Joe Cartwright had once again found a new love. Her name was Sheila Baker and she came of a very good and rich family. The fact that she had caught a Cartwright was very good news for her parents.
On a Sunday Sheila came to have supper with the Cartwrights. The day before it Joe informed his family members about it.
“Boys, tomorrow my girlfriend comes to eat here. She is of a good family and has excellent manners”, said Joe.
“So we may not tell her about your previous girls?”, asked the elder brother of Joe, Hoss.
“No! Certainly not and also not about all my failed plans”, answered Joe.
“Then we are still busy over 100 years”, laughed his oldest brother Adam.
The others had to laugh too.
“Must I really be there because I have an ice hockey game tomorrow afternoon”, said the eldest son of Adam, Mitch.
“That is the meaning”, said Joe.
“Joe, just let him go or otherwise Mitch will look you like a right fool in front of your new girlfriend”, advised Adam.
His brother knew that too and that’s why he said, “Alright, go then to that game and take your father, little brother and little sister along.”
Adam and Mitch didn’t mind that.
“Sheila will come for supper anyway”, said Joe.
“We will be there”, promised Adam.
That following afternoon Joe came with Sheila at the Ponderosa. She was wearing a neat blue dress and had done her hair in a bun. Besides she looked through small glasses which made her look like a strict school teacher. Joe was deliriously happy that his nephews and niece weren’t there but his brother Hoss was.
“Welcome to the Ponderosa, darling”, Joe said when he had parked his BMW in front of the porch.
“It is a big pleasure for me to be here”, said Sheila.
Joe got out and held the car door for her open. She got out and strait stately to the front door. Her boyfriend opened the door and let her in as first.
Ponderosa owner Ben Cartwright came to her and said, “Miss Baker, welcome to the Ponderosa. Have a seat.”
“It is a big pleasure for me to be here”, said Sheila.
They came inside and went to sit in the big living room. Sally, the wife of Adam, saw how Hoss looked and stepped in right away.
“Hoss, would you like to walk Cody?”, she asked.
“Of course. Come boy”, Hoss said to the shepherd dog.
Sally and her sister-in-law Betsy (the wife van Hoss) went to the kitchen to help the Chinese cook Hop Sing.
“Joe said to me that your grandchildren are absent this afternoon. According to the etiquette that is not good when visitors are coming”, said Sheila.
“Well, my eldest grandson had to play an ice hockey game and so his little brother and little sister wanted to come too. Their father, my eldest son Adam, is with them”, answered Ben.
“Ice hockey you said? Well, my brother always can use new players for his hockey team, HCVC. That means Hockey Club Virginia City. So if Mitch is interested he can join in right away”, said Sheila.
“I know very sure that he doesn’t have interest to be playing in a hockey team. Mitch plays already ice hockey and baseball and he can lose all his energy in that”, answered Ben.
“He is very welcome this coming Saturday afternoon”, said Sheila.
“We are with him so what can happen then?”, Joe asked laughing nervous.
“With your nephew there? A whole lot Joseph, a whole lot”, Ben said sighing.
Joe knew that also very well.
To everyone’s amaze Mitch accepted the invitation. Even though he knew that it would become nothing. At school he knew the hockey players and they were no friends of each other.
On the first upcoming Saturday Joe and Sheila took Mitch to the hockey club HCVC. Adam had advised his son to give it a try for once, even though the eldest Cartwright boy knew that it would be nothing. But Sheila had convinced her brother-in-law that Mitch would be a very good asset to the team which her brother James trained.
Under way Mitch asked Sheila, “May you with hockey tackle someone too like that happens with ice hockey?”
“No, that may certainly not! And they don’t fight either. So you can remember that already”, she answered.
“What a boring sport. With baseball and ice hockey they will start to fight now and then”, said Mitch said dry.
“You may be glad that my brother gives you a chance in his team. He is a player short so now you can prove yourself”, she said.
Arrived at the stadium of HCVC Sheila showed Mitch the stadium and also the field. Joe came after them after he had parked the car and stayed by them.
“Are there people coming to watch?”, Mitch asked a bit anxious.
“Yes, but that are mostly family members and fans of the team. You aren’t afraid of big mass of people, are you?”, asked Sheila.
“No, not that but I am not going to seek up such a big group of people voluntary”, answered Mitch.
“Mitch, do the same thing as with your other games: just pretend there is nobody”, Joe explained his nephew.
Mitch understood it.
“Sometimes he has some fear of failure”, Joe made clear to his girlfriend.
Sheila pretended like she understood and brought the youngest Cartwright to her brother.
“James, this is your new ace, Mitch Cartwright”, she said.
“Welcome Mitch. Just come along. Have you ever played hockey before?”,James asked while they walked to the locker rooms.
“No, but I do play ice hockey and baseball”, answered Mitch.
The boy shouldn’t have said that because James had a different impression of him right away.
“You may only play along became I am a player short and your grandpa has a big ranch. So I demand good achievement from you and no aggressive behavior”, said the coach.
“Of may I play along because your sister goes with my uncle?”, was the question of Mitch.
He had a way with words and let that notice too.
“Here are your uniform and your stick. I see you on the field”, James said short.
‘Grumbler!’, Mitch thought and he got changed quickly. Then he went to the field where the others were already.
“Gentlemen, today we have a new one, Mitchell Cartwright. He appears to be very good”, said James.
Dick Taylor looked at him and asked, “Aren’t you one of those miserable Cartwrights?”
“I am indeed one of the Cartwrights but we ain’t miserable”, answered Mitch.
“Boys, we start with the warming up”, James said to prevent a fighting party.
That happened but Mitch discovered quite soon that the hockey gentlemen were different from his usual friends.
During the game Mitch noticed that hockey was really not for him. His teammates were very stuck-up and didn’t give him any ball. The young Cartwright stood on the half of the opponent and decided to help them. He got the ball from the opponent and shot the ball into the own goal. At once it was deadly silent in the stadium.
Mitch looked amazed around him and asked innocent, “Have I done something wrong?”
“Yes and no. Yes stands for you shoot in your own goal and no means that nobody has ever shot in the other goal from the other half of the field”, said James.
“At least I am the first one”, Mitch remarked dry.
The game continued and again Mitch did play his stunt.
“Cartwright, you go to sit on the bench for 2 minutes”, said umpire Harry Wilson.
“What have I done then?”, Mitch asked amazed.
“Umpire, that is nonsense”, James said and Mitch was allowed to stay in the field.
Ten minutes later Trevor Franklin hit the ball to Mitch and again the ball went into the wrong goal.
“What are you now for a blockhead? I hit the ball to you and you must score for us and not for the other team!”, snapped Trevor.
“Then you should have said that real bastard”, answered Mitch.
Trevor got mad and started to fight with Mitch. Quite soon the boys got separated and now Mitch had to leave the field. Not that he minded it.
“What a sport. Really something for wimps like you”, he said to James.
“You may never come here”, James said furious.
“Well, what do I care. Just go play with your Lego. Then they can play along as well”, Mitch reacted fierce.
James wanted to hit him but saw then Adam and Hoss standing who took Mitch into protection. Quickly James went back to the field.
“Grandpa thought it was wiser if we were there too”, Adam just said.
Mitch knew enough.
“I am going to get changed and then we are off to have a drink somewhere?”, asked the boy.
“I go with you and your uncle Hoss will look for other uncle”, answered Adam.
So said, so done.
In the locker room Mitch said, “Daddy, this sport is really nothing for us Cartwrights. So you know that already for as Benji and/or Lisa will play this sport.”
“I had noticed that all along. Don’t you worry because the twins will also go play baseball, just like you”, answered Adam.
The boy got changed quickly and went then along with his father.
They didn’t see the others anywhere so that Adam asked, “Kid, are you going somewhere else to have a drink?”
Mitch nodded and they took off in secretly.
Joe found the stunts of his nephew funny but Sheila certainly didn’t.
On the tribune she asked shocked, “What is your nephew misbehaving himself. Are you Cartwrights all like that?”
“Most of the time now but Mitch hardly got a chance to prove himself”, Joe said still laughing a bit.
“Just forget it about our relationship!”, snapped Sheila.
She got up and went away but Joe did that too.
Quite soon Hoss bumped into Joe and the eldest said, “Adam said to me to look for you. But I fear that he and that little one have run off without us.”
“I thought that too also. I give my nephew a chance to play another sport and his father drops by and takes him with him. What do we have such a fine brother. And later on when the twins are bigger they also plot together against us too”, groaned Joe.
“Sure do and otherwise pa will help too”, Hoss said indignant.
They left the stadium and went to the Silver Dollar Saloon to drown their sorrow.
That evening Ben asked his eldest grandson, “Well Mitch, how was the game?”
“What game? I made 3 goals but for the opposite team. And from their part of the field. Besides, I may not come anymore inside the hockey stadium”, answered Mitch.
Everybody laughed.
“I know for sure that you have nothing to do there”, reacted the rancher.
Mitch nodded and said, “I will keep it with baseball and ice hockey. At least there play normal contemporains.”
His family fully agreed with that.