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Rose
rubbed the sleeve of her nightgown against the
frosty glass and peered out into the night
sky. The moon peeked over the mountain
behind the little cabin. Rose searched the
sky. She needed to find a shooting
star. Christmas was only three days away,
and she had to make a wish.
"Rose
Mc Kenzie, stop your daydreaming," Mama
said. She pulled the curtain shut and
kissed the top of Rose's head. "it's time
for bed."
Rose
scrubbed her face and hands in the washbasin and
ran a brush through her tangled hair. Her
brothers, James and Henry, were settling down on
their mattresses near the fire. Baby
Bonnie was already fast asleep in her little bed
- a drawer lined with soft blankets that rested
on the chair besides her parents' bed.
Rose
leaned over to kiss the baby good-night.
Then she kissed Mama and Papa, blew out the
lantern, and crawled into the little fold-up bed
next to the window that she shared with her
sister, Sarah.
Rose
tugged the covers to her chin. The fire in
the fireplace hissed and popped. Papa's
snores rattled through the cabin. Outside,
the wind rustled through the trees.
And
Rose thought she would never fall asleep.
It was too close to Christmas, too close to the
most wonderful day of the year, and too close to
the morning when her family would open small
homemade gifts again.
Rose
looked out the window again. She
remembered how Mama had stared at the lacy green
dress in the window of Mr. Pranger's store when
they drove into town. Rose wanted to give
her Mama that dress.
She
closed her eyes and could see Mama opening it on
Christmas morning.
There
was Mama, laughing out loud in surprise.
The green lace dress matched Mama's sparkling
green eyes.
Then
Papa opened his gift - a shiny black pipe.
Not a homemade one, whittled from a hickory
branch. A brand-new pipe ordered from a
catalog and shipped all the way from New York
City.
Bonnie's
gift was a crib, carved and painted and the boys
got new wool coats. In Sara's gift was a
note that said "Look outside." Sarah
pulled open the door, and there stood a dapple
gray pony with a big red ribbon around his neck.
"They
got just what they wanted," Rose murmured.
She
opened her eyes. Sunlight streamed into
the cabin.
Rose
shook her head. "It was only a dream,"
Rose said, as she smiled. "But what a
wonderful dream. I wish it could come
true".
After
breakfast, Rose helped her mother wash dishes.
"Mama," she said. "If you
could have anything for Christmas, anything at
all, what would you wish for?"
Mama
smiled and set the clean plates in the
cupboard. "I already have everything
I could want - you, your brothers and sisters,
and your father, all in good health."
"
I know, but I mean something extra," Rose
said, as she squeezed out the dish towel.
"Something wrapped in a box that you could
open on Christmas morning. What would it
be?"
"Well,
it would be a mighty funny-looking box,"
said Mama. "But if I could have
something extra, I'd wish for a Christmas tree,
tall and full, with so many decorations you
could hardly see the branches. And a big,
plump turkey I could roast with dressing and
potatoes." She leaned against the cupboard
and smiled. " And when it was done,
we would sit down at the table next to our
Christmas tree, and eat the finest Christmas
dinner any of us have ever tasted."
She closed her eyes. " I can almost
taste it now."
"And
a new dress?" asked Rose. "Would
you like a new dress?"
"Yes,"
Mama nodded. "A new
dress." The she shook her head.
"But there's no sense wishing for something
you can't have."
Papa
chuckled. "Looks like Rose isn't the
only dreamer in the family." He
reached for his rifle. "I can't
promise you a turkey, but maybe I can find a fat
goose for our Christmas dinner."
He
pulled on his coat and headed toward the woods.
Rose
waited for Papa all morning. While she
swept the cabin, peeled potatoes, and mended her
stockings, she kept peeking out of the window to
see if Papa would bring home a goose.
Finally,
just before noon, Papa tramped out of the woods
carrying a gunnysack over his shoulder.
Rose threw down her mending and burst out the
door.
"Papa,
you did it!" she cried. "We'll have
roast goose for Christmas after all."
Papa
laughed. "Not quite, missy." He
opened the sack, " didn't see any geese,
but I did bring home a pheasant big enough to
feed seven hungry Mc Kenzies."
Papa
hung the pheasant under the eaves outside the
cabin. Its russet and green feathers
gleamed in the sunlight.
"I'll
need to clean it," Papa said. He blew
on his hands and rubbed them together.
"First I need to go inside and warm
up. Is that your Mama's potato soup I
smell?
Rose
followed Papa inside and helped Mama ladle out
seven bowls of soup. While they ate, Rose
tried to watch the pheasant. But every
time she glanced out the window, Papa said,
"Eat your soup."
After
lunch, Rose ran to the window and shouted,
"Oh, no! Papa, look, He's eating our
Christmas dinner!"
Rose
pointed at a bear that had wandered into the
yard and pulled the pheasant down from the
eaves.
Papa
flung open the door. The bear ran off into
the woods. All that remained were a few
russet feathers lying in the grass.
The
next day was Christmas Eve. After
breakfast, Papa, Henry and James pulled on their
boots and coats and set out for the woods.
"Don't
worry," Papa said. "We'll have a fine
Christmas dinner yet."
Rose
waited by the window. Sarah came and sat
down beside her. The sun rose high in the
sky. Finally Papa and the boys hiked out
of the woods. James carried a gunnysack
over his shoulder.
Rose
and Sarah rushed to the door, and Rose flung it
open.
"Did
you get another pheasant?" Rose asked.
"Is
it as big as the first one?" asked
Sarah.
"Not
a pheasant," said Papa, "and not as
big."
James
opened the sack and pulled out a small
quail. "Birds just aren't that
plentiful this time of year," said
Papa. "But we won't leave this one
under the eaves." He laughed and said,
"That pesky bear can catch his own
Christmas dinner." Papa and the boys
cleaned the quail right away and brought it into
the house.
Rose
stared at the little bird. "But this
can't be our dinner," she said.
"It's barely enough to feed Bonnie.
"Nonsense,"
said Mama. Then she kissed Papa on the
cheek. "It's exactly enough.
Rose, you can you help me peel potatoes,
carrots, and onions for quail soup. And
Sarah, you can help me bake loaves of
bread. The you can both take turns
churning fresh butter. This will be the
finest meal we've eaten in months."
Mama
pulled her big soup kettle from the cupboard and
put it on the stove.
The
quail soup simmered, and the bread dough baked
into crusty brown loaves. Savory aromas
filled the cabin. Rose and Sarah churned
butter until they were sure their arms would
fall off.
Finally,
as the sun sank over the mountaintop, Mama Said.
"help me set the table, Henry, Dinner's
ready."
Sarah
and James scrambled to their chairs. Rose
placed the bread in the center of the table, and
Henry set out bowls and spoons. Mama
carried the hot soup over from the stove, and
Papa held Bonnie in his arms. Then they
all bowed their heads to give thanks.
Tap
Tap. Rose looked up. Someone was
knocking at the cabin door.
Mama
frowned at Papa and said, "Who would be
visiting way out here at this time of
night?"
Tap
Tap. Papa opened the door. A stranger
stood on the step. His eyelids sagged with
weariness.
The
stranger's voice quivered. "Could you
shelter a hungry traveler from the cold?"
"Of
course," Papa Said. He opened the
door for the stranger. "You're just
in time for dinner. We don't have much,
but you are welcome to share what we have."
"Bless
you," said the stranger. "Merry
Christmas."
Mama
set an extra place at the table and began
ladling out the soup. When she finished
filling the eighth bowl - the stranger's bowl -
the soup kettle was empty. "Look at
that," Mama said. She set the bowl in
front of the stranger. "We have just
enough."
After
dinner, the stranger helped clear the table,
then sat in the chair by the fire.
"Where
did you come from?" Sara asked him.
The
man chuckled. "I've traveled for so long,
it's hard to say just where I'm from. I've
been to the Great Lakes and to New York City and
to the White House. I've even met Abraham
Lincoln himself."
Henry's
eyes grew wide. "Abraham
Lincoln!" he exclaimed.
The
stranger nodded. "Twice. I plan
to keep traveling and meeting good folks like
yourselves. I want to see the ocean
someday, and the Grand Canyon.
"And
the giant redwoods?" said the
stranger. He pulled a harmonica from his
pocket and began playing. Papa pushed the
table aside and pulled Rose to the center of the
floor. Sarah picked up Bonnie, Mama grabbed
the boys, and soon everyone was dancing.
The
stranger played and played, and Rose's family
danced and danced. Finally, Mama collapsed
in a chair. "Time for bed," she
said.
Before
Rose closed her yes, she took one more look out
the window. A bright yellow star shot
across the sky, leaving a sparkling trail behind
it. "Oh!" she cried. Rose
stared at the shooting star. "Please
let my family have a wonderful Christmas,"
she whispered, "and let Mama have a
Christmas Tree."
Dawn
peeked over the mountain, Rose opened her eyes.
It was Christmas! She would surprise her
parents and the traveling stranger by making the
coffee before anyone else awoke.
She
tiptoed toward the fire. James and Henry
were fast asleep, and the stranger was
gone! On the floor where he had slept lay
a bulging gunnysack.
"Mama,
Papa!" rose shouted. "Look."
Her
parents rushed over. Sarah stumbled out of
bed, and the boys sat up on their
mattresses. They all stared at the sack.
"It's
filled with presents." Papa said. He
pulled out a box and read the tag.
"This one's for you, Sarah, and this one's
for Mama.
He
passed out the gifts, then he, Mama, Sarah, and
the boys began pulling off wrapping paper.
Mama lifted a green lace dress from her box, and
Papa opened a shiny, new pipe. James and
Henry unwrapped new wool coats. Sarah
unwrapped a toy horse, and Mama helped baby
Bonnie unwrap the biggest gift of all - a crib,
carved and painted.
Rose
watched in silence. She was happy for her
family. Still the sack was empty, and
there was no gift for her. She ran to the
window to hide her tears.
"Oh!"
she cried. "Look!"
Outside
stood a fir tree, full and tall, with beautiful
hand-carved decorations. Rose ran out the
door. On the tree was note that said:
"To Rose, Merry Christmas,"
"It's
a miracle!" she shouted. "My
wish came true. Merry Christmas."
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