CHORES
After Hoss and Little Joe Cartwright were released from the prison of Virginia
City they went home being moody.
“Wait till I get that dear nephew of ours into my hands. Then he won’t be
celebrating his birthday for a long time to come”, groaned Hoss.
“What sort of punishment shall we give him?”, asked Little Joe.
“As punishment Mitchy must help us with chores at the yard. That means:
he does it and we watch”, replied his brother.
“And we babysit him at the same time while pa and Adam leave tomorrow for
San Francisco for business”, said Little Joe.
“Exactly little brother”, reacted Hoss.
At the Ponderosa zaten Ben, Adam and Mitch Cartwright sat in the living
room after a delicious meal. Ben knew everything that had happened.
“Won’t uncle Hoss and uncle Joe not be angry with me?”, Mitch asked a bit
worried.
“I am afraid so but it is their own fault too. Then they shouldn’t have
taken that deck of cards along”, Ben, the grandpa of Mitch, replied.
“Do you feel like going with grandpa and me to go to San Francisco? We must
deal with some business there and keep a vacation at the same time”, said
Adam.
“Alright”, said the youngest Cartwright.
“Go packing then as we leave tomorrow early”, said Ben.
“I will help you and then you can go to bed after that. Say goodnight to
grandpa”, replied Adam.
“Grandpa, good night”, said Mitch.
“You too son”, the rancher said while he gave his grandson a hug.
Father and son Cartwright got up and went upstairs. Ben watched them with
enjoy.
“Where is that beloved nephew of ours?”, Hoss asked right away when he
and Little Joe came in.
“Adam is taking him to bed. Besides, he goes along with us to San Francisco
for a vacation. Why?”, asked Ben.
“By your grandson we have spent the whole afternoon in jail with much amusement
of Clem”, replied Little Joe.
“He caught us at playing with false cards. It seems that Mitchy had made
that deck of cards with that friend of his”, Hoss explained.
“Adam and Mitch had told me everything in detail. The boy knows that he
must leave the deck of cards at home from now on but that goes for you as
well”, said Ben.
“We had though a very nice punishment for Mitch for the time that you are
to San Francisco”, said Little Joe.
“And that punishment is?”, asked Ben.
“There are some chores who have been neglected lately. We had thought that
Mitchy could do them. Under our supervision of course”, Hoss explained.
“But because Mitch is coming along with us you can do thoise chores. They
are for you so that means that you have to do them and not your six year
old nephew”, reacted the rancher.
Hoss and Little Joe looked at each other amazed.
“So that little boy of our brother takes care of that we end up in the nick
and when we want to punish him for that you take him along on vacation”,
Little Joe said indignant.
“Mitch has never been to San Francisco and in a few weeks time he must go
to school again”, said Ben.
The brothers realised that they couldn’t punish Mitch without that Ben and/or
Adam interfered with it.
The next morning everone was up early. Mitch was very excited because he
was allowed to come along to a big town for the first time of his life.
“There is the culprit”, Hoss said quasi-strict to his nephew.
“Morning uncle Hoss. Did Clem have much trouble from you?”, the young Cartwright
asked cheerful.
“What are you very funny again. Actually you should do our chores for punishment”,
said Hoss.
“Grandpa has taken you to do that in exchange for pay, hasn’t he?”, Mitch
asked sneaky.
“Mitchy, the Ponderosa is a family business and we all work in it along.
You will have to do that too when you have grown up”, said his uncle.
“Not me. I am gonna play baseball later”, was the direct answer of Mitch.
“Everything ready for the trip?”, Adam asked his son.
Mitch nodded. Quickly he ate his breakfast and went then along outside.
“Do you look after Cody?”, Mitch asked before they left.
“Of course we do that. He will be waiting here for you and so are we”, said
Hoss.
“And I thought that you had all the nasty chores to do in our absence”,
Adam remarked.
“They must do that too but now under supervision of Cody”, reacted Mitch.
Ben and Adam could laugh about it but Hoss and Little Joe couldn’t. Hoss
helped his nephew on the horse whereafter Ben and Adam also mounted on to
leave.
Just after Ben, Adam and Mitch had left Hoss and Little Joe released that
they had fallen in the trap again.
“Dadburnit Little Joe. Now that nephew of ours plays a trick on us again.
And his father is supporting him too”, groaned Hoss.
“And our pa too”, Little Joe said indignant.
There was nothing else for the brothers to do than to do the chores. But
it didn’t go with much love. Though they knew that their nephew had outsmarted
them. And that they were warned for the next time.