Housebound

Housebound

By Marion

Annie Cartwright lay face down on her bed, sulking. It was still early and she could hear her uncle and cousins laughing at some joke Hoss told. She was miserable and it was all Uncle Ben’s fault. She sniffed. She guessed if she were honest, she’d have to admit it was really all her fault.

The trouble started a few days ago, the week after Christmas. Uncle Ben and Annie’s cousins were out in the pastures checking on the herds. Hop Sing had been in town, visiting one of his many cousins. Annie worked on her chores for a little while after lunch, then decided to take a break. She had been reading A Christmas Carol, her Christmas present from Uncle Ben and she wanted to read some more. She settled herself on the sofa and proceeded to get lost in the story. After she had read for what seemed like an hour, she heard the clock start to chime and decided she’d best get back to her chores. The clock chimed dong, dong and to Annie’s dismay, it chimed twice more. Four o’clock? Uncle Ben was going to have her hide if he caught her reading instead of doing chores. She jumped off the sofa just as the front door opened. Unfortunately for her, Uncle Ben walked in just as she was trying to hide the book under the sofa cushion.

"What are you doing?" He walked over to the sofa and pulled out the book. He looked down at Annie, who was looking everywhere but at him. "Were you reading instead of doing your chores?"

"Yes, sir." Annie chewed on her lower lip and looked up at him. He didn’t look too happy. He frowned down at her.

"I’ll just keep this book for a while, then, until I decide you can do your chores without reminding."

Annie looked at him in dismay. She was just about to start the last chapter, and she had to know how it ended. "Uncle Ben, I’m sorry, it won’t happen again. Please don’t take the book away."

Her uncle’s response was to spin her around, give her a smack on her backside and propel her towards the kitchen area. "Get those chores finished. You’ll get the book back when I decide, not a moment sooner."

Annie hurried over to start dinner. She was so mad, and her backside stung a little. It was all she could do to keep from banging the dishes around, but she knew what would happen if she started that.

Then, this afternoon, Annie found herself home alone. The snows had come again, and she and Joe couldn’t go to school. Uncle Ben was so concerned about the cattle that after lunch he enlisted both Joe and Hop Sing to help him, Adam and Hoss to check on them. Annie waited until everyone had ridden from the yard then she hurried into her uncle’s room. She knew he had put the book on a shelf, just out of her reach. She stood on his chair that she had dragged over to the shelf and was just about to grab the book when she felt strong hands pick her up and put her down on the floor. She turned around to see her uncle towering over her. He didn’t say anything, he just sat on the chair, put her over his knee and spanked her a few times. When he set her on her feet again, she was in tears.

"How dare you defy me like that, young lady?!" Annie just stared at him, one hand covering her backside, the other wiping away tears. "Do your own chores, and then start the barn chores. I think Hop Sing will be too tired to cook tonight, so I expect you to get dinner ready for us. When I come home, everything had better be done." Ben turned her around and propelled her out of his bedroom. "Go get started."

Annie ran into the main room of the house wanting nothing more than to go to her own room, but she knew she was expected to start her chores. As she headed towards the kitchen, she saw Adam looking at her sympathetically. Great, she thought, Uncle Ben’s door had been open the entire time, which meant that Adam heard everything. As if he could read her mind, Adam came over to her.

"Sorry, I couldn’t help but hear. Don’t worry, I won’t tell the others." Adam grinned ruefully. "You don’t think you’re the first one to get in trouble for that, do you?" He winked and tweaked her braid and headed out the door. Annie looked at him as he left. She couldn’t picture him ever getting in trouble with Uncle Ben, but maybe she was wrong. Somehow he made her feel a little better.

A few minutes after Adam left the house, Uncle Ben came out of his room. He looked at her expectantly, but when she didn’t say anything, he sighed. "Make sure your chores are done." Then he too was gone. Annie spent the afternoon getting all her chores done. She took care to make sure everything was done right; it wouldn’t do to give Uncle Ben any more reasons to be mad. She cleaned the house, started dinner, then put on her coat and headed out to do the barn chores. She had to stop a few times to check on dinner, but still she had finished raking out the stalls and putting fresh hay and grain in the feed bins when the men returned from their work.

Uncle Ben commended her on her hard work, but didn’t say much else. The dinner conversation revolved around what chores needed to be done in the morning; Annie just ate without saying anything. Once she was done, she got up and cleaned the dishes. She didn’t want to talk to anyone anyway, she was too busy sulking over her lost book. As soon as she put away the last dish, Uncle Ben called her to him.

"If you’re done, I think you can go to bed; I’ll be in to say good night in a minute."

"Yes sir." So now Annie was laying face down on her bed, waiting for Uncle Ben to come to say good night. She debated about pretending to sleep, but she knew Uncle Ben would want to talk about what happened, and she didn’t think it would be a good idea to defy him anymore today.

Annie heard a soft knock which was followed by the sound of an opening door. She turned and sat up just as Uncle Ben closed the door. He picked up her hairbrush and headed for the bed. As he sat down, she looked at him shyly. "I’m sorry Uncle Ben. I just wanted to know how my book ended."

"It’ll be a while now before you find out, won’t it? And yet, if you had waited, you’d be reading it right now instead of going to bed early." Ben started to brush Annie’s hair. "You need to remember Annie that we’d all like to be doing other things than chores. It’s not fair if you decide to sit and read while everyone else is out working, is it?"

"No, sir, I guess not."

"Hoss said he’d take you and Joe sledding tomorrow afternoon if you want to go." Hoss and Adam had built two wooden sleds for Annie and Joe for Christmas presents and the children went sledding every chance they had.

"You mean I can go? I’m not restricted?"

"I think you’ve been punished, don’t you? I won’t give you your book back for a while, and you had extra chores to do this afternoon." Annie turned and gave her uncle a hug.

"Tell Hoss I’d love to go sledding. You know, Uncle Ben, I think you’re just a big softy sometimes."

Ben smiled. "Want me to change that?"

"No sir!" Ben finished brushing her hair and he stood up. "Uncle Ben, did Adam get into a lot of trouble when he was younger?"

Ben smiled as he put the brush back on Annie’s dresser. "I don’t think you’d want me to tell Adam when you got in trouble, would you?" Annie shook her head. "Then you’ll have to ask Adam that question. I won’t tell." He opened the door and headed out of the room. He stopped and turned to face Annie. "Let’s just say I don’t think he’d say I was an old softy. Good night, Annie."

Annie giggled as she lay back down in bed. "Good night Uncle Ben."

The next day found all four Cartwright children hurrying through their chores. Ben had decided they all deserved the afternoon off because they had been working so hard. Annie was thrilled that Adam and Hoss would be sledding with her and Joe. That meant they could go on the big hill behind the house, which they weren’t allowed to sled on alone. There were more trees and bumps and Uncle Ben was concerned that Annie and Joe would get hurt.

After lunch, Hop Sing told Annie he would finish the dishes so they could go out earlier. Annie thought he was being nice, but Hop Sing was really just anxious to get the noisy lot of them out of the house so he could have some peace. Ben just rolled his eyes as he saw through Hop Sing’s plan, but to be honest he was going to enjoy the peaceful afternoon as well. Maybe he’d start A Christmas Carol, since he wasn’t going to give it back to Annie for a while.

The foursome headed towards the slope, Hoss and Adam dragging the sleds, Annie and Joe trudging behind. The air was cold, and Annie’s wool leggings were making her itchy. When she had complained after putting them on, Uncle Ben said she had a choice of itchy legs or sledding. Wisely she stopped complaining and chose sledding. The boys were all wrapped in the scarves that Annie had made for their Christmas presents, but Annie could still see the steam from their breath.

They had spent a pleasant hour sledding; Joe and Adam teamed up against Annie and Hoss and they had run race after race down the hill. Annie felt a little scared as they flew down the hill, but she knew she didn’t have anything to worry about with Hoss’s strong arms wrapped around her.

They trudged to the top of the hill once again. Hoss was pulling Annie on her sled, but Joe had run ahead of Adam. Suddenly, Hoss slipped on an icy patch. As he fell, he let go of the sled and Annie found herself careening down the hill backwards. She screamed as the sled hit a stump, then it flipped backwards, hurling her through the air. She felt a searing pain in her leg, then everything went black.

When she came too she heard voices standing over her. "I don’t think we should move her 'til Pa gets here Hoss."

"Yer right, Adam, I don’t like the look of her leg. Hope it don’t take Joe long to get Pa." Hoss bent down as he heard Annie moan. "It’s okay, sweetie, help’s comin’. Lord, Annie, I’m sorry I let go."

"Not your fault." was all Annie could gasp out. She didn’t ever remember feeling pain like she felt in her leg just then. "Broken?"

Now Adam knelt beside her. "I’m afraid it might be. Joe ran to get Pa. We don’t want to move you until he comes."

Hoss glanced up. "Here he is now, Annie. Don’t you worry, everything’ll be all right."

Adam and Hoss moved quickly out of their father’s way. Annie was trying hard not to cry, but the pain was too much. When Uncle Ben reached out to touch the leg, she yelped and gave into the tears. "Joe, give me that bottle." Ben forced a little whiskey down Annie’s throat, making her choke. "C’mon, sweetheart, a little more. That’s my girl. It’ll help for the ride home." He looked up at the boys. "Adam, Hoss, help me get her on the sled. Careful not to jostle the leg now. That’s it, nice and easy." Ben and the boys lifted Annie carefully, but still the pain was intense and she cried out again, then passed out cold.

"That might be a blessing" was all Ben said. "Adam, run into town and get Shelby. She can set the leg. See if Eli has any more laudanum. We’ve only got a bit left and I think Annie’s going to need it. Go on, boy, hurry." Adam took off towards the barn. He saw Hop Sing lead Beauty out of the barn, already saddled. Not even thanking Hop Sing, he vaulted into the saddle and headed towards town.

Ben and Hoss wrapped blankets over Annie then slowly dragged the sled towards the house. They were very careful to keep the ride smooth so as to not jar her unnecessarily. Joe followed behind with the second sled.

By the time they got to the house, Hop Sing had already moved the sofa closer to the fire and he had blankets warming on the hearth and water heating in a pot on the stove. He brought out a blanket to lay Annie on, then Hoss and Ben carried her into the house and laid her directly on the couch. Ben grabbed the knife Hop Sing was holding and he ripped open her stocking. The leg was badly bruised and he knew it was definitely broken. He looked up at Hoss and Joe, both looking a little pale as they looked at Annie.

"Boys, you go get changed into dry clothes and start the chores. Hop Sing and I will take care of Annie." Ben hurried into Annie’s room to fetch her nightgown and robe. He didn’t want the boys to see Annie in pain, especially Joseph, who was so sensitive. Plus, he felt Annie would want to have a little privacy.

By the time they heard Adam return, they had changed Annie, dried her off and gotten her into her nightgown. She hadn’t stirred much and they tried hard not to jostle her. Ben turned as the door opened and was glad to see Adam accompanied by the new doctor. "Dr. Martin, I didn’t expect you to be in Eagle Station. I’m very glad to see you."

"Mr. Cartwright, Adam’s told me what happened. Where’s the child?"

"Right here on the couch. We’ve dried her off, and put warm clothes on her, but I didn’t dare touch the leg." He stood back while the doctor examined Annie.

"How long’s she been out like this?"

"She’s come to a few times but the pain is so intense it knocks her out again."

"Did she hit her head?" Ben looked at Adam who shook his head.

"No, sir, she landed on her leg. Her head landed in a snow pile and I think that was like a cushion."

The doctor opened Annie’s eyelid. "No sign of a concussion, I think. That’s good. Let’s hope she stays like this 'til we set her leg. Mr. Cartwright, I think we’re going to need your other boy to help with this. I’m going to need you and the two boys to hold her down."

Hop Sing started forward. "I will stay with Little Joe. I will tell Hoss to come."

Hop Sing stayed in the barn with Joe. A few minutes after Hoss went back to the house, they could hear Annie scream. Hop Sing put his arm around Joe, who had gone deathly pale. "Doctor will take good care of Annie. She will be all right."

Ben watched the fire as it slowly burned down. He roused himself from his chair long enough to put another log on; it wouldn’t do for Annie to get cold. He looked at Doc Martin, sleeping in the other chair and then over at Annie, laying on the couch. She hadn’t stirred since the doctor put the cast on. Ben was worried, but he was relieved when the doctor announced he would stay until she woke up. He had sent the boys to bed hours before.

He started to settle back in his chair when a soft moan caught his attention. He knelt by the couch and was rewarded by the sight of Annie looking up at him.

"Not Hoss’s fault." she whispered. Ben smiled despite his worry. How typical of Annie that she would worry that Hoss was feeling guilty over the accident. And, how typical of Hoss that he did feel guilty, despite everyone telling him it wasn’t his fault. "You shouldn’ta been a softie." Ben looked puzzled until he remembered her comment the night before when he had given permission to go sledding. She had expected to be restricted for trying to get the book; when he told her she could go sledding, she called him an old softie.

"Shhh. How are you feeling?"

"Hurts. Who’s that?"

Ben looked around and saw Doctor Martin was standing behind him. "This is Doctor Martin; he set your leg for you." Ben stood and moved aside so Doctor Martin could examine Annie.

"How are you feeling, young lady? You had quite the fall."

"My leg hurts like...it hurts a lot."

"How about your head?"

"No, sir. Only my leg, and my backside." She blushed. "I think I landed on a rock there."

Doctor Martin smiled. "How about your vision. Are you seeing double?" Annie shook her head. "How’s your stomach. Are you hungry?"

"A little, sir."

"Mr. Cartwright, it should be all right to give her a little bread and water for now. If she holds that down, she can have something more substantial in the morning."

"Doctor, would you like to go sleep in Annie’s bed for a while? I’ll sit up with her, and call you if I need you."

"That would be a blessing Mr. Cartwright. I was up half the night with Mrs. Carlson. Her baby didn’t come until 3 am. If Annie’s in pain, just give her a dose of the laudanum." Ben showed the doctor to Annie’s room, then he moved towards the kitchen to get Annie the bread and water. He brought it over to Annie, then dragged a chair by the couch so he could be close to her. He helped her sit up, then held her a minute when she gasped in pain.

"Do you want the laudanum yet? It’ll make you sleepy."

Annie shook her head. "Hungry." She eagerly took the bread her uncle handed her.

"Easy now. If you eat that too fast you’ll just bring it back up again." He settled down next to her and watched her eat slowly. After she finished the bread and water, she looked at him hopefully. He laughed. "No more for now. Let’s make sure that stays in your stomach." She made a face, then winced again.

"I’m sorry Uncle Ben."

"For what, you didn’t do this on purpose did you?" Annie shook her head. "That’s good, because I’d hate to have to give you a tanning for breaking your leg on purpose." He winked and Annie giggled. "You’ve nothing to be sorry for."

"You don’t have the time to be taking care of me. Now I’m not going to be able to help with anything and I won’t be able to go to school and people will have to do things for me." Annie started to cry, and Ben squeezed onto the couch to put his arms around her. "My leg hurts a lot, Uncle Ben. Make it stop." Annie was sobbing in earnest now and Ben got up to pour the laudanum. He gave her the medicine and she drank some water. He sat back down next to her and snuggled close to her.

"Did your father ever tell you about the time we almost broke our legs?" Annie shook her head. "By the time our father was done with us, we wished we had broken them! Want me to tell you the story?" Annie nodded and rested her head against Uncle Ben.

"Let me see. I was 8 or 9, so your father was 6 or 7 and John was 11. There was an old sand and gravel pit right outside of town and most of children were forbidden to go near it. It was pretty dangerous and our parents said we could get hurt or killed. Of course, that meant it was the most popular place to be. Some of the bigger boys had hung ropes from trees so they could swing over the pit. Sometimes if we had enough rain it would fill with water and the boys would drop into the water and splash around.

"Well, your grandfather had forbidden all of us to go near the place. One day, John decided he wanted to go swinging with a few of his friends, but Father and Mother were away for the day, so he was stuck watching Eddie and me. He dragged us along after making us swear to never tell Father we had left the house, because of course Father had told us to stay in our own yard.

"He had been swinging for about an hour and Eddie was starting to get bored. John had enough sense to not let us anywhere near the ropes. He knew what Father would do if one of us got hurt! It was getting close to the time we had to leave anyway, so John decided to go for one more swing. What he didn’t know was that Eddie had wandered over to the rim of the pit. John came swinging by and brushed Eddie with his foot. Eddie started to lose his balance and I went to grab him. We both tumbled down the side. John was so startled by seeing us roll down that he let go of the rope and he went rolling down the side of the pit, too. We all three ended up in a heap at the bottom, sore and bruised. My ankle was in such pain that I was sure it had been broken. Eddie’s legs were all scratched and his pants were ripped. John had twisted his knee and it started to swell almost instantly. We had to scramble up the side, which was hard work and then we all limped home, hoping against hope that Father and Mother, but especially Father, wouldn’t notice.

"Our luck at home was as good as the luck at the pit. We opened the front gate and there was Father standing on the porch watching as we hobbled in. He and Mother cleaned our cuts and put cold compresses on our twists and sprains. They brought us to bed, and Mother brought up our dinner. The whole time he never said anything about what happened, even though it was very obvious where we had been.

"We couldn’t believe our good fortune. Father didn’t seem angry at all, and we thought he would be furious. We all went to sleep that night feeling achy but good inside. Imagine our surprise when Father woke us the next morning. ‘All right, laddies,’ he said. ‘I want you in my study, one at a time, first John, then Benjamin, then Edward.’ He stopped John from putting on his pants. ‘You won’t be needing those, boy-o.’"

"What then, Uncle Ben?" Annie had a grin from ear to ear as she listened to the story, pain forgotten.

"Well, if you think I’m strict, you didn’t know your Grandfather. Poor Eddie, he had to listen to John and me go first. He was white as a sheet when I came out of the study. Not that I felt sorry for him then. I was feeling too sorry for myself!"

Annie giggled. "Papa always told me that I got away with things that he never would have and that Grandfather Cartwright was very strict." Annie yawned and Ben helped her lie down comfortably.

"You go to sleep sweetheart. I’ll be right here if you need me."

The next few days were something of a blur for Annie. She was in pain a lot of the time and her uncle kept her dosed with the laudanum. Consequently she spent much of her time sleeping. When she was awake she was aware that her uncle was with her every time, either sitting near her or within earshot. She felt guilty, because she knew he had important work to do, but each time he brushed off her apologies.

By the end of the fifth day, Annie was starting to feel better. Her leg still hurt a lot, but she didn’t need the laudanum as much. She was awake for longer periods of time and she was starting to get restless. The doctor still wouldn’t let her get up, but she was bored sitting for so long. That night, there was a blizzard and everyone was housebound the next day. Adam, Hoss and Ben struggled outside to do the barn chores, but Joe was stuck in the house with Annie. They played what seemed like a hundred games of checkers before the men came back inside.

Adam took off his coat, shook the snow off his legs and sat in the chair next to Annie. "Want me to read to you, Annie?" She shook her head.

"Adam, what happened when you got in trouble for the book?" He gave her a puzzled look. "You said you got in trouble once for taking a book after Uncle Ben took it away from you. What happened?"

Behind Adam, Uncle Ben smiled and Hoss smirked. They both remembered the incident very clearly. Joe on the other hand pulled his chair closer to Adam and Annie. He didn’t remember the incident and he loved to hear about Adam getting into trouble. Adam looked uncomfortable, then shrugged.

"I was 12 or 13, and we were still living in New Orleans. One day, Pa and Marie left me in charge of Joe and Hoss while they went out somewhere. Maybe they were shopping, I don’t remember. Anyway, I had just gotten a new book and all I wanted to do was read. I tried to get Joe and Hoss to play by themselves, but they wanted to play with me. I played a while, then decided I was going to read. I locked the two of them in our bedroom while I went downstairs to read. I told them we were playing a game of cops and robbers and that I was locking them in jail. They thought that was fun for a while, but soon got bored. They were banging on the door and hollering and I just sat and read. Of course, Pa and Marie came home and heard the banging. Pa took one look at what I was doing, let the boys out and took the book away from me. He gave me a long lecture about responsibility, restricted me to the house for a week and told me that for the next week, I was to spend all my free time playing with Joe and Hoss, and if I didn’t play nicely, I’d regret it.

"So, I played with them for the week. On the last day of my restriction, Pa and Marie went out again, but this time they took Joe and Hoss. There was some kind of festival or something going on. I was really mad that I couldn’t go, but Pa wouldn’t let up on the restriction. Marie had started dinner and told me to mind the stove while she was gone.

"Shortly after they left I realized it was the perfect time to read my book. As long as I watched the time, I could have the book back in its place before Pa found out it was gone. Of course, once I got into my book I lost all track of time and I stopped paying attention to the stove. I was sitting in the kitchen when all of a sudden I smelled smoke. I looked up and there was smoke just billowing out of the oven. I dropped my book and I grabbed a rug to beat out the flames that were starting to shoot out the side.

"I no sooner got the fire out than I heard Pa and Marie come back to the house. I knew I was in dire straits. There was no way to clean up the mess before they came into the kitchen. What I didn’t know was that the smoke smell had already permeated the house. Pa and Marie came running into the kitchen, Hoss and Joe right behind them. Pa took one look at me, all dirty, holding a burned rug in one hand, then looked at the book on the table. He checked to make sure the fire was out, then took off his belt and tanned me right there in the kitchen in front of Marie and my brothers. Then he made me clean all the mess when all I wanted to do was hide in my room. I don’t think I got the book back for at least 2 months, but I was so busy doing chores to pay for the damage that I didn’t have a lot of time to read."

Annie and Joe both started to laugh. Annie had such trouble picturing Adam getting into trouble. He was such a grown-up in her eyes. "Did you get in trouble a lot when you were our age Adam?"

"What makes you think I did?"

"I asked Uncle Ben the other night, and he said I’d have to ask you, but that he didn’t think you would agree he was a big softy."

Adam shook his head slowly. "Nooo, I have to say I wouldn’t think he was a big softy, at least not like he is now." Here Adam winked at his father, who pretended to box his ears. "I bet Hoss wouldn’t say that either." Hoss grimaced, but Hop Sing interrupted by telling everyone it was lunchtime.

The family was eating lunch around the fireplace. Normally Ben wouldn’t allow such informality, but he wanted to keep Annie company. Hop Sing had made a delicious soup for lunch and he had even baked fresh bread. The smell had been tantalizing them all morning and they were enjoying the treat.

Annie put down her spoon and looked up at Hoss. "So, Hoss, what did Adam mean when he said you wouldn’t say Uncle Ben was a softy."

Hoss shrugged. "I don’t know what he’s talkin’ about. The only trouble I ever got into was the stuff he started." Adam rolled his eyes and Ben coughed.

"Well, son, there was the baby snake incident.. I know Adam wasn’t involved with that one."

Adam laughed so hard he almost spilled his soup. "Go on, Hoss, tell Annie that one." Hoss hesitated. "If you don’t tell her, I will. You were all fired up to hear about the trouble I got into."

"Well, Adam, I just reckoned there were a lot more stories about you than me." Ben nodded, as if in agreement. "See, Pa even agrees with me."

Ben held up his free hand in protest. "Don’t get me involved."

Joe just about jumped out of his seat. "C’mon Hoss, tell us about the snakes."

Hoss blushed, then started. "Well, we’d just started coming west. You were 3 I think Little Joe, I was 8, Adam was 12. Anyways, one day we were rolling along some trail when I saw a dead snake in the middle of the road. Musta been run over by a wagon. I did some exploring and found that it was a mama snake and it left some babies in a nest nearby. I pleaded with Pa to let us take the babies because otherwise they were gonna die, but he wouldn’t hear of it. Mama almost screamed when she heard what I wanted to do. Well, I couldn’t bear to think of them snakes dying and shoved as many as I could into my pockets. Then when we got back to the wagon, I put them into a box that I found. Unfortunately I didn’t know that was Mama’s box that she kept her letter writing things in.

"The next day, Pa and Adam went off hunting. Joe was sleeping, so Mama decided to write a letter to Tante Jeanette. Next thing I know I heard her screaming like she was being murdered. She made me get rid of all the snakes. Then she grabbed me and spanked me with her hairbrush." Hoss stopped, as though he was done with the story. Adam looked at him, then decided to finish the tale.

"What Hoss isn’t telling you is that Marie was still furious with him by the time Pa and I got back to camp. We walked into camp and she took one look at Pa. ‘Ask Eric what kind of day he had.’ she said. I took one look at Hoss standing at the back of the wagon and knew something had happened. Unfortunately for Hoss, so could Pa. Hoss tried to stammer out some kind of explanation, but Marie didn’t let him get three words out before she jumped in and finished the story. Pa was angry at Hoss for upsetting Marie and for disobeying him, so next thing we knew Pa and Hoss were on the other side of the wagon. So you see, Annie, Pa wasn’t a softy then. Poor Hoss got spanked twice for the same thing."

Ben frowned. "I’m not sure I like this conversation. You boys are making me out to be some kind of tyrant." All four children rolled their eyes. "Well, I don’t think I’m unreasonable when I expect my children to be honest, obedient and respectful. If you think I’m strict.."

"You should have known your Grandfather Cartwright." All four finished his sentence in unison.

"Pa, you’re not a tyrant, just a benevolent dictator." Adam laughed at the look on his father’s face.

"Aw, Uncle Ben, you know I think you’re just an old softy." Annie giggled.

"Yes, well this old softy thinks its time for you boys to start evening chores. Joe, the storm has stopped so you can help your brothers. I think I’ll stay in here and stay warm."

Annie could see the moon shining on the snow outside. The house was quiet; everyone had gone to bed a few hours previously. Even Uncle Ben was sleeping in his bed, instead of sleeping in a chair next to Annie all night. The fire had died down a little and she could feel a slight chill. Her leg ached, and she regretted not asking for a powder before Uncle Ben had gone to bed. She told him she wouldn’t need one because she was afraid he wouldn’t sleep in his own bed if he thought she was still in pain. Sleeping in the chair didn’t seem that comfortable, and he was starting to look tired.

Annie heard the noise of a door opening quietly. She pretended to be asleep, in case it was Uncle Ben. She heard someone tip toe over to the kitchen area, then heard rustling. Figuring it had to be Hoss, she opened her eyes. She could see she was wrong – it was Adam.

"Best not let Hop Sing catch you raiding his larder!" she whispered. Adam grinned and brought his snack over by the couch where Annie lay. He looked down at her.

"Can’t sleep?" Annie nodded. "Is it your leg? Do you want something for the pain?" Annie nodded again and Adam put his snack down and went to fetch a powder and some water. When he came back, he handed the water to Annie and she gulped it down. "Want some company ‘til you fall asleep?"

"I’d appreciate it." Adam pulled up a chair and started eating.

"You know, Hop Sing thinks it’s Hoss raiding the leftovers. I think he’s about to tell your Pa, he’s that annoyed."

Adam waved his bread in her direction. "Nah, he won’t do it. And if he does, I’ll tell Pa it’s me. I wouldn’t let Hoss get into trouble for something I did."

Annie bit her lower lip. "Adam? Do you think your Pa was upset when we teased him tonight?"

Adam shook his head. "He’s used to teasing, to a point anyway. We’ve never had to ask him if he was upset with us."

Annie giggled. "Like my Papa. He’d let me know if I went too far!" She paused, then looked at him. "Adam, did you ever feel guilty for loving your stepmothers?" Adam looked surprised. "I’m sorry, was that too personal?"

"No, I just wasn’t expecting the question." He sighed. "Yeah, I guess I did. I think that’s one reason I didn’t get on with Marie at first. Except there I felt guilty to Inger, not my mother. But Pa explained it to me. When he first married Inger, I remember him telling me that my mother would want me to be happy. After he was married to Marie for a while, I decided Inger would want me to be happy, too." Now it was Adam’s turn to pause. "Annie, are you feeling guilty for loving Pa?"

She shrugged. "Maybe. It’s just I’m so happy living on the Ponderosa that I feel, I don’t know, disloyal to my father a little."

"I didn’t know your Pa too well, Annie, but if he was anything like my Pa, he wouldn’t want you to feel like that. Pa would just want us to be happy and safe."

"I suppose. Papa was a lot like your Pa, maybe that’s why I like it here so much. Papa could be awfully strict sometimes. I remember when we were on the wagon train – I think I was only 4 or 5 – anyway, I remember sneaking off and finding some Indian children to play with. Papa was furious when he found me and he gave me such a spanking. I really didn’t enjoy sitting in the wagon for a few days, but he insisted I had to stay with him."

"Yeah, Pa was tough when we were traveling West, too. Thinking back now I know it was because everything was so dangerous. If I didn’t obey him right away, I could have gotten hurt. I wish I realized it then, sitting would have been a lot more comfortable!"

"Sometimes Uncle Ben really surprises me though. I thought for sure I’d get a spanking for sneaking out with Mitch during the dance. Uncle Ben started out mad, then just gave me a sad look, then warned me it’d better not happen again. Papa would have spanked me for sure."

"Which made you feel worse?" Annie looked puzzled. Adam tried again. "Did the look make you feel as bad as a spanking? He’s got a way of looking at you that can make you feel almost worse than a spanking. By the way, listen to the warning. He never forgets them, and he always remembers what he promised."

"I guess I felt pretty bad about upsetting him again. Papa had that look, too. I’m pretty lucky, though. Peggy’s uncle is real mean. If she gets into any kind of trouble, he gives her a tanning, doesn’t even ask what happened. Uncle Ben’s real fair; he always listens to my side of the story. Papa was fair too. It’s funny how much alike they are."

"Well, they are brothers after all."

"Yeah, but you and Hoss and Joe are brothers and you’re not alike."

"I think we’re more alike than people realize. We don’t look alike, and we have different mothers, but we believe in a lot of the same things. I think it comes from being raised the same, just like our fathers were."

"I wonder what Grandfather Cartwright was really like. Do you think he was as strict as they make him out to be?"

Adam shrugged. "I don’t know, but Pa’s stories certainly make him sound tougher than Pa."

"Yeah, but my father’s stories made it sound like Uncle Ben and Uncle John were the troublemakers and he only got in trouble because of them. Maybe Papa and Uncle Ben just tell those stories to make us feel like we’re lucky." Annie yawned. "Then again, I guess I do feel pretty lucky." She yawned yet again. "I think the powder’s kicking in. I’m having trouble staying awake. Leg feels a little better, too. Thanks, Adam."

Adam stood up and picked up his dishes. "I’d better get these cleaned so Hop Sing doesn’t find me out." He leaned over and kissed Annie. "See you in the morning."

Neither Adam nor Annie heard Ben’s door close. He smiled ruefully. If he caught any of the children eavesdropping on such a private conversation he would have tanned them good. Yet, it really touched him to hear his most private of sons confide his innermost feelings just to comfort his cousin. He agreed with Annie – he was pretty lucky.

The next morning, Ben decided that Joe would be able to go to school, and after a brief argument, and a threat from his father Joe went, grudgingly. Ben worked on the books for most of the morning and Adam and Hoss stayed around the yard repairing tools and fixing tack. Once again, the family ate lunch gathered around the fireplace. Annie was glum. She wanted to be in school, seeing her friends, talking to Mitch, but instead she was stuck at home. They had just finished eating when Ben looked at Adam.

"Adam, I’d like you to ride into town with me." Adam looked surprised, but nodded. He couldn’t think of anything they needed, and it wasn’t like Pa to just decide to go to town. Hoss looked at his father expectantly but Ben just shook his head. "Hoss, I need you to stay here and finish fixing those tools. You can keep Annie company, too. Finish up, Adam and let’s ride."

They rode in companionable silence for the entire trip into town. They had spent so much time together in 21 years that words often weren’t necessary, and they both enjoyed the quiet. They usually had Hoss, or Annie and Joe with them, and things weren’t silent then. Adam followed his father into town, and they both dismounted in front of Shelby’s saloon. Adam was surprised when his father tied up his horse and headed in, but he quickly followed.

"Ben, Adam, how you doin’ today?" Shelby was standing behind the bar, her habitual cigar hanging from one side of her mouth.

"Fine, Shelby. Business slow?" Ben looked around and realized it was an understatement.

"Yeah. Them men that make it into town want something more than whiskey to warm them up. They’re down at Jack’s hotel. What’ll be?"

"Two beers, please." Ben almost laughed. He couldn’t figure out who looked more shocked, Shelby or Adam. He took the beers and sat at a corner table. "Well, son, aren’t you going to join me? Can’t I take my own adult son to a bar for a drink without shocking him into silence?"

Adam sat down and took the beer before his father could change his mind. "Well, Pa, you’ve got to admit this doesn’t happen too often. In fact, you’ve got to admit this is a first."

Ben acknowledged Adam’s comment with a grin and a shake of his head. "Too true, son. Well, it’s a long time coming then." Ben lifted his glass. "To sons."

Adam lifted his glass in return. "To fathers, then." He took a swig from the glass and Ben looked at him.

"Well, it may be a first for you and me, but it’s obviously not a first for you." Adam looked so embarrassed that Ben laughed. "I would have been surprised if it was the first time for you, son." Ben looked serious for a minute. "Actually, Adam, I brought you here today so we could talk it private. There doesn’t seem to be a place at home for quiet conversation right now.

"Adam, a long time ago I promised something to your mother. I made the same promise to Inger and Marie and most importantly, I promised you. Ever since you learned that the marks on a paper were letters, you’ve been eager to learn. I swore that someday you would go to college. Things haven’t always worked out the way we’ve wanted, and we’ve always put that college education off. But, you’re not a boy anymore, and I don’t think we should put it off much longer. Now, I’m not saying that we’ll be ready this fall, but I think we can be ready by next fall if we put our minds to it."

Adam was shocked. This was the very last thing he expected to hear from his father. College was something he wanted since he first heard about it. He shook his head. "Pa, even if we could afford it, you need me to help work the ranch. Joe’s not old enough, and there’s more work than you and Hoss can handle."

Ben took a drink. "Adam, I will always need you, but there comes a time in a man’s life when he has to think of what he needs, not what his father needs. We’re going to need to hire hands with the addition of Annie’s ranch, so it seems like this is as good a time as any. I am going to ask that you wait until next Fall, so I can have you help me this first year, but I can’t ask anymore of you, except that you think about coming home when you’re done. I’ve been thinking a lot about this. If you go to school in Boston, you can live with your Grandfather Stoddard. Abel has already offered, more than once, he’ll be thrilled to have you with him. You can work in the shop to earn your keep, so that just leaves tuition and books and such. We’ll work it out." Ben gestured to Shelby and she brought two more beers, then beat a retreat. She had worked in saloon long enough to know when people wanted to be left alone.

Adam thought awhile. "Pa, I don’t know what to say."

Ben grinned. "Well, then, college’ll be worth every penny if it shocked you into silence!" He drained his beer. "Finish that up. I want to go see Mr. Taylor. I figure you’re going to need some tutoring if you’re going to be ready for college exams. I also want him to come out to the ranch to tutor Annie while she’s home. I think it’ll be a while before she can go back to school. We’ll ride home with Little Joe."

Riding home with Little Joe was not meant to be. They got to the school only to find that the students had already left. Mr. Taylor was packing his satchel but looked up as they entered the classroom.

"Mr. Cartwright, Adam, how good to see you."

"Where are the students, Mr. Taylor? We had hoped to ride home with Joe."

Mr. Taylor frowned. "Well, I let the students go early. I wasn’t sure if those were snow clouds and I hate the idea of the students getting caught in a storm. But, I assumed you were here to explain why Joe hasn’t been to school in a week. I knew Annie had broken her leg, but I haven’t heard that Joe was ill."

Ben looked confused. "Joseph should have been here just about every day this week, except for the day of the big storm. Are you saying he’s not been here?" Ben frowned. "That boy! He’s been playing hooky and then telling me he was in school. You wait until I get my hands on him!" Ben nodded. "He’ll be here tomorrow, Mr. Taylor, you may be sure of that." The two men shook hands and Ben started to leave. He turned suddenly. "Mr. Taylor, I almost forgot why I came here in the first place!" He quickly outlined his requests and the fee he was prepared to pay and Mr. Taylor readily agreed. He would to the Ponderosa beginning this Saturday and he would work with Annie and with Adam both.

Adam and Ben rode home in silence once again. Adam was still thinking about the possibility of going to college and Ben was lost in thoughts of Joe and what he was going to do with the boy when they got home. Not only had he played hooky, but he had lied to his father as well. Lying was simply inexcusable, and Ben wouldn’t tolerate it. He shook his head. He doubted Joe would think his father was a softy tonight.

They stabled the horses and Ben was pleased to see that the barn chores were done. Hoss’s doing, no doubt, not Joseph’s. They crossed the yard and hurried into the house. Joe and Annie were sitting in front of the fire, giggling. Hoss was trying to get some food from the kitchen, but Hop Sing kept waving his wooden spoon in Hoss’s face. All activity stopped as Adam and Ben came into the house. Annie’s greeting died on her lips when she saw the thunderous look on her uncle’s face.

"Joseph, I need to see you in the barn." Joe blanched; his father’s tone was colder than the outside air and he knew instantly that he had been caught. He got up and put on his coat. His father grabbed his arm and practically dragged him outside.

Hoss looked at Adam. "What was that all about?"

Adam rolled his eyes. "Joe hasn’t been to school since Annie broke her leg."

Annie gasped. "But I heard him tell Uncle Ben that he had been to school. You mean he lied?" Adam nodded and Annie shook her head. "Uncle Ben’s gonna kill him!"

A little while later, Joe came into the house. He didn’t say anything, he didn’t look at anyone, just hung up his coat and went to his room, closing the door behind him. Ben came in a short while later, also not saying anything. He just stood in front of the fire and stared into the flames for a long time.

Annie was awakened by the sound of someone rummaging through the leftovers. "Adam?" she called out softly.

"No, Joe." He brought over his snack and stood near her. "I didn’t feel much like eating at dinner, but I’m hungry now."

Annie shook her head. "How’d you think you’d get away with that one? Where’d you go when you weren’t at school?"

Joe shrugged. "I didn’t really think much of the consequences." He rolled his eyes. "Pa had a lot to say about that, believe me! Me and some of the guys found an old abandoned cabin and we stayed there."

"What guys?"

"Mitch, Seth, a couple of others." He leaned against the chair closest to the couch.

"Now that Mr. Taylor’s figured out you were playing hooky, he’s gonna figure they were too."

"Seth’s father won’t care."

"Mitch’s will. He’ll get a hiding for sure. Sit down and keep me company while you eat." Annie gestured to the chair.

"Standing’s fine. Pa was real angry ‘cuz I wouldn’t tell him what we were doing."

"What were you doing?"

"I’m not going to tell you so you can tell him."

Annie looked mad. "How many times do I gotta tell you, I’m not a tattletale!"

"It’s better if you don’t know."

"Joe, are you breaking the law?"

"Nah, nothing like that. Just stuff I know Pa wouldn’t like if he found out. It’s better if you don’t know."

Annie shook her head again. "When have you ever done something really wrong and your father not found out about it? You know he always does, and if he does find out you’ll just get another tanning."

Joe shrugged. "I’ll worry about that when it happens."

"Well, if you’re smart you won’t play hooky anymore. Mr. Taylor’ll be here every week and you know he’ll tell Uncle Ben if you’re not in school."

Joe looked embarrassed. "Pa’s going to bring me to school everyday, just like I was a little kid."

"You can’t think you don’t deserve that."

"Aw, Annie, it’s bad enough I gotta listen to Pa’s lectures, I don’t want to hear it from you too. When you’d turn into such a goody-two-shoes?"

"Pardon me for not letting you wallow in self-pity. I gotta go to sleep." Annie closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. In truth, she was really worried about Joe. Some of the boys that Seth hung around with were pretty rough and she wasn’t sure she believed Joe when he said they weren’t doing anything illegal. It must have been pretty bad if Joe was willing to take the extra punishment that went along with refusing to tell his father what they were doing. She heard Joe close the bunkroom door. Her leg hurt and she regretted not asking Joe to get her something for the pain. Well, she wasn’t going to wake anyone else up tonight.

It seemed like everyone was in a bad mood the next morning. Annie was grumpy because she hadn’t slept well, Joe was sulking over his tanning, and Ben was still upset with Joe for playing hooky and for not telling where he was going. Adam and Hoss were annoyed with Joe because whenever Pa was upset with one son, he was short-tempered with all his sons. Only Hop Sing seemed to be impervious to the bad mood settling around the house.

"Breakfast is ready. Come eat." They all settled around the fireplace and he handed them bowls of steaming oatmeal. Annie groaned when she saw what was in the bowl. Ben looked at her sharply.

"Annie, I don’t want to hear complaints. Just eat."

"I didn’t say anything. But, since you asked, I’m sick of oatmeal. I hate oatmeal and I’m not gonna eat oatmeal!"

Ben frowned and half rose from his seat. "I didn’t ask, but you’ll eat it or else!"

"Or else what? You’ll restrict me to this half of the couch?" Now Ben got up and leaned over Annie.

"I may not be able to give you the spanking you deserve, but if you talk to me like that again, I’ll wash your mouth out with soap. Do you understand?" Annie just looked at him, arms crossed, mouth in a pout. He moved as though to head to the sink.

"Yes, sir." Annie picked up her spoon and started to eat. Her cousins had been watching with a mix of amusement and incredulity. They knew she was pushing her luck, but she never seemed to figure that out on her own. Ben turned to them.

"You boys hurry up and finish the barn chores, then Adam, Hoss I need you to check the cattle. Be home for lunch. Joseph, you be sure to get all your chores done quickly. I don’t want to be late getting you to school."

"Pa, you don’t really have to take me.." Joe squirmed uncomfortably.

"Actually, Joseph, I think you’ve proven that I need to do just that." Joe scowled but wisely kept his mouth shut.

Pretty soon the house was empty except for Annie and Hop Sing. Annie sat sulking for a few minutes until Hop Sing came over with a basket of mending. "Here. I need this done today." Annie looked at him, startled out of her misery.