By: Territell
Adam and Joe sat in front of the campfire as the sun went
down, disappearing below the horizon. It had been a warm day, but as the night
chill began to set in they wrapped blankets closer around their shoulders and
rested weary heads against the saddles that lay on the hard ground.
Leaning forward for a moment, Adam reached over to pick up
the coffeepot and replenish their empty cups. Handing a strong black coffee to
Joe, he yawned sleepily and rubbed his hand over his tired eyes. It had been a
long dusty ride up to now and there was still another two days on the trail
before they arrived home.
It had been a good trip in more ways than one. Not only had
they made a handsome profit on the cattle they had sold, but the brothers had
healed a few of the rifts that had built up between them over the winter
months.
It had been a particularly bad winter and the long days of
being cooped up together at the ranch house had taken its toll. Five men under
one roof did not bode well for harmony and even the ever-placid Hoss was glad
to see the back of his brothers when they had left for
As they sipped the steaming coffee, warming their cold hands
on the tin mugs, they laughed good naturedly together, the open space, fresh
air and sheer hard work had renewed their spirits and given them back a zest
for life.
Joe’s thoughts drifted back a few weeks and he giggled.
“What are you laughing at?” Adam asked, eager to share the
joke.
“I was just thinking of old Jedediah Milbank” Joe retorted
before dissolving once again into laughter.
Jedediah was an old friend of their father who had turned up
at the ranch just when spring had finally arrived. He was a cantankerous old
goat and due to high-spirited tomfoolery by the brothers, Jedediah had been
accidentally hurt. As a result the brothers had been asked to perform various
tasks for the old man and he had tried to manipulate the boys to do his
bidding. His scheme backfired on him and had only succeeded in uniting the
brothers against him. At first Ben had been angry at his son’s antics, but even
he had been relieved when the visitor had finally decided to leave.
“You should have seen Jedediah’s face when Hoss pulled out
that puppy?” giggled Joe. “I thought I would choke trying not to laugh.”
Adam laughed along with him and shook his head at the memory.
As the minutes passed by Adam’s thoughts drifted elsewhere. He was thinking of
another visitor who had arrived at the Ponderosa.
Shortly after Jedediah’s departure an old flame of Ben’s,
Lady Linda Chadwick from
Noticing his brother’s reflective face, Joe asked
intuitively,
“You thinking of Lady Chadwick, Adam?”
“Yeh.” Adam replied, “She was something wasn’t she.”
“Do you think we are cursed Adam?”
“What do you mean cursed? How can you say that?”
“Well none of us has had much luck with women have we?” retorted Joe.
If it hadn’t been for the fact that Joe looked so serious,
Adam would have been amused. Joe was talking as if he was fifty years old and
not the twenty year old he really was.
“Sure we’ve had our share of misfortune Joe, but we’ve still
got a lot to be thankful for.”
“Yeh, I guess you’re right. You know in some ways she
reminded me of Julia.”
Adam knew instinctively Joe was referring to Julia Bulette,
although for the life of him he couldn’t think of any resemblance between the
two women. They couldn’t be more different. Julia Bulette had put on a hard
exterior to the outside world, but inside she had a heart of gold and had
proved her worth to the townsfolk during a fever epidemic. On the other hand Lady
Chadwick had tried to cultivate an image of female vulnerability, but inside
she was as hard as nails.
In the three years since Julia had died, Adam could not
recollect Joe talking about her even once and he was anxious not to say
anything that would make his brother draw down the shutters once more. There
was no doubt in Adam’s mind that Joe had loved Julia and she him, but whether
that love would have stood the test of time no-one would ever know. Julia’s
untimely death had crystallised her image in Joe’s memory and immortalised
their love forever.
Joe was silent for a long while before adding “I never really
thought about it until now but I guess Julia would have been about the same age
as Lady Chadwick.”
“I guess so” Adam replied, thinking that was probably the
only possible connection between them.
Joe wrinkled up his nose,
“Adam you don’t think Pa and Lady Chadwick, you know, well,
you don’t suppose they did do you? Not at Pa’s age anyway.”
“Did what Joe?”
“You know what I mean Adam. But well it’s just that Pa’s so
old”
Adam had to laugh. Joe was a typical twenty year old
believing that anyone over the age of fifty must be well and truly over the
hill. He still had the cockiness of youth and thought all women could be won
over by his boyish good looks and charm; he was yet to discover that the
maturity that came with the odd wrinkle and thinning hair was often what women
desired.
“Julia was really beautiful don’t you think Adam? The first
time I saw her she just took my breath away.”
Sometimes Adam had a job keeping up with Joe’s thinking, his
conversation seemed to change direction every time he opened his mouth.
“Yes she was very beautiful, but in actual fact that wasn’t
the first time you met her.”
“What do you mean? I’d never been in Julia’s Palace before
that day.”
Adam smiled “You probably don’t remember, and I’m quite sure
it was something Pa would never bring up, but you actually visited Julia’s
Palace for the first time when you were three years old.”
Joe sat up and tried to visualise his brother’s face in the
flickering light of the campfire.
His curiosity aroused, Joe’s voice became excited.
“Come on Adam! You can’t leave it there, I want to hear the
full story.”
********************
Ben, Adam and Hoss were sat at the breakfast table when Marie
walked down the stairs carrying a still sleepy Little Joe in her arms. Joe was
not always at his best in the mornings and his parents usually left the toddler
to wake up on his own, which often meant he arrived downstairs long after the
others had risen.
Joe was still in his nightshirt and Marie placed him in his
chair at the table. Scrambling to stand up, Little Joe lifted up his nightshirt
and presented it to his Papa saying,
“Look Papa it all dry,” he said proudly.
“What a clever boy,” declared Ben indulgently, inwardly
pleased at the toddler’s progress.
Little Joe slept so soundly he would occasionally have a
mishap during the night and so was always very proud of himself if he woke up
on a morning to find his bed still dry.
Hop Sing arrived with scrambled eggs and placed them in front
of the little boy. Joe screwed up his face and was about to say he didn’t want
eggs when his mother popped a spoonful into his open mouth and he was forced to
start chewing. She then placed the spoon in Joe’s hand and told him to continue
eating.
Casting a glance in Little Joe’s direction to make sure he
was occupied, Ben looked at Adam,
“I have a meeting in ‘t-o-w-n’ today,” spelling out the words
so as not to alert Joe to his intentions. “I’d like you to come along and give
me a hand with the supplies.”
Joe continued to batter his eggs with his spoon, unaware of
the exchange. Hoss sat for a second, his eyes squinting in concentration,
before saying,
“Can I go to town with you Pa? Why did you spell it out?”
Ben shot his middle son an exasperated look, but it was too
late. Joe’s ears had picked up on the hidden message.
“Me go, me go,” he squealed with delight, standing up on his
chair and almost toppling it to the ground. Marie pulled his legs forward and
sat him down once more.
“No Little Joe you are not going. You are staying here with
your mother,” Ben said sharply. The thought of trying to conduct his business
in town with Joseph in tow just didn’t bear thinking about.
The tone of his father’s voice startled the toddler and he
began to cry. Marie looked crossly at her husband,
“There was no need to be so harsh Ben. He doesn’t understand
why you don’t want him with you.” Marie scooped her son into her arms and
patted his back soothingly.
“It’s not as if you spend anytime with him. You are always so
busy; half the time he is in bed before you even arrive home.”
Ben groaned, once Marie had her hackles up there would be no
placating her.
Hoss concentrated on his breakfast oblivious of the tension
in the air, but Adam watched with more than a hint of amusement. From past
experience he knew who would be the winner of this little altercation. Ben was
a strong man and it took someone with real guts to go up against him, but his
stepmother was a force to be reckoned with when it came to her baby son.
“But Marie,” Ben tried once more, this time keeping his voice
as soft as possible so as not to alarm Joe. “How can I conduct business at the
bank with three children to look after.”
Adam bristled at his father’s words; he was 15 and in his
eyes could no longer be considered a child.
“Well that’s funny Ben, you’ve always boasted to me at how
well you managed to bring up two small boys on your own before I came along.”
Ben was about to reiterate that Adam and Hoss could hardly be
compared to the little whirlwind that was Little Joe, but he thought better of
it. Marie’s face was flushed and she still cradled the little one over her
shoulder.
“God she’s beautiful when she’s angry” thought Ben.
Seeing the softening of her husband’s face, Marie wheedled,
“You know I have been wanting to visit Peggy Jones. She had
her new baby two days ago and could really do with a hand. I couldn’t take
Little Joe with me, not when there is so much to do.”
Ben sighed, perhaps she was right, he hadn’t spent much time
with his youngest child lately and it would do the boy good to be away from his
mother for a change and in the company of the male members of the family.
“Okay, I give in, but I need to be on my way, so he will have
to be dressed and ready to go in fifteen minutes.”
Joe’s tears dried immediately and Marie smiled to see the
excitement in his eyes. “Oh you little monkey” she thought “I’m sure you are
learning to play the game already.”
Ben turned to see a smirk on his eldest son’s face,
“And what do you find so funny young man?”
Adam’s smile was quickly wiped away,
“Nothing Pa, I’ll go and hitch the team.” Standing up, Adam
made a quick exit.
Ten minutes later Ben was pacing the floor impatiently when a
loud yelling could be heard from upstairs. Taking the stairs two at a time Ben
made his way into his youngest son’s bedroom where Marie was having a tussle
with him on the bed.
“What on earth is going on?” Ben demanded, seeing the angry
faces of both his wife and child.
Marie held up the beautiful blue dress in her hands.
“Little Joe refuses to put on his dress. He is a very naughty
boy,” she added, looking pointedly at her small son.
Ben shook his head. This child already had a stubbornness
about him that far exceeded both him and his wife.
“Don’t want dress,” Joe announced. “Want big boy britches
like Hoss.”
Picking up his small son and sitting him on his knee, Ben
said sternly,
“Joseph you are three years old. Little boys do not wear
britches until they are five. You have a long way to go before you are five.
Now are you going to put on this dress?”
The small chin jutted out in defiance. “No, don’t want
dress.”
Ben’s inclination was to turn the small boy over and land a
few swats on his little behind, but the look on his wife’s face left him in no
doubt that was not a good idea.
“Well Joseph, you have a choice. You can put on the dress and
come with Papa, Adam and Hoss or you can stay here. What’s it to be?”
Joe sniffed loudly and the tears spilled from his eyes, but
he lifted his arms and allowed his mother to put the dress over his head.
Ben scowled at his wife’s choice of clothing. All little boys
up to five wore dresses, he didn’t have a problem with that, but Marie was from
the South and she had organised many of Joseph’s clothes to be shipped from
Marie’s southern ways, French accent and beauty made her very
different from the other women of
Ben did not voice his opinion. He was not a foolish man and
only a foolish man would criticise a baby to its mother, and so he helped
fasten the small buttons at the back of the dress before pulling Joe’s boots
onto his feet and starting to do up the laces.
Joe grimaced and yelled as his mother tried to brush his
hair. His thick chestnut curls almost reached his shoulders and each morning
battle commenced as Marie tried to tame his long tresses. If Ben had his way
the curls would be shorn, but Marie was adamant that her baby would not be
having his hair cut until he was breeched and that was a long way off.
Finally he was ready and Ben couldn’t help but smile down at
the cherubic little face smiling back at him. The boy had the face of an angel,
and his curls only enhanced the image. Chuckling loudly Ben admonished himself
not to be taken in; those looks of Joe’s were very very deceiving.
********************
The family made its way outside and prepared to leave. Marie
kissed Hoss and then gave Little Joe a final hug before passing him to his
father. The toddler’s face immediately crumpled and he was on the verge of
tears as he whimpered,
“Mama come as well, I want Mama.”
Ben raised his eyes in frustration. Maybe it was a good idea
to get the boy away from his mother for a while, he was becoming far too
clingy. As Marie sniffed loudly, Ben climbed onto the wagon and sat Little Joe
between himself and Adam.
“Stop fussing Marie, the child will be fine. Just try and
enjoy the day without him.”
The wagon moved forward and Adam was quick to distract the
toddler and, therefore, stop the impending tears. Like most small children, Joe
soon forgot his troubles and was enthralled with the journey into town. He
constantly asked questions and hardly waited for an answer to one before he
embarked on another.
The first hour in town was spent in various shops stocking up
on supplies. Both Marie and Hop Sing had given Ben a long list and he was
struggling with some of the items thereon. By the time he arrived at the dress
shop his patience was coming to an end. Marie’s list contained ribbons and
lace, sewing threads and knitting yarns and Ben was out of his depth. The women
in the shop were amused as they presented him with yarns and threads in various
colours and textures and he struggled to decide which ones would please his
young wife.
Adam and Hoss became bored in the ladies shop and decided to
wander further down the street to look for something more interesting. Little
Joe was left in the care of his father and the women in the shop made a fuss
over the child, pinching his cheeks and stroking his hair. Joe was becoming
fractious and when Mrs Simpson made to pick him up, he pushed her away and
stamped his tiny foot, saying “No” very loudly. Ben could hardly blame the
child, his little cheeks were beginning to turn quite pink and it was already
past his naptime. As Mrs Simpson ‘tut tuttered’ at the display of temper, Ben
rescued the toddler and lifted him high into his arms, placing him out of the reach
of the assembled ladies.
Ben hastily finished the remaining purchases and left the
store in search of his elder sons. He didn’t have to look far; Adam and Hoss
were just walking back up the street to meet him.
“Pa, I’m really hungry,” whined Hoss. “Can we get something
to eat?”
“Sure son” smiled Ben “I’ll take you three to Molly’s for a
bite of lunch while I am at my meeting. Are you hungry Little Joe?”
“He’s out for the count Pa,” Adam said, gesturing to the limp
little body hanging over Ben’s shoulder. “At least we’ll have our lunch in
peace,” he added with a mischievous grin.
Molly was delighted to see the family. Her small restaurant
was the boys’ favourite and she always made a fuss of them whenever they
visited.
“Hello Ben,” she cried “how lovely to see you and the boys.
Oh look at the little angel fast asleep. Why don’t you lay him on the settee in
the back room? He’ll be safe there until he wakes up.”
Ben gratefully carried Little Joe through and laid the
toddler on the large settee. Molly covered him with a blanket and then joined
Adam and Hoss in the restaurant.
“Right boys, I won’t be long. Look out for your little
brother, you know what a little mischief-maker he is. When I get back we’ll go
to the mercantile and you can choose some candy before we go home.”
Adam thought he was too old for candy, but he was sure his Pa
could be persuaded to buy him a new book instead. “
Molly was quick to prepare the boys lunch and they were just
sitting down to eat when the door opened and Bill Rogers entered the
restaurant.
“I’ve got a delivery for you out back Miss Molly” he said “do
you want me to bring it in for you?”
“That would be great Bill. Just go out through the back door.
The Cartwright baby is asleep out there so be sure to be as quiet as you can
and close the door when you’re finished.”
Bill peeked at the toddler as he passed and made sure he was
still fast asleep. He only left the door open for a few minutes while he
brought in the supplies and he was careful to close it when he left.
********************
It was the sound of laughter that woke Little Joe. When he
opened his eyes he had no idea where he was, but the open door and excited
voices were calling to him. Without a thought as to where he was going he
toddled out of the back door and made his way over to the children. Bill was
totally unaware that Little Joe had awoken and he never checked on him before
leaving.
Four boys were playing in the back street. They were older
than Joe and except for a quick ‘hello’ ignored the toddler who insisted on
trailing behind them. After a few minutes the eldest of the four announced that
they had better get home before their mama came looking for them and he ran off
closely followed by the other three.
Little Joe took off after the children, but his little legs
were not able to keep up with them and he was soon left far behind. There were
always children playing in the street at that time of day and a small child
running behind a group of others did not attract any attention from the
townsfolk.
Joe was several streets from Molly’s restaurant before he
stopped running. The older children were nowhere in sight and he looked around
in dismay. What was he to do now? Just as that moment he noticed an open
doorway and heard voices coming from within. Unnoticed he walked into the dimly
lit room, but on seeing a group of strange people, he got down on all fours and
crawled under the nearest table.
Julia’s Palace was not a place for a small boy, but Little
Joe was oblivious as to the function of the establishment and was fascinated as
he silently watched the scantily clad women going about their business.
One of the clientele was a little bit worse for wear and as
he crossed the room he stumbled and fell to the ground. As he tried to pick
himself up from the floor his mouth dropped open with surprise at the sight
before him.
“Well lookee what we got here,” he said, and gestured to the
women to join him on the floor.
Two of the women bent down to look and see what he was
pointing at. The huge, frightened eyes of the toddler looked back at them, and
Little Joe tried to scramble further under the table.
Reaching out her arms Julia Bulette spoke very softly, “Come
on out my little beauty, no one’s going to hurt you.”
With a little more persuasion Joe crawled forward and into
the lady’s arms.
“Now where did you come from?”
Little Joe was not talking. Sticking his thumb in his mouth,
he leaned into Julia’s embrace as he gazed with fright at the women now
surrounding him.
Julia sat down on the nearest chair and soothed the
frightened child against her.
She fingered the beautiful dress with the intricate lace
collar and knew that this was not some street urchin; someone would definitely
be looking for this little one.
“Well what are we going to do with you?” she mused.
“What do you think it is?” asked one of the girls.
“It’s a baby of course,” laughed Julia “I know we don’t get a
lot of them in here, but I would have thought you would have recognised one by
now.”
“That’s not what I mean and you know it.”
Joe wriggled on Julia’s knee and his face took on a look of
urgency.
“From the look on this little one’s face, I think we’ll soon
find out. Betty why don’t you take this beauty to do the necessary before we
have a little accident.”
Betty picked up Joe from Julia’s knee and went out back. Five
minutes later she returned and declared to everyone.
“Well we definitely have ourselves a little boy.”
The women chuckled and Joe looked round at the sea of faces
and laughed too. Setting him down on the floor, Betty smoothed down his dress
and asked,
“Can you tell us your name, little fellow?”
“Little Joe” replied Joe still with his thumb in his mouth.
“Little Joe, that’s a name that suits you. Where is your
mama?” asked another of the women.
“She’s gone to see the new baby,” Joe declared. He was
beginning to feel quite brave and loved all the attention he was receiving.
“What about your Papa, where is your Papa?”
Little Joe shrugged his shoulders; the last time he
remembered seeing his Papa was in the dress shop.
Julia turned to Betty “I don’t think he is going to tell us
very much. Betty you had better fetch the sheriff, someone, somewhere must be
worrying themselves sick over this little one.”
Betty went off in search of the sheriff and Joe set about
charming everyone in the room.
********************
Ben finished his meeting quicker than he thought. He would
have loved to stop for a beer, but knew it would be prudent that he pick up the
boys and head for home.
Hoss and Adam were tucking into apple pie when he arrived at
Molly’s. Giving him a gap toothed smile, Hoss shoved another spoonful in his
mouth before getting up to welcome his Pa back. Ben hugged his affectionate
middle son before asking,
“Where’s Little Joe?”
“The little mite is still sleeping,” replied Molly as she
bustled into the room with a cup of coffee for Ben.
“I’ll just check on him,” said Ben making his way into the
back room.
Ben stared in confusion at the empty settee. He looked around
the room expecting Little Joe to be hiding somewhere, but he wasn’t there. When
Ben just stood there saying nothing, Molly followed him into the room. She too
looked around expectantly before putting her hand over her mouth and crying,
“Oh Ben where can he be?” Then the knowledge hit her “Oh dear
Lord, the child must have woken and gone out of the back door when Bill was
making the deliveries.
“How long ago was that?” Ben asked in a worried voice.
“It must have been nearly an hour ago. Oh Ben I’m so sorry, I
had no idea.”
Adam joined his father, panic registered on his face. “Where
can he have gone Pa?”
Hoss began to cry. He was never allowed anywhere in the town
on his own and he just couldn’t imagine what it must be like for his baby
brother.
Taking Hoss by the hand, Ben led his sons from the
restaurant. “Don’t worry Molly we’ll find him. He can’t have gone far.” Ben
hoped that this was true, but Little Joe could be anywhere by now. After all an
hour is an awful long time for a small child to be wandering round the rough
streets of
Ben quickly made his way to the Sheriff’s office with the
boys running to keep up with him. Unfortunately Sheriff Coffee had been called
away to a shooting that had taken place on one of the nearby ranches and his
office stood empty, with only a short message nailed to the door to inform
anyone of his whereabouts. Ben silently swore in frustration.
“Maybe we should split up
Ben was not happy with this suggestion and did not want Adam
wandering around the seedier parts of the town on his own, but he had no
choice. The longer Little Joe was missing the further away he could be.
“I’ll go with Adam” Hoss declared turning to follow his
brother.
“Oh no you don’t” growled Ben, grabbing hold of the boy’s
hand. To lose one son was careless to lose two would be unforgivable. “You’re
staying with me.”
********************
Oblivious to all the fuss due to his absence, Little Joe was
beginning to enjoy his time in Julia’s Palace. Betty had returned to announce
that the Sheriff was out of town and there was nothing else to do but wait for
someone to arrive and claim the child.
Julia looked on in exasperation. She was as delighted with
the baby as the others, but the distraction was definitely bad for business.
Several men had already left and those that hadn’t were certainly not spending
what they normally would.
“All right ladies” she announced “I’m taking this young man
upstairs so you can get on and do what you are paid for.” With that she scooped
up a protesting Little Joe and carried him up the stairs.
Taking him into her bedroom she placed him on the bed while
she tried to think of what to do to amuse him. She didn’t have to think long.
The toddler stood up and lifting up his dress he began jumping up and down with
glee. Julia laughed along with the giggling little boy as he fell and righted
himself over and over again.
After several minutes she was afraid he would make himself
sick and so she picked him up once more and asked, “Are you hungry Little Joe?”
Joe thought for a minute and then nodded his head. Like a lot
of small children he was a picky eater at the best of times, but he hadn’t
eaten since that morning and his stomach was beginning to rumble.
Just as Julia was about to take the child back downstairs the
bedroom door opened and Jean Millain entered.
Looking at the baby in Julia’s arms he smiled and said,
“Well well, what do we have here? Have you been keeping
secrets from me Julia?”
Ignoring the inference Julia replied, “What do you want
Jean?”
“What do I want? What do you think I want? You are my woman
Julia and I have been away for a long time, a man has his needs.”
Julia was annoyed. Little Joe had no understanding of the
words, but Julia did not want him exposed to the low life that was Jean
Millain. She made to push past him and out of the door, but he grabbed hold of
her arm.
“Get rid of the child Julia, we need to be alone.”
It was at times like this that Julia had to ask herself why
she continued to be involved with a man like Millain. They had been together
for a number of years but theirs was definitely a love hate relationship.
“You don’t own me Jean. I make my own decisions about who I
want to be with and right now it is not you. Now let me pass.”
With an angry yell, Jean grabbed Little Joe from Julia’s arms
and walked over to the window placing the startled toddler on the window seat.
“Well if he has to stay then so be it, but be assured he will
receive a very early education.”
Jean ruffled Little Joe’s curls then turning back to Julia he
pulled her into a fierce embrace, kissing her hungrily on the lips. Julia tried
to push him from her, but he held her fast. Lifting her bodily into his arms he
carried her towards the bed and laid her down on the pillows. Julia struggled
and shouted but Jean was able to restrain both her arms in one of his. When she
continued to fight against him he slapped her hard across the face.
Little Joe was incensed; his friend was being hurt.
Scrambling from the chair he ran towards the bed and sank his teeth into
Millain’s leg. Shouting with obvious pain the man released his hold on Julia’s
arms and turned his attention to the little demon that was getting ready to
pounce for a second time. Grabbing hold of Little Joe by his dress he hauled
the little boy into the air. Placing the child’s face inches from his own, he
almost spat,
“You little runt, you are going to be really sorry for that.”
Sitting on the side of the bed Millain placed the baby over
his knee and raising his arm in the air he brought his hand down hard on Little
Joe’s small bottom. The child screamed in terror as Millain raised his arm once
more.
Julia knew she had to do something quickly. Making her way to
the other side of the bed she reached down and plucked a small handgun from
beneath the mattress; in her profession she just never knew when the need for
protection would arise.
Millain was just raising his hand for the third time when
Julia pushed the gun against his back.
“That’s enough Jean, put the child down.”
In his distress Little Joe was no longer able to control his
bladder and Millain’s face turned to one of pure horror when he felt the warm
liquid spreading across his pants. Jumping to his feet he allowed the little
boy to fall to the floor with a thud.
Just at that moment the door to the bedroom burst open and
Jack, the bartender, and several of the women came rushing forward.
“What’s wrong Miss Julia? I heard the baby screaming and
thought something must have happened.”
Keeping the gun in her hand Julia replied, “Monsieur Millain
is leaving and he will not be returning.”
Jean Millain knew when he was beaten and prepared to leave.
Keeping the anger from his voice he said, “Au revoir Julia, we will meet again
very soon.” Then looking down at the weeping Little Joe he added, “As for you
young man. If we meet again in the years to come, we will have a score to
settle.” With that he left the room with as much dignity as he could muster,
the wet stain on his trousers plain for all to see.
Ushering everyone back onto the landing, Julia sat on the
floor and lifted the babe into her arms. Ignoring the child’s wet dress she
held him to her chest and rocked him backwards and forwards in an effort to
stall his tears.
Little Joe was not easily soothed. The soft manicured hand of
Millain was unlike the calloused, rough hand of his Papa, but the punishment
that the soft hand had administered to the child’s bottom had not been given
with the restraint of a loving parent and so was far harsher than anything Joe
had experienced in his short life.
When Little Joe’s sobs finally subsided and he no longer
clung to her neck in distress, Julia stood up and placed the child on the bed
once more. Kissing him on his small nose Julia said,
“You will be fine now mon petite, I will not let anyone else
hurt you.”
Smiling down at the tear stained face Julia was rewarded with
a very teary but trusting smile in return.
“Now what are we to do? Your beautiful dress is soaked and
I’m afraid I have nothing here that will fit you. What are you to wear?”
“Big boy britches,” Joe asked hopefully.
“Oh you have plenty time to grow into britches little man,
but for the moment stay just the way you are.”
Looking down at her own clothes Julia noted that they were
also wet.
“Looks as if we are both going to need a change of clothing
little one.”
It only took a few minutes for Julia to strip the little boy
out of his wet clothes and then she set about removing her own dress. Little
Joe looked on with a concentration that made Julia laugh.
“Little one you show far too much interest in one so young.”
Joe looked at her and smiled once more as the meaning of her
word past him by. Julia changed into a startling red dress that made Joe clap
his hands with approval and then she searched through her drawers before
returning to the bed with a chemise in her hands.
“I’m sorry baby but this is the only thing I have that will
be come anywhere near to fitting you. Now I think we must set about getting you
something to fill that little tummy.”
After pulling the garment over the child’s head she picked
him up once more and made her way down the stairs. It didn’t take much food to
fill the little boy’s stomach and no sooner had the last morsel passed his lips
than he climbed into Julia’s open arms, popped him thumb in his mouth, and fell
asleep.
Minutes later Julia laid the sleeping tot in her bed and
covered him with a blanket.
“Sleep well little one,” she said before bending and kissing
the top of his head. Julia stood looking at the babe for a few minutes more,
marvelling at his perfection. Running her hand through his soft baby curls she
felt a tug at her heartstrings. Babies were not on her agenda and with her
lifestyle were never likely to be. Oh there was so much in life she was
destined to miss out on. With a heavy sigh, she left the room closing the door
quietly behind her.
********************
Adam was becoming frantic as he went from store to store
looking for his brother. He felt personally responsible since his Pa had left
Hoss and Little Joe in his charge. Why hadn’t he kept watch on the baby when
Bill Rogers was going in and out of the back door? If something had happened to
the child, he would never forgive himself.
When he came upon the Bucket and Blood saloon he felt
reluctant to go in. His father would never approve of him entering such a
place, but in circumstances like this he had no choice. It was highly unlikely
that Little Joe would be in there but he had to be sure.
Adam hesitantly entered and made his way over to the bar,
trying to avert his eyes from the scantily dressed saloon girls. Even though it
was still early afternoon the saloon was quite busy, it was the end of the
month and a Saturday and many of the miners and cowhands were letting off steam
while they still had money in their pockets.
Sam the bartender looked at the boy in front of him and
scowled, he recognised Adam as Ben Cartwright’s boy and Sam did not want to be
at the end of Ben’s tongue lashing if he found Sam serving the boy with liquor.
“What you doing in here boy? Get out before I give you a clip
round the ear.”
Adam stood his ground, under normal circumstances he would
have been glad of an excuse to turn and run, but he needed to know if anyone
had seen Joe.
“Sorry sir, but I’m looking for my little brother. He’s lost
and we can’t find him.”
Sam raised his eyes to the ceiling he should have known the
kid wasn’t here to have fun, not if he valued his hide anyway.
Picking up a mallet from under the bar Sam hit a metal sheet
behind him. The sound echoed through the din in the room and everyone turned to
see what was going on. “Simmer down folks. The kid here is looking for his
brother.” Turning back to Adam he asked, “Which one son?”
“Which what Sir?” asked Adam, confused by the question.
“Which brother?” Sam said with a shake of his head, “The big
fat one or the runt?”
Adam was incensed at the insults aimed at his brothers, but
now was not the time to get his hackles up. “It’s the little one, he’s only
three.”
Those present shook their heads and most went back to their
drinking. One of the saloon girls, who was quite taken by the handsome youth in
front of her, stepped forward and put an arm around Adam’s shoulders.
“Oh that’s terrible” she slurred “I think you best report
this to the sheriff. He could maybe get a posse or something organised to find
the little mite.”
“We’ve already tried the sheriff Ma’am,” replied Adam, “but
he’s out of town. There’s just me and my Pa to look for him.”
The girls intoxicated breath on Adam’s face was beginning to
make him feel sick and he was having difficulty extricating himself from the
clawing hands, that she was now running through his hair. Sam the barman came
to his rescue.
“Let the boy be Maisie, he needs to be on his way and you
need to get back to work.”
Adam shot him a relieved look before heading back out onto
the street as quickly as he could.
Twenty minutes later and Adam was no further forward in
finding Little Joe. He was about to head back the way he had come in the hope
of meeting up with his Pa, when he passed the entrance to Julia’s Palace.
Biting on his bottom lip, Adam stood outside pensively trying to decide what to
do. This was not the same as going into the saloon. He had heard stories about
what went on within these four walls. His friend David’s older brother James
had told the boys stories about Julia’s Palace. He had described in detail the
plush surroundings with the deep red velvet curtains and thick carpeting. James
had boasted of gambling long into the night before going upstairs with one of
the many beautiful women that worked there. Surely Little Joe couldn’t have
gone in there.
Adam’s nerve was beginning to wane and he turned and began to
retrace his steps. He had gone all of about twenty feet when he stopped dead.
What if Little Joe was in there? What if someone had seen him? He couldn’t
leave it to chance - he had to go in.
With eyes like saucers, unsure of what to expect, Adam pushed
open the door and stepped inside. As he walked forward he was immediately
struck by the differences in the two establishments. This place was a gambler’s
paradise and the girls were young and pretty, not like most of the aging saloon
girls. Adam tried to keep his eyes forward not looking to the left or right. A
couple of the girls that were not engaged in conversation with a customer
walked over and looked him over with an appraising eye.
It was at that moment that a beautiful woman dressed all in
red came walking down the stairs towards him and Adam was mesmerised. The low
cut dress she was wearing did nothing to hide her ample charms and Adam quickly
removed his hat and held it in front of him, afraid that his body might betray
his feelings.
“Don’t gawp young man it is not becoming” said Julia in
amusement.
Adam shut his mouth quickly, but still stared.
Betty came forward and sidling up to the boy she winked at
Julia and said,
“We’re really attracting the young ones today Julia.”
Adam blushed scarlet but could not take his eyes off the
vision of loveliness before him.
“What’s your name boy?” asked Julia as Adam continued to
stare.
“Adam ma’am.”
“Well Adam to what do we owe the pleasure, or is it pleasure
you are after,” asked Betty before kissing the startled boy full on the lips.
Adam had never been kissed like that before and he almost forgot his reason for
being there as other emotions began to course through his body.
The assembled women began to giggle and Adam felt himself
blush from the top of his head to the tips of his toes.
“All right girls you have had your fun, now leave the boy
alone,” admonished Julia. She waited for Adam to regain some of his composure
before asking,
“Why are you here Adam?”
“I’m looking for my brother ma’am.”
Julia felt relieved; maybe, finally, someone was coming to
claim the child.
“His name’s Joe Cartwright and he’s only three years old.”
Julia was taken aback. “Ben Cartwright’s son?”
“Yes ma’am.”
This was so unexpected. So the babe upstairs and the handsome
youth before her were Ben Cartwright’s boys; it wasn’t hard to believe as they
had obviously inherited their father’s good looks. Her and Ben had been friends
a long time ago, before he had met his ‘southern belle’ and before the child
upstairs had even been born. Sadly friendships like theirs was born out of
loneliness and was not meant to last.
Taking Adam by the hand she led him towards the stairs.
“You had better come with me young man.”
Panic reflected in Adam’s eyes and he pulled his hand away.
“It’s all right, don’t worry. Come I have something to show
you.”
Adam followed Julia up the stairs, keeping a safe distance
behind her. How on earth would he explain this to his father?
When she arrived outside of the bedroom door, Julia placed a
finger to her lips instructing Adam to be quiet before they entered. Keeping a
few steps behind, Adam followed her into the room and over to the bed. Relief
flooded through him as he looked down on the sleeping form of his baby brother.
Little Joe slept peacefully, his thumb firmly ensconced in his mouth and
completely unaware of the trouble he had caused.
Julia pulled back the bedclothes, taking great care not to
disturb the child. Wrapping Joe in a single blanket she lifted him from the bed
and handed him to his brother. Adam placed the child over his shoulder and made
his way back to the front door.
Adam thanked Julia for taking such good care of his brother,
but couldn’t help asking,
“How did he get here?”
“I’ve no idea” Julie replied smothering her laughter, “we
found him underneath one of the tables.”
“That doesn’t surprise me, he’s always getting into
mischief,” said Adam with a shake of his head.
“Now that I can believe,” Julie replied. “Oh by the way, I’m
afraid he had a little accident,” she added, handing Adam a bundle contained
Joe’s soiled clothes.
“Yeh, he’s good at that as well,” Adam said, now openly
grinning and feeling relaxed with the beautiful woman before him. “Better get
him back to Pa, he’ll be worried sick.”
Julie stepped forward and stroked Joe’s soft curls for the
last time and bending forward she kissed his baby soft cheek.
“Until we meet again my little one,” then with a wink at Adam
she added, “might not be quite so long for you young man.”
“Yes ma’am, I mean no ma’am, I mean I have to be going,” and
with that Adam hitched Joe further up his shoulder, grabbed hold of the bundle
of clothes and escaped into the street.
Heading back towards where they left the buckboard, Adam was
relieved to see his Pa and Hoss heading towards him.
Ben rushed forward anxious to make sure that the child in
Adam’s arms was safe and sound. Taking the precious bundle he unwrapped the
blanket and carefully examined the babe therein. The little boy’s attire did
not go unnoticed, but Ben decided to wait for explanations until they were on
their way home.
Reassured that Joe was unhurt Ben climbed on the buckboard
with the child cradled in his arms and they were soon on their way, Adam taking
charge of the reins and sending the horses in the direction of home. As Adam
retold his story, Ben groaned in despair. If Marie ever found out what had
happened to her baby he would never be trusted with the child again until he
was at least eighteen.
Ben’s first duty when he arrived home was to wash and change
the sleeping tot. Much to Ben’s surprise Little Joe never stirred, his
adventure had obviously worn him out. Ben had a dilemma. He would of liked to
remonstrate with the child about the dangers of wandering off on his own. At
the same time he hoped against hope that once Joe was awake and back in his own
surroundings he would forget where exactly he had been over the last couple of
hours.
It was almost suppertime before Little Joe stirred and when
Ben carried him downstairs to the table he made no reference whatsoever to the
events of the day. Marie arrived home shortly after supper began and she
entered the house in a fluster at being late.
“Oh Ben, I’m so sorry, you know how it is, new babies are
just so time consuming.”
Marie hung up her cape and then walking to the table she
lifted Little Joe from his seat and hugged him to her.
“And how is my precious boy, have you been a good for your
Papa?”
Joe allowed his mother to cuddle and kiss him unresistingly,
revelling in the attention. Marie placed the little boy back on his chair
before sitting down to supper.
“Well what did you do today, little one.”
The fork full of food on its way into Ben’s mouth stopped in mid
air as he waited with trepidation as to what Little Joe’s answer would be.
“We bought lots of things didn’t we Papa?”
“Yes we did,” responded Ben, ruffling the little boy’s hair
with relief.
General conversation with regard to the items bought then took
over the discussion and Ben began to relax.
“I saw a pretty lady,” Joe declared vying for his mother’s
attention once more.
“Oh yes,” Adam interjected, trying to steer the conversation
“we went to Molly’s for lunch.”
“Not Molly” Joe corrected, “I not see Molly.”
This was true, Joe had been asleep when they had entered
Molly’s restaurant and he was unaware that they had even been there.
“Then which pretty lady did you see Joseph?” Marie asked,
curious as to the child’s answer.
“The pretty lady with the nasty man,” Joe replied.
Ben was unaware of this part of the story and even he found
himself listening carefully to Joe’s answer.
“The man that smacked my bottom” Joe whimpered, sticking out
his bottom lip as the memory of Jean Millain once more came to him.
All thought of trying to dispel the child from talking about
his adventure left Ben’s mind as he became incensed at the idea of someone
hitting Little Joe.
“Why did the man hit you Little Joe?”
“For biting him,” Joe replied with obvious pride. Then seeing
his mother’s shocked face, he added “cause he hit the lady Mama.”
At first Marie had though the child was romanticising, small
children loved to tell stories, but now she was not so sure; this was something
she needed to investigate.
“Then the lady took her dress off” Joe announced, unaware of
the look of absolute despair on his father’s face. Then he added in almost a
whisper, “she had big lady things.” Joe had more than once been taken to task
for his observations on the female population, which were usually spoken in a
loud voice in the confines of the church.
Hoss kept on eating oblivious of his brother’s meaning, but
Adam was blushing once again; the same thoughts about Julia had passed through
his mind but he wasn’t likely to voice them. Ben had no doubt as to what the
‘lady things’ were that Joe was referring to, he was already aware of his three
year olds growing interest in a lady’s anatomy. He was going to have to watch
this boy in the years to come.
Marie chose to ignore the little boy’s remark; Joe was well
aware that outbursts of this nature got the people around him into quite a
fluster and Marie was quite sure that the child was more interested in the
reaction his words invoked than the actual meaning of them.
As soon as Little Joe finished eating, Marie lifted him from
his chair and carried him towards the stairs.
“I think you’ve had a very eventful day little one, now let’s
go upstairs and you can tell Mama all about it.”
As Marie disappeared from view, closely followed by Hoss,
Adam turned to his father and said,
“There’s still chores to be done Pa, guess I’ll just go out
to the barn.”
Ben’s arm reached over and he pulled his eldest son back into
his place.
“We’re in this together son, you’re not going anywhere.”
A red-faced Marie appeared back in the great room just over
thirty minutes later.
“Well gentlemen” she began, looking from Ben to Adam, “maybe
you would like to explain, how my baby became lost in
Ben opened his mouth and tried to form words that may placate
the young mother, but Marie was not in the mood for explanations.
“No Ben, let me continue. Ah yes, then there was the monster
that hits women and smacked my child’s bottom. To think my son, my baby son has
been in that woman’s bedroom and watched her undress!”
Adam sunk lower down into the settee, it was not often he was
in the firing line of his stepmother’s wrath when it was at this level; she
usually kept that for his father. Ben was not fairing any better as he had his
hands over his eyes and looked like one of his sons as he bit on his bottom
lip, afraid of what new disclosure his wife might have.
The tirade continued and just when Adam and Ben thought there
was nothing more to be said, Marie held up a lacy chemise in her hands and
asked,
“Perhaps one of you could explain where this came from?”
********************
Joe was incredulous. To think he had met Julia all those
years ago. He could hardly believe it.
“Bet Mama was really mad huh?”
“Mad! Joe you have never seen anything like it. Pa has a
temper on him, but compared to your mother when she had a bee in her bonnet,
he’s a pussycat.”
Joe’s voice became quiet and thoughtful.
“I wonder if Julia ever realised that I was the little boy
she looked after?”
“Who knows” Adam replied. He was sure Julia would of
remembered, but in her infinite wisdom she probably thought bringing it up
would only emphasise the age difference between her and Joe.
“So you see little brother that wasn’t the first time you had
come to the lady’s rescue. Regular little hero you are.”
“Yeh, well I wish I had just bit him the second time instead
of using my fists. Come to think about it, from what you said, I came off worst
that time as well.”
Joe settled back against his saddle once more and prepared to
sleep. He loved hearing Adam tell stories from when they were very young. It
was the only way his mother’s memory was kept alive for him, as his own images
of her had dimmed over the years.
Quiet and stillness crept over the campsite. As Adam slowly
drifted off to sleep
Joe suddenly piped up,
“Hey Adam, do you think they ever did?”
Sitting up with a jerk, Adam was confused. What on earth was
Joe talking about?
“Who’s they, and what are they supposed to have done?”
“You know
Adam groaned and pulled his hat further down over his face
“Goodnight Joseph!”
The end.