Keeping Promises
What Happened Next: The Way Station
***Disclaimer: I own nothing having to do with the television show Bonanza nor do I own this episode or any other. The very beginning of this story is a summary of the episode. If you have never watched this episode, you may want to before you read this story. No copyright infringement is intended!
***Warning: There is talk of "tanning" and an actual "tanning" by a parental figure later in this story.
On the long trip to San Francisco, Marty thought of everything that had transpired days before. She remembered the dusty old way station, the boredom she suffered day and night, and her granddad's constant reminder for her to be a good girl or he would tan her hide. She chuckled at that thought. It always seemed to be an empty threat. She thought of the day she met Adam and the longing she had to leave the station.
Flashback:
Adam wasn't the only visitor. There were passengers from a recent stagecoach. Mr. and Mrs. Fisher were amongst the passengers. Mr. Fisher seemed to be looking for a way to make money quickly. Mrs. Fisher, on the other hand, seemed very practical in nature.
Then, a new visitor to the station arrived. Luke Martin was a distinguished gentleman with much excitement surrounding him. Later, the station occupants were to find out that Luke was a gambler on the run from a posse. He was wanted for murder and had a price on his head. This sounded very exciting to Marty. It was then that Marty devised a plan to run away with Luke.
In the meantime, Adam tried to talk some sense into her and encouraged Marty to pursue her interest in art instead of throwing her life away on the run with a wanted criminal. Her granddad just simply said no and was going to tan her hide if she tried to leave.
As time went on, Mr. Fisher got killed trying to get the reward money, there was a struggle between Luke and Adam, and Luke gave himself up. He then requested the reward money go to Marty for the pursuit of an art career. Later, Mrs. Fisher agreed to accompany Marty to San Francisco and monitor her during her studies.
Marty said goodbye to her granddad and thanked him for everything. Of course, he once again reminded her to be a good girl or he would tan her hide. Adam agreed with him and said if her granddad didn't tan her, he would. Marty smiled and thanked Adam. Adam asked her to make what they had gone through mean something. She then departed on the stagecoach.
End Flashback
As she thought about Adam's warning to be a good girl, Marty felt uneasy. Although Adam seemed very sincere, Marty shrugged it off. As Marty drifted off to sleep in the stagecoach, she felt extremely loved by the people who only wanted the best for her.
After the stagecoach left, Marty's granddad and Adam had a little talk and had come to an agreement. If there was any trouble with Marty, Adam would take care of it. Her granddad could not travel like he used to and had given Adam full authority to remedy any problems with Marty as Adam saw fit. Putting his full trust in Adam, he and Adam said their goodbyes hoping that the only news they ever got about Marty was good news. Of course, Marty was unaware of this conversation! Maybe she would have taken her career a little more seriously if she had known about this little talk.
It had been six months since Marty left for San Francisco to pursue her art education. She began her journey with every intention of fulfilling the promises she made to her granddad and Adam. She had promised she would be a good girl and make the ordeal they had all been through mean something.
When she first arrived, she could not believe the sights and sounds she saw. This city was more than she had visualized. She had no other frame of reference but what she had heard of or read in a book. At first, she had every intention to begin schooling and fulfill all the promises she had made. After a few days, she could no longer concentrate. There were just too many things to do outside of the classroom. Mrs. Fisher had tried to speak to her on several occasions. She had tried to remind Marty of the opportunities she had at that given time and wasting it out on the streets was not going to get her education complete. She gently and sometimes forcefully reminded Marty of the promises she made.
The headmaster of the school, Mr. Jenkins, had several conferences with Marty to remind her of the very things Mrs. Fisher reminded her of. Finally, Mr. Jenkins and Mrs. Fisher had a conference and decided to contact Adam to see if he could help Marty see the error of her ways and put her back on the right path before it was too late. They had been informed of the arrangement that Adam was to take charge of Marty if the occasion arose.
Mr. Jenkins and Mrs. Fisher both sent letters to Adam. They both relayed, from their own prospective, what Marty had done or not done in the past months. They told of the countless conferences they had with Marty, to no avail. They hoped that this would clear things up once and for all.
Adam woke up to the sounds of Hop Sing setting the breakfast table. He stretched and got ready for his day. He had promised Pa that he would go into town for supplies. He soon arrived at the breakfast table where his Pa was seated. Hoss and Little Joe were out branding calves. They had spent the night out on the range last night.
"Good morning, Pa," Adam said.
"Good morning, Son." "What are your plans for the day?"
"Well, as promised, I am going to town for supplies and I will check the mail. I am hoping for word on Marty soon," Adam said proudly but a little nervously.
"Well Son, I am sure she is fine. She has a fine opportunity that not many young girls get in this day and age. I'm sure she won't be careless enough to waste that chance away."
"I hope so, Pa. She was so childlike and impatient. She really needed reining in and although her granddad did a lot of threatening to discipline her, I don't think he ever followed through."
"Don't you think this is why her granddad left you in charge?" asked Pa. "From what you told me, he tried to do the right thing by her, but did not seem to have the strength to carry it out."
"We will see. I hope her school master and Mrs. Fisher are able to keep her in line. She is so young. I guess I'll never know if I don't leave and get the mail," Adam chuckled.
"See you when you get back, Son."
"Bye, Pa."
When Adam made it into town, he first stopped by the mercantile to drop off the list of supplies. He told Sam that he would be back to pick up the supplies in an hour. He stopped in to get the mail and saw that he had mail from Mr. Jenkins and Mrs. Fisher. Adam thought to himself, "This can't be good. There are two letters at once." He sat on a bench outside and began reading. He read Mrs. Fisher's first:
Dear Adam,
I hope this letter finds you and your family in good health and prospering as usual. Marty's and my health are fine.
I would have liked to write to you with better news, but we have a problem with Marty. I am writing to inform you that she has not been fulfilling the promise she made to you and her granddad. On several occasions, I have tried to rein her in from her antics, but it has not made an impact. She is so enthralled with the sights and sounds of this city that she hardly ever makes it to class. When she does go to class, she daydreams. I have even had to pull her out of a couple of dance halls. She was enjoying a beer with a few men the other night. The men were quite interested in her. She could not understand the dangers of her choices. She even became disrespectful to me. She told me I was just too old to enjoy the fun things in life.
The headmaster of her school and I have both tried to help her see her errors. Since most of his students are older, he is unaccustomed to having to dole out punishment. He should be sending you a letter from his point of view, but from what I understand, her grades are dropping.
We do not know what to do anymore. Please send your advice to some other course of action before it is too late.
Sincerely yours,
Mrs. Fisher
Mr. Jenkins' letter read pretty much the same.
At this point, Adam was fuming! "Oh, I will send advice, alright! I will deliver it myself! I am not too sure that little Miss Marty will enjoy the delivery!" Adam said to himself.
He then proceeded to go to the telegraph office to send a quicker response than a letter would be.
Mrs. Fisher stop
Will be on the next train stop
Let Mr. Jenkins know stop
Leave Marty unaware stop
Want to surprise her stop
Adam
Adam picked up the supplies and went home.
"Pa!" Adam yelled.
"Adam, must you shout!"
"I'm sorry, Pa! I am just so angry at Marty right now!"
"What happened, Son?"
Adam gave the letters to his father to read so he could get a cup of coffee and calm down.
After Ben read the letters he said, "What are you going to do Adam?"
"Well, Pa, I feel I need to take a little trip to San Francisco to visit a certain young lady to set her back on the right path. I just hope I can accomplish this before it is too late. That is, if you can do without me for a while."
"Adam, I am afraid you will be no good to anyone until you resolve this. This is your responsibility anyway. We will manage without you until you get back. I am sure you are quite capable of putting her back on the right path."
"I am confident that I can, Pa. After all, I learned from the best. You would have never let me get away with these things when I was at school. I also had Grandfather Stoddard to answer to. He took your release of me into his hands very seriously."
"As I remember, you needed reminding of the right path a few times," chuckled Pa.
"Yes, and like you, his idea of reminding had me eating a few meals standing up," blushed Adam.
"That was because we loved you and wanted the best for you and had to guide you as any parent should," Pa said. "Go and pack for the trip. Marty needs you to be that "parent" now. I'll ride with you to the station."
Four hours later, Pa said goodbye to Adam. They agreed that Adam would be back at the Ponderosa in three weeks. He once again reassured Adam that he was what Marty needed.
At the town closest to his destination, Adam wired Mrs. Fisher of his arrival. She met him at the station that Friday afternoon and they had lunch at a local restaurant. They discussed Marty and her recent behavior.
"Adam, I just don't know what to do anymore with Marty. She has been disrespectful. She doesn't want to do her work and she enjoys dance halls! I know, from first- hand experience, that those establishments are not for young girls."
"Rest assured Mrs. Fisher, I have a plan of action where Marty is concerned. She made a promise and I am here to see that she keeps it. She will be sitting, although she may want to stand, in her classes by Monday morning," Adam said knowingly.
Mrs. Fisher smiled and said, "I am sure that you are quite capable of convincing her to perform as expected."
"Where is she right now?" Adam asked with curiosity and determination.
"She should be at the boarding house as it is too early for her to be up since she probably stayed up into the night last night."
Adam began to boil inside again. "I will go speak to Mr. Jenkins, get a room at the hotel and then pay our little miscreant a surprise visit. Do not worry about her this weekend. Take a break and enjoy some time by yourself. Let's meet back here Sunday night for dinner."
"Alright Adam, I wish you the best with Marty."
They said their goodbyes. Adam spoke to Mr. Jenkins and relayed his plans for Marty. Adam then secured a hotel room. After a few minutes, he walked to the boarding house where Marty resided. He had gotten the address from Mrs. Fisher before he left the restaurant.
Adam spoke to Mrs. Henry, the owner of the boarding house. She also relayed stories about Marty's actions after he explained to her who he was. The stories were all the same. He asked if there was anyone else home. She said no and realizing why he asked, said she had some shopping to do and asked to be excused saying that she would be back in two hours.
Adam climbed the stairs to Marty's room and knocked. KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!
"What do you want? Let me be! I am trying to sleep!" Marty yelled.
"Open this door immediately Marty Ann! This is Adam Cartwright."
"Adam? What are you doing here? You came to visit me?" Marty said as she hurriedly put her robe on and opened the door to her room.
When Marty opened the door to see a very irate Adam looking down at her, she nervously took a few steps back.
"I wish I had come for a pleasant visit. I did not. I came to see if I could fulfill a promise I made to a certain young lady if she wasn't a good girl," Adam said.
"A promise you …. "Marty's eyes widened as she remembered the promise Adam made her the day she left for her journey here.
"Oh Adam, you can't be serious!"
"Oh Marty, I am very serious and you should have known that I keep my promises," Adam said as he took a few steps closer to Marty.
"You have been very disrespectful to others around you. You have been found in dance halls. You have been drinking. You have been found in the company of some very undesirable men. You have not been to class and when you go, you daydream. Does this sum up what your life has been like shortly after your arrival here?"
"I cannot believe that Mr. Jenkins and Mrs. Fisher snitched on me! Those nosy, busy bodies! I have told them to let me enjoy this city!" Marty continued with her tantrum until she found herself looking at the pattern in the carpet.
Marty was too distracted during her yelling episode to notice that Adam had pulled out an armless desk chair and placed it in the center of the room. He had then grabbed Marty's wrist and pulled her over his lap.
"Adam, what are you doing? You can't mean to tan me! I am too old for this!" Marty yelled with embarrassment and frustration.
"You were sure acting like a two year old a few minutes ago. If you were not a good girl, I promised to tan your hide if your granddad didn't. Well Miss Marty, your granddad gave me full permission to do as I promised if the need arose. The need has arisen and I keep my promises!"
With that said, Adam proceeded to lift her robe and night gown revealing a bare bottom.
"N-o-o-o!" Marty cried as she knew what was next. "Someone will hear!"
"No one is here but you and me," Adam said with slight amusement.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
"You will go to school!" SMACK! "You will not daydream!" SMACK! "You will be respectful to others!" SMACK! SMACK! "You will not go into dance halls!" SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! "You will not drink and keep company with men without a chaperone!" SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
At first, Marty fought to be released from Adam's grip, but he just held her tighter. She was eventually reduced to a sobbing mess. Adam finished up the tanning with four heavy smacks where Marty would feel it the most when she sat in class Monday. He then released Marty.
Marty slid down from Adam's lap to the floor. When she did that, her gown and robe fell around her and covered her to maintain her modesty. Adam helped her stand and then turned to allow her to fix her clothing. Once she was finished he held out his arms to her and she allowed him to hold her in a fatherly hug. After she had cried herself out, Adam sat and pulled her onto the lap that she was once draped over. She winced when she first sat which started the tears again.
"That hur-r-r-t," she said in a voice much like a two year.
Adam chuckled and said, "That is the point of a tanning. It has to hurt to help you think about what happens if you decide to make the same mistakes again. You are to remember not to make these same choices. You are also to remember that I am a man of my word. Marty, I care too much about you to let you get away with actions that can harm you or to just let you throw away a good thing like this education."
Marty nodded and realized just how good it felt to have someone care enough about her to travel so many miles to correct her. She really felt like she finally had the father that she had so desired. She knew that her granddad had tried, but it wasn't the same. Granddad had always threatened a lot, but gave only a small amount of the discipline she needed. Although she knew she would be feeling this fatherly intervention for the next few days, she truly felt loved.
Adam spoke again and broke her of her thoughts. He pulled her chin up so that she could look him in the eyes. "I used my hand this time. If we have to readdress any one of these topics again, I will take my belt to you like my Pa would have done to me. I was easy on you this time. Now you know what to expect."
Marty's eyes widened at the thought of Adam's belt and vowed to never repeat these actions again. "I never thought you were serious about the promise you made me that day. I now know that you are a man of your word. Thank you for caring enough about me to take the time to put me back on the path that I strayed from. I promise to do better. I know I'll have to earn that trust, but I plan to begin now."
Adam smiled and said, "I know you will try." "I will be checking in on you from time to time. Mr. Jenkins and Mrs. Fisher will send me a monthly report of your progress. I expect these reports to be excellent. If they feel the need, they will wire me. If I have to come back to see you for any other reason but to have a pleasant visit, you will find out what it feels like to have a real tanning. My Pa calls it "a trip to the barn."
Marty smiled and said sheepishly, "I think I get the idea Adam." "I am sorry for putting you through all of this trouble."
"It is no trouble when you care about a person and want the best for them. I am not the one that you need to apologize to, though. You will apologize to Mr. Jenkins Monday and Mrs. Henry today. You will apologize to Mrs. Fisher Sunday night at dinner. You and I will spend time together this weekend searching out the sights and sounds that are appropriate for a young lady. Then, if you have good reports, Mrs. Fisher will take you to see these places again."
Marty opened her mouth to protest the need of Mrs. Fisher's presence, but Adam stopped her.
"Don't even think about arguing unless you want to have another look at the pattern in the carpet. At your age, you should never be without a chaperone." Adam's tone gave no room for argument.
"Alright, Adam. I will do whatever you say. "
"Good girl!"
When Mrs. Henry returned to the boarding house, Marty promptly apologized. Mrs. Henry was gracious enough to understand and accepted her apology immediately. Mrs. Henry was made aware that she should see a difference in Marty's behavior and she was to report any disrespect or tardiness to the boarding house to Mrs. Fisher. Much to Marty's dislike, Adam set a curfew for her and told Mrs. Henry that Marty was expected to follow it to the second.
Marty and Adam spent the rest of the weekend searching out appropriate places for Marty to visit. They enjoyed the father/daughter time together. Sunday night they met Mrs. Fisher at the restaurant as planned. Marty immediately apologized to Mrs. Fisher and like Mrs. Jenkins, Mrs. Fisher graciously accepted it. Adam explained the curfew and the places that he and Marty had visited. He relayed the same plans to Mrs. Fisher as he had done to Mrs. Henry. He then gave Mrs. Fisher full permission to ground Marty for any misbehavior. He told her that if Marty fought her punishment, that that would be a great time to wire him. Marty agreed that she did not want that and promised to not do anything to be punished in the first place. Nevertheless, if the need arose, she would abide by any punishment.
Monday morning, the three of them sought out Mr. Jenkins. Marty quickly apologized to him and like the others, he accepted her apology. Adam explained to him the plan of action that was being set forth and gave Mr. Jenkins permission to paddle Marty if the need arose. Mr. Jenkins, not having to do this at this school but having prior experience as a teacher at a country school years ago, agreed. If the need arose, he would call in Mrs. Jenkins as a witness and then they would wire Adam. If this deterrent was not effective, Adam would make another visit to Miss Marty.
After a week of seeing Marty off to school each day, seeing her settling in, and spending quality time with her at night, Adam decided it was time to go home. Everyone went to the station with Adam that day to see him off. He said his goodbyes to everyone and then pulled Marty aside. He turned her sideways and gave a sharp, mighty smack to her bottom.
Marty looked at him with embarrassment and hurt and said, "What was that for?"
"That was just a little reminder to be a good girl or I am going to tan your hide. As I said just a short while ago, make this mean something, Marty. Remember, we must all keep our promises." He smiled and kissed her forehead. He boarded the train and left.
It had been two years since Adam went to San Francisco to set Miss Marty back on the right path. Every report Adam received in those two years was excellent. Marty had a few moments that needed correction, but it was nothing that Mr. Jenkins or Mrs. Fisher could not handle. After all, no one is perfect.
Adam had gone back to see Marty three times in the two years she was in school. He had business to take care of for Pa and always took a few days to spend with Marty. She saw that Adam truly cared about her as a father would and tried to make him proud of her. Of course, he told her often he was very proud of the young woman she was becoming.
One day, after Marty graduated from art school, a buggy arrived at the Ponderosa. Pa and Adam went out to see who the visitors were. It was Marty, Mrs. Fisher and Mr. Jenkins. Adam was so excited to see Marty and welcomed her with open arms. He introduced her to Pa and of course Pa welcomed her as the "granddaughter" he so longed to have.
Adam was to find out that Mr. Jenkins and Mrs. Fisher had worked so closely together because of Marty, they fell in love. It was really Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins in his presence. The happy couple had decided to go back East to Boston to start an art school and with Marty's help they were going to bring Western Culture, through art, to the East to satisfy curiosity of the West.
Tragically, Marty's granddad had passed away one year after she had left for school. Adam was with him when he died. Her granddad passed away knowing that Marty was going to be fine and that she was in good hands. Marty had visited the grave site before she came to the Ponderosa to see Adam.
After a two week visit to the Ponderosa and many stories of Marty's escapades, everyone said their goodbyes. Adam once again surprised Marty with a smack to her backside. This time Marty turned to Adam and said, "I know, Adam. You want me to be a good girl or you will tan my hide."
Everyone laughed at her antics, hugged and waved goodbye. With a promise to write often, Marty smiled once again feeling very loved.