"Nettie?" Buck walked into the kitchen looking for Miz Nettie. "Miss Nettie?"

Suddenly, Nettie came out of the pantry and startled Buck. "Lands sakes boy. What's all the hollering about?"

"Jeesh, Miss Nettie ya like ta took years off my life, scaring me like that."

"Like what? Yer the one hollering in my kitchen. What did you want?"

"I was wondering if you had any of those wonderful brownies left."

"The only ones left are the ones Vin made. If you want to risk it, go ahead."

"How bad could they be?" Buck took a brownie and took a little bite. //Not too bad// Buck decided it couldn't hurt, so he ate the brownie. "Thanks Nettie." Buck said as he left the kitchen.

"Nettie?" Chris walked into the kitchen looking for Miz Nettie. "Nettie?"

"What is all the hollerin' about today?" Nettie said as she entered from the garden.

"I only called twice Nettie."

"You did, but Buck was also in here hollering."

"What did Buck want? Did he tell you that I needed JD's medicine 'cause he's feeling poorly?"

"No. He came in to steal a brownie." Nettie washed her hands and went into the pantry. She returned with a small brown bottle. "It's pretty empty Chris."

"Really? Has JD been having more trouble?"

"No not JD. Vin was in here last week asking about something to help him go, but he was acting shy about the whole topic. I gave him a small amount with some milk and sugar."

Chris thought for a minute. //Haven't seen Vin using the outhouse more than usual// "If he comes back to you Nettie, let me know." He shook the bottle. "I may have to get more of this from the Doc. There's not much here."

"Let me know if you do because I have to go to town and I could send the Doc out."

"Why don't you do that? That way he can check Vin out too."

Chris left Miss Nettie to prepare for town and he headed up to give JD some medicine.

"Hey Ez? Whad ya do wrong?" JD was standing in Ezra's doorway looking at his older brother.

"JD go away. You aren't supposed to be in here anyway." Ezra tried to ignore JD. He had been lying on his stomach and reading a book when JD opened his door, without knocking, and started to bother him.

"Who says? I ain't the one who gotted in trouble. You are." JD was quite proud of himself. It was very rare when he could tease his brothers. He was so smug that he didn't notice Chris enter the hallway and hear the entire conversation.

"John Daniel Dunne!"

"Ut-oh." JD turned around to see Chris scowling.

"Hey Chris."

"Don't 'hey Chris' me young man. Apologize to Ezra now."

JD put his head down and said, "Sorry Ez."

"Good. Now go to your room."

"Why?"

"Since you find it so funny that Ezra is stuck in his room, you can stay in yours for the day. Now go."

JD ran, crying, all the way to his room. When he got there, he slammed to door as hard as he could.

"What are you doing Ez?"

"Reading a book Josiah 'suggested'."

"Oh yeah. I'm sorry, that seems like cruel punishment." Chris smiled.

Ezra set the book down and caught Chris' joke. "It's actually not too bad. Just a little heavy on morality."

Chris was going to respond, when he hear JD's door slam. He turned to deal with JD and asked Ezra, "Do you want your door closed?"

"No sir. I'm feeling a little closed in." Ezra smiled slightly. Chris knew that Ezra usually enjoyed the first few days of confinement, but after that, he became restless. Vin on the other hand, hated being confined indoors period.

"Okay. I'll see you at supper then."

"Thanks Chris." Ezra returned to his book and Chris headed to JD's room.

JD was mad. He opened his window and leaned out to hear what Josiah was saying to Buck. He was startled when his door opened. Chris was not happy.

"Young man. I'm trying to keep my patience with you because I know you're bored and not feeling well, but I will not allow you to tease Ezra or slam this door. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir. I's sorry."

"Good, now come over here and take this medicine."

"I feel fine now Chris." JD didn't like medicine.

"I'm glad to hear that, but you're still taking this." Chris poured the last of the medicine in a spoon and held it for JD.

"Please Chris. It tastes yucky."

"JD." Recognizing the tone, JD took the medicine and cried. Chris gave him a hug and said, "JD. When you need the outhouse you go. Then I want you back in this room. Is that clear?"

"Yeah."

"I'll be downstairs or in the barn if you need me."

Chris left and JD went back to the window and watched Buck run to the outhouse.

Chris found Vin and Josiah in the barn cleaning out a stall for Vin's new horse.

"Boys."

"Hey Chris?"

"Yeah Vin?"

"Josiah's helping me prepare a spot for Peso fer when he's broke."

//Peso// Chris looked at Josiah who only smiled.

"That's the name Vin has come up with."

"Why 'Peso' Vin?" Chris sat on a bale of hay and waited for the explanation. Vin saw this and moved to sit next to Chris.

"I's named him Peso 'cause it would have sounded funny to call him dollars." Vin said matter of factly.

"Dollars?" Chris was confused.

"It seems Vin thought he had to buy his own saddle, so when he asked me what kind of saddle he could get with $5.23, I explained that he didn't have to buy a saddle, that we already had one that would work."

Chris gave him a look that said, 'and?'.

"And, since he had the dollars, he considered naming the horse that."

Vin interrupted with excitement. "I's 'membered what my mama said once about in Mexico theys had different moneys. I asked Josiah what kind they had and when he said 'Peso' I's liked it so that's his name."

Chris could tell that Vin was real proud of his figuring so he leaned over and hugged his brother. "Where'd you get $5.23 anyway Vin?"

Vin looked at Chris like a deer caught in a rifle site. Josiah saw the look and decided to rescue him.

"Five of it was from a bet he and Ezra split on the last day of school." Josiah said.

Chris spun around and looked at Josiah. "You've got to be kidding?"

"Nope. Ezra confessed. He told me it was some bet about someone using an outhouse and he split the money between the winner, Vin and himself."

Chris turned to Vin who had returned to cleaning the stall. "Vin? Come here please."

Vin slowly made his way back to Chris. "What part in this did you play? Ezra doesn't share money easily."

"I just helped by counting the outhouse visits and stuff." Vin didn't want to admit anything.

"You told me that you weren't getting into mischief on Friday. Did you lie to me?"

Vin's head snapped up. "NO! I's didn't lie to ya Chris honest. Ezra and me set up the bettin' on Thursday. All's we did Friday was tally the times the outhouse was used. Honest."

Chris noticed the panic in Vin's eyes. All the boys had learned at an early age that lying was one of the things their pa was strict about. When he had died, Chris and Josiah enforced all of Pa's expectations.

"Okay Vin. I believe you didn't lie exactly, but you were causing mischief and you also know that withholding information is just as bad as lying."

"I didn't think of it that way. I's sorry."

"I want you to go up to your room and think about what I said about leaving out information Vin. I'll call you for supper."

"Yes sir." Vin turned to leave before he started to cry. He stopped when he heard Chris.

"By the way Vin. Are you feeling any better from last week?"

"I feel fine. I ain't been sick." Vin said.

"No problems at all?"

"Nope."

"Okay. Go on then." Chris looked puzzled.

"What's wrong Chris?" Josiah asked.

"I'm not sure Josiah but I'll figure it out soon enough."

"Where's JD?"

"In his room."

"Really?" Josiah raised an eyebrow.

"He wasn't feeling good and then I caught him teasing Ezra, so I sent him to his room."

"Could be a quiet afternoon if Ezra, Vin and JD are stuck in their rooms."

"Where's Buck?" Chris asked.

"Not feeling well. He's camped out in the outhouse."

Chris got quiet.

"What are you thinking?" Josiah mused.

"I want to go talk to Buck." Chris left the barn and Josiah behind to think. There was something going on and all he had to do was put all the pieces of the puzzle together.

Dinner was quiet. Everyone noticed that Chris was deep in thought. Josiah had questioned him and only got one-word answers from him. Buck hadn't felt like eating, but he still sat with his family, while Ezra, Vin and JD didn't speak at all except to ask for something. Nathan was curious about the whole scene.

Miss Nettie entered with desert and handed out seven pieces of warm apple pie. She also poured the four oldest brothers a cup of coffee and some milk for the three youngest. Half way through desert, Chris spoke.

"Boys." He knew he had their attention. "We have a puzzle and I want to see what everyone else knows."

"What kind of puzzle brother?" Josiah asked.

"I won't know that until I can see the whole picture. There have been a few things going on around here that I'm puzzled about."

"Like what?" Buck asked.

"Like what happened to JD's medicine if no one else has been sick?"

Miz Nettie spoke up. "I gave that to Vin last Thursday because he said he was having a problem going to the outhouse."

Chris turned to Vin. "Well? You told me this afternoon that you haven't been sick."

"I haven't." Vin said. "I asked Miz Nettie a question. I never said I was sick."

Chris looked at Nettie with a question. "Well, I suppose that is true. He never came right out and said he was feeling poorly. I just assumed since he was acting so shy, that he just didn't want to talk about it. I did give him some of the medicine though, and he drank it."

Chris looked back to Vin. "Did you drink the medicine?"

"No sir." Vin put his head down and resisted Chris when he tried to lift his chin.

"Vin, look at me." Vin looked up. "If you didn't drink the medicine, then what did you drink in front of Nettie?"

"Milk and sugar."

"I saw the medicine in the cup when I poured the milk in."

Chris looked at Vin. Knowing what Chris was asking without a single word, Vin sighed. "I dumped it out and changed it with vanilla."

"Why?"

"I wasn't sick." Vin simply stated.

"Okay. We'll come back to that." Chris turned to Buck. "Now Buck was fine until after lunch and then he couldn't stay out of the outhouse he was so sick. We all had the same thing for lunch. Why did Buck get sick?"

Miz Nettie laughed. "Probably from eating one of Vin's brownies."

It wasn't missed when Vin's head snapped up. "Buck, did you eat a brownie?"

"Yeah. It tasted fine. Come to think about it, I did get sick shortly after eating it."

"I've eaten Vin's brownies. I've never gotten sick." Chris turned to Vin. "Do you want to tell me what was in those brownies?"

"No." Vin whispered.

Chris spun around. "What?"

"Ya'll know my brownies is bad. Why did ya eat it Buck?"

"Why wasn't I supposed to?"

"Just 'cause." Vin pouted.

"Vin, I think I see the problem." Chris turned to Nettie. "Where you two making these brownies when you gave Vin the medicine that Vin dumped?"

"Yes. You don't think that medicine could have gotten into the brownies by accident do you?"

Chris turned back to Vin. "Was it an accident?"

"No sir."

"What!" Nettie, Buck, Nathan, and Josiah yelled at the same time.

"My next question may sound ridiculous, but why?"

"Why what?" Vin asked.

"Why would you want to do this?"

"I didn't mean fer nobody here ta get sick."

"It happened though Vin. Who were you trying to get?"

Vin chewed his bottom lip for a few minutes.

"I want an answer Kevin."

Vin knew he had to confess now. Chris only called him Kevin when he was in big trouble. "I was tryin' ta get even with a bully at school."

"So you gave this bully one of your brownies?"

"No sir. He stole it. I figgered he got what's comin' ta him iffen he steals somethin' that ain't his."

Chris had to keep from laughing. He actually agreed with Vin. "Did you know he was going to steal it?"

"Not fer sure. He steals my desert everyday. It was... how did you say it Ez?"

"Good odds." Ezra supplied before he took a bite of his desert. Ezra was trying to keep the fire from his end of the table. //I am so glad I confessed to Josiah//

"Ezra?" Chris waited for Ezra to look at him. "I take it your betting was based on this bully using the outhouse?"

"Yes sir."

"And you saw nothing wrong with what the two of you did?"

"I saw nothing wrong with Vin's logic. That bully was causing Vin grief everyday. Most days Nathan and I could keep them from fighting and some days we couldn't."

Chris remembered a few of those fights. "Go on."

"It was Vin's idea and it was a good one. No one really got hurt and the bully deserved what he got."

Chris looked at Josiah. "Was this some of what you saw on Friday? With the gambling?"

"I didn't know about the bet on Friday until Saturday. Ezra confessed to taking the bets but he didn't tell me about what exactly the bet was." There was a pause.

Chris spoke. "He had asked me how I would feel if a bully got his comeuppance."

"What does comup..ant mean?" Vin asked.

Josiah smiled. "It means that the person got what they deserved."

Vin turned back to Chris. "What did you tell him?" Vin was curious whether he was in trouble or not.

"I told him that as long as that person wasn't hurt, seriously, then I would be okay with it."

"Really?" Vin was shocked.

"Knowing that, would you please tell me what you did and to who?"

"I put JD's medicine in the brownies. Just mine though."

"Is that why you and Ezra were talking about brownies and he snitched on me?"

"I never snitch." Ezra said indignantly.

"Ezra?"

"Yeah Josiah?"

"Be quiet." Josiah said with a smile.

"I didn't want nobody to get sick but the person who deserved it."

"Who?"

"Jake Peterson." Nathan added.

Vin put his head down.

"Peterson? That boy has caused problems all year." Chris said with disgust.

"Ya don't got ta tell me. Half the time he lied ta the teacher 'bout who started what, and I'd get in trouble."

"I think it is time to have a talk with Jake Peterson's pa." Josiah growled.

"Yer not mad I done it?" Vin asked.

"Vin. I wish there could have been another way, but considering the boy probably wasn't hurt badly, and he did steal the brownie, I can't be too angry. I do wish you boys had come to me or Josiah and let us know the problem had gotten so bad, but sometimes a bully just needs a dose of his own medicine." Chris laughed.

"Don't ya mean JD's medicine, Cowboy?" Vin added.

"Don't get cheeky little brother. I'm not going to punish you this time because it was a harmless prank, but I don't want to hear of anymore 'pranks' for the entire summer. Clear?"

"Yes sir." Vin answered.

Chris turned to his family and added, "That goes for all of ya."

"Hey. I never do that sort of stuff." Nathan complained.

"I bet Mr. Jackson couldn't think up such creative pranks."

Josiah cleared his throat and looked at Ezra. "It was a figure of speak Josiah. I promised you, no more gambling."

Satisfied, Josiah turned to Chris. "So is that the whole picture?"

"God I hope so. Vin and Ezra have been very busy. They obviously don't have enough to do." Chris added with mischief.

"Maybe more chores?" Josiah added when he saw that Vin and Ezra thought they were serious.

Not to be left out, Buck added, "I think you should give them the yucky chores."

"Hey! I have already been punished, severely I might add." Ezra said.

"I thought you said you wasn't mad Cowboy?" Vin said sadly.

Josiah, Chris and Buck shared a look and then burst out laughing.

"Not funny." Ezra said. "May I be excused?"

"Go ahead Ezra." Josiah said and continued to laugh as Ezra returned to his room.

"I agree with Ez. You guys ain't funny. May I be excused too?"

Chris just nodded his head because he was laughing so hard.

"Can I go out to the corral or do I have to go back to my room?"

Chris composed himself. "Stay out of the corral and away from the wild horses. Okay?"

"Yes sir." Vin ran out the door before Chris could change his mind.

"Well boys. I'm still not feeling 100% so I'm going to go lay down on the couch and read the paper." Buck left the room.

"Can I go too Chris?"

"How do you ask properly JD?"

"May I please be excused?"

"Yes you may, but I want you to stay inside. It's almost time for bed."

"Aw I wanted to go check the kitties in the barn." JD pouted.

"Not tonight JD. You can play with your toys and keep Buck company." Chris added.

"Okay." JD scampered off to find Buck.

Josiah looked at the evil grin on Chris' face. "That was mean."

"What?" Chris asking innocently.

Nathan giggled. "May I be excused?"

"Yeah go ahead Nate." Josiah said and watched Nathan leave the dining room. "You had better go check on Vin. No telling what that boy could get into unsupervised."

"I trust him to not disobey me, at least tonight." Chris stood and left Josiah laughing at his brother's antics.