Roy arrived at the parsonage with the church buggy at three thirty. Mrs. Long asked about Hop Sing. "He has been with Ben ever since he built the Ponderosa and Ben considers him to be a friend and part of the family. He helped take care of Adam and Hoss when they were still young boys. When Joe's mother was killed in a riding accident, Hop Sing was there to help take care of all three boys while Ben grieved. When Cat's mother went into labor at Joe's tenth birthday party, Hop Sing took care of her until the doctor arrived. He nursed me back to health when I showed up at the door soaking wet and sick with fever last year. He loves Cat as though she were his own daughter. And, as you will learn tonight, Hop Sing is the best cook in the territory and probably in the state of Nevada. Nobody says no when they are invited to supper at the Ponderosa and nobody who turns up unexpectedly is ever turned away."
When they arrived at the Ponderosa, both doctors and Virginia Martin were already there. Since supper wasn't ready yet, everyone sat in the living room talking. Roy looked at Cat and asked, "When is my favorite Cartwright going to come, visit me in town?"
"Maybe tomorrow?"
"Not tomorrow Cat," said Ben. "Tomorrow your brothers are going to be busy arranging your bedroom."
"Oh that's right. I got a new bedroom Uncle Roy. Do you want to see it?"
"Of course I do and I'll bet that Dr. Johnson, Dr. Paul, Mrs. Martin, and the Longs would want to see it too."
"Sure. You can come and see it if you want to. Maybe you can help me figure out where I want everything."
Cat started to run up the stairs when all of the adults said, "Cat, no running in the house."
"You just got home today," said Paul. "I don't want to have you as a patient for a long time. Do your uncles in Arizona and Dodge allow you to run indoors?"
"No sir."
"Well then, don't do it here. It isn't safe and nobody wants to see you get hurt. Ben, I don't know how you're going to slow her down and I wish you luck doing it."
"Matt and I both thought about hobbles," replied Ben. "But knowing Cat, she'd still figure out how to run indoors."
Cat walked up the stairs followed by the guests. She opened the door to her new bedroom and everyone entered. "This is very nice," said Reverend Long.
"I love how you have two windows to look out of," said Dr. Johnson.
"They even painted it green to match your pretty eyes," said Roy. "I should get them to come and fix up my office too."
"I agree Roy," said Paul. "After they finish your office, they can come and do mine."
"I think I'll let your Pa and brothers come and decorate the parsonage too," said Mrs. Long.
"I need to figure out how I want it, but I can't figure out how to put the bed so I can look out of both windows while I'm in bed."
Everyone looked at the room and Roy said, "I'm sorry Kitten. We've looked at this bedroom from every possible angle and the only way you'll be able to look out both windows from your bed is if you block the door with it."
"Oh pooh. I really wanted to look out both windows from my bed."
"I know you did Sweetheart, but you need to figure out which window you want to look out of from the bed."
"I can't make up my mind. Which one do you like?"
"It's your decision," said Mrs. Long. "But I like the view of the mountains. You'll be able to see the sunrise every morning."
"I agree with Mrs. Long," said Dr. Johnson. "The view of the mountains is pretty but it's your bedroom, so you have to arrange it the way you like it."
Roy hugged her and said, "I can't wait to see what you decide. I'll ride out in a few days and you can show me what you decided to do. Right now, I think we had better go back downstairs. I know how upset Hop Sing gets when anybody is late for supper and I don't want him angry at me. He might only give me a small piece of chocolate cake if I'm late."
Cat giggled. "Good. That means I'll get more."
"You little scamp. Just for that, I'm going to hide your chair. Then you'll be late for supper and I'll get your piece of chocolate cake."
"If you two don't hurry up and go downstairs, I'm going to eat both of your pieces of chocolate cake as well as my own," said Paul.
Roy and Cat looked at each other and laughed as they walked downstairs. Paul looked at the Longs and his friend and said, "That is completely normal for the three of us, especially Roy and Cat. If one of them doesn't tease the other about getting their piece of chocolate cake, the other thinks the one is sick. Well, we had better go downstairs or Paul and Cat will have more than their share of chocolate cake and just like them, I absolutely love Hop Sing's chocolate cake."
They went downstairs and joined the family and Roy at the table. Hop Sing had made all of Cat's favorite foods and everyone feasted on steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn on the cob, spinach, and biscuits. Unseen by Cat, he had carried Silver Chief into the kitchen and filled his bowl with food. Cat filled her plate and ate everything on it, including a second helping of potatoes with gravy, corn, and another biscuit. When dessert was served, Hop Sing gave her a very large piece of chocolate cake. "Cat, you ate an awful lot for supper. Are you going to be able to eat all of that cake?" asked Ben.
"I am never too full to eat chocolate cake. I would eat it for breakfast, dinner and supper if I could."
"It's a good thing you can't," said Paul. "If you did, you would be spending a lot of time in my office with belly aches."
"No I wouldn't. I love chocolate cake and chocolate cake loves me." Everyone burst out laughing at Cat's last statement.
After giving everyone a piece of cake, Hop Sing brought a fresh pot of coffee and more milk for Cat to the table Mrs. Long said, "Hop Sing, that supper was wonderful. Thank you for inviting us. Sheriff Coffee was correct. You are an excellent cook. You simply must give me your recipes for the biscuits and chocolate cake."
"Thank you Missus Long. Hop Sing happy to show you how to make biscuits and chocolate cake. Come to Ponderosa any time and I show you."
Once they had finished their cake, the adults took their coffee, Cat took her milk and everyone went into the living room to talk. Adam asked Cat to go up to his bedroom and bring his guitar downstairs. She started for the stairs, turned around and asked, "Which one is yours now?"
Adam laughed and said, "I traded bedrooms with you. My bedroom is the one you used to have."
Reverend Long said, "Ben, that was very nice of you to give that large bedroom to Catherine."
"It wasn't my idea. That is the room Catherine was born in and Joseph thought that she should have it now that she's going to be living here. Adam didn't want to give it up and it took a lot of persuasion from his brothers as well as some from me to get him to give it to Catherine."
Cat came back downstairs and handed the guitar to Adam. He played for a while until Cat started yawning. The guests said goodnight, Roy hugged Cat and everyone left for town. "Cat, you need to take your puppy outside one last time tonight and you need to use the outhouse too. Then it's time for bed. You've had a very long day and need a good night's sleep. Since I'm not sure exactly where your night clothes are, I'll ask Joe to give you one of his shirts to sleep in for tonight."
"I forgot to feed Silver Chief," she said.
"Hop Sing fed him"
When she came back inside, Cat went into the kitchen to say goodnight to Hop Sing and thank him for feeding her puppy. "Hop Sing very happy Missy Cat back home," he said as he hugged her goodnight. "You get good night sleep and I fix flapjacks, eggs and bacon for breakfast in morning."
Cat walked upstairs to her new bedroom and found her father and brothers waiting to say goodnight to her. Joe had one of his shirts for her to sleep in. Once she had changed clothes, her brothers hugged her goodnight. She got into bed and Ben put Silver Chief next to her. Even though she was very tired, she couldn't resist teasing Adam one more time. "Enjoy sleeping in your bed tonight Adam because tomorrow night, Fury and Silver Chief will be sleeping in it."
"That's alright," he replied. "I'll just sleep in your bed and find an old train seat for you to sleep on."
"Alright you two," laughed Ben. "That's enough for now. Catherine has had a very long day and needs to go to sleep." He hugged and kissed Cat goodnight, told her he loved her, tucked her and Silver Chief in, blew out the lamp, and left the room, closing the door behind him.
The family was getting ready to sit down to breakfast when Cat came downstairs, still yawning and rubbing her eyes. She didn't even see her father and brothers waiting for her at the table and just walked out the front door. After using the outhouse, she walked over to the pump, got a drink and splashed water on her face. "That's a little better Chief. This is one day when I wish morning didn't come so early. I would have liked to stay in bed for a few more hours. Oh well, I'm hungry and I'm sure you are too. Let's go, get some breakfast."
Cat walked back in the house and headed for the kitchen with her puppy. "Good morning Hop Sing. I need to feed my puppy."
"Hop Sing feed puppy. Missy Cat go sit down at table. Breakfast almost ready."
"But Hop Sing, Silver Chief is just a baby. He's hungry and I need to feed him."
"Missy Cat no worry about puppy. Hop Sing feed puppy. Missy Cat go say good morning to father and brothers. Hop Sing bring breakfast in few minutes. Missy Cat no argue with Hop Sing. Go to table."
"Good morning Sweetheart," said Ben, giving Cat a hug as she walked up to the table. "I hope you slept well."
"Yes I did."
A few minutes later, Hop Sing walked up to the table and set a large platter of flapjacks down on it. Then he went back into the kitchen and returned with a plate of bacon. "Where's Silver Chief's food Hop Sing?" asked Cat. "He can't eat flapjacks and bacon. He needs meat."
"Puppy no eat by table. Puppy eat in kitchen."
Cat got upset upset. "No! Silver Chief always eats with me. He never eats in anybody's kitchen. Even when I was with Uncle Lucas or visiting the Tanners, or Julie and her Ma, he ate with me, not in the kitchen. If he can't eat with me then I'm not going to eat here either! Come on Chief. We'll go hunting and get some food for both of us. Then we'll figure out how to go back to Uncle Matt in Dodge."
Ben sighed. The last thing he wanted first thing in the morning was to have his daughter upset, especially on her first morning in her new home. "It's ok Hop Sing. The puppy can eat out here near Catherine. We're all going to have to make some adjustments to the way we do things."
Joe put his arm around her and hugged her to him. "It's alright Cat. Hop Sing is going to bring Silver Chief's food out here. Later on, you, Pa, and I will figure out how things are going to work. Right now, you need to eat breakfast. You won't be able to do anything if you're hungry."
"Ok Joe. Thanks."
"You're welcome. Now how many flapjacks and eggs and how much bacon do you want?"
Cat took four flapjacks, two large spoonfuls of scrambled eggs, and four slices of bacon. Hop Sing came back out and put Silver Chief's bowl on the floor near Cat. He looked at her plate and said, "Missy Cat eat plenty. That very good. Missy Cat too skinny. Need to eat and get big like Hoss."
"I don't want to get big like Hoss, Hop Sing. I would have to ride an elephant instead of a horse if I got that big."
"Hop Sing no care. Missy Cat too skinny. Need to eat more."
"You may as well quit trying to argue with him Cat," said Joe. "He's been trying to fatten me up ever since I was born."
"That right. Little Joe too skinny and need to eat more." On his way back to the kitchen, Hop Sing bent down, patted Silver Chief on the head and said, "Good puppy. Eat lots grow big and strong. Take care of Missy Cat."
During breakfast, Ben said, "Boys, today your sister is queen for the day. Anything she wants to do, you will do with her, starting with arranging her bedroom the way she wants it. If she wants to go riding, you will go riding with her. If she wants to go fishing or swimming, you will go fishing or swimming with her. Adam, Joseph, I expect the pair of you to help move things around in her bedroom. Catherine, I want you to tell me if Adam and Joe help or if Hoss is the only one who does any work. Now, about your puppy and where he will eat…"
"I have an idea about that Pa," said Joe.
"Alright son, what is it?"
"Since Silver Chief is obviously used to eating with Cat, why not let him continue to eat near the table as long as it's just family, including Roy, Paul, and Virginia since they're practically family. Since not everybody likes having a dog near their dining table, when we have company, he can eat in the kitchen."
"Adam, Hoss, do either of you have any objections to your sister's puppy eating near the table?"
"No Pa," said both of them together.
"Well Catherine, what do you think of your brother's suggestion?"
"That's fine. Chief can eat in the kitchen when we have company and in here with me the rest of the time. He doesn't need to eat right by the table. He can eat over by that wall." She pointed to the wall farthest away from the table.
"Now I am going to need to tell Hop Sing what we've decided. I hope he won't be too upset over the puppy eating near the table. I have a few errands to do. When Cat decides what she wants to do today, please leave me a note before you leave and I will join you."
"Cat, Hoss, Joe, and I have some things we need to do right after breakfast," said Adam. Why don't we start working on your bedroom in about thirty minutes? That will give you time to spend with Fury and it will give us time to do some of the things we need to do."
"Ok Adam. I want to spend some time with Fury. He and Silver Chief need to get to know each other better since they're going to be friends."
She watched as Fury and Silver Chief got to know each other a little better. Twenty minutes later, Joe came out to the pasture and told Cat they were ready to help her arrange her bedroom. "Do you know where you want everything?" he asked as they were walking back to the house.
"I think so."
"I hope you do because we want to do something with you today besides moving furniture around in your room."
They walked upstairs and Cat saw that Adam and Hoss had moved her trunk, desk, chair, night tables and dressing table out into the hall. She gave them a funny look and Hoss said, "It will be easier for us to move your bed, chest of drawers and wardrobe if these things aren't in the room. Do you know where you want everything?"
"Oh ok. Yes I think I do."
"That's good. Where do you want the bed?"
"I want the bed so I can look out the window toward the mountains when I'm in bed. That way I can see the sun come up."
"Ok," said Adam. "What about the wardrobe and chest of drawers? We're going to have to move them so we can put your bed where you want it."
"They can go on that wall there," she replied pointing to the wall where she wanted the items.
It took about thirty minutes but Adam, Hoss and Joe moved the bed, wardrobe and chest of drawers to where Cat wanted them. "Alright," said Joe. "We've got the big things moved. Now, where do you want your desk?"
"I want that under the window that looks toward Lake Tahoe," replied Cat.
Fifteen minutes later, all of the furniture was back in the room and Cat's trunk was at the foot of her bed.
Adam opened the trunk and took out the pictures of Cat's parents and her father's hat, neckerchief and sword and laid them on the bed. Hoss and Joe looked at them and admired the sword. They were happy that Cat was their sister now, but sorry that she had lost her parents without ever getting to know them. "Where do you want to hang your parents' pictures and your father's hat, neckerchief, and sword?" asked Adam.
"That's the one thing I can't make up my mind about. What do you think?"
"How about if you put them on the wall between the windows?" asked Hoss and Joe together.
"That way you can see them from your bed and from your desk," added Joe.
"Ok. That's a good idea. We can put them there."
"I'll be back in a few minutes," said Adam. "I need to go and get a hammer and nails." He returned a few minutes later, pulled a nail out of his pocket and put it in the wall. Then he hung the large picture of Cat's parents on their wedding day on the nail. He hung the smaller pictures in a circle around it. After all of the pictures were hung, he said, "Cat, how about if we hang the sword above the pictures, the hat on the left side of them and the neckerchief on the right side? Then the hat and sword won't block the view of the pictures from your desk."
"That's fine. Thank you Adam."
"You're welcome little sister. I'll be done here in just a few minutes. What do you want to do next?"
"I thought we could ride out to Lake Tahoe and go fishing and swimming."
"That sounds like fun," said Joe. "I haven't been swimming in quite a while."
"Me neither," said Hoss.
Cat started looking through her things and said, "I don't know where my swimming clothes are and I don't want to empty the whole trunk now."
"I've got an idea," said Joe. "I'll be back in a few minutes." He walked out of the room and came back a few minutes later carrying a pair of old pants and an old shirt. "These pants are too small for me. I know that they'll be too big for you, but Hop Sing can cut them off at the knees I'll cut a piece of rope for you to use as a belt. That way you can wear them and they won't fall off. This shirt is too small for me, so we can ask Hop Sing to cut the arms short. Then you'll have swimming clothes to use."
"Thank you Joe," Cat said as she hugged her brother.
"You're welcome Cat. Now, put them on and we'll ask Hop Sing to fix them for you."
A few minutes later, Cat and Joe walked into the kitchen. Hop Sing started laughing when he saw Cat wearing Joe's old clothes. "Missy Cat look funny in Little Joe's clothes. They too big for her."
Cat laughed too. "Yes I know Hop Sing. Can you please fix them so I can wear them swimming? I don't know where my swimming clothes are and Joe gave me these to wear."
"You stand on chair and Hop Sing mark pants to cut off. Then he mark shirt." Joe picked Cat up and put her on a chair. Hop Sing marked the pants and shirt sleeves with a piece of chalk.
Once the pants, shirt and belt had been marked, Joe handed Cat's clothes to her and told her to go into the small bedroom off the kitchen and change. Then Hop Sing took the pants and shirt to alter them.
As soon as Hop Sing finished altering the clothes for Cat, Adam handed her the saddle bags Tom and David had given her so she could put the clothes in one side and Silver Chief in the other. Then they all walked out to the barn to saddle their horses and get their fishing poles. Adam put a note for Ben on the armoire near the door and Hop Sing handed him a basket full of food. The four siblings mounted their horses and rode off toward Lake Tahoe for a day of fishing and swimming.
While his sons were arranging their sister's bedroom, Ben rode to the Ingalls' farm. He knocked on the door and Caroline opened it and said, "Mr. Cartwright, how nice to see you again. Please come in and have some coffee."
"Thank you Caroline. I hope that Charles is also at home because I need to talk to the two of you."
"Yes, Charles is home. Do come in and sit down."
Ben walked into the house and sat down. Caroline brought him a cup of coffee and he said, "Thank you Caroline. I am here for two reasons. Adam and I arrived home with Catherine yesterday and I would like to invite your family over for supper tomorrow."
"That is very kind of you Ben," said Charles. "We gladly accept. I know that the girls will be happy to see Catherine again."
"Good, I'm glad. Catherine will be glad to see Mary and Laura again. That brings me to the other reason for my visit this morning. Will you please tell me what you know about the school teacher? While we were in Dodge, Catherine told me some things about the teacher that she said your girls told her. I know that your girls are not prone to exaggeration; however, I believe that Catherine might be. I want to talk to you before going to see the teacher."
"I haven't met Miss Smith," said Caroline. "However, I can tell you that she is not a very good teacher. Mary loves school but ever since Miss Smith took over, she has not wanted to attend."
"This is what my girls have told me," said Charles. "Miss Smith has said that only about four or five of the children are worth teaching and that the rest are too stupid to learn anything. According to Mary, she doesn't explain anything to the children, expects them to do the assignments correctly and punishes them if they don't. She spends the day teaching her favorites and the rest of the children are left to struggle. Both girls have told me that she will not let the little ones use the outhouse except during recess and dinner, but she will punish them if they cannot hold it and have an accident. I am glad she was only at the school for the last two months of the term and sincerely hope that she will not be there for the next term. If she is, I will probably have Caroline teach the girls here at home."
"Thank you for telling all of that to me. Did you express your concerns to any of the school board members?"
"Yes I did, and so have most of the other parents. However, since Miss Smith was Reverend Jonas' niece, nothing was done."
"Well, Reverend Jonas is gone. The new minister, Reverend Long and his wife were on the train when we boarded it in Dodge. As you know, I was elected to the school board shortly before leaving to escort Catherine from her uncle's in New Mexico to Dodge. I want to spend the rest of today with Catherine and her brothers, but tomorrow I will go to town and speak with Miss Smith. Then I will be requesting a school board meeting to see about replacing her. If the school board will not replace her, then I will have to ask Adam to teach his sister at home and I don't think either of them will be happy about that."
"I know that Adam is needed to help on the ranch, so if Miss Smith is not replaced, Catherine is more than welcome to come here," said Caroline. "I will teach her along with Laura and Mary. Before you say anything, it won't be any trouble at all. Catherine and Laura are in the same grade, so I will still only be preparing three lessons." At Ben's puzzled look, Caroline said, "Carrie will be five in August and she would be starting school in the autumn also. Besides that, even though Catherine and Adam love each other, it will be better if she is taught by someone other than her eldest brother. Having an older sibling teach a child full time can lead to misunderstandings and hurt feelings, so it will be best if I teach Catherine along with my own three daughters."
"Thank you both of you, especially you Caroline for offering to teach Catherine if it comes to that. Now, before I leave, I had better say hello to Laura and Mary. If I don't and they and Catherine find out I was here and didn't say hello, I may never hear the end of it."
"Now, on a different topic," said Caroline. "You have done an excellent job raising your sons; however girls are different than boys in many ways and present their own set of unique challenges. If you ever have a question about what to do or why Catherine does something, please don't hesitate to ask. Charles and I will both be more than happy to help you. Also, even though it's several years away, when it is time for me to explain to my girls the changes that will happen to their bodies as they approach womanhood, I will be more than happy to include Catherine in that discussion. With your permission, when we see her tomorrow, I will tell her that anytime she needs a mother's advice, she is more than welcome to come to me. Now, let me call the girls down so you can say hello to them and then go, spend time getting to know your daughter."
"Thank you for your kind offer. Yes, Catherine may come to you whenever she needs advice from a mother and I greatly appreciate your offer to include her when you talk to your own daughters about becoming women. I don't think I'd know what to say."
Charles laughed. "Don't feel bad Ben. Neither do I."
Laura and Mary came down from the loft and became very excited when they saw Ben. "Where is Cat? Why didn't she come with you?" asked Laura.
"We gave Catherine a new bedroom while she was gone and her brothers are helping her arrange it the way she wants it. Then her brothers will be spending the whole day doing whatever she wants to do. You will see her tomorrow because I have invited your whole family to supper. Also, if you girls can keep your Ma and Pa out of trouble between now and then, we'll have a picnic out by Lake Tahoe next Saturday if the weather holds. We'll go fishing and swimming and of course, Hop Sing will pack a lot of food for us. Now, do the two of you think you can keep your Ma and Pa out of trouble between now and next Saturday?"
The girls giggled and said, "Yes sir. We can do that."
"Good for you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to go and join my children in whatever they are doing. I will see all of you around four tomorrow afternoon. That way the girls will have time to play before supper."
When Ben arrived back at the ranch, he read the note from Adam, found his swimming clothes, and went into the kitchen to tell Hop Sing he had invited the Ingalls for supper the next day and the two families would be having a picnic in a week. He looked in the barn and saw that his fishing pole was gone, so he rode out to join his children at the lake.
Once they arrived at the lake, Cat and her brothers dug for worms and started fishing. After they had caught almost two stringers full of fish, they changed clothes and went swimming. Before going in the water, Adam pointed to a tree that had fallen into the lake. "Do you see that tree?" he said to Cat. "You are not to swim out past the end of that tree. This lake is wide and deep and I will not have you putting yourself in danger."
"I know how to swim Adam."
"It doesn't matter. This is not the pond you fish and swim in when you're in Dodge. It is a very large lake and you are not to swim out past the end of that tree. It is too dangerous. Listen to me Catherine. I can guarantee that you will not like the consequences if you disobey me on this. Pa will be joining us soon and he will be very upset if you disobey me."
"Adam's right Cat," said Joe. "Hoss and I don't even swim out past the end of that tree. Neither do Pa or Adam. It just isn't safe and we want you to be safe."
Cat decided to test Adam and started to swim out past the tree but Hoss caught her and made her swim back to shore. He pointed to a tree and said, "That was a real dumb thing to do Cat. Did you think we wouldn't be keeping an eye on you? Adam and Joe both told you it wasn't safe to go out past the tree but you decided to anyways. If we won't go out past the tree, what makes you think it's safe for you to do it? The next time you get caught doing something unsafe like that, you're going to have a hard time sitting down. Now, you can just sit against that tree for fifteen minutes and be glad Pa or Adam didn't catch you." Joe and Adam noticed that Cat wasn't in the water and went to ask Hoss what happened. "I caught her trying to swim out past the tree. Before you ask, no, I didn't put her over my knees this time, but I did tell her what would happen the next time one of us caught her. She can sit by that tree for another ten minutes and think about what I told her. I also told her to thank her lucky stars you or Pa didn't catch her Adam. I know what you would have done to her." When Cat's fifteen minutes were up and she went back in the water, her brothers made sure at least one of them was between her and the top of the tree.
Ben showed up just as they were getting ready to eat dinner. Hoss made Cat tell their father what she had done. He didn't scold her but he did remind her that the rule about how far she was allowed to swim out was for her safety and he reinforced Hoss' words about what would happen the next time. After dinner they all went fishing again and laughed as Silver Chief tried to catch a fish. He finally caught one and received a lot of praise from everyone as well as hugs and kisses from Cat. When they had caught more than enough fish for supper, they decided to go swimming again. Having been warned by Hoss and Ben what would happen if she tried to go out beyond the top of the tree again, Cat wisely decided not to try again just then. She spent some time in the shallow water, floating on her back with Silver Chief on her chest. "Did you see that Chief? I'm nine years old and they still act like I'm a baby. Making me sit under that tree for fifteen minutes and threatening to spank me just because I swam out farther than Adam said I could. That was wrong. I'll show them that I'm not a little kid. As soon as I get the chance, I'll swim way out past that dumb old tree. Then they'll know that I can swim good. Maybe then they'll treat me like I'm nine and not four or five." The puppy just wagged his tail and jumped off of Cat to chase another fish.
Cat swam out to join her family. "What were you two talking about?" asked Ben.
"I am going to swim across the whole lake."
"Oh? And when are you going to do that?"
"It's a big lake, so I have to get a little stronger before I do. If I eat a lot of Hop Sing's cooking, I should be able to do it in two or three weeks. I'll probably have to start out right after breakfast so I can get to the other side before it gets dark. I guess Hop Sing will have to fix my breakfast out here the day I swim across the lake so I can start swimming as soon as I finish eating."
"I see. And how do you plan to get back over to this side of the lake? You will be very tired from swimming all that way, so you won't be able to swim back and it will take you two or three full days to walk back. You're going to get awful hungry too. You won't be able to carry your fishing pole or bow and arrows while you swim across the lake. Also, I seriously doubt that Hop Sing will come out here just to fix breakfast for you the day you decide to swim across the lake."
Cat frowned. "Oh pooh! I didn't think of those things. I guess I'll have to figure them out before I swim across the lake."
"It's good to figure everything out before doing something important. Right now, you need to go and splash your brothers. We're going to need to leave soon. We caught a lot of fish and we should help Hop Sing clean them."
Cat swam over to her brothers and Hoss put her up on his shoulders. When Joe got on Adam's shoulders, Hoss told her to try and push Joe into the water. Cat was having a hard time until Hoss helped by tickling Adam who let go of his youngest brother. Ben stood nearby, laughing at his grown sons playing with their little sister, wishing that Kate had stayed on the Ponderosa or trusted him enough to leave the girl with him instead of Matt. He watched them play for a while and then called, "Alright you four, we need to head back to the house. We caught a lot of fish and we need to help Hop Sing clean them for supper."
Her brothers headed for shore but Cat decided to stay and swim a little longer, so Joe picked her up, put her over his shoulder and carried her to shore. "You need to learn to listen," he scolded her. "When Pa says it's time to go, that means it's time to go, not swim some more. Now, go and change into dry clothes."
While Cat was changing, the others got everything ready to take back home. Once she had dry clothes on she asked, "Joe, can I ride Cochise?"
"Why? What's wrong with Ginger?"
"Nothing, I just want to ride Cochise. Adam let me ride Sport when we were in Dodge."
"Alright. Mount up and I'll adjust the stirrups."
Once Joe adjusted Cochise's stirrups for Cat and Ginger's for himself, the family started for home. Cat wanted to race Joe but since each of them were carrying half of the fish, she decided that she'd race her brother the next time she rode his horse.