not<\/em>\u00a0to do. Cochise bit Joe on the leg \u2013 not hard but enough to make a point.<\/p>\n\u201cSee? I tole ya!\u201d Hoss chuckled.<\/p>\n
Joe ignored him, finished the business of saddling and bridling his horse, and the two brothers rode off together.<\/p>\n
As they rode, they passed a prairie-dog area. One creature stood on his hind legs and chirped in alarm. The others fled into their homes; the last one to seek refuge was the \u201cguard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat’d I tell ya?\u201d Hoss queried. \u201cHow did the others know to hide ‘less they’d bin told t’ do that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaking his head, Joe refused to answer. But the point was well-taken even though prairie dogs were skittish to begin with.<\/p>\n
*****<\/p>\n
The day was hot, so the two brothers stopped at a clear stream to refill already half-empty canteens. Bullfrogs were croaking in loud tones.<\/p>\n
\u201cListen, Joe. Them bullfrogs is talking t’ the gal frogs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joe giggled. \u201cHoss, you’re carrying this idea of animals being able to talk a little too far, don’t you think?\u201d<\/p>\n
Shrugging, Hoss answered. \u201cNaw. If ya’d open yer eyes an’ watch an’ pay ‘tention, ya’d understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joe was silent. He was thinking about what Pa had said about creatures communicating. Spying a small army of ants marching toward a dead grasshopper, Joe asked an interesting question. \u201cAre those ants talking to each other? They’re moving in a straight line in exactly the same direction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grinning, Hoss nodded but said nothing other than, \u201cWe got fences to check.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the fact that Joe spoke gently to Cochise before swinging into the saddle didn’t go unnoticed. Cochise didn’t flinch or back away.<\/p>\n
*****<\/p>\n
The day passed; fences were checked and mended quickly. Joe wiped the sweat from his forehead and grinned.<\/p>\n
\u201cTime to go home, Hoss! We’ve covered this whole area!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, and it’ll be good t’ git home. Reckon if Hop Sing’s got some o’ them donuts an’ cold lemonade? I could drink me a gallon ’bout now!\u201d<\/p>\n
Even though the horses had been tied under a shade tree, their heads drooping as they snoozed, their coats were damp with sweat. Cinches had to be adjusted, so Hoss spoke to Chubb and apologized as he tightened the cinch. Chubb sighed. Joe, in more of a hurry, poked his knee into Cochise’s side so that\u00a0his<\/em>\u00a0cinch could be tightened. Cochise made some kind of a noise and looked pointedly at Chubb who made his own noise back.\u00a0 Joe was tired and impatient to get home.<\/p>\n\u201cIf you tell me that our horses are talking to each other, I’m going to tie you to a tree and leave you here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI ain’t sayin’ nuthin’,\u201d Hoss retorted. But under his breath he whispered that they were, indeed, talking.<\/p>\n
In a few minutes, Joe made an observation. \u201cHow come going home always seems faster?\u201d<\/p>\n
Hoss grinned. \u201cMaybe Chubb and Cochise want to git home as bad as\u00a0we<\/em>\u00a0do. They git back to a cool barn, the sweet smell of fresh hay, no saddles ‘r bridles, and mebbe a handful of sweet feed.\u201d<\/p>\nJoe considered this for a minute. \u201cMakes sense, I guess. Cochise’s ears just perked up. Maybe he understands what ‘going home’ means.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCount on it, Shortshanks.\u201d<\/p>\n
*****<\/p>\n
As luck would have it, Joe had planned to ride over to his newest girlfriend’s house that night. After putting Cochise in his stall and leaving Hoss to wipe down and curry Chubb, Joe sped into the house to take a quick bath. After a quick shave and a wee bit too much cologne, Joe raced downstairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou must be seeing Annie\u00a0tonight,\u201d Ben said as he looked up from his easy chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow’d you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe could smell you before you even came downstairs,\u201d Adam deadpanned.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo easy on that stuff. A little goes a\u00a0long<\/em>\u00a0way.\u201d<\/p>\nMaking a face at Adam, Joe sprinted towards the door and out to the barn. Hoss was still currying Chubb and was talking to him quietly. Every now and then, Hoss would hum a bit of a tune.<\/p>\n
\u201cHoss, stop humming. You’ll scare the horses to death!\u201d<\/p>\n
Down went Chubb’s ears as he snorted. Buck snorted in return and so did Sport. Cochise, as yet not tended to, backed up in his stall and whinnied loudly. Several whinnies were returned \u2013 it got loud inside the barn.\u00a0 Cochise would\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0hold still for Joe to get into the saddle. Hoss stood by and watched, a knowing smile on his face. Even\u00a0he<\/em>\u00a0knew what the problem was.<\/p>\nIn the scuffle to swing onto Cochise’s back, Joe fell into the stall and into the not-now-so-fresh-hay and couldn’t avoid a big pile of manure which his horse had produced. Standing up, looking embarrassed and smelling like a barn, Joe looked at Hoss for sympathy. He got none. Hoss loved the smell of the barn; apparently the horses did too.<\/p>\n
Cochise looked around at his stablemates and whinnied loudly in his own language: \u201cDamn, he smells good!\u201d<\/p>\n
Hoss muttered happily under his breath, \u201cDon’t tell\u00a0me<\/em>\u00a0that horses cain’t talk an’ share a joke!\u201d<\/p>\n~\u00a0 The End<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Summary:\u00a0 \u00a0A Challenge to use \u201cDamn, He Smells Good\u201d\u00a0 (Oh yeah! What cologne do the boys wear?)