At an afternoon Adam Cartwright was working at the yard when an unknown carriage came towards him. The lady inside it stopped the carriage and looked at the ranch house.
“Is this the address of the Cartwrights?”, she asked friendly.
Adam turned around and got a shock to get over.
“What are you standing there so stupid looking at me? I ask you something and then I demand an answer right away”, the lady said snappy.
“Sorry but you resemble very much like my departed wife. The Cartwrights do live here indeed. I am Adam”, Adam said confused.
“Then I am at the right place. I am your sister-in-law Lucy and come to collect the children. From now on they live with me”, said Lucy.
“Which children? My twins? You won’t get them along because they live here and belong here”, Adam said fierce.
“We will see about that. I see you in court and then I get the custody. My father and I can take care of them better than you on your own”, snapped Lucy.
“Your father? Is he out of jail then again? He was convicted to so many years in prison a few years ago?”, Adam asked amazed.
“We bought the punishment off”, said Lucy.
She turned the carriage and rode away. Adam didn’t feel at ease anymore and went to get his children from school. On the way he ran into his brother Hoss. Hoss noticed right away that there was a whole lot at the matter.
“Adam, calm down first”, Hoss said quiet.
Adam calmed down with much difficulty and looked at his brother.
“I just got a visit from my sister-in-law Lucy. She demands the custody over my children. Her father and she claim that they can take better care of the twins than I can on my own”, told Adam.
“Nonsense. You raise the twins excellent. Many can take an example to your raising arts. Are you going to get them from school ?”, asked his brother.
Adam nodded.
“Then I go with you”, said Hoss said determined.
He noticed that his brother was very upset and couldn’t and mustn’t be left alone. A moment later they got company by their father, Cartwright and dog Cody.
“What are you doing here?”, asked the rancher.
“My sister-in-law wants to have the custody over the twins. She is the twin sister of Mary”, replied Adam.
“Hoss, you go home and wait for us there. Adam, first we collect the children and then to Hiram”, said Ben.
So said so done.
Ben and Adam went with the twins and Cody to their lawyer Hiram Wood.
Ben explained everything where after Hiram said, “Can you wait outside for a moment? I want to see the children alone for a second.”
“May Cody stay with us?”, Mitch asked worried.
“Just let him here”, said Hiram.
Ben and Adam left the office and waited outside.
“Tell me everything you know about the parents of your mother”, said Hiram.
Mitch said, “Grandpa Watts has kept me prisoned for three weeks when Lisa was just born. Grandma Watts came to see us but died because she wanted to kill mamma. I also ran away from home because I wanted to get to know them better. In a hotel they told me in the presence of grandpa and daddy that I am not their grandson. And only because I am crippled.”
“I have never seen them because mom didn’t want that”, said Pam.
“Your father has the custody over you and he just keeps that. he takes excellent care of you”, said Hiram.
He walked to the door and hinted Ben and Adam to come inside.
“Adam, from what your children told me is it over clear that your sister-in-law has no right to get their custody. I will make it officially that you have full custody over the twins and keep that too”, said Hiram.
Adam was reassured.
The reaction of her father, Carl Watts, was different than Lucy had expected.
“You have done what?”, raved Carl.
“I went to the Ponderosa and demanded the custody over the twins of Mary. I can take care of them much better than that Adam Cartwright”, Lucy replied calm.
“We have done everything to ban them out of our lives and you get them back. That lad, Mitchell, is crippled and a big nuisance to everyone. By him your brother and my son died. The Cartwright twins is not related to us. Those of Sheila Jenkins yes. Understood?”, asked Carl.
Lucy nodded but disagreed with it clearly. She grabbed a hunting rifle and shot down her father. Though Carl was hit but he still enough strength left to send his daughter to the eternal hunting fields. A second later he passed away.
At the Ponderosa Little Joe heard about the problems which Adam had with his sister-in-law.
“We are look up that bitch and give her a piece of our mind”, he said fierce.
“But pa said that we had to wait for them here”, said Hoss.
“It is about the future of our nephew and niece. Surely pa will understand it”, reacted his brother.
They quickly rode away and arrived at the mansion where
Carl and Lucy Watts lived. Near the front door the horses got stopped. Hoss and Little Joe dismounted and walked carefully to the house. They got a strange feeling inside. Without further a doubt the brothers entered the house and they found the two bodies in the hall.
“Well, they are goners”, Hoss said sober.
“This is very important for Adam and the twins”, said Little Joe.
Again they rode away quickly but this time to Virginia City.
The brothers rushed into the office of Hiram.
“Pa, Hiram, we were just by the Watts family and it turns out that they have killed each other”, Little Joe said excited.
“Joe, that is for us good news because that means you may or must enjoy the twins for years to come”, replied Hiram.
“And we them”, reacted Pam.
“And we have great babysitters”, said her brother.
Now his family-in-law was wiped away from the globe and he alone had the custody over his children Adam could get on with his life at the Ponderosa with a relieved heart.