Summary:  Ben awaits an explanation, does he really want to know the ending?

Rating:    (1,110 words)

 

Trouble …again!

As he walked towards the house on a pleasantly calm night Ben Cartwright began to relax. He envisaged to himself the sweet smells of supper on the table, a warm house and a blazing fire.

He stepped into the big room and glanced about him with a smile on his face as he unbuckled his gun belt and placed it on the bureau. Nothing could beat this at the end of the day. He drew in a deep breath of satisfaction and pleasure.

Three sons. Comfort and solace. A strong cup of coffee.

He placed his hat on top of the gun belt and looked at his three sons. Adam, head bent, was sitting in the blue chair with a book open on his lap. Hoss, a frown on his face as he read the newspaper that was already weeks out of date. Joseph, poking savagely at the fire.

Mmmmm! Something’s wrong. Perhaps he should just have a black coffee – a strong one.

“’Evening, boys?”

“Hi, Pa.” “Hey, hi,Pa.” “Humph, Pa.”

“Have a good time at the Melfords, Pa?” Adam set down his book and smiled pleasantly. His large brown eyes looked innocently pleased to see his father and interested in whatever news the older man had to impart.

Ben relaxed – relief, thank goodness. He thought he’d have some apple pie with his coffee.

“Hey, Pa, says here that the Melfords best horse was sold to go to stud. Haw, haw, bet they were relieved to see that hay burner go.” Hoss guffawed and Ben chuckled and rubbed his hands together as he drew nearer to the circle the three younger men had formed around the hearth and the blazing fire.

“They sure were, Hoss, especially Cora.”

Mmmm, he thought, Joe’s very quiet. Too quiet. Perhaps brandy in the coffee?

“Joseph?”

Joe turned to his father and sighed, deeply.

“Yes, Pa?”

Ben frowned and shook his head. The black eye was painfully obvious, and the boys cheek was green and yellow. Ben winced in awareness of the boys pain, and approached Joe anxiously to take a closer look,

“Wal now, that looks kinda painful,” he raised a hand to touch it but Joe winced and leaned back to avoid the finger jabbing in his direction.

“It is, Pa, it sure is.”

“How did it happen?”

There was silence. It fell as heavily as a blanket upon them. An air of guilt seemed to settle around them and Ben felt his stomach churn over and over in anticipation.

“Well, Pa, it was like this -” Joe began.

“Er – excuse us, Pa, I think we’ll leave you two to talk.” Adam said quickly and rose to his feet, snapped the book shut and tapped Hoss on the knee as he passed him.

Hoss scrambled to his feet, dropped the paper on the settee and gave his father a brief smile.

“See you later, Pa, in the morning,” Hoss said as he drifted pass his father and headed for the stairs.

Ben looked anxiously at Joe and raised his eyebrows,

“I’m waiting.”

“You are?” Joe croaked and gulped.

“For an explanation.”

“Oh, an explanation. Right.” Joe pulled at his jacket and chewed on his bottom lip as he looked at his father through his one good eye, then his straightened his shoulder and twiddled with his fingers.

Ben sighed, he sat down and crossed one leg over the other. This is it, he thought as he stared at his youngest son, excuses, excuses. Supper is going to be late for sure.

“Well, ,remember you said I had to go into town and see to the delivery of that new buggy?”

“Ye -e -es”

“Hey, Pa, that was sure some buggy.”

“Was?”

“Is, Pa, I mean – is – sure is a great buggy. Looks smart and built real neat and everything so shiny and – and new – sort of .”

“Sort of?” Ben growled, deep in his throat.

From upstairs there came the thud of a door, followed seconds later by a second thud.

“Well, as I was saying, I harnessed up the horses to the new buggy and off we went out of town as clean as a whistle. But not too fast, Pa, don’t worry none, I didn’t go too fast.”

“Should I worry then, Joseph?”

Joe’s fingers wiggled nervously, a cute little dance as though he were trying out a keyboard.

“Well, the thing is the horses were fresh. They got the wind in their tails and that was it – soon as we got out of town they went whoosh.” Joe forced a laugh and actually slapped Ben playfully on the knee. Getting no reaction apart from steely silence and a cold black glare, the laugh died in his throat, “Well, Pa, we hit a rock.”

“A rock?”

“Rocks even.”

“Go on,” Ben sighed and placed a hand to his brow. He rubbed his temple slowly, round and round in a circular motion that did little to ease Joe’s panic.

“The buggy flew over them as gracefully as you please. But I don’t know what happened, I must have lost the reins or something because I was jest flipped right out of the danged thing.”

“YOU were flipped out of the buggy?”

“Sure, Pa. The horses brought the buggy right on home and Adam ’n’ Hoss saw to them and put the buggy where you said you wanted it to be put and …”

“YOU are telling ME that you fell out of the buggy?”

“Yeah, I kinda did a flip – or a flop – right over the side when it hit the rocks. Banged my face here -” he pointed to his cheek “ and by the time I got home my eye was getting closed up. Pa, I had to walk miles. My feet are killing me.”

“And the buggy’s alright?”

“Sure. Not a scratch on it.”

Ben sighed and shook his head. He glanced around the room and then looked at his son,

“And that is all that has happened while I’ve been gone?”

“Sure, Pa. Trust me!”

The one hazel eye opened in innocent appeal and the handsome face broke into a pained smile. Ben looked at his son again and rose to his feet, he put an arm around the young man’s shoulders and smiled. He nodded in compassion and sympathy.

“And you are alright, apart from the black eye?”

“Sure, Pa, oh, and the blisters, Pa, I’ve a whole load of blisters on my feet.”

Best not to laugh, Ben told himself as he pursed his lips. Keep a straight face and give the boy a hug. Then a large whiskey and give the coffee a miss.

The End

 

Tags:  Adam Cartwright, Ben Cartwright, Hoss Cartwright, Joe / Little Joe Cartwright