While they were walking back over to the general store, Ben said, "Cat, I meant every word I said. I am sorry that I've been treating you like Joe and I promise to stop but I'm going to need your help. Every time I start treating you like Joe, I want you to remind me that you're Cat, not Joe. Will you do that for me?"

"Sure, I can do that."

"Thank you. Now, let's get some candy and go home before Hop Sing yells at me for being late to supper. They walked into the store and Ben told George that he wanted six bags of candy. Cat heard him and exclaimed, "Six bags of candy! Wow! Are they all for me?"

Ben laughed, spotted a pink dress and matching sunbonnet and teased. "You can have all six of them if I can get that pink dress, sunbonnet, pantaloons and frilly petticoats for you."

"Pink?!" exclaimed Cat in horror. "I'm an Apache warrior and you want me to wear a pink dress, sunbonnet, pantaloons, and frilly petticoats? YUCK! That's awful. I thought you loved me. Everybody knows that Apache warriors don't wear pink. My father and grandfather would never let me ride in battle if they knew I was wearing pink. Little Bear wouldn't let me be his sister any more either. It's a good thing I only wear dresses once in a while. Apache warriors don't wear dresses either. I'd rather eat carrots than wear pink."

Everybody in the store laughed at Cat's pronouncement. "Well then little girl, and you are a little girl even if you do want to be an Apache warrior when you grow up, I guess you're going to have to be satisfied with one bag of candy. I'll be sure to tell Hop Sing to make extra carrots for you since you like them so much."

"Now you're bein' mean. Telling Hop Sing to make extra carrots when you know I absalootly, positively hate them is real mean. If I have to eat extra carrots, so does Adam, 'cause I know he hates them just like I do. James, if Pa makes me eat extra carrots and not Adam, will you help me get to the Apaches?"

"Sure Cat, but I'd rather eat carrots than Adam because I don't think he'd taste too good." Cat gave James a funny look. I think what you meant to say was would I help you get to the Apaches if your Pa made you eat extra carrots and didn't make Adam eat them too."

Ben and everyone else in the store laughed at Cat's grammar error and James' response. "James is right Kitten. I don't think that Adam would taste too good and I also don't think he'd be too happy with you trying to eat him."

"Paaaaa! You know what I meant."

"Yes, I do know what you meant but you said something totally different. Miss Winter is definitely going to have to work on your grammar." Cat scrunched up her nose and made a funny face, causing Ben to laugh. "Sorry Kitten. Like it or not, school will be starting soon and you have to go."

"Please stop sayin' bad words like school. I'm not allowed to say bad words & that word you said is the worst of all."

Ben gave one of Cat's braids a playful tug and hugged her. "Come on silly girl. I've got a bag of candy for everyone. Get yourself some licorice and your puppies so we can go. We still have to make two stops on the way home and if we're late for supper, I'm going to tell Hop Sing it was all your fault."

"You got six bags of candy. You and Hop Sing don't like candy, do you?"

"Of course we do and so do your brothers."

"Oh. I thought all of the extra candy was for Hoss because he eats so much."

"Hoss gets the same amount of candy as everyone else. If he wants more, he can buy some the next time he's in town. Now, get some licorice and your puppies. We have to leave."

"Ok. How much licorice can I get?"

"You may get four pieces. Two for you and two for me."

While Cat was outside getting her puppies, Paul Martin walked into the store and up to Ben. "I wanted to tell you that because Millicent's trial is tomorrow, you should expect Cat to have nightmares tonight and tomorrow night. This is very traumatic for her and will most likely trigger nightmares. Her injuries from the attack should be completely healed by the weekend, so the boys should take her out to her parents' graves soon. I can't guarantee that will stop the nightmares but it could help. Either way, she needs to mourn her losses. If she doesn't, she will never heal from what happened to her mother."

Before Ben could reply, Cat walked back into the store with her puppies. She walked up to where Ben and Paul were standing and asked, "Pa, can I get some licorice for Dr. Paul too?"

Ben smiled at his daughter's thoughtfulness. "Sure Kitten, you can get some for him also."

"How much licorice do you want Dr. Paul?"

"Well, I'd better get four pieces. Virginia would never forgive me if I didn't bring some for her too."

Ben gave Cat some money and she walked off to pay for eight pieces of licorice. "She's a sweet child Ben," said Paul. "You're lucky to have her."

"I know Paul. Now I've got to change my ways so I don't lose her. If she goes back to Matt, the only way I'll get to see her is if I go to Dodge."

Cat walked back to her father and the doctor and gave them their licorice and started to run toward the door with her puppies at her heels. "Cat!" exclaimed Ben and Paul together. "You're not supposed to be running until Saturday."

"Oh pooh! Can't you just close your eyes and pretend you don't know?"

"I can always make it another week before I allow you to run," replied Paul.

"That's not fair. My rib hardly hurts so I should be able to run."

"We talked about this in my office. You only have two more days to go. I know you're tired of having to walk everywhere, but you need to be patient. I don't want to take a chance on you falling and hurting your rib even worse than it was." Cat just sighed and walked outside. Ben and Paul laughed at her frustration with her situation. "She'll be ok Ben. Just be patient with her. It's hard for that little spitfire to have to walk everywhere when she's used to running. You're going to need to be extra patient with her on Saturday. She's going to be so thrilled that she's allowed to run again that she may forget she's not supposed to run indoors. Don't be too hard on her if she does run in the house on Saturday. Remember, she'll be excited that her restrictions have been lifted. Don't be surprised if she saddles a horse and takes off as fast as it can go."

"I don't think there's much that girl can do that will surprise me. I'd better go before she gets tired of waiting and takes off without me. I'll see you tomorrow." Ben walked outside and found Cat adjusting Buck's stirrups for herself. "Why are you doing that?"

"I figured you were gonna stay in there all day so I thought I'd steal Buck and Beauty can run along with us."

"Oh, and how am I supposed to get home?"

"You can walk or get a horse from the stable."

"You are a little scamp." Ben picked Cat up and turned her upside down just as Paul walked out of the store.

"Ben, what on Earth are you doing to that child?"

"I caught her trying to steal my horse. Isn't this what we do to horse thieves, turn them upside down and tickle their feet?" He pulled one of Cat's moccasins of and started to tickle her foot.

After a minute, Cat cried, "Stop! Please! I'm going to wet my pants."

Ben turned Cat upright and carried her back into the store. "George, may Catherine use your water closet? I tickled her too much."

Mr. McLeod laughed. "Sure Ben. James, please take Cat into the house and show her where the water closet is. Now, what did that sweet child do to cause you to tickle her too much?"

"She got tired of waiting for me and decided to ride my horse back home and lead hers, leaving me to walk or hire a horse from the livery stable."

George laughed at the expression on Ben's face. "You're definitely going to have to be on your toes around that little girl. I wonder what she'll think of next."

Before Ben could answer, Richard Parker walked into the store. "Ben, you're still here. Good. I have some news for you about tomorrow. Among other things, Millicent is going around town telling people that Cat attacked her and she was just defending herself. It is important that Cat wear a dress to court tomorrow. I don't want the jury looking at a little girl wearing buckskins and deciding that she attacked an elderly lady."

Mr. McLeod said, "I can't believe that Millicent is doing that. I know she doesn't like children or animals but I can't believe she'd lie like that."

"I agree," said Ben. "I'll talk to Cat about wearing a dress tomorrow and why she needs to. I was going to tell her she didn't have to wear one unless she wanted to, but this way she won't argue with me when I tell her she has to."

"Thanks Ben," said Mr. Parker. "I've got to get back over to my office. Celia Johnson said she needed to talk to me about something this afternoon."

Cat came back into the store then she and Ben walked outside. He helped her mount Buck and shortened the stirrups for her. Then he put her puppies in her saddle bags, adjusted Beauty's stirrups, mounted the horse and rode out of town with his daughter. After they rode for a while, Ben spotted a fallen tree rode over to it and dismounted. Cat dismounted and took her puppies out of the saddle bags. Ben sat down and motioned for Cat to join him. She sat down and he hugged her. "I need to talk to you about tomorrow. I wasn't going to make you wear a dress to court but now I need you to." Cat started getting upset and Ben hugged her again. "I'm sorry Kitten, but it's important. While you were in the McLeod's house with James, Mr. Parker came to see me. Mrs. Warren has been going around telling everybody that you attacked her and she was just defending herself."

"But I didn't attack her Pa. She's lying. She pulled me out of the buggy by my hair. I hit the side and one of the wheels. That's how my rib got hurt."

"I know sweetheart. Mrs. Warren is lying and that's why you need to wear a dress. The jury isn't going to be made up of men who live in Virginia City and know me and Mrs. Warren. Mr. Parker and Mr. Michaels got twelve men from Galena to come here to be the jury."

"I don't understand. Why did they do that?"

"They did it so that Mrs. Warren would get a fair trial. Many people in Virginia City benefit from the Ponderosa in one way or another and the two lawyers did not want a jury to decide the trial just because we contribute a lot to the town. If the jury was going to be made up of men from Virginia City, they would know that Mrs. Warren was lying. However, the men who are coming from Galena do not know me or Mrs. Warren. If they see a little girl wearing buckskins, they might believe Mrs. Warren. However, if you are wearing a dress and tell the jury that you were attacked after church, they will be more likely to believe you because everybody knows that girls do not like to get their dresses dirty. You'll need to wear your shoes and a sunbonnet also so you look like a proper little girl. I know that your shoes aren't broken in yet, so you can wear your moccasins until someone comes to get you when it's your turn to testify. Then you'll have to put your shoes on. Will you do that for me?"

Cat sighed. It wasn't fair. She had to go to court and wear a dress tomorrow all because of the mean nasty old witch. "Alright Pa. I'll wear a dress and my shoes."

Ben hugged her again. "That's my girl. Thank you for agreeing to wear a dress. You can wear your hat until it's time to come into the courtroom and you can put your moccasins back on after the trial is over. Now, let's get going. I want to stop and talk to the Devlins and the Ingalls on our way home. And, if we're late for supper and Hop Sing yells at me, I'm going to tell him it was all your fault."

Cat giggled. "He won't believe you because he thinks I'm perfect."

"Well, I'll just have to convince him otherwise. Maybe I'll hide his slippers in your bedroom."

Cat started laughing. "He will probably think that Little Joe did it or Hoss was playing games. I'll tell him you did it and then he'll yell at you."

Ben gave one of her braids a playful tug. "You are a little scamp. I think you enjoy hearing Hop Sing scold me." Cat giggled. "That's what I thought. Round up your puppies so we can get home before supper." Cat called her puppies who reluctantly stopped chasing squirrels and answered her call. Ben helped her mount Buck and put her puppies in her saddle bags. He mounted Beauty and they rode off toward the Devlin ranch.

When they rode into the Devlin's yard, they saw Mike and his father sitting on the corral fence, watching Mitch work a new horse they had just acquired. Cat admired the blood bay stallion and asked Mitch if she could walk him around a little. Mitch looked at Ben who nodded so he handed the rope to Cat. Cat spent a few minutes petting and talking to the horse before walking him around the yard. Mr. Devlin got down off the fence and greeted Ben. "Hello Ben. It's been a while since we've gotten together. Are you sure it's safe for Cat to be handling that stallion?"

"Hello Dan. Yes it has been too long. For a while there it seemed like one of us was always bringing the other's son back to him. Yes, it's perfectly safe for Cat to handle that stallion. I don't know what it is about her, but she's very good with horses and they seem to like her. You should see her colt follow her around the pasture like her puppies do. The blacksmith in Dodge used to pay her to help him with unruly horses. He sure is a good looking horse. If his bloodlines are as good as his looks, I've got some mares I'll pay you to breed to him."

"He has excellent bloodlines. I'm sure we can work something out about him servicing your mares. Why don't we go into the house? I know Mary would love to see you. Mitch, why don't you put Flame in the corral and then come into the house?" Ben and Cat walked into the house where they were greeted by Mrs. Devlin. "Now, what can we do for you today Ben?"

"Millicent's trial is tomorrow and Catherine will not be in the courtroom until she is needed to testify. She can play at the school, but I do not want her to be alone. Would it be alright with you if Michael came to town with us so that Catherine will not be alone?"

"I know that Mitchell was planning on attending the trial," said Mrs. Devlin. "So were his father and I. I think it would be an excellent idea for Michael to stay with Cat until she is needed at the trial. You are right. She should not be alone. Michael, will you stay with Cat at the school until she is needed in the courtroom?"

"Sure Ma. I do that for Cat. I'll bring my marbles and you bring yours Cat. We can play while we're waiting for the grownups to need you."

"But I have to wear a dress tomorrow and if I play marbles, I'll get it dirty before I have to go to the courthouse."

"Don't worry about that," said Mrs. Devlin. "You go ahead and bring your marbles. I'll think of something between now and then to keep your dress from getting dirty."

"Ok. Thank you."

"I'll be taking Cat to town in the buggy tomorrow," said Ben. "Mike, do you want to ride your horse or ride in the buggy with Cat?"

"I'll go with Cat."

"That's fine. We'll pick you up in the morning. Now we have to go because I want to stop and talk to Charles and Caroline to see if Mary and Laura can come with us also." They said goodbye to the Devlins and rode over to the Ingalls. Mary had a summer cold and couldn't go to town the next day but Laura was allowed to. Cat told Laura she'd ask Joe if she could borrow his marbles and Ben said he'd pick Laura with the buggy in the morning. They reached home just before suppertime. Dave came out of the barn and said he'd take care of their horses. During supper, Cat asked Joe if Laura could use his marbles and Joe said he'd get them before bed and put them next to his gun so they wouldn't be forgotten. After supper, she helped Adam set up the chess board and played checkers with Hoss and Joe. As Paul predicted, Cat had a nightmare. All three of her brothers and Ben sat with her until it passed. They hugged her and Joe took her to the outhouse while Adam put her pillow and blanket on his bed.

Cat was nervous and grumpy the next morning and complained about having to wear a dress. Joe hugged her and reminded her that she would be well protected in the courtroom and nobody would be allowed to hurt her. After helping her into her dress, Joe braided Cat's hair and picked out a sunbonnet. He put it on his head, causing Cat to laugh. She got her shoes out of the wardrobe and Joe picked her bag of marbles up off of her desk and they walked down to breakfast together. The rest of the family had a good laugh at the sight of Joe wearing Cat's sunbonnet. He pulled her chair out for her and once she was seated, he put Cat's sunbonnet on her backwards so it was covering her face, causing her to laugh again. "It's backwards Joe. I can't see."

"Oh, so it is. How about this way?" He hung the bonnet so the strings were going down Cat's back.

Ben looked at Cat and laughed. "Catherine Michael Cartwright, I cannot believe that you are nine years old and don't know how to wear a sunbonnet," he teased. "Hoss, would you please show your sister the correct way to wear her sunbonnet?" Hoss took the sunbonnet off of Cat, put it on his head and proceeded to dance around the dining room. Cat laughed so much she had to excuse herself and go to the outhouse. While she was gone, Ben said, "Boys, thank you for making your sister laugh. Today is going to be very difficult for her and laughter is some of the best medicine known to man." After breakfast, Ben told Cat that she only had ten minutes to say good morning to Fury and then they had to leave to pick up Laura and Mike before going to town. When they arrived at the Devlin ranch, Mrs. Devlin handed Cat a small blanket and told her to put it on the ground so she wouldn't get her dress dirty playing marbles. When they reached town, Ben dropped the children off at the school before driving the buggy to the courthouse.

The courtroom was packed and people were standing along the back and side walls when the judge started the trial, read the complaint out loud and said, "The defendant has been accused of attacking and injuring a young child, however I do not see a child in the courtroom."

"The child in question is a nine year old girl. The defendant has called her parentage into question and used that as the excuse for the attack. Because of this, it will be necessary for me to call her father to the stand and reveal deeply personal family information that the child is not old enough to understand. Being in the courtroom will also cause her to relive a very tragic and traumatic incident that just occurred this past June. As neither Mr. Michaels nor myself wish to see a young child further traumatized, we have agreed to keep her out of the courtroom until it is time for her to testify. She is at the school playing with some friends," replied Mr. Parker.

"While that is highly unusual, I do not want to see a young child traumatized, so she may stay at the school until you are ready for her to testify," said the judge. "Please call your first witness."

Mr. Parker called Ben to testify. Ben explained Cat's history including his father forcing her mother to remarry less than five months after she had been widowed and what had happened to all of her new husband's previous wives. When Ben talked about Cat's mother and her husband trying to get Cat to go to Australia with them, Mrs. Warren yelled out, "She should have gone. Then we wouldn't have to put up with the little brat!" The judge scolded Mrs. Warren and told her that she was not to say anything until she was called to testify and if she had another outburst, he would fine her for contempt of court. The men on the jury could not believe that Mrs. Warren would compromise her defense when there was a distinct possibility that she would be found guilty and sent to prison. When Ben told about Cat standing next to her mother when she was killed and was still having nightmares of the murder, Mrs. Warren yelled out again. "Too bad she wasn't killed too. We don't need her kind here among decent people." The judge scolded her again and said that the next time she interrupted the trial, he would have her gagged until it was time for her to testify. Ben finished his testimony by saying he adopted Cat and gave her the adoption papers on her ninth birthday.

Mr. Michaels asked when Cat actually moved in with Ben and he replied, "Three weeks ago yesterday." When Mr. Michaels asked why it was almost two months from the time she was adopted to the time she actually moved onto the Ponderosa, Ben replied that in an attempt to keep her life as normal as possible after the tragedy of her mother's murder, she spent two weeks with her father's youngest brother in Arizona and a week with her father's best friend in New Mexico. Then she spent two weeks in Dodge so she could say goodbye to her friends and he could bring all of her belongings back home with them.

Mr. Parker called Adam to testify next. He told how he and his brothers were returning from the lumber yard and were just around the corner from the buggy when they heard Cat yell for help. He talked about how they found their sister on the ground and Mrs. Warren using the buggy whip on her, and how he took the whip from Mrs. Warren and broke it while Joe picked Cat up off the ground, and Hoss picked up her puppies. Mr. Michaels asked Adam what he meant when he said that if Mrs. Warren ever did anything to hurt his sister or her puppies again, that he would forget that he was supposed to be a gentleman. "I meant that I would give her a very large piece of my mind and tell her exactly what I thought of her. You are very sadly mistaken if you think I would ever stoop so low as to hit a woman."

Once Adam had answered all the questions asked of him, Mr. Parker called Reverend Long who explained that he and Ben had been sitting on the church steps talking when they heard Cat yell for help. He said that they reached the buggy just after Cat's brothers, saw Mrs. Warren using the whip on Cat and Adam take the whip and break it. Then it was Paul Martin's turn to explain Cat's injuries and how the cuts were consistent with someone having had a buggy whip used on them. He said he didn't know how Cat's ribs got bruised but said it was most likely from striking a hard object.

After Paul returned to his seat, Mr. Parker surprised everyone by calling on Miss Celia Johnson to testify. "Miss Johnson, will you please tell the court what you told me in my office yesterday afternoon?"

"Mrs. Warren and I were having supper together on Tuesday when she began to talk about her being charged with assaulting and injuring Mr. Cartwright's daughter. You can imagine my surprise when she said that the girl deserved everything she got for pretending to be Mr. Cartwright's daughter. She also said she would do it again and her only regret was not killing the puppies and injuring the child more severely, causing her to die. I have known Millicent Warren for many years and cannot believe that someone who claims to be a Christian, God fearing person would do such a terrible thing to a child just because she didn't believe the girl was who she claimed to be. I don't understand why she does not believe that the girl is Mr. Cartwright's daughter when just about everybody in the town knows he adopted his niece after her mother was killed. He introduced her to almost everybody before and after church last week."

When Miss Johnson finished testifying, Mr. Parker said, "Your honor, my next witness is the victim herself. She is very afraid of the defendant and has great concerns that she may be attacked while she is testifying. I would like to place a chair between the witness chair and defense table for one of her brothers to sit in while she testifies. It is my hope that having one of her brothers between her and the defendant will help to ease her fears." The judge asked Mr. Michaels if he had any objections to Mr. Parker's request. He said no so the judge told Mr. Parker to put a chair between the witness chair and the defense table. Mr. Parker then asked the judge for a brief recess so a member of the Cartwright family could go and get Cat from the school. The judge called a ten minute recess and Hoss went to get Cat.

Hoss walked over to the school where he found his sister, Mike, and Laura at the end of a game of marbles. He decided to let them finish their game before taking Cat over to the courthouse. Mike and Laura decided to go with them to support their friend. They walked into the courthouse and there were a lot of murmurs and whispers of "Isn't she cute?" Even the judge and jury had to smile at the sight of a little girl in braids wearing a blue dress with a yellow sunbonnet hanging down her back and a cowboy hat on her head, holding her biggest brother's hand. Hoss looked at the judge and said, "Sorry about the delay Judge, but they was in the middle of a high stakes game of marbles. The winner got to use the swing first and the loser had to push. I couldn't interrupt a game that important." Everybody in the courtroom except Mrs. Warren laughed at Hoss' statements.

"I totally agree Mr. Cartwright," replied the judge. "The court can wait for an important game like that."

Hoss looked at Cat and said, "Why don't you let Little Joe hold your hat until you're done. You won't need it in here." Joe picked Cat up and hugged her, making sure Mrs. Warren saw how much she was loved. Then he took her hat and sat down again. Hoss walked Cat up to the front of the courtroom and pointed to the two chairs. "You're gonna sit there and I'm gonna sit right here so nobody can hurt you."

Cat hugged Hoss tightly and cried, "No! I want you to sit with me. She'll hurt me again if you don't."

"I'll be right here Punkin. Nobody will hurt you."

"No! She'll hurt me again if you don't sit with me!"

Hoss looked at the judge who said, "Alright Mr. Cartwright. You may sit with your sister. I don't want her to be upset while she testifies. Bailiff, please swear the witness in."

The bailiff walked up to Cat with the Bible, told her to put her left hand on it and raise her right hand. Then he told her the oath she needed to swear to. Cat's eyes got as big as saucers. She couldn't believe that this strange man wanted her to swear on the Bible in front of all the people in the courtroom. "I'm not allowed to swear, 'specially on the Bible! I'll be in real big trouble ifn I do. My uncles and cousins will magically appear and when everybody in my family finishes with me, I'll be twelve before I can sit down again!" She rubbed her bottom with both hands at the thought of what would happen if she swore, causing almost everyone in the courtroom, including the judge and jury to laugh.

The judge decided to hurry things up. "Miss Cartwright, do you know the difference between the truth and a lie?"

"Yes sir. I ain't told a lie since I was five when me and Pete and Mike skipped school and lied about it. I got in real big trouble and Uncle Matt took my pony away from me for two whole weeks." Once again, almost everybody in the courtroom started laughing.

"I am very glad to hear that you haven't told a lie since you were five. Will you promise me that you will answer all of the questions asked honestly? It's ok to say you don't remember or you're not sure."

"Yes sir. I'll tell the truth."

"Thank you. Now you can go and sit with your brother." Cat sat in Hoss' lap and he hugged her.

Mr. Parker stood up and said, "Miss Cartwright, will you please tell the court what happened after church on Sunday?"

Cat took a deep breath, let it out slowly and said, "It kinda started before church. I didn't want to go to church and Pa was mad at me because he forgot that Uncle Matt only made me go to church on Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas. When we got to church, he scolded me, said I was going to get a spanking and have to spend the day copying verses out of the Bible when we got home. Then he said to go and stand by Adam because I was going to have to sit with my family instead of my friends. Reverend Long heard what Pa said to me and picked me up and started carrying me around when he was sayin' good morning to everyone. Pa wasn't real happy that I was with Reverend Long instead of Adam but he didn't scold Reverend Long. Reverend Long kept carrying me around and when he said good morning to the nast…Mrs. Warren, she started saying real bad things about me. She started calling me a brat and a thing and an it. She said that I wasn't a Cartwright and Pa wasn't my Pa and Adam, Hoss, and Joe weren't my brothers. She said that I should be in an orphanage or a work house and my puppies should have been drowned when they were born.

Reverend Long said that Mrs. Warren wasn't nice but God still loved her and wants us to do the same thing. I thought he was joking but he said that God wants us to love everybody even if they're not nice people. He said he had to start the church service and would tell me more after church. After church, Reverend Long said goodbye to everybody and then we sat on the church steps. He told me that when he said that God wants us to love everybody, even people who are mean, he didn't mean that you have to let them move into your house and act like they're your family. I was real worried about that 'cause I was scared that Mrs. Warren was going to move to the Ponderosa and I was gonna have to let her take my bedroom. That's the bedroom I was born in. It was Adam's but Pa said that Hoss and Little Joe made him give it to me while I was with my uncles in Arizona and New Mexico. They fixed it up real nice for me and even painted it green like my eyes. I can see Lake Tahoe from one window and the mountains from the other and I don't want anybody, especially somebody mean like Mrs. Warren to have it." There were quiet chuckles from the people watching the trial and even the judge and jury smiled at Cat's pronouncement.

"After Reverend Long finished telling me how God wants me to be nice to mean people like Mrs. Warren, Pa walked up and said he had to talk to Reverend Long about grown up stuff and said I should wait in the buggy for him. He promised not to take too much time and said my brothers were running an errand and when they got back we would go home. I told him I was hungry and if they took too much time, I was going to drive the buggy home and then Pa and my brothers would have to walk home. There was chocolate cake left from supper and I was in a hurry to go home so I could eat it." There was more quiet laughter from almost everyone in the courtroom, including the judge and jury. Many of them had children and could understand a child wanting to hurry home to eat chocolate cake.

"While I was waiting for Pa and my brothers, Mrs. Warren drove up in her buggy and asked why I was sitting in the Cartwright's buggy. I told her Pa told me to wait for him and she said that I wasn't a Cartwright and was going to teach me a lesson. She grabbed my braids and pulled me out of the buggy. I hit the side of the buggy and a wheel and hurt one of my ribs. Then she started hitting me with her whip. My puppies tried to protect me but she kicked them and they got hurt." Cat started crying while she was talking about what had happened to her so Hoss wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "Then I yelled for my Pa and brothers and they made her stop hurting me."

"Thank you Catherine," said Mr. Parker. "I have one more question for you. What do you hope will happen when this trial is over?"

"I hope that the judge makes Mrs. Warren go way, far away from here. I'm scared she's gonna come into the school and hurt me again when school starts. My Pa and brothers will be busy on the ranch and can't keep her from hurting me again."

Then Mr. Michaels stood up and walked over to Cat. "Are you sure that you told everything just like it happened? Mrs. Warren said that you attacked her and she was just defending herself."

Cat became very upset and started yelling. "SHE'S LYING! I DIDN'T TRY TO HURT HER! SHE HURT ME AND MY PUPPIES AND I HATE HER! I WANT HER TO GO WAY, FAR AWAY FROM HERE AND NEVER, EVER COME BACK! SHE'S A MEAN, NASTY OL' WITCH AND I DON'T' CARE IF REVEREND LONG AND PA GET MAD AT ME FOR SAYIN' IT!" Cat turned around and buried her head in Hoss' shoulders and started sobbing uncontrollably. She was crying so hard she was shaking and Hoss became worried about her.

Hoss hugged her and tried to soothe her. "It's alright Punkin. Ain't nobody gonna ever hurt you again. Come on baby. Take deep breaths. Ya gotta quit cryin'. It ain't good for ya to cry so hard that yore shakin' like a leaf in the wind." He looked at the judge and said, "Ifn them two lawyers are done, I need to take my sister to our Pa. Maybe he can get her to calm down. I ain't never seen her this upset before, even at her mama's funeral."

The judge asked the attorneys if they had any more questions for Cat. When they said no, the judge recessed the trial until Cat had calmed down.