Adam's Punishment

By Tennessee

Adam was glad to be out of school so he could help at the ranch more than his brothers, who were still in school. But his pa wouldn't let Adam do all he wanted to do on the ranch.

Ben was going to look at some new horses to buy and he would be gone all day. Adam would be in charge of the Ponderosa. When Ben left, Adam did his chores and then thought, "I know where Pa keeps his old pistol." He went and got the pistol and some bullets and then saddled his horse and rode far out into the woods for some target practice Pa would never know about.

Adam made a target. He loaded the pistol and shot. He missed the target. The second time he somehow hit a bird in a tree. He tried a third time and hit a tree. The bullet bounced off the tree and hit Adam in the leg.

He wrapped his shirt around his leg, which was bleeding a lot. Adam got on his horse and rode him. He bled on the floor as he collected supplies. He was cleaning the wound when Pa and Hop Sing came in. They ran to him. "What happened, son?" Ben asked.

"I cut my leg on an ax, Pa," Adam lied.

Hop Sing and Ben helped him into bed. When Ben got a look at the wound, he knew it was from a bullet. He was so made his face was red. "Where is it, Adam?" he stormed.

"What?"

"Adam, don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. I'm already very upset with you."

Adam just looked at him.

"Where is my old pistol, son? I know you didn't cut your leg with the ax. It's a bullet wound, and my old pistol is gone." Ben was yelling now. "Adam, where is it?"

"I - I dropped it in the woods where I was target shooting."

Ben shook his head. "I need to get it. What if a child found it? Where is it?"

Adam told Ben, and Ben went to find the gun. He found the dead bird too. As he rode home thinking about what could have happened to Adam, he grew more and more angry. He stopped at the lake to calm down. When he got back to the ranch, Hoss and Little Joe were in their room talking to Adam.

Ben walked in and said, "Hoss, Joe, I want to talk to Adam. You have chores to do. Close the door behind you."

They left and Adam said, "Pa, listen -"

"No, Adam, you listen to me. You are in so much trouble. I can't trust you now."

"Pa -"

"Adam, I'm talking!" Ben yelled. "I found the pistol. Adam, when you do something like this behind my back you are acting like a little boy, not a man, son. When your leg heals, we will talk about what consequences you will face. I will be keeping you so busy you won't have time to think about pistols or shooting targets."

Ben left the room. He rode to town and asked Big Dan to keep the old pistol for him. Big Dan said he would. When Ben got home, he ate supper and went to bed without saying good night. The boys knew he was upset.

Ben knew one thing. He would always take his pistol everywhere he went so the boys wouldn't be tempted to play with it.

Adam laid awake that night, thinking about what Pa had said. The more he thought, the madder he got. The next morning Adam was so mad he yelled at Little Joe. Ben was so upset he yelled at Hoss.

Adam yelled, "Hop Sing, I need some tea!"

Ben said, "You'll get it when you say please, Adam."

Adam hobbled to the table and got his own tea. He looked at Little Joe sitting there. "Stop looking at me."

Ben said, "Adam, I'm the one you are mad at. Don't take it out on Little Joe."

"You're right, Pa. I'm mad at you. I was just target shooting, that's all."

"You were using my pistol, son. A pistol I told you not to touch."

Adam's face got red. "I was using your pistol because I don't have one of my own!"

Ben jumped up and said, "Don't talk to me like that, son!"

Adam went to his room and shut the door. For days, Ben and Adam did not say a word to each other. Little Joe and Hoss did not want to take sides, but it was hard not to. Hoss knew what Adam was trying to say. Adam was twenty-two years old and old enough to have a pistol. But he knew Pa was right too. Adam should respect Pa's wishes, and he shouldn't have taken Pa's pistol without permission.

Little Joe looked up to Adam. He thought Adam should have a pistol. And Little Joe knew Pa had a point too.

Adam was up and around a week later, but he and Pa still weren't speaking to each other. Adam got on his horse and went for a ride. He found himself where he'd been target shooting. He got off his horse and went to look at the target he'd set up. A tin can. He's missed it. He got to thinking about his pa and how he was feeling about him taking the pistol. He got on his horse and rode home. He saw Pa and his brothers coming out of the barn. "Pa, we need to talk."

"Yes we do, son."

Pa and Adam went to talk in the barn.

"Adam, you are too big and too old to lay across my lap for a whipping. You are almost a man, son. And I do mean 'almost' because it's not all about how old you are, it's also a matter of how you act. When you carry a pistol you have to be willing to use it, son. That's not something I want for you. You're not ready yet. For disobeying me and lying to be, you need to be punished. I've decided you will go around helping people who need help in town. And I have made a list of extra chores for you to do around here too."

Adam nodded. He helped Ruth stock the store. He helped Eli carry boxes into the back room and swept the store and the sidewalk outside. He got the mail off the stage when it came. He helped Big Dan clean the livery and brush down all the horses. He fed and watered the horses too.

Jack Wolf saw Adam. He'd heard Adam was helping people in town. As Adam passed by the hotel door Jack said, "Cartwright."

Adam stopped. Jack said, "I hear you been helping people."

"Yes," Adam said. "Will I need to help you too?"

"Oh yeah."

"Doing what?"

"Sweep the sidewalk and put fresh water in all the rooms."

Adam gave him a look and then said ok.

It was dark before Adam got home. He did his chores, ate, and went straight to bed. The next day he worked on the Ponderosa. His pa had a big list of things for him to do. Clean the barn, clean the stalls, put fresh hay in all the stalls, fill up the feedbags, water the livestock.

Hop Sing wanted Adam to help him clean all the floors in the house with soap and water and to wash the bedding.

Ben was proud of all the work his son did without complaint.

The next day Adam helped Shelby and the Greens. He got home after dark again, but he was happier than he'd been in a long time. He found his pa waiting up for him.

"Hi, son."

"Hi, Pa. I'm sorry I'm so late."

"That's ok, son."

"Adam, I want you to know I'm so proud of you."

"Why, Pa?"

"You helped everyone in town and did everything I asked. You showed how responsible you can be."

Adam smiled. "Pa, I know what you were trying to tell me."

"What's that, son?" Ben asked.

"It takes a lot to make a boy into a man. You don't have to have a pistol to be a man."

"That's right, Adam. When I think about what could have happened to you with that old pistol, out there in the woods alone - I feel sick, son. What if you'd been hurt worse than you were? No one knew where you were."

"Pa, I wasn't thinking. All I wanted to do was learn how to aim a pistol. I didn't consider what could have happened. I was acting like a kid."

"I'll teach you how to aim and shoot a pistol, son. I've already told you that. I mean it."

"I know you do, Pa," Adam said. "I need to finish my chores now."

"I did your regular chores for you tonight, son."

"You did? Why?"

"Adam, I know you've been working hard and making sure you helped everyone who needed it."

Adam sighed. "I sure tried, Pa. I think I wish I was little enough for a tanning. That would just hurt for a while, but I'm so sore from all the work I did, it'll take days before I feel like myself."

Ben smiled. "Adam, if I'd given you a whipping as your punishment, you would have had a mighty sore behind and you could not have sat down for days."

Adam chuckled and said, "So either way I would be sore and hurting."

Ben started to laugh. Hoss and Little Joe came with hot water.

Ben said, "The tub is set out for you, son. Your soap and a rag and clean clothes are there for you. I'll take care of your horse. Now go get cleaned up."

"Yes, Pa!" Adam said. He poured the hot water into the tub and sat there thinking. He smiled and started washing his hair and cleaning up. When he was done, supper was ready. He joined his family at the table.

Adam said, "I want to say I'm sorry to all of you. Hoss, Little Joe, for yelling at you. Pa, I'm sorry about taking the pistol. I should not have taken it. I hope in time you'll trust me again."

Ben said, "Son, I was just upset. I do trust you now. But please listen, all three of you. Don't try to grow up so fast. Enjoy being boys. One day you will all be the man you want to be."

Little Joe, "Wow, after all the trouble Adam got into with the pistol, I don't know if I even want a gun. I get in enough trouble as it is!"

Everyone laughed.

Adam said, "I know what you mean, little brother. Hurting my leg didn't feel as bad as Pa getting so mad at me."

Hoss said, "I'm glad Pa wasn't mad at me like that!"

And they all laughed and laughed. That night Adam slept better than he had in weeks. Pa was proud of him, and Adam was happy.

The End