giving you my permission to go into town, young man.”

“Yeah I know Pa. I think I’m old enough to start making my own decisions,” he answered. Hoss and Adam glanced at one another and shrugged their shoulders.

“Well Joseph, you can think again. If you think one minute I would allow you to go into Virginia City at night and alone, well you got another thing coming,” he bellowed.

“Dog-gone it Pa, I am sick and tired of being treated like a baby around here. I’m old enough to go into town by myself if that’s what I want to do,” he said, frowning.

“You’re forgetting one thing son. I don’t think you’re old enough to go alone in town or anywhere else,” said Ben.

“Yes I am, and I’m going,” he contradicted, under his breath. Ben glared at his son. Adam stared at Little Joe with his mouth gaped open. He had never heard him talk back to pa that way. Hoss screwed up his face. He wondered what was going on with his little brother.

“Joseph, Francis, Cartwright, you will watch how you talk to me. You are NOT going into town tonight or any other night until I say so, do I make myself clear?” He voice rose with each syllable.

“It’s clear Pa, perfectly clear. But you’re not being fair,” pouted Little Joe. He threw the piece of chicken he had in his hands down in his plate.

“I don’t know what triggered your behavior young man, but I want it to stop right now. I would like for you to eat your supper please,” said Ben. His tone was dead serious.

“See, there you go again, telling me to eat as if I was a baby or something. Well, I ain’t hungry Pa, so why should I be made to eat? Can’t I even have a choice whether I eat or not?” he yelled. Ben stood up from his seat and slammed his hand down on the table.

“Young man, get up to your room and stay there. I will be up in a while to continue our discussion,” he ordered, pointing his finger toward the stairs.

“Fine.” Little Joe pushed his chair back with such force it fell backwards. He picked it up and shoved it in its place at the table, and then he ran off to his room. Ben was seething.

“What on earth was that all about?” asked Adam.

“I don’t know Adam, but I intend to find out,” he said. He sat back down and called Hop Sing to bring in more coffee. He needed to calm down before he went upstairs.

**********************

Little Joe glanced at the clock beside his bed. It was almost six o’clock and Pa still hadn’t come up to see him. He really wanted to go to that show. He knew he must leave now if he was going to make it. He paced back and forth trying figure a way to get away without being noticed. His expression brightened. He pulled back the covers and arranged his pillows in such a way until it took on human form. He put the covers over it. It really looked like he was underneath sleeping. He figured when Pa came up and saw him, he wouldn’t want to wake him. The discussion he had planned for him would be put on hold until the morning. Once he was satisfied with the fake figure, he opened his window, climbed out on the roof, and then shimmied down a big tree that had a branch close enough for him to climb on. Once he was on the ground, he ran to the barn, saddled Cochise, and took off toward town. He wasn’t about to miss this once in a life time opportunity to see a real lady.

Mitch was already at the Hayward’s place by the time he got there. They were mounting their horses. “It’s a good thing you showed up when you did. We were about to leave. We didn’t think you were coming,” said Billy.

“I just ran into a little bit of trouble is all,” said Little Joe. “Let’s go.” The four of them galloped off toward Virginia City.

Since it was a Friday night, the city was booming with people. Mostly men who had gotten their pay checks and were having a little fun in the saloons. As the boys walked down the boardwalk, they could hear the men bellowing from the streets. The little theater where the show was to be preformed was down one of the side streets a couple blocks away.

Since they had about thirty minutes to kill before the show began, they decided to try to get into the Bucket of Blood for a beer. They strolled in like they frequented the place. They ambled their way to the bar. The bartender took one look at them and frowned.

“What are you kids doing in here?” he asked.

“What do you think? We came for a beer,” said Billy. The bartender stared them down and shook his head.

“Sorry boys, no beers tonight. You come back here in about five years, and then I’ll consider serving you. Right now, you need to go find your daddy’s,” he said. Billy reached in his pocket and pulled out a five dollar bill.

“Will this cover it mister?” he asked, trying to bribe the man.

“Keep your money son. No amount of money would get me to serve you babies. Now go on, the lot of you,” he said, pointing to the swinging doors that led outside.

“We ain’t ready to leave yet,” said Marty, boldly.

“I don’t care if you’re ready or not, I said to get out of here, and that’s what I meant. Now get!” he yelled. He picked up a broom and walked toward the boys. They got up and fled outside. “And don’t come back!” He watched them run down the street.

“Stuffy old man, we’ll get him later, but right now lets go and see that show,” said Billy. They started hooting and hollowing all excited.

*************************

Ben decided Little Joe had enough time to think over his behavior at the table and decided to go to him. He knocked on the door, and then opened it. The room was dark. He walked over to the bed. He thought he saw the silhouette of his baby son sleeping under the covers. As he stood looking down, he thought how Little Joe was growing up and how his feelings of independence was only natural. He figured he would wait and talk to him in the morning. He reached down to gently rub his son’s head like he did almost every night, but got a shock. Instead of feeling his head, his hand sunk into the soft pillow Little Joe had balled up. He quickly turned on the lantern and pulled back the covers. He was dumb founded at what he saw. He twirled around and headed down the stairs as if the house was on fire.

“Pa, what’s wrong?” asked Adam, glancing up at the thunderous noise coming down the steps.

“Your brother, he’s gone! That little scamp must have snuck out the back way.” He took long strides toward the door. He shrugged into his coat.

“What are you going to do Pa?” asked Hoss.

“I’m riding into town and find that brother of yours, drag him back here, and then I’m going to…….,” he couldn’t finish his thought. He was too angry.

“You want me to come along pa?” asked Adam. “It’ll be easier to find him if we both go.”

“All right, get your coat,” he said, through gritted teeth. “Hoss, if he happens to come home, make sure he stays put, understood?”

“Yes Pa.”

**********************

Billy and Marty were speaking to a scruffy looking fellow at the back entrance of the theater. About ten minutes later, Billy turned his head toward Joe and Mitch and waved them over. They eagerly came out of the shadows and the man led them up a back set of stairs. They ended up in the balcony, the best seats in the house. They had a bird eye view of the entire stage. The man showed them what seats to take, and then he quietly snuck back down the stairway in silence.

“Man, this is going to be great,” said Little Joe, rubbing his hands together. The lights went down and the curtains opened. The four boys drew their eyes to the person on the stage. He first welcomed everyone, and then proceeded to tell the nice folks a little bit about the background of the play. Afterwards, he left the stage and the music began. A group of six women came out and started dancing. The boy’s eyes just about popped out of their heads for they were dressed very scantily. Little Joe glanced over to his friend Mitch. His mouth was gaped opened and his eyes as big as saucers. If he had been a wolf, there would have been some howling going on at that moment. Once the ladies had finished their routine, the real play began. The boys kept their eyes glued to the stage. They didn’t want to miss a second.

During the third scene, Mr. Briggs, the manager, came walking up to the balcony. A small group had showed up very late, and he was escorting them to their seats. About that time, the woman whose picture had been plastered all over town stepped onto the stage. She was the most beautiful woman the boys had ever seen. Without thinking, Little Joe let out a cat whistle, which only drew attention to himself and the others. The manager aimed his flashlight in the direction of the whistle and saw the boys sitting in the front row. They were on the edge of their seats with their elbows propped up on the balcony’s ledge. They didn’t even notice the manager approaching them. They were too enthralled at the gorgeous half naked creature singing on the stage. Little Joe felt a tap on his shoulder. When he glanced to see who had done it, he saw the manager standing next to him, and he didn’t seem to be too happy. Little Joe quickly poked Mitch, who in turn poked Billy and Billy poked Marty. When all eyes were on the manager, he used his index finger to show them they were to follow him. They reluctantly stood, one by one and began filing out, but not before taking one more look at the woman below.

When the manager got them into the light, his brows went into a deep frown. “I thought I told you two to never come back here,” he said, pointing his finger to Billy and Marty. Little Joe and Mitch glanced at each other and looked confused. Apparently this wasn’t their first time sneaking in this place. “How did you boys get in here?”

“Like everyone else,” said Billy.

“No sir, I don’t think so. This show is for adults only. I bet I know who let you in, and we’re going to go find him right now. Come with me.” He and the boys walked down the stairs and then followed a long hallway that led to the back stage. There he found the same man that had allowed the boys to sneak in. He was busy drinking out of a bottle of whiskey with one of the dancers. She was sitting on his lap, and they were flirting back and forth. The manager turned beet red.

“Missy! You get on out of here unless you want to get fired!” he hollered. She dashed from the man’s lap and ran back to her dressing room. “As for you Mr. Browning, you ARE fired. I want you to get all your belongings and get as far away from here as possible. I’ve warned you for the last time about your drinking and carrying on with my girls. Another thing, are you the one who allowed these children to sneak into the balcony?” Mr. Browning looked at the boys and let out a loud belch.

“Yep, they be them,” he said, slurring his words. “You enjoy the show boys?” he asked. He gave them a wink.

“That’s enough! Now get your things and get out of here!” ordered the manager. He led the boys to the door and made them leave. They began to protest and make such a ruckus, he grabbed hold of the ring leader Billy, and told the rest to follow him; they were going to see the sheriff. They panicked, and each boy took off running in different directions. With the distraction Billy made his move. He elbowed the man in the stomach causing him to lose his grip on the boy. Billy ran for all he was worth. Once the manager got his barrens back, he stomped his way to the sheriff’s office to report to Roy about the hooligans running around loose town.

“What do we do now?” asked Mitch, once they all had found each other again.

“The show was just starting to get good,” moaned Little Joe. “But I guess we’ll just have to head on back home.”

“Not necessarily. We could go back to the saloon and get that beer we missed,” said Billy.

“How are we going to do that? We were thrown out once already,” asked Mitch, looking puzzled.

“You don’t worry about it, just follow me,” he said.

The saloon was full of demanding customers. Billy peeked inside. He scanned the room. There were only a couple of tables he noticed that wasn’t occupied. He told the boys to push their hats further down on their heads and pull up their collar around their necks. It would help to disguise them. After doing what they were told, Billy made sure the bartender was distracted before he motioned for his buddies to follow him to a table near the piano. It was as far away from the bar as they could get. They scurried across the room and took their seats. The place was jamming. There was hardly any elbow room from one table to the next. The smell of perfume and stale cigars filled the air. There were saloon girls galore. These women weren’t as beautiful as the ones they had seen while in Carson City. These were much older. The piano man was playing a lively tune in hopes to keep the customers coming in.

Billy waved at one of the women when she was walking nearby. She was middle-aged. She had her hair dyed red. It was up in a tight bun. Her make-up was caked on so thick, she would probably have to use a chisel to get it off. She wore a satin green dress trimmed in black that was a little too tight for her full figure. She had on black stockings and high heels. She walked to the boys and glanced down at them.

“Aren’t you a little too young to be in a place like this?” she asked, with one hand on her hip.

“We’re old enough. We would all like a beer,” said Billy. He pulled out that same five dollar bill he had offered the bartender earlier and placed it in the woman’s hand. “Will this cover it? You bring us some beer, and you can keep the change for yourself.” She looked at the money. She wasn’t as honest as her boss. She could use the extra cash. She turned and went to the bar and order four beers. She knew she would be fired on the spot if she was caught giving liquor to minors, but she would take the risk.

The four boys sat back and relaxed a bit easier. They wore a smile on their faces. Mitch was the most excited since he was the only one of them who still hadn’t had his first taste of booze. They were four young boys desperately wanting to be men.

****************************

“Pa, I found Little Joe’s horse. It was hidden in the alley along with three other horses. He’s not alone,” reported Adam.

“You wait till I get my hands on that wayward brother of yours,” growled Ben. “Ok, I’ll take this side of the road; you take that side. We’re bound to find him.”

“Yes Pa.” Adam turned on his heels and headed up the main street. He searched every nick and cranny as he went along.

***************************

“You were right Little Joe, this beer is the best tasting stuff I’ve ever let slip across my lips,” said Mitch, wiping the foam from his upper lip onto his sleeve. Little Joe agreed and swilled down the rest of his brew. “I wonder what whiskey taste like,” said Mitch, to himself, but loud enough for the others to hear.

“You want to find out?” asked Marty.

“Uh, yeah sure, why not?” answered Mitch. Marty waved the same woman over and asked her to bring them their best bottle of whiskey in the house.

“You got the money?” she asked, with skepticism in her voice. Surprisingly, the boy pulled out a twenty dollar bill from his coat pocket.

“Is this enough?” he asked, waving it under her nose.

“My, my, aren’t you full of surprises?” she said, taking the money from his hand and gliding across the room to the bar. She ordered the whiskey.

“You say the finest in the house?” asked the bartender.

“That’s what I said,” she answered.

“Fine, fine,” he said, thrilled there were some rich customers in the place. He bent down and came up with a bottle. He carried it as he walked from behind the bar. “Show me the table. I’d like to meet our distinguished guests myself.” He straightened his neck tie.

“Uh, Mr. Hawkins, I don’t think that would be such a great idea,” she said. She had never expected he would want to serve the bottle himself like this.

“And why not, Miss Carter?” he asked, his brows raised.

“Uh, uh….,” she was lost for words.

“Just direct me in the direction, Miss Carter,” he said. She let out a sigh realizing he was determined to deliver the whiskey himself, so she pointed her finger near the piano man. He followed her finger and his eyes suddenly widened. “Are you telling me those brats had the nerve to come in here after I’ve thrown them out once, and you, Miss Carter, you were actually going to serve them this….?” he asked, holding the bottle up to her face. She turned scarlet in color.

“I, I’m sorry, sir,” was all she could think to say.

“You’re finished, fired!” he yelled. She stood with her mouth gaped and tears flooding her eyes. She took off running toward the door to escape. Marty saw her running out and stood. He then noticed Mr. Hawkins walking his way toward them.

“The old man’s coming,” he said. All eyes turned their attention to the bartender who had fire in his eyes. Marty took a step forward when he reached them

“What did you do to that lady?” he asked.

“Fired her for trying to serve you four. I…,” he said, but was interrupted before going any further.

“You had no right to that mister,” said Marty.

“Oh, I didn’t? I had every right. This is my place of business and I say who will be served and who will not, and the four of you will most definitely not be getting any of this bottle!” he bellowed. He grabbed Marty’s arm to show him the door, but in a blink of an eye, he drew back his free arm and brought it forward full force walloping Mr. Hawkins square in the jaw. It caught him by surprise, causing him to release his grip on the boy. The bottle of whiskey fell from his other hand and shattered, spilling it’s contents all over the floor. Mr. Hawkins was seeing red now. He tried grabbing Billy but was pushed backwards. He landed on a poker table where the stakes had been running high. The men at the table jumped to their feet. One of the men tried grabbing the winnings, which only caused the temper of the other players to flare and fists began flying in every direction. Before long, a brawl was taking place. Marty and the others sat back down to watch the entertainment. Mr. Hawkins ran out of the saloon to get the sheriff.

“This is better than being at the boxing matches we’ve seen in San Francisco,” shouted Billy over the noise. Little Joe was amazed. Was there anything these boys hadn’t seen or done? Suddenly a shot was fired in the air. That brought the fighting to an end in a hurry. Everyone’s attention was now toward the entryway where Roy Coffee stood with his gun pointing at the rowdy crowd.

“Roy, arrest those boys. They started this whole mess,” demanded Mr. Hawkins. He rubbed his sore jaw. Roy’s eyes landed on the four culprits and a deep crease formed across his forehead. He noticed Marty right away. He was very familiar with the Hayward boys. He had arrested them more than once, and now here they were again causing another ruckus. He made his way back to where they stood. He was shocked when he saw Little Joe and Mitch with them.

“Little Joe, Mitch, what are you doing hanging around these boys? Does you pa know what you’re up to?” he asked. The two boys just hung their heads. That was Roy’s answer. They had been caught like a rabbit in a trap and no way to escape this time. Roy turned back to the bartender. “You say it was these four that caused this mess?”

“That’s what I’m saying sheriff. That one, hit me in the jaw, and that one there shoved me into the crowd, which got the fight going,” he said pointing to Marty and Billy.

“Why did you do that son?” asked Roy.

“Cause he mistreated a lady, that’s why,” answered Marty.

“Mistreated a lady? What’s he talking about George?”

“I fired Miss Carter, because she was about to serve these four trouble makers a bottle of my best whiskey. That’s all I did to her,” he said.

“By the empty glasses, it looks like she had already served them some beer. All right boys, you know you’re not suppose to be in here. Come along with me, you’re going to jail,” said Roy. “George, just let me know your losses, and I’ll make sure you get paid.” He motioned for the boys to walk out. He kept his gun on them just to put fear into them. One by one they filed out the door toward the jail house.

Adam was nearby and noticed Roy following four boys across the road. He ran toward them. When he got close enough he saw his youngest brother in the middle of the pack.

“Roy, what’s going on here?” he asked. He gave Little Joe a hard stare.

“Adam these boys got involved in some mischief and it caused the saloon to get busted up. They’re going to jail. You tell your pa he’ll have to come here to get Little Joe. He has some damages to pay. All right boys, let’s go.”

Little Joe gave Adam his most pathetic look, but it was only returned with an angry expression. There would be no help from his brother. Adam watched until they disappeared inside the jail. He turned to find his pa. He hated to have to tell him what a mess his son had gotten himself into, but it had to be done. He didn’t have to walk too far. He saw Ben strolling down the boardwalk in his direction, peeking into each establishment as he went. Adam met his father.

“Well?” asked Ben. He placed his hands on his hips and glanced over his shoulder when he heard a group of men laughing and caring on.

“Pa, I know where Joe is,” said Adam.

“You do? Where?”

“Roy has him locked up in jail,” said Adam. “Maybe you should let him explain what happened.” Ben pursed his lips and both brows met in the middle as he frowned. He didn’t say a word. He almost ran to Roy’s office. Adam followed close behind. When the door flew open, Roy was at his desk writing out the complaints against the boys.

“Hi Ben. It didn’t take you long to get here,” said Roy. He pushed his glasses down at the tip of his nose so to see Ben better.

“Roy, what has Little Joe done?” asked Ben. One hand rested on top of the desk, the other on his hip.

“Well Ben, Little Joe has had quite a night. He and his friends caused a big brawl in the saloon.”

“The saloon! Little Joe was in the saloon?!” asked an irate Ben.

“Yep, he sure was, and that’s not all. He had himself a beer and if it weren’t for George, he would have had himself some whiskey too.” Roy shook his head and laughed.

“I don’t see what’s so funny Roy,” snarled Ben.

“Oh I know it’s not funny. It’s just you should have seen the look on that boy’s face when he saw me. It was priceless,” he said.

“Can I see him?” asked Ben.

“Yeah you sure can, but Ben, there’s one more thing I need to tell ya. You ain’t gonna like it none either.”

“And what that might be?” asked Ben, his face growing darker.

“Mr. Briggs came by earlier complaining about four boys sneaking into that girly show that’s in town. He caught them and was trying to bring them in, but they got away. He mentioned the Hayward boys since he‘s had trouble with them in the past, but I guess he didn‘t recognize Little Joe and Mitch.”

“You mean Mitch Devlin?” asked Ben.

“That’s who I mean. I was shocked when I saw those two with the Hayward boys let me tell you,” said Roy.

“Let me back there Roy,” said Ben through clenched teeth. Roy took the keys and led him through the door into a room that held two cells. All four boys had been put into the same cell. Little Joe and Mitch were sitting on the bed. The Hayward boys were standing in the opposite corner whispering to one another. When Ben saw his son in the same cell with those two hoodlums, his blood began to boil. He focused his full attention on his son. Little Joe withered.

“Well son, you’ve had quite a night for yourself, haven’t you?” Little Joe just stared down at his feet. “How much is the bail, Roy?” asked Ben.

“fifty dollars.”

Fifty….,” but he didn’t finish his statement. He just dug into his pocket and pulled out a handful of bills. He counted out the right amount and handed it to Roy. Roy unlocked the cell door. “Joseph, stand up.” When he didn’t move quick enough for Ben, he raised his voice. “I said to stand up!” Little Joe obeyed, giving his pa his most saddest face. Ben only pointed his index finger for Joe to move out of the cell. “Adam, take your brother here and make sure he gets on his horse, and don’t let him out of your sight. I’ll be there in a moment.”

“Yes sir.” He gave Little Joe the look that meant he was disappointed in his little brother. “Come on.” He let Little Joe lead the way outside. Ben turned back to Roy.

“How much are the damages Roy?” asked Ben.

“Each boy has to pay seventy-five dollars,” said Roy. Ben gave him the money.

“Mitch, I’ll make sure your pa knows where you’re act,” said Ben. He gave him the same stern look as he gave his own son, making Mitch shrink back like a scared kitten.

“Boy, you really blew it this time little brother,” said Adam, while they sat waiting for Ben to come out. “What were you thinking?”

“Leave me alone Adam. Just leave me alone,” said Joe. He slumped in his saddle. He knew he was dead. He didn’t need any ribbing from his older brother right now. Adam just shook his head and gave him that smirk that only he could deliver.

“Let’s go home,” said Ben, once he came out and mounted Buck. He grabbed the reins of Little Joe’s horse and held on tight. “In case you have plans on riding out on me,” he said. Little Joe felt five years old all over again.

The ride home was the most miserable one he had ever experienced. The tension was so thick between the three of them, you could cut it with a knife. When they pulled into the yard, the front door opened and Hoss emerged.

“I see you found the little scoundrel,” he said.

“Joseph, get in the house now. Go straight to your room and wait for me,” ordered Ben. Little Joe took off like a shot. Ben’s voice was deep, but calm. That only meant real trouble. There was always calm before a major storm, and it was the same with Ben. The more calmer he seemed, the worst it was going to be for the person on the receiving end of his anger. “Adam, would you take care of the horses please?”

“Sure Pa.” He walked the animals into the barn with Hoss hot on his tail. He wanted to know all the details of what had happened in town.

“So Adam, what did our baby brother do this time? I ain’t seen Pa this mad in a long time,” said Hoss. His mouth fell open with disbelief as Adam explained the misdeeds of his brother.

**********************

Ben climbed the stairs two steps at a time. He didn’t bother to knock on the door. Little Joe bounced off his bed and stood to attention when Ben opened the door. He seemed like a mountain with his muscled arms crossed over his broad chest. His eyes were as dark as coal, and the frown on his face made him look ominous.

“Joseph, you have a lot of explaining to do. And I want the truth, is that clear?” asked Ben. Little Joe nodded. “I want you to tell me exactly what happened in town tonight.” He glared at his son and waited for him to speak. When no sound came forth, Ben clenched his teeth. “Start talking, now!” he had his hands resting on his belt buckle. Little Joe shifted from one foot to the other, and then cleared his throat.

“We, uh, we went into the saloon, and we, we uh, had a beer. Uh, Marty is the one who uh, started the fight, sir.”

“Did you take part in the brawl?” asked Ben, with narrowed eyes.

“Oh, no Pa, and that’s the truth.”

“I see, but you do realize because you were with the Hayward boys, that makes you just as guilty.”

“Yes sir. I’m real sorry Pa,” said Joe, hanging his head.

“Sorry don’t cut it with me this time Joseph. You said you had a beer, is that all?”

“Yes sir.”

“So you weren’t planning on having any whiskey,” stated Ben.

“Uh, no, uh yes sir, but I didn’t sir,” he stammered.

“What else did you do tonight Joseph?” asked Ben.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing. Nothing at all. You just went to the saloon and had yourself a beer and that was it. Is that what you’re telling me?” asked Ben. His hands were on his hips.

“Yes sir.”

“I told you I wanted the truth, and son, I believe you’re lying.”

“No sir, I’m not.”

“All right then, can you explain to me why the owner of the theatre came to Roy tonight and wrote out a complaint against you boys?” asked Ben. Little Joe’s eyes widened like saucers. He hadn’t planned on telling Pa about that. “Well son?” At first Little Joe shrugged his shoulders, but then one look at his father, he figured he must know everything by now and so he spilled his guts.

“Joseph, do you remember me telling you to stay away from the Hayward boys?” asked Ben.

“Yes sir.”

“Then why did you deliberately go behind my back and disobey me?” Little Joe just shrugged his shoulders. Ben took his hand and cupped Little Joe’s chin and made him look up at him. “I want an answer son.” Tears filled Little Joe’s eyes.

“I, I don’t know Pa.”

“I think you do. Tell me,” said Ben. Joe thought a minute of what to say.

“They always seem to have so much fun Pa. Their ma and pa don’t care what they do or where they go. I have you and Adam and Hoss hovering over me constantly, watching every move I make, and sometimes I just want to get away. I wanted to be free to make my own decisions like they get to do.”

“Do you think what happened tonight was fun, Joseph?”

“No sir.”

“Now you know. Those two boys are a couple of hoodlums. They run into trouble everywhere they go. As long as you or anyone else pals around with them, they will just drag you down in the mire with them. You are right about one thing, their parents don’t care. If they truly loved their sons, they would set rules for them to follow and teach them the right path to go. They would give them some direction in their life, like I and your brothers do with you. I know at times you don’t always appreciate or even understand why I have certain rules, But I do promise I set them because I do care and I love you very much. I want you to grow up to become a good citizen and be able to hold your head up high with pride, not hang it down in shame over your past deeds. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

“Yes sir, Pa.”

“What you have done is something serious. As much as it pains me, you will have to be punished.”

“I figured as much sir.”

“All right, let’s get this over with,” said Ben. He unbuckled his belt. “Drop your pants.” Little Joe knew his pa only made him do this when he had done something really bad. He didn’t try to argue. Ben had him bend over the chair and he administered a licking he would remember for at least a week. After he was finished, he stood Little Joe up and made him look at him. “I hate to use the strap on you son, but I promise, if I ever hear or catch you with those boys again, I’ll tan you worse than I did today. Now for the next two months you’ll be on restriction here on the ranch. You will perform extra chores to pay for the damages you helped cause. Is that understood?” He asked, while slipping his belt back on.

“Y, yes sir,” said Little Joe, through his tears.

“I mean it son. You are not to leave this yard other than going to school and church. I will tan your hide good if you ever try to sneak off again.” Little Joe nodded his head in agreement. “Ok, I want you to stay in your room until supper. I want you to think about what we talked about.” He turned to leave the room, but first he stopped in the doorway and gave his son an expression that meant all was forgiven. He ran to his father and gave him a hug.

“I’m sorry Pa. I don’t want you to be disappointed in me,” said Little Joe.

“Well, that’s up to you then Joseph. You must prove by your actions that you really are sorry,” said Ben. He wrapped his arms lovingly around his son.

“Yes sir.”

*******************

“Well howdy Adam,” said Mr. Devlin. “What brings you over here?” he asked.

“Pa wanted me to come by and let you know that Mitch, I really hate to tell you this, but Mitch is in jail in Virginia City,” said Adam.

“He’s what!?” asked Mr. Devlin, in shock.

“I’m afraid he along with my brother Joe and the Hayward boys got into some mischief last night while in town. Roy can explain everything to you,” he said.

“I thought Mitch was over at your house. That’s where he said he was going anyway.”

“Afraid not sir. Joe snuck out of the house. They must have had the whole thing planned.”

“Well wait till I get my hands on that boy. He won’t be sitting for a while. I thought he learned something while he was on restriction last weekend, but I guess nothing got through that hard head of his. Maybe the belt will do the trick.”

“Wait a minute, did you say he was on restriction last weekend?”

“Yeah why?”

“Little Joe spent the night here is all. I figured if he was on restriction….,” said Adam, but didn’t get to finish his thought.

“Oh no, Little Joe never spent the night here last weekend. I sent him home. I told him Mitch couldn’t have company.”

“Oh really.”

“Why would you think he stayed here?” asked Mr. Devlin, confused.

“Oh nothing. Never mind. I must have gotten the weeks mixed up,” said Adam. He now realized that Little Joe had told a real whopper about his whereabouts last weekend. He was determined to get to the truth of the matter. “Well, I best be going. Sorry I had to come by with such news.”

“Thanks for coming Adam. I have a mind to let that boy stay in there a couple of days just to teach him a real lesson.” Adam backed Beauty around and headed back to the ranch.

***************************

Little Joe had a hard time sitting at the table during supper. He kept shifting in the seat trying to find a comfortable spot. He noticed how Adam kept staring at him, but he tried his best to ignore him. Ben kept the conversation on a positive note. He didn’t want any mention of the incident to come up during the meal.

Little Joe excused himself and went out to the barn to do his evening chores once he was finished eating. Ben informed Adam and Hoss that Little Joe was on restriction for the next two months. He wanted them to know what the punishment was in case Little Joe tried to pull a fast one on his brothers and get out of doing the work. He was really good at fooling Hoss, but now that he knew about his little brother, he would have the upper hand.

Adam walked out to the barn. He saw his brother working hard mucking out his stall. He approached him. “I want to talk to you Joe,” he said.

“I’m busy,” he answered back.

“Yes, I see that, but I have something to ask you,” said Adam.

“What is it?” asked Joe, with an annoying sigh.

“Where were you last weekend?” he asked.

“What? You know where I was. I was at Mitch’s house,” said Little Joe. “Man, your memory is slipping, older brother.”

“I spoke to Mr. Devlin this afternoon. I know you weren’t there Joe. Now where were you?” he asked, frowning. Little Joe suddenly turned pale. He thought that was all forgotten and behind him forever.

“I, uh………,” he stopped and looked up at Adam. His face was stern and his hands were on his hips.

“Either you tell me, or we can just take a little trip in the house and you can tell Pa,” stated Adam.

“Ok, ok. I was with Billy.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“You were with Billy. What did you do?”

“Oh come on Adam,” whined Little Joe, throwing the rake down on the ground.

“Have it your way.” Adam firmly took Little Joe’s arm and pulled him outside.

“Hey, what are you doing?” asked Joe, trying to escape.

“We’re going to see Pa.”

“No! Wait, I’ll tell you.” Adam let go of him. They walked back in the barn. Joe let out a long sigh. “Ok, me and Billy and Marty we, well, we took a trip to, to Carson City.”

“You did what?!” asked Adam, his frown deepened.

“We went to Carson City. There was this new, uh, this new establishment Billy wanted me to see.”

“And what kind of place was this?” asked Adam.

“You know, just a regular place people go to, to get something to drink when they’re thirsty is all,” said Little Joe, trying to make it sound innocent. Adam’s eyes narrowed and his teeth clenched.

“Are you talking about that new saloon they call “The Golden Nugget?” asked Adam.

“Uh, yeah, how did you know about it?” asked Joe.

“Never you mind. That explains why you were late on Sunday, but doesn’t explain the smell.”

“I kind of got sick,” said Little Joe. Saying those words was as good as confessing of his drinking liquor.

“Well young man, now that the truth is out, what am I suppose to do about it?” he asked.

“I don’t know. You’re not going to tell Pa, are you?” asked Joe, looking scared.

“I ought to march you in that house and make you confess your sins, but I won’t. Instead I will punish you myself. Along with Pa’s extra chores I will have a few of my own you can do.”

“That’s not fair! Pa’s already going to give me so much work I’ll barely get it done. There’s no way I can do even more,” protested Joe.

“Don’t argue with me. You have no choice in this matter. Either you do as I say, or we’ll take a trip to see Pa, it’s that simple. What will it be?” asked Adam.

“Why are you being so mean?”

“I’m not being mean Joe. You brought this on yourself. You disobeyed both Pa and me about being with those boys. Do you think Pa would let this go if he found out you had lied to him?” Little Joe stared at his brother and then hung his head.

“No, I guess not.”

“You’re right. He’d probably give you another tanning on top of it. So, you’re actually getting off easy with me.”

“All right, all right. What do I have to do?”

“You can start by cleaning out my stall for me,” said Adam. Little Joe opened his mouth to speak, but closed it quickly. He knew he would never win with Adam. He finally gave in to the idea that for the next two months his life he would be a prisoner in his own house. He would have absolutely no free time for himself. But he thought it would be better than to have to face Pa again. He didn’t want him to be further disappointed in him. So he decided to make the best of it.

**********************

Over the next two months, Little Joe kept true to his word. He worked diligently at his assigned chores and did everything his pa or Adam asked of him without complaining. Adam was taken aback by his brother’s transformation, but welcomed it. Ben was quite pleased too. At the end of each day, Ben would tell him how proud he was with him. That seemed to spur him on and want to continue to do a good job.

Ben didn’t have to worry about Joe getting mixed up with the Hayward boys anymore. They were sent away to spend some time in jail. This had been the fourth time they had been before the circuit judge. He told them it was about time they learned a lesson. He thought a taste of what it’s like behind bars might straighten them out. Sadly, neither their ma or pa showed up at court. Little Joe felt bad for them in a way. He knew if he ever had to face a judge like that, his whole family would be there to support him no matter what he might had done. He smiled as he was cleaning out the muck from the stalls in the barn, because deep in his heart, he knew he was a very lucky boy to be loved so much by his family. And he also felt ok about the rules Pa sat before him realizing now more than ever before that they were for his own good. The End

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