Category: Humor
Hellbent, Population – 98 (by Wrangler)
Summary: Ben and Joe have a layover in the town of Hellbent. That’s where the highly logical patriarch of the Ponderosa, and his highly illogical son, Joe, get a good dose of what a ghost town is all about.
Rated: K WC 14,000
Saucy Sally Picks a Pocket (by CareBear)
Summary: Saucy Sally has a birthday wish that will take a fortune to fulfill. How does she solve this problem? By picking some pockets of course! Written in answer to the 2025 Brandaversary R-Rated Story challenge.
Rating: MA/R (language, sexual situations & descriptions)
Word Count: 13,039
A Rare Courtship (by Tavia42)
Summary: Hoss and Joe become convinced that their father intends to marry the Widow Hawkins – and that it’s up to them to save him from this terrible fate. A “What Happened Later” for “The Burma Rarity.” Written for the 2025 Ponderosa Paddlewheel Poker Tournament.
Rating: PG | Word Count: 8,040
If at First You Don’t Succeed; or, A Lesson in the Cartwright Way (by JC)
Summary: There are a few simple rules for growing up Cartwright: 1. Never underestimate your father. 2. Don’t forget the first rule.
Rating: K Word Count: 1195
A Little Lesson in Engineering And Physics (by CareBear)
Prequel. Adam and Little Joe bond over a simple engineering and physics concept. When Joe later tries to apply the concept on a large scale, he reaps chaos for all three brothers. Written for the Chaps & Spurs 2025 Third Quarter Challenge.
Rating PG Word Count 7438
A Stop at The Shady Villa (by JC)
Summary: After a nearly fatal case of mistaken identity, Joe and Hoss continue their quest for Texas Longhorn breeding stock, inadvertently stumbling across a potential goldmine (What Happened Next after “The Gunmen”). Written for the Chaps & Spurs 2025 Third Quarter Challenge*.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 2974
The Surprise (by DJK)
Summary: Little Joe should have known pranking his father was a bad idea.
word count: 1,220 rating: PG/teen
Beth Cartwright, Detective (by CareBear)
While visiting the Ponderosa, Adam’s oldest daughter unearths a treasure trove of detective books in the attic. When the family learns Adam has put a ban on them, the story of what inspired such an un-Adam-like rule is told.
Rating: PG WC: 4933
Hoss and the Rabbit Business (by CareBear)
Summary: After Ben sold the rabbits to Barlow and Clyde, he believed the Ponderosa had seen the last of them.
Rating: G Word Count: 1154
Almost Caught (by LillianMontane)
Summary: Little Joe is almost caught in a brothel when he is 17.
Rating: M Word count: 1476
The Man in Green (by Tavia42)
Summary: On a trip to San Francisco with Hoss, Joe buys himself a new jacket – and, inexplicably, a giant bolt of green fabric. This purchase launches the boys into an evening of chaos and hijinks involving mistaken identities, Confederate spies, and old friend Mark Twain.
Rating: G | Word Count: 19,382
The Hero of the Charles (by Pat D in PA)
Summary: When Adam finds himself short of cash, fate and his college buddy come up with an ingenious way to fatten his wallet. Written for the Second Quarter 2025 Chaps and Spurs Challenge.
Wordcount: 3,533
A Burning Question (by Bonanzagirl)
Summary: An important question comes up after Little Joe’s first saloon visit.
Rating: PG Word count: 2080
Little Boy Joe (by JC)
There are definite advantages to being the youngest Cartwright. And who would know that better than Little Joe?
Rating: G Word Count: 657
Stranger In A Strange World (by Heather-Chrysalis)
Summary: Adam time travels to the 21st Century to visit his girlfriend. He discovers that she has been abducted by the Abominable Snowman and sets out to rescue her. A series of other fantasy elements and creatures appear in this story.
Rated T Wordcount: 35, 488
