Summary:\u00a0 The Cartwrights plan a visit to the Virginia City Fair.<\/p>\n
Rating: G, Word Count: 1491<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Fair<\/p>\n
Virginia City was playing host to a fair with different activities and the Cartwright children were excited to go when their grandfather told them they\u2019d be attending.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve never been to a fair before. What do they do there?\u201d Mary asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have different booths to try and win prizes, women bring in preserves, quilts and other things to be judged and get a blue ribbon if they win, and there will be a hot air balloon!\u201d Ben answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cA hot air balloon! I\u2019ve never seen or been on one. Uncle Joe, will you go with me?\u201d Jimmy asked excitedly.<\/p>\n
Joe looked around at his father and brothers who were trying to smother their grins.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, Jim, I don\u2019t think I will.\u201d Joe laughed nervously.
\n\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
Joe heard snickers across the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cRock-a-bye Joey way up high in the sky,\u201d Hoss sang which made Adam and Ben burst out laughing.<\/p>\n
Emma, Jimmy and Mary looked at them in confusion. Seeing their faces, Hoss explained the story about Joe falling asleep in the basket of the hot air balloon and Hoss letting the rope go and Joe yelling at his brother to let him down.
\nMary, Emma and Jimmy laughed at the story.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right, Uncle Joe, you don\u2019t have to go with me. At least just watch me,\u201d Jimmy said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will,\u201d Joe promised.<\/p>\n
Emma and Mary started talking about what they wanted to take while the men talked about the bulls that would be there.<\/p>\n
The Cartwrights rolled into Virginia City two days later. After Ben parked the wagon, Jimmy hopped down from the wagon and jumped up and down in excitement. Joe got out and Jimmy grabbed his hand and they took off.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s Anna!\u201d Mary exclaimed seeing her friend.<\/p>\n
Hoss helped her down from the wagon.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore you take off, Mary, you need to take your quilt to the quilting booth,\u201d Emma said.<\/p>\n
Hoss handed Mary her quilt.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood luck. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll win,\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks, Uncle Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emma got her jar of preserves and the mother and daughter were off. Hoss, Adam and Ben went to look at the bulls.
\nMary filled out the forms and handed in her quilt. She had been working on her quilt for a few months. Emma had helped her with it. It wasn\u2019t big or heavy for winter but something light for summer. It was a patchwork quilt from different pieces of fabric Emma had given her. Mary enjoyed making it. After leaving the booth, she left to find Anna. She found Anna and her family by the food booth.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, Anna,\u201d Mary said.<\/p>\n
Anna turned around and smiled seeing her friend.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, Mary. It\u2019s good to see you.\u201d
\nAnna hugged Mary.<\/p>\n
Annaliese, or Anna as she went by, and her family had moved to Virginia City from New York. Her parents had emigrated from Germany five years before. Mr. Schmidt wanted to see the west and decided to move his family to Virginia City. Mary had met Anna when she had moved in and went to school. They had become fast friends.<\/p>\n
\u201cMama, may we go to the hot air balloon?\u201d Anna asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, you may but be careful,\u201d Mrs. Schmidt said.<\/p>\n
Anna grabbed Mary\u2019s hand and they ran to the hot air balloon.<\/p>\n
They found Jimmy and Joe there waiting to get on.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, Mary and Anna. Are you going to ride with me?\u201d Jimmy asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cSure,\u201d Mary said.<\/p>\n
It was finally their turn and the three kids got on while Joe watched.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my it\u2019s beautiful up here!\u201d Mary said breathlessly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if you could go all over the place like this? You could see so many places,\u201d Anna said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is how birds see everything,\u201d Jimmy replied.<\/p>\n
They were pointing out places and talking about how big it was until they were pulled down by a rope a few minutes later.<\/p>\n
\u201cUncle Joe, it was amazing up there!\u201d Jimmy said excitedly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know it is. I\u2019m glad you got to go up and see everything,\u201d Joe said patting the boy\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s go find something to eat,\u201d Jimmy said.<\/p>\n
Joe laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right. Would you ladies care to join us?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo thanks. We\u2019re going to see what else is going on,\u201d Mary said and the two girls ran off.<\/p>\n
Hours later, the Cartwrights gathered together for the announcement of the winners of the preserves and the quilts.
\nThey named the third and second place winners for the quilts and everyone waited in anticipation for the first-place winner.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe winner for the quilts is Mary Cartwright!\u201d the announcer said.<\/p>\n
The Cartwrights cheered for Mary. She looked surprised and then excited. She shyly went up to get her blue ribbon and quilt. She came back down to her family where they shared hugs and congratulations. The next one up was Emma and her preserves. She also won the blue ribbon and was also given hugs and congratulations.<\/p>\n
There were games going on and Jimmy participated and won when he caught the greased pig. He jumped up and down in excitement. Mary and Anna walked around the town after watching Jimmy and heard many of the older women talking about how the quilting and preserves contests were rigged because the two winners happened to be Cartwrights.<\/p>\n
\u201cThough I don\u2019t know why Mary should be considered a Cartwright since she is adopted. Maybe they felt bad for her because she was adopted,\u201d A woman said.<\/p>\n
Mary looked over and saw the woman was Helen Mangum. Mary had known almost everyone in town and from what she had heard from her parents, Mrs. Mangum had spread lies about them before and after their marriage. The words stung though Mary knew it wasn\u2019t true about the contest. She held the tears in as she and Anna walked to see Anna\u2019s family.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna, we have to go now. Mary, congratulations on winning. Tell your mother congratulations also,\u201d Mrs. Schmidt said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you, Mrs. Schmidt, I\u2019ll pass the message along to my mother,\u201d Mary replied.<\/p>\n
Anna gave Mary a hug and left with her family.<\/p>\n
Mary walked slowly to the wagon where her family would be. She let the tears fall down her face as she thought of Mrs. Mangum\u2019s words. Though she had heard it from many people about her and Jimmy being adopted and not true Cartwrights the words still hurt. As she neared the wagon she wiped the tears away hoping nobody could tell she had been crying.<\/p>\n
The family was in the wagon but Adam. He was leaning against the wagon waiting for her so he could help her in.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, Mary?\u201d Adam asked seeing Mary\u2019s tear stained face.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing,\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cWill you tell us about it later?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary nodded. Adam lifted her in the wagon, then jumped in and they went home.<\/p>\n
Later that evening, Mary found her father and mother sitting on the porch looking up at the stars and holding hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cMa? Pa?\u201d Mary asked quietly.<\/p>\n
They turned and looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong? You should be asleep,\u201d Emma asked gently.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about today. I want to tell you about it,\u201d Mary said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome sit on my lap,\u201d Adam said patting his lap.<\/p>\n
Though Mary was too old to sit on her father\u2019s lap, it was still comforting to be curled into her father. She felt safe and protected. Mary told them what she had overheard Helen say. After she was done she saw her mother\u2019s lips tighten. Adam\u2019s arms tightened around her as if to protect her from the words that had been said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMary, you know that\u2019s not true,\u201d Emma said taking her daughter\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know, Ma, but it hurt. Especially since Anna was there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure Anna will not think anything less of you,\u201d Emma replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna knows about my being adopted. I told her all about it. She had asked me about it when one of the kids asked why she wanted to be friends with an orphan. Anna said she didn\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got a good friend. You don\u2019t pay any mind to Mrs. Mangum. She is just the town gossip and will talk to anyone who will listen. The townspeople think you and Jimmy are good kids. And I agree with them,\u201d Emma said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay I stay here for a while?\u201d Mary asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course,\u201d Emma said.<\/p>\n
She looked at Adam and he smiled at her. He kissed the top of Mary\u2019s head and began rocking in the chair and sang a lullaby. Mary fell asleep and they continued rocking on the porch then Adam put Mary in her bed and tucked her in. Emma stood by Adam and wrapped an arm around him. He put an arm around her as they stood looking over her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure proud of her. She has the Cartwright spirit,\u201d Emma whispered.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat she does,\u201d Adam whispered back.<\/p>\n
They turned and went to bed.<\/p>\n
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Note from the Brandsters, this story was originally posted on the Bonanza TrailRiders website.\u00a0 Brand is happy to offer this story a new home.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n