Emeline Pike | Posted October 22, 2020
Present: Pronto, Clara, and Bridget
Emeline was a little intrigued at what Arabella was discussing so earnestly with the young man, but then turned her attention back to those closer to her, more than happy that the child was occupied elsewhere.
"I'm looking forward to the dancing, it's always a delight to see all the grand couples moving around the floor." At a fete like this, there was a wide range of couples with all manner if skill and experience, but everyone was there for fun, and the dancing was the best part!
But when Miss Bridget leaned in to whisper at Barnabas, she frowned. Oh, she wasn't jealous at all, but what the young woman was doing might be construed by some as inappropriate, and it rather surprised her that a girl who seemed so prim and concerned with appearances would make such a gaff.
Barnabas Pike | Posted October 23, 2020
Emeline was a little intrigued at what Arabella was discussing so earnestly with the young man, but then turned her attention back to those closer to her, more than happy that the child was occupied elsewhere.
"I'm looking forward to the dancing, it's always a delight to see all the grand couples moving around the floor." At a fete like this, there was a wide range of couples with all manner if skill and experience, but everyone was there for fun, and the dancing was the best part!
“Just be warned, possible I’d be steppin’ on yer toes, but we’ll giver ‘er a go an’ risk it. ‘Cept maybe the waltz. Might do a site better at them” He knew he wasn’t the best of dancer, though he’d been to many a fandango in Texas, which was far different than this affair.
But when Miss Bridget leaned in to whisper at Barnabas, she frowned. Oh, she wasn't jealous at all, but what the young woman was doing might be construed by some as inappropriate, and it rather surprised her that a girl who seemed so prim and concerned with appearances would make such a gaff.
Barnabas Pike | Posted October 23, 2020
"This is Miss Clara." She laughed, adding, "I wasn't sure you would recognize her in her pretty dress. And this is Bridget."
“Miss Clara, a pleasure.” He said with a slight bow. “Fact is, I might not’ve had you not introduced us. That’d be a change from what I’ve seen of you before. A right pleasant change I might add.”
"Nice to meet you, sir. Emeline always talks about you and it is always complimentary," Clara replied, "Thank you, well she provided the dress and bustle. Helped me fix up my hair so the compliments should go to her mostly."
"I hear you are going to be a rancher? Going to give up the deputy job then?" Clara inquired, just to be conversational as much as anything.
“No Ma’am, not my plan anyways.” He answered with a smile. “Well, long as Em here puts up with it. Like workin’ with Speed, uh, Marshal Guyer, and bein’ of service.”
Bridget observed the man carefully, her head cocked to one side as she took him in, chewing her bottom lip distractedly while the polite chit chat of the others carried on like so much background noise. Despite her internal block on speaking out loud, she was not as shy and scared of strangers as folk tended assume.
In fact, sometimes the opposite problem manifested itself. What she did next was not polite, it disrupted the niceties of convivial conversation, but to her, it seemed to need doing.
Bridget Monahan, walked boldly forward toward Mr. Pike, leaned in so that she was close enough to accidentally tickle his ear with her lips and whispered “I like your badge.”
Pronto jerked back unsure of what to do, eyes wide. “‘scuse me?”
She then stood back, looked at the tin star with its inscriptions and leaned in again, kissing close, and added “It’s shiny.”
Pronto leaned back a bit. “Yes ‘um she is that.” He responded, not quite sure what to make of this young lady.
Clara Redmond-Lutz | Posted October 23, 2020
Clara nodded as Pronto answered that he had no plans to give up the deputy job, "Oh, well I suppose as long as you handle both a town job and a ranch job at the same time."
Just then Bridget leaned in to whisper to the man, he seemed a bit disturbed...no, more puzzled by her. No doubt he had not run into her in town before. Clara couldn't hear what Bridget said but did get the man's answer.
“Yes ‘um she is that.”
Clara was quick to Bridget's defense, the poor thing was not quite normal and may well have been born that way. Most people seemed to notice but just in case...
"Bridget is a very unique special lady, Mr. Pike, you know," she declared then tried thru the look in her eyes and body language to get across the woman was not quite all there in the usual sense. Hopefully the man would catch on then.
Want... dolls!
Bridget Monahan | Posted October 23, 2020
[Present: Pronto, Emeline & Clara]
"Bridget is a very unique special lady, Mr. Pike, you know," she declared then tried thru the look in her eyes and body language to get across the woman was not quite all there in the usual sense. Hopefully the man would catch on then.
While Clara was busy defending her, the unique and special lady had picked up a nice big slice of pie from the virgin, untouched spread, and shoved it in her mouth. It was a success: a great deal of the filling didn’t end up on her chin and quite a few of the crumbs didn’t land on the front of her froo-froo dress. She wondered vaguely why nobody else was tucking in, it was delicious.
With her free hand, she pointed at Mr. Pike and whispered to Clara.
“I tol’ him I like his badge.” she explained, before taking another bite of the pie, chewing away as she stared mesmerized, at the lovely shiny, sparkly five pointed star. Occasionally, her eyes would flick up to Pronto’s, just to make sure he was still there and hadn’t sneaked off, then they would be inevitably be drawn back to the deputy’s badge. Maybe nobody had ever told her that it was rude to stare.
Emeline Pike | Posted October 24, 2020
[Present: Pronto, Bridget & Clara]
"Ah, yes, his badge is remarkable, isn't it?" Emeline smiled, reaching toward the badge but not actually touching it. "Mr. Pike spends hours polishing it!"
Of course, that wasn't true, but she was teasing, of course. "Oh, and I'm glad you like the pie!" Taking a cloth napkin, she gently dabbed at Bridget's chin, then mouth, hoping to keep the young lady from ruining her dress, especially before even having a chance to dance. She thought to offer a plate, but then decided against it, not wanting to make her feel awkward.
"Clara did most of the crusts, she has a good talent for making them nice and flaky. You should try a cookie, too." Less messy!
Clara Redmond-Lutz | Posted October 24, 2020
Present: Emeline, Pronto, Bridget
"So you liked that pie then?" Clara noted without breaking into a smile even though Bridget was quite a funny sight downing it like that.
Bridget then revealed what she had whispered to Pronto. Clara slowly nodded, "Oh that's good."
Emeline now reported the man spent hours polishing it. Of course Clara knew that to be just a joke but wondered if Bridget might take it seriously. Emeline kindly dabbed the young lady's chin while complimenting the crusts Clara did.
"We worked together as a team on that. I got my love of baking from my mother when I got to help her bake things as a child," Clara quickly explained.
"You should try a cookie, too." suggested Emeline
Matilda Devereau | Posted October 24, 2020
Matilda had spent a few minutes chatting with a couple of the town's businessmen mostly small talk about the warm weather, how people were pouring into the dance, that sort of thing. She didn't expect to have a whole lot of conversations with most of the womenfolk, leastwise the proper ones. Those sort of folks did not take to her line of work and would look down upon 'saloon' sorts. No matter, she didn't much care.
She was about to go check out the baked goods tables to the one side of the barn when in trooped the soldier boys, all of them looking quite fancy and dignified in their dress blues. The colonel stood out among them, his blonde hair probably. He did look quite striking. She had to wonder if he was actually serious about following thru on his talk about dancing with her. Guess she would soon find out.
A glance over toward the little stage where the makeshift band was gathering confirmed that they were almost ready to begin with some music. The young woman was quite pleased with the way how things were turning out so far, it looked like the dance was going to be a success.
Brendan Connolly | Posted October 24, 2020
Present: Arabella
“I’m sorry. I know I get a little carried away, sometimes. I should … I shouldn’t go interferin’ in other folks business and tellin’ ‘em what to do. It’s just … since my Papa died, I guess I just feel like I need to be part of things, I’m… I’m real sorry.”
Oh, Lordy, now she was crying! Brendan looked around, hoping desperately no one would notice. He had to get her to stop crying before someone thought he was being mean to her - or worse, being too forward with her.
"Arabella...Arabella...hey..." He used the voice he used for spooked horses, speaking softly and high in his throat. He even ventured to reach out and touch her arm gently. But then, all of a sudden, Arabella wasn't crying anymore. She was laughing!
"See… it’s easy to pretend your sorry without really meanin’ it!” she laughed. It ain’t even lying: that’s called ‘acting’!”
Brendan withdrew his hand, startled. He had never seen anyone switch emotions so quickly. Well, maybe a few saloon girls, but not a gal as young as Arabella. His frustration surfaced again. He should have just asked Clara for a dance and not bothered with introductions.
Arabella apparently knew the correct way to say rudeness, and thought herself above him for knowing it.
“Huh! ‘Rude things like that’! Why you mean Rudifications. Why, you’re pretty chuckleheaded for a Southerner. Listen, bein’ rude’s all right, you just have to say it so it don’t sound rude, that’s called rudifications. Like sayin’ ‘Pardon my intrusion, Mam!’ or ‘It’s so rude of me to interrupt. But I just gotta tell you about this…’ See? You tell ‘em you’re bein’ rude, and that makes it sound polite! Easy-peasy!”
He had to admit, Arabella had a point. But he really, really, really didn't want to apologize to Clara. He tugged on his suspenders and gnawed on his lower lip. "Ohhhh...all right," he said finally, giving her a defeated look. "I'll go apologize to her if you'll put in a good word for me so I can get her for a dance or two."
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
Arabella Mudd | Posted October 24, 2020
[Effecting a junction between Pronto, Emeline, Clara, Brendan & Arabella/Bridget]
He tugged on his suspenders and gnawed on his lower lip. "Ohhhh...all right," he said finally, giving her a defeated look. "I'll go apologize to her if you'll put in a good word for me so I can get her for a dance or two."
Arabella gave a squeak of delight that the handsome cow puncher had seen sense and agreed to do exactly what she said, and in a transport of delight flung her arms around him. Maybe he had brains, as well as looks, after all! She untangled herself and thrust her arm through his: in part to lead him back to Clara (he might yet make a bolt for it, like an unbroken colt) but also as a symbol that they were in this together: he would do his part and she would do hers.
There was another person at the pie table now, and he was wearing a badge. Suddenly the penny dropped: that must be Ms Emeline’s beau! She thought she was getting hitched to that ancient scraggily grey haired Sherriff, this feller looked much more presentable! “I’ll take care of the rudifications!” she told Brendan, that way, he could concentrate on the apologies.
As they approached, she could hear Clara talking to a pie-stained Bridget, who was being dabbed clean by Ms Em.
"We worked together as a team on that. I got my love of baking from my mother when I got to help her bake things as a child," Clara quickly explained.
As if Bridget wasn’t being ‘unique and special’ enough already, Clara’s mention of her late mother drew the gaze of odd ginger lass away from the pretty farm-girl’s face and to a place, or rather a space, just to the right and behind of Clara’s head. She grinned with a look of recognition at the space and then back at Clara with those wide, hardly blinking blue eyes, smiling again in a sort of quiet comforting way, and nodded.
"You should try a cookie, too." suggested Emeline.
Bridget picked up a big one, and now stood holding half a slice of pie in one hand and a cookie in the other, wondering which one to eat next.
Pronto looked like he was about to speak, but Arabella got there ‘fustest with the mostest’.
“Pardon my intrusion Marshall!” she blurted out “But Mr. Connelly here’s got somethin’ to say to Clara here, and if he don’t bust it out now he never will!”
Bridget didn’t take her eyes off Brendan while she shoved the cookie in her mouth and chewed off a big bite.