{"id":46738,"date":"2023-12-24T20:15:48","date_gmt":"2023-12-25T01:15:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=46738"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:37:20","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:37:20","slug":"the-christmas-that-almost-wasnt-by-cheaux","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=46738","title":{"rendered":"The Christmas that Almost Wasn’t (by Cheaux)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bonanza<\/strong><\/span>
\n~*~*~ Advent Calendar ~*~*~<\/strong><\/span>
\n* Day 10 *<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Summary:\u00a0 Something’s\u00a0wrong\u00a0and the fix comes from an unexpected source
\nRating:\u00a0 G
\nWords:\u00a0 1,170<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was December 10 and the temperature in Virginia City was an unseasonable 55 F draining its citizens of energy. Business owners went about their tasks with diminished enthusiasm. Few shoppers trod the wooden boardwalks and those that did kept their heads down barely acknowledging each other. Store windows offered meager holiday inspiration or enticements. Even the saloons were strangely quiet.<\/p>\n

The general malaise that blanketed the town instead of snow extended across the Virginia Range over the Carson Valley, Washoe Lake and up into the Sierras to the Ponderosa Ranch where its inhabitants\u2014having long ago completed winter preparations like repairing shelters, stocking line shacks, mending fences, stockpiling feed and bedding for the cattle\u2014found themselves with little to do. Reluctant to delve into the private stash of projects, books, games and music they had been hoarding in anticipation of a long winter snowed in, the Cartwrights were at sixes and sevens. All except Joe who seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time.<\/p>\n

***
\nAs soon as Hoss heard hoof beats he opened the front door and stepped into the yard, waiting for the rider to dismount. \u201cWell?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDeep subject.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHar de har har, Adam. Did you find him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Hoss. I didn\u2019t find him. If I had found him, he would be with me, wouldn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t,\u201d Hoss mumbled, not in the mood you\u2019re in lately.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s eyes narrowed. \u201cCome again?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t be worried. He\u2019ll be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes you so sure?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019Cause we had roast chicken last night for supper.\u201d<\/p>\n

At that, Adam put the back of his fingers to his brother\u2019s forehead which Hoss quickly brushed away.<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, cut it out. Hop Sing always makes mulligatawny soup the day after we have roast chicken and it\u2019s Joe\u2019s favorite. Bet he\u2019s tearing up the road right now . . . Be here any minute . . . Wait and see . . . Any minute.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr not,\u201d growled Adam as he stomped into the house to apprise his father of Joe\u2019s latest disappearing act. He wasn\u2019t sure where he\u2019d gone exactly, but missing a meal without notice was high on Hop Sing\u2019s unforgivable list, if not Pa\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Inexplicably, the table was set for three and Pa did not seem concerned.<\/p>\n

After hanging up his hat and coat and placing his gun belt on the credenza, he joined Hoss at the table. At that precise moment, Hop Sing placed a large tureen in front of Ben and lifted the lid.<\/p>\n

\u201cDang! That smells great.\u201d Hoss rubbed his hands together in anticipation. \u201cIs this all there is?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHave pot on back of stove for Little Joe. Plenty more for No. 2 son. You fill belly. Be only jolly Cartwright around here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd where, may I ask, is my youngest brother? According to my new work list, he was to oversee moving the herd to the south pasture this morning. I was there. No cattle. No Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben folded the newspaper and placed it to his left. \u201cHe told me the herd didn\u2019t need to be moved yet. Is that a problem for you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss glanced side-eyed from Adam to Pa and back again, bent over his bowl and spooned the soup into his mouth as fast as he could.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, your brother is twenty years old and has spent his whole life on a cattle ranch. I think we can trust him to know when it\u2019s time to move a herd. By the way, he left you a message.\u201d Ben pointed to a folded note tucked between the salt and pepper shakers.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wants us to meet him at Saddle Rock after we eat. Something we need to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss raised his head and, noting the tension had passed, ladled more soup into his bowl.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The men rode single file up the winding trail to the top of the promontory which boasted a panoramic view of forest, valley floor and the flatlands beyond.<\/p>\n

At one of the turns Hoss said, \u201cThere he is,\u201d and called out, \u201cOoo-eee!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe turned in his saddle and waived before resuming his gaze eastward. One by one they joined him and waited patiently until Ben finally asked, \u201cWhat are we doing here, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLooking over the woodlands brown and bare. See that stand over there?\u201d They followed where his hand pointed. \u201cHalf those pines and conifers are dead or dying. It\u2019s December and we\u2019ve only had one inch of snow so far. Last year we only got two. No snow pack, no snow melt. No snow melt, the rivers stop flowing, the water table drops, and drought in the flatlands follows.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam said, \u201cJason and Belle Ganther and\u2026what was their daughter\u2019s name?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLindy,\u201d Hoss said. \u201cShe was sweet on me until you came along.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe laughed. \u201cAnd that lasted all of five minutes until I showed up. She was a fickle young thing. All sugar one second and then spice the next when she dropped that hammer on my foot and burned my hands with the forge tongs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was all of us working together that did it,\u201d Ben said. \u201cMr. Ganther with his unwavering belief the water was there, Hoss who came up with the auger, Adam who added the piping, Joe the walking beam\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2014and Pa\u2019s idea to build a windmill to pump the water out,\u201d Adam finished. \u201cDefinitely a team effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s kinda what I wanted to talk you all about. Nothing against your work list, Adam, but isn\u2019t moving the herd when there\u2019s still plenty of grass where they are\u2026isn\u2019t that just\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2014busy work?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. Shouldn\u2019t we be working on more practical tasks?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you have in mind, Joe?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n

Joe turned Cochise to face the others. \u201cIn this warm weather the rivers and lakes won\u2019t freeze. Where are we going to get ice for the root cellar? We don\u2019t have a lot left.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss asked, \u201cWhat about the ice fields in the high country?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard work and would take a lot of men\u2014more than we have on payroll at present,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if we teamed up with folks in Virginia City? They\u2019ll be needing even more ice than we will.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is good thinking, Joseph. Tomorrow is Sunday. Why don\u2019t we propose the idea at church?\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The good townspeople of Virginia City were on board with the project. While teams of men ventured into the high country to cut blocks for the ice houses on Sun Mountain, other ranches worked together with the Ponderosa to fill their own root cellars. Whether it was the joint activity or the colder temperatures in the mountains, the workers\u2019 spirits were elevated. People smiled more. Women started community projects like making quilts for the orphanage, holding a clothing drive for the needy, and baking for shut-ins.<\/p>\n

At last, the Christmas spirit had returned to the Comstock.<\/p>\n

The End<\/p>\n

My phrase:\u00a0 “Over the woodlands brown and bare<\/a>.” from Snow-flakes by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
\nMy character: Joe<\/p>\n

The Ganthers appeared in the third season episode \u201cThe Gift of Water.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Link to Bonanza Brand 2023 Advent Calendar – Day 11 – The Perfect Christmas<\/a> by Puppycuddles<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

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

Summary: Something’s wrong and the fix comes from an unexpected source
\nRating: G
\nWords: 1,170
\nWritten for the Bonanza Brand 2023 Advent Calendar<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":5835,"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":[1007],"tags":[1062,1129],"class_list":["post-46738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-joe-cartwright","tag-advent-calendar","tag-the-gift-of-water","wpcat-1007-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":680,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Christmas-Traditions.jpg?fit=639%2C480&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":46774,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=46774","url_meta":{"origin":46738,"position":0},"title":"On the Way West (by wx4rmk)","author":"wx4rmk","date":"December 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 Though many people choose to write a story for the Advent Calendar, members are free to choose how they wish to respond to their prompt. 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