"THE
GUITAR"
By
Cindy Rostron
Twelve year old Little Joe walked
through the front door after finishing his morning chores. He was glad to have
that behind him, for now he and Mitch could go fishing. He scurried up the
stairs to change into his old pair of jeans with the holes in both knees. He
called them his lucky pants, because every time he wore them he seemed to come
home with a slew of fish for Hop Sing to clean and cook up for dinner. Adam had
tried telling him his pants had nothing to do with his catching fish, but
Little Joe closed his ears to his older brother's logic. Adam gave up trying to
convince him otherwise, he just figured once Joe grew out of them he would
discover then that luck had nothing to do with it at all.
Little Joe heard a noise coming from
Adam's room while walking toward his room. He stopped, tip-toed closer, and
placed his ear against the door. He could hear a rustling commotion inside. He
slowly opened the door and peeked in. There standing on a chair was eleven year
old Laura, the daughter of Ben's best friend. She was grabbing for Adam's
guitar he had hung on the wall. Little Joe stepped in quickly.
"Laura! What are you doing? You
know you aren't allowed in here," he said.
"I ain't hurtin' nothing,"
she said, reaching up on her tip toes and took hold of the instrument.
"I wouldn't touch that if I was
you. Adam doesn't like anyone touching his guitar, especially that one. It's
very special. He would be hopping mad if he knew you played with it,"
warned Little Joe. Laura ignored the warning and proceeded to lift the guitar
from the peg it was hanging on. While getting down off the chair, she lost her
balance and fell to the floor causing the guitar to crash against the hard,
wooden floor. Little Joe rushed over and picked up the guitar. Laura lifted
herself up off the floor, rubbing the back of her head. Little Joe's eyes grew
wide when he saw a dent and several scratches where the guitar had met the
floor.
"You're gonna get it now! Look
at what you did!" he yelled, showing her the damage.
“Aw, that ain’t nothing to fret
over. I can cover over them scratches easy enough with some of that stuff I saw
Hoss using to grease the wheels. It should cover them up just fine,” she
stated, like she had done this kind of thing before.
“Oh yeah, well what about the dent,
you can’t hide that. I don’t wanna be around when Adam sees what you’ve done,”
he said. “You best be doing what you can with those scratches now, and then if
I were you, I’d put that guitar where it goes and just pray that Adam doesn’t
notice.” He turned and got ready to go fishing.
Laura rolled her eyes. She felt
Little Joe was getting all upset over nothing. She placed the guitar on her
bed, and then ran downstairs into the kitchen asking Hop Sing if he had an
empty jar she could catch some bugs in. He had several of them. He always kept
them to make jellies and preserves with. He gladly gave one to Laura.
“Here missy, you keep bug outside,”
he instructed.
“Ok, thanks Hop Sing,” she said, merrily
skipping away. She ran inside the barn where the grease was kept. She uncovered
the bucket and dipped the jar into the goop. It was thick, black, and oily.
Once satisfied she had enough, she carefully covered the bucket back and
quickly as possible ran into the house before Hop Sing could spot her. She
closed her door and walked toward the bed. She glanced at the guitar and then
at the grease trying to figure out how she was going to do this without making
a huge mess. An idea came to her. She could use one of the handkerchiefs her pa
had given her to use when she dressed up fancy. She took one out of her drawer
and then proceeded to pour some of the grease onto the guitar. She began to rub
it onto the scratches. It seeped into the grooves, and at first glance the
scratches were hardly visible. The dent didn’t look as severe either. She hid
the jar underneath her bed and then began trying to rub the excess grease off
the guitar. It wasn’t easy for it smeared badly, but at last she was satisfied.
She took it back to Adam’s room and hung it back on its peg. As she stepped
back and looked at it, a person wouldn’t even have known it had been touched.
She smiled to herself and skipped happily down the hall to go play with her
dolls.
Laura had come to stay the summer
with the Cartwright’s. She called Ben her uncle, though he really wasn’t. Ben
and her father had been such close friends for so many years that he was
considered part of the family. She had a face of an angel with long blond curls
and big brown eyes. Her father had just re-married, and he and his new bride
had sailed to
Today Ben, Adam, and Hoss had rode
up to the north pasture to gather all the new calves so they could be branded
with the Ponderosa symbol. It wasn’t only exhausting work, but it was hot
having to keep a fire going strong to keep the brands red hot. By quitting
time, the three of them were filthy with the stench of burnt animal flesh on
their clothes. They looked forward getting into a nice warm bath to wash away
the grit and grime from the day, and Hoss was especially looking forward to a hearty
meal.
“I got first debs on the bath
tonight,” said Hoss, tightening the cinch on his saddle.
“Wait a minute young man, who says
you have first debs on the bath? What about your old pa?” asked Ben. He was
already mounted. Every bone in his body ached. He was getting too old for this
kind of work anymore. In a few more years, Little Joe would be old enough to
take his place, so he could stay behind the desk while his three, strong sons
did the hard labor.
“Sorry Pa, I reckon you got first
debs but Adam, I have second, and don’t you forget it,” said Hoss, pointing his
finger at his older brother. Adam just gave him one of his famous smirks before
jumping up on Sport.
**************************************************
Ben had Emmett, one of the hired
hands, to put up the horses once they arrived home. They immediately went into
the house, and were met with the wonderful aroma of roast pork, greens, and hot
apple pie. Hoss grinned from ear to ear. Hop Sing heard them come in and came
out to greet them.
“Hi Mr. Carlight, supper be ready in
one hour,” he said.
“Fine Hop Sing, oh, would you mind
getting some hot water ready for a bath for the three of us?” asked Ben. “How
was Laura today, did she behave herself?”
“Yes, she vely good girl. She up in
room playing. I go now and get water on,” he said, and quickly shuffled back
into the kitchen.
“I don’t know about you boys, but I
believe I’ll have a brandy while I wait for my bath,” said Ben.
“I think I’ll join you,” said Adam.
Hoss declined; instead he went for an apple that was in the fruit bowl they
kept filled on the living room table.
“It sure feels good to sit,” said
Ben. He sipped his brandy.
“Sure does. I don’t think I’ve felt
this tired in quite a while. It must have been the heat,” said Adam. “It just
zapped all the energy right out of me.” He sat back in the blue chair, closed
his eyes, and let out a sigh.
“I’m so hungry I could eat the side
of the barn. I sure wish Hop Sing would hurry up with supper,” said Hoss,
taking a big bite out of his second apple.
The front door suddenly swung open
with great force, and Little Joe came running inside, and then he slammed it
shut. Ben glared at his young son. Adam opened one eye and then closed it again
trying to ignore the intrusion. Hoss about jumped out of his skin.
“Joseph, how many times must I
repeat myself to you about not slamming that door?” asked Ben.
“Sorry Pa, but a swarm of bees was
chasing after me. Look what I caught today,” he said, his face beaming. He held
up about a dozen fish he had strung up. “And you know what? Mitch only caught a
couple. Like I said before Adam, these are my lucky pants.” Adam smirked
without opening his eyes.
“That’s fine son, but you’re making
a mess on the floor. They’re dripping,” said Ben. “Take them to Hop Sing.”
“Yes sir.” He disappeared into the
kitchen.
****************************************
It wasn’t long before they were all
around the table eating the fine meal Hop Sing had prepared for them. He was
devoted to the Cartwright men. It brought him great joy to see them enjoy his
creations. He especially enjoyed watching Hoss, since he ate with such
enthusiasm savoring every morsel while giving out compliments.
“So Laura, what did you do today?”
asked Ben.
“I did my chores like you asked, and
then I just played around here you know with my dolls and stuff,” she said. She
stuffed her mouth with greens.
“Glad to hear it,” said Ben. “You
know what I was thinking? We’ve all been working hard lately, so I
thought we all could take a day off and go down to the lake tomorrow and have a
picnic and perhaps go swimming. How does that sound?”
“Really Pa, I think that sounds
great! Can I ask Mitch to come along?” asked Little Joe.
“I guess so.”
“Pa, that sounds inviting, but Beth
and I already have plans,” said Adam. He wiped his mouth and placed his napkin
on the table. “That was a fine meal Hop Sing.” He sat back and enjoyed the rest
of his coffee.
“What about you two?” asked Ben,
looking at Hoss and Laura.
“Sounds just fine Pa, it’ll be fun
trying to drown little brother here,” he said, as he rubbed the top of Little
Joe’s head.
“The lake sounds like a lot of fun,
but Uncle Ben, I don’t know how to swim,” said Laura.
“I’ll teach you,” said Ben, smiling.
Laura’s eyes lit up. “Well, now that’s all settled, I think I’ll go in the
living room and read a good book.”
“I’m so exhausted I think I’m going
to call it a day and go to bed. See you in the morning,” said Adam, as he rose
from his seat and walked toward the stairs.
“He just wants to make sure he
doesn’t have any bags under his eyes when he sees his girl,” teased Hoss. Adam
ignored him and strolled into his room. His bed hadn’t looked so inviting in a
long time. He got undressed, and then climbed under the cool sheets, and was
soon fast asleep.
“Joe, Laura, it’s time you two went
on to bed now,” said Ben, when
“Aw Pa, can’t I stay up just a few
more minutes? I’m on the verge of whipping Hoss at this game,” whined Little
Joe. Seeing the plea in his young son’s eyes Ben caved in.
“All right, but for only thirty
minutes, and then no whining, agreed?”
“Agreed, thanks
Before long the fire in the fire
place was just smoldering embers, for everyone had gone into their own rooms
and were cuddled beneath the soft quilts and dreaming their own private dreams.
**********************************************
Little Joe and Laura had gotten up
extra early to do their morning chores. They figured the quicker they got them
done, the faster they could leave for the lake. Joe wanted to leave ahead of
everyone else to see if Mitch could come along too.
Adam had gotten up early as well,
and was getting dressed to go see Beth. He had been seeing her for a while now,
but marriage wasn’t in the picture, at least not now. They enjoyed each other’s
company, but they were still getting to know one another. Beth loved for Adam
to play his guitar and sing to her, so each time he visited, he always made
sure to take it along. It brought him great pleasure to serenade her. After
dressing, he took the guitar down from the wall. He sat on the bed and began
playing a tune. It sounded off key, so he began to tune it. Once he was
satisfied with the sound, he stood, but when he did, he noticed his white shirt
had this black stain on it.
“What the heck?” he asked himself.
He rubbed it, and some came off onto his fingers. He smelled it. “Where in the
heck did that come from?” He laid his guitar onto the bed to look around and
that’s when he noticed the dent. He snatched up the guitar and flipped it over.
He saw the scratches where some of the black grease had seeped out of the
grooves and was now smeared all over the back of his guitar, and now on his bed
too. He rubbed the area and more of the black goop came off onto his fingers.
The damage to his guitar was pretty bad. He was fuming. Some little urchin had
been in his room, touching things they ought not; and then trying to be clever
enough to cover over their wrong. Well, he would get to the bottom of this
right now! With the guitar in his hand, he stormed out of his room toward the stairs.
“Little Joe!” he yelled, while
descending the stairs at a fast pace. “Where is that boy?!”
“Adam, what’s wrong?” asked Ben. He
stood when he saw how upset his son was.
“What’s wrong? You just wait until I
get my hands on that little brother of mine,” he said through gritted teeth.
“What did he do?”
“This is what he’s done.” He handed
the guitar to Ben who examined it carefully.
“What’s this black stuff all over
it?” asked Ben frowning and rubbing it between his fingers.
“It looks and smells like the wheel
grease. Where is Joe?”
“He’s out in the barn finishing up
his chores.” Ben gave the guitar back to Adam and then walked to the front
door. “Joseph!” After there was no answer, he yelled again. “Joseph!” This time
Little Joe stuck his head out of the barn door.
“Did you call me Pa?”
“Yes I did. I want to see you in the
house,” he said, in a stern voice. Little Joe was confused. He was trying to think
of something he might have done that would get his pa upset, but he couldn’t
come up with a single thing. But he knew when Pa used that tone; it only meant
one thing, trouble. He swallowed hard and slowly strolled towards the house.
Adam was pacing back and forth
trying to get his temper under control. Little Joe knew the rules about
entering his room. He thought he was beginning to grow up, but now with this,
this mess, he realized he was still just a boy. The door creaked open, and
Little Joe gingerly went though it.
“You wanted to see me Pa?” he asked
nervously.
“Yes son I do. Can you explain the
meaning of this?” he asked. Adam brought the guitar over to him and practically
shoved it in his face.
“I thought I told you to never go
into my room, and you know you’re forbidden to touch this, so explain to me why
you defied both Pa and me,” demanded Adam. His mouth was tight, and his eyes
squinting.
“Why are you yelling at me? I didn’t
do it!” he said, his voice rising.
“Don’t lie to me,” said Adam, as he
drew closer to his brother.
“I ain’t lying! And don’t you yell
at me!”
“Young man, watch how you talk to
your brother,” warned Ben.
“But Pa, he’s accusing me of
something before he gets the facts, and that ain’t fair!” he said angrily. Ben
glared at his son.
“Joseph, I want you to watch your
tone with me too or you won’t be sitting down tonight, is that understood?”
Little Joe nodded his head. “All right, if you didn’t do it, do you know how it
happened?” He crossed his arms over his broad chest.
“Yes sir. Laura did it. I found her
in Adam’s room yesterday. She’s the one that took your stupid guitar, so you
see older brother; you’re accusing the wrong person.”
“Laura! Where is she?” asked Adam.
“In the barn.”
Adam took long strides toward the
door, and called for her. When she didn’t show herself, Adam’s anger grew
hotter. “LAURA!”
“What do you want?” she asked,
finally appearing at the entrance of the barn.
“I want you in the house, now.”
“I’ll be there in a minute, I’m
almost done with my chores,” she answered.
“No, I want you to come inside this
minute. Now move!” he ordered.
“All right, all right, I’m coming.”
She was trying to figure out what the fuss was all about. When she got close
enough, Adam grabbed her by her upper arm. She glanced up at him with total
surprise on her face.
“You have some explaining to do,
young lady,” he said, as he brought her into the house. She saw Ben and Little Joe
in the living room, neither looking too jolly. Adam escorted her to the couch
and forced her down not too gently. “All right, I want to know, did you do
this?” He picked up the guitar and showed it to her. She suddenly went pale.
“Uh……….., um…………….”
“Quit stalling and give me an answer
girl!” yelled Adam. She nodded her head up and down, while looking down at her
shoes. He was on the verge of blowing his top. “Start explaining how this
happened.” He pointed to the damage.
After a series of uh’s and hum’s,
Adam and Ben were able to pull the truth out of her. Adam about went through
the roof when she told them about the black grease.
“I thought it would dry and……,” she
started, but was interrupted by Adam.
“And you thought you could get away
with it.”
“If I hadn’t of tripped I would
have. If it makes you feel better, I didn’t mean to harm nothing. It was an
accident, I’m sorry,” she said in a sassy tone.
“You’re sorry you got caught, you
mean,” growled Adam.
“Laura, I want you to go to your room
and wait for me there,” said Ben in a low, calm, voice. Little Joe knew she was
in serious trouble, for when Pa was that controlled in his voice; it was the
calm before the storm.
“I said I was sorry,” she said
hatefully. Ben pointed to the stairs and gave her a hard stare when she just
stood in place. She let out a loud sigh, but finally obeyed. She stomped all
the way to her room. Once he heard her door slam shut, he turned to Joe.
“Son, you knew about this last
night, yet you didn’t tell me or Adam about it, why?” asked Ben.
“I don’t know
“Next time she does something you
know is wrong, I’ll expect you to let me know, understood?”
“Yes sir. Can I go finish my chores
now?”
“Yes. I have to go speak to Laura.”
“Is that all you’re going to do Pa,
just talk to her?” asked Adam angrily.
“Adam, she’ll be punished, I promise
you that, but that’s my worry now isn’t it?” he asked, looking Adam straight in
the eyes. Adam knew if Ben was present, he was the only one to give out
punishments. Only in his absence was Adam allowed to be in charge. Adam turned
away from his father in frustration, and sat in the chair next to the fire. Ben
climbed the stairs toward Laura’s room.
“I think you owe me an apology
Adam,” said Little Joe, once his father was out of ear shot. Adam glared at his
youngest brother, but knew he was right. He had jumped to conclusions.
“I am sorry Joe,” he said. Seeming
satisfied, Little Joe turned on his heels and ran out to complete his chores.
Hoss came barreling down the stairs
yawning and stretching his arms above his head. He noticed Adam looking like an
old grizzly bear. “What’s wrong with you?” he asked. He didn’t give Adam a
chance to respond before he aimed for the dining room table. “I’m starving,
ain’t breakfast ready yet?” Adam didn’t bother to answer him; he just sat
silently in his anger. Hoss went to find Hop Sing.
******************************
Ben knocked on the door to Laura’s
room, and then went inside. He found her lying on her stomach on her bed
reading a book. Ben cleared his throat as he shut the door, trying to get her
attention. She glanced up, turned her head toward him for a brief moment, but
then continued reading. This only angered Ben.
“Put that book away, please,” he
said. Laura let out a sigh and showed her annoyance by slamming the book shut.
Ben pulled a chair up next to the bed. “Sit up.” She hesitated until she caught
the expression on his face. She sat up and folded her hands in her lap. She put
on her best angelic face and waited for him to speak. “Laura, you know the
rules of this house by now. You know one of them is that you aren’t allowed in
Adam’s room or anyone else’s for that matter without permission, so why did you
disobey?”
“I don’t know. I was just curious.”
“But you knew you weren’t supposed
to be in there, is that right?”
“Yeah, I mean yes sir, but I wasn’t
hurtin’ nothing. I just wanted to see his guitar.” She rubbed her nose, and
then folded her hands into her lap once again.
“I see, so you deliberately
disobeyed,” said Ben, a deep frown forming across his forehead. “Young
lady, by now you should know that what I say I mean, and I do not tolerate
willful rebelliousness. You have committed two misdeeds. One, you went where
you were told not to and second, you took Adam’s guitar, and even though it was
an accident, you damaged it and then tried to hide what you had done. So, I do
believe you have earned yourself a tanning,” he said. A shocked expression
crept over her face. “Come here,” he said.
“Let me go!” she screamed at the top
of her lungs. She squirmed with all her might, trying to get free from his hold
on her, but his grip was too much. He sat in the chair and pulled her over his
knee. She kicked and screamed as he administered five smacks to her bottom. He
stood her up afterwards. Tears were streaming down her red cheeks. “Now, you
are to go down stairs and apologize properly to Adam for damaging his guitar,”
he bellowed. She stepped back and stomped her feet.
“I don’t want to!”
“Laura, you will do as I say, and if
you speak to me like that again, you will find yourself over my knee once more,
is that understood?” He grabbed her by the arms and made her look at him
straight in the eyes. Her eyes squinted showing her disapproval. “Now young
lady, march yourself down those stairs this instant and apologize.” He twirled
her arm and gave her a slight nudge to get her moving. She let out an angry
huff as she ran out of the room.
Adam was examining his guitar when
she came stomping down the steps. He gaped at her, while she made her way to
him. He saw the punishment she had received had already been forgotten. She
stopped in front of him, crossed her arms in front of her, and scowled at him.
“I came to apologize about the
guitar,” she pouted.
“All right,” he said. He placed the
guitar down on the couch and waited. When she didn’t say anything more he said,
“Well, I’m waiting.” That seemed to only anger her more.
“Waiting for what?” she asked.
“For that apology.”
“I already gave you one, and I ain’t
doing it again!” she yelled. She placed her hands on her hips. “It’s just
a dumb old guitar anyways!”
Adam wanted to grab her up and give
her a tanning she would soon not forget, but didn’t. He wouldn’t have to, for
Ben heard what she had said and was barreling towards her. She saw him approaching
like a dark ominous cloud ready to burst open. She ran in the opposite
direction towards the kitchen and smacked right into Hoss, as he was being
rushed out by Hop Sing.
“LAURA!” Ben yelled. Hoss grabbed
hold of her before she could escape. She began kicking him and even tried to
bite him in her attempt to get away.
“Wait just a cotton pickin’ minute,”
he said, holding her tight trying to get her under control. Ben took her from
him, and he pulled her to the chair.
“All right young lady, I guess I
didn’t get through to you upstairs. Maybe this time I will.” He turned her
around and gave her one hard smack on the bottom. “You get over there and
apologize properly, and then you will be spending the rest of the day in your
room.”
“I, I’m, sorry,” she said, trying to
hold back from crying.
“Get on upstairs,” ordered Ben.
“But I, I want to go to the lake,”
she cried.
“Laura, did you hear what I said?”
She nodded her head. “Then get yourself up to your room. You will not be
joining us at the lake. I will not reward you for your bad behavior. Hop Sing
will be here, and Laura, you are not to leave your room, is that
understood?” Laura didn’t answer, but took off running up to her room,
slamming the door behind her.
“What was that all about?” asked
Hoss.
“Breakfast is ready,” said Hop Sing,
coming out of the kitchen carrying a platter full of eggs and ham.
“Laura broke the rules. Now let’s
eat,” said Ben. Hoss didn’t push the issue any farther. He could tell Ben was
visibly upset and didn’t want to discuss the matter. “Hop Sing, would you
please call Little Joe in, and then take a tray up to Laura, since she won’t be
joining us for breakfast?”
“Yes Mr. Cartwright, right away.”
“I guess I’ll be going. I need to drop
into town to find out how much it’s going to cost me to get my guitar
repaired,” said Adam. He stood up to go for his black felt hat.
“Wait a minute son, aren’t you going
to eat some breakfast?” asked Ben.
“I’ve lost my appetite. I’ll grab something
in town later. See you tonight.”
“Make sure to give my best regards
to Beth.” Adam gave his father a warm smile and then put on his hat and left.
“Pa, I’m all done,” piped up Little
Joe. “May I go to Mitch’s now and see if he can come with us?”
“All right son, you can just meet us
there.” Little Joe jumped out of his chair like a rocket and ran out the door
slamming it behind him. Ben closed his eyes for a moment and then let out a
long sigh. After a moment of silence, he asked Hoss if he was ready to go. He
was as eager as Little Joe. Hop Sing came into the dining room to clear off the
table. “Hop Sing, Laura is to remain in her room today. We’ll be back in time
for supper.” He wiped his mouth with his napkin and pushed his chair back.
“You no worry, Hop Sing make sure
she stay put,” said Hop Sing, while stacking up the plates.
“Thank you, come on Hoss, let’s get
going.” Hop Sing gave them a basket of food he had prepared for their lunch.
Laura stared out of the window watching them climb into the wagon and ride
away. Tears filled her eyes, and she threw herself on her bed and cried.
**************************************
After picking up Beth, Adam rode
into
“Let me see that sonny,” said Mr.
Cooper. He put on his spectacles. “Um, well…, it’s pretty beaten up, but I do
believe I can fix it right up for you. Are you in a hurry for it?”
“I would like it back as soon as
possible,” said Adam, glancing over at Beth. “How long will it take?”
“Oh, I’d say at least a couple of
weeks, maybe even three,” said the old man, scratching his unshaven whiskers.
“Fine, how much will this cost?”
asked Adam.
“Let me see, I can see you paid a
lot of money for this instrument, so I wouldn’t want to use just any old wood
to repair it; I’ll need top quality materials for this job, you know, so it’ll
look brand new. I reckon it’ll run say seventy-five dollars.” He quickly
glanced at Adam out of the corner of his eyes.
“Seventy-five dollars!” blurted
Adam. “I could buy a brand new one for that price.”
“Well, if that’s how you really
feel, then perhaps you should buy a new one. I just can’t afford to go down on
my price.” Mr. Cooper waited to see Adam’s reaction. He could see the wheels turning
in his head. After a few minutes of contemplating, he let out a defeated sigh.
“Oh, go ahead and fix it,” he said.
“All right then, all I need from you
is a down payment of twenty-five dollars,” smiled Mr. Cooper. Adam reached into
his coat and pulled out a wallet and counted out the money and gave it to him.
If it wasn’t that the guitar had sentimental value, he would have bought
himself a new one. But Ben had given it to him when he was only sixteen years
old, and he had engraved Adam’s name along the back of the neck in gold
writing. He just couldn’t part with it. Mr. Cooper took the money and stuffed
it into his pant pocket. Adam turned on his heels and escorted Beth out the
door and helped her to get in the buggy.
“Oh Adam, I’m so disappointed. I was
really looking forward in hearing you play,” she said. “And to think I have to
wait up to three whole weeks.” She scooted all the way over so Adam could jump
beside her.
“You can thank Laura for that,” he
said under his breath. He frowned at the thought of her. “Giddy up.” He turned
the buggy around and headed for Beth’s house.
“Didn’t you tell me that your pa and
brothers were at the lake having a picnic?” she asked.
“Yes, why do you ask?” He glanced at
her.
“Well, I just thought it might be
nice if we joined them. I mean look, it’s a beautiful day, much too nice to be
cooped up in my house,” she said, peering up into the sky. “What do you say?
Can we?”
Adam knew the only reason she wanted
to go to the lake instead of her house was because he couldn’t play her the
guitar. He was seething inside, but he didn’t allow it to show. He only smiled
his best smile and agreed to take her.
*********************************
Hoss and Little Joe were swimming in
the lake when Adam and Beth pulled up. Hoss began coming to shore when Little
Joe suddenly jumped on his back and pulled him under the water. When Hoss came
up, he was coughing and choking. He had taken in a mouth full of the lake.
“Why you little runt,” he yelled. He
grabbed his little brother, picked him up, and tossed him a good distance away.
At least it was far enough for him to escape another surprise attack. He headed
for the shore.
“Howdy Miss Beth,” he said, when he
got out of the water.
“Hello. Isn’t the water cold?” she
asked.
“Aw, it’s a little cold, but once
you get use to it, it’s real nice,” he said, water dripping off him.
Mitch hadn’t been able to come today.
He had too many chores he had been neglecting, so his pa made him stay home and
do them. He told them maybe that would teach him a lesson about putting off his
responsibilities. Having no one to play with or aggravate, Little Joe swam to
shore and got out. He said his hellos and than ran over to where Ben was
sitting reading the newspaper.
“Pa, when are we going to eat, I’m
starving,” he said. His teeth chattered and he shivered when the breeze swept
over his wet body.
“I’m hungry too, how about now?” He
noticed Adam and Beth strolling hand in hand towards him. He pulled himself up
off the ground. “Hello Beth dear, Adam. I’m glad you dropped bye. We were about
to have lunch. You will join us, won’t you?” he asked.
“We’d love to Mr. Cartwright, right
Adam?” answered Beth, while glancing at Adam.
“Yes, sure, whatever you want,” he
said. He plastered a smile on his face when Beth gave him her pleading look. He
wasn’t too happy how his date was going, but he didn’t want to make her upset.
Ben bent down and took the red
checkered table cloth Hop Sing had packed and proceeded to spread it out onto
the ground.
“Let me do that, Mr. Cartwright,”
said Beth. She took over just like a mother hen. She put out all the food, and
then everyone sat on the ground around the cloth and ate until they thought
they would burst.
“Hoss, you wanna go fishing?” asked
Little Joe, jumping up when he was finished eating. His high energy had
returned.
“Sure Short Shanks,” he said.
“Hey Adam, you wanna come too?” asked
Little Joe.
“No, I don’t think so,” he said.
What he really wanted to do was to be alone with Beth. They had hardly had a
moment by themselves since he picked her up. If he would have had his guitar,
he would no doubt be at her place right this very minute, playing and singing
her a tune, while she cuddled up close. Coming to the lake was not what he had
pictured in his mind when he had left the house this morning.
“Aw, come on Adam, I got on my lucky
pants, so I know the fish will be biting,” said Little Joe.
“Adam, why don’t you go with your
little brother? I’ll clean up here while you fish, and after I finish, I’ll
find you,” she coaxed smiling. What could he do, but go. If he refused she
would probably get angry, then surely that would be the end of their day
together. He let out a sigh, but didn’t say a word. Little Joe was excited. He
grabbed Adam’s hand and pulled him in the direction of the fishing hole. Beth
began to clean up the mess. She and Ben had pleasant conversation while she
worked. After she was finished, she wiped her hands on her skirt.
“Well Mr. Cartwright, it’s been a
pleasure talking with you, but I think I’ll go get Adam now,” she said.
“It was nice being in your company
too. We’ll have to do this again,” said Ben.
“Yes, we must. Well, bye Mr.
Cartwright,” she waved as she walked toward the fishing hole. When Adam noticed
her approaching, a look of relief came over his face. “Catching anything?” she
asked.
“Yep, I caught four fish all ready,”
piped up Little Joe. “And do you know why?”
“No, why?” she asked, smiling.
“Cause I got on my lucky pants.”
“Little Joe, how many times do I
have to tell you those pants have nothing to do with you catching fish,” said
Adam annoyed.
“Well, I ain’t seen you or Hoss
catch anything yet, so what do you say to that?” asked Little Joe.
“He’s got you on that one,” said
Beth, amused. “I think he’s right. I do believe his pants are making him
lucky.” Adam rolled his eyes as he stood up. That’s all Little Joe needed,
someone to feed into his nonsense.
“You ready to go?” he asked curtly.
“Yes I’m ready, but Adam Cartwright,
you don’t have to be snappy.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound
upset. It’s just we haven’t had any time together, just the two of us,” he
said, more calmly. She grinned sweetly at him and gave him a quick kiss.
“Then I’d say let’s go. Bye Little
Joe, bye Hoss,” she said. She took Adam by the hand and the two began walking
towards the buggy.
“Bye,” said Little Joe. “Hey, I got
another bite!”
*****************************************
They had a wonderful time by the
lake, but now it was time to pack up and go home. Hop Sing no doubt had supper cooking
on the stove. Little Joe fell asleep on the way. He had played hard and had
tuckered himself right out. Ben let him sleep, because he had chores to do when
he got home; and he didn’t want a grumpy little boy on his hands. When they
pulled into the yard, Charlie, one of the hired hands, came out of the bunk
house and put the buggy and horses away for them.
“Thank you Charlie,” said Ben,
scooping Little Joe in his arms to carry him into the house. “Hoss, grab the
basket, will you?”
“Yes sir.”
Hop Sing came out of the kitchen
when he heard the familiar voices in the living room. A big smile crept across
his face when he saw that the Cartwright’s were home.
“Good, you home. Supper is ready
soon. Where Adam? He not come home to eat?” asked Hop Sing.
“Probably not, Hop Sing. He’s out
with Beth. I don’t expect him home until quite late,” said Ben. He laid Little
Joe on the couch. Hop Sing spoke something in Chinese as he turned to go back
to his domain, the kitchen. “Oh, Hop Sing, how was Laura? Did she behave
herself?”
“No trouble. She good girl.” He
bowed, and then disappeared around the corner. Ben was relieved to hear there
hadn’t been any mishaps while he was gone. He thought he would go up and talk
to her.
“Hoss, remember you and Little Joe
still have chores to do,” said Ben.
“Yes sir, we’ll get started on them
right now,” said Hoss. He rose and ambled his way to the couch. “Joe, come on
we have chores to do.” Little Joe woke, but chores wasn’t the word he wanted to
hear. He was still tired and just wanted to go back to sleep. He tried to close
his eyes again, but Hoss wasn’t about to do his chores as well as Little Joe’s.
“Oh no you don’t, come on get up.” He pulled Little Joe off the couch and began
dragging him across the floor with Joe fighting him all the way.
“Let me go, Hoss,” he snapped.
“Ok, but only one condition, you and
I are going out to the barn together and do our chores.” Little Joe let out a
mournful sigh, but followed behind his big brother’s footsteps realizing there
was no way of getting out of this.
Ben knocked softly on Laura’s door
before going inside. She was sitting by her window looking out. She held her
rag doll close to her.
“Laura.” Ben strolled toward her and
placed his hand on her shoulder. He felt her tense up with his touch. “Laura,
Hop Sing told me you were very good today. I was very pleased to hear that. How
would you like to come down and eat supper with the family tonight?” She drew
away from his side and sat on the edge of her bed. Ben frowned, not out of
anger, but worry. He hoped he hadn’t been too harsh with her. He sat down
beside her. “Do you want to talk about what’s bothering you?”
“No.”
“Ok then, how about you and me go downstairs
together,” he suggested, standing. He didn’t want to push the issue with her.
It might cause another out burst and that was the last thing he wanted after
such a pleasant day.
“I don’t want to. I’d rather stay
here, if you don’t mind,” she said.
“All right, suit yourself. But
anytime you wish to leave your room, you may. Your punishment is over,” he
said. He turned and left the room, closing the door behind him. Laura sat on
the bed hugging her doll. She really didn’t want to go downstairs and have to
sit and listen to Little Joe and Hoss talk about how much fun they had today.
She was still upset that she had to miss all the fun. Well, she would get Adam
Cartwright back. She had, had all day to plot out a scheme against him.
***************************************************
Ben needed to go into town the next
morning, so Laura asked if she could go in with him. He told her as long as she
had all her morning chores done by the time he was ready to leave, she could
go. Right after breakfast she ran outside to feed the chickens and gather the
eggs, and then she tended to the horse they had given her while she was
visiting. She had to clean out the stall and put down new hay for him, and then
feed him. She got them all done in a flash. By the time Ben had hitched up the
horses to the buggy, she was done, and the two of them rode into
“Uncle Ben, may I go into the store
and look around while you’re at the bank?” she asked, once they reached town.
“I suppose so, I shouldn’t be too
long. You make sure you stay put, ok?”
“Oh, yes sir,” she said, with a big
smile. She jumped to the ground and disappeared inside the general store. She
stared out the window and watched as Ben strolled down the street toward the
bank. Once he opened the door and slipped inside, she quickly left the store
and ran toward Mr. Cooper’s place. She was going to put her idea into action,
and if she had her way, Adam would never see his guitar again.
“Well, hello little lady, what can I
do for ya?” asked Mr. Cooper.
“Adam Cartwright asked me to come
and give you a message,” she lied.
“Oh?”
“He told me to tell you to forget
about that guitar after all. He thought about it, and he’s decided to go ahead
and buy himself a new one.”
“He did, did he? How come he didn’t
come himself? And how do you know the Cartwright’s?” he asked, scratching his
head.
“I’m staying with them for the
summer. I rode in with Uncle Ben. Adam heard we were coming, and asked if we could
give you the message. He couldn’t leave the ranch, because one of the horses
went into labor and since Hoss ain’t around, he had to stay and help with the
birthing.” She lied with such conviction and straight face Mr. Cooper believed
every word.
“Did he say what he wanted me to do
with the guitar?” he asked.
“Uh…., he said he didn’t want it
anymore and you could do whatever you wanted with it.”
“Are you sure he said he didn’t want
it? He sure was all fired up the other day about me fixing it and all.” Laura
shook her head up and down. “All right then, tell him he can come and pick up
his twenty-five dollar deposit next time he’s in town.”
“Oh, I can take it to him, if you’d
like me to,” she said sweetly.
“Well…, I guess it’ll be all right.
Wait just a minute.” He stepped into the back of the store for a minute and
came out carrying an envelope. He opened up his cash register and took out
twenty-five dollars and placed it inside. He sealed it and then handed it to
Laura. “You be careful with this, you hear?”
“I will. I’ll be real careful with
it, I promise.” She glanced out the window and saw Ben coming out of the bank.
“Well, uh, I have to go now Mr. Cooper.” At that, she ran out of the door and
made it inside the store without Ben noticing her. Her heart was pounding. She
leaned up against a pile of new material that had just arrived and caught her
breath. She wiped her brow, and then realized she was still holding onto the
envelope. She quickly folded it and stuffed it inside her pocket that was in
the smock of her dress. She heard the small bell ring as the door was opened.
She turned and Saw Ben entering. He smiled when he saw her. He even bought her
some jelly beans for being such a good girl and doing what she was told. While
riding back to the ranch, they sang songs and Laura ate some of her candy.
When they got back, Little Joe
wanted her to play with him. First though, she ran inside the house into her
bedroom and hid the envelope at the bottom of her dresser drawer. She breathed
a sigh of relief of completing her plan without getting caught. Afterwards she
merrily went down stairs and merrily skipped outside. She and Little Joe headed
off toward the woods where Joe knew where a cave was. They used it as a secret
hiding place. She kept her evil deed to herself. She was afraid to tell Little
Joe about it, for fear he may spill the beans and tell on her again.
******************************
Almost two weeks had gone by, and
Laura had forgotten all about the guitar, and she had kept the envelope hidden
in its secret hiding place.
Beth needed to go into town. She
knew some new material had come in a couple of weeks prior. She wanted to make
herself a couple of new dresses. She only hoped she hadn’t waited too long. She
feared the material might have already been sold. It was busy when she arrived.
She ended up having to stop her carriage in front of Mr. Cooper’s place. She
noticed Adam’s guitar in the window. It had a for sale sign on it. It was being
sold for twenty-five dollars as is. She couldn’t believe her eyes. She
immediately went into the store and asked to see the guitar. Mr. Cooper took it
out of the window and handed it to her. She noticed he hadn’t repaired anything
on it at all. A deep frown covered her forehead. In her mind, she was thinking
he was trying to cheat Adam.
“Mr. Cooper, this is Adam
Cartwright’s guitar. What is it doing in the window, and why haven’t you
repaired it?” she asked, annoyance in her voice.
“I didn’t fix it, because I was told
he decided he didn’t want it anymore. He said he was gonna buy him a new one,”
explained Mr. Cooper. “So, I figured I might as well see if I can make a little
profit on it myself.” He grinned and winked at her.
“That seems odd; he never mentioned
anything to me. I thought this guitar was special to him. Are you sure Adam
said he didn’t want it?” Her face was screwed up with confusion.
“Yep, I’m as sure as the day is long,
Miss. Are you interested in buying it for yourself?” he asked, hopefully.
“No, I’m just surprised at Adam,
that’s all.” She gave the guitar back to him and then left the store. She was
shocked over the fact Adam was selling it. He had told her the story of how his
pa had given it to him, and how much it meant to him; and that he would never
part with it. She raised her eyebrows, but then shrugged it off. She went
about her business at hand. Mr. Cooper placed the guitar back in the window.
***************************
Adam had been so busy around the
ranch the last several days; he hadn’t had the chance to visit Beth. Tonight
though, he planned on riding over to her place and hopefully the two of them go
out to eat and afterwards go to the Friday night dance. He hoped she hadn’t
made other plans. He took a nice hot bath, put on his best suit, and splashed
on the cologne she loved.
“
“All right son. Give Beth my
regards,” said Ben. He watched his eldest son walk out the door, and smiled. He
wondered if those two was every going to marry. He sat in his favorite chair by
the fire, picked up a good book and poured himself a glass of brandy.
Adam decided to take the surrey into
town tonight. He wanted the evening to be one they would remember for a long
time. When he reached her house, he jumped down, straightened his tie, and then
knocked on the door.
“Adam!” said Beth, surprised to see
him.
“Good evening beautiful lady,” he
said. He took her hand and kissed it. She blushed.
“Oh, where are my manners, won’t you
come in?” she asked. He removed his hat and stepped inside. “I haven’t seen you
it seems for so long. How are you?”
“I’m fine, just fine now that we’re
together.” He gave her one of his handsome smiles, placed his hands around her
small waist, and bent down and kissed her passionately. She melted into his
arms. Her face became flushed, her knees went weak, and her breathing labored.
“Listen, I know you weren’t expecting me tonight, but how would you like to go
out for supper, and then go dancing?” Her green eyes sparkled.
“Oh, I’d love to, but Adam I’m not
dressed properly to go out,” she said. He pulled her back and glanced at her up
and down.
“You look absolutely beautiful to me
just the way you are,” he said. “What do you say?”
“I, I guess so. Are you sure I look
all right?” she asked, playing with her hair.
“You are divine, my dear. Come on,
your carriage is waiting,” he said, bowing. She just loved the way he was so
romantic and charming. She grabbed her black shawl and allowed him to escort
her to the surrey. He helped her up, and then climbed in beside her. “So, what
mood are you in tonight? Do you feel like having a steak, or perhaps Italian,
or maybe just some good old country eating?”
“Oh, it all sounds so delicious,”
she said. She cuddled up closer to him. “Why don’t you surprise me?” He smiled
and winked. He took her to a little Italian place that had just opened up on
“That was a lovely meal Adam, thank
you,” Beth said, as she leaned forward and kissed him.
“You ready to dance your little toes
off?” he asked, playfully. With twinkles in her eyes she answered yes, so after
paying the bill they left the restaurant. They decided to walk, since it was
such a beautiful night. The moon was almost full, leading them the way. She
wrapped her shawl around her shoulders, for the nights, even though it was
summer had a chill to them. While they were walking they past Mr. Cooper’s
store. Beth glanced in the window and noticed that the guitar was no longer
there. She stopped.
“Oh Adam, it looks like Mr. Cooper
sold your guitar,” she said, sadly.
“What did you say?” he asked, with a
surprised expression.
“Mr. Cooper must have sold your guitar.
See, it’s not in the window anymore,” she said, pointing at the empty spot.
“What do you mean he sold my guitar?
What are you talking about?” His fun loving side suddenly left him, and a deep
scowl replaced the smile he had been wearing all evening.
“What, you didn’t know?!” she asked,
her eyes wide.
“Know what? Beth, what do you mean
he sold my guitar?” Adam asked in a serious tone.
“Oh Adam, I thought you knew all
about it. I came in here a few days ago, and I noticed your guitar in the window
for sale. I asked Mr. Cooper about it, but he told me you had decided you were
going to buy a new guitar, and you no longer wanted this one,” she explained
the best she could. She could see his eyes narrowing the more she spoke and his
jaws set.
“I never told him to sell it; I
never would do something like that. Why didn’t you come and tell me? You know
what that guitar means to me,” he said, harshly. She felt just awful.
“I, I’m sorry Adam, but he was just
so animate about it. I was confused too, but he assured me you told him you
didn’t want it anymore. I’m so sorry,” she said, tears in her eyes.
Adam was furious. He walked up to
the door and began banging on it. Mr. Cooper lived above the store. Adam wanted
to get to the bottom of this. He kept banging until a light flickered on
upstairs. He could hear Mr. Cooper saying something, but it wasn’t audible,
which was probably just a well, for he was known to have a short temper and say
things he shouldn’t. The back door of the store opened, and Adam saw a light
come on inside. He banged on the door again for emphasis.
“I’m coming, I’m coming!” yelled Mr.
Cooper. When he saw that it was Adam and Beth, a frown fell on his face. He opened
the door. “Adam Cartwright! Can’t you read this sign? It says I’m closed!”
“Beth told me you sold my guitar, is
that true?” asked Adam. The expression on his face was one you didn’t mess
with. The look on Adam’s face didn’t phase Mr. Cooper one bit, as far as
he knew Adam was fully aware of the whole thing.
“As a matter of fact, I sold it just
this morning. By the way, did you get your new guitar yet?”
“Whoa, back things up a minute. I
never told you to sell my guitar. What made you do such a thing?” His
voice was on edge.
“Now I’m confused. I was told you
didn’t want your guitar anymore, and I could do whatever I wanted to with it,”
said Mr. Cooper.
“Who told you that?”
“Why, that pretty little niece of
yours. She came into town a couple of weeks ago with Ben. She came in here and
told me you sent word that you didn’t want it anymore. I asked her why you
didn’t come here yourself, and she said you had to help birth a new colt. And
then I gave her your deposit back in an envelope. I told her to make sure you
got it. She promised me she would.” he said. He watched Adam go from being
angry to furious.
“I never sent word with anyone, and
especially not Laura. You should have checked with me before you took it upon
yourself to listen to her,” snarled Adam.
“She was so convincing Adam, I’m
real sorry. I take it you never got your money back neither.”
Adam let out an angry sigh. “No, I
didn’t. Do you know who bought it? Maybe I can get it back.”
“Well let me see, it was a young boy
and his pa. I believe they were on their way to
“Great, just great!” seethed Adam.
Beth knew their evening was over. Adam was too upset. She felt partially
responsible for not riding out to the Ponderosa and questioned him about it.
“Adam, why don’t you take me home,
then perhaps you can find them,” said Beth. Adam gave her a look of relief. He
hadn’t wanted to hurt her feelings, but he knew he wanted to go after the
people too. He was happy she suggested it.
“Thanks.” Before leaving he
told Mr. Cooper that in the future, he better be more careful about his
business dealings. He told him some people wouldn’t be as understanding as he,
and he just might find himself on the wrong end of a gun.
“You’re right Adam, and like I said,
I’m real sorry. I reckon I should have known better than to listen to dang fool
kid. I only hope you can find it,” he said.
“So do I.” He snapped the reins and
the horses trotted away. He let Beth off and then headed for home. He wasn’t
prepared for traveling. He would have to go back to the ranch and saddle Sport
with food stuff, get water in his canteen, and his bed roll. He would start out
at first light. Right now all he could think about was getting his hands on
Laura.
******************************************************
It was
“Adam, is everything all right
between you and Beth?” he asked.
“Yeah Pa, uh, I need to speak to
Laura,” he said, trying to stay calm.
“Well son, she’s already gone to
bed.”
“Pa, I need to talk to her now. Do
you know what she did? She went to Mr. Cooper’s store and told him I no longer
wanted my guitar.”
“She did what?!” asked Ben, shocked.
“When did she do this?”
“That day you took her into town
with you. Mr. Cooper sold my guitar,
Ben knew this wasn’t the right time
for him to be facing her. He was too angry, but rightly so. “Adam, I think you
should calm down a bit before talking with her. Why don’t you wait until
morning,” he suggested.
“Pa, I won’t be here in the morning.
Mr. Cooper told me a boy and his father and a couple of other families were
traveling together on their way to
Ben was taken aback by Laura’s
actions. He told Adam he would handle her for now, but when he returned home he
had permission to deal out any punishment as he saw fit. That seemed to satisfy
him, and he calmed down a bit.
“I have to get my things ready for
the trip.” He went outside towards the barn.
*****************************************
Before the sun had risen, Adam had
gotten out of bed and quietly slipped out of the house. He hoped he would catch
up with them before they got too far ahead of him. He shrugged into his coat,
mounted Sport, and left the ranch behind.
Ben was at the breakfast table when
the children came scurrying down the stairs. Little Joe and Laura were
laughing, but Hoss was grumbling underneath his breath. Apparently Little Joe
had pulled one of his stunts on his older brother first thing this morning. Ben
sipped on his coffee as the children reached their chairs and sat down. He eyed
Laura.
“Morning Pa,” said Hoss. He didn’t
waste any time reaching for the platter of eggs, ham, and pancakes that lay
before him.
“Good morning son. Sounds like
Joseph is starting his day with his pranks,” said Ben. He glanced over at his
youngest. Little Joe quickly looked down at his empty plate.
“Yeah, and next time he decides to
pour cold water over my head, I’m just liable to throw him into the water
trough,” complained Hoss. He glared at his little brother as he said it. Little
Joe was trying to stifle a grin, but couldn’t hold it back. Laura started
giggling too.
“You look so funny, Hoss,” she
giggled.
“Well, you’ll be thrown in the
trough too, and then I bet you won’t think it’s so funny.” Hoss stabbed at his
ham. Ben cleared his throat.
“Joseph, I want you to keep your
pranks outside,” he said, in a no nonsense tone. Little Joe knew when he was
called by his full name, he had better listen.
“Yes sir. Pass the eggs, Hoss.”
“Laura, after you’ve had your
breakfast, I want to have a word with you,” said Ben. Laura looked up at Ben
and could see he was visibly upset about something. She ate the rest of her
meal in silence, trying to figure out why Ben wanted to speak to her. Little
Joe glanced her way. His eyes danced with curiosity.
“Hey Pa, where’s Adam? Did he stay
in town all night with his girl?” asked Hoss.
“No son. He had somewhere to go
early this morning. After you finish your breakfast, I want you and Little Joe
to ride out to the south pasture and check on those fence posts we put in last
week. After that last storm, I want to make sure they withstood the winds.”
“Yes sir.” Hoss hated this job. It
was so boring, and having to take Little Joe along, well that could mean
problems. Once he was done eating though, he pushed back his chair and stood.
“Hurry up Little Joe. We ain’t got all day.” He put on his hat and gun belt
before leaving the house. Little Joe stuffed his mouth with a few more bites
before jumping up and running outside too.
Ben next turned his attention to
Laura. “I have a question for you, and I want a straight answer,” he said. Laura
put her fork down and swallowed hard. “The day you went into town with me, did
you take a little trip over to Mr. Cooper’s shop?”
Laura turned white as a sheet. She
peered up at Ben. His face was like stone. She knew if he caught her in a lie,
she’d be in deeper trouble. She nodded her head up and down.
“Would you mind telling me why?” He
placed his elbows on the edge of the table and intertwined his fingers. She sat
looking down at her plate. “Laura, look at me.” She slowly raised her head. “I
asked you a question, and I expect an answer.”
“I, I went there to uh, to play a
prank on Adam,” she stuttered.
“Did this prank have anything to do
with his guitar?”
“Yes sir.”
“Did you tell Mr. Cooper Adam no
longer wanted his guitar, and he could sell it if he wanted to?” asked Ben,
with a frown.
“Uh.., y-yes sir.”
“I see. Why did you do such a
thing?” Laura only shrugged. “That’s not an answer. Tell me why you did it.”
“I was angry at Adam.”
“Oh, so you think that gave you the
right to do what you did?” asked Ben.
“I, I didn’t think about it, I just
did it,” said Laura. Ben’s eyes bore into her like two piercing daggers.
“Would you like to know why Adam
wasn’t able to join us for breakfast this morning?” asked Ben. She at first
just shrugged her shoulders, but when she saw the anger building up in Ben she
nodded her head up and down. “Because of your so called prank, Mr. Cooper sold
Adam’s guitar yesterday to some travelers riding through town. Adam has gone to
try to get it back. I bought him that guitar when he was just sixteen year old.
I had his name engraved on it, did you know that?”
“No sir.”
“Because of your disobedience and
lies, Adam has lost something that is very special to him.” Ben just sat quietly
staring at Laura. The longer he peered at her, the more uneasy she became. His
voice had remained low and controlled throughout the conversation, which she
knew was a bad sign. She could see the anger written all over his face. She
began to fidget in her chair. She wished she could jump up and run away
somewhere, anywhere but here. It seemed like forever before he spoke again, and
when he did, she just about fell out of her chair.
“Laura, I am very disappointed in
you. You will not leave this ranch for the rest of your stay with us. You will
be given plenty of chores to do to keep you occupied. When Adam returns, I told
him he could dish out any punishment he deemed appropriate for your behavior. I
hope for your sake, he gets his guitar back.” Laura hung her head. “If
you’re done eating, I want you to clean off the table, and help Hop Sing with
the dishes. I have already spoken to him, and he has a list of chores you can
help him do today.” He finished up his last bit of coffee, and then stood to go
to his desk. “Laura, don’t just sit there, you have lots of work to do.”
She slowly got up from her chair and started gathering the dishes in anger,
clanging them together, until she saw the threatening look on Ben’s face. She
calmed down and stacked them in the proper manner. Ben went to his desk. It was
that time again; to pay his employees their wages. He sat in his favorite green
leather chair and went to work.
***************************************
“Man, you were lucky Pa didn’t wail
on your butt too,” said Little Joe that night after Laura told him about her
restriction. “You know what that means, don’t you?”
“What?”
“It means you won’t be able to go on
that camping trip with Mitch and his family in a couple of weeks,” said Little
Joe.
Laura got real quiet. She had
forgotten all about the camping trip. Her face expressed what she was feeling.
Her anger began to surface again, and it was all toward Adam. As far as she saw
it, it was entirely his fault she was in this mess. Well, she wasn’t going to
miss out again. She had to figure a way to go on that trip. She lay in bed that
night thinking of different ways she could get what she wanted.
*****************************************
Adam had traveled all day in the hot
sun, and he was exhausted. Now that the sun had gone down, a chilly breeze was
blowing from the mountains. He had found the tracks of the wagons the travelers
had taken. He knew he couldn’t be too far behind. He hoped sometime tomorrow he
would catch up with the people, and prayed they would be willing to sell his
guitar back to him. He unleashed his bed roll and opened it up next to the fire
he had made. The warmth of he flames felt good. He had beans and jerky for
supper. All he wanted now was to get some sleep. He had another hard day ahead
of himself. He hardly laid down his head, and he was sleeping soundly.
****************************************
He woke up the next morning to gray
skies. It looked as if the clouds would burst open any minute. “Great, just
what I need, rain,” he grumbled. He hurriedly got his belongings together. He didn’t
even take the time for breakfast. He wanted to beat the rain, for he knew the
tracks would be washed away once the rains came. He mounted Sport, and led him
toward the trail.
Laura was woken up by Hoss shaking
her. “Come on
“Leave me alone, Hoss, I’m not
hungry,” she said, hatefully.
“Suit yourself, but when I tell Pa
you refused to get up, I don’t think you’ll enjoy it when he comes in here to
fetch you,” answered Hoss. He walked out the door. The words he had spoken
suddenly got to Laura’s head, and she jumped out of bed. As she was slipping
into her dress, Ben walked into the room wearing a deep scowl.
“I’m up Uncle Ben. I’m coming down right
now,” she said. He had his hands on his hips. She grabbed her shoes and
scurried past him. He was glad that he didn’t have to start the day off with a
necessary talking to. She placed her shoes beside her on the floor as she took
her place at the table. Ben soon followed. Hop Sing was complaining in Chinese
about how nobody appreciates his hard work. Ben calmed him down and soon they
were eating and enjoying pleasant conversation.
***********************************
Adam rode Sport hard. It was good
that he did, for the sky released its heavy load and the rain came down in
sheets. He had spotted the wagon train in the distance. It was probably a good
mile away which spurred him on. The wagons were traveling at a slow pace
especially in the hard rain. It made it hard for the wheels to get through the
muddy ruts. It didn’t take Adam long to finally catch up to them. There were
three wagons. The women and children were under the protection of the canvas,
but the men were soaked to the skin. Adam rode until he was next to the lead
wagon. When the man noticed him, he stopped the rig.
“It you’re aiming to rob us mister,
we ain’t got nothing of value here,” said the old man. He was weather beaten
and looked to be in his late sixties. His face was unshaven and his silver hair
plastered to his head from the rain.
“Don’t worry, I’m not here to rob
you,” reassured Adam.
“Then what in tar nation are you
doing way out this way?” asked the man.
“Well, it’s a long story you see. I
believe you or one of the others purchased a guitar yesterday while you were in
“Yeah, my son bought it for my
grandson, why?”
“I would like to talk to your son if
I may.” The old man twisted his head around and pointed to the wagon behind
him. “That’s my son, Lewis. Adam tipped his hat and trotted toward the second
wagon.
“Hello, are you Lewis?” asked Adam.
“Yeah, what you want with us
mister?” asked the man. A little boy poked his head out to see who this
stranger was. “Robbie, get back inside,” ordered the father. He disappeared
quickly. “Well, what do ya want? We have a long drive ahead of us.”
“I believe you bought a guitar
yesterday while in
“Yeah, that’s so. What concern is it
of yours?” he asked gruffly.
“Well you see, that guitar belongs
to me. It was sold by accident, and I’ve come out here to see if you would
allow me to buy it back from you. You see its…,” he was saying, but was
interrupted.
“No! I bought that guitar fair and
square. It’s for my boy. He’s wanted one for a long time now, but I just haven’t
had the money. When I saw that one, the price was right. No, sorry mister, but
I just can’t take that away from my boy,” he said, shaking his head.
“Look mister, that guitar was given
to me by my father. It even has my name engraved on it if you don’t believe me.
I’m willing to pay any price to get it back,” said Adam. He leaned forward on
his horse. The man rubbed his chin. He peered down at Adam with one eye.
“You say you’ll pay any price for
it?” he asked.
“Yes, that’s what I said.” The
man raised he eyebrows as he was thinking.
“Well now, we just might be able to
strike up a deal, that is, if the price is right,” he said, smiling wickedly.
Adam’s face hardened. He realized just what kind of man he was dealing with. He
could see now that he was going to have to pay through the nose to get his
guitar back. He let out a frustrating sigh.
“All right, how much to do you
want?” asked Adam, tension in his voice.
“Oh I’d say, well, let me think
about it for a minute.” He glanced back and called out to his son. “Robbie,
bring me that guitar.” The boy brought it out and handed it to his pa. He
looked it over real well. He found the engraving on it. “Well, I would really
hate for you to lose such a special possession so, I’m willing to sell it to
you for, uh, let’s say a hundred dollars.”
“A hundred dollars!” yelled Adam.
“Who’s robbing who here? That’s highway robbery!”
“You said you’d pay any price, well,
that’s my price. You can take it or leave it,” said the man. Adam gritted his teeth.
“What will it be, you want it or not?”
“Yes I want it,” snarled Adam. He
reached around and grabbed his saddle bag. He opened it and took out the money.
The man had his hands stretched out. Adam counted out
“It’s all there, now give me my
guitar,” demanded Adam. The man gladly handed it over to him. The little boy
could be heard crying to his mother, but was hushed by his father.
“Robbie, don’t you worry none, your
Pa will be able to buy you a brand new one now and maybe include some lessons,
you hear?” he said, stuffing the money into his pant pocket. He smiled down at
Adam, but Adam didn’t return the gesture. “Well mister, you have brought us
good fortune today, and I thank you very much, but we best be gettin’ on our
way. All right Pa, we’re ready to roll!” he shouted. The old man snapped the
reins on the horse’s rump and his wagon jerked forward. The others followed
suit. “Thanks again,” said the man as he rode by. When his wagon past, the
little boy had his head poking out the back of the wagon with his tongue
wagging at Adam.
Adam was so mad he could scream. He
quickly took off his jacket and wrapped it around the guitar trying to protect
it from the rain. He was sitting in the middle of nowhere soaked to the skin,
hungry, tired, and a hundred dollars poorer. That Laura was going to be one
sorry little girl when he got done with her. He turned Sport around and headed
back to the Ponderosa.
*************************************
Laura worked hard all day and
completed her tasks that Hop Sing had given her. When she had sat down for lunch
Ben had given her a new list to start. When she first saw it, she began to
complain. Ben told her if she didn’t stop whining, he would really give her
something to whine about. She straightened up right away and ate her lunch
quietly.
Little Joe had finished his morning
chores and was getting ready to go fishing with his friend Mitch. He searched
and searched, but couldn’t find his favorite fishing jeans. He ran and found
Hop Sing. “Have you seen my lucky pants?” he asked.
“Hop Sing wash them. They vely
dirty. You wear something else,” he said.
“Dog gone it Hop Sing, I have to
wear those pants. Where are they? I don’t mind wearing them wet.”
“They soaking, you wear something
else,” said Hop Sing, as he shoved Little Joe toward the door. No matter how
much he grumbled, it did him no good. Hop Sing would not give in to him. It got
to the point that Ben had to tell him to either wear another pair of pants or
stay on the ranch. That seemed to change his attitude real quick. He got
dressed and ran out the door.
Laura watched him go and wished she
was going too. It was so hot and a cool swim sure sounded nice. She glanced
down at the list Ben had given her, and she let out a loud moan. Cleaning of
the barn was next on the list. She hated that job. She slowly ambled her
way to the barn. She sat down on one of the upturned barrels and wiped her
brow. She was tired. She had already washed the breakfast dishes and finished
the ironing for Hop Sing. Now she was stuck in this stinky old barn for the
rest of the afternoon. She had a mind to sneak off and go swimming, but with
Ben home, she knew he could come out at anytime and check up on her. She kicked
at the dirt with the toe of her shoes and grumbled to herself. She heard
footsteps heading her way, so she quickly jumped up, grabbed a rake, and began
cleaning out the first stall. It was only Charlie, one of the hired hands on
the ranch. She let out a sigh of relief.
Little Joe came home just in time
for supper. He walked in carrying a string of fish. It was enough for a nice
fish fry for the entire family. Ben, Hoss, and Laura were already at the table
when he came strolling in.
“Look what I caught Pa!” he said,
excitingly. Ben smiled.
“Looks like we’ll be having fish for
supper tomorrow,” he said.
“Yes sir, and guess what?”
“What son?”
“Adam was right after all. I got
these fish without my lucky pants, so I guess it’s just me that’s lucky and not
my pants,” he said, grinning from ear to ear. Ben couldn’t help but to chuckle.
“Yes, it does look that way. Give
those to Hop Sing and come eat your supper before it gets cold,” said Ben.
Little Joe scurried into the kitchen, calling out excitingly to Hop Sing.
Laura was green with envy over
Little Joe’s joy. She didn’t want to have to sit here and hear about all the
fun he and Mitch had, had all day. Her day was miserable, and she knew that
tomorrow she faced the same kind of day. She was determined to find a way to
escape her punishment and go on that camping trip. She didn’t think it was fair
she couldn’t go. They had planned it from the first week she had arrived.
Little Joe came back full of excitement and proceeded to tell them all about
his day.
“Sounds like you had yourself a fun day
today,” said Hoss. “Maybe you and me can go real soon, how does that sound?”
“Sure Hoss, I’d like that,” said
Joe. He was starved and stuffed his mouth full of potatoes. Laura looked at him
disgusted and laid her fork down.
“Uncle Ben, may I be excused?” she
asked.
“You haven’t touched your supper.
You feeling all right?” he asked,
“Yes sir. I’m just tired. May I be
excused?”
“I suppose. I’ll be up in a bit to
say good night,” said Ben. Laura pushed the chair back and left the room. She changed
into her bed clothes and found her favorite book. She climbed into bed, but
only got a couple of pages read before she fell asleep.
*****************************
Then next morning Laura woke up all
tucked under the warmth of the covers. Ben had come in and found her sleeping.
The morning was bright and cheerful. The rain that had come seemed to wash away
the humidity and brought in cooler refreshing air. Laura stretched and sat up.
It was Saturday, so Ben allowed her to sleep until she was ready to get up. As
she was getting dressed, she walked over to the window and peered out. A quick
knot formed in her stomach, for she noticed Adam’s horse tied at the hitching
post below. He was back.
He had returned just before sun
rise. He was so miserable from being wet that he didn’t take the time to camp
over night. All he wanted was to get home and get a hot bath, get into some dry
clothes, and eat a hearty meal. He wasn’t in the best of moods. While eating
breakfast, Hoss and Little Joe discovered right off they needed to walk on egg
shells around him. He was in no mood for jokes. He told Ben about his encounter
with the man who had his guitar, and it only fueled his anger thinking about
it. Laura took her time coming down the stairs. As she descended the steps, she
could hear the irritated voice of Adam. She didn’t know whether to continue or
perhaps sneak back up the stairs and wait a while. She decided for the latter,
but it was too late. Ben had seen her.
“Good morning Laura,” he said. He
took a sip of his coffee. She took a deep breath and headed toward the dining
room.
“Morning Uncle Ben,” she said
sweetly. As soon as Adam saw her, his whole disposition went from irritation to
rage. He didn’t say a word, but just gave her a stern look that expressed
clearly how upset he was with her. She tried to ignore his stare and took her
seat at the table. Hoss could foresee an eruption, so he quickly excused
himself from the table. He encouraged Little Joe to follow, but he wanted to
stay and see the action. When Adam was furious, he was like a volcano. He
seethed for a while until he could no longer contain his anger, and then he
would blow his top.
“My, this breakfast sure looks good.
I’m starving,” said Laura, trying to pretend everything was fine. She heaped
her plate high with bacon, eggs, and pancakes. She poured syrup all over her
plate, and began stuffing her mouth so full that she could hardly chew.
“Laura, please don’t stuff your
mouth like that, it isn’t polite,” said Ben. He poured himself another cup of
coffee.
“Yes sir,” she answered, once she
had swallowed what she had in her mouth. She kept her eyes on her plate the
entire meal. She didn’t dare make eye contact with Adam. She didn’t have to,
she could feel them boring into her.
“Joseph, don’t you have some chores
to do this morning?” asked Ben. He glanced at his youngest son over the rim of
his coffee cup.
“Uh, yes sir.” He got the hint and quickly
left the table.
“Well, I need to ride into town, so
I best get going,” said Ben, as he stood from his chair. He had already talked
to Adam about Laura long before she had woken up. Ben understood his son’s
anger, and felt it best that he left the two of them alone to discuss the
issue. He walked to his desk and sat down. He had some paper work to do before
leaving.
Laura’s stomach began doing
flip flops now that she was left alone at the table with Adam. It was suddenly
difficult for her to eat. After a couple more bites her stomach couldn’t take
no more. She laid her fork down, wiped her mouth, and proceeded to get up from
the chair.
“Excuse me,” she said.
“Wait a minute. I think you and I
have some talking to do,” said Adam, in a tone that stopped her dead in her
tracks. “Sit back down.” She thought of running, but then figured it would only
make matters worse, so she slowly sat back in her chair. She took a chance and
glanced at him. She saw the anger etched on his face. She turned and peered
toward where Ben was sitting, but he kept busy at what he was doing. She had
hoped he would jump in and save her from Adam’s wrath. “Laura.” She looked back
at Adam. “I want an explanation as to why you went to Mr. Cooper’s store and
lied to him.” She was quiet for a while, staring down at the floor. This only
intensified Adam’s anger. He grabbed her by her upper arm. “I said I want you
to tell me why you did what you did.” She tried to yank free, but he only
tightened his grip.
Ben stood and went toward the door
and put on his hat and gun belt. Laura gave him a pleading expression,
but he wasn’t about to give in to her wiles. “I’ll be back this afternoon,” he
said, as he opened the door. Laura tried to get up, but Adam still had his
death grip on her, and forced her back down in the chair.
“I’m waiting Laura,” he said,
through gritted teeth. She was getting angry now. He was hurting her arm.
“I was mad at you,” she finally said.
“You were mad at me, now that’s
funny. What reason did you have to be mad at me?” he asked sarcastically.
“You made such a big deal over that
dumb old guitar, Uncle Ben wouldn’t let me go to the lake, and now he’s
restricted me to the ranch. I think it’s unfair, and it’s all because of you!”
she yelled, trying to squirm away from him.
“Oh really. You are the one who
disobeyed the rules, yet you want to blame everyone else for your problems. You
know what your problem is? You are a spoiled, selfish little brat, who thinks
the whole world evolves around only you, well missy, it doesn’t. It’s about
time to learn that Pa isn’t the only one who will punish you when you do
something wrong.” Laura could see where this was leading, so when he
loosened his grip, she broke free and began running for the front door. He was
quicker than a gazelle and caught her in a flash. She began kicking and
flailing her arms trying to break free. He carried her to the couch and pulled
her over his knees. She was still trying to kick and her hands were trying to
protect her bottom when he lit into her. He gave her a tanning she wouldn’t
soon forget. She was sobbing by the time he was finished. He stood her up and
made her look him right in the eye.
“If you ever pull anything like that
again, you will get worse than what you just got, do you understand me?” he
asked. She shook her head as tears fell from her eyes. “Now, I had to buy my
guitar back and it cost me a hundred dollars, so young lady, you will be giving
me your weekly allowance until I am paid in full.” Her eyes grew wide and once
more her anger began to surface. She tried to turn away from him, but he held
her tight. “That means even after you go home with your parents, you will be
sending me your allowance.” She almost sassed him, but her bottom reminded her
that it wouldn’t be too smart of a thing to do at this moment. “Another thing,
I will be taking you into town tomorrow, and you are going to apologize to Mr.
Cooper for lying and to Beth as well. You have caused nothing but trouble since
you’ve gotten here, and that is ending as of this moment. I believe Pa has
given you plenty of chores to do, so I suggest you get started on them right
now,” he said firmly, letting go of her arms. She was glad to escape. He
spanked as hard as Uncle Ben.
When Ben returned home he was surprised
to see the barn all clean. Laura was especially quiet at the supper table that
evening. Each time Adam spoke to her, she would answer with a “yes sir” or a
“no sir.” Ben had to stifle a smile. Apparently Adam had gotten through to her.
The following day, Adam kept to his word and took Laura into town making her
apologize for her behavior. Mr. Cooper threatened to tan her hide if she ever
tried another stunt like that again. Beth was angry, but she didn’t let on
about it. She accepted the apology just happy that Adam had gotten his guitar
back. Adam had reminded Laura of the envelope that Mr. Cooper had given her,
and she had given him the money she had hidden.
For the rest of her visit Laura worked
hard and did everything she was told. She had a new kind of respect for Adam,
and she knew when he told her to do something, he meant it. She had apologized
on her own for damaging his guitar and all she had put him through to get it
back. She had definitely learned her lesson. She didn’t ever want to find
herself facing his wrath again. It was still difficult to hand him her
allowance each week, but deep inside she knew it was the right thing to do. She
had asked Ben if he would allow her to buy Adam a new pick for his guitar if
she agreed to pay him back, and he said yes. So Ben took her into town and
helped her pick out one for him, and she presented it to him on the last night
of her stay with them after supper. Adam was pleased, and he played a couple of
his favorite songs.
Ben had spoken to her father
when he had returned, and he agreed to make sure she continued to send her
allowance to Adam until he was paid in full. He was disappointed she had caused
so much trouble, and he had told Ben he would be talking to her once they
returned home.
Adam had decided to keep the
guitar just the way it was. As he hung it on the wall that night he smiled. One
day when he was married and had children of his own, and when they asked him
how he scratched and dented his guitar, he would be able to think back
and tell them about Laura and what a handful she had been that summer. He went
to sleep that night with a smile on his face.
The End