Posted December 13, 2020 | Weedy
"Not all girls cry so easy. I don't think I ever actually saw my sister cry. Of course she couldn't attend Ma's funeral. I admit....I cried. A lot. Pa said it was alright to cry."
Weedy nodded, then muttered, "I cried when they told me about my Ma, too." Then he shrugged and sighed. "I don't even know if she's buried someplace." Maybe he should ask Miss Addy about that? Maybe not, what good would it do?
"But you know, we're the ones who pick the girls so just don't pick one you don't like or think might be a bawl baby. Just pick a good one."
"Or none." He was pretty much agreed on that. But he wasn't so sure on 'picking', if you just went someplace where there were plenty of girls when you were ready and took home the one you liked? But Miss Addy seemed to like Jay, and Jay liked her back, and she'd had to go all the way to Whitefish...
Sighing, he shook his head. "Just seems like an awful lot of trouble. Guess we don't have to worry for a while anyway. And we'll have to get all our fun in now, before we have girls to tell us we can't!"
Posted December 13, 2020 | Leah Steelgrave
"What?" Jonah looked up at her, looking for a sign that she was joking, but it wasn't there...she was deadly serious, and he had no doubt that she could and would follow through if it came to it. Stopping, he turned to look at her, again distressed that she would feel that she had to resort to such drastic measures.
“Sorry to shock you Jonah. I’m afraid none of the folks in this town know what the man is capable of, what he has already done to get where he is, and have what he has. Most of it stolen.” She explained.
"If you feel that it has come to that, I will back you...help you." He wasn't keen on murder, but he was wise enough to know that there were some people who were evil enough to need it, although he hated that someone like Leah would have to have that weighing on her soul.
“Thank you Jonah, but I can't have you involved in that. If it should come to it, I’ll act alone for what should be obvious reasons.” She said as the walked along. “You and Doc Boone would have to carry on with the project.”
"We'll have to do our best to see that it doesn't come to that, and if it does..." Well, they'd have to be sure that it didn't come back to her. None of this was worth her being hanged.
“Yes we will. Though that sort of thing appears to be a long way off, for the moment.” She said. “And, the situation may never come to the need to do away with Elias Steelgrave.”
Posted December 13, 2020 | Emeline Pike
“I’m sure findin’ some cowhands what played alla them instruments an’ sech would be easy enough. I mean, don’t they all?” Then he laughed. “We’ll make do ‘til we git us an orchestra of our own, runnin’ about the place, might take a bit, but it could be done.” He winked at her. Their future looked bright as anything, of course, the dark cloud that was the Steelgrave problem loomed ever-present for the foreseeable future. But then, life has a way of making the foreseeable that which never happens, and the unforeseeable that which your life becomes. The thought gave him pause.
"We'd have the most content stock in town!" Emeline laughed. "Perhaps I can learn to play fiddle." But then her nose wrinkled up. "I suppose it would be difficult to dance and fiddle at the same time, so I don't know what we'll do!" Well, maybe she could invest in a simple music box so they'd have something to dance to besides nothing!
"I suspect we won't have much leisure time for dancing for another twenty years or so, anyway, so we'd best take advantage of the chance while we can!" Between establishing and running a ranch, and (hopefully) children, they were going to be busy in the best way! "By the time we can dance we'll be needing those rocking chairs!"
Posted December 14, 2020 | Brendan Connolly
Clara had been to Philadelphia? Brendan blinked. "What'd you go to Phi-li-del-phi-i-a for?" His words came out a little jerkily because of the quick steps of the square dance they were doing. He knew square dances by heart and almost didn't need the caller to tell him what to do next...normally, that is. But he was having a harder time concentrating than he normally would.
Clara seemed bent on making him understand that she was not rich and nor was her family, even going on to talk about how the pretty dress she was wearing didn't belong to her. "This dress is not mine, my employer lent it to me."
"Who cares about who it belongs to?" he replied as he stuck his arm through hers and swung her around in a circle. "It looks good on you."
"May I say you look quite handsome yourself," she added, which elicited a smile from Brendan, who could never hear too many compliments about himself.
He pretended to look shocked, however, opening his mouth in mock surprise. "What's this? A compliment from Miss Redmond? For an Evergreen hand?" He couldn't keep up the act anymore and went back to grinning as they stepped in time with the music. "The world must be comin' to an end."
Retired Characters and NPC Writer.
Posted December 14, 2020 | Jay Ryker
The dance with Bridget had come very unexpected and he wasn't very happy about it because he was there for one woman only and it wasn't Bridget. Jay told himself he should really start mingling with the town folk more and make an effort, so he went along and did the fast dance with her, listening carefully what steps and turns were being called, so he wouldn't bump into anyone or look like a complete fool. It turned out to be fun and Jay actually worked up a bit of sweat while trying to keep up with the Miss and her wooden leg.
It was amazing how well she moved on it. He'd actually never seen anything like it and was proud to have his share until the dance neared the end and she suddenly held on to him.
Jay could feel the warmth radiate off her body and her hot breath tickled his ear while she bent down and claimed she had a screw loose.
"I wouldn't go that far. You're just very keen on dancing...." His brows shot up until he realized what she really meant, so he briefly bent down, too, getting on one knee to inspect the broken piece...right at the bottom of her skirt, which had to have looked worse to onlookers than what she had just done.
"I can't fix that here. I have no tools, I'm afraid. Maybe just sit the next few dances out. It'll hold for normal walking."
As he straighten up again, dropping the bottom of her skirt back down, he realized what he'd been doing and looked in Addy's direction. Hopefully she wasn't getting the wrong impression.
"Smokey! Sic em, boy, sic em!"
Posted December 15, 2020 | Nellie Miggans
Nellie Miggins had had quite enough of this here barn dance. Why, she’d been here half an hour, and not one young man had asked her for a dance. She’d decided that the whole affair was a dead loss and was going to high tail it, as soon as she’d found her grandson: not only to inform him of her departure, but to warn him again not to dance with any ‘fast’ girls, especially that Mudd creature from the saloon. At one point she had intended to suggest he ask that nice quiet and respectable Redmond girl for a dance, but then she’d noticed that even she was dolled up like a floozie tonight, showing enough bare skin to qualify as a savage, in her eyes. Morals and public decency was certainly going to the dogs around these parts.
While looking for Jacob as the last dance ended, she nearly fell over a feller who was on one knee in front of a ginger haired girl who was dressed up like a dogs dinner. As he rose, she had only one question for the man.
“Well, did she say yes?!”
Like one or two other onlookers, she assumed that the man was proposing marriage to the girl.
“You know she’s a cripple, don’t ya?” she asked. Not the poor girl’s fault, she supposed, but she did hate to see a man go to market to buy a dog in a basket and come back home with a pig in a poke.
As he came to his full height, though, and spoke in his peculiar accent, Granny Miggins’ eyes narrowed as some ungraspable memory tickled her brain.
“Say … don’t I know you from someplace?” she asked with more than a hint of suspicion in her voice.
Posted December 15, 2020 | Benjamin Barlow
Nodding, Addy grinned as she looked out at the floor. "Seems my interest is elsewise occupied, so I'd be pleased ta dance with ya."
"Thank you, " the officer smiled.
She hooked her arm into his, commenting as they strolled to the floor, "I'll warn ya, though, I'm fair better at drivin' horses than I am at twinkin' my toes." Her grin widened. "Though I can't say as I've done anyone any major damage...yet! 'Course, yer a soldier, so yer acquainted with danger!"
"Well, my training has not actually included dancing though I've picked up some of it along the way. And considering I fought in the late great unpleasantness and against the Indians, I reckon your dancing will be the least of my risks," he countered as they now readied for the music.
"Ready to live dangerously?" he then asked with a smile even as the music began and the pair took off in what was quite the lively bit of exercise to a jaunty tune.
Did they always do it right? Of course not but they didn't actually embarrass themselves either. Benjamin had to admit, he was glad he had decided to attend this here social affair.
Storyteller / Shared NPC
Posted December 15, 2020 | Wyatt Redmond
Weedy nodded, then muttered, "I cried when they told me about my Ma, too." Then he shrugged and sighed. "I don't even know if she's buried someplace."
Wyatt sympathized, "Sorry bout your ma. I'm sure they buried her though."
The conversation steered back to the present and future too. About girls. Not a topic Wyatt discussed much even though his father had recently pointed out he would change his thinking soon enough. Maybe.
"But you know, we're the ones who pick the girls so just don't pick one you don't like or think might be a bawl baby. Just pick a good one."
"Or none."
Sighing, Weedy shook his head. "Just seems like an awful lot of trouble. Guess we don't have to worry for a while anyway. And we'll have to get all our fun in now, before we have girls to tell us we can't!"
"I already got one girl who tells me what to do....a lot," scoffed Wyatt, though it never was as bad as he made out. His sister could be stern but she was also fair.
Wyatt pulled out another cookie and munched on it. Then eyes wide, he paused and pointed down to the dance floor.
"Why is that man looking under that lady's dress? Wait, that's Mr. Ryker!"
He was quite positive men (or boys) were not supposed to do that sort of thing!
Posted December 15, 2020 | Clara Redmond Lutz
"What'd you go to Phi-li-del-phi-i-a for?"
"We used to live just outside of Philadelphia when I was born," Clara informed him even as they executed all the necessary dance moves.
She had to admit this dress which was probably central in her getting to many compliments this dance was not hers, she owed it to Emeline, in her kindly employer and - dare she think it - sort of mother figure.
"Who cares about who it belongs to?" he replied as he stuck his arm through hers and swung her around in a circle. "It looks good on you."
"Well, I do not want you to think I am putting on pretenses, I am still just a plain old farm girl," Clara wanted him to understand.
It was nice of him to compliment her though and she promptly returned it declaring (sincerely) he himself looked quite handsome.
The cowboy looked shocked, however, opening his mouth in mock surprise. "What's this? A compliment from Miss Redmond? For an Evergreen hand?"
"So it seems!" she smiled .
Suddenly he went back to grinning as they stepped in time with the music. "The world must be comin' to an end."
"Well, I certainly hope not! Just when I am enjoying myself. Hopefully it will at least delay until after the dance is finished," Clara quipped right back.
Posted December 16, 2020 | Barnabas Pike
"We'd have the most content stock in town!" Emeline laughed. "Perhaps I can learn to play fiddle." But then her nose wrinkled up. "I suppose it would be difficult to dance and fiddle at the same time, so I don't know what we'll do!" Well, maybe she could invest in a simple music box so they'd have something to dance to besides nothing!
“Contented stock is one thing, contented folks , well, that’s what’s most important.” Maybe learnin’ ta play some instruments would be a good thing.” He had tinkered with the guitar on and off when he was in Texas, but not since. And if she was serious about the fiddle they could learn to play together as a pass time, maybe sing some songs as badly as he felt he sang.
"I suspect we won't have much leisure time for dancing for another twenty years or so, anyway, so we'd best take advantage of the chance while we can!" Between establishing and running a ranch, and (hopefully) children, they were going to be busy in the best way! "By the time we can dance we'll be needing those rocking chairs!"“Now see, there you go,” He chided, “see these folks all around? Ranchers, farmers and merchants, they all figgered a way to come have a time. We can do that to, childern or not, well, for a little bit anyways.” He grinned at her, “You’ll see, we’ll be here for the dances as they happen. Just you wait and see.”