Adam's Kindness

By Tennessee

Adam was on his way to town when he saw a wagon by the side of the road. He stopped to see if he could help the woman who was standing next to the wagon. She had a little boy beside her.

"Are you two alone?" Adam asked.

"Yes."

"My name is Adam. Can I help?"

"My name is Bertha. This is my son Tommy."

The little boy hid behind his ma.

"The wagon . . . the wheel . . ." The woman began to cry.

Adam got off his horse and looked at the wagon wheel. "Looks like it's broken in three places."

"We have no money. My husband ran out on us. He took everything. My son and I haven't eaten in days."

Adam smiled at her. "We can fix that." He walked closer to them. "I will take you to my family's ranch."

The woman motioned toward her horses. "One has a hurt leg."

Adam walked up to the front of the wagon to examine the animals. They were both so weak they could barely stand. Indeed one seemed to have a broken leg. Adam knew both animals would have to be put down. He went back to the lady and her son. "Let's get the two of you to the ranch.

He helped the woman and the boy onto his horse. He walked next to the horse. When they got close to the ranch, the little boy said, "Look, Ma."

She said, "I see it, son>"

Adam saw his brothers at the barn. He yelled, "Hoss! Little Joe!" They both looked at him. Adam led his horse up to the barn. "Where is Pa?"

"In the house."

"This is Bertha and Tommy. Bertha, Tommy, this is Hoss and this is Little Joe. They are my brothers. Hoss, please help them down. I need to talk to Pa."

Adam found his father at his desk. "Pa, I've brought home a woman and her son. Her husband walked out on them. They have no money and haven't eaten in days. Their wagon has a broken wheel. I don't think it can be fixed. And their horses are so weak they can't stand up."

"Where are they, son?"

"I brought them home on Beauty. Hoss is helping them down."

Ben called for Hop Sing to fix some food for their guests. About that time, Hoss and the rest came inside.

Ben motioned toward the table. "Please, ma'am, have a seat."

Adam took the little boy's hand and said, "Tommy, this is my pa, Ben."

"How do you do, sir."

"Pa, this is Bertha."

"Hello," Ben said.

Hop Sing came out of the kitchen with a large platter of food. The little boy's eyes got big.

Ben said, "Please help yourself."

The woman fixed a plate for her son first and then for herself. They ate and ate.

Ben asked, "Where were you two heading?"

"Back to where my ma and pa live."

Ben said, "Well, you can rest here."

"Thank you." She took Tommy into Ben's room.

Ben and the boys went outside. Ben took his gun from the wall and asked Adam to take him to the woman's wagon.

When they got to the wagon, Ben saw that the horses needed to be put down. Little Joe saw that there were only some ratty clothes in the wagon. Ben and Adam got the small bags and took them back to the house.

"Pa," Adam said, "you know that money I got for the horses I sold last week?"

"Yes, son."

"I want to give that to Bertha."

Ben got tears in his eyes. His eldest son had a big heart.

Adam went to town to the store. He told Ruth about the woman and her son. She helped him pick out two new dresses, a pink one and a blue one. Adam also got the little boy a pair of pants and a shirt. As he was leaving the store, Hoss walked up. "The young'un told us he and his ma was headed to a town called Bay Clear. Pa thinks we should go to the stage office and see . . ."

"Let's see if the stage goes there."

At the stage office, Adam asked the agent if he'd ever heard of a town called Bay Clear."

"Yes, it is a very small town about a 100 miles east of here."

Adam said, "I want to buy two tickets to Bay Clear."

The man handed the tickets to Adam. "The eastbound stage leaves in the morning at about six."

Adam nodded. "They will be here." He got his horse and rode with Hoss back to the Ponderosa. Adam delivered the gifts and the tickets to Bertha. Tommy jumped up and down. "Look, Ma!" He had happy tears running down his face, and so did Adam. He hugged Adam and ran to try on his new clothes.

"I – I can't take this, Adam," Bertha cried.

"Yes, you can," Adam said.

"Oh, Adam. We have not had new clothes in a long time." Like her son, she cried tears of joy. "But we can't take those tickets . . ."

"Yes, you can. It's important that you get to your family."

"Who told you where we were going?"

"Tommy," Ben put in.

Bertha said, "My husband is a bad man. He runs with a gang, and he left me for another woman. Our last name is Hatmaker."

Adam said, "We are the Cartwrights."

Bertha continued, "Tommy and I will always be grateful to you, Adam. Always."

Adam smiled all through supper. Tommy talked a little about his pa and said his pa had never had time for him and was always yelling at him and his ma. "And he hit me and my ma a lot."

Adam looked at Bertha and then at Tommy. So did Ben.

Adam said, "Well, now you can start a new life in Bay Clear."

Little Joe piped up. "Yeah, Adam's right. This is your chance."

Tommy had a sad look on his face and now his tears seemed to be of sadness. "But . . . but I want to stay with you."

Adam took Tommy's hand and led him outside. "Tommy," Adam said. "You ma needs you. She wants you to go with her to where her ma and pa live."

"I wish you was my pa," Tommy said.

Adam had to work to hold back tears as he went on talking to Tommy. "I care about you and your ma, and I care about what happens to you."

"Why can't I stay here?"

"Your ma would be all alone. You don't want that, do you?"

Tommy shook his head.

"Okay, then. You need to go with your ma and help her start a new life. Tommy, you are all your ma has now, all right?"

Tommy nodded again but there were still tears in his eyes.

Adam did not sleep much that night. He was too hurt and upset. Adam was thinking on the front porch when his pa came outside. Ben said, "I'm so proud of you, son."

"Why, Pa?"

"You are a good man. A boy would not have given away his money like you did."

"Pa, how can a man treat his family like that?"

Ben said, "Some men are not a good father. Some should not have children or enter into a marriage commitment. But they don't always know that until they give it a try. Adam . . . I think you'll make a great father one day."

Bertha came out onto the porch. "I heard what you were discussing. My husband was wonderful when we first got married. And even after we had Tommy. But one day he shot a man who was trying to break into our house. That 'man' turned out to be a boy no older than sixteen. The boy died in my husband's arms. My husband never got over that. He changed. He started drinking. He never had a kind word for me or for Tommy. When he ran off, it broke my heart in one way but in the other I was glad he left. I did not want Tommy to grow up to be like him."

Ben looked at her. "Will he find you in Bay Clear?"

"No, he doesn't know my ma and pa are there. They only moved there about a year ago, so he has no idea where to look for us."

Adam offered, "If you ever need anything, please let me know."

Bertha said, "I will. You are a true friend. You have a real big heart."

Ben said, "Son, you better go get some rest."

Adam shook his head. "I can't, Pa."

"Okay, then. I'm going to bed." Ben said goodnight to everyone.

At five the next morning, everyone was up. Adam never went to bed. Bertha and Tommy were all dressed up in their new clothes and ready to go. They are breakfast and then it was time to head to town. Hop Sing gave them cookies, bread, and cakes to eat on the trip. Tommy rode on Adam's horse into town. Tommy cried the whole trip. Bertha rode in the wagon with Ben. Little Joe and Hoss took their own horses.

No one said a word all the way to town. When they got to town Adam gave Tommy a big smile. And he gave Bertha a paper with some money folded in it. "Don't open it until you are on the stage."

She nodded. Ben helped her off the wagon. Hoss and Little Joe got Bertha's small suitcases.

Tommy held Adam's hand on the way to the stage station. Adam leaned toward him. "Tommy, you take care of your ma, now. You grow up to be a good man."

"I will, Adam."

Tommy hugged Adam and Adam helped him onto the stage. "You will be my little brother always," Adam told the boy.

Tommy said, "I love you, Adam."

With tears in his eyes, Adam said, "I love you, too."

"Please write," Adam said as he closed the stagecoach door. Adam waved until the stage was almost out of sight. Finally Ben said, "Let's go home."

They were all getting on their horses when Adam started to cry hard. He said, "Pa, I need to be alone." He got on his horse and rode off. The others went home.

Adam went on a long ride and when he came back, his family was having supper. He ate very little and for days, he was sad. After a week, Adam was doing better. After two weeks, he went to town to see if a letter from Bertha had arrived. During the third week, he thought she would never write. But four weeks later Hoss came riding into the yard fast. "Adam! Adam, a letter came!"

Adam ran to Hoss and grabbed the letter.

Dear Adam,

Sorry it took us so long to write. We have been trying to find a house. We found one and have moved in. Tommy loves it. He is going to school now, and my ma, pa, brothers and sisters help us a lot. We told them all about you and what a kind heart you have. Tommy talks about you often. He is learning to ride a horse and has a cowboy hat like yours. Tell everyone we said hello.

Love, Bertha.

There was also a short note from Tommy.

Adam, I miss you but I'm helping my ma like you told me to. Love, Tommy

Adam had a smile on his face. "They made it fine," he told Hoss.

Adam went back to work. He heard from Bertha and Tommy a couple more times, but after a few months the letters stopped coming. Adam still thought about them and hoped they were enjoying their new life. If they needed him, he would be there.

The End