By:
Lynne G.
The day started out with a very cold rain pouring down with strong blustery winds coming down from the North as they blew through the tall towering Ponderosa pine trees.
Ben had decided to keep his middle son, twelve year old Hoss home from school that day because of the menacing fall storm that was ragging outside.
Hoss was thrilled with not having to go to school that day, as he really didn’t like going to school in the first place. He was very thankful for the storm, but only because of no school for him.
The family had all slept in a little later than normal and they were now having their breakfast.
Five year old Little Joe, the baby of the family couldn’t stop yawning for anything, and the little boy’s yawning was making his family start to yawn now.
“Finish your breakfast please Little Joe so you can help your brothers with the barn chores,” Ben suggested as he smiled at the yawning boy. “But Papa, Imma all filled up,” the child declared as he pointed to the top of his head and a grin on his face. That brought smiles to his family’s faces.
“You mean your head is full of your breakfast too,” Adam teased. “Uh huh, and my arms, tummy, legs and ears too is all filled up too!” Little Joe replied as his very large expressive green eyes sparkled and he gave Adam one of his prize winning smiles. Naturally his family got a big kick out of the boy’s answer and that look on his innocent looking face that had mischief under that face.
Once Adam and Hoss had their rain slickers on, Adam picked up his baby brother and tucked him under his rain slicker to keep the boy dry on their way to the barn. Now they were ready to run out to the barn. Loud giggling could be heard coming from under Adam’s slicker on the way to the barn. Ben stood there laughing as he closed the front door.
Once in the barn, Adam put Little Joe on the floor and he and Hoss took off their slickers and hung them up to dry. Then they began their morning barn chores.
Little Joe walked up to each horse in the barn and he said,” Good mornin’ horsey!” as he petted their chests. Adam and Hoss were getting a big kick out of that.
After doing some of his own chores, Little Joe walked over to the barn door and took a look outside and watched the pouring rain. His excitement grew when he saw a big mud puddle getting bigger and bigger and he wanted so badly to go out and jump up and down right in the middle of that puddle. With a big sigh he went back to help his big brothers.
Around an hour later the three brothers ran back to the house and again Little Joe was held under Adam’s slicker and giggling of course.
“It is really nasty out there!” Adam declared as he sat down in his chair. “It’s just a good thing that there aren’t any outside chores to do today,” Ben said as he looked at his sons. “You can say that again Pa!” both Adam and Hoss agreed.
Little Joe decided to get out his fort; soldiers, Indians and all their horses to play with. “Hey Hoss, wanna play wiv me?” the little boy asked, hoping Hoss would say ‘yes’.
“Are the Indians gonna attack the fort today?” Hoss asked as he still liked to play major battles with his little brother and the Indians and soldiers. “Yup, they sure is Hoss!” the child replied with a big grin on his face. Hoss and Little Joe set up the fort, soldiers and Indians so the big battle could start.
“Oooh Wooh wooh” came the chant of the Indians as made by Little Joe. “Indians, Indians “the cry was shouted all through the fort. “Bang, bang!” Hoss called out as if he were the rifles being fired.
“Oooh wooh wooh, oooh wooh wooh and bang bang” could be heard through out the first floor of the large cosy log house. Ben and Adam were really getting a big kick out of the ‘battle’ as was Hop Sing who was softly laughing in the kitchen.
“OH NO, the Indians just broke through the front gates and they are beating us!” Hoss cried out. “Oooh woo woo, oooh woo woo” came the victory cry from the Indians.
“We injuns dun gots all ya soldiers! Ya’s are pizzinurs now! We wunt scalp ya cuz we ain’t that mean!” Little Joe announced as he started to giggle.
“We soldiers are very happy to hear that and that you ain’t mean Indians either. We soldiers just wanna be your friends,” Hoss suggested. “Ok, we be yer friends,” Little Joe declared.
Little Joe’s four very large Maine Shags were also in the house after they had been on mouse duty earlier that morning, and the cats were very interested in Little Joe’s soldiers, Indians and horses.
Nemo the biggest of the Shags walked over to Little Joe who was sitting on the floor holding an Indian in his tiny hand, and he head butted the little boy, knocking him over and he grabbed the Indian out of the boy’s hand and he raced off with the poor helpless Indian in his mouth.
“NEMO, BRING MY INJUN BACK NOW!” Little Joe shouted as he raced after the furry thief. Sam walked over to the fort and he started to knock some of the soldiers around with his large furry paws.
Hoss sat there laughing loudly at the change of plans made by the cats and at Kitty who had jumped on Adam’s lap and he head butted Adam hard on the forehead. Rusty jumped up on Ben’s lap and he knocked the newspaper out of Ben’s hands and the paper landed on Ben’s lap too. Then Rusty crawled out from under the newspaper and he laid down on top of the paper on Ben’s lap.
Ben just shook his head and he looked at Rusty who was purring loudly. Ben knew that since he couldn’t finish reading his paper, he started to pet the large furry purring cat on his lap. “Ok Rusty, you win!” Ben declared.
After a morning of Little Joe playing and chasing his four furry friends around the house, it was time for lunch. Hop Sing had made a hearty vegetable beef soup and roast beef sandwiches. A perfect lunch for a cold stormy day.
After lunch it was time for Little Joe to have his nap. He was very sleepy but he wouldn’t admit to that, but as soon as his head hit the pillow he fell asleep. Not long after that the rest of the family fell asleep in their chairs, which made Hop Sing smile. “Family all tired out,” Hop Sing softly said to himself as he went out to the kitchen to clean up the lunch dishes.
Little Joe didn’t stay asleep for very long and he decided to get up and sneak outside so he could play in that BIG MUD PUDDLE that was calling out to him. Just the thought of all that wet mud squishing between his toes was just too exciting for this little mischief maker.
After struggling to get his socks off the little bare footed imp very quietly snuck out of his room and he slowly walked down the hall towards the backstairs. He thought it would be much safer using the backstairs rather than the main stairs in the living room.
When he was about half way down the stairs he stopped to see if he could hear Hop Sing in the kitchen, since he didn’t want to be caught by Hop Sing as that would have spoiled his plans for playing in that big MUD PUDDLE in the yard.
Hop Sing wasn’t in the kitchen at that moment which brought a big smile to Little Joe’s face as he went the rest of the way down the stairs and he quickly walked out the back door. Free at last to play in that wet squishy mud.
Little Joe was having a great time jumping up and down in mud puddles in the yard. Being that the wet mud was very slippery he fell down in the puddles and he sat there splashing the mud in all directions. He was also rolling in the mud too.
The one thing that Little Joe found hard was not to giggle out loud as that would give him away and he certainly didn’t want that too happen!! His family had no idea what the baby of the family was doing. They thought that he was sound to sleep tucked snuggly in his bed.
After several minutes, the little boy got up and out of the big mud puddle and he walked over to see what the pigs were doing. As he stood there watching the pigs in their mud puddle he began to wonder what it would be like to ride a pig. “Hey piggy, Can I’s ride ya? Little Joe asked the pig, who wasn’t paying any attention to the dripping wet muddy little boy.
“If’n ya can rides horsey’s then why not piggies?” the boy said out loud to no one, but himself. “Piggies is short so they be easy ta ride. So with all the confidence in the world Little Joe climbed through the fence and into the pig pen.
“Hi ya piggies. Ain’t this rain fun and just look at all that mud! I hope ya dunts mind if’n I’s ride ya, do ya?” Again, the pigs didn’t pay attention to the little boy standing there in their pen.
Little Joe walked over to one of the pigs and he jumped up on its back and he sat down. The pig rose up its head, snorted and began to almost run around the pig pen with Little Joe hanging on for dear life. He was now giggling out loud.
“Go piggy go!” the child shouted while he was still giggling. He soon landed in the mud, but he got back up and back on the pig. By now loud giggling could be heard all over the yard.
Ben suddenly raised his head as he heard the distant giggling of his baby boy. Adam and Hoss had also heard that silly giggle and that made them all nervous. “Oh no” they all thought out loud.
“What the…….” Ben began to say as Hop Sing ran out of the kitchen very excited indeed. “Mr. Cartlight, Mr. Cartlight, Hop Sing hear little boy giggle from outside!” Hop Sing said. “We heard him too,” Ben replied as he, Adam, and Hoss stood up. They all headed straight for the front door, including Hop Sing. Luckily the rain had just stopped for a few minutes.
Now outside, they could still hear that silly giggle of Little Joe’s, but the child wasn’t in sight.
“Where is THAT boy?” Ben almost shouted. As they continued to listen, Adam said, “Sounds like he’s by the pig pen!” “OH NO!” Ben declared, hoping Adam was wrong, but then knowing how much Little Joe loved to play in mud.
They all ran over to the pig pen and what they saw in front of them was a total shock! They just stared at first before they found their voices. For there in the pig pen was a very soaking wet mud covered Little Joe riding a…a pig! This mud covered mischief maker was giggling almost out of control.
“I…I…don’t believe this!” Ben mumbled as he couldn’t believe what his eyes were seeing. Hop Sing was in shock, but Adam and Hoss started to laugh. “Oh baby brother, what have you done now?” Adam asked softly. “Riding a pig?” Hoss questioned himself.
“JOSEPH FRANCIS CARTWRIGHT! WHAT IN THUNDER TARNATION ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE COVERED IN MUD AND RIDING A PIG FOR?” Ben shouted.
Realizing that he had been found out Little Joe had to come up with some kind of answer and fast. “Hi ya Papa. Imma havin’ fun. Wanna play wiv me in the puddles?” the filthy little boy asked along with his heart melting smile.
“Oh Lord, give me strength, please?” Ben mumbled as he slowly shook his head back and forth. Little Joe fell off the pig yet once again and he landed with a big splash in the puddle. The child got up and he started to jump up and down in the puddle still giggling away.
Ben turned to look at Hop Sing with a sick look on his face which Hop Sing knew what Ben was going to say. “Hop Sing get bath ready for dirty little boy. Little boy not think. He never think what he do! Why he play in mud? Why ride pig? Hop Sing not understand number three son!” Hop Sing said as he headed for the house, now mumbling away in Chinese.
Ben turned and glared at his two older sons and told them to stop laughing at their baby brother. “Sorry Pa, but he looks so funny covered in wet mud. Heck the only clean things on him are his eyes and his teeth,” Adam replied as he tried very hard to stop his laughing. Hoss was also trying hard, but he was losing his battle to control his laughing.
“JOSEPH GET OUT OF THAT PIG PEN THIS INSTANT!” Ben shouted as he felt like crying. He wanted to laugh, but he didn’t dare since he had told Adam and Hoss to stop laughing. “How could I feel like crying and laughing at the same time?” he asked himself.
Little Joe stood next to Ben and he looked up at his Papa and he gave Ben that look with all the charm he had. Just doing that caused Adam and Hoss to start to laugh yet again.
Ben stood there looking down at his little mud covered imp and he asked, “What am I going to do with you son?” Ben now had a smile on his face. He couldn’t help it. After all his baby son did look rather funny all covered in mud.” How’s ‘bout ya just holds me Papa?” the imp replied as he looked up at Ben.
Not really surprised at his son’s answer Ben responded to answer. “I don’t think so baby, not until you are clean again.”
“Golly Papa, dunt ya wuv me no more?” the child replied as he tried to look very sad, which made him look even funnier. His eyes were pleading with Ben to please hold him. “I love you so very much son, but I don’t want to pick you up because I don’t want to get all muddy,” Ben explained.
Ben turned to look at Adam and Hoss and he mouthed to them to grab hold of their little brother so he could get him undressed outside, so then he could take him to the wash room for a much needed bath.
Adam and Hoss didn’t want to touch their mud covered little brother at all, but they didn’t have a choice in that matter. That look that they were given by their father said it all. “Dadburnit baby brother every time you get into mischief, Adam and me get caught in it too,” Hoss mumbled at the little boy. Little Joe just grinned at Hoss.
It was real struggle, but Ben managed to get his muddy little boy undressed, and as he went to pick up the struggling child, he slipped out of Ben’s hold and he ran towards a large puddle in the middle of the yard and he began to jump up and down while giggling away. It didn’t take but a couple of seconds for the little boy to slip and fall in the puddle with a big splash on his little bottom.
The wet slippery little boy was finally captured and quickly carried into the wash room, kicking and screaming. “NO BAFF NO BAFF NO BAFF!!!!” Was the scream heard through out the yard and house?
Most of the hands had been watching the Cartwright’s trying to round up the youngest Cartwright and they were all laughing and holding their stomachs from laughing so hard at the drama that played out in front of them.
“Now that’s what I call a very entertaining afternoon!” Charlie declared as he was still laughing. The rest of the hands agreed to that statement as they returned to the bunk house.
A very unhappy Little Joe found himself having a much needed bath while he was being held down by his two older brothers who were trying not to let the slippery little boy get out of their grip.
It wasn’t easy for Ben to get his little boy bathed even though he was being held in place. Finally the child was clean again and into clean clothes. Adam, Hoss and Ben felt exhausted by the time they were finished in the wash room, and they too needed to get into some dry clothes.
Little Joe curled up in the corner of the settee and he put his thumb in his mouth and he mumbled that he sure did have fun playing in the mud puddles and riding one of the pigs.
Ben, Adam and Hoss couldn’t figure out why in the world Little Joe would want to ride a pig and play in the mud puddles so much, but then again, this was the youngest Cartwright they were talking about and with that little boy anything was possible.
That would be one day the older Cartwrights and Hop Sing would never forget, including the hands too. With more rainy days ahead, there would be many more afternoon entertainments starting Little Joe Cartwright.
The End.