The Medicine Woman of Galveston

Tucia reminisces about the world of possibility that once awaited her after graduating medical school, and the sharp contrast her current life presents. “Grazyna” arrives to collect Tucia for her costume fitting, and Tucia reluctantly accompanies her to her tent with Toby in tow. When Toby spots Al’s toys and tries to play with them, Tucia tries to stop him, but “Grazyna” indulgently hands them all over.

A grateful Tucia learns that “Grazyna’s” real name is Franziska “Fanny” Trout; “Cal” is her husband, Calvin Trout, and the couple have been married for eight years. As Fanny fits Tucia for her costume, she tells her how all the past physicians eventually left after one mishap or another, usually to do with drinking. Fanny apologizes for the wager and asserts that she believes Tucia will last.

Once Fanny is done taking Tucia’s measurements, Tucia heads back to her wagon to begin memorizing the list.

Fanny stops by with the altered dress after supper and Tucia is amazed at the incredible job she has done with it. Even Huey is pleased, although Tucia feels a moment of embarrassment when Darl spots her in the dress and stops and stares.

Tucia goes onstage after the “Chief,” but the moment she is blindfolded, a “hysterical attack” returns. She makes it through a few of the items on the list at Huey’s cues, but memories of the operating theatre begin to intrude. Panicking, she accidentally calls out “scalpel” as one of the items before tearing her blindfold off and running offstage. On the way down she trips and falls, her skirt flying up to reveal her underclothes to the audience.

Tucia avoids the others at breakfast the next morning. However, Darl comes up to her, having heard what happened, and promises to take a look at the stairs to identify what caused her to trip. Tucia runs into Huey after breakfast. He accepts her explanation of stage fright but dismisses her assertion that she won’t be going on again, knowing that she is a “highly motivated woman” (115) and will do whatever is necessary to keep Toby safe.

Tucia and Huey practice the rest of the day without a hitch. However, when it comes time for her to go onstage that night, Tucia freezes in place, forcing Huey to tell the audience that Madame Zabelle is unwell. Huey sleeps through breakfast that morning and Tucia escapes having to meet him, but she overhears the others discuss how he won’t put up with her lack of performance for long.

That night, when Tucia freezes onstage again, Darl unexpectedly appears to lead her off. As Darl is calming her down, Huey appears backstage and douses Tucia with cold water. He instructs her to pull herself together and meet him after the show. Darl wishes her luck, cryptically stating, “With Huey, ya never know what you’re gonna get” (120).

Tucia heads to Huey’s wagon after the show and is surprised to find him smoking opium. He offers her the pipe as a way to calm her pain and fears, stating that she won’t get paid until she begins performing. His eyes drift shut peacefully. Tempted, Tucia reaches out for the pipe until she remembers Toby and comes to her senses; horrified at what she had been about to do, Tucia runs back to her wagon immediately.

The next day, Tucia approaches Fanny for help with overcoming stage fright. They talk about how Fanny has been dancing ballet her whole life; she would have been a prima ballerina, like her mother, if not for her size. Tucia explains that gigantism is just a “difference of biology” (129) and not a curse or a sign of being bad, as she is sure that Fanny, like Toby, has been told all her life.

A touched Fanny tells Tucia to breathe and focus on the present moment when she is onstage to overcome her nerves. She tells Tucia a little bit about her past.

The narrative shifts to Fanny’s flashback. Around the age of nine, Franziska Fink suddenly starts growing much faster than the other girls her age, with different parts of her body growing at different rates. Her parents are befuddled, for even though she can still dance well, she towers over the other dancers and cannot dance in the ballet.

When she is 15, Franziska gets called on by a man who runs a circus. He tells her wondrous stories of the circus life, and assures her no one there will be embarrassed by her differences, unlike the rest of “common society.” Thus, Franziska joins the circus and becomes “Fanny the Fantastic.”

Life is good for a while, but Fanny quickly gets relegated to a sideshow. Her only friend is Lena, a beautiful woman who swallows swords and fire but who is also relegated to a sideshow because of an impaired left arm. Lena also has a jealous and possessive boyfriend, one of the circus strongmen named Bruno. Fanny eventually befriends one more performer—a musician who joins and cannot keep his eyes off her. Eventually, Fanny and the musician end up leaving the circus one day, with a newborn baby in tow.

The narrative shifts to the present timeline. That night, before the show, Huey offers Tucia the pipe again, but she refuses. Fanny approaches Tucia backstage and reminds her to breathe just before she goes on. After an initial couple moments of panic, Tucia finally and successfully makes it through her entire act.

Tucia successfully carries out her act for the next few days, with Huey slowly building up its complexity by adding more words and cues. Eventually, when business dries up in this town, the show packs up and moves on to the next.

On the way to their next destination, Darl, who drives Tucia and Toby’s wagon, teaches her how to handle the reins. They stop and set up camp for the night, and Tucia finally learns that “Chief’s” real name is Lawrence Hiya. She notices him scribbling in the leather-bound notebook he always carries with him, and wonders about what secrets he and each of the others are carrying that binds them to this show.

The group arrive at their next destination and set up camp. Huey takes Tucia to obtain her medical license to practice in the town, but the others are unsuccessful in obtaining a “reader,” a license to sell their medicine. Huey takes Tucia and Toby along with him to meet the sheriff without revealing his plans.

At the sheriff’s office, Huey pretends that he, Tucia, and Toby are a family, and their show is an entirely honest and Christian attempt to provide for his family. Moved by Huey’s proclamations about their poverty and difficulties, the sheriff issues a single-day license, but warns that he will drive them out of town if they are found out as frauds. Tucia is furious that Huey used her and Toby so dishonestly. She threatens to leave the show for good if Huey ever involves Toby in his schemes again.

Huey adapts the acts that night to make the show more religious and family-friendly, and the sheriff issues them a two-week extension on their license. Huey decides to set up the case-taking tent for the next show, and Tucia worries that her “hysterical attacks” will return and ruin things again.