Joseph, My Son

Chapter 14

The next morning, Jill gave birth to a fine colt. The delivery was uneventful and Hoss happily went to the bell hanging on their porch to announce to the rest of the Ponderosa that the foal had been born. Within a few hours, the mare and her young horse were put back into the Clydesdale's corral. The other females were interested in the youngster, sniffing him, but not getting in the way of his nursing. Jack seemed quite proud of himself, strutting about, snorting, and quite pleased with himself it seemed.

Following the idea of naming Jack and Jill for nursery rhyme characters, Hoss and Prudence decided that Jill's offspring would continue with those types of names. Not only was it cute, but it was also useful to help remember who his dam was. They chose to call him "Hansel". The decided that Mitchy's foals would be named for the eastern states and Nebbie's for the western states as well. And of course, Hoss could now start keeping a stud book.

Toward the end of the afternoon, Ben, Adam, Joe, many of the ranch hands and even Hop Sing had gathered to be introduced to the latest Clydesdale. Naturally, Hop Sing had brought multiple picnic baskets full of food and an impromptu celebration took place in Hoss and Prudence's yard. Hansel seemed like he was going to look more like Jill than his sire, but most of the men agreed that likely he would grow as large as Jack.

"It looks like the making of a fine herd, Son!" Ben said, throwing an arm around Hoss's broad shoulders. "I think the extra time it takes to breed enough animals to start selling them will be worth it."

"Yep, Pa. Jack's already shown his worth behind the plow and he can out-pull any other breed of horse in these parts. And Jill was so calm giving birth, it was like she'd dropped a foal a hundred times before."

"And Mitchy wasn't jealous of the attention you gave Jill?" his father asked, a grin on his face.

"Nah," laughed Hoss. "I think she's got some notion that somethings going on inside of her, and she seems to be thinking real hard on it. She's been paying less attention to me recently. I kind of miss it, though."

"Well, now that Pru has retired from teaching and with her sister arriving soon, you'll have other things to occupy you." Ben looked over at his elder daughter-in-law, a little smile playing on his face. Hoss saw it and assumed that his father was thinking that they'd now concentrate on starting a family of their own. Looking at his wife, he smiled as well, knowing that they'd already begun. Ben then looked at his middle son and noticed the happy little smile on his face and knew exactly what he was thinking. "You have a little surprise coming," he thought to himself. "Just you wait and see."

Adam and Joe were at the corral fence, looking at the horses. "Every time I see them, I'm taken with their beauty, Joe," the elder brother said.

"You and me both, brother. They are just amazing. That little colt is the cutest little thing I've seen in a while."

"Speaking of cute little things, when are you going to bring that son of yours out here? He's coming along pretty well. Time to show him his inheritance on the Ponderosa, now that it's nice and warm."

Joe was uncomfortable with the topic. Andy was almost five pounds and nursing pretty well now. Eleanor would let Joe walk around the block with him in his baby carriage if the day was fair and she had him bundled up like an Eskimo, but if he took longer than anticipated, she became frantic. The nights he spent in her family's house were strained. His mother-in-law and Eleanor's aunt were noticeably cool toward him, and his wife was pouring all her attention and interest into their son. They shared a bed on those nights, but there was a space between them which was both physical and emotional. He hadn't talked to anyone about the situation. He really didn't have to. It was abundantly clear to his family that Mrs. Hood and the Williams's wanted as little to do with the Cartwright's now as possible. They had made no effort to encourage Joseph's family to visit the baby and studiously avoided attending Sunday church with them. They also made it clear that Eleanor was being seriously encouraged not to return to living on any piece of Cartwright land.

"Yeah, well…it's hard to get Elly to let go of him. She's so afraid that something might happen to him. She won't even let me walk down Main Street with him. She say's it's too dusty for his lungs."

"Don't let her treat him like an invalid, Joe, or Andy will grow up believing he's 'delicate'. That boy's got more strength in him than most any man I know, but she'll convince him otherwise if you don't stop her," Adam declared, trying hard not to sound angry, for his brother's sake.

Joe looked at Adam, his eyes clouded. He didn't respond, he just swung his head sadly. Or was it in defeat?

XXXXX

A few weeks later, Prudence was trying to control her stomach long enough to put up a pot of coffee and get Eric's breakfast started. It had happened before in the last week or so, but not this strongly. There was no doubt in her mind any longer that she was pregnant. With her sister arriving to live with them for the summer that afternoon, this was the only time she and her husband were going to have complete privacy for some weeks. She made up her mind that it was best to tell him when he had finished his breakfast this morning.

He came in after putting all the horses out and milking the cow. "Smells good, Pru," he said giving her at least his fifth kiss of the still new morning. "Where's your plate?" he asked. "With your sister and brother arriving this afternoon, you're going to be pretty busy around the house today. You should have a good, solid breakfast. You'll likely need it." He took a look at her closely. "You feeling okay, Sweetheart? Part of your face looks real pale and the other part looks flushed. I've never seen anything quite like that." Hoss stood and gently seated her at the table. Prudence pulled him to her so that he was kneeling besides her.

"I wanted to be sure, Eric, so I waited a few weeks. We're going to have a baby."

"I knew it! I just knew it!" He stood up and pulled Prudence into his arms for a long, long hug and another round of kisses.

"Pa told me at the school commencement that he thought I was in the family way. I told him I didn't want to tell you, then not have it be true. He didn't say anything to you, did he?"

"Not a word. But the old rascal! I'm not going to let him forget this. Now, about getting some food into you," Hoss sat down and pulled Pru onto his lap. "Think you can stomach some eggs?"

Adam was waiting with the buckboard for the eastern stage to arrive. It had gotten hot and dry recently and he wouldn't have minded stopping in at the saloon, but he thought it best not to have alcohol on his breath, (even if it was only beer), when Ted and Sally Ann arrived. Of course, the stage coach was half an hour late, which for the Overland Company was just about on time. When it did pull in to Virginia City, Pru's brother and sister joyously bounded out of the coach, followed by a few other people.

Ted pumped his arm until he thought it was going to fall off. The boy was just about a grown man, nearly at his full height. He'd put some meat on his bones as well and he looked like he'd be able to stand up to the rigors of a ranch hand's life, Adam thought as he pulled him into a bear hug. It was then that he saw that Sally Ann was standing there, enjoying the reunion between the two men. He stepped away from Ted, realizing that Prudence's sister had matured as well. She was thinner but more shapely than he remembered, now dressed in a simple but flattering traveling suit and a be-feathered hat. "There is a lot to admire there," he thought to himself.

"Sally Ann, you're…you're all grown up," and then turning back to her brother, "and you are too, Ted."

"Well, happily you haven't changed one iota, Adam. It's good to see you," she replied, rising on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek.

He was surprised to find himself stuttering a little. Everyone knew that the young teacher was the most gregarious of the Whitman family, but he hadn't expected the kiss. She must view him, he supposed, like an older brother after the several letters they had exchanged about young Theodore. "It's, ah, wonderful to see you again as well. The entire town is grateful to have you taking over the school from your sister. Now, let's get the bags into the backboard and we'll head to the Ponderosa."

XXXXX

Everyone except Joe's young family was gathered at the big house for a welcome dinner the next night. Sally Ann and Ted were accepted into the heart of the Cartwright family with great delight.

"If only Joseph had taken an interest in Prudence's sister the year before," thought Ben, "things might be a far sight happier for him now." Well, that couldn't be helped. But, it was clear to anyone with eyes that something had to be done. Either Joe and Eleanor would find a way to reinvigorate their marriage, preferably away from her relatives, or they would have to agree to divorce. And that would most likely mean that Andy would be all but lost to his father and family.

After a few minutes of small talk, Hoss and Prudence maneuvered Joe outside. He was curious as to why, but waited for his older brother to say something. It was no secret that he was in a perpetually bad mood, but he was trying his best to be welcoming to Pru's kin. They'd only just gathered in the great room of his father's house, so he couldn't imagine what he'd already done. Perhaps the best thing would be to saddle up Cochise and go for a nice long ride…

"Joseph, Joseph," he realized that Hoss was gently trying to get his attention and Prudence had linked her arm in his. "We wanted to talk to you before we said anything to the rest of the family," his brother said with concern etched on his face. "We don't want to cause you any pain."

"Nah, you two are the last people on earth who would do anything to hurt me! After all, you've been there for me forever. If it weren't for you, Pru, I don't know if Andy would be…wait a minute…you're going to…,"

"Yeah, Little Brother, we're going to have a baby."

"Whoo Hoo! And I'm going to be an uncle!"

"Shush!" said Pru, laughing.

Joe hugged them as fiercely as he could, considering that he could barely get his arms around the two of them as they stood together. "Well, what are you waiting for! Get inside and tell them all. If you don't, I'm going do it for you!"

Hoss was particularly relieved that Joe hadn't been made uncomfortable by their news. He had thought that their happiness might cause the younger man pain, considering that Andy's birth had been so traumatic, and he only saw his son for a few hours each week. He and Prudence had already calculated that their child would be due sometime next February, long before the cattle would need to be moved, so he'd be home with her. If there were any signs that the pregnancy and or birth would be difficult, he vowed to move her into the Palace Hotel first thing.

Joseph was pushing his brother and sister-in-law toward the house. "Come on, what are you waiting for? At this rate your baby will be born before you tell anyone!" he said laughing.

"Alright, alright," said Prudence with a big smile on her face. "It's just so good to see you happy for once."

The trio returned to the big room looking as if the past year had never occurred. Ben noticed how happy the three of them were and wondered what Hoss and Pru had said that made his youngest son come out of his anger and depression, even if were only for a while.

"Well," began Hoss, "we don't want to take anything away from this celebration welcoming Sally Ann and Ted, but since everyone is here, we thought it would be a good time to tell you all that Pru and I are going to have a baby next winter."

Laughing, Ben first went to his daughter-in-law to hug her. "I guess 'Dr. Pa' was right, wasn't he?"

"Yes, he was, although I think Eric was beginning to wonder about it before I said anything."

At the other side of the room, Adam was pounding Hoss on the back. "That's great news, Hoss. Shall we start taking bets now about how much the baby will weigh?" Prudence was not delicately built like Eleanor, but she wasn't nearly as big and tall as Hoss's mother had been. He had been only eight years old when Inger died, but Adam remembered that she had been only half-a-head shorter than his father. It certainly wasn't easy birthing his brother. Despite Pa keeping him far away from their wagon, he still remembered the cries as she gave birth. Still, Inger and Hoss both came through it well, and she was up and about a day later. If Pru's child was that large, she would have much more difficulty. "Forewarned is forearmed," he thought to himself hopefully.

After Ben moved to Hoss's side, Sally Ann came over to hug her sister. "I'm so glad that I'm going to be living here. This way I can be with you and help you."

"Thank you, dear, but your first responsibility is to the school. Don't you worry. I'll have plenty of people around taking care of me."

"But after what happened with Joseph's wife and baby…"

"That was a totally different situation. I hardly think lightning will strike again like that. Now, don't you concern yourself about me."

XXXXX

Ted was an eager worker, and although he was young and knew nothing about ranch work, he was good on horseback, enjoyed the outdoors and absorbed everything anyone wished to teach him like a sponge. He and Adam spent many days riding the line, checking on the fences and making sure the line cabins were in good condition. On these long rides, they had plenty of time to talk about engineering and mechanics, especially the need to build an appropriately sized wagon harness and sturdier wagons to accommodate the Clydesdales. A few nights into his stay on the Ponderosa, the two of them sat down and made some sketches of wagon yokes and passed ideas back and forth on how to reinforce them. Ted also posited that if they could find a lightweight but strong metal, they could design a wagon harness that could accommodate both large and small horses by having a variety of adjustment and attachment points. It also meant that the wagon could, theoretically, utilize as many or as few horse as needed. Adam thought that it could even be modified to be used with mules and even oxen. The kid definitely had a fine mechanical mind, and their collaboration would likely turn into a profitable business.

On their way back, they always stopped in at Hoss and Prudence's house if it was on the way home to the big house. They usually encountered Ted's sisters in the house doing laundry, cooking or sewing and could count on something cool to drink and some food to tide them over until dinner. Occasionally, Sally Ann would be the only one they saw if Pru was not feeling well or tired, but like her sister, she was always glad to welcome the two men.

This particular day, Sally Ann answered the door quickly. "I heard you two ride in," she said in a whisper. "Pru is feeling particularly poorly today and she finally lay down to take a nap. Hoss is out in the pasture with some of the horses, so let's go out to the yard. I'll bring some lemonade and there's a new batch of oatmeal cookies, too."

Adam removed his hat and bowed. "Your wish is our command, mademoiselle. Isn't it, Ted?" he responded, giving the youngster a nudge.

"Oh, yeah! It is, Sis, it is," he said while his sister smirked at him.

"Just go!" she said, pushing them toward the steps.

In just a few moments, Sally Ann brought a tray with the snack out to where they were standing by the Clydesdale's corral. Jill and Hansel had been left there since the colt was yet to be weaned.

"Hoss is debating whether he should purchase another mare or two," the young woman explained.

"Well, as he tells it, there's a lot of interest in the horses. We could probably get buyers for any of them if we wanted to sell them. I've heard rumors in town that more than one party would buy Hansel just as soon as he's broken," Adam said.

"If he's going to expand the herd, Hoss is going to need to build more corrals and make some more pasture land for them. I've been reading about herd-training the males. It doesn't sound like such an easy thing if you've got a lot of mares to distract the stallions and cause them to want to battle to acquire a harem," Sally Ann commented.

She was quick, Adam noted. And not afraid to delve into things that some might consider un-lady-like.

"Where did you find a book about that?" he asked.

"Hoss has a collection of books about horse breeding. Didn't you know?" she replied.

Adam laughed. His brother was a smart man, but no intellectual. It stood to reason that his favorite reading material would have to do with animals. It also was just as obvious that Prudence considered it important to learn everything that Hoss knew in order to be of help, although why the younger sister thought it was necessary for the town's school teacher to know as well, was a mystery. Just chalk it up to the way these Whitman women were made; they certainly weren't shy about pitching in and considered it a point of honor to be as helpful as possible, wherever and whenever possible. You just couldn't help liking them for it.