The Snowman

On the yard of the Ponderosa ranch played the just 5 year old Mitch Cartwright in the snow. He was the youngest offspring of the Cartwright family who lived and worked at the ranch. That morning Mitch made a snowman with help of his father Adam Cartwright.

“Mitch, make a snowball”, said Adam.

The boy did that. After that he looked at him questionable.

“Put the ball on the ground and roll it through the snow so that it becomes bigger”, said Adam.

Mitch rolled the ball through the snow and quite soon Adam had to help his son with rolling.

“Shall we the snowman look like uncle Hoss?”, Mitch suggested.

“I hope that we have enough snow. But it’s a very funny idea of yours”, answered Adam.

Then Adam’s youngest brother Joe came home.

Mitch asked right away, “Uncle Joe, are you helping making uncle Hoss in snow?”

Joe dismounted off Cochise and answered while he hitched is horse, “Of course I help.”

Off and on the brothers looked tenderly at Mitch who was having a great time in the snow.

“You have raised him well up till now”, Joe said at a certain moment.

“Thanks. Of course I must add to it that Mitch is an easy child”, answered his brother.

Joe couldn’t deny that.

When the snowman was ready there wasn’t much snow left on the yard anymore.

“He only must have a hat and a nose”, said Mitch.

“Adam, you stay on the lookout. Mitch, you ask for a big carrot by Hop Sing and I get the old hat of Hoss”, said Joe.

Hop Sing was the Chinese cook of the Cartwrights and had seen what they had made. He already stood by with a big carrot for Mitch.

“Thanks Hop Sing”, said Mitch.

With the carrot in his hands Mitch ran to his father. Adam lifted him up and Mitch put the carrot into the head of the snowman.

In the bedroom of his older brother Joe found an old copy of the hart Hoss always wore. Hoss had just bought a new hat because a funny person had in a drunken mood shot a hole in the old hat. Joe grabbed the hat and ran downstairs and then outside.

“Mitch, you may give the snowman a hat”, said his uncle.

Adam picked up Mitch again and the boy put the hat upon the snowman.

From a distance the Cartwrights looked at the snowman and Joe said admiring, “He does look like our brother and your uncle very much.”

“Would grandpa see the difference?”, asked Mitch.

With grandpa the youngest Cartwright meant Ponderosa ranch owner Ben Cartwright.

“Grandpa will I think but uncle Hoss doesn’t”, answered Adam.

They went inside where Hop Sing had made hot chocolate milk.

A few hours later Ben and his 2^nd son Hoss came home. Of course they saw the big snowman standing right away.

Hoss said right away, “This must have been an idea of Mitchy.”

Hoss always called Mitch Mitchy.

“Well, I must say that this snowman is very original”, answered Ben.

They dismounted and brought the horses to the stables to take care of them.

Back with his spitting image Hoss said proud as a peacock, “You must really something when your nephew makes a snowman of you.”

“Don’t think that you get a special treatment now. Even though you have a snowman now”, reacted Ben.

Hereby Hoss stood firmly again on the ground with both feet.

When they came inside Mitch said spontaneous, “Help, the snowman has come inside! Oh, it’s just uncle Hoss.”

Everyone except Hoss laughed.

The snowman remained standing for a week and then all the snow disappeared. In the middle of the yard laid a lonely carrot under the old cowboy hat of Hoss.