“Nope, we got to get straight back to the ranch.”
She pouted. “Darn, we could’ve had some fun.”
Capp looked down at her unbuttoned shirt. She noticed and raised her eyebrows. Reaching in his pocket for the two coins his dad had given him, Capp said, “I bet that’s true, Ma-til-da.” She smiled warmly, then coyly bit her lip. Capp tipped his hat and walked away.
“Hope we’ll cross paths again!” she yelled after him.
Capp looked back over his shoulder and waved.
Chapter 14
The Stetson
Approaching the mess hall, Maizie climbed the steps to the backside dining hall and kitchen. There stood Thelma, helping her husband Billy wipe the tables.
“Excuse me,” Maizie said, stepping cautiously toward her. “Here are hand towels for the men’s bunkhouse. Mrs. Glidewell said I should bring them to you.” Thelma ignored Maizie for a bit and then stood straight and sighed.
“I got no time to be deliverin’ towels. Josie and Claire are busy hanging laundry. You do it.”
“I don’t know where to put ’em, and Mrs. Glidewell said I should give them to you.”
“Well, ain’t you a stubborn little thing. Mrs. Glidewell don’t know how busy I am, I guess. That’s the trouble with rich women who don’t lift a finger around a house. Just take ’em to the men’s bunkhouse. You know where, don’t you?” She eyed Maizie with an angry brow.
“I sure do. Behind the stables, near the track.”
“That’s right. Door’s always unlocked. All those cowboys and such are busy today with three mares foalin’. Just go in. The linens are stored in a large room on the left. Just put them on a shelf and be done with it. Hightail it back to your fancy ranch house,” Thelma instructed.
“I’ll go,” Maizie said.
“Good. Now don’t you go tellin’ Mrs. Glidewell what I said about her not knowin’ stuff. If she comes at me, I’ll know you told. Understand?”
“Yes,” and Maizie ran down the lane a few hundred yards and came to the men’s bunkhouse.
She opened the first door she came to, and to the left she saw the door that led into the linen closet. She was struck by its size. Two sides of the room were outfitted with shelves suitable for folded laundry, and at the end was an alcove with a sink and a few cleaning supplies, including a mop, duster, and water pail.
Maizie approached the linen shelves, when she noticed a Stetson hat on a shelf near the alcove entrance. Putting the towels in their place, she reached for the hat and recognized it immediately. It was Capp’s. The hat was brown, sweat stained, with a red hat band, but that wasn’t what assured her it was Capp’s. Inserted into the band were three bird feathers: a hawk, a turkey, and a blue jay. Holding the hat in her hand, she left the bunkhouse and headed toward the barns.
When she got near the smaller horse barn, she took a moment to look in before heading to the larger one. There were five men quietly gazing in wonder at one of the stalls, whispering.
She walked in quietly with the Stetson behind her back. Seeing Capp leaning on a post with his arms crossed and wearing a brand-new hat, she tapped him on the shoulder, feeling a shot of nerves climb her back. Capp turned toward her. “Maizie, you come to see the new foal?” he whispered. “He’s a beauty. Gonna be a champion. Look here.” Capp lifted her up so she could get a good look. Maizie felt the clutch of his warm hands through her shirt. She covered her mouth with her free hand to subdue her gasp. “He’s so beautiful. He’s standing already?”
Capp put her down. “That’s the way a healthy foal does it. What you have there?” Maizie nearly forgot why she had come.
“Oh Capp, I found your hat.”
Capp looked surprised. “I’ve been lookin’ all over. Had to use my dress-up hat for work. Don’t like doin’ that.”
“Well, I found it. Here.” Maizie handed Capp his old Stetson.
“Where’d you find it?”
“It was in the linen closet in the men’s bunkhouse.”
“What were you doing in the bunkhouse?” asked Capp.
“Deliverin’ towels for Mrs. Glidewell.”
With his head bowed, he turned the hat back and forth to make sure it was his. And sure enough, embroidered on the inside label was his name. His dad always had their Stetsons embroidered. “Son, you gonna spend money like that on a good hat, you got to be able to prove it’s yours,” Wil always said.
“Maybe you borrowed some towels from the bunkhouse for your cottage and just left it?” Maizie suggested.
“Yeh, maybe,” Capp said while slapping the old Stetson against his thigh.
Chapter 15
Maizie’s Diary
June 3, 1931
I went to the backside today. I had to talk with Thelma. She still don’t like me. She talked nasty about Mrs. Glidewell too. Doesn’t seem she likes anybody.
I found Capp’s hat in the linen closet. It’s kind of a mystery how it got there. I’ve been thinking about it. I think someone is just playing a trick on Capp. I know he loves that hat. He wears it every day. He’d never just leave it. It’s a habit, him wearing that hat.
I almost opened my mama’s bag tonight, but I got scared.
Bonne nuit, mon ami,
Maizie Sunday Freedman
Chapter 16
The Bandanas
Mary and James sat near the fireplace having a cocktail before Capp and Wil arrived for Monday’s dinner. James leaned back against the couch and sighed.
“What’s the matter, James?” asked Mary as she settled deeper into the cushion.
“Nothing. Just tired, I guess. Rest assured, that was a happy sigh.” The two sat quietly watching the fire licking at the logs.
After a few moments of contemplative silence, Mary turned suddenly, her brow furrowed, and asked, “James, do you think Maizie is colored?”
“Can’t say I’ve given that any thought.” He waited for a response as he sipped on his cocktail. When none came, he looked and noticed Mary’s head down, her index finger rubbing
