H
OPE MCKEEN WAS BORN with two strikes against her. She was taller than most men, and she showed her Indian blood. She thought back to a social she once attended in her hometown of Elgin, Illinois. A nice -looking man finally seemed to look past her beige skin and politely asked her to dance. As soon as she stood up and towered above him, he walked away. She had six more years until she was out of her twenties, but people already called her a spinster. That’s why she was sitting by her dozing mother on a noisy train to Saint Louis instead of sitting by a warm fire with her own husband and children. Her mother’s bright blue eyes popped open, and she sat up straight. “How long have I been sleepin’? “ “About an hour or so. Saint Louis is still a way off.” “It can’t get there fast enough. What time will we get there?” “We are supposed to arrive around three o’clock this afternoon.” Hannah McKeen rummaged through a satchel at her feet and brought out a small, soft, blue blanket. “I can’t wait to take a long, hot soak in a real bathtub to-
night! But right now, I still have enough time to make some progress on the baby’s present.” Hope returned to Jane Eyre. “And I have enough time to finish a few more chapters.” Hannah clicked a disapproving tongue. “You should be puttin your time to better use.” Hope turned another page. “I’m no good at things like knitting, so I spend my time reading about people with interesting lives.” A few minutes later the book flew out of her hand as the train came to a shuddering stop. “Oh, my lord! What’s happening?’ Hope patted her mother’s hand. “Don’t worry. Probably stopping for a cow on the track.” She looked up to see a sweating conductor standing in the middle of their car. “Folks, you need to keep calm and quiet. We are fixin’ to be robbed, and all you can do is keep your mouths shut and give them what they ask for.” Amidst the gasps of alarm, a rough-looking old mountain man, who was sitting across from them, calmly brought out a battered rifle. “How many men? This could even up the odds considerable.”
