{"id":4200,"date":"2007-08-07T15:59:42","date_gmt":"2007-08-07T19:59:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=4200"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:11:21","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:11:21","slug":"it-happened-before-1860","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=4200","title":{"rendered":"It Happened Before 1860 (by ViveAdam)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: <\/span>The Cartwright family before the starting of the series<\/p>\n

Rated: K+ \u00a0WC \u00a04300<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It Happened Before 1860\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ben and Elisabeth under the mistletoe<\/strong><\/p>\n

He was standing near the wall but not leaning on it, in a very upright posture as an officer must stand. He held shyly his peaked cap in his hands and he watched her. She was so young, she looked so pure, a frail but perfect flower\u2026 Or a bird, a singing and twirling sparrow\u2026 No, not a sparrow, a nightingale, that\u2019s what she was.<\/p>\n

He dared not approach her. She was his captain\u2019s daughter and only fifteen years old. As a youth of nineteen, he was at the same time too old and too young to court her.But it was New Year\u2019s Eve and it was the perfect opportunity for a stolen kiss under the mistletoe. Even the finicky Captain couldn\u2019t reproach him for that.<\/p>\n

Suddenly bold, he put his cap on a chair and strode to the charming butterfly, in a white cream dress, who was carrying a tray full of sandwiches. He managed to cross her under the mistletoe, stopped there, preventing her to going forward and nimbly, lay a kiss on her cheek :<\/p>\n

\u201cHappy new year, Miss Elisabeth\u201d, he mumbled and was overcome by joy at seeing a smile drawing two dimples on her face.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHappy New Year, Ben\u201d, she replied. \u201cLet me put down this tray and you\u2019ll invite me for the next waltz, will you ?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1837<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll not be scared, will you, Adam ?<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright was beholding the scene. So peaceful. This tepee, this man with his tunic and loincloth, not a dog, not a child, nobody disturbing the village could be seen from the place he was standing.<\/p>\n

Therefore, Ben\u2019s heart was anything but peaceful. Inside, he felt as if a soup of anger and fear was boiling. This was an Indian village and an Indian man, not very different from the one who had killed his beloved wife Inger, a few months ago. Of course, it wasn\u2019t the same tribe. This land belonged to the Paiutes and the Indians who had attacked their caravan were Apaches. He had no reason to resent the Paiutes but he couldn\u2019t help feeling distrustful.<\/p>\n

He left the place where he had been staring at the man, as silently as he could. Not far from there, Adam and Hoss were waiting in the wagon, the eldest trying to keep the baby silent. Ben came to them with a slight smile and a finger on his lips. \u201cShhh, Indians around\u201d, he said and regretted it instantly after having seen Adam turn pale.<\/p>\n

He climbed on the wagon\u2019s seat, took the reins and clicked his tongue to make the horse start. While they were far enough from the village, he began speaking aloud :<\/p>\n

\u201c You know, Adam, you must not think that all Indian people are bad people, only because some of them shot your mother. It would be as thinking every white man is an outlaw because some white men are, do you understand ?<\/p>\n

\u201d\u201cYes Pa\u201d, the boy said thoughtfully, rocking his brother\u2019s cradle gently with one hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the country we\u2019re going, there will be Indians. Indian tribes have been migrating to the West because of our countrymen. They need so large meadows to be able to find food. They don\u2019t breed, they just hunt, do you see what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes Pa\u201d.\u201cThen, we\u2019d better decide that we\u2019re becoming to meet these Indians and try to become friends with them. That\u2019s what we\u2019re going to do. You\u2019ll not be scared, tell me, Adam, you\u2019ll be brave?\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy took a deep breath: \u201cYes Pa\u201d and tried a smile.<\/p>\n

Ben fell silent. He went on his way, thinking and speaking to himself : \u201cYou\u2019ll not be scared, will you, Ben ? Tell me you\u2019ll be brave\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1848<\/p>\n

A red neckerchief<\/p>\n

It was a habit he had picked a few months ago, since Marie\u2019s death, to be precise, the habit of stopping at the turn of the stairs, to look at his father. Every morning, he hoped he would be find again a flicker in his eyes and his familiar half smile at his lips and every morning, he was disappointed. Ben was, as usual now, staring at nothing and his lips were definitely shut.At this sight, he understood that his father still wasn\u2019t there. His body was present but his mind was elsewhere, somewhere in a place he could not reach And he knew that to-day would be as yesterday. He would have to take the family and the ranch into care. One day again, one day more. Obviously, Ben hadn\u2019t taken care of little Joe, so he turned back, climbed upstairs and pushed the child\u2019s bedroom\u2019s door.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, little buddy !\u201d he said as every day, \u201ctime to get up. Hurry up, breakfast\u2019s ready\u201d.<\/p>\n

Usually, the boy would have run into his arms. He would have taken just a moment to give him a cuddle and quickly help him to dress up, not without yelling simultaneously : \u201cHoss, are you ready ? Your breakfast\u2019s getting cold.\u201d<\/p>\n

But this morning was different Joe had managed to dress up by himself. Because of the mourning, he wore grey clothes and was looking sadly at his figure in the mirror Adam grinned at him :<\/p>\n

\u201cCongratulations, Joe, you\u2019re ready and you did it all alone !\u201d<\/p>\n

But the little boy didn\u2019t seem to notice the compliment. He went on staring at the mirror, vexed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter, little buddy ?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, why have I to wear grey clothes ? All the boys, at school, they have yellow, green, blue, red shirts and pants And me, grey, always grey. I hate grey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Startled, Adam didn\u2019t know, at first, how to react He was himself all clad in black and didn\u2019t bother about it. Even, he thought he was looking great in black but he had to admit that it wasn\u2019t very exciting, for a little boy, to be clad in grey.<\/p>\n

\u201cListen, Joe, I can\u2019t buy you a new shirt or new pants but I can manage to provide you with a new neckerchief. What colour would you want ?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe smiled broadly.\u201cYou’d do that, Adam ? I\u2019d like a red neckerchief. It would be fantastic !<\/p>\n

\u201d\u201cAll right, buddy, you\u2019ll have it. And now, get downstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss had heard them. He left Joe get away and then asked his elder brother :\u201cBut Adam, Ma\u2019s been dead for only four months. What will Pa say ?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam gazed sadly into his brother\u2019s eyes : \u201cBet he will even not notice, Hoss. Anyway, if he does, I\u2019ll find a good reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1849<\/p>\n

Julia Bulette\u2019s secret<\/p>\n

The grandfather\u2019s clock had just rang twice but, in spite of a hard working day, Ben was staying sleepless.<\/p>\n

Joe had been packing up and was gone from the Ponderosa for three days now. He had settled in town, in Julia Bulette\u2019s hotel to be precise. At the beginning of Joe\u2019s crush on Julia, Ben lived in the belief of being able to handle the situation and to nip this idyll in the bud, but to-day, he had lost all his certainties. Julia had been quick to increase her hold on Joe and Ben knew pertinently what she was aiming to.<\/p>\n

Julia was an old acquaintance of Ben\u2019s. After Marie\u2019s death, he had to come back to New-Orl\u00e9ans, in order to meet his wife\u2019s lawyer. Marie\u2019s inheritance was not much but there was no reason to deprive Joe of it.<\/p>\n

During one year after Marie\u2019s departure, he had not felt strong enough to accomplish what seemed to be a pilgrimage but when, at last, he had come out of his long mourning period, he had realised that he had just the time for doing this journey, before Adam\u2019s leaving to college. He could rely on his eldest and his foreman, Charlie, a few weeks more, to look after the ranch. They had been doing it for one year, they would do it one month or two again.<\/p>\n

He was in no way in a festive mood, and was far from planning to entertain himself with girls and ephemeral acquaintances but how could he fancy that Marie\u2019s lawyer was a cheerful character and would give him an appointment in a\u2026 discreet meeting place? This very strange lawyer didn\u2019t hang about (since nobody knew Clay\u2019s existence, nobody was denying Joe\u2019s rights) and once the question settled, he obviously intended to treat himself to a pleasant evening in Ben\u2019s company. Before the latter had the time to open his mouth, he had ordered two demi-mondaines, Veronica for him, Julia for Ben.<\/p>\n

Bewildered, Ben was wondering how he would manage to get out of this trap. Julia seemed very young. Ben was ready to bet that she still had not reached her twentieth birthday. Ben was a man of high moral standards, almost to the point of Puritanism but years of knocking about a lot, as a sailor, had taken out of him all what could look like naivety. He knew that the girl had to come back with money if she didn\u2019t want to be punished. That\u2019s why, while the lawyer was going upstairs with Veronica, he proposed Julia to have a conversation with him, that would be paid the same price as if she had offered him other \u201cservices\u201d.<\/p>\n

Julia had accepted without any reaction. Was she relieved or humiliated, he couldn\u2019t say and would never know.<\/p>\n

Twelve years later, when Julia had appeared in Virginia City, a few weeks ago, he decided he would not say anything to anybody. He would keep the secret. At the beginning, Julia had distrusted him but seeing that he was careful not speaking ill of her, not gossiping all around, she regained self-confidence, so much that she had decided to take her revenge on these middle class men of Virginia City or any other place, by seducing Joe. From this start to becoming Ben\u2019s daughter-in-law and grabbing a third of his empire, there was only a light gap that she was on the point of crossing cheerfully.<\/p>\n

But even to prevent her from doing that, Ben couldn\u2019t bring himself to reveal his secret.<\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t confide it to Joe without breaking his heart. He couldn\u2019t confide it to Hoss without offending his ingenuity. And he couldn\u2019t confide it to Adam without taking the risk to have his son discovering that he was more experimented in gallant matter than his father.<\/p>\n

Ben sighed: It only remained for him to pray and ask the Providence to give him this famous hand that She often had lavished on him (alas, not always) when he was in trouble.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1852<\/p>\n

Little Joe was coming back home at an unusual slow pace. The letter he had in his bag was deeply worrying him. All the more so since it was the second one. The first one, he had pretended to have lost it and, as a matter of fact, he had lost it because he had thrown it in the wind. But Miss Jones didn\u2019t become discouraged and had written another one. This time, he had to give it Pa, he didn\u2019t see another solution.<\/p>\n

Luckily, Pa came back home late. Nevertheless, he wanted to control if Joe had done his homework and asked for the exercise book. There was no other alternative for Joe than giving the letter.<\/p>\n

Ben frowned at reading the letter : \u201cMiss Jones wants to see me to-morrow. Any idea why, Joseph ?\u201dJ<\/p>\n

oe blushed : \u201cWell, Pa, I\u2019m not sure\u2026 Could be many things\u2026 Better you ask\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll do and I\u2019ll find out, you can be sure\u2026 So, if you want to clear your conscience\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

But Joe hadn\u2019t the time to answer. Just as he was opening his mouth, the noise of several people running could be heard.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr Cartwright, Mr Cartwright\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben turned to the front door and saw his foreman, Charlie, followed by two hands, obviously bewildered :<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter ?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCattle, in the north pasture, it was robbed\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat ?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTim and Ted, they were ambushed. Five men wearing hoods. They threatened them with their guns\u2026\u201d\u201c<\/p>\n

We could do nothing, boss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, I\u2019m coming. Hoss, Adam\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCome with me. Hop-Sing, please take care of little Joe, we may come back late.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I want to go with you, Pa, I want to help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, you\u2019re only ten years. We don\u2019t need kids in such an expedition. Be nice with Hop-Sing, that\u2019s the best way to help.\u201d<\/p>\n

One minute later, they were gone and Joe was alone with the Chinese cook.They came back around midnight. They had find some trails but they could not go on in the darkness.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll continue early, to-morrow. Hoss, you\u2019ll accompany me, Adam, you\u2019ll stay there to deal with day-to-day matters. Oh, and, please, you\u2019ll go to town and see Miss Jones. I don\u2019t know what Joe did but she invited quite firmly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Pa\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo buts, Adam. You\u2019re more useful doing what I want than arguing to join the posse. Maybe it\u2019s not glorious but what must be done must be done. Understood ?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Pa\u201d Adam mumbled.<\/p>\n

The day after, he was, at four o\u2019clock, when school was coming out, in front of the door. He hated taking this kind of steps. Miss Jones had the knack of making a storm in a teacup. It would be an hour wasted. Joe went out and wasn\u2019t surprised to see older brother waiting there. Sure, Pa had sent him there to deal with the problem between Miss Jones and himself. He was delighted : Adam could never take Miss Jones seriously and knowing what she wanted to talk about, Joe was almost sure not to be punished by Adam. On some topics, big brother could be much more indulgent than Pa.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait for me, Joe\u201d, Adam said sternly.<\/p>\n

Taking off his hat, he approached the teacher with a bashful smile on his lips.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Miss Abiga\u00efl\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Miss Jones welcomed him with a big grin.\u201cOh, Adam. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit ?\u201d\u201c<\/p>\n

I dunno if it\u2019s a pleasure. As a matter of fact, it\u2019s this letter you sent to my father. He\u2019s too busy to come, so he asked me to replace him, if you don\u2019t mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, I don\u2019t mind. Come in, Adam, we\u2019ll be more quite to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n

A little scared, Adam stepped inside. \u201cPlease, Miss Jones\u201d, he asked, \u201clet you speak directly, I\u2019m in a hurry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Adam\u201d, she replied, simpering, \u201cit\u2019s not so easy to tell things directly. It\u2019s about a frog ?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA frog ?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, your brother, little Joe, I mean\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam rolled his eyes. Of course, it was Joe. Hoss had left school the previous year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did he do ?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe captured a frog and covered it with flour\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally ? So, what ?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe frog was in his pocket. He took it out and laid it on my desk, then he started blowing upon it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam failed to see why Abiga\u00efl Jones had thought necessary to convoke his father for this and couldn\u2019t help saying it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t understand, Adam. The frog was scared and jumped into\u2026 into\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

She was becoming crimson.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Adam, I can\u2019t tell you where the frog jumped into\u2026 No, I can\u2019t\u201d<\/p>\n

And while saying these denials, she was showing so obviously with her hands her d\u00e9collet\u00e9 that Adam couldn\u2019t help blushing lightly himself.He resented himself for that and pulled quickly himself together.<\/p>\n

\u201cMiss Abiga\u00efl, I\u2019m really very sorry but I would like to point that Joe didn\u2019t intend to send the frog to your\u2026 your\u2026, huh, where it went. I don\u2019t think it would be clever to punish him for that. Don\u2019t you think it would be more pedagogic to take him to the florist shop and buy you, with his pocket money, a bunch of flowers to say sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abiga\u00efl put on more and more simpering airs : \u201cOh, Adam, Adam\u201d she said, threatening him with her fingers, \u201cyou\u2019re spoiling this little brat but I accept, because it\u2019s you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam left the school and picked up his brother : \u201cYou\u2019re lucky, little buddy that I came, not Pa. She\u2019ll let you get off this time, provided that you offer her, with your own money, a bunch of flowers. I saved your hide from Pa\u2019s belt. Let\u2019s go to the florist\u2019s and promise me you\u2019ll never again cover a frog with flour.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1857<\/p>\n

The way Ponderosa\u2019s map caught in fire<\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright went out of the post office, obviously satisfied, with a parcel under his arm. Lost in his thoughts, he was speeding up when a feminine voice interrupted him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Adam ! Where are you going to ? Are you in such a hurry that you can\u2019t even stop to have a little talk with a friend ?\u201d<\/p>\n

Amanda Riddley was an eighteen years old maid but she acted as if the word \u201cshyness\u201d had never existed. No one could beat her art in needling young males and she didn\u2019t neglect any boy or man under thirty in Virginia City. When Adam Cartwright, two years ago, had come back from Boston where he was studying architecture, she had vowed to herself that she would have this man for her own. Last Saturday, at the birthday party organised by Mrs Riddley for her husband, they had danced together almost all the waltzes and she was certain he was deeply attracted to her. He had proved it when he had taken her out, in their small garden and given her an unforgettable kiss. She had expected a declaration but he had just grinned at her with this ambiguous smile he often had, half ironic, half tender, and he had taken her inside again for another dance.<\/p>\n

To day was Wednesday and since this Saturday night, she had waited for him to pay a call. So, she couldn\u2019t say if she was happy to meet him at last or disappointed to see that he wouldn\u2019t have stopped at her house if she hadn\u2019t shouted at him.<\/p>\n

Adam tipped his hat and said \u201cHello, Amanda. How are you ?\u201d.<\/p>\n

No more. Coquettish, Amanda pretended to be on the verge of crying.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you want me to feel, when you\u2019re neglecting me ?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNeglecting you ? But Amanda, if I remember well, last Saturday, I did everything aside from neglecting you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPrecisely. And after this kiss you stole from me, I expected a visit as soon as possible. Were you so busy on Sunday that you couldn\u2019t spare a few hours for me ?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam had chuckled at hearing the \u201ckiss you stole from me\u201d. In his memory, his \u201cvictim\u201d hadn\u2019t put up a fierce resistance to his attentions\u2026 But he was chivalrous enough not to mention it. He merely answered :<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Amanda, I was busy and I still am. If you don\u2019t mind, we\u2019ll wait until next Sunday to have this little conversation you\u2019re obviously longing to have with me. Now, I\u2019m sorry, but I have to leave you. See you at Mrs Tuckerton\u2019s picnic.\u201d<\/p>\n

And he strode away.<\/p>\n

Piqued, Amanda decided she wouldn\u2019t wait for Sunday. She wasn\u2019t going to let herself be pushed around. She went to her mother having found a good reason to go to the Ponderosa :<\/p>\n

\u201cMom, do you remember you promised to buy me a wardrobe just for me when I reach eighteen ?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Amanda, but I still didn\u2019t find the time to\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry about it, Mom. I think I could order it to Adam Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Amanda, he\u2019s not a joiner !\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, he is, Mom\u201d Amanda lied. He told me he was able to make any furniture I would order him. I just have to go to the sawmill and show him, on a catalogue, the pattern I desire. And he says that, as a friend, he will do it just for the price of the wood.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right. Take the buckboard on Saturday. I\u2019m sorry, but I can\u2019t go with you, I\u2019m too busy here with Sally; so is your father with his work. Be prudent and come back before six.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the Ponderosa, she found Hoss and asked after Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s at the sawmill\u201d, the latter answered. \u201c<\/p>\n

Since he came back from college, he made a den there. As soon as he has a little spare time, there he goes.\u201d<\/p>\n

After having asked her way to the young giant, she headed off towards the sawmill. Effectively, Adam was there. He had fit out small premises that were his \u201coffice\u201d as he used to say and was presently absorbed in a drawing work.<\/p>\n

Not afraid to bother him, Amanda shouted:<\/p>\n

\u201cHello Adam! What are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam raised his head, just slightly annoyed but not so much. After all, she was quite a pretty girl and when he had the time, he enjoyed her company.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello Amanda! As you can see, I\u2019m drawing up a map.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA map? What map?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA map of the Ponderosa. Don\u2019t tell it to anybody, it\u2019s a surprise for my father\u2019s birthday. I just have to finish some details and frame it.\u201d<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s extraordinary, Adam! You\u2019ve drawn all the relieves, the streams, the lake, the forests\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, and it was longer than I thought. When I met you in town, on Wednesday, I had just received my charcoals. That\u2019s why I must apologize : since his birthday is on Tuesday, I don\u2019t believe I\u2019ll be able to go to the picnic to-morrow. I want it perfect and I still have to work on it.\u201dAmanda simpered :<\/p>\n

\u201cNever mind, Adam. Take your Sunday for your drawing but give me this afternoon. It\u2019s far better to see you alone than among a crowd of noisy people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Amanda, but I can\u2019t neither to-day nor to-morrow\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat ?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnderstand me, Amanda, I actually want to make a beautiful map for my father. He means a lot to me and I want to show it. After Tuesday, I\u2019ll have plenty of time for you\u2026\u201d\u201cDo you mean that you prefer your old man to me ?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam hesitated. Not because he wasn\u2019t sure of the answer but because he didn\u2019t want to hurt her. He mumbled \u201cWell, Amanda\u2026\u201d but she didn\u2019t let him finish. She had spotted a matchbox. Infuriated, she caught it, took out a match and after having stricken it, threw it on the middle of the map, setting the fire on Adam\u2019s masterpiece.<\/p>\n

Adam rushed at it to stop the damage but it was too late : there was a big hole in the middle of the map. He straightened up and glared at Amanda. What she saw in his look made her step back. It was a mixing up between sadness, anger and disgust.\u201cGo away, Amanda\u201d, he said in a very low tone. \u201cGo away and disappear. I don\u2019t want to have anything to do with you for the rest of my life.\u201d Then, emphasizing his voice, he repeated : \u201cGo away !\u201d. What she did, terrified.<\/p>\n

Left alone, Adam sat down, put his arms on the desk, his head on his arms and cried. You can be a twenty-four old guy and feel as being a man but cry when a work you\u2019ve done with love is destroyed.<\/p>\n

After a few minutes, he raised his head, ashamed. \u201cWhat am I doing ? Crying like a child ? Well, I have one day and a half and three nights before Tuesday. Let\u2019s start again.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, he offered his father a splendid map that earned him great praise from a delighted Ben. And he stopped talking to Amanda\u2026 until one day, six years later. But this is another story\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amanda Riddley appears in the Fear Merchants<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The blue chair<\/p>\n

At a brisk pace, Adam was walking down Sacramento\u2019s main street. Tom Layton had made an appointment with him and he wanted to be punctual. Tom had recently married Helen Blake and as Tom\u2019s friend, he wanted to make a good impression on his new wife. Thinking he would be invited for lunch, Adam knocked at the Laytons\u2019 door.<\/p>\n

Tom opened the door and Adam heaved. His usually jovial and well fed fellow was now pale with a wasted face and sad gaze.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, Tom\u201d, he said hesitantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello Adam, glad to meet you\u201d, Tom said, his eyes denying his words.<\/p>\n

Adam ran his eyes over the room and then asked : \u201cWhere\u2019s your wife ? I thought I was to meet her\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will not\u201d, Tom answered angrily, \u201cshe left one hour ago and at this time she\u2019s certainly very busy losing the few dollars I\u2019d left.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suddenly, Tom sank down in a chair and began to cry. He looked devastated, unable to stop the tears trickling down his cheeks. Gasping, he told Adam the hopeless story of his marriage: \u201cI\u2019m broke, Adam, completely broke, I even can\u2019t offer you two eggs for lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t lose hope, Tom, I can help you, I can lend you some money.\u201d\u201cLend ? But I\u2019ll never be able to give it back. No, Adam, there\u2019s nothing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

One moment, Adam was at a loss. Again, he glanced through the room then the idea sprang up :<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t want to borrow, then sell me something. This blue chair, near the chimney, I\u2019ve been seeing it for years and always envied it. It\u2019s very comfortable and I do like the slate blue colour of the velvet that covers it. I already can imagine myself reading a book in this chair. It will be perfect in Ponderosa\u2019s living room. Do we have a deal?\u201d<\/p>\n

Tom couldn\u2019t help smiling at this outburst:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a deal. Fix a price.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I think three hundred dollars would be a fair price.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThree hundred dollars, for this old thing ?\u201d\u201c<\/p>\n

Who loves doesn\u2019t count ! Now Tom, help me to pack this chair, I\u2019ve to put it on the coach and I don\u2019t want it to be spoilt by the bumps. Afterwards, I invite you in a good restaurant. Come on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam\u201d Tom called.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Tom\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid I ever tell you ? You\u2019re the best friend a man can have. You really know what friendship means\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a Cartwright, Tom, we have it in our blood.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

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

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

Summary: The Cartwright family before the starting of the series \u00a0<\/p>\n

Rated: K+ \u00a0WC \u00a04300<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":3478,"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":[23,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-prequels","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-30-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1663,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/4Cartwrights.jpg?fit=849%2C541&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4235,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=4235","url_meta":{"origin":4200,"position":0},"title":"Les Cartwright de Ponderosa avant 1860 (by ViveAdam)","author":"ViveAdam","date":"August 3, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: Short stories about the Cartwright family before the start of the series Rated: K + WC 4900","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/4Cartwrights.jpg?fit=849%2C541&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/4Cartwrights.jpg?fit=849%2C541&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/4Cartwrights.jpg?fit=849%2C541&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/4Cartwrights.jpg?fit=849%2C541&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":19215,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=19215","url_meta":{"origin":4200,"position":1},"title":"Rolling Stone aka A Perfect Christmas Eve (by puppycuddles)","author":"puppycuddles","date":"December 25, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: Written for the 2018 Advent Calendar, based on the quilting prompt, Rolling Stone. 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While facing his father\u2019s strong disapproval, he will have to confront his own deepest feelings and find out what he really wants in his life. Matters are complicated by an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Alternate Universe"","block_context":{"text":"Alternate Universe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45990,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=45990","url_meta":{"origin":4200,"position":3},"title":"His Gal (by BettyHT)","author":"BettyHT","date":"October 3, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: There\u2019s a guest on the Ponderosa who is very taken with Adam, but she\u2019s only three years old. It\u2019s a Christmas story so there's trouble but a warm fuzzy ending. 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Rating: G Word Count: 1400","rel":"","context":"In "Ben Cartwright"","block_context":{"text":"Ben Cartwright","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1004"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/30wreath.jpg?fit=450%2C549&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5064,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=5064","url_meta":{"origin":4200,"position":5},"title":"Dear Santa, 1860 (by Puchi Ann)","author":"Puchi Ann","date":"December 30, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0It's time again for Joe's annual letter to Santa Claus, this time based on the events represented in the second season of Bonanza. \u00a0From Jennifer Beale to Ellie McClure and beyond, Little Joe is still having trouble dealing with the opposite sex and remains in great need of Santa\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4200","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\/130"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4200\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}