A Shiloh Christmas: Chapter 6 [December 21st , 1899]
Did you have a good time, Betsy? I had a wonderful time, Daddy. The folks asked me and Randy to sing some Christmas songs so we did. Which ones did you sing? We sang Go Tell It on the Mountain, Silent Night, and Away in a Manger. Those were good choices. I just asked Randy which ones he knew and those were the ones he mentioned. He said his mother taught him to sing the first one. That must have been where he got some of his talent. I'm sure it was, Daddy. Well, I'd better be getting to bed. I've got a big day tomorrow. Goodnight, Daddy. Goodnight, Betsy.
[December 22nd, 1899]
There, that's the last batch of baking for today. Daddy, I'm going to go gather some greenery for the outside of the house as soon as I put these baked goods away. Alright, Betsy. Be careful out there. I will, Daddy. I'll see if Randy can go with me, Betsy said as she stepped into the kitchen. And it was'nt long before she was ready to leave. Is Randy anywhere around, Virginian? He's in the barn, Betsy. But I'd knock before you go in. Alright, thanks. Randy, are you there? Come on in, Betsy. I'm going to go gather some greenery for the house. Would you like to come with me? Sure, Betsy. And I'll help you put it up. I'd appreciate that. And maybe we could put some on the bunkhouse windows, too. Do you think the Virginian would mind? No, I don't think he'd mind, Randy. Have fun, you two. But be careful. I'll keep an eye on her, boss. I know you will, Randy. And before long they were in the woods gathering greenery. Did your mother ever put greenery out for Christmas, Randy? She did. I remember she'd gather holly berries and pinecones and whatever else grew around our cabin. It must have been a lovely sight after she was done, Randy. Oh, it was. She had a knack for makin things look pretty no matter what she had. Let's stop here, Randy. There's a big grove of holly and pine trees here. Can I help you with anything? Take this basket and pick up any pinecones you find. There's a whole bunch of them on the ground around here. Alright, Betsy. And I'll look for some holly and spruce branches. And after several hours they finally collected enough to decorate both the house and the bunkhouse. Well, we'd better be getting back before they wonder what happened to us, Randy. I'll help you put these up when we get back to the ranch, Betsy. I see you two are back, Betsy. And you've got some nice looking greenery. Do you mind if we put some on the bunkhouse? Not at all, Betsy. It'll make the place look nice for Christmas. Let's start with the bunkhouse first, Randy. Then we'll tackle the main one. Alright, Betsy. Some of this will fasten the greenery so it does'nt fly off with the first good wind. Put the holly and spruce first then the pinecones. And it was'nt long before they were finished. There, it looks nice, does'nt it? It sure does, Betsy. Now we'll tackle the house. We'll just do the door and all the ground floor windows that can be seen. I'll be right back, Randy. I have to go get a wreath I made for the front door. I see you're back, Betsy. Randy's helping me put up the greenery we brought back. I just came in to get this wreath. After that I'm going to have him help me get the ornaments out from the attic. I'll ask the Virginian to have some of the boys carry them to the bunkhouse when we do the tree. Thank you, Daddy. There, I got that wreath. You're doing a wonderful job there, Randy. Now that you finished those two, let's go on to the other windows. And it was'nt long before they were done. Well, we did a good job, did'nt we? We sure did, Betsy. Before you go, could you help me get the ornaments for the tree out of the attic? Sure, Betsy. The attic's this way. Here it is. The ornaments should be in this corner right here. Its hard to tell with all the things Daddy's accumulated here over the years. He's probably got things in here from way before I was born. Here they are. It's heavy, so be careful. Where do you want em at, Betsy? We can just set them in the guest room down the hall. They'll be safe there until we decorate the tree. There's two more boxes and that's the last of them. Thanks for your help, Randy. You're welcome, Betsy. I was glad to help. It's getting dark out there already. Then I'd better be gettin back before Cookie gets supper on the table. See ya later, Betsy. You, too, Randy. There, I got all that done, Daddy. Where did you put the ornaments, Betsy? I put them in the guest room, Daddy. I'll be sure to tell the Virginian that's where they are. Well, I've got some more baking to do and then I'll be starting supper. Alright, Betsy. Call me when its ready. Meanwhile, in the bunkhouse Cookie was just putting supper on the table when Randy came in. You're just in time, Randy. You'd better get washed up. Yes,sir. Supper's on, boys. This looks good, Cookie. I fixed it special seeing as it's Christmas, boss. So what did you do today, Randy? I noticed the greenery when I rode in. I helped Betsy put up some greenery, and I helped her get the ornaments out of the attic. Sounds like you were a big help to her today. I was, Trampas. You and Betsy did a good job on it, Randy. And it was'nt long until they finished supper and were sitting around the fire.