Behind the ranch house laid a big garden. The owner of the ranch, Ben Cartwright, had once started with the making of a flower garden and that finally had been fruit full. All flowers were growing and the grass too grew well. This inspired Hop Sing, the Chinese cook of the Cartwrights, to start also a little garden but then to grow spices and vegetables.
One day Hop Sing discovered that an unknown spice had grown in his garden.
“Hop Sing use spices for cake”, he said to himself.
He picked the spice and went with it to his kitchen. The spices were washed and crushed. Meanwhile Hop Sing made the batter for the cake ready. When that was done the spices got added to the batter and mixed together. A moment later the batter went into the oven.
Two hours later the smell of fresh baked cake hung in and around the house. Hoss Cartwright smelled it too and became hungry at once. Of course he went into the kitchen but Hop Sing stopped him.
“Cake not for Cartwrights but for women club. Hop Sing specially asked to make cake for them” , said the cook.
Hoss knew enough. He went back to the living room where his 18 month old nephew Mitch was.
“Uncle Hoss read?”, asked the little lad.
“Of course I will read to you”, answered Hoss.
He grabbed a book and went to sit on the settee with his nephew. So he could forget the cake.
Vera Stone rode upon the yard of the Ponderosa to pick up her ordered cake. She stopped her carriage in front of the porch and climbed out. Stately she walked to the front door and knocked at the door.
“Just sit there Mitchy”, Hoss said to his nephew.
He got up and walked to the front door. When he opened he saw Vera standing.
“Mrs Stone, welcome to the Ponderosa. What can I do for you?”, asked Hoss.
“Thank you Hoss. I come to collect the cake which your cook has baked for our meeting this evening”, answered Vera.
“Come in. Then I shall say it to Hop Sing”, said the second son of Ben Cartwright.
Vera came in and Hoss went to say to Hop Sing. Here after he went to read Mitch again. Hop Sing came with the big cake to Vera and gave it.
“Our thanks is very great for this delicious spoiling”, said Vera.
“No trouble for Hop Sing. Great pleasure”, said the cook.
Vera left right away again.
That evening Vera presented the cake.
“Ladies, thanks to the excellent bake arts of Hop Sing we now have a very delicious cake”, she said showing the cake full of pride.
All ladies took a big bite and the cake tasted so well that it soon was gone.
After about half an hour Kate Miller said giggling as a teenage girl, “I start to float.”
“That is nothing yet because I am already flying”, answered Sophia Paige.
It happened to all ladies including Vera. Nobody was able anymore to have a serious meeting because they were too high.
During his round deputy Clem Foster ran into Adam Cartwright. They heard the ladies laughing out loud.
“Are they drunk or something like that?”, asked Clem.
“That seems unlikely because they all are against alcohol. Let’s have a look inside”, answered Adam.
They went inside and found the normal posh ladies in the most strange positions. Vera sat on the cupboard like a monkey and behaved that way too.
“Well Clem, I fear that something was in the cake because the coffee is still in the full cups”, said Adam.
He took a very small piece of cake and tasted it. He spit it out right away after that. Clem did the same.
“That is no ordinary cake but…….”, Clem started but Adam pointed him to go outside.
Adam closed the door and looked at the deputy.
“That is a space cake. Who has baked it?”, asked Clem.
“I heard pa saying to Hop Sing that the women club wanted to have a cake for tonight. So that happened to be that cake. We just let the ladies be and know of nothing. Then they have fun for a change”, Adam said amused.
Clem thought so too and he decided not to make a case from it.
When Adam came home and told everything everybody liked it.
“Hop Sing did not know about the spices but will never use it for Cartwrights. Yes for Ladies Society”, said the cook.
Fortunately the Ladies Society never found out that it was a space cake but they also never again ordered a cake by Hop Sing.