OBSERVATION

At the Ponderosa it was suddenly a well known fact that there was living a budding artist. Everything got drawn. Ranch owner Ben Cartwright discovered this when his eight year old grandson Mitch by accident had forgotten to take his sketch book to his room. Ben looked at the drawings and was very impressed.

That evening during supper Ben suddenly said, “Boys, there is someone here at the Ponderosa who will strike soon.”

“How do you mean?”, asked Hoss, his second son.

“This afternoon I found this sketch book”, said the rancher.

He held the sketch book of Mitch up. Everybody recognized the sketch book. Mitch swallowed because he felt being caught red-handed.

“Eh grandpa, that’s mine. I had forgotten to take it up to my room”, said the boy.

“That is not bad but I am impressed with your drawings. Sometimes they are extravagant but recognizable”, reacted Ben.

“And now you are afraid that Mitch will draw you?”, asked Adam.

He was the eldest Cartwright boy and father of Mitch.

“Yes”, was the answer.

“Grandpa, that is not needed at all because that already has happened”, Mitch said light-hearted.

Everybody looked at him questionable.

“And when have you done that?”, Ben wanted to know.

“That certain afternoon when I laid on the settee with my injured ankle. You had to babysit me then”, said Mitch.

“I don’t know if I do want to see that drawing”, Ben said worried.

“We do”, Little Joe said laughing.

“Then I hope that my grandson draws you as well”, answered his father.

Mitch just smiled. His 2 uncles became worried because they knew their nephew good enough. Adam looked at his wife Sally and they too began to smile whereby Hoss and Little Joe became even more worried.

After supper Mitch fetched the drawing of Ben. He showed it to his family members.

“Grandpa was reading the newspaper then. That’s why you don’t see much of him”, Mitch explained.

His parents and uncles laughed but Ben too found it funny.

“Mitchy, you get a brand new sketch book form us if you do NOT draw us”, Hoss said in an attempt to bribe his nephew.

“But if I have drawn grandpa then I actually ought to do you as well”, was the reaction of Mitch.

“Mitch is right”, said Adam.

“Then we just take all his pencils and sketch books away from him”, said Little Joe.

“There is still paper in the printer and otherwise loose paper. Pencils are there as well”, reacted Mitch.

Hoss and Little Joe understood they couldn’t do anything against the drawings of their nephew.

Since that evening meal Hoss and Little Joe sneaked around like they saw mice walking everywhere. Constantly they looked around them but what they saw: no drawing nephew with laughing eyes.

“Joe, I believe that we are safe now for Mitchy. The school has started again and then he has no time anymore to draw us”, Hoss said one morning when he saw Mitch busy with his school work.

“Not during the day but in the late afternoon and evenings too”, said his brother said laughing.

“Why are you so glad?”, asked Sally.

“Because you son is finally doing his school work again and he has no more time for his drawings”, said her youngest brother-in-law.

“That’s what you think”, she said smiling.

“How do you mean?”, Hoss and Little Joe asked at the same time, being amazed and worried.

“You will notice it by yourselves”, she said where after she went inside.

Now Hoss and Little Joe couldn’t and wouldn’t trust their beloved nephew. No matter what the boy said.

By half past 3 Mitch came outside. He got a very friendly greeting from Hoss to get over.

“Hello my dearest Mitchy Cartwright. Drawn any people yet?”, asked Hoss.

Mitch looked at his uncle laughing.

“No but I don’t understand my homework”, said the boy.

“Must I help you with it?”, his uncle suggested.

Mitch nodded. They walked to the porch. Mitch got the homework and showed it to Hoss. Hoss read the assignment.

After that he said, “Well Mitchy, you must do this: draw 3 circles and 3 triangles. Make sure that the highest point of the triangles come to stand on the circles and that the center triangle reaches the other 2 from the side. I would make it first at a loose paper.”

“Alright”, said his nephew.

They got up to do their chore. Hoss went back to work again and Mitch inside to get this drawing stuff. A moment later the young Cartwright sat drawing. Unnoticed Mitch kept on looking at his uncle who didn’t notice anything at all.

Just till supper time Mitch said, “Uncle Hoss, I have finished the drawing.”

Hoss came to the porch and checked the assignment for school.

“You have drawn it exactly like I explained it”, he said.

“Then I will give this one”, said Mitch.

He grabbed his stuff together and went inside. Quickly he rushed to his room to keep his new drawing safe. Then he went downstairs again where the others were too.

“Homework done?”, asked Adam.

“Yes daddy”, answered his son.

He gave the done homework to his father.

“I had to help him with an assignment so I have done that too”, said Hoss.

“Are you sure that you haven’t been drawn by little boy?”, Little Joe asked teasing.

“No Little Joe, then I would have noticed that for sure”, reacted his older brother.

Mitch looked as innocent as possible but his parents and grandpa knew enough.

The rest of the week Hoss and Little Joe got rest from their nephew but in the weekend they were for it. Ben, Adam and Sally had to go away for business so that Hoss and Joe had to babysit Mitch. Normally they loved to do that but now Mitch had gotten the idea to draw his family members the brothers thought different about it. Though they did it because there was a reward for it on the future.

By midday Mitch came to his uncles.

“Can we go to town later on? I have to be at the newspaper for a second”, said the boy.

“You know what? We leave now and have lunch there”, said Hoss.

“Don’t forget your cash-card”, Joe said laughing.

Mitch grabbed his drawing file and went along with his uncles.

Hoss left his nephew at the newspaper behind where the boy had an appointment with Sam Taylor.

“Mitch, where is that drawing of your uncles?”, asked Sam.

Mitch showed the drawing. Sam looked at it and then at the young Cartwright.

“I print 2 big posters of it and at 3 o’clock you can pick it up”, he said.

“Can you do them in a role and wrap up separately?”, asked Mitch.

“Of course. And when your uncles ask me about it, I do not know about it”, answered Sam.

Mitch left his drawings behind and went to his uncles. Of course they gave their nephew a cross examine but Mitch held his jaws stiff together his plan concerned.

“Joe, let’s go and have lunch because that lad won’t say anything and I am getting more hungry”, said Hoss.

They went to a good restaurant to lunch there extent.

Suddenly Mitch asked, “Daddy, mommy and grandpa are coming home tonight, aren’t they?”

“Yes, why?”, Little Joe asked amazed.

“No reason”, was the answer.

This answer made the brothers more nervous than they already were.

At 3 o’clock Mitch picked up his order.

“Mitch, these are the posters for your uncles and I have printed your drawings in book form. The poster is in it too but then smaller”, said Sam.

“Thanks Mr Taylor”, said Mitch.

He put everything in his back pack and walked laughing to his uncles.

“Are you coming?”, asked Hoss.

“Of course”, answered his nephew.

That evening the whole Cartwright family was together.

“Uncle Hoss and uncle Joe, I have something very special for you”, Mitch said where after he gave the 2 roles.

Hoss and Joe unpacked the roles and were pleased with the present but not with what it was. Ben, Adam and Sally laughed when they saw the wanted posters and hereby the Hoss and Joe were somehow pleased with it.

“Thanks son”, Hoss said on behalf of his younger brother.

“There is also a smaller version and it is in this book”, said Mitch.

Proud as a peacock he showed the printed book.

Ben said after he had seen it, “Now I know for sure that my grandson won’t work at the Ponderosa. Or he will become a ball player or an artist.”

“I just become both”, Mitch said determined.

“We shall help you with it”, promised Adam.