There was still time before dinner so Cat and Ben started to walk over to the saddle and harness shop and ask Gerald Miller if he could think of a way Cat could carry her puppies on her horse when they got too big for her saddle bags. "Since we're eating dinner at the Martin's," said Ben. "We may as well leave our horses there and walk over to Mr. Miller's shop. You should bring your saddle bags so he can see how little room there is for your puppies any more." Cat started to run over to Paul's office when she heard Ben's voice behind her. "Catherine Michael, are you supposed to be running yet?"

Cat stopped and sighed. 'Why did Dr. Paul have to tell Pa that I'm still not supposed to run?' she thought. 'Now I'm going to be in trouble.' "No sir."

"Then why are you running?"

"Because I always run everywhere. It's hard for me to remember I can't. Dr. Paul shouldn't have told you I can't run yet. I promised him I wouldn't fall."

Ben laughed and hugged Cat. "He told me so I can keep you from running before he says you can. Your rib is almost healed and we want it to heal completely. You are silly. Nobody can promise that they won't fall even if they're walking. Somebody could run into you or trip you. You could also trip over something or step in a hole. If you're walking and start to fall, you have time to try and keep from falling or land so you won't get hurt. Now walk over to Paul's office and get your saddle bags so we can go and see Gerald before dinner is ready." He gave Cat a not too hard swat as she started to walk over to her horse.

Once Cat got her saddle bags, she rejoined Ben and they walked over to the saddle and bridle shop. Mr. Miller greeted them. "Hello Ben, Cat. What brings you here today? Does Cat need a new saddle?"

"Hello Gerald," replied Ben. "No, Cat doesn't need a new saddle yet, but we have a small problem that we're hoping you can help us with."

"Oh, what kind of problem is that?"

"Hi Mr. Miller. My puppies are getting too big for my saddle bags but they're still too small to keep up with a horse. Do you have anything I can put them in and carry them on my horse?"

Mr. Miller looked at Lassie and Silver Chief. "Yes, they are really growing up, aren't they? I see that you have your saddle bags with you. That's good. Hang them over that saddle stand and put your puppies in them so I can see what you need."

Cat did as she was told. Mr. Miller looked at the puppies in the saddle bags and said, "Yes, I can see that they're getting too big to carry in your saddle bags. How old are they now?"

"They're almost five months old now."

"I didn't realize they were that old already. You can take them out of your saddle bags now. Please put them up on the counter one at a time so I can measure them." Cat put the puppies up on the counter and Mr. Miller measured each one and wrote the measurements down. "I don't have anything made up that you can use. Since you still have some room in the saddle bags for them, you won't need anything right away. Give me a week or so to think of something and I'll see what I can do. I may even ask my wife for suggestions because she is very creative and has given me many ideas for some of the things I do. I hope you realize that whatever I am able to do for you will only work until they're about eight or nine months old. After that, your puppies will be too heavy to pick up and put in any kind of carrier."

"Yes sir, I know. I was kinda hoping that they'd stay little for longer."

Mr. Miller and Ben laughed. "Yes, I know you do. Just like your Pa is kinda hoping you'll stay nine for a long time. You'll get to meet my children next week. They've been spending the summer visiting their grandparents in San Francisco and should be home by next Thursday. The house has been too quiet without them."

"I didn't know you had kids Mr. Miller."

"Yes I do. I have a girl and a boy. Sally is ten and Richard is seven."

"I was wondering when those two little monsters were coming home," teased Ben. "This town has been entirely too quiet since they left to visit your parents."

Mr. Miller laughed. "Those two "little monsters" as you put it are better behaved than all four of yours put together. Why just last night, I saw Cat here getting into a big fight in the Bucket of Blood. Some twelve year olds said she was cheating at poker and started a fight."

Cat and Ben laughed. "But I won that fight, didn't I Mr. Miller?" asked Cat.

"Yes you sure did. I didn't think a nine year old could whip four twelve year olds in a bar fight but Cat proved me wrong. How much money did you win last night anyway?"

"I won five hundred million dollars."

Ben laughed. "Wow! That sure is a lot of money. What did you do with it?"

"I sent money to Miss Kitty for Uncle Matt's saddle and I bought some licorice and peppermint candy and I put the rest in the bank."

"Well, I am very happy to hear that you put a lot of your winnings in the bank. Now we had better get going. Mrs. Martin is expecting us for dinner and it's not polite to be late when you've been invited to someone's house for a meal. Gerald, why don't we plan on having a picnic out at Lake Tahoe after church next Sunday? We can spend the afternoon fishing and swimming. Hop Sing will pack a picnic dinner for us. Cat and your children can get to know each other and you and your family can have supper at the Ponderosa."

"That sounds wonderful to me Ben. I haven't been out at your place in quite a while and I know the kids will enjoy spending a day fishing and swimming. Let me check with Julia when I go home and I'll let you know tomorrow when I see you for Millicent's trial. Cat, don't you go worrying about tomorrow at all. Mrs. Warren won't try and hurt you in the courtroom and if she does, there will be a whole lot of people, including me, to stop her. You just get up in that witness chair and tell the judge and jury exactly what she did to you. Don't even look at her. Look at your Pa and brothers. You can look at me and I'll make a funny face to make you smile. If you start getting too upset, just close your eyes, take a deep breath, count to ten and let it out slowly. If you need a drink of water, just say so and someone will get one for you. I know you'll do fine."

After Cat and Ben left the saddle shop, Cat asked, "Pa, are Mr. Miller's kids really monsters?"

"No they're not. They are very well behaved. I have been teasing Mr. Miller like that for many years now. I was at his house one day when Sally was cranky because she was not feeling well and Richard was having a temper tantrum. I think Richard was two at the time and was upset that his parents were paying attention to his sister instead of him. Now little girl, let's talk about your gambling habit. No more sneaking out at night to play poker with twelve year olds. You won't always win if you get into more fights with them. Twelve year olds are too big for you to fight with and you could get hurt. The last thing anybody in the family wants is for you to get hurt."

"Ok. I won't play poker with twelve year olds any more. I'll play with thirteen year olds instead."

Ben laughed, hugged Cat and gave one of her braids a playful tug. "Ok silly girl. You do that.

Now, we had better get over to the Martins for dinner before Virginia gets angry with me." Cat proved Virginia right, ate a lot of fried chicken and another piece of pie and some cookies for dessert. During dinner, both Paul and Virginia reassured Cat that she would be safe in the courtroom and told her that both of them would be there to protect her also.

After dinner Cat and Ben walked over to the general store. "Since you won five hundred million dollars last night and bought all of that licorice and peppermint candy, I guess you don't need me to buy any for you today," Ben teased.

"But I don't have any left. I gave some to Uncle Roy and the four boys I was playing cards with and I ate the rest on the way home."

"That was nice of you to give candy to Roy and those boys after beating them in a fight. Just exactly how much money did you spend on candy?"

"Twenty five dollars."

"You spent that much on candy, ate most of it and didn't have a sick stomach this morning? That's amazing. Little Joe couldn't even do that when he spent ten cents on candy."

They walked into the general store and found Mr. McLeod and James helping customers. "Morning Ben, Cat," said Mr. McLeod. "I'll be with you in a few minutes."

While they were waiting for Mr. McLeod and James to finish helping their customers, Cat looked around the store. She didn't see anything she was interested in until she saw the new knives Mr. McLeod had received. She spotted one that she thought would be perfect for hunting and fishing. It had a carved bone handle and the blade was only about five inches long, but it would be perfect for skinning rabbits and cleaning fish. James walked up to Cat and asked, "Which one do you like?"

"I like the one with the carved bone handle."

"Would you like to look at it?"

"Oh yes please. Can I really?"

"Yes you can. Let me get it out for you." James took the knife out of the case and handed it to Cat. She held the knife, looked it over carefully, and handed it back to James. "I need a knife like that for when I'm hunting or fishing but Pa'll never let me get it. He thinks I'm a baby." Cat looked around and not seeing Ben anywhere close said, "Can you keep a secret James?"

"Yes. I'm very good at keeping secrets."

"Good 'cause after the trial tomorrow, I'm gonna ask the judge to unsign the papers saying I'm adopted. I want to go back to Uncle Matt in Dodge. "Pa doesn't love me. He let that nasty witch attack me. He won't let me do anything by myself. I always have to have a grown up with me. He yells at me and threatens to spank me for breaking rules I didn't even know he had. He also thinks I'm Little Joe and yells at me for doing stuff I didn't do just because Joe used to do that stuff. Uncle Matt never would never let anyone attack me and he doesn't treat me like I'm a baby and yell at me about stuff I didn't do or stuff I didn't know I was supposed to do."

"Gosh Cat. I'm real sorry your Pa's doing that stuff. I know he didn't let Mrs. Warren attack you on purpose. He really does love you and would never let anyone hurt you. I don't want to keep this a secret Cat. I won't tell your Pa but I want to tell my parents, Dr. Martin and Reverend Long. They'll know what you should do. Please let me talk to them and I'll talk to you before the trial starts and tell you what they said."

"Ok. You can tell them but nobody else except for Sheriff Roy."

"I promise. I won't even tell Adam, Hoss, or Joe. Let me see how much Pa is charging for that knife. Maybe he can get your Pa to buy it for you."

James took the knife over to where his father and Ben were talking and handed it to his father. "Cat's interested in this knife Pa. How much are you charging for it?"

"It's only two dollars and fifty cents."

"Thanks. I'll tell Cat."

James walked back to Cat and told her how much the knife cost. "Thank you James. I'll have to try and earn the money for it somehow. I know that Pa won't buy it for me and he won't let me take the money out of my bank account even though it is my money. Maybe Hop Sing will pay me to weed the garden and since I know Adam, Hoss, and Joe hate cleaning tack, maybe they'll pay me to do some for them. Even if the judge does unsign the adoption papers, it might be a while before Uncle Matt can come and get me."

"I hope the judge doesn't undo the adoption. I like you and want you to stay here. I'm sure things will get better for you. Just give it some time. You've only been here for three weeks. The Ponderosa is a really big ranch and it takes time to learn your way around. School will be starting soon and you'll make more friends."

"James, why don't you and Cat take her puppies outside so they can play with Prince?" asked Mr. McLeod. "I want to talk with Ben for a little while."

Cat and James walked outside and put her puppies in the yard with James' puppy. "Since our fathers are talking, let's go and talk to the Martins and see what they think you should do," said James. "Then we can go and talk to Sheriff Coffee. If we have time, we can go and talk to the Longs.

They walked over to Paul's office where they found him bandaging one of Roy's thumbs. "Hi kids," said Roy. "I must look pretty silly to the pair of you. I was doing some work around the office and hit my thumb with the hammer instead of the nail."

James and Cat laughed at Roy's bandaged thumb. "What brings the two of you here?" asked Paul. "You and your Pa just left here a little while ago Cat. Did you forget something?"

"No," answered Cat. "I want to do something and James said I should talk to you, Mrs. Martin, Sheriff Roy, and Reverend and Mrs. Long before I do it."

"That sounds serious. Let me get Virginia and the five of us can talk." Paul walked into his home and returned a few minutes later with his wife. "Ok Cat. What is going on? What are you planning to do that James though it was important for you to talk to us before you do it?"

"I told James that after the trial, I want to ask the judge to unsign the papers saying I'm adopted. I want to go back to Uncle Matt where I belong."

"Why do you want to do that?" asked Virginia.

"Because Pa doesn't love me. He let that nasty witch attack me. He won't let me do anything by myself. I always have to have a grown up with me. He yells at me and threatens to spank me for breaking rules I didn't even know he had. He also thinks I'm Little Joe and yells at me for doing stuff I didn't do just because Joe used to do that stuff. Uncle Matt never would never let anyone attack me and he doesn't treat me like I'm a baby and yell at me about stuff I didn't do or stuff I didn't know I was supposed to do."

"Come here Cat," said Roy. Cat walked over to him, he pulled her into his lap and hugged her. "Your Pa loves you a lot. He didn't let Mrs. Warren attack you any more than I did. I know for a fact that if anyone had known she was going to do that, they would have stopped her. What do you mean that he won't let you do anything by yourself?"

"He won't let me go anywhere unless Adam, Hoss, Joe, or him are with me. I wanted to go and play with Mike Devlin yesterday but Pa said he didn't trust me not to gallop my horse so I had to have someone go with me. Nobody was going to go with me so I said I was going to go there by myself and then I was going to go back to Uncle Matt. He didn't even ask me to promise that I wouldn't gallop my horse. I'm sure that Uncle Matt told him that I always try to keep my promises. He even said I was dumb and swatted me and made me stand in the corner because I said I wanted to get even with that nasty lady for hurting me."

"I see, said Paul. Roy and I scolded him on Monday about treating you like you're Little Joe. I think that Reverend Long did too after the school board meeting. It sounds like we're going to have to talk to him about more things."

"I don't think you should talk to the judge just yet," said Virginia. "You've only been here for three weeks and that's not enough time to get used to everything or learn your way around. But I do think you should tell your Pa how you feel. If he doesn't know how you feel, he can't change the way he does things."

"I can't tell him. He said he'd spank me the next time I said I wanted to go back to Dodge."

"He will do no such thing!" exclaimed Virginia. "James, is Ben over at your father's store?"

"Yes he is."

"Will you please go and bring him over here. We need to get this sorted out right now. In fact, before you go and get him, please go over to the parsonage and ask Reverend and Mrs. Long to come over here."

While Cat and James were over at the Martins, George was talking to Ben. "Ben, you need to buy this knife for Cat."

"No, she's much too young for that. I don't want her using as a toy."

"Ben, you're comparing her to Joe again."

"You know about that?"

"Yes, everyone who cares about that child knows about it. Does Catherine use her bow and arrows as toys?"

"No, she just uses them for hunting and target practice."

"Then what makes you think that she'll use the knife for a toy? Catherine is not Joe. She never has been and never will be. The fact that they share a birthday and are a lot alike is where the similarity stops. How old was Joe when you bought him that single shot .22 rifle?"

"He was ten. I gave it to him for his birthday along with Cochise."

"Did he ever try and use it as a toy?"

"No, I made sure he understood all of the rules concerning guns before teaching him how to shoot."

"Ok. Has Cat ever used a large knife before?" Ben admitted that she had. "Did she use it properly?" Once again, Ben admitted that Cat had. "Well then, there you have it. She has been taught how to use a knife and the rules that go with using it. Now, if you don't buy this knife for her, I will."

"Alright, you win. I'll pay you for it now and surprise her with it after the trial tomorrow."

"That's better. Now are you going to stop yourself from treating her like Joe before you lose her? Nobody wants to see that happen. We're all quite fond of her and would like to see her grow up here. How would your sister and brother-in-law feel if they knew the way you were treating their baby girl? My family and I were at your house for Joe's party the night Cat was born. I remember how proud her parents were of her and the hopes and dreams they had for her. From what I remember of them, I would say that Catherine's parents would be very upset at the way you have been treating her since you brought her home."

Ben sighed. "You're right George. I'm not being fair to Cat by treating her like she's Joe. I've got to remember that she was raised a lot differently then my boys were and hasn't had the same kind of experiences they did."

"You're on the right track. I know that Cat is wild, but from what I remember you telling me, so was her mother. Part of her wildness comes from the fact that she had a lot of freedom living in Dodge. But being wild doesn't necessarily mean she's always going to get into trouble or do the same things that Joe, James, and Mitch did when they were her age. For example, I noticed that she didn't ask you to buy that knife for her. She simply wanted to know how much it cost. Is she used to buying her own things?"

"She's used to buying a lot of her own things. She had three jobs in Dodge. She ran telegrams to the farms and ranches outside of Dodge, she caught fish and sold them to the hotel restaurant, and she helped the blacksmith by keeping unruly horses calm while he was shoeing them. I can't begin to tell you how surprised I was to learn that."

"What did she do with the money?"

"She spent a few cents on candy, saved some for something she wanted and gave the rest to Kitty Russell to put toward birthday and Christmas gifts for Matt. She gave him a very nice winter coat just before we left to come here."

"Well, there you have it. Did any of your sons ever do that or did they ask you to buy things for them? I know James was always asking me to buy things for him and I can remember Mitch Devlin asking his father to buy things for him."

"Joe was always asking me to buy things for him. I learned about Cat wanting to pay for things herself on the trip between North Fork and Dodge and then between Dodge and here."

While they were talking, James went over to the parsonage and told the Longs that he had been asked to ask them to go over to Dr. Martin's office. He gave them a few minutes to go to Paul's office and learn what was happening before going over to his father's store to tell Ben he was needed in Paul's office. He walked into the store and said, "Mr. Cartwright, Dr. Martin asked me to ask you to go over to his office. Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with Cat. The doctor just needs to talk with you." After Ben left the store, James turned to his father and said, "You and Ma need to go over there too. Cat's going to need all of the support she can get."

"What's going on son?"

"Cat told me that she plans on asking the judge to undo her adoption. I convinced her to talk to Dr. and Mrs. Martin, Sheriff Coffee, and Reverend and Mrs. Long before doing anything. You've known Mr. Cartwright ever since Joe and I were little boys, so I think you and Ma should be there too. I'm on my way back there now."

"Alright son. I'll get your mother and join you there."

Ben walked into Paul's office and was surprised to see the Longs there and Cat sitting in Roy's lap. James walked in right behind Ben and his parents followed a few minutes later. "What is going on?" asked Ben. "Why is Catherine crying? Is she hurt?"

"No, not physically," said Reverend Long. "She has something to tell you and we want you to listen to what she has to say without interrupting or threatening to punish her. Now Cat, we need you to tell your Pa what you told us. Don't worry. You're not going to be scolded or punished for telling him how you feel."

"Ok, if you're sure. After the trial tomorrow, I was going to ask the judge to unsign the papers saying I'm adopted. I want to go back to Uncle Matt where I belong."

"Why Cat?"

"Because you don't love me. You let that nasty witch hurt me and you won't let me do anything by myself. I always have to have a grown up with me. You yell at me and threaten to spank me for breaking rules I didn't even know you had. You also think I'm Little Joe and yell at me for doing stuff I didn't do just because Joe used to do that stuff. You even said I was dumb for wanting to get even with that nasty witch and weren't going to let me have dessert until Hop Sing yelled at you. You didn't even ask me to promise not to gallop my horse when I went to the Devlins yesterday and Joe had to come with me because you thought I would gallop my horse. I know Uncle Matt told you that I always try to keep my promises. Uncle Matt never would never let anyone attack me and he doesn't treat me like I'm a baby and yell at me about stuff I didn't do or stuff I didn't know I was supposed to do."

Ben sat there in shocked silence for a minute. Before he could say anything, Reverend Long said gently, "Cat, do you remember what we talked about after church on Sunday, about how God wants us to love everybody, even if they're mean or hurt us?"

"Yes sir."

"Good because I don't think you understand that calling someone names is not loving them the way God wants us to. I understand that you are angry at Mrs. Warren and you have every right to be, but calling her names is not the right thing to do. I want you to promise me that you will never call anyone a bad name ever again, even if they hurt you."

"Ok. I promise."

"That's my girl. Now, your Pa sat here and listened to you without interrupting and you need to do the same to him."

Ben had to struggle to keep his voice from breaking while he addressed his daughter. "Cat, I am very sad to hear you say that you think I don't love you because I love you very, very much. I have loved you ever since your parents told me they were going to have a baby. The day you were born, I promised them that if anything ever happened to them, I would adopt you and raise you as my own daughter. I promise you that I did not let Mrs. Warren attack you. If I had known she was going to do that, I would have stopped her. I will never, ever let someone hurt you on purpose. I was wrong yesterday to tell you I didn't trust you not to gallop your horse. I didn't remember what your Uncle Matt said about asking you to promise not to do something and that you always try to keep your promises. I was also wrong to accuse you of playing marbles for keeps. Adam and Joe scolded me and reminded me that you didn't even take your marbles with you. Adam also reminded me that you didn't have any marbles until he bought some for you so you didn't know what playing for keeps meant.

You misunderstood what I said when I scolded you for saying you wanted to get revenge on Mrs. Warren for hurting you. I did not say you were dumb. I would never say that because you are not dumb. I said that talk of getting revenge was nonsense and foolish, which it is. Joe told me that you promised him not to try and get even with Mrs. Warren and I believe you.

The main reason you need to have an adult with you most of the time is because you do not know your way around the Ponderosa. You have only been home for three weeks and we are just starting to teach you how to get around on your own. I would be a very poor parent if I just let you go off on your own to someplace you had never been before. The Ponderosa is a very large ranch and you could ride for two weeks and never see all of it. Right now, your puppies are still too young to know how to get help if you get hurt. Once your rib is completely healed, we will be showing you more of the ranch, but I am still not going to let you go anyplace by yourself until I am positive that you won't get lost. I am sure that everyone here will agree with me about that because nobody wants you to get lost.

I am very, very sorry that I keep treating you as though you are Little Joe. I am wrong for doing that and I am going to try very hard to stop doing it. If it makes you feel any better, I have been scolded by almost everybody in this room for doing that and your brothers have told me that if I don't stop, they are going to take you back to Dodge. Since I love you very much and don't want to lose you, I need to stop treating you as though you are Joe. I know that you are not him but you are so much like him that I forget you haven't always lived with me and were raised much differently than your brothers were.

I am also sorry that I said I was going to punish you the next time you said you wanted to go back to Dodge. I was wrong for saying that. You have feelings and I should not tell you that you can't feel the way you do, especially because I have not been doing a very good job of letting you know how much I love you and am very happy that you are my little girl now. I was also wrong to tell you I was going to punish you because you did not want to go to church. I forgot that you don't know that church is like school and you have to go unless you are sick or hurt. But just like Reverend Long said in his sermon, you have to tell me why you don't want to go to church and that reason can't be just because you want to stay home and eat all of the left over chocolate cake or play with your puppies and colt. I promise that I will listen to your reason and if I think it's a good reason, I will not make you go to church. I hope you can forgive me for not being the father you need right now. I promise I will do my best to do better."

"Yes, I forgive you."

"Thank you. Now, I'm going to tell you the rules I have for you right now so everyone can hear them and if you ever have any questions about why I have those rules, you can ask me, your brothers or anyone here. Most of them are safety rules. Rule number one is that unless you are sick, hurt, it's raining too hard, or we are snowed in, you have to go to school. The Ponderosa will be yours one day and you will need a good education to run it properly. Rule number two is similar. Unless you are sick, hurt or have a good reason not to, you have to go to church. Rule number three is a safety rule. No swimming in Lake Tahoe unless somebody else is with you. I have that same rule for your brothers and myself also. There is a large pond closer to the house you can swim and fish in. If you are fishing at Lake Tahoe and want to go in the water up to your knees, that is fine but no swimming unless someone else is with you. Rules number four and five are also safety rules and they are the same ones Matt had for you. No running inside and no jumping your horse over fences or other high objects. Rule number six is also a safety rule and one you had in Dodge. I need to know where you are and when you expect to be home. If something happens to you and I don't know where you are, it could take a long time to find you. I think you've noticed that your brothers and I don't leave the house without telling someone where we're going. If someone is home, ask before you go somewhere. If nobody is home, leave a note on the armoire and someone will see it when they come in."

"What's an arm more?"

Ben smiled at Cat's pronunciation and confusion. "Oops, I forgot you don't know what that is. The armoire is the cabinet by the door where we put our guns and you put your bow and arrows. We keep the ammunition and extra pistols in it."

"Oh, ok."

"If Hop Sing is the only one home, you can ask him if you can go somewhere. Unless one of your brothers gets into trouble this week, starting on Monday, you are going to be doing your own chores and the morning chores have to be done before breakfast. All you have to do is gather the eggs, fill Hop Sing's wood box and take care of your horse. Don't worry about giving him hay. Your brothers will do that because you're not quite big enough yet to use a pitchfork to put hay in the manger.

School will be starting in a few weeks. I am going to tell everyone here what is going to happen because I don't want you to think I'm treating you like a baby. Today is the first time you've ridden your horse to town and you don't know your way here and back home yet. So, for the first week of school, someone is going to ride with you to show you the way. I will go with you the first day because I need to get you enrolled. Someone will pick you up after school to make sure you get home ok. The second week of school, someone is going to ride about five minutes behind you both ways to make sure you don't get lost. Once I am convinced you can find your way to school and home again safely, nobody will have to ride with you. That is exactly what your uncle Lucas did with Mark when they first moved to North Fork. When you get home from school, put your books in your room. Then take care of your horse, fill Hop Sing's wood box and do your homework. Do you have any questions about the rules I have for you?"

"Why don't you, Adam, Hoss, and Joe go swimming in Lake Tahoe alone?"

"Because the lake is very deep and the water gets very cold the deeper you go. If someone gets a cramp or they get too cold and nobody is there to help them get back to shore, they could drown."

"Oh. That would be really bad, wouldn't it?"

"Yes it would and everyone would be very sad because we would no longer have one member of our family with us."

"Ok. I won't swim all the way across Lake Tahoe unless someone is there with me."

Everyone laughed at Cat's statement. "You little scamp. Come here and let me hug you and tell you how much I love you."

Cat got down from Roy's lap and walked over to Ben who picked her up and hugged her tightly. "OWW Pa. Not so tight. You're hurting my rib."

"Ben," scolded Paul. "Be careful with that child. Do you want to have a very grumpy nine year old on your hands for another week because you injured her rib again when it's almost healed?"

"Oops, sorry Kitten. I didn't mean to hug you that tightly. I just want you to know how much I love you. Now, let's go over to Mr. McLeod's store and buy some candy so we can get home before supper. I do not want Hop Sing yelling at me because we're late. By the way Roy, I have a bone to pick with you. How could you let my nine year old daughter bribe you with a bag of candy to let her play poker half the night with four twelve year old boys and then get into a fight with them?"

"Well you see Ben, I have this here sweet tooth and when Cat offered me a bag of candy, I just couldn't say no to letting her play poker with the twelve year old boys."

"I don't care how many bags of candy she gives you Roy. Catherine is not to play poker with anyone older than eleven."

"But you said I could play with thirteen year olds," complained Cat.

"I changed my mind. You are not allowed to sneak out of the house at night to play poker with anyone older than eleven. You could get hurt if you get into a fight with anyone older."

"Awwww gee. You're no fun."

"I know. It's my job to keep you from having fun. Now let's go and get our candy."

The gathering broke up with everyone laughing at the last exchange between Ben, Roy, and Cat.