Davy's Christmas

by AJ

The dilapidated little shanty was bleak and cheerless in the winter dawn, huddled on the outskirts of town as if it were shrinking from the scorn of its more respectable neighbors. Perhaps it had been easier to hide from that scorn before the demise of its one and only shade tree. Now, an axe was buried in the half-rotted stump that doubled as a chopping block and a meager supply of wood lay scattered about its base. No smoke trickled from the clay chimney, despite the freezing temperature. Indeed, it was hard to tell if the chimney was functional or if it existed only to hold up that wall of the shanty.

An attempt had been made to trample a path to the ramshackle porch but the maker had obviously lost heart midway through the job; the last few feet was marred only by footprints gouged deep into the week-old snow. Just off the path was a slick patch of ice where someone had repeatedly dumped old dishwater and there was a small trash pile nearby, half-buried in the snow. A stray dog wandered by, sniffed at the trash and then raised a leg over it, as if in contempt of the poor leavings.

Inside, the shanty was just as cold and cheerless. The fireplace was choked with ashes and soot, but even a blazing fire would have had a hard time competing with the cold seeping in around the warped door and through the cracked panes of glass in the single window.

Nail heads, thick with frost, were the only decoration on the walls. The only furniture was a rickety table and two stools, a battered kitchen dresser, a wooden crate half-full of clothing, and an iron bedstead with a straw-tick mattress.

The only occupant of the shanty was a boy of about 13, who was curled into a tight ball beneath the blankets on the bed, buried so deeply in them that only a snatch of dark hair betrayed his presence. As a single ray of sunlight penetrated the dirty window pane, he stirred and stretched, then looked around the shanty in sad resignation.

Davy knew as soon as he opened his eyes that his pa was gone again but, while it grieved him, it didn't surprise him. He had been expecting it for days. Shivering with cold, he tried to escape back into the warm depths of sleep.

It hadn't been like this when Ma was alive. Then they had lived in a real house, not a tiny one-room shanty. There had been curtains at the windows and rugs on the floor and everything had been warm and sparkling clean. And there had been Ma. He could still remember her, see her gentle face and smooth, dark coils of hair; he could even feel her touch sometimes, warm and loving and tender.

With a disgusted sigh, he thrust himself from the bed. Dragging a faded quilt around his shoulders, he started a fire in the ash-laden fireplace and huddled next to it as he waited for the room to warm. Thirteen was way too old to be bawling over memories and there was no point in blaming Pa for the way things were. It wasn't his fault that he had such a wander foot or that he missed Ma so bad. Or that Davy was so much like Ma that it hurt to look at him sometimes.

As the temperature in the shanty rose, Davy's hopes did, too. Maybe Pa wasn't going to be gone very long this time. If he was only going to be gone a day or two, he would leave a few coins in the sugar bowl to tide Davy over until his return. The boy scurried over to the table and lifted the cracked lid eagerly, but there was nothing inside except a thin crusting of old sugar. That meant Pa was going to be gone awhile and expected him to ride out to the ranch. He scowled fiercely at the empty bowl. He wasn't going empty-handed this time. He knew they wouldn't expect anything from him, but he was tired of taking and never giving anything in return

He ran a wet finger over the remaining sugar and licked it reflectively as he considered his options. There were two eggs, a few strips of jerked beef and a half loaf of bread on the shelf over the dresser. That would last him a day, maybe two if he was careful. He peered out the window. The sky was a pale washed-out blue and it looked even colder outside than it was in the shanty. For a moment, he wavered. Maybe he should just ride out to the ranch. Ethan would be plenty mad if he found out Davy had hung about town an extra day, and that would mean a lickin' for sure. Not that Ethan ever used anything but his hand, but he would rather be switched by anyone else than spanked by Ethan.

Then he shook his head. No, not this time. He had almost enough money saved in the old sock squirreled away under the bed. If he skipped school and spent the day working, he should have the rest before the store closed. He would just have to make sure Ethan didn't find out about it.

As soon as he could no longer see his breath, he shucked his nightshirt and scrambled into his long underwear and socks. He reached for a clean shirt, then hesitated. He would be wearing a coat all day so no one was going to see his shirt. Better to wear the dirty one again and save the clean ones to take with him. He buttoned the collarless beige cotton shirt and scrubbed half-heartedly at a small stain on the front, then put on his brown woolen pants and pulled up his suspenders. The pants were too long and bunched about his ankles, but Jared said that was better than being too short; he was going to grow up, not down. He smiled a little at the memory as he laced his boots. A quick yank of the comb through his tangled brown hair and he was ready to go.

He was halfway out the door, still pulling his coat and mittens on, when he suddenly halted. Sighing to himself he went back inside, built up the fire again, put on a pot of water and dropped the two eggs into it. While the eggs were boiling, he cut a piece of bread from the loaf and put it on his plate. He stared at it for a minute, wondering if it and the eggs were enough to satisfy Jared's definition of breakfast, then decided they would have to be. He had to save the jerky for supper and he wasn't wasting any of his hard-earned money on food.

The sun was beginning to melt the frost on the windows when he found his first job for the day, cutting stove wood for Widow Macklin. After a brisk hour of cutting and stacking wood, he ran to the store for Ma Bryson, carried an important note for Banker Rogers, took some medicine to one of Doc Baker's patients, and then delivered a half dozen bars of fancy-smelling soap to Estelle's. At each place they asked why he wasn't either in school or at the ranch.

He scowled as he hurried along Main Street in search of more work. He liked that jobs were more plentiful and paid better when Pa was gone, but he wished they would all just mind their own business. At least Miz Kate had given him a big piece of gingerbread with her lecture, he thought gratefully. She made the best gingerbread in the whole town.

"Davy!"

He came to an abrupt halt as Sheriff Dashman crossed the street toward him. "I'm going out to the ranch first thing in the morning," he announced, eying the man warily. He knew the sheriff was a friend of Ethan's, but the lawman still made him nervous.

"That's why I stopped you. Doc has been looking for you. He has to go out to Ferguson's right after dinner, so he can drop you off on his way."

"I dunno. I planned on working all day," Davy said doubtfully as he jingled the money in his pocket. He thought he had enough now, but there wasn't time to count and make sure. He would already have to go back to the shanty, pack up his clothes and get the rest of his money, then get to the Mercantile and make his purchases, all in the amount of time it took the doctor to eat his dinner. On the other hand, a ride in Doc's buggy would be a lot faster and warmer than the trip on Old Bess.

"It's up to you." The sheriff shrugged indifferently. "But it's clouding up and you know how Ethan is going to feel if you get stuck in town."

"All right," Davy decided quickly. "But I gotta go get my things. Tell him not to leave without me!" The last words were flung over his shoulder as he took off for home.

Packing only took minutes but there was a line at the Mercantile and he shifted impatiently from one foot to the other as he waited for his turn. "Is it enough?" he demanded when he finally got to empty the contents of the worn-out sock onto the scarred counter. He bounced anxiously as Mr. Carson slowly counted the pile of coins. "Did you save them for me?"

"It's enough and ten cents over," Mr. Carson replied at last. He put all but a ten cent piece in the register and pulled two small packages from beneath the counter. "And I saved them for you."

"Thank you," Davy said with a quick, bright smile. He was turning to leave when he saw a jar of peppermint sticks on the counter. "How much are those?" he asked, pointing to the red and white striped candies.

"Three for ten cents."

"I'll take three, please." Davy handed back his last dime. "Thank you."

"When are you going out to the ranch?" Mr. Carson asked as he placed the candy sticks in a small paper sack.

"Right now," Davy replied with an inward sigh. "Doc's waiting for me."

"Will you take this package out to Ethan for me?" the storekeeper asked. He took a flat paper-wrapped parcel from beneath the counter and handed it to Davy. "It came in after their last trip to town."

"Sure." Davy took it and hefted it experimentally. "Feels like a book."

"Never you mind what it feels like. You just give it to Ethan," Mr. Carson admonished. "And here's another peppermint stick for you."

"Thank you," Davy repeated with another quick smile. He tucked the packages into his coat and hurried to the livery stable, sucking on the candy as he went.

~~~~

Davy slung the burlap sack containing his possessions over his shoulder, said good-bye to Doc and jumped from the buggy to the ground. "Yip!" he called but there was no answering bark and no dog appeared to jump around him playfully.

"He went with Ethan," Jared said from the cabin door. "Where's Old Bess?"

"I got a ride with Doc," Davy explained as he stepped onto the porch. "He's on his way to Ferguson's. Where did Ethan go?"

"He's out riding fence." Jared stepped back and Davy followed him into the cabin.

The warmth of the cabin was in sharp contrast to the cold of the shanty, and not only in physical temperature. There were braided rugs scattered on the hardwood floor and bright calico curtains hung at the spotless windows. Even the quilt on the neatly made bed was bright and cheerful. There were fires in both the fireplace and wood stove and the cabin was filled with the aroma of fresh bread, beef stew and molasses cookies. Davy thought, not for the first time, how much Ma would have liked this place.

"Have you eaten today?" Jared asked as he pulled a pan of cookies from the oven.

"I had eggs and bread for breakfast," Davy told him and was rewarded by an approving nod. "And Miz Kate gave me some gingerbread. She makes the best gingerbread in the whole town."

"That she does," Jared agreed. "I've been trying to get her recipe for years. Hang up your coat and wash your hands before you sit down."

Davy made a face but did as he was told, even if the washing was a little sketchy. He sat down at the table and was given a bowl of beef stew, rich with meat and vegetables, and a thick slice of bread slathered with butter.

"Good," he mumbled through the first huge bite.

"Don't choke on it," Jared told him with a chuckle, handing him a cup of milk to help wash it down. "There's plenty more if you want it."

He ate his way through two bowls of stew and another piece of bread while watching Jared roll out cookie dough and cut it into neat circles. "Can I help sprinkle the sugar on them?" he asked.

"Put your dishes in the pan and wash your hands first," Jared told him. "Then you can."

Davy sighed. Jared sure expected him to wash a lot. It was worth it, though. He carefully sprinkled sugar on each cookie as Jared rolled out more dough. "My ma used to cut them into shapes," he said thoughtfully.

"What kind of shapes?" Jared asked.

"Stars and trees and bells and men."

"I don't think I can manage men," Jared said, "but we can have some stars and trees if you want. Can you draw them for me?"

He gave Davy a piece of pasteboard and a pencil and Davy carefully drew a star and a pine tree and cut them out.

Jared laid them on the dough and cut around them until he had a pan of stars and trees for Davy to sprinkle sugar on. "Get your books now," he told Davy as he slid the last pan into the oven. "When did you go to school last?"

"Um..." Davy licked the sugar from his fingers as he counted back in his head. "Two-- no, three days ago. But I got all my spelling words right that day."

"Good job!" Jared offered the expected praise. "Do you want to spell them for me or start on your arithmetic?"

Davy spelled out his list of words as Jared filled the dishpan with soapy water and began washing up, and then began doing sums on his slate. Jared moved back and forth behind Davy, busy at the table and stove. He occasionally rested a hand on the thin shoulder or brushed it over the tousled brown hair and Davy smiled contentedly as he worked. He was trying to remember if 4x5 was 19 or 22 when Jared set a plate of cookies and a glass of milk next to him.

"Thank you, Jared. Do you want me to go get wood for you?"

"No, that's all right. I'll get it in a minute. You keep working." He laughed suddenly and Davy looked at him inquiringly.

"I remember sitting there exactly like you are and asking Ethan the same thing. I even stuck my tongue out the same way you do when you're thinking."

"Here? How old were you?"

"17. I never had a chance to go to school like you should. Ethan taught me to read and write."

Davy ignored the admonishment about school. "How old are you now?" he asked.

"23. I'm getting to be an old man," Jared replied with a smile.

Davy didn't bother to deny it. "Tell me how you met again," he begged instead. He loved Jared's stories. "And about catching the rabbit, too."

"Don't you ever get tired of hearing that story?" Jared laughed

"No," Davy said simply. "It's funny."

"After you finish your schoolwork," Jared promised.

Jared was just finishing the story when the door opened and Ethan came in, followed closely by Yip.

"Hi, Davy," he said before greeting Jared with a hug and kiss. Then he turned back to the boy, who was busy fondling Yip's ears, crooning to him and fending off the wet tongue intent on washing his face. "Get your coat on and help me with chores, please, unless you're doing something for Jared. I want to get them out of the way before it starts snowing hard."

"Is it that bad already?" Davy asked, looking out the window in surprise. He knew it had clouded over, but he hadn't noticed the fat snowflakes drifting through the air. "I hope Doc makes it back to town all right."

"He'll be all right," Ethan assured him "We only have a couple of inches so far and I saw him on the road about an hour ago."

"I'll have supper ready when you get back. Shut up the chickens for me while you're out, all right, Davy?"

"Sure," Davy replied, shrugging into his coat. "Oh, I almost forgot. Mr. Carson gave me a package for you, Ethan. It feels kind of like a book."

"Give it to me after chores," Ethan told him, ignoring the hint for information.

Davy trailed out to the barn behind Ethan, amusing himself by trying to stretch his legs enough to step into the taller man's tracks. Ethan didn't seem to be aware of what he was doing, but the strides got a little shorter, making it easier for him to step from one footprint to the next. He scooped up a handful of snow, whistling softly as he formed it into a ball and threw it for Yip.

"Stupid dog," he laughed as Yip caught it and shook his head, spraying snow everywhere.

"Don't let Jared hear you say that," Ethan warned, a smile quirking the corners of his mouth. He paused to let Davy catch up and then slung an arm around his shoulders as they continued the walk to the barn.

After supper, Davy helped Jared with the dishes - washing again, he thought resignedly - while Ethan filled the wood boxes and built up the fire, then carried in several buckets of water and poured them into the wash kettle on the stove. Engrossed in his conversation with Jared, he didn't realize what Ethan was doing until he saw the big oval washtub being carried in.

"No," he groaned. "I don't need a bath, Ethan! I've been washing all day!"

"Only your hands," Jared told him as he checked the temperature of the water. "Now you need to do the rest of your body."

"But the rest of my body is covered with clothes," Davy argued. "It doesn't get dirty!"

Ethan silently pointed to the tub sitting by the fire and Davy sighed and began taking off his boots.

"I'm going to check the stock before I take my coat off again," Ethan said after partially filling the tub and setting a bucket of warm water next to it.

As the door closed behind him, Davy finished undressing and knelt in the steaming water. "I'm probably going to catch my death of cold. Then they'll be sorry they made me take a bath," he muttered under his breath. "It isn't natural to wash this much." He ran the cloth over the soap and then swiped it randomly over his bare skin. "Done," he announced a few minutes later.

"You know, Davy," Jared said as he sat down in the rocker to read for a few minutes, "if you don't do a good job, Ethan is only going to make you do it over again. So you might as well do it right the first time."

With a disgruntled sigh, Davy plopped down into the water again.

"And wash your hair, too."

"It isn't natural," he repeated grimly as he poured warm water over his head. With his eyes tightly closed to keep the soap out, he missed the grin Jared was attempting to hide behind his book.

"Did you do a good job, Davy?" Ethan asked as he came back inside and saw the boy getting out of the tub again.

"Yes, I did a good job!" Davy flared. "Do you want to inspect me?"

To his consternation, Ethan did just that, coming to stand by the tub and run an appraising eye over him.

"Ethan!" he protested, sitting back down abruptly and shielding himself with his hands.

"I know what it looks like, little boy," Ethan informed him imperturbably. "You don't have anything I don't have. And wash your face."

A snort that sounded suspiciously like choked laughter came from behind Jared's book.

It was worth it, though, Davy thought later as he lay on the braided hearth rug, soapy-clean and clad in a fresh nightshirt. He decided that his front side was toasted enough and turned his backside toward the fire. On one side of him, Jared sat in the rocker cracking walnuts. On the other, Ethan sat in his big leather chair reading aloud to them. Yip shared the rug with him, whimpering occasionally as he chased the cats in his sleep.

"This is a good book," Davy pronounced as the chapter came to an end. "Tom was sure smart, wasn't he? Maybe I can get a job whitewashing fences next summer."

The two men exchanged telling glances over his head. "Time for bed, Davy," Jared said, setting his bowl of walnuts to one side and standing up.

"Can't we have another chapter first?" the boy asked wistfully.

"No, we already had two," Ethan told him with an affectionate smile. "Good night, Davy. Sleep well."

"Good night, Ethan." He got up and took the flatiron Jared had heated and wrapped in flannel for him. "Good night, Jared." He gave the younger man a quick, shy hug and then climbed the ladder into the attic.

Most of the attic was used for food storage now. Bushel baskets of apples and potatoes and carrots sat along the wall next to sacks of flour and sugar and beans. Bright orange pumpkins and deeper orange and green squash were piled in the corners while clumps of onions, their tops braided together, hung from nails pounded into the wall. A shelf along one wall held the smoked hams and venison and jerked beef, while the herbs Jared grew for cooking and healing dangled in dry, spicy bundles from the rafters overhead.

The section of the attic next to the fireplace chimney was reserved for Davy, though. A thick straw-filled pallet lay on the floor, sheets and blankets tucked neatly around it. Next to it was a packing crate with a hinged lid where he stored his clothing and Ethan had put a shelf on the wall to hold his treasures.

Ethan had opened the trap door earlier to allow the rising heat to warm the space for him but it was still cooler than his spot in front of the fire downstairs. He shivered as he slid the flatiron into his bed and then turned back to take the lamp and burlap sack Jared held up for him. He set the lamp on the floor while he arranged his belongings in the crate, tucking the two packages and bag of candy out of sight, then got into bed. After blowing out the lamp, he snuggled down into the blankets, resting his back against the warm stones of the chimney and curling his toes into the pool of warmth created by the flatiron.

He wondered where his pa was and what he was doing. Was he in a warm bed tonight or was he sleeping out somewhere in the cold and snow? A tear trickled down Davy's cheek, followed by another.

"Are you warm enough, Davy?" Jared called.

"Y-yes, Jared. I'm fine," he called back, trying to keep his voice even and steady.

The effort was apparently a failure, because a moment later Jared was up the ladder and kneeling beside him. "Shh, it's ok, Davy boy." He knelt next to the boy and stroked the dark hair. "It's all right."

Davy resisted at first, then gave in and allowed himself to be petted. "I w-want him to stay home, Jared! Why won't he stay with me?"

"I don't know, Davy boy." Jared whispered as he rubbed the thin back and shoulders. "I wish I did. But he'll be back. He always comes back to you. And you always have a place with us while he's gone. You know that, right?"

"Uh huh." The boy nodded and scrubbed at his cheeks. "I'm not crying," he said firmly.

"I know you aren't," Jared assured him." You think you can go to sleep now? We have a busy day tomorrow."

"Yeah, I think I can." He gave a slightly watery smile.

Jared helped him get settled again and tucked the blankets more firmly around him. "Good night, sleep tight."

"Good night, Jared. Thank you," he added shyly.

"Anytime, Davy. See you in the morning"

"Is he all right?" Ethan asked when Jared came back down the ladder.

"I think so," Jared replied softly, mindful of the boy overhead. "What the hell is wrong with that man, Ethan? Why doesn't he cherish what he has, instead of going off looking for God knows what all the time?"

Ethan held out his hand and, when Jared took it, pulled the younger man down on his lap. He stroked the dark blond hair in the same way Jared had stroked the brown a few moments before. "I don't know, little boy. I think he has demons riding his shoulders, demons that don't allow him to see what he's doing to the boy."

"Do we make it easier for him?" Jared asked, lifting his head to look at Ethan. "Does knowing we'll provide for Davy make it easier to leave him?"

"I don't think so," Ethan replied, pushing the blond head back down on his shoulder and resting his cheek against it. "Remember the first time we saw him?"

Jared did. It had been two years before, on one of their trips to town. They had finished their shopping and he had been on his way to Estelle's to tell her good-bye before they left. Taking a short cut behind the hotel, he had found the skinny, undersized 11-year-old calming searching through the trash for his supper.

Jared's temper had erupted at that point, his bitter rage encompassing most of the town - everyone who knew about the situation but ignored it. His comments about people who would turn their backs on a starving child were pungent and to the point and there were many people staring at their boots in shame by the time he was done. Several people, stung by his remarks, even offered to take Davy in. Davy, entranced by the impassioned young man, had attached himself firmly to his new hero and refused to have anything to do with any of them.

Ethan had stood calmly by with his arms folded until Jared ran down, then put both him and Davy in the wagon and told the sheriff to let Davy's pa know where to find him. Davy had made several trips to the ranch since then. Ethan paid for the stabling of Old Bess and he had firm instructions to ride her out to the ranch whenever his pa left for more than a day or so.

Lost in thought, Jared didn't realize at first where Ethan's fingers were roving. When he did, he forgot all about Davy and his pa. "Ethan, what are you doing?" he asked teasingly.

"You should have a pretty good idea, after all the years I've been doing it." Ethan reproved as he unbuttoned Jared's pants for better access

"Mmm, I do. And I think we should go to bed now," Jared suggested, his own hands busy unbuttoning Ethan's shirt and exploring the warm, muscular chest beneath.

"Do you want to check on Davy first?"

"No. Mmm, no," Jared replied breathlessly as Ethan lightly brushed his hand over the newly-exposed skin... "He'll be asleep by now. And if he isn't--"

"If he isn't?" Ethan prompted as he set Jared on his feet and stood up.

Away from those tantalizing fingers, Jared found it slightly easier to think. "He knows what it looks like and you don't have anything he doesn't have. I think yours is bigger, though," he added consideringly.

"You *think*? You obviously need a better look," Ethan announced as he swept Jared off his feet and into the bed.

~~~

"Davy, time to get up!"

Davy burrowed deeper into his blankets, reluctant to leave their warm embrace. Then, as he remembered what day it was, his eyes flew open and he sat bolt upright. "Coming, Jared!" He scrambled into his clothes, thrust his feet into his boots and clambered down the ladder, almost falling in his haste.

"Whoa, Davy! Slow down, boy," Ethan reached out a steadying hand. "The day isn't going anywhere."

"And tie your boot laces," Jared ordered.

In spite of Ethan's admonishment, Davy hurried through the morning chores and then plowed through sausage, eggs and a stack of hot cakes in record time.

"Now?" he demanded as he swallowed the last bite.

"Now we have to clean out the stalls in the horse barn," Ethan said, firmly ignoring the way Davy's face fell.

"I'll be out to help as soon as I finish the work in here," Jared promised. "It will go faster then."

In spite of the delay, Davy enjoyed working in the new horse barn. The air inside smelled of freshly-cut wood and fresh straw, of cats and mice and grain and the molasses Ethan put in the sweet feed, and of warm horseflesh. He inhaled deeply to absorb those scents, then wrinkled his nose at the more pungent odor he was supposed to be removing. He worked diligently, making sure he got every scrap of dirty straw out of the stalls Ethan assigned to him.

He moved slowly and deliberately around the older mares he was allowed to care for, running his hands over their rumps as he walked behind them, never making loud noises or sudden movements that would startle them.

Someday, when he had proved himself with the mares, Ethan would let him help with the young horses. He was already learning to ride properly and had even helped work with some of the work horses last summer. But Ethan said it was too easy to teach the young ones bad habits and only he and Jared were allowed near them. Davy grimaced, his butt muscles clenching automatically as he remembered the one time he had ignored that dictate. Ethan had a hard hand when he was mad.

"Are you almost done, Davy?" Ethan called, interrupting the unpleasant memory.

"Just about," he called back. He quickly pushed the wheelbarrow out to the manure pile and dumped it, then raced back to where the two men waited. "Now?" he asked anxiously, bouncing on his toes.

"Now I have some harness to repair," Ethan said.

"And I'm going to scrub the cabin floor," Jared told him, wiping his arm across his forehead to hide the twinkle in his eye.

"Jared! Ethan!" Davy almost stomped his foot in frustration. "You're teasing me! Right?"

"Right." Jared confirmed, unable to hold a serious expression any longer.

"So can we go now?" Davy asked with another excited bounce.

"We can go now," Jared agreed. "That is, if Ethan can put off the harness for a while."

"Go get the toboggan, Davy," Ethan told him with a smile.

"Come on, Yip!" Davy shouted. "We're going to get the tree now!"

Soon they were all tramping through the woods in search of the perfect Christmas tree.

"Too tall," Ethan announced of the first candidate.

"Too short," Jared decreed at the second.

"Too fat."

"Too skinny."

"Too flat on one side."

"They all looked perfect last summer!" Davy complained when they stopped to eat the lunch Jared had packed.

"I kind of liked the one four trees back," Ethan volunteered as he took the mug of coffee Jared offered him.

"The one with the squirrel that threw a pine cone at Davy?" Jared asked with a grin.

"He wasn't throwing it at me!" Davy protested indignantly. "He just dropped it as I was walking by!"

"Did it or did it not hit you in the head?" Ethan asked.

"Yes, but--"

"And was he or was he not scolding you at the time?"

"Yes, but--"

"You should have been a lawyer, Ethan," Jared murmured appreciatively.

"Hmph!" Davy thumped down on the toboggan and bit into his sandwich. He didn't say anything else for a few minutes; he didn't want to admit it, but he was getting discouraged. The snow was deep enough to make walking difficult, even though he was stepping in Jared's tracks instead of forging his own trail. His legs were tired, he had a knot of pine sap in his hair and he didn't think they were ever going to find the perfect tree. Next summer he was going to find it and mark it early, he vowed.

"We're going to have to circle back toward the cabin," Ethan said as they finished eating. "We don't want to get too far from home."

"But, Ethan--"

"It's all right, Davy," Jared interceded. "We're just as likely to find a good one between here and home as further out."

"I guess," Davy said glumly as he got off the toboggan and began trudging along behind Jared once more.

They were almost back to the cabin when they found just the right tree. It was as tall as Jared and well-shaped, with thick, well-needled branches.

"What do you think?" Ethan asked as they all circled it, looking for holes or flat spots.

"Are there any squirrels in it?" Jared asked irrepressibly.

Ignoring Davy's dirty look, he reached out with a gloved hand and, grasping the trunk, shook the snow from the tree. "I think it's a good one. Ethan?"

"I like it. Davy?"

Davy circled it once more, pursing his lips as he considered it. "All right," he said at last.

"Thank God," Ethan murmured as he got the axe from the toboggan and went to work. A short while later, the tree was tied to the sled and they were on their way home.

"Can we decorate it now?" Davy asked as they came in sight of the cabin.

"No, I have to make a stand for it first," Ethan said.

"And we have to get the baking done and make some more decorations," Jared told him. "It's bigger than the one we had last year."

Davy was very busy the rest of the afternoon. First he had to help Ethan make a stand for the tree and wrestle it into the cabin. Then he scurried up to the attic for apples and a pumpkin, into the pantry for cranberries and raisins and down to the cellar for eggs, butter and cream. He helped stew the pumpkin and mix the spices and milk and eggs into it and peeled the apples and sprinkled them with brown sugar and cinnamon.

"Can I roll the dough out, Jared?"

"I'll roll the dough out for the pies," Jared said, "and then you can have the scraps to make pie crackers."

Davy hummed a Christmas song to himself as he rolled out the scraps, cut them into shapes and sprinkled them with sugar and cinnamon. "What next?" he asked after they had been placed in the oven to bake.

"Popcorn chains," Ethan told him. He popped a big pan of popcorn and found two needles and a spool of thread while Jared picked over the cranberries.

While Jared made the cranberry jelly, Ethan and Davy threaded their needles and began stringing the popcorn and remaining berries.

"Tell me a story, Ethan," Davy requested. He squinted at a kernel of popcorn, decided it wouldn't do for the chain and ate it.

"What kind of story?" Ethan asked.

"One about Christmas time when you were a boy," he requested.

Ethan thought for a moment and then laughed. "I remember one year, when my brother Aaron was about your age. Our sister Eleanor had been very... difficult that holiday season."

Davy nodded sagely. In his limited experience, girls were almost always difficult in one way or another. "What did he do?"

"He sneaked into the drawing room before anyone else got up Christmas morning, and replaced all the gifts in her stocking with switches and coal. He said Santa had obviously made a mistake and he didn't want the old man to be embarrassed by his error."

"Did your father buy that excuse?" Jared asked with a smile. Knowing the old man, he didn't think so.

"Not at all," Ethan confirmed with a chuckle. "He used one of the switches on Aaron. Aaron said it was worth it, though, just to see her face when she got her stocking."

"And he didn't have any help with this project?" Jared asked shrewdly.

"Well, one of his younger brothers might have helped cut the switches and kept watch while he did it," Ethan replied with a twinkle. "But Aaron insisted that he did it all alone and the younger brother was grateful enough to share his Christmas candy later."

"What next?" Davy asked when they had enough garland to go around the tree several times. He eyed the box of writing paper Jared set on the table. "Are we going to make more walnut ornaments? Shouldn't the paper be colored?"

"No, we're going to make snowflakes." Jared showed him how to fold small squares of paper and snip out designs in them. "They probably showed you how to do this at school last week."

Once again, the admonishment passed over Davy's head. He snipped busily and soon had a little pile of snowflakes ready for tree. "How do we fasten them on?"

"You're going to tie a loop of thread to one corner," Jared said. "While I put thread through the holes I made in the cookies yesterday and Ethan makes bows out of this red ribbon."

"It's beautiful," Davy breathed when they had finished decorating the tree.

"I think it looks good," Jared agreed. "I don't think anything can match the first tree we had together but this one is a close second."

Ethan put his arm around Jared's shoulders as they gazed around the festive little cabin. The punched tin shapes and brightly colored walnut shells from their first Christmas tree hung from the branches, along with other treasures made over the years and the snowflakes and molasses cookies they had just finished. Here and there a real store-bought ornament graced the branches and each small white candle had a red bow wired to its base.

Ethan had garlanded the fireplace mantel with pine boughs and more ribbon and Jared had added bits of red flannel to the clear glass bowls of the oil lamps. The aroma of the holiday baking vied with the scent of fresh pine and, altogether, the cabin had a very Christmassy feeling.

"Help blow the candles out, Davy," Ethan instructed the entranced boy. "They won't last very long and we want to light them later this evening and again tomorrow."

"What's next?" Davy demanded insatiably as he put his hand behind each tiny candle and blew.

~~~~

"Get your nightshirt on and then bring me the package from Mr. Carson," Ethan told Davy after supper.

When Davy came back down with the paper-wrapped parcel, Ethan had finished lighting the candles again.

"I was right, it's a book," Davy announced triumphantly as he sat on the hearth rug with Yip pressed against his side. "What's it called."

"The Night Before Christmas," Ethan told him. "We'll start as soon as Jared gets here."

"I'm just about done," Jared called from the pantry. "Do you have a clean stocking to hang up, Davy?"

"Oh," Davy put a hand over his mouth, a stricken look on his face. "No, mine are all dirty."

"That's all right. You can use one of Ethan's," Jared told him as he came into the room with a bowl of popcorn and a plate of cookies. "It will hold more anyway," he added in a conspiratorial whisper.

"Twas the night before Christmas," Ethan began and Jared hurriedly took his place in the rocker.

Davy opened his eyes and drowsily squinted around the attic. It was barely dawn; he could just see the shapes of the pumpkins and squash piled in the corner. He knew there was a reason for waking up so early, before Ethan had a chance to call him. His first thought was of Pa's return, but the second had him grinning excitedly.

"It's Christmas!" he shouted, tumbling out of bed and down the ladder. "Wake up, Jared! Wake up, Ethan! It's Christmas! Can we open the presents now?"

"I told you he'd be awake too soon," Jared murmured and Ethan removed his hand from the younger man's bare rump with a frustrated sigh.

"Chores and breakfast fir--," he began, then caught Jared's eye, "can wait until after presents. The animals aren't used to being fed this early anyway," he added in a somewhat grumpy undertone.

"Scrooge," Jared told him lovingly. "Put some wood on the fire, Davy. It's cold in here."

It was still a few minutes before they got to the presents, since Ethan insisted on getting dressed and having coffee first. Then Davy had to scurry back up to the attic for the gifts he had brought. At last he was seated on the rug in front of the fire, a bulging sock held securely on his lap. "Move your nose, Yip," he ordered, pushing the curious animal out of the way.

"Yip!" Jared called the dog over to the stove and gave him a soup bone to gnaw on. "Here's your Christmas present. Leave Davy's alone."

Davy had upended the stocking in his lap and his fingers were already busy sorting through it. "A jackknife!" he shouted happily. "And a harmonica! And a new cap and gloves and Christmas candy and nuts and an apple!" He jammed the cap on his head, opened and closed the knife several times and blew experimentally through the harmonica before thrusting a piece of candy into his mouth.

"Not before breakfast, Davy," Jared said automatically as he sat down in the rocker and took the package Ethan handed to him.

"I have gifts for you, too," Davy announced proudly as he handed each man a brown paper-wrapped package and a stick of candy. He waited nervously as they opened the gifts. "Do you like them?"

"These are wonderful," Ethan praised as he tried on the new leather work gloves Davy had given him. "They're just what I needed."

"Do you like the suspenders, Jared?" Davy asked anxiously.

"Very much." Jared told him sincerely. "I'll wear them every day. Thank you, Davy boy."

"You're welcome," Davy replied with a happy grin as Ethan echoed his thanks.

"Chore time," Ethan announced after the gifts had all been unwrapped and admired. "Let's go, Davy."

Davy reluctantly left his pile of gifts to put on his coat. Looking back longingly as he opened the door, he almost fell over the sled parked just outside. "Oh, wow!" he whispered as he knelt beside it and ran his hand over the varnished wood. "A real sled. With metal runners and everything! Is it for me?" He looked up wonderingly at the two men smiling down at him.

"Do you know anyone else here named Davy?" Jared asked, pointing to the name painted on the guide bar.

"Oh, wow," Davy repeated. "Can I try it out now? Please?"

"Chores and breakfast first," Ethan told him firmly.

Davy spent the entire morning with his sled. First he took it to the top of the small hill behind the cabin and sailed down over and over. Yip was as fascinated by the new toy as he was, chasing it and snapping at it and barking frantically as Davy shot down the hill in front of him.

Davy found that if he gave a little run and belly-flopped down onto it, he went the farthest the fastest, but that made his stomach hurt after a while, so he decided to try something else. He used his new knife to cut some sticks, jammed them into the snow and tried steering his sled in and out between them. That went pretty well, except for the times when he ran over Yip. He was trying to get the dog to ride on the sled with him when he heard Jared calling for him.

"Coming, Jared," he shouted as Yip abandoned him and the sled without a second thought, bounding through the snow toward the cabin.

"Dinner's ready," Jared explained as he got the broom and swept most of the snow that was caked on Davy's coat and pants off onto the porch and then into the yard. "Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah, I did!" He started the meal enthusiastically, telling them all about his morning between hasty bites. As the meal progressed, he grew quiet and ate more slowly, looking at each bite before he put it into his mouth. When Jared offered him pie, he declined it. "No, thank you. I'm not very hungry anymore." He was silent for a long moment, then asked, "Do you think my pa had a good Christmas dinner like this? Wherever he is?"

"I'm sure he did, Davy." Ethan placed a reassuring hand over Davy's smaller one before pushing his chair back from the table. "I think we should all wait on the pie, Jared. I know how much you've been wanting to try out Davy's sled."

"I have?" Jared asked in confusion, then caught the look Ethan shot over the boy's head. "Oh, right! I have. You think I can give it a try, Davy boy?"

"Sure," Davy told him. "You can even pull it up the hill if you want to," he added generously.

"Gee, thanks," Jared replied as they all put on their coats and gloves and went outside.

As he took the sled's rope and started up the little hill, Ethan twitched Davy's coat sleeve and indicated that he should let Jared get a little ahead. Davy was puzzled at first, then a bright smile lit his face.

A few minutes later a snowball hit Jared's back with a solid SPLAT! and he whirled around. Both Ethan and Davy stood with their hands in their pockets, identical expressions of wide-eyed innocence on their faces.

"Dd you just throw a snowball at me?" he asked incredulously.

"Us? Why would you think we're throwing snowballs, Jared?" Ethan asked curiously.

"We aren't doing anything," Davy added righteously. "We're just walking along behind you."

"Hmph!" Jared snorted as he started up the hill again.

SPLATT!

"Ethan!" Jared whirled again and faced the same stances and expressions.

"What?" Ethan asked. "Why are you looking at us like that?"

"We're not doing nothing!" Davy asserted.

"Hmph." Jared snorted as he started walking again.

SPLATT!

"Ethan!"

"What?"

"Davy, is Ethan throwing snowballs at me?" Jared went directly to the weaker link of the conspiracy.

"Uh huh."

"Davy!" Ethan was outraged. "What did you tell him for?"

"But, Ethan!" Davy's brown eyes sparkled with mischief. "You wouldn't want me to lie, would you?"

As Jared doubled over with mirth, Ethan scooped up a handful of snow and advanced menacingly on Davy.

"No, don't. Don't, Ethan!" he begged through joyous peals of laughter. He started backing away, tripped and landed on his back in the snow. "Help me, Jared! Help me!"

"He is such a great kid," Jared thought as he grabbed a handful of snow to put down Ethan's back. "His pa doesn't know what he's missing."

Far away from the happy boy, alone in a bare and dreary room, a haggard man sat with a half-full whisky bottle in front of him and an empty one next to it. Tipping his head back in despair, he downed yet another shot, trying to drown the memories of a woman with the same sparkling eyes and joyous laughter.

The End