Foreman Candy Canaday rode in the carriage of his boss Ben Cartwright over a rocky road. Suddenly he went over a rock. The following moment the foreman fell out of the carriage and he rolled down the road. He remained lying out cold. The horses and the carriage rode ahead through to the Ponderosa.
After a while Candy came round. He looked a bit squeeze around him. Carefully he moved his both legs and noticed that his left ankle was injured. Suddenly he heard some rustle coming from the bushes. The foreman drew his revolver.
Then he heard a voice saying, “Drop that weapon down.”
Candy refused to do that and put it back into the holster. From the bushes came an old man pointing a rifle at Candy,
“What are you doing here young man?”, he asked when he had come closer.
“I was just on my way to the Ponderosa when I fell out of my carriage. My left ankle is a bit painful”, the foreman told.
“You said The Ponderosa? That is the ranch of the Cartwrights. What sort of business do you got there?”, the man asked curiously.
Via that question Candy noticed quickly that the old man had no good thoughts in his head.
He said, “I have a business meeting with Mr Ben Cartwright. He has a few horses for me.”
“I don’t buy that sonny. Come on let’s go”, the man ordered.
With difficulty the foreman got up and limped to the house of the man.
“Of course you come to spy for the Cartwrights. But this happens to be my land”, the old man said whom listened to the name of Seth Baker.
“This is Ponderosa land. The Cartwrights live three km from here”, Candy claimed.
“Tell that to the horse-marines. You only say that to scare me. Move!”, Seth said.
He held the rifle still pointed at Candy. He took the revolver out of the holster and held it with him. There was nothing else for Candy to do than to walk. He didn’t want to get killed anyway. There felt the foreman himself much too young for. He couldn’t suspect that he would be kept prisoned by Seth for a few days.
At a certain moment they came to a house.
“Get inside young man”, Seth said with a determined voice.
Candy opened the door and wanted to do a try to concern the man.
But Seth said angry, “You shouldn’t have done that. The next time I kill you!”
Now Candy knew for sure that this wouldn’t be or become a cozy tea party. A second later he got a knock on the head and he lost his conscious. Laughing Seth dragged him to a very dark room and he threw the foreman on the bed. The room was made dark and the only light was coming from the front room.
“You will stay here for a while sonny”, Seth said.
He searched the pockets of Candy and found a wallet with a lot of money in it.
“You don’t need that anymore either. But I do”, Seth said and he stole the money.
The amount was about five hundred dollar. Candy had sold a horse for Ben in Carson City. Now he was on his way home, but this was not in his plan. Seth had tied him very tightly at his hands and feet. To hurt him extra the man had blindfolded him too.
Hoss was the first one to see the empty carriage coming. He was outside chopping wood when the horses with the carriage came upon the yard. Hoss directly knew thtathere was something and went inside in a big hurry.
“Pa, Joe”, he yelled while entering.
Ben and Little Joe came around.
Ben asked, “Hoss, what is the matter? Has Candy returned yet?”
“The carriage with the horses have but no Candy”, was the answer of Hoss.
“Candy wouldn’t have gotten out of it underway and be walking home?”, Little Joe joshed but his father really couldn’t at it.
“Joseph, you know how Candy is. He would never do such a thing”, Ben reacted a bit fiercer than he meant.
“Sorry pa. Do you want that we are going to look for him?”, Little Joe asked seriously.
“Yes. He got to be somewhere around. Be careful”, Ben advised.
How good Hoss and Little Joe searched, Candy just remained unfindable. His disappearing was then a big puzzle for the Cartwrights.
Candy woke up from time to time, but Seth wouldn’t think of the thought to untie him. Seth had seen him the first time passing by when Candy went to Carson City.
To get him into his hands Seth had put a rock on the road so that Candy had to fall out of it.
Seth was illegal living in the deserted house to rob the passing people. This plan was for him very unsuccessful until Candy fell into his hands. It was like Seth had won the jackpot. The fact alone all that Candy worked at the Ponderosa made him feel satisfied. It was well known that Ben Cartwright was good for his personnel and Seth wanted to make profit of that. But he didn’t know that the disappearing of Candy was noticed already and that they had started a search party for him.
After a couple of days Hoss and Little came to the house.
“Joe, he might be here”, Hoss suggested.
“Maybe. This is the only hose in the area of our ranch”, Little Joe said.
They dismounted and Little Joe knocked at the door. A distrusting Seth answered the door.
“What can I do for you?”, he asked grumpy.
“We are looking for our foreman. He is about 5 feet 11 tall, black hair, blue eyes. He wears black trousers and vest, a red shirt and a blue shawl. Did you happen to see him?”, Little Joe asked.
“No. I have not seen him. I have more things to do”, Seth snapped.
Hoss saw the revolver of Candy lying at the table near the door. He didn’t let anything show.
In the dark room Candy heard the voice of Little Joe and he thought: “Salvation!” Unfortunately for him the door got slammed. Candy remained helpless lying on the bed.
Hoss and Little Joe walked back to their horses.
Hoss said then, “According to me he did see Candy. I saw his revolver lying at the table near the door.”
“Come on home to tell pa”, his younger brother said.
They went back to the ranch and told their father what had happened.
“Are you sure that Candy is being held there and the man who lives there says of not?”, Ben asked worried.
“Yes sure pa. It was the last house we asked. His revolver was lying at the door. Besides that the resident behaved very strangely”, Hoss said.
“All right. We go there. I take the buckboard along you can never know in what sort of state Candy is”, the rancher said.
Soon the threesome reached the house. Ben parked the wagon before the door. Hoss and Little Joe dismounted. Together they walked to the door. Ben knocked at the door. He made clear that the brothers had to be and stayed well out of sight. They did that.
Seth answered the door and asked angrily, “What can I do for you?”
“May I come inside for a moment?”, Ben asked.
“No!”, Seth replied and wanted to close the door, but the rancher was inside already and Little Joe was holding the old man under gunshot.
“Now you sit down and tell us where Candy is”, Ben said.
“Who is actually Candy? Nobody except me lives here”, Seth claimed.
“How does his revolver come here then?”, Hoss asked.
“I found it”, Seth said.
But no one believed him.
“What is there behind this door?”, Little Joe asked.
“Nothing. That door is closed and remains to be closed”, was the answer.
Little Joe shot the lock to pieces. The door felt open and Little Joe went inside. By the shot Candy had woken up.
He asked with a hoarse voice, “Joe?”
Little Joe asked on his turn, “Candy?”
He walked to the door and said, “Pa, our foreman is here.”
“I take care of Candy. You bring him to the sheriff”, Ben said.
Seth realized that it was now over.
In the dark room Ben took the bandage off and untied the hands and feet of Candy.
“Candy, it’s me Ben Cartwright”, Ben said.
“Mr Cartwright, what am I glad to hear a familiar voice”, Candy said who felt terrible.
“It is now over son”, the rancher said.
Candy felt the lash in his ankles and wrists very well. Because Candy was being held in the darkness, the firm sunlight has blinded his eyes completely.
While Hoss and Little Joe brought Seth to the sheriff, Ben looked after his foreman.
“Can you walk Candy?”, Ben asked concerned.
“Yes, Mr Cartwright”, Candy said calm.
Carefully he got up from the bed and walked to the door. But while entering the light front room he got a big shock. With one hit Candy returned back into the dark room.
Ben came after him and asked, “Candy, what is the matter?”
“That firm sunlight is hurting my eyes. I can hardly see anything”, Candy said and he kept his eyes deeply closed.
“I bring you to the ranch. One of the hands will warn Doc right away. Here is my arm”, Ben said.
“Bring me to Doc at once”, was the protest of the foreman.
“Okay. If that is what you want”, was the reply of the rancher.
Careful he led Candy to the wagon. Candy knew that this was not his style, but accepted the situation like it was. Ben helped him upon the wagon and climbed on it then.
On the way to Virginia City Candy covered his eyes with his hands. Ben noticed how much pain the foreman had with his eyes.
“It will be alright with your eyes”, the rancher said at a certain moment.
“I hope so”, was the gloomy answer of Candy
His boss saw in this that this was a set-back for him. Candy was always so cheerful and positive from character.
Soon they reached Virginia City. Ben stopped the wagon in front of the practise of Doc Paul Martin. He jumped from it and walked around it.
“Candy, we are here at the Doc’s. Here is my hand”, he said to the foreman.
Carefully Candy climbed from it, fumbling he went upstairs.
Ben went in before him and said, “Paul, can you examine Candy? He has been in the darkness for days.”
“Sit down Candy. Then I will look at your eyes”, Paul said.
Candy did that. Doc examined the eyes of Candy but there was nothing wrong with.
He did some eye-drops in the peepers of the foreman and asked, “How does that feel?”
Candy blinked a few times with his eyes and said, “a bit better, but my eyes still hurt.”
“That might be so another few days. But you will see again. Come within a fortnight back for a check-up”, Paul said.
He gave Ben the eye drops and said, “Do this twice a day in his eyes.”
The rancher nodded. They left the practise of the doctor after the ankle of Candy was also treated.
At home Candy got the advice to take plenty of rest of his employer. He did that. The Cartwrights spared him the first few days. But this didn’t mean that Hoss and Little Joe weren’t teasing Candy.
“Just wait until I can see again”, was his comment.
The brothers only laughed about it.
The visual power of Candy returned slowly but sure. The foreman could use his blue watchers again like before the imprisonment.
His testimony against Seth Baker made sure that the old man was placed into prison for five years.
Candy continued with his work and life went ahead for him. Meanwhile Ben kept an eye on him. Although the foreman claimed that he had overcome it. This turned out not be so.
At a late afternoon Candy was busy working at the shed. He was in good mood until the door got shut by the wind. Candy heard a bang and at once everything came back in his mind. He stopped with working and tried to push the door open. This failed. Because the shed was quite small the foreman panicked and he surrendered to his fear.
He was already quite upset when Ben and Little Joe came riding home and they saw that the door of the shed was closed.
“Joe, is Candy there inside?”, Ben asked directly.
His son nodded and they dismounted their horses. After that they opened the door together. Candy was totally upset.
Ben said, “Go and get Doc. Tell him it is an emergency.”
Little Joe went away at once.
“It is alright Candy. I take you inside the house”, Ben said calm but concerned.
In the living room Hoss was reading the newspaper. When the couple came inside he knew directly what had happened. Candy couldn’t say anything but both Ben and Hoss knew that he had gotten a set-back.
When Paul Martin had examined him he said, “I order Candy complete rest.”
The foreman took a couple of weeks vacation but he did stay at the Ponderosa. He went fishing a lot so he could deal in peace with the nasty imprisonment. Candy spoke a lot about it with the brothers Cartwright. Hereby had the foreman come over it much quicker.
After his vacation Candy noticed that he felt good and his surroundings noticed that too. His sense of humor had returned and his laugh sounded over the yard like always.
“I believe that Candy is himself again, pa”, Hoss said to Ben.
“I think you are right son”, was the answer of the rancher when they heard his laugh.