RIVALS

Since early 2000 the Cartwrights had started up a youth baseball team. The coach was Adam Cartwright and the star player of the team was the seven year old Mitch, the son of Adam. There was another team in town and that were the Snack Lads. Their coach was Marvin Parker. Even though they all live in and around Virginia City the 2 teams were no friends of each other.

On Friday July 7 juli Mitch and his best friend Matthew Walker saw how Barry Parker was practicing with hitting.

“Mitch, he hits quite good”, said Matthew.

“You reckon? A smurf even hits better than he does”, reacted Mitch.

“For a bat he hits quite good”, his friend replied.

They laughed so hard that Barry had to and could hear it. He threw down his bat and walked angry to the two.

“Talking tough Cartwright? Do you think that you can do better?”, asked Barry.

“I don’t think so. I just know it”, reacted Mitch.

“Show it then”, said Barry.

The two climbed across the gate and walked with their gloves and bats to the spot where Barry practiced.

“I bet for a milkshake that you don’t dare to hit a ball inside that snack-bar”, said Barry.

He pointed at the snack-bar of his father which stood opposite the playing field.

“Do your father has a mocha milkshake? Otherwise I won’t do it”, said Mitch.

“Pa sells all tastes. Mocha too”, Barry replied as excuse.

Matthew pitched a ball and Mitch hit it into the snack-bar. A window shattered and the ball ended up in the banana ice cream of Sharon, the sister of Barry. All the ice cream came into her face.

“Father! I get pestered by a baseball”, she called hysterically.

Marvin came nearer and saw what had happened. Then he saw the three boys coming.

“Which of you broke that window?”, he asked strict.

“None three of us. Matthew pitched a ball and I hit it away because Barry said that I didn’t dare to do so. He promised me a milkshake if I would hit a baseball inside. So you mustn’t blame us but that baseball. Geesh Sharon, you look like an ice rabbit. Now you only have to find another ice rabbit and you can start a family. Mr Parker, could I please get a mocha paid by the new Barry Bonds or in other words your son Barry? The ice cream still must be defrosted or is it still the North pole?”, asked Mitch.

“Cartwright, do you talk at home also so much?”, asked Marvin.

“Yes, except during the meals”, replied the boy.

“And why is that?”, Matthew asked as he didn’t know the answer.

“Because otherwise uncle Hoss steals my food”, was the answer.

Both were rolling on the floor laughing and the other present too except the Parker family.

“Marvin, just give that lad a milkshake. He has really deserved it”, Ponderosa foreman Candy Canaday said.

“Shut up Canaday! I don’t give milkshakes to Cartwrights”, snapped Marvin.

“Hey Candy! What are you doing in this joint?”, Mitch asked laughing.

“Waiting for you to go home. I saw you at the gate”, replied the foreman.

“Young man, this is a well respected place and no joint”, Marvin said warned.

“Of course this is not a joint because you cannot even go camping with it”, reacted Mitch.

Candy took Mitch and Matthew along before Marvin really became angry.

Marvin said strict to Barry, “You never promise Cartwright a milkshake again!”

“Yes father”, he said shy.

Candy brought first Matthew home and rode then with Mitch to the ranch.

“Now Parker is really angry with you”, said Candy said suddenly.

“Barry started. Would his sister sill be in love with uncle Joe?”, asked Mitch.

“I am afraid so. But your uncle doesn’t see her standing”, replied the foreman.

Mitch said, “Grandpa wouldn’t even want to have an ice rabbit for a daughter-in-law.”

“Be assured because she is far too young and too ugly for me”, said Candy.

He rode upon the yard and parked the car in the big garage. There he and Mitch saw Joe Cartwright washing his car. They got out.

“Hi uncle Joe. Are you having a date with the ice rabbit of Virginia City?”, Mitch asked cheerful.

“Why? And who is the ice rabbit of Virginia City?”, Joe asked amazed.

“Sharon Parker. I hit a baseball through a window of the snack-bar of Mr Parker. The ball ended up in her ice cream and the ice cream on her face”, Mitch told amusing.

Joe began to laugh loudly.

“That way you make yourself very populauir with the girls”, Joe said after the gale of laughter.

“They all for me anyway”, his nephew said nonchalant.

Joe and Candy looked at each other laughing. Mitch grabbed his bat and glove and went into the ranch house where his father Adam Cartwright was.

“Played nicely?”, asked Adam.

Mitch nodded and told what had happened at all. His father could also laugh about it.

“You do everything for a milkshake”, said Adam.

“Why not? I love them”, his son reacted.

“That is because your mother had a milkshake each day during her pregnancy”, said Adam.

“May I play outside till supper?”, asked Mitch.

“Aren’t you outside yet?”, Adam asked teasing.

The boy flew outside.

Marvin was vowing for revenge and involved his daughter Sharon in that.

“We must make sure that those Cartwrights get out of the way for good. Barry and I deal with Mitch”, said Marvin.

Sharon thought that it was great idea.

The next day it was the day of the baseball game. Adam and Mitch went together early to the stadium. The others followed later on.

In the locker room Adam said, “Boys, this is our line-up:

Right fielder :Teddy Rashdon.

Left fielder :Chipper Jackson

Catcher : Matthew Walker

Pitcher : Mitch Cartwright

First baseman : Stevie Rashdon

Third baseman : Lance Miller

Second baseman : David Miller

Mid fielder : Geoffrey Cole

Short stop : Lee Sing.

I expect that you play well and fair.”

“You better can say that to those Snack Lads”, Mitch remarked.

“I say it to you so stick to it”, replied Adam.

The boys promised.

Marvin said to his team, “I demand that you win and that means settle with those rich men kids! And especially Mitch Cartwright!”

“Soon he comes to nag about that milkshake again”, said Barry.

“He can get a beating”, said Kevin Chandler.

The others agreed.

The game started and right from the start the sphere was tense. The Snack Lads were first to hit. With ease Mitch pitched3 strikeouts. So bad as the opponents were so good were Ponderosa Cowboys. Already after the first inning was the score 8-0. The players of the Snack Lads became more moodier and heir game was unmotivated.. Marvin saw that too and stepped in harsh.

“What have I said? We must win and not that team of Cartwright! And what do you do? You make error after error so that they can score. If you don’t make a run in the upcoming inning, then this team doesn’t exist anymore”, he snapped.

“How must we make up an arrear of 27-0 in just 1 inning?”, asked Barry.

“Alright, have it your way. I go to the umpire and say that you give up”, replied his father.

He left the dug-out and went to umpire Hank Taylor.

“Because my team didn’t get a fair chance they give up”, said Marvin.

“If you want it that way. The Ponderosa Cowboys have won because the Snack Lads have given up”, said Hank.

Marvin gave his son a sign and that one went to Mitch. Barry looked at the young Cartwright and hit him then in the face. Of course Mitch didn’t take that and pretty soon they were fighting. Adam and Marvin ran to the boys and separated them. Marvin had the bat of his son with him and hit Mitch on his left hand. The young Cartwright screamed it out due to pain. Adam his enemy down and helped his up. The other children had gone away already.

“Daddy, it hurts”, Mitch said with tears in his eyes.

“I am afraid that your hand is broken. First you get changed and after that we go to the hospital”, said Adam.

So said, so done.

Adam drove with Mitch to the hospital. Both said nothing. It was quite busy at the hospital but Mitch got helped quite quickly. His left hand was indeed broken and got set into plaster together with his wrist. He had to carry his wrist and hand in a sling though.

Outside again asked Mitch, “Are we going home now?”

“We go home. They will be worried about where we remain”, replied Adam.

They got in and drove home.

When Adam and Mitch came home they noticed that everyone was waiting for them, including Roy Coffee.

“What has happened? Nobody had stolen a base”, said Adam.

“Son, sit down and you too Mitch”, Ben said seriously.

Father and son sat down and looked worried at Ben.

“Adam, Marvin Parker has filed an official complaint by us about what Mitch had done in his snack-bar”, said Roy.

“What is the charge?”, Adam asked worried.

“Voluntarily vandalism”, replied the sheriff.

“Barry said that I didn’t dare to hit a ball inside. I would get a milkshake from him then. Matthew can testify”, said Mitch.

“And for a milkshake you do of course everything?”, asked Roy.

Mitch nodded.

“And because Mitch is a Cartwright too Parker thinks of course that he can get something out of this? In his dreams. I file a complaint against him for child abuse”, reacted Adam.

He told what had happened at the baseball field.

“Mitch, get well and if I know more I let it know straight away”, said Roy.

Hoss let him out.

Adam got up and asked, “Why does someone do something like that?”

“Well, yesterday Barry was harassing me all the time. And this afternoon when his team gave up Barry started to fight with me where after Mr Parker broke my hand with a bat”, his son explained.

“You will have to prove it though”, said Ben.

“Barry is always pestering me”, said Mitch.

“Mitch, go take a shower”, the boy go to hear from his father then.

He got up and went upstairs.

“Adam, go with your son to Boston. Then you both can have some peace”, said Ben.

“We leave tomorrow early. Besides I had promised him a few baseball games”, replied Adam.

He went upstairs to pack their bags and to tell his son the news.

That evening Marvin dropped by to confess something. The Cartwrights were having supper when he came in without knocking.

“I must have you, Adam Cartwright!”, Marvin said grinning.

Adam didn’t trust it. But that also went for the others.

“Why must you have me? You have mistreated my son this afternoon”, said Adam.

“On suggestion of my lovely wife I have made the decision to confess to you that I have killed your wife back then in an accident. And I am very proud of it too”, Marvin said smiling.

Adam looked at him for a moment and hit him then to the ground. Marvin grabbed his painful jaw at once.

“Bastard. You broke my jaw”, the snack- owner said angry.

“Hoss and Joseph, bring him to the sheriff”, said Ben.

The brothers dragged him away while Mitch watched silently. Ben and Adam took the boy to the living room to talk. Mitch looked especially at his father questionable.

“Mitch, you weren’t even a year old when she died. I waited on purpose with telling how she died until you were older to understand it. She was on her way to town to buy Christmas presents when she got a deadly accident. The culprit was never found. Until now then”, said Adam.

“Due to that Barry Parker is always pestering me so?”, asked Mitch asked worried.

“I think so. And also because you are a Cartwright too”, replied Ben.

“Daddy, we still do go on vacation, don’t we?”, asked Mitch.

“Of course we go. I haven’t bought those expensive tickets for nothing”, replied Adam.

“Let’s eat then and after that you go to bed”, said Ben.

The rancher didn’t have to say that twice.

In the meantime Marvin had it very hard. Especially because Hoss had held him very tight.

“I hope you have said goodbye to your family because you will never get out again”, said Joe.

“I get a walk straight away”, Marvin said triumphant.

“Like our nephew must grow up without a mother, so your son will have to grow up without you”, said Hoss.

“And what happens with your snack-bar? It is almost bankrupt anyway”, reacted Joe.

The more remarks the brothers made the angrier Marvin became.

When Roy and his deputy Clem Foster saw Marvin coming in and heard his confession they were very surprised and amazed.

“So you drive someone dead and kept silent about it for years. They will unteach you that in prison”, said Roy.

Clem put him away. Hoss and Joe went back home again being satisfied.

The next morning Adam and Mitch left for Boston for a 3 week vacation. Here by they could recover from the bad news in all peace.

A week after his arrest the court case against Marvin Parker began. Of course the Cartwrights were here present.

Marvin said, “I did it because the Cartwright family has boycotted my business. I offered them to start a company together but I wasn’t good enough for them. That’s why I had to do something to give them trouble.”

By this declaration Marvin signed his own death sentence.

Judge Jackson said, “Here by I convict the suspect, Marvin Parker, too life sentence in prison. Case closed!”

By this the peace returned again at the ranch but of course that didn’t last long.

After the summer vacation Mitch went to play baseball again at the yard with care. But as he had broken his hand it was in an adjusted version. Though he was glad when the plaster had been removed.

One afternoon the young Cartwright was very bored. Adam noticed that and stepped in.

“Mitch, go play baseball for a while”, Adam said after he had taped the wrist and hand of his son.

Mitch rode as fast as he could to Virginia City. At the playground he didn’t only see Matthew but also Barry. The young Cartwright jumped from his bike and ran to his earth-enemy.

“Cartwright! What are you doing here? You may not come here at all”, said Barry.

Mitch hit him to the ground and went to sit on him.

“Father! Mother!”, Barry screamed.

“They won’t come because your mother is away and your father in the nick for murder”, Mitch replied angry.

“At least I still have a mother and you don’t”, Barry said laughing falsely.

Mitch wanted to hit him dead but Matthew stopped him.

“Mitch, he ain’t worth it. His father will never be released and his mother is just like he is, a wimp”, said Matthew.

He grabbed his friend and helped him up. Barry got another kick where after they went to their bikes.

“Shall we go to the stadium to play ball?”, asked Matthew.

“Alright”, replied Mitch.

They got on their bikes and rode to the stadium where they got let in straight away. A moment later they were catch and throwing that it was a pleasure.

Without that the boys knew it Ben Cartwright was also at the stadium but then in his office. Suddenly he saw that something was going on the field. The rancher looked out of the window and saw the boys busy. He decided to go to them.

On the field asked Ben, “Are you already practicing for the fall games?”

“Err yeah. We must become champions again, mustn’t we?”, asked Matthew.

“You surely must be. You don’t feel like having a big milkshake, do you?”, asked Ben.

“Is the administration your big hobby?”, was the counter-question of Mitch.

Ben looked at his grandson.

“Young man, not everyone has to know that”, he said teasing.

“No, but now Matthew knows it too”, reacted Mitch.

Ben took the boys down to the canteen and gave them both a big milkshake.

“This one tastes many times better than those of Parker”, said Mitch.

“They don’t even sell milkshakes”, reacted Matthew.

“That’s why too”, said his friend.

They laughed hard whereby Ben knew for sure that his grandson was himself again. But he and Mitch both knew that Barry Parker would remain an eternal rival.