Kat~ December 17, 1774

The reason why I haven't written to you diary in almost two months time is because I decided to run away, with my mare Jieny, of course. You see, with Vanna, Jacob, and even Robert gone, I became really weak without them. Father was sad, grandparents were sad, and Claire was very sad. I was destined to get the horse so I snuck out and ran miles and miles with her. I was begging one day in a large, busy city so I could find something to eat, but the next the food came to me. I was captured and brought to an orphanage in some strange city, where people treated me worse than I ever thought existed. My horse, Jieny, was lost and sickened....I think I'll never find her again. Well, you may be thinking why I didn't escape the orphanage immediately. The reason was that I was labeled "High Matainence Disobedient Child" so I had a woman on top of me at all times...her voice was like a cracking whip. But in a few days we got an indoor outhouse on the first floor. That's when I achieved sneaking out. Desperate to come home I went searching for my horse. I found her in the nearest stables...sickened. Few hours later she died. I was hyperventilating because I had no way to go home. I got very sick and had to walk myself to the nearest hospital. At night, after I got medicine, I escaped the hospital, not even knowing that I must pay. I found a horse outside and thought it was a stray because it had no saddle or markings. I quickly swung my self on top of the horse and ran the opposite way I came, not knowing this was the doctors horse. The next day I found a familiar face, it was our grandparents servant. He was galloping on a horse toward me yelling: WE FOUND HER!!!! KAT IS HERE!!! WE FOUND HER!!!! KAT IS HERE!!!! He said a search party has gone out looking for you and it has been one long, horrid, freezing week. Then I saw my Father who jumped off his horse right when he saw me and ran as fast as he could toward me, swung me off and hugged me so tight. We were all speechless. Then I realized just what I had run away from. I felt horrible on the inside and also very disgusting on the outside. We all galloped home and made it by night. The moment we arrived home I saw Claire looking out her window praying with a year streaked face, but when she saw me, she nearly had a seizure. Her eyeballs opened up so wide and ran down the stairs screaming. It was so sweet being home with my sister. Even if she was the only one left.