MAY YOU REAP
WHAT YOU SOW
"Please explain to me, just one more time, Joseph, as to how we
came
to be sleeping in the barn, instead of in our nice, warm house?"
Joe was too embarrassed to look at his father. He propped his head
up, with his hand, and thought carefully, before choosing his
words;
something he wished he could learn to do, more often. If he'd done
that, in the saloon, the night before, they wouldn't be in this
mess, now.
"After I picked up the mail, and delivered the contract to Mr Weems,
as you asked me to, I reckoned I had enough time to enjoy a beer,
before heading home," began Joe, still unable to look at Ben. "It
was a warm day, and the road was dusty, and I was only going to
have
one beer."
Joe knew that his father did not approve of the hands, or his sons,
drinking alcohol, in the middle of a working day, and so felt the
need to justify his actions.
"I sat down at one of the tables; there weren't many people in the
place, but this guy came over and asked if he could join me. I
didn't see why not, and so agreed and offered to buy him a beer. He
was a stranger in town, so I was just being neighbourly,"
said Joe,
sneaking a peep at Ben, and noting that his father's face was still
wearing his stern look. "You always tell us that a stranger's just
a
friend we don't know, Pa, and how, if it hadn't been for strangers
giving you, Adam and Hoss, a helping hand, you would've never made
it all the way out here. So I reckoned I was doing the right thing."
"Very well," said Ben, waving his hand, in a dismissive
fashion. "And then what happened?"
Joe attempted to get more comfortable, and then continued with his
story.
"Well, this guy, who told me his name was Bart Daniels, was real
chatty, and we had a couple more beers. Then he said he was looking
for work, as him and his family were on their way to California,
but
needed supplies and some repairs doing on their wagon, before they
could continue with their journey. I know we're not really that
short handed, but I reckoned we could find something for him to do,
just until he'd earned enough money to move on. So I asked him to
come out to the ranch with me. How was I to know that his wife and
four kids were all ill?"
"You weren't, Joseph," said Ben, wearily.
He was getting too old for sleeping in the barn, but there hadn't
been any other alternative, after Doc Martin's visit. The bunkhouse
was full of ranch hands and Paul warned them that the Daniels'
family was suffering from a particularly nasty strain of influenza.
"It's best that you don't get too close, Ben," said Paul.
"It
spreads like a forest fire, and after that cough you had a month or
so, ago, I wouldn't like you putting yourself at risk. It's a good
job that Adam and Hoss are away on that horse-buying trip, or else
there would've been four of you camped out in the barn."
The doctor didn't say that Joe had to sleep outside, as well,
although it was a sensible precaution. However, the young man felt
that the least he could do was keep his father company, after being
the one to cause Ben the inconvenience, even though it was not
intentional.
"I really am sorry, Pa, but what else could I do, other than
bring `em out here, when I saw how sick
those
youngsters were. It
made me think of how ill Adam was, when you
stopped in
met Inger. If she hadn't helped you, well, anything
might've
happened. I couldn't have that on my conscience, Pa, really I
couldn't."
As Joe was talking, Ben's features began softening and he reached
out to gently pat Joe on the cheek, smiling as he did so.
"You did do the right thing, son, and I'm proud of you, even though
my old bones are protesting a bit, at the moment. I wouldn't
expect
any son of mine to turn their back on someone in need, as I feel
that in some small way, I am repaying all those people who offered
a
hand of friendship to me and your brothers, when we most needed it."
After several days of tender, loving care from Hop Sing, who
declared that no germs would dare attack him, and he was right,
they
didn't, the Daniels' family all made a full recovery. Bart turned
out to be a very hard worker and he more than repaid the Cartwrights
generosity, by the amount of fencing he was able to repair, during
the short time he worked for them.
Several months after the family had moved on, Joe received a small
parcel from Bart. Inside was a fob chain, on which you could hang a
pocket watch. It was made out of the first gold that Bart had mined
when striking it rich, in
A note accompanied the gift.
`Just a small token to let you know how
grateful we are
to you, Joe,
for taking us in, like you did. Please let your
father know
that I
think he's done a grand job in raising you, you're a son to be
proud
of. God bless you, Bart.'
THE END
Little Joe forever
Lynne