That's What Brothers Do
Adam was in town running errands. When he finished, there was only about an hour left in the school day, so he decided to get a beer and play a few hands of poker before meeting his brother Joe and Mitch Devlin. He had been thinking about treating the boys to some pie at the International and winning one hundred dollars cemented the idea in his mind. He had been helping them study for that day's arithmetic test and had given them a practice test the night before. Both boys had done very well on it, hence his decision to treat them to pie.
When he arrived at the school, Adam was shocked to see both boys sitting on the steps crying. "What's wrong boys? Why are you crying? Did someone hurt you?"
Both boys hugged Adam who hugged them back. "No," sobbed Joe. "Not hurt. Rich told Miss Jones we cheated on the arithmetic test. She didn't even ask us if we cheated or look at our papers. She just gave us zeros, wrote that we cheated, paddled us, and made us stand in the corner instead of having recess."
"She also wrote notes to our Pas, telling them that we cheated," added Mitch. "I don't know what your Pa is going to do to Joe, but mine will use his razor strop on my bare bottom, go to school with me tomorrow, and make me apologize to Miss Jones in front of the whole school. It's almost summer and I'll spend it being restricted to our yard with a whole lot of extra chores."
"Honest Adam. We didn't cheat," cried Joe, hugging his brother tightly. "You helped us all week and said we both did good on that practice test last night, so we didn't need to cheat. We wouldn't cheat, even if you didn't help us."
"I believe you and I am going to make sure you aren't punished again for something you didn't do. Why would Rich want to get the two of you in trouble?"
"'Cause you saw him push Mary Beth into the creek a couple of days after she told Miss Jones that him and Tony were being bullies and trying to take our lunches. Miss Jones punished them and Rich swore he'd get even with Mary Beth. You told Mr. Stevens about Rich pushing Mary Beth into the creek and Rich got punished. Even though his Pa told him that you said he pushed Mary Beth into the creek, Rich swore that me and Mitch told on him and said he was going to get even with us, even if it took 'til Christmas."
"I see. I want the two of you to give me the notes, get your horses, and meet me at the International. There's a school board meeting tonight and I want to ask Mr. Williams to tell Miss Jones to attend the meeting and bring your test papers with her. I'm going to attend the meeting and ask Miss Jones why she just accepted another student's word that you cheated without talking to you and correcting your tests. I'm going to walk over to the feed store, so please take Sport to the International with you."
Adam walked over to the feed store to talk to Mr. Williams, who looked up from working on his books when the door opened. "Hi Adam. You just left here about an hour ago. Did you forget to include something on your order?"
"No, nothing like that Dave. I came to talk to you about tonight's school board meeting."
"Oh, what's up?"
"I would like you to tell Abigail Jones to attend the meeting, not to erase the boards if she hasn't already, and to bring my brother Joe and Mitch Devlin's arithmetic tests with her."
"Sure Adam, but do you mind if I ask why?" Adam told him what he had been told by Joe and Mitch. "I can't believe she would just take another student's word for what supposedly occurred without verifying the facts for herself. If you wouldn't mind staying here and keeping an eye on things for me, I'll go and talk to her now." When he returned, Mr. Williams was carrying a stack of papers and said, "Abigail will be at the meeting tonight. When I arrived at the school, Richard and Anthony were lurking behind some bushes near the back door. I don't think they realize that I saw them, but when I entered the school, Abigail was working on future lessons and today's tests were on the table near the back door. Knowing that Richard accused Joe and Mitch of cheating on today's test, I brought all of the tests back here with me to prevent any answers from being changed. I'll bring them to the meeting tonight and I may take a look at Joe and Mitch's tests to ensure that no answers are in anyone's handwriting other than that of the paper's owner."
"Thank you. I've got to get over to the International. The boys are waiting for me. I've been helping them with their arithmetic all week and gave them a practice test last night. They did very well on it, so I'm treating them to pie before we head home." Adam met the boys, who were surprised when he bought each of them a slice of pie and glass of milk.
"How come you bought us pie and milk?" asked Joe. "You never did that before."
"I did it because it's something I wanted to do. That's what brothers do." Joe was puzzled by Adam's reply. Nobody had ever said that to him before. "I also did it because you did very well on the practice test I gave you last night and I wanted to reward your hard work. When we leave here, we're going to stop at Mitch's house so I can tell his father what happened. Right now, I would like each of you to draw a diagram of the inside of the school. Be sure to include all of the desks and write your names on your desks and Richard's on his. Since there aren't many customers right now, I want one of you to do your drawing at a different table." The boys gave him a funny look and he said, "I have a reason for my request and I'll tell you what is when you're done." Joe moved to another table to do his drawing. When Adam looked at both drawings, he saw that they were identical. "Thank you boys. I wanted one of you at another table because I'm taking these drawings to the meeting tonight and don't want anyone saying you copied from each other. I'm going to do the same thing with your practice tests. Now we had better start for home before Pa thinks I drown you in the creek."
They stopped at the Devlin ranch on the way to the Ponderosa. Adam gave Mitch's note from Miss Jones to Mr. Devlin and explained what the boys had told him. He also showed him the drawings the boys had made of the classroom. "I gave the boys a practice test last night and they did very well on it, so they had no reason to cheat. I treated them to a piece of pie at the International and had them make these drawings for me to take to the school board meeting tonight. As you can see, unless he was turned around and looking at the other side of the room, Richard could not have known what Joe and Mitch were doing during the test."
"Thank you for letting me know what happened. I'm also going to attend the school board meeting. I want to hear what Abigail Jones has to say for herself when you confront her. Mitch, you don't have to worry about what's going to happen to you. I know that you don't cheat and so does your mother. I don't know what's wrong with your teacher, but I intend to find out and ensure that nothing like this ever happens to you, Joe, or any other student again."
When Adam and Joe reached the Ponderosa, Adam gave Joe's note to Ben and explained what happened. He showed his father the diagrams of the schoolroom and Ben agreed that the only way Rich could have seen what Joe and Mitch were doing was if he had been turned around and looking at the other side of the room. He assured Joe that he was not in trouble and teased him about the pie Adam had bought for the boys. "Well son, since you had pie in town today, I guess you won't be wanting any of Hop Sing's chocolate cake after supper tonight. I'm sure that Hoss will appreciate an extra piece."
Adam decided to join in on teasing his baby brother. "Hold on a minute Pa. I bought that pie for Joe so I could have an extra piece of chocolate cake. I'm older than both Hoss and Joe, so it should be mine. In fact, maybe little brother here should do my chores so he can work off that pie before supper, because I don't want to listen to Hop Sing yelling if Joe doesn't eat."
"You are correct son. Since Joe already had dessert, you may have his piece of cake."
Even though he knew his father and brother were teasing him, Joe started getting angry at them and stormed out of the house to start his chores. When Adam joined him in the barn, he asked angrily, "Why did you tell Pa that you were going to eat my piece of cake? You offered to buy me and Mitch pie, we didn't ask for it. You know how much I love Hop Sing's chocolate cake, so why did you say you were going to eat my piece?"
"I was just teasing you Joe. That's what brothers do. I'm not going to eat your piece of cake and never was. Now, our brother Hoss on the other hand, well, he'd be more than happy to eat everyone else's piece of cake and his too. Then he'd complain that he was still hungry and want more."
Joe laughed at Adam's description of what Hoss would do with the cake if he were given the chance. However, he was still puzzled about Adam saying he was doing things because that's what brothers do. Hoss never said that to him while Adam was away at college, so he wasn't sure what Adam was talking about.
Adam and Ben attended the school board meeting. Adam showed Joe and Mitch's practice tests and drawings of the classroom to Mr. Williams, who gave him permission to question Miss Jones. Mr. Williams called the meeting to order and explained that Adam had some questions for Miss Jones that needed to be answered in front of the board.
"Miss Jones," began Adam. "I believe that you gave your students an arithmetic test today. Is that correct?"
"Yes it is."
"Thank you. Did anything unusual occur during that test?"
"Yes. Two students cheated on their test."
"I see. Did you see them cheating?"
"No."
"Then how did you know that they cheated?"
"Another student told me that he witnessed them cheating."
"Which students were accused of cheating and who accused them?"
"Joseph Cartwright and Mitchell Devlin cheated and Richard Stevens was the one who told me that they had cheated."
"Did you grade Joseph and Mitchell's papers to see if they had actually cheated?"
"I saw no need to do that. Richard would have no reason to lie about something like that. Besides that, those two boys are always getting into trouble."
"Would you please show me where Richard, Joseph, and Mitchell sit?" He took out the diagrams Joe and Mitch had made of the classroom so he could see how accurate they were. Abigail walked to Joe and Mitch's desk, said that's where they sat and then said that Rich sat next to them. "These are drawings I asked the boys to make for me this afternoon. Why do they show Richard sitting much farther forward and on the opposite side of the classroom? Before anybody asks, I had the boys sit at separate tables to do their drawings so nobody could say they copied from each other." He showed the drawings to Abigail, the school board members, his father, and Mr. Devlin.
"I don't know."
Mike Williams and Billy Thomas were at the meeting with their fathers' permission. "You moved Rich more than a month ago because he was cheating," said Mike. "Billy and I sit behind Joe and Mitch and they don't cheat. Joe writes with his left hand so he sits on Mitch's left side. As you can see, their tests are written on the side board, so Joe has to look past Mitch to see the problems."
Adam took out the practice tests he had given Joe and Mitch the previous night and showed them to Miss Jones, the school board members, his father, and Mr. Devlin. "I have been helping the boys with their arithmetic all week and I gave them a practice test last night. As you can see, they both got perfect scores on it."
"How do we know that they didn't copy from each other?" asked Mr. Sims.
"They were at opposite ends of the dining room table and I was in there with them in case they had any questions. Mr. Williams, do you have the boys' tests with you?"
"Yes I do. Here they are." He handed them to Adam.
"Thank you. Since one of the boys who were accused of cheating is my brother, would anyone care to correct his test so I am not accused of playing favorites?"
"I'll correct Joe's," answered Mr. Williams.
"I'll correct Mitch's," said Mr. Thomas.
"Thank you gentlemen," replied Adam as he handed the tests to the men.
While the men were correcting the tests, Adam sat down next to his father who said, "I am very proud of you and the way you are defending the boys. If you hadn't chosen to study architecture and engineering, I truly believe that you would have made an excellent lawyer."
Adam chuckled. "No thank you Pa. Being chained to a desk all day doesn't interest me in the least. You know that I have always enjoyed building things."
"Yes son, I am fully aware that you have always enjoyed building things, however, should you ever decide to return to college and study law, I will be more than happy to pay for your studies."
Mr. Williams and Mr. Thomas finished correcting the tests. "Joseph earned a grade of one hundred percent," said Mr. Williams.
"So did Mitchell," added Mr. Thomas. "I don't know if David compared the practice test Adam gave the boys last night to the one they took in school today, but I did. After comparing both tests, I can say without a doubt that the boys had no reason to cheat. The test they were given last night had harder problems than the test they took today. Michael, William, do you know why Richard said that Joseph and Mitchell cheated on their tests?"
"Yes," replied Mike. "Rich and Tony are bullies and were taking the little kids lunches and doing things like pushing them off the swings and seesaw. Mary Beth Miller reported them to Miss Jones, who punished them and sent notes home to their fathers. Rich swore he was going to get even with Mary Beth and a couple of weeks ago, Billy and I saw him push her into the creek. I guess Adam Cartwright did too, because when Billy and I told Mr. Stevens what Rich had done, he told us that Adam had seen what happened and told him about it. Rich said that he got in big trouble and was restricted to the ranch all summer. He swore that Joe and Mitch were the ones who told his father what he did to Mary Beth and swore he was going to get even with them, even if it took until Christmas. I guess this was his way of getting even because Miss Jones paddled Joe and Mitch, made them stand in the corner, and said they weren't allowed to have recess until school let out for the summer."
"Thank you Michael. Miss Jones, I am certain that I speak for the entire school board when I ask why you would accept the word of a student who does not even sit near the students he accused of cheating, without asking the students who do sit near them if they saw Joseph and Mitchell cheating."
"I don't know."
"You stated that Joseph and Mitchell are always getting into trouble in school. What kind of trouble are they getting into that you would believe another student when he said they cheated on a test?"
"Writing notes to each other, and drawing pictures when they should be doing their assignments."
"Since those boys aren't here, I'll ask the two who are. Michael, William, are Joseph and Mitchell doing the things Miss Jones said they are?"
"Sure they are. We all do," said Billy. "When we finish a test or assignment and turn our paper in, we are allowed to write notes to our seatmates or draw as long as we don't disturb anyone else."
"If that is the case Miss Jones, why do you say that Mitchell and Joseph are causing trouble?"
"I know," said Mike before Abigail could answer. "Everybody in the school knows, except probably Joe and Mitch. It started after Adam came home from college and she met him. Miss Jones is sweet on Adam and the girls say that she has set her cap for him, whatever that means. She keeps sending notes home with Joe, hoping that Adam will be the one who comes to see her about them. She sure gets a disappointed look on her face when Mr. Cartwright comes instead."
Ben was furious. "Do you mean to tell me that I have been punishing my youngest son for doing things he is allowed to do because you are trying to get my oldest son's attention? Your job is to teach the children who have been entrusted to you, not to use one of them to get his brother's attention! If this board doesn't do something about your actions and if you don't change your ways immediately, I will withdraw Joseph from this school! Although I need his help on the ranch, Adam can teach his brother until a new teacher is found! Now that I know the truth, I have to apologize to Joseph and find a way to compensate him for all the times he was punished because of your actions! That boy has spent many weekends restricted to the yard with extra chores because you were trying to get Adam's attention. I don't have the words to express how disgusted I am with you and the way you have treated my son. It's no wonder he doesn't want to attend school. With you treating him the way you have been, nobody would!"
"Miss Jones, what do you have to say for yourself?" asked Mr. Williams. "We would like an explanation for your actions."
"I'm sorry. I guess I didn't realize I was doing those things."
"That is not an acceptable answer. Michael and William just told us that your actions were intentional, so your claim of ignorance is false. How do you plan to make amends to the boys who were unjustly punished by you and their fathers?"
"I will apologize to them in front of the entire school tomorrow morning. Also, if an adult will consent to check them out, I will release them before lunch every Friday until the end of the term."
"That is acceptable. If there was another qualified person available, this board would terminate your employment immediately. However, as there is no other qualified person available, we have no choice but to continue your employment. However, you will only receive one half of your salary for the remainder of the term. Keep in mind that if anything like this ever happens again, your employment will be terminated and we will advertise for another teacher. Adam, I would like to commend you for your determination to learn why your brother and Mitchell were punished for cheating when they had done nothing wrong, and for informing this board of Miss Jones' misconduct."
During their ride home, Adam said, "Pa, since Joe is going to be getting out of school early tomorrow, why don't Hoss and I take him camping down by Lake Tahoe. We can spend the weekend fishing and swimming. We'll have him back home in time for Sunday supper so he can get a good night's sleep before school. If you don't mind, I'd like to be the one to tell him that we found out why Abigail Jones has been treating him the way she has. I don't intend to tell him what her reasons were, just that we know and the problem is being taken care of."
"That's fine Adam. You know that I trust your judgment."
While the family was eating breakfast, Adam said, "Joe, Pa and I attended the school board meeting last night and I was able to find out why Miss Jones has been treating you the way she has been. Mike and Billy were there too and told the school board that you and Mitch do not cheat and why Rich said you did. We have Miss Jones' promise that it will never happen again to you or any other student."
"Gee thanks Adam. I can't believe you did that for me. I didn't think you would."
"Of course I would. You are my little brother and I love you. That's what brothers do."
"You keep saying that but I don't know what you mean."
"I mean that brothers do things to help each other and sometimes tease each other. You have read The Three Musketeers. Weren't Athos, Porthos, and Aramis like older brothers to D'Artagnan? They helped him, taught him, and teased him, and most importantly, they were there when he needed them. That's what brothers do. Hoss and I help each other and we also tease each other. We also help and tease you too. You are our brother and we both love you very much. That is something that will never change, no matter how old we get. Now I have a word of advice for you. I see Hoss eyeing your plate, so if you don't want to go to school hungry, you had better eat before he helps himself to your breakfast."
Ben picked Joe up from school and when they got home, Adam said, "You, Hoss, and I are spending the weekend camping at Lake Tahoe. Eat your lunch and get your swimming clothes, bedroll, and fishing pole. We don't get to do that very often and don't want to waste any time."
When the brothers reached the lake, they set up their camp and changed into their swimming clothes. As soon as Joe had changed clothes, Adam grabbed his arms and Hoss grabbed his legs. They swung their brother and tossed him into Lake Tahoe. Joe came up sputtering and demanded, "Hey, what'd you do that for?"
"That's what brothers do," replied Adam and Hoss together as they jumped into the lake to join their brother.
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