{"id":1653,"date":"2014-01-27T16:03:15","date_gmt":"2014-01-27T21:03:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=1653"},"modified":"2025-08-01T13:29:17","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T17:29:17","slug":"counting-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=1653","title":{"rendered":"Counting Stars (by BluewindFarm)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/strong>:\u00a0 Ben asks Hoss to ‘bring Joe inside’, which leads to a brotherly conversation about the one who’s missing. — A Seedling’s Challenge inspired short story. (940 words)
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Rating<\/strong>:\u00a0 K \u00a0 (945 words)<\/span><\/p>\n

The final page contains the reviews\/comments left on the old BonanzaBrand Library<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Counting Stars\u2026<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Ben set aside the Territorial Enterprise as he heard the long clock next to the door strike seven.\u00a0 From where he sat lounging in his leather chair, near the fireplace, he looked around.\u00a0 His middle son working on his homework at the low table in the middle of the room brought a smile to his face. Scanning the rest of the great room, he failed to see his youngest, nor did he remember the boy already bidding him good night, even though it was way too early for that to have happened.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHas anyone seen Little Joe?\u201d Ben called out as he stood up.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stepping into the dining area to place a platter of cookies on the table Hop Sing answered, \u201cLit\u2019le Joe go outside earlier.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, would you go ask your brother to come in. It\u2019s time for him to get ready to go to bed,\u201d Ben stated.\u00a0 Standing up, he reached for the poker to push one of the logs in the fireplace into a safer position before adding another to keep the room warm.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss, his head bent over his studies, tongue stuck between his teeth in concentration continued to work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHoss,\u201d Ben called louder to gain his son\u2019s attention.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUh, Pa? Ya want sompthin\u2019?\u201d Hoss asked as he looked up, having satisfactorily answered the multiplication problem.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing said Joe was outside, would you please go bring him in?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUh, Sure Pa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Rising to his feet, Hoss made his way first to the dining room table, grabbing a cookie and stuffing it in his mouth, before walking to the front door and outside.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cHey Shortshanks! Pa wants ya to come in!\u201d Hoss hollered without leaving the wooden porch.<\/span><\/p>\n

Waiting and hearing no response, Hoss ambled across the yard. Standing in front of the open barn doors, he peered into the darkened interior, \u201cHey Shortshanks?!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOut here Hoss,\u201d Joe finally called in answer; it sounded as if it came from the other side of the barn.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss followed what he thought was the direction of his brother\u2019s voice. Reaching the corral, he spied several horses quietly nibbling on the hay strewn across the ground. Hoss\u2019 eyes continued to search, finally finding the boy laying on his back, stretched out on top of the huge mound of hay piled in the corner of the corral.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa sent me ta find ya and ta get ya inside.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be in, in a minute,\u201d Joe answered; fingers interlaced, hands behind his head.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhatcha doing?\u201d Hoss asked as he climbed up and over the fence railing. For a boy of his size he landed lightly on his feet.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe didn\u2019t answer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, what do you do when you miss Adam?\u201d the six year old inquired, chewing on a piece of hay.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI go for a ride\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDoes Pa know?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSure he does, he\u2019s the one who suggested it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u201d Joe continued to stare up into the nighttime sky.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss stood with his hands shoved into his pockets, he hated to admit it, but it had been a while since he\u2019d ridden out to think about his missing brother. Of late, he\u2019d almost forgotten their older brother, he\u2019d been so busy helping the hands whenever and however he could as the ranch prepared for the onset of another winter. It felt different when out working with the men. They didn\u2019t treat him like a little kid brother, they treated him\u2026 it was hard to explain.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou missin\u2019 Adam?\u201d Hoss walked closer to the hay pile.<\/span><\/p>\n

After a long pause, the youth heaved a sigh before quietly answering, \u201cYeah,\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUsually when you\u2019re missin\u2019 Adam you\u2019re in his room.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing chased me outa there this afternoon.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Wanting to help ease his brother\u2019s melancholy, but not knowing what to do, \u201cSo\u2026 how come yer out here?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSomething I remembered Adam said I should do\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam said you should come out here and lay in the hay?\u201d Hoss curiously asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNah, but it was the best place I could find to do it. Pa don\u2019t like me like me leaving the yard on my own.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo what?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCounting stars\u2026 Adam told me if I got to missing him, I should count the stars in the sky.\u201d A few tears glistened down the side of his face.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat don\u2019t make no sense. Why\u2019d he say sompthin\u2019 like that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe said he\u2019d be counting \u2018em, too.\u201d Joe wiped away the evidence of his crying.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAre ya done countin\u2019?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, for tonight I am.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen come on, before Pa comes out here to find ya himself. You know what that means.\u201d Hoss\u2019 words were a warning, but his tone of voice was light and happy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, Hoss.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe sat up and without warning, a part of the pile of hay began to shift, creating an impromptu avalanche that swept him down to the ground.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe!\u201d Hoss yelled. \u201cJoe? You okay?\u201d Hoss ignored the startled horses, as they settled back to eating. Furiously he began to dig for his brother. \u201cJoe!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah!\u201d Joe answered giggling.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s so funny? I was worried about ya.\u201d Hoss plopped to the ground in relief.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tossing the last of the hay off, Joe answered, \u201cCan ya see Adam?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019cha mean by that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam told me to count stars because he\u2019d be counting them too. Can you see him falling off and being covered over by falling hay?\u201d The image set Joe to laughing again. Gaining is feet and not bothering to clean off his clothes, Little Joe hollered, \u201cLast one inside\u2019s a rotten egg!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Amusedly, Hoss thought of his older brother\u2026keeping his memories to himself, he followed his younger brother inside.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

~The End<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Story Tags: Ben Cartwright, Hoss Cartwright, JHM, Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright, stars<\/p>\n

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Reviewer: <\/span>Stetson1859<\/span>
\n Date: <\/span>02 Feb 2014 06:39 am Title: <\/span>Counting Stars<\/span><\/p>\n

Like I already wrote this is such a cute little story. I love it!<\/span><\/p>\n

Author’s Response:<\/i><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Stetson1859, Thank you for taking a moment to read and review.\u00a0 It was a fun story to write and came quickly to my imagination when I read JoaniePaiute’s Seelding Challenge Prompt.<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
**********<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n

Reviewer: <\/span>sklamb<\/span>
\n Date: <\/span>29 Jan 2014 02:36 am Title: <\/span>Counting Stars<\/span><\/p>\n

Like Christy, I love the idea that Adam would suggest Joe do this when he’s missing “older brother!” And this glimpse of the Ponderosa while Adam’s away includes a little bit of everyone to make me smile. I wonder if Adam sometimes imagined a scene like this to ease his own homesickness! Thank you!<\/span><\/p>\n

Author’s Response: <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Sue, Thank you for the review.\u00a0 To me, Adam’s envisioning this scene could have increased his homesickness, I know it would for me.\u00a0 But, I believe, Counting Stars is a way to feel connected, to wish upon the same bright star, somewhere out there… inclusion under a canopy of the heavens.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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

Reviewer: Cristy<\/span>
\n Date: 28 Jan 2014 02:14 am Title: Counting Stars<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s amazing how little kids handle separation, and how clever of Adam to suggest such an inventive coping mechanism for his little brother. My dad is in the Royal Navy, and when I was a child and he had to leave on long tours, he said much the same thing, except I had to find constellations instead of counting stars. It was somehow comforting to know he was probably looking at Orion at the same time as I was, and it eased the pain of separation a bit. It seems it was comforting to Joe as well as he counted the stars just as he imagined Adam was doing in the East.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wonderful\u00a0lines of dialogue\u00a0between Hoss and Little Joe! These ones made me lol:<\/span><\/p>\n

“Usually when you’re missin’ Adam you’re in his room.”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

“Hop Sing chased me outa there this afternoon.”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

“Something I remembered Adam said I should do…”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

“Adam said you should come out here and lie in the hay?” Hoss curiously asked.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Cute!<\/span><\/p>\n

I found it very touching when Joe asked, “Hoss, what do you do when you miss Adam?” <\/em>I hadn’t expected him to say that,\u00a0so it caught me a bit off guard.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Flipping large amounts of hay off him, Joe asked, “Can ya see Adam being covered over with falling hay?” Gaining his feet and not bothering to clean his clothes off any more, Little Joe hollered, “Last one inside’s a rotten egg!”<\/em> Aww, perfect example of the resiliance of the young –\u00a0wonderful to end on a lighthearted, happy note. \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/p>\n

Very sweet, charming story Bluewindfarm! \ud83d\ude42<\/span>
\n Author’s Response: <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Christy, I’m honored that my story could bring back such fond memories of you and your dad.\u00a0 I hope you still count constellations as a way to keep him in your heart when he isn’t in your home.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, our Little Joe can be unpredictable in asking his questions, as he definitely knows how to ‘bounce’ back from any adversity.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you for reading and reviewing.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Summary:\u00a0 Ben asks Hoss to ‘bring Joe inside’, which leads to a brotherly conversation about the one who’s missing. <\/p>\n

Rating: K (940 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":14817,"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_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1009,23,30,8,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brothers","category-drama","category-prequels","category-short-stories","category-challenges","wpcat-1009-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-30-id","wpcat-8-id","wpcat-40-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1459,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/shooting-star.jpg?fit=284%2C177&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6768,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6768","url_meta":{"origin":1653,"position":0},"title":"A Deadly Day (by rosecartwright)","author":"rosecartwright","date":"November 4, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0Joe is home sick, but things go downhill for this young Cartwright. \u00a0 Rated:\u00a0K+ (635 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\/2014\/11\/2-joe.jpg?fit=237%2C221&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":22994,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=22994","url_meta":{"origin":1653,"position":1},"title":"Jeremiah (by Hart4Ben)","author":"Hart4Ben","date":"June 26, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: Hoss has an unusual gift for Little Joe. 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