It was Christmas day 1868. The grownups Cartwrights were already downstairs when Mitch and Cody walked to the stairs. They heard an unfamiliar sound coming from the living room.
“Cody, they are not doing what I think they are doing?”, Mitch asked the dog. Cody barked. Together they ran down to discover the unknown sound. Halfway the staircase Mitch continued to stand on the landing. Firstly he looked a lot at astonished to his family members and started then hard to laugh. Cody ran to the others and started loudly bark. Mitch repaired and ran to them.
“If you are singing for me you can let it too. This way it does not sound terribly”, Mitch noticed dry.
“We sang correctly for you but if you do not find it beautiful you get also none presents”, said Little Joe teasing.
“Oh, I found it nevertheless beautiful. I thought rather that the coyotes were busy but that was you therefore”, reacted his nephew.
“Most congratulated with your birthday and still a lot, lot of years”, Ben said whereas he lifted his grandson whose birthday it was.
“Thanks Grandpa”, said Mitch said a bit timidly.
Adam already had congratulated him when he had removed him from the bed as that was the case each morning.
Hoss and Little Joe congratulated their nephew also. Mitch also got the felicitations of course of Candy.
“You get now the gifts for your birthday and after the breakfast the ones for your Christmas”, said Adam.
Mitch nodded and looked at everyone with full expectation. He went to sit on the settee and
got of Adam a large box. Mitch rapidly unpacked it and found a glove with ball.
“Daddy, what nice”, said the boy excited.
From Hoss, Little Joe and Candy got Mitch each a ball and of Ben a little wooden bat.
“Mitch, promise me that you do not will throw if you are inside. Only outside”, said Adam seriously.
Mitch nodded.
“That bat is exactly as large as Mitchy himself”, said Hoss.
“That is bat where you going away with Mitch”, joked Little Joe.
Hoss and Little Joe laughed but Adam caught his brothers by asking, ”Do you know what is notable if you put that bat next to you ?”
Nobody knew the answer therefore the oldest Cartwright boy said, ”The beauty of that bat.”
Ben and Candy were rolling on the floor laughing but Hoss and Little Joe were impossible to grin.
On the Ponderosa it was an upheaval of stir. The youngest family member, Mitch, was six year old and that was to see also. He already was by nature already very busy but now he his sixth birthday entirely. Adam had to do his utmost to keep him in check.
“Kid, go play outside with Cody for a while”, said Adam said finally.
He dressed him warmly and opened the front door. Cody followed him immediately. Outside Mitch made small snow doll and went to play with Cody afterwards. The two were enraged on each other and inseparable. Mitch threw to what snowballlen until Adam came to see how the land laid. He came outside to and got directly large snowball thrown at him.
There firstly and then got the person whose birthday it was heard a deep sigh followed on strict tone at, “Mitchell Jonathan Cartwright, come here immediately!”
“I believe that daddy is angry with us”, Mitch said grinning to Cody.
They ran to the porch.
Mitch asked laughing touched to Adam, “Have you been hit by a snowball?”
He looked at his coat and asked on his turn, “Are you always asking those stupid questions?
“If you put them also, however,”, said Mitch quick-witted.
Adam wanted to say something but could consider nothing.
Just after for a long time he asked he, “We will cut your cake. Or do you want to do it?”
“It is my cake therefore must I it do”, answered to the boy.
“Come inside then rapidly. Come Cody”, said Adam.
The couple came in rapidly.
Hop Sing came in with a large cake.
Hoss said teasing, “A large cake for a small boy.”
“Guess three times who gets no cake now?”, reacted Mitch.
Everyone laughed. With the aid of his father Mitch cut the cake in equal pieces. Of course Cody too wasn’t forgotten.
After the cake and coffee Mitch and Cody disappeared quickly outside again where they stayed the whole afternoon.
After some time Adam, Hoss, Little Joe and Candy came also outside to throw snowballs with the two youngest inhabitants of the ranch. Hereby Hop Sing could prepare the Christmas dinner in all peace without that Hoss came walking into the kitchen constantly to steal some food.
During the kerstdiner Mitch had already gnawed off his chicken leg and he saw that the one of Hoss was still lying there. The boy waited his chance and exchanged exactly at the good moment his plate with that of his uncle.
Then he asked completely innocent, ”Daddy, can you help with my house work just as soon?”
Adam nodded. He had discovered what was going on. The others saw that also and had effort their laugh to contents.
“You do not like your chicken leg?”, Ben asked his grandson.
“Gees, I had entirely forget that it lay still on my plate”, Mitch reacted dry.
“Mitchy Cartwright! How it is in peace name possible that you had got a piece of chicken and I not?”, Hoss asked astonished.
“Because I have become six today?”, asked his nephew.
“That is no reason”, said Hoss.
“If you slim of the staircase you are rapidly downstairs”, Mitch reacted dry.
“That is a shame of the staircase. At least if you damage him”, said Candy.
“What is that nevertheless terrible nicely from you. Where is my chicken leg?”, asked Hoss incensed.
“To the chicken”, said Little Joe.
“And those sit in the poultry unit”, his nephew in completed.
Hoss looked at on each plate and saw rapidly that his plate lay at his nephew.
“Mitchy, are that my chicken leg which lie there at your plate?”, asked Hoss.
The boy looked at it and said, “There lay no note with your name.”
“That is so but you have you chicken leg already and I not yet. You can become six years old today but that gives you not yet the right for you to grab MY chicken leg at barges”, said Hoss.
He grabbed his plate and started gnaw to his chicken leg. Everyone started laugh loudly.
When the dessert came at the table Mitch kept a close watch on his big Uncle. Adam noticed that his son had become very tired due to the cold air outside.
“Kid, after dinner you go straight to bed”, he said.
“Good. But Uncle Hoss will NEVER get my dessert!”, was the comment of the boy.
Hoss said nothing but resolved himself to take revenge at his sweetest nephew.