CAUGHT

It was the night of December 24 to December 25. Time: 3.00 o’clock. Everyone at the Ponderosa ranch was a deep rest. At least that seemed to be. The six year old Mitch Cartwright had sneaked downstairs silently with the dog Cody to put all the Christmas presents neatly.

“You have to be silent because the others hear us”, Mitch said softly.

Cody gave him a lick across his face for an answer. The young Cartwright went to sit on his knees and began to lie the present in order of size. Cody watched and guarded by his friend.

Mitch had just finished when Cody began to bark. The boy looked up and saw his uncle Hoss coming downstairs.

Hoss asked amazed, “Mitchy, what are you doing here?”

“I can ask you that too”, reacted his nephew.

“I come to fill my stomach. What’s your reason?”, Hoss wanted to know.

“Santa asked if I wanted to lie all presents in size. So Cody and I did that”, the little chap said.

Hoss didn’t know what to say and took the couple to the kitchen.

“Uncle Hoss, aren’t you forgetting something?”, Mitch asked after a while.

He took a bite of his sandwich with cheese and jam.

“What am I forgetting according to you?”, Hoss asked gnawing on a piece of cold chicken.

“To congratulate me with my sixth birthday. It’s already Christmas day”, answered Mitch.

Quickly he ate his sandwich and went then with Cody back to his room. Hoss wanted to run after Mitch but his hunger was too big to do that.

At 5 o’clock Adam came, washed, shaved and dressed, into the room of Mitch. Adam was worried because his son hadn’t been into his room to wake him up. The eldest Cartwright boy saw his son sleeping in bed with Cody on the ground next to it.

He went to sit on the bed and said while he shook Mitch awake, “Mitchell Jonathan Cartwright!”

“Yes Santa. I have put all presents in size like you wanted to”, Mitch said still sleeping.

Of course Adam didn’t understand it at all but he played the game along and said, “That is good but your father want that you wake up to celebrate your birthday.”

Slowly Mitch opened his eyes and a smiling Adam look eta him. The boy went to sit and rubbed the seep out of his eyes. He told what had happened.

“Congratulations lad. I make a bath for you and go wash you”, Adam said when he had heard everything.

After his bath Mitch got dressed and he went downstairs with Adam. There waited Ponderosa owner Ben Cartwright and his 2 youngest sons Hoss and Joe for the birthday boy and his father. The Chinese cook Hop Sing was there too.

“Mitch, congratulations with your birthday”, Ben said on behalf of Joe and Hop Sing.

“Thanks grandpa, uncle Joe and Hop Sing”, said Mitch.

“Mitchy, happy birthday”, Hoss said extremely polite in the hope that his nephew wouldn’t say anything about the past night.

“Thanks uncle Hoss. Did those 2 cold chicken legs taste well?”, his nephew asked laughing.

Hoss became red and everyone looked at him.

Hop Sing asked strict, “Mr Hoss, where have chicken gone to?”

“Well Hop Sing, I just felt like having chicken last night so I ate it”, Hoss confessed with embarrassment.

Hop Sing went grumbling in his mother language to the kitchen and the Cartwrights to the living room. There was waiting an extended Christmas breakfast waiting.

During breakfast Mitch told in full detail what had happened in the living room and kitchen. Everyone except Hoss found it a nice story. Though it became a great birthday for Mitch and a wonderful Christmas for the Cartwrights.

Since then Mitch decided not to stir at night in the house when his uncle Hoss was at home.