“You’ll be sorry Ben Cartwright! You will regret the day you fired me, believe me you will!”
“I can’t wait to see the look on your face when you find out that you have caused the death of one of your sons!” Kurt Blackwell ranted loudly as he rode off the Ponderosa.
Kurt was a drifter who liked to cause trouble where ever he worked resulting in him losing every job he had ever had. Kurt was also a cold blooded killer, killing anyone who crossed him or made him angry.
While on his way to Carson City, Kurt met up with another drifter, named Willis Brown. Both men had a lot in common, so they decided to stay together for a while. Willis had never killed anyone before and he had no idea that Kurt had.
Ben Cartwright was very relieved to be rid of Kurt Blackwell. The man refused to take orders and he often fought with the other ranch hands and the man had also fought with Adam and Hoss as well.
Kurt had also been hard on Ben’s youngest son, ten year old Little Joe. He caused the boy all kinds of problems, that Ben didn’t know about, and had Ben known, the man would have been fired immediately.
“I can’t tell you both how glad I am that I finally let Blackwell go. There was something about that man that bothered me, besides him fighting with everyone and not taking orders. I just feel much safer with him gone!” Ben told Adam and Hoss during lunch one afternoon.
“We are too Pa. I tell you that man is totally evil. I feel sorry for anyone who crosses him in anyway. Good riddance to him!” Adam said as he was feeling relieved that the man was gone.
“That man gave me the creeps! He made me feel nervous when he was around and I know the rest of the men felt the same way about him,” Hoss admitted.
Feeling bad, Ben replied, “I’m so sorry I ever hired that man in the first place.” Ben said as he slowly shook his head as he looked at his two sons.
As soon as Little Joe arrived home from school, he nervously looked around in every direction to see if Kurt was near by and he was very relieved when he didn’t see the man, so he jumped down from his horse, Tony and he led the horse into the barn so he could unsaddle him and get him something to eat.
As soon as the youngster was finished in the barn he quickly walked towards the house; still looking for any sign of Kurt. Once in the house, he was warmly greeted by his family and that is when Ben told him about Kurt being fired and no longer on the Ponderosa. Ben immediately noticed the look of relief on the boy’s face.
“I’m so glad he’s gone Pa! He was so mean ta me Pa!” Little Joe told his father, which shocked Ben. “What do you mean by that son?” Ben asked as he was concerned by the boy’s statement.
“Cuz he use ta trip me and he also pushed me down, and he dun told me if I ever told anyone ‘bout this and ‘bout him hittin’ me, then he….he’d hurt me real bad Pa,” the boy softly confessed.
Ben, Adam and Hoss were shocked to hear how Kurt had hurt and threatened the baby of the family, and if Kurt were still on the ranch, they would have probably killed the man or had him arrested.
“Sweetheart, we had no idea that he had hurt you and threatened you the way he did. Had we known we would have put a stop to it immediately. Listen to me son; if anyone ever hurts you or threatens you again, you need to let us know so we can put a stop to it right away,” Ben explained to the boy as he hugged him tightly.
“I know Pa, but I was scared! I promise I will next time,” the boy replied as he thoroughly enjoyed being held in his father’s loving arms. He felt safe again.
As summer was moving towards its end, the days and nights were getting that feeling that fall was coming fast. It felt like they just might have an early winter that year too.
Everyone had worked hard all summer including Little Joe. The boy felt very proud of himself at all the work he had done and it made feel more grown up even though he was still very much a little boy.
Ben decided that it was a good idea for his sons to go camping for a week before Little Joe had to go back to school in September. Since they had worked hard during the summer, they needed some time off to have some fun.
When Ben told them about the camping trip they were thrilled, especially Little Joe. He loved being with his brothers, especially Hoss, but there were times when he wasn’t so sure about Adam though.
As the day arrived for the camping trip, Little Joe could barely contain himself. He was so excited that he hardly slept the night before. His family was getting a big kick at watching him.
“Now Little Joe, I want you to please listen to what Adam and Hoss tell you. I want you to have a fun time and also I want you to be safe. I don’t want to hear about you getting into any mischief. Can you be a good boy for your brothers and for me too?” Ben asked as he had his young son’s full attention. “Yes Pa, I promise that I’ll be perfect fer Adam and Hoss and you too Pa,” Little Joe told Ben as he gave Ben one of his prize winning smiles.
“Son, you don’t have to be perfect. Just be a good boy is all I ask. I love you sweetheart! Have a fun time now, ok?” Ben said as he hugged his boy tightly and he also ruffled up the boy’s soft thick curly brown hair. “I love ya too Pa!” the boy replied as he loved being held by his father
Smiling at the scene between Ben and Little Joe, Adam couldn’t help saying something back. “Don’t worry Pa; we’ll take good care of him, and you enjoy your peace and quiet,” Adam suggested as he got on his horse. Ben smiled at him as he knew that he would miss his sons especially his baby.
“Bye Pa and you be good too,” Hoss teased as he climbed on his horse. “I love ya Pa,” Little Joe said as he hugged Ben again before he leaped up on Tony with a big grin on his face. “Boys, have fun and be careful. Love you!” Ben declared as he watched them ride out of the yard, before he returned to the house feeling a little lonely.
The Cartwright brothers had ridden up towards the high country. The trip so far had been good and to Adam and Hoss, their little brother was behaving himself, which made the trip more enjoyable.
Little did the brothers realize, they were being followed by Kurt and Willis, who were a ways behind them.
After dinner that evening, the brothers talked about all kinds of things. Little Joe had asked them about camping trips that they had been on before he had been old enough to go with them. The boy loved to hear stories about his brothers. He had to laugh about the time Adam and Hoss had a run in with a skunk. Even Adam and Hoss could laugh at that story too but it wasn’t funny at the time.
“Boy, I bet ya sure dunt smell so good! How’d ya get rid of that awful smell?” the boy asked as he giggled. “Well little brother, we took off our clothes, grabbed a bar of Hop Sing’s lye soap and ran down to the creek to wash that smell away. It worked real good too. Then we washed our clothes and that helped them too, but we knew that Hop Sing would have to rewash em,” Hoss explained. “It’s just a good thing we had brought some extra clothes with us, right Hoss?” Adam added.
“It sure was big brother or we would have had to go without any clothes on till our wet clothes were dry,” Hoss declared. “Let’s just hope that that won’t happen to us this time brothers,” Little Joe teased. That statement brought more laughing.
Several stories later, Little Joe was just about asleep, so Adam suggested that it was time for bed. Little Joe didn’t argue with Adam as he was very sleepy. As soon as he was covered up, he fell into a deep sleep. As Adam and Hoss watched their little brother sleep, they couldn’t help but smile. The boy looked like an angel while he slept. So sweet and so innocent looking. They loved the boy deeply, and he was the heart of the family.
“I can’t believe how good he’s been for the last three days Hoss. He has agreed to everything and he’s been a lot of fun too,” Adam told Hoss. “I know. Too bad he can’t be good all the time, but then he wouldn’t be our Little Joe if he were good all the time,” Hoss replied as he smiled at the sleeping boy. “That’s true Hoss,” Adam added with a little chuckle.
The three brothers were now all sleeping soundly, while Hoss was also snoring loudly. Adam had put plenty of wood in the fire to keep it burning all night.
A couple of hours later Kurt and Willis walked into the campsite and they looked down at the sleeping brothers and smiled. They had left their horses back in the woods, but not too far away. With Hoss snoring so loudly, they realized that if they were quiet, they wouldn’t be heard.
They walked over to Little Joe and Kurt took his gun out of his holster and in one swift move, he hit the sleeping boy on the side of his head, then Kurt uncovered the boy, picked him up and they quickly and quietly headed back to their horses with the unconscious boy in Kurt’s arms. Once back with their horses, they gagged Little Joe, tied his writs together, put him up on Kurt’s horse and they rode off towards the mountains.
When Adam and Hoss woke up several hours later they noticed that their little brother was gone. “Wonder where little brother is?” Hoss asked as he looked around for the missing boy. “Probably needed to relieve himself Hoss. Don’t worry, he’ll be back soon,” Adam replied as he put more wood on the fire.
“But his hat is still here. Wonder why he didn’t take it with him?” Hoss wondered out loud. Adam looked at Hoss and shrugged his shoulders.
After several more minutes Adam looked around for his baby brother, knowing that the boy should have been back in camp by now. “Wonder what’s taking that boy so long to do his business?” Adam declared as he continued to look in all directions.
By now both brothers were calling out for their little brother, but he never did answer back. They went looking for the boy but no trace of him could be found.
“Adam, something’s wrong. It’s like Little Joe has just disappeared or something. All his stuff is still here,” Hoss nervously said. “I know,” Adam replied back as they both continued to look for any sign of which way the boy might have gone.
“Hoss look, there’s some blood on his blanket!” Adam shouted. “Adam, I’m scared. He’s hurt!” Hoss cried. They continued to shout out to the boy.
As they walked back towards the woods they noticed two sets of boot prints, made by two men. The prints indicated that they had come from the woods and over to where Little Joe had been sleeping, then the prints headed back to the woods and disappeared.
By now Adam and Hoss realized that two men had snuck into the camp during the night and kidnapped their little brother.
“Come on Hoss we need to keep looking in case Little Joe has been left somewhere in the woods,” Adam suggested, but in the back of his mind something told him that the boy wasn’t anywhere near them. Hoss had that same thought.
After searching for the rest of the day, and not finding any trace of their little brother, Adam suggested that they needed to head back to the ranch and tell Ben what happened, and get search parties set up. The more men they could get to help search for the missing boy, the faster they would find him.
Ben was very surprised and shocked when two of his sons returned by themselves. He could sense that something bad had happened as soon as he had seen the look on their faces.
“Where’s Little Joe?” Ben nervously asked as he looked from Hoss and back to Adam.
“Pa, we think he was kidnapped while we were all sleeping two nights ago. When we woke up that next morning he wasn’t in his bedroll, so we just figured that he was relieving himself in the woods,” Adam began to explain. Ben felt weak in his knees by the news about his youngest son.
“But he seemed to be taking long time so we called out to him, but he never answered back. We looked around the campsite and into the woods but he wasn’t anywhere in sight.”
“I looked at his bedroll and saw some blood on it, and we both knew that he was hurt in some way. It was then that we noticed two sets of boot prints around Little Joe’s bedroll and the prints came from the woods and they headed back that way too,” Adam continued.
“We searched around that entire area, but there wasn’t any trace of Little Joe or the men, so we rode hard to get home as fast as we could so we could get all the men we can so we can search more for Little Joe,” Hoss suggested as he felt sick at the thought of his baby brother being gone.
Ben was completely shocked at the disappearance of his youngest son. It felt as if his heart had been ripped out of his chest. The boy was the heart of the family.
“Who would take Little Joe like that? We need to let Roy know, then get the men together and head out at first light. We need to find my baby!” Ben cried.
Ben rode into Virginia City to inform Roy about Little Joe’s disappearance. Roy was totally shocked at what he had just heard from Ben.
“Ben, do you have any idea who would want to take Little Joe?” Roy asked as he could see the deep worry on his best friend’s face. “No I haven’t Roy. There have been no threats that I know of. For the life of me, I can’t figure out who could do something like this,” Ben sadly told Roy. Roy’s heart went out to Ben and the family. He loved the little boy as if the boy was his own son. He was worried sick as well.
“Don’t worry Ben, I can get a search party together here and with all of your hands and your friends, we’ll find that youngster of yours,” Roy said trying to reassure Ben. “Thanks Roy. We are all leaving from the Ponderosa at first light in the morning. We need all the help we can get, “Ben replied. All he wanted was his son back home safely and fast.
While Ben was in Virginia City, Adam and Hoss explained to all their hands about Little Joe disappearing, and they were all more than willing to help search for the boy until he was found. They were extremely fond of the little boy.
Hop Sing was heart broken about Little Joe, so he kept busy by getting supplies together for the men. He loved the little boy dearly.
As Little Joe was regaining consciousness he couldn’t figure out what was happening. The boy was confused, his head hurt and everything seemed very blurry.
As soon as Willis and Kurt heard the boy begin to moan they stopped their horses. Without saying anything, Kurt walked over to the boy and blind folded him.
“Hi brat, betcha never thought you’d see me again. Don’t worry none cuz you will never see that family of yours again! We are going to take you to the end of the earth and turn you loose. A little brat like you won’t last but a day or two,” Kurt threatened as he laughed loudly.
As soon as Little Joe heard Kurt’s voice and his threats he tried to get away, but Willis held on to the boy so there was no way Little Joe could get away from him. “Nice try brat, but no matter how hard you try, you will never get away from us,” Willis told the terrified little boy. Both men were laughing hard as they continued on to the mountains.
The Cartwrights and the search party had been searching for over two weeks now and absolutely no sign of Little Joe had been found. Everyone was extremely discouraged now and they knew that they needed to return to the Ponderosa.
They would continue their search as soon as they had restocked their supplies and get some much needed rest. Roy felt awful that he couldn’t continue his search, as he needed to get back to town.
It was very rough going for Kurt, Willis and Little Joe as they made their way higher up in the mountains. There were some areas where it was hard on the horses so the men walked while Little Joe rode. Walking was hard and with the boy blindfolded, so riding was best for him so it wouldn’t slow them down that much.
About four weeks later they finally reached a very remote area high up in the mountains and they were exhausted. Little Joe had been blind folded the entire trip so he had no idea of where he was. He figured that they must be in the mountains as he was cold.
While still on their way, Kurt and Willis had hunted small game and luck was on their side as they had caught several large rabbits. Both men ate well, but they didn’t give Little Joe hardly anything to eat.
By now Willis had become very fond of the little boy and he felt sorry for him, but he would never let Kurt know how he felt now.
“Kurt, do we have to abandon the boy? I like him and he hasn’t caused us any trouble at all. He’s just a sweet little boy and he’s scared,” Willis told Kurt with hopes that he could get Kurt to change his mind about leaving the boy alone to fend for himself.
“Are you going soft on me Willis? I told you why I want that boy dead, and nothing you say or do will make me change my mind, so just shut up!” Kurt shouted loudly as he was seeing red.
Willis was starting to regret ever coming along with Kurt and he was getting rather nervous as to what to do. If only he and Little Joe could get away from Kurt, then they would have a chance to survive.
That night the three had camped next to a large fast running creek, so they caught fish for their dinner. The boy remained tied up the entire time.
To be on the safe side, Kurt decided to tie up Willis later that evening, just in case the man tried to get away with Little Joe. The evil man now had a plan for Willis as well that would take place that next day.
At first light Kurt and Willis saddled their horses and yet once again, Willis tried to talk to Kurt about changing his mind about the boy, but it didn’t do any good.
As they were getting ready to ride off Kurt knocked Little Joe out then he untied the boy and left him lying there. Kurt and Willis rode away, with Willis looking back at the unconscious boy lying where he had fallen.
About six miles from they had left Little Joe, Kurt shot and killed Willis and he took Willis’s horse and he headed down off the mountain and rode towards California. He knew that no one would ever know what he had done to Little Joe and Willis.
As Little Joe began to regain consciousness, many miles away lived a sickly old man, Josh and his old lame mule, Lady.
Josh knew that he needed to restock his smoke house with fresh game, but he also realized that this trip would be extremely hard on him and Lady as both of them weren’t in very good health anymore. Just walking around in the woods would be hard but he didn’t have any choice in that matter.
Very early the next morning Josh and Lady headed out to find some game. He hoped that they wouldn’t have to go very far from his old cabin as the weather had started to get colder.
Little Joe was glad that Kurt and Willis were gone, but at the same time he was scared to death that the men had left him all alone up in the mountains with no food or water. Luckily the creek was very close to where he now stood, so he decided to get a drink of water.
After he had his drink, he thought that it just might be a good idea if he followed the creek so that he could at least have water to drink. He didn’t give food a thought. “Just keep yer head Joe and who knows, just maybe this creek will help me find my way home again,” he thought to himself.
Another thing that made the little boy very nervous was that he didn’t have anything to keep him safe from wild animals or anything to keep him warm. He had his jacket on, but it was his blue light weight jacket and not his heavy jacket. With it being cold in the mountains he knew that he needed to find a way to stay warm, so he walked on.
Little Joe had walked all day and into the evening and he was exhausted. As he looked for some kind of shelter he noticed two large pine trees lying close to the creek so he thought if he could lie under the branches, they might help him stay a little warmer during the night.
Before he crawled under the branches, he got a nice long drink of water. Once he was under the branches he fell into a very restless sleep while crying out to Ben to find him.
He woke up several times during the night and he listened to the creek flowing fast and the other sounds of the night in the thick pine forest. He was shivering more from fright, but a little from the coldness of the night too. The branches seemed to help him stay a little warmer. “Please Papa find me. I’m so scared,” he cried out form beneath the branches.
At first light he crawled out from under the branches, got a drink and he continued to follow the creek. He could tell that the terrain was headed down the mountain which gave the boy just a little bit of hope. Some areas were much steeper than other areas and some where very gradual. Every now and then the land was fairly flat.
After a good night sleep, Josh and Lady continued on. So far Josh hadn’t seen any game and he felt a little discouraged, but he didn’t give up. Some years it took several days for him to find any game. Also that morning Josh didn’t feel very well. He was having some chest pains and he was getting scared.
Several hours later, Lady couldn’t walk anymore and she collapsed to the ground. Josh tried in vain to get her to stand up but the she was so tired and so old that she stayed down. Minutes later she died.
Josh was heartbroken at the loss of his best friend. He wondered how would he get game home now without Lady to carry it for him. As he sat there next to lady his heart stopped and Josh joined Lady in death. They would now be together forever.
Little Joe walked and walked for the next several days. He fell down many times, but he managed to get back up and continue on. The boy was very hungry as all he could find to eat were some huckleberries and a few pine nuts. He did have plenty of water thanks to the creek that he continued to follow. He was also extremely lucky as he wasn’t bothered by any animals. There were a lot of bears, wolves, and mountain lions in the mountains, but they stayed away from the little boy.
As the days went on Little Joe began getting weaker and weaker. One day as his strength was about to give out, he came across a huckleberry bush that was full of berries. As he ate the berries he began to have a little more hope in his heart that he just might make it after all. He had been without anything to eat for several days until he found this huckleberry bush.
The weather had turned cold, wet and windy. The boy was soaking wet and very cold. That night he was able to find a hollowed out log that was just big enough for him to crawl into, and surprisingly, it felt a little warmer inside that log for which he was very grateful. As the rain poured that night, Little Joe felt safe inside that log.
By morning, he wasn’t sure how many days he had been walking. He thought maybe six or seven days, but he really wasn’t sure. The days just seemed to run into each other.
He was exhausted as he continued on. He was falling down more often now, but this time he was too tired to get back up, so he just laid there and he cried. As he lay there crying and feeling very cold and hungry and very scared he heard his father’s voice.
“Son, you have to get up and keep going. Come on Little Joe get up! If you stay down you’ll die. Get up son, please do that for me.” Ben’s voice pleaded.
“Yes sir,” the boy mumbled as he slowly stood up though a bit shaky and he continued on as it had started to snow lightly.
As the boy continued to stagger on his way he was almost frozen, exhausted and starving. He fell down one more time and he closed his eyes. He was too tired to go on and he had finally given up. He had tried so hard to keep going, but he couldn’t go on anymore.
“Joseph, get up now! Come on son I know you can do it. Listen to me sweetheart, just a few more feet and you’ll find a cabin. Please baby get up and get to the cabin,” Ben’s voice pleaded once more.
Little Joe slowly opened his eyes. “Yes Papa, where are ya? I’m so tired. Please Papa help me!” the weak boy cried out. He tried so hard to stand up but he was so weak and exhausted, so he started to crawl.
About ten minutes later he saw a small cabin, Josh’s cabin in front of him and he slowly stood up and he staggered to the cabin, and he banged on the door. When no one opened the door, he opened the door and staggered inside.
Once inside the cold cabin he saw some dry bread on the table and he grabbed it and started to eat it. He didn’t care if it was all dried out. It was food and he desperately needed food. He also found a small bucket which he picked up and he went back outside and down to the creek that was next to the cabin. He filled the bucket with fresh water and headed back to the cabin.
He forced himself to make a fire in the fireplace before slowly walking towards a cot, where he collapsed down on it and he covered himself with several thick quilts. For the first time in weeks, Little Joe fell into a deep sleep and feeling nice and warm at last.
Outside the snow continued to fall, but inside the small cabin it was nice and warm as a little boy slept peacefully.
Little Joe slept for over 24 hours and when he woke up he didn’t know where he was, but then he remembered that he was in the cabin which was cold again.
The boy made a fire in the fireplace and once he had the fire burning nicely he decided to look around for some food as he was so very hungry. He found more thick quilts and several cans of beans, so he got out a pot and put some beans in it so he could heat them up.
While the beans were heating up, he went outside to get some fresh water from the creek. Most of the snow had melted while he was sleeping for which he was very grateful. Also while he was outside he noticed a small smoke house and inside of it he found a couple of smoked fish, and two rabbits, which he brought inside the cabin. He now had food to eat, plus he would be able to catch some fish in the creek.
He was still exhausted and hungry, and just walking around in the cabin made him feel weaker.
Little Joe decided to stay at the cabin until he felt stronger. He was still scared but at least here in the cabin, he had shelter and food. He knew that he was in the mountains and even though he was lost he figured that if he continued to follow the creek that it would most likely flow into Lake Tahoe, at least he hoped that it would.
The boy didn’t eat much as he wanted to have enough food to take with him when he left the cabin. He also spent a lot of time just sleeping.
Little Joe had now been at the cabin for two weeks and even though he wanted to stay longer, he knew that winter weather could set in at any time, and that he wouldn’t be able to survive a winter by himself without food.
That night as the little boy slept, Ben’s voice came to him again. “Little Joe listen to me son, at first light in the morning I want you to leave the cabin and continue on home. Just follow the creek like you have been doing and it will take you to Rocky Creek pasture. You must leave in the morning son.”
Little Joe sat up wondering what had awaken him, so he got up; then he remembered what Ben’s voice had said to him. He didn’t feel he was ready to leave yet, but he would do as he was told. “I will Papa, but I’m still so tired and scared.
Little Joe lit the lantern, packed up the small amount of food that was left and he also picked two of the thick quilts to take with him. He chose the heaviest quilt and the other one which was thick but not as heavy as the first one he picked. He decided to take several matches and a knife with him as well. He put the matches, knife in the same large bag he had put the food in. He was now ready to leave at first light.
The Cartwrights, their hands and many friends had searched for well over two months now. Little Joe had been missing for just about three months. They had searched everywhere without any luck.
“Pa, Little Joe is gone and we need to realize that. God, I had hoped and prayed that we would have found him by now, but it’s been three months since he disappeared,” Adam sadly admitted. They all felt so hopeless.
“My baby can’t be dead! He just can’t be!” Ben cried. Hoss felt the same way as did everyone who had been searching for the boy.
Once they were all back at the ranch, Ben thanked all the hands and family friends for helping search for Little Joe. “Ben, we can’t tell you how sorry we are that we couldn’t find Little Joe anywhere. Please never give up hope that just maybe one day he will turn up again. Ben, if you and the boys need anything done please let us know,” Charlie told Ben.
“Thank you Charlie, men. We really appreciate all the help you have given us in the search for Little Joe. Thank you,” was all Ben could say as he was starting to tear up.
Hop Sing was heartbroken that Little Joe was still missing. His heart went out to the family for the tremendous loss of the little boy who was the heart of the family.
Kurt had made it to Placerville where he continued to cause trouble. He had been arrested several times for fighting in the saloons.
One day Kurt entered one of the banks in Placerville where he shot and killed one of the tellers and two customers when he robbed the bank. As he ran out of the bank, he was quickly arrested by Sheriff Zack Kelly.
Not long after Little Joe had left the cabin a big wind storm hit and two very large pine trees crashed into the cabin completely crushing the tiny cabin. The boy was caught up in the storm and he was scared as trees began to crash all around him.
Finally the storm stopped but it had turned very cold again. Little Joe had the heaviest quilt wrapped around him with the other quilt covering the heavier one. They did help to keep him warm, but just a little.
At night he built a fire for warmth and to also help keep animals away from him. He could hear animal sounds in the night and that made him very nervous. He ate as little as possible with hopes it would last him until he made it home.
The little boy continued to follow the creek, but as the terrain was getting steeper he struggled to keep from falling. He was sore from falling down so many times and his clothes were torn as well, but he continued on. “I’m tryin’ hard Papa, but I’m so tired,” the boy said outloud.
Several days later in Placerville, Kurt had been found guilty of three counts of murder and bank robbery, and he was sentence to be hanged until he was dead.
The morning of the hanging, Sheriff Kelly asked Kurt if he had any messages for his family. “I have no family, but I want you to please send a message to Sheriff Roy Coffee in Virginia City. Tell him to let Ben Cartwright know that it was me who kidnapped his little boy. The boy is dead.” Kurt told Kelly. He also confessed to killing Willis too.
Needless to say, Zack Kelly was shocked to hear that confession. Kurt just laughed loudly at the expression on the sheriff’s face. Kelly told Kurt that he would indeed send that telegram to Sheriff Coffee.
As Kurt was hung he laughed. The evil man was now dead and he couldn’t hurt anyone ever again.
Sheriff Kelly quickly sent the telegram to Sheriff Roy Coffee. He had seen the missing person poster on the little boy and he was so very angry to learn that Kurt had killed the child.
As soon as Roy received the telegram about Little Joe he sat down and cried. “How do I tell Ben that his baby son is dead?” Roy said to Clem Foster, his deputy. Clem just shook his head as he too had tears running down his face.
Roy went to get Dr. Paul Martin to come with him out to the Ponderosa with the sad news for the Cartwrights. They both dreaded having to tell the family that the heart of the family would never be coming back home.
The days had been extremely hard for the Cartwrights and Hop Sing. They tried the best they could to continue on with life, but it was so hard. They still held out some hope that just maybe the boy would come home again.
The knock on the door startled the family. Hop Sing went to the door to see who was there.
“Hi Hop Sing, can we come in please?” Roy sadly asked as he saw Ben, Adam and Hoss sitting there. Hop Sing smiled and let Paul and Roy in.
“Roy, Paul, what brings you two out here?” Ben asked softly as he noticed the look of dread on their faces, and his heart began beating very fast and hard.
“Hi Ben, boys. I received a telegram from Sheriff Zack Kelly in Placerville. Do you know a man named Kurt Blackwell?” Roy asked.
“Yes we know him. He used to work for us, but I fired him several months ago. He was nothing but trouble. What’s he done this time?” Ben asked.
“Well, he caused all kinds of trouble in Placerville. Then he robbed the bank and killed the teller and two customers, and of course he was found guilty and was hung, but before he was hung he admitted that he kidnapped Little Joe, and… and…that… that he killed the boy. Ben, Adam, Hoss, Hop Sing, I am so very sorry,” Roy softly said, as he was crying.
“OH GOD NO! NOT MY BABY! NOT LITTLE JOE! HE CAN’T BE DEAD! OH GOD! Ben screamed as he collapsed to the floor. Adam, Hoss, Hop Sing, Roy and Paul rushed over to where Ben laid on the floor crying hard. The family and Hop Sing were in shock!
Their hearts felt as if they had been ripped out of their chests. Hoss sobbed heavily that his beloved baby brother was dead. Adam was crying as he stayed close to Ben. Paul decided to stay at the ranch to help the family try to get thought this horrible shock. Hop Sing went to his room and he cried uncontrollably.
After almost three more weeks of walking, Little Joe ran out of food, but he continued on. Every now and then he found a few pine nuts, but that was about all he could find.
Another week went by and Little Joe had now been walking for four and a half weeks. He was getting weaker by the day and he was totally exhausted, but Ben’s voice made him continue on.
It was now almost five weeks since the Cartwrights had learned Little Joe was dead. Life continued to go on, but the family didn’t seem to care at all. Their lives would never be the same again. One of the things that really bothered them the most was that they didn’t have the boy’s body to bury next to his mother.
One day Ben knew that he needed to go to Reno on business, so Adam and Hoss decided to go with him realizing that getting away from the ranch for several days would help them all feel a little better.
As Little Joe staggered along he realized that he was now in Rocky Creek pasture. He had lost count of how many times he had fallen down and each time it was getting harder and harder to get back up, but Ben’s voice kept telling him to get back up and start walking again. He crawled part of the time which seemed to be a little easier on him.
He walked on a little farther before he collapsed again. As he lay there he pulled the quilts over his head so he was completely covered as he was so very cold. His world then turned black.
Hank, Charlie, and Red were coming back from the higher pasture area where they had been looking for stay cattle. None were found which a good thing was. That meant all the cattle were now in their winter pastures.
The day was bitter cold and the men couldn’t wait to get back to the ranch. As they rode along the ridge of Rocky Creek pasture, Hank noticed something lying on the ground down in the lower parts of the pasture.
“What the heck is that in the pasture?” Hank called out. Charlie and Red stopped their horses and looked down to where Hank was pointing and Charlie said, “Looks like a quilt! Why would there be a quilt in the pasture?” So the men rode down to the pasture to have a look.
They jumped off their horses and stood next to the quilt. “There’s a body under that quilt,” Charlie gasped as the three men stood there staring at the quilt with a still form under the quilt. Hank touched the quilt with his foot and there was no movement or sound from under the quilt.
Charlie bent down and with a trembling hand; he slowly pulled the quilt down to reveal the person under the quilt. Once the body was uncovered, the three men gasped and fell to their knees and they cried.
“OH MY GOD, IT’S LITTLE JOE!” the all shouted at the same time. Charlie felt the boy’s neck for a pulse. “He’s alive but just barely,” Charlie announced as they turn the boy over onto his back and they were totally shocked at how skinny the little boy was and how filthy dirty he was, plus all the cuts and scratches all over him and at his torn clothes.
“Oh my God, he’s almost a skeleton! Where on earth has this boy been?” Red cried. They tried to wake the boy but there was no response at all. “Red, you ride as fast as you can to Virginia City and get Dr. Martin out to the ranch. Tell him to hurry as fast as he can. Hank and I will get Little Joe home,” Charlie told Red, who quickly jumped on his horse and he raced off to Virginia City.
Charlie wrapped the boy back up in the quilts and he carried the child over to his horse then handed the boy to Hank so he could get on his horse. Hank handed Little Joe back up to Charlie. They both said that the boy hardly weighed anything and that scared them.
They rode to the ranch as fast as they could without hurting the boy who remained unconscious.
As soon as they rode into the yard, Hank jumped off his horse then reached up to take the boy out of Charlie’s arms so Charlie could get off his horse, then both men rushed to the house calling out for Hop Sing.
Hop Sing was coming down the stairs when he heard Charlie and Hank shouting for him so he hurried down the stairs and over to the door. He was shocked at what he saw.
“Hop Sing, we found Little Joe and he’s alive, but barely,” Hank cried. “Put boy on settee!” Hop Sing quickly ordered. Once the boy was lying on the settee, Hop Sing uncovered the boy’s face and he was in complete shock at the condition of the child.
“What happened to little boy? You so skinny, so dirty and so very pale. It hard to see how pale with face so dirty,” Hop Sing said softly with tears running down his face.
Hop Sing looked up at Hank and Charlie and said, “Go to washroom get tub, bring here. Mr. Charlie get hot water from stove for tub. Hop Sing go get towels and nightshirt for Little Joe,” Hop Sing asked the men who quickly went to get what was asked of them.
Once everything was in place and ready, Little Joe was undressed, then Charlie lifted the boy and very gently placed him in the tub. The three men were completely shocked at the condition of the boy’s body with all the cuts and scratches that were infected and at all the bruises that covered his small body.
As they carefully bathed the child, they told Hop Sing how they had found Little Joe and that Red had gone to get Dr. Paul Martin.
“It too bad Cartlights not home to see little boy,” Hop Sing sadly said as he kissed the boy’s face. “When are they due back home Hop Sing?” Hank asked as they continued to bathe the little boy.
“Maybe one or two day, not sure,” Hop Sing replied. They all hoped and prayed that Little Joe would still be alive when his family arrived home.
As soon as the boy was bathed, he was quickly but gently dried and dressed in his nightshirt, and then he was carried up to his room. Charlie and Hank stayed with Little Joe so Hop Sing could make some chicken broth for the boy. Hank and Charlie kept talking to Little Joe trying to wake him up, but the boy was still unconscious.
Which seemed to take forever, Dr. Paul Martin and Red quickly arrived in the yard and they raced up the stairs to Little Joe’s room.
Paul was shocked at the condition of the boy. “My God, I can’t believe the condition he’s in!” Paul gasped as he began to examine the still form of Little Joe. Paul could see that the cuts and scratches were infected which caused even more worry. They could all see the boy’s ribs sticking out from not having food to eat. The boy was so weak that Paul wasn’t sure if he could survive the infections.
“I’d say that he hasn’t had anything to eat for well over a week. He’s starving to death plus he’s suffering from severe exhaustion, infected cuts, and exposure even with the quilts you said he was covered with. He has bruising all over his body and he is extremely weak. The malnutrition doesn’t help either. To tell the truth, I really don’t know if this boy will live or not. He has been through some kind of hell for sure,” Paul sadly told Hop Sing, Hank and Charlie.
“God I wish Ben, Adam and Hoss were here. Hop Sing, Little Joe needs to be fed broth every two to three hours. He needs complete bed rest for a longtime. I would suggest that he be bottle fed. He will naturally be able to suck the broth, but you need to be careful so he doesn’t choke. I don’t want this child to be left alone at all. I’ll be staying here so I can keep checking him, and get these infections cleared up. God, I hope he has the strength to pull through,” Paul finished explaining.
“Dr. Martin, why Little Joe not wake up? He not move or make sound when we bathe him. He filthy dirty and his clothes all torn. Hop Sing extremely worried about little boy,” Hop Sing told Paul.
“Hop Sing, Little Joe is extremely exhausted and he is in a very deep sleep, which is what he so desperately needs and as soon as we can get some much needed broth into him, his body will fight even harder to live,” Paul explained.
“Hop Sing, Hank and I will be more than happy to help take care of Little Joe. We can come up with some kind of schedule so the boy will have someone with him at all times,” Charlie suggested.
“Hop Sing very happy you all help little boy. This boy very special and he need to get better, and be our Little Joe again,” Hop Sing tearfully replied with a lot of emotion in his voice.
“Very well said Hop Sing. God willing this boy will come back to us,” Paul said as he ran his fingers through the soft curly hair.
A schedule had been made out as who would be with Little Joe for six to eight hours at a time. Hop Sing and Paul had also made out a feeding schedule for the boy.
Little Joe easily to took the bottle each time he was given the much needed broth his body so desperately needed.
So far, Paul was very relieved at the way Little Joe was responding to the bottle, and the deep sleep he was in. He was running a slight fever which had been expected at what he had gone through.
It had been two days since Little Joe had been found. Hop Sing had just finished feeding the boy and Paul was doing another examine on the boy, when Ben, Adam and Hoss rode into the yard. They were glad to be home, but it didn’t seem like home anymore.
As soon as Paul heard the horses arrive in the yard he looked out the window to see who had just ridden in and when he saw who it was, he smiled. Paul quickly headed down the stairs while Hop Sing sat down on the edge of the boy’s bed. “Little Joe, your father and brothers are home. They be so happy to see little boy again,” Hop Sing happily told the sleeping boy as he kissed the boy’s face.
As Ben opened the front door he was very surprised to see Paul standing there as were Adam and Hoss. “Paul, what are you dong here?” Ben asked as he looked at Paul trying to read his face. Adam and Hoss both thought the same thing.
With a big smile on his face, Paul greeted the family home. “Welcome home Ben, Adam, Hoss! I have a big surprise for all of you. Little Joe is home and he is up in his room, but before you see him I need to explain how he is and how he was found,” Paul started to say before Ben interrupted him, as he fell to his knees.
“My baby is home? How? When? How is he Paul?” Ben asked as he thought that he was dreaming this whole thing. Adam and Hoss had helped Ben to his chair and made him sit down. They were all trembling.
“Let’s sit down and I will explain everything to you that I know. I know how badly you want to see that little guy up there, but I need to talk with you first, ok?” Paul said.
It was so hard for the family not to rush up stairs to see Little Joe, but they also needed to hear what Paul was about to tell them.
They were totally shocked at what Paul had explained to them. They had so many questions and Paul patiently answered all their questions that he had answers for. Once Paul had answered their questions they quickly ran up stairs to Little Joe’s room to see the little boy they all loved more than life itself. They thought they would never see the boy again.
To say they were shocked at the sight of Little Joe left them speechless. “Oh my God!” they all said at the said at the same time. They touched the little boy and talked to him.
“Thank God Little Joe that you are home precious. We have missed you so very much. We love you so much sweetheart. Please baby, please wake up for Papa!” Ben pleaded as he leaned down and kissed his little boy. Then he picked up the child and held him tightly, never wanting to let go of the child again. Ben, Adam and Hoss were in tears, tears of happiness.
“Mr.Cartlight, Little Joe just had bottle. He eat very good. He get better now that family back home,” Hop Sing tearfully told Ben. Ben nodded back. He was too emotional to talk. Adam and Hoss were also sitting on the bed so they could be close to their little brother and touch him.
“If Kurt weren’t dead, I’d hunt him down to the ends of the world and make him pay for what he has done to my baby boy!” Ben declared. “We feel the same way Pa!” both Adam and Hoss responded. All they wanted was for Little Joe to wake up and fully recover from his ordeal.
Ben stayed in Little Joe’s room all night. Adam and Hoss also wanted to stay with Ben, but Ben made them go to bed. He watched his son in deep sleep and there was no way he wanted to leave the boy’s side in case he woke up.
That next morning, Hop Sing finally convinced Ben to go downstairs for some breakfast with Adam and Hoss. He promised Ben that if Little Joe showed any sign of waking up he would call out to them. Hop Sing also had to force Adam and Hoss to go downstairs to breakfast too, even though they wanted to stay at their brother’s side.
As soon as the family finished their breakfast they hurried back up to Little Joe’s room. Hop Sing left to heat up some broth for the boy.
About twenty minutes later, Little Joe slowly moved his legs and head and he weakly started to mumble, “Papa, Papa.” Startled, Ben began to encourage his son to open his eyes.
“Little Joe, wake up precious. You’re home and safe now baby. Please sweetheart open your eyes for me,” Ben pleaded over and over with tears in his eyes. “Come on Punkin, you can do it. Please wake up for us, please Punkin,” Hoss begged as he too was tearing up. “Come on little buddy, we know you can do it. Just try, that’s all we ask buddy,” Adam pleaded.
As they continued to plead with the boy to please wake up, they noticed Little Joe fluttering his eyes and trying so hard to open them. The boy could hear the voices of his family pleading with him to open his eyes, but for some reason as hard as he tried to open his eyes he didn’t have the strength. He kept trying to come out of the thick fog he found himself in and finally which seemed like a life time, he was finally able to slowly open his eyes.
He kept blinking and as his family seemed to suddenly appear out of the fog he was in, and he gave them a very weak grin. That sight melted their hearts. They never thought that they would ever see that special little grin again.
“Papa, Adam, Hoss, ya found me,” Little Joe softly whispered. Those weak words from the little boy were just too much for the family and they all broke down in tears.
“Welcome home sweetheart. Yes we found you safe in your bed when we got home from Reno the other day. It was actually Charlie, Hank and Red who found you in Rocky Creek pasture. How do you feel baby?” Ben asked as he smiled at his young son.
With his eyes never leaving Ben’s face, Little Joe weakly replied, “I’m so tired Papa, so tired.” At that same time Hop Sing came in the room with some broth for the boy which Ben happily fed his son.
“This very happy day. Number three son wake up!” Hop Sing excitedly said as he ran his fingers through Little Joe’s hair. “He sure did wake up Hop Sing, he sure did!” Hoss happily replied with a big grin on his face.
“You’ll get all your strength back fast little brother just by eating all that broth. Boy, I tell you those green eyes of yours little buddy never looked as wonderful as they do now. I love you Little Joe!” Adam said with a lot of emotion in his voice.
In between mouthfuls of broth, Ben was spooning into the boy’s mouth; Little Joe told them that he loved them and Hop Sing too. “Hop Sing love little boy very much too,” Hop Sing declared as his eyes filled with tears.
As Little Joe swallowed the last spoonful of broth, he fell into another deep sleep. That caused everyone to smile at the sleeping boy.
“Number three son have long way to go to get back to normal. He good boy, he eat all his broth and he sleep good too,” Hop Sing explained. They all agreed to what Hop Sing had just said. It would take a long time for the boy to fully recover.
“Hopefully in a few more days, Paul will let him start on soft foods again. We’ll just let him take as long as he needs to get all his strength back again. I hope he will tell us where he came from. I’d say by his condition he traveled a very long distance to make it almost all the way home,” Ben suggested.
We thought that same thing Pa. His clothes were torn badly so I would imagine that he had a hard time, but he didn’t give up. He’s some little boy, our baby brother,” Adam proudly said as he gave his little brother a kiss on the forehead.
As the days went by, Little Joe’s strength slowly returned and his infections had cleared up. He was able to stay awake a little longer now too. He was also able to eat soft foods and was getting closer to eating regular food again too.
One day as his family sat with him in his room Little Joe began to tell them what had happened to him. The family had been waiting to hear what the little boy had gone through.
“Papa, it was that awful Kurt Blackwell who took me. He had another man with him named Willis Brown and he was sorta nice. They hardly gave me anything ta eat. They had me blindfolded, tied up and gagged too as we rode along.”
“I heard em say they was takin’ me up ta the mountains and leave me there ta die! Oh why would they do that, why?” Little Joe asked as he started to cry and his body began to tremble. Just telling his family what happened to him was scaring him all over again. Ben quickly picked up the boy and held him tightly.
“Sweetheart, listen to me, Kurt was a very evil man, but thank God we don’t have to worry about him anymore. He was hung for killing three people and bank robbery. The only decent thing he did was to have a telegram sent to Roy saying that he had kidnapped you, but he said that he killed you. Thank God you survived,” Ben explained to Little Joe.
Little Joe was very relieved to know that Kurt was dead, but he was shocked to hear that the man had killed three people. Ben purposely didn’t tell the boy about Kurt killing Willis too.
Little Joe continued on with his story. “It took a long time ta get ta where they left me. George knocked me out and when I woke up, they were gone. My head hurt real bad and I was dizzy and so scared.”
“As I laid there I could hear a creek so I stood and went over ta the creek ta get a drink of water. Then I decided to follow the creek cuz I thought that it just might go all the way ta Lake Tahoe,” the boy said as he looked up at his family. They decided to let the boy talk all he wanted.
“That was good thinking little brother!” Adam said. He was so proud of the boy for doing that. “I am so proud of you son,” Ben added. “Me too Punkin!” Hoss also added.
“I walked and walked till it was dark. It was cold and it rained some of the time. I did manage ta find some huckleberries and pine nuts ta eat, but not a lot of em.”
“One night I was so tired and cold and hungry, but there was nothin’ ta eat. I crawled for a long time and then I found a hollow log that I fit in, so I spent the night in that log. It was kinda warm in that log so that was good and I felt kinda safe in there too.
I kept walking for days and days till I couldn’t walk no more. I fell down so many times, but I did get back up and crawled some more. Then I fell one more time and I was too tired to get up. As I laid there Pa, I heard yer voice tellin’ me ta get back up that just ahead was a small cabin. So I dun what ya told me ta do Papa, and I crawled till I found the cabin.”
“You heard my voice son?” Ben surprising questioned. “Yes sir. When I got ta the cabin I didn’t know if I had the strength ta stand up, but I did. I knocked on the door but no one was there so I opened the door and went in. It was so cold in there, so I got a fire going in the fireplace.”
“There was some dried bread on the table so I ate it. Then I saw a bucket so I took it and went down to the creek that was next ta the cabin. It was that creek I was followin’. I got some water in the bucket and went back in the cabin. Dunt know where I found the strength ta do that, but I did.”
“I saw a cot by the wall so I went over ta it and laid down, covered up with the heavy quilts and I went to sleep,” the boy continued to explain as he was yawning and having a hard time keeping his eyes open.
“Sweetheart, why don’t you get some sleep, then later on you can continue with your story. I am so proud of you sweetheart,” Ben said with pride as he kissed the boy and covered him up. “Sweet dreams little brother,” both Adam and Hoss as they watched their little brother now sleeping.
Back downstairs, the Cartwrights and Hop Sing sat down and began to discuss what Little Joe had gone through so far.
“I just can’t imagine all the thoughts that little brother was having as he kept walking and crawling until he found that cabin, and then hearing my voice pleading with him to keep going until he reached the cabin. That is so strange!” Ben exclaimed as he slowly shook his head.
“Ain’t that the truth! I don’t think I could have done what that boy did when I was his age. He is truly amazing Pa!” Hoss spoke out. “I totally agree Hoss. The way that boy kept a cool head and thought out his plan to survive like that is just incredible,” Adam replied. He was so proud of his baby brother that he felt like shouting it out to the world.
As the men sat there talking about the little boy who was sleeping upstairs, Ben spoke out again. “Boys, Hop Sing, that little boy upstairs did something that many adults couldn’t have done. Thank God no wild animals found him.”
“I can’t imagine how scared he was either. I know he heard animal sounds and also with the darkness in the forest like that…I…I don’t think I could have done what Little Joe did to survive like that. I can’t imagine what else he had to go through either,” Adam said as he looked up towards the stairs.
The next day Little Joe felt up to continuing on with his story of survival.
“I dunt know how long I slept, but when I woke up I was still so tired. It was really cold in the cabin, and I wanted ta stay in bed, but I had to get up and get a fire going ta get that cabin warm again.”
“After the fire was goin’ good, I looked around the cabin for more food. I found a couple cans of beans so I put em on the fire ta heat up fer breakfast. Then I went and got some more water from the creek and it was snowin’.”
“Then when I came back in I checked on the beans then went back outside and saw a really tiny building, so I went to check it out. It was a smoke house and I found two smoked fish and a couple of smoked rabbits. I brought em back ta the cabin. There was also a small corral, but nothin’ was in it. The cabin was nice and warm by then.”
“I was so tired by the time I done all that, so I ate just a few bites of beans, cuz I knew that I needed ta save as much food as I could till I felt strong enough ta continue on home.”
“I think I was at the cabin fer almost two weeks, but not sure. The snow had melted durin’ a rainstorm, but it was still cold.
“I decided ta write a note ta the owner of the cabin and explain why I took the fish and rabbits, and also why I took two of the quilts, a knife and some matches with me. I hope the owner ain’t mad at me,” Little Joe softly said. “Sweetheart, I know the owner wouldn’t care. That was a very nice idea you had to leave the owner a note like that. I am so proud of you son,” Ben said as he beamed with pride.
“One night while I was sleepin’, yer voice came back ta me Papa and ya told me that I needed ta leave the cabin in the morning and head fer home. I hadn’t planned ta leave till that next week, but yer voice insisted Papa, so I decided ta listen ta ya.” Ben smiled at that statement.
“I got up and packed up everything I would need ta get home. I found several flour sacks, so I picked out one and put everything in that sack, and then I went back ta bed.”
“When I woke up in the morning it was really windy. The wind was blowin’ somethin’ awful and I was scared. I didn’t want ta go out in that storm, but since ya told me ta leave in the morning I did.”
“I had one smoked fish and one rabbit left and I hoped that they would last me till I got home. I picked out the heaviest quilt that I liked best and a lighter quilt ta take with me. I knew they would help keep me warm.”
“I wrapped the heaviest quilt around me and tied it with a rope so I wouldn’t lose it. The other quilt I put on top of the heavy one so it would cover my head ta help keep my head warm. I tied that one too. Then I left the cabin. I could hear trees crashing around me as I started ta walk away, so I thought about going back ta the cabin ta wait out the storm, but I remembered yer voice tellin’ me to leave, so I kept walkin’ Papa.”
“Every night I made a fire ta keep animals away. I could hear wolves, and coyotes hawlin’ all around me and I was so scared that it was too hard ta sleep.” The boy said. He was reliving his ordeal by telling his family and Hop Sing what he had gone through to survive and he was in tears and his small body trembled with fear. Ben decided to hold his young son as the boy continued on with his story of surviving his terrible ordeal.
“I made the fish and rabbit last fer almost two weeks then I dunt have nothin’ ta eat, but I had lots of water cuz of the creek that I was still followin’. I couldn’t find no more huckleberry bushes er pine nuts ta eat. I was so tired and so hungry.”
“I know it was many days later when I started ta recognize where I was. I kept falling down, but by then I was too tired ta keep walkin’ so I crawled most of the time. When I knew I was in Rocky Creek pasture I forced myself ta stand up and walk and everything was so blurry, but I tried ta walk. I decided ta untie the ropes from the quilts, but I dunt know why I did but I dun it.”
“Then everything started ta spin so I fell down and pulled the quilts over my head then everything went black. Next thing I saw was you Papa, Adam, Hoss and Hop Sing lookin’ at me,” Little Joe said as he finished his story of survival as he cried. Ben was still holding the boy in his arms and he could feel the boy’s body trembling. All the boy wanted to do was to go to sleep.
“Sweetheart, you were such a brave little boy. What you did in order to survive was totally incredible. You did everything right in order to survive and you never gave up. I am so very proud of you Little Joe!” Ben proudly told his almost asleep son.
“Pa couldn’t have said that any better little brother. You are totally incredible!” Adam declared, with Hoss in total agreement.
“Thanks. I missed all of ya so much. I….I’m so…..so tired Papa…so tired,” the boy weakly said as he fell asleep in Ben’s arms. Ben didn’t want to let go of the boy so he continued to hold him tightly.
Hoss was sobbing so Adam went over to his large younger brother and he put his arm around the trembling shoulder of the larger boy.
“Hoss, little brother is going to be just fine. It will be a longtime until he is back to his normal happy go lucky self, but in the mean time we can all nurse him back to full strength and show him just how special he is and how much we love him,” Adam explained to Hoss.
“I know Adam, but just hearing what our baby brother had to go through just to survive and make it back home, just tears me up something awful Adam,” Hoss sadly said as tears ran down his face.
Ben had heard what Adam and Hoss had said as did Hop Sing and he knew just how they felt as this was also so very hard for him too. Hop Sing was in tears at what he had heard too.
As the days went on, Paul was very pleased and also amazed at how Little Joe was doing even though the boy was fairly quiet. The boy slept for long hours at a time which his body needed, and he also ate everything that he was fed.
“I tell you Ben, that baby son of yours is totally amazing at how he managed to survive for as long as he did. I don’t think I could have done what he did. Yup, he is some boy alright!” Paul declared as he smiled. Ben naturally agreed with Paul.
Little Joe was carried downstairs in the evenings so he could be with his family, which he looked forward to with excitement. Adam read him stories as often as he could and the boy loved that very much. He wasn’t up to playing checkers just yet, but he could tell that it wouldn’t be much longer until he was able to play his favorite game again.
All the hands visited him as often as they could. It was the time of year when they all had more free time and they all loved the little boy very much and Little Joe loved being with them too.
On his third week back home as he sat on the edge of his bed, he slowly stood up on his weak legs and he very slowly walked towards his bedroom door. Just going that far he felt proud of himself, so he continued down the hall and to the top of the stairs.
Downstairs Ben was at his desk when he his name being called. “Pa, can I come downstairs please?” Little Joe asked in a small voice and with a big smile on his face.
Ben was surprised to see his son standing there so he told the boy to stay put and would come and help him. The boy did as he was told.
Little Joe was glad that Ben was coming to help as he was tired just by walking that far and he realized that he would never be able to make it down the stairs by himself.
“Hi son, how are you feeling?” Ben asked as he gently picked up the boy and carried him down the stairs and over to the settee.
“Thanks Pa. I feel a little tired. I guess just walkin’ ta the stairs wore me out,” the youngster admitted with a little grin on his face. “I’m glad you didn’t try to come down the stairs on your own yet sweetheart. It won’t be much longer until you will be able to do just that by yourself. You are getting stronger everyday son!” Ben suggested as he covered up his son and ruffled up the thick curly hair. That made the boy giggle, a giggle that had been gone for so long, but was now back and it sounded great!
Adam and Hoss were in for a big surprise that day as their little brother joined them in the dining room for dinner.
“Hey Punkin, it is wonderful to have you at the table with us!” Hoss happily said with a big smile in his face. “It’s good ta be able ta be down here too,” the boy replied as he beamed with happiness.
“I have to tell you that it has been much too quiet here at the table without you here with us little buddy. Welcome back to the table!” Adam declared as they all raised their water glasses in honor of the little boy with the big grin on his happy face. Little Joe gave his family one of his prize winning smiles. “Thank you all. It feels great ta be able ta be back here at the table again,” the boy declared.
Little Joe was now able to make it all the way out to the barn to see Tony, his horse. He felt just about back to normal even though he still felt tired at times, but even that was getting better. He hardly had any nightmares anymore which he was very happy about.
One of the best things was that he would never have to worry about Kurt coming back to hurt him ever again. He hoped and prayed that he would never meet anyone like Kurt for the rest of his life. He couldn’t figure out how a person could be so evil the way Kurt was.
It took eight weeks for Little Joe to finally get back to his normal self-full of energy and mischief which everyone had missed so very much. Little Joe was back.
The End