" Time Together "
By: Lynne G.
" I'm sorry Pa, but Little Joe is nothing but a little brat ! He's out of control and you helped make him like that !" Adam shouted at Ben.
Shocked by Adam's out burst, Ben took a deep breath and replied right back, " Adam, I won't have you talking like that about Little Joe, and I don't want you to raise your voice at me like that either !"
" I'm
sorry Pa, I didn't mean to shout, but I'm just upset at Little Joe. Ever
since I came back home from
Ben smiled at his oldest son and explained, " He got older Adam, and he hardly remembers you. You've done nothing but pick on him since you came home. Sure the boy gets into mischief, but that is all it is, pure and simple mischief. Adam, please learn to have some patience with him."
" Alright Pa, I will try, but it won't be easy," Adam sighed as he answered back. " Thank you son," Ben replied as he put his arm around Adam's shoulder.
Day after day, the oldest and the youngest Cartwright brothers continued to do battle, which made life around home almost impossible. Both brothers were hopelessly stubborn, which made matters worse. Little Joe did try to his best with his oldest brother, but that didn't seem to help.
Adam could never seem satisfied with anything Little Joe did. He thought the youngster worked to slow for his liking, and he decided that his brother was doing that on purpose.
That would cause Adam to shout at his brother and to hurt the boy's feelings, and he would cry.
Ben had finally had enough of both of his sons, so he decided to have another talk with Adam. He wasn't really upset with Little Joe as much as he was with Adam.
" Adam, I would like you to go to each of the line shacks and check to see what supplies are needed for each, and also to check for any repairs that might be needed. It is that time of year again for that chore. I know I can count on you to get everything done, and it has been a few years since you have been here to do that," Ben explained.
" I'd
be happy to do that
Seeing the big smile on his son's face, Ben knew what he was going to say next would wipe that smile away. " Thank you son. Now what I'm going to suggest next you probably aren't going to like, but I want you to take Little Joe with you. Now, before you say anything, just hear me out. Ok ?" Ben said. Adam was upset, but he nodded.
Seeing Adam's reaction so far, Ben knew he was right about his oldest son's smile leaving his face.
" Good. While you were at college, Hoss, Little Joe and myself checked all the line shacks. Your brothers did a good job, and Little Joe knows what to do. I'm going to ask you to please give him a chance. He 's a very good worker Adam, and a hard worker too, but not as fast as you want him to be. Son, your little brother is still very young, but you can count on him to be there when he is needed," Ben told Adam, hoping that Adam would see what he was trying to explain to him.
" As much as I'm not looking forward to spending that much time with him, I'll try my best," Adam told Ben. " Sure wish I could take Hoss with me instead," Adam added. Ben just looked at him, but didn't say anything.
Later that day, Ben told Little Joe that he was going to send him and Adam to check out all the line shacks. The youngster sat there looking at Ben and he was starting to feel nervous.
" Little Joe, I know Adam can be demanding, but please try not to make him angry. I know that you are a very good and hard worker son and I want you to prove that to your big brother. Please son, do that for me," Ben explained to his youngest son.
" Dunt worry Pa, I'll do everything Adam tells me ta do, and I'll try my very best ta control my temper too," Little Joe proudly told Ben as he gave Ben one of his best smiles.
Ben knew he could count on his youngest boy to do what he was told. " Thank you sweetheart, that makes me feel much better," Ben replied as he gave the youngster a big hug. Little Joe continued to smile at Ben, but he still felt nervous about having to be with his oldest brother for two weeks.
Early that next morning after Adam had packed all the supplies for the trip, he and Little Joe were ready to leave. Little Joe was still nervous, and he was tired since he didn't sleep very well the night before. Adam was still upset with having to spend two weeks with his little brother.
"
Little Joe
looked up at Ben with a worried look on his face. "
" Don't worry son, I've had another talk with Adam, so as long as you behave yourself, then things should go well. You be a good boy, and be careful. I love you Little Joe," Ben said as he gave the boy a big hug.
" I promise Pa, I'll be a good boy. I love ya all too," Little Joe told Ben, Hoss and Hop Sing, as he leaped upon Tony. "Bye Punkin," Hoss shouted to his baby brother as the boy rode out of the yard to join Adam.
Little Joe tried to talk to Adam while they rode along, but Adam wouldn't say much, so Little Joe kept quiet.
It was
around
When they entered the shack, Adam suggested that they eat their lunch that Hop Sing had made for them. Little Joe agreed as he was a little hungry. Lunch was eaten in silence.
After lunch, Adam looked at Little Joe and he said, " I want you to stay out of my way while I check out to see what supplies are needed here." " I will," the youngster replied.
Little Joe walked outside and over to the barn area of the shack to check to see how much grain was there and to make sure the area was clean. The boy was pleased to see that there was plenty of grain and that the little barn area was nice and clean and also dry.
From there, Little Joe walked over to the corral where he checked out each rail and post to make sure they were in good shape, and that none of them needed to be replaced. He was pleased again as the corral was in perfect condition.
The youngster went back in the shack and he was checking out the hinges on the door when Adam saw him.
" What are you doing?" he asked. " I was checkin' out the door hinges ta make sure they was nice and tight is all. The corral rails and posts are fine and there is plenty of grain the barn area, and it's nice and clean and dry too," the boy nervously said.
As Adam listened to his little brother, he was impressed. He hadn't thought about the door hinges or checking for grain or the rails and posts of the corral.
" Thanks Little Joe. I never gave the hinges any thought, or the the grain or the rails and posts either," Adam admitted.
" Yer welcome Adam. That's part of my job when we check out the shacks. Pa says the hinges are important too," Little Joe proudly replied as he looked up at his big brother and smiled. " Yes they are," Adam agreed.
They reached the second shack around five in the late afternoon.
" I'll take care of the horses," Little Joe told Adam. " Sure you don't need any help? Why don't you let me get our dinner supplies off the pack horse before you take him," Adam suggested. " I dunt need no help," the boy replied as he led the horses to the barn.
As Adam was cooking their dinner, Little Joe had taken care of the horses and made sure they were settled in for the night. He had picked up the bedrolls and saddle bags and he headed for the shack.
" The horses are all settled in for the night. Where would you like yer bedroll and saddle bags?" the youngster asked.
" Thanks little buddy. You can put them on that bunk there," Adam replied as he was pointing to the bunk he was going to use that night.
" Need any help Adam ?" Little Joe asked. " Oh,no, thank you. There's some warm water for you to wash up with for dinner," Adam suggested. " Thank you. That sounds great to me," Little Joe happily said as he began to get washed up.
As Adam watched his baby brother getting washed, he hoped the whole trip would go as well as this first day had gone. " Hum, maybe that little boy isn't so bad after all," Adam thought to himself.
After Little Joe had finished his dinner, he took his plate, fork and knife over to the sink and he washed them, then he dried them and put them away.
Again Adam watched his little brother and he hoped that he, himself could keep control of his temper for two weeks.
Little Joe woke up very early that next morning, and he quietly got up, and he got a fire going in the stove. Then he put some water on the stove to heat up. From there he went outside and began to chop some more wood.
A startled Adam woke up when he heard the sound of chopping wood coming from outside. He quickly got out of bed and headed straight for the door. He didn't notice how nice and warm it was in the shack or that there was hot water on the stove either.
When he saw Little Joe chopping wood he became very angry.
" What are you doing out here at this hour? Get back inside this instant !" Adam shouted.
Little Joe was surprised that Adam was so angry. " Adam, I was only choppin' more wood. There ain't nothin' wrong that is there?" the boy nervously asked.
Yes there is ! For one thing, you woke me up, and secondly, there could be bears out this early looking for food. Don't you ever think?" Adam shouted.
" I'm really sorry Adam. I dunt mean ta wake ya up. Yer just not use ta gettin' up so early anymore. 'Sides, we needed more wood fer the stove," the youngster explained.
" Your right. I'm sorry little buddy. I'm just not use to everything that needs to be done, and to be getting up this early either. Please forgive me?" Adam asked as he smiled at his little brother.
" Dunt worry big brother, I'll take really good care of ya,
Little Joe replied as he started to giggle, which made Adam smile.
He loved his baby brother's silly little giggle, and he had certainly missed it
while he was in
" Need any help getting that wood in the shack?" Adam asked. " Nope. I can do it. 'Sides, ya gotta make breakfast," the boy reminded his brother. " I guess you're correct about that too," Adam said as he laughed and he went back in the shack.
Little Joe had chopped a lot of extra wood for the shack. He knew that each shack needed a good supply of chopped wood on hand.
After breakfast, the two brothers left for the next line shack. Again they checked that shack for what supplies needed to be restocked. They also checked the barn for grain and the corral rails and posts.
The two weeks of checking all the line shacks had gone very well. They were very lucky as hardly any repairs were needed. The best thing was that Adam and Little Joe were getting along great.
Adam was really surprised at how hard his little brother had worked and had done everything asked of him without any complaints.
While on their way home, Adam and Little Joe took time to do a little fishing, hoping to catch their dinner. It had been a long time since Adam had been fishing and he hadn't realized how much he had missed it.
" Adam, do ya 'member how ta fish?" Little Joe asked. Adam thought that that was a cute question, so he decided to play along for a while.
" Ya know little buddy, I'm not sure. Maybe you could help me," Adam suggested.
Adam loved that sudden look of excitement on his little brother's face, especially that bright twinkle in the boy's large green eyes.. He had really missed his baby brother while he was in college.
Little Joe gasped in excitement, and he asked, " Ya really mean it? I get ta help ya ?" " Yes, I do mean it little buddy," Adam happily replied as he ruffled up the boy's thick soft curly hair.
Little Joe took his job of teaching Adam how to fish very seriously. He showed his big brother how to put a worm on the hook the right way.
" See Adam, that's how ya put that old worm on the hook, just like that. Then ya gotta put yer line in the water, and ya have ta think real hard now and think this: " Come on fishy fishy. I gotta a nice fat juicy worm fer ya. Come on fishy fishy." Ya also gotta check yer hook from time ta time ta make sure that old worm is still on the hook. If it's gone, ya gotta put another worm on the hook," Little Joe thoroughtly explained.
Adam was having a hard time not to laugh outloud with his little brother's explanation on how to fish. It was just priceless, but also very serious at the same time.
" Hey, I gotts a fish !" Little Joe excitedly shouted. " WOW, that sure is a big one. Good job little buddy," Adam declared. " He sure is big !" Little Joe proudly announced as he held up his fish so Adam could see it. Adam nodded.
" Hey, I got one too, " Adam shouted as he pulled in his fish too, and he also held his up too. " That's a great lookin' fish Adam !" Little Joe proudly told his brother. " Thanks little buddy. You are a great teacher !" Adam replied.
After they had caught a couple more fish, they cleaned them and Adam went to cook them. They also had some beans to go with their fish.
" Yum, they sure taste good, dunt they?" Little Joe declared as he took another bite of the fish. " Yes they are mighty tasty, as Hoss would say," Adam replied back as he smiled at his little brother.
Adam was so happy that Ben had suggested that he take Little Joe with him on the line shack trip. He was thoroughly enjoying the company of his baby brother, plus he was getting to know the boy again.
After they had finished their dinner, and cleaned up the dishes, they sat in front of their campfire before going to bed.
Little Joe looked up at Adam as he had some questions in his mind that he wanted to ask his older brother.
" Um...Adam, when ya was at college, did ya miss us?" the boy asked with questioning eyes. Surprised by that question, Adam put his arm around the child's shoulder and he replied, " Yes, I certainly did miss all of you. I thought about you and the Ponderosa everyday."
" Um..did ya get ta have any fun?" the little boy asked. " I did manage to have some fun little buddy, but I did have a lot of school work to do and had to study quite a bit too." Adam began.
" When I had free time, I would get together with my friends from college and we would go to the beach, and we also went out to dinner. We went the around the area to see some of the sights too. I also spent a lot of time with my grandfather too. So to answer your question little buddy, I did have time for fun too," Adam finished telling his little brother.
" Oh, that's good ta know that you had some fun too. I hate school work. Miss Jones gives us a lotta homework everynight. I tried ta tell her that I gotta lotta chores ta do at home, so that I dunt have a lotta time fer homework, but she dunt care. Heck, I gotta have some time fer fun too ya know. I dunt wanna wear out my brain either," Little Joe explained to Adam.
Adam smiled at his little brother, but inside he was laughing hard at what the youngster had just explained to him. " Yes, you need to have fun too little buddy, and we certainly don't want you to wear out your brain," Adam told him as he hugged him tightly.
It was around three in the afternoon when Adam and Little Joe rode into the yard, and they were both tired from their long days in the saddle. They got off their horses and took them into the barn to rub them down and give them so much deserved food and water..
As they were finishing up grooming the horses, Little Joe looked over at Adam and he walked over to his big brother and put his arms around Adam and gave him a big hug.
That caught Adam by surprised and he wondered what that was all about.
"
Thank you Adam fer lettin'
me be with ya fer the last
two weeks. I had a good time with ya, and I'm
happy that yer back from
Adam looked down at his baby brother, and he replied, " Thank you little buddy. I had a great time with you too. You did a great job and you really worked hard for the two weeks that we were togther. I am so proud of you little buddy, and ya know what else, I love you too ! Plus, I am very happy to be back home also."
Adam gave Little Joe a big hug and he kissed the top of his head.
As the two brothers walked towards the house, Adam had his arm around the boy's shoulder. Suddenly Little Joe shouted, " PA WE'RE HOME !"
Ben walked outside to greet his two sons with a big smile on his face. Ben was excited to see them looking so happy and that Adam had his arm around his little brother's shoulder.
" Welcome home boys! I have really missed you both," Ben declared as he caught Little Joe who had just leaped into Ben's waiting arms.
" I
sure missed ya
" That
he did
For the rest of the evening, Adam and Little Joe told Ben and Hoss about their two weeks together. The way Little Joe explained about everything that had taken place those two weeks, made everyone laugh. The boy could tell a great story as his family knew very well.
After Little Joe had gone to bed for the night, Ben looked at Adam and he said, " It sounds like your two weeks together has renewed your friendship again. See son, I told you that Little Joe was a good worker, and that he is basically a good boy, even with all of his mischief."
"
" He is really a lot of fun to be around, and that little twinkle he gets in his eyes. I love him so much Pa and I promise I'll try very hard to have more patience with him," Adam added.
" Thank you son. That meant a lot to me, what you just told me about Little Joe," Ben proudly replied as he smiled at Adam. Adam returned the smile.
" See big brother, we do have a great baby brother !" Hoss declared. " Yes we certainly do Hoss," Adam concluded, as he totally had to agree with his younger, but bigger brother.
The End.