" The Thunder Storm "
By:
Lynne G.
It had been a lonely week for
five year old Little Joe as his father and two older brothers were away on a
two week cattle drive.
Little Joe had tried his very
best and used all the charm he had to plead with his father, Ben Cartwright to
let him go on the cattle drive too, but Ben told him no because he was so
little and much too young for a long cattle drive yet.
It broke Ben's heart to see
all those tears running down the his little boy's face and that extremely sad
look on the sweet little face as well.
Both Adam and Hoss felt
sorry for their baby brother, but they also knew that a cattle drive was not
safe for a five year little boy.
Hop Sing did his best to cheer
up the little boy after the rest of the family had left earlier that
morning. He had Little Joe help him make his favorite cookies which
helped cheer up the child.
Little Joe loved to help make
cookies. His favorite part of making cookies was eating the cookie dough,
and then eating the freshly baked cookies right after they came out of the
oven.
Hop Sing made a lot of cookies
every week because ' his ' family loved cookies so much. Hop Sing loved
to eat cookies too, but he never did tell that to the Cartwrights, but
Little Joe knew that Hop Sing loved cookies too.
As the days went on, Hop Sing
found many things to help keep Little Joe busy. They went fishing one
afternoon. Little Joe was an excellent fisherman for his age, and soon
both Hop Sing and Little Joe had caught enough fish for their dinner that
night.
Little Joe also had fun
playing in the water. His older brothers had been teaching this very
active five year old how to swim and the little boy was like a fish in the
water.
Hop Sing kept a very close eye
on the child as he swam in the water, and he got a big kick out of watching
Little Joe playing like he was fish and a boat.
Finally it was time to go back
home, so Hop Sing called the child out of the water so he could get him dried
off and dressed.
Little Joe took a nap while
Hop Sing did a few things before he started to get their dinner ready.
After an hour, Hop Sing decided that it was time for Little Joe to get up or he
wouldn't be sleepy at bedtime.
" Hi Hop Sing, I sure dun
had fun at the lake. Didja have fun too?" Little Joe asked as he
kept yawning and rubbing his eyes. " Yes, Hop Sing have good time at
lake. Hop Sing love to be with little boy very much. It time for
dinner now," Hop Sing replied as he smiled at the little boy.
A couple of days later, Hop
Sing told Little Joe," as soon as little boy eat breakfast, we go to town
to get supplies and if little boy be good, then I get you candy," Hop Sing
suggested.
" I be a really good boy
fer ya Hop Sing !" the excited child declared as he ate
the rest of his breakfast and he also finished his glass of milk too.
That made Hop Sing happy.
After Hop Sing had washed
Little Joe's face and hands, they quickly did the dishes, then headed off to
As Hop Sing drove the buckboard,
Little Joe looked up at Hop Sing and with a big sigh, he sadly asked,
" Hop Sing, how much longer till Papa, Adam and Hoss come home ? I
miss em so much."
Hop Sing looked down at the
sad looking little boy beside him, and he smiled and said, " Hop Sing know
Little Joe miss family. They be home next week. Hop Sing know that
they miss little boy very much too."
" That's a long time till
next week Hop Sing," Little Joe sadly said as he started to get tears in
his eyes and he looked down so Hop Sing couldn't see his tears.
Hop Sing felt so bad for the
little boy. He hated to see any of his family so sad especially Little
Joe. " Not really that long till next week. Hop Sing and
Little Joe have fun and make time go by fast. You see," Hop Sing told
the child hoping to cheer him up a little.
Little Joe nodded back,
and gave Hop Sing a little smile back.
As Hop Sing and Little Joe
entered the store, Tom Cass the owner of the store smiled at them and said,
" Good morning Hop Sing, Little Joe. How are you both doing
today?"
" Good morning to you too
Mr. Cass. We are doing fine. Thank you for asking," Hop Sing
replied.
" Mornin' Mr. Cass.
I's fine too. How is ya?" Little Joe asked. " I'm doing
just fine Little Joe. It is good to see you. I see you came to help
Hop Sing today," Tom said as he smiled at the little boy who was wearing
his deputy badge, his holster with his wooden gun and he also had his handcuffs
on him as well.
" I's sure is. I
get some candy too if'n Imma good boy. I'm always a good boy ya know Mr.
Cass," Little Joe seriously said. Tom smiled and looked up at Hop
Sing and he winked at Hop Sing who smiled back.
" I'm very happy to hear
that you are a good boy son. I know your father sure must appreciate
that," Tom told the child. " Yup, he sure does," Little
Joe responded with a big smile on his face.
Hop Sing handed Tom his list
and he told Little Joe to point to the candy he wanted so Tom could get their
order ready.
"We be back in a little
while. Hop Sing have more to do in town. Thank you Mr. Cass,"
Hop Sing said, as he and Little Joe walked out of the store. " Take
your time Hop Sing. I'll have everything ready and loaded up for you when
you get back," Tom told Hop Sing. " Thank you," Hop Sing
said again.
Hop Sing and Little Joe headed
over to the mail office to pick up the mail. It had been over a week
since the mail had been picked up, so Hop Sing knew that there would be a large
stack of mail waiting for them.
After they had left the mail
office with a very large stack of mail that Brad had put into a sack so it
would be easier for Hop Sing to carry while he held onto Little Joe's hand.
On their way back to the back
to the store, they ran into Sheriff Roy Coffee. " Hi Hop Sing,
Little Joe. I see my little deputy has on his badge, holster and gun and
handcuffs.
" Hi Sheriff
Coffee. It good to see you again," Hop Sing greeted. " Hi
ya Sheriff Coffee. I gotta be ready at all times cuz ya never know when
them bad mens will come. I have ta purtected Hop Sing on our way ta town,
in town and on our way home too, Little Joe explained to
" Hop Sing feel very safe
with little deputy with me," Hop Sing told
" You are very lucky to
have your very own deputy Hop Sing. I certainly made a good choice in
having Little Joe for a deputy. He is the best deputy I have ever
had,"
Little Joe puffed out his
little chest feeling so proud of himself. " Yup, Imma a good deputy
alright !" the little boy happily declared. After saying their '
good byes ' to
On their way back home, Hop
Sing noticed the sky was beginning to get a very stormy look to it. He
knew that they were in for a nasty thunder storm later that day.
Little Joe helped Hop Sing
unload the buckboard which made Hop Sing smile.
" You are good helper for
Hop Sing. Hop Sing much appreciate little boy helping," Hop Sing
said. " Fank ya Hop Sing. I try my bested at all times,"
the boy declared.
After the buckboard was
unloaded and all the supplies put away, one of the hands told Hop Sing that he
would take care of the horses and buckboard. Hop Sing was very grateful
for that.
The storm still hadn't hit, so
Hop Sing was happy about that. After he and Little Joe had eaten their
lunch, Hop Sing put Little Joe down for his nap. Hop Sing took that time
to get some of his chores done, and he also brought in a good supply of wood
for the fireplace and cookstove.
As Hop Sing was cooking
dinner, it started to get windy outside. Hop Sing walked out the back
door and looked up at the sky which was getting darker and more angry
looking. He knew that the storm would be a bad one.
By the time Hop Sing had got
Little Joe up from his nap so they could have their dinner, it was pouring down
rain and the winds were whipping through the mighty pine trees, and it was
getting colder as the storm was starting to get stronger.
After dinner Little Joe helped
Hop Sing with the dishes. When he had finished helping Hop Sing, the
little boy walked towards the livingroom with a cookie in his hand, when he
heard a very loud blast of thunder which startled the child and he screamed in
terror.
Hop Sing rushed out to the
livingroom as soon as he heard the little boy scream. " It ok.
Only thunder storm. Hop Sing keep Little Joe safe," Hop Sing told
the scared boy.
Thunder storms made Hop Sing a
little nervous too, but he knew he had to stay calm for Little Joe. He
took the little boy over to the settee and they sat down in front of the fire
in the fireplace. Little Joe quickly ate his cookie.
The blasts of thunder were
louder than usual, and it was raining so hard that it sounded like a waterfall
hitting the roof of the large cozy log home. Hop Sing was glad that he
had brought so much extra wood in the house earlier that afternoon. It
looked like he and Little Joe were in for a long stormy night. The blasts
of thunder seemed to shake the house with each blast, while the lightning lit
up the house with bright flashes of light.
Little Joe was so scared that
his little body was trembling badly and he had tears running down his
face. He was afraid of the strong winds that were howling through the
pine trees as he thought that they would blow the house down.
Even though there was a nice
fire burning in the fireplace, it still felt rather cool in the house as the
storm raged on.
Hop Sing had brought out a
large warm quilt that he wrapped around Little Joe and himself to help keep
them warmer. Hop Sing had his arm around a trembling little Joe.
Everytime there was a loud
blast of thunder, Little Joe would whimper and almost jump out of Hop Sing's
arms. Hop Sing kept trying to reassure Little Joe that they would be just
fine.
As it got later, the storm
continued to rage. Hop Sing knew that he had never seen a storm as bad as
the one that they were having this night. He hoped and prayed that the
storm wouldn't do any damage to the house and barn.
Hop Sing decided to tell
Little Joe some stories about when he was a boy in
" When Hop Sing grow up
in
" Some of Hop Sing's
family have stores and own laundry shops. Make good living. It hard
work, but it worth it."
" We have lot of bad
storms, just like we have now. Hop Sing like Little Joe, scared of
thunder storms. My mother tell Hop Sing that she keep Hop Sing safe, just
like Hop Sing tell Little Joe that he keep him safe too, " Hop Sing said.
" Hop Sing, why does them
storms gotta be so loud? It scares me," Little Joe softly asked.
" Hop Sing mother tell
Hop Sing when he little boy, that God makes thunder loud to bring family
together in house. She tell Hop Sing that God beats a big drum very loud,
and that what thunder is. Lightning is to let people know that God
getting ready to beat big drum, " Hop Sing explained.
Little Joe looked up at Hop
Sing with big questioning eyes. " Hop Sing, why does it gotta rain
so hard when it funders?"
" It rain so hard to help
water all plants, and trees. It also help wash the air clean too,"
Hop Sing told the child.
A thoroughly confused Little
Joe couldn't understand how air could get dirty. " Hop Sing how does
the air get dirty?" Hop Sing knew that he needed to come up with
some kind of answer for that question.
" Well, when it get dry
outside and the wind blow, it blow the dirt in the air, and when we have fire
in fireplace, the smoke from fire go in the air. Also smoke from
cookstove and camp fires make smoke go in air too. When it rain, that
washes all the dirt and smoke from air and make it clean," Hop Sing
explained. " Oh," Little Joe replied.
Little Joe was enjoying all of
the stories Hop Sing was telling him, but he was still extremely scared of the
storm. Even though he getting sleepy, he was too scared to sleep.
The storm seemed to take
forever to end, but as it neared morning, the storm was finally starting to
settle down and it soon stopped.
As he listened, Hop Sing
realized that the storm was finally over. With a big smile on his face,
Hop Sing said, " Little Joe, Hop Sing think storm over. Listen it
only rain now !"
Little Joe could only hear the
rain now, and he was very relieved that the storm was over too. " I
sure does hope it's over Hop Sing," the child said.
Neither Hop Sing or Little Joe
had had any sleep during the night because of the storm.
Hop Sing and Little Joe got up
from the settee and walked over to the front door. Hop Sing opened the
door and they went out on the porch to have a look at the barn and the
yard. The yard looked like a big dirty lake as there was water standing
everywhere.
An excited Little Joe squealed
when he saw all the water in yard. " Hop Sing, can I please go and
play in the water?"
" Hop Sing think little
boy need to eat breakfast first before play in water," Hop Sing suggested.
Little Joe nodded. Hop Sing knew that soon Little Joe would be soaking
wet and muddy from playing in the yard.
Usually Hop Sing didn't like
it when Little Joe got so dirty and wet, but he wanted the little boy to have
some too.
After breakfast Hop Sing put
Little Joe's boots on him and let him go outside. Luckily the rain had
stopped.
Little Joe was having a blast
playing in the water covered yard. He was jumping up and down in the
water and splashing water in every direction.
He would bend over and put his
tiny hands in the water and make waves. He slipped and fell in the water
several times as the muddy water was quite slippery.
He would sit in the water and
and move his legs up and down which was making him giggle loudly. All the
hands were getting a big kick out of watching the little boy having a great
time in the muddy water.
Little Joe thought it was
great fun to roll over and over in the water. Several times he would lay
on his stomach and just kick his little legs in the muddy water and move his
arms as if he were trying to swim.
As Hop Sing did his housework,
he could hear loud giggling coming from the yard. He walked over to the
door to check on Little Joe and he just shook his head when he saw the little
boy trying to swim in the muddy water.
" Little boy make big
mess, but he having fun time. Look like he need bath before lunch time
and nap," Hop Sing said to himself.
Hop Sing had some vegetable
beef soup heating on the stove along with plenty of hot water for Little Joe's
bath. He had also put some clean clothes in the washroom for the little
boy after his bath.
When Hop Sing went to the
front door to tell Little Joe it was time to come in for lunch, it was pouring
down rain again, but the little boy didn't care at all. He was having too
much fun playing in the water and he was soaking wet anyway.
" Little Joe, it time to
come in for lunch," Hop Sing shouted. Little Joe looked over towards
Hop Sing, and slowly began to walk towards Hop Sing. He was very tired
from playing all morning in the yard and plus he didn't sleep at all the night
before because of the storm.
" Hi ya Hop Sing.
Wanna come and play wiv me in water? It sure is lots of fun !" the
child declared.
" No, Hop Sing not want
to play in water. Little Joe need to have bath before lunch and
nap. You go into washroom by back door. That way you not make mess
in house," Hop Sing suggested.
" Ok," the little
boy said. He really wanted to play longer in the yard, but he was
sleepy. So off he went towards the backdoor and the washroom.
As soon as Little Joe was in
the washroom, Hop Sing got him undressed and into the tub, and he started to
bathe the little boy.
" Did you have fun in
yard Little Joe ?" Hop Sing asked. " Yup I sure dun did.
It is fun rollin' in that muddy water Hop Sing. I dun tried ta swim, but
couldn't go no where. Wasn't deep enough."
" It was fun ta run and
then go a sliddin' on my tummy in the water. I gotta slide 'cross the
whole yard !" the child told Hop Sing in between yawns.
It took awhile, but Hop Sing
was finally able to get Little Joe all clean again. He picked up the
little boy and wrapped in him up in a warm towel. He soon had him dried
and dressed in clean clothes.
After Little Joe had eaten all
of his lunch, he fell asleep at the table. Hop Sing had come back out of
the kitchen with some cookies for the little boy, when he noticed that the
child was sound to sleep.
" Little Joe very tired
little boy. He play hard today, now he sleep for while," Hop Sing
said softly. He put the plate of cookies on the table, picked up Little
Joe and carried him upstairs to his room for a nice long nap.
After Hop Sing had laid Little
Joe on his bed, he covered the little boy up with a quilt. Hop Sing sat down
on the side of the bed, and he ran his fingers through Little Joe's soft curly
hair. He gave the child a kiss and softly said, " You get good sleep
little one. You very tired. Hop Sing Love Little Joe very
much."
After Hop Sing had left Little
Joe's room, he emptied the tub and cleaned it. Then he did up the lunch
dishes and he went to his room for a nap as he was sleepy from not sleeping the
night before because of the storm.
Before he fell asleep, Hop
Sing thanked God for keeping Little Joe, himself and the ranch safe during the
big thunder storm.
The End.