Chapter 10

Daniel slowly opened the cabin door. "Becky? Israel?"

"Pa!" A small white-blond haired boy shot through the door and into his father's arms. "Pa, did you bring a turkey? Ma said that-" Israel's eyes looked at Mingo, then to the strange form behind him. The person was still partly in the shadows.

"Mingo look out! Someone's behind you!"

Mingo chuckled then turned to the strange person behind him. "It's quite all right Israel. This is-"

"Dan-yel Boone!" Becky Boone walked through the doorway and stood before her husband. "When I asked for a turkey I didn't ask to be worried half to death waiting for it!" She looked to the tall Cherokee beside her husband. "And you." Mingo braced himself for the tongue-lashing that would surely follow Daniel's. "I should have known better than to let you go with-" Her eyes fell upon a strange figure in the shadows. Instinctively she grabbed Dan's arm.

Dan cleared his throat. "Rebecca, Israel, I have someone that I would like you to meet."

Timidly Jane stepped out of the safety of the shadows behind Mingo. Rebecca gasped. In front of her stood a tall, dirty, wounded, Indian woman.

"Criminitly!" Israel couldn't help himself.

"Israel!" Rebecca was in shock but not enough to forget her manners, and that of her sons. "Dan, is she Cherokee?"

"No Rebecca." Daniel said as Mingo gently took Jane's hand and pulled her closer to him, and the rest of the group. "This is Jane. Jane this is my wife Rebecca and my son Israel."

"A pleasure to meet you ma'am, Israel." Jane said in her most dignified voice. Even if she didn't look it.

"Err...forgive me Jane, where are my manners. You must be exhausted from you trip. Please come in." Becky was momentarily thrown by the realization that the woman was white.

"Hi! I'm Israel Boone!" Israel tugged at the woman's skirt as she entered through the doorway after Mingo. "You seem awful dirty! When I get that dirty my ma says that I have to take a bath."

"Israel!" Becky snapped. "Apologize this instant!"

"Sorry." Israel's smile faded and he dropped his head.

"You're right Israel." Jane smiled. The neighbor children back in Virginia were always trying to get her to play with them and tell them stories. Being an only child she loved the company of other children, and knew how to deal with them. "I do sorely need a bath. But when you are on the run from the Shawnee, you don't get much time to think of such things."

Israel's eyes lit and Becky's grew wide with alarm.

"Shawnee!" Israel gasped and stared at the strange girl with a mixture of admiration and excitement.

"Shawnee!" Rebecca whispered almost falling over.

"Becky we need to talk." Dan took his wife's arm to steady her.

"Go tell Rebecca about our new friend Daniel." Mingo said as he watched Israel ask Jane a million questions at once, and Jane answer them expertly. "I'll watch things here."

"Thanks Mingo." Daniel said as he pulled Rebecca's shawl off the hook on the wall. "Come on Becky, let's take a walk." Mingo watched as Daniel Boone and his wife walked out the door, then he turned his attention back to the two before him. Israel was in the process of showing Jane his marble collection, and Jane was doing an excellent job of listening and asking him questions. Mingo walked over to the turkey on the porch and began busying himself plucking and gutting it.

As his mind began to reflect on the days events he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Mingo?" A soft voice broke through the late evening noise. He turned to see Jane looking at him.

"Yes Jane?" He asked sweetly.

"May I join you?" Had he not been looking her straight in the face he would have never guessed that the voice came from the person in front of him.

"Why of course. Where is Israel?" He asked as she lowered herself to sit on the porch beside him.

"He's going to get his bow from his room." She smiled. "I think he wants to teach me how to use it."

"It's you who should be teaching him." Mingo smiled with her. "Wait until he sees you shoot a rifle. You won't get a minute of peace." They chuckled and settled in to listen to the sound of the evening forest and the steady movements Mingo's knife as he cleaned the turkey.

"Mingo?" Jane broke the silence again.

"Yes?" He answered. There was a hint of worry in her voice that he did not miss.

"Well, the settlers- you said- I mean-"

Jane silently scolded herself for being so inarticulate.

"You want to know if the settlers of Boonesburough will accept you and if and how they accepted me." The Cherokee stopped cleaning the turkey and was now looking directly into the green-brown eyes of the girl beside him.

"You certainly are perceptive." She sighed.

"Jane," he began turning his gaze to the forest. "I honestly have no idea what they will think. When I first came to Boonesburough there were those that liked me and those that hated me. To be honest it took quite a bit of persuading on Daniel's part to get most of them to accept me. Even still some of them don't trust me. But you are different."

"How?" she asked.

"Well for one thing, you're a woman." Jane opened her mouth to speak but Mingo continued. "Also, you happen to be white. A trait most valued in this area."

"But you said you were half white. And you were educated in London, that must have counted for something?" Jane looked at the tall man next to her. How could anyone who spent five minutes with him not think he was pure royalty?

"It seems that that it does not matter if you can recite sonnets and speak the Queen's English. If you are red, you are a savage."

Jane sighed. "It appears that hatred can be truly skin deep. And the kindest man can be turned away because of the color of his skin, or hair, or whatever else they can think of to discriminate against him."

"Jane." Mingo could see that she had become even more tense. "If the people of Boonesburough do not run to make the acquaintance of one so kind and lovely as you then they are fools."

Jane let out a laugh. "Mingo do you charm all the girls you meet, or am I so enchanting that you have become smitten with me?"

Mingo was shocked at the implication that he was taken with her. She was just a child! In fact he didn't even know her real age! But he then realized her laughing and decided she was not serious. Just then a white blur exploded through the door and onto the porch.

"Jane, Mingo! There's some kinda hoedown at the fort! Can we go? Please!"

"Now Israel," Mingo hid his smile and pretended to be stern. "How do you know about this?"

"Well, I was out pickin' carrots for Ma's supper, when I heard voices and people laughin' and carrin' on like they was havin a party! I even heard Cincinnatus's fiddle! Can we go Mingo? Please say we can go!"

"Well Israel why don't you ask your parents?" Mingo pointed towards the two people walking in the direction of the cabin. Instantly Israel took off for his parents.

"Ma, Pa!"

The pair on the porch laughed as they stood to meet the three.

"Well can we go Pa? Can we go?" Israel said starring up into the big man's eyes.

"I reckin' it's up to your ma. What do you say Becky?" Daniel shifted his attention to his wife.

"Well it sure beats cooking a turkey this late in the evening!" She said her eyes sparkling. "Why don't you three go and Jane and I will meet you there later?"

"All right Becky we'll see you there." As the two men left with the skipping boy at their side Rebecca turned her attention to Jane.

"Well, if we're going to a party we best get some party clothes for you. How bout' I draw you a bath and then we'll see what we can do with this pretty hair of yours?"