I enjoyed this story very much.

You really nailed the characters.  Adam's sarcasm, Hoss' innocence and Joe's inner-conflicts.

The scene with the birds, literally, had me laughing out loud.  Good stuff!

Loved the story Adam told Joe.  So... good.  So... Adam.

Joe learns a lesson, about people, he'll never forget.

Well done!

Lisal, I enjoyed this story, even read it twice. You've captured the older Cartwright sons in a younger version that is quite true to character and reminiscent of the way they were portrayed in earlier episodes. 

"Bread's good," Hoss nodded and cut another slab from the pan.  "Bread's real good." 

I laughed out loud at those lines. I don't want to give anything away, but the timing of those lines was spot on!

I recommend this story to all Boomers readers.

I just love prequels. This one prompted by a song title - which, may I say you made more than a good fist of - for me was this prequel was Cartwright perfect.  The inclusion of all the brothers was also pleasing. Trouble with leaving a review one doesn't want to give anything away, suffice it to say Adam's comparison was spot on and the display of brotherly affection; sometimes hidden, in Joe's case especially, by anger and lack of thought or both came across.

My only gripe, there weren't any prequel episodes in the series for if there had been this would've ranked in the top league 

That's a nice sweet brothers story.  You do a nice job showing the bond between the brothers. I really like the ending.  Very nice.

Joe realizes how lucky he really is to have two "old maid aunts" to help him and it was interesting to see how the brothers manage when both Pa and Hop Sing are absent. An exploration showing how Joe comes to a deeper realization that a person's motivations often comes from their own self image and how he grows from a bullied boy to a compassionate "almost" man. : )

Emjoyed the original metaphores and similes!