{"id":57379,"date":"2025-07-07T22:58:33","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T02:58:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=57379"},"modified":"2025-09-27T05:39:54","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T09:39:54","slug":"the-surprise-by-djk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=57379","title":{"rendered":"The Surprise (by DJK)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 Little Joe should have known pranking his father was a bad idea.<\/p>\n

word count: 1,220\u00a0 \u00a0 rating: PG\/teen<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Surprise<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Adam\u2019s glare and the clearing of Hoss\u2019s throat sent Little Joe\u2019s behind back into the chair.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cPa said keep you here; here you\u2019ll stay.\u201d\u00a0 Adam sent Joe another glare.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cIt was meant to be a surprise.\u201d \u00a0Little Joe\u2019s voice held a distinct whine.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cWell, everyone was certainly surprised.\u201d \u00a0Adam\u2019s arms went across his chest, and Hoss shook his head.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cI\u2019m surprised you ain\u2019t learned not to prank Pa.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cNot a prank, Hoss, a surprise.\u00a0 We\u2019re allowed to surprise Pa.\u00a0 Besides, can\u2019t we invite folks to the house?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cYou invited the church Missionary Society without telling Pa or Hop Sing.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cI couldn\u2019t tell Hop Sing. He might\u2019ve said something to Pa.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cWell, he will definitely have something to say to you. I\u2019d stayed out of his reach while he\u2019s speaking.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cYea, Hop Sing\u2019s real good at doing for unexpected guests, but fifteen ladies…\u201d\u00a0 Hoss shook his head again.\u00a0 \u201cAnd then there\u2019s the mess he had to clean up and those broken dishes. My advice is: if ya can, hide all his wooden spoons.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cHossss!\u00a0 Quit! There\u2019s no way I could\u2019ve known Mrs. Withers would faint into the refreshments. \u00a0I don\u2019t know why….\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cSeeing Pa in just his very wet and clinging drawers, she was overcome.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cShe was the only one.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cThank the Lord!\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cWho\u2019d have thought he\u2019d fall in a mud wallow, take off his clothes, and come in through the kitchen?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cTo be greeted by the town\u2019s biggest gossips?\u00a0 No one.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cI\u2019m dead!\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cYou\u2019re sixteen. You\u2019re definitely dead!\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cAdam!\u201d \u00a0Hoss had begun to feel sorry for his miserable looking little brother and caught Adam\u2019s eyes with his. \u00a0After a silent exchange, Adam rose.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cKeep him at this table, Hoss. \u00a0I mean it; sit on him if you must.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Hoss nodded. Adam crossed the great room and made his way upstairs. \u00a0He paused in front of his father\u2019s door and knocked. \u00a0The tone of his pa\u2019s <\/span>Come in! \u00a0<\/span><\/i>told him all he needed to know.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cExcuse me, Pa; I thought you might…\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cBe contemplating your brother\u2019s murder.\u201d \u00a0Ben Cartwright\u2019s face held no trace of humor.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cWell… \u00a0I know the boy, um…\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cDeserves everything he has coming!\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cThat\u2019s just it. \u00a0I mean…\u201d \u00a0Adam paused as he caught the glare his father sent him. \u00a0\u201cPa, if things had gone as, well, as Little Joe expected, you would have been surprised…\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cSurprised!\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cPerhaps a little more than surprised and, um, slightly embarrassed…\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

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

\u201cBut not humiliated?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cNow, Pa, humiliated<\/em> is a strong word. \u00a0Thing is except for the mud and your state of, um, dress, you would have blistered Joe\u2019s ear\u2019s for letting the ladies descend on Hop Sing without warning, but that and maybe some extra chores…\u201d \u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Ben Cartwright shook his head. \u00a0\u201cIf it had been you?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cOh, I would have committed fratricide immediately, but then I\u2019m his brother not his pa.\u201d Adam took his father\u2019s slight smile as a good sign. \u00a0\u201cI just… um, Joe deserves to be punished for\u00a0the surprise of the invitation- but, well, some of the rest wasn\u2019t really…\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cMrs. Withers fainted and fell…\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cShe\u2019s a married lady. \u00a0She should have been able to handle the sight of a man in his drawers, even his wet drawers, but then Harold Withers is a, well, shall we say a puny man, and you are a Cartwright.\u201d \u00a0Adam risked a small smirk. \u00a0\u201cTake it as a compliment, Pa.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cAdam!\u201d Ben glared but then sighed. \u201cYou don\u2019t think he deserves a tanning?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cHaving observed his current suffering, I don\u2019t think he needs one.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Ben\u2019s fingers drummed his thighs. \u201cHe\u2019ll spend the next two weeks doing dishes and cleaning up the kitchen under Hop Sing\u2019s supervision. \u00a0Hop Sing deserves more consideration than Joseph gave him.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Adam nodded. \u00a0\u201cHe certainly does.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cAny other consequences will be decided when I observe Joseph\u2019s attitude about the whole matter.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Seeing his father\u2019s ire had ebbed as much as was reasonable to expect, Adam nodded and smiled. \u00a0\u201cShould I send him up?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cTell him I\u2019ll see him in his room shortly.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

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

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

*C*C*C*C*C*<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Hoss and Little Joe had watched Adam ascend the stairs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cHoss, do you think Adam is going to talk to Pa?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cDo I think he’s gonna try to pull your buns out of the fire?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cWell, yeah, he wouldn\u2019t…\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cYa know he wouldn\u2019t pour fuel on that fire. Ya know he\u2019s always pouring soothing oil on the troubled waters. \u00a0Leastways, when it comes to me and you.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Little Joe\u2019s eyes and chin dropped. \u00a0\u201cYea, I know.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cAnd ya better thank the Lord for it.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cI do, Hoss; I do, well, when he ain\u2019t just done something to make me mad.\u201d \u00a0Hoss pushed himself to his feet, a frown darkening his face. \u00a0Little Joe raised his hands in surrender and smiled. \u00a0\u201cBut I gonna try to remember it a lot more even when he does.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cSee ya do!\u201d \u00a0The conversation waned as the clock ticked. \u00a0Then they heard Adam\u2019s boots on the stairs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cPa wants you waiting for him in your room.\u201d \u00a0Adam saw the shudder that ran down Little Joe\u2019s spine. \u00a0\u201cIt shouldn\u2019t be long, and Joe don\u2019t… well, watch what you say. Apologize and don\u2019t go bucking at what Pa says. Hear me?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cI hear you.\u201d \u00a0Adam was pleased to note Joe\u2019s respectful tone. \u00a0His brothers watched Little Joe slowly ascend the stairs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cCome on, Hoss, we\u2019ve things to see to.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cIn the barn?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Adam smiled. \u00a0\u201cIn the barn.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Hoss dropped his arm around Adam\u2019s shoulders. \u00a0\u201cPa\u2019s calmed down some then.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cSome.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cThat boy owes ya one.\u201d \u00a0Hoss chuckled. \u00a0\u201cI should be saying one more. \u00a0Ain\u2019t like it\u2019s the first time. \u00a0Sometimes, I wonder why…\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cHe\u2019s our baby brother, and well, I do owe him one or two.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Hoss stopped walking, turned toward Adam, and raised his eyebrow. \u00a0\u201cYa do?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cYou remember the Widow Alcott affair?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cLittle Joe was what five? \u00a0When he heard me say Pa was going to kill you, he believed it.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cLiterally. \u00a0By the time Pa got him to calm down enough to stop wailing and sobbing, Pa decided he couldn\u2019t actually do it. \u00a0He didn\u2019t have the energy for the degree of chastisement he\u2019d had planned either.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cIf I recollect, he decided to treat ya like the like kid you\u2019d been and…\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cNo, need to go down memory lane.\u201d \u00a0Adam pushed his immovable brother. \u00a0\u201cYou know too much about my, uh, past peccadilloes.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

If peccadilloes means…\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cI\u2019m too tired for vocabulary lessons. \u00a0Baby brother may sleep on his stomach tonight, but if he has sense enough not to push Pa, he should be able to ride Cochise tomorrow. \u00a0Oh, and he\u2019ll do a stint in the kitchen under Hop Sing\u2019s supervision.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cHe shouldn\u2019t be riling Hop Sing! \u00a0One day he might take it into his head to actually leave.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cNever.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cStill… \u00a0 Joe saved ya \u2018cause he didn\u2019t know what he was doing and didn\u2019t have nothing to worry about from Pa. \u00a0You knew you were risking Pa being mad with you. \u00a0Ya knew it every time.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Adam focused on Hoss\u2019s face. \u00a0\u201cDid you know what you were doing when you told Little Joe Pa would kill me?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cNow, elder Brother, ya know I ain\u2019t got the sneaky streak that you and Joe do.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cThat\u2019s not an answer.\u201d \u00a0Adam shook his head. \u00a0He often thought that their middle brother was just better at not letting his sneaky streak show.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Summary:\u00a0 Little Joe should have known pranking his father was a bad idea.\u00a0
\nword count: 1,220\u00a0 \u00a0 rating: PG\/teen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":143,"featured_media":56477,"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":[1009,4,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brothers","category-humor","category-prequels","wpcat-1009-id","wpcat-4-id","wpcat-30-id"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/roseLotta-21.png?fit=720%2C576&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57379","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=57379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57379\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/56477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=57379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=57379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=57379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}