When Cat returned home from school that day, Ben pretended like he hadn't talked to Mr. Miller and asked how her day was. "Awful! Terrible! It was the worst day of my life! I'm never going back to that school again! Never, ever in a million years and I don't care what you say!"
Ben laughed at Cat's outrage over Mr. Miller having had the students solve arithmetic problems and read aloud. "Why, what happened?"
"It was really, really, really bad. I guess Annabel got in big trouble 'cause her father and Mr. Miller came to the school to talk to Miss Susan. Annabel's father took her home and that's when things got real bad."
"Now, how bad can things get in school? Could you be exaggerating a little bit?"
"No, I ain't eggs ag er ate ing. It was really, really bad."
"The word is exaggerating silly girl. Now tell me how bad things were."
"Instead of leaving with Mr. White and Annabel, Mr. Miller started making kids do arithmetic problems out loud."
"Did he have you do one?"
"No, but I was afraid he was gonna. I swear, if he woulda, I woulda run out of that school, saddled Beauty, come back here, got my puppies and Fury and started riding. I wouldn't of stopped until I got to Dodge. I ain't doin' no arithmetic problems out loud in front of the whole school for nobody and Mr. Miller don't have the right to make me. I don't even know why he was there."
Ben hugged Cat and kissed the top of her head. "You are silly. Dodge is a very long way away. Beauty wouldn't be able to run that far without stopping. Neither can Fury. Mr. Miller is the chairman of the school board. He has the right to go to the school any time he wants to so he can see how well the students are learning their lessons. We do need to work on your grammar. Polite young ladies shouldn't talk like Hoss."
"Then maybe you should be in charge of the school board."
"You wouldn't like that Kitten. I might come to the school once a week and make you solve an arithmetic problem aloud."
"Now I am going back to Dodge. I can't believe you would be that mean to me."
Ben laughed and hugged Cat again. "You have got to be the silliest little girl I ever met. Come on, let's tell Hop Sing all about your terrible, bad day and see if he has some milk and cookies to make it better. Also, I have some questions for you about the advertisement you asked Dan DeQuille to put in the newspaper."
"He gave it to you!? He wasn't supposed to do that. He was supposed to put it in the paper. I said I'd pay him. Why did he give it to you? I'm mad at him now."
"Don't worry, he still has a copy of it. He gave it to me because he thought I should see it and if Adam doesn't stop treating you like you're five, I may let him put it in the paper. Now, let's go and see about some milk and cookies. Then we'll talk about your advertisement." They walked into the kitchen and Ben said, "Hop Sing, Cat had a bad day at school. Gerald Miller was there and she almost had to solve an arithmetic problem aloud in front of the entire school. Do you have anything that will make her day better?"
"Hop Sing always have milk and cookies for Missy Cat. Go sit at table and I bring." Cat and Ben sat down at the table and a few minutes later, Hop Sing emerged from the kitchen with a plate of cookies, a pot of coffee, and a glass of milk. After setting everything on the table he said, "Adam not home yet. Will Missy Cat fill kitchen wood box?"
Ben wasn't happy that his oldest son wasn't home yet but decided not to say anything in front of Cat. He would talk to Adam later after Cat had gone to bed.
Cat pulled the plate of cookies over in front of her and said, "Sure Hop Sing. Just as soon as I finish my milk and cookies. How come you didn't bring any cookies for Pa?"
Hop Sing laughed and said, Missy Cat share cookies or no have room for supper. Then Hop Sing get angly and use spoon."
Don't worry Hop Sing. I could eat a whole plate of cookies and a chocolate cake and still have room for supper.
"You share cookies with father or I use spoon."
"Alright Hop Sing, I'll share. Your spoon hurts." Cat moved the plate of cookies so it was between her and Ben.
He hugged Cat and said, "Missy Cat good girl. Always say yes when Hop Sing ask for help. Missy Cat also funny. Try to sell Adam. Hop Sing think that so funny, he laugh all the way home from town. Going to tell cousins next time I see them. They think it funny too. Hoss and Little Joe think funny too when Hop Sing tell them."
"Yes, why did you decide to sell Adam?" asked Ben.
"'Cause I'm tired of him treating me like a baby. I'm not a baby. I'm almost ten and that's almost grown up. If he's here when I get home from school, he tells me to do my chores and homework. The last time Uncle Matt told me to do my homework was when I skipped school with Pete and Mike and we were only five then. I also want to get rid of Adam because he keeps calling me a pest and a nuisance. Uncle Matt never did that. The only time he said I was a pest was when I was six and kept begging him to buy me some candy. Then he told me to stop being a pest but didn't keep callin' me one. Adam don't want me here so until I can go back to Dodge where I belong, I don't want Adam here. You knew Adam didn't want me here so why did you make me leave Dodge? Mark said having a family would be good but he was wrong. It's not good when someone hates you and doesn't want you around."
"Adam no hate Missy Cat," said Hop Sing. "He just confused and not know what he want right now. It been long time since Little Joe was nine and Adam sometime still act like Little Joe still nine."
"Hop Sing is right Cat," added Ben. "Even though he doesn't always act like it, Adam does love you and he wants you here. He's just not used to having a nine year old around. Remember, it's been ten years since Joe was nine."
"I don't believe you. I've been here for two whole months now. Adam should be used to me being here by now. I wasn't even two when my mother took me to Uncle Matt and he got used to me right away and he wasn't used to being around little kids all the time. Adam hates me and doesn't want me here. He started hating me when I wouldn't let him kill the beavers. He didn't even care that the nasty old witch scared me. He just wanted to tell me I was bad for going fishing after school. I think he was going to spank me but Hop Sing wouldn't let him."
Ben gave Hop Sing a questioning look and received a brief nod in answer. "How much money do you think someone would have paid for Adam?"
"I was hoping someone would pay a million dollars but Adam is so bossy, Mike and Jasper said I'd be lucky to get a thousand dollars."
"Oh, I see. And what were you planning on doing with that money?"
"I was going to send it to Miss Kitty to save for me. That way I'd have enough money to buy birthday and Christmas gifts for Uncle Matt."
"Well, I'm glad that you were planning on using that money for something good instead of wasting it on a lot of candy. What kinds of things were you planning on getting for Matt?"
"I don't know for sure. I just gave him a winter coat and I'm going to give him a saddle. His horse is getting old, so maybe I'll get him a new horse. But I have to sell Adam first."
"We'll have to see about that. Adam is my oldest son and I really don't want anyone else to have him."
"You've still got Hoss and Joe and me. If Adam isn't here, I won't have to go back to Dodge to live."
"And why do you think you have to go back to Dodge?"
Cat sighed. "I already told you. Because Adam hates me and doesn't want me here. He keeps sayin' that you spoiled Little Joe and he's not going to let you spoil me too. I ain't perfect and unless someone else is with me, he's gonna half kill me if he catches me doin' somethin' I ain't supposed to."
"Adam doesn't hate you and right now, he's not allowed to spank you if he catches you doing something you're not supposed to do. I have reminded him of that several times and will remind him again. We really need to work on your grammar. Polite young ladies don't talk like Hoss."
"There's nothin' wrong with the way Hoss talks."
Ben sighed. "There is plenty wrong with the way Hoss talks. I gave up trying to get him to use proper grammar a long time ago. He is who he is and you are not him. You are a polite young lady and I expect you to use proper grammar. Some day, young men will start to become interested in courting you. They will not want to spend time with a young lady who refuses to use proper grammar. Now finish your milk and cookies so you can fill Hop Sing's wood box. What do you have for homework tonight?"
"Just arithmetic, history, and grammar. Miss Winter said since I had to read the next story in my reader for Mr. Miller, I don't have to do it again tonight."
"Well that was nice of her. Remember, I want you to start asking for help with your arithmetic if you need it. There is no need for you to try and throw your book into Lake Tahoe. Everybody in this house is quite capable of helping you with your arithmetic and if nobody is home, you have permission to go to the Ingalls' for help. You keep telling me that you're almost grown up. Grownups ask for help when they need it."
"I don't see why I even have to go to school. I already know everything I need to. I can read, write, add, subtract, multiply, and divide, so I shouldn't have to go to school any more. I should be able to stay home and work with the horses. I'll probably even be better than Joe at it."
Ben laughed. "Sorry Kitten but you still have a lot more to learn before you can leave school. If Sam Grant allows you to take his job when you turn ten, I will allow you to leave school then. Otherwise, you have to attend school until you're eighteen and I am hoping that you will want to attend college after you graduate."
"See, I knew you didn't love me. I don't even want to go to school tomorrow and you want me to go to college. That's really awful and I have more important things to do than go to school or college."
"Oh, what would those things be?"
"Hunting, fishing, working with the horses and cows."
"I see. However, those things are not more important than school. And before you threaten to go to Rip or Matt, I can guarantee you that they will also make you go to school until you turn eighteen."
Cat was horrified at the thought that her beloved uncles would be mean enough to make her go to school until she graduated. "It's not fair. There are just too many grownups in the world. The world needs to be run by kids. We know what's good and how to have fun. Grownups don't."
Ben laughed at Cat's outrage. "Alright Kitten. Go and fill Hop Sing's wood box and then see if you can find that black colt that's hiding somewhere on this ranch. He might think you don't love him if you don't spend enough time with him."
Cat grabbed her saddle bags and opened the front door to find Thaddeus standing there. "Hi Cat. How is my favorite Wild Cat today? Is your Pa home?"
"Hi Thaddeus. I'm fine now that school is over for today. It was a really bad day. Mr. Miller was there and almost made me solve an arithmetic problem out loud in front of the whole class. What's almost as bad is Pa said I have to go to school until I'm eighteen and that Uncle Matt and Uncle Rip would make me do it too. Is that terrible or what? Yes, Pa's home. Come on in. I'll tell him you're here."
Thaddeus smiled at Cat's description of a very bad day. "Thank you Cat. I'm glad that you didn't have to solve an arithmetic problem aloud. I always hated doing that when I was in school too. My parents said the same thing your Pa did about having to go to school until you're eighteen. I didn't like it but I understood why. This ranch is going to be yours some day and it takes a whole lot of knowledge to be able to run it right. All three of your brothers went to school and because of that, your Pa trusts them to help run the ranch. Pete said that Adam learned of a way to make the mines safer for the men who work in them. He also said that all three of your brothers help your Pa keep the books for the ranch. They wouldn't be able to do that if they hadn't gone to school. Now, how about letting him know I need to talk to him?"
"Sure." Cat turned around and yelled into the house. "Pa, Thaddeus is here and says he needs to talk to you."
Ben walked over to the door and said, "Catherine, there is no need to yell into the house. The next time someone needs to see me, invite them in and bring them to me. Now fill Hop Sing's wood box and go see your colt before I decide to give him to Thaddeus." He gave her a light swat and said, "Hello Thaddeus. Come on in. would you like a cup of coffee?"
"Thank you. Don't mind if I do. Hop Sing makes better coffee than the guys in the bunkhouse do."
"Here you go. Now what can I do for you today?"
"I finally got tired of putting cardboard over the hole in the bottom of my boots and rode into town to buy a new pair. I ran into Adam while I was there and he asked me to tell you that he's staying in town and will be home sometime on Saturday." Ben fought to keep his temper in check. "From the expression on your face, I'm guessing you're not happy with his decision. It wouldn't have anything to do with the way he's been treating Cat lately, would it?"
"You know about that?"
"Yes. Everyone knows about it & almost all of the hands are upset about it. Some of us are ready to punch Adam in the nose and give him at least one black eye. Cat has been through more than enough in her young life and doesn't need to be treated like she's four or five."
"I know and so does Adam. I don't know what his problem has been lately and I am upset he decided to stay in town. He was supposed to do Cat's chores with her checking to make sure they were done correctly. I told her that she could go fishing after school tomorrow. Now I have to go and break the news to her that she'll have to come straight home from school tomorrow and do her chores."
"I have an idea. If you and Pete agree, I'll help her with her chores tonight and I'll do them for her tomorrow. I hate to see her have to give up time fishing with her friends because Adam decided to stay in town. Give me a minute and I'll go talk to Pete."
"Alright Thaddeus, if that's what you really want to do, I won't object and you can tell Pete I said so."
"Thank you. Please don't say anything to Cat until I talk to Pete."
Thaddeus went over to the bunkhouse and explained his plan to Pete who said, "Since it's ok with Mr. Cartwright, I have no objection to you helping Cat with her chores this afternoon and doing them for her tomorrow afternoon on two conditions. You have to convince her to let you go hunting with her and Joe on Saturday. You also have to convince her to get plenty of rabbits and make some of her rabbit stew for us. I tasted some when the family went hunting right after Cat came home from Dodge and it's very good."
Thaddeus laughed. "Alright Pete. I'll convince her. Maybe Joe and I will get a few deer so we can have some venison to eat also."
"That would be excellent. Go and tell Ben what I said. Good luck with the little Wild Cat."
Thaddeus walked back over to the house and told Ben what Pete had told him. Then they walked over to the wood pile where Cat was picking up small logs to carry into the kitchen. Once she had the kitchen wood box filled, Ben broke the news to her about Adam's decision to stay in town. She became very angry, went into the barn, got the bags she carried her puppies in, called Lassie and Silver Chief, put them in the bags and started to mount Beauty. "Where are you going?" asked Ben.
"I'm going to town so I can kill Adam. You promised me I could go fishing after school tomorrow. A bunch of us kids made plans to meet at the creek after school and now I can't go fishing because of Adam. It's not fair and I'm going to kill him."
"I never said you wouldn't be able to go fishing after school tomorrow. Thaddeus has a proposition for you."
"What's a pro pa sision?"
"The word is prop uh zish uh n and it's a plan he'd like you to think about. I'm going to work on the books and let the two of you talk."
Thaddeus looked at Cat and said, "Let's go and sit somewhere we can talk for a minute and I'll tell you about my plan." They walked over and sat in chairs on the porch. "This is my plan. If you will let me go hunting with you and Joe on Saturday and if you will make some rabbit stew for the hands, I will help you with your chores tonight and do them for you tomorrow so you can go fishing after school. Well, what do you think?"
Cat looked at him with surprise written all over her face and asked, "Really? You are really going to help me with my chores so I can go fishing tomorrow?"
"Yes, really. I will help you with your chores now and do them for you tomorrow so you can go fishing with your friends if I can go hunting with you and Joe on Saturday and if you will make some rabbit stew for the men."
Cat jumped up out of her chair, hugged Thaddeus and said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you. Yes you can come hunting and yes, I'll make rabbit stew for the hands if Hop Sing helps me. I've never cooked for that many people before."
Thaddeus hugged her back. "I'm glad you said yes. Now let's go and get your chores done so you can spend time with Fury and get your homework done. If your Pa is anything like mine was, you probably need to have it done before supper. Maybe I'll even come out to the pasture and help you with it."
"Gee thanks. Are you good at arithmetic? I really hate it."
"Yes, I am good at arithmetic. Let's get your chores done. Then we'll go out to the pasture." They finished Cat's chores and walked out to the pasture where they groomed Fury and played with him for a while. Then they sat down against the fence where Thaddeus helped Cat with her homework. She started getting frustrated when her division problems wouldn't come out right. Thaddeus looked at her problems and said, "I see your problem. You're not keeping the numbers under each other, where they belong. Look at the first problem. Your first answer was three numbers and you should have written it down starting under the first number, but you started it under the second number. Take that page out of your tablet and write the first problem on a new one. Good, now do your first division and multiplication and write that answer directly under the first three numbers. Ok. Now do your subtraction. Great. Now bring down your next number and write it next to the answer from your subtraction. You're doing fine. All you have to do is keep your numbers where they belong and your answers will come out right."
Cat sighed. "I absolutely hate arithmetic."
"So did I when I was your age," laughed Thaddeus. "However, it's very necessary to know how to do it correctly so you don't get cheated."
About an hour and a half later, Ben walked out to the pasture to tell Cat it was time to wash up for supper. He also invited Thaddeus to join the family for supper. Cat hugged Thaddeus and thanked him for helping with her chores and homework. Pete joined Ben as he was walking back to the house. Ben looked at his foreman and said, "Thanks for agreeing to let Thaddeus help Cat with her chores today and tomorrow."
"No problem Ben. You know that there has never been anything I wouldn't do for that little girl, including warming her bottom when she wouldn't stay out of the bull's pasture. Besides that, we all work hard and deserve a really good meal from time to time. I wanted to talk to you about Frank. I want your permission to fire him. He's not a good worker and the other men are getting tired of babysitting him. He's also obsessed with Cat and I'm afraid he'll try and hurt her if he gets the chance."
"Alright Pete. Can you and the rest of the men tolerate him until after we get the cattle moved to their winter pastures? We'll need every available hand for that and I'll even have Cat out chasing strays."
"You're going to let Cat help move the herds? I thought you were dead set against letting her do anything where she might get hurt."
Ben sighed. "If I had my way, I'd wrap her in cotton wool and put her on a shelf until she was grown up but we both know how she would react to that. If I don't let her help move the herds, she'll try and do something on her own. This way, she can still help and chasing strays isn't as dangerous as moving several thousand head of cattle. Also, judging from the way most of the men treat her, she'll have a lot of older brothers looking out for her and making sure she's safe. As far as Frank goes, as much as we need him to help move the herds, do what you think is best. If you choose to fire him, I'll ride over to the Devlins tomorrow and see if Mitch will help. I think that Hoss and Joe were planning to help them move their cattle, so I don't think Mitch will mind helping us move ours. Come up to the house and I'll give you Frank's wages in case you do decide to fire him immediately."
"When do you plan to start moving the cattle?"
"Since Cat, Joe, and Thaddeus will be hunting most of the day Saturday and we have company coming for supper, we'll start after church on Sunday. The weather is starting to get cooler and I hate to deny Cat one more picnic with her friends at the lake, so we'll have to skip next Saturday also, but we'll have Sunday after church and the following two weekends." He looked at the expression on Pete's face and said, "Yes, I know. Normally we'd be moving cattle all week but if we do that, Cat will put up a fuss about being excluded and want to stay home from school. I have a hard enough time getting her to go to school as is and if we move any cattle while she's in school and she learns of it, Adam's grandfather will hear her yelling all the way in Boston."
Pete laughed. "I hear ya boss. I don't envy you trying to raise that little spitfire. She was a handful when she was five and once Fury is old enough to ride, I don't think anyone will be able to stop her from doing anything she wants to do. That colt is faster than all of the others in the pasture so once she's riding him, I don't think anyone will be able to catch her. Joe's horse is fast but I'm willing to wager five dollars that once Fury is a year old, he'll be faster than Cochise. It's probably a good thing that Cat won't be able to teach him how to fly."
When Joe and Hoss returned home, Hop Sing told them about Cat trying to sell Adam. They broke out in laughter and continued laughing as they walked into the great room where Ben, Thaddeus and Cat were waiting for Hop Sing to tell them supper was ready. Hoss picked Cat up off the settee, hugged her and handed her to Joe who also hugged her and said, "You sure are something little sister. I wish I would have thought of trying to sell Adam when I was ten and he was treating me like I was five. That is a wonderful idea and I think that I will pay Dan DeQuille to put the ad in the paper. I'll even help you run your sale and keep track of the bids for you."
"Joseph!" scolded Ben.
"Well, why not? Adam deserves it. I'm nineteen now and sometimes he still treats me like I'm nine. Cat is nine and he's treating her like she's five and always telling her to do stuff she doesn't need to be told to do. It's high time someone took him down a peg or two. Maybe then the Yankee Granite Head will learn that being Mr. Bossy Boots won't work with little sister."
Thaddeus looked confused, so Ben handed him the advertisement. He too started laughing when he read it. "Joe is right Cat. You really are something else. Joshua and Bill were awfully bossy when I was little and I wish I would have thought about trying to sell them. I don't think my parents would have liked that idea but it is a good one if you're nine or ten and have bossy older brothers or sisters. I'll have to tell Joshua about this and tell him I should have done the same thing when I was nine."
"You have another brother besides Joshua? Where is he?"
"Yes I do. He's older than Joshua and I are and we don't know where he is."
"I'd like to meet him sometime."
"That wouldn't be a good idea. He's not a very nice person and sometimes he hurts people just because he wants to. I'm afraid if you ever met him, he might hurt you and that would make me very angry."
Before the conversation could continue, Hop Sing came out of the kitchen and said, "Supper almost ready. Missy Cat set table."
Cat sighed. She was tired of always having to set the table just because she was the only girl. However, she knew better than to argue and simply said, "Ok Hop Sing."
She got up and much to her surprise, so did Thaddeus. "I'll help you Cat."
"Thank you. You're company so you don't have to."
"I know that but I want to. The sooner we get the table set, the sooner we can eat and I think they can probably hear Hoss' tummy rumbling all the way in Reno. They might think it's an earthquake and become frightened."
Cat giggled. "Ok. Thanks. I don't want the people in Reno to be scared because Hoss is hungry and his tummy is rumbling."
"Cat…"
"Yes Pa?"
"Set Adam's place. Thaddeus can sit there tonight."
"Ok."
When supper was over, Thaddeus said, "Ben, this is the best food I've eaten since that picnic at the lake. Is there any way I could convince you to adopt me so I could eat this good every day? I'll even still sleep in the bunk house but Hop Sing is the best cook in the country, if not the world."
Cat looked at him and asked, "If you were my brother, would you be as bossy as Adam?"
"No, of course I wouldn't. The only times I would be bossy is if I was told to tell you something, I saw you doing something you weren't supposed to, or if you weren't doing something you were supposed to be doing."
"That's great. Please Pa, can I trade Thaddeus for Adam? Even better, Joe how soon can we sell Adam? 'Cause I think he'll still be too bossy if he's still here and I don't need four big brothers."
"Hold on there little one," laughed Ben. "I am not going to let you sell Adam. What would I tell his grandfather when he comes for a visit?"
"Tell him the truth. Adam was too bossy so I got rid of him."
"I don't think he'd like that too much. I think we'll keep Adam and invite Thaddeus to supper more often. In fact, we're going to have one more picnic at the lake before the cold weather sets in and we'll invite both Joshua and Thaddeus to spend the day with us." Cat wasn't happy with Ben's decision but knew that arguing would have unpleasant consequences.
The next day, knowing that Cat had permission to go fishing after school, Adam was certain she was going to skip school and made up his mind to catch her. He hid in some bushes near the spot on the creek where the children liked to fish and waited for his sister to show up. Cat and Mike showed up about thirty minutes later, fishing poles in hand. "I'm sorry your Pa wouldn't let you sell Adam," said Mike.
"Yeah, me too. Mr. DeQuille shouldn't have given my advertisement to Pa. It wasn't fair. Pa keeps saying stuff like he wants and needs Adam. I know I don't. Neither does Joe. He even said he'd pay Mr. DeQuille and help me run my sale."
"What about Hoss?"
"He didn't say anything but I know he doesn't like the way ol' Mr. Bossy Boots is treating me. I think that Pa is the only one who really wants Adam. I sure wish we could go fishing instead of going to school."
"I do too but if we do, we'll both end up with sore bottoms."
"Yeah I know. Joe and Thaddeus are going hunting with me tomorrow and I sure don't want to be sitting in a saddle with a sore bottom. Pa would let me go because we're having company for supper and Dr. Paul asked for me to make rabbit stew, but my bottom sure would hurt a lot. Hey, I know what I'm going to do."
"What?"
"Watch and see."
Cat dismounted and started to throw her hook into the water as though she were fishing. "You're not going to catch anything without bait."
"I know but if I bait my hook and the fish start biting, I won't go to school and then I'll be in big trouble. This way I can fish for a minute without getting in trouble."
"Hey, that's a great idea. How long should we leave our hooks in the water?"
"I don't know. What do you think?"
"How about for a count of ten? Any more than that, we'll want to put bait on our hooks."
Both children threw their hooks into the water and counted to ten. Then they pulled them out and wrapped the fishing line around the poles. "Where are we going to put our poles while we're in school? I don't want someone to take mine. Hoss made it just for me."
"How about in those bushes over there?" Mike pointed to the bushes where Adam was hiding. They walked toward the bushes and Mike caught sight of Adam's shirt. "There's someone hiding in the bushes."
Cat looked and saw Adam's shirt. "It's Adam. He's spying on me. That's why he didn't come home last night. He was hoping I'd skip school and go fishing so he can punish me even though Pa says he's not supposed to. I see you Adam and I'm tellin' Pa that you were spying on me and hoped I was gonna skip school to go fishing. He's really gonna be mad when I tell him that you were waiting for me with your belt in your hand. I hate you and I wish Pa would let me sell you! Maybe now he will. Come on Mike. If we hurry, I'll have time to ask Dr. Paul and Sheriff Roy to tell Pa what Adam was doing."
Adam came out of the bushes and Cat started to kick him. "No, don't," said Mike. "If you do, then you will be in trouble. Just put your fishing pole in the bushes with mine and let's hurry to town. When we get there, if it's close to time for school to start, maybe Miss Winter will still let us go to the doctor and sheriff's offices if we explain why we need to."
The two children mounted their horses and rode off toward town at a gallop. Adam knew his father was going to be angry at him. He had done the same thing with Joe when he was ten. Joe had been sent home from school because he was sick and stopped at the creek to wash his face and get a drink. Adam assumed he was skipping school and whipped Joe before he could show him the note from Miss Jones. That had been the day after one of the older boys threw Joe into the old well and he ran away that night, thinking his father didn't want him any more now that Adam was home from college. Cat and Mike arrived at the school shortly before Miss Winter was going to ring the bell. Mike took care of their horses and Cat went into talk to the teacher. "Miss Winter, can you please start school a little late?"
"Why do you want me to do that?" Cat told her about Adam and she said, "Alright, but it would be faster if you went to either Dr. Martin or Sheriff Coffee and Michael went to the other. I know you are angry at Adam and have every right to be, but your education is very important." Cat ran over to the sheriff's office and Mike ran over to the doctor's office. They told the men about Adam and received promises that if Ben came to town, they would ensure he knew what happened. The children thanked the men and ran back to the school, reaching it just as Miss Winter started ringing the bell.