For a few weeks there was a strange sphere at the Ponderosa. The reason for it was the dance evening in Virginia City. Hoss and Little Joe Cartwright had plans to go but couldn’t find a partner. Adam had found his already in the person of his pregnant wife and mother of his son Mitch, Mary.
To make a good appearance anyway Hoss and Little Joe decided to find a good date for their eldest brother. Of course they didn’t do that unnoticed. Adam saw them busy and thought: ‘I wonder what those two are plotting now!’
Hoss asked, “Who shall we match with our brother Adam for that dance evening?”
“Abigail Jones”, was the idea of Little Joe.
“She might wish that. Then Adam kills us on the spot”, reacted Hoss.
“She is the perfect partner for our brother. Besides they are a good match”, his younger brother explained.
Hoss saw the idea of his brother as a good one. They began to laugh out loud about
the idea.
“Then they can exchange poems between the dances”, said Little Joe.
“Or during the dancing”, Hoss said roaring of laughter.
Now they couldn’t stop laughing anymore.
Adam pretended as he hasn’t seen them and went to look for his seven year old son Mitch. The boy played on the porch like always.
“Kid, I need you for something”, said Adam.
He directly had all the attention from his son.
“You know that there is a dance evening is in town on Saturday night?”, asked Adam.
Mitch nodded.
“Well, I am going there with mamma”, said Adam.
Mitch nodded again.
“Because grandpa is away and Candy too your uncles must babysit you. Now it your chore to make sure that they stay at home”, Adam explained.
“So I may bother your brothers very much?”, asked Mitch asked for the security.
Adam nodded. That idea felt good with the young Cartwright.
“Shut it opposite your uncles about our plan”, Adam said to his offspring.
Mitch nodded. He went to play further while his father went to work.
A moment later they saw Hoss and Little Joe leave. They were in a cheerful mood. Their laughter sounded all across the yard so that Adam and Mitch heard it.
“Daddy, they will stay not cheerful for long”, said Mitch.
“They don’t but we do”, was the answer of his father.
In Virginia City Hoss and Little Joe ran into the teacher.
“Good day Miss Jones”, the brothers said at the same time.
“Hoss and Little Joseph. How nice to see you here”, Abigail said kindly.
“We wanted to ask you something”, said Hoss.
“And that is?”, Abigail asked curious.
“Our brother Adam would love to go to the dance evening but now the problem is
that Mary doesn’t want to. She prefers to stay with Mitchy. Would you like to
accompany him?”, asked Hoss.
“Of course I do that. I do everything to please Adam. What time will he come to
get me?”, Abigail asked rejoiced.
“Half past seven at your place”, Little Joe said quickly.
“I shall be ready”, said the teacher.
The brothers went home satisfied.
Meanwhile at the Ponderosa Adam and Mitch had gotten company from the only woman
in their life: Mary Cartwright.
“Darling, we don’t have to arrange a babysitter for our son on Saturday evening”, said Adam.
“Who babysits him then?”, Mary asked amazed.
“His uncles. Only they don’t know it yet”, her husband replied.
Mary found that a nice and good solution too.
Finally it became Saturday evening. Everyone behaved strange the whole day through.
“Great dancing an evening with the most beautiful girls in the world”, Hoss said rejoiced.
“And our brother can dance with his favorite teacher”, Little Joe chuckled.
They were so busy talking that they didn’t even notice that Adam and Mary were already for
departure. When the brothers came down at their Sunday best they were witness of how Mitch said goodbye to his parents.
“Make sure that your uncles are not too exhausted to go to church tomorrow”, said Adam.
“You always say that I am so easy to babysit”, the boy remarked.
“Goodnight for now”, said Mary.
“Adam and Mary, where are you going?”, Hoss asked amazed.
“I have invited my wife to go to the dance evening. Because Mitch is too little to come along you may look after him. Seeing that we still can go away before Mary really can’t go anymore due to the baby we must take advantage from it”, replied Adam.
They went away and left their son with Hoss and Little Joe behind.
“Dadburnit, now our plan is in danger”, groaned Hoss.
“And Abigail Jones is waiting for Adam”, said Little Joe.
“Just let her wait nicely”, was the sober answer of their nephew.
There was nothing else for the brothers to do than to babysit Mitch.
Meanwhile Abigail sat waiting at home for the arrival of Adam. She looked at the clock which showed a later time each time but Adam didn’t appear. Finally she decided to stay at home. She would see the Cartwright brothers tomorrow at church anyway.
By one Adam and Mary came home and they found everyone in a sleeping peace. Quickly
they went to bed themselves too but not before they had checked on their son. This one was sleeping with a smile around his mouth so that Adam and Mary knew enough.
The next morning Hoss and Little Joe went very early to town to make their apology to Abigail Jones. Mitch told in detail everything they had done the previous evening. His parents did like it though.
Near the church Hoss and Little Joe saw Abigail walking.
“She will be furious with our brother”, said Hoss.
“She is so in love with him that she surely will forgive him”, his brother suggested.
Unfortunately for them the teacher saw them and she came to them.
“Why didn’t Adam appear to guide me to the dance evening?”, she asked.
“Because our brother went with his wife. Hereby we were forced to babysit Mitch”, replied Little Joe.
Now Abigail understood it and she said, “I can understand it of Adam but not that
you make false promises to a lady!”
For a second it seemed like peace between them but Abigail got her umbrella and threatened to hit the brothers with it. Hoss and Little Joe didn’t know how fast they had to leave town.
While they ran away Hoss and Little Joe how their brother rode with his family to church.
“Joe, promise me that we never going to arrange a date for someone!”, Hoss said while they ran ahead.
Little Joe nodded.