Cat's fifth birthday was two weeks after she returned to Dodge. Just as she had for Cat's second birthday, Kitty opened the Long Branch late so the party could be held there. Just as when she turned two, Cat was busy running from one end of the Long Branch to the other, playing with the Tanner children, thoroughly enjoying her party and the gifts she was given. Kitty gave her some dresses, the Tanner children gave her some dolls and toys. Mrs. Tanner made a very pretty large blanket for Cat to cover her pony with in the winter and Mr. Tanner gave her some winter boots, a hat and mittens he made from buckskin and lined with rabbit fur. Quint gave her a new bow, arrows and quiver while Festus gave her a saddle for her pony. Before she could say anything about Apache warriors don't use saddles, Quint quietly told her that sometimes it was necessary to use a saddle and she needed to learn to use one. Cat looked at the saddle and was thrilled to see not only her name, but her pony's name on it too. She had named him Spot because she said his patches looked like spots. Matt gave her a warm winter coat and a pretty blanket for her bed and Doc gave her a new fishing pole. When the party was over and she and Matt went back to his office, she was thrilled to see that he had also given her a new bed.
For about a month after her birthday, Cat kept her word about not riding out alone. Matt, Quint, and Festus all made time to go riding with her. They let her take her bow and arrows to practice with and also went fishing with her. One week, nobody had time to play with her. The blacksmith at the fort was sick and the commanding officer asked Quint if he would make sure all of their horses had good shoes on them, so he was extra busy. Some men had tried to rob the bank and Matt was busy chasing them, while Festus was busy hunting. Cat tried to be patient but she was getting tired of being ignored. Finally, on Saturday, she couldn't stand it any more, so she ate at Ma Smalley's, then took some food with her and went over to the blacksmith shop, got her pony, bow, arrows and fishing pole and rode out alone to the pond. She spent most of the day practicing with her bow and arrows and fishing. Since she didn't need to eat them, she threw back all of the fish she caught because her Apache family had taught her to only keep what was necessary to eat and to let the rest live.
Cat was only five and didn't know enough to watch the weather, so she was very surprised when the sky suddenly got dark and it began to thunder. She hurried to pick up her fishing pole and bow and arrows from where they were laying on the ground near the pond and ran over to her pony. "We have to find someplace to stay dry Spot," she said as she mounted him and rode toward the forest. She had no idea where she was going, but rode the pony deeper into the woods, trying to find a place where they could stay dry. As luck would have it, she stumbled across a lean-to a hunter had built sometime in the past. Since she was so young, the Apaches did not teach her how to make a fire, so she had to do without. Fortunately, she had brought both of Spot's blankets, so she covered him with the large one and wrapped the small one around herself and settled in to wait out the storm. Since she had nothing else to do but wait for it to quit raining, Cat decided to take a nap.
The storm struck just as Matt got back to town with his prisoners. After locking them up, he went in search of his niece. His first stop was Ma Smalley who told him she hadn't seen Cat since she had eaten there that morning. Matt's next stop was the blacksmith's shop. Quint told him that he had been out at the fort all day and had just gotten back into town. He went to take care of his horse, noticed that Spot was gone and told Matt. He also noticed that Cat's fishing pole and bow and arrows were gone. Matt started to leave and start looking for his niece, but Quint stopped him. "You'll never find her in this storm Matt. All you'll do is get soaking wet and catch cold. Wait until it stops and I'll help you look for her." Matt saw the wisdom in what Quint was saying, so he went back over to his office to catch up on some neglected paperwork. When he got there, he found Festus had returned from his hunting trip and had made a fresh pot of coffee. When asked if he had seen Cat, Festus replied that he hadn't and then told Matt the same thing Quint had and offered to help look for her when the rain stopped.
Several hours later, the rain stopped and the three men set out in search of the missing five year old. "Where could she have gone?" wondered Matt.
"I think I know," said Quint. "Her fishing pole, bow and arrows are gone, so I'm willing to bet that she went to the pond. I think we should look there first. Cat's smart enough to realize that the forest would provide the best shelter from the storm. She might have even gotten lucky and found a lean-to somebody made."
"I'm going to wring her neck when we find her," said Matt.
Festus and Quint just laughed. "No you ain't Matthew," laughed Festus. "You're gonna take that little wild thing in your arms and hug and kiss her and tell her you're glad she's not hurt. Oh, you might scold her a little bit, which she deserves, but you ain't gonna wring her neck."
"Festus is right Matt," added Quint. "You love that little Wild Cat too much to wring her neck."
"Well, she certainly is going to get a good scolding," said Matt. "And it may be several days before she's allowed to leave my office again."
"Now Matthew, don't go being too hard on that youngin. None of us has had much time for her this week and she probably got bored. There tain't narry a one of us who wouldn't have done the same thing ifin they were in her shoes," said Festus.
"I agree Matt," said Quint. "I've been busy at the fort, you've been chasing bank robbers and Festus has been hunting. Kitty and Doc certainly don't have time to play with Cat. Neither do Ma Smalley or Burke. Personally, I think it's remarkable she waited this long before taking off on her own. I would have expected her to have done that days ago."
"The two of you are right. I should have taken her out to the Tanner's before going after the robbers. But she's still going to get a good scolding and spend tomorrow inside."
"Good luck keeping her in," laughed Quint. "There's a reason she's called Wild Cat and it's not because she looks like one."
Cat woke up from her nap shortly after the rain stopped. She stretched and then got up and checked on Spot. Since he wasn't very big, he had been able to fit under the lean-to with her, so he was dry. Cat looked around and wasn't quite sure exactly where she was. "I don't know where we are Spot and I don't know how to get back home. I don't even remember which way we came from. Do you? I think it's going to be night soon and we need to go home." She mounted her pony, gave him his head and said, "Take us home Spot. See if you can find our way back to town." The pony walked off but Cat wasn't sure if they were going in the right direction or not.
Matt, Festus and Quint arrived at the pond just as Cat was leaving the lean-to. "With all of that rain, we're going to have a hard time tracking her," said Matt.
"I'm sure we'll find tracks once we get into the woods where it's dryer," said Festus. "She probably took that path over yonder, so I think we should follow it for a ways to see if we find any tracks." It didn't take long after the men entered the woods before they came across some pony tracks. They followed the tracks deep into the woods until the pine needles made it almost impossible to see any tracks. Then they looked for other signs to tell them which way Cat went. About thirty minutes after arriving at the pond, the little search party found the lean-to where Cat had waited out the storm.
"I think we had better start calling her," said Quint. Otherwise she won't know we're looking for her and we may not find her before dark. Since she was only four when she was with the Apaches, she doesn't know how to make a fire. Indian children don't usually learn how to make a fire until they're about ten." Matt and Festus agreed with Quint and all three men started calling Cat's name. Quint looked around and found pony tracks leading away from the campsite. The men followed the tracks and kept calling Cat's name.
Meanwhile, Cat and Spot kept going deeper into the forest. After a little while, she stopped the pony to rest a minute. "I don't think we're going the right way Spot. Maybe we should go back where we waited for the rain to stop and go a different way." She turned the pony around and started going back in the direction she thought they came from. Although it wasn't quite the right direction, the route Cat chose to go brought her close enough to the search party to hear them calling her name. Once she heard them, she pointed Spot in the direction of the voices and rode toward them. When she found them, they were all very happy to see her.
All of them hugged her and made sure that she was not hurt. After making sure his niece was safe, he told her, "I am very upset with you. You broke your promise to me."
"No, you did," replied Cat. "I asked every day and all you said was, "I'm busy Cat. Not now Cat. Maybe later Cat. Maybe tomorrow Cat."
"Yes, I was busy," said Matt. "But you still disobeyed me and went riding off on your own. Quint, Festus and I have been searching for you for a long time. When we get back to town, I will tell you what your punishment is going to be. Now, get on your pony. It will be dark soon and it's a long way to town." Cat mounted Spot and followed her uncle, Festus and Quint back to town.
When they reached town, Quint took Cat's fishing pole, bow, arrows and pony back to his shop. Festus took Matt's horse and his mule over to the livery stable and Matt took Cat into his office. He took a chair from under the table and sat it near his desk, close to the wall. "I am very upset with you. You disobeyed me and I am going to have to punish you. You are going to sit in this chair for fifteen minutes. Tomorrow you will stay inside all day and you will not be allowed to ride your pony for two days after tomorrow." He picked the girl up and sat her in the chair.
Cat didn't think it was fair that she was being punished when it was her uncle's fault she rode off alone, so she kept kicking the chair and the wall. Finally, Matt had enough and said, "If you don't stop kicking the chair and the wall, you will have to stay inside for two days and you will not be allowed to ride your pony until Friday. Also, I am not going to start counting your fifteen minutes until you sit still." Cat didn't want to spend two days inside and didn't want to go until Friday without being able to ride Spot, so she sat still for the fifteen minutes. When her time was up, Matt told her, "Go and wash up. It's time for supper." Cat did as she was told and the two of them walked over to Delmonico's where Doc, Kitty, Quint and Festus were waiting for them. Kitty saved a seat next to her for Cat and both she and Doc hugged Cat and told her that they were glad she was safe. Cat was glad that they didn't scold her for riding off alone. She had already been scolded too much as far as she was concerned. When supper was over, Matt took Cat back to his office and told her to get ready for bed. A few minutes later, he went into the little room they shared, kissed and hugged his niece and tucked her into bed.
After breakfast the next morning, Matt reminded Cat that she was to stay inside all day. When Matt left his office, Cat tried to do as she had been told, but it was a nice day and she thought that she had already been punished too much because it wasn't her fault nobody would take her riding. So, she left the office and headed for the Blacksmith shop to get her pony. She hadn't gone ten feet when Matt caught her, picked her up and carried her back into his office. He scolded her for disobeying him and made her sit in the chair again for fifteen minutes. When her time was up, he told her that she had to spend the rest of the day sitting on her bed and she would not be allowed to ride her pony for a week. Matt knew that Cat was probably going to leave the office again as soon as he did so he gave her a stern warning. "If you leave this room without my permission, I will give you a bare bottom spanking and you will not be allowed to ride your pony for three weeks."
That was more than Cat could take and she decided she was going to leave Dodge forever and go, live with Uncle Ben and her cousins, Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe. She found a bag and started putting all of her clothes and other things into it. She was about half way done when Festus entered the Marshal's office and called her. "I'm in here," she replied.
Festus looked at the bag on the girl's bed and asked, "What're you doing little one? Why are you putting all of your things into that bag?"
"Uncle Matt doesn't love me and he doesn't want me, so I'm going to go and live with Uncle Ben. He loves me and so do Adam, Hoss and Little Joe. They won't treat me like this for something that wasn't my fault. It's not fair that I have to sit in here all day and can't ride my pony for a whole week."
"Now, just hold on a dog gone minute there little one. Matthew loves you very much and he was very worried when he couldn't find you yesterday. It would absilitively kill him ifn anything bad was to happen to you. You should have seen him searching the town for you when he got back yesterday."
"No, he doesn't love me. If he did, he would have taken me riding like he promised to do."
"Now lookee here youg'in, sometimes grown ups get real busy and don't have a lot of time to spend with young'ins. Matthew has a very important job to do and he needed to catch them fellers what tried to rob the bank. He didn't ignore you on purpose, but he had to do his job. Now, you stay here and I'm gonna tell him to come and spend some time with you. You may be in trouble, but he can still spend some time with you. Now, I want you to promise me that you won't go anywhere until I get back here." Cat promised and Festus left to find Matt.
Festus decided that the first place he should look was the Long Branch. He went in there and found Matt sitting at a table talking with Doc, Quint, and Kitty. "Matthew, you had better go on over to your office and spend some time with that there young'in of yourn. She's got it in her head that you don't want her or love her and she's fixin to go off and live with her Uncle Ben."
"Cat is being punished and she can just sit on her bed by herself all day," replied Matt. "If she leaves that room, I will give her a bare bottom spanking and she won't be allowed to ride Spot for three weeks."
"Festus is right Matt," said Doc. "Cat rode out on her own because you ignored her all week. I'm surprised that she waited until yesterday before going off alone. Just because she's in trouble doesn't mean you can't spend some time with her. When was the last time you held her in your lap and read to her? When was the last time you hugged her and told her that you love her? Little children need to hear that a lot. They're not like adults who know that they're loved even if someone doesn't say it all of the time. They need to be constantly reassured that the adults in their lives do love and want them. Remember, this isn't easy for her. First her father was killed in the war. Then her mother moved in with her grandfather and eventually brought her here and left her with an uncle she didn't even know. That little girl has been through more in the past four years than most people go through in a lifetime. And yes, yesterday was partly your fault. You should have taken her to the Tanners before you rode out after the bank robbers. If you had, she would have had other children her own age to play with and she wouldn't have been bored and ridden off alone. Now, go and spend some time with her. Hug her and tell her that you love her. Put her in your lap and read to her or by golly, I'll take her to Ben Cartwright myself!"
Matt was a bit surprised at Doc's words and looked to Kitty for help. "Don't look at me Matt. Doc and Festus are right. You don't pay enough attention to that little girl. There have been many times since she came to live with you when you have left her alone in your office so you could come over here. Cat needs you. Right now, like it or not, you are her mother and her father. The Long Branch won't fall apart and neither will I if you spend less time here and more time with your niece."
Before Matt could say anything, Quint spoke up. "They're all right Matt. I can guarantee that if you don't start spending more time with Cat, one day you're going to wake up, she's going to be gone and you won't be able to find her. There's absolutely nothing to keep her from riding out to live with the Arapahos. They'll welcome her and care for her the way the Apaches did. And they might not bring her back again."
"I surrender," Matt said. "I'll go over to my office just as soon as I finish this beer."
Festus left the Long Branch and walked back over to Matt's office. He found Cat right where he had left her and she was still packing her things. "Thank you for waiting for me Cat. Doc, Kitty, Quint and me all fussed at Matthew and he should be here directly. Now, you be good and stay here even when he's not and I'll talk to him about letting you ride your pony later this week. I'm not gonna promise you that he'll let you, but I will talk to him." Cat hugged Festus around his neck and told him she wished he was her uncle, not Matt. Festus laughed, hugged her back and said, "That's sweet Cat but you're just saying that because you're mad at Matthew. I wish you were my niece but I'm on the move too much. That's no life for a little girl. Matthew loves you and you need to stay here with him. I know that right now, you don't think he loves you but I can guarantee you that he does. He was heartsick when he came back from his brother's without you last year. Even though he knew his brother would send him a telegram when you were found, he was at the telegraph office every other day, sending a telegram to his brother, asking if you had been found. If he didn't have such an important job here, he would have stayed in Arizona to keep looking for you. Now you be good and stay here. I'm going back over to the Long Branch and fuss at him until he comes back here." Cat hugged Festus again and promised to stay where she was, but she continued her packing as soon as he left.
Festus went back over to the Long Branch where he found Matt still sitting at the table, his beer only half gone. "Matthew, you done shoulda finished that beer and been over to your office a while ago. It's no wonder that child thinks you don't love her. Also, you're being too hard on her. It's bad enough that she has to sit on her bed all day but not letting her ride her pony for a whole week is just plain wrong."
Doc, Kitty and Quint were shocked at Festus' words. "You told that little girl that she has to sit on her bed all day and can't ride her pony for a week?" said Doc. "That is wrong Matt. You are being way too hard on a five year old child. After you spend some time with Cat and give her some dinner, take her and go out to the Tanners. Talk to Elizabeth and John about what is appropriate punishment for a five year old. Now finish that beer and go, spend some time with that child."
"I will go out to the Tanner's, but Cat is being punished and will stay here, sitting on her bed for the rest of the day," said Matt.
"No Matt," said Kitty. "Take her with you. She doesn't have to ride her pony, but she should go with you. Making a five year old sit on her bed all day is wrong. Elizabeth and John will be able to help you learn what is and isn't appropriate punishment for a five year old."
Matt decided not to continue arguing with his friends. Instead, he finished his beer, said goodbye to them and walked over to his office. He walked into the little room he shared with his niece and saw the bags she had filled with her belongings. Instead of scolding her, he picked the child up, hugged and kissed her and told her that he loved her. He also apologized for not spending more time with her. He picked up two books from her bed and carried her and the books out into his office. He sat down at his desk with Cat in his lap and read both books to her. When he finished reading, he told her it was time for dinner and they walked over to the hotel to get some food. After dinner, instead of taking her back to his office, he took her over to the livery stable and got his horse. He put her up behind the saddle, mounted and rode off toward the Tanner farm.
When they arrived, both Elizabeth and John were out in the yard. Elizabeth was hanging laundry and John was keeping an eye on his youngest children as they played. When he saw Matt ride into the yard, he got up from where he had been sitting on a porch step, took Cat down and put her on the ground so she could play with his children. "What brings you out here today Marshal?" he asked.
"I need some advice on how to deal with Cat when she misbehaves. I've just been scolded by Doc, Kitty, Festus and Quint who say I'm being too hard on her."
John started to reply when the actions of one of the twins caught his eye. He hurried over to where Peter was heading for the pig pen. "What did I tell you about going in the pig pen, Peter? Those pigs are a lot bigger than you are and you could get hurt. Now, you're going to have to sit on a step for five minutes. Then you will be allowed to play with your brothers and sisters and Cat. If you go back to the pig pen, I will have to spank you and I don't want to do that. Now, go and sit on a step. I will tell you when you can go and play again."
"Sorry Marshal. I don't know why that boy is so fascinated with the pig pen but I can't risk him getting hurt. Now, tell me what that adorable little girl did to get into trouble."
Before Matt could begin talking, Elizabeth joined them. She looked at Peter sitting on the step and didn't have to ask what he had done. Then she asked Matt not to start his story until she went in and got some coffee for the three of them. By the time she returned, Peter was back playing with his siblings and Cat.
"Ok. Marshal, what did that sweet little girl do to get you angry at her?" asked Elizabeth. Matt told her about how Cat had ridden out on her own, gotten lost in the woods and then left his office when she was supposed to be spending the day inside. Both John and Elizabeth laughed when Matt told them about Cat packing her things and deciding to ride her pony to Nevada. "I agree with your friends," Elizabeth said.
"You were definitely being too hard on a five year old," said John. "It's no wonder she thinks you don't want or love her. You made her sit still in a chair for fifteen minutes, took her pony away for three days and then told her she had to stay inside for a whole day. Then the next day, you left her alone in your office and expected her to stay there while you talked with your friends and did your job. When she decided that she had been punished enough and left your office, you made her sit in the chair for fifteen minutes again, took her pony away for a week and told her she had to sit on her bed all day. Cat is five years old, not fifteen Marshal. Your punishment was excessive."
"Five minutes sitting in a chair is all a five year old can take," said Elizabeth. "You'll notice that when Peter started going to the pig pen, John only made him sit on the stair for five minutes. Also, you can't leave a five year old alone inside all day in a small place like your office. If one of our children has to spend a day inside, one of us is in the house with them almost the entire day. If we're not in the house, we're close enough so that if the child needs us, all they have to do is call and we can be inside within two minutes. If Cat had needed you, would you have been able to hear her calling you?" Matt admitted that he wouldn't have been able to hear Cat calling him if she had needed him. "You can't leave a five year old alone all day Marshal. I understand that you can't stay in your office all day, but a child that young just can't be left alone. There are too many things they can get hurt on."
"What am I supposed to do with her when I have to be out of the office? She'll be starting school in the fall, but that's still several months away. There aren't any families who live in town that have children her age and I can't take her into the Long Branch when it's open. A saloon is no place for a child of any age."
"Ask your friends to stay with her," said John. "I'm sure they won't mind spending time with her when she has to stay in. Also, your office is so small; Cat doesn't have much room to play, so you should not make her stay inside for more than a few hours. Our house is large, so even a child who is being made to stay inside all day still has room to play. Also, in the event that something like this past week happens again, teach Cat how to get here and give her permission to come here if you forget to bring her. That way you'll know she's safe and she won't be bored and possibly get into trouble or get hurt. She's very resourceful for a five year old and there's no telling what she'll get into if she's left to her own devices. She needs to know that she has someplace safe she can go to if she's ever left alone like she was. We're only a fifteen minute ride from town and you know she'll be safe here."
"Alright John, when she misbehaves, she'll only spend five minutes sitting in the chair and I'll only take her pony away for one day at a time. I'll show her how to get here and give her permission to come here if I ever have to leave town in a hurry, but I want her to tell Kitty, Doc, Ma Smalley or Burke that she's coming her and I would prefer that she have someone ride with her. As you said, Cat's only five and there are too many things that could hurt her."
Both John and Elizabeth agreed that Cat needed to let an adult know when she was coming out there and that she should have someone ride with her to make sure she arrived safely. "Now we need to tell Cat what has been decided," said Elizabeth. "We also need to make her understand that she cannot ride out here without telling an adult where she is going and that if you're in town, she needs to ask you before she just rides out here."
Elizabeth called Cat over to the porch, picked her up and put her in her lap. "Mr. Tanner and I have talked with your Uncle Matt. If something like last week happens again and he has to leave town in a hurry, you will have permission to come out here. He is going to show you how to get out here. However, you must tell Miss Kitty or Doc or Mr. Burke or another adult that you are coming here and that adult must find someone to ride out here with you. I know that you want to be an Apache warrior and are very brave, but you are still a very little girl and there are many things that can hurt you. That is why we want you to have someone ride with you. Now, I want you to promise me, Mr. Tanner and your Uncle Matt that you will tell an adult before you come out here and that you will not come out here alone."
Cat thought about what Elizabeth had said and promised to tell an adult and not to ride out there alone. Then she went back to playing with the Tanner children. Elizabeth said that she needed to start supper and got up to go in the house. "Why don't you and Cat stay for supper Marshal? As you said, there are no families in town with children Cat's age and she is having fun playing with ours. This way she'll get a good, home cooked meal and will probably drop right off to sleep when she goes to bed." Matt agreed and he and Cat enjoyed a home cooked meal. After supper, Cat helped the Tanner children clear the table. Although the younger children could not reach the sink, they were required to carry their plates, cups and silverware over to it where one of the older children would stack everything to be washed. Cat followed the examples of her hosts and carried her things over to the sink where the oldest of John and Elizabeth's daughters told her thank you and took them from her.
Shortly after supper, Matt noticed that Cat was starting to yawn and said that he needed to get her back to town. They said goodnight to everybody and this time Matt put her on the saddle in front of him in case she fell asleep on the ride back to town. Just before they left the Tanner's, Elizabeth said, "Try and bring her out here at least once a week Marshal. Cat needs somebody her own age to play with and we love having her here. Having children her own age to play with now will make it easier for her to make friends when she starts school in the fall." Matt told Elizabeth that he would do his best to get Cat out there at least once a week, said goodnight again and rode off.
Once they arrived back in Dodge, Matt took his horse over to the livery stable and carried his niece back to his office. He put her down inside the room they shared and told her that she needed to get ready for bed. A few minutes later, he came in, hugged and kissed her goodnight and told her that he loved her. He also told her that if the weather was good and he didn't have too much work to do, they would go riding the next day. Cat gave him a big hug when he told her that and fell asleep shortly after he tucked her in. Once he was certain that Cat was asleep, he went out to make his rounds. He stopped at the Long Branch long enough to tell Kitty that he would tell her, Doc, Quint, and Festus what had been decided at the Tanners, the next day. Then he finished his rounds and went back to his office to do some paperwork before making his rounds one more time and going to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day and he wanted to try and get a good night's sleep.