When they reached the house, Adam asked Cat to take both horses into the barn and unsaddle Beauty. Then he walked into the house and said, "Please play along with whatever Cat says and I'll explain later. Remember, she likes to exaggerate a lot. I can't wait until she starts telling fish stories. We're liable to find out that we have a whale or sea monster living in Lake Tahoe."

"Alright son," said Ben. "I do know how she likes to exaggerate, so I have no problem playing along with whatever she says."

Cat came into the house and after being hugged by Ben and Abel said, "Wait 'til I tell you what I did today."

"Why don't you wait until Hoss and Joe are home?" asked Ben. "That way you can tell everybody all at once instead of having to tell your story several times."

"Ok."

"That's my girl. Why don't you go and work with Fury for a while? Laura or Michael should be here with your school work within the hour."

When Cat went out to work with Fury, she thought about putting her puppies on his back but remembered what Joe had told her. 'Your puppies are too heavy for you to pick up, so they're too heavy for Fury to have on his back. He's only five months old and if you put something heavy on his back, you could hurt him.' Instead, she hugged him and said, "I wish you could hurry up and grow up. I don't want to wait until you're two until I can ride you. I want to be able to ride you to school tomorrow."

Mike arrived with Cat's school work while she was out in the pasture with Fury. He climbed over the gate and joined her. "He sure is getting big, isn't he? I know you're wishing he was old enough to ride. I was the same way with Pepper here. I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Thanks Mike. I wasn't really sick. I just couldn't sleep 'cause I was mad at Pa and my brothers. When we got home yesterday, they all went in the house to talk with Grandpa Stoddard and I had to take care of the team all by myself. They didn't even care until I came in the house and asked someone to hang the harness up 'cause I couldn't reach the hook. They only cared when Hop Sing yelled at them and hit them with his spoon. Grandpa must have yelled at them last night 'cause Pa let me sleep until almost dinner time and Adam took me with him to the lumber camp after dinner. I got to be Bull of the Woods. I got to stand on top of a big pile of logs and yell 'moo', I got to tell the men what to do and I got to help cut down a big tree. It was fun. Maybe I'll get to do it again soon. What do I have for homework?"

"I'm sorry your family did that to you. Sometimes grownups are really dumb and act worse than little kids. They do things that they'd yell at kids for doing. Going to the lumber camp does sound like fun. Maybe I'll get to go with you next time. Homework is just grammar and arithmetic. We're having an arithmetic test on Thursday, so be sure you know your long division and how to check if your answer is right. Miss Winter said she's going to review problems that were missed on the test on Friday, and you're going to be starting to learn how to add and subtract fractions on Monday. Believe it or not, that's harder than multiplying and dividing them. You have to make all of the fractions have common denominators, add or subtract them and then put the answer in lowest terms. But at least you won't be doing long division any more."

"Yuck. I hate arithmetic. I don't see any reason to do fractions any more than I see a reason to do long division. They're both dumb, especially problems like if a barn has ten stalls and three of them are empty, what fraction are occupied? I mean, who cares as long as there's enough stalls for all the horses. And who divides ten numbers by three numbers? The stuff we have to learn in school just doesn't make sense."

"Yeah. I agree. We had a problem last year that was something like if a pasture has six hundred cows in it and six fifteenths of those cows have calves, how many do not have calves? We shouldn't have to do stuff like that. Who cares how many cows don't have calves as long as the cattle are healthy and fat enough to make the spring drive and get a good price from the cattle buyers? It gets even worse in fifth grade. We have to add, subtract, multiply and divide percentages. We also have to convert fractions and decimals to percentages as well as converting percentages to fractions and decimals. It just isn't fair."

Unknown to either child, while they were complaining about arithmetic and adults, Adam had walked up to the pasture and was standing at the gate. He burst out laughing, startling Mike and Cat and said, "You two are funny. If you spent as much time concentrating on your school work as you do complaining about it, your grades would be much better than they are now."

"That's easy for you to say," answered Mike. "You liked school. We don't. We know enough now so we shouldn't have to go to school any more. I'd quit tomorrow if I could, but Pa says I've got to go until I'm at least sixteen and that's six years from now."

"You're lucky Mike," said Cat. "My Pa says I have to go to school until I'm eighteen. All my friends will be married by then and I'll still be stuck going to school. I'll be an old maid before I finish school and no boy will want to marry me then."

Adam shook his head and laughed at his sister's pronouncement. "I've said it before and I'll say it again. Cat, you have got to be the silliest little girl I've ever met. Many parents won't allow their daughters to marry until they turn eighteen and those girls are nowhere near close to being old maids. The girl Joe is courting, Sally Ann Morgan, is nineteen and she is definitely not an old maid. Besides that, even if Pa lets you quit school before you're eighteen, which he won't, he has already said he will not allow you to marry until you are eighteen. So just plan on staying a little girl for the next nine years. Now I know that you and Mike have homework to do and I'm sure he also has chores waiting at home so say goodbye to Fury and let's go, get your homework done."

Cat and Mike started climbing the pasture gate only to find themselves on the receiving end of swats from Adam. "Hey! What's that for?" demanded Cat.

"Climbing the gate is not safe and you know it. There are two safe ways to leave the pasture. You can open the gate and exit that way or you can climb through the gate but you may not climb the gate."

Cat looked at Adam and said, "Grumpy!" as she and Mike climbed through the gate.

"Hey, I like that," laughed Mike. "Wait until I tell Mitch. He'll love it too. Grumpy Yankee Granite Head. It's perfect."

"You two just made a huge mistake and are about to pay for it," teased Adam as he put the children over his shoulders. He grabbed the reins of Mike's horse and walked up to the house. After tying the horse to the hitching rail, he walked into the house. "I thought you would like to say goodbye to these two. They made a huge mistake and are about to die a slow and painful death."

The rest of the family started laughing. "What did they do and what are you going to do to them?" asked Ben.

"They said adults and mathematics were dumb. Then little sister said I was grumpy and this other one thought it was funny and was going to tell Mitch that I was a Grumpy Yankee Granite Head."

"Why did your sister say you were grumpy?"

"Because I swatted and scolded them for climbing over the pasture gate."

"Cat, you know better than to climb over the gate. You could have been hurt."

"You're right Mike," said Cat. "Grownups are dumb sometimes. I never get hurt doing stuff I like doing. Since I can't climb the pasture gate 'cause I might get hurt, that means I don't have to go to church or school either 'cause I already got hurt in those places."

Abel laughed. "She's got you there Benjamin. Cat, although I agree with your Pa that school at least, is important, I like the way you used his argument against him. Now Adam, what are you planning on doing to those children?"

Joe and Hoss knew what was going to happen next, so while Ben and Abel had their attention focused on Adam and his two captives, Joe held up five fingers and Hoss held up four. They started counting down when Adam said, "I am going to stake them out and tickle them to death."

Cat decided it was time to get some help and yelled, "Hop Sing help! Adam's being mean to me and Mike! He says he's going to kill us!" Hoss and Joe stopped counting when Cat started yelling and Hoss won the little competition.

Hop Sing came out of the kitchen carrying his wooden spoon. He hit Adam with it twice and said, "No be mean to Missy Cat and Mike. Go tell Mike parents he be home after supper." When Adam made no move to put Mike and Cat down, Hop Sing hit him again. "Hop Sing say put children down and go. You go or Hop Sing use spoon again."

"Alright Hop Sing. I'm going, I'm going. You don't need to use your spoon any more." He put Cat and Mike down, grabbed his jacket, hat and gun and walked out the door.

"Joe, can I please get the chair out of your room? Mike and I are going to do our homework in my room and Mike needs a chair to sit on."

"Sure Cat. Just please remember to put it back when you're done."

After Cat and Mike went upstairs, Hop Sing told Joe to set the table. Abel looked at Ben and asked, "Did I just see what I think I did? I get the distinct impression that my granddaughter has Hop Sing wrapped around her little finger."

Ben laughed. "Yes you saw what you think you did. I may own this ranch but Hop Sing rules it. Even the hands listen to him. In the three months since Adam and I brought Cat home from Dodge, Hop Sing has threatened to go back to China and take Cat with him at least six times."

After Mike and Cat finished their homework, Cat said, "I think we've still got some time before supper. Come on and I'll introduce you to Samson."

"Who is Samson?"

"He's our big bull and he likes me. I'm not supposed to go in the pasture with him because Pa says I could get hurt, but I do anyway when nobody's around. That's another dumb rule. Samson wouldn't hurt me and Pa knows it." They walked downstairs and Cat asked, "How much time until supper Pa? I want to take Mike out and introduce him to Samson."

"I'm not sure. Why don't you ask Hop Sing?"

They went into the kitchen and talked to Hop Sing who told them they had plenty of time to spend with the bull and gave each of them two carrots and some lettuce for him. They went outside and Cat said, "I've got to saddle Beauty. The pasture is about a ten minute ride that way." She pointed toward the east.

"Why don't we just ride double on Pepper? We'll get there faster."

"Ok. I just have to get something from the barn. I'll be right back." Cat returned from the barn with two brushes in her hand and said, "Ok. Let's go before we run out of time."

When they reached the pasture, Mike looked at the bull, let out a low whistle and said, "Wow. He is really big. Now I know why your Pa named him Samson."

They walked over to the pasture gate and the bull walked up to greet them. "Hi Samson," said Cat as she kissed the bull's snout. "This is my friend Mike. Mike, this is Samson. You can pet him if you want to and he'll take the carrots and lettuce from you real gentle. He loves it when I brush him. You can brush him too."

After Mike and Cat went into the kitchen, Abel asked, "Who is Samson?"

"He's our big bull. Would you like to see him? It will only take a few minutes for me to saddle a horse for you."

"Yes, I would like that very much. I want to learn everything I possibly can about my new granddaughter." Ben walked out of the barn a few minutes later, leading a horse for Abel and carrying a rope which he tied to his saddle. "Why are you bringing that rope? Is it dangerous for the children to be near the bull?"

"No, not at all. That bull loves Cat and would never intentionally hurt her. She's not allowed in the pasture unless an adult is present in case something happens and she accidentally gets hurt. That has been the rule since she was six and she has been caught breaking it on more than one occasion. Since I'll be there, she'll want to go into the pasture and the rope is just a precaution in the unlikely event something happens and I need to get the bull away from the children." They rode up to the pasture and before Cat could ask, Ben said, "Yes Cat, you and Mike may go in with the bull since your grandfather and I are here."

"Gee thanks Pa. Come on Mike. Back up Samson so we can climb through the gate." Abel was amazed to see a very large bull acting like a young calf with the two children and couldn't believe it when he took the offered treats as gentle as a lamb. The children hugged the bull and brushed him. When Ben said it was time to go, Cat hugged and kissed the bull before climbing back through the pasture gate.

Abel looked at Ben and said, "I've never seen anything like that in my life. If I didn't know better, I'd swear that bull blushed when Cat kissed him. That child could probably charm the pants off a pirate."

"I wouldn't be surprised but I'd rather not find out if she can or not."

During supper, Hoss asked, "What did you do all day little sister? I'm shore Pa didn't let ya sleep all day."

"I went to the lumber camp with Adam. I got to be Bull of the Woods. First I had to climb this really big pile of logs. It was as high as a mountain or maybe even higher. Once I got up to the top, I had to stand up and yell 'moo' as loud as I could. Mr. Ron said I yelled even louder than Pa and Adam."

"That's really good sis," said Joe. "I didn't think anyone could yell louder than Pa. When I was a boy and got in trouble, I swear they could have heard him yelling in Carson City and possibly as far away as Sacramento. If you yell louder than Pa, your kids won't stand a chance when they get into trouble."

"I got to help Adam mark trees and he told me why we don't cut all of them down. I even got to cut down a tree that must have been at least a million feet tall."

"A million feet tall," said Ben. "That must have been quite some tree. Are there any more that are like that?"

"Yes. There are lots. That was a short one. Mr. Wes said I couldn't cut down a bigger one until I got taller. He said I might be able to do it when I'm ten. I even got to make the horses pull the logs over to be stacked. I didn't get to help stack them 'cause Mr. Ron said they weren't doing that today but I maybe could the next time I go there."

After Cat finished, Adam said, "I want everyone to know how proud I am of Cat. Even though she was in charge, she treated all of the men with respect and when she told them to do something, she told them why she wanted them to do it. They really appreciated the way she acted toward them. She asked questions and paid attention to the answers, and she waited for permission before attempting to do anything the men were doing. Also, she promised me that she would never go up there alone unless it was an emergency or one of us told her to."

"Well, you certainly had quite an adventure today," said Ben. "You're going to have quite a story to tell your friends at school tomorrow."

"I'm not going back to school ever and I'm not ever going to church again either."

"Why not?"

"'Cause you said I can't climb the pasture gates or go in with Samson unless a grownup is there and I could get hurt. I already got hurt at school and church and could get hurt again so I shouldn't have to go to those places anymore."

Ben sighed. His nine year old daughter was using his logic against him and he wasn't sure how to answer her without getting her upset. "Didn't someone hurt you at school in Dodge?"

"No. Mark Hansen shot at me one day when I was walking with Uncle Matt but he missed by a lot. He didn't dare try anything at school because Robert Tanner and his friends would have beat him up."

"You still have to go to school and church Sweetheart."

"Why? So I can get hurt again? I guess you really don't love me."

Mike was doing all he could to keep from laughing as was the rest of the family.

"I do love you Cat but school is important and so is church."

"That's dumb. I already know how to read, write, add, subtract, multiply, and divide. I don't need to know anything else. Having to go to church all the time is dumb too. Uncle Matt never went and the only time I did is when Miss Kitty took me. You keep saying I can't do stuff I want to 'cause I might get hurt but you want to make me go places where I already got hurt. I never get hurt doing stuff I want to. I'm a cat and everybody knows that cats never get hurt."

Ben sighed again and did the only thing he could do. He compromised, sort of. "I understand your feelings so I will reevaluate the things I have been telling you not to do, including climbing the pasture gate, because you could get hurt. However, some things will not change. Until you are older, the hayloft is still off limits unless an adult is with you. If you fell out of it, you could be crippled for life. You will not jump your horse over anything higher than Hoss' knees and you will not go into the bull's pasture unless an adult is with you. I know that bull loves you and would never intentionally hurt you, but if he accidentally stepped on you, he would crush your foot. Do you remember how heavy those two bales of hay were when I put them on your feet?"

"Yes."

"That bull weighs at least thirty times more than those bales of hay do, so somebody who is familiar with cattle needs to be there to tell you to get out of the way in a hurry if they see him shift his weight or move the foot closest to you."

"Pa's right Punkin'," said Hoss. "I'm lots bigger than you and that ol' bull could crush one of my feet too. That's why I'm extra careful whenever I go in the pasture with him."

"You still have to go to school and church. You are only nine years old and that is much too young to quit school. The rest of the family, including your Godparents would take you away from me if I let you do that, so you will attend school until you are eighteen. The only times you will not go to school are if you are sick or injured, if it is raining too hard, or we are snowed in. The same applies to church. I know that you did not attend church very often, but, this family attends church every Sunday unless something prevents us from doing so. Now I highly recommend you finish your supper so you will have time to spend with Mike before he goes home. You both have school in the morning."

Mike could not contain himself any longer and asked, "Mr. Cartwright, will you please stop saying that bad word? It's bad enough we've got to be tortured by going there all the time and we really shouldn't have to hear that word during a meal."

Everyone started laughing and Joe nearly choked on his food. "Alright Mike," laughed Ben. "I won't say that word any more while we're eating."

All of a sudden, they heard the unmistakable roll of thunder and saw a flash of lightning. Mike got up and started to run for the door. "I've got to get home. Pepper is out there, he's still saddled, and needs to be fed."

"Sit down Michael," said Ben. "You're not going anywhere in a storm. Your parents would kill me if I let you ride home in this weather so you will spend the night here. I'm sure that Joe has an old nightshirt, robe and slippers that should fit you. Hoss, will you please take care of Michael's horse for him?"

"Thank you Mr. Cartwright."

"You're very welcome Mike. Now you need to eat more. There's plenty of food so don't be afraid to eat as much as you can hold. Remember, Hop Sing is used to feeding Hoss."

Hoss came back into the house just as the sky opened up. "That shore is gonna be some storm. As bad as it's rainin' it's a good thing it ain't any colder. Ifn it was, we'd be getting' a whole lot of snow. Don't worry about your horse none Mike. I got him all fed and bedded down for the night."

"Thanks Hoss."

"It weren't no trouble at all. Heck, I'd even do the same for Little Joe."

"Gee thanks big brother."

"Don't mention it Shortshanks. That's what brothers are for."

After supper, Cat and Mike played two games of checkers, each of them winning one. Ben told them it was time to get ready for bed. Joe put a nightgown, robe and pair of slippers in a guest room for Mike. As they were going upstairs, Cat asked, "Joe, what room did you put Mike in?"

"It's the one right next to Grandfather's."

"Thanks. Come on Mike. I'll show you which room you're going to use tonight." When they reached the second floor, Cat showed Mike where everybody's room was before taking him to his. "Come to my room when you're ready for bed. Adam will be up to read with me in a few minutes and you can read with us."

Adam read with Cat and Mike and shortly after he left Cat's room, Joe walked in carrying two logs. "It's going to be a cold, damp night so I've brought extra logs for your fire. I've already put two in Mike's room. Mike, did Cat show you where everyone's room is?"

"Yes she did."

"Good. If you need anything during the night, feel free to knock on anyone's door. However, I would recommend that you avoid knocking on this one. These two ferocious beasts might just have you for a late night snack." Mike and Cat laughed as Joe tickled both puppies under their chins. "It's high time the pair of you were in bed. Pa will be up shortly and I can tell you from experience that he willnot be happy if you're not under the covers in your own beds."

"Alright Joe, I'm going," said Mike. "What chores do you have in the morning Cat? I'll help you with them."

"I don't have any until next year 'cause I caught more fish than everybody else and had to take care of the team by myself yesterday."

"Hey, that's great. Not that you had to take care of the team by yourself but that you don't have any chores until next year. Since I'm spending the night here, Mitch will have to do mine in the morning. I can't remember the last time I didn't have to do chores. Maybe I should make the same bet with Mitch as your family did with you. Well, I'd better go to bed before your Pa comes up here and gets mad at us. See you in the morning."

When Cat and Mike arrived at school the next morning, Cat told her friends about her adventure at the lumber camp the previous afternoon. Annabel was eavesdropping on the conversation and said, "You weren't really sick. I can't believe your Pa let you skip school so you could play all day. I'm telling Miss Winter that you weren't really sick and you're going to get a whipping for skipping school."

"It's obvious that you know absolutely nothing about our family," came a voice from behind Annabel. "Our father has raised three sons and knows if a child is sick or not and Catherine was sick during the night. I will be seeing your father and Reverend Long in a little while and I fully intend to tell them that you were eavesdropping and were trying to cause trouble for my sister. You obviously have a hard time following directions because you are not supposed to be anywhere near Cat but here you are listening in on her conversation." Then he looked at Cat and said, "Hi Squirt."

"Hi Adam. Why are you here? Mike and I didn't forget anything."

"Hop Sing sent me. He said he forgot to put these in your dinner pails this morning." He handed Mike and Cat two packages.

Cat unwrapped her package, squealed with delight and hugged Adam. "Chocolate cookies! Hop Sing makes the best chocolate cookies in the world! Thanks for bringing them Adam. That was really nice of you."

"Thank you Adam and please thank Hop Sing for me," said Mike. "Don't tell my Ma I said so, but Hop Sing is the best cook in the world."

Adam laughed. "You're welcome kids. Don't worry Mike. Your secret is safe with me. Cat, please meet me at Mr. McLeod's store after school. You and I need to do some shopping. Don't ask why we need to go shopping, just please meet me after school. You'll find out then."

"That's not fair. Now I'm gonna spend the whole day wondering why we're going shopping."

"You had better spend your day concentrating on your lessons, not why I asked you to meet me at Mr. McLeod's store."

"You're no fun. You're supposed to tell me not to worry about my lessons."

Adam laughed and hugged Cat. "Sorry Squirt. Joe might tell you that but Pa and I never will. There's the bell. You had better get going so you're not late. I'll see you after school." He turned her in the direction of the school steps and sent her off with a playful swat. She turned around and stuck her tongue out at him before running to catch up with her friends.

Cat met Adam at the general store after school. "I know you're curious why I asked you to meet me here today. You and I need to do some shopping without the rest of the family being around. Pa's birthday is on Sunday and Grandfather's is on December first. Don't say anything about you don't have any money because I know you don't. You're going to pick out the gifts and I'll pay for them. Remember what I told you in Santa Fe when you wanted to get that parasol for Miss Kitty? That's what family is for. I used to do the same thing for Hoss and Joe when they were boys. Now, shall we look around and see if we can find anything for Pa and Grandfather?"

Cat was surprised at what Adam told her and said, "I guess so. Sure, why not?"

Adam laughed and said, "You are a silly little girl. Now what do you think you should get for Pa?"

"I don't know. What does he like?"

"Believe me, he'll like anything you get him."

"Yeah, Uncle Matt's the same way, but I want to get him something he'll really like."

"Well, I happen to know that he needs a new pocket knife. Why don't we see what Mr. McLeod has and see if you like any of them?"

They looked at all of the pocket knives in the store and Cat finally picked one up and said, "I like this one."

"That's a good choice little sister. It is heavy enough for ranch work but not so heavy it won't weigh Pa's pockets down. Now, what do you want to get for Grandfather?"

Cat thought for a minute and said, "I think he needs a hat. He'll look awfully funny riding without one."

Adam wasn't sure how much riding his grandfather was going to do but said, "Alright Squirt. The hats are on that shelf up there. Which one do you like?"

"I don't know. It's hard to see them from down here."

"Well, I know the perfect solution to that problem." He picked Cat up and sat her on one of his shoulders. "Can you see better now?"

"Yes. Thank you." Cat looked at her brother and at the hats and made a decision. She pointed to a pair of hats in different shades of brown and said, "I like those two." Adam took the hats off the shelf and handed them to Cat. She looked at them and at Adam, took his hat off his head and put the lighter one on him.

"We're supposed to be getting a hat for Grandfather. I already have one."

"Yes, but I don't like you wearing black all the time. I like that hat better than your black one. Will you please get it for you and start wearing different color shirts?"

"I happen to like wearing black little sister."

"Pleeeeeeeeeease?" She looked into his brown eyes with pleading in her green ones and his heart melted. He knew right then and there that there were going to be many things he would be unable to refuse her and this was one of them."

"Alright, but I'm still going to wear black sometimes."

"Sometimes is ok, just not all the time."

"Only sometimes. I promise. Now I guess you had better help me pick out some shirts."

Cat looked at the shirts and her brother and said, "Red, blue, green, and gold."

Adam picked out two of each color shirt and asked, "Do you need anything for you?"

"I guess I need more socks. My feet are always cold. It's colder here than it was in Dodge."

"Why haven't you said anything before now?"

"I don't know. I guess I didn't want to bother anybody."

"Cat, you need to let us know when you need something or if something isn't right, like your feet being cold. That's not bothering us. It's our job to take care of you and we can't do that unless you let us know what you need. Once everybody is home, we're going to have to sit down as a family and talk about your habit of not telling us when you need something. Joe and I didn't tell Pa that we found you sleeping in the barn Monday night because he would have been very upset that you didn't tell anyone that something was bothering you. Let's get you some thicker socks so I can pay for everything and then we have to go home. What do you have to do for homework tonight?"

"Arithmetic, history and reading. I have a dumb arithmetic test tomorrow."

"That means you'll have to spend extra time studying for it so you get a good grade."

"Adam?"

"Yes Cat?"

"Will you take my arithmetic test for me tomorrow? You're lots better at it than me."

Adam laughed, picked Cat up, kissed her on the forehead, hugged her and said, "You are a very silly little girl. There are many things I would gladly do for you but that is not one of them. I would gladly fight off a herd of stampeding elephants if I had to, but I will not take your arithmetic test or any other test for that matter. That is something you need to do yourself. Tests are designed to see how much you have learned. Nobody would know how much you have learned if I took the test for you. I will be more than happy to spend time helping you prepare for it, but I will not take it for you. Now go and get yourself some thick socks before I decide to feed you to James' puppy."

When Adam was getting ready to pay for their purchases, Mr. McLeod asked, "Adam, would you please help me with something in the back room?"

"I'd be more than happy to Gerald. Cat, why don't you look around the store while I help Mr. McLeod? This shouldn't take too long."

Once they were in the back room, Mr. McLeod said, "I don't need your help, I just said that so Cat wouldn't be suspicious when I asked you to come back here. I wanted to show you something I got in today. Christmas is a little more than a month away and the family might want to think about getting one for Cat." He opened a large crate and took out a sled.

Adam looked at it and said, "Thank you George. I'm sure that Pa will agree to have Santa bring one for Cat. In fact, please put three of them aside for us. I see no reason why Santa shouldn't bring one for Mary and Laura Ingalls also. I'm sure that many of the children they play with already have one so this way all three girls can go sledding with their friends. I'll let Pa know tonight after Cat is asleep."

"I'll be more than happy to do that for you." When they returned to the store, Mr. McLeod said, "Thank you for your help Adam. I needed help moving that crate and James is off on an errand."

Before paying for everything, Adam asked Mr. McLeod to add two pieces of licorice and a bag of penny candy to their purchases. When they walked outside, Adam picked Cat up and put her on her horse. Then he handed her a licorice stick, the bag of candy and said, "You may have the licorice and two pieces of candy now and the rest will have to wait until later. Pa and Hop Sing will have my head if you eat too much candy and don't eat supper."

Cat looked in the bag, picked out two pieces of candy and said, "Thanks Adam. Will you please carry the candy home 'cause if I do, I'm gonna want to eat all of it before we get there. You can have some if you want to. You know, I might just ask Hop Sing to take your head off anyways. It would be funny to see you carrying it like the headless horseman in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."

"Scamp. If you aren't careful, I'm going to pick you up out of that saddle and turn you around so you're facing backwards. Now let's go. You have an arithmetic test to study for."