Because they had heard that there had come a new female teacher in Virginia City Adam Cartwright and Dan en Laura Walker decided to let their sons Mitch and Matthew go to school again.
Like each school day Adam brought Mitch to school. They arrived at the schoolyard. Adam stopped the carriage and looked at his son.
“You know it: No damn trouble and behave yourself”, Adam said seriously.
“Yes pa. Does that mean that I must be polite to the teacher?”, Mitch said.
“Especially to her. I see you after school”, his father replied.
Mitch grabbed his lunch and books and climbed out of the carriage. He walked to the school building where the other children already were. Adam turned the carriage and went back home.
“This teacher will mark me as her favorite”, Jason Harris said.
“Why?”, Mitch asked amazed.
“Because I am always the teacher’s favorite”, Jason said.
Then the teacher came outside. She rang the school bell.
“Inside children”, she said.
The children went inside and sat at their places.
“Where must I sit?”, Mitch asked.
“You don’t know that?”, Abigail asked amazed.
“No, since the summer my father gave me private lessons”, the boy replied.
“Sit then at the front”, the teacher said.
Mitch went to sit at his place.
“I will introduce myself to you. I am Abigail Jones and your teacher. People have approached me to pass on the lessons to you”, Abigail said.
“But then you are two persons. If you pass on the lessons to us, to whom must we pass them on then?”, Mitch asked dry.
All children laughed except Jason but Abigail couldn’t laugh at it also. She hit with the directing stick hard on her desk.
“Quiet!”, she said strict.
There was deadly silence at once. She turned to Mitch.
“What is your name?”, she asked.
“My whole name is Mitchell Jonathan Cartwright but everybody calls me Mitch Cartwright except Uncle Hoss. He calls me Mitchy”, Mitch told without turning a hair.
Abigail asked, “If Hoss Cartwright is your uncle, who is then your father?”
“Adam”, was the answer.
The teacher thought that she’d have a fit when she heard the name “Adam.” She became as red as the well known tomato and ran outside the class to get some fresh air. At the porch she took a few deep breaths. ‘If that lad is really Adam’s son Adam has of course also a wife and then I am not available for him. I will let him show that I am a real lady. But now I can get in touch with Adam through Mitch’, Abigail thought. She recovered herself and went back inside.
“Mitch, you stay behind”, Abigail said.
“Why must I stay behind? I haven’t done anything yet?”, the young Cartwright asked.
“That is why you must stay behind. I will have a heart to heart talk with your father about you”, Abigail replied.
“You may also have a talk with mouth to mouth with him”, Mitch said.
The teacher looked at him not understanding him.
“You want to have a heart to heart talk with him but you must speak with your mouth and not with the heart”, the young Cartwright explained.
He was very corny and that became worse with the minute. Abigail had clearly enough of him and took measures.
“You only open your mouth when I ask you something. Also I want to see you work and not hear you anymore. Understood?”, she asked.
“Yes Miss Jones”, Mitch answered honest.
She did look at him for a moment and began then with the lessons.
How strange it may sound, Mitch behaved himself very nicely during the school day. Abigail couldn’t catch the young Cartwright red handed at doing nothing. Mitch began to wonder why the teacher was so interested in Adam. He decided to discuss this with Mathew walker, his best friend during the lunch break.
“Miss Abigail wants to speak to my father so eagerly that I get worried. Do you know why she would like to see him?”, Mitch asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe they had something together a love affair”, Matthew answered.
The chills went over the back of Mitch.
“Adam Cartwright and Miss Abigail? I mustn’t think about it. Daddy is just a country boy and she is a city gal. That can never go well together. Especially with those two Uncles of”, the young Cartwright reacted.
“I guess it is not the right combination on earth either”, Matthew said.
“No any Cartwright would ever be able to marry her. If my father marries her then she will become my stepmother. What a nightmare”, Mitch said.
The whole afternoon it was quiet in the classroom. As the end of the school day approached Abigail began to get more nervous than ever.
“Children, I will see you all tomorrow bright and awake. Mitch, you stay behind”, she said at four o’clock.
The children cleaned up their books and ran outside. Mitch cleaned up his books and looked then at the teacher.
“I just have difficulty with reading and writing. Daddy says that I turn all numbers and letters around. But he doesn’t make a fuss about it and neither does Grandpa”, Mitch said from himself.
“I have noticed that with you. Maybe it is there for good that I inform your father about it. You are very well quick-witted”, Abigail answered.
“Daddy says that I am sometimes too quick-witted”, the boy remarked.
“I have noticed that also”, the teacher sighted.
“But daddy is very crazy about me”, Mitch reacted.
The teacher kept silent. ‘Why must he always have the last word? That he must inherited from his mother because my Adam is not like that’, she thought.
At the Ponderosa Adam looked at the clock and saw that it was time pick up the youngest Cartwright from school. He went outside and got the carriage. After a while he reached the school. The square was already deserted so that Adam began to get worried. Cheerful he entered the school building. When he came into the classroom Adam didn’t what he saw.
“Kid, what have you done this time? You know what I have said this morning?”, Adam asked strict.
“Yes, daddy. You said, You know it: no damn trouble and behave yourself. You said that literal”, Mitch answered laughing.
Abigail looked deeply shocked at the Cartwrights and then mainly at Mitch. Adam didn’t know from embarrassment where he had to look. Even though he knew the reputation of Abigail far too well.
“Err Mitchell, you wait outside for your father”, she said nervous.
The boy grabbed his things together and went outside. Abigail fumbles nervously at her dress and hardly dared to look at Adam.
“I didn’t even know that you are married and had a child already”, she began after a long silence.
“I have had a short affair with a woman and from that Mitch has been born. Though he has never seen her because she had made him a foundling on our ranch”, Adam explained.
“That way”, she only said. ‘If he a widower then I am still available for him’, went through her mind.
“Why did Mitch has to stay behind? He hadn’t done anything bad? He does get into mischief sometimes but not as bad as Little Joe was, so bad is not my son”, Adam said.
“Mitch has behaved himself very well but when he said this morning that you are his father I wanted to know that for sure. That’s the reason I let him stay behind. But I have discovered that he turns all the numbers and letters around and that he can hardly read and write. Maybe it is better if I give him extra lessons in that subject at the ranch. What do you reckon?”, she asked.
“Maybe. But I already help him with his homework and when I am away my pa helps him with it. Besides that I want to discuss it first with Mitch”, Adam replied.
He looked outside and saw that it was already getting quite dark.
“I go home with Mitch before my younger brother has eaten everything”, Adam said
he nodded friendly at the teacher and left then the school building. Abigail looked at him with heavily devoted look in her eyes.
On the way to the ranch Adam began carefully to talk about the proposal of Abigail.
“Extra lessons? From Miss Abigail? Never in a lifetime”, Mitch yelled out indignant.
“Why not? You need it badly and Miss Jones ‘d love to do it”, Adam replied.
“I think she is in love with you”, the young Cartwright reacted.
Adam looked at his son questionable and amazed.
“What do you mean?”, he asked.
“When I told her that you are my father she became as red as fire and she ran outside for some fresh air. I of course don’t know what happened between the two of you in the past but it must have been something very special”, Mitch explained laughing.
Adam didn’t know what to say or where to look. Fortunately the ranch house came in sight and so was Cody. The shepherd was keeping the guard on the porch like each day.
“The new teacher is different from the other teachers. This one wants to give me extra lessons after school. Here at the ranch”, Mitch said during supper.
“Who is then your new teacher?”, Ben asked.
“Miss Abigail Jones”, Mitch said without shyness
“ABIGAIL JONES????”, the rancher asked amazed.
Hoss and little Joe were rolling on the floor laughing. Adam felt that there were some remarks hanging in the air to get announced.
“Yes”, Mitch answered innocent.
“Is she still blonde?”, Little Joe asked laughing.
Mitch nodded and looked at his Uncle questionable.
“I used to give her grey hair”, little Joe answered.
“Then she must have made those grey hair blonde for sure”, Hoss suggested.
Everybody laughed.
“She has discovered that Mitch turns all the numbers and letters around and that’s why ahe wants to give him extra lessons here at the ranch. But this young man doesn’t feel like it”, Adam said seriously.
“Mitch, why not?”, Ben asked seriously.
“I am afraid that other kids and then especially Jason Harris will tease me as being the favorite of the teacher”, the boy explained.
“Then you just say that she is a friend of the family”, Ben replied.
“Okay then”, Mitch said sighing.
After a while the boy asked, “Uncle Joe, if you are gave Miss Abigail grey hair, the you must be responsible as well for the grey hair of Grandpa?”
Ben, Adam en Hoss laughed but Little Joe didn’t.
“Not at all. You are beginning to become as sarcastic as your father”, Little Joe growled insulted.
Adam gave his son a wink but didn’t say anything.
The next morning Adam brought Mitch earlier to school than usual. He wanted to have a chat with the teacher before the lessons started.
“Daddy, promise me one thing”, Mitch asked suddenly.
“What must I promise you?”, Adam asked.
“That you never propose to her. Or if she proposes to you and that you say no then”, Mitch answered concerned.
“I have no intension at all to marry her or whatever. I am happy with you this way too”, Adam said.
Mitch sighed relieved.
At the schoolyard there were enough children to play with so that Adam could talk to the teacher in peace.
“I have discussed the extra lessons with Mitch and after some refusal the boy decided to agree with it. He is scared though that the children will tease him as being favorite of the teacher”, Adam said.
Abigail blushed.
“Of course I will try to prevent that. You can count on that. I start with the lessons after school this afternoon. I come with my carriage and take then the young Mitch home right away”, Abigail said.
Adam just nodded and left the school building.
Abigail saw that it was time to call the children inside. But because she was of course a lady of the vested side of the society like she called herself, she did that of course with the school bell. At the moment when she wanted to rang the bell a ball flew through the air which found its destination at the head of Abigail. She gave a large scream where after she fainted. Adam saw her fall and ran to her to catch her. He put her on the porch and turned then to the children.
“Okay, who threw that ball? You Mitch?”, he asked strict.
“No, Jason did”, his son replied.
“Miss Abigail could have been hit deadly. You go inside and read for yourself”, Adam said.
The children went quietly inside.
“Ab, missy Ab, wake up. It’s time to get up”, Adam said teasing while he slapped her softly on her cheeks to make her awake.
This had effect because she looked into the hazel brown eyes of Adam. ‘I want to wake up each morning this way’, she thought.
“Oh Adam. What happened?”, the teacher asked softly.
“Jason Harris pitched a ball to your head. I caught you”, Adam said.
He helped her to get up and looked at her with an examining look.
“I am fine now. How can I thank you?”, Abigail asked hoping for a dinner or even more: a romantic proposal from Adam.
Adam smiled shy and said, “If you want to help my son with the extra lessons, I am already more than grateful.”
Abigail coughed and said, “That will happen.”
She went inside and Adam home.
“Children, I do not want that you play so close to the school building. The schoolyard is big enough so if you want to play the baseball game at the other side of the schoolyard, then it is fine by me. Jason. Did you throw that ball to my head?”, she asked.
“Yes Miss Jones. It was not by accident but Mitch had challenged me. He said that I didn’t dare to do it”, Jason said.
“Fibber that you are. I haven’t said that at all”, Mitch reacted directly.
“You did so. And only because you are the favorite of Miss Jones”, Jason snapped.
“I have no favorites under my pupils at all. It is purely coincidence that I am on very good terms with the family of Mitch. Jason, you are going to stand in the corner till lunchtime because of that ball and the false accusing of an innocent boy”, Abigail said.
Jason stood up and went to stand in the corner. Abigail went to sit down and began with the lessons. Because she knew that Mitch needed more guidance she let the class work as much as possible alone so that could give more attention.
At the Ponderosa Adam said during lunch, “Tonight Ab comes to have dinner. She takes Mitch home and gives him then extra lessons. She got a ball against her head this morning and I caught her. By this heroic thing she is now totally head and ears in love with me.”
“Adam, do you mean with Ab Miss Abigail Jones?”, Ben asked careful.
“Yes”, his eldest son replied.
Hoss and Little Joe were rolling over the floor laughing.
“Don’t let her hear her you that you call her Ab because then the love is over right away”, Little Joe said mocking.
“Little Joe, once in a million years you have a good idea. If we speak to her like that hopefully she will do normal to me”, Adam said slowly.
After school Abigail said, “Mitch, I have promised your father to take you home and then I can give you extra lessons right away.”
“Okay”, the boy just said.
He knew that she was over head and ears in love with Adam but also that he didn’t want to marry her. That’s why the young Cartwright had to give his father a little hand.
When Abigail and Mitch rode upon the yard Adam and Cody were waiting for them. Adam walked to the carriage and looked at the teacher laughing.
“Welcome at the Ponderosa Missy Ab”, he said.
“Thank you for the receiving Adam but I am Miss Abigail and certainly not Missy Ab”, she corrected her beloved subject.
“I am sorry. I will try to remember it”, Adam said with a wink to his son who understood everything at once.
Mitch dismounted his pony and Abigail came out of her carriage. They walked into the ranch house where Ben greeted them.
“Hello lad, Miss Abigail”, the rancher said.
“Thank you Mr Cartwright. I had actually expected from your eldest son that he had learned some better manners from a gentleman like you. Like he spoke to me just now at the yard. He even had the nerve to call me missy Ab”, Abigail said a bit insulted.
“I am sorry on behalf of Adam. You must forgive him. He is still very young and sometimes he gets carried away by his younger brothers”, the rancher apologized on behalf of Adam.
“I forgive him. Fortunately this boy is not so bad. Shall we begin with the lessons?”, the teacher asked Mitch.
“We certainly will Miss Ab”, Mitch said dry.
Abigail said nothing but she knew that she hadn’t arrived in an ordinary household. Ben made sure that he was outside because he hardly keep his laughing in.
Abigail went to sit on the settee. Mitch went to sit like always at his place near the open fireplace to do his homework at the salon table.
“Mitch, write down the alphabet”, the teacher said.
Mitch got his pencil and paper. Because he was laying his left arm over his paper during the writing Abigail couldn’t see what he was writing.
“Ready”, the boy said after a while.
He gave the paper to Abigail. He waited to see what her reaction would be. Abigail looked at it and looked then at her pupil.
“Mitchell Jonathan Cartwright! What have you done now?”, she asked screaming.
The grownup Cartwrights went flying inside.
“What is the matter?”, Adam asked worried.
“Mitch had to write down the alphabet of me”, Abigail said.
“I did that”, Mitch said.
“I meant all the letters, not the word”, Abigail explained.
The Cartwrights couldn’t stop laughing anymore.
“Then you should have said that”, Mitch said still laughing a bit.
“I end here. Mitch, I see you tomorrow at school”, Abigail said.
She got up, grabbed her stuff together and went outside.
At her carriage she changed her mind. She walked back to the front door and knocked on it. Adam answered it and looked at the teacher laughing.
“Adam, can we talk for a moment in private?”, she asked.
Adam nodded. They went to stand near the corral.
“You don’t know how much trouble it costs me to look your son in the eyes. He looks like you so very much that it isn’t very difficult to see that he really is your child. I am willing to give it another try with tutoring Mitch. And then we can continue our relationship as well”, Abigail said.
“That Mitch really is a child of mine I know that because I conceived him. But talking about those extra lessons: he gets here enough help from us. So I see you tomorrow at the school when I deliver him and pick him up again good night missy Ab”, Adam said.
He whistled at Cody to walk him which the dog directly understood. Abigail looked at him indignant but didn’t say anything. There was nothing else for her to do then to go home.