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never sent for them, and why he’d sent them money in his letters only in the first months after he’d left. Had he forgotten them altogether? She had been only ten years old when he left, but she still remembered her mother clinging to him with such fierceness that he literally took both her arms and pried her off him. Words of promises— promises that her father would return—never kept.
    A soft knocking at her bedroom door brought Juliana back to the present. Sighing, she opened the door to see Marion’s face etched in the glow of the moonlight.
    “I see you’re all ready for bed. Are you all right?”
    “I’m just getting my things ready for tomorrow.” Juliana invited her in, and the bed squeaked as they both sat on its edge. “I want to make a good impression.”
    “And you will. Otherwise he wouldn’t have hired you in the first place.”
    “Just think, Marion, I’ll have a decent wage. I’ll be able to pay for my room and board in just a few weeks, hopefully.” Juliana was excited and nervous all at the same time, and giggled. What if she wasn’t able to do the work expected of her?
    “It’s nice to hear you laugh again, friend. We’re not worried about your paying your way just yet. Besides, the hotel isn’t full, and we don’t have need of this room.”
    “I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank all of you enough. I’m glad I’m not alone in that rented cabin at the edge of town.” Juliana’s voice quivered.
    “I know this is hard for you to be without any family, but you have us, and we will see you through, with God’s help. I promise.”
    At the mention of God, Juliana frowned. Where was He when her mother became ill? Taking a deep breath and exhaling to calm herself, she admitted her fear to Marion. “What if I fail?”
    “Juliana, I believe in you. Besides, you read very well, and you’re eager to learn. That’s half the battle right there.” Marion patted her hand. “I’m going to let you get to bed now. I just wanted to wish you good luck and tell you not to worry. There’s someone who cares for you more than I.”
    Then where was He when my mama lay dying on the edge of the road? Juliana wanted to shout. Instead, she said, “That’s easy for you to say, Marion. At least you still have your father.”

    I can do it, I can do it, I can do it. Juliana’s heels beat out the cadence in her head as she marched down the busy sidewalk for her first day at the newspaper. Peering from under the brim of her bonnet, she looked this way and that before crossing the street. Men lounged against hitching posts dressed in cowboy garb, procrastinating the day’s work, but to her, the day was a new, fresh start.
    Her heart thumped in her chest with anticipation. Just think. I have a job with a newspaper! Mama would be so proud . . . Well, hold on, I haven’t even started. I might not be able to handle it. She paused in front of the general store, glancing at her reflection in the storefront glass and adjusting the ribbons of her bonnet under her chin. The new dress with its row of tiny tucks at the bodice flattered her figure, and she felt quite professional. The last bit of the money after funeral expenses had gone to purchase the dress. Once she received a wage, it would be cheaper for her to buy material and make a couple of skirts and blouses. The clothes she used to wear for doing laundry had long since faded and were threadbare.
    Thinking of her clothes made her think of Marion’s finery. What in the world did Marion see in her? Marion had many other friends in her social circle who had money and standing in the community. Juliana felt a familiar pang. In every camp she and her mother had worked in, she had seen the stares from the womenfolk who thought they were above her.
    The tinkling of a bell above the door sounded as Juliana entered the newspaper office. Mr. Spencer rose from an ink-stained work counter and removed his spectacles.
    “Good morning. My, but you are