{"id":13138,"date":"2002-07-12T19:48:15","date_gmt":"2002-07-12T23:48:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13138"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:31:40","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:31:40","slug":"no-winning-by-the-tahoe-ladies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13138","title":{"rendered":"No Winning (by the Tahoe Ladies)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 <\/strong>A casual question ties Ben in knots.<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 K+ (1,060 words)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0No Winning<\/strong><\/p>\n

“So what about it?” Adam asked, forking another chunk of tough steak into his mouth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Around the table in the shadowy cantina, his father and two brothers sat, cutting, chewing, drinking their way through a barely passable meal. They had come into the town of Four Corners just before dark, stabled their horses then gone looking for a meal. The main street appeared deserted and the only light had been from the cantina so they had naturally headed there. The bar was nearly as empty as the street outside, with an odd group of men seated at one table playing a lackadaisical game of cards. The Cartwrights had been eyed by each of the seven players but slyly so as not to worry the ranchers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After giving the pretty Mexican lady their requests for steaks, the four Cartwright men had settled into the chairs, their beers quickly disappearing down dry throats. As they waited, it was natural to listen to the soft conversation coming from the others. The question of who you would want to spend a month with had been asked and answered by each man in turn and had piqued Adam’s curiosity as to how his own family would reply. Before he could ask, the steaks had appeared and in silence, attacked voraciously.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“What about what?” Hoss mumbled just before a wedge of meat vanished into his mouth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“If you had to spend a month with one of the other of us, which one would you choose?” Adam repeated. He knew that they had all overheard the conversation. They had to since he sat the farthest from the seven card players and he’d heard it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Oh,” Ben softly exclaimed, his brows rising then furrowing deeply.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Now me, I’d take you, brother Hoss! No doubt about it.” Adam could feel Joe’s eyes on him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“How come you to pick me?” queried the big man. Another forkful of steak disappeared.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Gesturing with his own fork, mercifully empty, Adam explained. “For one thing, little brother over there would have me as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Inside of a day, he’d be trying to find a way out of wherever it was we were at. You, Hoss, on the other hand, would lay back and take it easy. Kind of go with the way things were since we’d not be in any danger.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Durn smart of you, Adam! That’s why I think I’d want you along. If there was something wrong, you could figure out a way to fix it,” crowed Hoss, his knife punctuating the air.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“What about you, Joe? Which one of us would you want with you?” Adam asked just before he sipped his beer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Across the table from him, Adam could see that Joe’s attention was more on the pretty Mexican woman who had served them. With a smile, Joe lifted his empty beer glass towards her then cocked his head.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Quickly, the woman brought him another drink and he spent a lot of breath thanking her, chipping in with a suggestive wink as well.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Friend,” one of the men from the other table spoke up, leaning his chair back so that his finger could ram into the youngest Cartwright’s shoulder to get his attention. “Inez here ain’t part of the entertainment so you’d best behave yourself.” The big man smiled but it was a warning.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Indeed,” Ben whispered, his grasp at his youngest son’s arm holding him at the table. He’d watched Joe’s play towards the woman and hadn’t been entirely pleased by it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“That pretty much settles it.” Joe swallowed hard and let his smile fade. “If I were going to be shut up with someone for a month, it would have to be Pa.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Around the table, the surprise was evident so he went on. “That would be the only way I could convince him that I had behaved myself for that long.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“No,” drawled Adam, “that would be the only way you could behave for that long!”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben could feel three pairs of eyes on him and knew they were waiting for his answer. Using the excuse that he was chewing, he thought how he could answer and not hurt the feelings of two of his sons. Adam<\/em>, he thought first, I’d pick Adam. He would be able to discuss so many things with me. History, philosophy, the classics of literature. No,<\/em> he corrected himself silently. Hoss. There is no more steady a man in existence than this son of mine! With him, I could say and do nothing for days on end and he would not feel ignored.<\/em> Again he changed his mind. Joseph would be the one. His lively but open attitude towards life would make the time fly by. Oh the stories I could tell him and he would listen with such attention\u2026.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Then his thoughts turned and this time, for the last time. Adam would want to fix things that weren’t broken. It didn’t matter that one of the parameters was that there would be enough food for what was enough food when dealing with Hoss’ appetite? And Joe? I could just imagine what it would be like to deal with all that excess energy that had no outlet<\/em>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Back to square one. As he finished chewing, he came to that point in life where he knew a decision must be made and, swallowing hard, he made it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I’d take Hop Sing!” He watched the surprised looks appear on his sons’ faces so he explained. “Hop Sing wouldn’t try to figure a way out of our situation. He wouldn’t be eating everything in sight and would not be whining about not having any female companionship and that he hadn’t been to town all week! He would keep the place clean, cook the meals, do the laundry and let me smoke my pipe in peace. And all without my telling him to!”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss finished chewing his steak and lit into his refried beans. Adam drank the last of his beer and signaled for another. Joe folded the flat tortilla and used it to herd his rice onto his fork.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“So, okay, if there were three of us caught in this really dangerous situation and only one\u2026” Adam started.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Scowling, Ben left the table.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The end (and aren’t you glad?)<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

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

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

Summary:\u00a0 A casual question ties Ben in knots.<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 K+ (1,060 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":13010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","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":[1008,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family","category-humor","wpcat-1008-id","wpcat-4-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1619,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Ben-1.jpg?fit=234%2C234&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1032,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=1032","url_meta":{"origin":13138,"position":0},"title":"Judgment (by the Tahoe Ladies)","author":"Tahoe Ladies","date":"April 19, 2000","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: A story of struggle, suffering, and triumph for the Cartwrights. Rated: T - Word Count:\u00a0 59500","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\/2014\/02\/coming-soon-9.jpg?fit=320%2C240&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15580,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=15580","url_meta":{"origin":13138,"position":1},"title":"The Caf\u00e9 Scene (by Robin)","author":"profrobinw","date":"May 5, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 Ben raised them better than this.\u00a0 We know he did. Rating:\u00a0 T\u00a0 (870 words)","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\/2017\/06\/ARLE-e1497282889671.png?fit=570%2C416&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/ARLE-e1497282889671.png?fit=570%2C416&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/ARLE-e1497282889671.png?fit=570%2C416&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13602,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13602","url_meta":{"origin":13138,"position":2},"title":"The Jury… A Missing Scene (by Grimesgirl)","author":"Grimesgirl","date":"December 11, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 Just what was Adam supposed to do when he returned to Virginia City only to hear malicious talk concerning Hoss? Rating:\u00a0 K+\u00a0 (1,400 words)","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\/2016\/12\/Caption-1.png?fit=665%2C473&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Caption-1.png?fit=665%2C473&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Caption-1.png?fit=665%2C473&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":35404,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=35404","url_meta":{"origin":13138,"position":3},"title":"A Book: A Gift of Reading (by fanofoldTVshows)","author":"Fanofoldtvshows","date":"December 25, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 A box of gifts arrives with a sender that intrigues the Cartwrights. Rating:\u00a0 G\u00a0 1,609 words Note:\u00a0 This story was written for the Bonanza Brand 2020 Advent Calendar, originated in the Forums.","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\/05\/Christmas-Traditions.jpg?fit=639%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Christmas-Traditions.jpg?fit=639%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Christmas-Traditions.jpg?fit=639%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15473,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=15473","url_meta":{"origin":13138,"position":4},"title":"Blessings of Friendship (by AC1830)","author":"AC1830","date":"November 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: After a last minute cattle drive that almost drove Hop Sing away, can the Cartwrights hope to have a calm Thanksgiving? Perhaps with a little help from some friends. Rating - K WC - 1288","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\/2017\/11\/Z-ben-toast.png?fit=506%2C402&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7024,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7024","url_meta":{"origin":13138,"position":5},"title":"Try the potato salad. It’s delicious. (by mumu74)","author":"mumu74","date":"May 6, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: Seedlings Challenge, May 5, 2014 1,006 words Rated:\u00a0 K \u00a0WC \u00a01000","rel":"","context":"In "Ben Cartwright"","block_context":{"text":"Ben Cartwright","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1004"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza7.jpg?fit=720%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza7.jpg?fit=720%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza7.jpg?fit=720%2C477&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza7.jpg?fit=720%2C477&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13138","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\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13138"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13138\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}