The Night of Donkey Work
The procedure was reaching its critical phase. Artemus Gordon agitated the perforated cast iron cage over the flames at a precise level while watching with amusement his fascinated audience. His seven year old daughter's eyes were glowing with anticipation. Artemus' five year old namesake godson, 'Tem' West, was even more riveted, staring unblinkingly at the metal cage and almost trembling with excitement.
Then – it happened! With a loud pop, the very first kernel of corn transformed itself into a mini-white cloud ricocheting within the confines of the black metal. Within seconds, other kernels began popping and careening around one another until the cage became so filled with the popped popcorn that there was no more room for the last few pieces to move much from where they burst. The whole spectacle took place in under a minute as both children leaned in to watch, with the restraining hands of Arte's friend, neighbor and Secret Service partner Jim West on their small shoulders to keep them from getting too close to the small bonfire. Then little Amanda and Tem gave glad cries as the scientist/chef swung the cast iron cage away from the flames, opened it and poured the fluffy white contents into a waiting bowl. This was the kind of science Artemus Gordon liked best – absorbing, yet practical.
The children needed no urging to descend upon the bowl like a pair of hungry wolf pups, each one grabbing and crunching a couple of handfuls before scurrying back to the warmth of the Gordon residence with the remainder of the popcorn. Jim grinned with amusement at the sight of them carrying the big bowl to its destination.
"Artemus, you realize," he said, "as much of that is going to wind up inside them as gets put on the trees."
"Exactly why I came prepared, James my boy!" Arte smiled as he picked up and shook a cardboard cannister, which rattled at the motion. "Plenty more corn where that came from!" As if to prove it, he poured another half cup of raw kernels into the popping cage and readied for Round 2. Jim sat down on a log to watch the encore performance and Arte couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Amanda and Tem weren't the only children to be spellbound by this cooking/science demonstration. One very big kid name of James West was just as interested, even if he tried not to show it. Such a simple thing, yet the popping of popcorn never failed to extract a sense of wonder in a season that was already full of wonders.
Fifteen minutes later with another cage-full of edible mini-clouds and the bonfire safely banked, the Secret Service's two most accomplished agents wandered into the warmth of the Gordon living room. Lily Gordon and Adele West were there, sitting with the children on the long davenport and helping them string pieces of popcorn and fresh cranberries into colorful garlands for the West and Gordon family Christmas trees. Newly cut pine tree and pine boughs scented the air along with hot spiced cider, while another crackling fire glimmered in the hearth. Arte drank in the scene as if it was the finest cognac. Maybe life could get better than this, but at the moment he just didn't see how. He and Jim had to be the two luckiest men alive right now.
Of course, they'd all be feeling lucky the day after tomorrow when everyone got to open their presents on Christmas morning. Artemus already knew what most of those presents were, since he and Jim had helped one another shop for their respective wives and children. Little Tem, who'd been good as gold all year (except for the weathervane incident) would look resplendent in his new cowboy boots, hat and fringe jacket. His parents had also bought him a pile of games and puzzles – hopefully enough to keep the inquisitive tot from climbing to the roof of the barn again. And Tem's loving Uncle Arte had personally manufactured for him a toy train set to look just like the Wanderer, with tiny tablets that could make real steam come out of its chimney.
Amanda, clever and a bit less well-behaved, but nevertheless an adorable little angel in her father's eyes, would be getting some new outfits too, plus half a library's worth of books, some new sketching pads and pencils, and a special chess set that Arte had spent weeks carving just for her. Lily had already vetoed the lariat that Amanda had asked Santa for. Artemus felt bad about that – after all, how could his precious young apple dumpling go wrong? But all four parents were practically itching with excitement to see what their children's reaction would be to the most special Christmas present of them all: their very own pet burro.
Tomorrow, Christmas Eve day, Jim and Arte had an assignment for which their professional backgrounds had prepared them well. While Lily and Adele took the children into Chicago by horse trolley to watch a Christmas show, the agents would sneak off to Millwood Grove's auction barn to pick up their special purchase and bring it back to the shared West/Gordon horse barn, where it would remain hidden until the big reveal. The tame and gentle burro was already acclimated to children, as its previous owner had used it to give rides to small fry at parties and picnics in the area, in spite of which the animal still seemed quite fond of the little ones. The burro would also be a good teaching tool the agents could use to school the children in how to take care of such creatures preparatory to the day when Amanda and Tem would each be given their first horses. Both children had already been taught to ride – now they could learn the responsibility that comes with owning their very own shared steed. Well, sort of a steed. And Lily and Adele had been so taken with the cute, fuzzy creature that the children might learn about sharing and patience at the same time!
Artemus only wished the burro had been a bit cheaper. The sole reason the poor little thing was up for auction at all was that its elderly owner had died recently. Still, this should have been a comparatively inexpensive purchase, and would have been if not for a cranky competitor for ownership at the auction. Mean Mr. Nusker, the most crotchety man in Millwood Grove, had also gone to the auction barn that night and for reasons unknown had tried to outbid the quartet of parents for the burro at every threatened turn of the gavel. The Wests and Gordons were both well off, if not fabulously wealthy, but cash-at-event was what the auction barn always called for, and as the bidding rose higher and higher, Arte, Lily, Jim and Adele had all been forced to pool the nearly insufficient funds they'd brought with them. Jim's determination had been nothing short of grim. If there was one thing neither agent could stand (although there were several things, to be honest), it was the willful abuse of animals. Everyone knew Mr. Nusker had the most miserable-looking, scarred, chewed-up dog in town, a timid hound that walked with a pronounced limp on three legs and shied away from other people. No way was Jim going to let a sweet, tame donkey fall into the villainous Nusker's hands. He almost bid his own cuff links. But Adele reached into her waist-purse and threw her precious pin-and-thread money to the cause that night. Those dimes and nickels had added just enough to the pot for them to outbid their opponent and triumph, with Adele the heroine of the hour and the burro's cozy, family-owned future guaranteed. Hadn't Mr. Nusker shot them all a glare as sour as a bushel full of lemons too! Count Draja couldn't have managed a better scowl.
With nary a nickel left in their pockets, the quartet hadn't been able to bid on a single other item at the auction and had to return to their children's babysitter early rather than taking a light, late supper in town as they'd anticipated. But it was only some pocket money they were out, after all, and when Arte got to see his little girl ride that burro and make daisy chains to put around its neck come spring, the bidding would all be worth it. Yes, this happy holiday was going to be just about perfect!
Jim's prediction for the popcorn had been right on target, and the big bowl was already two-thirds empty by the time Arte refilled it with the second batch. Spotting a tiny white crumb at the corner of his lovely wife's equally lovely lips, he realized the children might have had some help with snack consumption, so he kissed her to remove the evidence. Somehow a pair of cranberry-and-popcorn garlands managed to get made that afternoon, one for the Gordon's tree and one for the West's, before dinner was served, carols were sung and Jim and Adele departed for their house just up the hill, with their tuckered little buckaroo yawning on his father's shoulder. A wonderful day, wonderful evening, wonderful family, wonderful friends and a wonderful Noel just around the corner – what could possibly go wrong?