Summary:\u00a0<\/b>Six-year-old Joe asks his big brother what he can do and Adam comes to regret telling him.
\nRating:\u00a0 G\u00a0 (5,700 words)<\/p>\n
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Yard Chores<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>It was one of those hot summer mornings that made a lazy day by the lake or a river a necessity; at least that was how Adam and Hoss Cartwright saw it, unfortunately for the two boys, Pa saw things differently.\u00a0 He considered that chores came first.\u00a0 The boys were in agreement as far as feeding and grooming their horses was concerned, but there it stopped, in their opinion chopping wood, weeding gardens and collecting eggs could wait until the important business of swimming and fishing had been accomplished.\u00a0 It was Saturday and for the hands the regular work of the ranch tended to stop at midday unless there was a crisis or a deadline to meet. The boys were usually required to do the yard chores as usual and then were free for the rest of the day.\u00a0 However, the rest of the day wouldn\u2019t start until the heat was almost unbearable.<\/p>\n Breakfast was a silent affair for the most part.\u00a0 Adam was sulking, Hoss was following his older brother\u2019s lead and the only animated person at the table was Little Joe.\u00a0 The six-year-old was telling a long, complicated and exaggerated story about how he had helped the foreman, Jake, the previous day.<\/p>\n In his bad mood, the chattering boy was more than Adam could stand and eventually he blew up.\u00a0 \u201cYou did not hold the gate for Jake while he rounded up the mares.\u201d\u00a0 Adam glared at his baby brother and gesticulated with his fork.\u00a0 \u201cJake sent you behind the gate to keep you out of the way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid too.\u201d Joe shot back.<\/p>\n \u201cYou did not<\/em><\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 Adam replied forcefully, making Joe pout.\u00a0 When Adam continued to glare at him, the little boy\u2019s lip trembled and tears came into his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cI did help, didn\u2019t I, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019m a big boy now, ain\u2019t I?\u201d\u00a0 He appealed to the only authority that he knew could make Adam back down.<\/p>\n Ben gave Adam a look, which said just how he felt about older brothers\u2019 intolerance of their siblings.\u00a0 Ben had to go to town today, He did not want to take Joe with him and he wanted to leave a happy small boy.\u00a0 \u201cYes, of course you\u2019re a big boy and you\u2019re a great help to me and to Jake with the chores.\u00a0 Now drink up your milk and you can help me saddle Buck for my trip to town.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s small face lit up.\u00a0 \u201cCan I come wiv you to town?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben patted the boy’s head as he got up from the table, “Not today, son, I won’t be very long it’s only a boring meeting and I’ll be right back.\u00a0 You’re such a big boy now, you can help Hoss and Adam with the chores and I’ll see if I can find some candy while I’m in town.\u00a0 Might even manage some wages for you when I pay the hands.”<\/p>\n Joe bounced in his chair, “See, Pa says I can help.”<\/p>\n Adam ignored the boy but grimaced and mouthed to Hoss, “Yard chores.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For the next hour Joe got in everyone’s way but eventually Ben was able to leave and the older boys started on the dreaded yard chores.<\/p>\n “Whats can I do?”\u00a0 Joe asked for the tenth time as Adam, tried to spread fresh straw in Sport’s stall.<\/p>\n “Feed the hens, collect the eggs, feed the pigs, split the kindling, fill the wood box, weed the vegetable patch and bring more hay from the loft and then help Hop Sing, if its not dark by then.”\u00a0 Adam grumbled out the list of chores still to do.\u00a0 Then realising that Joe was looking up at him in amazement he stood up and looked around, there wasn’t much a six-year-old could do without constant supervision but if he and Hoss were to get away for a swim then they needed all the help they could get.\u00a0 He ran his plan over in his head a couple of times and decided that it was pretty much foolproof.\u00a0 He knelt down to his little brother and looked him squarely in the eye.<\/p>\n “You think you could take charge of a few chores all by yourself?”<\/p>\n Joe nodded vigorously, “Sure, I can, Adam.\u00a0 Pa says I’m a real help.”<\/p>\n Adam raised an eyebrow but didn’t challenge the statement. Pa had a different view on help, obviously. “See that dipper over there?”<\/p>\n “Uhuh,” Joe nodded again.<\/p>\n “Think you could reach the grain bin and fill the dipper then go feed the chickens and collect the eggs and take them to Hop Sing?”<\/p>\n Joe’s eyes widened for a moment; “I can do’s that.”<\/p>\n With Joe happily occupied the rest of the barn work went smoothly and the two older boys were soon finished.\u00a0 Hoss leaned against the barn door post and sighed, “Its too hot to work.\u00a0 I wish we could go swimmin’ now.”<\/p>\n Adam brushed a fly from his face and nodded, “So do I?”\u00a0 He considered for a moment and looked across the yard to where Joe was happily talking to the hens.\u00a0 “How about we feed the pigs then head out.\u00a0 Hop Sing won’t need wood until he cooks supper tonight and he isn’t going to notice a few extra weeds.\u00a0 We can bring down more hay when we get back, if we don’t stay too late.”<\/p>\n Hoss looked worried; “Pa won’t like it?”<\/p>\n Adam grinned, “How is he going to know? By the time he gets back everything will be done.”<\/p>\n “He didn’t say how long he’d be.\u00a0 It’s only one meeting.”<\/p>\n “Ah but I know that Mrs Hawkins and Mrs Russell will be there.\u00a0 They are discussing the summer picnic and you know both of them will fuss over Pa.\u00a0 Since last year they both think he needs a woman’s hand and they both think it should be their sworn duty to be the next Mrs Cartwright.”<\/p>\n Now Hoss’ worry became near panic, “Pa wouldn’t marry them would he?”<\/p>\n Adam laughed, “Well, not both of them at once, no.”\u00a0 Then seeing Hoss’s worried expression he relented, “No, of course not, but that doesn’t stop them trying.\u00a0 He’s been a widower for over a year and they think its time he socialised more.”<\/p>\n “It’s alright for you, you’ll be gone to college in the fall, you won’t have ’em fussin’ over you.”\u00a0 Hoss grumbled.<\/p>\n Adam put an arm around his brother’s shoulders, “Neither will you.\u00a0 Pa’s been married three times and I guess he could always marry again but there is one thing I’m sure of it won’t be either of those two ladies.”<\/p>\n Hoss nodded then turned his attention to more important things.\u00a0 “I’ll saddle the horses while you sneak into the kitchen and get some grub for a picnic.”<\/p>\n Adam scowled, “Why don’t you do the sneaking?”<\/p>\n “‘Cos Hop Sing al’las catches me.”\u00a0 Hoss retorted.<\/p>\n Adam couldn’t argue with that.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe loved the chickens, he had given each one a name and he talked to them as he fed them.\u00a0 He very carefully collected the eggs; the dipper becoming so heavy he had to carry it with two hands in to Hop Sing.\u00a0 He was thrilled when the Chinese cook praised him and gave him a cookie for helping out.\u00a0 Outside in the yard again he looked for his brothers but they were nowhere to be found.\u00a0 He checked the pigpen where the old sow and her piglets were happily eating, no sign of Adam or Hoss.\u00a0 Then he went to the vegetable garden; still no brothers but the weeding hadn’t been done.\u00a0 Joe had helped Hop Sing lots of times and he was sure he knew which were weeds.\u00a0 Carrots had the nice feathery tops and the squash were already formed so he knew which to leave alone there; onions had a funny smell and long green tubes for leaves, and the cabbages were already being cut.\u00a0 This was easy; anything small must be a weed.\u00a0 He knelt down in the dirt and began pulling up anything that didn’t already look like one of the vegetables that appeared on the dinner table.\u00a0 Some came out easily but some were hard for his small hands to remove.\u00a0 They broken off and the roots stayed put.\u00a0 He sniffed his hands, they smelled nice, that last weed had smelled a bit like the peppermint candy Adam loved.\u00a0 He got to thinking about candy and pulled up several carrots by mistake; never mind he’d give them to his pony.\u00a0 Soon the garden looked much clearer with quite big patches of earth with no weeds at all.<\/p>\n Joe was tired now, so he wandered into the barn to give the carrots to Shadow.\u00a0 He noticed that Chubby and Sport were missing; Jake, the foreman, must have called his brothers away to some urgent job.\u00a0 He fed Shadow and then wondered if he could help some more; sure he could, he was a big boy now.\u00a0 As he crossed the yard Hop Sing was calling him for lunch so chores would have to wait.\u00a0 He glanced at the pump but made do with rubbing his hands vigorously on his pants.\u00a0 He looked at them, they weren’t real clean but maybe Hop Sing wouldn’t notice. He headed for the kitchen with a man-sized appetite, so big that Hop Sing was surprised.<\/p>\n “You get hungry, working.”\u00a0 Hop Sing smiled.\u00a0 “Bring eggs and help brothers.”\u00a0 He looked to the door,\u00a0 “Where brothers?”<\/p>\n “Dunno, Jake musta needed ’em for somethin’.”\u00a0 Joe tucked into his soup and crusty bread, while Hop Sing hovered nearby.\u00a0 “I works hard, Hop Sing.\u00a0 Pa says I’m a real help.”<\/p>\n Hop Sing’s head bobbed agreement while he got back to his kitchen chores.<\/p>\n Joe scraped the bowl clean and slipped from his chair.\u00a0 “You need more help?” he asked.<\/p>\n The cook smiled at the small boy with the eager expression, but shook his head.\u00a0 “You go play.\u00a0 Hop Sing call if need.”<\/p>\n Joe knew he could help some more, even if Hop Sing had no chores for him. If his brothers were busy then he’d help out and they’d be real pleased with him; maybe even taking him fishing.\u00a0\u00a0 He tried to recall all the jobs on Adam’s list.\u00a0 Hay, they needed more hay in the barn from the loft.\u00a0 He glanced at the ladder; it was high and went straight up.\u00a0 He wasn’t supposed to climb it unless a grown-up was there with him.\u00a0 But Pa had said he was a big boy now, so maybe that allowed climbing ladders.\u00a0 He had been into the hayloft hundreds of times with his brothers, so the ladder was no problem.\u00a0 He wondered why Pa made such a fuss about it.\u00a0 The hay bundles were heavy and he knew that Adam would have hooked them to the pulley and lowered them down to Hoss, but he was alone.\u00a0 He couldn’t lift the bundle on to the hook, darn it!\u00a0 He pushed one with his foot and it moved quite easily, sliding on the loose hay.\u00a0 That was it.\u00a0 He’d push them over.\u00a0 He checked below to make sure that no one was in the centre of the barn.\u00a0 Yep, it was all clear, no sign of anyone.\u00a0 He pushed the first bundle over easily, it split open when it hit the ground, but that didn’t matter, they needed to open them to feed the horses anyway.\u00a0 The second was harder as he had further to push it and the third was stacked and he had to pull it down on to the loft floor first.\u00a0 It fell on top of him, knocking the wind out of him and he had to struggle to get out from under it.\u00a0 This yard chores business wasn’t as easy as he’d thought, but the idea of wages and how proud his father would be kept him working.\u00a0 Once the hay was in the barn below he scrambled down the ladder and spent half an hour just jumping in and out of the pile until it was scattered all over the barn.\u00a0 It looked a mess and he tried to rake it up, but the big wooden rake was too heavy for him.\u00a0 He surveyed the scene; oh well, he had helped.\u00a0 Adam and Hoss could rake it up later.\u00a0 He wondered where they were. Probably filling the wood boxes by now, he guessed.<\/p>\n He wandered around to the back of the house but there was no sign of his brothers just two empty wood boxes and a huge pile of logs.\u00a0 He wasn’t supposed to touch the ax or the hatchet but Pa had said he was a big boy now and he had heard stories of his brothers doing this sort of chore when they were young.\u00a0 Adam and Hoss must be busy with the horses someplace.\u00a0 He’d just see if he could do it.\u00a0 The large ax was buried in a big old block they used for chopping, he reached up and pulled at the handle, it moved down but the head of the ax remained firmly embedded in the block.\u00a0 He pulled really hard but it wouldn’t budge.\u00a0 He wiggled it a bit and pulled again, this time it came clear of the block and he fell backwards in surprise with the ax on top of him.\u00a0 He scrambled to his feet and tried to lift the ax, it was way to heavy for him.\u00a0 He sighed and let it rest on the ground. If he couldn’t split the logs, at least he could take some inside for the cookstove, then maybe he could do the kindling.<\/p>\n He couldn’t manage the log box once it was full, so he dragged the box to the kitchen door and filled it.\u00a0 Two or sometimes three logs at each trip was as much as he could carry, so it took the better part of an hour to fill the box but he felt very proud when it was done; now for the kindling.<\/p>\n The little hatchet was much more his size and he lifted it easily.\u00a0 He had seen both Adam and Hoss making kindling since he could walk and it looked easy; you just held the big piece of wood and sorta whittled bits off.\u00a0 His first attempt produced<\/p>\n nothing, then he remembered what Adam had told him about the grain in the wood and he turned the log on its end, much better a tiny piece came off when he swung the hatchet.\u00a0 He put a foot up on the block and held on to his chosen log, bringing the hatchet down again, narrowly missing his fingers but embedding the hatchet into the log.\u00a0 Several attempts were required before a rather large piece split from the main chunk.\u00a0 A grin from the young ax-man and he was away.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben rode with a smile on his face.\u00a0 It had been a good meeting, not too long and in Ben’s opinion that always improved the quality of a meeting.\u00a0 Mrs Russell had been unable to attend as she was suffering with an attack of the quinsy.\u00a0 He knew he shouldn’t smile about that but he couldn’t help it.\u00a0 The idea of that woman without a voice gave him a certain amount of pleasure.\u00a0 Clementine Hawkins had attended but he had managed to slip away while she was haranguing poor Henry Murray about who should run the cake stall at the picnic.\u00a0 Henry had the unfortunate task of organizing this year; Ben had been real pleased to avoid that chore, he’d done it a few years ago and once had been enough. He had deliberately avoided the mercantile in case she should follow him and had decided forego his usual beer in the Silver Dollar in case she caught up with him on his way to the livery stable.\u00a0 His only stop had been to pick up the mail and he had made that a hurried one, upsetting Charlie a little at his refusal to be drawn into conversation.<\/p>\n The yard was deserted as he rode in and he dismounted and led Buck into the barn.\u00a0 He stopped suddenly almost getting trodden underfoot by Buck who wasn’t expecting to halt.\u00a0 Hay was everywhere.\u00a0 The boys must have had a hay fight, well it might just be excusable for Hoss, but Adam was eighteen years old and whatever their ages they should have cleared it up afterwards.\u00a0 He carefully stepped around the hay to lead Buck to his stall and noted that the boys’ horses were missing.\u00a0 Gone fishing, no doubt.\u00a0 <\/em>He thought.\u00a0 Well they would clear this up when they got back and spend a few days tidying the barn as a lesson.<\/p>\n He unsaddled Buck and rubbed him down and then headed for the house.\u00a0 He could hear Hop Sing well before he got to the kitchen.\u00a0 He rounded the end of the passage from the dining room with caution.\u00a0 Hop Sing had been known to throw pots and pans when in a temper.\u00a0 The Chinese cook was yelling as he went about preparing supper.<\/p>\n “What is it, Hop Sing?\u00a0 What’s the matter?” Ben asked, tentatively.<\/p>\n At first he was met with a stream of angry Cantonese, but Hop Sing calmed for all of five seconds at the sight of his employer and then launched into a mixture of English and his own language when words failed him.<\/p>\n Ben gathered that someone had pulled up his vegetables, carrots, turnips, radishes and a whole patch of herbs were gone.<\/p>\n “Alright, Hop Sing, I’m sure its not a thief.\u00a0 I told the boys to help with the weeding, but I can’t understand why Adam and Hoss wouldn’t know which were weeds and which were vegetables or herbs.”\u00a0 A puzzled frown settled on his forehead, there was something wrong here.\u00a0 Had the boys been in such a hurry to go swimming that they hadn’t taken enough care?\u00a0 “I’ll find out who did it and we’ll see about getting more planted.”<\/p>\n Hop Sing threw up his hands in despair, “Not grow in day. Not get done to use for suppa.”<\/p>\n Ben nodded, “I know Hop Sing, I know, and believe me those boys will know when I find them.”\u00a0 He glanced around the kitchen, “Where are the boys?”\u00a0 His eyes narrowed, “They haven’t gone fishing or swimming without finishing the chores have they?”<\/p>\n “Not here eat, Lil’ Joe say gone help Mr Jake.”\u00a0 Hop Sing went back to his cook stove, less angry but still out of sorts.\u00a0 “Hop Sing no time to watch boys.”<\/p>\n Ben took the implied reprimand and decided to try one more question, “Where’s Little Joe then; he’s not helping Jake, is he?”\u00a0 Ben couldn’t really imagine why anyone would need to help Jake unless there was a crisis. It was Saturday afternoon and the hands were either in the bunkhouse or on their way to town.\u00a0 In fact, come to think of it, he had passed a group on his way home and he could have sworn Jake was among them.<\/p>\n “Lil’ Joe feed hens, bring in eggs, then him go play.”<\/p>\n Ben’s frown deepened, so Adam and Hoss had got Joe to do some of the chores.\u00a0 <\/em>He couldn’t blame them for that too much, Joe did tend to get in the way when he wanted to help and collecting eggs was a fairly safe chore, for the boy if not for the eggs.\u00a0 “I’ll take a cup of coffee with me and go find him then.”\u00a0 He poured coffee into a clean cup and headed for the back door.<\/p>\n He could hear the sound of an ax so the boys must have come back. He was about to call this information to Hop Sing when he barked his shins on the woodbox, carelessly left half across the doorway.\u00a0 Well at least it was full.\u00a0 <\/em>Full!\u00a0 If it was full why could he hear chopping, neither of his sons believed in doing more than the minimum when it came to yard chores.\u00a0 Ah, kindling!\u00a0 He rounded the corner of the house to the woodpile and stopped, his mouth open, afraid to say anything lest he scare the young woodsman.<\/p>\n Joe completed his task on this particular log and gathered the chips to put in the basket.\u00a0 As he looked up he saw his father watching, “Pa!”\u00a0 he squealed joyfully, “Yous back.” He pointed to the wood basket now about half full of wood chips. “I’s helpin’ with the yard chores.\u00a0 Adam and Hoss had to go someplace.”<\/p>\n “Oh did they, indeed.” <\/em>Ben muttered under his breath.\u00a0 “I can see you are being a great help, but why don’t you let Pa finish the job.”\u00a0 Ben smiled down at his young son.\u00a0 “You must be real tired with all this work.”<\/p>\n Joe nodded and allowed Ben to take the hatchet from his hand, “I collected the eggs and fed the chickens, an’ weeded the garden and got the hay from the loft ready for the horses.”\u00a0 Joe rushed out, before sinking to the porch step to watch as his father made short work of the remaining kindling.<\/p>\n Well that explained a lot.\u00a0 <\/em>Ben finished filling the basket and picked it up, “Why don’t you and I go see if Hop Sing has some milk and cookies and you can tell me all about your day and\u2026 where those brothers of yours have got to.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Once comfortably seated on Pa’s knee with a large glass of milk and a plate of oatmeal cookies, Joe was only to happy to relate all the things he had done.<\/p>\n “See Pa,\u00a0 Adam ast me to help and he tol’ me a whole lot o’ chores that we had to do.”<\/p>\n “Oh, he did, did he?”\u00a0 Ben commented.<\/p>\n “I jus’ said he did, Pa.\u00a0 You gotta listen and I’ll tell ya.”<\/p>\n Ben raised an eyebrow but stayed quiet, this should be quite some story.<\/p>\n “I fed the chickens and got all the eggs for Hop Sing, even the ones they was sittin’ on.\u00a0 Betsy didn’t wanna give me hers but I talked to her and she let me have it”\u00a0 He said proudly.\u00a0 “Then I goes back to Adam to get more chores, but he weren’t there and Hoss was gone too.\u00a0 I guess Jake wanted them for somethin’\u2026 so”<\/p>\n “Not half as much as I want them.”\u00a0 Ben muttered.<\/p>\n “Pa, you gotta listen and not interup’ when I’m talkin'”\u00a0 Joe scolded.<\/p>\n “Sorry, son.\u00a0 You go on.”<\/p>\n “I ‘membered all the stuff Adam said.\u00a0 I gotta good memory, don’t I. Pa?”<\/p>\n “Uhuh, for some things you do.”\u00a0 Ben answered recalling all the instructions forgotten five minutes after receiving them.<\/p>\n “I weeded Hop Sing’s garden, some was quite hard but I got ’em all.\u00a0 An’ I got the hay from the hayloft but I couldn’t rake it, cos the rake is too tall but I ‘specs Adam can do it when he gets home.”<\/p>\n “I ‘specs he can too.”\u00a0 <\/em>Ben thought, but mindful of his young son’s instructions he kept quiet.<\/p>\n “Then I fills the wood box and Adam showed me how to cut the kindlin’ so I dids that too.\u00a0 I almost finished when you came but I coulda done it.”<\/p>\n “Yes, son, I’m sure you could too, you’ve worked real hard and I’m proud of you.”\u00a0 He gave Joe a hug.\u00a0 “I think maybe you should leave the chopping until I can show you how to do it properly and perhaps not go into the hayloft on your own until you\u2019re a little older.”<\/p>\n “Adam already showed me.”\u00a0 Joe protested.<\/p>\n “I’m sure he did, but let Pa show you too.\u00a0 It would make me happier, huh?”<\/p>\n Joe was so pleased at his father’s praise that he didn’t argue, ”kay, Pa.\u00a0 You can show me tomorrow.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam’s black head surfaced from the cool, smooth waters of the lake and he lay back and floated, watching the seagulls circling lazily overhead and then swooping on fish below the surface.\u00a0 Hoss was a few feet away copying his brother’s actions or lack of them.\u00a0 It felt good to have the warm sun on his skin and not a care in the world.\u00a0 Adam glanced at the mountains and shivered, the sun was lower than he had expected.\u00a0 They had better be getting home there was still a lot of work to do before Pa got back from town.<\/p>\n He pushed for the shore and called over his shoulder to his brother, “We’d better be getting back or Pa’ll find out we didn’t finish the yard chores before we left.”<\/p>\n “Uhuh,”\u00a0 Hoss muttered, lazily turning over and striking out for the shore with his version of a doggy paddle.\u00a0 All the Cartwright boys were good swimmers Pa had made sure of that but Hoss felt too sleepy to put in much effort.\u00a0 By the time he hit the shore, Adam was rubbing himself vigorously with the towel and he tossed it to Hoss as he grabbed his shirt and pants from the bushes.<\/p>\n ‘C’mon, get moving, we don’t have much time.”<\/p>\n Hoss nodded but made no effort to rush.\u00a0 Adam was always bossing him around and today he didn’t feel like hurrying.<\/p>\n Finally, ready to ride, Adam led the way back through the mountains toward the ranch.\u00a0 Once they hit the meadows they made a race of it, which Adam won as he invariably did.\u00a0 They slowed their pace as they entered the yard, no sense if having Jake on their backs about running horses in the sun.\u00a0 But Jake wasn’t around; someone else was though.<\/p>\n Adam’s face went pale as he led Sport into his stall and saw Buck contentedly munching on hay.\u00a0 Hay\u2026 heck there was hay all over the place.\u00a0 What on earth\u2026?\u00a0 All Adam’s thoughts on the hay vanished as a shadow fell over the barn entrance and a voice said coolly, “Afternoon, boys.\u00a0 Would you care to explain where you’ve been and what this is supposed to be.”\u00a0 Ben indicated the heap of hay and the surrounding mess.<\/p>\n Adam really didn’t care to explain, in fact, looking at the hay he wasn’t sure he could explain.\u00a0 He glanced across at Hoss who was looking just as guilty and just as puzzled as his older brother.<\/p>\n “Uh, I\u2026 I\u2026 I don’t know\u2026” Adam stuttered.<\/p>\n Ben’s expression changed from one of curiosity to one of approaching anger.\u00a0 “You don’t know where you’ve been or you don’t know how this happened?”\u00a0 He indicated the hay. “Put up your horses and come into the house.\u00a0 I’ll explain the second and you had better think up a darn good excuse for wherever you were when it happened.”\u00a0 With that he turned and strode back to the house.<\/p>\n “He’s pretty angry.”\u00a0 Hoss observed, “Real angry.”<\/p>\n Adam nodded and blew out a breath, “Yep, and I bet little brother is behind this.” He waved a hand at the state of the barn.<\/p>\n Never had two horses been groomed and fussed so much for so long, but eventually the boys knew that any more procrastination would only make their father angrier than he was already.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam pushed open the heavy planked door very slowly to find Ben seated in his chair with Little Joe on his knee and a storybook in hand.\u00a0 At the boys’ entrance, Ben closed the book and gave Joe a hug.\u00a0 “We’ll finish it at bedtime, you run along and help Hop Sing with supper.”<\/p>\n Joe slid from his father’s knee but stood still, “Whats if Hop Sing don’t need no help?”<\/p>\n “Oh, he will, if you tell him that I asked if you could.”\u00a0 Ben assured his small son.\u00a0 “I need to talk to your brothers about yard chores.”<\/p>\n Joe brightened, “You gonna tell ’em how good I did ’em?”<\/p>\n “I’m sure your hard work will be discussed, now you go help in the kitchen.”\u00a0 Ben patted his son’s bottom and smiled at him.<\/p>\n “You be sure to tell ’em.”\u00a0 Joe repeated as he headed for the kitchen.<\/p>\n Ben waited until Joe was out of sight and hopefully out of earshot and then he got to his feet.\u00a0 “We’ll start with where you two have been for most of the day?”<\/p>\n Adam just avoided a sigh and a roll of his eyes, Pa knew darn well where they’d been.\u00a0 “We went swimming.”<\/p>\n “See, it was real hot and we figured\u2026”\u00a0 Hoss began, ignoring the warning look from his older brother.<\/p>\n “You figured that I wouldn’t be back until almost supper, right?”\u00a0 Ben interrupted.<\/p>\n “We were going to finish the chores just as soon as we got back, none of them were urgent.\u00a0 They could have waited until it was cooler.”\u00a0 Adam explained more in hope than conviction.<\/p>\n “Did you see Jake or any of the hands swimming, or lazing around this morning?”\u00a0 Ben asked.<\/p>\n “Uh?”\u00a0 Hoss looked truly puzzled.<\/p>\n Adam, however, had understood.\u00a0 “No, sir.”<\/p>\n “No, you didn’t, because they are responsible and they know they are paid to do a half day on a Saturday, as are you.\u00a0 They did their work then headed for town.\u00a0 You on the other hand decided that you could do as you pleased and persuaded your younger brother to disobey into the bargain.”\u00a0 Ben was beginning to work up into a full temper at this point.<\/p>\n Adam knew from bitter experience that this was the time to keep quiet and hope Pa would get it all out and then cool off before another answer was required.\u00a0 He hoped his younger brother would avoid making the situation worse.<\/p>\n Ben was in full flow now, “You were puzzled by the hay on the barn floor?\u00a0 Well, that arrived there because your six-year-old brother decided to do your chores for you.\u00a0 He climbed into the loft and pushed hay bundles over the edge.\u00a0 Can you imagine how dangerous that was?”\u00a0 He was now wagging an accusing finger at Adam.\u00a0 “He also pulled up half of Hop Sing’s vegetables, so don’t expect a good supper or a happy cook for some time.”<\/p>\n Hoss swallowed hard, he loved his food and had been contemplating whether Pa would send them to bed without supper, but to hear that Hop Sing was upset was much worse, that meant food would be short for several days.<\/p>\n Adam shifted nervously from one foot to the other and absently rubbed his ear.<\/p>\n “To cap it all he decided that he could chop kindling and I came home to find him about to sever his fingers with an ax.”<\/p>\n Oh boy, that one was going to cost them. <\/em>Adam stared at the pattern on the rug, tracing the black lines in his head and avoiding all contact with his father’s angry eyes.<\/p>\n “Well, what have you to say for yourselves?”\u00a0 Ben demanded, looking directly at his eldest son.<\/p>\n Adam knew there was no defence, “We’re sorry, Pa.\u00a0 I never thought Little Joe would try to do the chores.\u00a0 I only asked him to collect the eggs\u2026\u00a0 I mean that isn’t dangerous and he’s good with the hens\u2026”<\/p>\n “You didn’t think; you didn’t take him with you either, did you.\u00a0 That little boy worked all day because he thought you<\/em> were helping Jake with some emergency.\u00a0 It never crossed his mind that his two brothers, whom he adores, would go swimming without him.”<\/p>\n Pa was off again and silence was still the best option, but Hoss had yet to learn that. “We never meant him to do the chores, Pa, an’ we woulda taken him but he’s such a\u2026”<\/p>\n “He’s what?\u00a0 A nuisance, too small, a pest\u2026 and all the other things you call him when it’s not convenient for you to look after him or play with him.\u00a0 Well let me tell you that little boy thought he was helping you two, that’s how much he cares about you and you let him down.\u00a0 You let me down.”<\/p>\n Ben paused to give effect to his last words.\u00a0 “Tomorrow you can start making it up to him and to me.\u00a0 After church you will clear up the barn until I can’t see a single strand of hay out of place.\u00a0 Then you will cut a cord of wood apiece and a basket of kindling each.”<\/p>\n “But tomorrow’s Sunday and we was gonna\u2026”\u00a0 Hoss started then wisely stopped before mentioning the fishing trip they had planned.<\/p>\n “Yes tomorrow is Sunday, a day of rest for Little Joe and me and for Hop Sing.\u00a0 You will also do all Hop Sing’s chores for the day.\u00a0 On Monday you will go to town and buy whatever vegetables, herbs and seeds Hop Sing needs to replace those that were lost.\u00a0 Is that clear?”<\/p>\n Both boys nodded, then remembered to whom they were talking.\u00a0 “Yes, sir.”<\/p>\n Ben nodded too, his temper finally cooling a little.\u00a0 “Hoss, every afternoon next week you will find something to amuse your little brother.\u00a0 You,” he indicated Adam, “will read his bedtime story every night.\u00a0 And I think a week of yard chores might focus your minds and avoid your<\/em> pay packet being a little lighter.”\u00a0 He finished, with a final jab of his finger at Adam.\u00a0 “Now go get washed up for supper and apologise to Hop Sing and to your little brother and thank him for doing your chores.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Both boys kept their thoughts to themselves until they reached the wash house and then both groaned.<\/p>\n “All of Sunday gone.”\u00a0 Adam sighed.<\/p>\n “Hop Sing mad at us.”\u00a0 Hoss grumbled.\u00a0 “And playing with Joe every day ‘stead a’ my friends.”<\/p>\n “Yard chores for a whole week!”\u00a0 they said together.<\/p>\n The door to the wash house burst open and Joe fairly bounced in, “Pa and me is goin’ fishing and swimmin’ tomorrow and he gave me a whole quarter for doin’ your chores.”<\/p>\n Both brothers tried to ignore him, but Joe wasn’t about to be ignored.\u00a0 “Pa says I’m a real ranch hand.\u00a0 I bet ya next week I could earn a whole dollar.\u00a0 You got any chores I can do fer ya?”<\/p>\n “Oh yeah,” Adam grimaced.\u00a0 “Plant seeds, clean the barn\u2026” then he remembered what had gotten him into all this trouble.\u00a0 “Nah, nothing a real ranch hand like you would want to do, just kids stuff.”\u00a0 He shook his head at Hoss and rolled his eyes.\u00a0 “You just stick with the chores Pa gives you, he’s the boss.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n