{"id":12747,"date":"2015-01-23T19:53:51","date_gmt":"2015-01-24T00:53:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12747"},"modified":"2025-02-18T19:11:29","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T00:11:29","slug":"a-modern-cartwrights-story-2-substitutes-in-the-cemetery-by-ginnyf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12747","title":{"rendered":"A Modern Cartwrights Story #2 – Substitutes in the Cemetery (by GinnyF)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 <\/strong>A continuation of A Modern Cartwrights Story.\u00a0\u00a0
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 PG\u00a0 (1,215 words)<\/p>\n

A Modern Cartwrights Story Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
GinnyF & Robin<\/strong><\/td>\nRobin & GinnyF<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Windmills & Remembrances<\/a><\/td>\nWindmills & Remembrances<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Substitutes in the Cemetery <\/a>by Ginny<\/td>\nSubstitutes in the Cemetery <\/a>by Ginny<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A Quarter\u2019s Worth of Glory: Joe in the Infernal Machine<\/a> by Robin<\/td>\nA Quarter\u2019s Worth of Glory: Joe in the Infernal Machine <\/a>by Robin<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Remnants of the Past<\/a><\/td>\nRemnants of the Past<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A Passing Stranger<\/a><\/td>\nA Passing Stranger<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t tell me a sensible, sophisticated, woman-of-the-world like you believes in that nonsense?\u201d Ben Cartwright chuckled, then ducked as his lady-friend threw a sofa pillow past his head.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI only said it will be fun to do the\u00a0 Halloween cemetery\u00a0 tour and\u00a0 the Virginia City Halloween ghost tour that Traci\u2019s writing about for the travel magazine,\u00a0 not that I believed it.\u201d Faye Franklin\u2019s dark hair swung around her face as she bent to retrieve the pillow from the floor. \u201cYou\u2019ve really never been on it?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMarie took the boys a few times, but I never went along. And the boys have taken dates there.\u201d Ben chuckled. \u201cI understand the girls tend to hold on tightly to the boys during the spooky parts.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if I promise to hold on to you tightly during the spooky parts?” Sitting up, she laid her head on Ben\u2019s shoulder. \u201cI need a break from photographing dictators, bombed-out buildings, and bloody bodies. It gets to you after a while.\u201d She sighed and cuddled closer. \u201cMaybe I should take that offer of a teaching position at the university.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou know how pleased I would be if you did, but you know as well as I do, that you\u2019d be bored to death after awhile.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I think you could keep me sufficiently occupied in my spare time.\u201d Faye kissed Ben teasingly and ran her slim fingers through his silver hair. The moment was rudely interrupted when she yawned in his face. They were comfortable enough together to laugh.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben glanced at the clock on the mantel. \u201cIt\u2019s late, and you have to get up early to pick your friend up at the airport.\u201d They finished the interrupted kiss. \u201cI\u2019ll see myself out.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On her way up to her bedroom, Faye said to herself, \u201cYes, maybe I will think seriously about that teaching position\u201d.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

 <\/p>\n

Two evenings later, Faye and Traci Daniels, Faye\u2019s friend and former assistant, met up with Joe Cartwright and a sheepish-looking Ben Cartwright at the gate of the Virginia City Cemetery.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAha! So, you decided to join us.” Fay laughed and took Ben\u2019s arm. \u201cDid you talk him into it, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHurumph!” Ben glared at his youngest son who just smiled innocently.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d Traci noticed the sign on the gate.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cOh, no! No cemetery tour tonight! It says the guide is unavailable There goes half my article!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t panic,\u201d Faye advised her friend. \u201cThey might have a substitute by tomorrow. I\u2019m sure your editor will be able to extend your deadline a few days.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Traci brightened. \u201cYou\u2019re right. You\u2019re trying to do your job. Why don\u2019t we go have a drink while we\u2019re waiting for the ghost tour to start?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The startled group jumped in unison as the cemetery gate creaked open and a woman dressed in Victorian widows weeds greeted them. \u201cGood evening. I hope I haven\u2019t kept you waiting long.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cOh! That\u2019s quite all right. Ah, we were just leaving. We were under the impression that the cemetery tour was cancelled for this evening\u201d, Faye said, pointing at the sign.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou could say I\u2019m a last moment substitute,” the woman explained. It doesn\u2019t look as though anyone else is coming. Shall we start the tour?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Traci shivered even though she had on a down jacket. \u201cDoes it always get this cold here in October? And so suddenly? All of a sudden I feel like I\u2019ve been shoved into a freezer.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it did get awfully cold all of a sudden,\u201d Joe agreed. \u201cLet me help you warm up.\u201d He moved closer to Traci, but a glare from his father stopped him in his tracks.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Faye and Traci looked at each other, then away, to keep from laughing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBen seemed to enjoy himself last evening even though he thinks ghost tours are a lot of nonsense\u201d, Traci Daniels commented to Faye Franklin the next morning. The two women were discussing the\u00a0 previous evening\u2019s activities over coffee and croissants in Faye\u2019s breakfast nook.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Faye smiled at her friend. \u201cYes he did. I knew he would, once we got him there. But, he\u2019s still going to claim the whole thing is a lot of baloney for the tourists. He knows a fellow from the Cattlemen\u2019s Association who plays one of the ghosts and the other members tease him about being ‘dead’. Ben was actually looking forward to seeing the guy in his role and was disappointed that someone he didn\u2019t know was playing the part last night. In fact, Ben said he didn\u2019t know anyone playing the roles, and he thought he knew everyone in Virginia City.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got a point there about the purpose being to attract tourists. Ghost tours are very popular and Virginia City\u2019s is one of the best.\u201d Traci toyed with her croissant. \u201cDon\u2019t laugh, but I actually caught some vibes in a couple of places. Of all the ghost tours I\u2019ve went on for the magazine, the only other time that happened was in New Orleans. I\u2019d say Virginia City comes in second after New Orleans.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Faye nodded. \u201cI\u2019m not going to laugh. I didn\u2019t get any vibes, as you call them, during the ghost tour, but I got a really creepy feeling during the cemetery tour. Especially around the guide. She wasn\u2019t very talkative for a guide, though. But, she does play the part of a ghost very well. I almost felt like latching onto Ben like a scared high school girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s strange how much warmer it was in town than at the cemetery. It was like the middle of winter there. But, like you said last night, the cemetery is on open ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Traci looked at the kitchen clock. \u201cThe film should be developed. Let\u2019s go look. I\u2019m glad you have a dark room so I don\u2019t have to wait till I get back to the magazine to see the pictures.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The two women took the prints from the developing tank and hung them in a row to dry.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s strange\u201d, Traci murmured to herself. \u201cFaye, look at these.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are all the people?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The pair looked at each other, their faces mirror images of shock.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Just then the phone rang.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Traci watched while her friend answered and spoke to someone. She became anxious as Faye uttered a startled \u201cWhat? Are you sure?\u201d Then a more subdued \u201cYes. Of course. Thank you. Sorry to have disturbed you. \u201c<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Faye\u2019s face was white and she answered in a shaky voice. \u201cThat was Miss Jones from the Historical Society. She apologized for the tour being cancelled last evening. The lady who plays the guide, the widow in black, was suddenly taken ill and rushed to the hospital. She died in the ambulance. None of the actors for the tour were there. They didn\u2019t think it would be right.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThen who did we see last night?\u201d Traci asked, uncertainly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think I want to know,\u201d Faye replied. \u201cBut, you have one heck of a story for your magazine.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

 <\/p>\n

Next Story in the A Modern Cartwrights Story Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
GinnyF & Robin<\/strong><\/td>\nRobin & GinnyF<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A Quarter\u2019s Worth of Glory: Joe in the Infernal Machine<\/a> by Robin<\/td>\nA Quarter\u2019s Worth of Glory: Joe in the Infernal Machine <\/a>by Robin<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Remnants of the Past<\/a><\/td>\nRemnants of the Past<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A Passing Stranger<\/a><\/td>\nA Passing Stranger<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tags:\u00a0 Ben Cartwright,\u00a0Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

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

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

Summary:\u00a0 A continuation of A Modern Cartwrights Story.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 PG\u00a0 (1,215 words)<\/p>\n

A Modern Cartwrights Story Series, links to stories within the series are included.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":4115,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","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":[7,23,687],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-a-u","category-drama","category-modern-day","wpcat-7-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-687-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1079,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/frontporch.jpg?fit=439%2C305&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12750,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12750","url_meta":{"origin":12747,"position":0},"title":"A Modern Cartwrights Story #3 – A Quarter\u2019s Worth of Glory: Joe in the Infernal Machine (by Robin)","author":"profrobinw","date":"January 23, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 Headlines ripped from the daily newspaper in this modern era tale of the Cartwrights. 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Rating:\u00a0 PG-13\u00a0 (37,800 words) A Modern Cartwright Story Series, links to stories within the series are included.","rel":"","context":"In "Alternate Universe"","block_context":{"text":"Alternate Universe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12753,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12753","url_meta":{"origin":12747,"position":3},"title":"A Modern Cartwrights Story #4 – Remnants of the Past (by GinnyF & Robin)","author":"Ginny F","date":"January 23, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 Most of the action in this tale takes place in the spring and summer of 2000. 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