Behaviour

Adam Cartwright tried to raise his 10 year old twins Mitch and Pam as good as possible. They lived on the Ponderosa ranch, Nevada. Adam’s father Ben Cartwright was the owner of the ranch and worked there too, together with his youngest sons Hoss and Joe. The latter 2 made sure that the twins got into trouble quite a lot. So also that certain day.

The twins had the chore to feed all the animals who were present at the ranch. That happened too. But they were being watched by their uncles.

“Look at them working hard”, said Joe.

“Just a while and they do our work”, answered Hoss.

“Hoss, that is an excellent idea. We go play nicely and they do our work”, Joe said smiling.

They laughed but didn’t realize that Mitch and Pam had heard it. The brothers walked to the barn to throw hay at each other.

“Pam, if we do the work of uncle Hoss and uncle Joe, then grandpa must pay us for that and not them”, Mitch said when their uncles were away.

“That is so. We just do their work and tell that to daddy and grandpa. That will teach them”, his sister answered.

Mitch and Pam looked a lot like Adam, also what their character was concerned.

After all the animals were fed the twins took a sneaky look in the barn. Hoss and Joe were still playing with hay.

“Look at them playing nicely. How old would they be?”, Mitch asked on a whispering tone.

“I think a year of 30. Perhaps a bit older”, Pam answered also on a whispering tone.

They walked away from the barn and went to chop wood. This was also the work of the grownups. But the twins tried to do it as good as possible.

At 9 o’clock Pam said, “Mitch, I think that we have deserved a break.”

“I think so too. Yesterday Hop Sing said that he would make donuts. Are you coming to see if they are ready?”, asked Mitch.

He didn’t have to ask this twice of course. With their dog Cody the children ran to the kitchen for their break.

The Chinese cook Hop Sing was busy washing the baking stuff when the twins and Cody came inside.

“Hop Sing, we have worked hard already and think that we are entitled to a break”, said Mitch.

“Little ones and Cody go to porch. Hop Sing comes with snack and drink for hard workers”, said the cook.

“Come Cody”, Pam said where after they went outside again.

A moment later Mitch, Pam and Cody were eating a delicious donut. The twins had gotten a glass of milk and Cody water.

After played win the hay for a few hours Hoss and Joe stopped with it.

“Joe, are you coming to Virginia City? I think that we have deserved a beer”, Hoss suggested.

Of course Joe went along. Quickly they went to their horses and rode to Virginia City. The brothers had the luck that they weren’t seen. Otherwise something had been in there for them.

After their break Mitch and Pam went to clean up the barn and the supply room got also a big clean up turn.

“Shall we clean the saddles too?”, asked Pam.

“Now were busy anyway, why not”, answered her brother.

The whole day the twins worked hard until 2 grownup Cartwrights came home.

“Pa, I’m curious about how well Hoss and Joe have taken care of my children”, Adam said when he and Ben rode upon the yard.

“I think good though”, answered the rancher.

They stopped their horses and dismounted. The horses got hitched. Ben and Adam walked to the ranch house where Mitch, Pam and Cody sat on the porch.

“Hello boys. Played nicely today?”, asked Ben.

“We had no time to play at all because uncle Hoss and uncle Joe went to play with hay. It has been cleaned up already by us because the gentlemen went to Virginia City after playing. Candy ran into them and he said it to us”, answered Mitch.

Candy was Ponderosa ranch foreman Candy Canaday.

Adam asked, “What sort of work have you done then?”

Pam summed up all their duties of that day. Ben and Adam looked at each other and they thought the same thing.

“Seeing your hard work you have not only deserved a delicious meal of Hop Sing but also a reward”, said Ben.

“Hop Sing baked pancakes for our lunch. I don’t know what he is making now”, answered Mitch.

“Probably something delicious”, said Adam who was of course proud as a peacock of his twins.

Ben and Adam went inside to discuss something in the office.

“Adam, those brothers of yours will catch it as soon as they come home. It is just good that the twins look a lot like you and love to work. But they are too young to do our work”, said Ben.

“What kind of punishment did you have in mind for Hoss and Joe?”, asked Adam.

“I put them on bread and water for a whole week. Plus they have to walk Cody. What the reward for Mitch and Pam is concerned: I deposit each 100 dollar on their bank account because they have earned so much”, answered Ben.

Adam agreed with it. Hop Sing too agreed with the eating punishment for Hoss and Joe.

In the evening when all Cartwrights sat at the table Hop Sing put down a big dish of macaroni with ham and cheese.

“Dish with food is for Mr Cartwright, Mr Adam and 2 little Cartwrights. Mr Hoss and Little Joe get their food in a minute”, said Hop Sing.

He went back to the kitchen and returned with a pile of dry sandwiches which got put down by Hoss and Joe.

“Enjoy your meal gentlemen and lady”, said the cook.

“Thanks Hop Sing. That will be well”, said Ben.

“Pa, why do Joe and I get bread and water and you macaroni with ham and cheese?”, asked Hoss.

“Because you behaved yourselves like the children ought to behave themselves. You have been playing all day while Mitch and Pam have worked very hard. They have also done your work”, answered Ben.

Hoss and Joe looked at each other amazed.

But yet before they could protest Mitch said, “Then you shouldn’t have said that we could do your work.”

“You can think about behavior for the hole week because you are on bread and + Cody gets walked by you. What kind of weather it is”, said Ben.

“Yes, but pa. Cody rather stays outside”, said Hoss.

“Especially when it rains”, said Joe.

“That is now your problem for this whole week”, said Ben.

By this day and punishment Hoss and Joe resolved themselves by not being critic again about the work of someone else. And certainly not that of their nephew and niece.