Tough Luck
The Civil War has been raging for two years by 1863, when Haidie and Boots’ mother dies of grief, never having recovered from their father’s failure to return from chasing the lure of gold in the West. Cheet, their older brother and an inveterate gambler, sells the farm, pockets the money, and deposits Haidie and Boots in an orphanage. It does not take long for fourteen-year-old Haidie to figure out a master plan of escape, and once free of the orphanage the siblings are swiftly on their way to find their Pa.
Disguised as a boy, Haidie works as a driver under Jake Crowfoot’s protective wing as far as Omaha; and then under wagon-train scout Ben Bondurant to Denver. In turn, Haidie shelters her young brother from Indians, thieves, and murderers along the way. Haidie assists two kindly sharp-shooting spinsters, who fortuitously turn out to be very rich, helpful in aiding a later “sting.” Card shark Cornelius Vander claims he is from the poor branch of a famous family, while other diverse characters in the wagon train put on quite a show.
Dallas’s novel showcases a coming-of-age in a raw and lawless time, where the bright, engaging Haidie carries the novel with her delightful twang. The question is, will the kids find their long-lost Pa, and what dire straits must they endure to satisfy their quest? The children’s thoughts of their father sustain them on their journey and enable them to swallow all their tough luck with charitable acceptance and eternal optimism. This is a satisfying and uplifting novel from a prolific Spur- and Caldecott-award-winning writer of Old West fiction.
