Summary:\u00a0 A snake causes chaos in the Cartwright house.
\nRating\u00a0 G\u00a0 \u00a02,140 words<\/p>\n
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The Snake<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben looked up from his bookwork to see Hoss standing in front of his desk with a worried expression on his young face. Yes son?\u201d he said. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cUm \u2026 I gotta tell ya something,\u201d said Hoss, shuffling his feet and looking at the floor.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it?\u201d asked his father again.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cUm \u2026\u201d Hoss shuffled his feet again.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHoss, I\u2019m trying to get this finished before Hop Sing puts the supper on the table,\u201d said Ben impatiently. \u201cSpeak plain and hurry up \u2026 now what is it?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI was out back on my way from the outhouse \u2026\u201d said Hoss.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd I saw a dead snake \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd I poked it with a stick \u2026and it weren\u2019t dead after all,\u201d finished Hoss.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben gave his son an anxious look. \u201cWhat?\u201d he said, springing to his feet and coming around the desk. \u201cDid it come near you?\u201d he asked. \u201cDid you get hurt? What \u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d said Hoss, shaking his head quickly. \u201cBut the back door was open and it came into the house Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat?!\u201d shouted Ben. \u201cThere\u2019s a snake in the house?\u201d Hoss took a step backwards and nodded.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe ran across the living room from the fireplace where he\u2019d been playing with his blocks. \u201cWhere\u2019s the snake?\u201d he said excitedly. \u201cIs there a snake? I wanna see it!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, be quiet,\u201d said Ben sharply. \u201cHoss .. what kind of snake was it?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss shook his head. \u201cI don\u2019t know Pa,\u201d he said miserably. \u201cIt was too dark fer me ta see.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe started pulling on his father\u2019s trouser leg excitedly. \u201cI wanna see the snake!\u201d he shouted. \u201cWhere is it Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben picked the small boy up without a word, walked over to the coffee table and placed him on it. \u201cYou keep still,\u201d he said, pointing a finger at the little boy. \u201cStay on this table until I tell you to get down.\u201d\u00a0 He turned to Hoss again. \u201cWhich way did it go?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss shook his head again. \u201cI dunno Pa,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was too quick ta see.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The front door opened and Adam came into the room. \u201cHey Adam!\u201d called out Little Joe excitedly. \u201cThere\u2019s a snake!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam jumped quickly and looked anxiously all around the floor. \u201cWhere?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt came in when I was out back,\u201d explained Hoss. \u201cI was on my way back from \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNot now Hoss,\u201d interrupted his father. \u201cGo into the kitchen and tell Hop Sing what\u2019s happened. Adam \u2026 get out to the barn and bring in a couple of those hay-bale hooks. Quickly!\u201d He turned to face the fireplace. \u201cJoseph! Get your feet up on that coffee table!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe immediately pulled his small feet up. \u201cBut Pa,\u201d he protested. \u201cYou always tell me ta take my feet off the table!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell this time I\u2019m telling you to put them on it!\u201d snapped Ben.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Suddenly there was a loud yell from the kitchen and Hoss ran quickly back into the living room followed by Hop Sing who was brandishing a large meat cleaver in his hand. \u201cTell Hop Sing not ta kill the snake Pa!\u201d Hoss pleaded with his father. \u201cHe\u2019s gonna chop it up!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing no stay in house with snake!\u201d said the cook firmly and promptly got down on his knees and began to search under the dining room table. \u201cNo snake under here,\u201d he announced, getting out from under it. He waved the meat cleaver around in the air above his head a couple of times. \u201cSnake go chop chop!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u201d shouted Hoss anxiously. \u201cTell him not to Pa! He can\u2019t kill the snake!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe can\u2019t kill the snake!\u201d echoed Little Joe excitedly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSon, one way or another that snake is leaving this house,\u201d said Ben firmly. \u201cTo be perfectly honest, I don\u2019t much care if it leaves alive or dead.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt leave dead!\u201d said Hop Sing, still waving the cleaver. \u201cSnake go from house or Hop Sing go back Old China!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n At that moment, Adam came back into the room with two hay-baling hooks and gave one to his father. \u201cRight,\u201d said Ben. \u201cAdam, you start checking over near the study. I\u2019ll check the living area and the dining room. \u201cHop Sing \u2026 you check the kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat about me Pa?\u201d asked Hoss, holding out a long stick. \u201cI\u2019ve still got the stick I tried ta pick it up with \u2026. I could use this.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben hesitated. \u201cAll right,\u201d he said. \u201cYou help Hop Sing in the kitchen \u2026 but be careful. We don\u2019t know for sure what kind of snake it is yet.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He began to poke around the fireplace with his hook as Little Joe watched him, his eyes wide. \u201cOver there Pa!\u201d he called out excitedly. \u201cOver there! What about over here? Ya missed that bit Pa! Over there Pa!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, be quiet,\u201d said Ben as he continued to search. \u201cI don\u2019t need you screeching in my ear like that.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPoke real good with the hook Pa,\u201d said Little Joe, oblivious to the tone of his father\u2019s voice. \u201cMake him come out! I wanna see the snake come out!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, I told you to put your feet on the table!\u201d snapped Ben.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThere he is!\u201d squealed Little Joe suddenly and Ben nearly fell over as he tried to turn while still crouched down.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhere?\u201d Ben asked anxiously.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe shook his head. \u201cIt weren\u2019t him after all,\u201d he said sadly. \u201cIt must of been something else.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben gave his small son a frustrated look as he stood up.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo luck over here!\u201d called Adam.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll see how they\u2019re doing in the kitchen,\u201d said Ben. \u201cAdam, keep your eye on Joe.\u201d\u00a0 He hesitated. \u201cMake that two eyes,\u201d he said as he left the room.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe looked up at Adam\u2019s eyes as his brother came to stand next to him. \u201cWhat\u2019s Pa mean?\u201d he asked in a puzzled tone. \u201cHow do ya keep ya eyes on me Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNever you mind,\u201d said Adam absently.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben, Hop Sing and Hoss came back into the living room. \u201cNothing,\u201d said Ben. \u201cHop Sing has checked in every cupboard and on every shelf. There\u2019s definitely no snake in that kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hop Sing waved his cleaver around his head. \u201cI get him!\u201d he said. \u201cHe not get far!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hoss pulled at his father\u2019s sleeve. \u201cPa \u2026 tell Hop Sing not to kill him!\u201d he pleaded.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Suddenly there was an ear-piercing squeal from Little Joe and Ben flinched as Hoss put his hands over his ears at the sound. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d asked Ben, turning quickly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe jumped up and down on the coffee table a couple of times while pointing to the stairs excitedly. \u201cI saw him!\u201d he shouted. \u201cHe went up the stairs!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben bent over and held onto his small son to stop him from jumping. \u201cJoseph?\u201d he said, staring into the child\u2019s face intently. \u201cAre you sure that you saw him?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe nodded excitedly. \u201cYes Pa,\u201d he said, his eyes wide.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat colour was it?\u201d asked Ben.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt were blue,\u201d replied Little Joe, his curls bouncing as he nodded his head in his excitement.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBlue!\u201d scoffed Hoss. \u201cThere ain\u2019t never been a blue snake! Snakes ain\u2019t blue!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe drew himself up to his full height and gave his brother a disdainful look as he put his hands on his hips. \u201cThis one were blue!\u201d he said emphatically. \u201cI saw it and it were a blue snake. It were real big too,\u201d he added, holding his arms as wide as they would go. \u201cBig as this!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam walked over to the bookshelf and pulled out a blue book. \u201cThis colour?\u201d he asked, holding the book out towards his little brother.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Little Joe shook his head. \u201cNo \u2026 not that colour,\u201d he said impatiently, stamping his small boot on the coffee table. \u201cI done told ya it were blue!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben picked up the little boy and walked over with him to the bookshelf. \u201cShow me which colour,\u201d he said. Little Joe pointed to a brown book on the shelf. \u201cThat one,\u201d he said firmly. \u201cBlue!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben sighed and carried the child back to the coffee table again and stood him on it. \u201cFirst thing after this is all over \u2026 I\u2019m reviewing your colours with you young man,\u201d he muttered under his breath as he shook his head. \u201cHoss \u2026 you stay down here and watch your little brother. Joseph \u2026 you are not to get off that coffee table until you\u2019re told to. Understood?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes Pa,\u201d said Little Joe, the excitement still evident in his eyes. \u201cAre ya gonna bring it down here for us ta play with when ya catch it?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t play with snakes,\u201d said his father firmly. \u201cAdam \u2026. Hop Sing \u2026 come upstairs with me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t kill it!\u201d shouted Hoss in an anxious voice as his father, his brother and Hop Sing went upstairs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCan we give the snake a name Hoss?\u201d asked Little Joe from behind him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI reckon not Joe,\u201d said Hoss sadly. \u201cI don\u2019t reckon Pa\u2019s gonna let us keep him as a pet.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhy not?\u201d asked Little Joe. \u201cI like snakes.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSo do I,\u201d replied Hoss. \u201cBut they ain\u2019t good as pets Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Upstairs, Ben hesitated on the top landing. \u201cAdam, you check your room and Hoss\u2019\u201d, he said. \u201cHop Sing, you check the guest rooms and I\u2019ll check my room and Joe\u2019s. Call out if you find anything.\u201d\u00a0 He headed into his own bedroom as the other two walked up the hallway and into different bedrooms. Ben searched thoroughly under the bed, between the bedclothes, in the dresser drawers and everywhere else he could think of before doing the same in Little Joe\u2019s room.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNothing,\u201d said Adam as he met his father back in the hallway.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hop Sing came out of one of the guest bedrooms and shook his head. \u201cNo snake,\u201d he said, fingering his meat cleaver meaningfully.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure we can trust Joe?\u201d asked Adam. \u201cMaybe the snake didn\u2019t come up here after all?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben opened his mouth to answer, but before he could there was another ear-piercing squeal from downstairs. He rushed to the top of the staircase, followed closely by Adam and Hop Sing and down below saw Little Joe once again jumping up and down on the coffee table while Hoss stood next to the fireplace with his stick poised. \u201cIt\u2019s come downstairs again!\u201d shouted Little Joe as he jumped. \u201cIt\u2019s down here again Pa! Quick!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben ran downstairs two at a time and straight towards Hoss. \u201cGet back son,\u201d he said pulling the boy away from the fireplace and holding out his hook towards the small brown snake that was curled in the corner of the fireplace. \u201cAdam \u2026 open the back door. I\u2019m going to see if I can get it out on this hook.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam ran to the back door while everyone else held their breath and watched Ben expertly hook the snake up and carry it across the dining room. \u201cLet me see Pa!\u201d called out Little Joe. \u201cI wanna see it \u2018fore ya put him outside!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben took no notice of his youngest son, but continued to walk slowly towards the back door with the snake dangling from his hook.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBe careful with him!\u201d called out Hoss. \u201cDon\u2019t hurt him!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI wanna see him!\u201d yelled Little Joe as his father flung the snake outside. \u201cI didn\u2019t get ta see him properly!\u201d He began to cry and stamp his small feet on the coffee table in frustration as Adam closed the back door firmly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, stop that yelling,\u201d said Ben in a weary voice. \u201cAnd stop stamping your feet on that table.\u201d\u00a0 He reached over and picked up the little boy as he handed Adam his hook. \u201cThank you son,\u201d he said. \u201cLet\u2019s hope that\u2019s the last we see of that snake now. Hoss \u2026. next time you see a snake \u2026 alive or dead \u2026 leave it be.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes Pa,\u201d said Hoss.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNext time snake come in house \u2026 he be chop chop!\u201d said Hop Sing menacingly, swiping his meat cleaver a couple of times in the air.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes … well, thank you Hop Sing,\u201d said Ben as he sat down on the sofa with Joe on his lap.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI get supper on table,\u201d said Hop Sing and disappeared into the kitchen.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll put the hooks back in the barn,\u201d said Adam and disappeared from the room.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHoss \u2026 get your hands washed for supper,\u201d said Ben wearily.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOK,\u201d said Hoss as he left the room. \u201cBut I sure hope that snake weren\u2019t hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d said Little Joe, looking up at his father\u2019s face intently, his green eyes still wide from all the excitement.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat was fun, weren\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCan we find another snake ta play with tomorrow?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben said nothing, but simply sighed wearily.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\nThe End<\/span><\/h1>\n