It was nearly Christmas. Mitch Cartwright rode home from school when he saw something lying on the ground. He stopped his pony and dismounted. What lied on the ground was a reindeer.
“Who has shot you?”, the young Cartwright asked out loud.
He took off his gloves and touched the injured reindeer carefully. Although it was getting dark Mitch had enough light to see the wound.
“Despite your wound you give a lot of light”, Mitch commented.
Then he saw that the reindeer had a shiny nose where a lot of light came from. Mitch tried to clean the wound with a bit of snow which succeed. After this he wrapped up the wound with his scarf.
“I take you home so you can heal there”, the boy said after a long time.
He helped the reindeer on his feet and took his gloves and put them on. Slowly the three of them walked to the ranch. Fortunately the courtyard was empty so that Mitch could bring the reindeer into the stable easily. Carefully he put the reindeer in the hay where after he took care of his horse. Meanwhile he thought: The others may not discover my secret. The everything will be for nothing. I just make sure that no one comes into the stable. No matter how hard that may be.
When Mitch had left the stable he saw Ben coming on Buck.
The boy walked towards him and said, “Grandpa, you go inside. Then I will look after Buck.” The rancher dismounted and gave the reins to his grandson. Ben looked at him but didn’t trust it. He shrugged his shoulders and went inside. His sons were already at home so they didn’t know how strange the behavior of Mitch was.
For supper Mitch came inside with Cody.
“So, you are still alive as well?”, Adam asked teasing.
“You do also? There was something I had to take care of something urgently. That’s why I am so late. Daddy, here is my school card”, his son answered.
He gave his school card to Adam who looked at once. He had thought that wouldn’t be filled with brilliant marks but that there were some C’s was beyond his expectation.
“It is better that I actually expected. Try to continue this way”, Adam praised the school actions of his son.
Ben, Hoss and Little Joe looked also at the school card and they said the same thing. Mitch became a bit shy from all the attention.
Then he went to the kitchen and he asked the cook, “Hop Sing, do you have some leftovers from meat and bread for me?”
Mitch got it right away and brought it with Cody to the injured reindeer.
The strange behavior of Mitch got noticed by everyone.
When the boy was in bed Ben asked while he was reading the newspaper, “Adam, that son of yours is up to something. He is a lot to be found a lot in the stable without letting us come there. I am in charge here but my grandson doesn’t seem to think so. From who would he got that?”
“I really wouldn’t know. Maybe from you?”, his eldest son asked on his turn and not looking up from his book.
“He hides something in the stable. Shall we go and find out what it is?”, Little Joe asked excited.
“First he must tell what he does in the stable”, Ben said.
Adam put down his book on the coffee table and answered, “I will ask him directly what he has to hide from us.”
He got up and went upstairs.
Mitch woke up because Adam entered his room.
“Daddy, what is the matter?”, Mitch asked amazed. “I just want to talk to you for a minute”, Adam said while he went to sit on the bed.
His son did the same.
“We have noticed that you spend a lot of time in the stable since your school vacation began. What is there?”, Adam asked.
Mitch wasn’t feeling comfortable. Slowly he began to play with his blankets so his father knew that there was something in the stable.
“When I came home from school I found an injured reindeer. I decided to take him home with me. He gives very much light because he has a shiny nose”, Mitch told hesitating.
He didn’t dare to look at Adam because he was afraid that his father would laugh at him. But Adam took his son seriously.
“I only know 1 reindeer with a shiny nose and that is Rudolph. Put on your clothes and then you can show him to us”, Adam said.
Mitch got dressed while Adam went downstairs to tell everything to the others.
When Mitch came downstairs the four Cartwrights were already to go outside. Mitch put on his jacket and went in front of them to the stable. At the stable the men saw how Mitch looked after the injured reindeer. The grownups looked at each other and thought the same thing.
Ben kneeled down near the boy and said softly, “I am proud of you like you take care of him. We will help you with it.”
“I was afraid that you would not agree with it. That’s why I didn’t say anything”, the boy confessed.
“Tomorrow you show us where you found him. Now back to bed”, Adam said in a fatherly way.
Mitch did that with a very lighter heart.
In the living room Ben said admired, “Mitch already knows a little bit how he must deal with a sticky situation. That will be something in the near future.”
“Who shoots down the world’s most famous reindeer of Santa Claus?”, Hoss asked amazed
“Someone who wants reindeer meat”, Adam said.
“Or hates Santa Claus”, Little Joe reacted.
“We go to bed and tomorrow we will check it out”, Ben said.
Meanwhile sheriff Roy Coffee had got a visit from Santa. The authority carrier was working when the door of his office went open. He looked up and didn’t know what he saw.
“Am I here with the sheriff of Virginia City?”, Santa asked.
“You certainly are, Santa. What can I do for you?”, Roy asked a bit amazed.
“My most well known reindeer has disappeared. I let Rudolph, as that is his name, a bit walk free so he got to know the area and suddenly he was gone but I did hear a shot. Can you help me?”, Santa asked.
“I hope so. Can you show me where you let Rudolph walk?”, the sheriff wanted to know.
He got the map of the area of the town and put it in front of Santa.
The good friend of the children looked at it and said, “There he was walking when I saw him for the last time.”
“That is on the Ponderosa, the ranch of the Cartwrights. Then they must have found him. I know them very well and they will help you for sure. Must I bring you to it?”, the sheriff asked.
“You don’t need to because I know every address as I have to deliver many presents because the youngest has his birthday on Christmas Day”, Santa answered.
He thanked Roy for the help and headed for the ranch.
The next morning Mitch first took care of Rudolph where after he and Cody went along with the grownups to show them where he had found the reindeer. Ben dismounted as first and checked the spot where Rudolph had lied. His children and grandson looked puzzled at him but no one said a word. At that moment Gary Tanner came by. He was the neighbor of the Cartwrights but was not befriended with them.
“Looking for something Cartwright?”, Gary asked snidely.
Ben turned to him and said,“ That happen to be none of your business.”
Suddenly Cody began to bark at him.
Gary saw how Adam and Mitch looked at him and asked them, “Am I wearing something from you?”
“No, it wouldn’t fit us anyway”, Adam reacted cool.
Mitch looked quickly at something else so his father and Uncles knew that something was going on.
Little Joe asked, “Gary, how come that your hand is wrapped up in bandages? Have you shot a reindeer by accident?”
First the neighbor became whiter than the snow which had fallen on the ground. But then the color on his face changed into red. The brothers looked at each other with a meaningful face and they thought the same.
“Tell me Gary, what kind of meat are you going to be eating at Christmas?”, Hoss asked to distract the attention.
“I guess reindeer meat”, Mitch reacted dry.
“Yes, indeed. At our place there will be delicious reindeer meat on the menu. Yesterday I shot a reindeer and now I’m looking for it. You won’t get anything from it because it’s mine. You can afford to pay for it yourself”, the neighbor said angrily.
“Mitch, go to town and fetch Roy at once”, Ben said directly.
The boy rode away at once. First Cody ran along with him but Adam called him back. Hoss knocked Gary out and tied him up.
Mitch rode into the high street and just saw Santa who came out of the office of the sheriff. The young Cartwright stopped his horse in front of the office and jumped from it. After this he went inside.
“Sheriff, you must come along right away because we captured the shutter of Rudolph. Grandpa sent me to collect you”, Mitch said at once.
“I come with you right away. Maybe we meet Santa underway. Then you can bring him to his reindeer”, Roy said while he got up and put on his coat.
Mitch didn’t understand anything of it and asked, “How do you know that?”
“Santa just came to me to report the missing of his reindeer”, the authority’s carrier explained.
“I found the animal underway from school to home”, Mitch said.
They walked to their horses and mounted on. Mitch and Roy did meet Santa in his sleigh.
The sheriff said, “Santa, this is the young finder of your missing reindeer.”
“Can you tell me where he is?”, the good friend of the children asked.
“He is at our ranch. Must I take you to it”, Mitch asked on his turn.
“Yes please”, Santa said.
Mitch looked at Roy and the latter said, “I tell your father where you are.”
He looked Mitch and Santa going away and rode then straight ahead. A moment later he could arrest Gary for trapping and bothering the neighbors.
“Mitch has gone home with Santa to your house”, Roy said to Ben.
“Then we go there as well”, the rancher said.
Each went their own way.
At the Ponderosa Mitch showed Santa Claus where he had put Rudolph.
“Daddy said that he wasn’t that injured and soon had recovered”, Mitch said.
“That is true. Boy, I am very grateful to you for finding and taking care of Rudolph. What can I give you in return?”, Santa Claus asked.
“I really wouldn’t know. I already have everything”, the young Cartwright answered.
“I know that your baseball glove is too small so can I give you that for the rescue of Rudolph?”, Santa Claus asked.
Mitch nodded. The good child’s friend looked into his magic sack and picked out a brand new baseball glove.
“Here you are. Think of me when you use it. And look good between the presents when you unwrap then on Christmas morning. Maybe there is a special present for you from Rudolph”, Santa said.
“T…T…Thank you Santa”, Mitch stuttered while he tried on the new glove.
Because the presence of his boss Rudolph was cured completely and he could come along with the others reindeers. Mitch looked at them with amazing eyes but couldn’t say another word.
When the others came home a little while later and heard the whole story Ben said, “I don’t think that we will ever forget this Christmas.”
“I certainly won’t”, Mitch said stoical.
On Christmas Eve the Cartwrights were standing out on the porch and while they looked at the bright winter air
They heard the reindeers singing,
Rudolph the red nosed reindeer
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows
All of the other reindeers
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer game
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
“Rudolph with your nose so bright,
Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”
Then how the reindeers loved him
As they shouted out with glee
Rudolph the red nosed reindeer
You’ll go down in history