{"id":15378,"date":"2017-10-30T17:19:46","date_gmt":"2017-10-30T21:19:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=15378"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:41:02","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:41:02","slug":"the-great-baby-switch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=15378","title":{"rendered":"The Great Baby Switch (by Puchi Ann)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/strong>:\u00a0 Bored boys, left to their own devices, can come up with wild ways of passing the time, and when the bored boys are Little Joe Cartwright and his friends, Virginia City is in for quite a fright.\u00a0 Written for the Michael Landon Birthday Challenge.<\/p>\n

Rating: K\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Words: 5,068<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Great Baby Switch<\/strong><\/p>\n

Little Joe Cartwright sat on the steps of the Howard Theater, elbows propped on his knees and drooping chin resting on folded fingers.\u00a0 Though surrounded by a cadre of his friends, the ten-year-old did nothing but stare, frowning, at the dusty, moonlit street.\u00a0 \u201cHow much longer, you figure?\u201d he finally asked the chilly October air.<\/p>\n

\u201cAin\u2019t got a watch, no more\u2019n you,\u201d Mitch Devlin muttered.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo long,\u201d Tuck Tucker sighed.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019d think they\u2019d all be worn to a frazzle by now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh!\u201d Seth Pruitt put in.\u00a0 \u201cGrownups don\u2019t get frazzled out from dancin\u2019.\u00a0 They can go round and round \u2018til near dawn.\u201d<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t exaggerating.\u00a0 As they all knew, the hard-working folks of Virginia City didn\u2019t hold many shindigs like this harvest ball, but when they did, they partied hard, dancing into the wee hours of the morning. \u00a0If you didn\u2019t care for dancing\u2014and no right-headed boy did until he reached the stupid age when girls stopped being someone to go fishing with, if no one better were around, and commenced to making fellows blush and trip over their own tongues\u2014there wasn\u2019t much to do except feed your face.<\/p>\n

\u201cRound and round,\u201d Tuck sighed again.\u00a0 \u201cCan\u2019t figure what they see in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAin\u2019t nothin\u2019 to see but some gal\u2019s battin\u2019 eyes and silly smile,\u201d offered Ted Lingstrom, a newcomer to Virginia City.<\/p>\n

\u201cSame as sayin\u2019 there ain\u2019t nothin\u2019 to see,\u201d Little Joe grumbled. \u00a0His sixteen-year-old brother apparently disagreed, for he\u2019d recently turned into the reddest-faced tongue-tripper of them all.\u00a0 It was a major disappointment to the youngster, for up until he reached the stupid age, big brother Hoss had been his favorite playmate.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothin\u2019 to do, neither,\u201d Seth grunted.\u00a0 They\u2019d already eaten their fill of the sandwiches and sweet treats the ladies had brought and set up on a table at the side of the big room, where all the chairs had been removed so people could dance the night away.\u00a0 They\u2019d even tromped around the room a few times themselves, with each other as partners. \u00a0Girls their age were few in number and the ones most likely to bat their eyes and paste on silly smiles.\u00a0 There was a whole town full of interesting places to explore, of course, but they\u2019d all been forbidden to stray past the wagons parked outside the theater.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuess we could bed down,\u201d Mitch said.<\/p>\n

They all stared at him like he\u2019d gone off his head after munching on loco weed.\u00a0 Sure, all their folks had provided their young ones thick pallets to lie down on in their wagons, if they got sleepy, but how could any self-respecting kid put himself to bed without being forced to go?\u00a0 It just wasn\u2019t done.\u00a0 Besides, none of them really wanted to sleep; they just wanted something to do.\u00a0 Something besides dance, which ran a close second to bedding down as the most boring activity available.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly babies do that,\u201d Seth snorted.\u00a0 The vestibule of the theater, being the darkest and quietest place available, was lined with baskets full of sleeping infants, six of them in all.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuess we could have another piece of pie,\u201d Tuck said shyly.<\/p>\n

\u201cUgh!\u201d Little Joe groaned.\u00a0 Puking in the nearest alley, which is what he figured he\u2019d do if he tried to stuff one more bite into his already overloaded stomach, leaped to top of the list of worst ways to pass the time until Pa, Adam and Hoss got their fill of dancing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s better ways to have fun than that,\u201d Ted offered, a little tentatively, for he still felt like an outsider to the other boys, who had known each other for years.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got any ideas, I\u2019m open to suggestions,\u201d Little Joe said, raising his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, what you got?\u201d Seth demanded with a put-up or shut-up attitude.\u00a0 He considered himself Joe Cartwright\u2019s best friend, though Mitch would have argued the point, and he didn\u2019t much appreciate the interloper\u2019s attempts to worm his way into a place Seth believed rightfully his.<\/p>\n

Mitch and Tuck, being more followers than leaders, looked to Little Joe, and since he looked interested in what Ted had to say, they immediately were, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, bein\u2019 as it\u2019s gettin\u2019 close to Halloween,\u201d Ted started, \u201cI thought . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, we cain\u2019t go hollerin\u2019 \u2018trick or treat,\u201d Seth said with a scowl.\u00a0 \u201cAll they\u2019ll do is point us to the refreshment table and go on dancin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAin\u2019t what I was gonna say!\u201d Ted declared, hackles rising like a bantam rooster\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet him finish, Seth,\u201d Little Joe said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just gonna say it\u2019s a prime time for pullin\u2019 pranks,\u201d Ted said.\u00a0 \u201cAlmost expected this time of year, if you get my drift.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReckon we could turn over an outhouse or two,\u201d Tuck said, though without any real enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoring,\u201d Seth said, and his opinion was met with nods of sour-faced agreement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe could switch out folks\u2019 teams,\u201d Mitch suggested.<\/p>\n

\u201cWork,\u201d Seth observed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, and tired as they\u2019ll be, they likely won\u2019t even notice \u2018til they get home,\u201d Little Joe said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right, Joe,\u201d Ted quickly agreed.\u00a0 \u201cWe don\u2019t want to do that much work and then not even get to see the fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight,\u201d Mitch and Tuck chimed in simultaneously.<\/p>\n

Ted moistened his lips.\u00a0 \u201cI heard about a prank in this town we passed through on our way west.\u00a0 Not a heap of work and sure raised a commotion.\u201d\u00a0 He took courage from the faces turned expectantly toward him.\u00a0 He leaned in close, as if there were a real need for secrecy on the empty street.\u00a0 \u201cWe switch up folks\u2019 babies,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, they\u2019ll notice,\u201d Mitch said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, probably, but that\u2019s when the fun starts,\u201d Ted said, speaking faster in his excitement.\u00a0 \u201cThe minute some lady sees it ain\u2019t her babe in the basket where she left it, she commences to hollerin\u2019 and don\u2019t even think to check the other baskets.\u00a0 Then another one looks and, lo and behold, her kid\u2019s been switched out, too, and sometimes they think it\u2019s gypsies took \u2018em or even fairies, maybe, if they be Irish.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019d be a sight, all right,\u201d Tuck said, with a quick glance to see how his hero was responding to the idea.<\/p>\n

A crafty smile slowly slid across Little Joe\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cYeah,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cEverybody in?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ted quickly agreed, followed by Tuck and Mitch in one voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI reckon it\u2019s better\u2019n just sittin\u2019 out here,\u201d Seth grudgingly admitted.\u00a0 \u201cBesides, air\u2019s gettin\u2019 a mite cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCool\u2019s what we\u2019ve got to be,\u201d Little Joe chuckled, \u201ccool and calm, so\u2019s we don\u2019t get caught.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t wanna get caught,\u201d Mitch wryly advised, \u201cyou\u2019d better harness that jaybird cackle of yours, Little Joe.\u00a0 That\u2019ll draw attention quicker than anything!\u201d<\/p>\n

With a grin Little Joe nodded in acknowledgement.<\/p>\n

\u201cBest to switch babies that ain\u2019t lyin\u2019 right next to each other,\u201d Ted advised, \u201cand if we have time to change their clothes, too, that works even better, or so I\u2019ve heard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMix \u2018em up good, huh?\u00a0 That sounds good,\u201d Little Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cNow, what we need is to have two of us block the door to the vestibule, and keep watch, while the other three make the switches.\u00a0 Then we\u2019ll change places and try to switch a few clothes, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, once it\u2019s done, we got to act innocent,\u201d Seth said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but not too innocent,\u201d Little Joe advised.\u00a0 \u201cMy pa, for one, gets suspicious when I act like an angel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyone would know that was an act,\u201d Mitch snickered, giving his friend\u2019s shoulder a comradely swat, which was promptly returned in kind.<\/p>\n

\u201cBad as I hate to say it, maybe we ought to ask some stupid girl to dance,\u201d Tuck suggested.<\/p>\n

\u201cOr mosey over to the refreshment table,\u201d Ted said.<\/p>\n

Little Joe sighed.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe so.\u00a0 Just make it look like you\u2019re havin\u2019 a good time and act surprised and confused when the ruckus starts, but don\u2019t overdo it.\u00a0 Don\u2019t nobody give us away, \u2018cause it\u2019ll be misery if our folks find out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAmen to that,\u201d said Seth with an especially hard look at Mitch and Tuck, always the weakest links in any scheme that required subtlety and subterfuge.<\/p>\n

According to Little Joe\u2019s assignment, Seth teamed up with the nervous Tuck to stand guard at the door, while Joe, Mitch and Ted, as the resident expert on the prank, gently lifted each slumbering infant and gingerly settled it into a different basket, any except the one right next to its original location.\u00a0 Then Little Joe took over Tuck\u2019s post, and moments afterward Mitch tapped Seth on the shoulder and, making sure that no one was watching, slipped into his place as guard.\u00a0 Ted, feeling more important than he had since his arrival in Virginia City, remained in the vestibule to help direct the change of the babies\u2019 outfits.\u00a0 Little Joe wasn\u2019t sure that was necessary, since the kids were all covered with blankets, anyway, but he didn\u2019t want to steal Ted\u2019s thunder by pointing that out.<\/p>\n

Hoss waltzed by with one of the fleshy ladies that did the miners\u2019 laundry on his arm.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Little Joe,\u201d he called, \u201cwhat you standin\u2019 around there for?\u00a0 Get yourself a partner, boy, and have some fun!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m thinkin\u2019 about it,\u201d Little Joe called back with a toothy grin at his big brother, figuring that, when the time came, Hoss\u2019s invitation would provide the perfect cover for his sudden return to the dance floor.\u00a0 He took a quick glance over his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cYou about done?\u201d he whispered.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s gonna start lookin\u2019 suspicious if we hang around this doorway much longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlmost finished,\u201d Ted whispered back.<\/p>\n

\u201cHead on off,\u201d Seth suggested from behind Little Joe.\u00a0 \u201cThese two can finish up, so I\u2019ll take your place on the door.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d Little Joe said.\u00a0 Turning to Mitch, he said, \u201cMay I have this dance?\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitch batted his eyes and said in the most simpering voice he could manage, \u201cOh, yes, I\u2019d just love to dance with a man like you, Mr. Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe stifled his famous jaybird cackle and, grabbing his friend\u2019s arm, trotted onto the dance floor.<\/p>\n

Hoss grinned as the youngsters gamboled past him.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s more fun with a girl, Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2019ll wash your mouth out with soap if he hears you tellin\u2019 whoppers like that,\u201d Little Joe joshed back.\u00a0 \u201cNo disrespect to you, ma\u2019am,\u201d he added quickly when the laundress frowned at him.<\/p>\n

He and Mitch danced their way around the room, noticing, when they circled back, that the doorway to the vestibule was now empty.\u00a0 As they continued in step with the music, they sashayed by Seth and Ted, who were engaged in a good-natured contest of who could step on the other\u2019s toes most often.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s Tuck?\u201d Little Joe asked.\u00a0 \u201cYou didn\u2019t leave him behind, did you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNaw,\u201d Seth assured him.\u00a0 \u201cHe headed for the refreshment table.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t want to ask a girl to dance, for some reason.\u201d\u00a0 They all chuckled.\u00a0 Of all their schoolmates, Tuck would easily be voted least-likely-to-even-look-at-a-girl, and by pairing up with Ted, Seth had insured that the fifth boy had no alternative but some frilly skirt guaranteed to make him blush fifty shades of rosy red, if God invented that many.\u00a0 No wonder he\u2019d picked food, instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe can use some fattening up,\u201d Ted snickered.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo can you,\u201d Mitch said, driving a sharp elbow into Little Joe\u2019s scrawny ribs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat does it,\u201d Little Joe said, shoving him away.\u00a0 \u201cSwitch partners!\u201d\u00a0 He grabbed Seth\u2019s arm and waltzed off before Mitch knew what hit him.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuess it\u2019s you and me,\u201d Mitch said.\u00a0 Ted shrugged and took him by the arm.<\/p>\n

Round and round and round they went, reenergized by their anticipation of the fun to come.\u00a0 After every couple of dances, they changed partners and even managed to drag Tuck onto the dance floor a time or two.\u00a0 Whenever the musicians played a slower dance, they\u2019d all head for the refreshment table, although Little Joe never did more than look at the dwindling goodies.\u00a0 Then it was back to the dance floor without a thought for why the activity that had bored them stiff before now had them laughing like hyenas.<\/p>\n

The routine had started to get old again, though, when Little Joe felt a tap on his shoulder and heard a familiar voice ask, \u201cMay I cut in?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat for?\u201d he demanded of his oldest brother.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t wearin\u2019 a skirt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNeither is your current partner,\u201d Adam pointed out as he took his brother\u2019s arm and forcibly twirled him under his own a time or two.\u00a0 Once he had Joe separated from his friends, Adam said, \u201cI couldn\u2019t help noticing that you\u2019ve been dancing a lot more than usual and thought, maybe, I should investigate.\u00a0 Are you developing any grownup urges that might require a big brother\u2019s guidance, little buddy?\u201d\u00a0 He thought his brother was still too young to be showing any real interest in girls, but then, Little Joe could be precocious at times one wouldn\u2019t expect.\u00a0 Of course, he hadn\u2019t actually seen the kid with a girl yet, but perhaps Little Joe just didn\u2019t know how to ask.\u00a0 Exactly the sort of thing a big brother could help with.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust tryin\u2019 to get in the spirit of the thing, long as I\u2019m stuck here,\u201d Little Joe said, \u201cand dancin\u2019 with you sure ain\u2019t accomplishin\u2019 that!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, let\u2019s get you another partner, then,\u201d a somewhat nettled Adam declared, dancing his brother toward the side of the room, where he\u2019d spotted a blonde-pigtailed sprite in bright blue gingham ruffles.\u00a0 \u201cHello, Miss Lisa,\u201d he said when he reached her.\u00a0 \u201cI have an energetic partner here for you, if you\u2019d care to dance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, yes!\u201d Lisa cried eagerly before Little Joe had a chance to protest.\u00a0 Why, Little Joe Cartwright was the most popular boy in school, and the absolute cutest!\u00a0 She\u2019d been eyeing him hopefully all night long, and this invitation would just put the cap on a wonderful evening.<\/p>\n

Little Joe had been raised with too many manners to do anything but take her by the hand and lead her onto the dance floor, but he threw his big brother an if-looks-could-kill scowl over his shoulder.\u00a0 Then he submitted himself to the torture in the certain knowledge that Halloween was coming, the perfect time for big brother to get his comeuppance for this act of treachery.\u00a0 As soon as that dance ended, Little Joe passed his partner off to Ted, the closest target, and after that Lisa found herself making the rounds of the quintet of boys.\u00a0 Even years later, she would remember it as the most exhilarating night of her life.<\/p>\n

Midnight came, and the boys were beginning to wilt, both from the endless exercise and the unaccustomed lateness of the hour.\u00a0 Little Joe was stifling a yawn when he felt a tap on his shoulder and looked up to see his father, smiling down at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe brought bedding, son,\u201d Ben reminded him.\u00a0 \u201cIsn\u2019t it about time you took advantage of it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019m having such a good time, Pa,\u201d Little Joe insisted, an argument that would have been more convincing had he not been forced to stifle yet another yawn in the midst of it.<\/p>\n

Ben chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I\u2019m glad you are, but I think it would be better if you lay down in the wagon, son.\u00a0 You\u2019re not likely to get out of bed before noon tomorrow, as it is!\u201d\u00a0 He landed a soft swat on the boy\u2019s backside.\u00a0 \u201cRun along now.\u00a0 You\u2019ll thank me in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe would have figured that to be true under normal circumstances, but the grownups still hadn\u2019t even begun to think about leaving the party, which meant that he and his friends hadn\u2019t yet enjoyed the fruits of their elaborate prank.\u00a0 Still, Pa usually meant business when he emphasized an order with a swat, soft or not, so he figured he had no choice but to do as he was told.\u00a0 As he passed through the vestibule, he saw that all six babies were still there, fast asleep.\u00a0 He left the front door propped open as he left the Howard Theater, in hopes that he\u2019d be able to hear the hullabaloo, once it started up.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Little Joe!\u201d Mitch called from the back of his wagon.\u00a0 \u201cClimb in here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe clambered into the Devlin wagon.\u00a0 \u201cYou get sent to bed, too?\u201d he snickered.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, and I wish they\u2019d all start yearnin\u2019 for the same thing,\u201d Mitch complained.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019d think the ladies\u2019d have sore toes by now, with all them miners tromping on them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCopper-toed shoes,\u201d Little Joe said with a grin, which earned him a shove back onto the pallet.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s probably gonna be another hour, at least, before folks start headin\u2019 home,\u201d he said as he came up on his elbows.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but at least we\u2019ll have a good seat for the show, once it starts,\u201d Mitch said.\u00a0 \u201cMy wagon\u2019s closer to the door than yours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood thinking,\u201d Little Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cLook, if you wanna grab a little shut-eye, I could keep first watch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood idea,\u201d Mitch said, \u201cbut seems like I oughta take first watch, me bein\u2019 the host, so to speak.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t gonna argue!\u201d Little Joe laughed.\u00a0 He curled up on the pallet, certain that sheer excitement, if not Mitch\u2019s jabbering, would keep him awake, but he soon drifted off and didn\u2019t even wake when Seth, Ted and Tuck all piled into the wagon.<\/p>\n

He woke to someone shaking his shoulder and hissing his name in his ear, piercing his foggy mind like a dull knife.\u00a0 \u201cWake up, Joe,\u201d that person was insisting.\u00a0 \u201cWe got trouble!\u201d<\/p>\n

That word sharpened the knife\u2019s edge enough to make him crack open an eye.\u00a0 \u201cTrouble?\u201d he asked blearily.\u00a0 \u201cWho\u2019s in trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all are,\u201d a different voice grunted.<\/p>\n

Identifying it this time as Seth, Little Joe sat up, still not fully awake, but with a vague fear gripping the pit of his stomach.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of \u2018em\u2019s gone,\u201d Tuck moaned.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of who\u2019s gone?\u201d Little Joe asked as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe babies,\u201d Mitch muttered.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, Little Joe was fully awake.\u00a0 \u201cThe b-babies?\u201d he stammered.\u00a0 \u201cOne of the babies has gone missin\u2019?\u201d\u00a0 He cocked an ear and heard . . . nothing.\u00a0 \u201cHow come they ain\u2019t raised a ruckus if there\u2019s a kid missin\u2019?\u201d he demanded.\u00a0 \u201cIf this is some kind of joke, I\u2019m gonna tear the lot of you limb from limb.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt ain\u2019t a joke,\u201d Tuck all but whimpered.\u00a0 \u201cOne set of them folks left early and took their youngun\u2014or maybe not their youngun\u2014with \u2018em.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe grabbed the nearest shirt front, which happened to belong to Mitch.\u00a0 \u201cWhich one?\u201d he asked urgently.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Mitch said.\u00a0 \u201cI was asleep, same as you.\u00a0 Tuck woke me up with his yelpin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou was supposed to be keepin\u2019 watch!\u201d Little Joe yelled, only to have a palm slapped over his mouth.<\/p>\n

\u201cShh!\u00a0 I was, \u2018til the others came,\u201d Mitch said.\u00a0 \u201cThey said I could catch a couple of winks, so I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe pushed away his friend\u2019s hand.\u00a0 \u201cOkay.\u00a0 Who did see, then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll three of us,\u201d Ted, who had been hanging back in the wagon\u2019s farthest corner, replied.\u00a0 Since the baby switch had originally been his idea, he was petrified that he\u2019d have to shoulder the full blame, now that it had most likely gone wrong.\u00a0 Being new to town, he had not yet learned the level of loyalty Little Joe Cartwright showed any friend or co-conspirator in crime.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, then,\u201d Little Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cWho left?\u201d\u00a0 He looked from one blank face to the next.<\/p>\n

Ted shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know folks hereabouts that well yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe, either,\u201d Seth said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat don\u2019t wash,\u201d Mitch snorted. \u00a0\u201cYou been here two, three years now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou been here longer!\u201d Seth thrust his accusing nose about half an inch from the other boy\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was asleep!\u201d Mitch protested, \u201csame as Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFussin\u2019 at each other ain\u2019t helpin\u2019,\u201d Little Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cDidn\u2019t any of you recognize \u2018em?\u00a0 Tuck?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Tuck said.\u00a0 \u201cThey must be town folks, Little Joe.\u00a0 I\u2019m just country stock.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all are, except for Ted,\u201d Little Joe sighed, \u201cand he\u2019s new to town, so I guess that leaves us in the dark.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t hollerin\u2019, though, right?\u00a0 Maybe that means they figured it out and got a good laugh out of it.\u00a0 You think?\u201d\u00a0 The hope in his eyes as his chin bobbed up and down looked downright pitiful.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore likely means they didn\u2019t have a clue they was takin\u2019 home the wrong youngun,\u201d Seth said.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019d be more likely to yell bloody murder than laugh, don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Little Joe admitted glumly.\u00a0 \u201cWell, bad as I hate it, maybe we\u2019d better \u2018fess up and face the music.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you gone daft?\u201d Seth exploded.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe you can do that, but I sure can\u2019t!\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe nodded in mute commiseration.\u00a0 While discovery would probably mean a tanning for him, Mitch and Tuck, Seth was more likely to get an outright beating.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know Ted well enough yet to calculate the consequences for him, but Seth\u2019s need, at least, was reason enough to keep quiet.\u00a0 \u201cI wasn\u2019t thinking,\u201d he said by way of apology.\u00a0 \u201cWe may have to, but we\u2019ll leave that for a last resort.\u00a0 Agreed?\u201d<\/p>\n

The others\u2019 murmurs of agreement were silenced by the high-pitched, piercing shriek that suddenly poured through the open doorway into the theater.\u00a0 \u201cUh-oh,\u201d Tuck muttered.\u00a0 \u201cI think that\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe oughta go in, see the fun.\u201d\u00a0 Ted\u2019s guarded suggestion was squelched by the looks on the faces of his companions in the wagon, but when a succession of screams followed the first, whether to go or stay became a moot question.\u00a0 Fun didn\u2019t matter; consequences didn\u2019t matter: they had to know.\u00a0 They all piled out of the wagon and rushed into the theater\u2019s vestibule, now crowded with screaming women, frantic fathers and concerned citizens, as well as the idly curious.\u00a0 The five boys did their best to look like the latter, but the scene that unfolded before their widening eyes made that difficult.<\/p>\n

Mrs. Pederson, whose family ran a dairy farm outside town, was pointing an accusing finger at a petite lady holding in her arms a chubby infant with hair the color of ripened corn.\u00a0 \u201cShe steal my baby!\u201d Mrs. Pederson bellowed.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d the other lady protested.\u00a0 \u201cI just picked it up this minute.\u00a0 And it was in my basket!\u00a0 What did you do with my little girl?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI not touch,\u201d the immigrant lady insisted.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere she is, Greta,\u201d a man called from the end of the line of baskets, \u201cbut she is dressed like boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are my boy\u2019s clothes,\u201d another irate mother snapped, \u201cbut I can\u2019t find him at all.\u00a0 Is this someone\u2019s idea of a joke?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than likely,\u201d someone chuckled, a sound that echoed through the ranks of the idly curious.<\/p>\n

None of the parents, however, found the situation amusing, as they shouted accusations at any and all within sound of their voices.\u00a0 Apparently, someone had thought to send for Roy Coffee, who managed to shout the whole lot of them into silence.\u00a0 \u201cNow, we\u2019re gonna sort this out, folks,\u201d he promised, \u201cbut we got to have order.\u00a0 Now, first thing is to get some room in here, so if you didn\u2019t have a baby in one of these baskets, you need to get back in the theater.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t we just go home, sheriff?\u201d one man asked.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s mighty late.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Mr. Jefferson,\u201d Sheriff Coffee said.\u00a0 \u201cLike as not, you got nothing to do with this, but nobody leaves until I know what\u2019s what.\u00a0 Please go back inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe and his cohorts tried to slink out the front door, but the sheriff saw them.\u00a0 \u201cI said inside, boys,\u201d he scolded.\u00a0 \u201cGo find your folks and stay with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh, sure, Sheriff Roy,\u201d Little Joe said, snaring the elbow of his nearest friend.\u00a0 \u201cWe was just gonna go back to sleepin\u2019 in the wagon, but whatever you think best.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy\u2019s eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he had a duty to protect these younguns, too, if there was a real kidnapper loose on the streets and not just some prankster, as he suspected.\u00a0 \u201cI think it best you go find your folks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir; we\u2019re goin\u2019,\u201d Little Joe said.\u00a0 The last thing he needed was to arouse the suspicion of the sheriff, family friend or not.\u00a0 He did not, of course, immediately seek out his family.\u00a0 Blending in with the crowd seemed, by far, the safer course of action.<\/p>\n

However, he had failed to take into consideration that, with a child gone missing, his family might be looking for him.\u00a0 It was Hoss, acknowledged as the best tracker of the family, that spotted him first, but Ben was the first to reach his son, with the two older brothers following in his wake.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe, I thought you were supposed to be sleeping in our wagon,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n

He had meant the words as an explanation for his concern, but Little Joe\u2019s guilty conscience immediately interpreted them as an accusation.\u00a0 \u201cI was,\u201d he insisted and then stumbled.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I mean, yeah, I was sleeping, but not in our wagon.\u201d\u00a0 He hurriedly explained, \u201cI was with Mitch in his wagon.\u00a0 He invited me, and I didn\u2019t think you\u2019d mind, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 He let his lower lip tremble, in a display of nerves that was only half-feigned, though for a different reason than the one he was hoping his father would assume.<\/p>\n

Ben, still too relieved to see beyond his son\u2019s safety, put an arm around the boy\u2019s shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cWell, of course, I don\u2019t mind, son,\u201d he said warmly.\u00a0 \u201cIn fact, it was probably safer for you boys to stay together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam and Hoss looked at each other and both rolled their eyes.\u00a0 The kid could get away with almost anything, and it was obvious to anyone with eyes not clouded by worry that he was trying to divert his father\u2019s attention; from what remained to be seen.\u00a0 Adam, in particular, thought it far more likely that the baby switch was the work of youngsters like Joe himself than the crime of a kidnapper, and even Hoss would not have been surprised to learn that his baby brother had had a hand in the tomfoolery.\u00a0 Neither of them, naturally, would have said that to their father.\u00a0 The voicing of such a suspicion violated the code of brotherly conduct and, therefore, was not to be considered.\u00a0 Besides, neither of them thought the boy capable of hiding a child from its parents. \u00a0While Little Joe was always up for a bit of mischief, that sort of meanness would never even cross his mind.<\/p>\n

Sheriff Coffee strode into the main hall and loudly announced, \u201cEverything\u2019s been sorted out, folks, so you\u2019re all free to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRoy,\u201d Ben called, signaling the sheriff over.\u00a0 \u201cEverything\u2019s all right?\u201d he asked his friend when Roy joined them.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about the missing child?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot missing now,\u201d Roy said with a grin.\u00a0 \u201cThe Lincolns had him.\u00a0 Just picked up their basket and headed home without bothering to take a good look inside.\u00a0 Wasn\u2019t \u2018til they was home, changin\u2019 their girl\u2019s diaper before bedding her down proper, that they noticed they had a boy, instead!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo they brought him straight back,\u201d Ben surmised.\u00a0 \u201cWell, all\u2019s well that ends well, I suppose.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI reckon,\u201d Roy said.\u00a0 \u201cFolks is laughing about it now, but\u201d\u2014he aimed a significant look at Little Joe\u2014\u201cI wouldn\u2019t recommend anyone try a stunt like that again, not in my town.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure they won\u2019t,\u201d Ben said with a knowing smile.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t quite as oblivious as his older sons thought and his youngest profoundly hoped, but for once he chose to turn a blind eye.\u00a0 No great harm had been done by what would go down in the annals of Virginia City as the Great Baby Switch, and he was pretty sure that the perpetrators, whoever they might be, had gotten a bad enough scare to keep them on the straight and narrow, at least for a while.<\/p>\n

Looking up, he suddenly realized that he was missing a child himself, one far too large to tote off in a basket.\u00a0 \u201cNow, where\u2019s Hoss gone to?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cThe refreshment table.\u00a0 Fortifying himself for the trip home, I believe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHope he brings extra,\u201d Little Joe ventured.\u00a0 Sheer relief had suddenly given him a renewed appetite.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he doesn\u2019t, we\u2019ll just send him back,\u201d Ben said with a fond ruffle of his boy\u2019s curls.\u00a0 \u201cDid you have a good time, Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir!\u201d\u00a0 A momentary frown settled on his face.\u00a0 \u201cExcept for when Adam tricked me into dancing with a girl,\u201d he muttered.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrick?\u201d Adam said in apparent surprise.\u00a0 \u201cWhy, I thought dancing with Lisa would be a treat, little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was very kind of your brother, wasn\u2019t it, Little Joe?\u201d Ben suggested pointedly.<\/p>\n

Little Joe darted a look at first his father and then his older brother, whose arched eyebrows were almost mirror images of each other.\u00a0 It was only a small gesture, but he\u2019d had ten years experience in reading its multi-faceted nuances.\u00a0 They knew, both of them, or at least, suspected, and the code of brotherly conduct, as well as the law of self preservation, dictated that he respond accordingly.\u00a0 \u201cUm, yes.\u00a0 Yes, it was.\u201d\u00a0 He was surprised to discover that he almost meant it.\u00a0 Lisa hadn\u2019t been a bad dancer at all; in fact, she\u2019d been a lot more fun to twirl around than stumble-footed Tuck.<\/p>\n

Hoss returned with the hamper they\u2019d brought to the dance.\u00a0 Though Hop Sing\u2019s goodies were long gone, it was filled with enough remains of the refreshment table to provide a feast for all on the way home, and the three older Cartwrights, at least, were still dipping into it long after Little Joe fell asleep in the back of the wagon, dreaming of babies floating from one basket to another in the darkened vestibule of the Howard Theater.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The End<\/p>\n

\u00a9 October, 2017<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Note:\u00a0 Elaborate as they may seem, the pranks mentioned in this story were actually perpetrated by 19th<\/sup>-century youngsters.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

Summary:\u00a0 Bored boys, left to their own devices, can come up with wild ways of passing the time, and when the bored boys are Little Joe Cartwright and his friends, Virginia City is in for quite a fright.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Rating: K Words: 5,068<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":15379,"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":[23,4,29,40],"tags":[408],"class_list":["post-15378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-humor","category-halloween","category-challenges","tag-mlblc","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-4-id","wpcat-29-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\/2017\/10\/Baby-basket4.jpg?fit=275%2C183&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15378","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\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15378"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15378\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}