Bonanza
~*~*~ Advent Calendar ~*~*~
* Day 1 *

Summary:  Hoss helps Miss Jones make the annual Christmas pageant “extra special.”
Rating:  G
Words:  2,850

Baa-Baa

Hoss never could figure out a way to say “no” to Abigail Jones.

This fact was entirely the fault of his brothers – no doubt about it. Firstly, anyone with eyes could tell that Miss Jones was sweet on Adam.  She was always a lady, mind you. You wouldn’t catch Abigail Jones throwing herself at no one.  She was much too dignified. But . . . if longing eyes could swing a lasso and frustrated sighs could tie a sturdy knot, Adam would be tied up and dragged to the altar before he could pinch the bridge of his nose.

Secondly, Miss Jones liked Little Joe well enough, but she’d been his schoolteacher for years. Hoss loved his younger brother to pieces, but he knew what an ornery little cuss the kid had been. Miss Jones had put up with all manner of shenanigans from the boy. While it couldn’t be said that she was exactly patient with Joe, she’d always been fair.

All this history with his brothers made it real difficult for Hoss to say “no” to any request she made of him, even though she wasn’t a bit sweet on him, and he hadn’t even been in her class. Hoss just felt that given all the disappointment she must feel with Adam and Joe, someone needed to show a little consideration.  And it turned out that “someone” was usually Hoss.

XXXXXXXXXX

“Eric! Eric?  Do you have just a moment to speak with me?”

“Here, let me put these sacks in the wagon. Can you step back just a mite?  There, that’ll work. ‘Hoss’ is fine, ma’am.”

“Well, Er . . . Hoss . . . I was wondering . . . could you do a small favor for me?  I happen to be in charge of this year’s Christmas pageant. I was thinking . . . wouldn’t it be wonderful to do something different?”

“Different?”

“Yes!  You know that every year, we have the children dress up as animals for the Nativity scene. But, what if . . .  we had an actual sheep in the pageant! It would be much more atmospheric, don’t you agree?”

“Miss Abigail, you know we don’t have sheep at the ranch. Pa don’t even like sheep much, come to think of it.”

“Of course, I know that. But you have such a way with animals that I thought that perhaps you knew of a place to borrow sheep?”

“Borrow sheep? Can’t say I ever heard of that before.”

“I’ll admit, I’m asking for a lot. I did think of asking Adam. He’s such a superb businessman, I was sure that he had sheep connections.  I saw him just a little while ago, but he didn’t hear me when I called his name.”

“Yeah . . . he can be a little hard of hearing sometimes. I’ll be sure to let him know what he missed.”

“You’ll help me then?  You are the most wonderful person! Having a real, live sheep will make the pageant extra special. Now, we’ll need the sheep Friday at the community center no later than 4:30.  Are you sure it’s not too much trouble?”

“Don’t you worry about a thing, Miss Abigail.  I believe I may have sheep connections of my own.”

XXXXXXXXXX

Hoss made a point of never telling a lie, especially to ladies. In fact, he did have “sheep connections.” It just so happened that one of the fellows Hoss played horseshoes with after church was a sheep rancher. Cyril Grueber had a nice piece of fenced land where he kept a flock of sheep he raised for wool.  While Hoss didn’t know Cyril well, he did know him some.  After all, it never hurt to ask.

XXXXXXXXXXX

“Borrow a sheep? Hoss, these animals aren’t bric-a-brac. This is how I make a living.”

“Cyril, I know it. I just need one for a few days.  A little one that the kids can handle on stage. Can’t you just picture it?  There with Mary, Joseph and the little shepherds and angels all dressed up like in the Bible?  It’ll be atmospheric.”

“I don’t even know what that means, but it sounds like pure foolishness to me. Eh, it’s Christmas. Hmmm, most of my herd is too big for little kids to manage. Well . . . I do have one runt I can loan you.”

In two shakes of a lamb’s tail, Cyril and his sons had a quick discussion. Then with some whistles and hollers, the boys sent a couple of furry dogs to gather up the flock and bring them in close. A few more whistles and hollers, and those dogs singled out the sheep Cyril had in mind. One of the boys grabbed a feed bucket and coaxed the animal out where they could all get a good look at it.

Hoss put a cautious hand on the sheep’s back. The wool felt thick and springy with a trace of oil. The sheep didn’t seem to mind being touched. In fact, it seemed placid and appreciative of the food. He didn’t know much about sheep, but he did know critters. This specimen looked about the right size and healthy – just noticeably smaller than the others.

It was also black.

“Cyril, I appreciate this. It’s a fine-lookin’ sheep and just the right size. The only thing is . . . I’m guessing that Miss Abigail pictured a white sheep for the pageant. Don’t you have a little white sheep I could borrow?”

“This little lady was born later than the rest – that’s why she’s smaller. I figure all the rest of them are too big for the kids to manage. Anyway, if you like her – I’ll even let you keep her. Don’t have much use for a black sheep – wool not fit to dye, ya know.”

Hoss pondered for a moment. He’d promised Miss Abigail a sheep. Here was a sheep – healthy, polite, and just the right size.  He reckoned the color wouldn’t matter too much after all.

“Thank you, Cyril.  Don’t worry, I’ll get her back to you after the pageant.” He shook hands with Cyril and the boys, gave Blackie a little pat on the head, and the deal was done. They could all hear the dinner bell ringing, and Cyril wasn’t in the mood to linger. The shepherds went their hasty way.

Hoss hadn’t really considered how to get the sheep to the ranch. It turned out to be easy enough. After getting a bucket of food from Hoss, the little sheep was content to trot along behind Chub (who was only a little skittish), and they headed slowly back to the Ponderosa.

XXXXXXXXXX

By the time they’d made it home, it was mostly dark.  Hoss took that as a good sign.  He really wanted to ease into this discussion with his father.  He coaxed Blackie into the barn, checked to make sure she had straw for a bed and water, and ambled inside for his own supper.

His timing couldn’t have been better. The family was at the table ready to start without him (hah!) and he’d worked up an appetite that only Hop Sing’s pork chops and potatoes would satisfy.

Hoss knew from experience that his pa was always in a better mood after a good dinner with his sons. So, he waited until Pa had settled into his chair with a lit pipe to bring up the irregularity in the barn.

“You’re kidding me?”

“No, sir. I borrowed a little sheep from Cyril Grueber. She’s bedded down in the barn.”

“How did you know where to get a sheep?”

“Joseph, you may not have realized this, but I have sheep connections.”

“You know, you can actually tell Abigail Jones, ‘No,’ once in a while.”

“I guess I could’ve just pretended I didn’t hear her calling me, Adam.”

“I suppose it will be all right.  I want the sheep returned immediately after the pageant.  Do you understand?”

“Yes, pa.”

XXXXXXXXXX

Hoss hadn’t known what to expect with a sheep. It turned out the animal was easy to get along with and convenient to have around to boot.

Of course, he learned right quick that Blackie was a little nervous being away from her flock. Hoss could understand that being family-oriented himself.  So, he made sure to spend as much time with her as possible. It got so she would follow him around the yard as he worked.  She took a shine to Chub and his brothers’ horses, too. They didn’t seem to mind her associating with them in the corral, and she acted more relaxed in the group.

His family weren’t as mellow. Hoss discovered that his pa had a real prejudice about sheep in general even though Blackie was just as nice as she could be. His brothers found it all funny and Hoss had to put up with plenty of wisecracks about Blackie “following him to school.”

Hop Sing was the one who discovered Blackie’s usefulness. Their cook coaxed the little sheep to the weeds tangled around the garden fence, and Blackie had the area cleared in no time. After that, they all sorted of pointed her in the direction of unwanted vegetation and let her work.  She was such a handy thing to have around it made him wonder.

“You know, Pa, Cyril mentioned that he didn’t really have use for a black sheep . . .”

“No.”

“Yes, sir.”

XXXXXXXXXX

Hoss and Blackie arrived in Virginia City shortly before Miss Abigail’s appointed time.  He’d fretted a bit about putting the sheep in the wagon, but it didn’t seem smart to walk her all the way from the Ponderosa to town. After all, she had a show to do. In the end, it worked out fine. Blackie seemed to enjoy the trip.

He said good-bye to his pa and brothers to allow them to find seats in the audience.  He and Blackie headed around back. It looked like every small child in the schoolhouse was part of the show somehow. They were all dressed up in some sort of Biblical costume and milling around in the alley behind the building.  When they spotted Hoss and Blackie, the children surged forward, eager to meet their co-star.

Blackie took it all in stride, allowing everyone to pat and admire her.  In fact, the crowd around the sheep was so thick Miss Abigail couldn’t even get close enough to speak quietly with the Hoss, much less get a peek at the center of attention.

“Hoss!  Avery and Daniel will be taking the sheep onto the stage. Would you please show them how to handle her?  They’ll bring her inside through that door.”

He waved to let the schoolteacher know he’d heard and understood. For the next few minutes, he was focused on gaining control of the sheep and the children.  Didn’t want either to be hurt in all the excitement. He explained carefully to everyone involved how to treat her and how to coax her where they wanted her to go using food.  He supposed that he could have let the children take her inside, but he’d come this far with Blackie.

He’d just carried the bleating sheep over the threshold like a wooly bride when Abigail Jones got her first look at the sheep.

“Hoss! That is a black sheep!” She didn’t quite holler at him, but she came close.

“Yes, ma’am. This was the only small sheep I could get. The other ‘uns was too big for the kids to manage.”

Abigail Jones stood looking at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. Her mouth opened and closed like she wanted to say something, and she twisted her hands as if she wanted to grab something. Finally, her ladylike dignity carried the day.

“Fine. Thank you for all your trouble. I’m sure it will be fine. The show must go on.”

Uh-oh. That didn’t sound like “fine” to Hoss. There was no help for it, though. She’d asked for a sheep, and he’d found a sheep – a real nice sheep, in fact. Hoss couldn’t think of anything else to say or do, so he headed to the audience to join his family.

XXXXXXXXXX

All things considered, the Christmas pageant went very well. The older children came out and recited Christmas poems they’d written (Little Joe slept through those), sang an assortment of Christmas carols, and performed a short dance created by Miss Jones herself.  (Little Joe giggled through that).

Finally, the stage was cleared and reset for the telling of the Christmas story. Poor Mary and Joseph went from house to house in Bethlehem looking for a room. Finally, an innkeeper pointed them toward the barn. The stage went dark momentarily, and when the lights were turned back up, the “baby” was lying in the manger.

A chorus of tiny angels sang off key in celebration of the blessed event.  Just as they finished their song of rejoicing, the two shepherds entered, holding a fistful of straw in front of Blackie’s nose to encourage her to join the scene. They led her right to the front of the stage where her dark wool made a nice contrast to the white robes of the little angel chorus.

It would be accurate to say that Blackie was a sensation. Sadly, the reaction from the audience wasn’t quite what Miss Abigail had hoped.

Hoss couldn’t believe what a big fuss people were making about one little black sheep – and folks weren’t keeping their disapproving remarks quiet, either. In fact, they were loud enough to distract the children on stage who stopped performing altogether in confusion.  Even Blackie was looking downcast.

He couldn’t stay quiet any longer when he saw poor Miss Abigail peeking around the curtain, hand over her mouth and tears glittering in her eyes.

He passed his hat which he’d been clutching in his lap to his father and stood up to address the crowd.

“I want everyone in here to pipe down and listen to me. Yes, that means you, Jedidiah. We all heard your opinion on black sheep. Now, you’re all going to hear my opinion.

First of all, Miss Abigail and the children have done a real nice job with this Christmas pageant and this brouhaha just ain’t respectful to them.

Second, it seems to me that folks here have forgotten the meaning of this holiday and the reason for this pageant.

I keep hearing people talk about how black sheep are different, and that they’re unlucky, and not useful.  Someone even said it was bad to show a black sheep next to the baby Jesus ‘cause being a black sheep is something people call sinners.

Last I heard, every one of us is a sinner. In fact, the only reason we have any chance at Heaven is because of the baby Jesus being born here on Earth. There’s a story in the Bible about the shepherd who leaves a big ol’ flock just to save one sheep that’s gone astray. Sounds to me like Jesus wasn’t giving up on sinners no matter what color wool.

You know what I think? Blackie here, who is the nicest little sheep you could ever meet, is just about perfect for this pageant. We can’t all be pure as the driven snow, can we?  Having a little black sheep here is . . . is . . . Adam, what’s the word I’m lookin’ for?”

“Symbolic.”

“That’s the one. Having a black sheep, different, unlucky, sinful – whatever you want to call it is symbolic of all the sinners Jesus was born to save. I think everyone in here owes Miss Abigail and the children an apology for the ruckus.”

Hoss sat down to the smiles and loving touches of his family and waited. It took a few moments, but the people of Virginia City did not disappoint him. The applause started slowly and built quickly to a thunderous standing ovation. Miss Abigail and the children were all smiles and laughter – patting and praising Blackie for being such a good symbol of God’s love for mankind.

It took quite a while for the crowd to thin out enough for Hoss to go see about Blackie.  He’d just gotten within arm’s reach of the sheep when Cyril Grueber appeared.

“Hoss, that was some speech. I know I said you could keep the sheep, but Mrs. Taylor says that she can use wool just that color, and she’d like to buy Blackie’s fleece in the spring.”

“Take her back to her flock, Cyril. She’s been missing them something awful.”

Hoss gave Blackie a last pat on the head and watched Cyril lead her outside. He couldn’t help himself; he was gonna miss her.

Just as he was heading outside to join his family, Miss Abigail appeared at his side.

“Hoss, thank you again for the sheep . . . and for the speech. It was perfect. You are so wise. I was really moved by your words.”

“Think nothing of it. I’m happy to help. Sorry that folks got silly about Blackie – that wasn’t called for.  Have a Merry Christmas, Miss Abigail.”

“Thank you, Hoss.  You do the same. There’s just something I was wondering.”

Yes, ma’am?”

“Hoss . . . I was wondering . . . if maybe . . . do you sing?”

XXXXXXXXXX MERRY CHRISTMAS XXXXXXXXXXX

My 2023 Advent Calendar prompt was: “The shepherds went their hasty way” from The Shepherds Went their Hasty Way by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Link to Bonanza Brand 2023 Advent Calendar – Day 2 – We Are Merry by PSW