{"id":12398,"date":"2015-12-28T08:23:42","date_gmt":"2015-12-28T13:23:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12398"},"modified":"2025-02-18T19:14:13","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T00:14:13","slug":"what-did-he-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12398","title":{"rendered":"“What did he say?” (by Krystyna)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/strong>:\u00a0 It pays to listen.\u00a0 After the fact, the family tries to figure out what Hop Sing said before returning to his kitchen.<\/p>\n

Rating K\u00a0 (1,240 words)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What Did He Say?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cHop Sing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s hazel eyes swivelled over to Adam who glanced up over the edge of his book, surveyed both his brothers blankly and resumed his reading.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard ya!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, what did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cHop Sing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sighed, put down his book and tried to recall to mind exactly what had been said in the fleeting seconds that Hop Sing had peeked around the door,<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said that the back swing needed mending.\u201d he mumbled very quickly and returned to his book, sticking his nose even closer to the print in the hope that his brothers would take the hint and leave him in peace.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe back swing?\u201d Joe scoffed with a derisorily note in his voice, and gave a chortle of laughter, \u201cThe back swing?\u201d he repeated to no one in particular and slapped his knees for emphasis, even though no one was taking any notice of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with the back swing?\u201d Ben asked as he came down the stairs looking tired and discontented after a sleepless night.<\/p>\n

\u201cNuthin\u2019s wrong with the back swing, seeing as we ain\u2019t had a back swing since Joe left school.\u201d Hoss snorted with contempt and continued to pay attention to his whittling, carefully making sure the shavings fell in the same tidy little mound on the hearth.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he meant that the door had a bad swing,\u201d Joe grinned, standing up to walk over to the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d Ben sighed, sitting down heavily in his chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said the back door had a bad swing.\u201d Joe replied, sitting down and picking up his red and white checkered napkin.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said no such thing,\u201d Adam said with a slight sneer in his voice and looking at Joe with a glint of contempt in his eyes.<\/p>\n

He strolled over slowly to the table and pulled out his chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, he certainly didn\u2019t say anything about a back swing, seeing as how we ain\u2019t got one since -\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, since Joe left school.\u201d Adam scowled and sat down opposite his father. \u201cI know all about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd there isn\u2019t anything wrong with the door, it swings open just fine.\u201d Ben growled, picking up some bread from the platter. He glanced up and down the table and frowned, \u201cWhere\u2019s the ham and eggs?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s it!\u201d Joe exclaimed, clicking his fingers with all the grace of a flamenco dancer, \u201cHe said there was something wrong with the black hen\u2019s wing.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brothers stared at him in disbelief, and Ben looked at the three of them in confusion. Then Adam shook his head and shrugged. As far as he was concerned the whole conversation had plummeted to ridiculous depths and he wished to be no party to it. He distanced himself from it immediately and concentrated on pouring strong black coffee into his cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo we have a black hen?\u201d Hoss asked thoughtfully.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure we do,\u201d Joe\u2019s voice raised a pitch higher, and he caught Adam\u2019s eye and the single black eyebrow raised in blank contempt, \u201cYeah. Of course we do.\u201d he muttered on a lower note.<\/p>\n

\u201cWal, I don\u2019t think Hop Sing said that.\u201d Hoss replied, tapping his knife on the table with impatience for he wasn\u2019t used to having to wait for his food.<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps he was saying Hop Sing quit!\u201d Adam growled.<\/p>\n

Joe and Hoss looked at one another thoughtfully. Panic in Hoss\u2019 eyes at the very thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cNah, he didn\u2019t say that,\u201d Joe responded with a shake of the head.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t anyway,\u201d Hoss muttered, looking hopefully over at the kitchen entrance from where the smell of food was now beginning to drift into the dining room<\/p>\n

\u201cWouldn\u2019t what?\u201d Ben snapped tersely.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t quit.\u201d Joe and Hoss said in unison.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho wouldn\u2019t ?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing.\u201d Adam, Joe and Hoss cried\u2026 and in harmony too.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou call?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing appeared with a look of concern on his face as he glanced from Ben to the three brothers.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing, are you gonna quit?\u201d Hoss asked, his blue eyes wide with consternation.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo quit. Not today. No how.\u201d came the swift reply.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the black hen\u2019s wing is all right, isn\u2019t it?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo got black hen no more. Black hen got chop chop long time now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cChop chop huh?\u201d Hoss frowned.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the back doors swinging too and fro easily enough, isn\u2019t it?\u201d Adam sighed, flicking his napkin open and spreading it across his knee.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack door oiled last Fliday and swing very good.\u201d Hop Sing beamed on them all as he considered this previous statement from Adam as a compliment rather than a query. Perhaps his good management in making sure all doors swung back and forth with ease and good oiling would bring about a pay rise.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about the back swing?\u201d Hoss said, tucking his napkin into the top of his shirt.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot have swing in back yard for long time since little boy leave school. You want me to make new swing?\u201d Hop Sing\u2019s eyebrows were raised in question and all four men shook their heads.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is a back swing anyhow?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it was something baseball players did,\u201d Adam replied, wondering if breakfast was ever going to be served.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought he meant the swing we had in the back yard.\u201d Joe grumbled, \u201cI used to get mighty high on that thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brothers stared at him long enough for him not to reminisce further on the subject of swings and how high he would go. They were the ones who had to pick him up off the ground when he fell off – regularly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing, what exactly did you ask about earlier?\u201d Ben said quietly.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing frowned, his brow creased in deep thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh,\u201d he clicked his fingers almost as well as Joe had done earlier when Joe had imitated the flamenco dancer so well, \u201cI said where is black sling that we use whenever any of you get shot in arm or leg, or have bad head or break rib? Black sling very necessary piece of equipment for family household like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt sure is,\u201d Hoss nodded, remembering the number of times he had recourse to use the black sling.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t say you\u2019ve lost it?\u201d Adam exclaimed, a pained expression on his face seeing that he used the black sling more often than most of the family, and, anyway, it went better with his outfit<\/p>\n

\u201cYou haven\u2019t used it for anyone else, have you?\u201d Joe narrowed his eyes, resenting the idea that anyone outside the family would dare to use it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was wondering if I could borrow it,\u201d Ben said quietly, \u201cI\u2019ve got that pain in my wrist again.\u201d and he looked plaintively at Adam who pulled a sympathetic face before looking at Hop Sing.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, no worries.\u201d Hop Sing beamed at them, \u201cI found black sling in kitchen all the time. Hop Sing lose it when straining fruit for jam last week. But no worry, I find it in tub.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 stomach gave a rumble at that point, a clear indication that the inner man was starving and the outer man about to pass out. Hop Sing did a wonderful vanishing trick and reappeared minutes later with the food and the black sling dangling from his arm, ready for Ben to use – again!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The End<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tags:\u00a0 Adam Cartwright,\u00a0Ben Cartwright,\u00a0Hop Sing,\u00a0Hoss Cartwright,\u00a0Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 It pays to listen.\u00a0 After the fact, the family tries to figure out what Hop Sing said before returning to his kitchen.<\/p>\n

Rating K\u00a0 (1,240 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":145,"featured_media":6426,"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_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-humor","wpcat-4-id"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/vsy.jpeg?fit=248%2C203&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12398","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\/145"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12398"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12398\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6426"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}