THE LAST CHRISTMAS
Christmas at the Barkley ranch was an all out festive occasion. The entire family would be here and for the first time in a long while sleeping under the same roof. There was a seven foot pine tree standing between two large windows that Nick and I cut down after spending a week in foot deep snow looking for what Nick called the "perfect tree". Audra, Mother and Silas spent the next three days decorating and organizing packages underneath it. Jarrod arrived from San Francisco with Gene yesterday evening. The entire house was decorated in ways I had never seen, and smelled like pine and fresh baked pies. It would be a wonder that if any of those pies made it to the table for Christmas dinner!
The day started like any other; getting up early, I slipped down and stoked up the fire in the sitting room. I then made my way into the kitchen for a cup of Silas's coffee. This morning Silas not only had coffee but fresh doughnut dipped in sugar and cinnamon.
"Good morning Mr. Heath," he said as he set a platter of doughnuts on the table in front of me. Silas always puts "Mister" in front of my name, I know he does it out of respect but it sure does take some getting used to.
"Mornin Silas. I got the fire going in the front room," I told him as I take a doughnut and dip into my coffee. I feel like a kid eating that doughnut and it reminds me of the last Christmas that I shared with my mother in Strawberry.
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Growing up in a dying mining town was hard. There wasn't much in the line of work and most of the businesses that were still there were struggling just as much as the rest of us; anything that came along I took it even if it meant being away from my mother. I had heard that a ranch up north was hiring for a large cattle drive and there was a possibility that they might be hiring for long term. I rode up there and talked to them but by the time I arrived they had decided not do the drive and they had nothing else to offer so I headed back to Strawberry.
I tried to take care of the house and the little farm that we had. The old milk cow had died a few years back, but we still had a hog and some chickens. I was always working on the fence that surrounded the chicken house. A coyote managed to get one of the hens the other night. I shot him before he could leave the yard and then skinned him, and finished the job he had started on the hen. My mama cooked up a fine dinner that night.
Mama had been working at the hotel but with the lack of paying guests they let her go. She had tried to get the hotel to buy her eggs when they did have a guest but that didn't work either. Instead she sold the eggs at the General Store for a few pennies for each dozen she brought in.
Mama had been sick, so most of the money that I earned was used to pay for the doctor and whatever medicines that she needed. If there was anything left it went to pay for feed for the livestock; they mostly got scrapes otherwise. I also had a trap line set. I was low on bullets and didn't hunt with my rifle as much as I did with those traps, but I was running out of ideas on how to cook up rabbit. Sometimes I would be late getting out to check the traps and finding that a coyote or other critter had already got what I had caught so many times I came home empty handed.
One day in December Mama told me to butcher the hog. Butchering that hog would provide us with enough meat for some time and Mama wanted the ham for our Christmas dinner. When I got out to the pen I found that the fence was down and the hog was gone. It had been an odd year and we had yet to get our first snow so tracking the hog took a bit longer than if there had been snow on the ground. I followed the trail until I came upon a mostly dried patch of blood. There wasn't much left of the hog and the tracks around the carcass were not those of an animal but of human, Indian.
I returned home and told Mama what had happened. She smiled and said, "The lord must have thought that they needed it more than we did." Her faith in God was unwavering; me, I was on shaky ground with him. I had managed to come through the Civil War without many scars until we had been caught by the Rebels and sent to a prison camp for seven months until we were exchanged. Those seven months had been pure hell and it was during this time my faith in God had been truly shaken. Upon my return home it was Mama that helped me see that God had been with me and helped me restore my faith.
Christmas for Mama and me was a very small affair, and that year more than others. We didn't have a tree that last year nor did we have any gifts. I killed a chicken and Mama went down into the root cellar where we had some potatoes and a jar of green beans that we had harvested from the last garden. Mama fried the chicken and boiled the potatoes and when they were soft enough she would mash them. She heated up the beans adding a bit of bacon grease for flavor. The entire time she cooked she softly hummed carols. When it was ready we sat down and ate the best meal we had had in a long time and to top it all off Mama had baked an apple pie. I did the clean up while she relaxed in her rocking chair by the fireplace, we were saving the pie for later. I was just finishing drying my hands off when there came a knock on the door. Mama got up and answered it. It was a young man he handed something to Mama and left. Mama shut the door and turned to me.
"It's for you Heath!" she said as she handed me an envelope. I took it, puzzled as to who would send me a telegram.
"Well, unless you can read through that paper don't you think you should open it?" I glanced at her and smiled. She went back to her rocker and I sat on the hearth. I opened the envelope and read the short message.
"Well?" she asked impatiently while I folded the letter and stuck it back into its envelope.
"Well, it seems that outfit up north has decided to go ahead with their cattle drive and has asked me if I still wanted the job."
"Oh, Heath! That is wonderful! When do you have to leave?"
"Tomorrow. They have a train ticket waiting for me."
"Well son, at least it is good honest work, and what a great gift to receive."
"Are you going to be alright here alone?" I asked knowing what she is going to say.
"Heath I am never alone," she smiled as she leans forward and kissed my cheek, "I will get up early and pack you some of that left over chicken and some biscuits."
"Mama, you need to keep that for yourself," I protested, knowing that no matter what I said even if it was the last of the food she would see to it that I was taken care of first.
"I got more chickens in the pen!" she laughed as she stood up and moved off to the kitchen to cut the pie. I sat where I was because I knew she was just putting up a brave front for me and didn't want me to see her cry. It took her a bit but she returned with two plates with large pieces of apple pie on them. We just sat and talked, while enjoying that pie. She told me stories of when she was a little girl and some of the stories that her father had told her. I laughed at the funny stuff and listened to her father's wisdom and all too soon it was time for bed. I sighed knowing that we needed to get some sleep but both of us wanted to drag it out for as long as we could.
Morning came too soon. I had my horse saddled with my saddle bags and bedroll tied on. Mama followed me to my horse's side.
"You take care and write when you get time," she said as she tied the gunny sack to my saddle horn. She then turned and gave me a small hug.
"I will send you some money too," I said and she smiled and nodded her head. She pulled her woolen shawl tighter around her shoulders as I climbed into the saddle.
"I love you son."
"Love you too Mama." I turned my horse to head out of town but I looked back one last time. Mama is standing on the porch of our little house. She gives me a small wave and I turn to head out as she goes inside.
It would be eight months later that I received the message that Mama was sick and dying, and I would come to learn that she gave me the greatest gift she could have given me.
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It was Nick's spurs that brought me back to the present. He growled a good morning and poured himself a cup of coffee. He made his way over to the table and fell into the chair without spilling a drop. I smiled at him knowingly.
"What are you smiling about?" he grumbled.
"Not a thing big brother just was doing some thinking," I said as I stood up and headed towards the door to put on my coat.
"Well if you did as much work around here as you do thinking we wouldn't have to hire so many extra hands," he said taking a bite out of his doughnut.
I didn't say anything just smiled at Silas as I put on my hat and opened the door.
"And another thing this is a working ranch…" I shut the door with a large smile on my face and headed towards the barn to start my morning chores.