{"id":29110,"date":"2005-01-21T16:29:50","date_gmt":"2005-01-21T21:29:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=29110"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:09:10","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:09:10","slug":"to-teach-an-old-dog-by-katep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=29110","title":{"rendered":"To Teach an Old Dog (by KateP)"},"content":{"rendered":"
Summary:\u00a0 Young Joe helps a ranch hand.<\/p>\n
Rating:\u00a0 G\u00a0 (1,180 words)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
To Teach an Old Dog<\/strong><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The first time I saw him was the day that I hired on at the Ponderosa. I didn\u2019t know then that that skinny, green-eyed kid was going to change my life for ever.<\/p>\n
He was sitting beside his father, watching as the new hands signed on. Obviously an observant youngster, he saw me hesitate when it came to sign my name, and realised straight off that I couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
I guess he must have come across plenty of guys like me before, heck half the older cowhands I know can\u2019t read or write. I thought I saw pity in his eyes though as he held out the pen and showed me where to make my mark.<\/p>\n
Inscribing an \u2018X\u2019 at the bottom of the paper I gave him what I hoped was a proud and defiant look, so that he could see I wasn\u2019t ashamed of not being able to write. I kind of hoped he\u2019d see how irked I was at his pitying look, but he just grinned as he shook my hand and welcomed me to the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n
It was a pretty good job I got with the Cartwrights. Work was hard but the pay was fair and the grub was real good, best I ever had. I got along well with the men I worked with and, truth be told, I enjoyed working there.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t see the kid again for a while but I heard all about him. Heard about all the Cartwrights, come to that. Good employers the other hands said, and a fine family. The kid was the youngest of Ben Cartwright\u2019s three sons. His name was Joseph, Little Joe they called him. Fourteen years old and cocky as all get out. Thought he knew everything. But he was a good hearted youngster, everyone agreed, friendly and good natured. Never lording it over anyone \u2018cause of who his Pa was.<\/p>\n
The next time I ran in to him was down by the corral. His eldest brother, Adam, was breaking some horses and the kid was sitting up on top of the fence, watching. I\u2019d been helping out and was on my way back to the bunkhouse to wash up before supper.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey!\u201d he called, catching sight of me as I walked past. \u201cHow are you liking the Ponderosa?\u201d<\/p>\n
It would have been rude not to answer, and besides, he was the boss\u2019s son, so I ambled over to join him. \u201cI like it fine,\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood,\u201d he grinned down at me. \u201cYour name\u2019s Ned ain\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYep, that\u2019s me. Ned Clark.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was it for a while as we both turned to watch Adam Cartwright ride a spirited mare around the corral. The kid yelled his appreciation as his brother brought the animal under control and I couldn\u2019t help smiling. He was obviously real proud of Adam.<\/p>\n
As the horse was led away, Joe looked down at me again. \u201cMind if I ask you something?\u201d he said, sort of shy like.<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk away,\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s it like? I mean not being able to read and write. Don\u2019t you wish you could?\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t answer right away and the kid shifted uncomfortably on the fence. Guess he felt a bit bad about asking such a personal question.<\/p>\n
\u201cReckon you don\u2019t miss what you never had,\u201d I told him eventually.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut how do you manage?\u201d he asked, and though I\u2019d expected to hear pity, or even contempt, in his voice, I didn\u2019t. Just curiosity. Mayhaps I\u2019d been wrong about him pitying me back when his Pa took me on.<\/p>\n
I shrugged my shoulders, dismissing the question. \u201cDon\u2019t have no need of reading.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWouldn\u2019t you like to read a book or a newspaper? And what about letters?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAin\u2019t got no one to write a letter to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he looked it too, his shoulders slumping and his eyes sad. \u201cI didn\u2019t mean to pry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t mind,\u201d I reassured him. He was only a kid after all, he didn\u2019t mean to cause offence. \u201cYou really want to know what it\u2019s like?\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell then, sometimes it\u2019s real hard, like when I\u2019m with a group of fellers that can all read and they poke fun \u2018cause I can\u2019t. Or they laugh and joke about something they\u2019ve read and I feel kind of left out. I try not to feel ashamed, ain\u2019t my fault after all, but sometimes I just can\u2019t help but feel that folks think they\u2019re better than me \u2018cause of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t mean to make you feel that way,\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t fret, son, you didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow come you didn\u2019t learn when you were young?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo schools around where I grew up,\u201d I told him, thinking back to the farm where I\u2019d been raised. No school within a hundred miles or more and my Ma and Pa couldn\u2019t read either, so they couldn\u2019t teach me. Oh, my Pa could do some figuring and he taught me that. I could cope with numbers all right. Just letters I never learned. \u201cI guess sometimes it might be good to know what things say. But I ain\u2019t likely to learn reading now. Can\u2019t teach an old dog new tricks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBet I could teach you,\u201d he offered confidently, \u201cI don\u2019t much like school but I can read and write okay.\u201d He leaned forward and snapped his fingers as another idea struck him. \u201cOr my brother, Adam, could do it. He\u2019s real good at being a teacher. He used to help me with my lessons when I was a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n
I hid a smile at that, to me he still was a kid. \u201cI don\u2019t think so, but thanks for the offer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSuit yourself,\u201d he jumped down from the fence and walked away, leaving me alone with my thoughts.<\/p>\n
Funny thing, till this kid had started in with his questions I\u2019d have said reading and writing didn\u2019t really matter to me. That I was happy enough going through life without it. But he\u2019d made me think. It would be good to join in when the fellers talked about things they\u2019d read. And how often had I watched one of the hands pull out a letter and read it, treasuring the news from back home. I\u2019d told young Joe that I had nobody to write to, but that weren\u2019t altogether truthful. I did have some family. My sister and her family were still living on my Pa\u2019s farm, as far as I knew anyhow. It might be nice to send them a letter, and I knew there were neighbours that could help them read it. I\u2019d like to know how everyone was doing, how the farm was coming along.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, Joe,\u201d I called after him, coming to a decision. \u201cThose lessons you offered. Mind if I take you up on them? Just between you and me though, I don\u2019t want the other hands getting to know about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He smiled widely and sauntered back to shake my hand. \u201cIt\u2019s a deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
You know what? He may have been young but Joe Cartwright made a darn good teacher. Couldn\u2019t have written this otherwise, could I?<\/p>\n