Trouble for Little Joe
Chapter 1:
"Yeah, he's gonna be mad," Little Joe mumbled to himself for the tenth time since he had left the saloon in town and steered his horse Cochise towards home. It was 6:00 in the evening and he was about a mile from home. There was still enough sunlight to generate the heat that made his clothes feel hot and sticky against his skin. That, coupled with the warm breeze swirling sand grit about his face made for an uncomfortable ride. But none of this concerned Little Joe much at the moment. "Pa's gonna be mad," he said again.
Little Joe had been gone all day so he knew that his Pa would be relieved to see that he was okay. However, the relief would be quickly replaced by anger. There was just no way around that. Adam and Hoss would call him lazy for skipping out on work. It wasn't that he minded working, he didn't. It was just that he liked to cut loose and have some fun more than he liked working. The card game had gone on longer than he had expected. And he had won! Won big! His Pa just couldn't expect him to quit in the middle of a game when he was winning and come home, could he?
Little Joe sighed as he applied slight pressure to Cochise's sides to get him moving at a faster pace. He knew his Pa wouldn't care that he had won almost every hand and now had over $200 to show for the time away. His Pa had wanted him to deliver some papers to the bank, order supplies, and return home as soon as he was done. Not to spend time gambling. But he had been thirsty and had needed a beer. Surely his Pa would understand that. And wouldn't he understand him not wanting to be rude when some of the fellas asked him to play a hand of poker?
His Pa would understand, Little Joe reasoned, because that was what had happened. When he got home he would explain that after he had won the first hand the fellas had wanted a chance to win their money back. So as was proper he had obliged them. Then one thing had led to another until he had lost and had himself asked for one more game. He had quit after he had won that game, although one or two of the guys hadn't liked it. However, a hard fist to one of their cheeks had convinced them all that the game was indeed over and it would be best if each man went his own way.
Little Joe was miserably lost in his thoughts as he now sat atop his horse nursing his sore hand but not so much so that he didn't notice someone dart behind a stand of bushes in the distance. He simultaneously drew his gun and kicked Cochise to a full gallop. Whoever it was, was on foot so Little Joe knew he could easily overtake him. What he didn't know was if he would have to shoot him.
"Alright, come on outta there!" Little Joe demanded as he stopped his horse near the stand of bushes and nervously glanced around. It could be a set-up. "If I have to say it again I'm going to start shooting!" It wasn't lost on him that he was a perfect target for whoever was in the bushes. But his instincts told him he wouldn't be shot. However, another long moment had him wondering if his instincts might be dulled by the beer, the cards, and the excitement of his big win. "I don't want to have to shoot you but I will. Now come on out where I can see you!"
The bushes rustled and out stumbled a person dressed in shabby clothes that were obviously too big for him. The flop hat he wore was pulled down and he kept his head bent forward so his that face was obscured. His hands were buried inside his pockets.
"Take your hands out of your pockets," Little Joe said but the stranger just stood before him, head bent, slightly trembling. Because it was so warm Little Joe understood the trembles were the result of fear rather than being cold. He could also tell by the way the flop hat was pulled down that the person didn't want to show his face. Little Joe didn't know what the big deal was since he was certain he didn't know the person and vice versa.
Little Joe holstered his gun and for a moment considered dismounting but decided against it. "What's your name?" he asked.
The stranger kept his head bent and his hands tucked inside his pockets but Little Joe noticed the slight sideways twitch of the head and knew the stranger was contemplating making a run for it.
"No matter which way you go you'll be on the Ponderosa, so you might as well relax and tell me your name. I'm Joe Cartwright and my family owns the Ponderosa."
The stranger slowly looked up at Little Joe who was doubly surprised to discover that not only was this stranger a woman but a Negro! At least he thought she was Negro. She quickly looked away again. As far as Little Joe could tell through the dirt smudges and the flop hat concealing most of her face, her skin was the color of coffee that had too much milk in it. A caramel color or a very light brown. He couldn't quite describe it. She certainly wasn't white. He didn't know what to think about coming across her on the Ponderosa. There weren't many Negroes in these parts and he had never seen a Negro woman alone, by herself like this. Maybe she was Indian.
"What's your name?" he asked her again. "And what are you doing around here?"
Still the woman remained silent, looking everywhere except at him.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he tried to assure her. "I'd like to help you if I can."
She quickly glanced at him and he was taken aback by the obvious smirk that crossed her pretty face. She quickly looked away again, leaving him wondering what to say. She sure was pretty. He had seen enough of her face to determine that. And she was young! Probably seventeen or eighteen, he guessed.
"My name is Cassie and I'm on my way to California," she said, still not looking directly at him. "You wanna help me, then help me get to California."
Little Joe grinned broadly, amused. "You're a long way from California."
"I figured that. But I'm still going."
Little Joe began to dismount but stopped when she backed away. "You don't need to be afraid of me, Cassie. I just want to get down so you can ride my horse."
She looked at him then. "To California?" she asked eagerly.
Little Joe chuckled as he dismounted and patted his horse. "Cochise here is a fine horse but that would be expecting too much, even of him.
Cassie was disappointed. Nevertheless, for some reason she felt she could trust him even though she hadn't met too many white men she could say that about.
"Get on," Little Joe said. He stepped back but kept hold of the reins. "I'll take you to meet my family, get you something to eat."
"No," Cassie said and began to hurry away.
Little Joe hurried after her. "You won't survive out here on your own. Let me help you."
Cassie stopped and slowly turned to face him, sizing him up. "How do I know I can trust you?"
His feelings were hurt. How could someone not trust him? "All I can do is give you my word that I won't hurt you and I won't let anyone else hurt you either."
"Why would you even care?"
"Because I see you need help-"
"I don't need help from you or anybody else! I'll be fine on my own!"
"Suit yourself," Little Joe said. He stood by Cochise, holding the horse's reins and waited to see what Cassie would do.
"Is California this way?" she asked, pointing.
"Yes, it is. But like I said, it's a long way."
"How long?"
Little Joe sighed impatiently. "Too long to travel on foot or on a horse. Now are you coming with me or not?"
Cassie considered her options. She was very tired and very hungry. This stranger acted like a nice man but that didn't mean he was nice. She hadn't come this far to have everything go wrong.
"There's wolves in these parts," Little Joe told her. He refrained from mentioning Indians because he wasn't certain that she wasn't one - or at least part Indian.
A wolf could be a man or an animal as far as Cassie was concerned one was just as mean as the other. She considered telling him this but didn't because she knew she had to be careful in how she talked to white men. This had been beaten into her many times. "I don't want to be no trouble to you or your family, Mr. Cartwright-"
"Mr. Cartwright is my father," he said, laughing. "Just call me Little Joe."
Cassie was curious as to why he was called Little Joe but she didn't ask about it.
"It's getting late and I need to get home. Do you wanna come with me or not?"
Cassie thought on this for a long moment. If she went with him, he might not keep his promise. If she didn't go with him he might get mad and shoot her on the spot. She watched as he once again held out the reins to her. She decided to go with him and allowed him to help her up on the horse. If he didn't keep his promise she would kill him and anyone else who tried to harm her. She wouldn't want to but Cassie knew she might have to. Her past had taught her as much.