Because Ponderosa ranch owner Ben Cartwright was away with his 2 youngest sons Hoss and Joe the eldest Cartwright boy Adam had the place (read: ranch house) totally for his own. That he had to share the house with his 4 year old son Mitch was no problem at all for Adam. Of course Adam abused the fact that his father and brothers were away because he did do his chores but more nicer things with Mitch. The Chinese cook Hop Sing cooked more delicious than when the whole family was present.
On a afternoon Adam and Mitch came home. From the other side of the Ponderosa ranch they saw a familiar face coming. At least father and son thought so. Adam dismounted but left his son on his horse Sport. The visitor stopped the carriage in front of the porch and got out. Here after he grabbed his bag and he went into the ranch house without greeting Adam and/or Mitch.
“Daddy, that is grandpa, isn’t he?”, Mitch asked amazed.
“That seems to me yes. But according to the planning he was still away”, answered Adam.
He hitched his horse tight and lifted then his boy from it. Together they went inside where the visitor, Bradley Meredith, had made it himself very comfortable already
“Gentlemen, what can I do for you?”, asked Bradley.
Adam and Mitch looked at each other amazed.
“Grandpa, don’t you recognize us then?”, asked the youngest Cartwright.
Bradley scratched at the back of his head and asked on his turn, “No, who are you then?”
Again the Cartwrights looked at each other amazed.
“I am Adam Cartwright and this is my son Mitch”, answered Adam.
Bradley answered, “Well yes, of course. The journey was so tough that I had forgotten your names completely. Excuse me.”
“I am going to help Hop Sing”, Mitch said quickly where after he went to the kitchen.
Adam took a seat into the blue chair and looked at ‘his father’.
In the kitchen Mitch sat at the kitchen table.
Suddenly he asked, “Hop Sing, haven’t you noticed something strange about grandpa?”
“What does little Mitch mean?”, asked the cook.
“Grandpa doesn’t recognize us, comes home with horse and carriage instead of with Buck and wears strange clothes”, the little Cartwright explained.
“Maybe twin brother of Mr Cartwright?”, asked Hop Sing.
“Then grandpa would have said it. That old man is not my grandpa”, Mitch said determined.
He was sure about that.
During supper there was a knock on the door. Hop Sing answered it.
“Evening Hop Sing. Is Mr Cartwright in?”, asked the woman who carried the name of Dixie.
“Miss, there are 3 Cartwrights in house. Which one you must have?”, asked the cook.
Dixie answered, “The oldest Mr Cartwright. Ben Cartwright.”
Hop Sing walked to the dining room and said, “Mr Ben Cartwright, lady for you.”
“Thanks”, said Bradley.
He got up and walked quickly to the front door and Hop Sing back to the kitchen. Adam and Mitch ate on as usual.
When Bradley saw the visitor he took her apart while he whispered to her, “I would let you know when you could come here. There has been a problem added because there seemed to be living another Cartwright here with his child. First I must get them out of here.”
“I couldn’t wait any longer in that cold and wet cabin. Hop Sing said that there were 2 more Mr Cartwrights in the house. I looked into the barn and saw only Adam’s horse standing. So that is then Adam with his little son. Everybody in Virginia City knows that Ben Cartwright has a grandson”, said Dixie.
“I hadn’t gotten that information yet. But I will deal with them by sending them off on vacation. After that I sell this ranch and from the profit we going on a world trip together”, said Bradley.
“How do you want to sell this ranch? That’s impossible. You may try it but I tell you that it will never work. Especially not with Adam Cartwright around. I don’t want to have anything to do with you anymore. And if you bother me 1 more time I not only tell Adam everything I know from and about you but it also gets printed in the newspaper. Good day Bradley Meredith!”, Dixie said fierce.
She walked firm to her carriage and got in. Here after she left. Bradley realized that both Adam and Dixie were a problem for him. And that little Cartwright totally. So he had a bone to pick with the all 3 of them.
Adam let Mitch play for a while until it was time for bed. The little Cartwright saw something notable at his ‘grandpa’ but asked about it until Adam tucked him in.
“Daddy, why does grandpa wear glasses when he reads? He never does that, doesn’t he?”, asked Mitch.
“Well kid, sometimes when someone gets old like grandpa his eyes also get worse. To be able to see well he wears glasses. But sometimes it’s only necessary to read. Then he wears reading glasses. Grandpa downstairs does that too. Sweet dreams”, said Adam.
“Good night”, said Mitch.
He got another night kiss from his father and fell asleep right away. Though Adam remained a while sitting by his son to think. Bradley was really not his father. It was obviously clear that Bradley didn’t know Adam and Mitch.
When Adam came downstairs Bradley said, “Adam, I have decided to send you and your little boy to St. Louis. See it as an earned vacation.”
“Where do we get this for?”, Adam asked amazed.
“May a father not send his son and grandson on vacation? I also give you enough money along. Just let that little one see St. Louis . he probably will like that”, answered Bradley.
“I will think about it. But there is more than plenty work to do here at the ranch. I can hardly leave everything to Candy”, said Adam.
“Candy? The work on the ranch is yet far too heavy for a woman?”, Bradley asked amazed.
“Well, Candy is not a woman but our foreman. He works hard too”, Adam said smiling.
Bradley nodded smiling on the wrong side of his mouth. Adam got up and went outside. On the yard he ran into foreman Candy Canaday.
“Say Adam, what did that saloon gal of a Dixie here? I saw her earlier talking to Mr Cartwright. After that she left very quickly”, said the foreman.
“Dixie from the Lucky Nuggett saloon? Pa never comes there”, reacted Adam.
“Your pa doesn’t but that old man probably does. I don’t trust him like I trust your pa. Is Mitch already sleeping?”, asked the foreman.
“Yes, but he has notable lots of questions. You know how fast he notices something different about a known person. Tomorrow I am going to interrogate that Dixie. Do you also keep an eye on the little one?”, asked Adam.
Candy nodded.
Adam held Dixie tight and asked stern, “What do you know about the man who claims to be my father?”
“Let me go, Adam. I will tell you everything but let me go”, begged Dixie.
Adam let her go and followed Dixie to her room. She told everything she knew of and about Bradley Meredith.
“That’s why Mitch and I got offered that vacation to St. Louis with so much money? Now I understand everything”, said Adam.
Dixie said apologizing, “I am sorry Adam. At first I really didn’t know that Bradley wanted to sell the ranch.”
“I accept your apology. You go in our place on vacation to St. Louis”, Adam answered and grabbed the money which Bradley had given him.
“I stay there right away”, said Dixie.
She grabbed the money and her stuff and left right away for St. Louis. Adam went to pick up his son at the Walker family where he had dropped him off earlier that day.
“Adam, are you staying for supper? The boys are just playing outside for a while”, Laura Walker, the mother of Matthew Walker and who also was babysitting Mitch, said.
“With pleasure”, answered the eldest Cartwright boy.
He told her and her husband Dan what was going on at the Ponderosa. It shocked them as well.
Adam decided to look for the publicity to draw Bradley Meredith that way. It had effect because it even got into the newspaper in Carson City.
“Pa, you must read this. Adam says in the paper that somebody wants to sell our ranch”, Hoss said amazed while he gave his father the newspaper.
Ben Cartwright grabbed the newspaper and read the article.
“That’s the fault of Bradley Meredith. He is as like as two peas in a pod like me. Now he really has gone too far. Hoss and Joseph, you go to Virginia City to talk to your brother”, said the rancher.
They went to pack their bag and rode to Virginia City.
Of course Bradley noticed that especially Adam was a big threat for him. Mitch was still far too little and too young to understand his plan. Though Bradley could try to win the youngest Cartwright for him. But yet before the conman could do that himself was the spoilsport.
On Wednesday afternoon Mitch always was doing something with his grandpa.
“Mitch, I am away all afternoon this afternoon”, Bradley said during breakfast.
“But we always go fishing on Wednesday afternoon”, reacted Mitch.
“Then we do that another time. Business go before pleasure”, answered Bradley.
He clearly had no time and especially no intension to do something fun with a 4 year old. Mitch noticed that and quickly he ate on. Here after being insulted he went outside where Candy was. Candy noticed that there was something and took his little friend along to the back garden. Their dog Cody followed them. They went to sit down on the ground. Candy looked at Mitch questionable.
“That old man is totally different from grandpa. He doesn’t even want to do something with me”, Mitch said disappointed.
“At the way he is behaving himself it’s for me also clear that he isn’t your grandpa. But we do go fishing together this afternoon. Only I need help with cleaning up the hay barn. Could you help me?”, asked the foreman.
“Don’t you know how that must be done?”, Mitch asked amazed.
Candy answered, “No. that’s why I am asking it you.”
By the young Cartwright a weak smile appeared and by Candy too. They got up and walked to the hay barn. Candy knew the little Cartwright from birth and in the years they had become good friends. The foreman noticed that Mitch was very confused by the double of Ben Cartwright.
“Mitch, you wipe all the loose hay together”, said Candy.
Mitch went to work but Candy didn’t. Suddenly the foreman threw some hay at his friend.
“Candy!”, said Mitch.
“Did you call me?”, Candy asked innocent.
“I work hard and you throw hay over me”, answered Mitch.
The foreman picked the boy up and put him on a hay bale.
“You stay sitting here and I will do the rest”, said Candy.
Of course Mitch couldn’t resist to pelt Candy with hay. First Candy only looked at the little culprit. But a moment later Candy again got pelt with hay. Of course this ended up in a big hay fight.
“You are going to ask Hop Sing if he prepares a picnic basket and I clean it up here. After that we go fishing”, Candy said after the hay fight.
That happened. Because Mitch spent his time with Candy he could forget Bradley for a while. The boy even forgot about his father that afternoon. As usual Cody was with them.
Adam came out of the Silver Dollar saloon when he saw his Hoss and Joe coming. They stopped their horses.
“Have you been naughty that pa sent you here to?”, Adam asked dry.
“Then you mean our little brother Little Joe. No, pa read that article about you and that Bradley Meredith. That’s why he sent us to talk to you. Where is Mitchy?”, asked Hoss.
“He is with the parents of Matthew. By that Meredith Mitch is very confused. Candy has also taken care of him a few times. Mr Meredith offered us a luxury vacation to St. Louis so he could sell the ranch. Do you k now that saloon girl Dixie who worked at the Lucky Nuggett?”, asked Adam.
“That blonde?”, Joe asked for the security.
His eldest brother nodded and continued, “It seemed that they were earlier together. Though ‘our pa’ let a lady wait in a wet and cold cabin whereby she came to the ranch. Candy saw them talking. Later we me each other and she told me everything. She is now to St. Louis.”
Suddenly Hoss pulled his brothers aside. The brothers saw Bradley coming. He stopped in front of the Lucky Nuggett and went inside.
“Go and get Mitchy. Then we let him walk into the trap”, said Hoss.
“Have a beer on me. Joe, you are going to tell this to pa and let him come over here then”, said Adam.
He gave his brother 2 dollar and mounted on his horse. Adam rode away and Hoss went into the saloon. Joe went to get his father and tell him everything.
Adam picked up his son and rode with him back to Virginia City.
Mitch saw the horse of his uncle and asked, “Did grandpa have enough of uncle Hoss?”
“I am afraid so”, was Adam’s answer.
He stopped his horse and dismounted. The sorrel got hitched and Mitch got lifted from it. Via the saloon doors of the Silver Dollar Saloon Adam saw his brother and he whistled at him. Of course Hoss came right away. The brothers kept Mitch silent when Bradley walked by.
Bradley Meredith walked into the bank and said, “I want to see the manager.”
David Morris said, “I am the manager, Mr Cartwright. Just come into my office.”
Bradley followed him and sat down.
“I am going to sell the Ponderosa. The boys each have found their own place to live”, said Bradley.
For a moment David didn’t know what to say. Then Mitch came in running followed by Adam and Hoss.
“He is not my real grandpa”, said the youngest Cartwright.
“Mitch, come here!”, Adam said strict.
“Leave us alone”, said Bradley.
He hit the boy against the ground whereby Mitch remained lying unconscious on the ground. The brothers and David knew enough. Bradley knew that now his game was over.
“Hoss, now you see that we were right. Take him to the sheriff. I will look after Mitch”, said Adam.
“Just leave your son here. Take him along”, said David.
The brothers took Bradley along to the sheriff where their father was too.
“Roy, lock up this conman because he wanted to sell our ranch and he knocked down Mitch”, said Adam.
Roy took the conmen down to the cell and locked him up.
“Where is Mitch now?”, asked Ben.
“In the bank” said Hoss.
The men went straight to it. Mitch had come round again. The boys told about the suspicion of Mitch.
Ben took his grandson into his arms, sat down and said to him reassuring, “I am your real grandpa and will never sell the Ponderosa if it’s not necessary.”
“But that man said that he lives at our ranch now”, Mitch said amazed.
Now he clearly didn’t understand it anymore which the men noticed.
“Mitch, daddy said that you noticed right away that Mr Meredith didn’t recognize you”, said Ben.
Mitch nodded and told then, “That fake grandpa didn’t even come to tuck me in like you do after daddy. He also wears glasses to read.”
“Pa, I think that it’s better if we go home with Mitchy”, said Hoss.
Ben nodded and left with his sons and grandson the bank.
The rancher put his grandson on his horse Buck and mounted on after that. Adam and Hoss mounted on their horses where after the Cartwrights rode to their ranch.