–          « Grand Ma, Grand Ma, tell us a story »

–          « Oh yes, Grand Ma, a Christmas carol »–

« One we don’t know, a new one ».

Grand Ma glanced indulgently towards Elisa and Margaret, her two granddaughters, and towards their younger brother, Anthony. It was Christmas Eve and she knew her daughter relied on her to have the three children peacefully waiting while the parents were busy making preparations for the party.

–          « All right, children, I’m telling you a Christmas carol. A true story that happened to a friend of mine. But as we must not be indiscreet, we’ll call her Chanty so that nobody will recognize her.”

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*Even knowing she was in a hurry, Chanty made a stop in front of Maggie Reynolds’ shop. The two buckets full of water that she was carrying were heavy, however, she couldn’t help to be fascinated by this window where the hats, spun as butterflies on a ponderosa’s branch, were so smart that you wouldn’t have been surprised to see them fly away.

A shrill voice crossing the air startled her : « So, bone idle, are you, at last bringing this water ? The dish washing is waiting.”

“I’m coming, I’m coming”, she answered gently.

She turned back, anxious to hurry up. She knew old Mrs Robinson and her odd habit to use a broom only to hit her.Chanty failed to understand why some young girls, as Turley Robinson, were allowed to spend their life lounging, getting dressed up, chatting, while others had exhausting days, up at dawn and working, without a break, until full night. Having lost her parents, she had to support herself alone very early which was a big misfortune. But to make it worse, it looked as if a harmful genius, on a mysterious and bad intention, had decided to throw her in this Robinson family who tolerated for her no leisure, no pleasure, no right but to be a working machine in Bowie Gulch’s stage station.

Deeply lost in morose thoughts, she collided with a horse’s side.

–          « Hey ! » the rider shouted, « look out, Miss ! It’s a good thing Sport is a well-trained horse. You could have been kicked. »

Then, he dismounted and, without a trace of shyness, he pushed back the golden curl that covered the girl’s right eye. This one, paralyzed with her two buckets, let him do it.

« No harm, I can see. Where were you heading to, so preoccupied that you could neither see nor hear me ? »

He was dark-haired, with moving hazel eyes evoking the light clouds that are, rarely, masking the sun upon Nevada. He had a smirk on his face that could be tender unless it was ironic, she couldn’t say.

–          « I’m going across the street, to the stage station. I’ve got to bring water. I must hurry up, if not…”

–          “I’m going there too. My horse’ s on the point of loosing a shoe. Give me these buckets and take my horse’s bridle. You’re not afraid of horses ?”

She giggled : “Horses? I’m living with them. At the stage station, I’m doing all the jobs. Cleaning up the barn, rubbing horses… I hold their legs while Mr Robinson is shoeing them.  I also serve the travellers, keep the dining-room clean…”

She stopped because they had arrived and Mrs. Robinson was standing on the doorstep, hands on her hips, looking obviously mad.

–          “You bloody slut ! So now, you chase men in the street and you bring them back in my home. Just you wait, you’ll rue the day.”

She raised her hand while Chanty, finding back the age-old gesture, tried to protect herself with her elbow but the hit expected didn’t come. An iron grip had caught Mrs Robinson’s wrist and was holding it tight as in a stranglehold.

–          “Is it the local way of treating people ?” the stranger asked. “You wanted water, didn’t you ? I just helped this young maid to carry the buckets, that’s all. Any good-mannered man would do the same and there is no point in insulting your employee as you did.”

The tone of his voice, the quality of his clothes, the good general state of his horse, everything indicated a well-off man. Suddenly, Mrs Robinson realized he could become a customer and made an effort to grin.

–          « What can I do for you ? » she asked, smooth-tongued.

–          “My horse’ s on the point of loosing a shoe. I know it’s late but is it possible to put him a new one anyway ? I’m ready to pay double price because I’d like to be home to-morrow.”

Mrs Robinson looked sorry.

– “A pity my husband is out. The mayor for to-morrow’s concert has drafted him in. He plays the trumpet in the orchestra. But he’ll do it to-morrow morning. Come on in, you’ll be fine. The girl will look after your horse.”

The man looked disappointed but quickly understanding he had no other choice, he answered Mrs Robinson that he was to look after his horse himself and asked for a room for the night.

Meanwhile, Chanty had slipped away and was busy in dishwashing when the stranger reappeared in the inn’s main room. The candles were already lit. In a corner, four men were noisily playing poker ; a middle-aged woman with chubby cheeks was knitting while a very tall man, black clad and stern as a grave, was making conversation with her. “A parson” the new comer thought.

He came up to the bar and ordered a whisky. Chanty hastened to serve him. She was about to go back to her basin when the stranger held her back by the sleeve.“What’s the hurry ? I’m alone ; can’t you stay a while and have a little chat with me ?”

The girl’s cheeks blushed lightly. “What a fresh and serene face !” the man thought. “And yet, her life seems to be quite morose…”

Chanty mumbled : “I’m not allowed to talk to the customers. I know Mrs Robinson, she will not tolerate it.”

« Mrs Robinson, this is your boss’ name ? Where is she ?”

“She’s having dinner. Trust me, she’ll be back before long.”

Indeed, Mrs Robinson, just as Chanty was finishing her sentence, opened roughly the door. She quickly ran her eye over the room and then, as if a tarantula had bitten her, strode to Chanty, followed by her daughter, Turley.

« Caught you, bone idle, talking like a coquette instead of working. Just you wait and you’ll see how I can redden your cheeks.”

A male, grave and icily voice stated: “It’s not advisable”

Forgetting every kind of commercial kindness, Mrs Robinson turned back to the young man : “Mind your own business, mister. What’s it got to do with you ?”

He was leaning on his elbow, on the bar. He straightened up and, without raising his voice, answered : “It’s the second time, to-night, that I hear you insulting this maid and threatening to ill-treat her. If I hadn’t interfered, you would probably have carried out your threats. It isn’t a way to treat a human being. If you like slavery, go to Georgia or Virginia and hurry up or you’ll find the population, in these States, decimated for having resorted to it. Whatever, in Nevada, it’s not the custom and if you raise your hand to this young girl, I’ll go to the sheriff.”

Mrs Robinson burst in laughter. “The sheriff ! If he’d wanted to intervene on her behalf, he would have done it long time ago. This gal is my servant and I’ll treat her the way I feel like. Just now, she’s going to clean up my table and after, I’ll give her the thrashing she deserves.”

******************************************************************

“Naughty woman ! “Anthony cried out. “ “Wish he’ll punch her”

Grand-Ma smiled indulgently : “Oh no, Anthony, a gentleman never hits a woman !”

« But it’s very naughty, what she plans for Chanty » Margaret objected, “Really, he can’t let her do !”

“Don’t worry, he’s a very clever man. He’ll find a way.”

******************************************************************

The guy changed his tactics: “How much do you pay her ?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“ At a rough guess, no more than half a dollar a day. I offer you fifteen dollars, which means her salary for one month and she’ll have dinner with me.”

Suddenly, Mrs Robinson calmed down. The stranger seemed to handle dollars easily. It was rare to meet rich people in Bowie Gulch. It was a stopping place for modest travellers, peasants going to Sacramento in order to sell their vegetables, cowboys seeking for a job, colonists on their way to California… Well-to-do people preferred to stop in Virginia City’s opulent-looking hotels. Besides, the man had to live there, seeing that he had hoped a while to be able to get home this very night.It was an unexpected opportunity for making a pretty little amount of money…

“For fifteen dollars, I’m sure my daughter Turley will accept to keep you company. She already had dinner but she can make conversation while you eat.”

“No, thank you, I’m inviting this young lady, nobody else. And to be sure that she will not have to pay for it afterwards, I give you only eight dollars to-night, the remainder will be paid to-morrow.”

Mother and daughter had trouble hiding their pique. They were not far from refusing when the master of the house came in. He was a small man, red-haired, red faced, stocky, and didn’t look at all like a dreamer. After hearing from his wife their host’s proposal, he came close to him with the face of a man who understands what life is like.

« So, you want little Chanty ? Not a bad choice, she’s cute. However, Mister, here we don’t trade girls. Chanty is an orphan girl ; in a way, I almost adopted her and I have to watch her morals.”

Mocking, the man facing him retorted : “As it were, you adopted her ! To me, enslaved would be more suitable. But don’t worry. Your scruples about Chanty’s virtue, since she happens to be called Chanty, are honourable but I haven’t the dirty intentions you’re attributing to me. We’re having dinner here, under your watchful eye, so that you’ll be certain I don’t offence this young lady’s modesty. That’s settled, now serve us your best meal, I could eat a horse.”

« But who will serve ? » a bewildered Mrs Robinson shattered at her husband’s ear.

“Of course, your daughter, she will have to, since, to-night, the servant is at the host’s table. But don’t worry, I’ll have Mr Robin Hood cough up his dollars and you can promise Turley she’ll have a new dress, the best we can find in Bowie Gulch.”

A little frightened, both embarrassed and delighted, Chanty found herself sitting down at the table at her knight’s side.

« I’m sorry, I’ve no other dress to wear. It’s not very suitable for dinner… I hope you’re not shocked, Mr, Mr…”

He grinned and put his hand on hers : “Cartwright… Adam Cartwright. Please, don’t call me Mister but Adam and let me call you Chanty instead of Miss…”

She turned crimson : « Of course. Everybody calls me Chanty, never Miss.”

“This is a most unusual name, Chanty. Where does it come from ?”

“This was the name they used to call my father. Actually, my name is Rose. But, before, the village called me “Chanty girl” and when my father died, they reduced it to Chanty. I was very young when it happened and I never knew why he was called this name.”

“Who cares, it’s a charming name. There are hundreds of Roses, in this country, but there’s only one Chanty ; she’s blonde, she’s got clear and wet eyes, which gives her a very touching charm and she’s going to tell me why such a pretty girl is having such an austere life.”

While Chanty was telling, low voice, her sad youth’s story, a sullen Turley brought an omelette with ham. Adam demanded wine, and ordered, for the following, sausages, sweet potatoes and, as dessert, cookies with raisins. Chanty’s eyes glittered. Usually, she had to make do with a piece of bread and a tiny portion of beans.The evening passed as in a dream. Wine, that she wasn’t accustomed to, had transported her in the clouds. Piercing these clouds, a warm baritone voice was telling extraordinary things. The voice depicted a vast land covered with giant pines, the ponderosas, told about long stampede, men riding across forests and meadows with a population of fat cows, spoke of rodeos, bronco’s breaking and sleeping under the stars around a fire… A magical world, so far from the stage station where she was wasting her life.

Suddenly, Adam changed the subject of the conversation : “Christmas, to-morrow. How do you celebrate it, in Bowie Gulch ?”

« Well, the mayor plans a big concert. Mr Robinson is a member of the orchestra. All the ladies will be dressed in their loveliest attires and wear their prettiest hat. Gentlemen will have their Sunday suits and everybody will attend the concert and enjoy the music.”

“And you, what are you wearing ? Weren’t you, earlier, gaping in admiration before a hats shop ?”

Chanty ‘s face darkened : “Oh, I know that there will be no concert for me, to-morrow. I’ve got a clean skirt  that I keep for church when I’m allowed to go but I’ve no hat… and you can’t attend a concert bareheaded. That’s true”, she added “I’d seen a quite pretty hat.”

She livened up : “It was a round and flat shape, lime green, with holly leaves cut up in dark green ribbons and small red pearls to figure the berries. It was very well turned out. You had to wear it pinned on the forehead with the chignon rising up the back. There was another, black with a bouquet of flowers on the side, but I preferred the one with the holly”

He flashed a broad smile and, staring at her, said : “Well, we’ll go and buy it to-morrow. And I assume there is at least one couture house, in this village, where it’s possible to buy an assorted lime green suit.”

She became flustered : “I can’t accept…”

“Oh yes, you can. Take it easy, it’s a very selfish proposal. I don’t want to spend Christmas day riding to reach Ponderosa at midnight and I don’t want anymore to fret alone in Bowie Gulch. I’ll take you to the concert and you’ll have to put up a good show. I’m in the habit of taking out only stylish women.”

Then, he filled their glasses, raised up his to clink, seeing what, the girl did the same.“Merry Christmas, Chanty”, he whispered.“

I never had such a beautiful Christmas, Adam”, she said, voice choking with emotion.

During the night, Chanty got trouble to find sleep. Her mind was going over the evening’s events and dissecting every detail. So, Princes Charming – how could she call better the man who, in a so unexpected way, had filled her life with delight – could be met in real. He was handsome, charmer, generous, graceful and tactful, and he had cast a glance, with his splendid eyes, on the little abandoned orphan. “It’s too good to be true”, she thought, “When I awake, I’ll realize it was just a dream”.

But in the morning, he still was there, impeccably dressed in a white shirt and a black vest soberly embroidered with grey and silver arabesques. He swallowed down a hot coffee with eggs and bacon and a few toasts, paid his bill and then, taking Chanty’s arm, indicated the door out with his free hand.

“What are you doing, Chanty” Mr Robinson’s voice barked suddenly.

“She’s going out with me” Adam answered instead of her.

“Ah, that’s not our deal, Mister. You paid to have her yesterday evening, but this doesn’t apply for to-day.”

« To-day is Christmas day, she should have a day-off.”

“What ? A day-off ? Here, there’s no day-off, every day is a working day. No Sundays, no holidays. You don’t care for me having to shoe your horse to-day, do you ?”

“I don’t because you will charge me three times the normal price. But I guess that if Chanty works to-day, sure you will not treble her salary.”

“At any rate, she’ll earn nothing but a kick if she doesn’t stay here.”

“She’s coming with me and if ever you dare touch her, I’ll give you a thrashing that you’ll remember for long.”

« Oh yes ? Just try and see” Robinson said, charging Adam headlong.

*****************************************************************

“At last, there is a fight !” Anthony exclaimed, “Not too bad !”

“You’re stupid, Anthony” Elisa retorted sharply, “there hasn’t to be a fight in a Christmas carol”.

“Yes, there has if you want boys to be interested.”

“Oh boys !” carried on his sister, obviously ready to shower on her brother’s ears all what she thought about this mob.

Grand Ma didn’t let them go on : “Anyway, this is a true story, so, if there was a fight, I have to tell it and, as a matter of fact, there was one.”

******************************************************************

Adam took the blow and brought his two fists down on his assailant’s nape of the neck. Robinson fell down on the ground but fiercely sent his foot in his opponent’s knee. Adam held back a cry of pain and grasped Robinson by the neck. A gathering had formed in the inn’s main room and women were screaming. Mrs Robinson started tearing Chanty’s hair and slapping her face, which drove Adam completely mad. As regular as a clock’s hand pace, he gave Robinson a beating until this one asked for mercy. Then, getting back on his feet and leaving his antagonist with a black eye, he caught up Chanty by her wrist and, without a word, got out of the inn. He went to the barn, shoed his horse himself with the girl’s help and then, straightening up, announced to an astounded Chanty :“ If we want to buy this hat, we’d better hurry up ! ”   

****************************************************************************

Half an hour later, Chanty was looking in a mirror at a young and smart person in a lime green suit and a bottle green pleated shirt with pearl-shaped buttons, wearing a ravishing hat decorated with holly branches. At her escort’s arm, she crossed the main street, overflowing with pride. The village’s inhabitants wondered at seeing her.

**************************************************************************** 

Grand Ma hesitated as if she was looking for a name and the seemed to have found it.

“Tommy Brannam, that’s it, I will call him Tommy Brannam”…

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Tommy Brannam, his fists on his hips, planted himself in front of her : “Well, Chanty, tell me, when you’re not dressed as a slute, you’re a jolly cute gal, d’you know ? What happened, did you come into an inheritance ?”

Chanty quickly turned round to Adam, fearing him to be mistaken : “Don’t get cross, he says things his way but he wants to be kind.”

The gleam of anger that had grown in Adam’s eyes went out as fast as it had lighted up. Chanty took advantage of it to explain : “You see, even so, I’ve got a few friends here but they dare not show it for fear of the Robinson getting mad and taking revenge on me.”

No sooner had she pronounced these words than a shrew, dressed in a light blue suit, charged her yapping. It was Turley Robinson.

« Sly little minx ! Wasn’t it enough to have me humiliated yesterday evening, by forcing me to serve you as a princess ? And now, you’re strutting about with Maggie Reynolds’ best hat upon your head. Just you wait and you’ll see what I can do with that headgear of yours !”

And suiting the action to the word, she tore down the hat from Chanty’s hair and pulled out the trimming, scattering it on the hard-packed surface of the street. In less than a minute, the headgear Chanty was so proud of was lying down, upside down, naked, on the bare ground. Adam was dumbfounded. Chanty burst in tears. Her companion patted tenderly her shoulder and whispered at her ear : “Calm down. We’ll buy another one.”

“It’s impossible”, Chanty answered hiccoughing, each hat is unique and this was the only one assorted to my suit.”

Adam was a man who had been faced, in his life, to far more perilous or pathetic situations than a torn up hat. He kneeled down, picked up the hat’s base, collected the ornaments, pieces of ribbon and red pearls all around and proceeded to reconstitute the piece master. When she saw him frowning and setting his lips, Chanty, in the middle of her sobs, burst in laughter. He raised his head, with interrogative eyebrows : “Well, you, as you might say, I could call you a rainbow. Rain and sun at the same time. What’s the reason of so much laughing ?”

« I laugh because you look so much like an industrious schoolboy while trying to fix this hat. Come here, there is a bench.”

She dragged him under Main Saloon’s canopy, sat down gracefully and took out a little sewing kit from her pocket.

“Now, you’ll give me the ribbons and the pearls as soon as I’ll ask for it.”

Fascinated, Adam watched the nimble fingers fluttering. In less than a quarter of an hour, the hat had recovered its previous splendour and, with a few details, Chanty had given it an additional style. She had changed the place of the holly branches, pleated one brim, bent a ribbon into a curve and her headgear could compete, in Adam’s opinion, with the New Orleans sophisticated women’s hats.Bowing before her with a rounded arm, he asked : “May I have the pleasure to take you to the concert ?”

But darkening again, she remained stubbornly seated.

“What’s the matter ?”He sat down next to her and threw his arm around her shoulders. At this tender touch, she lost her composure and, leaning on his chest, she gently cried.

“Come on, come on, little girl”, he repeated. “Tell me. Why so much sorrow ?”

“Oh Adam, don’t you understand ? What am I to become, now ? It’s impossible for me to come back to the Robinson. Didn’t you hear Turley ? She was humiliated, her father bit the dust, and her mother was rebuffed. I can’t go back to them. My God, my God, what am I to do ?”

Adam thought quickly. What she was saying made sense. Anyway, he could not leave such an adorable creature in this miserable village, handed over to a mean and cruel family. In a flash, he remembered the clever little hands, the precise gestures around the hat, the tasteful making up that had given so much style to the headgear Chanty was sporting. Obviously, this little one was born to flute headdresses, arrange wide-brimmed hats, tie wide knots around women’s pretty little faces. Virginia City’s milliner would certainly not refuse to recruit an apprentice. He would just have to be careful so as not to offend her sensibility.

He explained his idea to Chanty. She looked at him gawping.

“Let’s go immediately”, he said. “If we’re lucky, we can be at the Ponderosa in time for supper. And if we’re luckier, there will be some of the turkey left, in spite of my brother Hoss’ appetite.”

He lifted her as easy as if she was a feather, laid her down on the saddle and mounted in front.

“Come on, little girl, hold your arms tight around my waist, we’re on our way.”

And while the orchestra started the first notes of “O Tannenbaum”, the horse carried away Chanty, tied to her Prince Charming, heading to a golden future where she would be allowed to laugh, sing and love.

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Grand Ma stopped talking, with a faraway look in her eyes, as if she was looking at the riding couple disappearing below the horizon.

“So what, Grand Ma ?”, Elisa asked, “Did she marry him ?”

Grand Ma gave a start, suddenly reminded of reality and present time.

“No, darling. He wasn’t in love with her, he had felt pity for her and wanted to protect her. But this is not enough to propose marriage to somebody.”

“So”, a worried Margaret asked,  “what happened to her ?”

« She became a milliner »

“Just as yourself ?”

“Just as myself, yes. I told you she was a friend of mine. And then, one day, this boy, you know, Tommy Brannam ”

“ The one who pretended to be her friend but didn’t want to fight for her ?” Anthony asked, disdainfully.

“Yes, Anthony, but you must not despise him. He could have punched Mr Robinson but what would happen afterwards ? The Robinson family would have taken revenge on Chanty. Tommy was a barber. He was just waiting for having saved enough money to settle and marry. When he thought he had saved enough, he came to Virginia City and asked Chanty if she would marry him. She said yes. After the wedding, they moved to another town and opened a shop. He was a barber and she was a milliner.”

“Oh, that’s funny ! Just the same as Grand Pa and you.”

“Yes, that’s funny, isn’t it ?”

“And she never regretted her Prince Charming, did she ?”

“Yes she did, but she knew he wasn’t for her. So, she made a place for him in her heart, a little place for him and she kept it warm. And every Christmas, she remembers him and lightens in the Christmas tree a candle called from his name. 

                                          THE END