When Adam stopped the buggy so Cat could get into the front seat and drive, Joe tried to apologize for making everyone wait while he picked out a suit but Cat was having none of it. "You're not sorry for making us wait in the cold. You're just sorry that everyone's mad at you. When I see Sally Ann at the dance tomorrow night, I'm going to tell her what you did."

Joe panicked. He didn't want his girl angry at him so he tried a bluff. "You can't do that. Pa will get angry at you and then you will be in a lot of trouble."

Cat was pretty sure he was lying to her so she asked, "Adam, is Joe right? Will I get in a lot of trouble with Pa if I tell Sally Ann what Joe did?"

"No Cat. Pa will not be angry and you won't get in trouble. In fact, when you tell Sally Ann what Joe did, tell her that she can ask me what he did. In fact, not only can she ask me, she can ask Andy, Hoss, Pa, or anyone else who is with us today. Joe, you shouldn't lie to our sister like that. It isn't right. You were wrong and you know it. Now your girl is going to know how self-centered you are and she may not speak to you for a while."

Joe sat back, defeated. The family was angry at him, his girl was going to be angry at him, and he was certain that his father's statement about finishing the discussion at home meant a trip to the barn and a lot of discomfort sitting down. He knew his fate was sealed when Adam said, "I can't believe that you are so self-centered that you would lie to our sister to keep her from telling your girl what you did. You don't need to worry about Sally Ann and what she might say or do. You need to be worried about what Pa is going to do to you, not only for making everyone wait out in the cold for you, but for lying to Cat to try and prevent her from telling Sally Ann what you did."

Once they reached the house and everyone was out of the buggy and surrey, Ben said, "Joseph, help Hoss with the horses and wait for me in the barn." He headed for the house to get a cup of coffee before dealing with his youngest son.

Adam walked up to Cat, put an arm around her and said, "I've been thinking about you wanting to tell Sally Ann what Joe did and said. Why don't you let me take care of that for you? She doesn't know you all that well and will probably ask Joe if what you said is true. He won't accuse you of lying but he could tell her that you were exaggerating about how long he took. He could say that it probably seemed like it was taking him a long time to pick out a new suit. She knows me very well and knows that I will tell her exactly what happened and what Joe said to you. I'm also going to tell Pa about him lying to you. So what do you think, will you let me tell Sally Ann about Joe?"

"Sure Adam. You can tell her."

"Thank you little sister. Believe me, it will be better this way. Now you need to go into the house and get warm. I'm willing to bet that Hop Sing has some hot cocoa and cookies for you. I need to talk to Pa for a minute."

"What was that all about?" asked Ben, walking up to Adam.

"Cat told Joe she was going to tell Sally Ann what he did and he lied to her. He told her if she did, you would be angry with her and she would get in trouble. I told her he was lying but talked her into letting me tell Joe's girl what he did and about his lie. She doesn't know Cat very well and will probably ask Joe about what Cat said. Knowing little brother, he will probably tell her that Cat was exaggerating about how much time everyone spend waiting for him. He will probably also deny the lie."

"I see. Thank you for telling me about Joe's lie. I'll add that to his list of transgressions when I address them in a few minutes. I need to get a cup of coffee first. I just don't understand that youngest brother of yours. He's going to be twenty in six months but is acting like a thirteen year old who has his first crush on a girl. Since he's acting like a thirteen year old, I fully intend to treat him like one."

While Joe was helping Hoss take care of the horses, he lamented his predicament. "Pa's going to kill me. He's going to skin me alive."

"Well Shortshanks, it seems to me that it's all yore fault. Ifn ya woulda kept yore big mouth shut after ya apologized, ya wouldn't be in this spot."

"Yeah, I know and I'm sure Adam's told Pa what I said by now."

"What else did ya say that Adam would need to tell Pa?

"Cat said she was going to tell Sally Ann about me making everyone wait out in the cold while I was looking for a suit and I told her that if she did, Pa would be angry at her and she'd get in trouble."

"When are ya gonna learn to keep yore big mouth shut? Well little brother, it's been nice knowin' ya. I'm shore Cat is gonna love riding Cochise until Fury is old enough to ride. What kind of flowers do ya want on yore grave in the spring?"

"Gee thanks big brother."

"Anytime little brother. Just remember, you deserve everything Pa's gonna do to ya and then some."

When Joe walked into the house a little while later, it was obvious to everyone what Ben had done to him. The children looked at each other with amusement in their eyes but didn't dare tease him because they knew what the consequences would be. Ben looked at the children and because they didn't laugh, decided not to say anything to them about being amused at Joe's discomfort. Instead, he said, "Adam, Cat, the two of you do not have any chores except helping with the cattle and breaking horses until Cat leaves for Arizona in June. Hoss and Joe will be doing them this month and next. Then Joe will be doing them until Cat leaves in June."

Cat got excited at Ben's words. "I get to help break horses. That's great. I bet it will be lots of fun." Mike, Jasper, and Mark agreed with Cat.

Ben groaned and said, "I think I just got a lot more gray hair. No Cat, you will not be breaking horses. It's much too dangerous."

"You just said that me and..." At a look from Matt and Rip about her grammar, she continued, "Adam and I would be working with the cattle and breaking horses. Now you say I can't. That means you lied to me. Why did you lie to me? Uncle Matt never lied to me so why did you?"

"I didn't lie to you. I just misspoke. I meant that Adam will be helping to break horses. You are much too young to even think about doing that."

Hoss tried to diffuse the situation. "Yore too little to try and break horses Punkin. Shortshanks there was seventeen before Pa let him try and all three of us were on horses in the corral just in case something bad happened. We had a hand that was real good at breakin' horses. He was better than Joe and Adam. A couple of years ago, a bronc threw him an' he got hurt bad. It was six months before he could walk again and another six before he could walk without crutches. Ifn somethin' like that happened to you, ya might never walk again, if ya even survived being thrown."

"Staying on a bucking horse requires strength and balance," added Adam. "As much as you wish you were, you just aren't strong enough. Think about today when you tried to drive the buggy in Carson City. Your arms were hurting trying to hold the team in the mud and you were only driving for about five minutes. Maybe one day, when you're older and stronger you'll be able to break a wild horse but that won't be for quite a while."

"I have an idea Cat," said Victoria. "Why don't we ask Dr. Martin after church on Sunday if he thinks you're strong enough to break a horse? If he says no, will you agree to let it rest until you're much older? Nobody here wants to see you get hurt or worse trying to do something you're not ready for."

"Ok. If Dr. Paul says I'm not strong enough, I won't try to break a horse until I'm ten."

"You still won't be strong enough when you're ten," said Ben. "You're smaller than Joe was when he was your age. Depending on how Fury turns out once he's old enough to ride, I may let you train another foal. It won't be the same as breaking a wild horse, but it's still a very important job."

"I'll be all grown up when I'm ten so I should be able to break a wild horse then."

"Cat," said Rip. "I can guarantee you that you will not be all grown up and most certainly will not be breaking horses when you're ten. Hoss just told you that Joe was seventeen before he was allowed to start breaking horses so I don't want you to even think about trying it."

Just then Hop Sing came out of the kitchen and said, "Set tables. Supper almost ready."

Joe was still hurting from his discussion with Ben so he asked, "Cat, will you please set the table for me?"

"No! I'm still mad at you! Pa said you and Hoss have to set the tables so I'm not going to do it for you!"

"Please Cat?"

Cat thought for a minute, got a devilish look on her face, and said, "Ok. I'll do it for thirty dollars."

"Thirty dollars?! That's a lot of money for just setting the table."

The rest of the family struggled not to laugh. "It's five dollars each for me, Laura, Mary, Mark, Jas, and Mike. You made us wait in the cold so you could buy something you didn't need so you could impress Sally Ann and I'm not supposed to have any chores until I come back from Dodge at the end of summer. So if you want me to set the table for you, you have to give me thirty dollars."

"Ben," asked Victoria. "Are you going to let Cat do that? She shouldn't be asking her brother for money."

"Yes Victoria. I am in this case. Normally I wouldn't, however, Joe was told yesterday that he and Hoss have to set the tables for the remainder of your visit. He is still smarting from our discussion in the barn and doesn't want to do his assigned job, but wants his sister to do it for him. Since she has no chores until after she returns from Dodge in September, Joe should pay her what she's asking if he wants her to do his job. Joseph, supper is almost ready. Are you going to set the table or pay your sister to do it?"

Joe sighed, reached in his pocket and handed Cat two bills, a ten and a twenty. She handed the bills to Ben and asked, "Do you have enough money to give five dollars each to me, Mark, and our friends?"

"Yes I do Sweetheart. I'll get it after supper."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now please set the table so we can eat."

Cat started setting the table and was joined by Mark and her friends. The six of them had the table set in no time at all. Hop Sing came out of the kitchen and said, "Supper ready. Everybody sit down. Hoss and Little Joe help carry food from kitchen."

"Cat, will you please help carry the food to the table for me?" asked Joe.

"Sure Joe, but this time you will have to pay me sixty dollars."

"Sixty dollars to carry the food out of the kitchen? That's a lot of money."

"I could have asked for ninety, or one hundred and twenty dollars, or six hundred dollars, or six thousand dollars, or six million dollars. Remember, we're still mad at you and you're not my big twin any more. Hoss is."

Nobody could contain their laughter any longer and Adam said, "It's your own fault baby brother. You've done the one thing nobody else dares to do and made the Wild Cat angry at you. Now, we're all hungry and would like to eat. Are you going to help carry the food out of the kitchen or are you going to pay our sister to do it for you?"

Before Joe could answer, Hop Sing came out of the kitchen carrying his wooden spoon. He hit Joe on his already sore bottom five times and said, "Enough foolishment! Set table now or I use spoon again. Pop, pop, pop."

"OWWWWWWWW! Hop Sing that hurts!. Cat are you going to help bring food from the kitchen for me?"

"Only if you give me six hundred dollars."

"Six hundred dollars! That's highway robbery."

"Then bring the food out yourself like Pa said you were supposed to do."

Hop Sing hit Joe with his spoon again. "Hop Sing say no more foolishment! You help bring food from kitchen now!"

"OWWWWWWW! Alright Hop Sing. I'm going. I'm going."

While everyone was waiting for Hop Sing, Hoss, and Joe to bring the food out of the kitchen, Ben asked, "Cat?"

"Yes Pa?"

"Why did you tell Joe he had to pay you to set the table and help bring the food out for him?"

"'Cause I'm mad at him and you wouldn't let me kick him or let Lassie and Silver Chief chew on him for a while."

"I see. And how long do you plan on being angry with him?"

"I don't know. Maybe a long time."

"I hope it isn't too long a time. It makes me sad when my children are angry at each other."

"Cat?"

"Yes Uncle Matt?"

"What would you have done with the money if Joe had given you six thousand dollars?"

"I would give Mary, Laura, Mark, Jas and Mike one thousand dollars each."

"That's very nice of you. What would you have done with your one thousand dollars?"

"I would keep twenty five cents to buy some sarsaparilla, licorice, candy, and peanuts. Then I would use the rest to buy a real nice birthday present for you."

"What on Earth would you buy that cost one thousand dollars?"

"I would buy an elephant for you."

Everybody started laughing at Cat's comment.

"Cat, you are just too silly," laughed Adam. "What is Matt going to do with an elephant?"

"I read about elephants in one of your books. They're really big and a lot faster than horses. Uncle Matt could ride one when he's chasing bank robbers and other bad people. Since elephants are lots faster than horses, it wouldn't take so long to catch the bad people. Also, the bad people would be afraid that the elephant would squish them so they would give up right away and I wouldn't worry about him getting shot."

Everybody, including Hop Sing who was bringing the meat to the table laughed at Cat's description of what Matt could do with an elephant. "Missy Cat be silly tonight. Mr. Matt no can ride elephant. Elephant belong in circus, not town."

"Cat, I appreciate the thought," said Matt. "But do you know how much elephants eat?"

"No. Probably as much as a horse."

"They eat a lot more than a horse. If I had to guess, they probably eat as much as ten horses do every day. Where would I keep it?"

"You could keep it in Mr. Grimmick's stable with your horse."

"Silly girl. An elephant would take up almost all of Mr. Grimmick's stable so he wouldn't be able to keep as many horses in it. Also, horses are afraid of elephants so he would not want it in his stable because the horses would run away."

"Oh. I guess that would be really bad."

"Yes it would be. Mr. Grimmick makes a living by renting horses and charging people to keep their horses in his stable. He wouldn't make any money if I kept an elephant there. Also, the government doesn't pay me enough to feed an elephant. I get my salary and enough money to buy supplies and keep a horse, not an elephant. That was a very nice thought though and I'm proud of you for thinking about others."

Once the children were asleep in bed, Ben said, "Matt, you did a very good job raising Cat. One thing I have found surprising is her willingness to share her things with her friends. She didn't have many things when she lived with you and that's why I was surprised when she let Laura and Mary take one of her books home with her and lets them play with her toys when they're here."

"I think the Tanners taught her how to share. They're raising ten children, and can't afford a lot of extra things like toys for each child, so the children had to share with each other. I'm sure Cat learned by watching what they did. I wish I could have given her more things, but the War Department is very slow about sending me my pay and money to buy supplies. I have gone as long as three months without being paid. Fortunately, Mr. Jonas and the other merchants know that I'll pay them as soon as I can. I talked to Sam about it in June and he said he'd see what he could do, but so far, things remain the same."

"She somehow knew that money was sometimes tight for you. When we got home in August, I discovered that most of her clothes were too small. She didn't want to worry you, so she kept wearing them. When I wanted to buy new clothes for her, she kept insisting that there was nothing wrong with the ones she had."

"That silly girl. I always had enough money to buy things she needed and when I didn't, Mr. Jonas would have given me credit. I'll talk to her before I go back to Dodge and see if I can straighten her thinking out. She needs to learn to depend on the adults in her life to take care of her and provide the things she needs."

During breakfast, the children started talking about if they wanted to go skating or sledding. They finally decided on sledding and Cat said, "I'll ask Hop Sing to pack some food for us so we can stay out at the mountain all day and won't have to come home for dinner."

The other children thought that was a great idea but Ben said, "I'm sorry kids, but you cannot spend the entire day sledding."

"Why not?" asked Cat.

"There are several reasons. First, we have the dance tonight and if you spend the entire day sledding, you will be too tired to go to it. Second, Mr. and Mrs. Ingalls are bringing Carrie over this afternoon so she can go ice skating and it wouldn't be fair to her if her sisters were sledding. Hop Sing has volunteered to watch Carrie so her parents can attend the dance. They'll spend the night here and go home after breakfast. Mary, Laura, your parents want you to spend the weekend with them, so you'll go home with them after breakfast tomorrow morning."

Jasper and Mike couldn't believe their good luck and smiled at each other. They had been wanting to go hunting with Mark and Cat but since neither Mary nor Laura liked hunting, they couldn't go as long as the girls were at the Ponderosa. Ben noticed the look they gave each other and after breakfast, he said, "Jasper, Michael, I would like a word with the two of you." The boys looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and followed Ben over to his office. He sat on the corner of his desk and said, "I saw the look you gave each other when I told Mary and Laura that they would be spending the weekend with their family. Do you have a problem with them being here?"

"No sir Mr. Cartwright," said Mike. "It's just that we wanted to go hunting with Mark while he was here and since Laura and Mary don't like hunting, we couldn't just go and leave them here."

"I see. I was concerned that there had been problems between the four of you."

"There's no problem Mr. Cartwright. We like them just fine," said Jasper. "They're fun to play with. Or at least Laura is. Ever since school started in September, Mary doesn't even want to throw a ball around with us. She keeps saying it isn't lady like. Mary's eleven just like us so we don't know why she keeps saying that stuff. It's pretty strange. After all, she was playing with us when school got out in June. We were really surprised that she has been ice skating and sledding with us. When we saw the sleds and skates, we thought she was going to tell us that skating and sledding aren't lady like."

Ben chuckled. "Well boys, Mary is going to be twelve a week from Monday and that's the age where a lot of girls start to think about becoming women and want to start acting like ladies. While sledding may not necessarily be lady like, I can tell you for a fact that many ladies do go ice skating. Remember, I came here from Boston and there were just as many ladies ice skating as there were men. In fact, when my ship was in Boston during the winter, Adam's mother and I used to go ice skating when time permitted. One thing I'm pretty sure of is that you'll have Laura and Cat as playmates for quite a few years to come. Now, the girls and Mark are waiting for you so you had better get moving. Remember, I want all of you back here in time for dinner and don't forget to keep an eye on the weather."

"What did Pa want?" asked Cat when the boys joined the other children.

"He wanted to remind us we have to be back here before dinner and to keep an eye on the weather," replied Jasper.

"I don't know why he's so worried about the weather. The sun is shining & there's hardly any clouds in the sky."

"That's because at this time of year, the weather can change in a matter of minutes," replied Mike. "It can be bright and sunny now and snowing five minutes from now. Snow flurries can change into a blizzard just as fast and being caught in a blizzard would really be bad."

"Mike's right," said Mary. "Blizzards are very dangerous. People have died only steps away from their front door because they couldn't see where they were going."

"None of us are allowed out of the house during a blizzard, even if it lasts for days," added Laura. "Pa puts a rope between the house and barn so he can take care of the animals and not get lost."

While the children were sledding on the Ponderosa, Adam, Hoss, Joe, and Andy rode over to the Devlins to get Mitch. Then they rode to the hill outside of town where the children liked to go sledding, hid and waited to see what the bigger boys were going to do. They talked and decided that since a blizzard could happen at any time now, the seventeen and eighteen year old boys were at home helping their fathers prepare. Remembering what some of their classmates had been like, Hoss, Andy, Joe, and Mitch were sure the problem was with the fifteen and sixteen year old boys, especially because of the way several of them had been treating Cat. It didn't take long before children started showing up with their sleds. Three sixteen year old boys showed up about fifteen minutes later and started targeting the younger children. As they were walking back up the hill with their sleds, the five men came out of their hiding places and tried to catch the boys who attempted to run away. Joe, Andy, and Mitch were able to catch them with very little effort and brought them back to where Hoss and Adam were waiting. "You boys are in a lot of trouble," said Adam. "We're taking you to Sheriff Coffee and then we're going to tell your fathers where you are and why. We're also going to give them the names of the children you ran down today. I am positive that their fathers will want to add their own punishment to whatever you get from Roy and your fathers."

They took the boys over to Roy's office. He greeted them when they walked in, looked at the boys and asked, "What do we have here?"

"These are three of the boys who have been destroying the younger children's sleds," said Joe. "We heard you've been having problems catching them so we thought we'd help you out. Santa brought sleds for Cat, Laura, and Mary, and if anything were to happen to our little sister and her sled we might forget that these boys are only sixteen."

Roy stood up and looked at the boys. "The three of you are in a lot of trouble. Hurting other people and damaging or destroying property is against the law. I'm sure the parents of the children you hurt or broke their sleds will want to see you punished by the law. Adam, Hoss, Joe, would the three of you please locate their fathers and bring them here? Andy and Mitch can stay here and help me keep an eye on these three. I don't want to put them in the cells with their friends, so since they're acting like little children, they can stand in the corner until their fathers arrive but first I'm going to warm their backsides with my belt."

Thirty minutes later, three very angry fathers walked into Roy's office to collect their sons and promised them that the punishment they were going to receive at home would make Roy's look mild. They were also told that their sleds would be given to children whose sleds they had destroyed and the money to replace the others and to pay Dr. Martin would come out of their bank accounts. They also informed the boys that they would not be attending the New Year's dance that night and they would not be leaving their farms and ranches unless one of their parents or an older sibling was with them and that also included being escorted to and from school when it resumed.

Roy and the fathers took the boys to see the judge and told him what they had been doing and what their punishment was going to be when they got home. "That's our hill," said Pete. "Them little kids don't belong on it."

"I see," said the judge. "Exactly when did you boys buy it from the town?"

"We didn't need to buy it. We just claimed it as ours 'cause we're older than the others."

"That isn't the way it works Peter. If you want a piece of property, you have to buy it and register it at the land office. I think the problem with you boys is that you have too much time on your hands and I intend to do something about it. I want all three of you to meet me at the church no later than nine o'clock on Monday morning. You are going to paint the inside of the church. When that is done, you will paint the inside of the school. The sheriff's office, Cattlemen's Association, and meeting hall also need to be painted. Since Sheriff Coffee and Deputy Foster have better things to do than babysit you, before church on Sunday, I am going to ask for volunteers from the town to watch you while you are painting. If they want the insides of their shops painted, you will do them after you finish with the public buildings. Don't even think about rushing through the jobs as whomever is watching you will insist that you do the job properly. As I know you will not complete all of the painting before school resumes on January ten, you will be spending your Saturdays painting until everything that needs to be painted has been done."

"But we go sledding or ice skating on Saturdays when we're in school," complained Freddie.

"Not any more you don't," replied his father. "Your sledding and ice skating days are over forever. As you were told in Sheriff Coffee's office, your sled is going to be given to one of the children that had theirs broken by you. Since I don't trust you not to hurt the younger children while you're ice skating, your skates are forfeit also. You will be seventeen in March and keep telling me you want to be treated like a man but you are acting like a spoiled little child. Therefore, you will not be allowed to go sledding or ice skating again. I will not tolerate my son being a bully!" The other two fathers said the same things to their sons.

"Remember boys, nine o'clock Monday morning at the church. If you don't show up, you will spend the spring painting the outside of every building in town. If you are sick, one of your parents or an older sibling can tell me on Monday. I don't want to hear any complaints or putting the blame on someone else. The things you did are illegal and I could send you to prison for up to ten years but I'm not. However, if you do not cooperate and do the assigned painting, I will change my mind and hold a trial. If the jury finds you guilty, I will give you the maximum sentence allowed."

After leaving Roy's office, Andy and Mitch went over to the post office while Adam, Hoss, and Joe went to the blacksmith's shop. Adam handed Mr. Samuels the ladies boot lace hook and asked if he could make something like it only stronger. "Cat, Laura, and Mary Ingalls received ice skates for Christmas but they're having trouble getting the laces tight. Our aunt thought that if they had something like this, only stronger, they would be able to tighten their laces without help," he explained. "Cat even tried pressing the blades of her skates into a tree in an effort to get the laces tight."

"I'm not busy right now, so let me work on it. Can you please bring me three pieces of wood exactly like this one? Don't drill holes in them just yet. I want to see what I can make and how thick the hooks are going to be. If you can, please bring them to the dance tonight. With any luck, I may have them finished before church on Sunday."

The Ingalls arrived at the house shortly after dinner and the children spent several hours ice skating. Carrie was steadier on her skates and only fell a few times. They were all disappointed when Ben told them it was time to go back to the house as they wanted to stay and skate until suppertime. So he gave them a choice. They could skate until suppertime or go to the dance but they couldn't do both. Since they wanted to go to the dance, they reluctantly went back to the house where Caroline put Carrie down for a nap and the older children were told they had to rest.

As they were leaving for the dance, Jasper and Mike pulled Mark aside and suggested that he ask Cat to dance the Virginia Reel with him. He agreed and they said they would tell Mitch Harris so he wouldn't ask Cat to dance it with him. Everyone except Joe had a good time at the dance. Adam told Sally Ann what Joe had done and how he lied to Cat. She became very angry with him and asked why he thought leaving nineteen people, including six children, waiting for him in the cold and lying to his sister was alright and refused to dance with him all night. Cat danced with all of her male relatives and friends. Some of the Ponderosa hands were at the dance and asked her to dance. She was surprised when Thaddeus asked her to dance a waltz with him because he usually asked her to dance to one of the square dances, so she said yes. All six children were sound asleep before they were half way back to the Ponderosa. The adults had a good laugh as they remembered how the children said they weren't tired when told to rest before supper. The men carried the sleeping children upstairs to their bedrooms where Victoria got Cat into her night clothes and Kitty helped Caroline with Mary and Laura.