After breakfast, Adam rode out to check on a lumber camp while Hoss and Joe went to mend some fences. Ben refilled his coffee cup, sat down in his chair, and called Cat over to him. "I am going out to play with Fury," she said, grabbing her hat.

"You can do that later. Right now, we need to have a talk about your attitude and behavior." Cat started toward the door. "Catherine Michael! I guarantee that you will be in a lot of trouble if you go out that door." She reluctantly put her hat down, walked over and stood in front of him. "Your attitude and behavior are starting to get out of control and if you don't do something about them, I will. You have got to stop threatening to go back to Dodge every time you don't get your own way. Life isn't fair and people don't always get everything they want. If I tell you not to do something, it's usually for your own good and you need to stop arguing with me about it and saying you're going to do it anyway. Last night I told you that threatening to get even with someone was not the right way to do things but you ignored what I said and kept talking about getting revenge on Mrs. Warren. I know you are angry at her, but trying to get even will just make things worse and you will be in a lot of trouble.

We also need to address your behavior from yesterday and today. First you argued with me about going to church. In this house, church and school are not optional. You have to go to church every Sunday unless you are sick or too badly hurt to attend. The next time you argue with me about going to church without a good reason, you will have a very sore bottom and will not be allowed to sit with your friends. Wanting to stay home and play with your colt and puppies is not a good reason.

Dr. Martin told you not to trot or gallop your horse and not to run until he tells you differently. However, your brothers and I had to stop you from galloping twice on the way to Silver Hawk's village. Then when we got there, you didn't even say hello to Silver Hawk and his family before trying to go off with the other children and you started to run even though you knew you were not supposed to. When we got home, you were told to stop cleaning your horse's feet if doing so was hurting your rib. Instead, you insisted on continuing to clean them despite the fact it was hurting your rib and only stopped because Joe made you. Then you blamed Joe because I punished you. Blaming others for your missteps is wrong and I will not tolerate it. I also will not tolerate you not talking to me when you are angry with me. I did not accept that kind of behavior from your brothers and I will not accept it from you. It's ok to be angry with me but you still need to talk to me.

I just told you that we needed to talk about your attitude and behavior. Instead of coming over here as I told you to do, you started to go outside to play with your colt. I know that your brothers have told you that I do not tolerate deliberate disobedience. I also know that Matt did not tolerate it either. The next time I tell you to do something and you decide to do something different, you and I will be having a discussion in the barn.

Now we need to address your running again. Adam had to stop you from running twice already this morning even though you know that you are not supposed to. I know that you do not like the restrictions put on you by the doctor but they are for your own good. Be glad that your rib is only bruised and not cracked or broken. If you do what the doctor tells you to, the rib will probably be healed by the end of the week. If you persist in doing what you have been told not to do, it will take a lot longer to heal.

Beginning right now, you will face consequences for the things we have talked about. You are going to spend an hour standing in the corner. Thirty minutes of that is for doing things you have been told not to do, including running and galloping your horse. Every time you are caught doing something that could injure your rib even more, fifteen minutes will be added onto the time you have to stand in the corner. The other thirty minutes are for the other things we talked about." Cat started to say something when Ben interrupted her. "I am warning you now, if you say that your punishment is not fair, I will add an additional hour onto your time and you will not be allowed to go over to the Devlins today. Also, if your attitude does not improve, you will face more severe consequences than just standing in the corner. If you try and get even with Mrs. Warren or ask any of your friends to do it for you, I will use my belt on your bare bottom." Before sending Cat to the corner by the fireplace, Ben pulled her over his knees and delivered three hard smacks to her bottom. "That's just a small example of what will happen if your attitude and behavior don't improve in a hurry. I don't want to punish you but I will if I have to. There are lessons you need to learn and it is my job to ensure that you learn them. Now go stand in the corner. You have one hour. No turning around or talking to yourself, your puppies or anyone else."

Cat slowly walked over to the fireplace and stood in the corner. The scolding and punishment made her even more determined to get back at Mrs. Warren for hurting her. She just had to figure out how to do it without getting in trouble. She didn't think it was right for someone to be able to hurt her and not be allowed to do anything about it. Cat decided to write to Pete and Mike, hoping they would have some ideas about what she could do. She also decided to talk to Mike Devlin and, if Joe would stop at the Ingalls', she would talk to Laura and get ideas from her. She reasoned that since she was only nine and Mrs. Warren was an old lady, the judge wouldn't do anything so it was up to her to do something. After standing in the corner for a while, she needed to use the outhouse and started shifting her weight from foot to foot.

Ben looked up from his book, saw Cat shifting and moving around and said, "Catherine, you are being punished. Stand still and face the corner."

"I can't. I have to use the outhouse. I'm going to wet my pants."

"Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"Because you said…"

Ben interrupted her. "Go and do what you need to do. We'll talk about it when you come back. Remember, no running." When Cat came back into the house, Ben pulled her into his lap, hugged her and said, "When I told you no turning around or talking, I didn't mean you couldn't tell me that you needed to use the outhouse or something was wrong. I will never scold or punish you for taking care of your needs or for telling me something is wrong with you. I love you and it is my job to keep you safe and healthy, including making sure you eat well-balanced meals and that your needs are taken care off. Is your rib hurting you? I heard you gasp when I hugged you."

"I think Hop Sing wrapped it too tight."

"Take your shirt of and let me see." Cat took her shirt off and Ben felt under the top and bottom edges of the bandage. "Yes, it is too tight. Let me fix it for you." He unwrapped the bandage and Cat exhaled loudly. "You should have told me, your brothers or Hop Sing the bandage was too tight. Your rib won't heal if the bandage is too tight. I'm going to rewrap your rib. Hold your arms straight out from your sides so I can do it. When I'm finished, I need you to tell me if it's still too tight. If it hurts to breathe, it's too tight." Ben rewrapped Cat's ribs and asked, "Is that better or is it still too tight?"

"It's better. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now head back to the corner. You still have thirty minutes left." He gave her a light swat as she was walking away. At her confused look he said, "That's for not telling me that you had to use the outhouse and that your rib was wrapped too tight." Thirty minutes later he said, "Alright Cat. You can go and play with Fury. Remember, no running. If you do, you will end up right back in the corner and will not be allowed to go to the Devlins today."

"It's not fair," Cat said to her puppies as they started toward the door. "I didn't do anything to that nasty old lady. She hurt us but I'm the one in trouble and nothing's going to happen to her. The next time she tries to hurt us, I'm going to stop her and I don't care if she gets hurt. I hope she does. Then maybe she'll leave us alone."

Ben sighed and shook his head as he listened to his daughter talk to her puppies. He couldn't blame her for being upset. If his sons hadn't been close by, Mrs. Warren could have injured Cat very seriously. Hop Sing walked into the great room with a hot pot of coffee. "What you worry about now? Missy Cat do something wrong again?"

"No. Not really. She just spent an hour standing in the corner because of her attitude and behavior these past two days and all she wants to do is hurt Mrs. Warren."

"Hop Sing no blame her. He want to hurt nasty lady too. Nasty lady hurt Missy Cat but you yell at Missy Cat because she want to get even. That not right. Why you not yell at nasty lady? I take buckboard. Go to town. Need supplies. Almost out of coffee, flour and chocolate. Spend time visiting cousins."

"Alright Hop Sing. I'll get one of the boys to harness a team for you. Say hello to your cousins for me. Oh before I forget, Adam and I won't be here for supper. We are meeting the Winters for supper before the school board meeting. I need to tell Susan what to expect when Catherine starts school. She needs to know Cat's history and why she's not wearing dresses."

"You let Missy Cat defend against nasty lady. Hop Sing get very angry if she hurt Missy Cat again!"

"The law will take care of Mrs. Warren."

"I take care of her too if she hult Missy Cat again."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Ben walked outside with Hop Sing. Since none of his sons were around, he harnessed a team to the buckboard for Hop Sing. "Get whatever you need and tell Gerald that I'll pay him the next time I come to town. Once Hop Sing drove off, Ben decided to walk out to the pasture where the mares and foals were to check and make sure Cat was not running. He hoped she was not because he did not want to have to punish her again so soon. As he walked up to the pasture, he noticed Pete standing at the gate laughing. "Hi Pete, what's so funny?"

"Cat and that colt. She's been trying to teach him to sit down like a dog but he doesn't want to. It's the funniest thing I've seen in a long time." Ben stood there alongside Pete and before long, he was laughing too.

"You're right Pete. That is the funniest thing I've seen in ages. I wonder if all little girls are like that or if Cat is the only one."

"I can't answer that one boss. Cat is the only little girl I am familiar with, but it sure is going to be fun watching her grow up. In fact, it's a shame she has to grow up. She's too cute the way she is right now."

"Even though she's very close to going over my knees because of her attitude and behavior these past few days, I do agree with you. I wouldn't mind her staying nine for a few more years. Let's go and take a look at that colt and find out why Cat is trying to teach him to sit down like a dog."

Before they went into the pasture Pete said, "Ben, I've known you for many years and you have two major problems with your children. You tend to see things with them in black and white and you don't listen to them. I can recall several times when you were certain that Little Joe had done something wrong. One of those times was when a pasture gate was left open and it took hours to round up the cattle that had strayed. You were positive that Little Joe had left the gate open because he had done it before and even though he swore to you he had not been anywhere near the pasture, you punished him. If you remember, it turns out that a hand you fired for being drunk and almost starting the barn on fire was responsible when he was spotted opening another pasture gate. How do you think Joe felt when he realized that you didn't believe him, but you would have believed his brothers if they had been accused of leaving that gate open? Yesterday, Cat didn't want to go to church. You keep forgetting that she was raised differently than your boys were and even though she has spent school holidays here, she is trying to adjust to a whole new way of life. Did it ever occur to you that she may have felt that something bad was going to happen if she went to church?"

"If that's true, why didn't she tell me?"

"She may not have been able to put into words what was bothering her and you may not have listened to what she was saying. She's only nine and little kids aren't always too good at putting things into words. I'm bringing this up now because, even though today is only Monday, I have a feeling you may have a problem with her next Sunday. No matter what the outcome of the trial is, Cat may be afraid that Mrs. Warren is going to hurt her again, especially because I'm sure she's going to have to testify. Cat may also be afraid to testify because Mrs. Warren will be there. If you do have a problem with Cat not wanting to go to church next Sunday, be patient with her and try to get her to put her feelings into words. Reassure her that she will be well protected and nobody will hurt her."

"Pete, the problem with you is that you know me too well. You're right. I can't even begin to tell you how bad I felt when I learned that I had wrongly punished Little Joe. I have a feeling that you're right about the trial and next Sunday. I promise that I will try to be patient and encourage Cat to put her feelings into words. Now, let's go find out why she's trying to teach that colt to sit like a dog." They walked into the pasture and over to where Cat was working with Fury. "Hi Kitten, what are you trying to teach Fury?"

"I'm trying to teach him to sit down the way Lassie and Silver Chief do."

"He's a horse, not a dog. Why are you trying to teach him that?"

"So he can eat at the table with us. He's got real good manners. Watch." She took a carrot out of her back pocket, broke it in half and said, "Say please." The colt whinnied softly causing Ben and Pete to burst out laughing."

Ben picked Cat up, hugged her and said, "I've said this before and I'm going to say it again. You have got to be the silliest little girl I have ever met. I think that Pete will agree with me about that. You have done an excellent job training Fury in the two weeks you have been home and I am very proud of you. But he cannot eat at the table with us. He would have a very hard time sitting in a chair and when he grows up, the amount of hay he will eat would cover the entire table. Besides that, he doesn't have any hands so he wouldn't be able to pass our food around the table. And before you ask, no you cannot eat in the barn with him." He handed Cat to Pete and said, "Here, hold this wild thing. I want to take that colt for a ride and see how smooth his gaits are."

"You can't ride Fury. He's too little. You'll break him."

"No I won't. Just ask Pete."

Ben pretended like he was going to ride Fury and Cat stared getting upset. Pete didn't want Cat to struggle & possibly hurt her rib even more, so he whispered in her ear. "Relax and watch what I do." Then he said, "I don't know Ben. He looks awfully wild. I don't even know if Joe could stay on him and you know how good he is at breaking horses. Remember, the older we get, the longer it takes for broken bones to heal. Besides that, think of how much your sons will enjoy laughing at you if you try and ride that wild bronc' and get thrown." Listening to Pete talk to Ben, Cat realized her father was teasing her and had no intentions of trying to ride her two month old colt.

Ben let out an exaggerated sigh. "I guess you're right. The last thing I need is for my sons to laugh at me because I tried riding a wild bronco bareback. And we both know that Paul Martin would delight in telling everyone in Virginia City. I wouldn't dare show my face there for at least a year because everybody would be laughing at me. I guess I'll pass on riding him until he's been broken. Now, who do you think would be best suited for that job?"

"I know just the person. It's a new hand. Kinda short, only been here two weeks and dresses funny, but real good with horses. Why I'll bet that this hand would have that wild one eating at your table before a week is out."

"I think I know the hand you're referring to. About this high," Ben held his arm out to indicate how tall Cat was, "and wears buckskins and braids?"

"Yes, that's the hand I had in mind."

"But would this hand be willing to take on such a dangerous job?"

"I believe they would for the right incentive. Now I happen to know that this hand's favorite food is chocolate. I'll bet that if you gave this person enough of Hop Sing's chocolate cake, they would be more than happy to do the job." Cat whispered something in Pete's ear. "In fact, I know for certain that if this hand was to be given chocolate cake three times a day, they would be willing to start on the job right away."

"Three times a day…That's kind of excessive. I think we're going to have to negotiate the incentive for doing this job. Now, I do need to look that colt over and see what he'll let me do."

While the Cartwrights were having breakfast, Paul and Roy were also having breakfast together. Then they walked over to the prosecutor's office. "Paul, Roy, what brings you here so early on a Monday morning?"

"Business Richard," said Roy, handing him the complaint.

Mr. Parker read the complaint and let out a low whistle. "I knew she didn't like children, but I never thought she'd go this far. Where is she now?"

"At home I presume."

"Why isn't she in jail?"

"Two reasons. First, right now, I'm not set up to keep a woman in jail. I'll have to make some modifications to one of the cells. Second, Judge Taylor doesn't want anyone knowing about this just yet. He doesn't want the jury members to have their minds made up before the trial. You know as well as I do, the minute I arrest her, all of the town gossips will have their tongues wagging and I'll never be able to get a jury."

"You may have a point there. In fact, it might be best if I was able to get a jury from another town, say Galena. That way her lawyer won't be able to say that she didn't get a fair trial because everyone here is either friends with Ben Cartwright or depends on the Ponderosa for beef, timber or a job. The sheriff there is an old friend and I'm sure he could find twelve men who would be willing to spend a few hours on a jury here. Let's go and talk to the judge and see when he wants to have the trial. Then we'll have to find out who Millicent's lawyer is and let him know when the trial is going to be."

The three men walked over to the courthouse and knocked on the judge's office door. His secretary opened the door, invited them in and told the judge they were there. They talked for a while and Judge Taylor approved of Mr. Parker's plan to get jury members from another town. "When do you want to hold the trial?" asked Mr. Parker.

"I was thinking of holding it on Wednesday but since Richard needs to try and get a jury from Galena, I think I'll have it on Thursday."

"I told Ben that I would recheck Cat's injuries on Wednesday. Since I don't think she's ever been in a courtroom before, it would be a good idea for Millicent's lawyer and Richard to take her into the courtroom and explain everything to her. That way she won't be overwhelmed and confused at the trial."

"That's an excellent idea," said the judge. "Do you know who Millicent's lawyer is going to be?"

"It's probably going to be Tom Michaels," said Mr. Parker. "Andrew Wills is Ben Cartwright's lawyer and I can't see him defending someone who's accused of injuring Ben's daughter. I'll go and talk to Tom when we're finished here."

"Roy," said Paul, "Will you please ride out to the Ponderosa and ask Ben to bring Cat to town on Wednesday morning, instead of my riding out there, so I can check her injuries? I think you should also tell him that Richard and Tom are going to take Cat into the courtroom and explain how a trial works."

"Sure. I'll be happy to ride out to the Ponderosa. Might just go out there around dinner time and invite myself to stay and eat. I never pass up a chance to eat Hop Sing's cooking." Everyone had a good laugh at Roy's last statement because they all felt the same way.

They left the Judge's office and went their separate ways. Mr. Parker walked over to Mr. Michael's office to see if he was going to be Mrs. Warren's lawyer. He said he was and that Mrs. Warren would not get a fair trial because everyone knew Ben Cartwright. "That's one thing I wanted to talk to you about Tom. "I'm going to ride over to Galena in a little while and see if the sheriff there can get twelve men to serve on a jury here. I'm simply going to tell him that a Virginia City resident has been accused of attacking and injuring a child. Judge Taylor wants to have the trial on Thursday morning. Paul Martin is going to recheck Catherine Cartwright's injuries on Wednesday and then you and I are going to take her into the courtroom and explain how a trial works. She's only nine and has never been in a courtroom before."

"That's fine. Thank you for telling me. Would you mind if I rode to Galena with you? I'd welcome the chance to get away from Millicent's rantings about children in general and Catherine Cartwright in particular. A change of scenery would do me good."

Mr. Parker laughed. "Sure Tom. You're more than welcome to ride along with me. I would welcome the company. Then you'll be able to tell Millicent that she'll have a jury who doesn't live in Virginia City so they won't already have their minds made up. Why don't we leave around ten? The sheriff there is a childhood friend and his wife is an excellent cook. If we play our cards right, we might just be treated to some good cooking."

"That sounds good to me. I get tired of my own cooking after a while. I'll see you at ten."

Ben checked Fury over thoroughly and was pleased with what he found. The colt allowed him to pick all four of his feet up and touch the bottoms. "You've done a very good job with him. I know he follows you around like your puppies do, so I don't have to ask you to lead him around. Give him the rest of that carrot and let's go up to the house and see if Hoss and Joe are back yet." They walked back to the house and found Cochise and Beauty saddled and tied to the hitching rail. Cat's saddle bags were on Beauty's saddle as well.

Joe walked out of the house as Ben was helping Cat to mount Beauty. Once her puppies were in the saddle bags, Ben said, "If Mrs. Devlin invites you to diner go ahead and stay. I'll tell Hop Sing. Adam and I have to attend the school board meeting tonight and we're meeting the Winters for supper first so I want you back here no later than three o'clock."

"Alright Pa," said Joe. "We'll be back by three."

After they rode out of the yard, Cat asked, "Joe, what happened that made you get even with someone and why was Pa so mad at you for doing it?"

"Someone almost killed me and the law let him get away with it."

"I don't understand. How could the law let someone get away with almost killing you?"

"There was a man who owned a small ranch on the other side of town. He was not a nice man and drank a lot. He was mean when he was sober and even worse when he was drunk. He used to beat his wife and kids even when he was sober. His wife finally had enough. She divorced him, took the kids and moved to a different state. After his family left, he got meaner and drank even more. He started fights just because he could. One afternoon, I was walking in front of the saloon. He walked out and bumped into me. He was very drunk, swore at me, picked me up and threw me into the street right in front of the incoming stage. If it hadn't been for Adam and Hoss, I would have been killed. As is, one of the horses managed to clip my head with a hoof and stepped on my arm, breaking it. I also had a couple of broken ribs but my head was real bad. I had a very serious injury, was unconscious, and Dr. Martin wasn't sure if I was going to live.

Besides Adam and Hoss, at least six other people saw what happened and Roy arrested him. Judge Taylor was out of town and even though I was not able to testify because of my head injury, the visiting judge held the trial two days after the man tried to kill me. Pa said that everybody who saw what happened testified against him but the jury found him not guilty. We found out later that the visiting judge was related to the man and hired some men to threaten the jury members to make them vote not guilty. It took more than a month for my injuries to completely heal. In the mean time, the man was still in town, drinking and bragging that he had gotten away with almost killing me. He even went so far as to say he would kill me the next time.

While I was laid up, I made my plans to get revenge. It took a few weeks, but I finally got my chance. I was on my way home from school one afternoon when I saw him riding down the road. He was drunk as usual and didn't even seem to know he was heading away from home. There was nobody else around, so I took advantage of the opportunity to get revenge on the man who had tried to kill me. One of the boys at school brought a bunch of firecrackers with him that day and gave some to all of the older boys. I lit two of them and threw them behind the man's horse, spooking it. The horse took off and he was too drunk to control it, but I wasn't satisfied. I managed to get close enough to the horse to throw another firecracker. It reared and threw the man who hit his head on a rock. I rode off and left him in the road. I didn't care if he was alive or dead. As far as I was concerned, he got what he deserved. When I got home, I acted like I always did, complained about Miss Jones being too hard on me and said that I was almost a man and shouldn't have to go to school any more. Pa was used to my complaints about school so he just told me to get my chores and homework done before supper.

Someone found the man and took him to Dr. Martin. He kept mumbling something about the kid did it and he wished he would have killed him. Paul and Roy knew he was talking about me, so Roy rode out here to talk to Pa and me. I didn't deny what I did and said I wasn't sorry because he had it coming for trying to kill me and it was too bad he didn't die. You can imagine what Pa's reaction was. I thought he was going to kill me and he might have if Roy, Adam, Hoss, and Hop Sing hadn't stopped him. Roy convinced him to go for a ride and cool down while Adam and Hoss said they'd take care of me. They yelled at me and said they didn't blame me for wanting to get even but I was wrong to cause the man to be thrown and for leaving him in the road. When Pa got home, he used the big belt in the barn on my bare bottom. When he finished, it took almost a week before I could sit comfortably. Hop Sing put a cushion in my chair but it didn't help much. Except for school and church I was restricted to the ranch for a month with a lot of extra chores to do. I also had to ride double with one of them on school days. When my friends found out what happened, Mitch and Dave gave me their saddle bags to sit on. Some of the boys also used the man for target practice with their slingshots. They didn't tell me what they were going to do so I wouldn't get another whipping. The man finally got tired of being harassed by a bunch of kids, sold his ranch and left Virginia City.

I know that you want to get even with Mrs. Warren and I don't blame you, but you cannot do anything. If you do and she gets hurt, Pa will use the strap on you and I don't want that to happen. Mrs. Warren will be taken care of and that's all I'm going to say. When we get to Mitch's place, I'm going to tell the family what happened to you. If Mike starts telling you he's going to do something about it, tell him not to tell you anything. If you don't know what is happening or who is doing it, you won't get in trouble and neither will anyone else unless they get caught. Listen to me Cat. I am serious. I want you to promise me that you won't try and do anything to Mrs. Warren. If you do, Adam, Hoss, and I won't be able to protect you, especially if she gets hurt."

"Alright Joe. I promise I won't do anything to Mrs. Warren but if she tries to hurt me again, I'm going to stop her and I don't care if she gets hurt."

"You won't get in trouble for defending yourself but try not to hurt her. Remember, she's older than Pa and could get badly hurt and possibly die."

"I don't care. She needs to be hurt because she hurt me and tried to hurt my puppies."

"No Cat, you don't want to hurt her if you can help it and you'll be in a whole lot of trouble if you hurt her on purpose. I was wrong to cause that man's horse to throw him and to leave him in the road. I wouldn't have been in so much trouble if I hadn't done that."

"Pa shouldn't have punished you for hurting that man. He hurt you and you were right to hurt him. If Mrs. Warren hurts me again, I'm going to hurt her just like when Mark Nelson pushed me down the school steps. I pounded the stuffing out of him and he never tried to hurt me again."

Joe sighed. Pa was right. His sister was a lot like him. "No Cat. It's never right to hurt someone on purpose even if you think they deserve it. I know you don't believe me, so when we get to the Devlins, we can ask Mitch and his parents what they think. When we get home, ask Adam, Hoss, and Hop Sing what they think. You can even ask Pete, Joshua, Thaddeus, and some of the other hands. If they all tell you the same thing I did, will you promise me that you won't try to hurt Mrs. Warren even if she tries to hurt you again?"

"Ok. If they all tell me the same thing you did, I promise I won't try to hurt Mrs. Warren on purpose even if she hurts me again."

"Thank you for making that promise. Mrs. Warren will be taken care of. I promise. Now remember, don't let Mike tell you that he's going to do something to her. I know that you don't want to get in trouble and I know that you don't want to get Mike in trouble, so it's best if you don't know anything about what's going to happen or who's going to do it."