Posted December 19, 2020 | Jonah Danforth
“Consider this, what’s really in it for Robinson and the others? A moment of what, fame? Overpowering a woman with audacity to try to give something to her community? Something that will prosper the town? They will take credit for the railroad, I’m sure, they are concocting a way to do that. I could care less about credit, I want to build the hospital and the orphanage, they can have the glory for all I care, it will do nothing for the sick or orphaned.”
If there was a way, Jonah would see that at least one of the institutions was named after her, so that even years in the future people would know she was responsible for them. But then it occurred to him that she might very well fight that idea, and he wouldn't do it without her approval.
"We can name them after you," he suggested, looking at her with a smile, "or perhaps after someone important to you? Your mother?" She hadn't really spoken of her mother, and he hoped that he hadn't crossed a line...there was a possibility that she wasn't on any better terms with her mother than with the rest of her family.
Posted December 20, 2020 | Emeline Pike
“Turn of the Century? If that don’t sound ominous I ain’t sure what does. “at’s fightin’ shy of thirty years, well, be twenty-four to be exact.” Which gave him pause. “That’d be nineteen hunder’d, reckon we’d have us a brood by then, growed an’ gone. Maybe not all, but some. An’ them all playin’ music, why, that’d be right special, wouldn’t it?”
"Indeed, three generations to ring in the twentieth century! Well, the third will be playing rattles, but I'm sure there will be plenty of us!" It was a good feeling to contemplate on a perfect future, although she knew full-well that fate could intervene in a heartbeat and dreams could dissolve.
But fretting on that was no way to live. Sure, you could be wary and take precautions, but to let the fear rule you made life not really worth living.
“Dance Miss Blakesley, while I can still call you that?”
"I'd be honored, Mr. Pike, it will be good practice for our wedding, so I don't make a fool out of myself." Smiling brightly, she walked with him to the floor, then joined him in the lively dance.
Want... dolls!
Posted December 20, 2020 | Bridget Monahan
"I was just trying to fix her fake leg."
Bridget wasn’t too sure what the fuss was all about; the old lady seemed slightly aggressive in her questioning, but Jay seemed defensive in the extreme, and she did what she could to weigh in on her friend’s side. Unfortunately, given her limitations, this only consisted of her pointing down to the offending article and nodding.
“You know she’s a cripple, don’t ya?” Wow, this old lady had no shame.
"I am aware, mam." Jay replied, ready to leave the dance floor, hopefully without being discovered.
He waved a quick bye-bye to her and she automatically returned it, but with a frown on her face which summed up her lack of comprehension and her concern that Jay was under attack of some sort by the curmudgeonly old battle-axe.
No such luck, though. While he said goodbye to Bridget, the old woman suddenly asked.
“Say … don’t I know you from someplace?”
Walking away backwards from someone was never a good look on anybody (although keeping company with someone like Lorenzo Crabbe, she had learned to do it quite deftly, despite her false limb) and Jay’s face bore all the faux-concentration and slight nod of someone who wasn’t comfortable with lying, someone who couldn’t do it glibly like Crabbe.
"I helped you after the storm. " He flat out lied, hoping that she would be just as easily fooled as most others.
Mrs Miggins’ eyes narrowed in disbelief: she had the eyes of a hawk and the memory of an elephant. She knew exactly who had been in that Church hall that night while she’d tended the injured, at the same time as admonishing the ones who were whimpering and carrying on. She recognized a great many people in this very barn from that makeshift hospital, and he wasn’t one of them.
Nellie Miggins raised an accusing finger.
“I don’t rememb…”
Bridget pretended to stumble forward and touched the old woman on the shoulder, which brought forth a howl of protest and an admonition to “Don’t go coming out here on that peg leg, girl, if’n ya can’t keep upright! Y’nearly had me over!” but at least it gave Jay a second to get in his goodbyes before the old girl got too nosey.
Then he tipped his hat to her and Bridget. "Have a nice evening."
The ginger haired girl deliberately stepped in front of the grandmother to wave him off and by the time she had rounded the obstacle, it was too late for her to interrogate the Englishman further. She peered at Bridget accusingly.
“Don’t bother sniffin’ around that feller, girl! Like most men, he’ll be wantin’ a woman with two arms and two legs!” she spat, before stomping off to look for Jacob. Bridget didn’t mind. Mr. Ryker was just a good friend, and one she got a warm feeling from helping, paying back a little the great favor he had done for her. But what the spiteful old woman had said hit her painfully in the heart when she thought of Brendan, whom she now turned to see laughing and chatting with the beautiful, clever, and four-limbed Clara Redmond.
Posted December 20, 2020 | Barnabas Pike
"Indeed, three generations to ring in the twentieth century! Well, the third will be playing rattles, but I'm sure there will be plenty of us!" It was a good feeling to contemplate on a perfect future, although she knew full-well that fate could intervene in a heartbeat and dreams could dissolve.
“Three generations?” He asked, “Hadn’t ever thought about it that way. “Our kids,” Already thinking of several children, “Our grandkids, and our great-grandkids. Not too bad for a man what never looked much passed taday. Reckon tem rockin’ chairs’ll come in right handy.” Then he paused a moment to reflect on three generations.
But fretting on that was no way to live. Sure, you could be wary and take precautions, but to let the fear rule you made life not really worth living.
“Dance Miss Blakesley, while I can still call you that?”
"I'd be honored, Mr. Pike, it will be good practice for our wedding, so I don't make a fool out of myself." Smiling brightly, she walked with him to the floor, then joined him in the lively dance.
So it was, her and him having a great time at the community dance, doing their best at the callers directions, seemingly without a care in the world. It was about them at that time and place.
Posted December 20, 2020 | Leah Steelgrave
"We can name them after you," he suggested, looking at her with a smile, "or perhaps after someone important to you? Your mother?" She hadn't really spoken of her mother, and he hoped that he hadn't crossed a line...there was a possibility that she wasn't on any better terms with her mother than with the rest of her family.
Leah looked at Jonah, almost taken aback, then laughed again. “I’m sorry Jonah, you must think me a very rude woman. How touching of you to consider naming them after me, but no, I could no accept having either with the Steelgrave name emblazoned on them. And my mother, heavens no! She is as bad as my father, and has left him this past winter. No, it would simply not be right after all the harm my family has done in the area.”
Suddenly it came to her, “Kalispell Community Hospital!” She blurted out, smiling brightly, “And,” she continued, “Kalispell Home For Children.” Her eyes seemed to twinkle at the revelation of the names. “And a plaque should be mounted at the entrance with the names of the fist Medical Directors and such. Yes, that’s how we shall do it!”
Posted December 20, 2020 | Benjamin Barlow
The music ended to polite applause from the dancers and the woman thanked him for the dance, which he immediately reciprocated, "Thank you for agreeing. It was fun."
The floor now began to clear as they headed back toward where they had been standing.
"Ya wanna get some cookies or pie?" she asked him, "Miz Emeline's a right good cook..."
"I certainly would not turn down a slice of pie. Certainly, let's see what is available," he then followed her toward the table with the bakery.
"I don't know this Miss Emeline but I'll take your word for it," the officer smiled.
Posted December 20, 2020 | Clara Redmond
Brendan grinned at her remark about the end of the world waiting at least until after the dance. So she could make people smile, Clara was heartened by that. Even she would admit she seldom indulged in levity, being far too practical for such silliness.
"Were you not enjoyin' yourself with Charlie Wentworth earlier? He step on your feet or somethin'?" he then asked her even they continued to dance, him sliding one arm around her waist and grabbing her hand as they promenaded around their square.
Now in truth Clara had plenty of reasons to find fault with Charlie in the past but on this evening, he had certainly behaved himself. Plus it did not seem proper to bad mouth the man to Brendan.
"Well, I did enjoy dancing with him. Just as I am enjoying dancing with you," she replied, although it wasn't easy to converse during a lively dance such as this.
That issue soon ended as the music faded and this particular dance was done to a round of applause from the grateful dancers, including Clara who paused to clap. Then the pair headed off the dance floor.
"He did not step on my feet, he surprised me at how well he danced to be honest. Just as you did, I must compliment you on how well you did," she finished up on her interrupted answer.
"Thank you for asking me to dance. I confess that - prior to the dance - I was quite worried that maybe the entire evening would go by and no boy....excuse me, man ... would even take enough interest in me to ask," she admitted.
Storyteller / Shared NPC
Posted December 21, 2020 | Wyatt Redmond
"Jay?" Frowning, Weedy searched all the bodies below them, looking for that specific one, then his eyes widened when he spotted the man...and the girl. "What's he doing?"
"Looking under that woman's dress," Wyatt thought it quite obvious, though why...no clue.
"He was dancing with her..."
"I wasn't payin' attention to 'em honestly," Wyatt had to admit.
"Maybe he wants to marry her?"
"Don't think that's how to do it though...." Wyatt was convinced men weren't supposed to be doing something like that to women.
Then Miz Miggins started railing about something, but Weedy couldn't hear exactly what. "Oh, maybe she wants him to marry her?"
Wyatt frowned at the sight of the old woman, she was widely known as being a crabby old bat and he didn't like her.
"Maybe but seems to me that ain't none of her business," Wyatt reasoned.
Jay walked off then old lady Miggins leaving the red haired lady by herself then. So another dance over, Wyatt wondered just how long this whole thing would last? It was kinda boring.
"Hey, did you get yourself a plate of the roast beef yet? I ain't. Wait....I haven't," he tried to self correct, even though his sister was not there to hear mangle the language.
"We should go have some," he suggested, cookies were delicious alright but he was still hungry and roast beef was not something he had a whole lot but sure was tasty. The only real good thing about this dance was the food afterall.
Posted December 21, 2020 | Jonah Danforth
“I’m sorry Jonah, you must think me a very rude woman. How touching of you to consider naming them after me, but no, I could no accept having either with the Steelgrave name emblazoned on them. And my mother, heavens no! She is as bad as my father, and has left him this past winter. No, it would simply not be right after all the harm my family has done in the area.”
"Forgive me." He wouldn't feel pity for her, she had none for herself, and he was fairly certain that she wouldn't appreciate it. "I'd suggest we name it after my own dear mother, since I may as well have been an orphan, but I don't think she would have appreciated the irony."
Suddenly it came to her, “Kalispell Community Hospital!” She blurted out, smiling brightly, “And,” she continued, “Kalispell Home For Children.” Her eyes seemed to twinkle at the revelation of the names. “And a plaque should be mounted at the entrance with the names of the fist Medical Directors and such. Yes, that’s how we shall do it!”
"I don't know that a plaque is necessary, but you are right about the name." Grinning, Jonah nodded. "Best to have the town name in it, so there is no question as to where it is, and it will bring pride to the town." More than opera and grange halls, institutions that provided for the basic needs of a community were key to the degree of 'civilization' a place had.
Posted December 22, 2020 | Weedy
"Just had the cookies." Weedy shrugged, then grinned. He was stuffed full of cookies, but that wouldn't stop him from eating more, and besides, beef that wasn't in a stew was actually a treat. "But sure, I like roast beef, and then we can have dessert again!" After all, it was free, right?
He scrambled down the ladder after Wyatt and navigated his way across the floor to the table with the more savory food. Not only was there roast beef, but there was pork, potatoes, a few casseroles, plenty to fill a boy's stomach!
"I'm going to try a little of everything, I think," Weedy declared. "There's enough people here, I don't think anyone's going to notice if we don't clean our plates." He'd eat most anything, but there had been a couple things he'd come across that just weren't any good. "Well, except if there's liver...that can stay!"