"Morning, morning, morning!" Lizzie jumped off the last step and twirled towards the table. She performed her morning ritual of making sure everyone got a kiss: Papa, Uncle Hoss, Grandpa and Uncle Joe.

As she took her place, she said, "Good morning, Mr. Brown. Did you sleep well? Did you hear the mockingbirds this morning?"

"Yes, to both questions, thank you for asking, Lizzie." Said Joshua.

"I think I like the mockingbirds best. They have lots of pretty songs."

Adam smiled at his daughter, lifting his eyebrows to let her know he was proud of her. He passed her a plate with pancakes on it. Lizzie smiled back at him and started eating.

"Today is going to be a good day." Lizzie thought. "Grandpa had told her she was going to get to go to town and meet the stage. She had seen the stage arrive a lot of times, but she had never met the stage when someone was coming to the Ponderosa. It made it much more exciting to be meeting someone."

Hoss and Joe were the first to finish their breakfasts and they arose from the table to get to their chores. Ben and Joshua got up to catch up on mutual acquaintances on the couch, leaving Lizzie and Adam at the table. Lizzie finished her breakfast and started to clear the dishes off the table.

"I hate chores!" She said loudly. She kept stacking the dishes but looked at her papa.

Adam stood. "I hate chores too!" he said, matching her tone and stomping his foot. He walked around the table and kissed Lizzie on the top of the head. "When you get done in here, come out to the barn and help me." He turned and head to the door, taking his hat off the cabinet near the door.

"Yes, Papa." Lizzie said as she carried the first stack of dishes out to Hop Sing. When she had finished clearing everything, she skipped over to the door and out.

"Adam and Lizzie are quite a pair, aren't they?' Ben asked as he watched his granddaughter leave.

"Adam seems to dote on her. It is a wonder she isn't spoiled rotten," said Joshua.

"Well, he gives her a little more leeway than I ever gave my boys, but then she is living in a house, not on the trail like I was with Adam and Hoss. She is sweet natured and well-behaved for the most part. Adam can come down on her when he needs to, thankfully that isn't too often. I am not sure her uncles and her old grandpa could take it." He pondered that thought a little before rousing himself.

"Well, if we are going to meet the morning stage we need to get busy." Ben said as he stood.

Hoss had harnessed the horses to the buggy and had tied it up to the front hitching rail before he and Joe had headed out to ride the fence line.

Ben and Joshua were climbing up into the buggy as Lizzie ran out of the barn with her arms out to be lifted up. Adam followed her out of the barn. Ben stepped down to pick her up and settled her in the back seat.

"Where are you going little miss?" Adam asked, crossing his arms.

"To town to meet the stage. Grandpa said I could."

"Well, I think that there are going to be too many people and things in the buggy for there to be room for you, plus, I think there are chores that haven't been done yet."

"Well, that's that," said Ben. "Papa says no." Ben reached in and lifted Lizzie back out of the buggy. "I'm sorry, Adam, I should have asked you first before telling Lizzie she could go."

Ben tried to defer to Adam when it came to raising Lizzie. Lizzie was Adam's child and Ben felt she should be raised as Adam saw fit.

"That's alright, Pa. I just don't think there will be room for Lizzie in addition to all the luggage that Mr. Brown has indicated his daughter and granddaughter will be bringing."

Lizzie crossed her arms and started to pout. "Grandpa said I could go. I want to go. I never get to meet the stage." She stamped her foot and folded her arms again.

Joshua felt himself tense again. He knew that Lizzie was too good to be true. Here was the temper tantrum he had been expecting. He steeled himself waiting for the screaming and writhing to begin. No child was as well behaved as this one.

Ben crouched down to look Lizzie in the face. She had her arms crossed tightly and her chin down on her chest. He reached out to touch her, but she twisted her body away.

"I'm sorry, Lizzie, but your papa's right. I shouldn't have said you could go. There won't be enough room for you and all the luggage too." Ben spoke gently. He didn't like disappointing his granddaughter.

"Papa and I can go on his horse." She looked up hopefully at her father.

"Uh, uh. We have things to do around here and you are just going to have to accept that you aren't going."

"I never get to meet the stage."

"You see the stage come in all the time." Adam was beginning to lose patience.

"But not when there are people that we are waiting for." She stomped her foot again and stuck her lip out farther.

"You are not going." Adam said firmly. "Go on, Pa. We'll be fine here."

Ben got back up in the buggy and flicked the reins looking back at his granddaughter sadly.

"You and I, Miss Elizabeth, need to have a talk in the house about tantrums." He took her hand and began to lead her to the house.

"What will Adam do, Ben?" Joshua turned to watch Adam and Lizzie walking up the steps. He was a little surprised at what constituted a tantrum in the Cartwright household.

"Oh, I expect he'll scold her and maybe make her stand in the corner. She's disappointed; Adam knows that. She's just a little girl. She needs to learn how to handle disappointment, although I do feel a little guilty telling her she could go and then having Adam say no. I don't like him coming off as the bad guy. I don't think he'll be too hard on her over the tantrum."

"That was a tantrum?" Joshua asked. "If that was a tantrum, I don't know what it is that my granddaughter does. Sally throws herself on the floor, crying and screaming. I would be thrilled if her tantrums were just crossed arms, pouts and stomping feet."

Ben didn't know what to say to that. So, he just clucked to the horses and said, "Yid up."

Adam walked his daughter straight to the corner by the desk.

"You need to get a hold of your temper, Elizabeth." He said as he took a seat in the chair. "I know you wanted to go to town, but there just wasn't room."

Lizzie started to answer, but Adam cut her off. "I suggest you think very carefully before you say anything that is going to get you into more trouble."

Adam watched her clenched fists and her rigid back and knew that if he let her talk she was going to end up over his knee and he would just as soon avoid that all together if it was possible. The few times he had ended up having to spank her had been hard on both of them. After about ten minutes in the corner, Adam saw the rigidity of her body start to lessen and he saw her hands unclench.

"Are you in control of your temper, Lizzie?" He asked firmly.

"Yes, Papa."

"Are you going to stop pouting?"

"Yes, Papa."

"Good, then come over here."

Lizzie turned and walked slowly over to where Adam was seated. Adam reached out and stroked her hair.

"I am sorry that you didn't get to go to town and meet the stage. I know that would have been exciting for you. It is alright to be upset about that, but it is not alright to pitch a fit to try to get your way. The next time someone comes to visit, we'll try to make sure you get to go and meet the stage. But if that doesn't happen, I don't want a repeat of what just happened out in the yard." Adam paused.

"When have you ever gotten what you wanted by pouting and stomping your foot?" Adam waited for a response.

"When, Elizabeth?" He asked more firmly when she didn't answer right away.

"Never…" Lizzie said in a whisper. She kept her chin down on her chest.

"Right, never, so today had better be your last tantrum or you and I are going to have a problem."

"Yes, Papa. I'm sorry. I just wanted to go and Grandpa said I could and I was excited and then you said no." Lizzie started crying and the words just tumbled out. She didn't like her Papa angry with her and she felt a little overwhelmed.

Adam swept Lizzie up in his arms and held her, rocking her. "I know, Lizzie, you were angry and disappointed."

"I'm sorry. I promise I won't have a tantrum ever again." Lizzie cried, as she promised fervently.

"I believe you and you're forgiven." Adam continued to hold her until the tears had stopped. He put her back on her feet and pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe off her face. "Do you think you can finish up your chores?"

Lizzie nodded.

"Go wash your face and finish your chores and then go play. I'll call you when it's time for you to get ready for our company."

Lizzie nodded again.

"Love you, Liz." Adam said softly.

Lizzie wrapped her arms around Adam's neck and gave him a hard hug, one which he returned, then she went out the front door.

Adam sat for a minute, looking at the closed door before getting up himself to get the rest of his chores done.

TBC