When Cat arrived at school, all of the children were surprised to see her riding Cochise instead of Beauty. Billy, Ron as well as some of their, Tommy, and Annabel's friends didn't think it was right for Cat to be riding Joe's horse. "Look, at that," Billy said to Ron. "That's Little Joe's horse and the brat shouldn't be riding him. It's her fault we got in trouble with our parents and Tommy has to go to military school next year. We should do something about it. Them old ladies ain't doin' much to get rid of her so it's up to us."
"I agree. Let me get Davy and Rich. Then we'll pull her off the horse and teach her some manners." Billy pulled Cat off of Cochise and knowing she would fight back, Ron and Davy held her while Billy started hitting her in the stomach and chest. Rich held onto Jasper and Mike so they couldn't get the teacher.
All of a sudden, the three boys who were beating up on Cat felt themselves being pulled off her by their shirt collars, which were being pulled tight enough to choke them and Rich felt himself being forced to let go of Mike and Jasper by strong hands twisting his arms. Adam, Hoss, and Joe had arrived in town a few minutes after Cat and the boys and saw what the older boys were doing to their sister and her friends. "What do ya think Adam? Maybe we ought to give these three a taste of their own medicine. It shore would teach them a lesson about pickin' on someone six years younger than they are."
"I agree with you, however we can't handle it like we want to. Joe, bring Richard over here. Hoss and I will take these four to Roy while you tell the teacher they probably won't be in school today and why. Then you should take little sister to Paul and make sure she isn't badly hurt. Jasper, Mike, are you alright?" The boys assured him they were unharmed but were worried about Cat.
"We'll tell Miss Winter why Billy, Ron, Rich, and Davy won't be in school today so Joe can take Cat to Dr. Martin," said Mike. "I hope she isn't hurt bad."
"I'm ok," said Cat. "But Billy won't be. He'll be lucky if his Ma and Pa recognize him when I'm finished."
"Cat, you're not going to do anything to Billy," said Adam. "Hoss and I are taking these four to Roy and you are going to Paul's with Joe. We need to make sure that you're alright. Don't worry about these four hurting you again. They're almost sixteen and old enough for the law to handle their punishment so we're going to press charges against them. Thank God we were only a few minutes behind you because I don't know if we would have been able to control ourselves if they had hurt you as badly as they wanted to. Now, go with Joe so you don't miss too much school." Adam and Hoss took the four older boys to Roy who was surprised to see them and asked why the were in his office. Adam told him what they had done to Cat and said, "These boys are almost sixteen now and my brothers and I believe that they fully intended to kill our sister. We are pressing charges and want them charged with attempted murder. Joe took Cat to Paul and we're on our way there to make sure she wasn't seriously injured. These boys had better thank their lucky stars we didn't arrive any later than we did because if we had, we might not have been able to control our tempers at the sight of our little sister laying on the ground badly injured or worse."
"Alright Adam. I'll lock them up and Clem and I will get their fathers. I really do hope that Cat was not seriously injured."
"Thank you Roy. Let's go Hoss. I want to know how Cat is."
"Just a minute Adam. I want to know why these four did what they done to little sister."
"Because she was riding Little Joe's horse," said Ron.
"Because she got Tommy, Billy, and Annabel in trouble with their fathers," said Rich.
"She doesn't belong here," said Davy. "She's a foundling and doesn't belong in Virginia City. She should be in a work house, not pretending to be a Cartwright and she shouldn't be riding any Ponderosa horses, especially Little Joe's."
"Because it's her fault Tommy and I are locked in our rooms every night and Tommy has to go to military school next year," said Billy. "Tommy and I told her what would happen if she told anyone what we were going to do before Thanksgiving or if we got caught and she told our fathers. Now we're not even allowed to talk to each other or sit with each other and we're restricted to our yards with extra chores. Tommy has to do his and his brother's chores because of her and all of us got in trouble after church yesterday because of her."
Adam and Hoss saw red when they heard what the boys had to say. "You should be glad yore only fifteen," said Hoss. "'Cause ifn ya was adults, we'd have ta beat the stuffin' out of ya for what ya just said about our sister."
"Blaming a nine year old because you are being punished for your actions is outrageous and you know it William," scolded Adam. "You and Thomas threatened to burn down several homes and ranches while people slept and that is why you are locked in your rooms at night. That, along with the fact that you used that threat to get our nine year old sister to go to town and look under the saloon door, along with skipping school, and signing your father's names to notes sent home from school, are just a few of the reasons you are restricted with extra chores. When we join our brother at Dr. Martin's, we'll be sure and tell him that you said he shouldn't be letting our sister ride his horse because you don't like her. I'm quite certain he'll have a few things to say to you about that. Annabel got in trouble with her father for stealing. Your teacher reported her to her father because she tried to steal our sister's saddle bags and then he learned about everything else she had stolen. Roy, David's accusations sound an awful lot like the things that Mrs. Warren has been saying. The judge told her to leave our family, especially Cat alone. When you take these boys to him, maybe you should talk to him about what David just said as it sounds exactly like things she said in court and continues saying. I wonder if she has been going over to the school and talking to the older boys about Cat. David, as you well know, Catherine is not a foundling. She was our cousin and when she was orphaned, our father adopted her. Hoss and I are going to Dr. Martin's to see how our sister is and the four of you had better hope that she's not seriously injured because if she is, our family will be at your trial and ask the judge to give you the maximum sentence, which I believe is twenty years." The boys paled, lost all of their bravado & became very quiet at the thought of possibly being imprisoned until they were thirty five years old.
Adam and Hoss walked into Paul's office just as he came out of the exam room. "How is she?" asked Joe.
"She's sore and will definitely have some bruises but fortunately you prevented that boy from hurting her even more. She'll be sore for a day or two but should be alright before Christmas. I want her to take a hot bath tonight and tomorrow night. That will help ease the sore muscles. She doesn't have any broken or cracked ribs but I wrapped them just for support. Take the wrappings off when she gets in the tub and unless she complains about being sore in the morning, you won't need to rewrap them. I believe that Susan Winter is keeping the children in for recess and dinner because of the snow and cold weather so you won't need to worry about her running around and possibly getting hurt. Why did those boys do that to her?" Adam told Paul and Joe everything the boys said. "That is preposterous! Blaming a nine year old child for their actions is outrageous and I hope when their fathers finish with them, they won't be able to sit comfortably until after Christmas."
"I'm going over to the jail to have a talk with them," said Joe. "I want to know when they decided that I need their permission to let someone else ride my horse." He walked over to the jail, handed his gun to Roy and said he wanted to see the boys. "When did the four of you decide that I need your permission to let someone else ride my horse?"
"Well, said Davy, it's just that kid shouldn't be riding your horse. After all, she's some foundling your Pa felt sorry for and adopted. She should be in a work house and not pretending to be a Cartwright and she definitely should not be riding your horse. She shouldn't be riding any Ponderosa horses." The other boys agreed with him.
Joe saw red. "I see. Because my cousin was orphaned and my father adopted her, you have decided that she doesn't belong here and shouldn't be riding my horse. I don't want to hear that nonsense about Cat being a foundling because all of you know that's not true. It's a good thing those cell doors are locked because right now, I'm ready to take my belt to every one of you, especially William here. You could have killed my sister, but that's what you intended to do, isn't it? You're still upset that your and Thomas' fathers found out what bullies you are and punished you for it, along with forcing my sister to put herself in danger by riding to town in the middle of the night to look under the saloon door by threatening to burn down people's houses and ranches while they slept, lying to them, and the things you said about Cat's parents when you were at the Ponderosa."
"Here's my belt Joe," said Mr. Davis, walking up behind him. "I'll ask Roy to unlock the cell so you can use it on William and I'm quite certain the other fathers will not mind a bit if you use it on their sons also. I cannot believe that my son would blame and try to kill a little girl because he did something wrong and was punished for his actions. You are fifteen years old now William and will be sixteen next month. Your mother and I raised you better than to do what you have been doing. Mr. Roberts has the right idea. I may look into military school for you also. Now pull your pants down and bend over the cot."
"Can't we do this when we get home? I don't want to be embarrassed in front of my friends."
"You're not going home and neither are these three."
"What do you mean we're not going home? You can't leave us here. We're only fifteen."
"You keep telling me that you want to be treated like a man so the law is treating you like a man. Adam Cartwright swore out a complaint charging you with attempted murder. People who have been charged with attempted murder do not get to go home and act like nothing happened. You will be facing consequences for your actions. First from Joe, then from me and also from the judge. Be glad that Adam and Hoss aren't here with us or you would be facing consequences from them also. Now do as you were told, pull your pants down and bend over the cot!" Billy reluctantly did as he was told. His father handed his belt to Joe and held up all ten fingers. When Joe finished, Billy started to get up but his father said, "Not yet son. I told you you would be facing consequences from Joe, me, and the judge." The other fathers walked in while Joe was dealing with Billy and had him do the same thing to their sons before they administered their own punishment.
Roy walked in just as the last father finished with his son and said, "The judge wants to see the boys tomorrow morning. Joe, he would like you and your brothers to be there also. The boys are to remain in custody until he sees them tomorrow. Then he'll decide what the law is going to do to them. Boys, here are your saddle bags with your school books in them. Your teacher wrote out your assignments for today, so you can keep yourselves occupied with your school work. I'll put a bucket of water in each cell so you won't have to yell every time you want a drink."
"Thanks Roy," said Joe. "Since this isn't the first time Billy has hurt Cat, I'm sure Pa will want to be there also."
"There's only one cot in here," whined Ron, wiping the tears from his eyes. "How are we supposed to sleep?"
"You boys had better thank your lucky stars that Pa isn't in town right now. I can guarantee you that if he was, all four of you would want to sleep standing up," said Joe.
"You can do it one of two ways," replied Roy. "You can either share the cot or sleep sitting up like the cowboys do. This isn't a hotel and I'm not putting more cots in there for you, but I will give you a couple more blankets. You broke the law and now you have to face the consequences. The four of you had better hope the judge is in a good mood tomorrow morning or you'll end up in these cells, waiting for the prison wagon to come and get you. Now I suggest you start doing your school work. Your teacher will want to see it in the morning. Joe, tell Ben I'll ride out there in a little while to talk to him."
"I'll do that Roy. Right now, I'd better rejoin my brothers. We still have to get more supplies for winter. We could be in for a bad one this year. I'm not looking forward to telling Pa what happened to Cat today. They'll probably hear him yelling in Boston."
When his sons told him what the older boys had done to Cat, Ben was understandably extremely upset and started yelling. He threatened to go to their homes and give them a whipping they would never forget when Adam said, "They're not at home Pa."
"Don't tell me that Roy allowed them to go back to school where they could hurt your sister ever more."
"No, they're not in school. They're in jail and will stay there until they see the judge tomorrow and he decides what to do with them. All four of them are going to want to sleep on their stomachs tonight. Joe and their fathers gave them a pretty bad whipping that they won't soon forget. Who knows what punishment the judge has in mind for them? Oh yes, I almost forgot, Gerald Miller has called an emergency meeting of the school board for tonight to discuss how long to keep those boys out of school. He said to tell you that he already knows your feelings on the subject so you don't have to attend if you don't want to. He'll be in court tomorrow to tell the boys what the school board decided and if he has his way, they won't be back in school until the fall, if at all."
After Charles and Caroline dropped the girls off at school, he drove the wagon to China Town where Caroline spoke with Lee Chang. "Mr. Lee, would you please be so kind as to write out the Cartwright family's names in Chinese for me? Catherine asked me to make an apron for her to give Hop Sing as a Christmas gift and put his name on it in Chinese. While she was in Carson City with Ben on Saturday, she asked one of the shop owners to write Hop Sing's name in Chinese, which he did. I want to make this a very special apron for a very special little girl to give to a very special person. And Hop Sing is a very special person. He thinks of Catherine as his own daughter and has insisted on my two older daughters joining the family for special occasions. In fact, he has invited them to go to the Ponderosa after school on Wednesday to help make gingerbread cookies. Charles and I think that he would have our girls move in with the Cartwrights if we would allow them to."
"I will be more than happy to do that for you Mrs. Ingalls. I can understand why Hop Sing would want your girls at the house also. They are very sweet young ladies and you and your husband can be very proud of them. Now, while I'm writing the names for you, please tell me what you are planning to do with the apron." Caroline told him of her plans and he replied, "Yes, that will be a very special apron for young Catherine to give Hop Sing. I am quite certain that he will treasure it for the rest of his life. I know that I would treasure such a gift. Does young Catherine know of your plans?"
"No she doesn't. I want it to be as much of a surprise for her and the family as it is for Hop Sing."
Lee Chang laughed. "You are an amazing person Mrs. Ingalls. Tell me, when is your baby due?"
"He or she is due in the spring. Dr. Martin thinks around April or May."
"I see. And are you experiencing any nausea or discomfort?" When Caroline said she was, he took a jar off one of his shelves and put some of the herb into a large envelope for her. "Make tea out of this. It will help you feel better but will not harm your unborn child. We often give it to children who have upset stomachs and they suffer no ill effects."
"Thank you very much. How much do I owe you for this wonderful herb?"
"It is a gift for a very special woman who is making a special surprise for two very special people. Hop Sing often speaks of young Catherine when he visits me and I hope to meet her after the holidays."
It was a warm day for late December so the mares and foals were out in the pasture when Cat got home from school. She was surprised to see Lady baring her teeth at Fury whenever he tried to nurse. She told Lady to stop being mean to Fury but the mare kept preventing the colt from nursing. Cat ran into the house and called, "Pa, Adam, Hoss, Joe, come quick! Lady is being mean to Fury and wouldn't stop when I told her to."
The four men smiled and Ben called Cat over to him. He picked her up, sat her in his lap and hugged her. "I understand that you're worried about Fury but what's happening is completely normal."
"No it's not. Lady won't let him eat and he'll die if he doesn't eat."
"No he won't Sweetheart. Lady is telling Fury that he's a big boy now and doesn't need her milk any more. It's just like when you were a baby. You nursed from your mother until you were old enough to start eating food. Then you didn't need to nurse from her any more. We'll put Lady in a different stall now that Fury doesn't need her and when you feed him, give him more oats. One of us will show you how much to give him and we'll start giving him more hay also. Adam told me what those boys did to you and I am very angry with them. How are you feeling? Do you hurt anywhere?"
"My ribs and tummy hurt a little but Uncle Paul said it will stop after a while. My ribs don't hurt as bad as when that nasty Mrs. Warren hurt me."
"I'm sorry that those boys hurt you but I am very glad you're not badly hurt. Adam told me that Paul said for you to sit in a tub full of hot water for a little while every night for a few nights and that will help to take the soreness away. Those boys are going to see the judge tomorrow morning and I intend to be there to talk to him. Those boys need to be punished for what they did. Mr. Miller has called an emergency meeting of the school board for tonight to decide how long to keep them out of school. He said I don't have to go to the meeting because he already knows that I don't want those boys back there until after you graduate."
"Can I go to the school board meeting and beat them up?"
Ben fought the urge to laugh. "No Kitten. First of all, they will not be at the meeting. They are in jail and will stay there until the judge decides otherwise. Second, I do not want you fighting with anybody, especially with boys who are bigger than you are."
"I wasn't going to fight them. I want to do the same thing to Billy that he did to me."
"We've talked about getting revenge before and you know it's not the right thing to do. The judge will see that those boys are punished for what they did and I know Mr. Miller is going to do his best to keep them out of school until next fall, so they'll have to repeat whatever grade they're in. Now, what do you have for homework?"
"Then can I go to town and move all of the cowboy's horses around? Reading, history, grammar, and yucky arithmetic. We have arithmetic and history tests tomorrow."
"No silly girl. You'll be late for supper and they'll hear Hop Sing yelling in San Francisco. So, I highly recommend you play with your colt, put oats in his stall, and start on your homework. Otherwise, you won't have time to soak in the bathtub and play checkers before bed. Also, Adam said he wanted to go over those two songs with you again, so you'd better get started on what you need to do."
Joe let Cat ride Cochise to school again the next morning and although the other children were surprised to see her riding Joe's horse again, nobody gave her any problems. Since Abel and Hop Sing decided to go with the rest of the family, Ben drove the buggy while Joe drove the buckboard and Adam and Hoss each drove one of the big wagons. They walked into the courthouse where the judge was waiting for everyone to arrive. Ben introduced Abel to him and he asked, "Where is your daughter? I thought she would want to be here to learn what punishment I have in store for those four boys."
"She has an arithmetic test today so she's in school and not at all happy about it."
"Ben Cartwright, I am shocked. How could you be so cruel to that poor little child?"
Mr. Davis walked in just as the judge finished speaking. "Ben is being cruel to Catherine?"
"Yes. He made that poor helpless little child go to school and take her arithmetic test."
"She also has a history test today but it's the arithmetic that has her unhappy. She says that she hates arithmetic and it hates her so she shouldn't have to study it."
Mr. Davis and the judge laughed. "I agree with the judge Ben. Adam, Hoss, Joe, the three of you need to go and rescue your sister from that horrible arithmetic test. Those things are vicious and it could try to eat her."
The other fathers walked into the courtroom, were introduced to Abel and laughed when Mr. Davis told them about Cat's predicament. "Ben, I will need Catherine to tell me exactly what happened yesterday," said the judge. "Adam, will you please go over to the school and ask Miss Winter to send your sister over here when she's finished with her test? Please tell her that I shouldn't need Catherine for more than thirty minutes and she'll probably be back in class within fifteen."
Adam returned to the courthouse shortly before Roy arrived with the boys. "Miss Winter said that she will send Cat over here as soon as she finishes her test. I was able to get her attention and talk to her outside so Cat doesn't even know I was there. Knowing how much she struggles with arithmetic, the last thing I wanted to do was distract her during a test."
Gerald Miller and Paul Martin arrived a few minutes after Adam returned with Roy and the boys following right behind him. "Please have a seat and relax for a few minutes," said the judge. "We're waiting on one more person who was unavoidably detained and should be here shortly."
Cat ran in about five minutes later and said, "Miss Winter said you wanted to see me."
"Yes I do. Thank you for coming over here so quickly. Now we can begin."
"What's that thing doing here?" asked Billy. "Nobody wants it here." He found himself being grabbed from behind by one ear. "Owwww! Stop! That hurts!"
"Your ear isn't the only thing that's going to be hurting when I finish with you," said his father. "Your Honor, may I please borrow my son for a few minutes?"
"Of course you may Mr. Davis. Feel free to use my office or the basement."
"Thank you. Let's go William." He dragged the boy out of the courtroom by his ear. When they returned, Billy was crying and rubbing his bottom.
"Now that everyone is here, let us being these proceedings," said the judge. "Catherine, will you please tell me what happened at school yesterday?"
"It started when Joe asked if I wanted to drive the buckboard to school and ride his horse home. Hoss said I should ride Joe's horse to and from school because otherwise, Joe and him would have to ride in the buckboard with me, Jas, and Mike. So Joe said I could ride Cochise to and from school yesterday."
"Why did Joe ask if you wanted to drive the buckboard and ride his horse?"
"I don't know. Maybe he's on Santa's naughty list and he's trying to get off." The adults struggled to keep from laughing at Cat's reply.
"Ok. Then what happened?"
"When I got to school, the kids were surprised to see me riding Joe's horse, but Billy got mad about it. He pulled me off Cochise and Ron and Davy held me and Billy started hitting me hard. Rich held onto Jas and Mike so they couldn't tell Miss Winter what Billy, Ron, and Davy were doing to me. I thought Billy was going to kill me but Hoss grabbed him and pulled him away from me. Adam pulled Ron and Davy away from me and Joe pulled Rich away from Jas and Mike. Then Joe gave Rich to Hoss and took me to Dr. Paul."
"Do you know why the boys did that to you?"
"I think it's because Billy and Tommy got in lots of trouble with their Pas before Thanksgiving. Pa made me ride double to school with him and Billy and Tommy stopped picking on the little kids and started picking on me. Billy tripped me and Tommy hit me and we got into a fight. I gave Tommy two black eyes, a split lip, and a bloody nose. He and Billy were mad about that and said if I didn't ride into town at night and look under the saloon door with them, they were going to burn down the Ponderosa and my friends houses, ranches, and farms while everyone was sleeping. Adam caught us and took us to Sheriff Roy. Sheriff Roy whipped the boys and put them in his cells and Adam whipped me and made me ride home double with him. Billy and Tommy's Pas brought them out to the Ponderosa the next day and I told them why I went into town and that Billy and Tommy hardly ever went to school and caused a lot of trouble when they did go. While they were telling Pa what I told them, Billy and Tommy started saying some real bad things about my Mama and Daddy. Billy called my Mama some real bad words and made me real mad and I wanted to kill him. Hoss and Thaddeus pulled us apart and Thaddeus told Pa, Mr. Davis and Mr. Roberts what Billy and Tommy had said. They said Pa could whip the boys if he wanted to but he said he was too mad at them and let Hop Sing hit them with his spoon. It hurts real bad. I guess Billy and Tommy got in real bad trouble because Tommy's brother has to go to school with him and he has to go to military school next year. They keep saying it's all my fault that they got in trouble."
"Thank you. Before I send you back to school, I want to ask you one more question. If you could do anything you wanted to the boys and not get in any trouble for it, what would you do?"
Cat thought for a few minutes and said, "I would take them to the ocean, push them in and hope they went to Australia forever and ever."
"Thank you Catherine. While I won't be having anyone push them into the ocean, I promise you that they will be severely punished for what they did to you. Now, I have kept you out of school long enough so you need to go back there and thank Miss Winter for allowing you to come over here and talk to me."
Cat looked at Ben and asked, "Pa, do I really have to go back to school? I'd rather help my brothers get supplies and play with my colt and puppies." All of the adults laughed at Cat's question.
"Yes you have to go back to school. Your education is too important to miss an entire day for things like playing with your colt and puppies. Your brothers are quite capable of getting the supplies we need and you can play with your puppies and colt when you get home from school. Now scoot before I decide to keep those puppies and colt for myself."
After Cat left, the judge asked Paul to tell him how badly Cat was hurt and then spoke to the boys. "The four of you have been charged with attempted murder. What do you have to say for yourselves?" The boys said the same things they had said the previous day. "I see. So Joe Cartwright was supposed to ask your permission before letting anyone else ride his horse and it's a nine year old girl's fault that Thomas and William got into trouble. You boys don't seem to realize how much trouble you're in. I could send you to prison for the next twenty years if I wanted to. Also, if you were sixteen instead of fifteen, you would be having a trial instead of just seeing me and I could send you to prison for the rest of your lives. Before I tell you what your punishment is going to be, I believe Mr. Miller has something to say to you."
"The school board held an emergency meeting last night to discuss your behavior from yesterday. We voted to exclude you from school until the new term begins in the fall. You will have to repeat the tenth grade. However, you are still responsible for completing all of the work Miss Winter assigns for the rest of the school term. She is being very generous in that she is going to give you one half credit for all assignments turned in on time." The boys looked at Ben and Billy started to say something but Mr. Miller said, "Do not blame Mr. Cartwright. He was not at the meeting last night. It was your actions and nobody else's that have caused you to be excluded from school and repeat the tenth grade. "
"Thank you Mr. Miller," said the judge. "Boys, you need to thank Adam, Hoss, and Joe for stopping you from hurting or killing their sister. Believe me, if her injuries were worse or you had killed her, you would be in a lot more trouble than you are now. Although we don't hang fifteen year old boys for murder, which is what it would have been, I would have sent you to prison for the rest of your lives. That being said, you will remain in the Virginia City jail until Friday afternoon when your fathers may take you home. You will return to the jail immediately after church on Sunday and remain there until the following Friday. This pattern will be repeated until the end of February. You will be released from custody on March first. The only reason I am allowing you to go home on the weekends is because the jail is usually occupied by cowboys who drink too much and forget their manners. Your parents and I do not want you exposed to that kind of influence. When you are home on the weekends and after you are released on March first, you are not to leave your ranches without an adult unless it is an emergency. I am warning you now, if any of you try and blame Catherine Cartwright or get revenge on her because you are being punished for trying to kill her, you will face even more serious consequences. Mark my words well because things will not go well for you if you disobey me. You still have one more punishment coming. Hop Sing, I am glad to see that you brought your spoon with you. You may give each boy ten. William, pull your pants down and bend over the table."
Hop Sing looked at the judge and asked, "This third time this one hult Missy Cat. First at school, then at Pondelosa then at school again. He also threaten to burn Pondelosa down while family sleep. He get five more?"
"Yes Hop Sing. I believe five more is very appropriate as this is the third time he has hurt Catherine." After Hop Sing finished with the boys, the judge said, "Sheriff Coffee, the prisoners are all yours. They are not allowed to have visits from their friends as I am concerned that they may attempt to have their friends take revenge on Catherine because they see her as the cause of their problems." After Roy took the boys back to the jail, the judge chuckled and said, "She's quite a girl Ben. Something tells me you have your hands full."
"That's an understatement. Hoss was right when he said that she was as wild as the west Texas wind and harder to tame. Cat already tried to bring a pair of raccoon kits into the house and said she was going to get Adam a baby bear for his birthday. She's starting to adjust to having a family and I predict it won't be long before she starts testing her boundaries. Right now, she's on her best behavior because she doesn't want to end up on Santa's naughty list before Friday."
Mr. Davis laughed and said, "Anytime you get tired of her, I'll be more than happy to take her off your hands. You're obviously not spoiling her enough and I'll be delighted to remedy that situation."
"Bill, I'm afraid you'll have to wait in line behind a lot of other people. I've lost count of the number of people who have made that same offer."