"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
Jacob Lutz...that scrawny farmer boy related to Granny Miggins?" Charlie frowned.
Arabella nodded. “He's her grandson, and oh, he might look scrawny, but you should see him tote them big crates of produce around, like they’s light as a feather. And I felt his muscles onct…” Crabbe asked a leery question and Arabella replied “Yes, OF COURSE in his arm!!” before continuing to Charlie “… and them there bicepticles was as hard as iron!” She was enjoying rubbing this in: she was sort of jealous of the attention Clara got from the fellers, in more ways than one, and this was a nice chance to get some revenge for it.
“I wonder if he likes fighting?” murmured Lorenzo, still thinking of his much needed pugilist.
There was one thing he needed to find out. Ignoring Crabbe, he looked at Arabella, "Just how serious is this relationship between Clara and Lutz?"
Arabella smiled, she looked like the cat who got the cream “Well, let’s just say I’ve been starting to practice the Wedding March on the church harmonium.” She held a glass up to the light to inspect her polishing prowess. “Course, I don’t know how I’m gonna play the wretched thing And be chief bridesmaid at the same time. Say Charlie, don’t you think I’ll look pretty in a bridesmaid’s dress?”
Crabbe just shook his head a little at this, even he knew brides always made their bridesmaids wear hideous frocks to make themselves look better.
I took an oath for this job. The oath says bring him in. That's what I'll do.
Wedding? Even though Arabella had the tendency to add her own twist to things, most everything she said had an element of truth. Clara getting married was, in his opinion, rather sudden. The dance was almost two months ago, and it didn't seem long enough especially where a girl like Clara was concerned. Wearing that dress must have really went to her head. Lutz must have also been spending a lot of time off his farm in order to court her, which made Charlie think of him as a bit irresponsible but then again Lutz was still a kid.
However, if Clara had made up her mind to marry Lutz there was nothing much he could do about it. The thought that he had lost Clara before he really had a chance made him feel depressed. Somehow the beer in front of him wasn't enough. Turning to Arabella, he looked at her intently, "I don't know how if you will look pretty or not but one thing I do know is that I need a drink."
He dug into his pants pocket, pulled out the money he needed and placed it on the counter, "A glass and a bottle of whiskey."
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
Turning to Arabella, he looked at her intently, "I don't know how if you will look pretty or not but one thing I do know is that I need a drink."
“You got a drink!” she replied brightly but didn’t like the look in his eyes one little bit.
He dug into his pants pocket, pulled out the money he needed and placed it on the counter, "A glass and a bottle of whiskey."
Arabella looked at Charlie long and hard. “What? Because Clara Redmond’s courtin’ Jacob Lutz?!” she asked incredulously. “Why anyone would thing that you was in lo….” She trailed off. Oh Lord, that was it! He must really have romantic feelings about her.
She scrabbled to save the situation but knew in her heart of hearts it was too late. “Well, it ain’t worth fallin’ off of the wagon for! There’s plenty more fish in the sea!” she tried. Then changed tack.
“Well, I ain’t sellin’ you no whiskey! Don’t do this Charlie, please. It’ll be … it’ll be all my fault and…” But too late, Ralph was making his way back to the bar and he’d sell Charlie as much whiskey as the feller could hold or afford. Arabella was dismissed from her temporary position at the bar, back to the kitchen. She could only make one last parting plea.
“Please Charlie, remember the pledge!” It was a pathetic attempt, and she knew it. She kicked herself all the way back to the kitchen. “Me and my big mouth!” she uttered again and again.
Crabbe slapped Charlie manfully on the back.
“Women, huh? You’re right, the situation always looks rosier through the bottom of a bottle. Make that a bottle of the best red-eye and two glasses! I got women troubles of my own.”
I took an oath for this job. The oath says bring him in. That's what I'll do.
Charlie looked at Crabbe, "You know that's the first thing you've said that I like. Shall we?"
Having paid for the bottle, Charlie took his glass and pointed to one of the tables in the far corner of the saloon. When they were both seated, the drinking began. Charlie wasn't sure how many glasses he had drunk but after a while the bottle was more than half gone and the effects of the whiskey was sinking in.
After finishing off another glass, Charlie began to pour another and as he did he continued his rant, "You know Crabbe, women who act one way and then another really get my goat. Take Clara for instance, one minute she's like a rock and hard to break, next she's all gone all soft just 'cause some skinny runt starts sprouting flowery words."
He slugged down the drink he had just poured. His emotions were going from one extreme to another. Picking up the bottle he stared at it for a minute before pouring another drink. As he held the glass in preparation to drink it, he sighed heavily, "You know I was willing to wait for her. She's been through a lot with her ma dying and having to take over the responsibility of helping to look after her brother but there was always the chance that she could live a life of her own or at least find out who she really is...now that's all gone for her. Now that she's getting married, she going to have to start having kids while she is still one herself. She's in a sure fire rush to grow up and get old."
Looking over at Crabbe, "You know what I mean, don't you?"
Charlie looked at Crabbe, "You know that's the first thing you've said that I like. Shall we?"
As they walked to the table, Lorenzo chuckled. “Well, that's about the one thing that most fellers can agree on: when women get you sore, you need a good slug of good old licker to anaesthetise the sting!”
After finishing off another glass, Charlie began to pour another and as he did he continued his rant, "You know Crabbe, women who act one way and then another really get my goat. Take Clara for instance, one minute she's like a rock and hard to break, next she's all gone all soft just 'cause some skinny runt starts sprouting flowery words."
“Oh, is that how he got her?” nodded Crabbe “The sneaky bastard.” He was enjoying the booze, but wasn’t keeping up with Charlie’s rate of consumption, no way.
"You know I was willing to wait for her. She's been through a lot with her ma dying and having to take over the responsibility of helping to look after her brother but there was always the chance that she could live a life of her own or at least find out who she really is...now that's all gone for her. Now that she's getting married, she going to have to start having kids while she is still one herself. She's in a sure fire rush to grow up and get old."
The young feller had it all worked out in his mind, that was clear. But that was maybe the problem, in Lorenzo’s experience, thinking about a thing just drove you crazy and nothing actually got done. The exact right moment never came; best just to do a thing now and hope for the best. True, that attitude had landed him in big trouble plenty of times: but that was better than wallowing in doubt about ’what might have been.”
Looking over at Crabbe, "You know what I mean, don't you?"
“Why sure” the slick Lorenzo assured the love sick pup “Your problem is you care too much for this little girl, you did what’s best for her… selfless-like.” He massaged Charlie’s feelings, going with the flow of the lad’s rant. “Meanwhile this Klutz feller sneaks in with his flowery verses and his oversized farm produce and mixes her all up. Made her forget that she’s supposed to be waiting for you to tell her how you feel.” Yes, it was hardly logical, but when alcohol and aching hearts combined, logic was the first thing to fly out the window.
“Still…” Crabbe had adopted a frown of intense concentration, nodding to himself as if the greatest idea in the world had just come to him. “I reckon you might just have one last throw of the dice, if you’re willing to act and not just brood on the matter.”
I took an oath for this job. The oath says bring him in. That's what I'll do.
"Why sure” the slick Lorenzo assured the love sick pup “Your problem is you care too much for this little girl, you did what’s best for her… selfless-like.”
"Yeah, that's what I did," Charlie mumbled.
“Meanwhile this Klutz feller sneaks in with his flowery verses and his oversized farm produce and mixes her all up. Made her forget that she’s supposed to be waiting for you to tell her how you feel.”
"He sure did and she's gonna pay for it. Poor Clara, the girl who grew old before her time," he lamented.
“I reckon you might just have one last throw of the dice, if you’re willing to act and not just brood on the matter.”
Charlie perked up a little. Maybe there was a chance for him, considering it takes months for people get married. His own sister, Mary was engaged for nearly a year before she got married. After drinking another glass of whiskey and filling it up again, he thought about it. Crabbe might be onto something.
"All right, if this has anything to do with getting rid of ol' Klutz, then I'll do it," he said in a slightly slurred tone. The whiskey was now starting to affect his speech, "Clara's gotta see that I'm the better man."
All right, if this has anything to do with getting rid of ol' Klutz, then I'll do it," he said in a slightly slurred tone. The whiskey was now starting to affect his speech, "Clara's gotta see that I'm the better man."
Crabbe nodded. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was hoping to get out of this situation, but he had made a living, the last six years of his life, by exploiting other men’s passions, and this young feller had passion in spades. Lorenzo recognised it for the sort of dangerous, jealous, twisted, brooding passion that so often haunts the hearts of men where women are concerned, and knew it would have to be handled with kid gloves to benefit himself any.
“Problem is, he’s ensorcelled her with these here love poems.” Lorenzo slyly took up a theme that Charlie himself had mentioned. “You attack him, she’ll just cleave tighter to the stupid lookin’ bastard.” He’d never seen this Klutz feller, but it didn’t harm to insult him in Charlie’s presence.
“We gotta work on her.” He said, thinking fast. “First of all, we gotta make you a more attractive proposition, er, make her kinda jealous of you, see? Make ol' Clara see you in a better light. Hmmm, you know any girls? I mean, not like Arabella, pretty girls.”
I took an oath for this job. The oath says bring him in. That's what I'll do.
Other girls? Charlie frowned as he tried to work out what other girls he knew. Working on a ranch that was miles from town and only coming in once a week didn't allow much time for getting to know other girls. The only girl he had really gotten to known was Clara and that was because she worked at the ranch before she up and left. Clara was funny like that, if she had the notion, she could do the unexpected...like getting married to the first fellow who asked her. That thought made him more depressed...it should have been him.
Shaking his head a little in a vain attempt to wipe Clara from his mind, he tried to focus on the other girls. The only one, other than a few ladies he had met at church, that he had spent considerable time with was that blonde hair one with the funny name.
Staring at Crabbe, he nodded, "Yeah, there's others like the one I had to escort at some birthday party...hmm...come to think of it, I think it was hers. Her name was Ana...Anna..."
He frowned again, the girl's name was proving harder to say and remember now that he was well and truly drunk. Then it came him all of sudden, "That's it. Anastasia Orr."
Happy that he had remembered the girl's name, he took another drink in celebration. When he finished off the glass, he shook his head slightly, "I don't know about her though, she was a bit...well you know a bit."
A realisation then hit him, "Sheesh...I gotta get out more. Maybe that's it. I can make Clara jealous by showing her that are plenty of other girls who would be willingly to take her place."
Staring at Crabbe, he nodded, "Yeah, there's others like the one I had to escort at some birthday party...hmm...come to think of it, I think it was hers. Her name was Ana...Anna..."
“Come on think!” encouraged Crabbe “This could be your ace in the hole!”
He frowned again, the girl's name was proving harder to say and remember now that he was well and truly drunk. Then it came him all of sudden, "That's it. Anastasia Orr."
“Oh, you mean Anaesthesia Orr.” Corrected Crabbe, he had heard the name spoken in gushing admiration enough times. He used to think that when he saw women whispering together, they were discussing men. However, since Arabella had started hanging around with Bridget, and he had been forced to listen to the one sided drivel that made up their ‘conversations’, he’d come to realise that women mostly talked to women about other women: I swear Jemima Wigfall’s eyebrows are getting’ thicker every day! And did you see that pimple on her nose?! And say, is Clara Redmond getting fatter or are her big feet just getting smaller? And, Oh, Bridget, you should’a seen Miss Anaesthesia Orr at Church on Sunday, why she looked just like a angel! And so on and so forth ad nauseum.
Happy that he had (sorta) remembered the girl's name, he took another drink in celebration. When he finished off the glass, he shook his head slightly, "I don't know about her though, she was a bit...well you know a bit."
“Yeah, a bit rich, beautiful and accomplished: why she’s just perfect for my little scheme to make your little Clara girl green with envy!” Crabbe fair rubbed his hands together with glee, he was getting caught up in this little bit of social engineering now.
A realisation then hit him, “Sheesh...I gotta get out more. Maybe that’s it. I can make Clara jealous by showing her that are plenty of other girls who would be willingly to take her place.”
“Why suuuure!” Lorenzo’s oily tongue caressed Charlie’s willing ears “Just imagine the look on that little waitress’s face when you waltz into the diner or church or what not with that beautiful doll on your arms. She’ll look at you in a nice suit, nice girlfriend, and then that Klutz bumpkin in his shit stained over-hauls and think ‘time fer a change’!” He chuckled to himself.
He had no expectation that poor Miss Orr, to be used as a mere tool in this romantic intrigue, would actually pique Charlie’s interest. Life didn’t work like that. A feller got a woman’s image in his head, his heart said ‘that’s the one’ and come hell or high water, she’s the one he’d moon about for the rest of his natural life. He drifted off for a second as was back in Bowling Green, around 1861, just before he’d run off to avoid the war; he wondered what had ever become of her.
I took an oath for this job. The oath says bring him in. That's what I'll do.
Charlie frowned again. He wasn't quite sure pretending to be enamoured with another girl was the way to win Clara back, especially one like the Orr girl. Sure she was pretty but she wasn't Clara. Maybe there was another way to make Clara forget Klutz.
"Look I don't know. Annatesa Orr might want me to become something more permanent if I pay her too much attention. Look at Clara, Klutz paid too much attention to her and now they're getting married. I'm too young to get married. I don't even have enough money saved for a trip to Helena."
He filled up his glass again and for a moment looked at the bottle. It was nearly empty and he wondered whether or not he should buy another. Maybe Crabbe would buy the next one.
After taking a good slug of his drink, he sighed, "If I had the money, I could go to Clara and tell her that she can have a place of her own here in town or anywhere else she wanted. Women want a place of their own more than anything. With money, I could buy her all the poetry books she wants. Heck, with a few extra bucks, I can even buy her dinner at my brother's hotel."