To introduce Virginia city's youth to creativity, the City Council had launched a drawing contest.
Ponderosa ranch owner Ben Cartwright spoke to Councilman Andrew Burgress about it and asked, “We don't live in Virginia City. But if my grandson wants, he can take part in that drawing contest?”
“Of course he can”, answered Andrew.
Ben knew enough.
At the ranch, 8-year-old Mitch was drawing. Like his father Adam Cartwright, he was good at it. And according to some even better. Yet Mitch showed his drawings only to his family. Young Cartwright suffered from performance anxiety.
Meanwhile, Joe Cartwright had hooked up with a woman once again. And what kind of one! She lived in a beautiful apartment with her son Freddy (10).
When Joe was just inside and looking around, he said admiringly, “You live here very nicely, Joan.”
“That's what Freddy and I think. Freddy is my 10-year-old son”, said the woman.
She showed him the apartment..
“Should I show you my house? Then you can meet my family right away.”, said Joe.
“Freddy's sleeping with a boyfriend anyway, so I’m going to say yes.”, said Joan.
She changed and then went with Joe to the ranch.
Together with her husband Adam, Sally Cartwright looked at Mitch's drawings. At one point, Sally saw a drawing of two bears.
“Would Mitch like and could make a birth card out of this?”, asked Sally.
“I think so. Are you going to ask him?”, Adam asked in turn,
Sally got up and walked quietly outside where her stepson was playing.
“Mitch, come and see me for a second”, said Sally.
The boy came and looked at his stepmother. Sally, meanwhile, had sat down on the porch.
“You know the twins will be born in two months. Now your father and I saw your drawing of two bears. Would you like to draw a birth card?”, she asked.
“Best”, said Mitch.
They saw Joe and Joan coming.
“Go play with Cody. I’ll warn your father.”, said Sally.
Mitch went back to playing with the sheepdog Cody. Sally went in.
“Adam, Mitch’s going to make the birth card. And your brother comes with a woman”, said Sally.
Joe let Joan in and said smiling, “Joan, this is my oldest brother and sister-in-law Adam and Sally. This is my friend Joan Watts.”
Adam had to swallow when he heard the name Joan Watts. He didn't feel comfortable what Sally and Joe noticed.
“My first wife was also called Watts by her maiden name. You're not related to Mary, are you?”, Adam asked worried.
“Unfortunately, yes. I had a cousin named Mary. But she died in 1993. Why?”, Joan asked amazed.
“You may hope Mitch won't find out.”, warned Adam.
“What will I not find out?”, Mitch asked who just came in.
Adam and Joe looked at each other.
“Mitch, my new girlfriend turns out to be your mother’s full-on cousin”, confessed Joe.
Now the boy looked at his father and uncle in amazement. The brothers noticed that Mitch didn't understand.
“What is a full cousin?”, asked Mitch.
“Well, if one of your uncles has a daughter, she's a full cousin of you”, Adam explained as simply as possible.
“I also have a lovely son and you will meet him tomorrow”, said Joan.
The next afternoon.
It soon became clear that Mitch and Freddy would never be best friends.
“If your uncle marries my mother, I'm the oldest grandson, not you” , said Freddy.
“I am and will remain the heir, just like my father. And also the tribal owner”, Mitch responded.
“Well, everyone likes me much better and more”, snuff Freddy.
Cody came in and growled at him. Freddy went to fight with Mitch, who obviously didn't let himself know. Adam and Hoss took the boys apart.
“He started fighting, not me”, lied Freddy.
“You started”, growled Mitch.
He jerked off from his father and ran away with Cody. Adam went after them and found them behind the ranch house. They sat down.
“Why did you fight?”, Adam asked calmly.
Mitch told me everything that was said. Adam knew enough.
Then Ben came to them and said, “Mitch, you’re the one I need to have.”
“Everyone has to have me today sometimes?”, Mitch asked still furious.
He got up and walked away from Ben and Adam again. Cody followed his owner. “What has happened?”, asked the rancher.
Adam told me what happened between Mitch and Freddy.
“Take Mitch and Cody to the baseball stadium. Then your son can take a little off there”, said Ben.
Adam nodded and went looking for his son and dog.
In the evening, Mitch apologized to Ben. The rancher took the boy apart in his office.
“It's all right, Mitch. In Virginia City, there's a drawing contest for the youth. You can participate if you want”, said the rancher.
“What am I supposed to draw?”, asked Mitch.
“The assignment is: draw your favorite means of transport”, answered Ben.
His grandson thought for a moment and then said, “I’d love to drive a Jeep Cherokee.”
“Put it on paper for the contest. When your drawing is finished, we’ll scan it first for your portfolio”, said the rancher.
Mitch agreed.
By now, everyone had heard about the drawing contest.
Freddy said, “I want to participate too, but I can’t draw at all.”
“You’ll compete and win with Mitch Cartwright’s drawing. Only the 1st prize is good enough for you”, said Joan.
“And Grandpa is the chairman of the jury?”, asked her son.
Joan nodded.
Mitch worked the drawing and after 2 days of work it was finished.
“Daddy, it's ready to scan”, said Mitch.
“Put it on the printer”, said Adam.
Mitch did, and Adam scanned the drawing.
“It’s really gorgeous”, Adam said when the drawing was scanned and can be seen on the computer screen.
“Put it in my portfolio like Grandpa said”, said Mitch.
He went out to play with Cody. Adam put the scanned photo in his son’s folder with more drawings in it. What the Cartwrights didn’t know was that Joan had also seen the drawing. She got a devil’s plan. Adam went outside to work. Unseen, Joan took the drawing and called her son. They quickly took the drawing home.
Mitch searched everywhere for his drawing but couldn't find it anywhere. His uncle Hoss saw that and decided to help him.
“Mitchy, what are you looking for?”, he asked.
“My drawing I made for that drawing contest. I put it on the printer to get a scan. But now he's gone”, the boy replied.
Hoss and Mitch searched everywhere but the drawing was and remained missing. “Dad did scan it. But you can only submit the original drawing”, said Mitch.
“Grandpa signed you up. Maybe you can draw something other than your Jeep”, answered Hoss.
He noticed Mitch didn't feel like re-drawing it.
Joan noticed that Joe wasn't the one for her after all and decided to break up with him just before the awards ceremony. But Joe was ahead of her.
It was the day of the awards ceremony. All entries were framed and hung. All the Cartwrights were present, as was Joan with Freddy.
Joe walked up to her and said, “Joan, It’s over between us.”
“You can't do that to me”, she snapped.
“Oh, Mama, I'm going to win this contest anyway.”, said Freddy.
Joan nodded.
The chairman, Harry Watts, said, “A lot of beautiful drawings have been handed in. But unfortunately, only one can win. We start with the other winners.”
After everyone else received a consolation prize, Joan pushed her son forward.
“The winner of the drawing contest has become: Freddy Watts. Come and pick up your prize”, said Harry trots.
Freddy came and looked at Mitch with a mean smile.
“Mitchy should have been standing there instead of that brat”, said Hoss.
Harry gave Freddy a big box of crayons.
“Thank you Grandpa”, said the boy.
It was suddenly dead quiet in the room. Joe went up to Joan and looked at her.
“Is he your father?”, he asked.
“Yes, he's my father and my son won fair and square. So go away with your spoiled nephew”, said Joan.
“Your son is spoiled and not my nephew”, responded Joe.
Ben, meanwhile, spoke to Deputy Clem Foster. Both men knew there was intent in the game at Mitch’s expense. Mitch was sorely disappointed and hurt by his parents. Sally held his hand for support.
“How could Mom be so sweet with such bad relatives?”, asked the boy.
“I don't know, either. But we know you're better than them, too”, said Sally.
Mitch nodded.
Clem had Harry and Joan removed for corruption and bribing the jury.
“What a beautiful box of crayons you got”, said Vera Stone, a juror.
Freddy said Indifferent, “Well, I won't use them anyway.”
He walked into a trash can, emptied the box and was then taken away by a social worker.
After Harry and Joan were removed, Mitch went to the winning drawing.
“I have drawn that.”, he said outraged.
“You just can't stand your loss. That boy won fair and square, not you”, said Vera.
Mitch looked at his parents. Adam went to the deputy and explained everything.
“Can you prove it’s your drawing?”, asked Clem.
“I always put my name on the back”, replied the boy.
Clem pulled the artwork off the wall and looked at the back of the drawing. It was written there, ‘Mitch Cartwright’.
“The competition is over and all prizes have been awarded. Bad luck!”, Vera said triumphantly.
However, she could only enjoy her victory for a very short time.
“Freddy Watts has been disqualified for fraud. Instead, Mitch is the winner”, said Clem.
“There are no more prizes so he's out of luck again”, said Vera.
She hated the Cartwrights anyway and felt she was above them.
“Then let Mitch choose something for a certain amount as a price”, Ben suggested. “No question of!”, said Vera.
Andrew Burgress said, “Ben, That’s a deal. Let your grandson come.”
The rancher beckoned Mitch and he explained what was decided.
“For what amount?”, asked Mitch.
“Pick something for $50”, said Andrew.
He gave the boy a catalog to make a choice. Mitch took it to Sally and she helped him with it.
“I’ll take a few instruction books to learn to draw and read even better”, said the young Cartwright.
That happened and a few days later Mitch got his deserved award. The drawing of the Jeep was taken home and hung in his room.