Summary:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A missing ornament threatens holiday traditions for the Cartwrights.
\nRating:\u00a0 G\u00a0 words 2,600
\nWritten for the 2022 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar<\/p>\n
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Bonanza<\/span><\/strong> *Day 15*<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n A Toast to Tradition<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The distraught cowboy entered Sheriff Roy Coffee\u2019s office and stood stone faced in front of the desk staring at the man occupying the well-worn chair.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe.\u00a0\u00a0Good to see you. It\u2019s been a month of Sundays since you\u2019ve been in town,\u201d said Deputy Clem Foster. \u201cWhat can I do for you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s Roy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn Carson City testifying at the Hobart trial.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen will he return?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t rightly say. Could be a couple days. More likely a week. You know how the state prosecutor likes to grandstand, especially since he\u2019s up for\u00a0re-election next year. As far as he\u2019s concerned, the more space the Territorial Enterprise devotes to his theatrics, the better.\u201d Noting Joe\u2019s agitation, however, Clem quickly added, \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s been a theft.\u201d<\/p>\n Clem stood abruptly, pulled a rifle from the rack behind him and turned around. \u201cI can have a posse ready to ride in fifteen minutes. What was stolen\u2014cattle?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour prize stallion?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s fine. All the stock is fine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSomething was taken from the house.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPayroll?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSecure.\u201d<\/p>\n Stymied, Clem sat on the edge of the desk. He was about to chastise Joe for wasting his time when he remembered the magnificent Thanksgiving celebration he attended at the ranch house just a few weeks before where the silver utensils, candlesticks, platters, and chafing dishes glistened in the candlelight and glow from the fireplace. \u201cNot the Silver!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing is polishing as we speak.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGosh darn it, Joe,\u201d Clem said as he stood and replaced the rifle in the rack, \u201cI\u2019m a busy man and I\u2019ve had enough of this parlor game. When you are ready to press charges, let me know who\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014crystal,\u201d Joe said.<\/p>\n \u201cCrystal who?\u00a0\u00a0Not Crystal Lynch surely. She\u2019s in Sacramento visiting her parents. Saw her off myself. You know, when she returns I really ought to ask her to dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFocus, Clem. Waterford.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWaterford,\u201d Clem said flatly. The deputy\u2019s eyes narrowed as he pondered the oblique statement, then widened as the fog lifted. \u201cWaterford\u2026as in crystal\u2026as in that magnificent punch bowl?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure? I mean, could it have been misplaced after your last party?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. It\u2019s a piece we only pull out once a year at Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnce a year? Joe, that bowl is a fixture at every party on the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBowl? Oh, no. I\u2019m not talking about the punch bowl.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell what then?\u201d<\/p>\n Looking forlorn, Joe plunked down in the chair in front of Roy\u2019s desk. \u201cA crystal basket. Pa will kill me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI seriously doubt that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t understand. It\u2019s a part of our Twelfth Night tradition.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSomething Adam came up with?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing to do with the Bard of the Ponderosa. It\u2019s all about the twelve days of Christmas. You know\u2026 eight maids a milking, seven lords a leaping…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd a partridge in a pear tree\u2026 I know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, there\u2019s twelve nights of Christmas as well as days.\u00a0\u00a0The night of December 25 is the first night and the twelfth night is the night before Epiphany.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere does the basket fit in?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll decorations are put away before Epiphany to avoid bad luck in the new year. The crystal basket is the last ornament to come off the tree on the twelfth night. It\u2019s filled with candy which we share while wishing each other a sweet new year.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo buy another basket over at the mercantile.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s WATERFORD! You can\u2019t buy Waterford at the mercantile!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cToo bad you can\u2019t pick it out of a catalog and have it delivered the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLike that will ever happen!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you going to do?\u201d Clem asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWell… I was hoping Roy and you would help me figure out who took it!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd how do you propose we do that? Interrogate every ranch hand and visitor to the Ponderosa in the past year?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe groaned. \u201cThis ornament has been a Cartwright tradition for over a hundred years. We take turns being in charge and this year it was my turn. Pa\u2019s gonna kill me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy do you keep saying that? He might be a tad upset but\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014you don\u2019t get it. It\u2019s the youngest who gets to remove the basket from the tree on Twelfth Night and have the first pick of a sweet.\u201d Joe saw the blank look on the deputy\u2019s face. \u201cThis is Jamie\u2019s first Twelfth Night as a Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n Clem nodded solemnly. \u201cHey, wait a minute! Isn\u2019t Epiphany like January 5th or 6th? Today is only December 15th. Can\u2019t you wire one of the San Francisco stores and have one shipped?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re putting up the tree this weekend. The basket is the first ornament on the tree and, according to tradition, placed by the oldest Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe wrapped his arms around his middle, bent forward, and groaned again. \u201cI am so dead.\u201d<\/p>\n *****<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Pa!\u201d Hoss yelled lumbering down the stairs. \u201cI hear sleigh bells. Bet that\u2019s Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it\u2019s about time!\u201d Ben said, rising from his desk chair. He lifted the curtain and peered out the window but the frosted pane prevented him from seeing anything.<\/p>\n \u201cAw, Pa, give him a break. Hop Sing\u2019s list of groceries was as long as my arm.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll I can say is he\u2019d better not have stopped off at the Silver Dollar. We have a lot of decorating to do before the Cohens and Levys arrive. I was hoping to get a head start tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot before eat,\u201d Hop Sing said coming into the great room. \u201cCook all day, expect bellies to be hungry. Not spoil suppah with popcorn and candy canes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Hop Sing, of course,\u201d said Ben. \u201cWe will enjoy your wonderful meal before we decorate the tree. Many thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n Hop Sing humphed and trotted back to the kitchen mumbling under his breath.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t understand why we\u2019re rushing to get the house decorated for this company, Pa,\u201d said Jamie. \u201cI mean they\u2019re Jewish, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d said Hoss. \u201cBut they enjoy our traditions as much as we do theirs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean as much as you enjoy the sugared jelly donuts, don\u2019t you, Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw, shucks, Pa. I enjoy the latkes, applesauce, and brisket, too.\u00a0\u00a0Jamie, you just wait until you feast on the dinner they fix us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo they come here every year?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPretty much have for the last six years ever since Joe and I rescued the Cohens and Levys from a blizzard and they spent a week with us. We got to know their traditions and they ours.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAfter all, Christ was a Jew,\u201d Ben added. \u201cIt gives us an understanding and appreciation of the traditions he grew up with and therefore our own.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought Hop Sing didn\u2019t like anyone else in his kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUsually that\u2019s true, Jamie,\u201d said Ben. \u201cBut he makes an exception for the women folk because she is an immaculate cook and the kitchen is ship shape when he returns.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFrom where?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDayton,\u201d said Hoss. \u201cSince Hanukkah usually falls before Christmas, Hop Sing spends time with his relatives in Chinatown before celebrating Christmas with us.\u201c<\/p>\n Just then the old ship\u2019s bell outside rang. Normally used to sound All Hands on Deck in the case of an emergency or to call the ranch hands in for supper in warmer months, it was an unexpected sound in the winter.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat in tarnation?\u201d Hoss sprinted to the credenza to grab his gun from its holster and opened the door. The wind tore it from his grip and Ben, who was right behind his big son, caught it before it could bang against the credenza.<\/p>\n \u201cJamie, stay inside,\u201d Ben admonished as he pulled on his sheepskin jacket and grabbed Hoss\u2019s coat before exiting the house into near whiteout conditions. He could barely see through the swirling snow and he couldn\u2019t comprehend what Hoss was tugging at. When the wind momentarily changed direction, he could see their freight wagon alongside the pole that held the bell, a dark form huddled on its bench.<\/p>\n \u201cPa! Get the kettle! Joe\u2019s pants are stuck to the wagon seat.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben threw Hoss his coat and entered the kitchen through the side door. \u201cHop Sing, light the stove in the washhouse and heat water for a bath. Jamie, put another log on the fire and get the wool blankets out of the hall chest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s going on, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour brother is near frozen.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben lifted the kettle from the back of the stove and checked to see how much water was left, then pivoted and moved into the yard quickly. When he looked up and saw the stars shining brightly, he realized it had been the powerful wind gusts responsible for the blowing snow and not a new storm.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, there\u2019s not a lot of water left but it\u2019s still warm.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNeed just enough to get Joe unstuck.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust hang in there, Joe. We\u2019ll get you inside as quick as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnhitch the team, will ya, Pa? Won\u2019t do to have them bolt.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben did as requested and led the horses into the barn to be dealt with later.\u00a0\u00a0By the time he raced back to the wagon, Hoss was half carrying, half dragging Joe into the house.<\/p>\n Jamie held the door open. \u201cFire\u2019s roaring, Pa, blankets on the hearth, and the bath water is heating.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood. I\u2019ll help Hoss with Joe. You take care of the horses and unload the supplies.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss threw in a few of his own instructions. \u201cRub them down good and double the hay, Jamie, and don\u2019t forget the horse blankets.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWill do, Hoss.\u201d Jamie moved toward the door slowly, casting a backward glance at the tight-knit Cartwrights hovering over one of their own. Despite the adoption, he wondered if he\u2019d ever fit in.<\/p>\n \u201cAny time this century, Jamie,\u201d Hoss said, crossly as they reached the stairs.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going, I\u2019m going!\u201d<\/p>\n Joe reached out and touched his father\u2019s arm. \u201cP-pa.\u201d<\/p>\n The stutter reminded Ben of when Joe was little. He\u2019d always been plain \u2018pa\u2019 to Adam and Hoss. Only his curly-haired, precocious, mischievous, whirling dervish of a son called had him papa.<\/p>\n \u201cI n-need t-to t-talk to you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot before we get you out of these wet clothes! Hop Sing,\u201d he shouted, \u201cis that bath ready yet?\u201d<\/p>\n *****<\/p>\n Perched on the hearth in front of the roaring fire, clothed in long johns, a robe, and wool socks, and double wrapped in a Hoss-sized quilt, Joe still shivered.<\/p>\n \u201cThis help,\u201d Hop Sing said as he handed No. 3 son a mug of hot buttered rum which Joe grasped with both hands.<\/p>\n \u201cTh-thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow in the world did you get soaked, shortshanks?\u201d Hoss asked. \u201cThere ain\u2019t been fresh snow up here for days.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cP-pouring rain in the v-valley.\u00a0\u00a0Nothin\u2019 to do for it \u2018cept g-get home as f-fast as I c-could.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou should have known it would be freezing up here. Why didn\u2019t you stay in town?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cC-coudn\u2019t, Pa. Needed to t-tell you something.\u201d Joe looked directly at his father but darted a sideways glance at Jamie and tilted his head slightly toward the stairs.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it\u2019s been an eventful evening.\u201d Ben stood and addressed Hoss and Jamie. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you two head on up to bed. Morning will be here before we know it and we have a lot to do to prepare for our visitors.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about Joe?\u201d Jamie asked.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you fuss about Joe,\u201d Hoss said. \u201cHe needs to drink some more of that rum and get toasted before comin\u2019 up to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n When his brothers turned down the hallway at the top of the stairs, Joe held up his mug. \u201cMore rum, please.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think Hoss meant toasty\u2014as in warm\u2014not toasted as in drunk.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShucks, Pa. I nearly froze out there. Just a dram?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll right, a dram. And no more!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben took Joe\u2019s mug into the kitchen and grabbed one for himself.\u00a0\u00a0To each, he added a generous dollop of Hop Sing\u2019s special batter of salted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice before pouring in a good portion of dark rum and adding boiling water.<\/p>\n He and Joe sat by the fire and sipped and watched the flames for a good bit of time before Ben spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cYou want to tell me what was so important you had to defy all common sense to get home in a hurry?\u201d<\/p>\n Not really,<\/em>\u00a0Joe thought but he took a big gulp of the rum and licked his upper lip.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI can\u2019t find it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t find what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe crystal basket for the tree. I don\u2019t know where it is. I\u2019ve looked everywhere. I\u2019ve racked my brain trying to remember what I did with it when we cleaned up last year. I don\u2019t know. I just don\u2019t know. I\u2026.\u201d Joe saw the shock and disappointment on his father\u2019s face and his eyes began to water.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Pa. I know how important that heirloom is to you and I know I stayed longer in Virginia City than I should have. I saw the storm clouds coming but I kept thinking the next store, the next mercantile or emporium would have something like it that I could use when we decorate the tree.\u00a0\u00a0I mean, I knew you and Hoss would know it wasn\u2019t the real thing, but Jamie wouldn\u2019t \u2026 and \u2026 maybe \u2026 maybe I\u2019d find the real one before we took the tree down and Jamie … Jamie … he wouldn\u2019t think \u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJamie?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe’s heard the story. He knows our tradition. If there\u2019s no basket, he might think\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014think what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat the adoption was a ruse. That he doesn\u2019t belong. That we don\u2019t really consider him a Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n Stunned, Ben sat back in his red chair and stared at his youngest son.\u00a0No, that\u2019s just the point, isn\u2019t it. Joe is no longer my youngest son, but he is still my most intuitive and sensitive child. <\/em>He rose and sat next to Joe on the hearth. The temperature of the room had cooled but the fire was still warm on his back. He put his hand on Joe\u2019s neck and drew him close.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is true the Waterford basket is a family heirloom that has been handed down through generations of Cartwrights.\u201d Ben felt a shudder pass through his son\u2019s body. \u201cBut, Joseph, whether the basket is crystal or wooden or made of clay, it\u2019s only purpose as a vessel for the candy is to symbolize the passing of a tradition to the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStill, I\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know you are, son, but we’ll find it. After all, it’s not like it grew legs and walked away or was stolen.”<\/p>\n “That’s what Clem said.”<\/p>\n “Clem?”<\/p>\n Joe rolled his eyes. “Don’t ask.”<\/p>\n “Son, in my mind, what is more important is that you recognized\u2014more than I did, frankly\u2014what it will mean to Jamie to be included in the tradition this year. And that is of greater significance to me than any piece of glass ever could be\u2014heirloom or not.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe threw his arms around Ben and held the embrace until Ben said, \u201cNow, if you\u2019re toasted enough, let\u2019s head up to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n –The End–<\/p>\n Author’s Notes:\u00a0\u00a0Nevada\u2019s first China Town was established in 1857 in Dayton, seven miles from Virginia City.<\/p>\n This story was written in memory of MicheleBE1115, may her soul rest in peace, and mentions her original characters from her 2017 Advent Story The Chanukah Story<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Primary Character:\u00a0\u00a0Joe <\/p>\n
\n~*~*~ Advent Calendar ~*~*~<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
\nSecondary Character:\u00a0\u00a0Clem Foster
\nObject:\u00a0\u00a0a basket of sweets<\/p>\n