You Gotta Have Heart

by Judy

Chapter 1

Hop Sing watched from the kitchen window as the Cartwright sons rode into the ranch yard. Little Joe was first, at least 50 yards ahead of Adam and Hoss.  Just for an instant, Hop Sing saw Marie Cartwright instead of Little Joe, her son.  Hop Sing had been standing right there in that same spot that awful day when Marie had come riding into the yard on a horse that was a bit too wild; and despite her excellent riding skills, she had been unable to control the horse.  The horse fell on top of her and she died instantly.  From that day forward, Hop Sing had done everything in his power to make up for the loss of Little Joe’s mother.  He was moved out of his reverie by the sound of the boys coming into the house, talking, laughing, and as usual, slamming the door.

Hop Sing smiled, then walked quickly out of the kitchen, and putting a mad expression on his face, started talking to the boys in rapid Chinese, ostensibly scolding them for their entrance.

Hoss and Adam looked sheepish and attempted to apologize; Joe, however, who had actually understood most of what Hop Sing had said, replied to him in half-Chinese, half-English, and all nonsense.   Hop Sing said “Hummph” or something like that and turned to go back to the kitchen, still muttering, the smile returning to his face the moment he turned his back.

  **********

The next day Hop Sing had to go into town to get supplies for the ranch.  Little Joe rode along side the wagon on Cochise. Hop Sing had been with the Cartwrights since before Joe was born, and was considered part of the family; yet his Chinese culture did not allow him to act informally with his employers.  It was different with Little Joe, since Hop Sing had taken over the primary responsibility for childcare for Joe after Marie was killed.  Hop Sing talked more to Joe than to any of the other Cartwrights.  Joe confided in Hop Sing and Hop Sing confided in Joe

in return.  Hop Sing had told Joe that he was having a problem with some troublemakers in Virginia City and Joe was going along to make sure that he wasn’t bothered this morning.  He also planned to pay a visit to the sheriff to tell him about the troublemakers.  When they got to town, Hop Sing first had to visit his multitude of cousins in the Chinese section of town.  Joe told him he had some errands to run and he would come back to Chinatown in one hour to accompany Hop Sing to the general store to get the other supplies.  

When Joe left Hop Sing he went directly to Sheriff Coffee’s office and/or jail.  Sheriff Coffee was sitting behind his desk, looking at wanted posters when Joe opened the door.   “Come in Little Joe.  Where have you been lately?  No one has busted up the saloon in almost 2 weeks.

How long has it been since you were in town?” Sheriff Coffee asked with that twinkle in his eye and a poorly-concealed grin on his face.  “Hello, Roy.  You wouldn’t be implying that my absence from town and the absence of fights are somehow connected, would you?”  Joe asked with no attempt to conceal his smile.  “Well, Little Joe, just how long has it been since you were in town, boy?” the Sheriff persisted.  “Just about two weeks” said Little Joe playfully.  “But that is purely circumstantial”.  Joe said.  “Yeah, Joe the circumstance is that you just seem to invite trouble.”  

“Now, Roy, that’s not fair----” Joe started.  Then he looked at Roy and said, “I guess you are right, Roy.  But at least you can’t say I am good-for-nothing.  After all, I keep you employed!”  Then they both laughed.

  “Well what brings you to the Sheriff’s office, Little Joe?”  Did you just decide to turn yourself in before you start a fight?”  Sheriff Coffee asked. 

Joe’s expression changed from one of merriment to one of seriousness.   “Roy, someone is picking on Hop Sing and the other Chinese citizens of Virginia City.  It is that gang from the mines.  I had to come into town with him to make sure they don’t mess with him.  Last week they pulled him off the wagon and scattered the contents all over Virginia City.”  Joe said.  

“Yes, Joe, I heard about that.” Roy said.  “Well what did you do about it?” Joe asked loudly.  

“Well, Little Joe, I talked to everybody anywhere near there and no one would admit to seeing the incident..”  Roy answered, trying to calm Little Joe down.    “Roy, you know Hop Sing wouldn’t lie.”  Joe replied, his voice getting louder and his eyes getting that dangerous look in them. 

“Yes, Joe, I know Hop Sing wouldn’t lie, but with no one to support Hop Sing’s claim, it comes down to Hop Sing’s word against the miners.  You know that wouldn’t fly in Virginia City right now.” Roy said, somewhat defensively.  

By this time, Joe was really angry, not only did he have a personal relationship with Hop Sing and many of the Chinese citizens, he also hated injustice of any kind.  “So that’s it?---you are just going to let them get away with it?” Joe asked incredulously, his voice hard and angry.  

“Joe, I have assigned a deputy to make regular rounds there and I encouraged the merchants to come forward, and I warned the miners to let up.  That is all I can do for now.”  Roy had gotten up from his seat by this time and was standing directly in front of Little Joe, staring directly into his eyes.  “And I don’t want you going off half-cocked and trying to do my job for me either, Little Joe.  And I don’t want to have a gunfight to figure out either.   You hear?”  Joe didn’t reply and Roy repeated firmly, “Little Joe, do you hear me?” 

Joe looked up at Roy, smiled briefly, and said “I hear you, Roy.  I had better get back to Chinatown before Hop Sing tries to come over to the mercantile on his own.  I will see you later.  Sorry for losing my temper.” 

 “Joe, I know how you feel about Hop Sing and I will try to get to the bottom of this, but I have to be careful how I do it.”  Roy said, relieved that Joe had calmed down.

Joe had HEARD Roy, but that didn’t mean he agreed to anything.  He had come up with a plan while listening to Sheriff Coffee, but he needed someone to help him carry it out.  He walked directly to his friend Pete’s house.  Pete lived in town.  Joe wished that Lance was in town to help him, but he lived too far away to get his help and he needed help right now.  Luckily, Pete was home, outside chopping wood when Joe rode up on Cochise.   “Hey, Little Joe.  How are ya?” Pete asked, waving at Joe.  “HI, Pete, I need your help with something.  Can you get away for about 30 minutes?”  Joe asked.  

“Sure, Little Joe, what do you want me to do?  Do you need some more of my help with the girls?” Pete asked with a chuckle.  Joe wasn’t likely to need his help with girls--they both knew it was the other way around.  “Come on and ride with me over to Chinatown and I will tell you on the way.”  Joe said.

  **********

Joe and Pete rode up to where Joe had agreed to meet Hop Sing.  Hop Sing came out of the small Chinese store when he saw Little Joe.  Pete said to Joe, “Joe are you sure you want to do this? You know it will take at least 15 minutes for me to get the sheriff and get back here.”  “You just go get him when I give you the signal and I will take care of the rest.”  Joe said with a determined look.  Pete knew it was pointless to argue, so he just said “All right, it is your funeral.”    Joe told Hop Sing to ride on ahead in the wagon and he would follow right behind him on Cochise.  Hop Sing nodded and started the wagon toward the mercantile.  What Hop Sing didn’t realize is that although Joe was behind him, he was not right behind him.  In fact he asked Hop Ling to tie Cochise, and followed the wagon on foot, staying concealed in the shadow of the buildings.

Just as he hoped, when Hop Sing turned the corner on C Street, the group of out-of-work miners were hanging around, looking for trouble.  As soon as they noticed Hop Sing, one of them stood up.  Joe turned to Pete, who was actually following Hop Sing and signaled for him to go get the Sheriff.  One of the miners, a big burly man with a much-scarred face said to Hop Sing, “Did n’t we tell you last week to stay out of Virginia City?  I guess we will have to make sure you understand that you aren’t welcome here.”  When Hop Sing saw that the miners were coming toward him, he looked behind him, expecting to see Little Joe on Cochise with his gun.   Instead, for a minute he just caught a glimpse of Pete riding away at a gallop.  He was confused and scared, because by this time the miners were closing in on him, taunting him.   Just as they were about to approach the wagon, Joe stepped out of the shadows and said, “Hey why don’t you just go on about your business and stay out of trouble?  Hop Sing, you go on to the mercantile and wait for me there.”  Joe said.  “Little Joe, Hop Sing not go without you.  You come now too.” Hop Sing replied. 

The miners were clearly confused as to who to take on first.  Joe looked at Hop Sing and imitated his father’s “look” and said, “Hop Sing, go to the Mercantile and wait for me.  GO NOW, HOP SING.”  Hop Sing nodded and urged the horses to move forward, but he was looking back toward Little Joe with tears in his eyes.  He knew Joe didn’t have a chance against all the miners.  He decided to ride to the jail and get the Sheriff, so he pushed the horses to run.

Joe was stalling for time, hoping that Pete and the Sheriff would get there before the fight got started.  Since Roy had told him he didn’t want a gunfight, that left a fistfight.  And he figured he could take one or two of the miners, but there were 5 of ‘em.  “Oh, well”, he thought, “If I go down, I will take as many of them with me as I can.”   Joe kept backing up, talking to the miners, trying to talk to them, stalling for time.  When the biggest one stopped right in front of him, squinted his eyes and grinned at the other miners, Joe knew he had run out of time.  Thinking surprise might help, he quickly punched the miner.  When his first punch hardly phased the miner, Joe thought to himself, “Uh-oh I may live to regret this---if I am lucky, that is.”  He was right.  Despite getting in a few good punches and making some good defensive moves, he was no match for the miners and was well on his way to getting beaten to a pulp, when Sheriff Coffee, Clem, and Pete came running down the street.  Sheriff Coffee fired a gun to get the miner’s attention.  Pete and Clem went to help Joe up.  Clem took one look at Little Joe, shook his head, and told Pete to go tell the Doc they would be bringing Joe by.  Joe protested, “I am fine, just help me up.” 

“Go Pete,” said Clem, ignoring Joe’s request.

When Joe got his breath, he looked at Roy, who was still holding a gun on the miners, and said “Sheriff Coffee I was a witness to these men harassing Hop Sing.  That one there, in the red shirt admitted the incident last week.  And he started the fight when I told him to leave Hop Sing alone.  I will testify to that in court if I need to.”  

Sheriff Coffee looked at Joe and said, “Well it looks like we can add assault and battery to the charge, too.”  

“Will that be enough evidence, Roy?”  Joe asked. 

“Yes, Joe that will be enough to get them some serious jail time, considering that they all have prior little incidents on their records.”  “And I don’t imagine anyone else is going to get any ideas about taking up where they left off, when they see what happened to these men.” 

Hop Sing came up in the wagon about this time and quickly jumped down and started to see about Joe’s injuries.  “You need go see Doctor Martin, Little Joe.  Hop Sing take you in wagon.” He said to Joe.  “Little Joe take big risk.  Mr. Cartlight be mad when he find out what you do.” 

“Now Hop Sing, all I did was intervene when a bunch of ruffians tried to jump you, he would have done the same thing.”  Hop Sing was helping Joe into the wagon and fussing in Chinese.  Joe talked right back to him, making light of the situation.

Hop Sing drove the wagon to Doctor Martin’s office, who came to the door when they pulled up in the wagon.  “Well, Little Joe what did you do to yourself this time?” He said, although Pete had already told him what had happened.  Doctor Martin helped Joe down and led him into his office.  Pete took Hop Sing’s list and went to the mercantile to get the supplies loaded onto the wagon, since he knew Hop Sing would want to wait there for Little Joe.  Hop Sing sat quietly in the Doctor’s waiting room, thinking about what Little Joe had done.  Pete came back in about 30 minutes, the wagon loaded and ready to go; he had also collected Cochise from Hop Ling.  He sat down next to Hop Sing to wait for Little Joe.

Shortly, Little Joe came out, followed by Doctor Martin.  “Hop Sing, will you see that this young man goes home and to bed?  He has some cracked ribs and is going to have lots of bruises and swelling, but with a few days rest, he will be okay.  But he needs to rest for a few days til his ribs heal some.  I taped his chest and I will come by in a couple of days to check on him.  Keep him in bed 'til then.”  He then looked at Joe and said “That was a foolish thing to do Joseph, but you did it for the right reason, I guess.”  He then patted him on the shoulder, smiled and said, “All right Hop Sing, get him on home.”   

“Thanks, Doc”, Joe said.  Joe looked at Hop Sing and Pete and said, “Well what’s everybody staring at?  Let’s get a move on.”  And he strode jauntily out the door, ignoring the pain in his side, his face, and his head.  He thought a few lumps and bumps was a small price to pay to stop those miners from harassing the Chinese citizens of Virginia City.

Chapter 2

Paul Martin was the only physician in Virginia City and he had patients for at least a 50 mile radius from Virginia City.  Dr. Martin had studied medicine at Johns Hopkins University and had done a special residency at Harvard University dealing with “frontier” medicine.  He had also studied for a year in England at Cambridge University.  He was probably one of the best prepared physicians in the country.  He was certainly the best small town doctor in the west.  Dr. Martin worked hard to maintain his knowledge by reading medical journals and textbooks and whenever possible, attending medical education conferences.   All this preparation was beneficial to his patients, due to the illnesses and injuries that made up a medical practice in the West and the lack of nearby medical facilities and additional medical resources.

Dr. Martin was getting ready to attend a week-long medical conference at Harvard University on medical and surgical emergencies, with a second week off for a trip to the shore.  He had arranged for a physician from Johns Hopkins to cover his patients while he was gone.  Dr. Adams had come to Virginia City two weeks in advance so that he would be able to work with Dr. Martin to get familiar with his patients and the territory.  Dr. Adams had accompanied Dr. Martin on his rounds and had worked with him in his office seeing patients.

During times when they were not busy, Dr. Martin would review medical histories of his other patients.  When they got to the “C”s, they came to the Cartwrights.  Ben, Adam, and Hoss Cartwright had average-sized medical records, with a few major injuries such as broken bones and gunshot wounds, but mostly minor illnesses or injuries.  Dr. Adams looked surprised when he reached into the filing cabinet and took out Joseph Cartwright’s medical record.  “Wow, this one must either have a serious chronic condition or be very old with the size of this medical record.” Dr. Adams said.  

Dr. Martin smiled, “No, that is the youngest of the Cartwright’s--he is only 17 years old and is generally quite healthy.”  

“Well why does he have such a large medical record?”  Dr. Adams asked incredulously.

 “I guess you could say he is accident-prone” Dr. Martin said. “I should probably give you a complete history and tell you what to expect if you have to treat him, since with my leaving for two weeks, there is a good chance you could be called to the Ponderosa.” Dr. Martin said, motioning Dr. Adams to sit in the chair next to his desk.

 "Joseph Cartwright, or Little Joe, as he is called by most people around here, is the youngest son of Ben Cartwright, owner of the Ponderosa, the largest ranch in Nevada.  

Dr. Adams interrupted, "Why do they call him Little Joe?"

 That's a nickname that they started using when he was just a baby because he was so tiny, and it just stuck.  He doesn't seem to mind the nickname now that he has filled out a little bit, but he sure hates being reminded of how young he is.  I usually try to avoid calling him Little Joe and call him Joe." Dr. Martin replied.

"To continue, Joe’s mother died when he was about five.  Joe was a small child with a finicky appetite and a tendency to take risks.  The first time I was called to see him for an injury, he had tried to ride a horse that was way too big for him to handle and had fallen off.  Luckily, his brother Hoss was nearby and got to him before he got trampled.  That was when he was 6 and that has been a frequent pattern through the years.  Joe is very lively and has a wonderful sense of humor, but he is impulsive and stubborn, as well.  He had more than his share of childhood injuries---broken arms, legs, cuts, bruises, broken or cracked ribs, etc., primarily due to his impulsiveness and temper getting him into trouble. “  

“As he got older, the type of injuries changed and became more serious.  Unfortunately his temper, stubbornness, and strong belief in what is right, gets him into fights that his size just can’t handle.  He has also had several injuries that were just bad luck or were beyond his control, such as gunshot wounds.  He has always had remarkable recuperative powers, though.  An injury that would keep most people down for a month, hardly phases him.  After the initial illness or injury, the biggest challenge becomes keeping him in bed.”

"Despite his age, he is one of the bravest men in Virginia City.  For example, through some unusual circumstances, Joe was hosting a picnic for the school children and their families, the miners of the Ponderosa Bristle Cone mine, and the Ponderosa ranch hands out at the lake.  One of the children, somehow managed to wander off into an abandoned mine and fell into a narrow vent hole.  Little Joe insisted that he be the person to be lowered into the vent hole to rescue the little girl.  He made it down, tied the rope around the little girl, sent her up, and waited alone, in the dark for us to send the rope down to him.  While he waited there was a minor cave-in---I thought we weren't going to be able to get him up.  Fortunately we did, and the girl's father gave him an award for bravery."

"Well someone had to go down the hole and it was his ranch, wasn't it?"  Dr. Adams asked.  

"Yes, it was his ranch and someone had to do it, but he was only 15 at the time and has an almost-phobic fear of the dark, stemming back to a time when he was kidnapped and held in a dark and cold deserted mine.  There were dozens of able-bodied miners and ranch hands, and not one of them volunteered to go down that narrow, dark hole.  What young Joe Cartwright did was braver than anything I have ever seen." Doctor Martin replied.

"And that is just one incident involving Joe, I could tell you dozens more, but it is just as well that you find out for yourself.  If you have an occasion to meet him, I am sure you will come to understand why Joe Cartwright is one of Virginia City's real 'favorite sons', and why I am especially fond of him."  Dr. Martin told Doctor Adams.  "Just be sure to keep an eye on him if you have to treat him for anything---he is a terrible patient who never follows orders."  Dr. Martin said, laughing.

Chapter 3

Ben Cartwright rode alone to the small glen tucked into the mountainside, overlooking Lake Tahoe.  He came here to think, to grieve, to seek solace from the sadness that sometimes overwhelmed him.  To casual observers, Ben Cartwright was a man of quiet strength and determination, not prone to melancholy or sentimentality.  They were wrong.  Ben Cartwright was a man of quiet strength and determination; however, he also carried the burden of a life of grief, sadness, and tragedy.  Ben Cartwright had married three times, tragically losing each wife in a relatively short period of time.  He had been blessed by the gift of a son from each of these marriages and he loved his sons dearly; yet, he was sometimes almost overcome with the feeling of loss of what might have been.

  For long periods of time, he would go about his daily routine, running the Ponderosa, raising his sons, and enjoying his life.  Periodically, however, he would be overcome with longing for the women of his life.  The events that triggered these periods of depression were varied, ranging from a glance at a photograph, a comment by someone in conversation, or something involving one of his sons.  Whatever the trigger, Ben would find himself here, at Marie’s grave overlooking Lake Tahoe.  Here, he would let his thoughts wander and allow himself, for just a little bit, to give in to the sorrow and pain.

Today’s visit had been prompted by a combination of things, not by a single event.  Spring on the Ponderosa was a time of regeneration, renewal, and re-growth; the grass was turning green, the streams and creeks were running full of clear water, birds were nesting, and the cattle and horses were giving birth.  Spring was a time of hope and opportunity and he couldn’t help thinking what it would have been like if his last wife, Marie, Joe’s mother, had not died.  Ben had loved each of his wives and still felt a sense of loss for each of them.  Although he didn’t verbalize it, he sometimes considered the irony of the circumstances of his life.  As much as he had hated to lose first Elizabeth, then Inger, he knew that his life wouldn’t be complete if he had not married Marie, who had given him his third son, Joseph.  So when he grieved for his wives, it was Marie that he imagined still alive and what their life would be like if she had not died.

She had been vivacious, lovely, mischievous, and warm; yet, she had a fiery temper and was strong and stubborn. Ben allowed himself to stay at the gravesite for two hours, talking to Marie about their unrealized dreams.  After two hours though, apparently Marie had had enough of his feeling sorry for himself, for his thoughts seemed to turn toward the good things that had occurred in his life.  

Each of his wives had given birth to a son and Ben was extremely proud of his sons.  Adam, the oldest, son of his first wife, Elizabeth, was Ben’s right-hand man on the Ponderosa.  Elizabeth had died in childbirth in Boston.  After her death, Ben had taken his infant son and headed west with the idea of staking a claim in the west and starting a new life, away from the sea.  His second wife, Inger, had given birth to Erik Haas, known by all as “Hoss”, due partly to the name Haas, but more than that by his size and strength.  Inger had been killed by an Indian attack on the wagon train they were part of on the way West, several years later.  Ben had then taken his two young sons as far west as Nevada, and there he settled down and started building a ranch, now known as the Ponderosa.  He met Marie on a trip to New Orleans and fell passionately in love with her.  She had returned to the Ponderosa with him and shortly thereafter, their son, Joseph was born.  Joseph was a tiny baby, especially compared to his brother Hoss, and they started calling him “Little Joe”.  This nickname had stuck with him, though the derivation of the name was not discussed unless they wanted to fight.

  After his visit to the lake, Ben forced himself to turn his thoughts back to the running of the Ponderosa.  The Ponderosa was the largest ranch in Nevada, with 500,000 acres, cattle, mining, and timber interests.  Ben and his sons ran the Ponderosa with the help of a large crew of hired hands.  Although the ranch was very prosperous, it required a great deal of time, sweat, and effort.

Springtime was one of the busiest times of the year on the Ponderosa and Ben and his sons were busy, not only with their own tasks, but also keeping the ranch crews busy and on target.  Ben just could not afford himself the luxury of giving in to his despair.  He had too much work to do.

He couldn’t discuss his feelings with anyone either, he kept them hidden, or so he thought.  The people who worked for him knew something was bothering him, because he would become hard to please and short-tempered.  They usually just tried to stay out of his way until the bad disposition passed.

  For the most part his two oldest sons, Adam and Hoss, tried to do the same thing---stay out of his way and not do anything to rile him until he was over whatever was bothering him.  Joseph, however, was different.  Joe could always sense the reason for his father’s periodic black moods. Somehow he knew that leaving Ben alone and avoiding him during this period was the absolute worst thing he could do.  So while Adam and Hoss walked around on egg shells, avoiding their father and doing everything they could to stay out of their father’s scrutiny, Little Joe seemed to do everything possible to demand his attention.

That evening, Ben, Adam, and Hoss had already started having dinner when Little Joe came in, late as usual.  Adam and Hoss shared a look of dismay and “glad it’s him and not me” when Joe came in.  Ben said, loudly, with obvious irritation, “Joseph, is it too much to ask for you to be on time for a meal just once in my lifetime?”   The sarcasm was not lost on Adam and Hoss, who busied themselves with their own meals, not looking up at Joe or Ben.  Joe, however, looked at his father, smiled, and said “Why heck no, Pa, but could you give me a little advance notice on when you are planning to die so that I could make sure and do that?  No sense in doing it now if you only want me to promise to do it once in your lifetime.  You aren’t sick are you, Pa?”  Adam and Hoss couldn’t believe their ears.  Adam stared at Little Joe with disbelief.  Hoss tried to get Joe’s attention to warn him to be careful.  Joe, seeing Hoss’ look, winked at him and said, “Hey, Pa, did you hear about that new saloon in town?  It is called the Sassarack and they have a piano player and entertainment every night and they have one of those fancy roulette wheels.”   

Ben started to answer his son shortly, asking him how he managed to stay on top of all the latest developments in the entertainment in Virginia City; however, when he looked at his son and saw the enthusiasm in his face, the glint in his hazel green eyes, and noted the excitement in his voice, he found it was impossible not to catch a little of the enthusiasm.

  He answered, “No, Joe, I wasn’t aware of that”, in a much milder tone than he intended to.  Joe proceeded to tell his father and brothers all about the wonders of the new saloon.  It occurred to Adam and Hoss that Joe was really going to get it now, since Joe wasn’t supposed to have been to Virginia City for the past two weeks as punishment for taking on that bunch of miners who had been bothering Hop Sing on his own.  He would have been in more trouble, but Sheriff Coffee said his actions had helped stop the harassment for all Chinese citizens, which was becoming a real problem.  Ben had been angry that Joe had tried to tackle it on his own, rather than appeal to his family for help.  However, Ben didn’t seem to think of that and his mood continued to improve as Joe regaled them with the delights of the new saloon.  

Finally, Ben said, “Well Virginia City may just never be the same again, son, with such a high caliber establishment.”

“Well, Pa, why don’t we ride into Virginia City after supper so you can see it for yourself?” Joe said, his hazel eyes dancing with excitement.

Adam and Hoss exchanged glances, expecting their father to hit the roof at Joe’s impertinence. Although they knew that Joe often got away with a lot more with their father than either of them could, this was clearly too much.  They were sure their father would never let him get away with that.  Their looks turned to outright disbelief when Ben replied, “All right, Son, a night in town might do us all good.”  In return, Joe beamed at his father and then turned and grinned at his brothers.

During the remainder of the meal, Joe kept up a lively conversation with their father, talking about happenings on the ranch, telling about his latest romance, describing the newest tricks he had taught Cochise, telling about the practical jokes he had pulled on his friends, and other assorted light-hearted topics.  By the end of the meal, Ben was joking, laughing, and teasing his youngest son, with no sign of his former bad mood.  Hoss and Adam were hardly able to participate in the conversation, due to their awe at the change in their father’s mood.

As they rode into town that night, Ben and Joe rode in front and due to Joe’s eagerness to get into Virginia City, they were beyond hearing distance from Adam and Hoss, who followed them. Hoss and Adam discussed what had happened at dinner.  “You know, Adam, I don’t know why we were so surprised.  Joe has been doing that his whole life, even when he was a little tyke.”

Hoss said.  “Yes, but what gets me, is how does he know when to do that and when not to do it.”

Adam said.   “It is like he has some sixth sense about the cause of Pa’s bad moods and knows when he needs to keep a low profile and when to do....whatever it was he did tonight!” Adam said, incredulously. 

“Yeah, Adam, just what was what Joe did at supper?” Hoss asked, looking at his brother. 

“Hoss, do you remember that book I loaned you about India?  Do you remember that picture of the snake charmer?”

“Yeah, Adam.  Why?” Hoss said.  

“Well, Hoss, the way I figure it, Little Joe is a snake charmer, and Pa was the snake tonight.”  Adam said, laughing.

“Yeah, Adam, I guess you are right, but Pa ain't the ONLY snake Joe can charm, is he?” Hoss said, also laughing.  

About this time, they caught up with Joe and Ben who had stopped their horses and waited for them to catch up with them on the outskirts of Virginia City.  “What’s so funny, older brothers?”

Joe asked, smiling at his brothers.  “Oh, nothing, Little Joe.  Joe, have you ever read that book of Adam’s about India?” Hoss asked.  Joe gave him a confused look, but didn’t answer as they were then riding into Virginia City. 

“This way, Pa,” Joe said, excitedly, leading the way to the Sassarack.  

The four Cartwrights rode into Virginia City about 6 o'clock and after stabling their horses, headed straight for the Sassarack Saloon.  Adam and Hoss were eager to see the delights of the new saloon, since they, unlike their little brother, had not seen the Sassarack before.  As they turned the corner to go to the Sassarack, they ran into Sheriff Roy Coffee.

Roy said, "Well what are the Cartwrights doing in Virginia City tonight?"

"Roy, my young son, seemed to think we needed some entertainment that could only be found in the Sassarack Saloon, and you know how persuasive he can be.  So here we are," Ben replied with a smile and a firm handshake.

"Well after you wet your whistle, why don't you come on over and let me beat you a few games of checkers?" Roy asked.

"All right, Roy, I will just do that.  But I should warn you, I have been taking lessons from Little Joe.  I might just beat you one of these days. I will be there in about 30 minutes, you get the board set up."

Ben Cartwright wasn't really all that interested in the saloon, but was glad of the chance to spend time with his sons having fun.  Ben loved watching the three of them interact, Adam so serious, Hoss so friendly and naive, and Joe---so--.... Ben couldn't think of just 1 or 2 words to describe his youngest son.  He was certainly in a high state of enthusiasm and full of energy.  Although Ben had figured out that Joe had sneaked into Virginia City without permission, yet another time, he wasn't planning to make an issue of it.  Although he didn't consciously think about it, he knew that Little Joe's actions earlier that evening had been responsible for his change of mood.  

After they had been there for about 30 minutes, Ben decided to go on over to the jail for that game of  checkers.  He moved over to where Hoss and Adam were watching Joe play a game of poker.  He noted that Joe had a winning hand, and smiled and shook his head.  He really secretly wished that Joe would lose at poker---so he wouldn't love to play so much.

"Boys, I am going over to talk to Roy Coffee and see if I can beat him one game.  Joe, I sure wish I had some of your checker-playing luck.  I'll come back over here about 10 o'clock for another beer with you before we head on home.  You boys have a good time and stay out of trouble." He said, looking directly at Joe with the final admonition.

Hoss and Adam responded in the affirmative, but Little Joe, absorbed in his poker game, didn't reply.

"Joseph, did you hear me?"  Ben asked with a determined look on his face.

Just then, Joe said, "I call you" and his opponent turned over his cards.  Joe turned over his cards, a straight flush, easily beating the man's pairs.  Joe raked in the considerable amount of money from the middle of the table.

"Joseph?"

"Sorry, Pa, you go on and see Sheriff Coffee, I will keep Adam and Hoss out of trouble while you are gone.  Don't worry about a thing," Joe said, with a grin on his face.

"You just see to it that you stay out of trouble, young man."  Ben replied, with a hint of a smile on his face.  As he turned his back to leave, his face broke out into a huge smile and he winked at Hoss and Adam, who returned his smile.   Once again, Little Joe had charmed the "snake".

Chapter 4

When Roy Coffee had finished making his evening rounds, he went back to the jail and put on a fresh pot of coffee to brew and set up the checker board.  He had spent many an hour playing checkers with both Ben Cartwright, whom he almost always beat, and with Little Joe Cartwright, whom he rarely beat.  His games with Little Joe had become infrequent, however, since Joe had discovered that he actually liked the girls who had been after him for several years.   He hoped that he hadn't completely given up playing checkers, since Joe gave him a much better game than did his father.  After getting the game set up, he sat down and started trying to map out his strategy.  As he was doing this he remembered one of the last times he had played checkers with Little Joe Cartwright.

  **********

He and Joe were playing their 3rd game of checkers, and as usual, Little Joe was winning.   Roy made one very cautious move, for which he had studied the board for a good 10 minutes.  Joe watched Roy move the checker, and as soon as Roy's hand was off the checker, he quickly jumped his black checker over that red checker and every remaining red checker.   "Game!" Joe exclaimed.  

"Well, Little Joe, one of these days I am going to either beat you or figure out how you are cheating me."  Roy laughed.

"Now Sheriff Coffee, I am surprised at you.  Just because you can't win at checkers, you can't accuse me of cheatin'", Little Joe laughed.

"No, but only out of respect for your Pa's friendship do I put up with you,"  Roy teased Joe.

Joe's face took a little bit more serious expression and he said, "You and my Pa have been friends for a long time, haven't you, Sheriff Coffee?"

"Yes, Little Joe, your Pa and I have been friends since you were 6 years old," Roy responded.

Joe looked a little puzzled, "How did you know how old I was when you met?"

"Because you were the reason we met in the first place, Little Joe,"  Sheriff Coffee answered.

Joe was about to ask the Sheriff to explain when the door to the jailhouse opened and Adam and Hoss Cartwright walked in, with serious expressions on their faces.  They looked surprised to see Little Joe sitting there, playing checkers with Roy.

"Clem told us to get over to the jail right away, said there had been a fight and you brought Little Joe to the jail,"  Adam said, looking sternly at Little Joe.

"What's goin' on here, Roy?" asked Hoss, looking at both Roy and then Joe.  He noticed a bruise on Joe's left cheek.

 "Joe have you been fightin' again?" Hoss asked.

  "Hello, big brothers," said Joe.  "Don't get so excited, I am okay."

"Frankly we are more concerned with what Pa is going to think if you are in trouble again," Adam replied sarcastically.

"Why, Adam, I am shocked that you are more worried about yourself getting into trouble with Pa than with my welfare". Joe said.

He knew that his father had warned both Hoss and Adam to keep an eye on him all the time and keep him out of trouble.  However, they had gotten occupied, Adam had gone upstairs with a girl at the Bucket of Blood and Hoss had gotten involved in an arm-wrestling contest.  He had gotten bored and gone to the Sassarack.  He had been minding his own business and having a beer with a girl, when her former boyfriend came and started a fight.  Roy had just come in and stopped the fight before Joe had gotten too badly beaten up.  He had arrested the other man and brought Joe over to the jail with him to keep him out of trouble and sent Clem for Adam and Hoss.

Although Joe had not told Sheriff Coffee of his father's charge to his brothers to "keep an eye on him", Sheriff Coffee knew that he would have.  He said, "Boys, I suggest you take your younger brother here on home to the Ponderosa, and the next time your Pa tells you to keep an eye on him, you better do it.  Is that understood, or do I need to tell your Pa what you two were up to while Little Joe got into trouble?"  Roy asked with a stern expression on his face, but with a twinkle in his eyes.  

Shortly after the Cartwright brothers had departed, Roy leaned back in his chair and half-awake and half-dozing, he started thinking about when he first came to know the Cartwrights.  He had been Sheriff for Virginia City for one month then.  He was still trying to get to know all the residents of Virginia City.  He was satisfied so far with the job, and he and his daughter Nancy had settled into a comfortable routine.  He had been able to hire a very good housekeeper to care for the house and to watch over Nancy when he was at work.  He was sure that leaving his former job and town had been the right thing to do for himself and for Nancy, after his wife’s death, there were just too many memories there.  He wanted to start fresh and build new memories for Nancy.  The job in Virginia City seemed like just the right opportunity for him.  The town was growing rapidly and needed a full-time Sheriff to keep the peace.  Roy was confident that he would be able to use his common sense and knowledge of the law to do that.  However, he also was pretty handy with a gun, if need be.

He had just come to his office in the jailhouse that morning, after having breakfast with Nancy.  He was busy shifting through papers on his desk, organizing his thoughts, and getting his day started, when the door opened.  A man and a young boy entered the office.  The man introduced himself as John Cooper.  He told the Sheriff that late last night, this little boy had somehow found his way to their cabin.  Since it was so late and the boy looked so tired and sleepy, his wife had simply put him to bed.   We're new here and don't know the neighbors yet, so we decided to bring him to Virginia City to see if anyone could identify him.  As the Sheriff listened to the story, his eyebrows raised and he turned to watch the little boy.  The child looked to be no more than 4 or 5, he had dark brown, curly hair, hazel eyes, and was slight in build.  The Sheriff noted though that his clothes appeared to be well-made and he had on expensive boots.

Questions began to enter his mind at a rapid pace.  Who was the boy?  What was he doing out late last night?  Why was he alone?  Why hadn’t anyone been looking for him?   He also noted that the boy didn’t appear to be frightened, but instead, was looking all around the jail, looking at the wanted posters on the wall, and scanning the jail cells.  He was surprised that a lost little boy didn’t seem to be afraid at all.

“Son, my name is Sheriff Coffee.   Can you tell me your name?”

 “Sure.  My name is Joe Cartwright,”  Little Joe answered with confidence and no hesitation.  As he said his name, he held out his right hand to shake the Sheriff’s hand, giving him a confident smile.  Roy, somewhat astonished, shook Joe’s hands.

“That is what he told me and my wife too, and he kept saying something about pine trees, but we didn’t know what he meant,” Mr. Cooper added.

Roy was thinking, “Cartwright” that is a name I have heard since moving here. Somebody who owns a big ranch, wasn’t it?”

“Well it is a pleasure to meet you, Joe Cartwright.  Now can you tell us where you live?”  Roy asked quietly.

“I live on the Ponderosa Ranch---the Pinetree brand,”  Joe answered.

“Well, Joe where are your mother and father?” Sheriff Coffee asked.

  As he asked this question, Roy noted a momentary look of sadness or grief cross the little boy’s face, then he seemed to catch himself and his face took on a stubborn look.  

He said,  "I live on the Ponderosa Ranch with my Pa, Ben Cartwright and my brothers, Hoss and Adam.”

Roy noticed Joe’s omission of mention of a mother and decided not to press that issue. Instead, he asked, “Joe, how did you come to be alone?  Where's your family now?”

“My pony couldn’t keep up with my brothers and I got lost.  My Pa will come get me though, when they finish eating breakfast,”  Joe replied simply.   The image of the other Cartwright’s that the Sheriff was forming was not altogether pleasant at that time.  How could they have let a boy this young fall behind and get lost, without even looking for him?  The little boy must be used to being left behind from the calm way he's takin' it, he thought to himself.  I think I'll just go have a talk with the Cartwright family, he decided.  

“Well Mr. Cooper, thank you for bringing the boy in, you did the right thing.  I'll see that he gets home and have a talk with a family so careless as to lose such a little young ‘un,”  Roy told Mr. Cooper as he was getting ready to leave. 

Mr. Cooper hesitated, then said, "Sheriff, my wife and I would be proud to take the boy in, if his family don't turn up." 

"Thank you, Mr. Cooper, I will keep that in mind,"  Roy said. 

Joe looked surprised and said, "My Pa will come get me, Sheriff.  Or Hoss or Adam will."

“Joe, you come with me, I need to go by my house for just a minute, then you and I will ride to the Ponderosa together, “  Roy said with a smile at Little Joe.

"Sheriff Coffee, is that the key for the jail?"  Joe asked the Sheriff, pointing to the keys hanging on the wall.

Roy followed where Joe was pointing and said, "Yes, son, why do you ask?"

"Well, if someone was in that cell, they could take that little table and move it right over there by the wall and stand on it and reach the keys."

Roy was smiling at the imagination of the little boy who thought he could tell him how to run a jail, but as he listened to what the child was saying and watched as he pointed, he was shocked to see that the child was absolutely right.  He stared at the child in amazement for a moment, then said, "Well Son, I sure hope I never have to keep you in jail 'cause you are the only person to have ever thought of that."

"Oh, Sheriff, you won't put me in jail, will ya?"  Joe asked with a bright smile.

He was completely taken aback at the warmth of the smile.  Roy felt himself developing a good opinion of this small child.  "I sure hope not, Son, I sure hope not."

"Well if you did, could Hoss come with me?"  Joe asked.

"You want to bring your horse into jail with ya?"  Roy asked with a surprised look.

"No, Hoss is not a horse.  Hoss is my brother, Sheriff."

"Well what kind of a name is that?" Roy asked.

"It's a big brother kind o' name, I guess,"  Joe said as if that was the most foolish question he had ever been asked.

Roy and Joe headed over to the Sheriff’s house.  As they walked down the street, they passed several towns people, Joe smiled and said hello to everyone they met.  Some of them just smiled back and continued on their way, many of them though said “Hello, Little Joe.  Good to see you” and looked curiously around as if looking for someone. Roy noted this response several times.  Finally when it happened for the third time, he asked the woman if she was looking for someone.  “Well, yes, I was looking for Little Joe’s father, Ben Cartwright, or Hoss or Adam, his brothers.  You never see Little Joe without one of them.”   

“Well, this boy was lost all night last night and brought in by a new settler this morning and as far as I know no one has been looking for him!  He was riding with his brothers and they went too fast for his pony to keep up with ‘em and that’s why he got lost in the first place,”  Roy said emphatically.

  “Sheriff Coffee, I guarantee you if that child has been missing all night, Ben Cartwright has every ranch hand on the Ponderosa out looking for him.  You should get him home as soon as possible before Ben worries himself to death.”

“That’s what I am doing, I just have to go get my horse and tell my housekeeper where I am going.”  Roy said.

The woman nodded her head at Roy and looked at Little Joe and said, “Joseph Cartwright, did Adam and Hoss KNOW you were riding behind them?  She asked with a serious tone in her voice. 

Joe looked a little uncomfortable and then replied, “I don't know for sure," he said, with a grin. 

"Joseph, did they know you were behind them?" she repeated. 

"No, Ma'am, but I wanted to go with them to round up the strays.” Joe said, stubbornly.  

“I see, Little Joe, so you were not even supposed to be riding at all, were you?”  The woman asked again.

  “No, Ma'am,”  Joe replied in a somewhat less confident voice.

“Sheriff Coffee, don’t jump to any premature conclusions about Ben Cartwright, or Adam or Hoss for that matter.  I think you will find the situation to be quite different from what you are thinking.”  She smiled at him and said, “I would really encourage you to get Little Joe home as soon as possible, before Ben Cartwright has the U.S. Cavalry out on the Ponderosa looking for him.”  With that, she said, “I have to be going now.  Good day,  Sheriff Coffee.  And with a smile, she reached over and ruffled Little Joe’s hair and said, “Good bye, Little Joe.  Please try to stay out of trouble for a day or two.”  Joe brushed his hands through his hair and frowned slightly after the woman ruffled his hair.  From the looks of it, Roy guessed that curly head of curly hair got ruffled a lot.

Roy was beginning to think he had really better get this little boy home and fast.  He walked into his house, followed by Joe.  His daughter, Nancy was sitting in the parlor, playing with her puppy.  Little Joe’s eyes lit up when he saw the puppy.  He walked over to Nancy and with another of those brilliant smiles,  said, “I’m Joe Cartwright. What’s your name?  Can I see your puppy?  What’s his name?  What kind is he?”

Nancy looked at Little Joe and smiled at him in return and began to answer his questions, one by one: ”I am Nancy Coffee. Yes, you may see my puppy.  His name is Freckles, and he is a hound dog.” 

Roy left Nancy and Joe playing with the puppy while he told the housekeeper where he was going.  When she heard him say that he was going out to the Ponderosa to take home a little boy that got lost, she said, “What has Little Joe been up to now?” and smiled at the Sheriff.  The Sheriff explained the situation and she urged him to hurry, too.   He quickly saddled his horse and then came back to the living room to collect Joe.

 “Come on Joe, I will take you home now,”  Sheriff Coffee said.

“Alright, Sheriff Coffee.  Bye, Nancy, thanks for lettin' me play with Freckles.  Come out to the Ponderosa some time and I'll show you my horses and we can go to the lake and I can show you my secret place.”

“Bye, Joe. Come back to play with me,”  Nancy replied.

Sheriff Coffee put Joe on the front of the saddle and mounted up behind him and headed toward the road leading out of Virginia City.  He realized he didn’t know the directions to the Ponderosa.  He said to Joe, “I forgot to ask someone how to get to the Ponderosa.  I will stop and see if I can find someone who knows.

“I can show you the way to the Ponderosa,”  Joe said confidently.

Roy considered this for a minute and said, “Well I don’t know about that---you got lost!”

Joe laughed and said, “Yes, but that was different--I hadn’t been that way before but I know the road from Virginia City to the Ponderosa.   I have done this a bunch of times.” Roy was convinced that he did know the way to the Ponderosa, so he followed his instructions.  On the way, Joe told him everything about the Ponderosa, his father, his brothers, Hop Sing, and about a million other things.  He kept a steady stream of conversation going.  He also made several jokes and laughed when the Sheriff made jokes.

Joe asked a lot of questions about the Sheriff, Nancy, and the job of Sheriff, too.  Roy was thoroughly enjoying the conversation with this little boy and found himself talking to him as if he were an adult, or he thought, laughing at himself, as if HE were a child, too.  "Son, when you get old enough, you can come and be my deputy."  Roy told Little Joe. 

Joe's face took on a serious expression for a few seconds, as if he were considering the offer, then he said, "How 'bout if I be the Sheriff and you and my Pa and Hoss be my deputies?" 

Roy laughed and said, "Son, I wouldn't be surprised if we weren't all working for you one day."  "But what about your other brother, Adam?"  Roy asked, puzzled that Joe had left him out.  

"Oh, Adam can't be a Sheriff, he always wears black. He will have to be the bad guy."  Joe said matter-of-factly.  {Yes, I know I am taking literary and period license---just go with it!}  That positive feeling that Roy had noted during the initial meeting intensified during that trip to the Ponderosa.  Roy was enthralled with the lively personality and spirits of this child.

Upon arriving at the courtyard of the Ponderosa, Roy noticed about two dozen men and horses, who seemed to be waiting for something.  About that time, the door of the massive ranch house opened, and three men came hurrying out, buckling on gun belts as they came out.  They all strode purposefully and quickly to their horses.  Just as they were about to mount up, the Sheriff and Little Joe came into view.   The three Cartwrights, as well as the men, seemed to be frozen in their tracks for just a few moments.  Then the biggest one let out a whoop and the older one rushed forward.

Roy dismounted and then reached up to help the youngster down.  Just as he got Joe off the horse, the older man, whom Roy realized must be Ben Cartwright, reached them and grabbed Joe in his arms in a huge bear hug.  “Hi, Pa,” said Joe.  Ben hugged the child several times and by this time, the other two had also come over and were smiling at the boy and patting him on the back and ruffling his hair.

After what seemed like an eternity, Joe said loudly, “Pa, you're squeezing me too tight. Let me down!”

Ben reluctantly loosened his embrace, but did not move to put the boy down, he continued to hold him.  His eyes found Roy Coffee’s over Joe’s head.  The tears and relief that Roy Coffee saw in his face and eyes told him that he had been wrong about Ben Cartwright.  Clearly he had been frantic over the loss of the boy.  Before Ben could ask him any questions, Roy introduced himself and told him what had happened, as best he could.

Ben then turned to his young son, and with an assumed sternness that he clearly didn’t feel, he said, “Joseph, did you try to follow Hoss and Adam after I told you to stay with Hop Sing?”

Joe looked a little uncomfortable, but tried to soften up his father by smiling at him. Ben, using great determination, did not return the smile, but said, “Answer the question, Joseph.  Now.”

“Yes, sir.”  Joe said, with his head down.

“Joseph, look at me when I am speaking to you.”  Ben said calmly.

Joe shrugged, took a deep breath, and looked at his father, his hazel eyes luminous with unspent tears.  “Yes, sir.”

 “Joseph, you go to your room and wait for me.  I will be in shortly.”  Ben said sternly, putting him down on the ground and heading him towards the house.

Joe shrugged his shoulders again, gave an exasperated sigh, and started towards the house.  After a few steps, he stopped, turned around, ran back to Sheriff Coffee, and said hurriedly, all in one breath, “Thank you for bringing me home, Sheriff Coffee.  I had a fun time in the jail.  Don't forget to move those keys.  Please let Nancy come out to the Ponderosa to see me soon and ask her to bring Freckles.”  He then turned around and ran back to the house, with only a brief glance at his father.

Ben didn’t say anything until Joe had entered the house.  He then turned to Adam and Hoss and said, “Please tell the men to go on and get some rest and that they will all get a bonus with their pay.”

He then turned to the Sheriff and said, “Sheriff Coffee, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your bringing Little Joe home.  I will also go by and thank the Coopers.  My sons and I and the men have been out searching for him since yesterday at 4 o'clock. We were worried sick.  The Ponderosa is such a big place and we had to search every inch of it, since we didn’t know how he got lost.  His pony came home, so we knew he was on foot somewhere.  I am so grateful that he found his way to the Coopers.  Just thinking that he was out there alone in the dark---well I am sure you can imagine how we felt.”

 “Yes, Mr. Cartwright, I think I can now, as a matter of fact,”  Roy said with a smile.

“Please call me Ben.”

 “All right, Ben, if you will call me Roy,” Roy said offering his hand to shake.  Ben shook it warmly.

“That is quite a young man you have there.  He sure is a talkative little fella.  He told me all about you, his brothers, and the Ponderosa.  He also asked me everything about my family, the jail, the law, and being a sheriff.  He also gave me some advice on how to do my job.”

"Joe gave you advice?  I apologize for his impertinence.  He is just naturally inquisitive and talkative; he’s never met a stranger.  I hope he didn't offend you."  Ben said with a concerned look on his face.

"Actually, it was good advice, which I intend to take." Roy said with a smile.  “How old is he anyway?”

“Joseph is 6 and he is quite a young man--he is also quite a handful.  That curiosity that you noted isn’t new---it gets him into trouble frequently.  Plus he has a stubborn streak unlike any I have ever seen before.  He gets that from his mother.

Roy looked puzzled, and said, “I don’t mean to pry, but when I asked him about his mother and father, he looked a little sad, and then said he lived here with you and his brothers.”  Roy noticed that same momentary sadness followed by determination on Ben’s face that he had seen on Joe’s face.

“My wife, Marie, Joe’s mother, died just a little over a year ago.  I am afraid we are all still getting over that.  Since then my other two sons, Adam and Hoss, and our cook, Hop Sing, have tried to fill the void left by her death, but it isn’t easy to do that for a 6 years old little boy who is almost a copy of his mother.”  

“I am sorry, Ben.  I understand your grief--my wife passed away 2 years ago and I have a daughter, Nancy, who is Joe’s age, by the way.  She is just like her mother, too.  It is hard to raise a child without a mother. Well, I hope you won’t be too hard on him, Ben, I enjoyed our visit.” Roy said with a twinkle in his eye.

By this time, Adam and Hoss had come back to where Ben and Roy were standing. They all smiled and Hoss said, “Don’t worry, Sheriff Coffee, Pa can’t stay mad at Little Joe long.  He mellows purty quick after he sees that smile.” 

Ben looked at Hoss as if to contradict the statement, but on second thought, he nodded his head and said, “He’s right, Sheriff.  None of us can stay mad at Little Joe for long.  But I do have to make at least a pretense of punishment to try to keep him from doing it again.”

“Well, I will be heading back into Virginia City.  Next time you are in town, drop by and visit with me.  Be sure to bring that youngster, too.”  Roy said, waving as he mounted his horse and rode off.  As he rode off, he was thinking that he and Ben Cartwright could become friends.   He also recognized that Little Joe Cartwright had Carved his initials on his heart.

Roy came out of his reverie just as Ben Cartwright came into the jail.

"Have you got the board ready, Roy?" He asked.

"Yep, and I just made a fresh pot of coffee, too.   Now let's see if you have really been taking lessons from Little Joe!"    Roy poured them each a steaming mug of coffee and with that, they each took their accustomed chair and began the game.

  Chapter 5

After playing two more long rounds of poker and winning both times, Joe said he had had enough for one night and asked his brothers if either of them wanted to take over his spot.   Hoss said he would be glad to take his spot, since it seemed to be a lucky seat tonight.  Adam said he would just watch.  Hoss quickly became engrossed in the poker game and Adam moved in close to watch his progress. .  Shoving his winnings into his jacket pocket without counting it, Joe went over to the bar and ordered a beer.  No sooner had he gotten the beer than a new saloon girl came up next to him and asked him if he wanted to buy her a drink. Never one to refuse a pretty girl, Joe of course ordered the bartender to get her what she wanted.

"Apple cider" she ordered.  Upon hearing that, Joe raised his eyebrows and said, "Now that is not something you see here much.  Where are you from anyway?"  

"I am Renee'  Jeansonne from New Orleans, Louisiana."  Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr...."

  "Cartwright, Joe Cartwright, Mam, at your service."  Joe hastily filled in the missing information.  

"My mother was from New Orleans,”  Joe told her enthusiastically.

  "Really?" she exclaimed, as if she had never heard that before.  "What are you doing out here then?" she asked him.

"I was born here.  My mother was from New Orleans but she moved here with my Pa before I was born.  We live on a ranch outside of town, called the Ponderosa." He told her.  "But tell me about you.  How did such a pretty girl like you from New Orleans, wind up in Virginia City?"

"I was on my way to join my family in California, when I got word that they had all been killed in a fire in San Francisco" she told him, her eyes slightly moist as if she was holding back tears. "Now I have to earn money to get passage back to New Orleans so that I can get a job there and support myself.  Someone told me I could earn the money faster working in Virginia City than in some of the other towns.  But even in Virginia City, it will take almost a year."

Joe was stricken when he saw her face.  He couldn't imagine such a pretty girl, with such obvious refinement, having to work in a saloon for a year.  Right away he determined to help her.

"Renee' , I can get you enough money for stagecoach or train fare back to New Orleans and enough to tide you over until you can get a good job."  Joe offered.

"You are such a gentlemen, but I couldn't accept your generosity, that would be too much of an imposition, mon cherie." She said, smiling sadly.

If Little Joe had any reservations, that last sentence completely dissolved them.  "Renee', I insist on helping you.  Working in a saloon in Virginia City is no place for a lady like you.  I will go to the bank tomorrow and get you the money.  I won't take no for an answer."  Joe said.  

Renee said, "Well kind sir, if you put it that way, I will accept a loan from you.  I will send you the repayment when I reach New Orleans and get a job.  That I promise you."  As she talked she gave Joe a very bright smile, and softly traced his cheeks with her finger.  

"Are you finished here then?"  Joe asked.  

"Yes, I am ready to go home now.  I like to leave before it gets too late.  It is safer that way.I do not exactly live in a good part of town"  She said, looking a little scared.

"I will walk you home, then."  Joe said.

"Oh, that is not necessary, Joe" Renee said, but her eyes were telling him a different story.

"I decide what is necessary and besides it is no chore to walk a lovely lady home."  Joe said, looking at her with adoring eyes.  He looked at his brothers and started to go tell them he would be back later, but they were engrossed in the poker game.  He figured he would be able to go and get back before they even noticed he was gone.  Holding his arm out for her, he said, "Shall we go, Mam?"  And with her holding on to his arm, they walked out of the saloon, arm in arm.

They walked arm in arm down several blocks and then Renee told Joe that she lived in a rooming house down a long, deserted alley.  It was very dark in the alley, and she warned him to be very careful because there was trash in the alley.  About halfway down the alley, someone suddenly lunged out and stabbed Joe with a long knife.  Joe gasped in pain and shock and tried to fight, his thoughts on protecting Renee.  He struggled with the assailant who removed the knife and then stabbed him again.  After this Joe stumbled and fell, still conscious, but unable to fight any longer.  Quickly the girl started searching his pockets, he vaguely thought that she was looking for something to stop the bleeding with.

The man walked over and said, "For Christ's sake, Darla, hurry up, will ya?  Get the money and let's get out of here."  She quickly reached in Joe's green jacket pocket and removed the wad of cash he had won in the poker games that night, along with a silver locket she found there.  She also removed his wallet and stashed that with the other stolen money.  He watched her in shock, unable to say anything, but the hurt and disappointment was evident in his hazel eyes.  

"Don't look at me like that, rich kid.  I know all about you; I heard the other girls talking.  You wouldn't have given me any money.  I know what you wanted.  I know the likes of you.  You just wanted to take advantage of me, like all those other men.  But instead, I took advantage of you first."  She stared at him with hatred in her eyes, then slowly, she smiled at him and said, "You remember me--Darla Conrad--as you lay there bleedin' to death.  Remember it was me who fooled you and Johnny what stuck ya, rich kid."

The man grabbed the items from the girl and said, "Come on, let's get out of here fast before that fool Sheriff comes around agin."  As he said this, he saw Joe trying to reach for his gun, and he swiftly kicked him in the chest and then took the gun out of his holster.  "I might be able to find a use for that" He said.   He grabbed the girl's arm and they ran away into the night.  Joe could hear the girl still laughing, saying, "that was like taking candy from a baby."  

Joe lay there, unable to move, unable to call for help, unable to stop thinking that once again, he had made a mistake.  A baby, she had called him a baby....He felt really strange, he knew he must be dying, but he really wasn't panicked at all.  Instead he felt like he was going to just go to sleep and not have to worry about it anymore.  He was too tired to fight.  Joe's eyes closed and he slowly lost consciousness in the dark alley.  

Chapter 6

Roy and Ben had played several games of checkers, Ben had won two and Roy had won about 5, but they had a good time discussing what was happening in Virginia City and on the Ponderosa.

At about 9:50 pm, Ben said, "Well, Roy, I think I will head on over to the Sassarack and have that one last beer with the boys and then head on to the Ponderosa.  Won't you join us?"  

"It's about time for me to do my night rounds.  After I do that, I will swing by the Sassarack and join you for a night cap."  Roy said.

Ben came into the Sassarack just a few minutes later.  He saw Hoss and Adam sitting at a table in the back playing poker.  It didn't look like either of them were winning, though.  Neither of them had any money in front of them and they both looked pretty serious.  Ben smiled to himself, never able to figure out the attraction that all three of his sons had for poker.  As he thought this, he was looking around for his third and youngest son, the one who for some reason seemed to be luckier at poker than his two older brothers.  Ben knew that it wasn't really luck, but some innate ability to conceptualize the game and strategize accordingly.  That was what made him good at poker, checkers, and even chess.  He was becoming somewhat alarmed since he didn't see Joe anywhere in the saloon.  He walked over to where Hoss and Adam were engaged in losing a poker game, and remaining silent and watching for just a few seconds.

When he got a good look at both of their hands, he went ahead and interrupted, since it didn't look like anything would salvage their hands.  

"Boys, where is Little Joe?  It is time to be getting on to the Ponderosa."  

Hoss was the first to look up, and look rapidly around the saloon.   "Pa, he was just here a little bit ago."  He said.  "Adam, did you see Little Joe leave?"  

Adam, at this time, threw down his cards and said, "That's it for me.  You have all my money and I am keeping my hat."  "What did you ask, Hoss?" he said.

"Did you see Little Joe leave, Adam?" Ben interjected, becoming slightly concerned by now.  

"No, Pa, I didn't see him leave, he was having a beer with a pretty girl though, about 30 minutes or so ago."  He said.  "Ask the bartender, Pa, he probably knows where he went."  Adam said, thinking to himself, "I bet I know where he is."  

All three of them walked over to the bartender and asked him if he knew when Little Joe left. The bartender paused from wiping off the bar with a rag and said, "Yeah, he left about 45 minutes ago, I believe."

"Did he say where he was going?" Ben asked.

"No, he looked over at Adam and Hoss and said something to the girl like "I'll be back before they even notice I'm gone and he didn't want to break Hoss' concentration."  The bartender replied.

"Girl?  What girl?"  Adam asked.

"There was a girl in here who said she just wanted to work tonight for tips and she was only here about 3 hours.  I thought Little Joe was going to walk her home."

"Where does she live?"  Ben asked.

"Beats me.  Like I said, she was just here for a few hours."  The bartender said, becoming slightly defensive.

"Do you think we ought to go out to find him, Pa?" Adam asked, really thinking it would be embarrassing for his brother if they did, but recognizing that Ben was worried.  He didn't want Joe to get into trouble and bring back his father's black mood, that he had just gotten rid of that night.

"No, let's just wait here for him for a little while" Ben said, though he didn't feel altogether happy about that.

Hoss said, "I tell you what, Pa, let's have a beer, and then if Little Joe aint here, I will go round 'im up.  Three beers, Sam."  He said, before Ben could answer.

Roy Coffee was in the habit of making rounds at 10 o'clock and at midnight, taking a slightly different route each time.  He felt that this may keep the muggers and drunks off the street and out of trouble, since they never knew exactly where he would turn up when.  This time, he had walked all the way down to E Street and was on his way back, thinking of joining his friends for a half a beer, since it was pretty quiet tonight.  He avoided drinking while on the job, usually, but he did have an occasional beer with Ben or his boys when they came to town.  He wanted to stop by the Sassarack and see Joe Cartwright before they left because he knew Nancy would ask him about Little Joe if he mentioned that Ben was in town.  Nancy and Little Joe had been friends as long as he and Joe's father had been friends.  His memories of that first meeting that he had that night had stirred up the affection he and his daughter both had for Joe.  

As he was coming around the corner of D Street, he saw Walter, the town drunk weaving around.  Walter apparently saw him, too, because he ducked into a dark alley, trying to avoid the Sheriff.  Roy decided to just leave Walter alone tonight, 'cause if he tried to lock him up, he would not get the chance to go by the Sassarack and now that he had thought about it, he definitely wanted that beer---he even thought he would splurge and have a whole glass.  He was about even with the alley, when he heard a shriek, and some scrambling noise, then he saw Walter running back towards him.

"Walter, what is it?  Did you see a rat?"  The Sheriff asked.  He had never seen Walter move so fast.  

"There's a dead man back there, Sheriff Coffee, a real live dead man."  Walter said, in as sober a voice as Roy had ever heard him.

"Are you sure, Walter?" Roy asked suspiciously.  "You sure you saw a dead man?"  

"I am sure Sheriff, and I touched him when I fell and look at my hand" he said as he stuck his hand out for the Sheriff to see---it was covered in red, sticky blood.  

Roy knew then that Walter was not making this up or having hallucinations.  He said to Walter, "Go to the Deputy's house and send Clem over here.  Better send for the Doc, too and tell him to meet me at the office."  Roy said, thinking they would need his services in one way or another.  "Can you do that, Walter?"  

"Yes, Sheriff, I am not too drunk fer that, no sirree.  A real live dead man.  I saw me a real live dead man."  He muttered to himself as he headed straight for the Deputy's house.  "A real live dead man."

Roy, ever cautious, pulled his pistol out of his holster and slowly advanced toward where Walter had pointed out where the dead man was.  He inched his way to the spot, looking all around for someone hiding.  He saw no sign of anyone---dead or alive.  Then he looked to the left of a large discarded cook stove and he gasped when he saw the "dead man".  "Oh, my God, Little Joe" he said, almost in a whisper. Roy quickly holstered his gun and knelt beside Little Joe.  He used his left hand to feel for a pulse in Joe's neck and was heartened to feel one, although he knew it was faster than it oughta be.  In his career he had learned that a fast pulse after a gunshot wound could be as bad a sign as a slow pulse.  With his right hand, he opened Joe's jacket and looked for the wound, finding two stab wounds---a deep one in his midsection and a smaller one in his side.  He used his handkerchief to cover the larger wound, pressing down to stop the bleeding.

As he did this, he thought about Nancy just giving it to him today, saying "That you never know when you will need a clean handkerchief, Pop."  

After doing this, and seeing no other injuries, Roy carefully positioned his arms under Joe's chest and his knees and picked him up, thinking he still is as light as a feather.  He had just made it to the street again when Clem came running up to meet him.  "Clem, go make sure the Doc is at his office when I get there, and then go over to the Sassarack and tell the Cartwrights to meet us at the Doc's.  This is Joe Cartwright and he has been stabbed, it looks like."  Clem started to ask a question, but Roy added, "Go now, Clem.  Just go."  Clem ran off as the Sheriff hurried on to the Doctor's office, cradling the unconscious Joe in his arms.  Roy alternated praying and telling Joe,

"You are going to be alright" all the while he was running for the Doctor's office.

Roy got to the Doctor's office just as Paul Martin was unlocking the front door.  Seeing Little Joe, the Doctor shouted, "Roy, put him on the first examining table.  Clem, go to my house and tell my wife to wake Dr. Adams up and send him over here quick."  Dr. Martin rushed to Little Joe's side, felt his pulse, and began assessing him for injuries.  He frowned when he saw the large hole in Joe's abdomen.  That could be a very serious injury, depending upon how deep it was.  The other wound in his side didn't look too bad, it went through muscle and should be fairly easy to control the bleeding.  He applied a pressure dressing to both wounds for the time being and went to wash his hands and get ready to begin treatment.  About this time, Dr. Adams came running in, in his trousers and undershirt.  He scanned the scene and immediately washed his hands and moved over to the examining table.  Taking an instrument from the tray that Dr. Martin had prepared, he began to probe the wound.  Dr. Martin was watching Little Joe's face and thought he saw a slight facial movement and informed Dr. Adams.  "Well, that's good, he is not completely out of it, then."

Just then, three very frightened men bounded into the room.  Paul glanced at Dr. Adams and said, "I'll talk to them, you keep getting set up and I'll be right back."  

"Paul, how is he? Ben asked. What happened?  Hoss asked.  Is he going to be okay?"  Adam asked---all at the same time.

Dr. Martin raised his hands and said, "One at a time, please!  I don't know anything except that Joe has two stab wounds, one doesn't look too bad, but I am afraid the other one is deep.  We won't know 'til we get a good look at it.  You are just going to have to wait until Dr. Adams and I have had time to evaluate and treat him, Ben.  That's one good thing, I have an excellent assistant tonight.  You just wait out here and I will tell you more as soon as I can.  I'm sorry, Ben" he said as he gave his friend an empathetic glance.

Ben started to ask another question, paused, then said, "All right, Paul.  We will be here.  Please take care of my Son.", his voice choked with emotion.

Doctor Martin turned and headed back into the treatment room that he used for surgical type injuries.  Ben, Adam, and Hoss continued to stand in the middle of the room, not knowing what to do.  Roy Coffee came over and ushered them into chairs, and sent Clem to get a pot of coffee.

Momentarily, Ben seemed to revive enough to ask Roy, "What happened, Roy?  Who stabbed my boy and why?"  

Roy looked at his friend with genuine sympathy.  "Ben, I don't know what happened.  It had already happened when Walter found Joe by accident.  I got the alley sealed off so that if there is any evidence we can find it at daybreak.  But I don't have any idea what happened or who did this."

Hoss spoke up, "He left the Sassarack with a girl, Roy.  Sam could give you a description of her."  

That's right, Roy" Ben said.  "She must know something."

Dr. Martin's wife entered the office carrying a tray with a coffee pot, mugs, and sweet rolls.

"Here, I told Clem I would bring this over to you."  She said.  She set the tray down and poured Ben a cup of coffee and handed it to him, practically forcing the cup into his hands.  "Here, Ben, drink this, it will make you feel better." 

Ben looked at her with an expression that said, "How can coffee make me feel better when my son is lying in there with stab wounds and may be bleeding to death?", but all he said was "Thank you, Anna.". 

She also poured coffee for Adam and Hoss.  She offered Hoss a roll, and he said, "No, Ma'am, thanks."  

Roy walked out and met Clem at the door and told him about Joe leaving the Sassarack with a girl.  Clem left to go over to the Sassarack and get a description of the girl and see if he could find some people to help them look for her.  Roy came back in and sat down by Ben and patted him reassuringly on the back.  "Ben, you know Joe will be alright.  He always is.  You'll see."

Ben knew that Roy was trying to convince himself as much as he was Ben.

After about another 10 minutes, Dr. Martin came out and pulled up a chair, saying, "We need to talk, Ben.  This is the situation.  As I thought, the side wound is deep, but not going through any organ.  Barring infection, it should heal in time with just stitching and rest."

"And the other wound?"  Ben replied.  He had learned that the Doctor Martin always started out by the simplest, most easily-repaired problems, saving the worst for last.

"Well, that one is trickier, Ben.  It went into the left side of his abdomen, making about a 1 1/2 to 2 inch gash in his stomach and nicking the abdominal aorta, we think.  Both of those will have to be repaired surgically.  Fortunately, Dr. Adams is a vascular specialist so he is familiar with the surgical repair of the abdominal aorta. The nick must be a tiny one, or frankly, Joe would have bled to death by now.  The stomach wound is actually easy to repair, but there may be problems with recovery of stomach function.  There is a real risk that the stomach contents could have spilled out and that can lead to peritonitis or infection of the abdominal lining.  Depending upon the degree of damaged area, there may be decreased function of the stomach itself.  We won't know until Joe starts to recover."

"What kind of problems are you talking about, Paul?" Ben asked, puzzled.  

"Well there may be impaired ability of the stomach to absorb and digest food.  In any event there will be a considerable amount of pain associated with eating at first.  That is worrisome to me, since Joe doesn't have a lot of stored energy reserves and he has never been a big eater anyway.

But Ben, I think we just have to cross that bridge when we get to it.  Right now, I need your permission to operate and repair the wounds as best we can.  Dr. Adams is getting Joe prepped right now.  We need to hurry before Joe starts bleeding again."

"You have my permission, of course, Doctor.  Take good care of my Son, please."  Ben looked at him with pleading eyes.  

"I will do my best, Ben.  You know how I feel about Little Joe."

"Yes, I do, Paul.  Thank you."  

With that, Dr. Martin went back into the surgical room and closed the door softly behind him, giving one quick glance at the stricken family before he closed the door.  

Ben glanced at his watch, it was just now midnight.  He looked at Hoss and Adam, they looked drained and exhausted.  "Do you boys want to go get a hotel room for the night?  I will stay here with Joe and send for you if anything changes."

"No, Pa, we are staying here with you."  They both answered, as if one voice.  Ben didn't bother to protest, he knew they wouldn't leave.  Frankly, he was glad of their company; families should be together in times of trouble.  Sadly, he thought, this family has seen plenty of trouble, along with their good fortune.  

The three men sat down again, and Roy Coffee watched them sympathetically.  He spoke softly, "Ben, I am going to go over to the jail and map out what I want done at first light to look for evidence.  I will be back over here in less than an hour.  Is there anything else you want me to do?"

Ben looked at him and said, "Roy will you have someone see to our horses and bed them down in the stable?"

Hoss added, "Roy, make sure they clean out Cochise's water bucket, then refill it with clean water, and give her a ration of oats.  You know how Little Joe is about that horse."  

"I'll get Jimmy Ortega to do it, Hoss, he knows just how Joe likes her taken care of."  Roy said with an understanding smile.   Everybody knew how Joe felt about that horse.

Chapter 7

The three men sat in chairs, uncomfortably.   They tried to carry on a conversation, but soon gave up the pretense---it was just too hard.  All they could think about was what was going on behind that door and their love for the patient in that room.  Eventually, out of sheer exhaustion, they dozed off.  They slept fitfully and woke up and then nodded off in starts.  Finally, Hoss dozed off and dreamed of better times.

**********

Hoss and Joe were on the last leg of a 6 day trip checking fences on the northern boundary of the Ponderosa.  The weather had been uncooperative, at least for Hoss’ taste; he hated cold weather.  The temperature had not risen above freezing for 4 days of the 6 day trip, it had snowed heavily for 3 days, and sleeted two days.   On this day they reached the line shack at about 3 pm and decided to stay there for the night and head home to the Ponderosa the next morning.  The cabin was stocked with canned goods, matches, dry bedding, and other necessities.  Joe volunteered to bed down the horses and to bring in a fresh supply of wood while Hoss went on into the cabin to start the fire.   Hoss quickly agreed because he was more than ready to get into the cabin and out of the cold. Joe put their horses in the lean-to stable, fed and watered them, and put down fresh straw.  Joe spent an hour giving both horses a good rubdown and making sure that they were warm and cozy.  As usual he gave Cochise the extra attention that she was accustomed to.

After finishing with the horses, he gathered a good supply of wood and went into the cabin to join Hoss.  As he entered the cabin, he smiled.  Before even seeing Hoss, he knew that his brother was sound asleep--the sounds of Hoss’ snoring were proof of that.  Joe quickly added wood to the fire and coaxed it to burn higher to further warm the room.  Joe also appreciated the warmth provided by the fire; however he had a higher tolerance for cold temperatures than his brother Hoss.  Hoss often accused him of going barefooted in a “blue norther”.  In fact Hoss had been pretty miserable on this trip, complaining of the food, the weather, the work, and just about everything else.  Joe had been surprised at the vehemence Hoss had shown during the past few days.

Complaining was not really in Hoss’ nature, but cold temperatures really seemed to bring out the worst in him.  Joe was glad that they had finished the fence checking and mending today so that they could go home the next day, for Hoss' sake.  

Joe decided to try to cheer Hoss up and he knew the best way to do that was to keep him warm and well-fed.  He looked over the food supplies in the cabin and was not satisfied with what he found--beans, salt pork, canned peaches, rice, meal, flour, and coffee.  Since they had been really pushing themselves to get the job done as quickly as possible, they had not had time for hunting or trapping, so they had been getting by on beans and hard tack for the entire trip.  Joe didn’t mind so much, since food was not all that important to him, but Hoss, well Hoss missed Hop Sing’s cooking mightily.  Being cold was bad enough, but for Hoss being cold AND hungry was just about unbearable.

Joe restocked the fireplace to keep the fire going, then quickly wrote Hoss a note saying he was going to hunt something for their dinner, so that if he woke up he wouldn’t be concerned.  Taking his rifle and some extra ammunition, Joe went out to see what he could find.

He had been walking carefully through the woods for over an hour and the only thing he had seen was a couple of raccoons and a few cold-weather hardy birds, nothing to even think of making their dinner.  Just as he was about to become discouraged, he caught sight of a huge hare.  Taking careful aim, Joe felled the hare with one shot.  Joe retraced his tracks and headed back to the cabin.  When he got to the cabin, he saw that there was still smoke coming out of the chimney, so he knew the fire was still blazing.

He quickly skinned and dressed the hare and prepared it for cooking.  He was surprised when he entered the cabin to hear Hoss’s snoring.  He had expected he would be awake by now.  He replenished the fire, then taking the spit from over the fireplace, he put the rabbit on to start it cooking.  He decided that he would prepare a real feast for Hoss, hoping that that would put him in a better mood.  Joe was not accustomed to Hoss being the grouchy one; that was usually reserved for him or for Adam.  Joe prepared a pot of beans, adding some of the salt pork for flavor, made some cornbread with the cornmeal, and opened a can of peaches for good measure.  

After getting everything started, Joe found himself restless, with nothing to do and no one to talk to.  Searching for something to do, he settled on cleaning Hoss’s guns.  He didn’t clean his, since he had just cleaned them before the trip.  Finding oil and old rags in the cabin, Joe cleaned first Hoss’s handgun, then his rifle.  About the time he finished that, Joe checked the rabbit and found that it was done.  He was trying to decide which Hoss needed most---to eat or to sleep, wondering if he should let him sleep longer or wake him up to eat now.  He needn’t have worried, about that time, Hoss woke up, sniffing the air.  Joe walked over from the fire to the cot Hoss was sleeping on and said, “Well, hello, sleepyhead”. 

Hoss yawned and stretched and said, “Joe I just had the best dream, I dreamed we were home and Hop Sing was cooking dinner.” 

“Really?” Joe said.  “Yeah, and it was so real, I could smell his cooking.” Hoss said.  He sniffed again and said “Wait a minute, that’s what I smelled in the dream.”  The grin on Hoss’ face was more than worth the effort Joe had gone to make the meal. &nbs