"That sir, is a gross misnomer. It is most assuredly not the Steelgrave Hospital. It is the Kalispell Hospital! Probably a good idea if you were to remember that for future reference!" The voice was strong and defiant, belonging to one Leah Steelgrave, who marched in and took in seat in the front row, directly across from Mister Orr.
But behind her came Phinias McVay, and Marshal Guyer with Deputy Wentworth, each posting up on either side of the meeting room. Arms folded across their chests. when the doors opened in in came Barnabas Pike, sans his badge, with Emeline on his arm, and behind them, Santee, Bannister and McKenny.
Despite all of the attempts at refinement, Kalispell was still a rough and ready town, where armed men were commonplace.
Matilda nodded back to Wentworth, they had chatted only once before when both were quite new to town and that had been the extent of it. However the fancy dan with the goatee was a good deal more forthcoming.
"Mrs Deverau, you are as witty as you are beautiful this evening."
"Thank you, Mr. Orr," she knew of him but were barely acquaintances, she smiled back but it was a hard one to read, whether sincere or affected.
"You will excuse me, I hope, while I attend to this tardy Council's business. Perhaps we may converse together later." Orr oozed in his deep Texan tones, excusing himself with a little bow.
"We shall see," Matilda left it at that.
Once the quorum was seated for this affair, that same Mr. Orr seemed to be in charge, useless mayor was a no-show - in her no-nonsense opinion he needed to be voted out of that office, the turd. And then, covering himself with jabber about rules and procedure it was plain the man planned on doing everything he could to dodge the big issue for this town - a hospital.
"That sir, is a gross misnomer. It is most assuredly not the Steelgrave Hospital. It is the Kalispell Hospital! Probably a good idea if you were to remember that for future reference!" The voice was strong and defiant, belonging to one Leah Steelgrave, who marched in and took in seat in the front row, directly across from Mister Orr.
Matilda frowned and raised one gloved hand but wasn't optimistic enough to wait til she was officially acknowledged and given permission to speak.
"I been to a few town council meetings in various towns and there is always something called New Business where the council opens things up for discussion from the floor. Surely not everything has to be scheduled ahead of time, Mr. Orr? "
"Don't we live in a democracy?" she added.
It's not a question of who's right. It's a question of what's right.
Matt leaned back in his chair as he watched the goings on. Orr was trying his best to get the meeting started when Leah Steelgrave walked in followed by a small group of people, including his brother Charlie, who for some reason had decided to become a deputy. He made a mental note to ask Charlie about it one day.
After Leah made her statement, Miss Devereau proceeded to get up and have her say ending with a very astute question. It would be interesting to see how Orr would answer it considering the fawning he had given her. As for Anderson, Matt still had no idea where the man stood as he didn't have much of chance to say anything at the moment.
Looking over to Orr, he smiled, "I do believe, Miss Devereau has a point, don't you agree?"
Already the small but growing collection of members of the public were calling out their opinions at the meagre Town Council, as Orr sat and grabbed his gavel.
"That sir, is a gross misnomer. It is most assuredly not the Steelgrave Hospital. It is the Kalispell Hospital! Probably a good idea if you were to remember that for future reference!" The voice was strong and defiant, belonging to one Leah Steelgrave, who marched in and took in seat in the front row, directly across from Mister Orr.
Richard Orr stood and gave the young woman a stiff bow and intoned her name "Miss Steelgrave" noncommittally. He went to sit down again, but now the feisty and attractive Saloon owner was haranguing them again.
"I been to a few town council meetings in various towns and there is always something called New Business where the council opens things up for discussion from the floor. Surely not everything has to be scheduled ahead of time, Mr. Orr? "
"That's right!" shouted someone from behind her.
"Don't we live in a democracy?" she added.
Before Orr could dismiss this facile line of argument, Matt Wentworth weighed in on her side.
Looking over to Orr, he smiled, "I do believe, Miss Devereau has a point, don't you agree?"
"Certainly not!" the Postmaster said quietly so that only those at the council table could hear. "But the scene I had hoped to avoid has been unfortunately thrust upon us. I don't know who blabbed about this meeting but I'm afraid we are now faced with a situation of riot if we do not at least pretend to listen to the spurious arguments for the Steelgrave Hospital." he frowned. "I regrettably suggest we wave through Mr. Cullen's business and use what remains of this meeting in killing this fool notion off once and for all." he sighed, looking down sadly at his annotated copy of the boring legal document on the table. Hector scribbled all this down, with a rather self-important look on his face.
BAM! BAM! BAM! Orr banged his gavel, and a couple of nervous types actually started for their six-shooters.
"I bring this meeting of the Kalispell Town Council to order!" He boomed. "Present: Mr. Matthew Wentworth, Mr John Anderson, Honorary Treasurer, myself Richard Orr, Secretary and Acting Chair. First point of business, Planning Application by Mr. Robert Cullen, passed on the nod. Any new points of business?..." before the members of the public could all shout out, he reminded them "... Tax-paying members of the community may speak through the chair, and new motions proposed by members of the Council only."
He looked about the audience as if wondering who would pipe up. Maybe Leah wouldn't get picked to say her piece, and some well-meaning but tongue-tied idiot might manage to get in first and totally foul up the proposal about the Hospital.
Storyteller / Shared NPC
Meanwhile, an unusual site would have greeted any number of townsfolk on the boardwalk, had they been there. Those that were in town at that hour were upstairs in the Municipal Building in the meeting room, listening to Richard T. Orr open the meeting of the Town Council.
A coach rolled into town, drawn by four lathered horses. With it, four riders, the metal of their badges flashing in the sunlight, as their coats yielded to the wind. The coach rolled up in front of the Belle-St. Regis Hotel and stopped, the riders quickly dismounted and one opened the carriage door as the other three posted up.
A tall, somewhat thin man with graying hair emerged, dressed in a black suit, he stepped down and looked about. then strode up on the boardwalk to the hotel doors stepping inside. Making he way to the front desk he began, “Ah, now, now where in town could a man hold a meeting with, ah, with your town council, if I might ask?” Another man had followed him inside, of somewhat shorter stature, by a good foot at least, longish white hair, and wearing a white suit, and behind him, a third, one Dutton Peabody, Esquire. He too was dressed in a black suit, with a large smile on his face as he looked at Walter Simpson. “And, and just how long would it take to rustle them up?”
"You'll discuss the proposed hospital and orphanage!" Emeline jumped up, her tone firm. She wasn't much one for activism, but that Orr man was just...obnoxious, and she wasn't going to let him get away with this!
"And you will discuss, sir, not dismiss! If there isn't fair debate on the topic, with fair input from both sides, I promise you, they'll have the news all over the territory, from Helena to Denver, that our fine town council is against improvement, against the safety and good health of our citizens, and against security and kindness to children!"
With her spiel said, Emeline was suddenly aware that folks were looking at her, and she was inclined to apologize, but she knew she was right, and just stiffened her spine and stood her ground. She'd faced down bank robbers, the town council wasn't going to rattle her!
A tall, somewhat thin man with graying hair emerged, dressed in a black suit, he stepped down and looked about. then strode up on the boardwalk to the hotel doors stepping inside. Making he way to the front desk he began, “Ah, now, now where in town could a man hold a meeting with, ah, with your town council, if I might ask?” Another man had followed him inside, of somewhat shorter stature, by a good foot at least, longish white hair, and wearing a white suit, and behind him, a third, one Dutton Peabody, Esquire. He too was dressed in a black suit, with a large smile on his face as he looked at Walter Simpson. “And, and just how long would it take to rustle them up?”
Walter Simpson looked at the men who came in and simply raised an eyebrow. Whoever the two first men were, they had an air of importance. As for the third, he knew Dutton Peabody as the town drunk, who had somehow managed to clean up his act. The last he had heard about Peabody was that the man had left town in disgrace shortly after the Case Steelgrave trial, never to be seen in these parts again. Well, whoever put that rumour out was being proved wrong.
"To answer, the first question...the town council meets in a room in the municipal building, as Mr. Peabody should be well aware of," Walter replied, with a slight smirk, "As for how long it would take to rustle them up..."
He looked over to the wall clock near the front desk and then back to the three men, "Try about ten to fifteen minutes ago. Knowing what Tricky Dicky Orr is like, you might just be in time to catch the end of it."
Storyteller / Shared NPC
"Well then, we best get over there." Without another word, the two men turned and headed for the door, as Dutton stepped up to Walter's desk.
"Good to see you again Walter, we'll need four of your finest rooms. We'll register when we get back. I don't want to miss this." With that Dutton turned and hurried out the front doors behind the other men with no introductions or explanations.
She sat, quietly, she had said all there was for her to say, done all that there was for her to do, or tried to at least. She had hoped to see Jonah Danforth, but now, as the only Doctor in town, he was probably on a call or seeing patients.
It was when Emeline Pike stood up and spoke her mind that the fire coursed through Leah's veins, and she came to her feet as the Deputies wife sat down. "In the off chance that someone does not know me, I am Leah Elinor Steelgrave, only daughter to Elinor and Elias Steelgrave." She began, "I am here on the matter of the hospital that you 'gentlemen,' and I use the term with much disdain, have been avoiding since the first of the new year, now half gone. Do your worst. I am prepared for that eventuality, you can count on that. Anything that I might say or do here tonight would be a waste of breath or energy."
When Emeline rose to her feet Pike prepared for the worst, and was ready to pounce. He knew Speed and Charlie were there and the two would not let the meeting get out of hand, but he was more than ready. This was his wife, and he dared anyone of the council to say anything off color, or derogatory to, or about her!