To be alone for a while with his son Mitch (12) Adam Cartwright often took him out for a ride. So also that certain afternoon.
They rode in a somewhat deserted area which belonged to the Ponderosa, the ranch of the Cartwrights. Suddenly Mitch stopped and he stared at something.
“Mitch, what do you see?”, Adam asked worried.
“There lies a broken down wagon”, answered Mitch.
He pointed at a wagon which was clearly in pieces and abandoned. The Cartwrights rode to it and dismounted. The wagon got searched thorough.
“This wagon isn’t ours, is it?”, Mitch asked after as while.
“No, it isn’t indeed. But from who then?”, was the counter-question of Adam.
Mitch answered dry, “From someone who crashed the wagon and left it afterwards.”
Adam sighed deep and said, “I understood that too.”
He shouldn’t have said that because the reaction of his son was, “Nice that we understand this both.”
Adam looked very doubtful at him for a second and kept silent. He only knew far too well that Mitch was the only one who could silence everyone with his reactions and/or remarks. Though he young Cartwright was very beloved. They didn’t know if it was because Mitch was a descendant from the Cartwright dynasty or because he was one of twins. Adam and Mitch couldn’t think of another reason
“We go home and tell this to the others”, Adam finally said.
They wanted to mount on when a voice asked them, “What are you doing here?”
The Cartwrights turned around and looked into the barrel of a rifle of an angry man. He recognized them both. Adam recognized the man too.
“Again those miserable Cartwrights! I park my wagon here against a rock and then those dirty busybodies of a bunch of Cartwrights come to bother me without a reason”, the man said furious.
“Jack Stone! Once again in the living world?”, Adam asked calm.
Jack Stone was known as a hermit who hardly let himself shown in Virginia City.
“Shut up Cartwright! Otherwise I will kill that little lame brat”, Jack said who now had pointed his rifle at Mitch.
Mitch didn’t get scared which Jack expected to. The boy was used it that people made a fool of him because he happened to be lame. But he also knew that didn’t dare to do much due to his last name.
“Why did you actually crash your wagon at our spread?”, Mitch suddenly asked.
“You are very cheeky for your age, don’t you think so?”, Jack asked angry.
“He just asked a question and has a right to an answer”, Adam said calm.
“Not with me. Children are a bother and especially those of yours”, snapped Jack.
He made 2 steps closer to the youngest Cartwright and pointed his rifle at the throat of Mitch.
“Now piss off because otherwise you can take your little boy along in a coffin”, Jack said now laughing.
Mitch hit the rifle away where by the boy fell on the ground and Jack got hit by his own bullet.
Adam first looked at his son, but the boy said, “I am alright but he isn’t.”
Mitch pointed at Jack who stare with eyes open at the sky. Adam kneeled down near the mortal remains and established that their enemy was dead.
“He isn’t alive anymore. We bury him near his house and demolish the wagon. As far as that is possible”, said Adam.
That happened and arrived at home Adam and Mitch told in bright colors who they had handled with Jack Stone.