A/N: To Kathy Seffron: Thank you for your kind review. You forgot to sign in so it came up as a guest review. I wish I had their luck fishing too. The fish in Lake Tahoe must have really been biting that day.
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Cat woke up in the middle of the night needing to use the outhouse, so she quietly crept downstairs followed by her puppies, unlocked the door and went outside. When she looked at the outhouse roof, much to her delight, the raccoon kits were up there again. When she finished in the outhouse, she tried catching the kits, following them all over the yard as they ran from tree to tree. She was so busy trying to catch them that she didn't notice Hoss behind her until he gave her a hard swat and said, "What in tarnation do you think you're doin'? Do ya know how much trouble you'd be in ifn Pa caught ya out here chasing them critters? Your bottom would still be sore at breakfast. Now get yourself back in bed and don' ever pull a stunt like that again. 'Cause if ya do, I'll take ya to Pa myself." He put his hands on her shoulders, turned her toward the house and sent her on her way with another swat. "That girl is gonna end up in a whole heap of trouble ifn she don't quit chasing them critters," he said to himself.
The next morning, Cat came downstairs dressed for church but wearing her moccasins instead of her shoes. "Where are your shoes?" asked Ben.
"They hurt my feet so I left them upstairs."
"Remember Pa, Cat's been wearin' moccasins since she was four," said Hoss. "She ain't used to wearin' shoes."
"Alright Kitten. It does take time to get used to new shoes. I'll tell you what, we'll do your shoes the same way you did your hat last Sunday. You can wear your moccasins until we get to town but you have to wear your shoes in church. Now, who's going to braid your hair this morning?"
"Adam is."
Adam sighed and said, "Alright Squirt. We may as well do this in your bedroom. You can bring your shoes down with you when we're finished so you won't have to go back upstairs again before we leave for church. You need a sunbonnet also, so you can get one while we're upstairs." They walked up to Cat's bedroom and sat down on the bed. "Alright, let's see if I can do a better job than Joe has been doing." He took his time and braided Cat's hair. When he finished he said, "Take a look in the mirror and see if I did a good enough job for you."
Cat looked in the mirror and said, "You got the sides even. Now you need to teach Joe, Hoss, and Pa how to do it. I hate it when my braids aren't even."
"You really shouldn't say that you hate something, especially something as simple as your braids not being even. You could say that you really don't like it when your braids aren't even, but you shouldn't say that you hate it. Now, get your shoes and sunbonnet. I'm sure that breakfast is ready and we need to eat before leaving for church."
When breakfast was finished and the table cleared, Ben said, "Catherine, you have fifteen minutes to spend with Fury. Be careful not to get your dress dirty because you won't have time to change before we need to leave." Cat left her sunbonnet hanging on the back of her chair, grabbed her hat, and started out the door when Ben said, "Catherine, you are wearing a dress. Girls wear sunbonnets when they're wearing dresses, so put yours on." Cat sighed, grabbed her sunbonnet, hung it around her neck, put her hat on her head, and ran out the door before Ben could tell her to put the sunbonnet on her head. He watched his daughter disappear out the door and emitted a loud sigh. "Is that child ever going to start acting like a girl instead of a boy?" he wondered out loud.
His sons laughed at his question. "Probably not," laughed Hoss. "She ain't acted like a girl since Kate took her to live with Matt, so she probably ain't gonna start doin' it now. There's a reason I named her Wild Cat."
"Í doubt it," said Joe. "I can picture her still wearing buckskins and riding like the wind with a couple of children on the horse with her." Ben rolled his eyes at the thought of Joe's picture of Cat in the future.
"She might once she's grown and married," added Adam.
"I certainly hope she starts acting like a girl long before she gets married," replied Ben. "Joseph, will you please go and tell your sister it's time for us to leave for church?"
Joe walked out to the pasture where he found Cat happily playing with her puppies and Fury. "Come on Cat. It's time to leave for church."
"I don't want to go to church. It's just as boring as school is. Uncle Matt didn't make me go to church so I shouldn't have to go here. I want to stay here and play with Fury."
"Sorry Squirt. I don't want to go either. Neither do Adam and Hoss, but Pa says we have to. The only way you can get out of going to church is if you're sick or hurt. Say goodbye to Fury and let's go. Pa will warm your bottom if we're late because you don't want to go. You really don't want to have to sit on that hard wooden church pew with a sore bottom because if you wiggle too much trying to get comfortable, you'll get another spanking when we get home. Now let's go before Pa gets angry."
Cat reluctantly left Fury and went with Joe. When they reached the buggy, Ben asked, "What took so long to get your sister?"
"She was on the far side of the pasture," lied Joe. "You told her not to get her dress dirty, so she couldn't run and risk falling and getting dirty."
"I told her she had fifteen minutes and that was almost thirty minutes ago."
"Pa," said Hoss. "How good was we at knowin' how long we'd been somewhere when we was nine? I seem to remember you was always fussing at me and Joe when we was nine because we took longer than you said."
"You're right son. It's been so long since any of you were nine, I had forgotten that nine year olds don't have a good sense of time. We need to leave now. Catherine, where are your shoes?"
"I dunno. Somewhere in the house I guess."
"You should have put them in the buggy before going out to play with your colt. Go and get them and hurry up. I don't want to be late."
"I couldn't. The buggy wasn't out yet."
"Don't worry about that now. Just go and get your shoes." Cat started slowly walking toward the house. "Catherine, I told you to hurry so stop taking your time."
Cat was getting tired of being fussed at so she said, "I don't want to go to church, so I'm gonna change into my buckskins, play with Fury and then go to Uncle Rip. He'll help me get back to Uncle Matt. He only said I had to go to church on Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, so I shouldn't have to go more than that here."
Ben was losing his temper and was about to put his daughter over his knees and warm her bottom when Hoss got out of the buggy and walked up to Cat. "Come on Cat. You won't win that argument. None of us likes goin' to church but Pa says we have to, so we do. Now let's get your shoes before Pa warms your bottom for you." Cat walked into the house with Hoss and pretended to look for her shoes. Hoss gave her a swat and said, "Girl, if you don' quit wastin' time, I'm gonna warm your bottom and then give you to Pa who'll warm it more. Get your shoes and go back outside to the buggy." Cat reluctantly did as she was told but instead of sitting in the front seat with Ben and Adam, she sat in the back with Joe and Hoss.
"You're grumpy this morning," said Joe. "What's wrong?"
"I don't want to go to church. I want to stay home and play with Fury, Lassie, and Silver Chief. Uncle Matt said the only time I had to go to church was on Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. So I don't know why I have to go now."
"We have to go to church because Pa says we do. Adam, Hoss, and I don't want to go either but Pa says that as long as we live in his house, we have to follow his rules and his rules include going to church on Sundays."
"I'm tired of dumb rules that don't make any sense and I'm tired of being treated like a baby and not being allowed to go anywhere by myself. I want to go back to Uncle Matt and if you won't take me, I'll go to Uncle Rip and he'll take me to Uncle Matt."
Joe hugged his sister. "Cat, you have only been home for two weeks. That isn't nearly enough time to learn your way around the ranch. Adam, Hoss, and I are starting to show you how to get around, but it takes time. I was born on the Ponderosa and still didn't know how to get around the whole ranch when I was nine. There are also places on the ranch I wasn't allowed to go to alone even when I was thirteen. You have got to be patient. There is only so much we can do at once."
When they reached the church, Ben took Cat out of the buggy and, thinking he was out of earshot of Paul, Roy, and Reverend Long, said, "You are in big trouble young lady. Your behavior this morning was inexcusable. When we get home, you and I are going to have a discussion in the barn and then you will spend the rest of the day in your room copying verses out of the Bible. Because of the way you behaved this morning, you will not be sitting with your friends. You will be sitting next to me and you will sit still. If you wiggle, move around or swing your legs, the discussion will be with my belt and you will spend all day tomorrow in your room also. Attending church on Sundays is not up for discussion. Now go, stand by Adam and wait for me."
Just as Ben finished speaking, Reverend Long walked up, picked Cat up, hugged her and said, "You look so cute in that dress, I think I'm going to steal you and your puppies. Let's go and say hi to Mrs. Long. I know she wants to see you too." He started walking toward his wife with Cat still in his arms. Once they were away from the buggy and Ben had moved it, he asked, "Why is your Pa angry at you?"
"Because I didn't want to come to church this morning. I wanted to stay home and play with Fury and my puppies. And I said I was going to go to Uncle Rip so he could take me back to Uncle Matt. He said I only had to go to church on Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas."
"Let me see if I understand. You are going to get a spanking and have to spend the day copying Bible verses because you didn't want to come here this morning."
"Yes sir."
"Don't worry. That is not going to happen. I am very angry at a lot of parents in this church, including your Pa. You will be sitting with your friends this morning too. Your Pa won't get angry at you if I put you with them. In fact, before church starts, I'm going to give you to Mrs. Long and ask her to sit with your friends. I don't think your Pa is going to make a scene and force you to sit with him if you're with my wife."
Cat hugged him and said, "Thank you."
"That's quite alright. Look, Dr. Martin and Sheriff Coffee are with my wife. I know they are going to want to say hi to you also." They walked up to the others and Cat got hugs from them. Reverend Long told his wife, Paul and Roy about Ben planning to punish Cat because she didn't want to go to church. "The parents in this congregation are going to get an earful from me this morning about the way they treat their children, especially in church."
Ben walked up to the group and said good morning to everyone. Then he said, "Catherine, I distinctly remember telling you to go, stand by Adam and wait for me. I've had enough of your disobedience this morning and I intend to do something about it right now."
"Don't blame Catherine for not obeying your instructions. I heard you tell her to go and stand by Adam but I decided to pick her up and carry her around and I fully intend to hang onto her until I'm ready to start the service. Then it will be my wife's turn to spend time with her and her friends. If we feel like it, we may give her back to you after the service. And then again, we may decide to keep her."
Ben was upset that his instructions were not being followed but there was nothing he could do about it so he just sighed and walked off to greet more of his friends.
With Cat still in his arms, Reverend Long walked around greeting the church members as they arrived. When they reached Mrs. Warren, she looked at Cat and her puppies and said, "You should not be carrying that child around. It belongs with its family and I certainly hope that those awful creatures are not going to be allowed in the church again today. They have no business being here."
"Good morning Mrs. Warren. Catherine is right where I want her and yes, her puppies will be in church again this morning. In fact, they will be in church every Sunday morning. They are God's children too."
"Not if I have anything to say about it. I will talk to the church elders and get them to put a stop to it. Those foul things should have been drowned when they were born and that brat has no business being in your arms. I am certain the elders will agree with me that it belongs with its family if it even has one. If it doesn't have a family, send it to an orphanage."
"Mrs. Warren, Catherine is not an 'it'. Nor is she a brat. She is a very well behaved little girl who happens to be Ben Cartwright's daughter. She is in my arms because I enjoy carrying her around. God created her puppies and as long as I am the minister of this congregation and I want them here on Sunday mornings, they will be here. Now if you will excuse me, I need to greet more people and begin the service."
"Reverend Long, this is only your second week here. Everyone knows that Ben Cartwright does not have a daughter. He has three grown sons. If that child does not have a family, it should be in an orphanage, not here at our church with decent people."
"Mrs. Warren, children are people, not objects. I must ask you to please refrain from referring to Catherine or any other child as an 'it'. He could feel Cat starting to shake in his arms as she fought to remain silent and said, "You need to go into the church Mrs. Warren. I am going to begin the service in a few minutes." He walked away and Cat snuggled into his shoulder and started crying. "She's not a very nice person, is she?"
"No."
"But guess what?"
"What?"
"God still loves her."
"How can God love someone like that?"
"'Wanna know a secret?"
"What's that?"
"I don't know. I just know that God loves everybody, no matter what kind of person they are. You know what else?"
"No, what?"
"God wants us to do the same thing."
"You're joking, right?"
"No, I am serious. God wants us to love everybody, even if they're not nice people."
"But I can't love Mrs. Warren. She's mean."
"I understand, but God wants you to love her."
"That's dumb."
Reverend Long laughed. "I felt the same way when I was your age. We'll talk about it later. Right now, I've got to get the church service started." He walked up to Ben and said, "I've got someone here who needs a hug."
"There is nothing I would rather do than hug that little scamp." Ben reached over and hugged Cat tightly. "There is something else she needs."
"What's that?"
"Her face washed. It's quite dirty." Ben reached into his pocket, took out his handkerchief, handed it to Cat and said, "Go, run over to the pump Sweetheart and wash your face. Then you need to use the outhouse before church starts." Cat ran off and Ben asked, "What happened? Why was Cat crying?"
"Mrs. Warren said some very nasty things about her and her puppies. I'll tell you more after the service, but you should be very proud of that little girl. Mrs. Warren was very nasty but Cat didn't say a word. I could tell she wanted to and I wouldn't have blamed her if she did, but all she did was hold onto me tighter."
Cat walked back up to Ben and Reverend Long and gave the handkerchief back to Ben who looked at her face. "Try standing closer to the wet cloth next time Cat. You missed most of your face." He gave her the handkerchief again and said, "Here. Wash your face again. You're nine years old now and I shouldn't need to do it for you." Cat took the handkerchief, made a funny face, causing Ben and Reverend Long to laugh, and washed her face again. Ben looked at her, kissed her on top of her head and said, "That's much better. Now I can see my little girl, not a lot of dirt. You need to go with Reverend Long. He said that Mrs. Long wanted you to sit with her today. Before you go, I need another hug." He picked Cat up, hugged her and gave her back to Reverend Long who walked off to give Cat to his wife.
Ben walked over and joined his sons who were waiting for him at the church steps. "Where's Cat?" asked Adam. "I heard you tell her she had to sit with us today."
"She's very upset and is going to sit with Joanne Long and her friends. I don't know what was said, but Reverend Long said that Mrs. Warren said some very nasty things about your sister and her puppies. However, I still intend to have that discussion in the barn with her when we get home and she will spend the rest of the day in her room copying verses out of the Bible. Her behavior this morning was unacceptable." His sons just looked at each other, wishing there was something they could do for their sister.
Reverend Long rang the bell and everyone went into the church. Before beginning the service, he welcomed Reverend Jonas to the service and then said, "I have been asked to announce that there will be a meeting of the school board at seven o'clock tomorrow night. All members are expected to attend and all parents are welcome. After the opening hymn, he said, "Our text this morning comes from the ninth chapter of Luke, verses forty six through forty eight and the tenth chapter of Mark, verses thirteen through sixteen.
The Gospel of Luke, Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him, and said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.
The Gospel of Mark, And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.
I had planned on a different text for this morning; however when I witnessed the way parents and other adults treated the children of this congregation last week and this morning, I felt compelled to choose different texts, just as I did not long after I became the minister at the church in Cairo, Illinois. I was appalled to see children being pinched, poked, prodded, and slapped because they could not sit still. After the service, I witnessed one child being drug out of the church by his ear. This morning, one parent informed his child that when they reached their home after the service, that child was going to receive a whipping and spend the day copying Bible verses alone in their room because that child did not want to come to church this morning. Another adult spoke about children in very disparaging terms.
That is not the way our Lord wants children to be treated. He rebuked his disciples for not allowing parents to bring their children to Him. He blessed the children and said that children were very important to God and adults needed to become as little children to receive the kingdom of God. If He were here now, he would be very upset at the way the children are being treated. Children are not miniature adults. They are bundles of energy and cannot sit still for long periods of time. When they are in school, they are allowed to play before school begins, they are given a recess period in which to play and they are allowed to play during their dinner break. Teachers do not expect them to sit perfectly still. However, they do expect them to sit quietly and pay attention to the lessons. I have seen adults who can't sit still for more than fifteen minutes, so why do you expect young children to sit perfectly still for several hours?
When our Lord was on Earth, children were not expected to sit still for that long. Except for the few occasions when he taught in the temple, Jesus taught outside. People came and went during his teaching sessions. Everyone sat on the hard ground and often shifted positions to get comfortable. Temples did not have benches to sit on so everyone stood or sat on the hard floor and they had to shift positions to remain comfortable. When He said, Suffer the little children to come unto me, He was not saying to make the children suffer because they couldn't sit still. He was saying to let the children come to Him so He could bless them."
Reverend Long continued talking and telling parents how God wanted them to treat their children. He said that punishing a child by making them copy verses out of the Bible could cause them to turn away from God as they grew up. He also told them if their child said they didn't want to go to church, they should try and find out why because it was possible that someone in the congregation was being mean to them. He also addressed the way Mrs. Warren talked to and about children, telling the congregation that children deserved to be treated with respect just as adults do. When he finished speaking, Reverend Long called all of the children up to the front of the church where he hugged them and blessed them before sending them back to their seats. Then he said, "Children, I am not telling you that you can get up and run around, stand up in the pews, or talk to your friends or siblings during the service. Quite the opposite. You still need to stay quietly seated and pay attention to the lessons and sermon. However, starting with today, I want you to tell me if you are punished by your parents for not sitting completely still in church or not wanting to come to church. You need to tell your parents why you don't want to come to church and it needs to be a good reason, not just that church is boring. I have been in your shoes and know that church can be boring. I will do my best to make my sermons interesting, but I may not always be successful. Even if my sermon is not interesting, I still expect you to sit quietly and pay attention to what I am saying. If you don't understand something I say, remember what it is and ask me after the service. I will gladly explain it to you. Do not be afraid to ask me to explain something you don't understand. You will not be punished for asking. God wants everyone to understand His word and that includes children."
After the church service was over, Reverend Long walked up to Ben and said, "I hope you don't mind, but I need to borrow Cat for a few minutes. We began a conversation before church began and I'd like to finish it before you go home. Don't worry, she's not in any trouble. I was trying to explain to her what God meant when He said we need to love everybody, even people who are mean or do bad things. Something like that is difficult for a young child to understand. I know it was for me when I was Cat's age. I may have to do a sermon on that topic so that all of the children can try to understand what God meant."
"Good luck with that," replied Ben. "The family is still trying to convince her that she is not responsible for her mother's death. I believe that Adam had an errand to do while we were in town today, so we'll take care of that and come back for Catherine."
"That's fine. Come on Cat. Let's go and sit on the church steps and finish our conversation from earlier." They walked over and sat on the church steps. "Now, when I said that God wants us to love everybody, even people who are mean, I don't mean that you have to let them move into your house and act like they're your family. What I mean is that you have to be nice to everyone and pray for them, especially if someone is mean to you. That person might have something going on in their life nobody else knows about and that is causing them to be mean. When you see someone who has been mean to you, be polite and say hello. If they start saying mean things, do just like you did today and don't say anything back. Just say good day, walk away and tell an adult."
"I still think it's dumb that I have to love someone who's mean and be nice to them."
Reverend Long laughed. "I totally understand. I felt that way myself when I was your age. But that's what God wants us to do so you need to do your best. You never know. If you pray for someone who's mean, they may eventually stop being mean."
While Cat and Reverend Long were talking, Adam, Hoss, and Joe walked over to the lumber yard to get four pieces of wood while Ben went over to talk to the Winters. Adam and his brothers walked into the lumber yard office and found Mike Thomas sitting at his desk, working on his books. He looked up when the door opened, stood up and greeted his visitors. "Adam, Hoss, Joe, what can I do for you today?"
"Hello Mike," said Adam. "We need to get four pieces of wood. They don't have to be too large, but I would like them to be different thicknesses. Scrap lumber will work just fine."
"I'm sure I've got some scraps like you're looking for lying around. Let's go out in the yard and have a look. If you don't mind my asking, what do you need the wood for?"
"We need to prove a point to our little sister."
"Oh that's right. You have a little sister now. May I ask what point you are trying to prove? Even though my Michael is just a baby, I may be able to make some suggestions."
"Catherine will not stop running in the house. Last week, she ran into Pa when he had a hot cup of coffee in his hand. She doesn't seem to realize the danger of having loaded weapons in the house and what could happen if she ran into one of us when we are carrying one. We plan on shooting into each piece of wood from different distances to show her what could happen if she runs into someone carrying a loaded gun and it goes off."
"WOW! That is not good at all. I don't have any suggestions right now, but take however much wood you need. I will pray that what you are going to show her works to keep her from running in the house and I will ask Karen if she has any suggestions."
"Thank you. Pa is at his wits end about her running in the house. We did come up with a plan that Cat absolutely hates and we hope will stop her from running in the house. Whenever she gets caught running in the house, Cat will have to stand in the corner for an hour and will not be allowed to ride any horse by herself for a day. She'll have to ride double with one of us or Pa. Each time she gets caught, thirty minutes will be added onto the time Cat has to stand in the corner and one day will be added onto the time she has to ride double with one of us. She's also going to get a bare bottom spanking if she is caught running up or down the stairs, in the kitchen, or runs into somebody. If the person she runs into is holding a gun, Pa is going to use the big belt he keeps hanging in the barn on her bare bottom. We're hoping to change her behavior before that happens."
"Those are some pretty serious consequences. I really hope that she thinks about what she's doing before she runs in the house. She's a cute little kid and I'd hate to see her or anyone else get hurt. Let's see if we can find that wood you're looking for." They walked out into the lumber yard and started trying to find the wood Adam wanted.
While Cat was talking to Reverend Long and her brothers were at the lumber yard, Ben walked over to the Winter's house. He knocked on the door and John opened it and invited him inside. "What brings you over here today Ben? I didn't expect to see you until tomorrow night."
"Since I need to let your sister know about Cat's background, I thought we could meet for supper tomorrow before the school board meeting. If we meet at five thirty that will give us plenty of time to eat and talk before the meeting begins."
"That's fine with me. Let me check with Virginia and Susan to see what they want to do." He walked into the kitchen and returned a few minutes later. "Supper at five thirty is fine with the women. I'll ask James McLeod to stay with the boys until their mother returns. Will Adam be with you?"
"Yes he will. I believe he wants to put some finishing touches on his report but it will be ready long before the meeting starts. I've got to get back over to the church before Reverend Long decides to keep my daughter. He hinted as much before church began this morning."
John laughed. "I don't blame him. She's a sweet little girl. I wouldn't mind stealing her from you myself."
Ben pretended to growl. "Don't even think about it. I'm going to have to hire extra hands just to keep people from trying to steal her. Roy and Paul have been trying ever since she was born. I'll see you, Virginia and Susan tomorrow at five thirty."
Ben walked back to the church where Cat and Reverend Long were just finishing up their conversation. He hugged Cat and said, "Would you mind waiting for me in the buggy Sweetheart? Reverend Long and I need to talk about some grownup things for a few minutes. We shouldn't be long. Your brothers had an errand to do and should be back shortly. Then we can all go home and have dinner."
Cat sighed. "Ok. I'll wait in the buggy but please don't take too long. I'm hungry and if I have to wait too long, I might just drive the buggy home myself and make you, Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe walk home."
Ben and Reverend Long laughed. "I promise Kitten. We won't be too long."
Cat walked over and sat in the front seat of the buggy to wait for her father and brothers. While Cat was waiting for Ben and her brothers, Mrs. Warren drove by in her buggy. When she saw Cat sitting in the Cartwright's buggy, she stopped hers, got out, carrying the buggy whip, walked over to Cat and said, "What are you doing in that buggy? That's the Cartwright's buggy and you don't belong in it."
"I was told to wait here for Pa and my brothers."
"Ben Cartwright does not have a daughter. Get out of that buggy right now!" She grabbed Cat by her braids and proceeded to pull her out of the buggy and started hitting her with the whip. Lassie and Silver Chief jumped out of the buggy and bit Mrs. Warren, who kicked them.
"OWWWWW YOU'RE HURTING ME! PA, ADAM, HOSS, JOE, HELP ME! SHE'S HURTING ME!"
Adam, Hoss, and Joe had just come around the corner and saw what Mrs. Warren was doing. They reached the buggy just ahead of Ben and Reverend Long. Joe picked his sister up off the ground and hugged her. Hoss picked the puppies up, while Adam grabbed the whip and broke it in half. Then he looked at Mrs. Warren and said, "Mrs. Warren, if you ever do anything to hurt my sister or her puppies again, I will forget that I am supposed to be a gentleman."
"I second what my son said," said Ben as he took Cat from Joe and hugged her tightly. "If you even look at my daughter like you are going to hurt her, I will also forget that I am supposed to be a gentleman."
"Did you pay attention to even one word I said this morning about how God wants us to treat children?" asked Reverend Long.
"You don't have a daughter Benjamin," said Mrs. Warren. "I don't know what that child in your buggy is but it does not belong there, so I removed it."
"Are you the only person in Virginia City who does not know that I adopted my niece after her mother died? Or has your hatred of children and animals blinded you to the truth? Now I expect you to apologize to Catherine for the way you just treated her."
"I will never apologize to that thing. It is a foundling and belongs in an orphanage, not in our city and certainly not in our church."
"Since you refuse to apologize for hurting my daughter and her puppies, you are no longer welcome on the Ponderosa. I also intend to speak with Sheriff Coffee and Judge Taylor to see what can be done about you. Now, I need to take my daughter and her puppies to the doctor to find out how badly you have injured them."
Adam, Hoss, and Joe got into the buggy. Ben handed Cat to Adam who handed her back after his father got into the buggy. Then Adam took the reins and drove to Paul Martin's office.
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a/n I had hoped to have this chapter finished before Christmas, but it was not to be. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and I want to wish all of you a Happy New Year.
Bible verses were obtained from: .org
