After the failed murder attempt of his wife Mary and daugther Lisa Adam Cartwright decided to teach his son Mitch of eight years old how to to shoot. Only; he didn’t know how the thoers would react to it and especially not Mitch.
“Pa, do you think that Mitch isn’t too young to learn to shoot?”, he asked one morning during a coffeebreak.
Ben frowned for a moment. He hadn’t expected this question and certainly not during his coffeebreak.
“He is still very young and you know how he thinks about weapons. But on the other hand it is good that he can protect himself with a revolver. Just learn him how to shoot but then you must explain as well why he must be able to do that”, the rancher said after a long silence.
Adam nodded and said, “I do it mainly to prevent that an idiot like my father-in-law kills one or more members of the family.”
Candy Canaday, the foreman, had listened along but nothing said up till then.
He said, “I will help you.”
Mary looked at her husband and said, “I don’t agree with it but if you think it is necessary I will have to put myself to it.”
At the trading post Adam bought that afternoon a revolver and a belt with a holster. Especially the revolver got a lot of attention.
“Isn’t your old revolver not good enough anymore?”, Dan Cooper, the owner of the trading post, asked.
“Yes, but this one is for Mitch. I want that he can protect himself when someone threatens him with a firearm”, Adam replied.
He paid and went to get his son from school.
At the schoolyard it was deadly quiet at first so that Adam easily could roll a sigaret and smoke it. After a while Mitch came as first running outside.
“Daddy!”, the young Cartwright yelled.
“Hello kid. Are you coming home? I got something for you”, Adam said smiling.
Mitch got his zijn pony and mounted on. Together they rode home.
“You were quickly outside despite the fatc that you are crippled. How come that so?”, Adam wanted to know.
“Miss Jones said that we are allowed to go as soon as we were ready with our drawing. I had already finished it so I gave my drawing and ran away. She didn’t even noticed it”, Mitch said.
“It surprises me that Ab still hasn’t gotten grey hair by your tricks”, Adam chuckled.
“Well grandpa must have gotten them by the tricks by you, Uncle Hoss and Uncle Joe”, Mitch remarked laughing.
“Very funny”, his father growled because he didn’t ssee the humour in it.
Mitch rode upon the yard laughing, followed by Adam. Ben and Candy sat on the porch reading while Mary kept herself busy with some mending. Mitch slipped out of the saddle and walked towards them.
“Hi mom, grandpa, Candy. May I ask you something?”, Mitch asked.
“Of course”, the rancher said while he put his book away.
“Did you get your grey hair by the tricks of daddy, Uncle Hoss and Uncle Joe? Daddy says that it is strange that Miss Jones still hasn’t got grey hair by my tricks”, Mitch said.
Candy and Mary were rolling on the floor laughing.
Adam had also dismounted and heard what his son said to his father. He blushed with shame. ‘Why of all kids must say something like that to the richest rancher of Nevada?’, Adam thought.
He brought the two horses to the stable to take care of them.
Ben said laughing:“That comes due to the tricks of my sons. I am glad that you are not as worse as they were back then.”
“I am much sweeter than they were”, Mitch reacted.
“Indeed”, the rancher said enjoying his grandson.
At the stable Adam came across his brothers Hoss and Little Joe
“Adam, you have a red face. Just watch out for an angry bull”, zei Little Joe said chuckling.
“Has Mitchy done or said something?”, Hoss asked laughing.
“Has Mitchy done or said something?”, Hoss asked laughing.
“He said it instead of doing it. He asked pa if he had got his grey hair by our tricks back then. On the way home I said to Mitch that it is strange that Ab Jones still has no grey hair by the tricks of my little son. I wish he wasn’t so outspoken”, Adam explained.
Like Candy and Mary were rolling on the porch of laughing, so were Hoss and Little Joe rolling on the floor of the stable. An angry look of Adam made them calm again.
“Just wait until you are father yourelf. I hope then that your children say the same things which Mitch says now”, Adam said.
“Adam, we must say thatwe are proud of the way you raise that lad. He is polite for his neighborhood and everybody loves him”, Little Joe said.
“Thank you. I can actully use your help very well”, Adam said smiling.
Hoss and Little Joe looked at each other laughing.
“How much?”, Little Joe asked.
“Little Joe! I just ask for your support and you have the nerve to ask money for it! The only thing I ask is that you help me to teach Mitch how to shoot. Joe, you are left-handed, just like Mitch. So…….?”, Adam asked frowning.
His younger brothers looked at each other and agreed to it. They walked to the ranch house where Ben was reading Mitch a story.
“Geesh, grandpa reads his grandson a story. How cute. Don’t you think so Joe?”, Hoss asked mocking.
“Grandpa, it is a good thing thta you already have grey hair because therwise you would get it by those three bullies of sons of yours”, Mitch remarked.
The boy instantly got three indignant looks his way. Candy looked at him smiling with a look in his eyes like he would say:“You are very right.” Ben hugged his grandson. Adam looked at his son with a tender look. Mary did the same.
Then he said, “Kid, I am gonna teach you how to shoot with a revolver.”
“Why?”, Mitch asked amazed.
“So that you protect yourself when another idiot like grandpa Watts want to shoot someone”, Adam answered.
“I don’t like weapons”, Mitch reacted.
“We know that but we all can shoot and I think that you must be able to do that as well”, Ben said seriously.
Mitch looked at the others and agreed with dislike. Adam got the revolver and the belt with the holster and gave it to his son. The boy looked at the weapon and put it on the table being not interested.
“If you try it Hop Soing will make a delicious meal”, Hoss said in a new attempt.
“Okay then. But Hop Sing always makes a delicious meal so that is no news anymore”, his nephew reacted.
He got up and grabbed the revolver.
They went to the corral where Candy put empty cans on it. Mitch watched it but said nothing for a while. Adam got the revolver of his son and kneeled near the boy.
“Kid, you must shoot the cans off the fence”, Adam said.
Mitch got the revolver back and looked at it again. Then he looked at his father questionable.
“Daddy, are there bullits in it?”, he asked innocent.
“Of course there are bullits in it. I have made that done right away”, Adam answered.
“Geesh, how clever of you”, Hoss remarkled dry.
Little Joe rolled over the ground laughing.
Adam sighted deep and said, “I thought you would help me. But only Candy is very helpfull.”
“I dare to bet that Uncle Hoss and Uncle Joe can only shoot with a waterpistol”, Mitch said outloud on purpose.
Hoss and Little Joe looked at each other indignant.
“What a cheeky lad. What will be the bet?”, Little Joe asked excited.
“For doing the dishes. If you can only shoot with a waterpistol you do the dishes for a whole week. Or Candy and I will do it”, Mitch said challanging.
“Deal”, the brothers said at once.
What Hoss and Little Joe didn’t know was that Candy had switched their revolvers two same looking waterpistols.
“We are gonna get our revolvers”, Hoss said.
He and Little Joe went to the ranch house to get their shooting equipment. Adam and Candy couldn’t stop laughing anymore.
“Uncle Joe can show you the best how you must hold your revolver. He is also left-handed, just like you”, Adam said a bit more seriously.
“That might be but I am much sweeter”, Mitch reacted.
“Especially when you are asleep”, Adam said teasing.
Quickly Mitch put out his tongue to his father. Adam got the belt with holster and put it around the waist of his boy. Candy looked at it smiling.
“Now you are a real cowboy”, the foreman said admiring.
“You are one who cannot shoot but is crippled”, Mitch replied.
“Kid, nobody is perfect except me”, Adam said in an attempt to cheer his son up.
“What is that smell around here? Can you smell it too Candy?”, Mitch asked teasing.
“Yeah sure. That must be your father”, the foreman answered.
“No dessert for the both of you”, Adam said quasi seeming stern.
“Then Uncle Hoss has more for sure? He always tries to get my dessert”, Mitch said.
“And you think that thát is strange? He is still afraid that you will try and steal his chicken leg”, Adam said laughing.
“But Adam, Mitch still has to grow and Hoss not anymore. That is the difference”, Candy said.
Adam agreed with that.
Meanwhile Hoss and Little Joe came to the ranch house where Ben was still reading and Mary busy with the mending.
“Has Mitch shot you two away?”, the rancher asked teasing.
“Very funny pa. We only came to get our revolvers. That nephew of ours gets more cheeky because he claims that we can only shoot with a waterpistol”, Hoss said.
“What is the bet?”, Ben asked curiously.
“If we can only shoot with a waterpistol we must do the dishes for a whole week or Mitch and Candy do it”, Little Joe replied.
Ben put his book down and asked his daugther-in-law, “I want to see that. Are you coming Mary?”
“I don’t want to miss that”, she said laughing.
They got up and walked to the others. Now Hoss and Little Joe didn’t trust it at all anymore. They went inside to get their revolversnand went then also to the others.
“Mr Cartwright, we have got a little cowboy here”, Candy said pointing at Mitch.
“Grandpa, I am the first cowboy who walks around with a walking-brace”, Mitch said smiling.
“I see that. I take it that you are gonna run the Ponderosa later when I have become too old for that?”, the rancher asked.
“No, I am gonna play baseball later”, was the determined answer of his grandson.
“You are always welcome here”, Ben said.
Then Hoss and Little Joe came there to join them.
“Hop Sing will come later with something to drink”, Hoss said.
Little Joe kneeled down near his nephew and grabbed his revolver. Hereafter he grabbed the left hand of Mitch.
“Watch Mitch, you must hold it in this position to be able to shoot well. Watch carefully and aim at your target”, Little Joe said.
“I think I can do it alone. Must I shoot those cans off it?”, the boy asked.
“Yes, give it a try”, Adam said.
Mitch pointed his revolver at the cans and not a minute later there was no single can standing on the fence.
“Boys, I think that we have a new gunslinger here. Mitch, there will be no carrying a weapon inside the house and shoot only if necessary. Do you understand that?”, Adam asked seriously.
“Yes daddy”, the boy said.
“I heard something about a bet?”, Ben asked then.
“Your grandson and that foreman over there claim that Hoss and I only can shoot with a waterpistol. We will prove that it isn’t so”, Little Joe said.
Candy put the cans again on the fence and gave Adam unnoticeable a wink.
“Try to shoot them from it”, Adam said as calm as possible.
First Hoss took an attempt but his bullit didn’t come out of his weapon. Then Little Joe tried it. The others had the biggest trouble for not to start laughing. Then the brothers checked their shootingequipment.
“Joe, I think we have been had by our older brother and that foreman. I dare to bet that our little nephew is involved in it as well”, Hoss said indignant.
Right at that moment the Chinese cook came with a tray full of mugs with lemonade.
“Uncle Hoss, Uncle Joe, you can start right away with the dishes”, Mitch said dry.
Again they laughed except Hoss and Little Joe.
The brothers kept their promise and so Hop Sing had two big helpers for doing the dishes.