One afternoon in April 1864 Ben Cartwright was in Virginia City. He was there for business. At least that was what he had told at home. But the owner of the Ponderosa ranch was in reality with sheriff Roy Coffee. The two new each other for years and were good friends.
“Hello Ben. How are you, your sons and grandson?”, Roy asked when Ben came in.
“We all are doing well. Mitch starts to talk more and does that from early in the morning till late in the evening”, the rancher answered while he sat down.
“Ben, you are not going to tell me that you spoil him, are you?”, asked Roy.
“I try not to but it I don’t succeed in it. Mitch is so moving sweet that I have to spoil him. Besides I have that right being his grandpa”, Ben said smiling.
Roy said, “Adam does spoil him too a lot, doesn’t he? And not to think of Hoss and Joe.”
“That little one gets spoiled rotten by the four of us. Recently he has discovered the kitchen”, said Ben.
“Hoss had no part in that, hadn’t he?”, Roy asked while he got up to make coffee.
“No, but it could have been. Now it is even so that Mitch may come into the kitchen and Hoss doesn’t”, answered Ben.
Deputy Clem Foster, who up till then had listened, asked, “And Hoss tries to get extra food via his nephew?”
“Hoss tries that indeed but most of the time Mitch gets it. But Joe has his ways too. He uses the boy to impress the young ladies. But the ladies have more eye for Mitch than for Joe”, told the rancher.
“If your grandson is now already a heartbreaker the mothers must lock up all their daughters”, reacted Clem.
Ben nodded and said, “They will have to do that anyway when Joseph is in town or comes.”
“I fear that we will have to deal a lot with your grandson in the near future”, Roy said who sat down again with coffee.
“As long as Adam keeps on living with him at the Ponderosa yes”, was the answer of Ben.
For a moment it was silent.
Then the rancher continued, “Even though Mitch doesn’t have a mother he has no shortages unlike some people claim so. Adam doesn’t want to find her because he can’t miss Mitch. But I think there is more behind it.”
“That Adam’s family-in-law isn’t so very clean?”, asked Clem.
The rancher nodded and said, “Adam wants to give Mitch a happy youth as much as possible. Mainly because he has missed that for a great deal.”
The whole afternoon Ben remained with Roy and Clem so that they couldn’t work either. They were very glad when Ben left.
That evening during supper Adam asked, “Done nice business in town pa?”
“What do you mean?”, his father asked amazed.
“You went to Virginia City for business?”, asked Hoss.
“That went very well. Only I ran into Roy and he asked about you and especially the apple of my eye”, answered Ben.
Joe began to beam but Hoss ruined it by saying, “Pa means of course me.”
“Then you are wrong because I am the eldest and the apple of his eye”, reacted Adam.
“You are wrong all three because Mitch is the apple of my eye”, said Ben.
His three sons knew that too but teasing each other was fun too.