"That was a fine meal Maggie," Ben complemented their hostess as she and her daughter set about clearing the table.

"I sure was Mrs. Walker," Hoss added, much to the amusement of everyone around him.

"You should know Hoss, you put half of it away," Adam teased.

"'Course I did Brother Adam, I need to store up fer the winter," Hoss returned with his wide gap tooth grin, causing everyone to laugh.

"Well I for one am grateful for Hoss' apatite. Makes a woman feel good having a man praise her cooking," Maggie said as she handed her girl the plates.

"Oh mama, it's mot like you have to tie daddy down to make him eat!" the girl piped in. She was a cute little thing, much like her mother. Fresh faced, curly haired with big blue eyes. At sixteen, she was already quite a favorite of the town boys near by and as such both parents had become highly protective of her.

"Now, you have to understand Sissy, I have to eat your mama's cooking 'cause we're married," Jimmy said, his famous silly grin on his face. And that was to be the curse of the evening, polite and friendly teasing with charming conversation and a game of checkers or two. The kind of evening that made life slow down and gave a person time to relax and feel at ease. Little did they know the pristine of the evening would soon be broken.

It was a quarter to eight when the sounds of hooves could be heard racing into the yard. "Who in blazes could that be?" Jimmy asked the wind, his brow frowned in confusion, "Excuse me a moment, please."

The host got up from his seat next to his wife and made his way to the front door where he stood looking out. It took him a moment to recognize the man that was now dismounting from his horse, but once he did he called Ben over. "Ben, I think they've come for you."

Ben walked over to Jim, confused. "Charlie? What in blazes are you doing here?" he asked when he saw the rider.

Charlie, the Cartwright's long time foreman, looked worried and this simple fact gave Ben an ominous feeling. "I was checking into the hotel Mr. Cartwright when a telegram came for you. It's from Sheriff Coffee and it's about Joe sir," the foreman said as he handed over a crinkled piece of paper.

Ben took it and read it carefully at least twice; each second his face growing paler. Adam, who had moved to his father's side upon hearing Charlie's name, called softly, "Pa, let me look."

In a daze the father handed over the note, and it was Adam's turn to grow sick.

Ben. (Stop.)

Walter dead. (Stop.)

Joe sick. (Stop.)

Hurry. (Stop.)

"Hoss and I will ride into town and explain what's happened to Hop Sing and we'll get our stuff and some supplies for the ride home," Adam said as he handed the note to his younger brother.

Ben nodded, nearly absent mindedly. He felt like the wind had been knocked out of him and thought was impossible. In his mind he played back the last few weeks he had spent with Joe and tried to pick up on anything he missed. Any sign that the child had been sick or under the weather. The only thing that stood out was the moodiness of the boy that he had written off as worry for his family's departure.

"Pa, did you hear us?" Adam asked again.

"What? Sorry son, what did you say?"

"Do you want us to send a telegram to Roy while we're in town?" Adam repeated, understandingly.

"Yes," Ben agreed, and then a thought struck him, "Jim, you said this illness that has infected the cattle, it's in more then just one town? If I remember correctly the vet said it was on almost every ranch this side of the Rockies?"

Jim nodded his head, "He did. So far we've heard reports that five towns from here to Virginia City have it. What are you thinking Ben?"

"I'm thinking about how many of our neighbors have become sick back home and wondering if it could have anything to do with the cattle," then turning to his boys he added, "Boys, I want you to go to the vet and then the town doctor. Explain to them what's happened and that I think Virginia City had the cattle illness, ask them if they could give you any information possible. I'll take care of getting the supplies and telling Hop Sing. The sooner we can get all this done, the sooner we can get back to Joe."