Joseph, My Son
Chapter 5
It was a comfortable Sunday afternoon, perfect for a buggy ride. Joe always enjoyed showing off the beauties of the Ponderosa ranch, whether it was the lakeside of the deep cold Lake Tahoe, the smaller, and very pretty Lake Washoe, or the little pond and stream steps away from Hoss and Prudence's house. And of course, there were the magnificent pines and the views from the crest of the mountains on the property.
Eleanor was dressed in a fine ensemble that reminded Little Joe of what Adam had said about how jealous the other girls of the town would become of their rival's fashionable clothing and her blonde beauty. As far as he was concerned, the others could say whatever they chose to. Eleanor could wear a flour sack, and she would still best them all.
She was in awe of the scenery he showed her. Being a city girl, she had little experience of the giant trees and deep lakes that encompassed Joseph's home. His descriptions of the land and the tales he told of the things that took place on such an expansive ranch caught her imagination. His obvious love for this place also had an effect on her; his words and the dreamy look in his eyes as he was telling her of all of these things began to convince her that he was sincere in his feelings about her as well. For the first time, Eleanor began to contemplate Joseph Cartwright as an earnest suitor. It was becoming obvious, that despite his unfortunate beginning, he really had a sincere nature. Everything he said and did in her regard was done with kindness and a sort of enthusiastic gentleness. He was truly interested in what she thought of things, and he showed how proud he was to have her on his arm.
They made their way to the ranch house to stop for some refreshment. Eleanor had of course been there for the Cartwright wedding just a few weeks before but had not seen the interior of the house. Ben was sitting at the table under the eave of the porch, working on some documents. Seeing the young couple drive into the yard of the house, he stood up and walked over to the buggy to greet them.
"I didn't expect to have any company this afternoon, but I'm glad you're here," he said, handing down Eleanor while Joe tethered the horse to the rail. "What do you think of our beautiful Ponderosa?"
"Beautiful isn't even the word for it. I've never seen such scenery or such vastness."
"I guess growing up here, I've kind of come to take it for granted," admitted Joe. "You're making me see it with new eyes. Thank you." He took her hand to kiss and then asked, "Would you like some lemonade? I'm sure that Hop Sing has some in the cold cabinet. He probably has some cookies, too."
Ben, however, interjected. "Why don't you stay for supper? Adam is off visiting some friends and Hoss and Prudence were here last night. You would keep me from being lonely, you know."
Not for the first time did Little Joe realize where he got some of his charm from. At least the part that had an effect on women.
"My aunt and uncle are expecting me home…."
Joe stepped in. "We could send one of the hands to town to let them know that you've accepted our invitation. I'm sure they can't object when they hear that it was extended by Pa."
The young woman looked between the two men and then nodded her approval. "No, they can't object when Mr. Cartwright is our chaperone. Yes, I'm glad to accept your invitation to supper."
"On one condition, my dear. You must call me 'Ben'. Now let's go inside and let Hop Sing know of the change in plans."
The interior was as extraordinary as the surrounding countryside. Eleanor stared frankly at the vast fireplace and a ceiling as tall as any she had seen in any opera house or hotel in California. It was a very masculine space, but somehow warm and inviting as well. And although she was dwarfed by the room, she didn't feel overwhelmed. Not with Joe by her side.
While they waited for Hop Sing to work his magic in the kitchen, Eleanor was shown the decorations of the large area. The big, long case clock that faced the massive fireplace had been made by one of the best clockmakers of Connecticut. Despite its arduous journey from the east coast, its beveled glass was unchipped, and it kept exceptional time. Behind Ben's desk were an array of dueling pistols, a pair of rapiers, multiple books and in pride-of-place, pictures of all of his late wives. Joe picked them up and showed them reverently to the young woman, but he held his mother's picture the most gently. She could see the resemblance between mother and son, the laughing eyes, the smiling mouth, and the overall shapeliness of the face. Only Joseph's dark hair spoke of his Cartwright heritage. For his part, Joseph realized that Eleanor didn't share too many of his mother's physical characteristics, yet the smiling eyes, the delicate build and the refinement of her carriage brought back what little he could remember of Marie.
His reverie was cut short by the call to the dinner table. If the meal of steak, potatoes and peas was a little too masculine for Eleanor's taste, she didn't make mention of it. Joe seemed happy with it and the conversation their young guest shared with him and his father was pleasant. She returned home later that evening both filled with the meal and the ease she felt with both men.
XXXXX
Several weeks later, Hoss was on his way east again to buy a pair of Clydesdale mares. This time he was headed to Milwaukee to a different breeder. With the railhead getting ever closer to Virginia City, he would only need to take a stage coach part of the way, making the trip much faster and a bit more comfortable. He wished Prudence could have joined him. Even though they both knew that Joe and Adam would look after the animals in their absence, she had insisted on staying and doing as much as she could. He had to admit that during the weeks since the end of the school year and their wedding, she had become quite competent in handling things on their spread. Still, Jack and Jill were so big that she had trouble harnessing them so they could be exercised in their corral. It also took her a long time pitching the large amounts of hay that they ate. There were also the other two horses, Chubb and Polly, to tend to and also the cow to milk and graze, the chickens to be cared for and the horse stalls to be mucked out, not to mention the usual household chores. And with the time it took to go and from Virginia City several times a week, she'd be exhausted by the time he got back home. It had taken a lot of convincing, but finally she gave in and agreed that his brothers could come and help out, as long as they allowed her to feed them in return. But under no conditions would she need them to stay for her protection. She'd come to enjoyed target practice and was fast becoming as good as any of them with the rifle and shotgun.
What Prudence hadn't said to her husband was that she feared they would have too much time alone in a Milwaukee hotel. It would have been wonderful, of course, to lie freely with one another, not a care in the world. But they had promised the town school board that she would teach during the coming year, and that meant that they could not start their family yet. Hoss had been squeamish about the whole subject of birth control, and with the recent introduction of the Comstock Act, all modern methods of contraception were closed to them. That left the rhythm method and the use of the Pauite tribe's herbal false hellebore tea as their only readily available choices. It had been less than six weeks since their marriage, barely enough time to know if the methods worked or if they were only lucky so far. She realized, much to her dismay, that the time they were separated would most likely provide another month when they didn't have to worry about beginning a family before they wished to.
Hoss had an inkling that that had been on her mind when she refused his suggestion to join him. They hadn't had a proper honeymoon, although that was a luxury that most people on the western frontier didn't have. But they could afford one and there wasn't anything that he could provide that he would withhold from his Pru. Dear God, next year was such a long time to wait!
In the meantime, he kept himself preoccupied with finding the two new Clydesdale mares he wanted. He had become quite found of the breed. Jack and Jill were both sweet-tempered and intelligent animals, and so far, Jill's very early pregnancy didn't seem to change anything about her personality or her willingness to work. But why, oh why, did everything seem to revolve around babies?
XXXXX
While Hoss was away, Prudence did accept an invitation to join Ben, Adam and Joe for dinner one warm night. When she rode up, it was the oldest Cartwright son who greeted her.
"Hello Little Sister," Adam said as he gave her a hug and a kiss. "Come on inside. I got a letter from your brother Teddy today."
"Oh? I hope he thanked you for all the time he spent monopolizing you at the wedding!"
"He did. He wanted to let me know that he's written to Harvard to find out what their admissions requirements currently are an what his tuition might be."
"I'm afraid that it will be too much for Papa to afford. With still having to pay Sally Ann's tuition this year, I don't know how he could save up what Harvard would cost."
"I realized that. I think I could help, however. Tell me what you think about this; I will pay Teddy's tuition as an interest-free loan. I'd give him five years to pay me back. If he'd like to settle here and start a business with me, I'd forgive half of the loan."
Prudence was shocked at her oldest brother-in-law's offer. "That's really very generous of you, Adam. Too generous, in fact. Teddy's a wonderful boy, but he's not your family."
"To paraphrase a saying," he began, smiling, "'the brother of my sister is my brother'. No one else in your family or mine has the feel for building that that kid has and he's as bright as they come. We could create a nice business together. Oh, and speaking of bright, Sally Ann sends her love. She says the family made the trip back to Ohio without any issues and they enjoyed meeting us and seeing Nevada. She also said that she's looking forward to returning next year and taking over the school."
Sitting down on the settee, Prudence admitted "I miss her very much. She's so much fun and our relationship is like the one you and Eric and Little Joe have with one another; one for all and all for one. Of course, when Gertie grows up, she'll be best of us."
"She's a special kind of kid," Adam agreed. "but it's hard for me to imagine that she'll be able to outshine either of her sisters." He gave her another hug just as Joe came down the stairs.
"Hey, Big Brother! Remember, we're just watching Prudence for Hoss. It wouldn't pay to be too friendly. You know Hoss could give you a licking blindfolded with one hand tied behind his back!"
It was Pru who answered with a well-aimed apple from the bowl on the coffee table. "Come here, you, and give me a big hug. That way…"
"That way everyone in this family would be equally accountable for caring one another?" asked Ben as he came in from the barn. Suddenly, the young woman found herself being passed from one strong set of arms to another as the Cartwright men hugged and kissed her.
"Oh, by the way, I stopped by the William's when I was in town earlier. They'll be joining us for dinner." Ben advised as all three of the others looked askance at their clothes. You'll all be fine with a little washing up."
Despite the informality of the invitation, the Williams' and Eleanor's outfits made the Cartwright's clothing appear somewhat worn and countrified. They all wanted to make a good impression for Joe's sake. If Anna Williams thought anything of the way they presented themselves, she didn't remark on it. When Prudence excused her riding skirt and old gingham blouse, Tom Williams brushed her apology aside.
"You have nothing to apologize for, my dear. Have you heard from your husband yet? One day I'd like to see your horses for myself."
"You're invited to come out any time to see them. They are spectacular."
While her aunt and uncle chatted with the others, Eleanor watched Joseph. This was his world. Obviously, his sister-in-law was comfortable and at home in it. Could she be? She felt a little vine of jealousy become aroused by the ease with which all of the Cartwrights accepted and loved this other woman. Ben had his arm protectively around her shoulder while Joe came to Eleanor's side and quietly took her hand. Adam was faced toward Prudence, smiling gently in her direction.
She was going to have to find her own way to prove her worth, both to Joseph and to the rest of his family. Could she do it? This was not the sort of life she was well acquainted with. It would take a lot of changes to fit into it, but if that was the price for a future with the youngest Cartwright, she would have to do it.
Her aunt watched her throughout the evening. Eleanor and Joe made a handsome couple. It seemed to her that her plans of getting them married to one another were well started. Of course, the young woman needed more educating in the ways of a well-to-do-rancher's wife. Obvious things like riding western-style, knowledge of how to run a ranch house (something quite different than running an upper-class house in town), and how to support and help the owner (or part-owner, at least) of a large and successful spread. There were also more subtle skills to learn; how to fit into a family that included the forceful Ben Cartwright as the paterfamilias, how to deal with the very low-class men who signed on to be ranch hands and a good general knowledge of frontier home medical care. Of course, Prudence might be a valuable resource in these areas. Coming from a city background herself, she was still learning many of these skills herself. Too bad the young woman was not of their social class, but Anna supposed that now being a member of the Ponderosa's family, made a significant difference. Too bad she was still going to be teaching.
For her part, Prudence found Eleanor to be nice enough, if a bit vapid. She suspected that Adam would agree but the point that mattered most was how Little Joe felt about her. He was certainly not the family intellectual. His choice of reading material, she had discovered, tended toward detective stories.
With dinner concluded, the men went to the porch to enjoy some brandy and Ben and Tom Williams lit cigars in the warm evening air. Inside, Prudence suddenly found herself playing hostess. The young wife hadn't expected this turn of events; hardly anyone out here had such formal manners. Of course, she had seen her mother in the role often enough, and while she should have expected to have to provide some such duties for her father-in-law, it wasn't her house. The only remedy was to do what she thought her mother would do.
Hop Sing had brought out a decanter of sherry and glasses for the women. As Prudence offered a glass to Mrs. Williams and then to Eleanor, she asked politely, "How is your father feeling?"
"About the same," replied the other young woman.
"It is such a shame," Mrs. Williams added. "The trip is just too arduous. Even coming to Virginia City would be too much, I fear."
"I'm sorry to hear that. It must be difficult to be away from your parents at such a time."
Eleanor only nodded as she sipped her sherry. She missed her parents and their home in Sacramento. When she left them, she knew in her heart that she would never see her father alive again. She often spent her unoccupied time in her room writing long letters to him, mostly about Joseph Cartwright. Mrs. Williams divined her thoughts and decided to change the subject.
"Prudence, why don't you stop in for lunch next time you're in town?" That would give Eleanor something to distract her, encourage a friendship between the two women and subtly begin her education in how to be a rancher's wife. "And I was thinking about what might happen when school is back in session, how during the winter, if a snowstorm comes up you might not be able to get back home. You'd be more than welcome to stay with us. Hoss would probably feel better knowing that you'll be with us rather than trapped for days in the schoolhouse."
"Thank you. That's very kind of you," Prudence replied. "Although the apartment over the schoolroom is quite comfortable and I will be leaving emergency clothing and supplies there, it's good to know that you are offering me an option. Eric will certainly be glad to know about that as well."