To A
Convention We Will Go
By: Gail
“Dang it, Adam,
we’re lost
again.” Hoss whipped off his hat, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Adam rolled his
eyes. “Pa, did we take a wrong turn
someplace?”
Ben reached in his
pocket and
fished out a map. “Let me see, go past
the river, find Lake Tahoe. I can’t see
where we’ve made our mistake.”
“May I please see
the map,
Pa?” Adam held out his hand.
“Are you saying I
can’t read
a map, young man?” Ben asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Of course not, Pa. I’m merely suggesting that I help you
navigate our way.” Ben handed his eldest the map.
Adam looked over it
carefully. “Hmmmm. . .I can’t tell. . .
where does this river lead? And what’s
the name of it?”
Hoss reached over,
snatching
the paper from his brother’s hand. He
looked at it carefully, studying the lines.
“Well, here’s the problem. That
there ain’t no river, it’s just a pencil line, like someone was drawing
some
pictures on this here map.”
Ben, Adam, and Hoss
turned
their head’s toward the youngest Cartwright.
“Who me?” Joe’s
voice
squeaked as he pointed to himself. “I
didn’t. . .I mean . . .I didn’t draw an extra line on that map.”
“I’m sure you
didn’t,
Joseph. Hoss, just tell me which way we
need to go. We’re going to be late for
this convention we’ve been invited to, and personally, I can’t wait to
meet
this young lady named ‘Vicki’, is it?
She is the one that sent an invitation to us.” Ben shifted in
his
saddle.
Hoss handed the map
over to
Adam. “Here ya go brother, you can look
at it.”
Adam turned the
paper
around, took his thumb and wiped away
the line. “Oh, I see now, Pa.
We can go into Carson City, then, once we
reach there, we go northwest toward some place called Crystal Bay.”
“Fine, lets get
going.” Ben
nudged Buck on his way.
The four men rode
for several
miles. “Pa, I sure hope this convention
is worth all the trouble.” Joe said, wiping his forehead with his
handkerchief.
“Yeah Pa, who are
these
people that’s gonna be there? One of the
men’s names was Matthew Carmody, and the other was called. . .ummmm. .
.Drew
Powell. Do you know these fellows, Pa?”
Hoss asked.
“No, no, I can’t
say that I
do, but the invitation said that is was very important that we attend. We are the guests of honor, and I think it
would be rather rude if we were late.”
“I agree, Pa. If we quit all this jabbering, perhaps we can
make better time.” Adam huffed.
“Fine, older
brother. I just hope the trip is worth
it.” Joe said,
frowning at the thought that they still had a long way to go.
Once the Cartwright
clan
reached Crystal Bay, they went in search of this ‘so called’ convention
they
had been invited to.
Upon finding the
meeting
place for the group, they pulled their horses to a stop along side some
strange
looking machines.
“What in tarnation
do you
reckon that is?” Hoss pointed to a parked car, the first he had ever
seen.
“I haven’t a clue,
Hoss, but
I’m hot and I’m tired. Let’s see if we
can find the meeting room, then we can get a room at the hotel.” Ben
said,
sliding off Buck’s back, tying the reins to the tin machine that was in
front
of the place.
Ben headed for the
door of
the building and slowly opened it. He
stepped inside and the cool air hit his face, causing him to shiver. Behind him were his sons, following in age
order.
The room was
crowded with a
few gentlemen, but it was mostly ladies attending.
Joe found himself smiling from ear to ear.
When no one noticed
they had
entered, Ben cleared his throat, causing
the crowd to become silent. Everyone in
the room stared in disbelief at the four men before them.
One young lady in
the back of
the room was heard whispering, “Is it
really them?”
“I think it is.”
another
replied.”
“OH MY GOSH!! It’s them!!
It’s really them!!” A group of ladies screamed, rushing toward
the
men. Each young woman started to grab at
the clothing of the four Cartwrights.
The next thing the
Cartwright
men knew, they were standing in the room in practically nothing but
their long
underwear. Joe was also missing his hat.
“Oh Lordy.” Hoss
blushed.
“For Pete sakes.”
Ben yelled.
“Ummm. . . would
you care to
introduce yourself, before you tear my clothes from me?” Adam asked,
the
ladies, through gritted teeth.
Joe grinned. “And you didn’t think it would be worth the
TRIP!”
The End
Hope everyone has a
wonderful
time at the Convention!!!
Gail G.