In the TV Bonanza episode, Between Heaven and Earth,
Joe is terrified of Eagle’s Rock.
This story may explain the day the fear began.
The Barn Raising
By Grammagoose
Chapter 1
Anticipation
It was a late October morning as Ben Cartwright
and his two oldest sons stood on the front steps of the Ponderosa ranch house.
They had just finished breakfast and were ready to start a new day. The sun
was bright, the sky was clear and the air was crisp and chilly. A steady wind
blew down off the high Sierras and caused little swirls of sand and pine
needles to blow past the barn and down the trail leading to the road. The
towering Ponderosa pines whistled as the wind sailed through their branches.
Ben pulled his jacket tighter around his neck as Adam pulled his hat down
lower on his head and Hoss just shivered.
“I can feel winter already, Pa. They better be
gettin’ those pumpkins out of the fields soon or they are sure to freeze
right up. They ain’t no good for pies, once they get frozen.” Hoss
as always, was concerned about the state of the food supplies.
“Trust you, Hoss, to be worried about pies.” Adam
smiled and gave Hoss a gentle poke in the ribs.
“Look out, here I come!” Suddenly a small figure
came flying out of the house and past the three people standing on the porch,
nearly knocking them over. The small figure had no hat and no jacket.
“Little Joe, go back in the house and put your
jacket on!” Ben called to the figure just as it vanished into the barn. He
shook his head and looked expectantly toward the barn.
Just then a small figure peeked its head of curly
brown hair around the corner of the barn door. “But Pa, it’s not even cold.
Why do I have to wear a jacket?”
Ben’s face turned to one of exasperation. “Joseph,
it is cold. Now go get your jacket, right now!”
A dejected little soul emerged from the barn. With
his head hanging down, he stomped back to the front door of the house. As
he passed his father, he was given a little swat. As he passed his brother
Hoss, he was given a wink and as he passed his brother Adam, he got his curly
brown hair tousled. This only made him mad. Pulling the heavy ranch house
door open, Little Joe slipped inside. As he entered the house he paused, unsure
of what he was supposed to do next. Suddenly his face brightened, “Oh yeah,
get a jacket.” And off he galloped, across the room and up the stairs only
to reappear moments later.
“Hop Sing! Hop Sing, where’s my jacket? I
can’t find it. I looked everywhere!
Help me! ” Little Joe yelled at the top of his lungs.
As if on cue, Hop Sing emerged from the kitchen
mumbling some words in Chinese. He walked briskly and like a man with a mission,
climbed the staircase and made his way to Little Joe’s room. “Little Boy not
find jacket because little boy velly, velly messy. Little boy’s room look
like bad storm stir everything all up. Room so messy can’t find floor!”
Together, Hop Sing and Little Joe searched through
the rubble.
Pulling a large metal object from under Joe’s bed,
Hop Sing announced “My flying pan! Why you need Hop Sing’s flying
pan? All time you touch my things. You no touch my things no more!” Hop Sing
then began picking up dirty socks and shirts and underwear that had accumulated
over the last week.
Little Joe sighed as he kicked his rock and pinecone
collection to the empty space under the window. “See, Hop Sing, its
just not here. I just don’t got no jacket. Papa’s gonna leave without me”
Hop Sing ignored Little Joe’s whining and headed
for the closet. He stopped in his tracks and crossed his arms in front of
himself. Turning around he gave Little Joe a scowl. “Little boy not find jacket
because jacket hanging in closet. Jacket only thing in room that in right
place.“
“Gee, thanks Hop Sing. I woulda’ never found it
there.” Suddenly, Little Joe’s face was all smiles. He jumped up and
grabbed his green jacket off the hanger, causing the wooden hanger to flip
upwards, fly through the air and land on the floor with a clatter.
Hop Sing just muttered and continued to pick up
the dirty clothes.
“Little Joe, where are you? All you had to
do was get your jacket.” Ben stood at the bottom of the steps with his hands
on his hips and Joe’s hat in his hand. His deep voice thundered up the stairs,
down the hall and into Little Joe’s room.
“ Comin’ Pa! My jacket got lost, Pa! But Hop Sing
found it. Let’s go!” For the second time that morning, Ben was nearly knocked
off his feet by a small bundle of energy as it raced down the steps and out
the front door.
Ben shook his head and sighed. Then, at a much
slower rate of speed, he turned and followed his son out the front door,
still holding Joe’s hat.
The Cartwrights were on a mission today. They and
some of their neighbors were going to a barn raising. As more settlers moved
west, more houses and barns were being built. The ranchers tried to assist
each other whenever possible. One way they did that was by helping each other
build their barns. It was such a big job that one family could hardly do it
all by themselves. But barn raising was more than just work. It was also a
celebration and all the women and children joined in to work and to have fun.
As the men pounded nails and lifted lumber, the women cooked food and chatted
and the children played and helped as they could. Little Joe had never been
to a barn raising before, but all he could imagine was that it had to be
a lot of fun.
Hoss had helped Adam get the wagon ready to go.
In the back they had loaded a few tools. There were axes, hammers, crowbars
and chisels, mallets, wood augers and several handsaws. They added a small
bucket of leftover nails, several pieces of wood, some blankets and a big
basket of food that Hop Sing had prepared to contribute to the celebration.
Hoss helped Little Joe climb into the back of the
wagon, and the little boy got up on his knees to face all the wonderful stuff
behind him. He could hardly contain himself. “How come we got so much stuff?
What’s that long stick thing for? Can I see it? Huh? We don’t got enough wood
for a whole barn. Where’s the wood? How we gonna get more wood? How can ya’
pick up a whole barn?” The questions kept coming as Little Joe couldn’t wait
for the answers.
Soon they were on their way. As the wagon bounced
down the dusty trail to the Coulson’s house, Ben and Adam exchanged looks
that said without words, This is going to be a very long day.
In the back seat, Hoss was trying to fit in a response
to his little brother’s bombardment of questions. “Dang it Joe, quit bouncin’
around and sit down. Nobody’s goin’ to pick up no barn. That’s just too durn
silly.”
At that, Little Joe stood up and faced Hoss with
hands on his hips and a scowl on his face. “Yes sir, Hoss. Pa said so. He
said we were gunna’ raise a barn. He did!” Joe turned around and grabbed
the back of the front seat and tried to jump up to reach his father’s ear.
“I’m right, aren’t I, Pa?” Just then, the wagon hit a rock in the road knocking
Little Joe to the floor and on the way down he hit his mouth on the back of
the front seat. The resulting sound was like a wild cat that had gotten its
paw stuck in a mousetrap. Whaaaaa! Whaaaaaaa! Whaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Ben quickly pulled on the reins and stopped the
wagon. Anxiously he looked over the back seat and furrowed his brow in concern.
“Joseph, what happened? Are you hurt?” From the sound he was hearing, he was
sure that Little Joe had been seriously hurt.
Hoss reached over and pulled Little Joe up to sit
next to him. “Awe, Pa. He’s OK. He just hit his mouth on the seat on the way
down is all. Lemme see Joe. Awe, Punkin’, you just got a little cut on your
lip. You’ll be fine. Come on, you can sit close to me.” With that, Little
Joe sniffled and brushed his tears from his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket.
He touched his lip and then looked at his fingers. Upon seeing the blood,
he began to wail again. Hoss tried to calm him.
“Let me see, Joseph.” Ben lifted his son’s
chin and said gently, “I think you will be okay.” He pulled out his handkerchief
and held it to Joe’s lip. “Hoss, hold this on his lip.”
“Sure Pa. Can I cover his mouth, too?” Ben gave
Hoss “the look”. Hoss quickly picked Joe up and put him on his lap. He put
one hand around Little Joe’s back and used his other hand to hold the handkerchief
to Joe’s lip. After watching for a few minutes, Ben was sure that Little Joe
was going to survive yet another trauma. Joe leaned against Hoss and calmed
down. The crying turned to quiet whimpering.
“Joseph, if you would sit like you
are supposed to, this wouldn’t happen. Now I am sorry you hurt yourself,
but I want you stay seated from here on. Understood? Ben was sorry that his
youngest son had been hurt, but he was also tired of telling him to sit down
when they were in the wagon. Little Joe didn’t think he could talk. His lip
hurt and it felt swollen, so he just nodded his head.
Adam watched the whole incident with a smirk. He
had certainly seen this scene played out many times before. As Ben turned
around and took hold of the reins, Adam slouched down in his seat and tried
to remain quiet. Hoss and Little Joe also remained quiet the rest of the way
to the Coulson’s.
Chapter Two
The arrival
As the wagon pulled up to the Coulson’s ranch,
the sun was getting a little higher in the cloudless blue sky. The bright
light spread a blanket of welcome warmth over the green meadow grasses that
surrounded the small farmhouse. It seemed as if all the families from miles
around had arrived. A half dozen buckboards and wagons were lined up all
along the dirt road. The horses had been led down by the stream to spend
the day under shady trees, nibbling at the tender green grasses. The Cartwright
family followed the others lead. As Adam unhitched the horses, Ben began
unloading the tools and supplies. Joe had recovered from his accident in
the wagon and was jumping excitedly between his big brother Hoss and his
father. Ben tried to ignore Joe as he mentally went over what should be done
next.
“Hoss, I know you want to help with the barn today,
and you will. But the most important job for you is to watch your little brother.
Adam and I are going to be very busy and I am counting on you to help. Do
you think you can do that?” Ben stopped to look at Hoss, directly in the
eye. Even though Hoss was only eleven years old, he was almost as tall as
his father. Ben had to remind himself that Hoss was not as grown-up as he
looked. He was just a child. Since Joe’s mother, Marie, had died only six
months before, he had come to depend on Hoss to look after his baby brother.
He had depended on Adam to look after Hoss in just the same way when Hoss’
mother, Inger, had died. He hated that his boys had to bear so much grief
and responsibility, but hoped that they would all be stronger men for the
early lessons they had to learn.
Ben had stopped to think about all of this, but
was forced back to the present by a very urgent voice. “Papa, Papa, look at
me!” It was Little Joe tugging on his arm. “Papa, I wanna help pick up the
barn, too. Hoss and me are gonna help. Right?”
Ben was puzzled. “What are you talking about son?
Pick up what barn?”
Little Joe looked at his father. He was puzzled,
too. “You know, Papa. You said we wuz gonna raise a barn.”
Suddenly Ben understood what his little boy was
talking about and burst into laughter.
Joe crossed his arms in front of his chest and
scowled. He didn’t see what was so funny.
Adam walked back over to where his family stood.
By this time Hoss was laughing as well. “What’s the joke? Better let me in.”
Ben told him what Joe had said and soon Adam was
laughing, too.
After a few minutes, Little Joe decided to join
the fun. He wasn’t sure what all the laughing was about, but it sure felt
good. In fact, it felt good for all the Cartwrights, as a deep sadness had
colored their lives for many months since Marie’s untimely death.
Mr. Coulson noticed the new arrivals and came over
to the Cartwright wagon. “Ben, so glad you could make it.” He shook
Ben’s hand warmly. Pointing to an area behind him, he said, “Just take everything
back there, behind the house. Jenny has some coffee and doughnuts and she
even has some hot chocolate. Please help yourself.” He looked at the two younger
boys and smiled.
“Pa, can I take Little Joe over there?” Hoss was
very interested in the offer.
“Sure can, Hoss. But why don’t you carry the picnic
basket on your way?” Ben handed Hoss the offering of food that had been prepared
by Hop Sing.
“Me too, me too!” Little Joe was not to be left
out.
“Of course, son. We need everyone’s help.” He then
handed Little Joe the small bucket of nails. ”Now Joe, these are very important
nails. You have to be very careful that they don’t spill. Think you can walk
over there with Hoss and not spill a single nail?”
“I’m gonna be real careful, Papa.” Said Joe seriously.
He turned to follow behind Hoss. But Hoss’s legs were longer and so Joe had
to run to catch up. He tripped. He fell. Nails spewed all over the ground.
The wailing began. Little Joe had skinned both knees. His Papa came to the
rescue, helping Joe to stand up and brush off the dirt. Ben and Adam
took a glance at each other and smiled again. Yes, it certainly was going
to be a long day.
Chapter Three
Plans
The grassy meadow behind the little house was bustling
with activity. The men were hauling logs and boards over to an area marked
off with heavy string wrapped around stakes driven into the ground. As the
men’s heavy boots trampled the earth, the grasses began to blend into the
soil and the whole area began to turn a dirty brown. Ben and his oldest boy,
Adam, helped to haul tools, wood and other supplies to a central area.
Two hundred feet away, activity of another sort
was happening. Women were dashing in and out the side door of the small farmhouse.
Some of the women were busy in the kitchen preparing food and some were outside,
washing the dishes from the morning snack. Hoss and Joe stood in the middle
of activity, unsure what to do next.
“Come on, Hoss, lets go see what Papa and Adam
are doin'.’” Joe pulled on the sleeve of his brother’s jacket.
Suddenly, Joe’s attention was diverted to a boy
who had just run out the front door of the house. He looked like he might
be the right age to play with. Joe continued to watch as the boy picked a
stick up off the ground and ran across the front yard. A little brown dog
appeared from nowhere and began chasing the boy. Joe stopped and watched the
boy and the dog. First the boy would throw a stick across the yard and then
the dog would bark and run to pick up the stick with his mouth and bring it
back to the boy. Little Joe was fascinated. It looked like a fun game. He
had never had a dog before, but had seen dogs before in Virginia City. Every
time he tried to pet one of the dogs, his father or brothers would pull him
away. Today he was going to pet a dog, that dog. He was very sure of that.
And some day he was going to have his very own dog so he could play with
it. He was sure of that, too.
As Joe seemed to be occupied, Hoss wandered off
the see how he could help the women. He liked hanging around the food and
besides, there was a girl there who looked familiar and Hoss wanted to talk
to her.
Adam and his father were with Mr. Coulson and some
of the men. They were looking at a big piece of paper spread over two wooden
sawhorses. The dog and the boy ran off, so Joe decided to go see what his
Papa was looking at. He ran over to the huddle of men and pushed his way between
their legs, popping up moments later right in front of everyone and almost
on top of the object of their interest. He saw that the paper had drawings
and writing on it.
“What’s that, Adam?” Joe pointed at the picture.
“Glad you asked Little Joe.” Adam was in a very
happy mood. He was only seventeen, but everyone was turning to him for help
on the design and construction of the barn. Ever since he had helped his father
build their own ranch house, a few years back, he found himself dreaming of
becoming an engineer or an architect. “Little Buddy, this is a picture of
the barn. It’s called a plan. See all these lines? They are the walls of
the barn. See the rectangles and squares? Those are the windows and
doors. And all of these numbers tell us how long to cut the wood. It’s real
important that we measure everything very carefully. If we follow this plan,
the barn will go together just right and it will last for a very long time.”
Adam pointed to everything as he talked and made sure that his little brother
could see.
Joe was interested, but he just couldn’t see how
that picture was a barn. It didn’t look like any barn he had ever seen. He
concluded that the picture must have something to do with raising up the barn.
Joe thought that his big brother, Adam, must be the smartest brother in the
whole wide world.
As Adam was explaining the diagram to his brother,
his father and the other men wandered away and began discussing what to do
next. Mr. Coulson showed the men where he had strategically placed large boulders
called plint stones. The foundation for the barn would be built upon these
large stones. He also pointed out the beams that he had collected from the
stand of Ponderosa pine just beyond the open meadow. He had spent the last
month getting ready for this day. Building a barn was a difficult project
and took as much preparation as the actual building. First, Mr. Coulson had
to harvest the timbers, a job that he and his hired hand did with the help
of a team of horses. Then, the logs were laid on the ground and the bark
and rounded sides were chipped away with a broad ax. As each side was finished,
the log had to be turned. Slowly, the log began to take on the shape of a
rough beam and would forever bear the chipping marks of the hand held ax.
Each beam was an original.
Few people had the skill to fashion the framing
beams themselves. A craftsman called a carpenter or a joiner usually did the
job. Mr. Coulson took pride in the fact that he had been trained in this skill
by his father when he lived back east in Ohio. He was able to do all the
work himself. The next step was for the beams or framing timbers to be cut
to exact size. Where the timbers came together, the connections had to be
crafted so they would fit tightly and smoothly. Locked together with large
wooden dowels, they would bear the weight of the entire barn. Even the wooden
dowels had to be handcrafted. When these things were done well, a barn went
up without many problems and could withstand the forces of nature.
Adam could tell that his little brother was loosing
interest in the building plans. “Little Buddy, go over there by Hoss. We’re
going to start raising the beams soon and it’s very dangerous. If one of those
big chunks of wood fell on you, you would be smashed like a pancake.” Adam
turned Joe around and pointed to the area by the house where the women were
working. Adam could see Hoss peeking under the checkered table cloths that
covered the lunch time feast. “Go on now,” he gave his little brother a push
from behind to get him going.
Joe resisted the push and turned to face his brother.
“But Adam, I wanna help. Papa said I could help. I’m gonna go tell Papa.”
Little Joe stomped his foot in defiance.
Adam rolled his eyes and sighed. “Okay, Joe, tell
you what. If I find you something to do to help, will you do it over by the
house?”
Joe moaned. But finally relented. “Okay, I’ll go.
What can I do, huh?” His enthusiasm was returning.
Adam reached behind a pile of tools and pulled
up a wooden keg of nails and five empty tin cans. “Come on Joe, let’s go
over by Hoss and I’ll show you what you can do.”
The two walked together as Adam toted the heavy
container of nails and Joe held the tin cans in his arms. In a clear area,
out of the way of the women, Adam began to set up Little Joe’s “job” spot.
He found a piece of wood to lay across two old stumps, making a low table.
It was a perfect work surface height for Little Joe. He moved the keg close
to the makeshift table and told Little Joe to put the cans down on the table.
“Now, Joe, listen carefully. This is what you need
to do. I want you to put 20 nails in each can.” Little Joe listened
intently. He wanted to please his brother so much and he wanted to be important
and help raise a barn. Joe began to feel sick. He didn’t know how to tell
his brother about the problem. He was afraid he would let Adam down when all
he really wanted to do was make Adam proud of him.
“Adam.” Little Joe’s voice was small. His lip began
to quiver and tears began to form in his bright green eyes. “Adam, I – I don’t
know how to count that big.” The words came rushing from his mouth. “I only
know to10.”
Adam tried to hide his smile. It was all he could
do to keep from laughing. “No problem, Joe. You see, all you have to do is
put 10 nails in the can. Then, you put 10 nails in the can, again. Got it?”
He smiled a reassuring grin. “Now, this is important work ‘cause the men can’t
carry this heavy keg of nails up on the roof. They can only carry little tin
cans. And someone has to put the nails in the cans. Do you think you are
up to it?”
Little Joe relaxed and his face changed from a
frown, into a grin that went from ear to ear. “Oh yes, Adam. I can do it.
You’ll see.” Then he sat down on a small stump and began the hard task of
counting nails.
Adam turned to check on his other little brother.
He was feeling pretty good about himself and it was evidenced in his smug
grin. “Hoss, are you giving these women any trouble?”
“Adam, look at all this food. I been helpin’ is
all. Mrs. Coulson says she really needs me. I done put all that firewood in
a pile. They’re gonna roast a pig in a fire outside. And I’m gonna help.”
Hoss was all puffed out in pride. He too, wanted to be big and help the grown-ups.
Adam scratched his neck and cocked his head to
one side. Pursing his lips, he began, “Well, Hoss, I’m sure the ladies need
your help. But, you did promise Pa that you would keep an eye on Little Joe
and it seems like mostly I’ve been doin’ that myself. We’re going to be raising
the timbers soon and they’ll need every man here to help. I gotta go help,
Hoss. Look, Joe is sittin’ over there countin’ nails. Now you know he won’t
be there for long, so keep track of him, okay? Don’t let him near the construction
project. Its too dangerous.”
Hoss gave a sheepish look. “Sorry Adam. I know
I shoulda’ been keepin’ track of the little guy, but I just got kinda’ side
tracked is all.”
“Yeah, well, you get side tracked pretty easy when
it comes to food.” With that, Adam briskly walked back to where the
men were making plans for raising the first timber.
Hoss sauntered over to his younger brother.
“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, oh man.” Little Joe had a look
of determination as he righted the can and began counting again. He was concentrating
on his work so hard; he didn’t even notice Hoss.
Hoss cleared his throat to get Joe’s attention
and got rewarded with a big grin.
“Hi Hoss!”
“Hey, Shortshanks, whatcha’ doin’?”
“Countin’ nails, Hoss. And it’s real ‘portin.”
“Ahh, I see. How many you countin’?” Hoss sat down
on the low table.
“You silly, I’m countin’ 'em all! Now go away ‘cause
I can’t count and talk to you, too.”
“Sure, Joe. Come see me when you’re done. Okay?
Hoss got up and started to walk away, leaving his brother to concentrate.
Without looking up, Joe answered his brother, “
‘Kay, Hoss. 1, 2, 3, 4, …….”
Chapter Four
Coming Together
The men had talked long enough. It was now time
to put their words into action. With ropes and the help of two horses, the
prepared beams were dragged into place. Randy Coulson directed the operation
as Ben and the other men helped maneuver the pieces. Two beams were laid parallel
to each other on the ground and a third was place in position across the
top. Quickly, Adam and Mr. Coulson moved in to bring the ends together and
secure the joints that would become the edges of the roof. It was not easy,
but Adam was enjoying himself as he used the mallet to pound the round wooden
pegs into place. Once the three beams were connected, two more timbers were
added to the top to form a triangle, eventually to become the roof itself.
Together the pieces were called a “bent”. As the first bent was done, Adam
and the others stood back and admired their handiwork. Mr. Coulson was especially
proud of the way all the beams had come together without much difficulty.
It was a testament to his fine craftsmanship.
“Well, Ben, all we have to do is assemble another
bent, raise and peg the two together, and we’ll be well on our way to havin’
a barn!” Jim Harrell, one of the neighboring ranchers slapped Ben on the back
in a friendly jester. The physical struggle had tired Ben out and the slap
on the back nearly knocked him over. He acknowledged Jim with a smile and
taking his hat off, he wiped his brow with the sleeve of his shirt.
“Randy, do you think we can get the next bent put
together before lunch?” One of the men directed his question to Mr. Coulson.
“Seems like it would be possible. ‘'Specially if
it works as well as the first one. We got a lot of work to do, might be best
if we get that done now. After lunch, we can raise those two sections and
peg them together. We’ll finish up the other bent after that! There are three
bents all together.” Randy Coulson wanted to get as much completed as possible.
He knew that the other ranchers had work of their own to do and could not
spare more than one day for his barn.
As Ben rested for a moment, his eyes searched for
his two youngest sons. He could see Hoss. He was still over by the house and
it looked as if he was talking to a tall girl with pretty long blond hair.
He had his hat off and he was leaning against the front porch post. He was
obviously enjoying himself as Ben could almost hear the laughter from where
he stood. He was hoping that Hoss had some notion of what Little Joe was
up to. It was so difficult being both a father and a mother to his boys. He
wanted to contribute like all the other men did, but without a mother to
look after his sons, he just had to worry. He then noticed Little Joe by
the side of the house. He also seemed to be talking to one of the other children.
As if he had read his mind, Adam walked up beside
his father and said, “Don’t worry, Pa. I have Little Joe busy counting nails
and I reminded Hoss that he was responsible for watching him. They’ll be alright.”
Ben wished he could have as much confidence as
Adam. “I know Adam, just wanted to see what they were doing. We will need
Hoss’s help later if this barn is to get anywhere near done before dark.
I hope Little Joe can stay out of trouble long enough to get this work done.”
Little Joe didn’t notice his father looking his
way. He had been trying to count out the nails for what seemed like forever.
He lost count several times and twice knocked all the nails onto the ground.
On top of that, every time he reached into the keg, a nail would poke his
finger and make it hurt like crazy. The whole idea was beginning to loose
its appeal. Then some diversion came along. The boy who had been playing with
the dog walked up to Joe and began looking at the nails and cans.
“Hi, my name is Tuck and I live here. What’s your
name?”
“My name is Little Joe. I’m helpin’ my brother
and my pa. They’re raisin’ a barn, you know.”
“Of course I know. It’s my barn. How old are you?”
“I’m this many.” Joe held up all the fingers on
his left hand.
“Can’t you say “five”? I’m six. I can count
all the way to a hundred.”
Little Joe narrowed his eyes. This was a challenge.
“Well, I can too. I counted all these nails and there are a hundred million!”
He had heard his bother Hoss talk about a million once and it just sounded
good.
Tuck looked with interest at the nails. “Can I
help? I wanna count some nails.”
Little Joe thought about the offer. “Well, I guess
you can. But you have to be real careful ‘cause my brother Adam told me it’s
real ‘portant. You gotta put 10.. Um 20 nails in all the cans. I got those
two done, you can do the rest if you want.”
“I’ll be careful.” Tuck proceeded to count out
20 nails and put them into the waiting can. Joe watched. He was impressed
with how fast Tuck could count, but he wasn’t about to let Tuck know.
“I’m goin’ over there Tuck, if you need me. ‘Kay?”
“Sure, Little Joe. But I don’t need no help.” Tuck
was digging in the keg and pulling out a handful of nails.
Joe shrugged and walked over to the grassy ground.
He was glad to be done with that really hard job and glad he was able to trick
that boy into doing the rest of the work. He plopped down on the ground and
stretched out on his back. Joe watched some puffy white clouds drift across
the sky and thought about his mama. He really missed her and if she were
with him today, she would give him a cookie. His tummy was beginning to feel
empty.
Chapter Five
A Little Excitement
Tuck sat on the ground and giggled. His dog was
licking the face of his new friend. Little Joe’s eyes flew open and he sat
up quickly. He wasn’t sure what was happening at first, then he remembered
where he was. The brown dog wanted to play and it climbed onto Joe’s lap,
knocking him back down on the ground.
“Hey, wake up, little kid.” My dog thinks stuff
on the ground is for him to play with.” Tuck was laughing and pushing
his dog away.
“I’m not sleepin’. I just had my eyes closed is
all.” Joe scowled at the thought that anyone would think that he would fall
asleep in the middle of the day like a baby.
“Sure kid. Wanna play chase? See those girls over
there? Two are my cousins. Their names are Amy and Sara. That other girl lives
way down the road. Her name is Erin. Do you think they’re pretty? We could
chase ‘em.” Tuck opened his clear blue eyes wide, waiting for Joe to answer.
The dog continued to walk all over Joe and he began
to giggle. “Your dog is so funny.”
“Come on, let’s go find where the girls are goin’.”
Tuck got to his feet and began running toward the back of the house.
Joe wasn’t sure what to do. He hadn’t even thought
about girls being pretty. The only girl he ever thought of as being pretty
was his mama. But he did like this boy, his dog was fun, and he loved to run.
So he scampered after the boy and the dog. Tuck was taller than Joe was and
his longer legs kept him in the lead. As Joe caught up, he heard his new
friend shouting to the girls. “Hey Erin, wanna’ kiss me?” The girls
had gone to the field that led down to the stream. The field was covered in
beautiful blue flowers and they had just started to pick some. Joe watched
the action as all three girls screamed and dropped their handfuls of flowers
to the ground. They turned and raced off to escape Tuck. Joe smiled. It was
fun to see the girls scream and run.
“Wait Tuck, I wanna chase ‘em, too!” Little Joe
ran fast as he could to keep up with Tuck.
“Come on, Little Joe. They went down the road.
We can cut through those trees and surprise ‘em!”
Joe was breathing hard and he could feel his heart
beating fast. This was the most excitement he had known in a long time! The
two boys scampered through the woods.
“There they are!” yelled Little Joe. “Hey girls,
wanna kiss me?” He imitated the words Tuck had used.
He got the reaction he wanted. The girls screamed
and continued running down the road leading back to the ranch house. Tuck
and Joe chased them and had almost caught up. The problem came when they were
right in front of the house. One of the girls, Amy, fell down in the road
and was screaming very loudly. Her mother came out of the house and ran to
her side.
Tuck and Joe stopped in their tracks. They could
see the girls telling something to the grownup and they were pointing their
fingers right at them. Joe felt bad, but sensing the trouble he might be in,
he turned and followed Tuck back into the stand of trees. They kept running
till they were almost back out the other side. The dog ran with them and barked
and barked.
“Stop, Little Joe. They can’t find us in here.”
Both boys collapsed on the ground in a fit of giggles. The dog continued to
bark.
“That was so funny, Tuck! Did you see ‘em run?
They sure can scream loud!” Joe had just learned a new game.
Suddenly both boys were grabbed from behind and
yanked to their feet. The giggling stopped. It was replaced with fear. Looking
up, Joe saw Mrs. Coulson, Tuck’s mama. She looked real angry and she was shouting
very loud.
“What am I to do with you, Tuck? Why do you insist
on teasing those girls every time they come over? Do you know that you caused
Amy to fall and skin her knees? You made all the girls cry. Now you two just
march right back to the house and apologize. And if you can’t think of anything
helpful to do, I can find plenty for you to do!”
Joe was frightened. He didn’t mean to hurt anybody.
He was just playin’. He and Tuck walked back to the house, followed closely
by Mrs. Coulson.
Tuck whispered to Joe, “Those girls are such babies.
Who would cry just ‘cause they fell down and got a little boo-boo?”
Joe didn’t say a thing.
When the two culprits got back to the house, there
was a welcoming committee. The men had taken a break for lunch. So Ben, Adam
and Hoss were there to greet Little Joe.
Ben had his hands on his hips. He was looking sternly
at Little Joe. “Joseph, I understand you have been involved in some mischief.
Come over here so we can clean your hands and face and you can tell me all
about it.” Ben propelled Little Joe toward the water pump.
After hearing his young son’s side of the story,
it was all he could do to keep from laughing. But he knew he had to remain
in control. “Joseph, it is not nice to scare people, especially girls. Girls
are very special and God put them on earth for us men to take care of, not
to chase and make them scream. I want you to apologize to all the girls and
then we are going to eat lunch.”
Little Joe felt pretty bad, but after apologizing,
all seemed forgotten. The family had a blanket spread under one of the oak
trees. Together they sat and talked about the events of the morning. Joe quietly
munched his food. All the smiles and looks between his two older brothers
were lost on him. He never noticed and it was a good thing, too, or he would
have been in trouble for kicking them.
The lunch had been delicious. There were platters
full of fried chicken, roasted pig, potato salad, baked beans, string beans,
pinto beans, red beans and lima beans. Joe hated those lima beans. The main
meal was followed with scrumptious chocolate cake and sugar cookies that Hop
Sing had baked. Everyone was so full when they were done. It was hard to
think about getting back to work.
“Hoss, I want you to keep a closer eye on
your brother here. No more trouble. Understand?” Ben started to get up.
“Yes sir” Hoss wondered why he always felt
like the one in trouble whenever his baby brother did something wrong.
Ben then turned his attention to his youngest.
“And Joseph, remember our little talk. Be nice to the girls. Stay away from
the barn construction. It is dangerous. And mind Hoss!”
Ben and Adam and all the other men walked off together
toward the barn.
Little Joe had wanted to tell his Papa more about
the little brown dog and about the nails he had put in the cans and about
his new friend, Tuck. But there wasn’t time. Adam had noticed the cans of
nails and told Joe he did a terrific job. Joe felt just a little guilty when
he accepted the compliment since Tuck had done most of the work. But it felt
good whenever his big brother told him he did something good, so he just stayed
quiet.
Mrs. Coulson decided to give Little Joe and Hoss
some extra attention. She could see that their father was doing his best,
but since he was working on the barn there was really nobody to supervise
the boys. “Come on Hoss, Little Joe. Help me clear the tables. Then you can
carry some water and dry the dishes.”
Hoss was more than happy to oblige, as he loved
to help and make people happy. Joe, on the other hand, was less than thrilled.
He really wanted to find his new friend Tuck and have some fun.
Chapter Six
Sparks Fly
The barn was beginning to take shape. Two bents
lay completed on the ground, looking like a building that had been exploded
with the walls falling out and away from each other. The first bent went up
without a hitch. It required the coordination of all the men as one crew lifted
the large timber structure up off the ground and another crew jabbed their
pike poles to assist the vertical launch. This was a critical and dangerous
part of the barn raising. It took the efforts of everyone to make it work.
Once one bent was in place, resting on its plint stones, it was time to raise
the other bent and tie the two together with cross beams.
It was also the event that caused everyone to look
on in awe. Joe and Hoss and everyone else sat on the ground near the house
and watched the heavy timbers rise from the ground.
“Look, Hoss! They’re raisin’ the barn. I
knew they would! I just knew they would!” Joe jumped up and down and ‘round
and ‘round. His energy seemed boundless.
Hoss was amazed as well. “Wow, Joe! You’re right!
Now I can see a barn.”
The two boys rolled on the ground together and
laughed and wrestled. They played for a long time as Tuck watched from his
bedroom window. He had found it hard to apologize to the girls, so he had
been sent to his room after the teasing incident. Tuck wished he had a big
brother, just like Hoss.
After awhile, the wrestling wasn’t fun anymore.
Hoss wanted to go talk to his friend, Erin, and Little Joe wished Tuck would
come outside. But he couldn’t, so Joe had to think of something else to do.
“Joe, now you stay right here, okay? I’m just goin’
to go over and talk to Erin. Me and her go to school together and we got lots
to talk about. So, just play. Okay?” Hoss slowly backed away from his brother,
hoping that he could will his brother to just stay in that one spot, for
a little while.
“Oh, come on Hoss. Why you wanna talk to one of
those dumb girls.” Then Joe remembered what his father had said and bit his
lip. “I mean, Hoss, why don’t you and me go check out the stream across the
road? We could catch frogs and turtles and snakes. It would be fun!”
“Joe, don’t you even think about goin’ over there.
You know Pa told us to stay right by the house where he can see us.” Hoss
was determined to escape.
Joe sighed. “Then, lets go down where the horses
are and give ‘em an apple.”
Hoss just shook his head. “Joe, think, could Pa
see you if you went down there?”
Joe tried one more time. “Hoss, let’s go by Papa
and see if we can help him!”
“You just don’t give up, do you? Now you know Pa
said to stay away from the barn. Why don’t you just go count your nails again.”
Hoss walked away, sure that he could talk to Erin and still keep an eye on
his brother, just like Pa had told him.
Joe plopped down on the ground and looked around.
There was nothing to do. Even the brown dog was taking a nap. All the action
was down by the barn. Little Joe loved action and he wanted to be where it
was taking place. There was no action around here, ‘cept Hoss talkin’ to that
dumb ole girl.
Joe started to walk around in circles. Then he
turned his body around and around. It made him dizzy and he fell down. The
sun was hot and he wondered why he had to wear a jacket. He finally took
it off and threw it up in the air and tried to catch it. He did that for
awhile, trying to throw it as far as possible. Then he looked at the outhouse.
Well, he did have to pee, so he tried it out.
Hoss was a little nervous about Joe. He kept looking
over at his brother. So far, so good. He seemed to be entertaining himself.
For a minute, Hoss didn’t see Joe, then he saw him heading for the outhouse.
Finally he relaxed, Joe would be fine.
As Joe emerged from the outhouse, he looked to
where Hoss was laughing and being silly with that girl. Yuck. I’m gunna go
see Papa. And off he went.
The men were raising the last bent. It was slipping
and required some extra effort to get it lined up just right. Everyone was
looking up and didn’t notice the small boy under foot. It was Josh Morgan
who tripped over Joe. He fell to the ground and knocked everyone off balance.
Down came the timbers with a sickening thud. Ben was horror struck. He ran
to Little Joe, knelt down and gathered him into his arms. He felt tears come
to his eyes.
“Joseph! What are you doing here? You could have
been killed.” Ben was scared and angry all at once. He wasn’t sure which emotion
was stronger.
Little Joe was frightened. He wasn’t sure what
had had happened, but it was very scary and he was afraid it was his fault.
Adam and the other men ran to the hurt man. “I’m
alright, really. I think I just sprained my ankle.” Mr. Coulson was relieved
that nobody had gotten seriously hurt. He led Josh to the house where he could
sit down and tend to his ankle.
As Ben held Joe in his arms, the shock began to
wear off. Anger was welling up in the pit of his stomach. Anger and frustration.
“Adam, bring Hoss over to the blanket.” Ben was not smiling.
Adam looked at his father and wished he could be
someplace else. He could tell Pa was furious. He watched as his father tucked
Joe under his arm and hauled him to their blanket spread under the oak tree.
Adam turned his head away as he realized his little brother was about to get
a spanking. He could hear his little brother crying loudly and wished Joe
could do what he was told, just once. He didn’t have to look far. Hoss was
looking for Adam.
“Hoss, Pa wants you right now. Better get over
there, quick.”
Hoss went white. He knew he had goofed. He really
thought Little Joe would be all right for just a little while. Gulping, Hoss
said, “Kay, Adam.” He walked to face his fate.
When Ben had finished spanking Little Joe, he felt
bad. He didn’t mean to take his angry feelings out on his son. Usually he
calmed down before giving out any punishment. Now he was faced with Hoss and
he was just as angry with him as he was with Joe. As he looked at his middle
son, he realized that Hoss was also just a little boy. He tried to talk in
measured, even tones. “Young man. I am very disappointed. All I asked… was
that you keep.. your brother….. out of danger…… and you didn’t do it.”
Hoss was mortified. He loved his little brother.
He would never do anything that would let him get hurt. Now he had done just
that and let his father down at the same time. Things couldn’t be worse.
Ben knew that Hoss felt terrible, so he limited
the lecture. He told Hoss that Little Joe was going to take a nap and that
he expected Hoss to stay on the blanket with his brother.
“And Hoss, do not get off this blanket until I tell you to, is that understood?”
Hoss knew he had gotten off easy and was more than
happy to sit and watch his little brother sleep. “Yes sir. And Pa, I’m sorry.”
Ben nodded to Hoss and turning to Little Joe, gave
a final order. “And you, young man, close your eyes and go to sleep. Don’t
even dream of getting off this blanket.”
Joe blinked back more tears and nodded his head.
He had lost his voice.
As Ben walked back to the barn, the boys were left
alone.
Hoss tried to get comfortable. It was going to
be a long afternoon. He looked over at Joe. “Sorry Punkin’”
Joe was on his belly, with his head in his arms.
He was a sorry sight with a dirty face wet with tears. Turning to face Hoss,
he conjured up his meanest face. “Shut up, Hoss. I don’t wike you at all!
And don’t wook at me! And I’m not goin’ to sweep” He put his face back into
his arms and cried some more.
Hoss felt so bad. He knew that when Joe was really
upset, he had trouble pronouncing his “L’s” Joe was major upset. Hoss
thought out loud, “Guess Pa really knows how to punish me. Just make me stay
with Joe when he hates me.”
The men were having trouble as well. The last bent
just didn’t want to be put up in place. They were missing one man and it seemed
to make all the difference in the world. “It’s no use. We just need more
help.” Randy Coulson was beginning to feel discouraged. “Isn’t there anyone
around? What about Sheriff Coffee?”
Ben was thinking, there was someone else around.
He was young, but he was big and he was strong. He looked over to where Hoss
was sitting. “Randy, I have an idea. Let me get my son Hoss. I think he may
be able to help us.”
Hoss was startled by his father’s voice. He had
his own eyes shut and was deep in thought. “Hoss, shhhh. Is Joe asleep?
“I think so Pa. He hasn’t moved in awhile and his
thumb is in his mouth. That would be my guess.”
“Good. I need you to help us put these timbers
up. We need another man.”
Hoss couldn’t believe his ears. Pa had said they needed
another man, him, Hoss! “Sure Pa, I can help. But what about Joe?”
“Well, as long as he is asleep, I’m pretty sure
he will stay out of trouble. Although I wouldn’t put it past him to find trouble
even in his sleep.” Ben grinned.
Hoss sighed. Maybe Pa still loved him.
Chapter Seven
Running Away
Little Joe shivered as he opened his eyes. He looked
around and remembered where he was and why. He had not meant to fall asleep.
That always happened. Every time he went to bed he intended to stay awake,
just in case he might miss something. But he always ended up falling asleep.
Joe reached back and rubbed his bottom. It still hurt. Nobody was near by.
Not even Hoss.
Joe sat up. “Where are you, Hoss?” He thought for
sure Hoss should be there. He heard Papa yell at Hoss and tell him to stay
on the blanket. Getting up on his knees, Joe strained to look over at the
barn project. A lot had happened. It was really looking like a barn. They
were even working on the roof.
Then he saw Hoss. In a whisper, Joe said to himself,
“Papa let Hoss work on the barn? That’s not fair.” Joe felt very alone and
his green eyes began to fill with tears.
The need to pee became overwhelming. Pa had said
not to get off the blanket, but Little Joe had to go. He decided to leave.
Once he was away from the blanket, he felt better. Maybe he would just walk
a little further. Then he had a thought, I think I will go away. Nobody loves
me anyway and they won’t even miss me. I’ll show them!
Ben, Adam and Hoss kept looking over at the blanket
to be sure Little Joe was all right. Hoss even walked over and checked on
him several times. But Joe must have been very tired. He was dead to the world
and did not stir at all. They had gotten used to seeing him asleep, so it
was a shock when Ben looked at the blanket from the top of the ladder and
did not see his youngest son. By the time he noticed, however, Joe had gotten
a big head start.
As Joe walked, he thought about how much fun he
could have. Nobody would tell him what to do. If he wanted to eat, he would
eat. If he wanted to sleep, he would sleep. And if he wanted to play, he would
play. And right now, he wanted to play. He pretended to be an Indian. He
walked softly through the trees that led to the road. He tried not to break
any branches or make a sound. Mmm, he thought, Maybe I will go live with
the Indians!
When he reached the road, he couldn’t decide which
way to go. Finally, he chose to go right because it was different than the
way they had come. The sand on the road was soft and warm. Joe stopped to
take his shoes and socks off. It felt good against the bottom of his feet.
He sat down and started to play in the sand. After a few minutes, he got tired
of that and put his footwear back on. Suddenly, he saw a rabbit in the bushes
beside the road. He watched it for awhile until it took off hopping down
the road. Joe thought that looked like fun, so he hopped like a bunny, down
the road. Soon, he changed to skipping. He skipped a long way. He liked to
skip. It seemed like he went faster when he skipped. Then he thought about
horses and wished he had one right now. As he thought about how a horse would
go fast like the wind, he started to gallop. “Yes, galloping really makes
you go fast!”
As Joe tried out different ways to travel, he barely
noticed where he was going. He slowed down and looked around. The land had
changed. Instead of trees and grass and bushes and flowers, everything had
become rocks and boulders and sand. Some of the rocks were huge and some were
pointy and rose clear up to the sky. Joe recognized the landscape. When he
went to Virginia City with his father and brothers, they always went through
these rocks. He remembered that he had wanted to stop the buckboard at this
spot so he could play. But Papa had said it was too dangerous. It didn’t look
dangerous to Joe. In fact, it looked like a wonderful place to explore.
“I can play if I want to.” Joe said this out loud
as if to let himself know that it was okay. As he looked around, he thought
of all the fun things he could do. I can climb on the rocks and jump down.
I can hide behind the rocks. I can even just sit on a really big rock.
He chose to start climbing the rocks. There was
one that really interested him. It was slanty and it pointed right up to Heaven.
As Joe started up the side, he thought about Heaven. His mama was in Heaven.
At least that was what everybody told him. He knew that Heaven was way up
in the sky. He began to reason out loud, “If I climb this rock, maybe it
will take me up in the sky to Heaven and I can see my mama again.” Armed
with this idea, Joe began to climb in earnest.
Chapter Eight
The Search
At first Ben thought that he would find Little
Joe wandering around near the blanket. But he wasn’t to be found. He broadened
the search and included Adam and Hoss. They searched the outhouse. They searched
near the farmhouse and Little Joe’s work table. All they could find was his
green jacket. They talked to everyone. The women had been getting ready for
dinner and had not seen the little boy at all. Even the children had not seen
Little Joe. Tuck was allowed out of his room, but he had been playing with
his dog. Ben began to get worried. He took several deep breaths and tried
to reason that every time Little Joe was missing, he always showed up, wondering
what all the fuss was about. But Ben couldn’t help but feel that this time
it was different.
“Think, Hoss, where would Joe have gone?” Ben was
trying to come up with a search plan.
“Well, he did want to go down and look for frogs
and stuff at the stream ‘cross the road. Then he wanted to go see the horses
and feed ‘em an apple.” Hoss was trying his best to think of where Joe might
have gone.
“Adam, go down to the stream and then check the
horses.” Ben began giving orders.
“Right, Pa.” Adam ran off as fast as he could.
Some of the men had already started searching the
woods around the grassy meadow. The children called his name and the women
started to worry. “This is so awful. Ben Cartwright has had so many losses
in his life, I sure hope the little boy is alright.”
It was getting late. The sun was sinking in the
western sky and taking the warmth with it. Ben was beside himself. He held
his son’s jacket tightly and thought about all the dangers that Little Joe
could be facing. There are wild cats, snakes, scorpions, bad people, drop-offs,
water and the approaching nightfall with its own dangers of coyotes and falling
temperatures. Ben stirred from his thoughts; he had to think more positively.
Just then, one of the men came running up the road.
“Ben, Ben, come quick!”
Ben held his breath, someone had found something.
“Coming!” Ben ran to the road. “What is it? What have you found?”
“Ben, I found tracks down the road. They look like
a child’s footprints. They are real easy to follow, come on, let’s go.” Adam
and Hoss were looking in the woods with the some of the others, so Ben went
by himself.
“Your right, Fred. These are Little Joe’s tracks.
What was he doing here?” He looked at the sand and found it all stirred up.
There were even tracks of his bare feet. But most importantly, the tracks
continued on down the road.
If he hadn’t been so worried, Ben would have laughed.
He could see the ever-changing patterns of Joe’s footprints. “Looks like he
was skipping and hopping and galloping and finding all kinds of ways to go
down this road. He certainly didn’t go in a straight line, either.”
Ben was surprised at how far Joe had traveled.
It was dusk when they reached the escarpment, where giant rocks littered
the land and monoliths were tilted on edge, angled toward the sky. Ben remembered
that Little Joe liked this area and always asked if he could play there. Looking
around, Ben was sure he was close to his son. He began to call his name.
“Joseph! Where are you son? Papa is here. Come
out, Little Joe. I’m not mad at you anymore. Come on son, its getting late.”
Ben tried to keep a calm tone to his voice as if he was just calling him in
from the barn. But inside he was trembling. This was no place for a little
boy to be hiding.
Little Joe couldn’t hear his Papa. He was too far
away. He started the climb up the massive rock face with ease. After a few
minutes, the slope became steeper and Joe had to get down on his hands and
knees and crawl. “Mama! I’m comin’ to see ya’!” Joe stopped and looked up.
He could see that he still had a long way to go. He heard the cry of a lone
coyote. It was a sound that Little Joe did not like. It made him scared and
he wished his Papa or brothers were with him. However, he was determined to
get to his Mama, so he began the ascent again.
Ben heard the coyote too. He was very worried.
It was getting darker and he couldn’t find his baby son. He kept calling
his name, hoping that Little Joe was just hiding out of fear of getting in
trouble for running away. He tried to keep an even tone to his voice and
forced a smile upon his face. He heard the wagons before he saw them. A large
group of people from the barn raising had arrived to help with the search.
They were a welcome sight and they had brought lanterns.
Little Joe was unaware of the happenings down below.
He climbed even higher. The wind started to blow and it made a spooky sound
as it whistled across the rocky ground. Little Joe closed his eyes. He was
very scared. He carefully opened his eyes and looked up. “Mama, Mama” But
his voice was small and the rock and sky was big. Nobody called back to him.
Maybe I have to get closer to Mama. Joe continued to climb a little more;
he was almost to the top.
On the ground, the search parties were organizing.
Some people looked on the west side of the road, some looked on the east.
Adam went with the group searching the boulders closest to the road. Hoss
was told to stay in the wagon and hold a lantern. Ben certainly didn’t want
to loose another child to the rapidly darkening skies.
Joe thought he was almost to heaven and to his
Mama. He could see the top. Then he began to slip. He tried to hold on, but
there was nothing to grab onto, only loose sand on top of slippery rock.
As he slid back down, his feet pushed some small boulders out of the ground
and they began rolling down the rock face like large marbles. When Joe heard
their rumble, he turned around to see what was happening. It was then that
he realized how far down the ground had become. He watched as the rocks skipped
and jumped and fell over the side of the mountain. His body was slipping in
the same direction. He screamed. “Papa!” Finally, Little Joe stopped
slipping and he pressed his body tightly against the rock. He was frozen in
fear.
As Ben looked up to the heavens, he prayed for
Marie to help. “Please, Marie, help me. Where is our boy?” The fear and tension
had been too hard to bear. Ben tried to be strong for his older boys and for
his neighbors and friends, but he was on the verge of breaking down. As he
looked up, he noticed something moving on Eagle’s Rock. The light was fading,
so it was difficult to see. At first he thought it might be a small animal.
He squinted his eyes. “Oh surely he didn’t climb up there.” Ben muttered
to himself. Anxiously, he turned to Hoss. “Move the buckboard to the bottom
of Eagle’s Rock. I think I know where he is.” Ben looked up at the small
figure precariously hanging onto the side of the slanted rock. He prayed
that he would not be too late.
Little Joe could not move. He was terrified that
he would go down the rock and over the edge, just like the giant marble-like
rocks. He shivered with fear and with cold. Tears rolled down his grubby cheeks
and his hands ached from holding on.
Ben drew in a ragged breath and stuffed Joe’s jacket
into his belt. He had been clutching the little green jacket in his hands
as if it would bring him closer to his son. He ran to the base of Eagle’s
Rock. As he ran, he glanced up at his son, and prayed that Little Joe could
hang on a little longer. The climb up was not difficult for Ben. It was really
just a matter of walking up a steep grade. However, he chose his path carefully.
As he got closer, he could hear his son sobbing. Ben didn’t want to startle
the boy, so he called out softly, “Little Joe, Little Joe. It’s me, Papa.
Don’t move Little Joe. I’m coming up there, right beside you.”
Joe couldn’t believe his ears. It was Papa. He
wanted to run to him but he just couldn’t move. He kept his small body flattened
against the rock. The air was cold, but the rock still held the warmth of
the burning sun and gave a small measure of assurance. Little Joe squeezed
his eyes shut and tried to call back to his Papa. “Papa, come get me. I wanna
go home.”
Ben was never so glad to hear his son’s voice.
“Just stay there, Joe. I’m right below you.” Ben climbed as fast as he safely
could and was soon stretched out on the rock right next to Little Joe. He
put his arm carefully across Joe’s back and pulled him safely into his arms.
Ben had to pry Joe’s hands off the rock face. “Son, come to Papa. Come,
I’ll hold you and carry you down the rocks. Don’t be afraid, I’m right here.”
He could feel Little Joe shake with fear. “It’s okay, Joe. I have you now.’
He held his son tightly and gently kissed the top of his head. Ben remembered
the jacket and he tried to wrap it around Little Joe’s shoulders. Then he
began the slow descent down the rock. He had to stop several times to reassure
Joe that everything was going to be all right. Joe continued to cry and shake.
“Papa, I wanted to go see Mama in Heaven. She didn’t
hear me Papa.” Little Joe tried to tell his story through his sobs.
“Shhhh, Joseph. Mama heard you.” Ben held his son
a little closer.
A small crowd had gathered at the bottom of Eagle’s
Rock. Ben looked down and saw the lantern light and within the warm yellow
circles cast, saw his sons and friends waiting. As Ben reached the final decent
that led to the ground, Adam and Hoss ran to his side. “Pa, is he okay?”
Adam was frantic with fear. Hoss moved close to Little Joe. He wanted to
make sure he was okay. Ben gently motioned for them to step back and reassured
them that Joe was fine, just a little cold and tired.
Joe stayed quiet. He had stopped crying, but would
not lift his face from his Papa’s shoulder. Ben could feel his son shaking
and told Adam to get a blanket from the buckboard. Adam was glad to be able
to help. Ben then wrapped Little Joe up in the big blanket so that all that
was peeking out was his wet and muddy face.
Carrying Joe in his arms, Ben climbed up
on the buckboard. Adam and Hoss climbed up beside him. They wanted to be
as close as possible. “Randy, Jennie, Fred, everyone, thanks so much
for your help. You are wonderful friends. Joe will be fine. I think the best
thing to do is to get him back home. I’m sorry for all the trouble we have
caused. I’ll try to come by after church tomorrow to gather up all our belongings.
Again, thank you for your help and your prayers. I am so thankful they were
answered. I don’t know what this family would do without this little scamp.”
Ben looked down at his son, apparently asleep in his arms.
Adam gathered up the reins and turned the wagon
back toward home. Ben silently thanked Maria for her help and quickly brushed
away the moisture that had formed at the corners of his eyes.
“Come on, Adam, lets get home. This has been
a very long day.”
The End