Halloween 1876. Mitch and Pam Cartwright rejoiced themselves about what would happen that evening. Their parents (Adam and Sally Cartwright) had given permission to go with Matthew Walker from door to door for trick or treat. Their younger sister Lisa got involved as well so she was also allowed to go along.
During lunch Adam said to the twins, “You look well after Lisa. Otherwise you may never do this again.”
“Understood pa. By the way, why isn’t a grownup going with us?”, asked Mitch.
“That might be better perhaps. I will go along”, Ben, the owner of the Ponderosa ranch and grandpa of Mitch, Pam and Lisa.
“Maybe widow Hawkins can use your company”, said Little Joe, the youngest Cartwright brother.
“I bring the kids to Virginia City and wait for them at Roy’s”, reacted Ben.
“Cody goes along with us as well”, said Mitch.
“How are you going to be dressed as?”, asked Hoss.
“I go as cowboy”, said Mitch.
His sister said, “Me as cowgirl.”
“I become witch”, Lisa said giggling.
“Mitch, do wear your belt with revolver. Just in case that”, said Adam.
Mitch nodded.
The whole afternoon the children were busy with their Halloween evening. It was also the birthday of their uncle Joe but the youngest Cartwright brother had self said that the children were allowed to go away.
After supper Ben, Mitch, Pam, Lisa and Cody went away. Hoss had prepared the wagon for departure.
At the office of sheriff Roy Coffee Ben stopped the wagon. Matthew was already waiting with his father Dan Walker. The Cartwrights came off the wagon.
“Kids, you behave yourselves and if there is anything you can find us at the sheriff’s”, said the rancher.
The children nodded and went pass all the doors.
“Dan, are you coming to bother Roy?”, Ben asked smiling.
“I am always in for that”, said the mine worker.
They went into the office and found Roy at work.
“Gentlemen, what can I do for you?”, asked the sheriff.
“My children are celebrating here Halloween with Matthew so we wait for them here”, said Ben.
“Nice”, sighed Roy.
Dan rubbed in his big hands and asked, “Ben, it’s getting quite cold already. Would there still be fresh coffee to get warm?”
“Indeed. Roy always makes great coffee”, answered the rancher.
Roy knew what time it was and went to make the coffee right away.
In the meantime the children went from door to door with Cody. Mitch had Cody on the leash and held Lisa by him.
“Mitch, can we rest? I am tired”, Lisa said at a certain moment.
“There is the market square and then we go to sit down”, said her brother.
They walked to a bench to rest. Even though it was busy in town like each evening but still the children got left alone. Especially because Cody was with them.
Mitch noticed that his little sister was very tired and asked, “Lisa, must we bring you to grandpa?”
“I do get my part of the loot, don’t I?”, she asked on her turn.
“Of course”, said Pam.
“Then I want to go to grandpa”, said Lisa.
They got up and walked to the office of the sheriff. Suddenly Pam began to scream.
“Sis, what is the matter?”, Mitch asked worried.
“Someone is hanging there”, she said shocked, pointing at someone who was hung up.
The boys looked in the direction of the hanging man.
“He is a goner”, said Matthew.
“And that on Halloween. We must warn the sheriff”, said Mitch.
They ran to the office of the sheriff and rushed inside. Roy, Ben and Dan were playing cards when the children came in.
“Kids, what is the matter?”, Ben asked worried.
“At the market square a man hangs dangling on a rope. He is as dead as a doornail”, answered Mitch.
“Was it really a man?”, Dan asked teasing.
“Mr Walker, I do know the difference between a man and a woman”, Mitch reacted quick-witted.
“Dan, you look after the girls. Ben, you and I go with Mitch and Matthew to point out the corpse”, said Roy.
So said, so done.
The boys brought the men to the hangout and the corpse was discovered by more people.
“Folks, walk on. There is nothing to see”, said Roy.
But nobody went away until Cody barked. Then they flew away. Only Ben, Roy and the boys stayed behind. Deputy Clem Foster came to them as well.
“Dan told me what the children had found. Who is it?”, asked Clem.
“Someone who isn’t alive anymore but still hangs around”, Mitch answered dry.
“Very funny Mitch. But I asked about the name”, answered Clem.
He and Ben took the body off the gallows and put the corpse on the ground.
The men checked the corpse and Ben said, “That is Jason Keller.”
“Clem, go inform Doc Martin about Jason Keller. He just has to find out how he died”, said Roy.
Clem went away at once.
Ben said to Mitch and Matthew, “We go to the office of the sheriff Coffee to pick up the girls and then go home.”
“What a pity. It just started to become fun”, Matthew said with reluctance.
“If it was a doll I knew who the culprits were”, said Mitch.
“Your uncles for sure?”, asked the rancher.
“Exactly”, said Mitch.
Though the boys and Cody went along.
In the office of the sheriff Ben asked, “Ladies, are you coming home?”
“Alright”, Pam said on behalf of Lisa and with reluctance.
“Matthew, we go home as well”, said Dan.
Matthew took his share of the candy and went home with his father. The Cartwrights went home too. Halfway Lisa fell asleep by her brother and Cody. But the twins were wide awake.
“Sis, we have had a very different Halloween. Even uncle Joe could never had thought of this”, said Mitch.
“Maybe thought about it but then it would fail anyway”, reacted Pam.
They laughed despite the serious stuff.
Arrived at home Mitch said excited to his father and uncles, “
Going from door to door with Halloween is fun but this time it was extra excited. Pam saw a man dangling on a gallows. At first we thought it was a joke from uncle Hoss and uncle Joe but he turned out to be dead for real.”
“You stay here inside”, Adam said to the twins.
He went outside.
“Adam, first bring Lisa to bed because she is already sleeping”, said Ben.
Adam grabbed his daughter out of the wagon and carried her to her room. Hoss came outside to detach the wagon.
“What is that about a corpse on a gallows?”, he asked amazed.
“The children found Jason Keller on a gallows”, answered Ben.
“Jason Keller? The one who hates us so much?”, Hoss asked unbelievable.
“Yes, that Jason Keller. It’s not yet known how he died or why”, said Ben.
He helped Hoss with the wagon while Joe received the twins.
“Who was that corpse?”, asked Joe.
“Grandpa said that it was Jason Keller”, answered Mitch.
Joe stood looking amazed for a second. The twins knew that there was a whole lot going on and looked at their uncle questionable.
“He always has hated us because he used to work for us a short time but too lazy to do anything. So grandpa fired him. That was when I was just a bit older that you are now”, Joe explained.
“And since then he hates us?”, asked Pam.
“Yes. After his firing he disappeared trackless. Until now”, answered Joe.
The twins were silent for a moment because this was news for them. Then Adam came downstairs again.
“Kids, off to bed because it’s early day tomorrow again”, he said to his two eldest.
With reluctance they went upstairs to sleep.
“Adam, do you still remember Jason Keller?”, asked Joe.
“Yes, why?”, Adam asked amazed.
“The children found him hanging on a gallows in town. Mitch and Pam asked me about him”, answered Joe.
Adam sighed deep and said, “I began to wonder already when he would show up again. Tonight it was.”
When Ben and Hoss came also inside the rancher told the whole story.
“My children go into town and run into something like that. Great”, Adam said after he had heard everything.
“Well, let’s hope they are not left with anything and we go to bed. Goo night boys”, answered Ben.
Soon everything at the Ponderosa ranch was in a deep rest. But somewhere else a woman was making up a mean plan.
The next morning during breakfast.
Mitch asked, “Grandpa, is there already something known about that corpse on the gallows?”
“Not yet. Later on I go to Virginia City to inform”, answered Ben.
Then there was a knock at the door.
The loyal Chinese cook Hop Sing answered and a furious Martha Keller rushed into the dining room.
“Who found my late husband?”, she snapped.
“We, my brother and I, found him on the gallows hanging”, Pam answered worried.
“Come along both!”, said Martha.
She pointed a rifle at the twins and threatened to kill them until she got shot down herself by Joe who just came in with Cody.
Though Martha saw chance to shoot at Mitch and Pam and both bullets hit the two eldest grandchildren of Ben in their right arm. Martha died a moment later to big relief of the Cartwrights.
“Come kids. To the kitchen”, Sally, the mother of the twins and Lisa, said.
She and her sister-in-law Betsy helped the two up and took them to the kitchen. Hoss and Joe took the corpse of Martha along.
“Hopefully we are finally released from them for good”, Adam sighed.
“I think so. You watch the little ones, then I go along with Hoss and Joseph”, said Ben.
Adam promised that.
In the kitchen Mitch and Pam got treated and they only had gotten a graze wound. They soon had forgotten the pain, especially when Hop Sing baked double eggs sunny-side up specially for them. The twins ate it in the kitchen though.
When Sally and Betsy came into the living room they saw Adam reading the little ones (Lisa and her sister Rose and their cousin Inger). The ladies wanted to say something but instead they went to clear the dining table.
In Virginia City Roy and Clem were very glad that Martha Keller was dead too.
“She came to say us that she had hung up her husband to scare the children. They had seen hem earlier the evening and then carried out this plan”, said Roy.
“Well, then they really must get up really early to frighten my grandchildren. By the way she did shoot at the twins”, said Ben.
“Well, I hope that there never comes a Halloween evening like last night”, said Roy.
Of course the Cartwrights hoped that too.