THE PICNIC

It was almost Independence Day 1864. For the inhabitants of Virginia City a big picnic was organized. The ladies society under the leading of Mrs Vera Stone had made up an election. Who had the most beautiful dressed child of Virginia City? That’s why they were in town each day to look at all the children. Vera was very fanatic to get as much as possible candidates. But all the little competitors were all girls.

One afternoon Hoss and Joe Cartwright were with their nephew Mitch in town when they ran into Vera. Vera pretended as she didn’t know Mitch and never hadn’t seen him.

“What is that a cute little boy. Who is the father?”, she asked.

“This is our nephew of a year and a half, Mitchy. Our brother Adam is the conceiver of this creature”, Hoss said laughing.

“Hoss Cartwright! You do not speak about a little child like that! That your brother allows it that you talk about his son like that. Where is the mother?”, Vera asked shocked.

“Up there”, Mitch said while he pointed at Heaven.

Hoss and Joe looked at each other laughing but Vera couldn‘t appreciate it.

“I will talk to your father about how deal with this poor motherless little child”, she said snappy.

She walked further with her head up high.

“What is that for a terrible human being. Shall we Mitch sign up for that child election?”, asked Joe.

“That is alright. Adam probably will find it alright. The winner gets $500”, said Hoss.

But that turned out to be completely different.

His reaction was, “My son does not enter! I refuse to let Mitch expose himself like he is an ape in the zoo.”

“Come on Adam. You show him yourself too everywhere”, reacted Joe.

“That’s something different. He just keeps me company then”, answered his eldest brother.

“I think there is nothing else to do then that you have to make the entry undone”, said Ben.

“If you don’t do it yourselves I do it”, Adam said without turning a hair.

Hoss and Little Joe looked at each other and went back to town to make the entry undone.

During the picnic Mitch attracted a lot of attention. He was wearing a black jeans with a black vest with underneath that a yellow shirt. As footwear the young Cartwright wore black boots.

Joe said mocking, “If we don’t watch out Mitch will become little Adam.”

“That won’t have to happen anymore because it’s already so”, reacted Hoss.

On the great lawn there was all sorts of things to do. Mitch sat on the arm of Adam and together they looked around.

“Look daddy?”, asked the boy.

“Of course we look”, answered his father.

Then Vera came to them.

She asked, “Why may Mitch not enter that child election?”

“Why should he? If he enters the other children have no chance in winning. Besides my son isn’t a sightseeing”, Adam reacted laconic.

The chairwoman looked at the eldest Cartwright boy angry and said, “You are even more arrogant than your brothers! I just feel sorry for this poor little child. You probably can’t take good care of him, can you.”

“Mitch isn’t really missing out on something even though he doesn’t have a mother”, reacted Adam.

Vera walked on by stately. Then Adam and Mitch ran into the couple Dan and Laura Walker with their son Matthew.

“Laura, mustn’t your son enter that ridiculous child election?”, Adam asked sarcastic.

“Never. I am not going to show our child and only because those stately women. Because Dan is working in a mine Matthew may not enter”, she said.

“Shall we sit somewhere with those tots?”, Adam suggested.

They did that. The children got put down on the ground and the parents went to sit by them. Mitch and Matthew liked each other right away and went to play together.

“Hoss and Joe were so funny to enter Mitch for that election but I took care that it was made undone. They are fond of him but I just have to stern to them to prevent that they spoil him. Pa also spoils him and as a weapon he uses the fact that Mitch is his only grandson and that’s why he may do it”, told Adam.

“Our parents do that with Matthew”, said Dan.

Meanwhile the other Cartwrights had come to sit with them. Mitch saw his grandpa and ran to him. Laura unpacked the picnic basket and poured into the mugs. Everyone got the mugs except got the Mitch and Matthew. They got helped by their fathers.

“We go look?”, Mitch asked Adam.

“Alright. We will look what there is to do”, said the eldest Cartwright boy.

They got up and left the group. Matthew had fallen asleep so that Ben, Hoss and Joe went away as well. Soon they had caught up with Adam and Mitch. Ben lifted up Mitch because the boy was fighting against the sleep. It didn’t long before the youngest Cartwright slept.

“Must I take him?”, asked Adam.

“No, he sleeps so lovely”, answered his father.

Vera walked passed them and said hatefully, “Adam Cartwright, I will make sure that your son gets placed in a good foster family with 2 parents!”

“I wouldn’t do that if I was you because then I make sure that every woman leaves your little club”, reacted Adam.

Vera swallowed her words and walked away.

When the Cartwrights walked to the animals Mitch woke up. He rubbed the sleep out if his eyes and looked at the animals.

“Horses”, the boy called.

“Indeed son”, Adam said while he grabbed his son from Ben.

Mitch wasn’t afraid at all of the animals and was even allowed to stroke the horses.

“Papa, may I have a horse?”, asked the youngest Cartwright.

“You are now too little but within a few years you get a pony. Tomorrow you get a horse on wheels so you can ride inside and on the porch”, answered Adam.

Mitch was satisfied with this answer.

A bit later on Vera caused again commotion. She was not only the chairwoman of the ladies society but also intense mean. She saw that Mitch was playing and also that none Cartwright was looking. This gave her the idea to hurt the boy. Vera put on purpose her beautiful and expensive basket on the left ankle of the young Cartwright and pushed extra hard on it. Mitch began to cry enormously which of course attracted all attention.

“Oh, how stupid of me. I just put down my beautiful and expensive basket on the ankle of somebody. Well, it’s just a Cartwright”, Vera said giggling like a teenage girl.

“Shut up bitch. You knew damn well what you did!”, groaned Adam.

He gave the basket such a hard kick that the thing flew up half a km up and fell down on the ground broken.

“Look guys. A flying basket”, someone called.

Everyone except Vera laughed about the flying basket. But with Adam and Mitch it was no jolly matter. In the meantime Adam had cared about his son who slowly became quiet. Carefully Adam took off the left boot and he checked the ankle. Via Joe doctor Paul Martin had come and he examined the injured ankle.

“It’s not broken but sprained. By that boot a fracture got prevented. I will wrap up the ankle. Mitch may absolutely not walk on it”, said the house doctor.

Juliet Harris brought the broken basket to her girlfriend. Vera looked shocked at her basket which wasn’t beautiful anymore.

“Who will compensate my expensive basket?”, Vera asked angry.

“You have injured my son. That’s worse than such a stupid basket”, Adam answered furious.

From Joe Ben and Hoss had heard what had happened and were witnesses of that row that way.

“Adam, you look after Mitchy now. We will solve this”, said Hoss.

Adam lifted up his son and carried him to the First Aid tent. Paul wrapped up the ankle whereby Mitch became totally quiet. Meanwhile Vera was now arguing with Ben.

“Your grandson sat in the way”, said Vera.

“There was enough room. It was about time someone put you in your place. Nobody injures a Cartwright without getting away with it. I will make sure that you pay the medical expenses of Mitch”, reacted the rancher.

“Never in all my life! You can pay that better than I can. The Cartwrights are the richest family of the area, aren‘t they? Then they can pay the medical expenses of such a toddler by themselves. Besides you don’t even live in Virginia City itself and I do”, snapped Vera.

She grabbed her broken basket and went away.

“What a snob”, Joe said from the ground of his heart.

“Let’s forget her very quickly and reserve a place already for the picnic. My stomach can use some filling again”, said Hoss.

Ben looked at his pocket watch and said, “It’s a quarter to 4. Let’s go.”

Quite soon the Cartwrights found an excellent place close by the stands.

After the medical treatment Adam and Mitch went to look for their relatives. Quite soon they saw the food stands and the other Cartwrights too.

At 4 o’clock the big picnic started. The Cartwrights had found a place close by the stands. Ben looked after Mitch while Adam, Hoss and Joe fetched the food. Though it lasted too long before Mitch got his food and the boy fell asleep.

When the brothers came with the food Ben said right away, “Adam, your son has already left for Dreamland.”

“When he sees this food he is wide awake at once”, Adam reacted laughing.

But he was wrong about that. Mitch just slept through despite all the noise which was to be heard around him.

“That one won’t wake up today anymore”, Adam said looking at his son.

“Be glad that your son sleeps through the night already. There are enough children of his age who are awake at night. But that also goes for grownups”, said Ben.

“Of course I am that”, Adam answered smiling.

Hoss also took the part of his nephew.

Except for Vera Stone the picnic day had passed very well. Because also the election for the moist dressed child had fell through completely. After the incident with the Cartwrights all parents had withdrawn their child from the election.

Tired, but satisfied the Cartwrights returned again to their known ranch where quite soon they followed the example of the youngest descendant.