{"id":11297,"date":"2015-06-08T22:28:17","date_gmt":"2015-06-09T02:28:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=11297"},"modified":"2025-02-18T19:17:28","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T00:17:28","slug":"no-shovel-needed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=11297","title":{"rendered":"No Shovel Needed (by justafan)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/strong>:\u00a0 This is June’s Chaps and Spurs Challenge. \u00a0Once again, Little Joe finds himself facing the music. Hoss and Adam are amused by the current situation, although Ben thinks it is no laughing matter. \u00a0Sometimes, the Cartwrights can dig a very deep hole without using a shovel.<\/p>\n

Rating K+\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Number of Words:\u00a0 \u00a01,798<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

No Shovel Needed<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa, I didn\u2019t mean to do my chores today,\u201d Joe said looking up at his father.\u00a0 The young man was in trouble, again, for not completing his chores by dinner.\u00a0 To add fuel to the fire, the smell of the liquor he consumed earlier wafted through the room, causing his older brothers to smile behind their hands.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, you said you didn\u2019t intend to do your chores?\u00a0 That\u2019s not helping your situation here, son.\u201d\u00a0 Ben was confused by his son\u2019s confession.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, I wasn\u2019t going to do them anyway, so why are you going to tan me for not getting them done by dinner?\u201d Joe asked as he swayed slightly. \u00a0 The youngster’s logic was muddled by the strong drink he and his friends shared\u00a0just before he came home.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Brother, what on earth are you saying?\u201d Hoss asked incredulously.\u00a0 “You ain’t helping yourself none here.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m saying that when I woke up this morning, I decided I wasn\u2019t going to do my chores.\u00a0 I knew when I left for school that I was going to meet Seth and Mitch for some fishing and I wouldn\u2019t be able to do them at all,\u201d Joe said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, did you ask me if you could go fishing after school?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo sir,\u201d Joe answered looking at Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t look at me kid.\u00a0 You didn\u2019t ask me either,\u201d Adam said folding his arms across his chest and pinching the bridge of his nose.\u00a0 He could not contain the chuckle that rolled quietly through his chest.\u00a0 Adam cleared his throat to try to cover the wayward laugh.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa, you said I was in trouble for not doing my chores, right?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, son you are.\u00a0 You have been drinking, and now you\u2019re in trouble for not coming home after school today.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t be in trouble for not coming home after school \u2018cause I didn\u2019t go to school.\u00a0 That just doesn\u2019t make any sense, Pa.\u00a0 Adam, I think you might wanna get Doc out here to check Pa out.\u00a0 He\u2019s not making any sense at all,\u201d Joe said as he shoved his hands in his pockets.\u00a0 This didn\u2019t help with his balance and he stumbled slightly before finding support against the arm of the settee.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t need a doctor, Joseph,\u201d Ben shouted as his face visibly colored with anger.\u00a0 “This one can be so exasperating at times,” Ben thought to himself.\u00a0 “I must be getting to old to be a father.\u00a0 Joseph was out drinking with his friends today, ditched school, and did not complete his chores. \u00a0Where did I go wrong?”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think you do.\u00a0 You know when I have a fever, Pa, my face turns red like that.\u00a0 Adam, you may wanna check his forehead to see if it\u2019s hot.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t tall enough to reach him, yet and his forehead just seems to keep going further and further back.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph Francis Cartwright, there is nothing wrong with me and my forehead is where it has always been.\u00a0 You are in trouble on\u00a0several counts boy.\u00a0 The more you talk, the worse your situation gets.\u00a0 Now get to the barn.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be there in a few minutes, after I calm down,\u201d Ben shouted, his booming, bass voice filled the room; rattling the windows with its power and volume.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, you really need to have Dr. Paul take a look at him.\u00a0 Pa ain\u2019t looking to good right now.\u00a0 Why he\u2019s about to blow his stack for nothing and he\u2019s starting to look really fuzzy like. \u00a0I mean, he’s weaving back and forth like he’s about to just fall over,\u201d Joe said speaking quietly to his brother and slurring his speech.\u00a0 Ben heard every word, angering him further.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Punkin, you’re the one weaving back and forth. \u00a0You’re about to hit the floor, boy,” Hoss said as he watched Joe nearly lose his balance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGet to the barn, boy,\u201d Ben barked again and swatted his youngest on his seat.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going, I’m going. \u00a0You just take some time and try to calm down before you come out.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t want you to frighten the animals with that voice you\u2019re using right now.\u00a0 Why, you could stampede the cows way down in the south pasture if they heard ya hollering like that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph what has gotten into you?\u00a0 Not going to school, not finishing your chores, and coming home drunk,\u201d Ben asked.\u00a0 “Get your little self to the barn before I tan you right in front of your brothers.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Brother, let me suggest something to ya before you go to the barn,\u201d Hoss said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSure, Hoss.\u00a0 Should I put some hay in my pants like I did the last time Pa tanned me?\u201d Joe laughed uncontrollably.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rubbing the top of his head in confusion, Hoss took Joe by the shoulders and said, \u201cLittle Brother, if you find yourself in a hole, the first thing is to stop diggin\u2019.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, is you sick, too?\u00a0Did you catch what Pa’s got ’cause you ain’t makin’ sense neither?\u00a0 I ain\u2019t in a hole and I ain\u2019t got a shovel,\u201d Joe said as he left the house laughing and staggering in the general direction of\u00a0the barn.\u00a0 His inebriated condition forced him to stumble off the direct path to his destination.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat has gotten into that boy?\u201d Ben asked looking to his older sons for an answer.\u00a0 \u201cThe two of you never behaved this way and now this little scamp . . . \u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell Pa, the boy is kinda drunk and he don\u2019t know what he\u2019s saying right now,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 Ever the peacemaker, he tried to calm his father.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA little drunk?\u00a0 The boy\u2019s only thirteen.\u00a0 What on earth is he doing a little drunk?\u201d Ben shouted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa, let\u2019s stop talking about it and give you a chance to calm down before you go have your necessary little talking to with you baby boy,\u201d Adam said smiling.\u00a0 He could not control his amusement at his brother\u2019s antics and his lack of fear in the face of his father\u2019s anger.\u00a0 The oldest brother cataloged this event, as it\u00a0gave light to another aspect of Joe\u2019s personality.\u00a0 When drunk, this one loses all inhibition and fear.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright waited a full hour before he went to deal with his wayward son.\u00a0 Hoss and Adam tried to talk him into being lenient with their young sibling, but to no avail.\u00a0 They laughed, mostly, as neither of them were brave enough to\u00a0 have come home drunk after ditching school.\u00a0 Giving his sons a warning glare, Ben pulled the door opened and headed for the barn.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joseph\u2019s backside would feel his father\u2019s wrath and he most certainly would not repeat the day\u2019s events again.\u00a0 As he reached for the barn door, the frustrated father took a deep breath and pulled the door open. The light was dim and the coolness of the evening made the barn comfortable, creating a relaxing atmosphere.\u00a0 Ben knew he and his son were about to disturb the peace and startle the animals living there.<\/span><\/p>\n

Giving his eyes time to adjust, Ben visually scanned the barn in search of the youngster.\u00a0 There, lying amidst fresh hay was his youngest son.\u00a0 Joseph was sleeping peacefully, reminding Ben of the six year old who would hide in the barn when he mourned for his mother.\u00a0 Many times, the father carried Joseph back to the house and put him to bed, wiping the tears from his baby\u2019s face before tucking him in. \u00a0\u00a0Looking at the boy now, Ben could only smile as he saw in the slumbering young man the face of\u00a0his beloved Marie; Joseph resembled her so much it hurt sometimes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leaning on the stall above his son\u2019s sleeping form, Ben allowed himself to be transported to when the young man was just a boy.\u00a0 After Adam left for college, Joe had a very hard time with the departure.\u00a0 The boy was fearful his brother would not return; disappearing forever like his mother.\u00a0 Ben would wake up in the morning with Joseph curled up beside him, sprawled across the foot of his bed or holding on to the front of his night shirt.\u00a0\u00a0Horrible dreams pulled him from his slumber many nights as Joe would wake the house screaming in fear of something unknown to him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joseph\u2019s antics kept him busy from the time he was born until this day.\u00a0 The child he loved, cherished, and doted on from the moment he arrived in this world, was his saving grace.\u00a0 The more Ben thought about this boy, innocently sleeping in the hay, the more he realized he would not\u00a0punish him\u00a0this time.\u00a0 The liquor he drank would take care of that in due time.\u00a0 Ben had stood in the barn, watching his sleeping child, and allowed his love and devotion to dig a hole from which there was no escape. \u00a0Entering the stall, the father lifted the slight, thirteen year old into his arms and kissed his forehead.\u00a0 This caused Joe to stir and wrap his arms around his father\u2019s neck.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI love you, Papa,\u201d Joe said through the haze of alcohol induced drowsiness.\u00a0 It had been quite a while since Joe called him Papa and those four words were the final shovel full that hopelessly buried the father in a hole from which he would not exit.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI love you too, Joseph.\u00a0 Go back to sleep, son.\u00a0 You will pay for this in the morning when you wake up.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be there to help you through it,\u201d the father said as he embraced his child and carried him across the yard to the house.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss opened the door to allow the pair entrance and Adam rose to assist his father.\u00a0Ben shook his head when Adam reached out to\u00a0take his sleeping\u00a0brother from\u00a0his father.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I’ve got him, son.\u00a0 Thank you.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened, Pa?\u00a0 You were not gone long enough to take care of a good tanning?\u201d Adam asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

Walking quietly up the stairs, Ben turned and said, \u201cHoss, I should have taken the advice you gave your brother. \u00a0If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing is to stop diggin\u2019.\u201d \u00a0Patting Joe’s back and looking at the sleeping boy in his arms, Ben shook his head, smiled and turned again.\u00a0 \u201cRemember this, sometimes the holes we dig are not uncomfortable, not uncomfortable at all.” \u00a0Ben Cartwright shifted the slight weight of his burden and continued to the bedroom at the top of the stairs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tags:\u00a0 Adam Cartwright,\u00a0Ben Cartwright,\u00a0Hoss Cartwright,\u00a0Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 \u00a0Once again, Little Joe finds himself facing the music. Hoss and Adam are amused by the current situation, although Ben thinks it is no laughing matter. \u00a0Sometimes, the Cartwrights can dig a very deep hole without using a shovel.<\/p>\n

Rating K+\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Number of Words:\u00a0 \u00a01,798<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1181,"featured_media":14853,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[39,23,4,41,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chaps-spurs","category-drama","category-humor","category-hurtcomfort","category-challenges","wpcat-39-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-4-id","wpcat-41-id","wpcat-40-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/shovel.jpg?fit=350%2C263&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1181"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}