{"id":48415,"date":"2024-03-18T21:04:45","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T01:04:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=48415"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:37:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:37:19","slug":"bits-and-pieces-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=48415","title":{"rendered":"Bits and Pieces 2012 (by DJK)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bits and Pieces 2012<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a collection of vignettes written for some pinecone challenges in 2012.\u00a0 Each challenge was generated by the first line of a novel.\u00a0 The quote and source are used to title each piece.\u00a0 They have a broad range of themes and tones, and some are AU.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rating: T\/PG-13\u00a0 Word Count: 5776<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

CCCCCCCCC<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

from <\/span>Pride and Prejudice <\/span><\/i>by Jane Austin<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. It is equally true that each woman feels she knows exactly which woman is suitable for the man- if not herself than some dear female preferably a family member, but bosom friends are also eligible. For this reason, Mrs. Genevieve Deveraux Braxton sat at the desk in her morning room pondering the guest list for a most important dinner.\u00a0 Mr. Braxton thought the evening\u2019s importance related to the business he planned to conduct with one Ben Cartwright; Mrs. Braxton knew a far greater importance lay in the fact that all three of Mr. Cartwright\u2019s eligible sons would be attending with him.\u00a0 One thousand acres divided three ways still gave each son a future worthy of being bestowed on those single girls dear to Mrs. Braxton\u2019s heart.\u00a0 She had met all three of the gentlemen in question when she and Mr. Braxton had traveled to Virginia City in the spring, and each had managed to meet even her exacting standards.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, her own dear Rosalie would be perfect for the youngest son.\u00a0 Little Joe- how quaint his family still referred to the boy that way- was a bit of a rapscallion, but only in the nicest sense of the word.\u00a0 He had spirit, and Rosalie wanted a spirited man.\u00a0 He also seemed more willing than his brothers to open the purse strings.\u00a0 Her daughter deserved the finest- if more expensive- things in life, and Little Joe seemed the most likely to shower her with the presents dear to a wife\u2019s heart.\u00a0 A generous boy was Joe Cartwright and so good-looking.\u00a0 Mrs. Braxton smiled over the pretty grandbabies she would hold.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not that the middle son- what was that odd name of his? Oh, yes, Hoss- seemed miserly, but Rosalie expected a dash of elegance.\u00a0 Hoss lacked elegance, but Mrs. Braxton did not hold that against him.\u00a0 Hoss Cartwright was solid- solid, strong, and sweet.\u00a0 He was just the down-to-earth sort of man her niece Emily Jane needed.\u00a0 Emily Jane, always on the sickly side, needed strength, and Mrs. Braxton congratulated herself on planning an infusion of heartiness into her own family\u2019s bloodline.\u00a0 Her dear brother would thank her for it if Emily Jane managed to produce an heir.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Her young cousin Victoria had been chosen for the eldest son Adam.\u00a0 One thing Victoria never lacked was strength of mind. Surely, she could hold her own with the college-educated rancher despite his slightly overbearing personality. His dark good looks, after all, made up for a great many opinionated observations.\u00a0 Besides, being a bluestocking would be less of a disadvantaged with an intelligent man.\u00a0 They might be able to speak about one of those endless books Victoria toted around.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mrs. Braxton put the finishing touches on her plans for the evening, and with a self-satisfied smile went to tell Rosalie to make sure her blue silk gown was cleaned.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0from <\/span>Scaramouche <\/span><\/i>by Rapheal Sabatini\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad.\u00a0\u00a0 When Adam first met him, he did not actually like Albert Kenworthy, but then Albert had not actually liked Adam.\u00a0 Adam Cartwright took things too seriously: school, studies, and self-important professors who thought they were imparting the wisdom of the ages.\u00a0 Albert continually poked fun at those professors, the school in general, and almost everything that most people admired. Boston society, debutants, and fellow students were also targets for Albert\u2019s barbs.\u00a0 Albert\u2019s wit was deprecating and condescending but always spot-on funny.\u00a0 Adam was bright enough to catch even the slightest nuances and therefore an excellent, if unappreciative audience, so even when he knew Adam had grown irritated with one of his diatribes Albert continued until Adam would shut his book and declare that he was going out.\u00a0 Watching his roommate depart, Albert would smile and tell himself he had done Adam a favor by getting his nose out of the books where it spent far too much time.\u00a0 So, they had been roommates that first year but never quite friends.\u00a0 Living in close confines, they did learn things about each other that created a peculiar bond.\u00a0 Adam was not sure that bond was welcomed by either of them, but he had to admit Albert had never used any knowledge he gained about Adam against him.\u00a0\u00a0 Still, Adam had spent considerable time over summer break considering how to handle changing roommates without creating an enemy.\u00a0 In the end, that time had been wasted, for on returning that fall Adam found that Albert Kenworthy\u2019s running-off with a young but married Boston socialite was the talk of the campus and half the town.\u00a0 He had received a short letter about a month later expressing apologies for not inviting Adam to a wedding (Albert assured that Adam would have been on the guest list if bigamy was not illegal in Massachusetts) and expounding the virtues of traveling Europe with a beautiful woman. Adam had known Albert well enough to detect the brittleness of his words and wondered what lay ahead for the black sheep of one of Massachusetts\u2019s leading families.\u00a0 Though he thought of Albert from time to time especially when a situation caused him to hear a witty barb against some pompous stuffed-shirt in his head, Adam never actually missed the man or expected to know his fate.\u00a0 He certainly never expected to walk into a San Francisco gambling house and hear an obviously drunken voice call out, \u201cAdam Cartwright, fancy seeing you here!\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe shared a room and a few classes, Hoss.\u00a0 Just that first year.\u00a0 He ran away to Europe with a married woman.\u201d\u00a0 Adam paused and rubbed his finger along his nose.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd now he\u2019s a gambler and a drunk.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA remittance man.\u201d\u00a0 Adam looked at his brother and saw in his face that Hoss knew about the money he had given Albert.\u00a0\u00a0 He also knew Hoss would never mention it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll this happened more or less.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0from <\/span>Slaughterhouse Five <\/span><\/i>by Kurt Vonnegut<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

All this happened more or less.\u00a0 I know that memory is self-serving.\u00a0\u00a0 Each of my brothers would have their own version of the story, and Pa his.\u00a0 Mine makes me more of a hero to some than theirs would, even if I feel less of one each time someone remarks that I am.\u00a0 I reacted without thinking.\u00a0 Now, I chide Little Joe about just that so often.\u00a0 Is it the result that makes my action heroic?\u00a0 It could so easily have gone the other way. Would they all have cursed my recklessness then?\u00a0\u00a0 I was lucky.\u00a0 Was it luck or perhaps divine intervention?\u00a0 Pa wanted to take me to task.\u00a0 I could see it in his eyes.\u00a0 If there had been no crowd, he would have.\u00a0 Perhaps he will yet.\u00a0 Is that why I\u2019m here instead of before our fire? Is avoidance the reason my stomach is growling instead of digesting one of Hop Sing\u2019s finest?\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m twenty-three, not thirteen.\u00a0 It\u2019s not as if I haven\u2019t faced a scolding before.\u00a0 Hoss, Pa, and even Little Joe all say that I have the thickest hide when it comes to a tongue-lashing.\u00a0 After all, nothing he could say would conjure up a worse picture of what might have been than I have already.\u00a0\u00a0 Pa won\u2019t say anything about how the boy could have been killed.\u00a0 No, Pa, will rant about the danger to his son, or at least the danger to us both.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss had crept to his brother\u2019s side with the same soft-footed silence he used to approach an injured beast.\u00a0 When Adam did not answer, Hoss simply settled on the ground next to him.\u00a0 \u201cThat moon\u2019s sure enough a beauty.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDid Pa send you?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNaw.\u00a0 He\u2019s fretting, and that spurred me some, but no. He doesn\u2019t know for sure that I always know where to find ya.\u00a0 We all know Little Joe goes up to Mama\u2019s; I\u2019m the only one knows you come here.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s only three, Hoss, and my actions could have killed him.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s alive, Adam, and you ain\u2019t the one that robbed the bank and tried to use a little\u2019un for a shield.\u00a0 Ya don\u2019t think that man would have let him live.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe might have.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t think that.\u00a0 Iffen you\u2019d had any thought like that ya never would have taken that shot.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cArrogance, Hoss, pure arrogance, and it could have ended with a child dead in the street.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy brother could have ended up dead in the street, but he\u2019s not.\u00a0 I choose to think on that.\u00a0 You saw the face of that boy\u2019s mama when he was back in her arms.\u00a0 If ya got to paint pictures in that mind of yours, paint that one.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss stood and slapped his hat against his leg.\u00a0 \u201cCome home, Adam; Hop Sing\u2019s waiting supper.\u201d\u00a0 Adam did not move.\u00a0 \u201cStaying here ain\u2019t gonna chance things one might.\u00a0 It happened as it happened.\u00a0 You\u2019d do the same if it happened again.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I would.\u00a0 The truth is I would.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cMost really pretty girls have pretty ugly feet.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0from<\/span> The Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cMost really pretty girls have pretty ugly feet.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe exchanged a glance with Adam before commenting on Hoss\u2019s statement.\u00a0 \u201cDoes that mean that ugly girls have pretty feet?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNope!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss\u2019s beer glass hit the table.\u00a0 \u201cUgly gals have uglier feet.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam arched his eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cCould you enlighten us on who has the ugliest feet?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss gave his brother a pointed glance, and Little Joe\u2019s giggle began.\u00a0 Another pointed glance from Hoss cut it off.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey, my feet aren\u2019t ugly, you galoot.\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe huffed and pushed back his chair.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNaw.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss drew the word out using the same tone he would with an irritable toddler.\u00a0 \u201cThem little baby feet of yours couldn\u2019t \u2018xactly be called ugly.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe shot to his feet, but Adam\u2019s hand clamped onto his brother\u2019s forearm.\u00a0 \u201cCool down, Joe.\u201d\u00a0 The few seconds\u2019 delay and his automatic attention to Adam\u2019s tone allowed Little Joe to recognize futility.\u00a0 He turned and stalked off to the bar for another beer and the blonde charms of Lillie.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t need to wind him up.\u201d\u00a0 Adam took a long draw from his warming beer.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes it\u2019s just so easy.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that\u2019s true.\u00a0 Still\u2026\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll set it right later.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss looked over and assessed the situation at the bar.\u00a0 \u201cIt might just wind him up more if I interrupted now.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s gaze followed Hoss\u2019s.\u00a0 \u201cDefinitely later.\u00a0 You never answered my question.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUgly men, of course.\u00a0 Ugly, old men who\u2019ve worked hard all their lives.\u00a0 You can tell a lot about a man\u2019s life from his feet, sometimes more than from his hands.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam sighed.\u00a0 \u201cTrue.\u00a0 Well, then pray tell me who has pretty feet.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss echoed his brother\u2019s sigh.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s just it.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t nobody got pretty feet; there just ain\u2019t no such thing.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSome people would beg to differ, brother.\u00a0 Some men are quite taken with women\u2019s feet.\u00a0 I knew a fellow at college who, well, let\u2019s just say he found women\u2019s feet, when he could see them uncovered, quite\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Adam paused to clear his throat.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHe found them quite erotic.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cErotic?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss\u2019s puzzled expression clearly asked for a definition.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam cleared his throat again.\u00a0 \u201cUmm, you know, they excited him.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cExcited him?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam made a quick gesture.\u00a0 \u201cExcited him.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFeet!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss\u2019s astonishment was clear.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cFeet.\u201d\u00a0 He shrugged.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cFeet.\u201d\u00a0 He leaned back and chewed his lower lip.\u00a0 \u201cKnew a fellow who got excited, umm, that way over knees.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cKnees?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Knees.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I don\u2019t suppose that posed over much of a problem.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, but it did.\u00a0 He liked that kind of excitement, but gals didn\u2019t like most of what he did to see them knees.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam considered the possibilities.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose not.\u00a0 How old was this fellow.\u201d\u00a0 He knew Hoss would pass on no names.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEighteen, last I saw him.\u00a0 I was thirteen; you was at college with that feet fellow.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith the knee you would at least get a look at most of her leg.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss nodded, and they both signaled for another drink.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOf all the things that drive men to sea, the most common disaster, I’ve come to learn, is women.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0from <\/span>Middle Passage<\/span><\/i> by Charles Johnson\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOf all the things that drive men to sea, the most common disaster, I’ve come to learn, is women.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That pronouncement came to my ears as Little Joe and I sat eating in a fine San Francisco restaurant.\u00a0 The man who made the statement sat several tables away, and the only words of his that reached our ears clearly were those.\u00a0 It was a full minute or more before my youngest gave me his teasing grin and asked if I could blame my running away to sea on a woman.\u00a0 I was forced to reply that was true only if a thirteen-year-old could be considered a woman.\u00a0 He soon had the story from me though I had never told any of my boys before what had set me on the course that would lead me to Adam\u2019s mother.\u00a0 Not that there was anything to hide from them in the story really.\u00a0 Lilly Anne was a pretty thing for sure with a saucy spirit, but not a temptress.\u00a0 No, she was simply a young girl just learning her power over the boys that brought her wildflowers or shared their sweets with her.\u00a0 I shared my mother\u2019s lemon cookies, and even one of the Turkish Delights from the box my uncle had sent to the family for Christmas.\u00a0\u00a0 Her smiles made my heart soar, and her tears made me leave my senses and run off for the day with her to the fair in the next town over.\u00a0 Even with all that followed, that time at the fair is still a sweet memory.\u00a0 I know now the reason for my father\u2019s great anger upon our return.\u00a0 If one of my boys at thirteen had disappeared for the day and returned smiling with joy thoughtless of the tears others had shed from fear, I know mine would have been as great.\u00a0 I know now that my mother could not stay his hand because it was her tears that had fueled his anger.\u00a0 I did not leave because my father\u2019s punishment was harsh; I did not leave that night or even the next.\u00a0 Truth is, I did not leave the house for the next three days.\u00a0 Then the need to know how Lily Anne had fared drove me to sneak away.\u00a0 I came slowly up to her yard.\u00a0 I paused when I heard her laughter followed by that of another.\u00a0 I crept to where I could see but be unseen and watched her with Billy Hobson.\u00a0 They did nothing but laugh and share some sugar candy, but I knew that I was no more special to her than any other pleasant fellow.\u00a0 Seven days later I signed onto my first ship claiming to be sixteen.\u00a0 I learned soon enough why the captain of the <\/span>Black Rover<\/span><\/i> had not cared that I was obviously not that age, but that is a story that even Joe shall not wheedle from me.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was an inch, perhaps two, under six feet, powerfully built, and he advanced straight at you with a slight stoop of the shoulders, head forward, and a fixed from-under stare which made you think of a charging bull.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0from <\/span>Lord Jim<\/span><\/i> by Joseph Conrad<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He was an inch, perhaps two, under six feet, powerfully built, and he advanced straight at you with a slight stoop of the shoulders, head forward, and a fixed from-under stare which made you think of a charging bull.\u00a0\u00a0 Ben had seen men like him in every port <\/span>The Wanderer<\/span><\/i> visited and learned to meet the implied challenge head-on.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re Ben Cartwright?\u201d\u00a0 The inquiry was voiced in a low growl as if the speaker expected a denial.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben looked directly into the man\u2019s glare and reached out.\u00a0 \u201cYes, I\u2019m Ben Cartwright.\u00a0 You are?\u201d Ben felt his hand gripped with more force than firmness and returned the pressure with equal compression.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWolfgang Kroner.\u201d\u00a0 Kroner\u2019s grasp relaxed, and his hand moved to his hip.\u00a0 The look on his face declared that the name should be introduction enough.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPleasure to meet you.\u201d\u00a0 Ben kept his tone neutral enough to send the message that the words were mere politeness. He waited some seconds before adding, \u201cYou wished to speak with me.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have business.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s eyebrow arched.\u00a0 \u201cWe do?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI aim to have it settled before nightfall.\u201d\u00a0 Kroner lowered his own shaggy brows.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIs it the sort of business that should be settled in the street, or might we step inside the Silver Dollar and discuss it over a drink?\u201d\u00a0 Ben gestured smoothly with his left hand while keeping his eyes fixed on Kroner.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kroner snorted and reached into the inner pocket of his suit coat.\u00a0 Taking out a piece of paper, he thrust it toward Ben\u2019s face.\u00a0 Ben took it, unfolded it, and read it slowly and thoroughly.\u00a0 Then he held it out toward Kroner.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI assume you feel I should honor the debt.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe was your wife.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe has been dead for fifteen years.\u00a0 If that is legitimate, you would have presented it promptly.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou should be glad I\u2019m asking no more than a fair interest.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFair interest or no, I see no reason for my wife to have signed that paper or to have needed that money.\u00a0 Therefore\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Ben\u2019s shrug was eloquent, and he turned to walk away.\u00a0 He stopped as he felt his upper arm grabbed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, you don\u2019t.\u00a0 I loaned her that money, and I intend to be paid if not by her husband, well, her son will do as well.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben turned back toward Kroner.\u00a0 \u201cMy son\u2026\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A sneer preceded Kroner\u2019s words.\u00a0 \u201cMight like to hear just why his mama needed that money.\u00a0 Just who she was paying off.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s hand moved smoothly to his hip, and his gun was under Kroner\u2019s chin pointed upward in seconds.\u00a0 \u201cYou will not speak a word to my son.\u00a0 Not now, not ever.\u201d\u00a0 His tone was ice cold; his eyes even colder.\u00a0 \u201cIf you can give me a convincing time and place for your transaction with my wife, I shall honor the original debt with two years interest.\u00a0 It would be in your interest to accept this offer.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kroner blinked.\u00a0 \u201cFine. Sacramento, year before she died.\u201d\u00a0 Ben lowered his gun.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTomorrow. Nine o\u2019clock outside the bank. Kroner nodded and walked away. Ben sighed and went to join his sons at the Silver Dollar.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was love at first sight.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0from<\/span> Catch-22<\/span><\/i> by Joseph Heller<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It was love at first sight.\u00a0 Well, if one wanted to be polite it was love at first sight; the attraction had been immediate anyway.\u00a0 He had wanted her with a need that was aching in its intensity, and she had wanted him.\u00a0 There had been no coy denials or pointing out proprieties.\u00a0 She had risked her father\u2019s ire by leaving the dance to be alone with him mere minutes after that first waltz.\u00a0 He had risked his father\u2019s anger also and paid a heavy price when Ben Cartwright had discovered his sixteen-year-old son alone in the hayloft with a girl brazen enough not to blush at the fact that her dress was unbuttoned.\u00a0 He had had little opportunity after that night to see her alone, to see her at all expect at church services.\u00a0 The only thing he had prayed for those Sunday mornings was the chance to speak to her, to take her hand in his, to hold her in his arms.\u00a0 He had sent secret notes by his little brother, flowery and poetic declarations of love eternal.\u00a0 He had ducked behind bushes and buildings and even the church privy to have a few moments with her.\u00a0 Finally, they had formed a plan.\u00a0 He knew his father would forgive him even the most deceitful elopement, and she swore her father would never allow an annulment if the marriage was consummated.\u00a0 He never came to know why Hoss took that last note to Pa.\u00a0 The seal hadn\u2019t been broken, so his brother could not have known it was more than another passionate love letter.\u00a0 Yet, somehow, Hoss had found the strength to commit an act that he knew Adam would consider a betrayal.\u00a0 The missive had stated time and place.\u00a0 Adam arrived to find not the girl of his dreams but her father and his own.\u00a0 He had learned that night that he was a boy, in truth, not just by law.\u00a0 Odd to think that it was his stepmother that stayed his father\u2019s hand and came to his room the next morning to talk.\u00a0 He had heard her words but not truly listened, not until later after they had repeatedly come back to his mind.\u00a0 Actually, he believed that his father\u2019s agreement to send him east to college had been born from that failed attempt at marriage, and he would freely admit that he traded dreams far too easily for it to have been true love.\u00a0 She did also for she was wed to Allen Trehern before her eighteenth birthday.\u00a0 He had gone on to love at first sight, or at least nearly first sight, again: Ruth, Rebecca, Regina. He could picture each of their faces and feel his lips upon theirs.\u00a0 In the end, though, he had loved and lost and learned that love at first sight was not the miracle.\u00a0 No, love at last sight long after the pastor\u2019s \u201cfor better and worse\u201d had become a reality, that was the miracle.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0from <\/span>Their Eyes Were Watching God <\/span><\/i>by Zora Neale Hurston<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam turned and studied his father.\u00a0 \u201cAnd when they sail closer?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright stared out over San Francisco\u2019s harbor.\u00a0 \u201cWe see reality.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam shifted and turned his own gaze toward the water.\u00a0 \u201cYou always made your tales of the seafaring life exciting and \u2026umm, appealing, at least to a young boy.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFew men tell boring tales.\u00a0\u00a0 Little Joe thinks the trip west was exciting, perhaps even appealing.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose.\u201d\u00a0 Adam shifted again.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not the sea that calls to me, Pa.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut there is something calling?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Ben kept his eyes on the horizon.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere always has been.\u00a0 It\u2019s just\u2026. well, lately the call seems to be getting louder.\u00a0 I\u2026 I can\u2019t seem to drown it out anymore.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure that you cannot find what calls to you on the Ponderosa?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve\u2026\u00a0 Pa, it\u2019s not\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Adam and Ben turned toward each other.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know how you feel about your family.\u00a0 None of us\u2026\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben sighed.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re younger brother\u2026\u00a0 his temper will speak first; don\u2019t take every word to heart.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe won\u2019t say anything I haven\u2019t said to myself.\u201d\u00a0 Adam dropped his gaze to the rough boards of the pier.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRemember when Hoss found the baby snakes and wanted to bring them home.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was four and cried for days over them.\u00a0 But what\u2026\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou were nine.\u00a0 You tried so hard to make him understand that no matter how he loved them or even how much they loved him it wouldn\u2019t make their venom go away.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam looked up and gave his father a wry grin.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know if I appreciate being cast as a snake.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve made your decision?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s left hand slipped up to tug his right ear.\u00a0 \u201cI won\u2019t be leaving in a matter of days or even weeks, perhaps not for months, but, yes, I shall be leaving.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s smile was wry.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t even tell you to think it over.\u00a0 Rashness was never your vice.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben moved his hand in a gesture meant to forestall any further remark.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t, Adam, you don\u2019t have to justify anything.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI just\u2026\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s hand settled on Adam\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t and don\u2019t promise, don\u2019t tempt fate with promises you may not be able to keep.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam looked into Ben\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cDid you?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSeveral times.\u201d\u00a0 Ben cleared his throat as his hand dropped to his side.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll tell your brothers in your own time.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Turning toward the water, Ben focused on a ship\u2019s sail in the distance.\u00a0 He stood very still as the scene before his eyes blurred.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know what I\u2019m leaving.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s voice was barely more than a whisper.\u00a0 \u201cI know I may never\u2026\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know you have to go?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI do.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen I know I have to let you.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll have your blessing?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBlessing?\u00a0 Yes, you\u2019ll have my blessing and my prayers.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026 I regret most that it hurts you.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll ships carry men\u2019s wishes and their regrets.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“If I am out of my mind, it’s all right with me.”\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

from <\/span>Herzog <\/span><\/i>by Saul Bellow<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“If I am out of my mind, it’s all right with me.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou are, you know, completely and irrevocably.\u201d\u00a0 She reached to brush his cheek with her fingers before turning away.\u00a0 \u201cI couldn\u2019t; I can\u2019t.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His eyes darkened.\u00a0 \u201cYou won\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHave it your way.\u201d\u00a0 She stepped away, but his hand caught her and drew her back to his arms.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d\u00a0 His breath burned her ear.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She drew his arms around her and locked her fingers over his.\u00a0 His chin rested lightly against her dark curls.\u00a0 \u201cThere wouldn\u2019t be a happily-ever-after for us.\u00a0 I am what I am, and some people would never let us forget that.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have to forget to be happy; we just need to remember how unimportant the past is and how much love there is in our future.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if your father and brothers can\u2019t accept me?\u00a0 What if your father doesn\u2019t want the Cartwright named besmirched?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He turned her then to face him.\u00a0 She felt his anger flare and saw the fire in his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cBesmirched!\u00a0 I\u2019ll not allow even you to say that!\u201d\u00a0 He drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly.\u00a0 \u201cMy family is not like that.\u00a0 You are the woman I love; they will welcome you into our family.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf they do not?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t need the Ponderosa to support you.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou need your family to support you.\u00a0 I\u2019ll not take them away.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are you so sure you would?\u00a0 You\u2019re not giving them a chance.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFine.\u00a0 They accept that they have no choice but to smile and swallow it down.\u00a0 Maybe, they even come to like me a little.\u201d\u00a0 She pulled from his arms and walked <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

to the window.\u00a0 \u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean that we can stay happy.\u201d\u00a0 She gazed down at the street below.\u00a0 \u201cWhat happens the day that a man\u2026\u00a0 a man says nothing more than the truth, and you can\u2019t stand the pictures it puts in your mind or the mind of your family or just whoever is standing around.\u00a0 You have a temper.\u00a0 Would you feel bound to defend my honor?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think I couldn\u2019t?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCould you live with killing a man for my tarnished honor?\u00a0 What if it wasn\u2019t you?\u00a0 What if one of your brothers defended my Cartwright name and was hurt\u2026was\u2026 I\u2019ll not have you learn to hate me.\u00a0 That I couldn\u2019t bear.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI love you.\u00a0 I could never hate you.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She turned back toward him raising her chin.\u00a0 \u201cCould you tell our son what I have been?\u00a0 Be honest when he asked if what the other boys say is true?\u00a0 Could you tell our daughter that it doesn\u2019t matter I\u2019ve done what you have told her is a sin?\u00a0 Would you have lies and deceit between you and your children?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 She saw the words hit him, saw them sink into his mind.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEver the pessimist.\u201d\u00a0 His tone was flat, but the words sharp-edged.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe realist.\u201d\u00a0 She stepped toward him.\u00a0 \u201cWe have what we have.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He kissed her then for the last time.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

from <\/span>Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas<\/span><\/i> by Hunter S. Thompson<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold.”\u00a0 Ben paused, staring down into the coffee cup held in his hands.\u00a0 The cup turned slowly before Ben looked up.\u00a0 \u201cThey dulled the pain, but\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He set the cup on the table.\u00a0 He did not need to tell any of his listeners that opiates had no effect on infection or fever.\u00a0 \u201cI was able to hurry the horses then; I, well, there was still hope that we might make Barstow, reach a doctor in time.\u201d\u00a0 Ben stood and turned his back on the eyes that focused on his every movement.\u00a0 \u201cI must have woken a dozen people barreling down the road, shouting, trying for every minute, every second.\u00a0 The doctor ran to the wagon.\u201d\u00a0 Ben\u2019s hand moved, and the chair in which he had sat for most of his tale slammed backwards to the ground.\u00a0 \u201cI should never have allowed. . .should have. . .\u201d Four strides and Ben was slamming through the door.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss moved more quickly than the others and followed his father into the night.\u00a0 Little Joe gasped and turned toward Adam.\u00a0 His eyes widened as he watched Adam bury his face in his arms.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, we. . .should we. . .\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s response was as explosive as his father\u2019s exit.\u00a0 He jerked upright and threw the coffee pot into the wall.\u00a0 \u201cNot again!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe reached his hand toward his brother, but Adam was out of reach and then out of the room without another word.\u00a0 \u201cI, I, I\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Joe closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll do what needs to be done, son.\u201d\u00a0 Joe felt a hand squeeze his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cYour pa\u2019s gonna need all three of ya to get through this.\u201d\u00a0 A second squeeze preceded Roy Coffee\u2019s next observation.\u00a0 \u201cAdam\u2019s gonna need you and Hoss\u2026\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u00a0 Adam didn\u2019t,\u201d Little Joe\u2019s temper flared and then seemed to burn out in an instant, \u201che didn\u2019t really even like her.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat isn\u2019t going to make it any easier; it may well make it even harder.\u201d\u00a0 Paul Martin\u2019s words were delivered in firm but smoothed tones practiced in countless homes over his years of doctoring.\u00a0 Little Joe stared at the doctor.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou weren\u2019t but a mite of a boy, Joe, when your mama died.\u00a0 Adam, well, he did a job of holding things together even though he wasn\u2019t grown himself.\u201d\u00a0 Roy\u2019s voice held the same practiced calm as the doctor\u2019s.\u00a0 \u201cHe told me then\u2026, well, even though he weren\u2019t but a little child he went through your pa losing Inger too.\u00a0 In this kind of thing, three just ain\u2019t the charm.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Little Joe turned to look at the third man who remained in the room.\u00a0 \u201cPastor, do you\u2026\u201d Little Joe\u2019s voice broke and sank to a whisper.\u00a0 \u201cDo you think God hates Pa?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The pastor had married Ben and Victoria only ten months before.\u00a0 \u201cNo, he gave him love four times over.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is a collection of vignettes written for some pinecone challenges in 2012.\u00a0 Each challenge was generated by the first line of a novel.\u00a0 The quote and source are used to title each piece.\u00a0 They have a broad range of themes, and some are AU.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":143,"featured_media":48175,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[23,1008,8,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-family","category-short-stories","category-challenges","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-1008-id","wpcat-8-id","wpcat-40-id"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/The-Bride.jpg?fit=590%2C416&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48415","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\/143"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=48415"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48415\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/48175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=48415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=48415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=48415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}