"I don't know how Pa copes with that boy, I really don't Hoss. I mean, one moment I'm feeling all soft towards him and the next I feel like taking him over my knee!"
"Yup, he sure is struggling to grow up! The only problem is, he isn't growing."
They rode in silence for a moment and Adam remembered how Joe's hat had slid down over his eyes yesterday. The germ of an idea began to grow. "Do you still want to get back at Joe for that ruckus in the saloon?" Hoss nodded in agreement. "Well, I think I've got the perfect idea. The only problem is, it'll take a few days to set up …"
As Adam outlined his plan, they began to laugh. Eventually, they had to stop the horses and dismount before they fell off. Hoss lay down on the ground, tears pouring down his face and howled with laughter. Eventually, he calmed down a little and offered a few refinements of his own to the plan. The sheer brilliance of the scheme struck Adam once more and when he imagined the look on Joe's face he began to sob with a quiet and desperate joy.
After a rather boring morning chopping wood, Joe was delighted when Adam suggested that he help to roundup the calves for branding.
"Isn't Hoss going to help too?" he asked.
"No, I've got to go into town. But I'll be starting the branding tomorrow."
Joe hoped he wouldn't be asked to help with this chore. He disliked seeing and hearing the young animals in pain. Although he knew branding was an essential part of ranch life, he'd rather not take part in it. Both his brothers knew this, and Adam was quick to say "Maybe tomorrow you could ride the fence lines with me? We've got to make sure everything is fixed before winter comes". Hoss added "And after that, maybe you could help me move the herd over to the new pasture."
"Sure thing! No problem" Joe felt much happier at this. He was being given real jobs to do. Maybe at last his brothers realized that he was a man!
What Joe didn't realize was that his brothers had carefully arranged things so that one of them could always slip away unnoticed to prepare for their surprise. The next few days passed in a flurry of ranch work, with Joe at the centre of things. His brothers were surprised to see how useful the boy could be. They were equally pleased to see the hard work was tiring him out, so that he went to bed early and willingly. This gave them valuable time alone to put their plans into action.
"Come on Joe! Time to get up"
"Okay, okay!. I'm getting up." Joe lay for a moment and then opened one eye to see Hoss standing over him. He grinned and then hopped out of bed and began to get dressed.
"Hurry up then. We're going into town for the mail this morning, so dress neat." Hoss moved towards the door, adding "And don't forget to brush your hair. It's every whichways!"
Grumbling good-naturedly about bossy big brothers, Joe pulled on his pants and boots, found a clean shirt and buttoned it. Moving over to the dresser, he grabbed his bush and began to bang it aimlessly around his head. What was Hoss going on about, he thought. His hair was hardly long enough to lie down, far less be in a mess. Then, something strange struck him. He could only see the top part of his head in the mirror that hung on the wall. Weird. There was a shout of "Breakfast!" from below, so he tossed down the brush and ran downstairs.
After breakfast, the three brothers began to get ready for the ride into town. Their gunbelts lay on the credenza by the door and they began to buckle them on. Joe grabbed his, threaded the leather through the belt buckle until it reached the third last hole and fastened it. The belt slid straight down over his slim hips, landing on the floor with a clatter.
"For goodness sake! Be more careful Joe. That could have been dangerous!" Adam's words were harsh as he realized how easily the gun could have gone off. Joe stood looking bemused. "I don't understand. I always use that belt hole. Guess I've lost a little weight with all hard work, eh?"
"Well, you were too skinny to begin with, little brother." Adam draped his arm affectionately round Joe's shoulders. "You'd better start eating a bit more or you'll fade away to nothing before Pa gets back and he'll start yelling at Hoss and me again". Joe grinned up at Adam and heard a strange noise from behind him. "You all right Hoss?" he asked with concern.
"Oh I'm just fine Shortshanks. Just a bit of a tickle in my nose." As Joe continued to gaze at him with concern, Hoss continued, "Come on, I've got the horses saddled and ready."
Reaching to grab his hat from the hatstand, Joe thought that it seemed a bit higher than normal. In fact, he had to stand on tiptoes. He looked at Adam and Hoss but neither of them seemed to notice anything different, so he said nothing.
Cochise, Sport and Chubb were loosely tethered to the rail outside. Joe greeted his horse affectionately and gave him an apple he had filched from the house, while his brothers looked on indulgently. Grabbing the saddle horn in his left hand Joe vaulted up into the saddle, his feet reaching for the stirrups. No matter how hard he searched, the stirrups remained elusive, so he leant down and saw the stirrups dangling a good 6 inches below his feet.
"Very funny Hoss" he said. "I thought you wanted to get going. Well, you'll just have to wait a moment."
"Dadburn it Joe! What are you talking about?"
"You've deliberately put my stirrups at the wrong length" accused Joe, as he fished down and grabbed the leathers. "You know I ride with them in the sixth hole."
"That's where I put them when I tacked up Cochise. I know that as well as anyone. Are you telling me someone's been interfering with your tack?" Hoss looked worried.
"Noo-o-o" replied Joe slowly, looking at the stirrup leather he held in his hand. "They're in the sixth hole all right. Guess the leather must have stretched a bit, that's all. I just need to shorten them."
Adam had ridden ahead and was waiting impatiently. "Come on - let's ride!"
"You're awful quiet there Shortshanks," said Hoss, looking at the rather dejected small figure riding beside him. "Something worrying you?"
"Well, you'll probably think this is daft, but …"
"But what?" Adam asked softly. "Come on, tell us and maybe we can help."
Joe could contain himself no longer "I think I'm shrinking!"
Adam tried to keep a straight face as he replied "Well, that would be unusual, but not entirely unheard of. Remember old Mrs. Brannan, who used to live near the school?" Joe nodded and his brother continued "Well, she was a tiny little lady, right? But I heard people say she was as tall and slim as a young tree when she was a girl."
There was an explosive noise as Hoss sneezed again. "Bless you," said Joe automatically. "But that couldn't happen to me, could it? I'm only 15! I don't want to start shrinking over before I've even finished growing! It's not fair!"
He sounded close to tears and Adam wondered if he gone too far. Kind-hearted Hoss leant forward and touched Joe lightly on the knee.
"Don't worry about it. You're just tired, that's all. Things will all right. We're nearly home now, and you can have a nice hot bath and everything will be fine!" Joe snuffled his agreement and smiled tearily at his brother. Because his eyes were still a bit misty, he didn't see the gleam in brother's wide, honest gaze.
As they rode into the yard, Hoss said "You go on ahead Shortshanks. I'll get some towels and your nightshirt for you and Adam will put the horses in the barn."
"Thanks, Hoss," said Little Joe gratefully. He did feel tired and a hot bath would be relaxing. He looked weary as he walked slowly over to wash house.
Adam looked at Hoss and said "Maybe we should stop. We've really got the poor kid going. Enough's enough, isn't it?"
"Well, normally I'd agree with you, big brother, but seeing as how I got the bill today for the damage to the salon …". He handed it over and Adam's eyebrows shot up when he saw the figure. "… and seeing as how Betsy said she didn't want to go with no bar-room brawler …". Adam nodded sympathetically, having had a similar story from Laura. "… and seeing as how I hauled that new bath tub all the way from Virginia City, hid it all week before dragging the old one out last night, then no! I don't think it's enough!"
Adam grinned. "And it would be a waste of the new clothes I bought today, wouldn't it?"
In the warmth of the wash house, Joe poured the last of the water into the large copper tub, pulled of his clothes and jumped in, just as Adam entered with towels and night shirt. Joe raised his arms above his head and stretched luxuriously. There was a sudden yelp and Adam saw his youngest brother slip down beneath the water. He grabbed an arm and yanked him up.
"Joe! What on earth are you playing at? Are you trying to drown yourself or what?"
Blinking the water out of his eyes and spluttering slightly, Joe looked up at Adam in surprise. "I-I-I don't know what happened Adam, honest! I was just leaning back but the tub seems a lot longer and I kept on going." Boy, that sounded lame and he knew it! Joe looked at his brother apprehensively. "Are you mad?"
"No, I'm not mad! Just be careful, okay! You could have knocked your head or anything."
"I seem to be a bit accident prone today, don't I?" Joe reflected sadly. He looked so young and vulnerable, sitting there in the tub, that Adam felt rather mean. "No harm done, so no problem, okay? How about I help you wash your hair?"
Joe agreed to this. He was still quite upset and didn't mind a bit of babying for once. They went back into the house, where Hop Sing had laid out sandwiches, coffee and pie. Hoss was already tucking in, with evident relish. Adam briefly hugged Joe to him, before saying "Come on little buddy, we'd better grab what we can while there's still some left!"
Hoss looked at Joe's knobby knees and ankles sticking out from his nightshirt. "Come on Punkin', eat something. You're far too skinny."
"You should know better that that, Hoss", laughed Adam. "It would take a small miracle for Joe to put weight on!"
Neither of them saw the sad look that crossed Joe's face as sat down and began to eat a sandwich. They knew something and they were keeping it from him. It must be true: he was shrinking. He was rather quiet for the remainder of the evening and went to bed early, saying he was tired. As he lay in bed, Joe hoped that his father would be home soon. He missed him so much.
"Please come home, Papa," he thought, unconsciously reverting to the baby name. "I need to talk you. I need you …"