AGES

“Mitch, how old would that tree be?”, Pam Cartwright asked her twin brother.

“That oak?”, Mitch asked on his turn.

Pam nodded.

Mitch looked at it for a while thinking and answered then, “I wouldn't know. That tree was already standing there when we were born. I wonder who is older: that oak or grandpa. Perhaps daddy knows that.”

They saw their father coming and ran to him. Adam Cartwright, the father of the couple, knew right away that they had an urgent question. Adam dismounted and hitched his horse Sport tight.

Adam Cartwright went inside with his children where his father Ben and brothers Hoss and Little Joe were.

“Daddy, is it true that the oak is older than grandpa?”, asked Pam.

“That is true”, said her father.

“I already thought so because grandpa is already very old”, Mitch remarked dry.

Everybody laughed.

“Thank you very much for the compliment Mitchell Jonathan Cartwright! I always had thought that grandchildren keep you young but you make me at once feel a hundred years older”, Ben reacted teasing.

“You're welcome grandpa”, the boy said smiling.

He became a bit shy by all the attention.

“Grandpa, how can you see how old a tree is?”, asked Pam.

“When you chop a tree near the trunk you see all rings. When you count all rings you know how old the tree is”, Ben explained.

He noticed that the twins didn't understand much of it. Adam saw that too.

“Kids, grab your horses. Then we go for a little ride”, said Adam.

The twins ran outside followed by Ben and Adam.

Sometime later the foursome stopped near a few trees where one was chopped.

They dismounted and walked to the tree trunk.

“These are the year rings”, Ben said pointing at the rings on the trunk.

The twins counted the rings and came to 50.

“Gees, this tree is older than daddy”, said Pam.

“And he is already so old”, her brother added to it.

“Thanks boys. Other children make you younger but you two make sure that I start to feel much older”, reacted Adam.

“You're welcome daddy”, Mitch and Pam said at the same time.

Ben watched it but said nothing. He clearly enjoyed his grandchildren.

After a while the Cartwrights went heading home again but the twins would never forget this lesson.