Ponderosa ranch foreman Candy Canaday had an evening off which he spent in Virginia City. He had hitched his horse in front of the Silver Dollar saloon and went inside by himself.
At the bar Candy ordered a beer and he looked around the saloon, enjoying his beer. Each table was occupied by cowboys who tried to double their hard earned pay by playing cards. But most of the time they lost it quicker than it was earned.
When Candy had finished his 2nd beer a cowboy asked, “Candy, are you joining us?”
The foreman looked at the cowboys but didn’t trust it completely.
Though he said, “Alright. I’m in.”
Candy left the bar and took a seat at the table.
It turned out to be the lucky evening of Candy because he won 1000 dollar.
“Gentlemen, it was cozy but I’m going home”, said the foreman.
Candy wanted to grab his money but then he saw a revolver pointing at him.
“Here with that money”, said Jake Wilson.
He had invited Candy to join in to play poker.
“I have won it fair. So now it’s mine”, reacted Candy.
“Alright then. I leave it here for now”, said Jake.
Quickly Candy grabbed his money and he left the saloon.
“Jake, why do you let that geezer go. Now we can forget about our money”, said David, the younger brother van Jake.
“We go to follow him and on the way to his house we rob him. Then it’s not his money anymore but ours”, answered his brother.
De cowboys left the saloon and followed Candy.
In unseen moment David knocked Candy out with his rifle. The foreman fell off his horse. Jake grabbed the money and they rode away.
“Give me my share”, said Simon Taylor.
He was the accomplish of the brothers.
“Here is your share”, said Jake.
He grabbed his revolver and shot down Simon. The outlaw dropped down dead. The brothers rode back to Virginia City.
After a while Candy came round. First he looked dazed around him and then her realized what had happened to him. The foreman got up and rode to the Ponderosa ranch.
Inside the ranch house Ben Cartwright kept on looking at the clock. His 2 youngest sons Hoss and Joe noticed that but didn’t understand it.
“Pa, Candy is a grownup boy. He really can look after himself”, Hoss said when Ben had looked for the 1000nd time at the clock.
“Boys, you know that Candy is like a son to me too. So I’m worried about him too”, answered the rancher.
At that moment the front door went open and Candy came in. The Cartwrights saw how he looked like.
“Candy, what has happened? Have you fought with a bear?”, asked Joe.
“No bear. I was robbed by 3 cowboys. They have nicked 1000 dollars from me”, said the foreman.
“We go after them. Hoss, Joseph, saddle the horses”, said Ben.
The brothers went to saddle the horses right away. Not much later the Cartwrights and Candy went to look for the outlaws.
Candy stopped at the spot where he was robbed.
“They knocked me out here”, said the foreman.
“They?”, asked Ben.
“It were 2 brothers and an accomplish. Sinister types”, answered Candy.
Meanwhile Hoss had dismounted and found a track.
“Pa, they have gone back to Virginia City”, he said.
“Then we go to Virginia City too”, said Ben.
Hoss mounted on and rode with the others to town.
“Pa, there lies somebody”, Joe suddenly said.
Again they stopped. Joe and Candy dismounted. They checked the body.
“That is their accomplish”, Candy said who recognized the dead man.
The Cartwrights put the body on his horse and rode straight ahead to Virginia City.
The outlaws were back in the Silver Dollar Saloon where they were very noisy to big annoying of the other present. Until Jake made a fatal mistake. He had ordered and got a beer. The full glass got shoved to the other end of the bar. It was the meaning that his brother would receive the glass.
“Thanks for the beer”, a voice said which wasn’t clearly of David Wilson was.
Jake looked up and saw Candy drinking his beer. He didn’t see his brother anywhere and became worried.
“David! David, where are you?”, he called in panic.
He quickly looked around and bumped into Hoss.
“Candy, is this chicken who robbed you?”, Hoss asked while he held Jake tight.
“That is him indeed. Shall we bring him to the sheriff?”, was the counter-question of the foreman.
“Good idea. Then he and his brother can keep Clem company”, Hoss said roguish.
Clem was sheriff Clem Foster who was maintaining the law in Virginia City.
“Walk piece of dirt”, said Hoss.
Jake got delivered by the sheriff and just like his brother put behind bars by the sheriff.
“How did you get here?”, asked Jake.
“That ole one and his little boy had grabbed me when I went to get some fresh air”, answered David.
“Me by that cowboy and that bear. But fortunately I still have that 1000 dollar”, said Jake.
He grabbed the notes, stuck them, out of the cell and said, “Candy, I have your money.”
De outlaw wasn’t one of the quickest because Joe grabbed the money of his hand.
“You must say, Candy, I had your money”, Joe corrected him.
The youngest Cartwright son walked to the office where the others were.
“Candy, here is your wining money”, said Joe.
“Thanks Joe”, said Candy.
He put the money into his inside pocket.
“Gentlemen, there is a reward on the heads of the 3 gentlemen. It’s not much with regarding to what you own. But it is better than nothing. The reward is 50 dollar a man so 150 dollar. So you get each 37,5 dollar”, said Clem.
He paid the money.
“Not much for catching a bunch of outlaws”, Joe said complaining.
“It’s better than nothing”, reacted Hoss.
“Hoss, Joseph, do you actually realize that Candy has the most money of us all with him?”, Ben asked then sneaky.
The brothers looked at each other laughing.
“Dear Candy, you know that we are good friends for a very long time”, Hoss said while he was licking Candy’s boots.
“I know that but I have earned those 1000 dollar fair and on my won played together”, answered the foreman.
“But we have helped you to roll up that gang. So…”, said Joe.
Then Ben added another try to it, “Mr Canaday, you won’t let 3 thirsty men of which 1 pays your wages ride back all the way to the Ponderosa with a dry throat?”
All Cartwrights looked so at Candy that he couldn’t refuse. But first Candy did another attempt to get from under it.
“Clem, which punishment is there for bribing an innocent foreman?”, was the question of Candy.
“Candy, I really don’t know what you are talking about”, said the sheriff.
“Alright then. I pay 1 round and then we go home”, said Candy.
The Cartwrights agreed with this.