“Mother, Adam Cartwright has the nerve to give us a bad mark for our project”, Patrick Jenkins said when coming home.
His mother Sheila Jenkins looked up amazed.
“You are always the top of the class. So Cartwright does favor his own children. We are going to deal with that meddlesome family at once”, she said hurt.
Patrick liked that well and so did his twin sister Patty.
Paul said, “Patrick, you go with me to give Mitch a treatment. Your sister goes to get his sister to bring her here and pester her.”
They went away.
“Cartwright, stop!”, Mitch Cartwright of 11 heard saying.
The boy stopped his horse Caramel but didn’t trust it. Two cowboys stopped too and looked at the boy. Mitch recognized them at once and got worried. The eldest was Paul Jenkins. He dismounted and pulled Mitch off his horse. Of course Mitch offered a lot of resistance but it didn’t help because Patrick was holding him. The young Cartwright kicked and hit around him but it was useless. Paul took off the walking brace and threw the support piece away.
“Let him loose”, Paul said to his nephew.
Patrick did that. Paul hit the eyes of Mitch shut and gave then him a hard push whereby the young Cartwright fell into a dry ditch. Because he fell Mitch got a lot of dust and sand all over him.
“Son, that one won’t bother you anymore”, Paul said laughing.
They went back home.
Meanwhile Patty had tricked Pam into going to her house.
“What do you want from me?”, Pam asked fierce.
“Why has your father given us a bad mark for our essay?”, Patty asked angry.
“You must ask him and not me”, answered Pam.
Patty hit Pam hard but the young Cartwright didn’t show in her true colors and hit back. Patty began to cry whereby Pam saw the chance to flee. She ran away to the streets of Virginia City but Patty went after her. Sheila followed her daughter. In her hurry Pam didn’t see that she bumped into deputy Clem Foster who stopped her at once. Pam looked up and saw the deputy.
“Clem, help me because that gal of a Patty Jenkins is after me”, she said gasping.
“You go with me to the sheriff’s office”, Clem said calm.
They walked to his office.
Inside Pam said, “Daddy has given Patty and Patrick a bad mark for their essay about their dog. But they just have copied it from Mitch.”
“Your father knows how your brother writes so Mitch gets a good mark but they don’t”, reacted the deputy.
Pam nodded.
“They don’t even have a dog”, she said.
“Just stay here for a while. Then I bring you home by evening time”, said the deputy.
Sheila saw that Clem had given Pam protection and knew that they were in trouble.
“We go home and know of nothing when they come asking about the Cartwrights”, she said to her daughter.
They went home like nothing had happened.
Mitch laid in a ditch but couldn’t climb up on his own. He also didn’t see anything. He could only hope that his family would find him soon.
Adam Cartwright came home from school not knowing what had happened to his children. His brothers Hoss and Little Joe were busy at the yard. His girlfriend Sally Baxton was busy on the porch.
“Where are the twins?”, Adam asked amazed when he didn’t see the horses of his children standing nowhere.
“We thought that you would take them home”, said Hoss.
“I had to check some homework. That’s why I am later than normal”, his brother reacted.
“Must we look for them?”, Candy Canaday, the foreman, asked.
Adam nodded.
They grabbed their horses and Cody, the dog of the Cartwrights, went along searching.
Candy and Griff King, a steady hand at the ranch, took Cody along. The dog smelled everywhere and discovered where Mitch was. He barked loud whereby Candy and Griff rode to him. They dismounted and searched the whole area. Mitch on his turn heard his dog and knew that there was hope that he would be found. By the ditch Cody went down and he found Mitch. The face of the boy got licked and here after Cody barked loud.
“I think that Mitch lies here”, said Candy.
They went to the barking and found the young Cartwright that way.
“Mitch! How did you come here?”, Candy asked worried.
“Paul and Patrick Jenkins beat me up. I can’t see anything and walking is also impossible. My walking brace is gone”, Mitch said slowly.
“We take you homes”, said Griff.
He and Candy helped Mitch on his feet and supported him to the horses. Cody followed them. Candy helped the young Cartwright on his horse and mounted then on his.
“You go to Virginia City and warn the doctor and report this to the sheriff”, the foreman said to Griff.
He nodded and mounted on his horse.
Candy and Mitch rode with Cody back home where the brothers were already again.
“Adam, I have your son here. But he can’t see anything and can’t walk because Paul and Patrick Jenkins have removed his walking brace”, called Candy.
The brothers ran to the foreman. Adam grabbed his son from the horse and took him into his arms.
“Where is Griff?”, asked Hoss.
“He is to town to get the doctor and to report it to the sheriff.
Where is Pam?”, Candy asked on his turn.
“Gone”, Adam said worried.
He carried Mitch inside and went straight to the bedroom of the boy. Sally followed them directly. Hop Sing, the faithful cook of the Cartwright family, had already seen how Mitch looked like and came with water and cloths.
In the meantime the conscious of the Jenkins twins began to gnaw them very much.
In Virginia City Ben Cartwright saw the horse of his granddaughter Pam standing by the school. The rancher didn’t understand nothing of it and rode to the animal. He dismounted and examined the quadruped. But Ben couldn’t find nothing strange. He decided to take the horse along and to get more information by the sheriff.
Ben hitched both horses and went inside. He was very amazed and surprised when he saw his granddaughter.
“Grandpa!”, Pam called.
“Pam! What are you doing here?”, asked Ben.
She ran straight into his arms.
“Patty Jenkins is after me. Daddy has given her and Patrick a bad mark for an essay which they copied from Mitch about Cody. That tea-cozy tricked me to her house and there we got a jetting quarrel. I ran to here where after Clem received me”, the young Cartwright answered.
Ben sighted deep.
“We have quarrels with that family for years now. And we don’t even know why”, said the rancher.
“Maybe because you are the richest family in the area?”, asked Clem.
“That could be a reason. Sheila was very good friends with Juliet Harris. She hated us too”, answered Ben.
“And she made your grandson invalid”, said Clem.
The rancher nodded.
“Pam, we go home because I know for sure that your father and stepmother are dead worried about you and your brother”, Ben said looking at his granddaughter.
Then the door went open and Griff came in.
“Mitch has been robbed by Paul and Patrick Jenkins. They had hit his eyes shut and removed his walking brace. Candy, Cody and I found him”, said Griff.
“Now we are going home for sure”, Ben said more worried than he already was.
Just before Sheila and Paul wanted to go to the Ponderosa Patrick and Patty came with an exclamation.
“We got a bad mark on purpose because we copied the essay of Mitch”, said Patty.
“But he made so many mistakes in it and that gets marked well by his father. And if we do it he doesn’t”, answered Patrick.
“The Cartwrights always get their way”, said Sheila.
“Not this time. Adam Cartwright shall give your children a good mark or otherwise he is gone and those two spoiled children of his too”, Paul groaned.
“Mitch has done nothing but we have!”, Patty said angry.
Paul and Sheila looked at each other amazed.
“So we have treated Mitch for nothing? Do you realize what you have done? Now the Cartwrights can force us to pay damages and we can never pay that”, Paul said angry.
He got his rifle and loaded it. Here after Sheila did the same. A moment later Patrick and Patty got their last meal. There after Paul and Sheila were on their way to the ranch of their arch-enemies.
At the Ponderosa Mitch slept after a successful caring. The others prepared themselves for an attack by Jenkins.
Paul dismounted and walked to the Cartwright brothers and Candy.
“May I ask you something?”, asked Paul.
“As long as it isn’t my wallet because it is empty”, said Hoss.
“I don’t need your dough. Why do those twins of your brother bother my sweet nephew and niece so? The children of my sister really have no life anymore by the pestering of those two rotten children”, said Paul.
“Mitch and Pam pester those two of your sister? It is more the other way around”, said Little Joe.
“My sister does everything to raise her twins nicely. The children are polite and helpful for everyone. Your brother can’t say that of his children which is one crippled. A shame for the society we live in now”, said Paul.
“We are not bothered that Mitch is lame. We are when you and others treat him differently”, said Candy.
Hoss began to get more and more angrier and began to roll up his sleeves. Paul became a bit very scary scared and saw in that he was losing the conversation.
Paul took care that the Cartwrights were distracted by his sermon . Herby Sheila saw chance to get in to the ranch house. She saw Sally near the stairs and grabbed her chance. She pointed her rifle at Sally and shot a bullet. She missed whereby Sally dived away. Adam turned around and shot Sheila dead. He ran to his girlfriend and held her in his arms.
“Adam, take care of the kids”, Sally said whispering.
“She is dead. I bring you to bed”, Adam said calm.
He lifted up his girlfriend and brought her to their bedroom. Hoss, Little Joe and Candy killed Paul.
Ben, Pam and Griff arrived shortly after the shooting and they understood right away what had happened. They dismounted and ran into inside. In the living room they saw the body of Sheila lying.
“Mom?”, Pam asked worried.
A moment later Adam came downstairs again.
“Mamma is a bit tired. She was nearly shot dead by Sheila Jenkins but she is sleeping now”, Adam said with tears in his eyes and throat.
Griff went again to Virginia City but now in the company of Candy and Little Joe. All three were in a bad mood due to all recent happenings. The two bodies got taken along. Hoss received his niece who was very upset.
Roy and Clem went to check at the house of the Jenkins and found the two bodies of Patrick and Patty.
“Those are goners. But where are Paul and Sheila?”, asked Roy.
“To the Cartwrights? Patty had tricked Pam under false pretences to here”, said Clem.
“I take those two along and you go to the ranch”, said Roy.
So said, so done.
Adam was desperate by the attack at his girlfriend and children.
“Pa, we even have plans to get married”, said Adam.
“I sure do believe that. Sally is good for all of”, said Ben.
“The twins get from now on lessons from me at home. I won’t leave them alone anymore”, Adam said determined.
Then there was a knock at the door. Ben answered it and saw the deputy standing.
“Clem, come inside because we have a lot to tell you”, said the rancher.
“I have to you as well”, the deputy said while he went inside.
“Paul and Sheila have together with her twins treated Mitch and Pam. Later on they came here to kill them. Sally escaped death and is now sleeping. Just like Mitch”, said Adam.
“Paul got shot dead by Hoss and Joe”, said Ben.
“Besides, Paul and Sheila have killed her children. Roy and I found the bodies”, said Clem.
“Their chickens have come to roost”, reacted Adam.
To give his eldest son and his family some rest Ben sent them on vacation to Boston to come by from all recent happenings.