When they returned from the sleigh ride, Hop Sing made a large pot of hot cocoa for everyone and also brought a large tray of cookies into the great room. Since Mark was leaving the next day, the children were allowed to stay up later than normal. Cat showed her drawings to Adam and asked, "Adam, these are really bad. Can you please fix them for me?"
He looked at them and laughed. "They're not that bad Squirt. I like them and think you did a good job on them. Remember, you're just learning how to draw and it takes time and practice to get things the way you want them to be. Also, since you were in a hurry to make the drawings before Joe and I started down the mountain on the sleds and before we got out of the snow drift, they're not going to be as good as if you were drawing something that doesn't move. I don't think I could have done much better. What I will do is make copies of them for anybody who wants one and I want to hang these in my room. You can help me make frames for them if you want to."
"You really think they're good?"
"Yes I do. Let's see what everyone else thinks." He passed the drawings around the room and everyone, including Abel Goss, Hop Sing, Andy, Mark, and Cat's friends thought they were good. "Now do you believe me? The whole family and your friends think you did a good job on them. All you need to do tomorrow is color them in. I'll take care of doing that in the copies I make since they'll need to be done before everyone leaves tomorrow."
Once the children were in bed, Abel Goss asked, "Will there be time in the morning for the children to use their sleds? I want to take some photographs of all of them and just Cat and Mark. There isn't enough time for me to make prints of all the ones I took before everyone leaves, but I will make them and Ben can send them to everyone."
"Yes," replied Ben. "We can go out to the mountain right after breakfast. I know Mark will be happy to be able to use the sled one more time this winter. We'll have an early dinner and leave for town right after we finish eating."
"Excellent. I am happy that there will be time. I wish I would have arrived here before today so I would have been able to take more photographs of everyone."
The children, especially Mark, were thrilled to learn that they would be allowed to go sledding after breakfast. "Gee thanks Uncle Ben," said Mark. "We don't get enough snow in North Fork to go sledding or ice skating."
"You're welcome Mark. We won't be able to stay at the mountain too long. We'll be having an early dinner and leaving for town shortly after we're finished eating."
"Uncle Luke?"
"Yes Cat?"
"Can Mark please stay here? I don't get to see him enough."
"I'm sorry Cat, but he needs to come home with me. School resumes on Monday."
"But he can go to school with all of us."
"What would I do without my boy? I would miss him a whole lot."
"You can find another one somewhere. There are a lot of them around. Remember, Mark was my brother before Adam, Hoss, and Joe were."
"I know that, but Mark is my son and needs to come home with me. Don't forget, my ranch will be his someday and just like you are learning what to do here, he needs to learn what to do on our ranch. It won't be long until you visit us in July. You'll be busy with your friends, school, and here on the ranch so the time will pass quickly and if you write to each other every week like you have been doing, it will be your birthday and you'll be in North Fork before you know it."
Cat was about to protest Lucas' words, but a warning look from Matt stopped her. She really wanted Mark to stay on the Ponderosa with her, but the look she got said there would be consequences if she continued. While they were riding out to the mountain where the children had been sledding, Mark thanked Cat for trying to get him to stay on the Ponderosa. "I love Pa & like our ranch, but I'd rather stay here with you and your friends. There aren't that many kids in North Fork and I don't get to see some of my friends much except at school because they get in trouble a lot with their parents for not doing their chores or getting bad grades. I think Jeff is still restricted with extra chores for skipping school right after Thanksgiving."
"Oh wow. That's bad. I hate school but Uncle Matt and Uncle Rip said if I skipped, I wouldn't be allowed to spend my summers with them. That means I'd be here & I'm sure Pa would have a lot of extra chores for me so I wouldn't be allowed to go fishing or swimming."
"Yeah, I can't see Uncle Ben letting you go fishing and swimming all summer after you skipped school."
"I really wish we lived closer so we could see each other more. I've still got some money left from when Pa took me Christmas shopping in Carson City and the five dollars from when Joe paid me to set the table for him. I was thinking about giving you some so you could take the stage back here, but I talked to Mary and Laura about it and they both said it was a bad idea. They said we'd both be in a lot of trouble and you know what that means."
"Yes I do. Neither one of us would want to sit down when our Pas finished with us and we'd both be restricted with extra chores for a long time. Thanks for thinking about doing that. I'll think on it and write to you if I can think of a way for us to be together before summer without getting into a lot of trouble."
"You're welcome. I'll ask my friends too and let you know what they say."
After Abel Goss took the photographs he had planned on taking, the children were allowed to spend a few hours sledding. After watching them for a little while, Hoss volunteered to escort the photographer back to the house so he could develop the negatives and make one print from each one so the visiting family members could tell him which ones they wanted copies of. After dinner, he wrote down who wanted copies of which photograph and he gave them copies of the pictures he had taken the previous day. Adam also gave them copies of the drawings he and Cat had made. Once everyone was packed and their luggage loaded on the buckboard, Ben told Hop Sing, "You've been working very hard these last two weeks, so we'll eat supper at the International tonight. That way you can have some time to yourself for a change."
The children tried to get him to come to town with them, but knowing he would not be welcome at the International, Hop Sing said, "I stay hele and enjoy peace and quiet. Spend time leading. Have hot cocoa and cookies leady when you get home."
"I'm going to stay home also," said Grandpa Stoddard. "I want to watch Abel make his photographs. I've always wondered how it was done and now is my opportunity to watch a photographer at work."
As the different stages arrived, Cat reluctantly said goodbye to her aunt, uncles and cousins. Before boarding the southbound stage, Lucas hugged her and said, "Depending on when your Uncle Sam decides to visit the Ponderosa, Mark and I will be here for his visit. I just don't want Mark to miss too much school and remember, we will definitely see you in July."
Rip hugged and kissed her and said, "I'm going to miss you just as much as you are going to miss me but we'll be together again in less than six months. You'll be so busy with school, your friends, and ranch work that it will be your birthday before you realize it. Then you'll be on your way to spend time with me." Not wanting to upset her in case his plans didn't work out, he decided not to tell Cat that he planned to get permission from his superiors to return to the Ponderosa for her tenth birthday. Matt and Kitty told Cat the same thing Rip did before boarding the eastbound stage. Victoria promised to return with Nick and Heath in the spring when they brought the filly for Fury and heifers for the bull. Jarrod said if he didn't have a large case load, he'd accompany them & see if he could kidnap Eugene from college for a week or so. He said he and his mother were upset with his youngest brother for choosing to remain at the college instead of accompanying them to the Ponderosa for Christmas.
Knowing Cat was upset about her uncles and Mark having to leave, Ben said, "There's still more than an hour before supper. Why don't you kids and I go, look in the shops and see if there's anything we need?"
Cat really just wanted to go home and hide under her bed until her tenth birthday but Laura said, "Come on Cat. It will be lots of fun. Who know what we'll find?" Cat did enjoy shopping, so she agreed.
"We're going to go and get a beer," said Adam.
"That's fine," replied Ben. "Joseph..."
"Yes Pa. I know. No gambling."
"Good. See that you remember that when you are invited to join a poker game."
Adam, Hoss, Andy, and Joe walked over to the Bucket of Blood where Joe saw Mitch Devlin, Seth Pruitt, and Jack Dawson playing cards and drinking beer. "Joe," called Mitch. "Come and join us."
"Sorry fellas, but I can't. Pa's in town, and so are the kids. Also, as you can see, Adam and Hoss are at the bar. I got in no end of trouble the last time I played poker and I don't need my little sister and her friends laughing at me because Pa wore his belt out on my backside for disobeying him."
"You ain't gonna get in trouble for playin' with us," said Seth. "We're playin' penny ante, maximum bet's a nickle and everyone starts each hand with the same amount of money they started with, a dollar."
"Alright, but I have to get some change and one of you had better check with my brothers. I don't feel like listening to Pa scold me all the way home. Nor do I want to experience his wrath when we get there."
"I'll talk to them while you get Sam to give you a dollar's worth of pennies and nickles," assured Mitch.
While Joe was getting a beer and change, Mitch talked to Adam and explained about their poker game. "How are you keeping track of how many games each of you win?"
"We're not. We're just playing for fun. We all start each game with ninety nine cents in front of us and a penny in the pot."
"Well, I can't see Pa objecting to Joe playing with the three of you since nobody's keeping the pot. Joe, go ahead and play with your friends. I'll square it with Pa if he asks."
"Thanks Adam. I sure don't want to have to listen to Pa lecture me all the way home and take a trip to the barn when we get there."
"You're welcome Joe. Just be sure the four of you stick to the rules you agreed to and Pa won't have any reason to be angry with you."
While Cat's brothers and Adam were at the saloon, Ben decided to go over to Mr. Miller's store to see if he had anything the children were interested in. When Cat saw where they were going she said, "Pa, Mary and Laura need saddle bags. They're going to be riding Ginger to school and need a way to carry their books and dinner pails."
"That's good thinking Cat. I totally forgot about that when we gave them the horse. I'm sure Mr. Miller will have some."
Mr. Miller looked up from his work when Ben and the children entered his shop. "Hello Ben. You seem to have inherited more children since the last time we talked."
"Yes, it does seem that way, doesn't it? Hop Sing would be thrilled if their parents would let them move in and to tell the truth, so would I."
"I can understand that. What can I do for all of you today?"
"Mary and Laura were given a horse for Christmas, but they need saddle bags. Cat reminded me that we forgot to include some with the tack. They can't ride and carry their school books and dinner pails at the same time."
"I'll be more than happy to help with that. Girls, look through the saddle bags I have over there and if you find some you like, I'll burn your names into them." The girls looked through the saddlebags, found a set they liked and handed it to Mr. Miller. "Are you eating supper in town tonight," he asked Ben.
"Yes. We're eating at the International."
"I'll bring these to you when I'm finished with them."
While Laura and Mary were looking at saddlebags, Cat was looking at children's saddles. "I really need a new saddle Pa. Mine is awfully worn out. Joe said it was Hoss' before he got it and Adam used it before Hoss did."
"I know the saddle is old but I want to wait until you get a little bigger before buying a new one for you. I'll take a look at it tomorrow and if it's in very bad condition, I'll get another one for you."
"I've got a used child's saddle that's in very good condition Ben. I can let you have it for five dollars and the one Cat's using now. I'll see if I can fix it. If I can't, I'll use what I can from it to repair other child's saddles."
"Thank you George. That's very kind of you. I'll go ahead and buy that one from you and we'll bring the old one when we come to church on Sunday. Cat, I promise you will get a brand new saddle before you start riding Fury."
The girls thanked Mr. Miller and everyone left the store. Jasper picked up Cat's saddle and said, "I'll go and put this in the surrey Mr. Cartwright. That way Cat won't have to carry it all around town."
"Thank you Jasper. That's very kind of you. Meet us at Mr. McLeod's store when you're finished."
The children looked around Mr. McLeod's store to see if there was anything they needed or wanted. The boys started looking at the snowshoes because theirs were starting to fall apart. "Hey Mike, do you remember seeing any snowshoes for Cat at the Ponderosa?"
"No Jas, I don't. I'll go and ask Cat if she has any." He walked over to Cat and asked, "Cat, do you have any snowshoes?"
"No. Do I need them?"
"Yes you do. I'll tell your Pa." Ben was talking to Mr. McLeod when Mike walked up to him. "Excuse me Mr. Cartwright, but Cat doesn't have any snowshoes. Jas and I need some too. Ours are starting to fall apart."
"Thank you Michael. I totally forgot about getting snowshoes for Cat. Why don't you boys help her find some that fit? Get some for yourselves and Mary and Laura too."
The girls had never used snowshoes before so the boys were showing them what to do when Mr. McLeod said, "Not in here kids. There are too many things that could get broken."
"Oh. Sorry Mr. McLeod," came five voices all at once.
"That's alright kids. You didn't know and now you do. Let me take you out back and you can show the girls what to do out there."
Once the children were outside, Mr. McLeod looked at Ben and asked, "Was the lack of snowshoes an oversight or were you being overprotective again?"
"They were an oversight George. With buying presents, wrapping them, and getting ready for the family's visit, I totally forget to get her some. She'll need them. I have a feeling we're in for a long, hard winter and she'll need to be able to get from the house to the barn, pig pen, and chicken coop. Depending on how much more snow we get, I may let her help her brothers feed the cattle. Of course she won't be able to carry much hay, but she'll want to try and she can always hold the doors to the hay barns open. Adam, Hoss, and Joe will teach her how to use the snowshoes as shovels to clear the snow away from those doors. I think my biggest problem this winter will be keeping her inside during a blizzard. Even though she's been told how dangerous they are, her dogs will need to go outside and she'll want to go out with them."
"That's understandable. Why don't you put two ropes near the door and she can tie them around the dogs' necks? Then tell her that she has to stay on the porch where she can see the house. If you do that, you won't have to worry about her or the dogs."
"That is an excellent idea George. Thank you. I wish I would have thought of it."
"You're welcome Ben. Sometimes it takes someone outside the family to see the solution to a problem. Let me go and get the children so you can see what else they need." By the time they left the store, each child had a package of things they wanted or needed as well as a pair of snowshoes. Charles Ingalls walked in as they were leaving the store.
"Hi Pa. Look what Mr. Cartwright got us," said Mary.
"Wow. That was very nice of him. I hope you girls weren't asking for things."
"Don't worry Charles. Unlike this one," Ben said, hugging Cat, "they haven't asked for a thing except extra helpings of food and more milk. This one is always asking for things like shoes, shirts, socks, pants, and underthings. I just don't understand why she always needs those things. Adam, Hoss, and Joe never outgrew their clothes."
Charles, George, and the children laughed. "Of course they didn't," teased George. "That's why you were always in here buying clothes and boots for them, especially Hoss. After all, it's not like he outgrew Adam or anything like that."
"No, of course not," replied Ben. "Hoss is just a little thing," causing everyone to laugh.
"Where are all of you on your way to?" asked Charles.
"First we're going to put all of our purchases in the surrey and then we're going to the International for supper. You're more than welcome to join us."
"Thank you. I accept your invitation. Since I got such a late start coming into town, I told Caroline I'd find something to eat while I was here so she wouldn't have to keep something warm for me."
After putting all of their purchases in the surrey, Ben asked, "Cat, why don't you run down to the Bucket of Blood and see if you can find someone to go in and tell your brothers to join us at the International? I want to get you kids fed and back home before it gets too late."
Cat took off running down the street, staying between the boardwalk and hitching rails, only stopping to walk if there were horses at the rails. Ben watched her and was ready to call her back when Charles put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Relax Ben. She's running because you told her to. It's not like she's running on the boardwalk or in the house where someone could get hurt." Both men laughed as Cat stopped running and petted four horses that were tied to a hitching rail.
Cat reached the saloon and spotted Clem making his rounds. She ran up to him, out of breath and asked, "WouldyoupleasegoandtellmybrothersPawantsthemtocometotheInternational?UskidsarehungrybutPawon'tletuseatuntileveryoneisthere."
Clem laughed and said, "Slow down little Wild Cat. Take a minute, catch your breath and then tell me what I can do for you."
Once Cat caught her breath, she asked again, "Would you please go into the saloon and get my brothers? Pa wants them to come to the International. Us kids are hungry but you know Pa. Nobody can eat until everyone is together. I want to go in there and get them myself, but if I did that, I'd probably be eighteen before I could sit down again."
"Well, I don't know if it would be that many years, but you are correct in saying you would be in a lot of trouble. Wait here and I'll go and get them for you." He walked inside and looked around. He spotted Adam and Hoss at the bar and walked up to them. "There's a Wild Cat outside waiting for all of you. Your father wants you to join everyone else at the International. I suggest you hurry because the children are hungry and they could start pulling the buildings apart and eating them."
Adam and Hoss laughed at Clem's last statement. "Thanks Clem. Please tell that little Wild Cat to hold her horses and we'll be out as soon as we round up Joe."
"Why don't you take care of little sister and I'll round up Joe?" suggested Hoss. "He won't give me no problem 'cause I'll just pick him up and carry him under my arm."
"Ok Hoss. You get Joe and I'll take care of Cat." He walked outside and hugged his sister. "Hi Squirt. Clem tells me you're hungry enough to start eating the buildings here in town. I'd better make sure you don't do that while Hoss is getting Joe." He picked her up, stood her on a hitching rail and said, "Climb up on my shoulders and I'll give you a ride to the International."
Hoss and Joe joined them a few minutes later. "I decided to let Short Shanks here finish the game since he had the winning hand."
Cat's stomach rumbled just then, causing her brothers to laugh. "We'd better get my rider over to the International," said Adam. "We can't have her starting to eat the buildings."
Ben smiled when he saw Cat on Adam's shoulders. "I'm glad to see you found your brothers Sweetheart. Were they waiting for you outside or did you have to go in and get them?"
"I had to go in and get them. Then Adam said I had to buy drinks for everyone in the saloon."
"He did? What did you do? Did you have any money with you?"
"No. I didn't have any money, so when Adam wasn't looking, I reached in his pocket and took some of his."
"Good for you. Since it was Adam's idea for you to buy drinks for everyone, it was only right that he pay for them. Now, let's go inside and get some food." Ben allowed the five children to sit at a table by themselves. After looking at the menu, they started talking very softly. Having an idea of what they were up to, Ben asked, "What are you children having for supper?"
"Chocolate cake," answered Mary.
"Alright. What are you having for dessert?"
"Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, and corn," replied Mike.
"That's very good. I highly recommend you eat dessert first tonight. Since you don't normally get to do that, it will be a nice change for you."
When Ben returned to the other table, Charles asked, "What are they having for supper?" Ben told him what the children said and he laughed. "That is funny. Dessert for supper and supper for dessert. I wonder what they'll think of next."
While they were waiting for their food, Ben asked, "Joseph, did you play poker while you were in the saloon?"
Before Joe could answer, Adam spoke up. "He played with Mitch Devlin, Seth Pruitt, and Jack Dawson. However, they were playing the way Cat does when she plays with Kitty, Doc, and Festus. They all started with a dollar in change, the ante was a penny and the maximum bet was five cents. At the end of every hand, they each took ninety nine cents out of the pot and started another game."
"Joseph, I am proud of you for remembering and abiding by my prohibition on gambling." Joe mumbled something under his breath and Ben just smiled. He knew his youngest son was upset about not being allowed to gamble, so he ignored the mumbled comments.
"When are you planning on returning my daughters to me?" asked Charles.
"I am certain that your daughter is at home with her mother. Carrie is entirely too young to be in town alone."
"You are funny. Now when do I get Mary and Laura back? I miss them."
"Sorry Charles, they're mine now. Finders, keepers. I found them and I'm keeping them."
"Charles laughed. We'll just see about that. There's Roy. Let's see what he thinks about you wanting to keep two of my best girls." Roy walked over to the table and said hello to everyone. "What do you think Roy? Ben is refusing to return my girls to me. He's claiming finders, keepers."
Roy chuckled. "Well let's see now. Ben does have possession of them and since possession is nine tenths of the law, I'd say he has a good case. Maybe he'd be willing to swap you something for them. In fact, I'm positive that Cat would be more than happy to swap Adam for them. I've heard her say several times that he's too bossy."
"I am not!" exclaimed Adam.
"Yes you are," replied his brothers, causing everyone else to laugh.
"I give up. You two are incorrigible," said Charles. "I don't know how Caroline is going to react when I tell her that you're refusing to give our girls back to us."
"Don't worry about it. Just tell her that I'm keeping Jasper and Michael too."
"I know how well that's going to go over. You're going to have to deal with three angry mothers when they find out what you're up to."
"Charles, all four of those children have been eating Hop Sing's cooking for two weeks now. Do you really think they're going to want to go back home again?"
Charles and Roy laughed. "He's got a point there Charles," said Roy. "I know I try and find excuses to show up at the Ponderosa in time for meals."
"I'll just let Hop Sing deal with the mothers," replied Ben. "He would have kept Mark too if Lucas would have let him."
"I quit," laughed Charles. "Just remember, they have school on Monday."
"Believe me Charles, as much as Cat wishes I would forget about her education, I haven't."
When everyone went to get the surrey and buckboard after supper, Cat wanted to drive the surrey home. "I'm sorry Cat, but you can't drive all the way home," said Ben. "You've never driven at night and I want you to start with the small buggy before driving the surrey all the way home. However, I will let you drive once we reach the road that leads to the house. I know it's not very far, but that's where I started letting your brothers drive at night."
Shortly after they left town, Cat asked, "Pa, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course you may Sweetheart. What's on your mind?"
"You bet on Joe in the horse race at the Fall festival, but you get mad at Joe for betting on card games. Why can you bet but Joe can't?"
"Let me see if I can explain it so you'll understand. With horse races, everything is out in the open and it's easy to tell if someone is cheating. Everyone can see if someone is trying to make another rider fall off of their horse or if they leave the marked course. With cards, there is a lot of money to be won and there are too many opportunities for cheating. Card decks get marked or sometimes someone hides cards up their sleeves. Do you remember why Matt said you weren't allowed to go into the Long Branch when it was open? That's the same reason I don't want any of my children betting on card games. Men have been known to lose everything because they were playing cards, were bad players or someone cheated. Also, too many men have been killed because they lost, accused the winner of cheating, and pulled a gun. I do not want any of my sons killed because of a card game. That is why I don't want Joe playing poker and gambling. Playing with friends like you do with Doc, Kitty, and Festus or like Joe did today is fine, but I don't ever want Roy or Clem knocking on the door and telling me one of my children has been shot while playing cards."
"How come you didn't get mad at Joe for playing poker tonight?"
"There are two reasons. First, he was playing with his friends and they don't cheat. Second, they were playing like you do. Everybody started with a dollar in change and at the end of every hand, they took their money back so everyone still had a dollar. That way nobody won and nobody lost. Now do you understand why I don't want any member of my family betting on card games?"
"Yes. So it's ok to play with friends when nobody wins and nobody loses, even if they're playing for money instead of peanuts."
"You are absolutely right. That's why Matt lets you play because he knows his friends will not cheat and everybody shares the peanuts when you're done. Now I have a question for you. Kitty says you're a very good poker player. If you had been playing for money instead of peanuts, how much money would you have won?"
Cat thought for a minute and said, "I'm not real sure. More than ten million dollars I think. It kinda depends on how much we say each peanut is worth. Sometimes they're only worth five cents and sometimes they're worth a thousand dollars."
Ben chuckled. "I would like to see a peanut that's worth a thousand dollars. It must be as big as our house."
Cat giggled. "No. They're real peanuts."
"I know. I was just teasing. Now, what are you kids planning to do tomorrow?"
"We talked about going sledding in the morning and ice skating in the afternoon," replied Mary.
"That sounds like a very good plan to me. I have a better idea. Why don't you kids work on the books for me and I'll go sledding and ice skating?"
All five children laughed. "Sure Mr. Cartwright," said Jasper. "Let's see now. One plus one is five, right Mike?"
"No Jas. I think it's six."
"You're both wrong," said Mary. "One plus one is ten."
"Thanks Mary," said Laura. "I thought they were wrong, but I wasn't sure."
"Ok kids. You win," laughed Ben. "I'll work on my books while you go sledding and skating."