YOU GOTTA BE SMART, BOYS
by
Lynne C.
Adam was happily relaxing on the porch, a drink and a sandwich on
the table next to him, and a new novel, recently collected from
town, just waiting to be opened. He leaned back in his chair and
looked out across the yard, pleased to see that all was well and
there was no sign of any trouble.
'This is how it should be,' thought Adam. 'I love it when Pa lets me
be boss.'
However, he couldn't see what was going on in the barn, and this was
probably just as well, as his two younger brothers were doing a
really good assassination job on his character.
"That brother of yours needs bringin' down a peg or two, sure
enough," said Hoss, as he shoveled the soiled straw out of the
stalls.
"I agree, but he ain't just my brother," said Joe, as he groomed
Sport. "He's your brother, too."
"I sure don't see any brother of mine left in that person sittin'
on
our porch," continued Hoss. "My brother must've gone with Pa,
when
he took off fer San Francisco, and he left that person, who jest
looks like my brother, here at the ranch."
"Well, in that case, he ain't my brother, either, cos I don't
recognize my brother in that man, just like you don't," said Joe,
pausing in his brushing. "I mean, Adam usually gets a bit more bossy
when Pa isn't here, but not this bad. So, what exactly do you intend
to do, to get him back for all he's put us through, this past week?"
"I'm workin' on it," said Hoss. "But, in the meantime, we
best git
this chore finished, afore he comes barrellin' down off that there
porch, yellin' at the top of his voice, about lazy brothers who
don't do what's expected of 'em."
"Okay, but don't you take too long in coming up with a plan,"
said
Joe. "I'm just about worn out from all this work he's had us doing,
and I need a break."
"I'll do my best," said Hoss.
They finished the barn chores and then headed for the house. By now,
Adam, was engrossed in his book, and he didn't even acknowledge the
presence of his brothers, as they passed him.
However, as they got to the door, Adam spoke.
"Don't go getting too comfortable indoors, boys. The fence on the
back forty needs to be repaired before supper, and so just have a
quick bite to eat and then hitch up the wagon and get out there,
please."
"Adam," said Joe, walking towards his brother.
"Yes, Joe," said Adam, looking up from the book he had resumed
reading.
"Why don't you get your lazy butt off that chair and go fix the
fence, yourself? Ever since Pa left, you've hardly moved off this
porch and Hoss and I are getting sick and tired of doing all the
work around here."
"Pa put me in charge, little buddy, and so I will allocate the
chores, as I see fit," said Adam, obviously irritated by his
brother's outburst. "You don't question Pa's orders, so please don't
question mine."
"I don't question Pa's orders, because he is fair and he does his
share of the work," said Joe. "But you aren't being fair."
"I happen to think I am being perfectly fair," said Adam. "When
Pa
is here, you are always finding ways to get out of your share of the
chores and getting me to do them for you. And if Pa discovers what
you are doing, then you manage to wheedle out of any punishment, by
turning on the puppy dog look and making him think that you are only
a boy and can't be expected to do that much. Yet the rest of the
time you bleat on about wanting to be treated the same as the rest
of us, and that you are now a full-grown man. Now, I don't
altogether subscribe to that theory, but, at sixteen, I do think
that you are capable of doing a lot more than you do."
Joe was about to protest, but he had to concede that Adam was
telling the truth. He did often skip his chores, knowing that rather
than see him in trouble with Pa, Adam would do them for him, and he
also did want to be treated as a full time ranch hand, rather than
the very junior member of the team that he still was.
"Ya might feel justified in gittin' Joe ta work this hard," said
Hoss, after listening to what Adam had to say. "But ya cain't say
the same about me, brother. I ain't always skippin' ma chores, like
Joe is, so why have ya got me workin' so hard, while you ain't doin'
nothin'?"
"That's very true, Hoss, you don't skip your chores, but you do owe
me a considerable amount of money, after you let yourself be taken
in by that drifter, a couple of weeks ago," said Adam. "You didn't
want to tell Pa that you'd been slickered out of the money for
those horses you sold, so you begged me to lend you the money, and I
did. You said you would pay me back, but knowing how difficult you
find it, to hold on to money, I reckoned that the best way to get it
back from you, was have you do my chores, while Pa was away. That
way, you wouldn't have to explain to him why you were doing them,
and by the time he comes back, we'll be quits. Good idea, huh?"
"I guess so," said Hoss, unable to say more, as, once again,
Adam
was speaking the truth.
The two younger boys entered the house, to eat their lunch,
realizing that their older brother had, once again, got the better
of them.
Adam stretched out in the chair, and took a sip of his drink.
'Those two have got to get up a heck of a lot earlier in the morning
to get one over on me,' he thought, chuckling to himself.
THE END
Little Joe forever
Lynne
February 6th 2007