Categories > TV > Bonanza > Much Ado About Little Joe
In Which Joe Runs Away From Home
0 reviewsJoe runs away from home and meets someone unexpected.
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Much Ado About Little Joe (A BonanzaWorld Chain Story)
By: Various Authors
Disclaimer: This story is strictly a not for profit work. None of the authors are profiting from this story, although I'm sure some would like to. None of us own any of the characters created by David Dortort.
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Chapter One: In Which Joe Runs Away from Home
THE FOLLOWING AUTHORS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS CHAPTER: MlleSinistra, Mini Cochise, LJsStalker, Blaze_of_Glory, Karine, and dodo.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joseph Francis Cartwright, also known simply as Joe, was riding his black and white pinto, Cochise, to Carson City, one hot, hot afternoon, when he came to a stream. Since it was so hot, Joe decided to cool off by taking off his shirt, socks, boots, and hat, rolled up his pant legs and went wading in the stream, splashing water over his head and chest. Cochise was nearby, contentedly munching grass.
*
When Joe was done with the water, he got back on land, and rolled down his pant legs. He had just stood back up when he felt the cool metal of a gun barrel poke him in the back. Joe started to reach for his pistol, when the gun to his back dug in a bit more.
"I wouldn't do that, if'n I were you," said a man's voice, somewhere behind Joe.
"W-who a-are y-you?" stammered Joe, mildly afraid of the man he couldn't see.
"Frank Harvey, not that its any concern of yours," came the reply.
"Frank? Is that you?" Joe asked, surprised.
"Who else?"
Joe turned around and saw his old friend holding his stomach, while laughing.
"What are you doing here?"
"I live here," Frank answered.
*
"That's right. I forgot you lived this way," said Joe, "you really had me going there, for a minute."
"I know. If you could've seen the look on your face," replied Frank, still chuckling, "what are you doing this far from the Ponderosa?"
Joe's face grew dark and took on a look of despondency.
"Yes, it is far away," he said, as he stared down and began to rub his left hand absent-mindedly, almost forgetting Frank, who still stood staring at him, his smile slowly fading as he viewed his old friend.
"Joe, what's wrong?" he asked, finally, as a concerned frown appeared on his face.
Joe looked up quickly.
"What makes you think there's something wrong?" he asked, though his betrayed the feeling of panic he felt.
Frank shook his head.
"Because I've known you since you were four years old,' he answered, staring hard at his old friend.
*
Joe held his friend's concerned stare for a moment, then gave a deep sigh.
"Guess there's no hiding it from you, then," he answered sadly, "I've left the Ponderosa...for good. I can never go back...never!"
Frank was shocked by Joe's words. Why would he say he couldn't go back home?
"Why?" he asked, finding the words at last, "what happened, Joe?"
By: Various Authors
Disclaimer: This story is strictly a not for profit work. None of the authors are profiting from this story, although I'm sure some would like to. None of us own any of the characters created by David Dortort.
********************************
Chapter One: In Which Joe Runs Away from Home
THE FOLLOWING AUTHORS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS CHAPTER: MlleSinistra, Mini Cochise, LJsStalker, Blaze_of_Glory, Karine, and dodo.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joseph Francis Cartwright, also known simply as Joe, was riding his black and white pinto, Cochise, to Carson City, one hot, hot afternoon, when he came to a stream. Since it was so hot, Joe decided to cool off by taking off his shirt, socks, boots, and hat, rolled up his pant legs and went wading in the stream, splashing water over his head and chest. Cochise was nearby, contentedly munching grass.
*
When Joe was done with the water, he got back on land, and rolled down his pant legs. He had just stood back up when he felt the cool metal of a gun barrel poke him in the back. Joe started to reach for his pistol, when the gun to his back dug in a bit more.
"I wouldn't do that, if'n I were you," said a man's voice, somewhere behind Joe.
"W-who a-are y-you?" stammered Joe, mildly afraid of the man he couldn't see.
"Frank Harvey, not that its any concern of yours," came the reply.
"Frank? Is that you?" Joe asked, surprised.
"Who else?"
Joe turned around and saw his old friend holding his stomach, while laughing.
"What are you doing here?"
"I live here," Frank answered.
*
"That's right. I forgot you lived this way," said Joe, "you really had me going there, for a minute."
"I know. If you could've seen the look on your face," replied Frank, still chuckling, "what are you doing this far from the Ponderosa?"
Joe's face grew dark and took on a look of despondency.
"Yes, it is far away," he said, as he stared down and began to rub his left hand absent-mindedly, almost forgetting Frank, who still stood staring at him, his smile slowly fading as he viewed his old friend.
"Joe, what's wrong?" he asked, finally, as a concerned frown appeared on his face.
Joe looked up quickly.
"What makes you think there's something wrong?" he asked, though his betrayed the feeling of panic he felt.
Frank shook his head.
"Because I've known you since you were four years old,' he answered, staring hard at his old friend.
*
Joe held his friend's concerned stare for a moment, then gave a deep sigh.
"Guess there's no hiding it from you, then," he answered sadly, "I've left the Ponderosa...for good. I can never go back...never!"
Frank was shocked by Joe's words. Why would he say he couldn't go back home?
"Why?" he asked, finding the words at last, "what happened, Joe?"
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