Saturday was washing day for the Cartwright family. Ponderosa ranch owner Ben Cartwright and his two eldest sons Adam en Hoss were always very quickly but the youngest Cartwright, Little Joe, need the whole afternoon.
On a Saturday afternoon it was again that time. At half past twelve Little Joe had gone upstairs to have a bath. The Chinese cook Hop Sing had taken care of plenty of warm and cold water. But Little Joe didn’t go alone into the bath. This time he had gotten company of..........his rubber little duck. He had found the toy back again but kept this hidden from his two elder brothers. If Adam and Hoss would discover the little duck they would tease him very much for sure. And Little Joe didn’t feel much for that. Little duck had much pleasure to make his owner wet but the toy itself got wet too.
Halfway the afternoon Ben said to his sons, “You go and see if that little brother of yours is clean already. He sits there all afternoon.”
Adam and Hoss went without making a sound upstairs where the bathroom was. Walking in the hallway the brothers heard a very strange and unknown sound coming from out of the bathroom. Adam and Hoss looked at each other amazed and worried. Adam pointed at the bathroom door and Hoss understood what the meaning was.
Not knowing that his brothers were also upstairs Little Joe sang an ode to his little duck.
He sang, “Rubber duck, you are the one.”
It got sung out loud and outside on the hallway two brothers had very much trouble not to start laughing. With a look of steel Adam opened the door and that way Little Joe got caught red-handed at playing with his little duck. The youngest Cartwright brother shook so badly that the little duck flew through the air and fell outside through the window.
“Adam, look our little brother playing nicely with his rubber little duck”, said Hoss.
“That was a flying little duck. Perhaps Hop Sing can catch it and we eat Peking Duck tonight”, reacted Adam.
Hoss liked it but Little Joe of course didn’t.
“What are you doing here?”, he asked insulted.
“Pa is worried because you are in the bath for so long. Did we know that you were playing with your little duck. Had much fun playing?”, Adam asked sarcastic.
“What are we funny again. Is it very cozy with little duck and me, you come to spoil it again”, groaned Little Joe.
“Little duck has flown so you can come out”, Hoss said laughing.
“Would the gentlemen like to remove themselves so I can dry myself and get dressed?”, asked Little Joe.
“Don’t forget to dry your little duck”, Adam said before he and Hoss left the bathroom.
Little Joe groaned something inaudible but his brothers didn’t hear that at all anymore.
Downstairs Adam asked, “Pa, did you know that Little Joe still plays with his rubber little duck in the bath?”
“That worn out yellow little duck? Well, that is good that he is called Little Joe because when he is grown up that is not possible anymore of course”, reacted Ben.
That evening Hop Sing put the food on the table.
When he took off the lit of the meat dish the cook said, “Especially for Little Joe Peking Duck.”
“Look Joe, there is now your rubber little duck”, said Hoss.
Ben and Adam couldn’t stop laughing but Little Joe couldn’t appreciate the joke.
Since that afternoon he locked the door of the bathroom so that his elder brothers couldn’t come in just like that.