" The Horse Buying Trip "
By: Lynne G.
" It ain't one bit fair and ya know it Pa ! I'm a good judge of horses and I know a great lookin' horse when I see one, even better then Adam and Hoss, and I'm goin' with em !" shouted a very angry Little Joe.
Shocked by his young son's tone of voice, Ben took a deep breath, trying to control his temper before he spoke up. " JOSEPH, don't you ever speak to me like that AGAIN with THAT tone of voice ! I am your father and you will do what I tell you to do ! You are NOT going with your brothers and that's FINAL !" Ben pointed out as he glared at his son.
Still very angry, Little Joe stared at Ben and shouted right back. " Fine, go ahead and treat me like a baby then. I dun't care no more !" The boy then turned and ran from the house and he slammed the front door shut as hard as he could, which seemed to shake the house.
Adam and Hoss just sat there shaking their heads by the battle that had just taken place in the cozy livingroom of their home. Ben stared at the front door that had been slammed extremely hard.
" Boys, don't pay any attention to your little brother. I know he can spot a good horse when he sees one, but he is too young and too inexperienced to go along on the horse buying trip with you," Ben explained.
" We know Pa, but you shouldn't let him get away with talking to you the way he did. He keeps telling us that he's not a baby anymore, but he sure acts like one. It will be nice just to get away from him for two weeks," Adam told Ben. He was getting sick and tired of his youngest brother's out bursts.
" Don't worry, he won't get away with talking to me like that. I will punish him once I settle down a bit. I know how much he wants to be included in making decisions, but he will get his turn when he gets older," Ben replied back.
Hoss had been thinking about something to say as he listening to everything else that had been said. " Pa, I agree with Adam. I hate to see little brother like this, but it will be kinda nice to get away from him for two weeks. Don't get me wrong now Pa, I love my baby brother with all my heart, but when he is like this, it will be nice and peaceful just to get away from him," Hoss explained to Ben.
Adam and
Hoss were going to the
Little Joe just figured out that he was old enough to go along with his brothers, but he was too young, even though he didn't think so. After all, he had gone on two cattle drives, once by sneaking along behind the herd, and he had handled that just fine.
Little Joe wanted nothing to do with his family for the next couple of days, especially with Ben. In his young mind, he was sick and tired of of being left out of the decisions that were needed for the success of the ranch.
This young boy knew a great deal about horses, more than his family realized, and so with his knowledge of horses, Little Joe had decided that he would follow his brothers on their horse buying trip.
About an hour after Adam and Hoss had left on their trip, Little Joe made it look like he was heading off to school for the day.
He had carefully packed some clean clothes into his saddlebags along with some beef jerky, and his lunch. He had hidden his school books in his room and now he was all set to follow his brothers. He had also left a note for Ben telling him that he was going along with Adam and Hoss. He had put the note in Ben's desk drawer.
" Son, I want you to please come straight home after school today so you can do your chores before you start your homework. I know that you are upset that you couldn't go along with your brothers, but when you are a little older, then you can go on trips like that, and I know that you can spot a great looking horse when you see one," Ben told the unhappy looking boy.
" Yes sir. Thank you. Bye," the boy softly said as he rode off. Ben stood there watching his son leave the yard, and he had no idea what the youngster had planned.
Little Joe was a good tracker and it didn't take him very long to pick up his brothers tracks.
Around
Little Joe had hidden his bedroll at his favorite cave so Ben wouldn't have seen it when he had left home that morning. He also had his canteen at the cave, and before he had started to follow his brothers, he had filled his canteen with water at the near by stream, plus he let Tony have a nice long drink of cold water too. Then he started after his brothers.
After several more hours, Adam and Hoss stopped for the night. Little Joe stopped, still staying a safe distance behind them. He wished he could join his brothers at their camp site, but he knew he couldn't do that, so he stayed where he was.
Little Joe was very glad that he had saved his second sandwich so he could eat it for dinner that night. He could smell the food that his brothers were cooking for their dinner and that made his stomach growl even more.
The boy hoped that Tony wouldn't be able to smell his stablemates a few feet away and begin to whinny at them. That would be the last thing he wanted. Tony didn't make any sounds to alert his stablemates that he was so near to them.
Little Joe was much too nervous to sleep that night, so he sat up against a tree and wrapped himself up in his bedroll to keep warm as it was a very cool night.
At first light the sleepy boy rubbed his eyes, rolled up his bedroll, saddled Tony, and he waited for his brothers to leave their camp site.
Ben was angry with his youngest son for being late getting home from school, but as it was getting later and later, his anger turned into concern.
" Hop Sing, did Little Joe say anything to you about going anywhere after school?" Ben asked. " No Mr. Cartlight, little boy not say anything to Hop Sing," Hop Sing replied, as he too was getting worried that Little Joe still hadn't arrived home from school.
Ben rode over to the Devlin ranch to ask Mitch if he might know where Little Joe was.
" I'm sorry Mr. Cartwright, but Little Joe wasn't in school today," Mitch said, but he did have an idea what his best friend had done.
Ben was shocked by what Mitch had just said. " He wasn't in school? I had no idea. I just figured he went to school this morning. I told him to come straight home after school and he said he would. I don't know what to think now," Ben replied worriedly.
Ben looked again at Mitch and said, " Mitch, did Little Joe say anything to you about going somewhere instead of school?"
Mitch didn't wanted to tell Ben what Little Joe had told him, but he knew that his best friend's father needed to know the truth.
" He said something about maybe following Adam and Hoss on their horse buying trip. He must have decided to do that then," Mitch softly said. He knew that Little Joe would be in big trouble once he returned home again.
Ben closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. " Of course, why didn't I think of that. Just wait until that boy get home ! Thank you Mitch," Ben said as he left for home.
Once Ben arrived back home he told Hop Sing what Mitch had told him and Hop Sing slowly shook his head, but he wasn't surprised by Little Joe's actions.
Both Ben and Hop Sing went up to Little Joe's room to see if the boy had left a note, explaining where he was, but the only thing they found were the boy's school books.
Ben went to his room to see if his son had left a note in there, but no note was found in there either. By now Ben was very angry with his youngest son.
Ben stormed
down the stairs and quickly walked over to his desk and opened up the top
drawer in the desk to get out a sheet of paper so he could write out a telegram
to send to the hotel where Adam and Hoss would be staying at in
As soon as Ben opened the top drawer, he noticed the note from Little Joe explaining where he was. Ben was thankful for the note, but he was still very angry with the boy for sneaking off the way he did.
As Adam and Hoss rode along, Hoss suddenly stopped his horse. Noticing that Hoss had stopped, Adam pulled Sport up too.
" What's wrong Hoss?" Adam asked. Hoss who was looking around, said, " I keep feeling like we are being followed. They both looked around, but didn't see anyone or hear anyone following them.
" Oh Hoss, you don't think that our little brother is following us do you?" Adam nervously asked, as he continued to look and listen.
" Well knowing that boy like we do, it wouldn't surprise me one bit it he was following us," Hoss declared.
" If he is, boy is he ever going to be in big trouble !" Adam angrily declared. Hoss was also angry as well.
" OK LITTLE JOE, YOU HAD BETTER SHOW YOURSELF RIGHT NOW IF YOU KNOW WHATS GOOD FOR YOU !" Adam shouted as he and Hoss waited to see if a certain boy would show up.
Upon hearing Adam's threat being shouted, Little Joe swallowed nervously and he told Tony, " Uh oh, I have a feelin' like I'm in big trouble boy."
JOSEPH FRANCIS CARTWRIGHT, GET OVER HERE NOW !" Adam shouted again.
Little Joe slowly rode into sight, looking very scared as he looked at the ground, with quick glances at his his two very angry brothers. The nervous boy didn't say anything to his brothers. He just sat there on Tony slightly trembling as he continued to look at the ground.
" Would you PLEASE explain to us WHY you FOLLOWED us after you were told by Pa that you COULDN'T go with us?" Adam asked slowly and loudly. Little Joe still wouldn't say anything.
Taking a deep breath and slowly counting to ten in his head, Adam continued on. " I am WAITING for an ANSWER little boy !"
Little Joe looked up at Adam trying to use ' that ' look, but it didn't work this time.
" I...I...I just wanted ta help ya pick out the mares is all," the boy mumbled softly, as he continued to look at the ground.
" I can't believe how stupid you are ! Can you imagine how worried Pa must be by now, and I bet you didn't even bother to leave him a note now did you?" Adam continued to shouted.
" I did leave Pa a note tellin' him where I was," the boy very softly replied. All his brothers did was glared at him. Little Joe knew how angry they were.
" Little brother, can't you ever do what you are told? What's wrong with you anyway?" Hoss loudly asked. Both Adam and Hoss felt like tanning their little brother, but they knew if they did, the boy would be able to sit in his saddle very well.
" I guess we really don't have any choice, but to take him with us. Don't you think for one moment that this is going to be a fun time for you Joseph, because I promise you that it WON'T be !" Adam shouted.
" Hoss, we need to send Pa a telegram and let him know that his youngest son is with us, as he knew that they would be in a small town that next day.
As the brothers rode along in total silence, Little Joe was regreting his decision to follow his brothers, since they were both very angry with him, and they had barely spoke to him, except for all the shouting at first.
After they had made camp for the night, Adam gave Little Joe a tanning, and both older brothers told the youngster how disappointed they were with him.
Little Joe had thought that Hoss would have be a little nicer to him, but his largest older brother was just as angry as Adam was.
During dinner, Adam and Hoss talked to each other, but not to their little brother, and the boy couldn't blame them. After all, he had ruined their trip and he felt very badly about that.
" I...I'm really sorry. I only wanted ta help. I didn't mean ta spoil yer trip," Little Joe quietly said. Both of his brothers glared at him.
" You are always sorry little brother, but you never learn. We don't care how sorry you say you are. I don't want to hear anything you have to say. Just be quiet !" Hoss angrily said.
Adam was very surprised at what Hoss had just said. He usually stuck up for their little brother, but not this time.
Little Joe was hurt by what Hoss had said to him, but then again, he couldn't blame Hoss at all, since it was himself who was at fault this time.
Ben was very relieved to get the telegram from Adam telling him that Little Joe was indeed with them and that he had punished the boy. Ben knew that Adam could easily handle his baby brother and keep the boy safe. He was still very angry with his youngest son, and he also knew that he too would punish the boy once he was safely back home.
The
Cartwright brothers safely made it to
Little Joe knew his brothers were still very upset with him, so he behaved himself and he didn't once complain if he couldn't get his way.
Dinner was eaten in silence as the brothers were very tired. After dinner they headed straight for their room and to bed. Even if Little Joe hadn't been with them, Adam and Hoss would have still gone to bed early that night.
The next morning after breakfast, the brothers headed out to begin their visits to the horse ranches they had planned to see. Adam and Hoss didn't have a choice and they had to take Little Joe with them.
As soon as they reached the first ranch, Adam took Little Joe aside and he had a short talk with the boy.
" Now, I want you to listen to what I tell you, and I want you to listen good ! You are to behave yourself ! You are to keep quiet and you are to stay with Hoss and me ! Do you think you can do as you are told this time?" Adam angrily, but quietly explained. " Yes sir," Little Joe softly replied.
As Adam and Hoss carefully looked over all the mares at the ranch, they weren't sure about any of these mares.
Little Joe stood there and he also looked at the mares, and he wasn't one bit impressed at the mares he saw. He kept quiet as he was ordered to do, but in his mind he hoped that his brothers wouldn't buy any of the mares at this ranch.
" Thank you for your time Mr. Smith. We will get back to you after we have made up our minds," Adam thoughtfully said. The brothers then rode off to the next ranch on their
list.
On their way to the next ranch, Adam and Hoss talked about the mares they had seen at the Smith ranch, but they still weren't sure if any of those mares would be right for them. Not once did they bother to ask their little brother what he had thought about the mares.
The same thing happened at the next couple of ranches. Little Joe wasn't impressed at all with those mares either.
After
spending the day looking at mares, the brother returned to town in the later
afternoon. After they had taken care of their horses, they headed off to
a book store that Adam loved to go to everytime he
was in
As they looked
around at all the books, Hoss found a couple of books that he wanted.
Little Joe had never seen so many books in his short life.
Soon the boy found two books that he really wanted, but he didn't have his money with him, and he knew he would have to ask Adam if he could have them.
One book was about Davey Crockett, and the other book was about all the different ways to train horses.
Adam had
also found several books that he wanted as well. He wished that
Adam told Hoss to lay the two books he wanted on the counter next to the ones that he had picked for himself. " Thanks Adam," Hoss happily told Adam. Adam smiled at his younger but much bigger brother and he replied, " It's my pleasure Hoss."
Little Joe carried the two books he wanted up to Adam and he softly asked, " Adam, can I get these two books? I'll give ya the money when we get back home."
Adam looked down at his little brother and he said, " No, put them back on the shelf you took them from. I told you that this wasn't going to be a pleasure trip for you, remember?" Adam sternly reminded his little brother.
A very disappointed and hurt looking Little Joe thought about asking again, but he slowly walked back to the shelf where he had found the two books, with his head down.
His brothers watched the youngster and Hoss began to feel a little sorry for the boy.
" Adam, I know he was wrong to follow us, but he hasn't been any trouble at all. Can't he please have those two books he wants so badly?" Hoss asked, hoping that Adam would say ' yes'.
" Hoss, I'm sorry, but he can't have the books. He doesn't deserve to have them since he didn't do what he was told. That boy needs to learn to follow instructions, and not do as he pleases," Adam explained. Hoss just nodded.
" Why don't you take him outside while I pay for our books. It looks like I will be line for a few more minutes anyway," Adam suggested.
Hoss walked over to his little brother who stood there looking at the two books he had sadly placed back on the shelves.
" Come on little brother lets go outside and wait for big brother and get some fresh air," Hoss suggested as he saw tears begin to form in the boy's eyes. Little Joe took one last look at the two books and he mumbled, " Ok Hoss." Hoss's heart was now breaking for their little brother.
The End of part one.