DARTS
One day it was again that time. The youngest Cartwright brother Little Joe came home from Virginia City. He was already not looking forward to go home but when he saw that his father Ben and eldest brother Adam were there too Little Joe rather had emigrated to Greenland. Or if possible even further. But that wasn’t so because Ben and Adam had seen him coming already.
“Your brother is in trouble again”, Ben said worried.
“When not?”, asked Adam.
The rancher had to admit that his eldest son was right. Little Joe stopped his horse and dismounted. Discouraged he went to hang over the pole for the horses.
“Joseph, what is the matter?”, Ben asked worried.
“I am in deep trouble again and very well this time too”, replied Little Joe.
“Tell another new thing”, Adam reacted sarcastic.
“In Virginia City in a few weeks time there will be a darts contest. You can win 1000 dollars with it. I would like to enter but ………”, Little Joe started to tell.
“But you can’t play it?”, asked Adam.
His youngest brother nodded.
“And now you want me to help you to learn it?”, Adam asked.
Again his brother nodded.
“Alright. You are going to buy the stuff and I will teach you it”, promised Adam.
The face of Little Joe cleared up at once.
“Adam, may I borrow your car to collect those things?”, Little Joe asked hopeful.
Adam got his car keys and gave them to his brother. Little Joe left right away.
“Adam, how do you want to handle that?”, Ben asked concerned.
“Well pa, Joe gets the stuff and I look after the perfect person who can teach it him right away”, Adam said smiling.
His father looked at him questionable.
“We just stick a picture of his favorite teacher, Abigail Jones, on the board. By aiming at her Joe can learn it that way”, Adam explained.
“Don’t let her get word of it”, Ben said laughing.
An hour later Little Joe came home again but now with his darts material. Proud he showed everything to his family members.
“Joseph, do keep those darts away from your nephew”, warned Ben.
He looked at his six year old grandson Mitch who was very curious of nature and always wanted to know everything.
“Sure do pa. Adam, are you coming to play darts?”, Little Joe asked excited.
“Of course. But first there must be something get stuck on your darts board”, said his brother.
Little Joe didn’t understand a thing of it but when Mitch came with the photo and the glue he understood it. Adam stuck the photo on the darts board.
“Are you going to put the picture of Miss Jones on it?”, asked Hoss, the middle Cartwright brother.
“Indeed. When Joe throws the darts at her he learns it straight away”, replied Adam.
They went outside with the darts stuff where the practise began. The darts board got hung up on a tree.
“Joe, just aim at Miss Jones”, said Adam.
Little Joe got his darts and aimed them at the darts board. Of course the first few went wrong but the longer Little Joe practiced the more darts Abigail Jones got her away up. Finally it looked like she had undergone an acupuncture treatment.
“Joe, now we take off the picture so you can try it the normal way”, said Adam.
He tore the photo off the darts board so that Little Joe now had to try without Miss Jones. But that also went very quickly.
Little Joe practiced each day until the day of the darts contest. That morning he came downstairs enthusiast to have breakfast.
“Gentlemen, today is the day that I become rich”, said Little Joe.
“How then. Is grandpa going to sell the ranch and give the money to you? Then grandpa really has become crazy”, said Mitch.
Adam and Hoss laughed but Ben and Little Joe didn’t.
“Thanks for the compliment, Mitchell Jonathan Cartwright”, reacted Ben.
“No, I am going to win that darts contest”, Little Joe explained.
“Today? You mean that that contest is today?”, Ben asked amazed.
His youngest son nodded.
“Is there something today?”, Little Joe asked amazed.
“No, only that today has started a new month. And yesterday it was March 31. That’s all”, Adam said dry.
Suddenly Little Joe saw the light.
He asked, “Are you knowing more about this?”
His older brothers nodded.
“We saw that you were looking a lot at the darts sites so we thought to have you on April 1. Pa and Mitch also knew about it”, replied Adam.
Little Joe became quite angry and rushed out of the house.
“Why don’t we hold a darts contest ourselves? Here at the yard”, Hoss suggested.
“And the winner gets a cake to share with the others”, said Mitch.
“That is a good idea. Mitch is keeping score”, said Ben.
“Would he be allowed to do that? He will take off points from me and Little Joe and adds them by those of Adam’s”, said Hoss said fearful.
“That is fun too”, his nephew said smiling.
“He only has to write them down. We add them up”, Ben explained.
The whole day they played darts but there was no winner so that Hop Sing kept the cake to himself but out of solidarity the others also got a piece and Mitch even two because he had helped with baking. But Little Joe now watched out when April 1 was approaching. He had learned that lesson now.