by jfclover
~*~*~*~*~
After loading Pa’s luggage onto the stage, all we have left are our goodbyes. Hoss is in a jolly mood and tells Pa about old man McGregor’s faceplant into a mud puddle while chasing his pigs. “You can’t believe the words that came out of that old man’s mouth.”
“Oh, I can imagine, Son. He never was one to hold his tongue.”
“He sure didn’t this time.”
Pa moves toward the stage door. “You boys take care while I’m gone. No needless shenanigans.”
“Right, Pa.”
I roll my eyes. “We’ll try, Pa.”
“Try real hard, Joseph.”
“Yessir.”
As soon as the stage pulls out and gains speed down C Street, Hoss nods toward the Bucket of Blood. “One for the road?”
“Don’t see why not, Big Brother.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The following morning, Hoss and I take advantage of Pa being away and sleep in an extra hour, but then it’s time to milk the cow and gather the eggs for Hop Sing, something I’ve done for at least twenty years. Some jobs never change. So while Hoss mucks the barn, I finish my chores, and then we head down to the south pasture. I noticed a couple of fences in need of repair, and we can accomplish that little chore before lunchtime. After breakfast, where my brother outdid himself, he let me know why.
“If we’re gonna be gone until noon, Little Brother …. ”
“Any excuse will do, won’t it?”
“Don’t give me grief so early in the morning, Joe.”
“Fine. Let’s go.”
Each of us buckle our gun belts and are ready to ride out when Clem appears at the front door. “Morning, Boys.”
“Clem. What’s up?”
The deputy hands me a telegram. “Bad news from Placerville, Joe.”
“Placerville? Pa’s heading that way.” I hold the missive so Hoss can read over my shoulder.
Westbound stage overturned five miles east of Placerville. (stop)
Driver thrown from coach. (stop)
Two passengers dead. Two badly injured. (stop)
Hoss’s big blue eyes are as glassy as I’ve ever seen them. Neither of us speaks, but there’s no reason to state the obvious. Pa is either dead or badly injured, and we won’t know which until we get there.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The fences will have to wait. We saddle Cooch and Chub and ride west. We haven’t said two words to each other since we thanked Clem for coming out. We can’t ride too hard. Even though we want to race all the way over the Sierras, we don’t want to wear our mounts down so much that one or both become lame. So, we remain sensible and try not to push too hard.
“You ready to stop, Joe?”
“Sure. I guess we’ll have to.”
“You know we can’t make it there tonight. Besides, if we don’t rest these horses—”
“I’m not a city boy, you know.”
“Sorry. Guess I ain’t thinking straight.”
I reach up for Hoss’ shoulder. “Neither of us can, Brother.”
We throw our saddles and bedrolls on the ground. While I gather enough wood for a fire, Hoss pulls beans and coffee from his saddlebag. I carry leftover cornbread in my bags, but I’ll save that for breakfast. Neither of us has much of an appetite anyway. Making our way to Placerville takes center stage in our minds. Nothing else matters, not a decent meal or a decent night’s sleep.
I wake before sunup and throw wood on the last few coals that have lasted through the night. Moments later, while I make a pot of coffee, Hoss gets up and saddles the horses. We won’t linger. We’ll hang around long enough to throw something in our stomachs before we ride out again.
We pushed the horses pretty hard yesterday, but we still have a long way to go. Placerville can easily take three full days, but Hoss and I will make it in two, although I’m not as worried about the horses as I am about my brother. The way he sits in the saddle shows how distraught a man can be. He doesn’t need to say anything. I don’t have to see his eyes. His posture says it all.
I don’t fare much better, and Hoss is the most observant of us all. He’s aware of every move I make and every word I say, but he knows better than to begin a conversation that will only make us both feel worse. And so there are no words.
The mortuary will be our first stop, or maybe we should speak to Placerville’s sheriff first, see if he has the answer to our question. It’s something we’ll have to decide before we ride into town. There are other things to be considered, but we’ll have to know what happened to Pa before we can sort things out. If he’s hurt, can he ride? Are there broken bones? Is the town doctor capable, or is he a drunk like so many doctors have proven to be? Our questions are endless.
I try not to think the worst. I know Hoss is hoping for nothing more than broken bones too, but there’s a chance that we could be bringing our father home in the back of a wagon with a death certificate pinned to his shirtfront.
We leave the house before a second telegram can arrive. The answers might be sitting on Clem’s desk, and the folks in Virginia City will have all the answers before Hoss and me. Life isn’t always fair, but our decision to ride can’t be helped. We couldn’t stay on the Ponderosa and do nothing. We had to ride out. We had to get moving as soon as possible.
On the horizon, Placerville stares back. The mining town holds all the answers, but exhaustion keeps us from racing into town like a couple of banshees. We won’t stop for a beer, or a meal, or book a room for the night. Hoss and I are too afraid of the outcome to consider anything else.
The End
3 – 2026
Just Joe Bonanza Fanfiction Library 
Hoss and Joe know each other so well and so do you. High anxiety with this story! Very well written. Thanks Pat. You still are queen of 1000 words.
Susan
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Obviously, I watch way too much Bonanza! Thanks for reading and commenting, Susan.
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I really enjoyed this story, Pat.
You got the bond between the brothers and the rising tension spot on. I loved how you left it as a cliffhanger for us to make our own ending.
Chrissie.
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Not everyone loved the ending, but I’m glad you did. Thanks so much for reading, Chrissie!
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I enjoyed your story, Pat. This one event allowed us to see and appreciate the Joe-Hoss bond that we all recognize so well. That silence, held because both understood what the other was feeling and neither wanted to add hurt to the other — just felt so real and honest. Nice!
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Thanks Jan. This story worked for some and not for others. I’m glad you enjoyed reading this short tale of brothers and how they dealt with the problem.
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Great story jfclover. Thanks so much.
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Thanks for reading and commenting, Tricia. I’m glad you enjoyed my story!
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The open ending is brilliant, leaving it to the readers’ imaginations! A story that unfolds amidst many unanswered questions, but which shows us two brothers united, unwavering in supporting each other through hardship. Thank you, Pat, for this beautiful story!
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I’m glad you enjoy the “short” story, Marcella. With 1000 words, it seems best to write a moment in time rather than an entire saga. At least, that’s my take on these little things. Thanks for reading!
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I enjoyed the story. I just thought sometimes you had books. Perrhaps, I am getting you confused with someone else. So that is really why I was putting it out there. I love Joe stories so I enjoyed; it; though, I must confess I love to read so I could read a saga. I hurt a muscle in my thigh so I am on some meds and rest. I was mesmerized by the story, really gulping it down, getting really into it. It then ended. It sneaked up on me. Lol. Thank you very much! I really did not look at WC.
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Always check the word count, Jenny. This is the year of the 1000-word stories. Learning to condense our thought with concise writing. I’ve written many sagas in the past, and they are all in this library, but writing these little bits is a fun change of pace. Thanks for reading any of my stories. I hope your down time isn’t too long.
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Thanks for the cliffy! Hopefully, this story is just like a chapter. Thank you very much for stirring our anticipatory longing and angst!
Rosalyn
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Nope. Sorry. No second chapter. This is it. You’ll have to use your imagination, Rosalyn. Thanks so much for reading.
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Leaving things the way you did was such a master stroke. We didn’t need to know more — the rest we can fill in ourselves. Instead, you kept the focus exactly where it mattered. And I loved the emotion, the concern, the bond between the brothers. Great stuff!
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Thanks June. I’m glad you enjoyed the story!
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I loved this. The warm, steady pacing, those lovely brotherly moments, and that quiet tension that sneaks up on you — and all those unanswered questions hanging in the air — it all just works. Really beautifully done.
Sarah
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Thanks Sarah. I’m glad my ‘shorties’ work for you. I appreciate your comments.
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Well-written and engaging, as are all of your stories! However, I wish we knew before reading the story that it was gonna be a cliffhanger. Sorry, but I’m always very frustrated by cliffhangers!
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I’m sorry this isn’t your cuppa tea, Jenny, but thanks for reading. You’ll have to draw your own conclusion.
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Oh, I’m terrible at that, LOL!
But seriously, I do always enjoy your writing & I hate that this one ended up so short. I’d have kept on reading to whatever ending you wound up with, however late I had to stay up. 😉
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I had no idea you ever read my stories. Without a comment, none of the authors on JJ have a clue whether anyone’s reading or not. This is a 1000 word story. That’s all it will ever be. I’m glad to hear that you enjoy most of my stories. Thanks again.
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Oh yes, I always enjoy your stories! I feel bad that I don’t comment as often as I should, mainly because I’m not that eloquent and feel like I just say the same (usually short & not meaningful) thing over and over. I just feel stupid – like I should be able to come up with SOME new comment that’s specific to that story.
At any rate, great big YES, I definitely like your writing!
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