Chapter 48 "Aiding and Abetting" The marshalswoman09 made a request that I write a story in which Ruby is on the mischievous side, but with some "help" from her daddy. This is what I came up with.
Kitty handed Ruby a pail. "We'll pick the green beans first. After that we'll pull up the carrots and the potatoes."
"What are we gonna do with our vegetables?" Ruby asked as she took the pail from her momma.
"I want to can the vegetables and store them in the cellar for the winter," Kitty answered.
"Is our garden done growing?" Ruby inquired.
"No," Kitty replied. "It probably won't grow anymore potatoes and carrots, but it will grow more green beans and maybe a few other vegetables."
"What about the squash?" questioned Ruby.
"Those aren't quite ready to be picked," Kitty responded. "Maybe next week. Let's get started."
Kitty and Ruby set to work picking the green beans. It was a bumper crop this year for green beans. Today was Kitty and Ruby's third time picking green beans. For the last couple of weeks the Dillons had enjoyed fresh green beans for supper. Ruby filled her little pail and dumped it into the larger metal tub sitting on the edge of the garden. Kitty, who was using a slightly larger pail than Ruby, did the same thing when her pail was full. While picking the beans, both Kitty and Ruby noticed there were beans that were not quite ready to be picked. They left those ones on the bean plant.
Ruby emptied one final pail of beans into the tub. "That's a whole lotta beans," she observed.
Kitty dumped her final pail of beans into the tub. "It sure is," she agreed. "Why don't we go over to the pump and get a drink of water? Then we'll pull up the carrots and the potatoes."
Kitty and Ruby walked over to the pump. Kitty took the ladle hanging from the handle of the pump. Moving the handle up and down, Kitty started filling the ladle with water. Once the ladle was full, Kitty handed it to Ruby, who drank the refreshing water. When Ruby was done, she gave the ladle back to her momma. Kitty refilled the ladle, took her own drink, and hung the ladle back on the handle. They returned to the garden to work on the carrots and the potatoes. Kitty and Ruby had been so engrossed in their gardening that they did not hear Matt ride up.
"Well look at my beautiful gardeners," Matt smiled as he watched each of his girls yank up a potato.
"Oh Matt, for heaven's sake!" Kitty exclaimed as she put her hand over her heart. "You scared me."
Ruby mimicked her momma. "Oh daddy, for heaven's sake! You scared me."
"What are you doing home so early?" asked Kitty. "Slow day at the jail?"
"The day has been kinda slow," Matt responded. "But I didn't leave too early. It was close to five o'clock when I left."
"Five o'clock?!" Kitty echoed. "I didn't realize what time it was. Ruby and I have been so busy in the garden. I don't even have supper started." Kitty was upset that she had lost track of time.
Matt dismounted Buck and walked over to his wife. "Calm down, honey. It doesn't bother me if we eat supper later than we normally do. Seeing my lovely garden girls is totally worth it."
Kitty rolled her eyes. "Thank you, but to be honest, I'm too tired to make a big meal."
"That's no problem," said Matt. "We can see what leftovers we have. I'm pretty sure there's some ham in the ice box. We can fry that up and eat it with the leftover biscuits from this morning."
"It's like having breakfast for supper," Ruby stated. "I like that."
"As long as the two of you are fine with that, so am I," said Kitty. "Ruby and I will go get cleaned up while you take care of Buck."
Supper that night was fried ham, biscuits, and peppers. Kitty chopped up the peppers to add to the ham. She always made sure that the family had a vegetable for supper. Kitty did not want them, especially Ruby, to end up with scurvy. The meal was a delicious success. Ruby suggested that they eat breakfast for supper more often, especially if it involved pancakes.
The next day breakfast had been eaten and dishes had been cleaned, dried, and put away. It was a gorgeous Saturday morning and judging by the bright blue sky the rest of the day promised to be just as gorgeous. Matt took turns with Newly and Festus working at the jail on Saturdays. Today was not his turn to work. It was Festus' turn to cover the jail. Matt's plans for the day was to get things done around the barn. Kitty had her own plans. She planned on taking the vegetables, she and Ruby picked from the garden, over to Bess's house and do some canning with her.
"Matt, would you mind hitching Buttercup up to the buggy?" Kitty asked. "Ruby and I are gonna go over to Bess's. While Bess and I are canning, Ruby can play with Mary and Rosie."
"Aww momma," Ruby whined. "I wanna stay with daddy."
Kitty looked over at Matt. "What are your plans for the day? Do you mind if she stays with you?"
"I just plan on doing odds 'n ends around here," Matt replied. "As long as she's okay with that, she can stay here."
"I'm okay with that," Ruby quickly responded.
Kitty thought about it for a brief moment. "I guess it's fine if Ruby stays home. Bess isn't necessarily expecting me to bring Ruby."
"Yippee!" Ruby exclaimed. "I get to be with daddy today."
"Make sure you make your bed," Kitty instructed. "Matt, the buggy?"
"I'll hitch up Buttercup right now," said Matt. "Ruby, you can help me and then come back inside to make your bed."
After Kitty left, the first thing on Matt's agenda was cleaning his pistol. When Ruby was younger, Matt always made sure to clean his gun while Ruby was in another room. Now that Ruby was six years old, both Matt and Kitty felt that it was safe for Ruby to be in the same room. They instilled in their daughter the dangers of a gun and how she was never to touch one until she was old enough to be trained on handling one. Matt was sitting at the table with a bowl of warm, soapy water, when Ruby climbed up onto a chair next to him.
"Daddy, why do you always clean your gun?" she questioned as she observed her father clean the barrel of the pistol.
"You need to keep things clean, especially important things," Matt replied. "As Marshal of Dodge City, I need this gun. It's part of my job."
"Is that why you 'n momma keep me clean?" asked Ruby. "Because I'm 'portant to you?"
Matt couldn't help but chuckle. "I reckon that's one of the reasons. I need some more lubricating oil for my gun. We'll have to make a quick trip into town. If you behave yourself, we'll stop and have lunch at Delmonico's."
Ruby's face lit up. "I'll be good," she promised.
Matt knew that Ruby would behave herself, but it didn't hurt to give her a reminder. "Go 'n use the water closet, 'n get one of your bonnets. Momma 'n I don't want the sun to ruin your soft skin."
Ruby did as she was told. When she returned to the kitchen, Ruby was wearing the hat similar to her daddy's. Matt was about to say something, but stopped. He figured the brim of the hat was wide enough to keep the sun off his daughter's face. Matt and Ruby went outside so Matt could hitch up the team. Once the team was hitched up, father and daughter rode into town. It did not take long for Matt to purchase the oil. During that time, Ruby was well behaved. She didn't even ask for gumdrops. As promised, Matt took Ruby to Delmonico's for lunch.
It was early afternoon when Matt and Ruby got home. "Whoa." Matt pulled on the reins, bringing the horses to a stop. He set the brake, jumped down from the seat, and then brought Ruby down. "Daddy, has work to do. Yer gonna have ta entertain yourself."
"Are ya gonna fix the squeaky wheel?" asked Ruby. She could hear it during the ride to and from town.
"That's one of the things on my list," Matt replied. "I also have to replace a rail in one of the sections of the corral. What do you plan on doing?"
"Can I take Annie and Lulu for a walk in my little wagon?" questioned Ruby.
"As long as you stay around here," Matt told Ruby. "I don't want you wandering off."
"I won't wander off," Ruby promised.
"Alright," stated Matt. "I'm gonna unhitch the team and work on the wheel."
Matt unhitched the team and set them loose into the corral. He grabbed some axle grease and rubbed it into the axle of the squeaky wheel. Satisfied that the problem of the squeaky wheel was solved, Matt moved onto the next item on his list, replacing a part of the rail of the corral. The piece that needed to be replaced was starting to rot. Matt considered replacing the rails on all the fence sections, but then decided that was too big of a project. He would replace them when needed.
In the meantime, Ruby had gone into the house to retrieve her beloved dolls. With the dolls in tow, Ruby walked back outside. She kept her wagon next to the house. Ruby gently placed Annie and Lulu into the wagon and started wandering around the property. Whenever she hit a bump and the dolls tumbled forward, Ruby would stop, apologize to the dolls, and set them back upright. While strolling around the property, daddy's word's kept repeating themselves in Ruby's mind. Things that are important to you, you keep clean. Annie and Lulu were very important to Ruby. It was at that moment Ruby decided to clean Annie and Lulu. She parked the wagon by the house and ran to the barn.
"Daddy, can I clean Annie and Lulu?" Ruby figured it would be a good idea to get her daddy's permission.
Matt, who was busy cutting wood for the new rail, really wasn't paying too much attention to his daughter. "Sure honey go ahead."
Pleased that daddy gave her permission, Ruby ran back to the house. She took her dolls out of the wagon and brought them into the kitchen. Her original plan was to give her dolls a bath in the tub, but she realized the tub was too big for them. Looking around the kitchen, Ruby pondered what she could use to clean her dolls. Inspiration struck when she looked at the kitchen basin. She set the dolls next to the basin and pushed a chair up to it. After removing the dresses of each doll, Ruby sat the dolls down into the basin.
"I have to get some soap, a washcloth, and a towel," Ruby told Annie and Lulu. "You girls be good." Ruby ran to the water closet to get her supplies. She grabbed the towel and washcloth. Spying her momma's soap, Ruby grabbed that too. She loved the smell of her momma's soap. "I'm back. Let's get you cleaned up."
Ruby started pumping the handle on the pump and filled the basin with just enough water so it was up to her dolls' belly buttons. When Ruby took a bath, momma filled the tub right above her belly button. Once Ruby had enough water, she took the soap and started washing her dolls. Ruby followed exactly how her momma washed her. She started from the top, washing dolls' yarn hair first.
"It's time to rinse your hair. Don't worry. I won't get any in your eyes," Ruby promised. She made good on her promise. Ruby used her momma's soap and cleaned both dolls. She rinsed Lulu off and was finishing rinsing Annie off, when Kitty opened the back door and walked into the kitchen.
"What's going on in here?" Kitty placed a her handbag on the table and observed the watery mess made by her daughter. She also noticed her bar of soap floating in the basin.
"I gave Annie and Lulu a bath," Ruby proudly declared, placing the dolls on the towel. She started drying them off. "Daddy said if something is 'portant to you, then you have ta keep it clean. Annie and Lulu are 'portant ta me. That's why you 'n daddy keep me clean."
"Where is your daddy?" asked Kitty as she walked to the basin and removed her soap.
"He's fixing part of the corral," Ruby answered.
"So, he has no idea what's going on in here," Kitty inferred.
"I asked daddy if I could clean my dolls, 'n he said yes," Ruby replied.
"Oh really," said Kitty. Annoyance was evident in her voice. "I think I'll go have a talk with your daddy."
Ruby knew by the sound of her momma's voice that she was not too happy. "Momma, am I in big trouble.?"
Kitty looked at her daughter and came to the conclusion that she couldn't be too upset with her. After all, her daddy gave her permission to clean the dolls. "I'm not happy with the mess you made or the fact that you used my good bath soap. I would say that daddy is probably in bigger trouble than you are."
"Momma, I'm sorry for the mess I made and for using your soap," Ruby apologized. "But I wanted to make sure Annie and Lulu were clean and smelled good."
Kitty lifted Ruby off the chair and put the chair back where it belonged. She gave Ruby the soap. "Put this back where you found it, and come back into the kitchen to wait for me. I'll be right back. I'm gonna go 'n get your daddy."
Matt was walking out of the barn and spotted Kitty. "Welcome home, honey. Did you 'n Bess get all of your canning done?" He went up to her to steal a kiss, but Kitty stopped him. "Sorry, let me get myself cleaned up."
"Speaking of cleaning up, " said Kitty. "Do you know what your daughter has been up to?"
Matt became aware that he hadn't heard from Ruby for some time. "Noooo," he slowly drawled.
"Rinse yourself off at the pump, and go into the house," Kitty instructed. "There's a surprise waiting for you."
Matt rinsed himself off at the pump and made his way to the house. Judging by the smirk on Kitty's face, Matt had a feeling the surprise waiting for him was not a good one. He stepped inside the kitchen and saw Kitty and Ruby standing next to the basin. Upon closer inspection, Matt could see the wet dolls, towel, and washcloth. He also noticed the water all over the counter.
"Ruby said you told her she could clean her dolls," Kitty told Matt.
Matt scratched his head and realized he was guilty. "I guess I did. I was so busy that I really wasn't paying attention."
"For aiding and abetting in the delinquency of a child, you are sentenced to helping Ruby clean up this mess." Kitty handed down her sentence.
"Aiding and abetting? Have you been talking with Breckenridge?" Matt asked.
"Funny," Kitty smirked. "I also need you to carry the crates of canned goods to the cellar. They're in the buggy."
"I'll do that first," Matt replied. "And then Ruby 'n I will tackle this mess."
Matt went to the buggy and carried the crates of canned goods to the cellar. After that, he and Ruby cleaned up the mess in the kitchen. Ruby towel dried her dolls, but that wasn't good enough. They were still soaking wet. Matt had to squeeze the excess water out of them, and hung them on the washline along with the towel and washcloth. Ruby was upset when Matt first hung the dolls up by their yarn braids. She said that hurt them. Matt removed the clothespins from the braids and used the dolls fingers instead. He promised Ruby they would be fine. Kitty also told Ruby she could only take dry dolls to bed with her. The only way that would happen was if they dried on the washline in the warm summer breeze.
Later that night, Matt and Kitty were tucking Ruby into bed. Luckily the dolls had completely dried. "Daddy, I'm sorry I got you in trouble." She took a sniff of both of her dolls. "But at least Annie and Lulu are clean and smell good."
Matt smiled at his daughter. "It wasn't your fault, Little Gemstone. Daddy should've done a better job of watching you." Matt was aware of his good fortune. Instead of making a mess, Ruby could have been injured. If that would've happened, Matt didn't know if he could live with himself. Injury to his baby girl was unbearable to think about.
"But now you know not to wash your dolls like that," Kitty added.
"Yes, momma," Ruby agreed.
Kitty bent down and gave Ruby a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, honey."
Matt took his turn and gave Ruby a kiss on the opposite cheek. "Sweet dreams, my little partner in crime."
Matt and Kitty left Ruby's bedroom and shut the door. Kitty turned to Matt. "I hope this isn't the start of a life of crime between the two of you," she teased.
"No, ma'am" Matt replied. "Our crime days are over."
"Good," Kitty declared. "If I were you, I'd be afraid of the Marshal of Dodge City."
"The Marshal?" Matt questioned. "I'm more afraid of his wife."
Kitty went to smack Matt on the shoulder, but Matt caught her hand and pulled her in for a kiss. Kitty did not resist.
The end of this story.