“If it was up
to me, Ben
Cartwright, you would be dead!” a deep voice
threatened from the brush.
Ben quickly drew his gun and looked
around cautiously. Who
could be lurking
about?”
“Who said that?” Ben demanded,
gruffly.
“Come out and let me see you!”
A golden palomino broke through the scrub brush and grinned “It’s me! Mr.
Ed!”|
Buck whinnied in recognition of his/her old stable mate. Ed had long ago
left
“Whiney! “
laughed
Buck. Ed was always a barrel of laughs.
He
really
sounded like a bushwacker.
Ben’s face broke into a wide grin. He recognized the horse that long
ago had
worked as a horse on the
Ponderosa. He had shared a stall with Buck when
they were just colts.
“Mr. Ed! Why
you old son
of a gun!” Ben leaped from the saddle and
embraced the horse. “How have you
been? You
have to stay and have supper with us,
Ed!
”
“Well, I don’t know,” the horse
hesitated.
“I don’t want to impose, Ben.”
“Oh you aren’t imposing! Hop Sing is
making
corn muffins… “ Ben urged. “
You always did love corn.”
“Welllllllll…”
Ed
said.
“Whiney!”
Buck
argued.
“Well Ok! If
you insist,
Buck.” Ed conceded. He winked at Ben.
Buck smiled
widely. Not only was Ed back on the Ponderosa, but also big Ben
Cartwright had gotten off his
back.
Ben was no lightweight and Buck wasn’t
getting any younger. He/she
had put
out his/her back shleping that huge
Matt
Dillon around
“And you can stay in Hoss’ room. He is
off marking timber and you can sleep
in his bed.”
Buck frowned. He was never
invited to sleep inside the house, not even in
that little guestroom off the
dining
room where that wacky gypsy girl Tirza bit
Joe‘s left/right hand. The
Cartwrights didn’t even invite him/her to stay
in the house when Buck
returned from
working for Marshal Dillon. Then
again, Ed was different. Ed was a star.
“I don’t want to put you out, Ben. I
was just passing through on my way to
meet Wilbur at an architect’s
convention
in Vegas. He’s at some boring
seminar on condominiums. To be
honest, the
barn is just fine for me. Just like
old
times, Ben. Want to swap tales with
my old stable mates late into the
night.
Besides, Hoss’ mattress is just a
bit to
soft for me.”
“No trouble! Wait until Sport and
Cochise
sees you!” Ben declared.
“How is Coochie
these days?” Ed asked. He didn’t ask after Sport. They had
parted on bad terms. Despite Adam
Cartwright
and Cochise trying to make peace
between the two horses, Sport was an
ill-tempered horse and wouldn’t say
good-bye when Ed left the Ponderosa.
“Well, Cochise is just fine.just fine!
Black and white and white and black
as usual. Cutting back on the coffee, but still the same fun loving Cochise.
Joseph should be home soon. He and
Adam were at a funeral of one of their
girl
friends, I don’t recall which one. So many girls, so many funerals!”
Ed and Buck laughed and swished
their tails and the tale.
“Nothing much changes on the
Ponderosa!” Ed
chuckled. “It’s good to be
back!”
THE END