THE
HEROES
Julie Jurkovich
June
2000
Chapter 1
There was a knock at the door. Jenny looked up, her hair falling in tendrils
about her face and neck from her early morning ride, to see Adam. She smiled, put down the pan which contained a
half-cooked hotcake, and walked in as dignified a manner as possible to the
door in order to
disguise her elation. “Hi,
Adam,” she said softly. Adam smiled as
he came in. “Join us for breakfast? I'm making hotcakes. A few more is no problem,” she assured
him.
Adam looked at her as she spoke. He hadn't intended to stay for breakfast, but
how could he refuse? “Sure,” he
replied. “I've already eaten, but those
hotcakes of yours smell too good to resist!”
Jenny smiled at the compliment. She was so pretty, yet fragile. Often, when he spoke with her, he sensed
depths of pain beneath her words and in her eyes; yet, whenever he probed,
walls went up about her and she pulled away from him with a fury that amazed
him. He had learned not to ask too many
questions, and whenever she spoke, just to let her speak: if she wanted to say more, she would do so.
She poured him a
cup of coffee. “Cream or sugar?” she
asked. “I should know, but I can never
remember how anyone likes their coffee, or who likes what!”
“I'll get it,” Adam assured her. Jenny handed him the coffee with a smile, and
turned back to the stove. “Where's everyone else?” asked Adam.
“Asleep still, believe it or not,” Jenny replied. “Mother has been sooo
tired lately. And I can't believe the
children aren't up yet. But it gives me
a few more minutes of peace and quiet, anyway.”
Adam gazed at her appreciatively. She was young, very pretty, and mature beyond her years.
She might make a man a good wife.
No...no...what was he thinking? At age 20, she was nine to ten years younger
than he was. She was too young in any
case for him. And he had been burned too
many times to try to get serious with any woman again...for now, at least. Besides, her father had made it clear, in dozens
of small ways and comments, that he was too old for Jenny - too worldly wise - and that he wasn't
going to consider him a suitable suitor.
He had taken her to a dance, to dinner at his house, and sneaked
out on a picnic after church with her, but her father was getting increasingly
agitated with each of his visits. He and
Jenny met sometimes down by the stream, just off of both of their properties,
but he knew that unless they did something drastic, or her father had a big
change in attitude, that
their relationship was doomed.
For a passing
moment, Adam considered that it might be worth major upheaval to marry this
pretty, capable girl. No, no! What was he thinking! She was in too much pain: that much was evident. Besides, even though she would be worth a lot
of trouble, he wasn't ready for more trouble involving women. He had had more than his share.
A sound from the
back of the house distracted him. He
looked up to see Jared, age eight, then Karen, age three, emerge from their bedrooms. “Hello, sleepyheads,” Adam said
pleasantly. “I've already had one
breakfast, done several chores, and ridden over here. You're aunt has apparently been on her
morning ride, gathered firewood, and started breakfast.”
“Now, Adam,” Jenny
chided with a smile, “not everyone is an early riser.”
“Of course not,”
Adam returned. “Not when someone else
will rise early and do all the work!”
Jenny raised her index finger and shook it at him. “Better watch out,” she
warned, “or you won't get any hotcakes!”
Jenny's mother
emerged from her room then. “Good
morning, Jenny,” she greeted her daughter.
“You should haven wakened me.”
She always said that. “ Oh, hello, Adam.
I'm sorry we're not up and about.”
“That's all right,” Adam assured her. “Jenny was up. I came to let you know that Pa is sending Joe
to town today to finish up with the lawyer on that land deal.
“Land deal?” Jenny turned to Adam with a questioning
frown. “What land deal?”
“One your father made with my father. Your mother probably knows all about
it.” He looked at Catherine for
confirmation. She only sighed and
yawned.
Jenny looked at her mother. “Do you know anything about this, Mother?”
“What?” her mother
turned to her. “Oh,
the land thing. Yes, your father
mentioned it. Not in too much detail,
though.”
“What is it
about?” Jenny asked.
“Oh,
nothing much - just buying more land from here to the gully water.”
“We're buying
it?” Jenny asked. When Catherine didn't answer, Adam nodded his
head at her. “What do the Cartwrights have to do with it, then?” she asked Adam.
“Since
the land abuts our property, and water rights are involved, we have to work it out with
you. Since Pa and your father are out of
town now, Pa sent Little Joe to pick up the final details from the lawyer. He's in town now, or at least should be on
his way. He'll stop by with a copy of
the information later today.”
“O.k.” Jenny shrugged and smiled. “It's nice to know about these things - even
almost too late!” Adam's smile concealed
his laughter.
After Adam left,
Catherine went out back to do some wash.
With three children in the house, there were never enough clean clothes.
Jenny took Karen and David out front to play while she worked on the
mending. Between Jared and Karen,
something always needed repair, from holes in the knees to gaping rips in the
arms or down the front of shirts. Karen
looked at Jared's latest ripped shirt. Both
sleeves were ripped open, and there was a wide tear in the front. She sighed. He had come home from town, or
from neighboring farms, with ripped up clothes, bruises, and cuts too many times. Adam had helped teach him how to defend
himself, and he didn't seem as badly off as before, but still.... She wondered what was going on. Too many times she had seen him sneak back
home and run behind the shed, or into the orchard. Later, she found filthy, nearly demolished
clothes in either place. How he neatened
himself up was anyone's guess. He must
sneak in his window and change.
Meanwhile, she washed and repaired his clothes that she found. His grandparents told him there had to be a
better way of settling things than fighting.
When he told them the boys all jumped on him at once, they said to
ignore the boys and leave. That was a
lot of help.
And
where was Jared now? Off getting into
another fight? She swallowed as she
looked around. He was so much like his
father, Paul: always looking for trouble; spoiling for a
fight; always ready to jump back at
the sound of an insult. She wished Jared would give more heed to
Adam's caution not to jump at the slightest insult. But that required maturity, and with only
eight years behind him, Jared was sadly lacking in that character trait.
Jenny wouldn't have minded so much if Jared didn't take
it so hard, and if she didn't suspect that these fights were about her honor
and Karen's parentage. Yes, Karen, her niece, looked like her.
But she was her sister's daughter, not Jenny's. Of course, no one cared about that. Jenny cared for Karen, Jenny looked like
Karen; therefore, Jenny must be Karen's mother.
No. No one cared for the truth
here or anyplace else. If only Jared
could ignore the insults. It was only a
few boys who were taunting him, Jenny suspected. But his boyish honor would not permit him to
ignore his cousin's and his aunt's good names, even from a few ne'er-do-wells
who merely baited him to enjoy his reaction, and thereby have an excuse to
collectively jump on him and beat him up.
Jenny took pains to hide the clothes she found and
repaired, so at least Jared wouldn't get in trouble about that, too. A while ago, when Jared first came home
beaten, bruised, and angry, Adam had helped, and taught him how to fight. What would help now?
She looked up to see Jared galloping his pony across the
pasture to the barn. As he ran past her
into the house, she asked, “Did you rub down Lasso?”
Jared took a breath as though to answer, then
scowled. “No,” he said crossly.
“Then
go do it.” Jared acted as though he
would go in the house, but stopped when he saw the stern look on his aunt's
face.
“
I was going to do it later.”
“No. Do it now, or it
won't get done.”
Jared hesitated.
Finally, he turned, kicking up dust as he sulked his way back to the barn. “Can't I even get a drink of water or
something to eat first?” she heard him mutter.
She chose to ignore the disrespect.
As Jared
disappeared into the barn, Jenny heard Karen say, “This is an apricorn, David!
See?” She held up a pinecone for
her baby “brother's” inspection. “There
are apricorns all over the place here!” She placed several, one after another, on
David's lap. He watched her, fascinated,
his eyes never leaving her.
As she ran toward
the side of the house, Jenny called her.
“Karen! Stay here in my sight,
please.”
“But Grandma's out back,” protested Karen.
“Probably, but we
can't count on each other watching you.
You can gather more apric-pinecones - for
David later.
“Mm, mm, MMmmmmm,” said David.
“Happy, happy, happy!”
Jenny smiled. “Do
pinecones make you happy, David?”
David laughed. “Appa, appa!”
“No, Aunt Jenny,” corrected Karen. “Apricorns make
David happy. Don't you hear him say
so?” She returned to David's side. “Look, David!
See the ponies over the mountains?
I always knew that if I ever saw mountains, I would be able to see
ponies flying around them.” David's eyes
brightened with excitement as he followed Karen's gaze.
Jared emerged from
the barn and bulldozed his way past the little children, Jenny and her mending,
and slammed into the house.
“Jared,” Jenny
called.
“WHAT!” came the shouted reply from within the house.
“Wash your hands,
get something for yourself to drink, and come out here, please.” Several minutes passed, but Jared emerged,
tired, dirty, and angry. Jenny looked at
him, uncertain how to begin. “Did you
get something to drink? And grab some
cookies; it's
not that close to lunchtime. Here.” She put her mending down. “I'll get cookies and milk, and you
wash.”
“I already
washed,” he grumbled.
“Well, wash your
face, please. You may feel better.”
“I feel fine,” Jared muttered, but complied.
Jenny backed out of the screen door with a platter of
cookies, two
large glasses of milk, and a smaller glass.
“Karen, please feed David a couple of cookies, and give
him drinks from the small glass. You may
have two cookies and a glass of milk.” Karen ran over, her eyes and face intent
on cookies and milk. She dutifully fed
David his bites and drinks, reminded by occasional “Mm, mm! Da, Da!” from David.
As Jared downed
his plateful of cookies, Jenny said, “Jared.
What is the problem? Are you
having trouble with some of those boys again?”
For a moment Jared was silent. “Nuthin' I can't
handle,” he finally said, staring at the ground.
“Why don't you
talk to Adam? I can ask him to help
you.”
“I don't need any help!
And he can't help me! Only you
can help me!”
Jenny was taken
aback. “What do you mean?” she asked.
“You know,” Jared
said accusingly.
Jenny shook her head.
“No, Jared, I don't know. I don't
read minds. Tell me what is wrong.”
“If we would just all tell the truth!” exclaimed
Jared. He pointed at the children. Karen had finished her cookies and was gathering
wildflowers and placing them on the tray, on top of David's unfinished cookies.
“Karen!” Jenny called.
“Feed David all of his cookies, please!
And don't forget to give him drinks!”
She turned back to Jared.
“What?”
“Them!” he hissed. “She is
NOT my sister! And he is NOT my
brother! Why do I have to lie and say
they are? Everyone knows it's not so!”
“What do they
think is so?” Jenny asked, though she already knew the answer.
“You
know! You've heard it before: You're Karen's mother, and even David's
mother.”
Jenny hadn't known people considered her David's mother,
too. She was becoming accustomed to
people thinking her Karen's mother. It
had almost stopped bothering her. But David? David was an orphan, taken in by a family who
discovered they didn't want to take the time and the trouble to care for him,
who had left him with them. The only
time she was disturbed by people's opinions of her was when she went somewhere,
usually into town, unescorted by her father or Adam, and men leered at
her. She could only maintain her dignity
and decorum, not meet their eyes as they stared at her, ignore any comments or
whispers, and behave as a lady. That went
a long way toward silencing the boorish men and self-righteous women.
She sighed. “Jared.
If I ignore those people's stares, whispers, and comments; refuse to
look at them, smile, and act like a lady, they stop. I don't suppose if you ignore these people,
they'll leave you alone?”
She knew that it was different for him. When he attended school, she had a feeling he
was tormented by certain boys about her and Karen. Anytime any of those boys was about - and
their number was growing - they goaded him, she believed. To ignore them would be considered cowardice
on his part. Jared glared at the ground
and didn't answer.
“I suppose they
call you a coward if you don't fight them?”
Jared didn't answer. “And since
Adam helped you out with fighting, you haven't been beat up as badly. But now, they're ganging up on you. Is that it?”
Jared still stared sullenly and angrily at the ground, refusing to
answer.
“Jared, I don't
really care what that scum thinks of me.
But that doesn't help you, does it?”
Jared jerked his head up toward her, his eyes
smoldering. “I DO care! They can't say that about you! You helped me after Father died - and Mother
died - and Grandma and Grandpa didn't care!
You told me the truth about my twin sister Irene - that she really did
live, and get sick and die, and that she wasn't just in my imagination, like
Grandpa insisted. And you told me, yes,
Karen is my cousin, and David an orphan, and even though they're like brother
and sister to me, they aren't my real sister and brother! You've always told me the truth! No one is going to say these things about
you! They call you a-a- who- well,
anyway, you know! No one will say
that!”
Jenny sighed again.
What could she do to help this child?
Maybe Adam could help? Or Hoss? She
certainly needed some help with this one.
Mother's solution would be either to say, “Don't fight!” and punish him
if he did. Father - well, Father wasn't
home that much. He might go to the
parents of the boys. That could simply
make things worse. Then again, Father
might also think that Adam might have some good ideas. Maybe, if Hoss threatened
them....but she was out of her league here. When could she see Adam again?
She was distracted
by a horse running off of the road from town towards their barn. She wrinkled her brow and looked more
closely. The sun glared so brightly it
was hard to see. It was a pinto, black
and white. Could it be Cochise? Yes! It must be Little Joe, with the information
Adam had promised them that morning.
“That must be Little Joe,” she said, and put down her
mending. Maybe she could speak to him as
he left, and see what he thought about Adam, or someone in the Cartwright
family, helping Jared - somehow. Of course, that would mean telling why Jared
got in these fights.… She couldn't do that.
Yes, she could. She thrust down
her dread, and her pride. She must. Surely, they had heard the rumors, too?
Jared stood, looking interested and anxious. Jenny marveled at his change in attitude, and
then realized how much this boy, her nephew, needed a good man around. Not that her father, Jared's and Karen's
grandfather, wasn't a good man. But he
was Grandpa, not Father, or older brother, or uncle, and the stresses and
strains on his family had kept him from developing the relationship that was
needed with his grandson now that he found himself raising him.
Little Joe raced towards them. What was the hurry, Jenny wondered. He was cantering quickly across the ground
that separated them. He whooped and
hollered. “Hey, Jenny! Jared!
Karen! David!”
Suddenly, Cochise leaped to one
side and reared high. Taken completely by surprise, Little Joe was thrown from
the horse. Cochise
continued rearing, neighing, and hitting at something on the ground with his
hooves. Jenny, Jared, and Karen ran
toward him. Jared tried to grab hold of
his bridle, but Cochise lifted the boy off the
ground, ripped the bridle from his grasp, and galloped away.
Jenny ran to Jared.
As she touched him, he pulled away.
“I'm all right,” he said. He got
up and stumbled toward Little Joe.
Karen was already by his side. “His head is bleeding,” she said. Jenny ran next to her. Little Joe lay as he had fallen, with one arm
bent at an odd angle beneath him, a cut on his scalp oozing blood, and his eyes
closed. For a moment, Jenny nearly
panicked. Then, her inherent calmness in
the face of tragedy took over. Wasn't
she always the one everyone turned to when disaster struck?
For a moment, she
couldn't speak. She stood with her mouth
open. “Karen,” she finally said. It took her a minute to think. “Go to the back yard, and tell Grandma Little
Joe fell off his horse and is badly hurt.
If she isn't behind the house, go inside and look for her. Come back out here when you find her, or if
you can't find her.
“Paul,” she
continued, looking at Jared and seemingly unaware that she had called him by
his father's name, “carry David into the house.
Get cloths, towels, and water, especially if Grandma isn't in
there.”
Jared hesitated.
“I can go into town for the doctor.”
“I need cloths, towels, and a basin of water first,”
insisted Jenny. “And your grandma, if
Karen doesn't get her. Go!” As he ran toward the house, Jenny shouted,”
Remember to bring David in first!” Jared
changed course, grabbed up David, and ripped into the house with him. Jenny couldn't tell if David was frightened
or delighted.
As he ran into the house with David, Jenny's mother and
Karen came running out. Jenny called to
them, “I need towels and water! He's
hurt! Hurry!” Her mother turned and ran back inside.
Later, once they had cleaned and bandaged his wounds,
Catherine and Jared set up a sunshade from some branches stuck firmly in the
ground and a blanket draped over them.
Little Joe should be moved inside, of course, but he was too heavy for
them to move. Joe's broken arm could get
worse if he was moved before the doctor tended it.
“Someone needs to
get the doctor,” said Jenny.
“And someone should ride to the Ponderosa and get the Cartwrights,” her mother added. “They can move him safely if anyone can. Jared, you go into town and find the
doctor. Jenny, why don't you ride over
to the Ponderosa?”
“No, Mother,” said Jenny, well aware of the problems
Jared might encounter in town, which might spell fatal delay for Little
Joe. “I'll go to town - and Jared should
go to the Ponderosa.”
“Whatever!” exclaimed her mother. “Just do it, now!” Jared and Jenny ran to the barn, saddled and
bridled their respective horses, and dashed off in opposite directions. Jenny noticed that Jared took Lariat, her
father's horse, but said nothing. Lariat
would get him there faster than Lasso.
Hours later, Little Joe was lying on a makeshift bed just
inside their front door. Jared had met
the Cartwrights coming in his direction while on his
way to the Ponderosa. Cochise had returned to the Ponderosa riderless,
lathered and terriffied, and Hoss, Adam, and Ben were
tracing his trail. Jared told them what
had happened, and they were off at at gallop to the
Barnhart place.
Jenny hurried into town, and went straight to the
doctor's house, not even noticing if anyone in town leered at her or not. The doctor was in, yes, but he couldn't be
bothered. Jenny finally managed to tell
the stranger speaking to her that this was an emergency. No problem.
The young man speaking with her smiled gleefully. He would be glad to assist her. He was Dr. Collins's new assistant, Dr.
Young. Now, if he could just escort her
back to wherever it was, Miss - Barnhart, wasn't it?
Jenny hadn't told him her name. She wasn't about to entrust Adam's brother to
this stranger. “I need to see Dr.
Collins,” she nearly shouted.
The young man smiled superciliously. “Miss, there is no need to shout. I can hear you perfectly well -”
A door opened
behind the arrogant man, and Dr. Collins emerged. Jenny nearly ran to him. As she breathlessly explained the situation,
Dr. Young interrupted, trying to pull her away from the doctor. Jenny finally turned in anger and jerked
away. “Let go of me!” she cried.
Dr. Collins firmly removed Dr.Young's hands from Jenny's arm. “Leave us,” he ordered. He asked Jenny to repeat her story one more
time, ordered Dr. Young to gather both of their bags, and went out to saddle
two horses.
Jenny moved outside on the porch to await the doctor. When Dr. Young came out with his and Dr.
Collins's equipment, she moved into the yard and did her best to ignore
him. How she wished she had brought a
gun! The three of them raced to her
house.
The Cartwrights were discussing whether or not they should move
Joe into the house then or wait for the doctor.
Dr. Collins enlisted their support in medicating Joe, stabilizing his arm
so they could do no further damage to it while they turned him, setting it, and
moving him into the house. He shaved part
of the hair off Joe's head - how Jenny hated to see that curly brown hair come
off! - and treated the gash on his scalp. Ben wanted to move his son home, but the
doctor convinced him that moving him that far at this time could be dangerous
for him. After a late lunch, Jenny wandered outside while Ben
discussed the possibility of leaving one of his sons to help care for Little
Joe, as well as help with the chores.
Jenny felt someone's arm go about her waist. Startled, she turned. There was Dr.Young.
“Hello.” He smiled knowingly. “Thought
you might like some company out here.”
He pulled her to him and tried to kiss her.
She pulled away and cried out. “No!
Leave me alone!”
“Oh, come on! It's
not the first time you've been kissed!
Everyone knows that!” Jenny tried
to run in the house, but he caught her by the arm, roughly pulled her to him,
and kissed her hard, despite her cries and protests. Suddenly, his grip was torn from Jenny's arm,
hurting her. As she fell on the ground,
she heard the smack of a fist hitting someone, and Dr. Young crashed to the
ground. She looked up from where she had
fallen to see
Adam standing over the doctor.
“You ever lay
another finger on her, ever come near her, even look at her again, and I'll
kill you. Understand?” Dr. Young didn't
look as though he felt like arguing. He
got up, and stumbled away with his injured dignity to his horse, where he
waited for Dr. Collins.
While Adam was
outside, Ben had arranged to send him over in the morning to help with chores,
as having Little Joe convalesce at the Barnhart house would leave less time for
other work. Other people from the
Ponderosa could be sent as needed, and the Barnharts
were not to worry about doctor bills, extra food, or supplies. Ben Cartwright would provide what was needed
to care for his son.
Adam realized it
was time for him to go when he saw his pa and Hoss get their horses. He lifted Jenny off the ground. “I guess I'll be seeing you soon,” he told
her. “Let me walk you back in the
house. Why don't you brush the dust off
your skirt?” Jenny complied, still
speechless and shaken. As they
approached the house, she said,
“Adam, thank you so much!”
“Don't mention
it,” Adam replied. He raised her hand to
his lips and kissed it. Jenny trembled,
and tried not to cry. Jenny saw her
mother look at them and turn quickly away.
Adam put his hand on her cheek, said, “See you tomorrow, Jenny honey,” mounted his
horse, touched his hat, and rode off
with his father and brother. Doctors
Collins and Young rode in the opposite direction, with Dr. Collins saying goodbye, and the
younger man refusing to even look at them.
Chapter 2
Jenny awoke with a gasp and a strangled cry from a sound
sleep, remembering too late to stifle her voice. She lay still, trying to still her gasping
breath and beating heart, and listening with every ounce of attention her
shattered nerves would allow for any sound from the rest of the household. She'd hate to wake them over her crazy,
horrible dreams. The children seldom
awoke, but when they did, they were very upset that Aunt Jenny was dreaming
about “bad monsters” again, which they always assumed. Jenny didn't bother telling them the truth. The less they had to know, the better; besides their “bad
monsters” couldn't be any worse than the reality of Jenny's dreams, and the
experiences that had led to them. As a
matter of fact, they were probably much better.
Jenny would prefer they thought monsters caused the nightmares rather
than tell them the reality that actually caused them.
There was no sound from anyone in the house. Good.
Her mother would surely have come to her room had she heard. Ordinarily, she did hear when Jenny dreamed
and cried out in her sleep, but she had been so exhausted lately that nothing
much woke her, not even in the morning, when she had been accustomed to getting
up and starting breakfast. Karen must
not have heard her, either, because she either cried or came to Jenny's room
when she heard her aunt cry out in her sleep.
If David heard her, he just whimpered and cried. But there was no sound from anyone.
Jenny now assumed
her mother's responsibility of rising early in the morning, gathering wood, and
preparing breakfast,
as well as most of the responsibility for the 3 children. Of course, she had been shouldering that load
ever since her brothers both died, as well as her sister in-law and niece; and
her sister had moved away, leaving her daughter with them. The stress of losing so many family members,
compounded with the extra work to carve out a life here in
Jenny thrust the thought away from her. She had enough to deal with every day without
thinking of David's early death. No one
could figure out exactly what was wrong with him. Something degenerative that he was born
with...his muscles didn't work or develop right...this affected his lungs, his
heart...an early death from pneumonia or a childhood disease was inevitably the
result. What a relief that they had been
so isolated back east since Pat was murdered.
No one would come around them to give them any illnesses.
Jenny sat up. The nightmare's horror was slowly
fading. It always started the same
way: She was 11, watching in her dream
as her brother Pat, 10 years her senior, drove a carriage. One of his college friends from
They pulled in the driveway, and Jenny cringed, as she
always knew, even as she was dreaming, what would happen. Someone dressed in black suddenly appeared by
the carriage. They hadn't seen him
approach, because they couldn't see him in the dark in his black clothes. Jenny could see him in the lights on the
carriage. Never, never could she
forget him: lanky, light- brown hair falling over a pair
of light blue eyes; a stubbly
beard; thin, stooped shoulders, long
legs...She had seen the picture often on “Wanted” posters nailed to trees on
their trips west as well as in various cities.
She shuddered as she looked out the window at the
stars. The man had held up a gun. Pat and his friend had both held up their
hands. Neither of them had a gun that night; they hadn't thought they would need
it. This was an exclusive neighborhood;
always safe; no
one would pick a quarrel with them
here: would they? The stranger in black had shot Pat's friend
without a word.
“Please, please, don't shoot!” she always heard Pat
cry out in her dream. “I won't tell
anyone, I promise!”
“No you
won't!” the
stranger always exclaimed.
Jenny heard (and saw) the gunshot in her dreams, and saw
her beloved older brother, her friend, teacher, mentor, and helper, fall to the
side, stiffen, shudder, and expire. She
opened her mouth to scream, but couldn't.
Then, the dream always shifted, to another place and
time: She was in the doorway of a
tavern, always wondering how she, a young lady, came to be there. With a chill creeping from her stomach up to
her throat, paralyzing her breathing, she realized: her brother Paul was here. There he was, by the bar, and a tall, burly,
thick-haired and heavily bearded stranger was picking an argument with
him. Paul turned to him, ever the
hot-head; words
were exchanged; Jenny thought she heard
her name, and her sister's name;
punches were thrown. The stranger
stepped back, his hair in wild disarray, drew his gun, and shot her unarmed
brother dead. Why, oh why, had Paul left
his gun at the door, as the saloon keeper asked? Why hadn't he carried a concealed gun, as had
the man who murdered him?
Jenny's ragged breathing began to even out as she gained
control of herself. She wiped the tears
from her cheeks, and wandered to the kitchen.
She looked out the front window.
The stars were bright, but cast little light, even this far away from
the city, on the ground about her. She
gazed at the meadow beyond the dark line she knew must be the fence, and at the
fancied shadows of mountains beyond. She
MUST put this behind her. Her brothers
were dead. The murderers who had
butchered the people at the house where Pat had driven that night were caught
and hung - well, all except one, that was - Pat's killer, of course - and Paul - well -
Paul's murderer had escaped. If ever
captured, he would hang for shooting an unarmed man. So would the lone fugitive running from Pat's
murder. The men who had killed each of
her brothers were the ones to escape!
The bitter injustice of it rolled over her like a tidal wave, consuming
her with a fresh surge of tears.
No, no;
she must stop this. Stop
it now. Nothing would bring her brothers
back: not crying, weeping, pleading with
law officials, searching;
not even the murderers' hanging would return her brothers to
her. She must move on with her life
now: helping maintain their new home,
care for the children, and carving out a new life for herself and her
family. The past was the past: she must leave it there. If only her dreams would let her.
She had hoped that the move to Nevada Territory, with its
wilderness, Indians, wild and breathtaking vistas of mountains and deserts, not
to mention the fact that they didn't live in town where everyone could look
down their noses at them, would help her to put her past - and her dreams -
behind her. But the lonely countryside
only brought back more and more vivid memories of those she had left behind,
and her dreams grew increasingly terrifying.
She sighed. Enough
of this. She MUST get back to
bed.
*******************************
When she rose in the morning, she moved quietly, so as
not to wake Little Joe. He had slept fairly
well through the night. But the doctor
expected him to be in a lot of pain this morning, and had left medicine for
it. He also needed to eat. Dr. Collins had promised to be back as soon
as possible, as head injuries could have unpredictable results. After she put on water for coffee and
washing, she stopped by Joe's bed. His
face was flushed and his breathing a little hard. She had nursed the three children in her
family through enough illnesses to know he had a fever. She got down the medicine and debated waking
him to take it. “No,” she thought, “he
has slept through the night, and I need to get wood. I'll give it to him when I get back.” She didn't mentally add that she needed to
get away from the house, as she did every morning. What she would do when winter came, she
didn't know.
She straddled her mare Lady, glad her father wasn't there
to see her as she tucked her skirts about her, and rode away from the house,
across the pasture, and over the fence toward the Gully Water. She hoped that Dr. Young wouldn't be down
there. Why would he
be, she wondered. Hopefully, he would
leave her alone since Adam dealt with him.
As usual, after a man had treated her in such a shameful way, assuming
all the rumors he heard about her were true, and trying to use her, she felt
violated to the very core of her being.
Why were people so quick to believe rumors? And why did Jared have to bear the brunt of
this? He had it harder than she
did.
As she gathered wood by the stream, she saw some flowers
that looked familiar. Her mother liked
those leaves for tea. Well, she'd gather
some of those as well. Suddenly, Lady
pawed and neighed where she was tethered to a tree. Jenny whirled about. Adam was approaching her on Sport. She relaxed, took her hand out of her pocket
(she kept a gun there since yesterday), and smiled. “Adam, hello!” she said.
Adam
touched his hat and dismounted. “How are
you?” he asked.
“Me?” she
replied. “I'm fine. I'm not sure about Joe, though. He's feverish, I think, though he did sleep
through the night. Unless he woke and I
didn't hear him.”
“Not
much chance of that, I'd think,” said Adam.
“You probably hear everyone and everything that wakes in the night, with
Karen and David around.”
“Yes,” said Jenny, “but I'm used to hearing them, not
Joe.” She had never told him of her
continual nightmares, which had again plagued her last night. “I'd better get back and check on him,” she
continued. “I have some medicine the
doctor left to give him for fever.”
“I'll come with you,” said Adam.
As they rode back to the house, Adam wondered how she
could think so much about Little Joe when she had nearly been assaulted by that
rogue “doctor” the previous afternoon. If he ever saw him near her again.... He'd better not come to her house. Not while Adam was there. He wondered if Jenny's father was aware of
how some of the men in
Adam's thoughts were interrupted when Jenny said, “I'm
worried about your brother, Adam. I know
he had a fever, and head injuries can have long-lasting repercussions. Maybe you should ride into town to get the
doctor again.”
“The doctor said
he'd be by again today,” Adam told her.
“He did?” Jenny
asked.
“Yes,” Adam replied.
“Pa told me on the way home. We
must have missed it while we were outside.”
Jenny didn't reply.
When they arrived
at the house, she began to unload the wood she was pulling behind her
horse. “Leave it, and go inside,” said
Adam. “I'll split it and stack it.”
Jenny thought of arguing, thought better of it, and went
inside. No one was awake yet. The water she had put on the stove was
boiling. She set the pans aside, washed her hands at the sink with the pump her father
had installed, and began getting breakfast.
She tried to make as little clatter and banging as possible, but when
she glanced over at Little Joe as she was mixing pancake batter, she saw his
glazed eyes looking at her. She smiled
at him. “Hi! How are you feeling this morning?” He didn't respond.
She put down the bowl, wiped her hands on her apron, and
went to his side. “Are you hungry?” she
asked. “How is your head?” He stared at her through those glazed eyes,
but didn't respond. She took the
medicine Dr. Collins had given her, ground two of the pills into powder, and
mixed them into a cup of tea she quickly brewed.
“Here,” she told
him. “Let me help you sit up and drink
this.” She sat on the bed next to him,
put her arm under his shoulders, and hoped he would help her sit him up. He needed his medicine. Though Little Joe was the smallest of his
brothers, he was still a lot bigger than she was.
Adam came in just
then, looked at the pancake batter in the bowl, the oil bubbling to cook it,
and the bacon frying, looked about the room, and saw her with her arms around
Joe, attempting to lift him. He stared
at her for a moment, seeming perplexed.
Jenny waited for him to offer to help.
When he didn't, she asked, “Come help me lift him up? He needs his medicine.”
Adam shut the door
and came to her assistance. Finally,
Jenny moved and let Adam lift him. She
held the tea before Little Joe once he was seated upright. He at first showed no inclination to take it;
then, he seized it and tried to gulp it.
It was hot, despite how Jenny had attempted to cool it as she made it,
and bitter as well with the medicine in it.
Adam smiled. Little Joe had always been terrible about
taking his medicine. Marie, and after her
death Ben and Adam, had always faced
tantrums when nasty medicine was placed before him, no matter how anyone
attempted to disguise it. He made a face
and thrust it away.
Jenny
grabbed it just before it spilled on the bed.
“Maybe he needs some water.” She
went to the sink to get another glass.
“No,” said
Adam. “He gets water - and food - after
he takes his medicine.”
“But Adam,” said
Jenny, “he's probably nearly dehydrated.
He hasn't had anything to drink since yesterday aftern-” She stopped when
she saw the look on Adam's face.
“The tea with
medicine first,” he stated. “Anything
else is after that.”
Jenny looked at
Little Joe. He turned his face
away. “You must be thirsty,” she
said. “We have some nice, cold water,
coffee, and breakfast waiting if you drink that tea.” She grabbed a bowl and went to the
springhouse out back where she ladled some chicken soup from a pot and fetched
a cold glass of water. That might settle
in Joe's stomach better than hotcakes and bacon, especially after his fast.
After she warmed the soup on the stove, she turned to see Joe still refusing
his medicine. She brought the chicken
soup nearer to him.
“Here is some chicken soup, after you drink the tea, of
course.” Little Joe finally took the cup
in his hand, and with Adam's assistance, gulped it down. Jenny wondered which was worse, hot bitter
tea, or cold bitter tea.
She looked at Adam.
“Mind helping him eat that soup while I make
breakfast for the rest of us? He
shouldn't be eating anything heavy like hotcakes and bacon after yesterday, not
right away, anyhow.” Adam picked up the bowl, Jenny got a towel to put across Little Joe's chest to
guard against spills, and said, “I'll go wake Mother up. She can do this.”
“No,” said
Adam. “I'm supposed to help out
here. That's why I came.”
“You're supposed
to help with chores,” countered Jenny.
“Not play nursemaid.”
“You
don't think this is a chore?” Adam
smiled sardonically. “I'm used to taking
care of him. I've been doing it a lot, ever
since he was born. You have enough
people to play nursemaid to, as well as running this entire household.” Jenny looked at him in gratitude, and went
back to fixing breakfast.
Adam wondered how
long she had been assuming most of the responsibility for the children and
house. Every time he saw her, she was busy with the children, or household
chores, or yard work, and while her mother did take part in the running of the
household, Jenny was the one who always seemed to be directing the children to their
chores, disciplining them, correcting them, making sure they minded their
manners; cooking; feeding or otherwise caring for David - which
must be an eternal job, Adam reflected - watching the young ones, minding them
while she performed every other chore.
No wonder she enjoyed her morning rides so much, even when they needed
no wood. He doubted her parents
appreciated her or affirmed her for all the work she did, especially her
father, who was gone so much. He
couldn't always see or appreciate all she did.
For a
moment, Adam reflected that if he married her, she could run his household, and
have a small fraction of the responsibility she had here. But no, he wasn't getting married, not right
now, for sure. Besides, she obviously
loved the children, and wouldn't want to leave them, though they did sometimes
wear her out and drive her to distraction.
Little Joe ate his
chicken soup, and probably would have eaten more, but Jenny stopped Adam from
getting any more. “Let's wait,” she
said. “No need for him to get sick from
putting too much in an empty stomach.”
Joe was restless as she finished preparing breakfast and setting the
table. She hoped the doctor would return
soon.
When all was
ready, she went back to the bedroom to wake her mother. Better if the children slept for a while, if
they would. They were tired after all of
the excitement yesterday. Her mother
quickly dressed, when Jenny told her Adam was there, and came to the
kitchen. As she and Adam were seated at
the table, Jenny left.
“Where are you
going?” asked her mother.
“To get some more
chicken soup for Little Joe,” said Jenny.
She ladled out some more, brought it in, and set it on the stove to
heat. She turned to Joe. “There's more soup heating up for you.” He looked at her, but Jenny wasn't sure he
heard her.
“Thank
you for coming by, Adam,” her mother said.
“I'm sure you have other things to do besides come here and help us
out.”
“If my brother is
here, it's the least I can do,” Adam replied.
“When will Mr. Barnhart be back?”
“Not for a few
days yet,” Catherine replied. “He's away
on - business.”
Jenny tried not to cringe. She suspected this “business” had something
to do with her sister - whose whereabouts she didn't know. Ever since Karen had been born, Linda had
disappeared. Her parents knew where she
was, but wouldn't tell her, of course.
Meanwhile, Jenny was mother to her child, and Karen was told that Jared
was her brother, and her parents were dead.
Jared came into the room, and stood uncertainly in the
doorway. “Hi, Jared,” Jenny greeted
him. “Come sit down and have some
breakfast.” Jared seemed uncertain where
to sit. Jenny glanced at Adam. There was an empty seat next to him. Before she could offer it to him, Adam spoke
up.
“Why don't you sit
here?” Jared looked relieved, and as he
sat next to their tall, strong neighbor, Jenny wondered at the change in
him.
Though Jared’s grandfather traveled frequently, he was
actually home more than he was away. But
Jared needed someone who could help him with his problems right now; someone to whom he
could look for guidance and
direction. His grandfather was
overwhelmed with establishing a new home, a new business, maintaining old and
establishing new business contacts, not to mention the change in his
relationship with his grandson. He had
changed from grandpa to father in a very brief period of time, a time fraught
with desperate troubles for all of them.
He had done his best to give his wife and daughters the help they needed
during that time, but felt he had not always succeeded. Jared's needs were simply beyond him at that
time.
Hence, Jared felt
his grandparents didn't care about him or his parents' deaths. Jenny had heard him express that the day
before, during her talk with him while mending clothes and minding the younger
ones. She knew that wasn't true, and
while she understood - or thought she did - her parents' inability to deal with
Jared, she thought they made matters worse by not being honest with him
regarding his twin Irene, Karen's parentage, and David's orphan status. She knew, of course, the importance of
keeping one's mouth shut. Children often
tell secrets, even secrets they have sworn to keep. But Jared knew he was living a lie, and
telling lies. He should at least be told
the truth, if only so he could trust those about him.
Jenny rose from the table and served Jared some hotcakes,
syrup, and bacon. She offered him some
tea, too, which he gladly took. She took
the chicken soup off the back of the stove, where she had left it to heat, and
stirred it so it would cool before feeding Little Joe. Once she felt it was cool enough, she took it
to the couch where Little Joe lay. He
seemed asleep, and she wondered if she should wake him.
“Little
Joe,” she said softly, “I have some more soup for you, if you'd like.” His eyes came open, and he looked groggily at
her. She sat the soup down on the table
near the bed, put the towel back over him, and noticed that he would have to be
propped up. She looked about for the
extra pillows, and found them at the foot of the bed. She started to raise him and put the pillows
under him - a Herculean task, she wryly thought.
Adam stepped in and did it easily for her. “I'll take care of him,” he said. “You go finish eating.”
“But I've finished,” she protested. “You haven't.”
“I've already had
one breakfast before I came here,” said Adam.
“Go eat.”
“Adam
-” Jenny began,
but stopped when he glared at her with his brows drawn down. She sighed and began clearing her and Adam's
dishes from the table. As she put the
dishes in the water she had heated for washing, she heard Adam scolding Joe.
“Stop it! You're just being difficult, throwing a
tantrum! You always were a spoiled brat,
especially when you were sick!” Trying
not to pay attention, she began scrubbing the dishes, rinsing them, and setting
them out to dry.
“Hey, cut that out!
That doesn't work with me, you know!”
Jenny turned
abruptly from the sink, trying not to smile.
Adam was straddling Joe, trying to force the soup down him. Most of his efforts were plastered on the
towel beneath Joe's neck. Knowing her
diplomacy would fail (having had two older brothersas
well as her father to practice on), she came behind
Adam and snatched the soup out of his hand.
She placed it on the kitchen table, and was turning to Adam when Karen
entered the kitchen.
“Is that pancakes I smell? I'm hungry!!!” At that moment, David cried. Jenny sighed.
Why did every crisis have to occur at once?
“Karen,” she said, “go tell
David that someone will be there in a minute.
Karen ran from the room.
“Mother, do you
think -”
“I'll take care of the youngsters, Jenny.” Jenny's mother rose from the table.
“Tell Karen she
can get her own breakfast,” Jenny told her mother. “Just remind her she can't eat all the bacon,
and not to drown everything in syrup, at least not too much.” She picked up the bowl of soup and turned to
go to Little Joe. “And be careful she doesn't burn herself on the stove!”
She ran into
Adam. He tried unsuccessfully to take
the soup from her. “I'm doing
that.”
“No, you're not. I
am.”
“No. Give it to me.”
Ordinarily, Jenny wouldn't argue with him, but she said,
“Adam, let me do it, please. I think
he'll eat for me.” She knew that Little
Joe was very likely to be stubborn wherever his older brother was involved, and
this trait was going to be worse now, as he wasn't feeling well, and very
likely wasn't himself. And Adam, she
reflected, was very stubborn regarding Little Joe. She sighed inwardly. Not a good combination: two stubborn men, each more stubborn than
usual when the other was around. As if
her father wasn't enough stubbornness for one household!
Adam put his hands on his hips and glared at her as he
towered over her. He wouldn't let her past him.
“I'm supposed to take care of him, so you don't have to worry about him,” he
said. “Pa told me so.”
Jenny sighed audibly.
The things men did to help!
“Believe me, there will be a lot less to worry about if you just let me
feed him. Besides, I'd like you, if you
would, to go with Jared to the barn this morning. There's plenty to do out there.” She looked at Jared, hoping he wouldn't be
angry with her.
He glanced back at
her at the mention of his name; then looked at Adam. “Just a minute,” he said, and stuffed a last
bite of hotcake and bacon smothered in syrup in his mouth. He rose and went almost eagerly to the door.
Jenny marveled at the change in his demeanor, but decided
against thinking about it too much. No
use wondering about a good change in attitude.
It could always change back quickly enough. Adam glared at her for a few seconds, then turned to follow Jared out the door.
“Adam,” Jenny said.
Adam stopped at the doorway, but didn't turn around. Jenny walked towards him until she stopped
just behind him. He seemed to dominate
and darken the entire room. “Jared
needs you. He needs help I can't give
him. Please. And I do think Joe will eat for me.”
Adam turned and looked at her. Jenny could tell he was softening. “All right,” he said. Giving one last withering glare at Little
Joe, he left to follow Jared to the barn.
Jenny sighed in relief at the catastrophe that had just been averted,
then snatched the soiled towel off of Joe, and tossed it by the door to wash
later. After placing a clean towel on
him, she picked up the bowl of soup. She
touched the edge of it.
“Maybe I should reheat it.” As she got up, she saw Joe vigorously shaking
his head. She looked at him.
“You don't want me to?”
“He shook his head again.
“All right. You can eat it
now.” He opened his mouth. She smiled humorously and fed him. He was hungry, and it all went down. Very little went on the towel, and most of
that was what dribbled off the spoon as Jenny fed him. “Would you like some more?” she asked. He nodded.
“Or maybe you'd like a little bit of hotcake and
syrup?” Again, he nodded.
“Well, which? Soup? Or
hotcake?” Little Joe just nodded. Jenny smiled.
He obviously just wanted her to feed him. She'd have to make sure he didn't get
sick. A little hotcake wouldn't hurt. She got an extra one off of the stove, cut it
in half, put a little syrup on it, and carefully fed it to him in small
bites.
When he indicated he wanted more, she said, “No, you've
eaten enough for now. We'll see what the
doctor says when he comes back around.
If he's not here before lunch, I'll feed you lunch.” Little Joe smiled, and tried to talk. She bent down toward him, anxious.
“Why don't you
rest?” she asked. “You need to
sleep.” He reached out his hand and
pulled her down beside him. She couldn't
get him to release her, even after he went to sleep. When her mother came back in the kitchen with
Karen and David, she also tried unsuccessfully to get Joe to release his
grip. Jenny was apparently stuck there
next to him. She instructed Karen to
feed David after she had finished her breakfast. That way, her mother could wash the dishes
and do her other chores. Of course,
David would be a mess, but he could also be cleaned up along with the dishes.
Chapter 3
Adam helped Jared clean out the stalls and feed the
stock. While Jared was feeding Lasso, he
stroked him and spoke softly to him.
“Is that your pony?”
asked Adam.
“Yeah.” Jared felt a little self-conscious.
“I had a pony when
I was your age, too, “ said Adam. “I lived for the day when I could get my own
horse.”
“How old were you
when you got your horse?” asked Jared, brightening with excitement.
Adam thought. “Oh, 11, maybe 12. I wanted one a lot earlier than that, but Pa
said I wasn't big enough or ready.”
“That's the same
thing Grandpa says to me now,” said Jared, scowling despite himself.
“The time will
come,” Adam assured him. “Soon. By the way,
you weren't riding that pony when you came to tell us about Little Joe, were
you?”
“No,” said
Jared. “I was riding Lariat, Grandpa's
horse.” He pointed to Lariat in another
stall. “If I can ride him, I don't see
why I can't have a horse of my own.” “Maybe we
can find a horse for you on the Ponderosa, once your grandpa decides you're
ready,” said Adam.
“That'd be great!”
exclaimed Jared.
There was a moment of silence. Adam wondered what kind of help it was that
Jenny thought her nephew needed. So far,
his conversation had turned up nothing on the home front. He decided to direct his chat with the boy in
a different direction.
“Do you still go
to school?”
Jared pulled back into himself. His retreat was almost visible.
“Yeah, I go. Sometimes. Sometimes
Grandma teaches me at home. It's a long
way.”
Adam decided to be
more direct. “Last time I talked with
you about school, things were going better with those boys you had been having
trouble with. How is it now?”
Jared looked at
the floor and scowled. “Fine, I
guess.”
Adam decided to probe further. “Do they leave you alone? Or do you still have to fight them?” Jared didn't answer.
Adam was at a loss for a moment. Then, remembering Jared's aunt being
mistreated by the new doctor's assistant, he said, “What is it you fight
about?” When Jared didn't answer right
away, he asked, “It's not your aunt, is it?
And your sister?”
Jared
wanted to yell, “She's not my sister!” but knew he couldn't.
When he still received no response,
Adam said, “I've had to throw a few punches, and a few threats, about your
aunt. Some of the men in town have
talked about her, too, see. But they're quiet
now. And most of them don't bother her,
either. Likely, the boys saying these
things are only repeating what the men have said.” Adam didn't tell Jared about the doctor last
night. Dr. Young was new in town, but he, too, had learned his lesson.
Jared looked up at him, his pale face flushed and brown
eyes burning with fire. “But you're big
enough to beat them up, and shut them up!
I'm not! Especially not all of
them! They all jump on me at once! Oh, I was doing better with them, at first,
after you helped learn me how to fight, but now they
all gang up on me!” He stopped
suddenly. “I'm sorry; I didn't mean to
sound like a sissy. But they say such
awful things about Aunt Jenny and Karen!
I can't let them say that! If I
walk away - like Grandma wants me to - then I'm a coward. If I fight, they all fight me! At once!”
Adam looked at him
for a moment; then put his hand on the boy's shoulder. “Who are the boys who are doing this?”
Jared was quiet
for a minute, then grudgingly gave him a few
names.
“I think I know how we should deal with this,” Adam
said. “But we're going to have to talk
to Hoss about what's going on. Are you
willing?”
Jared looked up at him for
a moment; then nodded. “Do you really think you can fix it? I don't want to be called a coward, and they
- they CAN'T say those things about my aunt and cous - sister!”
“No,” said Adam,
“I can't fix it. Neither can Hoss. But I think you can fix it with our
help.” Jared smiled up at him and nodded
his agreement.
“All right, then,
let's finish up in here,” said Adam.
Once the barn
chores were completed, Jared and Adam walked back to the house. Once inside, Adam stopped and gaped at the
scene before him. Clotheslines were
strung from one end of the room to the other, each filled with various types of
male and female clothing, as well as bedding and towels.
“Hello, Adam!”
Catherine called from somewhere within the clothing jungle. “And Jared! I'm over here!” Laughter came from beside the stove. “Since everyone is inside, I decided it was easier
to do the wash in here instead of dragging everyone and everything
outside.” She didn't mention that she
felt that Jared and Adam might need privacy out in the yard.
“Where's Jenny?”
asked Adam.
“I'm here,” called Jenny in a small voice, as her mother
tried to explain why Jenny was trapped on the bed with Little Joe. Jenny had hoped that Little Joe would let go
of her arm before Adam came in. But he
still slept fitfully, refusing to release her whether he was asleep or
awake. When she had asked him to let go
of her, he smiled, gazed at her with increasingly glazed eyes, and tightened
his grip. So she stopped asking, and
after a few attempts to free herself, which only reulted
in a tighter grip yet and more pain for her, resigned herself to being trapped until Adam freed her.
Adam weaved his
way through the clothes to her side. He
smiled wickedly when he saw her predicament.
“He won't let me go,” Jenny said, wishing her voice
didn't sound so wimpy.
Adam appraised the situation for a moment, his smile
growing as he did so. “How long has he
had you like this?”
Jenny sighed and looked at the floor. “Since
I finished feeding him. He
finished his soup, and ate half a hotcake.
Then, I told him to wait until lunchtime for more. He tried to say something, and I leaned close
to hear him, and he took hold of me, and he's been holding on to me ever
since.” She realized as she said it how
foolish it sounded, and how silly she looked and felt.
Adam's smile grew into a grin. “That's what you get for feeding him. It's what he wanted, you know. He always has found ways to get what he
wants. Tantrums, sulking, refusing something
one person offers him and hoping another will offer it instead. He's sneaky.
He gets what he wants that way.
And since he's the youngest, everyone makes excuses for him!”
Jenny found herself relating to Little Joe better than
Adam after that speech. “Well, why
not? If it works? When you're the youngest,
no one listens to you or takes you seriously, and you have to sneak and connive
to get what you want, or need!”
Jenny was fully aware of the hazards of being the youngest, as she had
had two older brothers (“big bothers”, she had called them) and an older
sister. She could imagine what Joe went
through at the hands of his two older brothers.
They must both be an awful pain.
“Fine.” Adam's smile again played craftily about the
corners of his lips. “I'll just leave
you here with him, since you're so - ah, understanding.” He turned to go.
“Adam!” He stopped, and looked back at her with a
wicked smile. Jenny swallowed her pride
and self-sufficiency. “Please make him
let me go. He's been holding me here
since I fed him.”
“I told you,
that's what you get for feeding him,” insisted Adam. “And what makes you think I can get him to
let go of you?”
“Come on!” pleaded Jenny.
“Please?”
Adam turned about,
his smile growing again. “All right! If you ask nicely!”
“I said 'please'!”
“Say it again,
louder!”
Jenny sighed.
“Please!”
Adam grinned. “I
didn't hear you!”
Jenny swallowed her pride. “Pretty please?”
Adam's grin changed into a stealthy, smug gloat. He walked over to her and tipped her chin up
with his hand. In a low voice that her
mother couldn't hear, he said, “Just how pretty does 'please' get?” Jenny jerked her chin out of his hand and
looked at the floor.
Adam waited for her to say something else. When she didn't, he went to the sink to wash
his hands and get a drink. Then he
returned to the bed, leaned over Little Joe, and lightly slapped his face.
“Hey, Little Joe! Wake up!
Look at me!” Little Joe groggily
opened one eye, and when he saw his brother over him, glared.
“You're holding on
to Jenny's arm,” said Adam. “Let go of
it.”
Little Joe closed
his eyes. Adam slapped him again, harder
this time. “Little Joe! Let go of Jenny! You're holding onto her arm!”
When Little Joe turned his head away, Adam grabbed him by
the hair and yanked his head back. Jenny
gasped.
“Adam, be careful!
You know the doctor had to shave part of his head and stitch up that
gash!”
Adam paid no
attention. “Joe! LET GO OF HER! If you don't, I'll smash your teeth down your
throat! You hear me?” He tightened Joe's shirt collar about his
throat with his other hand. Little Joe
released her arm.
When the doctor came later that afternoon, Jenny was
soaking her swollen arm in a basin of cold water. Dr. Collins asked her what had happened. She was reluctant to tell him, but Adam was
only too glad to fill him in.
“She fed Little Joe when I didn't want her to, and he
grabbed hold of her and wouldn't let her go.
I had to persuade him.”
The doctor looked at it, determined it was not broken,
and told her to keep soaking it a few times a day. He also gave her a bandage to wrap around
it. Upon hearing what Little Joe was
doing and eating, he seemed encouraged.
He told them to keep on talking to him, to explain what had happened to
him, and to let him know if Joe began acting as though he didn't know where he
was. He would try to get by the next
day. Though Little Joe still had a
slight fever, it was down from the day before.
It was important that he keep taking his medicine. Jenny smiled, amused, and looked at her
patient. Though he was watching them, he
did not react.
That
evening, before she went to bed, Jenny was sitting outside, again soaking her
arm. Adam came back from the barn after
doing the evening chores, and her mother was weeding the garden in the relative
coolness. The little ones were asleep in
bed. Jared was helping himself to
cookies inside. Adam sat down next to
Jenny.
“Did Jared talk
with you?” she
asked.
“Yes.”
When Adam didn't volunteer any further information, she
didn't pursue it. “I appreciate all
you've done for him,” was all she said.
Adam didn't answer for a minute. “How's the arm?” he finally asked.
“It hurts,” she
replied. “I don't know which was worse,
how Joe acted when you tried to feed him, or this. At least I got food down him.”
“Well, if you'd
like to chance it again with him, do so, but don't ask me for help.” Adam was angry that she had insisted on
feeding him, then got herself in a dilemma she needed him to get her out of.
“Thanks,” Jenny drily
replied.
“Hey, I've warned you.
It's likely to happen again.
Realize it, chance it, and live with it.”
“He doesn't know
what he's doing right now,” Jenny insisted.
“Fine, take your chances, but leave me out of it.”
“Well,” Jenny said, wondering why he was so testy, “at
least he ate for Mother tonight. Maybe
she can feed him and help you with him otherwise. He just seems to fight with you.”
Adam didn't answer, and seemed lost in thought.
Jenny tried again.
“Has he always been this stubborn about taking his medicine, or is it just
the head injury?”
Adam looked at her for a moment, as though he had
forgotten she was there. “Yes,” he
absently replied. “He hates medicine,
and doing anything he doesn't want to do.
He fights and makes everyone around him as miserable as possible at
those times. He has always been that way.”
Jenny felt a little guilty, as that described her in her
younger years, and she could relate to Joe feeling so bad right now. “I don't think he feels very well right now,
and with the head injury, he may not be himself,” she said, almost defensively.
Adam's lip curled
in a smile. “Fine; if you want to defend
him, go ahead,” he told her. “But don't
ask me for help if you get in a jam.”
“Gee, thanks,” Jenny replied in her best sarcastic
voice. “I thought you came here to help
us?”
“I'm trying, if
you'll let me,” Adam said. Jenny dried
her arm and said nothing. Why was he so
angry with his brother?
A few days later, Jenny's father arrived home from his
trip. Little Joe was continuing to eat,
but always threw tantrums when he found Jenny wouldn't feed him. He finally
grudgingly accepted Catherine's ministrations when he grew hungry enough, and
thwarted Adam at every turn as he tried to bathe him or move him for the Jenny
and her mother. Adam spoke harshly to
him to achieve his ends. Jenny rolled
her eyes. Such brotherly love!
But Joe was difficult, there was no denying that. She had
herself been very difficult in her younger days, when her brothers had been
alive and her sister lived with them, before her life as she knew it ended at
age 11 when her oldest, dearest brother Pat had been murdered.... If she had known that she would lose both
brothers and her sister, she would not have treated them so shabbily. She wondered if Joe knew how lucky he was, to
have a family that loved him so much.
She doubted it. She knew from
experience that no one ever appreciated love until it was gone.
But Adam wasn't
realizing, it seemed, that Joe may never be the same
again. Little Joe had only tried to
speak once, and that was right before he had grabbed her arm. Adam seemed to regard this as
spoiled-youngest-brother stubborness. It might be permanent brain damage.
Jenny's father was surprised to see Joe and Adam in his
house, but was concerned and cooperative where Little Joe's care was concerned,
even though he was tired after his trip and would have preferred to have his
house to himself. Contrary to Jenny's
fears, her father's return home brought relief, rather than agitation. Little Joe finally became very cooperative
with her father: he ate for him, allowed him to bathe him, move him, and
stopped throwing temper fits when Thomas raised his voice to him. Perhaps Thomas reminded him of his own
father. Whatever worked, Jenny
thought. This at least gave Adam a
break.
Jenny approached him one evening as he sat on the fence,
watching the sunset after finishing the evening's chores in the barn. “Little Joe seems to be getting better,” she
said. “He talked to Father tonight. I think he said that Cochise
saw a snake, and that was why he jumped all around. And he said - or at least we think he did -
that he wanted me to feed him. But my
arm still hurts! I know he didn't know
what he was doing then, but I don't want to go through that again.”
“Oh, he knew what
he was doing, all right. He stopped when
I threatened him, didn't he?”
Jenny was silent
for a moment. “The doctor says that head
injuries like this often result in brain damage. I hope that's not the case here.”
“Oh, I doubt that
it is,” Adam said flippantly. “If it
was, he wouldn't be acting so typically.”
Jenny didn't
mention that all his worst character traits would be magnified due to a brain
injury. She remembered watching her
grandfather die while she was a small child after suffering a bad knock on the
head. Knowing Adam, he might be facing
the truth of the matter now, but didn't want to talk about it. Jenny could only hope that the truth wasn't
what she feared it to be, and that Adam wouldn't be forced to deal with a
permanent change in his brother, or worse, his death.
She decided to change the subject. “Jared seems much better, too. His attitude has improved, and he seems
happier, and, well.... more hopeful.”
She thought that may sound silly, but Adam replied,
“We talked to Hoss
today, Jared and I.
We have some plans for tomorrow, or the day after, and for several days
after that. We will have to go away for
at least three or four days, or maybe more.”
When he didn't offer any more information, Jenny asked,
“Have you mentioned this to Father?”
“No, not yet,”
said Adam. “But I will. Everyone will know that we have Jared, and
all is fine.”
Jenny wanted to ask more questions, but knew better. If Adam and Hoss could help Jared deal with those boys, that was one less thing for her to
worry about. And it might help her. She was fully aware, as evidenced by Dr.
Young's actions toward her, that her problems were far from over, and probably
never would be over.
The
next day, Adam approached Thomas about taking Jared to the Ponderosa for three
or four days, or a week at the most.
Little Joe seemed better, he mentioned, and he cooperated for Thomas
much better than he did for Catherine or Jenny, or even Adam himself. He had to go back home for anywhere from a
few days to a week;
then he could come back.
He'd like to take Jared with him.
It might give him the taste of life on a ranch, and he thought Jared
might benefit from helping with some of the chores. He'd make certain everything went fine for
him, and bring him back in no longer than a week.
Thomas was hesitant.
He knew that Adam was good for Jared; there was no doubt about that. But he wondered about this man's interest in
his daughter. Yes, he seemed to like
her, to be stable and steady - but he had heard things about Adam
Cartwright.… Even if one couldn't always
believe what one heard, he wondered if his daughter's affection for this man
was wise. And he had come home to find
not only Adam, but his brother Joe staying in his home! He shook his head, and mentioned Adam's offer later on to his
wife.
Catherine thought
it was a fine idea. She had seen the
good that Adam had done Jared, and knew what a help he was about the house and
yard.
“I don't know,” Thomas said. “What do you suppose he has in mind?”
“He told you,” his wife replied. “He needs to go home, and he'd like to take
Jared with him. He's good for
Jared. His attitude has improved, and he
likes Adam.”
“I'm not too sure about Adam and Jenny,” growled
Thomas.
“This has nothing to do with Jenny,” Catherine
replied. “And Adam seems a fine young
man to me,” she added. “He’s a good
influence on Jared.”
Jenny finally ventured to speak. “Father? I think we could manage without Jared for a
few days, or even a week.” Thomas
thought about it, and finally agreed, but it was to be no longer than a week,
he said.
Jared eagerly packed a few things, grudgingly accepting
his aunt's supervision of extra underwear and socks, and went happily with Adam. Jenny gave Adam a brief, grateful look as
they left. She wasn't sure what was
going on, and wished she did know, but was willing enough to leave her nephew,
whose problems completely puzzled her, in Adam's hands. She only hoped that he and Hoss would truly
be able to help him. If anyone could,
she knew it was them.
The house seemed empty with Adam and Jared gone. Jenny had some of Jared's chores, as well as
her regular ones. The children were
restless, and Karen constantly asked when Adam would be back. David cried a lot, and Karen said he missed
Adam. Jenny was short-tempered and felt
overworked. She wondered what was wrong
with her. Everything had felt so right
with Adam there.
Catherine fed Little Joe and gave him his medicine, and
Thomas helped her bathe him. Jenny
talked to him, and he talked to her some, too, but talking was troublesome for
him. It took him a long time to say
anything, and sometimes he was difficult to understand. He often indicated that he wanted her to sit
next to him, but she was hesitant, as her arm was not yet healed. Finally, she showed him her arm.
“Do you remember
grabbing hold of my arm?”
He looked at her arm, then at her.
“It still hurts.”
She smiled. “You wouldn't let go
of me. Adam had to make you let me go.”
Joe looked at her,
not smiling anymore.
“I'll sit by you if you won't grab hold of me
again.”
Joe looked away and closed his eyes. Jenny stayed where she was, mending one of
Karen's dresses by the window at the kitchen table. Finally, she noticed Little Joe watching
her. She smiled at him. She put her mending in the basket, moved her
chair and basket a little closer to the bed, then
resumed her sewing. He just watched her,
saying nothing. His eyes weren't glazed
anymore, but they weren't animated and excited like they used to be. She wondered if he would fully recover. Her mother said he wasn't feverish anymore,
and the doctor said his arm was healing.
He thought Little Joe would recover some, but how much he made clear was
uncertain. Only time could tell
that. Jenny hoped that this vibrant
young man, so full of life and energy, would not suffer permanent brain damage.
“Adam went back to the Ponderosa for a while,” Jenny told
him. “He took Jared with him.”
Jenny suddenly wondered what Joe had had to tell them the
day he was hurt. “You certainly were
excited when you rode in here that day, before you fell,” she said. “Adam said you were supposed to give us the
lawyer's information on the land deal.
But you seemed so excited, I wondered what else
you had to say.”
Suddenly, Little Joe grew very agitated. He tried to speak, but choked. Jenny hurried to his side, and struggled to
lift him up to a more upright position.
“You - don - g-g-go - outsi - “ he choked again.
Father came to
Jenny's side and shooed her away. “Here,
calm down,” he said, looking sternly at Jenny.
“You're upsetting him,” he reprimanded her.
Jenny shook her head.
“No, he was fine, until I mentioned how excited
he seemed the day he rode in here. Then
he tried to tell me something, and was real uspet.”
After they got
Little Joe calmed down and to sleep, Jenny tried again to describe to her
father what had happened. “It's like he
was telling me not to go outside,” she said, “but he choked before he could
finish saying it. And he did come riding like the wind off the road that day, and was
yelling at us. I thought it was just his
usual excitement, but he seemed urgent.
Could he have found out something in town, something besides the land deal, that upset him?”
Her father shook
his head solemnly. “We may never know,
Jenny,” he said sadly. “This is such a
shame - to see him like this....”
Jenny got up abruptly and went to her room. She had to talk to Adam. No, Adam refused to discuss the fact that
there might be anything more than youngest brother bullheadedness wrong with
Little Joe. Ben, then. Maybe she could see Ben tomorrow. But when would she find time to ride to the
Ponderosa? She could ask her mother and
father if she could check on Jared...but of course, he didn't need checking,
not while he was with the Cartwrights, and her
parents needed her home, with Little Joe there.
Maybe it could wait a few days...Maybe not.
Chapter 4
It had to wait.
Though Hoss and Ben did visit the next day, and help them out with the
chores, Jenny had no chance to speak with either of them alone. She was much
too busy during the following days to consider going to the Ponderosa.
A few
days later, before
lunch, Thomas returned unexpectedly from town, saying he and Catherine had to
take David into town. Dr. Collins had
informed Thomas that the medical specialist, who had seen David in Chicago when
the Barnharts had lived there, was on his way to
Carson City, and would see David if they brought him into town that
afternoon. Therefore, Jenny would stay
with Karen and Little Joe, while her mother and father took David into
town. They would spend the night
there. Jenny would manage quite well -
wouldn't she? She would be sure to keep
the doors locked at night, and she could feed and care for the stock, and of
course - Thomas turned a piercing eye on his granddaughter - Karen would be
sure to help. She wouldn't go chasing
off after her ponies all the time - he was sure of that. Karen wilted under his gaze, and nodded her
head seriously. Also, Thomas announced,
a lady from town, Mrs. Scott, would come to keep them company that night. That way, Jenny wouldn't be in the house
alone with Little Joe, with only a three year-old for company, all night, and
Jenny would have some help with Little Joe.
Later that
afternoon, after her parents and David had left, Jenny was making an apple pie and
setting out beans and molasses to prepare for dinner. She was debating whether or not to make some
soup from the bone left over from the roast they had just eaten last night. It
would be good for Little Joe. Karen was
folding clothes. Little Joe was asleep. He had seemed a little more alert during the
past few days, but that morning he had tired quickly after breakfast. Again, he had told Jenny - more clearly this
time - not to go outside alone. Jenny assured him she understood, but had no
intention of complying. No matter what
was wrong - or what he fancied was wrong - she loved her morning rides too much
to give them up for what might be no reason.
He woke up long enough to eat
lunch after Thomas and Catherine left.
Jenny fed him cautiously, afraid he would again grab her arm, but much
to her relief, he didn’t. He ate steadily and calmly. Then he indicated he wanted to get up, go
outside, and relieve himself. He had
risen once or twice each day during the last few days, but had been very
unsteady on his feet. Jenny was unsure
she could help him walk. Her mother had
instructed her, and she had seen, how she assisted him with his personal needs
while helping him maintain his privacy in the house, and she knew what to do,
though she wasn't looking forward to it.
But helping him walk outside?
“Little Joe, I
don't think I can help you,” she said.
“I'm not strong enough.”
He indicated that he needed a walking stick. Jenny thought for a moment, then went back to
her parents' bedroom and brought out the old hickory walking stick that her
grandfather had used before he died.
She helped Joe get up, and he said, “Give me my gun”
clearly enough for Jenny to easily understand.
She shook her head in wonderment. “Little Joe, you don't need your gun!” “Give me my g-gun!” His agitation was increasing.
“All right, all
right, let me find it.” She went back to
her parents' room again, figuring her father would have hidden it there.
She heard Karen come after her. “Does Little Joe want his gun?”
“Yes, he
does.” Jenny looked in the wardrobe.
Karen went to her
grandparents' bureau. “It's in here,”
she said, standing on tiptoe and attempting to open the top drawer. It was locked. Jenny knew where the key was hidden. She unlocked and opened the drawer, lifted
some shirts, and there was Joe's gunbelt and
gun.
“How did you know where it was?”
“Jared and I
followed Grandpa and watched where he put it,” Karen said. “But I'm not supposed to tell anyone.” She turned and ran back into the
kitchen.
Jenny followed her and gave Joe his gunbelt. She thought he might have an easier time
walking without it, but thought it wise not to say so.
Suddenly, Karen exclaimed, “There's a horse
outside!”
“A horse? Don't you mean a pony?” Jenny teased.
“No! I mean a
horse!” She was looking out the side window
by the kitchen table. She ran out the
front door before Jenny could tell her to wait, that she might need her help to
open doors. Probably just as well, Jenny
reflected. She might get in the way more
than she would help. She wondered who
might be visiting them
- Karen usually “saw” ponies - but decided if she could imagine
ponies, she could just as well imagine horses.
Besides, a visitor would come to the door.
Her thoughts were
interrupted by Joe reaching for his gun.
He had managed to fasten his gunbelt by
holding it around his waist with his right arm, which was still in a splint,
and fastening it with his left hand. He
put the gun in the holster, then pointed to the rifle
above the doorway.
“Take it,” he
managed to say, after several attempts.
Jenny could see he
was getting upset. She should call Karen
in, but Joe grabbed her arm - the one that wasn't sore, yet - and between her
and the walking stick, managed to get to the door.
*************************************
Karen ran to the side of the house, then to the corner,
where she looked around the back; then she ran into the orchard to look for the
horse. She couldn't find it. Where was it?
Suddenly, she saw a large man, keeping close to the ground, run from the
far part of the orchard -much further away from the house than she was - to the
window in her aunt's bedroom. He looked
furtively in, then ran around to the side of the house
to the window by the kitchen table.
Karen froze as she looked out from the trees. Who was this big man? Did Little Joe know him? She was sure Aunt Jenny didn't. And why was he looking in windows? Was it his horse she had seen? Her heart shot into her throat as he turned
about, his eyes shifting as he looked about him. Karen wanted to dive onto the ground, but
couldn't move. The man's dark hair flew wildly about his face and shoulders.
His ragged beard trailed across the front of his soiled shirt. Karen could
tell, even from this distance, that this man needed a bath.
She saw Aunt Jenny helping Little Joe back across the
front yard into the house. The big man
heard them, for he stooped down suddenly.
Then he crept back and slowly, slowly, peeked into the window. He must have seen them come into the house,
for he jerked back down again. Then,
with an evil smile on his face, he ran, hunched over, back into the orchard
from whence he had come. Karen wanted to
run back into the house, but couldn't move.
She felt rooted to the ground.
Maybe this man would go away. But
she knew he wouldn't, even before she saw him return from the trees, a few
minutes later, with a rifle and a big sack in his hand.
***********************************
Jenny helped Little Joe into bed. He was agitated but
tired, Jenny could tell. She suggested
to him that he go to sleep, but he shook his head and tried to sit up. Jenny
vainly wished her father, or even Adam, was there. He obeyed her father, and even though he
fought with and resisted Adam, Adam could handle him. Jenny wasn't sure she could. Finally, Jenny promised to bring her sewing
and sit right next to him as he rested.
She would fix him a nice cup of tea - if he would take his medicine
first. Much to her surprise, he
agreed. Jenny put the water on for tea,
fetched a glass of water from the sink, gave him his medicine (which he could
now swallow without it being ground up), and dragged her sewing and mending
next to his bed. She hoped that either
the doctor or Mrs. Scott would arrive soon.
As she brewed the tea, she wondered where Karen was. She had run outside when she thought she saw
that horse. Jenny hoped she wasn't
lost. As she cooled Little Joe's tea,
she told him, “Joe, Karen hasn't come back in.
I need to go look for her.”
Joe expressed such agitation at this that she wondered
despite her worry about Karen and her impatience to go look for her niece.
“Joe, I have to
go. I'll be back, don't worry. I have to find her, you know that!” He lay back down, but didn't look happy.
As Jenny turned to
the door, a huge shadow filled it. The
door was pushed open, and a huge, burly, hair-covered stranger stood there,
rifle in one hand, sack in the other, grinning from ear to ear. The afternoon sun shone brightly in Jenny's
eyes, but she could tell this huge man was not Adam, nor was he her
father. She tried to speak to him; to
ask him what he wanted, but the words stuck in her throat and she froze in
place in the middle of the kitchen. She
had left the shotgun by the door. She
would have to pass this stranger to get it.
The huge, hairy man didn't even look at Little Joe. He might not even have seen him. He strode past Joe, leaving the door
open. Jenny was finally able to back up;
then she turned and ran back to her father and mother's room. There was a gun back there, hidden in the
nightstand drawer by the far side of the bed.
It wasn't locked, she knew. Her
father had often told her and shown her where it was, and had said that if she
anticipated trouble, she could get it and use it. There was surely trouble now: was there
enough time to get there?
She ran
desperately, dived across her parents' bed, and yanked open the nightstand
drawer. Before she could reach in,
however, she felt herself yanked by the legs,away from the drawer and the gun. Her left arm was cruelly grabbed and wrenched
around as the powerful stranger threw her on her back. He jumped on top of her, tossed his rifle and
sack on the floor, and began ripping her clothes off with one hand and savagely
beating her with the other.
Jenny finally found her voice. She screamed and cried for help. This only infuriated the stranger, and he
beat her more severely than ever.
Jenny's vision began to blur. She
saw stars about her; everything began going black. She saw her brother Paul in the bar back in
Something jerked on top of Jenny. It fell - almost - but not quite - over. She opened her eyes to see blackness. Then she saw, as through a dark mist, the
horrible man on top of her, his eyes rolling in his head, almost rolling off of
her. Had he been shot, instead of her
brother Paul? Jenny wondered. He pulled himself back up, pulled his gun
from his holster, and turned. Jenny
heard two gunshots, and thought, “Oh, no! He's killed Paul!” Then she remembered Paul was dead. Whom had he killed, then? Father? Her other brother Pat? Adam?
No - no -it was Little Joe!
She suddenly remembered: Little Joe was lying injured in
the front room. This man had killed
him! Furious despite her terror, the
beating she had endured, and the resulting confusion, she grabbed hold of the
man's ragged beard and pulled. Enraged,
he ripped her hands loose and dealt her such a blow on the side of the head,
and another on her face, that everything went black. Before she completely lost consciousness, she
felt him ripping off her underclothing.
She heard three more gunshots, which drew her out of the blackness
surrounding her. Why couldn't he leave
Little Joe alone?!
With terror and horror, she felt him jerk on top of
her. She screamed as she dreaded what
was coming, and cringed, knowing he would savagely beat her again. But the beating never came. He fell hard on top of her. She struggled, afraid of being beaten again,
but dreading even more the violation that would follow. Nothing happened. A little bolder, she pushed at him, but he
didn't budge; nor did he grab hold of her or beat her. She fought against the blackness that
threatened to consume her. Instinct told
her that time was urgent. She shoved
hard, and was surprised at the weakness in her arms.
“Little Joe,” she managed to whisper, “are you
there? Can you help me?” There was no response. Then, Jenny thought she heard a groan from
the floor. Sheer terror overtook
her. She must get this monster off of her;
she would be trapped below him forever!
She pushed and pushed, and terror, which at first turned her muscles to
water, finally strengthened her enough so that the heavy, limp load slid off of
her, over the edge of the bed, and onto the floor with a horrible THUD - THUMP
- thump – kerthump.
As Jenny pulled herself up, everything
about her faded again. She fought
to look around her, but was doubled over by a wave of nausea. She retched on the bed, her leg, her
hand. She sat up, wiping her hand across
the bed, then over her mouth. She saw
something on the floor. She fought to
keep it in focus.
******************************
Karen heard
thumping from the house, as though people were running. Then she heard her aunt's screams. She didn't know what the slapping and
crunching-like noises were, but knew the big dirty man was hurting her
aunt. She couldn't move. Finally, she
forced her leaden legs to walk, then run. She ran for the door. She had to help Aunt Jenny. At the doorway, she heard Aunt Jenny's
screams more vividly than ever. She
stopped. There was Little Joe, stumbling
to the back of the house, still wearing his gunbelt,
and using the rifle for a walking stick.
She couldn't help. Only another
grownup could help. She had to get
another grownup, someone who wasn't hurt, and someone who could help Little Joe
fight the big mean man. Adam. She had to find Adam. Or someone from the
Ponderosa.
She turned and ran.
She reached the fence, climbed it, and ran across the pasture. She ran
and ran. As she left her home further
behind, she was no longer sure of where she was running. The Ponderosa must be here somewhere. But it took a long time to get there, didn't
it? She wasn't sure if it took this long
or not. But her aunt's screams echoed in
her ears, and she ran, and ran, her terror growing with each step. Finally, when she saw no one and nothing, she
screamed long and loud. She stumbled and
fell, and kept screaming. Up she jumped,
and kept running and screaming, running and screaming, as though she would
never stop.
Chapter 5
Hoss and Jared were by the Gully Water near the edge of
the Ponderosa. Hoss had taken Jared out
here during the first couple of days he had come to visit. Adam had already helped Jared in the fighting
department, Hoss realized, but the boy needed a few more tricks up his sleeve
to be able to handle some of the bigger boys Jared had told him were ganging up
on him. Hoss patiently taught him, and
told Jared they'd “arrange” a meeting with these boys, and they should leave
him alone after that, don't worry. He
and Adam knew a few things, not just about fighting, but about these boys and
their families.
Hoss was planning on going into town with Jared and Adam
today, but that hadn't worked out. Just
as well, Hoss reflected. It gave him
more time to work with Jared. Adam had
to leave that morning to round up some stray cattle, and possibly deal with
cattle thieves. He should be back by
now, Hoss reckoned.
“Let's head on back to the house, Jared,” Hoss said. I'm working up an appetite for some of Hop Sing's doughnuts. It
ain't time for lunch yet, nohow.” They left the gully, and were met by a dry,
brisk wind. Hoss's brow furrowed. Above the sound of the wind, he could hear -
what?
“You hear that?”
he asked Jared.
Jared nodded. He heard it, too.
“It sounds like screaming to me,” Hoss said. It was hard to say; the wind carried sounds
out here in the vast space.
“It sounds like
Karen!” Jared said incredulously.
Jared and Hoss wasted no more time, but galloped their
horses toward the sound. They saw
another horse galloping toward them from the direction of the Ponderosa. Hoss looked hard before confirming it was
Sport. Adam saw them about the same time
Hoss noticed him. They converged on the
spot where the screams originated. Adam
was stooping and lifting something - no - someone - off the ground before Hoss
and Jared had dismounted.
As they had come closer, the screams had reached a
fevered, hysterical pitch,and
would not stop. Adam shook Karen; he
told her to calm down; to tell him what had happened. But she only screamed louder and cried
frantically. Hoss and Jared joined Adam
at her side. Hoss finally took her from
Adam. He stroked her hair, and spoke
calmly to her, and told her that they were there to help, but she would have to
tell them what was wrong first. Could
she do that?
Jared moved so she could see him over Hoss's
shoulder. “What's wrong, Karen? What's wrong?
Tell us! We can help! Adam and Hoss can help!” He wondered why he bothered, for he feared
she couldn't hear him over her screaming and crying, but her eyes finally
focused on him.
Jared. She had
thought the bad man had her. But no,
Jared was talking to her, and the man who had her was Hoss. Adam was there, too, she saw. She gasped and breathed tremulously.
“Karen!” Adam
said. “You must tell us what's
wrong! What happened? Is something wrong at home?”
Karen gasped a
couple of times before she could speak.
“A bad man - dirty - he has Aunt Jenny - He's hurting - her -- she's
screaming -”
Adam didn't wait to hear any more. He scooped her out of Hoss's arms, leaped
into his saddle, and headed for the Barnharts’. He suddenly turned Sport. “Send Jared to the Ponderosa for help,” he
shouted. “Then come after me, right
away!”
Hoss
turned to Jared. “Get on your horse and
go to the Ponderosa. Tell anyone there
to come to the Barnhart place. Tell them
what your sister said. Then you may need
to ride to town to get the sheriff.”
“No!” Jared protested. “I need to go with you, and help!”
“Jared,” said Hoss, “we'll need all the help we can
get. You can go to the Ponderosa and get
it for us. Quick! Don't argue with me! We don't know who, or how many, are at your
place. Go! Come back with them! Quick, now!
Hurry!”
Jared scrambled
onto the horse the Cartwrights had
loaned him for the duration of his visit and whipped him off at a gallop in the direction of the Ponderosa.
When Adam and Hoss arrived at the Barnhart home,
everything was silent. They left their
horses at the pasture fence, climbed over, and ran crouching to the front
door. They waited and listened, one on
either side. Finally, Adam peeked in,
and just as quickly ducked his head out.
He braced himself for a gunshot, or a startled reaction inside. Nothing happened. Finally, he ventured a long look inside. He saw no one. He looked to the right, directly beside the
front door. Little Joe's bed was empty. He listened, but heard nothing. He looked at Hoss. Hoss jerked his head at the doorway,
indicating his brother should go in, and he'd cover him.
Adam went cautiously in, pulling Karen behind him,
looking around in every corner. He was
afraid to leave Karen anywhere for fear of who might be lurking nearby. Hoss followed him through the kitchen, past
the table, and to the hallway leading to the bedrooms. Adam looked furtively around the corners into
the hallway in case someone was waiting.
Apparently, no one was. He and
Hoss both stepped in the hall at the same time.
Hoss looked one way; Adam the other.
Adam saw, in the late afternoon sunlight on the northeastern side of the
house, shapes huddled on the floor in the room at the end of the hall.
Adam reached back to touch Hoss, but Hoss had already
turned about and seen it. The two men
hurried into the bedroom, guns still drawn.
Adam rushed to the first figure on the floor while Hoss looked about,
holding his gun ready. Little Joe was lying on his back, and was bleeding
profusely from his left side. Blood
covered the floor about him. There was a
cloth covering the wound, as though someone had tried to stop the bleeding, but
it was saturated with blood and of no further use. Adam ripped off his shirt and attempted to
staunch the bleeding with it.
Hoss stooped down and touched the figure next to Little Joe. It was a woman. She was lying face down over a huge, burly man with a long, ragged beard and filthy hair and clothing. Her clothes were ripped nearly off of her body. Hoss hoped it wasn't Jenny. He lifted her carefully and turned her onto her back. It could have been Jenny; Hoss couldn't tell. Her face was swollen, bruised, and bleeding; her scalp was crusted with blood where hair had been torn out; her clothes were ripped and torn, and she was bruised all over.
Hoss heard Adam's sharp intake of breath. “Jenny!”
he moaned in anguish. “Oh, no, Jenny!” He reached for her, then started to replace
his shirt over Joe's wound, then reached for Jenny again.
Hoss lifted Jenny onto the bed, then
turned his attention to his injured little brother. “Here, Adam,” he said. “You take care of Jenny. I'll take care of Little Joe.”
Adam
sat by Jenny on the bed, touching her swollen face, her bruised body, the
wounds all over her. He noticed her
skirt and underclothing were ripped. Oh,
no! Not Jenny! Not that sweet girl! Anyone but her! Why, why did it have to be Jenny?! Why?!
Oh, God, if there is a God, don't let her die! If she isn't already dead! He leaned against her, listening for her
heart. He heard a muffled thump-thump,
thump-thump, - thump-thump.
Hoss thought his brother was overborne with agony. He touched Adam on the shoulder. “Uh, Adam, you need to get a basin of water
and some cloths and start cleaning her up.
And if Jared doesn't get back here with help soon, you need to go into
town and get the doctor and sheriff.”
“I can't leave her!”
Adam protested.
“You must!” insisted Hoss. “She
needs help! Her and Little Joe! He's lost a lot of blood.” He pressed harder on Joe's wound, eliciting a
low groan from his unconscious brother.
Adam stood up, and fighting nausea and a growing fury at
the filthy, stinking, hairy man he had seen on the floor, stumbled back to the
kitchen to get water and cloths. He
heard horses outside. He drew his gun
and went quickly to the door, and looked out.
It was Jared with several of the hands from the Ponderosa, and his
pa. He opened the door and told them to
hurry.
When Ben learned of the situation from his son, he sent
two men to town. One was to look for the
sheriff; the other, the doctor. The rest
of the evening passed in a blur for Adam.
His father directed Hoss's ministrations to Little Joe, and took over
caring for Jenny, with some of the hands' help.
Meanwhile, a woman arrived. Adam
thought he knew her; perhaps she was from town.
He wasn't sure. She was horrified
at what she saw, but immediately started boiling water (what was it about
emergencies that brought on boiling water, Adam wondered), directing the men
about, and caring for Jenny.
Adam watched her carefully to make sure she did a good
job, and didn't hurt the delicate girl.
God knows, she had already been hurt enough. But the woman tried to shoo him out of the
room! He grabbed her arm. Enough had been done to this girl! He wasn't
leaving. He started to tell her that,
but Hoss and Pa told him he needed to leave.
“ Mrs. Scott will take care of
Jenny, and the doctor is surely on his way,” Ben said. “Meanwhile, can you help us get this man out
of the house?”
Adam for a moment
refused to budge. But Pa and Hoss
assured him Jenny was in good hands, and besides, they needed his help to get
this huge man out of the bedroom.
Please, would he help?
Grudgingly, Adam agreed. He
glared at Mrs Scott for a moment, long enough, he
thought, to communicate to her that if she hurt Jenny, or didn't take good care
of her, he might kill her, woman or no.
Finally, he helped Ben and Hoss drag the bastard that had
caused all this agony out of the house.
Ben directed them to the shade of a large tree near the barn. Adam stood and looked at the dead man for a
minute. He had shot - maybe killed - his
brother. He had beaten and (he thought)
raped Jenny. He grabbed hold of a branch
of the tree they stood under and twisted and pulled until it came off. He lifted it up and brought it down on the
dirty, hairy son of a bitch, over and over and over again. Hoss grabbed hold of his arm, but Adam
wrenched it loose. He continued beating
the dead man. Hoss grabbed hold of one
arm, and Ben the other, but he threw them both off and continued his beating. A couple of the hired hands ran over and
tried to help, but Adam swept them away with the branch. Finally, Hoss, Ben, and three of the hands
managed to hold Adam down and get the branch away from him.
He laid on the ground and cried,
ashamed of his tears, ashamed of his hysteria, ashamed of his inability to
break free, and full of rage over what had been done to Jenny, and his brother,
as well as his brother's head injury.
Oh, he knew how serious that was.
He didn't want to talk about it, but he knew. Little Joe stood slim enough of a chance of
recovering from that head injury before.
What chance did he have now? That
bastard ought to die! Forgetting that he
was already dead, Adam broke free, grabbed the branch again, and would have
proceeded with beating the dead man again.
Suddenly, Sheriff Coffee called to him. “Hey, Adam!” Adam turned, confused. “I need you to tell me what happened,” he
said. Adam stumbled drunkenly to the
sheriff, mumbling something incoherent.
“No,” said the
sheriff. “Not here. I need you to come with me, and tell me what
happened. Come on.” He took Adam by the arm and led him to the
side of the barn, away from sight of the dead man and the flurry of activity
about the front of the house. “The doctor is here,” Sheriff Coffee assured
him. “He's going in the house now. Please, tell me what happened.”
Dr. Collins came up behind Adam while the sheriff
distracted him, and held a cloth soaked with chloroform over his mouth and
nose. Adam reached up to rip it away,
but the doctor,sheriff, Ben, and Hoss managed to keep it over him
until he lost consciousness. They
carried him into the house and laid him in Little Joe's bed.
**********************************
Karen huddled in a
corner of her grandparents' bedroom.
Everyone had forgotten all about her.
Adam had dragged her into the house behind him, but she wasn't sure he
even knew she was there. She had frozen
just inside the hallway, after Adam and Hoss had seen something at the end of
the hall. Adam dragged her down the
hall, and she had followed silently, barely able to follow his long stride, too
frightened to whimper, much less scream; scared to follow, but much terrified
not to follow him. And she surely felt
like screaming when she saw the three people on the floor. She knew Little Joe. He was bleeding. He must be dead. Aunt Jenny was lying face down, on top of -
it must be the bad man. Aunt Jenny was
dead. The bad man was dead, too. But she watched him closely, just to make
sure that he didn't come back to life.
Adam and Hoss were taking care of Little Joe and Aunt Jenny.
Karen tried to look at Aunt Jenny, but her face was all
swollen and purple, and her clothes were ripped, and she was bleeding. She didn't want to look at her, or think
about her. She shut her eyes, opened
them, and looked at Little Joe. There
was so much dark reddish-brown water around him. What was that? Blood? It didn't look like blood to her. She shut her eyes again, wrapped her arms
about her knees, and rocked back and forth, back and forth. Adam wasn't making everything all right. He was crying. Hoss was taking care of Little Joe. Adam was just crying about Aunt Jenny. Why didn't they make it all go away? Why didn't this end?
As she rocked, and rocked, she pretended it was only a
dream; it would all go away; everything would be fine. She thought about her ponies. There they were! There was that pretty purple pony with the
stars on him, North Star, her favorite pony.
He flew up to her, and told her to get on his back. He would fly her far away from here, she
knew. She climbed on his back, and he
flew, high, high over the mountains, to a pretty meadow with a rainbow over
it. She always knew the ponies could
take her to wonderful places. But every
time she dreamed or thought about it, something or someone always interrupted
the dream. This time, no one would
bother her.
**********************************
When Mrs. Scott finished cleaning up and caring for
Jenny, according to the doctor's instructions, she told Jared how his aunt
was. After she explained his aunt's
condition as delicately as she could, she asked Jared,
“Has anyone sent for your grandparents?”
When Jared said he didn't know where they were, she was surprised.
Hoss explained, “Jared has been at the Ponderosa for
about 4 days, and no one knows where his grandparents are.”
Mrs. Scott said,
“They are in
As Ben left to do so, Jared said, “Uh, Mrs. Scott? I don't know where Karen is. We found her, out in the pasture,far away from the house, screaming. She told us that there was -a --bad man here
- hurting - Aunt Jenny. Adam took
her. I haven't seen her since.”
Mrs. Scott looked
at him. “Let's ask Hoss,” she said.
Hoss said he
wasn't sure where Karen was. Adam had
taken her. Last he knew, Adam had her by the hand as they went through the
house. Mrs. Scott looked at him for a
moment, then went back to the bedroom where Jenny lay,
still unconscious, on the bed. It was
Jared who found Karen huddled in the corner with her hands locked across her
knees, rocking back and forth, back and forth.
Chapter 6
When Jenny awakened, she wondered if she had, for she
could not open her eyes. She tried to
raise her hands to her face, but couldn't move her arms. One had something hard on it; the other was
restrained some other way. Frightened,
she struggled a little, trying to sit up. Excruciating pain shot through both sides and
her head.
She cried out. “Mother! Father! Adam!”
Her voice sounded strange to her.
She could barely hear herself.
“I'm here, Jenny,”
she heard Adam at her side. “I'm
here. It's all right. You're safe now.”
Safe? What did he mean? Why couldn't she move? She cried out again.
“Jenny,
Jenny, it's ok!”
She tried to ask
him where she was, and what had happened, but her lips were too swollen to speak,
her face too sore, and her mouth too dry.
“Just lie still, and rest,” Adam said.
“Thirsty,” she tried to say, but it wouldn't come out
right. Finally, she managed to croak,
“Drink.” Adam lifted her by the
shoulders, sat her up, and held a cup of cool water to her lips. She gladly took a drink, but quickly made a
face. It was bitter. She drank the glass down in a few gulps, choked
a little, and was surprised to taste blood in her mouth. She choked, bringing up more blood, and
spitting it over the bed and her lap.
She cried out in fear.
She heard a door
open, and people rush in. Her mother's
voice said, “All right, Jenny. Your
father and I are here. Everything is ok
now; you're
going to be fine.”
Jenny
wanted another drink. She managed to
croak, “Adam! Drink.” He understood her, and gave her another
drink. This time it wasn't bitter, and
she didn't choke. She heard her mother
say something about medicine, and Adam reply that he had given it to her
already in the last drink. The covers
were pulled off of her; a warm, damp cloth was rubbed gently across her face
and hands. It felt good. She felt so sleepy.
As she drifted to sleep, however, she suddenly remembered
Karen. And David. What happened to them? Something bad had happened. Where were
they? Were they hurt? And what about Little Joe? She vaguely remembered gunshots, and Little
Joe lying on the floor, bleeding. She
had tried to stop his bleeding. Had she? Was he dead?
And what had happened to her? Why
couldn't she see? She tried to ask, but
couldn't. She couldn't get her tongue to
move right. She finally realized that there were
sticks in her mouth. What were they
doing there? She couldn't talk with
those! She tried to dislodge them with
her tongue, but failed. Then blackness
overtook her as the medicine Adam had given her took effect.
Adam and Jenny's parents all refused to leave her
side. Doctor Collins, as much as he
disliked discussing his patients' prognosis in front of them, decided that Jenny
wouldn't hear anything after the sleeping potion Adam had given her, and went
to the Ponderosa guest
room to talk with Jenny's parents
and Adam. He stood in between
Jenny's and Little Joe's beds. Ben had
decided that both of them should be put in the same room. Hoss had already put up a rope with a
curtain on it, that could be slid across as needed for
privacy, between the beds. This way,
both injured people could be in the same room, making their care a little
easier. Hoss and Hop Sing had put in a
couple of couches, so two caregivers could be in the same room. Currently, however, Karen was curled up
asleep on one of the couches. The doctor
had already said he would stay at least this first night.
Dr. Collins looked at Jenny's parents, Adam, Hoss, and
Ben. “Joe should be all right,” he
said. “He was shot once. The bullet missed any organs, and I managed
to get it out. Now his
head injury...that's another story.
He seemed to be progressing well, but whether or not he'll ever recover
fully from that, I don't know. I was
encouraged by what I saw, but I can never tell how much progress someone is
going to make from something like that.
He may recover fully, almost fully, or a lot less than anyone would like
to see. Right now, he needs to stay in
bed and rest. He has lost a lot of
blood. Can you see to it that he stays
in bed for at several days?”
Hoss nodded.
“Don't worry about it, doc.
Little Joe WILL stay in bed.”
Dr. Collins turned
to Jenny's parents,and
glanced at Adam. “Jenny's left arm is
broken and dislocated. I've put it back
in place, and splinted it. Her right arm
is sprained. She has some broken ribs, and she needs total bed rest for a while
- quite a while. Her jaw isn't broken,
but some teeth have been knocked loose.
I've put something in her mouth to hold the teeth in place. Hopefully, she won't lose any that way. She'll only be able to eat liquids for quite
a while, though. She should have broths
- soup - nothing to chew.”
“Hop Sing will see
to it,” Ben assured him and the Barnharts.
“Since she took such a beating around her head,” the
doctor continued, “I can't say what will happen. Sometimes, brain damage, or worse, follows a
beating like this. She may start having
fits, and may act totally out of character.
It sometimes happens after head injuries. We'll simply have to wait, keep her quiet and
resting, give her time to heal, and see what happens.”
He hesitated. “I
wish I could be more positive, but I need to let you know what could
happen. She may recover completely. Little Joe apparently killed the stranger
before he could beat her too long. He
probably meant to kill her. That is a
very positive indicator for Little Joe, and helps your daughter.”
He paused again.
“It will probably mean a lot to you to know - if you don't already -
that she was not - violated. My
examination of her, as well as the body of her attacker, shows that.”
Adam felt as though he had won a hollow victory. So she hadn't been raped. Little Joe killed the bastard, just in time, but not soon
enough. And Adam knew he should have
been there. If he had known she was
alone with Karen and his brother, even if only for a few hours...Her father
shouldn't have left her. He should have
brought them all over to the Ponderosa.
“She may not remember what happened,” the doctor
continued. “She should be told; not in
great detail, but she needs to know what happened. I will be staying here tonight, and possibly
tomorrow night.”
He turned toward the couch. “Karen appears to be unharmed. She either got out of the house when Jenny's
attacker came in, or she was already outside.
She apparently couldn't handle what she saw.” He sighed. “It may be a while before she is ready to get up and see
anyone, much less her aunt. Talk to her
as much as possible. Tell her that the
man who hurt her aunt is gone, and won't come back. Tell her that her aunt is hurt and needs time
to get better. You may want to take her
outside, and bring her to the table at meals.
The sooner she gets back into facing life, the better. But be gentle with her. Don't force her to do anything. This was an awful lot for her to
handle.”
Dr. Collins shook his head. “The sheriff is in the living room,” he
said. “I know he wants to talk to
you. After that, we should all eat some
dinner and go to bed. I'll stay in here
tonight. Mrs. Barnhart, perhaps you could
stay, too?” Catherine nodded.
Before
she could speak, Hoss said, We can set up something on
the floor, nice and comfy for Karen to sleep on. That way, you could have her couch. It'll be a mite crowded in here, but.…”
“It'll be fine,”
said Catherine. “Thank you, Hoss.”
Hoss left the room to get the bedding he had promised for
Karen. Thomas got their overnight bags
out of the buggy. They had never
bothered to unpack those after they left
Catherine went to the living room, as did Ben and Adam,
and waited for Thomas so they could talk to the sheriff. The sheriff seemed nervous, but cordial. He first asked Jenny's parents how their
daughter was, and asked Ben if Little Joe was o.k. Finally, he cleared his throat and said, “Mr.
and Mrs. Barnhart, I have something to tell you. I asked Little Joe a couple of weeks ago to
tell you that this man, the one who assaulted your daughter, might be in
town. It was on - oh, let's see - the 20th of August that I asked him to tell you. I gather that he never did. Am I right?”
Thomas and Catherine stared at each other in
amazement. “August 20th! That's when Little Joe was injured as he was
thrown from his horse!” exclaimed Thomas.
“No, he never told us anything,” said Catherine.
“But Jenny thought he was very excited, and agitated, as
he rode to our house,” added Thomas.
“She thought he was trying to say something else to her while he was
recovering at our house. Could it have
been something about this?”
“Who is this man?” asked his wife.
“He has lots of
names,” said the sheriff. “He has been
running for a long, long time. Lately,
he has been going about under the name of Buck, or Bull Davis, but I must
admit, he has had as many names as a cat has lives. And he keeps adding to them. He has never changed his appearance, though,
and that has helped the law follow him.
As smart and adept as he has been at dodging us, one thing he never has
done is change the way he looks.”
“But who is
he? Why is he wanted? What has he done? I mean, what else has he done?”
Sheriff Coffee was silent for a moment. “He has committed many crimes: murder, rape,
robbery, theft, extortion... you name it, he's done it. But of the many crimes that witnesses saw him
commit, one which is of definite interest to you is the murder of your unarmed
son, Paul. Had he survived, he would be
returned to be
tried for that crime, as well as many, many others, not just in
“When I heard that one of the crimes he was wanted for
was the murder of Paul Barnhart, I looked further into it. I found out that Paul was your son. By that time, Buck - Bull - had apparently
arrived in town. Somehow, he knew you
had moved here, or near here, and he bragged about - well - about your son's
death, and - well - I guess he had said certain things about your daughter,
which is why Paul got in a fight with him the night he was killed, according to
witnesses. He claimed he was coming to
get her. He apparently also planned to
rob your place, as he was on the run from the law, and this is how he fed
himself.”
Catherine put her hands over her face. She tried to sit, but there was no place near
by. Her husband took her by the arm and
firmly guided her toward the couch, where he helped her sit down and kept his
arm around her.
“I only know that he said this because someone who heard
him got scared, and came to me,” the sheriff continued. “They didn't want to see your daughter, or
any of you, get hurt. I saw Little Joe in town the morning of the 20th, at the
lawyer's office, and told him to tell you.
I guess he was injured before he could do so. Little Joe actually helped us by killing the
man. Buck probably intended to kill your
daughter, too. Had Little Joe not shot
him when he had, he also would have ra- er- violated her.”
“Why did he wait so long to come to the house, if he was
after Jenny?” asked Adam.
“I'm not sure,” replied the sheriff. “Probably he was biding his time, waiting for
the right moment, until he was ready to leave town and move on. I heard he was in the gambling houses, but he
had always left by the time I got there.
He's a slippery fellow; I never did find him. After he did something like this - to Jenny -
he couldn't have stayed. He must have
been ready to move on.”
Thomas kept his
arm tightly around his wife. He never
should have left his daughter alone with his granddaughter and this injured
man. Jenny seemed so capable; so mature;
so able to take care of the house, the stock, the garden, his grandchildren,
his injured guest...He had taken her for granted much too long. He had left her unprotected. She could die, or be permanently
injured. Dear Lord, she was the only
child she had left. The others were dead - or might as well be dead. What had he done?
Adam moved toward
the sheriff. “I can spend the night in
the room and help take care of both of them,” he volunteered.
Sheriff Coffee looked at him, then at Jenny's
parents. “That's up to the doctor, I
guess,” he said. “And your father, if he
wants you in there.”
Ben spoke up.
“That's not necessary, Adam. I'll
be sleeping in my study, so I'll be near by in case Little Joe needs
anything. And Mrs. Barnhart is sleeping
in the guestroom, as is the doctor, so they can probably care for Jenny and
Little Joe without our help. If they
need it, one of them will wake me. I'll
get you if I need you.”
Adam was far from satisfied. He didn't want to leave Jenny. She shouldn't have been left with his injured
brother and a three year-old girl, anyway.
But he knew his pa wouldn't change his mind. He decided to sleep with his door open - if
he could sleep at all.
Everyone finally managed to wash up, change, and get to
bed. The doctor and Catherine settled
down on the couches in the spare room.
Karen was moved by Hoss to some comfy cushions and blankets on the floor
of the spare room. Thomas slept on a
couch in the living room. Hop Sing took David to his room off of the
kitchen. Thomas was acutely aware of the
important role Jenny had played in the household when he realized that she was
not available to take care of David. Ben
tried to sleep in his study.
Adam made sure his door was propped open. Tired as he was, Adam had trouble
sleeping. He finally drifted off, but
saw Buck Davis beating Jenny viciously, and enjoying every minute of it. He jerked awake several times, and finally
gave up on sleeping. He got a book down
from his shelf and began reading.
After several attempts to read the same page, he thought
he heard Jenny cry out. He jumped out of
bed, dizzy from exhaustion. He left his room,
hurried down the hall, ran down the stairs, and to the guest room. Dr. Collins and Catherine were by Jenny's
bed.
“Jenny, everything is all right,” her mother assured her. “You're safe. I'm here, and so is Dr. Collins. And your father is in the next room.”
Adam could see that Jenny was trembling. He went to her side. “Jenny, I'm here, too” he assured her. “It's Adam.
And Little Joe is here, too. So is my Pa, and yours.”
Jenny turned her bruised face toward him. She tried to lift her hands to touch him, but
couldn't. Adam touched her face with one
hand, and took a hand with his other. He
sat down on the edge of the bed, watching her intently.
“Little Joe is all right,” he assured her. “He killed the man who hurt you. And we just found out that he was the same
man who killed your brother Paul. He's
dead. He can't hurt you, or anyone else,
ever again.”
*********************************
Several days later, Jenny was sitting up in bed, propped
up by pillows. The morning sunlight
streamed into the room, showing every dust mote, every spider web near the
ceiling, and bringing out the burnished gold of the pine paneling. Jenny looked around. She could see a little now. She didn't know if her sight would be damaged
permanently, or if the blurred vision and dizziness she experienced was due to
the beating she had endured - which, by the way, she barely remembered. She could see the big, burly, hairy man as he
strode into the house with his evil grin; she recalled his grabbing her and
hitting her, but she didn't remember
much else. Her mother and father, and
Adam, had told her that she had been badly beaten. Little Joe had killed the man, but not before
he had been shot. Good for Little
Joe! Maybe he would recover, after all.
But no one had told her how Karen or David was
doing. She did recall that she had never
had a chance to look for Karen. No one
told Jenny anything about her, and she never came to see her aunt. Her parents or Adam fed her soup broth and
other mild foods a few times a day. She
was tired of these sticks in her mouth.
What was going on? Where were the
children? She drifted off to sleep. She suddenly jerked awake a few minutes later
with horrible dreams about that awful man beating her. Those dreams wouldn't go away.
Karen heard her aunt from the great room. Her grandpa had left her to go outside for a
few minutes. Maybe, now, she could finally go to see Aunt Jenny. She hadn't been allowed in the guestroom
since her first night there. She knew
something horrible had happened to Aunt Jenny, but she couldn't quite remember
what it was. Whenever she started to
think about it, she got dizzy, and one of her ponies came to her in her
imagination and talked to her. She ran
to the guestroom before she could get dizzy.
She jumped on the bed where - who was this lady? Was this her aunt? This lady had a purple face, and her eyes
were swollen up, so she didn't want to look.
She got down and ran to the other bed. No - that was a man, Little Joe. Well, that other person must be her Aunt
Jenny. It wasn't her grandma - she was
setting the dining room table for dinner, and her grandpa was outside right
now. She stopped, momentarily paralyzed,
terrified of looking at what might be her aunt.
She heard footsteps.
A shadow darkened the door of the room.
She looked up, whimpering in fear.
It was Adam! She ran to him and
grabbed hold of him, hiding her face in his legs. He picked her up. “Hey!
You finally come to visit your aunt?”
Karen lifted her head.
“Grandpa won't let me come.”
Guiltily, she hid her face back in his shoulder.
Adam carried her to Jenny's side, and sat down on the
edge of the bed. “Well, why don't you
say hi? Aunt Jenny will be glad to see
you!” Karen only hid her face further in
his shoulder.
“You know, Karen,”
said Adam, “your aunt has been hurt by a very bad man. He's gone now, but her face is bruised, and
she is going to take a very, very long time to get better. We don't know if she will ever get better all
the way. But you know what? She hears us talking to her. She wants to know that we are here. I bet she knows that you have come to see
her, and is very glad.”
Karen lifted her
face from his shoulder. “Why won't
Grandpa let me see her?” she asked in a small voice.
“He's probably
worried that you will be frightened,” said Adam. “But Aunt Jenny needs to know that we're all
here. Why don't you say 'hi'?”
Karen lifted her head from Adam's shoulder. She twisted about and looked at her
aunt. Jenny's purplish-yellowish face
frightened her, but she stared at her for a moment. “Will her face stop looking that way soon?”
“Yes,” Adam
assured her. “I don't know how soon, but
she will get better. But, you know,
Karen, she was beaten very badly.” Karen
again shut her eyes and hid her face in his shoulder. “It may take her a long, long time to get
better, and she will need lots of help.
Do you think you can help her?
And help with David?”
Karen lifted her head and nodded. She could always help. Of course, she would rather play with her
ponies, or play with David, than help, but if Aunt Jenny needed help to get
better, she would help. “When can Aunt
Jenny go back home with us?” she asked, voicing her desire to leave the Cartwrights, no matter how much she liked them, and go back
to her own house.
“I'm not sure,”
admitted Adam. “That's up to your
grandparents, and the doctor. He didn't
want to admit that he didn't want Jenny to leave.
*******************************
A week or so later,
Jenny was reclining in a comfortable chair, wrapped in a blanket to protect her
from the cool air. Autumn was
approaching. She was close to the stable
on the Ponderosa. She would be going
home soon. The doctor, her mother, and
her father all said so. She was anxious
for her life to get back to normal - if that was possible - and her father was
very uncomfortable living with the Cartwrights.
“We mustn't accept their charity any longer,” Jenny had
overheard him telling her mother the day before.
She wondered if he and her mother could go home, and let
her stay and recover more. She liked
being around the Cartwright men. It was
almost like having brothers again - except for Adam, of course. She loved Adam,
though she wasn't sure he loved her. Sometimes
she was. Other times, he seemed to pull
away. He certainly had been devoted
since her injury.
Images of Bull/Buck Jones flashed through her mind, each
one frightening her more than the one before.
She gasped, and shook her head.
For a moment, her vision blurred, and Jones was all she could see. She shut her eyes briefly, then
carefully opened them, trying desperately to focus on the blue sky and tree
above her. Her sight had gradually
returned. It was becoming a little
clearer every day. She sighed, and
wished she could sleep. But she was
afraid her nightmares would resurface the moment she began to doze.
Greg, one of the hired hands, approached her. He tossed his hatchet aside as he came next
to her. “You all right, Miss Jenny?” he
asked.
Jenny looked at him, but his face was fuzzy and wouldn't
come into focus. This was one of the
most irritating things about recovering.
She thought (maybe) that she could stand the pain as a result of her
beating, but not
being able to see? She HAD to get her
sight back! The doctor would not say
anything definite, however;
just the usual “wait and see.”
She managed to smile at Greg. He was so sweet, and so considerate. “Yes, Greg.
I just can't
get that man - well, never mind.”
She smiled again.
Greg gazed at her, full of concern. Who could possibly do what was done to this
girl? What kind of animal was capable of
this? The sheriff and the Cartwrights
had given him a proper burial.
Why!? They should have left his
body out to rot; for
the animals to devour and the vultures and crows to pick his eyes out! Better if that had happened while he was yet
alive!
Greg cringed as
his conscience overtook him. Such
thoughts were not Christian. But it wasn't
right, either, that someone could do such things against such a lovely young
lady as this. Why, what did God think he
was doing?! If he was in charge, now,
nothing like this would ever happen. He
realized he was staring and averted his gaze.
“Begging your pardon, Miss Jenny, but the -
man who did this to you is dead.
Little Joe killed him. You don't
have to worry about him any more.”
Jenny smiled at his feeble attempt at comfort. “Yes, I know,” she said. “But I can't seem to get rid of my
nightmares.”
Greg stooped down on one knee, and grasped her hand. He prayed, silently and briefly, that the
good Lord would deliver her from those horrible nightmares about that animal -
no, man. No matter how awful he was, he
was still a man. As he stood, she smiled
at him, shut her eyes, and drifted peacefully to sleep.
Adam approached them, watching Greg suspiciously. Why had he been holding her hand? As Greg turned away, he saw Adam.
“Afternoon, Mr. Adam,” he said. She was just telling me that she was having
nightmares about that man. I prayed for
her real quick. Maybe she'll sleep real
peaceful for a while now. I hope
so.” He returned to his chores.
“I hope so, too,” Adam said to himself. He sat down next to Jenny, and wondered, if
there was a god who could give her this kind of a peaceful sleep, why he had
even allowed this tragedy in the first place?
Little Joe and Jenny were both recovering, that was true. Little Joe was walking, and his speech was
much better. He had wanted to ride Cochise a couple of times, but no one would hear of
it. There was time for that. One time, he had actually saddled, bridled,
and mounted Cochise (with difficulty, it is true),
and Adam had dragged him off the horse's back.
Jenny could walk a little, but her vision was often blurry. The doctor said time may heal it; then again, it may
not. This waiting was so
frustrating!
As she slept, Jenny saw herself riding Lady, her mare,
across the pasture
to the Gully Water, as she did every morning.
Her hair was down and flying behind her, and she was enjoying the
morning sun on her face, the sights, smells, and sounds of the
She felt someone squeeze her hand, opened her eyes, and
looked up into Adam's eyes. She could
see his face clearly. “Hey, Jenny,” he
said softly. “Dreaming again?”
She squeezed his hand back, and spoke, more clearly than
she had since her attack, “Yes. Dreaming!” She smiled
at him, and still holding his hand, drifted back into a dreamless sleep.
Thomas watched Adam with his daughter from a
distance. Maybe he had been wrong about
this man. He certainly did care about
Jenny. Perhaps he wasn't too old for
her, after all. He turned and walked
slowly and thoughtfully into the house.
Chapter 7
Just before the Barnharts
returned home, Hoss and Adam took Jared to town with them. They promised his
grandparents that they'd be back by the end of the day. Hoss directed Jared to the empty lot between
the Congregational church and the school, where a lot of the boys hung out when
not in school or busy at home. Jared
walked past the lot as though he was on his way through town to stop at the
hardware store, just as Hoss had told him.
It didn't take long for the boys to take the bait.
“Hey, look who's
here! “ they taunted.
“Well, well, if it isn't the pretty boy who's got the whore of an
aunt! How's your aunt, pretty little
boy? Huh? We hear she finally got her comeuppance! Too bad that man didn't
kill Little Joe, 'stead of the other way around!” On and on their taunts continued.
Jared waited as long as he could, sizing up the situation
(as Hoss had taught him), and trying not to let his burning fury get the better
of him. Finally, one of the bigger boys
swaggered up to him and knocked him to the ground. Jared lifted his legs and kicked the boy in
the stomach, then kicked swiftly again to knock his legs out from under
him. Jared leaped to his feet and gave
him another kick just below the belt.
Hoss hadn't taught him that, but he figured this bully had earned it
several times over.
The
other boys stared at him in astonishment.
They had made a mistake, obviously, by not being close behind their
ringleader. Too late, they rushed upon
him. Jared was already on his feet. He ducked the first one's punch, and landed a fist in his
stomach. He jumped back to dodge a kick,
grabbed the boy's foot, and twisted his ankle.
He saw someone behind him, turned like lightning with a punch ready to
throw, only to have Hoss grab his arm.
“Whoaa, fellas!” Hoss
said. “Now, I think this
calls for a little talkin' to. Don't you all agree?” The boys, afraid of this giant, turned to
flee.
“Wait a minute!” called Hoss. “You afraid to talk?” The boys slowed at this insult to their
manhood. Adam appeared in front of them,
ready to cut off their escape, as Hoss approached them from behind. Jared moved to flank them on another
side. Any attempt any the boys made to
run was sure to be stopped.
“Too bad you're
afraid of talkin', but not fightin'.” It was Jared's turn to taunt.
“Of course they're
afraid to talk,” said Adam smoothly.
“Why, just think of the secrets they have! Them and their families! That's why they fight, right, boys?”
“Well, now Adam,”
said Hoss, “what do you mean, secrets?
Why, I can't think of any secrets!
Their 'secrets' is out all over town and out yonder! That ain't no
secrets you're talkin' about!”
“Yeah, you're right, Hoss,” agreed Adam. “Everyone knows about these boys and their
families. Isn't that right?”
“Yep,
you betcha!
That's right!”
“You see, boys,”
Adam drawled as he slowly approached them, “we know all about you.”
He looked the
group over until his eyes rested on one unkempt youth. “Jedidiah, it's too
bad your pa hasn't repaid us that loan.
You know, the one my pa set up to help pay off your pa's and uncle's
gambling debts? My pa felt sorry for
you. Why, it'd be a real shame if we had
to call that loan in! He could lose his
home, his business...and, if reason for the loan got out, not to mention what
else he did upstairs for, ah...further entertainment, shall we say?....after he
gambled, why, your ma might even leave!
Now, you wouldn't want any of that to happen, would you?” The boy stiffened in fury, clenched his
fists, but turned his red face to the ground and said nothing.
“I said,” Adam
repeated softly yet insistently, “you wouldn't want that to happen, would you?”
The boy trembled in anger, but shook his
head no.
“Look at me!” Adam
said sharply. Afraid not to comply, Jedidiah lifted his eyes unwillingly to Adam's face.
“Look me in the
eye!” The dirty, barefoot boy dragged
his eyes up to meet the dark eyes of the tall man towering over him.
“I'd hate to see it happen, too,” Adam said sincerely but
firmly. “ But it will, IF it has to.”
For a moment there was silence. “Hey, Zachary,” called Hoss. “Come here!”
Another youth with mud-crusted overalls, dirty bare feet, and shaggy
hair went slowly, unwillingly to stand before Hoss. He spoke quietly to the boy.
“That uncle livin' with you, and that older brother of yours who showed
up not too long ago...I'll tell you, I've seen some interestin’
pictures of them while traveling to California and to Carson City. Pictures on trees, if'n
you know what I mean. With
lots of interestin’ writin’
on them. I think it'd be a shame
if news about that got out, now, wouldn't it?
But it will - if it has to.”
The boy's wide
eyes revealed his terror and incrdulity. How in the world could Hoss
have found out about that, he wondered.
His pa would blame him for telling about his uncle and brother. But he hadn't told!
Hoss nodded toward the group of boys. “Go on back to your 'friends'.”
When Zachary had shuffled
back to the huddle of frightened boys, Hoss announced, “You see, boys,
the way I see it is, everyone's entitled to a second chance. Why, if a man's done somethin'
wrong, and he does his best to straighten it out and make a fresh start, why,
I'm not gonna stop him. Not unless I have to.”
“That's right,”
agreed Adam. “Nothing
wrong with starting over. Isn't that right, Peter?” He addressed the biggest youth, the one who
had knocked Jared down, and who was the leader of the gang. Peter glared at him suspiciously.
“I said, isn't that right, Peter?” Adam slowly approached him. Peter stood his ground, and looked him in the
eye.
“It's a shame
about your sister, Peter,” Adam continued.
“Unlike Miss Jenny Barnhart, who IS Jared's and Karen's AUNT, your sister can't
say the same about - should I say?”
Adam caught the
boy as he leaped against him with, surprisingly, nearly enough force to knock
even him down. He lifted the muscular
youth over his head and threw him on the ground. Peter lay stunned, winded, and unable to
move. Adam gave him a moment to recover,
then offered him his hand. Peter took Adam's hand, then swung his other
fist around under Adam's arm, and tried to punch him in the stomach. Adam caught it just in time - this kid had
spunk and he was fast; he had to credit
him that - lifted him the rest of the way, and used his foot to give him a big
shove backwards. He crashed into another
boy, and landed against Hoss, who gave him a push back into the center of the
crowd.
When the boy stood on his feet, trembling with fury, Adam
said, “No one needs to know any more about your sister, Peter.”
“You shut up about
my sister!” screamed Peter, and he rushed Adam in a rage. Adam stepped aside and tripped him. When he got back up, his face smeared with
dirt and blood, he rushed at Adam again.
Adam again stepped aside and swatted him back into his group of
friends. Peter got tangled up with two,
then three other boys, and they all crashed to the ground in an uncoordinated
tangle of arms and legs. Adam stood and
waited for his next onslaught. But
Peter, though he rose in fury and kicked the boys who didn't get out of his way
fast enough, didn't run at Adam again.
Adam stood quietly,
arms crossed, waiting for the boy to decide what to do.
“This isn't FAIR!” shouted
Peter.
Adam threw back his head and laughed. “Listen, Hoss! He says this isn't FAIR!”
“I hear you, brother!” Hoss was laughing too.
“So,” said Adam, when he had finally stopped laughing,
“it's 'fair' for all of you - and then some - to jump on Jared at once -
especially when you find you can't beat him one at a time - but it's not fair
for me to swat you around, like the irritating little insect you are?”
Adam looked at the boy in front of him, so filled with
hate. “Peter,” he continued, “ the last thing I want to do is hurt your sister. She's entitled to a new start. Let's talk about 'fair', since you brought
it up. You see, Jared's aunt doesn't NEED
a new start. Just the fact that she
looks like Karen doesn't make her her mother. But it gives you something to fight someone
about, doesn't it? And it gives you
something to talk about, and someone else to put down. And since Jared here was beating you fellas one at a time, you decided
to gang up on him, to move the odds to your favor. Yes, let's talk about ‘fair’.” He paused for a moment as he gave his words
time to sink in.
Hoss spoke up.
“Any of you boys want to take on Jared?
One of you?
Fair fight.
Adam and I won't interfere.
That's fair, right, Peter?”
Peter glowered but
didn't respond. Jared stepped forward, fists clenched, ready
to take on anyone willing to fight him.
But he had no takers.
“What?” exclaimed Adam. “No one
wants to fight Jared? Why, you were all
fighting him at once the past few weeks!
What's wrong? Don't think you can
handle him alone?”
Still none of the boys stepped forward. “Let me tell you all just one thing,” Adam continued. “If Hoss and I ever hear that any of you
ganged up - or anyone else gangs up - on Jared, your secrets will be out. Trust us!
It WILL be done! Not that we'll
enjoy it. But we'll do it. If you must fight him, one of you fight him. That's
fair.”
He looked the boys
over. He felt sorry for them, for he
knew what desperate, miserable homes some of them came from. But he couldn't let Jared and Jenny be hurt.
“One more thing,” Adam added. “If I ever hear another word - from ANY of
you -” he glared at each of them, one at a time - “about Miss Jenny Barnhart,
your secrets will be out. And you might
as well plan on getting a secret little visit from Hoss and me. After all, fair is fair. Right? Remember - one word is all it takes. Understand?”
They all looked at the ground, wishing it would open beneath them and
swallow them up.
“I said,
UNDERSTAND?” Adam yelled.
They nodded.
“What?!”
“Yes!” they all
managed to choke out.
“Yes, WHAT?” Hoss said.
“Yessir, Mr. Adam, Mr. Hoss,” they all mumbled.
“I CAN'T HEAR
YOU!” exclaimed Adam.
“Yes, sir!” they
practically shouted.
“Good!” said
Adam. “I'm glad that's settled.” He waved them away,
as he would an irritating fly. “Go
home. Remember what I said, about Jared
and Miss Jenny. Or Hoss and I will see
to it that your lives are living hell.”
As if they weren't already, he thought regretfully. Unfortunately, these boys would listen to
nothing else. He turned away and began
to walk to where he had left Sport.
Hoss watched the boys first
shuffle, then walk, then run like frightened rabbits to their homes. Not much
chance they'd bother Jared again, at least not all at once. Nor would they ever dare say anything about
Jenny, either. He put his arm about
Jared's shoulders. “Come on, Jared. It's time for lunch.”
Jared walked proudly by his friend back to his horse,
“You want to stop over at that restaurant up the road for
lunch?” asked Hoss. “I'm so hungry I
reckon I can't wait to get back.”
“We need to get
back, Hoss,” Adam replied. I'm worried
about Jenny. Hop Sing will save some
lunch for us.” He didn't mention that
Jenny's family was leaving for home the next day, and he wanted to spend every
minute possible with her.
“Well, then, let's hurry,” said Hoss. I'm so hungry I'm likely to starve to
death.”
Jared and Adam laughed. “Hoss,” said Adam,
“is there ever a time when you're not hungry?”
“Here, Hoss.”
Jared handed him some crackers from his saddlebag. Hoss stuffed them in
his mouth, and took a swig of water.
“Thanks, Jared,” he said.
“Reckon that might help some.”
Adam and Jared laughed again as the three of them rode back to the
Ponderosa.
THE END