Author's Note: To my guest reviewer: Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad you like my story. Don't worry, Cat will still be wild even after she's grown and married. She will continue to wear dresses to church for special occasions and to dances, but that's about it. (Her 1st Sunday in Virginia City will be considered a special occasion.) XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Once the Ingalls were gone, Ben asked, "Joseph, do you still have any of the balls you used to play with?"
"Yes I do. I was planning on giving them to Cat."
"Would you please go and get one?" Joe walked out to the barn and returned a few minutes later with a ball in his hands. "Thank you son. Would you please walk upstairs and roll the ball down? Catherine, I want you to pay close attention to what that ball does after Joe sends it down the stairs." Joe rolled the ball down the stairs and it rolled from side to side, skipping some stairs and hitting the railings on its way down to the main floor. "That is what could have happened to you today if Hoss hadn't stopped you from running down the stairs. Instead of having an enjoyable evening with your friends, Dr. Martin would have been here, trying to save your life. You are not in trouble because you did not run down the stairs, but I wanted you to see what could have happened to you. Please remember what I told you this morning. You have received your last warning about running in the house. The next time you are caught doing it, you will be punished. I do not want to punish you, so please do not run in the house. Now, it's time for you to get ready for bed."
"I want to help Hop Sing clear the table first. He made that nice supper for everybody and it's not fair for him to have to clean everything up by himself too. I'll go and get ready for bed after I help him."
"That is very thoughtful Cat. You learned a lot when you stayed with the Tanners. In fact, I don't see any reason why all of us can't help Hop Sing. We'll all help clear the table and maybe your brothers will help wash and dry the dishes and put them away while you and I read a chapter in our book."
With everyone helping, the table was cleared in no time at all and Cat went upstairs to get ready for bed. A few minutes later, Adam, Hoss, Joe, and Hop Sing walked out of the kitchen. "We figured we'd say goodnight to Cat before we got the dishes washed," said Hoss. "Since Hop Sing here is family too, we all figured he should get to say goodnight to her too."
"That's a good idea. I'm sure your sister will enjoy having all of you say goodnight to her."
Just as Ben finished speaking, Cat came walking down the stairs in her nightclothes, followed by her puppies. "I forgot to let Lassie and Silver Chief go outside and I need to use the outhouse."
"That's fine except you're forgetting one small thing."
"What did I forget?"
"You have bare feet. You can't go walking across the yard with nothing on your feet."
"Oh. I didn't think about that. I guess I'd better go and get my moccasins."
"Hold on a minute little sister. How about Ol' Hoss gives you a ride to the outhouse? Then you won't have to go back upstairs for your moccasins and you won't get your feet dirty runnin' across the yard in bare feet."
"Gee thanks Hoss. That would be swell."
"It's no problem Cat but you really do need to remember to wear shoes in the future."
"Ok. I will."
"Alright, climb up on my back and let's get you outside and then up to bed." Hoss carried Cat outside to the outhouse, back inside and up into her bedroom. He kissed her on the forehead, hugged her and told her he loved her before going back downstairs. Adam, Hop Sing, and Joe followed suit a few minutes later. Then they all went into the kitchen to wash the supper dishes. Ben walked upstairs, picked the book up from the night table and read another chapter in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with Cat. Then he put the puppies under the covers with her, kissed her on the forehead, hugged her, told her he loved her and was glad she was his daughter and tucked them in.
Cat looked at the puppies on either side of her and said, "Look. I'm the middle of a puppy sandwich."
"And so you are. What are you going to do when they grow up and there isn't enough room on your pillow for all three of you?"
"I'll take one of Adam's pillows and one of yours for them."
"We'll just have to see about that silly girl. I don't think Adam will like it if you take one of his pillows for your puppies and I know that I won't. Now, close your eyes and go to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be another busy day." He blew out the lamp and left the room, closing the door behind him. He said a silent prayer thanking God for the little girl who had been entrusted to him and asked that she not have any nightmares. Then he walked downstairs to talk with his sons. "Thank you for helping Hop Sing with the dishes boys. Catherine was correct. It's not fair of us to expect Hop Sing to cook and clean up after a large meal like tonight by himself. So, from now on, whenever Hop Sing makes a large meal like that, the entire family will assist in the clean up afterwards. Joseph, I am sorry that I had to punish you like I did today, but you know my rule about gambling. And no, I don't care if you are nineteen or twenty nine. As long as you live in my house, you will obey my rules, especially when it comes to gambling. Don't forget, you now have a younger sister you need to set a good example for."
"Speaking of gambling," said Adam. "Were you aware that Cat knows how to play poker?"
Joe started to complain that he was punished for gambling while his nine year old sister was allowed to, but Ben spoke up. "Yes, Matt told me. He allowed Kitty to teach her. They play for peanuts and when they're finished playing, the peanuts are divided up between Cat, Kitty, Doc, Festus, Matt, and Quint. If there is an uneven amount of peanuts, the winner decides who gets the extra. That is not gambling Joseph because nobody loses and everyone shares the peanuts equally. From what I was told, your sister is a good player. If the three of you want to play with your sister like that, I will not object. You can play for match sticks or marbles and put them all back where they belong when you're finished playing. However, you will not play for money even if it all goes back to the person who provided it.
I would like the three of you to continue teaching her how to do things around the ranch. I'll get her some gloves when we go into town tomorrow. She can go with you and watch you mend fences and do other things. Knowing her, she's going to want to try everything herself. I don't have to remind you about keeping her safe. Use your best judgment about the things you let her do. Remember, she's not afraid to try anything on her own, which is why Lucas taught her how to work cattle. He was afraid she'd try on her own and get hurt. If you see her attempting to do anything dangerous on her own, stop her, explain why it's dangerous, and offer to help her. Once you have done those things, if you catch her doing it again, give her a couple of swats, bring her to me and I'll deal with her. As you heard tonight, she has received her last warning about running in the house. If you catch her, give her a couple of swats and bring her to me. If I'm not home, put her in a corner and I'll deal with her when I return. That girl is so reckless, I'm afraid she'll be seriously hurt before she's been here a month. Joseph, you and Hoss have a lot of work to do starting tomorrow, so I recommend the two of you get a good night's sleep."
After his brothers went upstairs, Adam asked, "How much of that list did they get done?"
"Almost none of it son. They spent almost the entire time we were in town or goofing off. That's why you and Cat have no chores for at least two weeks. Your brothers won't be leaving the ranch except for church on Sunday until that list has been completed. I made Joe give me his gambling winnings. I'll use that money to open a bank account in your sister's name when I go to town tomorrow. It will be the start of her college fund if she decides to attend when she's old enough. Now, we'd better get to bed. This ranch won't run itself and I'll be taking your sister, Caroline and her girls to town tomorrow morning. We'll eat dinner in town. When we return, maybe you and I will take Catherine out and let her look for strays."
"You'd better be careful about letting her look for strays Pa. She's a lot like Hoss and liable to come home with almost anything."
"You're right about that son," laughed Ben. "Their definition of 'stray' is different than ours. That's why we're going to be with her. The last thing we need is for her to bring a baby skunk or rattlesnake home."
"Knowing her, she's liable to bring a cougar, bear or wolf cub home."
"Let's hope not. I had enough of things like that when Hoss was growing up. Go and get some sleep I want to write in my journal for a little while." Ben sat at his desk, writing in his journal as he had done every day since he first went to sea as a cabin boy. He was lost in his thoughts when he heard Joe yelling for him.
"Pa, it's Cat. She's having a nightmare." Ben hurried upstairs and found all three of his sons sitting with their sister, wanting to wake her up, but knowing that the bad dream had to play itself out, they just held her hands. Lassie and Silver Chief kept trying to lick her face, so Hoss gently put them near the end of the bed.
When the nightmare had passed, Cat woke up to find herself surrounded by her family. "I dreamed about the day my mother died. I wanted to stop her from being killed but I didn't know how."
Hoss pulled her onto his lap, hugged her tight and said, "I know Punkin'. But there was nothin you coulda done. What happened was not your fault and the only way it coulda been stopped is if someone had seen the killer before he shot and stopped him. You're safe here and none of us are gonna ever let anything bad happen to you again. Now, I think maybe you and your puppies had better go, use the outhouse."
"You're silly Hoss. Puppies don't use outhouses."
"Well, these are pretty smart puppies and I'll just bet that you could teach them if you wanted to."
"Climb up on my back," said Ben. "I'll take you to use the outhouse. Will one of you boys please put her puppies on the floor so they can go outside too?"
Cat climbed up on Ben's back and he decided to tease her a little bit. "Well come on Catherine. Climb up on my back so I can take you to the outhouse. We don't have all night. I need to get you back in bed. Tomorrow will be another busy day."
"I am on your back." Cat laughed and hugged Ben's neck tightly.
"Oh well, I guess you are. I declare you don't weigh much more than a feather. Hop Sing is right. We do need to fatten you up. Starting at breakfast, you get triple portions of everything. We can't have a good strong wind come along and blow you away."
"That's alright Pa," said Joe. "I'll just tie a rope around her waist and fly her like a kite."
"Say, that's a swell idea," said Hoss. "What do you think Adam?"
"It sounds like an excellent idea to me. I haven't flown a kite in many years. I'll bet that Hop Sing has some rags we can tie together to make a tail for her. In fact, I'll wager a day's chores that I can fly her higher than either of you."
"That sounds like fun," laughed Cat. "When can we do it?"
"Not tonight, that's for certain," said Ben. "Right now, I need to get you and your puppies outside and back to bed." Once Cat and her puppies were back in bed, Ben went back downstairs to write more in his journal. 'Catherine had another nightmare tonight. She keeps reliving her mother's murder. I wish there was a way to keep her from having them. I've spoken to Paul Martin and he says I just need to be patient and they will eventually stop. I have decided to ride out and talk to the Shoshone and Paiute next week. Maybe one of their medicine men will have something to keep the bad dreams from happening. I need to introduce Catherine to Silver Hawk and Winnemucca anyway. She will never forgive me if she finds out there are Indians living near the Ponderosa and I don't introduce her to them. Since she insists on wearing buckskins, I'll need their help making them.' Ben closed his journal, put it in his desk drawer, blew out the lamp and went up to bed.
During breakfast, Ben asked Adam if he would hitch up the buggy and pick up Caroline Ingalls and the girls afterwards. "After all, if I'm going to be escorting five ladies to town, I had better not take them in a wagon." Cat giggled at being called a lady.
"Sure Pa," replied Adam. "I think I'll start teaching little sister how to hitch up a team while I'm at it."
"I'll go and get them Pa," said Joe.
"No Joe. You seem to have forgotten our discussion yesterday in regards to the work you did not do while Adam and I were gone. With the exception of church on Sunday, you and Hoss are restricted to the ranch for at least two weeks. Whether it extends beyond that period of time depends on if you complete the work you did not do while I was gone, along with Adam and Catherine's chores as well as any other work I choose to assign you. Also, I still haven't decided on the rest of your punishment for gambling."
"But Pa, you gave me a whipping and took all of my winnings. Isn't that enough punishment?"
"No son, I'm afraid it's not. I have taught you ever since you were five years old that I will not tolerate my children gambling and you chose to break that rule. I think that an extra two weeks or being restricted to the ranch with extra chores to keep you busy might serve to get my point across. You're going to be a man in three years and I expect you to set a good example for your younger sister. The next time I hear of you gambling, I'll use a razor strop instead of my belt. Now finish your breakfast. You and Hoss have a full day's work ahead of you and you won't be able to do much of anything if you're hungry."
"Can I take Lassie and Silver Chief to town with us?" asked Cat.
"May I," corrected Adam. Cat shot him a nasty look that he ignored.
"Yes you may," answered Ben. "I think Mr. McLeod would be angry with me if I made you leave them at home."
"Can I drive the buggy? Uncle Luke and Mark taught me how to drive their buckboard."
"May I," corrected Adam again which resulted in another nasty look from his sister.
"Not this time Sweetheart. I want to watch you drive the buckboard here on the ranch before I let you drive a buggy full of people."
Cat was disappointed but all she said was, "Oh, ok."
Joe gave one of her braids a playful tug and said, "Don't feel bad Cat. I was twelve before I was allowed to drive the buckboard and I had to have either Pa or Adam with me for six months."
After breakfast, Hoss and Joe went to work on the list of things they were supposed to have done while Ban and Adam were gone. Adam went to get Caroline and the girls, Cat ran out to the pasture to play with Fury, while Ben decided to work on the books for a little while.
Adam returned about an hour later. Caroline and the girls walked into the house and Ben said, "Girls, I believe that Catherine is out in the pasture playing with Fury and her puppies. Why don't you go and join her for a little while? Someone will come and get you when we want you to come in." The girls went out to the pasture and Ben poured Caroline a cup of coffee. They sat down in the living room and Ben said, "Cat had another nightmare last night. She keeps reliving her mother's murder and I don't know how to stop it. Caroline, please tell me how to keep those awful nightmares from coming. I hate seeing my little girl relive that terrible moment in her life."
"I wish I could help you Mr. Cartwright, but unfortunately, there is no way that I know of to prevent nightmares. The only thing that will ease that painful memory for Catherine is time. In the meantime, the best thing you and your sons can do is be there for her when she wakes up. Bringing her into your bed afterwards might help her to realize that she is safe. Now I had better get the girls as I'm sure you have a lot to do today."
"Caroline, please sit and relax. You have three children, so I know that peace and quiet aren't things you get much of, so just enjoy them for a little while. Here, have another cup of coffee. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that you and the girls will be my guests for dinner while we're in town today. I've already told Hop Sing that Catherine and I won't be home for dinner." Caroline started to protest but Ben interrupted her. "I won't take no for an answer. We will already be in town so we may as well eat while we are there. Besides that, I know that you and Charles can't afford to eat in town, so it will be a treat for all of you. Think of it as a small payment for all of the help I am going to need from you with raising Catherine. And one more thing. Please call me Ben. We are neighbors and friends so there is no need to be so formal with me." Ben and Caroline talked for a little while. Then he got up to get the girls from the pasture. He opened the door and saw Joe who had just gotten off his horse. "Joseph, will you please go out to the pasture where Fury is and tell your sister to come in the house?"
"Sure Pa. Give me a minute to get a cold drink from the pump and I'll go and get them."
"Thank you son." He walked back inside and told Caroline that the girls would be in the house shortly.
Cat and her friends walked into the house a few minutes later. "Joe said you wanted us to come in."
"Yes I do. It's time that you go and try on your clothes for Mrs. Ingalls so we can go to town and get you some of the things you need."
"Ok. I need to use the outhouse first."
"Alright Catherine. Go and do what you need to do and then try your clothes on for Mrs. Ingalls."
They went upstairs a few minutes later and Cat started trying her clothes on. Almost all of her clothes were too small and some were so small, she couldn't even put them on.
"What do you want to do with all of these clothes?" asked Caroline.
"Carrie can have any of them that fit her but I don't know what to do with everything else."
With her mother's permission, Carrie looked at Cat's dresses and selected four that fit her. "I have a suggestion," said Caroline. "Why don't you give them to an orphanage? Most of the children in orphanages don't have many clothes and I'm sure they would appreciate getting yours."
Cat thought about it for a minute. While she was thinking, Mary spoke up. "That's a great idea Cat. These clothes are still in great shape. Just think of all the children you'll be helping. Not counting the dresses that Carrie picked out, you have twelve in all different sizes. You also have a lot of buckskin shirts and pants in all different sizes. Those clothes sure would make a lot of children who don't have many things, very happy."
"Uncle Matt always said I should help people who weren't as lucky as me, so I'll make the children happy and give my clothes that are too small, to an orphanage. But I don't know where one is."
Caroline hugged her. "That's my good girl. I'm sure that there's an orphanage in Carson City. We'll ask your Pa when we go downstairs. We're going to need two crates to pack everything into." When they went downstairs, Caroline said, "As you suspected, most of Catherine's clothing, including her underclothes, are too small for her. Not counting the buckskin dress, she only has four that fit her and one looks like it's for Thanksgiving."
"That's what I was afraid of. Catherine, what are you going to do with your things that are too small?"
"Carrie got four of my dresses that fit her and I'm going to give the rest to an orphanage. Uncle Matt always said it was good to help people who weren't as lucky as me and Mary said I would make a lot of children happy if I did that." Ben hugged her and told her how proud he was of her. "Mrs. Ingalls says we need two crates to pack all of those clothes into, but I don't know where any are."
"I'm sure that Hop Sing would know. Why don't we go and ask him?" They walked into the kitchen and returned a few minutes later carrying two crates. "Caroline, are these big enough?"
"Yes, those are just fine. Come on girls, let's go and pack these crates so we can go to town."
"Once they're packed, just leave them on the floor in Cat's bedroom," said Ben. "I'll have one of her brothers carry them downstairs later." Fifteen minutes later, Caroline and the girls came back downstairs. "Once you girls use the outhouse, we'll leave for town. While they're doing that Caroline, would you please write down what I need to buy for Catherine? I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate your help in all of this. I'm afraid I'm out of my league when it comes to outfitting a little girl."
Caroline laughed at the expression on Ben's face. "It's my pleasure Ben. If I ever have another child and it is a boy and lives, Charles and I will come to you for advice."
"That will be just fine. Now, we had better go outside before the girls decide to drive themselves to town." They walked outside and started laughing. All four girls and both puppies were in the buggy and Carrie was holding the reins.
"We took a vote and decided that Carrie was going to drive," said Mary.
"Well, I'm glad that you chose the fair way to decide," said Ben. "Taking a vote is always a good idea. You girls forgot one thing. The horses are still tied to the hitching rail."
"We didn't forget Mr. Cartwright," said Laura. "We were waiting for you and Ma before we untied them."
"That was very thoughtful of you girls," said Caroline. "I am very proud of all four of you."
Ben helped Caroline into the buggy, untied the horses and climbed in. "Carrie, may I please help you drive? Those horses don't always behave for people they don't know. You can sit in my lap and I'll keep my hands over yours in case the horses act up."
"Ok Mr. Cartwright. Thank you."
"You're welcome Carrie. Now, let's go to town." Cat felt a twinge of jealousy rising to the surface. That should be her, not Carrie helping to drive the buggy. But she couldn't say anything. After all, the joke had been her idea. She just had no idea it would backfire on her. Ben chuckled to himself. He had a good idea of what Cat was thinking and wanted to see how she would handle herself. He decided that if she controlled her jealousy, he would allow her to drive the buggy home from the Ingalls'.
Part way to town, Laura asked, "Carrie, is it fun to drive the buggy?"
"Yes it is."
"Maybe when Laura, Mary, and I are grown up like you, we will get to drive the buggy," said Cat.
"When do you think we'll be big enough to drive the buggy?" asked Mary.
Carrie giggled at her sisters and friend saying that she was grown up. When they reached town, Ben endured some good natured teasing from some of his friends. "Well Ben," said Mr. McLeod as the group walked into the mercantile. "Aren't you the lucky one, getting to escort five beautiful ladies all at once? If I weren't happily married, I would be a jealous man." He bent down and picked up Lassie and Silver Chief. "Miss Cat, I am very happy to see that you brought these two with you. They sure are getting big. Where do they sleep?"
"They sleep in my bed. I'm the middle of a puppy sandwich." James had walked into the store just as his father asked where the puppies slept and started petting them also. Everyone had a good laugh at Cat's comment.
"Let me go and get my puppy," said James. "I'd like to see how he gets along with Lassie and Silver Chief." He left and returned a few minutes later carrying a collie puppy that was the same size as Cat's puppies. "This is Prince. My uncle said that his grandfather is Lassie's grandfather's brother. Maybe one day, Lassie and Prince can have puppies."
"That would be nice," said Cat. "Look, the three puppies like each other."
"Yes, they do. Why don't I take the three puppies out back so they can play with each other while you shop?"
"That would be an excellent idea," said his father. "When you go into the house, would you please ask your mother to come in here?" Mrs. McLeod walked into the store a few minutes later and greeted Ben, Caroline, and the girls.
"Hello Mary," said Ben. "I don't believe you've met my daughter. Catherine, this is Mrs. McLeod. Mary, this is my daughter, Catherine. I need to buy some clothes for her and Caroline was kind enough to come along to help me."
"I'll be more than happy to help you Ben. Caroline that was very nice of you to offer to help Ben with his daughter. What kinds of things does Catherine need?" Caroline told Mrs. McLeod what Cat needed. She picked out some underwear in several different sizes and took Cat into the back room so she could try it on. Once she found the right size, they came back out into the store. "Ben, you're going to want at least ten sets of everything. Yes, I know that Hop Sing does laundry every week, but you have raised three children already. Accidents happen and children do like to go swimming in the summertime. Now, what about some material for dresses?"
"Cat," said Ben. "Why don't we get you some material for more dresses? Caroline says that you only have four and there are several dances coming up between now and Thanksgiving. One thing I do remember from when my wives were alive is that ladies don't like to wear the same dress to every dance or special occasion."
"How many would I need to get?"
"I think that four would be enough. We've got more than enough time to get material for a Christmas dress for you." Cat thought about it for a minute and then got an idea. She got a look on her face that was pure mischief. "Uh oh," said Ben to Caroline and Mrs. McLeod. "I know that look. I've seen it on Joe's face many times and it's pure mischief. I wonder what she's thinking?"
"Alright, I'll get four dresses if Mary and Laura can get some too."
Everybody who heard Cat's comment started laughing. "Well," said Mrs. McLeod. "Now you know what that mischievous look was all about. I take it that Catherine doesn't like wearing dresses very much, does she?"
"No," said Ben. "She will only wear them to church for special occasions and to dances. She did wear one in Arizona when her uncle was promoted to major and in Dodge when her best friend's mother got married, but that's it. All attempts to force her to wear a dress have resulted in Cat having hurt feelings and being punished. Her happiness and well being are more important to me than having her wear dresses is. Well Caroline, do your girls get dresses too or does my daughter stick with having four?"
"I should say no because you've already done so much for us, but Mary and Laura do need some new dresses and Catherine does too. So, yes, my girls can get some new dresses also."
"Catherine, Mary, and Laura," said Ben. "Please pick out material to make four dresses for each of you. I guess the three of you will need hair ribbons too. Please pick out some hair ribbons also. Caroline, am I forgetting anything that Catherine needs?"
"Yes Ben. You're forgetting that she also needs socks. As with the underwear, I would recommend getting at least ten pair."
Once the girls picked out their material, Mrs. McLeod cut enough from each bolt to make the dresses and the girls put the material back where it came from. She also helped the girls pick out hair ribbons. While the girls were getting their material, Ben walked up to Mr. McLeod and said, "George, do you have any work gloves that are small enough for Catherine? I know that she's going to want to help with things around the ranch and I don't want her hands getting all cut up."
"I don't know if I do Ben. Let's look." They walked over and looked at the gloves. Mr. McLeod held up a pair of gloves and said, "This is the smallest pair I have and I think that they're going to be too large for Cat. Catherine, if you've picked out your material and hair ribbons, would you please come and try these gloves on for your Pa and me?" Cat walked over and tried the gloves on. "Yes, that's what I was afraid of; they're too large for her. Gerald Miller might be able to make some for her."
"That's an excellent idea George. Thank you. We'll go there after we visit the dress maker and have dinner." Ben paid for all of the purchases and the girls stared carrying everything out to the buggy. While they were doing that, Mrs. McLeod went out back and told James that Ben, Caroline, and the girls were getting ready to leave. He walked back into the store followed by all three puppies. Once the buggy was loaded and everyone was in it, Ben drove over to the dressmaker's shop where everyone got out. "Girls, please bring your material with you. Mrs. Hansen is going to need it." They walked into the shop and Caroline explained what they needed. After each girl handed her their material, Mrs. Hansen took a piece of paper, wrote a girl's name on it and placed it on top of her material.
"I need to measure you girls so I can make your dresses the correct size. Which one of you is going to go first?"
"Please measure Catherine first," said Ben. "There is something I need to do with her while you are measuring Mary and Laura." Once Cat had been measured, Ben said, "Caroline, I'm taking Catherine over to the bank to open an account in her name. Once we're finished, we'll go and get something to eat. I'm sure that the girls are getting hungry. Come on Cat let's walk over to the bank."
While they were walking over to the bank, Cat asked, "Why are you going to open a bank account for me? I thought Jarrod already did that with the money I got from my grandparents."
"I don't know if he opened one here or in California or just left the money in my father's account. We'll have to ask and find out."
When they entered the bank, the manager greeted Ben. "Hello Ben. What can I do for you today?"
"Hello Sam. This is my daughter, Catherine. Cat, this is Mr. Jamison. He runs the bank." Cat and Mr. Jamison said hello to each other. "Sam, can you please tell me if my nephew, Jarrod, opened an account in Catherine's name when he was here in June? If he didn't, I want to open one for her today."
Mr. Jamison looked and said, "No Ben. The only Cartwright accounts I have are for the Ponderosa and your sons. I'll be more than happy to open one for Miss Catherine. How much do you plan to deposit today?"
"I have two hundred dollars to put in her account."
"Two hundred dollars!" exclaimed Cat. "I've never seen that much money before. Can I please see what it looks like?"
"Yes, you may see what two hundred dollars looks like." He took the money out of his pocket and handed it to Cat.
"Wow! That's a lot of money. Here, you'd better take it back. I'm afraid I'll lose it."
Ben and Mr. Jamison laughed. "I don't think you'll lose it just standing here," said Ben. "You can keep it until Mr. Jamison asks you for it." They finished setting up Cat's bank account, rejoined the Ingalls and went to dinner.
Eating dinner at the restaurant in town was a special treat for Mary, Laura, and Carrie and they enjoyed everything, especially the apple pie with ice cream. After dinner, they walked over to the saddle shop to have some work gloves made for Cat.
"I'm happy to see you Ben," said Mr. Miller. "You just saved me a ride out to the Ponderosa. The school board will be meeting on Tuesday night at seven thirty. Now, what can I do for you today?"
Ben introduced Cat to Mr. Miller. "I was wondering if you could please make a pair of work gloves for Catherine. She wants to help with the ranch work and I don't want her hands to get cut up. We were over at the mercantile and George suggested you might be able to make a pair for her."
"Sure Ben. I'll be more than happy to make some gloves for your daughter." He got some leather and traced Cat's hands on it. "I should have these finished today and I'll give them to you tomorrow at church."
Everyone left the saddle shop and walked back toward the buggy. While they were waiting to cross the street, a boy ran up behind Cat, pulled one of her braids hard and pushed her into the street. Cat turned around, chased and tackled him. They rolled around on the boardwalk. Cat managed to get a few good punches in and finally pinned him. She sat on his stomach, grabbed the front of his shirt, shook him and said, "If you ever touch me again, I will pound the stuffing out of you!"
Before Cat could let him up, Roy Coffee yelled from down the street. "Don't let him up Cat. I've been chasing him all day. He's in big trouble."