A long day of hard work had gone by for the Cartwrights.
Yet on the yard said the youngest Cartwright brother Little Joe to his eldest brother Adam, “Adam, I challenge you for a game of chess.”
“That is fine. But you know what they say: the challenger loses”, reacted Adam.
Joe didn’t say anything back.
“What are you playing for?”, asked Ben, their father.
“The loser must make coffee for the others”, said Adam.
He said that because he knew that Ben and Joe hardly could make coffee and Hop sing was on vacation.
“I supervise so that both of you play fair and by the rules”, said Ben.
The brothers didn’t mind.
After a good meal Adam and Joe started with their game of chess. The board was on the salon table. Adam took place on the settee and Joe on the table as usual. Ben watched form the blue chair. He was deliriously glad that his sons finally could play a game with each other in peace instead of rowing with each other in which they were good at too.
For a while it went well but Joe saw it coming down for him. He knew that Adam never lost so he decided to make up something. Suddenly Joe did a move with the knight which ended up 4 places ahead.
“Joe, that move is not allowed!”, Adam said at once.
“That is allowed to”, reacted his brother.
Ben came to stand by them and saw what had happened.
“Joseph, you know what the rules with chess are and that is not one of them”, said the rancher.
“Pa, this is a new move because this is called the Little Joe Cartwright move. Discovered right now”, Joe explained.
Ben and Adam looked at each other and knew that Joe was in splendid again. Adam put his queen so that the king of Joe couldn’t get anywhere anymore and so the game was over.
“Check mate!”, Adam said smiling.
Now Joe realized that it was a very stupid move and he looked puzzled at the board.
“Gees, I suddenly looking forward t delicious cup of coffee”, said Adam.
“Me too. Don’t you feel like having coffee?”, Ben asked his youngest son.
With reluctance Joe got up and he went to the kitchen to make coffee.
In the living room asked Adam, “Pa, shall we play a game?”
“Alright. But do keep in account that you lose”, said Ben.
The chess pieces got put on their place and a new game began. Ben kept an eye on Adam but Adam did that too. But suddenly Joe came into the living room with coffee and put it down by the board.
“Coffee gentlemen”, said Joe.
“Thank you Joseph”, said Ben.
He wanted to get his cup and made a wrong move. Adam saw his chance and took care of that his father lost.
“Check mate pa”, he said smiling.
“And what must pa do now?”, asked Joe.
“Doing the dishes”, Adam suggested.
His brother thought that it was a nice idea too but their father didn’t.
“May I first have a coffee break?”, asked Ben.
“Of course. Go ahead”, answered Adam.
After the coffee Ben had to start with the dishes. Joe kept him company.
“Joseph, 1 thing will ever happen in this house again”, the rancher said after a while.
“And that is?”, asked the youngest Cartwright.
“You and I are never going to play chess against Adam again!”, was the answer.
Of course Joe agreed with that.