"I was not prepared, either," Emeline chuckled, rummaging through a drawer in the chifferobe. "And I think you needn't worry too much if you are called out of town. Families will provide for you, one way or another, sand gladly, too."
She pulled a linen nightdress from the drawer and shook out the wrinkles. "Honestly, I think most people around here would find it an honor to provide for your comfort, and trying to organize for your needs would distract them from their troubles."
Grining, she handed the nightgown over. "Such as I! For a moment I'm able to think on something else!"
"Ah, Trudy doesn't mind. How do you do Mr Lyle, are you with the Circus?"
"Circus? Dear me no. I am a tailor and cobbler by trade." He said as he shook the young man's hand. Circus indeed!
"Oh, er, I just thought..." Ooh, this was embarrassing, but the feller did dress rather... entertainingly! "... the name Lyle ... it sounds a little like the name of the Circus that's coming to town soon" Hector excused his mis-step.
"What, The Harry Orman Traveling Menagerie?" Mrs Wigfall queried.
Luckily, Hector was saved by the arrival of his nurse, who rather broke up the party.
"Visitors?!" she asked disapprovingly.
"Oh, Nurse Armentrout, er, Mr Lyle here just popped in to say hello to Hector, he will be taking up residence here very shortly."
Hector enjoyed the sight of Mrs Wigfall looking flustered, Trudy was the first person he'd ever seen his dragon of a mother be scared of.
The snippy nurse looked Mr Lyle up and down with a faint air of disapproval.
"Mr Wigfall is not to be over stimulated. I suppose that you are with the cir..."
"He's a cobbler!" yelped Hector.
A faint smile played about Nurse Armentrout's thin pale lips.
"Then I may visit you soon, Mr Lyle" she said, poking the toe of her footwear out of the front of her long skirts "My boots need attending to."
"Ah, Trudy doesn't mind. How do you do Mr Lyle, are you with the Circus?"
"Circus? Dear me no. I am a tailor and cobbler by trade." He said as he shook the young man's hand. Circus indeed!
"Oh, er, I just thought..." Ooh, this was embarrassing, but the feller did dress rather... entertainingly! "... the name Lyle ... it sounds a little like the name of the Circus that's coming to town soon" Hector excused his mis-step.
"What, The Harry Orman Traveling Menagerie?" Mrs Wigfall queried.
Luckily, Hector was saved by the arrival of his nurse, who rather broke up the party.
"Visitors?!" she asked disapprovingly.
"Oh, Nurse Armentrout, er, Mr Lyle here just popped in to say hello to Hector, he will be taking up residence here very shortly."
Hector enjoyed the sight of Mrs Wigfall looking flustered, Trudy was the first person he'd ever seen his dragon of a mother be scared of.
The snippy nurse looked Mr Lyle up and down with a faint air of disapproval.
"Mr Wigfall is not to be over stimulated. I suppose that you are with the cir..."
"He's a cobbler!" yelped Hector.
A faint smile played about Nurse Armentrout's thin pale lips.
"Then I may visit you soon, Mr Lyle" she said, poking the toe of her footwear out of the front of her long skirts "My boots need attending to."
"I want to be a pirate," Weedy muttered under his breath, taking control of the puppy and slipping on the leash. "Do you want to be pirates, too?" he addressed the remaining company.
"What an utterly bizarre question" gasped Forde Patterson Forde, looking the 13 year old lad up and down with surprise, as if he had just grown another head "... of course we do!"
"You," he nodded to the older lad, "can be second mate...Wyatt's first, and you," addressing Big Sis, "can...well, be something. You don't get sea sick, do you? Oh, and no girls aboard! Except you, Miss Cisly."
The big girl looked quite bewildered.
"Yes, women are bad luck on a pirate ship, except Spanish Princesses, of course! They come in very handy for ransoming, romancing and r... er, other shipboard uses. Miss Lister here can act as our ship's figurehead, a task for which she is almost too well-fitted." Forde pronounced airily, waving his flute in the air. "As for this 'Wyatt' person you mention, I dispute his claim to office, and demand to cross cutlasses with the scurvy dog on the forecastle at dawn!"
He didn't like to mention that they were 400 miles from the sea and pirating as a profession was about 150 years out of date.
"I want to be a pirate," Weedy muttered under his breath, taking control of the puppy and slipping on the leash. "Do you want to be pirates, too? he addressed the remaining company.
"You," he nodded to the older lad, "can be second mate...Wyatt's first, and you," addressing Big Sis, "can...well, be something. You don't get sea sick, do you? Oh, and no girls aboard! Except you, Miss Cisly."
For whatever reason, Elias Steelgrave was sitting in the kitchen drinking a concoction that Ling had made up, stating, 'It good for you. You drink." He had stopped arguing with the Chinaman sometime back.
"What the hell was that all about, Ling?" He wanted to know.
"Man, Macvey want to see you for interview if you meanieable." Ling relayed in his broken, sing song, english.
"What? You mean Phineas McVay is here to interview me? Is that it? Hell! This could be good for me, if I play it right, or bad for him if this is some smear job he's meaning to print." He said as he was getting to his feet and starting for the parlor.
It took moments for the man to reach the room where the newspaper editor stood waiting."Take a seat, McVay. No sense standing there fiddling with your hat. So what's this about an interview?" Steergrave wanted to know.
"Yes, sir, I've come to interview with you, mostly about your views on Kalispell and the changes you see, and what you think of them." There he'd gotten it out plain enough, and he hopefully did not sound too nervous about it. "I realize that you've not had your views expressed publicly, so this would be a chance for you to do so. I guarantee that I will print what you say exactly as you say it."
"Zat so? Well then, guess we best get started then. Something to drink?" Elias offered.
That gave Phin pause, but he was firm. "Yes, a bourbon, but just one. I have to write what is said, and be able to read it." That was good for a nerve-soothing laugh from the two men.
"Well then, shoot."
"So, first off, the hospital. What do you think of it?" Phin asked, expecting the mood to change in a blink.
Shintaro was pleased to see how attentive Tully was to his instruction. Her first successful attempt to escape his grip on her arm seemed to please her greatly. He knew she would need much more practice to be able to perform the maneuver quickly, preventing an attacker from tightening their grip before she could slip free. Fortunately this wasn't the only thing he could teach her to deal with attackers.
He gripped her arm again, this time holding more tightly, about the usual strength he would use if he wanted to hold a person's arm so they couldn't easily pull away but not his full strength. Shintaro wanted her to be challenged but not defeat her attempt.
She popped through the door as if on queue, going right to the desk and planting a kiss on his cheek. "And just how is the day going so far?" She asked with a smile.
"Pull up a chair, there are a couple of things we need to talk about, you and me, because they affect you and me." He said as he sat upright and turned toward her as she dragged the chair closer and sat down.
"Are these earth shattering things or just regular, almost boring things in our lives? She asked, while hoping that whatever it might be, it was not bad news.
"So, I'm thinking that after this thing with the Pikes is resolved, I turn in my badge and go to work for you and our company." He said flatly.
Alice was momentarily stunned by Speed's statement, "You're serious? I mean, you are willing to step away from this office?"
"I've done my duty to this town, I believe. Almost laid down my life for it, and now, come June, you and I are set to start our life together. It's time. He replied, and as he started to say another word, she was in his lap, hugging him, her arms tight around his neck, tears running down her cheeks. "Hey, hey now, no reason to cry."
"I can't believe you are going to do this, and I am happy! Happy as the day you proposed, Speed Guyer." Was her overjoyed reply. "Maybe you could take me to lunch as they're calling it."
"That can certainly be arranged," he said as she stood up, "Good, wouldn't want half the town seeing you in my lap. I wouldn't have to quit, I'd get fired." Then he laughed. "I just want to stay on while there's a question about this business out at the Rockin' P."
"Yes. Poor Emeline. That must have been horrible!" Alice said in agreement. "Well, Marshal, let's get to it!"
"Well, those are my normal terms." Mrs Wigfall confirmed. "Now do come and look into the parlour, I would love you to meet my son, Hector. He is something of a local hero" she boasted. "Last week two women of the town were savagely attacked by armed hoodlums and my Hector and the gentlemen he was with stepped in to help them, both were gunned down by the cowards. Poor Professor Browne was killed, but by some miracle my Hector was preserved, tho' shot right through the chest; but thanks to Divine Providence he has pulled through. Do come, it is just across the hallway..." she led the rotund man out of his new room, but stopped just before the parlour door.
"But of course, advance payment is expected, or that is how I have always done business. That way, everyone is clear on how things are to be. Now, I would enjoy meeting your son, but my gracias me, is this common place here in Kalispell? I am glad that he pulled through, but alas, I am saddened that there was loss of life. Things do" And then she interruted
"His nurse may be there with him. Don't be alarmed, Mr Lyle, but she is one of the ugliest women I have ever known: I hired her especially: I didn't want my son to fall in love with his nurse and elope or anything!"
"Oh dear me. How unfortunate." Ferdy exclaimed. Though, as he was about to say, things of that sort happened all the time in New Orleans.
They entered, but the lad was alone, propped up by the fire in his dressing gown, reading The Telegrapher
He put it down as his mother and Mr Lyle entered.
"Oh" he sounded disappointed "I thought it was Trudy" But then he saw Mr Lyle.
Ferdy smiled, it would seem that perhaps this nurse had already gotten her wiles into the lad
"Sorry not to rise to greet you, Sir, but my nurse would kill me if did."
"Tsk, tsk, not to bother, young man, I have heard of your unfortunate encounter; rest is what will have you back at the telegraph key. The tailor said with a smile, nodding to the magazine.
"This is Mr Lyle, Hector, he's taking the box room and you must refer to Nurse Armentrout by her proper name!"
My pleasure, Hector, no need to rise at all." Ferdy said as he stepped forward while Hector spoke first to his mother and then to him."
"Ah, Trudy doesn't mind. How do you do Mr Lyle, are you with the Circus?"
"Circus? Dear me no. I am a tailor and cobbler by trade." He said as he shook the young man's hand. Circus indeed!
"Of course not," Weedy insisted, without needing any help from the older boy.
"Good!" said a frowning Jane, crossing her arms.
"I don't even know her." Farley seemed to have a different opinion as he snuggled in the big girl's lap. "She's got no folks and I...well, I have Addy."
Jane's frown deepened, but then cleared and turned into a rather cruel laugh as she realised that Weedy had misunderstood her. "I didn't mean her!" she laughed pointing at Cicely "No man could fall for that big fat monster!!!" She was fair rocking with laughter at the idea.
Patricia flew up off the piano stool, and shouted "Jane, you cruel little beast!!" as she pulled up the girl's smock and gave her a few sound smacks on the legs. She in turn pulled herself free and crying shouted angrily "I'm telling Ma you did that you... you... Bitch!!"
Patricia's mouth turned into a snarl. "WHAT did you just call me?!!!"
Realising that she'd gone too far, Jane gave a short little scream and ran out of the room with her big sister in hot pursuit, Farley jumped off Big Sis's lap and ran around the room barking excitedly.
"Anyway, I have chores to do," Weedy declared.
"Yes, I imagine you do, after that little scene!" smiled Forde Paterson Forde with understanding. He knew that they were a bit of a odd family and that even he was, perhaps, himself, a little odd.
"Miss Cisly, Farley has to go now, but he can come back and visit." With Jane!
Big Sis turned her simple turnip-like head in his direction and, with a benign smile, said slowly, "I like you Pordur, an' I like Farley too." Oh well, she got the dog's name right, at least.
Forde bowed graciously to the lad.
"Yes, Mr Chappell, I think we can all agree with Miss Lister that your visit has been a wonderful success, and that both yourself and this frisky little rascal are most welcome to visit again at any time..." there was a sound of girls screaming and crashing around in a room nearby "... if you have the nerve!"