{"id":56709,"date":"2025-04-26T01:26:16","date_gmt":"2025-04-26T05:26:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=56709"},"modified":"2025-09-27T05:39:59","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T09:39:59","slug":"in-a-spirit-of-enterprise-by-tavia42","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=56709","title":{"rendered":"In a Spirit of Enterprise (by Tavia42)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 Little Joe should have known he couldn\u2019t get anything past Hop Sing.\u00a0 This story was written for the 2025 2nd<\/sup> Quarter Chaps and Spurs Challenge.<\/p>\n

Rating: G<\/p>\n

Word Count: 889 words<\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think Hop Sing big fool?\u201d the irate cook demanded, hitting the central kitchen island with his ladle for emphasis.<\/p>\n

Little Joe Cartwright flinched, and quickly said, \u201cNo, no, of course not,\u201d because it was true and also obviously the only thing to say.\u00a0 He liked to think he wasn\u2019t scared of much, but in his ten years of life he\u2019d learned to always<\/em> take it seriously when Pa\u2019s eyes got stern or when Hop Sing started wielding his ladle.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you think Hop Sing not notice when cookies and donuts start disappearing from kitchen?\u201d\u00a0 Another whack with the ladle against the counter.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, the way Hoss eats \u2018em\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The cook\u2019s eyebrows shot up to his hat.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe blame big brother?\u00a0 That not make better!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no, I didn\u2019t mean it like that, I just\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Joe trailed off, unable to find a safe route through this very rocky field.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t<\/em> thought Hop Sing would notice.\u00a0 Ever since his last birthday, Hoss had been putting away food like he was starving all the time.\u00a0 Pa said he was growing, even though Hoss already seemed plenty big to Joe.\u00a0 He hoped he wouldn\u2019t have to wait until sixteen to grow some more himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cCivilization built on trust,\u201d Hop Sing lectured, pointing at Joe with the ladle.\u00a0 \u201cNo one happy if cannot trust family or neighbor.\u00a0 Very uncomfortable living.\u00a0 And stealing breaks trust.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t stealing<\/em>, it was just\u2026I was just\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Joe sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know, I didn\u2019t think about it that way.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry, Hop Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy you do this?\u00a0 Why you want to take Hop Sing\u2019s baking?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shrugged one shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cI was selling them to the other kids.\u201d\u00a0 Maybe time for an artful compliment?\u00a0 \u201cEveryone knows you make the best cookies and donuts, Hop Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cook snorted.\u00a0 \u201cYou save flattery for pretty girls someday.\u00a0 Still not make this right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re gonna tell Pa, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing was silent for a moment, then finally said, \u201cYou always been good boy, Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMiss Jones doesn\u2019t think so,\u201d Joe muttered.<\/p>\n

\u201cEh, what she know?\u201d Hop Sing said with airy dismissal.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe tell Hop Sing \u2013 why<\/em> want to sell cookies?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe scuffed the toe of one boot along the ground.\u00a0 \u201cOh, it\u2019s dumb\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSave to buy horse?\u201d Hop Sing guessed.\u00a0 \u201cOr new detective novel?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, nothing like that.\u201d\u00a0 As if he thought he could buy a horse from the pennies he got selling cookies.<\/p>\n

All right, he may<\/em> have calculated that out, putting more effort in than he usually did for Miss Jones\u2019 math assignments, reaching the depressing conclusion that it would take years<\/em> to earn enough for a horse.\u00a0 But anyway, that was just a side thing, not the real reason behind all this.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen what else Little Joe want you not already have?\u201d Hop Sing demanded, waving a hand as if to encompass the house, the ranch, everything.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just\u2026Adam\u2019s coming home from college next month,\u201d Joe finally admitted.\u00a0 Boston was so far away that it seemed downright mythical, and oldest brother had been gone so long he seemed almost like a figure from a legend, like Hercules or Samson.\u00a0 \u201cI just\u2026sorta\u2026wanted to buy him something, to say welcome home.\u201d\u00a0 He didn\u2019t even know what<\/em>.\u00a0 Just something, and had figured he\u2019d go to the general store once he had whatever money he could scrape together.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing\u2019s brow puckered.\u00a0 \u201cThat nice idea.\u00a0 Why not go to father for money?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe groaned.\u00a0 \u201cBecause that\u2019d ruin the whole thing \u2013 then it\u2019d just be from Pa<\/em> \u2013 and little kids<\/em> ask for money like that.\u201d\u00a0 That was really the heart of it all.\u00a0 If Adam had gone murky and vague for him<\/em>, it had occurred to him that he<\/em> was probably murky to Adam \u2013 that Adam might have some wrong-headed notion that he was still the little tiny kid he\u2019d been when oldest brother left.\u00a0 He\u2019d been hoping for weeks that Hoss\u2019 growth spurt would be contagious, but no luck so far, and he needed a different way to prove how grown up he was now.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing was silent for a long moment.\u00a0 Then he set down the ladle finally, and reached into a cupboard to bring out his biggest mixing bowl.\u00a0 \u201cAll right.\u00a0 Hop Sing make extra cookies.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was completely unexpected.\u00a0 \u201cYou will?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Little Joe help with baking,\u201d Hop Sing continued, pointing one finger at him.<\/p>\n

Joe nodded vigorously.\u00a0 \u201cI can do that.\u00a0 Sure.\u00a0 I can help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Hop Sing get ten percent of revenue from future sales.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe wasn\u2019t actually sure how much that would cut into his profits, but he figured he could try to figure that math out later.\u00a0 Now wasn\u2019t the moment.\u00a0 \u201cSure, yeah, all right.\u00a0 And Hop Sing, can we make molasses cookies?\u00a0 Those are Sarah\u2019s favorites.\u00a0 Oh, and Johnny likes nuts in his cookies \u2013 and can we put powdered sugar on the donuts?\u00a0 Seth says naked donuts are an abomination.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe have demanding friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh \u2013 no, not really.\u201d\u00a0 Maybe it was a moment for his winning smile.\u00a0 \u201cJust trying to meet what the customers want.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHmph.\u00a0 Hop Sing still have to tell Little Joe\u2019s father about this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe deflated.\u00a0 \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut no worry,\u201d Hop Sing said, assembling flour and sugar from the depths of more cupboards.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing make it sound good.\u00a0 Stealing wrong, but enterprising spirit builds civilization.\u201d<\/p>\n

The End<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Author’s Note: The five required words for this challenge were Abomination, Civilization, Revenue, Molasses, and Naked.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: Little Joe should have known he couldn\u2019t get anything past Hop Sing.\u00a0 This story was written for the 2025 2nd Quarter Chaps and Spurs Challenge.
\nRating: G | Word Count: 889<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12522,"featured_media":56712,"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_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[39,1007,30,8,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chaps-spurs","category-joe-cartwright","category-prequels","category-short-stories","category-challenges","wpcat-39-id","wpcat-1007-id","wpcat-30-id","wpcat-8-id","wpcat-40-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/S06.08_Square-Deal-Sam-3.jpg?fit=1594%2C1191&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56709","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\/12522"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=56709"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56709\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/56712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=56709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=56709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=56709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}