Changes

It was Thursday December 4, 1879. Just like his youngest uncle Joe Cartwright 16-year old Mitch had the habit to go out riding with the dogs Cody and Skip. The air was clear but it was cold. Suddenly there sounded a shot and Mitch fell off his horse Caramel and he broke his right ankle. When the young Cartwright looked up he saw that a man with a rifle looked at him.

“Who are you?”, Mitch asked worried.

“Marcus Young and I come for my wife and children”, answered the man.

“You are Marcus Young and your wife happened to be Polly Miller?”, asked Mitch.

“Indeed. I heard that you hit it on her and look after her and my twins now. From now on I do that”, said Marcus.

Mitch saw that skip had ran away and knew that help was on its way.

“Give me 1 good reason why I should let you live”, Marcus said a moment later.

“Because I’m a Cartwright and if you kill me my whole family comes after you”, answered Mitch.

Now Marcus began to laugh unstoppable.

“I don’t understand what so funny is”, Marcus heard then a voice saying behind him.

Marcus drooped his rifle and looked behind him.

“Hello uncle Joe”, Mitch said relieved.

“Hello Mitch”, Joe said smiling.

He dismounted and looked at Marcus.

“He comes for Polly and the twins”, Mitch explained to his uncle.

Joe dismounted off his horse Cochise and examined his nephew.

“Where are Polly and the children?”, Marcus asked now a bit more angry.

Mitch told where they were. Marcus disappeared at once.

“I got thrown off Caramel and broke my ankle that way”, said Mitch.

“I take you home and after that to the doctor’s”, Joe said calm.

He helped him up and on his horse. Slowly the gentlemen Cartwright came home with Cody.

Marcus rode to the house where Adam Cartwright with his family lived. He had the bad luck that everyone was at home. The visitor dismounted and walked to the barn where Polly was. She got a shock and tried to hide. But her ex ran after her and tried to rape her again. Polly saw a bat of Mitch’s and grabbed the bat. She hit with it like Mitch had taught her that. It cost Marcus his life. Then skip came running. He barked loud so that the others understood that something was the matter. Adam came into the barn and saw what had happened.

“Polly, is everything alright?”,he asked serious.

“That was Marcus Young. By him I got the twins and now he tried to rape me again. I knocked him dead”, answered his daughter-in-law upset.

“I bring you inside and let the doctor come for you”, answered Adam.

Polly began to cry. Adam helped his daughter-in-law inside and Polly fell asleep in bed. Adam and Matthew took the body of Marcus with them. Sally received her daughters Lisa, Rose and her grandchildren the twins Jake and Emma. Matthew was the fiancée of Adam’s eldest daughter Pam.

At the big ranch house Ponderosa ranch owner Ben Cartwright saw his son and grandson coming. He suspected problems at once.

“Pa, Mitch has a broken ankle”, Joe said while he dismounted.

Ben helped his grandson off his horse and supported him to the porch.

“That’s a very nasty fracture son”, the rancher said after he had examined the ankle.

Mitch told about the visit of Marcus Young.

“If you want you may sleep here until after Christmas”, Ben said after he had heard everything.

The rancher knew that his grandchildren had inherit certain Cartwright qualities and too that especially Mitch hardly could be changing his mind.

Adam and Matthew came pass the big ranch house and saw Ben and Mitch talking. They rode to them and stopped. Here after they dismounted and walked up to them. Mitch told what had happened. Adam told what has happened at home.

“Polly and the children are alright?”, Mitch asked unbelieving.

Adam nodded and went to sit next to his son.

“Boy, are you coming? Your ankle must be set into plaster”, said Ben.

The boy nodded. Joe and the foreman Candy Canaday prepared the carriage for departure. Ben helped his grandson into the carriage and climbed into it himself. A moment later 3 generations Cartwright and a Walker left the yard of the ranch house.

Arrived in Virginia City Ben and Mitch went to see Doc Paul Martin.

After the examination Doc said, “That will be taking it easy for a while for you. Mitch, your ankle is fractured in 2 places. I will set it into plaster. And you must use crutches.”

“How long must I be in plaster for?”, asked Mitch.

“This whole year and early January we look again at your ankle”, answered Doc.

He set the broken ankle in plaster and noticed that something had happened. Ben brought the heal master in brief up to date.

Meanwhile Adam and Matthew were at the parents of Polly, Jack and Cathy Miller. Adam told what has happened at his house.

“So that Marcus Young was still alive and has tried to rape our daughter again? Nice is that”, Jack said indignant.

“Mitch has a broken ankle by that Marcus”, said Matthew.

“That doesn’t surprise me because Marcus has raped Polly already once”, said Jack.

Adam and Matthew said goodbye.

Then Adam came into the practice and he said, “Doc, Polly is almost being raped by Marcus Young. Can you examine her? She’s at home in bed.”

“Then I go with you”, said Doc.

The Cartwrights, Matthew and Doc Martin went straight to the ranch.

At the ranch Polly had woken up again because her mother-in-law was Polly Sally Cartwright had come in.

“Adam told me what had happened to you. How is it?”, asked Sally.

“Tired. Pa said that he lets the doctor come for me. I have the same feeling as when I was expecting Jake and Emma. If that’s so the little one comes around my birthday. And that is on June 9”, said Polly.

“I hope it for you and Mitch”, Sally said smiling.

Polly fell asleep again so that sally went downstairs.

The heal master examined the young woman and came to the same conclusion as that of Polly’s.

“Polly, you are 11 weeks pregnant”, said Doc.

Now Mitch asked smiling, “When is it due?”

“In June. So around my birthday and that is June 9”, was her answer.

Mitch kissed his fiancée of happiness. Doc went away again so that the couple was alone.

When Polly and Pam and their partners sat together Polly said, “Our 3^rd child comes in June.”

“Pam and Matt, would you like to share our wedding day? I mean that we have then on February 1 a double wedding”, Mitch suggested.

Pam and Matthew looked at each other and they agreed.

“I go and get our parents. Mitch, you stay at home for the time being”, said Matthew.

That happened and 3 hours later the parents of the twins, Polly and Matthew were at their house.

“Why did we have to come?”, asked Dan Walker, the father of Matthew.

“Because we all have something to tell you”, answered his son zoon.

“You must keep February 1, 1880 free for our double wedding”, told Pam.

“Half June your grandchild will be born. I am pregnant”, said Polly.

For a moment it was deadly silent but then the congratulations came.

In his working room Adam asked his wife, “Why has those twins of ours have grownup so fast? Have we missed something by them?”

“They just have grown up very quickly because we let them help us at the ranch”, answered Sally.

“I want that our grandchildren grow up with us like I have done with the children”, said Adam.

“That will certainly happen”, said Sally.

Adam knew that too.

By these reports there came a lot of changes into the lives of the Cartwrights. But it would bring them closer together though.