Joseph, My Son

Chapter 4

Joseph and Eleanor were already at the square dance when Ben and Adam arrived. They had followed Hoss and Prudence through the door and Ben was particularly happy to see them.

"Can we expect you for dinner tomorrow?" he asked the couple as he pulled his daughter-in-law to his chest for a hug.

"Yessir," replied his middle son. "Got some things to talk about as well."

"Good or bad?" Ben asked with some concern.

"Neither really. Business mostly," Hoss replied.

In the meantime, Adam had given his arm to Prudence and took her to the dance floor, nearly bumping up against Joe and Eleanor.

"Well, hello there, Prudence. It's been a week since I saw you," the youngest family member said. "Settling in to the new house and everything?"

"Yes," she replied. "And I'm enjoying not being on a school schedule, too. I'm going to miss not being at the house when September starts."

When the caller started a new chant, Adam and Joe switched ladies. Joe looked a bit askance at his oldest brother. He knew he could easily charm Eleanor away from him if he had the mind to. Pru looked between the two brothers, intuiting what was in Little Joe's mind.

"Oh, I wouldn't be too concerned about Eleanor dancing with him. You know Adam would think he's too old for her. He just wants to remind you to think before you act.", she said, smiling. She and Hoss had heard all about Joe's dinner misstep through the Ponderosa's grapevine, courtesy of the ranch hands.

Hoss looked on as his brothers danced with the two women. It hadn't been too long ago that he would have been very jealous of anyone else dancing with Pru, even his brothers, but after a week of her undivided attention, he was more secure than ever in their love. Nevertheless, he was happy to take her hand when his brother brought her to his side.

"Save the next dance for me, Prudence!" Ben called out as Hoss led her to the dance floor. The Cartwright patriarch watched his three sons and his first daughter-in-law enjoying themselves. Adam had returned his dance partner to the side of the room, and turned his attention to an old school friend, Katy Gorman. Except that she had been Katy Dixon for almost ten years now, and had become rather matronly after the birth of four children. Her husband, Calvin ran the livery stable in town, did some buying and selling of horses and did a fair job of repairing harnesses. Ben had already noticed that Calvin was off in a corner with Silas Barstow, the town's tanner. They were conducting business, no doubt. Many wives would have been upset to find their husbands ignoring them at an entertainment such as this, but Katy was an equitable sort, content that Calvin was a good man who didn't drink, made a solid living and loved her and their children. Ben would have made his way over to Calvin and Silas to also talk business too, but he was anxious to partner up with Pru when the current dance was done. Hoss obligingly brought his wife to his father's side and then met up with his brothers at the punch bowl when the next dance started.

Ben was a good dancer and Prudence was quite expert herself. The elder Cartwright enjoyed dancing with her quite a bit. Thinking back, he realized that square dancing wasn't popular yet when he met Elizabeth, Adam's mother. And Joseph's mother, Marie, was too refined for it, preferring quadrilles and the new and shocking waltz. However, Inger, who was Hoss's mother, was a very enthusiastic square dancer and many were the nights that their wagon train would hold an impromptu dance after dinner. It was often that Inger was the one to suggest it, no matter how rigorous the day's travel had been. Even when she was large with child, she was the first one to jump up when the calling started, dragging Ben into the middle of their circle of wagons. As he linked arms with Prudence, spinning around in a circle with her, he remembered a long-forgotten phrase in Swedish that Inger used often at those times; "vad kul!". It meant "what fun!" and she usually had her head back, blonde hair flying, laughing until he had to laugh with her.

"Vad Kul!, Pru!"

She looked at her father-in-law quizzically.

"Ask Adam. He might remember it. If not, I'll tell you later. Now,…" and with that he grabbed her waist and spun her into the hands of the next man who took her up the line of couples and back down until she landed back at Ben's side.

XXXXX

Late the next afternoon Hoss was sitting on the edge of the fireplace in the great room next to his father. Off at the small table near the stairs, Adam and Little Joe were in the early stages of a game of chess. Prudence had gone into the kitchen to offer her help to Hop Sing. It wasn't hard to hear the occasional loud retort of the volatile cook. Everyone was used to his jealous guardianship of the kitchen and the cooking, and no one even looked up. However, matters were different at the stove.

"I only offered to help, Hop Sing!" said Prudence evenly. "I don't want to take over anything. Everyone knows that you're the best cook in the territory. I wouldn't think of even touching the food. All I wanted to do was set the table. Why does that upset you?"

"Because Hop Sing do everything in the Ponderosa kitchen long before you come, Missy. No need more help. Hop Sing do everything just fine all alone."

"There's nothing I can do to help?"

"Bu! Hénǐ zhàngfu yìqǐ zuò!" he yelled at her.

"What?" asked Pru.

"I say, 'No! Go sit with husband!"

It would have been funny if Hop Sing hadn't been so mad for some reason. Prudence walked backward away from the angry man until she almost backed into Ben's chair at the head of the dining room table.

In the meanwhile, Hoss and his father had been conferring quietly.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure where going to have a foal late next spring."

"That's great news. Are Clydesdale gestations longer than typical for smaller horses?"

"No," replied Hoss. "They're about the same, but of course the foal is bigger and heavier. But they are the cutest little things. I saw some when I went to buy Jack and Jill and they have the sweetest faces. The leg feathers come in pretty quick, too."

Ben smiled. The Clydesdales were really beautiful animals. He could just imagine the young horse jumping and bounding about the field.

"Of course," continued Hoss, "because they're so big, Clydesdales mature about a year later than most other breeds. It's going to take a longer time to build up a herd than we originally thought. And naturally, we don't want to back-breed the children with the parents."

"No, of course not," responded his father.

"The problem is that Pru and I can't afford to purchase another couple of mares outright yet. We could get a loan from the bank, but I was wondering if you could lend us the money instead. It would be more advantageous for us."

"Well, since I'm part owner anyway, I don't see it as having to be a loan. It's really more of an investment, I'd say."

Over the chess board, Adam and Joe were much more involved in their own discussion than paying any attention to the others in the room.

"Well, I have to say that Eleanor is nice enough," Adam began. "Perhaps a little bit more accustomed to the ways of a real city than out here, but I don't think that will hinder her settling in."

"I hope so. And she can bring a bit of needed culture to us, as well. I noticed how closely some of the girls at the dance were paying attention to her clothing and the way she carried herself."

"I think most of them were jealous of the attention you were paying to her, Little Brother," Adam replied with a close mix of sarcasm and smugness. It was undeniable that Joseph was the best looking of the brothers, the most social and outgoing and the most charming. There were an awful lot of young women who would have loved to tie him to their apron strings and were resentful of the newcomer who had easily snagged his attention. Adam knew how dangerous the idle gossip of a group of ignored (if not scorned) women could be. He was just glad that the females of the town had decided that it was hopeless to pursue him. Many mothers had thrown up their hands when he had returned the summer before, realizing that he was quite content to remain single. The only thing he could possibly offer their daughters was a reputation and so he found fewer and fewer who were interested in sparing anything more than a polite few minutes with him. In a way, that had made it more difficult (if difficult was the right word) for his youngest brother. When it had become obvious that Adam would not be captured, even the older, almost spinster women of the town turned their attention to the youngest Cartwright.

"Yeah, well, I know those girls. I went to school with most of them. I'm friends with their brothers and cousins. They should realize that if I had no serious interest in them in all the time before, I'm not going to now," Joe replied. "There is something special about Eleanor. It's not just that she's beautiful. There are a lot of beautiful women in Virginia City. She's refined but not overly refined. She's reticent but not shy and there's a strength underneath her polish. I think she'll do well out here."

Adam put the chess piece he had picked up on a new spot on the board. Looking seriously at his brother he said quietly and with meaning, "I do hope that your assessment is correct. If you intend on taking this further, I mean."

Meanwhile at the other side of the room, Prudence had reached the fireplace and sat between Ben and Hoss. In an almost unconscious gesture, Hoss had put his arm around her shoulders and drew her closer to him. Ben's eyes smiled warmly at the two of them. From the kitchen more semi-audible Chinese words made their way toward the large room.

"Why is Hop Sing so upset? I offered to set the table and he acted like I wanted to throw him off the property."

"Sometimes it's hard to know what will set him off," commented Ben. "There have been a lot of changes around here and he put his heart and soul into your wedding. He knows you both appreciate it, as do I. We've all told him multiple times." In fact, Hoss and Prudence had made sure that they had given Hop Sing a meaningful thank you gift for all that he had done for them. "But his way of coping is by talking his way through it. Loudly. In Chinese. Don't worry about it. And don't worry about the cost of more horses. It's all about moving forward, isn't it?"

XXXXX

In town, at the same moment, Eleanor was sitting down to Sunday dinner with her aunt and uncle.

"I'm so glad that you had a good time at the dance with Joseph Cartwright last night," Mrs. Williams said. "Although a square dance is not terribly refined, dear."

"You never thought that when we were courting, I seem to remember," interjected Eleanor's uncle. "You certainly did enjoy them, if your enthusiasm was any indication." Thomas William, Sr, knew his wife well. The young Anna Hood was an eager, outgoing, and down-to-earth girl when they first met. As his fortune grew, however, so did her desire to be known as the town doyenne. "Quality" as in "the better class of people" became her watchword and she was most anxious that her children would only associate with and marry that class of people. She had been largely successful in her endeavors, with Tom Junior being her notable exception. Clara was a nice girl, polite and well mannered. Her family unfortunately was at best middle-class and undistinguished. And now, the poor young woman was frail and having difficulty caring for her husband and family. If they only agreed to return to town and if her eldest son would join in the operation of the distillery, things would be much easier for them. They could have servants; Clara could rest and regain her health and her grandchildren would have suitable companions as playmates.

Much as her son and daughter-in-law occupied her concern, her niece did as well. Although Sacramento held many more professionals, people of means and good breeding than Virginia City did, it was not nearly as healthful as the towns of Nevada were. Her brother's consumption worried Anna Williams, not just for himself, but for his daughter as well. And Joseph Cartwright was exactly the sort of man to marry Eleanor and keep her here. Handsome, charming and one of three heirs to the biggest ranch in the territory, he was the perfect husband for her niece. Engineering their marriage couldn't be that difficult, could it? Especially when the young man seemed quite interested in the potential bride.

"I quite liked square dancing, Aunt Anna. I am looking forward to the next one."

"Will you be seeing him again?" asked Uncle Thomas.

"He invited me for a buggy drive in the country next Saturday. Unfortunately, he'll be busy with ranch business until then."

Anna looked at her husband meaningfully. It was a promising start to an important romance.