For the umpteenth time Hoss had done it. While his brothers Adam and Little Joe didn’t come often into the kitchen he did that very much. And always for 1 reason only: to fill his empty stomach with the delicious bakery stuff of the Chinese cook Hop Sing. But this time it went wrong because Hop Sing caught Hoss red-handed.
The whole morning the cook had baked little cakes for the coffee in the evening. When he was outside for a moment the second son of Ben Cartwright came in. Directly he smelled the smell of the little cakes and decided to put himself to the test.
“I will try the little cakes for now”, Hoss said to himself.
He went to sit at the kitchen table and grabbed the first one. Pretty soon this one had disappeared into the dark throat of the eater. Hoss had grabbed number two already when he heard grumbling in the Chinese language. Quickly Hoss stuffed the little cake into his tail-board and chewed as fast as he could. But Hop Sing came via the living room and saw what was going on in his kitchen. Quickly Hoss got up and wanted to flee outside but the cook was faster.
“Why you eat little cakes of Hop Sing? You naughty boy!”, the cook raved.
“Hop Sing, I only wanted to try a few to see they were delicious”, reacted Hoss.
“Hop Sing always bake delicious things. Mr Hoss not try to eat them. Hop sing fed up it and punish Mr Hoss with 1 week of kitchen chores.”
“I must do kitchen chores? Where? Here in the kitchen?”, Hoss asked amazed.
“In kitchen of International House. No, Mr Hoss of course do chores in Ponderosa kitchen”, was the answer.
Heavily disappointed Hoss went outside where his father was reading the newspaper on the porch.
“Hoss, what is the matter? It looks like you have heard very bad news”, said Ben.
“That is so. Pa, I do know that you always gave us punishment when he had done something wrong but now I had gotten that of Hop Sing. I ate a little cake and wanted to take another when he came in. He gave me a week of chores in the kitchen. Can’t you talk to Hop Sing about the punishment he has given me?”, Hoss asked begging.
Ben sighted deep because he had heard something familiar.
“I can do it but I am not going to. Hoss, you are now a big boy and you have to suffer for your own crimes. To teach you a lesson I give you an extra week of chores in the kitchen”, said the rancher.
He continued to read whereby Hoss knew enough.
Hoss walked back to the kitchen to start with his chores. But he already knew that he wasn’t enjoyable for the next two weeks.