EASTER TIME
It was
early April and within a few days it was Easter. In the Cartwright household
they were busy with the preparations of it.
To beat his
father and uncles Mitch was with the help of Ben and Candy busy to take a joke
on Adam, Hoss and Little Joe. The previous year the brothers had fixed it to
let Mitch search the whole morning for hidden Easter eggs. This year the boy
wanted to beat them.
On the
Saturday before the first Easter day Mitch was alone at home with his grandpa
and the foreman.
“Mitch, you
go and get some eggs from the chickens. Then Hop Sing can cook then and you and
Candy paint them. When they are dry we are going to hide them for your father
and uncles”, Ben said at a certain moment. Mitch nodded and with laughing eyes
he went to the chicken house with a basket. Because he gave the animals their
food each morning he knew exactly which chicken laid the most eggs. The
chickens knew him and didn’t do anything when he came to get their products.
Here after the eggs in the basket got transported to the kitchen where Hop sing cooked them. After an hour Mitch and Candy were allowed
to paint them beautifully. Mitch liked it to do that very much and beautifully
for his age of five years old.
Ben noticed
that Candy and Mitch were discussing something.
He asked,
“What are you up to together?”
“Well, do
you remember that they let Mitch search the whole morning for those Easter eggs
last year?”, Candy asked on his turn.
“Yes”, the
rancher said and he looked questioned at the couple.
“Well, this
year we let them do the job and very thoroughly too”, Mitch said.
“How then
if I may ask?”, Ben wanted to know.
“We just say that they are hidden at the yard, in the barn and in the stable but in reality that is not the case at all. Are you in?”, Candy asked smiling. Mitch looked at his grandpa with begging eyes. Ben nodded smiling.
After two
hours Mitch and Candy were ready with painting the eggs. Both had to submit
themselves to a washing turn. Because the paint had not only
had come upon the eggs but on the young painters themselves as well.
Fortunately there laying old newspapers on the table so that was quickly
cleaned up. While Candy and Mitch took a
bath Ben looked after the eggs. He put them carefully into the yellow basket
and gave it to Hop Sing who would keep it for them on a safe place which Hoss
did not even knew.
That
evening Mitch was so polite to everyone during supper.
Adam asked
his father concerned, “Is there something with Mitch?”
“Why?”, Ben asked amazed.
“He is so
polite to us. He normally never is”, was the answer of Adam.
“I am. Only
you never notice it”, the boy reacted. A loud and fierce protest followed.
Candy gave Mitch a quick wink.
“Tomorrow
you, Adam, Hoss en Joe, go to search the eggs which
Mitch and Candy have hide in the stable, barn and on the yard. You won’t come
in any sooner before you have found all the eggs”, Ben said at a deciding tone.
The three brothers agreed.
The next
morning Adam, Hoss en Little Joe went for search for the hidden eggs. At least,
they tried to. But no matter how they searched, the eggs remained to not be
found.
When it was
around
“How did
that basket get there?” , Little Joe asked amazed.
“The Easter
Bunny has just delivered that for us. So you have done your job for nothing”,
Ben said calm.
“But then, now
the barn, the stable and the yard have been searched thoroughly. Like you had
let it be done by a four year old child”, Candy said teasing. The brothers
realised that they had fallen into the trap of Mitch and Candy and could laugh at it anyway. Hoss looked
at his father and this one nodded. He went away and came into the ranch house
with a little brown rabbit.
“Mitchy, this you get from us for your Easter”, Hoss said.
Mitch took over the animal carefully and stroked it. Cody came to them and
sniffed at the rabbit. The two animals were friends right away.
“What nice.
I call him Nicky”, the boy said glad.
“I will
make a cage for you”, Adam said.
“You mean
for Nicky”, his son said quick-witted. Adam nodded.
Mitch got
really spoiled by his father, Uncles, grandfather and the foreman with Easter.