Chapter 1

The sounds of quarreling greeted Ben Cartwright as he descended the staircase to join his three sons for breakfast.  Though not an altogether unusual occurrence, it was a most unwelcome way to begin the day.  The only unusual thing about it was who was doing the shouting.

“Dadburn it, little brother, I mean it now!  You can’t go and that’s all there is to it!”  Hoss thumped a fist onto the surface of the heavy wooden table, making the dishes jump and rattle.

“But you said I could!  Hoss, it ain’t fair!  I never get to do anything fun anymore!” Little Joe was shouting now too and standing out of his chair with both fists clenched at his side, his accusing eyes boring into his older brother. 

“That will be quite enough!”  Ben boomed, instantly cutting short the argument as all three brothers turned to face him.  A raised eyebrow his way sent Joe back to his seat, though he still looked decidedly unhappy.  Ben began again, speaking with deliberate calm.  “Now, would you care to tell me what all that was about?  What fun is it you believe you’re being excluded from, Joseph?”

“Pa, Hoss is going camping this weekend, and he says I can’t go,” he explained, injury dripping from every syllable.  He turned to Hoss and declared,  “You promised I could go!”

Ben looked at his middle boy; surprised when he looked uncomfortable but did not deny the boy’s accusation.  “Is that true, Hoss?  Did you promise your brother he could go camping with you this weekend?”

“Well, no sir, not exactly.”  Joe’s indignant squawk drove him to explain further.  “I did say he could go the next time I went camping, all right, but I meant just him and me alone.  I’m going with the Simmons boys and a couple other fellas.  Those boys ain’t gonna want no little kid tagging along after us all weekend.”

Little Joe was outraged. “Who you callin’ a little kid?  I’m twelve!  I’m not some useless tagalong that you have to baby-sit, you know.  I can do my share!”

Hoss turned back to his father, pleading.  “I just can’t bring him, Pa.  All the guys are older’n me. Joe wouldn’t have no fun with a bunch of grown men.  He’d never be able to keep up, and besides, they only invited me.”

Ben studied both boys.  Each was obviously hoping he would take their side in the argument.  He glanced at Adam, who up until now had remained impartial, merely listening to the discussion.  Adam caught his eye and made a subtle motion with his chin toward Hoss, indicating which side he favored to have the stronger case.  Ben was inclined to agree.  He knew how badly Little Joe wanted to be included in grown-up activities and how much he had been looking forward to camping with Hoss the next time he went out, but he was only a child.  Hoss deserved a little time to himself, with only his own peers for company.  He was just recently turned eighteen and there were times when he needed more adult pursuits and conversation than a twelve-year-old could provide.  Hoss’ mention of the Simmons brothers further strengthened Ben’s decision.  Jeb and Tim were a couple of years older than Hoss.  Hard rock miners well known throughout the area for having a thousand bawdy stories, tall tales and raucous jokes behind their brightly flashing smiles.  Everyone liked them, including Ben, though he did not entirely approve of their public behavior.  They played hard, fought hard, and if reputation meant anything, loved hard and didn’t mind letting everyone know it.  He had been a little dubious when Hoss had taken up with them a few months earlier, but trusted his middle son not to do anything too disreputable in their company.  The Simmons’ were rough, certainly, but they were also honest, loyal and hard working young men and Ben had understood how honored Hoss had been to be considered ‘one of the boys’ with they and their friends. This would be no campout suitable for children, he was certain, especially an overly impressionable child like Little Joe.

“I’m sorry, Joseph, but Hoss is right.  He could hardly bring you with him uninvited, and you are entirely too young to be hanging around the Simmons brothers in any case.”

Hoss looked relieved, but made an attempt to placate his sulking brother.  “If it was up to me to do the invitin’, I’d bring you along in a heartbeat, Little Joe.  You know that.”  Joe crossed his arms and shrugged, refusing to look at Hoss.  Hoss rose and crossed to the other side of the table to pat Joe’s thin shoulder.  “Next time for sure, little brother.”

Joe flinched away from his touch and muttered, “Yeah, sure.  Unless you find somebody else you’d rather go with again.”

“Aw, now, Joe.  You know it ain’t like that, “ Hoss pleaded. 

“Yes, it is!” Joe countered.  “You always find some reason to hang out with them instead of me and I know you like them better.  Well, you know what?   I don’t care!  Go on and go camping with all your friends.  I don’t need you anyway.”

Hoss’ face turned very sad at the words and his little brother’s continued refusal to look at him.  “I reckon it’s time I got to work,” he said quietly.  He waved his father off when Ben opened his mouth to intervene and left the dining room, grabbing his hat and gunbelt and closing the door softly behind him.

Ben watched him leave then turned back to Little Joe.  “Joseph, that was an entirely uncalled for remark.  You know Hoss cares about you and that he’d take you with him if he could.”

“But he doesn’t care, Pa!” Joe protested.  “He used to like me, but not any more.  I’ll bet he’s glad he got out of having to spend any time around me.”

Ben and Adam exchanged a look of surprise and concern.  They had both thought that Joe was just being spiteful because he was disappointed to be excluded from Hoss’ outing.  They had not expected the ringing conviction and tragic face that Joe was displaying now.  He really believed what he was saying. He really thought Hoss did not care any more.

“Joe, you’re wrong,” Adam said, clasping his wrist.  “You know you’re still Hoss’ best friend.  He’s just spreading his wings a little right now.  That’s all.  If he’d been the one to plan the campout, you know he’d have been glad to have you, but it was the Simmons boys’ idea.  How would you feel if you were going camping with Mitch and Seth and out of the blue, Hoss and I decided to show up uninvited?”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Joe said quietly.  “Cause it wouldn’t happen.  I’ve asked both of you if you wanted to do stuff with me lots of times and the answer is always, no.  Hoss used to come with me and none of the guys minded cause he was so much fun to have along.  He’d help us build forts, or go fishing with us or be ‘it’ when we used to play tag and stuff.  Now he never wants to play and neither do you.  Why don’t you two like being with me any more?”  His voice had grown very small with that last question, and full of painful confusion.

“We do like being with you, Joe,” Adam began, but Little Joe cut him off angrily.

“No you don’t!  Ever since you got back from school last year you been too busy working on the ranch to pay me any mind.  When you want to talk about something, you talk to Pa or to Hoss, but never to me!  Not unless you think I need lecturing, anyhow.   I didn’t do anything to make you avoid me, but you do, and now Hoss is getting to be the same way!  When I come home from school, he’s either working or doing something with the men.  On weekends, he hares off into town the first chance he gets and I never get to go cause everybody says I’m too young.  When I see everybody at dinner, Hoss is too busy stuffing himself to talk and all you and Pa talk about is ranch work!”  Joe’s eyes strayed wistfully over to where the long unused checkerboard sat on his father’s desk.  “It’s like I’ve gone invisible all of a sudden.  The only time you and Hoss even see me is when I’m in trouble or behind in my chores.”

Adam was abashed by the unfiltered longing in Joe’s expressive green eyes.   “Come on, Little Joe.  Surely you must be exaggerating a little.  I know we don’t have as much time to play as we used to, but we give you plenty of attention.”

Joe glared at him.  “Like you have this summer?” he demanded.  “It’s halfway through summer vacation already and we haven’t gone fishing or swimming or riding out together or even on one stupid picnic the whole time!”

Adam blinked, surprised by both the accusation in his brother’s tone and the fact that he was absolutely right. “There was the church picnic last month,” he protested uncertainly.  “We all went to that, remember?”

Joe snorted.  “Sure, and you and Hoss teamed up for all the adult events, then didn’t even watch the kids’ competitions cause you were too busy chasing after Mary Winslow and Hoss couldn’t tear himself away from the food tables.  I hardly saw either one of you all day!”

“That’s true, Adam,” Ben pointed out.  “Joe spent most of that day either with me or by himself.”

Adam remembered now, seeing Little Joe looking unhappy and acting very withdrawn and quiet as they had piled back into the buggy at day’s end.  He had chalked it up to an overabundance of fun and food and had dismissed Joe’s bad mood as over-tiredness.  “But, what about your friends?  I thought you probably spent the day playing with them.”

“Seth is in Wichita, visiting his Aunt for the summer.  Mitch has a busted arm and collarbone still from falling out of that tree he climbed when he was trying to rescue his sister’s kitten the first week of vacation.  Sarah has been in San Francisco with her Pa for the last month and neither Billy or Danny could go to the picnic cause they’re restricted to doing extra chores all summer to make up for setting their Pa’s barn on fire when they were sneaking a smoke.”  Joe finished ticking off his friends’ activities on his fingers, looking angrily at Adam.

“I’m sorry, Joe.  I never realized you didn’t have anyone at all to play with and I’m sure Hoss didn’t either.  If you’d have told us…”

“I did tell you!” Joe shouted, springing up from his chair, his face twisting.  “You just didn’t listen to me, as usual!”  He turned and ran outside before anyone could see that he was on the verge of tears.

Adam sagged in his chair, looking defeated.  “Is he right, Pa?  Have I really been ignoring him that much?”

Slowly, Ben nodded.  “I think maybe we all have, son.  Hoss used to be by Joe’s side constantly, always willing to play when work was done, but he’s an adult now.  His interests are beginning to change in ways that Joe doesn’t understand yet.”

“And we’re so used to them being together that we didn’t think to take up the slack when Hoss started paying less mind to Little Joe,” Adam concluded. “I’ve been enjoying spending more time with Hoss this summer.  When I came back from school, it surprised me to see how mature and steady he’d gotten to be over these last few years and I’ve enjoyed becoming his friend as much as his big brother.  It just didn’t occur to me how left out of everything Joe must be feeling.  He always seems so happy-go-lucky and so independent, I never guessed he was lonely.”

“It didn’t occur to me either, and it should have,” Ben sighed.  “Hoss went through the same thing when you began to mature past wanting to play games and share childish fancies with him, but he had Marie and Little Joe to fall back on.  With all of Joe’s friends either out of commission or too far away to make decent summer playmates, he hasn’t had anybody.”

“Poor kid,” Adam commented, taking a sip of his coffee.  It was cold and he made a face as he pushed the cup away.  “Wish I could help him.”

Silence fell over the two men; then a very thoughtful expression came over Ben’s face.  “Perhaps you can.  How would you feel about taking a little time off, Adam?”

“To do what?” Adam asked curiously.

“Well, I was just thinking.  Hoss needs a little freedom right now to sort himself out.  I think he’ll come back to being Joe’s companion in time, but for now it’s as you told Joseph.  He needs room to spread his wings and to become comfortable with adulthood.  You, on the other hand, would benefit as much as your baby brother from a little extra time together.  What do you say?”

A small incredulous smile flickered on Adam’s face.  “Are you saying you want me to stick around and play with him?”

Ben cocked his head and shrugged.  “Why not?  You told me yourself not long ago that you wish you’d had the kind of freedom and playful spirit at twelve that Joe has.  Maybe it’s time you found out what it’s really like.”

“But, what about the ranch?” Adam protested.  “What about all the work that needs to be done?  Surely you don’t expect me to just let it drop?”

“The work will get done,” Ben assured him calmly.  “Just as it got done while you were away at school.  You’ll still be around to handle anything that needs special attention and we have a full crew of hands on the payroll right now to take care of the rest.  And right now, I believe that repairing your relationship with your brother is more important than fixing a few sagging fence posts.”

A self-deprecating smile lifted one corner of Adam’s mouth.  “And here I thought I was doing such a good job of keeping you from noticing how much trouble I’ve had getting along with Joe.  Why do you think that is, Pa?  I mean, we used to have such a good relationship when he was little and I never felt from reading the letters he sent me while I was in college that Joe thought I had turned my back on him by going away.  Was I just not seeing it because I didn’t want to?”

Ben frowned as he considered the question.  “I didn’t read the letters, so I can’t really say for sure, but somehow I doubt Joe would have told you if he resented your absence.  He used to ask me all the time when you would come home that first year you were away.  After that, the questions stopped and I assumed that he had come to terms with it.  But you know, Joe.  He’s always kept his deeper fears and worries to himself.  Perhaps he was afraid that you wouldn’t come back if he kept pestering you about it.  I don’t really suppose we’ll ever know, but that isn’t important now.  What is important is that you get to know him again and allow him to get to know you.  I think you’ll both learn a lot from the experience.”  He rose from his chair. “Think about it, Adam.  This may be your last chance to spend time with your little brother before he becomes more interested in other things.  By next summer, we may be wishing he’d pay a little more attention to us!” 

Ben clapped his son on the shoulder and departed to begin work, leaving Adam to consider his words.  Adam knew what he was referring to.  At twelve, Joe was on the cusp of puberty.  It was already happening to some of his friends and odds were that before too long Joe would be more interested in pursuing girls than playing with his brothers.  Besides, it really would be nice to get to know the kid again, he thought.  He and Hoss had gotten reacquainted and found a very satisfying friendship since his return from college a year ago, but he and Joe just couldn’t seem to relate.  He often felt like he was waiting for Little Joe to grow up so that they could find some common ground, but perhaps Pa had hit on a better solution.  Adam had never enjoyed much of a childhood.  Maybe it was time to play a little. 

Chapter 2 

Little Joe sat in the corner of the hayloft, with his knees drawn up to his chin, scrubbing away the last remnants of the tears that had started falling the moment he escaped the house.  He had spent much of the summer up here playing games in his imagination since there was no one to play them with in real life.  He had tried to find ways to amuse himself early on, when it became apparent that Mitch would be unavailable, but it was hard.  He didn’t have much experience playing alone and most of the things he did come up with seemed to get him into trouble with his father.  Fishing was no fun with nobody to talk to and to compare his catch with.  Swimming got boring fast all alone and Pa wouldn’t let him ride very far without somebody else with him unless he had a specific destination.  Unfortunately, he had no such thing unless he went to Devlin ranch to see Mitch and Mitch was the only person he knew who was having an even worse summer vacation than he was.  Joe sighed sadly.  If only the things he had said to Pa and Adam just now were not true!  They were, though.  Nobody wanted to waste their time on him.  He was just a nuisance, a bother, a kid.  Even Hoss had finally left him behind to enter that frustratingly impossible to reach world of grown-ups.  Altogether, Joe was feeling extremely sorry for himself by the time Adam managed to find him. 

Adam had made his decision and had gone to talk to Pa.  As an experiment, for the next week or so, though he would still work the horses and cattle part time, his main job on the Ponderosa would be to become a playmate for his baby brother.  They would explain things to Hoss later, but Adam felt sure he would understand once Pa laid it out for him.  He only hoped his sensitive brother would not feel as guilty about his neglect of Little Joe as he did himself.   He climbed the rest of the way into the loft, heart constricting a bit as he saw the sad faraway look on his baby brother’s tearstained face.  He took a seat in the hay next to Joe and said,  “I’m sorry.” 

Joe looked at him in surprise.  “You are?” 

Adam nodded, then copied his brother’s posture and drew his knees up to rest his chin on his folded arms.  “I truly didn’t mean to ignore you, or to make you feel unimportant and I’m positive Hoss didn’t either.  It’s just that sometimes adults get so wrapped up in working and taking everything seriously that we forget how important it can be to have fun.  It’s not always easy being a grown-up, you know.  You lose sight of things you shouldn’t.  Like looking out for your kid brother.” 

“But being a grown-up is still better than being a kid,” Joe said solemnly.  “You can go to town if you get bored, or play poker with the hands or whatever you want.  You don’t have bedtimes or school or homework and Pa can’t send you to your room or give you a thrashing if you get into trouble.” 

Adam laughed.  “I wouldn’t be too sure about that last one.  If Pa felt the situation warranted it, I’ll bet he could still order me to my room and make me glad to go!”  Joe smiled a little as he pictured his brother slinking upstairs after a lecture from Pa.  “Tell you what, though, Little Joe.  Things are going to be different from now on.  I’m going to try to forget being a grown-up for a little while and spend some extra time with you.  We can go fishing or whatever you want.” 

Little Joe’s eyes widened.  “You mean it?” Adam nodded.  “Won’t Pa get mad at you for skipping work?  You know how he gets about every man doing his share.” 

“Actually, Pa suggested it to me,” Adam revealed, further astounding his young sibling.  “I’ll still work part time during the days, but he thinks it ‘s time we got to know each other again and I agree.  I never really had a summer vacation before, so this’ll be my first.  Got any suggestions?” 

Joe thought it over.  It was true.  There had been no formal schooling available when Adam was a boy so he had spent most of his time working or studying at home, winter and summer both.   Even when he was away at college, Joe knew his brother had chosen to work during the summer to pay his own way as far as room and board went.  He really hadn’t ever had a real summer vacation.  “Well,” he said slowly, “it’s pretty hot today.  If you’re really sure you want to, we could grab some food from the kitchen and go down to the lake for a swim.” 

Adam gave one sharp nod and twisted to stand, offering his brother a hand up.  “That sounds like a plan.  Lead the way, Little Joe.” 

Chapter 3 

The sounds of splashing and laughter drifted across the grassy stretch of land between Hoss and the small crystalline blue lake nearby.  Curious, he turned Chubb toward the sound.  He had been feeling bad all day about his morning confrontation with his younger brother and hoped that perhaps he might run into him and try apologizing again.  He had begun to wonder if this weekends’ campout, which he had been looking forward to for nearly a week now, would be worth the friction with Little Joe.  Would it be better to cancel the entire thing and just tell Jeb and Tim that he’d catch up with them next time, or should he perhaps keep his earlier promise and take his brother camping instead?  Hoss just could not decide. 

As he came closer to the lake, the screaming and laughing grew louder and Hoss was considerably shocked to see that the sounds were coming from his two brothers.  They were in the lake, engaging in a huge water fight; shrieking and giggling like a couple of loons as they splashed each other with all the energy they could muster.  Little Joe looked to be winning; his arms pinwheeling in a continuous assault on his oldest brother, when Adam retaliated with an enormous wave aimed straight at Joe’s head.  The boy saw it coming and ducked under the surface before it could hit him, then Adam went under with a muffled curse as his leg was grabbed from underneath and he was pulled down.  Joe popped back up almost instantly and swam a little ways away, taking off as fast as he could when Adam came choking and spitting back up to the surface and screamed a battle cry at him.  Joe’s arms and legs pumped as fast as they could toward the shore, and though he was a good swimmer he was a bit hampered by his own laughter and Adam soon caught up to him.  There was an advantage to having longer stronger limbs.  He grabbed his flailing sibling and yanked him clear up out of the water to toss him a few feet away.  Joe went under with a mighty splash, but did not appear the least bit upset when he came back up.  In fact, he looked thoroughly delighted.  He spotted Hoss up on the bank, watching and grinning from the back of his horse, and waved to him.  Adam checked back over his shoulder to see whom Joe was waving at and called out, “Hey, Hoss.  Want to join us?” 

“Naw,” he called back.  “You two done so much splashin’ at each other I don’t think you left enough water in that lake for me!” 

His brothers laughed, and Joe called,  “We didn’t leave you any lunch either.  Adam thought he was you and ate it all before you got here!” 

Adam splashed a handful of water into his face.  “You did your share.”

“I guess,” Joe agreed happily.  The two of them swam smoothly toward the bank and got out.

Hoss chuckled when he got a look at their shriveled skin.  “You two boys must’ve been in that there lake a long time.  You look like a couple of prunes!”

Joe shook his wet head like a dog, flinging water droplets in every direction, then reached down to his discarded pile of clothing and pulled on his pants.  Though his father required him to dress neatly for dinner and at all times during the school year, Joe was allowed a bit more flexibility in his wardrobe during the summer since his father knew he would likely ruin everything he owned within a month otherwise.  Currently, his favorite item of clothing was an old pair of faded blue overalls that had belonged to Hoss about ten years earlier.  He had not bothered wearing a shirt with them today. As he stood there in his patched overalls with one strap buckled and the other hanging loose, a long curl of wet hair hanging in his eye, slightly sunburned, with the freckles he got across his nose and cheeks every summer showing prominently, Little Joe was the very image of happy carefree childhood.  A far cry from the boy Hoss had last seen at breakfast. 

Adam, after pulling on his own jeans, flopped back in the grass and folded his hands beneath his head, apparently in no hurry to get dressed any further.  Joe waited a moment, then when he did not stir, poked him in the shoulder.  “Hey Adam?  Aren’t you gonna finish getting dressed so we can go?”

“In a minute,” Adam answered lazily.  “I’d like to dry off a little more first, if you don’t mind.  Why, are you in a hurry to get someplace?”

Joe shrugged as he pulled on his boots and sat down next to his reclining brother.  “No, I guess not.  I forgot I don’t take as long to dry as you do.”

Adam opened one eye and grinned as he reached over to tap his baby brother’s thin hairless chest.  “I suppose you don’t at that.  See, I knew there was some benefit in being a kid.”

A concerned expression flickered across Joe’s face as he studied the area Adam had touched, then back at the thick black mat of damp hair coating Adam’s broad chest.  “You suppose I’m going to get all hairy like you two some day?”

Hoss knelt down to study the area in question, poking Little Joe with one meaty finger.  “Well, you might get a little here.   Or maybe a little right here,” he skittered his fingertips into Joe’s armpits, making him laugh and fold his arms down tight.  Hoss’ expression grew sly as he shouted, “Or you might get it all over your body!”  He began tickling in earnest everywhere he could find exposed skin, making Joe shriek and giggle and beg Adam for help.

“Adam, you’re a kid today!” Joe screamed as soon as he could get the words out between laughs.  “You have to be on my side, remember?  Help!”

“Little Joe, I do believe you’re right!” Adam declared gleefully and immediately launched a counter attack against Hoss.  Joe recovered quickly once Hoss left off tickling and he jumped up to aid Adam in turning their large brother into a giggling wreck.   Hoss was much more sensitive to being tickled than either of the other two and surrendered almost immediately, begging for mercy.  They gave in quickly and sat back to allow him to catch his breath. 

“Hey, Adam, what’d Joe mean about you bein’ a kid today?” he asked curiously. 

Adam laughed and began to finish getting dressed.  “Simple. Pa decided you need some time to yourself, I need some time to relax and Little Joe needs somebody to play with.  So, for a few days I’m letting our brother call the tune. Whatever he wants to do, within reason, that’s what we’ll do.  So tell me, buddy.  What’s next?”

“Think it’s too late for some fishin’?” Joe asked hopefully.

Adam ruffled his hair.  “Since I’ve never known a fish to carry a watch, I’d have to say no.”

“Need an extra pole?” Hoss asked eagerly.

Joe spoke up before Adam could open his mouth.  “No thanks.  You’d best go do whatever it was you were heading to do before you found us.  Adam and I can catch enough for supper.”  He walked away to resaddle his horse, leaving Hoss gaping at his back.

“He snubbed me!” Hoss cried indignantly. “Did you see that, Adam?  The little varmint actually snubbed me.  Me!”

“I think our brother is just getting a little revenge,” Adam said mildly.  Hoss looked at him with blank incomprehension.  “You have been ignoring him a lot lately.  We both have and I didn’t even realize it until he pointed it out this morning.  Neither one of us has spent more than a few minutes at a time with Joe this whole summer.”

Hoss sagged, his earlier feelings of guilt coming back even stronger than before.  “Is that why you’re out here playing with him instead of mending the fences like Pa asked you to last night?”  Adam nodded, quickly explaining what had gone on after Hoss left for work that morning.  “That poor little fella.  He ain’t had nobody to talk to or play with in all this time and none of us even noticed.  That settles it!  I’m just gonna have to tell Jeb and Tim that I can’t go with ‘em this weekend.”

“No,” Adam objected.  “Hoss, don’t do that.  Joe’s a little upset with us right now, but I don’t think he’d really want you to change your plans for him.  Especially since he already knows how much you’ve been looking forward to that trip with the Simmons brothers.  I’m going to talk to him a little bit about all this and make sure that he understands you needing time to yourself.  In the meantime, I’d really like this chance to get to know him again.”

Hoss looked thoughtfully at his older brother.  “You ain’t had much chance to do that since you been home, have you?  You and Joe have been like oil and water ever since you got back from college.”

“Yes, we have, and I’d like to change that if I can,” Adam confirmed, sighing deeply as he brushed his damp black hair back away from his face.  “Pa is right about me not being able to relate to Joe on his own terms and that’s something else I’m going to try to change.”

“How are you gonna do that?  Is there anything I can do to help?”  Hoss’ question was interrupted by the impatient voice of his little brother, demanding that Adam hurry up.

Adam stood and shrugged, shooting Hoss a big grin.  “Well, for starters, you should probably go back to work, Mr. Grown-up,” he advised.  “We kids are goin’ fishin’!”

Chapter 4

By the time evening fell and Ben Cartwright returned home from a long day’s work, he was filled with curiosity to find out how his sons’ first day of play had gone.  He had been looking to find a way to help them mend the fences damaged by their long time apart this past year and hoped this idea of making them playmates might do the trick.  He had seen how peculiar the idea seemed to Adam, particularly given his own history of lectures on the benefits of hard work, but the truth was that Ben often felt rather guilty for the lack of fun his eldest had experienced as a child.  He had been forced to grow up much too quickly and had never lost that driving need to be accomplishing something.  Ben thought this chance to relax and play with his young brother might be good for him.  Little Joe had reaped the benefits of having a much more experienced and indulgent father than his brothers had.  Many boys Joe’s age were already spending their summers working and learning the family business, but Ben did not mind indulging his boy’s need to play.  He would have many years ahead of him to be an adult, but his father knew his time to be a child was starting to draw to a close and he wanted to help him preserve it as long as possible.  The simple fact was that they needed each other, Joe and Adam.  He just hoped the plan would not backfire and drive them even further apart.

The tempting smell of frying fish hit Ben’s nostrils as he walked in the front door.  He put up his hat and removed his gunbelt before a most peculiar sight registered in his mind.  Hop Sing was sitting in the living room with his feet propped up and a cup of coffee in his hand, looking not at all sure if he liked where he was or not.  The bash and clatter of pots and pans and the sound of his youngest son’s high pitched laughter drifted out from the kitchen, grabbing Ben’s attention before he could demand to know what Hop Sing was doing.  The cook jumped to his feet when he saw his employer and noticed his confused face. “Mistah Adam and Little Joe chase Hops Sing out of kitchen,” he complained.  “They say Hop Sing share vacation today and no cook.  Boys cook fish suppah together.”

Another crash sounded and they exchanged a worried look, wondering if they should look forward to the coming meal with anticipation or fear.  The front door opened to admit Hoss.  He took a deep sniff of the air and smacked his lips, his irritation at being excluded from the afternoon’s fishing trip long gone. “Mmm, boy!  Just get a whiff of that!” he exclaimed excitedly.  “Joe and Adam musta had some good luck this afternoon.  Smells like friend trout, baked taters and biscuits!”

Ben raised an eyebrow but did not doubt the accuracy of his son’s guess. When it came to food, Hoss was rarely mistaken.  “Your brothers have decided to try out their culinary skills on us tonight.”

“Their what?” Hoss asked, wrinkling up his nose at the unfamiliar term.

“Little boy kick Hop Sing out of kitchen,” the cook explained. “They cook suppah. Order Hop Sing to relax.”

For the first time, Hoss’ enthusiasm wavered.  “You mean Adam and Little Joe are makin’ us supper?”  The others nodded and he began to look worried.  Another careful sniff of the air restored his faith, however.  “I ain’t worried.  It sure does smell good.”

A flurry of activity caught their attention as the two novice chefs appeared and laid several dishes down on the already set table.  Both were overheated and perspiring a bit and Joe had flour all down the front of the large apron he was wearing, and smudged on his nose and left cheek.  Both brothers looked extremely self-satisfied.  “Dinner is served,” Adam announced grandly.

Three curious men approached the table and exchanged surprised looks.  It didn’t appear too bad.  Hop Sing did not normally eat with the family by his own choice, but Little Joe whipped off his apron and plunked down into his seat, dragging Hop Sing down into the chair next to his.  Ben looked at him and very nearly ordered him to go clean up and put on a shirt and something more suited to a family dinner than his dirty overalls, but refrained.  He and Adam had obviously been working hard on this surprise meal and he supposed it would be all right just this once.  Joe waited expectantly while everyone took helpings of dinner, the exact menu Hoss had predicted, and took hesitant first bites.  Expressions of surprise, relief and pleasure crossed the faces of Hop Sing, Ben and Hoss as they chewed and the two cooks exchanged a satisfied look.  Ben was the first to speak.  “This is really very good, boys.  I didn’t realize you were such good cooks.”

Hop Sing smiled at the boy by his side and guessed, “Little Joe make biscuits?”

Joe nodded vigorously.  “Yep, just like you showed me, and I made the fish breading and poked the potatoes too, but Adam did the actual cooking.”

“What do you think, Hoss?” Adam asked innocently, winking at Joe as they both watched Hoss mowing through his dinner without a word to anyone.

Hoss blinked and stopped shoveling in food long enough to garble, “Might fine job, boys!” Then he was back to eating, furthering the compliment with his enthusiasm. 

“What made you two decide to do this?” their father asked.  “I’ve never known you to spend any extra time in the kitchen unless there were cookies or doughnuts being made.”

“Little Joe thought Hop Sing deserved a break today and I agreed with him,” Adam explained.  “Besides, I’ve done a little cooking from time to time and we’ve both cooked fish over a campfire before.”

“It was fun,” added Joe, contentedly munching on one of his fluffy sourdough biscuits.  “That’s why we did it.  We made dessert, too.”

“I thought that was supposed to be a secret,” Adam remarked, raising an eyebrow.

Little Joe’s eyes widened.  “Oops, I forgot.”

Hoss had perked up again at the mention of dessert.  “Since you’ve already let the cat out of the bag, little brother, what are we having?”

“Nope, I’m not telling,” Joe said firmly.  “You’ll just have to wait a few more minutes and see.”

No amount of hinting or cajoling from Hoss could pry any further hints or clues from Joe as dinner was polished off down to nothing but a pile of fish bones, but everyone exclaimed in pleasure when he disappeared back into the kitchen and reappeared a moment later with an angel food cake, made the day before by Hop Sing, and a bowl of sugared strawberries and whipped cream.  “Strawberry shortcake!” Hoss announced with pleasure, piling berries into the bowl Adam set before him after putting in a slice of cake.  “I thought the berries were all picked and gone already.”

“So did we,” commented Adam,  “but we stumbled upon a patch of them on our way home this afternoon.  Joe rode home to get some pails from Hop Sing and we picked them to surprise everybody.”

Ben turned to Hop Sing.  “So you knew about all of this all along!”

The cook grinned.  “Only know part.  Little boy keep suppah big secret, but ask Hop Sing for cake and whipping cream.”   He finished his small serving of berries and cake and stood, bobbing his head to the boys.  “Vely good suppah.   Hop Sing go clean up kitchen now.”

He disappeared from view as Joe tried to protest that they’d already done most of it and would finish after dessert, but it was no use.  Adam poured himself more coffee from the pot at the center of the table.  “Told you so,” he said.  “You know that if we’d scrubbed every dish in that kitchen and whitewashed the walls to boot, Hop Sing would still find something that needed cleaning.  He can’t help himself.”

Little Joe shrugged and licked a dollop of whipped cream off his upper lip.  “I guess not.  Oh, well. I didn’t really want to do the dishes anyway.”

Adam laughed.  “Neither did I.”

Later that evening, Hoss challenged Joe to a few rounds of checkers.  For a moment, it looked as though Little Joe might refuse just for spite, but seeing the board all laid out and ready on the coffee table proved to be too much for him to resist and they played until Ben ordered his youngest to bed.

Joe slowly rose and headed for the stairs; reluctant to end the best day he’d had in a very long time.  Hoss would be heading out to meet his friends and begin their camping trip tomorrow afternoon, he knew and he thought about asking one more time if he might go.  It would be no use, though.  He knew that Pa would never let him go.  Besides, he had been surprised today to find out how much fun it could be to spend time with Adam when his brother did not insist on ordering him around.  “I could stand a few more days of that,” he muttered.

“What did you say, Joseph?” Ben asked curiously.

“Oh, nothin’ Pa,” Joe said hastily.  “I was just thinking out loud about what a good time I had today.  I was kinda wishing it wouldn’t end.”

“Well, I’m sorry, son,” Ben told him.  “It’s time you were in bed.  Now, get on up there and get ready, and don’t forget to wash up!”

Adam was experiencing the same regret to end his day with his little brother.  “Hey, Joe?” Little Joe turned to look at him.  “You want me to read to you some before you go to sleep?”

Joe grinned.  Adam had not read out loud to him since he was about seven or eight and if he were to be honest, he felt he was a little old for it now, but if it prolonged their day he was willing.  “Okay.  You still got that book of Irving short stories we sent you when you first went to college?”

“Sure,” Adam replied, trying to remember what he had done with the book.  Hoss had sent it to him, along with a copy of Shakespeare from his father and a book of western scenery from Little Joe when he had first started college.  He knew he’d brought it back with him, but where had it gone since? “I’ll need a few minutes to track it down, then I’ll meet you in your room.”

“Okay!”  Joe raced up the stairs, suddenly eager to get ready for bed.  “Night Pa.  G’ night, Hoss.” 

Ben smiled as he called his own goodnight up the stairs.  “I’m glad you two are getting along so well, Adam.  To be honest, I wasn’t sure you would.”

“Neither was I, Pa,” Adam said, following his brother up the stairs.  “You want to know something strange, though?  I’m not sure which one of us had a better time today.”  He smiled and shook his head at the irony of it.  “I think I’ll head for bed myself after Joe nods off.  Good night, Pa, Hoss.”

Chapter 5

Joe was up early the next morning, feeling unusually energized.  He and Adam had spent nearly an hour together last night. Adam’s well-worn book of short stories by Washington Irving contained one of Joe’s all time favorites and they had narrated the ghostly tale of Ichabod Crane and his terrifying meeting with the Headless Horseman out loud together.  Nobody read scary stories like Adam and he always let his little brother read some of the dialogue, to help give diverse personality to the inhabitants of Sleepy Hollow.  After the story, he had managed to beg a song from Adam but had fallen asleep before it ended.  Today, Little Joe felt more eager for a day to begin than he could ever remember feeling before. 

Throwing on his clothes and giving his face a cursory wash in case Pa decided to check, Joe left his room and clattered down the stairs.  Nobody was at the table yet, so he ran outside and did his morning chores.  Hoss' horse was already gone and Joe scowled a bit at the empty stall.  He had heard his brother moving quietly through the hallway when it was still dark out.  Hoss had wanted to get an extra early start meeting his friends, so that they could get to the lake while it was still early and the fish were biting best. 

"What would be fun to do today?” Joe asked the remaining horses as he energetically mucked out the stalls and filled all the feed and water stations.  “Adam promised we’d play again after he fixes that broken stretch of fence up in the north section.  I was thinking that it might be fun to build a playhouse out there in the trees.  Not some dumb old baby playhouse, though.  A real one that I could invite my friends into when Seth gets back and Mitch is healed up, with trap doors and secret passages and holes in the doors for shooting attacking bands of scalpin’ injuns.  Or for shooting bows and arrows at the soldiers if we decide to be the Indians ourselves.  Maybe we could put bunks on the walls and a hole in the roof to let the smoke out in case a blizzard comes up and we have to hole up there for a while. Think Adam would object if I rode along and helped him fix the fence so we could start sooner?”

“No, I don’t think he’d mind,” Adam said, grinning as Joe spun around to look at him.  “I’d be glad for the help, little brother.  Don’t you think it’d be better to have a fireplace in this dream house of yours though, if you’re planning on spending our next blizzard in there?”

“Sure,” Joe agreed cheerfully.  “A great big one big enough to roast a whole deer in all at once after I shoot ‘im and you dress ‘im out.”

“Oh, thanks for including me,” Adam said sarcastically.  “Tell me, squirt, what are you planning on shooting this deer with?  Your slingshot?”

“Of course not,” Joe scoffed, scowling at the nickname.  “I’m gonna use that new hunting rifle Pa’s going to buy me for Christmas.”

Adam raised an eyebrow.  “Christmas!  That’s months from now, Joe!”

“Well, so is the blizzard,” Joe told him, rolling his eyes at his brother’s unusual dull-wittedness. 

A chuckle bubbled up to Adam’s lips. “What makes you so sure that Pa’s going to buy you a rifle for Christmas, anyway?”

“Cause he’s been giving me shooting lessons with one since last year,” the boy said reasonably.  “Plus, Hoss got his first rifle when he was twelve and Pa already promised that I could go with him on his annual winter hunting trip to the Sierras this year.  How am I going to go on a hunting trip without a rifle?” 

Adam nodded, impressed by his logic.  Then an irresistible urge to tease came over him.  “Pa’s not expecting you to do any hunting.  He just needs somebody along to tote wood, get water and skin out the game he catches.  You won’t need a gun for that.”  Joe looked at him suspiciously, not wanting to believe.  Adam held up his hands innocently.  “Hey, it’s not my idea.  I remember those hunting trips.  You notice Hoss and I didn’t rush to volunteer to go with Pa when he talked about where he wanted to go this year.” 

A worried look filled Joe’s green eyes as his favorite castle in the air, where he became a mighty hunter and impressed Pa by landing a bear all by himself, began to disintegrate.  “You mean, Pa’s gonna make me fetch and carry for him and I won’t get to do any of the good stuff?” 

“He might let you set up one of the rabbit snares, if you’re good and don’t scare away the game,” Adam said, shrugging as if he doubted even that.  Joe plunked down on a hay bale, suddenly looking very unhappy and Adam relented.  He lightly slapped his brother’s slumping shoulder and laughed.  “I’m just kidding, Joe!  Those trips are great and the reason Hoss and I didn’t ask to go is that we knew it was your turn.” 

Joe perked right up.  He stuck his tongue out at Adam and called,  “Last one to breakfast is a stinky polecat!” as he took off toward the house.  Adam dashed after him and narrowly missed beating him to the door as Little Joe slammed through it and around the corner, throwing himself into his chair so hard he almost tipped it right over.  He laughed as his brother skidded into his own seat after flinging the door closed behind him.  “Take that you ol’ polecat!” 

“Joseph!” Ben scolded. “What kind of way is that to talk to your brother?  First you two come stampeding in here like a herd of wild buffalo and now you’re calling names?” 

“Sorry, Pa.  Adam had it coming, though,” Joe said, spooning eggs and bacon onto his plate. “He was lying to me.” 

Ben looked at Adam with a raised eyebrow.  Adam smiled and said,  “Only in fun, Pa.  He knew I was teasing him.” 

“Well, let’s just leave the teasing outside and enjoy a peaceful meal, shall we?” Ben sighed, unfolding his napkin and helping himself to some breakfast. 

“Sure, Pa,” they chorused.  Still, as soon he was sure that his father was absorbed in his breakfast again so that he would not hear the sound, Little Joe leaned over to Adam and whispered in a singsong voice, “Adam is a polecat.”  Adam kicked him under the table and Joe stifled a giggle, shooting a quick glance at his father as he dug back into his food. 

Chapter 6 

Soon after, the two brothers were hard at work on the damaged pasture fence.  Adam held each section of wire taut against the new fence poles while Little Joe carefully hammered them into place.  The work went quickly as they talked over their plans for the rest of the day. 

“What do we need a bunch of ol’ plans for?  We both know what shape a house is supposed to be,” Joe was complaining.  “All we gotta do is make a frame, put some walls and a roof on it, and make sure there’s a door so we can get in and out!  It’s not like I really want to go live in it, you know.  It’s just for messing around.”

“What happened to the secret passages and fireplace and all that?” Adam asked him with a grin.  “Have you rethought that whole shooting Indians in the middle of a blizzard thing?” 

Joe laughed.  “It sounded great this morning when I was trying it out on the horses, but it would take too much time to build something like for real.  By the time we finished, summer would be over!  ‘Sides, Pa probably wouldn’t let me come all the way out here to play in it very often anyhow.  It’d be easier to build a tree house or something.” 

“Now, that is a good idea, little brother!” Adam told him, putting his section of fence down for a moment.  “You remember that old tree house out back of our place?”

“You mean that rundown old pile of splinters up in that big tree behind the house?”  Joe laughed.  “Adam, that thing wouldn’t have held my weight up five years ago I don’t think.  There’s no way it’s fit for playing in now!  It’s nothing but a raft with a couple of posts and an old tarp over the top anyway.” 

Adam looked a bit miffed by his dismissal.  “Maybe it’s not the greatest anymore, but when I built it, it was pretty special.”  He snatched the hammer out of his brother’s hand and pounded a few nails into the newly attached section of fence, his face stony. 

Joe was taken aback by his obvious annoyance.  “Gee, sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you or anything.  I didn’t even know you’d built that thing…I mean that house.  It’s been there my whole life and as far back as I can remember it’s just been a pile of busted up old boards.” 

Adam smiled, a little embarrassed by his reaction to the innocent criticism.  “No, I’m sorry, Little Joe.  I shouldn’t have snapped at you.  It’s just that I have some special memories tied up in that old tree house.  I guess it really is nothing but a pile of worthless old boards by now, but a dozen years ago it was really something.  At least, it was to me.”

“A dozen years?”  Joe asked in surprise.  “So that means you built it when you were my age?  All by yourself?”

Adam confirmed this with a nonchalant shrug of one shoulder.  He started to go on pounding nails into the fence, but Joe took the hammer from him and hid it behind his back.  Adam held out his hand for the tool but Little Joe just shook his head and waited, his young face expectant as his silence prompted his brother to continue.  Adam sighed and took a swig from his canteen.  “It wasn’t long after we filed the papers on our land and things were finally slowing down a little after breaking our backs getting a shelter built and enough ground broken to grow food to supplement the game Pa caught.  I was too small to be much good with the heavy work, so I was in charge of looking after Hoss.  He was only five or six at the time and the two of us always seemed to be in someone’s way.”

“I know how that goes,” Joe muttered, plunking down to sit in the grass at Adam’s feet and snagging the canteen to get a sip of water for himself. 

Adam smiled and sat down too.  “I suppose you do.  Well, anyway, the place we lived in then wasn’t much more than a line shack with a bed on one side for Pa and one the other side for the two of us. It was a decent enough shelter and all, but Pa said if we were going to settle down for good, we needed a proper home and as soon as he could find the time he was going to build one.  I was good with figures and designing things even then, so I asked Pa if I could help him design the house.  He sort of humored me just to get me out of his hair, but I could tell he didn’t think I could do it and I told him I could build a house all by myself if I really wanted to.” 

He paused as the memory unfolded and shook his head with a faint smile.  Little Joe impatiently poked him in the shoulder.  “So, then what happened?”

“I guess you might say I annoyed him into giving me a test,” Adam confessed.  “I suppose Pa figured that if I had something to occupy my time I’d leave him alone and let him get his work done. So, he gave me a couple dozen boards he’d hewn from the trees he built our shelter out of and a few tools and told me to show him what I could do.  I took Hoss with me and we pulled those boards and things over to that stand of trees and I drew out a design.  I must have torn it apart and started again about a dozen times, but finally I managed to lash those boards together into a floor and secured it up there in that tree.  Then I added a few thin logs for pillars and made the roof with a couple of left over boards and our old wagon cover.” 

“How’d you get it up there?” Joe wanted to know.  “Hoss couldn’t have been much help.” 

Adam grinned.  “You’d be surprised. He was about as big as your average nine-year-old and just as steady and patient as you’d expect, long as he had something to occupy him.  Once I’d figured out how the floor was supposed to fit together, I took the boards back apart and Hoss helped me pull them up into the branches one at a time so I could hammer them in place.” 

“Was Pa impressed when he saw it?” Joe asked eagerly.  “I’ll bet he was.  I would’ve been.” 

“Not as much as I’d hoped for,” Adam admitted. “He gave me a talking to about letting Hoss climb trees without adult supervision actually, but he did come up and take a look and he did give me a couple of compliments on the sturdiness of the design.”

“And he did let you help design our house, right?” Little Joe prompted. 

Adam smiled at him and stood up.  “Right.  He was in a hurry to get it done because he’d married your ma by that time and you were on your way.  He and I designed the floor plan together and I even got to supervise some of the work.”  He grinned and squeezed Joe’s shoulder.  “After a while I had another reason to be glad I’d built that tree-house.  A guy can only take so much squalling and listening to women babbling baby talk before he needs to escape!” 

Joe laughed, imagining having to put up with such a thing.  He would have run away to some private sanctuary too. 

“We’d better get back to work or we’ll never finish in time to do anything else today,” Adam told him, straightening the wire against the posts yet again. 

Little Joe stood and began hammering again.  “When we’re done here, I want to go take a closer look at your tree house, okay?  Maybe there’s still enough of it left to fix up into a new one.” 

“Probably not,” Adam said regretfully.  “Like you said, there’s not really much left of that old house now.  It might be better to just build a brand new one someplace else.” 

“But we can still go look at the old one first, can’t we?” Joe persisted.  “I want to take a good look and get an idea what kind of house I want to build.” 

“All right, Little Joe. We’ll go look.  As soon as we get this fence finished, we’ll head home and grab a few supplies,” Adam agreed amiably.  He and Joe set to work with renewed vigor, both suddenly eager to get moving and take a look at the old house in the tree. 

The Cartwright brothers finished their work quickly and rode back home at a gallop.  Ben watched them ride into the yard, whooping and laughing as they ended a close race with Joe in the lead by a hair’s breadth, and he smiled.  “You two boys finish that section of fence already?” 

“Yes sir, Pa!  We fixed it up real good,” Joe declared swinging down to tie up his horse.  He grinned at his father and asked, “Did you see the way my new horse left that old nag of Adam’s in the dust, Pa?  I told you Cochise was the best horse in the world!”  He had just received the frisky black and white paint as a birthday gift that spring and Little Joe was firmly convinced that no animal born before or since could ever be as good as his Cochise. 

“He only beat me because he’s at least fifty pounds lighter than I am!” Adam protested.  “You just wait until you’ve got your full growth young’un, then we’ll see who’s the better rider and who’s got the better horse.”  

“But then you won’t have any excuses left for why you lose all those races, big brother,” Joe told him with a grin before he made a dash into the house.  He returned a few minutes later with a basket in one hand, which he set down on the porch, and his snow sled in the other.  Ben was doing the books outside today where he could enjoy the nice weather and he reached over to ruffle his youngest son’s hair as the boy plunked down on the porch steps next to him.  Adam had already taken a seat next to his father and they exchanged a curious look over the sled. 

“What you got there, son?” Ben asked him.  

“Adam and me are going to build a tree house and we needed some supplies,” Joe explained. “We already got hammers and nails, but I figured we could pile some boards on this sled and haul it behind us so we don’t have to make a bunch of trips.” 

Ben nodded his approval.  “Very sensible.  And the basket?”

Little Joe fished inside and tossed his father an apple.  “Hop Sing grabbed me on the way out and gave me some lunch for us to take along.  I think it’s sandwiches and apples and cookies and lemonade.” 

Adam chuckled.  “Good old Hop Sing.  How does he always know?” 

Joe shrugged and took a large bite out of another apple.  “I dunno.  Are you ready to go, Adam?  You finished all your work for this morning?” 

“Well, actually I was just waiting for Pa to tell me whether I had or not,” Adam told him.  His eyes twinkled as he looked at his father.  “I finished all my chores, Pa.  Can Little Joe and I go out back and play now?” 

Ben laughed heartily at his question and even more at his wide-eyed innocent look.  “Sure, son.  You two children go on and have your fun.” 

Little Joe scowled at bit at their banter.  He didn’t suppose they were making fun of him on purpose, but he really did dislike being referred to as a child.  It only served to point up the fact that Adam was only humoring him with this project because he was too young to do anything his brother really considered fun.  He was still grumbling silently about it half an hour later when he helped Adam push the fully loaded sled up against the base of the huge oak tree that housed Adam’s childhood playhouse.  There was a set of rough planks nailed into the side of the tree to form a crude ladder and the two brothers climbed up one at a time to look inside.  Joe straddled a branch set back behind the floor of the structure, not willing to test even his slight weight on the weather-beaten boards, but Adam seemed to have no fear of falling as he boldly stepped inside.  “Don’t worry, Joe.  These boards are nice and thick and they’re grooved to stay in place atop the branches.  You’re not going to fall through.” 

After a momentary debate, Joe came inside.  He was relieved to find the surface beneath his feet still nice and solid as his brother had promised.  He disliked admitting it, even to himself, but he was a little scared of heights and being high up in the tree was making him nervous.  The top of his head brushed at the canvas forming the roof of the house and he could see that Adam was forced to move hunched over in the tight space.  “It’s a little smaller than you remember it being, isn’t it, Adam?” 

Adam smiled ruefully and set himself carefully down to sit on the floor.  “Just a bit.  One of the first things we’re going to have to do is replace those posts to the roof with taller ones.  What do you think, Joe?  Think of anything yet that you’d like to have up here?  After all, this is going to be your house now.  It should be as you want it.” 

The boy studied his face for a moment, debating whether or not to ask the question that was in his mind.  When Adam had told him about building this tree house all those years ago, he had suddenly had a burning desire to fix it up or build a new one in exactly the same spot.  He had not examined why he felt that way, but now as he watched his brother drink in the sight of the dilapidated planks and rickety walls, smiling a bit as he obviously pictured things that had been here long ago, Little Joe knew the answer.  This tree house was a part of Adam’s past.  A piece that he had no part in and he knew that if they could fix it up together it would become something that could stand forever as a symbol of this rare camaraderie he had found with his oldest brother.  Joe was not fooling himself that those feelings between them would last very long once Adam decided he’d had enough of spending time with his baby brother and found something better to do.  “Adam?” he said quietly.  His brother looked at him.  “Are you sure you don’t mind doin’ this with me?  I know you’re only playing with me this week because you felt sorry for me.  If you don’t want to anymore, it’s okay.” 

Surprise and something like dismay shown clearly in Adam’s dark eyes.  “Why would you think I don’t want to do this with you Joe?  Or is it that you don’t want to do this with me?” 

“No,” Joe said hastily.  “I do want to.  It’s just…well, this place is special to you, Adam. Are you sure it ain’t gonna wreck your memories of what you and Hoss did all those years ago if I take a hand in fixing it up?  I feel sort of like I’m butting in where I don’t belong or something.” 

“You’re not,” Adam said quietly.  “I’m not sure if you can understand this or not, Joe, but in a strange sort of way you have always symbolized the childhood I never really got to have.  This place is one of the few things I ever had that really represented the fun and good times of childhood and having you here with me just makes it more complete.  I’m happy to be able to share it with you, just as I once shared it with Hoss.” 

Little Joe sat down beside him.  “So, you’re sort of passing it on?” he asked uncertainly. 

Adam smiled.  “That’s exactly what I’m doing.  If I’d been here, this is something I would’ve done with you several years ago, but since I wasn’t now is as good a time as any.  I think all boys your age can appreciate having someplace to go by themselves when they need to get away for a bit.  Hoss and I both spent a lot of time up here, both by ourselves and together and I’m glad to pass it on to you.” 

Joe licked his upper lip thoughtfully. “And you really are spending time with me cause you want to and not just cause Pa’s making you?” 

“Pa didn’t make me do anything, Joe.  He suggested I spend more time with you, but I could have refused if I’d wanted to.  This isn’t some form of punishment for me, you know, it’s purely voluntary.  Like I told you before, it’s more of a vacation and so far I’m having a great time.” 

“Honest?”  Joe watched him closely, wanting to believe. 

Adam nodded seriously.  “Honest.” 

A bright smile lit Joe's face as he scooted back and clambered to his feet.  “Let’s get busy, then.  We’ve got a lot to do before this place will be fit for anybody but birds!” 

The two brothers worked throughout the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon, hammering, sawing and occasionally arguing over the design of the refurbished tree house.  The work progressed quickly and soon the structure was once again solid and play-worthy, but it still needed more work to bring it up to Little Joe’s mental vision, which Adam had helped him sketch out on a piece of scrap paper.  When the tree house had belonged to Adam, it had been an open-air structure with the canvas roof to roll down the sides and pin into place in bad weather, just like the covered wagon the cloth had come from.  Joe wanted solid walls and two exits, one a trap door at the bottom for entrants to come and go by use of a long knotted rope, and a back door set close to the tree, for those who wanted the solidity of the trunk and the board steps nailed into the tree.  He did not tell Adam, but he felt more secure with those things in place.  They had finally reached a compromise, Adam agreeing to build solid side and back walls with the requested exit cut out in the back one, and Joe agreeing to just use the tarp to close off the front during bad weather.  A rope ladder would be hung from the front entrance, eliminating the need to cut a hole out of the floor. 

“I think that’s good enough for today, don’t you?” Adam asked, sitting at the front of the structure and swinging his legs out over the edge.  “We’ll need more boards before we can finish the walls the way you want them anyway.” 

“I guess so,” Joe agreed, scooting forward next to his brother and carefully extending his legs over the edge, trying not to look as uncomfortable as he felt with the sight of the ground so far below him. “This was fun, wasn’t it Adam?” 

Adam smiled and swung a companionable arm over his shoulders, looking around them in satisfaction.  “It sure was, Little Joe.  I can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed a day more.  You should be proud of yourself, too. You’ve worked hard today and we’ve got a lot to show for it.” 

Joe grinned and ducked his head at the praise.  “It was easy with you helping me.  Besides, work ain’t really work if you can find a way to get some fun out of it.” 

Adam blinked in surprise at the innocent wisdom of his brother’s remark.  Was that what he had been missing all this time?  He had often complained to Pa about how Joe did not work up to his full potential, accusing him of being spoiled and lazy.  Perhaps he had been looking at it in the wrong way.  Joe could be counted on to work hard and determinedly at anything he enjoyed doing.  Adam suddenly realized that the only times his brother really balked at doing his work, including homework, was when he or their father presented it to him as a chore, particularly when it was accompanied by a lecture on responsibility.  Once again, Adam was struck by the uncomfortable truth of the fact that he had not been paying much real attention to Little Joe lately.  If he had, how much sooner might he have gained this insight?  He sighed softly.  It looked like Pa had been right again.

The brothers sat quietly together for a long while, each lost in their own thoughts as they watched the bugs hop and buzz lazily through the breeze ruffled grass and flowers, and enjoyed the feel of the warm sun on their faces. 

“Do you suppose Hoss is awful mad at me, Adam?” Joe asked suddenly. His expression was uncomfortable and he was staring fixedly at his clasped hands as he asked his question. 

Adam was caught off guard and struggled for a reply.  “He…I…No, I don’t think so.  Why should he be mad at you?  Other than refusing to let him fish with us yesterday I can’t think of anything you’ve done to him and I know he’s over that.  He told me so.  He knows why you did it and he feels bad about not spending more time with you this summer, same as I do.” 

“He does?”  Joe looked surprised by this revelation, but interestingly, no happier.  In fact, he looked even more upset than he had before. 

Not quite sure what problem he was trying to offer comfort for, Adam merely nodded and then waited patiently for Joe to fill in the blanks. 

Little Joe remained silent for a while then drew his legs up into a cross-legged position and set his chin in his hands with a sigh.  “I wish I’d said goodbye to him this morning.  I was awake when he left to go on his camping trip, y’know.  I just pretended I wasn’t so that I wouldn’t have to talk to him.  Last night I thought I was all over being mad at him for going without me, but this morning when I heard him getting ready I just got furious all over again!  I figured he wouldn’t care if I said anything to him or not, but now I wish I’d told him to have a good time, just so he’d know I’m not holding a grudge.” 

“Are you sure you’re not?” Adam asked, watching his brother’s face carefully for any signs of deception or leftover hurt feelings.  He was relieved to find neither.  Only regret and a bit of shame. 

“No,” Joe confirmed.  “I still think it was awful mean of him to break his word to me, but I know he didn’t try to hurt me on purpose. Hoss just wouldn’t do that to anybody, even a stranger, let alone his own brother.  He told me he was sorry last night when we were playing checkers.  He even promised to find some way to make it up to me, but I think he was just saying that so we could be friends again.  That’s why I thought he might be mad at me.  I told him I forgave him, but then I didn’t.”  Joe bit his lip and squirmed as he raised his head to look at Adam.  “Do you suppose that’s what Pa means about acting out a lie?  He told me once that it was just as bad to feel a lie as to tell one, but I didn’t know what he meant.  Is that what I did to Hoss?” 

“I supposed it is, Joe,” Adam said seriously.  “You told Hoss he was forgiven because you knew that was what he wanted to hear, but deep down inside you knew you didn’t mean it and you still intended to punish him.  And you did.” 

Joe looked startled.  “How?” 

“You allowed him to think everything was okay between you and then gave him the cold shoulder this morning.  He knew you were awake, Joe. We both heard you moving around in your room before you got back under the covers and pretended to be asleep.  He told me it was all right and that he understood, but I know that hurt his feelings.” 

“So, because of me, he left feeling sad?” Joe asked in a barely audible voice.  The confirmation was in Adam’s eyes. 

“Do you think he deserved that?” Adam asked carefully.

Joe ducked his chin again and mumbled, “No.  I really did want him to have fun, I just wanted him to have fun with me.” 

Satisfied that his little brother was sincere in his regrets, Adam gave him a brisk one-armed hug. “Well, I wouldn’t go fretting about it too much.  I’m sure Hoss will have a good time, even if he does feel a little guilty.  After all a little honest guilt never killed anyone and I’m sure things will get back to normal pretty quick.  You just be sure and tell him you’re sorry when he gets back on Monday and mean it this time, okay?”  Joe nodded vigorously, looking much more light-hearted and Adam ruffled his hair with a grin.  “Now.  What do you say we get out of this tree and back to the house before Pa decides we’ve taken up permanent residence with the squirrels?  Last one to the house cleans the stalls tomorrow!” 

“Hey, no fair!” Joe shrieked as he watched his brother swing down over the edge of the floor and hang by his hands before dropping the last few feet to the ground.  Balking at trying to imitate this gymnastic feat, Joe scrambled across the floor and out the back, racing down the steps so fast he almost lost his grip on the tree completely.  He was several yards behind Adam, who waited long enough to see that he made it safely to the ground before taking off at a dead run, his laughter floating back on the breeze to Joe as he struggled to catch up.  Adam easily reached the front porch first and plopped into the chair his father had vacated earlier.  When Little Joe came panting up a moment later, Adam shot him a totally self-satisfied grin and shoved him into the other chair. Crossing his arms behind his head and nonchalantly propping his boots up on the railing, he winked at the boy and asked, “Who’s the polecat, now, oh mucker of horse stalls?”

Joe gave him a scowl, but his heart wasn’t in it.  After all, cleaning the barn was one of his normal chores anyway so it hadn’t mattered too much that he’d lost.  Besides, it was worth losing to see more of this new playful version of his oldest brother.  In his opinion, the new Adam was a vast improvement over the relentlessly bossy old nanny that he had been living with since his brother had returned from college.

“A nanny!” Adam squawked, sitting up straight and dropping his feet to the porch with a thud as Joe shared his conclusion.

“Well, it’s true!” Joe told him defensively.  “You hardly ever want to do anything fun and you never want me to either.”  He stood from his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, raising an eyebrow as he glowered down at Adam like an overlord over some poor miscreant.  “Joe, I want you to wash your face and hands, do your homework and clean up that mess before Pa gets back.  Why when I was your age, I never wasted my valuable time playing silly pranks!  I was doing a man’s work and I’d have had half the opportunities you have I certainly wouldn’t have squandered them on such frivolous behavior.  Why do you always have to be so immature?”  He finished his mocking lecture by throwing himself back into his chair and answering his own question with a glare at Adam.  “I’m supposed to be immature sometimes, Adam. I’m twelve!  Haven’t you ever done anything silly or stupid just because it was fun?”

Caught between feeling insulted by the imitation and assessment, and guilty that it might be a little too accurate for comfort, Adam snapped, “Of course I have!”  Then when Joe issued the obligatory retort of “Like, what?”  found himself unable to come up with a single example.  Adam slumped down in his seat; suddenly looking and feeling very depressed as he realized he did not have a single solitary memory of ever doing anything really impulsive in his childhood just for the hell of it.  “Maybe I haven’t,” he said glumly.

“There must be something,” insisted Little Joe, unable to believe what he was hearing, even though he himself had made the accusation.  “Let me think.  Have you ever stood on your head?”

“Why would I want to do that?” Adam asked incredulously.

Joe rolled his eyes.  “Slid down a stair railing when Pa wasn’t looking?”

Adam frowned.  “That can be very dangerous, Joe.  Not to mention hard on the railing!”

Joe sighed and shook his head.  “Sat in a crowd of people during a speech or sermon and made farting noises at interesting moments?”

Though looking as though he might laugh at that one, Adam shook his head.  “It never crossed my mind.”

“Figures,” Joe grumbled.  His voice had a truly exasperated tone as he said, “Okay, last resort.  Have you ever hooked a girls braids to the buttons on her dress, or shot spitballs at her, or anything even remotely resembling one of these activities?”

Adam shrugged.  “I’m afraid there weren’t any girls around to try those things out on when I was your age, Buddy.  Otherwise, I might have.”  Under Joe’s skeptical frown, he tossed his hands in the air and said, “Well, what do you want me to say?  I don’t know if I would have or not!”

Joe stood up and walked over to his brother, placing a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.  “Adam, you’re more in need of help than I thought.  Follow me…”

Chapter 8

Ben Cartwright looked up from his desk in alarm as a loud stream of cursing suddenly filled the air, floating in from the open front door.  Immediately following this unusual sound was something even more out of the norm.  Laughter that could only be described as giggling, followed by loud shushing and even more giggling, though now somewhat muffled.  That couldn’t be Adam and Little Joe, he thought. Could it?  Strange that he'd never realized before how alike they sounded when laughing.  Then again, how many times had he heard Adam giggle?

Rising to his feet, Ben made it to the door just in time to see two very soggy cowhands approaching with rage on their faces and Little Joe tightly captured by the arms in their hands.  “What is going on out there?” he demanded.  He noticed Adam standing off to one side of the porch, almost looking as though he were trying to hide behind the railing, and gestured him forward.

One of the hands, Paco, raked a hand through his dripping hair and pushed Joe none too gently forward.  “Ask him!” Joe folded his arms behind his back, automatically defending his seat with both hands when he saw the look on his father’s face. 

“Joseph.” Ben’s voice was deceptively calm and Joe gulped.

“Y-yes, sir?” 

“Why are Danny and Paco all wet?”

Joe offered a smile to the two men at his side and one to his father.  When none of them responded in kind, he shot a hopeful look towards Adam.  He didn’t seem inclined to volunteer anything so Joe said, “Um…well, it seems that somebody left a bucket of water sitting on top of the bunkhouse door, Pa.”

Ben pursed his lips, closing his eyes as if praying for strength, then leaned toward Joe and said in a quiet voice that caused a little jerk of alarm in his young son,  “And would that somebody happen to be you?”

“No, Pa.”

Startled by the unexpected answer, Ben stared at him a moment.  Could it be possible that Little Joe was standing right there, looking him straight in the eye and lying to him?  He had never done so before, but who else could it have been?  “Joseph, I’m going to ask you again, and I want an honest answer.  Did you place a bucket of water over the bunkhouse door?”

Joe swallowed hard, then stood straighter and said,  “No, sir.  I swear I didn’t do it.”

“He did, Mr. Cartwright!”  Paco objected.  “Me and Danny walked into the bunkhouse and got a couple gallons of water dumped over our heads.  We seen the boy running toward the house laughing right afterward.”

Anger rose up in Ben and boiled over as he grabbed his son by the arm and jerked him toward the chair on the porch, swinging him down over his knee.  “If there is one thing I will not tolerate, it’s lying!  I could have forgiven the action as a childish prank, but this is something else again.”  He raised his hand to deliver the first of what he planned to be many hard swats to Joe’s backside, ignoring the pleading in Joe’s voice as he protested his innocence.  Then his hand halted in mid-swing as he heard Adam.

“Pa, wait!  Joe didn’t put that bucket over the door.  I did!”  All three men turned and stared open-mouthed at him and Adam’s skin flushed red in embarrassment. 

“You did.” Ben’s question sounded more like a statement, as if he couldn’t quite reconcile what he was hearing with who was saying it.

Adam squirmed a little, but held his ground.  “Yes.  Joe and I were talking about how I’ve never done anything childish before, never pulled any tricks or did anything silly, and…well, it seemed like an interesting idea at the time!”

Ben straightened Joe up and set him down properly atop his knees.  “So you didn’t do it?” Joe shook his head.  “But you did know about it?”

Joe hung his head.  “Yes, sir.  I thought it up.”

“Why didn’t you say that in the first place?”

Joe peeked up at him, trying to gauge his level of anger.  “You didn’t ask.  You only asked me if I put the bucket over the door.”

Sternly stilling the sudden quivering in his lips as a laugh threatened to spoil his authoritative pose, Ben said, “I see.”

“What about the glue on the towels?” demanded Danny, suddenly providing an answer to why his red hair was sticking out in such an odd way on one side.  “Whose idea was that?”

Adam cleared his throat and licked his lips sheepishly as he raised a hand.  “I…uh…saw my roommate do that to somebody in college.”

“And who put the cow-pie in the soap-dish?” Paco said sarcastically.  “Another college-boy trick?”

Joe couldn’t help himself.  He laughed and accidentally diverted all the attention back towards himself.  Instantly adopting an expression of chagrin he confessed.  “I did that one.”

With a small groan, Ben wiped a hand across his face.  “All right, I think I get the picture.  Just tell me.  Are there any more little surprises waiting for the men?”

“No, sir,” Joe said, shaking his head to emphasize the point.

“You’re sure?”

Adam couldn’t meet his eyes.  “There’s nothing else, Pa.  I swear it.”

“What are you gonna do to us, Pa?” Joe asked, getting right to what he considered the most important part.

It was obvious that his sons were both properly chastened by the incident, so Ben said, “First of all, I want you both to promise that you won’t do anything like this again.”  Adam and Joe looked at each other, then back to him with twin nods of acceptance.  Ben went on. “I want to make it absolutely clear to you boys that this is not acceptable behavior.  The hands are not here to provide amusement for the two of you when you have nothing better to do.  I expect you both to clean up the mess you made before anyone else falls victim to it and apologize to Paco and Danny.”

“Sorry,” Joe said instantly, offering a winning smile to the two men.  “I didn’t mean to make you guys mad. I just wanted to help my brother loosen up a little.”

“We’ll clean up the mess right away,” Adam added.  “I sincerely apologize.”

The hands appeared mollified by the apologies.  Danny was even beginning to grin a little as he pulled at the stiff locks on his head.  “I’ve been meaning to get a haircut anyway,” he joked.  “Guess now I’ve got a real good excuse to go.”  He slapped Joe on the shoulder and walked away, gesturing for his friend to follow him.  Danny enjoyed a good joke and this really had been pretty harmless. He’d pulled worse ones himself in his day.  Paco still looked a little irate, but he was not the type to hold a grudge and everyone knew he’d be spreading this story and laughing louder than anyone over it by nightfall. 

Adam watched them go, and it was obvious from the look on his face that Ben’s oldest son was internally writhing over this incident. Whether it was caused by guilt over his childish tricks or regret over being caught that caused it, Ben did not know.  Having heard the laughter of his two boys before, he suspected the latter.  Joe did not look especially contrite at all as he added, “I’m sorry, Pa.  Please don’t be mad at us.  We were just having a little fun.  We won’t do it again, I promise!”

Ben allowed a small smile to show as he looked into his younger son’s hopeful face.  He always found it very hard to resist that look, especially now when he realized that the boy’s actions had been simple mischief and not something worse, as he had feared a few moments earlier.  In fact, the very idea of Joe trying to convert Adam into a fun-loving little boy was enough to make him inclined to forgive the incident, simply for the amusement of it all.  Ben had been a playful boy with little brothers of his own once upon a time.  “I suppose I can let it go this time,” he said, surprising them both.  “I want the two of you to scrub all the floors for Hop Sing tomorrow, including the one in the bunkhouse, but otherwise I think your promise will suffice.  But if I ever catch either of you doing something like this again…”

“We won’t Pa,” Adam said quickly. He was chafing a bit at being punished and lectured like a young child, but knew he deserved it.  After all, what had he been acting like?   Joe echoed his sentiment and gave their father a hug as he scampered off toward the bunkhouse, grabbing Adam’s arm on his way.

Ben watched them go, waiting until they disappeared from sight.  Then he went back inside, leaning against the door as he closed it behind him, and laughed until his sides were sore.  Manure in the soap dishes indeed!  Well, if nothing else his boys certainly were original.

Chapter 9  

"That was fun yesterday, huh Adam?"  Joe asked his brother as he mopped up the last of the water from the freshly scrubbed bunkhouse floor.  "Maybe even worth getting stuck doing extra chores as punishment."

Adam wrung out a rag and grinned. "Well, I admit it was kind of funny, but I think the guys had every right to be upset with us. I kept thinking about it after I went to bed last night and if it'd been me, I'd have been furious. Probably wouldn't have stopped yelling until Pa passed out some more forceful punishment.  I'm glad he didn't go that far, though."

"Me too, but I still say it was worth it.  Besides, you knew Pa wasn't going to do anything really bad to us. It was just a prank and we didn't hurt anybody."  Joe scrubbed a few drops of sweat off his face with a forearm as he cast a sidelong glance at Adam and shook his head.  "I still can't believe you never did anything like that before.  Didn't you ever get into trouble with Pa as a kid?"

"Oh yeah, I definitely did that," Adam said with feeling.  "I can recall getting on his bad side a time or two and let me tell you it was not pleasant.  One session with his razor strap was enough to convince me I didn't ever want to do anything to deserve that again!  My problem wasn't that I liked mischief, it was that I was a little impatient when things didn't go my way.  Well, that and a bad temper that tended to reach my mouth before it hit my brain."

Joe laughed.  "Sounds familiar.  Bet you never did anything really bad though."

Adam shrugged, his cheek dimpling.  "Not that you're ever going to find out about anyway.  Truth is, when I was your age Pa was a lot less patient than he is now."  He chuckled and tossed his wet rag to Joe to throw into the bucket at his feet.  "Maybe Hoss and I softened him up for you, cause I can't even imagine either of us getting away with some of the things you've done!"

Joe grinned.  "I'm just charming, Adam, didn't you know that?"

Eyes twinkling, Adam had to agree.  "You are that!  Even I can't get around it sometimes.  But as for my getting in trouble, it wasn't worth the risk of upsetting Pa any more than I had to. Besides, I had too many responsibilities to spend any time doing foolish stuff like we did yesterday."

"Maybe you're just not cut out to be a kid," Joe muttered, scowling, his happy mood suddenly deflating at his brother's referral to their fun as foolishness.  "I shouldn't have expected any different, I suppose."

Adam was surprised at his tone. He never could figure out how to predict the changes in Joe's mercurial nature, but he kept his own voice light in hopes of restoring the camaraderie of a moment ago. "You're probably right.  I'm doing my best, but I wasn't too good at acting like a child even when I was one.  Serious-minded, Pa calls it.  He claims I take after Grandpa Stoddard in that respect."

"Guess that's why you like schooling so much, huh?  Bet you used to beg for more homework too!"

"Well, I wasn't quite that bad," Adam objected, heaving a purely mental sigh as he realized Little Joe was venturing into a full-fledged sulk.  "But yes, studying has always held a certain degree of pleasure for me.  I enjoy learning about things I never even thought of before and learning to create things with my mind and hands."

"You really liked being away and doing all those new things in Boston, didn't you?" Joe muttered, scrubbing a section of floor he'd already passed over twice just to avoid meeting his brother's eyes as he asked the question.  "It must've been hard to decide whether to come back or not."

Sensing that all he had to do was open the door Joe had offered to get to the bottom of his unexpected mood swing, Adam opted for an honest answer. "Yes, it was.  Life in the east is so different from life out here that I can't adequately describe it in words.  The only way you'll ever really understand is if you go out there yourself and have a look someday."

"Me?" Joe scoffed.  "Now what chance have I got of going all the way out there?  After all, I'm not going to go back for schooling."

"You could if you want to," Adam said eagerly.  "I'm sure Pa would send you if you want to go and I'd love to show you around."

"No!" Joe protested shrilly, visions of boarding schools dancing in his head.  "I'm not leaving the Ponderosa to get stuck in some crummy old school for the rest of my life.  You might like that, but I don't!"

Adam sighed, bringing himself back to reality.  "I know.  I just forgot for a second.  You asked me if coming back here was a hard decision, well the answer is yes.  It was really the only thing to do though once it came right down to it.  It wasn't just that I missed all of you, though that was part of it, but Pa needs me here and I didn't feel right about just abandoning him after he did without me for all these years and paid for my schooling.  I learned architecture and engineering not just because they interest me, but because I knew they'd come in handy on the ranch."

Joe picked up his bucket and carried it outside, wondering why he felt so angry as he listened to Adam's calm reasoning.  His tone was biting as he snapped, "That's cause you're Pa's perfect son who always thinks everything through and never does anything for the wrong reasons.  Not like me. I'm just his spoiled little brat who nobody expects to amount to anything."

Joe was halted in his wringing out of the final wet scrubbing cloth by Adam hauling him back inside and jerking him around to face front.  "What do you mean by that?"

"W-well, everybody s-says they're so proud of you all the time,” Joe stuttered, shocked by the anger and dismay in his big brother's face.  "Pa says it, and everybody in town made such a fuss over you going to college, and Miss Jones is always going on about how you pulled yourself out of ingo...ignor...ignorimity or something."  

"Ignominy?" Adam corrected gently. 

Joe nodded and his words started tumbling rapidly out, obviously having been festering inside of him for a long while.  "She says you got away and made something of yourself and that I should study all the time so maybe I can do the same, even though she says I'm not half as smart as you.  I told her I didn't want to go to college, that I wanted to stay right here on the Ponderosa and become a rancher and she shook her head all pitiful like, as if to say that's all I was good for anyway.  There ain't nothin' wrong with being a rancher, Adam! I want to be like Pa and he's a long way from stupid, even if he didn't go to college!" 

"Of course Pa is smart, Joe, and so are you," Adam said firmly, his mind furnishing a few names for Joe's schoolteacher that he would never have considered using to her face.  "You're absolutely right that there is nothing wrong with wanting to stay here, but you have to realize that there's nothing wrong with wanting to go either.  My leaving home didn't make me smarter and it doesn't mean any of the rest of you are dumb for not doing the same.  They're just choices. Every man has to do what's right for himself according to his heart and mind.  Pa is proud of me because I made up my mind to accomplish something I wanted to do and I did it.  If the folks in town are impressed, it's because I'm the first college graduate most of them have ever seen in their lives and it makes them feel important to say they know me.  It's not because I'm any better or more perfect than anyone else." 

"What about Miss Jones?" Joe asked in a small voice, his sudden anger gone with only uncertainty and hurt left in its place.  "I know she thinks I'm stupid next to you, Adam.  Other folks must think so too, or else why would they always be comparing me to you and acting like Pa ought to be pitied for having to put up with me.  They don't do that to Hoss."

"Oh, Joe," Adam sighed, wondering how he could correct the mistake.  "Folks are always liable to jump to conclusions about anybody they don't know very well.  They don't compare Hoss to me because he's just so different in every way.  He's big and friendly and slow to think things out, so some folks assume he's backward.  You and I both know that nothing could be farther from the truth than that, don't we?"

"Hoss ain't real smart when it comes to books and figures, but he knows everything about animals and when he puts his mind to something he's as smart as anybody," Joe agreed loyally.

"That's right.  It's the same with you, too.  You're quick-witted as anybody I've ever met and anything you set your mind to doing, you do and do very well.  As for the comparison to me, I think maybe that's because folks do know you're smart and so they expect you to be interested in books and figures the way I am.  When they find out you're not and, well Joe even you have to admit you're kind of scatterbrained sometimes."  Joe reluctantly agreed to this with a shallow nod.  "They mistake that for lack of ambition but I know that's not the case.  You're ambitions are just different from mine.  Besides, who says you have to make up your mind about what you're going to do with you life right now anyway?"

"You mean I don't?"  Joe asked in surprise.

Adam laughed.  "Joe, you're only twelve years old!  When I was twelve, I had great dreams of running away to sea the way Pa did and becoming a buccaneer.  It took a few years and a little more experience with life to figure out what I really wanted, and sometimes I'm still not sure.  Take your time, Joe, and if you want to change your mind a few dozen times between today and the time you're grown up, that's okay.  It really is, so don't ever let anybody convince you that you're stupid or that you won't amount to anything, okay?  I know better and so should you."  Adam looked Little Joe hard in the eyes, trying to drive his words in and he was relieved to see the boy smile as he swung an arm around him for a quick hug.

Joe was feeling much better for the reassurance.  He had not even realized himself how worried he had been or how badly he had feared telling anybody about this. Adam had always pushed him to do better in school and Joe had been afraid that his brother agreed with his teacher.  "I sort of thought maybe I was just dumb or something and maybe that was why you guys didn't want to do anything with me," he confessed.  "I thought...I thought...I don't know what I thought."  He threw his arms around Adam's neck and hugged him tight, letting his actions make up for the words that wouldn't come.

Adam closed his eyes for a moment as he rested his forehead against the top of Joe's curly head and held him.  How long had poor Little Joe been torturing himself with such thoughts?  It made a twisted kind of sense that he had connected his brothers' apparent lack of interest in him with the feelings of inadequacy he had developed while thinking everyone was comparing him to his oldest brother, but Adam supposed he had been looking for any reason at all.  God, how could he have not even known there was a problem all this time?  "I'm sorry, Joe.  I'm sorry for everything.  Why in the world didn't you say something before now, though?  If I wasn't listening, you should have cornered me and made me listen."

"I know," Joe said sheepishly, feeling a little foolish now that Adam had calmed his fears,  "but I guess I didn't know how to bring it up.  You've been so different this week, so much easier to talk to, that it just slipped out."

"I see," Adam said, and in fact he did.  What his brother meant was that he had thought him unapproachable until now.  "You know something?  I think we're going to have to think of something real nice to do for Pa.  If he hadn't suggested we spend time getting to know each other again, I might never have found out how you were feeling, or remembered just how much I like you."

Joe grinned.  "You like me?"

Adam gave him a playful shove.  "Course I do!  You're a pain sometimes but it's awful nice having you around.  Why, don't you like me?"

"Sure I do," Joe said, his earlier mischievous expression returning.  "Some of the time.  When you're not bossing me around."

Adam hooked his thumbs in his pockets and rocked on his heels, squinting down at his grinning little brother. "Well, I'm not going to promise not to do that anymore.  I am still your older brother."

"Yeah," Joe agreed.  "A lot older."

Adam's lips thinned in annoyance.  "That's right, and so you do agree that maybe I know a little bit more than you do about some things?"

Joe appeared to think it over.  "Well maybe a few, but you're not better than me, right?"  Adam agreed, with a small smile and a graceful nod of his head.  "What about everybody thinking you're perfect, though?"

Adam huffed on his knuckles and polished them against his shirt.  "Well, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about that.  They're right."

"Why you..." Joe did not bother to finish, allowing the bucket of dirty water to express his opinion as he doused Adam with it and took off with a whoop.

"You get back here, you little varmint!"  Adam howled, but Joe was long gone.  For a moment, Adam debated chasing after him, but he knew there would be no catching up with Little Joe if he did not want to be caught and in the meantime, there was water all over the floor. Grumbling under his breath, Adam got back down on his knees and started mopping water off the bunkhouse floor for the third time in two days.

Chapter 10

By the time Adam had finished his chore and got around to looking for Little Joe, the sun was high in the sky and thoughts of the lunch he had missed were starting to become of paramount importance in Adam Cartwright's brain.  In addition to the housework and cleaning the bunkhouse, Adam had managed to get in the breaking of a couple of horses and get some of the hay baled up in the barn loft down to where it could be useful.  Given that he was still on vacation per Pa's orders, Adam figured that was enough for today.  He would find his little brother and then find some food, in that order. 

As he reached the house, the sound of hammering drifted to him on the wind and Adam grinned to himself.  So, Little Joe had gone back to work on the tree house!  Changing direction swiftly, Adam headed out toward the back of the house and laughed when he caught the loud off-key strains of "My Bonny lies Over the Ocean".  He had taught Joe that song many years ago and while the boy evidenced more enthusiasm than talent while singing it, it was clear that he liked the tune.  To judge by the volume of his current rendition, Joe was clearly expecting his brother to come looking for him and didn't want to be too hard to find.  As Adam climbed the board steps the tune became clearer.  He stuck his head in and there was Joe, pounding nails and bobbing his head in rhythm with the lyrics.

"Oh! Bring back (BAM), bring back (BAM), oh bring back my bonnie to me-he-he (BAM)."

Adam joined in as he grabbed another hammer and started helping construct a wall. "Oh bring back my bonnie to me!"  Joe grinned at him, seeming to know full well that Adam was not going to try and get him back for the splashing incident, and helped steady another board.  Harmony was restored between them, virtually if not quite literally.

An hour later both Adam and Joe were surprised to hear a voice calling from below them. "Hey, ain't you two finished with that thing yet?"

"Hoss!" they exclaimed together, scrambling forward to look down at their brightly smiling middle brother.  Adam asked, "What are you doing home?  I thought you and the Simmons were supposed to be gone until tomorrow night."

Hoss shrugged one massive shoulder.  "I done had about all I could take of them boys for one trip.  They don't talk about nothin' but how many gals they've known and how many fights they won nohow.  Turns out they're a lot of fun for an hour or two at the Silver Dollar but awful hard to take for more'n that."

Adam caught his younger brother's eye and silent understanding passed between them.  Hoss was telling the truth about how his camp out had gone but he had not come back because he was bored by the Simmons brothers. He had come back because he was concerned about his own brothers.  "Did you do any hunting?"

A rueful chuckle was Hoss' answer as he removed his hat and used it to dust of his jeans. "We tried to, but Jed was about half lit by the time we started out and he was making so much noise I think all the game heard him us coming and took off before we ever had a chance to see them."

"They were drinking?" Joe sounded shocked.  "Wow, Pa won't be too happy when you tell him that!  You didn't, didya, Hoss?" 

"What, drink or tell Pa?"  Hoss asked innocently, then grinned and said, "I didn't do either one, little brother and I'd appreciate it if you'd keep the fact that Jeb and Tim and a couple of them other fellas did to yourself."

"Sure," Joe agreed readily, happy to have Hoss back home early, no matter what the reason.  "You want to help us?  We're almost done, but there's still some left for you if you want."

"You sure you want me up there?" Hoss asked, hoping for an affirmative but still not sure how his relationship with his younger brother was faring.

"Sure, these floorboards are still real strong.  You won't fall through," Little Joe answered, deliberately misunderstanding the question.  He gave Hoss his best smile and was rewarded with a happy one from his big brother, both of them understanding that all was forgiven.  "Adam says you helped build this house when you were little."

Hoss climbed up the trunk steps and joined them inside.  It was pretty cramped with the three of them, but Adam and Joe willingly scooted their backs up against the freshly constructed sidewalls to make more room.  "I don't remember too clear, but I guess I did," Hoss agreed.  "I sure did spend a lot of time up here though.  I'm glad you two decided to fix 'er up."

"Why didn't you ever bring Joe up here while I was gone?" Adam asked curiously. "I know it wasn't because you didn't want him up here with you, so why not?"

Hoss ducked his head, looking a bit embarrassed.  "I dunno. It needed fixin' before it was any good for playing in and I just didn't feel right about doing it without you.  It was your house, after all.  I was just borrowing it.  After that, I guess I just forgot it was up here."

"Well, Adam says now it's my house," Joe said importantly, "so you're welcome to visit anytime you want."

"That's mighty kind of you," Hoss said with a chuckle.  "Maybe I just will at that."

With the three of them working, it took no time at all to finish the structure and by the time Ben Cartwright came out to call his sons in to supper, and just incidentally to see how the house was shaping up, it was a tree house to be proud of.  Joe had skipped into the house for a few minutes earlier to snitch some lemonade and cookies from Hop Sing and had stopped to give his father a progress report.  He had invited him out to see their work, clearly proud and eager to show it off, and Ben had agreed willingly.  Now as he reached the trunk, Ben was greeted by a trio of voices lustily singing "Pull for the Shore, Sailor," and obviously all trying to outdo each other.  He knew the song well, had in fact been the one to teach it to Adam during one of their many journeys together while traveling west during Adam's boyhood, but even he had never heard it sung with such volume and bravado before!  The sound of his hearty laughter below them alerted the boys to his presence and three happily grinning faces popped out to look down upon their father. "Hello, boys," he chuckled.  "That was quite some concert you were putting on for the birds just now."

"Who won, Pa?"  Joe asked him anxiously. 

Ben raised an eyebrow for clarification and Hoss added, "Which one of us could you hear the loudest when you was on your way out here?  We got five cents apiece riding on it!"

"Now you know I don't approve of gambling," Ben told them solemnly.  His sons looked crestfallen and he had to smile at the sad puppy looks they all wore.  "However, this seems like a pretty innocent wager, so I guess I'll tell you.  Hoss, you're the big winner.  I could hear you before I even realized the other two were singing!"

"That ain't fair," Joe grumbled, grudgingly handing over his nickel to a widely grinning Hoss. "He's got more room for air inside that big middle than Adam and I do."

"Come on, little brother, fair is fair," Adam told him, slapping a coin into Hoss' outstretched palm.  "I told you we'd never beat Hoss when you suggested it."

"I know, I know," Joe grouched. 

Hoss laughed and chucked Joe under the chin, making him smile in spite of himself.  "If'n it'll make you boys feel better I'll spend my new found fortune on candy and sodas for the three of us in town tomorrow."

Adam and Joe looked at each other and grinned.  They each held out a hand for Hoss to shake and declared, "Deal!"

"What's all this about you three going into town?" Ben asked, automatically reaching a hand out to steady Joe as he scrambled down the tree trunk.  Adam and Hoss soon followed and the four of them started back toward the house.

"Well, Pa, I didn't turn out to have a very good time on that there campin' trip," Hoss explained with a wink over Joe's head at Adam and their father.  "So, I figured maybe Adam and Joe and me would just spend the afternoon in town, visit that new candy store that just opened up last week and see what there is to see."

Virginia City was a very rough and still somewhat uncivilized town as yet and Ben disliked his youngest son spending any more time than necessary dwelling in it, but the radiantly happy smile on his face as he looked adoringly from one of his brothers to the other squelched Ben's objections before he could make them.  Adam and Hoss would look after their baby brother and make sure he didn't do or see anything he shouldn't.  "Well, I suppose that's all right," he approved, earning himself a share of that blazing smile from Little Joe.  "Just be sure you're back in plenty of time for supper and don't make yourselves sick eating sweets before you get here or Hop Sing will have your hides."

"We won't, Pa. Promise!"  Joe enthused.  "Come on, Hoss, I'll race you to the house!" 

Laughing, the two of them took off.  Hoss was surprisingly quick on his feet for such a large fellow and his much longer strides helped him keep pace with Joe, though his younger brother was still much faster.  Adam watched them go with a wistful expression on his face.  He glanced up at the tree house then smiled, a little embarrassed when he caught his father's eye and realized he'd been rather obvious in his feelings.  "Looks like things are going to get back to normal pretty quick around here," he commented.  He was a little hurt but not overly surprised that Joe hadn't issued the invitation to race to him as well as to Hoss.  When Hoss was around, Little Joe usually did forget anyone else existed.  "Guess I'll be going back to work after tomorrow, Pa."

Ben touched him lightly on the back.  "Things didn't work out quite the way we'd hoped this week?"

"No, Pa, they worked out better than I'd ever dreamed they could," Adam said, surprising him.  "Being with Joe this week has been like having a veil lifted away from my eyes.  The things I've learned, both about him and about myself really shocked me. You should have heard some of the things he's been thinking all this time he had himself convinced that Hoss and I didn't care about him any more."

"What sorts of things?" Ben asked, concern darkening his tone.

Adam shook his head.  "Just things.  I'd tell you Pa, but they were told to me in confidence.  If Joe wants to tell you, that's up to him, but I can't break a trust I never expected to have again by telling his secrets.  In any case, we talked things out and I don't think he still feels the same way."

Ben was a tad confused and very much wanting to probe for details, but he understood what Adam was telling him and he could not deny the right of it.  There were some things that were meant to stay between two people only and the bond of confidence between brothers was an especially sacred one.  Especially when the brothers were normally as far apart as his oldest and youngest sons were.  "Do you think you two will be able to keep on as you have?" he asked instead.  "I've been very pleased and proud of you both as I watched you together these last several days.  I hope you've found some of that common ground you were looking for."

Adam smiled a trifle sadly.  "I hope so too, Pa, but I'm not sure.  While I was operating on his level Joe and I got along pretty well, but we both knew it was only temporary. I can't turn back the clock, Pa.  I've got to go on with my life and Joe has got to go on with his, and now that he has Hoss again..."  Adam did not finish the thought, but a soft sigh spoke the rest for him. 

Adam perked up a bit during dinner, giving plenty of wit and teasing to each of his brothers as they joked and talked their way through a very companionable meal.  Ben kept an eye on Little Joe, wondering if he too felt ready to let go of this week with his oldest sibling.  Joe chattered away with full animation, relating all the fun things he and Adam had done that week to Hoss, just as if Hoss had been gone a week rather than a day, and wringing promises of more fun over the remainder of the summer from his very willing big brother.  Joe really did seem more interested in Hoss than Adam, Ben noted sadly.  Not that he was ignoring him, but the natural order seemed to have been restored, just as Adam had predicted.

When bed time arrived, Joe disappeared upstairs with loud shouts of goodnight and the rest of his family settled down with books, papers or whittling just as they always did before turning in.  Adam soon put his book down to stare morosely into the fire and he started when Hoss sat down on the settee next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "He's ain't ignoring you on purpose, Adam.  He's just excited about tomorrow and about having both of us back in his life again.  You ain't the only one who had a lot to make up for with him, you know."

Adam looked into Hoss' understanding blue eyes and smiled.  How Hoss always seemed to know what was bothering him was an eternal mystery, but it was something he had always counted on throughout their lives together.  Even across the miles while away at college, it seemed that anytime a problem would creep into Adam's life, all it took was a letter from his big little brother to set him straight again.  That open, honest perspective was one of the things Adam cherished most about Hoss.  "I know you're right, but I think I'm going to miss having Little Joe feeling so happy to be with me. It's been just like when he was a little boy, before I left home.  I'm just sorry it's over, that's all.  It looks like everything is back the way it was."

Hoss smiled.  "Give him a chance, older brother, and just don't forget all the good things about Joe the next time he gives you reason to get mad at him.  He told me how much he liked being friends with you this week and if you'd a seen his face when he said it, you wouldn't be so sure Little Joe's forgot all about you.  I think he's feeling as sorry to lose you as you are to lose him, and it don't have to be that way if you don't want to let it." Hoss stood, giving his brother's arm a thumping pat in parting.  "Think on it some, Adam."

Hoss exchanged goodnights with his father and brother and trudged up the stairs.  Ben smiled at the thoughtful look on Adam's face and began to straighten up the room in preparation for bed.  He felt Hoss had said all that needed saying and he would leave Adam to consider his words. "Goodnight, son."

"Huh?  Oh, goodnight, Pa," Adam said, surprised to see that his father had tidied up and turned off all the lamps but one.  He had never even noticed him getting out of his chair.  "I'll be up in just a bit."

For quite some time, Adam sat there, studying the last small flickers of flame licking the wood of the partially banked fire.  At last, he moved to put them out and settle the fireplace for the night.  The sound of a throat being softly cleared alerted him to the presence of Little Joe.  The boy was in his nightshirt and his hair was a bit pillow tousled, but he did not look as though he had been asleep.  "What are you doing up, Joe?" Adam asked, pulling him closer to heat of the embers.

Little Joe sat down on the hearth and gathered his knees up into his arms. "I wanted to talk to you a minute, without anybody else hearing.  I wanted to say thank you."

"For what?" Adam asked gently, smiling as he reached to brush back an errant curl.

"For this whole week," Joe said earnestly.  "For the fishing and the swimming, and for the tree house and the pranks, and mostly for spending time with me and doing stuff with me and listening to whatever I had to say.  I never knew you could be like that, Adam."

"You never expected we could be friends?" Adam asked, remembering Hoss' words. Joe shook his head, smiling shyly.  "Well, actually neither did I, but I'm glad we found out different.  You think we should try to keep it going, even though we won't be spending as much time together anymore?"

"I'd like to," Joe told him.  "I don't know how long this'll last, but I want it for as long as possible."

"Me too," Adam said, meaning it.

"Pact?" Joe said, holding up his hand.  Adam nodded and Joe spit into his palm while Adam did the same in his.  They shook hands solemnly, then Joe grinned and hugged his brother before hopping to his feet.  "I love you, Adam.  Goodnight."

He turned and was gone in a flash, but Adam stayed where he was.  He couldn't recall the last time Joe had said those words to him and as he poked the last bit of ash into place inside the great hearth, he smiled.  The fire Joe had lit in his heart made the fire in front of him seem stone cold.  He looked up the stairs and said, "I love you too, little brother."

The End