While they were eating breakfast, Cat asked, "Uncle Ben, will we have time to look around St. Louis? I've never been here before."
"I don't know Cat. We'll have to see how much time we have after breakfast. Actually, you used to live here. After your father died in the war, your mother brought you here. You lived with her and your grandfather until she took you to Uncle Matt in Dodge."
"I don't remember."
"I know you don't. You weren't even two when your mother took you to Dodge. All I know about your time here is what your mother wrote to me. You were even being our Wild Cat when you were that young. Your mother wrote to me that your grandfather's cook caught you trying to climb on the china cabinet just before she took you to Dodge. Heaven only knows what kind of mischief you're going to try and get into on the Ponderosa."
"Where is your ranch at Mr. Cartwright?" asked Robert.
"It's near Virginia City, Nevada," replied Ben. "Your family is welcome to come for a visit any time. We have plenty of room and I'd love to show you the ranch."
"I'd enjoy that," said Betty. "If I ever get to Nevada, I will take you up on that offer. Who knows, maybe we'll even move there some day. This city is getting too crowded and even my husband is getting tired of it."
"Mother, how is Georgie doing?" asked Elizabeth.
"Elizabeth dear, your brother is going to be twenty three soon. Don't you think it's time you stopped calling him Georgie? You know how much he hates it when you call him that. George is doing just fine. I wish the whole family could have been in San Francisco for his graduation ceremony. He sent his love to all of you." Then she turned to Ben and said, "George is my youngest son. He just graduated college in San Francisco and will be starting veterinary school soon. That's why I was on the train. I was coming home from his graduation."
"You must be very proud of him. My youngest son knows how George feels. His name is Joseph but everyone calls him Little Joe. He's nineteen now. Catherine was born on his tenth birthday and they've always been close."
Once everyone had finished breakfast, Betty said, "You still have quite a bit of time before you need to be at the train depot. Would you like to see a little bit of St. Louis before you leave? We can take my buggy. Don't worry, you won't miss your train."
"Can we please?" asked Cat. "It would be so much fun."
"I don't see why not," said Ben. "I agree with you. It would be fun. Thank you for your invitation Betty. We gladly accept."
Robert drove the buggy and everyone enjoyed their brief ride. Cat was amazed at everything she saw and wished there was time to stop and walk around. She looked at Ben and said, "Can we come back for a visit sometime? I really would like to see more of St. Louis."
"I'm not going to promise, but we'll try. Maybe next summer after you leave Uncle Lucas' ranch, we can spend an extra day here before we go to Dodge. I just can't plan that far ahead, so I don't want to promise and have something happen so we can't."
"Ok. I do hope we can though."
"So do I Kitten. I haven't been here since Little Joe was very young and I would like to see the city again too."
They arrived at the train depot before the train arrived, so Cat had time to walk around a little bit and let Silver Chief do his business. Then she got an idea, walked over to the corral and called Ginger to her. "We're going to be going back on the train in a little while," she told the horse. "I don't want you to be afraid this time. Nothing is going to hurt you. Just let the man lead you up the ramp into the train car and let him lead you down the ramp when we get to Dodge. I'll be waiting for you at the bottom of the ramp. Would you like Buck or Sport to go first so you can see how easy it is?" The horse nickered. "Ok. I'll go and tell Adam."
The Wilsons, Ben and Adam watched, amazed as Cat talked to her horse and the horse seemed to answer her. "Ben, your daughter has a gift that I've only seen in one other person," said Betty. "Animals really seem to understand her when she talks to them. I know at her age, school is something to be avoided whenever possible, but when she is older, please try and convince her to attend college and become a veterinarian."
"I'm curious, who is the other person you know that has this gift?"
"My brother George," replied Robert.
"He's always been very good with animals and, just like with your daughter, they seem to understand what he's saying to them. That's why he's going to veterinary school. We have a small ranch outside the city and George has been a great help to our father with the animals."
Just then, Cat came walking back up to them. "Adam, if Sport or Buck go first, Ginger won't be afraid to go up and down the ramp to the train car."
"Alright Cat. I'll have the man take Buck first. Then Ginger can follow him. When we get to Dodge, I'll have them take Sport out first and then Ginger. We'll see if that makes it easier for her. But you've got to promise me that if she acts up like she did when we got here, you won't go running up into the car again. You could have been seriously hurt and then, instead of going to Dodge, you would be in the hospital right now. So, please promise me that you won't run up into the train car again if Ginger is afraid."
"Ok. I won't run up there again, but how am I going to help her get down if she's afraid?"
"You can stand at the bottom of the ramp and call her. She'll see and hear you and that will help her to calm down. Now, the train will be here very soon. Why don't you take Silver Chief back out into the grass for a few minutes and then use the water closet?"
"That was good thinking son," said Ben. "I didn't even think about having her promise not to run into the stock car again."
"Yes, that was good thinking Adam," said Betty. "Now Ben, when you get to Dodge, if Cat keeps her promise, be sure to praise her for doing so. I know that you're not used to raising girls so please allow me tell you something about girls. Girls thrive on praise. The more you praise them for doing the right thing, even if it's getting a higher than normal grade on a test in school, the more likely they are to keep doing it. As you saw earlier, girls don't react well to being yelled at. If you catch her doing something dangerous, definitely yell to get her to stop. However, do not yell at her like you did earlier. Talk to her calmly, explain what she did wrong, why it was wrong, what her punishment is going to be and what it will be the next time it happens. If you are too upset to talk calmly just then, send her to her room, have her sit on a hay bale or chair and wait for you. Then, when you have calmed down, talk to her. Believe me, you will get much better results that way."
"Alright Betty. You have a daughter and know more about girls than I do. I'll do my best not to yell at Catherine when she gets in trouble. I've gotten so used to yelling at the boys, especially Little Joe, it's going to be hard to change my ways but I'll do my best."
"I have two daughters Ben. I don't know why Michelle didn't come with Elizabeth and Robert today. You are going to have to do better than your best. When Elizabeth was around Catherine's age, her father yelled at her for something she did wrong. She didn't speak to him for a month and avoided him as much as possible. She wouldn't sit next to him in church and refused to even look at him during meals. Is that the way you want to live with Catherine? I also heard talk of uncles and Godparents who gave her money to send them telegrams. I'm quite certain that if she sends them a telegram saying that you're always yelling at her, you could lose her.
Adam, the things I'm telling your father go for you too. I know that you are the eldest and act as parent when your father is not at home. If you yell at your sister when she does something wrong, you could lose her. If I ever visit you, I want to see Catherine happy and healthy, living on your ranch. Find a way to keep her safe while still allowing her to do the things she loves to do.
There is one more thing you need to be aware of Ben. Catherine is nine now. Sometime in the next four to six years, she is going to blossom into womanhood. Before that happens, you will need a woman to explain things to her. Her body will be undergoing changes and she will need to know what is happening and why."
"Raising a girl isn't going to be as easy as I thought it would," laughed Ben. "I had forgotten all about what happens to them as they grow up. Fortunately, her best friend lives nearby and Caroline Ingalls will probably explain things to both of her older daughters and Catherine at the same time."
Cat and Silver Chief returned to the group just before the train pulled into the station. When the ramp to the stock car was lowered, Adam started to lead their horses over to it. Cat handed her puppy's lead to Ben, walked up to Adam and said, "Let me take Ginger Adam. Maybe if I walk her over to the ramp and talk to her, she won't be afraid to go into the car."
"Alright little sister. Let's try and see what happens."
Adam handed Buck's reins to the man loading the horses and Cat talked to Ginger while Buck was being led up the ramp. "Look Ginger. See how easy it is. Buck isn't afraid and you should be. Here, I'll show you how easy it is." Much to everyone's surprise, Cat handed Ginger's reins to Adam and walked up the ramp. "Look Ginger. See how easy it is. Now I'm going to show you how easy it is to come down again." She walked back down the ramp, took her horse's reins from Adam and handed them to the man who easily led Ginger up the ramp.
After Adam handed Sport's reins to the man, he picked Cat up and hugged her. "That was amazing little sister. I've never seen anyone do that before. I can't believe it worked." He carried her over to where the others were standing and said, "Pa, I think we've got a new wrangler. I can't wait to see what she can do with other horses."
"That sounds like fun. When can I start working with the other horses? It will be a lot more fun than going to school."
"Sorry Cat. You still have to go to school," laughed Ben. "As far as working with other horses goes, I want to see what you do with your own colt first. If you do a good job training Fury, I'll let you start working with some of the other foals. You're still very young and I don't want to risk your safety by letting you work with unbroken horses. Little Joe is nineteen and he's not allowed to work with unbroken horses because it's too dangerous. Now, we need to say goodbye to the Wilsons and get on the train otherwise our horses will go to Dodge without us."
Cat said goodbye to the Wilsons and was hugged by all three of them. Adam helped her up onto the train and handed Silver Chief to her. The Wilsons helped Adam and Ben get their luggage. Before saying goodbye, Betty said, "That's was wonderful the way you handled Catherine just then. You kept her safe and still allowed her to do something she wanted to. You also gave her something to work toward while explaining why she couldn't work with unbroken horses. And you explained it in terms of wanting to keep her safe without making her feel as though she was being treated like a baby. If you keep doing that, she will thrive in your care and you will have a happy home. I wish all of you the best of luck and I hope we will meet again some day in the not too distant future."
Ben and Adam thanked her for all of her help and boarded the train. Cat was very quiet and lost in thought at the beginning of the trip. "What are you thinking about Cat?" asked Adam.
"I'm thinking about the wild horses."
"What about them?"
"They love being free and it must really scare them to get caught and get broke. Why do we have to catch the wild ones? Why can't we raise our own?"
"Well now, you've given me something to think about. It would take several years, but we could get our own herd started. What do you think Pa?"
"Yes, we could do that. We'll need to get at least two more stallions and more brood mares. That wild stallion seems to have good blood lines so we could turn some mares in season out with the wild ones for a few weeks. Cat, you're not used to ranch life, so there are a few things you need to understand. It will be quite a few years before we have a good herd of horses going. Mares only have one foal a year. Sometimes they have twins, but that's rare, so if we only have ten mares, that will only be ten foals a year. Also, remember, we told you that Fury will be almost two years old before you're allowed to start riding him a little bit and that will just be in the pasture. He will be two before you're allowed to ride him out of the pasture. It will be the same thing with the horses we raise. They will have to be at least two years old before they can be used for the Army or ranch work. In the mean time, we're going to have to keep catching the wild ones and breaking them. We need horses on the ranch and the Army buys them from us too. Don't worry, we only catch what we need and we leave the rest out on the range.
"But won't someone else catch them?"
"Nobody else can catch them as long as they're on the Ponderosa," said Ben. "But once they leave the ranch, anyone can catch them."
"That's not fair. Can't we stop them?"
"No Cat, unfortunately we can't. They're wild horses and don't belong to anyone."
"We could catch them and brand them. Then they would belong to us and nobody else could catch them."
"We could, but then we'd have to find a way to keep them on the Ponderosa."
"I don't understand. Why would they have to stay on the Ponderosa?"
"Well Cat, the law says that a man has to keep his livestock on his own property. If he doesn't and his neighbors complain, he could have to pay fines and pay his neighbors for any damage done to their property."
"Oh. Can't you buy up all of the land around the Ponderosa? Then the wild horses would have a lot of land and it would all belong to us. Nobody could catch them then."
Ben and Adam laughed. Ben reached over to the seat in front of him, pulled his daughter to him, and hugged her. "It's not that easy Sweetheart. Many of our neighbors have lived there almost as long as we have and won't want to sell their property. Also, it would cost a lot of money to buy all of that land and I don't have that much money."
"Oh pooh! I just want to keep the wild horses safe."
"I know you do Kitten. Unfortunately, it's not as easy as you think it is. I really do wish it was. Now, why don't you and your puppy enjoy the scenery? We'll be in Dodge in a little more than an hour."
While the Cartwrights were on their way to Dodge, Matt was in the Long Branch with Kitty, Doc, Festus, and Quint. He kept checking his watch and finally Doc said, "What is wrong with you today Matt. I declare, that's the sixth time you've checked your watch in the last hour. What are you waiting for?"
"Cat, Ben, and Adam are due in on the train today. I don't want to be late meeting it."
"I had forgotten that Cat is due here today," said Kitty. "Would you mind if I met the train with you?"
"No, not at all. I'm sure that Cat would really like it if all of you were with me to meet the train. In fact, we had better start walking over to the depot. The train is due here in about fifteen minutes." They walked out of the Long Branch and saw the Tanner family coming into town. Matt greeted them and said, "John, Elizabeth, it seems that you are just in time. Cat is due in on the train this morning and it should be here in about fifteen minutes."
Peter and Michael got very excited and started jumping up and down in the back of the wagon, stepping on some of their brothers and sisters. "Can we go and meet Cat at the train?" asked Peter.
"We haven't seen her in forever and want to go fishing with her," added Michael.
"If you two don't sit down and behave, the only meeting you'll have will be the palm of my hand with your bottoms!" said their father. "Do I make myself perfectly clear?"
"Yes sir," answered the twins together.
"We will meet the train but if either one of you act up while we are there, you will not be going anywhere but home, and we will be having a talk in the barn. Do you understand?"
"Yes sir," said the twins dejectedly.
The train arrived on time and when Cat saw Matt waiting to meet her, she forgot all about her family and puppy and threw herself into his arms, hugging his neck tightly. Matt hugged her back and teased, "Ben, you know I run a quiet town here. Why did you bring this wild thing with you? I'm just going to have to hang onto her to keep her out of trouble."
Ben and Adam laughed. "We didn't have much choice," said Adam. "We tried to lose her but she kept following us and so did this thing." He picked up Silver Chief and showed him to Matt.
Matt put Cat down and started helping Ben and Adam with the luggage. Michael and Peter rushed up to Cat, began pulling on her and talking at once. "We're so glad you're back. You've been gone for forever. Why did you go away? Who's that with you? Why did they come with you? Are you going to live with us? Let's go fishing."
"Pete, Mike, quit pulling on me! I just got off the train two minutes ago and haven't even had time to say hi to anyone, including your parents. I'm going to be here for two weeks. We'll go fishing but first I have to say hi to everyone, especially your Ma and Pa. You know how they feel about us being rude and not saying hi is being rude. You know that. Also, my puppy needs to do his business and I need to take my things over to Uncle Matt's office."
Peter and Michael ignored Cat's words, spotted Silver Chief, picked him up and started talking at once again. "Is this your puppy? He sure is cute. What's his name? Can we take him home with us?" Then they started pulling on him and arguing over who got to hold him.
When the puppy whimpered in pain, Cat became angry with her friends and yelled at them. "Pete, Mike, Stop! If you hurt my puppy, I won't go fishing with you for a long, long time, if I ever do! Now give me my puppy, stop being rude and let me say hi to everyone!" The boys stopped, gave Silver Chief to Cat and apologized for their behavior.
John grabbed the boys by the backs of their shirts, swatted their bottoms and said, "I warned you what would happen if you didn't behave. Now, go and sit in the wagon and wait for the rest of the family. Don't even think about leaving that wagon before I get there. If you do, you will be in even more trouble than you are in now!" The twins reluctantly walked over to the wagon.
Once the twins were gone, Cat was able to say hi to everyone who had met her at the train. Everyone hugged her and Silver Chief also got a lot of hugs. While the twins were talking to Cat, Matt had introduced Ben and Adam to the Tanners. "Mr. Cartwright, I do hope that you and Adam will join us for supper at least once while you're here," said Elizabeth. "We have been looking forward to meeting you ever since the Marshal told us you had adopted Cat. John and I have come to think of her as a member of our family and we're going to miss her very much. Believe it or not, even though the three of them get into mischief, sometimes she's the only one who can handle the twins. You just saw a small taste of what she can dish out to those two. Their father warned them what would happen if they didn't behave but it took Cat to make them settle down."
"Call me Ben. Adam and I will be more than happy to join your family for supper while we're here. I can't wait to find out what you can teach me about this little girl who is now a permanent member of my family."
"That's wonderful. I know that you've been traveling for several days and are probably tired, so why don't you come to supper tomorrow night? We'll expect you too Marshal. Now, we had better go and get our shopping done, especially as Peter and Michael are alone with the wagon. There's no telling what mischief they've been into."
"Cat," said John, "I know that you want to go fishing with the boys, but it will be several days before they're allowed to leave the farm."
"That's ok. I'm mad at them. They almost hurt Silver Chief and wouldn't let me say hi to everyone."
The Tanners said goodbye to everyone and walked back over to the wagon where they found the twins playing marbles in the street behind the wagon instead of sitting in it. Matt picked Cat and Silver Chief up and teased, "I'm just going to have to hold onto you two wild things so you don't disturb the peace in my town."
"Cat, are you going to stay with Adam and me in the hotel or with Uncle Matt?" asked Ben.
"I'm going to stay with Uncle Matt. I'm tired of hotels and trains. I want to sleep in my own bed."
"I don't blame you," said Adam. "We haven't been traveling nearly as long as you have and I'm tired of hotels to. I wish I could have brought my bed."
Cat giggled at Adam's comment. Before she could say anything, her stomach made a loud, growly noise.
Everyone laughed. "Ben, Matt, you had better feed that child before she wastes away to nothingness," said Doc.
"That's a good idea," said Cat. "I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry," said Matt, Ben, and Adam together.
"Let's get your things over to Matt's office," said Ben. "Adam and I will get a hotel room and then we'll all get some dinner." He turned to the others and said, "I hope all of you will join us for dinner and supper. I know that Cat is going to want to tell you all about her adventures."
The others said that they'd be more than happy to join the family for dinner and supper. Festus and Quint took the Cartwright's luggage while Adam got their horses and Matt carried Silver Chief and Cat, who hugged his neck and snuggled in on his shoulder. Ben looked at them and said, "I wish she felt that way about me."
"She will Ben," said Doc. "Just give it some time. Remember, Matt has raised her for almost eight years. Except for when he had to send her out to the Tanners and when she visited you on school holidays, he has been with her every day since Kate brought her here. Matt said the reason for your coming here with Cat is to get to know her better. Spend as much time with her as you can. Also, spend time talking with some of the people who know her best, especially John and Elizabeth, Kitty, Quint, and Festus. I'll be happy to provide you with my insights if you want me to."
"Yes, I would like that. Counting the two days at Lucas McCain's, we've been together for five days and I've already learned a lot about her. I do have a question I hope you can help me answer."
"Of course Ben. I'll be more than happy to try and answer any question you have."
Ben told Doc about Cat running up the ramp into the railroad stock car in St. Louis, how he yelled at her, her reaction to being yelled at and what Mrs. Wilson had told him. "I'm not supposed to yell at her, but she yelled at those two boys and not one adult, including their parents said anything. I'm sorry Doc, but I'm very confused right now."
Doc laughed and Ben gave him a strange look. "I'm sorry for laughing Ben. I do understand your confusion. Peter, Michael, and Cat are the Three Musketeers of mischief. As they have begun growing up, Cat has settled down some but the boys have not settled down as much. There are times, like today, when Cat is the only one who can get them to calm down. Normally, she can do it by just talking to them, but today was different. They haven't seen her in more than two months and I don't think they know why she left all of a sudden. They were overjoyed to see her and forgot how to behave in public. They ignored everything Cat said to them and when they almost hurt her puppy, she yelled at them to get their attention. Sometimes that's the only way to get their attention. They know she's very angry with them right now and when you go there for supper tomorrow night, those two boys will be climbing over each other trying to get Cat to forgive them. She already has but will take several days before she tells them. Until she does tell them, they will act like knaves waiting on their queen and Cat will enjoy tormenting them.
Now, as far as yelling at Cat goes, Matt never yelled at her when she got into trouble, even if she did something dangerous. However, if he caught her in the act of doing something dangerous, he did yell at her to make her stop. I think she and the twins were six when they decided to climb the water tower. Matt saw them and yelled at them to stop. Festus climbed up and brought them down safely. Needless to say, the three of them had a great deal of difficulty sitting down for a few days."
Ben shook his head and laughed. "Hoss hit the nail on the head when he started calling her Wild Cat. I swear that girl went from crawling to running in just a single day. Raising her is not going to be as easy as I thought it would. She's too much like her mother. Kate was wild too, but not nearly as wild as her daughter is. Thanks for clearing that up for me Doc. I won't yell at her unless I catch her in the act of doing something dangerous and then it will just be to get her to stop."
"That's good Ben. As far as what she did in St. Louis goes, tell Quint and let him explain the difference between what she does for him and what she did this morning. He'll be able to explain it a lot better than you or I can. Now, we had better get you and Adam a room in the Dodge House and feed that child before she gets grumpy."
During breakfast, Cat started telling everyone about her adventures since leaving Dodge. They all started laughing when she described how she woke Rip and her Godparents up every morning. When Cat finished telling how Tom and David looked after her and kept her from falling in the lake, Doc said, "Those two young men deserve gold medals for keeping you out of mischief. Too bad they're not here right not to keep you and the Tanner twins out of it. Although, I don't think anyone can keep those two boys out of mischief."
"I know what you mean Doc," said Matt. "And when this wild thing is with them, we've got triple trouble." He gave Cat's braids a teasing tug.
"We're not that bad Uncle Matt. We haven't tried to rob the bank yet, but it would be fun to drive the stage."
"And just what are you three desperados going to use for weapons to rob the bank?" asked Matt.
Cat thought for a minute and said, "Snowballs. We couldn't use mud balls because Ma Tanner would skin us alive if we got mud all over ourselves and everyone in the bank. She'd make us do all the laundry and wash and paint the bank. Snowballs don't get anyone or anything dirty, just wet and things dry fast."
Everyone who heard Cat had a difficult time keeping themselves from laughing at her comments.
"Ok. And how much money would you take?"
"Probably thirty dollars. We would get ten dollars each. That would buy us enough candy to last until we were ten."
"Ten dollars would buy an awful lot of candy. If you ate that much, you could get sick and then Doc would give you bad tasting medicine. Maybe you should think about only taking five dollars each. You wouldn't be able to buy as much candy, but you might not get sick."
"Yuck. I don't want Doc to give me bad tasting medicine for eating too much candy. Pete and Mike wouldn't like it either. I guess we'll just take five dollars each."
"That's a very good idea. Right now, you need to finish your breakfast. Your pancakes are going to get cold and then you won't want to eat them."
Cat finished her pancakes and then had eggs and bacon. When she finished eating, she told Matt that she was going to go and see Julie. "Cat, isn't Julie's Ma the dressmaker?" asked Ben.
"Yes, she is."
"Would you like to take the material we bought in Santa Fe and ask Julie's Ma to make dresses for you?"
"Oh yes, I would. I was going to ask if I could show the material to Julie. Now she'll get to see it when her Ma makes the dresses for me."
"Alright. Wait right here and I'll go, get it for you." He walked over to the hotel and returned with the material.
"Thank you," said Cat as she took the material and ran out the restaurant door, followed by her puppy.
"Cat and her friends aren't really going to rob the bank," asked Adam.
"Probably not," replied Matt. "However, some of the older children have a tradition they've done with Mr. Stevens, the bank manager for many years now. Every year a few days before Christmas, the children challenge Mr. Stevens and the bank employees to a snowball fight. The children tell Mr. Stevens if he doesn't agree to the snowball fight, they're going to rob the bank. So, they get their snowball fight. If the children win, Mr. Stevens buys all of them hot cocoa and cookies at Delmonico's. If the bank employees win, the children go into the bank after it closes and clean it. From what I've seen, it really doesn't matter who wins. The children always clean the bank even if they win and Mr. Stevens buys hot cocoa and cookies for them even if the bank employees win. I know that Cat and the Tanner twins have been looking forward to the day when they're old enough to join in.
Now, as far as driving the stage goes, I wouldn't put it past her to try. Cat's not afraid of anything. I gave John Tanner permission to spank her if she got into trouble at their house with a warning to her if she got spanked by John, she would get worse from me. That didn't stop her and the twins from jumping out of their hayloft. One day when they were seven, they broke open six bales of hay, piled it up and jumped into it from the hayloft. John tanned all three of their backsides and brought Cat home. I punished her too. The boys were restricted to their house for a week and Cat was restricted to my office for the same amount of time, but that didn't stop them from doing it again once they were off restriction. It finally took all three of them having belts applied to their bare bottoms with the promise of razor strops being used the next time, to get them to stop." At seeing the alarmed look on Ben's face, Matt says, "That was two years ago Ben. Cat is growing up but she still loves adventure. Last summer some of the older boys tied a rope to a tree branch so they could swing out over the creek. Cat was right there with the other children waiting to take her turn. Watching her frightened me but she loved every second of it and couldn't wait to take another turn."
They sat there talking for a little while longer when Cat ran in. "Mr. Brown needs me to run a telegram out to the Mitchell farm."
Before she could run back out, Matt said, "No jumping over fences and gates Cat. You dismount, open the gate, lead your horse through, and then close the gate behind you." When Cat started to protest her uncle said, "If you disobey me on this, you are going to have a hard time sitting down when I'm finished with you. We've had this discussion before and you have disobeyed me every time. If you disobey me this time, I will use my belt on your bottom and you will spend an hour standing in the corner. Now, go, take that telegram out to Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell and remember what I just told you." Cat started to leave and Matt called to her. "Catherine."
"Yes sir?"
"Just so there are no misunderstandings, I am telling you, your Pa, and Adam that the rule about jumping your horse over fences is going to be the same on the Ponderosa as it is here. Your punishment for disobeying will be up to them, but the rule is the same. Now, go and get that telegram delivered." Cat let out a deep sigh, picked up Silver Chief and walked out the door.
After Cat left, Matt said, "Be firm with her Ben, let her know what to expect and follow through if she does not listen. Just make sure she knows the rules before you punish her for disobeying them. As you've probably figured out from that little conversation, this is not the first time Cat and I have had that discussion and it probably won't be the last. I hope I'm wrong, but I have a strong feeling that she's going to end up bottom side up across my knees before these two weeks are over. I hope I'm wrong about it because that's not something I'm going to enjoy doing."
"How will you know if she disobeys you?" asked Adam.
"If nobody tells me, I'll ask her. She won't lie to me. She hasn't told a lie since she was five and I punished her very severely for it. Well, I've got work to do. I'll let you know what Cat says when she gets back if you're not already in my office."