Page 21 of Return to Telegraph Creek

“I suppose.”

“Oscar is smarter and more sensible about a lot of things than most folks twice his age.He understands the world and his place in it.He knows it’s not a fair place, and he’s not afraid to do things outside of what might be expected of him.”

I nodded.“He ain’t had much of a life up to now.”

“Mm-hmm,” Miss June said.“I have a funny feeling neither have you, Jimmy Downing.”

Chapter Seven

An Honest Conversation

“No, ma’am, I haven’t.Oscar is the best thing ever happened to me.”

She nodded.“You’re lucky to have his love, Jimmy.And he’s lucky to have yours.How are things in Port Essington?Did you find Oscar’s uncle?”

She was trying to distract me from the pain of the procedure.I knew that, but any help was much appreciated.

“In a manner of speaking.We found out he’d passed away.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.Did Oscar take it hard?”

“Yeah, he did—only because he’d been so focused on finding him.He didn’t know him at all.”

“I see.”

“But it turned out all right, because the gentleman that was friends with Oscar’s uncle, he told us we could take the run-down land and homestead that belonged to him.”

Miss June made a happy noise.“You don’t say!Well, I’ll be damned.Isn’t that a lucky thing?”

I hissed as she poked me again.

“Sorry.I’m almost done.”

“Well, it wasn’t much of a place when we first saw it.But we’d made friends in town, and they helped us get the kitchen built up enough that we could stay warm in that room all winter.We used the money I told you about to get a nice new stove to heat it and the materials to build up that room and the stables before the snow came.And that’s where we wintered, all squished together in the kitchen with a bed in it.”I shook my head.

“Did you mind being in such close quarters with Oscar?”Miss June asked with a coy look.

“No, ma’am.We had a good time.”

She nodded.

“I’m teachin’ Oscar to read and write.”

Her gaze flashed to mine.“That’s wonderful!He’s smart enough.”

I returned her smile.“That he is.He can read simple sentences now, and he’s starting to write them.”

“Good for Oscar.And good for you for teaching him.”She used her scissors to cut the suture and sat back.“I’m done now.Let me tie this off and we’ll let it air out a bit.It’s bleeding, but that’s normal after stitches go in.”

Miss June finished her work and washed her hands, then came around to sit on the side of the bed I was facing.She tucked her skirts under her knee and sat there smiling at me while a wave of gratitude surged through me.

“Miss June, I want to tell you something else—something amazing.”

“Of course!”

“Well, I’m not supposed to share this secret, but I reckon you’ll never be anywhere near to Port Essington, and I know you wouldn’t tell anyone there about it, so I reckon Clarence wouldn’t mind.”

“You mentioned a Clarence.Is he a friend of yours?”