Moving

Monica Parker had a secret meeting with Kate Young. Monica wanted to have the house of her late mother back at any cost which was left to Matthew Walker and the twins Mitch and Pam Cartwright. Here by Monica hated them very much. Kate Young was the ex sister-in-law of Polly Miller who now was married to Mitch.

“I am going to demand that they will get thrown out. Then I’m going to live there and you too”, Monica said to Kate.

“I help you”, Kate said smiling.

They worked out the plan further.

On Monday May 9, 1881 an unmarked letter got delivered at the house where the Cartwright twins lived with their families. The old shepherd dog Cody found the letter and brought it to his owners.

Matthew got the letter and said, “Thanks Cody.”

The brief was coming from a corrupt lawyer George Palmer. Matthew couldn’t believe his eyes when he read the letter from George Palmer.

“How is this possible?”, he asked.

“What is possible?”, asked his brother-in-law Mitch.

Matthew read the letter.

“So we must be out on June 1 finally? I do want to have a roof under the heads of our wives and children”, reacted Mitch.

He and Polly had 2 sons (Jake and Benji) and daughter Emma. Matthew was married to the twin sister of Mitch, Pam and had with her twins, Mary and Iris. Pam was with the children by Sally, her mother.

“Mitch, first we go to your parents and after that to mine, perhaps they know something”, said Matthew.

The parents of Mitch were Adam and Sally Cartwright. Those of Matthew were Dan and Laura Walker.

“Polly, you stay here”, said Mitch.

She nodded and kissed her husband goodbye.

Adam read the letter but didn’t trust it.

“Do you know that George Palmer?”, asked Matthew.

“Yes, unfortunately yes. He is very corrupt and does everything for money. We go now to your parents, Matt. After that Palmer gets a visit from us”, answered his father-in-law.

Matthew always was being called Matt by his family.

To great luck of the boys Dan Walker knew George Palmer too. But Dan and George were no friends of each other. Especially because the daughter of George, Anna, couldn’t marry anymore the one whom she was in love with. And that was of all people Matthew.

Anna saw the Cartwrights and Walkers coming and went inside quickly.

“Pa, I just see that Matthew Walker coming. Would he like to get rid of that Cartwright gal anyway? Then I have all hope to become Mrs Matthew Walker”, Anna said excited.

“Walker is a good catch but if I was you I married Mitch Cartwright”, reacted George.

“Why? He is crippled and a baseball coach”, said Anna.

“You forget 1 important fact about him: that boy is the oldest child of Adam Cartwright. And he is in his turn the oldest son of Ponderosa ranch owner Ben Cartwright. So Mitch is just like his father heir”, George explained.

But Anna had no intension of marrying a Cartwright.

“Each Cartwright is a snob. But fortunately we aren’t that”, she said haughtily.

Anna went outside and ran into the Cartwrights and Walkers. To her big annoying they ignored her completely.

Adam came straight to the point by asking the lawyer, “How dare you to put 2 young families out on the street while the house it legally theirs?”

George played the innocent himself by saying, “Cartwright, I really don’t know what you are talking about.”

He looked at the visitors triumphant with a look like: now you are powerless.

“You do know and we know that you have written this letter. Who gave the order to it?”, asked Dan.

He threw the letter on the desk of the lawyer.

“Once again: I don’t know anything about this letter. And now get out because I have more things to do”, said George.

Then he saw that Mitch picked up everything in his office and looked at it. Adam saw that too but didn’t do anything.

George got up, walked to the young Cartwright and said very furiously, “Keep your dirty paws off my beautiful stuff. Otherwise I throw you now out of your house and your sister too!”

He didn’t even notice that he made a slip.

“That is interesting what you say there”, Adam said smiling.

“How can you say that there are here beautiful things where there are 10 layers of dust on them? But it was nice to meet you”, Mitch said while he wiped off his black hands at the white shirt of the lawyer.

George looked at him furiously where after Mitch and Matthew went outside. But Adam and Dan remained in the office.

“You clearly haven’t taught your son no manners, Cartwright. Let him touch somebody’s stuff”, George said furious.

Adams reaction was:“Mitch has learned manners but he has forgotten them. That happens with boys. But you don’t know anything about that of course. Because you have only 1 daughter.”

He and Dan left the office too but took the letter along. They went to the lawyer of the Cartwright family, Ira Minton.

“Mitch and Matthew, this letter isn’t valid. He is made with a printing press like a newspaper is being made. Besides it’s not confirmed by a judge”, said Ira.

“When Mrs Parker has died and pa and I carried her outside her house changed into the nice house that it is now”, said Adam.

“So if we leave there it becomes that scary ghost house again?”, asked Mitch asked carefully.

“That could be. You can go and live with grandpa. He is now alone because your uncles have their own house too”, said Adam.

The brothers-in-law looked at each other and Matthew said, “We will have to discuss it first with the ladies. But I don’t think that they will object.”

The Cartwrights and Walkers went home, not knowing what had happened there.

Because her ex-sister-in-law Polly Cartwright took care of the twins Jake and Emma Kate Young still wanted to take revenge on the mother of the children. She still thought that she could take care of them better than anyone else.

That morning Kate found Polly in the stable.

“So now you have become a farmer’s wife?”, Kate asked hatefully.

“No, I am the wife of a rancher. What are you doing here anyway?”, Polly asked on her turn.

“I come to pick up my nephew and niece. I may look after them of the judge from now on”, said Kate.

Polly didn’t know what she heard. She knew that Kate was completely disturbed and also very dangerous. Polly got rescued by Skip who came into the barn curious by the voices he heard in the stable. Kate turned around and looked at a groaning Labrador who was showing his teeth too.

“Now you are safe but not for long. Because I am going to live here with my girlfriend”, snapped Kate.

She ran away and Skip to Polly. She kneeled down and stroke him.

“You are my rescuer. Thanks Skip”, said Polly.

“Woof”, said Skip.

Polly got up and walked outside with the dog.

“Just spend a lot of time with your little children. Because you will see me here more often”, snapped Kate.

She grabbed her carriage and drove away quickly.

Polly went into the ranch house and on the settee Lucky came to sit by her. She stroked the white cat who purred satisfied. She enjoyed the peace and quiet which was in the house at that moment. Carefully Polly put a hand on her belly and smiled. ‘Just a little while and then everyone can see well that we expect a baby’, she thought.

In the kitchen Pam said to Sally, “Mom, what will I be glad when that sickness is over.”

“Which sickness?”, Sally asked amazed.

“The same sickness as when I was having the twins”, answered her daughter.

Sally understood it and said, “So you are pregnant? How nice for you and Matt.”

She flew Pam around the neck and kissed her of happiness.

“The baby comes in December”, said Pam.

She knew that the little one also would come in a good and warm family.

In an unseen moment Kate lured her nephew Jake and niece Emma away from the ranch. She had seen a water and that had given her an idea. Kate brought the children to the water and stopped the carriage.

She looked at the twins and said, “I may not take care of you so your mother will not be allowed to take care you anymore either!”

A moment later Kate drove away laughing. But now she sat alone in the carriage.

Monica though had no intention of being homeless any longer and decided to throw the Cartwrights out harsh on her own way. She drove to the house and dismounted. Even though the old shepherd dog Cody and Skip were there Monica just went inside. Looking at the walls Monica thought admiring, ‘Soon I live in this beautiful place.’ In the hall laid a baseball bat of Mitch. Monica grabbed the bat and walked into the living room.

“Out of my house!”, snapped Monica.

“You must get out of the house!”, reacted Polly.

“Wrong answer”, said the visitor.

Monica hit Polly off the settee where after Polly remained unconscious lying on the ground.

Monica danced of happiness singing, “Now I live here.”

But where she hadn’t counted on did happen. Cody suddenly looked like a young pup instead of an old shepherd dog. Together with Skip and Lucky he attacked Monica so that she fell down and kicked the bucket by a broken neck. The 2 dogs and cat went to sit silently with Polly.

Somewhere else on their land rode the brothers Hoss and Joe Cartwright. Suddenly they stopped near a water.

“Joe, do you see what I see?”, Hoss asked worried.

His younger brother looked and answered, “I see that. Come on.”

They jumped off their horses and ran into the water. A moment later the brothers put 2 children on the edge.

“Joe, that are Jake and Emma”, Hoss said shocked.

They examined the children and discovered that they were still alive. The brothers took the little victims along to the big ranch house where their father Ben Cartwright lived.

Mitch felt that something had happened at home because he gave his horse Caramel the spurs. Matthew followed him on his heels. The 2 slipped out of their saddles and ran into their house.

“Polly!”, Mitch screamed when he saw his wife lying down.

He went to sit by her and took her into his arms. Matthew saw the mortal remains of Monica and looked at the animals. Adam and Dan came after their sons and saw what had happened. Dan made sure that the animals went outside.

“Matt, you go with your father warn the sheriff. I stay here with Mitch. Warn also the parents of Polly”, Adam said to his son-in-law.

So said, so done.

Adam sat with his son on the porch.

“We had so many other plans. In 6 months time our 4^th child would be born. Now Jake, Emma and Benji must grow up without their mother”, Mitch said with tears in his throat and eyes.

Adam put his arm around the boy but didn’t say anything.

Inside Polly slowly woke up. Carefully she came up and went to sit on the settee. By coincidence Cody came in. When he saw Polly he began to bark loud. Adam and Mitch ran inside.

“Pol, you are still alive!”, called Mitch.

He went to sit next to her and kissed her. Polly told what had happened.

“Dan and Matt are to Virginia City to warn the sheriff and your parents. How do you feel?”, asked Adam.

“Apart from a bit off headache good”, answered his daughter-in-law.

“Mitch, you pack a bag for you both and then you go with Cody and Lucky to grandpa to get by there”, said Adam.

That happened and Adam stayed behind with Skip.

Ben had been taken care of Jake and Emma. They have had a bath and were sleeping after that. The rancher had sent his 2 youngest sons for the doctor.

Mitch rode upon the yard and stopped in front of the porch.

“So now we are going to live here, aren’t we?”, Polly asked on the yard.

“Yes, and our 4^th will be born here. You remain in bed until the little one lies in your arms”, Mitch answered resolute.

“That is alright”, said Polly.

Mitch helped her out of the carriage and after that Cody and Lucky. The animals went to lie down on the porch as usual. Mitch and Polly went inside where Ben welcomed them hearty.

“You sleep in the old bed room of Mitch”, said the rancher when he had heard everything.

Not much later Polly slept too so that her husband went downstairs. Ben received his grandson who had trouble to realize all the happenings of that day. The 2 Cartwrights had a special bond with each other where nobody ever could come in between.

“Grandpa, will it not become a bit too busy for you with us here and the little ones?”, Mitch asked carefully.

“You keep me young and I also want to see my great grandchildren grow up. Now we are talking about them: why don’t you rustle up everyone to help you move? Then we babysit with Pam the girls and Benji. Then they can take the rest of your stuff along”, answered Ben.

“That is alright. I go right away”, said his grandson.

In a jiffy Mitch had recruited each family member and were all granddaughters and the great-grandson of Ben in the big ranch house. Sally and her sisters-in-law (Betsy van Hoss and the wife of Joe, Cora) took care of the wrapping up of the stuff and clothes of the families of the Cartwright twins. The hands had to move everything.

Meanwhile Hoss and Joe were back again with doctor Paul Martin. First Doc examined Jake and Emma. After that Polly got a visit from the heal master. Of course Mitch was there present.

“Polly, everything is alright but I have the vague suspicion that you and Mitch get twins in November”, said the doctor.

“I already had that suspicion too”, said Polly.

“Rest well and also take plenty of rest. I keep a good eye on you and Pam the next coming months”, said Doc.

He went away again.

In Virginia City Dan and Matthew told sheriff Roy Coffee what had happened and the parents of Polly, Jack and Cathy Miller, got to hear the bad news too. They went straight to the Ponderosa.

Cathy already had wet and red eyes from crying but when Adam told her and Jack that Polly was still alive her yes became more red. But now from crying of relief and happiness that Polly was still alive. They went to the big ranch house and took Skip along right away.

Polly was deliriously glad to see her parents and children. Jack and Cathy helped along with the move.

In the evening Mitch and Matthew made a late walk with Skip. They stood watching at their old house when Kate came.

“Go away because Monica and I are going to live here”, snapped Kate.

“Just go inside. We already live somewhere else”, answered Mitch.

He had put the leash on Skip for the safety.

“Come Mitch, we go home with Skip”, said Matthew.

Kate went inside proudly. What happened next could nobody expect. The beautiful house changed right away again into a ghost house. From the attic a fire broke out and in a jiffy the house had burned down to the ground. After that the ashes had disappeared. On the spot where the house had been standing was now a field of grass to be seen. In the middle stood a young tree.

“Have you seen what I saw?”, Mitch asked amazed

“Sure do. I think Mrs Parker has done this”, said Matthew.

Mitch nodded. Together with Skip the brothers-in-law went to the big ranch house where a new future was prospecting for them and their families.