MISTAKEN IDENTITY

Hoss rubbed at his eyes, hoping that when he looked up, again, he
would be in his bedroom, on the Ponderosa, and all that had happened
would prove to just be a dream. A bad dream, maybe, but at least, only
a dream.

However, it didn't work, and when he looked up, he was still sitting
in the sheriff's office, being asked who he was.

"I'm tellin' ya, my name's Hoss Cartwright."

"Give it up, boy, we know you ain't a Cartwright, cos Joe Cartwright's
already been in here and told us you ain't."

"Well, why believe him and not me?" said Hoss.

"A good question, but the answer's simple," said the sheriff. "This
might only be a small town, on the road to nowhere, but even I've
heard of the Cartwrights of the Ponderosa, and I know Ben Cartwright
owns most of Nevada. That boy who came in here, earlier, and said he
was Joe Cartwright, was well dressed and all you'd expect from a
rancher's son. All you got is what you're standing up in, and they
sure ain't the kinda clothes that the son of such a wealthy man would
wear. And you don't even talk like you'd be related to a man like Ben
Cartwright."

"But, I already done told ya, Sheriff, I was knocked out and robbed
and ma clothes were swapped, fer these ones. I don't usually go about
lookin' like this. As ta the way I talk, when I was no more `n a
shaver, Pa hired a Texan ta work at our place, and I picked up on the
way he talked, is all."

"Well, that young `un arrived in our town, a couple of days ago, and
hasn't put a foot wrong since he got here. But since you arrived,
there`s bin all kinds of trouble. Bank's bin robbed, and now you're
trying to tell me you're someone you ain't and causing all kinds of fuss."

Hoss slammed his fist down on the desk.

"I'm only makin' a goldang fuss, cos you won't believe me," said Hoss.
"Send a wire ta my Pa and he'll tell ya that he sent me here, ta
collect Little Joe. The little varmint took off, from home, about a
week ago, and I was sent ta find him. I was on ma way back from the
telegraph office, where I'd sent a wire ta let Pa know I'd found Joe,
when I was hoodwinked inta headin' off down that alleyway that ya
found me in. The guy said his wife had collapsed and would I help him,
so I went down the alleyway, and he must've hit me over the head and
swapped clothes with me. He took ma wallet, too, so I have no money
and no identification. He must've robbed the bank and left town,
leavin' me ta take the rap. Iffen ya think I robbed the bank, how do
ya explain why I ain't got the money on me?"

"Simple, you must've hidden it, before I caught up with you," said the
sheriff. "And if you are of a mind to tell me just where you hid it,
then I will see what I can do about getting you a reduced sentence."

"I can't tell ya where it is, cos I didn't take it," said Hoss.

"Just trying to make it a bit easier on you, fella," said Sheriff
Fuller. "The bank teller swears you're the one who held him up, and
the one person you say can identify you, swears that you're not Hoss
Cartwright."

"The bank teller is only identifyin' me by ma clothes and ma height,"
said Hoss. "He admitted the man who robbed the bank had his face
covered, so he cain't be sure it was me. And once I git hold of that
little brother of mine, he'll regret the day that he ever told lies
about me."

"And that is just why I aim to keep you locked up in that there cell,
until the circuit judge gets here," said Sheriff Fuller. "I'm not
about to let you out, if you're planning to do damage to a law abiding
citizen."

"Law abidin' citizen, my foot," snorted Hoss. "That boy is the most
cunnin', connivin' snake in the grass that it's ever bin ma misfortune
ta be related to. When I caught up with him, I threatened him with a
poundin' and this is his revenge. Pa, Adam and me have bin goin' outta
our minds, with worry, since he took off. None of us have slept or
eaten, properly, for nigh on a week, and when we got word that he'd
bin spotted down here, I volunteered ta be the one who came ta git
him, cos Pa was jest about plumb wore out, from searchin', and Adam
was already off on another lead."

Despite what he'd said, earlier, Sheriff Fuller was beginning to have
his doubts about whether or not Hoss was who he said he was, after
all. The man did sound very genuine and so he gave Hoss a bit of hope.

"If you managed to send a wire to your Pa, then he's likely to come
looking for you and your brother, when you fail to go home. So, your
best hope is that he gets here before the circuit judge does, and
identifies you as being Hoss Cartwright. Or, failing that, your little
brother has a change of heart and comes in and tells the truth. Until
one of those things happen, I am keeping you here, and treating you as
my main suspect for robbing the bank. So back in the cell you go."

Hoss decided that further protest was useless and allowed himself to
be locked up, again.

In the hotel across the street from the jail, Joe was pacing up and
down his room. No sooner had he denounced his big brother, to the
sheriff, he regretted it, but didn't see how he could take it back.
After all, you can hardly make a mistake when identifying your own
brother, and so he couldn't very well go back to the jail and say
`Sorry, he is my brother, I made a mistake.'

It had all started as not much more than a silly prank and was now
totally out of his control, and the fifteen year old was scared. He
would have been even more scared if he'd known that before getting
arrested, Hoss had sent a telegram to their father, telling him that
he'd found Joe, and giving him their precise whereabouts.

Just over a week ago, Ben had been away on a business trip and the
three boys had stayed at the ranch. According to Joe, his two older
brothers had done nothing but pick on him, all the time their father
was away, but their version was that Joe had tried to get away with
doing none of his chores, and had resented his brothers when they
insisted that he did.

Things came to a head, on the Friday afternoon, and Adam and Hoss
refused to allow Joe to go to town with them, that evening, as
punishment for not completing all his chores.

"You know that you're really too young to go into town, at night, and
Hoss and I only said we'd take you, if you behaved yourself, while Pa
was away, and you haven't, so you're not coming with us," said Adam,
and Hoss agreed with him.

"I've spent most of this week, doin' ma own chores, plus yours, and so
I don't see any reason ta reward ya, young `un," said Hoss. "Thank
goodness Pa'll be back, next week, and, what's more, you'll be back at
school and so Miss Jones will have the responsibility of tryin' ta git
ya ta work, not me."

The two older boys left for town, leaving Joe with Hop Sing, but once
the cook was asleep, and before the boys returned, Joe decided to run
off. He was planning to stay away, until their father returned, in the
hope that Ben would be cross with Adam and Hoss, for treating him so
badly.

When Ben did return, and heard what had been happening, he didn't
blame his older boys, as he knew what a handful Joe could be, and ever
since getting back, the three of them had been searching for Joe.

When Hoss rode into the little town of Lode City, he went to the
livery stable and the first thing he saw was his little brother's
distinctive pinto horse, Cochise. After stabling his own horse, he
made enquiries of the stable owner, and was told that Joe was staying
at the hotel. He went straight over there, and confronted Joe in his
room. Hoss found out his little brother's room number, by sneaking a
peek at the register, when the receptionist was otherwise engaged, not
wanting his presence to be announced, in case Joe took off, again.
When Joe answered the knock on his door, he found a very angry big
brother standing there. Hoss grabbed hold of the front of Joe's shirt
and pinned the boy up against the wall.

"You dadblamed little varmint, you," said Hoss. "Me, Pa and Adam have
jest about ridden our ponies inta the ground, searchin' fer you. And
never mind the workin' hours lost on the ranch, while we've bin
trackin' ya down, plus the extra grey hairs you've given Pa. Do ya
never think of anyone else, `cept yourself? Pa's jest about outta his
mind with worry, and all because you weren't allowed ta go ta town,
fer one night. I hope that when he gits hold of ya, he sets your
britches on fire. And ya can rest assured I'll be doin' the same, jest
as soon as I've had a decent meal and a rest. I ain't bin outta the
saddle fer nigh on two days and when I deal with you, I wanna make
sure I can do a real good job on your hide."

With that, Hoss let go of Joe, grabbed the key out of the door, and
left, locking the door behind his brother.

Joe wasn't planning to just sit there and wait for Hoss to return and
pound on him, as although Hoss had often threatened to do so, but
never had, Joe was convinced that this was going to be the time that
he would.
So, he made his escape through the window, but before he could leave
town, the sheriff came looking for him and asked him to go over to the
jailhouse to identify Hoss.
Joe was still seething at the way Hoss had treated him, so told the
sheriff that it wasn't Hoss Cartwright, who was locked in his jail.

But now, back at the hotel, Joe realised that the game had gone too
far and that his beloved big brother was heading for a jail sentence,
for a crime he hadn't committed.

`But how do I get him out of jail, without appearing to be a real
idiot, to the sheriff?' thought Joe, and he couldn't come up with an
answer.

Fortunately, for Joe, he didn't have to come up with anything, as his
father arrived to save the day.

As luck would have it, the man who robbed the bank and swapped clothes
with Hoss, a small time crook called Frank Lawson, happened to be
travelling on the same road out of Lode City, as Ben was, as he was
heading to the town.
As the man rode towards him, Ben thought it was Hoss, as the man was
of similar build, and, what's more, was wearing Hoss' clothes and
distinctive hat.
A smile came over his tired face and he lifted his hand, in greeting,
to his son.

However, as the man drew alongside of Ben, the older man realised his
mistake and his smile turned to a worried frown.

"Hey mister," said Ben. "Why are you wearing my son's clothes?"

Lawson didn't offer an explanation, but spurred his horse into a
gallop, in an attempt to get away from Ben. But his horse wasn't such
a fine mount as Buck, and Ben soon caught up with him.

The man refused to tell Ben what had happened, so Ben insisted that he
returned to Lode City with him, and do his explaining to the sheriff.

When they finally arrived at the jail, after a long ride, no one was
more happier to see them than Hoss.

"Pa, am I glad ta see you, and you've caught the bank robber, too."

"Hi, son," said Ben. "I didn't expect to find you in jail, and what's
this about this man being a bank robber? I just thought he'd stolen
your clothes, so brought him to the sheriff."

Hoss soon filled Ben in with all that had happened and, once he'd
finished, Ben was feeling as angry as Hoss was, towards Little Joe.

I think it is safe to say that although Joe was pleased to have his
brother released from jail, and the charges against him, dropped, he
was not that happy with what took place, once his father got him back
to their hotel room.

Joe was one very sore boy and was glad when Ben said they could stay
in town, for a couple of days, before they rode home.

"I'm not staying for the sake of your backside, boy, but because my
horse needs a rest and because I want you to go and apologise to the
sheriff, and accept any punishment that he may feel is necessary, for
what you did. That man Lawson could have very well got clean away with
robbing the bank and all the customers would have lost their life
savings, just because you wanted to get back at your brother."

The sheriff did give Joe a very stern lecture on the follies of
misleading a lawman and made the boy work for him, running errands and
keeping the place tidy, for the two days that the Cartwrights stayed
in the town.

And the worst part of his punishment was that it took Hoss a long time
to forgive Joe for what he had done.

THE END
Little Joe forever
Lynne
February 19th 2007

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