MICHAELANGELO
HE AIN'T
Miss Abagail Jones, stood in front
of the
class, an
new and fresh thought she had was to
have
her students
envision how so many families
suffered such
hard ship
just to come to this wonderful part
of the
country and
seek their fortune. Leaving all the
misery
and poverty
behind. Abagail always got herself
all
worked up when
on a new road of educating her young
charges, this was
no different.
It was a rather warm day, some of
the
children were
having trouble following what she
was
leaning towards,
thy had been given a sheet of paper
and as
she
enthused in her high nasel tone,
they were
when she
gave them the go ahead to draw a
picture of
how they
saw their own family making the
trek. More
than half
asleep Joesph Cartwright was leaning
on his
hand
propped up by his elbow. he was as
usual
really not
listening to what she was saying.
but
something got
through, he sat up straight,
"Now children" she smiled her thin
lips showing more
teeth than necessary."I want you to
think about what
it might be like to arrive in a
place with
nothing,
but the bare essentials, the very
bare
necessities"
"I will give..." she halted and
hands on his squinted
down the rows to the seat occupied
by her
most famous
student, well to be honest her most
frustrating
pupil,
study was not this child's forte'.
However
strangely
enough he seemed to be every
engrossed
in his effort.
At first flattered that he was so
zealous in
his
desire to comply, but the snickers
and gasps
that met
her half way brought her beady eyes
to very
narrow
slits alongside her thin hawk nose.
Already
some girls
were beet red, and the boys covering
their
faces to
hide the giggles.
"Joseph Francis
Cartwright"....."Give me that!"
"B--but M-m-i-ss J-J-jones I
ain't"
"Aren't"
"Yesum, arent d-done yet"
Although he was standing and looking
all
kinds of
innocent, and very wounded, Abby had
a bad
feeling
about this. Slowly he handed over
his
picture,it was
with a mischievous little smirk.
Abagail
dropped it as
if it was on fire, her hand flew to
her
face, now
showing scarlet, she began to fan
herself
with her
free hand,
"Gulp-- is is th-the r so-somthin
wrong
Miss Jones?"
The boy asked with way to much
sympathy.Momentarily
speechless, her eyes drifted back to
the
paper on the
floor, in spite of her best effort
she had
to look.
"You young man are in a great deal
of
trouble, I shall
have to take you home, My self, this
is too
big to put
into a note." She drew herself up,
then
bent to snatch
the paper before Joe had a chance.
folding
it she
tucked it into her breast pocket of
her
frilly pink
blouse.
"Now Sit Down" "Never in all
my years as a teacher
have I ever been so,
embarrassed,
never have I had a
student of mine, be so blatantly
vulgar, why
I can't
imagine what your father will say
about
this"
To himself as he folded back into
his seat
he
muttered, "oh, I dunno, I can, but
what
he is going to
say is not my concern, it's what
will go
with what he
says that I think will bother me, no
I know
it will."
Joe sat silently for the rest of the
school
day, he
had just meant it to be funny, after
all she
did say
the "Bare" essentials,"
He felt the tap on his shoulder, and
leaned
back.
"Oh, buddy, you sure are in for it
this
time, you have
my deepest sympathy, and my
undying
appreciation, the
look on IL' Joneses face was one
I'll
treasure for
years."
"Uh thanks Mitch, but"
A number of hours later Little Joe
Cartwright sat on
the hearth in the great room of the
Ponderosa,
awaiting the arrival of his father,
not something
he
was looking forward to, his attempt
at humor
through
art had failed, and he was worried.
the door
opened
and instead of Pa, Adam came in
stopping
instantly the
look of pure fear rose in his dark
Hazel
eyes.
"Uh-uh,he-hell- um, I I mean Hello,
Miss Jones, he
gave a meaningful glare at Joe.
"Is there something wrong?"
something wrong? stupid,
of coarse there's something wrong
she is
standing in
the middle of the house, oh God!'
"There most certainly is, she began
to
fan herself
once again, Adam had to decide if he
wanted
to chance
trying to catch her if she swooned
which she
appeared
ready to do. Abagail recovered, Adam
thanked
God.
Avoiding her in a wide circle, he
went and
stood in
front of his baby brother. Joe stood
up and
immediately looked as contrite and
sorry as
he could.
Adam folded his arms across his
chest,
looking from
Abby to his brother and back.
"Is one of you going to tell me what
this is all
about"
"Ummm, see, A-adam, it it was jes- a
misunderstanding,
honest!"
"Oh, " Adam's brow rose over his
dark eye, so much
like Pa"
"It always is."
"Here, Adam I think you best see the
evidence and
decide for yourself, however in the
interest
of
modesty, and such I fear you should
view it
in another
room," he face began to color.
"Ahem,
I see," Adam
turned and taking the folded paper
he went
into the
kitchen, for some reason just as he
got to
the corner
he had to oddest feeling Abagail was
intently staring
at his back, a funny whimper seemed
to
emanate from
her, Joe cringed.
It was merely seconds before Adam
stormed
back.'
"What in God's name were you
thinking
BOY!" he raged.
his own face now very pink, as out
of the
corner of
his eye he caught the lusty smile on
Abagail's face.
"It- it w-as- a joke, sort of, kind
of,
see its like
this..."
He never got to finish. The door
exploded
open and Ben
stood there, he had stopped in town
to ride
home with
his youngest son, who as we know was
already
home.
"H-hi Pa"
"dont- don-t even try to explain
this
one Joseph"
Miss Jones I apologize for my son's
inexcusable
behavior and he will do so himself
tomorrow
morning
before the entire class, now, if you
will
excuse us,"
"Hoss be so kind as to show Miss
Jones
out to her
carriage." turning he marched his
young
budding artist
upstairs. " bu but Pa she said the
Bare
necessities,
honest I was"
"Not one more word!" it was spoken
in that deathly
quiet tone.
When Hoss came back in he asked Adam
what
this was all
about. Adam looked from the folded
paper to
the
stairs, then to Hoss,
"I suppose you could call it an art
project gone
wrong,"
"what did shortshanks mean by Bare
necessity?"
Adam just grinned and showed him the
picture.
"Oh Lordy, " Hoss gulped,
"Yes, to say the least, art in its
finer points in not
one of our younger brothers vast and
varied
talents"
"Michaelangelo, he ain't!"
"Ya don't think Pa's gonna"
With that an all two familiar sound
echoed
down
through the floor board.
"I'm afraid so" Adam replied with
a great sigh,"Want
to help me in the barn?"
Hoss shook his head, he hated to see
Joe in
trouble,
with a shrug he tossed the picture
into the
flames,
then with a chuckle he followed Adam.
"it were kind of creative, ya gotta
admit that"
"True," they stopped at the door
to listen for another
minute,
"But Pa has a way with designs
himself.
the END!
Cheryl/Sadie