Small Kindnesses

Adam, Hoss, and Ben Cartwright were almost finished with their breakfast when Little Joe, the youngest of the three brothers, came downstairs. They all looked at him, shook their heads, but didn't comment on his late appearance. Hop Sing immediately brought his breakfast and poured him a cup of coffee, fussing in Chinese the entire time. Everyone figured he was fussing about Joe's being late for breakfast again. No one paid him much attention, since they were used to his diatribes by now. After he finished pouring Joe's cup of coffee, Joe looked at him and gave him a dazzling smile. Hop Sing continued to fuss, but it was fairly obvious that he was now only pretending to still be mad at Little Joe. Ben half-smiled as he realized this. His youngest son seemed to have that effect on everyone, including himself, though he tried hard not to show it.

"Good morning, Joseph" Ben said, "So nice of you to join us, son."

"Morning, Pa." Joe said, either ignoring or oblivious to the touch of sarcasm in his father's voice. "You three should have gone to that wild west show in town yesterday" Joe said enthusiastically. "It was fantastic."

"What was so special about it, Joe?" Hoss asked, curious about what could have been so exciting about that run-down looking outfit.

"Oh, Hoss, I have never seen such riding and shooting in my life." Joe said. "You should have seen the trick shooting that one man could do, went by the name of Wild Bill Hitchcock," There was another man there who did tricks on a horse that you wouldn't believe and he had about the fastest draw of anybody except....well he was really fast." Joe finished.

"Fastest draw of anybody except whom, Joseph?" Ben asked, with a moderately stern expression on his face.

"Fastest draw of anybody except me, Pa." Joe said, looking at his father directly. Joe's penchant for quick drawing and deadly aim with a gun and his hot-temper had always been somewhat of a sore subject between father and son. Regardless of his father's feelings, Joe spent endless hours practicing these skills. Several incidents had resulted in Joe's having to use his gun to defend himself or others and he had a pretty wide reputation as being fast and accurate with a handgun. His left-handed technique and the way in which he drew the gun with his left hand, and pulled the trigger with his right hand, gave him a distinctive style.

Hoss, wishing to head off another heated argument between Joe and his father, changed the subject by asking about the horse riding tricks.

"Oh, man, Hoss, that was something else. Hoss, you should have seen him. He could ride sitting backwards in the saddle, he could turn completely around in the saddle, he could ride without holding on, he even rode standing up one time. But the best trick was somethin' to see. With the horse going full speed, he got off the saddle, got down on one side of the horse, and with just one foot in the stirrup, he hung onto the saddle with his hands. He was crouching down, so when we saw the horse from the side, it looked like there was no rider on the saddle. You could fool anybody."

"Well, what possible purpose could that serve?" asked Adam, joining in the conversation for the first time.

"Everything in life doesn't HAVE to be for a purpose, Adam. It was just for fun, something you don't know too much about." Joe said, exasperated with his older, always-serious brother.

"Seems to me something like that would take a lot of practice and that would be a waste of time for a rancher." Adam responded, with a slight disapproving look on his face.

"That sounds to me like it would be dangerous" Ben said, looking at Joe.

"Oh, Pa, it looked easy as pie. I am sure Cochise and I could do it in no time." Joe replied.

"Well as Adam pointed out, that would take too much time. If you have that much free time, Joe, perhaps I need to increase your responsibilities on the ranch. Don't you have enough horses to break and other chores to do to keep you occupied?" Ben asked.

Joe frowned and didn't respond, although his father clearly was waiting for an answer.

Hoss, always the peace maker, said, "I wish I had been with you, Joe. That does sound like it would have been fun to watch. Did you go by yourself or did you take one of those pretty little gals that flock around you like flies on honey?"

Joe looked at Hoss and gave him a grateful smile. Joe was pretty sure that his Pa was just about to tell him that he could not try that trick, when Hoss intervened. And Joe did not want his father to tell him not to do it, because he had already decided that he was going to learn how to do it. After all, he was about the same size as the trick rider and Cochise was a much better horse than the man had, so it should be a cinch. He had already taught Cochise several tricks and was sure that this would be the next addition to his repertoire. Judging by the response of the females in the audience yesterday, Joe was sure that the girls would love to see him do some fancy trick riding. Heck, they already enjoyed watching him do some trick shooting and fast-drawing contests. As long as his father didn't outright tell him not to do it, he knew he could get away with it. He wouldn't tell his father about it until he had the skill perfected and could show his father and show him that it was safe.

"Well it was going to be just Lance and me, but we ran into Billy so he went with us, and then we ran into...a few other people and they went with us, too." Joe said, in answer to Hoss' question. Hoss, not missing his brother's omission of just who the "other people" were, pressed the issue. He knew it had to be girls, it always was. "What other people, little brother?" Hoss persisted. This time Joe gave Hoss a slightly exasperated look, but Hoss paid no attention.

Adam decided to help Hoss out before Joe wheedled out of answering the question, "Yeah, Joe who were these mysterious other people?"

"There was no mystery about it, for crying out loud. Jenny Johnson, Sally Rogers, and Melody Thompson joined us when we got there, that's all." Joe said, just a little too loudly.

"Joe, Mr. Johnson at the livery stable told me his Jenny was sweet on you. Are the other two sweet on Billy and Lance, or are they sweet on you, too?" Adam asked.

"If you are so concerned with what those girls are feeling, Adam, why don't you ask them, not me?" Joe said with a smile. He wasn't about to let Hoss' and Adam's teasing get to him this morning. If I told them to mind their own business like I'd like to, Pa wouldn't agree for me to spend the afternoon with Lance, Joe thought to himself. He then asked Hoss to pass the biscuits and helped himself to another biscuit.

"Pa, I want to stay in town after church today. Lance's mother invited me to have Sunday dinner with them. Then a group of us are going riding out to Beaver Creek. Is that okay?"

"Sure, Son, you just be home before supper time. And be sure to give our regards to Lance's family." Ben said, smiling at his son. Joe and Lance had both started attending the Virginia City School on the same day. For whatever reason, they had immediately been drawn to each other and had been almost inseparable ever since. Ben had always been glad about this, because Lance, though the same age as Joe, was less impulsive and had on many occasions prevented Joe from doing some things that could have gotten him in trouble or killed. He kept hoping that Lance's good judgement and calm and rational behavior would rub off on Little Joe. Ben didn't really see any evidence that that was happening, but at least Joe reaped the benefits of Lance's good judgment when they were together.

When the Cartwrights rode into town a little later that morning, people were milling around the white frame church, talking and greeting each other prior to heading in to the services. As they rode up, Joe spotted Lance and called out to him. Joe then jumped off Cochise without bothering to stop the horse first. He then quickly led Cochise around to the shaded hitching post near the water trough. Giving her a quick pat and telling her "Now you stay out of trouble, Coch," he went off to catch up with Lance. Ben and Adam and Hoss took their time, but left their horses in the same spot.

"Too bad your brother doesn't move that fast getting his chores down" Ben said with an amused look on his face.

"Now, Pa, it just depends upon what chores you are referring to. If it is breaking horses, he moves that fast. It is just the wood-cutting and the fence-mending kind of chores that he doesn't move too rapidly on." Adam said with a sardonic smile.

"Yeah, you know, horse breaking is probably the most dangerous job on the Ponderosa. And it is definitely one of the most difficult, tiring and frustrating jobs, yet it is the only one that our little brother seems to enjoy." Hoss said with a puzzled expression on his face. "I wonder why that is?" He asked. "I guess it is because of the excitement of horse breaking." Hoss thought out loud.

"I think that is part of it, but I think it is more than that. I think it is the challenge of proving to himself over and over with each new horse, that he will win the battle of wills." Ben said. "The reason he is so good at it is he is so darned obstinate."

Hoss couldn't help asking his father, "Are you saying that our little brother is stubborn Pa? I hadn't noticed."

Ben, Adam, and Hoss were all laughing when they came up the steps to the church. The Reverend welcomed them and told them he hoped they enjoyed the service. When they entered the church and made their way to their usual pew, they expected to find Little Joe already there, but he was nowhere in sight. When the music stopped and the minister approached the pulpit, Joe still hadn't made it to his seat. By this time Ben was again getting aggravated with Joe and had looked around to make sure that he wasn't sitting with Lance's family. But what Ben saw was Lance's father, mother, and brothers and sisters--but no Lance or Little Joe. He was about to really get aggravated when Joe slipped into the pew from the opposite side of the row, and seeing his father looking at him, he smiled at him. Ben returned the smile. What's the point of being upset about Joe being late? He thought to himself. At least he got here. Besides if he wasted his time being upset over Joe's every little infraction, he would be upset most of the time and not be able to enjoy his son's exuberance.

Joe always had a hard time sitting through a church service, or anything that required sitting still for longer than a few minutes, but it was particularly hard today. He kept thinking about his plans for the rest of the day. He was having dinner with Lance's family and then he, Lance, Billy, and the three girls from yesterday were going to ride to Beaver Creek. Beaver Creek was one of Joe's favorite places to ride. There was a beautiful view and there was a large, level meadow nearby. That is where he went to practice his riding tricks. He had a momentary regret because he wouldn't be able to practice any new skills today, since he wouldn't want anyone to see him attempt it, until he had figured out how to do it and was good at it. But, he would enjoy being with his friends, and there was always tomorrow for the practice.

Joe was jolted out of his daydream by the sudden jumping and startled exclamation of his brother. Hoss had been dozing during the sermon and when the reverend pounded the pulpit to accentuate a point he was making, it jarred him out of his nap. Heads turned toward the origin of the noise from all the pews surrounding them. Hoss looked sheepish, his father and Adam gave him a slight disapproving look, but Joe giggled and winked at Hoss. Hoss smiled at Joe and assumed an innocent look. Ben then gave them both a look that was an implied warning. Joe had to bite his lips hard to keep from laughing out loud. Joe didn't know it, but Ben had to do the same thing.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the Reverend concluded the service and people began to stand up slowly. His father and brothers were talking to people in the nearby pews. Joe, however, didn't have time to socialize with the other church-goers today, he had places to go, people to see, and things to do. He said a hasty farewell to his Pa and brothers, telling them he had to hurry to catch up with Lance's family. Of course Lance's family was still in the church talking to neighbors, too. Ben saw no reason to hold up Joe's plans, so he just said, "Have fun, Joe, and don't forget to be home for supper," and waved him on. Joe ran over to the Jurgen's wagon, where Lance's sisters and brothers were climbing in. Lance wasn't there, so Joe asked Katie if she knew where he was.

"There he is over there with Billy. Ma told him he could invite Billy over too." Katie said, pointing in the direction of the side of the church.

"Thanks, lovely Katie," Joe said and hustled over to Lance and Billy.

"Come on you guys, let's get a move on." Joe said, clapping Lance on the back and smiling and winking at Billy.

Billy spoke up, "I can't come to dinner with you, but I will be ready to go to Beaver Creek with you later."

"How come, Billy? Lance's Ma makes the best roast beef and potatoes and real caramel cake of anybody, except Hop Sing, of course" Joe said.

"Uncle Stewart and I always eat Sunday lunch together at Mrs. Westfield's Sunday buffet. We have been going there for Sunday lunch ever since I came to live with him. He kind of looks forward to it." Billy said.

"Well you could miss it just once couldn't you? Just once wouldn't make your Uncle mad would it?" Lance persisted.

"No, I will meet you later. Uncle Stewart wouldn't get mad, but he would have to eat alone and he works so hard during the week that we don't spend much time together, so he really counts on Sunday after church." Billy said, looking a little disappointed.

"Well, that's all right, Billy. We will see you after lunch then. I know how it is, my Pa is the same way." Joe said.

Billy's face brightened at this statement, glad that his friends understood. "Really, Joe?"

"Why, heck, yeah, except with my Pa, it isn't JUST Sunday, it is EVERY meal. He also has a thing about every meal starting at the same time and everybody being on time for them." Joe said with a slight frown.

"Yes, that is right, Joe, and maybe if you live to be 100 years old, you may just manage to be on time for one meal." Lance said, laughing. Joe and Billy joined in. About this time, one of Lance's brothers came over and said, "Pa said to tell you we are leaving now and for you and Joe to get to your horses and head home. Joe, he said to tell you that if you are late, you don't get any caramel cake."

"What are we waiting for?" Joe said. "Time's awastin". I have to have some of that cake." "Billy we will see you in a couple of hours." Joe and Lance said a hasty good by and high-tailed it for their horses. Billy saw his Uncle waiting for him in the shade of the tree and went to join him.

**********

Joe always enjoyed being with his friend, Lance. He and Lance had been friends since they both started school. Of course, Lance always told Little Joe that he just let him be his friend so that he could keep him from getting beaten up every day. Joe and Lance were very different; yet they were very much alike. Little Joe Cartwright, was like his name, "little". Unfortunately, his temperament was much more suited to someone his brother Hoss's size, rather than someone his size. His quick temper and impulsivity had led him into some dangerous situations. He didn't usually start the problem, but he had just never been able to walk away from trouble either. This had led to many school yard confrontations between Joe and much bigger, meaner boys. Lance, one of the tallest and strongest boys in the school, unlike Little Joe, was usually calm and slow to anger. He had quickly found his niche that first day in school. During the first several years of their school years, Lance would have to step in to stop a fight that Joe had gotten into, but as they grew older, Lance started to intervene before the fight started, calming the situation down and preventing the otherwise inevitable fight.

The relationship between the two boys was something their parents recognized and valued. Whereas Ben was grateful for Lance's calming effect on his son, Lance's parents were equally grateful for Joe's ability to draw Lance out of his shell. Lance was typically reserved, shy, and serious. Little Joe had brought fun, laughter, and much joy to their son's life. The occasional mischief that they had gotten into at Joe's insistence, had been a small price to pay for their son's happiness.

The two boys frequently spent time with each other's family and they each appreciated the difference in the two families. Lance's family included a mother, father, and several siblings of both sexes, both younger and older than Lance. Lance's mother always pampered and made over Little Joe when he came to visit. Since he could barely remember his own mother, who died when he was just under 5 years old, Little Joe really enjoyed the attention Lance's mother bestowed upon him. And as far Lance's sisters, now that was something really unique for Little Joe. He was used to brothers, but Lance's brothers were much closer in age to Lance than Adam and Hoss were to Joe.

Lance's mother had rushed home from church and started putting the finishing touches on the mid-day meal. Lance and his father and siblings all had to rush to change clothes, but since Joe was visiting, all he had to do was take off his tie and unbutton his top shirt button, something he had done before he was even off the church property. He went into the kitchen with Lance's mom while the others changed.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Joe asked. She smiled at him, "Well, Joe, how about just sitting there keeping me company? What have you been up to these days? Why you haven't been to visit us but once this week. I was beginning to think you didn't like us anymore!" she teased Joe.

"Why, heck, no!" Joe said quickly. "It is all my Pa's fault, you know. Perhaps you could speak to him and tell him he is making me work too hard" Joe said with a mischievous smile.

"Humph! Somehow, Joe, I doubt that is the problem. I bet it is some new little girl in town, instead." she said with a chuckle.

"Now, Mam, you know I don't like girls. Why I wouldn't even be around 'em at all, if it weren't for Lance, Ma’am." Joe said with a deadpan expression on his face.

Lance's mom laughed out loud; she was joined in the laughter by Lance's father who had come into the room just as Joe had made the statement.

"Little Joe Cartwright, you keep telling tales like that and your Pa will tan your hide, Son!" he said.

"No, it is true, I just put up with the girls on account of Lance, Sir. Honest." Joe said. "You can ask Lance, if you don't believe me."

About this time, Lance walked into the kitchen, and asked, "Ask me what, Joe?"

"Oh, nothing important, Lance. We were just talking about why I don't come over as often anymore." Joe said.

"It's on account of the girls, Ma. They won't leave Little Joe alone." Lance said, watching Little Joe's face to see if he blushed. Sure enough, he did, but just a little.

Then Joe laughed, and said, "All right, all right, but can I help it if the girls just can't leave me alone?"

Lance's sister Kate came into the kitchen about that time and said, "Little Joe Cartwright, you can't leave the girls alone either. You are always with one of them. I don't see why you bother with some of them
though---they are all so silly."

"Katie, compared to you they are all silly and none of them can hold a candle to you as far as good looks go, either. Maybe I will just wait for you to grow up a little bit more, Katie." This time Katie blushed.

Lance's Mom thought it was about time to call this conversation to a halt, so she said, "All right everybody go find your place at the table. Katie, call the rest of your brothers and sisters and tell them to get a move on."

As the young folks all left the kitchen, she turned to her husband and said, "That Little Joe Cartwright is going to break many a young girl's heart in the next few years. I can just see it. And I think our Katie may just be one of them. And I don't think he has even come into his full potential charm yet, either."

***********

As soon as the meal was over, Joe and Lance asked to be excused and went straight to saddle their horses. Their first stop was Billy's house. Billy was sitting on the front door steps, waiting for them.

"Hey, Billy, are you ready to go?" Joe hollered.

"Yep, Joe, I am ready" he answered and started to mount his horse, which he was holding by the reins.

"Wait a minute, Billy," Joe said, jumping off Cochise in one leap, "look at that cinch. If you ride that horse with the cinch that loose, you are liable to find yourself sitting on the dirt. If you don't believe me, just ask Hoss or Adam." He said with a smile. "They have had the misfortune several times to try to ride a horse with a loose cinch." As he was telling Billy this, he was methodically tightening and securing the cinch of Billy's horse. "See here is how you can tell it is tight enough, without being too tight." He motioned to Billy to watch what he was doing.

"TTTh Thanks, Joe. I thought it was tight when I put it on him." Billy said, looking puzzled.

"Is this a horse from your Uncle's livery stable?" Joe asked. "Yeah, he just got him a few days ago in Sockton. I haven't ridden him before."

"That is a trick that some horses that don't especially cotton to being ridden know, Billy. See they take a deep breath and hold it, so you think it is tight. Then after you get on, they let their breath go, and plop, so do you go---right on the ground. There, that is just right, now. Let's get going." Joe said with a smile and leaped back onto his horse quickly.

"Gee, thanks, Joe." Billy said, looking admiringly at Joe.

"Nothin' to it, Billy. You'd have done the same for me." Joe said as the three of them rode off.

When they came to the road leading away from Virginia City, they found the three girls waiting for them, with a basket with snacks and beverages.

"Hi, girls, glad you could come" Joe said easily.

Hello, girls" Lance said, just a second or two later, but not quite as self-assured as Little Joe.

"Billy, why don't you ride with Sally and help her carry that big ol' basket?" Joe said. Joe knew that Billy had a secret crush on Sally but was too shy to approach her. "Wouldn't you like that, Sally?" Joe asked with a sweet smile.

"Sure would love help with this basket" Sally replied, handing the basket over to Billy, with a slight smile. Billy accepted the basket with a shy smile that kind of lit up his freckled face for a minute. Sally, seeing the smile, thought for the first time that Billy was kind of cute. She had never really paid him much attention before, he was just someone who was always hanging on to Joe and Lance.

Lance and Joe each fell in beside one of the other girls to make the ride to Beaver Creek. During the ride, they chatted about important things like when the next dance was going to be and when the summer picnic was going to be. They talked about the wild west show they had all seen yesterday, arguing over which part was the best---the gun tricks or the riding tricks. Lance said he liked the gun stuff best, Joe said he liked the riding stuff best. Joe said, "Well Billy it is up to you to cast the deciding vote---what was the best part of the show?"

Billy looked a little confused at first--he hated to have to disagree with either Joe or Lance. Then he looked triumphant and said, "I liked the company the best!" They all laughed and Billy's smile lit up his face again. Again, Sally noticed the change in his appearance and thought I am going to see if I can make him smile more.

They turned the bend and there in front of them was Beaver Creek. Directly in front of them was the creek, it was a wide, relatively fast-moving creek, with clear, deep water. Creek was probably a misnomer, because it was more like a freshwater stream than a creek, the water in it came directly from the melted snow from the Sierra Madras mountains. The grass was green around the creek and there was a fine carpet of grass and moss on the edges. To the left of them there was a pine forest, actually part of the Ponderosa, with tall ponderosa pine trees reaching 100s of feet toward the sky. Then to the right of the road was the meadow, a large green flat expanse of land with wild flowers peeking out in places. It was a truly magnificent spot. The six young people just sat on their horses for a few minutes to take in the view.

Slowly, the boys dismounted and helped the girls dismount. The first time Hoss saw Joe help a girl off her horse, Hoss had said that was crazy because Joe knew that girl got on and off horses all her life and didn't need any help to do it. Joe had looked at Hoss and finally said, "Hoss, that has nothing to do with it. You just trust me and the next time you are with a girl riding, you help her on and off the horse." Hoss had later told Joe that he had tried his advice and the girl did seem to appreciate it, but he still thought it was silly. Joe laughed to himself about his brother's unease with women, every time he helped a girl on or off a horse now. Joe had tried to help Hoss out with girls and give him courting advice ever since, though it felt strange for him to be giving his older brother advice. But Hoss seemed to need it and he would do anything for his brother Hoss.

The boys set up a game of horse shoes and the girls spread out a blanket for them to sit on. After the boys played a couple of games, which Lance won, Joe said, "Hey, Lance you are too much competition for us, isn't he Billy?" "How about we play a game with couples? Maybe that way we will have at least a chance to win?"

Lance looked at Little Joe and smiled and said, "Come on then, Joe, I can take any combination, as long as you are part of it. I don't understand it, you can hit a target with a handgun from about a mile away, but you can't hit that stake with a horse shoe from 10 feet."

"Hey, watch out, now, you may just hurt my feelings, Lance," Joe said, his expressions and body language showing that he was in no way about to get his feelings hurt. "Come on Billy, you and Sally, and me and Jenny will take on Lance and Melody." The outcome of this set of games was no different from the first two games--Lance and Melody won the games easily.

"Enough of this humiliation. Billy we have to think of something we can do better than Lance so we can redeem our image to these girls" Joe said in a mock serious voice.

"Why don't you have a shooting match?" suggested Jenny, who knew that Little Joe was faster and had better aim than Lance. She also knew that that was just what Little Joe had in mind.

"Now why didn't I think of that?" Joe asked, putting his hands to the side of his face.

The girls and Billy and Lance just laughed.

So the boys found some rocks to use as targets and set up a demonstration. Lance went first and made a respectable showing, hitting 3 of the 5 targets. Billy was going next, but just as he was about to start, Joe spoke up.

"Hey, Billy, you have been saying you wanted to try out my gun again. Now is a good time, why not give it a try and see what you think?"

Billy accepted the offer of Joe's gun gratefully. His gun was an old one given to him by his Uncle and it wasn't much for speed or accuracy. With the aid of Joe's gun, Billy also managed to hit 3 of the 5 targets.

"That's pretty good shooting, boys, but now let me show you how it's really done" Little Joe said. As Billy handed him back his gun, Lance set up the new targets for Joe. He carefully selected rocks that were much smaller than the rocks he and Billy had used, knowing that it probably wouldn't make a difference anyway.

As he was reloading his pistol, Joe saw the smaller targets, smiled and shook his head, not saying a word. He then holstered his gun, turned his back to the targets, and stepped a few feet further away than Lance and Billy had stood.

He then smiled at Jenny and said, "Give me a kiss for luck". Jenny graciously complied. Then he said, "All right get back over there out of the way, and tell me when.

Jenny walked back to where the others were standing and then said, "NOW!".

Joe whirled around, drew his pistol with his left hand, and using his right hand to pull the trigger, he hit all 5 targets, one after the other, within an astonishingly short time span. He then twirled his gun a few times and re-holstered it, smiling at Jenny all the while.

"Wow, Joe, that was the fastest time I have ever seen even you shoot" Lance said.

Billy added, "that's faster than that guy in the show yesterday, Joe. Much faster." The girls all agreed that that was fast and fancy shooting. Billy said, "I sure wish I could shoot like that, Joe."

Joe said, "T'aint nothin', Billy, all it takes is practice---and an excuse to get away from ranching chores so you can practice. And with my Pa, that is getting harder and harder to do---get time away from the Ponderosa.

"Still I wish I could do it, Joe." Billy said.

"Well come out to the Ponderosa some time when my Pa isn't around and I will give you some more pointers" Joe said.

Billy's smile lit up his face again.

Lance spoke up and said, "Speaking of time, it is time we better be getting back home or our Pa's won't let us off next Saturday night for that barn dance in town."

Joe added, "That's right. Would you ladies like to accompany we three gentlemen to the dance next Saturday night?" Joe had really already asked Jenny who had said yes, and he knew that Lance had already asked Melody, but he was sure that Billy probably hadn't asked Sally, so he was trying to help him out some.

Jenny responded, "That will be just fabulous, if our calendars are free. Let me confer with my friends for a moment." The three girls huddled together in a pretense of "checking their calendars" and then Jenny said, "You are in luck, gentlemen, it just so happens that we are all free for next Saturday night. You may have the honor of escorting us to the dance."

"Whew, what a relief," Joe said. "I was afraid I was going to have to ask my brother Hoss to be my date." They all laughed.

Lance, the official timekeeper, reminded them that they had to get on home, so the boys helped the girls pack up the remains of their snacks, and got ready to ride home. They all had to stop for a few minutes to help Sally look for one of her hair ribbons that she had noticed was missing. After an unsuccessful search, she said, "Oh, well, it isn't worth wasting time looking for. I have a yard of ribbon that same pick color." And they called off the search. After seeing the girls back to their houses, the three friends were riding on their way home and started talking about the wild wild west show again.

Joe said, "I am going to try out those tricks that the trick rider was doing. I know that Cochise and I can do them, especially that one where the rider is hidden beside the horse. That looks like fun, besides it could be a handy skill to have. You never know when you might want to avoid being seen."

"Hey Joe, my Pa said I could have Tuesday afternoon off since I am not going to the cattle show this week. Do you think you could get off Tuesday afternoon? We could practice." Lance asked.

"Yeah, my Pa and brothers will be going to the cattle show, but Pa won't mind if I don't go, in fact, he will probably be glad if I don't go, after last year when I got in that little fight in the mud." Joe said ruefully.

Lance and Billy both laughed at the memory of Joe running down the street covered in mud, chasing Brenda Thomas, after he had kissed her and gotten her face covered with mud.

"Brenda Thomas to this day crosses the street if she sees me coming" Joe said laughing. Of course they all knew it wasn't true, but it was a funny example of Little Joe's misadventures, of which they seen many.

"So, Tuesday afternoon--say about 2 o'clock?" Joe looked at Lance and Billy. They both nodded their heads.

"Well here is where I turn off" Joe said. "I will see you on Tuesday."

With a wave, he left Billy and Lance to continue toward their homes. By the time he got home and cared for Cochise, he had 5 minutes to spare and was on time for supper. Of course, that was only because Lance had initiated coming home, but Joe never thought about that. Since he had arrived home on time, his father was in a good mood and they had a very enjoyable evening. After dinner, Adam played his guitar for a while, then read. Ben worked on the ranch books, and Joe beat Hoss at 3 games of checkers. His father only reminded him to get his feet off the furniture 3 times that entire evening. That must be a record low, Joe thought to himself as he started up the stairs for bed. Speaking of records, he thought, Pa hasn't even mentioned me getting a haircut in weeks. Maybe he is finally going to forget about it. Just as he smiled inwardly at that thought, Ben said, "By the way, Joseph, please get your hair cut before next Sunday."

For the 1000th time, Joe wondered if his father could read his mind. "Yes, Pa. Good night" Joe said as he went up the stairs. Ben smiled at his departing son's back.

***********

Joe was up on time for breakfast Tuesday morning, a fact that was a give-away that there was something special about the day. His father guessed the cause of his good nature---but guessed wrong.

"Joe, are you planning to go to the cattle show & sale today?" he asked halfway hating to hear the response.

"No, Pa, I don't think I am going to make it to the cattle sale and show today. They will just have to find someone else to finance the kissing booth." Joe said, referring to the incident that happened the year before. Bringing it out in the open made his father look at him in surprise.

"Well, Joe, I guess I am surprised, though I sure wouldn't like to see a repeat of last year's fracus." Ben said bemusedly.

"Hey, Pa, that was Hoss' s fault. He was the one with the pig in the show" Joe protested.

"Yes, son, but I don't remember seeing Hoss running down the street, covered in mud, chasing a girl with mud on her face!" Ben said. Adam and Hoss were both snickering by this time.

Adam said, "I just regret not being there to see it, Pa. Though I had plenty of people tell me about it for at least 3 months after the show was over."

Joe made a face at his brother, but was careful to not let his father see him do it. As sweetly as he could, he said, "Well Adam I wish you had been there, maybe you could have reasoned with that gang that was ready to tear Hoss and his pig apart." For a moment, Adam thought he was serious, then he realized that Joe was making fun of him, so he added, "Why don't we ever see you with Brenda Thomas any more, Joe?" just as sweetly as Joe had spoken.

"ALL right, enough of that, let's not start a fight right here at home." Ben said, calling a halt to a situation that could rapidly escalate. When the chips were down, Joe and Adam would do anything for each other, but most days they were always so close to coming to loggerheads. Ben never could make either one of them see the other's viewpoint, and he wasn't going to even try today.

"Joe what are your plans for the afternoon, if you aren't going to the cattle sale and show? What have you and your two friends cooked up?" Ben asked.

"We're riding out to Beaver Creek again, Pa." Joe said, omitting the reason they were going.

"What is it with that place, Joe?" Hoss asked. "You and Lance seem to go there all the time."

"It is just one of the prettiest places on the Ponderosa is all, Hoss. We just like to watch the creek and listen to the water swirling by and the wind talking in the pine trees and the birds singing." Joe replied. This was a true statement, they really did enjoy all those things and that was part of the attraction of Beaver Creek and sometimes they did go there for no other reason than the scenery. It was just today that they had another purpose in mind, but still, he didn't LIE, exactly. Joe was always very careful not to lie to his father.

As soon as his father and brothers left for town, Little Joe headed to Lance's house to see if he were ready. Lance was just finishing up his chores when Joe got there. Joe dismounted and helped him finish up so they could take off. Soon they were finished, and they rode away. They were at the turnoff to go to Beaver Creek when Lance remembered that Billy was going with them.

"We have to go back to get Billy, Joe" Lance said, slowing his horse down.

"Oh, man, you are right," Joe said, also slowing Cochise down. The two of them quickly turned around and took the road that took them to Billy's house. As before, Billy was sitting on the steps, waiting for them, holding the reins of the same horse.

Joe said, "Billy do you sit on those steps and hold onto that horse all week?" Billy blushed a little and said, "No, I thought you had forgotten me." This made Joe feel guilty, since they HAD in fact, forgotten him, but only for a few minutes. Joe said, "Hey that cinch is just right, Billy. Good job."

Billy beamed at Joe and said, "Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" echoed Joe and Lance at the same time. The three boys headed out, riding fairly fast, to Beaver Creek. When they got there, Billy asked Joe if they had time that afternoon if he would show him some tips for shooting. Joe said, "Why don't we just do that now? We need to let the horses rest for a while, before we start any fancy riding anyway." For the next 45 minutes, Joe gave both Billy and Lance some pointers on their technique and both of them made noticeable improvements, following Joe's instructions. After the horses had had enough time to recover from the trip out to the meadow, Joe said, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's give it a try."

Joe said, "I will go first and see if I can figure out the right sequence to do this, then you can try, if you want to."

By then Joe was already mounted on Cochise, and was riding her around in a tight circle. Just for the fun of it, he reared her before taking off in a straight line across the meadow at a fairly fast pace. Lance and Billy watched in silence as Joe attempted to duplicate the tricks they had seen at the show. Joe had no trouble at all turning around in the saddle or riding with no hands and even riding backwards. It looked as if he had been doing those things for a long time. He had more difficulty with the last trick, but he didn't let that stop him. It took him a long time, but he was able to do it. The first time it took forever to get his left leg out of the stirrup, over the horse and then to figure out what to do with it, once he got it over there. But he kept trying and working at it, and eventually he was able to do the whole thing pretty quickly.

Lance and Billy had been admiring Joe's persistence during his attempts. Lance said, "Joe is the best horseman I have ever seen. I don't know anyone who could ride as well as he can. You just watch, if Joe gets any time at all to practice, he will be doing that trick in a few seconds before you know it."

"You are right" said Billy. "I sure wish I could ride and shoot and talk to the girls like Little Joe can" he added.

Lance looked at him and laughed, "Don't we all? Don't we all?"

Shortly after that conversation, Joe rode away across the meadow, out of sight. In a minute, they saw Cochise come running back, without Joe. "Uh oh, Lance said, "Joe must have fallen off".

About that time, Joe, re-appeared on Cochise's saddle, and riding up to Lance and Billy, he jumped off and gave them a smile. "Well what do you think?" he asked, obviously pleased with himself.

"That was great, Little Joe. We thought you had fallen off." Lance said, clapping Joe on the back.

"Now suppose you show me exactly how you did it?" Lance said. "No need in us all having to figure it out, since you already did that for us."

"I will be glad to, it is so simple, really. I just had to think about it as I was doing it. Let me show you, come on over to Cochise and I will show you just what to do first and where to put your foot. It works like a charm. You will love it." Joe said, motioning Lance and Billy to join him. He went through the steps that he used painstakingly several times for Lance's and Billy's benefit.

Finally, Lance said, "Allright, I think I got it, let me try it out." He mounted his own horse and after several unsuccessful attempts, he managed to get his leg all the way over the saddle and to hang onto the side of the saddle on one side. Problem was, Lance was so darned tall, there was no way he could get his head out of sight. Joe and Billy laughed at Lance as he rode past, hanging on for dear life, although his horse was barely above a walk, but he could be seen quite clearly. His boots showed below the horse and his head showed above the horse.

"I don't think Lance is ever going to be successful at this trick", Joe said smiling, as Lance rode over and slowly dismounted near them.

"Hey, Little Joe, I heard that." Lance said.

"Truth is truth, Lance." You are great at horse shoes, but there ain't no way you are going to be able to hide behind that horse. Maybe if you get one of those oversized Arabian stallions or a Clydesdale draft horse or something. But you are so darned tall that not only your head, but your legs show. Didn't they Billy?"

Billy said, "Yep, Lance you are too tall to do it." I think that trick is meant for someone Joe's height, not yours. You ARE too tall."

"Well, that's it for me" Joe said. "Cochise has had enough of that for today. What about you, Lance, are you ready to call it a day?" Joe asked, looking at Lance.

"Yep, that is it for me. I think you two are right, I wasn't built right for that trick. I guess my role in life is to beat you two at horseshoes." Lance said, smiling.

"Well, Billy, do you want to try?" Joe and Lance said together, looking at Billy expectantly.

**********

Billy hesitated for the merest fraction of a second before turning to his horse. Joe felt a tiny bit of uneasiness as Billy took the reins in his hands and prepared to mount his horse. Unlike Joe who had Cochise and Lance who had his own horse Ranger Billy's horse changed from day to day since he lived with his uncle who owned the livery. Today Billy was riding a high spirited gelding named Mephisto. Black as midnight with a single white fetlock, Mephisto shifted as Billy climbed on board.

Billy glanced back at his two friends and smiling brightly began to urge Mephisto into a canter. Mimicking Joe's movements he slowly began to raise himself in the saddle, preparing to swing his leg over to the one side. For just a moment Billy hung perfectly suspended from the side of his saddle, exactly how Joe had done it earlier. Joe and Lance watched Billy with awe.

Then it happened, Mephisto stumbled briefly and Billy was jolted loose from his precarious grip. He began to fall but his foot got caught in the stirrup of his saddle. Billy's head struck the ground and he was dragged behind Mephisto. Joe and Lance were momentarily paralyzed, horrified. Suddenly shaking himself free of his paralysis, Joe sprang into Cochise's saddle and raced after them. After what seemed like an eternity Billy's foot slipped from his boot and he came to rest on the ground. Joe reined Cochise in and leaped out of his saddle. He knelt by Billy's side. Billy's face was scraped and scratched and he lay with his eyes closed.

Joe placed his hand on Billy's shoulder and shook him slightly, "Billy, come on Billy, wake up." Joe shook him more vigorously, but Billy remained unresponsive.

Lance rode up on Ranger and came to Joe's side. "Lance, I think he's..." Joe choked on his words. His face reflected his terror.

"Let me see Joe." Lance took Billy's hand gently in his own and felt for a pulse. Nothing. He moved up to Billy's head and placed his hand on Billy's neck. Nothing. "Joe, he's dead."

Joe ran his hands through his hair then ran to Cochise, grabbing his canteen. Rushing back he pulled off his bandana and soaked it with water. He began frantically wiping off Billy's face, calling his name loudly. Lance sat back on his heels and watched Joe work. Abruptly Joe stopped and bowed his head. Tears began to pour from Joe's eyes. Lance felt a moment of tremendous fear, he had never seen Joe cry before, at least not this way.

"Joe, what are we going to do? People are going to want to know what happened." Lance was terrified. If his father found out what they had been doing, well Lance could not even imagine the punishment.

Joe raised his head and as abruptly as they had started his tears stopped. "I don't know." Joe knew his father's disappointment would be terrible, he could hardly bear to think about it. "Lance, we're going to have to take him home to his uncle."

"What will we say?"

"The truth, we were out riding and Mephisto stumbled and Billy fell off and got dragged." The two sat side by side for a moment, not looking at each other then Joe stood up. "I'll go fetch Mephisto."

Mephisto was nearby grazing calmly. Joe walked up to the horse slowly and calmly snagged his reins. Leading him back to where Lance remained by Billy's side Joe tied off the horse's reins. Together the two lifted Billy's body carefully and slung him over the saddle, binding Billy's hands and feet underneath the saddle. Mephisto shifted uneasily, sensing the presence of death. Joe untied the horses reins and lead Mephisto over to Cochise. He and Lance each mounted up and without a word began leading the ebony horse, bearing its silent load back to town. Three hours later the two rode into Virginia City and without a word rode to the livery stable. Joe dismounted and looked up at Lance. They had not exchanged a word during the entire ride from the meadow where the accident had happened. There was really nothing they could say. Lance hesitated briefly then he too climbed out of his saddle. They tied their own horses and together went into the livery, leading Mephisto.

"Mr. Frankman." Joe shouted.

From the hayloft above their heads a voice responded, "Just a minute."

Moments later a pair of boots appeared on the upper rungs of the ladder. Mr. Frankman descended carefully and turned to face the two young men. He took in their solemn expressions, the unnatural pallor on both their faces. Then he saw Mephisto and his terrible load. He quickly moved to the side of the horse and peered down at his nephew's still lifeless body. "My God. What happened?"

Joe took a deep breath, "We were out riding sir. Billy fell and got dragged. When we got to him, he was dead." At the moment Joe spoke the words he felt a small part of himself die. Was it his soul? Was it his heart? He didn't know, he just knew that something inside him was dead.

Frankman paused and looked at the two men, "Thank you for bringing him home boys. Can you help me take him to Mr. Price?"

Lance paled at the name. Mr Price was the Virginia City mortician. "Certainly sir." Joe maintained a stoic expression and the three men walked out of the livery together. They moved slowly down the street and while Joe and Lance waited with the body Frankman went to get Mr. Price. The two waited in silence as the agonizing minutes ticked by. Finally, Frankman and Mr. Price emerged from the office together.

"Boys, help me get him inside. I've got the coffin we'll need. The funeral will be tomorrow." Mr Price nodded at Joe and Lance. Lance cut the rope tying Billy's hands and feet together while Joe held Mephisto's head. Mr. Frankman and Mr. Price lifted the body off the horse and carried it inside. The two waited patiently for Mr. Frankman to re-emerge. When he did he looked momentarily surprised.

"Boys, thank you for your help. Let's take this one back to the livery. The funeral will be tomorrow at two. I'll go talk to the reverend once we get Mephisto taken care of." The two did nothing but nod their agreement. When they arrived at the livery Joe and Lance stood awkwardly looking at Mr. Frankman.

"We're very sorry sir." Joe finally broke the silence.

Frankman nodded. "Why don't you boys head on home, I'll see you both tomorrow at the funeral."

They took their leave of Mr. Frankman and moved to their respective horses. For the briefest of moments Joe and Lance stared at each other then nodding grimly turned and rode out. By the time Joe arrived back at the Ponderosa he was a good half hour late for dinner. He unsaddled Cochise, carefully rubbing her down and making sure she had plenty of feed and water. He did everything he could think of to postpone having to go into the house and face his father and brothers. Finally he could put it off no longer. When Joe came in the front door he could hear his father and brothers talking in the dining room. He removed his coat and carefully hung it on the coat rack. He took off his gunbelt and placed it carefully on the side-board. Finally he took a deep breath and moved around the corner to wear his father and brothers sat eating.

"Joseph. You're late." Ben made a simple statement of fact. He had practically given up on ever getting his youngest son to meals on time. Of course Hoss more than made up for it by being perpetually early.

"Yes sir." Joe assumed his seat on his father's right hand side. He eyed the food uneasily, his stomach a tight ball of misery. He kept his face averted from his father's, missing the fact that his father was waiting for an explanation.

"Joseph, I'm waiting." Ben continued to survey his son. Something seemed different about Joe, but what? He seemed remarkably still.

"Sir?" Joe still did not raise his head from his plate.

"I'm waiting for you to explain why you are late."

"I had to go to Virginia City, Pa." Silence followed his statement. Joe finally realized he would have to speak. "Lance and I had to take Billy into town. He's dead."

"What?" Ben pushed back his chair and rose suddenly to his feet, astonishment gripping him. Hoss and Adam were gaping at their younger brother, who continued to stare down at his plate. "Joe, what are you saying? What happened?" Ben took Joe by the shoulders and lifted his face.

"He fell off his horse Pa while we was out riding. His feet got hung up in the stirrups and he got dragged. When we got to him he wasn't breathing or nothing. We tried to bring him around, but he wouldn't." Joe abruptly ceased speaking. He felt his throat tightening up. He found he couldn't meet his father's eyes.

"Joe, are you ok?" Hoss was unsettled by his brother's unusual silence.

"I'm fine Hoss." Joe barely acknowledged his brother. "Pa, the funeral, it's tomorrow afternoon. May I take the afternoon off to go?"

"Certainly son. We all will."

"There's no need for that Pa." Joe protested weakly.

"Nonsense son. You and Billy have been friends for a long time. He's been in and out of this house for years. He was a fine young man." Joe barely nodded his head in agreement. "Of course we'll be there with you." Hoss and Adam chimed in with their agreement.

"Pa, I'm not really very hungry. Would you mind if I just went up to bed?"

"Of course Joe, go ahead." Ben, Hoss and Adam all watched as Joe rose and went quietly up the stairs.

"He's powerful upset Pa." Hoss frowned.

"Yes, it's understandable Hoss. Billy has been one of Joe's best friends since they were just children. Remember how we used to take the three of them fishing with us, Joe, Lance and Billy? Joe and Billy would sit there chattering non-stop, Joe catching all the fish. The two of them would nearly drive poor Lance crazy with all their chatter." Adam said.

"Yeah, I ain't hardly seen the three of them apart for the last eight years. This has got to be real hard for Joe." Hoss nodded.

"He'll be fine boys. It's a shame but after all it was an accident."

***********

The next afternoon Joe, Hoss, Adam and Ben rode into town together in the family carriage. All four were spit and polished in their best Sunday go to church clothes. Joe had slept little the night before and his face was drawn and tired looking. He sat in the back of the carriage with Hoss, saying little during the ride into town. At the church they met Lance and his family and Roy Coffee and his daughter Nancy. Nancy went immediately to Joe and gave him a quick hug. "Joe, I'm so sorry."

"Don't tell me Nancy, you should tell Mr. Frankman." Joe said softly.

"I already did." Nancy stepped back and regarded Joe solemnly. Her brow wrinkled as she saw how exhausted Joe looked. The two turned as Lance approached them.

"It's time." Lance drawled. Joe nodded back. The two moved together and entered the church. They preceded their families down the aisle and sat side by side in the front row, next to Mr. Frankman.

Besides the Jurgens, Coffees, and Cartwrights few people attended the funeral. The three girls , Jenny, Sally and Melody came in together and sat in the row behind Joe and Lance. The three girls all sobbed softly, holding hands to comfort each other. The others were business associates of Billy's Uncle. Joe and Lance remained stoic throughout the
funeral as the Reverend gave a brief sermon and eulogy. From what Ben could see They hardly even seemed to breathe.

As the funeral concluded the pall bearers moved up next to the coffin. Joe and Lance took the lead, assisted by Lance's two brothers, Hoss and Adam. They carried the coffin out of the church and down to the churchyard where the open grave waited. The coffin was lowered into the grave and as everyone stood and watched the grave was filled in. People milled around briefly after the funeral. Ben shook hands with Mr. Frankman expressing his regrets. "Thank you Ben. I still can't believe it." Mr. Frankman walked over to where Joe and Lance stood.

"Boys, I have some things for you. You boys were Billy's best friends in the world. I know he would want you to have them. Come with me." The two followed him obediently to his surrey. He reached in and picked up two bags. "I want to thank you boys for everything you did. I know Billy would have appreciated it." Joe and Lance both nodded.

Joe coughed and cleared his throat, "Thank you sir." Lance echoed him a moment later. They each shook hands with Mr. Frankman and watched as he climbed into his surrey and drove off alone.

Joe wanted nothing more than to sink through the ground. He simply stood there clutching the bag tightly in his hand, desperately afraid he was going to lose his composure. He turned to Lance and briefly their eyes met. Lance merely nodded slightly then went to join his father and brothers. Joe stood alone for a moment, feeling lost then his father came up and put his arm around him. "Ready to go son?"

Joe shrugged and moved away from his father's hand. He turned and followed him to the carriage. The four rode home, Joe clutching the bag on his lap tightly. That night as Joe got ready for bed he found himself watching the bag on his dresser intently. He still had not been able to bring himself to open it. Finally he doused the light next to his bed and lay back praying for sleep. For hours he lay staring at the ceiling, watching the moonlight shining in his window casting everchanging shadows around his room. When the sun finally shone in on the bag on his dresser Joe could hardly tear his eyes away. When he couldn't stand it anymore Joe got out of bed And walked over to the rocking chair by his window. He sat down and stared remotely out the window.

**********

Joe watched the dawn breaking over the Ponderosa and he leveraged himself out of the chair. His body ached with tiredness but he knew that sleep would never come that night. He dressed carefully and walked quietly downstairs. He put on his gunbelt and eased open the front door. Hop Sing was coming from the kitchen to set the breakfast table and stopped to watch Joe go out. He frowned briefly then went back to work.

Two hours later Ben and Adam were sitting at the breakfast table talking.

"Where are those brothers of yours? I can understand Joe being late but where is Hoss?" As Ben finished speaking they heard Hoss's heavy footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Morning Pa, morning Adam. What's for breakfast?" Hoss pulled his chair out and sat next to his brother, his blue eyes scanned the table.

"Hoss, did you get your brother up?"

"No sir, when I went by his room he was already gone. Ain't he down yet?" Hoss looked at his brother's empty place and frowned.

"Little Joe leave very early this morning." Hop Sing told them as he came in bearing a large platter of eggs and bacon.

Ben was astonished, "How early Hop Sing?"

"About six Mr. Cartlight." Hop Sing waited for the next question patiently.

"Did he eat anything?" Hop Sing simply shook his head in response. He was worried, perhaps more so than Ben, he knew that Joe had eaten next to nothing since the day Billy died.

"Where is Joe working today boys?"

"I think he is supposed to be down at the corral most of the day Pa, breaking that new group of mustangs. Do you want me to ride down and see how he's doing?" Adam felt just as concerned as his father.

"No, I think I'll head down there later this afternoon. He's probably just still upset about Billy, he may just need to be on his own today."

Joe spent the day working himself to a state of exhaustion, breaking horse after horse. The men working with him were mesmerized by his performance. He rode each horse to a standstill, fiercely battling each into submission. Charlie Morgan was among the men watching. After eight hours he was convinced that there could be no way for Joe to ride another horse. His body ached simply watching Joe. Riding broncs puts an incredible strain on a cowboy's stomach, neck and spine. The endless jarring Joe had taken that day made Charlie fear that he may have done himself some sort of injury.

As Joe approached his next horse Charlie decided to intervene. "Joe, why don't you take a break." He began to place his hand on Joe's arm but found himself frozen by the look on Joe's face. It was one of the coldest looks he had ever seen.

"Because I'm not ready for a break. We have fourteen more horses to get through this week. We've only gotten through eight horses today. We need at least one more so we can keep working these horses tomorrow and move ahead on the ones we haven't touched. I don't know about you Charlie but I personally do not intend to miss our delivery date." Joe's eyes were an icy green, as if he were suppressing a terrible rage. Charlie stepped back, truly shaken. Joe appeared much older than he actually was at that moment. Joe slowly approached his horse. It was a large roan and was nervously flicking it's ears. Joe gripped his quirt in his left hand and climbed on board. The men turned the horse loose and Joe rode with a fierce determination, steadily using the quirt and spurs on the horse. Suddenly without warning the horse gave a sudden twist and Joe went flying off the horse's back. Charlie and the other men immediately went into the ring, distracting the bronc to keep him from trampling Joe. Joe lay on his back, the breath knocked out of him. When Charlie bent by his side he gently touched Joe's arm. "Joe, you ok?"

Joe's eyes flew open and he abruptly sat up, jerking his arm away from Charlie. "I'm fine Charlie." He staggered unsteadily to his feet and stood still for a moment, his feet spread apart to steady himself. He stared at the ground for a moment, Charlie was afraid Joe might keel over right in front of him, he was so pale. Finally Joe took a deep breath and looked at Charlie. "Back to work Charlie."

"Joe, let me ride the next one." Charlie asked. Joe's face darkened and he shook his head firmly.

"No, this one is mine." Joe moved back to the chute, pausing only to take a long drink of water. Joe wasn't about to admit a momentary feeling of weakness that he'd felt. He got back on the next horse and rode it to a standstill. He climbed down and would have ridden another one but the men were all ready to call it a day. Joe nodded as he watched Charlie and the men move the horses into the corral. It had been a long day and he felt exhausted. Joe searched his brain for a way to avoid having to eat dinner with his family.
"Charlie, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure Joe. What?"

"Can you tell Pa that I have to do an errand in town? I'll be home later tonight." Joe couldn't quite meet Charlie's eyes as he spoke.

"Yes Joe, I'll tell him."

Joe hesitated. "Thanks," he muttered as he moved out of the corral and over to where Cochise stood in the shade. He saddled her up and checked her cinch carefully. As Joe went down the road, Charlie watched him for a long time, then shook his head and went back to work.

Two hours later Ben opened the front door in response to a soft knock. "Charlie, how did everything go today?"

"Mr. Cartwright, I just wanted to bring you a message, Joe said he had to run an errand in town. He'll be home later tonight."

Ben nodded, "Thanks Charlie. So how did things go today?"

Charlie hesitated, torn between his loyalty to Joe, who was in fact his boss, and his concern for Joe's safety.

"Charlie, I asked how things went today."

"We got nine of the horses broken sir."

"And how many did Joe break?"

Charlie knew hell was about to break loose, "All nine."

"All nine, what in tarnation was he doing breaking all nine horses?" Ben was furious. "And you say he had to go into town? How can he even be riding? Did he get thrown?"

"Just once sir. He got the wind knocked out of him but he, well he seemed fine, when he left." Charlie just didn't know what to say to Ben at this point. How could he tell him about the intensity, the rage he had seen in Joe. Who would believe him?

Ben nodded, "I'll deal with him when he gets home."

Joe rode slowly into town, having no specific intention except to stay as far away from his father and brothers as possible. He couldn't really explain what he was feeling, he just couldn't stand the thought of having to sit with them, pretending that everything was fine. Nothing would ever be fine again. As he approached town he hesitated on the edge of town, facing two choices. He could head down mainstreet, possibly call on the Coffees or Jenny and her family. He cringed at the thought, he couldn't stand the thought of possibly running into Mr. Frankman, or having to carry on a normal conversation. He wheeled Cochise around and headed down D Street,. He noticed a crowd near the Bucket of Blood. He rode Cochise over to the hitching post and dismounted. He was about to tie him off but was suddenly struck with a thought. Instead he lead Cochise to a small livery, not Mr. Frankman's. He paid to board Cochise overnight and suddenly feeling freed he headed back down the street.

Joe marched into the saloon and quickly acquired two of the necessities of the evening, a shot of whiskey and a beer. The whiskey sent a flood of warmth through his veins. He began to relax slightly. He scanned the bar and noticed that the stage at the back of the bar had been cleared off and a piano player was warming up. He snagged another whiskey and taking that and his beer he strolled over to a table. As Joe seated himself the piano player struck up a tune and a woman came out. Joe found himself sitting up as he noticed what she was wearing. The neckline of her blue silk dress plunged almost to her waist, her cleavage covered by only a scrap of fine lace. Her dress was hitched up in the front, showing an expanse of calf and thigh. Joe gave her all his attention. As she sang song after song Joe continued to drink and Enjoy the view. By her last song Joe had consumed a great deal of whiskey and could be easily said to be feeling no pain. As she came off the stage she stopped at Joe's table and surveyed the young cowboy, slouched low in his chair. "May I join you?" she asked in a low, husky voice.

"It would be my pleasure ma'am." Joe rose somewhat unsteadily to his feet and held her chair. He beckoned over the barkeep and purchased her a fancy champagne filled drink. The two sat and talked for an hour.

***********

Ben sat up by the fire until late in the evening contemplating what he was going to be saying to his youngest son when he returned. As the hours passed Ben revised his speech from one of concern to one of anger. By the time he finally decided to retire he was planning quite a severe punishment for Little Joe. When Ben rose the next morning he joined Adam and Hoss and ate his breakfast in silence. Both had checked Joe's room that morning, it was obvious to them both that Joe had never come home the night before. When Ben finished eating he rose, "I'm going into town to find that scamp brother of yours and teach him a little lesson in responsibility."

"We're going with you Pa." Both men pushed their chairs out and rose. Both were more than a little worried about their younger brother. "Pa, you know Joe's going through kind of a hard time, what with what happened to Billy and all. Maybe he decided to go visit one of his other friends and it got late and they invited him to stay over."

"Hoss, your brother knows we have a lot to do before the branding starts in a few weeks. I don't have time to be chasing him around the territory. Let's go."

A few hours later the three men rode into town. The first person they encountered was Roy Coffee strolling down the street on his daily walking tour of Virginia City. Roy made a point of inspecting all of Virginia City's streets each day. Everyone in town knew Roy and he knew everyone. He kept tabs on his people, as he liked to call them.

"Ben, boys." Roy nodded amiably. "Looking for Joe?"

"In fact we are Roy. Do you know where he is?" Adam leaned forward and gave Beauty's mane a quick pat.

"He headed back to the ranch early this morning. He was planning on breaking a few horses today."

"Did he stay with you last night Roy?" Ben felt almost hopeful, maybe Hoss had been right.

"No Ben, he spent the evening in the company of Miss Adelina Marsh."

"Adelina Marsh, isn't that the singer who's working the Bucket of Blood?" Adam was intrigued, he had caught part of Miss Marsh's act the weekend before.

"Yes Adam the same. It seems she was quite smitten with young Joe." Roy noted Ben's obvious discomfort with the subject of Joe's woman chasing.

"Roy, did you say he was on the way back to the ranch? We should have passed him on the road."

"Ben he left quite early, in fact I was a bit surprised he was up."

Ben nodded, he had a good idea what Roy was talking about. "I'm going to go find him boys, Adam can you take care of those chores at the bank on your own?" Adam nodded.

"Pa, I'd like to stop by the mercantile and see if that order of liniment came in yet." Hoss said.

"I'll see you both at dinner."

Adam and Hoss agreed to meet at the Cafe Paris for lunch before riding home. Hoss stopped at the store and picked up the special liniment he had ordered. Hoss performed many of the veterinary functions at the ranch and was often ordering new treatments that he saw in the paper. As he was leaving the store he ran into Lance.

"Hey Lance, how you doing buddy?" Hoss stopped before Lance and held out his hand to be shaken.

Lance stared at Hoss's hand for a moment before taking it and shaking it briefly. "Hoss."

"When you coming out to the ranch to do some fishing again?" Hoss was intrigued, Lance seemed to be looking everywhere but at Hoss's face.

"Oh, we're pretty busy right now Hoss, you know getting ready for the branding." Lance continued to direct his gaze somewhere beyond Hoss.

"Well, I'm sure Joe misses ya. I know he'd be glad to see you." At the mention of Joe's name Lance's mouth tightened and he looked down at his feet.

"I best be going Hoss, bye." Lance moved off into the street and Hoss stood gazing after him. Adam arrived and came up behind Hoss.

"What are you looking at Hoss?"

Hoss turned to his brother, a puzzled frown on his face. "I don't know Adam, I just don't know." He shrugged after a moment and followed Adam down the street to the restaurant.

Ben went directly to the corral when he arrived back at the ranch. He found the men gathered around the fence watching Joe breaking a grey gelding. Ben dismounted and went to stand next to Charlie. "Charlie," Ben nodded. Charlie silently nodded back, his eyes fixed on Joe's ride.

"How many has he done today?"

"Six so far Ben. I've never seen riding like this, he's like a man possessed."

Ben leaned on the fence and followed Joe's ride closely. Joe used the quirt and spurs skillfully, keeping the horse firmly under control. As the horse bucked Joe focused all his attention and his energy on the horse. Finally the horse gave in and began to respond to Joe's commands, rather than fighting them. For the next hour Joe worked the horse vigorously. When he finally dismounted his shirt was soaked with sweat and after he handed the reins off to one of the men he moved to the nearby trough to pump some fresh water into his hands. After he had drunk his fill, he splashed more water over his face and hair.

His father moved up next to him unnoticed and placed his hand on Joe's shoulder. Joe immediately spun, knocking the hand away. When he saw it was his father he became still. "Pa, I , you uh startled me."

"So I see." Ben searched his son's face, noting the dark circles under Joe's eyes and the way his cheekbones stood out on his face. He could see exhaustion and something more written across his son's face. The harsh words he had been prepared to deliver that morning washed away and he found himself treating his son gently.

"Joe, I wanted to take some time to talk with you this afternoon, before dinner, about the horse operation. What time will you be back at the house?"

Joe was surprised. Where were the harsh words and admonishments he was expecting. "I should be back about six Pa. Is that all right?"

Ben started to protest. It was only a little after one. He couldn't imagine that Joe would be able to work another five hours. He squelched his words, there was something about Joe that told him that anything he said would lead to a battle. "That's fine son. I'll see you then." Ben made a move as if to touch Joe but Joe took a small step back. Ben's hand lingered for a moment then dropped back to his side.

Joe watched as his father left on Buck. He felt oddly disappointed, but he shrugged and turned back to his work. That evening promptly at six Joe was sitting beside his father's desk. Ben came down the stairs and stopped staring in surprise. The clock chimed the tones at the same moment. "Joe?"

"Yes Pa," Joe turned to his father.

"Right on time," Ben smiled at his son.

**********

Joe merely regarded his father, not returning his smile. Ben leaned back in his chair, solemnly studying his son. Joe sat waiting patiently for his father to begin, his head drooping slightly. Ben was shocked anew at the exhaustion showing on his son's face. "Joe are you all right, you look terrible?" The caring in Ben's voice did not have the
expected reaction. Joe shrank back into his chair. "I'm fine Pa. I've just been working hard. The men and I have a lot to get done this week."

"Joe, your brothers and I are worried about you. Charlie tells me you've been breaking all the horses yourself. Why?"

Joe frowned, Charlie should not be carrying tales to his father. He paused only for a moment and decided to go on the offensive, "Pa, I thought the horse operation was my responsibility."

"It is son."

"Then I think it is my business how I run it. We have only four horses to go tomorrow and we'll have the order ready. I've done the initial breaking, then the other men are working on training the individual horses. We're getting everything done. What else did you want to say to me?"

"Joe, I know that you are getting everything done on time, but I'm worried about you." Ben didn't know what else to say. "Joe tell me what's troubling you."

Joe sat perfectly still for a moment then suddenly rose to his feet, "There's nothing wrong Pa. I'd like to get cleaned up for dinner now." Joe turned and went up the stairs. Ben listened carefully as he heard Joe's door open and close. He sighed, if Joe wouldn't tell him what was wrong maybe he would tell his brothers. Dinner that night was a strained affair. Joe kept his eyes on his plate, simply pushing the food around his plate. The mere thought of actually putting food in his stomach made Joe's stomach twist into knots. Hoss and Adam kept glancing between Joe and their father. Hoss tried to break the silence.

"Guess who I say today in town Adam?"

Adam smiled at Hoss's attempt, "I don't know, who?"

"Lance Jurgens."

"Really, we haven't seen Lance around here in a while." Adam snuck a peek at Joe. Joe sat with his head bowed, not even pretending to eat. "How's he doing?"

"Busy. I invited him to come out and go fishing but he said they were too busy getting ready for branding. Of course we'll see him at the dance tomorrow night. I think he's taking that little gal of his."

"Hmmm, that's true. Are you still taking Jenny, Joe?" Adam turned to his brother.

Joe was in misery. He had almost forgotten the dance. He couldn't just skip the dance, Jenny would be upset and it would worry his family even more. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Thought you'd be showing a little more enthusiasm. Well Hoss who are you going to take?"

"Thought I'd fetch Margie and take her in with me."

"Margie, hmmm, well maybe Marianne and I will join you." Adam grinned. "Joe would you like to ride in with us tomorrow night."

Joe just shrugged his shoulders. "I guess so." He put his fork down and stood up. "Pa, I'm real tired, I think I'll go to bed, please excuse me." Joe moved slowly from the table, his father and brothers merely watching him go.

"Pa, he looks terrible. Are you sure he ain't sick?" Hoss couldn't remember a time when his brother had looked this way except when he was ill.

"Hoss he keeps saying he's fine. I don't know what to do for him. Come on, let's finish supper."

Joe lay in bed for hours, desperately trying to clear him mind so he could get to sleep. About midnight he finally drifted off into a fitful doze. His sleep was invaded by a nightmarish swirling of images. Suddenly he was back in the meadow, laughing and talking with Lance and Billy. Billy turned to face Joe, his face covered in cuts and scratches, blood weeping from the wounds. He gestured towards his horse, "Come on Joe, just try it. It's easy. Just climb on board." Joe hesitated and Billy said, "Ok Joe, I'll show you, death is easy, just like riding a horse." Suddenly Billy was on his horse and it towered above Joe, blocking the sunlight. The horse reared and his hooves pawed the air above Joe's head.

He cowered in terror and Billy rode off, suddenly falling from his horse and being dragged. Joe raced up on his horse, flinging himself from the saddle. As he rushed to Billy's side he saw Billy was lying face down. Joe turned Billy over and a scream rose in his throat, it was his own face he saw before him. The eyelids lifted and Joe saw himself staring into black holes. The body suddenly sat up and finger pointing the mouth opened and it spoke, "You killed me."

Joe shot up in his bed, a scream strangling in his throat. Had he screamed out loud? Joe could feel a cold sweat covering his body. He rubbed his hands together, they felt like ice. He felt sick to his stomach and rushed from his bed, vomiting what little dinner he had managed to eat into the basin on his dresser. Joe lit the small candle on his dresser and stared at himself in his bedroom mirror. How much longer was he going to be able to stay here? He had to find a way out, he had to get away from this terrible memory. He turned back to his bed and involuntarily shook his head. He went to the chair by his window and sat down, staring out into the night. Joe moved through the next day in a fog. It had rained for the early part of the day, so no horsebreaking was being done, even Joe recognized it was too dangerous for both the horse as well as the riders. It increased the likelihood of the horse falling and being injured. He did his best to avoid his family, working on various chores in the yard and barn. The sun finally broke through in the late afternoon and Joe busied himself getting ready for the dance. When he came down ready to leave he found both his brothers and father waiting for him. "Ready to go Joe?"

Joe couldn't think of any way to get out of going into town with his family, he merely nodded his agreement. The four rode into town, Hoss, Ben and Adam keeping up a steady stream of chatter about various topics. Once in town, Joe turned off to go fetch Jenny, while his brothers went to get their own dates. As he reigned Cochise in he noticed that Lance's horse was tied up in front of Jenny's house as well. Joe knocked on Jenny's door. It swung open and Jenny was standing in the doorway with a broad smile on her face. Her smile faltered as she took in Joe's haggard face. "Joe, are you feeling all right?" Jenny moved to his side and slid her arm through his.

"I'm fine Jenny, I've just been working too hard, I guess." Joe looked down on her pretty face and gave a weak smile.

"Well come on in, Lance and Melody stopped by to meet us."

Joe allowed himself to be led into Jenny's parents front parlor. He greeted Melody cordially. He faced Lance and gazed up steadily at his friend's face. Lance's expression was remote, but his eyes were staring at Joe fixedly. "Lance." Joe acknowledged him.

"Joe." Lance found himself fearing suddenly for his friend. He desperately wanted to speak to him, he could see that Joe was going through the same thing he was. Joe had always been more outwardly emotional, he was showing the strain of what had happened with Billy. But anything Lance said now would have to be meaningless polite conversation and he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He turned to Melody, "You ladies ready to go?"

As Lance turned away from Joe, Joe felt his last chance slipping away. Even Lance blamed him. Joe felt the darkness inside him that he had been fighting begin to overwhelm him. "Let's go Jenny," he said and took her hand. The two couples arrived at the dance a little after it started. Joe did his best to pretend he was having a good time, dancing every dance until he exhausted both himself and Jenny. Jenny was finding herself becoming ever more worried about him as the evening progressed. She finally had to halt their dancing and asked Joe to fetch her a drink. While he went she searched for his brothers. Jenny found Hoss leaning against a wall, watching his friend Margie dance with her brother.

"Hoss, may I speak to you for a moment?"

"Yeah sure Jenny. Having a good time? You and Joe sure are dancing up a storm."

"Hoss what's wrong with Joe? He's acting, I don't know, funny somehow."

"What do you mean Jenny?" Hoss was worried. Maybe Jenny could help him find out what was going on with Joe.

"He's acting different. Like he knows how he's supposed to look if he's having fun, and he's trying to act like he's having fun but he isn't really." Jenny looked almost ready to cry.

"Jenny, come on, now don't cry." Hoss moved up next to Jenny and put his arm around her. "Everything be all right, you'll see."

"So, I turn my back for one minute and my brother goes hitting on my girl." The voice that came from behind them was icy cold.

Hoss and Jenny spun around, unintentionally looking guilty. "Joe, please, we weren't doing anything." Jenny pleaded, horrified at the frosty glare in Joe's eyes. She felt terribly uneasy.

"Joe, we was just talking." Hoss shifted uncomfortably. His brother's face was irate, but his eyes were deadly.

Joe merely stared at the two of them for another long moment, then spun on his heel to walk away. Hoss went after him and put his hand on Joe's arm. Joe halted and swiveled back to face his father. "Take your hand off me." His wintry tone chilled Hoss's blood.

"Joe come on, let me explain." Hoss stopped when Joe shoved him away and moved quickly out the door. Hoss made as if to follow him but he saw that Jenny was very distressed and he didn't feel he could abandon her. He began to search the room for his father and brother. Unseen nearby Lance watched the whole scene silently.

**********

Once Joe had made his escape he felt a bit better. He knew quite well that Jenny and Hoss had done nothing but talk. He had been watching them the whole time they were together. When Hoss went to comfort Jenny saw his opportunity. Joe went back to Jenny's house to get Cochise and moved her into the livery stable he had used a few nights before. He flicked up the collar of his green jacket and tilted his hat at a jaunty angle and ambled at a leisurely pace to the Bucket of Blood.

Once inside he bought a beer and a bottle of whisky and settled himself at a table near the stage. As if on cue Adelina Marsh appeared on stage. She flicked a quick glance at Joe's table and smiled ever so slightly. She then began to sing, prancing around the stage, her dress as revealing as the one she had worn the last time Joe had seen her.

When she finished her set Adelina came over to Joe's table. She bent and kissed him directly on the lips. When she finished she sat on his lap and lifted the hat from his head. "Hey Joe, where ya been? I thought you'd be coming back to see me last night. A girl can get mighty lonely when a fella stands her up."

"Got stuck at the ranch." Joe felt himself relax slightly, her hand was running through his hair, ruffling his curls. Somehow, the fact that he didn't care about Adelina at all made it easy for him to accept her touch. "You want a drink?" Joe gestured at the whisky bottle and glasses on the table.

"Don't mind if I do." Adelina held her hand up to the bartender who immediately brought over a champagne drink. Joe and Adelina spent the next half hour drinking, talking and laughing. As they were warming up to leave the bar a large cowboy wearing all black walked up to their table.

"Hey kid, why don't you go away and leave the lady alone?"

Joe tilted his head back and regarded the man steadily. His eyes gleamed with a challenging light. "Doesn't seem to me that the lady wants to be left alone, at least not by me. Why don't you move along."

"I don't think you understand boy, the lady is with me."

Joe secured his arm a bit more firmly around Adelina's waist as she tried to get up. "Seems to me that since she's sitting on my lap and drinking my whisky that she's with me."

The cowboy gave a howl of rage and moved forward, only to be stopped by the iron grip of the bartender. "Hold it boys, you take this outside, I ain't having the likes of you break up my place."

"You coming boy, or are you a yella coward?" The dark cowboy challenged Joe. Joe casually pulled Adelina's mouth down on his own, kissing her deeply. Then he stood, moving her aside.

"Who you calling boy, bozo?" Joe moved ahead of the man out into the street. No one followed, most had not even noticed the ruckus. Adelina gazed after Joe longingly, but was held back by the bartender who shook his head warningly. Joe and the cowboy moved into a side alley near the saloon. As Joe stood facing the man he clenched his fists in preparation for a fist fight. Suddenly a fist lashed out, striking Joe right in the stomach. As he doubled over in pain a blow was struck to the back of his neck, driving him to his knees. Joe attempted to get to his feet but a hail of blows rained down on his body. For some reason the blows were not struck to his face, the man seemed to derive great pleasure in hitting Joe in the stomach, ribs and kidney's. Finally Joe collapsed in pain. The man stood over him, smirking. "Let that be a lesson to you boy." The man turned away but spun back and delivered a final kick directly to Joe's ribs. Joe gave a small scream and passed out as his rib cracked. Two hours later Joe came to in the alley. No one had come looking for him, no one had even noticed him, lying as he was in the shadows. He rolled onto his back groaning. Slowly he crawled to the wall and levered himself onto his feet. He staggered a few steps, gasping at the pain in his ribs. He bent over, trying to catch his breath. He sat down carefully, his back against the alley wall. Carefully he gently pressed on his ribs. After a few moments he decided that he had cracked two ribs, but nothing was completely broken. He resolved not to let his father or brothers see him without his shirt, there would be too many questions.

Joe realized that he couldn't stay home any longer; he just couldn't stand being around his father and brothers. Every time one of them touched him he felt unclean, unworthy. If they knew what he had done they would hate him even more than he hated himself. When he felt well enough Joe went back to the livery stable to get Cochise. As he moved up next to her he felt overwhelmingly tired.

"Hey Coch, you ready to go home?" His horse nickered and gently nudged Joe. He patted his neck affectionately. He saddled him quickly and mindful of his ribs eased himself into the saddle. Back at the ranch Ben was pacing in the living room stopping to stare at the grandfather clock as it chimed midnight. "When that boy gets home, I'm going to thrash him."

"Pa, you can't do that. He got mad, he thought I was hitting on Jenny. It's all my fault." Hoss was devastated, he had never seen his little brother as angry as he was that evening.

"Hoss, you didn't do anything wrong. And I bet Joe knows it too. He was looking to pick a fight, you just made an easy target. It could just as easily been Pa or me." Adam put his arm around Hoss. He was as mystified as Hoss at his brother's behavior but he knew that everything was building towards some sort of climax.

"But why Adam? What's he trying to do?" Hoss shook hi