Cat ran around the pasture with Fury and when she was done, Joe walked back to the barn with her so she could put the brush away and get her saddle bags. When they reached the barn, Adam and Hoss walked out. Hoss picked Cat up, hugged her and then tossed her to Adam who hugged her and tossed her to Joe. "We ain't played ball like this in a long time," laughed Hoss.
"No, not since baby brother got too big to toss around," replied Adam.
"Well I'm glad I did. I got tired of the two of you tossing me around like a half empty sack of grain."
They had been playing with Cat for about ten minutes when Ben walked outside to see why his daughter wasn't in the house doing her homework yet. He laughed at the sight of his grown sons tossing their little sister around like a ball. They played for another five minutes, then Joe set Cat on her feet and told her to get her saddle bags. Adam asked her what she had to do for homework and she replied, "Yucky arithmetic" causing all three of her brothers to laugh.
"Once you finish it, if you bring it downstairs, I'll check it for you," said Adam. "That way I'll know what you need help with." Cat finished her arithmetic and took it to Adam so he could check it. "This is very good Cat. You only got two wrong out of ten. You need to be careful to write the numbers right under the ones above them. Otherwise your answers won't be correct."
During supper, Hoss asked, "How was school today Punkin?"
"Awful! Terrible!" Cat proceeded to tell Hoss and Adam everything that had happened at school. Then she said, "If I have to go to school, I should at least be able to bring my puppies. It's not fair that I have to leave them at home. They should be able to go everywhere with me, especially to school."
"I'm sorry Cat," said Ben. "But you are not going to take your puppies to school with you and that decision is not up for discussion. Do not argue with me about it because you will not like the consequences."
"It's not fair. School wouldn't be so boring if my puppies were there."
"Life isn't fair little sister," replied Adam. "Hoss, Joe, and I don't want to have to get up early and spend all day working out in the hot sun, but we do because that's what it takes to keep this ranch running. We would much rather sleep late and spend the day fishing but we work because it's necessary just like it's necessary for you to go to school."
"Puppies stay with Hop Sing and keep rabbits out of garden," added Hop Sing. "If puppies in school with you, rabbits eat vegetables."
Cat sighed. She knew she couldn't win the argument but she kept thinking of ways to be allowed to take her puppies to school. Once Cat had gone to bed, the family discussed her not wanting to do her homework right after she finished her chores. "What was Matt's rule?" asked Hoss.
"Her homework had to be done correctly before bedtime," replied Ben.
"With Matt's job, she probably didn't have a regular suppertime," said Joe. "Why not tell her that she has to have her homework done before supper and see what she does?"
"Believe it or not," said Adam. "I actually agree with Joe. With the exception of arithmetic, Cat's grades for last term were very good and her arithmetic grade wasn't all that bad, so why not tell her that the homework has to be done before supper? If it isn't, you can always tell her it has to be done right after she does her chores."
"Did ya ask her when she did it?" asked Hoss. "I bet she did most of it when she was fishin'."
"That's exactly what she said," replied Ben. "It seems she did everything she could while she was fishing and then got help with the rest when she was done fishing."
"I don' see no problem with lettin' her act like she did in Dodge. Like Adam said, ifn she don't do the homework before supper, ya can always tell her she has to do it right after she does her chores."
At breakfast the next morning, Ben told Cat what they had decided about her homework. He also told her that if she needed help with anything and nobody was around to help her, she could leave a note on the armoire and go over to the Ingalls.
The school week drug on for Cat. She struggled with the arithmetic and started getting frustrated. To make matters worse, Mitch Harris kept teasing her and doing things to annoy her. Miss Winter noticed that Cat was struggling and decided to allow Cat and Laura to work together on arithmetic and reading. Her hope was that with Cat's help, Laura would progress to the seventh grade reader and with Laura's help, Cat would not struggle so much with arithmetic. When Charles and Joe picked the girls up after school on Wednesday, Miss Winter told them what she had decided about Cat and Laura. Charles was happy that Laura and Cat were going to be able to help each other. He was very pleased that Laura had the potential to read at the seventh grade level. Joe said he would tell his father. After filling Hop Sing's wood box, taking care of Beauty, and putting food in Lady and Fury's stall, Cat took her saddle bags with her whenever she went out to the pasture to work with Fury. After she finished working with the colt, she would take her schoolbooks out of the saddle bags and begin doing her homework. She did her arithmetic, hoping it was right. Then she did her history and grammar assignments. Once those were done, she read to her puppies and colt.
Every time Mitch Harris annoyed Cat or one of the other students acted up, Miss Winter would remind them of the school rules and the consequences of breaking them, but that didn't stop Mitch from continuing to annoy Cat. She did her best to ignore him but things came to a head and Cat's patience ran out after school on Friday. While they were waiting to be picked up, Mitch pushed Cat into the water trough. Miss Winter decided it was time Mitch learned a lesson, sat on the school steps and watched what happened next. Cat lost her temper and tackled Mitch. The two of them rolled around on the ground, attempting to hit the other. Ben and Mr. Harris arrived at the school just as Cat was climbing out of the trough and started to run toward their children when Miss Winter stopped them. "Mitchell has been bedeviling Catherine all week and she has done her best to ignore him. When he pushed her into the trough, I decided it was time Catherine was allowed to teach him a lesson. This isn't the first time I've experienced a problem like this."
"Please explain," said Ben.
"When I was around Catherine's age, there was a boy in my school who acted toward me the way Mitchell has been acting toward Catherine. He pulled my hair, pushed my books off my desk, tried to steal my marbles, and finally he pushed me down the school steps one day. That was the last straw. I lit into him for all it was worth. When I was finished with him, he had two black eyes, sore shins, a fat lip, and a bloody nose. He apologized to me and started protecting me from the bigger boys."
"What happened to that boy?" asked Mr. Harris.
"He's in San Francisco right now and is planning to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas here. We are to be married next spring, after the school term ends."
Both men laughed and the three adults stayed by the school steps watching the two children fight. When it was finished, Mitch had a bloody nose, a fat lip and would have a black eye before long. He stood up, helped Cat up and apologized to her for everything he had done. Then he put her saddle bags on Beauty and checked the cinch before leading his own horse out of the corral. Before the two children reached their fathers, Miss Winter said, "Mr. Harris, I don't normally interfere between parents and their children, however, I am going to ask you not to punish Mitchell for that fight. Catherine has taught him a far greater lesson than your belt ever will. She has taught him that women and girls are to be respected no matter who they are or what they are wearing. I have a feeling that the two of them are going to be friends now."
When the two children walked up to their fathers, Mr. Harris looked at his son and asked, "Well son, did you learn anything?"
"Yes! She fights like a wild cat! I'm not ever going to be mean to her again."
"That's very good Mitchell," said Ben. "I think you'll find that my little Wild Cat will be a good friend to have. She likes to fish and isn't afraid to bait her own hook. She also knows how to clean and cook fish. Cat also likes to hunt and knows how to clean and cook what she kills. Talk to Jasper King, Michael Devlin, and Laura Ingalls. They've all been fishing with her. Now if the three of you will excuse me, I need to take Cat over to the general store and buy her some dry clothes. I can't have her riding all the way to the Ponderosa in wet clothing." Mitch told Ben he would find a way to repay him the money he was going to have to spend on new clothes for Cat.
Ben and Cat walked their horses over to the general store and walked in. Mr. McLeod looked up from the customer he was helping and said, "James, go get your mother and have her bring some towels. Cat is soaking wet and needs to be dried off. We'll also need to find some clothes to fit her. Ben, I'll be with you as soon as I finish with Mrs. White. Mary should be here in a minute."
Mrs. McLeod walked into the store carrying a large towel, looked at Cat, wrapped her in the towel and asked, "What happened to you Cat? Why are you all wet? We need to get you dried off," and took Cat to the house.
"Mitch Harris pushed me into the trough at school."
"That was a terrible thing to do. I hope his father gave him a good thrashing."
"I already did. We had a fight and I won. He's got a black eye, a fat lip, and a bloody nose. He apologized to me and we're going to be friends now."
"Well, I'm glad that you and Mitchell are going to be friends. Right now I want you to take your wet clothes off and sit here by the fire so you'll stay warm. Here's a blanket to wrap up in. I want you to take your moccasins and socks off too." Cat did as she was told and sat by the fireplace wrapped in a blanket. Mary took the wet clothes outside and wrung as much water out of them as she could and put them by the fireplace to dry. Then she walked out into the store to help Ben pick out new clothes for Cat.
Ben had already put socks, underclothes and a boy's shirt on the counter and was looking at dungarees when Mary walked in. "I'm not sure if these will fit Cat or not."
"I think they will. I'll take the clothes into her and let you know once she tries the pants on. I've got her wet things drying by the fire but I don't think anything will be dry before you're ready to go home. She can either ride double with you or you can buy a second pair of boots for her."
James walked up to Ben and said, "I'm a little smaller than Joe and may have an old pair of boots Cat can have. They'll be too big for her but we can put newspaper in the toes to help. At least that way, she won't have to ride home double with you or in just socks."
"Thank you James. If you have an old pair of boots Cat can wear, that would be wonderful. If not, I'll have to buy another pair for her because I'm sure she won't want to ride home double with me. I know she will if she has to, but she won't like it." Mary returned to the store and told Ben that the dungarees fit Cat but were just a little long and she would fix them. Then she suggested that Ben buy a second pair in case Cat liked them and wanted to wear them for ranch work. James found his old boots and stuffed newspaper into the toes so Cat could wear them. Since her wet clothes weren't dry yet, Mary wrapped them in an oil cloth so Ben could take them home without getting the insides of his saddle bags wet. Ben bought two pieces of licorice and a penny bag of candy and Cat thanked everyone for their help and promised to bring James' boots back the next time they were in town.
On the ride home, Ben asked Cat how school was. "Awful. The only good part is that I get to sit with Laura and we get to work together on reading and arithmetic. Miss Winter is starting to make kids solve arithmetic problems on the board in front of everybody. I can't do that. I never could. Miss Jackson stopped making me do it when I was in second grade and I won't do it now! The last time I had to do it, a boy laughed at me and I gave him a black eye and a bloody nose."
"Catherine, I do not want you starting fights, even if someone laughs at you."
"No! If someone laughs at me because I make a mistake, I'm going to pound the stuffing out of them and I don't care how much trouble I get into!"
"I am serious Catherine. If you start a fight, you will be severely punished."
"Then I'll just go back to Dodge. Uncle Matt didn't punish me when I hit that boy because he laughed at me. I'll leave in the morning. If I ride as long as I can, I'll be at Uncle Rip's fort in two days. He'll take me back to Uncle Matt."
"You are not leaving for Arizona in the morning. You are my daughter now and the Ponderosa is your home. Running away isn't going to solve your problems. You need to learn to control your temper and find ways of solving your problems that don't include fighting. Why didn't you tell me that Mitchell was bothering you? I would have spoken to his father about it."
"I'm not a tell tale! I don't need grownups to make someone stop picking on me or laughing at me. I can do it myself. I told Mitch if he didn't quit picking on me I was going to pound the stuffing out of him so when he pushed me into the trough, that's just what I did. Now he's not going to pick on me any more and we're going to be friends now. Besides that, Miss Winter knew what he was doing and punished him but he kept doing it, so I made him stop. If I have to do arithmetic problems on the board and someone laughs at me, I'll make them stop too!"
"Matt told me that he did not allow you to start fights and punished you when you did. I meant what I said, you are not allowed to start fights. You will not like the consequences if you do start one. This is not the first time we have talked about you and fighting and this is your last warning. I do not want to punish you but I will if you disobey me on this." Cat gave her father an angry look but didn't say anything. They rode toward the house in silence. Half way to the ranch, Ben asked, "What do you have for homework?"
"Arithmetic, history and reading."
"I want you to do your homework today. Then you'll be able to do whatever you want this weekend without having to worry about it."
"Ok."
"I know you're angry with me because of what I said about starting fights, but you need to learn that there are other ways of solving problems besides fighting. I did not allow your brothers to start fights and I will not allow you to start them either. Talk to Miss Winter on Monday and explain your difficulty with solving arithmetic problems on the board. Since you and Laura are the only two fourth grade students, maybe she'll let the two of you solve them on your slates instead."
"Ok. I'll ask her."
"That's my girl. Now we need to get home so you can do your chores and get your homework done before supper. I'll bet two cookies that I can get to the road leading to the house before you do." Although Buck was taller than Beauty, Cat easily won the race because she was so much lighter than Ben. "That does it!" he teased. "This is the third time you've beaten me in a race. From now on, when we race, you have to fill your pockets and saddle bags full of rocks. And you have to ride facing backwards. Also, starting with supper tonight, you have to eat as much as Hoss does. I can't have my nine year old daughter beating me everytime we race. I'll never hear the end of it from Paul and Roy."
Cat giggled. "Just wait until Fury is big enough to ride. I'm going to teach him how to fly and then we'll always win races."
"I absolutely forbid you to teach that colt to fly. I will not have you beating me everytime we race. In fact, I think I'm going to find a pony for you to ride so I know I will win our races."
"I'll hide Buck under my bed. Then you'll have to ride the pony."
"Well then little girl. I'm just going to have to eat that bag of candy all by myself."
Cat laughed. "If you do, you'll get a tummy ache and I'll tell Hop Sing why you are too sick to eat supper. Then he'll yell at you and maybe use his wooden spoon on you."
"You little scamp. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
"It would be funny."
"I'm quite sure that you and your brothers would enjoy that. Alright scamp. We're home. You've got chores and homework to do before supper. When you finish your arithmetic, Adam or I will check it for you."
"When do I get my cookies? I won the race and you said whoever wins the race gets two cookies."
"Cookies? I don't remember saying anything about cookies. You need to clean your ears out. I said carrots, not cookies."
Cat started getting angry and said, "I'm telling Hop Sing and he'll use his spoon on you. You said whoever won the race got two cookies and I'm going to get them!" She tied Beauty to the hitching rail, walked into the kitchen and said, "Hop Sing, Me and Pa had a race on the way home from school. He said whoever won the race would get two cookies. Now he says he never said that. He said I had to have carrots not cookies."
"Missy Cat win race, Missy Cat have cookies. Hop Sing take care of father. Sit down at table and I bring you cookies and milk."
"Thank you Hop Sing. You make the best cookies." Cat sat down at the table and Hop Sing brought her a plate with four cookies on it and a glass of milk.
"Missy Cat welcome. Now eat cookies and drink milk. Then do chores and homework." Hop Sing walked out to the barn where Ben was taking care of Buck. "Why you tell Missy Cat she no get cookies but get carrots instead? You no be mean to Missy Cat like that. Missy Cat win race, Missy Cat get cookies!" He hit Ben in the bottom with his wooden spoon.
"OW! Hop Sing stop. I was only teasing Cat. I wasn't really going to make her have carrots instead of cookies."
"You no tease Missy Cat like that. She no used to being teased. You tease Missy Cat, Hop Sing go back to China and take Missy Cat too!"
"Alright Hop Sing. Stop hitting me with your spoon. I promise I won't tease Cat like that again."
Cat finished her milk and cookies, did her chores, grabbed a brush and her saddle bags and walked out to see Fury with her puppies running circles around her. After brushing Fury and running around the pasture with him and her puppies, Cat sat down against a fence post, opened one side of her saddle bags and took out her arithmetic book, tablet and a pencil. The puppies and colt wanted to see what she was doing and kept getting in the way of what she was trying to do. "Come on you three. I have to do this arithmetic. Then I can read to you. I hate arithmetic and Uncle Matt always says to do what I don't like first so's I don't have ta worry about it later."
Several hours after returning home, Ben became worried about Cat because he hadn't seen her in a long time. Before he could get up, there was a knock at the door. He opened it and Dave was standing there laughing. "Mr. Cartwright, you need to come and see this. I've never seen anything like it. You should bring Hop Sing also. I think he'll like what he sees."
Ben walked outside just as his sons rode into the yard. "Where are ya goin' with Hop Sing and Dave, Pa?" asked Hoss.
"Dave says he has something Hop Sing and I need to see."
"The three of you should come too," said Dave. "I've never seen anything so cute before."
They walked out to the pasture where the mares and foals were and found Cat sitting against a fence post with her reader in her hands, surrounded on three sides by her puppies, colt, and several other foals. A few of the mares were also standing close by. She was so busy reading to her audience that she didn't even notice her family and Dave standing at the fence. Cat had trouble pronouncing a word and after attempting to sound it out, turned to Silver Chief, pointed to the word and asked, "What is that word Chief?"
The puppy looked at the word, sniffed the page and said, "Woof."
"Woof. Thanks Chief." The next time she had trouble pronouncing a word, she asked Lassie and received the same reply. Her human audience could no longer contain their laughter.
Cat thought they were laughing at her and started getting angry but Joe said, "We're not laughing at you Cat. We're laughing at your audience and the help you're getting with pronouncing words. I wish I would have had a puppy to help me with my reading when I was your age although I'm not so sure that Miss Jones would have been happy when I told her that a word was woof."
"No she wouldn't have son. Let's hope that Miss Winter has a better sense of humor."
"Supper almost ready," said Hop Sing. "Missy Cat finish reading to puppies and colts and come in house."
"Ok Hop Sing. I only have two pages left to read."
"Have you done your arithmetic and history?" asked Ben.
"Yes. I did the arithmetic first 'cause Uncle Matt always says to what I don't like first so's I don't have to worry about it later."
"That's very good advice and I'm glad you listened to it. Why don't you give me your tablet? Adam can check your arithmetic and you can correct your mistakes after supper."
"Show me those words you were having trouble with after supper and I'll help you pronounce them," added Adam. "I'm not sure if Miss Winter would approve of you saying woof instead of the actual word."
"I'll tell her that's what Lassie and Silver Chief said they were. She'll believe me."
"Silly girl. Miss Winter may believe that's what your puppies said, but if you can't pronounce the words correctly everyone in the school will laugh at you. I know you don't want that to happen, so why don't you let me teach you how to pronounce them?"
"It don't matter how I say the words. I'll pound the stuffing out of anyone who laughs at me. I've done it before and I'll do it again!"
"We discussed that on the way home Catherine. I do not want you starting fights. I can assure you that you will not like the consequences."
"Then I'll take Fury and my puppies and go to Uncle Rip. He'll get me back to Uncle Matt. I don't want to go to school here anyways."
Before Ben could reply, Joe said, "Let me talk to her Pa. She might just listen to me. Remember, I've been in her shoes."
"Alright son. See what you can do with her. I don't want her starting fights." The family walked back toward the house and Cat finished reading to her four legged audience.
When Joe went up to read with Cat at her bedtime, he talked to her about not starting fights at school. "You can't start fights in school Cat. If you do, you'll be in a whole lot of trouble with Pa. I know because I started a lot of fights when I was in school and got in big trouble with Pa when I got home. I've felt that big strap in the barn on my bare bottom too many times because I started fights in school and I don't want the same thing to happen to you. Also, you've got to quit saying you're going to go back to Dodge when things aren't going your way."
"Why not? Nobody here wants me anyway and I got a bunch of dumb rules to follow that I didn't have to in Dodge. I started lots of fights in Dodge and Uncle Matt didn't get mad at me because I was prevacked. When I was in second grade, I got a arithmetic problem wrong on the board and Mark Nelson laughed at me and he threw a book at me. I beat the stuffing out of him and he never laughed at me again. Uncle Matt didn't get mad at me for fighting with Mark. I used to do a lot of stuff after school all the time but now I can't. I didn't have a bunch of dumb chores to do in Dodge either but now I do. Uncle Matt used to pay me ten cents to sweep out his office before Festus scrubbed the floor, and I got paid to catch fish for the hotel restaurant, and I got paid to run telegrams to farms and ranches out of town, and Mr. Quint paid me to help him with the horses in his shop but I can't do none of that stuff here."
"First of all, everybody here does want you. I don't know what rules you had in Dodge, but I'll bet that a lot of them are the same ones you have here. The word you wanted to use is provoked. You didn't get in trouble for fighting with that boy because he threw a book at you. Pa won't punish you for defending yourself but you can't start a fight with someone just because they laughed at you. Everybody on this ranch has work to do and you're no exception. Pa believes in everybody pulling their weight."
"You and Hoss and Hop Sing might want me but Adam and Pa don't. And everybody but me gets paid for what they do. I still need eighteen dollars for Uncle Matt's birthday present and I still have to buy him a Christmas present but I don't have any money or any way to get some."
"Adam and Pa love you. Why are you saying that they don't?"
"'Cause Pa's always yellin' at me about stuff I didn't know about and Adam says I'm a pest and a nuisance."
"Pa sometimes forgets that you haven't always lived here and don't know his rules. I'm nineteen and Adam still says that I'm a pest and a nuisance but that doesn't mean he doesn't love me or want me here. You've only been here a little more than a month and that's not enough time to get used to the way we do things here. Pa has already changed one rule for you. After school, Hoss and I had to do our chores and then come in the house and do our homework right away. You have a desk in your room but Hoss and I had to sit at the table and do our homework with Pa or Adam watching us. You are allowed to do your homework anywhere on the ranch as long as it is finished before supper and nobody will watch you do it. This is Friday and your weekend homework is done. That means except for church on Sunday, you can pretty much do whatever you want to. You can work with us, you can go fishing, you can go to the Ingalls, Devlins or the Kings and play with your friends because you don't have to worry about doing your homework. Think about what I said and talk to Hoss about fighting in school. He was very good about keeping me out of trouble and not getting into fights no matter how much he was teased. Don't forget, he was bigger than all of his classmates, even when he was only nine, so he can help you figure out ways to control your temper. In fact, he's probably the best person to ask for help in controlling the famous Cartwright temper. He's always tying to keep Adam and I from getting into fights with each other and he tries to keep me from starting fights in the saloon. I'll talk to Pa about some ways you can earn money for Matt's gifts. Adam and Hoss may have some ideas too. Now let's read our chapter so you can get some sleep. Pa will kill me if you stay awake too late."
After reading with Cat, Joe walked back downstairs and told the family what he and Cat had talked about. "Shore Joe. I'll help little sister learn to control her temper," said Hoss. "I've been doin' it with you for years now so's there's no reason I can't help our little Wild Cat too. Pa, I've got an idea about how she can earn some money. Hows about payin' her to get the mail and newspaper after school every day? Ifn you pay her twenty five cents a day, she'll make a dollar twenty five every week. I know it ain't much, but it will save one of us from having to spend four hours riding to and from town just for that. That'll also give her an extra reason for goin' to school every morning'."
"That's an excellent idea son. I will do that. If Hop Sing agrees, I'll also pay her fifty cents to help him weed the garden and I'll pay her again the next time she helps me clean tack. If you three want to pay her to help you with something, that's fine. Just make sure it's something she's capable of doing without getting hurt. Hoss, thank you for agreeing to help teach your sister how to control her temper. I had hoped she would inherit her father's temper, but it seems that she did not."
The next morning, while Cat was taking care of Beauty, Lady and Fury, Hoss started talking to her about how to keep her temper under control. "Here's two things ya can do to help ya when ya want to hit someone. Take a deep breath, let it out real slow and count to ten. Do it as much as ya need to until ya calm down. Ifn ya really gotta hit somethin' make a fist and hit the palm of yore other hand. That's lots better than hittin' someone else unless they hit ya first. Then ya can defend yourself." He said they'd talk more about it later once breakfast was over.
At breakfast, Cat was happy to learn that she would be able to earn some money. Even though it wouldn't be as much as she earned in Dodge, she would be able to save toward getting Matt something for Christmas and to put more money toward the saddle she wanted to get him for his birthday. The she asked, "Can I go to Laura and Mary's or Mike's or Jas' and see if they can play today?"
"It's 'May I' and yes you may. Just be sure you're home in time to do your evening chores."
"That's not fair. I'm only nine and I have to take care of three horses but everyone else only has to take care of one."
"Which three horses are you taking care of?"
"Lady, Fury, and Beauty and it's not fair."
"Who said you have to take care of all three of them?"
"Adam did. Hoss and Joe agreed with him. They said I have to take care of Beauty because I ride him and I have to take care of Fury because he's mine and I have to take care of Lady because she's Fury's mama."
"How do you take care of them?"
"I have to get up before everyone else so I can get the eggs, fill Hop Sing's wood box, muck out two stalls, feed, curry, and brush three horses. The pitchfork is heavy when it's got hay on it and I end up with a lot on the stall floor. After I get up before everyone else to do all that, I still have to go to school all day. Then I have to come home and do everything except get eggs. Then I have to do my homework."
"I didn't realize that Fury was already eating grain. When did Fury start letting you curry him?"
"He started two weeks ago. When I was feeding Lady one day, I spilled some grain on the stall floor and he ate it. He started letting me use the curry comb on Wednesday. He likes it because it scratches his itches."
"I see." Ben glared at his three sons. "I agree with you Kitten. That is entirely too much for a nine year old who is still in school, to do. From now until I tell you differently, continue doing everything you are already doing for Beauty. You are riding him, so you are responsible for his care. Since you are training Fury, continue using the curry comb and brush on him after school and once a day on weekends. Measuring out oats doesn't take very long, so go ahead and give all three horses their grain. Someone else will groom Lady, fill the manger with hay, and muck out the stall. On second thought, until you get a little stronger, I would prefer it if you didn't use the pitchfork to fill Beauty's manger with hay. Your brothers can do it when they feed their horses. Since you will be riding Beauty to and from school, you can muck his stall out after school. I don't want you having to get up earlier than everyone else to do your chores before breakfast. Your education is important and I do not want you falling asleep in school. Now, is that more fair?"
"Yes it is. I've got a great idea. I'll still take care of all three horses if I don't have to go to school."
"Scamp. You already know the answer to that. Now finish your breakfast and go, see if your friends can play. Just remember to be home in time to do your chores before supper."