A Horse Trader's Christmas

Author Unknown

It was two days before Christmas and Sven Nickelson hoped he could make a few more good horse sales for Christmas because he knew business would be slim after that. Sven, locally known as, "Nick," was a horse trader who was known for his shrewd trades and high-priced horses. He always got all a horse was worth and more. He never traded without a bout, even if he was getting the best horse. He had a way of making his clients feel like they had to have the horse he was selling and they would have to pay the asking price.

Nick was sitting by his stove in the tack room when he heard a car pull up. He got up and watched as a young woman got out of an older car that looked like it was ready for the junk yard.

"She's not going to buy anything unless it is the old mare in the back," he thought to himself. It was obvious she didn't have the kind of money to buy the good stock in his corrals.

"Mr. Nickelson, I'm Mrs. Jackson and my son Jeff wants a horse for Christmas. He has been wanting that pretty little paint in your corral for a few months."

"We'll he must be a pretty good judge of horses because that little pony is registered and well broke," Nick informed her.

If she must have the pony, he thought he could surely jack up the price. So he told her it would the horse was $1,000. He told her in the right place, that horse would bring twice that much. She told him that all she had was $250 and she would need a saddle as well.

Nick was almost insulted that she would offer that price for such a fine animal. He chuckled and told her that wouldn't even buy the old mare out back.

Frustrated, Mrs. Jackson told him she had to get that horse for her ten year old son. She said he had wanted a horse all of his life and had fallen in love with this horse. Tears streamed down her face as she pleaded with him to consider selling the horse to her. He told her that he makes a living selling horses, not giving them away. He told her when she could afford more to come back and talk to him.

Slowly she walked back to her car as she brushed the tears off her cheeks with her coat sleeve. Nick shook his head as he watched her drive off. The nerve of some people thinking they could get the best of him!

Nick had to pick up some feed, so he climbed into his pickup and drove to town. He kept thinking about the lady and her reaction to his position. He wondered, what business do people with only $250 to spend, have buying horses? Her money would be better spent for groceries and shoes for her kids.

At the feed store, he ran into a fellow horse trader named Jack who asked him how business was going. Nick told him about the woman who wanted to buy his horse for $250. "Why that horse is worth at least $750," Jack replied. Then he asked Nick who had offered that for such a fine horse.

Nick told him it was Mrs. Jackson - the new family that moved into the Olsen home. "Well that explains it," Jack said. Then he added, "Their boy has a terminal illness and I heard they don't expect him to live more than a few months. Her husband has been out of work since early fall and when he was cutting wood for spending money, a tree fell and broke his leg."

That explained why she had reacted the way she had, Nick thought. She had about as much as one woman could handle. "If only I would have known, I sure wouldn't have talked to her the way I did," Nick said.

After getting his feed, Nick drove home. The whole way he kept thinking about the lady's problems and the hope she had for a horse to make her sick boy happy during his last Christmas.

That night and the next day were really tough for Nick. All he could think about was that lady and her sick son. Then he had an idea.

Christmas Eve night, Nick found himself cleaning up an old saddle that had been in the back room. Then he found a bridle and a blanket. With a halter in his hands, he walked out into the corral and caught the paint. After washing and trimming the pony, he put her in a box stall for the night.

"You are going to make a little boy real happy tomorrow," Nick said as he brushed her mane. All night he had a warm feeling. He couldn't sleep for the excitement he felt as he anticipated the events of the next morning.

Finally, when he couldn't stand to lay in bed any longer, he got up and hitched up his trailer to the back of his truck. The saddle and other tack were lifted up into the pick up along with three bales of hay and a sack of grain.

"It's time, let's go girl," Nick said as he put a halter on and led her out to the trailer.

The sun was just peaking over the ridge as he pulled into the Jackson's yard. The horse was unloaded and saddled before anyone heard him. As he was tying her up to the fence post, Tom Jackson came hobbling out to meet him.

"We can't afford your kind of horses Mr. Nickelson," he said.

"Call me Nick, Tom. I came as a friend. I heard about your son and I know you've come upon hard times. If you will let me, I will leave this horse for your boy as long as he needs him," replied Nick.

Tom started to argue with Nick that he couldn't let him do that because he knew he could sell the horse with no problem when he heard his son yell, "My horse! I knew the Lord wouldn't let me down!" Jeff ran over to the pony and threw his arms around her neck. The gentle horse just stood there as if she knew this little boy needed her more than anything right now.

Nick helped him up into the saddle and then watched as the paint walked him around the yard. Jeff was beaming and laughing as he sat proudly in the saddle.

This had been the best Christmas Nick had ever had and he knew he would never regret his decision to help a little boy on Christmas day.