EASTER AT THE
RANCH
It was the end of March 1867. In the area of
Adam Cartwright, the eldest son of the owner of the ranch, Ben
Cartwright, had his work cut out at his son Mitch who was very busy and wild.
That last thing was because the boy had inherit the character of his Father and got along a lot with Hoss and
Little Joe. Both gentlemen were mad about the boy and let that show as well.
Mitch was also a lot to be find with the foreman Candy Canaday, who protected
him when Adam had teased him once again one time too many.
One morning
Mitch said, “Grandpa, I go to town with daddy.”
“Has he
said why”, asked Ben.
Mitch shook
of no. Then his father came in.
He
asked:“Mitch, are you coming?”
“Wait a
minute Adam Cartwright! First I want to know why all of a sudden you take your
son to town”, Ben said determined.
“
Ben knew
enough.
“Good. Go
then if you do not want to tell it. Make sure that you get back before dark
with Mitch”, the rancher replied.
“I
promise”, said the rancher.
“Bye
Grandpa”, the boy said.
He didn’t know
why he had to come along now.
Outside
Adam put his son on his horse and mounted after that on his horse Sport. Then
they left the yard and the trip to
At the
ranch Hoss noticed that his nephew was away and he was wondering where the boy
had gone to. Then he saw that the sorrel of his brother was also gone and Adam
himself too. The horse of Mitch wasn’t
standing there as well. Hoss went to his
brother to ask if he happen to knew more about it.
Little Joe
was reading the newspaper when Hoss came up to him and grabbed the paper right
ouf of his hands
“Hoss, it
is very unpolite to grab the newspaper when you haven’t asked it. May I have it
back? You get it when I have finished reading it”, said Little Joe.
“You get it
back when you have told me what Adam and Mitchy up to. They have left without
saying anything. I reckon you know very well where they are and what they have
planned”, said Hoss.
“With the hand
on my heart I swear that I do not know anything about their plan. Adam has told
me nothing”, his brother replied.
“Good, I
believe you. Do you still need the paper?”, Hoss asked smiling and teasing at
the same time.
“I was
still busy with it”, was the calm answer.
The second
son of the rancher gave the newspaper back.
“Thank you
Hoss”, Little Joe mumbled.
Underway
Mitch asked:“Daddy, why did I actually had to come along?”
“We are gonna
surprise your Grandpa with a very apart present for Easter. In town I will tell
you everything”, the rancher promised.
“I have
always thought that you were strange but now I know that for a hundred per cent
sure”, Mitch reacted teasing.
“It is that
I am so nuts about you. Or I would have done something to you. Little tease
which you are”, Adam said pretending he was insulted.
Mitch
said:“I am sorry.”
Adam looked
at him and said:“It is alright. I was just teasing you again very well.”
They rode
on silently.
After
riding for a while Adam and Mitch arrived in
“Why are we
here?”, Mitch asked curiously.
“We are
here at the General Store. I have seen here something special earlier this week
which Ben will love”, his Father answered.
“I am not gonna
dress up as the Easter Bunny”, the boy
said determined.
“I didn’t
want to suggest that at all. Just wait and see”, Adam reacted.
He grabbed
the hand of Mitch and they went inside. The shopkeeper, Pete Baker, saw the
couple coming.
He
asked:“Adam and Mitch Cartwright, where can I
be at your service?”
The rancher
walked to the counter and began to tell,“Earlier this week you had such a
beautiful Easter basket standing in your shopwindow? We want to surprise Pa
with it at Easter.”
“I already
saw you looking at it so I kept one behind for your father. It costs seven
dollars. Really a bargain for a rich rancher like you Cartwrights”, said Pete.
“What does
that basket look like?”, asked Mitch who didn’t see one.
“You two come to the back for a moment. Then the boy can see it”, Pete
said calm.
They did
that and Mitch looked at the Easterbasket.
“Daddy, we
take it for Grandpa”, said Mitch said after a while.
They walked
back to the shop.
Adam
asked:“We take it. Here you have the money. Is possible that we come to collect
it the day before Easter?”
“Of course
that is possible”, was the answer.
Satisfied
Father and son left the General Store. They mounted on their horses and rode
back home.
Adam
said:“Mitch, mouth shut to everyone.”
Mitch
nodded good of yes.
Ben saw the
couple coming and walked towards them.
“I had thought
that you had taken Mitch along. May I know where you have been to?”, Ben asked.
“That is
for the time being a secret between Mitch and me. But this lad has behaved
himself very well like it should be”, answered Adam answered.
“I am glad
for that”, said his father.
He helped
the boy off his horse. Adam dismounted too and the threesome walked to the big
ranchhouse.
It was
nearly lunchtime. Hop Sing had set the table already so they could start to eat
right away. Everybody wanted to know where Adam and Mitch had been to but the
couple kept silent for everyone.
Little Joe even asked his nephew:“Mitch, if I help you later on with the
animals, are you gonna tell me where you two have been this morning?”
“Never in a
lifetime. It is between daddy and me”, Mitch replied.
“Little
Joe, how dare you to bribe your nephew like that? You should be ashamed”, Adam
reacted fierce.
“Adam
Cartwright, you are just as bad. You are away the whole morning and you refuse
to tell where you have been. You just try to hide behind the back of an
innocent child”, was the remark of Hoss.
“We won’t
say anything so the longer you ask about it, the longer we keep quiet”, was the
answer of Adam.
This helped
because they didn’t ask about it anymore.
A week
later Adam and Hoss were in
They sat in
the saloon for quite some time when someone suddenly said, “The Easter Bunny
won’t be coming this year.”
The two
looked at each other and Adam asked him, “How do you know that? He happens to
come each year?”
“He is on
vacation this year”, was the answer.
The one who
brought the news was Clyde Waterston, a very infamous ringleader in
“Adam, keep
quiet”, said Hoss said softly and warning.
The couple
left the saloon.
Outside
Clyde said, “I have only heard it so….”
“The Easter
Bunny happens to have your own kind with him but they are filled without any
reason”, Adam reacted very calm.
The
ringleader looked at him and asked,“What do you mean with that remark?”
“You cannot
know that of course because your head is like an empty eggshell. Only in that
shell has been something”, Adam said.
Clyde got
furious and wanted to attack him but by a simple right fist of Adam he was
lying on the street eating sand.
“Enjoy your
meal”, Adam said sarcastic.
Hoss went
to stand next to him and asked,“Are you thinking what I think?”
“That are
no footsteps of a human being but those of the Easter Bunny. And that is the
house of Waterston. Come on Hodss”, said the eldestson of the rancher.
They turned their horses, rode towards the shed and dismounted. The men
wlaked carefully to a window and looked inside. Big was the amazing of Adam and
Hoss when they recognized the prisoner. It was MR EASTER BUNNY himself!
“Hoss, we must free him. Or all the children will be disapppointed
including our little Mitch”, Adam said.
Hoss
nodded. They sneaked to the door and opened it carefully. This went silently
and the men went inside. The Easter Bunny woke up but said nothing. Hoss looked
at Adam with a familiar look and he nodded. They took the Easter Bunny along
and closed the sheddoor again. Sneaked back at their horses they mounted on and
rode ahead to the ranch.
At the
ranch Ben and Little Joe saw the threesome coming. Father and son Cartwright
looked at each other and walked towards each other.
“Pa, we
found the Easter Bunny in the shed of Clyde Waterston”, Adam said.
Ben and
Little Joe caught the Easter Bunny and he took of his Eastercap.
“I thank
you for my rescue. That bloke has kept
me there for a few days without food or drink”, the Easter Bunny said.
“Welcome at
the Ponderosa. I am Ben Cartwright and this is my son Little Joe. That are my
other sons Adam and Hoss”, said Ben.
“I am actually Winston Jones but around Easter I am Mr Easter Bunny. You
don’t have any children here at the ranch?”, Winston asked.
“I have a
four year old son Mitch but he will not tell anything to anyone. So don’t you
worry. He really can keep a secret. Mitch is with our Chinese cook Hop Sing.
They are inside”, Adam said calm.
They walked
towards the ranchhouse where Mitch Hop Sing helped with supper.
“Hop Sing,
the others are coming”, the boy said.
Both walked
out of the kitchen and they saw their familymembers coming in with Winston.
Great was their amazing and for a moment as Hop Sing as Mitch didn’t know what
to say.
Mitch broke
the silence by asking, “Isn’t nobody saying anything anymore here?”
“Mitch, you must promise us to tell no one
that the Easter Bunny stays with us for a while”, Ben said seriously.
“I promise.
To be very honest I have never believed in the Easter Bunny”, the boy said.
Everybody
laughed.
Winston
said:“You seems to be very smart, son.”
“He
certainly is. Sit down. Supper nearly ready”, Hop Sing said inviting.
He went
back to the kitchen. Winston sat down and got to know everyone. The Cartwrights
let the Easter Bunny getting stronger at their
ranch.
The day before Easter Adam took Mitch along for a ride. That always
happened when Adam had to see his son in private.
“Mitch, I
know how we can give that Easterpresent to Grandpa”, Adam said suddenly.
“How? Via
the Easter Bunny?”, his son asked.
“Exactly.
We let Winston pivck up the basket and he delivers it then at the ranch on
Eastermorning”, Adam suggested.
Mitch thought
it was okay. At that moment they wanted to go home again but the passage
through was blocked by Clyde.
“Cartwright,
you are the one I must have. I know that you with your brother have freed the
Easter Bunny from my shed. I must punish you for that very hard”, Clyde said.
“Mitch has
nothing to do with it. Leave him out of it”, Adam said calm.
“No way! He
is your son so an accomplish. Dismount and fast Adam!”, their enemy answered.
Adam did
that and attacked him right away. What Adam didn’t see was that Clyde shot down
Mitch. Adam saw his son lying on the ground unconcious and hit half. A second later Clyde nearly to the other world.
The eldest Cartwright boy got up and ran to Mitch. The boy woke up slowly.
He
asked:“What has happened?”
“That creep
shot you but we will get him back. Now we go home”, Adam said.
He lifted
his son and put him upon his horse. Hereafter he mounted on his own. Quickly
they rode home where Hop Sing took care of the boy. Mitch had only a shotwound
and played after the treatment outside at the yard again.
Ben
asked:“That bloke will get his punishment. But how?”
“What about
some help from the Easter Bunny?”, asked Winston.
In one
second all eyes were pointed at him.
Winston
explained:“With Easter everyone gets eggs from the Easter Bunny? I may not
forget nobody so not
This plan
got approved right away.
Very late
that evening Adam brought Winston up to date about his plan about the Easter
present for his father.
“That’s a
deal. Without your support the Easter Bunny would have been dead”, Winston
said.
He went
away unnoticed. He could do his work again. He fetched the basket and delivered
the for Ben bought by Adam and Mitch basket and for Mitch himself there was a
little basket with some Eastereggs. There was a short note with it saying:“FROM
THE EASTER BUNNY.”
By this
happening it became an Easter for the Cartwrights which they would never
forget.
THE END