March 18, 1901

Bisbee. 

I was sitting in the office at home tonight when Jimmy and Natalie ran into the house shouting. “Pa! Ma!! Jimmy bit me!!!” Natalie exclaimed. 

“Pa! Pa! Ma! But she tackled me and was punching me first!” Jimmy cried. 

“Only cause you was pickin’ on me all night and wouldn’t shush!!!” 

“Well cause you was bein a brat!” 

“What’s all this yellin’ about??” I asked as Thomas and I walked downstairs together. 

“What’s this about fighting, punching and biting?” Thomas asked sternly. 

“We was at the dance and he was makin fun of me all night and callin’ me fat and names and stuff! I couldn’t take it no more!” 

“She called me short!” 

“You did what, Jimmy?!” I gasped. 

“I did not. I called her fat cause she said I was short..and pickin on me..and was talking bout kissin boys again…” Jimmy said. 

“Nu uh I was not!” 

“You was so!” 

“You was talkin bout me lookin like I kissed a frog when I ate those cupcakes! And I said I wasn’t gonna kiss no frog unless I KNEW it was gonna become a prince!” 

“Yeah and you said what ma told ya bout not kissing every boy in town.” 

I sighed and looked over at Thomas as I sat down with a tired expression. “He’s your son.” 

“Enough you two!” Thomas exclaimed. 

“But paaaaaaa! She started it!” Jimmy exclaimed. 

“I did not!!! Then I sat on him to make him stop... And he BIT ME!! !” 

Jimmy poked Natalie in the side and she held out her arm to prove the point and went to punch her brother. 

“Natalie, upstairs. Now.” I exclaimed. 

“But ma, what’d I do?!” Nat sighed. 

“Jimmy! Why did you bite your sister?” Thomas asked. 

“Cause she sat on me and started hitting me!” Jimmy cried. 

“Just go upstairs sweetie, I’ll come up with you. The boys need to talk downstairs,” I told Natalie. 

“Cause he kept callin me names and pickin on me in front of everybody!” Nat muttered and stomped upstairs.

“You deserved it!” 

“I DID NOT!!” 

I looked at Thomas with a sigh and walked upstairs after my daughter, who was sitting on the bed with her arms folded. 

Jimmy called after me, “I swear she started it pa. She is always mean to me. She is always a brat!” 

“I am not! You’re the one callin me fat and callin’ Miss Abi old!!!!” Nat called. 

“I DID NOT CALL MISS ABI OLD!” 

“You did too!!!” 

“Well you’re still fat!” 

I walked into the room and sat down on Natalie’s bed, looking at her as the boys talked downstairs. “Sweetie... was he the one who kept bugging you for no reason?” 

“Yeah!! He kept goin’ on and on and then I just had to make him shush! So I sat on him. And he bit me.” 

“I will make you shush next time..I just give ya a black eye!” Jimmy called. 

I looked at the bruise forming on Nat’s arm and sighed, caressing her neck a little in support and then yelled downstairs, “One more word out of you mister, and you’re sleeping in Shira’s bed!” 

Nat winced and looked at me. “I know we not s’posed to fight but I just... couldn’t take it no more.” 

“No you won’t Jimmy. You do, and you wont leave the house for a month! You hear me! You don’t bite yore sister, no matter what she says or does. Women are just weird sometimes,” Thomas said loudly to Jimmy downstairs. 

“Hey! Who’s side are you on!?” Nat called downstairs. 

I held Nat close and rubbed her back. “Sweetie... I know he can be a pain sometimes, but you’ve gotta show him how to deal with mean people. You’ve gotta ignore it no matter what. Just walk away, and he’ll get bored of bugging you. He does it cause he knows it’ll get a rise out of you.” 

“You darned tootin I had to bite her...she sat on me and felt like a heavy sack a taters was on me...she wouldn’t get off me,” Jimmy said loudly. 

“HEY!” Nat exclaimed. 

“Natalie, what did I just say?” I asked and rubbed her back more. 

“Well he shouldn’t be so mean.” Nat sighed and nodded and looked at the bruise on her arm. “Maaaa it’s turnin’ purple!!” 

“It’s just a little bruise, kiddo... You’ll be fine. Why don’t you wait here and I’ll go downstairs and see how things are going?” 

“Ok Jimmy, well I see we ain’t gettin nowhere tonight...so I think two days of cleaning house, and not going out to play will be a good punishment for you. That means no friends, no running out to play or explore with Natalie. You will stay here and do whatever your ma and I have for you to do. Understand?!” Thomas said to Jimmy downstairs. 

“But… But… That’s not even fair!” Jimmy cried.

I walked downstairs then and put a hand on Thomas’ shoulder. I tried not to cry, seeing Jimmy so upset. 

“Now off to bed, and I don’t want to hear another peep out of either of you,” Thomas ordered. 

When Jimmy was upstairs, I looked over at Thomas and asked, “House arrest? Really?” 

“He’s gotta learn, dear. One way or the other. What else was I supposed to do? He bit her. I had to punish him or he would never learn.” 

I nodded, rubbing his back and pulling him close. “I know... And it don’t sound like he’s sorry about it either.” 

“He just doesn’t understand why girls are so different from boys. But I cant have him giving Natalie a black eye or biting her every time she makes him mad. What would you have done?” 

“Thing is I don’t think that she was the one who started it. Sounds like he was egging her on and she couldn’t take it anymore. But I told her that she couldn’t fight back and had to ignore it or she’d be stooping to his level.. And how he does it cause she’ll react.” 

“Yeah true. But she needs to quit hitting him and punching him too. I don’t think she was totally innocent in all of it.” 

“No, I know... But he doesn’t make it easy for her. Think of how the outlaws are for us and how hard it is not to fight back sometimes…” I kissed him softly and shook my head. 

“Do you think I was too hard on him?” 

“I think dear.. that you miss enforcing justice. Because there’s not been a single case in months... and yes, maybe a tad harsh. I think he should still be allowed to go out of the house but... Still do the cleaning and dishes… But... I trust you honey, and it’s up to you. I’ll support you no matter what.” 

Thomas thought about that and said, “Well I think one day in the house will make him think twice at least. I will give a little slack on the second day. Only after all his chores are done, and he’s finished whatever we want him to do.” 

“I think that’s fair, honey. I don’t think I need to punish Natalie though... We have to let her stand up for herself to some degree... Though she shouldn’t have tackled him right there in the saloon either.” 

Thomas pulled me close and snuggled me on the couch. “I will leave that up to you dear. You are better at getting her to understand than I am. I just gotta whack Jimmy in the head with a shovel to get through his thick head.” 

“I’ll take Natalie on a long walk tomorrow and we’ll talk about it. She’ll understand.” I took his hand then and stood. “Let’s go to bed, sweetheart.” 

He took my hand and followed me upstairs, telling me he loved me as we fell asleep.