In the Clouds

By Ella

Author’s Note: My thanks - to Kathryn, for her editing and to Marion, for posting the writer’s challenge that inspired this story.

********

Three boys lay on their backs, each determined to win the contest. The prize for winning was something special - a smile. The look of delight that spread over Ben Cartwright's face whenever one of life's joys touched him. His sons loved that smile, and if they were the cause of it, then the trophy was all the more cherished.

It all started earlier in the day, at breakfast. Ben surveyed the weary faces around the table. Winter had been rough on all of them. It wasn’t just the unending work, or the bitter cold, or the never-ending snow. It was their first winter without Marie. But Ben knew too well that life goes on. His boys were his life now. Together they would take the Ponderosa to its full potential – to realize Marie's dream.

This early spring day, sitting at the breakfast table, Ben remembered something important he'd learned on his trek West: animals need to rest, or they will perish. He, his sons, and Hop Sing needed a break today. Even an afternoon would be enough, to replenish their energy – restore their souls. And so, with several picnic baskets of food in hand, and smiles on their faces, the five of them journeyed to the lake. They ran, fished, took a bone-chilling swim, then ate – no, gorged themselves - on Hop Sing’s fine cooking.

Ben gazed down at his sons lazing under their favorite cottonwood tree. Hoss leaned heavily against it, his hat flopped over his eyes. With a wink at Joe, Adam carefully selected a blade of grass, making sure his youngest sibling followed suit. Each inching close to one of their brother's ears, they put the grass longways between their thumbs, then cupped their hands as they brought the blade to their lips. On a silent signal, they blew, creating duel squawks that would do a mother duck proud!

Eyes popping wide, Hoss launched to his feet, head swiveling from right to left as he grasped for his bearings. With laughter surrounding him, he snatched his hat from his head, slapping it to his thigh. "Goll-dang you two! Can't a fella - "

Ben's deep chuckle and Hop Sing's merry eyes cooled the large boy's hot temper. As Hoss slid back into his spot beneath the tree, Ben took a seat next to Hop Sing on a large rock nearby. Taking in the contented look on his sons' faces, Ben drew in a satisfied sigh. "You know, your mothers – all your mothers – and I came to share a special tradition after a picnic feast such as Hop Sing has just provided for us."

Joe sat up straight, his eyes lighting up like fireflies in the dark. "What tradition, Pa?"

Hoss leaned forward, nodding vigorously. "Yeah, Pa, what tradition?"

Adam remained silent, but his hungry blue eyes gave him away.

One look at Hop Sing told Ben he too was hooked.

Ben crossed his legs, clasping his hands over his knee. "We'd have a cloud picture contest." Joe tilted his head and his father clarified, "We'd stretch out on our backs and study the clouds, checking out all the formations until we found the one we thought was the most creative."

Joe scrunched up his face. "How can a cloud be creative? It’s a cloud, Pa."

Catching the smirk on Adam’s lips, Ben raised both hands. "All right, I admit, it wasn’t the cloud that was creative. It was our minds. We each chose the cloud that brought the liveliest image to our heads then shared them with each other. The one with the most imaginative idea was the contest winner."

Joe shook his head, causing Ben to cock his head and lift a questioning brow. "Do you question your father's ability to be creative, young man?"

The child shook his head until he was half-dizzy. "No, sir, but I don't see how ya could really judge each other, ya know? There shoulda been ... um ..." He flung out a hand in Adam’s direction.

Adam grinned appreciatively at his brother, then turned to their father. "I believe Joe thinks there should have been a 'third party,' to make the final decision. You two, whichever two of you, couldn't be impartial enough to fairly judge which person's choice was the most inventive."

Joe gave a sharp nod, his mouth in a firm line as he looked back at Ben. "Yeah, just what Adam said, Pa."

Rubbing his chin to mask his smile, Ben nodded slowly. "Well, Joseph, as it happens, you and your brother are right. In all instances, there was a judge present, who made the decision." He gazed warmly upon his eldest. "When I was with Elizabeth, her father acted as judge. Though I dare say, he didn't even attempt to be fair. He loved his daughter more than anything." Ben frowned. "I think if I’d ever as much as hurt her feelings, he would have thrashed me to within an inch of my life."

Joe clenched his fists at the thought.

Ben waggled a hand at the youngster. "Never mind, son. Adam's mother would not have permitted her father to hurt me under such a circumstance." He chuckled, thinking of a time or two when Elizabeth bodily stepped between the two men in her life. Again he caught a burning hunger in blue eyes. He made a mental note to have a private talk with Adam. 'Somehow I never got around to sharing the little things about Elizabeth with you. You have a right to hear these tidbits about your mother - no, you need to hear them.'

Hoss studied his father, his smooth forehead crinkling suddenly. "Pa? Who was the third party when you were with my ma? One of the other folks in the wagon train?"

Ben's lips twitched as his twinkling eyes again fell on his oldest son. "No, the judge was a steadfast young man who deliberated quite seriously over who found the most interesting cloud." Time swept Ben away to a riverbank long ago, and he took his willing audience with him....

~~~~~~~~

It was their second picnic together along the Sangamon River. The first had ended on a sour note, when Gunnar stormed in and demanded his sister return to town to have a ride with innkeeper McQuarter*. A stubborn woman, Inger refused, but still, the intrusion tainted the day for them. The next picnic happened only days before they were married. Inger's friend, Helen Winters, offered to keep Adam. When Inger declined the offer, Helen chided, 'Are you going to take the boy with you on your honeymoon as well?'

'Adam is to be my son, Helen. I will not have him think he is suddenly being shut out or feeling as if I am taking his father from him. We are to be a family now. A picnic is a wonderful family experience. Ben and I will have our wedding night alone together. Mrs. Miller* has offered to keep Adam for us that evening, but the honeymoon will have to come later, when we get to our new home. That is soon enough. It will be worth waiting for.'

Helen scoffed, but then her face softened, and she patted Inger's arm. 'You truly love him. He is a very lucky man and you are a very lucky woman.'

And so they went back to the Sangamon for their picnic. Adam taught Inger his secret for catching fish, to Ben's amusement. His chest swelled with a deep inner joy, watching his future wife listening so intently, as his son carefully took the fish from her line then explained to her how to remove it from the hook. The boy squared his shoulders, telling her she needn’t re-bait the line. That would be his job. He knew how and 'besides, that's man's work.'

Ben cooked the fish while Inger and Adam picked enough fox grapes to feed an army. Somehow, between the three of them, they gobbled them up. Then, they were so stuffed, Adam suggested they lay down and watch the clouds. The boy insisted that Ben and Inger each pick their favorite, then tell him what it looked like to them. He would decide whose idea was better. To this day, Ben wondered how Adam came up with the cloud contest idea. He couldn't recollect ever telling anyone about those times with Elizabeth. It would remain one of life's mysteries.

~~~~~~~~

Joe grinned, before asking for all of them, "So, Pa, what did you say your cloud looked like? What did Hoss' ma pick? Who won the contest, or couldn't Adam pick? Did Adam find a cloud? I mean, he was just a little kid, he musta ... "

"Joseph?"

"Yes, Pa?" The boy squirmed, feeling all eyes upon him. "Guess you're tryin' ta tell me to be patient, huh, Pa?"

Ben's eyes twinkled. "Yes, that was the message."

Hoss pushed, "Please, Pa, I wanna know too." There was a "me too" radiating, sure as anything, from the silent young man sitting beneath the large cottonwood tree.

Ben smiled at all of them, then continued the story....

~~~~~~~~

Inger’s tinkling laughter tickled the trees surrounding them.

'What's funny?' Adam asked, lying between the two adults on the blanket. He turned his head to meet Inger's sparkling blue eyes.

'Yes, what?' Ben echoed, mimicking his son's action.

Inger pointed to the fluffy cloud overhead. 'That looks like a rabbit, wearing a top hat, with its ears sticking out.'

Hearing Adam's spontaneous laughter, Ben ached to pull Inger into his arms. His son's love for this woman made him love her all the more. He swallowed his impulse, asking instead, 'Is that your choice then?'

Inger turned her head, looking first at Adam, giving him a wink, then looking beyond him to Ben. Her eyes teasing, she answered, 'No, I'm still deciding.'

Adam nodded, his lips in a bow, silently agreeing with her response, though he was rather fond of the bunny description.

Ben harrumphed, but his son and Inger saw through him. Inger only laughed and looked back at the ever-shifting display above. Adam prompted as he pointed, 'What about that one, Pa?'

'That one there?'

‘Uh huh. Yes, sir.’

'Why, that one looks just like a dolphin, leaping out of the waves on the ocean.'

Inger prodded, 'Is that your final choice?'

Adam laughed even harder now, seeing the look his father shot across him.

Ben shook his head, emphatically. 'No, I'm still thinking.'

~~~~~~~~

Adam rolled his eyes. "I can see why judging this contest was so hard."

Hoss nodded. "Yeah, I'll say. You two sound like a couple of stubborn mules."

Ben lifted an eyebrow as he tried to sound stern. "I beg your pardon? Just remember, this is your mother you're talking about, young man."

Adam gave the middle brother a wink. "You're right, Hoss, they were a pair of mules."

Joe's mouth dropped open at his brother's audacity, but Adam looked Pa squarely in the eyes. "You aren't going to deny it, are you, Pa?"

Ben chuckled quietly. "No. No, I can't." He looked at Hoss. "You're ma was a very stubborn woman, son. If she hadn't been, we probably never would have been married."

Adam crossed his arms, triumph in his eyes. Ben shook his finger in warning.

Little Joe brought everyone back on track with a whine. "Pa, please, the story?"

Ben nodded with an indulgent smile. "Yes, son, of course, the story."

~~~~~~~~

Always an astute child, Adam waited, occasionally shifting his eyes from one adult to the other. At last, Inger gave a final nod, pointing. ‘That one there is my choice.’

Two sets of eyes followed the extended arm. Adam spoke for himself and his father. ‘That one there, Mama?’

When the boy blushed, Inger gave him a quick kiss his cheek. ‘That’s all right, Adam. It is what I wished for you to call me.’ Adam turned, swallowed for an instant in blue eyes filled with tears. Inger quickly blinked them away, and with a gentle smile, took them back to the clouds. Pointing to her choice again, she announced, ‘It is a brontosaurus.’

Adam’s eyebrows arched with his amazement. ‘You know about dinosaurs, Mama?’

Ben swallowed a chuckle, keeping his eyes on the sky. Inger answered matter-of-factly. ‘Well, I have only seen pictures. I don’t know any dinosaurs personally.’

Again Adam fell into fits of laughter, bringing delight to the two people flanking him on the gray blanket. When his laughter died away, he turned to his father. ‘Where’s your cloud, Pa?’

Ben searched the sky then pinpointed the fluffy picture. ‘There. To me, that cloud looks like a pirate. See, the way his hat sits on his head? And he’s got his sword, raised in the air, ready to slice any man who crosses him? Why, he even has a patch over one eye!’

Adam nodded, noting the odd dark cloud amid the white, creating the patch. Without turning his head, he shifted his eyes right, then left, suddenly realizing he was caught in a dilemma. Who had the best choice? What would happen when he chose one over the other? Deep ridges formed in the young forehead and Ben and Inger exchanged a worried glance. Simultaneously, they leaned close to the little ear nearest to them, whispering similar words.

The boy heard: ‘Choose Mama.’ ‘Choose your Papa.’

~~~~~~~~

Hoss and Joe shook their heads slowly. Hoss spoke for the pair of them. "This ain’t good. No, sir. You put Adam in a bad spot, Pa. He’s been loyal ta ya for his whole life, but now he’s got Mama to think about. He couldn’t hurt her. Now, that sure is a fact."

Hop Sing had been silent through the whole story, but to everyone’s surprise, he suggested sagely, "I think Adam take very grownup approach to this dilemma, did he not?"

Turning to the wise young man, Ben agreed quietly, "Yes, he had a knack for compromise at a very young age." Adam blushed, but like his brothers, turned his eyes to Ben, asking for the rest of the story….

~~~~~~~~

Standing suddenly, Adam faced the two cloud-watchers and crossed his arms over his chest. ‘I got a decision. You know, the judge got the final word.’ The two adults held their breath. ‘Because you both picked too good a idea, I declare this contest a draw.’ He notched his eyebrows and looked to his father for confirmation. ‘Is that the right word, Pa?’

Eyes and heart swimming with pride, Ben nodded. ‘Yes, Adam, draw or tie. It is the right word and -’

Inger smiled softly. ‘It is a very good decision.’

~~~~~~~~

Joe stood abruptly and walked to his father. Placing a hand on Ben's knee, he asked hopefully, "Do you have a good story about my ma and cloud-watching, Pa - from when I was little?"

With a gentle smile, Ben shifted himself further back on the flat rock, then patted his knee, happy Joe didn't think he was too old to accept the invitation. Wrapping his arms around his son's waist, he looked deep into expectant brown eyes as he answered. "Little Joe, there are lots of cloud-watching stories about your ma. A particularly memorable one occurred at our favorite picnic place in New Orleans. You were about three, I think -"

"Three-and-half," Adam corrected.

Joe frowned. "How come your remember so good?"

"So well."

"So, how?"

Adam crossed his arms and gave the boy one of his most pointed stares. "Because, for some reason, when you WERE three-and-a-half, you felt it necessary to tell that to – EVERYONE, constantly. Pa's right, though, this is a memorable story."

Joe furrowed his brow. "Were you the judge again?"

Hoss snorted. "No, YOU were, Little Joe."

"But you said I was only three." He flapped his arms when both brothers opened their mouths. "Yeah, yeah, okay, three-and-a-half. Golly, what's everybody gotta be so precise for all of a sudden?"

Adam frowned. "All of a sudden? I pride myself on - "

Joe rolled his eyes and moaned, "Paaaaa."

Ben raised a hand, silencing everyone. "Okay, how about it we put a few facts on the table?" His eyes moved from one boy to the next, establishing firm contact with each of them. There was no doubt that all of them knew HE was the judge and that HIS word would be accepted as final.

With a satisfied nod, he continued, "Joe was … three-and-a-half. We were at our favorite picnic spot and had just finished a wonderful lunch together. Marie decided we should all take a rest. She said you boys had eaten too much and that it would be good for you to lay down for a moment and digest it. Joe had already fallen asleep and Marie was covering him with her shawl when Hoss suggested we play the cloud game….

~~~~~~~~

Adam turned away from his parents, grumbling, ‘Lay down. You’d think I was three-and-a-half.’

Ben narrowed his eyes at the back of his eldest son’s head. ‘What was that, young man?’

Sucking in a sharp breath, Adam plastered his most innocent expression on his face, then turned slowly, to meet his father’s intense gaze. ‘I was thinking about that fish Mr. La Belle caught the other day. Musta been three - maybe three-and-a-half foot long. Wouldn’t you say, Erik?’

‘Huh?’ The boy jumped forward, swallowing a yelp, as the flesh of his upper arm burned between his older brother’s fingers. His face pinched, he nodded eagerly, jerking his arm free. ‘Yeah, three-and-a-half feet, easy!’

Ben nodded slowly, his eyes still filled with a knowing suspicion. ‘I suggest you two lie down next to your younger brother and take the rest your mother mentioned. You needn’t close your eyes. In fact, I like Erik's suggestion about the clouds. I’d be very interested to hear your thoughts on them. I'm sure your mother would too.' Ben gazed overhead, awed by massive cottony-like statues floating past. 'There are a lot of interesting formations today. Surely, one of them will catch your eye – and your imagination, if you give it a chance.’

His father's eyes hung on him for several uncomfortable seconds until Adam wisely answered. ‘Yes, sir.’ Reluctantly stretching out next to his sibling, he stared up at the fluffy pictures, only pretending to look at first, but as the billowing shapes continued to shift and re-mold themselves, he couldn’t stop his imagination. He blushed at some of the images that came to mind, thinking of a recent conversation he’d overheard between some older boys at school, concerning girls and the pleasure of their shapes. He pushed those ideas away, knowing that his father’s temper was on the edge of erupting. The merest spark could result in fire to a particular part of his anatomy.

Becoming aware of Erik’s own musings, he raised an eyebrow. He rolled his head to deliver a scowl, only to be ignored by the blithe boy.

‘There’s a dog. A cat. A horse. A pig. A rooster. A-’

Adam shook his head sharply. ‘Hold on a minute. You can’t be seeing all those things so quickly. You’re makin’ it up, to impress Ma.’

‘Am not.’

‘Are too.’

‘Not.’

‘Are!’

A shriek cut them short. ‘Enough! Mon dieu, Adam, a passing stranger would think you were jade-green with envy, over your brother’s quick mind. Can't you-'

Ben laid a hand on his wife’s arm. ‘Marie?’

‘Qui, my love?’

He cleared his throat, then carefully corrected, ‘My dear, the expression is not "jade green"-’

‘Non?’

‘No, my love, the proper phrase is pea-green.’

Marie frowned. ‘The envy – it is the green color, yes?’ Her dark eyes began to turn a deep, deadly shade, but Ben didn’t take the cue.

Nodding patiently, Ben raised a hand, answering with exaggerated care, ‘Yes, envy. One is said to be green with envy, but not-’

Propping her hands on her hips, Marie glowered. ‘The jade, it is a shade of the green, yes?’

‘Yes, my love, I’m not denying that, but-'

Marie's voice rose with the color in her cheeks as she waved her hands in wild circles for emphasis. ‘Then the envy can be the jade, can it not?’

At that moment both parents snapped their mouths shut, realizing they were attracting not only every passerby, but also had the undivided attention of the two boys who were supposed to be digesting their meal. As well, Joe was now sitting bolt upright, wide-eyed, his head swinging back and forth between his parents.

Ben stood to lift the youngster, then waved the other two away. ‘Go on, both of you, go get some exercise.’

Adam raised one brow, his amusement flickering in his eyes, as he reminded his father, ‘But Ma told us to-’

His expression growing dark as thunder, Ben pointed sharply. 'Now, young man, or do I need to "help" you on your way?’

~~~~~~~~

Joe's eyes sparkled with delight. He'd certainly been 'helped on his way' by both his mother and father, many a time, when they felt he wasn't moving fast enough. "Golly, Adam, you sure did take chances when you were a kid."

Adam shook his head, sarcasm sliding out with his words. "Oh, but you never do, do you, Little Joe?"

Shrugging his shoulders, the boy turned back to his father. "But you and ma made up, right, Pa? You didn't stay mad forever."

Ben patted his son's thigh. "You know we didn't, Joseph. Your mother and I couldn't stay angry with each other if we tried."

Joe squirmed. "But what happened? And how did I end up judging the cloud contest?"

Ben shifted his eyes to capture his eldest son, who grinned widely over the memory. "I think I'll let Adam tell that part of the story. He was party to certain details I was not."

"But how come-"

"Just let your brother tell this next part."

The boy shrugged. "Yes sir."

Adam grinned across at the anxious eyes riveted upon him now. "Well, Hoss and I did as Pa said, and took off to explore our favorite spots nearby. I guess you could say we forgot the clock. When we found out from some stranger what time it was, we scrambled back to the picnic area. As it happened, in this instance, it didn't matter that we were late returning."

Ben raised an eyebrow, watching the exasperated expression seep across Joe's face. The boy shook his head, mumbling, "How come older kids always get away with so much stuff?"

Lips twisting into a bow, Adam turned to look at Hoss who rolled his eyes in comment. "Would you like to tell him or should I?"

Flinging a hand in Joe's direction, Hoss chuckled. "Don't matter which of us tells him, Adam, he won't believe us, no how."

Adam nodded. "Yeah, but we have to go on record at least, for trying."

By now Joe had propped his hands on his hips. Ben began to chuckle softly and ran his hands down the boy’s arms, encouraging him to relax his stance. Still, Joe turned his head to meet his pa’s laughing eyes and whined, "Pa, they always do this."

"Do what, son?"

"Have these conversations like I'm not even sittin' right here listenin'. But I am here and it don't matter, cause I ain't gotta clue what they're sayin'."

"Well, I think your brothers are probably trying to deny your accusation about older kids always getting away 'with so much stuff'."

"But-"

Ben held up a hand. "Your brothers think you get away with much more ‘stuff’ than they ever did at your age." He shifted his eyes to the two nodding boys under the cottonwood tree.

"Dang right we do."

Adam concurred with a single nod.

"But-"

"Joseph, I think this is an argument best saved for another day. I thought you wanted to hear the rest of the story."

Shooting a final disapproving look at his brothers, Joe grudgingly agreed. "Yeah, okay."

Adam took them back to New Orleans....

~~~~~~~~

The boys ran like the wind, their heels drumming the ground, echoing in their ears like a herd of stampeding cattle. They burst through a cluster of bushes, then ground to a halt, spying Ma and Pa on the blanket with Joe. Their parents were lying on their backs, apparently cloud watching, with Joe acting as referee between them. Adopting their most contrite expressions, the pair approached the family, stopping abruptly once more, when they realized that Ben and Marie were sound asleep, and Little Joe was cheerfully imitating them.

Adam held a finger to his lips and the boys edged closer, until they could clearly hear their brother’s words. Joe looked down at Marie, then up at the sky. The brothers slapped their hands over their mouths, to keep from hooting with laughter. The baby was chattering in French. Well, it was the Joe version of the language - gibberish, laced with his mother's accent and inflections. He gestured dramatically with his hands, in perfect mimic of Marie, as he described the cloud of ‘her’ choice.

He turned to Pa then, his next words spoken in a deep voice - as deep as a three-and-a-half-year-old can muster. He pointed to a different cloud.

'Crock-dial. Long tail. Big teef.' The boy turned back to Ma, reverting to the French accent. 'Zee crock-dial. He is zee green color.' The baby laughed, imitating Pa’s apparent response and tone. 'Yes, my dear - but not jade green.'

Joe fell to his back, obviously seeing his mother’s response. The baby laughed so shrilly, both parents sat straight up, blinking wildly. Establishing Joe’s whereabouts, their eyes shifted to the two older boys collapsed in the grass nearby, laughing with total abandon.

~~~~~~~~

Sliding off Ben’s lap, to keep from falling off, Joe continued to laugh as he moved toward their picnic blanket. "Okay, brothers, we’re gonna have our own cloud contest now, and I’m gonna win."

Nudging Adam, Hoss rose and went to join their too confident sibling. He looked down to challenge, "Oh? And whose gonna be the judge of this here contest, Joe?"

Hop Sing stood and touched his chest as he announced, "I be judge." He gave Ben a wink, then looked back at the boys. "But I must warn you, I take no bribe."

Eyes glittering at their cook’s sharp wit, Adam joined his brothers outstretched on the blanket. Ben watched silently, his emotions seesawing, glimpsing both the past and present spread out before him in his three sons. The boys studied all the fluffy possibilities, like their mothers before them. Clearly, they were considering all their options, before making any decisions.

Suddenly, Joe piped up, "Hey, it's Tess Greene!"

Hoss guffawed and Adam rolled his eyes before suggesting drolly, "Little brother, you astound me with your boundless imagination, but I truly think you're stretching it, suggesting one of the clouds up there resembles Tess."

It was Joe's turn to roll his eyes, which he emphasized with a groan. He sat up and pointed. "No, not in the clouds - there."

All heads turned to discover Tess riding toward them, a big smile lighting her face.

The boys rose to their feet, courteously, as did their father, who spoke for all of them. "Tess, what brings you out our way today?"

The young girl tossed her golden curls as she studied the scene. "Well, Mr. Cartwright, you look like you already beat Ma to it."

"How’s that, Tess?"

"Ma sent me over here to invite you all to a picnic, at our place. She said it’s been a long winter and she thought you all must be as happy to see spring as we are." Again she took in the surroundings. "I kinda wish we’d suggested the idea a little sooner. Looks like you had some real nice fixings. And it must have been good for you. You look so relaxed and all…."

Joe cut in, "That's cause we are reliving a tradition, right, Pa?"

Ben smiled warmly at his youngest son's spontaneity.

Tess took in the medley of expressions on the faces surrounding her. "Tradition, Little Joe? What tradition is that?"

Joe pointed upwards. "Cloud watchin'. We're havin' a contest, see? Hop Sing's the judge, and he can't be bought, neither. He's gonna decide which of us comes up with the most ... in ... in ..." The boy looked to Adam, who filled in the blank.

"Innovative idea."

Tess straightened her shoulders. "Well, Little Joe, you have some competition you weren't expectin'. I'll have you know, I've been cloud watchin' since I was this big." She leveled the air with a flattened hand, at roughly knee level. My ma and pa taught me that game, 'fore you were born." She smiled gleefully at Ben, then gave him a wink, before capturing the child with as severe a look as she could muster. "So, you just move over and make a space for me on that blanket, Little Joe Cartwright. I'll win this contest so quick, you won't know what hit you."

Little Joe did as he was bid, but as soon as Tess sat down beside him, he poked the air with his finger, to set her straight. "You may have experience, Tess Greene, but I got tradition behind me. Three mas-worth of it. So, you just prepare yourself to be surprised."

Adam and Hoss looked at each other then stole a glance at Pa. His grin was as wide as they'd seen in a long time. Yep, spring had arrived. And for sure, an important Cartwright tradition had sprouted right along with it!

The End.

(May 2005)

* Author's Footnote: The characters of inn owner McQuarter and boardinghouse owner Mrs. Miller were featured in the Bonanza episode "Inger, My Love."