One day the Miller family came to visit the Cartwrights. They had been good friends for a very long time. Though the second son of Ben, Hoss, was not very taken in with the visit. That's why he managed to get away before the visitors had come. Lady Luck was on his side and Hoss could hide himself. Ben and his eldest and youngest son, Adam and Little Joe, stood on the porch when the guests came. The son of Adam, Mitch, came to stand by them and got lifted up by his father.
“Who are they?”, asked the boy.
“Old friends of grandpa. They come to stay here for a while”, replied Adam.
Ben walked to the carriage and greeted the visitors.
“Welcome to the Ponderosa. These are two of my sons Adam and Joe. The little boy is my grandson Mitch”, said Ben.
John Miller stepped out of the carriage and helped his wife Helen and daughter Grace out.
“Thanks. You still know my wife Helen and daughter Grace?”, asked John.
Hands got shaken and Mitch too got a lot of attention.
“Where is Hoss?”, asked Helen.
“We don't know that either. He was here a minute ago”, said Ben.
They went inside.
Mitch went to call his Uncle.
“Uncle Hoss, Uncle Hoss”, sounded across the yard of the Ponderosa.
The words came out of the throat of the three year old Mitch Cartwright. Hoss, the Uncle of the lad, heard him but didn't move a muscle. Mitch looked around but didn't see his big Uncle nowhere. The boy saw his dog Cody coming and waited for him.
“Cody, Uncle Hoss doesn't want to come so he gets no cake. We do”, said Mitch said out loud on purpose.
Together they walked to the ranch house. ‘Then no cake’, thought Hoss. He remained to sit in his shelter. Ben saw his grandson coming and knew enough.
“Where is your Uncle?”, asked the rancher.
“Somewhere outside. I said on purpose out loud to Cody that there was cake but I heard nothing”, replied Mitch.
“First we are gonna do coffee with cake and then we are gonna look for your Uncle”, said Ben.
Mitch nodded smiling. Hop Sing came in with the coffee and after that he brought in the cake. Meanwhile Mitch sat with Adam again and was a bit shy.
Helen said to Adam, “Your son is a sweetheart.”
“He surely is. But sometimes I can do him something”, replied Adam.
“His mother has died?”, asked Grace.
“I don't know. After his birth Mitch was left here behind on the porch. Joe found him”, said Adam.
The foreman of the Ponderosa, Candy Canaday, saw the hat of Hoss Cartwright sticking above a bush. As sneaky as Candy was he sneaked to the bush. Quickly Candy grabbed the hat and held the thing behind his back. Hoss arise and looked at the foreman angrily.
“Your father already knows that you are missing. Mitch came to call you for cake but I am afraid that there is nothing left anymore”, Candy said teasing.
“Where is my hat?”, asked Hoss.
“Hat? Which hat?”, the foreman asked innocent.
“That big thing which always is on my head when I am outside”, replied Hoss.
Candy took the hat from behind his back and studied the thing.
“You mean this thing? Get if you can. You cannot get hold of me anyway”, said Candy said in a teasing tone.
He ran straight to the ranch house. Hoss ran after him and came so inside.
“There is the lost son. Eric Cartwright! Where have you been?”, Ben asked strict.
“Me? I sat by a bush admiring a beautiful bird”, said Hoss.
“Didn't you hear Mitch calling for cake then?”, Adam asked amazed.
“No, did he that then?”, his brother asked amazed.
“You can hear Mitch coming out loud above everyone when he calls you”, said Ben.
“So you are Hoss Cartwright? May I introduce you to my wife Helen and daughter Grace?”, asked John.
They got introduced to each other and Candy too introduced himself to the guests.
After the coffee and cake Mitch and Cody went to play outside and the boys back to work. Grace had gone keen on Adam and saw herself together with her Prince Charming looking after Mitch.
At the yard Helen asked Ben, “It mustn't be easy for Adam to look after your grandson alone, must it?”
“No, but he gets enough support from us. When Adam is away for business I look after Mitch. His Uncles are fond of him the the other way around”, replied the rancher.
“I can understand that. I wish that Grace would find a man and got children”, Helen sighted.
“That will happen one day”, said Ben.
In the evening Mitch showed that he had learned good table manners. Grace kept on looking at Adam but said nothing. The eldest Cartwright boy had noticed that Grace had fallen for him but she wasn't his type.
After supper Adam brought his son to bed.
On the stairs Mitch said, “Daddy, I wish mamma was here.”
“Why son?”, Adam asked amazed.
“Then that girl wasn't looking at me so much”, replied the boy.
“You know that you only must listen to me and not to strangers”, said Adam.
Everybody in the living room heard it and looked dat Grace who clearly became as red as fire.
“Well, I thought Mitch misses a mother and I have the need of husband and child”, Grace said as an als excuse.
The Cartwrights looked at each other and knew enough.
“I find that Adam is an excellent candidate for a marriage with our daughter”, said Helen.
“Adam must decide for himself if he wants to get married but as long as he hasn't found the mother of Mitch he won't cut the wedding cake”, said Ben.
“And what if she turns out to be dead? Will he remain a bachelor forever then?”, asked John.
“You must ask Adam that. He is happy with Mitch and the other way around”, replied Ben.
Meanwhile Adam and Mitch were upstairs already and the youngest Cartwright was in bed.
“Now you are gonna sleep nicely and no spooking around tonight”, said Adam.
“Yes daddy. Good night”, said the boy.
“Good night kid”, said Adam.
He tucked his son in and went downstairs again. At the landing Adam noticed the sudden silence.
“Has something happened?”, he asked amazed.
“Adam, will you marry me so we can raise Mitch together?”, Grace asked directly.
“No”, Adam just said.
The good mood of Grace changed at once.
“You feel yourself too good for me? And only because you already have a child”, she snapped.
“Not at all. But somewhere I have the feeling that the mother of my child is still alive. And as long as I haven't found her a relationship with me is impossible”, Adam explained.
“Egoist! I want to share my love with you but you only want to commit yourself to a woman who is trackless. I may hope that you never find her and stays behind all alone and embittered”, Grace said snappy.
She went straight to her room. Adam shrugged his shoulders and walked to his chair.
Grace left her room and went to the room of Mitch. The boy woke up because she came in.
“What are you doing here?”, asked Mitch.
“Your father asked me to take you to our new house. I shall help you getting dressed”, Grace lied.
She dressed the boy. Via the back stairs she fled with the young Cartwright. She grabbed a horse and wagon, put Mitch on it and away they were.
At a deserted cabin Grace stopped the wagon. Due to the wild ride Mitch had been all shaken up and lied unconscious in the wagon. The young woman saw that and knew that she was in deep trouble. She picked up Mitch and carried him inside. Mitch got laid on the bed where after Grace went back to the ranch. On the way she half tore her dress in two to make her excuse sound better. At the yard she began to cry very upset.
Adam didn't trust Grace and went to bed earlier than usual. First he looked at his son and got the scare of his life. The bed of Mitch was empty. The heart of Adam began to beat harder where after he ran downstairs.
“Adam, what is the matter?”, Ben asked directly.
“Mitch is gone. The clothes he was wearing this evening are also gone”, Adam replied worried.
The Cartwrights looked at each other worried.
“Maybe he is in another room. Children sometimes have trouble with sleepwalking”, Helen suggested.
“Mitch doesn't”, replied Adam.
Then the door went open and a crying Grace came in. Helen got up and walked to her daughter.
“Someone came in via the backstairs and he forced me and Mitch to come along with him. The boy got left behind in a cabin and I got taken by him. He tore my dress apart and I got away by screaming hard ”, Grace told.
“Where is Mitch?”, asked Adam.
“I don't know that. It happened in the dark”, replied Grace.
“How can you leave a three year old child alone? Don't you have no sense at all?”, Adam asked fierce.
“I got taken and not that boy of yours”, snapped Grace.
Cody woke up and groaned at her. Adam understood his dog right away and came into action.
“I am gonna walk Cody”, he said a bit calmer.
“Hoss, we go along”, Little Joe said direct.
They got up and followed Adam and Cody to outside.
The brothers grabbed their horses and followed Cody.
“That gal is lying the whole time. She has just kidnapped my boy and left him in a cabin behind”, groaned Adam.
“She is complete out of her mind”, said Little Joe.
Hoss was so angry with Grace that he couldn't say anything.
In the cabin Mitch woke up slowly. Confused he tried to see something but it was too dark in the cabin. He was very pleased when the door went open and the boy heard the barking of his dog.
“Cody!”, called Mitch.
“Mitch!”, Adam called relieved.
He ran to the bed and took his son into his arms. Hoss and Little Joe came in too.
“How did you come here?”, asked Little Joe.
“Grace came into my room and said that you had asked her to take me to our new house with her. On the way she rode so wild that I ended up here”, Mitch said hesitating.
“Joe, you take Cody back home. Hoss and I go with Mitch to Virginia City. First I let Doc Martin checked him out and then we sleep there”, said Adam.
His brothers agreed with this.
Mitch got put on Sport where after Adam mounted on. Hoss and Little Joe followed his example and they went to do what they had agreed to do.
Ben was very amazed to see only Little Joe and Cody. Outside he took his youngest son apart.
“Where are your brothers and nephew?”, asked the rancher.
“Grace had left Mitch unconscious in a cabin behind. Adam and Hoss are with him to Virginia City. They spent the night there”, replied Little Joe.
On the way to Virginia City kwam Mitch slowly became calm and quiet. He sat in front of his father and felt finally secure.
Arrived in town the Cartwrights went straight to doctor Paul Martin. Adam and Hoss stopped their horses and dismounted. They hitched their horses. Adam lifted Mitch from it and carried him inside, followed by Hoss. Paul Martin looked up strange when he saw his “regular” customers.
“Doc, Mitch has been taken along by a woman who currently stays with us. She left him unconscious behind in a cabin. Can you examine him?”, asked Adam.
He put his son on the examining table. Paul examined him at once.
“Fortuantly he is alright but do stay around him”, said Paul.
“Fine. Just send the bill to pa. He will love to pay it with pleasure”, said Hoss.
Adam picked up Mitch and carried him outside. The boy fell asleep. Adam pointed at the International House. Hoss understood it right away. They walked towards it.
At the reception Hoss asked, “Do you have a room for three persons?”
“Of course. But why do you must sleep here? Isn't the Ponderosa not good enough anymore?”, the man at the reception desk asked.
“We can also go to the Comstock Hotel if our money doesn't get accepted here”, Adam remarked.
The receptionist gave in and gave the register. Hoss took over Mitch and Adam signed for the room. They got the key and went to their room.
Adam brought Mitch straight to bed. He and Hoss watched how the boy slept.
“What is Mitchy such a sweetie. When he is sleeping like that”, Hoss said softly.
“Indeed. I wouldn't and couldn't miss him anymore”, replied Adam.
They decided to sleep as well.
At the Ponderosa it was quiet somehow quiet. Grace had gone to bed almost after her homecoming. Her parents had followed their daughter very soon.
The following morning there was a pressure hanging in the air. Grace avoided Little Joe and was very silent. Because Cody was being very hostile against the guests Candy took the dog along.
In Virginia City the Cartwrights took an extended breakfast to annoy the receptionist.
“Does that man doesn't like us?”, asked Mitch.
“No, I rather think that he dislikes children”, said Hoss.
“My child always behaves exemplary”, Adam remarked dry.
Hoss choked in his coffee.
“Are we going home later on?”, Mitch asked begging.
“Do you miss Cody?”, his father asked.
Mitch nodded and said, “And grandpa, Uncle Joe, Hop Sing, Candy, Griff.”
“Then we eat on and after that we go home”, said Adam.
So said, so done.
Adam, Hoss and Mitch didn't get the warm welcome they were used to. Grace was already waiting for them. Hoss dismounted and grabbed then his nephew where after the boy got put on the ground. Adam dismounted too but didn't trust Grace.
“I go and tell pa that we are back again”, said Hoss.
He went inside where after Grace saw her chance to get revenge on Adam.
“Daddy, I am gonna look for Cody”, said Mitch.
“You are going nowhere except to me. You must only listen to me”, Grace said strict.
“You have nothing to say about him. He is my son and must only listen to me”, reacted Adam.
Grace totally flipped and grabbed a revolver. Here after she grabbed Mitch tight.
“Adam Cartwright, marry me or otherwise you will have to bury your son!”, she snapped.
She held the weapon against the head of the young Cartwright. Adam literally felt his heart pounding in his throat and was powerless. What Grace didn't see was that Hoss and Little Joe held her under gunshot from the window of the bedroom of Little Joe.
“Let Mitch go. He hasn't done you anything, has he?”, asked Adam.
“Because of him you won't marry me”, replied Grace.
“Why must he die then?”, asked Adam.
“Then nothing is standing in the way for us for a long and happy life together with our children”, said Grace.
She wanted to pull the trigger but got then hit herself by two bullets. Mitch fell down on the ground and crawled quickly to his father who picked him up. Hoss and Little Joe came down via the roof. Ben, John and Helen came outside and saw the mortal remains of Grace lying. Helen kneeled down near her daughter and began to cry out loud.
“What has happened?”, asked the rancher.
“Grace wanted to kill Mitch if I didn't marry her. Hoss and Joe shot her”, replied Adam.
“Ben Cartwright, how can you allow this? You might get more grandchildren but we now never!”, John said furious.
“Did Adam just had to go and let his son be shot?”, Ben asked hurt.
“Yes”, Helen replied sobbing.
“We pack our suitcases and take Grace home. Now right away. I hope you will make your grandson feel guilty forever because he has ended our friendship”, John reacted fierce.
He got up and went inside.
“Boys, take care that the mortal remains gets in a bag”, Ben said to his sons and Candy.
“They keep their filthy hands off my daughter!”, snapped Helen.
Ben took Mitch over and took him inside. The Cartwright boys and Candy decided to go away for a while.
Inside Ben went to sit with his grandson near the open fireplace. The little boy didn't understand much of all that had happened. He sat against his grandpa and kept silent.
“Everything will be as normal again. We are there for you and you just keep on living here at the ranch”, Ben said after a while.
Mitch nodded. John came downstairs with the suitcases and looked dirty for a second at the youngest Cartwright. Then he disappeared to outside. A moment later the visit had left again.
In the afternoon the boys came home again Ben noticed that Adam felt guilty due to the death of Grace.
“Adam, she always has been strange. Be glad that she has died and not Mitch”, said the rancher.
“I am but still......”, said Adam.
He looked at his playing son and knew that he had been lucky. Hereby he could let go the guilty feeling.