It was the next morning when Hoss and Adam finally arrived at the Ponderosa with the wagon of supplies. As they came in the door, their father was making his way to the breakfast table.
"'Bout time you boys came home. You know how I feel about you boys staying out all night. So how were the gals in the Silver Dollar?" Ben added sarcastically.
Adam yawned and sat down at the table. "Don't know but sure wish we were finding out instead of doing what we were doing."
Hoss was stretching before he sat down, "And if anyone tells you that Zeke Fletcher is the most amiable man in these parts, they never tried to wake him up at one o'clock in the morning to borrow those dogs of his."
Ben looked at both his older sons. "Just what were you two doing and why did you need Zeke Fletcher's dogs?"
Hop Sing just then came out with the coffee pot. Adam held out his cup for Hop Sing to fill and turned to Ben. Hoss looked at Adam and Ben then cupped his head in his chin, trying to hold it up while he tried to decide if he could eat in his sleep.
Ben looked at his eldest son, "Well?"
Adam took a drink of his coffee and tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle another yawn. "Hoss and I went to the Hendricks place. While there, we thought we heard a baby cry. After practically taking the place apart, we thought it would be best if Zeke Fletcher's dogs went over the place."
Concerned, Ben sat directly opposite Adam. "Did they find anything?"
Adam shook his head. Hoss spoke up, "You know if there was anything to find, Fletcher's dogs would have found it. They do real good whenever there's a cave-in in the mines."
"Couldn't it have been an animal? Sometimes they can sound real close to a human." Ben asked his elder sons.
Adam shrugged his shoulders, "What I heard didn't sound like any animal, but we also didn't find anything that could have made the sound. Hoss and I could check again in the daylight later."
"No, you two don't. You two can get to bed, Joe and I can check the Hendricks house while we go and check out the fencing in the low pasture. We can use some help around the ranch house when both of you are awake." He gave a stern look at Adam and Hoss.
Too late Adam remembered that he said that he and Hoss would check out that fencing.
As Hoss and Adam went up the stairs they passed Joe coming down.
"Hey, 'bout time you two got in! So how were those gals at the Silver Dollar?" Adam growled, and Hoss glared at Joe.
Joe turned around to his father, "What did I say?" Ben just shrugged his shoulders and gave his son an innocent look.