It happened in Eagle Station. George Baker looked at his protégé Mitch Cooper.
“You keep quiet or else ........”, George snapped at the boy.
Mitch nodded. The boy looked at the ground but that George didn’t like that either. He grabbed the boy harsh tight and looked at him strict and angry. A second later he pushed Mitch off the pavement and kicked against his left ankle. Ben Cartwright and his sons (Adam, Hoss and Little Joe) saw it and stepped in. Ben grabbed George by his collar and pushed him against the wall.
“Can you do that to a little boy? What crime has he done to you?”, asked Ben.
“Do you have a few hours the time to hear it? That lad is now my worry because his parents are dead. I must take him to an orphanage in Sacramento”, said George.
Mitch laid moaning on the ground and the Cartwright brothers were with him. Meanwhile more people had come to them. Where under Carlos Rivera De Vega and saloon owner Shelby Sterrett. Carlos stood by his boss Ben and looked at George.
“What are you making a fuss about an orphan boy who lies everything together”, said George.
“We do if you mistreats him. What are you actually of him?”, asked Ben.
“His uncle but I really am not going to look after the kid of my sister”, replied George.
He pulled himself loose and gave his nephew a hard kick against his injured ankle. This time George got a few smacks of Carlos.
“You just look after that kid. Then you discover for yourselves how bad he is”, George snapped where after he walked away.
Ben and Carlos went to occupy themselves with the boy.
“What is your name anyway?”, asked the rancher.
“Mitch Cooper”, replied the boy.
“Well Mitch, I take you to my home. There you can get better. I am Ben Cartwright and that are my sons Adam, Hoss and Little Joe”, said Ben.
Mitch just nodded. With support of Adam and Hoss he got up and he limped to their wagon.
“I go with you to take care of him”, said Shelby.
Now Mitch was standing Ben noticed how little the boy was.
“How old are you?”, asked Little Joe.
“Ten and you?”, asked Mitch.
“Twelve”, replied Little Joe.
Mitch got put on the wagon and the other Cartwrights climbed on it. Carlos rode next to it on his horse.
Arrived at home Ben brought Mitch to the guestroom. Carefully the boy got put on the bed. Shelby had come also and the cook of the Cartwrights, Hop Sing, too. Carefully Ben took off the boot of Mitch and saw how swollen up the ankle was.
“Hop Sing, take care of cold water”, said the rancher.
“Alright Mr. Cartwright”, the cook said and he left the bedroom.
“Can you move your ankle?”, asked Ben.
Mitch shook of no.
Shelby examined the injured body part and said then, “Your ankle is sprained. For the time being you will have to stay here.”
“Everything is better than being with Mr. Baker”, reacted Mitch.
“Isn’t Mr Baker your uncle?”, Ben asked amazed.
“No, he is the murderer of my parents”, the young Cooper replied.
“Do you know that for sure?”, asked Shelby.
“I saw it for myself how he killed them”, replied Mitch.
Ben and Shelby looked at each other amazed.
“Now you really are going to stay here for the time being”, said Ben.
Shelby wrapped up the ankle in bandages and put in upon a pillow. Here after the two grownups left the guest room.
“Mitch stays here as long as he is injured and in the meantime I look for a good foster home for him”, said Ben.
“I go back to my saloon before that fellow causes trouble again”, said Shelby.
“Shelby, don’t say to Baker that Mitch has told that he isn’t his uncle”, said Ben.
“Ben, I don’t know what you are talking about”, she said.
Ben knew enough. Mitch fell asleep so that Ben left him alone.
Meanwhile George made himself less popular than he already was. In the saloon he was loud and made a drunk impression.
“What is this for a saloon? You must wait for hours to get served and then you don’t get helped at once”, he yelled.
Maurice "Frenchy" Devereaux was present and walked to the stranger.
“Mister, why don’t you leave if you don’t like it here?”, asked Frenchy.
“Because my nephew is here in town and I must take him to an orphanage in Sacramento. But a certain Cartwright has taken that kid into protection. But why do you interfere with it?”, George asked on his turn.
“Because you are in the saloon of Miss Sterrett and she is a friend of mine. And if you cause trouble you get to deal with me as well”, said Frenchy.
George looked around the saloon for support but he only got dirty looks.
“Why are you all looking me for? Have I committed a crime or so?”, he asked.
“Mistreating a little boy is certainly allowed of you?”, asked Frenchy.
“He is my nephew and I do with him whatever I like. Nobody stops me. Not even Cartwright with his Mexican”, snapped George.
“George Baker, if you don’t keep your peak I throw you out personally”, he heard saying behind him then.
In the door post stood Shelby who spoke the words. George turned around and started to laugh uncontrollable. She came to the bar and went to stand next to him.
“So you dare to throw me out o this sty?”, George asked challenging.
“Yes, and there are enough who would like to do it for me too”, Shelby replied calm.
“I am going already because you don’t served here when you want to order”, snapped George.
He walked out of the saloon angry.
“Good riddance”, was the comment of Shelby.
She went to stand behind the bar and asked cheerful, “Who can I be of service?”
At the Ponderosa the Cartwrights had a family meeting.
“Boys, Mitch shall stay with us as long as he can’t walk. Mr Baker shall try to take him away so I suggest that Adam, Hoss and Carlos guard him in turns. Meanwhile I will try to find a good foster home for the boy”, said Ben.
“Alright pa. Who starts with guarding?”, asked Hoss.
“First I wanted you to toss about it but seeing you volunteered as first you are the lucky one”, Ben replied smiling.
Adam, Carlos and Little Joe couldn’t stop laughing anymore. Hoss wanted to protest but Ben raised his hand.
“Hoss, don’t you worry because Adam in on the turn tomorrow and then Carlos”, said the rancher.
Now Adam and Carlos looked indignant to great pleasure of Hoss.
“And what must I do?”, asked Little Joe.
“You, Joseph, go with me looking for that foster family for Mitch”, was the answer of his father.
Little Joe looked overjoyed at his brothers.
“You may go along with pa but we can stay at home nicely to watch Mitch”, said Adam.
“Not quite Adam. Only the one who must guard Mitch stays at home. The other two are just going to work. Understood gentlemen?”, asked Ben.
Everyone nodded.
“Hoss, go ahead”, Adam and Little Joe said at the same time.
Hoss went to the guestroom, followed by Ben.
Mitch woke up because the door went open. First he was afraid that it was George but when he recognized Ben and Hoss Mitch knew that it was alright.
“Mitch, we come to tell you something”, said Ben.
He went to sit on the bed but Hoss kept standing.
“What is the matter?”, asked Mitch.
He went to sit and looked at the rancher.
“Because the chance is there that Mr Baker comes here to take you along I have decided to give you a guard. Today Hoss will do that. Tomorrow Adam is on the turn and the day after you get company of Carlos. In the meantime I will look for a good foster family for you with Little Joe”, said Ben.
Mitch did cast his eyes down.
“Don’t you want to have a new father and mother?”, Ben asked worried.
“If Mr Baker discovers that he kills them too. Just like he has done it to my parents”, was the answer of Mitch.
“Hoss, go and get Adam and Carlos”, said Ben.
Hoss went to get the two mentioned.
“Mitch, tell me exactly what happened at all around the murder at your parents”, Ben said.
Mitch began to tell, “Mr Baker was a very good friend of my parents. They even trusted him that well that they had arranged that he has to take care of me when they are dead. But Mr Baker took care of it that they died due to a fire. I was just out of school when I saw him running away with a burning torch in his hand.”
“Does he know that you know this?”, asked Ben.
Mitch nodded. Then Hoss, Adam and Carlos came in.
“Pa, you wanted that Carlos and I heard something?”, asked Adam.
“Yes sure son. Mitch, tell them what you have just told me”, replied Ben.
Mitch told again the whole story. The three didn’t know what they heard.
“So that Mr Baker is dangerous to life?”, asked Adam.
Ben nodded. Mitch did cast down his eyes.
George discovered where the Cartwrights lived and went here to take the young Cooper along. But because they knew how dangerous George was Ben had taken care that everyone was alert. Though George saw chance to get into the guestroom. Near the door he knocked Hoss out cold and he grabbed Mitch very tight.
“Let me go!”, Mitch screamed.
George hit him so hard that the boy fell unconscious on the bed. The others came to the screaming of Mitch and George looked into the barrels of 3 rifles. Ben looked from George to Mitch and back and knew enough. Adam cared about his brother who came round very quickly again.
“Why did you have to do that to Mitch?”, Ben asked strict.
“He belongs to me and not to you”, snapped George.
“Why? To kill him too like you have killed his parents?”, asked the rancher.
George said laughing hard, “Then they shouldn’t have trusted me so well.”
He wanted to pick up Mitch but Carlos stepped in. The Mexican hit the murderer to outside where after George fled away. In his hurry he didn’t look out where he was walking and tripped over a few blocks of wood. A moment later he was on his way to the eternal hunting fields to join the army of the Grim Reaper.
In the guestroom Mitch came round again to big relief of the Cartwrights. Ben remained by the young Cooper while Adam, Hoss and Carlos went to see what had happened with George.
“He is a goner”, Carlos remarked.
“Good riddance”, said Hoss.
He and Carlos took care that the body of George got cleaned up while Adam went to tell everything to Ben and Mitch.
A few weeks later an elderly couple came to the Ponderosa. Ben saw them coming and walked towards them.
“Welcome to the Ponderosa”, said Ben.
“Thank you. We have heard that you have a boy called Mitch Cooper here. We are his grandparents”, said Kevin Cooper.
He got helped out of the carriage by Ben and then his wife Mary stepped out.
In brief Ben told what had happened. They walked to the ranch house where Little Joe and Mitch were.
“Mitch, there is a visit for you”, Ben said near the door.
The boy looked at the visitors and recognized them at once.
“Grandpa and grandma”, he called excited.
“Mitchy, come here”, Mary said smiling.
The young Cooper got an enormous embrace Ben and Little Joe knew that it was right this time.
Before the Coopers left Ben said to Mitch, “You know that you are always welcome here and your grandparents too.”
“I know that and I surely will come back one time”, replied Mitch.
The Cartwrights watched them go where after the usual life started again for them.