{"id":2143,"date":"2009-06-18T19:18:35","date_gmt":"2009-06-18T23:18:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2143"},"modified":"2026-07-22T09:43:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T13:43:41","slug":"the-tattletales-birthday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2143","title":{"rendered":"The Tattletale’s Birthday (by pony)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0<\/span>Adam receives the best birthday gift ever … from a very unlikely giver. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rated:<\/span>\u00a0K (4,090 words)
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Disclaimer:\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><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Tattletale’s Birthday<\/strong>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPsst! Little Joe! Hey, Little Joe!\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Little Joe Cartwright jumped a little, turning toward the sound of a whisper that was anything but quiet.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0It was his brother Hoss, beckoning to him from the doorway of the stable. Hoss was grinning and flapping his hand, motioning for his younger brother to join him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe was only too happy to drop what he was doing and trot over to investigate. He had been working for nearly three hours now, ever since breakfast, and his neck and shoulders were stiff from having huddled over the strips of harness that he had been trying to repair. It was difficult to say which had been harder for the little boy: The work in untangling the harness straps, or sitting still for so long.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss grabbed Little Joe\u2019s arm as soon as he was within reach, yanking him inside and slamming the door. The sound echoed across the yard.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want Adam or Pa to see me,\u201d Hoss explained, chuckling.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, that \u2019splains why you\u2019re being so quiet and all,\u201d Joe said sarcastically, but his curiosity got the best of him and he didn\u2019t pursue teasing Hoss, who was usually about as quiet as a coop full of chickens with a fox in the doorway. \u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss still had a fistful of his brother\u2019s sleeve and effortlessly pulled Joe across the stable, into an empty stall. Hoss was 12, six years older than his brother, but he was as large for his age as Joe was small for his.<\/span><\/p>\n

Peeking over the wall to be sure no spies had sneaked into the stable, Hoss reached under a pile of hay, pulled out a heavy burlap sack and thrust his hand into the sack.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI made \u2019em for Adam\u2019s birthday,\u201d he said proudly. \u201cWhaddya think?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe took the wooden figures from his brother and examined them in the dim light. Hoss had carved two horses from heavy walnut. No, they weren\u2019t horses, after all: One had wings, the other had a long horn coming from its forehead.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA Pegasus and a unicorn?\u201d Little Joe said, turning the pieces over in his hands, admiring the skill with which his big brother had created them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUh-huh,\u201d Hoss said. \u201cThey\u2019re on bases, see? They\u2019re bookends. I figgered they\u2019d go real good with that set o\u2019 books Pa got for Adam\u2019s birthday. Do ya think he\u2019ll like \u2019em?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe made a face and held the figures out for Hoss to return to their hiding place.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you wanted Adam to like \u2019em, you shoulda carved a mean ol\u2019 grizzly bear insteada these things,\u201d Little Joe grumbled. \u201cOr a bobcat. Somethin\u2019 always lurkin\u2019 around, ready to bite your head off. Just like Adam.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss frowned and carefully wrapped the carved figures in their burlap bag, then tucked it back under the hay. Joe watched, pouting.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s got your goat?\u201d Hoss finally said, and that\u2019s all the encouragement Little Joe needed to explode.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI guess you haven\u2019t noticed me out there slavin\u2019 away on those harnesses all day,\u201d he cried. \u201cI guess Adam don\u2019t have nothin\u2019 better to do than to follow me around and tattle to Pa ever\u2019 step I take.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss chuckled. \u201cWell, Little Joe, the idea of you takin\u2019 all those harness straps and hookin\u2019 up those dogs to a sled \u2026 well, you got to admit. It weren\u2019t such a good idea.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe crossed his arms and scowled up at his big brother. \u201cI just need bigger dogs, that\u2019s all,\u201d he muttered. \u201cPatch just ain\u2019t big enough, and them other hounds, well, when they caught scent of that coyote, it just messed things up. But you just wait. I\u2019ll train \u2019em. You\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Good-natured Hoss just grinned and nodded. \u201cWell, anyway, you did make a mess outta them harness straps. You\u2019re lucky Pa didn\u2019t take one of \u2019em across your backside afore he set you to untanglin\u2019 \u2019em an\u2019 getting\u2019 \u2019em straightened out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe was not in a mood to look on the bright side. \u201cIt\u2019s all Adam\u2019s fault. He\u2019s the one that told me about them dog sleds they use up where it\u2019s cold and snowy all the time. Made it sound real exciting. But instead of being glad somebody listened to his tale, he acts like I broke some kinda law. If he hadn\u2019t\u2019a told Pa \u2026. \u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His smile faded as Hoss replied seriously, \u201cIf he hadn\u2019t\u2019a seen you and them crazy dogs about to run off that bluff, Little Joe, we\u2019d been done scraped up what was left of you off them rocks and you wouldn\u2019t\u2019a had to worry about fixin\u2019 no straps, that\u2019s fer sure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe frowned and scuffed the dirt floor with the toe of his boot. He would not admit to anyone how his exhilaration had turned to terror as the dogs, out of control, had plunged toward the bluff. With the dogs barking and Joe\u2019s frantic screaming, Joe had not heard the hoofbeats as Adam had thundered up and leaped out of the saddle before his horse even stopped. Adam had snatched Joe off the sled just as the dogs had reached the very edge of the bluff. The sled had crashed over the edge, smashing the wood into splinters, and only Adam\u2019s strong hand on the leather straps had kept the dogs from being pulled over the bluff as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, what about last week?\u201d Little Joe continued, frowning even more deeply. \u201cI skip school one day – one day! – and you\u2019d think it was the end of the world. If Adam thought it was a pretty enough day to come by that fishing hole, why wouldn\u2019t he understand that I felt the same way?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAw, come on, Little Joe,\u201d Hoss complained. \u201cYou know Pa don\u2019t want us skippin\u2019 school. It ain\u2019t like you ain\u2019t been warned about that before. It\u2019s not Adam\u2019s fault. If you hadn\u2019t been doin\u2019 it, you wouldn\u2019t\u2019a got into trouble.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe knew he was being unreasonable, but he didn\u2019t care. Still sulking, he glared at Hoss. \u201cIf Adam didn\u2019t have to run and tell every little thing I do, then I wouldn\u2019t always be in trouble,\u201d he insisted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss just shook his head and tried to change the subject. \u201cWhat are you gonna give Adam for his birthday, anyway?\u201d he asked, but his younger brother just snorted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to give him what he gave me: A hard way to go!\u201d he grumbled, then added grudgingly, \u201cI dunno. Why don\u2019t you let me paint your bookends and let that be from both of us? I could paint \u2019em up to look like pintos, real pretty.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss just laughed. \u201cPegasus an\u2019 unicorns ain\u2019t pintos,\u201d he chuckled. \u201cI reckon you better find your own idea. But you better hurry. You\u2019re runnin\u2019 out of time. We\u2019re havin\u2019 the cake after supper tonight. Chocolate, too. Mmmmm\u2026. \u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe just sniffed and said airily, \u201cI prob\u2019ly ain\u2019t gonna give Adam nothin\u2019 this year. He wouldn\u2019t want nothin\u2019 from me anyway. And I don\u2019t want nothin\u2019 from him. Except just to be left alone. I\u2019ll be glad when he leaves to go back East and go to school. Hope he finds some Yankee to tattle on.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He glared up at Hoss, his smoky green eyes smoldering, lip thrust out in defiance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss wasn\u2019t smiling now. He looked at his younger brother for a moment, his blue eyes narrowed. When he spoke, his voice was quiet; Little Joe had to lean forward to hear him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI reckon you need to think about what you\u2019re saying, baby brother,\u201d Hoss said, and without another word, he brushed past Little Joe and walked away.<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe opened his mouth to yell, \u201cI ain\u2019t a baby!\u201d – but the words caught in his throat and he didn\u2019t make a sound. He watched Hoss bang the stable door open and stalk toward the house.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care,\u201d Joe muttered.<\/span><\/p>\n

But he did care. Hoss almost never took Adam\u2019s side against his, and this unexpected turn of events puzzled him and upset him more than he would have cared to admit.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care,\u201d he said again, stubbornly, and kicked a pile of hay to prove it. His father\u2019s horse, in the next stall, lifted his long nose over the wall to see what all the commotion was about. Little Joe glared at the horse, who seemed to be reproaching his childish behavior, and stomped away. He dared not look toward Paint, his own pony, fearful that he, too, had turned against him and would be looking at him with disappointed eyes – as had Hoss.<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe returned to the pile of tangled leather straps and groaned. He\u2019d been working forever and still had a long way to go. He picked up a buckle and tried to thread it back into place, but it would not slide smoothly into position. It hadn\u2019t been nearly so difficult nor taken half as much time to dismantle the harnesses; why was it such a headache putting them back together?<\/span><\/p>\n

He worked for another two hours, fuming the entire time. He would not give Adam a birthday gift. Adam would look at him expectantly, and Little Joe would put his bossy big brother right into his place. \u201cDon\u2019t look to me for a gift,\u201d he would say. \u201cYou got all your kicks out of tattling and seeing me in trouble every day for the past two months. That\u2019s all the gift you\u2019re getting.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That would show him, Little Joe thought, pleased with himself and his plan. Adam would know then – everyone would know – that Little Joe wasn\u2019t a little kid who could be bossed around and tattled on, and take it sitting down. No, he was nearly grown, almost seven years old, and he could stand up for himself. If Adam didn\u2019t like it, too bad.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam had always treated him like a baby, Little Joe reflected, picking up the last piece of leather.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019m tired of it,\u201d he mumbled to himself. Why couldn\u2019t Adam treat him the same way he treated Hoss? Adam never picked on Hoss, but seemed to go out of his way to get his youngest brother in trouble.<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe mentally ticked off the many transgressions Adam had tattled on in just the past couple of weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n

The dog sled, with Joe\u2019s dog Patch leading a team of hound dogs hitched up to a sled Little Joe had painstakingly made out of lumber Pa had intended to use in repairing the corral fence – that is, before Little Joe\u2019s adventurous ride had left the wood in splinters and the harness in knots.<\/span><\/p>\n

That beautiful day just last week, way too pretty to spend cooped up in school, with the fish in the pond practically calling his name, just wanting to be caught.<\/span><\/p>\n

The broken dishes. The torn pair of pants. The spilled paint. The new boots he\u2019d accidentally dropped into the well. The adjustment – he wouldn\u2019t call it cheating – during the checkers game. The shelf he\u2019d propped up, hoping nobody would notice it had been broken. Was it Joe\u2019s fault the stupid shelf hadn\u2019t been strong enough to hold one small boy who had to climb the lower shelves to reach the higher?<\/span><\/p>\n

Whatever the transgression, Adam always managed to show up.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cKnow all, see all, tell all,\u201d Little Joe muttered. He stood up and began collecting the pieces of harness, groaning a little over the stiffness in his back.<\/span><\/p>\n

He carried the harnesses into the stable and hung them carefully on their pegs. He made sure to do it correctly. He knew that if even one strap were crooked, Adam would be sure to come snooping around and would make sure Pa knew about it. Pa always took Adam\u2019s side, too, Little Joe thought darkly. First Pa, and now Hoss. It just wasn\u2019t fair.<\/span><\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t fair that he\u2019d had to miss lunch, either. But Pa had been mad. Once Adam had finished his narration of Little Joe\u2019s latest adventure, Pa had hardly given Little Joe a chance to say a word before he\u2019d sentenced him to the day\u2019s labor of restoring the harness straps to their original condition. \u201cAnd don\u2019t stop until it\u2019s finished,\u201d Pa had thundered.<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s tummy rumbled and he pressed both hands against his stomach, wondering if Hop Sing would give him a sandwich to tide him over until supper. Unless, of course, Adam had turned Hop Sing against him too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe decided it might be safer to sneak into the kitchen and find his own sandwich, rather than risk asking and being rejected. He opened the front door slowly and carefully stepped inside, avoiding the floorboard that he knew to be creaky \u2013 having been caught during a previous transgression, betrayed by its sound \u2013 and started inching toward the kitchen.<\/span><\/p>\n

He heard voices coming from his father\u2019s study, paused and listened. It was Pa and Adam. Good. So they were safely out of the way, Little Joe thought.<\/span><\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t interested in anything Adam might have to say – surely even Adam had run out of things to tattle about by now – but Little Joe couldn\u2019t help but overhear the conversation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben was speaking in somber tones as he said, \u201cWell, Adam, if that\u2019s your decision. But are you sure? This is something you\u2019ve talked about for a long time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s voice was also serious. It always was, Little Joe reflected. \u201cPa, I think it\u2019s best. There\u2019s so much to do here. The Ponderosa is growing. With the timber and the herds, there\u2019s more to oversee than you can do alone. Hoss is growing up but Little Joe is still so young. Maybe in a few years.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

There was silence for a few minutes. Little Joe, easing toward the kitchen, rolled his eyes and pressed his lips together tightly to keep from hollering a retort to Adam\u2019s remark about his youth. Then Ben spoke again.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, I\u2019ve always depended on your assistance. Perhaps too much. You have proven yourself time and again to be a man of careful deliberation. I\u2019ve come to respect your advice and your opinions. But – son – won\u2019t you reconsider? Going back East to continue your education is a worthy goal. It\u2019s a goal you deserve to pursue. I don\u2019t want you to look back in years to come and regret this decision.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s voice was firm when he replied, \u201cI\u2019ve thought about it, Pa. My place is here. At least – at least, for now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe stopped, just short of the kitchen. Had he really heard Adam\u2019s voice waver at the end?<\/span><\/p>\n

But he discarded such a thought almost immediately. So Adam wasn\u2019t going to go back East after all? And all because he thought Little Joe was a baby who needed someone to look after him?<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe stood still, blood boiling. Why, he ought to march right into that office and tell Adam what he thought of him and his babysitting. He almost yelled, \u201cGo ahead and go back East, and leave me alone!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But he knew Pa would be furious, and Adam would suggest that this additional transgression would surely require more long hours of penance, and Joe had had quite enough of working toward redemption.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe was standing next to the dining room table, which suddenly reminded him of something he\u2019d nearly forgotten. Now that he thought of it, Little Joe realized that Adam had not said a word about Little Joe\u2019s feeding Patch under the dinner table. Little Joe knew Adam had seen him slipping turnips to his small dog – Hop Sing was a great cook, but nobody could salvage turnips – but Adam had merely reached for another biscuit, winked at him – and said nothing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam didn\u2019t like turnips either, but Little Joe had nevertheless expected to find his own solution to the turnip situation trumpeted to the world, and was surprised that Adam was silent.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nor had Adam told Pa about catching Little Joe outside after bedtime a couple of weeks ago. It had been a beautiful night, with a full moon. The coyotes up in the hills had just begged for someone to come outside and see the stars, and Little Joe had been all too happy to oblige. The tree outside his bedroom window had finally grown a branch tall enough and strong enough to support the weight of a little boy who had finally grown tall enough and strong enough to hoist himself onto the roof from that branch. The roof at night had proven to be a wonderful perch from which to see things that looked so different than they did during the daylight hours.<\/span><\/p>\n

He had been so enthralled by the sights and sounds of the night that he had failed to notice Adam coming up the road. Adam had been to Virginia City to take care of some business for their father, and the transactions had taken longer than he\u2019d expected. But Ben never worried when Adam was late; he merely left a lantern burning on the porch and went to bed, secure that his oldest son would be home as soon as he could.<\/span><\/p>\n

This particular night, Adam had arrived home to see his younger brother stretched out on the roof of the porch, his white nightshirt fairly shining in the moonlight. Adam had climbed up onto the hitching post, then hoisted himself onto the roof next to Little Joe, who stared at him in surprise as Adam merely motioned for his brother to scoot over.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re beautiful, aren\u2019t they?\u201d Adam had murmured, reclining next to Little Joe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe had mumbled some kind of reply, then finally, suspiciously, settled back onto the roof next to Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam shifted his shoulders to find a more comfortable position among the shingles, then pointed up at the sky.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo you see those stars there, right in a row? That\u2019s Orion\u2019s belt. Orion is \u2018The Hunter.\u2019 If you follow those other stars, you\u2019ll see his dog, Sirius; see, there, the North Star?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe had followed his brother\u2019s finger and nodded. Yes, he saw it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam and Little Joe had lain on the roof for quite a while. Adam\u2019s voice was quiet so as not to alert anyone in the house, and he directed Little Joe\u2019s attention to one constellation after another, and told the stories that had been told centuries ago, when man had first observed the heavenly figures in the sky and imagined their stories.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s voice was gentle and soothing\u2026 and then Little Joe realized that his brother was gently shaking his shoulder and coaxing him awake. Little Joe had fallen asleep to his brother\u2019s words of legend and mythology, and had cuddled against Adam\u2019s warmth in the cool of the night.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam had guided his brother\u2019s bare feet back onto the tree limb – he had whispered, \u201cWear your boots next time, boy\u201d – and had leaned over the edge of the roof, holding Little Joe\u2019s hand until he had stepped safely over the windowsill and into his bedroom. Then Adam had leaped from the roof to the ground in front of the porch, as lightly as a cat, put away his horse and gone to bed.<\/span><\/p>\n

The next day, Little Joe had wondered if it had been a dream, but during breakfast, Adam had seen him yawning – and winked at him.<\/span><\/p>\n

But he had not told Pa about finding Little Joe on the roof.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, sandwich forgotten, Little Joe retraced his steps and slipped out the front door again. He had a lot to think about. He was uncharacteristically quiet for the rest of the afternoon as he went about his chores, reflecting on his own thoughts and feelings.<\/span><\/p>\n

Later, when Hop Sing rang the supper bell, Hoss hurried over to Little Joe as they washed their hands.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou, uh, you all right?\u201d Hoss whispered.<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe nodded and combed his unruly brown curls back with damp fingers, but his eyes were without their usual sparkle. Usually chatty, he said nothing as he followed Hoss to the dining room table.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hop Sing had prepared all of Adam\u2019s favorite foods for supper in honor of Adam\u2019s birthday. Little Joe almost grinned when he realized this meant he wouldn\u2019t have to risk getting caught feeding turnips to Patch.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the meal was over, Pa, looking pleased but somehow subdued, left the room and then returned carrying a box that was obviously heavy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam opened it and gave a little cry of delight at what he found inside: A set of leather-bound books.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam read the titles aloud: \u201cPilgrim\u2019s Progress,\u201d \u201cThe Odyssey,\u201d the complete words of Tennyson, Shakespeare \u2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe wrinkled his nose and hoped Pa wouldn\u2019t give him a similar gift when his own birthday came around.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss stood now and retrieved his burlap sack from its hiding place in the corner, almost dancing with glee as he hurried around the table toward Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam grinned at the Pegasus and the unicorn and pronounced them perfect replicas of the real creatures.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll treasure these, Hoss,\u201d Adam said sincerely, and Hoss, blushing, hurried back to his chair.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam fingered the unicorn\u2019s delicate horn, then opened the cover of one of his books.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pa and Hoss, however, were staring at Little Joe, who had never felt more uncomfortable in his life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, Little Joe cleared his throat and stood up.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUm, Adam,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam looked up. His brown eyes were kind. \u201cYes, little brother?\u201d he said, and his voice was also gentle.<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe shoved his hands in his pockets. \u201cI have a gift for you, too,\u201d he said at last.<\/span><\/p>\n

He could feel himself beginning to sweat. Maybe this wasn\u2019t such a good idea. He could feel his jack knife in his pocket. Maybe he could just give that to Adam and pretend it had been his gift all along.<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe stared at his boots, then glanced up at Adam. Adam was sitting quietly, patiently. There was a slight smile playing about his lips and he seemed, somehow, to be giving encouragement to his younger – and obviously nervous – brother.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy gift is me,\u201d Little Joe finally blurted. \u201cI know you want to go back East to go to school and you won\u2019t do it because you think I\u2019m too young to get along without you. Well, I – I\u2019m not. I\u2019ve been thinking about it, and, well, I want you to go.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam lifted an eyebrow in surprise and pursed his lips; Little Joe realized what he had said and hurried to explain.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, I don\u2019t want you to go\u00a0away<\/em>, I just mean I want you to go to school,\u201d Joe said quickly. He didn\u2019t dare glance at his father or at Hoss, but plunged ahead, eyes locked almost pleadingly on Adam\u2019s. \u201cI\u2019ll do my chores and mind what Pa says and I won\u2019t play hooky. And I won\u2019t try to ride a dogsled no more. Any more. And I\u2019ll eat my turnips and I won\u2019t stay up past my bedtime and I won\u2019t sneak Patch up into my bedroom at night and I – \u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe ran out of breath and stopped talking, panting, staring at his big brother.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam was smiling at him, really smiling, and then Little Joe was running toward his brother, flinging his arms around his neck.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam stroked Little Joe\u2019s hair. Little Joe buried his face in his brother\u2019s neck, embarrassed to look up now because everyone would see that he was crying.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam had to know it; hot tears were running down his neck. But when Adam spoke, he didn\u2019t tell anyone that Little Joe was crying.<\/span><\/p>\n

He whispered, so that only Little Joe could hear him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I look at the stars in Boston, they will be the same stars you see shining over the Ponderosa,\u201d Adam said softly. \u201cI\u2019ll always remember this gift, Joe, for the rest of my life. Thank you for a wonderful birthday gift, the best gift anyone ever gave me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe nodded and turned his head a little, wiping his snotty nose on his brother\u2019s shirt. Adam laughed and hugged his brother even more tightly.<\/span><\/p>\n

And he didn\u2019t tattle, then or ever.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

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

Summary: \u00a0Adam receives the best birthday gift ever … from a very unlikely giver. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0K (4,090 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":1264,"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":[1005,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adam-cartwright","category-drama","wpcat-1005-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\/03\/Bonanza24.jpg?fit=526%2C372&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2143","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\/70"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2143"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2143\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}