Brave Beginnings (11 page)

“I keep looking.”

“Do you want to go back to Anthony’s store
and see if he knows anyone else who’s hiring?”

“Yes. This time I get more places to go.”

“That’s a good idea. Bismarck is growing, and
that means more jobs. Something’s bound to come up. I’m sure you
can do better than Jed Wilson.”

Whether or not she was right was left to be
seen, but she believed it and that made all the difference.

~~********~~

Within the week, Chogan dropped off the last
Bismarck Tribune newspaper at a house before he headed back for
East Front Avenue where people were arriving to work for the day.
He turned the collar of his coat up and braced himself for the
biting chill. The route was simple, but the two hours outside
delivering the papers in the dark made his body go numb by the time
he was done.

He pulled his wagon into the side entrance
and sat by the potbelly stove so he could get some feeling back
into his fingers and toes. He’d been doing the same routine for two
days now and had a good feel for it. It wasn’t as good as hunting,
but it did get him out into the fresh air and the pay was decent,
from what Julia had said when he told her what his wages would be.
Anthony assured him that the man in charge of circulation was a
fair and honest person who would treat him right. So far Chogan had
no complaints.

Noah came into the large room and sat beside
him. “How are you handling your route?”

Chogan glanced at the bearded thin man and
shrugged. “It is job.”

Noah laughed. “That it is. It probably
doesn’t bother you to be out in the cold. I mean, your kind lives
in teepees.”

Chogan hid his apprehension at the joking
tone in the younger man’s voice. He estimated that Noah was
eighteen or so, but he should have known more about the Indians he
lived near. “Mandan use teepee on buffalo hunt or to seek a
vision,” he slowly explained, careful to weigh each word so he
could better form sentences in English. “We live in lodges made of
the earth.”

“Oh, really? I thought all you people lived
in teepees.”

“No.”

“Hmm...” Noah shrugged and laughed. “Learn
something new every day, right?”

Unsure of how to respond, Chogan simply
nodded and turned his attention to the potbelly stove. So far, his
tasks remained simple. Deliver papers on his route, bring food to
the other staff, and run miscellaneous errands. It wasn’t a place
Chogan wanted to stay at forever, but he figured as he gained
knowledge, he might go on to advance. He had no desire to be a
journalist, but running the printing press might be something he
could enjoy. For now, he’d bide his time and do his best. One did
not become an expert hunter right away. It took time.

Their supervisor came up to them, so they
looked up.

“Noah, take the mail down to the post office.
Chogan, get some coffee,” the lean, middle-aged man said. “Time to
get the day started.”

Chogan stood to his feet, reluctant to leave
the warmth of the building but determined to prove Larry
Bleier
didn’t make a mistake when he hired
him. He had no idea how difficult it would be to find employment
when Anthony Perkins took him around town. Chogan suspected that if
Anthony hadn’t been with him,
Larry
wouldn’t have agreed to give him a chance.

Chogan didn’t like or dislike Larry. The man
wasn’t condescending in his instructions, but there was that note
of authority in his voice that left no room for argument. In some
ways, Chogan respected that about his supervisor. Perhaps the man
was fair. If that was the case, then he might not judge too much on
skin color.

Noah rubbed his hands together as he got to
his feet. “Another day begins.” He smiled and whistled as he headed
for the mail room.

Chogan went about his task and then headed
out for breakfast items the other employees wanted. Even if the
setup was different, it did occur to him that he was out gathering
food as he’d done at the tribe. Only, instead of going out into the
great expanse of the prairie, he made a trip to the bakery.

Once he came out of the bakery with a box of
donuts, he headed down the street back to the Tribune when he
recognized Ernest who laughed at something his male companion said.
The only reason Chogan knew it was Ernest was because he’d seen him
with Julia that day in her house, not too long ago. Julia hadn’t
told him much about Ernest, except that Ernest had once proposed to
her but she hadn’t loved him enough to say yes.

When their paths crossed, Ernest paused from
the conversation he was having with the other man and asked, “Have
I seen you before?”

Chogan was surprised he recognized him at all
without his traditional clothing and long hair. “We meet.
Briefly.”

Ernest studied him, as if trying to place
exactly where and when this took place, and Chogan wasn’t eager to
remind him so he kept quiet. Finally, Ernest shrugged and said,
“All you people look alike to me, though if I’d seen you dressed as
you are now, I would’ve remembered. You’re somewhat out of place,
aren’t you?”

“No more out of place than any other Indian,”
he replied, resisting the urge to look down at Ernest who was three
inches shorter than him. He didn’t care much for the smirk on
Ernest’s face. It reminded him too much of that day when he staked
his claim with Julia. Reminding himself that he won her in the end,
Chogan relented on his annoyance. “I return to work.”

“And where would that be?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Mild curiosity.” Ernest glanced at his
friend and smiled a message that only his friend would understand
before he turned back to Chogan. “A pleasantry. That’s all.”

“Oh. Then I ask where you work.”

The friend laughed. “Quick-witted. I like
it.”

Ernest gave a slight scowl but hid it with
another smile. “Fine. I’m the vice president of a bank. Now, what
do you do?”

“I deliver papers,” Chogan replied.

“Ahh, I see.” He nodded to the box of donuts.
“I also see your job extends beyond delivering newspapers.”

By the way Ernest said it, Chogan knew the
man was putting him down.

Ernest’s friend leaned close to Ernest and
softly said, “To be fair, who else would hire him?”

Had Chogan not been able to read his lips, he
wouldn’t have known what the man said, and he suspected no ill will
from Ernest’s companion, so he turned his attention back to Ernest
who looked amused.

“Well then,” Ernest began and motioned to the
box, “I’m sure you’ll do a fine job. You should probably hurry
along. You shouldn’t let a good donut go to waste.” He tipped his
hat in a way that indicted a mock politeness and continued on down
the sidewalk with his friend.

Chogan gritted his teeth and went down the
other way on the sidewalk. Whatever was Julia thinking when she let
Ernest court her? The poor woman probably had no other prospects in
the small town she’d been in. Even then, she had the good sense to
say no when he asked her to go to Fargo with him.

Deciding it didn’t matter since the past was
the past, Chogan turned back to his task and delivered the donuts.
After that, he did some light cleaning and retrieving items that
others needed. It reminded him of when he was a youth who was on
his first buffalo hunt. He’d been a scout, searching for buffalo
roaming the fields. He’d also brought water or anything else the
more experienced hunters needed. He worked his way up to being the
leader of one of the hunts, but it’d taken years and
perseverance.

Patience. Hard work. No matter what the task
or his heritage, he was sure the same things would work in
Bismarck. He would not stay at the bottom forever. One day, a young
new worker would be bringing him coffee and donuts. He’d prove he
could do just as well as, if not better, than the white men who
worked at the Bismarck Tribune.

***

Julia poured tea into Millicent’s cup and sat
across from her. “It’s nice of you to stop by.” She added a little
more sugar to her own cup of tea and stirred it. Letting the spoon
linger in the cup, she glanced at her cousin. “Has anything new
happened?”

Millicent took a sip and settled her cup back
on the saucer in her hand. “Not for me, though I dare say you’ve
had quite the adventure...of sorts. You’re married?”

Julia blushed. “A little over a week
now.”

“Why didn’t you come over and tell me? Or why
wasn’t there a church wedding? Such a thing would have been most
delightful to attend. I do so love church weddings. The gowns, the
suits, the flowers, the music... They’re all so pretty.”

“To be honest, I didn’t want to wait.” With a
shrug, she stirred her tea again. “Besides, I don’t care for large
gatherings.”

“Oh, not all weddings have to be large. Some
are small. In fact, a private affair can be most quaint.”

“Then I suppose you could consider my wedding
a quaint one.”

Millicent sighed. “It must have been
beautiful. I do so wish I’d been there to see it. And a good match
too. Why, Ernest will make a fine husband.”

“Ernest?” Julia frowned and gave her cousin a
good look. “I didn’t marry Ernest.”

Her eyes grew wide. “Didn’t you? He was here
that day when I came to see Aunt Erin.”

“Yes. That was quite awhile ago.”

“I thought he’d been courting you. You did
mention him when we last talked if I recall.”

Julia finally set her spoon on the tray which
was on the table between them so she could sip her sweet tea. It
was still a little hot but not to the point where it’d burn her
tongue. She took in Millicent’s curious expression before she
explained, “Yes. I did mention him. He and I knew each other from
when we lived in Sykeston. Then he left for Fargo, and I didn’t see
him again until Aunt Erin and I moved here.”

“Yes. I remember you saying that. But why
didn’t you marry him? It was obvious that he entertained feelings
of a romantic nature toward you.”

“I don’t know. He’s nice enough. I’d always
been fond of him to a point.” She picked up the spoon and stirred
the tea again, realizing her nervous habit for what it was. What
was it, exactly, that made her uneasy around Millicent? Was it the
woman’s proper mannerisms? She doubted she met up to Millicent’s
standards of propriety, whatever those standards were. Clearing her
throat, Julia shrugged. “I didn’t want to marry Ernest. I didn’t
love him.”

“Oh,” Millicent replied, using the word Julia
was starting to hate since Millicent said it as much as she did. “I
see your point, of course. Love is certainly a most notable benefit
if you are to marry, but what of his credentials? He’s most
prominent, is he not?”

“I don’t care about things like that.”

She could tell by Millicent’s startled
expression that it wasn’t the answer Millicent expected to hear.
But so what? The truth was she didn’t. Ernest could have all the
prominence in the world, and he’d never make her heart leap for joy
the way Chogan did. She couldn’t imagine responding to Ernest with
the same passion in bed that she responded to Chogan with. Now that
she understood the personal matters between a husband and wife, she
couldn’t imagine that being with Ernest would be fulfilling. If he
couldn’t stir her passion with a kiss, then he couldn’t do it in
bed. All Chogan had to do was look at her and she felt sparks
ignite.

Millicent hesitantly smiled and took another
sip of her tea.

Julia followed suit, wishing the tea was
cooler so she could gulp it down. The sooner they were done with
the tea, the sooner this visit would be at an end. She mentally
chided herself for wishing her cousin would leave. What was wrong
with her? Maybe if her aunt was there, then it wouldn’t be so
awkward. Julia was never good at entertaining guests, especially
ones with which she felt inferior to. Julia couldn’t be sure, but
she suspected that Millicent saw herself as more of a lady, more
refined. And Millicent would be right. The only thing that bonded
them together was the fact that they were related. Otherwise, they
had nothing in common.

Millicent set her cup back on the saucer, and
though she was delicate about it, the sound echoed through the
room. “So, may I ask who the lucky man is?”

Julia put her cup on the table. “Sure. His
name is Chogan.”

Her cousin frowned as her eyebrows furrowed.
“Chogan? You mean the Injun that was here when I saw Ernest?”

“No. I mean the Mandan Indian. He came here
with my brother who happens to live with the Mandan tribe and has a
Mandan wife and a daughter by her.”

Millicent’s eyes widened. “I certainly meant
no disrespect.”

“I’m aware of the term Injun and what it
represents. I’m surprised a woman as refined as you would stoop to
such language.”

“Stoop?” Millicent pressed a hand to her
heart. “Oh, I did not intend harm. That is what they are
called.”

“Perhaps if you had said the word more
pleasantly, I would have understood you better.”

“Oh dear. I do not know what I did that was
wrong, but apparently, I have displeased you.”

Julia watched as Millicent placed her saucer
and cup on the table and adjusted the broach at her neck. She tried
to determine the level of Millicent’s sincerity.

Her cousin glanced at her, the caution
evident in her eyes. “So you married the Indian. His name is
Chogan?”

“Yes,” she slowly said, still judging the
woman’s actions. “He’s a good man, much better than Ernest.”

“Really? How so?”

Millicent’s expression was one of curiosity,
not condemnation or disgust, so Julia proceeded with the
conversation. “Well, he’s more interesting to talk to, for one. He
taught me to use a bow and arrow.”