THE PICNIC, THE APPLE AND THE TREE

By K.K. Shaulis

“….She’ll be coming around the mountain, she’ll be coming around the mountain, she’ll be coming around the mountain when she comes,” Ben Cartwright sang heartily with the two little boys who sat beside him.

“Let’s sing another,” five and a half year old Joe piped up bouncing up and down on the seat. Obviously he was wound up from the day’s events and needed to work off some excess energy so his father let him continue to bounce.

Sam, the big brown horse who was drawing the carriage through the waning sunlight of the warm October day, seemed to notice the bouncing just a bit, however. Thinking that something must be wrong, he started to slow his pace.

“Later maybe,” Ben flicked the reins in his hands and clucked to Sam to urge him back to his prior brisker gait. “Well, that was some picnic, wasn’t it?”

“I can’t remember having a better time,” 11 year old Hoss beamed up at his parent. “I beat Billy and Charlie and Johnny in the race and won the watermelon eating contest...”

“And I ‘m proud of you for that, son,” Ben nodded acknowledging his accomplishments. “And what about…”

“But,” Hoss continued, ”I did get a little sick at my stomach and threw up…”

“Oh?” That was news to Ben.

“…But Adam took care of me good, Pa,” Hoss was nodding his head up and down trying to reassure Ben. “He got me some sugary ginger stuff in some water and made me rest under a tree for a while so I ‘m okay now,” his middle son grinned at him. “I even ate two big pieces of chocolate cake and some lemonade.”

Where was I when that was happening?

“And I found a shiny blue rock in the creek and a lot of four leaf clovers,” Joe announced proudly from beside Hoss.

“Well, that’s good, Joseph…”

“…’Course,” his youngest began to pull up his right pants leg, “It wasn’t fun when I fell down and…”

“You hurt yourself…?” Ben looked over to see what Joe was doing.

“It’s not bad, Pa. Honest. Adam had Johnny’s ma put some stuff on it and Adam put this on it but it’s okay now. See?” he pointed to what Ben recognized as one of Adam’s blue handkerchiefs. “Cept…” the little boy began to snake his left hand up inside his pants leg.

Ben held his breath. Now what?

“…I got this little hole in my pants now,” he poked his whole hand through what Ben considered to be a huge tear not ‘a little hole.’

His father shook his head and sighed. “How about you two?” Ben was almost afraid to ask the occupants of the back seat of the carriage who had been strangely quiet since the beginning of the trip home. He received no answer.

Little Joe looked back. “Er, Pa?” he tugged at Ben’s sleeve.

“In a minute, Joseph,” Ben also looked back as did Hoss.

There on the backseat was his 17 year old son Adam and his 14 year old step-niece Josephine who was visiting the family for the summer sleeping peacefully together. Ben noted that his eldest son had placed his right arm around his cousin, her curly auburn head was resting on his shoulder and his dark head was resting on hers. He also noted that this was the first time today that the two of them had not been bickering with each other.

“That’s what happens when you get old,” Little Joe observed to Hoss wryly.

Hoss shrugged but silently agreed with Joe’s assessment.

Ben chuckled and glanced over at his two younger sons. “What were they fighting about today any way?” he thought he would pry some information out of Joe and Hoss, particularly Joe.

“I’m not sure, Pa, but I think it had to do with Josey kissing Liam Stewart,” Joe fumbled with his new blue rock.

“Joe,” Hoss looked at his baby brother in surprise. “That was a secret!”

“It’s okay. It’s Pa,” Joe reasoned in his five and a half year old mind.

Hoss rolled his eyes but wisely said nothing. The episode involving Josephine, Adam and Liam was not for telling to their father in his opinion.

Ben glanced over at Hoss and noticed his discomfort with the subject. “That’s okay, boys. I won’t say anything to either of them about it. If they want to talk about it, they’ll tell me,” he reached around Joe to touch Hoss’s arm to reassure him that it was okay that he didn’t tell him.

Hoss smiled and settled back in his seat while Little Joe continued to prattle on about the picnic. Ben was lost in thought wondering how he could have missed so much that was going on with his family. Soon, however, he found himself to be the only occupant of the carriage who was awake.

“Oh, well,” he smiled looking over at his sleeping boys. “How about a nice lullaby, Sam?” he asked of the big brown Percheron and began to softly sing.

Sometime during the last verse of the song, Ben became aware that Adam had awakened and was softly singing harmony with him. When they finished, Ben looked back to see his son gently rearrange Josey’s red hair across her forehead. “Did you have a good time, son?” he shot a look back at his eldest.

“Fine, Pa,” the dark-haired teen readjusted his right arm a bit being careful not to awaken his sleeping cousin.

“How about Josey?” Ben decided to press his luck.

Adam’s brows knit together as he considered his response. “Oh,” he finally spoke, “I guess it was fine until…” he smoothed another one of her stray auburn curls.

“Until?” Ben prodded him gently.

“Oh, until Liam Stewart started to get a little too…too…,” Adam began to search for the correct word.

“Too what?”

“Too, um…you know, ‘handy’ with her,” Adam used his dark eyes to communicate his exact meaning to his father.

Ben nodded that he understood but Sam wondered why the tension changed on the reins. Even the big horse knew that the eldest Cartwright was upset. Ben took a deep breath. “Is Josey okay, Adam?”

“I think so, but you may hear from Liam’s father about me,” Adam looked his father straight in the eye, figuring it was better to prepare him for the worse.

Ben raised a quizzical eyebrow.

Son knew immediately that Father wanted an explanation. “I socked him in the mouth and he may have lost a couple of teeth,” Son’s eyes met Father’s once more. “And I’d do it again if he ever tries that sort of thing with Josey again.”

Sam snorted and shook his head since Ben was now unintentionally giving him mixed signals.

Ben recognized this and eased up again but it was sure tough given what he was hearing from his eldest. “Are you sure that Josey didn’t want him to…?” he asked softly.

“No, Pa,” Adam shook his head. “She fought him like a tiger but he was so much bigger than her and he pinned her to the ground and was…” his voice trailed off as he fought with his own emotions. “Well,” he took a deep breath, “I had to do something.”

“Then are you OK, son?’ his concern for Adam evident in his voice. “I know Liam was a friend of yours.”

“I’m fine, Pa,” Adam nodded as Ben pulled the carriage to a stop in the front yard. “I guess I’ll just have to pick better friends,” he smiled slightly but sobered. “And I’ll accept whatever punishment you want to give to me,” he squared his shoulders and again looked his father in the eye.

Ben contemplated his son briefly. “If Josey was in trouble, then you didn’t do anything wrong, son,” he touched Adam’s knee. “You did just what I would expect you to do. You took care of your cousin. And between you and me,” he leaned forward and looked Adam in the eye, “I probably would have done a whole lot more than knock out two teeth if I would have gotten hold of him. So don’t worry. Liam’s father will get an earful if he complains to me,” he stepped down from the carriage and began to unfasten Sam’s rigging.

“Thanks, Pa,” Adam climbed down and reached for his sleeping cousin. “I’ll take Josey upstairs and be down to help you with the squirts,” he picked the petite redhead up in his arms and headed for the house before Ben could say anything.

Ben smiled to himself watching Adam depart with Josey. I guess the ‘apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,’ he decided unhooking another part of the harness. At least that’s what he thought for now.

***************
True to his word and before Ben had finished unfastening the big brown horse, Adam returned. He quickly snatched up his littlest brother and took him inside but not before adding that his father should just wake up Hoss “since he wouldn’t want to be treated like a little kid.”

Ben shook his head and laughed at the parental advice that he just received from his eldest. Of course, Hoss would never want to be carried like a child at the age of 11 but …oh, well…, Ben gently woke his middle son and steered him into the house and to the staircase. “Good night, Hoss,” Ben clapped his middle son on the shoulder.

Hoss grunted what probably was “good night” and trudged up the stairs.

Ben then turned reluctantly to go back out to deal with the big horse and the carriage. He hated to admit it but during the tug of war, he felt a not so pleasant tug of his own -- in his groin. And his back was beginning to hurt just a bit, too. It would be so nice to… His thoughts and stretch were interrupted by …

“That’s okay, Pa,” Adam appeared at his side blocking his way to the front door. “I’ll bed down Sam.”

“Did you help Little Joe get into his nightshirt?” Ben continued the stretch and then reached back with his left hand to massage a knot at the base of his back. “You know he always has trouble…”

“He wouldn’t let me,” Adam grinned watching his father’s gyrations. “When I took off his boots, he woke up and told me in no uncertain terms that he wasn’t a baby and didn’t need any help from someone who was ‘old,’ whatever that was supposed to mean,” he shrugged and tossed his hat on the sideboard to his left. “I guess we have another man in the family.”

Ben yawned, nodding his head. “I guess so,” he started for the front door again.

“Pa,” Adam put his right hand on his father’s arm to restrain him, “I said I’d finish up.”

“I’m okay,” Ben insisted but yawned again.

Adam sighed wearily and frowned at Ben. “You’re tired and I had a nice hour long nap on the way home,” he took his father’s hat off his head with his left hand and hung it up on the rack beside the door. “I’ll take care of Sam and everything else. Just go to bed,” he gently but firmly turned him toward the staircase.

Ben, however, didn’t move forward but turned back to protest his son’s instructions. He opened his mouth but didn’t get to say one word before he heard...

“Go on!”

…from Adam. Ben was taken aback. There was a certain familiar edge to his voice as Son tried to strongly encouraged Father like Father had done so many times with Son and his younger brothers when they were balking at bedtime.

“Okay, Pa,” Ben teased and patted his eldest gently on the side of his face. “Are you going to tuck me in too?” he added with a chuckle.

In response, Adam rolled his eyes.

“Thanks,” Ben smiled, his hand dropping from Adam’s face to his shoulder and giving it a brief squeeze. “Good night, Pa,” he joked starting up the steps.

“Good night, Son,” Adam’s eyes twinkled as he did his best to imitate his father’s deep booming voice. “And go straight to bed!”

“Yes, sir,” Ben chuckled again at his son and disappeared around the corner. With Adam’s words still ringing in his ears, he paused indecisively at Hoss’s door. Except for business trips, cattle drives, and the occasional posse, he’d checked on his sons almost every night since they were born. Well, he sighed, he was still the father here after all even though he wasn’t exactly sure of that at the moment. He took a deep breath and quietly eased open the door.

There was Hoss dead to the world, lying on his back snoring noisily. Ben smiled, tiptoed to the bed, and, as he had done hundreds times before, rolled his 11 year old on his side. Hoss didn’t wake up but kept blissfully sleeping, even when his father softly kissed his cheek.

Ben grinned when he entered his youngest’s room. Little Joe was somehow already scrunched into a corner of his bed opposite his pillow and his nightshirt was up around his waist. Ben shook his head, patted his baby son’s bare bottom lightly and tenderly repositioned his baby son’s nightshirt and his baby son in that order into a more conventional sleeping position. He then placed Joe’s stuffed toy bear beside him, pulled the covers up to his chin and gave him a kiss on his forehead.

He closed Joe’s door and turned to face his niece’s. The light from her lamp shone under the door. She was probably still awake but what if she wasn’t? Reasoning that for safety sake he at least had to check on the lamp, he rapped lightly on his niece’s door just in case. “Josey?”

“Come in, Unc,” she called softly from inside.

“I just wanted to say good night,” he slowly opened the door and smiled.

Josephine was propped up in bed in a lace trimmed flannel nightgown brushing her long red hair. She smiled back at him nervously realizing what she had in her hand and, to his amusement, quickly slid the hairbrush out of sight and, hopefully for her sake, out of her uncle’s mind. She then patted a place on the bed beside her as an invitation for him to sit and began to plait her hair into a single braid.

“Are you all right, sweetheart?” Ben eased himself down on the corner of the mattress. “Adam told me what happened with Liam.”

“I’m fine, Unc, really,” she tried to ease his mind. “Adam took care of everything for which I am truly grateful. He’s such a good friend. He even got Liam ice for his mouth. And he held me until I stopped crying and wiped my tears with his kerchief,” she finished and glanced at him briefly before she dropped her gaze down to her hands that she had folded on the top of her quilt-covered lap.

“So, if you don’t mind me asking,” Ben placed his hand on hers. “How did it happen?”

“Oh, um, well,” she looked away from him searching for the words, “I guess I am to blame. I just was teasing Liam too much and he took it the wrong way and …well… and it all sort of went downhill from there…”

Ben took a very deep breath to control his temper. Then he hooked his hand under her chin and turned her head toward him. “Haven’t you been told time and time again by your parents and me about pushing people too far, young lady?” he said sternly looking her straight in the eye.

His niece gulped slightly. “Please don’t bother with the lecture, Unc. Adam took care of that too but good.”

Adam took care of that too but good? This peaked Ben’s interest and without a word indicated this interest to Josey.

“It was like listening to you only worse because I knew I was really in the wrong. The he flopped me over his knee, swatted me three times really hard and that was the end of it so to speak,” she shifted uncomfortably on her bottom in an effort to convince him how ‘hard’ they were.

Ben chuckled at his niece’s face and her very obvious overacting. “He didn’t tell me about that…”

“Well, he told me it was up to me to tell you,” Josey tied a ribbon at the end of her braid. “Then you could decide if my, quote, “offense merited any additional punishment” end quote. Are you sure he’s your son and not your twin brother?”

Ben himself was wondering about that too but thought it best to stay focused on his niece’s antics of the day, not to mention her embellishment of the severity of the punishment she received from Adam. “Only three times, huh?” he rubbed his chin as if he was considering additional swats.

Josey’s eyes flew open in surprise as she concluded that he was doing just that. “They were really hard,” she insisted emphatically sitting straight up in bed.

“Well,” he dramatically cleared his throat and frowned, “I’ll let it go this time if you’ve really learned your lesson,” he touched her nose and then kissed her forehead. “But if it ever happens again…” he shook his right index finger at her.

“I know, I know. Adam already covered that,” she sighed deeply, “I’ll try to be good.”

Again Ben was caught off guard by his eldest’s reported actions but recovered.

“Don’t try,” he told her firmly. “Be good!”

“Yes, Uncle,” she yawned and sank back against her pillows. She made no protest as Ben smoothed her blankets and blew out the lamp on the bedside table. “Good night, sweetheart.”

“Good night, Unc. I love you,” Josey yawned again and closed her eyes.

“I love you too,” he whispered closing her door behind him. He abruptly bumped into something solid in the hall. That something was his eldest son who was doing a passable impersonation of him right down to the ‘arms crossed over his chest’ stance that intimidated outlaw and offspring alike.

“I thought I told you to go straight to bed, Son,” Adam teased trying to keep a straight face while at the same time imitating his father’s tone again.

“I’m on my way, Pa,” Ben threw up his hands in surrender and headed toward his own room. “You know, Adam,” he turned back to look at his oldest. “You’re going to make a fine father someday.”

“Well, Pa,” Adam smiled his hand on his doorknob. “I guess the old adage is true.”

Ben raised his eyebrows. “And that is?”

Adam grinned broadly, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Ben laughed softly, shook his head and opened his bedroom door. “Good night, Pa.”

“Good night, Son,” Adam laughed too and disappeared into his room.

Closing his own door behind him, Ben smiled to himself. One down, two little apples to go, he thought as he kicked off his boots and quickly peeled off his clothes. He yawned, pulled his nightshirt over his head and climbed into bed. He then laid back on his pillows, closed his eyes and, until the sunlight peeked through his window the next morning, slept like … um, forgive me, please … a log.

Many thanks to David Dortort for his creation of Bonanza in general and the Cartwrights and the Ponderosa in particular. The author does not claim ownership of any of the aforementioned characters. This story is not intended to infringe on any known copyrights. Josephine Marie Cartwright © December, 2004 and Sam the Percheron © May 2005 are copyrighted characters belonging to the author. ALL INTERNATIONAL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED

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