{"id":1984,"date":"2013-11-12T11:51:55","date_gmt":"2013-11-12T16:51:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=1984"},"modified":"2025-08-01T13:29:18","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T17:29:18","slug":"rattlesnake-aka-after-the-gunfight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=1984","title":{"rendered":"Rattlesnake — aka After the Gunfight (by BluewindFarm)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 <\/strong>A gunfight and the resulting collateral damage.\u00a0 Two Seedling’s Challenge inspired short stories.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Rating<\/strong>:\u00a0 T \u00a0(1,845 words)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rattlesnake<\/strong>\u2026 (aka After the Gunfight)<\/span>
\nTwo men faced each other in the middle of the street; indicating that they were prepared to face off for some offense, perceived or real, or maybe one wanted to usurp the title of fastest gun from the other. The people of Virginia City didn\u2019t know which nor did they care as those present ran for cover.<\/span><\/p>\n

The sudden quiet after the noise of people scurrying out of danger drew the attention of sixteen year old Adam Cartwright who was waiting next to the buckboard outside the entrance to the General Store.<\/span><\/p>\n

Within moments it was over, two men reached for their weapons, two shots sounded. One man walked towards his challenger, who lay sprawled on the ground, a crimson stain spreading across the center of his shirt. The victor opened the cylinder of his revolver to remove the spent casing and inserted a new bullet into the chamber, before he closed the weapon and returned it to the holster hung low at his side. The man turned and walked towards his horse at the hitching rail outside one of the saloons in town.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sheriff Biggs hurried down the boardwalk after being alerted to the trouble brewing, but was not fast enough to stop the gunfight. He knelt beside the victim and looked up as a shadow fell across the prone body.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is for the undertaker,\u201d the man in the saddle stated as he flipped down a twenty dollar gold piece. \u201cIt was a fair fight, sheriff.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know your reputation, Bullock. I want you out of my town,\u201d Sheriff Biggs ordered the gunfighter.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was already leaving,\u201d Bullock answered as he respectfully tipped his hat towards the lawman.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sheriff Biggs began to call for volunteers to take the body to the undertaker when he, and everyone nearby, heard a woman\u2019s piercing scream.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Upon Ben Cartwright\u2019s arrival in town, Sheriff Biggs informed the agonized father that he\u2019d carried the unconscious young man to the doctor\u2019s office before sending word to the Ponderosa. After investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting of Adam Cartwright, Biggs had determined the errant bullet was fired from the nameless challenger\u2019s weapon.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

It was early evening before the doctor agreed to allow his patient to return home, but the young man would sleep through the trip with the help of a strong sedative. Their good friend and town physician, Paul Martin, had stated that the bullet wound would heal and only leave a small scar along his temple; he sent home powders to help with any residual headache.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Later that night, after Ben Cartwright had seen his wife to a medicated sleep in their room, he sat a bedside vigil with his oldest son. Never before had he come so close to losing his first born, never had he thought his son would be caught up in the aftermath of a gun fight. As he sat in the dimly lit room, Adam\u2019s life played out in his mind\u2019s eye.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

It was nearing four in the morning when Adam began to wake from the medication the doctor had given him for the trip home and to hopefully help him sleep through the night.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSon?\u201d Ben cautiously asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d Adam answered as his dark eyes fluttered open. \u201cOh, my head.\u201d The young man reached to alleviate the pain to find a bandage wrapped around his head. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you remember?\u201d Ben nervously asked as he assisted his son to sit up so he could drink from the glass of water he had poured.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a gun fight\u2026 I was worried for Marie\u2026 I tried to go into the store to make sure she and the others were away from the windows\u2026 But I didn\u2019t make it… He was so fast, Pa; faster than a rattlesnake striking out. I tried Pa; I tried to warn her\u2026 Is Marie alright?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s sleeping right now; Doc Martin gave her something to help her sleep. She was extremely distraught over finding you unconscious in the doorway to the General Store and all the blood, she feared the worst.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Pa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, it wasn\u2019t your fault. You did nothing wrong, and it pleases me to hear that you tried to warn Marie\u2026 to keep her and Little Joe safe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As his son settled back to sleep, Ben thought on what could have happened had his son reacted just a few moments quicker or just a few moments slower; one instant either side of that point in time could have been enough for the wayward bullet to have killed his son.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

~The End (Sort of)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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

Readers kept wanting to ‘Kill a Cartwright’, so this story was easily morphed into another version.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rattlesnake #2<\/strong><\/span>
\nTwo men faced each other in the middle of the street; indicating that they were prepared to face off for some offense, perceived or real, or maybe one wanted to usurp the title of fastest gun from the other. The people of Virginia City didn\u2019t know which nor did they care as those present ran for cover.<\/span><\/p>\n

The sudden quiet after the noise of people scurrying out of danger drew the attention of sixteen year old Adam Cartwright who was waiting next to the buckboard outside the entrance to the General Store.<\/span><\/p>\n

Within moments it was over, two men reached for their weapons, two shots sounded. One man walked towards his challenger, who lay sprawled on the ground, a crimson stain spreading across the center of his shirt. The victor opened the cylinder of his revolver to remove the spent casing and inserted a new bullet into the chamber, before he closed the weapon and returned it to the holster hung low at his side. The man turned and walked towards his horse at the hitching rail outside one of the saloons in town.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sheriff Biggs hurried down the boardwalk after being alerted to the trouble brewing, but was not fast enough to stop the gunfight. He knelt beside the victim and looked up as a shadow fell across the prone body.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is for the undertaker,\u201d the man in the saddle stated as he flipped down a twenty dollar gold piece. \u201cIt was a fair fight, sheriff.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know your reputation, Bullock. I want you out of my town,\u201d Sheriff Biggs ordered the gunfighter.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was already leaving,\u201d Bullock answered as he respectfully tipped his hat towards the lawman.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sheriff Biggs began to call for volunteers to take the body to the undertaker when he, and everyone nearby, heard a woman\u2019s piercing scream.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Upon Ben Cartwright\u2019s arrival in town, Sheriff Biggs informed the agonized father that he\u2019d carried the unconscious young man to the doctor\u2019s office before sending word to the Ponderosa. After investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting of Adam Cartwright, Biggs had determined the errant bullet was fired from the nameless challenger\u2019s weapon. The lawman had not had time to check on the condition of the Cartwrights; he\u2019d seen several women helping Marie Cartwright walk to the doctor\u2019s office, with another woman carrying a sleeping Little Joe quietly behind them.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Their good friend and town physician, Paul Martin, had the hellish duty of informing the aggrieved father that he had tried his best, but it would only be so long before Adam\u2019s body succumbed to the loss of blood and trauma inflicted by the errant bullet. Though he abbreviated the exact cause, he informed Ben that Adam\u2019s brain would ultimately die due to the swelling caused by the force in which the bullet struck and how hard his head hit the ground as his body crumpled.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Later that night, after Ben Cartwright had seen his eldest son\u2019s body transported to the understaker\u2019s, he wrapped an arm around his wife\u2019s shoulders as they sat side by side on the bench seat to the buckboard and drove home. Time had no meaning to the adults as the horses slowly walked home, receiving no command to pick up the pace. The little boy sleeping upon the sacks of coffee and rolls of fabric was oblivious to the devastation suffered by his family.<\/span><\/p>\n

After seeing his wife to their room and taking care of the horses, Ben left the supplies for someone else to unload. Numbly he entered the home his son had helped design. Never had he believed he could lose his first born, never had he thought his son would be caught up in the ugly aftermath of a gun fight. In the dimly lit room, he sat a vigil next to the empty bed of his oldest son and cried as Adam\u2019s life played out in his mind\u2019s eye.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

It was nearing four in the morning when Little Joe woke and bounded into his oldest brother\u2019s bedroom, eager to play and talk horses. Faster than a rattlesnake\u2019s strike, Ben startled awake as Joe decided to jump on his father\u2019s lap; the boy had yet to realize the implication of the empty bed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben struggled with what to tell his younger sons; though Hoss knew his ma had died when he was an infant neither he nor Joseph had ever experienced such a tragedy. How did you explain the death of a beloved brother?<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben allowed Joe to rattle on and talk of the sights he had seen on their trip into town and the candy his momma had purchased, but with the early hour of the morning, Little Joe was soon asleep in his father\u2019s lap.<\/span><\/p>\n

As his son settled back to sleep, Ben thought on what could have happened had his oldest son reacted just a few moments quicker or just a few moments slower; one instant either side of that point in time could have been enough for the wayward bullet to have missed killing his son.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

~The End (for sure)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

NOTE: Sheriff Roy Coffee didn\u2019t arrive in Virginia City until the second season of Bonanza, so in keeping with the first season (Death at Dawn), I elected Sheriff Biggs to be sheriff in this prequel story.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Story Tags: Adam Cartwright, Ben Cartwright, Death of a Cartwright Challenge (Inca\u2019s), Marie Cartwright, multiple stories, Paul Martin, Rattlesnake<\/p>\n

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

Posted 21 November 2013 – 06:43 AM<\/abbr><\/span><\/p>\n

sklamb, on 21 Nov 2013 – 05:25 AM, said:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n

Wow, BWF, you’re getting good at this good twin\/evil twin pairing of stories!<\/span><\/p>\n

Analyzing the pair at hand, I particularly enjoyed how you used the key word in such different ways in the two stories, and how you found a use in the second story for that concluding sentence you decided to cut from the first one, and the way you balanced out the tragedy in the second version with the humor of Little Joe’s innocent antics. Very enjoyable throughout!<\/span><\/p>\n

But I find, on careful consideration, that I prefer the first version.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

Author’s Response<\/em>:\u00a0 SKLamb, I agree, even my ‘evil’ twin agrees with your careful consideration.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Posted 20 November 2013 – 05:48 PM<\/abbr><\/span><\/p>\n

JoaniePaiute, on 20 Nov 2013 – 5:04 PM, said:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n

Bluewind, the serial Cartwright-killer…<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh, Inca, what have you unleashed?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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

Inca, on 19 Nov 2013 – 3:09 PM, said:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n

I just can’t get dead Cartwrights off my mind now!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/div>\n

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

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

Summary:\u00a0 A gunfight and the resulting collateral damage.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 T \u00a0(1,845 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"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":[1005,23,41,30,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adam-cartwright","category-drama","category-hurtcomfort","category-prequels","category-challenges","wpcat-1005-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-41-id","wpcat-30-id","wpcat-40-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":2737,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":19,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=19","url_meta":{"origin":1984,"position":0},"title":"A Change of Direction (by Dodo)","author":"Dodo","date":"April 6, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Rated: K+ \u00a0Word Count:\u00a0 15,520 A WHN for The Code \u2013 I have borrowed a few of the characters from that episode.Summary: Joe Cartwright had gone ahead against his fathers wishes and had a showdown with gunslinger Dan Taggert after being goaded into a gunfight. 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Subsequent discussion bordered on the macabre, with congratulations bestowed upon writers meeting the challenge. These 2 parodies resulted.... 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