Loss Of Memory

By: Lynne G.

It had been an excellent trapping season for Stoney Landers who lived in the mountains near Free Peak, California.

Stoney trapped beaver, raccoons, and squirrels, then after he had the skins cleaned and cured, he took them to San Francisco to sell them at the fur wholesale house.

When Stoney needed supplies for his cabin, he would ride into Placerville to do his shopping and to visit the many friends he had living in the Placerville area..

Stoney had learned how to trap with his father and they made a very good living at trapping, then selling the furs.  After Stoney's father had died, Stoney continued to trap.

Stoney had never married as he thought that, that wasn't a good life in which to raise a family, even though the money to be made was very good.  He would have had to be away from a family while he trapped and he didn't think that would be fair for a family.

Most of the areas Stoney trapped were in the rivers and small lakes between his cabin and Placerville.

One day while he was returning home from selling his furs, and had bought some more supplies in Placerville, as he neared his cabin, he noticed someone small laying off to the side of the road, so he quickly rode his large bay gelding over towards the still form of a child.

He jumped off his horse and kneeled down next to the child who was unconscious.  He was very relieved to find the boy was still alive, but he could see dried blood on the boys face and hair.  The boy was very pale, and his skin was cool to the touch.

Stoney checked to see if the boy had any broken bones, which luckily he didn't, much to Stoney's relief.

Stoney stood up and quickly went back to his horse and he took his canteen and went back to the boy and kneeled down again.  He got his bandanna wet and he very gently began to wash the blood off the boy's face, and hair.  He was also talking to the boy in hopes of waking him up, but the child remained quiet.

As Stoney continued to work on the boy, he heard the boy begin to moan softly, and then the boy slowly moved his legs, arms and head as he continued to moan softly.

" Easy there son don't move around too much now.  That's it.  Can you open your eyes for me?  Good boy.  How do you feel son?" Stoney asked in a very calming voice as he looked closely at the boy's big glazed green eyes. 

Stoney could tell just by looking at the boy's eyes that he had a concussion, but it didn't seem that serious, but any concussion wasn't that good.

Stoney offered the boy a drink of water, which he accepted gratefully.  " Not too much now son.  Just take small sips.  Good boy.  Can you tell me your name son?" Stoney asked as the boy handed him back the canteen.

Little Joe looked up at the kind gentleman who was holding him.  Little Joe's vision was very blurry due to his concussion, and he had a bad headache.

As panic set in, Little Joe mumbled, " I...I can't remember my name !  Where am I ?"  Tears began to run down the boy's face.  Stoney smiled at the boy as he wiped the tears off the boy's face.

" My name is Stoney Landers son.  You are near my cabin in Free Peak, California off the main road to Placerville.  Do you live in Placerville son?" Stoney asked as he was feeling very sorry for this boy.

As Little Joe tried to sit up, he felt extremely dizzy, and he closed his eyes.  Stoney could tell that the boy was dizzy, so he hold him tightly so he wouldn't fall over.

" I dunno where I live Stoney," Little Joe replied as he was still crying.  Stoney knew that he had never seen this boy around the area before, and he hoped that he would soon get his memory back so he get the boy back with his family.

" Don't worry son, I'm sure your memory will come back soon, but for now, I'm going to take you to my cabin so you can rest and get something to eat.  You must be hungry.  I sure wish I knew how long you have been laying here," Stoney explained to the boy.

Stoney stood up and he picked up Little Joe and carried him over to his horse, where he sat the boy in the saddle.   Then he climbed up behind him, and he leaned Little Joe back against him and held him while they rode to Stoney's cabin.

Two weeks earlier, Ben Cartwright and his middle son Hoss, who was sixteen years old, had gone to Placerville on business.  Ben was getting Hoss more involved in the business end of running the ranch.

Ben's oldest son, twenty two year old Adam was left at home to run the ranch and take care of his youngest brother, ten year old Little Joe.

Ben wanted Adam and Little Joe to spend more time together in hopes that their relationship would improve.  Adam had recently returned home from college, and since his return home, he and Little Joe seemed to fight all the time.

Little Joe didn't like it when Adam bossed him around, and he would tell Adam that he wasn't his father, plus he didn't like to take orders from Adam either.

Adam on the other hand, didn't seem to have the patience to deal with his baby brother's attitude, and he thought that the boy was a spoiled little brat.

" I can't do my chores cuz I gotta study fer a test at school tamorrow, so just leave me alone !" Little Joe angrily told Adam.

" Listen little buddy, you do your chores first, then you can study for your test.  It won't take you that long to do your chores, and stop being so ornery.  Now get !" Adam loudly ordered.

As Little Joe did his chores he made a decision to go to Placerville by himself to get away from Adam.  He tried so hard to control his temper with Adam, but it seemed like he couldn't do anything right to please his oldest brother.  Either he didn't do his chores fast enough or he didn't do them the way Adam wanted him to do them.

" Darn old Adam, why did he have ta come back home anyway and be so mean ta me?  How can I do good on that stupid old history test if'n I can't study fer it ?" he quietly asked himself.

As Little Joe came back in the house from finishing his chores, Adam looked up from his book and he asked, " Did you finish your chores ?" 

Little Joe looked at Adam and replied, "yes, and now I gotta go and study !"  " Listen little brother why don't you go and get washed up for dinner, then you can study all evening, and if you need any help, I will be glad to help you," Adam suggested.

" I ain't hungry and I can study by myself, thank you very much," the boy replied as he continued up the stairs to his room.  He just wanted to get away from his big brother.  Adam just sat there slowly shaking his head as his brother walked up the stairs.

Later that evening, Adam went up to Little Joe's room to see how he was doing.  He knocked on the door, but there was no response, so he slowly opened the door and walked in.

He had to smile as he looked at his little brother, who was sound to sleep at his desk and his head was laying in his open history book.  " He looks like an angel when he sleeps," Adam thought to himself.

Adam gently lifted his brother up and carried him over to his bed and laid him down on the bed.  Once he had his brother undressed and into his nightshirt, he covered his little brother up.  He bent down and gave the boy a kiss on his forehead, and he turned down the lamp, and he left the room.

The next day as Little Joe took his history test, he was very happy that he seemed to know all the answers.  After lunch, Miss Jones returned the students graded tests back and Little Joe was really excited as he had every answer correct.  What a big relief that was for the boy, and he told himself, " see I dun't Adam ta help me study."

Adam was very pleased at how well his little brother had done on his test, and he felt very proud of the boy for getting a perfect score on his test.

The next day on his way home from school, Little Joe made the decision that he would go off to Placerville that next morning.  When he arrived home, he went straight up to his room and gathered up his bedroll, and some clothes, and some cookies that he had in his room. 

He would take his things to his favorite cave so that when he left in the morning, he would make it look as if he were going to school.  He was also grateful that Adam wasn't home when he came home from school too.

When he came back home from his cave, he took care of Tony, and he did his chores.

Adam was very surprised that his little brother was ready to leave for school so early that next morning.  " Why are you going to school so early for?" Adam asked as he looked at his little brother.

" Oh, me and Mitch are gonna study fer a spellin' test taday.  See ya later, and dun't worry, I'll be home right after school ta do my chores," Little Joe explained.  " Good luck," Adam offered as he went to get another cup of coffee. He had no idea what his little brother had planned, nor did Hop Sing.

After Little Joe had left the cave with his things, he rode off to Placerville.  As he rode along, he said to himself, " Won't Pa and Hoss be surprised ta see me !" 

Later that afternoon, Adam rode into Virginia City to get the mail, and he thought that he would wait around in town and wait for school to be over so he and Little Joe could ride home together.

While Adam was coming out of the mail office, Russ from the telegraph office had noticed Adam, so he called out to him.  " Adam, wait up a minute.  I just received this telegram from your Pa !" 

" Hi Russ.  Thanks.  Good timing I would say," Adam replied with a grin.  " Yes, it was good timing.  Any reply back for your Pa ?" Russ asked.  " No, no thanks Russ.  Have a good day now," Adam replied. 

" Little Joe will be happy to know that Pa and Hoss will be leaving for home in a couple of days," Adam told himself as he began to lead his horse over to the school house to wait for Little Joe.

About ten minutes later, the school doors opened and the students all came running out the door.  As Adam looked for his little brother in the group of kids, he was disappointed that the boy wasn't with the students, and he thought that the boy had been into mischief again and had to stay after school.  That seemed to happen a lot with Little Joe.

Adam really didn't want to have to go into the school building and see Miss Jones, who had a big crush on Adam.  Just the thought of seeing her was enough to turn his stomach.  " Darn that little brother of mine," Adam said out loud.

Suddenly Adam heard his name being called, so he looked to see who it was.  He smiled when he saw it was Mitch, Little Joe's best friend.

" Hi Adam.  What are you doing here?" Mitch asked.  A little surprised by Mitch's question, Adam looked at the boy, smiled and replied.  " Hi Mitch, I'm just here to meet up with that little brother of mine.  I was in town and I thought we could ride home together.

Mitch felt nervous by what Adam had told him.  It was then that Mitch realized that Little Joe wasn't sick as he had thought, but it seemed like his friend had really ridden off to Placerville as he told Mitch that he might do.

" Is my little brother in trouble again, and having to stay after school again Mitch?" Adam asked.  It was hard for Mitch to think of something to say at that moment.  He hated to see if his best friend in trouble with Adam again.

" No Adam...he...he ain't in trouble.  Sorry Adam, but Little Joe wasn't in school today," Mitch nervously told Adam.  Adam was a little stunned by Mitch's answer.

" What do you mean he wasn't in school today?  He left for school this morning, and he said that he was going to come straight home after school to do his chores," Adam said as he was getting rather angry at that moment.

" Sorry Adam.  Like I said, he wasn't at school today.  I'm sorry Adam," Mitch replied.  " It's not your fault Mitch.  Did Little Joe say anything to you about where he might be going instead of school?" Adam asked as he looked at the boy who stood nervously in front of him.

Taking a deep breath, Mitch looked up at Adam and he softly explained.  " Well, he did mention that he might ride off to Placerville by himself to be with his Pa and Hoss, but I didn't think that he would really do that.  I sure hope he will be alright Adam."  Mitch had a lot of concern in his voice as he spoke. 

" Thank you Mitch, and I too hope that he will be alright.  You had better hurry on home now," Adam told the boy.

Adam got on Sport and quickly rode to the telegraph office so he could send a telegram to Ben. 

" Russ, I need to send a telegram to Pa right now.  It's very important," Adam declared.  " Sure Adam.  What's the message?" Russ asked as he could tell how concerned Adam seemed.

" Tell him that Little Joe has snuck off to ride to Placerville this morning.  Don't leave town.  I'll head out at first light in the  morning, and I'll meet you and Hoss there," Adam told Russ.

After Russ had written out Adam's message, he looked up at Adam and said, " I sure the boy will be alright.  That is a long ride for a youngest like Little Joe to try by himself."

" I know Russ and thank you.  In fact, I think I will ride out today instead," Adam declared.  " Good luck Adam," Russ replied as Adam left.  He quickly sent the message to Ben.  Russ added that Adam was leaving today instead, to the message.

Adam hurried home to get some supplies together quickly and he also explained to Hop Sing what Mitch had told him about Little Joe riding off to Placerville alone.

" You find boy !" Hop Sing very worried !  Little boy too young to go so far by self !" Hop Sing told Adam.  " I totally agree Hop Sing.  I'll see you soon," Adam replied as he rode off to find his missing little brother.

Little Joe camped out that first night, but he was much too nervous to sleep.  All those strange sounds in the night scared him.  He held on to Tony's reins all night, so he wouldn't wander off.

Adam didn't sleep very well either.  He was too worried about Little Joe to sleep.  The boy didn't have any kind of weapon with him to protect him from animals that roamed around at night.  " God, please keep my baby brother safe," Adam prayed several times during the night.

When Ben read the telegram from Adam he was totally shocked at what his youngest son had done, and he and Hoss were worried sick for the boy's safety.  It was extremely hard for them not to go looking for the boy, but Adam was right about them staying put until he got there, just in case Little Joe showed up.

Little Joe was riding pretty fast when Tony suddenly stumbled, and the boy went flying off the horse.  Little Joe landed very hard on the ground, and his head had struck a large rock that was laying on the side of the road.  That was about three hours before Stoney had found Little Joe laying off the side of the road.

As Adam continued to ride along, he noticed Tony limping down the road towards him.  That made Adam's heart skip a beat or two, and he quickly rode over to his little brother's horse.

He jumped off of Sport and carefully checked Tony for any sign of blood.  He was very relieved at not finding any blood, but Tony was slightly lame, and a little dirty.  Adam knew that his little brother and Tony had taken a fall somewhere.  He tied Tony's reins to his saddle horn and continued on towards Placerville still looking for Little Joe. 

It was now four days since Stoney had found Little Joe, and brought him home to his cabin.  The boy still couldn't remember anything.  Stoney had continued to ask the boy questions, but sadly, Little Joe couldn't answer any of Stoney's questions.

Little Joe was feeling better.  His headaches were almost gone and his vision was back to normal again.  He felt safe where he was, and he really liked Stoney.

" Well son, since we don't know your name, how about I give you a name ?" Stoney suggested.  " Ok Stoney," Little Joe replied.  As Stoney looked at the boy, he thought how cute he was, and there was something about this boy that sort of reminded him about his dear friend, who sadly had died several years ago, so Stoney decided to name the boy after his dear friend.

" How about I name you Barry ?  Do you like that name son ?" Stoney asked.  As Little Joe sat there thinking about the name that Stoney had just suggested, he smile at the man and replied back,  " Yes, I really like that name.  Thank you Stoney."

That name really means a lot to me Barry.  You see, I had a friend, my best friend, and his name was Barry.  We had been best friends for many, many years. Then one day Barry got very ill and he died.  He actually was more like a brother to me.  We were the same age, and I miss him very much," Stoney sadly told Little Joe.

As Little Joe listened to Stoney talking about his friend Barry, he noticed the tears filling up the man's blue eyes.  He put his arms around Stoney and said, " I'm really sorry about Barry, Stoney.  I feel very honored to be name after him.

During dinner that night, Stoney asked Little Joe if he would like to learn how to trap.  " Oh yes!  I sure would Stoney.  Thanks !" Little Joe excitedly answered.

Stoney really loved Little Joe like a son, and the boy was a lot of company for Stoney.

When Adam had reached Placerville, he quickly met up with Ben and Hoss.  They planned to start their search for Little Joe that next morning.  They were all worried sick about the missing boy.  Adam felt the worse, since he was taking care of his little brother at the time he rode off to Placerville.

Ben kept trying to explain to Adam that it wasn't his fault that Little Joe had left home.  The boy never really gave any thought to what he did.  He just went ahead with his ideas anyway.  It was just the boy's nature, just like his mother had been.

The next morning with supplies ready, the Cartwrights went off to search for Little Joe.  They would search everywhere between Placerville and the Ponderosa.  The one thing that wasn't in their favor, was that it had rained the night before they began their seach.  They knew it would be impossible to find any tracks now that the rain had washed them away.

The only thing they had found was Little Joe's hat laying on the rode not far from where he had fallen.  The wind had blown the hat to where the Cartwrights had found it.

They never gave up their seach for the boy.  Month after month they searched, but no trace of Little Joe had ever been found.  Now they only searched when they had time the time.

Little Joe became an excellent trapper.  Stoney was amazed at how fast the boy had learned to trap.  The two of them made an excellent team, and that next year, Stoney and Little Joe had their furs ready to take to San Francisco to sell.

Little Joe was really excited about going to San Francisco, as he had never been to a big city before.  Stoney had told him all about the city and about going to the wholesale house to sell the furs.  Stoney had told Little Joe about all the people that came from all over the country just to buy

 furs.  The boy found all of that very interesting, and he couldn't wait to get started on their trip to the big city.

Life slowly continued on for the Cartwrights.  They had now realized that Little Joe was most likely dead, but they still hoped and prayed that just maybe one day, they would still find the heart of their family alive.

It was hard to think that it had been a year now since Little Joe disappeared.  They wondered what was the boy like now, if he were still alive.

By now, especially Adam knew that his baby brother was dead, but he never said that to Ben, Hoss or Hop Sing.  He knew that the boy was much too young to have ridden off to Placerville the way he had.  In his heart, Adam hoped that his little brother had died a quick death so he wouldn't have had to suffer at all.  That was one of the things that had bothered Adam the most.

Hoss missed his little brother so much.  Everything about the boy was so special, from all the silly pranks he pulled, right down to that silly little giggle had.  Hoss's heart was breaking so badly, and life just didn't seem very important to him anymore, but they all had to go on with their lives.

Stoney and Little Joe took their time getting to San Francisco.  Stoney was having a good time showing Little Joe all the sights along the way.  He loved to see all the excitement on the boy's young face as they rode along.

One day as they neared San Francisco, they noticed a small cattle ranch.  As soon as Little Joe saw the cattle grazing, he stopped his horse, Candy and he stared at the cattle.

When Stoney noticed the boy looking at the cattle, he asked him, " What's wrong Barry?"  The look on the boy's was very strange.

" Stoney, it's a cattle ranch !" the boy gasped.  " Yes.  It's been here for many years now.  Does a cattle ranch mean something to you Barry?" Stoney asked as he continued to watch the boy closely.

" I'm...I'm not sure.  Fer a minute, something seemed kinda familar about a cattle ranch.  Dunno why it would though," Little Joe replied as he couldn't seem to take his eyes off the cattle.  He had a strange feeling that just didn't seem to go away now.  Stoney was wondering if the Barry was starting to remember something about his past.

The End of part one.

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