A memorable Christmas

During the '30s, my dad worked out an arrangement with a Mr. Riley, of Pierce, who had quite a large herd of Shetland ponies, which he used to pull a Christmas sleigh, for holiday promotions in towns throughout Northeast Nebraska.

Mr. Riley, of course, was dressed in a Santa Claus outfit for these sleigh trips, and he and his ponies were a popular attraction in our area.

Under their agreement, Dad would take one of Riley's ponies, keep him through the winter, and in lieu of cash, trade a certain amount of baked goods for the use of the pony. If Dad decided to keep the pony he could buy him for an agreed amount.

The first pony we got was mean and stubborn, and proved more than a 10-year-old, as I was at the time, could handle.

Mr. Riley was understanding and exchanged that pony for Nicky, who he assured us, was of a different disposition.

He was so right. Nicky was a jewel. He was dark brown in color, with a darker mane. He was sleek and slender and ran like the wind. His crowning feature was that he had a good disposition, and seemed to love 10-year-old boys and girls as much as we all loved him.

One of the girls in the neighborhood was Joanna, a dark-haired, dark-eyed beauty, one or two years younger than I. She was very pale and quiet, but she loved horses, and when we were out riding, she would always be close by, watching. Often we would see her go to the park, across the street from our house, where we kept Nicky picketed. She carried a lump of sugar, or an apple with her for a pony treat. She loved to pet Nicky, and nuzzle his ears, and talked softly to him while she straightened out his mane and tail. Since she did not run and play much, and was rarely out of sight of her mother, she was not really a part of the neighborhood gang, but we all recognized her as being someone who found horses special.

That summer, Joanna got terribly sick. We never knew just what her illness was, but on at least two occasions her mother called us into the house to visit Joanna, and try to cheer her up.

This proved to be quite an ordeal because Joanna was confined to her bed, in a cast to her hips, which caused her to be immobile, with her legs spread apart. Her disease must have been of the bone because there was a hole in the cast that allowed for drainage, and the discharge caused a terrible stench that almost gagged you as you stepped into the room.

After that first visit to Joanna's I announced to my mother that I would never go back. Mom, however, was buying none of that. She vowed that I not only would go back, on a regular basis, but I would take Joanna little gifts, and I would smile and cheer her as best I could.

I can't say that I ever got so I enjoyed the visits, but I did go back, and Joanna got so she talked more, and we got to be friends, and those visits were not too bad.

Joanna's parents did their best to be ever cheerful, and encouraged us to come back often. Joanna's Dad was always making jokes when he was around, and he did his best to include us and Joanna in his stories -- he called Joanna "Princess," and he did his best to make her smile. But that summer there were few smiles from Joanna.

However, when I stopped by on Nicky she always managed a little grin. At these times she always called for her mother to bring a little treat for Nicky -- then she would smile broadly as he accepted her treat with enthusiasm.

Summer turned to fall, and with the demands of school, I didn't see Joanna that often. When I rode Nicky by her house and she happened to be at the window, or on the porch, she would give us a friendly wave and smile. While she was still unable to attend school that semester, she was improving and her cast had been pared down so she could sit in a chair.

Dad had picked up a two wheeled pony cart and harness at a sale. Mr. Riley's ponies all were trained to the harness and Nicky seemed to enjoy pulling that cart. It was fun pretending that the cart was a racing sulky and we were in a real trotting race against the Great Dan Patch..

One day, Dad called me outside to see his latest acquisition -- a one-horse cutter (sleigh) that had come from Canada years before. It was not in very good shape, but with the help of a number of willing (even eager) craftsmen in town, by the time the snow flew we had a one-horse sleigh of which we were most proud and that sleigh proved to be the most fun of all.

It was near Christmas before enough snow had accumulated so that we could take a ride in the new cutter. Nicky was hitched to the sleigh, and the sleigh bells were in place. I really believe that Nicky thought we had brought this present just for him. He seemed to grow taller when he pulled that sleigh and held his head high and pranced to the sound of the bells.

After a few preliminary passes around the block my mother suggested that Joanna might enjoy seeing the new cutter and Nicky in his finery -- and just maybe, she might be able to take a little ride. I'm sure that Mom must have been on the phone to Joanna's mother, because when we arrived at her place a few minutes later she was already sitting on the front porch waiting.

Joanna's father carried her to the curb, and after she had whispered a few words of endearment to Nicky, he lifted her into the sleigh. She still had her cast on, so she could not bend her leg, but we managed to place her so that her leg could be in the sleigh and covered with the warm comforter we were using.

By this time it was after five and at that time of the year it was starting to get dark, but we proceeded with our ride none-the-less. To say that Joanna was thrilled is an understatement. It had been months since she had out and about. I certainly had never seen her so animated, and she almost sang with delight.

Each house we passed that was decorated with holiday lights brought squeals of appreciation. I began to get into the spirit as well, and told her about one house or another that had really outstanding lights or decorations, and we would ride by for her to see. Before we knew it we were at the highway, the business district, with its colored lights, decorations, and Christmas music, on the other side I knew my mother, and certainly Joanna's mother, would not want us to go into the business district traffic with the sleigh and pony, but by this time we were having so much fun -- and besides, there was no one coming on the highway, so on we went, into the heart of Plainview, to make a complete circuit of the two blocks of Locust Street, Plainview's Main Business Street.

You would have thought that Santa himself had come to call. Cars pulled to the side of the street for us to pass, and everyone called out "Merry Christmas" and waved. Clerks and customers even came to the front of the stores to see what sort of parade was going by. A good number of people recognized Joanna and called her by name and said how good it was to see her again. She beamed at everyone, and over and over called my attention to yet another wonderful decoration in the one the stores.

There was a lilt in her voice and a tear in her eye when she turned my way, "Today I truly do feel like a Princess, and this is my fairy kingdom -- and this is my magic sleigh. Thank you very very much. This is going to be my best Christmas ever!"

(Afterward: After this story came out in the Plainview News some years ago, a number of people asked about whatever happened to the little girl. I had lost track of Joanna after she and her folks moved from Plainview, but then a relative of Joanna's contacted me. I was pleased to learn that Joanna had fully recovered from her illness. She had married and had a nice family. By that time she was a grandmother, and I'm sure she has delighted in introducing her own children and grandchildren to the Magic of Christmastime.)

Source: Growing Up in Plain View"