Summary: Written for the Chaps & Spur Challenge for June, 2011. Adam and Hoss get into a mess of trouble when Adam invents something to help him with a daily chore. Please read this little story to see how I incorporated the five words needed to meet this challenge: medieval, tassel, commence,

Rating: K  WC 1800

 

Never Fool with a Horse’s Tassle

The two young Cartwright’s guts wrenched as they stood staring at the giant-sized hole that now engulfed the east side of their barn wall.

“Pa’s gonna kill us Adam. I mean really kill us,” Little Hoss sniffed.

“You know Pa won’t kill us, Hoss. He’ll just…” Adam’s words trailed off at the thought. The ten year old knew it wasn’t worth even trying to lessen what was soon in store.

“C’mon. We best clean up what we can before Pa gets home.”

The two brothers solemnly began their clean up as both their minds reflected back on the culmination of events that led up to this disaster. It had all started with a tassel. Well, not a real tassel, but a comparison to one.

That morning, Adam and Hoss had stepped into the barn to do their chores. Adam’s job was to brush down the horses and most of them complied in gratitude; not old Flash, however. He hated being brushed and did everything he could do to make the brusher miserable while in his stall. He’d lean his body towards you so you would be scrunched against the wall. He’s flick his tail back and forth connecting with your face on more than one instance. Little Hoss always enjoyed watching his brother deal with Flash. It was like a battle of wits. He wasn’t a mean horse, just a stubborn one and when he didn’t want something done, well he didn’t want something done.

Hoss suddenly giggled.

“Don’t you have chores to do, too?” Adam annoying asked as he once again received a tail switch in the face.

Another giggle. “You know something Adam… horses tails remind me of the strings hanging out from ripe corn in the field.

“Those are tassels and believe me they’re a lot softer than this old horse’s tail,” Adam grumbled.

This produced an even louder giggle from his younger brother.

“You better get started on that raking,” Adam barked annoyingly. Hoss jumped down instantly from the bale of hay he was sitting upon and picked up the awaiting rake.

“Hey Adam, you know it sure would be great if we could create something to do our chores for us. You know, like those scientists you’re always reading about that…in… in….”

“Invent,” Adam completed his brother’s words.

“Yeah, invent. You should invent something that would brush down old Flash. Then you wouldn’t have to be hit in the face by his tassel.” Hoss let out another giggle at the thought.

This time, Adam said nothing as he stepped out of Flash’s stall and moved to the next horse. His brother’s words kept his thoughts focused the rest of the morning and by evening he was in his room sketching out a plan to do just as his brother had suggested.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his bedroom door. Adam quickly shuffled the drawing paper under his math book and flipped it open to the assigned page.

“Come in,” he calmly stated.

Ben Cartwright entered his son’s room. “Well now, that’s what I like to see… my studious son hard at work.”

“I’m just finishing up some math problems, pa,” Adam answered half-guiltily.

Ben pulled up a chair alongside the desk. “Do you need any help before I go?”

It was then that Adam got a whiff of his father’s special cologne. It was the cologne he only used when calling upon a lady.

Adam laid his pencil down and turned towards his father. “Off for dinner at Ms. Guthrie’s again, Pa?” Adam restrained a laugh as his eyes danced up to his fathers. Ben Cartwright had been a bachelor for going on six years now and the boy yearned for his father to find a new bride.

Ben chuckled as he stood up and tousled his son’s hair in a playful manner. “You are a smart one.”

The two both shared a laugh. As Ben turned to leave, he noticed the drawing paper under his son’s book. He reached down and slid out the concealed work.

“What’s this?” He questioned.

“Um…” Adam had to think quickly. “Well… in history we’re studying medieval times and I was just practicing drawing some of the weaponry they used back then.” Adam paused to judge his father’s reaction. It was one of puzzlement. “I’m….”I’m… not very good at it,” he quickly added.

“Just make sure that homework is completed by tomorrow morning, young man.” Ben knew his son too well.

“I will, pa,” Adam answered him respectively before abruptly changing the subject. “Have fun at Ms. Guthrie’s.”

He finished off this statement with a huge smile that instantly brought a chuckle from his father.

Ben moved towards the door. “Your brother is downstairs driving Hop Sing crazy so make sure to relieve him just as soon as you’re finished with your work.”

“Don’t worry, Pa. I know how to tucker Hoss out pretty well. He should be in bed within a few hours if I have my way.”

Ben just smiled a knowing smile. It wasn’t that easy to get Hoss to go to bed, but he had to admire Adam’s confident attempt at brotherly control.

“Good night, son, Ben said as he closed the door to his son’s room.

Adam rushed through the rest of his work and headed downstairs with his drawing plans in hand. The two brothers made a quick escape from Hop Sing’s overseeing and headed directly out to the barn. Adam explained his drawing to Hoss and how he had figured out a way to connect a long arm to the wall of the barn that would extend over Flash’s stall. He could then stand at a safe distance away from the animal and use the crank to maneuver the brush back and forth to give him a good brushing.

“Boy, you think it can be used to do the raking, too?” Hoss asked in excitement.

“I don’t think so, Hoss, but if this does work I’ll figure out something to help you, too.”

The two brothers then commenced to building.

The next morning, Ben left early to go into town. He couldn’t help but notice how eager both his boys seemed to be about getting started on their chores.

Adam rushed over to the empty stall and uncovered his masterpiece in the straw. Hoss helped him mount it to the wall and within an hour they were ready to test it out. Adam maneuvered the arm cautiously over old Flash. The horse seemed to be instantly on guard.

“It’s okay, old boy,” Hoss spoke gently. “Adam’s just tired of getting hit by your tassel all the time.”

The horse twitched its tail in a manner stating he wasn’t happy about the situation. Just then, Adam lowered the arm down on the animal’s back. Flash twitched as his eyes bulged at the strange object now resting against his body. Adam then starting cranking and the arm did as it was designed to do; it moved back and forth across the animals back in a firm, consistent motion.

“It works!” Hoss exuberantly announced. “It works!” Adam felt his heart swell with pride as he maneuvered the arm into various positions around the animal.

“Can I try?” Hoss asked. “I want to try it!” He then demanded.

Adam raised the arm up and motioned for his brother to come near.

“It’s sort of heavy so I’ll help you, okay?” Hoss nodded and quickly grabbed hold of the mechanism.

“Now, you pull this lever down to rest the arm on his back. Then all you have to do is crank and it will move the brush up and down.

Hoss produced a gap-toothed grin before biting firmly down on his lower lip with determination. The crank was quite stiff and it was hard for the 6 year old to get it rotating. But when he did… that’s when the chaos started.

Hoss began building momentum as he excitedly spun the crank round and round and round.

“Not so fast Hoss, You’ll spook him,” Adam commanded.

His brother paid no mind as he continued to crank at high velocity.

Suddenly the arm sprung up and rotated to the rear of the horse. The abrupt force knocked the controls out of the brothers’ hands. This in turn brought the arm down on the horse’s rump. The crank was still spinning and the brush got tangled in poor old Flash’s tail.

Old flash reared up and bolted out of his stall. Adam and Hoss were just able to dive out of the way as the petrified animal stormed past them and headed out the barn door in a … well, flash. The force of his exit tore Adam’s mechanism from the wall. The two brothers watched in horror as poor flash galloped crazily away, dragging the now crumbled invention at his heels.

When the dust had settled the once in tact barn wall now mustered a huge hole the size of Lake Tahoe.

*********************************

That evening the two brothers lay miserably across their beds. Neither of them was saying a word. It took their father almost three hours to find old Flash. By then, all he had left was a little stubble for a tail and Adam’s invention lay hidden somewhere out in the wilderness. Well, their father wasn’t happy that’s for sure and soon the two brothers had aching backsides. I think it is safe to say that on that day, Adam Stoddard Cartwright lost any desire to become a scientist.

Hoss turned to his side and sniffed. “I’m sorry, Adam. I didn’t mean to get you in trouble.”

Adam rolled to his side and looked over at his brother.

“I caused the trouble for myself, Hoss,” was all he could say as another stream of tears fell from his eyes.

There was a moment of silence.

“Adam? You know how I asked you to make something to help me rake?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, I think I’ll just rake myself.”

Adam paused before answering, “I think that’s a good idea.” Then he added, “I don’t think old Flash will let me near him ever again. I hope Pa was able to calm him down some.”

Hoss did not respond and soon Adam could tell he had cried himself to sleep. Adam buried his head into his pillow and reflected upon the day.

“Well, at least we’ve learned one lesson in all of this,” he thought. “Never, ever fool with a horse’s tassel.” Soon he, too, succumbed to peaceful slumber.