Summary:\u00a0 Clementine Hawkins saves the day by preventing an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction.
\nRating:\u00a0 G\u00a0 \u00a02,710 words<\/p>\n
Written for the 2024 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The elegant room was filled with rarities \u2013 stylish handmade French Chantilly bobbin-lace tablecloths, sumptuous silk drapes from China, sterling silver tea sets, Staffordshire pearlware and fine pieces of deep red Czechoslovakian glass, the facets of which glinted in the dying rays of the sun piercing the rippled window glass.\u00a0 The woman who stood by the window wasn\u2019t old.\u00a0 Nor was she young. Her ringletted honey-blonde hair had been captured this day in a snood made of interwoven ribbons and very fine netting with a crystal placed at each intricate intersection.\u00a0 One of her favorite pins \u2013 a sterling silver horseshoe embedded with iridescent pearls \u2013 bedecked the high neck of her pure white blouse.\u00a0 She wore a fashionable day dress with jacket and skirt cut of deep red and emerald green moir\u00e9 taffeta.\u00a0 After all, it was Christmas.<\/p>\n
So it was imperative one resemble a Christmas tree!<\/p>\n
Clementine Hawkins crossed to the closest table and smiled at its occupant. \u201cCoo, love, but there\u2019s a right storm brewin\u2019 out there!\u00a0 You might just have to spend the night, ducky.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ben Cartwright laughed as he returned his tea cup to its saucer.\u00a0 \u201cWell, then, it\u2019s a good thing you\u2019ve got plenty of rooms!\u201d<\/p>\n
It was a game they played \u2013 and one they both enjoyed.<\/p>\n
Clementine placed her hands on the back of the Chippendale chair opposite the handsome rancher and leaned in.\u00a0 \u201cNo need for that, lovey. The one I have is big enough for two.\u201d\u00a0 Her gaze shifted to Ben\u2019s middle son Hoss, who had come with him to call.\u00a0 \u201cOr maybe three!!\u201d\u00a0 Then, with the expertise of a long practice she batted her long black slightly enhanced eyelashes \u2013 and stifled a chuckle.<\/p>\n
Ben\u2019s boy looked like a circus horse caught in the limelight and ready to bolt!<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you Ms. Hawkins,\u201d Hoss said, \u201cbut I\u2019m sure Pa and I can make it back to the Ponderosa before dark.\u201d\u00a0 His glance at his father was pleading.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you think so, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ben rose and walked to the window where he lifted the drape and looked out.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know, son. \u00a0It\u2019s coming down hard.\u201d\u00a0 The rancher turned back into the room.\u00a0 \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t want to get lost on the way home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hoss rose and went to his side.\u00a0 \u201cBut Pa!\u00a0 Little Joe and Adam is expectin\u2019 us and\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 The boy\u2019s voice trailed off as he realized his leg was being pulled.<\/p>\n
The snow barely covered the boardwalk.<\/p>\n
\u201cGoldangit, you two\u2026.!\u201d<\/p>\n
Clementine grinned from ear to ear as Ben Cartwright bellowed.\u00a0 Since their\u2026adventure…with the Burma Rarity earlier in the year, she and the handsome rancher had come to an understanding.\u00a0 They would never marry \u2013 but they would never admit that to anyone else!\u00a0 Ben\u2019s heart was still with his last wife.<\/p>\n
As hers was with Harry Hawkins, the World\u2019s Strongest Man.<\/p>\n
The older woman\u2019s gaze grew teary as it traveled to the elaborate John Henry Belter parlor table with its carved floral and fruit motifs that now rested against the wall and under the poster of her late husband.\u00a0 The table had been the reason for the Cartwrights visit today.\u00a0 Hoss had chosen it specifically to replace the one he broke and had been the one to carry it in.<\/p>\n
He\u2019d also been the one to ever so gently place Harry\u2019s 500 pound weight on its surface!<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve never spoken about him,\u201d Ben said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cYou late husband, that is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clementine sniffed as a tear escaped to trail down her rosy cheek.\u00a0 \u201cAh, my Harry.\u00a0 He was somethin\u2019, he was!\u00a0 God only made one like him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWill you tell us about him, Ms. Hawkins?\u00a0 I\u2019d sure like to know.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss paused.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, I don\u2019t know too many men could lift a weight of that size!\u00a0 He must have been\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled.<\/p>\n
Harry had been a bit like Hoss.\u00a0 Smaller in stature, but just as big of heart.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it\u2019s too distressing to speak of, Clementine, we understand,\u201d Ben added.<\/p>\n
The diminutive woman drew a breath before crossing the room to stand under the circus poster and gaze upon the man she loved.\u00a0 What she saw made her smile.\u00a0 Harry had been muscle from top to toe, with slender legs leading up to a well-formed chest and beyond that to his handsome mustachioed face.\u00a0 She\u2019d been a dance hall girl when they met, on the road to who knew where.\u00a0 He\u2019d rescued her, taking her under his wing and, in time, sweeping her off of her feet and marrying her.\u00a0 Together they\u2018d been \u2018The Magnificent Hawkins\u2019, Clemmy and Harry, a dynamite duo that trod the boards and walked the sawdust before the Kings and Queens of Europe.<\/p>\n
The heart went out of her when he died.<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Hawkins?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked over her shoulder at Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cYes, pet?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I\u2026\u00a0 Well, Ma\u2019am\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 He pulled at his collar.\u00a0 \u201cCan I ask you a question?\u201d<\/p>\n
The older woman glanced at Ben, but could see he had no idea where his son\u2019s thoughts had flown.<\/p>\n
\u201cCertainly.\u00a0\u00a0 What is it you\u2019d like to know?\u201d<\/p>\n
Hoss nodded toward the wall.\u00a0 She looked but saw nothing out of the ordinary \u2013 just the poster and Harry\u2019s circus tights with their red sash.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it, son?\u201d the rancher asked.<\/p>\n
Clementine hid her smile. The boy was actually blushing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, Ma\u2019am, pardon me if this ain\u2019t the right kind of thing to ask, but how come you got a pair of mens\u2019 drawers hangin\u2019 on your wall?\u00a0 And\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Ben had his face in his hand.\u00a0 She was sure he was trying not to laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow come they\u2019s pink?!\u201d<\/p>\n
Clementine returned to the table and took a seat.\u00a0 She drew a deep breath as memories rushed over her in a tide.\u00a0 She wouldn\u2019t drown, she knew that, but she might very well go under if she wasn\u2019t careful.<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you ever been to a circus, pet?\u201d she asked the young man.<\/p>\n
Hoss nodded.\u00a0 \u201cSure have, Ma\u2019am.\u00a0 They come through near every year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCoo!\u201d the former entertainer laughed.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s a mud show and not a circus!\u00a0 If all you\u2019ve seen is a one-horse show trudgin\u2019 along the road, then you haven\u2019t seen a circus at all!\u00a0 I\u2019m talkin\u2019 about a big top with three rings and dozens of performers lit by the magical glow of gaslights!\u201d\u00a0 Clementine\u2019s eyes widened as she saw it all unfold again.\u00a0 \u201cYou should have been there, pet! You\u2019d of seen trapeze artists and tightrope walkers, star riders and clowns; sword swallowers and fire eaters and\u2026\u201d\u00a0 She glanced at the poster.\u00a0 \u201cA very handsome strong man.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds wonderful Ms. Hawkins, but \u2013 and pardon me again \u2013 it don\u2019t explain them pink tights!\u201d<\/p>\n
She leaned back, warming to her tale.\u00a0 \u201cWell, you see, Hoss, my Harry took to the ring when he was just a lad.\u00a0 Always a strong one, he was, that one!\u00a0 He worked alongside his father and older brothers in the fields pullin\u2019 flax until them infernal machines did away with the job!\u201d\u00a0 She scoffed.\u00a0 \u201cAnd just about every job in the land!\u00a0 Anyhow, jobs were scarce, so Harry set out with his brother Mike to look for work in another town.\u00a0 Blimey, but it was hard!\u00a0 They did all sorts of odd jobs until one day a man came lookin\u2019 for my Harry.\u00a0 He ran a mud show out of a fancy exchangeable-wagon with one man what walked the ropes, a toothless tiger, and a paunchy pachyderm.\u00a0 Someone had told him Harry was the man for him!\u201d\u00a0 The small woman laughed.\u00a0 \u201cThe man was gettin\u2019 older and needed someone to take on the task of setting up the show wagon and turning it into a stage.\u00a0 His name was\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 She frowned.\u00a0 \u201cOh!\u00a0 Let\u2019s see\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Clementine snapped her fingers.\u00a0 \u201cCoo!\u00a0 Now, I remember!\u00a0 Professor Whizbang Wiggly!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo!\u201d Ben said, amazed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes!\u00a0 The professor saw my Harry\u2019s potential and knew he was wasted as a roustabout, so just a few months later he introduced him to the stupendous Atlas Thunderbrawn, a strong man known all over the world!\u00a0 Weren\u2019t no time at all \u2018til Harry was lifting that old pachyderm over his head!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReally?\u201d Hoss gasped.\u00a0 \u201cI wonder if I could lift an elephant?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t you ever try!\u201d his father said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clementine leaned in close to the young man.\u00a0 She raised a hand and spoke behind it in a stage whisper.\u00a0 \u201cIf you do, love, be sure you don\u2019t ever tell the old man!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI beg your pardon!\u201d Ben protested, his ears sharp as ever.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the shoe fits, ducky,\u201d Clementine said with a wink. \u201cAnyhow, it wasn\u2019t long after that Harry and I met.\u00a0 What a whirlwind!\u00a0 We were no more married than we were off to the big top!\u00a0 The professor was sorry to lose the pair of us, but when the Sells Brothers Circus came askin\u2019 to hire Harry as their strong man, well, we had to go!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeems like the two of you were on top of the world,\u201d the rancher remarked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWearin\u2019 pink tights,\u201d Hoss muttered.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m gettin\u2019 to them, love.\u201d\u00a0 Clementine leaned back in her chair.\u00a0 \u201cOne day my Harry comes to me and says, \u2018I\u2019m done, flower.\u00a0 I can\u2019t do this anymore.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cWhatever is wrong, Chuck?\u201d I asked.\u00a0 \u201cI feel like I\u2019ll faint each time I pick up that pachyderm, Clemmy.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know what\u2019s wrong.\u00a0 It\u2019s like someone\u2019s shoved my ass in the witch\u2019s furnace.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was wrong?\u201d Hoss asked as Ben\u2019s black brows popped.<\/p>\n
\u201cStrongest man in the world, and my Harry was allergic to wool!\u201d\u00a0 She chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cHe wore a handmade body suit of heavy knit wool.\u00a0 Covered him all over, it did, and made him hot as Hades!\u201d\u00a0 She smiled at Ben.\u00a0 \u201cNot that a bein\u2019 a hot man is always a problem, Ducky.\u00a0 There\u2019s lots of good uses for it!”<\/p>\n
The rancher cleared his throat.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s plenty of snow outside,\u201d she advised with a wink.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, well\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas your husband really gonna leave the circus \u2018cause his suit made him too hot, Ma\u2019am?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m afraid so.\u00a0 We were scheduled to perform that weekend before the Queen and her consort at the Theater Royal on Drury Lane.\u00a0 Now, I wasn\u2019t going to miss that!\u00a0 So, I played detective and found out there was a new material just come on the market called \u2018cotton jersey\u2019. \u00a0It was softer and breathed more than wool and could be dyed all sorts of brilliant colors.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike pink?\u201d Hoss asked with a grin<\/p>\n
\u201cYou bet, pet!\u201d she replied.\u00a0 \u201cCoral blush, Cherry Blossom, and\u2026Candy Floss Pink!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo them tights on the wall is the ones Harry got so\u2019s he could keep on workin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n
She rose and crossed to the wall again.\u00a0 \u201cNo,\u201d the older woman remarked as she reached out to touch them.\u00a0 \u201cThis is a special pair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow \u2018special\u2019?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n
Clementine went to stand by the rancher.\u00a0 She leaned in to whisper.\u00a0 \u201cCoo, ducky.\u00a0 You\u2019ll have to visit me boudoir to find out!\u201d<\/p>\n
*****<\/p>\n
A quick trip up the stairs brought the trio to Clementine\u2019s bedroom.\u00a0 It was decorated with items she had collected from her travels all over the world including fanciful automatons that sang and danced, classical marble statuary, and colorful costumes she had worn when she was a prestidigitator.\u00a0 The furniture was ornate, the bed coverings bright; each and every piece reflective of her childhood home in Piccadilly.<\/p>\n
Each and every piece but one.<\/p>\n
In a corner sat a plain wooden box perched on two metal legs.\u00a0 Unlike the box, the legs were ornate and made of cast iron decorated with whirls and swirls of crimson and gold paint.\u00a0 Clementine walked to the box.\u00a0 She placed a hand on it.\u00a0 \u201cDo either of you have any idea what this is?\u201d she asked the bewildered men.<\/p>\n
Ben shook his head.<\/p>\n
Hoss followed suit. \u00a0\u201cI gotta admit I ain\u2019t never seen anything like it, Ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clementine pressed something that released a panel of wood in the box\u2019s top.\u00a0 She put it aside before reaching into the interior and drawing out a black serpentine machine.\u00a0 After securing it in place, her gaze returned to father and son.<\/p>\n
\u201cGentlemen.\u00a0 I\u2019d like to introduce you to Harrietta.\u201d<\/p>\n
One black brow peaked.\u00a0 \u201cHarrietta?\u201d the rancher inquired.<\/p>\n
\u201cAin\u2019t that?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss turned to his father.\u00a0 \u201cI saw one of them new-fangled things in the Mail Order catalog this year.\u201d\u00a0 He looked at Clementine.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t that a Singer Patent Model Sewing Machine?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, she sings right enough, pet!\u201d Clementine sniffed as she stroked the shining metal.\u00a0 \u201cT’was twenty years ago to the day \u2013 on Christmas Day \u2013 my Harry gave me Harrietta.\u00a0 I\u2019d been working my fingers to the bone makin\u2019 them tights for him by hand year in and year out.\u00a0 What a marvel this was!\u00a0 Cut the time by half and freed me up to do other things with these fingers.\u201d\u00a0 The older woman wiggled her fingers \u2013 as well as her plucked eyebrows.\u00a0 \u201cCome back later, Ducky, and I\u2019ll show you a few of them!\u201d she said, her eyes on Ben.<\/p>\n
Hoss was so focused on the machine that he missed his father\u2019s blush.\u00a0 \u201cSo them tights on the wall, you made them?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re the last pair I made for my dear departed Harry.\u00a0 Candy Floss Pink, they was, once upon a time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clementine Hawkins sighed.<\/p>\n
The tights might have faded and lost their color, but not her memories were bright and crisp as the day they\u2019d been made.<\/p>\n
*****<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, goodnight Clementine,\u201d Ben said as he stopped near the door.\u00a0 \u201cThank you for sharing yours and Harry\u2019s story.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Ma\u2019am! \u00a0That was real interestin\u2019!\u201d Hoss exclaimed.\u00a0 \u201cI sure wish I could have seen Harry lift a pachyderm over his head!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith me on its back,\u201d she added with a smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cGosh!\u00a0 Really?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure you won\u2019t come to the Ponderosa with us?\u201d the rancher asked.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re having a little Christmas party tonight and we\u2019d love to have you attend.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCome now, Benjamin! \u00a0I\u2019ve heard about your \u2018little\u2019 parties.\u00a0 Little!?\u00a0 Half of Virginia City will be there.\u00a0 I think\u2026\u201d \u00a0The older woman sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI promise I\u2019ll come next year, ducky.\u00a0 You\u2019ll make my apologies to Tiny Tim, won\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ben rolled his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cOnly if you promise not to sit here alone in the dark like Ebenezer Scrooge!\u2019<\/p>\n
Clementine turned to look at the circus poster and the faded tights proudly displayed beside it. \u00a0\u201cI won\u2019t be alone.\u201d\u00a0 She sniffed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got me memories to keep me company and that\u2019s more than enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll check on you tomorrow anyway,\u201d the rancher said, his tone concerned.\u00a0 \u201cThe boys want to come to town to visit their friends and I might as well tag along.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust can\u2019t get enough of me, can you, lovey?\u201d the older woman asked; lashes fluttering.\u00a0 \u201cS\u2019pecially now you seen me in my boudoir.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ben spluttered.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2026well\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clementine chuckled as she turned to Hoss.\u00a0 Seeing the boy\u2019s bewildered expression, she pointed up.\u00a0 There, hanging from the gilt and crystal chandelier, was a beribboned mass of mistletoe. \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t want anyone to say a Cartwright didn\u2019t respect tradition.\u00a0 Now would you, pet?\u2019<\/p>\n
Hoss chuckled as he leaned in and planted a chaste kiss on her cheek.\u00a0 \u201cThank you for everythin\u2019, Ms. Hawkins.\u00a0 Specially the story of Harry and his pink tights.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re welcome, pet.\u201d\u00a0 She turned to Ben as his son stepped out the door and crooked one finger.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s your turn, ducky.\u00a0 Like son, like father!\u201d<\/p>\n
Ben smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI said it before and I\u2019ll say it again, you are one amazing woman, Clementine Hawkins!\u201d<\/p>\n
Then he shocked her by placing both hands on her waist and giving her a kiss to remember!<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy, ducky,\u201d she said, slightly out of breath, \u201cI didn\u2019t know you cared.\u201d<\/p>\n
He winked.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe not in the way you think, but I can tell you this.\u00a0 I care enough to keep you on your good side because I sure as shootin\u2019 want a Candy Floss pink shirt!\u201d<\/p>\n
*****<\/p>\n
END<\/p>\n
*****<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
My character was obviously Clementine Hawkins and my invention, the sewing machine.\u00a0 The idea for Harry\u2019s troubles with the wool cloth came from the fact that the famous ballerina,\u00a0Margot Fonteyn, nearly retired because she could no longer get the older type of silk stockings she had worn throughout her career.\u00a0 \u00a0A friend gave her a trunk load and she kept on dancing!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
Link to Day 17 of the Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar – A Candy Floss Christmas<\/a> by ElayneA<\/p>\n