Brave Beginnings (16 page)

“We live in earth lodges,” Chogan corrected
him.

“But some of you do take more than one wife,
do you not?” Ernest pointedly asked.

Chogan couldn’t argue that, for it had been
something his people had done. “I will only have one wife.”

“Good for you.” Ernest clapped his hands. “It
looks like civilization has done you some good.”

“The definition of civilization depends on
how one views it,” Chogan replied. “Where I come from, a man who
cannot graciously let the woman make her choice is a boy who throws
a tantrum.”

Ernest’s face grew red and he scowled. “You
better watch yourself. You start talking like that to the wrong
person and you’re likely to face some unpleasant consequences for
it.”

“Your civilization has made things unpleasant
since you came to our land. You steal and lie.”

“We do no such thing!”

“We had land. We shared land with you. It
wasn’t enough. You wanted more. You make treaties and break them.
We trust you. You betray us.”

“And the only good redskin is a dead one,”
Ernest spat.

Chogan took another step forward and glared
at him.

His face went white as he backed up against
the wall of the bank.

It took all of Chogan’s strength to hold
himself back. He couldn’t slam Ernest up against the wall, no
matter how much he wanted to. The only thing that stopped him was
knowing word would get back to Julia, and Chogan didn’t want her to
be disappointed in him.

After a tense moment, Ernest adjusted his tie
and cleared his throat. “Why don’t you do us all a favor and go
back to your tribe?”

“Yeah. Stop stealing jobs from those of us
who belong here,” Noah said.

“The same goes for our women. Stick with your
own kind because you’re not welcome here,” Ernest said.

“And you aren’t welcome on our land,” Chogan
growled at both of them.

Ernest edged toward the entrance of the bank,
and once he was safely out of Chogan’s reach, he said, “It’s not
yours anymore. In case you haven’t heard, this is the United States
of America.”

Chogan clenched his hands, more upset by the
way Ernest chuckled than by his words.
Don’t punch him. That’s
exactly what he wants.
Chogan remained still while Ernest went
into the building and Noah scampered off. The few people who had
stopped to watch suddenly lost interest and continued going to
wherever it was they intended to go to before they felt the need to
stick their noses in where it didn’t belong.

As one couple passed, the man told the woman
in a low voice, “I want you to stay clear of that man. He looks
dangerous.”

“I know English and I hear well,” Chogan
snapped.

The man jerked, obviously not realizing his
voice had carried through the space between them. He promptly took
the woman’s arm and quickly led her away from them.

Another man looked hesitant but quickly
passed him by.

Chogan knew what they were thinking. He knew
what they were all thinking, and even though they’d heard Ernest
and Noah, they didn’t fault them. They faulted Chogan. He saw the
accusation in their eyes and knew all he’d done over the past few
months to establish a good reputation in this town was for nothing.
When they looked at him, they saw the color of his skin. They
didn’t really see him. And chances were, they never would.

***

“Mr. Wilcox, Ernest Freeman is here to see
you.”

Mr. Wilcox glanced up at the young man and
nodded. “Bring him in.”

The young man gave Ernest permission to enter
the editor in chief’s office at the Bismarck Tribune.

Ernest obeyed and shook Mr. Wilcox’s hand.
“Thank you for taking the time to see me on short notice.”

“Oh, I always have time for you, Ernest. Sit
and tell me what’s on your mind.”

Ernest sat in the chair and leaned back. He
thought over the speech he’d rehearsed, knowing he had to word
things just right if he hoped to achieve the desired result. “I’m
concerned about a certain employee on your staff. You see, while I
was on my way back from lunch today, that Indian you hired
threatened me.”

Mr. Wilcox’s eyebrows furrowed. “Chogan? The
Mandan who delivers papers?”

“And occasionally runs the printing press,
from what I hear.”

“That’s right. You said he threatened
you?”

“He did.” Ernest shifted in the chair and
crossed his legs. “I ran into Noah Beaterman and stopped to discuss
this paper. It was passing conversation, mind you. However, Chogan
bumped into us. We apologized, but he said we got in his way on
purpose. He was ready to shove me up against the wall when Noah
intervened. Now, far be it from me to dictate who you keep on the
Tribune staff, but there were witnesses to the event and quite
frankly, several people are frightened of what might happen should
they have a run-in with the Indian.”

Mr. Wilcox shook his head as he picked up his
cigar to light it. “That doesn’t sound like Chogan.”

“How well do you know him?”

“I don’t. It’s just that I’ve heard nothing
but good things from those who supervise him.”

Ernest gritted his teeth but forced a smile.
“I’m sure that he is on his best behavior at work.” He picked up an
imaginary piece of lint from his trousers before he shot Mr. Wilcox
a meaningful look. “I do not feel comfortable supporting a business
that allows its employees to threaten the good people of Bismarck.
I think my bank has had a good relationship with the Tribune up to
now. I’d hate to see that come to naught.”

Mr. Wilcox blanched.

Ernest relaxed. Good. He was getting the
message. Ernest waited for a moment before he added, “I should get
back to work. I hope you have a good day.” He stood up and tipped
his hat. On his way to the door, he turned around and asked,
“Wasn’t it your grandfather who was scalped by an Indian?”

He looked at Ernest and took a deep breath.
“Yes. It was a Sioux.”

“Sioux, Mandan, Hidatsa. Is there really any
difference?”

Mr. Wilcox swallowed. Then he broke eye
contact and stared at the paper in front of him.

“I think not,” Ernest replied and stepped out
of the office.

***

Mr. Wilcox waited until the next morning
before Chogan came into work to call Mike and Larry into his
office. The two men sat across from him and patiently waited for
him to speak.

Mr. Wilcox released a heavy sigh. This wasn’t
going to be easy, no matter how he worded it. After he cleared his
throat, he asked, “Has the Indian done anything…wrong…at work?”

Mike glanced at Larry who shrugged. Directing
his attention back to Mr. Wilcox, he said, “No.”

“Can’t think of a single thing he’s done
that’s been out of line,” Larry added with a frown.

“Nothing?” Mr. Wilcox asked. “Nothing at all?
He hasn’t been late or failed to follow instructions or been
belligerent?”

“No. He’s done none of those things,” Larry
said. “He’s a hard worker. That’s why I put him in charge of the
printing press while Mike was gone.”

“And how did that go?” Mr. Wilcox hoped to
find something—anything—that he could use.

“Good. He did a fine job.” Larry shook his
head. “What is this about?”

Mr. Wilcox tapped the arm of his chair.
“Ernest Freeman stopped by yesterday and claimed that Chogan
attacked him.”

Larry laughed. “That’s absurd. Chogan’s not
the type.”

“Are you sure?” Mr. Wilcox asked, hating
this. He suspected that Ernest wasn’t telling him the truth, and
without any rational reason, how was he supposed to fire the
Indian?

“Sir, Chogan is one of the best workers we’ve
ever had. He shows up early, never complains, cleans up after
himself, and even does things before we have to ask. I can’t
imagine that he would threaten anyone.”

“Me neither,” Mike added. “He hasn’t even
raised his voice.”

“Is it possible,” Larry began, “that Ernest
might have misunderstood the situation?”

Or lied to serve a personal agenda?
Mr. Wilcox had no idea what that agenda might be, but one thing was
clear, Ernest fully intended to make life difficult for him if he
didn’t find a reason to fire Chogan. One didn’t upset Ernest
without serious repercussions. Mr. Wilcox rubbed his forehead. He
only had one card left, and whether he liked it or not, he had to
play it. “I think it’s time to hire someone new to take Chogan’s
place.”

“Why? Because Ernest claimed Chogan attacked
him?” Larry snapped.

“Ernest said Noah was there. Maybe it really
did happen. Noah can give us some insight.”

“Noah’s not exactly the most trustworthy
source.”

Mr. Wilcox banged his fist on the desk. “I
don’t care! My hands are tied, and if we want to keep our jobs,
then I suggest you find someone to take Chogan’s place.”

“Ernest is just one man,” Larry argued.
“He—”

“Carries a lot more weight in this town than
you give him credit for!” Mr. Wilcox took a deep breath so he’d
stop yelling. “Look, I don’t like this anymore than you do,
alright? But our backs are up against the wall.”

“We’ll tell people that Ernest is lying,”
Mike said.

“And who’s going to believe the word of an
Indian over that of a white man?” As soon as Larry and Mike winced,
Mr. Wilcox knew the discussion was over. People were too quick to
judge, and Ernest had too much influence. “Slip Chogan some money
to help him through until he can find employment elsewhere.” That,
at least, would ease his conscience. Mr. Wilcox’s hands shook as he
wrote out a check. “Cash this. Don’t tell anyone what the money is
for. It’ll be between us.”

“This is wrong, sir,” Larry said.

“Just do it!” Mr. Wilcox thrust the check in
the man’s direction. “Do it before I have to fire you too.”

“I will not.” Larry stood. “Fire me if you
must, but I won’t condemn an innocent man.”

A tense moment of silence passed before Mike
held out his hand. “I’ll take care of it.”

Larry grunted and stormed out of the
office.

Relieved that he didn’t have to be the one
who did it, Mr. Wilcox handed Mike the check. “Do it quickly.”

Mike eased out of the chair and stared at the
check. “Sir, you’re not really going to fire Larry, are you?”

Mr. Wilcox shook his head. How could he fire
Larry for doing something he should have had the guts to do when
Ernest was standing right in front of him?

Mike quietly left the office, and Mr. Wilcox
fought the urge to bang his fist on the desk. God help him. He
wished he had the same courage Larry did. But he didn’t. He reached
for the flask he kept in his desk drawer and took a big swallow of
whiskey. His hands were still shaking as he twisted the cap back on
the flask and set it back in the drawer. By the end of the day, the
whole thing would be taken care of, and the sooner it was over, the
better.

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

Chogan stared at the money in Mike’s hand and
resisted the urge to rip it up. He made eye contact and said, “You
fire me because of Ernest.”

“He says you attacked him,” Mike softly
replied.

“You believe him?”

“No. That’s why we’re giving you enough money
to help you get by until you find another job.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Chogan stiffly
replied. He turned his gaze to the printing press. “I do good work.
I got paper done on time.” He realized he was reverting back to his
earlier speaking of the English language, but it was all he could
do to not speak Mandan in his sudden burst of anger. Now that his
shock was wearing off, the blood was rushing to his face and his
body was ready for a fight. “Ernest not work here. He not own
paper.”

“He found witnesses,” Mike said, breaking eye
contact.

“Witnesses? What witnesses?” Chogan nearly
yelled.

“N-Noah, for one.” He cleared his throat and
motioned to Noah who passed by the doorway.

At the mention of his name, Noah glanced at
them and scurried off down the hall.

“He lie all time,” Chogan said. “His word
mean nothing.” He told himself to calm down so he could speak
better, but he couldn’t get a good enough grip on his emotions to
do it. “Ernest want marry Julia. Julia say no. She marry me. Ernest
mad.”

Mike let out a long sigh and looked at
Chogan. “I checked on some other witnesses, and there was a man who
was walking with his wife at the time this happened. He said you
made it a point to threaten them as well.”

Chogan struggled to remember what man and
woman Mike meant, and after a few seconds, he recalled the man who
told the woman that Chogan looked dangerous. “All I say is I know
English language and hear good. I not threaten.”

“He claims you looked like you were ready to
strike his wife.”

Chogan’s heart pounded harder in his chest.
“I not strike. I talk.”

“The man is the governor’s brother-in-law.
The governor is friends with Ernest.” Mike held the money out. “I’m
sorry, Chogan. I believe you. Larry and Mr. Wilcox believe you.
But…well…things being as they are…” He shrugged and gave Chogan a
pleading look. “Maybe if people weren’t afraid of your kind—”

“My kind?” Chogan yelled, his fists clenched.
“I be human. Like you. Skin darker. Mean nothing.” And then he
spoke in Mandan just because he couldn’t suppress the urge to any
longer. “I want to live in peace here. I did everything I could to
obey your rules, your way of life. And all for what? What has any
of this come to? It comes down to the color of my skin and my
heritage? I’m just as human as you!” Then he slapped the money out
of Mike’s hand. “You can give the devil his money back because I’ll
have no part of it!”

Chogan barely registered the regret and
sorrow in Mike’s eyes as he spun on his heel and rushed to grab his
coat. He threw it on in haste and missed one of his buttons as he
struggled to button it. Then he snatched his hat and stormed toward
the exit.