Barta Claus Strikes Again? :)

Howdy!

I just found this cute poem. It was written in 1959, back in the heyday of TV westerns. Notice who's in the driver's seat. Although it doesn't specify which Maverick is piloting the sleigh (er, stage), we all know who it is. ;->

"A WESTERN
CHRISTMAS

" 'Twas the night before
Christmas
And all was serene
Not a cowboy was stirring
On our TV screen.
A lasso was hung by the
chimney with care
In hopes that Saint Nick
would be caught in its
snare.

"Young Junior was lying
Secure in his bed
With guns by his side
And a spear by his head;
Then he soon fell asleep in
his fortress supreme
And the heroes he worshiped
came to life in his dream.

"All at once from the lawn
There arose such a clatter,
Junior grabbed both his guns
To look into the matter.
In the dark all he saw were
some shadows that
hovered
So he cried, 'Don't you move
'cause I've got you all
covered.'

"The moon broke the gloom
And shone down on the
snow,
Gave a luster of midday
To the objects below;
His heart pounded wildly,
for Junior saw then
A stagecoach on runners
drawn by eight mounted
men.

"Now who is that driving?
It can't be Saint Nick:
He's tall, and he's wiry-
Why, it's Maverick!
More rapid than eagles
His coursers they came
And he howled and he
hooted
And called them by name.

"Now, Cheyenne, now Sugarfoot,
Lucas McCain;
On, Ringo, On, Zorro.
Wahoo! Bronco Layne.

"So up to the housetop
The cowboys all flew
With the coach full of toys
And Wyatt Earp, too:
And then in a twinkling,
He heard on the roof
The patter and clatter
Of each horse's hoof.

"He ran to the fireplace
And guess what he found-
From the chimney
Marshal Dillon came in with
a bound.
He looked like he had
A big hump on his back
For a bundle of toys
Were all stashed in his pack.
"Junior said, 'Have a drink?'
And he offered a cup;
Matt Dillon was willin'
So he answered, 'Yup!'

"And then all at once
All the rest came in view.
The heaven sent seven
And Maverick, too.
They spoke not a word
But went right to their task
And filled all the stockings.
What more could one ask?

"There were Bowie knives,
Shotguns and bullets galore,
Enough ammunition
To start a new war.
Some real cowboy boots
And some real wild Western clothes
And when they were through
Up the flue they all rose.

"They sprang on their
mounts
And before you could say
'A word from the sponsor'
They went that-away.
But he heard them exclaim
As they rode out of sight
'Those guns are to play with
So peace, and good night'."

--Sid Kuller (1959)