For a few weeks there was a mysterious sphere up and around the Ponderosa. The eleven year old twins, Mitch and Pam, involved their father Adam and his brothers (Hoss and Little Joe) with their plan.
“Boys, we going to give pa a beautiful Valentine’s day”, Adam said at the herd.
“How do you want to do that?”, asked Hoss.
“We arrange a diner for grandpa and widow Hawkins in an expensive restaurant. Daddy will make sure that the restaurant is empty so that grandpa and widow Hawkins are alone. The bill is for us”, answered Mitch.
“And you think that grandpa buys that?”, Little Joe asked laughing.
Hoss too found it laughable but Adam and the twins didn’t.
“Come kids. Then we do it this without your uncles”, said Adam.
They got up and walked away. Their dog Cody followed them.
Riding to Virginia City asked Pam, “Why are our uncles doing so dimly about something nice?”
“Because they couldn’t think about it themselves and it fails most of the time”, answered her father.
“Especially when uncle Joe makes up the plan”, Mitch remarked.
This father couldn’t deny that.
“They just don’t understand why we do it”, said Pam.
“I do and grandpa will understand it too. And that is the most important”, answered Adam.
In the meantime Ben was updating the administration because his offspring was away and only Hop Sing was at home. The rancher did know what day it was soon but he kept silent about it. He knew that they were up to everything and then he could get them out of trouble again. The rancher really didn’t feel like doing that right now.
In Virginia City the Cartwrights stopped at an expensive restaurant. They dismounted and hitched the horses.
“Cody, stay”, said Adam.
The dog went to lie while the others went inside.
“Mr Cartwright, what can I mean for you?”, asked Derek Taylor who was the owner of the restaurant.
“Can you shut the restaurant on February 14 and only open it for 2 persons?”, asked Mitch.
Derek looked at him like he saw water burning.
“What is this for a strange request?”, asked Derek.
“The twins want to arrange a dinner for their grandpa to show how much they love him. He is always there for them and this way they want to do something back”, Adam explained.
Derek understood it and asked, “Of course that can and it will happen too. Who is the other lucky one?”
“Widow Hawkins. Otherwise it isn’t so romantic”, answered Pam.
“You take care of the invitations and we do the rest. I don’t say who have arranged that”, said Derek.
The children promised that. They went outside again with their father.
“I have a few bank business to arrange and you make the invitations by the newspaper. I pick you up here again”, Adam said when they were at the building of the Territorial Enterprise.
The twins promised that.
Two hours later all business were being taken care of and the invitations could be brought. Adam paid Lee Sing 5 dollar to deliver the invitation by widow Hawkins.
“Say that she surely must come for a diner with the man of her dreams”, Adam said to Lee.
“Lee will do that”, said the young Chinese who was also friends with the twins.
The boy ran away at once to bring the invitation.
Widow Hawkins had for years an eye on the owner of the Ponderosa but it still hadn’t come to a relationship yet. Ben had made his sons clear that he didn’t want a new relationship anymore but the boys didn’t really want to believe that. And the twins not at all. She saw Lee coming and came towards him.
“Widow Hawkins, invitation for you”, said the young Chinese.
He gave the letter and ran way at once again. The woman opened the letter and was pleased.
“I am curious who is my Valentine. Perhaps my Ducky”, she said.
Meanwhile Adam and the twins rode back home with Cody with the invitation for Ben.
“Kids, we don’t know about anything till after Saturday”, Adam said to the children.
“I don’t know what you are talking about. Do you Mitch?”, Pam asked her twin brother.
“I don’t either. That is because daddy has studied and we haven’t”, answered Mitch.
Adam knew enough.
Arrived at home they dismounted Ben stood waiting for them on the porch.
“And where have you been?”, he asked.
“I had to arrange a few bank business and they have kept me company. By the way a letter has come for you”, Adam said while he handed over the invitation.
The twins brought the horses to the stables.
Ben read the invitation and asked then worried, “I assume that you don’t know anything about this?”
“About what? What is it? An assessment for 1000 dollar?”, asked Adam asked on his turn.
“No, fortunately no assessment but an invitation for dinner on Saturday February 14. So I am away then and you all stay at home!”, answered Ben.
“Why would we go out if we don’t have a girl?”, asked Adam asked light-hearted.
Ben didn’t reply to it.
Finally it was Saturday February 14. Ben prepared himself for the blind date. But widow Hawkins did that too.
Before he left he said to his grandchildren, “You goodnight for now.”
“You too grandpa”, Mitch and Pam said at the same time.
Here after the rancher left for Virginia City.
About the same time both Ben and widow Hawkins arrived at the restaurant. They saw each other and feared the worst.
“Ducky! How romantic”, said the widow.
“I feat that my two youngest sons have this on their conscious. But that is for later worry. First we are going to eat deliciously”, said Ben.
He dismounted and hitched his horse. Together they went inside. A table was romantically set and the curtains were drawn. Candles were burning and the light was dimmed.
“Welcome to this special evening”, said Derek.
Ben and the widow sat down and got served up a delicious meal.
By the end of the evening Ben wanted to pay but Derek said, “Mr Cartwright, this dinner gets paid by someone else.”
“Well, that is nice to hear”, he said smiling.
He let widow Hawkins out and like a real gentleman he brought her home too.
“Ducky, this evening was really romantic. It is just a pity that we are only friends”, said the widow.
“Friends can also have a romantic evening together. But I will get to know who has this on his conscious and or there are more people involved”, answered Ben.
“Lee Sing brought me the invitation”, said the woman.
Ben thought for a second and knew enough.
“Lee Sing is friends with my grandchildren so I fear that they have arranged this”, he answered.
Quickly he rode back home but everyone was already sleeping.
The next morning during breakfast Ben looked explicitly at the twins.
“Grandpa, what have we done for crime this time?”, Mitch asked after a while.
“Do you have a few hours?”, asked Hoss.
“Mitchell Jonathan and Pamela Iris Cartwright, Why have you tricked me last night for a romantic dinner with widow Hawkins?”, asked the rancher.
“To show you how much we love”, said Pam.
“You are always there for us and we thought that you would appreciate this”, her brother added.
Ben understood it and said, “Then it is alright. Strange that my sons never had gotten this idea.”
Mitch and Pam knew that they had scored bonus points again by Ben.