SEVENTEEN

The five Cartwrights worked all morning and the day grew warmer. Initially, all five worked at pulling weeds from what had been the kitchen garden and what was still the flower garden. Morning-glories climbed over the fence and roses still produced buds.

"Well," Ben said, standing back and looking at the result of their work, "that's a good job well-done."

"At least by some of us," Joe said, glowering.

"Surely, you aren't referring to me?" Percy said as if he was injured.

"Actually, I am," Joe said facing Percy.

"Now, Joe," Ben said, putting his hand on Joe's shoulder. "Percy worked at clearing the garden."

"Thank you, Father, for defending me, but I'm afraid that I'm just not cut out for this type of work. Getting dirt under one's nails! Gauche! Disgusting!"

"I told you to wear gloves," Adam said, "if you didn't want to get your dainty hands dirty."

Joe smirked at Adam's comment and Percy glared at him.

Before they had left the Ponderosa, Percy complained that the roughness of the shingles would ruin his gloves. Joe giggled and Hoss had guffawed when Percy had pulled from his back pocket a pair of fawn colored lambskin dress gloves to wear while working. So Ben had told Joe to loan Percy some work clothes-they were both about the same size-and a pair of gloves. Joe had pulled an old work shirt out of his chest of drawers and a pair of folded dungarees and thrown them at Percy's chest.

"Keep them," Joe had said. He didn't want them back once they had been against Percy's skin for so long and imbued with his sweat, that is if he did enough work to break a sweat. During the time Percy had been there, albeit a short time, Joe hadn't yet seen him anything but cool and placid. Percy languidly moved about the house, exerting little effort and Joe felt that Adam was right when he referred to Percy as "slithering;" it captured the malevolent aspect of all of Percy's actions.

And so Percy wore his fancy kidskin boots and his lambskin gloves along with the dungarees and work shirt. He kept tossing his hair out of his face and Hoss had asked him if he wanted a ribbon to tie his hair back. Joe and Hoss laughed at that but Adam had said quietly to Hoss to be careful, not to intentionally provoke Percy, that Adam felt he could be dangerous.

"That little pipsqueak? Dangerous? Aw, c'mon, Adam." Hoss gave a small laugh but when he saw Adam's serious face, he stopped. "I could snap 'im in half," Hoss said.

"That's not what I mean."

"What do you mean then?"

"I just think…just be careful…okay." And then Adam picked up a pail of paint and a brush and went to paint the house while Hoss looked after him, puzzled.

Ben had Percy to climb the ladder up to the roof and to help Joe.

"Surely you don't expect me to ascend such vertiginous heights just to hand small pieces of wood to Joe? Besides, after my….after losing my breakfast, I am so enervated that I believe that even lifting a mere shingle would be too much of an effort."

"If you want," Joe said from the roof, "I'll do the handing and you can do the hammering. It's all the same to me."

Percy huffed and then sullenly climbed the ladder and as Joe asked for them, Percy handed him the slats of thin wood and Joe nailed the shingles in place. They worked silently, Joe putting out his gloved hand when he wanted another shingle. Percy moved slowly and tried Joe's patience.

"Look, Percy," Joe said, "you need to be faster-we're going to be here all day at this pace."

"Sorry, little brother, I just can't move any faster. After all, I was poisoned this morning and am still weak." Percy lay back on the roof to illustrate his fatigue.

"Get up and get busy," Joe tersely responded. He had been working hard and his shirt was soaked with sweat. Joe had rolled up the sleeves and unbuttoned a few more buttons at the neck but he was uncomfortable and working with Percy made it worse.

Percy slowly sat up. "My goodness, how your beautiful, green eyes flash when you're angry. I hear that you're quite the ladies' man. Is it true?" Percy pointedly looked at Joe's crotch and then glanced back up to Joe's face, smiling.

Joe bent over and grabbed Percy's shirt, jerking it. "Now you listen to me," he said through partially clenched teeth. "You might be able to rile Hoss with your nasty little comments but you're talking to me now so shut your goddamn mouth and start handing me shingles and be quick about it or I'll toss you off this roof and finish it myself!"

"I just love seeing you so masterful." And Percy reached up and placed his hand over Joe's gloved one and then ran it up Joe's bare arm to his elbow. Joe was taken by surprise. No man he had threatened had ever responded this way.

Joe released Percy's shirt front and stepped back. Whether Joe lost his footing or tripped over Percy's splayed leg or it was a mere accident, no one could be sure because no one was watching, but somehow, Joe toppled off the roof and fell to the ground, landing heavily on his side. Adam looked up when he heard the sound of the sickening thud and Joe cried out in pain. Ben, who had been painting, dropped his pail which spilled over, causing a pool of the thick, white liquid to form a puddle on the ground.

Hoss was the first to reach Joe. He quickly checked his younger brother and gently rolled him over onto his back. Joe rocked himself back and forth, holding onto his shoulder, gritting his teeth, and when Adam finally reached Joe, he unbuttoned Joe's shirt more and pulled it back; Joe's collarbone had split the skin and was protruding a good inch.

"Oh, hell," Adam said in a hushed voice.

Adam met his father's eye and Adam shook his head; it was a bad break. Ben kneeled and stroked Joe's hair and tried to calm him.

"We'll get you to the doctor, Joe. It's just a break, that's all. Don't move." But Ben wasn't so sure when Joe looked up at him, obviously in great pain. His breathing was labored which caused Ben to think that a rib may have shoved itself into Joe's lung.

And Adam noticed a shadow over them and looked up and Percy stood at the edge of the roof, looking down at them, a satisfied expression on his face. Adam stood up and faced Percy who loomed over them from the heights of the roof.

"Get down from there," Adam ordered. "Get your goddamn ass down here or I swear I'll climb up and throw you off."

"I'm coming," Percy said. "Don't be so impatient. Give me a chance. I don't do well with heights. And obviously, neither does Joe."

At that, Adam began to approach the ladder and Percy called out that he was coming and quickly.

Adam and Hoss pulled the mattress off one of the beds in the house and gently lifting Joe onto it, carried him to the buckboard and placed him in the back.

"You and Hoss take him home, Pa-gently. I'll go into town and get the doctor," Adam said. Ben agreed that Joe shouldn't be rattled around-it might exacerbate his injuries.

"What about me?" Percy asked and then wished he hadn't because Adam strode threateningly toward him while Ben and Hoss watched.

"Did you push him off?" Adam asked. His eyes were dark with anger.

"Of course not," Percy said. "Did he say I did?" Percy backed a few steps. He had rarely known tr fear but he was afraid of Adam. He had been prodding Adam since they met the day before but he hadn't realized how dangerous Adam could be when pushed too far.

When Percy had been a young boy, the headmaster had a mastiff and kept it behind a tall iron fence. It was a frightening dog with its oversized head, folds of skin, and slobbering lips and Percy couldn't resist tormenting it. After all, it was behind a fence. So when he was out, he would annoy the dog by running a heavy stick along the rails of the fence making a clattering sound and the dog would bark wildly and try to pull the stick, turning his head sideways to grab it with its jaws. And Percy would laugh and then he'd take the stick and jab at the dog, trying his best to poke it in the eyes. That would really be fun-to tease a blind dog.

But one day, Percy stole the cook's cat, a calico mouser. He had tempted it with a string and a feather that he pulled across the floor until it came close enough for him to grab it. Then he tied a rope around its neck and ran with it to the iron fence. After kicking the fence, and calling out to attract the dog, he tossed the cat over the fence and dangled it while the cat struggled against the suffocating noose, clawing and twisting. The dog, so filled with hate at the sight of its tormenter and seeing the wriggling calico, grabbed the cat and ripped it apart and Percy found that it thrilled him and excited him in such a manner that he went off alone in the woods to relieve his arousal. And from then on, he found that cruelty was an aphrodisiac for him and there were many a young man at the boy's school who suffered at Percy's hands. He was feared as he grew older because despite his slender build and effeminate manner, he always found a way to avenge himself and no one could ever say for sure exactly what had happened. And once he started visiting the brothels, many a young girl was beaten and then found unconscious, her chemise and pantalets still in place but sullied from Percy's emissions.

But now, he felt like the helpless, dangling cat and Adam was as threatening as the mastiff. Percy couldn't bear being the helpless victim and his hate for Adam grew as the fear of him did. Adam jabbed Percy's chest, pushing him, and it made Percy wince with pain. He put his hand over the spot which hurt as if he had been shot.

"If Joe says that you pushed him off that roof, well, I can assure you that you'll pay. Do you understand?"

Adam's face was so close to his that Percy stepped back. Percy nodded and Adam started to walk away but then he turned; he didn't want Percy to be at the house with Joe, didn't want Percy, in some way, to convince Joe that it was an accident if it hadn't been, to influence Joe to say it was something other than what it was. He knew that Ben would be at Joe's side as they waited for the doctor but Percy might play out a dramatic scene of brotherly love and Adam couldn't have that.

"You're coming for the doctor with me," Adam said to Percy and then climbed on the seat of the buckboard which had been emptied of its supplies. Percy hurried over and scrambled up onto the other side of the seat; he knew that if he didn't, Adam might grab him by the shirtfront as Joe had and literally throw him onto it. Hoss drove out the buckboard carrying Joe and Ben home.