{"id":2004,"date":"2009-10-11T12:24:27","date_gmt":"2009-10-11T16:24:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2004"},"modified":"2026-07-22T13:05:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T17:05:45","slug":"one-word-at-a-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2004","title":{"rendered":"One Word at a Time (by Harper)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0<\/span>Adam hasn\u2019t been home from college long before he clashes with the hands\u2014but maybe that\u2019s what he wanted….<\/span><\/p>\n

Rating: \u00a0K+ \u00a0(1,505 words)
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One Word at a Time<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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The first time it happened\u2014a bucket of flour propped on the top of the bunkhouse door\u2014Little Joe assumed, like the rest of the hands, that it was Adam\u2019s bad luck to have been the first one through the door. The flour covered him with remarkable accuracy, coating his black shirt and hat, turning him into a ghostly copy of himself. Only his hat saved his head and face from being completely powdered in grayish flour.<\/span><\/p>\n

Laughing with delight, Hoss had slapped Joe on the back, nearly knocking him off his feet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Little Joe.\u201d Hoss grabbed his ten-year-old brother\u2019s arm in time stop his headlong tumble. \u201cIt sure is a good thing Big Brother Adam didn\u2019t take off his hat as he came through the door!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Grinning at his eastern-educated brother\u2019s loss of dignity, Joe nodded. Adam had only returned from college a couple of months ago. Somehow, seeing him covered in flour helped bridge the gap between the brother of Joe\u2019s memories and the brother who stepped off the stage four years later.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the hands laughed at Adam\u2019s attempts to brush himself off, Joe thought about what Hoss said.\u00a0Adam\u2019s got more manners than straight-laced ol\u2019 Reverend Miller,\u00a0<\/em>Joe thought,\u00a0but that\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve ever seen him come inside without takin\u2019 off his hat.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

For the next few days, Joe kept track of how often Adam ended up the brunt of the hands\u2019 practical jokes, and his tally surprised him. Adam was more likely to be muddy, more likely to be sprawled on the ground, more likely to be laughed at than all the other hands put together. Once, when Adam forgot to check his cinch and ended up lying in the dust, staring at the loose saddle slug under his horse\u2019s belly, Joe caught the knowing look on Hoss\u2019 face. Their eyes met for a moment, then Hoss grinned and winked slowly at Joe.\u00a0Hoss sees it too,\u00a0<\/em>Joe thought.Adam is letting himself be set up for all the jokes the hands can think up. But why?\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss looked at him pointedly, and Joe could almost hear him:\u00a0Think on it, Little Brother. Why would Adam do a thing like that?\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

So Joe kept watching and listening, trying to see what Hoss wanted him to see.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One July evening, when wind had slowed to a murmur and the sun cast long shadows on the dining room wall, Joe walked outside to call his brothers for supper. When Adam had first come home, he\u2019d spent his evenings with his family, reading a book or revising his drawings. Lately, however, Adam could be found in the bunkhouse in the evenings, listening to the stories the hands swapped back and forth. If Ben sent Joe to fetch his brothers, he got in the habit of checking the bunkhouse first.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Joe got closer to the open bunkhouse door, he could hear Shorty retelling Adam\u2019s mishap with the saddle cinch, to the delight of the bunkhouse crew. Shorty\u2019s words were accented by Hoss\u2019s booming guffaws at expected high points of the oft-told story. Looking through the open door, Joe saw Adam bow slightly as he accepted the cries of \u201cthat\u2019s something only a dad-blamed tenderfoot would do!\u201d and \u201cbet you won\u2019t forget to check your cinch next time!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBoss, you\u2019ve got to be more careful,\u201d Shorty was saying, shaking his head. \u201cHow are you gonna chase cattle if you can\u2019t even remember how to get on your horse?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe squinted at Shorty, wondering at the top hand\u2019s tolerant tone. Shorty didn\u2019t have much patience for newcomers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m depending on you men,\u201d Adam said. \u201cI need your expertise to get me through the day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur ex-per-what?\u201d Young Bill muttered, looking around suspiciously. \u201cWhat the hell is that supposed to mean?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe inched inside the doorway and stood beside Hoss, watching Young Bill warily. Young Bill had only been with the bunkhouse crew for a few months, and was proving to be touchy as a sunburned rattler.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cExpert-tease.\u201d Hoss pushed his hat back on his head. \u201cIt means you know how to sweet-talk cattle. Although in your case, I\u2019d have to disagree with my brother. You don\u2019t sweet-talk \u2019em, you just wear \u2018em down to your way of thinking. Just like you do when you ask a gal to step out with ya.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A round of laughter followed this remark, and Young Bill\u2019s face reddened. Old Bill clapped a hand on his shoulder. \u201cIt gets the job done, with cattle and gals, so don\u2019t worry about it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Young Bill\u2019s face grew even redder. \u201cIt ain\u2019t fair to be usin\u2019 high-falutin\u2019 words just to show how smart you are.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The laughter dwindled.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to point out that you use unusual words, too,\u201d Adam said. \u201cThe other night at the branding camp, you told me there were \u2018soogins\u2019 in my bedroll, and I spent the night sitting by the fire to avoid them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The laughter boomed out again, and Joe grinned delightedly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was only later,\u201d Adam continued, \u201cthat Shorty told me that a \u2018soogin\u2019 was an oiled tarp, and I had spent a cold, sleepless night for nothing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Knees were slapped, as was Young Bill\u2019s proud shoulder.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I can\u2019t help it if\u2019n you don\u2019t know a simple word like that!\u201d Young Bill grinned.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe remembered something Pa said once:\u00a0Respect is something you earn, one word at a time, one deed at a time. If you show a man respect, he\u2019ll respect you, too.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

And suddenly, Joe understood. Adam was trying to show the hands that he recognized they were better at some things, that they knew more than he did about their work. That he respected them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt wouldn\u2019t be so bad, Young Bill,\u201d Adam continued, his eyes twinkling and his mouth quirked up. \u201cBut as I was sitting up, shivering and cold, I looked over, only to see that\u00a0you\u00a0<\/em>were warm and slumbering away in\u00a0your<\/em>\u00a0bedroll\u2014\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

Young Bill jumped to his feet. \u201cTake that back!\u201d His hand hovered very close to his holstered gun. \u201cI don\u2019t let no man say that about me. No man!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Two or three hands jumped back, leaving a clear path between Young Bill and Adam. Silence descended. Young Bill\u2019s body twitched slightly.\u00a0He ain\u2019t gonna back down,\u00a0<\/em>Joe thought, gripping Hoss\u2019 arm with a white-knuckled fist.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss started forward, but Adam raised a hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI stand corrected,\u201d Adam said. \u201cYou were\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0slumbering. My mistake.\u201d His eyes had lost none of their gleam, Joe noted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Young Bill stayed crouched, hand poised over his holster, his body taut as a bowstring. Adam stood rock still and met Young Bill\u2019s gaze without blinking. Joe took five deep breaths before Young Bill straightened and took his hand away from his gun.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right.\u201d Young Bill nodded, adjusting the hang of his gun belt. \u201cI\u2019ll cut you some slack, \u2019cause you\u2019re new \u2019round here. But you\u2019d be smart to use proper lingo, and be careful what you say about a man, or you\u2019re liable to get shot.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d Adam said, tightening his lips and looking down. \u201cI appreciate the\u2014er, slack.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The rest of the hands relaxed, and resumed their previous positions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYoung Bill, ain\u2019t you due to relieve the night crew?\u201d Shorty said. Young Bill settled his hat on his head with deliberate dignity and walked out toward to the shadowed corral. A few seconds later, hoof beats signaled his return to the herd.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe moved to stand near Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam,\u201d he said in a low voice. \u201cWhat\u00a0does<\/em>\u00a0\u2018slumbering\u2019 mean?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam twisted and leaned down so that only Joe would hear his reply. \u201cIt means he was sleeping.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe grinned. \u201cI wonder what Young Bill thought it meant.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve no idea,\u201d Adam said, his eyes crinkling at their corners. \u201cBut he considered it a grave insult. Let that be a lesson to you, Joe, to use proper\u2014er,\u00a0lingo.\u00a0<\/em>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe looked up at his brother\u2019s laughing face. \u201cLike you, Adam? Your high-falutin\u2019 words are gonna get you in real trouble\u2014they nearly did just now!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam winked. \u201cI guess I\u2019ll have to count on you and Hoss to make sure I say the right thing, won\u2019t I?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow can we?\u201d Hoss said, turning to stand behind Adam. \u201cHalf the time, we don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about, either!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam grinned. \u201cLike learning any new language or culture, Hoss. Take it one word at a time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Author\u2019s note: This story was inspired by an anecdote told in No Life for a Lady by Agnes Morley Cleaveland. Thanks to pjb for beta reading and helping polish the rough edges!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Disclaimer:<\/span>\u00a0All 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.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Summary: \u00a0Adam hasn\u2019t been home from college long before he clashes with the hands\u2014but maybe that\u2019s what he wanted….<\/p>\n

Rating: \u00a0K+ \u00a0(1,505 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":375,"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_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_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},"categories":[1009,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brothers","category-drama","wpcat-1009-id","wpcat-23-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\/coming-soon-5.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2004","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\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2004\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}