"Adam Cartwright?" the café owner in Lone Pine, California, asked suddenly. The man sitting at the end of the table looked up and the owner said, "Oh, sorry. You sure look an awful lot like Adam Cartwright, though. But he's been gone for more'n a year."
The man studied him. "I've heard of the Cartwrights. You say this Adam Cartwright's been gone for a long time, though?"
"Uh-huh. Went back east somewhere's an' ain't come back yet."
"Hum. For a thousand dollars would ya tell me everything I need to know about this fella to take his place?"
The owner hesitated, then replied, "Ok. A thousand dollars is a lot o' money an' his pa an' brothers are missin' him anyway. Now, Adam Cartwright…"
More than an hour later the owner concluded, "Well, that's as much as I can tell ya, but I know he's got a diary hidden in his room underneath the desk. When he was in here one time a long time ago I heard him tellin' his friend about it. What I don't know, you should be able to pick up from his diary."
"All right. Thank you kindly, friend."
The new Adam Cartwright got to his feet and sauntered out of the room. Swinging up on his horse, he turned him toward Virginia City, Nevada. When he arrived, almost the first person he saw was Roy Coffee, Virginia City's sheriff. "Adam Cartwright! Why, I don't believe it! Your pa know you're home, boy?"
Edwin Burk, alias Adam Cartwright, grinned to himself. If he could fool this man, he must be acting the part pretty well. "Not yet. Thought I'd surprise him!"
"Well, he'll be surprised, all right. Good to have ya home, son."
"Thanks. It's good to be home. We'll be seein' you, Roy. I'm anxious to get home!"
"Little wonder. You've been gone too long."
"Yeah. I had a head injury back east, though, an' some o' my memory is fuzzy, so I gotta remember some things all over again."
"Sorry to hear that, Adam, but I'm sure it'll come back once you get home. Well, I'll let you get home, now. Your family sure will be surprised!"
"Yeah! See ya, Roy."
Joe Cartwright was chopping wood in the ranch yard when he heard a horse ride into the ranch yard late that afternoon. He glanced up and froze. Adam was back! Then the joy faded. No, wait a minute, that wasn't Adam. Just somebody that looked enough like him to be his twin. Adam didn't sit a horse that way! His father and older brother, Hoss, came running out of the barn all of a sudden, yelling, "Adam!"
The man on the horse sprang down, crying, "Pa, Hoss!" Joe's eyebrows furrowed as he watched the three embracing tearfully. He shook his head. No, it couldn't be. As he walked up toward the men, his father saw him. "Look, Joe, Adam's home!"
Joe coolly stretched his hand out to the man. "Nice to see ya," he said, his voice completely void of emotion. And as he looked into the man's eyes he knew that this man was not his brother. There was no warmth in the man's eyes, only an angry glare as he recognized that Joe could easily give him away. Neither man was fooled and both instantly communicated their complete dislike for the other. Joe made up his mind in an instant however, that he wouldn't give the man away, for he'd brought back the joy that had gone out of his father and older brother when Adam had left. Besides, he wasn't the least bit sure they'd believe him if he told them anyway.
Ben shot his youngest son an angry look, surprised that he would be so cold toward his beloved oldest brother. Then he shrugged it off, thinking Joe only needed some time. Clapping his hand to Edwin's shoulder, he said, "Come on in, Adam, an' tell us all that's been goin' on! We've missed you, son!"
Joe trailed along behind his father and Hoss, choking back tears. He endured the next hour, listening to Edwin 'recount his adventures back east.' It was a relief to him when dinner came. Hop Sing, their Chinese cook, had been overjoyed to see the oldest son back and had prepared a massive feast for them all. Edwin tried to carry on a conversation with Joe during dinner, but Joe only answered when spoken to directly and then only with the shortest number of words possible. After dinner Edwin declared himself exhausted and Ben said, "Of course, son. Joe, help Adam carry his things upstairs."
"Yes, Pa." Joe pushed back from the table, and, picking up Edwin's bags, carried them upstairs to Adam's room. Edwin was far enough behind him that Joe stood for a moment in Adam's room, tears in his eyes, and whispered, "Oh, Adam, I miss you so!" He felt somehow that Adam's private sanctuary had been violated, and, had he had any control over the situation at all, would never have allowed this lying stranger to so much as step foot in Adam's room. "I'm sorry, Adam," Joe murmured. Then Edwin came in and Joe turned to go, adding coldly, "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, brother," the man replied suavely, for Hoss was coming up the stairs, but his eyes shot sparks of hate at Joe.
Joe pulled the door shut, and, pushing past his older brother, almost ran down the stairs and out the door, slamming it behind him. Hoss hurried down the stairs behind him and stared at the closed door incredulously. His father walked into the great room just then. "What on earth got into him? I thought he'd be overjoyed to see Adam again!"
"Yeah, I know, me too."
"Well, maybe I'd better have a talk with him. He's gonna hurt Adam carryin' on like this!"
"Let me talk to him, Pa, an' if I can't get anywhere you can try. I think I might have better luck with him."
"All right, son, if you think it will help."
Hoss nodded and left, heading to the barn where he knew Joe was. Joe was standing in Adam's horse's stall, his face buried in Sport's neck. "Hey, brother."
"Hoss, please, leave me alone!" Joe's voice was choked with tears and Hoss laid a hand on his shoulder, but Joe, completely uncharacteristically, jerked away from his brother's touch.
"Hey, boy, what's the matter with you? You was the one pinin' away for your big brother an' now that he's here you won't give him the time o' day! What's the matter, Joe?"
"Oh, Hoss, he jus' isn't the way that I remember him!"
"Why, he told ya he had a bad head injury, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember," Joe mumbled. He mentally kicked himself; he was doing a very poor job of hiding his true feelings and he'd have to change that soon or Hoss would figure out something was up.
"Well, what's wrong with it then? It'll come back with time. Now, you'd better go up to the house an' talk to Pa. He's sure `nough worried about ya."
"Ok. Sorry, Hoss. I guess I was jus' a little too hasty." Joe conceded far too easily, but Hoss failed to notice this.
"Ah, don't worry, punkin. Jus' talk to Adam in the mornin'. Now are you comin' with me or do I have to carry ya?"
Joe grinned in spite of the awful pain in his heart. "Big brother, I think I'd rather walk. Come'n, let's go."
Joe trailed along with his older brother to the house, and then waited until Hoss had gone upstairs to talk to his father. "Pa, I'm sorry. He just isn't the way I remember him an' I guess I was mad about that."
"It's alright, son. I know how you feel. Jus' give him a little time. He'll loosen up in a while."
"Ok, Pa."
"You ready for bed now, son?"
"No, Pa, I think I'll go check on Cooch before I go to bed."
Ben chuckled. "Now, son, I'm sure that horse of yours is jus' fine, but you go right ahead anyway. I'll see you in the morning."
Joe forced himself to grin back. "'night, Pa."