Off To See The Wild West Show Part 1, Chapter 12 (3/7) By Frank Beill 1886: Hull, Yorkshire

(1/7), (2/7), (3/7), (4/7), (5/7), (6/7), (7/7). Part 1 Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. Part 2 Prologue, Chapter 1, 2, 3.

In a matter of minutes my world had turned upside down. The colour of my skin had always singled me out as different but here it made me the same. Now I felt part of instead of different from. I was accepted. Yellow Flower returned with a bundle of clothes, which she held out to me. She was trying to tell me things. I took the clothes from her but shook my head to signify my lack of understanding. 'Mother wants you to get changed quickly.' 'Where?' I looked around but there was no obvious place to hide myself and get changed. 'You are thinking like a white man!'

Her expression made it clear I was going to be a constant source of both bemusement and amusement. She grabbed my free hand and dragged me in the direction of the tethered ponies. 'Go there.' She pointed to the animals. 'The ponies will not care what you look like without your trousers.' I felt sillier than if I were getting changed in the middle of the crowd. It would have been more comfortable changing my clothes among the people. The animals paid me no heed pushing and shoving me with their rear ends. I pirouetted from one foot to the other trying to remove my pants and replace them with buckskin leggings. Re-emerging from the herd I couldn't help but notice my new garb's smell. It wasn't too dissimilar from that of the animals I'd just been with. I soon learned that doing laundry wasn't the strong suit of my new people. The carbolic smell of the orphanage was far behind me. 'You look like one of us now!' It would be some time before I would look into a mirror and be able to verify Laughing Waters' statement. 'But you need to let your hair grow longer.'

She pulled free the red ribbon tying her hair's ponytail. Her long black hair fell and uncoiled itself into a continuous dark wave. She tied the ribbon around my head attempting to disguise my offending lack of hair. She gave a smile that said 'That will do!' My 'white man's' clothes were grabbed from me. I didn't object. They weren't mine anyway. They disappeared into the crowd to be dispersed among the children. I saw some items again from time to time but being worn by someone else.

Before having the time to wonder about what was going to happen next the general hubbub of the camp was interrupted by the sound of a band striking up a tune. 'The show will start soon.' My sister nodded vigorously. 'Can I see it?' My begging made her appear perplexed. 'See it? We are in the show!' The words nearly knocked me over. 'There's people in the audience who know me.' My stomach knotted and terror grabbed me. Would Jolly Rodgers leap out from the crowd and haul me back? 'They only know Sammy Smyle ... the orphan. You are now Lakota Sioux. That is all they will see!' she said confidently. I wasn't so sure. Jolly Rodgers had all-seeing eyes.

Continued... Next Page (4/5)

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