Chapter 11
Ben Cartwright sat in his big, red chair strategically placed by the fire and held Ezra—his grandson. Ben had referred to the child as such when Fiona, holding the child in her arms, was lifted down from the wagon by a weary Adam.
"Let me have my grandson, girl," Ben had said, eagerly putting out his arms.
"He's been sleepin', sir, so he's mite to be a bit fussy." She was loath to hand over the infant as she had become fond of him and feared that he would be afraid of being handed over to a stranger. Ezra was a charming child whom she had grown to love deeply and he was as handsome as his father and as far as Fiona was concerned, Adam Cartwright was his father.
"Let me see 'im, Pa," Hoss said as he father walked to stand under the porch light; it was already dark. Hoss moved to his father's elbow and pulled back the blanket.
"Me too, Pa," Joe said, crowding around on the other side.
"Now don't be makin' him afeared. It took about two days for him to become comfortable with me and he's not yet used to men and their rough ways and loud voices."
And as Fiona had predicted, Ezra, once he woke and opened his eyes and saw all the unknown faces staring at him, bellowed. Ben laughed and remarked that he was a Cartwright for certain as he could bellow as loudly as his Great-Grandfather Stoddard.
"Now don't you go blamin' him for Ezra's lung power," Hoss said. "I've heard the rafters shake from your yellin'. You got a pretty good set of lungs yourself, Pa."
Ben laughed and looked at Hoss and Joe who were both grinning. Hoss put a finger out and touched one of Ezra's flailing fists and Ezra caught it and held on.
"Dang, he's strong as a mule! I ain't never goin' to get my finger back." Hoss said to everyone's laughter but Hoss was secretly proud of his nephew. He would make a formidable man when he was of age and Hoss looked forward to teaching Ezra all the things he knew about animals and tracking and especially how to defend oneself. Hoss feared that children would find out about Ezra's birth and make him the target of insults. The boy would need how to use his fists.
"Sir," Fiona said wringing her hands, "would you like that I should take him? He probably wants for changing and a bottle and I can settle him in if the nursery is ready."
Hoss and Joe still smiled down at Ezra and his crying had died down to mere whimpers and an occasional hiccough. "No, no," Ben said, "I'll feed him and if need be, I'll change him. Why don't you get settled in the nursery? Then, after he's fed, I can bring him up to you."
"As you wish, sir, but…"
"Now go on. I'll have Hoss bring up your things."
"That is iffen Ezra ever lets go of my finger. I swear he's tryin' to eat it!" Ezra had pulled Hoss' finger into his mouth and was munching down on it with his first teeth barely through the gums.
Hop Sing had come out and hurried over to look at the baby as well. He grinned and with Hoss' finger still clasped and now wet from saliva, Ezra smiled back.
"I think he likes you, Hop Sing. Look at 'im smile," Joe said.
"Him handsome baby. Nice boy—big and strong. Look like Mistah Adam—handsome young boy. You let Hop Sing hold." Ben gingerly handed the baby over to Hop Sing, Ezra having released Hoss' finger, and the cook held the child up to take a measure of the child's size, the blanket falling open. "Solid. Good strong bones." Ezra put out a hand and patted Hop Sing's cheek which made the Chinese man smile even broader. "Yes. Hop Sing help raise you like he help raise Mistahs Hoss and Joe. Soon you ask in Chinese for cookies and milk. You help Hop Sing feed chickens and milk cows. You be another Cartwright, another son of the Ponderosa."
Ben's chest swelled with pride. i Another son of the Ponderosa. /i He had been determined to accept the boy but now that he had seen Ezra, Ben had no doubt in his mind—no matter what concerns Adam might have-that Ezra was a Cartwright through and through.
"Mr. Hop Sing," Fiona said, her hands going out to try to take the child, "perhaps I should take the child from you…"
Ben spoke up. "Now Fiona, you just come back from a long trip so go on upstairs and freshen up. There are clean towels and a pitched of water. Besides it's late and you must be tired. Consider yourself free of all responsibility until tomorrow morning. Hoss will bring up your bag. Now go ahead and if you're hungry, Hop Sing will make you a plate."
Fiona frowned but begrudgingly went into the house and Hoss looked from the baby and the men cooing over him to Adam and noticed how tired he looked as he emptied the wagon. Hoss patted the cow on her haunches. He then moved over and took Fiona's bag from Adam, putting it on the ground.
"We didn't expect you 'til sometime tomorrow. You done made good time."
"I pushed the horses but could only go so fast because of "Butter." Adam motioned with his head to the bovine tied to the back.
"Butter?"
"That damn cow."
"What happened to the goat?"
"Traded her and a few bills for the milk cow."
"Fine lookin' animal," Hoss patted the cow again, "for a cow, that is. But why?"
"To be honest, Hoss, I still don't really know why."
"Why's she called Butter? 'Cause she's kinda yeller?" Hoss looked back at the cow.
"Damned if I know or even care. Put her in the barn, will you? And feed her."
Hoss untied the rope and took the cow to the barn. Fiona, Ben, Hop Sing and Joe had gone into the house, one of them taking Ezra. Adam had watched them all fuss over the boy and Adam realized that he had only held the child once on the ride home—just once and that the child didn't know him at all—tried to push away. But then, Adam had to admit, he didn't know the child and the fact that Ezra might be Tom Burn's offspring had always made him less than warm to the infant.
Ada looked around him at the objects sitting on the dirt of the yard, the milk pail, the blankets and urine-soaked diapers that had been hung out the back of the wagon to dry and be reused, the pallet and blankets that Fiona and Era had slept on, the tin of hard tack, the fry pans and coffee pot and cups and the tin plates and utensils. Some of the nursing bottles were in a tin wash-tub partially filled with water so that after being rinsed, the bottles could be left to soak in a bit of soapy water so any milk residue wouldn't turn rancid and stink. The milk had a high cream content and easily turned in the heat of the day. He would have to ask Hop Sing to wash them or else Fiona would have to enter the sanctum of the Chinese cook's kitchen and take her chances and from what Adam had seen, he didn't see any friendship springing up between the two any time soon.
The horses stamped their feet and mouthed their bits. Now that they were home and so close to the barn, they were restless.
"All right, girl," Adam said as he began to unhitch one of the horse's. "You'll be fed soon and bedded down which is more than I can say for myself."
Hoss came back from the barn and he began to unhitch the other horse. "That Ezra's something else, Adam. He's a good-lookin' boy and strong as a bull. Why he grabbed my finger and wouldn't let go." Hoss chuckled. Adam said nothing, just continued with the traces that held the horse. Finally the horse was free and Adam led it into the barn where it eagerly trotted into its regular stall and turned itself around. It snuffled in the empty trough looking for any oats or other grain. Hoss brought in the other horse and put it in another stall.
Adam silently scooped up oats and poured them into the trough. Then he went to feed the other one while Hoss leaned against a post and watched.
"And what's so goddamn interesting about watching me feed the horses?"
"Nothin' in particular. What I did notice is that you ignored Ezra. Why's that? Don't tell me you still think he's Tom Burns'. He's the spittin' image of you."
Adam stared at Hoss. "And Tom was the spittin' image of me—so alike that he fooled people into thinking he was me and I fooled those who knew him best. So that was a stupid thing to say. Besides, Pa seems crazy about him and having a grandson and you and Joe and Hop Sing, well, Ezra will be raised by those better at it than I am. Hop Sing basically raised you single-handedly until Marie came on the scene and even then, Hop Sing raised Joe and you after Marie. And as much as I hate to admit it, you two turned out fine. And I have to say that Fiona's turned out to be a fine little mother. She seems truly fond of Ezra."
"Why shouldn't she be? He's a good baby. Did you see how quickly he got used to us? He didn't stay scared of us very long."
"Hoss," Adam said as he leaned back and rubbed his lower back, "I'm tired and all I want to do right now is go to bed and forget about this whole mess. I was hoping to get home early enough to go see Sylvia but it's too late." Adam started to leave the barn knowing Hoss would blow out the lantern. Then he turned back. "Have you seen Sylvia? Has she said anything about this, about Ezra?"
"I saw her in church Sunday and she came over and asked about you comin' home but then her Aunt Polly came over and said they had to go. Sylvia seemed not to want to go yet, like she had somethin' else she wanted to say, but she left." Hoss waited.
"I'm going to see her in the morning and if her Aunt Polly interferes…well, I'm not sure what I'll do but it won't be pleasant."
"Adam, is there somethin' 'bout you and Sylvia…I mean your business is yours but you ain't yet told what Sylvia said when you told her about Ezra—I'm guessin' you told her the truth 'bout how Ezra could very well be your son, but is there somethin' that maybe I can help with?"
After a short pause, Adam said, "You just did. It's my mind set."
"What?" Hoss was confused but Adam often confused him. Adam made jumps and such in his thinking that Hoss couldn't follow.
"All this time I've been of the mind that Ezra might not be, probably isn't mine, but there's also a chance he is. Ezra might very well be my son. I have a boy."
Hoss grinned. "Yeah. I got myself a nephew and a good-lookin' boy at that."
"Cause he takes after his father," Adam said with a sense of conviction. I have a boy—accept it and believe it. I have a boy.