THE HOMECOMING OF ADAM

Ben Cartwright was working in his office when Little Joe came inside with the mail being very excited.
“Pa, there is a letter from Adam”, he yelled already at the door.
The rancher stopped with working and got up. Curious he walked towards his youngest son and looked at him with a puzzled look. Little Joe gave him the envelope with Adam‘s letter in it. Ben opened it and read in first in silence.
Little Joe looked worried at his father and asked then, “Bad news pa?”
“No bad news at all son. Your brother is coming home but not alone. He comes with the stage this Thursday. He writes that he has a big surprise with him for us”, the rancher answered.
“That will be something very special, knowing Adam”, Little Joe reacted laughing.
He went back outside and Ben continued his work with the administration. But the work would not get any further because he had to think of the letter all the time. Ben read the letter again,
 
Dearest Pa, Hoss en Joe,

Here comes finally a message from me. After I have on the sea for three years and a lot has happened to me I have made the decision to come for good toe the Ponderosa. But to cut a long story short I want to say that I’m not coming alone but I bring a big surprise with me for the three of you. I  am not saying what it is or it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore..

I come with the stage of 14.00 o’clock in Virginia City on Thursday March 24 coming up.

Adam Cartwright.

Hoss came riding into the courtyard.
“Guess three times who is coming home again?”, Little Joe called enthusiastic.
“That must not be so difficult. Our older brother Adam”, Hoss said calm.
“I never let you guess again. Adam comes home Thursday with a big surprise for us”, his younger brother said.
“It was about time. Now there’s a lot of work to be done so when he comes home he can start right away”, Hoss said teasing while he dismounted his horse.
Little Joe laughed too. They thought it was great that their elder brother came home after he left three years ago to go to the sea.

On Thursday March 24 everyone was excited and nervous at the Cartwright household. The eldest Cartwright boy would come home with his surprise.  Hop Sing was busy making Adam’s favourite meal and a big cake as well.
Hoss en Little Joe were busy making the guestroom ready for Adam’s surprise. Even though they didn’t know what or who that would be.
“Maybe Adam comes home with a big gorilla”, Hoss joked.
“Then he will p[probably eat more than you do”, Little Joe reacted. They laughed again.
“Then we hold a contest: who eats the most? I for certain will win”, Hoss said out laughing loudly.

At a quarter past one Ben said to his two youngest sons, “I am leaving to get your brother. You behave yourselves while I am away.”

“We’ll do pa”, the boys said in harmony.

Ben took the wagon and rode calmly to Virginia City. The rancher had missed his eldest son more than he actually expected.

The stage coach  of 14.00 almost rode into Virginia City. Tow of the passengers were Adam Cartwright and his son Mitch of fifteen months.

“Here has daddy lived for a great deal of his life”, Adam told Mitch. The boy looked outside while Adam was holding him but it didn’t mean much to him.

“Grandma too?”, Mitch asked after a while.

“Not long but I will tell you that when we are at the ranch”, his father promised.

Mitch went to sit again and crawled close to his father. The little boy was tired of the long journey and was fighting against the sleep. Adam put his left arm around him for protection. He thought, I am very curious if they had gotten my last letter. Mitch will hopefully like it at the ranch. If there is no one waiting I rent a carriage to go the Ponderosa.

Finally the stagecoach stopped in front of the stagecoach company. Ben was already waiting and looked curiously to the arriving passengers. Adam got out as last grown up and lifted his son out of the carriage. The rancher saw his son and walked up to him.

“Adam, how nice it is to see you again”, Ben said excited.

Adam put Mitch on the ground and gave his father a big embracing.

“Pa, meet your grandson Mitch Cartwright”, Adam said while picking up his son again.

“Come here son”, Ben said a bit surprised and amazed.

Ben took his grandson into his arms and gave him a big hug.

“Grandpa?”, Mitch asked being a bit shy.

The rancher nodded and asked, “I may assume that this is your big surprise?”

“Indeed it is. His mother died two months ago by an accident and that have made me decide to go home with him”, Adam answered while he picked up the luggage.

“You are both welcome. I have the wagon standing by so we can home straight away”, Ben said.

That is what they did.

The home trip to the Ponderosa was very quietly.

“The mother of Mitch, Mary Watts, and I met each other about two years ago in London. When we were going steady for a few months Mary discovered that she was pregnant so we decided to get married. On December 25 Mitch was born. Mary died because she fell from the stairs and broke her neck. Pa, I miss her so”, Adam said with tears in his throat.

Ben stopped  and put a hand on Adam’s arm.

“I know what you’re going through now but at least you still, have Mitch and now us too. I am very pleased that you are back again”, the rancher said.

“Everything reminded me of her so maybe it was good that I came back with the boy”, Adam reacted.

“Where was Mitch born?”, Ben asked when they were driving again.

“We were in Boston when Mary got negative travel advice from the doctor so we lived in Boston when he was born. I have worked there as an office clerk but I missed the freedom I had when I was at sea”, his son answered.

 He looked ahead of him and noticed that the area of the ranch hadn’t changed much.

When Ben and Adam rode into the courtyard Hoss and Little Joe were busy outside.

“There comes our big brother”, Hoss said laughing to his younger brother.

They walked towards the wagon and Little Joe asked, “So you haven’t forgotten us?”

“How for Heaven’s sake can that be possible?”, Adam asked on his turn.

He jumped off the front seat and embraced both his brothers. Ben had also come off the front seat and walked with Mitch in his arms towards the brothers.

“Hoss and Joe, may I introduce you to your nephew Mitch?”, Adam asked after the warm greeting.

“Is that your big surprise?”, Little Joe asked very amazed.

“Yes, it is. What did you expect then?”, Adam asked being amazed as well.

“We thought more of a big gorilla”, Hoss said.

“One big ape like you in the house is more than enough”, was Adam’s dry reaction.

 Everybody except Hoss laughed because he said, “When you come home with remarks that those you better can stay away!”

Ben put Mitch on the ground and the boy walked up to his big uncle. Hoss lifted him up and got a little kiss from his nephew.

“You can’t help it either that your father is such a tease. I will make sure that you will not become that”, Hoss said to Mitch and with that their friendship was closed.

What Ben, Adam and Little Joe didn’t know was that Hoss and Mitch had made a secret pact right away. They went inside where Hop sing also got a warm greeting from Adam and Mitch. The Chinese cook had baked a big cake and cut it into pieces. He had already made some coffee. Mitch looked around the great living room and very soon he and Adam felt at home at the ranch. Be, Hoss, Little Joe and Hop Sing were already very fond of Mitch and the feeling was mutual. After the coffee with cake Adam brought the luggage upstairs to their rooms and Mitch went to sleep a while. It was like Adam had stayed at home all along.

Around suppertime Adam and Mitch came downstairs. Ben, Hoss and Little Joe saw the little boy coming directly to them. Mitch climbed upon Ben’s lap to asked his attention.

“Did you sleep well son?”, the rancher asked.  

“Yes, but it is a big bed”, Mitch answered.

“That is true but you are a also a big boy so that’s why you sleep in a big bed”, Ben said.

Then Hop Sing came into the living room and said, “Cartwrights to table. Supper ready.”

Ben lifted Mitch up and carried him to the dining room. At the table Mitch got set into the child chair. When everybody was seated Mitch kept on looking at his uncles.
Adam filled the plate of his son with food and said, “Enjoy your meal.”
“Same to you daddy”, the boy said.
For a while Mitch kept on eating until he saw that Hoss was taking food for the third time.
“Are you always eating so much?”, the young Cartwright asked amazed.
“Yes, I am”, Hoss said.
Then he got the question asked, “Why?”
“Because I love to eat”, Hoss answered.
The others looked at each other because they felt that a sharp remark was on its way.
“Uncle Hoss, would you like to do me a favour?”, his nephew asked.
“You always”, he said.
“Leave something for us”, was the sober answer of Mitch. Everybody laughed.
“Adam, you must not read so much to your son”, Hoss said insulted to his elder brother.
“Then you all have to do it”, Adam reacted.
“I don’t mind”, Ben said looking at his grandson.

After supper the Cartwrights went back to the living room. Adam sat on the settee with Mitch. The boy looked amazed at the open fireplace.
“That is nice”, he said pointing at the fireplace.
“It is nice but you must not touch it or it will hurt you”, Adam said.
“Ouch?”, Mitch asked for the security.
“Yes ouch”, his father said.
Slowly Mitch fell asleep so that Adam picked him up and carried him upstairs.
“We will have to do a lot with that little lad, I am afraid”, Little Joe said.
“Yes, it is but he also with us. You can count on it that we will tease him very much and a lot as well”, Hoss reacted directly.
“I hope that when Adam hears that when you tease Mitch you have to baby-sit Mitch for the punishment”, Ben said directly.
“That is really no punishment for us because we love to do it eagerly”, Little Joe reacted while winking at Hoss.
“What do you love to eagerly?”, Adam asked while coming downstairs again.
“To baby-sit your son”, Hoss said.
“That is very nice to know that. And because you are my little brothers that won’t cost me any money either”, Adam said.
Hoss looked at him and said insulted, “Why do you have be so sneaky again? We give up our costly spare time to take care of your son.”
“I have baby-sat for you and Joe enough times. So you might do me a favour back”, was Adam’s reaction.
In the meantime he was sitting in his blue lazy chair.
“You came home at the right time because tomorrow we go on with the cattle branding. I can use your help very well”, Ben said.
“Oh, then I am going away again”, Adam said laughing while he almost got up from his chair but went to sit again.
“What will you do with your son?”, Ben asked.
“I just take him along. The problem is that he is very quickly and very intelligent”, Adam answered.
“That intelligential has he probably not inherited from you”, Little Joe reacted. Everybody laughed and Adam almost threw his coffee cup to his youngest brother.
“I keep on getting worried about Mitch. The bigger he gets, the more worried I become”, Adam said after a long silence.  
“You still have us to fall back on”, Ben said calm. Adam knew that as well and he would use that if necessary.

The following morning Mitch woke up when it was already light. He wasn’t feeling very well and remained in bed until Adam came in.  
“Morning darling. Slept well?”, Adam asked while he went to sit on the bed.
“Yes, but my throat hurts”, the boy said a bit hoarse. Adam touched the throat of his son and noticed that it was a bit swollen.
“First you have a bath and then Hop Sing has a delicious warm bowl of oatmeal fro you. You can swallow that right away”, Adam said.
He lifted Mitch out of bed and carried him to the bathroom. The bath was already been made so that he could wash the boy right away. During the wash party Mitch kept on coughing so that Adam got concerned.
“You aren’t going to get ill, are you?. Because we go to the cows and their young who grandpa owns”, the eldest Cartwright boy said. Mitch shrugged.
After Mitch was dressed he went downstairs  with Adam. The others were already having breakfast but they also noticed that the youngest inhabitant of the Ponderosa was not feeling alright. Hop Sing put a bowl of oatmeal in front of Mitch and the boy began to eat slowly.
“If he gets feverish, I go back home with him”, Adam said after a long silence.
“Then you can keep up with the ledgers again. I know that you love to spent your free time with that”, Ben said teasing.
Adam nodded smiling and reacted with the remark, “I will give you for your birthday a course of bookkeeping so you can follow that.”
Everybody laughed because they all knew that Ben hated to work on the ledgers and that Adam liked it very much to do it. That’s why Adam always did it.

Mitch looked his eyes out when they rode to the cattle.
“Daddy, it is so nice here”, the boy said.
“You will see much more nicer things when we get to the cattle”, was Adam’s answer.
He looked at his son who sat in front of him on Sport. He hoped that Mitch would become as happy at the ranch as he was with his father and brothers.

While the cattle driving Mitch stayed with Ben. But that was what the boy had promised his father to do. But when the rancher wasn’t paying attention to him for a second Mitch had taken a stroll.
By accident Adam was at his father to deliver some young calves when he first looked around him and the asked concerned, “Pa, where is Mitch?”
Ben also looked around him and replied, “He was here just a minute ago. He can’t be very far.”
“He can be very far indeed. Mitch is as quick as water. I go and look for him”, Adam reacted.
He turned Sport and rode away. A moment later he had found Mitch. He jumped from Sport and ran to the boy. Sport whinnied and Mitch got so scared that he fell and slipped . He ended up into the water. Adam came after him without thinking and rescued his son from a nearly death.
On the side Adam held Mitch tight and said, “Promise me that you will never take a walk. Daddy loves you very much and can’t miss you anymore.”
The boy nodded and coughed a lot. He also looked weary out of his eyes. Adam put his hand on the forehead of Mitch and noticed that he was a bit warm.
“I’m going to take you home”, Adam said fatherly.
He got up and carried his son to Sport. In the meantime he had wrapped Mitch up in his coat. They mounted on and rode to Ben.
“Pa, can someone send Paul Martin down to the ranch house as this boy fell into the water and now he is a bit feverish. I stay with him as long as he is sick”, Adam said.
“I am on my way”, Little Joe said directly. The brothers rode away at once.

Arrived at home Adam dried Mitch right away and put him into a bath. Mitch kept on coughing so that his father brought him to bed.
“Dad, may I lie in your bed?”, Mitch asked hoarse.
“Of course you may lie in my bed as long as you are ill. I stay with you”, Adam said.
He put Mitch in his bed and stayed with him.
Mitch looked around the room and said, “Many books here.”
“Your Uncles call my room also the library”, Adam said.
“What is a library?”, Mitch asked.
“That is a building with very much books to read”, his father explained.
“I can not read”, Mitch said.
“Not yet but you will learn that”, was Adam’s answer.
After a while he heard footsteps on the stairs. Adam went to see and saw Dr Paul Martin and Little Joe coming.
“Paul, de patient is in my bed”, Adam said directly.
“Welcome back Adam. I heard from Joe that you came home yesterday with your son Mitch”, the heal master said.
“Yes. He fell into the water at the herd. Now he is feverish and hoarse. He also coughs a lot”, Adam said while they walked to his bedroom.
Paul examined Mitch and said to the brothers, “Mitch has throat inflammation. Keep him in bed and let him drink very much. I stop by tomorrow again.”
Little Joe saw the doctor out while his brother stayed with Mitch. Slowly the boy fell asleep. Adam tucked him in and stayed by him.
Little Joe came to the bedroom and asked whispering, “Does he sleep?”
Adam nodded and left the bedroom to talk at the hall.
“I stay at home  to look after him. He is ill and this is a strange area for Mitch. He needs me now the most”, Adam said.
“Good. I go the others and tell them what there is with Mitch and that you stay at home”, Little Joe answered.

He went away and Adam back to Mitch. This one was still in dreamland.

At the herd Ben asked his youngest son right away, “How is it with Mitch?”
 
“He has a throat inflammation and Adam stays home for him. Doc comes to see the little lad tomorrow again”, little Joe answered.
Ben sighted deeply and faced a dilemma. They needed him badly with the branding but Adam as well.

Finally Ben said, “I go home. My grandson is more important than the herd.”

Hoss and Little Joe understood it. Ben got his horse and went back home.

Adam was making lunch ready for himself when he looked through the kitchen window and saw his father coming.

Amazed he walked outside and popped the question, “Pa, what are you doing here?”

“My grandson is ill and that’s why I come home”, Ben said while he dismounted.

“Mitch is asleep right now so I thought it was time to have lunch”, Adam said.

“I join you with lunch”, was Ben’s answer.

After eating the two men went to see Mitch who had just woken up.

“Grandpa”, the boy said hoarse.

He went to sit but Adam said, “Mitch, lie down.”

Mitch did that at once but with reluctance.  Ben came to sit upon the bed and stroke the boy on his head.

“You must get better very soon because I want to spend very much time with you”, the rancher said. Mitch fell asleep again so he got left alone.

In the study Adam said, “Now that I am home again I will keep myself busy with the ledgers again. As it isn’t your hobby.”

“You are making yourself very popular with your sharp remarks. I hope Mitch won’t make them later as well”, Ben said chuckling.

“He looks a lot like me so he will do that”, his son reacted. Adam took place behind the desk and went to work.

“As you can manage together I go back to the herd”, Ben said.

“Bye Pa”, Adam said grinning.  

In the following days Mitch slept very much and Adam could easily read the ledgers. After two weeks the fever was gone and Adam let his son lie on the settee downstairs. Hereby Mitch recovered even faster. Now his sore throat was better Mitch began more to talk.
 
After his illness Mitch came outside again. Because it was such a lovely weather Adam decided to do the rest of the updating of the administration outside so he could watch his very busy son. On a certain moment Mitch came up to his father and went to sit at the table as well.  Adam looked at the boy but didn’t say a word.

“What are you doing?”, Mitch asked after a while.

“I write the money cases in the ledgers ”, Adam said.

“Why?”, was the following question.

“So that Grandpa can see exactly how much money we get and spend”, Adam said.

He noticed that Mitch didn’t understand it and explained, “When you need new clothes soon I must write the amount of it in this book for checking.”

“Can’t Grandpa do it himself then?”, Mitch asked.

His father smiled and answered, “Yes, he can but he doesn’t like it.”

“And you do? I happen to have a strange father”, Mitch said light-hearted.

Adam pulled him to him and said, “I am strange then you must be stranger because you are my son.”

“Am not”, Mitch said. Adam began to tickle his son where by the boy began to laugh out loud.

“Daddy, stop it!”, Mitch screamed after a while.

“I will stop if you go play nicely”, Adam said. Mitch went to play again and Adam went to work again.

When all the administration was updated Adam said, “Mitch, I put the ledgers away and then we go to Grandpa.”

The boy followed him and asked, “Do you know why we go to Grandpa?”

“Well?”, Adam wanted to know.

“Because Grandpa doesn’t come to us”, the boy answered lightly.  

“Did you still want to come along?”, Adam asked. Mitch nodded with laughing eyes.
“Then do not say that to me again”, Adam said teasing.

He carried the books inside and put then away. After this Adam packed a bag with some cookies and sandwiches and bottles with liquid for his son.

When father and son Cartwright arrived at the herd the men were just holding a lunch break.

“Mitch, we come just in time”, Adam said. He stopped the horse and dismounted. After this he lifted Mitch from him. Ben came up to then and took Mitch over from his eldest son.  

“Are you well again?”, the rancher asked.

The boy nodded and got put down again. Together they walked to the others, followed by Adam.

Ben gave his son a cup of coffee and said, “We are on scheme. But your help is welcome. ”

“All administration is up to date. Mitch is also well again. He talks for five quarters in an hour without stopping”, Adam replied.  

They both looked at Mitch who a had a great time with Hoss and Little Joe.

After the lunch break Adam said, “Mitch, now you must really stay with Granddad.”

“Okay daddy”, the young Cartwright said.

Mitch did stay with Ben and played near the chuck wagon. Now Adam could help with the branding so the chore was quickly done.




THE END


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