{"id":3317,"date":"2004-04-25T10:59:42","date_gmt":"2004-04-25T14:59:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=3317"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:08:26","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:08:26","slug":"heart-of-the-ponderosa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=3317","title":{"rendered":"Heart of the Ponderosa (by J7339)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0<\/span>A sad time for all at the Ponderosa \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rated:<\/span>\u00a0K+ (900 words)
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n

This was the first piece of Bonanza “anything” that I wrote about 18++ years ago.\u00a0 I wrote this even before I wrote the first lines of a proper length story – but for over 2 years afterwards was worried about what people would think – so it wasn’t posted up for all of that time.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I have been playing with the idea of an epilogue recently – not a sequel – or explanation for what happened – but rather something to be added.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Quite a long time ago I promised someone that I wouldn’t write the prequel or another chapter – so this is all.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Heart of the Ponderosa<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

…………… the eyelids fluttered a few times and then slowly, the flame within those emerald green eyes was extinguished and the life in his body expired.<\/p>\n

Those people who had been standing around the bed with expressions of anxiety, were now replaced with hollow beings. \u00a0Nothing held them upright except the pure\u00a0feelings of sorrow and loss.<\/p>\n

The silver haired man standing closest to him, once a strong and powerful man, now reduced to a frail and fragile old man within a few moments. \u00a0\u00a0When the heart of the man on\u00a0the bed had stopped beating, the older man’s spirit was also lost. \u00a0There were no soothing words of comfort that would bring back the life of one he treasured, no touch that would make the pain go away.<\/p>\n

To his left, a slightly younger man, about 34 years of age, felt as if he had been pierced by a spear directly through the heart. \u00a0No passages of Shakespeare came to mind when he tried to find an answer of why him and not myself.<\/p>\n

An even larger man stood to his left and though his body radiated muscle and power, despite all his physical attributes, he failed to bring back the life of the man he so cherished.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 His body slumped not from exhaustion, but from the pressure of having to go on with life without him. \u00a0\u00a0He didn’t know if he could do it.<\/p>\n

A small Cantonese man stood in the shadows of the doorway watching the scene played out before him. \u00a0No herbal remedy existed in his hidden closet that would enable this situation to be changed into a happy one. \u00a0Tears slowly slid down his face for the one he could almost call\u00a0\u2018son\u2019<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n

The next morning, a gust of wind blew down an empty Virginian City street. \u00a0No one walked the street, no dog was barking at the horses in the livery stable. \u00a0The doors to the saloon remained silent and for the remainder of the day, businesses in town would be closed out of respect.<\/p>\n

The only sound that could be heard was that of the church bell tolling, reverberating that a great loss had been suffered by the entire community. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0However, the local graveyard remained empty.<\/p>\n

A few miles away underneath a large tree beside a crystal clear blue lake, the citizens of Virginia City gathered.<\/p>\n

A lonely pine box lay beside a freshly dug grave. \u00a0\u00a0Three men were seated a short distance from the hole, seated because their legs refused to hold them up at this most\u00a0saddest of occasions.<\/p>\n

On top of the coffin laid flowers, a photograph of a young woman with curly brown hair and emerald green eyes. \u00a0Beside it lay a detailed drawing of a proudly standing black and white pinto horse.\u00a0 A gun belt complete with two pearl handled pistols was draped across the pine box.<\/p>\n

A minister stood before everyone and slowly read a sermon of praise and kind words about the person who lay silently before them in eternal rest.\u00a0 Today, even his own sermon could not bring solace to the family or anyone else in the congregation.<\/p>\n

Roy Coffee stood silently in the background, beside him Deputy Clem. \u00a0\u00a0They would both miss those slow moving games of checkers in the jailhouse on a Sunday afternoon. \u00a0And the fights they would occasionally need to break up at the\u00a0\u2018Bucket of Blood\u2019<\/em>\u00a0saloon. \u00a0This town would be very quiet for a very long time to come.<\/p>\n

A few young girls clung to each other near the giant tree, thinking about how the Saturday night dances would never be the same again.<\/p>\n

Paul Martin, the local physician also standing amongst the crowd, felt incredible sorrow at the thought that his desperate efforts had not been enough to help this family he so often felt part of. \u00a0\u00a0And ruefully he would have to close the cover on his thickest medical file forever. \u00a0\u00a0This family would need a lot of support and understanding in the coming days and weeks ahead.<\/p>\n

Grief would be an unwelcome visitor to each of them, assaulting their senses, causing them to relive great pain and suffering.\u00a0 The amount of time for each of them very different, as well as the emotions that would surface; \u00a0sadness, hurt, loss and anger.\u00a0 Unfathomable was the only word that came to mind or immeasurable when trying to describe the impact yet to come.<\/p>\n

If someone were to take a photograph of this scene, it would as though time stood still. \u00a0\u00a0No one moved.\u00a0 The only voice to be heard was that of the minister. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Thoughts from the mourners were about the person who meant the most to each of them present today, who had finally gone to dwell in the House of the Lord with his mother.<\/p>\n

A few months later, a drifter happened to be walking past that same tree, when he came across two headstones laying side by side each other at the lake.<\/p>\n

The first one read:<\/p>\n

Marie Cartwright\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Loved Always by her family<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The second, had these few words carved on it:<\/p>\n

Joseph Francis Cartwright<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Loving son and brother<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

31st October 1842<\/strong><\/p>\n

to 12th November 1864<\/strong><\/p>\n

22 years \u2013 Gone to his Mother<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keep Him Safe O’Lord<\/p>\n

F<\/em><\/strong>or he is the \u2018Heart of the Ponderosa\u2019.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jules6<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nEnd Notes:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

Anybody need a tissue ???????????????????<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0A few added sentences and altered words from the original.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/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
<\/div>\n

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

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

Summary: \u00a0A sad time for all at the Ponderosa \u00a0<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0K+ (900 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":3041,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_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":""},"categories":[23,8],"tags":[16],"class_list":["post-3317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-short-stories","tag-joe","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-8-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1694,"today_views":1},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Begin1.jpg?fit=428%2C446&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13630,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13630","url_meta":{"origin":3317,"position":0},"title":"A Cry for Freedom (by JennieA)","author":"JennieA","date":"January 7, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 It started with Ben giving Little Joe more responsibility for the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Little did the family realize the course Ben was setting in motion. 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