It was a nice day when Adam Cartwright came home. He was in a very good mood but that changed when he almost rode up against a sign. He stopped his horse Sport and read what was on the sign. There was only two words on it: ‘For Sale’.
“How can this be possible?”, he asked out loud.
The eldest Cartwright boy dismounted from his horse and blinked with his eyes. Again he read the sign which was placed just in front of the porch. But it were still the same words. Quite soon Adam had come over the shock and he decided to come into action. As first Adam went inside but he found the front door locked. Then he tried the kitchen door but that one was also closed. After Adam had been in the bunk house and found there nobody he suspected serious problems. There was nothing else for him to do than to ride to Virginia City and bring sheriff Roy Coffee up to date.
After a while Adam finally reached Adam Virginia City. Normally the ride to town from Ponderosa lasted long but now the ranch was in danger the ride seemed to last 8 hours long. He stopped right in front of the office. Quickly Sport got hitched and Adam ran inside.
“Adam , what can I do for you?”, asked Roy.
“Someone has played a bad joke with our ranch and put a sign with For Sale in front of the porch. Everything is locked and everyone is away. Something is not. Pa would never offer to sell the ranch without telling us. Besides where are pa, Hoss and Little Joe?”, the eldest Cartwright boy asked.
“I don’t know anything about it. I haven’t seen or spoken your father or brothers in three weeks”, said Roy.
Adam went to sit on the desk of Roy.
“I am going to find what is going on”, said Adam.
He got up and left the office. But yet before the eldest Cartwright boy had mounted on deputy Clem Foster came to him.
“Adam, I go with you. Roy’s order”, he said.
“Alright”, said Adam.
Both men mounted on and rode to the Ponderosa. They knew how much the ranch meant for the Cartwright family.
Once arrived at the ranch they searched through the ranch house which broken open by Adam on his own way. In the kitchen laid a paper.
Adam read out loud:
Adam Cartwright,
To get your father and brothers alive again you must do the following:
1) Sell the Ponderosa.
2) Put then an advert in the newspaper about the sale.
3) After that we will be in touch with you about the profit.
“So they are kidnapped. How do you want to solve this?”, asked Clem.
Adam thought for a moment and started to smile then.
“I am curious about how they got Hoss along. But we do it this way: I sell the ranch to Roy for one dollar. Then we put the wanted advert and we draw the kidnappers out”, he explained.
“Fortunately it is not an idea of Joe because then certainly it would fail. But a plan of yours is a whole different ballgame”, answered Clem.
They decided to go to Virginia City again.
Via the family lawyer Ira Minton Adam got a deed of sale and he went with it to the sheriff.
“You want that I what?”, Roy asked amazed when he heard the price of selling.
“I want that you buy the ranch from me for one dollar. Ira already had made up the deed of sale”, Adam said calm.
He showed the deed. Roy read the contract through and agreed. He got a dollar out of his pocket and gave it to Adam.
“Do remember Adam Cartwright that I am now the owner of the Ponderosa and not your father”, said Roy.
“Only until my father and brothers are free again and the kidnappers are being caught”, reacted Adam.
Roy had forgotten that for a second.
After that Adam let put an advert in the local newspaper that the ranch of the Cartwrights was sold. For the security he took a room at the Comstock hotel.
A few days later Adam got a visit in his hotel room. He heard a knock on the door and opened carefully. But when he had opened the door he saw nobody but only a note on the ground.
He picked up the note and closed the door again.
Lying on the bed Adam read the note:
Cartwright,
Bring the money to Rock Hill. Put the money in a gunny bag at the fourth tree left from the road. Then our prisoners are free again.
Adam grabbed his weapons together and went to the sheriff.
Roy en Clem read the ransom note and the deputy went along with Adam.
Meanwhile the hostages Ben, Hoss and Little Joe Cartwright already had escaped. They were being held by the twin-brothers Tom and Tim Miller in what they thought was a cave. But when the twins didn’t look for a second Joe already had done an attempt to escape.
“Pa, Hoss, come on because we can get away at the other side. This happens to be no cave but an old tunnel”, he whispered.
Quickly the Cartwrights sneaked away so that the twins were alone.
When they noticed that Cartwrights were away they got into a beating row.
“You shouldn’t have left them alone, ninny”, said Tom.
“It was your idea to do this idiotic plan”, reacted Tim.
It didn’t take long before they were fighting. At a certain moment the brothers rolled downstairs and got awaited there by the Grim Reaper.
When Adam and Clem arrived at the described spot they saw the two bodies lying. Clem dismounted and looked at them.
“Those are the twins Tim and Tom Miller. They are dead. But where are your father and brothers?”, the deputy asked.
“I would like to know that as well even though it is quiet without those brothers of mine”, Adam chuckled.
“Very funny Adam Cartwright!”, Hoss said indignant.
Adam en Clem turned around and saw the escaped prisoners.
“I had to sell the ranch for your freedom so I did that. Roy bought it for one dollar”, said Adam.
“Let’s go to Virginia City or otherwise Roy thinks that he really is the owner of the Ponderosa ranch. Then we shall tell everything there”, said Ben.
In Virginia City the Cartwrights told what had happened.
“I got tresses along by a little dog”, said Hoss.
“That is not so bad yet because a beautiful gal asked me the way and brought me there”, reacted Joe.
“What are you having it tough. I had to come there because widow Hawkins was waiting for me”, answered Ben.
“Well, everything is over now and I am the only sheriff who is also the owner of the Ponderosa ranch”, Roy said proud as a peacock.
He showed the deed of sale. Ben read it and began to laugh out loud.
“Ben, if you want to live any longer on that ranch I would stop laughing if I was you”, Roy said worried.
“Roy, that contract is invalid because Adam had forgotten to sign. Besides I am still capable enough to deal with contracts myself. Adam needed my permission to sell the ranch as long as I live”, Ben explained laughing.
Roy sighed and tore up the contract.
“Adam Cartwright, give me my dollar back and disappear with your father and brothers out of town. I do not want to see you for quite a while. And if that does happen I lock you up for life in my cell!”, said Roy.
Adam paid the dollar back. After that the Cartwrights left right away to their beloved ranch to enjoy it even more than Roy Coffee ever had done.