{"id":1740,"date":"2014-04-20T18:18:02","date_gmt":"2014-04-20T22:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=1740"},"modified":"2025-08-01T13:29:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T17:29:16","slug":"the-letter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=1740","title":{"rendered":"The Letter (by BluewindFarm)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/strong>:\u00a0 Hoss has a very important message to impart.\u00a0 A missing scene from The Stillness Within.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Author’s Note<\/strong>:\u00a0 This started as a humorous response to A Chaps & Spurs Challenge.\u00a0 However, as I considered posting in the Library, the story was expanded to impart an important message.
\n<\/span>
\n Rating<\/strong>:\u00a0 K (775 words)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Letter…<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss Cartwright sat at the massive wooden table in the dining room, in what was his Pa’s normal seat upon one of the ornately-carved dining\u00a0 room chairs.\u00a0 In front of him on the table was a clean sheet of paper, as well as a hap-hazard pile of crumpled pages; a growing testament of his struggles to write to his oldest brother, now years away from the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Events of the past several days needed telling to the brother who insisted the family keep him apprised of everything, no matter how big or small.\u00a0 Even though his heart no longer lived for the Ponderosa, the same could not be said about his feelings for his family.\u00a0 He still loved them… they were blood, a part of who he was.\u00a0 And the news that Hoss had to impart was huge.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dear Adam,<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I know Pa ain\u2019t taken the time\u2026<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cNah, that don\u2019t sound too good… like Pa don\u2019t care about Adam,\u201d <\/em>Hoss thought as he wadded up the sheet of paper and pushed it to the middle of the table.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

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

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

Dear Adam,<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I know Pa hasn\u2019t had the time to write ya about\u2026<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cNah, don\u2019t like how that sounds either<\/em>,\u201d Hoss thought as he wadded up the sheet of paper and reached for another clean sheet.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

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

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

Dear Adam,<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I know Pa hasn\u2019t had the time to sit down to write you a letter about what happened to Joe<\/span> <\/em>\u00a0(ACHOOO)<\/sup><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cExcuse me<\/em>,\u201d Hoss stated after sneezing, looking down he saw the squiggly line running across the sheet of paper and bemoaned another wasted page.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

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

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

Dear Adam,<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I know Pa hasn\u2019t had the time to sit down to write you a letter to tell you about what happened to Joe.\u00a0 We were helpin\u2019 move several bottles of nitro, and I guess Charlie\u2019s<\/span> <\/em>\u00a0(ACHOOO)<\/sup><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cNot again<\/em>,\u201d Hoss thought, seeing the crooked line across the page, as another discarded sheet of paper joined the pile in the middle of the table.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

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

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

Dear Adam,<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I know Pa hasn\u2019t had the time to sit down to write you a letter to tell you about what happened to Joe.\u00a0 We were helpin\u2019 move several bottles of nitro and Charlie\u2019s cat must a knocked it off the shelf.\u00a0 The shed blew up with Joe<\/span> <\/em>\u00a0(ACHOOO)<\/sup><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cConfound it<\/em>,\u201d Hoss thought as he angrily wadded up the page.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

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

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

Dear Adam,<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I know Pa hasn\u2019t had the time to sit down to write you a letter to tell you about what happened to Joe.\u00a0 Pa’s been so focused on takin’ care of Joe and prayin’ he’d wake up.\u00a0\u00a0 See, we were helpin\u2019 move several bottles of nitro, sort of like we did a few years back\u00a0 using mules to get them over the mountain, only this time it was just from town to Charlie’s shed.\u00a0 Well, I guess somethin’ happened.\u00a0 I heard Joe yell out, “NO!”\u00a0 I barely had time to turn around from walkin’ to Charlie’s place when the shed blew up, with Joe inside.\u00a0 It seemed to take forever for me to dig him out; what with all the debris and tryin\u2019 ta keep my eyes clear from all the dust<\/span> <\/em>(Ah.. Ah\u2026 Ah\u2026CHOOO)<\/sup><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cThat\u2019s it<\/em>,\u201d Hoss thought as he had lifted the pencil from the sheet of paper, once he felt the sneeze coming on, so he wouldn\u2019t have to start all over again.\u00a0 “Confound all that dust kicked up from that explosion and me tryin’ ta rescue Joe, cain’t seem to get it out of my system.”<\/em>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Anyway, I went back ta Charlie’s tryin’ ta help him clean up… Doc said there weren’t much I could do to help Joe, and I just had ta know what happened.\u00a0 Charlie ain’t seen his cat since before the shed blew up…\u00a0 Charlie\u2019s cat must a knocked one of the bottles of nitro off the shelf, least that’s what I think.\u00a0 <\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As for Joe… Doc\u2019s been out and said Joe’s injuries would heal, even though he banged up his head sompthin\u2019 fierce and the blast burned his face and his hands some, too.\u00a0 But\u2026\u00a0 Adam, that was all we knew before…\u00a0 Today…\u00a0 Well, Joe finally woke up…\u00a0 Nothing could a prepared Pa or could a hurt Pa any worse than when Joe woke and said he cain\u2019t see…”<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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

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

 <\/p>\n

Did the family keep Adam informed of the events involving his family after he moved away?\u00a0 How does one sit down to write of such tragedies…\u00a0 Find out in Dodo’s story:\u00a0 Bad News<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Stillness Within: \u00a0Written by: \u00a0David Dortort, Susan Clauser, Fred Hamilton, Arthur Weingarten<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Story Tags: Hoss Cartwright, Letter<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

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

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

Summary:\u00a0 Hoss has a very important message to impart.\u00a0 A missing scene from The Stillness Within.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 K (775 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":3741,"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":[39,23,1006,61,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chaps-spurs","category-drama","category-hoss-cartwright","category-missing-scene","category-short-stories","wpcat-39-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-1006-id","wpcat-61-id","wpcat-8-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1524,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Hossb.jpg?fit=444%2C339&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2981,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2981","url_meta":{"origin":1740,"position":0},"title":"Brothers and Mud (by frasrgrl)","author":"frasrgrl","date":"April 24, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 \u00a0This is my entry for April's 2013 Chaps & Spurs\/Pinecone Trifecta.A WHIB for Springtime. Have you ever wondered what happened between the brothers making a \"Joe sandwich\" and the mud fight? Well, here's my answer to it. Word Count: 708\u00a0\u00a0Rated: K","rel":"","context":"In "Chaps and Spurs"","block_context":{"text":"Chaps and Spurs","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=39"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/springtime6.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/springtime6.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/springtime6.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/springtime6.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6966,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6966","url_meta":{"origin":1740,"position":1},"title":"Tying One On (by BluewindFarm)","author":"BluewindFarm","date":"May 6, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: Three Cartwrights look out the window in disbelief of the scene below. Rating :\u00a0 K+ (840 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Adam Cartwright"","block_context":{"text":"Adam Cartwright","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1005"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/ac-pic.jpg?fit=335%2C328&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2929,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2929","url_meta":{"origin":1740,"position":2},"title":"No Coffee (by frasrgrl)","author":"frasrgrl","date":"April 24, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 \u00a0The Cartwrights are out on the trail. Rated: K\u00a0 (700 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Chaps and Spurs"","block_context":{"text":"Chaps and Spurs","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=39"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/cutthroat-junction.jpg?fit=301%2C303&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6807,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6807","url_meta":{"origin":1740,"position":3},"title":"Old Man Dizzy (by pbeaking)","author":"pbeaking","date":"May 4, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 Adam and Hoss Cartwright reflect on the memory of an old ranch hand. Rating:\u00a0 K+ \u00a0WC 800","rel":"","context":"In "Adam \/ Hoss"","block_context":{"text":"Adam \/ Hoss","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1090"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/A-H.jpg?fit=276%2C284&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":19782,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=19782","url_meta":{"origin":1740,"position":4},"title":"A Brother Lost (by AC1830)","author":"AC1830","date":"January 27, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: One brother has gone astray and the other two brothers have come to take him home.\u00a0 Rating - G, Word Count - 1015","rel":"","context":"In "Chaps and Spurs"","block_context":{"text":"Chaps and Spurs","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=39"},"img":{"alt_text":"joe","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/First-Born.png?fit=840%2C678&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/First-Born.png?fit=840%2C678&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/First-Born.png?fit=840%2C678&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/First-Born.png?fit=840%2C678&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9784,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=9784","url_meta":{"origin":1740,"position":5},"title":"Counting Mistakes (by BluewindFarm)","author":"BluewindFarm","date":"October 7, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 How many mistakes could he make in one afternoon?\u00a0 Rating:\u00a0 K\u00a0 (1,415 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Chaps and Spurs"","block_context":{"text":"Chaps and Spurs","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=39"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/The-Gift-of-Water-4.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/The-Gift-of-Water-4.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/The-Gift-of-Water-4.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1740","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\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1740"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1740\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}