{"id":1781,"date":"2012-12-01T20:01:54","date_gmt":"2012-12-02T01:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=1781"},"modified":"2026-07-29T14:56:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T18:56:38","slug":"purls-of-wisdom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=1781","title":{"rendered":"Purls of Wisdom (by Cheaux)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:<\/strong> \u00a0 One man’s trash\u00a0is another’s treasure. \u00a0Written for the Dan Blocker 2012 Birthday Challenge<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0<\/strong> K — \u00a0WC \u00a0800<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Disclaimer<\/strong>: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Purls of Wisdom<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hop Sing padded silently into the great room and placed a fresh pot of coffee and a plate of sandwiches on the table. He knew, of course, that they wouldn\u2019t be eaten, but it was his custom to provide nourishment at times like this. Worrying was hard work.<\/span><\/p>\n

He stepped back and stood sentinel next to the red chair where Mr. Cartwright slumped, head resting on fist, watching his son for any movement.\u00a0\u00a0Joe was unconscious on the settee in front of the fire where he could be kept warm, but not too warm, his feet and one hand already loosely bandaged from the frostbite.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jamie handed Candy a wool blanket from the pile that was warming on the hearth and together they tucked it gently around Joe\u2019s torso and under his head. There was still no movement; no sign of life other than his shallow breathing. Joe had been this way for far too long.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI just don\u2019t understand,\u201d Jamie said. \u201cWhy did he go back? We were almost to the ranch.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Candy shook his head. \u201cHe just said he left his scarf at the camp site and told me to get you to the house before the storm got worse so your Pa wouldn\u2019t worry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When Joe finally returned home half frozen, semi-conscious, and blue, they’d stripped the wet clothes from him where he stood and settled him in front of the fire while they began the laborious task of slowly warming his extremeties. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jamie picked up a faded green object from the floor. \u201cThis ratty old thing? This is what he forgot? Why would he risk his life for this?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet me see that,\u201d Ben said. He held the muffler in his hands, fingering the irregular stitches and his eyes filled with tears. Unable to speak, he handed it to Hop Sing and bowed his head.\u00a0\u00a0God rest your soul, Hoss.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Hop Sing spoke simply. \u201cBrother make.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Candy and Jamie said simultaneously.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Hoss young man. Break leg very bad. Much worry he not heal. Not able to ride\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. do chores. In bed all summer, no work. Father, brothers all working. Mr. Hoss very sad; very lonely. Church lady teach him to knit. Make hair weave.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Wiping his nose with a handkerchief, Ben chuckled in spite of himself. \u201cHeirloom, Hop Sing; the word is heirloom. It means a valuable gift.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Composed at last, Ben reclaimed the green wool.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHoss was frustrated, that\u2019s for sure, and worried he wasn\u2019t pulling his weight. He was trying to keep busy, but after he had mended every piece of tack on the ranch and whittling had lost its allure, I was desperate to find something productive for him to do. Martha Ashton\u2019s husband had just passed and I thought it would help them both if she could teach Hoss to knit. I asked the boys not to make fun, but Joe was 12 and teased his brother unmercifully about all the dropped stitches.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Hoss eventually got real good at knitting and we each received beautiful mufflers that Christmas. \u00a0Everyone except, Joe, of course. Hoss gave him this practice piece instead as a comeuppance.\u201d \u00a0Ben spread the yarn apart with his fingers revealing large, irregular gaps in the wool.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI had no idea Joe had kept it all these years, much less actually wore it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben rose from the chair and lifted Joe\u2019s head gently, wrapping the scarf around his neck. He tucked the ends into his son\u2019s free hand and gasped as Joe\u2019s fingers began threading themselves automatically through the empty spaces. \u00a0It reminded him of the way Marie used to finger her rosary beads.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0In through the front door, run around the back, hop through the window, off jumps Jack. \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

(Giggle).<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

It ain\u2019t funny, Joseph.\u00a0\u00a0Stop mockin\u2019 me.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Sure it is, Hoss. You\u2019re spoutin\u2019 nonsense and flappin\u2019 your elbows like a chicken. Bluck, bluck, bluck!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a rhyme Missus Ashton taught me . . . you know . . . to help me stitch so I can make ya something to remember me by.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Remember you? (Giggle).\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019ll remember you all right, Hoss . . . every time the wind whistles through the holes, I\u2019ll remember you.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Dadburn your ornery hide little brother!–<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Under the fence, around the sheep, bring it through, and off it leaps.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

–You made me drop a stitch!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Knit one, purl two, holes in the wool, I\u2019ll remember you. (Giggle).<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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

When Joe\u2019s fingers reached the end and stopped, he whispered reverently, \u201cI remember.” \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben understood even if no one else did. \u00a0What to the others was a holey tattered relic to Joe was simply . . . holy.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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

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

\u00a0End Notes:<\/span><\/p>\n

Happy Birthday, Dan!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

Summary: \u00a0 One man’s trash\u00a0is another’s treasure. \u00a0Written for the Dan Blocker 2012 Birthday Challenge \u00a0<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0 K — \u00a0WC \u00a0800<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":440,"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":[23,1008,8,40],"tags":[148],"class_list":["post-1781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-family","category-short-stories","category-challenges","tag-dblc","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-1008-id","wpcat-8-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\/04\/Joe-Hoss.jpg?fit=505%2C638&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1781","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\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1781\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}