{"id":25338,"date":"2019-12-25T12:06:30","date_gmt":"2019-12-25T17:06:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=25338"},"modified":"2025-12-25T11:47:54","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T16:47:54","slug":"the-christmas-hostage-by-belle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=25338","title":{"rendered":"The Christmas Hostage (by Belle)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bonanza<\/strong><\/span>
\n~*~*~ Advent Calendar ~*~*~<\/strong><\/span>
\n* Day 6 *<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Summary: Can one good man overcome three Great Men?\u00a0 With gratitude to L. Frank Baum for providing inspiration<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Rating: G
\nWord Count:\u00a0 3,570<\/p>\n

The Christmas Hostage<\/strong><\/p>\n

In days long past when ordinary men and women faced dangers and challenges incredible to modern sensibilities, there lived a good man who raised good sons and made a habit of doing good things.<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright built a big rambling castle of a ranch house, the Ponderosa, where he, his sons, and ranch hands were as busy as one can be from one year\u2019s end to another. The Ponderosa was within sight of the loveliest lake anyone with even a bit of imagination could imagine. Sunbeams danced over the vibrant blue surface, and the lake was edged with tall trees and green meadows interspersed with wildflowers smiling up from their green nests.<\/p>\n

No one would expect that Ben and his sons who spent their days working on the big ranch would have had the time or energy to think of his neighbors at Christmas. But Ben loved Christmas, and he was determined that no child would lack a toy under the tree and no table would be empty of a feast if Ben and his boys could make up the difference. So, throughout the entire year Ben planned and saved and stored away items that would be useful and appreciated at Christmas, and every year Ben and his sons delivered gifts far and wide on Christmas Eve. For these acts of generosity and for many other very good reasons, Ben was loved by his neighbors. You would think that good men like Ben and his boys would have no enemies at all, but as you will soon hear that wasn\u2019t quite the case.<\/p>\n

About thirty miles from the beautiful lake was a great mountain. The sun dried the soil atop the mountain and baked the ground so that shrubs, grass and small trees had to struggle to survive the heat and zephyr winds that blew across the mountain. But, within the mountain lay great treasure the men of that time (and perhaps, even today) coveted greatly. The mountain was filled with caverns and burrows where men chipped and dug and toiled to bring the treasure up to the surface. It was difficult, dangerous, nasty work to tear treasure from the great mountain. Those men and boys who ventured into the mountain might go days without seeing sunlight and often suffered injuries during their labors.<\/p>\n

As often happens, great men (but not necessarily good men) owned pieces of the mountain, and they employed men to suffer the trials of bringing the treasure out. Some of these men did not like Ben Cartwright at all.<\/p>\n

The men I want to tell you about today were indifferent to beauty and insensible to the pain suffered by those who were not as great as they. These men did not make a habit of doing good things, and they were confounded by those who would make goodness a habit.<\/p>\n

One day a few of these men got together to enjoy some of the luxuries they could afford because of the labors of the men in the caverns and burrows they owned. As often happens with great men who possess small minds, they began to speak disparagingly of men who chose virtue and sacrifice rather than wickedness and greed.<\/p>\n

Leaning back into the plush softness of an ornate chair, Great Man One took a long pull on the fat cigar between his lips and commented bitterly, \u201cIt\u2019s nearly Christmas. Old Ben will be filling his wagon with stuff and nonsense for the local bumpkins, I suppose.\u201d<\/p>\n

Great Man Two huffed in annoyed agreement. \u201cEvery Christmas, it\u2019s all I hear. Ben brought my little brats toys. Ben made sure we had a Christmas feast. If these rustics had any gumption, they wouldn\u2019t need Ben and his boys to play Santa Claus. They could take care of themselves and provide their own Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Isn\u2019t that the truth?\u201d Great Man Three chimed in. \u201cBen is interfering in the natural way of things. I wouldn\u2019t much care but his interfering with nature is interfering with my business. My workers want all of Christmas day off and even the day after Christmas so they can feast and make merry on Ben Cartwright\u2019s largess.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other two great men agreed heartily with Great Man Three and went on to make other remarks too ill-tempered to repeat here. Soon, the three great men came to another agreement\u2014Ben Cartwright needed to stop playing Santa Claus, and they were determined to tell him so.<\/p>\n

As it happened, that very day, Ben came to visit the town perched on the side of the great mountain. He had made many purchases to complete his Christmas plans. When he saw the three great men approaching him, he offered them a warm smile and hearty greeting. The great men eyed the piles of toys and foodstuffs packed into Ben\u2019s wagon.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen, you sure have collected some wonderful things here,\u201d said Great Man One. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you keep this stuff for yourself? It\u2019s a pity to give it to noisy boys and fretful girls who are going to do nothing but break them all right away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNonsense,\u201d Ben laughed at the notion. \u201cEven the noisiest and most fretful children deserve presents. If I can make them happy for one day a year, that\u2019s enough for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Great Man Two spoke up. \u201cLook around you, Ben. There\u2019s shops up and down these streets selling toys and gifts. They make money for their trouble, but you aren\u2019t taking a dime for all of your work. Doesn\u2019t that bother you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot at all. These shops supply people year \u2018round. It\u2019s only right that they make money from all of their work. I\u2019m only offering my little trifles at Christmas. It would be a shame to take money for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Great Man Three was certain he had the perfect argument. \u201cBen, I think you need to hear about the awful things some folks say about you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben regarded the great man kindly. \u201cWell, perhaps you\u2019d better keep it to yourself. That kind of news isn\u2019t worth hearing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t escape it, my friend. There are plenty of folk who don\u2019t believe in any kind of Santa Claus and they wonder why you would act the way you do. They resent you and sneer at you and call you a foolish old man. Seeing as how they hate you, no one would fault you for hating them right back.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I don\u2019t hate them,\u201d Ben replied. \u201cThose folks don\u2019t hurt me at all; they just make themselves and their children unhappy. Poor souls, I would much rather help them than hate them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The three great men were dumbfounded. Ben wished them all a good day and greetings of the seasons. Then he climbed into his loaded wagon and rattled down the road back to his home by the lake.<\/p>\n

It was clear that the great men couldn\u2019t tempt Ben Cartwright in any way. On the contrary, he\u2019d seen right through their efforts to make mischief and trouble. His cheery laughter disconcerted them. So they abandoned their honeyed words and determined to use force.<\/p>\n

Everyone knew that no one could harm Ben Cartwright as long as he was on the Ponderosa. But everyone knew that on Christmas Eve, Ben left the Ponderosa with his loaded wagon so that he could deliver his gifts to the children. So the three great men laid their plans and waited for Christmas Eve to arrive.<\/p>\n

On that fateful night, the moon shone big and bright in the sky, and the snow lay crisp and sparkling as Ben cracked his whip and sped away from the Ponderosa. His three sons \u2013 Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe — were mounted on their favorite horses and trotted alongside the wagon packed full of toys and gifts. Ben and his boys laughed, whistled, and sang as they went along.<\/p>\n

It would be a busy night. As Ben drove the wagon, he reviewed all the places he was expected and figured he had just enough presents to go around and make every child happy. The knowledge comforted him, and he urged his sons to detour to a nearby homestead to deliver packages and rest their horses while he continued on with the wagon.<\/p>\n

Suddenly a strange thing happened. A rope shot through the moonlight and a big loop settled over Ben\u2019s arms and body, drawing tight around him. Before Ben could resist or even call out, he was jerked out of his seat and thrown into a snowbank. Without realizing their driver had suffered an accident, the horses pulling the wagon kept running on down the road and were soon out of sight.<\/p>\n

The unexpectedness of the attack confused Ben for a few moments, and he couldn\u2019t rally quickly enough to fight off his attackers. The three great men pulled him from the snow bank and bound him with stout rope. Then they carried their prisoner away to a nearby cave they\u2019d prepared and chained him to the rocky wall so he couldn\u2019t escape.<\/p>\n

\u201cOoooh, what will the poor wee children do now?\u201d the great men taunted poor Ben. \u201cWill they cry and fuss when their stockings are empty? Will their little tummies ache without the meats and pies they were dreaming of? What will they say about Ben Cartwright after this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Laughing heartily, Great Man Two and Great Man Three mounted their horses to head back to their cheerless homes in town, leaving Great Man One to guard their Christmas hostage.
\nOf course, the three great men had completely forgotten about Ben\u2019s sons. They hadn\u2019t considered the love and concern the young men had for their father. They certainly didn\u2019t count on the boys returning quickly from the homestead to order to rendezvous with their father and assist him.<\/p>\n

When Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe caught up with the wagon, imagine their surprise to find the it full of Christmas gifts but without their father. They were just as upset and worried as you would think they might be.<\/p>\n

After tying his mount to the wagon, Adam climbed into the seat, and the three men circled back to where they had last seen their father. Even a green horn could have read the story left in the snow by the attackers, and Adam, Hoss and Little Joe were no slouches.<\/p>\n

Hoss was known as the best tracker in the entire territory. It took him no time at all to read the story told by the marks and tracks and figure out where to search for his father.<\/p>\n

Hoss told his brothers. \u201cThese \u2018uns left a trail a blind man could follow, and I see real good. You take the wagon and make the deliveries while I find Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t let you do that alone!\u201d Little Joe interrupted. \u201cWhat if there\u2019s a big passel of varmints?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry about me, little brother. I can handle myself. Somethin\u2019 tells me these fellers are nothin\u2019 but cut-rate amateurs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam and Little Joe shared a look. It was very true that Hoss could handle himself. It was also very true that a lot of children were counting on them for Christmas. They all knew what Pa would say if he were there to voice his opinion.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d Adam conceded. \u201cLittle Joe and I will deliver this stuff. We\u2019ll make quick work of it and come find you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPfft,\u201d scoffed Hoss. \u201cTake your time. Pa and I will be waiting at the house for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

And so the sons agreed to split up. Hoss would follow the trail and rescue their Pa. Adam and Joe would divide the gifts and make the deliveries. The two brothers watched Hoss move quietly through the snow, following the tracks and broken branches until their middle brother was out of sight.<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, Adam?\u201d ask Little Joe. \u201cHow do we know which presents go to which little kids?\u201d<\/p>\n

They hadn\u2019t even thought of that. Ben knew, of course, which child had asked for a particular toy, but he hadn\u2019t thought to share that information with the boys. Putting their heads together, the two young men talked about the families they planned to visit and made their best guesses for the children involved. Soon, they too were on their way.<\/p>\n

XXXXXXXXXX<\/p>\n

Ben hadn\u2019t planned on being chained to a rocky wall for Christmas, but he didn\u2019t become too upset by it either. As it happened, Ben and his boys had experienced perhaps more than their fair share of abductions\u2014some people said they could write a book on the subject. So, Ben saved his strength and kept a good attitude. He did try to engage Great Man One in conversation a few times, but to no avail. So, Ben settled back to rest while awaiting rescue. He did worry, just a little, whether his sons would deliver the correct present to each child. Next year, he promised himself, he would write it all down should something like this happen again.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been leaning back against the cold rock, sitting as comfortably as a man chained to a wall could manage, when he heard it. Determined to be as much assistance as possible, Ben cast about for an idea and broke the silence with a question that had been on his mind for some time.<\/p>\n

\u201cForgive me if I am not justified in what I ask, but I see something strange, and not belonging to yourself, protruding from your skirts. Is it a foot or a claw?\u201d<\/p>\n

In the time it took for Great Man One to splutter with indignation, Hoss crept up silently behind the kidnapper. Disarming the great man was no trouble at all.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood to see you, Pa.\u201d Hoss liberated the key to the shackles from the great man and quickly liberated his father from the offending chains. \u201cWhat were you talkin\u2019 about just now?\u201d<\/p>\n

The new captive huffed in annoyance and perhaps a little embarrassment before opening his coat to reveal an astonishing sight\u2014a whole chicken, plucked, tied and ready for cooking was hanging from a string around the great man\u2019s neck allowing the clawed feet to occasionally dangle beneath the coat\u2019s hem.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, doggone, doesn\u2019t that beat all?\u201d Hoss whistled in surprise.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis happens to be my Christmas supper, young man,\u201d Great Man One replied with dignity. \u201cIf I failed to keep it close, someone would have stolen it from me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, have you ever seen such a scrawny bird for Christmas dinner? No wonder this feller is ornery. He doesn\u2019t know how to feast.\u201d Of course, Ben had to agree with his son.<\/p>\n

\u201cFriend, we will be feasting on more than a tough bird on Christmas day. Wouldn\u2019t you like to experience a real Christmas feast?\u201d<\/p>\n

Great Man One was staggered by the invitation. \u201cWhat! Come to your home for dinner?! Aren\u2019t you taking me to jail?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be a shame to put a man in jail on Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Great Man One hung his head. How could Ben Cartwright open his house to the very man who had waylaid him? \u201cI don\u2019t deserve your generosity. I took advantage of you. Hadn\u2019t you better wait for me to earn your forgiveness?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben patted his arm. \u201cNone of us deserves generosity. None of us can do enough to earn forgiveness for our sins. That\u2019s what Christmas is about\u2014the gift of grace given undeserved.\u201d<\/p>\n

XXXXXXXXXX<\/p>\n

Great Man Two was having some difficulty making his way home. In fact, it could be said by those lacking charity that the great man was quite lost. As he sat atop his horse, attempting to fight back a rising swell of panic, he could just discern a desperate cry for help echoing through the night air.<\/p>\n

Ordinarily, the great man was unlikely to offer assistance to someone in need. This night, Great Man Two was hopeful that after rescue, the needy individual might be persuaded to point
\nthe proper way back to town.<\/p>\n

Following the cries, Great Man Two soon came upon the scene of the accident. A handsome black and white gelding, saddle twisted askew on its broad back, was pawing in distress at the edge of the narrow trail winding above a rather steep drop into a canyon.<\/p>\n

Holding his lantern aloft, Great Man Two peered into the abyss and soon spotted the man in trouble. It took only a few minutes to use the rope attached to the gelding\u2019s saddle to haul the man up the side of the cliff. It was all quite exciting and Great Man Two felt a curious sense of satisfaction in rendering aid to a fellow human being.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you all right?\u201d the great man asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d Little Joe answered while brushing the snow and dirt from his clothing. \u201cCochise lost his footing and the saddle slipped. Threw me over the edge. I was lucky to grab hold of some roots, and real lucky you came along. I should have been able to make the climb up by myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNonsense, boy. Everyone needs help now and then.\u201d<\/p>\n

The young man nodded sheepishly before running his hands over the horse looking for injuries. \u201cGuess I should have checked Cochise\u2019s saddle after I delivered the Christmas presents.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPresents? How on earth did you have any presents . . .\u201d Great Man Two abruptly stopped talking, realizing too late what he had just revealed to Ben\u2019s son.<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s eyebrow lifted. Great Man Two held his breath, not sure what to expect.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never known you to go out of your way for anyone,\u201d Little Joe said. \u201cThank you for helping me tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

The great man was mortified. Little Joe would probably have not been in danger in the first place if Ben Cartwright hadn\u2019t been attacked.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, there\u2019s something you should know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe held up a hand. \u201cDon\u2019t worry, we can talk about it at the house. If you\u2019re as cold and tired as I am, you won\u2019t mind getting warm and resting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, your father.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNah, don\u2019t worry. I reckon Hoss and Pa will be there waiting for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

XXXXXXXXXX<\/p>\n

Adam eased back on the reins, encouraging the tired horses to slow down to a comfortable walk. The wagon was finally empty. All of the presents, all of the food had been delivered to the grateful families.<\/p>\n

He was worried, a bit, about his father and brothers. After all, Adam was good at worrying, and you don\u2019t get good at anything without a bit of practice. But he knew because he felt it was so, that all was well, and everyone was safely back at the ranch to await the dawning of the sacred morning.<\/p>\n

At the final crossroad, where a left turn took a body to the big mountain and a right turn took a body to the beautiful lake, he saw a dirty, disheveled man frantically digging into a pile of rock that had slid down the hill side.<\/p>\n

Imagine Adam\u2019s surprise to see Great Man Three pulling at a pile of stones to uncover a shivering, whimpering dog.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u201d Adam added his labors, encouraging the great man to pat and soothe the poor beast while Adam moved the rock.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think . . . there, there, pup . . . just a little longer . . . that this little fellow was digging around looking for something to eat when he pulled part of the hill side down on top of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLucky for the dog that you came along,\u201d Adam said as he pushed the final stone out of the way. \u201cHere, put him in the wagon. We\u2019ll take him to the Ponderosa and let Hoss doctor him up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Silently, Great Man Three carried the poor dog and placed him gently in the wagon. He and Adam pulled sacks around the pup to keep him warm and cushion the ride.<\/p>\n

Great Man Three cleared his throat. \u201cThings happen you know. I saw that dog and knew he would die without help. It\u2019s not like there aren\u2019t plenty of dogs around . . . I mean, it\u2019s natural that some dogs would perish . . . do perish. But I had to try to help this one dog.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so you did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t actually believe there was any hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam urged the great man to tie his horse to the wagon and climb into the seat. \u201cI think some of us make the mistake of only believing in hope in hopeful situations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, I need to tell you about your father.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry so much,\u201d Adam replied and he started the wagon toward the Ponderosa. \u201cI\u2019m sure he and Hoss are waiting for us at home.<\/p>\n

XXXXXXXXXX<\/p>\n

The three great men found themselves sharing a hot breakfast at dawn with the Cartwright men. It was a profoundly unsettling experience. If any of them had been in Ben\u2019s shoes, instead of clasping a hand in forgiveness, the miscreants would have been in the grasp of the long arm of the law.<\/p>\n

After eating, everyone settled into comfortable chairs around the Christmas team. Ben opened his worn Bible and began to read aloud:<\/p>\n

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse,
\nFrom his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
\nThe Spirit of the Lord will rest on him \u2013 the Spirit of Wisdom and understanding,
\nThe Spirit of counsel and of might,
\nThe Spirit of the knowledge of the Lord[ii]<\/p>\n

Ben paused in his reading to remark, \u201cI love this verse. It reminds us that fruit doesn\u2019t appear from Jesse\u2019s tree in full bloom. It comes from the stump, from what looks like it cannot grow at all, never mind bear fruit\u201d[iii]<\/p>\n

From that time forward, the three great men did all they could do to become good men. That Christmas Eve changed their lives. But as we all know, change takes only moment. Transformation lasts a lifetime.
\nThe End
\nMerry Christmas<\/p>\n

\u201cA Kidnapped Santa Claus\u201d by L. Frank Baum
\n[ii] Isiah 11:1
\n[iii] \u201cPruning Hope\u201d by Fr. Paul D. Scalia, December 1, 2019 in The Catholic Thing<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Link to 2019 Advent Calendar – December 7:<\/p>\n

Small Print by Belle<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: Can one good man overcome three Great Men?\u00a0 With gratitude to L. Frank Baum for providing inspiration.<\/p>\n

Rating: G
\nWord Count: 3,570<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":25241,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1004,23,40],"tags":[1062],"class_list":["post-25338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ben-cartwright","category-drama","category-challenges","tag-advent-calendar","wpcat-1004-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-40-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":988,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/advent.jpg?fit=480%2C413&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15563,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=15563","url_meta":{"origin":25338,"position":0},"title":"Bonanza Christmas Puzzle (by Michele)","author":"Michele","date":"December 25, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 This puzzle was created for the 2016 Advent Collection. 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