NO WATER
by
Heidi
“Daddy!”, five year old Mitch called while he ran inside.
Adam Cartwright, the one who got called, came into action right away.
“Kid, what is the matter?”, he asked worried.
“There is a young man coming who has a dirty face. He looks like an uncle
of
mine though”, Mitch told hasty.
Adam looked at his son non-understanding.
“Someone with a dirty face who looks like your uncle lijkt? Is that maybe
the twinbrother of uncle Joe?”, asked the eldest Cartwright boy.
Mitch replied, “Perhaps yes.”
They went outside where the youngest brother of Adam came home. Little Joe
Cartwright had been away all day from thePonderosa ranch.
“Are you lost?”, Adam asked as onbly he can ask that.
“How do you mean? Can’t you tell I’ve been working?”, was the
counter-question of Joe.
Adam looked again once very well and recognized then his youngest brother.
“Mitch, it is your uncle though and not his twinbrother”, Adam said dry.
Joe didn't understand anything of it anymore and asked, “May I get some
explanation?”
“Well, Mitch saw you coming and he didn't recognize you because you look
so
dirty. At first we thought that it was your twinbrother was”, was the
explanation of Adam.
“I left very early this morning to round up the herd and ended up then wiht
an old miner. He needed my support so I could hardly refuse it. That's why
I
am so dirty”, replied Joe.
“Shouldn’t you be taking a bath first before you get to the table? You know
what pa and Hop Sing are like”, reacted Adam.
“Why should I take a bath? I only go twice a year and that is with Christmas
and my birthday”, replied Joe.
Adam sighted and looked at his son.
“What a strange person”, the youngest Cartwright remarked.
“That’s why he is your uncle too. Dirty or not”, said Adam.
Joe began to become fed up with the teasing of his brother and nephew so
that he made a decision.
“Alright! I am now gonna take a bath and then I am much cleaner than you
all
together”, he said.
“Daddy, do you tell it or must I do that?”, Mitch asked at that moment.
Adam thought for a second and said then, “You must reveal it.”
“What must Mitch make reveal?”, Joe asked worried.
“Since today we have no water to take a bath during the day. Hop Sing has
decided that”, said Mitch.
“So till tonight I must walk around with a dirty face?”, Joe asked excited.
Adam nodded. Yet before he or Mitch could say anything Joe walked to the
kitchen where Hop Sing was busy with the supper.
“Hop Sing, is it true what Adam and Mitch say? That we don’t have water
anymore during the day to have a bath?”, he asked directly.
“Yes, Mr Cartwright saving on wasting water”, replied the cook.
Joe looked very disappointed and knew for sure that his father Ben and older
brother Hoss Cartwright would have comments about his appearance.
“Then I have to wait till tonight to be able to take a bath”, said Joe.
He went outside again where his father and older brother were too also.
“Pa, your youngest son must have an unrgent bath. He is more dirtier than
Mitchy when he has played in the sandbox”, Hoss remarked laughing.
“I have worked very hard today! But due to a rule of Hop Sing I cannot take
a bathg during the day and I have to wait till tonight before I am clean
again. And that while I have a date with Lucy Miller tonight”, Joe replied
a
bit angry.
All Cartwrights began to laugh whereby Joe became more angrier.
“Joseph, we saw you leave this morning and Hoss saw you with that mineworker
at work. Then we went home to arrange everything. Go and take a bath quickly
because if Miss Miller sees you now she would runaway fast yelling”, Ben
said laughing.
To the big relief of Joe he could take a bath during the day and he was
in
time for his date. But he was aware when his eldest brother and his
offspring behaved strange.