Growing Pains

by Judy &  Jerri

PROLOGUE

At fifteen, Joseph Cartwright was the most popular boy in Virginia City, and probably in the whole Nevada territory.  Little Joe, as he was generally called, was the youngest son of Ben Cartwright, owner of the Ponderosa Ranch, the largest and most prosperous ranch in the territory with cattle, horses, mining, and timber interests spread over 500,000 acres or 1000 square miles.  The Cartwright family was well known and respected throughout the Nevada territory.  The Cartwright name added to Joe's popularity but his personality was primarily responsible for his appeal. Joe's popularity was multi-faceted and was not limited to members of one sex. He was especially good-looking and could be quite charming, which endeared him to women, both young and old. Young women were interested in him romantically; older women usually displayed maternal affection for him.  He had a lively imagination, quick sense of humor, and a loyal and generous spirit that endeared him to males and females alike. He often played practical jokes on his peers and on his elders, his two older brothers were especially favorite targets.  However, when the tables were turned, he could take a joke as well as he could give one.  It just happened that he usually thought of the joke before someone else did, so he was generally on the giving end, rather than the getting end.

He was equally known for his hot temper, stubbornness, and impulsiveness, traits that frequently got him into trouble.  The frequent little problems he got into did not adversely affect his image; in fact, it actually served to increase his following among his peers, who admired him for his courage and indomitable spirit.  The adults involved generally were willing to overlook or forgive him for his offenses, because, when confronted with the issue, Little Joe was genuinely remorseful and willing to be held accountable.   Ben Cartwright often felt conflicting emotions when it came to disciplining his youngest son.  He wanted to instill a sense of responsibility and accountability and foster self-control and common sense in Joe, but he also did not want to dampen his natural exuberance and joy of living that made him who he was, and endeared him to his family.  But he constantly worried that his quick temper and impulsiveness would get him into serious trouble, as it had in the past.

His older brothers, Adam and Hoss, held similar opinions, though they manifested them differently.  Adam, the oldest brother was the total opposite of Joe, personality-wise.  Adam was serious, logical, and reserved; whereas Joe was fun loving, impulsive, and highly emotional.  This obvious difference in temperament, coupled with the age difference, often resulted in conflicts between the two.  Yet, they each admired and loved the other, though they didn't often express it.  Hoss, the middle brother, played the role of peacemaker between the two of them and between the two of them and their father.  Hoss was gentle, slow to anger, and quick to forgive.  He was especially fond of his little brother and went to great lengths to protect him or rescue him from his many misadventures.  Little Joe also easily influenced him, so he often was involved in Joe's pranks.

Although not limited exclusively to school, Joe's tendency to get into trouble had certainly had an impact on his school years.  He had experienced many difficulties getting through the educational system in Virginia City.   There had been hardly a week to go by that he had not gotten into some type of trouble at school. His offenses ranged from being merely inattentive to being downright disruptive.  He had tried just about every trick known to school kids and invented some new ones-including playing hooky, being tardy, fighting in the school yard, setting off firecrackers in the classroom, and his most recent achievement---coaxing his horse to follow him into the classroom---pretending not to realize it, of course.  Ben Cartwright had made many trips into town to confer with his schoolteachers, and many times the schoolteachers had made trips to the Ponderosa to confer with Ben.  If Ben were away, Adam or Hoss would fill in for him.  Despite never actually failing a grade, Joe had probably spent more time in school than anyone else in the history of Storey County, if the hours he had to stay after school due to some offense had been counted.

He was in the last year of formal education available in Virginia City and as far as he was concerned, that was coming years too late.  Any higher education required going to school in one of the larger schools and since there were none close enough to the Ponderosa, the thought of going to one never even occurred to Little Joe.  His brother, Adam, had been different and had gone to the university in Boston for five years, obtaining degrees in architecture and engineering.   Joe couldn't imagine leaving the Ponderosa for five years.  He, like his other brother Hoss, had no desire for higher education.  What was the point of learning more stuff about history, English, and literature when he knew he was going to be working on the ranch?

Recently there had been an attempt to pass laws that mandated that boys go to school until their sixteenth birthday at least.  This had presented a major setback for Little Joe, because prior to that time, boys could legally leave school at anytime.  Hoss had actually quit school at just under 15 years of age, when there had been a time without a schoolteacher in the Virginia City school.  By the time they had found a replacement teacher, Hoss was working full-time on the Ponderosa.  Joe felt that it was unfair that Hoss had been able to leave school before his 15th birthday and here he was almost 16 and still in school. Although Joe would not be 16 until the fall a couple of months after summer holidays ended, he didn't plan on coming for those two months.  He planned to go on the fall cattle drive for the first time this fall, something he had always had to miss because of school.  He couldn't wait to take Cochise, his pinto horse on a real cattle drive.  He had been on the spring roundups, but the cattle drive was the major event of the year.  It started with a roundup, then taking the herd to market over the open range and all the way to the stockyards.  It involved a lot of hard work, but it also meant a month of camping out, being with his brothers and father, and after the end of the cattle drive, a week of vacation in San Francisco.

In the past, while his father and brothers went on the cattle drive, he had been left at home with Hop Sing, the family caretaker.  He had tried every year since he was old enough to ride a horse to get his father to let him go on a cattle drive.  He pointed out that many of his friends went on the cattle drive and then came back to school after it was over.  But his father wouldn't hear of it.   When he was 13 he sneaked off from home and joined the cattle drive after it had started, thinking that it would take too long for his father to make him go back and that he would allow him to stay.  He felt that whatever punishment his father would give him would be well worth going on the cattle drive.  However, he was wrong.  His father not only made him go back home---he went with him, rode with him to school, and to Joe’s mortification, accompanied him into the classroom, and waited for him to take his seat before he left.  Joe had never been so embarrassed in his life.  He never tried that again.

CHAPTER 1

For at least the tenth time that day Joe Cartwright thought, "Just two more weeks and then I am free".  Suddenly, a stern voice got Joe's attention from his daydreaming of the cattle drive.  "Joseph Cartwright, are you daydreaming again?" his teacher, Miss Woods said sharply.  Joe, knowing he was caught dead-to-rights, quickly considered his options and decided that honesty was the best policy and replied, "Yes, Miss Woods.  It is just such a pretty day today and it is kind of warm in here, too."  He said this with his most disarming smile.  Fortunately for Joe, this teacher was not immune to the charms of that smile like the last two teachers had been. 

Miss Woods returned the smile and agreed "It is certainly a pretty day, Joseph, but if you wouldn't mind, we have another half hour to go before school is out.  Unless of course, you would like to spend time after class finishing your lessons?"   

 "No, Mam, I am sorry, I will pay attention. I promise" Joe said, and to his credit, he tried very hard to concentrate on what she was talking about.   She was saying something about next year and since he knew he wouldn't even be here next year, he found it very difficult to pretend to be interested.  She passed out some papers, and although he had no idea what they were for, he took one and put it with his books, not bothering to read it.

Mercifully, the final bell sounded and the class was dismissed without Miss Woods noticing that he still wasn't really paying attention---or so he thought.  Miss Woods had noticed, but didn't feel that calling attention to it would remedy the situation, so she let it pass.

Along with the other pupils, Little Joe rushed for the door, grabbing his books out of habit.  He had learned a long time ago that he had to bring books home from school every day because if he left them at school, his father became suspicious and asked too many questions.  He usually threw his books down on his desk in his room and didn't touch them again until the next morning, but if he didn't have them, his father always demanded to know why he didn't have any homework.  Joe had never been an outstanding student, but if he halfway paid attention in class and did the minimum he could do for outside assignments, he was able to pass, although he certainly didn't set any records for high marks.

He had learned the hard way the summer he was 12 what happened if he actually failed a course for an entire grading period.  That summer was the worst in his memory, but it had had a very happy ending, because that was when Adam gave him Cochise, his black and white pinto horse that he was so proud of.  Since then he had been careful to put forth enough effort to make sure that he didn't actually fail anything.  To him, anything beyond that was wasted effort and he had too much to do to waste effort on schoolwork.  Unfortunately the last two teachers had felt obligated to motivate him to "reach his potential", sometimes using Adam's university education as an example.  That had been painful for everyone involved, Joe, the two teachers, and especially to Adam and his father.  Fortunately both of those teachers had stayed only a year each.

Miss Woods, who had been here for the past two years, had a different philosophy.  Although she also wished Joe would try harder, she recognized other abilities that he possessed, and rather than get into an all-out battle of wills, as the previous teachers had, she was able to encourage him without trying to completely change his personality.  That was what had doomed the efforts of the two past teachers.  The teacher who was there immediately prior to her arrival had warned her about Joseph Cartwright, pointing out all his deficits. Miss Woods was expecting a veritable barbarian when she met Joe for the first time.  She was quite astonished when on that first day, she realized that this young, good-looking, popular, humorous, and very engaging boy was THE Joseph Cartwright she had been warned about.

As soon as he was out the door of the schoolhouse, a crowd of people gathered around him.   Several boys wanted him to go fishing with them.  There was also a group of girls who just wanted to talk to him or wanted him to walk them home. Little Joe loved to go fishing-he was probably the best fisherman in Virginia City.  But he also was quite fond of talking to girls, too, especially the pretty ones.  He didn't want to disappoint anyone, so he suggested a compromise.  "Why don't you girls come with us to the lake and we can talk and fish at the same time?"" he suggested with that fabulous smile.  The girls weren't really interested in going fishing, but they were interested in Little Joe Cartwright, so they agreed.  The boys were either disgusted or delighted at the inclusion of the girls, depending upon their specific interest in girls.

The boys who had suggested the fishing trip volunteered to go get fishing poles and bait and to meet them at the lake.  One of the girls had to go home to get permission to go along on the fishing trip.  That left Little Joe with the other two girls, Sarah and Lucy.  Sarah, also 15, was the daughter of the owner of the mercantile store.  She had long red hair that hung in gentle waves down her back, green eyes, and a beautiful face.  Her only flaw, as far as Joe was concerned was that she was too tall-she was at one inch taller than he was, probably more like two inches taller.  But she was so much fun to be with and so darned pretty that he was willing to overlook that tiny flaw.  The fact that he was shorter than she was obviously wasn't something that worried her.  Lucy, just turned 16, was the daughter of a woman who ran a boarding house in Virginia City.  Lucy was petite, had blond hair, blue eyes, and a smattering of freckles across her face.  Although the two girls had been best friends for most of their life, they now considered each other to be rivals for Joe Cartwright's affections.  There was a dance Saturday night in two weeks and they both wanted Little Joe to ask them to be his date.
 

When the boys got to the lake with the poles and bait, they found Joe sitting with Sarah, Lucy, and Jennifer, who had joined them.  Jennifer was also petite, but she had dark hair, brown eyes, turned-up nose, and a mischievous smile.  She had asked Little Joe over a week ago to escort her to the dance and he had agreed.  She was enjoying watching Lucy and Sarah try to trick Joe into asking them to the dance.  She didn't understand the convention of always waiting for the boy to do the asking; she preferred a much more direct route.  She was wondering if Little Joe was aware that they were both trying to get him to ask them to the dance or if he were really that naïve, when she happened to look up at the right time and caught his eye, and he winked at her.  She laughed out loud.  He did know what they were doing and was enjoying it, too.  What fun they would have at the dance!

The boys were hanging around, trying to join in the conversation and get the girls interested in them, instead of Little Joe.  They knew that eventually Little Joe would ask some girl to the dance and then they would ask one of the others.  They had learned over the past couple of years that they might as well wait for Little Joe to make his plans known before they asked anyone, because all the pretty girls wouldn't give an answer to them, in case Little Joe asked them later.  If Little Joe hadn't been so much fun to be with, they probably would have resented him.  But the boys, like most other people, found it impossible to stay mad with Little Joe for very long.  Finally, the girls said they had to get home, so they all left together, just to make sure that none of the other girls stayed longer and got Joe to herself.  When the girls left, Joe looked at the boys, Mitch, Lance, and Pete and said, "I thought we were coming to fish!" 

"Well you've been fishin', alright Little Joe, but the bait you were using sure wasn't a worm."  Laughed Pete. 

"What say we get down to business and see if we can catch some fish for supper." Joe said, as he picked up a pole and selected a big, fat, brown earthworm and speared it with the hook.  "I can't tell Pa I was late getting home from school because I went fishin' without some fish to prove it."   All the boys busily got their poles and baited them, trying to put their pole as close to the spot Little Joe's was in as possible.  Little Joe's line had barely been in long enough to drown the worm, when it started to pull and go under.  Little Joe carefully worked the pole, keeping the line taut, but not pulling it too strongly to avoid breaking the line.  After less than a minute, he pulled out a huge catfish.  The other boys all shook their heads and tried to put their lines in exactly the spot Joe's pole had just vacated.  After unhooking his catfish, Little Joe carefully selected another earthworm, a red wriggler this time and baited his hook again.  This time, he walked a few feet away from where the other boys were and threw in his line.  Before the bait was completely submerged, he had another bite.  The line disappeared under the water and Little Joe had to work to get this fish on shore.  When he finally did, it was another catfish, almost twice as big as the first one.  Smiling, Little Joe said, "Well at least I have enough for Hoss now.  I had better see if I can get something for me, Pa, and Adam now."  And again he went through the same process, selected yet another site, and within minutes, had another fish, this time a perch.

During this time, the other three boys had exactly 1 nibble---and that one got away.   Within 30 minutes of fishing, Little Joe had more than enough for his family's supper and he spent another 30 minutes catching fish to supplement the other boys' meager catch.  In all, Pete, Lance, and Mitch caught 4 small to medium-sized fish and Little Joe caught 11 big fish.  He took home six and gave the others to his friends to share. 

"Little Joe, I just don't understand-we use the same bait, the same kind of pole, and the same spot---why do you always catch all the fish?" Lance said. 

"You boys must not be thinking right, I guess," said Joe, with a chuckle.  "You have to think like a fish if you want to catch a fish."  "

Well does that mean you have to think like a girl to catch a girl, Joe?" Mitch said with a mischievous grin on his face.  "Cause if you do, then I am surprised you aren't wearing high heels and dresses."   

Pete retorted, "Well if I could get that Sarah or Lucy or Jennifer to look at me the way they look at Joe, I would wear a dress and high heels!" 

Joe retorted, "If you wear high heels and a dress, I am sure they will all look at you, that's for sure."  They all laughed and went their separate ways, glad that it was Friday and that they had two days off from school.

Being late leaving for home, made Joe late to get started on his evening chores, which were supposed to be finished before dinner.  His being late getting home was a frequent subject for father-to-son talks.  Tonight, though when he showed the fish to his brother Hoss, he was so excited to have fresh fish that he volunteered to help Joe finish his chores and eagerly took the fish to Hop Sing to cook for dinner. Hoss generally covered for Joe's lateness on average of at least every other night, just to keep him out of trouble with his father. Hoss generally tried to protect his little brother from all kinds of trouble---including the wrath of his father.  Hoss had probably pulled him out of enough fights to save his life a dozen times over and that was just counting the ones in the past couple of years.  Hoss teased Joe frequently, saying that he had a "talent for trouble".

Joe didn't seem to mind being teased by Hoss, because Hoss was always there to help him out of trouble and he didn't lecture him every time he did.  Adam, on the other hand, was a different story altogether.  Adam, the oldest Cartwright son, had been 15 when Joe was born and after Little Joe's mother was tragically killed, Adam had helped rear Little Joe.  He still felt responsible for Little Joe in many ways.  Unfortunately, the way he acted on those feelings often created conflict between the two of them.  Their personalities were so different that neither could really understand the other.  Yet, they had a deep affection for each other that often went unspoken, mainly due to Adam's natural reticence to express emotions and Joe's quick temper and rebellion against authority.    Little Joe knew though, deep down, that he could always depend on both his brothers in time of trouble.

Conversation at the dinner table that night was lively and worry-free.  Everyone was pleased with Joe's fish catch, since they hadn't had fresh fish for several weeks.  Hop Sing had fried the fish and for once Adam and Ben gave Hoss a run for his money over whom would eat the most.  In the end, Hoss won, but everyone else had done an admirable job.  Joe's fishing abilities were well known in his family.  He had been catching more fish than the rest of them combined ever since they first took him fishing.  Like his friends, they couldn't figure out why.   Whatever the secret to his success was, Little Joe was not inclined to share it with anyone.  Fortunately he was always willing to share his catch, so it didn't really matter.  Ben always said that if they told Hop Sing that either he, Adam, or Hoss were going fishing, Hop Sing would start cooking a chicken for supper.  But if Little Joe said he was going fishing, Hop Sing would start making up hush puppies and slaw to go with the fish.

CHAPTER 2

  Saturday morning as the Cartwrights were finishing breakfast, several horses rode into the courtyard and someone pounded furiously on the door.  Out of long habit, Ben, Adam, and Hoss all waited for Little Joe to answer the door.  Also out of long habit, Joe pretended not to notice either the knocking or the looks from his father and brothers.  Ben finally said, "Joseph would you please answer the door?" in a calm and quiet voice.  Joe rolled his eyes and made quite a big deal of pushing his chair back from the table and ever so slowly headed towards the door.  Ben, Adam, and Hoss shared a conspiratorial smile.  This was one of the small ways in which they got revenge for Little Joe's mischief and they all delighted in it.

By the time Little Joe got to the door, the visitor was coming in the house to see what was taking so long.  "Hello, Sheriff Coffee, what brings you out so early?" Joe asked, inviting the Sheriff inside.  "Well, for a cup of Hop Sing's coffee and pastry, the ride is worth it, Little Joe."  By this time, Ben, Adam, and Hoss had come to the foyer and were walking back to the dining room table with Joe and the Sheriff.  "Hop Sing, please bring Sheriff Coffee a cup of coffee and some of those sweet rolls if Hoss didn't eat them all" Ben said.  Before he could get the sentence out of his mouth, Hop Sing appeared with a tray containing a fresh pot of coffee, cups, and a plate with assorted gooey buns and rolls.  Hop Sing served Sheriff Coffee, refilled the Cartwright's cups, and placed the sweet rolls in the center of the table.  Hoss grabbed a sweet roll saying, "I don't mind if I do."  Ben and Adam raised their eyebrows and stared at Hoss; Little Joe just smiled and shook his head.  Little Joe was amazed at how much his big brother could eat.

"Well, Roy, in addition to Hop Sing's cooking, what brings you to the Ponderosa today?" Ben asked.

 "I was just getting to that, Ben." The Sheriff replied as he swallowed the last of his sweet roll.  "I am looking for some help on a little job I have to do.  I have to take Nathan Yates to the Yuma Territorial Prison and I need some men to accompany two deputies and me.   Someone I know I can trust.  I was wondering if you and one of the boys would go with me."  Roy said, looking at Ben.  "I figured to leave tomorrow and the trip would take about a week to ten days, I expect."

"Are you anticipating any trouble, Roy?"  Hoss asked. 

"Well you know me, Hoss, I am a cautious man.  When you are dealing with the criminal element, you have to always anticipate trouble.  But you know Yates was one of the Benton gang and they are still around here somewhere, and I wouldn't be surprised if they don't try to ambush us along the way." 

Adam said, "Pa, I could go with him if you would like." 

Little Joe eagerly said, "I can go with 'em, Pa."  Ben said,

"Hoss, why don't you and Adam go with the Sheriff?  I think Joe and I can run things here for a week."  At this Joe scowled, but didn't say anything.  He hadn't expected his father to let him go anyway.  Ben, seeing the scowl, said, "Joe, you have two more weeks of school this term, you can't possibly leave right now.  I doubt if your grades would allow you to miss any more days."  Joe scowled more and his jaw was tightly set.  Ben decided to just let it pass.  "Well, why don't we meet at the jail tomorrow, say around 8 am and I believe we could easily make it to Liston Wells by nightfall." 

Roy said to Adam and Hoss.  "Be sure to bring plenty of ammunition, just in case."

 "Alright, Roy, we will meet you there in the morning." Adam and Hoss both said.

Ben walked Sheriff Coffee to the door and then returned to the table to finish his coffee.  Adam and Hoss were discussing their upcoming trip and deciding what they needed to do before the next day.  Joe, now in a bad mood, was not saying anything.  As soon as Ben returned to the table, he got up and mumbled, "I have to go finish my chores" and left the table, slamming the door as he left, just to make sure no one overlooked the fact that he was irritated.

Adam looked up and grinned at his father, "I think our little brother is upset with you, Pa." 

Hoss, always looking out for Little Joe said, "Well, he did volunteer to go, Adam, and I didn't.  Now I don't mind going, I just didn't speak up soon enough.  But you know how that must have felt to him, what with him trying to be grown up and all." 

Ben smiled and said, "He sure is trying to be grown up, alright.  I sure wish he weren't in such an all-fired hurry to do it."

 "Well, if you ask me, he has a long way to go to grow up; don’t forget that prank last week with Cochise." Adam said and all three of them chuckled, remembering the chaos that had caused.  It just so happened that the three of them had been in town that day when the teacher dismissed class early, and they had seen the commotion when all the kids started pouring out of the school, laughing and talking.  All the kids except the one they were looking for.  When he didn't come out, they went over to see what was going on and there in the middle of the classroom was Cochise, nuzzling against Little Joe, trying to look in his pockets for the sugar cubes he knew were in there.  Miss Woods, having a hard time keeping a straight face, was attempting to scold Little Joe.  All the while, she was gently petting Cochise. 

"Yes", agreed Ben, "He has a way to go, but I for one, am not in that big a hurry for him to get too grown up." 

Hoss said, "me neither, Pa, it would be awful dull around here if he was to get too grown up." 

Adam added, "well he does keep it exciting around here, that's for sure."

Joe managed to keep up his injured routine for most of the morning, but by late morning, he found the struggle to stay mad too much effort, so by lunchtime, he was his usual good-natured self, in a good enough mood to pull a couple of minor pranks on Adam, his favorite target.  Thanks to Hoss' intervention, Adam had taken them both good-naturedly.  Ben, relieved to see that Little Joe had recovered his good humor and was not going to sulk for the entire week that Adam and Hoss were gone, decided to reward his good behavior.  "Little Joe, how would you like to go to Virginia City with me this afternoon?"  "Sure, Pa," Joe answered without hesitation, never passing up an opportunity to go to Virginia City.

"Pa, Hoss and I were thinking of spending the night in Virginia City tonight so we won't have to get up so early to get there," Adam said. 

"That is a good idea, Adam.  Well, why don't we tell Hop Sing to take the rest of the day off and we can all meet at the International House for an early supper before Joe and I come home?" Ben suggested.

 "That's a great idea, Pa," Hoss added, ignoring the slight frown on Little Joe's face.  He didn't mind eating with them, but it just reminded him that they were doing something exciting and he had to stay home and go to school.  It just wasn't fair!

CHAPTER 3

Virginia City was just beginning to really come alive by the time the Cartwrights made it into town.  Virginia City was rapidly growing as the silver mines were operating at full force now.  There were several hotels, two churches, and at latest count, about a dozen saloons or bars, and more opening every day.  All the new people coming into the town had created a need for more banks, stores, hotels, and all other kinds of businesses that people need frequently.  Of course, all that prosperity also drew the kinds of businesses that polite people don't openly discuss.  Fortunately, most of these "businesses" were on D Street and not scattered throughout the town.

As they came into town, they stopped at a livery stable on the end of C Street and stabled their horses.  Ben Cartwright had always taught his sons to look after their horses before they saw to their own needs.  If they were going to be in town for more than an hour, he insisted that they stable the horses, rather than tie them to a hitching post.  Little Joe was always happy to oblige, because he didn't want Cochise standing around in the hot sun for long and he also was afraid someone might steal him, since he was such a spectacular horse.  Joe was very particular about Cochise.  He gave him extra grain and always emptied the water bucket, rinsed it out and refilled it, before he would leave.

When they finished with the horses, Adam and Hoss said they would meet them for supper at the International House at around 6 and they would go check into the hotel and then check with Roy Coffee to let him know where they were.  Ben said, "Joe, I have an appointment with George Reed at the attorney's office and then I have to go see Harry Lawson at the bank.  By then it should be about 6 PM and we could meet Adam and Hoss for supper." 

"Okay, Pa, I will meet you there at 6" Joe said, smiling.

 "What are your plans between now and 6, Joe?" Ben asked.

 "I thought I would go over to the mercantile or go by and see if Lance or Pete are around." He replied.

 "Well, that sounds alright, Joseph, but let me tell you three things to keep in mind. One, I want you to go first to the barbershop to get a haircut. You seemed to have forgotten that the last time I told you to get a haircut.  You look like a riverboat gambler.  Second, you stay away from D Street. Third, don't let me catch you anywhere near a saloon. Is that understood?"  Ben said, looking Joe directly in the eyes, leaving no room for him to doubt that he meant every word he said. 

"Yes, Pa, I understand." Joe said with a scowl on his face.

 "Just for my peace of mind, Joseph, please repeat what I just told you." Ben said, still staring at Joe directly in the eyes. 

"Go to the barber shop, don't go on D Street, and don't let you catch me near a saloon." Joe mumbled.

 "Alright, then, Little Joe, have a good afternoon and I will see you at 6 for supper."

So Ben went in the direction of the attorney's office and Little Joe set out to find his friends.  He was in luck because when he went to the mercantile, there was a whole group of his friends gathered there, playing checkers.  They asked Joe to play the winner of the present game.  Watching the two players currently playing, Joe knew he would have no trouble with either one of them.  Joe had a knack for checkers, it was a game that his mother had taught him to play when he was a very young child.  Although he didn't remember his mother very well, he did remember what she had taught him about playing checkers.  Joe said, "Alright I tell you what, I bet I can beat the winner of this game.  Who wants to bet on it?"  Although most of the boys knew that it was almost impossible to beat Little Joe at checkers, some of the younger boys or the newer ones in town, didn't know any better and made bets.  Joe bet them two bits each that he would win the game.  Finally, after a protracted 45-minute game, Cliff beat Josh, so the board was quickly reset for Joe vs. Cliff.   Joe said, "I'll flip you for first move", taking a coin out of his pocket, he flipped it and covered it with his hands and said, "What's it gonna be---heads or tails?" 

Cliff said, "Heads". 

Joe glanced down at the coin and said, "Heads it is, you get the first move."  After they had each made about 5 moves, Joe got a gleam in his eye and said, "would you fellows like to make this more interesting?" 

The spokesman for the boys who didn't know Joe that well, said, "Sure what do you have in mind, Cartwright?" 

 "I bet you double or nothing that I can beat Cliff here with two more moves, no matter where he moves in his two moves."  Joe replied with a serious look on his face. 

The boys stared at the board trying to see if Joe saw a way to win the game of if he were just bluffing.  They didn't see anything out of the ordinary so the boy said, "Sure, why not?"  With his next move, Cliff moved a black checker onto Joe's back row and Joe crowned him, pretending to be worried.  With Joe's move, he moved one of his red kings back toward his back row, putting Cliff's new king in jeopardy, if he didn't move something in between them.  So Cliff moved another black king from Joe's back row to block the jump that Joe had seen earlier.  However, Joe then took his red king and with 5 jumps, took every last black checker on the board.  Cliff and the onlookers stared in disbelief and silently retraced the path of Joe's checker, to make sure he wasn't pulling something over on them.

Joe just sat there, with his hand held out to be paid.  Reluctantly, all the boys who had bet against him pulled out 50 cents and paid Joe.  In all, he won $5.00-not bad for 10 minutes work, Joe thought to himself.  After the game was over and most of the crowd had dispersed, Lance looked at Joe and said, "Joe, I saw that coin---it was tails, why did you let him go first?" 

"Strategy, Lance, strategy" he replied with a smile.

With Joe's newfound wealth, he bought everyone who was still there a cold sassparillo from the mercantile. "Well I have an hour before I have to meet my Pa at the hotel, what do you want to do until then?" Joe asked. 

One of the boys who were with them, Billy Peterson said, "Why don't we go over on D Street and see if we can get a glimpse of some of the ladies?"

 "I can't go over there," said Lance.

 "Me, neither, my Pa gave me specific instructions about that." Joe said. 

"Well what else is there to do?  If we don't do anything except what your Pa said you could do, we might as well go sit in the church and pray." Pete said.

 "Now wait a minute, let me think, Pa didn't exactly tell me what I could do, he told me what I couldn't do.  Let's see, he said go to the barbershop to get a haircut".

 "From the looks of your hair, I would guess you didn't do that so you are in trouble already." Lance laughed, knowing how Joe's Pa hated to see his hair curling over his collar. 

"Well that wasn't my fault, the barber shop was full with a long line." Joe said, although he knew that he only barely glanced at the barbershop on his way past, so he could truthfully say that there was a line.  "Now what was the other things he told me, "Oh, yeah, to stay away from D street, so that is out.  And the other thing was not to let him catch me near a saloon." Joe finished triumphantly.

"Well that leaves out everything then if you can't go to a saloon." Lance said disappointedly. 

"Now wait a minute, boys, Pa didn't exactly say I couldn't go to a saloon.  He just said not to let him catch me near one.  Well I sure don't intend to let him catch me near one, but if we play it right we can go to a saloon, but we have to go to one on either C street or on E street.  Now, my Pa or my brothers are likely to be in the Silver Dollar or the Sassarack and they are on C Street, so my best bet is to avoid C street altogether.  But that leaves E Street, doesn't it?  My Pa never goes to E Street, so there is not much chance that he will catch me near a saloon there, is there?" Joe said happily.

Lance and Pete looked at each other and then looked at Joe with admiration.  Pete said, "Joe if you aren't a rounder, I don't know who is."  Lance said, "Little Joe are you sure you want to risk it?  After all it was just last week that you took Cochise to school and had to work after school for the rest of the week?" 

"Heck, cleaning black boards for Miss Woods is no hardship.  Haven't you ever noticed those pretty blue eyes she has?" Joe asked incredulously.  Lance and Pete and Billy all said, "Well, what are we waiting for?  E Street here we come."  And they were off.

E Street made D Street look plumb elegant by comparison.  E Street was made up of rundown, seedy-looking saloons, bars, beerhouses, cheap rooming houses, and quite a few "ladies" working houses.  It was frequented mostly by out-of-work miners, derelicts, gunfighters, and by anyone who wanted to avoid being seen by the law in Virginia City.  Joe had a moment of guilt when they first came onto the street and saw a lady dressed in a flimsy gown, lounging by one of the saloons, smoking a cigarette.  He knew that he was once again doing what his father was always saying, obeying the letter of the law, but not the spirit.  Just when he was thinking of suggesting they leave, Pete said, "Did you see that woman? She was smoking a cigarette!" 

Joe looked at him and said, "Oh, was she?  I didn't notice the cigarette!" with a mischievous grin on his face.  They made their way to one of the "better" looking saloons and went in, trying to look much older than they were.  They needn't have bothered; the bartender looked at them, waiting for an order, so they ordered three beers.  They took their beers and went over to a corner table, just to make sure they couldn't be seen through the window.  One of the saloon girls came over and started flirting with them, since it was a slow day and there weren't any "real" customers in yet.  "Does your mother know you are in here?" she asked the boys, looking at Little Joe. 

Lance answered quickly, "Why, no, Mam, does yours?" before Little Joe said anything.  Lance had been Joe's friend for a long time and he knew that Joe was very sensitive about three things: his mother, his size, and the fact that he always looked younger than he actually was.  She had managed to hit on two of the three sensitive areas in one innocent question.  He had seen the cloud pass briefly over Little Joe's face, but by the end of his question back to the woman, the cloud was gone again.  It was hard to keep Little Joe down for long.

Little Joe magnanimously offered to buy the "lady" a drink and she immediately took him up on that, and ordered two double whiskies, one for her and one for him.  When the barkeep brought them the whiskies, she asked Little Joe if he was allowed to drink whiskey.  He looked at her calmly, picked up the shot glass, and drank it all in one swallow, throwing it into the back of his throat the way he had seen hired hands do it at in the bunkhouse.  Although his throat and stomach were burning, he smiled and said, "Well I don't generally start the hard stuff 'til later at night, but for you, I will make an exception."  Lance, Pete, and Billy were astonished, because they were pretty sure that Joe had never had an ounce of whisky in his life and not many beers before today either.  They had sneaked some now and then, but this was their first time in a saloon.  They watched in admiration as he talked and flirted with the saloon girl.  They did notice that his eyes seemed to be unusually bright, but other than being a little more talkative than usual, he seemed to be doing okay.

But Lance, more worried about apprehension than the other three, decided that it was time to break this up, before they got into trouble.  "Little Joe we better be leaving now, or you will be late meeting your Pa and he could come looking for you and then you would be in big trouble.  And besides if I am late for supper, my Ma will skin me alive."  He was watching Joe carefully, trying to tell if this was going to be a problem---getting Joe out of there.  He was worried when he was talking about Joe's Pa, but when he got to the part about his own Ma, Joe relaxed and he could tell it would be alright.  "I almost made it worse" he thought to himself.  "Gotta watch that from now on."  So the four boys said good bye to Abby, Joe quickly leaned over and gave her a kiss, walking away before she could react. As they came out of the saloon, they looked at the clock tower and it said 6 PM.

 "Hey, good timing, if we all hurry we won't be late enough to count."  Joe said.  So the boys headed towards C Street and making it there in no time flat, headed off in opposite directions.  Joe walked as fast as he could toward the International House, wishing he had a little more time, because though he never would have admitted it to the others, he was feeling a little sick to his stomach and a little bit light-headed.  If he could have seen his face, he would have also noticed that his cheeks were flushed and his eyes were very bright.

He hurried into the hotel, feeling more and more queasy, but he didn't want to be late, or his father would demand to know where he was.  Joe never lied to his father, but he always answered only the question asked.  When he entered the lobby, Pa, Adam, and Hoss were sitting at the hotel bar, waiting for him.  Pa looked at him and said, "Joseph, your hair doesn't seem to be appreciably shorter than when I saw you last."

 "Pa, there was a long line at the barber shop, it being Saturday and all."  Again this was true, though it had nothing to do with his not getting a haircut.  Truth was, Little Joe liked to let his hair grow long.  If it were up to him, he would let it grow long like some of the trick gun showmen he had seen.  Problem was, his father would not leave it up to him, so Joe did everything he could to postpone the inevitable "scalping" as long as he could. 

"Hmm.  Well I think we will just have to make another trip into town on Monday and we will both go to that barbershop and if there is a line, I will keep you company while we wait, Joseph." Ben said. 

"Alright, Pa." Joe said, not really feeling up to arguing right now.  He was focusing on remaining upright.

Joe sat down on a stool next to Hoss, as far away from his father and Adam as he could get.  "You know, Pa" said Hoss, "I think it is time we introduce Little Joe to the pleasures of a nice cold beer on a hot day like today.  Come on Pa, we might as well be the ones to introduce him to beer as some of his friends." 

"He has a point, Pa," added Adam.  "At least we can teach him responsible drinking."  Joe was not saying anything, but he was sure hoping his father would say no.  He didn't think he could handle beer right now.  He was feeling more and more queasy.  He was sure he would not be able to eat a thing as it was. 

 Ben looked at Adam and Hoss and said, "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt for him to have one beer.  But Joe, this doesn't mean you can have one any time you want, is that understood?" 

 "Yes, Pa," said Joe, not looking at his father.
 

"Sam, give Little Joe a beer then!"  Sam put a glass of beer in front of him, with the foam dripping down the side of the glass. 

Knowing what was expected, Joe picked it up and took a long drink made a face, and said, "That sure does hit the spot."  His father and brothers laughed and went back to finishing their own drinks.  But since he knew they were watching him, he knew he HAD to drink all that beer, regardless of the fact that his head was spinning and his stomach was churning.  So, to get it over with, he picked it up and emptied the entire glass without putting it down.  "Man, that's good" he said out loud in a forced cheery voice.  Hoss, Adam, and Ben watched him, wondering if they had made a mistake.

Shortly after Joe drained the beer glass, the waiter came to tell them that their table was now ready. 

The Cartwrights got up and followed the waiter to their table.  Ben noticed that Joe was a little unsteady on his feet, so he put his arm around his shoulder to steady him as they walked to their table.  When they sat down, Ben said, "I don't even need to see a menu, Charles, I will have the prime rib." 

"What about the rest of you" Charles asked, indicating Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe.  "That sounds good to me" Hoss said. 

Adam said, "Me too, what about you Little Joe?"

 By this time, Joe was concentrating hard on not passing out, so he said, "Yeah, me too" though he wasn't even sure what they had ordered and he knew he didn't want anything to eat."

While they waited for their meal, fortunately Ben and Adam and Hoss discussed the status of the jobs they were working on, so that Ben could follow up on them while they were gone.  Joe focused on just sitting there without falling out of his chair.  Now his head was aching and the room was spinning, but he managed to hang on and so far his father hadn't noticed anything.  When the waiter came back to serve them, he started serving them from the other side of the table, starting with Ben, then Adam, and then Hoss.  When he got to Little Joe, he placed the platter with the very rare prime rib, swimming with bloody juice, directly in front of Little Joe.  Little Joe took one look at that bloody steak and knew he was a goner.  He immediately got up and ran from the dining room.  Ben, stunned, quickly followed.  He found Joe in the alley behind the hotel, just after Joe had vomited.  He was by this time, quite green and quite light-headed.  Ben assisted his son, giving him his handkerchief, wiping his forehead, and sitting with him until he was feeling better. After a time, Joe was feeling better and he said he was okay now.  Ben said, "Are you sure, son?"

 "Sure, Pa, why don't you go back and finish your dinner?  I am not hungry just yet." 

"Well, okay, why don't you wait on the front porch of the hotel?  I won't be long.  And that is the last beer you are going to have for a long time.  I am so sorry, son, I didn't know one beer would make you so sick.  You must just not be ready for alcoholic beverages, young man."  Ben said with a concerned, yet puzzled look.   

"That's okay by me, Pa" Joe replied, content to let Ben think that one beer had made him that sick.

By the time, his father and brothers finished their meal and came out to find him, Joe was feeling much better, though he still had a headache and his stomach was still doing some mild rumblings.  But at least he didn't think he was going to die from it by this time.  Hoss said, "Joe, I sure am sorry about that, I had no idea it would make you sick."

 "Yes that sure was a surprise, Little Joe" Adam said.

 "Well, you boys better get on and get some rest before tomorrow and I had better get this young man home to bed." Ben said.  "Please be careful and don't take any chances with that Benton gang on the loose."  He cautioned.  "Send me a telegram as soon as you get to Yuma and let us know when you expect to be home." 

"Alright, Pa, we will be careful."  "You take care of my little brother for me, Pa" Hoss said.  Adam added, "And Little Joe, you take care of our Pa while we are gone."  The men briefly hugged and Adam and Hoss went into the hotel.  Ben and Little Joe headed toward the livery stable to reclaim their horses.  Joe was sure glad he was riding Cochise so he wouldn't have to worry about staying on the horse or guiding him home.  All he had to do was manage to get in the saddle and Cochise would take him home.

CHAPTER 4

The next morning Ben let Little Joe sleep late, in light of the shape he had been in when they got home the night before.  Joe had made it home and up to bed, but Ben could tell it was by sheer willpower.  He was about as green as he could ever remember him.  He couldn't believe that one beer could do that.  He was really surprised at that because he had figured that by now, Joe and his friends would have managed to get a taste or two.  When Joe did finally make it down for breakfast, he looked basically all right, though not bounding with energy as usual.  Ben decided they would forego church services this morning.  Hop Sing brought Joe some coffee and was going to serve him breakfast, but Joe said he thought he would just have some toast instead.  Hop Sing went off muttering in Chinese, but Ben and Joe didn't pay any attention to it.    After Joe drank about half a cup of coffee and eaten some toast, he was looking a little bit better.  Ben suddenly had an idea, "Joe, why don't we ask Hop Sing to fix us a picnic lunch and let's go to the lake for awhile?"  He didn't have to specify which spot on the lake, they both knew. 

Joe said smiling, "that would be great, Pa.  That is just what I was thinking."

So Ben and Joe spent a lazy Sunday afternoon at the lake, enjoying the late spring scenery, looking at the signs of approaching summer.  By this time, Joe was feeling much better physically.  The headache was just a faint dull reminder and the queasiness of his stomach was gone, as was the lightheadedness of the evening before.  After eating the sandwiches and fruit that Hop Sing had sent for their lunch, he almost backs to his usual self.  Until his father brought up the subject of the previous evening, that is.  "Joseph, I feel I need to apologize to you for last evening" Ben started.

 Joe, knowing what was coming, tried to change the subject, "Pa, let's just not talk about last night, please." 

"No, son, there is no shame in talking about it; it was just an unfortunate situation, that I feel responsible for.  I should have paid more attention to how you were responding to the beer before letting you drink it all."  Ben said, holding his hands up to quiet Joe while he finished speaking.  Of course, by this time, Joe' conscience was having a royal battle---should he confess to ease his father's feelings or should he keep quiet and get away with it?  Joe thought it was not fair for him to have the "talent for trouble" as Hoss called it, and to have a conscience, too.  He wished he could either quit doing things that made him feel guilty or quit feeling guilty about the things he did.

He looked up at his father's face and his decision was made.  "Pa, it wasn't the beer I had with you and Adam and Hoss that made me sick.  I had a double whisky and two beers in a saloon on E Street yesterday.  That is what made me sick.  I was already sick when I came to the hotel," He said, in a rush because he knew if he didn't say it fast, he would lose his nerve.  He found that he couldn't look his father in the face, so he studied his boots during his confession.  After he finished speaking, he waited to hear the outpouring of wrath he expected from his father.  After several moments of silence, he was very puzzled, so he sneaked a glance at his father.  When he did, he wished he had kept looking at his boots.  His father was quietly watching him, with his eyes narrowed, his face hard, and his lips tightly clenched.  . "I'm sorry, Pa.  I didn't mean to disobey you." He said, genuinely remorseful-he just didn't know why that at the time he was having all these ideas they seemed like so much fun, then after he had done them, he always regretted them.   Now he was really regretting letting his father down, once again.  He was also regretting his father's reaction.  He had learned from plenty of experience that the longer it took for his father to speak to him, the madder he was.  He had also finally learned that when his father was like this, that it was better to not try to keep talking to cover up the silence.  That never helped and on occasion, it made things worse.  In fact, sometimes he had wound up confessing to something his father didn't even know about and getting himself in more hot water.  He sneaked another glance at his father and saw that his father was still sternly regarding him.  He sighed a deep, dejected sigh.  Oh, brother, this was not going to be easy to get out of, that was for sure.

"Joseph Francis Cartwright" started Ben. 

 "Uh-oh" thought Little Joe, not just "Joseph" but "Joseph Francis Cartwright"---that was a sure sign of disaster. 

 "I thought I gave you explicit instructions to stay out of saloons!" he said angrily. 

"No, sir, you just told me not to let you catch me near a saloon, Pa." Joe answered hesitantly.  He knew this was liable to make his father even madder. His father had given him many lectures over the years about his ability to sidestep a rule or an instruction he didn't like by carefully disregarding the actual intent of the rule.  " I followed the letter of the law, just not the spirit of the law again, I guess.  His father continued to glare at him and he forgot one of his lessons from the past.  Instead of being quiet and waiting for his father to make the next move, he kept talking to try to fill up the silence.  He couldn't tolerate that silence any longer.  "I did go to the barber shop, which is what you told me to do.  I did stay  away from D Street, as you instructed.  And I didn't let you catch me near a saloon."  He said.    He continued to avoid his father's gaze.

"Joseph, look at me" his father said in that no nonsense tone of voice that Joe knew so well. 

"Joseph, I am very disappointed in you.  "Every time I think you are finally growing out of some of the mischief you get into and are starting to act responsibly, then you go and do something totally irresponsible.  I don't know what I am going to have to do to get through to you, Son, but I promise you this---I am not going to quit trying.  No matter how much pain it causes for you or for me, you have to learn to be accountable and to obey me."  Ben said, his voice very determined.  Joe met his father's gaze steadily but with great difficulty.  He hated to have his father mad at him, but even worse he hated to disappoint his father.

"Joseph, what saloon did you go into?"  Ben asked, curious despite his anger.  

"We went into one on E Street, Pa." 

 "Is that where you ordered whiskey?" 

 "Yeah, Pa, but I didn't order it, I just drank it."  "Well who ordered it, Joe?" 

"The saloon girl, she ordered a double whiskey for her and for me, and then she asked me if I was allowed to drink whiskey and I didn't want to tell her no, so I just drank it." Ben regarded Joe thoughtfully for several minutes.  Joe figured he was trying to decide his punishment, and that was what Ben expected him to think.  In reality, Ben was recalling the night of Joe's birth and how happy his birth had made Marie.  As he so often did, he wished she had lived to see her son grow up.  Sighing, he brought himself back to the present situation.

"Well, Joseph, what have you learned from this experience?"  Ben asked with a stern note in his voice. 

 "That I have to work my way up to double whiskey." Joe said, trying to lighten the situation a little bit before his father suggested punishment. 

 "And what else have you learned that might help you avoid situations like this one in the future, Joseph?" Ben asked, with not even a hint of amusement. 

 "Pa, I know I shouldn't have done what I did, and that I shouldn't do it again."  He said, hesitantly.

"But what, Joe?" Ben prompted, catching the hesitancy in his statement. 

"Pa, I just don't know what makes me do things, it isn't as though I MEAN to do most of the things I do, it is just that when I think of them, I don't think of the bad things that happen after or worse, how I let you down."  Joe said, sincerely.

 "Joe, every action has a reaction.  In life, every choice we make has consequences.  It is imperative that you learn to consider the consequences of your actions before you act.  Failure to do so, may someday lead to severe consequences."  There were reasons I didn't want you on D Street yesterday, not to mention not wanting you on E Street or in a saloon or drinking whiskey.  Those things all put you in environments and situations that could have bad consequences. Consequences that you are obviously not mature enough to handle.  You have to learn to obey me when I give you directions, as well as learn to make the right choices yourself.  Do you understand that, Joseph?"  Ben asked in a strong, firm tone of voice that left no room for misinterpretation.

"Yes, sir, I understand.  I promise I will try harder, Pa.  I promise."  Joe said with a slight quiver in his voice.  He hated to disappoint his Pa worse than anything in the world. 

"I shall expect you to keep that promise, Joseph.  I will also expect you to stay out of Virginia City except for school for the next 7 days and to confine yourself to the Ponderosa.  I also think you should lay in a supply of firewood to last for the next three months.  I will expect you to rise an hour early every morning during the next week." Ben said.  He knew that making it in the morning was a double hardship for Joe, since he hated getting up so much and always tried to get in extra sleep in the mornings, by cutting out as much as possible from the morning routine.  

"Yes, sir, Pa," Joe said with relief.  He hated to have to chop wood, especially in the morning, but he had been expecting worse, much worse.  He didn't want to miss the dance and it was in two weeks, and that also meant he couldn't go get a haircut tomorrow! 

Just as he was thinking that he had gotten away easy again, his Father said, "Of course that does not exclude our trip to the barbershop in the morning before school, Joseph," with a smile. 

 Joe thought to himself, "How does he do that?"

CHAPTER 5

Adam and Hoss were the first of the volunteers to arrive at the Sheriff's office on Sunday morning.  Roy had just brewed a fresh pot of coffee, so he invited Adam and Hoss to join him.  The prisoner they were to take to Yuma was having his breakfast in the last cell.  He was a large man with a black mustache and almost black eyes.  He stared at the Sheriff and Adam and Hoss as he ate his breakfast.  Hoss said, "That fella kind of gives me the creeps, the way he stares at us". 

The Sheriff said, "Don't pay him no mind, Hoss, he is trying to make you nervous, is all.  If we get nervous, we are more likely to make a mistake or get careless and that is just what he wants.  As long as we pay attention to what we are doing and don't get careless, I think we will make out just fine.  I am thankful you came with me, though. It always increases my confidence to have a Cartwright along on something like this."

"We are happy to do it, Roy." Adam replied.  "Besides it will give Little Joe a lesson in what it is like to do his chores plus someone else's" Adam laughed.

 "Now, Adam, you know Joe isn't trying to shirk doing his fair share of the work, he just gets sidetracked too easily." Hoss said in defense of Joe. 

"Yeah, well it doesn't matter what his motivation is---the bottom line is he does frequently neglect his chores." Adam replied.

 "Adam, since I am the one who usually does 'em when Joe doesn't, and it don't bother me none, I don't see why it should bother you none.  You got to be a little more understanding of our little brother, that's all." Hoss replied.

Sheriff Coffee interrupted, "You know Adam, I remember a conversation I overheard between your Pa and Joe's Mama about the same subject, only Ben was saying what you are saying and Marie was saying what Hoss is saying." 

"That can't be, Roy, Little Joe was too little to do chores before his mother died." Adam said, looking at Roy as if he had gone crazy. 

"Now I said the same subject, not the same person, Adam," Roy said with a twinkle in his eyes and the ghost of a smile on his face.  "Your Pa and Marie were speaking about you, Adam."  At this, Hoss burst into laughter.  Adam looked a little taken aback at first, but as Roy joined in Hoss' laughter, Adam finally couldn't hold back the laughter either.  "I think Little Joe's just going through normal growing pains, as his mother told Ben you were going through, Adam." 

Adam said, "I guess that is fitting, Roy, a reminder from Little Joe's mother.  I guess you are right.  I'll have to remember that."

By this time, the other volunteers and the two deputies had showed up, so they got busy and got ready to depart.  The group of them started out toward Liston Wells with the prisoner riding between the Sheriff and Adam.  His hands were tied loosely so that he could hold onto the saddle horn and the Sheriff held his reins.  Hoss alternated with riding on ahead and searching for potential problems and with dropping back to ride beside Adam and Roy to talk with them.  Adam and the Sheriff had a close relationship since he had returned from the University.  Sheriff Coffee admired Adam for returning to the Ponderosa and taking his place helping his father run the ranch.  Adam had had a short youth, with the death of Hoss' mother and subsequently Little Joe's mother, he had to assume responsibility for helping his father run the ranch and care for his younger brothers.  Roy Coffee had watched him grow up almost overnight and he was really glad to have him along on this trip.

When they stopped for lunch on the way, Roy tied Yates to a tree and told one of the deputies to watch him while they ate.  He went over to sit and talk to Adam and Hoss while they ate.  "Adam, I expect if we are going to have any trouble with the Benton gang, it will come either tomorrow night or the next night. The road to Liston Wells is pretty flat and open, so there would be no place for them to hide and I think they will want the advantage of a surprise attack."  Roy said to Adam. 

 Adam thought about what the Sheriff said and then said, "I think you are right, Roy.  It would seem to me that the best place for an ambush would be between Liston Wells and Goshen Flats at the point where the elevation starts to change, don't you think?" 

"Yeah, Adam, that would give them a good place to hide out, they could see us coming for miles before we got there and we wouldn't be able to see them until we were right up on 'em."  Roy said, considering what Adam had pointed out. 

"What do you think is our best way to deal with that, Roy?" Hoss asked. 

"Well I don't know anyway except head on and keep our guns drawn the whole time." Roy said.

Adam was thinking, though and he thought he might have a way to better the odds of getting the prisoner to Yuma, without risking a direct confrontation with the Benton gang.  "Hoss, do you remember that time you and I went to Yuma cross-country to herd those steers to the Wilford Ranch?" he asked his brother. 

Hoss slowly nodded his head and said, "Yeah, Adam, I remember that.  We went all the way around Goshen Flats, didn't we?" 

 "Roy, what if we changed directions and didn't go by way of Goshen Flats?  The Benton gang would have no way of knowing that for sure and we could avoid them altogether."

"Well, Adam, that sounds like a right good idea, but won't that add several days to the trip?"  Roy asked.  

 "Yes, it is a long way out of the way and it would probably add at least 3 days and it is hard riding, but we could make up some of it on the return trip when we wouldn't have to worry about the Yates' escaping."

Hoss added, "That sounds like a good plan to me, too, Roy.  Besides there isn't much going on at the ranch anyhow.   We could send a wire when we get to Yuma telling Pa that we will be back a little later than we thought, that way he won't be worrying." 

"All right, boys, we will do it, but let's not tell anyone else until the morning.  We might as well keep it to ourselves." Roy said, with a wink at Hoss and Adam.  "We will just go on to Liston Wells tonight and in the morning instead of going towards Goshen, we will go your way.  I expect it will be at least two days before the Benton gang could figure out that we went a different way.  The more I think about this plan, Adam, the better I like it."  Roy said.

CHAPTER SIX

Monday morning, Little Joe and Ben had breakfast alone.  Hop Sing, used to cooking for four men, including Hoss who could eat as much as all the others put together, had made way too much, but the aroma sure smelled good.  Joe was up on time for a change and was being very cooperative to make up for the deception of Saturday.  He also was hoping that if he could get busy doing something and get his father involved in some ranch business, then perhaps Pa would forget about that haircut.  He didn’t see why his father insisted on his keeping his hair cut so short.  He liked it when it was longer and the girls really liked it when it curled down over his collar.  Jennifer had said that was one of the first things she noticed about him, even when they were little and they had just moved here.  She said she had always wished she had curly hair like his.

Thinking about Jennifer made Joe think of the dance in town next Saturday.  He couldn’t wait because by then school would be over for him!  He could hardly wait.  All of a sudden he realized that his father was speaking to him.  “Er, sorry Pa, I was just thinking.  What did you say?” he asked. 

 “You must have been thinking deep thoughts, Joe, I called your name three times.” Ben said, with a smile.  “I said why don’t you hurry up and let’s go on into Virginia City for that haircut this morning so I can get back to the ranch by lunch time?” Ben repeated. 

 “Oh, Pa, do you really think I need a haircut bad enough to make a special trip to town for?” Joe asked, wishfully. 

 “Yes, son, I sure do.  Now hurry up with your breakfast so we can get started.”

“Pa, you don’t have to go, I will go get a haircut by myself.” Joe said, resignedly. 

 “No, Joseph, I said I was going with you and I am going with you.  That way there will be no excuses and I won’t have to send you back to get it shortened again like I did the last time.” Ben said firmly, though without anger.  He was quite accustomed to the constant tug-of-war over the length of Joe’s hair.  Joe had shied away from haircuts all his life and it didn’t look like it was ever going to change.  I guess when he gets really grown, he will have his hair as long as he wants, but not as long as I maintain some control, he thought to himself.

When they rode into Virginia City, they were surprised to see a crowd of people at the schoolhouse and there were kids playing in the schoolyard, although it was still over an hour until time for school to start.   “Joe, what is going on at the schoolhouse this time of the morning?” Ben asked. 

“Beats me, Pa, I don’t know anything about it.” 

 “Was there some parent-teacher meeting today that you forgot to tell me about?”  Ben asked. 

 “Not that I know of, Pa.” Joe said, truthfully.  “Well we better ride on over there and see what it is about then”

 Ben said.  “Yes, sir, Pa” Joe said with enthusiasm, thinking he might escape that haircut after all.

When they approached the schoolhouse, they dismounted and tied their horses to the shaded hitching posts designed for children to tie their horses to for an all day period.  As they came up the stairs, Miss Woods was standing in the doorway, greeting parents and children.  “Hello, Mr. Cartwright, Little Joe, I am so glad you came.”

 “Miss Woods, I have to confess I didn’t know about this meeting.  What is the purpose?”  Ben said, shaking her hand and smiling at her.  “I fear my son failed to pass on some important information to me” Ben said, glancing at his son, who gave his father a wide-eyed innocent look. 

  “Joseph, did you show your father the paper I handed out at the end of the day on Friday?”

 “What piece of paper?”  Joe said, but just as he got it out of his mouth, he remembered shoving the piece of paper in his books. He reached into his book and pulled it out.  “Oh, do you mean this piece of paper?” he asked sheepishly.

 “Yes, Joe, that piece of paper.  Did you even look at it?”

 “No, Ma’am, the bell rang and I forgot.” Joe said. 

Miss Woods smiled and said, “Well, no matter, since you are here anyway.”  “The purpose of the meeting, Mr. Cartwright, is to announce that the school district has approved our application to become a full secondary education school site, effective next fall.”  “The meeting today is to inform everyone of the new opportunities that will be available for students right here in Virginia City to finish their high school education.”  Miss Woods said, enthusiastically.

Joe felt like someone had just punched him in the middle, knocking the wind out of him.  This was the absolute worst thing that could have happened.  All he could think was if he had gotten that haircut on Saturday, his father wouldn’t have come into town and he wouldn’t have heard about this.  His father and Miss Woods were talking about what wonderful news that was for the residents of Storey County and talking about how they were going to have to build on to the school and hire more teachers, etc.  Joe was silent during this time, hoping it was all a bad dream.  Finally, Miss Woods said, “Well I think the meeting is about ready to begin.  Mr. Canton from the School Board is going to start the meeting, then I will discuss what this means to our currently-enrolled students, like Joseph” she said, looking at Joe and smiling.  Joe didn’t return the smile, as he was still in shock.  His father noticed that he looked less than pleased, but made no comment.

The meeting lasted for about 30 minutes, although Joe didn’t hear much of it.  The only thing he heard was that, effective next Fall, there would now be 11 grades of education available in Virginia City, rather than the current nine.  For Joe that meant he could conceivably have to go to school for another 2 years! He couldn’t have felt any worse if he had just been sentenced to two years in prison.  Adding to his anxiety was the reaction his father had had to the news---as if this was a good thing.  When the meeting was over, it was almost time for school to begin, so he didn’t have a chance to talk to his father about school.  He didn’t want to bring it up until he had time to think about it and strategize the best way to approach it.  Ben knew that it wasn’t good news as far as Joe was concerned, so he said, “Joe, we will talk about this more later, Son.  Come straight home after school.” 

Joe looked at his Pa and said, “Sure, Pa, see you after school” and turned and went back into the schoolhouse, not even noticing the girls who were trying to get his attention.  He realized that his father had forgotten to tell him to get a haircut and ordinarily, that would have been a small victory, but he was so concerned about the school change that he didn’t even care.

CHAPTER 7

When the bell rang, Joe went into the classroom and took his customary seat, next to Molly Carter, one of the prettiest girls in town.  He used to sit in the back of the classroom next to Lance or Pete, but Miss Woods had moved him to the front of the classroom during her second week in Virginia City.  She thought that if he were closer to the front, he would be less likely to let his mind wander.  When she had told him to move to the front of the room, there had almost been a fight between the girls trying to make room for him to sit next to them, and that was when he was only 13 years old.  His charm had increased since then, and so had his popularity.  She had thought that having him in the front row helped somewhat with his attention span.  However, she noticed today that he wasn't paying attention at all.  "Joe, what do you think of what Mary Anne just said?" she asked loudly. 

"I really can't say because I didn't hear what she said." Joe said, disinterestedly.

Miss Woods was taken aback---where did that attitude come from?  "Well, why don't you read pages 30-35 in your history book during recess and then we can hear your opinion of that right after the break" she said, not unkindly.  "The rest of the class may go for the recess now." Miss Woods said, dismissing the class.  Most of the students rushed out of the room, but a few looked at Joe uncertainly.  Lance and Pete were probably the only two who knew what was wrong with Joe and they felt the same way so they wanted to talk to him.  "Lance, Pete, do you need to read your history lesson, too?" Miss Woods asked them.

 "NO, Ma’am" they said and turned and ran out of there quickly.

"Joseph, when you have finished reading your lesson, you may join the rest of the class." Miss Woods said, smiling at him.  She was really surprised when he did not reply nor return the smile.  He sat there and appeared to be reading; though as she watched him, she wasn't sure he was actually reading. 

After about 10 minutes he said, "I have finished. May I go out now?" 

"Yes, Joe if you have read all the lesson and understand it, you may go join the others."  Joe got up and left the classroom.  However he didn't stop at the playground and he didn't join the others.  He went directly to where Cochise was, mounted him, and rode away fast---without looking back.

He rode steadily for several minutes at a very fast gallop.  Cochise loved to run, so he was enjoying this.  Little Joe seemed to let the horse lead the way.  Since he had no destination in mind when he left, it was just as well that Cochise knew where they were going.  After about 20 minutes, he began to realize what he had done.  He had skipped school before and he had been late for school many times, but he had never actually left during school without permission.  He just felt like he had to escape, he had to get away somewhere to think and he couldn't stand to be cooped up in that classroom all day.  As usual when he needed to be alone with his thoughts, he turned towards his special place on a rocky outcropping overlooking the shores of Lake Tahoe, the site where most of the few memories he had of his mother took place, and the site where she was buried.

Joe often wondered what it would be like for his family if his mother had not died.  He had been slightly less than five years old, and Hoss was 13 and Adam was 19 when she died.  Although he loved his Pa and brothers and he knew they loved him, he felt that they didn't always understand him and he thought that his mother would have understood.  And although he loved his father more than anything else on earth, he did sometimes feel kind of sad when he would spend time with his friend's families, where there was a father and a mother.  He always told people that he didn't miss not having a mother since he had never really known what it was like, but that wasn't really true.  Ever since he was a child, when he would spend the night with one of his friends, like Lance or Pete, their mothers would fuss over him to make him feel welcome. He enjoyed it, but it also made him sad because it made him feel the loss of his own mother.  That was the way he was feeling now--overwhelming sadness.

He wasn't sure why the bad news about the school triggered these feelings, but he just couldn't there in that desk in that classroom all day.  As he sat at the lake, watching the ducks and geese flying overhead, and seeing the occasional turtle jumping off a log into the water, and the blue sky with puffy white clouds, and the clear aqua blue water of Lake Tahoe, he let all those bottled up feelings wash over him.  As the intensity of his emotions decreased, a sense of peace and calmness replaced them.&nbs