One morning Mitch Cartwright had gotten up early. It was barely light but still he decided to ride around on his horse Caramel. Silently he walked from his room to the bathroom to wash himself. Here after he quickly got dressed to leave. The brown stallion already stood waiting for his master. The shepherd dog Cody was still sleeping and didn’t notice that Mitch had left. Mitch saddled up his horse an left with him the stable. Just outside the yard Mitch mounted on and he gave Caramel the spurs. It was Spring and the win was hardly blowing.
Mitch was quietly riding around when he suddenly heard a voice saying, “Stop and dismount of that horse!”
He did stop but didn’t mound off. From the bushes came the brothers Mike and Jason Randall with drawn revolvers.
“I said dismount little one”, Mike said angry.
Jason pulled Mitch from Caramel whereby the young Cartwright fell on the ground. Quickly Mike grabbed the reins of the brown stallion.
Jason went to fight with Mitch whereby the latter clearly got the worst of it. Jason broke the right wrist of Mitch where after he knocked him unconscious and pushed him then into a dry ditch.
Mike had already mounted on Caramel and called to his little brother, “Jason, come on.”
He ran to the horse and jumped on it where after they both rode away.
At the Ponderosa ranch Little Joe saw as first that both his nephew and his horse were gone.
He went back inside and said to his father and brothers, “Mitch has beaten me again. He is off for a ride with Caramel.”
“You are going to look for him. I wait here for news or till he comes home”, said Ben, his father an owner of the ranch.
The brothers went away at once.
“We go to look at a separate part of the ranch”, said Adam.
That was promised by Hoss and Little Joe. Adam went intuitively and rode into the same direction as his son ha rode.
Not much later he saw his son lying injured in a ditch but Caramel was nowhere to be found. Adam stopped Sport and dismounted. Here after he kneeled down by his son.
He asked worried, “Kid, what has happened?”
“I just rode around on Caramel when I got robbed and then beaten up by an unknown boy. What are you doing here?”, was the counter-question of Mitch.
“Uncle Joe discovered that your horse was away so you too an that’s why grandpa sent us away to find you. I help you on Sport and then we go home together”, answered Adam.
“My wrist is hurting”, Mitch said moaning while he showed it to his father.
Adam checked the right wrist and said, “I think that it’s broken. First we go home.”
He got up and lifted up his son. The boy got put on the sorrel and his father mounted on after that. Carefully they rode back to the ranch house. Mitch knew that he had to answer a lot of questions but he took that into the bargain. Underway Mitch sat silent against his father but he didn’t say anything. Adam also didn’t say anything but he by himself, ‘Why does someone beat up for goodness sake a little boy, breaks his wrist and steals his horse.’
At the ranch Hoss and Little Joe has come already but without their nephew or his horse. Ben was outside on the yard when the boys came riding on.
“We haven’t found Mitchy. Hopefully Adam has more luck”, said Hoss.
“The boy knows that he may not leave the yard without permission so he will get to hear something as soon as he comes”, Ben said worried.
“They are coming there”, said Little Joe.
The 3 Cartwrights walked to the fence and the rancher got Mitch over from Adam.
“He has been beaten up by an unknown boy and he has taken Caramel along. I found Mitch in a dry ditch”, Adam told while he dismounted off Sport.
Ben put his grandson carefully on the ground an looked at him seriously. Mitch looked at the ground and kept silent for a moment.
Then he said, “I am sorry that I took just like that. My wrist hurts.”
“I accept your apology. Are you coming to the doctor?”, asked Ben.
Mitch nodded. Meanwhile Hoss prepared the carriage for departure. But yet before they could leave Mitch broke down at the yard.
“Adam, just go and get Doc Martin. I bring him to his room and put him to bed”, Ben said to his eldest son.
Adam went to Virginia City while Ben brought his grandson to his room.
Ben sat at the sick bed of Mitch an held his hand. Since his breakdown Mitch hadn’t said nothing anymore. The rancher didn’t like it at all that his grandson was beaten up probably for nothing and that his horse was stolen by that.
In the living room said Little Joe to his brother, “If I find out who has treated Mitch so he won’t have long to live.”
“Who beats up a little boy and robs him from his horse?”, asked Hoss.
Both they were fond of Mitch and woe betide those if who was touching him. He had to run for his life when Hoss and Little Joe were around.
Adam arrived in Virginia City and stopped by the practice of doctor Paul Martin. He stopped Sport and dismounted. Here after he went inside.
He said to doctor Paul Martin, “Doc, can you come to the ranch? Mitch has just came home injured. His right wrist is broken.”
“I go right away. You will report it first by the sheriff, won’t you?”, asked the doctor.
The eldest Cartwright boy nodded and said, “They have stolen his horse.”
They went outside an there they each went their own way. Adam got his sorrel by the reins an walked to the office of the sheriff. Sport got hitched in front of the building and his owner went inside. Sheriff Roy Coffee and deputy Clem Foster happen to have a cup of coffee by accident.
“Morning Adam. Do you want a cup of coffee?”, asked Clem.
“Sure do. I come to report 2 things. First that Mitch has been beaten up by an unknown boy and second that the boy has stolen Caramel”, Adam told while he got a cup of coffee.
“The only family who came to live here recently is that of Hank Randall. He has 2 sons. Mike of 16 and Jason of 12”, said Roy.
“Where do they live?”, Adam wanted to know.
“They live next to you”, answered the sheriff.
Adam drank up his coffee an went back home.
Meanwhile Mitch got treated at the ranch by Paul Martin.
“Apart from a broken wrist and some headache Mitch has come well of fit. Just leave him in be today and make sure that gets a lot of rest”, said Paul.
“Knowing the boys Mitch won’t get any rest”, Ben said while he walked downstairs with Paul.
“That won’t be so indeed but Mitch teases them also a lot and with pleasure”, reacted the doctor.
Mike and Jason came home cheerful on Caramel.
Their father, Hank Randall, saw the horse and asked, “How did you get it?”
“A little boy just gave it to us”, answered Mike.
“Just put him in the stable because your mother has breakfast ready. After breakfast we will get acquainted with the neighbors”, said Hank.
The boys did what their father wanted.
After breakfast the Randalls left for the Ponderosa.
“Pa, is it true that the Cartwrights are the richest family of the area?”, asked Jason.
“That is indeed true. So it’s very handy to be very good friends with them and stay that”, answered his father.
“If they are friendly maybe we must invite them for supper with us”, said Stella Randall, the wife of Hank.
“Ma, we don’t stay too long, do we?”, asked Mike.
“I don’t know that son”, said Stella.
At the yard Adam told about the news that he had hear from the sheriff.
“That must have been them?”, Hoss asked amazed.
“I think so. I will tell pa”, said his older brother.
He went inside and said, “Pa, we get a visit from our new neighbors. I wonder what they must or want from us.”
“Adam, they come to get acquainted with us for sure”, Ben said calm.
“I just go and see Mitch”, said his eldest son.
He went upstairs to see his son.
Ben came out of the front door and welcomed the neighbors. At the same moment Mitch looked outside.
“Daddy, who are they?”, the boy asked when Adam had come in.
“Our new neighbors, the Randalls. O you know them already?”, Adam asked amazed.
“Those 2 boys have stolen my horse and the youngest beat me up. Do you help me with getting dressed?”, asked the young Cartwright.
“Alright. I will help you”, Adam said good-natured.
Quickly Mitch had been washed and dressed.
When he and Adam came downstairs the youngest of the 2 asked Mike and Jason straight away, “Where is my horse?”
“How dare you to say that. We don’t steal horses at all”, Jason lied.
“Are that also relatives of yours?”, Stella asked Ben.
“This is my oldest son Adam and his son Mitch”, answered the rancher.
He noticed that Mike and Jason had more to do with than they were showing.
“Grandpa, he beat me up and broke my wrist”, Mitch said like there were no visitors in the living room.
“I believe you son. Go feed the animals and after that you have your breakfast in the kitchen”, said the rancher.
Mitch did that and Adam followed him.
At the ranch Mitch fed the animals like each morning. The chickens were done as last. This time the boy got watched extra well by his father and uncles.
“If those sons really have done it they are in big trouble”, Hoss said softly to his brothers.
“On the tone Mitch said it to pa they really have done it”, reacted Adam.
His son came to stand by him and with a moaning voice, “I want my horse back.”
Adam kneeled own neat the boy, put his hands on the little shoulders of his son and said, “Caramel returns to you as soon as possible. I promise you that.”
“I know that. You promise it an then it won’t happen. Just forget that I said it. If it is up to me he never comes back again”, Mitch said quite upset.
He pulled himself loose form Adam and ran away. Adam got up an sighed deep. He looked at his younger brothers but they too didn’t know to deal with the situation.
Mitch ran off the yard to be as far as possible from his father and uncles. They didn’t care about him according to the boy himself. He stopped until he was at the lake which bordered at their ranch. ‘I can hide myself here for a few days. They will never miss me’, the boy thought by himself. He went to sit by the water and threw little stones into the water.
Because Ben knew that his grandson hadn’t lied about whom had beaten him up and stolen his horse he asked, “Why have you beaten up my grandson and stole his horse?”
“Our sons don’t do something like that. They are brought up too nice and good for that. We go again and if your grandson doesn’t withdraw his very false accusations against our sons we go to court”, snapped Stella.
“I am not afraid of you”, Ben reacted notably calm.
He let the neighbors out an stayed at the yard with his sons.
“We have had nicer neighbors than them”, Little Joe reacted when the visitors had disappeared out of sight.
“Indeed. Where is Mitch?”, the rancher wanted to know.
“First he nagged that he wanted to have Caramel back. I promised that he would come back as soon as possible but Mitch didn’t believe that. Before he disappeared he said that the horse didn’t have to come back if it was up to him. I will look for him”, Adam said worried.
He mounted on Sport and left the yard.
Adam knew that everyone at the ranch knew Mitch and Virginia City too. So it was for him a problem where the boy could be. Fortunately Cody ha ran along and he barked loud by the foot prints of the boots of Mitch. They decided to follow the track and came so by the lake too. Adam dismounted and found the boy near the water.
Adam went to sit next to him and asked quietly, “Mitch, why have you ran away this time?”
“Because I only get empty promises from you. You make all sort of promises to me but they never come true”, was the sad answer of Mitch.
“You mean that we break them?”, asked his father.
The boy nodded.
“As far as I can remember I have never ever broken a promise to you”, said Adam.
“That’s how I feel it though”, said Mitch.
“I promise you that we look for your horse right away. Are you coming?”, asked Adam.
He looked at his son with a penetrate look.
“What can that horse be bothered for me? He gets stolen time after time again from me”, Mitch said without looking at his father.
The eldest Cartwright noticed that the attack and theft of his horse had made a lot of impression on the young Cartwright. Though Mitch had to go home anyway.
Adam had become fed up with it, grabbed the boy tight and said stern, “Now you just come home. This is the second time today that you have left the yard without permission. I give you 2 weeks of house arrest.”
Suddenly Mitch began to cry because he now realize very well what had happened to him that morning. Adam took him into his arms and let him cry.
“It’s alright son. First we go home. You are going to rest and I go with grandpa and your uncles look for your horse an bring him home”, his father said calm.
“Why are they doing this to us all the time?”, Mitch asked softly while he dried his eyes.
“I don’t know it either sometimes. Often it’s because they want to get their hands on our ranch. It’s been going on for years this way”, answered Adam.
Mitch knew that now an became as meek as a lamb again. They mounted on an roe back to the ranch house.
In the meantime the other Cartwrights had become more convinced that their new boys next door had stolen Caramel.
“Those lads look so innocent that the crime just shows”, said Little Joe.
“They are just as innocent as a bank robber who has just robbed the bank”, reacted Hoss.
“We wait for Adam and then we will bring them a return-visit”, Ben suggested.
Once at home Mitch went straight to his room an fell almost straight away fast sleep.
Adam heard what his father and brothers had planned and said, “I go along. Hop Sing takes care of Mitch anyway.”
They went away at once.
The Cartwrights didn’t have much trouble to find the house of their new neighbors.
“Pa, there is Caramel”, said Adam.
His father said, “Adam, now you ride like blazes to Virginia City to warn Roy and/or Clem. We go to him.”
Adam turned Sport and rode again to town. The others rode to the brown stallion. Be dismounted as first and examined the horse of his grandson.
“Fortunately he is alright so just take him home”, said the rancher.
“What are you going to do?”, asked Little Joe.
“First I wait for Adam an then we go to see the neighbors with the authority”, answered Ben.
Hoss got the reins and went to bring the stallion home with his younger brother. They were being watched by Ben.
Meanwhile Adam had reached Virginia City and he was looking for the sheriff and/of deputy. He dismounted and found Roy near the Silver Dollar Saloon. The eldest Cartwright boy hitched Sport vast and walked to the sheriff.
“Roy, we have found Caramel on our spread. Pa sent me to look for you and to ask if you would like to come along”, said Adam.
“I go right away with you. By the way I would like to get to know your new neighbors”, Roy said.
The 2 men grabbed their horses and rode to the spot where Ben was.
During the time that Adam had fetched the sheriff Hoss and Joe had come home already with Caramel. The brothers dismounted and hitched the 3 horses. Here after they went inside.
“Hop Sing, is Mitchy still sleeping?”, Hoss asked the Chinese cook.
“Little boy still sleeping and Mr Hoss and Little Joe let him sleep. Order of Hop Sing”, was het answer.
“But we have his horse with us”, Joe tried.
“Mr Cartwright said Hop Sing take care of little boy. Hop Sing do that. Now Mr Hoss and Little Joe real fast go or no supper”, reacted Hop Sing.
“Let’s go then quickly because I really can’t do without supper”, said Hoss.
Joe understood it and they went outside.
Ben, Adam and Roy rode to the house of the Randall family. Mike and Jason were in the barn where they got the scare of their life.
“Where is that brown horse which we stole from that little lad this morning?”, asked Jason.
“He has escaped. We are going to look for him”, said his older brother.
They went out of the barn and saw then the Cartwrights and the sheriff coming.
“There we have the 2 little horse thieves”, Adam said with a very sarcastic tone in his voice.
Jason reacted directly with, “We never steal horses!”
“And you don’t beat up little six year old boys either, do you?”, asked Roy.
Mike shook of no.
“I want to see your parents with you there too”, said Roy.
He dismounted just like the Cartwrights. The brothers went ahead of the 3 men inside the house. Hank and Stella looked amazed when they saw Ben and Adam.
“You do come to bring the apology of Mitch to our sweet sons, don’t you?”, she asked snappy.
“Your sons must apology to him. Not the other way around”, answered Ben.
“No way. Our boys are always so good”, said Stella.
She couldn’t control herself anymore and answered, “The boys wanted to have a brown stallion for such a long time but couldn’t find one. Yesterday they saw Mitch riding on his and that gave us the idea to rob that horse off him. You have plenty.”
“Whose idea was it to nick Caramel?”, asked Adam.
“My husband’s”, said Stella.
“Adam, go again to Virginia City and let Clem write out 4 arrest warrants”, the sheriff said to the eldest Cartwright boy.
He went away while Ben and Roy held the family under gunshot.
Not much later Clem came too to the house of the Randall family with the arrest warrants. The Cartwrights watched with enjoyment how their new neighbors got dragged away.
Ben and Adam went along to town where they got to hear from the deputy, “The Randall family was wanted in more states for fights and stealing horses. And because Mike and Jason had given Mitch a treatment and stolen his horse we finally got them into our hands.”
“Caramel escaped on his own because he didn’t have his little boss with him. It’s an obstinate horse”, said Ben.
“Mitch is that also and that’s why they suit so well together”, reacted Adam.
They laughed where after Ben and Adam rode home.
Mitch was come out of bed already and was delighted that his horse was back again. Still Hoss and Joe remained around their nephew to protect him.
When they heard from Ben and Adam that their new neighbors had been arrested Mitch said, “I hope that they end up behind bars and that the key gets thrown away.”
“They won’t come free for a long time and if that does happen they may not even enter Nevada. I will make sure of that”, said Ben.
The men noticed that the boy was himself again because he played out on the yard quite soon with Cody.