It was on a Friday afternoon when teacher Carla Miller gave her students an assignment for the weekend.
She said, “Children, I want that in the weekend you write a report about staying with grandpa and grandma. I want to have it on Monday. Just go home now.”
All children ran outside but the seven year old Mitch Cartwright stayed behind with hesitation.
“Mitch, mustn’t you go home to work on your report?”, Carla asked amazed.
“Well, I have a problem concerning that report”, answered the young Cartwright.
“And that is?”, she asked.
“I can never stay with my grandpa and grandma because I don’t know the one of my mother’s side and the one of my father’s side, the grandma has died a long time ago. I live with my grandpa, just like my father and uncles”, Mitch tried to explain.
But the teacher didn’t have any understanding for it at all.
“I was already warned for you Cartwrights by others. You write that report and that’s it! And without any spelling and/or mistakes this time!!”, she said snappy.
Mitch went away and was quite moody which his uncle Hoss noticed. He was waiting for his nephew at the school to go home together. The youngest mounted on an kept silent for a while.
“Mitchy, what has happened this time at school?”, Hoss asked finally.
“What hasn’t? We must write a report about a staying with grandpa and grandma of the teacher. That can’t be done with us at all”, said Mitch.
Hoss understood it.
Though he said, “We can pretend if you are staying with grandpa.”
“How then? Everybody knows that I live there since my birth”, Mitch answered amazed.
“Well, I take your father and uncle along for a weekend hunting an then you can stay with grandpa. You are still too little to come along an so that way grandpa can babysit you”, Hoss suggested.
“Then we have all the delicious food because Hop Sing stays at home too of course. Pity for you”, Mitch said now a bit more cheerful.
With reluctance Hoss admitted that it was true.
Arrived at home Mitch asked his grandpa Ben Cartwright, “Grandpa, may I stay this weekend with you?”
Ben, who had been busy with business around his ranch the Ponderosa, looked at the boy long questionable and amazed.
“Why?”, he finally asked.
“For school I must write an essay about staying with grandpa and grandma. Uncle came up with the idea to go hunting with daddy and uncle Joe so that I can then stay with you. Only uncle Hoss isn’t happy about that Hop Sing is at home too so that we have all the delicious things”, Mitch explained.
Ben has had all day long dealing with trouble around his business and this news had really made his day good.
“Mitch, that is a very good idea of your uncle. I find it good an go tell your father and uncles that I don’t want to see or hear them for the whole weekend”, the rancher said smiling.
Mitch flew outside where he saw the 3 brothers standing.
“Daddy, you may not come home for the whole weekend of grandpa. And that also goes for uncle Hoss and uncle Joe”, Mitch said with laughing eyes.
The father of the boy, Adam Cartwright, looked amazed at his offspring.
“Does this fit in with an unexpected staying with party?”, asked Adam.
“Yes, that must for school and I may not make spelling and/or writing mistakes in it of the teacher”, answered Mitch.
“I will talk to her about those mistakes but that staying with party will go on. And we go hunting”, said Adam.
Mitch was relieved. Adam too because he knew that his son was in good hands.
That evening the brothers left the ranch for their hunting trip. The shepherd dog Cody stayed with Ben and Mitch and the Chinese cook Hop Sing.
By eight o’clock Ben asked, “Mitch, shall I show you your room?”
“That does mean that I have to go to bed?”, the boy asked sneaky.
“Indeed. Tomorrow we go to ride a while together and I show you some of the ranch”, answered the rancher.
hunting area. Ben and Mitch watched them go and went then inside where the staying began
Mitch found that okay. They got up and went to the bedroom where Mitch always was sleeping.
“Here you will sleep this weekend, young man”, said the rancher.
“A big room though”, Mitch remarked.
“But you are a big boy too”, answered Ben.
When Mitch laid in bed he slept very quickly like usual. The rancher stayed sitting by his grandson and went then back downstairs again.
The following morning the Cartwrights were up early like usual. Hop Sing had prepared a heavy breakfast.
“Morning lad. Slept well?”, Ben asked when his grandson arrived at the table.
“Morning grandpa. I slept very well”, answered Mitch.
He began with his bowl oatmeal and ate after that 2 pancakes.
“May Cody come along as well on our hike?”, asked Mitch.
“Of course. You know how much he loves to run and a lot too”, answered Ben.
His grandson nodded. Quickly they ate on so the hike could begin.
Mitch had seen a lot of the ranch in his young life but of course still not everything. For that reason Ben took him to a quiet spot near lake Tahoe. On the way the rancher showed the boy several things they ran into. Cody ran next to them and enjoyed all the attention but Mitch did that too.
The Cartwrights held lunch at an open spot near some trees.
“Grandpa, what are those trees at our ranch called?”, Mitch asked after a while.
“They are called Ponderosa pines”, answered Ben.
Mitch thought for a second and asked then, “So you have named the ranch after those trees?”
“Indeed boy”, said the rancher.
He felt that there was a sharp remark underway.
“It’s here beautiful but still I will play baseball later”, his grandson said.
“I don’t mind but this is always your home”, answered Ben.
Mitch knew that as well.
By evening tine the Cartwrights went back home again.
“Grandpa, after supper I start with my essay”, said Mitch.
“That’s alright. Then I can check it when you are sleeping and then you can correct it tomorrow”, answered Ben.
Mitch nodded. He had become quite tired of being the whole day in the open air. The rancher saw that and decided to entertain his grandson at home tomorrow.
After a delicious supper Mitch went to write the essay in the office. It cost him a lot of trouble and time though but by half past 8 the young Cartwright had finished it.
“Grandpa, here is the essay”, Mitch said while he gave the paper to the rancher.
“Thank you lad. It’s now bedtime for you and I come to look at you in a quarter of an hour’s time”, Ben answered while he received the paper.
Mitch ran up stairs to sleep. By the long hike he soon fell fast asleep. Ben found his grandson already in Dreamland when he came to tuck him in.
When it was Sunday morning the Cartwrights again ad an extended breakfast. On request of Mitch Hop Sing had baked thin pancakes for Sunday morning breakfast.
“Mitch, I have checked your essay and marked the mistakes clearly”, Ben said during breakfast.
“Then I will correct it later on”, answered the boy.
“If you just do that outside, then I can get on with the administration”, the rancher suggested.
Mitch thought for a second and reacted then sarcastically, “Alright but it’s not fair grandpa. I must do my homework and you get on with your biggest hobby.”
Of course Ben had nothing to say in return and kept silent for that matter. He had gotten used to it for years that his grandson always had the last word.
After breakfast Ben discussed the mistakes with Mitch and said finally, “Take it easy because you have till this evening the time to correct it.”
Mitch nodded and went outside with Cody to correct the essay. Hop Sing made sure that the persons at home got their food and drinks.
When Mitch finally had corrected his essay and Ben had checked it supper was waiting for them.
“Will Miss Miller find the essay good?”, Mitch asked worried.
“I hope so but you can better count on that she doesn’t. But as long as we find it well written that is the most important. I will let your father read it and ask what he thinks of it”, answered the rancher.
Mitch was now a bit more relieved that before.
The brothers came home when the youngest Cartwright was already sleeping.
“And has Mitch been good?”, asked Adam.
“Adam, I don’t want to say much but your son is always good”, answered Ben.
Hoss and Joe looked at each other amazed.
“Why do we don’t notice anything from that?”, Hoss asked amazed
“Because you teach him all the wrong things”, Adam answered quick-witted.
“Today Mitch has corrected his essay and I find it written well. If you, Adam, also read it before he turns it in tomorrow”, said Ben.
The brothers read the essay and agreed that it was well written.
But when Mitch handed the essay and Carla gave it a simple look at it she said right away, “There are too many mistakes in it to mark it. So an F for the trouble!”
She didn’t notice that Adam had heard everything and stepped intervened.
“So you just give a student a bad mark while you didn’t have given it a good look? Mitch, you go home with me to get lessons there”, said the eldest Cartwright boy.
“That doesn’t go easily! I am qualified to teach children and you only have a little farm. Besides you have nothing to say because you don’t even live in Virginia City and I do”, snapped Carla.
Adam didn’t reply but grabbed the essay back and went with Mitch back to the ranch.
At home Adam told everything and the others agreed with his way of acting. Because Adam was now his teacher Mitch did get a good mark for the essay and the staying weekend was also good for a good mark.
“So Mitch, I think that you come and stay with me more often when your father and uncles go hunting again”, said Ben.
“Can’t we do that every weekend?”, Mitch asked sneaky.
“Why?”, Joe asked amazed.
“Well, than grandpa and I have all the delicious things and you don’t”, answered his nephew.
Now the youngest Cartwright really had to run for his life because his uncles came after him.
“Well pa, the normal life at the Ponderosa has started again”, Adam said while he and Ben watched.
“Indeed son. So that also means that you must get to work again”, answered Ben.
Adam realized that too.