{"id":12386,"date":"2015-12-27T08:36:39","date_gmt":"2015-12-27T13:36:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12386"},"modified":"2025-02-18T19:10:41","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T00:10:41","slug":"the-strawberry-roan-cs-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12386","title":{"rendered":"The Strawberry Roan (by sandspur)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Strawberry Roan<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>In response to the December C&S challenge prompt:<\/strong><\/p>\n

There never was a horse that couldn\u2019t be rode;<\/em><\/p>\n

Never was a cowboy who couldn\u2019t be throwed.<\/em><\/p>\n

Summary:<\/strong> a cowboy who returns to the Ponderosa after a long absence discovers a new horse trainer…with an unwelcome training method.<\/p>\n

Rating<\/strong>: T (mild language). 4316 words.<\/p>\n

Note:\u00a0<\/strong>This short story is set in the \u201cLilies\u201d universe, but it can stand on its own.<\/p>\n

The Lilies Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Lilies of the Field<\/a>
\nThe Lilies of the Valley<\/a>
\nOne Scarlet Lily<\/a>
\nThe Strawberry Roan<\/a><\/p>\n

The Strawberry Roan<\/strong><\/p>\n

There used to be a time when all the ranches in western Nevada and eastern California were clamoring for the attention of people like me. Bronc busters, we called ourselves. I wasn\u2019t the best of \u2019em, but I was by no means the worst. In fact I was pretty darn good if I do say so myself. The problem is, there I was goin\u2019 on thirty-three, an age when you want something a little less sprightly, like a cattle drive. A dollar is a dollar is a dollar, and I was in no shape to pick and choose my employment, especially since bustin\u2019 horses and pokin\u2019 cattle were the only things I knew. So when word came through the streets that the Cartwright ranch was hiring, I headed back that way.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve heard of them, doubtless\u2014biggest spread in that part of the state\u2014they call it the Ponderosa. Foreman\u2019s a fella named \u2018Mutton Jim\u2019 Coleman\u2014\u2018Mutton\u2019 on account of he used to punch sheep, or shear them, or whatever you do with \u2019em. They say he\u2019s also a fair hand at training dogs, although what that had to do with the price of tea in China I could not guess.<\/p>\n

I arrived hotter\u2019n Satan\u2019s butt and dunked my head in the horse trough. Right before my head went under I thought I was hallucinating, but when I looked up, the scene before me had not changed\u2014there was a kid in the corral running away from a horse. As I watched, he stopped by a rail, and the horse stopped too. Then he commenced to chasing the horse, and it ran away from him. For a minute I thought of offering help, but then I saw Joe Cartwright sitting on the top rail and grinning like a monkey with a banana stuck in its mouth sidewise, and I reckon if Joe Cartwright thought things were progressing in grin-worthy fashion, then it must be all right.<\/p>\n

I knew Joe some when I was younger. Didn\u2019t like him much\u2014he was even better with horses than I was. If I could stick like a burr, he could stick like a tick. You get the idea. But time plays hell with us all, and dang if he hadn\u2019t aged some too. I\u2019d heard a rumor in town that his hair went white overnight after his wife died. Now rumors, I generally take with a whole lotta grains of salt. But he\u2019d sure enough gotten some gray among those fine chestnut locks.<\/p>\n

For a minute I watched him, but he showed no interest in helpin\u2019 the kid, and again, I reckoned if Joe Cartwright didn\u2019t see fit to help, there wasn\u2019t no need of me. I shrugged and looked around for a minute, and there was Mutton Jim under a tree with a big black hairy dog about a hundred feet off, so I headed that way. \u201cBring it, Duke,\u201d said he, and the dog picked up a bucket by the handle and walked over to him. When he passed by me I saw the bucket was nearly full of eggs. The dog reached him and set the bucket down in front of him just as neat as you please, and Jim murmured a few sweet nothings at him before he noticed me eyeballin\u2019 him. Then he told the dog to \u201cunload,\u201d and the dog commenced to grabbing each egg in his teeth and laying it on the ground. My eyebrows pushed my hat up an inch or two at that one, a trick I\u2019d never seen before.<\/p>\n

\u201cCurley Fletcher,\u201d Mutton Jim said, and now I was impressed that he remembered me.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowdy,\u201d I said. \u201cHeard you was hirin\u2019 up here and thought I\u2019d stake my claim.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re needin\u2019 hands for a drive through some rough territory. About two months of work, forty bucks a month plus bunk and beans.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI c\u2019n do it,\u201d I said, \u201cbut I was kinda hopin\u2019 y\u2019all wanted a bronc rider. Looks like Little Joe\u2019s delegatin\u2019 it to kids, and that boy ain\u2019t up to the task.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mutton Jim laughed long and hard before answering me, and I have to admit my eyebrows went down and my jaw stuck itself out. Never much cottoned to bein\u2019 laughed at.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat kid,\u201d Jim finally said, \u201cis the boss\u2019s grandson, and while his methods are a little west of San Francisco, they appear to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why\u2019s he on foot?\u201d I replied, feelin\u2019 real clever.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s his method,\u201d said Jim. \u201cI seen him break at least fifty horses the last couple years, and he does the same thing with every single one. And when he\u2019s done, you could put a baby on \u2019em and ride clear to Boston.\u201d<\/p>\n

Funny, I didn\u2019t think Mutton Jim was one of the tall-tale tellers you find in these parts, but now he had me confused. He thought for a bit. \u201cLook,\u201d he said after a minute, \u201cJoe is still runnin\u2019 the horse operation. Talk to him. If he wants you, go for it, but I\u2019ll lay odds he\u2019ll say no.\u201d<\/p>\n

I gave Jim a nod and headed back to the corral. I was now kinda wonderin\u2019 why I wanted this job, since once you hit thirty, landing on your tailbone five or six times a day ain\u2019t nowhere near as funny as it was when you were eighteen. And bronc ridin\u2019 usually isn\u2019t as long a job as cattle drivin\u2019. But somehow the idea of a little kid replacing the pros like me and Joe was a hateful one.<\/p>\n

I scaled the corral rails to join Joe at the top. He gave me a glance and said, \u201cStill alive, huh, Fletcher?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know me,\u201d said I. \u201cToo ornery to kill.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I know you,\u201d was all he said. Well, he never had much use for me, neither. You can respect a rival, but bein\u2019 friends with one just ain\u2019t done.<\/p>\n

Below us the boy had a rope, but instead of lassoin\u2019 the pony, he was snakin\u2019 it out at the horse\u2019s legs to make him run some more. That kid reminded me of someone, though I couldn\u2019t say who. Then I remembered he was old Ben\u2019s grandson. Surely not Joe\u2019s kid. He was tall for a youngster\u2014maybe a little older than I first thought\u2014brown as a nut, with black curly hair in dire need of a shearing, and so skinny he could hide behind a green bean. \u201cLemme ask you a question,\u201d I said. \u201cDon\u2019t that kid\u2019s diaper get caught on the saddle horn?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe chuckled a little. \u201cHe\u2019s fourteen,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cAbout the same as me when I started breakin\u2019 \u2019em.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho is he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam\u2019s oldest boy. Name\u2019s\u2026\u201d and then he said something I couldn\u2019t understand, like \u201cOwd\u2019n.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019d he come by a handle like that?\u201d I asked. I\u2019d never heard such a name.<\/p>\n

\u201cA-u-d-u-n. It\u2019s Norwegian or something,\u201d he said. \u201cLook, Curley, we\u2019re kinda busy here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I see. Wondered if you could use a\u2026\u201d and I choked a little, \u2019cause when you\u2019re job-beggin\u2019, you don\u2019t want to step on yourself so hard you fall on your face. \u201cIf you could use another<\/em> man to help with the horse-breakin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, but I think me and Audun pretty well have things in hand,\u201d he said, and there went the interview, for I didn\u2019t wanna break my back bad enough that I was gonna beg for it.<\/p>\n

I was busy the next few days preparing for the drive, but whenever I chanced to walk by the corral, there\u2019d be that skinny, dark kid with the weird name, doin\u2019 some other strange thing with the horses. He seemed to like stickin\u2019 his fingers in their sides, and if they moved, he\u2019d pat \u2019em; if they shoved back he\u2019d make \u2019em run around the corral again. I asked Joe once what it was all about, and got some charlatan-sounding business about \u201cresponse to pressure.\u201d He said the Injuns did it that way. Not that I\u2019d ever watched any Injuns train their war ponies, but I\u2019d lived with the Bannock Shoshone for a while and I never saw them pokin\u2019 on their horses. I was startin\u2019 to think poor ole Joe musta come off one of his own ponies an\u2019 landed on his head.<\/p>\n

Come the day, though, when I see the skinny kid and Joe puttin\u2019 a bridle on a pony, and I think I\u2019m finally gonna see some action, but instead they just led the horse around. Then they started makin\u2019 it put its nose to the ground.<\/p>\n

I shook my head in disgust, only to see Hoss Cartwright lookin\u2019 back at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s your take on all that business?\u201d I asked, for old Hoss was always the Cartwright I respected most. He had a practical way of lookin\u2019 on life, none of Joe\u2019s wildness or Adam\u2019s high-falutin\u2019 ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cBest way of trainin\u2019 horses I ever see,\u201d says Hoss.<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t help scoffing a little, for I\u2019ve trained a couple hundred horses with my own method. You\u2019ve all heard of it\u2014tie one of the front legs to the horse\u2019s body so it can\u2019t run off, then put a saddle on with a rider rakin\u2019 hell outta the horse with his spurs. You trade off riders until somebody can stay on the horse and it\u2019s too damn tired to try throwin\u2019 \u2019em anymore. By dash, they know who\u2019s boss after that.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt ain\u2019t as quick as just throwin\u2019 a saddle on and wearin\u2019 \u2019em out with a set of spurs,\u201d he nodded, as if he knowed what I was thinking. \u201cI\u2019ll grant ya that. But it works, and it\u2019s a durn sight easier on the horse, to say nothin\u2019 of the men doin\u2019 the ridin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s a kid,\u201d I said, and he looked surprised.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt ain\u2019t Audun\u2019s method,\u201d he replied. \u201cHe learned it same as we\u2019re learnin\u2019 it. He just learned it from Indians is all. And it makes a heap a\u2019 sense when you think on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI been watchin\u2019 fer nearly two weeks,\u201d said I, \u201cand I ain\u2019t seen nothin\u2019 yet that made sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou oughtta ask Joe.\u201d Hoss nodded, as if he\u2019d impressed himself with his own advice. \u201cHe was the first one of us to latch onto this way of doin\u2019 it. Him and Audun have been workin\u2019 together with the horses since the boy come here, and they\u2019ve made a lot of adjustments together.\u201d He looked at me for a second with those bright blue eyes. \u201cWell, you can believe it or not. But I done seen enough of it to know you get a better horse out of it. I\u2019d put one of Audun\u2019s ponies up against yours any day of the week and twice on Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPut up or shut up,\u201d I said, grinning so he\u2019d know I didn\u2019t wanna lose my job over it, but if he was game, so was I.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll see tomorrow,\u201d he told me. \u201cHe\u2019s gonna start in the mornin\u2019 and probably won\u2019t quit until he\u2019s got all fifteen of \u2019em goin\u2019 under saddle.\u201d<\/p>\n

I thought about that, and the more I thought about it, the more irked I got. It had taken this kid two weeks to put fifteen horses under a saddle? In my prime, I coulda done it in less than two days. Boss\u2019s grandkid or no\u2014that was just bad business.<\/p>\n

And where did this kid come off saying his way was the way to do it, and all the ranch agreed?<\/p>\n

Now in my honest moments, I had to admit I didn\u2019t know that was the way it happened. For all I know, old Ben had gone soft in the head and decided things himself. Although I can\u2019t ever say I heard of the Ponderosa being famous for training dogs, of all things, before that kid came along, either. I knew they\u2019d still been training horses the good old way last time I\u2019d been here\u2014ten years ago\u2014again, before that kid came along.<\/p>\n

The kid probably raised my hackles more than anything. The more you looked at him, the more you saw the Adam in him. He was in the black curly hair, the stance, that loose-limbed way of walking, the long, flat-muscled legs and arms, that overall air of knowing more than everyone else. But there was someone else in there too, and I was pretty sure I wouldn\u2019t have liked her either. Someone with gray eyes like a wintry sky, eyes that could look you up and down and tell your life\u2019s story, could assess your abilities and shortcomings, weigh them together and tell whether or not you were worth their time. And I had a pretty good feeling that this kid\u2014for all he\u2019d never said a word to me, nor I to him\u2014had looked at me, found me wanting, and dismissed me just like that. And that, I couldn\u2019t forgive.<\/p>\n

Especially not when I heard around the bunkhouse that Audun Cartwright wasn\u2019t born on the proper side of the blanket. Apparently Adam had had a dalliance with an Indian woman somewhere\u2014that\u2019s what some of the boys said, although I couldn\u2019t figure out where those gray eyes came from. And when Mutton Jim come upon us talking about it, he damn near fired the ones that were \u2019splainin\u2019 and said Audun was legit as a courthouse seal.<\/p>\n

Damned high and mighty Cartwrights. And that kid had the nerve to judge me?<\/em><\/p>\n

I guess that was when I decided that Audun Cartwright\u2019s first big ride of the season would not be successful. It may have been a little mean, but there ain\u2019t no cowboy worth his salt that won\u2019t pull an occasional shine on one of his bunkhouse pals, and for all there was never a horse that couldn\u2019t be rode, there\u2019s also never a cowboy that couldn\u2019t be throwed. And even bosses\u2019 grandkids need to learn some of life\u2019s hard lessons about humility, don\u2019t they?<\/p>\n

That night I got a little old burlap bag and went for a walk in the woods.<\/p>\n

Next morning before dawn, I sauntered up from the woods from my morning leak and discreetly dropped my little burlap bag on the ground by the rails, with the opening facing the center of the corral. Shortly after this, young Audun came marching up to the corral, and the fellers workin\u2019 with him went to get the first horse. Little Joe came out a few minutes later. I thought he would take his throne on the top rail of the corral, but instead he went into the corral and talked to Audun, real soft-voiced, for a minute. Audun nodded to him as Hoss came out to lean against a lower rail and mumble things at Joe. Finally old Ben Cartwright meandered along, looking pleased as punch with himself, his sons, and his grandson. Yup, life was good. His, anyway. I wondered where Adam was, but then remembered he was in San Francisco for something-or-other. He always got to do the \u201cglamorous\u201d ranch business.<\/p>\n

When they brought in the first horse\u2014a big, raw-boned strawberry roan, lanky and long-legged, a full seventeen hands high, way too tall for a cow pony\u2014I almost had second thoughts. It was a big<\/em> horse for that kid, I had to admit. Hell, it would be big for me. And for all Hoss had said, \u201cstarting them under saddles,\u201d that apparently didn\u2019t come until later. Audun wanted to ride them bareback<\/em> first. The kid was nuttier than a pecan grove.<\/p>\n

There was the roan, relaxed as a boy goin\u2019 fishin\u2019, just standing there with his ears spraddled out and his eyes half shut. There I was, standing by the corral next to Hoss, innocent as Sunday School, although if you looked twice\u2014real hard\u2014you might have seen a couple of toads makin\u2019 their way from my pockets to the ground. And there was Audun Cartwright, presumably getting some last-minute advice from good old Uncle Joe. Then Audun took a big hank of mane, put his foot into Joe\u2019s interlaced fingers, and laid himself across the roan\u2019s back while the horse rolled its eyes and wondered what in tunket was going on. Joe backed slowly away and climbed up the rails to perch on the top one again. Audun, rubbing the horse all over with this free hand, gradually sat up and got his leg across the horse\u2019s back.<\/p>\n

For a minute, all was still. And then the horse squealed and exploded all over creation as the four little garter snakes I\u2019d put in my bag showed up, following the scent of the toads I\u2019d released a few minutes before.<\/p>\n

I never saw anything like it. That roan was everywhere, screaming and thrashing his head and legs, buckling his body like a corkscrew, pounding a paved road into the dusty corral. His eyes were wilder than a sea serpent, and his body just that fluid as he flailed his legs and lashed his tail, screeching and hollering his present discontent with the world situation. He had his ears pinned back and nostrils flaring, his teeth bared as he rared up and smashed the corral railing with a flogging leg, knocking Joe off backwards and makin\u2019 every rail shake. He came down on his forelegs with his hind legs reaching for the moon and then flew straight up again. He swung his head around and nearly tore a chunk out of old Ben\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cJump, Audun!\u201d Joe yelled from the ground as Hoss helped him up, but the kid wasn\u2019t listening to nobody.<\/p>\n

\u201cOpen it!\u201d Audun shouted instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you outta your mind?\u201d Joe squawked back.<\/p>\n

But Hoss nodded. \u201cI gotcha,\u201d he shouted, barrelin\u2019 over to lift the rope that held the gate closed, and a second later the gate swung back. The strawberry colt and the boy tore through it like a skyrocket, dashed around the barn, and vanished. For a long moment we heard the hoof beats echoing in the distance; then even they were gone.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s when I realized my mistake.<\/p>\n

If I rode like a burr in my day, and Joe like a tick, well, we were masters at what we did, but we were still separate beings clinging to a horse. Audun Cartwright was simply an extension of the horse. That roan colt had emerged from its mother\u2019s body with dark Audun already there like a permanently attached shadow.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the hell happened?\u201d Joe demanded, running back into the corral to look at one smashed garter snake. The other three were rapidly disappearing into the scrub bushes at the other side of the railing. I had no notion where the frogs had vamoosed to, but somewhere else suddenly seemed like a real good place to be, at that.<\/p>\n

Only before I could make my escape, Little Joe Cartwright had his hand on my collar. \u201cThis was your doing,\u201d he said. There was no question to his voice; he knew.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been standing here the whole time,\u201d I protested, sounding as flabbergasted as I was. I\u2019d never seen riding like that; in fact, I was no longer certain just what I had seen.<\/p>\n

Hoss was scouting around the corral, and he turned up the burlap sack. Without a word he handed it to Joe, and Joe, looking as if it was\u00a0just one chore in a long list, walloped me in the jaw and stalked off, shouting for someone to bring Cochise around. And Ben Cartwright walked over to me while I was checking to see if I had any teeth left. He knelt next to me, holding the scrap of burlap in his hand, and said softly, \u201cWas<\/em> this your doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHonest to God, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d I swore, \u201cI have no idea what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

But I\u2019m pretty sure he didn\u2019t buy it, since he looked dead at me, and not for the first time I noticed how his puppy-dog brown eyes could turn just as cold as Lake Tahoe in winter as he said, \u201cIf anything happens to my grandson, I\u2019ll see you buried under the jail.\u201d Y\u2019know, a few years back he\u2019d threatened to can me a few times when I got too rowdy of a Saturday, but those days were nothin\u2019 compared to this.<\/p>\n

He called a couple of other men to take me to the bunkhouse and guard me\u2014which I found pretty damn insulting\u2014and last I seen, him and Hoss were riding fast after Joe.<\/p>\n

It was nearly dark again when the three of them came back. Without Audun or the strawberry roan.<\/p>\n

There are places on the Ponderosa where you\u2019d think humans had never stepped a foot, and all anyone could think was that that musta been where the kid and horse went. Either that or maybe they\u2019d both fallen into Ophir Gorge or Willet Crick, which were probably good likelihoods, too. Anyway, they talked to the fellers in the bunkhouse, and with the exception of the two who would be left to guard me, the whole ranch was going to join in the search the next morning, getting underway at sunup.<\/p>\n

Except that next morning, as they were all saddling up, Audun and the roan came trotting in, still attached, both as relaxed as Sunday afternoon lemonade. They were both sweat-stained, dust-caked and lookin\u2019 a little ragged around the edges, but no harm had been done, and the horse moved like the veteran of a hundred roundups, in total harmony with his rider. And all I could think was, \u201cdamn.\u201d<\/p>\n

Well, you know the Cartwrights. They had to grab the kid and tousle his hair and shake him by the shoulders and all that other mama\u2019s-boy stuff they do with each other, and of course they had to praise him and tell him how wonderful he was and all that other blather, too. But finally it was all over, and I stiffened up inside, because I knew the jig was up for me. At the least, I\u2019d lost my job. At the most, old Ben might just chuck me in jail anyway.<\/p>\n

I could see them out there as my guards brought me out of the bunkhouse. They were showing him the burlap sack and the squished garter, telling him I\u2019d put a sack full of snakes out there as some kinda mean prank, and damn if they didn\u2019t ask<\/em> that boy what he\u2019d have them do with me. And at that, I\u2019ll confess, my huevos<\/em> pretty near shriveled up, but I looked straight at him and he looked straight at me. I\u2019d swear I saw a glimmer of humor in those smoky eyes as he turned to Joe Cartwright and shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re wrong,\u201d he said. \u201cThe snakes didn\u2019t come from this bag. I saw it lying on the ground the night before, and it was empty.\u201d He was lying like a rug, and everyone must\u2019ve knowed it, but not one of them called him on it.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Audun,\u201d Hoss finally said, \u201cYou cain\u2019t just think all them snakes came into the corral on their own.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then the boy said something that made no sense to me, but it sure made all three Cartwrights go \u201caha\u201d\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course not.\u201d Audun sounded like he\u2019d just invented whisky. \u201cMy w\u00e1yakin sent them to help me train the horses.\u201d<\/p>\n

The three older men seemed to know there was no fighting that argument, whatever it meant.<\/p>\n

Hoss chuckled. \u201cOkay, Snake Eyes, you got me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe gave me a look like I\u2019d just kicked his favorite puppy. \u201cAre you sure?\u201d he asked the kid, and Audun nodded.<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright gave me a long, level glance. \u201cI apologize, Mr. Fletcher,\u201d he finally said, and each word sounded like it had been pulled out of his belly with hot tongs. He walked off, with Joe and Hoss in tow. And the kid and I just stood there, alone together.<\/p>\n

Audun Cartwright looked at me. \u201cI don\u2019t mind you hating me, although I don\u2019t know what your reason is,\u201d he said at length. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t mind that you wanted to hurt me. But you could have hurt my horse. It\u2019s harder to forgive that, but the Soyapo preachers say I must.\u201d<\/p>\n

He turned to walk away. I felt stupid, and had enough questions to fill a couple hours\u2026but I only had the nerve to ask the least important one. \u201cAm I still workin\u2019 here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTalk to my grandfather,\u201d he said without much interest. \u201cI\u2019ve already told him you were not at fault, so I would think you are. But keep away from me and my horses.\u201d<\/p>\n

I guess his answer gave me the nerve to ask another. \u201cWhat did you mean, your w\u00e1yakin\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou picked the wrong guardian spirit to cross,\u201d said the boy, turning back to look me full in the eyes. \u201cMine is the rattlesnake. Did you really think a handful of garter snakes could hurt me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to hurt you,\u201d I said. \u201cOr the horse. I just wanted to teach you a lesson.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what was that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone knows,\u201d I told him. \u201cThere never was a horse that couldn\u2019t be rode; never was a cowboy who couldn\u2019t be throwed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh,\u201d he replied, walking off slowly, the strawberry roan following like a huge pink dog. Then the boy turned back and flashed a big grin at me. \u201cThen you must not have listened to the men in the bunkhouse. I\u2019m not a cowboy. I\u2019m an Indian, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tags:\u00a0 Audun Cartwright,\u00a0Ben Cartwright,\u00a0Hoss Cartwright,\u00a0Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: a cowboy who returns to the Ponderosa after a long absence discovers a new horse trainer…with an unwelcome training method.<\/p>\n

Rating: T (mild language). 4316 words.<\/p>\n

The Lilies Series, links to stories within the series are included.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":12387,"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_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[39,4,698,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chaps-spurs","category-humor","category-post-timeline","category-challenges","wpcat-39-id","wpcat-4-id","wpcat-698-id","wpcat-40-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":2817,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/1-strawberry-roan.jpg?fit=780%2C363&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":29195,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=29195","url_meta":{"origin":12386,"position":0},"title":"Stargazer (by BettyHT)","author":"BettyHT","date":"June 4, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"SUMMARY:\u00a0 Father and son have a quiet talk in a special place and find that the past left an impact that affects decisions that have to be made. 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But when Ben returns, the biggest problem of all is gossip. \u00a0 Rating: T (mild language, mature themes, violence) \u00a0 WC 109,300\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Action\/Adventure"","block_context":{"text":"Action\/Adventure","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Adam-and-Ben-2.jpg?fit=400%2C320&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2860,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2860","url_meta":{"origin":12386,"position":2},"title":"Flowers (by faust)","author":"faust","date":"March 27, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Five women, five flowers, each of them holding a special meaning. 990 words, rated K+ The Art-Universe series, links to all the stories within the series included.","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/000SueAndAdam-Kopie.jpg?fit=793%2C669&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/000SueAndAdam-Kopie.jpg?fit=793%2C669&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/000SueAndAdam-Kopie.jpg?fit=793%2C669&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/000SueAndAdam-Kopie.jpg?fit=793%2C669&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":45903,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=45903","url_meta":{"origin":12386,"position":3},"title":"Longings (by BluewindFarm)","author":"BluewindFarm","date":"May 9, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 Written in Response to the May 2023 - Double Drabble Prompts:\u00a0 \"Will he kiss me?\" and \"Metamorphosis!\" Rating:\u00a0 Teen\u00a0 (Words: 600)","rel":"","context":"In "Adam Cartwright"","block_context":{"text":"Adam Cartwright","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1005"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Challenge.jpg?fit=1129%2C428&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Challenge.jpg?fit=1129%2C428&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Challenge.jpg?fit=1129%2C428&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Challenge.jpg?fit=1129%2C428&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Challenge.jpg?fit=1129%2C428&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12351,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12351","url_meta":{"origin":12386,"position":4},"title":"One Scarlet Lily–Book 3 of the Lilies Series (by sandspur)","author":"sandspur","date":"December 19, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: Adam and Joe leave the Ponderosa, perhaps for good, in the wake\u00a0of tragedy and misunderstanding. But the danger only Adam knew about is still with them. Note: the backstory is filled in gradually, through a series of nonsequential flashbacks. Rating--T. Contains some violence, mild language, a grisly murder scene\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Action\/Adventure"","block_context":{"text":"Action\/Adventure","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/AdamJoeHP7.jpg?fit=399%2C299&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5730,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=5730","url_meta":{"origin":12386,"position":5},"title":"A Gift Horse (by Patina)","author":"patina","date":"March 2, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: 4th story in the Battle of Wills series.\u00a0 Ben announces at supper that he is going to buy a horse for Marie. Adam becomes unhappy because Ben had promised to buy him a horse before leaving for New Orleans. Will this situation cause another rift between Marie and Adam?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Adam Cartwright"","block_context":{"text":"Adam Cartwright","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1005"},"img":{"alt_text":"ben, young adam","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Young-Adam-and-Ben-Journey-to-Remember.jpg?fit=537%2C355&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Young-Adam-and-Ben-Journey-to-Remember.jpg?fit=537%2C355&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Young-Adam-and-Ben-Journey-to-Remember.jpg?fit=537%2C355&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12386","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\/81"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12386"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12386\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}