The Good Shepherd; Chapter 3

 

The Good Shepherd; Chapter 3

© 2025 by Amber Wright

Date: Christmas Eve, 1903

Place: Concord, Massachusetts

Joel Shepherd stared up at the young man with eyes filled with wonder. Am I hearing right?

“Would you like to live with me?” the young man was asking again.

“Ah—what–but what would your master say?” Joel finally found his tongue.

“I am my own master,” the young man smiled. “I run my father’s business here while he is abroad. Will you come?”

“Thank you.” Joel found his eyes were swimming with tears of joy.

Never in his entire life had anyone offered their home to him...for him to live in freely. To him...the poor trash from the streets of Concord.

The young man gripped Joel’s thin shoulder and steered him down the street...down towards the rich section of town.

• • •

“This way, Joel,” the master of his house led the boy past the terrifying borders of Ease Estate.

They passed other mansions and entered into a lamp lighted driveway that took them up to the most largest mansion Joel had ever seen.

“This–this is your home?” gasped Joel, stopping at the foot of the driveway that changed into a wide walkway to the entrance of the mansion.

“Yes,” the young man smiled down at surprised Joel. “This is our home, Joel.”

Our home, thought Joel, happy music to his ears. Then he just stood there, awed speechless, gazing at the beautiful mansion

before him.

“Come on, Joel,” the master of the mansion walked the stunned boy up the walkway and into the fine mansion.

“Why, this is—this is fit for a king!” Joel declared, gazing at everything with the hugest brown eyes.

The master of the house chuckled and tussled Joel’s black hair that needed cutting.

“Come along, Joel. Let’s get this hair out of your eyes.

“Butler Love, please have the servants prepare a bath for this child. And buy a new suit of clothes, a coat, wraps, and a pair of boots from the tailor shop.”

“I believe the shop is closed, Master Shepherd,” Butler Love looked at the grand clock in the entry. “It’s half past six now.”

The master handed Butler Love his hat and wraps with a smile, “I believe this is an emergency, Butler Love. The owner will understand. I know him well. Please attend to this matter. Butler Love.”

“Yes sir,” Butler Love bowed with a flourish. “The matter will be attended to, straightway.”

Shepherd. Joel looked up in surprise at his new friend.

“Sir,” Joel paused and swallowed, plucking his courage to ask the fatal question he had asked the Mistress Shepherd’s housekeeper.

“Yes, Joel?” Mr. Shepherd smiled warmly. “Say on.”

“Sir,” Joel’s eyes were wide and sort of scared looking. “Are you a good Shepherd—even though you’re rich?”

“I’m afraid the rich have a bad name, don’t they, lad?” Mr. Shepherd said soberly, stroking his clean shaven chin. Then, he broke into a merry smile, “Aye, lad. I’m a good Shepherd. Have no worry. Did you know...?”

Joel’s eyes snapped to full attention.

“Did you know your father was my brother?” Mr. Shepherd asked slowly. “By a sad turn of fortune he lost his entire estate and shares with my father’s business.”

Joel stared in shock.

“I was still a boy when he left. I never saw him since.”

Mr. Shepherd lowered his head, and placed his arm around Joel’s small shoulders,

“I’m so glad I have found my lost Shepherd. Now, let’s clean you up and have supper.”

Joel nodded, blinking his fresh tears away.

Mr. Shepherd led Joel into a large suite where a claw foot tub filled with sudsy water looked inviting in its bathroom.

“First, a haircut,” a man holding clippers smiled warmly behind a chair. “Please be seated.”

Mr. Shepherd left the man to the cutting and Joel’s haircut began.

After the clippers finally stopped Joel felt like a shorn lamb, free from his wool.

The man then cleaned up the hair from the floor and left Joel to his bath.

• • •

By the time Joel had his bath, his clothes arrived and the boy never felt so happy before in his entire life.

Scrubbed clean, Joel pulled on his new clothes happily and tied his shiny black boots.

He looked into the mirror above the sink and saw a boy in the gray wool suit he had wanted from the tailor shop earlier that day. The boy also had a scrubbed pink clean face, sparkling brown eyes with black eyelashes, and was wearing a happy grin, sporting a neat crop of black hair on top of his round head.

Joel smiled back...and realized it was his own reflection.

• • •

With a bursting heart and feeling thoroughly good, Joel followed a servant through the winding corridors of the mansion and into the dining room where Mr. Shepherd was waiting for him at the head of the long table.

“Ah, Joel Shepherd.” Mr. Shepherd motioned the boy to sit down beside him. “You look like a prince.”

Joel took his seat with a nod and said quietly, “I only wish to look like a son of a good Shepherd.”

“Yes.” Mr. Shepherd said thoughtfully. “I shall be a father to you. I shall. And if you’d like, I shall adopt you.”

“Thank you.” Joel swallowed and grinned up at his new father. “Thank you, father.”

Mr. Shepherd grinned and tussled Joel’s newly cut, newly washed, wet black hair. “Now for our supper, son.”

Then, the servants began bringing the dishes of food for supper.

Joel’s plate was piled high and his grin stretched from ear to ear. Mr. Shepherd blessed the food as Joel added his own thanks.

When the thanks was over, Joel began his delicious supper...and was for the first time in his life...filled.

• • •

Clean, fed, and content, Joel snuggled under the soft warm covers in his very own bed that Christmas Eve night.

He looked around the spacious room, the moonlight streaming through the gaps of the drapes, and listened to the ticking of the clock that was sitting on his very own desk beside the window.

The clock struck eight, followed by eight chimes from the grand clock below.

Joel heard the sound of the musicians and singers outside as the caroling began. Christmas morning would be in just a few more hours.

This year would be his first Christmas present...living in this mansion and having a new father. He would have a home, he would have a father again to love him, he would have new clothes and food...these were the greatest presents he could ever wish for.

Joel sank into his soft pillow with satisfaction...with gratitude, and looked up into the dark ceiling...his roof over his head.

And Joel was glad he had found the good Shepherd.

I am the good shepherd, and know

my sheep, and am known of mine.

John 10:14