Rating: K<\/p>\n
Word Count=2175<\/p>\n
Summary:\u00a0<\/span>The Widow Jenkins got more than she bargained for when Ben sent his sons out to help with a few chores. Written in response to a writing challenge to use “They all took several steps forward, stunned by what they done” as the first sentence and “His lips moved as if he was chewing the words he was holding back” as the last sentence.<\/p>\n Disclaimer: I don’t own the Cartwrights or Bonanza. No copyright infringement is intended. Original plot and characters are property of the author. This story is for entertainment and no money was made from it.<\/span><\/p>\n Reviews from the Old Library are on the last page.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n No Good Deed Goes Unpunished<\/strong><\/p>\n They all took several steps forward, stunned by what they done. It had been an accident, plain and simple; none of them had expected Widow Jenkins to come outside while they were shoveling snow from the roof. If only that large icicle, along with an avalanche, hadn\u2019t chosen to head straight for the ground the exact moment the widow came out to check on their progress, she\u2019d still be alive and kicking.<\/span> <\/p>\n
Pa had sent them out to shovel the snow away from Mrs. Jenkins\u2019 house and off the roof, chop extra wood, and place some extra bales of hay in the barn for her milk cow and plow horse. He certainly didn\u2019t intend for them to get into a snowball fight or to pile up the snow in one place to have it come down on top of her.\u00a0<\/span>
Adam had left Hoss and Joe on the roof while he unloaded the hay in the barn. He expected his younger brothers to do their task, not turn it into horseplay. When he\u2019d heard Widow Jenkins\u2019 scream, he\u2019d come rushing from the barn to see snow cascading from the roof as a solid waterfall. He\u2019d run to the house while Hoss and Joe climbed down from the ladder and they\u2019d all waited a few seconds in hope that she\u2019d tunnel her way out. When no movement was forthcoming, they\u2019d dug through the pile of snow with their bare hands until they discovered a hand clenched like a claw. All three of them exchanged a look of dread before finishing the job.<\/span>
Once uncovered, she didn\u2019t look all that bad. There was a cut on her cheek but, thanks to the cold, it wasn\u2019t bleeding. Adam felt for a pulse and hoped it was the lack of warmth in his hand that made it impossible to find one. After briefly warming his hand in an armpit, he tried again but couldn\u2019t feel anything to indicate she was still among the living.\u00a0<\/span>
\u201cShe\u2019s dead,\u201d he said with a melancholy look in his eyes.<\/span>
\u201cAre you sure?\u201d asked Hoss.<\/span>
\u201cYou\u2019re more than welcome to check,\u201d said Adam.<\/span>
Hoss blushed a bright crimson as he laid a cheek against the old woman\u2019s chest, but he didn\u2019t hear the thump of a beating heart. \u201cLooks like Miz Jenkins is a goner.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>
\u201cLet me see,\u201d insisted Joe. He pulled a small mirror from his coat pocket and held it under her nose.<\/span>
\u201cWhy are you carrying a mirror?\u201d asked Hoss.<\/span>
\u201cI can\u2019t risk being turned down for dances by ladies who don\u2019t like hat hair,\u201d Joe answered.<\/span>
Adam just rolled his eyes in response.\u00a0<\/span>
After about a minute, all three noticed that there wasn\u2019t any fog on the mirror\u2019s surface. The three exchanged a look tinged with grief as they realized that she was really dead. How would they ever be able to explain this?<\/span>
\u201cWe\u2019d best load her up in the wagon and take her into town,\u201d said Adam.<\/span>
\u201cAre you crazy? We\u2019ll get thrown into jail!\u201d said Joe.<\/span>
\u201cIt was an accident! We didn\u2019t mean it!\u201d insisted Hoss. He\u2019d heard stories about jail food and wasn\u2019t anxious to find out if there was any truth in them.\u00a0<\/span>
\u201cWe can\u2019t just bury her and walk away,\u201d reminded Adam.<\/span>
\u201cYou\u2019re right, the ground\u2019s too hard,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0<\/span>
Adam rolled his eyes and shook his head. \u201cNo. Pa knows we were out here, which means that it won\u2019t take long for anyone to put two and two together and realize that we were the last people to see her alive. Since she hasn\u2019t been robbed, Roy would know that she didn\u2019t die from foul play.\u201d<\/span>
\u201cSo we should take a few things and maybe bury them in the yard or hide them in the barn?\u201d asked Hoss, trying to think up a way to save their bacon.<\/span>
Adam slowly inhaled a deep breath of cold air and tried to count to ten; he only made it to five before he began coughing. \u201cWe should just load her in the wagon and take her to the undertaker\u2019s. Each of us will contribute for the cost of a grave plot in town.\u201d<\/span>
\u201cHer husband\u2019s buried in town,\u201d said Joe. \u201cShe didn\u2019t care for him that much when he was above ground so I don\u2019t think she\u2019d want to spend eternity next to him.\u201d<\/span>
\u201cMaybe we can request a plot someplace else in the cemetery. Besides, we can\u2019t just leave her here under a pile of snow,\u201d said Adam in an exasperated tone of voice.\u00a0<\/span>
The three continued to squat by the body, unsure of what course of action they should take. Burying her on her property would make the most sense, but the ground wouldn\u2019t thaw out for several months; until then, they couldn\u2019t just leave her in the barn or in her house. Taking her into town might raise a whole bunch of questions, especially since Widow Jenkins was known throughout the territory as a woman that grizzly bears feared; it wasn\u2019t likely that anyone would believe that she\u2019d died of fright as the snow buried her.\u00a0<\/span>
Adam stood as quickly as his frozen legs would allow and said, \u201cI\u2019m going to get the wagon. You two stay here.\u201d<\/span>
\u201cIt ain\u2019t like she\u2019s going to go anywhere,\u201d said Hoss as a helpful reminder.<\/span>
Joe and Hoss couldn\u2019t make out what Adam was mumbling as he headed for the barn. They both pulled her stiff body from the snow and then Hoss went inside for a blanket.\u00a0<\/span>
\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d asked Joe.<\/span>
\u201cLocking the door so no one will steal her things.\u201d<\/span>
\u201cShe\u2019s dead. I don\u2019t think she\u2019s going to notice.\u201d<\/span>
\u201cWell, it can\u2019t hurt nothing,\u201d said Hoss as he placed the key in the pocket of her apron.<\/span>
\u201cWhat\u2019d you do that for?\u201d asked Joe.<\/span>
\u201cWell, if one of us has the key, folks might think we had something to do with her dying.\u201d<\/span>
Joe\u2019s eyes widened in disbelief. \u201cWe already killed her,\u201d he said in a loud whisper. \u201cDo you want people to think we bushwhacked her?\u201d<\/span>
\u201cI hadn\u2019t thought of that,\u201d said Hoss. He dashed back up the steps, unlocked the door, and took the key inside. Coming back out, he asked, \u201cShould I leave the door open or closed?\u201d<\/span>
\u201cDoes it matter?\u201d asked Joe.<\/span>
\u201cClosed then,\u201d said Hoss as he shut it.<\/span>
Adam was pulling up the wagon as his brothers got Widow Jenkins situated on the blanket. All three of them got her maneuvered into the bed of the vehicle before taking one last look.<\/span>
\u201cWe should probably cover her up,\u201d said Adam.<\/span>
\u201cShe\u2019s dead, said Joe, \u201cit\u2019s not as if she\u2019s going to notice that it\u2019s cold.\u201d<\/span>
\u201cAdam\u2019s right,\u201d said Hoss. \u201cThe least we could do is to show her some respect.\u201d With that, Hoss dashed back into the house and grabbed an afghan that was draped over the back of a chair. Returning to the wagon, he clambered into the back, shook the afghan, and looked away as he let it drop on the widow\u2019s body. A quick glance showed that it mostly covered her, which was probably good enough.<\/span>
Adam removed his hat and bobbed his head a few times in respect before climbing up into the seat. \u201cOne of you will have to ride in back. With her.\u201d<\/span>
\u201cThat\u2019s not fair!\u201d said Hoss and Joe at the same time.<\/span>
\u201cLook\u2014there\u2019s only enough room for two of us on the seat. I got up here first, so I get to drive.\u201d<\/span>
Hoss and Joe exchanged looks of revulsion\u2014neither one wanted to ride to town with a corpse.<\/span>
\u201cWe don\u2019t have all day,\u201d Adam said as he adjusted the collar of his coat to keep his neck warm.<\/span>
\u201cAre you sure . . .?\u201d Joe began before getting cut off with a glare from Adam.<\/span>
\u201cWell, I\u2019m older so you should have to ride in back,\u201d said Hoss.<\/span>
\u201cThat\u2019s not a fair way to decide,\u201d countered Joe. \u201cI should get to ride in front because I rode in back on the way out here.\u201d<\/span>
A glint of silver caught Joe\u2019s eye and a coin landed near his feet. \u201cWhat\u2019s this for?\u201d<\/span>
\u201cCall it, toss it, and then we can be on our way,\u201d said Adam irritably.<\/span>
\u201cMaybe there is enough room on the seat for both of us,\u201d said Hoss as diplomatically as he could. \u201cThere\u2019s only one way to find out,\u201d he added.<\/span>
Hoss clambered up onto the seat and scooted over until his hip rested against Adam\u2019s. He smiled weakly as his older brother shot him a glare.\u00a0<\/span>
Joe shot a quick glance in the wagon bed and then nimbly leapt onto the wheel hub and then onto the seat. As he started to sit, the cold metal of the seat arm poked him in the posterior. \u201cScoot over,\u201d he told Hoss.<\/span>
\u201cI can\u2019t scoot no more,\u201d he protested.<\/span>
\u201cSure you can,\u201d countered Joe.\u00a0<\/span>
\u201cNo . . . he . . . can\u2019t,\u201d said Adam through clenched teeth as Joe tried to force himself between Hoss and the steel arm.<\/span>
\u201cHow about I sit in the middle?\u201d Joe asked Hoss.<\/span>
Hoss narrowed his eyes in thought for a few seconds and then agreed. A complicated dance ensued with Hoss and Joe trading places as the wagon rocked. Hoss finally sat down and Joe squeezed between his brothers, earning him glares from both of them; fortunately for Joe, he was oblivious to his brothers\u2019 discomfort.<\/span>
\u201cThere. All better,\u201d announced Joe as he soaked up the warmth provided by his elders. \u201cWhat are we waiting for?\u201d he asked.<\/span>
Adam flicked the reins and the horses began the trek into town.\u00a0<\/span>
The brothers rode in silence, the only sounds were the creaking springs and the snow crunching underneath the wheels. Fortunately, the sun was shining in a beautiful blue sky, bringing a tiny bit of warmth to the wintry world.\u00a0<\/span>
\u201cHow much longer?\u201d asked Hoss, as he tried to wriggle for a fraction of comfort between the confines of his younger brother and the seat rest.\u00a0<\/span>
\u201cAt least another hour,\u201d said Adam, absorbed with keeping the team on what passed for the road.<\/span>
All three fidgeted as they tried to make the best of their cramped situation. And all three tried to come up with an explanation that wouldn\u2019t result in a murder charge.<\/span>
\u201cStop it,\u201d said Joe with a glare at Hoss.<\/span>
\u201cYou stop it,\u201d answered Hoss with a glower.<\/span>
\u201cBoth of you stop whatever it is,\u201d ordered Adam. If they didn\u2019t think he\u2019d stop this wagon and make one of them walk, they were very mistaken.<\/span>
\u201cYou stop it right now, Joe, or I\u2019ll . . .,\u201d said Hoss.<\/span>
\u201cYou\u2019ll what?\u201d asked Joe, both hands clasped tightly in his lap.<\/span>
Hoss narrowed his eyes in suspicion at his sneaky younger brother before facing forward again. There was another tug on his coat and he frowned in exasperation. Another tug caused him to look at Joe, whose hands were in his lap. If it wasn\u2019t Joe, and certainly wasn\u2019t Adam, who . . . .<\/span>
Hoss slowly turned his head and his eyes widened in terror at the sight of Widow Jenkins blinking, an arm outstretched to tug his coat. It wasn\u2019t possible! All three of them had checked and she\u2019d been dead as a doornail before they\u2019d loaded her up. If he hadn\u2019t been jammed between Joe and the seat rest, he would\u2019ve jumped out of the wagon and run all the way to Virginia City. He wanted to scream for Adam to stop the wagon, but no sound, not even a squeak, would come out of his mouth. His lips moved as if he was chewing the words he was holding back.<\/span>
The End<\/span>
January 2011<\/span><\/p>\n