December 1865. Like each year the Cartwrights had this year also a Christmas tree at home. But Christmas would be a bit different than usual this year.
One morning Ben and Adam Cartwright were with the two year old Mitch in Virginia City when they were witness of a strange robbery. Ben, Adam, sheriff Roy Coffee and deputy Clem Foster were talking when Mitch came up to them.
He said, “Grandpa, daddy, there is Santa.”
Ben, Roy, Clem and Adam looked at each other and the latter lifted the boy.
“Where is he then?”, Adam asked.
“There”, Mitch said as he pointed to the trading post.
The men looked to see if Mitch was right. Yes, indeed. There was Santa who just took a Christmas tree along. Ben got Mitch pressed into his arms where after Clem and Adam went after the thief. Mitch didn’t understand anything of it and began to cry.
Ben hushed his grandson by saying, “Daddy does come back. You know what? We are going to drink a cup of hot chocolate at the restaurant.”
This helped because Mitch got quiet.
“I come along with you because it is too cold to wait here for the return of Clem and Adam”, Roy said.
They walked to the restaurant of Louisa Franklin.
Due to the snow Clem en Adam couldn’t run very fast and soon they lost the thief.
“Adam, we will get hold of that guy. There are plenty of christmastrees in town so he will hit again soon enough”, the deputy said.
“Why don’t you offer a reward for the person who catches the Christmas tree thief? I know two geeks who will fall for it”, Adam suggested grinning.
Clem looked at him amazed and questionable.
“Your brothers you mean?”, he asked.
Adam nodded.
“I will discuss it with Roy”, the deputy answered while they walked back to the sheriff’s office.
But they weren’t there so they walked ahead to the restaurant.
Meanwhile Ben, Roy and Mitch were enjoying their hot chocolate milk. That is: Ben and Roy sat down and Mitch walked around the place. Suddenly the boy saw his father and Clem coming.
“There come daddy and dep”, he called through the place.
“I am curious if they have caught him”, Ben chuckled.
“I am afraid not”, the sheriff reacted.
When Adam and Clem came in they got a warm welcome from the youngest resident of the Ponderosa. Adam picked him up and cuddled him full of love.
“Where is the christmastree thief or in other words: Santa?”, Roy asked.
“Escaped. But Adam did come with a great idea. Why don’t we offer a reward for the person who catches him?”, Clem asked on his turn.
“Good idea but we must keep in mind that Virginia City will turn into a chaos”, his employer warned.
“That will happen anyway when Hoss and Joe come here”, Adam reacted dry.
Therefore he knew his brothers far too well. Not for nothing all their plans failed.
“It is good that Mitch is still very little or otherwise he would become influenced by them”, Ben said.
“That will happen”, Adam said worried while he and Clem went to sit down as well.
“What about a reward of fivehunderd dollars?”, Roy asked.
“They will do it for such an amount of money”, Adam answered.
“You mean Hoss and Little Joe?”, Ben asked for the security.
His eldest son nodded.
That evening during supper Mitch said pump, “Uncle Hoss, I already have seen Santa.”
Hoss and Little Joe looked at each other laughing.
“Mitchy, I know that you have a great imagination but this beats everything. Santa doesn’t come until Christmas and that takes another week before he comes”, Hoss reacted.
“It is so. He took a tree along. Daddy and the dep went after him but didn’t get him”, Mitch said excited.
Hoss and Little Joe were rolling on the floor laughing. To their displeasure Adam didn’t reacted to it like they had expected.
“The sheriff has offered a reward of five hundred dollars for the person who catches brings the Christmas tree thief”, Adam said light-hearted.
By the hearing of the reward the brothers were quiet.
“That changes the case”, Little Joe said.
“Indeed. With that extra cash we can buy some extra Christmas presents for our family members”, Hoss suggested.
“Don’t forget that your cute nephew is also celebrating at Christmas”, Adam said
The following morning near the sheriff’s office there hung a paper which said:
REWARD OF $ 500,--
FOR THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE CHRISTMAS TREE THIEF AND BRINGS HIM IN AT THE SHERIFF.
INFORMATION AT SHERIFF ROY COFFEE AND/OR DEPUTY CLEM FOSTER.
To beat everyone Hoss and Little Joe had got up extra early and had rode to Virginia City.
“Hoss, we must get that reward. If we have the money we split it equal. I get sixty percent and you forty”, Little Joe said underway.
“Joe, that ain’t fair because we do this together and then I am entitled to fifty percent”, Hoss reacted deeply indignant..
“you see it the wrong way. Look, I do all the brain-work so that entitles me to a bigger share of the money”, his younger brother explained.
“Take a hike”, Hoss said.
With reluctance Little Joe gave in and they decided to share the reward equally.
They arrived just in time because Clem was nailing the poster tight to the wall with nails using his revolver as a hammer.
“If we take it off then only we know about it and is the reward for us. You lead Clem astray and then I take it off”, Little Joe whispered.
That was the plan but it got different.
Hoss dismounted and walked to the deputy.
“Clem, my best friend, may I ask you something?”, Hoss asked hearty.
The deputy looked at him with distrust and said, “As long it isn’t my wallet.”
“Of course not. What are you thinking? May I invite you for a cup of coffee in your office?”, Hoss asked exaggerated friendly
Clem looked at him like he saw water burning.
“You haven’t passed a mill, have you?’, he asked.
“No, of course not. Why?”, Hoss asked amazed.
“Well, then that would explain that you have bats in the belfry. Who would invite a deputy for a cup of coffee in his own office?”, the replacing authoritative asked.
Meanwhile Little Joe had managed to pilfer the paper and he hinted to his brother to leave.
“Clem, you have a rain check on that coffee. Have a nice day”, Hoss said hasty.
The brothers mounted on their horses and rode out of town.
“Hoss, we are getting rich!”, Little Joe shouted.
Mitch and Cody came downstairs that same morning and saw an unknown man by their tree. Cody began to groan at once.
“Shut up”, Santa snapped.
“Cody, down”, Mitch said.
The dog was quiet at once. They walked up to the man and remained at the tree.
“Why are you taking our tree along? Grandpa has paid for it himself”, Mitch said without turning a hair.
“It is no good and that’s why I am taking him along”, Santa said.
“Are you the thief of the trees?”, the young Cartwright asked.
Santa got pale and nodded.
“Grandpa and daddy say that a thief is wrong and must be brought to the sheriff”, Mitch said.
The Christmas tree thief got sorrow and said, “They are right. I surrender. Bring me to the sheriff.”
Adam saw the three some sitting and walked up to them.
“Daddy, Santa surrenders. May I bring him to the dep?”, Mitch asked.
“We do that”, he said.
The Christmas tree thief alias Santa surrendered himself and got tied up. With the wagon the company went to Virginia City.
Arrived there the sheriff and the deputy saw the wanted person already sitting next to Mitch and Cody.
“Roy, Clem, this is the wanted Christmas tree thief. He has surrendered himself to Mitch and Cody so they have to the right to get the reward”, Adam said light-hearted.
He jumped from the wagon and helped Santa on the ground and then Mitch and Cody. They went inside to hear an explanation of Santa.
“I did it to prevent people chopping illegal trees. That is the only reason of my deed”, Santa said.
“That is a good argument but stealing is wrong. Even if you are Santa”, Roy said.
“It doesn’t matter. I would do it again if I got the chance”, Santa reacted.
“Clem, lock him up. Then I will give Mitch the reward”, the sheriff said.
So said, so done.
Roy paid the amount to Adam because Mitch was still too little.
“So, this little boy has soon a small capital on his bank account. Are you coming?”, Adam asked.
Mitch and Cody came along at once. They walked to the bank where Adam deposited the money on the bank account of his son.
When they came outside by co incidence Hoss and Little Joe came riding by.
Adam got a sarcastic smile on his face so that the brothers felt that something was not right for them.
“Adam, what was it that you had to be for at the bank?”, Hoss asked curiously.
“I had to deposit only five hundred dollars on the bank account of your nephew”, he answered calm.
“Which five hundred dollar?”, Hoss asked amazed.
“That of that reward I suppose? That was our money”, little Joe reacted indignant.
Hoss zei,“Well Joe, look at it this way: if we ever have a shortage of five hundred dollars we can always borrow it from our nephew. We just let Adam take it up from his account.”
“Forget it. Only I have excess to the bank account of Mitch. And if I die before Mitch reaches his majority pa takes care of him. So you know that also”, Adam reacted.
His brothers nodded understanding.
“Are we going home to trim the tree?”, Mitch asked then begging.
Adam picked him up and said, “We go home and trim then our Christmas tree.”
They grabbed their horses and wagon and went home.