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Daddy would be no help. His role was pretty much the same as most miners. They went to the mines, worked hard, brought the paychecks home, gave them to their wives, and then repeated the process. Mom made all the decisions about spending.
There was one hope left. My grandma. She sent presents every Christmas, and that year, I figured I'd help her make the hard decision about what to get me. I looked at it this way -- if she was going to buy me a gift anyway, why not just get me the thing I wanted most? The logic was inescapable, and since I could now write my own letters, I decided to make my grandma's life easier and tell her what I wanted.
Dear Grandma,
I would like a cowgirl outfit. It is in the Sears and Roebuck winter catalog. It costs $5.99. Thank you very much.
Love, Sue
P. S. Don't forget the boots.
I didn't know about addressing envelopes yet, so I asked my mom to mail my letter, which she promptly read. I had been so polite, I was surprised by my parents' reaction.
Daddy was as upset as Mom, which was pretty unusual. "We don't ask anyone for anything! Not even Grandma! No one! Not ever! Do you understand?"
Mom threw my letter in the stove and there went my last hope for a genuine cowgirl outfit. How could I go Out West without one?
Nothing else in the Sears and Roebuck winter catalog held any appeal for me. Other years, I'd looked it to pieces, but this year it hurt to see the page with the picture of Dusty Rogers and the genuine Dale Evans cowgirl outfit. I spent a lot of time looking out the window at my palomino horse in the distant field.
The old frame house we rented was cold and drafty, and we were always reluctant to crawl out from our warm covers in the mornings. Daddy would get up first to build a fire, but that Christmas morning, my little sister was up before everyone else.
"Santa was here! Santa was here! Get up, everybody!"
The sight of the bubble lights on the Christmas tree and the wrapped presents brightened my mood, and I forgot my problem for a while. Santa had left each of us a toy -- mine was a Tiny Tears doll, and my sister got a Smokey the Bear with removable hat and shovel that I secretly liked better. Daddy read aloud the names on the presents, using his idea of a hearty Santa voice. We all got underwear and socks -- even Mom and Daddy.
Grandma's gifts were a lot more interesting. She gave my sister a little suitcase that she immediately filled with Smokey and his accessories. Mom got Evening in Paris perfume and Daddy got after-shave and cigars. I held my present for a while, trying to gauge whether the long box would hold a genuine cowgirl outfit complete with boots.
I opened the package slowly, hopeful that Grandma had somehow divined my urgent need. She hadn't. The lacy party dress I lifted from the box was about the prettiest dress I'd ever seen. I felt like crying, but I didn't.
I was taking the clothes off Tiny Tears when my Daddy said, "Susu, this one has your name on it." He shoved a big box toward me. "Go on, open it up." He looked at Mom and smiled. She gave him a rare smile right back.
Holding my breath, I opened this last present. Something solid slid around inside. I looked at Daddy and he nodded.
The white hat was right on top. Daddy placed it on my head and slid the bright red bead up the cords to fit snugly under my chin. I pulled out a checkered shirt with piping around the yoke and pearl snaps up the front. A row of red fringe hung from each sleeve. The skirt and vest were made of soft red felt cut in fringes around the edges. A shiny sheriff's badge was pinned to the vest. Dale Evans had never had a sheriff's badge! I was sure of that. The boots wore a fresh coat of brown polish that didn't entirely cover the wear on the toes and soles. I touched the embossed leather.
"Thank you, Daddy," I managed to say.
Daddy pulled me onto his lap and whispered in my ear. I took another look at my new cowgirl outfit and then at my mother.
Even a six-year-old can understand sacrifice. My mother had cut up her own clothing to make my outfit, adding embellishments from her scrap-bag. My daddy had worked overtime at the mine to buy a brand-new hat and badge, and used boots from the shoe repair shop in town.
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