" FOUNDERS DAY BULL RIDING CONTEST AND BEYOND " part three

By: Lynne G.

" It seems to be taking Little Joe a long time in the barn," Ben told Adam as he glanced up at the grandfather clock near the front door. Adam also looked at the clock, then at Ben and he replied, " Yes it is. I hope he's alright."

About that time, Hop Sing walked out of the kitchen and over to Ben. "Mr. Cartlight, what wrong with Little Joe ? Boy look very sad and tired when he come to kitchen few minutes ago. He have tears in eyes," A concerned Hop Sing questioned.

Ben looked up worriedly at Hop Sing, as did Adam. " Hop Sing, where is Little Joe now ?" Ben asked " Boy say he very tired and want to go to bed. He not want dinner. Just want to go to sleep. Hop Sing very worried about number three son," Hop Sing explained.

" Thank you Hop Sing. I'll go up and have a talk with him. Don't worry, he'll be fine, and I have a feeling that he just over did it today," Ben replied. Hop Sing shook his head and walked back out to the kitchen.

Ben went up to Little Joe's room hoping to have a talk with the boy. As soon as he entered the boy's room, he saw his son laying on his bed in his nightshirt all sprawled out and sound to sleep.

Ben walked over to the bed, covered up his son when he noticed the boy's face was damp with tears. That sight broke his heart.

Ben sat down on the edge of the bed and he very gently ran his fingers through his son's soft thick curly hair. " Sweetheart, Adam didn't really mean what he said to you. As soon as you are awake in the morning, Adam very much wants to tell you himself."

" I am so proud of how hard you worked today baby. I love you so much Little Joe. You sleep well and have sweet dreams son," Ben softly told the sleeping boy before he leaned down and gave the boy a gentle kiss on the forehead. " I love you precious," Ben added as he left the room and went back downstairs.

Adam was feeling so guilty about the way he had treated his baby brother that day while they were working together. He thought back at how hard the boy had worked that day without any complaining. He couldn't understand why he said what he had said to the youngster, and that bothered him deeply.

As soon as Ben was back downstairs, Adam looked at him with questioning eyes. " Is he alright Pa? Should I go up and talk with him now?" Adam asked.

Ben looked at Adam with a sad look on his face and he replied, " No, he's sound to sleep, but first thing in the morning you need to talk with him. He must have cried himself to sleep because his face was still damp with tears. It just broke my heart to see him like that son."

Adam looked down at the floor and he said, " I'm sorry Pa, I really am. I had no right to say to him what I did. I wish I could have taken back those words. I could see how hurt he was from those words and I didn't care. I just didn't care. I promise you that I will make it up to him somehow."

" I know you will Adam, and knowing that boy upstairs, he will forgive you," Ben told Adam as he smiled at his oldest son. He could tell just by looking at Adam, at how bad he felt.

" Where's Hoss? I haven't seen him since I came back home," Adam asked. " Oh, I forgot to tell you, but he wanted to go to Carson City to visit with some friends of his. You remember the Walkers don't you ? He'll be gone for a few days. It will be good for him to get away for a few days." Ben explained.

" Yes, I do remember them. That's good, and I know that Hoss will enjoy seeing them again," Adam replied.

The next morning as Ben and Adam were finishing up their breakfast, there was a knock at the front door, which Adam went to see who was there.

When he opened the door he saw Stan Wilkins standing there. Stan ran one of the mines on the Ponderosa.

" I'm sorry to bother you at this early hour Adam, but there's a slight problem at the mine and we need you to come up as soon as possible," Stan said.

" What kind of problem?" Adam asked as Ben stood beside him. " Hi Mr. Cartwright," Stan said as soon as he noticed Ben standing there. " Hi Stan. What's the problem?" Ben asked too.

" There's a question about some of the shoring in the shaft about halfway in the mine and we need you to have a look at it Adam," Stan explained.

" Sure Stan, just let me get Sport saddled. Pa, I'll be back as soon as I can," Adam said as he grabbed his hat, and holster and he headed out the door to the barn. " See you Mr. Cartwright," Stan said as he left too. " Bye Stan," Ben replied as he went back in the house.

Ben had decided to let Little Joe sleep in that morning, so he was very surprised when he saw the boy slowly walking down the stairs yawning several times, which made him smile.

" Good morning Little Joe. What are you doing up so early? I was going to let you sleep in this morning," Ben said. " Mornin' Pa. I got chores ta do, so I got up. Thanks for the offer. Maybe another mornin' I can sleep in," The boy suggested. Ben smiled again at his son, and said, " alright."

" I'm kinda hungry too," the boy added, and no sooner had he said that, when Hop Sing brought in a plate of food for the youngster. " Thank you Hop Sing. That looks yummy," he thoughtfully said. " You welcome. How you feel today?" Hop Sing asked.

" I'm ok Hop Sing. Thanks fer askin'," Little Joe replied as he smiled at Hop Sing.

" Hey Pa, where's Hoss?" the youngster asked as he put some ham in his mouth. " He went to Carson City to visit with the Walkers for a few days," Ben answered. " Oh, that should be nice for him," the boy replied. " Did you want him for something?" Ben asked. " Nope, just wondered where he was is all," Little Joe said, as he chewed the ham.

" I'm really gonna miss him too, but I hope he has a good time. It's been a while since he has seen them too," the boy said. " Yes it has," Ben replied.

Little Joe looked over to where Adam usually sat, but the chair was empty, which was fine with him as he really didn't want to see his oldest brother yet that morning.

Ben noticed his son looking at the empty chair and he explained where Adam had gone. " Oh," the youngster softly mumbled.

" Son, Adam wants to talk to you when he gets back. He wanted to talk to you after you came back in from the barn yesterday, but you had gone to bed," Ben said.

Little Joe looked at Ben with questioning eyes which Ben noticed right away. " Joe, don't worry. Adam feels very bad about what he said to you yesterday, and he wants to apologize to you," Ben explained. The youngster looked up at Ben and he said with surprise, " He does?" Ben smiled and nodded.

" Little Joe, as soon as you get all your chores done, how would you like to go into Virginia City with me to get supplies and then we could go over to Daisy's for lunch?" Ben asked.

" Really Pa. Ya mean it, just you and me ?" the boy excitedly asked with a big smile on his face. " I sure do son," Ben replied. " Thanks Pa. I'd love ta !" Little Joe declared.

As soon as Little Joe had his and Hoss's morning chores finished, he and Ben headed off to Virginia City.

Once they had turned in their list of supplies to Mr. Cass, they walked over to Daisy's for lunch. It was their favorite place to eat in town.

Daisy was happy to see Ben and Little Joe walk in. " Ben, Little Joe , it is wonderful to see you both. How are you?" Daisy asked as she gave Little Joe a big hug and kiss. " We're doing fine Daisy, and how are you?" Ben asked. " Just fine," Daisy replied.

" Please sit down and look over the menu, and I'll come over and get your order right away," Daisy suggested as she hugged Little Joe again.

Daisy had owned her cafe since before Little Joe was born. She and Marie, Little Joe's mother, were best friends, and Daisy loved the boy as if he were her own son. She thought that he was the most beautiful baby that she had even seen, and she still thought that he was the best looking boy in the world.

After lunch, Ben and Little Joe picked up the mail, then they went to the store to pick up their supplies, and soon they were on their way home. It had been a good day for father and son.

Ben and Little Joe had an incredibly close relationship and they thoroughly enjoyed being together.

Ben was close with Adam and Hoss too, but there was just something special between Ben and Little Joe which was born the instant Little Joe had been born, when Ben first laid eyes on his tiny new boy.

Once they had returned home, they put all the supplies away. Little Joe took care of the horses and the buckboard before he returned to the house.

" Hop Sing, has Adam been back since he left this morning?" Ben asked as he didn't notice his oldest son anywhere. " No Mr. Cartlight. He not come home yet," Hop Sing answered. " Thank you Hop Sing," Ben replied.

When Little Joe walked into the house, he saw Ben reading the mail. Ben looked up to see his young son come in and he smiled at the boy.

" Did you get the buckboard and horses taken care of son?" Ben asked. " Sure did Pa. Would ya like me ta do anything else for ya?" the boy asked as he smiled at Ben.

Ben knew of one more thing, but he wasn't sure if he should bring up that subject. " Well son, I know you probably won't like this, but your room needs to be cleaned up and it would make me very happy if you wouldn't mind cleaning it up," Ben suggested as he looked at the boy.

Little Joe looked at Ben, then he smiled and replied, " I will do it Pa, just ta make ya happy." " Thank you son. I really do appreciate that," Ben said as he smiled back at his son. Little Joe smiled back at Ben as he headed up the stairs to his room.

When Little Joe entered his messy room, he looked around and gave a big sigh and he started to clean up the messy room.

About twenty minutes later, Adam returned home. When he walked into the house Ben asked him if everything was alright at the mine.

" Yes Pa. We put some extra support posts in the shaft, and it's safe again. How was your day?" Adam asked. " It was very nice. Little Joe and I went into Virginia City to get supplies and then we went to Daisy's for lunch," Ben explained as he smiled at Adam.

" Where's Little Joe now?" Adam asked. " He's cleaning his room," Ben replied as he looked at Adam and he could see the nervousness on the his son's face.

" Well, I had better have that talk with little brother. Wish me luck Pa," Adam stated as he headed up the stairs. Ben watched Adam go up the stairs and he hoped that Little Joe would accept Adam's apology.

Adam stood in front of the open door to his little brother's room and he watched the boy for a few seconds before he knocked on the door, and he asked if he could come in the room.

Little Joe turned around as soon as he heard the knock. " Sure," the boy said, suddenly feeling nervous and unsure of himself.

" This doesn't look like much fun to me," Adam joked. " It ain't," the boy softly replied as he continued to clean his room, without really looking up at Adam.

Adam could tell by his brother's body language that he was nervous and very uncomfortable feeling at the moment, and that bothered him because he knew that he was responsible for that.

Adam sat down on Little Joe's bed and he asked the boy to please come and sit beside next to him. Little Joe did what he was asked of, but he looked at the floor instead of at Adam.

For the first couple of seconds, neither brother spoke. Then Adam cleared his throat, and he began to speak.

" Little Joe, I need to talk to you, so please listen to what I have to say before you say anything, ok ?" Adam quietly said. The boy nodded as he continued to look at the floor.

" First, I want to tell you that I am so very sorry for all the mean and hateful words I said to you yesterday. I had no right to say those words. I know that you would never do anything to purposely hurt anyone. You are a very caring boy, for which I am very grateful for."

" You never say anything bad like what I said to you, to another person. You are the type of boy who would do anything you could to help a person who really needs help. You are very unselfish, and you would rather give to others than to have for yourself."

Secondly, you are a very intellegent boy, and you have a good head on your shoulders. You are a very hard worker and you also have good ideas on doing jobs that will save time and money, and make work go easier too."

" You know how to also have fun while you are working, which is something I don't have, but I wish I did. I love you for all of that and much more," Adam explained, hoping that his young brother was truely listening to what he had just tried to explain.

Little Joe had been listening to every word that Adam had just said to him, and he had tears in his eyes. He still hadn't looked at Adam as he continued to look at the floor.

" Ya dun't hate me?" the youngster softly said. That shocked Adam to no end, and he took hold of his little brother's quivering chin so he could look the boy in the eyes. When he saw the tears, his heart melted.

" Oh, Joe. Oh little buddy," Adam said with a lot of emotion in his voice as he put his arm around the boy's trembling shoulder.

" I could never hate you boy. I love you so much, and I have ever since I saw you for the very first time. You mean more to me than anything else little buddy. Sure there are times when I get angry with you, but there is no way I could ever hate you. I will love you forever little brother. I always will," Adam said.

By now Little Joe was crying hard and Adam gathered the boy in his arms and he held him tightly to his chest and he kissed the top of his head, and he let the boy cry.

He knew his little brother needed to get out all the emotions that he had been holding inside of him since the day before. He continued to kiss the boy's head as he too had tears in his eyes, and he was also gently rubbing the boy's back.

Adam continued to hold his little brother for a long time until the boy had settled down. " You alright now little buddy?" Adam asked hoping the boy felt better, at least his trembling had stopped.

Little Joe looked up at Adam through his big green teary eyes, and he softly mumbled, " I love you Adam, but I thought that you hated me, and that I disappointed you."

" Little Joe, I want you to please get those ' hate and disappointed ' ideas out of your head," Adam suggested. " Ok, I'm sorry," the boy replied.

" Little buddy, you have nothing to be sorry about. I'm just so sorry I have been so mean to you. Remember kid, I love you and don't you ever forget that ! Alright ?" Adam declared. " Ok," the boy replied.

" Ok, how about I help you finish cleaning your room, and then it will be time for dinner. What do you say?" Adam asked as he messed up the boy's hair. " Yes, I'd like that Adam. Thank you," Little Joe answered as both brothers hugged each other.

That night after Little Joe had gone to bed for the night, Ben asked Adam how his talk with his little brother had gone.

" It went very well Pa. God, I didn't realize how hurt he was. Would you believe that he thought that I hated him? I had no idea he felt that way. He also told me that he thought that he was a big disappointment to me as well. I practically destroyed my baby brother without knowing it ! How could I have been so stupid ?" Adam admitted.

" Son, you are not stupid. Sometimes, I think you expect to much from Little Joe. He's just a boy. Sure he makes mistakes, everyone does, but Adam, he's a good boy and I am very proud of him, as I am with with you and Hoss," Ben explained.

Ben went on to say, " Your little brother would never do anything to hurt anyone. He doesn't always think before he acts, but he is very smart and I am very thankful he is the way he is. That boy is the heart of our family."

" I know that Pa, and I hope to God, I won't hurt him like that ever again. It will be hard because there are times when I get very angry with him for some of the things he does, and I don't think about what I say to him," Adam said seriously.

" Adam, I do that too and I hate myself for it. Little Joe is a very loving boy. He always has been and I don't see him changing that in anyway. He's also a very sensitive and emotional boy as well and he is so easily hurt. That's what makes that boy so special," Ben tearfully said.

" I totally agree with everything you just said Pa. He is a very special boy and I thank God everyday for that boy," Adam replied.

Several days later as Little Joe was busy chopping wood, Hoss rode into the yard, and he got off of Chubb. Little Joe looked up as soon as he heard a horse enter the yard, and when he saw it was Hoss, he dropped the axe he was using and he ran over to his big brother, and he jumped into Hoss's waiting arms.

" Oh Hoss, yer home. I missed ya so much. I really did !" Little Joe declared as tears of happiness ran down his excited looking face.

" Hey Punkin, I missed you too. How ya doin' little brother?" Hoss asked as he continued to hold his brother.

" I'm good Hoss. Did ya have a good time with the Walkers?" the boy asked. " Sure did Short Shanks. I'll tell ya all about during dinner. I sure did miss Hop Sings' cookin' though," Hoss stated, as he laughed.

Everyone was very happy that Hoss was home again. He had been greatly missed by everyone including Hop Sing.

The family and Hop Sing enjoyed hearing about Hoss's time in Carson City with the Walkers. Hoss had been friends with Rocky and Betty since they were in school and Hoss was Rocky's best man when he and Betty got married.

" Even though I had a good time, there's no place like being home with my family and Hop Sing's wonderful cookin'," Hoss declared. That made Hop Sing feel very good.

Everyone agreed with Hoss's statement, including Hop Sing, who was very happy that ' his family ' was all together again.

Yes, life was great at the Ponderosa !

The End.

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