Cat finished her soup and Ronald took her into the kitchen. She stood there with her mouth open as she looked around. It was much larger than the Ponderosa's kitchen and there were several men and women hard at work making food. Chef Jackson smiled at her reaction and asked, "How do you like my kitchen?"

"It's really big. I think you could put one hundred of our kitchen in here and have room left over. Hoss would love it because Hop Sing would be able to make more food for him."

The chef laughed and said, "Most home kitchens are small compared to this one. Restaurant kitchens have to be large so a large amount of food can be prepared all at once. Tell me, do you know how to cook?"

"I can cook rabbits and fish over a fire and I know how to make rabbit stew. Hop Sing taught me how to make flapjacks and bacon. I tried making eggs last week but they didn't turn out right so Hop Sing made them. I tried making a pie for the fall festival but it didn't turn out too good. Hoss said it tasted just fine to him but I think he was just being nice because I tasted it and it didn't taste good to me."

"You already know much for one so young. Even I don't know how to cook rabbits and fish over an open fire. Maybe you can teach me how to do it when I visit the Ponderosa next year. Learning how to cook eggs properly takes a lot of time and patience. So does learning how to make a pie. The important thing is that you tried."

Cat noticed a large frying pan with ground meat in it and asked, "What are you cooking?"

"I'm making shepherd's pie. Another customer has ordered it. Would you like to help make it?"

"Yes sir, I sure would."

Chef Jackson laughed at her enthusiasm. "The first thing you need to do is go and wash your hands." When Cat returned, there was a chair in front of the stove for her to stand on. He handed her a medium sized cake pan and a cloth and said, "Use this cloth in the bacon grease and put the grease all over the inside of the pan. Now put mashed potatoes in the bottom until I tell you to stop. That's enough. Now you need to smooth them out so they're even all across the bottom of the pan. You're doing a great job." He handed her a large bowl and said, "Put that pan aside for a minute. We need to mix the meat and vegetables together. Here is the frying pan with the meat in it. Be careful not to burn yourself, use that large spoon and put meat in the bowl." When Cat started to grab the handle of the pan, he stopped her. "I know that when he taught you how to make flapjacks and bacon, Hop Sing taught you to always grab a pan handle with a towel so you don't burn yourself. That's a girl. Now put meat in the bowl." Once she had enough meat in the bowl, he put the pan back on a burner and put another one that was full of vegetables in front of her. "Now we need to add the vegetables. We're going to make a chef out of you yet. That's enough vegetables. Here's a spoon and you need to stir the meat and vegetables together in the bowl." When the vegetables and meat were thoroughly mixed together, the chef said, "You're doing a wonderful job. Now I want you to put everything from the bowl into the pan with the mashed potatoes on the bottom. Then you're going to put gravy on top of the meat and vegetables. Now all we have to do is put mashed potatoes on top and put it in the oven."

"Aren't you going to put gravy on top?"

"I do that after I take the pan out of the oven."

"Can we take it out now?"

"No little one," laughed the chef. It has to bake for twenty minutes. Why don't you go and let Ronald teach you how to take orders? If you do a good job, I may give you a job when you get older."

Cat giggled and followed Ronald into the dining room where he handed her a pad of paper. "What am I supposed to do?"

"All you have to do is write down what the customers say they want to eat. Let's start at that table where the man and woman are sitting. They're regular customers and come here every Saturday." They walked over to the table where Ronald greeted his customers by name. "Hello Mr. Waters, Mrs. Waters. It is nice to see you again."

"Hello Ronald." greeted the woman. "Is that your sister? Whose dogs are those? I wasn't aware that Chef Jackson allowed animals in here."

"No ma'am. I wish she was but she's a friend. Her father will be back shortly and while he's gone, I'm teaching her how to take orders. Those are her dogs and they're very well behaved although I don't think they would be if someone tries to hurt her. What would you like to eat today?"

"Are you sure those dogs are alright? They're big and make me nervous."

"Cat, why don't you bring Lassie and Silver Chief over here and introduce them to Mrs. Waters? Maybe then she won't be so nervous about them."

Cat signaled for her puppies to come to her and she introduced them to the Waters. "This is Lassie and this is Silver Chief. They're eight months old now. The only time they ever bothered anybody is when they were babies and my brother Joe and I were playing checkers. Joe started cheating so I told Lassie and Silver Chief he was being mean to me. They chewed on his arms and legs for a few minutes until Pa told me they had chewed on Joe long enough. He hasn't cheated again because he says they have very sharp teeth and he doesn't want them chewing on him again. I even taught them to read. They go almost everywhere with me, even to church. Pa just won't let me take them to school because he says us kids would pay more attention to them than our lessons."

Both Mr. and Mrs. Waters laughed at Cat's last statement and the regret in her voice. "I can understand why your father won't let you take them to school with you," said Mr. Waters. "I'm glad he let you teach your brother a lesson about cheating. Young puppies have very sharp teeth and I'm sure your brother doesn't want to be chewed on by them again."

"Do they really go to church with you? Did I hear you say you taught them to read?" asked Mrs. Waters.

"Yes ma'am. Reverend Long says they're better listeners than some of the grownups. Yes, I taught them to read when they were babies. When it's warm, I sit in the pasture and read to my colt and the other foals and their mamas. Lassie and Chief sit with me and I taught them how to read. I can show you if you want me to."

"Yes please. I would dearly love to hear them read." Ronald handed her a menu. She showed it to Silver Chief and asked him what a word was and he went woof. Then she did the same thing with Lassie. Mr. and Mrs. Waters started laughing so hard they had tears coming from their eyes. "That is precious. Now that I know I'm not going to be eaten by these dogs, I would like the baked chicken, a potato with butter, corn on the cob, and tea to drink."

Cat wrote the order down, showed it to Ronald and asked, "Did I do it right?"

"Yes Cat. You did just fine. Now you need to ask Mr. Waters what he wants to eat."

"I would like a steak, a potato with butter, corn on the cob, and coffee to drink."

Cat handed the pad of paper to Ronald. "You did a very good job. Now we need to take this into the kitchen and give it to Chef Jackson so he can make the food."

Ben returned while Cat was in the kitchen with Ronald. The maître d' greeted him and told him that Cat was rapidly becoming a favorite with the customers. He was showing Ben to a table when the Walters spotted him. "Ben Cartwright," called Mr. Waters. "Come and join us."

He walked over to their table and greeted them. "Matt, Elaine, it's very nice to see you again. It's been too long and you really should pay us a visit on the Ponderosa sometime soon."

Cat and Ronald returned a few minutes later, each of them carrying a tray. Cat's tray had two cups and saucers on it as well as a small pitcher of cream and a small bowl with cut lemons in it while Ronald carried a teapot and a coffee pot."

"Hi Pa. I'm helping Ronald."

"I see that. Are you having fun?"

"Yes I am."

"I'm glad you've been having fun Sweetheart. Right now you need to finish what you're doing, ask Ronald for our sandwiches, and get your hat, coat, and mittens. We still have to stop and pick up the rest of our purchases and start for home. We have a long drive to make and Hop Sing will be upset if we're late for supper."

"I want to stay here and help Ronald. That way I won't have to go to school and study yucky arithmetic."

Ben, the Waters, and Ronald laughed. "I'm sorry to tell you this Cat," said Ronald. "I use arithmetic every day at work. I have to total the customer's bill, count the money they give me and count their change. Chef Jackson uses arithmetic all the time too. For example, if a recipe calls for three quarters of a cup of flour and he has to make enough of that recipe for five people, he has to multiply three quarters times five to know how much flour to use."

"That's not fair. I hate arithmetic and shouldn't have to use it."

"You use arithmetic every day without even thinking about it," said Mr. Waters. "Have you ever tried counting the stars? Counting things is using arithmetic. So is telling time. You have to know your numbers in order to be able to tell time."

Cat sighed. "Come on Cat. I think that shepherds pie you helped make is done now and we have to take it to the person who ordered it," said Ronald.

After Ronald and Cat walked back to the kitchen, Mrs. Waters asked, "That sweet little girl is your daughter? When did you marry again?"

"I didn't. Catherine was my younger sister's daughter. She was murdered in June and I adopted Cat and am raising her as my daughter."

"Where is her father?"

"He was killed in the war."

"Oh how sad. That little girl is lucky to have had an uncle who wanted to adopt her and raise her as his own."

"I'm grateful that her father's brothers allowed me to adopt her. For reasons I don't have time to go into right now, Cat was raised by one of her uncles who is a United States Marshal. The other one is in the Army and is the commanding officer at a fort in a different state. They added one condition to the adoption and I readily agreed because it was something I had already decided upon. Catherine will be dividing her summers between her two uncles. They are the best connection she has to her father and I wouldn't dream of keeping her from them. I just wish they'd move closer to the Ponderosa so she wouldn't be so far away all summer and I know that Catherine would be thrilled beyond belief to see them for more than a few short months every year. They will be at the Ponderosa for Christmas but after that, it will be another six months before she gets to see them again."

Cat and Ronald returned a few minutes later with the Waters' food and a cup of coffee for Ben. They were followed by Chef Jackson who brought the Cartwight's sandwiches. "Mr. Cartwright, Ronald tells me that you intend to take my newest employee from me. I am not so sure I am going to allow that. She has been a big help and more than willing to learn everything Ronald and I taught her. Catherine is a very sweet, well behaved child and for the life of me, I can't understand why your family calls her Wild Cat. She is anything but wild."

"Please call me Ben. Although it has only been six months since I adopted her, one thing I have learned is that Catherine is very well behaved in public. It's a different story at home. She has a temper and hasn't learned to control it yet. The uncle who raised her has told me about many fights she's been in, some of which she started. One girl at school tried stealing from her and she stopped her. Cat pushed her down in a mud puddle and would have done worse if the teacher hadn't stopped her." He proceeded to tell them about the fight at the school board meeting and Cat's threat to Annabel. "Every single person at that meeting firmly believes that she will definitely follow through on her threat should the other girl attack her again. My eldest son has said and done several things that upset her and she kicked him. She is also not afraid of anything. My sister and Catherine lived with my father for a while when she was a toddler. One day, she managed to open several drawers on the china cabinet and my father's cook caught her trying to climb it. Even though her uncle has punished her for it, when she thinks nobody is around, Catherine will jump her horse over every fence or gate she comes across. Come and spend some time on the Ponderosa and get to know her better. Right now, we have to get going. We still have purchases to pick up, we have a long drive home and I don't want to be late for supper. Where did my daughter go?"

"Ronald took her to get her things. Since you took your packages with you, I had her put them with the employee's belongings so we could use the table for other guests."

"Thank you for watching her while I went to get the buggy. I hope she wasn't too much of a bother."

"You're welcome. She wasn't a bother at all. Quite the opposite is true. She helped me in the kitchen and I taught her how to put a shepherds pie together. She has also been helping Ronald take orders and the customers adore her."

Cat and Ronald returned with her things a few moments later. Ben hugged her and said, "Put your hat, coat, and mittens on Sweetheart. We need to pick up the rest of our purchases and then head for home. You know how upset Hop Sing gets when someone is late for a meal." Cat asked if she could drive the buggy in the city and Ben replied, "Not today Cat. You're not experienced enough to handle it in all of this traffic. I'll let you drive the surrey to church tomorrow and on Wednesday when the family comes in on the stage. That will give you a little more experience. Believe me when I tell you that there will come a time when you won't need an adult with you when you drive the buckboard, buggy or the surrey and you'll be able to drive them in a busy city."

When they were part way home, Ben took the sandwiches out and asked Cat if she wanted one. "Yes please. Lassie, Chief, here are the reins you can drive while I'm eating." She started handing a rein to each puppy.

"I know that those two puppies are very smart, but I don't think they can drive the buggy," laughed Ben as he took the reins. "I don't think they're strong enough to hold the horses if they get spooked. Why don't you let me drive while you eat?"

"Pa?"

"Yes Sweetheart?"

"Do we have time to stop at Laura and Mary's house?"

"Not today Sweetheart. It's out of our way and we spent so much time in Carson City, we'll be lucky to make it home before supper. Why did you want to go to the Ingalls?"

"I want to ask Mama Ingalls to make an apron like Chef Jackson wears for Hop Sing with his name on it. I asked Mr. Chin Lee to please write Hop Sing's name in Chinese for me."

"That was a very sweet thing to do. Why don't you ask her after church tomorrow? I'm sure she'll say yes. Aprons seem to be very simple to make so the thing that will take the longest is putting Hop Sing's name and anything else you want on it. Are you going to pay her for it?"

"Yes. I have some money."

"Where did you get money?"

"I took it out of the safe before we left this morning."

"I see. You don't know the combination, so how did you get the safe open?"

"It was easy. I stood in front of it and said 'Open Sesame" and it opened just like in the story about Ali Baba."

Ben laughed. "Well, I'm glad that worked for you. I'll have to try it sometime. How much money did you take?"

"A million dollars."

"Wow. I didn't know I had that much in the safe. Did you leave any money in it? I have to pay the hands before Saturday."

"There's lots and lots off money left. Maybe even ten million dollars."

"Thank you for not taking all of the money. I appreciate it and I know the hands do too. I do have another question for you. If you brought a million dollars with you, why have you been trying your best to spend all of my money?"

"Because it's fun and I want to save my money for important stuff like candy, peanuts and sarsaparilla."

Ben laughed. "You are a very silly little girl. You would get very sick if you ate and drank a million dollars worth of candy, peanuts, and sarsaparilla. We still have a long drive to make and you've had a very busy day. Why don't you get the pillow and blankets, wrap up in the blankets, lay down and rest for a while? That way you won't be falling asleep during supper. You can put your pillow in my lap so you'll be more comfortable and I'll move some of the packages around in the back so your puppies can either sit there or on the floor up here." Cat was asleep five minutes after her head hit the pillow. She woke up when they were about forty five minutes from home. She yawned and stretched, accidentally hitting Ben in the chest. He looked down and smiled at her. "Hi sleepyhead. Did you have a nice nap? You've been asleep for almost two hours. We'll be home in about forty five minutes."

She sat up, yawned and stretched some more. "Uh huh. I'm thirsty."

"I thought you might get thirsty on the trip, so there's a full canteen under the seat. Would you like to drive the rest of the way home?"

"I think maybe I'll sleep the rest of the way."

"Oh no you don't," he laughed. "We'll be home in less than an hour and you need to stay awake. If you nap too long, you won't sleep tonight and then you'll be fighting to stay awake in church tomorrow morning."

"Pa?"

"Yes Cat?"

"I have to use the outhouse."

Ben stopped the buggy, walked over to some bushes and shook them. "Ok Cat. You can go behind these bushes and take care of your needs. I'll stand in front of them in case you need ne for anything."

After taking care of her needs, Cat asked, "Why did you shake the bushes?"

"I wanted to make sure there weren't any wild things that could hurt my little girl."

"They wouldn't hurt me. I would give them hugs and kisses and name them and take them home with me."

"That's another reason I shook the bushes. I already have a Wild Cat living in my house and don't need any more wild things. One Wild Cat is enough for any household."

"But I love the wild things and want to bring them all home with me."

Ben sighed and hugged her. "If you and Hoss had your way, the house would be full of wild things and the family would be sleeping in the barn or bunkhouse. As I said a few minutes ago, I already have a Wild Cat living in my house and that is plenty of wild things. Now we need to get home. Are you going to drive or am I?"

"I am."

"That's fine. Let's go before we're late for supper. You know how upset Hop Sing gets when someone is late for a meal and I don't want him to start yelling because we're late."

"If he does, I'll say it's all your fault because you wanted to drink a whole gallon of coffee before we left Carson City."

Ben laughed and gave one of Cat's braids a playful tug. "Little scamp. If we're late and Hop Sing starts yelling, I'm going to tell him it's because you were eating an entire chocolate cake and drinking a full pitcher of milk and we couldn't leave until you finished." When they pulled into the yard, Ben said, "Park the buggy close to the house and I'll help you carry everything up to your room." He wondered what was in the extra packages but concluded that Abel and her brothers had probably given her money and didn't ask. Joe took care of the buggy and team for them and Hop Sing said supper was ready as soon as he walked back into the house.

"How was your day Benjamin?" asked Abel. "Was my granddaughter well behaved?"

"We had a very good day and except for trying to spend all of my money, Catherine was as good as gold. Did you know that she brought a lot of money with her but still wanted to spend all of mine?"

"Where did you get money from Cat?" asked Joe, knowing they were in for one of his sister's tall tales.

"I took it out of the safe."

"How?" asked Hoss. "You ain't got the combination."

"It was easy. I stood in front of it and said 'Open Sesame" and it opened just like in the story about Ali Baba."

"How much money did you take?" asked Adam.

"I took a million dollars."

"That sure is a lot of money. Did you leave any in the safe? We still have to pay the hands and buy more supplies for Christmas and the winter."

"Yes. There's lots of money left. I stopped counting when I got to ten million dollars." The family had a hard time keeping from laughing at Cat.

"I know everyone is glad you left most of the money in the safe," replied Adam. "We wouldn't want the hands to be upset with you because we couldn't pay them. Where did you eat and what did you have?"

"We ate at a real nice place called the Magnolia Inn. I ordered shepherds pie and the chef was real nice. He even put some chocolate in it for me and it really tasted good. I had chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert and he even gave me some chocolate to put on my ice cream. When Pa left to get the buggy, he let me help make a shepherds pie and Ronald showed me how to take orders. I wanted to stay there and help Ronald so I didn't have to go to school and learn yucky arithmetic but Ronald said he and Chef Jackson use it all the time."

The family laughed at Cat. "You use arithmetic all the time, even if you don't want to," said Abel. "When you feed your horse, you count how many scoops of grain you give him and counting is arithmetic. So is telling time. I know that you and many other children in the world would love to make arithmetic go away, but that will never happen."

Cat just sighed and continued eating. A few minutes later she asked, "Joe, Hoss, Adam, can I please talk to you outside after supper? It's important."'

"Of course you can Cat," answered Adam.

"It too cold for Missy Cat to talk outside," interjected Hop Sing. "You go upstairs and talk in a room. Then she not get cold and sick. I come and get her when bath is ready."

"You're right of course Hop Sing," replied Adam. "It is much too cold to be outside talking for any length of time. The four of us can talk in my room." After helping clear the table, the four siblings went upstairs to Adam's room. "What's wrong Cat? Why did you need to talk to us?"

"I couldn't think of anything to get for Grandpa when Pa and I were in Carson City today so he said maybe the three of you could help me."

"Of course we will," answered Joe. "Just tell us what you need and we'll be glad to help."

"Thanks lots. I wasn't sure if you would or not and thought maybe you wouldn't want to help me."

The brothers looked at each other in amazement at their sister's statement.

"Why would ya think that?" asked Hoss, surprised at Cat's words. "We're family and family helps each other, so tell us what we can help with."

"Pa said that maybe Adam could help me draw a picture for Grandpa and maybe you and Joe could make a frame for it. He also said that maybe the three of you could help me make something out of pine cones, tree bark, and wood."

"I'll be more than happy to help you draw a picture," said Adam. "What do you want to draw?"

"Pa said maybe a picture of the family standing in front of the house, but I want Fury, Lassie, and Silver Chief in it too."

"That's fine. I'll draw everything and then you can copy what I draw just like you've been doing. Maybe I'll put all of our horses in it. Don't worry that you don't draw very well right now. I can promise you that Grandfather will love it."

"We can go and look for pine cones and tree bark after dinner tomorrow," said Hoss. "Once we have a bunch of stuff, we can figure out what to do with it."

"Adam, if you'll tell me how big the paper you're going to use is, I'll start on a frame when we finish gathering pine cones and tree bark," said Joe. "Maybe I'll even go up in the attic and see if there's anything of Mama's that Cat can use with her pine cones and tree bark."

Cat was moved to tears at the way her brothers offered to help. She knew that the Tanners would have helped if she were still in Dodge but she thought her new family either wouldn't want to help her or would be too busy to bother with their newest and youngest member. Hoss picked her up, hugged her and said, "Here now, whatcha cryin' for. Yore our little sister and we love ya even ifn ya are too scrawny ta pick up a cow and put her across yore saddle. Of course we'll help ya. Why would ya think we wouldn't?"

"No reason."

Joe put two fingers under Cat's chin, lifted it up and said, "Come on now, you had a reason for thinking we wouldn't help you and we need to know what it is. We can't fix things if we don't know what's wrong. Who told you we wouldn't help you?"

"Some of the bigger kids at school. Annabel's friends. Billy and Tommy's too and some of the other big kids."

"They were wrong," said Adam. "We will always help you when you need it. If we're busy, you may have to wait a little while until we're finished with what we're doing, but we will always help you when you need it. Joe, I think that you and Mitch need to have a talk with those children after church. I for one am extremely tired of them teasing Cat and telling her lies just because Pa adopted her. They know that she was our cousin and was born here, so they're just trying to cause trouble. Hoss and I will try and find a way to distract Pa so he won't realize you're not with the rest of the family."

"I was already thinking about doing that before you said something. I'll talk to Mitch for a minute before church so we can corner those kids and talk to their parents after church. Cat's been here four months now and it's high time they stopped teasing her about being adopted and telling her things that just aren't true. It's only a week until Christmas and little sister is all upset because they told her we wouldn't help her with anything and that just isn't right."

"Takin' them kids to their parents at church is a good thing to do," added Hoss. "They won't dare tell lies at the church. In the mean time little sister, don' you go believin' a word them kids say to ya. They're just trying ta cause trouble an' make ya have hurt feelings. Yore part of the family and we always help each other. Just ask Joe how many times me and Adam helped him with stuff when he was a little kid. Like Adam said, ifn we're busy, we won't be able to help ya right away unless yore in danger or hurt, but we'll help ya just as soon as we can. Like right now, it's too late to look for stuff outside but Adam said he's gonna start workin' on that picture for ya tonight. Knowin' him, he'll probably have it done before he goes to sleep tonight."

Hop Sing stood outside Adam's bedroom door, listening to "his" boys talk to "his" little girl. Even though Adam had been ten when he came to work for Ben Cartwright, Hop Sing considered all three of Ben's sons to be his children and felt the same way about Cat. He was heartened to hear the boys reassuring their little sister that they would always help her. He knocked on the door, walked in and said, "Missy Cat bath leady. Go take it now."

"Ok Hop Sing. I'll get my night clothes from my room and take my bath."

"Missy Cat good girl. Hop Sing proud to call you daughter." After Cat left the room he looked at her brothers and said, "You good boys. Sometimes fight with each other but still good boys. Help Little Joe when he boy and now help Missy Cat. Hop Sing proud to call you sons. No fight each other any mole. Instead set good example for Missy Cat. She no learn to control temper if brothers fight each other."

While the four siblings were talking in Adam's room, Ben and Abel were talking in the great room. "Benjamin, I sincerely hope that you are not planning on curbing my granddaughter's tall tales. It would be a shame if you do as they are quite amusing."

"Don't worry Abel. I have no intentions of doing anything except trying to avoid laughing at them. You are correct. They are very amusing. The two of us went for a ride shortly after Adam and I brought her home from Dodge. She rode Adam's horse and when we returned to the house, she told him that she jumped Sport over a mountain that was ten miles high. There are some people who would say I should punish her for telling lies but not one of her stories is an attempt to get out of trouble. They're just tall tales and as much as I want to, I can't laugh at them and risk having her think I'm laughing at her. She's too sensitive right now. Oh, I had better warn you. Catherine has said several times that she plans to swim across Lake Tahoe. I'm not sure if she's serious or not, so if you're still here when it's warm enough to go swimming, please let someone know if you see her attempting to swim across the lake."

"I am very happy to hear that you are not going to stop Cat from telling tall tales. You are correct, they are not lies, just figments of her very active imagination. I hope my grandson was not angry with his sister for saying she jumped his horse over that mountain. If I am here when the weather is warm enough for swimming, I will definitely let someone know if it appears that she is trying to swim across the lake. I know that she does not realize just how large it is."

"No he was not angry at her. However, he did pretend to be angry at me for allowing her to jump that high a mountain on his horse and told Cat that once Fury is old enough to ride, he is going to jump him over a ten mile high mountain. She did something similar to Joe when she, Laura, and Mary went riding one day. Cat was riding Cochise and told Joe that she jumped him over a mountain that was fifteen miles high. He played along and pretended to be very concerned that she was jumping that high a mountain with no adult present."

"One thing I am very surprised about is the fact that even though you said she had no toys or books of her own before moving here, Catherine is more than willing to share what she has with her friends."

"There is a family living on a farm near Dodge that has ten children. Cat has spent a lot of time there and they consider her to be part of the family. I believe they taught her to share."

"I just remembered something. You never gave her an answer about giving that horse to her friends."

"You're right, I haven't given her an answer and I need to. I'll tell her as soon as she's done with her bath." Cat walked into the great room a few minutes later. Ben called her over to him, picked her up, sat her in his lap, and hugged her. "Your grandfather just reminded me that you asked me a question last Saturday morning, I promised to give you an answer by Wednesday and haven't done that yet. Before I give you my answer, I want to tell you how proud I am of the way you acted in Carson City today, especially by your willingness to help Chef Jackson and Ronald. I am also very proud of you for not continually asking if I made up my mind about what you asked me last Saturday morning. I did not forget about your request but have been thinking about it all week. Instead of giving Ginger to Laura and Mary from just you, how would you feel if we gave her to them from the whole family?"

Cat hugged Ben tightly. "Gee thanks Pa. That's swell. We can give Ginger to Laura and Mary from the whole family instead of just from me. I just want them to have her."

"That's my girl. Now you need to go and play checkers with Hoss and Joe so you have time to read before bed."

While Cat was playing checkers with Hoss, Joe walked outside and returned with two logs, which he carried up to Cat's room and put on her fire. He walked back downstairs and said, "While you were taking your bath, I noticed that the fire in your room was getting low. I can't have my little twin turning into a Catsickle so I put two more logs on the fire. I may add one more just before you go to bed."

"Thanks Big Twin."

"Anytime Little Twin. That's what being part of a family is all about. We take care of each other."