{"id":12721,"date":"2010-04-06T11:28:59","date_gmt":"2010-04-06T15:28:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12721"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:23:56","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:23:56","slug":"yesterdays-child-by-arrenall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12721","title":{"rendered":"Yesterday’s Child (by Arrenall)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 <\/strong>A quiet night of reflection, and maybe they just might relive the past.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 K\u00a0 (1,990 words)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yesterday’s Child<\/strong><\/p>\n

The enormous stone fireplace blazed with logs piled high and burning, lighting the room with flickering orange light.\u00a0 An oil lamp sat on the table beside Adam as he read, casting a steady glow over his book.\u00a0 He glanced up from his book to see his father deeply engrossed in a newspaper in his customary chair across the large table.\u00a0 His brother Hoss was seated on that table hunched over a checkerboard, his large hand worrying his chin as he contemplated his next move.<\/p>\n

His youngest brother, Joe was slumped on the arm of the sofa, sound asleep with his feet hanging off the side, one of them resting on table.<\/p>\n

Adam turned back to his book, but looked up again when his father cleared his throat.\u00a0 Without looking up from his newspaper, he said, \u201cJoseph, take your foot off the table, please.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss looked up at his opponent.\u00a0 He\u2019d been so busy concentrating on his next move that he hadn\u2019t noticed Joe had left the game.\u00a0 He smiled and reached over and quietly pushed Joe\u2019s foot off the coffee table and watched for a reaction.\u00a0 To his disappointment, there was none.\u00a0 Joe didn\u2019t stir.<\/p>\n

Determined to figure out his dilemma, Hoss went back to examining the checkerboard, his eyebrows knit and his mouth bowed up in concentration.\u00a0 Adam grinned and returned to his book.\u00a0 The grandfather clock by the door chimed nine o\u2019clock.<\/p>\n

**********<\/p>\n

\u201cDagnabit!\u201d Hoss sat back and stretched his arms over his head.\u00a0 Adam looked up, startled, but more surprised as he glanced at the clock.\u00a0 It was already nine twenty-five and Hoss still hadn\u2019t made his move.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, just move that king and get it over with. He\u2019s got ya and you know it,\u201d he advised his brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, dadburnit, Adam, there\u2019s just gotta be a way to get outta this mess.\u00a0 If I move that one, he\u2019ll jump all three of my kings and these two too!\u00a0 If I just move one of these guys,\u201d he gestured to his outlying pieces, \u201che\u2019ll jump them comin\u2019 this way and get the kings on the way back!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss fluttered his thick fingers over the board, demonstrating the hopelessness of his plight to his older brother.<\/p>\n

Adam grinned and looked over at their youngest brother.\u00a0 \u201cQuite frankly, Hoss, I don\u2019t think Little Joe\u2019s gonna be finishing the game anyway.\u00a0 Looks like you win by forfeit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss followed Adam\u2019s gaze to the settee where Joe was still sprawled, half on his side with one arm over his head and hanging over the arm cushion.<\/p>\n

Joe had just returned from nine days riding the line shacks, re-stocking and making repairs in preparation for the long winter to come.\u00a0 On the way back, Cochise had picked up a stone bruise and Joe had walked the last eight miles or so home.<\/p>\n

After days on the trail, repairing roofs and corrals, and nine lonely nights in the line shacks, he had been happy to get home.\u00a0 He\u2019d arrived just in time for dinner, exhausted and starving.\u00a0 He\u2019d managed to make it through dinner, happy to have people to talk to again.\u00a0 Cochise was a good horse, but a poor conversationalist.<\/p>\n

After dinner, all wanted was to go to bed, but couldn\u2019t tear himself away from the companionship of his family.\u00a0 He\u2019d missed them, as he always did when he was away.\u00a0 This time, on his long walk back, he\u2019d had too much time to think; too much time to contemplate another life.\u00a0 What his life could have been like were it not for his family.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d met a lot of drifters and others who had no roots, no family to care, to talk to, to rely on, and who relied on them.\u00a0 Joe was not one to become maudlin, but by the time he crested the last hill and saw his beloved home below, he was emotionally prepared to kiss the floor and never stray more than shouting distance from his family again.\u00a0\u00a0 Sentimental by nature, he was for a fact, but he knew his current fragile emotions were the result of exhaustion, pure and simple.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I reckon yer right, Adam, but dadburnit, just once I\u2019d like to get outta one \u2018a his traps and it\u2019d be me crowin\u2019 fer a change.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben folded his paper and yawned loudly.\u00a0 \u201cHoss, just leave it.\u00a0 Maybe the solution will come to you in a dream,\u201d he stood beside his chair and stretched.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going up to bed.\u00a0 You\u2019d better do the same, we\u2019ve got to start moving that stock down from the high country tomorrow.\u201d\u00a0 He moved to the stairs and slowly trudged up, but stopped at the landing and turned back to his sons.\u00a0 \u201cHoss, take your brother upstairs, please.\u00a0 He won\u2019t be able to move a muscle tomorrow if we let him sleep on the settee all night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYessir, we\u2019ll get him to bed.\u00a0 G\u2019night, Pa,\u201d Hoss called up, still looking at his checkerboard.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019night, Pa,\u201d Adam added.\u00a0 Adam placed his lucky feather in the book to mark his place, closed it and placed it on the table beside him.\u00a0 He reached over and turned down the lamp and pushed himself stiffly up from the comfortable chair.\u00a0 He moved over to the great fireplace took the iron, pushed the embers far back into the depths of the giant opening and then placed the fire screen in front.\u00a0 The fire had already burned itself low, and would probably be out within an hour if no new fuel was added.<\/p>\n

He turned back and moved around the table to stand beside the settee looking down at his brother.\u00a0 \u201cWell, little brother, I guess it\u2019s time to hit the hay.\u201d\u00a0 He bent and pushed at Joe\u2019s shoulder, jostling him.\u00a0 \u201cC\u2019mon, Joe, wake up.\u00a0 Time for bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss finally pulled himself away from his game and stood up, stretching his back muscles.\u00a0 \u201cNow don\u2019t that sound silly, Adam.\u00a0 It\u2019s like \u2018wake up and go to sleep\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, what should I say?\u00a0 You got a better idea?\u201d Adam shot back irritably.<\/p>\n

Joe had not moved.<\/p>\n

Hoss came over to stand beside Adam and bent over to examine Joe closely.\u00a0 \u201cYou reckon he\u2019s still alive?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam reached for Joe\u2019s out flung arm, lifted it and made a show of checking his pulse.\u00a0 \u201cWell, he\u2019s got a pulse,\u201d he said solemnly as he dropped the arm carelessly across Joe\u2019s chest.\u00a0 \u201cI guess that means he\u2019s livin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, ya sure can\u2019t tell it from lookin\u2019 at \u2018im.\u201d Hoss reached down and shook Joe\u2019s foot.\u00a0 \u201cC\u2019mon sleepyhead, time to go\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He\u2019d almost said it too and he looked sheepishly at Adam.<\/p>\n

Adam crossed his arms, swung around and grinned at his brother, his deep dimples made wells of shadow on his dark face.<\/p>\n

Hoss snuffed and lifted his nose.\u00a0 \u201cWell, you got any bright ideas, big brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, younger brother, it seems to me we\u2019re two strong, able-bodied men.\u00a0 We should be able to get one skinny little brother up those steps.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss put the back of his hand against Adams arm and lightly brushed him away.\u00a0 \u201cStand aside, Adam,\u201d he said imperiously.\u00a0 \u201cI done this a few times b\u2019fore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stepped back as Hoss bent over Little Joe and hoisted his limp body into his arms.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s brow furrowed as memories came flooding back.\u00a0 Like an aroma that brings back memories from years past, Hoss\u2019 fluid movement of lifting Joe from the couch opened the floodgate of memories from when the three of them were growing up.<\/p>\n

Adam stepped aside as Hoss made his way to the stairs.\u00a0 Joe was oblivious, folded almost in half in his brother\u2019s arms, his chin buried deep in his shoulder against Hoss\u2019 chest, and both arms dangling.\u00a0 \u201cDang, he\u2019s a sight heavier than last time we did this,\u201d Hoss grunted as he made his way up the steps.<\/p>\n

**********<\/p>\n

Adam stepped over to lower the wick on the lamp by his father\u2019s chair, and then followed his brothers up the stairs.<\/p>\n

Adam followed Hoss into Joe\u2019s room and scooted around Hoss to fold the covers down on the bed.\u00a0 He watched as Hoss placed their brother on the bed and then they both began to take off Joe\u2019s boots.<\/p>\n

Joe hadn\u2019t moved an eyelash, groaned or even snored.\u00a0 Adam struggled with a recalcitrant boot, unconcerned that his tugging would wake his brother.\u00a0 He knew from past experience that when Joe was like this, a locomotive running right through the room wouldn\u2019t wake him.<\/p>\n

\u201cSay, Adam, you remember when we used ta\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know just what you\u2019re gonna say,\u201d Adam interrupted.\u00a0 \u201cWhen we used to have to put Joe to bed and we started putting him in places other than his bed?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss guffawed, \u201cYup, that\u2019s just what I was gonna say.\u00a0 How long that been you \u2018spect?\u201d<\/p>\n

The boot finally popped off, sending Adam back a few steps on the momentum.\u00a0 He tossed it on the floor and sank into the chair where Joe normally draped his clothes at night.\u00a0 \u201cOh, I reckon seven or eight years.\u00a0 He went through a growth spurt or something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dYeah, yeah,\u201d Hoss laughed, \u201che\u2019d come home from school and then put in a full day of mischief makin\u2019.\u00a0 He\u2019d play and run and ride all afternoon \u2018til supper, then about a\u2019 hour after supper, he\u2019d pass out on the sofa and Pa\u2019d make us take him up to bed. As I recall, you an\u2019 me got just a tad tired of bein\u2019 pack horses ever\u2019 night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam watched as Hoss finished with his boot, then looked over at him. \u201cYa reckon we should take his clothes off?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam flapped his hand tiredly, \u201cNyah, just the belt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss shrugged and started unbuckling Joe\u2019s belt and then slid it off through the belt loops.\u00a0 With the tugging on his waist, Joe finally stirred and rolled over on his side with a groan, then went still again.<\/p>\n

Adam smiled at the memory.\u00a0 \u201cYou remember the time we put him up in the loft?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss laughed out loud.\u00a0 \u201cBoy, that sure was a trick getting\u2019 him up there without wakin\u2019 him.\u00a0 And the time we put him in Pa\u2019s bed after Pa\u2019d gone to sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shook with the suppressed laughter.\u00a0 \u201cPa woke up the next morning and felt someone beside him and flung himself on the floor!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss was bent at the waist, hands on his knees laughing.\u00a0 \u201cPa never did know it was us.\u00a0 He just thought Joe got in the wrong bed,\u201d he was laughing so hard he could hardly talk.<\/p>\n

Adam still chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cI dunno how long that went on, but Joe never said a word.\u00a0 He\u2019d just wake up and find himself in strange places and never say nothin\u2019.\u00a0 We\u2019d see him come in the front door in his nightshirt and just sit down at the table and start eatin\u2019 like nothing unusual had happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss sat on the side of the bed and reached over to pull the covers up over his brother.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe had settled in and looked as if he didn\u2019t have a care in the world.\u00a0 \u201cThink he ever figured it out?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I think eventually he did \u2018cause he stopped falling asleep on the sofa,\u201d Adam said logically. \u201cI think he figured every time he did that, he never knew where he\u2019d wake up, so he started going to bed by himself at a decent hour.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I remember I was kinda glad \u2018cause we was runnin\u2019 out of places to put him.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cWe was kinda mean to him sometimes, wasn\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam agreed silently.\u00a0 They sat for a minute and watched Joe sleep, both lost in happy memories.\u00a0 Finally Adam pushed himself up.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I guess we\u2019d better get to bed too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss rose from the bed and followed his brother to the door.\u00a0 At the door he turned and looked back at Joe.\u00a0 \u201cSay, Adam, you wanna\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

*****End*****<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

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

Summary:\u00a0 A quiet night of reflection, and maybe they just might relive the past.<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 K\u00a0 (1,990 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9538,"featured_media":9517,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_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":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[14,17,16],"class_list":["post-12721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-humor","tag-adam-cartwright","tag-hoss","tag-joe","wpcat-4-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1919,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/brothers.jpg?fit=399%2C299&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9477,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=9477","url_meta":{"origin":12721,"position":0},"title":"He Would Have (by DJK)","author":"DJK","date":"July 27, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 A short WHN for Hoss's loss of\u00a0Margie.\u00a0\u00a0 Rating: K+\u00a0 Word Count: 694","rel":"","context":"In "Brothers"","block_context":{"text":"Brothers","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1009"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/The-Tall-Stranger.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/The-Tall-Stranger.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/The-Tall-Stranger.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/The-Tall-Stranger.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10352,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=10352","url_meta":{"origin":12721,"position":1},"title":"Chopped (by bahj)","author":"bahj","date":"October 11, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: It's a race against the clock as the three Cartwright brothers use whatever's on hand to prepare a dinner for twenty! 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