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“That, also, cannot be captured inside the walls of your camera,” Runner said firmly. “Spider Rock is the legendary home of Spider Woman, who, according to myth, taught weaving to the Navaho.”
Feeling unnerved by Runner’s formal manner today, Stephanie fell into a stony silence.
Then a glimmer of hope began to shine in her eyes. In a sense, he had played right into her hands today. Earlier, before he had arrived to escort her, she had sent one of the men who worked with the work gang ahead to Gallup with enough money to make arrangements for a one-night stay in one of Gallup’s finest hotels. She had hoped that she could somehow lure Runner there with her.
Now she had the perfect plan. He had said no to her so often today he would surely find it hard to keep denying her everything. Hopefully he would feel guilty and agree when she asked him to accompany her to Gallup. Little would he know that she had a room waiting for them, for a wonderful, carefree night away from Adam and Runner’s family.
The night would be theirs: alone.
She could already feel the fizz of the champagne as she sipped from a long-stemmed glass. Runner would be in bed beside her on satin sheets, tipping his own glass of bubbly liquid to his perfectly sculpted lips.
“Would you go with me to Gallup?” she said suddenly.
Runner gave her a quizzical stare. “Gallup?” he said, raising an eyebrow. “Why would you want to go to Gallup?”
“Our travels today have taken us quite close to the town,” Stephanie said. “Please let’s go to the lunchroom on the second floor of the railway station at Gallup. I’m starved. We didn’t bring enough food to last us until we return to my car. Please, Runner? We would only be there for a short while. Only long enough to get a bite to eat.”
Although she was not trying to fight Adam’s battles for him, Stephanie felt that it wouldn’t hurt for Runner to see the sort of establishments Adam would like to build in the town that he was planning. She wanted to show Runner how good and decent it was. She only hoped that his attention wouldn’t be drawn to the many saloons in Gallup.
Runner rode awhile in silence as he thought through her suggestion. He had refused Stephanie many opportunities to photograph interesting sites today. How could he continue to say no to her?
But he was ready to take her into Gallup for other reasons as well. That part of him that was white was making him momentarily stray from his Indian ideals and way of life. He had always tended to his business and had left Gallup as quickly as possible, mainly to keep from having confrontations with Damon Stout’s ranch hands who seemed to be everywhere at once. He would be glad to have an excuse to take his time, to be able to see more of the town and the ways of the white people. As a child, he had been in restaurants in various cities, but it was hard to recall. He had only been six the last time his mother had taken him to such a fancy establishment.
“If you wish, we shall go there,” Runner finally said. When he looked her way and saw how happy his decision had made her, he was glad that he had decided to do as she asked.
He could not deny the strange excitement that he was feeling himself, and just as quickly felt ashamed. He had devoted most of his childhood and all of his adult life to the ways of the Navaho. He should not hunger to be a part of the white man’s world. Yet, as his horse rode closer to Gallup, he could not find the strength within himself to turn back in the direction of his village.
When they finally reached Gallup, long shadows were rippling over the land. Crude buildings littered both sides on the Santa Fe Railroad tracks, which separated the business district from the private homes. But all were weathered and wind-beaten.
As they rode up the main street, where horsemen and horse-drawn buggies roamed in both directions, Stephanie and Runner looked on each side of them.
Everything was dark except for the lantern lights, which flooded the boardwalks along the thoroughfare with their golden glows.
The farther they rode, the brighter the lights became, as well as the noise that wafted from the saloons. Pianos clinked out loud and merry tunes. Boisterous laughter and loud swearing came through the swinging doors. The sound of glass breaking and fights erupting from more than one of the establishments made Stephanie grow increasingly nervous.
She gave Runner a troubled glance. His eyes were filled with an angry fire. His jaw was tight.
“We’re almost there,” she offered.
She now realized that she had been wrong to bring Runner to this town. It was a poor example of what she had hoped to show him Adam’s town might be. When she had ridden through Gallup on the train that one time, where the tracks connected to the private spur, she had not paid much attention to it, except to look up at the lunchroom and remember Adam having said it was an excellent place to get a fine meal and glass of wine.
She was disappointed when she realized there were no fancy emporiums or restaurants. And there was only one hotel.
Thank God, she thought to herself. The hotel was the most decent-appearing establishment of all. At least she wouldn’t have to fight off cockroaches or rats as she sipped her champagne.
Something else soon drew both Stephanie and Runner’s attention.
“The Big Tent,” she whispered.
It was a one hundred-by-forty foot canvas structure, with a wooden dance floor inside. The tent glowed from the light of fifty lanterns as well as candles placed in cut-glass holders. It was open round the clock, with full bands playing both night and day. Music blared from the tent even now, as well as laughter and merriment.
Stephanie blushed when she caught sight of some of the bawdy women who were known to frequent the Big Tent. Scantily dressed, and with their faces gaudily painted, they were standing at the door of the tent waving and shouting at Runner as he rode on past.
Finally they arrived at the railroad station. An idle engine was puffing black, sooty smoke from its stack, waiting as passengers loaded into the cars, to be taken to various parts of the country. Stephanie and Runner drew rein on the opposite side of the building, away from the tracks.
As Stephanie slid from her saddle, she looked up at the windows overhead. Soft light flickered from them, inviting and peaceful. She was anxious to get Runner in the lunchroom, hoping that he would forget the ugliness of the town, soon taken by the pleasant hotel accommodations.
Outside, stairs led up to the lunchroom at the back of the building. A strained silence had fallen between Stephanie and Runner as they climbed the steps. When they entered the room, where many candlelit tables were occupied by fancily dressed men and women, all eyes turned to Runner.
