Chapter Nine
Previously:"I'll be fine." Joe turned around and did his best to smile at Agnes. "Thanks anyway." He then turned stepped down onto the brown dirt and began walking away.
"See you after school is over?" Agnes asked, praying that-somehow-she could get Joseph to let her help him overcome the despair she'd seen in his eyes as they talked. The only answer she received was a nod of Joe's head as she continued walking away.
~oOo~
Adam, having a pretty good picture of his brother's state of mind gazed upon Little Joe's injured side, the doctor's wife had pulled down the covers as to change the bandages so Adam had gotten a look at the wound on his brother's right side. "Should have killed him outright, but it didn't,"the doctor's wife's words rang in Adam's mind."Still might, if he doesn't start fightin' harder." Adam apologized to Agnes and then asked her to just tell him about the day his baby brother got shot. The sooner she did that; the sooner he could ask her to leave so he could talk to his youngest sibling.
"You missed the excitement by hours." Agnes looked at Adam, who had arrived in Limesville on the two o'clock stage. "He was shot this morning after he picked me up from the diner's; my parents trust him because he's been so good to help everyone in town-even if he does keep to himself after the work is done. Though, I guess I should say after he left the sheriff's office. There was a bit of trouble after he'd picked me up, and we wound up at the sheriff's office."
Adam cursed silently. If only he'd been able to get out of Martinsdale faster; maybe, he could have prevented this. "So, tell me about it." He pressed in a demanding, but controlled, tone of voice.
Agnes rubbed her forehead and began telling the events of that morning.
Flashback
"Have you seen Joseph?" Ray walked up to Agnes, who was standing in front of the sheriff's office.
"There was a bit of trouble in the saloon again. He's in talking with the sheriff." She decided against telling Ray that Joe had, once again, been forced into a position where he'd had to defend himself against the man. Sure, he might learn the whole story in time; it just wasn't going to be from her. Ray was already getting a few ideas when it came to Joseph, his ability with a gun and his refusal to talk about his past. She didn't want him coming up with more.
"They should make him deputy." Ray laughed and then asked her to ask Joseph if he had some time to spare. "We need his help fixing the barbershop's roof." The Barber had taken a spill the week before while trying to fix the roof and broken his leg; the town's people wanted to help him out by doing the job themselves.
"Sure, I…" Agnes stopped and glanced past Ray, her heart skipping a beat as she did so.
"What is it?" Ray turned and looked in the direction his friend was but saw nothing.
"I thought I saw Bradley Johnson." Agnes shuddered at the thought.Sheand her family were supposed to be leaving in the next week; why was the man showing up in town before he was suppose to?
"Bradley! He'll only cause trouble if he's back in town!" Ray spoke louder than he meant to and, before he could count to five, Joseph and the sheriff were walking out.
"What's wrong? What are you yelling about?" Sheriff Blanchard asked as he and Joe looked at Ray and Agnes, who still looked a bit pale.
Agnes swallowed hard and told the lawman and Joseph what she thought she'd seen. She wasn't surprised when her "uncle" exploded. Joseph did what he could to quiet the man down.
"Ray and I can keep an eye open for him, and I'll make sure Agnes gets home safely." Joseph said as he could see Bradley harassing; maybe even hurting, Agnes again.
"Fine, but if you see him, bring him to my office!" Sheriff Blanchard turned and disappeared back into his office, muttering the whole time about men like Bradley Johnson.
Joseph, Ray and Agnes then began walking down the boardwalk only to hear a shot ring out. Agnes screamed as Joseph went down and Ray, who had whirled around to see where the shot came from, whipped his pistol out and shot Bradley Johnson; the man was in the store building next to the sheriff's office and could be seen through a window on the second floor of the establishment.
End of Flashback
"Bradley fell through the window and to the ground; he was dead before he hit the ground." Agnes said as she stood up to stretch her legs. "Like I already said, Mr. Larson most likely hired him, but we'll never know for sure."
"How often did he tangle with troublemakers?" Adam asked, as he thought on the fact that she said Little Joe kept to himself when he wasn't helping someone.
Agnes thought about it for a few minutes and then answered quietly, "Every few days it seemed. The sheriff tried again to get your brother to hire on as a second deputy when his deputy had to leave town on a family emergency. On a part time basis, only the best he got was your brother Joseph agreeing to keep his eyes open and do what he could until the deputy returns. Why?"
Adam didn't answer as he moved his chair until it touched the side of Joe's bed. He then started to answer her question only to have the doctor's wife poke her head, telling the young woman she was needed by her mother.
"Guess I best go. I'll be back though," Agnes glanced at Joseph and then left the room.
Once the door was shut behind her, Adam picked up his brother's hand and began talking to Little Joe. "If I'm to be honest, I can see why you didn't come straight home. I mean, I almost stayed away too. And, if I had, I might have allowed myself to get into such a depressed state of mind that I went looking for trouble—maybe secretly hoping to join pa on the other side. But, Joe," Adam leaned forward, "there is no need to. Pa is alive; the poacher didn't succeed in killing him. I've sent for him and Hoss; you've got to fight to live; you've just got too!" Adam said as he reached out and felt Little Joe's forehead which was, as the doctor put it, too warm for his liking. "Fight it, Little Joe, just fight it!" He leaned back in his chair, but kept a hold of his baby brother's hand.
