Snow

By Marion

Ben Cartwright poured a cup of coffee, put on a coat and headed to the door. Except for Hop Sing, he was the only one in the house out of bed, and he wanted to see what the day was like before his sons were awake.

He groaned as he opened the door and saw the yard covered in a fresh white blanket. The snow had stopped sometime during the early morning hours, but he guessed there was almost a foot. He sighed deeply. Paths would have to be shoveled to the outbuildings. The snow meant it would be a rough ride to check on the cattle, and he wasn’t sure if he'd be able to get to town for the supplies they needed. How could he have ever enjoyed the stuff when he was a boy? All it meant was extra work.

"Hey, Pa." Ben was surprised to see his oldest son Adam come around the corner of the house. Apparently Ben wasn't the first one up this morning. "I've got the path shoveled to the outhouse so Joe can make it there safely."

Ben smiled. Joseph was notorious for lying in bed until getting to the outhouse became an emergency.

"You're up early, son." He watched Adam stamp his feet on the porch, trying to get the last clinging clumps of snow off his boots and pants.

"Yeah. I don't know what woke me, but I like to be outside when it's dark and the snow is fresh. It's so peaceful. And it's so beautiful to watch the snow falling in the lantern-light. I figured as long as I was up, I'd start the shoveling. The snow's light. It won't take long to shovel paths to the barn." He gave one last stomp. "That coffee smells good. See you inside, Pa."

Ben heard Adam open the door as he leaned against the post and looked back at the snow. The snow was light. Adam was probably right, and it wouldn't be hard to shovel. He turned at the sound of the door opening again, and he smiled as Hoss nodded on his way to the outhouse.

A few minutes later, Ben could hear Hoss stomping on the porch. No doubt each of his sons remembered what a bear Hop Sing had become last winter if they tracked in snow. No one wanted to incur his wrath this year, at least not with the first snow.

"Good morning, Pa." Hoss was almost always cheerful in the morning, just like his mother had been.

"Good morning, son."

"Good thing we brought the cattle to that closer pasture, right Pa?"

Ben was startled. "We did?"

Hoss laughed. "Sure, don't you remember Pa? Well, me and Adam did anyway. We took care of it when you were at the council meeting earlier this week. Brought a few loads of hay, too, for the winter feed."

Ben grinned. "I forgot." He clapped Hoss on the back. "You'd better get inside and get some coffee to warm up."

"Sure thing, Pa." Ben heard the door open, followed by a quick "hey, look out" and turned to see his youngest son scrambling off the porch. Hoss grinned at his father before he closed the door.

Ben laughed. Every morning Joseph went through this. The boy hated to get out of bed, even when nature called. Only the unwary stood between Joe and the outhouse in the morning. Ben resumed looking at the snow. The day was looking a little better, even if there was a foot of snow with which to contend.

A slight movement caught Ben's attention, and he turned to see Hop Sing standing beside him, the coffee pot in hand.

"Thought you might want more coffee." Ben held out the cup gratefully. "Is good thing we brought extra supplies."

"Thank you, Hop Sing. What do you mean, extra supplies?"

"Yesterday, when Hoss and I get Little Joe from school, we get extra supplies. No worries about snow." Hop Sing bowed slightly and returned to the house.

Ben couldn't believe he had forgotten about the extra supplies! The snow was light, the cattle were set, and the house was fully stocked with food. The day was looking a little brighter.

A few minutes later, Joe came scurrying around the corner of the porch. His face lit up at the sight of his father. "Hey, Pa!" He ran to Ben, the only son still young enough to want to hug his father in the morning.

"Good morning, Joseph. Stomp your feet, please. Hop Sing will make you clean up any mess the snow makes if you don't." Ben smiled as Joe stomped hard.

"Gol-ly, Pa, isn't the snow beautiful?" Joe didn't pause for an answer. "Maybe after we do chores we can build a fort, and have a snow ball fight, and build a snow man, and maybe we can go sleddin'. I love the snow, don't you, Pa?" Joe hesitated. "I don't hafta go to school today, do I?"

Ben grinned at Joe's enthusiasm. "No, I think you'll stay home today." He was rewarded by a shout of glee from Joe. "Now get inside before you catch cold."

"Sure, Pa."

"And Joseph?" Joe paused at the door. "Next time wear a coat and trousers when you go to the outhouse, please? It's too cold to go without them now."

Sure, Pa." The boy closed the door behind him and Ben realized he was lucky his son had stopped to put his boots on.

Joe's enthusiasm brought to mind Ben's own childhood. He remembered the cheers of his brother, and the joys of playing outside. He thought about the gangs of neighborhood boys who would spend the day sledding. One winter, he took an older boy's dare to sled down the steepest, rockiest hill in town, and he rubbed his backside absentmindedly as he thought of Father's reaction to Ben's foolishness.

Thoughts of Father brought a smile to Ben's face. The best snowfalls happened when Father could stay home and play with them. Mother would bundle Ben and his brother into so many layers that they would complain that they couldn't move, and then they would go to the biggest hill in town with Father. Father would sit in the back of the toboggan, with John in front of him, and Ben in front of John. They would race down the hill until Father invariably threw his weight to one side, tipping the sled and spilling the boys. The three Cartwrights would spend all afternoon sledding until they trudged home, soaking wet. Mother always had hot chocolate ready for the boys and hot buttered rum for her and Father. Supper would be a thick stew, or maybe a pot pie, and after supper they would pop corn and Father would tell stories. How many times had Ben and John fallen asleep in front of the fire, only to wake the next morning snug in their own beds?

Ben looked across the yard, the sunlight glistening off the snow. He wasn't sure if Adam had repaired the toboggan that he and Hoss had made – and damaged – the year before. No matter if he hadn't. Ben had plenty of time to do that this morning while the boys were shoveling. Ben looked at the now cold cup of coffee in his hand and wondered if they had any rum in the house.

The End