For a while Sally and Betsy Cartwright were looking forward to their day out. In Las Vegas there would a be a household fair being held and the ladies were eager to go to it. They were talking about it for weeks to annoying of mainly Hoss and Joe Cartwright. Their older brother Adam made it even worse for his wife Sally and sister-in-law Betsy.
His sarcastic comment was, “That household fair only makes sure that cost us more money.”
“But we don’t say anything about it when you go to the cattle market and come home with nothing?”, Sally hit back.
“Darling, that is for the ranch. The household fair is just for your fun”, said Adam.
“And who do here the housekeeping besides Hop Sing?”, asked Betsy.
Now the brothers had nothing to say anymore. The owner of the Ponderosa, Ben Cartwright, had until then been the hearing of it silently but amusing. Though now he began to interfere.
“Boys, you must give the ladies also an outing. They work hard each day in the house and take care of the children”, said Ben.
“But pa, we do care for those little ones as well, don’t we?”, Hoss asked indignant.
“Yes, to play with them and to tease them”, answered Sally.
It was clear that Ben and Betsy agreed with her.
“I know something: the boys just go along with you to that fair and carry all the bags for you. I pay the entrance tickets”, said the rancher.
“And who looks after the children then?”, asked Betsy.
“I do that. Just stay away the whole day because then I have very much time for my grandchildren”, was the answer of her father-in-law.
“I have a few business to take care of in town so I wait for you at the parking lot and then Hoss and Joe can nicely carry your bags”, said Adam.
“Say, what is there to do on such a house hold fair?”, Hoss wanted to know.
“Lots of household demonstrations and specially for Hoss there is a big hall with food and drink. And for Joe there come an extra lot of ladies”, answered Sally.
Hoss already became hungry when he thought of that hall. Joe enjoyed of all the ladies he would meet.
“Do you take your cell phone along. In case you lose each other you can phone where you are”, Ben advised.
Finally the day had come. During breakfast Mitch, Benji and Lisa heard about the outing of their parents, uncles and aunt.
“Do you bring something along for us?”, Mitch asked on behalf of the twins.
“Of course we do that”, his mother Sally promised.
“Grandpa will babysit you today so behave yourselves”, Adam said to the children.
The children nodded. The brothers and the women went away to be there on time.
Adam dropped the company neatly near the entrance and said, “I phone when I am ready.”
“Alright”, Sally said on behalf of the others.
They went inside where they first went to have a cup of coffee. Getting coffee was the chore of Hoss and Joe while Sally and Betsy sat down.
“I fear that the boys take off as soon as the fair starts”, said Sally.
“I am afraid of that too. That’s why we just demand that they must stay with us to protect us”, answered Betsy.
“And the reason of that is: we are in blessed circumstances”, said Sally.
“That’s a good idea”, said Betsy.
A moment later the brothers came with the coffee.
“Dames, a mug of coffee”, said Hoss.
He put the mugs with coffee down by Sally and Betsy.
“Thanks boys. Where are we going to as first?”, asked Betsy.
“I suggest as first to the food hall”, said Hoss.
“It doesn’t matter to me. As long as I just see girls”, reacted Joe.
Sally finally said, “Then we go to the shopping hall as first. And you really must remain by us the whole day to protect us.”
“Why must we protect you?”, Hoss asked amazed.
Joe didn’t understand it either.
“Because we are both in blessed circumstances. The little ones come in August”, Betsy explained.
The brothers didn’t know what they heard. Of course they congratulated the ladies and Hoss kissed his wife of happiness.
When the fair finally opened Hoss and Joe had soon forgotten their promise. Joe followed a group of women who adopted him into their company. Hoss followed another group of women to the food hall. That the boys were away Sally and Betsy discovered after they had paid a visit to the ladies bathroom.
“Damn, they have done it anyway”, Betsy said angry when she discovered that her husband and brother-in-law were away.
“I know a solution: we just go shopping and let the bags keep at the keeping service. At the end of the day we phone Hoss and Joe to collect our bags. So they still can carry our bags”, answered Sally.
Her sister-in-law found it a great idea. They went to the shopping hall. Actually the ladies found it nice that the brothers weren’t there because now the sisters-in-law now could behave themselves like a couple of teenage girls.
Meanwhile Hoss stared his eyes out in the food hall. By each stand there was something to eat or to drink.
At a pancake stand sales lady asked, “Sir, can I let you taste a pancake?”
Hoss looked keen at the pancake and said, “My pleasure miss.”
He got the pancake an ate it.
“It tasted delicious but if you put vinegar on it tastes even better. Just do me 3 packets of pancakes”, he said.
He paid and got a bag with the 3 packets with 10 pancakes.
“Do you always on vinegar on your pancakes?”, the sales lady asked looking a bit strange.
“Always. It wakes up more appetite”, answered Hoss.
He walked by to the next stand. There was something to taste. It was clear that Hoss amused himself very well.
Joe on the other hand first was bored to death. His harem abandoned him quite soon for a fashion show.
“Well, there will come more ladies for me probably”, he said a bit too hard to himself.
“In your dreams”, a woman said to him.
The young Cartwright thought, ‘I don’t need a woman to have a good time.’ He walked past all the stands and took everything along which was free and /or for free.
Sally and Betsy took their shopping talent and let 30 bags into care. Because they didn’t see Hoss and Joe anywhere the sisters-in-law lunched at a quiet spot.
“It’s nice here without the boys but to abandon us just like that is of course not done”, said Sally.
“Really not. And especially not in our current condition”, said Betsy.
“They will hear about it one thing or another from pa. When he has finished laughing about our stunt”, answered her sister-in-law.
“What do you want to bring for the children?”, asked Betsy.
Sally said, “I had thought of a domino game and a box of bricks for the twins and for Mitch a game with letters and numbers. But what concerned we can better ask Hoss and Joe for advice. They know Mitch much longer an better than we do.”
Betsy agreed with that.
The day flew by and the ladies called the brothers on their cell phone. They waited for them at a restaurant.
Hoss came right away to them and said, “You do know how to leave us alone quickly.”
“You left us alone. Where is Joe?”, asked Betsy.
“Also somewhere. Where are your shopping?”, Hoss asked on his turn.
“We have give them into keep service. First Joe must be here too because we need your advice”, answered Sally.
“What advice?”, Hoss asked who noticed that it was meant seriously.
“We already have something in mind for the twins . But what Mitch concerned that’s a bit more difficult”, said Sally.
“Why don’t we buy a game whereby you must form letters and one with numbers? Mitchy has a lot of trouble with that”, Hoss suggested.
The ladies found that a good idea. They wanted to leave when Joe came to join them.
“Sorry but I had to shake off all the ladies from me”, Joe apologized himself.
“Just come on because then we can go”, said Betsy.
They got up and walked to the toy department in the shopping hall. To make sure that Hoss and Joe didn’t sneak off again Sally and Betsy kept them real tight.
Quite soon the Cartwrights had found what they wanted. After paying they searched for a quiet place.
“Here are the coupons for our bags. Go and get them. We wait here for you”, Sally said Sally while she gave the coupons for the keeping service.
With reluctance Hoss and Joe went to fetch the shopping of the women.
“I tell you je Joe, we do this never again! You shall see that the fillies have bought everything that we find useless”, said Hoss.
Joe remarked, “They do that often anyway.”
The brothers startled when they got the bags into their hands.
“Now they really will never go such a fair again! Even if pa pays the entrance tickets for them”, Hoss said determined and indignant.
They grabbed the bags and walked back to Sally and Betsy. Of course the lades pretended they knew of nothing. Exactly at the moment when Hoss and Joe flew out to them the cell phone of sally rang.
“That’s Adam. I have to take it”, said Sally.
She listened and said then, “We are coming. Just open the trunk now.”
She switched off her cell phone and said, “Adam is there already.”
The Cartwrights walked to the parking lot where Adam already stood waiting for the fair goers.
“Had a nice day ladies?”, asked Adam.
“We did but we had to carry everything ourselves because your brothers took off quickly. We had told them that we are in blessed circumstances”, said Sally.
“But that isn’t so?”, asked Adam.
“No”, answered his wife.
“And with me neither”, was the answer of Betsy.
“Well, we just let them believe that for a while”, reacted Adam.
He took his wife into his arms and kissed her. Betsy saw Hoss and Joe coming and nudged Adam.
He looked and asked sarcastic, “Do you buy up the whole fair?”
“Just about. Then they should have stayed with us”, answered Betsy.
Adam agreed with it fully. He opened the trunk so his brothers could put everything in it.
“As conclusion of this outing we are going to eat a delicious meal”, said Adam.
That found everyone a good idea.
During the dinner Adam asked, “Do you always let ladies carry everything?”
His brothers looked at him indignant.
“Pa had said that you had to carry their bags. That meant for the whole day and not only when leaving”, Adam explained.
Hoss and Joe realized that they had done something wrong.
“How can we make it up?”, Joe finally asked.
“By going with us again next year”, answered Betsy.
“We do that”, said Hoss.
Hereby the outing got closed in peace and harmony.