Journal Entry 10

Today has been a day full of chores and a day trying to keep Kate out of trouble. It all started at breakfast this morning. Hemy and I were making pancakes when Kate comes in, drunker than a skunk, and starts calling us names. Kate was stumbling all over the kitchen, knocking things off the table and counters. Who knows when or why she started drinking. I honestly don’t think she needs a reason to drink. I think she drinks out of habit. Hemy and I took Kate to her bed. She passed out the moment her head plopped on the pillow.

I was hoping Kate would sleep the day away. I would let Joshua take care of her the moment he returned from town. It didn’t happen. Kate was up again in two hours causing trouble again. Only this time she was harassing some of the people trying to put up walls on one of the new bunkhouses. She was stumbling around tossing things here and there being vulgar and rude. The people were doing their best to keep her from hurting herself or anyone else. I grabbed Kate’s bottle of Gin out of her hands and smashed it on the ground. I grabbed Kate’s arm and drug her back to her bed. I yelled at her to stay put. I threatened her with bodily harm if she came out again. I also said a few other things that I won’t repeat but the girl ticked me off. Kate crashed on her bed. I took the opportunity to look everywhere for a hidden stash of Gin. I didn’t find any. I was certain she didn’t have anymore.

I went back to my chores. I occasionally went to Kate’s room and listened at the door to make sure she was behaving. I never heard anything. I assumed she had been sleeping. I was wrong. Unexpectedly, Cecelia came running up to the house saying Kate was causing trouble. I don’t know when Kate got out of her room but she managed to make it all the way to the cattle.