Synopsis: Hoss has a very important message to impart. A missing scene from The Stillness Within.
Category: Bonanza
Genre: Western
Rating: G
Word Count: 775
Hoss Cartwright sat at the massive wooden table in the dining room, in what was his Pa’s normal seat in one of the ornately-carved dining room chairs. In front of him on the table was a clean sheet of paper, as well as a hap-hazard pile of crumpled pages; a growing testament of his struggles to write to his oldest brother, now years away from the Ponderosa. Events of the past several days needed telling to the brother who insisted the family keep him apprised of everything, no matter how big or small. Even though his heart no longer lived for the Ponderosa, the same could not be said about his feelings for his family. He still loved them… they were blood, a part of who he was. And the news that Hoss had to impart was huge.
Dear Adam,
I know Pa ain’t taken the time…
“Nah, that don’t sound too good… like Pa don’t care about Adam,” Hoss thought as he wadded up the sheet of paper and pushed it to the middle of the table.
*****
Dear Adam,
I know Pa hasn’t had the time to write ya about…
“Nah, don’t like how that sounds either,” Hoss thought as he wadded up the sheet of paper and reached for another clean sheet.
*****
Dear Adam,
I know Pa hasn’t had the time to sit down to write you a letter about what happened to Joe (ACHOOO)
“Excuse me,” Hoss stated after sneezing, looking down he saw the squiggly line running across the sheet of paper and bemoaned another wasted page.
*****
Dear Adam,
I know Pa hasn’t had the time to sit down to write you a letter to tell you about what happened to Joe. We were helpin’ move several bottles of nitro, and I guess Charlie’s (ACHOOO)
“Not again,” Hoss thought, seeing the crooked line across the page, as another discarded sheet of paper joined the pile in the middle of the table.
*****
Dear Adam,
I know Pa hasn’t had the time to sit down to write you a letter to tell you about what happened to Joe. We were helpin’ move several bottles of nitro and Charlie’s cat must a knocked it off the shelf. The shed blew up with Joe (ACHOOO)
“Confound it,” Hoss thought as he angrily wadded up the page.
*****
Dear Adam,
I know Pa hasn’t had the time to sit down to write you a letter to tell you about what happened to Joe. Pa’s been so focused on takin’ care of Joe and prayin’ he’d wake up. See, we were helpin’ move several bottles of nitro, sort of like we did a few years back using mules to get them over the mountain, only this time it was just from town to Charlie’s shed. Well, I guess somethin’ happened. I heard Joe yell out, “NO!” I barely had time to turn around from walkin’ to Charlie’s place when the shed blew up, with Joe inside. It seemed to take forever for me to dig him out; what with all the debris and tryin’ ta keep my eyes clear from all the dust (Ah.. Ah… Ah…CHOOO)
“That’s it,” Hoss thought as he had lifted the pencil from the sheet of paper, once he felt the sneeze coming on, so he wouldn’t have to start all over again. “Confound all that dust kicked up from that explosion and me tryin’ ta rescue Joe, cain’t seem to get it out of my system.”
Anyway, I went back ta Charlie’s tryin’ ta help him clean up… Doc said there weren’t much I could do to help Joe, and I just had ta know what happened. Charlie ain’t seen his cat since before the shed blew up… Charlie’s cat must a knocked one of the bottles of nitro off the shelf, least that’s what I think.
As for Joe… Doc’s been out and said Joe’s injuries would heal, even though he banged up his head sompthin’ fierce and the blast burned his face and his hands some, too. But… Adam, that was all we knew before… Today… Well, Joe finally woke up… Nothing could a prepared Pa or could a hurt Pa any worse than when Joe woke and said he cain’t see…”
~The End
Did the family keep Adam informed of the events involving his family after he moved away? How does one sit down to write of such tragedies…
Find out in Dodo’s story: Bad News.
The Stillness Within: Written by: David Dortort, Susan Clauser, Fred Hamilton, Arthur Weingarten
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