A WOMAN'S WORK IS NEVER DONE
by
Lynne C.
Hop Sing, the faithful and devoted cook/housekeeper to the Cartwright
family, had taken just about all he could take.
Ben, Adam, Hoss and Little Joe had been away on a cattle drive and
while they were gone, Hop Sing had taken the opportunity to clean the
house from top to bottom. By the time they returned, every window
sparkled, every curtain had been washed and re-hung, all the walls had
been washed down and every floor and piece of furniture, polished,
until you could see your face in it.
Hop Sing had emptied all the closets and washed all the clothes,
repairing those that needed it, and discarding those beyond repair.
He didn't expect praise for all this work; after all it was what he
was paid to do. But, he had rather hoped that the family would at
least notice how clean everything was, and maybe take a bit more care,
in order to keep it looking nice. However, that was just wishful
thinking, on the cook's part.
From the minute they returned, it seemed, to Hop Sing, anyway, that
they were determined to make even more mess, than usual.
All four of them burst through the front door, wearing clothes that
contained at least half the trail, along which they had been
travelling, in the form of dust and small twigs. Ben removed his hat
and began dusting himself off, with it, and the boys copied him. Hop
Sing stood by the settee, the greeting he was about to offer them,
frozen into a fixed grin, as he gritted his teeth and tried to
remember his place. `House belong to Mistah Cartlight, not to Hop
Sing. If he wish to dust off clothes in house, instead of yard, Hop
Sing must not complain.'
Then he noticed the state of their boots, which were generously
covered in a mixture of wet mud, grass and various waste products,
which had come out of steers, horses, and any other creatures that
they might have met, on the trail. None of them made any attempt to
clean or remove the mud, or their boots, and so the floor, around the
front door, was soon filthy.
Still Hop Sing smiled and said nothing. He was a sensitive man and
usually let his feelings known, when the family upset him, but he'd
decided, while they were away, that he was wasting his time, shouting
at them. It was time to take a different approach.
"Hello, Hop Sing," said Ben, smiling at the cook. The patriarch
of the
Ponderosa sniffed the air, appreciatively, before continuing. "Stew
and dumplings, that has got to be the best smell ever, especially
after two weeks on the trail, eating Ernie's burnt offerings. Where on
earth did you find him, Hop Sing? You usually manage to get a better
cook than that, when we go on a drive. Of course, no one ever matches
up to your expertise, but at least the food is, in the main, edible.
This guy even managed to burn water, and I am not exaggerating."
"You dang well are, Pa, sure enough," said Hoss. "He weren't
that
good, but he could make a fairly decent cup of coffee, give the man
his due."
"Speaking of coffee," said Hop Sing. "Hop Sing just make
fresh pot.
You want some, with cookie straight from oven? Lunch not quite ready,
yet."
"Sounds good ta me," said Hoss, and the others agreed.
Joe flopped down on the settee, causing more dust to fly up into the
air, and he rested his booted feet on the arm. Unusually, Ben didn't
notice and so Joe kept his feet there, dropping mud onto the
upholstery. Adam sat down in his favourite blue velvet chair, and Ben
sat in his red leather one. Hoss sat on the low table, in front of the
fireplace, and helped himself to an apple from the bowl, which was
always there.
Meanwhile, Hop Sing was in the kitchen, putting the final touches to
his special pot of coffee. The man was a genius when it came to the
use of herbal remedies for most of the things, which your average
person could suffer from, such as colds, upset stomachs, rheumatics
and sprains. The Cartwrights often turned to their cook, when they
were ill, and he usually managed to come up with something to help them.
`Cartlights don't know they are sick, but Hop Sing does. They suffer
from lack of considelation for Hop Sing and I know just what to do to
make them appleciate Hop Sing. They drink this coffee and all will be
well.'
All four Cartwrights drank deeply, of Hop Sing's brew, and then went
outside to see to their horses.
By the time they returned, to eat their lunch, the special ingredient
in the coffee was beginning to take effect.
Adam said, "I noticed there was an abundance of flowers in the garden,
and so, after lunch, I think I will pick some and make a pleasing
arrangement to sit on your desk, Father."
"That will be lovely," said Ben. "My desk could do with
something to
cheer it up. I was planning on crocheting some little mats to place on
it, and maybe making some antimacassars to protect the backs of the
chairs and the arms of the settee."
"You know, Papa dearest," said Joe, pouting prettily. "We
must all be
thinking along the same lines. The paintings that we have adorning our
walls are all rather drab, don't you think? I thought I might set up
my easel, in the meadow, and perhaps paint some wild flowers, or ask
one or two young ladies, from town, to join us, so that I may paint
them. But if Adam is going to make a flower arrangement for your desk,
I could paint that, couldn't I?"
"And while you are doing that, dear little brother, I will pop into
the kitchen and whip up a batch of scones and fairy cakes," said Hoss.
"And what about some lemonade? Wouldn't that be so delicious, Papa?"
"Wonderful, darling boy," said Ben.
As the family discussed their plans for the house, Hop Sing was in the
kitchen, smiling to himself.
`Hop Sing's plan is working well,' he thought. `How house looks is now
important to Mistah Ben, Mistah Adam, Mistah Hoss and Little Joe. They
will keep it clean and tidy, and Hop Sing can take well earned rest.'
And that is exactly what he was able to do. The potion he'd given the
Cartwrights, in their coffee, took nearly a week to wear off, and
during that time, Hop Sing didn't have to lift a finger, as the family
did all the household chores. No one entered the house wearing dirty
boots, or dusty clothes, even old friends, like Sheriff Coffee, were
offered a clothes brush and a pair of house slippers, on the porch.
Little Joe didn't put his feet on any of the furniture and Hoss was
very careful when eating, not to drop crumbs. Adam didn't throw any
books, or hats, onto the floor and Ben took care when doing the books,
not to get ink stains on his desk.
By the time they were all back to normal, although none of them
realised why they had been acting as they had, they all had a much
more healthier respect for all the work that Hop Sing did for them.
THE END
Little Joe forever
Lynne
May 28th 2006