Chapter 2
In the days that followed Joe's initial shock began to subside and what was left in its wake was a state of resigned dejection. As busy as Adam and Hoss were they saw little to be worried about in Joes behaviour as they both found that particular period in their life trying for no obvious reason.
At first they laughed that he must be sickening for something, Adam had sent him back to the house for food while they worked in the fields. That was a job Joe usually had much to say about but instead he ambled back towards the ranch house without a word.
When he returned with the parcel from Hop Sing he handed it straight over to Adam and turned to return to his work of scattering the seeds. Adam frowned to himself.
"Here Joe, leave that. Sit down and have something to eat," he called over.
Joe did as was told. Taking a sausage roll from the parcel Adam held out he sat a little away from his brothers and began to eat.
"Here Adam, how come the ranch hands get to have every Friday afternoon off and we have to work,"
Adam only nodded in sympathy to Hoss's question and turned his attention on Joe.
He decided on a topic that usually brought animation to the boy's face.
"So, are you still going to marry Kitty whats-her-name?" he asked with a grin.
"No, we decided not to. We're too young," Joe told him, trying to sound neutral on the subject.
Adam nodded. "Very wise, there's loads of time yet Joe, heck Me and Hoss have no intention of marrying yet."
But Joe having answered the question went back to his food and said no more on the subject. Once he had finished the sausage roll and took a drink he got up and went back to his work.
Adam's frown deepened. He looked to Hoss.
"Is he alright?" he asked.
"Nope," Hoss answered. "He's fifteen,"
Adam nodded, reaching up and using his bandana to wipe perspiration from his face. "Yeah who'd be that age again. Come on, we'll be here all day if we don't get this field done."
Adam, Hoss and Ben engaged in some animated conversation over supper that night. They recounted an old tale of a friend of theirs who was served last at a dinner party even though he was starving hungry. Ben laughed as he recounted the hefty man's growing distress as he watched plate after plate of food being served and none for him. They all laughed as they remembered the colour rising to the poor mans face. Finally when he was served he shovelled the meat and potatoes into his mouth and didn't stop until he was scraping the bottom of the plate.
Once the meal was over Adam and Hoss still laughing sidled over to the seating area by the fire. Hoss stretched himself and lay down on the couch. Adam went to his usual seat and took up the paper to read. Joe got up too, anxious once again to head for his bedroom.
"Joe,"
He looked towards his father.
"Sit for a minute, I want to talk to you."
"Pa I've got school work."
"In the middle of summer," Ben grinned.
"I need to study."
They both looked up as Adam smirked from under his paper.
"That will do Adam," Ben told him.
Softening his expression Ben once again turned to his youngest son.
"You know if there is something on your mind you can talk to me don't you. It's nothing I wouldn't have heard before."
Joe only nodded.
"You're not your usual spritely self these days."
Joe looked to the table.
"I'm just tired is all Pa, we were out putting down seed most of the day. I might just get an early night."
After a moment Ben nodded with a smile. "Maybe that's for the best, it'll do you good."
Joe returned his smile and headed for the stairs.
The smile fell away from Joe's face as he entered his bedroom. He hadn't lied, he was tired but it was a different kind of tired. A tiredness which wouldn't automatically guarantee a good night's sleep. He lay on his back and stared up at the ceiling. It pained him to remember how much he always looked forward to his rendezvous with Kitty. She wasn't like any of the rest of his friends. His world fell into place when she laughed at his jokes. Long after they parted for the evening he would carry something funny she had said around in his head and he would laugh to himself. He had heard from his friend's numerous stories of their encounters with women. The stories always involved an older woman, an older very beautiful woman who was willing to do anything for them. That was not how it was with kitty. You got away with nothing with Kitty but Joe liked her all the more for it.
~o~
Joe frowned to himself. What was it with fathers, they always want you to be working with your brothers out in the fields and then just when you want to be out working they insist on giving you money and sending you into the city. Ben would have nothing else this Saturday morning. He even commissioned Adam to drive into town and wait until Joe was ready to return. Adam agreed immediately. Joe was surprised at that. Adam usually liked to start late on a Saturday. He'd have breakfast and spend the morning reading the paper but now he got up from the table and went to fetch his coat from the rack.
Joe was not keen on the plan but went along with it for fear of more probing questions though he soon learnt that it was just what he needed. He soon found himself lost in more tranquil thoughts as he thumbed through the assortment of new dime novels at the mercantile. There was a bunch of new titles in. He had read the ones he had from cover to cover. It was definitely time for some new adventures.
He didn't notice Jacob Foster enter the store until the boy was right up beside him.
"Hay Joe," the boy pointed towards the books. "Get that one, it's really good. I'm not tellin ye what happens but it's better than The Posse,"
Joe immediately picked up the book and read the title The Outlaw from Back East. He nodded with a feint smile for his friend.
"Hay Joe, I heard about you and Kitty Manning Barrett." The boy grinned.
Joe froze in his step.
"Way to go Joe, I didn't think you had it in you."
"What do you mean?" Joe asked.
"Kitty, well I always thought she was a bit of a non starter but when I heard about you and her I couldn't believe it."
The boy was startled when Joe grabbed him roughly by his shirt front.
"You watch your mouth when you talk about her. We ain't done nothin."
"Well okay Joe, ye don't have to be so rough about it. Try to pay a guy a compliment."
Jacob turned his back on Joe and headed towards the counter. Joe could hear him order a quarter pound of gum balls and a small stick of liquorice.
Joe was just standing holding the books to his chest until Mr Benson stared down at him waiting for him to approach the counter.
Joe bought three dime novels and a bag of cough no more candy. He was out of money but he knew Adam would buy him lunch. Big brothers always somehow felt obliged to do that. It was one of the few good things about them.
As he crossed over the street he could feel eyes upon him. Four or five local women were looking straight at him. He could not tell the exact number as his face had begun to colour up but Kitty's mother Angela Manning Barrett was at the centre of them. He could catch snippets of the conversation only.
"I had to separate them….shameful behaviour….despicable.
Joe burned with shame. He racked his brains to remember what he had done with Kitty to elicit such a response from her mother. Had Kitty told her mother everything? Adam was surprised to see Joe so soon. He was in the Silver Doller losing his weeks pay to an old man with a branch to walk with and one milky white eye. The old man cackled as Adam got to his feet.
"Son, you come back when you learn how to play a hand without showing every card on your face."
Adam nodded with a wry smile and threw some money on the table. The man put two withered hands out and pulled the coins towards him.
"So, you ready for lunch?" Adam asked of Joe. Adam tried to put himself in front of the table so the boy wouldn't see how much he had just lost but Joe wasn't looking and didn't much care.
"I ain't really hungry. What say we just head for home. I'm kinda tired."
Adam nodded and grabbed his jacket from behind the chair. He wasn't much hungry either, losing a packet to an 83 year old card shark will do that to a man.
