{"id":1611,"date":"2008-12-20T15:18:28","date_gmt":"2008-12-20T20:18:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=1611"},"modified":"2026-07-29T11:44:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T15:44:03","slug":"the-sporting-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=1611","title":{"rendered":"The Sporting Life (by the Giggly Sisters)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0<\/span>The Giggly Sisters take the Cartwrights on a traditional British Easter picnic.<\/p>\n

Rated:<\/span> K+ \u00a0(1,400 words)<\/p>\n

The Sporting Life<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was a beautiful spring day, and the sun shone warmly on the greening grass. The Giggly Sisters looked out at this stunning vista, and decided that they ought to go for the first picnic of the year.<\/p>\n

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Of course, Joe was up for it at once! Anything the girls thought up was fine by Joe! Ben, however, took a little more persuading. \u201cIt’s spring,\u201d he explained, as though this word, by itself, would tell them all that needed to be done.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\u201cYes, we know how busy you are,\u201d said the redhead persuasively. \u201cBut surely it won\u2019t hurt to have one afternoon off. Besides, it\u2019s almost Easter. We could take out our eggs and roll them down the hill, and we could play games.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The word games sent a shudder through Ben, but he smiled. \u201cI\u2019m a little old to play games,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cNonsense,\u201d declared the blonde. \u201cWe\u2019ll organize everything. You just turn up after lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

It was difficult to say no to the blonde when she put herself out like that, so Ben agreed. They had a terrible job getting rid of Hoss, who wanted to help make the sandwiches, but they did finally succeed. Adam looked down his nose at them and said, \u201cCatch me playing games!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

That afternoon, loaded up with picnic baskets, paints, hard-boiled eggs and a bat and ball, they headed out for a picnic. It was pleasant, Ben reflected, as he sipped cool white wine and watched Joe and the girls paint the eggs. Hoss soon joined in, but Adam was too busy pretending to be a grown up, and wouldn\u2019t play.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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When the eggs were finished and drying, the girls started to organize the games. \u201cIt’s called rounders,\u201d said the redhead, wielding her bat in a ferocious manner.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\u201cIt’s called what?\u201d repeated Ben, in bewilderment.<\/p>\n

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Adam gave a long-suffering sigh. “I think it’s some juvenile form of baseball.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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The blonde gave him a steely look, honed over the years and designed to impart fear and terror into all opponents encountered in various sporting arenas. It was rather effective, but eventually she relented.<\/p>\n

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“You’re not really the most athletic of families, are you?” she enquired rhetorically. “Well, apart from the time Joe rode in that horse race in The Hayburner<\/em> \u2026”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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“I won too!” Joe interjected happily and Adam gave him a most unbrotherly look. He still felt sore over the loss of that rifle.<\/p>\n

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The blonde continued, unperturbed. “\u2026 and he’s often seen running, but as for the rest of the rest of you!”<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

Ben bristled with righteous indignation. Well, he’d had plenty of practice over the years. As loyal viewers will attest, there never seemed to be a week that went by without some calamity to get hot and bothered about.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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“I bustled across that desert to find Joseph in The Gift<\/em>!” he spluttered indignantly. “And I carried him in The Trap<\/em> too!”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Hoss gave his father a searching look. “That was a one-off Pa! Ain\u2019t no doubt that whenever Little Joe needs carrying or even swung around boyishly, it’s yours truly who’s called upon! Good thing the boy’s so small and dinky!”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

Those were not exactly the words the sisters would have chosen to describe Joe, who was indeed small, but was also perfectly formed and undeniably gorgeous. They decided to let it pass though. Adam stood pinching the bridge of his nose, a sure sign that he was distressed. Any moment now, he thought and sure enough \u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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“Adam doesn’t think so, do you big brother?” Joe said indignantly. \u201cAfter all, he made all that fuss when asked to carry me in Honor of Cochise<\/em>. All that fuss he made about me being too heavy!”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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“I was only thinking about Betty!” Adam protested weakly, and not for the first time, the sisters wondered why he had a girl, who was at least 60 pounds lighter than him as a stand-in. \u201cIt would have been too much for her to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\u201cSo instead I have to carry you!\u201d Joe said. \u201cAnd tell me that\u2019s fair!\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt was Betty!\u201d Adam protested, and the debate might have gone on all afternoon, but the redhead wanted desperately to play rounders.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\u201cCome on, let\u2019s play,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you can play baseball, you can play rounders. After all, we\u2019re not asking you to play cricket.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\u201cGood thing, too,\u201d Adam said sourly, heaving himself to his feet. \u201cCricket has to be the most boring game ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After roping in a few ranch hands to make up the opposing team, the game got underway, and provided the girls with the best entertainment they had had in months. It was true; the Cartwrights weren\u2019t the most athletic family they had ever come across, apart from Joe. Hoss got caught out on his way to first base. Adam made it half way round. The redhead did an amazing sliding run into home, and the blonde managed to sprint round all the bases in one run. Ben didn\u2019t manage to hit a single ball, and looked distinctly peeved. Joe took to the game like a duck to water, and he and the sisters won the game hands down for the family.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Once they had all run about, it was time to roll the painted eggs down the nearest hill. It was a pity that the hill ended up in the lake, as a good many of the eggs rolled further than expected!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\u201cSo,\u201d Ben said, panting only slightly and wringing out the bottom of his trouser legs, \u201cWhat\u2019s the difference between rounders and baseball then?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Giggly Sisters considered this carefully. They really didn\u2019t want to offend their hosts by telling them that rounders was played by schoolchildren too young to have graduated to the much more bloodthirsty playground game of British Bulldog.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s normally played with a cricket bat,\u201d the blonde said eventually. Adam snorted at this.<\/p>\n

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\u201cSuch a boring, over-rated game. And far too complicated and long-winded.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The redhead bristled slightly at this. Her hair wasn\u2019t fiery red for nothing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe rules of cricket are perfectly simple. One side is in and the other side is out. When the side that\u2019s in is out, then the side that\u2019s out is in.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\u201cThere are six innings in an over and when the side that\u2019s in declares, their innings are over,\u201d the blonde added helpfully. \u201cThen there\u2019s French Cricket, which is completely different again.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\u201cStrikes me that any game that stops for tea is plumb sensible.\u201d Naturally, this came from Hoss.<\/p>\n

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Ben was desperately trying to find instances of his family proving their sporting prowess and looking a bit hassled. The blonde took pity on him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThere was that time you all had that lovely mud wrestling contest in Springtime<\/em>!\u201d Both sisters sighed loudly at the happy memories this produced.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\u201cAnd all those fabulous times when Joe bounds around, whipping his epee with reckless abandonment!\u201d the redhead added.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

Hoss gave her a sour look. His fencing prowess in The Frenchman<\/em> had been less than impressive. \u201cI like wrestling!\u201d he said, around a mouthful of hard-boiled egg. \u201cI was great in The Ape<\/em> and of course The Duke<\/em>! Not to mention San Francisco<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\u201cAnd don\u2019t forget my valiant one-man trek across the desert, pulling Kane on the travois!\u201d Adam stated firmly. In actual fact, Ben had been trying to do just that. He still hadn\u2019t got over the fact that his son was sporting a leather Alice band around his forehead for a goodly part of The Savage<\/em>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat games did you play at college, Adam?\u201d the redhead asked innocently. She\u2019d noticed that Adam really wasn\u2019t too keen to talk about his sojourn in the arms of academe and was curious to find out why.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\u201cI concentrated on my studies,\u201d Adam informed her loftily.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\u201cAll work and no play \u2026!\u201d the blonde quipped merrily. \u201cAfter all, as Hamlet says \u2018the play\u2019s the thing\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

Adam was sure she had quoted this out of context but all of a sudden there was a loud clanging noise, disturbing the peacefulness of the afternoon.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s Hop Sing! Dinner\u2019s ready!\u201d Hoss leaped to his feet and started to trot towards Chub, who sighed softly and braced his knees in expectation. The blonde gave Adam a wicked look.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\u201cDo not ask for whom the bell tolls \u2013 it toll\u2019s for tea!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

 <\/p>\n

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

Summary: \u00a0The Giggly Sisters take the Cartwrights on a traditional British Easter picnic.<\/p>\n

Rated: K+ \u00a0(1,400 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1242,"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":false,"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],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-humor","wpcat-4-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\/04\/bonanza31.jpg?fit=573%2C389&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1611","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\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1611"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1611\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}