Bonanza: "The Return of April."

Chapter Three

It's nighttime at the Ponderosa where everyone is sound asleep in bed when April is laying down on the floor in the living room near the fireplace. She then hears a noise and lifts her head up. She then gets up and hurries over to the window and jumps up onto the windowsill to see a cat walking across the porch. She then starts barking at the window.

Ben, Jamie, Candy, and Clara all wake up at the sound of her barking and little Eric starts crying in his cradle. Everyone then disperses out of their rooms including Hop Sing who starts yelling in Chinese. Everybody is half asleep as Ben screams at Jamie through April's barking. "Jamie! Would you please get her to stop barking!!" "I'm sorry, Pa." Jamie says and he then hurries down the stairs as Clara while holding Eric tries to get him to stop crying. Hop Sing then says to Ben. "Mr. Cartwright! That dog has got to go! Hop Sing cannot sleep no more!" "I know, I know, Hop Sing." Ben tells him. "Just go back to bed now, I'll handle this." Hop Sing turns around and heads back to his bedroom as he continues to mutter in Chinese. Clara then says to Ben. "Ben, I hate to say it, but he's right. It's hard for me to get Eric to sleep now because of her barking." Ben sighs as he says. "I know." He then places his hand on her shoulder as he says. "Just try to get some sleep while I have a little talk with Jamie." Clara then heads back into her bedroom with Eric when Candy remarks. "I think I may have to start sleeping in the barn." Ben then remarks. "Well, if this keeps up I just might join you." Ben then heads down the stairs as Candy goes back into his bedroom.

Jamie heads down the stairs to see April barking at the window. He hurries over to her as he says. "Shh, April!" He grabs her collar and she stops barking as he brings her down off of the windowsill. Ben then comes up to him and says to him. "Jamie, this has gone far enough, now I told you that if you couldn't keep her barking under control, you find someone else to look after her." Jamie then suggests. "Well..what about if she sleeps in the barn?" "I already told you I don't want her stirring up the livestock. She already chased off nearly half our chickens." Ben tells him. Jamie then says. "Well, I could sleep in the barn with her..maybe.." "Jamie, I'm sorry." Ben says. "But I just don't think this is gonna work out." Jamie then tells him. "But..but Pa, I promised Mr. Reilly, I'd look after her." "I know you did, son, but.." Ben sighs. "If she can't get along with the other members of this household, we can't have her staying here." Jamie then asks.  "Well, who am I gonna get to look after her?" "I don't know, just find somebody, find anybody! I don't care, as long as we can get a decent night's sleep!" Ben replies in frustration and exhaustion. "Alright." Jamie says in disappointment. Ben then tells him. "I'm gonna try to get some sleep while I still can." Ben then turns and heads back up the stairs. Jamie then thinks about what he's gonna do about April and who he can get to take her in. His face then lights up with an idea.

Outside, Vic and Lenny are hiding in the bushes near the porch of the Ponderosa. Vic whispers to Lenny. "You see anything?" Lenny shakes his head. "No." Vic then says. "Wait." Jamie comes out of the door with April following him. "Come, April." He says. Lenny then says a little loudly. "Hey, it's the kid." Vic quickly puts his hand over his mouth and tries to keep him quiet. "Shh, you wanna blow our cover." "Sorry." Lenny replies. Vic then looks at him in curiosity and asks. "Where's he going?" "It looks like he's going into the barn." Lenny says. Vic gives him an annoyed look as he says. "I know that, you idiot, I meant where could he be going in the middle of the night with the dog." "Oh. I don't know." Lenny replies. Jamie then comes out of the barn riding on his horse with April following and Vic then says. "Let's follow him." They quickly get up out of the bushes and head over to their horses to follow after Jamie.

Jamie is then knocking on the door of Joe and Alice's house. "Joe? Are you in there?" He knocks again. Joe and Alice are sound asleep in bed when Alice stirs a little and awakens to hear pounding on the door. She moves closer to Joe and puts her hand over his shoulder and slightly shakes him as she says. "Mm, Joe..Joe." He stirs a little. "Hm?" "There's someone at the door." She tells him. He sighs as he says. "Alright." He then starts muttering as he gets up out of bed and heads to the door as Jamie continues knocking.

Joe opens the door half-asleep to see Jamie with April seated next to him and Joe leans against the door as he says under his breath. "Jamie." He then asks him as he rubs his head. "Jamie, what are you doing here?" "Joe, I'm sorry to bother you.." Jamie starts to say as Joe then says. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" "I know, but you see..well, April..Pa won't let April stay at our place anymore, so he wants me to find someone else to look after her." Jamie explains and Joe then realizes as he says. "And you thought of me to be the one to look after her, right?" Jamie gives an uneasy look as he replies. "Well..would you, Joe? It's only for a week, I'll help you..please?" Joe answers him with a short. "No." "Please, Joe.." Jamie says as Alice comes up to them and yawns as she says. "Who is it, Joe?" She sees Jamie and says. "Oh, hi, Jamie. What are you doing here in the middle of the night?" Joe then tells her. "He wants us to take April in since Pa threw her out for being a bad dog." Alice shakes her head at him and smirks as Jamie pleads. "Please, Joe. You'll be doing me a big favor and I'll make it up to you, I promise." Joe then tells him. "Jamie, no, I'm sorry, but we just can't take her in." "Joe, you're the only person I trust with her, there's no one else to take her in, please, you've got to." Jamie tells him. Joe then starts to say a bit sternly. "Jamie.." Alice then interrupts and says. "Joe, let's just try it for a couple of days, if it doesn't work out, then we can have Jamie take her back." Joe turns his head to her. "Alice.." "Joe, come on, we'll never get any sleep if you don't." She tells him. Joe sighs and replies. "Alright. We'll take her." A big smile spreads across Jamie's face as he says. "Oh, thanks, Joe, I'll owe you one." Joe replies in a somewhat annoyed and sleepy tone. "Yeah, yeah, come on, April." April gets up and goes inside the house with Alice following as Jamie then says. "I'll see ya later." "Yeah." Jamie starts to turn when Joe grabs his shoulder and turns him around and tells him. "Don't make me regret this." "Oh, I won't. See ya." Jamie then turns and walks off as Joe shakes his head and then goes back inside and closes the door.

Vic and Lenny then come out of the bushes as Vic says. "Just our luck, that kid hands the dog over to the other Cartwright." "Yeah." Lenny says. "Who's he again?" "Ben Cartwright's youngest boy." Vic tells him. "He goes by little Joe." "Oh." Lenny replies and then remarks. "He don't look so little to me." Vic rolls his eyes and says. "It's a nickname, you ignoramus." "Oh." Lenny says as Vic tells him. "We need a new plan. Let's get outta here." They start to get up when Lenny tells him. "Hey, Vic, I feel itchy, is that poison ivy?" "How should I know?" Vic replies. Lenny then tells him. "You know I'm allergic! You want me to swell up like a balloon?" Vic then remarks. "If it'll get you to shut up, now come on, let's get outta here before Cartwright catches us." They then get out from the bushes and mount onto their horses and ride off.