a/n: Flame: to insult or criticize angrily in an online post or comment. Troll = flame = comments deleted. THIS IS AU, NOT FOLLOWING CANON, AND IS MY OWN CREATION. If you don't like the story, don't read it. There are thousands of Bonanza stories here and other places on the internet. Go read them and stop telling me how to write my story. Adam Cartwright was not a god. He was a human being who argued with his father and fought with his brothers. He fought with Joe over which side was right in the Civil War. He accidentally shot and almost killed Joe when they were hunting a wolf. He belittled Joe when he was playing with a sword. He kissed his brother's fiancée and Hoss nearly beat him to death because of it. He was bossy and hard headed. He made Laura Dayton feel like she wasn't capable of running her own ranch. Joe called him Mr. Bossy Boots and Yankee Granite head. So, wake up and smell the cappuccino. This story is fiction about a family that never existed except on television. From now on, any guest review that tells me how to write my story will be deleted. Go and write your own stories.

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Joshua heard Cat talking to her puppies and laughed. "Good morning Cat. Judging from the conversation you were having with your puppies, I'm guessing your Pa told you something you didn't like."

"Yeah. He scolded me because I was running in the house. He keeps sayin' stuff like I could get hurt. I never get hurt."

"Well, you got hurt the day Thaddeus and I found you."

"I wish you would have just left me there. It's my fault that my mama got killed."

"I believe you were on your way to see Fury. Let's talk while we walk to the pasture. I want you to listen carefully to what I have to say. It is not your fault that your mother was killed. Your uncle told Thaddeus and I that your mother was just pretending to try and get you to go to Australia. She was talking to a lawyer and was going to divorce her husband because he did not treat her the way a lady should be treated. I know that your uncle has told you the same thing. Has your uncle ever lied to you?"

"No."

"Ok then. What happened to your mother was not your fault. Everything happens for a reason and we don't always know what that reason is. Sometimes we never know what that reason is. Someday, you may know why your mother died that day but then again, you may never know why. What is important is that you realize what happened was not your fault. Just keep reminding yourself of that and you will come to realize that it is true. Now, I have a few minutes and want to see what Fury will do for you before I have to go and do some work."

"I wish my mother had never come back. Then I'd still be in Dodge where I was happy instead of here."

"I thought you loved the Ponderosa."

"I do but nobody lets me do anything or go anywhere by myself. I'm almost grown up and don't need somebody to hold my hand everywhere I go. I had three jobs in Dodge and didn't need anyone with me when I went places."

"Hold on just a minute little girl. First of all, you are only nine years old and that is not almost grown up. Second, the reason you aren't allowed to go places alone right now is because you have only been here for three weeks and don't know your way around yet. I'm sure that you had to be taught how to get places in Dodge before being allowed to go there on your own. Those two boys you used to get into mischief with, did they live in town?"

"No, their farm is about thirty minutes outside of town."

"Did you always know how to get to their house or did your uncle have to show you?"

"Uncle Matt showed me."

"Ok. And how old were you before you were allowed to ride out there alone? How old were they before they were allowed to go into town alone."

"We were almost seven."

"Alright then, stop feeling sorry for yourself and pay attention when you're out riding with your family. That way you'll learn how to get places and back home again. When your Pa feels that you're ready to go places alone, he'll let you but you have to show him you can do it safely. Now, show me what you've taught that colt to do. I have work to do." Cat started to climb the pasture gate when she felt Joshua's hand on her shoulder. "Oh no you don't. That's not safe. Thaddeus and I didn't save your life only to stand by while you do things that could get you hurt. Open the gate and walk into the pasture." Cat sighed loudly. "You've got your choice Cat. You can do it the right way or I can take you up to the house where you can tell your Pa what you were going to do. I know you think you can't get hurt. I used to think the same thing when I was your age and so did Thaddeus. We both did foolish things and got hurt. I'll tell you the stories sometime but I ended up with a broken leg and Thaddeus ended up with a serious head injury. So as you can see, I am just trying to keep you from doing something foolish and getting hurt in the process. Look at it this way. You've just spent almost a week not being able to run because somebody hurt you. If you fall off that gate and break a leg or an arm, it will be two or more months before you will be allowed to run. You also will not be allowed to ride any horse until you are completely healed. It's up to you. What are you going to do?"

"Can I climb through the gate?"

Joshua laughed. "Yes, you can climb through the gate as long as you don't try and do it between the top two boards." Cat climbed through the bottom two boards on the gate and Joshua said, "See, you were still able to do it your way and stay safe. Nobody's trying to keep you from having fun. We just want to keep you from getting hurt. Now show me what that colt will do for you so I can go to work."

Cat pulled a carrot out of her back pocket, broke it in half and put one of the halves between her teeth. Fury gently took the piece of carrot and ate it. Then Cat picked her puppies up, put them on the colt's back and walked around the pasture with Fury's chin on her shoulder. Joshua laughed long and loud. "If that doesn't beat all. I've never seen a dog riding a horse before. What are you going to do when they're too big for you to pick up?"

"I'm not sure. I think they'll be full grown before Fury is so even if he lays down, they could be too heavy for him."

"You're right and I am very proud of you for thinking of your colt's health. Even though you don't weigh very much, you won't be able to ride him until he's almost two years old. You are doing a very good job of raising him and I'm sure that you're anxious to be allowed to ride him."

"Yes I am. He's going to be the fastest horse in the world and I'm going to teach him how to fly. I wish he was already two."

"I understand. Well, I've got to go to work. Thank you for showing me what you've taught Fury to do. Remember, adults aren't being mean when they tell you not to do things. They're just doing it because they care about you and don't want you to get hurt."

Ben and Abel walked up just as Joshua was starting to walk off. "Good morning Joshua," said Ben. "Abel, this is Joshua. He's one of the two young men who saved Cat's life. "Josh, this is Abel Goss. He's the photographer who was out at the lake yesterday. He's going to take some pictures of Cat, her puppies and colt. Abel, why don't you go on into the pasture and meet Fury? I'll be along in a minute."

After Abel entered the pasture, Joshua told Ben about his conversation with Cat about her mother. Ben thanked him and said that Adam, Hoss, and Joe were taking her out to her mother's grave and he hoped that would resolve some of her feelings. Ben walked into the pasture where Abel had already taken a picture of Cat and Fury with the puppies on his back. Abel took several more pictures of Cat, Fury and the puppies then packed up his camera equipment. Ben opened the gate for him and said, "Cat, your brothers want to leave in fifteen minutes, so if you're going to run around the pasture with your colt, you had better do it now. Your ribs are healed now so there's no reason you can't saddle your own horse today."

Cat ran around the pasture with Fury, climbed back through the gate and ran to the barn where she found her brothers had already saddled their horses and were waiting for her. She saddled Beauty, led the horse out of the barn, put her puppies in the saddle bags and started to mount. "Hold it just a minute Cat. You're not getting on that horse until I check and make sure the cinch is tight. I know that you used to saddle your pony by yourself, but a pony is a lot different than a horse. The last thing any of us wants is for you to get hurt because your cinch wasn't tight." Adam checked the cinch, tightened it and said, "Alright, it's tight now. You did a good job, but the cinch was a little loose. Mount up and let's go. Remember what Joe said at breakfast. Pay attention to how we get to where we are going. It is important that you learn how to get there and back on your own."

Cat rode with her brothers and watched for landmarks to show her how to find her way to where they were going again. They rode for about forty five minutes and as they approached the little cove on the shore of Lake Tahoe, Cat realized that her brothers were taking her to her mother's grave. "No! I don't want to go there! I hate my mother! If she hadn't come back, it wouldn't be my fault that she's dead!"

"Come on Cat," said Joe. "You have to go there. It's important. You'll keep having nightmares if you don't." Cat tried to turn Beauty around and ride away but Joe grabbed Cat's reins and led the horse toward the graves. He stopped when they got close, dismounted, tied both horses to a small bush and helped Cat down from her saddle."

"Please don't make me go there Joe," cried Cat. "I can't go there. I hate my mother for leaving me alone all those years and then coming back. She didn't even write to me. It's all my fault my mama is dead. She would still be alive if I had gone to Australia with her."

Cat tried to run off only to have Adam pick her up and sit down on the bench Ben had put there. He held his sister in his lap and let her cry. "It is not your fault that your mother is dead. Remember what Matt told you? She was just pretending to try and get you to go with her. She was not going to go back there with the man Grandfather made her marry. She was talking to the lawyer and the judge about divorcing him so she could move back here with you. Even if you had gone to Australia with them, you might not be alive today. It takes several months to get to Australia. Ships are very crowded with poor sanitary conditions. Many of them don't even have a doctor on board. If the ship ran into bad weather, it could have become damaged and sunk, killing everyone on board. That's why your mother didn't take you with her when she went there after she married that man. She didn't want to risk having anything bad happen to you. Pa used to be a sailor. Ask him and see if what I'm saying is true or not."

"Cat," said Hoss. "All three of us have lost mothers. That's why we're here with ya now because we understand how yore feeelin'. Adam here has lost three mothers. His ma died not long after he was born. My ma was killed in an Indian attack when we was on our way here with the wagon train. And Joe's ma was killed in a riding accident when he was just five. It's ok to be sad that yore parents are dead and it's ok to cry. But ya gotta stop blamin' yourself for your ma getting' killed. It weren't yore fault no more than it was any of our or Pa's fault our mothers died."

"You don't hate your mother Cat," said Joe. You are angry with her for leaving you the way she did, and we understand that, but like Adam said, she did it to keep you safe. Nobody knows why she didn't write to you all those years. It's possible she did and the letters either got lost or were never sent. Remember, Matt said that her husband was not a nice man and he could have destroyed her letters. We'll probably never know. But one thing we do know is that your mother loved you very much. She wrote Pa a letter before she got to Dodge. Pa let us read it. She said how much she loved and missed you and that she couldn't wait to see you again. She also said that she had no intention of taking you back to Australia. Your mother said what you have already been told. She wanted to divorce her husband and move back here with you. We got the letter the same day we got the telegram from Matt saying she was dead and you were seriously hurt. If we would have gotten it sooner, Pa would have gone to Dodge and brought both of you back here."

"The important thing is that you're here with us like she wanted," added Adam. "You are part of our family now and we all love you very much. Hop Sing acts like you're his daughter and the three of us love having a little sister to spoil. If we scold or punish you, it's because we do love you, are trying to keep you safe and teach you a lesson. One day you will grow up and have children of your own and you will teach them the same lessons Pa taught us and we will teach you." Cat had been sobbing the entire time so Joe took the canteen off of his saddle, opened it and handed it to Adam. "Come on sis. You need to stop crying. It's not good for you to cry so much. Here, take a small drink and see if that helps." Hoss handed his handkerchief to Adam who wet it and started wiping his sister's face with it. "Are you feeling better now?"

Cat nodded her head but continued crying. "Come on Punkin," said Hoss. "Ya gotta quit cryin'. Adam's right. I just ain't good for ya to cry so much. You'll make yourself sick ifn ya don't quit cryin' and then ya won't be able to go to the dance tonight."

"That's right," added Joe. "I seem to remember that you promised Mitch you'd dance with him. You don't want to disappoint him now do you?"

"No."

"Ok then. Take slow deep breaths and you'll be alright."

It took a long time but Adam, Hoss, and Joe finally got their sister calmed down. They talked to her about her parents and told her how much she was like her mother. They told her about the plans her parents had and how devastated her mother was when her father went off to war and was killed. Joe said that even though he was only eleven at the time, he remembered how Ben tried to convince his sister not to go to St. Louis and how he begged her to stay on the Ponderosa. Several hours later, Cat finally stopped saying she hated her mother and wishing she'd never come back, but nothing Adam, Hoss, or Joe said could convince her that she was not responsible for her mother being killed. They hoped that the time they had spent with Cat at her mother's grave would at least help her nightmares lessen and eventually stop.

As they prepared to ride back to the house, Joe hugged Cat and said, "I know that you aren't going to want to come back here soon, but you need to. It's very important. Watch the way we go home so you will eventually be able to come up here by yourself. I come up here all the time when I want to be alone. It's a nice quiet place to just sit and think. I've spent more than one night sleeping on my mother's grave."

"Really? Why did you do that when you have a bed at the house?"

"I did it several times when I was growing up. I was mad at Pa and Adam and I wanted to hurt them, so I ran away and ended up here. Other times, I just needed to be by myself and think. You may want to do the same thing as you're growing up. I'm not talking about running away, just coming up here to be by yourself and think. Right now, we need to head home. Dinner will be ready in a little more than an hour and Hop Sing will be upset if we're late."

Cat was so exhausted from all of her crying, when she unsaddled Beauty, she didn't have the strength to hold the saddle and collapsed under its weight, causing her to start crying again. Her brothers rushed to her aid. Hoss picked the saddle up and said he'd finish grooming Beauty. Joe picked Cat up and asked his brothers to take care of Cochise so he could take Cat into the house. Ben looked up from his book when Joe walked in and rushed over to see what was wrong with his daughter. "She's exhausted Pa. It was very hard on her and she cried almost the entire time we were at Kate's grave. I'm going to take her upstairs and sit with her until she falls asleep. If she doesn't rest now, she won't make it to the dance tonight and that will upset her even more."

"That's a good idea son. I can see how exhausted your sister is. We'll let her sleep for a while. If she doesn't wake up for dinner, I'll ask Hop Sing to keep some in the warmer for her. I don't think she should sleep more than two or three hours otherwise she won't sleep tonight and may fall asleep in church tomorrow." Cat slept for three hours and said she was hungry when she got downstairs. "I asked Hop Sing to keep your dinner in the warmer. We're eating supper early tonight because of the dance so just eat the one plateful. I would like you to take a bath before supper because it will be past your bedtime when we get home from the dance. I don't want you falling asleep in church tomorrow."

"But I can't go to church. Mrs. Warren…"

"Don't you remember what the judge said? Mrs. Warren is in jail and can't go to church for three weeks. When she does get out of jail, she is not allowed to go anywhere near you. She has to go into the church after we do, leave before we do, and she's not allowed to sit anywhere near you."

"I know that's what the judge said, but what if she doesn't listen?"

"If she doesn't listen, Roy will put her back in jail until the judge decides what to do. She will never be allowed to hurt you again. Now, have you decided which dress to wear to the dance tonight?"

"No, not really. I wore the blue dress on Thursday at the trial and don't want to wear it again ever."

"Why don't you wear that pretty green one that you wore for the dance when we were in Dodge? Since your shoes aren't broken in yet, I know that you'll be wearing your moccasins. Starting Monday, I would like you to wear your shoes around the house for fifteen minutes every day until they're broken in. Then you'll be able to wear them to dances. At fifteen minutes a day, it shouldn't take more than a week."

"Alright. I'll wear the green dress tonight and the yellow one tomorrow and I'll start wearing my shoes for fifteen minutes every day. I don't want them hurting my feet."

"That's my girl. After you're used to wearing them, I want you to tell me if they start feeling too tight or your big toe feels like it's all scrunched up. That will mean it's time to get you a new pair. Now, go, eat the plate of food Hop Sing has for you and lay your things out for the dance. I want you bathed and your hair braided again before supper." Cat came downstairs to supper dressed for the dance and her brothers pretended to argue over who was going to hold her chair. Ben settled the discussion by doing it himself.

Before leaving for the dance, Ben said, "Cat, your puppies need to stay home tonight."

"Why Pa?"

"Because, the room is going to be very crowded and they could get stepped on or hurt. If you remember, when we were in Dodge, You did not bring Silver Chief to the dance or your friend's mother's wedding."

"Oh. Ok. I remember. Uncle Matt made me leave Silver Chief in his office for the dance and Julie's ma's wedding. I do wish I could bring them with me."

"I know you do but they wouldn't be happy. They'll be much happier keeping Hop Sing company. Now go, use the outhouse and meet us at the buggy."

When everyone was settled in the buggy, Cat asked, "Can I drive?"

"No Kitten. Not now. It's getting late and you're not experienced enough to drive a buggy full of people." Cat started to pout and Ben scolded her. "Catherine Michael! If you are going to pout because I told you no, you can stay home with Hop Sing. We've had this discussion before about your attitude when you're told no. This is your last warning. The next time you pout when you are told no, there will be consequences. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Now just sit back and relax. Your brothers weren't allowed to drive a buggy full of people or a wagon full of supplies when they were your age either. You will be allowed to do those things when I decide you are experienced and old enough to handle the team if they should get startled."

Cat wanted to argue that she could handle the horses even if they got startled because she was good with horses, but didn't want to stay home and suffer the consequences for arguing, so she didn't say anything. When they arrived at the dance, Mike Devlin was anxiously watching for them. Before anyone could help Cat out of the buggy, he was trying to pull her out. "Yay, you're here. I was afraid you weren't going to come. Hurry up, I want to introduce you to someone."

Before he could pull on Cat more, he felt a strong swat on his bottom. He turned around and saw his brother standing there. "Mike, be glad I'm standing here and not Pa. You know how he feels about you being rude. You owe me one little brother because if it had been Pa instead of me, you would be taking a trip into the alley and returning with a very sore bottom. Be polite, say hello to the Cartwrights and give them a chance to get out of the buggy." Ben helped Cat out of the buggy and Mike asked permission to take her into the dance. Receiving permission, he grabbed her hand and the two children ran into the hall, leaving the adults laughing at their eagerness to go inside.

Mike ran up to a boy who was about his age. "Jas, I've got someone you really need to meet. Cat, this is my best friend, Jasper King. Jas, this is Cat Cartwright. She was Little Joe's cousin but Mr. Cartwright adopted her and now she's his sister. She's really nice and fun to be with. She likes to fish and isn't afraid to bait her hook or take the fish off. She's Laura's best friend too. Wait until you see her puppies. Where are your puppies Cat?"

"Hi Jasper. Pa made me leave my puppies at home. He said it was going to be too crowded here and they might get stepped on and hurt."

"Hi Cat. It's nice to meet you. Call me Jas. All my friends do. Maybe you, me, Laura, and Mike can all go fishing one day. I'd love to meet your puppies. Will you be allowed to bring them to school?"

"No," replied Cat sadly. "Pa says I can't take them to school with me. He says we'll spend more time playing with them than doing our schoolwork. Grownups just don't understand. School is boring. Puppies are not."

"I agree," said both boys together, causing all three children to laugh.

"Cat, do you like to dance?" asked Jasper.

"Yes, I love to dance."

"Do you know the Virginia Reel?"

"Yes. The Virginia Reel and Cotton Eyed Joe are my favorite dances."

"Will you dance the Virginia Reel with me?"

"Sure Jasper. That would be swell. Thanks for asking."

"Will you dance the Cotton Eyed Joe with me?" asked Mike.

"I was hoping you'd ask. Just remember, I can't dance all of the dances with both of you. I promised Mitch a dance and I have to dance with my Pa and brothers. I just hope Hoss doesn't step on my toes."

Both boys laughed. "Yeah, that would be pretty painful," said Jasper. "Say Mike, is Mitch Harris coming tonight?"

"No he's not. He got into really big trouble in town two weeks ago. Among other things, he pushed a bunch of people, including Cat and several ladies, into the street and he threw two rocks and broke a window at the hotel and another at the gun shop. He's restricted to the ranch until forever or at least until a long time after school starts. He's not allowed to go anywhere unless his Pa is with him. I wasn't there but Laura was and she said that Mitch and Cat got into a fight and Cat won."

Before the conversation could continue, the man calling the sets got up on the stage and told everyone to get their partners. The boys were about to ask Cat to dance with them when Joe walked up and said, "Sorry boys, but I get the first dance with my little sister. I might let you each have one later if you're lucky."

Cat danced with her family, Mitch, Mike, Jasper and several other boys. The only time she sat down was when the band took a break. She had a lot of fun and by the time the dance ended, she was exhausted. Jasper and Mike insisted on escorting her to the Cartwright's buggy. "When do you want to go fishing again?" asked Mike.

Before Cat could answer, Mr. Devlin said, you children can talk about that after church tomorrow. Right now, it's past your bedtime and I won't have you falling asleep in church. Now say goodnight to everybody and join your mother and brother in our buggy."

After Mike said goodnight, Adam helped Cat into the buggy. She was asleep, curled up in the front seat with her head in his lap before they were half way to the Ponderosa. Ben looked at his daughter and laughed at the little girl who wanted to stay up all night and watch the moon set. When they reached the house, he carried her upstairs and put her to bed, hoping and praying she would not have a nightmare. His prayers were answered and Cat slept through the night.

Before church started the next morning, Laura, Cat, Mike, and Jasper talked for a few minutes and decided to ask permission to go fishing on Tuesday. At the beginning of the service, Reverend Long informed the congregation that he two announcements for the children. "The school board met recently and they decided that you will have a new teacher this term. Miss Susan Winter will be your new teacher. She is Mr. Winter's sister and I know you will give her the respect she deserves. Also, the school building needs many repairs so instead of the new school term starting a week from tomorrow, it will begin two weeks from tomorrow. That means you will have to work extra hard to make up for the lost week. I will be checking on your progress with Miss Winter and will be very disappointed with any student who is not working up to their full potential." After the service ended, the four children asked their fathers for permission to spend Tuesday fishing. The fathers talked and gave the children permission to go fishing in Lake Tahoe. Ben said that Laura and the boys could eat supper at the Ponderosa and he would ensure they got home safely.

When the Cartwrights arrived home, Abel took a family portrait and said he was going to spend the rest of the day developing negatives and starting to make prints from them. Sam had decided to spend the day in town. After the portrait had been taken, everyone changed clothes and the family, including Hop Sing set out to spend the afternoon fishing and swimming in Lake Tahoe. Cat decided to test her boundaries and started to swim out past the tree only to be stopped by Joe who took her to Ben. He gave her a very hard swat and made her sit against a tree for fifteen minutes with a warning that the next time would result in her not being able to sit down comfortably or allowed back in the water. Cat thought she was being unfairly punished because she was a good swimmer and sat under the tree pouting. Ben saw her and said, "I think that you and I need to have a long talk about your attitude. I have told you that it is dangerous to go past that tree but you tried to anyway. This business of pouting every time you are told no or corrected for doing something wrong is going to stop. Now you have a choice. You can change your attitude and go back in the water in ten minutes or you can sit there and pout. Then we can go behind some bushes had have a necessary discussion and you can sit there for the rest of the day."

Hoss saw his sister pouting and his father talking to her. "Don' be too hard on her Pa. I think she's jus' kinda tuckered out from yesterday. Going to her ma's grave was real hard on her and she cried the whole time we was there. She only got a few hours nap and it was way past her bedtime when we got home from the dance. Then she had to get up early for church this mornin'. That trial was jus' as hard on her as goin' to her mama's grave. Also, last night was the first night Cat didn't have a nightmare since you and Adam brung her home and the last two was real bad. I think pouting is her way of showin' how tuckered out she is 'cause she won't never tell us that she is. Little sister is too much like little brother was when he was tuckered out. Ifn ya let her sleep in tomorrow morning' I'll do her chores. She might jus' feel better ifn she sleeps all night and don' have ta get up early."

"You may be right son. I'll let her go back in the water and depend on you to keep her out of trouble. Catherine, you may go back in the water now but if you try and go out past the tree again, you'll be out for the rest of the day."

"Ok Pa. I won't go past the tree but I still think I could swim across the whole lake."

Ben laughed. "You won't be doing that today."

"Why not?"

"There are several reasons and the main one right now is that there isn't enough time. You won't even get a quarter of the way across before it gets dark. We'll talk about the other reasons another time. Now go and swim with your brothers and Hop Sing because we'll be eating dinner soon. I'll bet you a cookie that I can be in the water before you." Cat beat Ben to the water by several feet, earning her an extra cookie when they ate dinner. The family spent the afternoon fishing, swimming, and relaxing. When they returned to the house, Hop Sing told Cat and Adam to pick vegetables and everyone else to clean the fish.

Sam returned to the house before supper and handed Ben the article he had written to go with the pictures of Cat on the beaver dam. Ben read the article, laughed and said, "The family is going to love this Sam. You did a great job with it. How much do I owe you for all of these copies?"

"You don't owe me anything Ben. Dan only charged me a dollar to make sixteen copies. He wasn't even going to charge me anything but I insisted on giving him something for the paper and ink. He enjoyed reading it and wants to see the picture when Abel gets them printed. He said he wished he would have been here to see it for himself. He thought the idea of sending a pretend newspaper article along with the picture to your family was a nice idea."

After supper, Abel said he had developed all of the negatives and started making prints from them. He handed fifteen copies of the picture of Cat on the beaver dam to Ben and one to Sam. Everybody was very impressed with Abel's work. "Can I have one?" asked Cat.

"I'm going to get a frame for it and the other pictures so you can keep them in your bedroom," said Ben. "You can keep them on your chest of drawers or we can hang them on the wall by the pictures of your parents."

"Oh. Ok. Are you going to do that with the pictures of Uncle Luke and Mark too?"

"Yes I am and I will be sending copies of the pictures Abel took to Lucas and Mark too."

"Gee thanks Pa. That's swell."

"You're welcome. Now it's time for you to get ready for bed. Use the outhouse, say goodnight to everyone and get ready for bed. You and Joe have time to read at least one chapter in King Arthur before you need to go to sleep."

"But I'm not tired."

Ben laughed. "You sound like all three of your brothers did when they were your age. Believe me, you are more tired than you think you are. Now scoot."