Chapter Five

Later that evening, Joe and Charity sat in front of the house, caught in the warm glow of the amber light that fell from the kerosene lamp which they’d hung on the outside wall to keep darkness at bay.

‘You feelin’ better, Charity?’ Joe asked after a while.

Rubbing her eyes with exhaustion, she nodded.

‘You gotta go to bed now,’ he said. ‘Promise me there’ll be no more attemptin’ to cut your hair like that.’

‘I promise,’ she whispered. ‘I’m sorry.’

He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, his chin resting on his hands, and glanced at her, a frown on his face.

‘I still don’t understand why you wanted to do it,’ he said.

‘Black braids make me look like a Chinese girl. I wanna look American.’

‘But American girls have long hair, and they wear their hair in braids, too, don’t they? And some have black hair,’ he said. ‘It’s not just Chinese girls.’

‘But American girls got American faces.’

‘You ain’t gonna cut your eyes, are you?’ he asked, sitting upright in sudden fear.

She shook her head.

‘That’s okay, then,’ he said, relaxing. ‘You’re real cute as you are, Charity; you don’t wanna change a thing. And when you think some more, I reckon you’ll be glad you didn’t cut your hair. That’d really give those girls at school somethin’ to laugh about. How many American girls have got short hair? Just think about it.’

‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered again.

He looked thoughtfully at her. ‘You know, the kids in school were mean to you today, and so was Miss O’Brien,’ he said slowly. ‘But you stayed on. You showed ’em you’re better than them. I’m mighty proud of you for that.’

She raised her eyes to him. ‘Are you, Joe?’ Her voice lifted in hope.

‘I sure am.’ He paused. ‘Not many kids your age – or any age – would’ve stayed on all day like you did, with them bein’ nasty like they were. That makes you a special person, Charity, and you aren’t ever to forget that.’

A tentative smile flickered across her lips.

‘But even special people gotta have friends,’ he went on. ‘The Chinese gal from the mercantile wants to be your friend, so why not be friends with her? It won’t make you into a Chinese girl, but it’ll make you into a girl with a friend.’

‘I don’t want to. And anyway, a Chinese boy came out and made her go back into the store. I guess he didn’t want her to be friends with an American girl.’

‘That’ll be her brother.’

‘And I’ve already got a friend – you’re my friend, Joe.’

He grinned at her. ‘That’s right – we’re real good friends, you and me.’ He paused. For a moment the only sound was the rhythmic beat of the steam pumps in the mines. ‘But I won’t always be here, you know,’ he went on, and he threw her a quick glance. ‘When I’m old enough, I’m gonna go off and be a cowboy, like I always said. I’ll still be your friend, but I won’t be livin’ here, seein’ you every day – I’ll be drivin’ cattle out on the range.’

Her eyes opened wide and she stared at him in alarm. ‘Don’t go away. I don’t want you to.’ She put her thumb in her mouth.

He shrugged. ‘Things gotta change. They’ve already started changin’. You’re in school now, and you’ve got chores to do before and after school, and I’m workin’ days for Mr Culpepper.’ He gave her a wry smile. ‘I never found that gold I was pannin’ for, and as we can’t go down to the river in the day any more, I guess I never will. Things’ll keep on changin’, and then one day I’ll be gone. You need more friends than just me,’ he said bluntly, sitting back in his chair. ‘And that’s the truth.’

She took her thumb from her mouth. ‘I want you to stay.’ Her mouth set in a determined line.

He looked at her, his face serious. ‘That’s not gonna happen, Charity. I’m gonna leave as soon as I can after I’ve turned seventeen, and that’s only three years away. When you’re not tired like you are now, you oughta think about what I’ve been sayin’. But you must get off to bed now – you look fair moon-eyed.’

She made a move to get up.

‘Hey, I almost forgot,’ he said, putting his hand to his head. ‘I’ve got somethin’ for you.’

‘What’s that?’ She sat back down and stared at him, her lips parting in sudden excitement.

‘It’s somethin’ I was gonna give you this mornin’, but I forgot. And I almost forgot it now.’ He reached into his pocket, took out a tiny object and held it out to her.

She leaned close to it and saw that it was a small wooden figure. She looked up at him questioningly.

‘Here, take it,’ he said, shaking the figure towards her.

Hesitantly, she took it.

She glanced at him again, and then her eyes dropped to the shape that lay on the palm of her hand. It was made of wood and had been painted gold. Black stripes had been painted on top of the gold.

She peered at it. ‘What is it?’

‘I reckon it’s a tiger. They’re strong, fierce animals and they eat people. I learnt about them in school but I’ve never seen one – we don’t have tigers in Wyoming Territory. It’s yours. I meant to give it back to you sooner. I found it yesterday when I was lookin’ out some school things to give you.’

She screwed up her face in puzzlement. ‘What d’you mean, it’s mine?’

‘It belonged to your ma, Charity.’ He heard her catch her breath in a gasp, and saw her look swiftly down at the golden tiger again. ‘That makes it yours.’ An expression of wonder spread across her face as she gazed at the wooden tiger, and his voice died away.

‘My ma’s?’ she whispered, and she ran her fingers across the black and gold tiger. ‘My ma touched this tiger.’

He saw that her eyes were filling with tears.

‘Sure,’ he said awkwardly, changing his position in his chair. ‘It’s all we’ve got of hers. When I found you, you were all done up in a shawl and rags. The tiger was pinned on the shawl, holdin’ it closed to keep you warm. I reckon she loved you, your ma.’

‘You got my shawl, too?’ she asked, looking up at him, the tears trickling down her cheeks.

He shook his head. ‘Ma wrapped you in the shawl every day when you were little. When it wore out, she threw it away. But I kept the tiger. I meant to give it to you before, but I kinda forgot about it till I found it last night. But I think that’s a good thing. This is the right time to give it to you.’

‘D’you think so?’

‘Yup. Your ma must’ve been strong like a tiger, walkin’ so far like that, and in bare feet, too, tryin’ to find a place where you’d be safe. The way you stuck it out at the school today, you showed ’em you’re strong like a tiger, too. Your ma would’ve been proud of you today, like I am.’

She stared up at him, her dark brown eyes shining. ‘Are you, Joe?’

He gave her a broad smile. ‘Yes, I am. Today you showed ’em all you’re a little golden tiger.’