“I don’t know what got into him, Roy,” Ben Cartwright shook his head wearily as he and his sons Adam and Hoss followed Sheriff Coffee into the Virginia City Jail.
“You’ve got to catch this sort of thing early, Ben,” Roy snagged the cell keys from their hook. “You know that. If we don’t get through to him now… well, it will only be a matter of time before he’s robbing stages and rustling cattle.”
“Did you really have to put him in that cell?” Hoss ever the defender of his twelve year old little brother spoke up.
“He’s got to learn, Hoss. You and Adam never did anything like this when you were his age, you know,” Ben put his hat on Roy’s desk and crossed his arms over his chest.
Adam and Hoss looked at each other and smiled. What Pa didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.
“But, Pa…” Hoss tried to argue Joe’s case again.
“Listen, son. It’s one thing when he’s doing it at home but it’s a whole different story when he’s doing it to other people. It’s for his own good,” Ben patted his middle son on the back. “He’s got to learn a lesson about honesty and fair play. You of all people should not be trying to defend him in this since he’s always doing it to you.”
“Yes, sir,” Hoss sighed and followed the sheriff, his father and brother to the cell where his forlorn looking sibling was imprisoned. Little Joe was sitting on the bunk, elbows on his knees with his chin resting on the heels of his hands, eyes counting the number of knotholes in the floorboards. He was a pitiful sight.
Ben cleared his throat and glared at his baby son. “Stand up, Joseph,” he barked causing his youngest to leap to his feet with a nervous, “Yes, sir, Pa?”
“What do you have to say for yourself, young man?”
“Well, er, Pa…” Joe stammered. “It’s like this…”
“It’s not anything,” Ben interrupted. “How could you do this to the sheriff?”
“I’m sorry, Pa,” Joe tried to look contrite. “I’m sorry, Sheriff Coffee. It’ll never happen again.”
Ben wasn’t buying it. “Is that another empty promise? Like “I won’t steal any more kisses from Heidi or Katja or Lynne?”
Joe blushed appropriately. “No, sir. I mean it this time,” he smiled and then sobered as he noticed his father did not appear to be amused.
Ben studied him critically, considering if he did mean it this time. He frowned. What was he going to do with this boy? Suddenly it came to him. “Open the cell up, Roy.”
“But, Pa…” Again Hoss was ready to defend his little brother’s hide.
“Hoss, he has to learn,” Ben said patiently stepping through the now open cell door and catching hold of Joe’s right arm.
“But, Pa…” Joe protested as he was literally dragged by his father out of the cell and through the sheriff’s office.
“No, buts, Joseph, I’m going to do something I’ve never done before,” Ben growled and, to Joe’s amazement, plopped him down firmly in the chair facing the sheriff’s desk. “This may be difficult but you’re going to sit here and play a game of checkers without cheating.”
Joe looked at his father in amazement, then noticed the playful glint in his eye.
“Red or black?” the sheriff sat down in his desk chair and fixed the boy with a glare that really didn’t hide the merriment in his own eyes.
“Red,” Joe grinned, “…Er, please,” he added quickly and sank back in his chair pleased that he was still able to sit with what had just transpired.
The whole family laughed and settled down to watch the youngest trounce the sheriff 3 games to 2, no cheating allowed but there may have still been a questionable move or two by the youngest.
“Some habits are just hard to break, don’t you know,” Joe would tell his brother Hoss years later after an impressive 25 game winning streak.
“We should have left you locked up in that dad-burned cell,” Hoss mumbled frowning. “I might win a game and the ladies might be a whole lot safer.”
Joe giggled and put the checkers in the drawer. Whose turn was it for him to kiss this time, any way? Aah, Bev.
Some promises are just meant to be broken.
THE END