When Cat came downstairs, Ben explained what they were going to do. Andy volunteered to be the one to time Cat, so they both walked out to the barn. "I'm going to show you the time on my watch and the first time, when you get to the house, you're going to go up to your bedroom, get a book and come back out here without running in the house. The second time, you will be allowed to run up to your room, put the book back where you took it from and run back out here. Look at my watch. It's nine twenty four. You'll start when it's nine twenty five. Ok. Go." Cat ran to the house, walked up to her room, got a book, walked back downstairs and ran to the barn once she was outside. "Look at my watch. It took you exactly five minutes to walk through the house. Now we're going to see how long it takes for you to run through the house. Your family is going to be on the stairs to catch you in case you slip and start to fall. Ready. Go."

When Cat returned to the barn, Andy showed her his watch. "This time it took you three minutes to get to your room and back. You only saved two minutes by running and that's not very much time. Let's go and sit on your new porch swing for a minute. I have something I need to show you." Andy took his coat and shirt off, rolled up the left sleeve on his long underwear and said, "Do you see this scar? It's a burn mark I got when I was a boy. I was nine or ten and used to run through the house all the time too. This time, my mother was carrying a hot skillet from the stove to the table. I ran into it and burned my arm. She doctored it and after supper, my father took me out to the barn and gave me a very bad whipping. It was several days before I could sit comfortably and he would not allow me to have a cushion on my chair. I was also restricted to the ranch with extra chores for two weeks. It was summer and I had plans to go fishing and swimming with my friends but couldn't because I broke a big safety rule and got in trouble for it. I don't want that to happen to you. Saturday at dinner, you told your uncles you wanted them to leave their jobs because you hated guns and guns were responsible for the deaths of your parents. Except for when they're being cleaned, every gun in that house is loaded all the time. How bad would you hate yourself if you ran into someone who was carrying one, it went off and they were badly hurt?"

"Really bad."

"How bad would you hate yourself if you ran into someone carrying a gun, it went off and that person or another family member got killed?"

"Really, really, really bad. So bad I would want to kill myself instead."

"How bad to you think the rest of the family would feel if you were the one to get hurt or killed?"

"Joe and Hoss, and Hop Sing, and Grandpa would probably feel really really bad but I don't know about Pa and Adam. I don't think they'd feel bad at all. They would probably be glad I was dead 'cause I don't think they really like me too much."

"You are wrong about your Pa and Adam. They would feel terrible if you were hurt or killed because you ran into someone carrying a loaded gun. Not only do they like you, they both love you a lot. I know they don't always show it, but trust me, they really do love you. I saw the way Adam hugged you in church on Christmas Eve when he picked you up. I could tell that he loved you a lot and that he wasn't just showing off for the busy bodies. Yes, I know about the problems you've had with Mrs. Warren, some of the other ladies and the school bullies. Hoss and Joe told me about them and I am not happy about it at all. That is one reason I said the only adults I wanted at the church on Wednesday are Mr. and Mrs. Long. Mrs. Warren is a hopeless case, but I fully intend on talking to the boys who have been so mean to you. I have known all of them since they were little and need to remind them of some things. Now, you have seen the scar on my arm and know how I got it. You also know what could happen if you ran into someone who was carrying a loaded gun. I want you to promise me that you will stop running in the house. You are only saving two minutes by running but you are risking yourself or someone else getting hurt or killed. Think about your uncles. They just buried your mother in June. Do you think they want to get a telegram saying that you have been badly hurt or killed? I know they don't. So promise me that you are going to stop running in the house. Saving two minutes is not worth the risk."

"I'll try but it's hard."

"I know it is but think about the consequences if you get caught again. Are those two minutes worth a bare bottom spanking, having to stand in the corner and being restricted to the house for the rest of the day? I'm sure if you get caught running when it's late, you'll have to spend the entire next day in the house. I'm also sure that your punishment will get worse if you keep running when you're not supposed to be. Is saving two minutes worth being restricted to the house for an entire week or a month? Not only that, you might not be allowed to ride your horse to school. Someone may have to take you in the buckboard or buggy. Think about it, a week or more without being allowed to play outside or even ride your horse to school. I know I sure didn't like being restricted for those two weeks . I was allowed out of the house but I had a lot of chores to do. I had to clean the barn, chicken coop, and hen house every day. I also had to clean and oil tack and grease the wagon wheels when Pa took them off. Greasing wagon wheels is a hard, messy job and it takes a long time to get the grease out of your hair if you get any in it. All of my friends were out having fun fishing, swimming, frogging, camping, and having fun while I was stuck at home doing a lot of chores. You probably won't have to grease wagon wheels but you may have to do those other things or your Pa could make you do some of the things Hop Sing does, like scrubbing the floors, dusting, polishing silver, and doing laundry. Do those sound like fun things to do?"

"EWWWWWW Yuck! I don't ever want to have to do those things!"

"Good. Then stop running in the house and you won't have to do them."

"Ok. I promise I'll try really hard not to run in the house."

"Thank you. I appreciate you saying that and I hope you mean it. I don't ever want to get a letter from Hoss or Joe saying that you are still running in the house. I know that you're going to forget sometimes and that's ok. Everybody forgets things once in a while, but not all the time. I'll talk to your Pa and ask him not to be too hard on you if he sees that you really are trying your best not to run in the house."

Just then, Jasper, Mike, Laura, and Mary rode into the yard. Cat tied Ginger to the hitching rail while Andy helped the girls down from the horse's back. After a short discussion, it was decided that since it was only about a twenty minute walk to the pond, everyone would walk there so the horses would not be left standing in the cold for several hours. When they reached the pond, the six children sat down in the snow and put their skates on. "The first thing you need to learn is how to stand up in the skates," said Joe as he and his brothers helped the girls and Mark to their feet. "It takes a lot of balance to stay upright on that thin blade." Once the girls and Mark had managed to stay upright for a few minutes, Joe said, "Now you need to learn to walk in the skates. Just walk slowly and take small steps. You're less likely to fall that way." The four beginners watched Jasper and Mike, tried imitating them and fell down, laughing the entire time.

"It's harder than it looks," said Mary. "I do wish Ma and Pa were here to watch us."

"I'm sure they'll be here in a few minutes," replied Ben. "I can't see them missing a big event like this. Carrie's probably giving them a hard time about putting her hat, coat, boots, and mittens on as well as not being allowed to use her ice skates today." The Ingalls arrived at the pond just as the children reached the edge.

"I'm sorry we couldn't get here earlier," said Charles. "But Carrie was having a temper tantrum over the fact that she wasn't allowed to bring her ice skates, so I had to deal with that. I don't know what's wrong with her lately. She has been having a lot of tantrums lately."

"It's possible that she's jealous of your unborn child," said Victoria. "She could also be having some insecurity issues. My youngest son, Eugene was five when I was pregnant with Audra and I seem to remember him having a lot of tantrums then and after she was born. He was upset that he wasn't going to be the youngest and the center of attention any more. He was also afraid that we weren't going to want him any more. It took a lot of reassuring but he finally realized that we still loved him even if he was going to have a baby brother or sister. Remember, five year old children are very self-centered and don't understand that they will still be loved even after a younger sibling is born. I take it you didn't have any problems with Mary while you were pregnant with Laura and after she was born?"

"No. Mary turned two less than a month before Laura was born so because she was still so young, there were no problems like we're having with Carrie. Mary was five and Laura was three when Carrie was born. The two of them were close and if I remember correctly, they were both disappointed that the baby was too small to play with."

Mark and the girls watched as Jasper and Mike showed them how to use their new skates. Joe explained that they needed to learn how to stand on the ice before they could start skating. With help from Joe, his brothers, and Lucas, the four stepped out onto the ice and stood near the shore. Jasper and Mike came and took Cat by the hands and showed her how to skate. They helped her skate around the pond once and as soon as she tried it by herself, she fell and started laughing. "Take it slow Cat," said Joe. "You're trying to go too fast too soon." It took some time but eventually Mark and the girls were slowly skating around the pond. They fell quite a bit and laughed at themselves and each other.

"I think I'm going to tie my pillow to my bottom when we come back here after dinner," joked Mark. "This ice is harder than the dirt in a drought."

Hop Sing had been at the pond watching the children skate but returned to the house and had dinner almost ready when everyone walked in. "Mark and little girls do good. Have fun with skates. Maybe Hop Sing try sometime."

"It's not as easy as it looks," said Mark. "We fell a lot and my bottom hurts from it. I think I'll put my pillow inside my pants before we go back out there." The family, Jasper, and Mike laughed at Mark's statement. After dinner, the children took their ice skates and went back out to the pond. Several hours later, Ben told Joe to go and tell them to come in but before he could get to the door, six tired children walked in.

From the way Mark and the girls were walking, everyone guessed they had fallen a lot and were proud of them for not complaining. Remembering what it had been like for them the first time they used ice skates, Hoss and Joe took pity on them and gave each child a cushion to sit on. Hop Sing brought cookies and hot cocoa for all six children and before long, they were warmed up and talking about going back out to the pond. "You've done enough skating for one day," said Ben. "The six of you have spent almost all day out at the pond, it's getting dark, and supper will be ready in a few hours. You can play out in the yard for a little while until it gets dark or upstairs with Cat's toys, but no more ice skating today." The children grumbled some but didn't argue as they knew there would be consequences. Ben chuckled at the children's grumbling. "I know you kids think I'm being mean and want to spoil your fun, but you're not looking at the whole picture. It's already four o'clock, it takes twenty minutes to walk to the pond, and it gets dark by five o'clock. So, by the time you got your skates on, you would only have time to go around the pond once before needing to take your skates off and be back here before dark. All six of you know that it's not safe to be out walking after dark. Laura, Mary, Jasper, Michael, what do you think your parents would do if I allowed the four of you to be out walking between here and the pond after dark. Mark, your father is right here. What do you think he would say? Cat, your uncles, aunt, and cousins are here. What do you think they would do if I allowed you to walk between here and the pond after dark?"

"They wouldn't do anything. They know I'm almost all grown up and can take care of myself."

The entire family laughed at Cat's statement. "Little sister," laughed Joe. "You couldn't even keep two men from stealing your horse and food the night after Thanksgiving. How are you going to protect yourself against a cougar, coyote, or pack of wolves? They would kill your puppies before they could defend you."

"Well, my arrows are a lot sharper than they were after Thanksgiving, so I should be able to kill a cougar or any other critter that attacked me."

Hoss picked Cat up and hugged her. "Doggone ifn ya ain't the silliest little critter, I don't know who is. Ya ain't nowhere near strong enough to kill a cougar and it takes a bigger gun than a twenty two to kill one. Ya gotta give yorself time to do some growing afore ya even think about hunting a cougar."

"I'm not afraid of a silly old cougar. I'll hug it and kiss it and give it a name. Then I'll give it to Hoss as a birthday present 'cause he likes animals a whole lot."

Everyone laughed at Cat and Ben shook his head. "I think I just got a lot more gray hair."

"You can't tame a cougar Cat," said Adam. "Nobody can."

Matt and Kitty rolled their eyes at Adam's comment because they knew exactly what was going to happen next.

"I can too! You just watch and see! I'll prove that I can tame a cougar! Then you'll have to admit that I'm right and I can do anything I want to!"

"Why don't you kids go outside or upstairs and play until it's time to wash up for supper?" asked Ben, trying to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand.

Once the children were outside, Matt said, "Adam, you just made a huge mistake and you're going to have to find a way to fix it. By telling Cat she couldn't do something, you made her determined to prove you wrong and she'll do it even if it means putting herself in danger. She hates being told she can't do something and will go to great lengths to prove you wrong. She will also tell you that she never gets hurt doing something she wants to do and she's right. When she and the Tanner twins climbed the water tower when they were five, I was afraid they would get hurt trying to come down so I sent Festus up after them. They didn't need him at all. They climbed down without a problem and the only time they got hurt was when John Tanner and I finished warming some bottoms. She has been climbing trees ever since you brought her back from Arizona when she was four and hasn't received as much as a scratch."

"You aren't serious that she'll try and tame a cougar, are you?" asked Ben.

"Yes I am. As far as Cat is concerned, Adam issued her a challenge when he told her she couldn't and she will do her best to prove you wrong. You have got to be careful how you phrase things when telling her she can't do something. Otherwise she'll react just like she did and set out to do whatever it was she was told she couldn't do."

"I'm going to try and bail you out of this mess you've gotten yourself into Adam," said Lucas. "But only because I don't want to see Cat seriously injured or worse trying to tame a cougar. You know how headstrong and determined she is to prove that she can do anything without help from anyone. She proved that last week when you told her she could ride your horse but she had to saddle him. Rather than ask for help, she put herself in danger by stacking those crates and standing on top of them. I don't remember whose horse she rode when we went fishing after Kate's funeral but she almost fell out of the saddle, trying to adjust the stirrups by herself while in the saddle instead of asking for help. Face it. Your nine year old sister is much more independent and determined to do things without asking for help than you and your brothers ever were. Don't tell her she can't do something. Explain why whatever it is she wants to do isn't a very good idea. As Matt said, telling Cat she can't do something is the same as challenging her to do it and that could cost her her life."

After supper, Lucas sat in Adam's chair and called Cat over to him. He picked her up, put her in his lap and teased, "Ben, don't you ever feed this child? I've picked up sacks of feathers that weighed more than she does. I'm making a new rule for this family right here and now. Cat gets her food before Hoss does. I won't have a strong wind picking her up and carrying her away. Cat, starting with breakfast, I want you to eat twice a much as Hoss does." Everybody laughed at Lucas' remarks and Cat's complaints that she can't eat as much as Hoss and doesn't want to get as big as him. "Cat, I've been thinking about your plan to catch a cougar and turn it into a pet for Hoss. While I am very proud of you for wanting to do something nice for him, trying to turn a cougar into a pet just isn't a good idea."

"Why not Uncle Luke? I love animals and so does Hoss. I know he'll take care of it."

"That's not the problem. I know that Hoss loves animals and takes very good care of them. The problem is that cougars are very unpredictable."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you never know what they're going to do. For example, you know that when Hoss sits down to a meal, he's going to eat a lot. And you know that unless they're in the kitchen being spoiled by Hop Sing, your puppies are going to come when you call them. Hoss and your puppies are predictable. You know what they're going to do. Cougars are the exact opposite. One minute you could be petting it and the next minute it could try to kill you. Most wild animals only kill for food but cougars kill just because they can. All cats do. That's why people keep barn cats. They know that even if they're well fed, the cats will still kill mice. Cougars will kill people, horses, cattle, dogs, anything they want to, just because they can. Do you remember how big that cougar was that killed Fury's mother?"

"Yes. It was real big."

"I saw the tracks and believe it or not, that cat wasn't even full grown. It was probably only about a year old. Cougars aren't full grown until they're two years old and can weigh one hundred forty pounds or more. So, if a half grown cougar can kill a full grown horse, imagine what a full grown cat can do to you and your family. I know that you wouldn't want any animal around that could kill you and your family, now would you?"

"No. I didn't know that cougars could do all that. What if I get one when it's still a kitten?"

"I'm afraid that when it grew up, it would still turn into a wild animal that could kill you and your family. It's best to leave them in the wild where they belong."

"But I really wanted to show Adam that I could catch one and make it a pet."

"I know you did Cat and I'm quite sure that you could do it. After all, you taught your puppies to read and I don't know if anyone else could have done that. But even if you could catch one and keep it as a pet, think about how unhappy it would be living in the house or the barn. They need a lot of room to roam, hunt, and look for mates. I know you don't like having to stay inside when it's raining, so imagine how unhappy that cat would be if it couldn't do the things it was born to do. Who knows, there may come a time in your life when you will have the opportunity to befriend a cougar. If God intends for you to do that, you will, but you need to wait for it because if you go looking for it, you could be seriously hurt or even killed and nobody wants that to happen."

"Ok Uncle Luke. I won't try and catch a cougar but if I see one that needs help, I'm going to help it."

"I would expect nothing less from you. I know how much you love animals and hate to see them hurt. When they brought you to me last summer, your Godparents told me how you wanted to yell at the rattlesnake that frightened your horse, for napping in the road and were happy that it went into the grass so nobody could kill it. So I know that you would help any animal that needed it, even if was dangerous for you to do so."

"What's this about a snake spooking Cat's horse on the way to Arizona?" asked Ben. "Why am I just now hearing about it for the first time?"

Rip sighed. "You're just now hearing about it because nothing happened! I gave Cat permission to ride ahead of the group for a while and a snake startled her horse. It took off at a gallop and Cat had it stopped and was dismounted, checking to see if it had been bitten before I got there. Once it was determined that the horse had not been bitten, she wanted to ride back, find the snake and yell at it for sleeping in the road because it could get hurt or killed that way. Ben, I swear, if you're going to use an incident that happened six months ago as an excuse to start being overprotective again, Matt and I will ride into town tomorrow, see the judge and have him nullify the adoption!"

"Don't worry Rip," said Abel. "That will not happen as long as I'm here. Benjamin has gotten better in the last month and will continue to improve."

"I'm trying Rip," said Ben. "Two months ago, I wouldn't have let her drive the buggy around the yard but now she drives the surrey to church every Sunday. However, I cannot and will not guarantee what will happen when she becomes old enough to court and young men come calling." The children listened to the conversation and looked at each other as though the adults had lost their minds.

Once the children were asleep, Andy decided it was time to tell Ben and Adam what Cat had said when they were talking. "Adam, Mr. Cartwright, the two of you really need to work on your relationship with Cat. When I was outside talking with Cat about the dangers of running in the house and how little time she saved by running, she said something that really upset me and I can't get it out of my mind. When I asked her how everyone would feel if she got hurt or killed because she ran into someone carrying a loaded gun, she said she thought the two of you would be glad she was dead because she doesn't think you like her very much." Ben and Adam were surprised and hurt by what Andy told them Cat had said. "I've been talking to Hoss, Joe, and Hop Sing, and I don't like some of what I'm hearing. Mr. Cartwright, from what I've learned, you've either been treating Cat like she's Joe and accusing her of doing some of the same things Joe did when he was nine or ten or not wanting her to do anything unless you are right there with her. I've been told that you are improving and I believe it. The ice skates and sled are a good sign as is the fact that you have been letting her drive the sleigh, buggy, surrey, and buckboard. I truly hope you continue to let her expand her horizons and do things children her age do.

Adam, you haven't changed much. You used to say that Joe was spoiled and got away with murder and since your father wouldn't rein him in, you would. Now you're doing the same thing with your sister. I heard about the incident with her, Billy, and Tommy looking under the saloon door. She told you that they had threatened to do something bad if she didn't do what they said, but you decided she needed to be punished. I don't even think you listened when she said she had been threatened. All you were concerned about was the fact that your nine year old sister was in town in the middle of the night, looking under the saloon door and punished her very harshly for it. Hoss and Joe told me what the boys threatened to do and let me tell you, if somebody had threatened to burn down my home as well as the homes of my friends, not only would I have looked under the saloon door, I would have gone in and ordered a whiskey. Heck, I probably would have robbed the bank in order to keep my friends and family safe. Kitty, how many opportunities did Cat have to look under the Long Branch doors?"

"She had many opportunities. All she had to do was get out of bed while Matt was out making his rounds every night. Actually, she did come in one night. I think she was about three, had a nightmare and came looking for Matt. I carried her back to Matt's office while Festus looked for him. I endured a lot of teasing about having such a short customer, including from Matt who threatened to shut the Long Branch down because I served an under age customer."

"You served her?" asked Lucas incredulously.

"Of course I did. I gave her a glass of warm milk before taking her back to Matt's office. You have a child and know that giving small children warm milk to drink makes them sleepy. I was very proud of all my customers that night. All of them stopped drinking and playing cards while she was there and when I was carrying her out, one cowboy gave her a brand new, shiny penny and taught her how to say penny. She has been in the Long Branch many times, just not when it was open. I used to have her birthday parties there, I have the Christmas party for the orphans there, and had Cat's farewell party there too. Last year, we had a bad twister come through and many people were hurt, some of them quite badly. Others lost their homes and almost everyone needed a hot meal. We turned half of the Long Branch into a hospital where Doc and Newly took care of the injured people and the other half was turned into a dining room. Cat and the other children worked very hard that day and were exhausted when it was finally over. They carried water for Doc and Newly and helped serve food to those who were hungry. They never asked for anything, including food. It took Matt, Festus, Sam, Doc, Newly, and I to get them to sit down and eat something."

"I remember, one day, she asked me why she couldn't go into the Long Branch when it was open," said Matt. "I told her it was because men drank and played cards and sometimes the drinks made them forget their manners and accuse other players of cheating. I told her that sometimes they pointed or shot guns at the person they thought was cheating and if she was in there, she could be badly hurt or even killed. Cat accepted my answer and never tried going into any saloon or even looking under the door."

"Mr. Cartwright, Adam, how often do you praise Cat when she's done something particularly well, even if it's bringing home a higher than normal grade on a test?"

"A job well done is its own reward," said Adam.

"I'm sorry Adam, but you're wrong about that," said Jarrod. "Everyone, especially young children need to know when they've done something well or even tried doing something they've never done before. For example, when I'm in court, no matter who wins the case, both sides congratulate each other on a well presented case. Eugene will be graduating from medical college in a year and a half. We received his latest grades just before leaving to come here so I wrote him a letter congratulating him on his high grades and telling him how proud the entire family was of him. Everyone, including Silas and the cook signed that letter before I mailed it. When Cat brought home that high grade on her arithmetic test just before the fall festival, did anyone bother to look at it and tell her how proud you were of how well she did on it?"

"Hoss and I did," replied Joe. "We both struggled with arithmetic when we were in school and know how hard Cat worked to get that high grade. Hop Sing did too, made chocolate cake for dessert that night and gave Cat a large piece. Adam told her she had done well on it and I don't even think Pa looked at it except to see that she had received a passing grade and then told her that she couldn't go to the fall festival because he wasn't going to go."

"I don't know where you got that idea from Adam," said Ben. "I have always praised you and your brothers for a job well done. If you remember, we celebrated the excellent job you did negotiating an important timber contract just before you and I left to go to North Fork in August."

"Cat promised me that she was going to do her best to stop running in the house," said Andy. "Mr. Cartwright, I'd like you to give her a little bit of leeway and give her the chance to stop running before you say anything to her."

"How much leeway?"

"Just to the end of the entryway. For a child her size, that's not much more than five or six steps. That will give her a minute to remember that she's not supposed to be running and stop."

Ben thought for a minute and said, "That seems fair. I won't say anything until she reaches the end of the wall separating the entryway from the dining room."

"One thing Ben," said Lucas. "When Cat starts running in the house and stops, let her know that you noticed her efforts to change her ways. I've noticed that when Mark is trying to break a bad habit and I let him know I've seen and am proud of his efforts to change, he tries even harder. Cat is young and will slip up from time to time. Don't be too hard on her when she does. The more you praise her for trying hard to break a bad habit, the sooner she'll break it."

"Alright Lucas. I'll do it your way. I would give anything to keep her from running in the house and possibly seeing her or someone else hurt or killed because she ran into someone who was carrying a loaded weapon. I have loved that child ever since Kate told us she was expecting a baby and don't want to see her hurt or worse because of her impatience."

Just then Cat came downstairs and headed for the door. Adam saw her and asked, "Where are you going Cat?"

"I have to use the outhouse."

Ben turned around and looked at his daughter. "That's not a good idea right now."

"Why not?"

"Because silly girl it is very cold outside, there is snow on the ground, and you are only dressed in your nightgown and slippers. Why don't you use the chamber pot under your bed?"

"The what?"

"Never mind," said Adam. "Give me a minute to get my coat and I'll take you."

As he headed for the stairs, Joe said, "Adam, why don't you bring my jacket for Cat? That way you won't risk waking Laura and Mary trying to get her coat."

Joe helped Cat into his jacket and because it was too big, just as Adam had done the night he wrapped Cat in his coat, wrapped it around her and tied it with his belt. Cat endured some good natured teasing about being swallowed up by the jacket until Adam got his coat on. "Come on Squirt," he said picking her up. "Let's get you outside and then back to bed."

"You don't have to carry me Adam. I can walk."

"Not through the snow in your slippers you can't silly one. Your feet will be icicles before you're one quarter of the way across the yard. Besides that, you might spot a wild animal to bring into the house and the only wild thing I want sleeping in my bed is you." When Adam brought Cat back into the house, he saw that Joe had placed his sketch pad and a pencil in his chair. He drew Cat's picture before helping her out of Joe's jacket and taking her back up to bed. "See," he teased. "Even your puppies are still sleeping. You are the only one who wanted to go and play in the snow tonight." He put her back in bed, kissed her forehead and said quietly, "Goodnight little sister. Never forget that I love you. We won't always agree with each other and sometimes we will be angry at each other, but I will always love you."