Wild Cat

by flabirder

Introducing a little sister for the Cartwrights. She will be related to characters from other Westerns and have some famous Godfathers, but they will rarely be in the story. It will be necessary to show her life before she moves to the Ponderosa. Warning, spanking of minor children in some chapters. Trolls will be dealt with by the Three Billy Goats Gruff.

30. Chapter 30

Cat had a lot of fun at the dance. Ben and Adam were surprised at how well she danced for a nine year old. Festus called the sets and Cat danced the Virginia Reel with Robert Tanner and the Cotton Eyed Joe with Michael. She also danced with Peter, Eric, and other boys she went to school with. When Festus took a break and the orchestra played a waltz, she stood on Matt's boots during the dance. Ben vowed that the next time they were at a dance; Cat would be standing on his boots during the waltz. By the time the dance was over, Cat had danced with all five Tanner boys, several of her friends from school and Matt. She was disappointed that neither her father nor brother had danced with her, but she didn't say anything to them. Ben carried her back to Matt's office and Kitty helped her get ready for bed. While Kitty was helping her, Cat asked, "Miss Kitty, why didn't Uncle Ben or Adam dance with me? I thought they loved me, but maybe they don't really."

"Your father and brother love you Cat. I don't know why they didn't dance with you, but I do know that they love you."

When Ben came in to read with her, Cat said that she was too tired, so he kissed and hugged her goodnight, tucked her and Silver Chief in and blew out the lamp. Everyone went over to the Long Branch to have a beer before going to bed. Kitty looked at Ben and Adam and said, "I hope the two of you realize that Cat is very upset that neither of you danced with her. She's questioning whether you really love her."

"We didn't think she'd want us to dance with her," said Adam.

"Hogwash!" exclaimed Doc. "You are her family. Of course she wanted you to dance with her. She sat out two dances, waiting for you to ask her to dance with you. That was the perfect opportunity to show her that you really cared about her and wanted her in your family and you blew it big time! Well, you've got two more chances and those are going to be at the Sunday school picnic tomorrow and next Saturday at the wedding. Don't blow those opportunities also or she'll be totally convinced that you really don't love her or want her in your family! You've got to do more things with her besides going fishing and riding. One thing you can do is ask Quint to show you how to make moccasins for her. She would love to wear a pair made by one of you. She knows how to make her own, but a pair made by one of you would be special. Remember, actions speak louder than words. You can tell her as many times as you want to how much you love her and want her as part of your family but those will just be empty words if you don't show her."

"You're right Doc," said Ben. "We'll play with her at the picnic and we'll be sure and ask her to dance with us at the wedding. Even though I've got more gray hairs than I had when we arrived in Dodge, I do love her and want her to be part of my family."

"Well then, see that you do! That child needs to know that you're there for her, even if it's just at a picnic or a dance."

The next morning, when Kitty came to get her, Cat didn't want to get up for church. "Come on Cat. It's Sunday. You need to get up and dressed so we can eat breakfast before church."

"I don't want to go to church Miss Kitty."

"I don't care. You are going to go to church just like we have done every Sunday since you were little. Do you want me to get Matt, your Pa or Adam?"

"No ma'am."

"Well then get up and get dressed. Don't forget, today is the Sunday school picnic and you wouldn't want to miss that, would you?"

"No, I don't want to go. It won't be any fun. Uncle Ben and Adam will be there and they don't really love me. If they did, they would have danced with me last night."

Kitty sighed. "Your Pa and brother love you Cat and they're sorry they didn't dance with you last night. Doc even yelled at them. Now, get up, get dressed and let's go to church. Give them a chance to make it up to you."

"Doc yelled at them?"

"Yes he did and so did I. If they don't play with you at the picnic, I'll let you yell at them too. Now get up and get dressed. We need to eat breakfast before church."

"Ok. I'll get up." Cat got out of bed and walked out the door to Matt's office five minutes later. She said good morning to Matt and hugged him while ignoring Ben and Adam. Matt noticed and told her she was being rude, so she reluctantly said good morning to them.

During the church service, the minister told everyone that Mr. Brown and Julie's mother were going to be married next Saturday and everyone was invited to the wedding and party after. After church, everyone went out to a small lake near town for the picnic. Kitty provided the food for their group. There were a lot of games for the children and Cat participated in many of them. To her surprise, Adam offered to be her partner in the three legged race and Ben offered to be her partner in the wheelbarrow race. Cat finished first in the three legged race and second in the wheelbarrow race. There was a foot race and Cat finished fifth. Ben and Adam were curious to see what her reaction would be to both winning and losing. She did not disappoint them and they learned that she didn't care if she won or lost, she just wanted to have fun. "Besides that," she said, "When Fury grows up; he's going to be the fastest horse in the world. We are going to race in many races and nobody will be able to beat him. I read in a book that in England and Ireland, they have races where the horses jump over fences and bushes. I am going to enter them too and Fury will win all of them, especially once I teach him how to fly."

Everybody started laughing at Cat's pronouncements. Ben pulled her to him, hugged her and said, "Adam is right. You are a silly little girl. Horses can't fly. Neither can people."

"Horses can too fly! Miss Jackson read us a story about a horse named Pegasus and he could fly. He was such a special horse that when he died, God turned him into a bunch of stars called a consternation."

Everyone had a hard time to keep from laughing at Cat. "Cat, the word you're looking for is constellation," said Adam. "Remember when you came to the Ponderosa at Christmas when you were five? We went for a moonlight sleigh ride and I told you about the constellations. They are groups of stars that form pictures."

"That was a very long time ago Cat," said Ben. "There hasn't been a flying horse since Pegasus died."

"Well, Fury is going to learn how to fly. If Santa's reindeer can fly, so can Fury. I'm just going to have to go to the North Pole and ask Santa to give me some of the magic corn he gives his reindeer so that Fury can fly."

Adam almost choked on his lemonade trying to keep from laughing at his sister. He was beginning to wonder if his father knew what he was doing when he adopted Cat. Just when he thought things on the Ponderosa were going to settle down, this little girl who was unlike any girl he's ever met, was now his sister. Hoss was a grown man. Joe was nineteen now and not getting into much mischief anymore, so things should be starting to quiet down. He had a feeling that it was going to be many more years before things on the Ponderosa were quiet. Cat was wilder than Joe had been when he was a boy and she was just as headstrong and stubborn as his youngest brother still was. Adam also suspected that she had inherited her mother's temper which meant they would be butting heads a lot and she was liable to start fights with other children who made her angry. He loved his little sister dearly but he was convinced she was going to do everything in her power to drive him crazy.

Cat's last week in Dodge passed quickly. She kept jumping fences and managed not to get caught. Matt caught her running on the boardwalk and since she had run into someone and knocked them down, he spanked her and gave her a long lecture on safety before making her stand in the corner. Friday arrived before anyone knew it. Kitty kept the Long Branch closed so she could have Cat's farewell party there. Cat went early so she could give Matt his birthday present. Ben, Adam, Quint, Festus and Doc arrived before Matt did so they were able to see the look on his face when he opened the box. Matt was very shocked when he opened the box and saw his new winter coat. He couldn't believe that his niece had worked and saved almost all of her earnings to buy him an expensive birthday present when she was only eight years old. Ben and Adam had a hard time believing it also until Kitty showed them the book where she kept track of the money Cat earned. Matt picked Cat up, kissed her on the cheek and hugged her tightly.

When Cat left with Matt to put his new coat in his office, Kitty turned to Adam and said, "Maybe now you'll realize that Cat is not a baby and can be trusted with money. I would have gladly given her the money to buy that coat but she wanted to earn it herself. Right now, she's worried about how she's going to be able to afford a gift for Matt next year. As you can see, I currently have thirteen dollars she has earned since you arrived in Dodge. She wants to buy him a saddle that costs forty dollars. She doesn't know if she's going to be able to earn enough money next summer and she doesn't want to ask Jarrod for any of her inheritance. She's only nine and she's more responsible with money than many adults I have known. There's one other thing I don't know if you're aware of…"

"What's that?" asked Ben.

"Cat thinks she doesn't need people. She can pretty much take care of herself. Ask Quint. She's very good with that bow and arrows of hers and is able to catch and cook her own meals. She also knows how to make her own clothing out of buckskins. Once Silver Chief is grown enough to protect her, she'll think she needs people even less. She hasn't left on her own because Matt tells and shows her how much he loves her every chance he gets. I know that you love her very much and she needs to know it too."

"Thank you for telling me that Kitty. I wasn't aware that Catherine thinks that she doesn't need people. We got a demonstration of her abilities when we were at the McCain's. She caught our supper one night and Mark helped her cook it. I was surprised, but it was an excellent meal. We'll all spend as much time with her as we can. Lucas and Mark taught her how to work with cattle, so I'll let her look for strays and help with small groups of cattle. When she's older, I'll let her work with larger groups of cattle. She won't like only looking for strays and helping with small groups of cattle, but hopefully she'll understand those restrictions when I explain them in terms of keeping her safe."

"As long as you tell her that as she grows older, she'll be able to help with larger groups of cattle, she should be fine," said Quint. "It will help a lot if Joe tells her how old he was when you started letting him work with cattle. I know that the two of them are close, so if he explains what his restrictions with cattle were when he was her age; she won't think you're keeping her from working with them just because she's a girl. In fact, it will help a lot if, every time she rebels when you tell her she can't do something because of her age, one of her brothers tells her how old he was before you let him do the same thing."

"That's an excellent idea Quint. Thank you for suggesting it. Oh, and don't worry. I intend to have a long talk with Catherine about safety while on horseback. I'm hoping that once I tell her about Marie, she'll be more careful and stop jumping fences."

Cat and Matt returned and Cat's friends began arriving so the discussion ended. Cat and the other children had fun at her party. There was plenty of food and lots of desserts. The children played games and Mrs. Jones, the church organist played the piano and they all sang songs. Cat enjoyed being able to spend time with her friends and was glad she was able to say goodbye to them. When the party was over, the children surprised the adults by cleaning up.

Julie's mother married Mr. Brown the next afternoon. Julie participated in the ceremony. Mr. Brown gave her the rings to hold until the minister asked for them. Before the ceremony ended, Julie, her mother, and Mr. Brown were each given a small candle that they used to light a large candle to show that they were all a family now. At the party after the wedding both Ben and Adam danced with Cat which made her happy. After church on Sunday, Kitty helped Cat pack all of her belongings in a trunk Ben had bought for her and they left on the afternoon train to Denver. "How long will it take us to get to the Ponderosa?" asked Cat.

"It will take two days to reach Denver," said Ben. "We'll change trains there and it will take another day to reach Carson City. From Carson City, we'll take the stage to Virginia City and that will only take a few hours, so we'll be home in a little more than three days."

"Can't Hoss and Little Joe just meet us in Carson City?"

"Yes, they could, but Roy would never forgive me if we didn't stop in Virginia City so he could welcome you home. I'll tell you what Kitten. When we reach Carson City, I'll let you send the telegrams to Hoss, Joe, and Roy so they'll know when to expect us. Would you like to do that?"

"Yes I would. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now then, Kitty tells me that you want to buy a forty dollar saddle for Uncle Matt's birthday next year. Once you get settled in on the Ponderosa, you're going to have some chores to do. Besides taking care of your horses, I'm going to let you fill the wood box in the kitchen and gather the eggs to start. You'll have more chores to do when you get older. As long as you stay out of trouble and keep your school grades up, if you want to do some extra chores, I'll pay you to do them. I'll pay you depending on what you do. For example, if you weed the vegetable garden for Hop Sing, I'll pay you twenty five cents. It's a long time until next summer and Kitty says that you already have thirteen dollars saved up, so you don't need to rush and start doing things right now. Take time to get settled in and get used to ranch life before you start doing anything extra. I want to introduce you to some of the children who live near the Ponderosa. I know that you, Laura and Mary are already friends, but there are other children who live near them I want you to meet. That way you'll already have some friends when you start school."

"I'm not going to go to school if that mean teacher is still there. Mary loves school and she told me that she doesn't even like going to school with that teacher."

"Catherine, I promise you that I will look into what Mary says about the teacher before the end of next week. I don't want any children going to school with a mean teacher. I am going to talk to Mary and I am going to talk to the teacher. I need to get you enrolled anyway, so I'll take your books and see if you need different ones. If the teacher is rude to me the way Mary says she is rude to the children, I will ask the school board chairman to call a meeting so we can get a new teacher. Don't worry. I promise you that you will not be going to school with a mean teacher."

"Ok. I think Silver Chief needs to do his business. Adam, why don't you put him inside your shirt again?"

"No you little scamp. I'm going to put him inside your shirt. That would be much more fun for me." Cat stuck her tongue out at her brother. Adam picked up the puppy and carried him to the stock car. When he returned, he had the puppy behind his back so Cat couldn't see him.

"Where is Silver Chief?"

"I left him in the stock car. He told me that he wanted to start learning how to ride a horse, so I let him stay there for a while."

"He did not. He's still a baby and doesn't know how to talk yet. I'm going to teach him how to talk when he gets older."

"That's what you think," Adam teased. "He talks to me all the time. Why just last night he told me that he thinks you are a silly little girl and he wants to stay with me. The only problem is that he says if he stays with me, he wants my whole bed and I have to sleep on the floor. I really don't want to sleep on the floor, so he and I are going to have to talk about that arrangement."

Cat giggled. "If Silver Chief wants your whole bed, he should get your whole bed. You can sleep in the barn or the bunk house."

Ben and nearby passengers who heard the exchange between brother and sister laughed quietly. A minister and his wife were in the seat directly behind Cat. They turned around and he said, "That's right young lady. Your brother should already know that puppies are much more important than older brothers. After all, God created puppies before he created older brothers."

"If your puppy wants your brother's entire bed, then by all means, your brother should give up his bed," said his wife.

Ben could no longer keep from laughing. Knowing he was outnumbered, Adam sighed, took Silver Chief from behind his back and handed him to Cat. Cat tugged on Adam's shirt, stood up on her seat and whispered something in his ear. "Why didn't you say something earlier?" he asked.

"Because I didn't need to until just now."

"Alright. Come with me. I have to take you into the car in front of us. Crossing between cars is dangerous, so I need to do exactly as I say without arguing."

A man who was around Ben's age told Adam, "Please allow me to help you with your sister. Once you're safely on the other car, I'll hold one of her hands until she is safely across. I'll wait for you to return and help her back across."

"Thank you Mr.…"

"Dr. Stevens," said the man. "And you're quite welcome. I wouldn't want to see your sister get hurt."

When they went out on the platform between cars, Adam told Cat he was going to cross over to the other car. Then he was going to reach back across and she should take his hand. He also told her not to let go of Dr. Stevens' hand until he told her to. Cat didn't argue and did exactly as Adam told her to do. Once they were back in their own car, Cat asked, "Adam, when will I be able to cross between cars by myself?"

"When you're as big as Hoss."

"But I'll never be as big as Hoss."

"Well then, I guess you'll always need help crossing between cars."

When they reached their seats, they found Ben talking to the minister and his wife. Ben said, "Adam, Catherine, I would like to introduce you to Reverend David Long and his wife, Joanne. Reverend Long, Joanne, this is my eldest son, Adam and my daughter, Catherine. Reverend Long is going to be the new minister in Virginia City. Once they're settled, we'll have to invite them to supper on the Ponderosa."

"It will be our pleasure," said Mrs. Long. She looked at Cat and said, "I'm willing to guess that you prefer to be called Cat."

"Yes ma'am. I do."

"I thought so. I have four sisters. My youngest sister's name is Catherine and she also prefers to be called Cat. I can't wait to see the beautiful ranch your father told me about. As my husband will tell you, I love spending time out in God's creation among the trees and wild creatures. I'll let you in on a little secret that I'm quite certain will shock the ladies in Virginia City. I love to go fishing and can even bait my own hook."

"Wow! I don't know of any ladies who like to fish and can even bait their own hook. Mrs. Tanner likes to go fishing with me, Pete, and Mike, but she won't bait her hook or take the fish off."

"Once my husband and I have settled in, maybe you and I can go fishing sometime."

"Yes ma'am. I would like that a lot."

Before Mrs. Long could answer, Cat's stomach rumbled loudly and so did Reverend Long's. Everyone laughed. "Well Mr. Cartwright, I think your daughter and my husband are hungry. I do hope you brought some food along for Cat."

"Yes we did. A few of her friend's mothers in Dodge packed two picnic baskets full of enough food to hast us until we reach Virginia City. And don't worry. There is enough food for Catherine's puppy too."

"That is excellent. Well, if you'll excuse me, my husband is about to make a mess of the basket I packed, so I had better take care of it." She turned around to get some food for her husband while Adam put food in Silver Chief's bowl and Ben handed some to Cat.

"That was good," Cat said when she had finished eating. "It sure was nice of Mamma Tanner and Julie's Ma to make all that food for us."

"Yes it was," Ben replied. "If Hop Sing wasn't such a good cook, I would steal both of those ladies to come and cook for us on the Ponderosa."

Cat laughed. "You're silly. Mr. Brown and Mr. Tanner wouldn't let them come and live with us unless they brought their families too. Is the Ponderosa big enough for all of the Browns and Tanners, including Pete and Mike?"

"No," said Adam. "The Ponderosa isn't even big enough for you, let alone you, Peter and Michael Tanner. You are already starting to drive me crazy and we're not even home yet. If the three of you along with Hoss and Joe were altogether in one place, I would be crazy before a week was out."

"Now son," said Ben. "The five of them aren't quite that bad. I'm sure it would take all of them at least two weeks before they drove you crazy. Cat, I've got our book in my bag. Would you like to read a chapter or two before it gets dark?"

"Yes, I would. Thank you for bringing the book and not putting it in my trunk."

"You're welcome sweetheart. That's what I'm here for, besides to keep you from driving Adam crazy before we get home."

After they read two chapters, Ben said, "Adam, why don't you take Silver Chief into the stock car to do his business and I'll take cat up to the next car? That way, hopefully both of them will sleep until morning."

The Longs heard what Ben said and Reverend Long said, "That's an excellent idea Mr. Cartwright. If you don't mind, Joanne and I will accompany you. It will be safer for her and your daughter if there are two of us to help them between cars."

"Thank you. I appreciate your offer of help."

While they were waiting for Cat and Mrs. Long to finish, Reverend Long said, "Catherine isn't your natural daughter, is she?"

"No, she was my younger sister's daughter. When my sister was murdered, I adopted Catherine. She was standing next to her mother when she was killed and sometimes relives that moment. Please don't be alarmed if she calls out in her sleep."

"I won't be. Where is Catherine's father?"

"He was killed in the war when she was just a little more than a year old. His eldest brother raised Cat until her mother was killed. The reason for that is a long story I'll tell you some day soon. There are parts of it Cat isn't old enough to understand yet, so I don't want to say anything right here."

"I understand. I'll tell my wife about Catherine's night terrors so she won't be concerned."

"Thank you. I'm hoping that as she begins to settle into life on the Ponderosa, they'll go away."

"Mr. Cartwright, I have dealt with things like this before and it may be a year or more before the bad dreams stop. Is her bedroom near yours?"

"Please call me Ben. Yes, Catherine's room is just across the hall from mine."

"Good. Then you'll be able to get to her in a hurry when the night terrors come. I will keep her in my prayers that the night terrors cease to exist soon. Well, here are our girls. Let's get them safely back to our car."

When they reached their seats, Ben took down the large suitcase Cat's things had been in and took out two large cushions as well as Cat's pillow and blanket. "Mrs. Tanner gave these cushions to me for you to sleep on. She thought they might make you a little more comfortable than just sleeping on the train seat."

"Wow! That sure was nice of her. I wish she was here so I could hug her."

"I know you do Sweetheart. Right now, you and that puppy of yours need to get some sleep. Lay down. I'll give you Silver Chief and cover you up."

"Maybe Pete and Mike can come and spend some time on the Ponderosa with me."

"No!" Exclaimed Adam. "If those two boys come anywhere near the Ponderosa, I'm going to steal your colt and your puppy."

"Good. Then Fury can sleep in your bed with Silver Chief instead of in the barn. He would like that and so would I." Cat got up on her knees, looked behind her at the Longs and asked, "My colt can sleep in Adam's bed with my puppy if he wants to, can't he?"

"Of course he can," replied Reverend Long. "Colts are just as important as puppies and much more important than older brothers."

"Thank you. See Adam, even Reverend Long says Fury and Silver Chief can have your bed if they want it."

Adam sighed and Ben said, "You may as well give up son. You're not going to win this one. Your sister is a lot like her mother in many ways. There were many times when we were young that she was able to talk herself out of being punished for misbehavior."

"Gee," said Cat. "I wish she would have taught me how to do that before she died. Then I could have talked Uncle Matt out of spanking me and making me stand in the corner just because I was running on the boardwalk."

"You were spanked because you ran into a cowboy and knocked him down. When we get home, you and I are going to have a long talk about running in the house and jumping your horse over fences. No, don't make a sour face. Neither one of those things are safe and it's my job to keep you safe. It's getting late. Now lie down and go to sleep." Cat lay down and Ben put Silver Chief next to her and covered both of them up. Once she was sleeping, the Longs invited Ben and Adam to join them.

"Ben, I am curious how you have come to adopt your sister's daughter and why her father's eldest brother has raised her until now," said Reverend Logan. "You touched on it earlier, and I admire your decision not to talk about it in front of Catherine. Judging from the little bit you told me, there are things she doesn't need to know right now."

"Yes, there are things Catherine doesn't need to know right now. She has been traumatized enough. The other revelations can wait until the family determines she is mature enough to understand the details. I am the second oldest of four children. I had two sisters and a brother. My older sister lives with her family in California. My brother became ill and died about six years ago, leaving a son whom I haven't seen since his father's funeral. My younger sister was Catherine's mother. Her husband was killed in the war when Catherine was about eighteen months old. After his funeral, my sister made the decision to go and live with our father in St. Louis. Unknown to us, after our mother's death, he became obsessed with wealth and power. He forced my sister to marry a man who claimed to be a wealthy diamond miner in Australia."

"How did her force her?" asked Mrs. Long.

Ben began to tell the story of how Cat became his daughter. Part way through his narration, he said, "Please excuse me. I need to make sure that Catherine is asleep. I don't want her to overhear something she shouldn't know right now." After making sure Cat was asleep, Ben continued his story.

When he finished Mrs. Long asked, "Why did your sister give Catherine to her husband's brother instead of you, your sister or brother?"

"She was afraid that we would give Catherine to our father. She knew that her husband's brothers would not give into his demands to return the child to him. There is something important you need to know. Unfortunately, Catherine blames herself for her mother's death. She keeps saying that her mother would still be alive if she had gone to Australia. She has been told by many people that her mother was only pretending to try and get her to go to Australia and that she was divorcing her husband because he did not treat her like a lady. However, Catherine still keeps blaming herself."

"I'm no expert in the matter," said Reverend Long. "But I think that is something which will take quite a while for her to overcome. You said that Catherine was eight when her mother was killed and eight year olds tend to see the world in black and white. Whenever she starts blaming herself, just keep telling her about the divorce and as she matures, Catherine will come to see that what happened to her mother was not her fault."

"I am curious," said Mrs. Long. "Why is Catherine dressed in buckskins instead of wearing a dress like a girl should?"

Adam told them the story of how Cat had been visiting Rip in Arizona, wandered away from the fort and was adopted by the Apaches. "She keeps saying that she's going to be an Apache warrior when she grows up and I wouldn't be surprised if she does. She spends two weeks with them every summer and is very independent as a result. Even though she's only nine, she can hunt and cook what she kills. She also knows how to make her own clothing and moccasins. Cat will wear a dress for special occasions. When we were in Dodge, she wore a dress to a dance and for a friend's mother's wedding. She has said that she will wear a dress to church her first Sunday in Virginia City but after that, I don't expect to see her in one again until Thanksgiving."

"All attempts to force her to wear a dress have resulted in shouting matches and Catherine being punished and having hurt feelings," added Ben. "I don't intend on doing that to her. I have been told by several women in Dodge who know her quite well, that as she begins to become interested in boys, she will probably start wearing dresses more. Personally, I'd prefer that she wear buckskins rather than become interested in boys. I am not looking forward to her teenage years."

Ben's last statements resulted in laughter from all who heard it. "Spoken like a true father," said Dr. Stevens. "My brother and I all said something similar when our daughters reached their teenage years. My father kept a loaded shotgun by the front door when my sisters started dating."

"I'm thinking of doing exactly that," said Ben. I would gladly keep her from growing up if there was a way to prevent it."

"Now Ben," said Mrs. Long. "I don't think you have anything to worry about. Cat seems like a very sweet child and I'm certain you won't have many problems with her."

"Cat may be sweet, but I know that we will have a lot of problems with her," said Adam. "My brother Hoss started calling her Wild Cat when she was about one. He says that she is as wild as the West Texas wind and harder to tame, and he's right. Cat is headstrong and stubborn. She will do things her own way, even if she knows she'll get into trouble. She and two of her friends grew bored with school when they were only five. The three of them figured out how to get away from the school without being spotted at least three times. They spent those days fishing and returned to the school at the end of the day, acting as though they had been there the entire day. She was punished by her uncle in Dodge for it each time and only stopped skipping school when my brothers and I told her that she would not be allowed to visit us if she kept skipping school. Cat has been lectured and punished many times for jumping her horse over fences but she keeps doing it. I wouldn't be surprised if she got caught looking under the saloon door to satisfy her curiosity about what happens in them."

"Didn't she do that in Dodge?" asked Reverend Long.

"No. She couldn't. Her uncle is the Marshal there and when she was five, a boy who is several years older than she is threatened to kill her. So, she was never alone in her uncle's office at night after that."

"Well, I'm glad that the people in Dodge cared enough to keep her safe," said Mrs. Long.

"I don't think she was," said Ben. "It's my understanding that she hated school and was angry about being punished for skipping, so she planned to run away when her uncle was making his rounds at night. Her plans were thwarted when she discovered that she wasn't alone."

"Oh, that is so precious," laughed Mrs. Long. "I can only imagine how frustrated she was. Ben, I think you are going to have your hands full with that little one."

"You're right about that. I'm tempted to put hobbles on her just to slow her down a little bit, but knowing her, I don't even think that will work. Well, if you'll excuse us, Adam and I need to get some sleep. The only time Catherine isn't up at dawn is on days she has to go to school. If at least one of us isn't awake when she is, she's liable to try and go between train cars on her own." Ben tucked Cat's blanket in around her, then he and Adam went to sleep, both of them hoping and praying that Cat would not have a nightmare. Their hopes and prayers were answered as Cat slept all night.