One evening when Buck Cannon, Billy Blue Cannon and Manolito Montoya were on their way home when they rode past a deserted ranch. The threesome stopped.
“Do you think that it is a ghost ranch?”, Blue asked his Uncle Buck.
“It could be. There exists also ghost towns”, answered the rancher.
The only one who said nothing was Manolito. But that didn’t take much time.
“Buck, what would you say if we two made a bet with our nephew Blue? I mean your nephew”, said the Mexican.
Both Cannons looked questionable at Manolito. They didn’t trust it much.
“What kinda bet?”, asked Buck.
“We bet with Blue that we cannot spend a night here in quiet peace”, Manolito explained.
“Deal”, Blue said before Buck could react.
“Wait a second nephew. What is the stake?”, Buck asked carefully.
“If Blue can’t stand it he does the dishes for a whole month at the High Chaparral. If we cannot we must do the dishes”, Manolito answered laughing.
“That is alright. It is already late and we better can go ahead tomorrow. The horses can use the rest at night as well”, said Buck.
They rode to the ranch and dismounted. The horses got brought into the stable and taken care of. The three went inside the ranch house.
“Well Mano, Uncle Buck. I would say: see you in the morning”, said Blue said cheerful.
“Wait a minute you! Where are you going to if I may ask that?”, Buck asked distrustful.
“To the bedroom. That’s where they do sleep usually?”, was the counter-question of Blue.
He didn’t get an answer and went looking for the bedroom.
Buck and Manolito remained together behind in the living room.
“That lad is up to something with us tonight!”, Manolito said fierce.
“Surely but what?”, asked Buck.
“We will have to find out”, said Manolito.
“For the security I am going to sleep on the floor”, said Buck.
He grabbed his blanket and looked for a place in the living room.
“Do what you like Buck Cannon! I take the settee. Goodnight”, said the Mexican.
Soon they were in a deep sleep.
While he went upstairs Blue noticed that the staircase cracked. Also that the doors peeped very much. This brought the young Cannon to a sneaky plan. He thought, ‘Buck and Mano say that they are afraid of nothing but here for they are.’ Blue slipped back downstairs and opened the kitchen door open en shut. He repeated this a few times and slipped then quietly back upstairs.
In the living room Buck and Manolito woke up from the peeping door
“Did you hear that too Mano?”, the rancher asked worried
“Si. There it is again”, answered Manolito.
Both men looked at each other with worry. Again they heard the peeping sound.
“Well, it is just the wind. Let’s go back to sleep”, Buck said sober.
They fell asleep again.
At twelve o’clock there blew a cold wind through the living room.
“Buck Cannon! Why do you always let everything be open?”, Manolito asked fierce.
Buck woke up and asked sleepy, “How do you mean?”
Then he felt the cold wind too.
“I never leave anything open. You must have done it”, he reacted.
Manolito didn’t know what he was hearing. To be certain that Buck didn’t understood it Manolito talked to him in Spanish.
“Err Mano, may I ask you something?”, Buck asked calm.
“And that is?”, asked the Mexican.
“When you speak Spanish may there then subtitling by in English? Then I can follow it too”, answered Buck.
As a reaction Manolito threw a pillow at Buck who avoided it just in time.
“Mano, what are we doing now? We are having a row while we actually should be teasing Blue Boy. He probably is lying on the look-out to chase us away”, said Buck.
“You are right. Do you know what we do?”, Manolito asked smiling.
Buck shook of no.
But because it was dark he said, “No.”
“We go to Blue and say that we have more right to have the bedroom where Blue is now sleeping. We are older than him. At least you are anyway”, the Mexican explained.
“Warmly thanks for the compliment, Mano. But it is a good plan for a change”, was the fierce reaction of Buck.
“Good plan? It is not a good plan. It is an excellent plan”, Manolito raved in English before he continued in Spanish again.
“Okay. However: we say to that nephew of mine that being in the living room is much better than in the bedroom. Come on Mano”, said Buck.
They got up and went upstairs.
In the bedroom Blue was sleeping comfortable on the big bed.
“Look him lying there. At first sight he is innocent but his appearances are deceptive”, Buck whispered.
Manolito gave him a push.
“Blue Boy, wake up”, Buck said at a loud tone.
Blue woke up and saw his two Uncles standing.
“I demand this bed from you. You go and sleep downstairs on the settee. It is lovely there”, said Buck.
“Command your puppy and bark for yourself. Why should you sleep here anyway?”, Blue asked dry.
“Because we are older. The elderly always are entitled to have the first right to everything. Also in this case.”, answered Manolito.
Blue got up and said while he went downstairs, “Pleasant dreams.”
Buck and Manolito let themselves drop on the big bed and tried to sleep. But here also they weren’t released from the peeping sounds and the cold wind. Hereby the two didn’t sleep a wink. Blue came into the living room and fell asleep on the settee.
The following morning Buck and Manolito came downstairs where a wide-awake Blue came towards them.
“Slept well gents?”, Blue asked cheerful.
The two said nothing but yawned extensively of exhaustion.
“Let’s just go home”, said Buck.
So said, so done.
When the threesome left the yard they met an old man.
“Hello boys. Slept comfortable at the ghost ranch?”, asked the old timer.
“Err yes lovely”, Buck laughed sheepish.
“Si señor”, lied Manolito.
“I have slept really comfortable. Unfortunately in two different rooms. First in the bedroom and then in the living room at their request”, said Blue.
The old timer first looked at the young Cannon and then at Buck and Manolito.
“For years there lives a ghost who protects young cowboys of under 25 years old against older cowboys who tease him”, said the old timer.
“How does that ghost protect him then, amigo”, asked Manolito.
“The ghost lets blow a cold wind and the doors peep”, was the answer.
Buck felt the shower already hanging above his head and said, “Mano, Blue Boy, we must go. Bye old timer.”
Manolito and Blue nodded polite and rode with Buck away.
Arrived at home at the High Chaparral Buck and Manolito told what had happened the past night.
“Have you slept well, Blue?”, asked John.
“Excellent pa. Those two wanted that I couldn’t spend the night well but it was just the other way around”, answered Blue.
“What was the stake?”, asked Victoria.
“Doing the dishes for a month. I have won the bet so Uncle Buck and Mano have dish duty for a month”, Blue said smiling.
“Señoras, you know where the kitchen is”, Victoria said inviting.
Mumbling Buck and Manolito walked in the direction of the kitchen.
“I think that your future wives will have much use of your dishes arts”, John said teasing.