Days Without End

Thomas waits for Major to rescind his commission; Winona hides in Mrs. Neale’s old room while they wait. The colonel returns and Major is arrested after Sowell reports his “gross misconduct.” Sarjohn reports that he saw “a trooper” kill Starling, so Thomas gets a shave and puts on a dress and makeup to make himself less identifiable. He feels guilty taking clothes from the late Mrs. Neale. Thomas and Winona escape on a stagecoach, then a train. The train ride is cramped and unpleasant in third class, but Thomas is still impressed with its speed. Thomas and Winona talk about how much they love and miss John. Thomas thinks of himself as her mother and that he “[feels] more a woman than [he] ever felt a man” (206). He decides he is a woman. (In reflection of this, the remainder of this guide will use she/her pronouns for Thomas.)

In St. Louis, they see many freedmen working and Thomas thinks that circumstances seem to have improved for the formerly enslaved, though she notes that she doesn’t see any Native Americans. Thomas, now viewing herself as a mother, grows more comfortable thinking of Winona as her daughter, and is full of love for her. They walk from Memphis to Paris and are welcomed with a hug from John.

John tells Lige, Tennyson, and Rosalee that Thomas needs to continue wearing dresses in case someone comes looking for “him.” Rosalee doesn’t mind and Tennyson immediately greets Thomas as a woman, calling her “ma’am.” John purchases books so he can help further Winona’s education. They receive news that Sowell has been killed and, absent an accuser, Major released and honorably discharged. There is no news regarding the search for Starling’s killer. Lige blames himself for the events, as the person who killed Caught-His-Horse-First’s daughter, and John urges him to forget about the long-ago shooting. Winona is hired to clerk for a local lawyer.

Two soldiers arrive, one Thomas recognizes as Corporal Poulson. John introduces Thomas as “Mrs. Cole.” Poulson is looking for Thomas, who has been listed as a deserter, as Major never signed her papers before his arrest. John says he’ll give them Thomas, which makes her feel anxious, but he shows the soldiers a grave. The soldiers are relieved not to have to kill someone they knew for desertion and leave peacefully. Lige praises John’s quick thinking. Thomas feels melancholy over the idea that her previous self has died.

Several days later, Thomas receives a letter from Poulson. He knows that the woman he saw was Thomas and urges her to turn herself in so that John, Lige, and Winona don’t become outlaws for defending her. Thomas plans to go and have Major clear up the issue with his commission, though John worries they’ll hang him. Thomas promises to return quickly, though he thinks as he rides out that he is likely going to his death. He considers that the good in his life has been enough.

The soldiers transport Thomas to Leavenworth in chains, which sours her mood. She writes to Major, asking for assistance, and regrets not attempting to flee with John and Winona. The day of Thomas’s trial arrives, and Major speaks in her defense. Captain Sexton, who heads the court-martial, asks questions about Major’s arrest. The tone between the two officers gets terse and Sexton decides to halt the proceedings until Sarjohn can be summoned, which alarms Thomas. When the court reconvenes several days later, Sarjohn identifies Thomas as Starling’s killer. Thomas writes to John, but as she has been found guilty of murder, they don’t allow him to see her. She still finds comfort in his proximity and thinks about how much she loves him. She takes comfort in the idea that she saved Winona, though she wishes she hadn’t had to kill Starling to do it.

She writes again to John and to McSweny, but Noone writes back that McSweny has died. She receives a loving letter from Winona, which makes her cry. As Thomas’s scheduled execution grows closer, she grows more and more miserable. Major arrives one night with the news that he has gotten statements from all the men about Thomas killing Starling, and Poulson reports that Thomas was protecting Winona. Thomas’ sentence is commuted from death to 100 days hard labor. The novel ends with her excitement that she will soon be headed home to John and Winona.