Posted December 29, 2020 | Brendan Connolly
"Ahh, I see," Clara replied. She took the cup of punch and thanked him, so Brendan turned to get one for himself.
"Harder for me? How so, if I might ask?"
He turned back and studied her face, trying to look for signs that she was trying to catch him saying something disparaging about her. But women were harder to read than animals, and Clara was harder to read than most women Brendan had spent time with. They all wore their feelings on their sleeves - or at least a set of feelings. He supposed saloon girls must have hidden feelings, too.
After sipping his punch to give himself time to think of an answer, he replied with only the barest hint of caution, "'Cause you have to get asked to dance and I don't." He suddenly realized in an uncharacteristic flash of self-reflection that that might have sounded boastful.
He was distracted by the sight of Bridget talking to (or not talking to) an army officer over Clara's shoulder. Army men weren't always nice men for nice girls like Bridget to be around, and Brendan almost wanted to swoop over and pull Bridget away from the man. But then Clara would feel snubbed, likely, so he didn't.
"Uh...which brings me back to what you said earlier. Why didn't you think nobody'd ask you to dance? You're all done up like a princess, almost."
Want... dolls!
Posted December 30, 2020 | Bridget Monahan
"Oh excuse me, guess these things can happen sometime in a crowded situation like this," he shrugged and smiled at her.
She smiled back in her usual frank and ingenuous manner. She stepped up to whisper in his ear, raising herself slightly on her good foot.
“That lady made … the pies.” She informed him and pointed to Emeline and nodded in confirmation of what she’d just told him.
She followed this with a total non sequitur, telling the tough Army Captain “I can dance … slow ‘uns.” In his shell-like ear.
She liked this Army man with his exotic uniform clothes, his shiny shoulder straps and buttons and most of all his bristly black moustache and beard. Problem was with Bridget, when she found someone interesting or attractive in any way, she tended to just stare at them in a most unnerving way: wide eyed and sometimes open mouthed (although Mr. Crabbe often admonished her ‘If’n you gotta goggle at folks, at least keep your trap shut while you do it!’ which at least ameliorated her habit a little on this occasion).
So, the ginger haired girl just stood there staring, quite happily, at Captain B.T. Barlow, United states Cavalry, as he finished his slice of pie.
Posted December 30, 2020 | Barnabas Pike
"Wait just a bit, I don't want to disturb her." She nodded to Clara. "She's so unsure of herself when it comes to boys. I suppose I never had to worry about that, Andrew and I were friends since grammar school, so I never had much to worry about boys in general." She smiled widely. "And then you just stumbled into my life like the silly cowboy you are...I've been blessed."
“A shame, nice looking young lady.” Barnabas said as they paused. “Going to make a baker out of her, are you? Seems to me she has the knack for it, maybe not as good as you, but then you’ve had practice.” He chuckled a bit at his own humor.
“The young man, seems to have her attention, an’ perty much that’s a good thing, I’d say. A bit self-conscious maybe, but it looks to me like it’s goin’ just fine, well, from here it does.” He looked at her a long moment and added, “Don’t know about you bein’ blessed, but I’d say I surely have been.”
Posted December 30, 2020 | Leah Steelgrave
He nodded. "You are right, she would be an asset, she isn't intimidated by anything, and her freight business could be of use. Perhaps we could even have some sort of ambulance?"
“Yes, Addy Chapple would be an integral part of the hospital and the orphanage when the time comes, that is for certain.” Her eyes got a bit bigger. An ambulance, as they had during the war and in the larger cities. “Fantastic Jonah! Utterly fantastic! And there are other things that this town needs, no, requires. A fire department, but that is for someone else to propose. I shall stay with our two projects, they will be big enough, to be sure.” Her excitement began to wane a bit as she thought of the other things that wold be required before to very long.
Well, mostly that was just a glorified freight wagon anyway, so that would be simple. "As for orphans..." he chuckled, "she can teach them the more base things such as working with animals and swaggering!" Leah and Addy would certainly be an odd combination.
“There is so much that can be done with the right people in place, especially with the orphanage. People will make all the difference. The care for them must be of the highest caliber. Some of the horror stories out of the east cannot be repeated out here. No. People just like Addy is what we need, not some headmaster that lives by corporal punishment as a means to an end, but education, training as they get older so that they have a chance in life. Have a trade, abilities to care for themselves properly. Oh Jonah, if we can just get past the people that want to keep Kalispell small and behind the times.”
Storyteller / Shared NPC
Posted December 30, 2020 | Wyatt Redmond
"Too bad every meal isn't a party!" Weedy laughed as he filled his plate, then followed Wyatt to one of the long tables set up around the perimeter of the hall.
"No, not really then we'd all be fat and I don't wanna get fat," Wyatt declared in all seriousness. He well recalled old Mr. Horngold who could barely walk twenty feet without being out of breath and he had been wide as a house.
"I don't even know why anyone would want to eat liver anyway," Weedy commented, then taking a big bite of the beef. "Thish ish sho goo', why hav' liver?"
"They say it's good for ya but you ever notice how everything they claim is good for ya doesn't taste good," Wyatt sagely pointed out.
After swallowing, he then continued, "I don't even know where they get liver from? I know it's supposed to be beef liver, but how can something so awful come from a cow?"
"Oh, it's from the guts of the cow, I watched once when they butchered a cow. Clara said it would ruin my appetite to watch but I did it anyhow and I had no trouble eating lunch later. I butchered a chicken once and they got livers too. Well, actually I just lopped it's head off and then Clara took to gutting it. She uses the chicken liver and kidneys for putting in stuffing. It's all ground up and it's good in the stuffing," Wyatt was a regular font of knowledge when it came to livers.
Posted December 30, 2020 | Clara Redmond Lutz
"Harder for me? How so, if I might ask?" Clara was curious, worried that might just be a crack on her looks.
He took a sip of the punch before answering, "'Cause you have to get asked to dance and I don't."
His answer was a reasonable one and Clara nodded, "Oh right, that makes sense. We ladies are dependent upon the mens' initiative."
"Uh...which brings me back to what you said earlier. Why didn't you think nobody'd ask you to dance? You're all done up like a princess, almost."
"Do you think it is too much? I had my doubts but Emeline was confident it would do the trick if she did my hair and dressed me in this fine dress. So I trusted to her experience with men and agreed," Clara even surprised herself by asking for HIS opinion on the matter but it was out now. He did not seem the type to varnish the truth, leastwise as he saw it.
Retired Characters and NPC Writer.
Posted January 1, 2021 | Jay Ryker
Jay was in no mood to go drinking with Crabbe. If he couldn't be dancing with the woman he truly cared for, he surely wouldn't be knocking back shots with the old man, who seemed truly worried about Bridget.
"She's a big girl. Bridget is quite good at taking care of herself, I reckon. She's having fun...dancing....chatting...you know. Go join her. I'm sure she wouldn't mind."
He drew his jacket closer around himself and looked back towards the street where he heard jolly music and peoples chatter. Everyone was having a good time, everyone, who deserved it.
"I must be on my way home now, Mr. Crabbe. Early morning tomorrow."
Posted January 1, 2021 | Jonah Danforth
“Yes, Addy Chapple would be an integral part of the hospital and the orphanage when the time comes, that is for certain.” Her eyes got a bit bigger. An ambulance, as they had during the war and in the larger cities. “Fantastic Jonah! Utterly fantastic! And there are other things that this town needs, no, requires. A fire department, but that is for someone else to propose. I shall stay with our two projects, they will be big enough, to be sure.”
"You are right on both counts about a fire department," Jonah commented. "As the town grows, we'll need something more organized than just a bucket brigade, and yes, that can be someone else's problem." He grinned. "Isn't that why we have a town council?" It might keep them occupied.
“There is so much that can be done with the right people in place, especially with the orphanage. People will make all the difference. The care for them must be of the highest caliber. Some of the horror stories out of the east cannot be repeated out here. No. People just like Addy is what we need, not some headmaster that lives by corporal punishment as a means to an end, but education, training as they get older so that they have a chance in life. Have a trade, abilities to care for themselves properly. Oh Jonah, if we can just get past the people that want to keep Kalispell small and behind the times.”
"Of course, if we are to have an orphanage it will not be just a place for them to stay," he agreed, "it will have the best environment we can give them, school and whatnot." Finding them good homes would be the best outcome, but there was no promise of that, although the love and nurturing they'd need would be more difficult in a group setting manned by employees, regardless of how kind they were.
As for the town growing, he wasn't really too keen on that. "We do need to keep up with what is going on in the bigger cities, but I really am not eager for Kalispell to get too large. The current leaders are bad enough, but once it gets bigger..." he shook his head, "so do the egos."
Posted January 1, 2021 | Benjamin Barlow
"That lady made … the pies.” the young lady informed him and pointed to Emeline and nodded.
Benjamin nodded back with a smile, "Well she certainly did a fine job of it. It is delicious. "
But that seemed to be all the strange lady had for conversation then, she just looked up at him smiling as she did seem almost entranced by him. Or was it the uniform? Well, someone had to say something and it was a dance afte rall.
"I say ....miss....seems like they are about ready to play another number. May I ask you for a dance?" he suddenly decided.
"By the way, I am Captain Barlow but you can just call me Benjamin, I'm not on duty right now," he added in that calm relaxed tone of voice of his.
Posted January 2, 2021 | Leah Steelgrave
She laughed. “You’re probably right about the egos. And there will be a bunch of folks from God knows where trying to run the town. Yes, you’re right, from the frying pan into the fire.” She added.
“The point is, it’s progress. Of course who knows how long it will take the railroad to come through here, it might be years off, but the need for a hospital, that will be the sooner the better. People just don’t realize that as yet, but, they will. That, my dear Jonah, is why we will build it first.”
“Now, since we’ve solved the town’s problems, perhaps we should go back inside and join the festivities. You know, wives to meet, others to socialize with, that sort of thing.”