K-9 Cartwrights
By DebbieB
"POOF!"
"Now, you boys go out...and stay out!" grumbled Hop Sing,
pointing toward the
door.
"AW...DOGGONEIT!" barked Hoss.
"Hoss...please, must you use that word...for heaven's sake look at
us!"
snarled Adam as he sat on the top step.
"Yeah Hoss...it's all your fault!" whined Little Joe, as usual,
caught in the
middle. "I hate spots!"
Hoss wagged his tail. "I think ya look sorta cute...don't he,
Adam?"
"OUT!" shouted Hop Sing.
Hop Sing held the front door opened and waved the three Cartwright
sons...ere...hounds...out the door.
"And no digging in my garden!" he ordered as he slammed the
door.
"Hummm...now Hop Sing get work done..."
Hoss, sat down on the edge of the porch and using his hind leg,
scratched
his
neck, just behind his ear.
"Golly...that feels good," he said.
"You look ridiculous," Joe grumbled.
"And you don't?" Adam growled.
"I guess we all do…say Adam, how did Hop Sing do this to us?" Joe
wanted to
know.
"I'm not sure Joe, but I think he must have learned how to do it
when
he went
to that magic show last week over in Gold City…"
"Oh Lordy…here comes Pa!" whispered Hoss.
He stood to all fours and watched as Ben dismounted and started
toward the
house.
"Don't act suspicious," Adam warned. "Pa will be upset
if he recognizes us."
"You think he will?" Joe smirked.
Ben walked past the three hounds, ignoring them until he reached
the door
and
heard one of the dogs sneeze.
"Cachoo!"
"Bless you," Joe said to Hoss.
Ben twirled around, eyeing the three with narrow eyes. The
three
hounds sat
on their rumps, each wagging their tails and looking non-chalantly
up at
their
father.
The front door opened, surprising Ben. Hop Sing stood in the
doorway,
gazing
up at his boss and then eyeing the dogs.
"I thought Hop Sing tell you to go play?" the little chinaman
chirped to the
three boys…ere…hounddogs.
"Excuse me?" stammered Ben, looking down at his cook with a
confused
expression on his face.
"I tell them," Hop Sing said, pointing to the three dogs,
"to go outside and
play…but as always…they do not mind…"
"Hop Sing," said Ben, leading the way into the house and closing
the door on
the trio who stood barking at the closed door.
"Quick, over here, the window is opened," urged Adam as he ran,
lickidee
split to the window on the side porch.
Hoss and Joe followed and joining Adam, the three perched
their front
legs
on the window sill, listening to the conversation between their
father and
the
family's servant.
"You haven't had those dogs inside my house, have you?" Ben
wanted to know.
Joe looked questioningly up at his older brother.
"They sneak in back door. Hop Sing find boys on steps…I tell
boys, go to work
…they no listen…just laugh and make mess, so I…"
"I'm not talking about the boys, Hop Sing…I'm referring to those
hounds
outside…by the way…where did they come from?"
"They boys, Mr. Cart'lite…I poofed them…"
"Hop Sing," Ben said firmly, placing a hand on the smaller man's
shoulders.
"You are not making any sense at all! Forget the hounds…where
are my sons?"
The dogs set up barking and Joe tossed back his head and howled
loudly.
"What in the world was that?" grumbled Ben, shaking his
head. "I'll have one
of the men lock those dogs up in the shed until I can find out who
they
belong to…Hop Sing, find the boys, I need them badly today…"
"Boys on porch!" Hop Sing explained.
Ben grinned broadly, heading for the door.
"Don't open door!" warned Hop Sing, too late.
Ben pulled the heavy oak door opened and was almost run over by the
three
hounds that bolted through the opening and ran to the steps where
they all
sat
down, wagging their tails.
Ben grumbled something under his breath, something that was not
meant to be
heard and stepped out onto the porch expecting to see his
sons.
Seconds later,
he returned, frustrated.
"Hop Sing…I thought you said the boys were here?"
"We are, Pa," Adam said, standing.
Ben, befuddled, looked at the dogs. He scratched his head.
"I could have sworn one of those dogs talked, Hop Sing," Ben
said, moving
closer to the stairs.
He eyed the dogs carefully.
"There's something familiar about you three," he mumbled softly
to the
hounds.
"Boys need go outside…where dogs belong!" complained the
servant. "Always
making mess…Hop Sing…"
"Hop Sing…are you sure you feel alright…you most certainly are
acting
strange this morning?" Ben said, turning his attention to the
little
man.
"Hop Sing, fine…over worked, under paid perhaps…but feeling
fine…once
boys
go away…"
"CACHOO!"
"Bless you," Ben said without thinking. "Hoss, you
really do need to do
something about that cold…"
Ben spun around, moving back to the staircase. He leaned
down, close
to the
dogs. The hound on the bottom of the step wagged his
tail. The
dog on the
top step, above the other two, had a lopsided grin on his face and
Ben was
taken
back by the dimple in the K-9's cheek.
When he eyed the middle dog, the dog wagged his long thin tail and
giggled…
.giggled?
"Hi ya, Pa?" the dog said with a laugh.
Ben jumped back as if he had been bitten.
"JOSEPH?" he murmured.
"Yep…ain't I cute?" Joe laughed again.
"You're not cute, little brother, you smell…like a dog…" Adam
griped.
"Well, what do you expect me to smell like, a cat…"
"HOLD IT, HOLD IT, HOLD IT," shouted Ben at the top of his voice,
"JUST WHAT
IN BLAZES IS GOING ON HERE?" he demanded.
All three dogs began barking at once, the noise level was reaching
an all
time high. Ben covered his ears…
"BE QUIET!" he stormed, falling back onto the settee.
Suddenly, Ben opened his eyes, gazing around. Adam, Hoss and
Little
Joe
stood over him.
"Are you alright, Pa?" Adam asked, leaning down and placing his
hand to his
father's brow.
Ben sat upright and then stood to his feet. With both hands,
he
reached out
and touched each one of his sons.
"Ya look a might pale, Pa," Hoss commented.
"I was dreaming…I think," stammered Ben.
His expression was one of bewilderment.
"That must have been a pretty awful dream, Pa," grinned Little
Joe. "What
was it about?"
"Poofing…I think…"
"Poofing?" echoed the three boys.
"Yes…Hop Sing said, 'poof', and turned the three of you into
hounddogs! It
was awful…Hoss you sneezed several times…and scratched…Joe, you
smelled
terrible...it was….awful…just awful," Ben explained.
The trio of young men began laughing.
"Aw…come on, Pa…ya know Hop Sing don't know no magic….does he?"
worried
Hoss.
Hop Sing came from the kitchen carrying a tray of sandwiches that
he sat
down
on the table in front of the settee. He stood before the four
men,
grinning
as if he knew a secret.
"What's making you so happy, Hop Sing?" Adam dared to question.
Hop Sing's chest swelled and he grinned. "Hop Sing learn
magic…want to see?"
Instantly the room cleared. Hop Sing stood alone, puzzled by
his
family's
quick retreat.
"All Hop Sing want to show family is…new card trick," he mumbled
as he pulled
the ace of spades from behind his own ear.