Sue dresses for and goes out on the town on her first weekend in the big city. Her mother told her not to talk to strangers!
Clara, a.k.a., Summer Rose, continues “In the Life” as a resident of an upscale bordello in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in the 1870s and 1880s. She "Learns the Ropes," and her place in Victorian society. She quickly rises to star status. She progresses up the line from “one of the girls,” to Madam with some problems along the way.
In 1872, Clara, a.k.a. Summer Rose, orphaned and willfully independent of spirit, runs for her freedom. She flees a drunken father and the authorities, west on the transcontinental railroad to a life beyond anything she had ever envisioned, let alone considered.
This is a revision of the original posting. Ginger’s POV is all new. There is subtle and minor editing of each section that follows Ginger’s POV through to the end of the story. These revisions were prompted by comments from readers and were made to clarify some points of criticism.
Ginger’s POV was the suggestion of a reader and I thought it not only a good comment but a necessary addition to the story. These revisions are all examples of how constructive criticism can be very beneficial to an author.