Summary: 7th story in The Battle of Wills series.  It’s time to clean out the spare room so it can be turned into a nursery for the coming baby. As Ben, Adam, and Hoss go through the room’s contents, they remember the past.

Rating: K+    Word Count=3622

Disclaimer: I don’t own the Cartwrights or Bonanza. No copyright infringement is intended. Original plot and characters are property of the author. This story is for entertainment and no money was made from it.

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The Battle of Wills Series:

Begins
Education is More than 3R’s
The Shadow of Jean deMarigny
A Gift Horse
New Expectations
Remembering Childhoods
A Room Full of Memories
A New Pattern
Naming the Newest Cartwright
Presents from the Heart
Love’s Labor
Big Brother Lessons
No Regrets
Baby’s Breath
Ennui

A Room Full of Memories

The day Adam had been dreading had finally come.  Pa had announced that they would be sorting through the things in the spare room today.  The room was filled mostly with trunks and crates; most of them hadn’t been opened for years.  Some of the crates held things from when Pa had been married to Mama, while several of the trunks held items from Pa’s sailing days.

Hoss was excited about the idea of looking through the things in this room.  This was going to be like a treasure hunt, only they wouldn’t be finding any pirate loot.  They still used a lot of the pots and pans that Papa had used when he was married to mama.  The plates they used had come from the store mama had owned with Uncle Gunnar and were chipped up now.  He could tell Mama didn’t like the dishes, not because they had belonged to someone else, but because of the chips and cracks.

“Come on, boys, let’s get started” Ben said to his sons as he finished his coffee.

Adam gulped down the last of the milk in his glass while Hoss quickly grabbed a slice of bacon and a slice of bread to make a half sandwich.

“Shall I come help?” asked Marie.  She was curious about the contents of the room but didn’t want to interfere in what might be a bonding experience between Ben and the boys.

“I think we can handle it.  Right, boys?”

“Yes, Sir” was the reply, in unison, from Adam and Hoss.

Ben stood and motioned to his sons.  They went up the stairs ahead of him.  As they left, Marie began picking up dishes from the table.  Hop Sing came out of the kitchen and said “Missy no work.  You sit. Hop Sing clear table.”

“I’d like to help, if I may” she said to the cook.

“You no work.  Not good for baby.”

With a pout, Marie went over to the settee and picked up her needlepoint.  She was making an alphabet sampler for the nursery.  Why was everyone treating her like a prized broodmare instead a person?  She was going to have to have a talk with her husband later in the day about this.  A couple of thumps from upstairs drew her eyes to the ceiling.

Ben had pulled a trunk out to the middle of the room.  He planed to go through each trunk to see what could be donated to the church to distribute to those less fortunate.  But now that the time had come to actually tackle the chore, he wasn’t quite so sure about stirring up memories.

“C’mon, Papa! Open it up!” said Hoss eagerly.

Ben opened the trunk and then laughed at the sight of his old clothes.  These were garments that he had worn as a young, skinny teenager.  Pulling out a shirt, he burst into laughter at the style and the lace at the cuffs.  “I doubt this will ever come back in fashion” he said.

“Put it on, Papa” said Hoss.  Adam looked at the shirt and thought it was something only a girl would wear.  He hoped Pa would throw it out and not make him or someone else wear it.

Ben put the shirt up against him and said “I’ll never be able to get into these clothes again.”  His chest and arms had long since filled out with muscle, first from sailing and then from the hard work that came with traveling west and establishing the Ponderosa.

He reached for a pair of trousers and inspected them carefully.  There were a few moth holes, but those could easily be patched.  “Stand up, Adam” said Ben.  He then placed the trousers against his eldest.  The trousers were a bit long for Adam but could be rolled up.  “Would you like to have these to wear when you go fishing?”  Adam looked at his father with a bit of surprise.  Pa was saying he would have time to go fishing, for fun?  “I don’t hafta wear the shirt, do I?” Ben chuckled and said “No.  But if you’d like the trousers, your mother could patch them up for you.”  “Okay, Pa” was Adam’s answer.

Hoss practically dove into the trunk to see what else was in there.  He came up with what he thought was a frilly handkerchief.  After inspecting it carefully, he asked “Why does this handkerchief have a button on it?  Is it so you won’t lose it?”

Ben took the item from Hoss and fastened it around his own neck.  “It’s called a stock and was a type of necktie.”  Hoss and Adam both laughed at the sight of their father with a frilly tie on.  Downstairs, Marie could hear the laughter.  She felt left out but knew the boys needed some undivided attention from their father.

An item tucked in the corner of the trunk caught Adam’s eye.  He pulled it out and then looked at it with distaste.  “Why do you have a dress in here, Pa?”

Ben gently took the item from Adam and carefully held it up.  Softly, he said, “This was your christening gown, Adam.  Your mother made this for you.  I remember her sitting in the light from the fire in the evenings, sewing this stitch by stitch.  I’d read to her from Paradise Lost while the Captain, your grandfather, sat in his chair, smoking his pipe.  Since we didn’t know if you would be a boy or a girl, she made some little bows that she could stitch on before your christening, just in case you were a girl.”  Ben lifted the garment to his nose and sniffed.  Hoss and Adam looked at each other questioningly.  It still smelled like Elizabeth—a combination of lavender and lemon verbena.

“Where was I christened?” asked Adam.

“At the church on Beacon Hill.”  Ben chuckled and said “Your grandfather wanted to take you down to the seawall and dip you in the Atlantic.  He claimed that would make you a strong and hardy babe.  I wouldn’t let him since the water was so cold.  The Captain was quite put out with me for a few days afterwards.  But we compromised.  He brought a small bottle of Atlantic seawater to your christening and poured it over your head.”

“Did Adam squall at that?” asked Hoss.

“He took it pretty well” said Ben with a fond glance for Adam.  “The Captain claimed that you’d hear the call of the sea.”

“Ya ever hear the sea yellin’ fer ya?” asked Hoss.

“Nope.  Only Pa.”  All three laughed at that.

Ben was going to put the christening gown away when Adam said “Do you think Marie would like for the baby to wear it?”  Startled, Ben replied “We can ask.”  He then gently set the gown aside.  Marie would probably want a fancier gown for the baby.  Especially a frillier one if the baby was a girl, like they were hoping.

After closing the trunk, Ben picked it up and took it downstairs.  This was definitely one for the church.  He saw Marie sitting on the settee, working on her needlepoint.  She looked over at the stairs and smiled.  “Are you making progress?” she asked.

Ben set the trunk down and crossed the room to her.  He kissed her forehead and said “That’s the only one we’ve been through so far.  There’s still plenty more to look through.”

“Would you like for me to help?” she asked.

He leaned forward and kissed her lips.  “Let us get some more things cleared out first.  That way there’ll be more room.”  After another kiss for his wife, Ben headed back upstairs.  Marie sighed.  She felt that she was the only one in the house not doing anything productive.

Returning to the spare room, Ben found Adam and Hoss inspecting the contents of a crate.  They had pulled out a small set of scales, some empty metal canisters, and a box of mismatched buttons.  Adam recognized the scales from the store Mama and Uncle Gunnar had owned.  Most of the store’s contents had been bought by McWhorter when Gunnar sold the store without telling Inger.  McWhorter hadn’t been interested in running the store, so he let Inger and Ben have a few items.

Adam pulled a book out of the crate and opened it.  The book was the store ledger.  He opened it and saw Mama’s handwriting.  He ran his fingers over her writing as his eyes teared up.  “What’s that?” asked Hoss.

“This is the book Mama kept for the store.  She wrote down the amounts people owed, how many of what items had been ordered and when, and the total sales for each day.”  Flipping through the pages, Adam came across his own handwriting.  He showed a page to Hoss.  “Mama taught me to do math.”

“She was real smart, huh?” asked Hoss.

“She sure was” said Adam, “and real nice, too.”

“There’s another book in here, Pa” said Hoss, pulling out a leather-bound journal.

Ben immediately recognized it as the journal he’d kept on the journey west with Inger and Adam.  He held out his hand and Hoss gave the book to his father.  Holding the journal to his chest, Ben said “I wrote entries in this when we were with the wagon train.”

“Will ya read us some?” asked Adam.

“No, boys.  Someday, maybe, but not today.”  He then set the journal aside.

“Let’s see what’s in here” Ben announced as he opened another trunk.  Women’s clothing was inside.  Hoss pulled out a large, cloth hat.  “What’s this?”  “That was Mama’s sunbonnet” answered Adam.  “She wore it almost every day to keep the sun out of her eyes.”

Ben sat down beside Adam and leaned over to sniff the bonnet.  He inhaled deeply and said “It smells like sunshine and rosemary.  Your mother used to wash her hair with rosemary.  Her hair was so golden it looked like a halo when it escaped her hairpins.”

“How come mine ain’t gold?” asked Hoss.

“Maybe it’s because my hair is dark.  But you did have pale blond hair up until you were two.  It’ll probably get darker as you get older.”

“Will it be gray like yours?” the boy asked.

“Someday you and Adam will have gray hair.  But that won’t be for a long time.”

“Did I get a christening?” asked Hoss.

“No, Son, you didn’t.  There wasn’t a church or a minister to do the christening.”

“Is it too late to have one?”

Ben looked surprised for a second.  “I suppose not.  I’ll talk to Pastor Schmidt next time I’m in town.”  Hoss smiled really big to think he might get to have a christening.  Hop Sing would probably make a feast and a cake to celebrate.  He hoped Papa didn’t forget to ask the pastor.

Closing the trunk, Ben said “I guess we should give this to the church.  Neither of you boys will be wearing dresses.”  Adam and Hoss laughed at the idea of the other in a dress.

“Mama won’t want ‘em?” asked Hoss.

“Your mother was quite a bit taller than Mama.  None of these would fit her properly.”

“Can we keep the bonnet?” asked Adam hopefully.  Mama had always smelled so good.  He shivered slightly as he remembered her dying from the arrow.  But there were so many good memories of their time with the wagon train.  The scent of the bonnet would help him make sure he never forgot her.

Ben came downstairs with the trunk and set it next to the one containing his old clothes.  “Are you making any progress?” Marie asked.

“We seem to be.”

Hop Sing poked his head into the room and said “Lunch in ten minutes.  You get boys cleaned up.”  With that, the cook disappeared back into his kingdom.

“I guess I have my orders” said Ben with a smile to Marie as he went to the staircase.  Instead of going up, he yelled “Get ready for lunch.”  “Yes, Sir” was heard from upstairs.  Ben then went over to the settee and sat down next to Marie.

“How is the sampler coming?” he asked.

“It’s coming along just fine” she answered as she held it up for her husband to see.

“Neither Adam nor Hoss had a nursery.  This will be a new experience for me.  Are you sure you don’t want to have the baby’s cradle and crib in our room?”

“For the first several months, oui.  After that, we’ll be ready to have our room back.”  She said this with a flirtatious smile, which inspired Ben to kiss her.  Afterwards, she said “It wouldn’t be fair to ask one of the boys to share their room with the baby.”

“Adam and Hoss shared a bed for years.  They could share a room.”

“Non, mon chere.  Adam’s life has been turned upside down as it is.  I won’t give him further cause to resent me.”

“He doesn’t resent you, darling.  Adam asked me if you’d like to use his christening gown for the baby.”

Marie looked surprised and then smiled happily.  “That is very thoughtful of him to ask that.  But…”

Ben interrupted with “I didn’t make any promises.  You’ll have to talk it over with Adam.”

Marie nodded her head and said “I’ll approach him when the time for the baby to arrive is closer.”  She then leaned forward and kissed Ben.

The clomp of boots on the stairs broke Ben and Marie apart.  Marie blushed a bright pink.  She didn’t know why she embarrassed so easily anymore when she was kissing her husband in the boys’ presence.

Hoss went over to the settee and leaned towards Marie.  He sniffed loudly and then said “You smell good, Mama.  What is that?”

“My parfum, mon fils.  It’s made in France.”

“Do all folks in France smell like that?”

“No” answered Ben, “just the loveliest ladies.”  Marie smiled brightly in response.  Adam sniffed a bit, but not as loudly as Hoss had.  He preferred the smell of own mother over Marie’s.

Hop Sing came out of the kitchen with a tureen of beef stew.  He set it on the table and called for the boys to come help.  Hoss and Adam went to the kitchen and returned with a platter of biscuits (carried by Adam) and four bowls and spoons (carried by Hoss).

During the meal, Hoss chattered about the treasures they had found in the spare room.  Marie laughed at the description of her husband’s frilly stock.  “Pa gave me a pair of trousers that have some holes.  Could you mend them, please?”  Adam asked Marie.

“Why certainly, mon fils” answered Marie with a smile.

“Papa said they could be Adam’s fishin’ pants” said Hoss.

“Every boy needs a pair of trousers that he can dirty without worry” said Marie.

Adam looked a bit surprised at hearing that.  He’d never had the luxury of owning a pair of pants he could get dirty just for fun.  This was going to be new experience for him.

After finishing lunch, Ben said “Why don’t we tackle one more trunk and call it a day.”

“Okay” said Adam and Hoss in unison.  Who knew what treasures they would find next?

“May I join you, gentlemen?” Marie asked hopefully.  She didn’t fancy an afternoon with just her needlepoint for company.

“It’s all right with me if it is with you boys.”

“It’s okay with me, Mama” said Hoss with a smile.  “Sure” said Adam.

All four got up from the table and headed for the stairs.  “You boys go on ahead and choose a trunk.”  Hoss raced up so he could be the one to pick.  Adam wasn’t far behind.  Ben and Marie followed at a more leisurely pace.

Reaching the spare room, Ben saw both Hoss and Adam sitting on a trunk.  “We want this one” said Hoss.  Adam nodded his head.  Ben realized that it was his ship’s trunk—the boys had never seen the contents.  Maybe letting the boys choose hadn’t been such a good idea.

“Why that one?” Ben asked.

“’Cause it’s got your initials on it” replied Adam.  Many times over the years, Ben had seen Adam eyeing the trunk with great curiosity.  Well, he thought, I might as well get this over with.

“I’ll be right back” he said as he left the room.  The boys sat smugly on the trunk.  Now they’d see what kinds of secrets their father had.  Hoss was sure that there was pirate loot inside.  Adam thought there must be love letters or something scandalous in the trunk.  Marie’s curiosity was piqued.

Ben returned with the key and had the boys stand up.  He unlocked the trunk and opened it.  The smell of cedar wafted out to their noses.  Three expectant faces looked on as the lid opened further.

On top lay a dark blue jacket with gold trim.  Marie reached for the jacket and pulled it out.  She held it up against her husband to get an idea of what Ben may have looked like in uniform.  The image she formed was of a very dashing, handsome seaman, sailing across the waves to exotic ports.  Maybe Ben could put it on later, after the boys had gone to bed.

Hoss reached for his father’s cap and put it on his own head.  “Do I look like you did, Papa?”  “Not quite” said Ben as he reached for the cap.  He wasn’t fast enough as Hoss took it off and placed it on Adam’s head.  Marie gasped at the sight—Adam looked very nautical.

Ben cocked his head and studied his eldest for a moment.  “You remind me of a miniature of the Captain’s father, Samuel, your great-grandfather.  He was also a sea captain.  In fact, he sailed alongside John Paul Jones during the Revolution.”  Adam straightened up a bit hearing that.

“Surely you won’t be getting rid of your uniform?” asked Marie.

“I hadn’t planned on it” answered Ben.

With the cap still on his head, Adam reached into the trunk and came up with a spy glass.  A brass plate inscribed “B. Cartwright” was on it.  Before Adam could get it opened, Ben took it from his son.  “This is not a toy.”  Both Hoss and Adam were disappointed that they wouldn’t be able to use the spy glass.

Hoss reached into the trunk and brought out a small box.  He opened it and saw letters and a needle under glass.  “What’s this?” he asked.

“That’s a compass.  It’s used to know which direction you’re going.”

“Can’tcha just do that by lookin’ at the sun?”

“It’s harder at sea, especially at times when you’re surrounded by a gale of driving rain.  The compass helps the captain keep the ship on course.”

“Couldn’t ya just stop the ship until the rain stopped?” asked Hoss.

“Not always.  If we were carrying a cargo that had to get to its destination on time, we couldn’t waste time waiting for a storm to blow over.  Besides, there isn’t always a safe harbor to sail into on the open sea.”

Marie was next to reach into the trunk and she pulled out a small ivory stand with spools of thread on it.  “This is beautiful” she said, admiring the carvings on the ivory.

“That was my sewing kit.”

“You had to mend your own clothes?” asked Hoss.  Adam and now Mama took care of that for him.

“There were no seamstresses on ship, so every man had to repair his own clothing.  The Captain was a stickler for every man on his ship looking sharp.”

Ben began to gather his sailing items from his wife and sons to put them back in the trunk.  “Why can’t we see everything in there?” asked Hoss.

“Because it’s personal.  And private.”

“Are ya gonna show Mama later?” asked Hoss.

“No” was the reply.

“We must respect your pere’s request regarding his trunk.  Mais oui?”

“Okay” came the disappointed replies from Adam and Hoss.

Ben was going to put the jacket back in the trunk when Marie touched his arm.  He looked into her sparkling green eyes and was stirred by the look he saw.  “Boys, we’ve done enough for today.  Why don’t you get your fishing poles and go down to the lake.  Tell Hop Sing I told him to go with you.”

“May I wear my fishing trousers?” asked Adam.

“What? Oh, of course.  Your mother can patch them up later.”

Adam picked up the pants and then he and Hoss left the room.  Ben drew Marie to him and kissed her passionately.  When they heard the tromp of boots on the stairs, Ben picked Marie up and carried her and the jacket to their bedroom.  With the opening and closing of the front door, Ben thought it was time to make some new memories with his beautiful wife.

The End

May 2007

Next Story in The Battle of Wills Series:

A New Pattern
Naming the Newest Cartwright
Presents from the Heart
Love’s Labor
Big Brother Lessons
No Regrets
Baby’s Breath
Ennui