Expanding Horizons
Adam woke up, yawned, stretched, and smiled at the still sleeping forms of his brothers in the bunk bed next to his single one. He dressed and quietly walked over to the calendar where he crossed off the date. His eighteenth birthday was this coming Saturday and one month after that he would be embarking on the next chapter in his life. He had been accepted to Harvard and was about to meet his mother's father. Adam enjoyed building things and had chosen architecture and engineering as his major. Looking around the cramped bedroom, he decided that the first order of business, once he learned how, was to design a new house for the family. The small house the family now occupied was cramped, and he longed for his own bedroom and privacy. Hoss would be twelve soon and was also complaining about the lack of privacy. Joe was almost six and had a bad habit of just barging into the bedroom while one of his brothers was bathing or dressing. Adam quietly closed the bedroom door behind him and walked into the main room where his father sat smoking his pipe and drinking coffee.
"Good morning Pa."
"Good morning Son. I trust you slept well. The coffee's still hot. Hop Sing just brought it out here about five minutes ago. Would you like a cup?"
"That would be nice. Thank you. I know there's a lot to do on the ranch and you need me to help as much as possible before I leave for Boston, but I need to spend some time alone with Hoss and Joe, especially Joe."
Hoss understood and accepted his older brother's need to expand his horizons and go to college, but Joe was a completely different story. When Joe's mother died, Ben fell into a deep depression and for several months, running the ranch and caring for his younger brothers had fallen to Adam. It was he who comforted his youngest brother, allowing him to sleep in his bed when he had a nightmare or woke in the middle of the night, crying and calling for his mother. Adam tried explaining his decision to go to college to Joe many times, but the boy just could not or would not understand.
Adam thought back to a question Joe had asked several times. "Why do you have ta go away to school Adam? Why can't ya just go to school with me and Hoss?"
"I've already learned everything that is being taught in the Virginia City school, Joe. I want to learn more things that I can't learn here. I like building things and want to learn how to do it correctly. Maybe I'll even learn how to build a good tree house for you and your friends to play in. I want to build a new house for us to live in. One where all of us have our own bedroom so we all have the space we need. You and Hoss are growing up and need more privacy than we're getting now. Wouldn't you like to be able to go to bed without having a lamp on because I'm reading? How about being able to take a bath without someone walking in on you? Wouldn't that be nice? I know you don't like having to do your homework at the dining table. If you had your own bedroom, you could have a desk and do your work in there without Pa checking on you every few minutes. What about Hop Sing? Don't you think he'd like a bigger kitchen with a pump at the sink so he doesn't have to carry water in from outside? I'll just bet that Pa would love to have a special place where he can work on the ranch books instead of having to use the dining table. My grandfather has written many times that he would love to come and visit us, but we have no place for him to sleep unless he shares Pa's room. With a bigger house, we could have extra rooms so Grandfather and other people can visit us and stay overnight. Your room could be large enough so your friend, Mitch could spend the night with you sometime." Joe agreed with everything Adam said, but still was upset that his brother and protector would be leaving and would be gone for a very long four years, which seemed like an eternity to the boy.
"That sounds like a good idea Son. Why don't you take them fishing and swimming after church? I'll ask Hop Sing to pack dinner for you to take along. Do you want to wake your brothers or start the morning chores?"
"I guess I'll start the morning chores. When it comes to church and school, Joe is impossible to get out of bed."
Ben laughed. "Yes, he is. However today, I have a feeling he'll get up in a hurry when I tell him that if he doesn't get up, he won't be going fishing with you and Hoss after church."
"You're right about that. If there's one thing Joe loves to do, it's going fishing. The thought of not being able to go should get him out of bed as soon as you tell him."
Hoss got out of bed as soon as Ben shook him, but Joe pulled the covers up over his head. "Joseph, if you do not get out of that bed right now, you will not be going fishing with Adam and Hoss after church." Ben laughed at how fast Joe got out of bed and wished his youngest son would get out of bed that quickly every morning.
The brothers spent the afternoon fishing and swimming in Lake Tahoe. When Adam said it was time to go home, Joe wanted to stay at the lake. "Joe, we caught lots of fish, and they gotta be cleaned so's Hop Sing can cook them," said Hoss. "And, we got evenin' chores to do. The animals won't feed themselves, the cow won't milk herself, and firewood won't take itself into the house. Hop Sing can't cook without wood for the stove, and I'll be durned if I'm goin' without supper 'cause ya wanted to stay at the lake. Git a move on Shortshanks afore I throw ya over yore saddle!"
When Hoss moved toward his younger brother, Joe took the hint and mounted his pony.
Adam chuckled and said, "Take care of him while I'm gone. He needs someone to look after him or he'll end up in more trouble than he knows what do to with."
"Aw shucks Adam. Ya didn't have ta ask me that. Ya should know that I'll always look out for our baby brother."
"Thanks Hoss. I knew I could depend on you."
When they reached the house, Ben and Hop Sing were surprised to see how many fish the boys caught. They offered to start cleaning them so the brothers could do their evening chores.
After Hoss and Joe left for school the next day, Ben worked on the books while Adam repaired the corral. Wanting to spend as much time as possible with his son before the young man left for Boston, Ben suggested that they ride to town to check the mail and get the newspaper. There were two letters from Adam's grandfather, one for him and one for Adam.
Knowing that Ben didn't have a lot of money, Abel Stoddard was paying for the part of Adam's education his scholarship wouldn't cover. He wrote to his grandson that he was also going to pay for his train fare from Carson City to Boston, that Adam would have a room in a sleeper car, and that he would take the young man shopping to buy clothes appropriate for Boston and the surrounding area. The old sea captain also sent money to Ben, saying he wanted them to go to a photography studio, have a family portrait done, and for the family to eat at a nice restaurant after the photography session.
On Adam's birthday, Hoss and Joe surprised him by doing his morning chores. A big party was planned for the afternoon and there was plenty of work to do before the guests arrived. Tables, chairs, and benches needed to be carried out of the bunkhouse, a fire pit needed to be dug and straw and wood put into it. A steer had been butchered and needed to be put on the spit over the fire pit.
Hop Sing had a large chocolate cake in the oven and was kneading the dough for biscuits and bread.
Since Joe was too small to help with most of the things that needed to be done, Hop Sing set him to churning butter, a job he hated. Joe was bribed with two cookies and the promise of two more once the churning was done so he set about doing the hated task, looking forward to more cookies.
Knowing how Joe hated being left out of doing important tasks, Ben decided to let him start the fire in the pit. He got a long branch, wrapped an old rag around one end, lit it on fire, and held onto his youngest son as he lit the straw under the logs in the fire pit. "You did a great job lighting the fire son. Now toss your branch into it. Then you can help wash the tables so we can put table cloths on them. Your brothers are washing the chairs and benches, so you and I will wash the tables."
Since they were invited to the party, the hands decided to help with the preparations. Two of them hung Hop Sing's Chinese lanterns in the yard while the other two placed the tables, chairs, and benches around the yard. All four men took turns with Ben turning the spit and basting the steer.
The guests arrived and everyone enjoyed a fine meal. Adam's presents included books, one being about ancient architecture, drafting tools, writing tablets, clothes appropriate for wearing in a large eastern city, drawing pads, pencils, erasers, pencils with colored lead, and two new sets of strings for his guitar.
After church on Sunday, the family went to Carson City, found the photographer's studio and had their portrait taken. Ben ordered five copies and was told it would be several hours before they were finished. The photographer suggested a good restaurant where they could eat and gave Ben directions on how to get there. The family enjoyed a good meal and spent some time walking around Carson City before returning to the photographer's studio where Ben paid for the photographs and five frames.
The weeks passed too quickly for the family and before they knew it, Adam was packing his trunks. The weekend before he left, he and his brothers spent Friday and Saturday night camping at Lake Tahoe.
While his sons were out of the house, Ben took two of the photographs up to Adam's room, opened one of the trunks and put them between several layers of clothes to keep the glass from shattering. He spoke with the school teacher after church and told her that Hoss and Joe would not be in school on Friday. "Adam is leaving on Saturday and I would like the entire family to spend Friday together, doing whatever he wants." The teacher assured him it would not be a problem and said she'd send Friday's work home with Hoss and Joe on Thursday. If they completed it over the weekend and turned it in on Monday, they would receive full credit.
Hoss and Joe were not happy to have extra school work to do on Thursday, but accepted it when Ben told them they would not be going to school on Friday so the entire family could spend the day together. With Adam's help, they had the work done before supper and there was time to go outside and throw a ball around for a while.
After supper, Adam played checkers with both of his brothers and chess with his father. Before going to bed, he checked his trunks to make sure everything he wanted to take was in them. Some of the drawing pads and pencils were in his suitcase so he could draw things he saw on his journey to Boston. He would finish packing the suitcase on Saturday morning before the family left for Carson City.
Adam decided that he wanted to spend Friday at Lake Tahoe swimming and fishing with his family. It took some talking and pleading, but he finally convinced Hop Sing to join them. He helped Hop Sing prepare the sandwiches they would have for dinner and brought two jugs of sweet cider up from the root cellar. After a fun filled day on Lake Tahoe, Ben and Hop Sing started cleaning the fish while Adam, Hoss, and Joe did the evening barn chores. Knowing this would be the last time the three of them would be doing the evening chores together for several years, Adam went up into the hayloft and started tossing hay down, deliberately covering his brothers with it. A hay fight ensued and by the time the horses and cow were fed, all three brothers were covered in hay. Hearing the shouts and laughter, Hop Sing and Ben walked over to the barn and laughed at the three boys covered with hay. "Be sure to get cleaned up before coming into the house," said Ben. "We don't want the house filled with hay."
After supper, Adam took his guitar out and everyone sang for a while. Then Ben allowed Hoss and Joe to each play two games of checkers with Adam before sending them to bed. Then he played two games of chess with his eldest son before both of them called it a night.
The next morning, Hop Sing fixed Adam's favorite breakfast and was convinced to join the family at the table. After breakfast, Adam's trunks, suitcase, and guitar were loaded onto the back of the buckboard in preparation for the trip to Carson City. Hop Sing tried to say goodbye to Adam at the house, but Adam persuaded him to accompany the family to Carson City. "You're family Hop Sing. It just wouldn't be right if I said goodbye to you here. You have to come to Carson City with us. It's a very long trip from here to Boston and I would feel very bad during the trip if you weren't at the train with the rest of the family." So Hop Sing climbed up on the front seat with Ben and Adam.
They arrived at the train station with plenty of time to spare and unloaded Adam's trunks from the buckboard, putting them with the rest of the baggage going to Denver where he would spend the night before boarding the eastbound train for Boston. The man in charge of the luggage asked his final destination and tagged the trunks as going to Boston so they would be taken off the train in Denver. Adam purchased his ticket and as he was rejoining his family, he spotted a girl about Joe's age break away from her parents and run toward the tracks just as the train came into sight. He ran after the girl, scooped her up and returned her to her parents who were extremely grateful for his actions.
Once the train stopped, the conductor stepped off, followed by quite a few passengers. Hoss and Joe walked with Adam to where the conductor was standing. Adam showed him his ticket and the conductor told him which car he would be in. Ben and Hop Sing carried Adam's suitcase and guitar, joined the boys, and walked to the sleeper car Adam would be occupying. When they reached it, Adam hugged his family and Hop Sing.
Seeing how upset Joe was that he was getting on the train, Adam picked his brother up, hugged him tightly and said, "Joe, I need you to do me a favor while I'm gone. Will you please take care of Hoss for me?" He winked at Hoss and continued. "I've been taking care of him ever since he was born but now that I'm going away for a while, I need you to do that for me. Is that something you think you can do?"
"Joe stopped crying, puffed his chest out and said, "Sure Adam. I can do that. You'll see. I'll do just as good a job as you do."
"Thank you Joe. I feel better about going away, knowing that you're going to take care of Hoss for me. I promise I'll write every week and I want you and Hoss to write to me also. I won't feel so lonely if I have letters from you to read."
Adam boarded the train and waved goodbye to his family who stood and watched until the train disappeared from sight. He entered the car and walked down the aisle, looking for his compartment when he came across the family of the little girl he had stopped from going onto the train tracks.
The mother was very upset and said, "Oh dear. I didn't know the beds in these compartments were so small. They aren't big enough for two people and I don't want the boys sleeping on the floor. It isn't healthy."
"I guess I could take the two older boys and go into one of the other cars. They'll have to stretch out on seats to sleep if there's enough room," said the father.
"No. I don't want to stay in here without you. We'll have to figure something out."
Adam introduced himself and asked, "Is there a problem? Maybe I can help somehow."
The man introduced himself as Michael Cooper, his wife as Elaine, and his children as five year old Anna, ten year old Robert, and fifteen year old twins, Michael and Jeffrey. "We didn't realize these beds were so small. Elaine and I thought Anna would share a bed with her, Robert would share my bed and the twins would each have their own bed. Unfortunately, these beds are too small for that."
"I have a compartment to myself. Michael and Jeffrey are more than welcome to share with me," offered Adam.
"Are you sure?" replied Mr. Cooper. "We wouldn't want to inconvenience you."
"It wouldn't be any inconvenience at all. I have two younger brothers and the three of us share a bedroom so having your sons in with me will be just like being at home."
The Coopers gladly accepted Adam's offer and the boys followed him to his compartment. A few minutes later, Mr. Cooper knocked on the door and invited Adam to join his family in the dining car.
Adam accepted the invitation and followed them, carrying a drawing pad, writing tablet, and several pencils. It wasn't time for a meal yet, so there were only a few people in the dining car, enabling Adam to make a good drawing of it. The Coopers admired Adam's drawing and Mr. Cooper asked about his final destination. "I'm on my way to Boston for college. I've been accepted to Harvard and plan to study architecture and engineering."
Mr. Cooper replied that he too was an architect and had been offered a job with an engineering company in Chicago, but wasn't sure he wanted to move to such a large city. He brought his family along so they could see the city and say if they wanted to live there or not. They talked for a while and invited Adam to join them for meals. Mrs. Cooper said she wanted to lay down for a while before supper, so the family went back to their car while Adam remained behind to start a letter to his family.
The train pulled into Denver twenty hours after leaving Carson City. Adam was impressed with the size of the city and drew some of the more impressive buildings.
Since it would be several hours before their train arrived and the Cooper children were restless after having been on the train for so long, they found a park so the children could let off some steam. Adam drew several pictures of them playing. They found a good restaurant, ate dinner and started walking back to the train station. Seeing a toy store, Mr. Cooper allowed the children to choose some books, puzzles, and other toys to occupy them on the remainder of their trip.
Adam passed the days by drawing pictures of interesting towns where the train stopped, continuing the letter to his family, reading, playing with the children, telling them stories of life on the Ponderosa, and much to the delight of the Coopers, playing his guitar. The day before they reached Chicago, Mr. Cooper said, "Adam, Elaine and I have come to think of you as part of our family and would like to keep in touch with you. Is there an address in Boston where we can write to you?"
"Yes. You can write to me in care of my grandfather, Abel Stoddard. To be honest, I am a bit nervous about meeting him. My father left Boston with me when I was an infant, and I have no recollection of him at all. I hope he will like me."
"You are his daughter's son and he will love you. Just be yourself and you will be fine. Enjoy spending time with him before classes begin, because once they do, you will be extremely busy keeping up with them. However, I want you to take some time for yourself on the weekends otherwise, you will be burned out in a few months." Just before the train pulled into Chicago the next day, he took Adam aside and said, "You are about to begin a new chapter in your life, expanding your horizons. You'll have many new experiences, and face many temptations. I hope you won't mind some words from another father to his college bound son. Since you like to read Shakespeare, I know you will recognize these words."
"See thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue,
Nor any unproportioned thought his act.
Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.
Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel;
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment
Of each new-hatch'd, unfledged comrade. Beware
Of entrance to a quarrel, but being in,
Bear't that the opposed may beware of thee.
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice;
Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment.
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy;
For the apparel oft proclaims the man, …
Neither a borrower nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man." 1
"Thank you sir. I will remember your advice and do my best to follow it as I encounter different situations while at Harvard."
"That's all anyone can ask. God bless and keep you, Adam Cartwright. It has been a pleasure traveling with you and I intend to write to your father and tell him what a wonderful young man he has raised. I'll write to you as soon as I know if I am going to stay in Chicago or not. I hope you will write back and let me know how you are doing with your studies. Who knows, I may seek employment with an engineering firm in Boston, so I will be available to help you with your courses."
The conductor told Adam that the train would be in Chicago for three hours, so he grabbed a drawing pad, eraser, and several pencils, and set out to explore the city for a little while. Mr. Cooper had given him a letter addressed to his grandfather, which he put in his suitcase before leaving the train. He was awed by the size of the city and decided it was as large as San Francisco and Denver together. Adam drew many of the buildings that interested him and found a reasonably priced restaurant where he could eat before going back to the train station.
As the train continued its journey toward Boston, Adam found himself missing the company of the Cooper boys and wished his own brothers were with him. He continued writing the letter to his family, telling them about the Coopers, and describing some of the towns and cities the train had stopped in.
Ten days after leaving Carson City, the train pulled into the station in Boston. Adam wondered how he and his grandfather would recognize each other. He needn't have worried. He no sooner had his feet on the ground when an older man called his name, practically ran up to him, and hugged him. "Adam, my dear grandson! It is wonderful to see you at long last! You were an infant when your father left with you and look at you now. You're a grown man. I can't wait to spend time showing you around before school begins. I will show you the school tomorrow, but you won't be able to enroll until Monday. The Registrar's office is closed this week."
"It is nice to finally meet you Grandfather. I am looking forward to seeing Boston and Harvard. Where is your wagon so I can put my trunks in it?"
Abel laughed. "You have a lot to learn my boy. I don't have a wagon. I'll arrange to have your trunks brought to the house, and we'll take a coach there."
"Don't you have a horse and buggy?"
"No I don't. I don't have any place to keep one so I either walk or take a coach when I want to go somewhere."
After listening to his grandfather, Adam decided he had a lot to learn about living in Boston.
Abel showed Adam around the house and introduced him to Mary O'Connell, the lady who kept house and cooked for him. "I've given you your mother's bedroom. I thought you'd like to have it since that's where you were born. You'll spend weeknights in the dormitory and your weekends here. That will be easier on you than taking a coach to and from the school every day."
Adam's trunks arrived fifteen minutes later, and he helped carry them up to his room, followed by Abel with his suitcase and guitar. He opened the suitcase and handed him the letter from Mr. Cooper.
Abel saw the drawing pad on top of the suitcase and asked if he might look through it. Adam said yes, and Abel carried it downstairs. He was very impressed with Adam's drawings and told him so. "You favor your mother. She loved to draw and was always drawing things, even when she was supposed to be helping her mother or doing schoolwork. I'll have to show you the drawings she made of the Wanderer." Abel read the letter from Mr. Cooper and tears came to his eyes. "Adam, you are a wonderful person. Your mother and grandmother would be very proud of you, as am I. I know your father is too."
The next day, Abel took Adam to see Harvard. Adam was impressed by the size of the buildings and that everyone had a different design. He drew pictures of many of the buildings to send to his family. On Monday, Abel took Adam back to Harvard and registered him where he learned that along with his engineering and architecture classes, he would also be studying History, Literature, Latin, French, Arithmetic, Algebra, and Geometry. The remainder of Adam's time before school started was spent with his grandfather shopping and being shown around Boston and other historical cities. The USS Constitution was in port so they went to Boston Harbor where they were given a tour of the ship. Adam drew pictures of as much of it as he could.
A week after arriving in Boston, Adam received a letter from Mr. Cooper. The family did not like Chicago and Mr. Cooper wasn't happy with the employment offer that had been made. He had received another offer from a firm in Boston, would be traveling there to see if it was a better offer, and asked if Abel could locate a suitable place for the family to stay. Abel and Adam met them at the train, and the children were thrilled to see Adam again. The family liked Boston and the employment offer to Mr. Cooper was much better than the one in Chicago had been, so the family decided to stay in Boston. A week before school began, Mr. Cooper took Adam to his office, introduced him to his employer and received permission to take him to some of the construction sites for a firsthand look at how he could use his upcoming education.
Adam was nervous about his first day at Harvard, but Abel, the Coopers, and Mrs. McConnell gave him all of the moral support he needed. He was overwhelmed at first, but with help from his grandfather and Mr. Cooper, Adam settled into a routine and began to excel in his classes.
For his final project in his design class, Adam drew his vision for and built a model of a new house for his family. His instructor and Mr. Cooper were so impressed by it, they helped him draw the final plans, which Adam sent to his father.
Four years later, Adam was surprised to see not only the Coopers, but his entire family, including Hop Sing in the auditorium as he graduated at the top of his class.
1Hamlet Act I Scene III