The Capture:
The next morning Hoss and the twins loaded up their horses and set out. Like Joe and Jax predicted Adam didn't expect at thing. It would've been the opposite if the twins had done the same thing.
Jax had been up the entire night making sure the plan wouldn't fail. What if they couldn't see the show from their vantage point? She needed to design something they could sit in. Then it hit her,she already had a design, the frog fiasco had seen to that. All they needed was stronger rope, especially for Hoss. She would set it up like a swing. She would ask Hoss to bring strong boards and rope. So they could make three swings. She needed to emphasize to her brothers about getting to the theatre early.
"Are you two ready," Hoss asked he almost smiled
Pa and Adam would think that he was talking about the camping trip, when in fact he wanted to make sure that they had everything they needed for breaking into the show.
"Yes," they both said.
"Well, let's go. See ya Sunday," Hoss said to his father and brother.
Once they were off the Ponderosa, Jax started to explain how they were going to use the rafters.
"We need to get over there about an hour before everyone is seated for the show. I hope they are finished setting up by then or this isn't going to work."
"Jax, what are ya planning?" Hoss asked.
"I'm going to use the rafters to make us seats. If we are up there we won't see enough of the show."
"How are ya going to do this?"
"Remember, when the frogs?"
"Who could forget?" Hoss laughed.
"Well I'm setting up a system kinda like that. That's why I asked you for the rope and boards. All of us will have our own beam and seat. It should work, but I want a test run first. Falling into the laps of people would get us caught. So once we make camp, I'll try it out one the trees. Hoss you have to be the one to test it because you're the biggest."
Hoss just shook his head.
"Do you have a backup plan?" Joe asked.
"You won't like it."
"What is it?" Hoss asked.
"We go to the theatre early and find another place to hide."
"Jax, are you trying to get us caught?" Hoss asked.
"No, but you have to risk big to get what you want."
"Can't we just stay on top or the rafters," Joe asked.
"No, I don't think we would see much. I looked at one of Adam's architectural books and it said the angle wouldn't allow us to see anything. But we could hear everything. That room is set up to make sound bigger."
"I really love that you read as much as Adam," Joe said smiling.
"It does make our planning a little easier," Jax said.
They found a campsite close enough to the road that they could find it in the dark, but far enough that the site wouldn't be found by Adam or Ben.
Jax worked on her contraption. She found a medium size tree and hooked it up. It worked and plan was ready. All the needed to do was wait. As soon as twilight hit they headed to town. Hoss knew a place they could hide the horses and they climbed up the ladder on the back of the theatre.
Jax was the first one through the hole, followed by Hoss, finally Joe was in. Jax climbed to the rafters that she would use for Hoss and set up the swing. Joe went in it first so they could lower it enough to see the show, but not low enough to get caught. Once Joe was out, Hoss got in lowering himself slowly onto the swing.
"I can see everything," He said smiling.
"Me too," Joe said excitedly.
The three of them watched as people walked into the show. Everyone looked so nice and were as excited as they were. You could hear it in their conversations that traveled nicely to the rafters.
The lights finally dimmed and the show was about to begin. At first Hoss didn't understand why everyone was so against children coming to the show.
The first act was just singing and comic routines. Now Hoss had to admit some of the jokes were not for children's ears, but not enough for Pa to not let him come.
The second act included acrobats and a magician. Again some of the topics were a not appropriate for his brother and sister, but nothing too bad.
The third act was more singing. The only thing Hoss thought was not for his brother and sister was how the actors were dressed by this point. Also he knew Adam and Pa wouldn't like Jax getting any ideas for when she was older.
The conclusion was where everything went wrong. One of the final women in the show was lowered down in a swing just like Jax had designed on the stage. The second was lowered into the audience. The spotlight turned and both the women and the Cartwright children were in plain view. The audience gasped. The three of them didn't know if it was for them or the lady. Not that they were going to stay and find out. They were off the swings and through the hole quickly. As they were climbing down the building they were met by Sheriff Coffee.
"Well."
"Hi," Joe said flashing his million dollar smile.
"Joseph, I suggest you say more than, hi."
"We just wanted to see the theatre and the show," Jax said, "We didn't mean any harm."
"When did you set up your swings?"
"This afternoon," Jax said.
"Meaning you broke into an establishment without permission, saw the show without a ticket, and didn't follow a town ordinance."
"Yes sir," Hoss said.
"Let's go."
"You're going to put us in jail?" Jax asked.
"You broke three laws."
"Yes sir," they all said miserably.
Sherriff Coffee placed the three children into the cell; he knew Ben and Adam had seen them and would show up any minute
"I guess you just pick up your vulture brother," Jax said miserably.
"Maybe two vultures," Joe said.
"Vulture?" Hoss asked.
"The amount of time and sting of the tanning," Joe said simply.
Self-preservation kicked in at that minute and Jax had another idea.
"Sheriff Coffee," Jax said.
"Yes."
"Can we stay here for about a week?"
"Why?"
"I think it will be safer."
Roy tried with all his might not to laugh and started coughing. He thought the child was absolutely right. Ben was not happy with his three youngest children right now.
Ben and Adam couldn't believe their eyes when they saw Hoss, Joe, and Jax sitting on swings up in the rafters. Ben wanted to leave immediately, but where they were sitting would interrupt too many people and disrupt the show further. Adam was sneaking peeks at his father and knew his younger siblings were in huge trouble. The moment the show was over, Ben strode out of the theatre, he was going to find those three and vowed that the three of them weren't going to sit for at least a month
Sherriff Coffee watched as Ben and Adam walked out of the theatre and called over,
"I have three prisoners for you."
Ben was too angry to speak. Adam said,
"Thanks Roy. Come on Pa."
The three children looked at their father all of them moved to the back of their cells. Jax tried again,
"Sheriff, you're supposed to protect people. Can we stay here please?"
"I believe the only thing in danger tonight is you backsides. I am not in the practice of protecting children backsides, especially when those backsides need to be warmed."
"Where are your horses?" Adam asked calmly.
"At the edge of town," Hoss said refusing to look at his brother or father.
"I'll go get them," Adam said flying out of the room knowing the need to laugh at Jax's last comment along with the Sherriff's reply would overwhelm him any second.
Sherriff Coffee said to his friend,
"Ben the children are in trouble here as well, they broke into the theatre, didn't pay for tickets, and disregarded a city ordinance; the twins for seeing the show and Hoss for taking them. I am going to assign them 100 hours of community service to go along with whatever punishment you deem necessary."
"Thank you, Roy," Ben said finally regaining his voice.
"Are you ready for them to be released into your custody?"
"Yes."
That one word was enough to scare the three of them senseless. The three of them walked over to their father. Again Joe tried his,
"Hi, Pa."
The glare he received made him shrink back. Adam showed up at that minute with the horses.
The five Cartwright's rode back to the Ponderosa in absolute silence. Ben was too angry to speak, Adam knowing better to speak, and the last three were dreading getting there. The moment they were there, Ben gave his orders,
"Adam and Eric unsaddle the horses. Jacqueline and Joseph go sit on the settee. Eric join your siblings on the settee when you're finished."
"Yes sir," Hoss said miserably not wanting to be in the barn alone with Adam and he was right about that. Adam was steaming,
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU LIED TO ME AND MADE ME FEEL GUILTY FOR THE TANNING I GAVE YOU. YOU DESEVED IT! ARE YOU CRAZY GOIN IN WITH THE TWO OF THEM? YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE AN ADULT."
"You're right."
"THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY! YOU'RE RIGHT! IF YOU WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN CAUGHT YOU WOULD STILL MAKE ME FEEL GUILTY FOR TANNING YOU, KNOWING FULL WELL, THAT I WAS IN THE RIGHT. THAT'S WHY YOU MADE ME GO BACK INSIDE LAST NIGHT, BECAUSE YOU KNEW I WOULD REALIZE THAT YOU WERE LIEING"
Hoss shook his head, defeated at that point. So he turned to the task at hand, feeling guilty.
"I HOPE PA, MAKES IT SO YOU CAN'T SIT FOR A MONTH," Adam said and stormed back into the house.
Hoss followed him a few minutes later and joined his co-conspirators on the settee. His father was in front of them sitting on the coffee table and Adam was sitting in the blue chair. Like the two of them he was looking at his feet not wanting to look in his father's eyes. He was too ashamed and felt guilty. He knew better than to do this and deserved every bit of the punishment he was going to receive at the hand of his father.
"Whose idea was it?" Ben asked quietly.
"All of us," Hoss answered.
"Eric, why did you decide to follow your younger brother and sister on one of their grand schemes?"
"I wanted ta go ta the show," Hoss said honestly.
"Are you seventeen or twelve?"
"Seventeen," Hoss said ashamed.
"But you followed your twelve year old brother and sister to the show, after I strictly forbade you to see it."
"Yes, sir."
"Shouldn't I expect more than you?"
"Yes sir," Hoss said turn red, due to the shame he was feeling.
Ben turned his attention to the twins.
"What did I tell you would happen if I caught you scheming to do something I forbade you to do?"
"We would get a bare bottomed spanking every night for a week, after we received the belt tanning for whatever we did wrong in the first place," Joe said miserably.
Hoss tried to go on the defense for the twins.
"Pa, I was part of making the plan," Hoss said.
"So, should you get the spankings too?" Ben asked and almost laughed at the horrified look on his son's face. Adam coughed so that he wouldn't laugh as an image of his huge brother bent over his father's knee bare bottomed and getting a child's spanking ran through his mind.
"No, that was our agreement," Joe said resigned to his fate, "Hoss didn't know about it and we didn't warn him."
"Hey Pa. How did the show end?" Jax asked innocently. It was the first thing she had said since leaving the Sherriff's office.
Both Hoss and Joe groaned. Adam ducked his head for the explosion about to come.
"HOW DID THE SHOW END? HOW DID THE SHOW END? A SHOW YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO SEE? THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY? THE THREE OF YOU GET TO YOUR ROOM, WE'LL TALK ABOUT YOUR PUNISHMENT IN THE MORNING."
"Are you crazy?" Hoss asked.
"No, just a distraction," Jax said smiling.
"A distraction? You just made things twice as bad," Hoss grumbled.
"Don't worry, I promised not to get you in trouble and I won't. I have a plan."
"A plan," Hoss said shaking his head.
The minute she was in her room, Jax started the lookout hoping everything was going to work. Jax didn't want to leave anything left to chance this time, she was sick of getting caught. So last night she had snuck out of the house again and talked to Miss Lutz the woman who ran the Burlesque. She told them about her idea of hiding in the rafters. The woman found the idea funny and thought it would have the shock appeal to make the audience gasp. She said Jax could count on her the next night. She looked out the window and saw three members of the troop coming up to the house and smiled.
Ben and Adam walked out to greet them.
"Good evening. My name is Nellie Lutz and I wanted to drop of the earnings of your three children. They left before I had a chance to pay them. They were supposed to go to the back stage once the show ended."
"My three children?" Ben said puzzled.
"Yes, I met your beautiful daughter previously in town. I was looking for three children to help end the show with a shock. Jacqueline told me that you wouldn't like it because you thought they were too young for the show. I had my troop tone down the show and made sure they were out before it became too adult. She promised to bring her brothers with her. Now the one was much bigger than I expected, but the shock was amazing."
"Jacqueline," Ben called knowing his daughter's window was open.
"Yes, Pa."
"Come down here please."
"Hi Miss Lutz, nice to see you again."
"My darling you were wonderful. Did you hear the audience gasp?"
"Yes ma'm, they didn't expected the three of us to be there too. There was a slight hiccup in our plan; the Sherriff feels we broke into the theatre."
"Oh, Cherie do not worry about a thing. I will take care of it. Here are your earnings."
"Thank you Miss Lutz."
"Sir, I hope you will not punish these lovely children for doing as I asked. Good-bye, Miss Jacqueline. Please feel free to find us if you fancy a career in the theatre."
"Thanks you, but I love the Ponderosa too much."
The three players rode away, Jax waving after them.
Both Adam and Ben just stood there dumbstruck. He had thought the show was a little toned down from the ones he saw in San Francisco, until the very end after his children had left. Ben looked at his daughter and said,
"Did your brothers know?"
"No, I thought they would be too embarrassed and I didn't want them to say no. So I kinda bullied them into it. Joe followed me, but I had to trick Hoss," Jax said simply.
"Why didn't you tell me all this when we were at the Sherriff's?"
"You were too angry to listen. That's why I kept asking Sherriff Coffee to keep us locked up. Once we were home, you didn't give me a chance to speak. I knew you were about to tan us, so I decided to make you mad again by asking you about the end of the show. I knew Miss Lutz would come looking for us and I wanted you to know the full truth."
Ben shook his head.
"We didn't see the show; we worked in the show so we didn't really disobey you. So are we still in trouble?" Jax asked.
"I have to think about that," Ben said honestly.
"Ok, night Pa," Jax said smiling running back into the house.
Adam looked at his father and said,
"That was a very Jax thing to do."
"I know."
"So what are you going to do?"
"I honestly don't know," Ben said shaking his head.
Jax ran upstairs only to be pulled into Hoss's room. Joe was sitting there laughing.
"I told you not to worry. I didn't want to leave anything to chance this time," Jax said. "As I told you the other day, our backsides are not made of stone."
The next morning the three of them joined Ben and Adam at the table.
"Good morning," Jax said smiling.
"Jacqueline, I do not like the fact that you tricked everyone in this family," Ben said as she sat at the table.
"It would have spoiled the surprise," Jax said.
"I realize that, but as my child you need to ask before you accept work from someone else."
"Yes, sir. It won't happen again."
"To make sure of that you will have extra chores for three months."
"Three months?"
"Yes three months."
"Yes, sir."
"Boy, as you didn't know what your sister was up to, you will only have extra chores for two months. If I see you helping your sister, I will give you tanning you both deserve."
"Yes, sir," Joe and Hoss said.
The moment they were out of their father and Adam's hearing. Jax told them the whole story laughing the entire time. Getting the extra chores was nothing to what they really deserved.