Chapter 2: First Impressions
"Mister Cartwright, everything turn to ice.", came an annoyed voice from the dinner table when Ben opened the front door.
"I'm sorry, Hop Sing. Hello, boys." He put his gun-belt and hat on the cabinet and Adam and Hoss looked up from their game of checkers.
"Hi Pa, what took you so long?", said Hoss.
"I picked up a little surprise."
Hoss' eyes lit up in anticipation and Adam frowned at the big brown bag his father was carrying.
"Where's Joe?"
"He almost dozed off during desert, so we put him to bed.", laughed Hoss.
"So they'll have to meet tomorrow. Come on in, Mary."
The boys stood up and walked towards the door, while Mary sneaked slowly into the house.
"Fancy-shmancy!", she shouted as she looked around and Adam immediately recognized her from Matt O'Conner's trial a few weeks ago.
"This is Mary and she will stay with us for a while. These are my sons, Hoss and Adam."
Two confused faces stared at Ben before they said hi in unison.
Mary looked at them. "You're wondering why I'm here, don't'cha? Well, my Pa's in prison and the Sheriff unloaded me to your Pa so that I don't fill up his jail cell."
"You was in a jail cell?", asked Hoss.
"Yup, what's good enough for my Pa is fine for me.", said Mary and Ben pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Are you hungry? There are some chicken and mashed potatoes left." Adam tried to change the subject and gave his father a worried look.
"Nope, already got some grub from Roy." Hoss smirked. The way she talked reminded him of the ranch hands.
"I want you to meet our cook, Hop Sing, and then I'll show you your room." Ben touched her shoulder and led her to the kitchen to introduce her and to ask Hop Sing to warm up his dinner.
When he opened the door to the spare bedroom, Mary's eyes widened. "That room's bigger than our shack! Is it just fo' me or are Adam and Horse also sleepin' here?"
"His name is Hoss. And yes, it's all yours."
She looked around, took two quick steps, jumped up and let herself fall on the bed like she was flying, before rolling on her back and hitting the mattress with her hands.
Ben laughed. "You just make yourself at home.", he said warmly and left the room.
With a smile on her face, Mary stood up, and walked to the dresser to put the candy from her pant-pocket in the bottom drawer.
oooOOOooo
When Ben came downstairs for dinner, Adam and Hoss followed him to the table, bombarding him with questions. Ben negotiated that they would let him eat first and then he would answer them.
After Ben had filled his sons in about everything he knew about their houseguest, Adam leaned back in his chair and raised his eyebrows. "Well… let's just hope she won't run away from here, too… or damage the house… or burn it down."
Ben swallowed his food and looked at his son. "Adam, after a day like this I can do without your remarks. No child deserves the treatment that she is getting in town… a little girl being treated like a criminal… she shouldn't be punished for her father's crime." Adam face turned from skeptical to contrite.
"Aww… we'll be alright, Pa.", smiled Hoss and it was like balm for Ben's nerves. "It may be fun having a little gal around. Come on, Adam, let's get on with the game." Hoss stood up and Adam followed him back to the checker's board.
After Hoss had gone to bed, Ben sipped on a glass of Brandy in his favorite leather chair while Adam skimmed through a book.
"Any news about the rustlers?", he asked and received a puzzled look from Ben.
"Huh? No… not yet."
Adam closed the book with a loud thud and put it in his lap. "Look, Pa, I didn't want to make it sound like I think it's wrong you brought her here. But… I've watched O'Conner's trial and after what I've heard she is pretty much following her father's footsteps. In her testimony, she acted like there was nothing wrong with him robbing that store."
"She was loyal to her father. Wouldn't you be?"
"Of course. But you're not wanted for armed robbery."
"It's not that simple, Adam. Children consider everything as normal that they are surrounded with… and if a parent commits a crime they will rather justify the crime than turn against their loved one. Do you think, that when you were a boy, you had felt any different about me, had I been stealing cattle instead of breeding it?"
Adam paused for a moment to let the words sink in. "No, I probably wouldn't have. Well… I guess we just have to keep an eye on her… in addition to keeping an eye on Joe's shenanigans."
Ben smirked. "Joe is a good kid and he might be a good influence on her."
"… hopefully it won't go the other way."
Ben finished the last sip of Brandy. "Adam, I'm worried too. But if we all try our best to introduce her to a new kind of life… well, I'm sure we can make a difference. And on top of that…" He took a deep breath. "I owe her that chance."
"What do you mean?"
"Her father once worked for us and I fired him because I thought he had stolen money. You probably don't remember, you were quite young."
"No, I don't."
Ben sighed. "It turned out later that another ranch hand was the culprit and had placed the money under his bunk. I told him that he could come back, but he didn't want to… I had hurt his pride by not believing him and by chewing him out in front of all the other men. I was inexperienced back then and I acted like a fool in that situation." Ben pinched the bridge of his nose. "I guess the rumor spread quickly that he had stolen from his last workplace and he had trouble finding work."
"I see." Adam pressed his lips together.
"The least I can do now is preventing his child from being put in an orphanage."
It was silent for a moment when Adam smirked suddenly. "Do you remember, Pa, when Hoss brought home the half-dead squirrel last winter and the little bird that fell out of its nest… oh yeah, and the deer that got hurt in a trap?"
"I remember very well." Ben looked expectantly at his son.
"I wonder where he's got it from." Adam winked and stood up. "Good night."
Ben looked at his oldest and chuckled. "Night, son."
oooOOOooo
The judge glared at Mary as he spoke slowly: "I sentence you to twenty years in prison."
"Why? What for?", she yelled but nobody answered. She tried to run away but soon realized that her hands and ankles were shackled. Mary looked around and tried to find her father but was stared at by a courtroom full of strangers. The Sheriff grabbed her arm and dragged her down the aisle of the court as she kept calling for her Pa.
Mary was sweating and breathing heavily when she opened her eyes. For the last two weeks, every dream had taken place in a courtroom. She sat up in her bed and looked around in the black room, where the only light source was a thin beam of moonlight on the wooden floor. The call of an owl startled her and eventually she realized where she was.
As she wiped the wet hair from her face and rubbed her eyes, hatred started rising in her chest – towards the judge, the Sheriff, the jury. She felt the tears welling up, but refused to give in to crying and instead lit the lamp on her nightstand and looked at her father's golden watch. It was shortly after midnight. She grabbed the lamp, went downstairs and headed to the front door to get some fresh air, but more important, to get a good look at the sky.
"I'll look up to the sun or the moon whenever I can and so do you. We'll be looking at the same thing and that way we'll be together. I love you, Mary." Those were her father's words before the Marshall pushed O'Conner into the stage that was leaving for Yuma State Prison.
Mary sat down on the dusty boards leading to the front door and looked up to the shimmering golden spots on black canvass surrounding the moon. Suddenly she was at ease and felt like she was floating, losing touch with time and space. The darkness had never frightened her but all the rustling noises eventually brought her back to reality. She remembered Ben's speech about snakes and mountain lions and stood up.
"Love you, Pa.", she whispered still looking at the night sky, then dropped her head and walked back inside. After she had closed the door, Mary looked around. It was the most spacious home that she had ever been in and by holding the lamp close to the furniture, she scrutinized it curiously. The fabric of the settee felt so silky and soft that she petted it as if it was a little dog. The next thing that caught her attention was the cabinet opposite the dining table. She opened it noiselessly and the dim light revealed some table cloths and a small shiny box that was cold and heavy. Carefully she wrapped her hands around it and went back upstairs.
oooOOOooo
Because Little Joe had fallen asleep early, he woke up before everyone else. As he walked downstairs, Hop Sing heard his footsteps and stepped out of the kitchen. "Little Joe bad boy, you missed bath yesterday."
"Sorry, Hop Sing, I fell asleep… see you later." Joe hurried to the door, but Hop Sing caught up with him and grabbed his upper arm.
"You take bath right now, already put tub in kitchen."
"Look, I need to feed the rabbits or they'll starve. Do you want that?", Joe said seriously and Hop Sing let go of him. "Besides, I'm not even dirty."
Hop Sing grunted and pointed at Joe's bare feet. Joe looked down. "Well, that's…" He noticed the grey-brown tinge covering his feet and shins and sighed. "…alright, it's dirt."
"You feed rabbits, then come kitchen, understand? I'll heat up water." Hop Sing stomped off and Joe went outside.
"Oww… that's too hot!", whined Joe after putting his hand in the steaming, half-filled tub.
"Alright, Hop Sing put cool water in. You take clothes off."
He slowly took his shirt and pants off and pressed them on his body. With an embarrassed look, Joe stood next to the tub and waited for the bucket with cold water. After Hop Sing had turned his back, Joe dropped his clothes and stepped into the tub. He leaned back and enjoyed the warm water until Hop Sing appeared next to him with a piece of soap in his hand and a smile on his face.
"Will take off dirt layer."
"Oh no, that soap stinks worse than horse sh… you know. Water is enough for me."
"我瘋了", said Hop Sing, grabbed Joe's wrist and put the soap in his hand.
"Wo fongla!" mocked Little Joe, whereupon Hop Sing pressed his head under water. Joe struggled in the tub and gasped for air when Hop Sing let go of him.
"Here are new clothes." He put the pile on a chair and picked up the dirty clothes from the floor.
Joe wrinkled his nose as he rinsed the soap from his curls and waited for Hop Sing to go outside for more firewood. Seizing the unobserved moment, Joe climbed out of the tub, when he suddenly caught a figure in the corner of his eye. He spun his head and saw a girl standing in the kitchen entrance. He jumped on the ground, grabbed his clothes and covered up his body. "Who are you!?"
In the same second, Hop Sing came back with a pile of kindles, saw the scene and laughed loudly. "Good Morning, Missy. Breakfast ready in ten minutes." Hop Sing stacked the wood and continued chuckling.
"I'm Mary O'Conner." She tried hard not to laugh.
"Will you get out!" He felt the blood rushing to his head and Mary left the kitchen, still grinning.
"Missy Mary guest here.", explained Hop Sing while Joe set a new record in putting on his clothes.
"I'll look after the horses.", he mumbled without looking up and hurried to the door.
A little later, Ben, Adam, Hoss, and Mary were sitting at the breakfast table and Mary stared unbelievingly at the vast variety of food, the china, and the silver cutlery. She cleared her throat and looked at Ben. "Me and my Pa had breakfast like this all the time."
Ben swallowed his bite. "You love your Pa very much, do you?"
Mary nodded and Hoss stared sadly at his plate full of pancakes as he tried to imagine what it would feel like had his Pa been sent away. Suddenly, Hop Sing approached the table with a fresh plate of scrambled eggs.
"Is Joe still asleep?", frowned Ben.
"Little Joe very much awake, awake early. He took bath and Missy came in kitchen. Now he all ashamed because she see him in… how you say?" Hop Sing paused to think for a second. Then his eyes lit up. "Birthday suit."
The three Cartwrights looked at each other and pressed their lips together before bursting into laughter.
"Didn't know he was in there." Mary chuckled and shrugged her shoulders.
Hoss had tears in his eyes from laughing. "Poor short shanks." He wiped them off and shook his head.
Ben turned to his boys. "Don't make fun of him, alright? He's embarrassed enough already… and Adam, will you ride into town today and put up some posters that we need three more men to take care of the herd? I completely forgot yesterday."
Adam swallowed his coffee. "Sure."
"And maybe you can buy a few new clothes for our guest." Adam frowned. Buying dresses was not the kind of job he would normally volunteer for but he agreed. Mary had never set foot in a dress shop, nor has she ever owned a store-bought dress. The woman that had visited her father sometimes had sewn one for her out of old curtains, the rest of her clothes were her Pa's old pants and shirts, cut off to fit her.
"Can I come along?", she asked. Ben agreed and Adam nodded with a trace of reluctance. In the next moment, Little Joe stepped through the front door and joined his family at the table.
"Morning, Joe.", cheered Ben. "I want you to meet Mary. She'll be staying with us for a while." Joe sat down opposite of her and mumbled hello without looking up.
"That's my son Joseph, we call him Little Joe."
"Hardly recognize ya when ya wearin' pants." Joe raised his head and gave her a deadly glare.
"What were you doing in our kitchen? Don't you have a home?!"
"Joseph…", said Ben in a low voice.
"Not everybody has a filthy rich Pa!", shouted Mary and Ben's face darkened.
"That's about enough." Joe was about to speak up. "Out of both of you!", added Ben and Joe closed his mouth.
"Let's go to town… come along, girl.", said Adam to deescalate the situation, stood up and was followed by Mary.
"Little Joe, here are some eggs and some bacon." Ben lifted the big plate and shoved food on Joe's. Angrily, he stabbed his fork in the scrambled eggs while Ben and Hoss exchanged concerned looks.
"I'll help Adam hitch up the team." Hoss put one last bite of pancakes in his mouth and left.
When he heard the door close, Ben turned to his youngest. "Little Joe, Mary is all alone because her father is serving a prison term. Sheriff Coffee is trying to find her relatives and until he does she will stay with us."
"Doesn't mean I gotta like her.", mumbled Joe.
Ben raised his eyebrows. "No, it doesn't. But I expect you to mind your manners." Joe didn't answer and kept eating until Ben tapped his arm.
"Yes, Pa."
oooOOOooo
Adam drove down the main road of Virginia City with Mary sitting next to him, when a man in front of the saloon suddenly raised his head. His eyes followed the wagon as he slowly stood up from his chair, threw the rest of his cigar on the ground and went inside the Silver Dollar.
"Frank!", he yelled and a man at the poker table looked up. He waved his hand. "You gotta see this."
Frank looked at his cards. "I'm done anyway." He put his cards down, took his money and stood up. "What is it?" Charlie pushed him outside and pointed at the wagon.
"Ain't that Matt's girl with the oldest Cartwright or am I going crazy?"
Frank's eyes narrowed. "No, you're not."
"Don't tell me she's staying with them… why would they care?", frowned Charlie.
"How the devil should I know?" Frank scratched the back of his hat and laughed. "Ain't that ironic." Charlie didn't know the meaning of the word but laughed along. "Cartwright put up a poster by the General Store… let's have a look.", said Frank.
"This could be our chance with Matt gone. With only the two of us, everything takes too much time and it gets to be too big of a risk in the long run.", mumbled Frank after seeing the job offer.
"You don't wanna work for them Cartwrights, do ya?"
"I would pretend to… if it got me easy access to the herd.", smirked Frank. "Come on."
He dragged Charlie along to the dress shop, where he had seen Adam disappear and peeked inside. There he saw Adam sitting in a chair while the shop owner showed dresses to Mary.
"Mr. Cartwright…", Frank said politely and took his hat off. "We saw your offer and we'd like to apply for the job. I'm Larry Smith and this is… my friend Harry." Frank smiled.
Adam stood up took a few steps towards them. "Larry and Harry? I've never seen you around here before, where are you from?"
"We're from St. Louis, just riding West, looking for work.", lied Frank alias Larry and Charlie nodded.
Adam pursed his lips. "I'm sorry, gentlemen. For a job like this my father only hires men we know. My hands are tied."
"But…"
"I'm sorry. Good day." Adam smiled politely and tipped his hat.
Frank's face darkened as he turned and walked outside, dragging Charlie along. He kicked against the wooden post in front of the store. "Alright, so we gotta find another way."