Murphy’s Miracle Christmas
William thoughtfully placed two more logs on the fire, then poked them securely into place as Gramps, his father, settled back in his hand-made rocking chair. The room was filled with a variety of smells, including the scent of the Douglas-fir tree that stood in the corner, the scent of popcorn which adorned the tree, and of course, the aroma of oak burning in the fireplace. Anna, William’s wife, was taking the pumpkin pies from the oven and those mouth-watering smells were wonderful accents to the warmth of the Murphy Home.
“Okay Gramps, you promised,” said Jenny, as she placed the fresh, hot cup of cocoa on the table next to his chair. Gramps smiled, as Jenny and her five year old, younger brother Billy, took their places on the braided oval rug.
“Seems like I told this story before,” Gramps said as he began his slow rocking motion. He knew he had, but to Gramps, it was important that the kids actually wanted to hear it again.
“Yeah, but you promised, Gramps,” said Billy with a bit of a whine in his voice.
“Okay, one more times,” snorted Gramps. He paused for a few moments, took a sip of the steaming drink, and then carefully placed the cup back on the table, giving William time to get settled next to Anna on the couch.
“Well,” Gramps began, “it was back in the winter of 1886 and it was right-near Christmas.” Gramps stopped rocking and leaned forward toward the children before he said, “More important, Rosie, that was your daddy’s mamma, Rosie was expecting our first baby.”
Gramps relaxed, sat back and continued his deliberate rocking as he spoke again. “We was hoping the baby would wait till after the snow melted ‘cause that white stuff would make it awful hard for the Doc to get here. There was over a foot of the snow on the ground and it was as cold as the dickens. Nobody heard tell of that much snow down here in the valley, so we hadn’t planned on it.
“The stock on the barn was running low on feed and the water kept freezing in the troughs. Well, I was getting pretty worried ‘cause, without them horses, working the fields, or even getting into town for supplies would be pretty tough. Of course, we needed to keep the milk cow alive and producing too and that meant keeping her fed and milked twice a day or she’d dry up.”
Gramps took a sip from his cocoa, and then continued. “Well it was just after dark that night. We had no sooner finished dinner than I heard a ruckus from out toward the barn. It was cold and snowing some more, and the wind was blowing too. Then I heard the horses again and I was thinking, those darn coyotes or maybe even a couple wolves might be trying to get at the stock. I put on my coat, lit the lantern I always kept by the door and headed out with that-there rifle you see up on the wall.”
Gramps pointed toward the fireplace where the Winchester was perched above the mantle.
Gramps continued, “Rosie said, ‘now you be careful and don’t hurt yourself.’ She said it with a little snicker,’ but I knew she was worried about them wolves, same as I was.
“The lantern flickered in the wind but as I held it close to shield it from the wind, the little flame settled and shed enough light to see a few feet. As I got neared the barn, I heard some scuffling noise from inside the barn and I could tell, the horses whinnied from fear. I hurried as best I could through the snow.
“As I got to the small barn door, I thought I was ready for whatever was in there. I opened the door against the force of the wind and as I stepped inside the barn, the wind blew the door shut behind me. The lantern flickered again and near went out and that kind of spooked me. I cupped my hand around it and the wick sparked to life again, giving new life to the shadows in back parts of the barn.”
Gramps stopped rocking again as he intentionally leaned toward the kids. He held his right hand out as though holding some invisible thing. Then he squinted his eyes some and slowly looked all around as he found the words he wanted to use.
“The air was cold and heavy,” Gramps said, “and I held my Winchester, pointing straight ahead with one hand, and the lantern in the other. Slowly I moved forward, looking for trouble. The wind was howling outside which also made the rafters in the old barn creak. There was also a breeze inside the barn and that made me think something was open that shouldn’t be.
“I couldn’t see much, but I sniffed at a smell that was in the air that made my hair stand on end. It was a wild smell, something that was a little familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was.
“Just then, something stirred to my left, toward the stall where the cow was. I held the lantern up a little higher, trying to see. One of the horses whinnied and moved in his stall toward the back of the barn and that drew my attention back to my right. That’s when I seen it, coming out of the dancing shadows.”
Gramps quickly sat back, trying to show the same fear and surprise on his face that he had felt that night.
“It was a mountain lion and it was crouched low and coming straight for me. It was only about 6 feet away when it roared a sound I’ll never forget as it came for me. I dropped the lantern and fired the first shot.”
Gramps leaned forward a little, posing as though the rifle was in his hands again as he continued.
“Then I levered that 44.40 and fired again, point blank into that devil-cat. It kept coming as I levered a third shot into its middle, but that’s when it reached out and clawed at me. It lunged forward and I was knocked back toward the door. The lantern had been kicked over and was just dying out. The last thing I saw was that lion still coming at me. I levered another blind shot but I was hit again around my left shoulder and the side of my head by one of those big paws. This time it knocked me down and the pain was bad. I figured them claws had cut me this time. I knew I was bleeding bad and I was in trouble.”
Gramps slumped back in the rocker and started the slow, back-and-forth rocking again. After a moment of hesitation, Gramps started again. “I heard another half groaning roar in front of me, but I couldn’t do much. My rifle had been knocked out of my hand and it was gone. The light was out and I was hurting bad. I scooted backward toward the door and could hear the cat pawing at the ground where I had just been. Somehow I reached up and triggered the latch on the door and then fell backwards outside, and the wind blew the door shut again. I could hear that big cat clawing at the door, but the door held. I got to my feet and stumbled toward the house, but fell with the cold snow stinging the open wounds on my head and shoulder. I crawled a little further but my strength was going fast and I figured, I was a dead man. I heard the lion roar and claw at the door again as I crawled toward the house.”
Again, Gramps leaned forward, looking right at the children through squinting eyes.
He said, “With my last bit of strength, I looked toward the house and saw Rosie, doubling over as she went to her knees on the cabin porch. I heard her yell out my name, but I was a goner. That’s when I said, ‘Please God, Please take care of my Rosie,’ and just before my eyes closed, I saw what looked like two men, walking toward me out of the stormy darkness, and then all went black.”
Gramps slowly leaned back in the chair. He sat motionless, gazing into the fireplace and all was quiet in the house. Anna and William were sitting close together on the couch. Anna aimed her little frown at Billy when he started to fidgeting. He saw that look from his mom and knew he needed to be quiet. Gramps took a slow deliberate drink of his cocoa. During the pause, William thought this would be a good time to poke at the fire.
A few minutes passed and then Gramps started his slow rocking again. He placed the cup back on the table and cleared his throat while he adjusted his glasses. “That pie sure smells good,” Gramps said to Anna as he regained his composure.
Anna smiled and said, “Just say when you want some.” He nodded and cleared his throat again just in time for William to take his place at Anna’s side.
“Okay, where was I? Oh yeah, I was passed out in the snow wasn’t I?” Gramps was smiling as he glanced at the kids on the floor. He started to continue but was interrupted by Billy. “What happened to the lion Gramps?”
“Well, I was just getting to that,” Gramps answered. “When I came to, I looked around and found myself in my bed, right in that room right there.” Gramps pointed to the door that was now William and Anna’s room. The kids quickly looked at the door, then back toward Gramps, their eyes bright and wide.
Gramps continued, “All kinds of thoughts were going through my head. I wondered how come heaven looked so much like my bedroom. I looked out the window curtains and saw it was light outside and was spittin’ snow. That’s when I figured I probably wasn’t dead after all. I sat up in bed, but my throbbing head reminded me of that cat and I realized my shoulder was bandaged up tight against my body. I yelled out, ‘hey, anyone here?’ I heard a chair scoot on the floor in the other room, and then the door opened. There stood a tall man, dressed in dark pants and a white shirt, with a big smile on his somewhat weathered face. Who are you I asked?”
Gramps mimicked a harsh and painful frown as he gently touched the lift side of his face. The old scars were still there, partially hidden in his thinning, grey hair.
Then Gramps said, “As he walked over to me he said, ‘My name is Tom Wilcox. How are you feeling Mr. Murphy?’
“I said, ‘I’m a bit foggy headed, but I guess I’ll live. Where’s my wife,’ I asked?”
“‘I’m right here,’ Rosie said as she came through the door and moved to my side. ‘I’ve been so worried about you,’ she said as she gently touched the dressings on the side of my head.”
Gramps was smiling now as he took another sip from the cup and his rocking seemed to speed up a little. Then Gramps continued, “I reached up to stroke her long brown hair and Rosie’s smile just warmed my heart. Just then, I heard a strange sound coming from the front room. I looked toward the bedroom door to see another man, dressed like the one that was tending the bandage on my arm.
“’Hi there, Mr. Murphy,’ the other man said. Then he moved a bundle he was holding in his arms and said, ’Mr. Murphy, meet your son.’” The man was smiling as he held up the baby. It was all wrapped up with just his pink little face showing through the folds of the blanket.
“I looked at Rosie and there were tears running down her face, but she had the biggest smile I ever saw. She broke into a half-laugh, and half-cry as she gently hugged my neck. The man brought the bundle over and laid him on the bed where we could all see him.
“That was your paw, kids,” Gramps said as he winked, pointing toward Williams. Jenny and Billy both giggled, thinking about their dad as being a little pink baby.
“But, what happened to the lion,” Billy asked?
“Oh yeah, I was just getting to that.” Gramps Continued. “After we fawned over the baby for a while, I finally got around to asking some questions. Come to find out, it had been four days since that night in the barn. Those men, whose names I’ll never forget, had come just in time to get me into the house and saved my life. They also helped your grandma Rosie too. As it turned out, she was just starting to give birth to your daddy when God sent them two angels.”
“Angels?” Jenny questioned. “Yup,” Gramps continued. “Some angles are really just ordinary people who God sends when ya most need them. They were angels sure enough, cause we really needed help right then.” Jenny smiled as she understood for the first time, what Gramps was saying about Angels.
“The lion?” Billy asked, this time with a little loss of patience.
“Okay, Okay,” Gramps said with a chuckle. “Them two guys was pretty busy long about that time. After they got me and your grandma Rosie in the house, that guy named Tom took a lantern from the house and headed out to the barn. He found that lion just inside that barn door I had stumbled out. That cat was dead as dead can be, but the stock was still pretty spooked ‘cause the lion smell was still in the barn. Tom went back in the house to help the other guy with Rosie. She was in lots of pain, having that baby and needed lots of help. There wasn’t any way to get the Doc, because of the storm and there wasn’t time anyhow. Them guys saved both me and your Grandma and your daddy too that night. Sure enough, I had killed that big-ole lion, but if they hadn’t showed up, that cat would have been the death of us all.
“Those guys fixed meals and tended my wounds, they helped your grandma birth your daddy and kept us all warm and safe in the house. Your daddy was born in the early hours before sun-up the next morning and they took care of everything that needed doing. They even went out that first morning, skinned out that cat and salted down the hide, just in case we wanted to keep it. They even fixed up the boards on the back wall of the barn. Seems a big tree limb had broke off that tree in the storm and tore a couple boards loose, and that’s how that lion got in. For four days, they did all the chores around the place, tending the stock and caring for your grandma and me.”
“Gramps, you never said what that other guy’s name was,” Jenny said?
“No, guess I didn’t,” Gramps said. “His name was William Johns. That’s where we got your daddy’s name from. We decided to name your daddy, William Tom Murphy. We used both of their names so we’d always remember those two men that God sent to save our lives. Oh, by the way, that morning I first seen your daddy; that turned out to be Christmas morning. And that, Jenny and Billy, was our family’s miracle Christmas.”
Gramps sat back in the chair, a soft, thoughtful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Billy clapped his hand with a big smile spread across his face. Jenny was also smiling, but Gramps could tell something was bothering her. “What’s wrong Jenny,” Gramps asked as he leaned toward her a little?
“I was just wondering, whatever happened to those two men and where did they come from, oh, and how did they know when to come?”
“Well,” Gramps said as he leaned back in his chair, “there’s at least three questions in there, and good questions they are too.” He paused for a moment, taking another sip of cocoa.
“I asked those same questions, and here’s what they told me. That guy by the name of William said, ‘Brother Wilcox and I are missionaries for our church. We’ve came from up-state, a little town named Lehi. Brother Wilcox is a farmer there, and me and my family, well we run the grist mill there in town. About a year ago, Brother Wilcox and I were asked to go out and share the gospel message for a couple years. We asked where and they said to come down here in the St. George area. We’ve been in these parts ever since.’
“Wilcox picked up the story from there. He said, ‘The other day, we were in town when this storm blew in. Its funny cause most of the folks there in town, were thrilled to see snow come for Christmas time, but as Brother Wilcox and I sat in a restaurant, having supper that day, we both had an uneasy feeling that we needed to be somewhere. We finished our supper, went back to our hotel room, and as we knelt down to pray, we were impressed to come out here. So we bundled up and took off walking. The wind and snow picked up, but we kept coming down the road that brought us here. Neither one of us knew your place was out here but, out here is where the spirit directed us. We’re sure glad we followed those promptings, because you folks were sure in trouble when we got here.’”
“Well,” Gramps said, “that story was a little hard for me to swallow, but they were here and they sure saved our bacon, so I was obliged to take them at their word. Them two stayed for another week or so, helping tend the stock and keeping things going until I was able to fend for myself. The funny thing is, they never talked about their church, they just worked and helped us out when we needed it.
“Then one cloudy day, we got up to find them two were already dressed and packed up. I asked them where they were going and they said they weren’t sure, but were prompted to head back into town where there was another need. They just smiled, put their coats and hats on, hugged us and then took off walking down the road toward town. That’s the last I saw of them two men, but they left that book that’s up there on the mantle. In the months that followed, your Grandma Rosie would read stories out of that book. Them was pretty good stories too. Right there in the beginning, there was a guy in the story, and his name of Lehi, just like the name of that town where them guys came from. I thought that was pretty interesting.”
Gramps got quiet again as he remembered those early days. Anna said, “You know, I think I’ll start reading those stories to you kids. Would you like that,” she asked?
“Oh, yes mommy. When, “Jenny asked? Gramps voice was low and broke a little when he suggested, “Maybe tomorrow?” A tear trickled down his cheek as he picked at his fingernails.
Anna said, with a soft, tender smile, “Since tomorrow is Christmas, I think tomorrow would be a perfect day to begin, again.” She paused for a moment then said, “Now, who’s ready for pie?”
