After making a list of chores Seth and Jackson would have to complete during their restriction, John and Margaret walked back to the feed store. John thanked James McLeod for watching the store and boys for him and gave him two dollars for his time. Then he asked James if he knew if his father had a copy of volume one of Little Women in the store. "I haven't looked at the books lately, so I can't be sure, but I think he does."
"Here's two dollars. If he does, would you please buy it for me, take it over to the school, and give it to Susan? One of the children was reading it so it should be replaced as soon as possible."
"I'll be more than happy to do that for you. I know my father won't object to my being gone from the store for a little while longer."
"Thank you James. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate all of your help."
After James left, Mr. Winter turned to his sons and said, "I just had to pay James McLeod two dollars to take care of the store and watch the two of you so your mother and I could talk. You now owe me four dollars, so each of you will be working here for twenty days to earn that money. And I do mean that you will be working. This store will be yours someday and it's time you learned exactly what it takes to keep it going. If you refuse to do your assigned work, you will be punished. That also applies to the chores your mother and I have assigned you. Also, if you refuse to work, you will not receive credit toward the money you owe me, which means you will be spending even more time working here. Margaret, will you please take one of our sons home, ensure he finishes his school work and does the chores we decided on for today? Our other son will remain here with me, finish his school work and then he will be working here."
"That's not fair! You can't separate us!" exclaimed Seth.
Mrs. Winter began scolding her sons. She said she was tired of them misbehaving in school, disrespecting their teacher, and being sent home. She reminded them that their actions just cost their father four dollars and told them that being separated was part of their punishment. Seth was told to get his books and go with her, but he refused. When Margaret started to get his books for him, her husband shook his head no, so she grabbed the boy by the arm, took him into the back and told him to get his books.
The boys were shocked that their mother was not only allowing their father to punish them, but was helping him. "You never punish us Ma," whined Jackson. "Why are you doing it now? Seth and I were just playing around and the book fell apart. Aunt Susan never should have sent us to Pa."
"Not only did you and your brother deliberately destroy school property, costing your father money, Sheriff Coffee had to bring you to your father. Do you know how embarrassed I was when he and your father came to the house and insisted I accompany them to the jail? I just hope that none of the other women saw me going into that awful place. If they did, I will never live it down. Also, I am tired of the two of you disrespecting your teacher. Your father and I have told you many times that when you are in school, you are to address your teacher as Miss Winter, not Aunt Susan. Every Sunday, another mother comes up to me and asks why you are allowed to be so familiar with your teacher. Even Mr. Cartwright has asked why I allow you to be so disrespectful to your teacher."
"Aww, who cares what old man Cartwright thinks?" asked Seth. "All he did was adopt a bastard. Mrs. Warren even said so and so did Mrs. Anders."
"They must be right," added Jackson. "The girl doesn't even dress like a girl most of the time."
"A lot of people care what "Old Man Cartwright" thinks," said Joe, walking into the store. "I'll be sure and tell my father exactly what the two of you think about him and my sister. Since you obviously don't think your father needs the Ponderosa's business, I guess I'll take our feed order to Carson City. It's a long ride there and back, but it's worth it to do business with someone who needs our money." He walked out, closed the door behind him, got on his horse and started laughing. 'That should light a fire under someone's britches," he chuckled to himself as he rode toward the saloon.
Both parents became very angry at their sons' words. "I have never been so embarrassed in all my life!" exclaimed Mrs. Winter. "How dare you talk about Mr. Cartwright like that? Do you realize how much money you have cost us today? The Ponderosa does a lot of business with us and so do all of the other ranchers. If the Ponderosa takes its business to Carson City, the other ranchers will most likely do the same thing. If that happens, all of those nice things you enjoy at home will be gone because we will have to move to a different city where we can start a new store."
John grabbed each of the boys by an arm and started marching them to one of the store's back rooms. "John," said Mrs. Winter.
"Don't worry Margaret. As much as I'd like to right now, I'm not going to kill them. This is what comes from you not allowing them to be disciplined and I am going to fix that problem right now. If we don't start doing something, our sons will end up like those boys we saw at the jail today, not to mention the fact that we may have just lost our business." He took the boys into the back and when they returned to the front, both of them were crying and rubbing their bottoms.
"Take Seth home with you and ensure he completes his school work and his assigned chores. Jackson will remain here with me. He will complete his school work and then I have work for him to do here. We will see you at supper. I'll have to ride out to the Ponderosa tomorrow morning with the boys and have them apologize for their words. I'm going to have to ask James McLeod to watch the store while I go, talk to Ben. Boys, it looks like you're going to be spending a lot of time working here to repay all of the money you are costing me. Depending on how long I am gone from this store tomorrow, I am going to have to pay James at least five dollars to run it for me. You will both be on restriction until all of the money you have cost me has been repaid and judging from the fact that we just lost an order from the Ponderosa, it will be a long time before you are off restriction."
Joe drank a beer and then headed home. When he got there, Ben asked, "Did you give our feed order to John?"
"No I didn't. Seth and Jackson must have gotten in trouble in school because they were at the feed store and so was their mother. You aren't going to believe what those two boys had to say about you and Cat." Joe told him what Seth and Jackson had said and his response. "I figured that would light a fire under some britches, especially knowing how much Margaret loves money. I'll take our order back there tomorrow, but I'd be willing to bet a week's pay that we get a visit from John, Margaret, and the boys before then. I don't know if she'll let John punish them or not, but I'm sure she'll make them apologize to you."
Ben chuckled. "You're right about Margaret Winter and money son. Who knows, she might actually allow John to punish the boys this time. The threat of losing the Ponderosa's business may just be the straw that breaks the camel's back."
Adam and Hoss walked in while Joe was explaining what happened in town. "They'd be losin' more than just our business Pa," said Hoss. "I'd be willin' to bet that ifn we took our business to Carson City, so would most of the other ranchers and some of the farmers."
"Hoss is right," added Adam. "You are very well respected and most of the men around here follow your lead. If we and most of the other ranchers were to take our feed orders to Carson City, John would have to sell the feed store and move to another town where he could start again. That wouldn't sit well with Margaret at all, so the boys may finally get what they deserve. I'll add a week's pay of my own to Joe's bet. The Winters will be here sometime tomorrow morning and the boys will be forced to apologize."
Hoss agreed with his brothers and joined the bet. "Alright, alright," laughed Ben. "You're probably right, but I'll take your bet just to give you the satisfaction of being able to say, "I told you so. An extra week's pay for each of you isn't going to break me. However, I am going to put one condition on that bet. If you win, each of you has to spend some of that extra pay on your sister and each of you has to spend the same amount on her. The three of you can decide how much you want to spend and I'll spend the same amount on her also. She doesn't know John and Margaret well enough to join your bet and she doesn't have any money to bet with. However, with as many problems as those two boys have caused for her in school, she'd probably be hoping that when their father finished with them, they wouldn't be able to sit down for a month. Now, why are the three of you standing around here? Fences need to be checked and cattle need to be fed. We could get the first blizzard of the season any day now. Frankly, I'm surprised we haven't gotten one yet, so give the cattle extra hay and make sure there's salt in the pastures in the event we do get a blizzard."
When the girls got home from school, Ben pretended he didn't know that Jackson and Seth had been sent home from school and asked how their day was. "Except for being inside and having to do arithmetic, it was ok," said Cat.
"Seth and Jackson got into big trouble," added Laura.
"They did? What happened?"
"They took one of the school's copies of Little Women off Mike's desk and ripped it up," answered Mary.
"Miss Winter was real mad at them," said Cat. "She paddled them, wrote a note to their Pa, and told them they couldn't come back to school until next Monday."
"Sheriff Coffee took them to their Pa, and James McLeod brought a new book to the school," added Laura. "Maybe they'll get in trouble from their parents this time."
"Probably not," sighed Mary. "Pa says that their mother thinks they're perfect and won't let their father punish them."
"They cost their father money since he had to replace the book," said Ben. "Their mother may not allow them to be physically punished, but I'm positive that they're going to spend the rest of the week working in the feed store. Now, I'm sure that Hop Sing has a snack ready for you and you should do your homework after you finish it. Then you won't need to worry about anything except who's going to win at checkers."
After the girls left for school the next morning, Ben said, "Adam, Hoss, Joe, I would like the three of you to take both big wagons and the buckboard, go to Carson City, and buy as much hay and grain as the wagons and buckboard will hold. I am doing this for two reasons. First, to teach Margaret Winter a lesson about what happens when she refuses to allow her sons to be disciplined. Second, and most important, I looked at the almanac last night and we are due for a blizzard any day now. I want to ensure that we have enough hay to fill the hayloft and all of the hay barns out at the pastures. I also want to ensure that we have enough grain to feed the horses because the almanac is predicting up to four feet of snow. If it doesn't snow tonight, you can go to John tomorrow and buy enough hay and grain for the Ingalls. Part of their Christmas gift was a promise to keep their hayloft full and I intend to honor that promise."
School had been in session for about two hours when the entire Winter family showed up at the house. Hop Sing opened the door for them and stayed in the dining room where he could hear the conversation. Ben greeted his guests and asked, "What can I do for you today?"
"The boys have something to say to you," replied John.
"I'm sorry about the things I said yesterday," said Seth.
"Me too," said Jackson.
Ben noticed that both boys had both hands behind their backs and concluded that they had their fingers crossed, a sign that they didn't mean what they were saying. "Since the two of you don't have the common courtesy to stand up straight with both hands at your sides and look me in the eye, I can only conclude that your apology is not genuine. Therefore I will not accept it until you learn how to apologize correctly. You are twelve years old now and need to stop acting like five year olds. All of my children, including Catherine knew how to make a proper apology when they were four."
The boys' parents were embarrassed by their sons actions and their father took them outside and gave them a good scolding with the promise of punishment when they returned to town.
When John and the boys left the house, Margaret said, "I don't see your sons around Ben. I guess they're busy out on the ranch."
"No they're not. Since your sons decided that you don't need the Ponderosa's business, I sent them to Carson City with our feed order. As the almanac says we're due for a blizzard any day now, I may send them back tomorrow to fill the wagons again. I have a lot of cattle and horses to feed and need to ensure that I have enough hay and grain to feed them. It's going to take most of the day for them to get to Carson City, purchase enough hay and grain to fill the wagons, and return home again. Then everything will need to be put into the barn. If I need to send them there again tomorrow, that means I will be without their help for two full days. So if you'll excuse me, I need to get some of the hands to ride out with me and ensure that the cattle have enough hay and salt to last at least two more days."
Margaret stood there with her mouth open. "But you always buy from us."
"As I just said, your sons decided that disrespecting me was more important than you having our business. This is a large ranch and those cattle are our livelihood. They must be kept fed. When you start disciplining your sons and teach them right from wrong, you may get the Ponderosa's business again. But in the mean time, we'll get our feed from Carson City. Now, I have work to do, so you'll have to excuse me. It's going to take me most of the day to check all of the pastures and put hay out for the cattle." He walked to the door and opened it so the Winters could leave.
Once the Winters had driven out of the yard, Abel burst into laughter. "Benjamin, that was wonderful. I wondered if you noticed what the boys were doing. The look on Mrs. Winter's face when you told her you were buying your feed from Carson City was priceless. How much money do you estimate they are losing because you took your business elsewhere?"
"Right off the top of my head, I would say that today cost them one hundred fifty dollars. Each of the large wagons will hold fifty bales of hay. At one dollar a bale, that's one hundred dollars. The buckboard will hold twenty five sacks of grain. Each sack of grain is two dollars, so that's another forty dollars. The Ingalls' barn is smaller than ours and Charles doesn't have as many animals, so tomorrow, I'll just need one wagon load of hay and ten sacks of grain. Adam said we're running low on salt for the cattle, so I'll have them get salt tomorrow too."
"I wonder how long it will take Mrs. Winter to discipline her sons and teach them right from wrong."
"I think that will depend on how many other ranchers do the same thing and start buying their feed from Carson City. The more money the feed store in Virginia City loses, the more likely it is that she'll start doing the right thing by her sons. Unless an emergency comes up, I don't intend buying anything from them until those boys are straightened out. If it means buying two more large wagons and sending four wagons and two buckboards to Carson City for feed and salt, so be it."
"You aren't going to tell the other ranchers what you're doing, are you?"
"No, not unless they ask. If they do ask and want to know if I want them to do the same thing, I'll tell them they need to do whatever is best for them and their family. I don't expect anyone to do something just because I am doing it."
When Adam, Hoss, and Joe returned home, Ben handed each of them a week's pay. "I'll need you to go back to Carson City tomorrow and buy more hay and ten sacks of grain for the Ingalls. You will also need to buy salt for the cattle. You were right, all four of the Winters showed up about an hour after you left. The boys couldn't even apologize properly. Each of them had a hand behind his back with his fingers crossed. I told Margaret that until she starts disciplining her sons and teaches them right from wrong, we will be buying our feed from Carson City. Depending on how many of the other ranchers do the same thing, it probably won't be too long before those boys straighten up and fly right. Did the three of you decide how much money you're going to spend on your sister?"
"Yes," replied Joe. "We're each going to spend twenty dollars on her, but we're not going to spend all of it at once."
"We decided to split it up and get her stuff a little at a time," added Hoss. "We talked about takin' her to dinner at the International or that place she likes in Carson City."
"We might also take her shopping in Carson City," said Adam. "Even though Cat just got another crate of books for Christmas, she always looks to see what new ones George has in the general store. She's also going to need more drawing tablets and pencils, especially when spring arrives, the wildflowers start blooming and the baby animals are born."
"I don' know how we're gonna keep her from wantin' to bring all of them baby animals home," added Hoss. "I shore don't want a baby skunk sleepin' in my room."
"We've got time to figure that out," replied Ben. "We have other things to be concerned about right now. How full is the hayloft and how much grain do we have now? I just want to make sure we have enough to last through however much snow a blizzard dumps on us."
"It's between half and three quarters full and we have twenty five sacks of grain," answered Joe. "Two more wagon loads should fill the loft with some left over. The hay barns are almost full and we gave the cattle enough hay to last until Friday."
"Thank you for doing that. So tomorrow, we'll need two more wagon loads of hay, ten sacks of grain and as much salt as you can get onto the wagons and buckboard with the grain and hay."
"Ifn we put some sacks of grain on and under the wagon and buckboard seats, we should be able to fill the buckboard with salt," said Hoss. And ifn we put a tarp over it and tie it down good, we should be able to get more than enough to last the rest of the winter or close to it."
"That's a good idea," said Adam. In fact, if we take both buckboards with us tomorrow, we shouldn't have to make another trip before spring. Charles only has one cow, so he'll only need one or two blocks of salt. He's got five horses now, so maybe we should give him twelve sacks of grain."
"That's an excellent idea son. Outside of riding fence and making sure the cattle have enough hay and salt, there isn't much for the hands to do, so I'm sure Pete will be able to spare at least one of them."
Joe started thinking about what his brothers had said and decided to add to the conversation. "I just had a great idea. If Charles will let us use his wagon, we can get three wagon loads of hay. That will be enough to fill his hayloft, ours, and the hay barns." His father and brothers looked at him in amazement because he normally didn't have many constructive ideas to offer.
"That's a great idea Joe!" exclaimed Adam. "If it doesn't snow tonight, we should be able to put an additional ten bales of hay on each wagon. That will give us more than enough to last until the spring thaw, preventing us from having to make more trips to Carson City."
"Joseph, that is the best idea you've had in a long time." said Ben. "Why don't you saddle up, ride over, and talk to Charles about borrowing his wagon for tomorrow? I am very proud of the way the three of you are working together instead of bickering the way you normally do, to get as much hay and grain as we'll need to feed the cattle and horses until spring."
Joe rode over to the Ingalls' farm, talked to Charles, and returned a little while later, driving his wagon. When the girls returned from school, Laura saw her father's wagon in the yard and said, "That's Pa's wagon. I wonder why it's here. I hope we don't have to go home yet. I like it here."
"So do I," replied Mary. "I guess we'll know when we go into the house."
Thaddeus was coming out of the barn when the girls dismounted in front of it. "Hi girls. I hope you had a good day at school. Why don't you go into the house and get warm? I'll take care of your horses for you."
"Thank you Thaddeus," said Cat. "That's real nice of you."
Mary and Laura thanked him also.
"You're welcome girls. It's my pleasure."
The girls walked into the house, expecting to see Charles and were surprised that they didn't. "Where's Pa?" asked Mary. "We saw his wagon in the yard and thought he was here."
"We're borrowing it for tomorrow," answered Ben. "The almanac says we're due for a blizzard any day now so we need to make sure that we and your father have enough hay and grain to last until the spring thaw. You and Laura know how much snow a blizzard can bring. With what's already on the ground, we won't be able to get to town, so we're getting as much food for the cattle and horses as we can now. Did you girls have a good day in school?"
"It was nice without Seth and Jackson there," replied Laura. They're always doing stuff to make it hard for everyone else to learn."
"I'll bring that up at the next school board meeting. I'm curious, did they act that way when Mrs. Meyers was your teacher?"
"They did a little bit," replied Mary. "But not like they do now. Mrs. Meyers did a good job of keeping them under control. She also wouldn't let them sit together and when they acted up, one of them had to sit with the first year students and the other had to sit next to her desk. They didn't like that because they got teased by the older boys. They were some of Miss Smith's favorite students and she let them do whatever they wanted to. Now they think that because their aunt is the teacher, they can keep on acting the way they did when Miss Smith was the teacher. Miss Winter tries to make them behave, but they ignore her, so she paddles them and sends them home, but they come back the next day & cause problems. I don't know how they're going to pass the sixth grade because they hardly do any work and keep getting sent home."
"Thank you for telling me that Mary. I have a school board meeting tomorrow night and will definitely bring that information to the board member's attention. Two students shouldn't be allowed to keep the other students from learning, no matter what their mother says."
When Susan Winter returned home from school, she got an earful from her sister-in-law about Ben buying the Ponderosa's hay and grain from Carson City. "I can't understand why he'd do that all of a sudden. He's been buying from us for years. Just because the boys weren't polite when we were there today is no reason for him to stop buying from us. If all of the other ranchers follow his lead, we could lose the store."
"It's your own fault Margaret. You refuse to let John be a proper father and discipline the boys, so they're disrespectful to almost everyone. I don't know what Seth and Jackson did today, but from what John told me they said yesterday, I don't blame Mr. Cartwright for not wanting to buy from you. I am their aunt and their teacher, but your sons are disrespectful to me also. If I wasn't getting married at the end of the school term, I would move into the teacher's house because as much as I love them, I don't want to be around Seth and Jackson any more than I have to. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to change clothes and go out and see the Ingalls and the Cartwrights. I forgot to tell the girls that they need the next level readers. They have advanced beyond the ones they are using now and I don't want them to be bored. If I leave now, I'll reach the Ponderosa before dark and I know that Mr. Cartwright will either send someone home with me or invite me to spend the night."
"But what about supper?"
"I'm sure that either the Ingalls or Cartwrights will feed me. Now, please let me change clothes. I don't want to be driving the buggy alone after dark." She walked upstairs to her bedroom, leaving her sister-in-law standing there with her mouth open.
Being almost certain that she would be invited to spend the night on the Ponderosa, Susan put her night things and clean clothes in a carpet bag, put her hat, coat, and gloves on, picked up the bags with her school things and night clothes in them, and walked out the door. She harnessed her horse to her buggy, put her bags on the seat and drove out of town toward the Ingalls' farm. Charles answered the door and invited her in. "Susan, what are you doing out and about all alone this close to dark? Come in, warm up, and have some coffee. Supper will be ready shortly. Will you please join us?"
"Thank you, but I can't stay. I still have to go to the Ponderosa and try to get back to town before it gets too late. I forgot to tell Mary and Laura that they are ready for the next level reader. Mary will need the seventh grade book and Laura will need the fifth grade book. Catherine Cartwright is also ready for the eighth grade book. At the rate your girls are improving, I fully expect Mary to start the next term in the eighth grade book and Laura in the sixth."
"That is wonderful news!" exclaimed Caroline. "The girls will be thrilled to hear your news. I know you need to get to the Ponderosa before dark, but at least have a cup of coffee. It will help to keep you warm."
"A cup of coffee sounds nice. Thank you. I accept your kind offer."
The Cartwrights were just sitting down to eat when Susan knocked on their door. Hop Sing opened it and greeted her. "Welcome to Ponderosa Missy Susan. Family getting ready to eat. Come in, get warm and eat."
"Thank you Hop Sing, but it's getting late and I need to get back to town."
Ben heard the conversation and walked to the entryway. "It will be dark long before you reach Virginia City Susan. Please join us for supper and then, if you insist on returning to town, I'll send Adam and Hoss with you. However, I think it would be best if you spent the night here. You can have one of the guest rooms upstairs or use the bedroom down here if you prefer. They're always ready for company, we'll just have to light a fire in one. Now, let me take your things and we'll join everyone else in the dining room."
"Thank you Mr. Cartwright. I was hoping for an invitation, but I wasn't sure if I'd be welcome."
"Nobody ever turned away from Ponderosa," said Hop Sing. "Company always welcome. Always have plenty of food for company."
"Hop Sing is correct. Nobody who shows up at my door at mealtime is ever turned away. I'll get someone to take care of your horse and buggy." They walked into the dining room where Hop Sing had already set a place for Susan. "Adam, Hoss, Joe, would one of you please take care of Susan's horse and buggy. She'll be spending the night, so if she has anything in the buggy, please bring it in."
"I'll take care of it," said Hoss.
"Can I help?" asked Cat. "Joe's been teaching me how to harness a horse to a buggy."
"Not tonight Punkin," replied Hoss before Ben could say no. It's too cold out there for ya, so's ya need to stay in here where it's warm." When he returned to the house, he said, "Be glad ya stayed in the house little sister. It's so cold out there, yore socks would a froze before ya got half way across the yard."
"It's not that cold out," said Cat, not quite believing her brother.
"I don't know if it's that cold," replied Susan. However, it is very cold out there. Remember, I just drove out her from town and I don't know if I would have made it all the way if I hadn't stopped by Mary and Laura's house and been given a cup of coffee."
Once the blessing had been said and everyone's plate was full, Ben asked, "You still haven't told us Susan, what brings you all the way out here on such a cold night?"
"I came out to give the girls some good news. I totally forgot to tell them after school, but all three of them are ready for the next level reader. Mary, you need the seventh grade book, Laura, you need the fifth grade book and Cat, you need the eighth grade book. I am very proud of the progress all three of you have made and fully expect all of you to start the new term in the next level. Mary, Laura, your parents were thrilled at my news and asked me to tell you how proud they are of you. Mr. Cartwright, Mr. Ingalls said that if you would purchase the books for his girls, he will reimburse you as soon as he can."
"Please call me Ben. Charles doesn't need to worry. I'll gladly buy new readers for Laura and Mary. I am very proud of all three of you girls. I don't know what Hop Sing has planned for tonight's dessert, but I'll ask him to make something special for tomorrow. I'll ride into town with you tomorrow morning and buy the new school books you need. That way you can start using them tomorrow."
"They won't need them for class tomorrow, but they will need the new books by Friday after school," said Susan. "They'll have a test on their current chapter on Friday and start the new books for homework over the weekend."
Dessert was chocolate cake and Hop Sing gave each of the girls a very large piece, causing Susan to laugh. "Hop Sing very proud of his girls. You work very hard. I make special supper for you tomorrow. All of you favorites. You tell Hop Sing what you want and he make it." The girls whispered to each other and decided on steak, mashed potatoes with gravy, biscuits, corn on the cob, broccoli, and chocolate cake. "Very good. Hop Sing gladly make for his good girls."
After Hop Sing went back into the kitchen, Susan asked, "Did I just hear Hop Sing say the girls were his?"
"Yes you did," replied Adam. "As far as he's concerned, Joe, Cat, and her friends are his and nobody will ever convince him of anything different. He helped bring both Joe and Cat into the world and has always considered them to be his."
"What about you and Hoss?"
"I was ten and Hoss was four when Hop Sing first came here. He fell in love with Hoss because he's a big eater. As for me, Hop Sing says I don't eat enough, but he still calls me one of his boys."
"Hop Sing loves having children in the house," said Ben. "Laura, Mary, Jasper, and Michael spent the Christmas holidays here and so did my nephew, Mark. Hop Sing always had cookies and hot cocoa for them when they had been outside playing and he started teaching all of them how to cook. Breakfast was always one of their favorite meals and dessert after supper was always one of their favorites. He loves the children so much that on Sunday when we were all leaving for church, he sent a message to their parents that if they didn't come for dinner, the children would be living here permanently. Needless to say, the parents took him at his word and the three families came for dinner."
Susan laughed. "You girls are very lucky to have someone like Hop Sing to fuss over you and make your favorite meals and desserts. I wish I would have had someone like him to do that for me when I was growing up."
"We know," replied Mary. "That's why we want to stay here. We love our Ma and Pa and Carrie, but we love staying here with Cat too."