VEGAR RICH Part One: Sallie Coleman 1923----1942 The old attorney stared out his grimy windows and winced. His secretary had cleaned them yesterday. He'd watched her swish her soapy rag over the windows and then polish them until he could see his reflection. Now, less than fifteen hours later, they were dirty and grimy as though they'd never been cleaned. He looked down at his desk and saw the same grainy granules of desert sand. Irritably, he blew at them and wasn't surprised when the offending sand refused to move. He told himself he was in the desert, sand was to be expected. He should have been a plumber. Alvin Waring, Attorney at Law, was anxious, jittery, downright worried, as he shuffled the two folders, one thick one, and one thin one, from one side of his desk to the other. Waring knew exactly what was in each folder. If he were pressed, he could rattle off the contents without missing a heart beat. Providing, he wanted too. He did not. He did not even want to think about the contents. If he was a plumber he'd never have to think about what was in the two folders. Instead, he could think about water, fittings, galvanized pipes and whatever else plumbers carried around with them. Tool kits. Tool kits versus leather briefcases... He saw her then, and he thought about things like waterfalls, summer blue skies, picnics and wild flowers. He wished, in that single second of time, for his youth. The two folders on his desk made perfect sense now. He stood, his old bones creaking as he walked around the side of his desk. The attorney held out his hand and touched hers, softer than any flower petal. She smiled, her summer blue eyes crinkling at the corners. He wanted to be young again, so bad he could taste his youth as it whizzed past him. "Mr. Waring, I'm Sallie Coleman. I received your letter several days ago. I would have come yesterday, but I...I had to...sort through some things. I don't have much money, Mr. Waring. I used all my available cash to pay for Cotton's funeral. I tried...to take up a collection and was not very successful. I can pay his bills if his creditors will give me some time. I can't do it all at once. I would like to, but my circumstances....what I'm trying to say is, I'll take responsibility. Cotton was a good friend and good friends see things through to the end. How...how much did he owe, Mr. Waring? I do have this," Sallie said as she withdrew a small burlap sack from her purse. "Cotton gave it to me the first day I started to work at the bingo palace. He said it was to be my nest egg if things didn't work out. I'm not sure how much it's worth. Cotton said it was seven ounces of pure gold." "Nest eggs, should not be touched. They're for the future." The attorney cleared his throat as he handed back the chunk of gold. He wondered what it would be like to walk through a green meadow filled with daisies with this young woman. In his bare feet. Holding her hand. Sallie backed up a step, but didn't reach for the little sack. The summer blue eyes were questioning. "I don't understand. It could take me years to pay off...the gold would help me get to the end quicker. Did I say that right?" she asked fretfully. "It makes no mind. There is no need for you to assume payment of Cotton Easter's bills. First, he didn't leave any bills. His estate would have paid for his funeral. There was... is... no need for you to assume the responsibility." "Yes, Mr. Waring, there was a pure need for me to be doing that. Cotton was my friend. It was hard here in the desert for me when I first got here. He helped me. He watched out for me. Cotton didn't let anyone bother me. He was a kind man, a good man. Sometimes...most times, he was down on his luck, but when he had money he always shared with me and a few others who were less fortunate. I don't regret paying for his funeral. If he didn't leave any bills, and you don't want my nest egg, why did you write me that letter asking me to come here? Do you want to bury him in a better place, is that it? I...he said where he wanted to be...planted. That's the way he said it...so I did it, just the way he wanted. The sweet smell of sagebrush is all around the cemetery. He did love the smell, said it drove him crazy sometimes and that's why he wouldn't never go no place else to live." She waved her petal pink hands whose tips were covered with a glossy pink polish, in a graceful arc. "Sit, Miss Coleman. I have some things I have to explain to you. I'm going to read you Cotton's Last Will and Testament." "Mercy, Mr. Waring, isn't a person's will a private thing? I don't know if Cotton would like you to be telling me his secret thoughts. Even if he is dead. His sorrow and privacy should be left alone. Cotton always told me a man's life and his past belonged to him alone. He said that and a man's good name was all God gave him when he came into the world and when he left this world, his name on his marker would be all that was left. Now that I told you that, Mr. Waring, I'll be getting back to work. I'm having his marker erected next Sunday afternoon. The preacher agreed to say a few words. I'm going to serve a meal at the palace for anyone who wants to come." Alvin Waring scratched his grizzly head. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. She was almost to the door when he barked at her to come back and sit. He gentled his tone and smiled when she perched herself on the edge of the hard wooden chair. The summer blue eyes were frightened. "Hrumph," Attorney Waring said. "Now, little lady, you just sit there and listen to me read you Cotton Easter's Last Will and Testament. Before I do that, I want to tell you about Cotton. If I don't, you won't understand the will. Cotton came here to the desert with his daddy many years ago. He was just a small child at the time. His daddy was an educated man whose wife died before her time. With a small boy to raise, he decided to come here to seek his fortune the way his own father had done. He was very successful, almost as successful as his father He sent Cotton back to Boston to get educated and the minute the boy finished his studies, he hightailed it right back here and took his place next to his daddy. The main reason his daddy came here was because his father had mined the Comstock. That would be Cotton's grand daddy. The old gentleman left all he held dear to Cotton's father. And, there was a lot that he held dear. Cotton's daddy sold all the shares to the Comstock that his father left him at just the right time, and banked a fortune. Sold high, $22,000 a share and he owned thousands of shares. Cotton's daddy was a gambler and won acres and acres of land in poker games. He never touched that money. I'm talking about Cotton's daddy now. He struck it rich time and again. He had a big, old ugly Wells Fargo safe made special and he kept his fortune in it. Didn't trust banks or the stock market? A wise man. . He bought up half the desert for fifty cents an acre. He grub staked many a man who later paid back double for the stake. In some cases the veins and mines found their way back to Cotton's daddy.. When he died, his estate went to Cotton who didn't give a whit about the money. Cotton wanted his own strike. He amassed his own fortune and it all went into the Wells Fargo safe along with his daddy's money, and his grand daddy's money. Make no mistake, Miss Coleman, Cotton knew exactly what was his, what was his grand daddy's and what was his daddy's. I don't think he knew or even cared about the amount. I tried to tell him, but he simply wasn't interested. He wanted to be like all the other miners, spinning yarns, drinking rotgut, gambling and loving women on the run and hitting the Mother Lode. He craved respect and you, Miss Coleman, were the only person who gave him that respect. He said you nursed him when he came down with pneumonia, and that you fed him when he was hungry. He said you washed his clothes once or twice and said you were...ah, what he said was...you were, forgive me, a lusty bed partner." Sally blushed, but the summer blue eyes didn't waver. "Cotton left all of his holdings to you, Miss Coleman." "Me! Now, why would he do a thing like that, Mr. Waring?" Why indeed? "Because you accepted him for who he was and he said you respected him and asked his advice. He said nobody, man or woman, ever asked for his advice. You followed it too. That was important to Cotton." "But...but..." "You're a very rich woman, Miss Coleman. It's a short will. I'll read it to you and you can ask me questions, if you want, when I'm finished. Sallie listened to the old attorney's quivering voice, understanding only one word; rich. Other people were rich. People like herself were never rich. If she was rich she could go back to Texas and help her family. She would have to ask how much money that would take. She wished then that her life had been different. She wished she could read and write well. Cotton had helped her a little, but she'd been too ashamed and embarrassed to let him know how ignorant she was. He'd seen through her charade and tried his best, in small little ways, to help her. The attorney's voice trailed off. He was finished. She needed to pay attention. He said she should ask questions. He was staring at her expectantly. "Mr. Waring, I'd like to help my parents out if that's possible. These past few years I've sent little bits of money back home, but there are quite a few young ones to take care of. How much do you think that will cost? If there's enough I'd like to maybe move my family to a little house with a yard for the children. Maybe buy a toy or two and a new outfit. Schooling too. My pa, he...how much will all that take?" "Compared to what you have, what you're asking is a spit in the bucket. You're rich, Miss Coleman. Let me put it to you another way. Do you know how much a million dollars is?" Sallie's head bobbed up and down. In her life she'd never seen more than a fifty dollars at a time. A million had to be a lot more than that. She wished she'd paid more attention to Cotton when he was doing numbers with her. All she wanted was to be able to count the money at the end of the day and know it was accurate. "Then you multiply that by about fifty and that's what you're worth, possibly more, thanks to Cotton Easter. That doesn't count the property. Right now it's not worth much. Possibly someday it will be worth a fortune. Cotton's daddy thought so and so did Cotton. My best advice to you is to take some of that money and buy up the rest of the desert and sit on it until the time is right to sell it. It's going for about sixty-five cents an acre. I can arrange all that for you if you want me to handle your affairs. If you have another attorney in mind, that's all right too. I'll be sending you monthly reports on your finances which pretty much stay the same since everything is locked up. Later, I'd like us to sit down and talk about the stock market. Will you be wanting to move into the Easter house? They gave it a name a while back. Seems to me it was when Cotton was just a tad. His daddy called it Sunrise. You own the mountain it's sitting on." He dangled a set of clanking keys to make his point. "What house is that, Mr. Waring?" Sallie gasped. "Cotton's daddy's house up on Sunrise Mountain. A fine house it is too. Now I remember, Cotton's grand daddy christened the house, Sunrise, right before he passed on.. He had everything sent here from Boston. The finest furnishings money could buy. Real plumbing. There's a well and an automobile. There's a couple who look after the place. You can live there if you like. It's yours." A house. And it was hers. A house called Sunrise. Sallie wondered if she was dreaming. "How many rooms does it have?" "Eleven. Four complete bathrooms. Beautiful gardens. Do you like flowers, Miss Coleman?" "Oh, yes, Mr. Waring, I love flowers. Do you?" "Wild flowers especially. Blue bells, those little white upside down bells, the yellow ones. My mother used to have a beautiful flower garden. Where do you live now, Miss Coleman?" "In a boarding house. I have a big room. It has pretty wallpaper and white curtains on the windows. I can't open the windows though because of the grit and sand. I'd like to see those curtains move in the early morning breeze. Window screens are frightfully expensive." "You don't have to worry about things being expensive anymore. If you don't mind me asking, Miss Coleman, what will you do? If you have a mind to tell me a little about your background, I might be able to help you. Plan your future so to speak. Cotton trusted me. I'd like it if you would trust me too." Sallie sat back in the hard wooden chair. The summer blue eyes stared directly at the old attorney. She spoke haltingly at first and then as she grew more comfortable with the truth and shame, the words rushed out. I'm one of eight children. I'm the oldest girl. The boys, they took off as soon as they could. My pa, he drank too much. My mother took in washing and ironing. I helped. There was never enough food. I was never warm enough. I left when I was thirteen. I made my way here and sang for my supper. Cotton said I sang like an angel. He loved to hear me sing. The miners gave me tips sometimes. Cotton was always generous. He didn't care that sometimes, when there was no money, that I would ...take money for doing things that would shame my mother. That's just another way of saying I was...am...a whore. You didn't expect me to say that, did you, Mr. Waring?" "No, I didn't. I'm not going to judge you, Miss Coleman." "That's good, Mr. Waring. I won't judge you either. Now we can start out fair. I can read and write a little. Maybe I can get someone to teach me now. There was no time for school and no nice clothes back in Texas. The good ladies in town didn't care if we were taught. They called us white trash. Nobody cared about us. I wanted better, the way my brothers wanted better. Someday I'm going to find them, and help them if I can. I'll be taking you up on the offer to move into that fine house. Do you know if the windows open?" The old attorney smiled. I'll make sure they do. Miss Coleman, I have an idea. Do you think you could find someone to take your place at the bingo palace, for say, six months? Maybe a year. I know this lady in California who operates a finishing school for young ladies. If you're amenable, I can make arrangements for her to...to..." "Polish me up?" Her tinkling laugh sent goose bumps up and down the attorney's arms. "In a manner of speaking. She can give you some private lessons, things young ladies need to know." "I suppose so. But first I have to go back to Texas. Family needs to come first, Mr. Waring. When I get back, we can talk again. Where's that safe you spoke about? Do you give me the money or do I just open the safe and...and take it? Do I have to write everything down?" "Miss Coleman, you can do whatever you want. You don't need to ask permission. When would you like to visit the house?" "Today." "It's a two day trip on horseback. I can make arrangements to have you taken up tomorrow if that's all right with you. Here is the combination to the safe and the keys to the house. These past few years a lot of your funds were put in banks once I felt it was safe. This box sitting here has all the bank books. They're yours now. All you have to do is walk into any one of them, sign your name and take as much money as you want. You're agreeable then to my purchasing more desert acreage?" "If you feel it's a...wise thing to do." "I do." "Then you have my permission, Mr. Waring, Sallie said smartly." "How do you feel now, Miss Coleman? I'm curious." "Sad, Mr. Waring. Cotton was such a good friend to me. I cannot believe that he would leave me all this money. Is there something in particular he wants me to do? I guess what I'm saying is, why? Why me? He had friends. There must be family in Boston. Are you sure it is meant for me? "I'm sure." Waring rose, walked around the desk and held out his hand. He held her delicate hand a moment longer than necessary. "Enjoy your new fortune, Miss Coleman." "I'll try, Mr. Waring." Sallie held out her hands for the small wooden box containing the bank books. Outside in the late morning sunshine, Sallie stared up and down the street. She wondered how things could look the same as an hour ago when she first walked up the steps to the attorney's office. Why weren't bells ringing and whistles blowing? Didn't anyone in town know about her good fortune? She tapped her foot impatiently on the wooden sidewalk as she waited for something to happen. Sallie's eye traveled to the line of stores whose owners she knew by name. Toolie Simmons owned The Arcade where beer on draught was sold, The Rye & Thackery run by Russ Malloy, the Red Onion Club, The Gem Counter with the letter N backwards on the rough sign, and on to the Arizona Club whose sign proudly proclaimed their whiskey was fully matured and reimported. Men sat in the small pools of shade on spindly chairs, tilted back at alarming angles, talking, smoking their cigars and pipes as they waited for the saloons to open at noon. Men who would work if there was work to be had. Maybe she could do something about that. Some of them waved to her, others tilted their straw hats in recognition. "Gonna sing us a pretty song tonight, Miss Sallie, one of the hard rock miners shouted. "Not tonight, Zeke, I'm heading for Texas to see my family and I have a lot to do. Soon though. You just tell me what you want me to sing and I'll do it just for you." "Heard the Mercantile got some canned peaches yesterday, Miss Sallie." "Thanks for telling me, Billie. Would you like some?" "I purely would, Miss Sallie." "I'll get some on my way back and drop them off. You gonna be at the Arizona Club?" "Nope. Don't got a lick of money in my poke today. I'll be waiting right here for you." Sallie nodded as she skirted the barrels of hardware and produce outside the Mercantile Company. She smiled at Hiram Webster as he stopped sweeping the sand from in front of his doorstep to let her pass. "Good morning, Mr. Webster. It's a fine day, isn't it?" "Tis that, Miss Sallie. Lots of blue sky today." Sallie was convinced no one knew about her good fortune. As she walked along she remembered the tents and the smell of frying onions that permeated the air the day she'd first arrived. They were all gone now, replaced with newer wooden buildings. It was still a rough town, a shoddy town, a man's town. She realized she could fancy up the town now if she wanted to. She could make Las Vegas into a town instead of a man's town. She could buy up whatever she wanted. She could knock down all the shabby buildings and start over. Cotton said if the price was right a person could buy anything. Sallie stepped aside as three ladies walking abreast of one another passed her, straw baskets on their arms. They didn't acknowledge her in any way. Sallie smiled anyway and said, "good morning, ladies." The skinny dog following them stopped near Sallie and sniffed her shoes. She reached out to pat the dog on the head. He licked her hand. "I'll tell you what, dog, you stay with me and on the way back I'm going to stop at Jeb's steak house and get you some meat." She smiled again as the dog fell into step with her. The scent of sagebrush seemed to be all about her as she walked along, past the bakery, the ice house, the pharmacy and the milliners. A gust of sand swirled past her. She felt like laughing at the way she tried to dance away from the circular swirl that spiraled upward. Her shoes and the hem of her skirt were covered with sand. She did laugh then as she stomped her feet and shook the hem of her skirt. "Mornin', Miss Sallie. What brings you to this end of town? Can we do anything for you here at the Chamber of Commerce?" "Yes you can, Eli. How much do you think it would cost to plant cottonwoods up and down this fine street, on both sides?" "Why do you ask?" "I'd like to donate them and pay for the labor to plant them in memory of my friend Cotton Easter. When you find out, let Mr. Waring know and he'll pay you. Providing you think it's a good idea. Maybe some benches under the trees for the ladies to sit on. I think they'll make the street real pretty." "That they will, Miss Sallie. The town's coming back to life a little at a time. I like that." "I do too, Eli." The dog next to her woofed softly to remind her of her promise. "Don't forget about the trees," Sallie said moving on. Everything was just so wonderful! Sallie fought the urge to dance her way down the street. It was a dream, but if it was a dream, what was she doing with the box in her hands? Well, there was one way to find out for certain. She stopped in a shop doorway, stuck her hand into the box and withdrew one of the bank books. She looked at the name of the bank embossed in gold leaf on the front of the bank book. She looked up and down the street, her eyes searching out the bank that issued the bank book. Sallie retraced her steps, walked around the corner and continued walking until she came to the bank. She entered, walked up to the bank teller and handed him the small blue book. I'd like...five hundred dollars please." Five minutes later, Sallie walked out of the bank in a daze, the five hundred dollars safe in her purse. It was real, it wasn't a dream. She tripped down the street, giddy with the knowledge that everything Alvin Waring said was true. She opened the box again and withdrew a second bank book. She repeated the process three more times. The money secure in her purse and loose bills in the pocket of her dress, Sallie stopped first at the Mercantile Company for a bag of canned peaches that she immediately handed over to Billie along with ten dollars. She handed out money to all the hard rock miners, admonishing them to eat some good food and to take a bath before they spent the rest in the Red Onion. Her last stop before returning to the boarding house was the steak house next to the bingo palace where she worked. She ordered two huge steaks explaining to the cook that she wanted them cut into small pieces. "You see this dog, Jeb? He don't belong to anyone near as I can tell. I'd like it a lot if you'd look after him till I get back from Texas. I'm gonna give you some money for him. Two steaks a day till he fattens up or I get back. I'm gonna keep him here at the palace. I'm buying it, Jeb, it's going to be mine real soon. If you agree to taking care of this dog I'll let you play bingo for free. Poker too if you want. You gotta swear to me on Cotton, you hear." "You don't have to do that, Sallie. I'll take care of the dog. I'll feed him just the way you said. He'll be fat and sassy when you get back. Finally going to see your mama, are you?" "Yes, and I can hardly wait. I miss my family. Maybe they'll come back here with me." "Whatcha gonna do to the palace?" "Pretty it up some. Make it...fashionable." "You strike gold, Miss Sallie?" "I purely did, Jeb. I'm gonna take care of all my friends too. Don't think for one minute that I forgot all those times you fed me when things were hard. I know you fed Cotton and Boots and some of the others too. That was a kind thing you did for all of us. I'm gonna take care of all my friends. You won't never have to worry about a thing as long as you live. Would you like me to pretty up your place, Jeb? I will when I get back," Sallie said generously. Jeb set the plate down on the ground in front of the dog who wolfed the food down so quickly, Sallie gasped. "Give him some water. He needs to know where to come for it. I really appreciate it, Jeb. I simply can't bear to see anyone go hungry, and that includes an animal. The poor thing was starved." "I'll take good care of him, Sallie. If you want to pretty up my place, go to it. Might bring in more customers." "All right. I'm going into the palace. I want to see it one last time before it gets done over." "It'd be a sight for sore eyes, Miss Sallie, to see you come back from Texas in one of them there cowgirl outfits, big hat and six guns. You could get up on that there stage and shoot off your gun and sing, Deep In The Heart of Texas." Sallie grinned. Sallie opened the door to the bingo palace with her own key. In the bright morning sun filtering into the large room, it looked like what it was, a sleazy, smoky, rinky dink parlor with rough furniture, a rickety bar, bare windows, a cashier's cage and a small stage that doubled as the bingo stand where the bingo numbers were called, and where she sang at the beginning and end of the evening. She walked around, touching the felt covered poker tables at the far end of the room, sitting down and then getting up from the bingo benches. She straightened the stack of bingo cards into a neater pile. Maybe she should throw everything out and start from scratch. She sat down again and closed her eyes. How best to pretty things up? A real stage, small, with a red velvet curtain that opened and closed. Matching draperies on the windows that could be closed in the winter. Chandeliers over the tables for better lighting. Perhaps a spot light for the stage. A new bar, the kind the Arizona Club had, shiny mahogany with a brass railing. Leather stools with brass trim to match the bar. A new floor with some sections of it carpeted. No more spittoons. Definitely a new front door with glass panels, the kind they had in churches that made things look different. Maybe even colored glass. She'd have some trees planted around her place and Jeb's too. Flowers if they would grow. Jeb could tend them. She walked over to the furtherest corner of the room where she sat by herself when things were slow or when she just wanted time by herself. She sat down on a wobbly chair and leaned her arms on the table whose legs didn't match. She smiled when the table rocked back and forth the same way her chair did. Cotton said the man who made the chair and table had a crooked eye. She wondered if she would miss things the way they were now. Old things were comfortable. New things took some getting used to. Like her sudden wealth. "I don't know if I'm ever gonna get used to that." Sallie stared at the small stage where she called out the bingo numbers hour after hour. She was always happy when a grizzly miner won his four bits and whooped in delight, his dirty boots stomping on the floor, the other miners cheering him on. The bingo palace didn't make a lot of money, barely enough to pay the winners and herself. The doors opened at noon for her regular customers. By paying close attention she was able to tell which customers were hungry, which customers came to gamble, and which ones just wanted to hear her sing. The hungry ones were her biggest problem. Jeb allowed her to run a tab for hard boiled eggs and pickles that she handed out on a daily basis. Most days if she had thirty customers she was lucky. The three poker tables covered in green felt had dust all over them, Most of her customers didn't have enough money to start up a poker hand, and those that did had to extend credit and write I.O.U.'s The bingo cards were safer. Often she sat at one of the tables with her customers playing poker for dry beans. She always lost. On rare occasions when one of the miners had a little extra in his poke he'd lay money on the bar for her. Right before she closed at midnight she'd slip that same money under Jeb's door to pay off her marker. What she really loved about her customers was the fact that they did their best to act like gentlemen when they came into the palace. They'd spruce up by slicking their hair back, shaking the dust from their clothes and boots. Most times they washed their hands even though they didn't have enough money for a room and a hot tub. She could always tell when they trimmed their whiskers, and she'd always compliment them and tell them they looked like fashionable Boston gentlemen. They'd cackle with glee and then she would laugh too when she was forced to admit she'd never seen a proper Boston gentleman. Things were going to change now, her life was going to be different. For the first time in her young life, Sallie felt fear of the unknown. If only she wasn't so ignorant of the world. There wasn't much she could do about the fear and the unknown. She could get some learning though. She wished again for her brothers, Seth and Josh. If only she knew where they were. If she could just find them and bring them into her life, she would be the happiest woman alive. All in good time or as Cotton said, Rome wasn't built in one day, whatever that meant. Sallie felt a little silly when she stood in the open doorway and blew the room a kiss. "It's for you, Cotton, for making it all possible." Outside in the hot noon air, Sallie looked up and down the street. This place, this town, was her home now, as much as Ragtown back in Texas had been her home. She squinted her eyes, looking into the sun as she remembered how hot it was in the shack back in Texas. There wasn't anything she could do about Ragtown back then. Now she had a second chance, a chance, and the money to make this town what she wanted it to be. Her home, her life, her town. "I'm never gonna leave her. Never, ever." On her long walk home she passed Alvin Waring's office. She entered hesitantly. He stood up immediately. "Sallie, is something wrong?" "No, not at all. I just came from the bingo palace. I realized you can't have it redone unless you know what I want. Would you like to write this down?" She rattled off the decisions she'd made in the parlor. "I'd like some pictures on the walls, with lots of bright colors in them. I'd also like some glass shelves behind the bar. I'll be going now. Oh, some men might be coming to talk to you, Eli from the Chamber of Commerce and Jeb from the steak house. Just do what they say." "I see," Alvin Waring said. "I'm gonna stay in this town forever, Mr. Waring. It needs a lot of prettying up. When I walked up and down the street a little while ago I could feel the life in it. It just has to be...what's the word...nurtured? I can do that. I will do that. Good-by again, Mr. Waring." "Good-by, Sallie." When Sallie finally returned to her room at the boarding house where she lived, she had $2400 in her purse, minus the hundred dollars she'd given the hard rock miners. A fortune. In her room with the door closed and locked, Sallie leaped into the middle of the bed and proceeded to jump up and down like a child, hooting and laughing until she flopped down in a heap. She rolled over and reached for the wooden box on the floor. Sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed she looked at all the bank books, red ones, blue ones, green ones. Two brown ones, one yellow and two black ones. So many numbers. She tried to comprehend the amount of zeros. Mr. Waring made it sound like she could buy the world. The world! She wept then at her ignorance. When there were no more tears to shed, Sallie's thoughts turned to Cotton Easter, her benefactor. She'd always thought of him as kind and generous. He must have really liked her to do what he did. "I don't understand though, if you had all that money, why did you live like you did? There were times when you were hungry and didn't have the money to rent a room. You didn't have a dollar for a bath. Life could have been so much easier for you," she murmured. She looked around her room expecting Cotton to materialize and answer her questions. "I gave you a nice funeral, Cotton. I guess it could have been nicer, but I thought paying for your box and getting flowers and serving a lunch for your friends was what you would want. Your marker is simple, the kind you said you got for your daddy. I'm going to say some words the day they put it up. I wish you would have let me know what you were planning. What should I do with all your money, Cotton? I never knew there was so much money in the world. You must want me to do something. What? I told you so many times that I don't require much in the way of material things. I just want to be warm in the winter, eat decent food and have a good dress for church on Sundays." She looked around, half expecting to hear Cotton's voice. She flopped back against the ruffled pillows, the wooden box toppling over. She saw it then, the crinkled piece of white paper. A letter. Maybe it was for her, from Cotton. She crossed her fingers and then blessed herself. Please let it be printed letters. Please, God, let me be able to read the words. Don't let me be ignorant now. I need to know why Cotton was so good and kind to me. Please, God. I'll build a church. I swear to You I will. I'll call it Saint Cotton Easter. It don't sound right, but that won't matter as long as people want to pray. Cotton was a religious man. He prayed every day. He taught me a prayer. I promise I'll say it every day." Sallie squeezed her eyes shut as her fingers played with the folds of the crinkled letter. When she was calm, she spread the single sheet of paper on her lap. The block letters brought tears to her eyes. DEAR SALLIE, IF YOU HAVE THIS LETTER IN HAND THEN YOU KNOW I DIED. I'M LEAVING YOU ALL I HAVE. I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DO WITH IT. I MEAN THE MONEY. IT NEVER BROUGHT ME ANY HAPPINESS. MOST OF IT WAS LEFT TO MY FATHER BY MY GRANDFATHER. TO ME, SALLIE, YOU'RE LIKE A SUMMER FLOWER THAT HAS JUST COME INTO BUD. THE MONEY I'M LEAVING YOU WILL ALLOW YOU TO BECOME A FINE LADY. ALVIN WILL HELP YOU. HE'S A GOOD MAN AND YOU CAN TRUST HIM. I THINK, SALLIE, YOU WILL BE THE RICHEST WOMAN IN THE STATE OF NEVADA. YOU JUST BE CAREFUL WHO YOU TRUST. DON'T EVER TELL ANYONE THE COMBINATION TO THE SAFE. NOW YOU CAN STOP SLIDING INTO OTHER MEN'S BED. THERE'S NO NEED FOR YOU TO TELL ANYONE YOU DID THAT. REMEMBER WHAT I TOLD YOU ABOUT NOT SHARING YOUR BUSINESS WITH OTHER PEOPLE. SOME THINGS NEED TO BE KEPT SECRET. I LOVE YOU, SALLIE. DON'T GO LAUGHING ON ME NOW. I KNOW I'M OLD ENOUGH TO BE YOUR PA OR YOUR GRAND DADDY. A MAN CAN'T HARDLY STOP WHAT HIS HEART FEELS. I DIDN'T EVEN WANT TO TRY. I WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY, SALLIE. YOU HAVE A GOOD, KIND HEART. SOMETIMES YOU ARE TOO GOOD. YOU TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AND WHEN YOU HAVE TIME, VISIT MY GRAVE AND TALK TO ME. I WON'T BE ABLE TO ANSWER YOU, BUT I'LL BE ABLE TO HEAR YOU. THAT'S ALL I ASK OF YOU, SALLIE. I HOPE YOU FIND A GOOD MAN WHO WILL GIVE YOU CHILDREN AND WHO WILL LOVE YOU THE WAY YOU DESERVE TO BE LOVED. DON'T SHARE YOUR PAST, SALLIE, OR IT WILL COME BACK TO HAUNT YOU. I LOVE YOU, SALLIE. YOUR FRIEND, COTTON EASTER Sallie rolled over on the bed and howled like a banshee. "I never got a letter before," she wailed into her pillow. "I'll keep this letter forever and ever. I'll read it every day and I'll do what you say. I'll visit and we'll talk. I'll talk and you listen. That's what you said, Cotton. You have my promise that I won't...you know, do what you said." A moment later she was off the bed and out the door. She ran, skidding around the corners, not caring who saw her or what they thought. She had something to do. Something important. Later she could worry about acting like a lady. When she arrived at the cemetery she was breathless and disheleved Her eyes were frantic as she searched out the mound of dark earth that waited for the marker. Since Cotton's burial there were four more mounds, none of them had a marker. Which one? Oh, God, which one was Cotton's? She walked around expecting the plots to be different in size, but they all looked the same to her inexperienced eye. When she saw the dried flower petals she knew she had the right grave. She'd spent the last of her money on the small bouquet that was now dried and withered. Now she could bring fresh flowers every day if she wanted to. Sallie sat down on the hard ground. She brought her knees up to her chin and hugged them with her arms. "It's me, Cotton, Sallie. I got your letter today. It was in the box with all the bank books. It was real nice of you to leave me all your money. Mr. Waring wants me to go to California so some teaching lady can make me into a lady. Isn't that funny, Cotton? I'm excited because I'm going to take the train to Texas and visit my family. I took some of the money out of the bank. I just walked in and said how much I wanted and the man, he gave it to me right away. I just had to write my name. I couldn't hardly believe it, Cotton. I'm going to buy my mama a nice little house and a new dress. I'll get things for the young ones too, and maybe see about getting them some learning. I can't wait to see my mother's face when I walk in the door. She always said Seth would be the one to make a lot of money. Seth was the oldest. I never knew him because he lit out before I was born. So did Josh. Ma was so proud of her two oldest sons. Every day she'd say they're coming back and will bring presents for everyone. They never did. Then Ma stopped talking about them. I don't even know what they look like, Cotton. Ma said they were the spittin' image of Pa. Maybe someday I can find them and help them out. It don't seem right that I don't know what my own brothers look like. All I can see, Cotton, is Ma's face. I know she was pretty when she was a young girl, but Pa, he drained the life out of her. I used to hear her cry at night, but she always had a smile on her face in the morning. I ain't seen that house up in the hills yet. It must be a beautiful place to be called Sunrise. Tomorrow I'm going up there. Mr. Waring said it has eleven rooms and real bathrooms. Maybe Mama will want to come here and live with me. That would be okay, wouldn't it, Cotton? I'll get her a fancy chair so she can just sit and do nothing. I'll bring her flowers and give her steak to eat every day. I'm going to get her the prettiest dress in the whole world. Fancy shoes too and stockings. A pearl necklace, Cotton. Oh, she's going to be so happy. I'll rub glycerine on her hands, file her fingernails and maybe put some polish on them. I don't know what I'll do about Pa. Maybe I'll just let him drink hisself to death. That seems to be the only thing that makes him happy. I'm going to buy a new dress, Cotton, for the trip. I want Ma to be proud of me when she sees me. I want to thank you for all this good. I promised God I was going to build a church and call it Saint Cotton Easter. Now, I know that don't sound right, but I don't care. Maybe the preacher will let me sing on Sunday. I'd like that. I'll sing for you, Cotton. You look down on me, you hear. Do you have wings, Cotton? Jeb Mc Guire said angels have wings and they ring little bells. Course he was drunk when he said that. I like the way it sounds. I have so much to learn, Cotton. I don't hardly know nothing. I'm going to be twenty years old and I'm ignorant as some of them miners who never had any schoolin' at all. I know you wanted to be planted here, Cotton, but I been thinking. If I move into that house up in the hills, I won't be able to come here too much. I don't want you gettin' lonely here all by yourself. I'd be willing to dig you up and take you up there. Mr. Waring said there's all kinds of flowers and gardens. I could make you a cemetery and talk to you every day. I seen pictures of them fancy cemeteries where they have rails around the plot. I could do that for you. I'll make sure there's lots and lots of sagebrush. I want you to think about that, Cotton, and when I come back the next time I want a sign that you think it's okay. If Jeb is right, ring your little bell. It's going to be a couple of weeks till I can come back here. I'll tell you all about my trip to Texas on the train. Maybe I'll have my whole family with me when I come to visit next time. My Mama will want to thank you personal like. She has manners, my Mama does. I need to be going home now. I'll be here on Sunday when they put up your marker. I want you to know, Cotton, I paid for that with my own money, not yours. I don't like to say good-by so I'll just say I'll be back. The sagebrush smells real sweet today. There aren't any clouds in the sky. It's dusty and dry." There was genuine concern in her voice when she said, "if there aren't any clouds in the sky what are you resting on? Maybe that teaching lady will be able to tell me how that works. I'll bring some flowers on Sunday." Sallie stood, smoothed down her dress, and did her best to tuck her flyaway blonde curls back into place. She sniffed at the sagebrush scented air before she waved her arm in a jaunty little salute of happiness. Sallie climbed down from the wagon that was loaded with her personal possessions. She took a moment to savor the moment by squeezing her eyes shut and then opening them slowly, drinking in the sight of her new home. Her mind searched for a word to describe the magnificent house that stood before her. In her life she never dreamed such a building existed. But, more than the house, it was the shrubbery and trees that beckoned her. The flower borders surrounding the castle like structure were every color of the rainbow. She bent down to touch the dark soil. It was moist to the touch and from somewhere she could hear water dripping. The lawn was springy underfoot and damp, greener than a carpet of emeralds. She looked to the left and then to the right. "Now I know why Cotton's grand daddy called this place Sunrise," she murmured. She backed up until she was standing between a row of tall stately looking trees that afforded her a better look at the house that was now hers. Pristine white columns glistened in the sun. Diamond shaped panes of glass in the windows gleamed like large colored jewels. She thought about the tar paper shack she lived in with her family back in Texas. A shanty with no windows and a door that had to be nailed shut and stuffed with rags in the winter. The door on this house was stout and beautiful with tiny diamond shaped panes of colored glass at the top. A heavy brass handle was just as shiny as the windows. But, it was the heavy, quarry stone in muted shades of gray and brown that brought a smile to her face. There would be no drafts in this house in the winter. Sallie meandered around the parameters of the huge house. She knew it was a park even though she'd never set foot in one in her life. She'd seen pictures though of iron benches and little spindly chairs under trees. Cotton had showed her a picture once and said it was a park in Boston he often went to when he was in school. Benches circled trees and stone ornaments of different animals dotted the little paths that led nowhere. It was cool and dim, green and lush. A perfect place to sit in the afternoon with a glass of lemonade and a book. She tried to imagine herself sitting in the gazebo with a frosty glass of lemonade, dressed in a frilly pink afternoon dress with a book in hand she couldn't read. She giggled. "Oh, Cotton, you should see me now." She was at the front door now. Should she lift the heavy brass knocker? Should she fit the huge brass key into the lock? She was saved from making a decision when the heavy door creaked open. A plump woman wearing a white apron and a braid of hair that circled her head like a halo, smiled. "Pleases, Miss, come in. Joseph will see to your bags. I am Anna. I cook and clean. Now I will cook and clean for you. My husband tends the gardens and takes care of the animals. Later I will show you the stable, the guest house and all the other little buildings. Come, come, let me show you your new home." "Can you open the windows?" Sallie asked. "But of course. Would you like me to open them for you?" "Oh, yes. Yes, yes, I would. I want to see the curtains flutter in the breeze. Do all the windows have screens?" "Yes. I do not open them because Joseph and I don't use the house. We live in one of the cottages in the back. Is there any thing you'd like me to do for you now?" "I'd like to see my room and maybe take a bath. If you don't mind, I'd like to walk through the house myself and look at things." "It is your house, Miss Coleman. Do you have any thing in particular that you'd like me to make for your dinner. I'm a good cook," she said modestly. "It doesn't matter. Later on, I'll make those decisions. I do like pie though. Sweet pie. Very sweet." She smiled wickedly and patted her hips. "I like gravy and potatoes. I like most anything." "Joseph has a garden he tends. I can the vegetables for the winter. We have a wonderful cold cellar. The special room is in the back. Joseph has the key. He'll turn it over to you at supper. Is there anything else I can do for you?" "I'd like a cool drink if that's possible." "I'll fetch it. Would you like me to draw your bath?" "No thank you. I want to do all that myself if you don't mind. Later on we can discuss your...duties." Lordy, lordy, lordy, she was acting like a grand mistress. How wonderful it felt. She sobered almost immediately when she thought about how her mother waited on other people and wore herself down to nothing more than skin and bones. Well, she was never going to do that. Anna wasn't young, and her husband was probably the same age She made a promise to herself then that she would never take advantage of anyone who worked for her. Cotton always said you should treat people the way you yourself wanted to be treated. He was right. She'd learned so much from Cotton. Sallie walked from room to room on the second level of the house, her lips pursed in a round circle of approval. She didn't know how she knew, she just knew, that this house looked like houses in Boston. All of the shiney dark furniture must have belonged to Cotton's grandmother or mother. The rugs were thin, colorful, with fringes around the edge. Some were round, most of them square. There were big ones and little ones. Her mother was purely going to smile and smile when she described the brilliant bird in the center of one particular rug. But always, in each room, her gaze settled on the windows and the lace curtains. Her fingers itched to open one of the windows. That would be the first thing she did when she settled herself in one of the rooms, but which one? Thirty minutes later, Sallie chose a room at the end of the long hallway that overlooked the lush green gardens. The small balcony leading off the dressing room made her squeal in delight. She loved the French doors and the fine wooden floors. The high four poster with the three step stool with its canopy of lace with matching the curtains made her smile from ear to ear. "I can't hardly believe this," she whispered to herself. Two giant closets rested side by side on one wall. Plenty of room for her ricky-ticky saloon gowns and feather boas. A dresser with flowered marble drawer pulls on all nine drawers caused her to suck in her breath. She didn't have enough underwear to fill the deep cavities. She walked around the room, finally sitting down on a sky-blue satin chaise lounge that looked like no one had ever sat in it. Well, she was going to sit in it every day. Sallie bounded out of the chaise. Now it was time to open the windows. She pushed the lace curtains aside, stretched her arms to push and tug at the window. She was breathing hard when her struggle was rewarded and the window moved upwards. With one hand she held the window and with her other hand she reached down for the wooden screen. Her face was red with exertion when she finally fitted the screen into place. She waited for the lace curtains to billow inward. When nothing happened, Sallie rustled the curtains. Still they didn't move inward. She was so disappointed she wanted to cry. She marched over to the bed and climbed up. She sat, determined to wait as long as she had to, until the curtains moved. Maybe she should lie down and rest her eyes. Within minutes she was sound asleep. The afternoon passed quietly and she woke when she felt a warm movement of air. She wiped the sleep from her eyes, uncertain if she was truly awake or not. A smile that rivaled the afternoon sunshine stretched across her face when she saw the lace curtains dance in the breeze. "Ohhhh," was all she could think of to say. "This is the happiest day of my life," she said aloud. "Thank you, Cotton, thank you from the bottom of my heart." Sallie forgot about the step stool and slid off the bed, landing on her backside. She laughed then, peals of joy, as she kicked out with her legs, banging the heels of her shoes on the carpeted floor. "Guess, I won't be doing that again." She massaged her rump as she got to her feet. Time for her bath. She looked around for the doorway and saw her bags and boxes stacked neatly to the side. Anna must have unpacked her things while she slept. The door to one of the closets was slightly ajar. The garish saloon dresses looked out of place. The feathered hair pieces she wore with her colored boas rested on the top shelf. They too looked out of place. A warm flush crept up to her neck and cheeks. She checked the dresser and wasn't surprised to see that her worn underwear and stockings filled only half of one of the drawers. She wished then that she had been the one to unpack her belongings. The flush of shame and embarrassment that someone else had seen her threadbare underwear deepened. Her shoulders stiffened. Everything was clean and mended. There was no need for shame. And now for her very own bathroom. It was everything she expected and then some. Two huge, gold framed mirrors that were long and wide allowed her to see her reflection from both sides. If she stood over the sink she could see the front of herself and the sides. She clapped her hands. It was the spigot on the sink and the huge galvanized tub that captivated her. She turned it and waited as the water trickled out. The water was hot, but not too hot. Delicious! Where did the water come from? The commode fascinated her. She pulled the overhead chain and danced backward when the water filled the bowl. Wonderful! A frilly dressing table with a matching stool covered in crisp organza invited her to sit down. She did, crossing her legs, swinging her feet back and forth. Mercy! The smile stayed on her face when she noticed the white lace curtain on the window over the huge tub. Lordy, lordy, three people could take a bath in this tub. All at the same time. She giggled. Sallie turned the spigot on the tub. It was going to take a long time to fill. Time she could spend walking around her new house. She kicked off her shoes and yanked at her hose. Barefoot, she ran from the room, up and down the long hall, peeking and poking at everything she saw. Back in her bedroom, Sallie sat down on the chaise. This house was a shrine, she was almost sure of it. To Cotton's grandmother and mother. Did she have a right to be here? Cotton thought she did. Would she be comfortable living here all by herself? Maybe if she had more personal things to make the place her own it would feel like home. Her single room at the boarding house felt like home. Maybe she could redecorate it. If she went to California the way Mr. Waring wanted her to, she could buy new things and have them sent here. She could afford to do that. She could buy a rocking chair with thick, deep cushions, the kind her mother dreamed of having someday. All she could ever remember her mother wishing for was a dress with a lace collar and a rocking chair. It wasn't too much to wish for. She clapped her hands again. She could buy as many rocking chairs as she wanted. She could have two in each room. She could buy hundreds of dresses with lace collars for her mother. She was going to do it too. All different colors. One for each day of the week. Maybe two, even three. She was giddy with all the wonderful things she was going to do for her family. "Thank you, God, for smiling on me this day." In the tub that was full of bubbles, Sallie leaned back, one long soapy leg extended. She eyed the red polish on the tip of her toes. Decadent! "Who cares!" She scrubbed and rubbed until her skin was red, with a cloth that was softer than feathers. The length of toweling was just as soft and long and wide enough to wrap completely around herself. She loved the way it made her feel. She stared at her reflection in the three mirrors. Her blonde hair curled in ringlets around her ears and neck. She smoothed it back until it was slick against her head. When she wore her hair pulled back like this she looked older, more experienced. When her curls tumbled about her face she looked her like she was fifteen.. She thought about her mother again as she dressed. Her mother's hair was like her own, but her mother's hair was dull and usually greasy. She wore it pulled back from her sweet face with a string. She was going to buy her a pearl necklace and some earrings. She'd take some of the soap that smelled like roses and wash her mother's hair and fix it the way the ladies in town wore their hair. She knew how to do these things now. Ohhh, her mother was going to be a Queen, and all her little sisters would be princesses. She could make it happen now that she had all the money in the world. Tomorrow she was going back to town. Tonight when she got ready to sleep in the high bed she was going to make a list of things to do when she got to town. She wasn't going to wait one minute longer than necessary before she returned to Texas to see her family. Sallie felt every inch the grand lady when Anna served her supper at the long table with the huge centerpiece of fresh flowers in the dining room The meal was hearty and heavy, thick steak, fried potatoes, gravy, sliced tomatoes and bread spread with real butter. She thought about the thin gruel and the hard bread spread with lard that she'd eaten when she lived in Texas. Well, that was never going to happen again. Never, ever. She dug into her rhubarb pie with a vengeance and asked for a second helping. When she was finished with her meal she asked for Joseph. "Mamn, how can I help you?" he asked respectfully. "I want to go back to town tomorrow. I'd like to leave early, before the sun comes up. It's such a long trip. I have some business I have to take care of. I'll be doing some shopping so you can bring the things back here in the wagon. I plan on...going to Texas. I'm not sure when I'll be back." "Would you like me to take you in the automobile, Mamn?" "Why, yes, I would purely love that. How long will it take?" "If we leave at first light we can be in town before sundown. Maybe sooner." "Where did Mr. Easter get an automobile?" Sallie asked, her face full of curiosity. "Won it fair and square in a poker game. I learned to drive it all my myself. Mr. Easter didn't want no parts of something on four wheels with an engine. He said it was the devil's own machine. I'll be ready at sunup." "So will I," Sallie responded smartly. "How hard was it to learn, Joseph?" "Not hardly at all, Mamn. I could teach you when you get back. You need to practice so's you don't run into no trees and scrub along the way." "You need to wear a hat, Miss. Your hair will look like the end of a broom if you don't. Dust and sand gets in your eyes. Joseph wears special spectacles when he drives that machine." "Will you be wanting to see the secret room now?" The old man held out a key ring with a large brass key dangling from the end. "Yes I would, Joseph. Thank you for supper, Anna. It was real good, specially that pie. Who pays you your wages, Anna?" "Mr. Waring. He comes up here on the first of every month. In the winter he pays us for three or four months at a time. Will you be thinking of changing that, Mamn." "No. But, maybe he should be paying you more now that I'm going to live here and you will have more duties. I'll speak to him. If you want someone else to help you I can ask in town." "I would have no objection to someone helping out. Joseph and me, we ain't younguns anymore. Our bones creak a bit. Whatever you think best, Mamn." Sallie nodded. "This be the room, Miss." Joseph held out the key and withdrew discreetly. Sallie waited until the old man was out of sight before she fit the key into the lock. The door swung open. She stepped into a huge, bare room with no windows. Sallie held the lamp high in order to see better. Against the wall was the largest safe she'd ever seen. It went from floor to ceiling, an iron monster. It was shiny black with a huge silver eye in the middle with a thick iron handle. It took Sallie six tries before managed to open the safe. When she heard the final click on the dial, she yanked at the handle. The heavy door refused to budge. She dug her heels into the carpeted floor and pulled backward until she thought her head was going to explode right off her neck. The door creaked open. With her back against the inside of the door, she shoved with her backside until there was enough room to look inside. For the first time in her life she grew faint. She drew in her breath and let it out with a mighty sigh. Six long shelves, maybe six feet long, were filled with small burlap sacks. Each appeared to be the same size and weight. She opened three of them. Gold. A wooden box full of papers sat square in the middle of the third shelf. Directly underneath was a second wooden box, this one with a lid. Sallie removed the lid and stared down at thick stacks of money. She fainted dead away. She came to, seconds later. Merciful God. She clamped the lid back onto the box. Sallie sat down on the floor and hugged her knees. She stared at the contents inside the safe wondering what she was meant to do with this fortune that was now hers. A long time later when the lamp started to smoke, Sallie pushed the massive door closed, twirled the knob and backed out of the room. Her footsteps were slow, sluggish, when she made her way back to her room. Her shoulders slumped as she undressed and pulled on her nightgown. She wished suddenly that she could turn time backwards. She wished she'd never gone to Alvin Waring's office, wished Cotton was still alive, wished she was back at the bingo palace singing for her customers. In just three short days her life was turned upside down. "I don't know what to do," she whimpered. Sallie continued to whisper into her pillow. "I understand, Cotton, this was a load on your shoulders and that's why you didn't want it all. It makes life different. Maybe if I get more learning it will be different. I don't think so though. Is this what you meant when you said money was the root of all evil? Will I turn evil? I don't want to be evil. I just want to be me. The Lord, He must want me to be here. He must have placed His hand on your shoulder and told you to do this. I don't know why. Maybe I'll never know. Sallie wept then like the child she was. Eventually she slept, her pillow stained with tears. Sallie shelved her worry over the next four day days that passed like a whirlwind. She rented a room in the town's only hotel while she shopped for new clothes. She purchased two new valises and packed them with gifts for her family. Bags and boxes were loaded into the Model T for Jospeh to drive back to Sunrise. She even bought a new dress for Anna and a colorful shirt for Joseph. She spent hours with Alvin Waring signing papers, making arrangements for the church to be built. She carried her building construction one step further and asked to have a town house built for herself so that she wouldn't have to go back and forth to the house on the mountain. The last order of business was instructing Alvin Waring to buy the bingo palace and remodel it.. Sunday found her at the cemetery along with Cotton's friends. The preacher said his few words, she said hers, and Alvin Waring made a small speech at the end that dealt with life and death, the Lord and anyone else whose name he could remember. The preacher blessed the marker as Sallie placed her bouquet of flowers at its base. The bingo palace, closed for renovations, was opened for the luncheon spread that Sallie paid her old landlady to prepare. It was a lively affair. Sallie sang song after song until her throat was hoarse. When it was over, she helped clear away the debris. When she closed the door, she didn't look back. In two hours time she was going to step onto the train that would take her to Texas and the family she'd left behind. The last thing she said to Alvin Waring as she prepared to step onto the train was, "I would appreciate it if you would increase Anna and Joseph's wages. I'd like it very much if you could find someone else to help out. When I get back from Texas I can take her back with me to the house. There's a young Chinese girl at the laundry house who might be interested in the job. Her name is Su Li. She has a sister and a brother. If I bring my family back here, I'm going to need lots of help. They work very hard at the laundry. Children shouldn't have to work that hard. If they're interested, tell them I'll pay them good wages and they won't have to work on Sundays." "I'll speak with them, Miss Coleman. Have a safe trip. I hope everything turns out the way you want it to. I'll also get started on the paper work needed to try and trace your brothers Seth and Josh Coleman. Call on me when you return, I'm at your service." "Thank you, Mr. Waring, for everything. I'd like it if you'd call me Sallie. You won't forget to call the Pinkertons and have them start a search for my brothers Seth and Josh. It's mighty important for me to find them so I can share my...just share." "I'll take care of it...Sallie. You take care of yourself." "I will." The child in her bubbled over. "I can't wait to see my mother. I bought her all these fine things. I hope she likes them. She will, won't she, Mr. Waring?" "Of course she will, child. I think though, more than anything, she's going to be so happy to see you, she won't be thinking of fine presents. Your love and the fact that you're going back to help will be all she wants. Mark my word." "What does that mean, Mr. Waring, mark my word?" "It means what I said is almost certain true." "Oh. Good by, Mr. Waring." She reached up on her toes to kiss the dry, withered cheek. Alvin Waring stood for a long time watching the train chuff out of sight. If he'd been younger, he would have run after the train. He sighed. He had a long list of things to do for Sallie and there was no time like the present to get started. It would be a labor of love. "I'm coming, Mama. I'm going to make everything better for you. I'm coming, Mama." Tears of happiness dripped down her cheeks. She didn't care. She was going home. newsflash / biography / bookshelf / contest my latest / complete list / my favorites / my suggestions chapter one / series list / my publisher / my blog / site map / contact Copyright ©1997-2008 by First Draft, Inc. All rights reserved.