Posted January 29, 2021 | Clara Redmond Lutz
“So, when you go swimming, you have to…” Jacob didn't finish.
“Oh, you wear your, without the, er…”
Clara didn't want to interrupt.
“Pies!” he shouted suddenly.
"What?" Clara was completely broadsided by that odd conclusion.
“Er, you and Ms blakely make an awful lot of different types of pies, huh?” Jacob sure changed subjects fast there.
"Yes, we do. The customers like them and we make a decent profit too," she assured him.
“I mean, never mind the pies. Er.. Say Clara! Do you ever get stray cattle straying on your land and ruining your crops?”
My, the boy was certainly all over the place what with clothing worn for swimming to pie baking to cattle ruining crops?
"On occasion, yes, but I dealt with it," she wasn't about to tell him the long drawn out confrontation she had that time with Shade and his wandering steers.
"Yes, Dear"
Posted January 30, 2021 | Jacob Lutz
“I mean, never mind the pies. Er.. Say Clara! Do you ever get stray cattle straying on your land and ruining your crops?”
"On occasion, yes, but I dealt with it," she wasn't about to tell him the long drawn out confrontation she had that time with Shade and his wandering steers.
Phew, this talk of straying cattle was having a nice calming effect on Jacob’s uncomfortable protrusion, also it gave him the chance to offer to do something nice for Clara and her family.
“Oh, I can imagine you’d be able to deal with just about any unwanted intrusion.” He said, remembering his failed attempt to kiss her.
“But we get all sorts of steers roaming all over our crops, trampling and eating the stuff, so my Granny’s bought a load of this new barbed wire stuff to keep them out: she says there’s a feller who owes us a favour who’s going to come and help me put it up; it’s a two man job.”
In case Clara was wondering ‘so what?’ he quickly hurried to the part that might interest her.
“Anyhow, Granny being Granny, she bought twice as much as we need; you might want to ask your Pa if he’d be interested in the stuff: he could have it for next to nothing and I could help him put it up. Well, no hurry to find out, but you might mention it to him sometime.”
Now, Jacob was being a little arch here: it was actually a good offer, but from a more selfish point of view, it would be good to have more than one farmer using the stuff which was already causing howls of outrage from cattle ranchers up and down the country; also, it might give Jacob a nice opportunity to see Clara again, if she was around the Redmond place when they were putting up the fences.
She might not think much of the idea: but ‘nothing ventured; nothing gained’ as the old adage ran.
Posted January 30, 2021 | Clara Redmond Lutz
“Oh, I can imagine you’d be able to deal with just about any unwanted intrusion.”
"You can huh? I shall take that as a compliment," Clara nodded.
“But we get all sorts of steers roaming all over our crops, trampling and eating the stuff, so my Granny’s bought a load of this new barbed wire stuff to keep them out: she says there’s a feller who owes us a favour who’s going to come and help me put it up; it’s a two man job.”
"Barbwire? Really?" that surprised her, that invention was very controversial and almost universally hated by ranchers.
"Anyhow, Granny being Granny, she bought twice as much as we need; you might want to ask your Pa if he’d be interested in the stuff: he could have it for next to nothing and I could help him put it up. Well, no hurry to find out, but you might mention it to him sometime.”
"Oh no, we do not want that. I am absolutely certain my father would refuse. We are directly between two of the most powerful spreads in Montana and erecting such a barrier would anger both of them. We have no desire to prod them with such behavior," Clara already did know her father's answer.
"Things are bad enough now as it is. Why it wasn't that long ago that one of the Evergreen hands tried to kill me. He took a shot at me while I was in the act of putting up washing on the line. Fortunately for me he was a bad shot," she revealed.
"So thank you, Jacob, for the generous offer but sorry, we do not want barbwire," she hoped the tone of her voice added a finality to the answer.
"Yes, Dear"
Posted January 31, 2021 | Jacob Lutz
"Oh no, we do not want that. I am absolutely certain my father would refuse. We are directly between two of the most powerful spreads in Montana and erecting such a barrier would anger both of them. We have no desire to prod them with such behavior," Clara already did know her father's answer.
Jacob didn’t seem particularly bothered by Clara’s outright refusal on her father’s behalf. He just shrugged with a nonchalant “Well, offer’s there.” But there was something else Clara had to say, and something that was harder for the young farmhand to listen to.
"Things are bad enough now as it is. Why it wasn't that long ago that one of the Evergreen hands tried to kill me. He took a shot at me while I was in the act of putting up washing on the line. Fortunately for me he was a bad shot," she revealed.
Jacob just stood and stared at this intelligence, his face turning a sort of livid white color.
"So thank you, Jacob, for the generous offer but sorry, we do not want barbwire," she hoped the tone of her voice added a finality to the answer.
He nodded. The initial fury at what he had just heard coming under control.
“We sorta have the same problem. Evergreen won’t pay compensation for ruined crops, even tried to threaten Granny when she demanded it. Well, they don’t know Granny. I reckon she’s putting up this wire to actually bring on a fight!” he revealed. “The other day she had me climb upon the roof and practice taking pot-shots at one of the scarecrows in the fields. Lost Lake aren’t so bad, at least they haven’t tried to drive us off our land: but compensation? Not one red cent.”
He hadn't particularly liked the idea of sitting up there like a sniper in the war, blowing the heads off Evergreen ranch-hands, but after what Clara had told him, he now relished the idea. He was just about to jaw on some more about this hot topic, when Arabella appeared. For some reason, she had a wilted looking flower stuck in her hair and a big beer stain on her apron.
“Oh, there you are!” she yelped “Clara, your Pa’s looking for you! He’s awful worried about you. I told him you’d had to go to the ‘Little Girl’s Room' – you know, fer a big ‘un! Reckoned that would buy you some time.”
Lutz had to stifle a laugh at this. “What about me, Reb? Where’d you tell ‘em I was?” he asked.
“Oh, no one was bothered about where you were, Hayseed!” she informed him, in no uncertain terms.
Jacob looked down sadly at Clara.
“Guess we’d better head back.” He suggested, and then offered his arm again, hoping that she had forgiven him enough after his earlier slip, and would take it for the walk back to the barn.
Posted January 31, 2021 | Clara Redmond Lutz
Jacob was not offended by her refusal on the barbwire offer. He was just being nice but Clara already knew that her father would not take up the offer, simply way too risky. Their farm was already in a precarious enough position, surrounded by cattle ranches.
"Your granny should stop and think that her welcoming a fight not only involves her but you, her grandson, and I am sorry but that just seems irresponsible of her," Clara was usually quite free with her opinions.
That's where the conversation ended as who other than Arabella had found them. Honestly, she had nothing on hunting hounds Clara thought, rather uncharitably.
“Oh, there you are!” she yelped “Clara, your Pa’s looking for you! He’s awful worried about you. I told him you’d had to go to the ‘Little Girl’s Room' – you know, fer a big ‘un! Reckoned that would buy you some time.”
"Arabella, that is so disgusting," Clara made a face.
Lutz had to stifle a laugh at this. “What about me, Reb? Where’d you tell ‘em I was?” he asked.
“Oh, no one was bothered about where you were, Hayseed!” she informed him, in no uncertain terms.
Jacob looked down sadly at Clara.
“Guess we’d better head back.” He suggested, and then offered his arm again, hoping that she had forgiven him enough after his earlier slip, and would take it for the walk back to the barn.
Oh gosh, she could not take his arm in front of Arabella, she could no more keep a secret than a cow could recite Shakespeare. Plus if her father sawing walking back arm in arm with some boy. She definitely wanted to be able to see Jacob more and it would not do to get her father's back up.
"No, not now," she just whispered, he should be smart enough to figure it out.
As they were walking back and Arabella was further ahead, always the impatient one, she glanced to the gangly boy.
"I would like it very much if we were to see each other again. Soon," she got right to it as the barn wasn't that far away.
"Yes, Dear"
Posted February 1, 2021 | Jacob Lutz
“Your granny should stop and think that her welcoming a fight not only involves her but you, her grandson, and I am sorry but that just seems irresponsible of her," Clara was usually quite free with her opinions.
Jacob nodded and shrugged at the same time. “She’s wrong, but she’s strong. I don’t mind strong women. Some fellers are afraid of them, but I like them.” He said, contemplating the chestnut-haired girl.
Then Arabella appeared, and their first encounter came to a close.
“Guess we’d better head back.” He suggested, and then offered his arm again, hoping that she had forgiven him enough after his earlier slip, and would take it for the walk back to the barn.
"No, not now," she just whispered, he should be smart enough to figure it out.
Lutz tried to be philosophical about it. It had seemed to be going quite well, too, after his stumbling attempt to kiss her; they had some things in common, she was interesting, serious, sure about herself, funny (not always intentionally, it had to be said) intelligent. He hoped that he wasn’t a complete dud in her eyes, but … well. Did ‘not now’ really mean ‘never?’
But as the Rebel skipped off ahead of them, the neat little Miss, in her borrowed party dress and her carefully curled ringlets, turned and rescued his heart.
"I would like it very much if we were to see each other again. Soon," she got right to it as the barn wasn't that far away.
He turned at looked down into that beautiful round face and those serious brown eyes, under that brow that seemed to always wear a slight, sad frown.
“I was about to say something about seeing you every time I look up at the fair moon shining in the sky. But I’m willing to change my ways to suit you, Clara Redmond: so perhaps I’ll just stick to a simple… ‘me too’.” He smiled, putting the poetry to one side and just stating the simple fact.
Kisses or no kisses, arms embraced or far apart, he would surely count the minutes until their next fond meeting.
For one endless, still, moment, he stood silently: lost in the endless depths of her eyes.
“Come on, slow-coaches!” came Arabella’s shout from somewhere up ahead.
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
Posted February 1, 2021 | Arabella Mudd
After his father told him that he was going to get his buggy to help ferry Charlie home, Mike headed over to the beer tent. He was approaching the group that Charlie was part of when he heard one of the young men there say...
"What are you doin' here? This ain't no place for little girls."
This caused a laugh and someone pointed out raucously “Hell Connolly, she lives in the saloon, she spends more time in bar-rooms than any of us – even Charlie!!” Another laugh which everybody, including Arabella joined in with. The youngest Wentworth’s name was fast becoming a byword for drunken disorderliness.
“Don’t worry boys, I’ll bring ya all another beer over. Now, five times ten cents is…, oh heck I forgot, it’s all on the house tonight! In that case this round’s on me!” Arabella joshed, acting like one of the boys, like she did in the saloon. But then a serious voice sounded beside her.
"Miss Mudd, he's right this isn't the place for a young lady."
She looked around, and then up, and had the shock of her life. Mike Wentworth! When you adored someone from afar, really afar, it was a shock to the system to have ‘em pop up right beside you like a jack-in-the-box. If she ever had any color in her cheeks, which she didn’t, it would have drained away right there and then. “No Sir!” was all she could stammer out, her knees nearly buckling.
Far from being jealous of all her dancing partners and falling madly in love with her tonight, her hero was, instead, reproving her in no uncertain terms – and pretty scary it was, too.
Turning to Charlie, he smiled, "And this isn't the place for you either. It's time to say goodnight."
To Arabella, that smile looked like an iron fist in a velvet glove. Mike… Mr Wentworth, she felt, was not pleased with Charlie’s state and he must surely think of her as an accessory to it somehow: hadn’t he just caught her egging him and his cronies on to further imbibing?
She also knew Charlie well enough by now to know when he was far enough gone to have trouble walking straight. She mouthed to Brendan “Gimmie a hand with him” and nodded toward Chas. Junior. “Come on Charlie” she quipped, pulling him up with her skinny arms, “Be a gent and walk me outta here will ya?”
“After all, this ain’t no place fer silly little girls.” She added, more quietly, to herself.
I took an oath for this job. The oath says bring him in. That's what I'll do.
Posted February 3, 2021 | Charlie Wentworth
Charlie looked at his brother for a few seconds before responding, "What do mean good night?" It's still early and besides I got the winning bet so..."
The next thing he knew Arabella was dragging him towards her and saying something about walking her out of the room. In an instance he broke free, and stood his ground, "I'm sorry Miss Arabella, but like I said I've still got some celebrating to do."
Turning to his brother, he took a deep breath, "I'll go home when I'm ready and not when you tell me to."
Posted February 8, 2021 | Brendan Connolly
Well, it was a surprise to Brendan to hear than Arabella lived at the saloon. It was honestly almost a deterrent from going to the saloon, but not quite. He knew he would end up there eventually. He shrugged and drained the last of his beer as he watched Arabella. She did fit in somehow with the rowdy men, and he didn't understand it.
He knew did not want to help Arabella with Charlie. For all he knew, this was some ploy to get him to come along to the mission, too. But Charlie was drunk, and did seem like he needed some sort of help, especially after backtalking his brother? Maybe the man was his father? In his muddled brain, he couldn't tell.
He sidled up beside Charlie and nudged him. "Y'know, when the cards're stacked against ya, there comes a time when it's best to fold. It was nice meetin' you."
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
Posted February 8, 2021 | Arabella Mudd
The next thing he knew Arabella was dragging him towards her and saying something about walking her out of the room. In an instance he broke free, and stood his ground, "I'm sorry Miss Arabella, but like I said I've still got some celebrating to do."
Arabella went stumbling backwards as Charlie adroitly slipped out of her grasp. “Boy, he’s slippier’n a snake!” she gasped as she crashed into Mike. “Come on Charlie,” she pleaded “You know you promised to get up nice and early tomorrow and take me and Bridget to the Mission!” she tried, before turning to Mike Wentworth and explaining, somewhat redundantly “He’s promised to get up early tomorrow and take me and my friend Bridget to the Mission!”
She was torn between wanting to impress the heroic oldest Wentworth brother, who had saved her life and upon whom she had developed a deep and embarrassing crush, and help the youngest, to whom she owed a sort of dogged loyalty as a regular customer of the Saloon and ‘one of the boys’.
Charlie was not to be cajoled.
Turning to his brother, he took a deep breath, "I'll go home when I'm ready and not when you tell me to."
Arabella scratched her head, and this time it wasn’t the nits. She was deep in thought, and suddenly a lightbulb flashed above her head.
“Oh, Mr. Wentworth! I know! We should throw a couple more drinks in him: he’s always much easier to handle when he’s unconscious!” she suggested, miming a sudden lifting motion and crying “Hup! And mind his head on the steps!”
Brendan knew he did not want to help Arabella with Charlie. For all he knew, this was some ploy to get him to come along to the mission, too. But Charlie was drunk, and did seem like he needed some sort of help, especially after backtalking his brother? Maybe the man was his father? In his muddled brain, he couldn't tell.
He sidled up beside Charlie and nudged him. "Y'know, when the cards're stacked against ya, there comes a time when it's best to fold. It was nice meetin' you."
Arabella doubted that’d work, Charlie was the kind of feller, especially when he was in his cups, who wouldn’t let his deal go down ‘til his last gold dollar was gone.