" LITTLE JOE AND THE SHAGS "
By: Lynne G.
Ben Cartwright and his five year old son, Little Joe had gone into Virginia City that morning with a very long list of supplies that they and Hop Sing needed.
" Hi Ben, Little Joe," greeted Tom Cass, owner of the store, as soon as Ben and Little Joe entered the store. " Good morning Tom, and how are you this morning?" Ben replied.
Before Tom could reply to Ben, Little Joe said, " Hi ya Mr. Cass." Tom looked down at the bright eyed, curly haired little boy and he had to laugh, because Little Joe had his deputy badge on plus his holster and his handcuffs that were on the holster. " I'm doing just fine son, and how are you?" Tom asked. " I's doin' just dandy," Little Joe replied as he gave Tom one of his big smiles.
" I'm fine Ben. Oh by the way, did you know that the old Sherman Farm finally sold !" Tom said. With a surprised look on his face, Ben replied, " No, I didn't know that. Do you know who bought it?"
" Yes,
their name is Pearson, I think. They are from somewhere in
" Have
you met them yet Tom?" Ben asked. " Only Mr. Pearson, and he
seems very nice. He has a wife, and two sons. His brother also came
west with them. They wanted to get away from the harsh
While Tom filled Ben's order, he and Little Joe went over to the bank, then over to the mail office to pick up the mail. By then, their order was ready at the store.
On their way back home, Ben told Little Joe that he was going to ride over to the Pearson's and introduce himself and offer them any help they might need.
" Papa, I wanna go wiv ya, pleaze?" Little Joe begged. Ben smiled at his baby son, and replied, " If you are a good boy, then we can ride over there tomorrow after breakfast."
" Oh goody, but Papa, I's always good," the child declared as he looked at Ben with that look that aways melted Ben's heart. " Sure you are, you little imp !" Ben laughed.
Once they arrived home, they unloaded the buckboard with Little Joe helping the best he could. Ben then took care of the horses and buckboard, and again Little Joe helped.
Before long, it was time for lunch. Ben told Hop Sing about the Pearson's buying the old Sherman Farm, and that he and Little Joe were going over there the next morning.
After lunch, Little Joe had to have his nap. He kept telling Ben that he wasn't sleepy, even though he was having trouble keeping his eyes open during lunch. He went right to sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
When Adam
and Hoss arrived home from school, Ben told them that the Pearson's had bought
the old Sherman Farm. " Pa, there were two new boys at school today
and their last name was Pearson," Hoss said. " That's right
That afternoon after Ben had told Hop Sing about the new neighbors, Hop Sing had baked them a cake so that Ben could take it over with him and Little Joe the next morning.
That next morning after breakfast as Ben and Little Joe were ready to leave for the Pearson's, Hop Sing brought out the cake that he placed in a basket, and he told Ben, " Mr. Cartlight, you invite Pearson's come here for dinner tomorrow please." " Thank you Hop Sing, I will. See you later," Ben replied as he and Little Joe rode out of the yard.
It only took a few minutes for Ben and Little Joe to ride over to reach the old Sherman Farm. " Does ya fink day's gonna be nice Papa ?" Little Joe asked. " I'm sure they will be sweetheart. Adam and Hoss met their two sons at school yesterday and they said that the boys were very nice," Ben explained. Little Joe smiled back at Ben.
As soon as Ben and Little Joe arrived at the Pearson's, they got off their horses and tied them to the hitching rail, and they walked up toward the front door of the house.
Just as Ben and Little Joe reached the front door, the door opened and a large friendly looking man stepped out to greet his visitors.
" Good morning, may I help you?" the man asked as he smiled. " Good morning to you too. My name is Ben Cartwright and this is my youngest son, Little Joe. We came over to introduce ourselves, and to see if you could use some help with all the repairs that need to be done. I own the Ponderosa, which is just west of here," Ben replied.
" It's a real pleasure to meet you both. Please come in. My name is Fred Pearson. Please excuse the mess in here, but there is so much to do around this entire farm. Seems like everything needs repairing," Fred said.
" Ben, Little Joe, this is my wife, Emma. Honey, these are our neighbors, Ben Cartwright and his youngest son, Little Joe, and they came over to introduce themselves and to see if we could use some help with all the repairs that need doing around here.
" I am very happy to meet you both," Emma said as she smiled at them. " It is very nice to meet you too Mrs. Pearson," Ben replied. " Please call me Emma," Emma suggested.
" Imma happy ta meet ya too ma'am," Little Joe said as he took off his hat and he gave Emma one of his prize winning smiles.
" Thank you both. My my, you are such a little doll, Little Joe," Emma declared as she continued to smile at the little boy. " I ain't no doll ma'am. Imma little boy," Little Joe stated. " Yes you are honey," Emma said as she looked at Band smiled, then she added, " Little boys can also be dolls too." It was very hard not to laugh at the child's comment.
" Oh, by the way, we brought you a cake that Hop Sing, our cook and ' boss ' made for you," Ben said as he handed Emma the basket. " Thank you so much Ben. We really appreciate it, and be sure to thank Hop Sing too. Let me take the cake out of the basket so I can give it back to you," Emma replied as she walked to the kitchen.
" Please sit down," Fred suggested. As soon as Ben and Little Joe sat down, several very large, longhaired cats came into the livingroom to greet the Cartwrights.
Little Joe gasped as soon as he saw the kiities. " Oh kitties ! I's wuv kitties !" the child announced as one of the cats jumped onto the little boys lap, while another large cat jumped on Ben's lap and made himself comfortable as well.
" Oh, I'm so sorry about the Shags. Let me get them off of you," Emma said as she walked back out of the kitchen with the basket that she now sat down on an end table.
" No,
no, we like cats, especially my youngest one here. I haven't seen cats
like this since I was on sailing ships out of
" That they are Ben. Shags are the best hunters to have plus they love people and especially children. They are a lot of fun to have around as well," Fred explained.
By now Little Joe was sitting on the floor playing with several of the Shags, and he was having a wonderful time. Ben, Fred, and Emma were getting a big kick out of watching the little boy and the large cats as they played on the floor. The cats were almost as big as Little Joe.
" What
part of
" Yes, we are. Our families, both of our families, raised blueberries, chicken and Shags, and Fred and I really enjoy that too, Emma replied.
" My two older sons told me that they met your two sons at school yesterday," Ben said. " Yes, the boys started school yesterday, and they really seem to like it, and they have made a lot of new friends too.
" How old are your other two sons Ben?" Emma asked. " Adam is seventeen, and Hoss is is almost twelve. His real name is Eric, but everyone calls him Hoss. He is very large for his age. This little one is five years old," Ben explained
" He sure is a beautiful little boy Ben," Emma said. " Thank you Emma. He looks just like his mother, Marie. We sadly lost her about two months ago in a riding accident. She was my third wife," Ben sadly said. He then went on to explain about Adam's mother and Hoss's mother.
" Oh Ben, we are so very sorry to learn about Marie's death and about your other wives too. I can't imagine how hard that has been on your family, especially for this little one too," both Fred and Emma said. " Thank you for your concern. Yes, it has been very hard. I thank God everyday for the gifts of my sons that my dear wives gave me. Without them and Hop Sing, I don't think I could have made it, Ben replied.
Ben told Fred and Emma, about he, Adam and Hoss buying the Ponderosa, learning about raising cattle, learning about timber, and mining. That impressed Fred and Emma.
As the they watched Little Joe and the cats, Ben said, " This is the most Little Joe has laughed since Marie died. I am totally amazed at how the cats have interacted with him."
" It's just one of their characteristics. We have around twenty five Shags at the moment, from non-breeding adults, our breeding adults, and a lot of kittens. They are in and out of the house all the time. Infact, here comes some of the kittens now," Emma said as the very large kittens ran into the room and straight over to Little Joe.
" Those are kittens?" Ben questioned, as he couldn't believe how big they were. " They are huge !" Fred and Emma just smiled at Ben. People were always amazed at the size of the Shags, especially the kittens.
Little Joe was laying on the floor totally covered with cats, and the cats were licking him and rubbing up against him as well. He was giggling like crazy too.
" Before I forget, we would like to invite all of you over for dinner tomorrow evening," Ben offered. " Oh, that is so nice of you Ben. We'd love to. What time?" Fred asked. " About five," Ben replied. " Perfect !" Emma said.
About that time, Fred's brother, Dave opened the door and walked in. He was introduced to Ben, and the cat covered Little Joe, who was still giggling, which made Dave laugh too.
" It's my pleasure Ben. Little Joe seems to be enjoying the Shags," Dave said as he was having a fun time watching the child and the cats on the floor. " Yes, he sure is having a wonderful time with them," Ben agreed.
" Our family has been breeding them for as long as I can remember. Not only are they great mousers, they are also wonderful pets as well," Fred explained.
"
Would you and Dave like to have help with all the repairs on your farm? We
have extra hands, and my older sons and I would love to help you out in any way
we can. We can also have a big welcome party for your family at the
Ponderosa, and that way you can meet the rest of your neighbors and the
business owners from
" Ben, we would all be so grateful for everything you have offered. We can't thank you enough for your kindness," Fred, Emma and Dave replied.
" Great, we can have the party two weeks from Saturday. Would it be possible for you to show me what all needs repairing, so we can plan what all we need for supplies and, and how many hands we need too?" Ben asked. " Yes, thank you Ben," Fred said as he, Dave and Ben headed for the front door.
" Come on Little Joe," Ben said. " Papa, I wanna stay and play wiv the kitties, pleaze?" the child begged. " He's fine where he is Ben. Let him play with the kitties. I'll watch him," Emma offered. " Are you sure Emma? He can be quite a handful," Ben declared.
" Oh Ben, we'll be just fine. Don't worry about him," Emma replied. " Ok, thanks Emma. You be a good boy son," Ben told the youngster. " I's will Papa. Fank ya," Little Joe answered back. Ben left and was followed by several of the Shags.
Emma got out some toys that she had made for the cats, and she handed a toy to Little Joe. " Little Joe, take this toy and toss it, and the cats will go and get it, and bring it back to you. They love to play fetch," Emma said.
Little Joe looked up at Emma with his mouth open at what Emma had just said. " Day will?" he said with a big surprised look on his face. " Yes, they sure will honey," Emma replied.
Little Joe tossed the toy, and sure enough, the cats that stayed in with the child ran after the toy, and one of them picked it up and brought it back to the little boy. Little Joe just sat on the floor with his mouth open. The cat laid the toy next to the child and they all waited for the child to toss the toy again.
Little Joe kept tossing the toy for a long time and each time one of the cats brought the toy right back to him. Little Joe wa so impressed by this that he couldn't wait to tell his family about that.
" Emma, did ya teach dem kitties ta fetch da toys?" the child asked. " No honey, it's just something they love to do," Emma answered. Little Joe was having a wonderful time as were the kitties too.
A little while later, Ben returned to get Little Joe so they could go home. The little boy didn't want to go home. He wanted to stay and play with the cats.
" Sweetheart, you can come over anytime you want and play with the cats," Emma told the little boy. Little Joe gasped and said, " Really?" Emma smiled at him and said, " Yes. Which kitties do you like the best honey?"
" I's wuv em all Emma, but dees ones I wuv da best," he replied as he pointed to four of the large kittens who were rubbing up against the little boy and purring loudly. " They sure seem to love you too honey," Emma said. The boy nodded.
" Bye bye kitties. I's wuv ya ! Fank ya fer lettin' me play wiv yer kitties, Emma," the little boy said. " You are very welcome Little Joe. Now remember, you can come over and play with them anytime you want," Emma reminded him. Little Joe smiled back at her.
" We will see you tomorrow evening at your house honey," Emma said as she gave the little boy a big hug.
They all went outside and the cats followed them out. " Look Papa, da kitties comed out ta say bye bye ta us," the child squealed in delight. " They sure did baby," Ben said. " See you tomorrow," they all said.
That eveing Little Joe told Adam, Hoss and Ben about the cats bringing him back the toy he had tossed to them. " That sounds more like something dogs do, not cats," Hoss replied. " Oh Hoss, dem kitties dun did bring back da toy. Papa, I's wants some kitties like dem. Pleaze Papa?" the child begged. " We'll see. They are excellent mousers too!" Ben declared.
That next day at school, Ron and Max told Adam and Hoss that they were really looking forward to coming to the Ponderosa for dinner that night. Both Adam and Hoss told Ron and Max that they too were looking forward to that also.
" I have to tell you Ron, that our little brother is very impressed with all of your cats. Especially when they brought back the toy he had been tossing for them," Adam said.
" Yes, they love to play fetch. Ma said that the Shags were all over your little brother, licking him and rubbing against him. They really love your little brother," Ron replied.
Hop Sing had really out done himself with dinner that night. " Hop Sing, dinner was wonderful. Everything was so delicious. Thank you so much," Emma told Hop Sing. " Hop Sing very happy you all enjoy dinner. That make Hop Sing feel very honored," Hop Sing happily replied.
That Saturday, the Cartwrights and several of their hands went over to the Pearson's to help with all the repairs. They had brought over everything that would be needed. Hop Sing had made a huge amount of food for everyone, and all it would need was to be reheated.
" Little Joe, why don't you go and play with the kitties while we work," Ben suggested. The child got a huge smile on his sweet little face, and he squealed, " Really Papa ? I dunts gotta help wiv da work?" " No sweetheart, we don't need anymore help. You have fun with the kitties and Emma," Ben replied. Little Joe gave Ben a big hug, and said, " fank ya Papa. I's be a good boy fer ya."
All the men, including, Adam, Hoss, Ron and Max all went to do the repairs around the farm. Little Joe didn't even miss them as he was having too much fun with all the kitties. His giggling could be heard all over the farm, which made everyone feel good.
Emma told
Little Joe stories about the kitties, and living in
Emma then took him over to one of the fields to show him where they had planted blueberries. " Little Joe, have you ever tasted blueberries before?" Emma asked him. " No ma'am. I ain't neber had em before. Are dem good?" he asked.
" Oh yes they are honey. They make wonderful pies, cakes, muffins, pancakes and they are great to eat just one at a time. They are sweet, and juicy too," Emma explained to him. " When is dem bushes gonna make dem berries ya tolded me bout?" the child asked.
" In a couple of months or so, and you can have as many as you want too. We are going to plant even more of them too," she told the little boy. He looked up at her with big wide eyes, and a big smile on his face.
" Hey, da kitties all comed wiv us Emma," he excitedly said. " Yes they sure did. They love to follow you where ever you go," Emma told him. " Day does?" the child questioned. " Yes," she replied. Emma was loving this beautiful little boy.
After lunch, the men continued to do all the repairs on the farm, and they were making great progress too.
Little Joe was sleepy, so he laid down under a large shade tree and he quickly fell asleep. All the kitties laid down next to the child as if they were guarding the little boy.
Emma sat there and looked at the sleeping child and again she thought, "he was beautiful child." The four kittens that Little Joe seemed to love the most were laying on him, and they had him completely covered.
About two hours later, Emma woke Little Joe so they could go down to the large creek that was near the house. It had a small sandy beach along one part of the creek, where Little Joe could play.
Emma had asked Ben about taking the little boy down to the creek while they had dinner that night at the Ponderosa, and Ben liked the idea, and he had brought along some dry clothes and towels for his little son, knowing that the child would end up getting soaking wet.
" You can play in the water if you want Little Joe. I have some towels and dry clothes for you that your Papa brought for you," Emma told him.
" Oh goody!" he excitedly replied, since he loved to play in water. Emma took his boots and socks off of him and then she rolled up his pant legs. Little Joe ran down to the beach and into the water. He turned around and smiled at Emma, while she walked down to the water and she started to wade in the water with Little Joe.
" Look Emma, da kitties is in da water too!" he squealed in excitement. He had never seen cats playing in water before. "Yes little Joe, the cats love to play in water too," Emma told him as she was getting a big kick out of all his facial expressions.
" Does da kitties like ta swim too?' he asked as he watched the cats in the water. " They sure do honey," Emma answered. " WOW!" was all Little Joe could say.
" Do you know how to swim honey?" Emma asked. " Yes ma'am, my brudders learned me how," the little boy replied.
" If you want, you can go swimming," Emma suggested, after all, Little Joe was already soaking wet anyway. " Oh fank ya Emma !" he shouted.
Emma stood there watching Little Joe swim along with the cats. Little Joe was having a great time in the water. " You sure do swim well, Little Joe," Emma proudly told him. " Fank ya Emma," he replied while giggling happily away.
Emma sat down in the shade of a large tree while she watched Little Joe and the cats in the water. About two hours later, a tired Little Joe got out of the water. He watched as the cats got out of the water too and he watched them shake the water off their fur. He laughed at that, and he started to shake himself off like he had seen the cats do. That made Emma laugh.
After the cats and Little Joe had shaken off the water on themselves, Little Joe ran over to Emma, who had the towels and dry clothes ready for him.
" Did you have fun honey?" Emma asked him. " I's sure did Emma. Da kitties had fun too," the boy replied. Emma got Little Joe undressed, dried off and into dry clothes. She had rung out his wet clothes, and then they walked back to the house, followed by the kitties.
Emma hung up Little Joe's wet clothes and the towels so they could dry. Then she went into the kitchen and she put the food in the oven that needed to be reheated.
Little Joe sat under the large shade tree surrounded by the cats. Emma had brought him out a glass of cold lemonade, and one for herself too. They both sat there and drank their lemonade, talked and they petted the cats too. The four kittens that Little Joe loved the most, were laying on his legs and lap, even though they really didn't fit on him very well, but they were purring loudly.
After they had finished their lemonade, Emma took the empty glasses back to the kitchen. She then began to set the three large picnic tables that were in the yard. As soon as Little Joe saw what Emma was doing, he ran over to help her. It didn't take too long for them to get the tables all set.
Finally it was time for dinner, and everyone was was very hungry from all the hard work that they had been doing all day. With all the help, all the repairs were finished in one day, plus some painting that also needed to be done.
The Pearson's were so thankful for all the help that the had that day. It would have taken them weeks to get everything repaired without all the help. Everyone enjoyed all the food that Hop Sing had made for them.
After dinner, Ben thanked all the hands who had help out that day, and he told them that they all get a nice bonus along with their normal wages. They had told Ben that that wasn't necessary, but Ben insisted.
After everything was all cleaned up, the hands returned to the Ponderosa. The Cartwrights stayed to visit for a little while longer.
Fred, Emma and Dave walked up to Ben to ask him if it was alright with him, if Little Joe could have the four large kittens that he loved so much. " Are you sure? I'll be happy to pay for them," Ben responded.
" No Ben, we want to give the kittens to Little Joe. We've talked about this since we saw how much he loves them and how much they love that little boy too," Emma told Ben, hoping that he would say ' yes '.
" I can see how much he loves those kittens, and how much they love him back. I can't thank you enough. You'll make that little imp very happy. He told me that he wanted some kitties just like them. Just seeing him so happy like this with those kitties has been wonderful," Ben said as he smiled at Emma. " Thank You !" Ben added.
All too soon, it was time for the Cartwrights to head back home. " Come on boys, it's time to go home. Little Joe, come over here sweetheart, please," Ben called to his youngest son.
Little Joe ran over to Ben, followed by the four kittens. "Yes Papa?" the boy questioned. " Son, Emma has something to ask you," Ben said.
Little Joe looked up at Emma. " Little Joe, how would you like to take home those four kittens you love so much? They are yours if you would like," Emma asked as she smiled at the little boy.
Little Joe gasped and he stood there with his eyes wide open and his mouth open in total surprise at what he had just heard Emma say. He was speechless.
" Really? I can hab em? I can take em home wiv me tanight?" he asked with tears running down his happy little face. " You sure can honey. They are yours," Emma happily said. " Oh fank ya so much. I wuv em so much !" he excitedly cried as he gave Emma a big hug. Fred, Dave, Ron and Max all got a big hug from one very excited little boy. Everyone had tears in their eyes as they were all so happy to make this sweet little boy so happy. The excitement on the little boy's face was a precious sight to be hold.
Emma handed Little Joe a bag full of toys that she had made for the kittens. " Here's some toys for your kittens honey," she said. " Oh Emma ! Fank ya so much. I wuv ya Emma !" the child cried.
Ben also thanked the Pearson's for the kittens and for making his baby son so happy. Ben picked up Little Joe, huged him and put him in the buckboard.
" Come on kitties, ya getts ta comed home wiv me," Little Joe told the kittens. The kittens jumped in the buckboard with Little Joe, and soon the Cartwrights and four very large kittens were on their way home.
The End of part one.
Footnote:
Maine Coon Cats were known as Shags or Maine Shags well over a hundred years ago.
This breed of cat loves to play in water, and if you are relaxing in your bathtub, they will jump into the tub with you.
They act like dogs, in that they love to play fetch with you, they do follow you everywhere you go in the house.
They are the largest of the domestic house cats. Males weigh between 14 to 24 lbs, and females from 8 to 15 lbs.
They are known as the " Gentle Giants " of the cat world, and also, the " Clowns " of the cat world.
They are known for their high intelligents, and their clown like personalities. They act like kittens all their lives. They are very slow to reach their full size and maturity, which is between the ages of 3 years old to 5 1/2 years old.
Maine Coons are a natural breed of cat, that just showed up in Maine, as a breed of cat in the late 1780's. In 1985, they were named the State cat for the State of Maine.
There are many colorful legends that surround this breed of cat, that I will explain later on in the other parts to this story.
We have
four Maine Coons, and they are a very interesting and a wonderful breed of cat
to own.