{"id":46807,"date":"2023-12-24T20:09:25","date_gmt":"2023-12-25T01:09:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=46807"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:37:21","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:37:21","slug":"good-farmers-by-mcfair_58","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=46807","title":{"rendered":"Good Farmers (by mcfair_58)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bonanza
\n<\/span>~*~*~ Advent Calendar ~*~*~
\n<\/span>* Day 16 *<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Summary: Adam intended to introduce his youngest brother to good literature, but you know Little Joe \u2013 instead of culture, he found trouble!
\nRating:\u00a0 G
\nWords:\u00a0 4,500<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

Good Farmers<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It had bothered him.<\/p>\n

For one whole\u00a0week<\/i>\u00a0it had bothered him.\u00a0\u00a0He never told anyone, but as Christmas grew nearer, ten-year-old Joseph Francis Cartwright grew quieter and quieter\u2026and\u00a0quieter<\/i>\u2026until one day he made up his mind to do something about it.<\/p>\n

This story is about what he chose to do.<\/p>\n

———————-<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n

A very content and satisfied Ben Cartwright looked up from the pile of papers on his desk.\u00a0\u00a0Eighteen fifty-two had proven to be a banner year.\u00a0\u00a0The crops had been good, the cattle were fat and the horses lean, and all of his debts were settled.\u00a0\u00a0The Ponderosa would begin the New Year with a clean slate!\u00a0\u00a0It had been\u00a0such<\/i>\u00a0a good year, in fact, that he had overindulged on Christmas presents for his boys.\u00a0\u00a0Ben pivoted in his chair to peer through the window.\u00a0\u00a0Outside a thick wet snow had begun to fall, so they would have snow for the holiday even if it was a bit, well\u2026<\/p>\n

Gooey.<\/p>\n

The rancher turned back toward his Asian cook.\u00a0\u00a0Hop Sing was obviously disturbed about something.\u00a0\u00a0Most likely the turkey was too small or the stuffing too momentous, or maybe \u2013 just maybe \u2013 they\u2019d run out of sugared cherries since Hoss was in a habit of sneaking into the pantry and devouring them.<\/p>\n

Ben couldn\u2019t help but chuckle.\u00a0\u00a0Oh, that year Hop Sing had soaked them in rum!<\/p>\n

\u201cSo sorry this one disturb you, Mistah Ben, when you in middle of working paper.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher dropped the pile to the desktop and leaned back in his chair.\u00a0\u00a0\u201c \u2018Working paper\u2019 disturbs me far more than you ever could, my friend,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWhat is it you want?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou see Little Joe soon?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing was still learning English, so there were times when Ben wasn\u2019t quite sure that what he said was what he meant.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cAre you trying to tell me that Little Joe is coming to see me?\u2019<\/p>\n

The Asian man shook his head.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cNo.\u00a0\u00a0Not come.\u00a0\u00a0Need see him soon.\u00a0\u00a0No see him before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben thought that one through \u2013 more than once \u2013 before replying.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWas Joseph supposed to help you with something?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing nodded.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cHuh-ee!\u201d<\/p>\n

That meant \u2018yes\u2019\u2026he was pretty sure.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cAnd he didn\u2019t show up?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot like boy.\u00a0\u00a0Make favorite cookies.\u00a0\u00a0Little Joe come chop-chop to help when this one\u00a0not\u00a0<\/i>want him.\u00a0\u00a0Where boy now?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben glanced at the tall case clock.\u00a0\u00a0It was still early in the day.\u00a0\u00a0In fact, the clock had not yet struck noon.\u00a0\u00a0He chuckled again as he reached for the stack of papers.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cMost likely the boy lost track of the time.\u00a0\u00a0Have you checked the barn?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing check barn\u00a0and<\/i>\u00a0chicken coop\u00a0and<\/i>\u00a0field of hogs\u00a0and<\/i>\u00a0corral with horses.\u00a0\u00a0He look in boy\u2019s room \u2013 even under bed!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0The Asian man let out a martyr\u2019s sigh.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cFind plenty of missing socks.\u00a0\u00a0Not find little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s fingers traced the contour of his beardless chin.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cDid you check the bunkhouse?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing was nodding before he could finish.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cCheck everywhere!\u00a0\u00a0Boy nowhere!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0The Asian man\u2019s gaze strayed to the window behind his desk.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cHope he not go outside.\u00a0\u00a0Look like yet\u00a0velly\u00a0<\/i>much more snow fall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben rose from his chair.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cJoseph\u2019s brothers and I have taught him to read the signs.\u00a0\u00a0He would know better than to go out with a storm approaching.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if boy leave before snow blow up?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Then he won\u2019t be sitting down for a month of Sundays!<\/i>\u2019 the rancher thought.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWhen was the last time you saw Little Joe \u2013 and where?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Asian man frowned in concentration.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cBoy ask many questions while Hop Sing cooking.\u00a0\u00a0Shoo out of kitchen so this one can work.\u00a0\u00a0Mistah Little Joe look sad when he go.\u00a0\u00a0Make Hop Sing feel bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure you had every right to do so,\u201d Ben replied as he rounded the desk.\u00a0\u00a0His youngest son was both loquacious and inquisitive, to put it mildly!\u00a0\u00a0The boy\u2019s ability to answer\u00a0and<\/i>\u00a0ask questions at one and the same time was, at times, a wonder!\u00a0\u00a0At other times, it was an annoyance.<\/p>\n

Especially to his eldest brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you checked with Adam?\u201d Ben inquired.\u00a0\u00a0Inger\u2019s boy was staying with his late foreman\u2019s family.\u00a0\u00a0The teenager had asked if he could help them prepare for the holidays.\u00a0\u00a0It was just Millie and her girls now since Bill had passed on the winter before.\u00a0\u00a0Ben chuckled.\u00a0\u00a0Of course, the fact that Millie and Bill had a daughter a year younger than Hoss who was quite a looker had nothing to do with it!<\/p>\n

\u201cAsk Mistah Adam.\u00a0\u00a0He chase boy away too.\u00a0\u00a0Ask too many questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stopped where he was.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWhat\u00a0kind<\/i>\u00a0of \u2018questions\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy some men rich and others poor?\u00a0\u00a0Why Cartwrights have so much when others have nothing?\u00a0\u00a0Want to know if family \u2018good\u2019\u2026.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0The Asian man frowned.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWhat mean word \u2018undone\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUndone?\u00a0\u00a0Little Joe used that word?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUse plenty more.\u201d<\/p>\n

One black eyebrow peaked.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cSuch as?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWords Hop Sing not know.\u201d His cook scowled.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWhat mean \u2018drab and dice\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDrab and dice?\u00a0\u00a0Why in the world would a ten-year-old ask about gambling?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEr, Pa.\u00a0\u00a0I think I might know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben turned to find his twenty-two-year-old son, freshly returned from college, coming down the stairs book in hand.<\/p>\n

The older man scowled as well.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t tell me you and Hoss have been teaching your younger brother how to wager!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course not,\u201d Adam replied solemnly, before adding with a wink, \u201cI promise we\u2019ll wait until he\u2019s at least twelve.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0He held out the book.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI think this might have something to do with all the questions Joe\u2019s been asking.\u00a0\u00a0It was last week\u2019s bedtime reading.\u201d<\/p>\n

He recognized the book as a volume of seventeenth century poetry.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It was Marie\u2019s last Christmas present to his oldest son.<\/p>\n

\u201cPoetry?\u2019<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cGeorge Wither\u2019s\u00a0A Christmas Carol.<\/i>\u00a0\u00a0I thought it was a good choice considering how close we are to Christmas.\u00a0\u00a0I had Joe memorize a couple of verses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben knew the poem.\u00a0\u00a0It contrasted the merriment of those who\u00a0had<\/i>\u00a0against the misery of those who had\u00a0not;\u00a0<\/i>one of its most well known lines being \u2018Good farmers in the country nurse the poor that else were undone.\u2019<\/p>\n

The rancher\u2019s gaze shifted to the bountiful harvest under their heavily-ornamented Christmas tree.\u00a0\u00a0His long legs took him to its side in less than a dozen strides.\u00a0\u00a0A second later he was on his knees rifling through the presents.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you looking for?\u201d Adam asked as he trailed in his wake.<\/p>\n

What was he looking for?<\/p>\n

What he knew he would\u00a0not<\/i>\u00a0find.<\/p>\n

Ben rose.\u00a0\u00a0His crossed to the front door and placed his hand on it, feeling the chill.\u00a0\u00a0His gaze went through it then to the wild, wet, white land that lay beyond \u2013 a land he was certain now his youngest son walked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour brother\u2019s presents are gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was cold.\u00a0\u00a0A\u00a0lot\u00a0<\/i>colder than ten-year-old Little Joe thought it ought to be.\u00a0\u00a0He knew when Hoss left a few days before that Pa had remarked how they were having such a mild winter a man could go about with his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows and be plenty warm.<\/p>\n

He had his elbows covered now and they were cold.<\/p>\n

Really\u00a0<\/i>cold.<\/p>\n

Oh, he\u2019d been smart enough to wear a coat, but he\u2019d picked the lightweight one and not the one with fur on the inside.\u00a0\u00a0This one was plaid and made of cotton.\u00a0\u00a0He liked plaid though he wasn\u2019t sure why.\u00a0\u00a0Joe thought maybe it was because it reminded him of the big jolly \u2013 and sometimes scary \u2013 lumberjacks who worked for his pa.\u00a0\u00a0They all had names like Mick Dougall and Mack Gregor and they wore plaid.\u00a0\u00a0Joe looked down at his coat, the shoulders and arms of which were heavy with a thick coating of snow.\u00a0\u00a0His was mostly blue.\u00a0\u00a0One of the lumberjacks told him that meant he must be a Buchanan and he was sorry but his name was Ross and he was going to have to kill him since their clans were at war \u2013 before bursting out laughing and slapping him so hard on his back that he rolled halfway down the hill.<\/p>\n

Joe frowned as he looked up at the tall dense trees that surrounded him, and then down at the lightweight fast-moving cutter sleigh he had borrowed.\u00a0\u00a0He\u2019d hitched it up to his own pony, Cadfan, hoping maybe the fact that he took his own horse would outweigh the fact that he\u2019d \u2018borrowed\u2019 his pa\u2019s sleigh.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s pert nose wrinkled.<\/p>\n

Probably not.<\/p>\n

The young boy looked back the way he had come.\u00a0\u00a0His tracks were still visible in the wet snow, but they were filling up fast.\u00a0\u00a0He let out a sigh and then shook his head to free both his high-brimmed hat and his golden-brown curls of snow.<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t gonna sit down for a month of Sundays once his pa found him.<\/p>\n

He also wasn\u2019t going to admit that, deep inside, he hoped it was\u00a0soon<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Still, that old poem that Adam had read him about a week back kept gnawing at his innards.\u00a0\u00a0It made him kind of mad that the one person who could have helped him understand that poem had gone off to help someone else, even though what he needed to ask Hoss about was helping others who were worse off than you.\u00a0\u00a0He knew their pa did that kind of thing.\u00a0\u00a0Everywhere they went all kinds of people came up to them and told them what a \u2018Good Samaritan\u2019 their pa was.\u00a0\u00a0But that was pa.\u00a0\u00a0Not him.<\/p>\n

What had he ever done to help anyone but himself?<\/p>\n

Oh, he helped his pa, but then he got wages for that.\u00a0\u00a0Some people called it an allowance.\u00a0\u00a0And he helped Hoss and Adam and Hop Sing, but then he knew what the Good Book said about helping those you love.\u00a0\u00a0\u2018For if ye love them which love you, what thanks have ye, for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thanks have ye, for sinners also do even the same.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2018Be merciful as your Father also is merciful.\u2019<\/i><\/p>\n

Joe chewed his lip as he surveyed the contents of his fast sleigh. Most years they got two or \u2013\u00a0\u00a0maybe \u2013 three presents for Christmas plus other things in their stockings like candy and coins. This year he had seven!\u00a0\u00a0A couple of them were\u00a0really<\/i>\u00a0big.\u00a0\u00a0A few days before \u2013 when he\u2019d snuck downstairs to shake them \u2013 he\u2019d thought one of them might be a new saddle.\u00a0\u00a0Gosh, he\u2019d been excited!\u00a0\u00a0Then, later, when he visited the lumber camp with his pa, he\u2019d seen how one of the Mack\u2019s boys was riding bareback on account of he couldn\u2019t afford\u00a0any kind\u00a0<\/i>of a saddle.\u00a0\u00a0Another one of his presents was for sure a new coat.\u00a0\u00a0The paper had been ripped and he\u2019d seen the thick dyed wool fabric through the wrapping.\u00a0\u00a0He already had two coats \u2013 the one he was wearing and an old one of Adam\u2019s that was really warm.\u00a0\u00a0He wanted that new one, but he didn\u2019t\u00a0need<\/i>\u00a0it.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t need much of anything to be honest.<\/p>\n

So when Adam read him that poem of George Wither\u2019s and he heard that line about \u2018good farmers\u2019 nursing the poor that else were \u2018undone\u2019, he decided he should do something about it.\u00a0\u00a0Pa was a good rancher\u00a0and<\/i>\u00a0a Good Samaritan.\u00a0\u00a0What was\u00a0he?<\/i>\u00a0\u00a0A little kid who had everything he needed and more.\u00a0\u00a0It really hit him hard the day before when he\u2019d been helping Hop Sing to harvest the garden, cutting and saving the herbs and vegetables before the cold could kill them.\u00a0\u00a0Hop Sing had turned to him and thanked him for being a \u2018good little farmer\u2019.<\/p>\n

So, he figured, he better not leave the poor he knew undone.<\/p>\n

Joe clicked his tongue and Cadfan began to move again, dragging the present-laden cutter across the thick, wet snow.\u00a0\u00a0It was slow going due to the weight of the cargo and the amount of mud kicking up with the snow.\u00a0\u00a0Cadfan had been tired so they\u2019d stopped to rest, but now they needed to get on their way.\u00a0\u00a0He needed to make it to the camp, deliver the gifts, and then get home before supper, otherwise Pa would know he\u2019d gone missing.<\/p>\n

It was a dang shame middle brother had chosen the same time to be a \u2018good farmer\u2019 \u2018cause that meant he wasn\u2019t there to cover his tracks!<\/p>\n

A trip to the camp took hours and hours by wagon.\u00a0\u00a0Speeding over the snow on a sleigh took a lot less time.\u00a0\u00a0The white stuff that had fallen made a good packing on the ground, or it had before the sun decided to come out midday and turn it into sludge.\u00a0\u00a0He\u2019d thought he could make it to the camp quick and be home even faster.\u00a0\u00a0Joe glanced at the sun.\u00a0\u00a0Its rusty bottom was anchored on the tall black silhouettes of the trees.\u00a0\u00a0It would set soon.\u00a0\u00a0He didn\u2019t want to, but he had to admit that by the time he made it to the camp, it would be too late.\u00a0\u00a0He\u2019d have to stay overnight and wouldn\u2019t get home until well\u00a0after\u00a0<\/i>breakfast.<\/p>\n

Oh well.\u00a0\u00a0Since he was gonna give away all his presents, at least Pa couldn\u2019t threaten to\u00a0take\u00a0<\/i>them away!<\/p>\n

Joe turned his attention back to the sleigh and his horse.\u00a0\u00a0Cadfan had halted and was breathing hard.\u00a0\u00a0He dropped the reins and approached the pony.\u00a0\u00a0Keeping his voice low and even, the little boy asked, \u201cHey, fella.\u00a0\u00a0What\u2019s wrong?\u00a0\u00a0Didn\u2019t you get enough rest?\u201d<\/p>\n

Cadfan\u2019s eyes were open so wide the whites were showing.\u00a0\u00a0His soft ears flicked and he snorted.<\/p>\n

The youngster tensed.\u00a0\u00a0His pa had taught him a lot of things.\u00a0\u00a0So had Hoss and Adam.\u00a0\u00a0All three had told him that when a horse did that it meant one of two things \u2013 the animal was in pain.<\/p>\n

Or terrified.<\/p>\n

Joe wrapped his fingers around the Welsh pony\u2019s bridle and drew its head close.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWhat is it, boy?\u201d he asked in a whisper, his voice shaking just a bit as he surveyed the shadowy land beside them.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIs something out there?\u201d<\/p>\n

Then it came, an odd little \u2018squeak\u2019, kind of like you\u2019d think a mouse would make \u2013 followed by a roar that was every bit as loud as his pa bellowing when he had his dander up.<\/p>\n

Cadfan shied and pulled Joe off the ground as a sleek, four-footed mud-brown shape with pointed ears and a long tail appeared just outside of the trees.\u00a0\u00a0The mountain cat paused, sniffed, and then crouched as if ready to spring.<\/p>\n

That was all it took.\u00a0\u00a0Cadfan shrieked and bolted.<\/p>\n

Taking Joe with him and leaving the gift-laden sled behind.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright rose to his feet, shaken.\u00a0\u00a0He drew in a great breath of crisp frozen air, and then let it out as he turned toward his eldest son who crouched in the wet snow beside their abandoned cutter.\u00a0\u00a0All around the lightweight sleigh the snow was covered in blood.<\/p>\n

Lots<\/i>\u00a0of blood.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d had to wait until the sun rose to continue their search. By the time he\u2019d figured out what direction his youngest had taken, it was too dark to pursue him.\u00a0\u00a0Christmas Day dawned with their family split asunder.\u00a0\u00a0Hoss remained at the Andersons, waiting for his brothers to pick him up.\u00a0\u00a0Hop Sing sat in an empty Ponderosa, staring mournfully at the makings of the feast he had prepared for those he loved.\u00a0\u00a0Adam had come with him.\u00a0\u00a0They, at least, were together.<\/p>\n

While Little Joe\u2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean the cat got him, Pa,\u201d his eldest said softly.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cJoe\u2019s quick on his feet \u2013 and smart; too smart to be taken off-guard.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Adam placed his fingers in the impression of one of the numerous hoof prints driven deep into the muddy ground.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIt looks like Cadfan took off at a pace.\u00a0\u00a0Maybe Joe was riding him.\u00a0\u00a0You can\u2019t \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen where is your brother?!\u201d he snapped.\u00a0\u00a0Ben swallowed over his fear.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cAnd\u00a0whose<\/i>\u00a0blood is this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, Pa.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Adam chewed his lip as he rose and turned toward the woods. \u201cMaybe the cat\u2019s\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stared at the blood.\u00a0\u00a0He couldn\u2019t look away from\u00a0all<\/i>\u00a0that blood.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t we go into the camp and see if anyone heard or saw anything?\u00a0\u00a0We\u2019re not that far away.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher nodded.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cYes.\u00a0\u00a0Yes, that\u2019s wise.\u00a0\u00a0Hopefully someone will know something.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take them long; ten, maybe fifteen minutes to reach the camp. Ben\u2019s stomach tightened as they plodded through the wet snow.\u00a0\u00a0Joe had almost made it there before whatever happened\u2026happened.\u00a0\u00a0The worried father was struck as they drew near by the sounds of merriment and laughter.\u00a0\u00a0So far from his thoughts was any kind of joy,\u00a0\u00a0that the exuberant noise struck him like a slap in the face. Some of the men who cut his timber would have been better used in the field than the forest.\u00a0\u00a0Others had been born and bred to cut trees.\u00a0\u00a0Many of them were of Scottish descent; strong, big-bodied, well-muscled and often bearded men who had left their burnt-out crofts behind when they struck out for the New World and a better life.\u00a0\u00a0One was playing the pipes.\u00a0\u00a0The mournful sound of the ancient tune washed over the wet, weary land, resounding from the pine trees\u2019 snow-laden branches. He knew it.\u00a0\u00a0Loved it in fact.<\/p>\n

Today, he found its message hard to believe.<\/p>\n

As they walked, Ben became aware that Adam was singing low, almost under his breath, so as not to disturb \u2013 or maybe\u00a0perturb<\/i>\u00a0\u2013 him.\u00a0\u00a0The words he heard became his prayer, repeated in earnest with each step that took him closer to his foreman\u2019s rough home and whatever news awaited him there.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

O come, Thou Dayspring, from on high,<\/i><\/p>\n

And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;<\/i><\/p>\n

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,<\/i><\/p>\n

And death’s dark shadows put to flight.<\/i><\/p>\n

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel<\/i><\/p>\n

Shall come to thee, O Israel<\/i>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Death\u2019s dark shadow.\u00a0\u00a0It sought to overwhelm him now, as it had overwhelmed him only five short years before when Joseph\u2019s mother had died so needlessly in front of his eyes. And yet, his God promised to put that dark shadow to \u2018flight\u2019 and to make safe \u2018the way that leads to on high\u2019, and \u2018closes the path to misery\u2019.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s hand rested on his arm.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cHave faith, Pa,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cSomehow I know Little Joe is all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben knew it as well a moment later when the door to Alexander Ross\u2019 rude cabin flew open and a small form appeared on the stoop.\u00a0\u00a0His youngest son hesitated, and then shot out of it straight into his arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Pa!\u201d Little Joe exclaimed as tears trailed down his ruddy cheeks.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m so sorry I left without asking.\u00a0\u00a0Can you forgive me?\u00a0\u00a0Please, I\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben placed a finger to the child\u2019s lips to hush him.\u00a0\u00a0Then he stretched out his arms and held him at length so he could get a good look at him.\u00a0\u00a0There were no gashes.\u00a0\u00a0No sign of a cat\u2019s razor-sharp claws. There\u00a0were<\/i>\u00a0a few cuts and bruises on his son\u2019s face, watered by the river of tears of repentance that poured from the boy\u2019s wide green eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cEr\u2026Pa\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher glanced over his shoulder.\u00a0\u00a0Adam nodded at Little Joe.\u00a0\u00a0Ben frowned, and then it dawned on him \u2013 the fact that he was pushing Joseph\u00a0away<\/i>\u00a0might be misinterpreted by the boy as a sign of his displeasure and\u00a0not<\/i>\u00a0his relief.<\/p>\n

He moved one hand to his son\u2019s face.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cYes, Joseph, I forgive you.\u00a0\u00a0Do you forgive me?\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy scowled. \u201cGosh, whatever for?\u00a0\u00a0You didn\u2019t steal a sleigh.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stifled his chuckle.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cNo.\u00a0\u00a0No, I didn\u2019t.\u00a0\u00a0I also didn\u2019t listen to you.\u00a0\u00a0None of this would have happened if I had.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe considered that a moment.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI guess I forgive you too then.\u00a0\u00a0Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, son?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan we go home?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stared at his boy for a moment before circling his small frame with his arms and crushing him to his chest.<\/p>\n

So tightly that, for a moment, neither one of them could breathe.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He hadn\u2019t had the heart to punish the child.\u00a0\u00a0Little Joe\u2019s choice to be a \u2018good farmer\u2019 had proven to be more than enough punishment.\u00a0\u00a0The three of them returned home in silence \u2013 he and Joseph on Buck, with Adam following behind leading Cadfan and the empty cutter \u2013 not because he was angry, but because Little Joe fell asleep in his arms.<\/p>\n

How do you fault someone for being generous?\u00a0\u00a0How punish one who has chosen to be a \u2018good farmer in the country\u2019 and \u2018nurse the poor that else were undone\u2019?\u00a0\u00a0He\u2019d never forget the look on Alexander Ross\u2019 young son\u2019s face as he strode around the lumberjack\u2019s rude cabin wearing the heavy wool coat with a fur collar he had hand-picked for his youngest boy, or Alec\u2019s older boy showing off the fancy saddle that had cost a month\u2019s wages. There were other clothes and a fine wooden chess set, as well as pile of the penny dreadful novels Adam so despised and promised would ruin his little brother for great literature.<\/p>\n

If that literature was anything akin to George Withers\u2019 \u2018Christmas Carol\u2019, Ben had decided that would be just fine!<\/p>\n

Earlier that night, after they picked up Hoss at the Andersons and returned home, Joseph had watched stiff-lipped as his older brothers opened their gifts.\u00a0\u00a0He had his stocking, which the boy said was enough, but Ben noticed how Little Joe asked to take his leave as soon as he could, citing how tired he was from his adventure.<\/p>\n

It was nearly twelve now.\u00a0\u00a0Christmas eighteen-fifty-two was almost over.\u00a0\u00a0He couldn\u2019t bear to let it pass and leave his youngest empty-handed.\u00a0\u00a0Ben glanced at the box he held before tucking it behind his back.\u00a0\u00a0Then he reached for the latch to open Little Joe\u2019s bedroom door.\u00a0\u00a0The boy wasn\u2019t in bed \u2013 another violation he decided to let go.\u00a0\u00a0Instead, Joseph sat on a chair by the window looking out.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Pa,\u201d came the quiet greeting.<\/p>\n

\u201cCouldn\u2019t sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Little Joe glanced at him and then turned back to the window.<\/p>\n

Ben sat on the edge of the bed.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cAre you sorry you gave all your fine things away?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joseph pivoted in the chair.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cKind of, but not really,\u201d he said, his nose twitching. \u201cI get things all year long.\u00a0\u00a0Archie and Finlay don\u2019t even get them at Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a lovely thing you did, giving them your gifts \u2013 even if you should have asked permission first.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0His tone darkened.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cYou could have been hurt going all the way up to the camp alone.\u00a0\u00a0You\u00a0almost<\/i>\u00a0were.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe nodded \u2013 and swallowed hard.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIf Mr. Ross hadn\u2019t been huntin\u2019 that old cat\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

The blood had been the mountain lion\u2019s as Adam suspected, left there when it sped away from the camp as Cadfan, dragging his son, galloped toward the woods and Ross\u2019 hunting party.\u00a0\u00a0The men were able to halt the Welsh pony and Little Joe came away with little more than scratches and a bruised pride.<\/p>\n

Thank God!<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, do I have your promise that you will never do such a thing again?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s head dropped.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Pa.\u00a0\u00a0I know you picked out all those things for me.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019m sorry I made you mad when I gave them away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stiffened.<\/p>\n

Did his boy really think him\u00a0so\u00a0<\/i>petty?<\/p>\n

The rancher placed the box on the bed and went to kneel before his son. Taking one of the boy\u2019s hands in his, he admitted, \u201cJoseph, I am humbled by your generous heart.\u00a0\u00a0I pay my men well, but I know as well that it supplies them with little more than they need to survive.\u00a0\u00a0Next year I will remedy that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy looked up.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cSo what I did was good?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0At his frown, Joe modified it.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cSort of?\u201d<\/p>\n

The humbled father touched his son\u2019s chest.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cYour heart was in the right place.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Ben stood up and then cuffed him playfully on his head.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIts\u2019 too bad you seem to have misplaced you brain!\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe smiled.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI wanted to be a Good Samaritan, Pa.\u00a0\u00a0I want to be a good man just like you are when I grow up.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was quite a compliment, but the older man knew better.<\/p>\n

Joe would be a\u00a0better<\/i>\u00a0man than him.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, son?\u201d<\/p>\n

That head of curls inclined toward the bed.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWhat\u2019s in the box?\u2019<\/p>\n

He\u2019d almost forgotten.\u00a0\u00a0The rancher went to the bed.\u00a0\u00a0When he returned, he held the brightly wrapped box out to his son.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cYour Christmas present.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, I gave them all away.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cNot all.\u00a0\u00a0This is a special one.\u00a0\u00a0It wasn\u2019t under the tree.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe took it and shook it.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWhat\u2019s in it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben laughed.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cYou\u2019ll have to open it to find out.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Joe opened the box, he gasped.\u00a0\u00a0A second later he drew a neat, low-crown beaver-fur black hat just his size out of it.\u00a0\u00a0His green eyes went wide as he ran his fingers over the finely fashioned fur.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a real one, isn\u2019t it?\u201d his son asked.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI mean, it\u2019s a hat for a man, not a boy.\u00a0\u00a0Just like the one Adam wears\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not quite.\u00a0\u00a0Joe had a bit of growing before he was a man.<\/p>\n

No.\u00a0\u00a0He took that back.\u00a0\u00a0What his son had done the day before had shown just how much of a\u00a0man<\/i>\u00a0he had become.<\/p>\n

\u201cMerry Christmas, son.<\/p>\n

Little Joe stood up and went to his mirror.\u00a0\u00a0He placed the hat square on his head and stared.\u00a0\u00a0A moment later, he reached up and cocked it at a jaunty angle and then turned to look at him for his approval.<\/p>\n

For a moment Ben saw not the boy, but the man his youngest would become \u2013 strong, honorable, confident and brave \u2013 and then Little Joe tipped the hat forward just a bit\u00a0too\u00a0<\/i>much and it fell off of his head.\u00a0\u00a0The boy reached for it, missed, and followed it to the floor landing nearly on top of it \u2013 which would have made it one very fine\u00a0flat<\/i>\u00a0hat indeed!<\/p>\n

And then he started giggling.<\/p>\n

Ben tried, but he couldn\u2019t resist.\u00a0\u00a0Soon the two of them were laughing loud enough to bring the rafters down.\u00a0\u00a0When Adam and Hoss appeared at the door, the pair stared at them like they had lost their minds.<\/p>\n

Before they joined in.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Then wherefore in these merry days<\/i><\/p>\n

Should we, I pray, be duller?<\/i><\/p>\n

No, let us sing some roundelays<\/i><\/p>\n

To make our mirth the fuller.<\/i><\/p>\n

And whilst we thus inspired sing,<\/i><\/p>\n

Let all the streets with echoes ring;<\/i><\/p>\n

Woods, and hills, and everything<\/i><\/p>\n

Bear witness we are merry.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

END<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My Phrase: “Good farmers in the country nurse the poor that else were undone” from a Christmas Carol<\/a> by George Wither<\/p>\n

My Character: Little Joe<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Link to Bonanza Brand 2023 Advent Calendar – Day 17 – With Elizabeth<\/a><\/strong> by sklamb<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

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

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

Summary: Adam intended to introduce his youngest brother to good literature, but you know Little Joe \u2013 instead of culture, he found trouble!\u00a0\u00a0
\nRating:\u00a0 G
\nWords:\u00a0 4,500\u00a0
\nWritten for the Bonanza Brand 2023 Advent Calendar<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10058,"featured_media":5835,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[23,1007,30],"tags":[1062],"class_list":["post-46807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-joe-cartwright","category-prequels","tag-advent-calendar","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-1007-id","wpcat-30-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":865,"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":15611,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=15611","url_meta":{"origin":46807,"position":0},"title":"Shepherds (by Sierra Girl)","author":"Sierra Girl","date":"December 25, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This image was created for the 2017 Advent Calendar - Day 10 Summary:\u00a0 Christmas greetings. 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(by DJK)","author":"DJK","date":"December 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 Oh, what fun there is on the Ponderosa at Christmas Rating:\u00a0 G\u00a0 (110 words) Written for the 2025 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar","rel":"","context":"In "Humor"","block_context":{"text":"Humor","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Christmas-Traditions.jpg?fit=639%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Christmas-Traditions.jpg?fit=639%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Christmas-Traditions.jpg?fit=639%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61185,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=61185","url_meta":{"origin":46807,"position":2},"title":"The Meaning of Christmas (by PatD in PA)","author":"Pat D in PA","date":"December 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 An explanation of Christmas, between brothers. 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