"Work is fine for killin' time, but it's a shaky way to make a living."
Ben was seated over in the far corner of the barn busily writing down bets and taking the money which he was keeping in tin. The tin would be locked at the beginning of the fight and he would stay with the box until it was over. Tonight was one of the few occasions he was wearing a gun, which he had bought shortly after his arrival in Kalispell. Most of the time there wasn't a need to wear it but when there was a lot of money involved, he made sure he had it.
Earlier, he had seen Marshall Guyer and a few soldiers from the fort, so part of him was hoping that no-one would be stupid enough to try and steal it. Where he was seated was also the farthest from the only entrance that was opened. Crabbe had made sure that all the doors were locked as he didn't want to lose any of the cut he wanted for allowing him to run the betting. Thankfully, it was only a small percentage, so it didn't matter. There were also others who had made bets and they wouldn't like it, if someone ran off with their potential winnings.
As he looked over what the current odds were, Ben felt a bit sorry for his cousin. The betting had started out even, but Cullen had slowly become the favourite, especially after rumours began circulating that he had been in a few professional fights. Still, there was hope that Charlie would make it through the twenty rounds and there were a few bets to indicate that others thought the same thing too.
Since the people were still coming in, there was little time to ruminate before the next person approached him. Ben smiled knowing that whatever the outcome, the amount of betting would ensure that he would make a profit and that would help fund his next project, the White Rose Theatre.
Jonah smiled and nodded to Miss Kaufman, then to Jemima as well as he passed...as annoying as that young woman was, there was no reason to blatantly snub her. Of course, he couldn't say when he had started to really care about such things, or if he really did, for that matter, but here he was, showing kindness that was uncharacteristic before...well, before Miss Leah Steelegrave.
Shaking his head, he moved toward the back of room to find a seat where he could wait for the festivities to begin.
That wonderful doctor moved on into the crowd but Jemima approached her now, Miriam turned to face her, she seemed upset?
"Hey, what you doing sparking with Doctor Danforth?! You know I got my eye on him, and what you interested in him for anyway, I thought you're supposed to be 'the other way'?!" she asked, frowning a wrinkle into her monobrow.
Miriam was horrified (for more than one reason), "Sparking with him? No, I was just making pleasant conversation. I have no interest in the man like that. Oh...and I do not know what you mean? Other way?"
Of course she did but she had no intention of discussing any such in public.
"Now listen, you take this money and give it to Crabbe, and then rescue your girlfriend. She's terrified that there Grimes girl's gonna accidentally touch her and turn her deaf or some nonsense." she instructed her biddable and shy workmate. "I'll stay here and deal with any late-comers: I don't wanna go in there, I might have to talk with 'Stupid'!" she added.
Miriam took the money handed to her but shook her head, "I will give it to him but I have no intention of watching the fight. It is not proper for ladies to indulge in this sort of thing."
Those last words were a direct quote from her mother, who had been unhappy about her even working here this evening. But father was more reasonable at least about the working part (he wanted the money which would be useful and since the family did not have a son old enough to work a job, his daughter would have to do.)
"Arabella is just being............." she almost said 'foolish' but settled for, "dramatic. Blindness is not contagious."
"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows" - Helen Keller
Miriam's soggy bleatings about boxing being a sport unsuitable for ladies to watch (the wet lettuce!) and about her disinterest in the gorgeous Dr Danforth (she probably swung both ways!) were met with scornful looks from Jemima: and as for her defence of Muddy...
"Arabella is just being............." she almost said 'foolish' but settled for, "dramatic. Blindness is not contagious."
"You don't say!" replied the grim looking Wigfall girl, sardonically. She tipped her head toward the barn door and, as Miriam complied, shook her head disapprovingly - what a bizarre pair the two of them made. Still, if those two funny cookies could find each other, maybe there was still chance in the world for her to find love.
Inside, Miriam almost immediately face to face with Jemima's brother Hector, with the blind girl, Frances Grimes in tow.
"Oh, hello Miriam!" cried Hector, colouring slightly, for he had a bit of a soft spot for the shy Jewish girl. "Have you met Frances? Frances, this is Miriam Kaufmann, she's a friend of Arabella's." Miss Grimes thrust out a hand in Miriam's general direction. "Hello." she said simply.
"Have you seen Miss Mudd? She seems to have disappeared!" asked Frances. "I wanted to tell her how splendidly she played tonight: I can hardly believe that she has only been learning the guitaro for a few weeks."
"Oh, hello Miriam!" cried Hector, colouring slightly, for he had a bit of a soft spot for the shy Jewish girl. "Have you met Frances? Frances, this is Miriam Kaufmann, she's a friend of Arabella's." Miss Grimes thrust out a hand in Miriam's general direction. "Hello." she said simply.
Hector really was quite handsome even like the good doctor only more her age. Still Jemima always did her best to color him an idiot. And this was the blind girl then, the poor thing!
"No, I have not yet had the pleasure," Miriam took the hand then for an official greeting, "Hello, Frances."
"Have you seen Miss Mudd? She seems to have disappeared!" asked Frances. "I wanted to tell her how splendidly she played tonight: I can hardly believe that she has only been learning the guitaro for a few weeks."
"Oh trust me. She talks about her guitaro all the time lately. When she isn't practicing it that is. She also plays the organ at church services and I hear she is very good at that too. She really is quite talented musically though, unlike me. I settle for singing," Miriam smiled but not like the blind girl could tell. Hector could though at least.
"Ara might have had some chores to do at the sa.........at her place of employment," Miriam answered the question, "If my musical opinion counts for anything you all sounded like quite the band. Quite the performance. Congratulations."
"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows" - Helen Keller
Frances listened with pleasure and interest to Miriam's voice. She knew that accent all right, and just the hearing of it warmed the cockles of her heart. But she was talking about Arabella's musical talent with no little gusto.
"Oh trust me. She talks about her guitaro all the time lately. When she isn't practicing it that is. She also plays the organ at church services and I hear she is very good at that too. She really is quite talented musically though, unlike me. I settle for singing," Miriam smiled but not like the blind girl could tell. Hector could though at least.
Oh, you don't attend the same church, then?" the blind girl asked, although she guessed from that distinctive accent that this girl probably didn't attend any church. "Well, perhaps you can tell her from me what a great pleasure it was playing with her tonight."
"Ara might have had some chores to do at the sa.........at her place of employment," Miriam answered the question, "If my musical opinion counts for anything you all sounded like quite the band. Quite the performance. Congratulations."
Miss Grimes smiled. "Miriam, can I ask you a question? Do you happen to hail from New York by any chance? I used to live at the Blind Institute on 34th Street and Ninth Avenue. I used to hear a lot of wonderful voices like yours, especially down on Lower East side."
Hector, listening in, had thought himself a little superior to both these girls, but hearing them talk about New York made him feel quite the parochial bumpkin.
"No, I don't. My family is Jewish you see," Miriam felt that was certainly explanation enough, this girl was bright.
"Miriam, can I ask you a question? Do you happen to hail from New York by any chance? I used to live at the Blind Institute on 34th Street and Ninth Avenue. I used to hear a lot of wonderful voices like yours, especially down on Lower East side."
"Oh another New Yorker?" Miriam beamed.
She continued though as she went on the smile faded for obvious reasons, "Yes, we did live on the East side. Almost everyone on our street was also Jewish. My parents were both born in Germany but came here. My oldest brother was born there too but he died soon after they landed in New York. Trampled by a runaway wagon. I was born in New York though."
She also glanced at Hector, not wishing to ignore him, and graced him with a smile, "Easterners huh? What do you locals call people like us? Tender foots.........or would that be feet?"
"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows" - Helen Keller
"Oh another New Yorker?" Miriam beamed.
"By adoption!" agreed Frances "I came to the Institute in '66." 'came': she spoke as if she still lived there, and indeed, her body might be in Kalispell, Montana, but her heart was still in the great city on the Hudson.
She continued though as she went on the smile faded for obvious reasons, "Yes, we did live on the East side. Almost everyone on our street was also Jewish. My parents were both born in Germany but came here. My oldest brother was born there too but he died soon after they landed in New York. Trampled by a runaway wagon. I was born in New York though."
"Oh no, I'm so sorry. Those wagons do go such a pace through the streets at the best of times; with that and the trolley cars, even a sighted person hardly dare cross the roads. When our teacher used to take us little blind girls out in a crocodile, he was always so scared one of us would get hit. Oh, but your poor family, for that to happen so soon after their arrival." she said, sincerely sad. She held out her free hand and managed to find and touch Miriam's arm.
What a contrast to Arabella whom, when Miriam had told her about her brother's tragic death, had merely countered with an even better story about HER brother's even tragicaller demise, like it was some sort of black-bordered competition to see who had suffered the most.
She also glanced at Hector, not wishing to ignore him, and graced him with a smile, "Easterners huh? What do you locals call people like us? Tender foots.........or would that be feet?"
Hector smiled and shook his head indulgently. "No, I think it's wonderful to hear the two of you talk. How great to find each other out here: imagine if I went to New York and bumped into someone from Kalispell! I know the odds of that are a whole lot smaller, but it'd be the same grand feeling to talk to someone from home."
Frances grinned "Oh, Hector would love New York, wouldn't he Miriam? Where would we take him? On the elevated railway? A ride on the trolley cars up Broadway? Down to the South Side docks to feel the and smell the spray of the Ocean tickling his face? Or to the Jewish Market to try fresh baked bagels and challah bread and matzah ball soup? Oh, so many wonderful sounds an smells and tastes!" she smiled nostalgically.
As they laughed and talked, up in the hay loft, two blue eyes peered down at them: at Miriam and that Grimes girl, and a flash of green showed in the blue eyes, as Arabella slowly strangled the guitar neck.
Frances gave her condolences on the death of Miriam's brother, it was nice of her to do so. She even reached out to touch Miriam's arm in a sympathetic gesture. Miriam could not understand how Ara could be so afraid of such a nice girl.
Hector seemed to enjoy the conversation too. Despite Jemima's constant running down of her brother, he did not seem bad at all to the young Jewish girl. Pleasant, handsome. Maybe Jemima was jealous of her brother's looks? Frances now assured the boy he would enjoy a visit to New York, there was so much to see, to hear, smell, and do. Of course there were many bad things about it too but why dwell on that. Frances was obviously an optimist.
Miriam had no idea she was being watched. But she was having a good time. She was making more friends in Kalispell already than she had ever made in New York.
" ... - - - ... "
Crabbe approached and took the money from Miriam and asked Hector to come over to the ring and help him with something. Hector nodded and looked at Miriam.
"Say, Miriam, I don't suppose you'd walk Frances here home: I promised I would but apparently I'm needed here." he asked the pretty seamstress.
"It's just a little difficult with the banjo." the blind girl put in: she wouldn't normally bat an eyelid about making the trip, but handling her 'seeing stick' and carrying the instrument, which was awkwardly bottom heavy with the resonator screwed to the back of it, was a little much.
"I'd ask Arabella" added Hector "But it looks like she's lit out already."