{"id":15346,"date":"2017-10-25T08:00:10","date_gmt":"2017-10-25T12:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=15346"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:41:03","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:41:03","slug":"our-little-town-by-psw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=15346","title":{"rendered":"Our Little Town (by PSW)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/strong>:\u00a0 Little Joe and Mitch show off their school project.\u00a0 Written for a Pinecone Challenge (June 15), and expanded for the Michael Landon Birthday Challenge.\u00a0 Pinecone prompt: Nothing but the dead and dying in my little town. (Paul Simon)<\/p>\n

Rating<\/strong>: K\u00a0 \u00a0Word Count<\/strong>: 1490<\/p>\n

Our Little Town<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s \u2026 impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n

The secret project in the barn having finally been unveiled\u2014or, in this instance, un-burlap sacked\u2014to great fanfare (the family had all been more than a little curious just what Little Joe and Mitch had been putting together out here over the past weeks, and had even all been honest enough to keep out until summoned), Adam had to admit that the two had really outdone themselves.<\/p>\n

Little Joe scowled.\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t gotta sound so surprised.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam grinned cheerfully into his little brother\u2019s glare.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Joe.\u00a0 When was the last time you approached any kind of schoolwork with this level of gusto?\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitch wrinkled his nose.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s gusto?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, it ain\u2019t nothin\u2019.\u00a0 Adam just likes ta use fancy words.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since when had gusto<\/em> become a fancy word?\u00a0 Two syllables.\u00a0 Not even hard syllables.\u00a0 And spelled exactly like it sounds.<\/em>\u00a0 Sometimes he wondered what Abigail Jones taught these kids.\u00a0 Sir Walter Raleigh aside, it seemed a few basic essentials were being overlooked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I mean is, you aren\u2019t usually this excited about a school project.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe seemed mollified, though by the rephrasing (excited<\/em> was three syllables) or by his college-educated brother\u2019s interest in their project, Adam couldn\u2019t be sure.\u00a0 \u201cWell, school projects ain\u2019t usually fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eyeing the sprawling model of Virginia City across the back wall of the barn, built of a conglomeration of sticks, carefully carved wood slivers, straw, a milking bucket Adam was almost sure Joe didn\u2019t have permission to appropriate, probably a whole bale of wire, several crudely painted signs, enough rock to pave the barn floor, and a dozen other odds and ends, he was forced to agree.\u00a0 It was the type of project guaranteed to capture the imagination of twelve-year-old boys.\u00a0 He was forced to wonder from whence Miss Jones had drawn her inspiration.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t usually so insightful.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, show me around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitch jumped immediately into its center, just missing the roof of the miniature mercantile with his boot.\u00a0 Joe, pointing out the wooden horses in the livery, fortunately didn\u2019t notice the near destruction of an entire month\u2019s worth of schoolwork.\u00a0 \u201cSee Adam?\u00a0 It\u2019s my painted Indian ponies you sent me for Christmas.\u00a0 They fit perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded, mind drifting back to his first year in Harvard.\u00a0 The simple act of carving, something he had learned from his father and which brought memories of home and family, had been lifesaving to a young man deep in the throes of homesickness.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got a jailhouse, too!\u201d\u00a0 Mitch pointed out the wooden bars on a tiny back window, drawing Adam\u2019s thoughts back to the task at hand.\u00a0 Again, he was impressed.\u00a0 These two really had gone all out.\u00a0 He followed their waving hands and overlapping voices, taking in the tiny saloons, the emporium, the bank and lawyer\u2019s office.\u00a0 His attention was caught by a little piece of white cloth (was that one of Pa\u2019s monogrammed handkerchiefs from Marie?) hanging out of an upper hotel window.<\/p>\n

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

Joe grinned.\u00a0 \u201cOld man Kester\u2019s ghost.\u00a0 He died up in that hotel, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

Annnnd, here it was.\u00a0 \u201cGhost?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Halloween!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 Nothin\u2019 but the dead and dyin\u2019 in our little town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked again.\u00a0 For the first time, he noted other white cloths (Pa was going to kill the kid, even if Pa himself did think the little linen squares were useless and ostentatious), toy soldiers in various attitudes of suffering in the streets and a few doorways, even a stream of red running out the jailhouse door.\u00a0 He wondered what Joe had stolen from Hop Sing, and what sort of retribution their cook would dole out when he discovered the theft.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing\u2019s punishments might not hurt like a tanning, but they were far more creative.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy, aren\u2019t you a morbid little devil?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy do you gotta use them big words?\u201d<\/p>\n

Two syllables.<\/em>\u00a0 \u201cBloodthirsty?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe grinned widely.\u00a0 Three syllables<\/em>.\u00a0 Just what was<\/em> his little brother\u2019s definition of big<\/em>?\u00a0 \u201cLook at this, Adam.\u201d\u00a0 He pointed to the saloon door.\u00a0 \u201cOpen that.\u201d<\/p>\n

With trepidation, Adam complied.\u00a0 A small figure lolled out, caught in mid-fall by a piece of twine tied to one arm.\u00a0 Its head detached, bounced a couple of times, and rolled across the dirt \u2018road\u2019 to rest gently against the jailhouse steps.\u00a0 Little Joe was cackling too hard to explain, so Mitch did the honors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Miss Jones opens the doors, she\u2019ll \u2026 she\u2019ll \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

And the shame of it was, she probably would.\u00a0 Abigail Jones was not known for her fortitude or her common sense.\u00a0 A headless soldier with \u2026 was that soy sauce splashed across its uniform and along its neck? \u2026 would probably do her in for the day, and destroy whatever points the boys managed to score with their enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

She also wasn\u2019t known for her sense of humor.<\/p>\n

He had no intention of pointing this out.<\/p>\n

So, a Halloween town that was more gruesome than Halloween-ish \u2026 but consider the source.\u00a0 Adam eyed the drooping white linen and sprawled soldiers, then shrugged and gave in to his own bit of decorative gusto.<\/p>\n

There would be time later to point out the obvious.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoesn\u2019t the jail cell need a ghost?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe can be looking out the window!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s where the blood\u2019s coming from, probably.\u201d<\/p>\n

A bleeding ghost?\u00a0 Well, that was a new one \u2026 but it was their<\/em> project \u2026<\/p>\n

Mitch went scrabbling for a stick, and Little Joe relieved the feed store of its ghostly proprietor.\u00a0 Or was it a customer?\u00a0 Adam wasn\u2019t sure.\u00a0 A few brief moments, a quickly repaired bar on the window, and the boys stood back, admiring their new addition.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Adam!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes Roy know you\u2019ve turned his jail into a house of horror?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe scoffed.\u00a0 \u201cRoy ain\u2019t scared of no ghosts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was certain their friend would be thrilled with Little Joe\u2019s estimation of his courage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat else you got?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked down into a couple of expectant, upturned faces\u2014and threw maturity to the winds.\u00a0 Was it his fault Miss Jones had made the project due so close to Halloween?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat have you got in the way of birds?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBirds?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMany Indian tribes believe the owl is a symbol of death.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both boys scrunched their faces in silent thought, then suddenly Little Joe lit up.\u00a0 \u201cWait here!\u201d he gasped, and dashed off toward the house.<\/p>\n

Oh, this ought to be good.<\/p>\n

In the meantime \u2026\u00a0 Adam turned to Mitch.\u00a0 \u201cIf you\u2019re going to have a bird, what about a scarecrow?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah!\u201d<\/p>\n

It was no perfect thing, as they were working in miniature with scrounged (one syllable<\/em>\u2014surely even Little Joe couldn\u2019t complain about that) materials, but when the two stood back several minutes later Adam was ridiculously proud of their creation.\u00a0 A handful of straw molded into a roughly human shape and wrapped around in burlap served for the body, pinned together with some of the tacking repair supplies.\u00a0 A small pinecone served as a head, and a flat circle of cut leather pinned on top did for a hat.\u00a0 It was ugly and pathetic, but it made Adam want to laugh like he was Little Joe\u2019s age\u2014and Mitch was giggling outright as he carefully worked a long wood sliver up the back and fixed it into the ground.\u00a0 Little Joe arrived back about that point, breathless and proud.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere!\u201d<\/p>\n

It was the sparkly dove that went on the Christmas tree every year.\u00a0 Pa would have a fit.<\/p>\n

Adam snorted, took it from his little brother, and balanced it atop the emporium.\u00a0 The bird was roughly the same size as the soldiers, and loomed over the city below.\u00a0 Hmm.\u00a0 Despite its festive (two syllables again<\/em>) air, maybe it did<\/em> add to the general horror and chaos of the scene \u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI got this, too.\u201d\u00a0 Joe sneaked a cautious look at Adam as he handed over the black bandana.\u00a0 And well he should be cautious\u2014it was Adam\u2019s<\/em> bandana.\u00a0 For the moment, however, the boy was in the clear.\u00a0 In keeping with the general spirit of the afternoon, the older brother decided he could donate one insignificant piece of clothing to the cause.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat were you thinking?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe straightened, his wide grin returning.\u00a0 \u201cThe Grim Reaper.\u00a0 We can prop it up coming out of one of the alleys.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNice.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was the work of a few minutes to set up Death in the alley across from the jailhouse, tilted forward on his prop as though he was about to glide into the center of town.\u00a0 (\u201cDo you want to put him on one of the horses?\u201d \u201cYeah!\u201d)\u00a0 That done, the three of them stood back, surveying their handiwork.\u00a0 He had to admit, his embellishments really added something.\u00a0 Adam was absurdly pleased.\u00a0 And even somewhat reluctant now to point out the obvious.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoys, it\u2019s great.\u00a0 It\u2019s also big.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe said it could be as big as we wanted!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam lifted a slow eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cHow are you going to get it to school?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tags:\u00a0 Adam Cartwright, Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright, Mitch Devlin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 Little Joe and Mitch show off their school project.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Rating: K\u00a0 \u00a0Word Count: 1490<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10468,"featured_media":5963,"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_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[4,40],"tags":[408],"class_list":["post-15346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-humor","category-challenges","tag-mlblc","wpcat-4-id","wpcat-40-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Moon-Blind.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15346","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\/10468"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15346"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15346\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}