Summary: “May I…?” – This one is a little different. After 2-½ years of Sourdoughs, has someone written one that gave you an idea to expand it? Well, go ahead and ask to use that person’s sourdough and add to it in some way. Include a copy of the original Sourdough, and who wrote it, with your expansion of 600 words or less.
Rating: G, Word Count: 2937
Oh Bull by AC1830
“What you have done to the territory of Nevada in one short afternoon will reduce twenty-five years of Apache raids to a footnote in history!”
That was the angriest I’ve ever seen Pa in a very long time. I cringed with each word as much as Adam and Hoss did. After he made that statement I thought sure he was going to disinherit all three of us. There was no talking to him, no working things out. AND to add insult to injury Hoss got the girl. No thanks, no apology, just that smarmy look he gave us as they walked away.
Well, that was yesterday. This morning at breakfast Pa gave us our marching orders – get that bull back to Jigger Thurman! That’s all he said. The rest of the meal was in total silence. Well, right after breakfast our guests left, and we saddled our horses. Adam suggested we get some drovers to help. It worked too. We got that bull to Jigger’s place but, can you believe it, he wasn’t there. So Adam, Hoss and the drovers wrangled that monster into the corral and I quickly closed the gate. We high-tailed it out of there and since we were closer to town than home I suggested we get a little reward for a successful job done. The drovers chose to go check the herd instead so it was the three of us heading to town.
After a couple of celebratory beers, we got home about mid-afternoon. Pa met us outside and asked how it all went. Proud that it all went so well I jumped in and told Pa about it all. Before I got the last word out we all froze. Something was just beyond the barn making a horrendous noise. Our horses got real nervous and raced toward the barn, kicking up a ton of dust. As the air cleared, there it was… Jigger Thurman’s bull staring us down, madder than heck. Adam, Pa, and Hoss beat a path for the front door. Hoss plowed me into the ground and I ended up eating everyone’s dust, barely getting the door closed behind me as that beast ran up and gored the door with its massive horns. I turned into the room and was shocked at what I saw. Why were three pairs of angry eyes staring me down?
Oh Bull addition by BettyHT
“Joe, you were supposed to close that gate.”
“Adam, I did close that gate. You saw me do it!”
“I saw you swing it closed but never saw you close the latch, and don’t tell me I never said to close the latch. I was busy wrapping a handkerchief around my leg where I got that sliver from the corral fence.”
Suddenly Pa was all worried about Adam and not so mad about me. It might have worked out a little better except of course for the bull still snorting by the door and then Hoss opening his mouth.
“Yeah, and I was rounding up your horse so I couldn’t see what you was doing neither. I don’t suppose that was the reason the drovers all headed out toward the herd. They must of known you messed up and didn’t want to be there ifn we found out so they hightailed it out of there when we went to town to get a beer.”
Not only for the pain in his leg, Adam groaned before Hoss finished, and I was waving behind Pa’s back trying to get him to stop. It was hopeless. When Hoss gets a head of steam like that, there’s no stopping him.
“You went to town to get a beer? Now if you went to town to see about paying damages or if you went to town to see if the doctor could help Adam, that I could see. But you went to town to get a beer? Why? To celebrate one disaster after another? To celebrate becoming a rival to Typhoid Mary? To try to be on a par with the Black Plague?”
“Well, no, Pa, we was just gonna celebrate doing such a good job.”
“Good job? What do you think a bad job would be then?”
Pa looked kind of like he was going to explode with his face all red like that. Instead he pointed that finger of his at the door and said in no uncertain terms that we needed to get that bull back where it belonged. Adam was going to go with us as we headed out the back door, but Pa said he needed to go see Hop Sing and get his leg looked at. He said Adam was staying home then. Adam actually looked real sad and forlorn like. I think he wanted to come with us. Facing an angry bull was a lot better than spending the rest of the day with Pa at that point. I wanted to offer him some sympathy but I was afraid to say anything so I just waved a little and followed Hoss out the door. I can’t say I’ve seen Adam cry much ever in my life but that looked like one time he might.
Hop Sing handed us some wrapped sandwiches as we were heading out. I mentioned that I had an idea. If we took along some cows, maybe the bull would be too interested in them to fight against us. Hop Sing gave me that look that said I was crazy.
“Foolish boy. Bull already too excited. What you think happen when you try your idea?”
“Oh, yeah, that could make things worse.”
So, we were back to the old tried and true and extremely hazardous methods. None of the men wanted to help so I had to make an offer they wouldn’t refuse. I said I could get them a gal for the social but that didn’t work. I said I could get them a day off and that didn’t work. I said I could offer them that rifle I won from Adam and they could decide who would get it, and that worked. Three of them agreed to help. The five of us were able to get that ornery cuss back to Jigger Thurman’s and into that corral. I went to the gate, closed it, and put the latch in place.
“See, Hoss, just like last time. I closed the gate and latched it.”
Then I noticed what some of the hands must have noticed last time. The latch was loose. Inside the gate was a long chain hanging down from a strong thick post.
[AC — I have more. Would you like to see the rest that I had to cut because it was too long for a sourdough?]
I had to open the gate to reach it. That made the dang bull charge toward me scaring me half to death again. At least he stopped when the gate swung shut once more, and he stood there huffing and snuffling and pawing the ground. I found the chain fit right into a ring that was there and closed off neat as could be. That gate wasn’t going to open again. I looked back smiling and proud of myself, but I have to say, Hoss didn’t share my high opinion of my endeavor. Well anyway, we went home and reported our success. But then I had to pay off the helpers which made Pa ask where I was going with that new rifle. Adam was none too happy to hear the answer either.
Now, a week later, those hands came and talked to Adam and sure enough, there he was with his rifle in his hands and that dang smirk on his face. I would have loved to smack him into the next room when I saw it. However, he was sitting in his blue chair with his leg up on the table resting on a pillow. I couldn’t hit him when he was hurting. Oh, you see, that splinter was kind of big and he got kind of an infection in his leg. Well kind of a bad infection and doc had to come out and open it up and pour a carbolic acid solution in there. Boy, that must have hurt. Well, he’s getting better now, but I still can’t punch him no matter how much I want to. Seems the men couldn’t stop arguing over who should get that rifle and couldn’t come up with a way to decide and finally figured to sell it to Adam and split the money among them. All the men know he’s got the money to do that and of course, they know I don’t.
So Jigger has his bull, the three of us paid the damages so all those people are satisfied, Hoss got the girl at least for a little while, and Adam got his rifle back. All the work I did, and I got nothing, but it seems everyone is still mad at me. This is bull, don’t you think?
I chose a Sourdoughs story written by Glenandme. She wrote it from Joe’s perspective, but I felt Joe’s friend also had a story to tell, although Glen did an excellent job of giving the friend an intriguing background. My extension is at the end in blue. Thank you, Glen for sharing your story with me.
Sourdough Starter #2 – June 2018 by Glenandme
The Luckiest Boy in School
Joe held the newspaper up taking a closer look. He frowned at the name, yes it had to be him. It had to be Marco Pender. He hadn’t heard that name in so many years. He smiled to himself at the recollection. He still could recall that day spent with the luckiest boy in school.
The other boys had given him that nickname because it was widely believed that he was indeed the luckiest boy.
He only came to school if he truly wanted to. When asked by the other boys about it he would grin and say “I was tired yesterday, I didn’t feel much like working,” or he might say, “it was a good day for fishin’, I thought I’d do that instead.”
The other boys were so envious at the thought, most of them would be tanned before they could even consider such a move.
Just when you thought he couldn’t get any luckier it turned out that Marco Pender had a brother who was considered the sharpest shooter in town. Joe’s brother Adam only had a rifle and he used it to shoot at wolves who came too close to the house. Marco Pender’s brother had already called a man out.
~o~
Joe had spent one whole Saturday with the luckiest boy in school. It was fun. They had met his brother and the older lad had let Joe shoot his gun. He had wanted Joe to take aim on a stray dog who roamed through town. Joe shot over the dog’s head, scaring it enough that it ran out of sight.
“Nice work, now what are we going to shoot at,” Marco’s brother frowned. He walked away then heading back towards the saloon.
Joe went to the bakery and bought meat pies and lemonade for himself and Marco. Marco hadn’t mentioned food all day but Joe was starving. Obviously Marco was hungry too as he devoured the meat pie and drank the lemonade down in noisy, satisfied gulps.
It was a fun day but Marco didn’t seem to want to go home. Joe had to finally call him out on it and said that he would have to go home as it was getting dark. Marco shrugged in agreement. The smaller boy had no pony of his own so Joe brought him home on his little pinto Cochise.
“You’re so lucky the way you can do anything you want,” Joe told him as they rode along . “My Pa don’t let me do nothin,”
“Your Pa is a nice man Joe,” Marco said almost in a whisper.
They arrived at Marcos place, all was quiet.
“Aren’t your folks at home?” Joe asked. It was late evening and the house looked shut up and dark.
“Nah, they’re probably still in town.”
Joe watched as Marco walked towards the barn. Was he going to wait in the barn? It was getting dark.
~o~
As he rode into the yard Joe noted his Pa standing at the front door waiting for him. Ben walked towards him with a frown on his tired looking face.
“You’re half an hour late, young man, I was worried. I told Hop Sing to put your roast beef back in the oven. You’ll get no dessert if you don’t hurry.”
Ben was taken aback when Joe threw his arms around his waist and hugged him.
“I’m sorry Pa,” he said into the man’s shirt.
“Well, come on now or Hoss will have eaten all the apple pie. You can take care of your pony after you eat.” Ben took his hand and they entered the house together.
~o~
“When I started counting my blessings my whole life turned around,”
Joe smiled to himself. He looked again at the newspaper article on his desk.
“Mr. Marco Pender is to marry his long time sweetheart Abigail Row at the Good Shepherd Church this Saturday. All friends are welcome to attend.”
Joe offered up a silent prayer for his old friend, right after he decided to go to the wedding.
Late Friday afternoon, Joe rode into Genoa, heading straight for the blacksmith’s shop. Just as his feet touched the ground he felt a slap on his back.
“Joe Cartwright. By golly I knew it was you when I saw your horse. How are you?” Marco Pender took Joe’s hand and began pumping it up and down.
Joe grinned at his friend who was now the same height he was. “I’m doing great. I saw the notice in the paper about your wedding so I had to come. Looks like you’re still the luckiest man, marrying Abigail Row.”
The two friends laughed as they headed to the shop office.
Marco poured some coffee and they sat down to catch up. “Boy, it’s been a few years, huh?”
“Yeah. The last time I saw you was that Saturday when I took you home. I remember your house being real dark. How come you never came back to school, Marco?”
“That was a bad time for me. I know everyone thought I was so lucky but really, not so much. My parents had actually left the month before ‘cause my pa wanted to find gold and ma went with him. They said Jesse could take care of me, but you know how he was, all caught in shootin’ his gun. So I just looked out for myself.”
“Why didn’t you come to my place? You could have stayed with us.”
“Your Pa’s a good man and I respect that, but he would have wanted to find my parents. I felt I was better off without them. My Pa wasn’t nice like your Pa.” Marco shrugged. “Anyway, Jesse wandered off one night and never came back so I stayed at the house for a bit making plans till Abigail came lookin’ for me. She and her family were moving to Genoa and she convinced me to come with them to work for her Pa as a helper and errand boy. You know I could never say no to her sweet smile” Joe nodded and smiled himself. “Well, I went and I got paid enough for food and they let me stay in the shop office at night. Over time, we learned that Jesse had been killed. That was when I was learning to be a blacksmith.”
Joe sipped his coffee, pondering his friend’s hard life. “So that’s how you ended up here. Do you still work with Mister Row?”
“Yeah, but after Abigail and I are married, he’s gonna let me have the shop for my own. I’ll have a livelihood to support my new wife.”
Joe reached across the table to slap Marco on the arm. “That’s great news, Marco. Looks like you’re still the luckiest person I know.”
“Nah, Joe, it’s just a matter of countin’ your blessings rather than your failures.”
The two friends sat in silence at that point, both knowing the truth of Marco’s words.
Marco rose and headed to his horse. “Come on, Joe. Let’s go have dinner with my soon-to-be in-laws.” Slinging his muscular arm over Joe’s shoulder his grin reached eat to ear. “This is going to be the best weekend of my life, with my best friend here to see me get married.”
Joe grinned back and crossed his arm over his friend’s. Yep, it was going to be a grand weekend for the luckiest friends in the world.
