Words and Deeds
By Ella
Author’s note: Special thanks to Kathryn, for her proofreading.
********
Adam rolled over, blinking blearily at the empty bunks on the opposite side of the room. With a groan, he pushed himself up and slung his legs over the edge of his bed, dropping his head into his hands to knead his forehead with his fingers. As he dragged a hand down his face, he let out a weary sigh.
'What made me think I could stay up reading to all hours? My head feels like straw. I'm surprised Pa hasn't been in here yet to - '
The bunk room door swung open.
"Adam!" Ben blinked several times as he stood in the doorway. It was all he could do not to laugh as he took in the sight of his rumpled son. Adam reminded him of a little boy - hair tousled, eyes foggy with sleep, with the barest touch of a pout on his lips.
"Well, it’s good to see you're awake, at least." Ben shook his head, trying to maintain the sternness he'd felt before he’d burst into the room. "Son, your brothers are outside doing chores - including yours, I might add. Hop Sing has cleaned up all the breakfast dishes. And I've been to town AND back - "
Adam held up his hands, in a gesture of surrender. "Pa, I’m sorry. I ... I don't know what possessed me to stay up so late. But I was so close to finishing my book, that I just couldn’t stop reading." As he slid his fingers through his disheveled hair, his eyes slid to rest on the closed volume laying on the small chest beneath the window.
He sighed, then admitted regretfully, "But now I AM finished, which means I’ve got nothing to read ... unless ..." Disappointment crept into his eyes, then leached into his voice, as he turned back to speak to his father.
"You say you’ve already been into town?"
Ben shook his head in amazement, then wagged his finger, scolding, "Adam Cartwright, you have an incredible knack, do you know that? You’ve had it since you were a little boy - saying things that leave me torn between wanting to shake you and hug you, all in the same breath."
Adam blushed, dropping his gaze to his bare toes.
With a sigh, Ben closed the door behind him, before walking over to sit down beside his son. His brown eyes grew soft as they traveled over the young man's mature features. But the shadow of whiskers on Adam's chin couldn't erase the picture of the baby growing in his mind.
"You never could get enough words – once you’d said your first one." Ben grunted. "First one. YOUR first word was a whole sentence. You said, ‘Pa, Adam is hungry.’"
Adam watched his father’s eyes glow, as Ben continued, "You couldn’t learn fast enough after that. You’d point to everything you laid eyes on, then you’d wait for me to identify the object. You’d repeat the word back, as best you could, and wait for me to tell you that you were right. Or, if I wasn’t satisfied with your pronunciation, I’d repeat the word. You knew that meant you were wrong on the first try."
Again Ben grunted, eyes crawling over his son. "You hated being wrong. You’d tilt your head and stare at me, all the while getting this incredible look of concentration on your face. Dear Lord, you were just a baby, but your expression – it was like an old man’s. I ... I can’t begin to tell you ... the pride I felt. It was all so new to me ... this fatherhood. Even so, I knew I you had abilities far beyond other children your age. I was certain of it. And I couldn’t deny you, when you got that hungry look on your face."
Ben laughed. "I was late for work, more than a few times, because I took those extra minutes, to teach you a new word or two. Mrs. Callahan (1) would try to shoo me out the door, insisting she’d explain it to you. But I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to hear you say it. To know you had understood me. To know I had taught you. It was important. Fathering you was important." He stared hard at his son. "It was my duty." His eyes softened. "But it was one I wouldn’t have traded, for anything."
Again, Adam bowed his head, feeling the warmth rise in his cheeks. Though he’d learned too early in life that his father was not perfect, he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that no other man could have reared him better than the one sitting beside him. He raised his eyes, to follow his father’s movements.
Picking up his son's book, Ben nodded absently, his mind still trapped in days gone by. "And once you could read words ..." Ben swallowed hard, stroking the book’s cover. "I couldn’t feed you enough, boy. You read everything you could get your hands on." He chuckled, "No, everything I could get MY hands on." Ben’s eyes sparkled as he turned to look into the blue eyes so intent on his.
"I’d bring home the newspaper and you’d toddle up and grab my hand, before I even had a chance to remove my hat or coat. You’d tug and pull me to the chair by the fireplace in our room. Mrs. Callahan would be stirring a pot of stew there and she’d turn from it to tell me, ‘He’s talked of nothing else, for the last hour. Paper. Paper. Paper. That’s all he says, after I tell him that his papa will be home soon.’
Like Little Joe mesmerized by some tall tale, Adam watched his father’s lips, as if afraid he might miss a word.
"I’d sit down and you'd grab fistfuls of my trousers, so you could scale my legs, to crawl into my lap. And once you were settled there, I’d flap the paper dramatically and ask you which story I should read."
Ben’s eyes glittered as he envisioned the scene: a crackling fire, the smell of rich stew bubbling, and a wide-eyed little boy, who studied the front page so seriously, before slapping his palms against the first headline within his reach ....
~~~~~~~~
Mrs. Callahan was as anxious as Adam was, to see Ben come through the door. She loved listening over her shoulder, to the interchange between father and son, as she seasoned the simmering broth thickening in their big black kettle over the fire. Even without seeing Adam’s face, she could picture his blue eyes wild with a mixture of anticipation and devotion, his little legs carrying him as quickly as he could make them, to reach his grinning father. No matter how long or hard his day, Ben Cartwright was never too tired to smile at that bright face heading his way.
This particular evening, as father and son scanned the newspaper, Adam chose the headline about a tornado that had surprised the area two days earlier. Thankfully, no one had been killed, nor was there any damage that couldn’t be readily repaired by the usual cooperation of the town folk. However, the twister had picked up a number of objects, then deposited them elsewhere, to form some interesting combinations.
Ben read:
‘Mrs. Blake’s chicken house now sits atop the Jones’ barn. Her hens do not seem to mind this new location and have been tending their newly hatched chicks as they scurry over the barn roof, pecking and scratching in search of a meal.
In the center of town, we now have a new place to congregate. It is a combination of meeting house and cafe, as it seems the mischievous wind picked up the cook stove from Sarah Anderson’s bakery and set it down on the roof of our town hall. Sarah kept her usual sense of humor, promising hot coffee and cinnamon buns, to any customer willing to climb a ladder to bring her the proper firewood and ingredients to adequately stir up those delectable treats we all so enjoy.’
Adam laughed, then pushed the newspaper down into a crumpled lump in Pa’s lap, so he could explain to Mrs. Callahan, ‘Stove fly.’ He pointed at the ceiling. ‘You cook up there?’
~~~~~~~~
Ben gave into his laughter as he explained, "Poor woman dropped her spoon into the pot, so she could reach for her handkerchief and dab her eyes; she was trying so hard not to laugh. You amazed her. She said she'd never met such a bright child."
Meanwhile, out in the main room, Hoss and Joe had cautiously opened the front door, to peer inside. When they spied Hop Sing, Hoss asked quietly, as he gestured to the bunkroom, with a nudge of his chin, "Pa all through givin’ Adam what for?"
Hop Sing tilted his head, dipping his eyebrows. "What is what for?"
Joe explained, matter-of-factly, "Yellin’ at him, ‘till Pa’s blue in the face."
Both brothers looked abruptly at the closed door, then scowled at the sudden laughter, coming from both parties behind it. Hoss shook his head, in disbelief.
"Well, don’t that beat all? Adam oversleeps, we do his chores, then he tickles Pa's funny bone, more ‘an likely gettin’ himself off the hook."
Joe sighed, then grunted. "Ain't such a surprise. That's just Adam and his words. He can talk anyone in circles, and they don’t even know what hit ‘em."
Hoss shook his head, lips twisting in disagreement. "Not Pa he can’t."
Waving a hand at the bunk room door, Joe countered, "Oh yeah? Then how come Pa’s laughin’ in there, instead of chewin’ his ear off? Cause he sure would be chewin' mine, if I ducked my chores that-a-way."
Hoss cocked his head, looking the boy up and down, before finally answering.
"Well, Little Joe, I don’t know how ta break this to ya, but you DO avoid your chores, whenever ya can. Adam was just plumb tuckered out this morning, and didn’t wake up when we did, that’s all."
Joe’s mouth dropped open. He spread his hands wide as he squeaked in rebuttal, "Tuckered out? He was readin’ a book too late. Ain’t like it’s the first time he done that, neither!"
The bunkroom door swung open and both boys scrambled to appear as if they were straightening up the room, each grabbing for the same chair, then shifting it forward, under the table.
Ben eyed the two of them from the doorway, then stepped into the room and to one side, to give Adam space to come out and join him.
"Boys? What seems to be the trouble?"
Joe’s lips worked as he pressed them together and shook his head rapidly, cheeks puffing up as he did so.
Hoss opened his mouth, glanced at his older brother, then shook his head slowly, answering, "Nothin’, Pa. We just got in – after finishin’ ALL the chores. That’s all."
Ben nodded. "I see."
Joe tossed his hands up, letting out a burst of pent-up air. "Aw, Pa, it ain’t fair! How come I get yelled at when I don’t do my chores and you end up laughin’ when Adam sneaks outta doin’ his? It’s just cause I’m the youngest. Ain’t that so?"
When Ben raised his eyebrows and said nothing, the boy quickly interjected, "Sorry for raising my voice, Pa." In a quieter tone, he mumbled, "But it’s the truth."
"Apology accepted, Joseph. But as to your assessment of how I treat you, versus how I treat your oldest brother, I think it is you who is being unfair." Joe opened his mouth, but his father held up a hand.
Ben looked at Adam, scolding lightly, "I was not pleased to find Adam still in bed this morning when I returned from town." Adam frowned. "However, I have no doubt that he will find a way to make it up to you two boys, where your chores are concerned, since you took it upon yourselves to do his as well as your own."
Adam gave a single nod in his brothers' direction, in concurrence.
Joe shook his head. "But golly, Pa ... " The boy gestured sharply at the bedroom door. "I bet you didn't holler, even a little bit at Adam. Gee, when Hoss and I came inside, it sounded like you two was at a party, you were laughin' so hard."
Adam raised his eyes to the ceiling.
Ben tilted his head to one side, studying his youngest until the child licked his lips then looked down at his boots. When the boy finally raised his head, he waited, eyes respectfully on his father.
"Joseph, are you going to stand there and tell me that I’ve never ended up laughing with you, after scolding you?"
The boy shook his head. "No sir, I ain’t. Cause ya have – lots of times."
Ben shifted his gaze to Hoss, who instantly raised his hands, offering defensively, "I never said nothin’, Pa."
Joe turned to the middle brother, mouth dropping open, eyes swelling in disbelief. "Well, sure ya did. When that door was closed, you said – " Hoss pressed his lips together, his blue eyes growing into big circles, causing Joe to send a worried glance at their father. The boy looked back at his brother.
"Yeah. Well, I didn’t mean that as tattling or nothin’. All I meant was –"
Ben cleared his throat and all his sons looked at him.
"Joseph, why don’t we call this a draw?"
The child scrunched up his face. "A draw, Pa?"
Ben nodded, then patiently replied, "Yes. That means, that no one wins, and no one loses. It’s a tie."
The boy glowered, as his eyes shifted sharply to Adam. He concluded in annoyance, "In other words, Adam wins."
Adam stared at his brother, in disbelief. "Joe, Pa just said it was a draw, AND explained what the word means. How can you stand there and say I’ve won?"
The boy shrugged, then snorted. "Cause ya did. He didn’t yell at ya, and he’s makin’ me stop tryin’ ta prove it." He flipped his hands upwards. "So that means ya won."
Hop Sing walked toward the table, carrying a tray bearing coffee, cocoa, corn muffins and enough mugs for all of them, including his own, which was already filled with green tea.
"Excuse me, but I think this good time for refreshment."
Ben grinned, then opened his hands toward the table, encouraging his sons to do as their friend invited.
"Thank you, Hop Sing, I think that's an excellent suggestion."
As everyone found his usual place at the table, Hop Sing slipped away and returned with the breakfast plate he’d kept warm for Adam.
"Thank you, Hop Sing." Adam held the cook’s gaze as he added sincerely, "I’m sorry for being so late rising, and for putting you to extra trouble."
Joe chewed on his bottom lip, as Pa poured him a cup of cocoa. Ben asked kindly, "Joseph? Something on your mind, son?"
The boy’s eyes circled the faces at the table, finally settling on Adam’s. "Yeah. I mean ... yes, sir." He dropped his gaze, to study the steam rising off his now full mug, then he looked up again, to find Adam digging into his breakfast.
"Adam?"
Swallowing the first mouthful, Adam looked up again, to answer, "Yes, Little Joe?"
The boy drew in a deep breath, then blew it out. "I’m sorry ... well, for makin’ the fuss."
Adam raised an eyebrow, then shrugged his shoulders. "It’s okay, Joe."
Taking a sip of his drink, Joe looked at Ben, who was smiling warmly at him. The boy licked the sugary mustache off his upper lip, then turned to Hop Sing.
"Thanks for makin’ us this snack, Hop Sing."
Hoss grabbed a muffin as he chimed in, "Yeah, this really hits the spot."
The cook inclined his head. "You are welcome. It give you chance to take off chill, and it give you opportunity to have family time you miss earlier."
Ben’s smile widened, seeing true appreciation shine on all his sons’ faces.
All eyes shifted to the youngest, as Joe piped up, "Hey, Pa?"
"Yes, son?"
"What was you and Adam laughin’ about before?"
Waiting for his eldest son’s slight nod of approval, Ben addressed all the waiting faces.
"Well, for some reason, I got to thinking about when Adam first learned to talk."
Joe burst into giggles.
Adam wrinkled his forehead, fork poised halfway to his mouth. "What’s funny about that?"
Ben reached out to rescue the sloshing cup from Joe's hands, as the boy laughed harder. Adam rolled his eyes and went back to eating. Everyone else waited, too afraid they’d choke on their drinks, to do anything else. As the youngest regained his composure, he shrugged, then answered.
"I don’t know. It’s just hard ta picture you or Hoss as little babies, without laughin’. That’s all,"
Adam and Hoss stared across the table at each other and Hoss handed the situation off to his older brother, with a simple sweep of his hand.
Picking up his napkin, to wipe his lips, Adam nodded at Hoss, then turned to their sibling, raising a questioning eyebrow.
"But you can picture yourself as a baby - without laughing, I mean?"
"Huh?"
Avoiding their father’s appreciative expression, Adam held the younger boy’s eyes with his own. "You said you couldn’t picture Hoss or me as babies, without laughing. Can you picture yourself as a baby – without laughing?" Adam crossed his arms over his chest. "Because you were one, you know."
The boy shrugged. "Well, sure I was."
Adam gave a single nod, toward each of the other members of the family in question, pointing out, "And what about Pa and Hop Sing? They were babies too. Can you picture them, without laughing?"
Joe's eyes swelled, as he crowed, "No I can't!" He promptly dissolved into another fit of giggles.
The family gave in to the infectious sound, Ben's deep laughter rising above the others’. He finally pulled out his handkerchief, to wipe his eyes, then cleared his throat as he shifted his gaze to his youngest.
As Joe took a sip of his cocoa, his eyes slid toward Adam, who was putting his last forkful of food into his mouth. Forehead wrinkling with a new train of thought, Joe looked back at Ben.
"Pa?"
"Yes, son?"
"Did Adam learn ta talk before me or Hoss did?"
Ben nodded. "Yes."
The boy scowled. "Did he learn ta walk earlier too?"
Inclining his head again, Ben agreed, "Yes. Yes he did."
The boy set his mug down on the table so abruptly, the contents splattered out in a circle of muddy dots.
Joe took no notice, asking grumpily, "Did I do ANYTHING before Adam?"
Using his napkin, Ben dabbed up the sugary smears, before asking seriously, "Joseph?"
"Yes, Pa?"
"Just what is it that you're fishing for, son?"
Joe’s lips formed a big O as his brown eyes widened. "Fishing, Pa?"
Ben answered patiently. "Yes. Fishing." Joe shrugged in answer.
"Joseph, you and each of your brothers have certain strengths, just as any other person in this world does. We each have abilities we can be proud of. And, if we’re honest with ourselves, we each admit that we have weaknesses. One of the best things any person can do for himself, is identify his weak points and try to improve himself in that regard."
His eyes traveled to each member at the table, before returning to Joe. "But never think that just because someone else is better than you are at some specific task, or at many tasks, that that puts them above you. It doesn’t, son. Not in God's eyes."
Eyes and voice filling with love, Ben added, "Or mine."
Joe looked back in confusion. "Pa?"
Ben slid his chair back away from the table. Patting his knee, he waited until Joe accepted the invitation. Sliding his arms around his youngest son’s waist, he looked into the boy’s eyes and reminded him, "This whole conversation started because you thought Adam talked his way out of trouble. Didn't it?"
Joe nodded, dropping his eyes to his lap, as if he'd just been caught with his hands in the cookie crock.
Ben lifted the boy's chin, with a gentle touch of his fingers.
"But your oldest brother didn’t talk his way out of anything. Something he said made me think back to when he was little, and that memory ... well ... that took away my annoyance over his weakness for the written word."
Joe sighed. "How come ya call it a weakness, Pa? Everybody says that’s why Adam is so smart – because he reads so much."
"Yes, and I expect that’s probably true. But sometimes a man’s strength can also be his weakness. And this is a very good example of that."
Shaking his head, eyes clouding, Joe studied his father’s face. "Golly, Pa, I think I know where Adam gets his talent for talkin’ circles around a fella."
Ben chuckled. "Oh?"
Eyebrows knitting, the boy nodded. "Yeah. You. Cause I don’t know what you’re tryin’ ta tell me."
Feeling a smile tugging at his lips, Adam snatched a corn muffin from the serving plate, then took a healthy bite before pouring himself another cup of coffee.
Ben brought the circle of faces back to himself, as he explained to his youngest, "All I’m saying, son, is that your brother’s hunger for words made him forget his morning obligations to this ranch. He had a book he wanted to finish and he finished it, even though it meant staying awake well beyond his normal bedtime hour. This made him sleep late, which meant he failed to honor his obligation to me and you."
Joe’s eyes grew, as his voice rose. "ME?"
Adam sighed. "What Pa is saying, Joe, is that this is a family run ranch. And you, me, Hoss, Hop Sing and Pa are that family. Each member has obligations. If one member fails to meet those obligations ... as I did ... then he hurts the others. But he ultimately hurts himself as well, because he is part of the whole unit."
Swallowing the rest of his coffee, Adam studied his brother’s puzzled face.
"Joe?"
"Yeah, Adam?"
"I think I’ve come up with a way to make it up to you, Hoss ... and well ... to everybody here."
"How, Adam?" Brown eyes locked on blue.
Adam glanced at their father before giving his little brother his full attention.
"Well, as you pointed out, Joe, reading as much as I do has probably helped me, in many ways. I’m very grateful that Pa has always indulged my ... my hunger for words. But I know you and Hoss like stories, too. And ... well ... I think we all miss having stories read aloud to us in the evening (2)." Adam smiled gently, when Joe gave him a silent nod.
Eyes shifting back to their father, Adam concluded, "If no one objects, I’d like to take over Ma’s tradition, of reading to the family after supper each night. And just to make it fair, I think the members of the family should take turns choosing the book. We’ll start with Pa, because he’s the oldest, then go in order by age, which makes Hop Sing next."
Hop Sing gave a slight bow, then smiled as he seemed to drift away, thinking of what story he might like to hear read aloud.
Adam continued, "Then me, then Hoss, then you." He grinned, watching the objection start to rise on his brother’s face.
"Think of it like this, Joe. You get the benefit of hearing all these other stories and learning lots of new words and new ideas. And, I have no doubt you’ll find yourself being entertained in the process. Just as we will learn, from whichever book you choose. Then, the cycle will begin all over again. After all, Joe, that’s what life is: cycles – of hours, days, years ... lifetimes. We can learn many things, in each of those cycles, if we want to."
Ben gave the boy’s waist a gentle squeeze, before releasing him, understanding that Joe needed to address Adam, close up. The boy hopped off his father’s lap to go and stand before his eldest sibling.
"Adam?"
Shifting his chair, so he faced his brother, Adam answered, "Yes, Joe?"
The boy ran his tongue over his upper lip, trying to find the right words. "What Pa said ... before ... about us all havin' strengths. Then you sayin’, what you did, about all of us learnin’ from the other person’s book."
Adam nodded in encouragement. "Uh huh?"
Joe shuffled in place. "Well, it’s the same, ain’t it? I mean ... about us all learnin’ from each other ... all the time. You can always learn something new, from anyone, even if they're younger than you." The boy grinned. "Even if they're startin' ta get too big for their britches. (2)" He glanced over his shoulder, then back again, adding quickly, "But I ain't sayin' that you are. Or me neither."
Smile twitching on his lips, Adam nodded. "That’s the trick all right, Little Joe, being open-minded enough to realize you can learn from anybody." He winked. "Even someone who's getting too big for his britches." His smile blossomed to a full grin. "I know, from experience, that sometimes it's hard to stop yourself, when you're the person in those britches. But you and Hoss and I are lucky, aren’t we?"
"Lucky? How da ya mean?"
Adam leaned forward and whispered in his brother’s ear. "Because when we do get too big for our britches, we have someone who has no trouble reminding us of it, one way or another."
Feeling the heat of their father’s eyes on his back, Joe nodded, then moved closer to accept the embrace that was waiting for him from his eldest brother. Pulling away, the child asked boldly, "But ya know somethin’, Adam?"
Adam shook his head, then raised an eyebrow, knowing he was about to get hit with one of those unexpected curves in life.
Joe grinned impishly. "Well, I think if we’re gonna have this reading at night, that we should start with the youngest first, instead of the oldest."
Grinning wider, catching the sparkle in their father’s eyes, Adam insisted, "Oh? And why is that?"
Joe threw out his hands, as if to display the obvious. "Cause, I’m the baby of the family. And you should always indulge the youngest. That’s tradition too, ain’t it?" The boy blinked innocently.
Feeling the warmth of Pa's eyes on both of them now, Adam nodded. "All right, boy, you win - this time."
The End.
(February 2006)